Rodion
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Posts
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Quote:Patrol XP isn't the only change the devs made to increase the rate at which characters gain XP. They also increased the amount of XP each mob gives several different times over the past few years. So "normal" XP has been increasing constantly. Do you also want a toggle to dial back the XP to what it used to be six years ago? And one to what it was four years ago? And two years ago?Originally Posted by NewScrapper
Okay, okay, I get that there are workarounds. I knew that before I posted. What I'm saying is that Patrol XP should have been made optional in the first place so that we wouldn't have to use workarounds. The devs have been really good in the past about making new features optional when there is the potential for those new features to get on players' nerves. This is an instance where that same foresight was obviously not applied -- obviously, I say, because if the devs were foresighted enough to say, "Let's put in an option to disable all XP," then there must have been some sort of selective blindness at work that caused them to not apply that exact same foresight to Patrol XP. So, I've made "New option: Shut Off (or Clear) Patrol XP" part of my Sig, and there you go. Ignore at your leisure.
The devs already have plenty of things to do. It is unrealistic to expect them to spend time on a feature that almost no one will use when there's already a feature that does pretty much what you need.
Most likely the devs did consider the various kinds of XP players might want to have control over. They decided the single on/off toggle would work in all cases, giving you complete control over your XP. They only have a finite amount of time, and adding another option (that probably only three people will ever use) to an already vastly overcrowded and confusing list of options is just adding more clutter for no real value.
If you have a reason for staying a particular level (you don't want to outlevel the contacts, say), just turn off XP. Seriously. It's that simple. When you're done doing those contacts, turn it back on.
In the final analysis there's really no such thing as "normal" xp. It's all arbitrary, based only on what some devs think will keep the attention of players and maximize the time they subscribe to game. As you can see from the addition of Patrol XP in the first place, and the recent Vet reward for giving your character several shots of Patrol XP, it's the devs' very carefully considered opinion that the majority of players want to level faster, not slower.
Ultimately, for every feature request the devs decide to implement they have to choose another feature that they will not implement. Of all the feature requests I've heard of, this one ranks at or very near the bottom of the pile. I have no doubt the devs will concur. -
Quote:Paragon City has a huge number of apartment buildings, some built directly adjacent to Portal Corp.'s parking lot. The city has a lot of high density housing. There no single-family dwellings, except perhaps in Croatoa.Originally Posted by nytflyr
no this is not a bug report, but while running around the Portal Corp I noticed hundreds of people waling around and a parking lot that was mostly empty... same can be said for the roads in general, this is a busy city, there should be cars everywhere! the lack of cars in the Rogue Islands makes perfect sense, but not in Paragon City!
In that way, it's like New York City. Most people in Manhattan don't have cars, don't need them and don't want them. They apparently live near they work, and the transit system is totally fabulous! The trains come once every 10 or 20 seconds and you get to your destination in less than a minute no matter how far away it is. -
Quote:After I19 you may not want to do this. Only level 50 opponents will drop incarnate shards, and the alpha slot boosts (which require shards) will be the new purples.Originally Posted by Rajani Isa
Try lowering your difficulty.
As long as they are able to drop level fifty commons, NPC level does not matter. Rank (minion/lt/boss) matters, but level does not affect any drop chances. So lower level mobs mean faster farming. -
Quote:I took Presence on my WP/Energy tanker for concept reasons, and to take advantage of cheap Fear IO sets. From a practical point of view, it's not very useful. The recharge on Invoke Panic is long, and I hate the sound effects on Provoke. The Presence Fears do not include a to-hit debuff, and are therefore pale imitations of primary and secondary fear powers.Originally Posted by Flints
Now I'm wondering if anyone uses Challenge or Provoke, they both seem to need slotting for Taunt and Accuracy to be considered useful, but I've noticed something about Challenge and all Taunt powers that is interesting.
On an AoE-based tanker Presence is of even less use than a single-target oriented tanker like /Energy. -
Quote:If you actually did this with this much dedication, and ran at +0/x2 or x3 or higher, you'd almost certainly pick up two or three purples, which you could sell and cut your time by a half or two-thirds. The drop rate per purple seems to be one per 2000-4000 mobs. If you're really doing alignment missions solo every day with a reasonable team size multiple you should be getting a purple every week or two.Originally Posted by Black_Destroyer
But, if you were going to do this for purple recipies (30 Hero Merits a Pop), It would take you the better part of a year (300 days) to farm the Merits for a full purple set...ouch
*added*
Correction, I calculated as if there were 5 in a set, should be 360 days...more ouch
The mistake people who are trying for purples make is trying to rush through things and do as little as possible to complete the alignment missions. If your goal is purples, you will maximize your chances of getting them maximizing the number of mobs you defeat per minute.
In I19 Incarnate Shards will drop only from level 50+ mobs, so you will probably want to get used to running at +0, and not bother with -1 at all. Scrappers and brutes should probably run at +0/x8/bosses if they can take down bosses efficiently, while tankers should probably run at +0/x8/no bosses. Other characters should run at the highest multiple they can comfortably. -
Quote:Agreed, Awesome. There's not just one right way to play this game. The right approach varies based on many factors: the exact type of tank, the composition of the team, the nature of the opposition, the level of the team, the map involved, etc. For example, if you don't have a tank, you obviously can't have a tank run around and herd. A WP tank often has a hard time against mobs that use ranged Fire or Energy attacks, and Fire or Invulnerability have a hard time against psi. But you can still decimate mobs quickly by adapting your tactics.Originally Posted by Call Me Awesome
Both techniques have merit depending on the circumstance but in general "Gathering" is more efficient since it's much faster. I see herding as a safety issue; if a room is too crowded then you'll have more mobs in aggro range than a tanker can control leading to all the extra mobs going after the rest of the team. This is typified by the infamous "Room of Death", the multi level lab room with the platform in the middle surrounded by an elevated catwalk. In this case it's much safer to have the team wait outside in the corridor while the tank grabs aggro and brings them back. One or two cycles of this should thin things out enough to go back to more conventional gathering techniques.
In short, flexibility and understanding which tactics are the key to success. Not some rote process of parading mobs around with taunt.
I play lots of different kinds of character, including many kinds of tanks. I personally despise the whole herd a room up and deposit them at the door mentality. It's boring for everyone, including the tank. That pretty much makes it irrelevant as to whether it's actually more efficient or not. It's boring, and the game is not supposed to be boring.
Most of the time the best tactic is to take on one group at a time: tank rushes in first, grabs aggro, gets them to group tighter, then everyone else hits them with debuffs, AoEs, etc. It keeps everyone active all the time. Care needs to be exercised to make sure that there isn't another group nearby that will be attracted by the combat and surprise you, so you may need to pull the group back away from other mobs a short distance. But no long, elaborate herding scheme is required.
Many people think that it's more efficient to gather two or three groups together so you can use AoEs on them. The problem is that AoEs have a maximum number of targets (at most 16), so if you gather more than 16 you're not going to affect them all anyway. Eight-person teams therefore won't gain much efficiency by amassing 30 or 40 mobs in one location for nukes. And the likelihood of squishies getting killed increases drastically because tankers can't keep 30 targets taunted.
The rush-in tactic works pretty much with any team composition, though the point man may differ if you don't have a tank. For example, if you've got a dark or rad defender you might send in the scrappers and the dark/rad simultaneously with the dark/rad applying the acc debuff toggle to blunt the alpha on the scrappers. If you have all blasters, defenders and controllers, it's even easier: everyone just hits the group with everything at once (debuffers leading with their debuffs, of course).
The problem with the tanker herding is that it stunts a player's thought process, making them think nothing is possible without a tanker. It also doesn't work for many tankers in many situations. I'm sure you've all been on a team with a Fire or Invulnerability tanker who's doing his first Carnie mission and just gets killed by psychic damage every time he tries to herd a big room. Then everyone stands around wondering what to do because the tanker's dead in the middle of giant mob and no one has Recall Friend.
The thing that I dislike most about the herding is the sheer preposterousness of it. It makes absolutely no sense for all these guys to chase this tanker around that they can't affect at all. I don't remember any fights in the movies or in comics being like this: you either jump them by surprise or engage them straight up. There are no silly conga lines of taunted mobs running to meet their doom from three blasters hiding around the corner.
Yeah, sometimes we have to stoop to that tactic. But a steady diet of that is just boring. -
Quote:Enron also messed with the pricing of electricity on the power grid, causing brownouts, forcing power companies to have rolling blackouts in California, and caused the price of electricity to skyrocket.Originally Posted by Enyalios
P.S. Enron had nothing to do with manipulating the stock market...excepting the price of own stock which they used to cross-collteralize their off-balance sheet debt which by the very nature of being off-balance sheet increased their share price. If you want to toss around smarmy comments at people using hot-buttons, at least learn about the hot-button words you're tossing around first.
That was market manipulation at its worst, but everyone has forgotten about that and only remembers the stock market angle. -
Quote:I'm guessing that when you say "Rage is awesome but I don't want to take it," a lot of players do not consider you to be serious about making an awesome build and not responding.Originally Posted by MajorDecoy
Maybe it would help if I was building for something in particular. With a goal of "soft cap defenses with four enemies in melee range" I could build towards that. But looking at my build, it seems to just be "Well, it wouldn't hurt to have this either."
Do I really need six slots of Crushing Impact? I could probably switch those out for a different set, it doesn't hurt me much to lose 10% recharge reduction. If I did, what would I replace those sets with?
If you want to softcap S/L defense then Crushing Impact (which is a good set, don't get me wrong) is not for you. If you want to spring for some Kinetic Combat sets (very expensive) instead of Smashing Haymaker, you can keep some of your Crushing Impacts around for the recharge.
The following build uses relatively cheap IOs and gets 47% S/L defense. Reactive Armor is currently popular and sort of pricey, but if you run a lot of AE missions for tickets and turn them in for Bronze rolls you will get a fair number of them.
To be honest, Rage is just too good to pass up. It's a pain when it crashes, but during that time you can taunt, use powers like Hand Clap (which I'll get when I19 hits), vet powers like Sands of Mu, etc. In addition to the 80% damage buff you also get an enhanceable 20% to-hit buff, which makes the 6% Kismet pale in comparison. That to-hit buff makes life with Rikti drones so much more pleasant...
Having Conserve Power makes the crash more tolerable. I'll probably look into slotting another recharge in Conserve Power in i19, but I've generally not had much trouble keeping this character alive. It is ridiculously tough running normal PvE missions against pretty much any enemy types, especially on teams where you have some help. Solo it's indestructible at +0/x8 against Nemesis or S/L enemies like Freaks.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.81
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Iron Maven: Level 50 Natural Tanker
Primary Power Set: Invulnerability
Secondary Power Set: Super Strength
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Temp Invulnerability -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(3), RctvArm-ResDam(3), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(5), RctvArm-EndRdx(5), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(46)
Level 1: Jab -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(15), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(17), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(27), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 2: Punch -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(13), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(13), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), F'dSmite-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(31), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33)
Level 4: Dull Pain -- Dct'dW-Rchg(A), Dct'dW-Heal(37), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(37), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(40), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
Level 6: Haymaker -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(7), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(7), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(23), F'dSmite-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 8: Unyielding -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam(9), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(9), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(11), RctvArm-EndRdx(46)
Level 10: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I(A)
Level 16: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 18: Invincibility -- RedFtn-EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(19), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(19), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(34), RedFtn-Def(34)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(21), EndMod-I(21)
Level 22: Knockout Blow -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(23), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(25), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(25), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), EoCur-Acc/Hold/Rchg(34)
Level 24: Resist Physical Damage -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(27), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(48), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 26: Resist Energies -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(33), RctvArm-ResDam(50), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 28: Rage -- AdjTgt-Rchg(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(29), RechRdx-I(29)
Level 30: Boxing -- Acc-I(A)
Level 32: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(36), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(36), RctvArm-EndRdx(37), RctvArm-ResDam(43)
Level 35: Weave -- RedFtn-Def(A), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(36), RedFtn-EndRdx(42), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(42), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 38: Foot Stomp -- M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(A), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(39), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(39), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(39), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 41: Taunt -- Zinger-Taunt(A), Zinger-Taunt/Rng(43), Zinger-Dam%(45), Zinger-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(45), Zinger-Acc/Rchg(45), Zinger-Taunt/Rchg(46)
Level 44: Tough Hide -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(48), DefBuff-I(50)
Level 47: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 49: Resist Elements -- ResDam-I(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 0: Ninja Run
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Because the alpha slot is the new thing, and it involves playing level 50 characters, I anticipate the demand and supply for purples will both go up. But because the alpha slot requires making hard choices about what to improve, and purples give good numbers all around (except for end reduction), and they don't go away when you exemp, I imagine that purples will continue to increase in price.
Mostly because people will be playing their 50s a whole lot more. And they'll want to improve them. And that will mean more players wanting purples. -
I'm surprised no one mentioned the whole parody of Cthulhu as Totoro, the cuddly anime character. These episodes hit just about every facet of comic/anime/nerd lore out there.
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Quote:The Greek transliteration is often given as "ΧΘΥΛΥ" where Χ is the CH sound in the standard German "Ich" (as opposed to the coarser CH in Bach or the southern German pronunciation that approaches SH), Θ is TH from "thin," followed by "ulu".Originally Posted by Shagster
I remember reading somewhere that at least one friend of Lovecraft's recalled him pronouncing the "Ct" as a tongue-click in the style of a Kalahari Bushman.
Who knows if that is accurate though. For all we know, Lovecraft may have used variations of exotic pronounciations to throw people off. (Which would be kinda like a more intellectual version of how Meatloaf kept giving a different story of how he got his name with different interviews)
My guess is that Lovecraft really had no way of pronouncing any of the gibberish he put in his stories. Some authors put a great deal of care into creating entire languages for their books as Tolkien did. Lovecraft does not seem to have been one of the them.
Ïa! Ïa! -
Quote:The worst pet summoned is Dark Servant. Your to-hit goes through the floor when one of these is nearby. Kill it immediately or move away from it (immobilize/holds are good for this).Originally Posted by Jibikao
5. Master Illusionists... she is the hardest regular boss in the game IMO. It's hard to kill her quick when she "fades in and out" and she casts so many annoying pets.
The other pets are mostly just annoying for tankers, but the four illusionists and the Master definitely can hold tankers and scrappers if they all fire off their holds at the same time and hit you. So melee types should carry at least one break free when fighting Carnies. -
Quote:Drones seem to be vulnerable to AoE attacks. Foot Stomp smashes them quite handily.Originally Posted by Shadestorm
Rikti drones - Not exactly dangerous as much as they are annoying. They'll pop your hide, and have really annoying defense numbers. Put them in a group with guardians, and you're basically relying on buildup or yellows to keep from whiffing on them.
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Quote:This is the right multiplier. See the Paragonwiki article.Originally Posted by Madadh
Not to be nit-picky, but I don't think it's double, I'm pretty sure it's x1.5. But, still the main point stands, it's bonus XP that you don't get in a lump, but gets doled out as you earn other XP via normal methods.
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Quote:DSorrow, you've got the right take on this. Purples and PvP IOs are only marginally superior to the best rares. With the addition of alignment merits, any full set of rares can be had with only a few hours of play.Originally Posted by DSorrow
I look at enhancements such as PvP IOs like this:
First: Shiny! I want that.
Then: I see how much it costs.
Then: I look for a cheaper alternative.
Then: I find it after a minute of looking.
Finally: I pick the cheaper alternative for a fraction of the cost.
Usually I can get enhancements that are at leasy half as effective as the purples/PvP IOs I was looking at for less than 10% of their price.
Besides, the price of everything on the market is determined by players so shouting at devs won't help. You're barking at the wrong tree.
Others have suggested that it's not the devs are not responsible for high prices, it's the players. While it's true that the devs don't set the prices players charge each other, they do set the drop rates and decide what enemies drops which items. By limiting supply and providing opportunities for players to make very large quantities of inf, the devs are setting the stage for high prices.
But the OP has exactly the same opportunities as other players to make that inf, and if he chooses not to do so because it's too time-consuming or tedious, there's no reason to be bitter about it: that part of the game is just not for him.
Just like I was never a chess master because I never devoted the thousands of hours of effort required to master the game at that level, I will never have a character with multiple (or even one PvP) set because it's too much work for too little incremental improvement.
To the OP: you need to adjust your thinking. You can always get what you want by not wanting what you can't get.
That said, however, you can still make absolutely fabulous characters on a shoestring budget by picking the right AT and powerset, and then picking cheap IOs that complement those choices.
You can make a kick-*ss Inv/SS tanker that's soft-capped to S/L damage using all uncommon IOs except for Perfect Zinger, which can be had for a pittance. Once you have that you can solo +0/x8 missions at level 50 against the majority of enemy types and get purple drops with alarming regularity. You can then sell those purples and play the market in other ways to finance your PvP IO habit.
If that's not what you want to do, you can't complain that it's impossible to get what you want in a reasonable amount of time. It definitely IS possible.
Finally, if you want PvP IOs, then PvP! If no one PvPs, there will be no PvP IOs! Become part of the solution by increasing supply, instead of part of the problem by increasing demand. -
Quote:There are different kinds of opinions. Some can be demonstrably proved wrong, others cannot.Originally Posted by Ultimo_
No, I wasn't arguing. As I said when I started the thread, I was only expressing my opinion, I don't have to argue anything. Arguing over an opinion is pointless. The opinion itself isn't.
I have tremendous respect for Arcanaville's abilities and knowledge. However, she isn't the Oracle of Delphi, and I'm still allowed to disagree. She thinks the Hero system couldn't be adapted to a video game (if I understood correctly). I think it could. It would take a lot of work, to be sure, but I don't see it necessarily being impossible.
Opinions about other people can be and are often just plain wrong. Especially when the holder of that opinion presupposes that they know what another person's "true" motives are. That assumes one can see into the mind of another and that is not possible.
Opinions on religious, moral and philosophical matters are harder to judge the rightness and wrongness of. However, such opinions are often incoherent, contradictory and hypocritical. Not all opinions on such matters hold equal weight.
Opinions on technical matters are also often wrong. If your opinion is that the Hero System, as written, can be implemented in an MMO with existing technology, you are wrong. Because the system, as written, includes directives to the GM about how to control abuses of certain powers. GMs must exercise story-based judgments on powers, which cannot currently be done by a computer running an MMO. That is, running a Hero campaign requires a human GM to make rulings on whether a power works or even applies. No AI exists at this time which can do that.
Running a tabletop MMO is basically the same as writing an interactive comic book in which the character and the GM give each other ideas and things can go in completely different directions. By their very nature, MMOs have canned stories and player's options are limited to a very few actions.
Furthermore, there are technical problems that simply forbid the implementation of many of the powers. For example, the Hero System has powers such as Teleportation at any range (if you pay the points), Time Travel (if you pay the points), and Faster than Light travel.
That means you would have to have maps for the entire Earth, the entire solar system, even the galaxy. And you would have to have maps for every country in every era on earth (we'll give the developers a pass on eras on other planets).
If you have a character in a Hero campaign that decides to go to Moscow hundreds of years ago and assassinate Ivan the Terrible, you can attempt to do so, even if the GM had not considered that. You cannot do that in an MMO unless the action is anticipated by the developers. The setup for that scenario would takes months of development. Multiply that by billions and you'll see why you can't implement the Hero System.
No MMO can encompass the Hero System because it uses the entirety of human imagination as its canvas. -
Quote:The other big thing coming in I19 may provide some extra horsepower: the Alpha slot. I don't think it will give more slots for existing powers, but we shouldn't finalize any level 50 builds until we know what the Alpha slot will do.Originally Posted by Fantomas
It's like they built a bigger engine for the car but they're not increasing the horse power to compensate for the increased weight...ya know? ...ok, not my best analogy but STILL...you get the point...............
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Quote:Anecdotally, I get more drops per unit time solo than I do teamed. When I solo for a few hours, even at only x2 or x3, I fill my salvage window very quickly, having to unload a couple of times. When I team it takes much longer, often never hitting the limit in an entire evening. The same is true with recipe drops (especially commons and temp powers).Originally Posted by Soulwind
However, since teams can fight and defeat larger quantities of Mobs in the same time frame, there are more drops overall to share so it kind of equals out.
Part of this is because teaming involves a lot of other time sinks -- you're probably wasting very little time when you solo because you don't have to wait around for people to enter the mission, or come back from a bio break, or wait while the tank goes off to sell or buy new enhancements three zones over.
But part of it is that, depending on your character AT and build, you are actually more efficient per unit of damage per character per mob attacked solo than you are with a team. That is, a team of 8 against a spawn for 8 just has so much extra damage potential. The overkill is so great that it it doesn't really offer additional time savings.
For example, an Electric/Shield brute can dish out massive amounts of AoE damage. Heck, even a Fire/Fire/Pyre tanker can do enough to wipe out all the minions in spawn with only three AoE attacks.
I don't have numbers, but since you're only one person you're going to get drops 8 times faster than on a team of 8. It definitely does not take eight times longer for most brutes, tankers and scrappers to take down a x8 spawn, if they're designed for it. And specially built Fire/Kins can easily take down certain mob types almost as fast as most teams.
So, if you can take down x8 spawns in twice the time a team of eight can, you're still getting drops at four times the rate you would on a team of 8.
There's probably a "sweet spot" solo team size for every character where their solo efficiency outstrips the drop rates they get on a team. Most of my squishies can handle x2-x4 without problems, though some controllers and defenders definitely have a problem dishing out enough damage to do it very fast.
Perhaps the most efficient way to get drops is to run a duo of characters with synergistic power sets. Say, a brute/corruptor, tanker/blaster, scrapper/controller, blaster/defender, blaster/controller, or a permadom with just about anything. If you run at x8 with two characters you'll get drops four times as fast, and you'll probably be able to take the mobs down as quickly as a team of 8 once you get the routine down. My guess is a solo AoE brute/tanker/scrapper will still be able to outstrip a duo in terms of drops/minute, but if you don't have one of those a duo is probably your best bet. -
Quote:This statistic does not really represent reality. It's the difference between getting hit 5.4% of the time and 5% of the time, because you will always have a 5% chance of being hit. While that looks like an impressive almost 10% of the time, it really means that you'll get hit 5.4 times out of every 100 attacks, rather than 5 times. That means that you'll get hit less than 1 more time every 200 attacks with a 44.6% defense instead of a 45% defense.Originally Posted by Werner
On the other hand, if that 0.4% defense is the difference between 44.6% defense and 45% defense, slotting the 25 makes you get hit almost 10% more often.
Yeah, it's almost 10% higher hit rate on the percentage. But it's happening so infrequently that it doesn't really make a difference in practice. Ten percent of almost nothing is still almost nothing.
Where it makes a bigger difference is when you're fighting against higher-conning enemies, or when you've been debuffed. When your effective defense is significantly lower than the softcap minute amounts of defense definitely help.
So, yeah. You want to reach the softcap when possible. But it's not a magic bullet. There's always a bigger bad that will sneer at your soft-capped character, like DE with their quartzes, or Radiologists, or level 54 bosses.
The other consideration about what level to get your LotG: +recharge IO at is exemplaring. If you get all level 50s, you won't get that recharge bonus at level 44 and below. That means you won't have it when you run many of the TFs in the game, or when you run most Ouro content.
I'm not saying that the softcap is a bogus thing: I personally try to exceed the softcap. Because of ED, though, you can slot a level 25 LotG: +recharge with two other defense IOs and still get like 50% defense on all three positions on a shield tanker, for example, with the appropriate selections in other IO set bonuses.
If you exercise care in how you slot your lower level LotGs you should still be able to hit the softcap and keep your recharge at lower levels. -
Quote:The simplest answer is that stalkers (and Widows) get an automatic critical when attacking out of stealth. The mobs can even be aware of you and you still get the critical, and long as you're still hidden.Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
It has always baffled me how Stalkers never really get any stealth powers with stealth components which don't suppress, yet Scrappers, Brutes and even Tankers do indeed get those.
There would have to be a tradeoff. If you want your stealth to remain in place, you'd have to give up the automatic critical out of stealth. It's really that simple because otherwise stalkers are totally unbalanced.
Making such a change at this stage is unlikely because it's the core mechanic for the stalker. Most stalkers can two-shot bosses with build up, assassinate, placate and then their big damage attack that gets an automatic critical. Removing the crit from attacks out of Hide would make a lot of stalkers unhappy.
Widows have exactly the same setup as stalkers do with Mask Presence. They have a Placate power that turns their stealth back on. They don't have an assassinate, so they can't do quite the damage that stalkers can, but they can choose exactly when they can do a crit, unlike tankers, scrappers and brutes.
Stalkers are not supposed to play like scrappers with Hide. They are supposed to be stealthy stalkers that carefully sneak around and attack from the shadows, then flee back into them. They're not supposed to be invisible killing machines like in the Predator movies. Scrappers and brutes with Dark Armor and Energy Aura fill that role. -
Quote:Your build has a couple of things that will definitely be out of your reach if you're on a budget: the Panacea set will probably cost 15-20 billion total.Originally Posted by Div Zero
hi there!
i am playing coh for nearly a month now and have been a lurker to this forum ever since.
i finally decided to roll a fire/dark corr as my mainchar, and would be happy about some advice regarding my build.
There are two things I want to do with my corr:
1. Playing solo (AoE-Damage, Survivability)
2. Grouping (Support, Damage)
I went the route of maximizing my Fire/Dark corruptor's AoE capabilities and ranged defense. The build below is pretty inexpensive and has 41% ranged defense. Between Darkest Night and the pet's to-hit debuffs, my defense is probably softcapped for just about everything.
The best build for you really depends on your playstyle, but with this build I withstood an attack by a Ballista EB and three waves of Longbow ambushes at +0/x8 difficulty. Running solo at x8 is not hard once you get the tactics down.
The most expensive thing will probably be the Cloud Senses set. Everything else is pretty cheap.
Tactics with this build are pretty straightforward solo. Fearsome Stare, Darkest Night on a boss,Tar Patch, Rain of Fire, Fireball, Fire Breath, single target attacks, then AoEs as they recharge. Problem mobs (sappers, etc.) get held ASAP with Petrifying Gaze.
Tar Patch keeps most mobs from scattering from Rain of Fire (which itself has a slow). RoF has a fear component which makes mobs flee very slowly in the Tar Patch, instead of attacking you. The combination is deadly. Tar Patch doesn't really need any Slow enhancements; things are usually dead long before they run out of the patch.
I find the biggest use for Howling Twilight is to debuff AVs' regen so that your team can take them down quickly. I went with two recharges because I use it for that or rezzing. Your slots are probably better spent elsewhere.
I also didn't take Inferno because of the crash, and because you have to enter melee range. Since I have high ranged defense staying out of melee range means almost never getting mezzed. Ditto for Soul Drain and Dark Consumption -- you have to get into melee to use those and doing that will get you mezzed. I took Power Sink instead, but don't really use it very often, as end use isn't prohibitive.
Blaze is much better than Blazing Bolt.
One note: I don't have any Luck of the Gambler: +Recharge in this build, but they're easily obtained these days. If you do Villain tips you can one villain merit every two days in an hour or two of real time. Once you have two villain merits you can get a LotG: +recharge from the Crucible in Cap au Diable. It's also possible to get Panacea recipes, but they're like 30 villain merits each, and that would take months to get, running tips every day. The set is just not worth if it you're just running normal PvE missions.
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.81
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Fire Mire: Level 50 Magic Corruptor
Primary Power Set: Fire Blast
Secondary Power Set: Dark Miasma
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Mu Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Fire Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(29)
Level 1: Twilight Grasp -- Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Nictus-Heal/HP/Regen/Rchg(21), Nictus-Acc/Heal(31), Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Heal/HP/Regen(33)
Level 2: Fire Ball -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(5), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(5), Posi-Dmg/Rng(9), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9)
Level 4: Tar Patch -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(13)
Level 6: Darkest Night -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb(A), DarkWD-Rchg/EndRdx(13), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(34), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(40)
Level 8: Rain of Fire -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(17), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(17), Posi-Dmg/Rng(27), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37)
Level 10: Flares -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(11), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29)
Level 12: Hover -- Krma-ResKB(A), Zephyr-Travel(46), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(48)
Level 14: Fly -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(48)
Level 16: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 18: Blaze -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(19), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(21), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(23), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
Level 20: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 22: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(23), EndMod-I(25)
Level 24: Fearsome Stare -- Abys-Acc/Rchg(A), Abys-Acc/EndRdx(25), Abys-Acc/Fear/Rchg(27), Abys-Fear/Rng(31), Abys-EndRdx/Fear(36)
Level 26: Shadow Fall -- RedFtn-Def(A), RedFtn-EndRdx(31), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(33), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(33), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(40), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 28: Howling Twilight -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(37)
Level 30: Aim -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 32: Maneuvers -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(34), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(34), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(40), RedFtn-EndRdx(43), RedFtn-Def(43)
Level 35: Petrifying Gaze -- Lock-Acc/Hold(A), Lock-Acc/Rchg(36), Lock-Rchg/Hold(36), Lock-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(37), Lock-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(39), Lock-%Hold(39)
Level 38: Dark Servant -- Cloud-Acc/ToHitDeb(A), Cloud-Acc/Rchg(39), Cloud-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Cloud-%Dam(42), Cloud-ToHitDeb(46), Cloud-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(46)
Level 41: Fire Breath -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/Rng(48), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(50), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(50), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(50)
Level 44: Charged Armor -- TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(A), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(45), TtmC'tng-ResDam(45), TtmC'tng-ResDam/Rchg(45)
Level 47: Power Sink -- EndMod-I(A)
Level 49: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Scourge
Level 4: Ninja Run
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Quote:I took Primal Forces with my Ill/Empathy for Power Boost, and because the appearance of the blast is consistent with the rest of the set (it's like Phantasm's). While I'm usually a straight-up min-maxer, for some reason I can't force myself to take powers that just have the totally wrong feel for a character, just because they have better numbers.Originally Posted by Local_Man
You might want to consider changing to the Fire APP. Fire Blast does more damage (DoT) than primal and activates faster. Fireball is a targetted AoE rather than a cone . . . no need to get in just the right position. The other powers in the set have some nice utility, but if you are only keeping the Blast and Cone from Primal, then Fire is probably better.
Power Boost probably helps Empathy more than it does Rad, but a power-boosted EM Pulse should be awesome.
I have an elemental-themed Earth/Storm that does have Fire Mastery, and has a lot of synergy with Earth/Storm. -
Quote:You're in luck: Inv/SS can be soft-capped for Smash/Lethal damage with little difficulty using uncommon IOs. I got the ideas from this build from another person who wrote it up in the forums; sadly I can't remember his name or where he posted. It's probably somewhere in the tanker forum.Originally Posted by Dr_Arcanus
Any suggestions for powers and slots for an Invuln/SS tanker? I already have everything but Unstoppable from my primary, but my slotting could probably use some work. I still need Tough and Weave (don't have either) and I have Combat Jumping but haven't slotted it for defense yet. I have several veteran respecs I can use to tweak my build. Thanks in advance for any assistance.
This build is soft-capped for S/L damage in a group and is relatively cheap. It doesn't any rares except Perfect Zinger, which is usually available for next to nothing. However, it does use Reactive Armor and Steadfast Armor: Res/+Def, which are high-demand uncommons that cost 10-20 million per recipe if you're not patient. (When I made this build a year or so ago Reactive Armors were only going for 1-5 million, so it used to be a fabulous deal.)
One way of getting Steadfast and Reactive Armor is to run lots of AE missions and use the tickets on Bronze rolls at level 30-34. The other thing you can do is buy recipes at less than level 35. Level 30-34 is less desirable because it doesn't make the biggest total bonus, but because of ED, you don't lose much in the way of Damage Resist if you use a set of 30s instead of 35s. For example, if you slot the four Reactive Armor IOs that provide resistance in Resist Physical Damage at level 35 you get 15.61% resistance, and at level 30 you get 15.42%. Getting that extra 0.2% may cost you tens of millions of inf and take you much longer than just opportunistically buying the lower level Reactive Armors.
The thing about a build like this is that you can respec using SOs or IOs and then buy the IO sets over time, slotting them as you get them. Depending how patient you are and how much you play, you should be able to make this build relatively quickly and inexpensively. In a couple weeks or so you can be soft-capped for S/L damage.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.81
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Iron Maven: Level 50 Natural Tanker
Primary Power Set: Invulnerability
Secondary Power Set: Super Strength
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Temp Invulnerability -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(3), RctvArm-ResDam(3), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(5), RctvArm-EndRdx(5), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(46)
Level 1: Jab -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(15), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(17), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(27), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 2: Punch -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(13), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(13), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), F'dSmite-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(31), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33)
Level 4: Dull Pain -- Dct'dW-Rchg(A), Dct'dW-Heal(37), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(37), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(40), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
Level 6: Haymaker -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(7), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(7), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(23), F'dSmite-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 8: Unyielding -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam(9), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(9), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(11), RctvArm-EndRdx(46)
Level 10: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I(A)
Level 16: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 18: Invincibility -- RedFtn-EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(19), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(19), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(34), RedFtn-Def(34)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(21), EndMod-I(21)
Level 22: Knockout Blow -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(23), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(25), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(25), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), EoCur-Acc/Hold/Rchg(34)
Level 24: Resist Physical Damage -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(27), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(48), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 26: Resist Energies -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(33), RctvArm-ResDam(50), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 28: Rage -- AdjTgt-Rchg(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(29), RechRdx-I(29)
Level 30: Boxing -- Acc-I(A)
Level 32: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(36), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(36), RctvArm-EndRdx(37), RctvArm-ResDam(43)
Level 35: Weave -- RedFtn-Def(A), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(36), RedFtn-EndRdx(42), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(42), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 38: Foot Stomp -- M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(A), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(39), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(39), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(39), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 41: Taunt -- Zinger-Taunt(A), Zinger-Taunt/Rng(43), Zinger-Dam%(45), Zinger-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(45), Zinger-Acc/Rchg(45), Zinger-Taunt/Rchg(46)
Level 44: Tough Hide -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(48), DefBuff-I(50)
Level 47: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 49: Resist Elements -- ResDam-I(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 0: Ninja Run
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Quote:Since pretty much the only thing that nets you experience is reducing your enemy's hit points to zero, the entire concept of being a pacifist in this game is a non-sequitur. Helping others reduce hit points to zero qualifies as aiding and abetting violence, which a true pacifist cannot do.Originally Posted by all_hell
What toon that would come closest to not doing any damage BUT at the same time be as useful on a team as most any other toon.
I suspect that 0 damage would be impossible because many holds and immobs have a dmg component.
A pacifist would be able to complete only missions that don't involve defeating enemies, of which there are very few. Thus, a true pacifist character would probably stay level 1 forever. You might be able to play the market and craft, but at level one you have so few slots that it would be very uninteresting.
What you're talking about isn't a true pacifist, but someone who just doesn't want to get their hands dirty.
If you want to play this kind of hypocritical faux pacifist, the obvious ones that come to mind are Mind/Empathy and Mind/Force Field, but a Mind/Kinetics controller might be more interesting to play.
Confuse, Mass Hypnosis, Telekinesis, Total Domination and Mass Confusion all do no damage. If you want to be coy about it, Levitate doesn't do any damage ("I just threw him up in the air, it's not my fault if he can't hack the landing").
None of the Kinetics powers causes damage, and Siphon Power and Fulcrum Shift reduce the ability of targets to cause damage (while buffing your team). If you load up on Leadership powers you could make a pretty decent character, but you'd not have a lot to do without being able to use Dominate, Mesmerize or Levitate. You could spam Confuse, Siphon Power, and Transfusion, but most of your other powers have long recharge times.
The real problem with this whole concept is that without attacking there's a lot of dead time. The fast-recharge powers like the single-target holds and attacks all do damage (because damage is king in this game). You can only buff team members once with any effect, and the best buffs (Fortitude, Adrenalin Burst) don't recharge fast enough to keep you busy or engaged. Buff-only characters are excruciatingly boring to play, and don't offer the force multiplier effect that AoE debuffing characters can.
In general, the whole "pure healer" idea makes no sense in CoH. It may make sense in other games, and it may make sense in the comics, but this is a super-hero combat simulator game. If that's not what rings your bell, you're in the wrong place. -
Quote:I'm not really sure you can call it a "Hollywood" show since it's filmed in Vancouver (like just about everything on Syfy and USA), but your point is taken.Originally Posted by Lothic
Caprica basically fell into the same trap many Hollywood shows like this fall into: It should have never been designed as an open-ended series to begin with.
This show has way too many episodes for the amount of story there is to tell. Viewers can only stand so much moping around, and the first two seasons have been about 90% moping.
I don't demand constant explosions, but the pace is absolutely glacial. The events that took place this past episode should have occurred about halfway through the first season, and the Cylon war should have started at the end of the first season.
And the real problem is that there are no sympathetic characters. It's not just that the characters are ambiguous, it's that they're all hapless victims, whining layabouts, murderous scumbags or backstabbing weasels.
You can see vestiges of growth in some of the characters, but it's happening way too slowly for anyone to give a damn about.
There are a lot of things I like about it. But the producers are too hung up with navel gazing to give the show the impetus it needed to survive.