loem
Sidekick
Posts: 7
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Post by loem on Sept 21, 2011 0:37:51 GMT -5
This is my first attempt at a freeform build (just got gold today) so I could use some opinions on it. Namely on the balance, and the leveling ability of my current ordering. What I'm going for is something very much like the Become Black Talon MK II Device in feel, while being good at solo PvE and easy enough to level with. I had the chance to mess with the BT MK II device on a character that's level 24 and I did like it quite a bit.
Currently I've just picked things that I know the BT MK II device uses and filled in with what I thought would do well to balance the character further. So far I've supplemented Gunslinger for Assault Cannon (didn't please me to do it), Submachinegun Burst for Cannon Spray, Orbital Cannon for Orbital Cannon Mk II (assuming they are similar enough), and Energy Wave for Destroyer Wave (again on assumption). If anyone can suggest better replacements then please feel free to speak up. As for the ordering, I moved Targeting computer to the level 14 slot and Energy Shield down to the level 8 slot (since before 8 Beatdown will probably be my main damaging attack). Tanglecoil launcher was moved to 38 just as a nostalgic filler, with Invulnerability in the level 23 slot to be of some actual use when soloing..
As a note, I haven't made it to level 40 yet, nor have I had a chance to mess with most of these powers, so I was drawing a blank on a couple.
Superstats: Level 6: Super Constitution Level 13: Super Recovery
Talents: Level 1: Inhuman (Con/Rec) Level 6: Quick Recovery (Con/Rec) Level 9: Boundless Reserves (Con/End) Level 12: Amazing Stamina (End/Rec) Level 15: Acrobat (Con/Dex) Level 18: Impresario (Dex/Rec) Level 21: Accurate (End/Dex)
I wasn't sure what talents to go with the Con and Rec SS, so I picked Endurance and Dexterity (for dodge and crits).
Powers: Level 1: Gunslinger Level 1: Beatdown Level 6: Submachinegun Burst Level 6: Jet Pack Level 8: Energy Shield Level 11: Mighty Kick Level 14: Targeting Computer Level 17: Micro Munitions Level 20: Support Drones Level 23: Invulnerability Level 26: Orbital Cannon Level 29: Energy Wave Level 32: Chest Beam Level 35: Medical Nanites Level 35: Jet Boots Level 38: Tanglecoil Launcher
The main problem I can see from the build as the newbie that I am, is the lack of a single hard-hitting ranged attack until level 26. Which might make soloing master villains and supervillains tricky.
Thanks in advance for the time and input.
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Post by KenpoJuJitsu3 on Sept 21, 2011 7:10:08 GMT -5
Pointers:
1) Get your passive earlier. You're going 14 levels without anything buffing your damage or defense and without a heal. That might be problematic.
2) You have Targeting Computer, Invulnerability and Medical Nanites. Just throwing it out there, in case you didn't know, that you can't these active at the same time. Only one passive can be on at a time. I would pick one, two at the most.
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Post by beldin on Sept 21, 2011 7:45:27 GMT -5
Energy Shields wouldn't help you much, since Laserknight only works with Melee Powers. So i would prefer using Force Shield w. Sheath
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loem
Sidekick
Posts: 7
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Post by loem on Sept 21, 2011 10:50:25 GMT -5
Thank you. That's exactly the sort of reason why I posted here. No I didn't know of the passives as my archetypes have been silver (both free and paid) and fairly low level until now.
I swapped the shield for the passive again, so I'll get the Targeting Comp at 8 and the Shield at 14. Should make things easier. I also dropped Invulnerability with the new information in mind (rather heal when not dealing damage with Targeting Computer, plus Medical Nanites work for any team members). I figure I'll just swap between Targeting Comp and Medical Nanaites as needed, unless that isn't possible?
Wasn't sure what to put in the level 23 slot as a replacement so I used Concussor Beam. Seems to fit the theme (since it's one of the few I've seen in action). I've noticed that the Power Armor powers mention slots. I assume that it's as simple as only being allowed to actively slot a few Power Armor powers at a time. I've also noticed that Micro Munitions and Chest Beam both use the Chest slot. .My question would be if the slots can be swapped in battle so that I could switch as needed?
As for the shield, I had a look at Force Shield w/ the Sheath perk. Very nice suggestion that I hadn't seen since I've been staying in the Gadgeteering + Power Armor powersets. My only concern would be the look of it. I've never seen the fx and as I mentioned above, and this is all to follow a mecha feel and theme. For the moment I've added it to level 14 and removed the Energy Shield.
After making these changes I went ahead and applied my advantage points. Here's the new build (with intended power uses added):
Powers: Level 1: Gunslinger Level 1: Beatdown -- Rank 2 (Low-level spammer) Level 6: Submachinegun Burst -- Rank 2, Accelerated Metabolism (Low level AOE that I think will likely fall out of use around level 17) Level 6: Jet Pack -- Rank 2, Rank 3 Level 8: Targeting Computer -- Rank 2, Rank 3 (Damage, default) Level 11: Mighty Kick (Single enemy heavy hitter for low levels) Level 14: Force Shield -- Force Sheath, Rank 2 (Energy gain and defense) Level 17: Micro Munitions -- Rank 2 (Ranged opener for mobs) Level 20: Support Drones -- Rank 2, Rank 3 (Healing when needed, damage when not) Level 23: Concussor Beam (Filler) Level 26: Orbital Cannon -- Rank 2, Rank 3 (Ranged opener for hard targets) Level 29: Energy Wave -- Rank 2, Rank 3 (Close range damager and mob control) Level 32: Chest Beam -- Rank 2, Rank 3 (Ranged spammer? Filler) Level 35: Medical Nanites -- Rank 2, Rank 3 (Healing when drones can't keep up (or die to a cosmic) and hp becomes more important than damage) Level 35: Jet Boots Level 38: Tanglecoil Launcher (Nostalgia power)
Beatdown I ranked to level 2 to make leveling easier.
Submachine Gun I again ranked to level 2 to make leveling easier. I had a point left over that I didn't know what to do with, so applied Accelerated Metabolism as well. Shouldn't matter once I get Force Shield, but until then might do better for keeping my energy levels up.
For Orbital Cannon I opted not to use Anvil of Dawn since it is supposed to be an alpha-strike attack (likely my opener).
Energy Wave I wasn't sure whether to take Rank 3 or Hardened Particle Matrix, but figured that damage will be better than an extra bit of shielding (that only absorbs up to 300 damage a second per the description). Didn't seem like it'd be as effective as the damage output would be when going against supervillains and cosmics that do many times more damage per hit.
For Chest Beam I skipped Point Blank Blast, since at close range I'd just use Energy Wave and try to gain some distance.
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loem
Sidekick
Posts: 7
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Post by loem on Sept 23, 2011 11:37:28 GMT -5
So how's this build looking now? Had the time yesterday to create the character and get it up to level 7. Little difficult relying on Beatdown to damage, but not horrid.
Also I'd still like to know: Can passives be swapped/switched during battle, and can power armor attacks be swapped/switched during battle?
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Post by TestGroupF on Sept 26, 2011 13:48:47 GMT -5
Also I'd still like to know: Can passives be swapped/switched during battle, and can power armor attacks be swapped/switched during battle? 1) Yes, Passives can be switched mid combat. You'll notice that you'll gain different Build hotkeys in slots F6 thru F9 (as you level up the character). You can hit those hotkeys to switch between x2 different builds (where each one uses a different passive). Be warned that there is a cool down timer of around 10 seconds if you switch builds mid combat. 2) Power Armor: No clue. That entire set plays by its own rules and I've never messed around with it. 3) Build Critique: Why are you not using a Toggle Buff? Characters can use x1 Passive, x1 offensive Toggle Buff, and x1 defensive Toggle Buff all at the same time. Currently the only defensive Toggle Buff available is Inertial Dampening Field (aka IDF) from the Force power set. As a general rule, ALL freeform characters should take IDF at 26th. It's a game altering defensive buff even though most people leave it at R1 since its upgrading value system has poor returns. 4) Build Critique: Medical Nanites? Seriously? To be honest, this Passive has the game equivilent strength of a defensive Toggle Buff. (Some of us want Cryptic to re-define is as a Toggle Buff since they don't know how to upgrade it into a true Passive.) If you really want to gut your own character by taking this Passive, then that's your choice. But I wouldn't ever suggest it. If you want some kind of secondary defensive Passive to heal yourself, at least Regeneration would give you some form of value. 5) Build Critique: I'm a big fan of Support Drones. They're great for healing at R3 and they even act as pseudo-bodyguard pets since mobs will inherently attack them until you hit the mobs. Having said that, you're waiting until 20th to take that power. Going that long without some kind of self healing will be noticeable and a royal pain to deal with (even with healing potions). This is only compounded by your taking Targeting Computer, which lacks any sort of defensive benefits. I'd strongly suggest that you take Support Drones earlier that you're anticipating. Or take Regeneration early on as your Passive and wait to take Targeting Computer until later. (Regeneration is pretty strong up until around 30th level. After that point, it has problems keeping up with the incoming damage.)
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loem
Sidekick
Posts: 7
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Post by loem on Sept 26, 2011 23:37:47 GMT -5
1. Alright, that's good to know. Thank you.
2. No worries. Was more of a curiosity than anything.
3. Reason is that I wasn't aware of the difference. I know toggle buffs exist, but not their effectiveness, how many can be had, etc. So it didn't occur to me to grab one since I didn't stumble across it. lol
I also wasn't aware of IDF not being a passive (thought it was at first glance). Not sure if I like the -20% Energy Regen and Equilibrium though. For now I've moved Orbital Cannon and Energy Wave up a slot and tossed it in there since Rec is a SS.
4. Haha, really? Didn't seem like it was that weak per the stats, but then again I haven't used it before or played a character above level 30. Honestly I just had the spare spot (Concussion Beam, Chest Beam and Medical Nanites were all fillers for this build) so I figured an emergency passive would be good.
I've been thinking on the drones as a main healing ability and have seen them do some serious healing to people and their controllable pets in PvP rounds (from a spectator's standpoint). My main thought though is if Cosmics might just decimate the support drones with their AOEs, effectively doing away with my healing power. So I'm hesitant to rely on them. With that said, along with what you've said regarding both MN and Regeneration, I'm wondering if I shouldn't just go with an active healing ability rather than passive.
5. Good advice. I was thinking DPS before HP, but I've been playing this character up to level 17 (leveled last night) and health is starting to become an issue. The lowest level I can get Support Drones at is 17...so good timing it seems. Given that I've made it to level 17 already I'm not too worried about adjusting the build to get a healing power before that. As a note about Targeting Computer, it does add a damage resistance to targets it locks onto. Not relying on it, but that has been noticeable.
Here's how it's looking after a few changes: Superstats: Level 6: Super Constitution Level 13: Super Recovery
Powers: Level 1: Gunslinger Level 1: Beatdown -- Rank 2 Level 6: Submachinegun Burst Level 6: Jet Pack -- Rank 3, Rank 2 Level 8: Targeting Computer -- Rank 3, Rank 2 Level 11: Mighty Kick Level 14: Force Shield -- Force Sheath, Rank 2 Level 17: Support Drones -- Rank 2, Rank 3 Level 20: Micro Munitions -- Rank 2 Level 23: Bionic Shielding -- Rank 2, Rank 3 Level 26: Inertial Dampening Field -- Rank 2, Rank 3 Level 29: Orbital Cannon -- Rank 2, Anvil of Dawn Level 32: Energy Wave -- Rank 2, Rank 3 Level 35: Chest Beam -- Rank 2 Level 35: Jet Boots Level 38: Tanglecoil Launcher
Talents: Level 1: Inhuman Level 6: Quick Recovery Level 9: Boundless Reserves Level 12: Amazing Stamina Level 15: Acrobat Level 18: Impresario Level 21: Accurate
Thanks again, I appreciate the input. This build has been very pleasant so far despite the limited-range attacks before level 14 and the difficulty of playing on Elite.
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Post by TestGroupF on Sept 27, 2011 8:26:03 GMT -5
Things are looking much better. Bionic Shielding is one of the most cost effective healing powers. Between Support Drones as your constant healing and Bionic Shielding as your short cool down healing, you should be more than fine.
(On a side note, most named mobs don't heal when pets die. Therefore it's really not a big deal if your Support Drones die to the 2nd AE that a Legendary / Cosmic mob uses. Just recast them again. Rinse and repeat.)
1) Remove the ranks from IDF. Normally a +1 Rank upgrade adds +20% effectiveness to the power. However IDF is a rare exception which only gives +10% effectiveness upgrades. While a minority of people do rank it up, most people just leave it at R1 and spend the advantage points somewhere else.
2) Remove Jet Boots. This effect is already covered by your Jet Pack choice. (Jet Pack is also the fastest flight travel power, so you're already covered.) Take something like Teleport instead since it has combat utility value. (Please remember that Teleporting yourself to avoid aggro doesn't prevent mobs from keeping aggro on your Support Drone pets.)
3) You've got various dps abilities, yet lack an Active Offense or Active Defense. I'd suggest that you drop one of the dps powers to take a defensive temporary buff power like Masterful Dodge.
At the very least, a temporary offensive power like Electric Sheath (w/ Matter: Energy Union advantage) would fill a gap. The advantage on this power basically gives you a large damage prevention shield when you cast the power.
4) On just a personal note, I've never had the best results using REC as a SS choice. I realize that this is a completely personal and subjective design choice. Having said that, don't be surprised if something like INT ends up being a better SS choice (while you take a bit of END and REC through Talents and gear).
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loem
Sidekick
Posts: 7
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Post by loem on Sept 27, 2011 23:47:13 GMT -5
Good to hear about the drones since them dying and leaving me without healing was the big worry. Bionic Shielding replaced a relatively crappy filler anyways.
1. Really? Eww..didn't notice. Good to know. They'll do better somewhere else then.
2. Actually I don't much care about the second travel power and just picked Jet Boots to fit the Talon Mech theme. lol I do love teleport (and use it on most characters), but honestly want to stay within the theme of this build. I'll just have to be a bit more careful of what situations I get into. Really good to know that teleporting away from mobs doesn't lose aggro on pets though.
3. To be honest I don't have much on choices here if I want to stay within the original build's guidelines. This is based off the Black Talon device, and the only powers that aren't a part of that or replacements are Chest Beam, Internal Dampening Field, Bionic Shielding, Force Shield and my travel powers. Force Shield is due to the energy regeneration (though thankfully the effect is still tech-like) although if that's unneeded with IDF then I'll probably take Energy Shield back, and the travel powers are because I can't stand the jumping travel powers.
Obviously not going to drop IDF or Bionic Shielding. I suppose I could drop Chest Beam since I do have Orbital Cannon. For what to use...I think I'll go with Masterful Dodge. Orbital Cannon should pump out enough DPS with Anvil of Dawn to not need a DPS booster I'd think, as long as I could tank the target.
5. I'm not sure on this. Seeing it as I do (which isn't necessarily accurate or good) I'm thinking/hoping that Force Shield would help supply the energy needed for everything if Rec doesn't turn out to work well. Honestly the main reason I took it is because those are the same SS the device used, so I figured they'd best fit the build. I think it might be a little late to change it being that the character is at level 17. Would be pretty expensive.
So the changes are (instead of posting the build yet again): -Dropped Chest Beam for Masterful Dodge. -Dropped the advantage points from IDF -Added 4 advantage points into Masterful Dodge R2 and Unfettered Strikes (I figure that with Targeting Computer's Damage and Defense boosts it'll make a difference) -Added 2 advantage points to Micro Munitions R3 -Didn't know what to do with the last point so I dropped it into Jet Boots
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Post by TestGroupF on Sept 28, 2011 8:49:01 GMT -5
Honestly the main reason I took it is because those are the same SS the device used, so I figured they'd best fit the build. I think it might be a little late to change it being that the character is at level 17. Would be pretty expensive. To be honest, "expensive" is subjective. At 17th level, you're looking at only 20g for a complete rebuild (give or take). While that's life altering for a new player, that low amount is like pocket change to an established player. The costs will get rapidly more expensive as you level up (since the cost ratio is based on your character level and the curve is steep). If you ever decide to try switching your character out to CON / INT (which is the recommended build for any Power Armor character), shoot me a PM or letter in the game. You can find me at test.group.f in CO. I'd be happy to donate the cost of the rebuild to you.
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