Kurrent

Making it a new Tier 9 VIP Reward would solve that problem, I bet.

Possible spoilers for some in the final paragraph. Consider yourself warned.

Not sure as to the mansion, although the two share quite a few similarities in structure. I was thinking that Manticore's mansion as seen way back in the comic was on flat ground, not on a hill or bluff. However, that was a long time ago, and I'd have to dig through far too many comics to find that particular one any time soon.

Now, this question about the Praetorian Hami is quite interesting. I've had my suspicions about this for some time, and I think that PraeHami has indeed assumed a position as one of the Well's candidates for champion. I don't think that Richter or his spirit would be involved, because if Praetorian Richter would have been "worthy" of the Well, he wouldn't have been killed so easily and so quickly by Cole. But there's no doubt that the two most powerful entities in Praetoria are Tyrant and PraeHami, so it's only natural to assume the Well is hedging its bets and backing both of them until they have a final showdown.

This also leads to some of my personal speculation about Primal Hamidon. Namely, I think that the Well has its eye on our version of Hamidon too. Obviously Hami isn't quite as powerful as PraeHami (yet), but it still is a entity of massive power and as such is worthy of the Well's interest. Also consider that one of the selectable rewards for a successful Hami raid is a handful of Incarnate shards (for an Incarnate character, of course). Sure, it's not a component in itself like Lady Grey, Statesman, Recluse, Imperious and Reichsman's TFs/SFs offer for successful completion, but it's still a clear-cut Incarnate reward! The ONLY TFs and SFs in the game that offer Incarnate rewards are ones involving a major character that has a connection to the Well; why would Hami raids be different just because the reward is shards instead of a full-blown component? Maybe the reward of shards instead of a true Hami component is meant to represent that the connection between the Well and Hami is tenuous at this time, in contrast to the clear, deep connections of the Well to Statesman, Recluse, Imperious, Hero 1 and Reichsman.

K

Warshades take a very different approach to playing them, just like PBs. Human-form WSs are even more eccentric, but that doesn't mean they can't be fun. I personally LOVE mine and highly recommend people looking for a challenge or just for something different to try it out. I made her human form because that was something I felt fit the character, and she does just fine for whatever I try. Please note, I don't try to solo 53-54 AVs. I was pounding Requiem last night, but only as an EB. That's my choice. I don't plan on buying multiple purple sets, and I accept that I'm not going to be able to solo everything.

That brings me to the two real central points of warshades. First, you need teammates around you to really reach your peak. Having a full team will often juice your damage and damage resistance through the roof; ITFs become a blast, since you're going to see major boosts to your resists and damage with teammates, especially for negative energy (and that's a big part of the ITF and Rommy). You might also get some light mez protection if you have a troller or dom on your team, but don't count on it too much.

Second, you need enemy bodies around you to play with your whole repertoire of powers. You need living enemies to get the most gain from Sunless Mire, Essence Drain and Eclipse; you need recently defeated enemies for Unchain Essence, Stygian Circle and Stygian Return. This is where finesse, experience and planning come in handy. Try binding Unchain Essence to a hot button, so you can fire it whenever the opportunity is right. It's the biggest AoE attack you've got short of your nova (and it's close!), but there's no crash.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is, don't give up on human-form Warshades just because your planned build won't be able to do something that 99% of WSs currently in the game can't do anyway. They're fun, they're exciting to play, and they can surprise you with what that they can be capable of. Mez protection is the big weakness, but that can be mitigated even without going to purple IO sets. Heck, a handful of Break Frees work pretty well too.

I'm convinced that no matter what improvements and/or changes occur, there are going to be people who complain. If changes are rolled back, some people will complain. No matter what happens, some people will complain.

I agree with Voodoo on the CoT set; I'm personally a bit ambivalent on it as a set, but I picked up the hood and the belt. It's nice to be able to pick and choose individual pieces now. And it's even nicer to see new things coming out more frequently.

I second this.

Really, the only "good" ending I can envision for Aurora would be for someone to use Cole's cloning technology to create a second body, which she could then either inhabit or force Tilman's consciousness into. Or maybe Tilman might use the tech to create a new body for her, maybe from stored cellular samples lying around somewhere, and Aurora could reclaim her own body.

I've always loved the creepiness of the Aurora/Shalice mindmeld leftover trauma, like we got a brief hint of in the comic arc where everyone lost their powers and Sister Psyche went crazy. I think that's a great storytelling hook that's criminally underutilized.

As for Calvin Scott, I can't see a "good" ending for him. At all. He doesn't deserve one, anyway.

Thanks! That's much appreciated. I didn't feel it was appropriate for me to put Inf on someone else, since I had already spoken up about Giant and Skippy both looking good (and Skippy prob has quite a few backers by this point, too, so Giant needs some love).

Nice pick on Plaxico, Posi. I didn't expect he'd look that good, but he really shined. Skippy took two perennial underachievers with Romo and Bush, but he's still freaking loaded for bear with Gates, Stafford, Peterson, the two Johnsons and Hines Ward. Speaking of Reggie Bush, did anyone else catch that comment during the broadcast that the Dolphins now have no fullback at all on their roster? They let their only FB go last week! How could anyone think that was a good idea with Bush as the feature back? I think Henne finished with more rushing yards than Bush did. I'm beginning to think that Friend of the Studio is going to do much better than anyone expects, too. FotS's RBs look a bit anemic once past McFadden, but Rodgers and Schaub will be a spectacular combo, the WRs are stacked deep, Vinatieri will be one of the best kickers for points and the Patriots defense started looking much better when Manning went on injured reserve.

This is going to be fun!

Bradford threw for 3500 yds last year still learning the system. I totally agree that he doesn't have one single big play receiver, but he's got three or four very acceptable WRs plus a running back and TE that can catch. He's also a quick learner and really seems primed for a great year.

As for Stafford, yeah, injuries are the big unknown for him. They have been for each of his NFL years. I really think that IF he can stay healthy, he's going to have an insane year. Calvin Johnson is one of the three best receivers in the NFL, and adding a running game is only going to help the passing game. His O-Line looks to be improved from the last two years, although they couldn't have gotten much worse.

Romo is the one that I just see as more of the same underachieving that has so far defined his career.

From what I remember about mythology, Talos was a metal giant whose blood was molten metal; he was one of the threats that the Argonauts had to face. I think he was constructed by Hephasteus, but I'm not 100% sure on that. If he is indeed a construct, then it would make perfect sense for him to be thousands of years old and still able to battle the Chimera today.

As for the dream of a TF with Talos in it, I'd love to see it too, or even Atlas vs. the Teal Serpent in an Ouroboros TF. Something about two giant monsters slugging it out, but with one of them on OUR side for once, appeals to me greatly.

If we're talking physics, light should do radiation damage. That's all it is, anyway, just with a wavelength in the visible spectrum. That's what makes it distinct from the other forms of radiation such as gamma rays, x-rays, infrared, ultraviolet and several others I don't remember right off the top of my head.

Thematically, I agree with the others who have suggested both Peacebringer and Radiation. PBs have the powers that look the most luminous (with good reason), but radiation has more acceptable secondary effects (such as less knockback). Go with whichever feels better to you. If you like the result, it's not a wrong choice.

Just like the Banners in the Halloween Event.

I miss doing them. They were fun and required coordination among teams, and they carried a real possibility of failure, but they had commensurate badge rewards to compensate. I hope more people are interested in doing them again when October rolls around.