Cognito

I think I have done Phipps twice. Both on my most evil and sick villains. It didnt seem right for the others. And even on those two, I felt the pangs of WROOOOOOONG!

Having said that, its a great arc. Notorious even. People actually shy away from the evil of the man.

Now what we really need is a hero, or even a co-orp arc where we lovingly get to beat the snot out of him! Heck, if it had that at the end rather than a rare recipe, it could be a 20 hour Shadow Shard Marathon and people would still be clamouring to do it!

Being in an all corruptor team is even nicer. A Brute will barely reach a mob before its dead.

Alpha? pffft, capped defence, capped resistance, enemies debuffed to hell, and all the heals you could want. I doubt a +5 AV would have a chance.

I would rather they fixed PvP first.

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Not impressed at all devs......

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VERY impressed with the devs. Well done.

Anyone complaining of an unjustified nerf should look at, or ideally, play, other sets.

I dont think Brutes are designed for, or indeed capable of hardcore tanking like tanks, so perhaps lowering your expectations may be a bitter but necessary pill to swallow.

As far as I am aware, Invulnerability thrives mainly against Smash/Lethal damage (you should be getting up to around 60-70% if you take tough, which you should) and in fairly big groups where Invincibility can shine.

If you want to hardcore tank as a Brute, you will definately need Tough and Weave, and probably the unique Resistance IO that gives +3 defence (all).

However, I cant see you tanking large amounts of non smash/lethal, and you will be paper thin against anything with /psi, for instance.

Brutes arent tanks at the end of the day. I think its reasonable to expect them to a) take the alpha, b) take the boss and c) make sure the squishies arent dropping and taunt appropriately. But its probably not realistic to routinely expect them to herd huge groups and sit their laughing.

IM not sure there is any elegant solution. However the *ideal* solution is allowing melee characters to get off more than one attack.

This would mean that high DPS attacks (like claws) would be as viable as high spike damage like EM.

The only way I can see this happening is for melee (? all) attacks to have a chance of very short movement supression.

Maybe 100% for first attack, dropping to 50% if you allready are supressed.

Duration? difficulty - maybe a variable amount say 0.5 to 2.5 seconds.

Im not saying its not a challenge. Maybe there are better ways around it. Maybe the devs have got more global ideas in terms of PvP that solve the problem... who knows?

You cant solve a PvP problem by suggesting something that has profound implications for PvE, and, of course visa versa. So it has got a place in this thread. Just as PvE discussions need to consider PvP.

I totally agree that melee PvP needs a hard look at. There are solutions, and I am pretty confident they will come. PvP seems to be looked at carefully at the momemnt, and all changes, whilst they are only small steps, should be applauded.

To my mind the most important long term goal is diversifying combat / missions types etc.

Feasible Ideas maybe:

1. Toxic Environments (to players and toons) e.g. flames, noxious gasses, liquid nitrogen spills, falling rocks. Doing either damage or debuff

This allows more tactics in terms of positioning yourself and the enemy.

2. Limited destructability

Smash the Generator, and Lights go out in the base (-acc and percep buff to all)

Shoot the Fuel Barrel, and explosion occurs (KB and damage, and an area of ignited fire)

Freeze the burning fuel, and it becomes stable.

Warm up the frozen Robot to start it frenziedly attacking all and sunder. Hack the glowy in the midst of combat to control it.

Smash the door to the Regenerator booster to get a buff. DO you smash the door or fight off the waves of security guards attracted to the noise? you choose!

etc
etc

2. New Mission types

Save innocents from the burning building / toxic gas leak at chemical plant / raiding villain / forest fire.

3. Additional Combat Twists / AI

Move away from "herd and AoE" combat. Enemies move, react, etc.

Smash damage from getting KB'd into a wall. Maybe even small chance of stunning

Get infamy from a succcessful em/ monologue if you are a villain

AVs challanege by summoning reinforcements, activating pop up turrets, retreating into a secret den, Activating the magic golem, or Morphing into different shapes. Not just being a sack of hit points and a big punch.


These are all ideas, but I think the thing that would be the most worthwhile addition is more of 1. and 2. (which kind of lead on from one another) This opens up a whole world of possibilities, tactics, and gameplay. Ultimately, I think unless the game progresses to this it will slowly wither.

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Im not saying melee hasnt got problems. Hell PvP is still borked beyond repair as far as Im concerned, but Im just laughing at the notion that nerfs arent needed. Its just a ridiculous as buffs arent needed.

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I think melee chars in general need a buff, in pvp that is, far more than individual sets needed a nerf.

Perhaps they should wait till they have something to compensate melee sets with before nerfing them.

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there are two ways of doing it

1. Nerf EM then Buff all Melee for PvP
2. Buff all Melee for PvP, then Nerf EM

From a PvP persepective, it is irrelevent. Both solutions work, but both also cause a transient problem with either EM overperforming (the bulk of all PvP combat) in case 1, or EM underperforming to the extent of all other melee sets. Either way, nothing is really lost or gained in terms of balance. I cant see any argument for either side.

However, from a PvE perspective (the bulk of the game), Solution 1. Makes more sense, as it more speedily resolved the problem of EM overperforming.

Note: This is all providing there is a subsequent Melee buff, which, given the cunning changes to powers, I strongly suspect there will be. Well, perhas not a technical "buff", but a solution, anyway.

What DEFINATELY isnt a solution is to buff all sets to EM level.

Oh Come on Come on!!!

PvP Should be balanced... it matters not if you nerf x or buff y... as long as x=y. Nerfs DO NOT MATTER because the end result is balancing!!!

The bulk of this game is PvE. You cant endlessly buff buff buff because of my arguments above.

What exactly are you saying? Buff every melee power to EM?

Now, if you propose the problem "Melee is underpowered in PvP" I would agree and say something needs to be done.

But the answer is not buff buff buff buff buff, because that will make PvE stupid easy sooner or later. Its just NOT a valid solution.

EM nerfing is a step in the right direction for everybody. We NEED nerfs for balanced PvP. Now, at least, melee sets are strating to approach equivilance.

Im not saying melee hasnt got problems. Hell PvP is still borked beyond repair as far as Im concerned, but Im just laughing at the notion that nerfs arent needed. Its just a ridiculous as buffs arent needed.

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I think other powers should be improved and brought up to the top performing sets instead of going around nerfing these powers in the name of pvp balance.

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It never fails to amaze me how people think that buffing every set to the top performer in the answer.

Get with it folks. If all dev's ever did was buff... then there would be a never ending cycle of buffing. As the months and years passed every set would get stronger... and stronger.. and stronger...

The game is edging into "too easy" allready. With freinds and PvE builds even the STF/ITF is something I approach confident in the fact that we will succeed. The only way I get any real challenge is in PuG or the MoSTF/LRSF run.

As the game get easier, then there may be a initial chorus of "Whoop yeah!" from people who get there powers buffed, but the game, overall looses its appeal... server populations fall.. and fall... and fall....

If you want to feel "super", play on heroic!, but the game needs a challenge.

The game cannot be balanced on purely nerfs or purely buffs, but the sensible application of both. WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THE DEVS ARE DOING!!!

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Well all i can say is PANTS!!

Why do they have to keep doing this kind of rubbish, i fail to see how this has anything to do with balance after all pvp is still very un balanced and tips towards heroes all the way.

Give us some good pvp FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!

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Good PvP is light years away. The adjustment of EM is just a drop in the ocean. But a good starting block is blanacing the performance of powers.

Co Op Zones. Thumbs up.

1. If you dont like it, its NOT a requisite. You dont loose anything by it being Co-op. At least half the Co Op TFs i do are just a bunch of hero or villain mates anyway.

2. Co-op play vastly diversifies the mix and blend of teams, which is invogarating. Playing a tank when you have brute on the team means you play different. Playing a dominator with a tank on the team is rare bliss. Playing a scrapper remains a dull existence, tempered by the fact you are making it harder for everyone else

So, would that mean a lvl 50 toon doing Numina may get a Miracle +Recovery recipe (which caps at 40)?

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When does this poxy idea come into play then?

EM isnt a fantastic "i win" power set to start, it did give melee chars at least a chance to be a bit competative in pvp though.

Thanks for another great nerf, and a kick in the [censored] for anyone that bothered to level a char with energy melee to pvp.

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For what its worth, I think the dev's are seriously looking at PvP balances. I suspect a mechanism to allow melee attacks to be more viable is in the offing.

However, they must also balance the sets. EM was ridiculously good in PvP.

I'd keep your hope up for a few months at least (or until issue 13).

This is at least a step in the right direction: EM is now on a relatively level setting with other melee attack sets (?Still over powered). That *IS* a step in the right direction.

I would like a "light" blast set (not sure about primary).

A few thoughts

1. Loose the religious connetations /powers. Offends us athiests.

2. I suggest -damage secondary effect rather than -accuracy (to demarcate it from dark blast)

Ok, im being thick here...

When you complete a TF, you get a rare recipe drop (Pool D is it?)

What im not clear bout is level.

Sy you are level 50 and complete, for sake of argument, Numina (you are exemeped to level 40). DO you get a drop of level 50 pool or level 40 pool?

E.g. IN such a circumstance, could you get a Miracle: +Recovery drop (max level 40 AFAIK?)

Solo only content? No way from me.

I think its generally accepted that PvP is utterly borked in this game. Only really tenable for a few builds / sets and after a lot of grinding to get the almost-requisite IO's.

As far as I see there are two options:

1. Drop it completely from any further resource development.
2. Massive investment of resources to overhaul it completely.

Given the choice I'd go for 1, but with some reluctance. However, what certainly isnt an option is pretending its viable with drib and drab changes. A "cobble something together patchwork stylee" effort in an attempt to persuade people thats its viable. It isnt.

Me 2. Had bought some extra slots but not filled them. Now they are all locked.

VERY miffed. I would appreciate some explanation, seems I have just paid money to NCSoft under false pretenses.

Yes, I was thinking of burst damage more in terms of Melee. To my mind it still has an advantage, albeit less significant, for ranged attacks.

I cant really answer all those questions. But I think it is concensus to say that in PvP:

ST >>>> AoE
Burst >>>>> Sustained (as you say, particularly for melee)
DoT is weak
Aid Self is Strong / Necessary
Phase Powers is Strong

Wheras in PvE

AoE >>>> ST
Sustained > Burst
DoT is pretty reasonable
Aid Self is unnecessary, and arguably inefficient unless solo
Phase is weakish.

Again, I think im onlyl presenting concensus veiw. Im sure individual opinions vary, and there are counter arguments to every one of the above.

Scrappers Kings of CoX????

They are last on my wishlish for any SF. Does anyone actually have them top????

The two core solutions:

1. Make PvE Builds More Viable in PvP

(AoE attacks buffed vs Players. DoT effects auto-interrupting Interruptable powers. More -jump effects. Phase Shift/Hibernate being incomplete protection vs players. Nerf Burst damage. Buff Sustained damage. The list goes on)

2. Make PvP Powers more viable in PvE

(Cant think of anything right now, have a headache. Im sure there are ways)

I think the suggestion was a further proportional increase in debt as you level.

Good Idea IMO.

However, I am concerned the Dev team have lost their bottle regarding anything vaguely "nerf" like. A very short term, unhealthy philosophy if you as me.