Heraclea
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Posts
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Joined
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Another relatively minor inconvenience of Energy Melee is that because everything is Stun, there aren't many attractive "off the beaten track" IO sets to get defense bonuses from. They all eat five slots with a Stun set, and you don't want to slot your attacks that way.
I would skip Stun itself and take Build Up. Energy Melee is a one trick pony with single target damage. You want to milk that for what you can. -
Quote:No disagreement here, either. The mechanical differences between the two are now too slight to make a difference.Originally Posted by Sailboat
I think the mechanical differences between the two sets are small enough that your opinion of the coolness of particular custom weapon models should outweigh them, and you could pick whichever looks cool for your concept without worrying about the other set being marginally different. -
This build focussed chiefly on softcapping smashing/lethal rather than general damage, but so far I am quite pleased with its performance:
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Omphale II: Level 50 Mutation Tanker
Primary Power Set: Invulnerability
Secondary Power Set: Dark Melee
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Temp Invulnerability -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(3), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(11), RctvArm-ResDam:40(13), RctvArm-EndRdx:40(37)
Level 1: Shadow Punch -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg:35(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx:35(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg:35(5), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(33)
Level 2: Dull Pain -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(5), RechRdx-I:50(11), Heal-I:50(13), Heal-I:50(17)
Level 4: Shadow Maul -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg:50(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx:50(7), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg:50(7), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx:50(9), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(15), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(15)
Level 6: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 8: Unyielding -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(9), RctvArm-EndRdx/Rchg:40(31), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(31), RctvArm-ResDam:40(43)
Level 10: Combat Jumping -- GftotA-Run+:40(A), GftotA-Def/EndRdx:40(45)
Level 12: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt:50(A), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg:50(45), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng:50(46), Mocking-Acc/Rchg:50(48)
Level 14: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+:40(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:50(17), Heal-I:50(46)
Level 16: Super Jump -- ULeap-Jump:50(A)
Level 18: Invincibility -- GftotA-Def/EndRdx:40(A), GftotA-Def:40(19), GftotA-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:40(19), GftotA-Def/Rchg:40(31), GSFC-Build%:50(33), Taunt-I:50(42)
Level 20: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%:50(A), EndMod-I:50(21), EndMod-I:50(21), EndMod-I:50(50)
Level 22: Siphon Life -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(23), Nictus-Acc/Heal:50(23), Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:50(33), Theft-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:30(34), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg:50(45)
Level 24: Touch of Fear -- SipInsght-ToHitDeb:50(A), SipInsght-Acc/ToHitDeb:50(25), SipInsght-Acc/Rchg:50(25), SipInsght-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg:50(34), SipInsght-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:50(34)
Level 26: Tough Hide -- DefBuff-I:50(A), DefBuff-I:50(27), DefBuff-I:50(27), Ksmt-ToHit+:30(43)
Level 28: Soul Drain -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(29), RechRdx-I:50(29), Acc-I:50(37), Acc-I:50(40)
Level 30: Resist Physical Damage -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx:30(46), ImpArm-ResDam:40(50)
Level 32: Boxing -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx:50(48), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg:50(48)
Level 35: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(36), RctvArm-EndRdx/Rchg:40(36), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(36), RctvArm-EndRdx:40(37)
Level 38: Midnight Grasp -- Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx:50(39), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg:50(39), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob:50(39), Dmg-I:50(40), Dmg-I:50(40)
Level 41: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(A), LkGmblr-EndRdx/Rchg:50(42), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(42), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg:50(43)
Level 44: Resist Energies -- ResDam-I:50(A)
Level 47: Resist Elements -- ResDam-I:50(A)
Level 49: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet -
It's hard to answer this, because the two sets are now very similar in their damage, the ordering of their powers, and general abilities.
Axe is all knockup/knockdown; mace includes some stun as well. This makes mace a bit more versatile in the number of off-brand invention sets it takes. Axe just takes knockback among the exotic buttons, and slotting up knockback is bad, m'kay? The cone of Shatter (Mace) is wider than the cone of Cleave (Axe). These factors tip the balance in Mace's favor, at least by my tastes, but Axe is not a bad choice either. -
Quote:"Have fun. Postpone toggles." is my motto. I build my WP tankers the same way I build any other character, aiming for Stamina ASAP. Frankly, without SO enhancements MoB does more harm than good; the survivability you get out of it is not enough to justify its endurance cost, especially when you are also running at least two other toggles. I've built a small army of tankers, scrappers, and brutes running Willpower that all were made with Stamina before toggles. They were adequately tough in the teen levels without that extra toggle.Originally Posted by New Dawn
I couldn't be leaving Mind over Body until 22.
Super Strength is somewhat of an exception. You do want KO Blow at 20. So I have to put off Stamina to 26 to work it in. -
I just got one to 50 a couple weeks ago. This is the goal build, and I have most everything except for the Numinas assembled, and they are luxuries anyways.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Hypsiste (goal): Level 50 Mutation Tanker
Primary Power Set: Willpower
Secondary Power Set: Super Strength
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Hero Profile:
Level 1: High Pain Tolerance -- Numna-Heal:50(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx:50(5), Numna-Heal/Rchg:50(33), TtmC'tng-ResDam:30(34), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx:50(36), TtmC'tng-ResDam/Rchg:50(36)
Level 1: Jab -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg:35(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx:35(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg:35(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(43), Acc-I:50(46)
Level 2: Fast Healing -- Heal-I:50(A), Heal-I:50(5), Heal-I:50(37)
Level 4: Haymaker -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg:40(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx:40(7), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg:40(15), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:40(17), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:40(34), T'Death-Dam%:40(40)
Level 6: Indomitable Will -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(7), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(43)
Level 8: Rise to the Challenge -- Numna-Heal:50(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx:50(9), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx:50(9), DarkWD-Slow%:50(11), Taunt-I:50(15), Taunt-I:50(17)
Level 10: Air Superiority -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg:35(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx:35(11), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg:35(37), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(50)
Level 12: Quick Recovery -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(13), EndMod-I:50(13)
Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I:50(A)
Level 16: Swift -- Run-I:50(A)
Level 18: Health -- Heal-I:50(A), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx:40(19), Mrcl-Heal:40(19), Mrcl-Rcvry+:40(46)
Level 20: Knockout Blow -- Lock-Acc/Hold:50(A), Lock-Acc/Rchg:50(21), KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg:35(21), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx:35(23), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg:35(25), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(34)
Level 22: Mind Over Body -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-EndRdx/Rchg:40(23), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(25), RctvArm-ResDam:40(31), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(33)
Level 24: Taunt -- Annoy-Taunt:20(A), Annoy-Taunt/Rchg:20(46), Annoy-Taunt/Rchg/Rng:20(48)
Level 26: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(27), P'Shift-End%:50(27)
Level 28: Rage -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(29), RechRdx-I:50(29), Rec'dRet-Pcptn:20(37), Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg:20(43)
Level 30: Heightened Senses -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(31), LkGmblr-Def:50(31), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg:50(33)
Level 32: Strength of Will -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(A)
Level 35: Boxing -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx:50(36)
Level 38: Foot Stomp -- Oblit-Dmg:50(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg:50(39), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg:50(39), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(39), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(40), Oblit-%Dam:50(40)
Level 41: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-EndRdx/Rchg:40(42), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(42), RctvArm-EndRdx:40(42), RctvArm-ResDam:40(48)
Level 44: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(A), LkGmblr-EndRdx/Rchg:50(45), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(45), LkGmblr-Def:50(45)
Level 47: Char -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold:30(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg:30(48)
Level 49: Melt Armor -- ExVuln-DefDeb:20(A), ExVuln-DefDeb/Rchg:20(50), ExVuln-DefDeb/Rchg/EndRdx:20(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet -
Quote:Mostly the same as on the old forums. Forums, dammit! I in square brackets and /I for italics, same with B and U. Only thing that really did not import well were some colors.Originally Posted by Olantern
(In an unrelated matter, where are the tags to insert italics and whatnot on the new fora?)
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Quote:Absent other factors, WP tankers lose to other tankers and other non-WP characters with taunt auras almost automatically. Taunt and AoE are your friends, especially if the other character with an aura is a scrapper.Originally Posted by Lohenien
I don't understand the issues some people seem to have with a WP tank. The only time I lose aggro on mine is if a blaster nukes or if a controller goes aoe crazy.
I love Willpower. It supports a play style that is much more entertaining to me than some other tanker sets. But I still think its great sport to pull aggro off a Willpower Tanker with my Spines/WP scrapper. -
I've written a guide to this very subject. I like two taunts in RttC, myself.
It's also important to educate people about knockback. You knock it, you tank it. -
As I've noted elsewhere, there's some confusion about what's really a farm. Last time I accepted an Atlas invite, I played with a team running a kill all mission on an outdoor map. The mobs didn't say or do anything. The sort of thing the people who take pride in storytelling belittle.
The creator, the leader of the team of course, had some concept going. He made robots with Valkyrie pieces added, and the mob and mission name had something to do with Baldr and Ragnarok.
The mission surely looked like a farm. It was not. The minions went around casting Fortitude, of all things, and the lieutenants were shield, and the bosses Invulnerability. Took forever to take out a spawn of these custom critters, and I left for a TF well before we found the archvillain. There was plenty of risk and not much reward fighting those things.
I think this kind of mission tends to get lumped in with genuine, abusive farms; when it's really just some guy who wants to make up a bunch of custom critters and get people to fight them. This is not an abusive arc even if it will never make Dev's Choice. People get genuine pleasure out of making custom critters and getting people to fight them. It grieves me that they will lose their audience if these changes go through as planned. -
lol!
More on topic....
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I don't terribly mind Borgesian or inconclusive fiction, especially if presented in an inviting format. I loved Dictionary of the Khazars by Milorad Pavić. I could not finish If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino.
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Quote:This also works. You could go two healths in HPT and sacrifice a small fire/cold/AoE defense bonus; four is enough to claim the S/L bonus, which is the chief goal of my shown slotting.Originally Posted by New Dawn
3rd slot in Heracleas health would be better in HPT for a higher build regen value. I'd be inclined to keep the powers chosen but use Heraclea's slotting advice where total values are better and certainly be offensive.
You could also get a slightly smaller bonus but free up a slot by going with Annoyance rather than Mocking Beratement in Taunt. Annoyance is an underestimated gem.
You should not throw slots at single-benefit passives to chase set bonuses, though. -
That is a right peculiar build, and I'm not at all sure where to begin with it, other than to observe that Rise to the Challenge is your primary regeneration boost, and you don't slot it up with just a to hit debuff set.
I think a build like this will be:
- fairly less costly to make
- perform better all around, and
- be more fun to play
In fact, if you bought this stuff at the AH, even at current prices, you'd have a fair amount of change left over after you sold off the Miracles you don't need.
It's neither necessary nor worthwhile to max S/L resistance on a WP tanker, not at the expense of so many other kinds of performance. I'll agree that you probably don't need those ancillary pools; you ought to have plenty of AoE going for you in Axe to get aggro already, if only you'd have tooken it.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Natural Tanker
Primary Power Set: Willpower
Secondary Power Set: Battle Axe
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Hero Profile:
Level 1: High Pain Tolerance -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(3), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(17), RctvArm-ResDam:40(33), RctvArm-EndRdx:40(46)
Level 1: Beheader -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg:35(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx:35(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg:35(5), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(17)
Level 2: Fast Healing -- Heal-I:50(A), Heal-I:50(5), Heal-I:50(19)
Level 4: Gash -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg:40(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx:40(7), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg:40(7), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:40(19), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:40(34), T'Death-Dam%:40(34)
Level 6: Indomitable Will -- GftotA-Def/EndRdx:40(A), GftotA-Def/Rchg:40(43), GftotA-EndRdx/Rchg:40(43), GftotA-Def:40(43)
Level 8: Rise to the Challenge -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx:50(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx:50(9), Numna-Heal:50(9), DarkWD-Slow%:50(11), Taunt-I:50(11), Taunt-I:50(25)
Level 10: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 12: Quick Recovery -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(13), EndMod-I:50(13)
Level 14: Health -- Heal-I:50(A), Heal-I:50(15), Heal-I:50(15)
Level 16: Combat Jumping -- Zephyr-Travel:50(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx:50(46)
Level 18: Super Jump -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(21), EndMod-I:50(21)
Level 22: Mind Over Body -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(23), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(23), RctvArm-ResDam:40(33), RctvArm-EndRdx:40(33)
Level 24: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt:50(A), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg:50(25), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng:50(42), Mocking-Rchg:50(50)
Level 26: Swoop -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg:40(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx:40(27), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg:40(27), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:40(40), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:40(42), T'Death-Dam%:40(42)
Level 28: Whirling Axe -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg:50(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx:50(29), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg:50(29), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx:50(34), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(37), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(50)
Level 30: Heightened Senses -- GftotA-Def/EndRdx:40(A), GftotA-Def/Rchg:40(31), GftotA-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:40(31), GftotA-Def:40(31)
Level 32: Strength of Will -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(A)
Level 35: Cleave -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg:50(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx:50(36), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg:50(36), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx:50(36), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(37), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(37)
Level 38: Pendulum -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg:50(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx:50(39), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg:50(39), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx:50(39), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(40), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(40)
Level 41: Boxing -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 44: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(45), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(45), RctvArm-ResDam:40(45), RctvArm-EndRdx:40(46)
Level 47: Weave -- GftotA-Def/EndRdx:40(A), GftotA-Def/Rchg:40(48), GftotA-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:40(48), GftotA-Def:40(48)
Level 49: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet -
Quote:Not quite, but I do tend to think that the profits made by "flipping" and similar activites are ethically problematic, but that's not the sermon I'm preaching today. There's no shame in selling drops or random roll results otherwise earned in the game.Originally Posted by Fulmens
To the OP: Heraclea has a fundamental, (here) unstated axiom. As I understand it, she believes it is morally wrong to use the market to make a profit. I suspect that every other theorem of hers is logical and follows clearly from this axiom, but I have such trouble with the starting place that I can't follow any of the paths that start there.
Even so, the market is kind of broken right now, the result of too much inf chasing too few drops, and so minimizing your resort to it and keeping a minimum of inf on hand as opposed to other assets remains sound, IMO. If you're willing to run the risk of getting just junk, go ahead and random roll your merits. I'd at least save them till 47 --- you can always roll at lower levels, but you can't roll at higher levels until you get there.
But hey --- you may already be a winner! ---
(Worth around $6.20 at the time.) -
Quote:I may not know economics, but I know history. When inflation gets out of hand, people hoard non-perishable goods, "invest" in precious metals, and seek to minimize their holdings in cash. When the expectation arises that a currency will buy less tomorrow than it will today, they spend now to buy things that hold their value better.Originally Posted by Laevateinn
I don't agree with almost everything Heraclea says, but I do agree that influence is the least valuable currency. Its value degrades over time due to inflation, and even if you can afford something on the market, the supply may be limited or nonexistant (like many Pool Cs in unpopular sets or at levels below 50 are right now).
This is what I do. I will buy inexpensive pool A's on the market, if they're things a character can make or equip. When the inf pricetag on something in the market rises above the inf I want to carry, I buy that with a more stable currency. Random rolls for things to turn into inf do not make sense in this environment, because holding inf does not make sense. -
Quote:This, exactly. I've avoided playing the market and trying to convert merits, tickets, and drops into inf because I see inf as a commodity that's useless per se and with a very unstable value. IOs are first and foremost something for my characters to use.Originally Posted by Sardan
I think you were trying to make the point that it's better to invest in goods or currency that won't be devalued via inflation if there is a more stable alternative. That makes sense.
I'm generally not in the market for purple sets anyways. The purple set bonuses generally seem to be "nice but not what I'm looking for." The most amazing discrepancy between price and performance seems to be in lowbie (e.g. level 35) IO sets that give good defense bonuses for a small investment in slots. These are things I am actually interested in acquiring, but I'm not going to be paying for them in inf; the cost of acquiring that kind of inf is too high.Quote:Using the examples of purples, however, was ill advised. Some folks in this forum that have a better track record than you do have predicted the price of purples to drop in i16 and have sold their holdings.
FWIW, I don't consider my "track record" that bad; it's only that I've chosen not to play the market mini game, because all I can do there is convert other assets to inf I don't want, and other forms of assets have a superior track record themselves. I see the accumulation of inf as risky and likely to be eroded by further inflation. The accumulation of IOs, salvage, and merits seems relatively stable, so that's where my savings go. I wouldn't really care if my IOs start selling for less inf. The name of the game for me isn't "get more inf" but "equip your characters". -
I would also say that my inv tankers are my characters of choice for running exemp-down content. Willpower works well in this context as well, but may not have Taunt before 22 as noted. My most recent Inv tanker's build puts Health at 14 and SJ at 16, the opposite of the customary way; but she can always get a jetpack in the Shard now, and now has the benefits of her regen and recovery IOs when running Posi for the merits.
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Quote:"Boughten" is a bit archaic, but it's still standard as the opposite of "homemade" or "homespun".Originally Posted by Sardan
"Boughten"? You are embiggening my vocabulary.
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I prefer to think of merits as a currency backed by gold. You know they have a fixed value, pegged to the set IOs they can buy.
Tickets are a currency backed by silver. They have a fixed value, pegged to the rare and uncommon salvage they can buy.
Inf is a currency backed by recycled cardboard. Their fixed value is pegged to the value of SOs they can buy. You can fully equip a level 50 with boughten SOs for less than 10 million inf.
Conversion, at varying rates, goes one way. You can convert your merits to inf, your tickets to inf, but you cannot convert your inf to merits or tickets.
Which currency do you save given this scenario?
I would add that CoH is a standard shortage economy in its current incarnation. The standard response to unaffordable salvage and recipe prices that the marketeers will give you is "bid what you can afford and maybe it will be filled in a month." Just like folks in the Soviet Union used to queue up in the expectation that shoes might be delivered to the shop, and some of them might actually fit.
The CoH market is also a classic example of an inflationary economy. The purchasing power of inf has been steadily eroded since the introduction of invention sets, and that erosion accelerated when Mission Architect took over.
I see people who stockpile inf as old-style Turkish billionaires, from back in the days when a billion Turkish lira was equal to maybe seven hundred US dollars. It may be that i16 will wreck the Mission Architect and slow, if not stop, the unfavorable ratio of inf versus goods in the system. But we don't really have an efficient short term way of flushing inf from the system, and it's going to take a good long time for those extra zeroes to disappear. For at least the foreseeable future, I think that holding on to your merits, tickets, and IOs is at least a rational strategy. (And no, it's not speculation either. The sin of speculation means hoping to some day convert your other assets into inf, exactly what I am avoiding.)
As noted above, inf is something that some folks are willing to give away a billion of for kicks. I haven't seen anyone doing that with purple set IOs, at least not intentionally. -
Quote:Depends on the kind of storage you have access to.Originally Posted by Reptlbrain
Please do not take Heraclea's advice to buy pool As. They are way undersold versus their straight up merit costs. Somewhere else she has claimed that none of her characters have ever amassed more than 35 million influence (or even as little as five million). Fulmens spent one billion for laughs.
Inf storage is for all practical purposes infinite. Salvage and enhancement storage is limited even with a supergroup and base devoted to that purpose, and the ability to stockpile recipes is even more limited.
Moreover: if you convert your merits into chosen enhancements, you have converted them into an asset whose value is relatively fixed: you or another character can always use them. But if you convert your merits into inf, you turn them into an asset whose value has trended nothing but down: salvage you used to be able to buy for 5K now sells for 150K, etc.
In hyperinflationary and shortage economies, hoarding non-perishable assets is expected. No, I don't try to accumulate large storage of inf whose value declines over time. -
Quote:True; but on the other hand, the postponability of the Inv passives means that early Taunt is easier to work in.Originally Posted by Failsight
Mind you, there is the (relatively) small factor of Shields getting their taunt aura at lvl 8 (IIRC) compared to Inv getting theirs (and the majority of their defence) at lvl 18. Many people won't want to tank Tank until the 20s anyway, which is why I say it's a small thing, but it could also impact survivability quite a bit.
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FWIW, at least for soloists bosses need to be enabled specifically for them to spawn. If you have room for and can make a boss, you can add one. You can promote a lieutenant to boss if you have more than one lieutenants. Or you can add a dummy boss from a standard group. Call him Biff the Understudy or some such.
If I keep any missions live, I will probably pull all the custom groups and replace them with tutti-frutti colored Council and 5th Column. I will add descriptions to them telling players what they are supposed to be imagining in their stead. -
If you're testing solo, you may need to go back to the hero corps contact and tell them that you specifically want bosses to spawn on solo. The default appears to be to turn them off.
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Adding small amounts of defense to resistance based sets is almost always more worthwhile to adding small amounts of resistance to defense based sets.
If you add 5% across the board resistance, basically one of every twenty attacks that should have hit will miss. This is worthwhile in many situations. If you add 5% resistance, you take 95 damage instead of 100. This is seldom worth the endurance cost.
I'd only probably only bother running it in team situations, but that's where 1 in 20 missing will do you the most good.