Coming
up with a good build
is a monumental task in href="http://tentonhammer.com/co?welcome">Champions
Online.
With a vast amount of options available to the players, along with the
ability to pick from multiple power sets, it can be a frustrating task
to follow a build for a specific role. Since CO allows players to
really customize their superheroes, the lines between the classic roles
of MMOGs (tank, melee dps, healer, and ranged dps) can be blurred in
that characters can have the traits from several archetypes. 
That being said, it is quite easy to make characters that fit the
standard types of online gaming. For the purpose of this article,
we’re going to look at a build for a melee dps.

A quick disclaimer must be made first. This is not a level by level
guide, but rather a suggestion of powers, ranks, and stats that fit
this build type. In addition, this should not be considered the optimal
build. People with brains (and calculus degrees) much bigger than mine
could probably come up with an uber build that is better than the one
I’m suggesting. Also, please keep in mind that with each
successive patch, things and abilities may change. This build is not
set in stone. Lastly, it is up to you to decide on how you want your
character. If I suggest something you dislike, feel free to choose
something different. It’s your character, not mine.



The build for our melee dps hero is one of the more popular href="http://tentonnehammer.com/co/guides/builds?welcome">builds
floating around, the TK Ego Blade build. This build relies primarily
upon the Telekinesis power set, with some dabbling in Supernatural and
Darkness. To begin, we’ll look at the powers and advantage
points that you’ll spend on this build.

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style="font-weight: bold;">POWERS



Kinetic
Darts

Advantage: Incisive Wit

This power serves as your basic energy builder attack. With the
Incisive Wit advantage, you’ll gain the chance to enact an
Ego Surge, which gives you ID blades (increasing your ego blade attack
damage by 15%) and increases your paranormal damage. You want your ID
blades to be out as much as possible, hence some of the other power
choices below. Not getting your ID blades will reduce your dps.



Ego
Blade Frenzy

Advantage: Rank 3

This power is a good AOE attack power hitting your foes in front of
you. At rank 3, you’ll be making mincemeat of henchmen.



Ego
Blade Breach

Advantage: Rank 3

This power can be used as either a tap or charged power. This power is
a good tap power for damage purposes. Plus, it adds a debuff to the
enemy, making them less resistant to your blade attacks. This debuff
can stack up to three times. This power is a good standard attack and
usually replaces the Ego Weaponry power after a player retcons.



Ego
Surge

Advantage: Nimble Mind

A clickable power that activates your ID blades. The nimble mind
advantage increases the chance of a critical hit, thus more damage,
which is what we like.



Telekinetic
Eruption

This power does an AOE attack on your enemies and has a chance for
knockback. If you charge the power over 50%, it will give you an ego
damage buff and a damage resistance buff.



Ego
Storm

Advantage: Malevolent Manifestation

A good AOE that you can use while moving, with the added bonus that it
will hold your enemies. The advantage that you can purchase makes it a
toggle power.



Shadow
Form

Advantage: Rank 3

This passive ability increases your paranormal (ego) damage, which is
exactly the damage you’re inflicting! The damage increase is
scaled to your Endurance (which will be one of your prime stats as
you’ll find out later in the article).



Sonic
Device

This power adds additional sonic damage to your attack and can stun
your opponent. More damage equals happiness!



Thunderbolt
Lunge

Advantage: Essence Assault

This power allows you to close with your foe quickly. The advantage
allows your lunge to negate the enemy’s travel power if you
hit. Try to fly away now, worm!



Force
Shield

Advantage: Force Sheath

Your shield (block) power. Normally, TK Ego Blades build would use
Telekinetic Shield, but that power had been overpowered and has been
recently nerfed in a patch. It is still usable though.



Regeneration

This power is a passive defense ability that increases your healing
rate.



Resurgence

A good active defense ability that gives you a shot of healing and
works with your Regeneration.



Ego
Hold

A single target hold power, this ability can be charged while moving. A
root type power is always useful (and can save your butt).



Bountiful
Chi Resurgence

A self heal power, Bountiful Chi is not an active defense, like
Resurgence.



You will note that there are more advantages you can buy than those I
listed. It depends upon how much you’ll use certain powers.
If you use them often, then make sure that you increase their rank to
make them more powerful.



TRAVEL
POWERS

For travel powers, that is entirely up to you. I like to use Teleport
to suddenly appear and disappear just to aggravate my enemies. Later
on, you can take Flight or whatever tickles your fancy.

STATS

For your stats, you definitely want to have Ego as a superstat. Your
primary attacks are scaled with your Ego. Higher ego = more damage.
‘Nuff said. As for the second superstat, you can choose
either Endurance or Constitution. Endurance increases your energy pool
and scales with your paranormal damage. If you choose Endurance, make
sure that you’re in Shadow Form for every fight. Your other
option is Constitution, which gives you more hit points, which allows
you to survive longer. You’ll do less damage than if you took
Endurance, but you might live longer.

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Well, that’s a look at the TK Ego Blades build for Champions
Online. This build is a good melee dps and you’ll be dishing
out the damage to your peeing-in-their-pants foes. You’ll be
cutting up the bad guys with your ego blades slicing through them like
a knife through hot butter!