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Keiko's Archery Corner Mk. II - Now with less Archived-ness!
keikomyst
Posts: 626 Arc User
It's REPOST TIME!
I've been playing with Archery a lot recently and it's highly competitive for the top spot of my favorite powersets, pushing Munitions down to second place and Unarmed martial arts to third.
So, why do I love Archery? It's:
1. Mobile
2. High-damage
3. Very easy to build for thematically.
Almost every move with Archery allows for complete free-range movement, the only exception being Focused Shot. Almost every move also has high damage output, save for Gas Arrow, Focused Shot and Taser Arrow. We'll get to those in a bit.
For theme purposes, you don't have to go crazy justifying taking Knock Power X and Heal Power Y. You're an archer. You can wear power armor. You can run around in bear skins. You can just be a superhuman who's taking their backyard hobby to the next level. You can be a secret agent who prefers bows for their silent takedowns. You can even be a medieval-fantasy elf! Archery is a very wide-encompassing, welcoming set that just limits your concept to the character's weapon. It also hybridizes well, ESPECIALLY with the Form patch.
Now, onto the juicy stuff, the stuff that actually MATTERS, the stuff that people are going to look at and say 'oh hey those ARE some nice powers, I'm going to use those.' We'll be going down the list following the Marksman AT power schedule.
Let's start with the energy builder...
Strafe
You've got yourself a standard energy builder here. It tries to be mechanically different but fails at that. However, there's a very handy advantage called Aversion that will help you build dodge-avoidance on a critical hit. Did I forget to mention dodge-avoid really work well with Archery as a set? Aversion's a good choice, but you don't HAVE to take it. Weigh your options and try to gauge how much you're going to be using Strafe. Also, like all of the other energy builders, it's got 50 ft of range. Nothing special.
Here's our Blast attack.
Straight Shot
Potentially in the running for the best Blast attack in the game! This bad boy can be charged while moving and does serious damage, and also applies a debuff that ignores a nice chunk of resistance for your next few Archery attacks FOR FREE. You can further extend the debuff with the Split the Arrow advantage, or you can rank it up for max damage. R2 + Crippling Challenge for the PvP nerds out there.
Here's the next attack you'll probably be looking at.
Sonic Arrow
Oh, great, it's an attack that splits the damage into two halves... if you're going take this attack, Deadly Dissonance and Nailed to the Ground come highly recommended, because if this thing crits it does hit kind of hard. Plus, it has a stun-on-full-charge component! It also recently gained the ability to cause Disorients, with a 100% chance of a Disorient on full charge. Archers usually have no way to take advantage of this, however, so Disorient is really a moot selling point unless you have friends who can properly utilize it.
Oh, look, it's our passive!
Quarry
Oh man, this thing is awesome. Potentially one of the best offensive passives! Right from the get-go, it boosts ranged physical damage, making it a great choice for Technology builds all around and Force if you're into that sort of thing. You know what else it does? It boosts your Intelligence and Ego in combat. R3 this ASAP! Use Fair Game if you have a good chunk of Con and you're using your archer for PvE purposes.
Torrent of Arrows
This is our knockback. It's got 100 ft range, it charges, it hurts. Relentless Recurve comes highly recommended. I consider this to be a must-have for any Archery build! Comes with a short cooldown, great for making Molecular Self Assembly pop.
Concentration
Highly recommended, but ranking it up is a waste. Do more damage every time you attack from more than 24 feet away, complete a half charge or complete a half-maintain? SOLD. Take it. Use it. Love it.
Snap Shot or Focused Shot
If you're a Marksman, you have to choose. If you're not, you can skip both entirely, but Snap Shot is still a decent attack that strikes fast and hits hard, plus it does extra damage when your enemy is at low HP. Focused Shot, however, is DOWNRIGHT IRREDEEMABLY AWFUL AND YOU SHOULD NEVER, EVER, EVER USE IT! Take my word for it. You can't even move while using this poor man's Sniper Rifle, and the damage suuuuuuuuuuuuucks! Plus, Snap Shot can carry Crippling Challenge, so a PvPing archer or tank might want to keep that in mind.
WORD OF WARNING: As of this post, Snap Shot does NOT proc Concentration, so watch out for that.
DOUBLE WORD OF WARNING: Disregard the above, Snap Shot works with Concentration now.
Hunter's Instinct
This is an awful energy unlock because it simply fails to take the Marksman or any proper archer into consideration. It's simply a reskin of Killer Instinct, which scales off of Ego and Rec. However, the new Ranged form, Concentration, will help fill in energy issues caused by Hunter's Instinct, so go wild! Freeform Archers should consider Molecular Self Assembly. More on that after I'm done with the powers.
Evasive Maneuvers
One of the best quick little buffs you can get, this will boost your dodge by a flat amount and if you take the advantage, put you in stealth. It has a 50% chance of making all of the enemies you're fighting leave you alone too. Great for aggro-dumping and buffing yourself. I personally use R2 + Sleight of Mind, but dodgetanks can take R3.
Storm of Arrows or Gas Arrow
Now, look. I know the proposition of shooting an arrow that causes a smoke screen that randomly snares and stuns people sounds cool, but... seriously. Gas Arrow is an absoluteABOMINATION OF A POWER THAT SHOULD NEVER, EVER BE USED BY ANYONE EVER. It can't crit, it does pathetic damage and the chances for snares and stuns are so low it isn't even worth taking. You can blame Imbue for the no-crit nerf to Gas Arrow... and even IF Gas Arrow could crit, Storm of Arrows is by far the winner between these two powers. It's a high damage AoE maintain that has an advantage that roots people! Between this, Sonic Arrow and Torrent of Arrows you'll have all the crowd control you need. In case I wasn't clear enough, TAKE STORM OF ARROWS AND NEVER EVER EVEN THINK ABOUT TOUCHING GAS ARROW!
Edit: People actually LIKE Gas Arrow. They say to combine it with Storm of Arrows. Might work. Maybe. I don't have faith in the combo since you might as well just straight-up Storm of Arrows your enemies to death.
Double Edit: It can also turn out good if you're specced for holds and stuns, but a DPSer should still be focusing on killing their enemies outright before they get their big hits off.
Explosive Arrow
I like to call it the Troll Arrow. Take Where's the Kaboom? Tap it on a target. They will explode in a few seconds and do the damage of a fully-charged Explosive Arrow. The damage will be divided among enemies, however.
The one attack Marksman doesn't get:
Taser Arrow
This attack is very, very bleh. The chance to paralyze is nice, I guess, and the energy drain advantage is nice too... but I can't help but feel very, very neutral towards this power. It isn't good, it isn't bad, take it if you want, I don't recommend it.
Addendum: Taser Arrow is good if you have on-hold debuffs from the proper spec trees.
Out of set goodies for archers
Molecular Self Assembly found in Technology
It gives you energy when your powers come off of cooldown. This synergizes directly with Storm and Torrent of Arrows. It scales off of Int. If it wasn't obvious enough, you should take this power and leave Hunter's Instinct in the dust.
Masterful Dodge found in Martial Arts
Do you like being very-much untouchable at the beginning or middle of a fight? Take Masterful Dodge! You don't even need to rank it up. All in all a great Active Defense that won't go away when you use it and take a particularly nasty spike like a certain other Active Defense.
Ego Surge found in Telekinesis
Awesome Active Offense that'll boost your damage and your Ego. Also has a handy advantage that gives crit chance based on how much Con you have, so if you're into that sort of thing...
Bountiful Chi Resurgence found in Martial Arts
If you're using Archery, you'll be using Quarry (or LR if you want to be an archerytank) and Quarry boosts Dodge. Evasive Maneuvers also boosts dodge. Resurgent Reiki gives health when you dodge. The only downside is that it nerfs your damage a LITTLE BIT, but it's still worth it. Plus you'll heal a lot when you use Masterful Dodge.
Conviction found in Celestial
A nice little burst heal that heals for about 813 HP at R3 for a ranged DPS role and it can crit for 1.6k HP. It's even better in Hybrid role. It also synergizes well with Molecular Self Assembly. Conviction comes highly recommended!
Sonic Device found in Gadgeteering
People really like using this due to its push-button-receive-really-long-stun, along with piling some good damage on top of the attack you applied Sonic Device on. IT HURTS! It's better than Sonic Arrow, but unfortunately has no Nailed advantage, so you'll have to find another Nailed applier.
Block Replacers
Generally, Archery doesn't NEED a block replacer. Nobody NEEDS one, but if you're more comfortable with it, then so be it. Here's some I'd recommend.
Retaliation
Got aggro? Block for a bit and full-charge a Straight Shot back at them with the Retaliation buff that'll increase your damage for that whole one attack.
Force Shield
Only reason I'd take this would be for Force Sheath, further curing you of any energy issues you may face in solo PvE or tanking.
I've been playing with Archery a lot recently and it's highly competitive for the top spot of my favorite powersets, pushing Munitions down to second place and Unarmed martial arts to third.
So, why do I love Archery? It's:
1. Mobile
2. High-damage
3. Very easy to build for thematically.
Almost every move with Archery allows for complete free-range movement, the only exception being Focused Shot. Almost every move also has high damage output, save for Gas Arrow, Focused Shot and Taser Arrow. We'll get to those in a bit.
For theme purposes, you don't have to go crazy justifying taking Knock Power X and Heal Power Y. You're an archer. You can wear power armor. You can run around in bear skins. You can just be a superhuman who's taking their backyard hobby to the next level. You can be a secret agent who prefers bows for their silent takedowns. You can even be a medieval-fantasy elf! Archery is a very wide-encompassing, welcoming set that just limits your concept to the character's weapon. It also hybridizes well, ESPECIALLY with the Form patch.
Now, onto the juicy stuff, the stuff that actually MATTERS, the stuff that people are going to look at and say 'oh hey those ARE some nice powers, I'm going to use those.' We'll be going down the list following the Marksman AT power schedule.
Let's start with the energy builder...
Strafe
You've got yourself a standard energy builder here. It tries to be mechanically different but fails at that. However, there's a very handy advantage called Aversion that will help you build dodge-avoidance on a critical hit. Did I forget to mention dodge-avoid really work well with Archery as a set? Aversion's a good choice, but you don't HAVE to take it. Weigh your options and try to gauge how much you're going to be using Strafe. Also, like all of the other energy builders, it's got 50 ft of range. Nothing special.
Here's our Blast attack.
Straight Shot
Potentially in the running for the best Blast attack in the game! This bad boy can be charged while moving and does serious damage, and also applies a debuff that ignores a nice chunk of resistance for your next few Archery attacks FOR FREE. You can further extend the debuff with the Split the Arrow advantage, or you can rank it up for max damage. R2 + Crippling Challenge for the PvP nerds out there.
Here's the next attack you'll probably be looking at.
Sonic Arrow
Oh, great, it's an attack that splits the damage into two halves... if you're going take this attack, Deadly Dissonance and Nailed to the Ground come highly recommended, because if this thing crits it does hit kind of hard. Plus, it has a stun-on-full-charge component! It also recently gained the ability to cause Disorients, with a 100% chance of a Disorient on full charge. Archers usually have no way to take advantage of this, however, so Disorient is really a moot selling point unless you have friends who can properly utilize it.
Oh, look, it's our passive!
Quarry
Oh man, this thing is awesome. Potentially one of the best offensive passives! Right from the get-go, it boosts ranged physical damage, making it a great choice for Technology builds all around and Force if you're into that sort of thing. You know what else it does? It boosts your Intelligence and Ego in combat. R3 this ASAP! Use Fair Game if you have a good chunk of Con and you're using your archer for PvE purposes.
Torrent of Arrows
This is our knockback. It's got 100 ft range, it charges, it hurts. Relentless Recurve comes highly recommended. I consider this to be a must-have for any Archery build! Comes with a short cooldown, great for making Molecular Self Assembly pop.
Concentration
Highly recommended, but ranking it up is a waste. Do more damage every time you attack from more than 24 feet away, complete a half charge or complete a half-maintain? SOLD. Take it. Use it. Love it.
Snap Shot or Focused Shot
If you're a Marksman, you have to choose. If you're not, you can skip both entirely, but Snap Shot is still a decent attack that strikes fast and hits hard, plus it does extra damage when your enemy is at low HP. Focused Shot, however, is DOWNRIGHT IRREDEEMABLY AWFUL AND YOU SHOULD NEVER, EVER, EVER USE IT! Take my word for it. You can't even move while using this poor man's Sniper Rifle, and the damage suuuuuuuuuuuuucks! Plus, Snap Shot can carry Crippling Challenge, so a PvPing archer or tank might want to keep that in mind.
WORD OF WARNING: As of this post, Snap Shot does NOT proc Concentration, so watch out for that.
DOUBLE WORD OF WARNING: Disregard the above, Snap Shot works with Concentration now.
Hunter's Instinct
This is an awful energy unlock because it simply fails to take the Marksman or any proper archer into consideration. It's simply a reskin of Killer Instinct, which scales off of Ego and Rec. However, the new Ranged form, Concentration, will help fill in energy issues caused by Hunter's Instinct, so go wild! Freeform Archers should consider Molecular Self Assembly. More on that after I'm done with the powers.
Evasive Maneuvers
One of the best quick little buffs you can get, this will boost your dodge by a flat amount and if you take the advantage, put you in stealth. It has a 50% chance of making all of the enemies you're fighting leave you alone too. Great for aggro-dumping and buffing yourself. I personally use R2 + Sleight of Mind, but dodgetanks can take R3.
Storm of Arrows or Gas Arrow
Now, look. I know the proposition of shooting an arrow that causes a smoke screen that randomly snares and stuns people sounds cool, but... seriously. Gas Arrow is an absoluteABOMINATION OF A POWER THAT SHOULD NEVER, EVER BE USED BY ANYONE EVER. It can't crit, it does pathetic damage and the chances for snares and stuns are so low it isn't even worth taking. You can blame Imbue for the no-crit nerf to Gas Arrow... and even IF Gas Arrow could crit, Storm of Arrows is by far the winner between these two powers. It's a high damage AoE maintain that has an advantage that roots people! Between this, Sonic Arrow and Torrent of Arrows you'll have all the crowd control you need. In case I wasn't clear enough, TAKE STORM OF ARROWS AND NEVER EVER EVEN THINK ABOUT TOUCHING GAS ARROW!
Edit: People actually LIKE Gas Arrow. They say to combine it with Storm of Arrows. Might work. Maybe. I don't have faith in the combo since you might as well just straight-up Storm of Arrows your enemies to death.
Double Edit: It can also turn out good if you're specced for holds and stuns, but a DPSer should still be focusing on killing their enemies outright before they get their big hits off.
Explosive Arrow
I like to call it the Troll Arrow. Take Where's the Kaboom? Tap it on a target. They will explode in a few seconds and do the damage of a fully-charged Explosive Arrow. The damage will be divided among enemies, however.
The one attack Marksman doesn't get:
Taser Arrow
This attack is very, very bleh. The chance to paralyze is nice, I guess, and the energy drain advantage is nice too... but I can't help but feel very, very neutral towards this power. It isn't good, it isn't bad, take it if you want, I don't recommend it.
Addendum: Taser Arrow is good if you have on-hold debuffs from the proper spec trees.
Out of set goodies for archers
Molecular Self Assembly found in Technology
It gives you energy when your powers come off of cooldown. This synergizes directly with Storm and Torrent of Arrows. It scales off of Int. If it wasn't obvious enough, you should take this power and leave Hunter's Instinct in the dust.
Masterful Dodge found in Martial Arts
Do you like being very-much untouchable at the beginning or middle of a fight? Take Masterful Dodge! You don't even need to rank it up. All in all a great Active Defense that won't go away when you use it and take a particularly nasty spike like a certain other Active Defense.
Ego Surge found in Telekinesis
Awesome Active Offense that'll boost your damage and your Ego. Also has a handy advantage that gives crit chance based on how much Con you have, so if you're into that sort of thing...
Bountiful Chi Resurgence found in Martial Arts
If you're using Archery, you'll be using Quarry (or LR if you want to be an archerytank) and Quarry boosts Dodge. Evasive Maneuvers also boosts dodge. Resurgent Reiki gives health when you dodge. The only downside is that it nerfs your damage a LITTLE BIT, but it's still worth it. Plus you'll heal a lot when you use Masterful Dodge.
Conviction found in Celestial
A nice little burst heal that heals for about 813 HP at R3 for a ranged DPS role and it can crit for 1.6k HP. It's even better in Hybrid role. It also synergizes well with Molecular Self Assembly. Conviction comes highly recommended!
Sonic Device found in Gadgeteering
People really like using this due to its push-button-receive-really-long-stun, along with piling some good damage on top of the attack you applied Sonic Device on. IT HURTS! It's better than Sonic Arrow, but unfortunately has no Nailed advantage, so you'll have to find another Nailed applier.
Block Replacers
Generally, Archery doesn't NEED a block replacer. Nobody NEEDS one, but if you're more comfortable with it, then so be it. Here's some I'd recommend.
Retaliation
Got aggro? Block for a bit and full-charge a Straight Shot back at them with the Retaliation buff that'll increase your damage for that whole one attack.
Force Shield
Only reason I'd take this would be for Force Sheath, further curing you of any energy issues you may face in solo PvE or tanking.
Post edited by keikomyst on
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PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name:
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Dexterity (Primary)
Level 10: Intelligence (Secondary)
Level 15: Ego (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Marksman
Level 6: Academics
Level 9: Shooter
Level 12: Coordinated
Level 15: Healthy Mind
Level 18: Acrobat
Level 21: Ascetic
Powers:
Level 1: Strafe
Level 1: Straight Shot (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Sonic Arrow (Deadly Dissonance, Nailed to the Ground)
Level 8: Quarry (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Torrent of Arrows (Relentless Recurve)
Level 14: Explosive Arrow (Where's the Kaboom?)
Level 17: Evasive Maneuvers (Rank 2, Sleight of Mind)
Level 20: Storm of Arrows (Achilles' Heel)
Level 23: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 26: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Resurgent Reiki)
Level 29: Masterful Dodge
Level 32: Snap Shot
Level 35: Ego Surge
Level 38:
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3, Versatility)
Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Specializations:
Dexterity: Combat Training (2/3)
Dexterity: Gear Utilization (3/3)
Dexterity: Deadly Aim (3/3)
Dexterity: Expose Weakness (2/2)
Avenger: Ruthless (2/2)
Avenger: Round 'em Up (3/3)
Avenger: Relentless Assault (3/3)
Avenger: Preemptive Strike (2/3)
Guardian: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Guardian: Locus (2/2)
Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)
Guardian: The Best Defense (3/3)
Mastery: Dexterity Mastery (1/1)
Could be used as a leveling build should the mood take you. Move Concentration to an earlier spot, as well as MSA.
The Survivalist, an LR tank that survives on BCR and Conviction, using Archery for primary attacks.
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name: The Survivalist
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Constitution (Primary)
Level 10: Dexterity (Secondary)
Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Hero
Level 6: Academics
Level 9: Acrobat
Level 12: Coordinated
Level 15: Shooter
Level 18: Healthy Mind
Level 21: Ascetic
Powers:
Level 1: Strafe
Level 1: Straight Shot (Rank 2, Crippling Challenge)
Level 6: Evasive Maneuvers (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Lightning Reflexes (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Torrent of Arrows (Relentless Recurve)
Level 14: Storm of Arrows (Achilles' Heel, Challenging Strikes)
Level 17: Concentration
Level 20: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 23: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Resurgent Reiki)
Level 26: Explosive Arrow (Where's the Kaboom?)
Level 29: Masterful Dodge
Level 32: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Ego Surge (Nimble Mind)
Level 38: Free Power, take whatever you want.
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3, Versatility)
Level 35: Teleportation
Specializations:
Constitution: Unyielding (2/2)
Constitution: Tough (3/3)
Constitution: Deflection (3/3)
Constitution: Adrenaline Rush (2/2)
Avenger: Ruthless (2/2)
Avenger: Round 'em Up (3/3)
Avenger: Relentless Assault (3/3)
Avenger: Preemptive Strike (2/3)
Guardian: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)
Guardian: Find the Mark (2/3)
Guardian: The Best Defense (3/3)
Mastery: Constitution Mastery (1/1)
The Mercenary, a Rambo-ish build designed around using your Archery attacks in tandem with a hard-hitting maintain, Assault Rifle.
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name:
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Ego (Primary)
Level 10: Dexterity (Secondary)
Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Marksman
Level 6: Academics
Level 9: Coordinated
Level 12: Shooter
Level 15: Impresario
Level 18: Wordly
Level 21: Healthy Mind
Powers:
Level 1: Strafe
Level 1: Straight Shot (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Quarry (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Assault Rifle (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Torrent of Arrows (Relentless Recurve)
Level 14: Smoke Grenade (Escape Artist)
Level 17: Storm of Arrows (Achilles' Heel)
Level 20: Concentration
Level 23: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 26: Explosive Arrow (Where's the Kaboom?)
Level 29: Evasive Maneuvers (Rank 2, Sleight of Mind)
Level 32: Masterful Dodge
Level 35: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Resurgent Reiki)
Level 38: Free power, take whatever makes sense to you! Shotgun, Sonic Arrow, Entangling Mesh...
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3, Versatility)
Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Specializations:
Ego: Force of Will (2/2)
Ego: Insight (3/3)
Ego: Follow Through (3/3)
Ego: Sixth Sense (2/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: Initiative (2/2)
Vindicator: The Rush of Battle (3/3)
Guardian: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)
Guardian: Find the Mark (2/3)
Guardian: The Best Defense (3/3)
Mastery: Ego Mastery (1/1)
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name: The Commando
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Constitution (Primary)
Level 10: Dexterity (Secondary)
Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Marksman
Level 6: Healthy Mind
Level 9: Ascetic
Level 12: Acrobat
Level 15: Shooter
Level 18: Coordinated
Level 21: Quick Recovery
Powers:
Level 1: Strafe
Level 1: Straight Shot (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Evasive Maneuvers (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Lightning Reflexes (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Torrent of Arrows (Relentless Recurve)
Level 14: Assault Rifle (Rank 2, Crippling Challenge)
Level 17: Storm of Arrows (Achilles' Heel, Challenging Strikes)
Level 20: Concentration
Level 23: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Resurgent Reiki)
Level 29: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 32: Masterful Dodge
Level 35: Explosive Arrow (Where's the Kaboom?)
Level 38: Free power, take Shotgun, Sonic Arrow, Entangling Mesh or whatever.
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3, Versatility)
Level 35: Teleportation
Specializations:
Constitution: Tough (3/3)
Constitution: Resilient (2/2)
Constitution: Deflection (3/3)
Constitution: Adrenaline Rush (2/2)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: The Rush of Battle (3/3)
Vindicator: Modified Gear (2/2)
Guardian: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)
Guardian: Find the Mark (2/3)
Guardian: The Best Defense (3/3)
Mastery: Constitution Mastery (1/1)
The PvP oriented build. The general strategy is to lunge in and EM away, then pour on the Straight Shots and Explosive Arrows, rinse and repeat! Word of warning, this build does kind of suck against permastealth, and has varying success with the current Force Cascade and Ebon Ruin monkeys.
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name: Archer Duelist
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Ego (Primary)
Level 10: Dexterity (Secondary)
Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Marksman
Level 6: Academics
Level 9: Shooter
Level 12: Coordinated
Level 15: Acrobat
Level 18: Healthy Mind
Level 21: Ascetic
Powers:
Level 1: Strafe
Level 1: Straight Shot (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Quarry (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Concentration
Level 11: Storm of Arrows (Rank 2, Achilles' Heel)
Level 14: Torrent of Arrows (Relentless Recurve)
Level 17: Mighty Leap (Crippling Challenge, Nailed to the Ground)
Level 20: Explosive Arrow (Where's the Kaboom?)
Level 23: Evasive Maneuvers (Rank 2, Sleight of Mind)
Level 26: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 29: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 32: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Resurgent Reiki)
Level 35: Masterful Dodge
Level 38: Ego Surge
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3, Versatility)
Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2)
Specializations:
Ego: Force of Will (2/2)
Ego: Insight (3/3)
Ego: Follow Through (2/3)
Ego: Sixth Sense (3/3)
Avenger: Ruthless (2/2)
Avenger: Round 'em Up (3/3)
Avenger: Relentless Assault (3/3)
Avenger: Preemptive Strike (2/3)
Guardian: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)
Guardian: Find the Mark (3/3)
Guardian: The Best Defense (2/3)
Mastery: Ego Mastery (1/1)
Mystical Archer
An experimental DPS-support hybrid I have yet to fully figure out myself. The build I came up with SEEMS solid, but I think with some tweaking it can be made awesome. Gas Arrow finally sees use due to hold-related debuffs!
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name: Mystic Archer v1
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Intelligence (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Presence (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Radiant
Level 6: Shrug It Off
Level 9: Healthy Mind
Level 12: Diplomatic
Level 15: Academics
Level 18: Ascetic
Level 21: Quick Recovery
Powers:
Level 1: Strafe
Level 1: Straight Shot (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Evasive Maneuvers (Rank 2, Sleight of Mind)
Level 8: Aura of Primal Majesty (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Storm of Arrows (Rank 2, Achilles' Heel)
Level 14: Concentration
Level 17: Conviction
Level 20: Torrent of Arrows (Relentless Recurve)
Level 23: Ascension (Rank 2)
Level 26: Ritual of Primal Summoning (Rank 2, Unbound Ritual)
Level 29: Masterful Dodge
Level 32: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Resurgent Reiki)
Level 35: Iniquity (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 38: Gas Arrow (Noxious Fumes)
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Specializations:
Intelligence: Preparation (2/2)
Intelligence: Enlightened (3/3)
Intelligence: Battle of Wits (2/3)
Intelligence: Detect Vulnerability (3/3)
Overseer: Administer (2/3)
Overseer: Ruthless (2/2)
Overseer: Overseer Aura (3/3)
Overseer: Trapped (3/3)
Sentinel: Caregiver (3/3)
Sentinel: Sentinel Aura (3/3)
Sentinel: Wither (2/2)
Sentinel: Genesis (2/2)
Mastery: Intelligence Mastery (1/1)
After some testing with high-end content and whatnot, the Mystical Archer build underwent some tweaks to be even better at support.
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name: Mystic Archer v2
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Intelligence (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Presence (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Radiant
Level 6: Shrug It Off
Level 9: Healthy Mind
Level 12: Diplomatic
Level 15: Academics
Level 18: Ascetic
Level 21: Quick Recovery
Powers:
Level 1: Strafe
Level 1: Straight Shot (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Evasive Maneuvers (Rank 2, Sleight of Mind)
Level 8: Aura of Primal Majesty (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Storm of Arrows (Rank 2, Achilles' Heel)
Level 14: Concentration
Level 17: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 20: Torrent of Arrows (Relentless Recurve)
Level 23: Ascension (Rank 2)
Level 26: Divine Renewal
Level 29: Masterful Dodge
Level 32: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Resurgent Reiki)
Level 35: Vala's Light (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 38: Gas Arrow (Noxious Fumes)
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Specializations:
Intelligence: Preparation (2/2)
Intelligence: Enlightened (3/3)
Intelligence: Battle of Wits (2/3)
Intelligence: Detect Vulnerability (3/3)
Overseer: Administer (2/3)
Overseer: Ruthless (2/2)
Overseer: Overseer Aura (3/3)
Overseer: Trapped (3/3)
Sentinel: Caregiver (3/3)
Sentinel: Sentinel Aura (3/3)
Sentinel: Wither (2/2)
Sentinel: Genesis (2/2)
Mastery: Intelligence Mastery (1/1)
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name: Marksman
Archetype: The Marksman
Super Stats:
Level 6: Dexterity (Primary)
Level 10: Intelligence (Secondary)
Level 15: Ego (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Marksman
Level 7: Academics
Level 12: Shooter
Level 15: Coordinated
Level 20: Acrobat
Level 25: Healthy Mind
Level 30: Ascetic
Powers:
Level 1: Strafe
Level 1: Straight Shot (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Sonic Arrow (Deadly Dissonance, Nailed to the Ground)
Level 8: Quarry (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Torrent of Arrows (Rank 2, Relentless Recurve)
Level 14: Concentration
Level 17: Snap Shot (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 21: Retaliation
Level 25: Hunter's Instinct
Level 30: Evasive Maneuvers (Rank 2, Sleight of Mind)
Level 35: Storm of Arrows (Rank 2, Achilles' Heel)
Level 40: Explosive Arrow (Where's the Kaboom?)
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3, Versatility)
Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Specializations:
Dexterity: Combat Training (2/3)
Dexterity: Gear Utilization (3/3)
Dexterity: Deadly Aim (3/3)
Dexterity: Expose Weakness (2/2)
Avenger: Ruthless (2/2)
Avenger: Round 'em Up (3/3)
Avenger: Relentless Assault (3/3)
Avenger: Preemptive Strike (2/3)
Guardian: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)
Guardian: Find the Mark (3/3)
Guardian: The Best Defense (2/3)
Mastery: Dexterity Mastery (1/1)
Now, getting that out of the way... "HOW DO I EVEN LEVEL THIS THING?!" you may shout. "I'M SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME CHARGING!" you may add. Well, that's just the early Marksman game. When dealing with a crowd, charge up Sonic Arrow and never, ever stop. Your quality of life will increase exponentially when you get your R3 Quarry. Once you receive Torrent of Arrows, by all means Henchmen mobs should die instantly to a full charge, so use that a lot.
Life only gets better for the Marksman when they receive Concentration. When you receive Snap Shot (Take Focused Shot? Are you KIDDING ME?!) you can ignore it for now since tapping Straight Shot is effectively the same thing. When you receive Retaliation, leave it alone. Hunter's Instinct will give you energy on crits, but Concentration has already been providing you with plenty of energy already! When you get Evasive Maneuvers, you'll finally have a sweet aggro-dump.
The final stretch! Once you hit 35, your Marksman has officially peaked (or crashed and burned if you took Gas Arrow) and now you should by all means be able to dominate the battlefield. Storm of Arrows should become your multi-target bread and butter! When you finally hit 40, you'll get your most fun attack and you'll be able to wreak pointy havoc in lairs.
How does the Marksman stack up to other ATs?
Pretty well! It can do some great AoE damage, generally higher and more devastating than the Soldier's SMG and Gatling Gun, as well as do immense single target spikes. A good Marksman can control the battlefield better than a Soldier can as well, rooting enemies in place with Storm of Arrows and knocking them around with Torrent of Arrows, rivaling a Soldier's Shotgun. The Soldier has superior range with Sniper Rifle, however.
Against the Scourge, the Marksman still wins out in battlefield control and mobility, but the Scourge has raw damage and debuffs, as well as far better energy management. Then again, the Scourge is an INSANE AT. It's really unfair to compare anything to it.
Against Tempests, the Marksman has far more survivability, but the Tempest can fire off devastating Gigabolts and use the mob-melting Lightning Arc. Unfortunately, a Tempest will die if an enemy even looks at them funny, soooooo...
Infernos suffer from huge downsides due to how gimped Fire is right now. Sure, an Inferno can debuff their foes and eventually destroy everything with huge, rapid spikes, they have a huge problem SURVIVING that long. Marksmen, on the other hand, have instant momentum and can start striking immediately with no setup required.
Compared to melee DPSers, Marksmen have the range advantage (of course) and still win out in battlefield control. A Marksman and Blade/Fist/Unleashed working together is a very lethal thing indeed, rooting foes to give the melee user free reign to kill, or stunning them with Sonic Arrow.
How do I gear a Marksman?
Get your hands on some Silver Champs gear ASAP! Until then, here's your general setup:
Dex/Ego + critchance Offense (with more critchance)
Dex/Int + avoidance Defense (with dodge)
Int/Ego + cooldown reduction Utility (with more cooldown reduction)
Dex/Rec + critchance Secondary Offense
Int/Rec + HP Secondary Defense
Rec + Cooldown Reduction Secondary Utility
Unfortunately, sprinkling some extra Rec is a requirement, because even with Concentration and Hunter's Instinct working hard to keep you energized, one of those unlocks works with Rec.
My gear loadout:
Heroic Gloves of Precision (55 Dex, 55 Ego, 181 Critstrike)
Heroic Breastplate of Agility (55 Dex, 55 Int, 127 Dodgechance, 139 Avoidance)
Heroic Helmet of Efficiency (55 Int, 55 Ego, 171 Cooldown Redux, 186 Cost Discount)
Champions Mercurial Leggings (Legacy, 20 Dex 20 Rec)
Reformation Bracers (20 Int, 20 Rec)
Egotist's Eyepiece (37 Ego, 46 Cooldown Redux, 46 Cost Discount)
How do I play a Marksman in an Alert?
Wait 'til level 15 and spam your Straight Shot and Sonic Arrow as needed, and wait for people to go ahead of you. Using Torrent of Arrows in an Alert is a great way to get yelled at due to the knock, so don't do it! Strike hard with your no-knock attacks so long as your team goes ahead of you. You are a ranged DPS, and even with your dodge/avoid, you are a squishy all the same. Watch yourself out there!
Something to keep in mind in PvP is that the Marksman has the range advantage: EVERY move is 100 ft except for your Energy Builder.
VS Soldier: You need to catch the Soldier off-guard and use Evasive Maneuvers to avoid Smoke Grenade. You can charge up your Straight Shot and eliminate the Soldier immediately.
VS Blade: Keep your distance, and watch out for their Masterful Dodge, which they will most definitely use at the beginning of the battle. If you avoid them for the duration of Masterful Dodge, they'll be extremely vulnerable, but if they catch you, you're good as dead!
VS Unleashed: Nail them IMMEDIATELY! They will Force Geyser so they can have an easy Dragon's Wrath one-shot victory. Nail them first so they won't be able to close the distance fast, then you can proceed to shoot them normally, using Storm of Arrows, Explosive Arrow Tap and Straight Shot to end it.
VS Behemoth: Don't let these guys catch you either or else they'll smack you all around the arena, rendering you unable to do anything. It's a good idea to run from these guys and try to catch them by surprise when their Defiance is down.
VS Fist: See the strategy for the Blade, but they don't have Masterful Dodge, allowing you to pop them immediately. Storm of Arrows will stop them dead in their tracks.
VS Master: Now these guys are tough. Keep your distance and try to root them as much as you can. They'll eventually drop if you don't let them close the distance.
VS Scourge: They're extremely strong, so hit them with your Explosive Arrow tap, knock them with Torrent of Arrows and try to finish the job with a Straight Shot charge. Be careful, because all it takes is a Defile to ruin your day.
VS Grimoire: Easy pickings. Destroy the Grimoire fast, and don't let them use Skarn's Bane on you. Remember to destroy their Sigils so nobody else gets hurt by it!
VS Tempest: Like a Soldier, but minus Smoke Grenade. Kill them fast before they kill you!
VS Inferno: Again, easy pickings. Like a Soldier, but super immoble and super squishy. Don't even let them set up their debuffs.
VS Impulse: ... LAWL. Destroy. Immediately. So easy.
VS Glacier: These guys can Chill you, which'll slow you down, but with your defense penetration you should be able to make quick work of their defenses.
VS Mountain: Like a ranged Behemoth, these guys can be annoying, but they aren't too big of a deal. Penetrate their defense and end them.
VS Disciple: Watch out, these guys HURT! ... but they can also be easily knocked. Blast 'em with Torrent of Arrows and finish up with Storm of Arrows.
VS Savage: VERY hard to deal with because of Regeneration. SURPRISE! Watch out for these guys. Keep your distance and don't let them catch you.
VS Inventor: Easy pickings. Eliminate Inventors with ease.
VS Mind: These guys can be tough too because of bubbles! Their control capabilities are a bit lackluster nowadays, however, so Ego Storm isn't nearly as much of a game-ender as it was before.
VS Void: VERY dangerous. Very hard to kill. They'll easily kill you with Ebon Rift and Ebon Ruin. Plus, they can have SO MUCH HP!
I've never fought a Radiant, Invincible, Squall or Specialist, so... yeah. These are my AT PvP experiences as a Marksman!
I skipped torrent of arrows on my build because I felt storm of arrows, explosive arrow, and gas arrow would provide all the AoE I needed. I also suggest, if you do take torrent and its advantage, that you be extra careful about what enemies you knock back and where. Especially in Alerts, be very careful about aggroing other groups.
Since I mentioned gas arrow, I'll give my take on it. First, while its damage isn't great, it is basically "free damage". What I mean is, you pop off a gas arrow then immediately go back to your regular attacks. Even though it's not a huge amount, it is extra damage as I continue to use my other attacks. It also sometimes makes enemies, (even legendary's), go into a choking/coughing animation, which buys you and your team some time to heal or reposition.
I agree wholeheartedly with the OP's assessment of hunter's instinct. I went DEX/INT/EGO for my build, and simply took MSA. Concentration gives me bursts of energy every now and again, and MSA gives me energy over time whenever one of my powers w/ a cooldown becomes ready, (and there are many in archery).
While quarry is an excellent passive, it's no defiance or invuln, so just be cautious until you can stack some additional dodge or have some good healing. While on the subject of defense, I also concur on the OP's opinion of evasive maneuvers. I do want to mention that you should get in the habit of toggling off your energy builder if you are trying to dump aggro, as once you attack, you'll regain it.
I honestly didn't bother with focused shot or snap shot - I'm not a fan of how snipes are handled, and tapping straight shot has about the same energy cost as snap shot. Yeah, straight shot doesn't have snap shot's bonus damage on enemies w/ low health, but i took split the arrow which makes up for it. I also like to do a tap of straight shot as a preliminary "treatment" for a storm of arrows.
Sonic arrow and taser arrow are kind of sore points for me - neither really wowed me, and I felt there were better options.
The only other thought I wanted to share was that I am finding that a root would be very useful. I'm on the fence as to whether losing storm of arrows being at R3 would be worth getting the root out of it...
"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark
Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
On my Archery/Dual Blades toon with FotT, I can get Straight Shot to hit for 4 to 5K crits in rapid succession, about two or three of them in the time it would take to charge up Focused Shot for barely 7 to 8K crit.
@Quincy-St-Moth's PRIMUS page
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This. Pretty much.
I have Gas Arrow on my Blightwing character (Dual Blade / Pestilence). Works great for an extra DoT in conjunction with Pestilence and Sword Cyclone.
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
An interesting option might be to emphasize CON, take the Fair Game advantage on Quarry, and perhaps even Imbue (I dont remember, does it still have any CON scaling at all ?) and/or Ego Surge (as you mentioned its crit benefits scale with CON and, with the right stat/spec tree choices it can be up pretty frequently )
'Caine, miss you bud. Fly high.
First of all, a big thank you to Keikomyst! This is exactly what I was looking for!
But I'm interested in what you're saying, Ashensnow. I have a few questions...
1) How much more damage does that piercing do? Is it worth a full charge over the tap damage?
2) Concept-wise for blocks, I think I'm stuck with Ret or the Gadget one (can't remember offhand) as I need either nothing or a tech look. Which would you recommend?
3) Since I'm a big fan of surviving, I'm a big fan of Con. Which stat of Dex, Int, or Ego would you switch out for Con?
I mostly solo and run alerts. My toon is currently only 14, but I'd like an effective build to work up to...
Thanks for any advice!
M-O-O-N, that spells @Rhyatt
Originally Posted by mijjestic: Ultimately, though, MMO players throwing stones at each other in this fashion is basically one nerd pointing and laughing at another nerd whose glasses are thicker.
Laws yes!
I am going to quote another Archery player (though I dont know if he still plays the game) that I know was able to get some decent results out of the set.
Now, though I trust Talesian's results with R3 rather than WTK on Explosive Arrow, I think that you will find that R3 is a viable alternative, without being better, to WTK.
I don't actually have the numbers for the piercing damage at the moment but every bit helps.
If your build is not currently centered around tap spamming WTK onto multiple targets in a group, constantly, something that requires very good energy management to get the best results, then R3 may work very well for you.
Quad Statting is very viable. I would drop Ego as a SS going Dex/Int/Con with Ego supported through talents/gear.
Remember that the ranged damage buff from Ego delivers very little benefit above 70 or so. The difference between 70 Ego and something in the 200's is perhaps 10-15%. This is in the additive layer of damage buffs so you would see something like a 3% real damage loss (at most) by not pushing your ego into SS levels.
And of course Ego is buffed by Quarry so you will easily get deeply into diminishing returns even without EGO SS. The only significant loss will be ranked knock distance on Torrent of Arrows, and it will provide plenty of knock with the lower Ego stat.
I would recommend skipping a block power unless you want it for the actual block defense increase. The power point/advantage points are most likely better spent elsewhere.
The last time I played with Fair Game on Quarry, with CON in the 225-250 range (if I recall correctly) I was getting something like 1,100 health per kill out of the advantage. Stack some dodge (much easier now than it was then) and use your AoE's effectively and you could see better health per second (averaged over time) return than Regeneration, while getting the damage buff of an offensive passive.
'Caine, miss you bud. Fly high.
'Caine, miss you bud. Fly high.
It's a percentage of max health, so it'd mesh quite well with Con superstat.
Just runs into the same problem Fair Game does on bosses without adds. Should be fine though, considering dodge with Con superstat and all.
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_______________________________
The user formerly known as Dr. Sage.
_______________________________
RIP Caine
Archery might not quite have the DPS of other sets like Electricity and Infernal (ew), you can't deny a blast attack busting out 5k crits on full charges, 2k crit AoE DPS per second on Storm of Arrows, a quick little tap of WtK can crit for 5k, and 4k AoE crits that knockback foes. Yeah, I know I'm saying 'crits' a lot, but Archery IS a crit-reliant set. It can't be helped. With proper gearing, you will crit hard, and you will crit often.
Plus, it's tons more fun than running around letting out clouds of pure stink via holding down one key forever.
It's more like, target the Cosmic, tap Defile and turn on EB for 1 hit, Fire Snake and turn off EB, pop Toxic Nanites, pop Ice Sheath and pretend you're a badly written villain on Captain Planet :biggrin:
And Archery has a lot of strengths, but damage isn't one of them. Those numbers are pretty nice, but even my Darkness character beats that =P 8k Crit Ebon Ruin followed by instant 7k Crit Ebon Rift with Devouring Darkness, or 1.6k crit on Shadow Embrace per half second along with Shadows hitting for 150 and Ebon Rift ticking for 400.
Low damage in CO is subjective though. Archery does enough damage to kill 2 bar mobs in a single maintain of Storm, and that's generally good enough.
IMO, Archery's real strength is in its range and control. No other powerset has a 100m AoE root maintain that does decent damage at the same time, and if things get close, just Torrent them right back to 100m.
Because of its awesome range, it has a few ways to compensate for low damage. Archery has a lot of synergy with Sorcery: Sorcery revolves around skills that require the character to stay in one place. That's not a big problem when archery's range is so long that you can hit up to 3 spawns while standing in the same spot though.
Could run a build with Circle of Ebon Wrath and Sigils of Radiant Sanctuary. Set up shop somewhere and just rain arrows on the room without them ever seeing where you are. Maybe throw in Force Eruption or Tyrannon's Familiar for good measure too, although diminishing returns will limit the actual damage you get.
crits up to 1.8k with snap shot..thats with a half sec attack rate.
sonic arrow hits for up to 4k (combined)
at level 26.
I havent played anything else yet, is that considered bad damage ?
Kite those Alert bosses and annoy the Unleasheds like a boss.
Also, @smuggl3r
No, that's pretty damn good. Keep it up.
She had Gas Arrow and Taser Arrow, and at first I was like 'are you crazy'
And then, because she had specced for it, both arrows were very effective for their crowd control capabilities
Still wouldn't use them in DPS or tanking, but if you're speccing with Sentinel and Pre and whathaveyou, these normally bad powers can be made to work.
| The Phoenix - A Fiery Jack of All Trades | The Nightmare - Dark Summoner | The Ranger - Archery/DB DPS |
| The Packleader - Bestial Petmaster |
@Quincy-St-Moth's PRIMUS page
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Do you just... start spinning around and firing arrows off? I'd imagine the tics would be a second each but hit rather hard (like a circular Storm of Arrows) but the animation ends with the archer crouching and maybe firing off a last volley into the air, which strikes all around them?
Actually, that sounds really cool...
ALSO, MARKSMAN GUIDE.
I agree with bioshrike, in that I like Gas Arrow for the "free damage". I use Force Shield (w/the Force Sheath adv). So while GA CC might not be great, I like to tap it and reload FS while I wait for SoA to recharge. Works pretty well.
Anyway, thanks again for the thread. There are some other tidbits you mention that I want to make sure I incorporate (like switching away from Hunter's Instinct in favor of Molecular Self Assembly)!
When XP earnings during a Double-XP Weekend still feel like I'm underperforming,
there's something terribly wrong with the reward system...
You can find/contact me in game as @PatricianVetinari. Original Join Date: Feb 2010.
It based on maximizing dodge skill to protect the Personal Force Field.
Gain damage back by maximizing critical damage.
Currently Level 24. At the moment the build has decent amount of protection and damage.
No Energy issue either.
For level 26 power what attack would be the best?
Is there a better power for 38?
Should I take Achilles' Heel on Storm of Arrows?
Should I take slight of mind on Evasive Maneuvers?
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Dexterity (Primary)
Level 10: Ego (Secondary)
Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Marksman
Level 6: Shooter
Level 9: Impresario
Level 12: Wordly
Level 15: Coordinated
Level 18: Negotiator
Level 21: Academics
Powers:
Level 1: Strafe (Aversion)
Level 1: Straight Shot (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Hunter's Instinct
Level 8: Personal Force Field (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Storm of Arrows (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Field Surge
Level 17: Evasive Maneuvers (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 20: Concentration (Rank 2)
Level 23: Ego Surge (Nimble Mind)
Level 26:
Level 29: Force Shield (Force Sheathe)
Level 32: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Resurgent Reiki)
Level 35: Masterful Dodge
Level 38: Toxic Nanites
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Swinging (Flippin')
Level 35: Smoke Bomb
Specializations:
Dexterity: Combat Training (3/3)
Dexterity: Gear Utilization (2/3)
Dexterity: Evasion (2/2)
Dexterity: Deadly Aim (3/3)
Overseer: Administer (3/3)
Overseer: Ruthless (2/2)
Overseer: Overseer Aura (3/3)
Overseer: Enhanced Gear (2/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: Focused Strikes (2/3)
Vindicator: Mass Destruction (3/3)
Mastery: Dexterity Mastery (1/1)
After almost 30 levels, let's just say archery is fun but it's DPS is PITIFULLY LOW! Even in ranged DPS mode, it's less than two of my tank toons with Laser Sword and Massacre.
I tried Avenger Mastery - really blows how the mechanic works and it's sucks more because of the 0.67 activation time on Straight Shot that it's slower than other blast powers of 0.5s. Still helps for damage but it's minor.
On PTS with a lvl 40 and Ego/Dex/Int gear and SS, I tried a number of combinations in PH with archery set such as: 1) full charge Straight Shot, 2) Straight Shot taps, 3) Straight Shot taps/charges alternating with Snap Shot (to use the Avenger setup spec for extra damage.)
Funny thing is, full charge Straight Shots was the fastest dummy killer. On paper, I would have thought tapping Straight Shot alternating with Snap Shot would be it but reality shows that isn't the case.
I do like Torrent of Arrows, makes PvE fun. But dang at high levels, Archery needs some real help on DPS or tweaks to Blast specs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1isMbOo9iig
1. Why the switch from Dex PSS to Ego?
2. How viable is this build in Lairs and such especially if one wants to try and tackle Telios' Tower solo (I have only been able to do this with a DB toon so far.)
3. How does the build fair in the endgame department?
Hopefully you can answer all of these as I am really interested in playing a bird-guy archer. Also is there any room for Skarns Bane in the build as debuffing the bosses is something I very much would like to do.
I am not keikomyst but hopefully these insights are helpful.
'Caine, miss you bud. Fly high.
Thanks Ashensnow, this does answer some questions. In particular however it did raise one more question. Is there a min/max build that is mostly regulated to one powerset (with some deviation into others on occasion)?
The very meaning of min/max in this game is dictated by cherrypicking powers from sets and at most having about 3 attacks, and everything else devoted to buffs. There aren't super-OP Powersets, except maybe for Infernal.
Then this begs the question of how much you want to sacrifice your theme for your build.
I'd rather get STO's level of lockbox suck if worthwhile updates come with it. -Buxom
Soloing Teleios Tower isn't impossible, but it can be tough. Packing a couple of heals and Masterful Dodge should let you pull through well enough, but the tower takes a while solo in any situation. Dodge-avoid gear, Conviction, BCR + RR and a good escape power always help.
I can't really recommend Skarn's Bane because it's only got half the range of your standard archery attacks, but if you can run in and cast it on an enemy without risking getting slapped down then you should try it.