Sailboat

Some of us have found it again.

Sounds like you could use some gaming buddies; leveling usually goes faster in groups. Have you looked in the global channels on your server? Great way to join task forces, and the levels really roll in when you're running TFs...plus you have a chance to meet cool people you can add to your friends lists.

DP/Energy Blaster could at least blap a few people to simulate punching.

You really ought to run the Negotiator badge mission and make that his badge.

I kinda like snipes. I kinda like snipe sets. Sometimes I'll slot a snipe set.*

*Not Calibrated Accuracy.

But I sure don't get why there are more snipe sets than there are (non-Purple) Targeted AoE sets.

Holy cow, Targeted AoEs are among the most popular powers in the game and many builds have more then one of them.

Here's something else weird though -- people are way too infatuated with snipers in real life, too. In online discussions of bravery in war, people always bring up snipers, the guys who shoot unsuspecting targets from hiding. No disrespect meant to snipers,* it can be an important role, but I'm surprised people prattle on about the "bravery" involved.

*yet

My Dad, however, did lack respect for snipers. He served in World War II, infantry, European theater, and he said that everybody he knew in the war detested snipers, even ones on their own side. The reason was simple -- everyone felt the war itself would be decided by big attacks. Sniping didn't have any measurable effect on the outcome of such events; it just contributed to the day-to-day trickle of deaths, even during "quiet" periods, that embittered both sides, without any chance* of actually determining the war and letting everyone go home.

*unless Hitler stuck his head up, I guess

Hollywood likes snipers too -- I guess it's easier to identify with one individual than with just another helmet hunkered down in a foxhole. And they do have their place, probably moreso in modern "asymmetric" warfare, antiterrorism, and so on. But movies tend to make it seem like one guy with a telescopic sight decides all wars -- not the 25,000 guys hauling artillery shells, or an entire infantry division.

Don't you have to have Going Rogue to spend A-merits?

Eh, the OP is a WP Scrapper with a hit point boost and 80% defense (thanks to Divine Avalanche). I thought that was hardier than a Fire Scrapper. Still not hardy enough?

And don't Scrappers do more damage than Tankers? Where are all the "Tankers don't do any damage" people in this thread? :P

Well, my Fire/Fire/Pyre Tanker usually has to kill her way out of crowds of Romans while they chew up her defense (from set IOs), using the old, much-maligned "offense makes up for lower defenses" method. I'd think a Scrapper would be even better at "out-killing" the Romans.

Further obscuring this issue, I believe that when you're actually on the screen where you redeem A-merits, you won't see anything on the list you don't have enough merits to buy. So few people will see the purple or pvp recipe costs on the list, and may not realize they're even available.

Procs activate slowly in auras (every 10 seconds). use only if well-frankenslotted and have slot(s) left over.

Multistrike is decent for positional defense. If not going for positional defense, or if you're already soft-capped, frankenslot. On SOs, 2 end, 1 acc, 3 damage; but frankenslotting is cheap and easy (well, it used to be cheap) and very effective.

Damage auras are a good thing over the long term; don't skimp on slotting them.

Pro tip: every toggle power that does damage is a very efficient use of your animation time. People spend billions to shave their attack chains down to eliminate tenths of a second, and people are always lobbying to have their favorite click attack power's animation time reduced...but damage auras never use any in-combat animation time at all. The ultimate in efficient use of time -- you can even do damage with them if you're standing there trying to figure out what else to click. You can literally kill things while AFK.