Soldier Guide

[williamgeorge]

I like this AT simply because it and the Blade seem to get the easiest costume unlocks.

But doesn't it seem like it peaks early and the rest of the attacks are unneeded until you get to level 40 and the sniper attack? Smoke grenade seems like a good, "oh crap!" attack but I found it doesn't last long enough to heal up any significant amount. Shotgun seems to fill that breathing space role quite well.

[fallingstar]

Hi, I have a question regarding the firearm power replaces for soldier. Does their damage depend on the rank of the power you have at the moment?
So say if I have a power replacer for assault rifle, would I see a difference in damage if I have rank 2 assault rifle instead of rank 1? Or does the damage of the power replacer completely independent of the rank of the power you have? Thanks in advace

[th31mm02t4l]

I've done some testing on the assault rifle (I'm not sure if anyone else posted this kinda tired right now) and this is what I've got.

Rank X + 1 (X is a variable for the rank your using)
- If bursted in taps it shoots bout 6-7 bullets
- If maintained it takes 8-9/9 shots to get back to the tap damage and never goes over the tap damage (unless it's from a critical or your damage range obviously)
- Bad energy usage

Rank X + Mow 'Em Down (I don't know much about the threat system so you'll probably have to factor that in yourself if you want Crippling Challenge)
- If fully maintained it shoots 9 bullets
- It take 6/9 shots (Including the first shot with the tap damage) to get back to the tap damage but after that it continues increasing pass the tap damage to the new Mow 'Em Down damage
- Does about the same damage as tapping on Rank X + 1 but has more 2-3 more chances to crit thus making this do slightly more damage then Rank X + 1
- Way more energy efficient

My conclusion is that Rank X + Mow 'Em Down is most efficient in a decent group in either PvE or PvP because you won't get interrupted much while maintaining thus taking full "advantage" of Mow 'Em Down and do more damage then tapping on Rank X + 1. On the other hand Rank X + 1 is most efficient when soloing either in PvE or PvP (when your teamed with bad PvP players it's still considered soloing) due to the fact that you can still get average damage even if you get interrupted which happens a lot if you solo.

So In short Rank X + Mow 'Em Down = Teaming, Rank X + 1 = Soloing

[fallingstar]

Nevermind just checked it myself, looks like power replacer damage also increases according to the rank of your power lol
Now I wonder if there is high level ones that would do more damage than r3 powers normally hmmmm

[williamgeorge]

After my detour with the Devastator, I've come back to this AT and all I can say is that the SMG is a mob-killer sweetheart move. While it's likely the Gatling gun will replace it, there are a lot of levels to go through between them. I say cherish the SMG like you would a small child.

[acegx]

I think that this is a pretty good and helpful guide good job working on it. But i would like to ask your opinion on the specializations section of the build.

[franklinzero]

This is my glass cannon specs, build to maximize the dmg, who care about defenses with smoke bomb?

[quettzlcoatl]

Ty for the guide,mate:D

[Meegatron]

I'm still not entirely convinced about choosing Gatling Gun over Rocket.
Rocket with its knockback advantage may not be the best possible choice for Alerts, but it's doing better in soloing.
Cylindrical AoE on Gatling Gun feels very clunky for me. Enemies are not always positioned on its way.
With Concussive Rocket I have at least very handy way of escaping when I am swarmed, much more reliable than Shotgun Blast.

[Zed Brightlander]

Oops. I forgot to paste this link here.

champions-online.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=gameguides&thread=2206&page=2#26533

The build at the link above comes to you thanks to - Tammy Waffle's Archetype Builds.

[not1stepbackwards]

Hi guys, I had a few observations, having leveled a Soldier to max level 40 (my 5th level 40 character). As usual, I relied on Tammy Waffles' build because she's right (plus I don't want her to punch me), but there are some new things I tried. The idea is by exploring other options, it confirms her build is really optimal. I've marked key areas of interest with underlines, then commented on them below.

Jun 16, 2012 19:29:33 GMT -5 @wimpazoid said:

The Soldier

Superstats:
Primary: Ego
Secondary: Recovery/Dexterity

Powers:
Level 1: Steady Shot
Level 1: Assault Rifle (*Mow 'Em Down, Crippling Challenge)
Level 6: Teleport (R2)
Level 6: Submachinegun Burst
Level 8: Targeting Computer (R3)
Level 11: Shotgun Blast (Nailed to the Ground, Breaching Round)
Level 14: Concentration (R3)
Level 17: Smoke Grenade (R2, Escape Artist)
Level 21: Retaliation
Level 25: Killer Instinct
Level 30: Lock N Load (R3)
Level 35: Gatling Gun (R3)
Level 35: Jet Pack Flight (R3)/Dark Speed (R3)
Level 40: Sniper Rifle (R3)

*Note: For Assault Rifle, there may be scenarios where tapping with R2 can deal high damage in a very short window of time (2 seconds), but those are primarily for PVP. As far as sustained DPS goes, the advantage Mow 'Em Down provides higher.

Talents:
Ego/Recovery
Ego/Dexterity
Ego/Constitution
Recovery/Dexterity
Recovery/Constitution
Dexterity/Constitution

Specialisation:
Ego: Force of Will (2/2)
Ego: Insight (3/3)
Ego: Follow Through (3/3)
Ego: Sixth Sense (2/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: The Rush of Battle (2/3)
Vindicator: Mass Destruction (3/3)
Avenger: Ruthless (2/2)
Avenger: Round 'em Up (3/3)
Avenger: Surprise Attack (2/2)
Avenger: Relentless Assault (3/3)
Mastery: Ego Mastery (1/1)

Gear:
Primary Offense: [Heroic Gloves of Precision] + Gambler's Lucky Gem
Primary Defense: [Heroic Breastplate of Agility] + Gambler's Lucky Gem
Primary Utility: [Heroic Helmet of Efficiency] + Gambler's Lucky Gem

Level 1: Assault Rifle (*Mow 'Em Down, Crippling Challenge)

This power is important. Assault Rifle was my bread & butter from levels 1 to 39.

However, I did NOT take Crippling Challenge. I took Rank 2 instead.

The reason is Crippling Challenge, while being a Debuff, also draws Threat.

Drawing Threat is really bad for this high DPS yet squishy Soldier Archetype.

Leveling via XP Alerts, the winning strategy is to shoot away while unnoticed.

What about Rank 3? Well, Tammy Waffles is right...Mow 'Em Down is better.

(Pre-Alerts era, conventional wisdom was to take Rank 2 and Rank 3.)

Again, in XP Alerts, you're spending most of the time Mowing the Boss Down.

Then even after reach level 40, you'll still be using this configuration.

Just a reminder, you can move and kite while maintaining fire. Handy, that.

CONCLUSION: Assault Rifle (Mow 'Em Down, Rank 2) is ideal IMHO. Going up to level 39, assuming you'll do XP Alerts, you really do NOT want Crippling Challenge as you don't want to draw Threat on the bosses. Then at level 40, you still do not really want to draw Threat, and you'll be using Assault Rifle to take down single enemies, so this power remains a part of your arsenal. Now, if you plan on doing PvP or leveling by soloing missions, swapping those advantages for Crippling Challenge would probably make more sense.

Level 6: Teleport (R2)

I almost always take Teleport, but I found Flight or Jet Pack more useful for the Soldier.

(Tammy suggests Jet Pack Flight at level 35, but I just took it earlier for easier leveling.)

It's because you can hover over XP Alert bosses, out of range of most of their attacks.

Teleport is a great escape power, but the Soldier already has a great one: Smoke Grenade.

(I also got a suspicion that Teleport was nerfed so it's not quite the "save me" button it was.)

CONCLUSION: The best form of protection is prevention. Hovering out of range of bosses, again because I played XP Alerts, proved more useful. Again, if you play on doing PvP or leveling by soloing missions, Teleport remains as uber as ever.

Level 35: Gatling Gun (R3)

Instead of taking Rank 3, I tried the Listen to Reason advantage (15% chance Fear).

The reason was what I mentioned, Soldiers don't want to draw attention to themselves.

It wasn't worth it. Hard enemies don't Fear easily, while weak ones are better off dead.

CONCLUSION: Take Rank 3. That Fear factor just doesn't proc when you want it.

---

INNA FINAL ANALYSIS: Except for Crippling Challenge, and the fact I took Jet Pack earlier, Tammy Waffles build is spot on IMHO. The trick is understanding that your Soldier Archetype is not a tough guy Rambo or Arnold Schwarzenegger, he's really a Sniper from afar. Take potshots, retreat to a safe distance, that's the way IMHO.

[Zed Brightlander]

I have to say, that while The Soldier is not really in my wheelhouse of play style, I have experimented with it several times. One of the reasons I don't really enjoy it is because so many depend on Teleport to make it viable, where I prefer Flight (or Jet Pack/Jet Boots if you like). And when I do, I use an almost literal form of kiting, where I place my hero high above the bad guys, set the camera straight down, then dip low enough to attack. I pour it on with what ever seems best, but if my health dips below half or 3/4 I kite up out or range, heal, buoy down and lather, rinse, repeat as needed.

I've never really gotten much past level 17, for as I've said, shooty-gun heroes are really my preference. I enjoyed The Tempest so much that I made a lateral move toward The Scourge (as an experiment, mostly) bub I' am liking it greatly. I can also see myself trying The Squall.

Of course, if I found myself limited to Base Arches, I'm sure I'd get back to The Soldier, eventually. You see, one player suggested that her Soldier Hero took out Kigatilik with nothing but Sniper Rifle and Flight, so of course, I must discover if this is true.    ...some day.

[not1stepbackwards]

What you described here is what I found to be a winning strategy, IMHO.

Jun 29, 2013 23:04:23 GMT -5 Zed Brightlander said:

I have to say, that while The Soldier is not really in my wheelhouse of play style, I have experimented with it several times. One of the reasons I don't really enjoy it is because so many depend on Teleport to make it viable, where I prefer Flight (or Jet Pack/Jet Boots if you like). And when I do, I use an almost literal form of kiting, where I place my hero high above the bad guys, set the camera straight down, then dip low enough to attack. I pour it on with what ever seems best, but if my health dips below half or 3/4 I kite up out or range, heal, buoy down and lather, rinse, repeat as needed.

I used to joke about how good Teleport is. When people asked me what's the best Archetype, I'd say whichever you took Teleport with. On solo missions, it's a Panic button that saved me many times, and it remains good for those. However, nowadays in the post-Alerts/Reloaded era, there's a victory condition that didn't exist before:

TIME

Every XP Alert has some sort of time limit. It's like 2 minutes, or 16 civilians getting their souls drained, etc. Teleport, I found, took time. You had to Teleport to a safe distance, and Teleport was kinda nerfed so it's harder to control. I spent too much time fiddling with it.

Flight actually worked better because the Soldier AT is about distance management, especially in XP Alerts. You just move yourself in and out of maximum range, always trying to keep the pressure on. I found it to be a better strategy than Teleport, I surprisingly found.

At level 35, I found Lightspeed was great, too, so that I can kite/backpedal easier. Again a form of distance management, not as safe as Flight, but more useful in enclosed spaces. I could have taken Teleport, but once more found Lightspeed better for the Soldier's style.

---

Like I mentioned in my previous post, the Soldier is more like the Sniper (even before getting the Sniper Rifle power). I actually find Flight to give them an ideal vantage point. Thus, not only is it a viable alternative to the ever-popular Teleport, for the Soldier IMHO Flight is the better option.

[Zed Brightlander]

Jun 30, 2013 11:40:22 GMT -5 not1stepbackwards said:

What you described here is what I found to be a winning strategy, IMHO.


---

Like I mentioned in my previous post, the Soldier is more like the Sniper (even before getting the Sniper Rifle power). I actually find Flight to give them an ideal vantage point. Thus, not only is it a viable alternative to the ever-popular Teleport, for the Soldier IMHO Flight is the better option.

You know, I also did something similar to this with The Grimoire and Sigils of the Primal Storm. Until you can gather the right gear, to shorten the time between Sig to become an easy over lap (for easy CC and distraction), kiting in and out from directly above works well for it also. Have not tried any of this during an Alert. Now that I finally have a system meant for MMO gaming I may remedy that soon.

[SatoruMasamune]

I think Flight is a good choice for any ranged AT for this exact reason. Hovering just at the edge of my energy builder's range directly overhead the Alert boss usually keeps my Tempest from drawing any threat so I can unload on them. Bosses rarely target directly above themselves; as long as somebody is in their face, you can just sit and blast 'em.