Kinslayer_

Yes, but only what % your mission will do. If two or three other people also complete missions while you are doing yours, you have no idea of the 'total' current duff/debuff bonuses available to you.

Well, I don't know the state of PvP on Defiant but I do think you may have a slightly incorrect view of it on Union.

- PvP zones: Are usually quite busy of an evening but there are rarely huge pitched battles going on. Usually more like prolonged skirmishes with 5 or 6 a side. I'd say there are probably as few as 15 regular PvP'ers in the zones, they just spend a lot of time in there and we have a lot of 'lets see what the fuss is about' players who pop in.

- Raids: Probably accounts for quite a bit of PvP on Union as there are usually raids going quite a bit, especially on the villain side(when they're actually working that is). However, it's usually always the same old suspects with there only being half a dozen groups responsible for the majority of these.

- Arena: Not as active as you may beleive. Again, there are 2 or 3 groups who are probably responsible for 99% of arena activity with the other 1% being made up of the same 4 or 5 players in single battle.

From what I've picked up from some of the Defiant players, I think Union does have more active PvP'ers but I don't think the difference in numbers is as huge as people think and it's more down to perception.

On Defiant, I get the impression most of the top PvP'ers are spread across just one or two groups. On Union they just seem to be more spread out across groups.

I also think this is a good thing for Union and here's why. If you have a core of 10 PvP'ers on Defiant, all in the same group, chances are they will always team together and their concentrated numbers mean they don't really have to look elsewhere for team members when PvP happens.

On Union, because some of the PvP players are in groups with only 5 or 6 of them, they are more likely to try and get other people involved and recruited so are possibly a bit more active at getting new people on board in the long term.

I haven't been to any of these test server events but i'm sure TG or one of the Defiant boys could confirm if Union massively outnumber Defiant but I suspect the answer is that we may have one or two more teams there than you guys which is really not a huge amount.

Eskimo,

Couple of tips on this one.

First off, it's a pain. I've tried it 3 times now with various teams from my SG and the first time, we done it but it took over 5 hours with most of that spent on the last mission. Second time was a lot easier and I'll come to the reason why in a second. Third time was actually this week and it was again the last mission that caused the problems.

- Enemies spawn at lvl 25 so wouldn't recommend anyone at lvl 20-22, though one or two LK's to 24 are OK. The whole team having SO's is a big factor here.

- The missions leading up to the AV encounter are all pretty samey with the enemy groups being freaks, tsoo, sky raiders and crey. Nothing too problematic there.

- The final mission is the killer. Everytime I've taken new people on it the impression has been 'wow, this is so cool'. 20 minutes later the coolness has worn off as it becomes a boring grind.

- At least one flyer is needed and a fly/tp/stealth combo would be VERY useful. You can do it without these but it's really not worth the aggro. (may be worthwhile getting the whole team to stop at arena and buy jet packs. They won't last long but will help while you do have them)

- Brutes, brutes and more brutes. There are these horrid turrets at the end called toxic gas turrets. These are number one priority as they have an AoE hold that is a killer. The hold also seems bugged in that break frees do not counter it. Two of them hitting a brute will hold him but one should be OK so it will be these guys jobs to take them down.

If you do want to do it, send me a tell in game on @kinslayer as I know a few of my VG want to do it and you can use our comp so I can sort you a team for it on Sunday.

Gab, did you see that he actually sing's his wifes anniversay/birthday cards etc 'from Sir Alan Sugar'

Anyway, looks like we'll probably be doing this again on Friday if we can get the team together.

What's that? Sure I heard someone speaking then but I guess not. Anyone seen Weaasel about?

TBH, I've noticed this too. It pops up for everyone in the zone as soon as the mission completes. The only problem there is that the people actually completing it are in the mission map so don't even get to see it

OK, looks like we have the Syndicate and the Horde coming along but if others want to come, feel free.

Hi, I'm looking to run a couple of arena battles on Tuesday night but need some people to fight against.

We're looking at bringing between 8 and 12 people but the levels will all be 20-30 so will cap the battles at that level. If anyone is interested, let me know

OK, kicking this off at 19.30. Send a tell to @kinslayer

Actually was successful for NB AFAIK as he's one of the guys I've not had to try and find too much inf for. I'm guessing the guy just PM'd or sent a global tell to him.

Also been successful for me as @electrode gave me close to a mill last night and another guy gave me 250K. Also had a PM today from someone with 2 mill to spare.

3 Mill on CoV when I'm trying to bankroll about 8 PvP builds is a lot more useful than the 20 mill it's cost me in CoH inf when I've got a pool of about 60 mill spread across my various alts

Well, seeing as neither me nor FB has put much of a dent in the badge, we'll be starting as early as possible but I think you can pretty much guarantee this will take a loonnggg while to get anyway.

Highest number of monkeys in a CoV mission has only been reported at around the 30 mark!

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Thaw is useful when used correctly but it’s also quite hard to use correctly and a well balanced team will have a much easier way of achieving the same objective, such as stacked dispersion bubbles.

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Jesus Christ, it's no wonder you get your [censored] kicked in PvP with that mindset. Dispersion bubbles, nice as they are, have some major drawbacks - especially when you PvP outside of raiding.

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When going down the thaw route, you also have to make the decision that you are a pure buff characters as stacking shields and thaws on a team will be your entire role with little room for anything else. Chelsea gave alternative power selections for not taking Thaw, as did I, rather than just take the attitude ‘you’re an idiot and I’m not going to explain myself to you when I can just blanket criticise you’.

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If you don't take Thaw, you are an idiot. That may come across as "blanket criticism", but there's a very sound logic behind it - /Thermal is primarily a buffing set, with some nice debuffs at the end... but you're not going to base a PvP build around 2 debuffs (unless you're an idiot - or at a stretch, some amazing genius with logic we cannot begin to comprehend with our primitive synapses).

Therefore, making a PvP-specific build with a buffing set without the second best mez-protection available in CoV is extremely stupid. I'd rather someone lack both shields than lack Thaw - as long as you can move, you can stay alive; alternately, you can be buffed to high heaven, but if you're mezzed you're cannon fodder. BFs are finite, and you have to use them reactively, not proactively.

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If you disagree, give your reasons why so NB can see both views and make his own mind up rather than just ridicule other people

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With respect, I don't think NB needs "advice" on why Thaw is one of the best power choices in his build. If people stopped being ridiculous, or making ridiculous statements, they wouldn't find themselves being "ridiculed" (as you put it), although I think you're being deliberately thin-skinned.

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No, I wasn't being deliberately thin skinned but I was pointing out there is a way of offering constructive advice that provokes debate or there was a way of just trying make people feel like they are idiots and provoking them.

Guess which category yours falls into?

It's also worth noting that I know a little bit more about the purpose NB has for this build as I'm part of the team it will be used in. I've not denied Thaw is good, I've not tried to dissuade him from taking it. I've merely pointed out that the use of thaw needs to be based on the decision to go pure support, offence or a balance. Even the best team PvP build is nice to have some soloing ability in.

I did not offer stacked dispersion bubbles as the only alternative, just as an example of one. I happen to know we will have Increase Density readily available to go with this build.

Just because you think any thermal without Thaw is not worth his salt, doesn't mean you are right and until you know all the facts what gives you the right to call anyone on here an idiot?

No one power EVER makes a set or is EVER essential for a build. There are always alternatives.

Also worth pointing out that thermal is NOT just a buffing set as it has a very balanced mix of buffs(Forge,Thaw,Shields), debuffs(Melt Armour, Heat Exhaustion) and heals(Warmth, Cauterise and Rez), so it is probably one of the more diverse PvP sets for Corruptors.

NB could go for a total empath based build and concentrate only on healing, go for the buff build with shields, forge, thaw. an offensive build or go for a balanced build and include the debuffs.

It is that decision that would or would not make the inclusion of thaw irrelvant and whether we are relying on his Thaw over the ID we have available.

Regardless of which, the issue of whether thaw is or isn't a must have is not what I was objecting to, it's the way people who always think they are right tend to ridicule other people's opinons rather than actively debate them.

If you don't agree with peoples views, put your own in and the reasons why. Don't tell people their 'attitudes are the problem' or they are 'idiots' becuase you don't agree with them, just say why you don't agree.

Let's put it another way. If someone disagreed with me in R/L we would sit down and discuss it. If they turned round and called me an idiot just because they disagreed, the result would be abit more physical. On here though, people seem to think they can get away with showing a basic courtesy and it sickens me to my teeth. So, yes, I do challenge it when I see it.

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It's your kind of attitude which explains why villain teams are sometimes so poor.
I'm sorry but you don't have any idea how powerful Thaw is, not that you're that unusual, sadly.

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And it’s your attitude that puts people off posting on these forums. I see know problem with not taking Thaw and rather than just criticising other people ideas I’ve actually given my reasons and views on it in my post, rather than just lambasting someone elses with the view that I’m inherently correct.

Thaw is useful when used correctly but it’s also quite hard to use correctly and a well balanced team will have a much easier way of achieving the same objective, such as stacked dispersion bubbles.

When going down the thaw route, you also have to make the decision that you are a pure buff characters as stacking shields and thaws on a team will be your entire role with little room for anything else. Chelsea gave alternative power selections for not taking Thaw, as did I, rather than just take the attitude ‘you’re an idiot and I’m not going to explain myself to you when I can just blanket criticise you’.

If you disagree, give your reasons why so NB can see both views and make his own mind up rather than just ridicule other people

Will try to bring Kal'tk, lvl 46 scrapper. Not guarnteeing though as my PvP VG on CoV is taking a lot of my time up. If I manage to get my alt levelled anoug I will come along.

My main is a lvl 40 fire/thermal and I also have a lvl 27 ice/ice. With that in mind, I would say Ice is probably the more useful primary for a corruptor.

Nightbringer
The build itself and power selection seems OK to me with most of the comments made here being sensible.

There does seem to be a little bit of dubious slotting you may want to look at though. An end reduc in SS is probably a complete waste of a slot as the overall benefit of it will be negligible. Remember the general rule of slotting 'If what you are slotting for is high to start with, the benefit is greater'. If SS had a very high end cost it would help but it has a very low cost so you'll be getting a very low benefit from the slot. Same goes for the end reduc in SJ and Acrobatics

The range in both the shields is also not the best use of those 2 slots. I'd put end reducers in there instead and the three end reducer slots from SJ, Acro and SS should also be put elsewhere for end management. Probably one in each of the ice blast attacks. If you still have end problems, look at dropping damage from attacks to put end reducers in your most used powers. As a team build, these will probably be your shields and thaw.

In terms of thaw, I have mixed opinions of it. The duration on it is short so unless you spend all your time spamming that and shields it’s not going to make a huge difference. In which case don’t even bother with attacks as you won’t have time! The other side is that if you wait until someone is held, by the time you target and execute the power they will probably be dead anyway. Thaw is always going to cause debate but that’s my view.

The other concern here is that you've missed out one of the best reasons for taking Ice primary, it's holds! Bitter freeze ray does have a long animation so can be skipped but freeze ray is a must. I have an Ice/Ice Corruptor for PvP and it's proved to be one of his most useful powers in the primary.

Personally, I'd drop SJ in favour of it. If you have CJ for protect against immobilises, you can't run it with SJ at the same time so will be relying on SS as travel power while fighting anyway and CJ/Hurdle will give you a little vertical mobility.

Not too sure about the Acc's in Melt armour either, does it definitely take acc? My main is a lvl 40 fire/thermal and while it is a PvE build, I have never missed with Melt Armour and have no accuracies in it, I assumed it was an auto hit but can check that when I get home tonight. I know there are a few bugs in some of the hero planner versions

Without knowing if Melt Armour is an auto hit, here are the changes I would make.

- Drop SJ for freeze ray and slot it with 2 acc 3 hold if you can get them. freeze ray has fast animation, recharges quite quick and is one of the most useful powers on my ice/ice
- Use shield range slots elsewhere, preferably as end reducers in the shields. Putting both shields on a 5 man team will zap you down to less than 1/3 end if your lucky.
- Drop end reducers in SS and Acrobatics
- Possibly lose the ranges in thaw. Extra range on it can be useful but there are probably better uses

- Once someone confirms Melt Armour accuracy, maybe use those 2 slots elsewhere.

Everclear

A much more solid overall build for PvP and the slots are more along the lines of what I’d go for. Only real points for consideration are, once more, the use of thaw. How often are you going to get to someone who is held before they’re already dead or are you content just to spend your entire time spamming shields and thaws?

The other is just that CJ and accro seem to come late in the build. If you’re planning any BB or Sirens PvP that could be an issue.

Both fairly minor points though

Not sure about how Ronin/Red-Fire will be doing it on the villain side but on the hero side, I will be kicking it off at 18.30.

Once it get's organised and everyone is fighting, people who arrive late CAN still enter but only until the last battle of the first round is over. Once I've been told the winner of all the first round fights, I will start scheduling second round ones.

If the numbers do not work out evenly for the knockout, I will be having any bye's in the second round, not the first, which is why the last first round match will be the cut off point.

Quick post about this. On the hero side, I've had a few poeple saying they can't find certain AT's needed to fill their team.

While people can turn up on the night and form a team, it will be a lot less chaotic if they do it in advance. With that in mind, post here if you are looking for a team or looking for certain AT's to fill a team.

Just a little update on this. Got a couple of teams who would like to take part but are missing certain AT's from their teams(tanks seem in short supply).

While I'm expecting some people to just turn up on the night and try to grab a team, It would be nice if any of those who don’t have a team or need a specific AT to list their details here so people can try to get teams arranged in advance. Will hopefully make it less chaotic on the night!

Kind of odd as I contacted Bridger about THIS PvP event which is being organised by the entire Union VG/SG Leaders channel and nothing was offered.

Guess I'll have to PM him and see why.

Fireblazer is offering a Rikti mission on CoV up for Monkey badge farming on Wednesday night (tomorrow, it was a bank holiday remember )

He'll be on as Dark Merchant and I'll be on as Kinslayer.

Given how tough this badge is to get on CoV, I will definitely be bringing Kin along for it.

That's right guys. I'm trying a bit of a new project that involves levelling a lot of toons pretty quickly on CoV but am struggling inf wise.

I've stripped my lvl 40 on CoV and a couple of other alts as well as begging inf off some of my VG(Much appreciated guys and really been shocked at how much i've actually gotten from you).

However, the project has seen about 15 toons go from 1 to 25 in just over a week and looks like lvl 27 SO''s are going to be tight.

With that in mind, I've set aside around 15 million inf from my CoH characters that I would like to exchange with any players out there who have inf sitting about.

Happy to negotiate on exchange rates but I'm more than willing to give you 500K on Union CoH in exchange for 100K on Union CoV.

If anyone is interested, PM me, post or send a tell to @Kinslayer to arrange a convenient time.

My view is that drones and base defences should not be in the PvP zones. A 'safe' zone can easily be created by the 'door's leading out of the hospital or just by coding in some sort of 'no entry' area where you can't be damaged.

for me, it is the large amount of defences around the current area that pose no risk to players from one side and allow them to get what I would call cheap kills.

Coming out and engaging the enemy then running is a tactic and the skill comes in chasing them down when they break, beefore they can flee to safety. If they escape, fair play. If you kill them, fair play.

What I don't like is the fact you can have gained the upper handand have them on the run then be torn apart by defences that pose no risk your opponent while they suddenly turn round and kill you.

Safe zone = Yes.
Clear advantage zone for one side over the other = No

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Don't forget that you get a 5mil prestige bonus just for finishing the trial.

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What! I was completely unaware of this. I was planning on running the TF at least once just to try it out then not actually placing the IoP.

Do you only get 5 mill prestige for placing the IoP or can you do the TF, notplace the IoP and still get the prestige?

If that's the case, I will be running this at least 2 or 3 times ASAP.

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i agree with everclear on the whole lvl 50 stalkers not being such a big threat tread. i noticed as i have seen b4 that stalkers are more a problem at lower lvls, sirens call and bloody bay. Come recluses victory with even blaster have things like replusive shield and PFF is they want, so i see stalkers have alot of trouble ASing the higher lvls. this will mean a) stalkers will adapt to the new powers and game play higher lvls bring b) they will not go to this zone at all or not oftend like (in my own experiences)warburg and the other ATs can battle with the mind set that not many if any stalkers are about.

so in i7 heres to a new and better pvp, that many might be happier with.

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Doeas anyone not see this resulting in some big buffs for stalkers in future issues as a result? The main thing about stalkers, in both PvE and PvP is that they are essentially squishy characters but HAVE to rely on melee.

Given that AS is becoming so ineffective as you level, can people see the Devs making them a bit hardier and more scrapper like in normal combat to allow them to actually follow up AS and attempt kills as it becomes less useful?

I would like to see AS nerfed more but stalkers given more of a buff in the general combat areas. While they can't be buffed to anywhere near the levels of scrappers it would be nice to see them rely less on AS purely to make it more fun for both them and those fighting them in PvP and make them a bit more useful in larger PvE teams where enemy AoE's are normally the death of them