Hello all,
For my main character Firefox, I'm looking to fine tune her build after the game has changed so much. As a Level 40, I don't need to worry about leveling up anymore, but I would like to put together something that can still handle the game content with ease, allow me to do a mission or lair every now and then, and participate in big events without too much difficulty.
I've always used Firefox as a survivable AOE DPSer...using Regeneration as my passive, and focusing on END and REC to allow me to stay in the fight longer then the average Fire-build. I'm not adverse to changing it, though I would like to stay with a Fire theme, even if it's using non-Fire set powers...Celestial is a set that's always interested me, but I like the quick fights with Fire and it's powerful AOE damage.
I tend to run in Hybrid mode most of the time, and I have Purple-con Nemesis gear that stacks quite a bit of END and REC, in addition to a smattering of other stats. Any advice I could get on fine-tuning it (especially the talent trees) would be appreciated. Here is my build as it stands currently:
PowerHouse (Link to this build)Name: FirefoxArchetype: FreeformSuper Stats:Level 6: Endurance (Primary)Level 10: Recovery (Secondary)Level 15: Constitution (Secondary)Talents:Level 1: The InfernoLevel 6: EnduringLevel 9: TirelessLevel 12: EnergeticLevel 15: Quick RecoveryLevel 18: Boundless ReservesLevel 21: Amazing StaminaPowers:Level 1: Throw Fire (Fuel My Fire, Accelerated Metabolism)Level 1: Fire Strike (Wild Fire, Crippling Challenge)Level 6: Fireball (Rank 2, Unstable Accelerant)Level 8: Regeneration (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 11: Force Shield (Force Sheathe)Level 14: Pyre (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 17: Heat Wave (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 20: Conflagration (Burning Rain, Nailed to the Ground)Level 23: FlashfireLevel 26: Thermal ReverberationLevel 29: Energy StormLevel 32: Resurgence (Rank 2, Evanescent Emergence)Level 35: ImmolationLevel 38: RebirthTravel Powers:Level 6: Phoenix Flight (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2, Rank 3)Specializations:Endurance: Readiness (3/3)Endurance: Gear Utilization (2/3)Endurance: Quick Recovery (2/2)Endurance: Power Overwhelming (1/3)Endurance: Hardened (2/2)Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)Vindicator: Merciless (2/3)Vindicator: The Rush of Battle (1/3)Vindicator: Focused Strikes (2/3)Vindicator: Mass Destruction (3/3)Overseer: Ruthless (2/2)Overseer: Overseer Aura (3/3)Overseer: Trapped (1/3)Overseer: Conservation (2/2)Overseer: Enhanced Gear (2/3)Mastery: Endurance Mastery (1/1)
Comments
Here's a suggestion for a survivable Fire build using Regeneration. With Crippling Challenge in your version, I assume you want to do some tanking. This one lacks Crippling Challenge, but you should hold aggro just fine with a bundle of Fire damage and Challenging Strikes. I'm also assuming you wanted a PvE build (correct me if I'm wrong).
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name: Fire Tank
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Intelligence (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Endurance (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Glacier
Level 6: Healthy Mind
Level 9: Investigator
Level 12: Boundless Reserves
Level 15: Negotiator
Level 18: Quick Recovery
Level 21: Amazing Stamina
Powers:
Level 1: Throw Fire
Level 1: Fireball (Unstable Accelerant, Challenging Strikes)
Level 6: Thermal Reverberation
Level 8: Regeneration (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Conflagration (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Concentration
Level 17: Force Shield (Force Sheathe)
Level 20: Flashfire (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 23: Fire Snake (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26: Resurgence (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 29: Circle of Primal Dominion (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 32: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Ego Surge (Nimble Mind)
Level 38: Masterful Dodge
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Phoenix Flight (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Teleportation
Specializations:
Intelligence: Preparation (2/2)
Intelligence: Enlightened (1/3)
Intelligence: Tactician (2/2)
Intelligence: Revitalize (3/3)
Intelligence: Detect Vulnerability (2/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: Initiative (2/2)
Vindicator: Mass Destruction (3/3)
Protector: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Protector: Bulwark (2/2)
Protector: Exhausting Strikes (2/2)
Protector: Defensive Expertise (3/3)
Mastery: Protector Mastery (1/1)
You can run it in Hybrid role to Bulwark-tank, or switch to Tank role for a bit more resilience.
You should have pretty stable energy management, but keep your Energy Builder toggled on during combat to periodically trigger Revitalize, Initiative, and Exhausting Strikes. INT's cooldown reduction, Revitalize, Defensive Expertise, and Protector Mastery should make you extremely tough to kill in PvE if you manage your two Active Defenses.
For some affordable-but-effective gear, I would use a set of Armadillo secondaries for the resistance bonus. I would also recommend grind-questing for Silver Champion Recognition so you can purchase Heroic primary gear with the following bonuses:
Primary Offense - Critical Strike w/ Gambler's Lucky Gem
Primary Defense - Avoidance w/ Gambler's Lucky Gem
Primary Utility - Play it by feel. Stack as much Cost Discount as you think you need, and use the rest for Cooldown Reduction.
Stat mod choices are personal preference, but I wouldn't neglect any of the three superstats.
If you haven't seen it already, you might like Monsterdaddy's Ember build. It deals much higher damage than what I posted; but with Necrullitic Elixir in the mix, it's a bit expensive.
First and foremost, I had Crippling Challenge in there to do a little backup tanking, and for a touch of PVP utility but it was never my focus. My main goal is being able to quickly and easily handle PVE content when I need to get some extra resources or want to get some gear. I'm mostly on Champions now to RP, so I just want my powers to fit the character (Fire-user, divine/mystic power source; phoenix-esque), while still letting me do the PVE content as it's released, and grind for resources, lockboxes, etc. when I need them.
Next, regarding the powers, I do have some questions:
Continuing with the stats, would it be possible to do this build (assuming it's less tanking focused) with Int, End, and Rec? I really love the energy efficiency I have with Rec as a super stat...most people complain about being out of energy all the time, but between Thermal Reverberation, Force Sheathe, and super-stated END and REC, I never have had energy problems. I could see going with Int to add even more energy efficiency to the mix, but I'd really like to keep Rec. Is it possible and/or still playable?
Finally, with regards to the gear you mentioned, where do I go for Armadillo secondaries and where is the grind-quest for Silver Champion Recognition? I'm not even sure those were in the game when I left, so I would appreciate your guidance. Thank you.
Conflagration should work fine without the Burning Rain advantage for PvE purposes. If the enemy moves out of the radius, you can just restart the maintain. I usually hover directly above a pack of enemies when I use it, to keep the melee and range types in approximately the same area. If you're unsure about it, you can pick Rank 3 as your last power choice (or try it on the PTS first). Try it out for a while; if you don't like it, replace Rank 3 with Burning Rain.
In my experience, Fire Snake is pretty reliable. You don't need a target to cast it, but it moves toward the first enemy you target once it's summoned. If your target dies, it stays in place until you target another enemy. I usually use "target nearest enemy" to make sure I don't accidentally send the Fire Snake all the way to the furthest mob. If there were some funky AI issues, they may have been before my time. You could also swap Rank 3 for the Trail Blazer advantage, if you want better gas mileage on your Fire Snake; but I usually prefer Rank 3 for a larger debuff.
Your impression of Ego Surge is correct. Nimble Mind's critical buff scales off of CON, and the percentage is substantial with CON as a superstat. Both Resurgence and Conviction can critically hit, so Ego Surge is also useful defensively.
Yes, Conviction is used primarily for the heal. It's a nice supplement to Regeneration against tough content that packs powerful hits, like Gravitar...though, generally, it's not necessary. The "bonus health" only applies to the next hit, and is calculated in an odd way that makes it almost useless. The percentage of your post-hit health is calculated relative to your total "bonus health", then your final health is set to that percentage relative to your normal total health. That probably looks like gibberish, so here's an example taken from the Powerhouse's Defensive Laser Testing:
My total health is 8183. The laser zaps me for 956 damage. My current health is now 7227.
With Conviction's buff, my total health is 9084. The laser zaps me for 956 damage. My health is now 8128, which is 89.48% of 9084. The game adjusts my health to 89.48% of my non-Conviction total. My current health is now 7321, and my total health resets to 8183.
You can go INT/END/REC (it's definitely playable), but you would lose a useful health cushion that helps protect Regeneration from heavy burst damage. I took my INT/END/CON version into the Powerhouse:
268 INT (2 Rank 4 INT mods, Armadillo secondaries, talents)
197 END (2 Rank 4 END mods, Armadillo secondaries, talents)
25 REC (talents)
186 Cost Discount (Heroic Helmet of Efficiency)
Tank Role
Flight toggled on
Against the static test dummies, and beginning with a Flashfire, I was able to manage several back-to-back maintains of Conflagration before seeing any energy troubles (attacking from more than 25' helps optimize your Concentration ticks). If I cycled in one shot of the Energy Builder every 6-10 seconds (to proc the three specializations), I could maintain my attack cycle indefinitely. In an actual battle situation, you would have even more energy thanks to Force Sheathe.
In my opinion, you wouldn't gain anything by superstatting REC. Also remember that the Preparation spec gives you some extra equilibrium, and Flashfire's energy return scales much faster with END compared to REC (see Mecha Teddy's scaling thread to compare the numbers).
Armadillo secondaries come from the Questionite store. Each piece costs 11k Questionite, so 33k for the set (make sure you're buying the secondaries, not the primaries).
Silver Champion Recognition is available in small quantities from certain lairs and the daily mission reward for the cycling "special Alert", and in larger quantities from the UNITY 1* and UNITY 2 quest chains. UNITY 1 is available automatically at level 40, can be done once daily, and takes around 30-60 minutes to complete. Two complete UNITY 1 chains gives you enough for one Heroic gear piece, so stocking your primaries should only take around 6 hours of gameplay across 6 days.
*Click on the various Lemuria missions on that UNITY page for a handy map of the entrance caves.
It adds bonus hit points. Damage hits the bonus HP first, but any damage remives the buff. It's a little like having a bit of extra Defense for one hit only.
For the sake of simplicity, let's say that you have 5000 hp, and conviction adds 5100. Until the buff wears off, you have 5100 hp.
If you take 100 damage, you are left with 5000hp, and the buff wears off. You are left with 5000 hp.
If you take 1 damage, you are left with 5099hp, and the buff wears off. You are left with 5000hp.
If you take 250 damage, you are left with 4850hp, and the buff wears off. You are left with 4850hp.
Notice that in each case, you are left with more hp than if youtook the hit without the buffer.
But that is usually just an extra benefit. Conviction us a heal. Anything else it does is a bonus.
@flamingbunnyman in game. Formerly @Roderick in City of Heroes.
Thanks for the awesome replies. It's clear I have a lot to relearn regarding Champions. I'll head over to the PTS tonight and start testing out all the stuff you've talked about. Again, you have my thanks!
This is how the hp buff from Conviction actually works.
As a tank, you have the freedom to first, take a non-Fire type high DPS single target attack, and second, to stand in the middle of a bunch of mobs and pull aggro without worrying about dying.
So it really depends on your build and your objectives. I think Pyre is better for tanky characters to pull aggro from a wider radius, provided they have a strong single target attack like Devour Essence, and Conflag is better for DPS to put out big numbers once the tank has clustered the mobs nicely around them.
If I wanted to make the build a bit more damage oriented as opposed to tanky, what changes should I make? I want to keep Regeneration as my passive, and stick with the fire/phoenix theme. I won't be going on hardcore lairs/raids/etc.. I just want something that can solo missions with relative ease.
Regarding gear, it'll take some time to get the heroic stuff and the mods for upgrading them. Could I use the Cyber-augmented gear as primaries (for the damage boost) with the Armadillo gear for Secondaries and still be (reasonably) well-equipped? I know for top-tier damage I need to use mods and whatnot, but I haven't done anything with them yet, so I'd prefer the non-slotted gear in the beginning.
Which of the panic buttons mentioned in the build are the most important? Which are the least? I'd really like to get Pyre and Heatwave back as part of the build, and I know I'll have to make some hard decisions about what to drop.
Re: Gear--My experience has been that the Q sets or Nemesis heirloom gear is imminently playable up to 40. Yeah, you'll want better stuff to "finalize" the character, but those sets should be plenty good to get you to that point.
Re: Quick ways to add damage--Spec trees. Depending on how many characters you make, you may get tired of it, but Vindicator and Guardian (or Warden for melee toons) is IMO the best combo for damage dealers, with very few niche exceptions. Take Aggressive Stance and The Best Defense, and you'll have awesome Offense/Defense numbers. Use Merciless and Ruthless to add 25% Crit Severity (and gear for crits, end-game). As a fire toon with tons of AoEs, take Locus (Guardian) and enjoy a nearly-constant free boost of 50 Offense/Defense.
Those trees just synergize really well and give you everything you're going to want in order to kill quickly, with a little bit of survivability thrown in.
Re: Panic buttons you can drop--With a Defensive Passive, you probably don't need two Active Defenses, so you could drop Masterful Dodge or Resurgence safely; pick whichever one is more thematic or suits your play-style best and stick with it.
This is assuming you're looking at carrion's build, by the way. The Circle is a nice option for boss fights, but you'll probably be melting through areas so quickly that you find yourself never using it. If you wanted to drop something else to squeeze Pyre/Heatwave back in, that would be the first place I'd look.
Really, with a Defensive Passive, as long as you have one AD and a heal, you're gonna be just fine about 99% of the time. Force Shield with the advantage has a lot of utility and will help with Energy management as well as defense, so I like having that in there, as well.
One final note on your stats: I know other opinions vary, but I'm with you in preferring REC as a SS. I think your initial END/REC/CON setup would work fine (but I wouldn't take the Quick Recovery spec if you go back, I've always found it to be kinda terrible), especially since Thermal Reverb scales on END/REC. I think it's one that has kinda wonky scaling, though, so maybe it isn't a huge deal.
Mainly, I just don't like having END as a Secondary SS unless REC is as well, because you end up wasting a lot of that max Energy potential, or using your EB too much to get there (which wastes kill time). High equilibrium wins out, in my opinion. Your best option may be to go INT (primary) with CON and REC secondaries, then gear for some END. There are plenty of takes on the matter, mostly comes down to personal preference.
- Added Defense
- Great Energy cost discount
- Awesome crits for maxing killing power
- Scaling with our Form
- More base damage
Hopefully, between Insight's cost discount, SS REC, talent/gear for END, Force Sheathe, and lots of attacks that will fuel Thermal Reverb, Energy won't be a problem. If that works, you get to keep CON for toughness, and add EGO to become a more deadly force.
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name:
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Ego (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Recovery (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Scourge
Level 6: Wordly
Level 9: Quick Recovery
Level 12: Ascetic
Level 15: Daredevil
Level 18: Amazing Stamina
Level 21: Boundless Reserves
Powers:
Level 1: Throw Fire
Level 1: Fireball (Unstable Accelerant)
Level 6: Thermal Reverberation
Level 8: Force Shield (Force Sheathe)
Level 11: Regeneration (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 17: Concentration
Level 20: Resurgence
Level 23: Conflagration (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26: Flashfire (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 29: Fire Snake (Rank 2, Trail Blazer)
Level 32: Pyre (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Ego Surge (Rank 2, Nimble Mind)
Level 38: Heat Wave (Engulfing Flames)
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Phoenix Flight (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2)
Specializations:
Ego: Force of Will (2/2)
Ego: Insight (3/3)
Ego: Follow Through (3/3)
Ego: Sixth Sense (2/3)
Guardian: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Guardian: Locus (2/2)
Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)
Guardian: The Best Defense (3/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: Modified Gear (2/2)
Vindicator: Mass Destruction (3/3)
Mastery: Ego Mastery (1/1)
I plan to redo my super stats at 40, but this has made leveling for me much easier.
Edit: if you are planning on being a damage magnet the spec in END that adds HP plus SS Con is pretty sweet. Works really nice with Regeneration in Alerts. You take a big hit that barely moves your HP bar.
What I'm looking to do is improving my efficiency when soloing content. Most of the time I play, I'm just RPing. I go out and do the content when there is something new, or something that catches my eye.
With the build currently as is, I can handle most even con fights relatively quickly...pull the villain/super-villain of the group with a fully charged Fireball, Block till they close the distance or I do, Flashfire, Pyre, Block, Pyre, finish anyone still standing with Conflagration (group) or Heatwave (single). Boss fights follow the same formula, just with more repetitions of the attacks, and more blocking. For example, I can do all of the the mission Fatal Err0r without problems, or solo my nemesis missions without issue.
I know the game has changed though in my long absence though, so I know the build itself might not be efficient anymore, as powers, talents, and gear changes. I don't have a huge amount of time to play and grind for all the really good gear and whatnot, but I have good amounts of Resources/Questionite/Zen to spend on improving, and I figure by tweaking the build I can get through content even faster. That way, I can focus on spending more time RPing, which is the part of CO I love best.
Sorry if I wasn't clear to begin with. Thank you all for the feedback you've given me, as it's gotten me thinking about what I need to do, and even gotten me on the PTS testing different variations of what all you have said.
So based on this thread, the feedback I've gotten, and talking to some people online, I think I have most of my build sorted out. I still need the following:
Primary Super Stat: I'm torn between Int, Ego, and Con. The main toss up is between Int and Ego...Con is a distant third right now. Int has the reduction of power costs and cooldown times, but Ego buffs all ranged damage and means crits become massive.
Stats to Gear/Talent for: I know this one is dependent on the main superstat... choosing Int means the only thing other then more super stats I'll probably go for is Con, to give me more staying power for long fights and help with damage spikes. Choosing Ego means I need to balance out some additional Dex (to raise crit changes) and Con (soaking damage spikes). Chosing Con probably means I'll go for a generalist build (talent for as many stats as possible) and then gearing for Ego and Dex for Crits.
Specialization Trees: Right now, I've narrowed it down, but I'm still having trouble deciding between the following:
After that, then I've got to chose the Mastery...
Other then those areas, I think I'm fairly well covered. I've got more damage resistance, more regeneration, a fast recharging heal, a slow but powerful heal, and plenty of ways to do damage. I still don't have an Active Defense or Active Offense, but the improvements to my powers and abilities overall should make up for that.
Any feedback you theorycrafters could offer would be appreciated. Thank you.
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name: Firefox v2
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6:
Level 10: Endurance (Secondary)
Level 15: Recovery (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1:
Level 6:
Level 9:
Level 12:
Level 15:
Level 18:
Level 21:
Powers:
Level 1: Throw Fire (Fuel My Fire)
Level 1: Fireball (Unstable Accelerant)
Level 6: Heat Wave (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Pyre (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Conflagration (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Fire Snake (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 17: Thermal Reverberation
Level 20: Flashfire
Level 23: Force Shield (Force Sheathe)
Level 26: Regeneration (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 29: Circle of Primal Dominion (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 32: Inertial Dampening Field (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Conviction
Level 38: Resurgence (Evanescent Emergence)
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Phoenix Flight (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Teleportation
Specializations: