Speedster Melee DPS

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  flowcyto Posts: 12,742 Arc User

  April 2019 edited April 2019

  While 100Hands can be okay to apply debuffs and for some melee AoE, it alone isn't great single-target dps. For Unarmed, if you want more competitive boss dps then it'd be w/ either BCF or DU. You'd prob want DK in there for Rush as well.
  
  https://aesica.net/co/herocreator.htm?v=32&n=&d=11230abG9APK000000E000E605EB00EF07EL00EP0XK503ES0PON011500EG03E80OK6001L002jN742iK0tid40000000000&e=
  
  Super Stats
  Level 6: Strength (Primary)
  Level 10: Dexterity (Secondary)
  Level 15: Constitution (Secondary)
  
  Talents
  Level 1: The Master (Str: 8, Dex: 10, Con: 10, Rec: 10)
  Level 6: Covert Ops Training (Str: 3, Dex: 3, Con: 3, Int: 3)
  Level 9: Acrobat (Dex: 5, Con: 5)
  Level 12: Martial Focus (Str: 5, Dex: 5)
  Level 15: Physical Conditioning (Str: 5, Con: 5)
  Level 18: Quick Recovery (Con: 5, Rec: 5)
  Level 21: Impresario (Dex: 5, Rec: 5)
  
  Powers
  Level 1: Righteous Fists
  Level 1: One Hundred Hands (Rank 2, Demolishing Strikes)
  Level 6: Form of the Master
  Level 8: Night Warrior (Rank 2, Rank 3, Silent Running)
  Level 11: Steadfast
  Level 14: Dragon Kick (Rank 2, Dragon Rush)
  Level 17: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Level 20: Burning Chi Fist (Rank 2, Shattering Strike, Ghostly Strikes)
  Level 23: Resurgence (Rank 2)
  Level 26: Lightning Strike
  Level 29: Parry (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Level 32: Inexorable Tides (Flowing Strikes, Power Sweep)
  Level 35: Imbue
  Level 38: Thundering Return
  Adv. Points: 33/36
  
  Travel Powers
  Level 6:
  Level 35:
  
  Specializations
  Strength: Swole (2/3)
  Strength: Physical Peak (3/3)
  Strength: Brutality (2/2)
  Strength: Juggernaut (1/3)
  Strength: Overpower (2/3)
  Warden: Fortified Gear (3/3)
  Warden: Ruthless (2/2)
  Warden: Upper Hand (2/3)
  Warden: The Best Defense (3/3)
  Brawler: The Glory of Battle (1/3)
  Brawler: Penetrating Strikes (2/2)
  Brawler: Ruthless (2/2)
  Brawler: Finishing Blow (2/3)
  Brawler: Flanking (3/3)
  Mastery: Strength Mastery (1/1)
  
  Either Steadfast or Chi Manip could work as the EU here. Uses 100Hands to apply Demolish (and Chi Flame), DK to put up Rush for extra energy, and BCF as its main single-target attack. Inex Tides can refresh Demolish quickly. You can use 100Hands, DK, and/or Inex Tides for AoE here (100Hands can debuff, DK can stun, Tides can knockup). Gears mostly for Dex, w/ some Con.

  <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
  - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!

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  bluhman Posts: 2,410 Arc User

  April 2019 edited April 2019

  Recommendation: If you literally want to be a speedster, a couple of powers to sub out:

  • Evasive Maneuvers to Laughing Zephyr - I'd say the movement speed buff (of which you can gain up to 3 stacks of if you rank it up) is way more useful for melee builds than EM's dodge boost is: true the lunge can get you back in quickly either way, but that speed-up is key for keeping next to targets and positioning your AoEs - which is a pretty big deal for melee DPS.
  • Parry to Antagonize - Similar case here, though I can make a stronger argument for it since unless you're using Elusive Monk (which cuts into DPS output) the ability to gain resistance by blocking is much better than the counter's strength. It's up to you, but one benefit of Parry is that if you pick Elusive Monk as your last advantage in your power-selection stack, then you can make quick/cheap dips into the powerhouse to switch between more dodge and more DPS, but for general use Antagonize is way better, and stacked with Laughing Zephyr you can zoom around the battlefield without any travel powers.

  These are both useful, since in some cases (returning to Qwyjibo and escaping his lava pits, Teleiosaurus knockback) you won't have TPs available, but will need to avoid incoming attacks. This keeps in theme while still allotting some pretty nice ability to rush out of the way of attacks.
  
  One-Hundred-Hands isn't optimal for damage, but it is certainly workable as a main attack, and can be specced to get some pretty nasty output from it, though like Flo mentioned it still probably won't be preferable to bring to super-serious cosmics, and some could accuse you of ruining DPS checks in some cases like Teleiosaurus. Sad, but true unfortunately.
  
  Regardless, Here's how I'd try and milk as much damage from OHH as possible:
  
  Slipstream Melee Damage
  v3.31:32
  
  Slipstream Melee Damage
  v3.31:32
  
  Super Stats
  Level 6: Dexterity (Primary)
  Level 10: Recovery (Secondary)
  Level 15: Constitution (Secondary)
  
  Talents
  Level 1: The Dragon (Str: 10, Dex: 10, Con: 8, Rec: 10)
  Level 6: Acrobat (Dex: 5, Con: 5)
  Level 9: Impresario (Dex: 5, Rec: 5)
  Level 12: Quick Recovery (Con: 5, Rec: 5)
  Level 15: Amazing Stamina (Rec: 5, End: 5)
  Level 18: Boundless Reserves (Con: 5, End: 5)
  Level 21: Accurate (Dex: 5, End: 5)
  
  Powers
  Level 1: Vicious Strikes
  Level 1: One Hundred Hands (Rank 2, Rank 3, Ghostly Strikes)
  Level 6: Thundering Kicks (Demolishing Strikes)
  Level 8: Form of the Master
  Level 11: Way of the Warrior (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Level 14: Steadfast
  Level 17: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Level 20: Antagonize (Rank 2)
  Level 23: Inexorable Tides (Flowing Strikes, Power Sweep)
  Level 26: Masterful Dodge
  Level 29: Lock N Load (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Level 32: Thunderbolt Lunge
  Level 35: Laughing Zephyr (Rank 2, Stim Pack)
  Level 38: Devastating Strike (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Adv. Points: 35/36
  
  Travel Powers
  Level 6: Lightspeed (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Level 35: Teleportation
  
  Specializations
  Dexterity: Combat Training (3/3)
  Dexterity: Gear Utilization (2/3)
  Dexterity: Deadly Aim (3/3)
  Dexterity: Expose Weakness (2/2)
  Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
  Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
  Vindicator: Offensive Expertise (2/2)
  Vindicator: Mass Destruction (3/3)
  Avenger: Ruthless (2/2)
  Avenger: Round 'em Up (3/3)
  Avenger: Relentless Assault (3/3)
  Avenger: Offensive Expertise (2/2)
  Mastery: Dexterity Mastery (1/1)
  
  Devices
  
  
  Both the Vindicator/Avenger speccing is chosen to specifically feed all possible damage-boost stacking into exactly what OHH is: a maintained, AoE attack. Relentless Assault especially creates extra Offense, which thanks to Dex's Combat Training spec, creates more crit chance. Combine that with Mass Destruction, and you'll be flinging out some pretty consistent crits. Theoretically (and in practice on my own speedster builds) REC primary can be utilized to grant some huge crit-chance bonuses when you have near-full energy (My alt Mach sits at around 45% crit chance when it's up), but in practice it usually isn't always in effect, and creating a reliable feedback loop to get enough energy with it isn't easy, so consistency of DEX tree wins out here.
  
  Thundering Kicks is utilized once to apply Demolish to your target (or multiple since it also happens to be the only AoE demolish application), and then Inexorable Tides is useful as a periodic interrupt, as well as a reliable Demolish refresh. Both are pretty secondary attacks though, you should be using OHH as much as possible since that is 5 advantage-points and a full spec tree devoted to doing as much maintained DPS as possible.
  
  Resurgence can be useful if you're a tank. But this is a DPS, so being able to keep health/defenses high for an extended period will usually be more key, especially for making more openings for attacks or holding on to your remaining HP, so Masterful Dodge on its own should be good enough. In place of Resurgence is Devastating Strikes, which can be super-good for spike damage in DPS checks. If you don't have access to that ult, Dragon Uppercut with Dragon Rush is also good to get some reliable energy for a while. The one remaining free Adv. Point can either be leveraged to spend on that 3-pt advantage, or otherwise put in an extra rank of your TPs for maximum speed!
  
  Hope that helps.

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  brfabeiras Posts: 182 Arc User

  April 2019

  You could use Lightning Strike instead of Thunderbolt Lunge, it has a "Flash" visual, I guess

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  flowcyto Posts: 12,742 Arc User

  April 2019

  bluhman wrote: »

  Recommendation: If you literally want to be a speedster, a couple of powers to sub out:
  ...

  That's a nice build for focusing on 100Hands instead. I like the approach to specs, considering 100Hands being a maintained melee AoE.
  
  I picked Parry just cause of the kickback anim showing fast reflexes (I wouldn't get EMonk w/ it; as stated, the dps hit prob isn't worth it for a dps, and you'd lose the ability to get R3 anyways), but yeah Antagonize's extra effects are nice here. You could change the block enhancer in a build like mine to Antagonize w/o much diff to the core build. Something like LZephyr could replace the AO or self-res too, if desired. I don't have the cosmic experience some others here do, but if move speed boost like that are useful, then by all means feel free to include them.

  <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
  - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!

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