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Belizaire
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Okay, I'm looking to make a new character and would like people's suggestions as to which route I should take.
Most of my charcters are squishies that fall into the low hit-point catergory. I really enjoy playing these characters, but I work at night and usually don't log into the game until 2AM or so EST. As you can probably guess, the server population is often thinner during these times and I am often forced to solo due to a lack of players to team with. Soloing with a Controller or Defender...yeah, I think you know how that turns out.
So, I am looking to create a new character specifically for the purpose of soloing. My question is should I make a Tank or Scrapper? I noticed that many Tanks have at least one power that heals them, so that's a plus. But Scrappers have the higher damage output, so it's a toss-up.
I would enjoy people's opinions and input as to what Archtype is better in solo situations. And thanks to everyone ahead of time who takes the time to read this and post a response.
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| 07/16/06 15:37 |
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LordXenophon
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Forget switching AT's. I know you're trying to switch to one that's better solo, but it's better to just take what you know and love and build it for solo play.
I see that one of your favorites is a controller and the other is a defender. These can be very good for solo play, depending on how they're built.
First, the defender. You want what we like to call a Blaster Lite. Focus on your secondary, put 3 damage and 1 accuracy in everything. Take your sniper power as soon as it becomes available and ehnance the heck out of it. Take only those powers from your primary which you can use on yourself or your enemies. The most popular defender for this kind of build seems to be Dark/Dark, though Storm/Energy is also a great combination for a Blaster Lite.
Second, the controller. Here, you have a lot of powers which affect the enemy, but don't do a lot of damage. Skip the ones that don't do any damage and take every damage-dealing AoE as soon as possible. Make your secondary one with either a lot of debuffs or a lot of ways to defend or heal yourself directly. I reccomend Gravity/Radiation, because the radiation debuffs will make soloing much easier, Propel can do awesome damage after a hold and there are some good AoE holds and immobilizes you get relatively early. I've lately been doing a lot of soloing with a Gravity/Empathy and I'm mopping up the Clocks like so much scrap metal.
With either, take the Concealment and Fitness pools early. If you still feel squishy, consider making Super Jump your travel power, just so you can put 3 defense buff enhancements on Combat Jump and leave it on all the time. In fact, there's quite a few other pool powers which enhance your defense, such as Acrobatics, Hover and Weave.
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| 07/16/06 15:51 |
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marinex
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Lord X is probably right, if you like playing Defenders and Controllers, it would be a lot more rewarding for you solo, if you can still play the Archetype that would be your first choice anyway. Just respec or start now, building your toon to that usage. Tanks and scrappers can either be built to easily solo, but you would lose ranged attacks and buffs you are used to, and then when you can Team you'll be at your best.
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| 07/16/06 16:25 |
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Hobsnob
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Another great solo troller is Illusion. They get their first pet (Phantom Army) at lvl 20, unlike other sets which get their only pet at 32. Spectral Wounds and confuse will also help you rack up damage early on to get to lvl 20. It may still be a bit of a chore though.
Once you get the Phantom Army though, they should do a lot of the work for you! There are three of them, with a variety of elemental attacks, and they hold aggro well as they cannot be damaged. After that there is Spectral Terror at lvl 26 which uses fear, helping you control. At lvl 32 there is the 'main' pet, the Phantasm. Being the main one he does better damage than the army and can even make a decoy (an extra pet), which cannot be harmed like the army.
As for a secondary, as said before Radiation would be good. There are some very good debuffs in the set which will allow you to make the most of your limited controller damage output. There is also Accelerate Metabolism, which increses damage too.
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| 07/16/06 16:28 |
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Belizaire
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Well, thanks for the input, but my Controllers and Defenders are already built for group play and I don't want to respec them just to make them a soloable option, nor do I wish to create a new character for solo purposes that will be susceptible to flaceplants like squishes are. I want a charater that will allow me to complete missions with a more direct approach than the usual amount of miticulous planning that I have come to associate with Controllers and Defenders. No deciding who to hold first, mez second and attack third. Just waltz in and smack the snot outta someone. Short and sweet.
Again, input is welcome.
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| 07/16/06 16:57 |
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LordXenophon
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That's why I suggested the Blaster Lite and the Grav Controller. Both are more survivable than your usual defenders and controllers. Just remember to build more defense into them and you'll get away from the faceplants. That's what the reccomended pool powers are for.
If you MUST dip into tanks or scrappers to make a solo toon, then I reccomend the scrapper. It's the easier of the two to play. Tanks have a lot of hit points and can really take a beating, but they don't do much damage and tend to run out of end if you attack too much. Scrappers are more balanced, thus more useful solo.
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| 07/16/06 17:02 |
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Gon_Edain
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I built a Mind/FF Controller designed more towards solo play. Basically I only took two FF powers, personal force field and dispersion bubble. I also added air superiority and kick to take advantage of containment. He works pretty well, solo or in teams.
My 50s:
On Champion
Cosmic Wizard - Rad/Rad Defender
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Xenith the Evolved - Mind/FF Controller
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Cosmic Wizard - MA/Invul Scrapper
Gon-Edain - WP/Stone Tank
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| 07/16/06 17:07 |
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Redknight8
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I have I'm a blaster and ice/ice is the best for soloing to me. I get the primary ones that do alot of damage. when u get freeze ray it helps alot.
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| 07/16/06 17:11 |
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Belizaire
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| QUOTE | | If you MUST dip into tanks or scrappers to make a solo toon, then I reccomend the scrapper. It's the easier of the two to play. Tanks have a lot of hit points and can really take a beating, but they don't do much damage and tend to run out of end if you attack too much. Scrappers are more balanced, thus more useful solo. |
So, is the general consensus that Scrappers are more proficient soloers than Tanks? Just curious.
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| 07/16/06 17:42 |
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thejeni
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| QUOTE |
So, is the general consensus that Scrappers are more proficient soloers than Tanks? Just curious. |
Yes, scrappers are more proficient soloers than Tanks. They take the villains down much quicker.
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| 07/16/06 17:48 |
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infernalstorm
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If you are parcial to playing controllers and defender, but looking for a toon that soloes well, I'd recommend a blaster.
I only play blasters because of my preference to ranged assault (I blame this on my days of playing Decent and Star Fox). I've played both defenders and controllers when I started the game, but was hooked on the blaster after experiencing the elevated firepower they offer.
Blasters require a strategy of play very different to Scrappers and Tanks, although since you already play squishies, the change shouldn't be that drastic. Blaster play is also very different to that of your current alts: you get to focus all of your attention on how to drop your villains, instead of responding to requests, 'where's the healer?'
If you'd like to maintain the crowd control advantage that controllers and defenders offer, power sets such as ice, electricity, and sonic present some interesting options. I personally don't have a favorite, although each set presents options that allows you to build a unique battle strategy.
Good luck crimefighter.
Infernal Storm fire/energy/fire blaster
Cosmo Crush energy/energy/force blaster
and many more...
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| 07/16/06 18:56 |
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Ion_Paragon
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A really solo oriented scrapper, or any solo oriented toon should get the presence pool powers, fear and the area fear can really help a melee scrapper in controlling and taking on larger groups. Plus the challenge power can give you a ranged pull for those really tough groups.
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| 07/16/06 19:02 |
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Madclergy
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If I were to suggest a scrapper combo, from what I have seen, I have seen a man play solo to 30 with a Spines/Regen scrap. The spines are ugly, but like you said you are on when nobody else is so noone will see your ugly spines except you, and if you give them names like Mr. Pointy, Impaler, Rick..ect they will become like children and not so ugly anymore. (At least thats what the guy did that I played with last, of course I haven't seen him in a couple months..hope he's alright). As well this Scrapper set is the heaviest on AoE so you can take a lot down at once, and with Quick Recovery and Stamina you will never run out of endurance (alot of people belive this with just quick recovery). You just have to watch your health bar so that you can make sure to pop one of your several healing powers, Reconstruction, Dull Pain, Instant Healing, ect.
***THIS POST HAS BEEN EDITED***
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Geo Wizard: Lvl 50 Earth/Kin With Speed Boost and Stamina yay. Not to mention kick butt holds. Including Volcanic Gases, hehe. And now with his own moronic Animated Stone. And Transference!!! New and improved, 3 lvls in one day, adding to his arsenal Fulcrum Shift..oh yea. Can't wait to get some time under his belt now. I can now hurl Boulders....omfg no he didn't :) I look so pimp in my newest power...its brown and bumpy all over..can you guess?... Thats right is Stone Armor and it is kick butt. Fissure rocks my world! Fifty soon. Fifty on 12-10-2005 at 12:35am after 400hrs of hard labor Wanna throw a special shout out to Illusion Mastor, CBail, Mudpuppy, Jupiter Sweets, Dark Hollow, Lethal Fury, Pan, Majin Tank, Lotus of Death, and all the others i know I am forgetting for their help. And also to all the gameampers here at gameamp whom without I would never have made it.
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| 07/16/06 20:51 |
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VinceVoltage
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If you're limiting your selections to Tank and Scrapper, I'd definately pick Scrapper for solo'ing. Tanks have massive HP and can control crowds well, but as stated earlier, they're not about damage at all. They do run out of endurance quite fast when you attack a lot (such as when solo'ing), and that's the biggest reason I have trouble playing tanks. I always find myself wanting to get in on the damage instead of controlling the attention of the groups. Scrappers seem like the hands down, flat out "solo" class because of their decent HP and high damage. The only thing they lack is ranged attacks, and it can get irritating chasing enemies around, particularly the one runner in most groups.
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| 07/16/06 22:43 |
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LordStarwolf
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If it's between scrappers and tanks I would agree a scrapper is best. I am building a spines/invuln scrapper and he is levleing very fast. The AOE attacks allow me to hunt in Perez or Hollows and mop the floor with them, which also levels him quick. I am also partial to Regen for a secondary. My dark regen scapper very rarely needs respites or CABs. If you are going for something you can use as a mini tank, to wade in to the mobs and take em all on, I would agree with Lord X, take super jump for travel and get combat jumping early. It really makes a difference and makes you more able to wade in like a tank and still do the damage of a scrapper.
Guardian
Avant Guard = Emp/Rad/Psychic Defender Lvl 50 (Dedicated Healer)
Astral Plane = Peacebringer Lvl 50
Spica = Fire/Em/Energy Tank Lvl 50 (Scranker)
Avant Spines = Spines/Regen Scrapper Lvl 50 (AOE King)
Beliskner = Eng/Eng Blaster Lvl 42 (Blapper)
Avant Kin = Ill/Kin Controller Lvl 39
BMG = AR/Dev Blaster Lvl 28
Avant Psy = Psychic Blast/Empathy Defender Lvl 20 (Offender)
Avant Def = Kinetics/Energy Blast Defender Lvl 16
Avant Stone = Stone/Storm Controller lvl 15 (Super Controller)
Umbral Plane = Warshade Lvl 14
Triumph
Lord Yu = MA/Regen Scrapper Lvl 24
Protector
Electrostun = Electric/EM Blaster Lvl 21 (Sapper)
T-99 = Ice/Ice Tanker Lvl 20
Starwolf = Katana/Inv Scrapper Lvl 18 (my very first toon, 3 1/2 years ago)
Pinnacle
Avant Claws = Claws/Regen Scrapper Lvl 18 (Non-power pool toon)
Champion
Avant Dragon = Fire/Fire Blaster Lvl 20
Freedom
Avant Arch = Archery/NRG Blaster Lvl 50
Avant Char = Fire/Kinetics Controller Lvl 50
And many, many, many more....
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| 07/16/06 23:40 |
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LordXenophon
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Actually, I was suggesting SJ for the defense buff, because he feels squishy. As a scrapper, there's not so much reason to do that; you can get a better defense buff from your secondary set. You're crunchy, not squishy.
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| 07/17/06 02:26 |
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Deadman54
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I feel I must weigh in on this subject, If only for one reason, My main toon is a lvl 35 Tank who is very soloable, I just kinda lucked out on this build because I really had no clue as to what I was doing when I built him to begin with. He is a SS/Inv tanker who has almost all the attack powers now, and only recently have I concentrated on his defense. I have been told he is more of a Scranker than a true tank. Having said that, I can tell you that I have not in any way needed a team for any mishes since around lvl 25ish. I dipped into the fitness pool for Health and Stamina so he really never runs out of end anymore, even with Invincibility, Temp Invul, and Unyeilding running all at the same time while toggling thru the 6 damage dealing SS attacks he has. Now I do have a lvl 20 Scrapper, and he is a blast to play becuse he deals sooo much DPS, but he is still too squishy for my personal tastes in soloability factors. Now I must add that Scrappers are pretty much Kill Machines right out of the box, but my tank has really become a one man killing spree over the last 15 lvls or so. In closing, this is a matter of personal choice for you, if you want instant gratification, go for the Scrapper, if you don't mind minimal cultivation time, go for the tank.
Scrappers kill quicker, Tanks kill for longer ;)
Si vis pacem, para bellum
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| 07/17/06 06:18 |
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Deadman54
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P.S What server do you play on Bel? I'm on Freedom and I work 12 hour shifts, 2 on 3 off and so forth, So I'm on during the overnights quite a bit on my days off, I'm a creature of the night, lol
Si vis pacem, para bellum
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| 07/17/06 06:27 |
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gec72
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Well, if he's worried about being too squishy....roll a Mind/Kinetics controller. :D
Seriously though - small groups (say, 3 mobs), all you need to lock things down are mesmerize and dominate. Sprinkle in lift for some decent damage. You have haste-lite in siphon speed, which can up your DPS, as can siphon power (if you can handle the end). If you get in trouble, run in and pop a transfusion. Once you start getting some AoE powers - mass hypnosis (good lead-in), terrify, total domination, mass confusion - up the slider some. You should easily be able to lock down bosses, and with larger mobs unless you really get in over your head you should be able to clean things up (or run, regroup, and make another go at it). I've gotten to 33 primarily solo, and unless if I'm really over my head (DE ambush!) or just getting careless (it happens), I don't fall much.
Oh, the siphon powers are pretty good pulls too, which can also help with some groups.
As has been said, can't argue with Grav's damage output either.
Virtue
Lvl 50 Red Menacer BS/Regen Scrapper
Lvl 33 Blue-Agave Mind/Kin Controller
Lvl 28 Oro Liquido INV/EM Tanker
Lvl 21 Lady Elixir Emp/Psi Defender
Lvl 16 Astrasmash Grav/Storm Controller
Lvl 14 Emma's Dolly MA/Dark Scrapper
Lvl 7 Black Jacobin Sonic/Sonic Defender
Guardian
Lvl 11 Orange Laser FF/Energy Defender (Laser Corps)
Lvl 7 Hot Butter Fire/Axe Tanker
Victory
Lvl 7 Whitecapper AR/Devices Blaster
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| 07/17/06 07:54 |
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toranik
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If your a troller over 32 and team with 100000 other 32 trollers you'll be good. YAY PETS!
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| 07/17/06 07:58 |
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