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Ellyidol
08-30-2011, 11:03 PM
Elly's Build/Combos/Gear

Hi all!

This short guide is really my character information. This is not, by any means, a full on general guide, but more of my personal character information.


A few things to establish before the guide:

1. I've divided this guide into different campaigns. This guide was originally made during the Numa Prime level cap, but since that level is no longer the cap, I moved on to Slouch-o. The Numa section for Build/Combos/Gear is still available, but I just put it under a 'Spoiler' tag to avoid having to see it every time. A 'Spoiler' tag is a button that hides the info on it, only users on a PC/Mac can see it.

2. This guide has some reference to my other guide, Attack Commando Guide (http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?37745-Attack-Commando-Guide.). Some aspects of that guide are incorporated to this one.

3. Please remember that this is all my personal opinion. I'm not trying to make some sort of Code of Commando to follow, just want to share my experience and hopefully improve yours.

Numa Prime Build/Combo/Gear:

Hi all! I'm new to commando-ing (lol) so I've been tweaking my skills around quite a bit. I may have found a happy medium between what I'm looking for.

Mainly, I do solo OL runs and organised Guardian runs. So I needed a build that works for both.

Without further adieu:



Skills:


http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/f9dd03f4.jpg


1 in each Taunt skill just for Taunt. I don't believe that the Taunt effect increases as skill level does.

Force Hammer - 1 is enough, IMO. It's single-target, not so great damage, so just enough for that Taunt.

Neutron Stomp - 1 again, Taunt and knockdown effect. Damage-gain isn't so great, so it's mainly for those two reasons.

Vigor - 5. One of my key skills for being able to solo OL efficiently. Cut my pot consumption to almost none if I do things right in OL. Pretty good cooldown as well.

Singularity - 6. Best AoE skill of a commando, IMO. Useful alone, or in duo with Gravity Well. Push, Knockdown AND Taunt. No doubt in this one.

Graviton Slam - 1. Very good AoE/Tanking skill actually. That 50% slow is almost essential when tanking melee mobs (I think the slow has an AoE effect too?). A pack of those alien dogs can chase me and I just cast this, all slowed and a cannon can kill them easy. I leave at 1 since damage-gain isn't so great.

Increase Mass - 2. My original build didn't consist of this. At first I kept putting it at either 0 or 6, never midway. I'm still testing this out, whether it's enough, too small and a waste of 2 skill points, or not essential at all. This is aimed mostly for Guardian runs, cockroaches and the guardian itself.

Kinetic Reservoir - 2. Again another key still for OL runs. I chose two because it gave the biggest marginal skill gain. It's at 5 energy regen now, I think it only increases to by 1 at Lv 3. The most bang for my buck (skill points) at 2, IMO. I don't consider the damage buff/debuff. Neglible and it's only a 2 second buff.

Gravtiy Well - 6. The best CC of a commando. It took awhile to get used to, but works exactly like Beckon in PL.


Combo:


AoE:

Gravity Well - Singularity - Graviton Slam - Stomp.

Gravity Well and Singularity both have a small delay before activating. So casting GW then Singularity consecutively works well. It,

1. Brings the pack of mobs towards the target of GW. This isn't like Beckon where everything is brought to you and it's a free-to-cast skill. GW is a single-target skill. GW also causes the highest AoE damage, btw.

2. Once all the mobs are close to each other, Singularity should take effect. Another round of AoE damage along with a push, knockdown, and Taunt effect. Just like Stomp in PL, if used against a wall, the pushback shouldn't be that much of a problem.

3. Since the opponents are still knocked down, and if you do two knockdowns consecutively, it doesn't stack or queue, I choose to use Graviton Slam. It slows them down and has an AoE effect, and Taunts them too.

4. By this time, the opponents should be back up again (if they're still alive). A Stomp would knock them down again, along with AoE damage and a Taunt.

5. I always try to remember to keep auto-attack on, all the time. This is also a key factor in doing loads of AoE damage, IMO, especially with our heavy weapons.


Single target:

Force Hammer - Graviton Slam - Stomp - (Gravity Well) - (Singularity).

Since this is single target based, my goal is really to tank, not to kill. There are only two mobs in the game that 'need' to be tanked anyway, the Vular Roaches and the Guardian himself.

Force Hammer (hopefully) gains aggro, for the roaches, Graviton Slam is awesome. If you get aggro and use the slow effect, he can barely chase you as you kite around and tank. Stomp if he gets too close to knock him down, rinse repeat.

For the guardian, since he's a ranged mob, I stand right next to him and use these skills slowly. I don't think Taunt stacks, so to keep Taunt on him most of the time, I try to use the Taunt skills just as he faces away from me. I try to stand opposite of my team too, so its easy to tell whether you have aggro or not.

I don't like to fully spam skills when tanking because it can get very costly on mana. Let the DPS players kill them quick, just take aggro and tank.



Gear:


I use a full Sandstorm Armour set, The Wastelander weapon, and an Armor implant.

I find the Sandstorm set sufficient versus the plat set. Health, Mana, and Hit % gain (may be small armour loss, have to recheck) on the plat set, but nothing one-shots me, I land attacks often, and higher mana pool doesn't really help me. I'd rather save the plat and go for 2x damage enhancers instead :p

Wastelander is awesome. Best heavy weapon in-game, I think. I'm still considering switching to a rifle for bosses.

I choose an armor implant for consistency. I think the 5% dodge > armour, but I'm just looking for a more consistent build rather than a chancy one.



End




Like I said, I'm still new :D So I need your opinions and suggestions on any of the things above. Looking forward to having an awesome discussion on this.

Thanks guys!


(Mobile users, I 'spoiler' linked my Nuri's Build/Combo/Gear to shorten the view of the guide. I don't think you can see it through a mobile device, you'll have to use a full browser).



Slouch Build/Combo/Gear


I've edited my build a bit with the new Slouch campaign. I don't find solo-ing as doable as it was in Numa anymore (maybe not yet), mainly because compared to OL, there aren't maps with that much melee mobs which are easy to kite/kill. There's more emphasis on team play now.

Also, with the addition of the new skill, I allocated more points into that as well.

Elly's Personal Progressive Skill Leveling Build (http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/EllysPersonalBuild.png)
Elly's Peronal Skill Build (http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/414d3c61.jpg)
Elly's Peronal Skill Map (http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/7c5dd9b0.jpg)


1. Removed the 6 points from Vigor - I feel I no longer need Vigor in team play since engineers can heal much better.

2. Totally removed Kinetic. Soloing is no longer an effective option in Slouch. Also, credit gain (through liquidation, mob credit drops, and purple/crafting sales) in Slouch is fairly good, easily compensating the use of Mana stimpacks and more. That said, 5 points from Kinetic was placed into other skills to do more damage.

3. 6 points into Crit buff - with the new 30 commando plat armors, I find the added crit from the armors + crit buff extremely good if I want to do damage. Pair it up with a plat rifle/heavy weapon, you'll do so much more damage.

4. 6 points into Backbreaker - highest damage single target skill of a commando, not to mention the combo finisher (Use when the target is 'Knocked-down' to combo).

5. 3 points into Graviton Slam. This skill is my next most useful AoE skill aside from Singularity and Gravity Well (see combo below).
I find that there is less emphasis on tanking now in Slouch. In Numa, tanking the guardian was a challenge for a commando, taking aggro, taking damage, etc. However, for the droid, I notice that taking aggro is almost nonexistent because of how killing him is based. That said, even if shields are introduced, I don't see the use of them yet. Yet because when pvp comes out, I'm certain that shields are a critical piece to builds.


Combo

Mob Combo: (Buff up before using skills) + Gravity Well + Graviton Slam + Neutron Stomp + Singularity

This combo was changed from the previous one mainly to fully maximise the use of Gravity Well and Singularity. The old combo used to contradict these two skills; GW would pull but Singularity would push back out. This combo works a lot better for crowd control and ultimately better damage overall. I strongly recommend this new combo to fully crowd control and to prevent from being a 'Scatter Commando'. This is how it works:As usual, Gravity Well first to pull the mobs towards you. While they are being pulled, a Graviton Slam is a good skill to add more damage and slow debuff them so they avoid walking away quick after being pulled. By the time they are next to you or pinned to a wall, Neutron Stomp them followed by a quick Singularity. Remember, step back from the wall after GW to give you space for Singularity's blast to push them against the wall, and not push them away from it. The Stomp knocks them down which gives enough time for the Singularity cast-time to kick-in and push them towards the wall more plus knocking them down again.

All this time, you must ensure your normal attack from your Heavy Weapon is ON. Normal attacks from a Heavy Weapon is key to doing full AOE damage, especially if they've been well setup through your combo.

Also, if this combo is perfected, the mobs are dead even before they can deal damage, assuming you have a group with you or you have a damage enhancer on.

Boss Combo: (Buff up before using skills) + Force Hammer + Neutron Stomp + Backbreaker + ( 2-3 second pause) + Gravity Well + Singularity + Backbreaker.

Remember, during boss fights, you should switch gear to a Heavy Pistol/Rifle and not a Heavy Weapon. A Heavy Weapon is bad in maintaining aggro/doing damage to a single target, so it should be kept to mob fights only.

The skills before the pause allow you to knockdown the boss, get in a combo, and gain aggro. After two-three seconds, or as soon as you can see the boss switch target from you, use Gravity Well + Singularity + Backbreaker again to knockdown, combo, and get aggro. Rinse and repeat.


Gear (Names are links to photos).


Gear Loadouts (http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/aabd3e41.jpg)
(http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/aabd3e41.jpg)
1. Plat Armor + Plat Rifle + Damage Implant (http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/43a765c8.jpg)
(http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/43a765c8.jpg)
Best dps for a commando, IMO. Especially good versus bosses. I only use it with an engineer in the team, though. This prevents me from having to spam stim packs all the time.

2. Custom Meganaut Set + Plat Heavy Weapon + Dodge Implant (http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/08e319ae.jpg)

Ideal if I want to do mass AoE and tank at the same time. Maximum dodge (with no pink) and AoE from the HW.

3. Custom Meganaut Set + Plat Heavy Pistol + 30 Mod Shield + Damage Implant (http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/32c90138.jpg)

I'm starting to love pistols more, especially when I use a 2x damage enhancer. Although base damage is lower than a Rifle or Loadout 1., I find it enough for quick mob clearing with a full group. Works well versus a boss as well, tanking it is way easier, damage isn't that compromised. This is my favorite set.

4. Custom Meganaut Set + Plat Light Pistol + 30 Mod Shield + Dodge Implant (http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/22b96108.jpg)

This is a pure tanking set. Max dodge and armor possible with my gear. This is quite good if you plan on playing as a tanking commando more than a damage-dealing commando. Base damage is lower than Loadout 3, but a lot more dodge too. Again, pure tanking set. With a good engineer, stimpack usage is almost none.


Conclusion


Overall, I don't find Heavy Weapons as effective as they were in Numa. I find the mobs in Slouch more spread-out and harder to fully clump up. Also, I find that the mobs in Slouch are more ranged-oriented rather than melee. That is why I love my Loadout 3, a pistol provides good damage yet good survivability at the same time.

My skill build compliments my Loadout 3 more as well, since I aim to be more of a damage-based Commando first rather than a pure tanking one.

Solo viability in my build is quite decent. Loadout 3/4 is good especially with a damage enhancer on.

Gameplay Video​



I've tried recording how I play to show how I use my combos/gears from the guide. Apologies for the quality, I still haven't found a fully effective way to record my gameplay.

I used my iPad 2's video camera while making it stand vertical on the smartcase, playing on iPhone 4.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGqvf9qeG0A




Video notes:


Build is exactly the same as the one on this thread. Gear is Loadout # 3.
Map 3 in Slouch-O Campaign.
PUG - I have not met any of these players before.
Damage Enhancer on.

Changelog:

8/30/11 - Numa Prime Build/Combo/Gear.
9/19/11 - Slouch Build/Combo/Gear.
9/22/11 - Edited Slouch Build.
9/23/11 - Added photos/explanations/descriptions.
9/29/11 - Changed Combo section, added Mob - Boss combos. Added an Introduction section to explain the guide.
9/30/11 - Added Gameplay Video
10/1/11 - Added Elly's Personal Skill Map, Elly's Personal Progressive Skill Leveling Build, and changed from an IMG to a link for Elly's Personal Skill Build.

Redbridge
08-30-2011, 11:06 PM
Nice.... I'll look forward to testing this out when I level my Commando next.

Ellyidol
08-30-2011, 11:35 PM
Nice.... I'll look forward to testing this out when I level my Commando next.

Awesome! Be sure to add me when you do ;) In fact, I don't think I have any of your SL toons added.. IGN?

Nightarcher
08-31-2011, 12:03 AM
My advice: either use Increase Mass 6, or not at all. It has some good armor, but it isn't worth it to add a few points and suffer the large dodge and hit% debuff half the time. And with only a 6 damage reduction for 5 seconds and using mana every time you recast, I'm considering dropping it. well, depending on the last 2 skills.

Ellyidol
08-31-2011, 12:13 AM
My advice: either use Increase Mass 6, or not at all. It has some good armor, but it isn't worth it to add a few points and suffer the large dodge and hit% debuff half the time. And with only a 6 damage reduction for 5 seconds and using mana every time you recast, I'm considering dropping it. well, depending on the last 2 skills.

Hmm, true points.

I'm considering to remove IM if ever, not for the crit, mainly for the dodge. 15 % base dodge is pretty okay, reducing that for 140 armour is, your're right, very costly.

I still have one point incoming too, when I turn 26. Where do you think it'll go well? I'm thinking of maxing Vigor, then if I remove the two from IM, put them into Kinetic.

JaytB
08-31-2011, 03:20 AM
Another great guide Elly!

The build I made with my limited experience, is almost the same as yours. The only difference is that I don't have any points in Increase mass. The cooldown time just seems to high to me and I don't really miss it to be honest. I've put the points in kinetic reservoir instead, it helps me save some stims. But, then again, I just finished my commando, so I definitely need to experiment a bit more :)

Ellyidol
08-31-2011, 03:24 AM
Another great guide Elly!

The build I made with my limited experience, is almost the same as yours. The only difference is that I don't have any points in Increase mass. The cooldown time just seems to high to me and I don't really miss it to be honest. I've put the points in kinetic reservoir instead, it helps me save some stims. But, then again, I just finished my commando, so I definitely need to experiment a bit more :)

I wish it was a guide :p

I've made some changes too. I removed Increase Mass, Night was right, the dodge penalty makes it more costly than beneficial, and I maxed Vigor and one into Kinetic. When I turn 26, I plan to put that last point into Kinetic too :)

themars
08-31-2011, 03:44 AM
U can keep agro at guardian? With ur skills it doesn't like u do. Need to test that out with u ;)

Ellyidol
08-31-2011, 03:45 AM
U can keep agro at guardian? With ur skills it doesn't like u do. Need to test that out with u ;)

Yeah, aggro seems fine. From the few runs I've had with friends, they were either on me or on another commando :)

CrimsonTider
08-31-2011, 07:02 AM
Ive been messing with this since day one of beta and still not sure of the best setup. I agree on the whole dropping increase mass concept. I maxed it the other night and ended up using more health stims han I ever have. Just like PL, dodge>armor.

Ellyidol
08-31-2011, 07:05 AM
Ive been messing with this since day one of beta and still not sure of the best setup. I agree on the whole dropping increase mass concept. I maxed it the other night and ended up using more health stims han I ever have. Just like PL, dodge>armor.

Hmm. I'm considering getting a dodge transplant now too..

Edit:

Actually, I might wait for more skills in a future update. Gonna check the class skills of the rest too. If there's no support to dodge (hit debuff, etc), I may stick with armour.

Edit squared:

Ops do have that hit debuff! Let me survey if they get it..

Silentarrow
08-31-2011, 07:12 AM
Here is my build:

http://i1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff430/Silentarrowszz/b2d3e6b0.jpg

Needs some tweaking though. I focus mainly on damage, so I don't waste points in regen skills ;). Since I'm not level 25 yet (NOOB lol). I still have to max my pulling and armot increase skil.

Ellyidol
08-31-2011, 07:18 AM
Very tanky build, Silent :)

May I ask if you have a reason in putting two points into Force Hammer and Graviton Slam?

Silentarrow
08-31-2011, 07:22 AM
Very tanky build, Silent :)

May I ask if you have a reason in putting two points into Force Hammer and Graviton Slam?

Purely to increase my damage output :).

JaytB
08-31-2011, 07:27 AM
I was playing around with my commando earlier, and I decided to drop force hammer too (used that extra point in kinetic reservoir). I only had 1 point in there for the taunt part, but it doesn't really seem my party takes more damage without it. Definitely needs more testing though.

This is my skill build right now, but as said it definitely needs more testing:

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j344/JaytB1/236b54ad.jpg

And this is my skill layout:

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j344/JaytB1/65be8ceb.jpg

edit: another reason to drop force hammer was so I don't need to flip my skills layout during intense fights. Ow yes, and I'm cheap (don't want to buy too many stims) LOL :D

Ellyidol
08-31-2011, 07:30 AM
Purely to increase my damage output :).

Ah, yeah true! :)


I was playing around with my commando earlier, and I decided to drop force hammer too (used that extra point in kinetic reservoir). I only had 1 point in there for the taunt part, but it doesn't really seem my party takes more damage without it. Definitely needs more testing though.

This is my skill build right now, but as said it definitely needs more testing:

And this is my skill layout:



Yeah, I can't think of a way to truly test the aggro factor and Taunt. Gonna be uber hard to do so, or try to do so, IMO.

LOL @ layout! Exactly the same, except my first bar is reverse of yours. I go top-down :p

Register
08-31-2011, 08:42 AM
Nice job! Im pretty sure even though your new, your better than me at commando xD I specced yesterday with a higher KR. 5 lol. 6 is stupid because all it does is bring up damage. I recover 50 mana. cooL!

Also, you dont wanna use all your skills at once. especially the taunt ones. save Gravitational Slam for after a few second when they start getting back up and targeting your team. Then you get aggro right back!

EDIT: I dont know why people drop Vigor. Its neccesary to have IMO. After runs or a level, you dont wanna start the next one with partial health. So I use Vigor and KR at base to recover it.

EDIT 2: I have only 2 or 3 in Increase mass. Just for when the enemies get back up and I get back aggro. 6 Is not neccesary. I used the extra points in Kinetic Resevior.

themars
08-31-2011, 08:52 AM
If I see this builds it looks like u can't keep agro at guardian its good u got MAx level for vigor and kr but nothing for me cause I really hate bad tanks at guardian ;)

When I reach higher levels I will put points into them but now I prefer taking packs instead of to be called a noob tank.

Lucky in beta we could farm them so I still have 4000 and 3000 packs ;)

But still can't believe it u can keep agro prove it!

Ellyidol
08-31-2011, 09:02 AM
Nice job! Im pretty sure even though your new, your better than me at commando xD I specced yesterday with a higher KR. 5 lol. 6 is stupid because all it does is bring up damage. I recover 50 mana. cooL!

Also, you dont wanna use all your skills at once. especially the taunt ones. save Gravitational Slam for after a few second when they start getting back up and targeting your team. Then you get aggro right back!

EDIT: I dont know why people drop Vigor. Its neccesary to have IMO. After runs or a level, you dont wanna start the next one with partial health. So I use Vigor and KR at base to recover it.

EDIT 2: I have only 2 or 3 in Increase mass. Just for when the enemies get back up and I get back aggro. 6 Is not neccesary. I used the extra points in Kinetic Resevior.

Yeah, tricky business with Taunt though! I've seen aggro go from have it to lose it in literally a second or two.

Btw, don't you think your IM penalty is too high if not at 6?


If I see this builds it looks like u can't keep agro at guardian its good u got MAx level for vigor and kr but nothing for me cause I really hate bad tanks at guardian ;)

When I reach higher levels I will put points into them but now I prefer taking packs instead of to be called a noob tank.

Lucky in beta we could farm them so I still have 4000 and 3000 packs ;)

But still can't believe it u can keep agro prove it!

I'd agree, but I don't see any difference in a Lv 1 or 6 Taunt skill. I had them 6 before too, but nothing changed.

Prove to me that you keep full aggro at 6, then I'll respec ;)

themars
08-31-2011, 10:10 AM
I can keep agro at guardian . Can't keep it at normal mobs when eng are all casting transference but guardian is fine when I see u I will add u.

I'm not telling ur build is bad there is no good or bad build just wanted to know if u could tank with that

Ellyidol
08-31-2011, 10:11 AM
I can keep agro at guardian . Can't keep it at normal mobs when eng are all casting transference but guardian is fine when I see u I will add u.

I'm not telling ur build is bad there is no good or bad build just wanted to know if u could tank with that

Interested in seeing that! :D

No worries, didn't perceive you to say that, thanks! :)

Nightarcher
08-31-2011, 11:26 AM
Here's my build at 26:

http://i760.photobucket.com/albums/xx249/michaelsaysmoo/cdcb7029.jpg

Pros:
--excellent crowd control (like you Elly)
--nice armor buff
--enough taunt to hold boss aggro, usually
--extra 15-second crit buff for sticky situations as well as extra damage during a boss


Cons:
--no regen skills = higher pot usage (expensive)
--not having a point in Force Hammer means I can't combo with engineers, and less taunt


I'll wait to see the last skills and then adjust my build.

Ellyidol
08-31-2011, 11:37 AM
I just came from a couple of runs with 3 engineers and 1 operative. Most efficient runs I've been in I think. Barely any pot consumption, easy aggro, and good damage. Does having more than one operative make it harder for everyone? Lol. I thought more than one engi was useless too?

I had aggro 100% of the time on guardian, btw. Matutd was the lone op, was talking to him about his build and it seems I should be able to hold aggro despite a full damage spec op, not sure though.

And thanks, night! I really love my regen skills though, especially to solo with. Heh :)

Rast
08-31-2011, 01:38 PM
I find 2 or more Engineers to be a huge boon. I had such a hard time staying alive on my Commando I rolled an Engineer just to try something different; he's so much easier to play and solo with. You can fix a lot of bad play if you're a good Engineer. As a commando, even though I can control aggro, if things die to slowly or there's just not enough healing, I either use a massive number of pots or I end up dead.

Rast

Register
08-31-2011, 01:58 PM
Yeah, tricky business with Taunt though! I've seen aggro go from have it to lose it in literally a second or two.

Btw, don't you think your IM penalty is too high if not at 6?

Not really. Its not hit percent so tanking goes fine. I barely have any dodge at all so it doesnt dodge penalty is fine by me. Losing just a few points of dodge lol....What else does it take away? Cant remember......But im thinking of dropping Increase Mass completly. With a good engie, I really dont need it. I want more points in Vigor for a lack of engie/good engie. I dont really like Growing Rage because its just crit. My combo I use kills the Burrower mobs and with 2 or 3 other people, the human (??) mobs go down quick.

As for aggro, I do absolutely fine keeping it on mobs because they die fast. With bosses I can keep easily unless its a pure damage op or something. On guardian, I try to not keep aggro ALL the time (imma terrible tank, right?) if there is not a good enough engineer to heal. Ill use my taunt skills when Guardian is about to kill somebody...or a little before...

krazii
08-31-2011, 02:19 PM
Good Guide Bro! Currently leveling my Commando and they are lot's of fun. Coincidentally, I have my skills in the same place except that at this point I use pots, so no regen skill or IM for that matter, i put them into Slam. My opening is slam, singularity, back up and pick off mobs one at a time or use well to finish. I'm still getting used to gravity well, neat skill and highest aoe damage.

Also, your op question: We do have a debuff, Neutral Shock, but I think it's seldom used and there's too many other offensive skills to use. Maybe in PVP.

btw: I've played with Elly many times and he has no problem keeping aggro at Guardian.

Kraz

Register
08-31-2011, 04:01 PM
I just specced a little bit ago. I decided to ditch Increase Mass.I put the extra points in Vigor. This is what I have...I think....going off of memory cuz my bro is playing In my ipod...

2 neutron stomp
5 Singularity
5 Vigor
5 Kinetic resevior
5 Gravity Well
1 gravitational slam

Its not a lot of skills to go through but its mainly built for soloing in OL. At level 26, im putting a point in Gravity well or something lol...

Ellyidol
08-31-2011, 09:21 PM
I've heard that 50 armour = 1 damage reduction only too. I don't know if it's true, just putting it out there.

Anyone notice if two commandos taunt's cancels out each other? 0.0 I notice that on runs with two commandos with the same single operative, the guardian loves to aggro him. But if it's just me and the operative, rest engineers, the guardian sticks to me.

Very very weird, but I can fully confirm that Taunt doesn't seem to increase at all with skill level. If it did, I would have an incredibly hard time keeping aggro at guardian, but I seem to be able to successfully get aggro most of the time.

:D

Btw, has anyone tried sticking with a 22/24 Scrapper instead of a Wastelander? Any experiences there?

Nightarcher
08-31-2011, 10:00 PM
Btw, has anyone tried sticking with a 22/24 Scrapper instead of a Wastelander? Any experiences there?

By scrapper do you mean the actual Scrapper weapon or any generic non-green commando weapon?

Well either way, commandos should either use the Wastelander or a Scavenger/Plat Rifle. Wastelander for AOE, Rifle for heavy damage and good DPS during bosses. :)

Ellyidol
08-31-2011, 10:08 PM
By scrapper do you mean the actual Scrapper weapon or any generic non-green commando weapon?

Well either way, commandos should either use the Wastelander or a Scavenger/Plat Rifle. Wastelander for AOE, Rifle for heavy damage and good DPS during bosses. :)

The green weapon :)

I was comparing earlier, I could have sworn the 24 Scrapper had the best DPS stats, commando for bosses really. 22 Scrapper is good for tanking stats, I think.

I'll check again :)

Acyer
08-31-2011, 10:18 PM
Nice build so far. But all builds at this point aren't impressive as we still lack new skills. If you feel your build will keep aggro then by all means use it. I will judge builds when we get to a higher cap.

Dark Avenger
09-09-2011, 03:57 AM
cool I have pretty much same build as elly and jaytb. I did have my I'M up to 6 but after reading this I removed it and love my build now. Thanx for the help and info.

frostine
09-15-2011, 09:32 AM
Nice build Elly. I first played this game as engineer and began playing commando when I reached lvl 25. Mostly because I wanted to understand how commandos work so I can better serve them as healer. I'm loving commando and have now surpassed my engineer in regards to leveling. You include a variety of taunting skills which other other builds lack making for messy game play. I hope other commandos follow your lead and experiment from there. I don't run into many who use the gravity well skill and I think it is one of the most important skills for clean and easy crowd control. Personally, I find pulling mobs into neat piles with gravity well and pushing that mob into a corner with singularity makes it easier for opps to finish off the kill without everyone scattered and running around the room. Don't be afraid to pull mobs onto you with this skill. Operatives should be able to finish them off quickly and Engineers should have you healed so that you don't need to waste stims or die.

Since the update I've been experimenting with Nebula just for fun...I cast nebula for aoe DoT, pull mobs on me and into nebula using gravity well (even more dmg), then knock mobs down with stomp to keep them in nebula for a another second or two (more dmg). At this point the mobs have taken a bit of dmg, allowing the group to stay close, operatives to finish off kills, and the engi to heal everyone easily. If I am taking too much damage and operatives can't finish off the kill fast enough I pop singularity to get the mobs off my back. The only draw back is that nebula has a long cool down. If the skill isn't ready I revert back to the usual routine.

jeremyc
09-16-2011, 12:21 AM
hi,
I've reset my skills a few times while leveling.
I've tried gravity well then singularity together, and they don't work too well. You basically knock the mobs back into the party due to well sucking, should the engineers panic and cast suppression, suddenly all the ops get aggro till you can taunt them back. On the other hand, if you do it the other way round, it works nicely, singularity knocking them down, then well bunching them up as they're on the floor taking damage.
honestly, I still think getting at least 3 taunt skills is needed till 28, just cause of the cool down screwing up if a teammate manages to get aggro. The last button would be for increase mass, which does reduce quite a bit of damage regardless of what people say. Basically for me it stops about 30 plus damage. While this isn't significant on the new boss the director, taking 90 damage a hit and 60 damage a hit is the difference between a stim plus engineer heal outpacing the damage and you hitting the floor. More so on guardian runs as it literally cuts the damage in half.
Past 28, backbreaker cool down is only 5 seconds, so you can drop one of the taunt skills for utility if you like, perhaps for slam to slow down melee mobs or Kinetic Reservoir to starve off power pack use.
Will have to look at the last of the new skills. I'm guessing you guys aren't going to upgrade till 30 tanking wise as only the purples at 30 offer any dodge increase.

McBain
09-16-2011, 03:05 AM
This build actually works well for me. Much better than what I had before coming across this thread anyway. I think overall, it depends on how you play, but this makes a lot of sense to me. The Gravity Well-Singularity-Graviton Slam combo works really well to knock down mobs in a hurry, so I've focused on that. My slight variation is that I've dropped Increase Mass and put those two points into Growing Rage. The big dodge hit with Increase Mass pretty much cancels out its effectiveness in my opinion, and the crit boost with Growing Rage, while having a long cooldown, can be an effective buff with particularly nasty mobs and especially bosses. Since the update I've added two more points to Graviton Slam as well, and it seems like that would be a good skill to eventually max out.

Now I'm looking at Back Breaker and wondering how it's going to fit into all this. Any thoughts?

edit: Scratch that, apparently Back Breaker can be used for a self combo. Probably an essential skill. Only problem now is narrowing it down to 8 skills. I think Force Hammer has to go.

Ellyidol
09-18-2011, 11:00 PM
Updated first post for Slouch Build/Combo/Gear.

Ellyidol
09-21-2011, 11:46 PM
Edited build out again.

Ellyidol
09-23-2011, 01:19 AM
Added photos to gear section. Added conclusion and more overall descriptions/explanations towards the entire OP.

Ellyidol
09-28-2011, 09:54 PM
Update:

1. Added introduction section, just to clear some stuff up.

2. Incorporated my other guide, Attack Commando Guide, into this one.

Zaltiar
09-28-2011, 10:19 PM
Elly's Build/Combos/Gear

Mob Combo: (Buff up before using skills) + Gravity Well + Graviton Slam + Neutron Stomp + Singularity

This combo was changed from the previous one mainly to fully maximise the use of Gravity Well and Singularity. The old combo used to contradict these two skills; GW would pull but Singularity would push back out. This combo works a lot better for crowd control and ultimately better damage overall. I strongly recommend this new combo to fully crowd control and to prevent from being a 'Scatter Commando'. This is how it works:As usual, Gravity Well first to pull the mobs towards you. While they are being pulled, a Graviton Slam is a good skill to add more damage and slow debuff them so they avoid walking away quick after being pulled. By the time they are next to you or pinned to a wall, Neutron Stomp them followed by a quick Singularity. Remember, step back from the wall after GW to give you space for Singularity's blast to push them against the wall, and not push them away from it. The Stomp knocks them down which gives enough time for the Singularity cast-time to kick-in and push them towards the wall more plus knocking them down again.

All this time, you must ensure your normal attack from your Heavy Weapon is ON. Normal attacks from a Heavy Weapon is key to doing full AOE damage, especially if they've been well setup through your combo.

Also, if this combo is perfected, the mobs are dead even before they can deal damage, assuming you have a group with you or you have a damage enhancer on.



+1
I really like this combo! makes efficient use of skills and is very effective for large mobs. I tended to use Graviton Slam 1st to get aggro (if my teammates started ahead of me), then GW+Sing to stick them to the wall, followed by a Neutron Stomp+Back breaker for that backbreaker combo. <- But this combo mainly focuses on one main mob.
Hopefully new players/commandos-to-be find this thread and learn a thing or two :)

Nightarcher
09-29-2011, 12:47 AM
^Not gunna quote that monster again, but referring to it...

I use a similar thing, except without Neutron Stomp. I find that I'm a more efficient Commando when I use long-range skills so I don't have to waste time getting close, and when I'm to the side, Singularity never scatters enemies. It's a lot easier to control mobs from a distance, from my experience. I love bringing old-school PL luring into SL by grabbing as many enemies as I can without resetting any, so usually a room and some adjacent mobs.

Oh, and I spam Graviton Slam at all times due to it's crazy efficienty. It's officially my favorite Commando skill ;)

Cloudstripe
09-29-2011, 04:29 AM
This build is only good if you're in a great party, or you'll be using tons of pots, or you'll always be lying on the ground.

I tried this build with random party... not working. spent a lot of pots.

I respec and put points on Increase Mass, Vigor and Kinetic... much more effective overall.

Ellyidol
09-29-2011, 04:46 AM
This build is only good if you're in a great party, or you'll be using tons of pots, or you'll always be lying on the ground.

I tried this build with random party... not working. spent a lot of pots.

I respec and put points on Increase Mass, Vigor and Kinetic... much more effective overall.

Yeah, it's definitely more pot costly if solo, though I do did it quite effective as well :)

For a pot saving build, probably better if you use Punk's build :)

Friends know I can solo well with this build ;)

Cloudstripe
09-29-2011, 04:53 AM
Yeah, it's definitely more pot costly if solo, though I do did it quite effective as well :)

For a pot saving build, probably better if you use Punk's build :)

Friends know I can solo well with this build ;)

I tried soloing earlier with this build, It is effective but will use a lot of pots. But when it comes into dmg and combo, this is a best build hands down.

I just hate it when im out of pots and I'm in the middle of the room with lots of mobs. :p

Ellyidol
09-29-2011, 04:57 AM
I tried soloing earlier with this build, It is effective but will use a lot of pots. But when it comes into dmg and combo, this is a best build hands down.

I just hate it when im out of pots and I'm in the middle of the room with lots of mobs. :p

Ooo I know what you mean. Fortunately I'm lucky enough to have enough disposable credits for pots to solo with. Damage enhancers don't hurt either :p

Out of curiosity, are you using a 2h or a shield?

Cloudstripe
09-29-2011, 05:07 AM
Ooo I know what you mean. Fortunately I'm lucky enough to have enough disposable credits for pots to solo with. Damage enhancers don't hurt either :p

Out of curiosity, are you using a 2h or a shield?.

I used both, if there are good Engineer then I go 2h. If the party is without one then I go with shield.

Now im using your first combo.. Gravity Well -> Graviton Slam -> Neutron Stomp -> Singularity... and im loving it. This is my first slot.

I have:

Singularity = 6
Gravity Well = 6
Kinetic Reservoir = 5 (To make up with lots of combo)
Increase Mass = 3 (needed if the party is not that good)
Growing Rage = 6
Neutron Stomp = 1
Vigor = 1 (enough to regen when running)

That's what i have right now. But im still experimenting, learning... etc.

BTW... thank's for the guide... very helpful

Ellyidol
09-29-2011, 05:12 AM
Glad to have helped :)

Do you think 3 IM is useful? I'm just concerned more of the penalty if you don't max it. It's like adding more survivability then subtracting survivability, so it's like nothing. Lol :p

Cloudstripe
09-29-2011, 05:30 AM
Glad to have helped :)

Do you think 3 IM is useful? I'm just concerned more of the penalty if you don't max it. It's like adding more survivability then subtracting survivability, so it's like nothing. Lol :p

LoL. yeah, i just realized that. I made it 6 now... i respec again. lol

Now i have:

Singularity = 6
Gravity Well = 6
Increase mass = 6
Growing rage = 6
Kinetic Reservoir = 2
Vigor = 1
Neutron Stomp = 1
Graviton Slam = 1

I might change this later if it wont work. I just don't want to spent a lot of pots and I'm not using enhancer. I guess this is my poor's man build :p

Ellyidol
09-29-2011, 05:37 AM
LoL. yeah, i just realized that. I made it 6 now... i respec again. lol

Now i have:

Singularity = 6
Gravity Well = 6
Increase mass = 6
Growing rage = 6
Kinetic Reservoir = 2
Vigor = 1
Neutron Stomp = 1
Graviton Slam = 1

I might change this later if it wont work. I just don't want to spent a lot of pots and I'm not using enhancer. I guess this is my poor's man build :p

Let us know how it goes ;)

I don't mean to degrade Punk's build, but his is a really good 'poor man's' build, pot saving :)

Cloudstripe
09-29-2011, 05:42 AM
It did quiet well. I only used once or twice blue pots but it's ok.

I really love your combo, we were killing much faster with a party that I'm the only lv30 and we are only 3 ;)

Thanks again for the help.

Ellyidol
09-29-2011, 06:33 AM
It did quiet well. I only used once or twice blue pots but it's ok.

I really love your combo, we were killing much faster with a party that I'm the only lv30 and we are only 3 ;)

Thanks again for the help.

Sounds good!

Thanks as well :)

Nightarcher
09-29-2011, 05:32 PM
Join a good guild with active runs and you'll lower your Stim purchases a ton. I joined V For Vendetta recently, and with 10-15+ players usually online, we have runs going most of the time. Even with 0 points in Kinetic Reservoir and Vigor, I use an incredibly low number of Stims/PowerPacks. And I still do my job effectively :)

Ellyidol
09-29-2011, 08:33 PM
Join a good guild with active runs and you'll lower your Stim purchases a ton. I joined V For Vendetta recently, and with 10-15+ players usually online, we have runs going most of the time. Even with 0 points in Kinetic Reservoir and Vigor, I use an incredibly low number of Stims/PowerPacks. And I still do my job effectively :)

Agree :)

Or just make good friends with good players (it's quite easy to spot the good from the bad), and try to play with them as much as you can.

My record is just two mana stims for one run in slouch map 3 :D

Ellyidol
09-30-2011, 07:38 AM
Update:

Added a Gameplay Video section below Conclusion.

Ellyidol
10-01-2011, 05:14 AM
Update:

Added this section:
Elly's Personal Progressive Skill Leveling Build (http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/EllysPersonalBuild.png)
Elly's Peronal Skill Build (http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/414d3c61.jpg)
Elly's Peronal Skill Map (http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/7c5dd9b0.jpg)
(http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo96/bryantioliu/7c5dd9b0.jpg)


Changed the IMG to a direct link for my skill build.
Added Elly's Personal Progressive Skill Leveling Build.
Added Elly's Personal Skill Map.

Hullukko
10-12-2011, 10:30 AM
Thank's for the build. I love it. As a long time engineer (and as someone who went through PL with nothing but a mage) I've found it exhilarating in sloucho ever since about 28 or so. Damage potted it's a menace. And I had no idea, so few commandos seem to do the good'ol beckon&stomp thing in SL. But the four skill combo just seems massively efficient, but I must admit, I'm very new to playing commando myself and I haven't really tried any other approaches.

Sure you'll have to pot blue, but I can live it. Either that or do less. Shouldn't be a difficult choice.