test content
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc

Help with a force build please

Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
edited September 2009 in Power Discussion
Hi everyone,

First of all, I don't want to make an uber character, just a fun one that fits the concept : energy type toon.

Now, I've chosen the Force Framework because it fits nicely this concept, but I have some trouble finding usefull powers beyond lvl30 :confused:

Here's the build i've come up with so far :
Build by championBuilder 0.2.4

Download this Build here.

Ryltaar: Level 40 Champion

Superstats:
Level 5: Super Endurance
Level 13: Super Ego

Powers:
Level 1: Force Bolts (refraction advantage)
Level 1: Force Blast (rank 3)
Level 5: Personal Force Field (rank 3)
Level 5: Flight
Level 8: Force Eruption (gravity mist advantage)
Level 11: Field Surge
Level 14: Force Cascade
Level 17: Resurgence
Level 20: Condemn (Rank 3)
Level 23: Protection Field
Level 26: Rebirth
Level 29: Force Shield
Level 32: Shadow Shroud
Level 35: Nanobot Swarm
Level 35: Teleport
Level 38: Dark Transfusion

Talents:
Level 1: Impetus
Level 6: Energetic
Level 9: Indomitable
Level 12: Agile
Level 15: Daredevil
Level 18: Accurate
Level 21: Amazing Stamina

My problem is for lvl29 and above. I'd like :
- A nice crowd control power. Solved. Condemn FTW !

- a self damage buff. Most of them I see need either a passive form slot, or just won't help my crushing force damage :confused: Is there any damage buff I can use with force powers ? I've taken Shadow Shroud because apparently, it increases all damage, is it good ?

- Some form of heal. I've chosen Psionic healing (because it's clic/charge) but I read it scales with presence and my character doesn't have any. Is it still good without presence ?

Any input on powers you might think usefull is greatly welcome and thank you for your time :)

EDIT : Since my char is now 25, i've updated my build =)
Post edited by Archived Post on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    My force girl is level 23 with endurance/recovery as superstats. (Probably overkill - I NEVER run out of energy.) I use force bolt, force blast, force eruption and very little else. I picked up psionic healing but it usually barely outpaces the damage I'm taking. I picked up the angel summon from Sorcery but it never seems terribly useful. With all the knockback a more mobile summon is probably a better bet.

    I'm not sure what the point of superstatting Ego is unless it's paired with Dex. Do you see enough big critical hits for it to be worthwhile? If I respec I'll probably swap one of mine for Strength. Knocking everybody down = More time to heal.

    I'm having trouble picking powers already so I look forward to seeing other people's suggestions.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Thx for the input ElfirElfir.

    Ego helps with PFF regeneration, and adds bigger crits. Surprisingly, it's easier to find stuff with +DEX than +EGO so I'm just stuffing myself with END/EGO/DEX and it works quite nicely.

    Thx for the tip on Psionic healing, i'll stick to resurgence then.

    Aside from that, i'm havind the same problems as you : I have 4 main attacks (force bolt, force blast, force eruption and force cascade -> very fun :p) and I don't think I need more. Which leaves me with a lot of options... And I'm a bit lost :confused:

    Any other comment is welcomed :)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    bump. i'm curious to learn more about this too.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    I went CON, END super stats. From my testing in Beta, EGO is a useless stat for Force, EGO only affects the bonus recovery of PFF, END is the actual strength of the field. I am lvl 25 so far I have yet to get a healing power I am pure force at this point. I have no problems doing lvl 26-27 quests.

    If you intend to use Force Cascade, Energy Refraction upgrade for Force bolts should almost be required. Only way you will be able to get full use from Cascade. Which is a very situational power, there are times when I wonder if it is a waste and times I love it.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Wow this thread fits me to a T!

    I am also a mainly Force based toon, currently level 19.9999 and I'm not sure what to take later in the game.

    Here are the things I can add though:
    1. Your superstats should be END and EGO. No question. PFF scales with both. Mix in some REC (if needed) and a lot of DEX.
    2. Check out the Circle of Arcane from the Sorcery skills. It sets up a circle that will fill your END bar up for as long as you want. The damn thing lasts for hours if you stand inside of it.

    Now, VoltPD is talking about a strategy where you use a different way to get END with upgrading Force Bolts. That's a fine way to go but I prefer my way.

    Here is how my current engagements go:

    1. Stop flying to let my END have *just enough* to laydown the circle of arcane.
    2. Small Force Eruption to setup polarity mist thingy that increases damage (now I'm getting END and +DMG by standing in this spot)
    3. Charge up Force Blast to the fullest and let it be my Alpha Strike.
    4. Tap Force Blast to unload volley after volley of Force Blast. This results in about 1/3 the amount of DMG per shot but each one also has a chance to CRIT. With my EGO a superstat (to help with PFF) that's not something to over look. (Hence the recommendation for more DEX)
    5. Pull next mob to this same spot or move on.

    Now, my very next power will be Force Cascade. With the Circle going I'll be in full attack mode even using this massive END draining power.

    DRAWBACKS:
    Last night I was teaming with one other guy. He would engage the mobs while I was still setting up my Circles of Arcane and Mist thingy. By the time I was ready he had at least one target down. Not a big deal but just a heads up.

    Also, it is really important that you have enough recovery to setup the Circle without having to engage the enemy. If not then this strategy does not work as well.

    So .... all this text just to say:
    Look at getting Circle of Arcane. I quess you could look at the other circles if you don't care about the END building. I think I saw one for +DMG as well. PROTIP: Only one circle out at a time. Don't try to take two...
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    What about adding Condmn to the build for an AoE hold?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Also, take Mysticism for your crafting school. Picky any of the 3 subsets since I hear they don't matter ...

    Arms is better for Might players (STR/CON focus), Myst is good for Force (EGO/PRE) and Science is good for Socery/PA (INT focus).

    Arms
    Utility Major: 1) END, 2) EGO, 3) INT
    Utility Minor: 1) CON, 2) END, 3) EGO
    Defense Major: 1) CON
    Defense Minor: 1) STR, 2) DEX, 3) REC
    Offense Major: 1) STR, 2) DEX, 3) REC
    Offense Minor: 1) CON, 2) STR, 3) DEX

    Mysticism
    Utility Major: 1) EGO, 2) INT, 3) END
    Utility Minor: 1) EGO2) PRE3) INT
    Defense Major: 1) PRE
    Defense Minor: 1) EGO, 2) END, 3) INT
    Offense Major: 1) REC, 2) DEX, 3) STR
    Offense Minor: 1) PRE, 2) REC, 3) STR

    Science
    Utility Major: 1) INT, 2) END, 3) EGO
    Utility Minor: 1) INT, 2) END, 3) CON
    Defense Major: 1) PRE/CON
    Defense Minor: 1) INT, 2) END, 3) EGO
    Offense Major: 1) DEX, 2) REC, 3) STR
    Offense Minor: 1) REC, 2) DEX, 3) CON
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Condem looks ok but I don't have access to all the details on it. Does it scale with anything? I think the best place to look would be Telekensis and Telepathy frameworks. They both fit a FORCE themed toon well and they both use EGO:

    Might - STR/CON
    Electricity - REC/END
    Fire - PRE/REC
    Force - EGO/END
    Ice - DEX/REC
    Archery - DEX/INT
    Gadgeteer - INT/END
    Munitions - DEX/EGO
    Powered Armor - STR/INT
    Dual Blades - STR/DEX
    Fighting Claws - STR/DEX
    Single Blade - STR/DEX
    Martial Arts - STR/DEX
    Telekinesis - CON/EGO
    Telepathy - EGO/PRE

    Darkness - CON/END
    Sorcery - INT/PRE
    Supernatural - CON/REC
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Adogg wrote:
    Wow this thread fits me to a T!

    I am also a mainly Force based toon, currently level 19.9999 and I'm not sure what to take later in the game.

    Here are the things I can add though:
    1. Your superstats should be END and EGO. No question. PFF scales with both. Mix in some REC (if needed) and a lot of DEX.
    2. Check out the Circle of Arcane from the Sorcery skills. It sets up a circle that will fill your END bar up for as long as you want. The damn thing lasts for hours if you stand inside of it.

    Now, VoltPD is talking about a strategy where you use a different way to get END with upgrading Force Bolts. That's a fine way to go but I prefer my way.


    Energy Refraction is a chance to proc an additional self force field which is an energy form. So when you shoot Cascade it draws most of the power from a free proc energy form. Would love to see somebody provide some numbers of exactly what EGO does for your PFF. I can tell you superstatting CON give me about 3,600 HPS and my Force Field absorbs around 1,600 I think at level 25. I have no EGO or EGO equipment.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Condmn is a faily heavy hitting AoE that puts a hold on (from what I have seen) all the targets it hits. Its not a root so if you KB them they go flying. Its dimentional damage and I cant tell from the discription what it would scale from but its in the supernatrial line. Its a tap/charge ability. The charge on it is 2 sec where FC is a 2.33 sec charge time. The AoE for it starts at the target and goes out from there.

    How I was using it was when the mobs got in around me I would pop that so it held them (so I would not take damage) then I could do my work on them at that point.

    I have retconed out of the power at this time because (though I found it useful) I think it was a bit early for me to use that kind of power. Now I am at some point where the mobs are hitting alot harder and some form of CC is going to be big help so I am considering another go with it.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Found these two that might be worth looking at ... however, they are meele oriented powers...
    * In Ego Surge(Self Damage Buff) the damage increase for Id Blade attacks scales with your Endurance. (Telekinesis)
    * All Ego Blade Attacks (CC) Damage dealt by Id Blades scales based on your Endurance. (Telekinesis)
    DEV COMMENT: The Ego Blade powers are supposed to be scaling with Ego. We are looking into how to properly address this issue, and hope to have it addressed soon.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    So I tried FORCE CASCADE last night and absoluetly hated it. It seemed like a complete waste of time, talent and END. It took to long to fire, didn't do much damage compared to FORCE BLAST and ate up all my END. In fact I had never come close to using up the END that CIRCLE OF ARCANE created. FORCE BLAST used it all up in two shots.

    Instead I took PSIONIC HEALING. Great power. I can heal myself even during combat and heal my teammates. It scales off of presence though so ... I guess I should have built up that stat.

    I also found that EGO SPRITES is a nice crowd DoT attack. Uses next to no END and ticks damage away while you keep fighting.

    Also, SUMMON NIGHTMARE is a great first shot since it grabs the aggro and does decent DoT.

    TELEKENSIS (the power) was cool and fit my theme but I'd save it for later in the game. That power needs to give you something to throw. Otherwise it just takes waaay to long to find something to throw, lift it, find a target within range and throw... seems more like a "hey watch this power" than a real power.

    TELEKINETIC WAVE was cool. Used a bit of END and has a 20 second timer on it. Seems like a much better cone force/wave/blast power than FORCE CASCADE.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Thx for all the answers ^^

    I tried some things and here's my comments.

    Condemn is absolutly tremendous ! It hits really hard (+2600 on crits @ lvl25 and rank 3), hold targets during 17 seconds and is quite wide. I just love it and it helps a lot with any kind of mobs (only elite Villains are imune to the hold).
    The down side of it : you need to fully charge it in order to apply the hold for sure (tap can hold them, but much weaker chances...). And since my equilibrium isn't great (around 60 of 230 max energy), I can't open with it. But it is definatly worth it ^^ If you don't have a CC yet, try it :p

    I've also taken the polarity mist from Force Eruption and it is a really nice dps boost, helps a lot and very easy to reapply the 20 seconds buff. Nice ^^

    With the hold and the damage buff, I survive longer and hit harder, all cool.

    Now, for my last powers, I was thinking of :
    - Rebirth : situational but can be useful I think. Has anyone tested yet ?
    - Nanobot swarm : -30 seconds on cooldown, since I have 2 defensive cd (resurgence and field surge), it can help
    - Dark transfusion : unlimited energy for 15 seconds but how much health do you loose while you have it ?
    - Shadow shroud : another dps boost

    Any thoughts on those powers ? Thx again ^^
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Adogg wrote:
    So I tried FORCE CASCADE last night and absoluetly hated it. It seemed like a complete waste of time, talent and END. It took to long to fire, didn't do much damage compared to FORCE BLAST and ate up all my END. In fact I had never come close to using up the END that CIRCLE OF ARCANE created. FORCE CASCADE used it all up in two shots.

    Force Cascade is currently my 2nd favourite power in the game (behind telekinesis)
    It will completely consume your energy though IF YOU ARE NOT IN AN ENERGY FORM. Took me some time to realize this when I first got it (comes from not reading the description) but in an energy form the energy is greatly reduced and as it consumes the form. As someone else stated, the best method for this is the energy refraction advantage for energy bolts since this procs an energy form occasionally.

    At level 20 my fully charged force cascade is hitting everyone in the stream for 2x the damage of a force blast and higher chance of knockback. Give it a try.
    (I do try to avoid using it though once I've activated field surge though, wouldn't want to break that early
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    LoL

    I feel for all of you still attempting to use PFF.

    If only I could respec it off, if it wouldnt' cost 5times the money I have on the toons its stiting on..... (nice one Cryptic!)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    This thread is WIN! Took me a little while to find a topic on force usage, this should be stickied.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    BarxBaron wrote:
    LoL

    I feel for all of you still attempting to use PFF.

    If only I could respec it off, if it wouldnt' cost 5times the money I have on the toons its stiting on..... (nice one Cryptic!)

    I know, it does seem awfully weak now. I do not have a great deal of Ego, I chose end and rec which In hope to respec when the free one comes through. I do however try and equip ego items on my character, and it barely holds up for the first 2 seconds against 3 henchmen.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    I know, it does seem awfully weak now. I do not have a great deal of Ego, I chose end and rec which In hope to respec when the free one comes through. I do however try and equip ego items on my character, and it barely holds up for the first 2 seconds against 3 henchmen.

    EGO affects only the regen rate of your PFF. Since it can't regen when fighting, it won't help you that much :(

    The strengh of your PFF is based on your END. So keep stuffing yourself with END.

    @BarxBaron : to be honest, I made this character post-1st september, which means I never had the "good" PFF. So from my perspective, it isn't broken at all, I think it works well even... Not amazingly well granted, but well enough ;)
    Which begs the question : do you find the Force framework weak because of it's status at the moment, or because you miss how it was before ?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    I am playing a force character, and I love it. It is very flexible.

    I took the hold on my force cascade. If I need to throw it, it knocks everyone back, puts them in a force bubble and gives me time to build energy. That with force detonation is guaranteed to kill henchmen. Once I rank up force cascade, there wont be anything left to put into bubbles after it goes off. I love that things rarely get near me. It isn't an active build like electricity, and it takes longer to get powers off, but those powers hit awfully hard.

    I have issues with the PFF. I think it is about 50% too weak, but it is manageable. You just need to be careful with how fast you blow through groups.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Adogg wrote:
    So I tried FORCE CASCADE last night and absoluetly hated it. It seemed like a complete waste of time, talent and END. It took to long to fire, didn't do much damage compared to FORCE BLAST and ate up all my END. In fact I had never come close to using up the END that CIRCLE OF ARCANE created. FORCE BLAST used it all up in two shots.

    I. Seems like a much better cone force/wave/blast power than FORCE CASCADE.

    Like I said earlier if you intend to actually use Cascade you need an energy form. The one I chose was Refraction buff for my force bolts. This power at random procs an additional force field which is considered an energy form. I can fully charge up cascade and with positioning 1 Shot most henchman, there seems to be a cap of 5 mobs that it can affect but I have 1 Shot 5 henchman at once easily.

    Another option I heard about in Beta was taking one of the sorcery circles which is considered an energy form to use as the catalyst for Cascade, nice in that you are not waiting for a random proc you can create it whenever you need. Bad in that you obviously must cast the circle before being able to use the cascade.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    I am playing a force character, and I love it. It is very flexible.

    I love that things rarely get near me. It isn't an active build like electricity, and it takes longer to get powers off, but those powers hit awfully hard.

    I have issues with the PFF. I think it is about 50% too weak, but it is manageable. You just need to be careful with how fast you blow through groups.


    I think Force is one of the more versatile power sets in the game. It seems to fit both aggressive and defensive minded players. I tend to walk the line between both, using Force Bolts to reel enemies in, setting off a Force Eruption (with the Polarity advantage) to knock them back and then using Force Blast (with extra damage from Polarity) to finish them off. If they approach again I set rev up energy with Bolts and set off another Force Eruption.

    Ditto Dwarven_Lord about being careful with groups. For tougher mobs I'll take my time and keep a careful eye on energy use. This sometimes means using one fully charged Force Blast to put one enemy close to max damage. Or using Containment Field to take one out of the fight while recharging and doing damage to another using Bolts. This strategy has worked great for me with same level enemies and with patience and effective distancing has worked with 4 count mobs one level above. I'm loaded with DEX for increased critcals and added some higher intelligence to reduce power costs.

    I do have Personal Force Field but if I pick my first target well I don't have to worry too much about it being weaker than before. But after reading this thread I'm going to think seriously about picking up the Circle of Arcane Power.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    VoltPD wrote:
    Like I said earlier if you intend to actually use Cascade you need an energy form. The one I chose was Refraction buff for my force bolts. This power at random procs an additional force field which is considered an energy form. I can fully charge up cascade and with positioning 1 Shot most henchman, there seems to be a cap of 5 mobs that it can affect but I have 1 Shot 5 henchman at once easily.

    Another option I heard about in Beta was taking one of the sorcery circles which is considered an energy form to use as the catalyst for Cascade, nice in that you are not waiting for a random proc you can create it whenever you need. Bad in that you obviously must cast the circle before being able to use the cascade.

    I did the second thing you mentioned Volt. It's called Circle of Arcane and you use up all of the power it generates in lvl 1 with Force Cascade.

    Personally, I prefer a PBAoE over a cone version of the same thing I am already using... You really should try out the Circle of Arcane. It works out great for the regular force blasts.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Batallion wrote:
    I do have Personal Force Field but if I pick my first target well I don't have to worry too much about it being weaker than before. But after reading this thread I'm going to think seriously about picking up the Circle of Arcane Power.

    I can't recommend it enough. The circle turns your toon into a machine gun of Force Blasts since you do not have to build energy any more. For the best effect, I tap Force Blast. Gives me a better chance to Crit and it will auto lock onto the next target. VERY efficient IMHO.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    After reading the patch and see how Condemn was changed, I now need a new reliable crowd control power... Preferably AoE one.

    Does anyone use a satisfying one at the moment ? Thx for the help =)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Reliable crowd control? No doubt: Force cascade with containment blast. My level 40 force user's build:

    Build by championBuilder 0.2.4

    Download this Build here.

    Force Knight: Level 40 Champion

    Superstats:
    Level 5: Super Endurance
    Level 13: Super Strength

    Powers:
    Level 1: Force Bolts -- Energy Refraction
    Level 1: Force Blast -- Rank 2, Crippling Challenge
    Level 5: Personal Force Field -- Rank 2, Rank 3
    Level 5: Flight -- Rank 2, Rank 3
    Level 8: Force Eruption -- Rank 2, Gravitational Polarity
    Level 11: Force Shield -- Rank 2, Rank 3, Force Sheath
    Level 14: Force Cascade -- Rank 2, Containment Blast
    Level 17: Field Surge -- Rank 2, Rank 3
    Level 20: Psionic Healing
    Level 23: Protection Field
    Level 26: Rebirth
    Level 29: Ego Hold
    Level 32: Concussor Beam -- Rank 2, Rank 3, Accelerated Metabolism
    Level 35: Quarry
    Level 35: Teleport
    Level 38:

    Talents:
    Level 1: Impetus
    Level 6: Indomitable
    Level 9: Energetic
    Level 12: Mighty
    Level 15: Bodybuilder
    Level 18: Relentless
    Level 21: Tireless

    Still haven't decided on a final power, don't really need anything else... Ego hold is also not for sure, I'm still playing around with what CC I like (I have the force one, but the not allowed to hurt him inside it gets annoying), but I have a respec to play with after tonight :)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Also, on the topic of force cascade: Both the energy refraction proc and field surge count as energy forms. If I'm not getting my proc, I just cast field surge and have an at-will force cascade. Does good damage (about 80-100% of an even con henchman's health, the fall usually kills them with my str stat), and anyone left gets to levitate for my amusement (only in PvE since it's still busted in PvP :( ). And containment blast works on an uncharged cascade, so with end superstatted, you can always cast it as a CC spell. Also a terrific CC for a PFF user, since EVERYTHING stops shooting at you if you do it right, and your shield can regen.

    I do highly recommend something for straight up damage, that's why I have concussor beam. Force blast is ok, and has pretty nice end efficiency, but just doesn't cut it sometimes. Besides, I gave that crippling challenge ;)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Adogg wrote:
    So I tried FORCE CASCADE last night and absoluetly hated it. It seemed like a complete waste of time, talent and END. It took to long to fire, didn't do much damage compared to FORCE BLAST and ate up all my END. In fact I had never come close to using up the END that CIRCLE OF ARCANE created. FORCE BLAST used it all up in two shots.

    Build up your superstats, line up all your enemies and fully charge force cascade...it is something special :). I kill all henchmen with one hit, and that is without a crit!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    I was sceptic about the force cascade "hold", I mean you have to actually break the bubble before doing any damage, so I don't see how I can effectively bubble everyone and get enough time to destroy the field and kill a vilain before everyone pop's out of bubbles.

    How does it work for you guys ? Do you have some real exemples of what you do when using force cascade+hold ?

    Edit : question to Mr.Funsocks : how well does psionic healing work for you ? It is based on presence, how much can you heal yourself (or others) @lvl40 ?

    I took Resurgence and I get 1200HP @lvl25, it's about 1/3 of my life, not bad ^^

    Another question about Crippling Challenge for Force Blast : I can see a +20% increase while soloing is nice, but what about groups ? Having the end instance master villain locked on you might be a bit dangerous no ?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    I dont use the hold...I to am sceptical.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    something i am confused about, i tried out force cascade and it removed my arcane circle, after one shot or maybee two not sure which, anybody know why this would happen ?

    i don't have energy refraction but i did have gravitational polarity (cloud i guess you could call it) out

    so i was one who was not very impressed with it since i could only get off one full power shot, and the damage was less than force blast but then again i am comparing rank 1 of cascade to force blast 2 fully charged
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    I have a force toon and I'm took Strengh/Con/end/rec more so for concept reasons- Hybrid Ranged/melee/bit of healing cc

    Lvl 13 ATM

    I figure the extra strengh helps with knockbacks,(and damage) just about 100% of the time I knockback(also being able to pick up just about anything and toss it like a cookie is nice :) )

    I also took Laser sword so the strengh helps out with my damage there - too bad thats the only laser sword attack... a cone would be nice..the fast animation allows me to spam it(provided I have the end) even un ranked the damage is pretty nice

    I went Con as my second simply because I plan on being really active in fights, opening with force blast and/or erruption then leaping, slicing n dicing once they get into melee range. also extra HP is good for when PFF drops.. I've got about 1900 HP in "average" stance at lvl 13.. that seems to be pretty good from what I've seen compairing other toons my level or above

    I also took PFF as it fits my concept, although relfexes would fit my concept more... I dont have any Dex in my build...perhaps since I'm strengh/Con Invul. would be better suited

    I plan on picking up electricity later on to help with my ranged damage, just not sure what attack (and when) to pick up

    I'm also not sure what hold/CC I choose...right now my Stats (@13) from Highest to lowest are:

    Con 64ish, strengh 60ish, End 40 ish, recovery 35-38 ish, dex 30 or so and the rest in late teens
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Ryltaar wrote:
    I was sceptic about the force cascade "hold", I mean you have to actually break the bubble before doing any damage, so I don't see how I can effectively bubble everyone and get enough time to destroy the field and kill a vilain before everyone pop's out of bubbles.

    How does it work for you guys ? Do you have some real exemples of what you do when using force cascade+hold ?

    Edit : question to Mr.Funsocks : how well does psionic healing work for you ? It is based on presence, how much can you heal yourself (or others) @lvl40 ?

    I took Resurgence and I get 1200HP @lvl25, it's about 1/3 of my life, not bad ^^

    Another question about Crippling Challenge for Force Blast : I can see a +20% increase while soloing is nice, but what about groups ? Having the end instance master villain locked on you might be a bit dangerous no ?

    Force cascade's hold is the sex. A fully charged cascade will usually take out or badly wound (to like 5% health) all the henchmen, and if you aim it right you can just make it so you miss one villain, take him out, and if there's more, you take them out when the cascade ends.

    All heals scale with presence. I still take one on every character, you have 14 powers, wtf are you gonna do with 'em all? It heals me now for about 1300 when I'm in defensive role, heals others for about 1000, which isn't a lot, but having your own heal is just incredibly useful.

    Crippling challenge is a taunt skill. Generally, I'm the best defensive guy in most groups, so I want to be taunting, but if I'm not, I just don't use it, I use concussor beam.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Thx MR.Funsocks ^^

    One last question : how much damage do you need to do to "break" the bubble from force cascade ?
    (If it's too much, my teammates might find it anoying :p)

    Another question actually.

    I have PFF right now and with the free respec, I was considering changing it for Regen (like my other characters). I think PFF is ok, but when fighting big master vilains with a lot of charged up attacks, I often feel defenseless...

    But before doing so, is regen effective without CON as superstat ? I can't really compare with my other toons as they are CON/DEX or CON/END so...

    Or maybe I should drop EGO and Go with END/REC ? Any thoughts ?

    P.S : my character is mainly Force based.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    I don't know that damage really has a chance of breaking a force bubble. The only damage I've found that breaks it is the bugged trident item (about 5k damage give or take). Even another force cascade won't. In groups, I tend to not use cascade unless we need the crowd control, and then I tell my groupmates to attack guys who AREN'T bubbled.

    PFF is pretty nice, with end as a superstate, I have about 5-6k health, and my PFF is about 4-5k and will regen at least partially within a few seconds. Tends to work best on things that either can swap aggro to someone else for a bit, or can fall victim to CC. Master villains tend to be hardest, as I'm probably not in a group and they're invulnerable to most all knockbacks and holds.

    Rec as a superstat is mostly unnecessary as force, force shield and all your force bubbles (including the protection field you can cast on other people) give ludicrous amounts of end.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Praecido wrote:
    something i am confused about, i tried out force cascade and it removed my arcane circle, after one shot or maybee two not sure which, anybody know why this would happen ?

    This is because the arcane circle is an energy form, and cascade consumes an energy form.

    I tried the arcane circle myself, was excited because I could finally unleash a fully charged cascade. But its not worth it (imo) - takes a few seconds for the circle, then a few more seconds to charge and fire cascade. Ok - good damage if you have a few bad guys lined up, but didnt seem to be a lot more damage fully charged over quarter.

    What I found was great (after seeing this thread) was energy refraction on force bolts - every time it goes off - free cascade! Works well.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Hey, any of you guys noticed that forces blasts "field absorbtion" has totally broken?

    When i first got it, id use containment field on a dummy...then i would blast the dummy, force blast would go straight through and do its full damage as normal AND do and AOE outwards as well.

    But...when i left the PH, i found this no longer worked:

    - Contaiment field on
    - Fired force blast
    - It SAYS its doing the 240 dmg for example TOO the target effected by the hold
    - No damage actually taken

    So i went back INTO the PH to test it again...then nope, force blast was no longer doing damage to the target effected by contaiment field with force blast "field absorbtion" advantage, it says it is in the combat message, it did it when I FIRST GOT the power, but now it doesnt do crap to that target...at least the AOE still works.

    Any of you guys know whats going on here? Ive bug reported it, but no reply yet ><.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Ryltaar wrote:
    One last question : how much damage do you need to do to "break" the bubble from force cascade ?

    According to Champion Builder, it absorbs up to 1 damage for 10 sec. I've never used it but from what people are saying, either CB is wrong or the power is bugged.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    ...just me then? Lol.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Bumped because I would like an answer please :).
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Bumped because I would like an answer please :).

    Seems my ticket status has turned into the auto "we are looking into it" idea.

    Hopefully they notice it as a bug, one wat or the other.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    I also had an issue with the "field absorbtion" advantage. I had heard that basically that advantage actually made the "Containment Field" hold useful, so I wanted to see for myself.

    I had a couple of open powers, so I picked up force blast and containment field. I went to the target dummies, put one in the containment field, blasted it with force blast, checked my combat log. All damage was absorbed by the containment field. No worries, I hadn't taken the force blast advantage yet, so that was expected.

    Then, I went back, picked up the advantage...went back to the dummy, repeated the process. Same exact thing happened. No graphical change in either power. According to the combat log, all damage was still absorbed by the field. I was so weirded out I went back and checked I had actually selected the advantage. Then I retconned everything, reselected, and tried again. Still didn't work.

    I think I've heard of other people getting it to work, but it certainly never did for me. I know the devs mentioned this in a chat recently, so apparently they think it should work, but I've never seen it. Right now there are so many bugs with existing powers it's hard to tell how things are actually suppose to work though.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    As for energy forms and Force Cascade/Detonation, I took Energy Refraction AND Electric Sheath (The clickable one, not the Off Passive). That way, if I need to, I can always throw out a Cascade... plus the clickable effect (+Dmg, +End) is great.

    As for holds... I hate Force Hold. The bubble makes the hold next to useless, unless your are using it to get force detonation combo or to get out of a hairy situation, in which case, I'd say get another ability, say smoke bomb or something, as opposed to wasting adv points and gimping yo' moves.

    I'm probably gonna go with the hold from Telekinesis (Ego Hold, not the Choke move) and give it the slow adv. Its not AE, but its cheap and reliable, with added utility with the slow to boot.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Yeah, I find the force hold pretty useless too. I like containment blast, it holds EVERYONE for a while, and generally I either want everyone to stfu for a sec, or the cascade is going to kill everyone anyway, but the single target hold is... lacking. I use ego hold too, but I could be convinced to use the force one if it was way harder to break in PvP. Ultimately, that's where I use holds outside of force cascade, I rarely, if ever, need them otherwise. And in PvP, a hold that makes them invincible, but lasts the same length and has the same cast time as other holds basically, is pretty much useless, even if I could explode it. If, however, it was an effective way of taking someone out of the fight for 20 seconds, it'd totally be worth it on, say, support/healers.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
    edited September 2009
    Thalrane wrote:
    I also had an issue with the "field absorbtion" advantage. I had heard that basically that advantage actually made the "Containment Field" hold useful, so I wanted to see for myself.

    I had a couple of open powers, so I picked up force blast and containment field. I went to the target dummies, put one in the containment field, blasted it with force blast, checked my combat log. All damage was absorbed by the containment field. No worries, I hadn't taken the force blast advantage yet, so that was expected.

    Then, I went back, picked up the advantage...went back to the dummy, repeated the process. Same exact thing happened. No graphical change in either power. According to the combat log, all damage was still absorbed by the field. I was so weirded out I went back and checked I had actually selected the advantage. Then I retconned everything, reselected, and tried again. Still didn't work.

    I think I've heard of other people getting it to work, but it certainly never did for me. I know the devs mentioned this in a chat recently, so apparently they think it should work, but I've never seen it. Right now there are so many bugs with existing powers it's hard to tell how things are actually suppose to work though.

    So im right, it is bust...and no1 seems to care is what gets me, this is an important thing!

    On PTS its still doing the same thing =z
Sign In or Register to comment.