Lazarus

A press release like this means some official announcement must be coming soon. It was said to expect I7 on the test server sometime in February, and that is quite soon.

Unfortunately I'll be torn between getting my main to 50 and playing a new Brute.

I wonder how much Dark Armor will change for Stalkers. My guess is that will replace Cloak of Darkness, though I hope they have Immobilization resistance in on of the shields still. I hope they keep Dark Regeneration. I might as well stop playing my MA/Ninjitsu one and wait to see if I want to reroll her.

* Electric Melee, Electric Armor (Brute)

YES! YES! YES! YES!

* Thug pets (Mastermind)

I don't play MMs, but nice that they're getting another Primary.

* Dark Armor, Dark Melee (Stalker)

I wonder what the Dark Melee Assassination power will be like.

I hope all this stuff is true, but I'll wait for Cryptic to confirm it here before getting my hopes up much more.

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I never expected Mitch Pileggi to portray a Githzerai, but there he was

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I was wondering about that when I started playing Planescape: Torment a few nights back. I was also surprised to see a character who was a dead-ringer for my Brute.

As for Coyote, I don't remember if he was there at the first week of release but he was there in Issue 2, which was when I made my first alt in the live game.

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and "At least I have chicken."

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Really, all I read into the chicken line was that it was meant to suggest that Leeroy was stoned at the time and that he had just gotten back from grabbing some chicken while afk.

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I don't know if I should feel happy that it was staged and I thought something was wrong with it (that number crunch was way to... off and the way Leroy just comes back... felt odd), or that I should feel sad that it was staged and I wanted so much to believe it was real



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Oh, it's staged alright. But you know that you have witnessed something occuring along the lines of what happened in that video, either in this game or another.

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Yes he's refering to Leeroy Jenkins. ME and a couple of friends found a couple Leeroy movies. He's a greifer who likes to join guilds (SGs) them burn them and loot the corpses/mission gear. Rinse, repeat, etc. etc. Best griefer ever IMHO.

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He isn't a griefer. The movie was well planned out and all planned, they even had a script. If you see another griefer that does that, they are just stealing his name.

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Anyone who has ever played on an MMO team should recognize that video as being staged right away. That numbercrunching sequence should have been a big enough clue.

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Ohmtown. He was a great assistant.

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Yeah, I want my homeboy Ohmtown back.

The fact that Jenkins comes back at a higher rank and Flower Knight doesn't suggests either two possibilities.

Freedom Corps is a lot more strigent on handing out promotions.

Or...

Jenkins is actually more competent than Flower Knight.

Considering that Jenkins actually did help me in both missions then I suggest the second possibility.

Statesman is making smart changes now? Did he have some sort of "It's a Wonderful Life" experience over the holidays?

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AND now...we're changing the way Archvillains spawn. A ton of forum goers disliked adding so many AV's into missions a while back...so we've come up with a solution. If the team size and mission difficulty are ABOVE a certain level, an Archvillain spawns. Below that, players will face only an Elite Boss. If the mission is set on the first two levels of difficulty, it takes 4 heroes or more to spawn an Arch Villain. On the third level, 3 heroes or more. On the fourth level, 2 heroes. On the highest (Invincible), a solo hero will spawn an AV. Note this works in BOTH City of Heroes and Villains.

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FINALLY!

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MILLIONS of neurons involved in cognitative thought die every day.

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Says who?

You certainly don't grow millions of neurons each day and restore all of the connections. If millions died each days you'd be a vegetable before the week was half over.

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All I have ever asked is that you not blame the entire AT just bc you've met an incompetant player, and, that seems to be what the OP did. Thanks.

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That is because in my opinion, all other villain ATs offer more use to a team than the MM AT does. Like I said, this is all opinion.


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And that is why, this is a bad guide. In my opinion.

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Get this buddy, all guides are formed through opinions that people formed through observation, there is no such thing as a totally unbiased guide.

You only came in here, saw a topic heading, and went into rant mode without even trying to understand anything that I was saying, which everyone else here has gotten.

So in my opinion, you are a bad reader and probably a bad player, so welcome to the wonderful world of the ignore list.

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All I have ever asked is that you not blame the entire AT just bc you've met an incompetant player, and, that seems to be what the OP did. Thanks.

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Nope, I never singled out the entire MM AT.

When I said Incompetent Masterminds, I meant specifically that. Masterminds who cannot control their pets, who cannot stop from aggroing multiple mobs, who cannot keep from blocking doorways.

I spoke of not bringing bad Masterminds, I didn't say not to bring any at all.

Now I know someone will claim I did because in my suggested team I didn't recommend Masterminds. That is because in my opinion, all other villain ATs offer more use to a team than the MM AT does. Like I said, this is all opinion.

If you want to bring MMs along, go right ahead. It's your team after all. But don't say I didn't warn you if you end up with one of the bad MMs.

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Perhaps the Forum in which it was posted under (Player Guides) would lead someone to believe you were posting a player guide?

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Yes, it is a small guide on forming a respec team, not a guide on completing a respec like you claimed it was. In other words, learn to [censored] read.

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You can see where this is going. How much human neural tissue do I have to add to a rat before that rat becomes a human and deserves protection?

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An entire human brain, which happens to be larger than the rat.

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This isn't a guide to the respec,

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That's right, it is a list of things that should ring warning bells in your head when the team is being assembled. Nowhere does this say how to do the respec.

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But the OP kept singling out badly played ATs, excepting the Brute, who seemingly, can do no wrong.

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Because yes, some ATs when played badly are more dangerous to the team than others. A Corruptor with no buffs is not of much use to a respec team. A Mastermind who does not hold a tight reign on his pets will clog doorways, aggro multiple mobs when the team is not ready or already fighting one mob.

Brutes, Stalkers, and Dominators on the other hand tend to only get themselves in trouble when they screw up and usually die alone and learn from their mistake right away, as another poster already pointed out.

This is concerning pick-up groups, not well-oiled SG teams. Your mileage may vary.

Glad to see some discussion, I never said this was to be taken as if it was written in stone.

If the editing time was not over I'd add the points about difficulty setting and level of players, slipped my mind.

I stand by my comments on Corruptors. Yes, a Corruptor who neglects his secondary is only half a character in my eyes. Also the reason I'd take another Brute if I just wanted damage is because a Brute is not as fragile as a Corruptor.

As for debuffs winning the battle, you can have all the debuffs in the world but in the end if you don't have the damage you are not going to kill the AV. Debuffing only does so much.

Plus Brutes don't have to worry so much about the ambushes coming to stab them in the backs.

Red Flags - Before You Start The Villain Respec
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By: Lazarus

The villain respec trial is a sizable undertaking and inspecting the team before starting the trial goes a long way towards making it easier. Take a look at peoples powers and see if there is something you should be aware of that could be a problem and discuss with the team how to avoid it. Look at the balance of archetypes and see what kind of support you have.

Here are some red flags that your team may be doomed to failure. These are my opinions formed from observations after running a few respec trials, I've seen team set ups that worked great and ones that were disasters. Remember, these are opinions, if my view on Masterminds offends you then too bad.

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1) Poor balance of damage dealers and supporters.

Try to have at least one Corruptor for every two damage dealers. Just about every Corruptor has at least a heal or if not some form of debuff/buffing. Even a /Traps Corruptor who cannot heal is a great help if they have Force Field Generator.

2) Not enough Brutes.

Seriously, bring at least two Brutes. Those vines will fall fast and they can wail away big time on the AV as long as they have the Corruptor support.

3) Corruptors who say that they will not heal or buff.

Yeah, damage is your primary but let's be friggin' honest. If we just wanted more damage on this trial we'd invite more Brutes and Stalkers. We pick up Corruptors because they offer more than just damage.

4) Too many Masterminds.

I am serious. More than two and you'll have a painful time reaching the AV in those little tunnels. Also the last thing you need in that room is pets running amok and aggroing everything because someone forgot to put them on passive.

5) Incompetent Masterminds

Make sure you have competent Masterminds who can maintain control of their henchment. Make sure that they are willing to sacrifice their pets if needed. Make sure that if they have team buffs and foe debuffs that they are willing to use them.

If they refuse to use their buffs on you or debuff foes (I've met /Dark MMs who refused to use Darkest Night even when Psi Bosses were slaughtering us, /FF MMs who have bubbles but won't give you one even if you ask) then don't bring them. Just get another Corruptor and you will have less headaches.

6) Bad mix of archetypes overall.

You need some balance. 4 Dominators and a Brute may be relatively safe but could takes ages to finish. 4 Brutes without any support will tear through mobs until their endurance runs out or the AV whittles them down to nothing. A bunch of Masterminds may do ok until something goes wrong and the MM dies, taking all his pets with him and severely reducing the strength of the team.

My honest recommendation is a max of 6 players. 2 Brutes and 2 Corruptors at minimum, fill in the last 2 with anything else.

Stalkers are great for quickly getting rid of bosses and those uber-annoying Spectral Daemon Lords.

With two Dominators you wouldn't have to worry about them building up Domination all the time since they can stack their holds.

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If you just want to relax and wander through on god mode, play a non-MMO game and get the cheat codes.

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Gee, and I thought the whole point of games was to have fun. Go find something real to be macho about.

We have nothing more to discuss. /ignore

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I thought the idea was to make make some of the mobs as much like PCs as possible. This is exactly what you face in PVP.

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And as the majority don't give a [censored] about PvP, that is why we have an issue here.

Some people like to play games to relax, they aren't looking for a 'challenge' everywhere they step every moment they are in the game.

Ah, I missed the bit about the mezz duration being increased.

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This is better for everyone, how the hell is it worse for you if the meleers on your team are no longer getting toggle-dropped?

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Because a detoggled Brute, at worst, gets himself killed. A corruptor that's spending their day looking as drunk as Ted Kennnedy, on the other hand, tends to kill the whole team.

And, of course, is still detoggled.

Try playing a squishy for once, and you'll understand what I mean. My Stormer spends more time retoggling than he does blasting.

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And you still have not answered my question. How does the reduction of the stun, which dropped toggles on even Brutes, make things worse for you squishies?

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The mag 100 Stun is being replaced with a more standard stun (duration based, normal magnitude.)

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Thank you very much.

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Yeah, great for the melees, worse for those without status protection.

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This is better for everyone, how the hell is it worse for you if the meleers on your team are no longer getting toggle-dropped?

Identity: Anna Nethema
Real Name: Annabelle Thema
Threat Level: High

Height: 5'9"
Weight: 130 lbs
Hair: Dark Red
Eyes: Gold, seen to glow Red
Distinguishing Marks: Ashen-grey skin, black horns protruding from forehead, reptilian tail covered in grey scales.

Convicted: Not convicted, was held in Zig Medical Wing during course of investigation.
Sentence: None
Wanted: For escape from Zig Prison with help from Arachnos. Also wanted for assault against many members of Longbow and the heroes Infernal, Mynx, Back Alley Brawler, Aurora Borealis, and Luminary.

Current Whereabouts: Rogue Islands

Known Powers:
Anna has the ability to cover herself in layers of fire for protection. She attacks with her fists and has some short range abilities using dark energy. She is shown to have the power to steal life from others in order to heal herself and restore her own strength. Capable of leaping long distances.

Investigator's Report:
Annabelle Thema never displayed any metahuman powers before she was abducted by the Circle of Thorns. A Longbow rescue team arrived at the sight of the sacrifice to find the girl transformed and in the process of slaughtering the mystics. Two Longbow agents were severly harmed in the process of subduing the girl. She was moved to the Special Medical Wing of the Zig Prison for holding and observation.

Anna does not show any signs of demonic possession as it was first thought. Research using a sample of her blood and the Bloodline Codex that was also recovered from the Circle of Thorns reveals her to be a descendant of the people of Mu, particularly of a group that was interbred with demons in order to make them powerful slayers of mystics. Apparently this dormant power was somehow awakened during the sacrificial ritual, most likely to the surprise of the Circle mystics. She appears to have a bloodlust for those with strong magical powers.

Anna escaped from the prison with the assistance of Arachnos along with many other inmates before more analysis could be performed. It is not known if there is any way to reverse her transformation.

Last Updated: Azuria