I've spent the past almost half-a-year trying to understand and learn the basics of this game's system so that I can turn my main character into the best that she can be. Admittedly I'm slightly disappointed in how restrictive it all turned out to be, but I do enjoy the game and still want to achieve this. Unfortunately for me, being versatile in combat or being versatile in skillset are both with massive compromise and I admittedly suck at making restricted choices.
The Character:
Miya is a celestial monk. In her original setting which is based on d&d she's an unarmed fighter who can use an entire divine spell list from healing through removal of debuffs to resurrection and even some damaging spells. It's just how the game works: by choosing monk you get to fight unarmed and do not have to worry about it, as opposed to here... yeah.
The Concept:
I'm definitely intending to go 100hands on her, it's probably the best unarmed attack in the entire game, all things considered. She started off as AOPM and currently running on WoTW which seems to be really hefty amounts of damage as well as giving her 30% dodge above her considerable hp pool and juggernaut to feed off of that. I'm intending to keep her str-con-. It's currently int.
The Design Choices:
The above are a pain to fit into one, effective build. My playstyle is in-the-face, don't want to tiptoe around things if I can help it, and I like to be tough. The main reason for this is that my friend can't afford freeform, but also it's just the way I am after playing squishy in mmo for so long. (Been a healer for over a decade, had enough of being 1hit to trashmobs.)
Current build:
PowerHouse (Link to this build)Name:Skysear
Archetype: FreeformSuper Stats:Level 6: Strength (Primary)Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)Talents:Level 1: The DevastatorLevel 6: Physical ConditioningLevel 9: Healthy MindLevel 12: Boundless ReservesLevel 15: Quick RecoveryLevel 18: Covert Ops TrainingLevel 21: Paramilitary TrainingPowers:Level 1: RadianceLevel 1: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 6: Unleashed Rage (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 8: One Hundred Hands (Rank 2, Rank 3, Ghostly Strikes)Level 11: Way of the Warrior (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 14: Enrage (Endorphin Rush)Level 17: Dragon Kick (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 20: Inexorable Tides (Instep Crush)Level 23: Molecular Self-AssemblyLevel 26: Thunderbolt Lunge (Nailed to the Ground)Level 29: Ego Surge (Nimble Mind)Level 32: AscensionLevel 35: Unbreakable (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 38: Masterful DodgeTravel Powers:Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2)Specializations:Strength: Swole (3/3)Strength: Physical Peak (2/3)Strength: Brutality (2/2)Strength: Juggernaut (3/3)Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)Vindicator: Offensive Expertise (2/2)Vindicator: Mass Destruction (3/3)Guardian: Fortified Gear (3/3)Guardian: Locus (2/2)Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)Guardian: The Best Defense (3/3)Mastery: Strength Mastery (1/1)
Variation one:
PowerHouse (Link to this build)Name:Archetype: FreeformSuper Stats:Level 6: Strength (Primary)Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)Talents:Level 1: The DevastatorLevel 6: Physical ConditioningLevel 9: Healthy MindLevel 12: Boundless ReservesLevel 15: Quick RecoveryLevel 18: Covert Ops TrainingLevel 21: Paramilitary TrainingPowers:Level 1: RadianceLevel 1: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 6: One Hundred Hands (Rank 2, Rank 3, Ghostly Strikes)Level 8: Molecular Self-AssemblyLevel 11: Aura of Primal Majesty (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 14: Enrage (Endorphin Rush)Level 17: Inexorable Tides (Instep Crush)Level 20: RedemptionLevel 23: RebirthLevel 26: Palliate (Rank 2, Absolve)Level 29: Ego Surge (Nimble Mind)Level 32: AscensionLevel 35: Unbreakable (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 38: Masterful DodgeTravel Powers:Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2)Specializations:Strength: Swole (3/3)Strength: Physical Peak (2/3)Strength: Brutality (2/2)Strength: Juggernaut (3/3)Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)Vindicator: Offensive Expertise (2/2)Vindicator: Mass Destruction (3/3)Guardian: Fortified Gear (3/3)Guardian: Locus (2/2)Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)Guardian: The Best Defense (3/3)Mastery: Strength Mastery (1/1)
Variation two:
PowerHouse (Link to this build)Name:Archetype: FreeformSuper Stats:Level 6: Strength (Primary)Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)Talents:Level 1: The DevastatorLevel 6: Physical ConditioningLevel 9: Healthy MindLevel 12: Boundless ReservesLevel 15: Quick RecoveryLevel 18: Covert Ops TrainingLevel 21: Paramilitary TrainingPowers:Level 1: RadianceLevel 1: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 6: Seraphim (Rank 2, Balance)Level 8: Molecular Self-AssemblyLevel 11: One Hundred Hands (Rank 2, Rank 3, Ghostly Strikes)Level 14: CompassionLevel 17: Dragon Kick (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 20: RedemptionLevel 23: RebirthLevel 26: Palliate (Rank 2, Absolve)Level 29: Ego Surge (Nimble Mind)Level 32: AscensionLevel 35: Unbreakable (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 38: Masterful DodgeTravel Powers:Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3)Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2)Specializations:Strength: Swole (3/3)Strength: Physical Peak (2/3)Strength: Brutality (2/2)Strength: Juggernaut (3/3)Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)Vindicator: Offensive Expertise (2/2)Vindicator: Mass Destruction (3/3)Sentinel: Eternal Spring (2/2)Sentinel: Sentinel Aura (3/3)Sentinel: Moment of Need (3/3)Sentinel: Wither (2/2)Mastery: Sentinel Mastery (1/1)
NOTES: She -is- a seraphim after all, and Sentinel Mastery seems to be nifty when you're not in a raid. I have no idea how it would work against high-end content, probably nohow and I don't want to gimp my main character either.
Pretty much just throwing this train of thought out there, maybe those smarter will come up with a better idea.
Comments
Questions like that are not easy to answer, it all depends on what you want.
Do you want the highest damage out of the rest of you choices go with WoTW (assuming you have enough energy to spam all your attacks), if you want more survivability and still keep relatively good damage, and/or need more energy, AoPM is pretty much without equal.
And since only you can decide what you want out of your character....
Also, if ur taking Compassion as the toggle w/ Seraphim, then ya want Rec or Pres as an SS. Seraphim is also not really boosting Dragon Kick (which ya need to proc Sentinel Mastery), nor is Dragon Kick giving ya Rush w/o a Focus toggle.
I'd prob just use a variant of the 3rd build- taking FotT (and a Dex-focus) over Compassion, and consider changing the passive. Sentinel Aura already gives ya a passive healing aura as is, and Wither + the Mastery are quite nice in groups, as are the crit-heal boosts when using crit-able heals. A lunge would also help the build to have a cheap MSA trigger, but it may not be as essential to the build as long as ya have Rush and a fitting toggle.
And yeah, just as in the other thread, much of the decision making (like what passive is 'better') mainly comes down to ur goals and what powers ya like or plan on using. That's not really for us to decide.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
I just wanted to see the figures but it seems to be straightforward then. WoTW if I want raw damage, otherwise AOPM. I definitely want to keep the str con solution.
What are your thoughts on the rebirth/revive/etc? I don't see people die a whole lot in situations where a rez actually makes a difference, while rebirth is okayish sometimes but I really only get killed if I get impatient. I'd only use that as a means to be even more aggressive than I already am.
The end of it is that while I love my current build, it's not doing much in helping my team, while I'm probably asking too much to be able to do decent damage, be survivable, and be able to take care of my team?
Rebirth can be good for pugging Rampages (namely F&I, or vs. Gravi w/ a squishier build), if ya can spare the slot for it. Otherwise, I find that its usually not needed, since the 5-min cd recovery packs or servitor serums can always pop ya back up w/o using a power slot (or just recover and run back if the instance doesn't lock-out). Main benefit to Rebirth is that, unlike the devices, its cd is affected by gearing- so it can potentially be used much more often.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
Tada~:
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name:
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Strength (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Glacier
Level 6: Physical Conditioning
Level 9: Healthy Mind
Level 12: Body and Mind
Level 15: Relentless
Level 18: Quick Recovery
Level 21: Negotiator
Powers:
Level 1: Radiance
Level 1: Rebuke (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Unleashed Rage (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Aura of Primal Majesty (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Ego Surge (Rank 2, Nimble Mind)
Level 17: Masterful Dodge
Level 20: Haymaker (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 23: One Hundred Hands (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26: Rising Knee (Flowing Strikes)
Level 29: Enrage
Level 32: Divine Renewal (Rank 2)
Level 35: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 38: Ebon Void (Voracious Darkness)
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2)
Specializations:
Strength: Swole (3/3)
Strength: Physical Peak (2/3)
Strength: Brutality (2/2)
Strength: Juggernaut (3/3)
Warden: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Warden: Ruthless (2/2)
Warden: Elusive (2/2)
Warden: The Best Defense (3/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: Focused Strikes (3/3)
Vindicator: Mass Destruction (2/3)
Mastery: Strength Mastery (1/1)
Swap Ebon Void for Unbreakable and steal points from Divine Renewal and Teleport to get it to R3 for AD rotation variant.
Remember that one of AoPM's strengths is energy management. It can use energy-intensive high DPS rotations like Laser Sword that other passives have trouble sustaining. It also softcaps your additive bonus from Pre on top of Hybrid role's innate healing bonuses so your Rebukes are actually pretty good and you can always switch to Support role to make them even better.
For a kick-oriented variant (Miya is traditionally a kicker iirc) you'd need to drop Enrage since kicks don't usually knock. Swap the following:
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
If ya just want to focus on 100Hands and not use Haymaker at all.. then, yeah I'd follow the Focus toggle + Dex route- Enrage just isn't as easy to support it w/o becoming rather gimmicky. A focus toggle also adds another reason to use a move like Dragon Kick.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
Alrighty- well Pounce gives ya a quick MSA trigger and enrage stack- could always alternate that w/ 100Hands I guess. Else, its the usual stuff for Enrage (Aggressor, UR, etc).
Oh, and as low-defense Dex PSS is, Dex Mastery does mean ya can skip Severity gearing for bonus healing in offense slots- so its not completely w/o potential survival boosts. Its dodge options are pretty weak, though.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
Yes, a friend warned me about that when I was trying to go dex primary on my first LR attempt.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
Expertise buffs your HP pool and has bugged scaling with Dex in a good way. Detect Vuln will make your Haymaker slaughter F&I and Elite Lair bosses and Enlightened buffs your heals.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
There's other ways to stack Dex and get amazing survivability. Pre/Dex/Con or Ego/Dex/Con with minimal Pre/Ego, FotT and Spirit Reverb for example.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
Now DEX primary also buffs Severity and Critical chance which improves your crittable healing like Conviction.
If you want more proof, I have a DEX primary WotW Claws build in just Legion but she can solo Gravitar.
That's only relatively speaking ofc. Even the bottom 4 superstats for survivability can still do feats like solo Grav/Andrith with offensive passives.
Every PSS does seem to have some survival options, though- depending on how ya build/pick. Int has Expertise or Enlightened + Con, and + Dex for crit-heal boosts. Ego has Force of Will and crit-heal boosts (plus Ego mastery w/ Con_Dex). Con is Con. Str has Juggy, knock resist, and Swole. Dex has Gear Util, crit-heal boosts, and Dex Mastery. Pres has Force of Will, crit-heal boosts, and good innate bonus heal. Rec has Gear Util, 2nd Wind + cds, Rec Mastery + Con_Dex, and Well-Rounded. And End PSS has a very bad smell to ward people off from choosing it.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
Take EGO vs DEX as PSS. With the same gear we have EGO with 90% damage resistance vs. DEX with 80%. Yet DEX has more crit chance and severity and with a Justice Healing Glove and a Heal mod -- a bonus 60% heal vs. EGO's Justice Precision mod with a crit mod (assumes both have DUC). Plus DEX has 10% extra damage resistance debuff.
So 80% vs. 90% damage resistance means DEX takes 6% more damage than EGO (1.8^-1/1.9^-1), Yet the DEX will heal for 50%+ more than EGO based on heal bonuses alone.
I don't think EHP comes close to telling the whole story.
But in the scheme of things it does show a nice balance with Dex as adequate on defense for much more offense (if built well). And it does suit martial arts form melee builds very well.
Name:
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Strength (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Devastator
Level 6: Physical Conditioning
Level 9: Healthy Mind
Level 12: Boundless Reserves
Level 15: Amazing Stamina
Level 18: Quick Recovery
Level 21: Negotiator
Powers:
Level 1: Radiance
Level 1: Rebuke (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Unleashed Rage (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Aura of Primal Majesty (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 17: Roomsweeper (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 20: Dragon Kick (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 23: One Hundred Hands (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26: Enrage (Endorphin Rush)
Level 29: Unbreakable (Better You Than Me)
Level 32: Ascension
Level 35: Ego Surge (Nimble Mind)
Level 38: Masterful Dodge
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Teleportation
Specializations:
Strength: Swole (3/3)
Strength: Physical Peak (2/3)
Strength: Brutality (2/2)
Strength: Juggernaut (3/3)
Warden: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Warden: Ruthless (2/2)
Warden: Elusive (2/2)
Warden: The Best Defense (3/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: Focused Strikes (3/3)
Vindicator: Mass Destruction (2/3)
Mastery: Strength Mastery (1/1)
OR:
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name:
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Strength (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Devastator
Level 6: Physical Conditioning
Level 9: Healthy Mind
Level 12: Boundless Reserves
Level 15: Amazing Stamina
Level 18: Quick Recovery
Level 21: Negotiator
Powers:
Level 1: Radiance
Level 1: Rebuke (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Unleashed Rage (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Aura of Primal Majesty (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 17: Inexorable Tides (Instep Crush)
Level 20: Dragon Kick (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 23: One Hundred Hands (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26: Enrage (Endorphin Rush)
Level 29: Unbreakable (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 32: Ascension
Level 35: Ego Surge (Nimble Mind)
Level 38: Masterful Dodge
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Teleportation
Specializations:
Strength: Swole (3/3)
Strength: Physical Peak (2/3)
Strength: Brutality (2/2)
Strength: Juggernaut (3/3)
Warden: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Warden: Ruthless (2/2)
Warden: Elusive (2/2)
Warden: The Best Defense (3/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: Focused Strikes (3/3)
Vindicator: Mass Destruction (2/3)
Mastery: Strength Mastery (1/1)
The main difference is utility vs damage, here. Roomsweeper seems to be overlooked. Its combination with Dragon Kick is very potent, but that way it slows down the rate at which I gain Rage stacks because of the knock-away factor. Which is why I added BetterYou on Unbreakable.
Also, instantaneous knockup + root is very useful in places like Andrith.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
I tried reverse polarity on E/W but knock-to doesn't seem to proc rage.
Wide-reach AoE certainly is not essential to any build, though- its more of a QoL thing, ultimately.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
Here's the current idea:
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name:
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Strength (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Devastator
Level 6: Physical Conditioning
Level 9: Healthy Mind
Level 12: Boundless Reserves
Level 15: Amazing Stamina
Level 18: Quick Recovery
Level 21: Negotiator
Powers:
Level 1: Radiance
Level 1: Rebuke (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Unleashed Rage (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Aura of Primal Majesty (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 17: Enrage (Endorphin Rush)
Level 20: Dragon Kick (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 23: One Hundred Hands (Rank 2, Rank 3, Ghostly Strikes)
Level 26: Lightning Storm (Rank 2, Stolen Thunder)
Level 29: Unbreakable
Level 32: Ascension
Level 35: Ego Surge (Nimble Mind)
Level 38: Masterful Dodge
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2)
Specializations:
Strength: Swole (3/3)
Strength: Physical Peak (2/3)
Strength: Brutality (2/2)
Strength: Juggernaut (3/3)
Warden: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Warden: Ruthless (2/2)
Warden: Elusive (2/2)
Warden: The Best Defense (3/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: Focused Strikes (3/3)
Vindicator: Mass Destruction (2/3)
Mastery: Strength Mastery (1/1)
Question: is Rebuke reliable enough as a self-heal? I'm intending to solo stuff like Andrith and whatever else I haven't found yet. Heard there were a few.
Question2 in relation to the first one: since I'm planning to solo, is aopm or defiance the better choice?
Rebuke is decent, but if ya have high energy then Celestial Conduit taps will fill ur health up quite faster- you'll want the ability to deselect target or target urself to be convenient, though. Other heals that don't also double as damage spells will target you when solo, even w/o deselecting ur current target. That sort of usability may come into play when ur soloing, or may not really matter at all- depending on ur playstyle and setup.
BCR/RR wouldn't be bad w/ MD, and the dmg penalty is counteracted by it not being a cast spell like a regular heal is, but it won't be a burst heal outside of MD uptime.
Bionic Shielding is decent in this situation as well, but w/ the debuff it essentially becomes a short-cd burst heal- and can be tricky to not overheal with at times.
Defiant would make soloing less intense (or at least less cd-reliant), but also knock down ur base dmg quite a good deal. Possibly would depend on whether ur doing this on Normal or Elite (and keeping in mind that farming is prob more efficient on Normal than on Elite, unless ur just going for the challenge of it).
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!