3-man group

[Nightchill]

Aloha,

As a (new) three player group is Defender, Scrapper and Blaster a workable combination? Any advice on the specs? The Blaster (me) will be Ice Primary (to fit in with Nightchill ).

Hope to see you all on Virtue

 

[Tharion]

Should be very ok if the Defender is Emp speced so he can keep the Scrapper alive.

 

[Jonlan]

Should be very ok if the Defender is Emp speced so he can keep the Scrapper alive.

Actually I think any defender works... Force Field, Radiation.... Storm Calling is brilliant. That's a nice trio.

Oh yeah, I have no experience in highlevel stuff (20+)

 

[Tharion]

Actually I think any defender works... Force Field, Radiation.... Storm Calling is brilliant. That's a nice trio.

Oh yeah, I have no experience in highlevel stuff (20+)

Yeah well those are nice as a side effect, but as a tanker you really want a Emp Defender, as the others can't heal.

I would prolly compare the others like ppl that don't spec 40 in rejuve as a cleric in DAoC. Sure they can heal but when the heat comes they can't keep you alive.

 

[Danya]

My controller can heal FYI! Tis not just defenders. :-o

 

[Scorn]

You most definitely want to get a healer (EMP-defender would be the most obvious choice, not the only one, just the most obvious, and workable), since a scrapper isn't really made to take much heat and you don't want to take on whites only, with the occasional yellow thrown in just because your scrapper keeps on falling down for lack of healing.

 

[Belsameth]

added to that, a Blaster doesn't have that much staying power either...
so yes, it would work as long as you have a good emp healer (no, not Kinetic or Dark they're far too unreliable)

 

[Nxs]

We ran a 3 man mission group last night still learning the game, but had me as a fire/device blaster, a healing spec'd defender with radiation, and an ice controller (not sure about 2nd line)

The XP was amazing

Controller put down this ice rink thing, mobs kept falling over and couldnt get into melee range, those who started to cast on us became frozen in ice thanks again to the controller. I just AOE'd the lot being fire spec, and had the defender there incase things got bad, but there radiation helped with the damage.

Would recomend this setup to anyone, it was a damn nice night of fast XP

 

[Tharion]

Just want to clairify(sp?) that some other defenders or controllers would do *ok* but when the badguys start hitting a inv tanker (me) for 100-200 / hit when I'm stunned and shields are down I really need a an EMP defender that can heal me for 300+ a heal.

It's really nice the PBAoE heal is about 130+ and he is 24 atm and got some SO's in his heals.
Oh and Fortitude and Clear Mind are two really great buffs.

But ppl should play what they want as long as they are having fun, but don't come crying that your char is crap later when you make a melee blaster or some other insane build.

 

[Belsameth]

encountered a melee blaster yesterday...was good fun

personally I hate the AE heal ánd didn't even take it. it just doesn't cut it in the thick of action. my targetted heal heals for 110ish and that's at 15 and without SO's, on top of that I can stay well away from possible agro, allowing me to safely use Absorb Pain (300+ heal atm) the pbae heal could be a nice backup for when the other 2 are recycling (tho you're in deep shit already if that's the case) but that's about it

 

[Jonlan]

What I've seen is that a storm caller can reduce incoming damage so dramatically that the O2 is enough for heals. Even with a bigger party and instanced mission. But my highest experience was SKed to 18th in a group of 6-7 round 18th folks doing a mission in Boomtown... I've also played a healer, in which case there's no damage reduction which means huge amounts of damage to be received and a lot of healing thus needed.

I've no experience in other Defender AT's.

Sure enough there's gonna be times and places where 3 heroes are gonna need help anyways, luckily missions scale per group size.

 

[inactionman]

When I'm in a group, I generally prefer not getting hit in the first place, so defence buffs, accuracy debuffs, slows, and roots are great, but then I'm a regen scrapper!

 

[Bone_Idle]

I find the pbaoe heal is handy for healing blasters that manage to draw some aggro or when a villain aoe's the group.

 

[Danya]

I like my earth/emp controller. Having decent heals and some very nice buffs (fortitude and clear mind anyone?) is very handy. Even though the heals are 20% below an emp defender's heals with the CC a controller can put out that's more than enough.

That blaster was strange Bels. Though even with a gimped melee blaster we didn't die once. :O

 

[Jonlan]

Gimped melee blaster? *Moan*

I tought that sounded like a nice, different type of char. Someone has nerve to play out of mainstream char. Kodos to him/her This game is gearing fast to same path as others, only effective specs are accepted

 

[Danya]

There's only accepting effective specs and then there's plain foolishness. Melee blasters are in the latter category.

 

[Jonlan]

Yeah, in the end... all roads lead to Rome

 

[Nightchill]

Thanks for all the help,

We started as a Defender (Emp/Elec) and a Blaster (Ice/Ice). At level 5 it seemed to jump in difficulty a little but now we're happily level 6/7 and we should have a Scrapper and a Tanker joining us this evening.

 

[Tharion]

Gimped melee blaster? *Moan*

I tought that sounded like a nice, different type of char. Someone has nerve to play out of mainstream char. Kodos to him/her This game is gearing fast to same path as others, only effective specs are accepted

Sorry if I sounded like a prat, but the guy wanted to know a good setup I told what I think is best.
And I'm sorry I still feel that a defender that don't have EMP can't heal, but they can do other stuff. But keeping a tank alive, I would feel alot safer having an EMP defender or controller watching my back, the AOE heals arn't really that good.

Yeah, in the end... all roads lead to Rome

They sure do.

Thanks for all the help,

We started as a Defender (Emp/Elec) and a Blaster (Ice/Ice). At level 5 it seemed to jump in difficulty a little but now we're happily level 6/7 and we should have a Scrapper and a Tanker joining us this evening.

Good for you, hope you have fun.

 

[Belsameth]

Gimped melee blaster? *Moan*

I tought that sounded like a nice, different type of char. Someone has nerve to play out of mainstream char. Kodos to him/her This game is gearing fast to same path as others, only effective specs are accepted

I'm sure it's good fun and maybe even marginally effective up untill level 15-20. after that you see more and more stuff that can 1 or 2 shot you. at that point you do NOT want to melee under any circomstances. and when you get higher it'll only get worse...so indeed, as Danya already pointed out, it's just plain foolishness.

 

[Danya]

To put it in perspective, my blaster has 585 hp at level 27. On one of Sarum's missions a rikti chief hit me for over 500 damage. I've also been one shotted by a rikti in founder's falls for over 700 damage.

Tried kinetics, the healing is very unreliable as it requires you to hit a mob to heal with it. Much prefer my emp heals.

 

[Turamber]

Personally I prefer a controller with a heal to a defender any day of the week. Sure defenders are nice, but their secondary lines are pretty poor whilst a controller gets a great primary and an excellent secondary too.

I would dispute the claim that storm spec can't heal ... it can heal fine, with Hasten going my storm defender could be the only healer in a group of low 20's and keep them alive. A lot of storm and radiation defenders pick up Heal Other from the medicine pool so that they always have two heals available and cycling at any point.

As far as the original post was concerned, I would choose a controller over a defender for your third spot. They can hold the mobs for you and heal you nicely.

Lastly, on a sidenote, shame to see people don't 'get' kinetics still - it's a great powerset, very useful to groups and great fun to play.

 

[Belsameth]

I, ofcourse, don't agree. while your point is valid in if all goes well, a controller can't put out the sheer healing power of a defender when things get hairy, as they so often do. a healing controller, or a none emp defender using the ghetto heals that come with his specline is a bit like using a buffbot as primary healer..can work great...but hope you don't accidently get a double pull, or have one of the blasters AE too early...because then you will lose it...

 

[Tharion]

I, ofcourse, don't agree. while your point is valid in if all goes well, a controller can't put out the sheer healing power of a defender when things get hairy, as they so often do. a healing controller, or a none emp defender using the ghetto heals that come with his specline is a bit like using a buffbot as primary healer..can work great...but hope you don't accidently get a double pull, or have one of the blasters AE too early...because then you will lose it...

I totally agree here.

 

[Turamber]

If a pull goes "hairy" with a three person group then two points - (1) you pretty much suck and (2) a healing controller would be able to lock the mobs down and you would have a fighting chance.

In a very bad pull a defender can heal better, sure, but you'll probably all still die.

Of course the best solution is to have a defender and a controller ... but with a three person group (which is what this thread is about) a controller can add far more to the group than a defender could.

 

[Jonlan]

I would dispute the claim that storm spec can't heal ... it can heal fine, with Hasten going my storm defender could be the only healer in a group of low 20's and keep them alive. A lot of storm and radiation defenders pick up Heal Other from the medicine pool so that they always have two heals available and cycling at any point.

I agree with that 100%. With my albeit limited experience of 16th level gravity/storm controller. I been fine as the only person with heals in both small and large groups fighting (as SKed) few levels higher mobs. Storm mitigates both movement and damage out of mobs severly, add in odd stun or two for the hyber-active/high damage/out of storm range mobs... I've been fine with O2 heals so far. Played emp defender little too, to13th i think. Difference was that with Emp Def I _had_ to be constantly healing, a lot and fast. And only emp specced could have done it ofcourse. That's cause there was no damage mitigation. Friends radiation defender is also a brilliant duo partner for my scrapper, radiation is harder and more challenging to work with than strom, but it debuffs & buffs even better. I have no experience with kinetics/force field.

There's always spots when you're out of your league with every char and team set up. Over all I'm impressed so far as seeing how they've managed to give viable options for the ever so must-have-a-healer scheme. First online game in my experience to do this. Emp is the one and only true healer and a good char, but it's nice to have options. I might be that in higher levels people stand around waiting for emp specced hero to come around because nothing else keeps them alive in missions... but I doubt it

 

[Tharion]

Well at L16 badguys dont hit you for 200-300 when shields are down.

And yes if you only pull small grps there is no problem for a controller to heal.

But lets face it you guys are controllers and you will allways think that you can heal good, but me as a tanker know for a fact that when a red-purp boss starts hitting, you wont do jack-shit with your heals.

It's all on how you play if you attack small grps at 1-2 levels above or attack 4-5 levels above the damage starts to show.

As the game looks now yes all play in small grps hunting 1-3 levels above mobs. But a month ago I was tanking 10+ level mobs from my level, I was L22 and tanking L35 Freakshow bosses in Brickstown. And I can promise you nothing else then a EMP defender could keep me alive, and yes I didnt die until our leader pulled 8 L35 5th Column Warewolfs.

 

[Danya]

I think an emp controller could probably do a reasonable job of keeping you alive myself.

 

[Belsameth]

no

 

[Tharion]

hehe