Fear
What Is Fear?
Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. --Frank Herbert
Or, in terms of CoX game mechanics, Fear is a status effect, like disorient, or knockback. An enemy under the affects of a Fear power will cower. A player who is Feared is immobilized. NPC enemies sometimes run a short distance, but mostly stand still and cower. Fear also causes an accuracy debuff. Most importantly, while Fear is in effect, the target cannot attack unless it is attacted first. Then the target can perform one counter-attack, after which it will go back to cowering until the Fear effect wears off. Note that, unlike a hold, Fear does not detoggle its target.
Magnitude, Resistance, Protection
All status effects work the same way. The target has both Resistance and Protection. In order for the attack to take effect, it must have a big enough Magnitude to overcome the Protection. Once the Protection is overcome, the duration of the effect depends on the target's Resistance. Attacks can stack in order to overcome a target's Protection.
PVE: Minions have a Protection of 1. Lts are 2. Bosses are 4. Elite Bosses are 6. The Purple Triangles of Doom on an Archvillain add 50 while they are up. Some specific enemies are resistant to fear.
PVP: Players have a Protection of 2. Scrapper and Tank defenses add 16 to that number.
What Powers Cause Fear?
Anyone can obtain a fear inflicting power through the power pools, but there are also a few fear inducing powers scattered among the primaries and secondaries for scrappers, brutes, stalkers, defenders, controllers, and dominators.
The third and fourth powers of the presence pool are fear powers. Like with any Power Pool, players must take either the first or second power in the pool in order to have access to the third power, and must take two of the first three powers before taking the fourth.
Ranged single target. Mag 2-3.
The third power in the Presence power pool. Causes 8 seconds of mag 2 fear, plus a 30% chance of mag 3. Recharge time is 30 seconds.
PBAoE. Mag 2.
The fourth power in the Presence power pool. Causes 8 seconds of mag 2 fear. Recharge time is 60 seconds.
Mag 2?. Melee, single target.
Scrappers, Brutes, and Stalkers have access to this power from the Dark Melee attack powerset.
Mag 2?. PBAoE Toggle power
Scrappers, Brutes, and Stalkers have access to the Dark Armor defensive powerset.
Mag 2?. Ranged cone.
Controllers and Dominators have access to the Terrify power through the Mind Control powerset. It inflicts minor damage as well as causing fear.
Mag 2?. Ranged cone.
This power is available to Defenders, Corruptors, and Masterminds through the Dark Miasma set, but not Controllers. Note that the Dark Servant pet in Dark Miasma can not cast Fearsome Stare. Also note that Petrifying Glare in the same powerset is not a fear power; it is a hold.
Mag 2? PBAoE?
Controllers, but not Dominators, have access to the Illusion powerset, which includes Spectral Terror.
Mag 1?
Storm Defenders can cast Tornado. One of the minor side-effects of this power is that is sometimes causes fear.
What Powers Protect Against Fear?
There are a lot of powers which offer resistance to Fear.
- tactics gives fear resistance.
- so does dark armor (obsidian shield).
- break frees work on it.
- there is a 1 hour minor fear resistance buff available from the empowerment station in a sg base.
- empathy's clear mind protects against fear.
- so does stimulant from medicine pool.
- shadowfall gives resistance (dark miasma, defenders, controllers, masterminds) toggle aoe.
- stalker ninjitsu Kuji-In Rin gives fear resistance.
- clarity from defender sonic resonance gives fear defense (also available to corruptors and controllers).
- indomitable will (ancillary pool power for controllers) has fear resistance.