Active Offensives and Active Defensives...

theravenforce

Hey all,

I was just wondering...when do you tend to use your Active Offensives/Active Defensives in combat?

I am speaking in terms of PvE content rather than PvP.

I personally rarely use (or have) an Active Offensive, but that is because my builds are quite strange.

Do you tend to use them very often?

aiqa

On the builds that have them I use them all the time.

Some examples:
In my TGM and my cascade build I have two, and both have lot of int so there is one active most of the time.
On the TGM build I have ice sheat and imbue, both purely for damage.
On the cascade build I have lock n load partially for the damage, but mostly for the cost reduction and again imbue for damage.

On my builds with con I have ego surge, for obvious reasons.

And on my sorceress shadow shroud, just because it looks neat.

As for active defenses, that is more or less the same. Only when using my MA dps build for TT I keep MD as a panick button, and of course resurgence is used only when needed.*

vitalityprime

I can only comment on a couple Active Defenses.

It really depends on what content I'm running through and the situation.

However, most of the time...I use Unbreakable at the start of combat, even if I don't need the protection, to get the most out of "Better you than me".

Masterful Dodge on the other hand...is extremely situational. For instance...if someone "messes up" and pulls a lot of enemies...I'll use the BCR/MD combo, for 15s of not worrying about my HP, while I try to contain the situation.

biffsmackwell

Most of my characters have them, but they're really only used during boss fights.

joybuzzerx

My main has two active offenses, since switching back to LR as my passive, I've got a 1-2 second cooldown between them. On tough opponent fights, I pretty much have one up all the time. When it's just minions, only when I think about it.

When I was using Quarry, there was no gap, and had one in use all the time.

cptmillennium

For Captain Millennium, I often open with Aggressor to build fast stacks of Enrage, and may fire off Unbreakable as well. I also have Ego Surge with Nimble Mind and Masterful Dodge, and generally will continuously cycle both AOs and ADs unless I'm facing an opponent who uses a lot of holds, in which case I may keep an AO in reserve to break out.

wrathsoul1

biffsmackwell wrote: »

Most of my characters have them, but they're really only used during boss fights.

I can say the same.

kenpojujitsu3

Active Offense Usage:

1) Hold Breaking
2) Damage boost for "boss' encounters
3) RP purposes. Love the aura on some of them and the reloading animations on Lock and Load.

Active Defense usage:

1) Oh **** button
2) RP purposes. Fast characters use Masterful Dodge to simulate a speed burst, Unbreakable for the shield Aura.
3) Hold Breaking occasionally with something like Resurgence w/ adv.
4) To soak up damage while I build stacks in a more reckless way than I would without an AD. Typically Debuff stacks or Defiant stacks.

beldin

kenpojujitsu3 wrote: »

3) RP purposes. Love the aura on some of them and the reloading animations on Lock and Load.

I always like the little joke that you can throw away your pistols when using Lock'n'Load when maintaining Lead Tempest :biggrin:

Else active offense also mainly for hold breaking, and i always hate it if i want to use it for just the damage, and get hold directly after i activated it :mad:

kenpojujitsu3

beldin wrote: »

i always hate it if i want to use it for just the damage, and get hold directly after i activated it :mad:

I know right! Or get knocked right as you activate it so that it goes on cooldown...but never turned on. :mad:

jennymachx

The only time I never use my AO is...

...well never.

DPS EVERYTHING TO DEATH!

avianos

That's an Intersting observation
Since I have playing with FreeForm characters the last 1 year (but continuing using ATs as well) I noticed that I have been always using 1 AO and 1 AD per character, this made my Builds a little Boring to be honest since it limited the powers I could get to fit my theme... but I don't like Dieing so...

for me Active Offence
1. Is the OVER LIMIT / LIMIT BREAK! My Hero reaches his Critical Moment of Power
2. Cool animations Lock N Load on my Specialist, Soldier and FF Gadgeteer! IT'S AWESOME!
3. Power AURA (I will totally use Ascension on my 4th MAIN FF character once I get the chance to remake him)
4. Getting Rid of annoying Holds (Mystic Nemesis, Cairngorm Stoneblood and Valerian Scartlet's Binding of Aratron is freaking annoying)

and as for Active Deffence
Moment of Critical Need! basically (OH **** BUTTON)

if my TOON with PFF lose his PFF, Field Surge will SAVE him
My Golem Lord will harden his Rock Body and Become Unbreakable and if that doesn't help him, he will Resurgence (yeah this character has 2 ADs... I need to find a better substitute)
and my martial art characters will use their Masterful Dodge

Also Ice Barrier, it's not a Active Defence but I use it as one for my ICE-THEMED toon! I love the Icicles he creates :S,

But I have been wondering about some of my Builds...

Do I really need Lock N Load on my PFF character? Sure it has nice animation which works with the Gadget powers and is a nice Bonus... but I could swap this power for something else... like Support Drones! (Field Surge is a MUST for his Build though)

I have 4 characters (5 if you count my Discliple as well) who are using Ego Surge + Nimble Mind ADV the AO is EFFICIENT but after using it on 5 characters... I got Bored by the Visuals
but again Since I'm silver I can't color the power aura... and I'm stuck with the PINK color


The fact that the Mystic Framework has NO AO/AD is really dissapointing...

kenpojujitsu3 wrote: »

I know right! Or get knocked right as you activate it so that it goes on cooldown...but never turned on.

I freaking hate when this Happens! Getting the AO/AD Interupting is a serious tease and can cost your life (especially on Gravitar, since her Force Cascades can INTERRUPT you)

darksun0685

kenpojujitsu3 wrote: »

I know right! Or get knocked right as you activate it so that it goes on cooldown...but never turned on. :mad:

If I had a nickle for every time this happened well I'd have ALOT of nickles.

But AD is oh S^&% button and AO is burst damage/hold break. Normally I save them for bosses or if some mob annoys me like casting a hold when I'm in the middle of charging a big attack.

theravenforce

kenpojujitsu3 wrote: »

I know right! Or get knocked right as you activate it so that it goes on cooldown...but never turned on. :mad:

^This. Irritates me so much, and the worst thing is, it's intended (IIRC when this question was asked in Ask Cryptic 2011)

ryllynyth

I must build characters strangely then, because most of mine end up with a next-hit, 2 active offenses, and a pair of defenses. Just considering the cooldown reduction on basic gear at level 40, you can keep the AOs/ADs rolling pretty well.

Although I mostly use them in boss fights (or when things go south and somebody manages to aggro a huge group of mobs), by the time I actually have that many clicks I'm usually tough enough that I don't need to use them for most fights.

As far as leveling goes, I typically back-fill with them starting in the mid/late 20s (once I have all my attacks, a block, passive/form/unlock, etc), so they're rarely used then either.