Local_Man

Whoops! Neut forgot to link the links, but here they are:

First Time Hamidon Raider's guide for issue 7 By Call_Me_Awesome

Hamidon Raids - a Main Taunt Tank guide, also by Call_Me_Awesome

KNO Official Hamidon Guide by Dante Skye

Read all these and you will know just about all there is to know about Hami Raids! (At least as we do them on Guardian!)

First, this really is not a "guide." It is a set of personal opinions, most of which are not shared by most players. It should be in the one of the discussions sections, not here.

Almost every one of the powers you list, I can see a valid reason to take under the right circumstances. Some of your opinions are clearly shared by only a small minority of players familiar with these power sets. How can you possibly say that Rain of Fire is useless? Inertial Reduction? Mass Hypnosis? Even Hurl Boulder is very useful for a Stone/Stone Tank with limited mobility.

OK, if you wanted to just start a discussion, that's fine, but it does not belong in the Guides section.

Here are some more:

The following controller powers use Damage and Mez, so can use Peroxisome Exposure. (In some cases, the damage is minor):

Fire Control: Ring of Fire, Char, Fire Cages, Flashfire
Ice control: Chilblain, Block of Ice, Frostbite, Flash Freeze
Earth control: Stone Prison, Fossilize, Stone Cages, Stalagmites, Volcanic Gasses
Mind control: Mezmirize, Dominate, Terrify
Gravity Control: Crush, Gravity Distortion, Crushing Field


The following controller powers use Accuracy and Mez, so can use Endoplasm Exposure:

Fire Control: Ring of Fire, Char, Fire Cages, Flashfire, Cinders
Ice control: Chilblain, Block of Ice, Frostbite, Flash Freeze, Shiver, Glacier, Jack Frost
Earth control: Stone Prison, Fossilize, Stone Cages, Stalagmites, Salt Crystals, Volcanic Gasses
Mind control: Mezmirize, Dominate, Terrify, Confuse, Mass Hypnosis, Total Domination, Mass Confusion
Gravity Control: Crush, Gravity Distortion, Crushing Field, Gravity Distortion Field, (Wormhole? not sure), Singularity

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This is a great guide, but I do have a question: Are scrappers of much use in a Hami Raid? I have a level 47 DM/Regen/DM scrapper I'd love to get in on the fun with, but don't see how much use I could be outside of my Dark Blast attack.

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Scappers usually participate in the Mitos Team. You can certainly help take down the Mitos more quickly. In most cases, if you don't have fly, you can join up with a group fly team. However, you should leave the "jello" once all the mitos are gone and you have taken a hit on Hamidon.

Nice guide that has prompted some lively discussion.

As I was reading the section on motivation, there was one back story that I saw was missing -- Family history or Mentoring. The prime example is the Phantom. The "Ghost Who Walks" has been through how many generations of fathers and sons? A person might inherit the role as the protector of a group of people or a special item. As seen in the "Mask of Zorro" movie, the mantle of the hero can be passed from one person to the next, as the next is trained to take the place of the prior.

Many examples combine the Mentor with another motivation: Robin, Zorro, and Manticore were each motivated by a wrong done to his family and was a mentee. My Invul/Axe Tank has a back story of being part of the "Family" until he learned of his family's real history of being avenging knights in the Italian Middle Ages, where his Axe has been passed on from generation to generation. There's a lot more to the story, making it fairly complex.

Personally, I have no problem with Natural Character having a few extraordinary abilities due to gifts from others, including, in particular, a travel power. I don't let Role Playing get in the way of my enjoying the game, and I can always come up with a Get-around explanation.

By the "targeting bind," do you mean for teleporting? It has the bind set-up which will turn on the targeting circles when you press your Shift key, use the standard Shift+Lbutton for teleporting (or pick another button if you want), and you can optionally turn off all the other windows on your screen while teleporting.

As I indicated before, you have to play with it a bit to get it to work well. I have a standard set-up that I use with all new characters, where they use the Speed-on-Demand for running. The SoD is really great for characters who have high-demand toggles, like my Fire Controller with Hot Feet, or the Ice Controller with Arctic Air, as you do not have to toggle in and out of sprint, just to get a decent movement speed.

First, this post should have been placed in the Questions section, not the Guides section. The Guides section is for . . . Guides. The Player's Question section is for . . . Questions. Even questions about Guides.

Second, in answer to your question, which should be in the Questions section, is to look at Red Tomax's Guide to City of Heroes. It is a great site with all the TF's and SF's, and lots of other goodies.

Oh, one little quirk. Don't use spaces in your file names or directory names.

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it's a great program that I tried a while back (pre-kheldian), what I didn't like is the tons of files it created in your binds dirctory, making it very hard to go back and manually edit things if you wanted to.

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There have been substantial changes to the program since I-7. You can pull up any of your binds and manually edit them within the program. It is far, far more customizable now. You can select your binds from pop-up listings, or type them into the text window. Then it will show you exactly what the particular bind will look like when generated.

To eliminate confusion, I set up a different bind directory for each character. Therefore, Local Man's binds are in c:\coh\local. Sure, it uses up extra drive space, but I never come close to filling that up anyway.

You should really try out the new version.

If you are really into binds and customizing your characters, you should check out CityBinder, and awesome little program that sets up your binds for you. It has the Speed-On-Demand binds, which automatically turn on Sprint only when you are not in flying mode and press one of the movement keys. When you let go of the movement key, Sprint turns off automatically. It saves a lot of end. (Occasionally, the SoD binds get confused, and you get put into auto-run, usually when you first zone into a new area. A simple press of Ctrl-R resets the binds.)

I LOVE the SoD binds on any character with Hover and Fly, as I stay in Hover except when I move, and it automatically goes to Fly. That way, you never have to add slots to Hover, and you can stay in Hover mode constantly for battle without worries about suppression.

CityBinder also has built in Kheldian binds -- including the standard tray-switching form change that was the basis of this Guide. However, it is extremely customizable, so you can add in other commands as you choose. You can save your entire binds set up as a "profile," then make substantial changes to try things out, and then easily go back to your earlier profile.

CityBinder has simple binds, complex binds (where new binds load with each keypress), Buffer binds, Inspiration binds, pet and teammate binds, all ready to be included if you want, but fully customizable. For CoV, there are full sets of Mastermind binds, too, including various options for Bodyguard.

The biggest weakness is the fact that the documentation to the program is minimal, so you have to play with it a bit to figure out how to use various features. But it is worth it. I use it on almost all of my characters.

To find out more, check the CityBinder Thread. It is really a great program, and the author, Monorail, has done a great service to the CoH/CoV community.

By the way, I should have mentioned, to post a helpful guide like this for new players is pretty impressive for your first post . . .

For Illusion controllers, Superior Invis becomes available at level 8, and Group Invis is available at 12. Depending on the teams you run with, I don't think that tips making use of a level 8 power is too late to be considered for travel through the Hollows. It may also affect the player's choice of a travel power (Teleport!) if the player understands the benefits of Invisibility + Recall Friend.

The specific reason I mentioned the benefits of Personal Force Field is that I recently rolled up a Mind/FF controller, and I actually used the 'Troller-in-a-Bubble-as-a-lure trick a few days ago. It was fresh on my mind . . .

There is an interesting Guide on How to Get a Travel Power by Level 8, discussing the benefits of using Hurdle + Sprint + Combat Jumping as your travel power. It actually works pretty well, as I tried it out with a low level character. It is not as safe as the other forms of travel, but this can be made up by adding Stealth (which sort of defeats the purpose of saving a power slot . . . )

If you are going to continue to be this helpful to people on these boards, PLEASE, keep posting!!

A couple of other little points: Illusion Controllers can take Invisibility as part of their power set. Superior Invisibility + Recall Friend = safe travel for everyone on the team, and is a HUGE benefit if you eventually do the Caverns of Trancendence TF to complete the story arc in the Hollows. Group Invisibility lets the Illusion controller share the power with others for a while, but it is a good idea to stay near the caster so that the invis can be recast when it runs out.

Force Field/* Defenders and */FF controllers get Personal Force Field (PFF) as their tier 1 power. It protects you from most of the damage you will get in running around before you get your travel power . . . but don't get too cocky. Purples and Reds can often hit you through the shield, so you still need to pay some attention to your surroundings.

Still, with PFF, you can provide a special benefit to your team. You may be able to run near to that large crowd of yellow and orange trolls and get their attention, pulling them away from the path that your team needs to travel to get to the destination. A Force Field Defender can bear up under more aggro than a tank at low levels.

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Everytime I am on my level 50, I always get at least one question: What is the fastest way to level up a character?

I get tired of answering the same question over, and over, and over again, so I decided to make a post all about it!

Okay so lets get started.

1. Always make your own teams (always try to make them teams of about 8 and mostly all the players you invite above your level)

2. Do not hunt. Hunting is bad experience, always do missions.
Feel free to set your missions to rugged or maybe even invincible with a good team.

3. Always have a healer, a tanker, and some damage. I always find having at least 5 defenders or controllers and 3 damage dealers is most effective.

4. Stick to your character. It's okay to run off and party in Atlas once in a while, but do not do it all the time. Do not make too many alternate characters, this is a waste of time when you can be leveling up your main character.

Follow these four simple guidelines, and before you know it you will be flying or teleporting on your peacebringer or warshade!

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1. Even better than making up your own pick-up teams? Join up with a group (or formulate your own) of mature, dedicated and experienced players who play together on a regular basis. The best XP is when people know what they are doing, have an idea of what their teammates are doing, and work together effectively.

2. Hunting is not always bad. Although hunting missions are usually not the best XP, sometimes you can earn more XP/time hunting than doing missions, especially if you have to travel long distances to do your missions. With a good team, you can hunt oranges and reds, going quickly from group to group, and earn massive XP.

3. With 5 Defenders/Controllers, especially if you have Rads and Kins, you don't need a healer, and you may not need a tank. Illusion/Rad has pocket tanks beginning at 18. Earth and Grav controllers have a pet who can tank at 32. Other controller sets have powers that avoid the alpha strike and make a Tank no longer a necessity, depending on the team. (Sorry, tanks!) With a lot of controllers, the baddies get locked down. With a scrapper and enough buffs/debuffs, a scrapper can easily tank. I was on an awesome team the other night: 2 Kin defenders, 1 Rad Defender, 1 Fire/Rad Controller and 1 Fire/Fire Blaster. We walked through missions on the highest setting.

4. True, that if you want to get a character to 50, the only way to do it is to play the character. But I would not call playing other characters a "waste of time." This is a game, and the players should do what makes them happy.

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Essentially, anything over 3 slots of the same type of enhancement is a complete waste (well, effectively).

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This is correct. 6-slotting for damage WILL still give you more damage than 3-slotting. But it's such a little boost that it's really not worth it. (like 5% per slot, as opposed to the normal 33% per slot)

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Please note that if you choose to add more than three enhancements of the same type in a power, you may as well use a TO in that slot rather than an SO. The enhancement from the TO exceeds the amount allowed, so using a DO or SO is a complete waste.

For example, under Schedule A, Enhancements 4-6 give only a benefit of 5%. Schedule A Traning Enhancements give 8.5%, which is, of course, greater than the 5% cap. Adding three extra slots will give you a benefit of 15%, and you should only use TO's in those slots.

For Warshades, your squid form has fly. Your Human and crab forms have teleport. You can add superspeed or superjump if you like.

The difference with Peacebringers is that the Human form has Fly instead of Teleport. But you have access to both kinds of travel.

Stay in SG mode until level 24. There is no downside to being in SG mode until that level. Starting level 25, the amount of influence is reduced by 10% per level until level 35, when you will be earning no influence if you are in SG mode. You will be short on Infl from the 20's until the thirties, so I stay out of SG mode until I have plenty of Influence in the mid-thirties. Then, if your SG does not already have some Sugar Daddies willing to fund everyone, you can alternate being in and out of SG mode, depending upon your need for infl and your need for Prestige. Alternate levels, or alternate missions, whichever you like.

This is generally why it is great to have a lot of lowbies in your SG. They can earn lots of Prestige without any penalty of losing influence.

Regarding the OP, I must admit that I find that accuracy enhancements, even at the TO level, do some good. The others can be sold back, but I go ahead and slot the accuracies.

Here's one to add, because I got one last night at the Guardian Hami Raid:

Ribosome Exposure - Increase Damage Resistance and Endurance Reduction:
-APP - Controller - Fire Mastery – Fire Shield

There are a huge number of controller powers that need to be added to Peroxisome and Endoplasm. Most sets have a single target immobilize that does damage and needs accuracy. Most sets have a single target hold that can use both. Many of the sets have an AoE immobilize that does some damage and definitely needs accuracy (most have a -20% acc penalty). Some sets have an AoE hold that need accuracy, and may do some damage.

For example, you need to add under both: Stone Prison, Fossilize, Stone Cages and Stalagmites from Earth Control, and Ring of Fire, Char, Fire Cages and Flashfire from Fire Control. Those are off the top of my head, but there are others as well.

Also, Earth Control's Quicksand does not take Defense Debuff enhancements. The Defense Debuff of 20% is not enhancible.

I don't have time now, but I will try to take a look later.

Thanks for the Guide, Mike! I am considering using the freespec on my level 28 DM/Regen, and I'm trying to decide whether to go with the Fitness Pool. Have you tried getting by with just Dark Consumption to refill your end bar when it gets low?

While I team with most of my characters, this one mainly solos. I think that when solo, I can control my use of end more easily, since the spawns are smaller and I can pick the pace. I do PvE almost exclusively, but this is the only character I have really tried in PvP for a short time.

After looking at the latest update, I realized one that may be missing:

For Golgi
Scrapper – Regen – Reconstruction

Integration and Instant Healing probably also fit there, too. (I'm at work and can't check)

This guide has a lot of great information. Trying to get enough on Tri-form WS is hard when most of the guides seem to be Human only or dual form.

In addition to my suggestion above (which would require a whole bunch of testing and a lot of time), how about some sample builds? I understand that there are many more options with Khelds than other ATs, so builds are more a matter of personal taste. However, it would be nice to have one or two builds to start with, to give us a base, and we can vary it from there.

A couple of small corrections I just noticed:

Endoplasm, Defender - Radiation Blast - EM Pulse, should be
Defender/Controller - Radiation Emission - EM Pulse

Also, add "Radiation Emission" to the entry for "Radiation Infection" under Enzyme.

I will add more as I think of them.

Here are a few more additions:

Golgi for Scrapper -- Regen -- Dull Pain
Endoplasm for Blaster/Defender - Electric Blast - Tesla Cage
Enzyme for Defender/Controller - Radiation Emission - Radiation Infection (uses all three)

For the final version, you may want to think about formatting the list a little differently. It is getting kind of hard to read and sort through. Using Colors or different spacing might help. Also, some footnotes to explain:
(1) some HO's may be able to be used in some powers, but would probably be a waste, since one or more of the aspects being enhanced are usually considered to not need enhancement.
(2) Uses only two of the three attributes.

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Peroxisome Exposure - Damage and Mez: (ie: Hold, sleep, stun, etc .. but NOT knockback)
-Scrapper – Martial Arts - Thunder Kick (Disorient), Cobra Strike (Disorient, but not really worth using because CS damage is so low), Crippling Axe Kick (Immobilize), Eagle's Claw (Disorient)
-Controllers - Illusion Control – Blind
-Controllers - Illusion Control - Spectral Terror
-Defender - Radiation Blast – Cosmic Burst


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Spectral Terror needs to be removed from this list, as ST does not do any damage. It is a pet-based immobile fear-spamming cloud thingee that may scare little kids, but "Spooky" does not do any damage.

Nice Guide -- I learned a lot!

I saw in another thread a statement that Gauntlet only works on single target attacks. I presume that this is incorrect, and that my Invul/Axe's Whirling Axe produces Gauntlet-taunt. (I hope a lot, as the damage is not impressive.) Is that correct?

The same would apply to cone-type tanker powers?

Thanks!