Plat Architect - shitty build, but did ok

I'd been avoiding taking the Architect into Plat to date under the assumption he'd be hamstrung by having his VI on constant cooldown unless I played very conservatively. I tried him last night (Kett/Vertigo/Plat) and was very pleasantly suprised.

I'd always specced my VI in the past as a CQC tank (4A health/regen, 5B 200% health/CQC behavior, and 6A rockets/detonation), since it's been able to fill that role effectively on Gold ever since 1.06.  I respecced last night to the opposite evos (4B recharge, 5A beam damage/ranged behavior, 6B stunning beam) and found the VI to actually have respectable utility as a consistent aggro-dump and damage augmentor.

Build:

Please note that I respecced in-lobby while my friends waited, so I rushed and made a handful of mistakes and poor choices. I also may have been moderately intoxicated.

So, this is the build I used, but I've noted a couple of things I intend to change before next use.

I welcome any feedback, whether directed to the evos I know were bad choices or ones I explained/defended.


Remnant VI

-- 4B Recharge Speed - Bottom line: you'll be casting VI often. It doesn't die nearly as quickly as I'd expected, particularly on such an open map as Vertigo, but still too quickly for the regen bonuses of Expedited Repairs to matter much.

-- 5A Focus Module - This is one I'll likely change. The beam damage is helpful - it vultured a number of kills both for and from me - but not so much that I felt like it was worth choosing the option that pushes the VI to longer-range engagement. 

The 200% health bonus and CQC behavior from 5B Close Combat Module is probably better for a Plat aggro-management build. The beam damage probably doesn't offset that utility.

-- 6B Electric Beam - This evo's honestly a bit of a toss-up. The beam's stun definitely saved me a couple of times when I was getting overwhelmed in the wave 6 upload, but I don't know that the alternate evo's rockets wouldn't have done the same, with the benefit of an additional detonator throughout the match. I don't feel like the beam primes quickly or often enough.



Barricade

-- First rank only. Situationally (e.g. blockading one side of an upload or hack) very useful, but I don't care for it enough to sink points into it.



Incinerate

-- 4A Radius - My default. Didn't really put any thought into this one, TBH.

-- 5B Anti-Armor - Because Plat.

-- 6A Detonator - The ability to detonate is extremely valuable on Plat, but even setting that aside I've always disliked Double Incinerate. Even if it only happens maybe one time in 5 or 6 casts, its tendency to ignore the one target I intended to hit when three or more are in my FoV drives me fucking nuts.



Off Tech

-- 4B Combo Detonation - With two detonators this evo seemed more useful than power damage. PUGs very rarely have either the patience or awareness (and never both) to let Incinerate run its course on a tagged enemy, so I might as well detonate myself and get the most out of it.

-- 5B Anti-Armor - Better to augment my powers' strength than to try to make up for its weakness with an evo (Anti-Shield) that's wholly inadequate to the task even on Gold. Not worth taking unless you're running sparky Barricade. Even then, oh this guy, meh.

-- 6B Weapon Mass Reduction - Definitely one I'll change. I wanted to run a Shorty and Siphon Dhan as sidearm. Not worth sacrificing 6A Elemental Tech.  Dumb move, regretted it as soon as I finalized the tree, but had no more respecs.



Support Systems

-- 4B Tech Radius - Neither option's particularly exciting. Radius augments Incinerate and VI's missiles. 

-- 5A Advanced Construction - Serious question: does anyone spec into Tactical Revive?

-- Shield Reset - IMO, on Plat, far superior to the 30% damage debuff from Tech Sabotage, the lone exception being SI with Area Drain.