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Avenging Phoenix ~ Playing with Fire

zentovazentova Posts: 6 Arc User
edited February 2014 in Builds and Roles
I had seen a thread about a Fire Regen Tank build and I was tempted to post this there but, well, it's not regen so what would be the point? :) I decided to post it in a different thread and ask advice on a few things I've not had experience with ( yet ) I've made level 20 in short order and so far it's been ridiculous how effective it is.

The Build:

PowerHouse (Link to this build)

Name: Avenging Phoenix

Archetype: Freeform

Super Stats:
Level 6: Dexterity (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Presence (Secondary)

Talents:
Level 1: Divinity
Level 6: Agile
Level 9: Enduring
Level 12: Intimidating
Level 15: Acrobat
Level 18: Finesse
Level 21: Shrug It Off

Powers:
Level 1: Throw Fire
Level 1: Fireball (Unstable Accelerant)
Level 6: Thermal Reverberation
Level 8: Defiance
Level 11: Devour Essence (Rank 2, Crippling Challenge)
Level 14: Pyre (Backdraft, Challenging Strikes)
Level 17: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 20: Inertial Dampening Field (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 23: Flashfire (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Resurgent Reiki)
Level 29: Fire Snake (Trail Blazer)
Level 32: Ebon Void (Rank 2, Rank 3, Voracious Darkness)
Level 35: Howl (Make them Tremble)
Level 38: Circle of Primal Dominion (Rank 2, Rank 3)

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Fire Flight
Level 35: Athletics

Specializations:
Dexterity: Combat Training (3/3)
Dexterity: Gear Utilization (3/3)
Dexterity: Deadly Aim (2/3)
Dexterity: Expose Weakness (2/2)
Protector: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Protector: Bulwark (2/2)
Protector: Exhausting Strikes (2/2)
Protector: Resolute (3/3)
Sentry: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Sentry: Precise (2/3)
Sentry: Sentry Aura (3/3)
Sentry: Fortify (2/2)
Mastery: Dexterity Mastery (1/1)

The thoughts behind this are pretty straight forward. As I close to a group I tap fireball to get Unstable Accelerant applied and then lay down a fully charged Pyre which applies Challenging Stikes to the group. After that the strongest mob gets Devour Essence while the rest melt and die. To make sure I have the power to do this I gear for enough endo and recovery to make that happen then the rest is Dex atm.

To this point I've rarely used Conviction as things have gone down pretty fast. Still it's nice to have it in there early in case you group more than I do I suppose. I've solo'd the entire time so far ( mostly because my brand new PSU *cough* Thermaltake SUCKS! *cough* is crap and dumps me into BSOD hell randomly... not putting a group through that! So soloing until my Antec gets here this week sometime. )

My main question lies in Fire Snake. I've never used it but I've read an awful lot of good and bad about it. I think, being a tank, I am not nearly as susceptible to the bad as a squishy toon might be, but I just don't know. I had thought of Miniaturization Drive there too or maybe even a lunge of some sort ( I like the function of Void Shift and it's adv. Emerging Shadows )

This is a themed build ( Devour Essence is actually pulling heat out of the target... ) so fire snake seemed a good ability. COPD is a bit harder to explain . . . as is Ebon Void... ahem. . . I'm a tank I love em 'nuff said k? :D
Post edited by zentova on

Comments

  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,874 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    Presence as a 2ndary SS isn't really doing much for you in this build, tbh. You can get the majority of the additive +heal benefit Pres provides by getting it to 70- else if ya wanna up ur healing as a non-Support I'd say just get +% heal gear at that point.

    Firesnake is more for the overall elemental dmg increase via its debuff. Its perfectly fine to get as a fire tank, but you'd want to either have casted it before the pull or after you know you've already gotten some threat lead (ofc, when you get the ability to group again).

    Howl is okay, though you lack Strength in this build. If you want a Fear w/ higher uptime, Void Shift w/ adv is cheap and easy.

    Speaking of Strength, it may be worthwhile to nab it instead of Pres as a SS, just for the extra knock resist, and the boost it'll give to DE and Howl's Enrage. That would also mean you can prob replace CoPD if you wanted something like Rebirth, Unbreakable, or MD (or Conflag, if you really want to just go into 'melt everything mode' after using fireball w/ UA).

    The Defiance + IDF combo is good.. at least as long as ur getting hit (not a problem solo). You could also go w/ Invuln + Form of the Tempest for a similar effect, but more dmg from the toggle.

    Also, I'd trade Combat Training for Brush It Off in the Dex tree- the aoe dodge will help you more as a tank w/ BCR/RR, and iirc the crit rating increase from CT is rather small anyways.
    <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!
  • zentovazentova Posts: 6 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    First, thank you for the reply.

    The presence is more about threat gen first and a secondary, lesser benefit of heal. Of course that is if they haven't changed the way threat gen works. I have, admittedly, been away from the game for nearly 3 years. That would help me keep things focused on me in a team environment thus keeping my defense high and my energy return at an acceptable level. That was another of my big questions (unvoiced). I've been playing in Hybrid role so far as I've been soloing and wanted the extra dps. I had thought that going to Tank role in a group was the way to go if I can generate enough threat.

    The Howl was more for the fear and since I knew my Str was going to be low in this build I went with it instead of enrage which, of course, would have been much better for a straight dps boost. It's really another layer of defense with a slight damage boost as a bonus.

    I'm guessing I'd have to change things quite a bit if my recollections of PRE are now incorrect.
  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,874 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    Yeah, Presence no longer modifies threat like it did back then.

    When I mentioned Enrage, I meant that Howl gives enrage as a buff, not that I think you should actually take Enrage as a toggle (as a ranged build w/o knocks, melee attacks, or Strength, that would be a bad idea). Howl is a fine move for its AoE Fear, but the actual Fear uptime won't be close to 100% unless you maybe get it to r3 and have some cd reduction gear; there are more relady ways of applying Fear for bosses and the like- just not in an AoE.
    <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!
  • thebuckeyethebuckeye Posts: 818 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    However Thermal Reverb still scales off of PRE and REC so having it as a secondary isn't a bad idea necessarily...
  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,874 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    Thermal Reverb scales w/ Endurance primarily (at least these days it does). Are you sure ya got the right tool-tip referenced?
    <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!
  • zentovazentova Posts: 6 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    flowcyto wrote: »
    Yeah, Presence no longer modifies threat like it did back then.

    When I mentioned Enrage, I meant that Howl gives enrage as a buff, not that I think you should actually take Enrage as a toggle (as a ranged build w/o knocks, melee attacks, or Strength, that would be a bad idea). Howl is a fine move for its AoE Fear, but the actual Fear uptime won't be close to 100% unless you maybe get it to r3 and have some cd reduction gear; there are more relady ways of applying Fear for bosses and the like- just not in an AoE.

    Gotcha, that makes perfect sense. Again, thank you. So far having PRE as a secondary hasn't been a liability, but of course I'm only 22 at the moment so I'm pretty sure that changes rapidly when I'm in tougher content. I've yet to try the alerts and ( smashes? ). I've just been doing the quests the old fashioned way :D Seems a ghostland out there now. Reminds me of when CoH introduced the Architect. No one was doing vanilla missions after that. All that work on story lines and environment the developers had done was down the tubes. Sad really. Ah well. At least I don't have to compete to complete :D
  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,874 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    yup, after the On Alert expansion and most of the player-base leaving over the years, the standard leveling zones are pretty barren.

    I do like the lack of competition for mission objectives, though. Its a bit disheartening, but there is also something sublime about having a zone nearly all to urself :p
    <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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