Heraclea

"Clues to find" probably ought to be reserved only for small maps in which you aren't trying to mislead or surprise the player.

You can, however, create multiple, different hostages with different texts and link them all together under "hostages to free / free the last hostage". You can, also, if you want, make one "hostage to free" a coffin or body bag you have to click. It's at your discretion, how you want to tell your story.

Does anyone have a listing of the /settitle badge numbers for the i14 Mission Architect badges that were removed in i15? I checked badge-hunter.com, but the only badges they list with their settitle numbers are the gladiators.

The badges, while no longer being listed, are still possibly in the game at some level. I know that my character "William Shakespeare", who started using the Bard badge and was in fact rolled because that badge was out there, has kept the badge as a title even if it no longer is listed.

I am also curious to see if post-i15 characters get the account wide badges they would have gotten as well.

I would not delay Stamina and think you have generally chosen wisely to plan on it at 20. I made a guide to levelling up WP and Stone; that guide makes a choice for the harder hitting mallet power rather than taking both, but if you want two you can always drop Hasten. The toggles MoB and HS generally do not do enough to justify their drain before SO levels, and on most of my WP builds I put off HS until level 30.

I probably would move slots out of Swift and Fly and into RttC for Taunt now, although Stone is going to have fewer issues than most others at holding aggro.

The slow is noticeable. Note that it is only movement slow, not recharge slow, which is the more valuable. It does allow you a better chance to get away if you wind up in over your head, which may be worsh a few points of damage from Quills itself. I have it frankenslotted includiong some Pacing of the Turtle, with a chance for recharge slow.

Spines/Willpower. Have both QR and Stamina, take Fighting pool and Caltrops. This will become financially self-sufficient very easily, is very fast and easy to level, and is my character of choice for farming MA missions or working the Roman wall.

My willpower scrapper has no problems holding aggro when needed --- then again, she is Spines, and could hold aggro even if she were Spines/Empathy.

A Dark/SR scrapper was the character I rolled at the launch of i14. Got that one to 50 a couple weeks ago.

My unscientific impression is that SR takes a long time to get good (and does not exemp down well, either), but as for pure safety it is probably superior to anything else in the late game. I also needed all three endurance uniques and procs to enjoy the character, but that's just me.

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My problem is not with other Tanks... My problem is when I'm on my Scrappers.

Then I am just hellbent to out-survive and out-aggro the team Tank(s). Partly as a nice challenge and partly to poke them into getting a move on. I have played with some excellent Tanks, but 90% of the ones I run into don't push the pace enough on teams.

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I do this all the time on my Spines/WP scrapper, so much so that the character has a rep among certain tankers I play with regularly. That character is fairly good for herding and fairly safe in large groups.

I'm only dangerous when I've just taken another armor power on a low level tanker. That's when the impulse to "let;s see what this one is doing for me" takes hold.

Managed to grab this screen shot of the 2d drop ship we took out, this one was in Steel Canyon.

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Ah yes... here we have one of the many "Talking Heads" that are so infamous on the forums that are under the belief that Brutes cannot tank.

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I certainly have never said such a thing. I have regularly tanked STF, LGTF, and LRSF --- and BSF, once --- on my DM/WP brute.

That said, generally speaking, in the current game defense tends to outperform resistance. Been this way since the dark days of i5 - i7. Even a few points of defense mean that some full damage attack that might have hit you now has that much larger a chance to miss. But 5% resistance means that you take 95 damage from an attack that would have hit for 100. Defense is all good from 1% to the cap. Increasing your resistance starts to make a difference only at values greater than 50%. Then there's the debuff issue, which means that unless resistance based sets resist a debuff, they eat the full value of the debuff from everything that hits.

The purely resistance based tanker sets out there now - Fire and Dark Armor - aren't generally considered top tier for pure survivability, although Dark Armor can get by with various parlor tricks. Fire used to have offensive abilities that were supposed to make up for its inherent softness; it no longer gets adequate compensation for its weakness now. Adding another to this duo of low performance tanker primaries isn't going to excite all that many people.

Never been much of a farmer, but for farming like tasks like working the Roman wall or MA bosses, I use my Spines/WP.

I slotted up Quills for Slow, an eccentric choice, I know. I have three -recharge procs, and a Taunt in RttC. Nothing runs away, if it tries it doesn't get far, I am safe as milk among +3s, and if I stand there long enough everything around me will die eventually. This may not be the fastest or highest damage scrapper, but she can fight indefinitely without taking a break.

This is the build I am using now. All is in place except the last few Numinas.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Betsy Ross (goal): Level 50 Mutation Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Spines
Secondary Power Set: Willpower
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Weapon Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Lunge -- C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(3), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(3), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(37), Hectmb-Dam%(46)
Level 1: High Pain Tolerance -- Numna-Heal(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg(5), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(7), TtmC'tng-ResDam(43), TtmC'tng-ResDam/Rchg(43), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(50)
Level 2: Spine Burst -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(5), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg(15), Erad-Dmg/Rchg(40), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 4: Fast Healing -- Numna-Heal(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(9), Numna-Heal/Rchg(9)
Level 6: Air Superiority -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(11), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46)
Level 8: Impale -- Dev'n-Acc/Dmg(A), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg(40), Thundr-Acc/Dmg(40), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46)
Level 10: Indomitable Will -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(15)
Level 12: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I(A)
Level 16: Rise to the Challenge -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx(A), Numna-Heal(17), Numna-Heal/Rchg(17), DarkWD-Rchg/EndRdx(42), DarkWD-Slow%(43), Taunt-I(50)
Level 18: Health -- RgnTis-Heal/EndRdx(A), RgnTis-Heal/Rchg(19), RgnTis-Regen+(19)
Level 20: Quick Recovery -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(21), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(21)
Level 22: Stamina -- Efficacy-EndMod(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(23), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(23)
Level 24: Mind Over Body -- TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(A), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(25), TtmC'tng-ResDam(25), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(42)
Level 26: Ripper -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(27), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(31), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(37)
Level 28: Quills -- TmpRdns-Acc/Slow(A), TmpRdns-Acc/EndRdx(29), TmpRdns-Dmg/Slow(29), TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(37), TmpRdns-Acc/Dmg/Slow(39), P'ngTtl--Rchg%(39)
Level 30: Heightened Senses -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(31), LkGmblr-Def(34), LkGmblr-Rchg+(39)
Level 32: Throw Spines -- AirB'st-Acc/Dmg(A), AirB'st-Dmg/EndRdx(33), AirB'st-Dmg/Rchg(33), Posi-Acc/Dmg(33), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(34)
Level 35: Build Up -- AdjTgt-Rchg(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(36), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg(36), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(36)
Level 38: Strength of Will -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
Level 41: Boxing -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(42)
Level 44: Tough -- TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(A), TtmC'tng-EndRdx/Rchg(45), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(45), ImpArm-ResDam(45)
Level 47: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-EndRdx/Rchg(48), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(48), LkGmblr-Rchg+(48)
Level 49: Caltrops -- P'ngTtl--Rchg%(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit

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So I hope they change CP for Tankers AND Stalkers and Brutes (both in ELA and EA) for something more useful and add CP to some Patron Brute pool. Some Brutes (w/ other powersets) would kill for Conserve Power as a Patron Power.

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That would get me interested in my SS/Inv brute, who currently serves only as a figurehead for my villain group, while the Willpower brute does all the heavy lifting.

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Anyhow if Elec Armor for Tankers/Scrappers get something actually useful instead of CP there will be hordes of Brutes and Stalkers screaming...

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It strikes me that the ability to pick up Conserve Power at level 18 on a tanker would be one of the main attractions of the set. This is when you'd get it if it were ported over without changes. With auxiliary powers, you could have it twice, and any Electric Armor tanker I probably would make likely would have it twice.

Not sure why I am seeing the hate for what looks to me to be the most fun and useful power in the set.

Both WP and Inv make very nice combinations with SS. If you're serious about rolling an EM character, you will want Inv rather than WP.

WP is definitely a lot more fun to level than Inv is. You will want at least two of the three +endurance uniques in Inv before you can get comparable performance out of it. If you level up on TFs that is not a problem. I'd try for that before trying to sustain Tough and Weave. WP can easily get by with QR and Stamina.

EM's stuns don't help WP much. The compensating weakness WP gets for being more fun to play is that you have to work a lot harder to keep aggro with it. EM is the weakest AoE tanker secondary. You will rely on Taunt a lot. Inv is similarly single target focussed from 1-37; after Foot Stomp is in place, it's easy.

If you are planning on slotting for defense bonuses, Inv gets more out of them, and SS would be the better choice. EM is going to be needed for recharge, recharge, and more recharge.

1: How survivable is WP?

Much more so than Regen, esp. in the late game. You have a mix of resistance, defense, and regeneration, all on toggles or passives, so you are less likely to get clobbered.

The tradeoff is that WP is a chore to get to 22, like any other set. At 22, you should have both Quick Recovery and Stamina, and the world is your oyster.

2: Does it need heavy IO slotting to really shine, or can it do well out of the box?

Does fine out of the box.

3: If it does need IOs, how much money should I be looking to spend?

I'd say I've spent maybel 50-60 million on my level 50 Spines/WP scrapper. Mostly just to beef up the offense, and Spines accepts stuff that's inexpensive and off the beaten path for melee, so I use frankenslotting when it seemed advantageous.

I have not been single mindedly pursuing defense bonuses like I did with my Dark/Reflex scrapper. Don't feel a need. I went for +hp and +recharge instead. This is a viable strategy, but more costly.

4: Is one capable of doing well even without 16 people cramming around you to fuel RttC?

Yes.

5: Any particular weaknesses that I really need to watch out for?

It is somewhat vulnerable to big incoming damage, but not to the same extent that Regen is.

6: Is it possible to cap defense? If so, would it be typed or positional defense?

I've seen it done. Not my thing, though. Never felt the need to on my Spines/WP scrapper; she has too many other forms of mitigation going on, and if she gets over her head she has the option of jumping out, knowing that she will outrun the mobs.

If you go BS/WP or Katana/WP it can be done without any problem at all.

7: How much Regen can I can, both in and out of RttC?

Mine was somewhere in the low 600% level with three mobs around last time I checked.

8: Does playing the Super Mario invincibility theme have any effect?

It's playing all the time around here.

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Who knows, maybe they'll let us replace KO Blow with this.

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The second part is Air Superiority, though.

Yes, assuming those numbers are correct, it does seem like it's going to be yet another set that is going to require you to run Tough on top of it before its performance becomes equal to the task. I remember when Resistance used to be what you want and Defense the less desirable of the two.

There are a fair number of Sonic damaging Council and Freakshow blueside, although the Freakshow seem to be confined to specific TFs and story arcs. The Council are fairly common, though.

I do hope that Conserve Power is kept. That would be one of the chief attractions of the set, IMO, especially if it became available at the same tier.

I'd probably be rather conservative in making any changes, given that I've been using the same ones for four and a half years now. I may change Haymaker, in order to get rid of the redundancy with Air Superiority.

On the other hand, this might rekindle interest in my ill/emp controller. I do so want to make my Phantasm and Phantoms pink. And tiny. With bunny ears.

It is so written.

I probably will give Electric Melee a try on a tanker.

Not terribly excited about Electric Armor, but if they do something to modify Power Surge's devastating crash when it is remade as a tanker set it might become much more attractive.

Probably not much. My Regen scrapper dies when she gets hit too hard before I can react.

Tough and Weave buy a little time to react, even if they don't do all that much for Regen. Phase Shift would be one more thing you have to click in time, I suspect.

The base defense of Invisibility is less than Weave's. That would not be an improvement either.

As DM/ you were made for Rikti and Crey. That annoying resistance on the bosses means a lot less to you than it would to someone with a smashing and lethal set.

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However I love the look of EM's pink pom-poms.

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I cheerfully admit that one of the chief reasons I made a Fire/EM tanker was because the pom poms looked like they belonged with Fire Aura, much more than the various swords you pull out of nowhere that came with Fire Melee did.

Now, Dark Melee probably goes even better with Fire Aura, from a purely visual viewpoint. But Dark Melee was not for tankers when that character was made.

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That's not a bug. That's how Security Chief missions work. It's a two mission process. The mission you properly dropped was, "Talk to the Security Chief." Remember what happens when you drop a mission in a story arc? You get the next mission in that arc.

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Maybe if you got a merit for doing them, people would like them better. Verbum sapienti satis.

Also note: to drop the hunt, you do not talk to the Chief; you talk to the original contact.

Let me put it this way:

Take the Willpower scrapper, add Tough and Weave, and you will be at least as durable as a Fire tanker with Tough and Weave. The tanker will have better resistance against incoming exotic damage, but you will have better defense versus that same damage, and be close to the tanker's figure versus smashing and lethal damage.

And on the willpower scrapper you won't be knocked down, either.

The offensive tradeoffs that Fire used to have for its general squishiness just aren't there any more, and none of them are going to do Katana or Martial Arts any good. Fire only works well with immobilize, hold, or maybe knockdown; stun doesn't help, -defense doesn't either, and knockback is positively counterproductive.

You do get a costly but fairly effective damage aura, more useful for a tanker than a scrapper. You'll get Burn, whose piddly damage before the mobs start running mean that it's a wasted choice unless you have a way to keep them from running: no help for Katana or MA. And you get Firey Embrace, a Build Up type power with twice the recharge time of a regular Buildup, that benefits Fire damage more than others: not much help there. And you get your self rez, which you will want to put three recharges into.

Willpower will just give you a very tough scrapper with almost limited endurance. Fire Aura is useful mostly if you really like one of the ancillary pools and want to take four powers from it. Its chief advantage is that you can get every useful power from your secondary by level 16.

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Take those Security Chief missions. The only one that is slightly difficult at the early levels is the "Kill 10 CoT in Perez Park" that you get from level 5-9.

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The Security Chiefs that roadblocked me were CoT in Perez Park, and Clockwork in Boomtown. Those, I am not touching.