Luminara

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*flicks a bubble at Lumi*

T.T

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O_O

YOU STOP THAT! I don't want your nasty spit bubbles on me!

Geez. First you smoosh me, then you bubble me. I'm going to punch your kitty if you keep it up! *stomp*

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The difference being that GMs are supposed to be taken on by several teams

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You just hit the nail on the head! Now can someone explain the GM's in Eden scaled for 48 heroes only being taken on by at most 8?

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There are GMs in Eden? I thought there were just normal DE, some Crey, and some Nemesissies.

If you mean the Monsters (no Giant, though they are giant) in the Hive, they're yet another class and can be handled by smaller groups of players. My Kinetics scrapper can tank a Monster easily, as long as it doesn't have a Disorient or Sleep, and I only need one other player to defeat it at that point (for damage output).

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** Hands Lumi a Respite and Catch Breath **

** Shoots off Clear Mind and Heal Other **

No worries on the trip mines Lumi...I gotya

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I was fine until SuperTech threw his stupid robutt on me. AND made me waste my Hyperphase toggleon! -_-

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(beta doesn't count tho yo).

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Cuppa said yo.

CuppaYo!



*wanders off giggling*

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... AV/Hero>GM ...

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I really have to question this relationship.

When I consider that in a recent TF, six of us laid waste to the Clockwork King (AV) in very short order, while the same gang of six could not even scratch the paintwork on Babbage (GM), I'd have to say that the current standings are GM>AV.

Likewise, a (different) team of six dispatched Nemesis (also an AV, I believe) a damn sight faster than a team of 8 (with a Shivan) took out Adamastor (GM).

And then there's everyone's favorite: Lusca .....

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The difference being that GMs are supposed to be taken on by several teams, whereas AVs have to be restricted to what a maximum of 8 players can handle. You can gather 48 people to fight in a zone, but not an instanced mission.

Well, not legitimately in an instanced mission. >.>

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*hurls a robot into the mines*

I'll save you Lumi!

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Triple gak!

*triple gurk*

*gets smooshed by the hurtling robot*

*shakes fist at SuperTech*

-_-

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*Watches as Luminara saunters right onto field of trip mines*

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Double gak!

*double gurk*

Cretin!

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/em Stewie "Victory is mine"

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*toggles off Phase Shift while Speq is gloating*

*shoots Spec in the face with Acid Arrow*

HA!

*toggles on Hyperphase and runs*

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*runs into thread*

*shoots _Castle_ with ZAPPY ARROW!*

*runs back out before he can AS*

>.>

<.<

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*Sneaks in an AS attack while Luminara is busy hitting Castle with the Zappy arrow*

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GAK!

*gurk*

*Hurdles away*

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Leave the dev talking to us alone!

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He's mine, I can torment him all I want!

*picks up _Castle_ and saunters back to the Lumiverse*

Neener!

*runs into thread*

*shoots _Castle_ with ZAPPY ARROW!*

*runs back out before he can AS*

>.>

<.<

Use a program to convert a video into a .gif, resize it to the forum limits, put it online somewhere, link to it in your preferences.

Alternatively, you can take several images and turn them into a .gif, typically with the same software that can convert a video to a .gif.

A .gif is a collection of pictures which are displayed in sequence, at selectable intervals (from 0.1 seconds upward), then repeats itself when it gets to the last picture. A video is actually exactly the same thing, so a converter simply copies the images, sets the display interval, changes and/or reduces the number of colors used, and compresses them into a single file.

My avatar is a .gif that I created by taking one of the final video sequences from System Shock 2. I used a program to copy a couple hundred frames of video, then selected the short sequence that I thought would work best for an animated avatar. I originally used 60 frames, but the effect when it restarted was still visibly jerky, so I reduced it to 30 frames, then recopied the frames in reverse sequence for another 30 frames. The effect ended up much smoother. Then I reduced the number of colors while still ensuring that the palette was going to give me the same basic color spread (didn't want to lose the beautiful greens or blues, for example), tested the speed several times to be sure SHODAN was animating at a relatively "realistic" rate, and saved the whole thing as a .gif.

This is actually the second version of this .gif. I made it for use on another forum, but the avatar size limit is larger there so I had to reduce it to use it here. I think it turned out pretty well for my first .gif. Or second, if resizing counts as a different one.

Did that answer your question?

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It is my sad duty to inform everyone that August will be my last month with City of Heroes and City of Villains.

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Bye bye Cuppa. Will you still come play with us sometimes?

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No, your title will remain the same, regardless of what its number is, even when they change the list. (Although the specific title you used will remain the same because it's lower than the added spaces, so its number didn't change. )

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YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

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There was a new space added between The Stinger(#151) and Longbow Reservist/Jet-Setter(now #155). All the numbers past that have been shifted up one.

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Does that mean a previously set title will change? For example, I used this most excellent list to set Dancing Hawk's badge title to Wraith. Will I have to change it, or will it remain Wraith?

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I know this is selfish but could you some time make a video with your Trick Arrow character Id love to see the your character in action fighting huge mobs since I have never seen a lvl 50 Trick Arrow character in action before.

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Unless I'm on a team, I try to avoid fighting more than 3 to 5 critters at once (i play at Heroic. not interested in "challenge" or being "uber", just want to have fun and laugh), but I'll read up on how to make a demo/video and see if I can churn out something worth watching. No promises and no timeframe, just if and when I get around to it.

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P.S. If all possable could you show one wen fighting Hammi oh and nice guide by the way

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That's... not likely to happen for a while. I won't be attending any more raids until I'm confident that the leaders have worked out good plans for dealing with the aggro changes and Hami breaking the status effects rules in the game, and the developers have resolved the problem with some players not getting HOs. I don't care about getting debt if a raid wipes, but I don't like the feeling of having wasted 2-3 hours that I could've spent working on a badge or leveling up another character.

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Interesting about no travel power. I just started a Trick Arrow/Archery build and realized that NONE of my role models for the AT (from Hawkeye and Green Arrow right down to Robin Hood) has special means for transportation.

But is the game even playable unless you give in and pick up a means to get around?

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Easily. With Hurdle, anyway. Speed is comparable to Fly, mobility is better than Superspeed. None of the CoH zones are impossible to navigate without a travel power, though there may be some that are more bothersome than others. Of course, the same zones are just as bothersome for some players with a travel power, namely Superspeed.

Getting to and from missions quickly isn't difficult, though I will say that it does require the player to learn the better shortcuts. If I have a mission in Steel Canyon, for example, and I'm in Talos Island, I'll take the tram to Independance Port instead of Steel Canyon. The Steel Canyon exit is a stone's throw from the tram in Independance Port, and opens up at the mid-point of the zone, so you're never more than half a zone away from a mission in Steel Canyon if you take that route. Using the tram, you'll sometimes end up crossing the entire length of the zone to get to a door.

Pocket D to and from King's Row, Talos Island, and Founder's Falls. The Striga Isle ferry for IP and Talos. Tram to Brickstown to get to a mission at the far end of IP. Going off the edge of the map in Striga or PI to get to Talos. Shortcuts aplenty in CoH, far more than I could list just from my limited memory of them (i got so used to using some of them that i don't even think about them any more).

Hurdle is so efficient that, frankly, I'm waiting to see if it's going to get gutted. It's almost as fast as Fly by itself, slot for slot, it uses no endurance, and it can't even be detoggled. I'm honestly surprised that it hasn't been cut to half the buff or had some huge penalty added to it yet. Especially now that PvP has spotlighted it as a way to get around suppression.

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CoT in Kings Row spawned only on some rooftops, and only at night?

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They also spawn in alleyways, underneath bridges, and in parks. There are even spawn points on the ground just a few hundred feet from the tram, just past the history plaque across the street (to the left as one is exiting the tram).

[/ QUOTE ] They USED too. back in pre I1 you'd get a kill cot mission in kr and join a team that'd sit around for 20 minutes waiting for darkness, then you'd find a green explosion on a roof and go up the fire escape... it got bad enough that they finially changed it at some point.

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Bleh. My mistake, ignore everything I said. I'm not quite that old and crusty.

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CoT in Kings Row spawned only on some rooftops, and only at night?

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They also spawn in alleyways, underneath bridges, and in parks. There are even spawn points on the ground just a few hundred feet from the tram, just past the history plaque across the street (to the left as one is exiting the tram).

This?

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So if the guide can be improved, I submit one way might be adding the powerset names to the thread title.

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The original title was going to include "Trick Arrow" and "Archery", but I couldn't fit everything in with "sharp, pointy sticks", and "sharp, pointy sticks" made me happier. I'm also trying to keep the two sets somewhat seperate in the guide because so many different ATs have access to them (and TA performs differently for each three ATs that use it), so I couldn't simply put "TA/A".

As Nemo noted, the guide is listed in Guide to Guides, and mentioned in the Defender Guides, so it's not too difficult to find. I will, at some point in the not too distant future, be revamping the guide slightly to include complete stats in BI and DS for all ATs and debuff and control values for controllers and masterminds in addition. I may split the two sets off into two seperate guides at that point, and if so, I'll ensure that both have distinct names which include the actual powersets they cover.

I just noticed that Sand Wasp's build was cut off at 8. She was 29 (currently 32... i've been playing the KotOR series, the IWD series, and the BG series lately) when I TRIED to paste the build in and got uberganked by this stupid forum. -_-

Couple of quick notes about this build:

Vengeance? Yes, Vengeance. I took the time to calculate the buff numbers and was surprised to find that it's even powerful in the hands of its weakest wielders, blasters. Since I'm not concerned about PvP with this character, I have some room to add "fun" powers, like Vengeance.

Power Boost and Boost Range late? Yes, because I currently don't need extra range, extra healing, or extra disorient duration for my play style. This is what fits how I enjoy playing. Other people consider these two powers "mission critical" and feel that they should be taken immediately upon availability. Go with what makes you happy, with or without these two powers, Archery/Energy is still very good.

Oh, and Ice APP, for the AoE sleep and AoE slow. Controls to help maximize the effects of Rain of Arrows, because anything that allows me to fill the screen with sharp, pointy sticks gets a big YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY on the YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY-o-meter.

---------------------------------------------
Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
---------------------------------------------
Name: Sand Wasp - respec
Level: 50
Archetype: Blaster
Primary: Archery
Secondary: Energy Manipulation
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Aimed Shot==> Acc(1)Dmg(3)Dmg(5)Dmg(9)Rechg(17)Rechg(23)
01) --> Power Thrust==> Acc(1)
02) --> Fistful of Arrows==> Acc(2)Dmg(3)Dmg(5)Dmg(11)Rechg(19)Rechg(25)
04) --> Build Up==> Rechg(4)Rechg(29)Rechg(31)
06) --> Blazing Arrow==> Acc(6)Dmg(7)Dmg(7)Dmg(9)Rechg(11)Rechg(23)
08) --> Swift==> Run(8)Run(39)Run(40)
10) --> Hover==> Fly(10)Fly(36)Fly(37)
12) --> Explosive Arrow==> Acc(12)Dmg(13)Dmg(13)Dmg(17)Rechg(19)Rechg(25)
14) --> Fly==> Fly(14)Fly(15)Fly(15)
16) --> Health==> Heal(16)Heal(40)Heal(40)
18) --> Assault==> EndRdx(18)EndRdx(36)EndRdx(37)
20) --> Stamina==> EndMod(20)EndMod(21)EndMod(21)
22) --> Tactics==> EndRdx(22)EndRdx(42)EndRdx(43)TH_Buf(46)TH_Buf(46)TH_Buf(50)
24) --> Aim==> Rechg(24)Rechg(29)Rechg(31)
26) --> Stunning Shot==> Acc(26)DisDur(27)DisDur(27)DisDur(31)Rechg(34)Rechg(36)
28) --> Stimulant==> Rechg(28)
30) --> Aid Self==> Rechg(30)Heal(37)Heal(43)Heal(43)
32) --> Rain of Arrows==> Acc(32)Dmg(33)Dmg(33)Dmg(33)Rechg(34)Rechg(34)
35) --> Vengeance==> MembrExp(35)
38) --> Boost Range==> Rechg(38)Rechg(39)Rechg(39)
41) --> Power Boost==> Rechg(41)Rechg(42)Rechg(42)
44) --> Flash Freeze==> Acc(44)Acc(45)Rechg(45)Rechg(45)Rechg(46)
47) --> Snow Storm==> EndRdx(47)EndRdx(48)Slow(48)Slow(48)
49) --> Hibernate==> Rechg(49)Rechg(50)Rechg(50)
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Sprint==> Empty(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Empty(1)
01) --> Defiance==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Empty(2)
---------------------------------------------

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One possible correction: A couple of the Sleep modifiers look fishy (scrapper and stalker are 8, when it looks like 0.8 would be more appropriate).

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I agree that those scrapper and stalker values look fishy, which makes me think it's probably a bug that never got noticed, since the ranged sleep mods are likely never used for those ATs.

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*cough*Originpower*cough*

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So whats the beef against exploding arrow? The dmg seems on par with fistful, a longer range...and AoE instead of cone?

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The damage is nearly the same, and it's part smashing, which makes it somewhat more attractive.

However, the endurance cost is nearly twice that of Fistful, the animation time is nearly twice that of Fistful, the recharge is nearly twice that of Fistful... it just falls short of being impressive. That's the best way I can think of to state my views on it. Fistful may have a shorter range and be limited to one type of damage, but it's cheaper, recharges faster, and fires off more quickly.

For my Archery/Energy blaster, it's a mainstay. I absolutely WILL NOT give it up. It's absolutely beautiful when it's buffed by Assault, Build Up, and Aim and used as part of an AoE combo.

But on my TA/A, I'll take Fistful.

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Flash Arrow
The -accuracy is quite nice

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3.75% for masterminds.

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Glue Arrow
Lasts 30 secs, almost 60 secs with 3 slow enhancements.

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30 seconds. Slow enhancements increase slow effect, not duration.

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Oil Slick Arrow
Lasts 60 secs, almost 120 secs with 3 slow enhancements.

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30 seconds. Slow enhancements increase slow effect, not duration.

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02) --> Aimed Shot==> Acc(2) Dmg(5) Dmg(7) EndRdx(40)
10) --> Blazing Arrow==> Acc(10) Dmg(11) Dmg(11) Dmg(19) EndRdx(21) Rechg(21)
14) --> Fly==> EndRdx(14) Fly(25) Fly(31) EndRdx(33)
38) --> Rain of Arrows==> Acc(38) Dmg(39) Dmg(39) Rechg(39) Rechg(40) EndRdx(40)
47) --> Total Focus==> Acc(47) Acc(48) Dmg(48) Dmg(48) Rechg(50) EndRdx(50)

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With Stamina, you won't need any of the Endurance Reductions in those powers. You could swap them out for Damage (Rain, Aimed, TF), Recharge (Aimed, Blazing, TF), or just move the slots to other powers. Unless you're going to keep Fly running while fighting, you don't need them in that, either.

Assault and Tactics would benefit a little from a second Endurance Reduction in each.

The defense bonus on Hover is very small, and you don't have any other +defense powers, so it might be better to replace the Defense Buff in that power with another Fly, or put the slot somewhere else.

If you're going to slot Snap Shot for damage, it would serve you better with a 3rd Damage enhancement.

Oil Slick will make you a very happy TA/A with 3 Recharge Reduction and 3 Damage (if you're building for offense) or 3 Recharge Reduction and 3 Slow (if you're building for control).

Stunning Shot's damage is less than Brawl. Slot it for Disorient Duration, Accuracy, Recharge, and/or Range. Damage enhancements in Stunning Shot won't give you any appreciable improvement.

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Couple more questions for ya...

How important is stamina?

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TA/A is probably the best combo for skipping Stamina, since it has no toggles in either set and the recharge times on the core powers are long enough to allow for endurance recovery. Soloing with several pool toggles, like Stealth, Assault, and Tactics is about the only time (other than immediately after using EMP Arrow) that endurance management might be an issue, and even then, it would be easily mitigated by simply shutting off one or two of the toggles.

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Will I suffer if I don't take it?

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Many of the players who talk about their TA/A characters in the defender forum are playing without Stamina, and they just don't miss it.

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Also...I'll eventually get both PGA and Ice Arrow...but one will be much later down the road..which will help more in the early going? Thanks

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PGA. Ice is a great single-target damage mitigator, but it still leaves everything else around the target at 100% damage. PGA reduces damage from multiple critters at once, has a 50% chance to Sleep each individual critter in the radius, and can be combined with Glue to keep everything under very strong control.

If you're facing 3 or more critters (standard spawn size at Heroic), Glue + PGA has almost the same effect as one use of Ice, in terms of damage mitigation, 30% incoming damage reduced, fewer attacks. For comparison, facing a spawn of 3 and using Ice Arrow, you've reduced incoming damage by 33.33% (1/3rd of the spawn no longer attacking) and the attacks are fewer but more frequent (1/3rd of the spawn not attacking at all, 2/3rds attacking at normal rate), and still face the chance of having something get into melee range (MELEE BAD!).

And that's just solo at Heroic. On a team or running at the 2nd or 4th difficulty level, the spawns are larger and the damage mitigation potential of Glue + PGA is vastly superior to Ice.

Ice Arrow is a fantastic tool for stacking on bosses/EBs/AVs, or soloing as a single-target specialist and dealing with pesky lieutenants. I don't disparage it at all (i played all the way to 50 as a single-target specialist, soloing most of the time and only using Glue or PGA when i was on a team), but the newly reduced recharge time of Glue and the fix to PGA's sleep relegate it to a backup power, in my opinion.

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Great guide...one question though on your build..no travel power?

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Hurdle, 3 slotted, and Sprint, 4 slotted (1 Microfilament, 2 Jump, 1 Endurance Reduction). It was for concept (Native American). It's about the same speed as Fly (a little faster), but takes a bit of practice to get used to and tends to come out a little behind Fly if there isn't a clear path to the objective. Aggro mitigation was also a problem until I picked up Invisibility (Hurdling right into the middle of 8 Family or Freakshow and landing flat on one's back tends to be rather bothersome).

It's not a decision that fits every play style, but I enjoyed it immensely.