So, the datalink here isn't quite working, so I can't go into exact numbers, but I do have a few points here.
1: Defense on a Sonic/DP is more likely than you'd think, but will be *very* slot intensive. Resist powers like your shields and Dispersion bubble can accept Reactive Armor, which five slotted gives lots of defense in addition to hitting yellow numbers on both res and end reduc. Combine that with DP's number of ranged blasts (probably slotted with Thunderstrike, Scirocco's Dervish, and Obliteration), and you can get some pretty respectable defense numbers. Also, Defender modifiers for Maneuvers from Leadership are much higher than anyone else, if you can afford the power pick and slots to run it continuously.
2: Dual Pistols is a low DPS set compared to other options, just because the animation time vs. damage output ratio is skewed badly. However, with debuffs, you can do more damage per shot, especially with Sonic Siphon being spammed as often as possible. For higher DPS, use Fire or Chemical rounds to exploit their lower tendency to be resisted.
3: I know what I just said, but your default lethal rounds have a point too. DP has a *lot* of knockdown and knockback when not equipped to use specialty bullets. And an enemy on his ass is not shooting at you. Also, Suppressive Fire can be slotted either as a single target stun (lethal rounds) or a single target hold (fire/cold/poison) depending on what kind of mitigation you favor.
4: Epic pools will help round out your abilities. As a defender, you get access to Dark, Psi, Power, and Elec Mastery. I'll break them down here for you:
Power Mastery:
- Conserve Power: exactly what it says on the tin. Useful if you're running out of end, but I find it ineffective compared to other options that just give you the blue bar back.
- Power Build Up: Useful for secondary effect boosting, but your primary effects (+ and -Res from Sonic) are unaffected as they're un-enhanceable. Will boost your DP secondaries, but those are generally negligible, even boosted.
- Temp Invul: S/L res toggle. Useful for Sonic/, especially if you take Tough and run Dispersion Bubble at all times as well, but all the other pools have one too. Generally with an additional damage type resisted.
- Force of Nature: Res based god-mode. You know how these work too. Nothing new.
- Total Focus: Again, nothing especially new. High stun, if you plan on mitigating via that, but not *that* great, given it's ST and a long animation time.
Elec Mastery:
- Electric Fence: ST Immob. Useful as a purple mule, or for specific AVs you want to tie down.
- Thunder Strike: AoE damage, also some end mod, and knockback. A Defender's damage numbers won't give it Scrapper level output, but potentially useful.
- Charged Armor: S/L/Energy Resist toggle.
- Shocking Bolt: Single target hold. If you use Suppressive Fire as a ST Hold with special rounds, you can double tap it with this to hold bosses, or chain gun both to hold large sections of Minions and LTs. One of Nene's favorites for that reason.
- Power Sink: End drain to the enemy, more end to you. What's not to love?
Dark Mastery:
- Oppressive Gloom: PBAOE stun field centered around yourself. You take damage whenever it hits enemies, but a single heal SO in Health will counter it via regen. Stun purples are cheap and make it very effective with accuracy boosts. They can't hit you if they're too busy stumbling around from the fumes.
- Dark Consumption: End drain, but this is a Dark PBAOE attack instead of draining their blue bar. Do damage around you and get blue back? Solid.
- Dark Embrace: S/L/Negative Energy Res toggle.
- Soul Transfer: Self Rez, always useful if you keep falling over. Also, this one's essentially casting Howling Twilight on yourself, so stun your enemies who killed you with the power of a thousand angry unicorns.
- Soul Drain: For the discerning DPS user, Soul Drain does Negative PBAOE damage, and gives a +To Hit and +Damage for every enemy hit. Very useful when combined with Sonic's -Res, for both the poorly resisted damage type and the additional damage to -Res debuffed enemies.
Psychic Mastery:
- Dominate: ST Hold, same as Shocking Bolt, but psi damage instead of energy.
- Mass Hypnosis: Useful for stealthing, or just for those times that you need everyone to *stop shooting you*. Also, Sleep Purples are *dirt cheap* for set bonuses here.
- Mind over Body: S/L/Psi Res toggle. Noting a pattern?
- World of Confusion: Confuse PBAOE toggle. All but useless unless you slot it with confusion purples (not dirt cheap, but not charging nearly as much as a Hecatomb), at which point it can become hilarious.
- Telekinesis: Unless you really want to slot a hold set into something for set bonuses, don't bother. This thing is one of the more useless powers in the game.
Anyway, that's all I can suggest at the moment. Dual Pistols is a quirky set that I tend to pick more for concept than performance, but you're not stuck on a gimped build. You just have to focus on ways to mitigate incoming fire so that you survive long enough to debuff and de-HP the mobs you're dealing with. It won't be as brokenly overpowered as Gamma by any stripe, but it can be very good.
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."
1: Defense on a Sonic/DP is more likely than you'd think, but will be *very* slot intensive. Resist powers like your shields and Dispersion bubble can accept Reactive Armor, which five slotted gives lots of defense in addition to hitting yellow numbers on both res and end reduc. Combine that with DP's number of ranged blasts (probably slotted with Thunderstrike, Scirocco's Dervish, and Obliteration), and you can get some pretty respectable defense numbers. Also, Defender modifiers for Maneuvers from Leadership are much higher than anyone else, if you can afford the power pick and slots to run it continuously.
2: Dual Pistols is a low DPS set compared to other options, just because the animation time vs. damage output ratio is skewed badly. However, with debuffs, you can do more damage per shot, especially with Sonic Siphon being spammed as often as possible. For higher DPS, use Fire or Chemical rounds to exploit their lower tendency to be resisted.
3: I know what I just said, but your default lethal rounds have a point too. DP has a *lot* of knockdown and knockback when not equipped to use specialty bullets. And an enemy on his ass is not shooting at you. Also, Suppressive Fire can be slotted either as a single target stun (lethal rounds) or a single target hold (fire/cold/poison) depending on what kind of mitigation you favor.
4: Epic pools will help round out your abilities. As a defender, you get access to Dark, Psi, Power, and Elec Mastery. I'll break them down here for you:
Power Mastery:
- Conserve Power: exactly what it says on the tin. Useful if you're running out of end, but I find it ineffective compared to other options that just give you the blue bar back.
- Power Build Up: Useful for secondary effect boosting, but your primary effects (+ and -Res from Sonic) are unaffected as they're un-enhanceable. Will boost your DP secondaries, but those are generally negligible, even boosted.
- Temp Invul: S/L res toggle. Useful for Sonic/, especially if you take Tough and run Dispersion Bubble at all times as well, but all the other pools have one too. Generally with an additional damage type resisted.
- Force of Nature: Res based god-mode. You know how these work too. Nothing new.
- Total Focus: Again, nothing especially new. High stun, if you plan on mitigating via that, but not *that* great, given it's ST and a long animation time.
Elec Mastery:
- Electric Fence: ST Immob. Useful as a purple mule, or for specific AVs you want to tie down.
- Thunder Strike: AoE damage, also some end mod, and knockback. A Defender's damage numbers won't give it Scrapper level output, but potentially useful.
- Charged Armor: S/L/Energy Resist toggle.
- Shocking Bolt: Single target hold. If you use Suppressive Fire as a ST Hold with special rounds, you can double tap it with this to hold bosses, or chain gun both to hold large sections of Minions and LTs. One of Nene's favorites for that reason.
- Power Sink: End drain to the enemy, more end to you. What's not to love?
Dark Mastery:
- Oppressive Gloom: PBAOE stun field centered around yourself. You take damage whenever it hits enemies, but a single heal SO in Health will counter it via regen. Stun purples are cheap and make it very effective with accuracy boosts. They can't hit you if they're too busy stumbling around from the fumes.
- Dark Consumption: End drain, but this is a Dark PBAOE attack instead of draining their blue bar. Do damage around you and get blue back? Solid.
- Dark Embrace: S/L/Negative Energy Res toggle.
- Soul Transfer: Self Rez, always useful if you keep falling over. Also, this one's essentially casting Howling Twilight on yourself, so stun your enemies who killed you with the power of a thousand angry unicorns.
- Soul Drain: For the discerning DPS user, Soul Drain does Negative PBAOE damage, and gives a +To Hit and +Damage for every enemy hit. Very useful when combined with Sonic's -Res, for both the poorly resisted damage type and the additional damage to -Res debuffed enemies.
Psychic Mastery:
- Dominate: ST Hold, same as Shocking Bolt, but psi damage instead of energy.
- Mass Hypnosis: Useful for stealthing, or just for those times that you need everyone to *stop shooting you*. Also, Sleep Purples are *dirt cheap* for set bonuses here.
- Mind over Body: S/L/Psi Res toggle. Noting a pattern?
- World of Confusion: Confuse PBAOE toggle. All but useless unless you slot it with confusion purples (not dirt cheap, but not charging nearly as much as a Hecatomb), at which point it can become hilarious.
- Telekinesis: Unless you really want to slot a hold set into something for set bonuses, don't bother. This thing is one of the more useless powers in the game.
Anyway, that's all I can suggest at the moment. Dual Pistols is a quirky set that I tend to pick more for concept than performance, but you're not stuck on a gimped build. You just have to focus on ways to mitigate incoming fire so that you survive long enough to debuff and de-HP the mobs you're dealing with. It won't be as brokenly overpowered as Gamma by any stripe, but it can be very good.
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."