Dispari

The other letters aren't in-game. They're on the forums here, on another section of the website, and cataloged on the wiki. The fastest one is the wiki: Omega Team. You can follow the links for each named character and read their letters there.

The versus part is where someone has to fight turrets. Maybe that person isn't you, but someone has to. It's not possible to complete it without some final result after a player fights NPCs.

I have an EM/WP Brute I abandoned at 42. Not only does she suck at holding aggro, but she can't clean up spawns unless she calls in the next two days at work sick.

EM may have originally been designed as an ST specialist, but it really isn't now. And even if it was, it wouldn't be enough to justify its terrible AoE damage. And really, I think having a Brute or Tank (or Scrapper to lesser extent) set be a single-target specialist is a bad idea to begin with, especially if that comes at the expense of really bad AoE.

There's a huge difference between clicking on a helicopter to zone and talking to an NPC contact that gives you a PvE mission to complete. Either way you're still ignoring the fact that SOMEBODY has to fight NPC turrets and click on meteors (PvE content) to get objects so they can complete the NPC-given mission. Even if that person isn't you.

Yes, PvP content can include PvE content. And pretty much always does. But just because PvP is POSSIBLE doesn't mean it's PvP content. PvP is technically POSSIBLE if I happen to wander into Warburg on my way to a Freakshow mission, but that doesn't make it PvP content.

What makes it PvP content is when fighting with players is the intended goal or resolution. When the objective can't be completed without fighting players. When the entire point is to battle with players. That's not the case with these supposed PvP content missions, where PvP interactions are not only scarce and not required, but the end result is barely a nuisance (as it takes maybe two minutes to swing back and get another shard).

Yes, PvP interactions can speed up or slow down your completion of the mission. But hey, so can inventions, so this is clearly invention content. And being level 50 can make things go faster, so it's post-50 content. And having friends along, so it's teaming content.

So no, just because you talk to an NPC who gives you a PvE mission that says "PvP can happen but probably won't, and definitely isn't required" that doesn't make it PvP content.

For these missions, PvP is a hazard, not a goal. No different than bumping into some purple Nemesis guys on your way to a mission. Either that or it's Nemesis content.

They are, though. Devs even said that they'd update and retcon the old content where necessary.

Yes it is.

Not only do you have to talk to an NPC to begin, you also have to interact with an object to complete. And in the case of Bloody Bay, you have to get to a computer that someone else cleaned the turrets around. Not impossible, but definitely difficult without PvE.

Besides, maybe YOU don't have to engage in PvP beyond that, but SOMEBODY does. Although you can get shards by beating people up, those shards had to come from PvE at some point. The entire thing can be completed without PvP, but nothing can be completed without PvE. Somewhere, at some point, someone had to PvE. Stealing their stuff lets you skip that step, but you're still benefitting from their PvE actions.

If PvP was turned off, all of these so-called PvP content missions would still be possible. If PvE was turned off, they wouldn't. Nobody in any zone on any server has to PvP even one iota to get a Shivan Shard, but for every shard obtained, somebody somewhere paid for those shards with PvE content.

I believe the difference between natural and mutation is natural implies that anyone of that particular species can achieve such a thing. For instance:

Martial arts - Anyone can train their body and be able to fight really well.
Energy manipulation - Anime-inspired humans, or races like kheldians, can do this either right off the bat or with training

Now, think of mutants like X-men. They were born with their powers, or eventually changed to have their powers. There was no specific outside source that caused the mutation. Take for example Beast. He's technically human, but no amount of training or natural born ability will allow you to be Beast. Only Beast is Beast. He's a mutant, because his abilities are not the norm, and not something another person can simply gain or unlock.

Depends a lot on what you're shooting for.

If you're looking for regular drops, +0/x8 will allow you the fastest kills while still allowing you to get level 50 recipes.

If you're looking for purples, -1/x8 will let you kill faster at the expense of getting level 49 recipes, but still be able to get purples.

If you're looking for influence or AE tickets, +2/x8 is a fast kill speed. The tickets are tied to enemy level.

If you're looking for experience, +2/x8 is again a fast kill speed. In running some teams I noticed that we could occasionally bump up to +3/x8 if we had enough support and damage. But +4/x8 just slowed us down because it took so long to kill the badguys.

If you're someone like a Stalker who excels against single enemies but not in groups, you may consider doing stuff like +3/x2 or +4/x1.

Since most of us grew up in the "heroic to invincible" era, I tend to shoot for +2/x1 and let team size control the number of foes. +2 is a fine setting that most teams can and should be able to handle.

I also just realized: how long until people don't know what I'm talking about when I say "heroic" or "relentless" ?

I remember trying to make low-level content for AE using custom critters. I had to stick to sets like DB and AR because they have the least damage and least secondary effects. I still ended up having minions that had three minor to moderate attacks in a level range where even liutenants would only have one attack. And this is with regen secondary so they effectively have "no secondary."

When making toons at higher levels, I found that no combination of enemies I could make were easier on my Invuln toon than just fighting Council Empire. And all that's pretty much on standard, where the customs get -25% exp. Putting them on hard would mean you'd suddenly start seeing Aim, Build Up, and other similar powers. Even if you stick to strictly weak sets, the units get 2-4x as many attacks as regular units do, and tend to do more damage with them. And have much more access to ToHit buffs.

Widely by who? I never heard anyone complain. My poorer friends who got to come back for a weekend enjoyed it.

It's impossible for you to complete the mission without interacting with NPCs and non-player objects.

There's still a small glimmer of hope. After all, we know at least two people that didn't feel like calling it quits even after a little thing like death tried to interfere.

Or for that matter, also have their second strongest attack have a 3.3 second cast time.

Let me break it down for you like this. What you're claiming is that the missions in PvP zones have a PvP component. They don't. What they have is an OPTION of involving PvP which in no real way is related to the mission itself.

Granted, if someone attacks you they can interfere with the mission and cause it to take longer. In exactly the same way that someone could kill you on your way to get the Triumphant badge. This doesn't make the badge system PvP content just because one happens to be in a zone where PvP CAN occur.

Sam made a point that I want to emphasize (because he beat me to it):

Emphasis mine. Essentially, even if PvP was turned off in Bloody Bay or Warburg, the missions would not need to be altered. They would still work, because they have no PvP aspect which is required. At no point in any of the missions is PvP essential to completing the missions. Again, there's a chance that PvP CAN happen on the side and even INFLUENCE the mission, but it's not required.

Bill seems to suggest that if something takes place in a PvP zone, that means it's PvP content:

Let me explain why this isn't sound reasoning. Aside from the fact that this would make Born in Battle PvP content, the strict difference here is that PvP does not have to be involved. It merely CAN be involved. For some better examples:

Let's say you had a mission that starts in Steel, and has a 90% chance of sending you to an office building in Steel, and for no particular reason, a 10% chance of sending you to an office building in Croatoa. The enemies you fight are the same either way. This doesn't make it Croatoa content just because you happen to be in Croatoa.

For some real examples: the old cape mission would enjoy sending you to a bunch of various zones. Just because one of them could be Perez doesn't make it hazard zone content. Because the fact that you're in a hazard zone is not used, or even necessary to the content. Or how about when you take the mission to kill Crey so you can get a new costume slot. The player can choose to do this in Brickstown, in Crey's Folly, or even inside missions. Just because you CAN do this in Crey's Folly doesn't make it Crey's Folly content.

And here's an even more extreme example: Bill claims that "Content in AE is pretty bluntly AE content." Well, for a while after the AE buildings went up, newspaper missions would randomly send you into the AE portals. You'd actually have to walk inside an AE building and click into the giant glowing green portal that simulates a VR atmosphere. Heck, arguably you even encountered and gained AE rewards (the badge nearby) for doing this. Now aside from the fact that this was a bug, did that mean newspapers were irrefutably AE content just because you happened to enter the AE building and interact with the AE environment?

No, because standing inside the AE building and clicking a portal doesn't make it AE content any more than standing inside a PvP zone and fighting NPCs is PvP content.

This is a perspective thing. I used to be almost totally blueside. Redside lagged more for me and I couldn't handle the slowness on my old computer. I hated Fury, and this was before Dom buff. Back in those days, every time I went into a PvP zone it was always hit-and-run Stalkers bad-mouthing the heroes and explaining that the reason they run away is because that's what Stalkers do (while simultaneously complaining whenever a Blaster ran away).

Over time I migrated to be mostly redside. Nowdays I play mostly Brutes and Doms. Any time I go into a PvP zone, which I assure you is rare, it's hoverblasting Blasters talking trash in broadcast about the cowardly Stalkers (from the comfort of their base where they can easily retreat to if someone doesn't die from their max range volley).

I recall when I worked in customer service, my manager told me that when he was on the phones, him and his co-workers would always complain about those damn incompetent know-nothing tech support guys. Then when their center closed and they got a transfer to be tech support reps, they would always complain about those damn incompetent know-nothing customer service guys.

Oh yeah, I forgot that part was required to complete it and retrieve the temp power. I hacked the game though and got all my Shivans without fighting anybody though.

Content that just happens to occur in a zone where PvP CAN happen doesn't make that content PvP. To be PvP content, you'd have to actually engage in PvP. Something can't be "player versus player content" if the player versus player part isn't part of the content. 100% of the mission to get a Shivan involves talking to NPCs, fighting NPCs, and interacting with objects. At no point do you have to fight players.

Just because you CAN go to RWZ at level 5 and do a mothership raid doesn't make it level 5 content. Just because you CAN do the invention introduction while on a team of 8 doesn't make it teaming content. And just because you CAN run into a player that wants to kill you while you collect a Shivan Shard doesn't make it PvP content. It's PvE content that happens to be located in a PvP zone where PvP CAN happen.

Yes, and yes I do.

So... you're saying Batman, Superman, Green Arrow, or Booster Gold would watch a lady getting mugged and say "Meh, he's not attacking ME!"

Not only does the "risk factor" sound like a crazy conspiracy theory, but it's easy to completely avoid any and all risk:

1) Set permissions so only the leader can access bins; rank 1s can invite but not kick
2) Invite someone so they can invite your alt
3) Log onto alt and get invited
4) Wait for third party to exit SG, or just kick them (using leader alt)
5) Change permissions so that anyone can access bins
6) Access bins; profit

Zero risk involved. The only thing that could go wrong would be if your friend didn't invite your alt. They can't kick, nor could they access bins in the time they're in the SG.

Alternate option:
1) Email yourself a trial account code
2) Deal to your new trial account character
3) Deal it back to your alt; profit

Third option:
1) Deal to someone you know and trust
2) Have them deal it back; profit

Any and all players can trade with eachother. You can easily give a level 45 Healing SO to your friend with no strings attached. Because SGs are social and are designed for lots of people to use and gather, the bins make trading easier.

Any and all players can trade to a friend, and then have that friend trade it back to one of your other characters. SG bins can do this too, without the middleman if you want. This makes trading to one of your own characters easier.

Allowing us to trade directly to our own characters wouldn't allow us to do anything that isn't already possible. Including the fact that you could do it with no risk involved. The only difference is it would save time and effort, which makes it a QoL change.

Including every time your level 3 visits Steel, right?

Do you also sidetrack to attack every single badguy mugging an NPC nearby?

This is actually a tad misinformed.

When Sonic came out it was the SOUNDS that it made that were making people woozy. The loud, wailing screech noises were causing headaches and migraines in some people and making them sick.

The COLORS were changed because the default gray was too light and it was hard to tell who was buffed and who wasn't, or where to stand for the bubble, and which people had Disruption on them.