Seldom

Well, crud.
Sorry, knock me (dreameater) off the list. I have a previous engagement that I'd forgotten about, brought to my attention just now.

Good luck, sorry for the false positive.

Basically, the devs have to make a bunch of dark powersets, powers that can't step on other dark powers' toes. Why? They won't make extra version of each thing for each AT. They want singular, balanced powersets. There's just so much darned dark around it's a tricky case.

While not a 'healer' thing, I was on my tank...I got a tell from a stranger asking me if I could help them. Reluctantly, I said I would.

My tank has a 'team' build. Resists to the gills, taunt well slotted, ready to take on whatever could hurt the squishes. He can't kill very fast, but I'll be darned if he doesn't take a lot to bring down. Still, if they thought they needed a tanker, something was up. I enter, charge the first group of malta, no worries. But a third of the team is down the hall...they say it's to 'attacks from both sides' Ooookay...

second group. 2 members missing, going new directions. We finish off mob #3. Member #7 dies. (Peacebringer) I check my map...they're a ways off. I go to them, a full two mobs of malta. I see member #8 run in 'to save' the fallen #7. (#8 is a blaster.)
I charge both groups, hitting taunt on the front group, footstomping the second. I'm at the aggro limit, so it gets a bit hairy. We still win, with some close calls.
Second floor. Resurected kheld charges off, I wait for 5 members to find floor #2. Blaster charges past, I see a mob around the corner. I go ahead as he charges...taunting as I can. I overlooked a sapper, he gets me. I'd used my blues. I go down, but pop up with a awaken/break free/green/blue, re-wrangle as the last few team members trickle in. Me: "missed the sapper. Sorry, guys." >checks map< Kheld/blaster charging off. Can we stay closer guys? *Kheld dies* *10 seconds* *blaster dies* I run forward, it's a multi-level office area,, with walkways and a basement. The kheld had run out into the basement, past 2 mobs, blaster a bit away.

I taunt a nearby group, start going to work. Team members #2-3 catch up, take an opposite turn, aggro another group. Me: "Guys, I can only handle so many. Can we stick together? *#2-3 die* Seeing other members dead, the three members helping me run to the dead four, and die as they aggro a third mob. I go down, sapped. They run. Leader assembles, we all start recouping. Kheld is rezzed, runs to where she died before, dies. Me: "Let's hold up, guys. We take them together, we'll win. If we go in one at a time, they'll pick us off. Let's let members #2-3 recoup." *Blaster runs off, dies.*
"let's work together"
*I go to where the leader is watching a group, with other 4 other members*
*Team member #5 goes past, turns right while we're at the fork looking left, dies in a second mob*
Remaining members and I take on the group the leader is on, doing fine. Somebody auto-targets mob #3.
We back off, take them in parts as the mobs have to squeeze into a hall. As the group is almost done, a member jumps past, aggroes a new mob.
New mob comes, we wipe.
A hospital jaunt later, we're together again, but one Me: guys, hold up...let's start when >missing member< shows up.
We do, except blaster, who runs in, inspires up, dies. (They hit their shields after aggroing) The 7 members head in, take out the groups, as the blaster is rezzed. The blaster runs into another group, I taunt/jump in, overtaking them. A mob later, mission complete.

Moral: A tanker can't save you. X missing AT can't...X missing powerset can't...not when people aren't listening....Oh, did I mention the malta mission was timed and set at +3?

Don't forget that the confuse power isn't auto hit, so and form of defense/-tohit protects your minions as well.
*edit* Poison can also decrease the potency of her confuse, and it's antidote covers confuse

The point of quandry with 'costumized' travel powers is this:'Rapter' and 'Jet' packs basically have built-in 'weapons' to their powers, for all intents and purposes. The travel power pools do not. I'm wondering if this is as simple as asking for a flamethrower on fire blast powers because assault rifle can use a gun.

My 'main' villain is a psychic orphan who was traumatized as a child...she learned she could eat people's dreams. This heightened her psychic powers, and the life-rich energy of dreams can sustain her physical form. The bad side is that once a person loses their dreams-their hopes, desires, passions-their soul withers into nonexistence in time.

So she doesn't mean to destroy people's eternal souls, she's just hungry.

Is that evil?

I could still use the master badges for Recluse, Barracuda, and Grey.

I'd be happy to help with Grey.
@chicagodoodler, "dreameater" Mind/Psy perma-dom

My first corruptor was made to be /poison, until I realized it was mastermind only.

I'd like it, but I have to note the set could use a look over. Radiation gets a lot of the same debuffage, but in AoE form. It kills bosses well, but it's not so good at survival vs. larger groups. The poison trap is a bit of a head-scratcher, and the tier 9 could be re-jiggered a bit. It's low duration with long recharge makes me wonder.

But thematically? What's wore corrupting than vile toxins and goop? ...Slowly poisoning an enemy to death? Yes please.

We already have glows according to powers/stances. Case in point: Jetboots. Their aura activates when the character is in flight mode. Combat auras activate when in 'fight' mode. They seem to have combined these approaches for the Praetorian cop gloves. And the hexagonal thing in Gavin's full body screenshot link? I'm willing to bet that's a full-body combat aura.

On /DA brutes, the Cloak for fear is strong enough to work on lieutenants. On others, it's minion-only. I always wondered why people said it was crud...but I was playing a brute /DA where all but the boss cowered. It works well, keeps stuff in punching range, disrupts/reduces incoming damage. I can crank my difficulty, and go to town as all the stuff dumb enough to get near stws woozy/cowardly, ready to feed my heal.

For /DA I know there's a lot of dislike for EM/, but I still like my EM/DA stuns anything but AV's, and delivers damage quite well.

Yeah, coming into the mission you will see two guards flanking the door.

To the left, before you get to the lines and teller stations, are two civillians conversing/cowering...one is a teller. I went through the mission twice the first time I did it until I saw her.

If there's nobody to the left after the two flanking guards, it seems like a bug.

<The following is not for any prize, I'm just entering another for the fun of it.>

To run in a mob
My blaster falls to the dirt
Terrible 'r' key!

Eh. Tell me, what's the worst that can happen? I'll tell you, I teamed with a kheldian who had no idea what they were doing. As soon as any fight started, they seemed to be on the floor; they had just started, and thought because their human form had shields they could tank. As soon as my tank had aggro, she's dwarf. But yeah, human/squid rush before.

...And you know what? I'd seen people do the same faceplanting on controllers. And defenders. And blasters. And scrappers. And dominators. And brutes. ...Oh wait...

Yup! It's true, there a new players, bad players, and hopefully they get better, learn as they go. such is the case with any multi-player game.

A dominator
I see people I enjoy
We join in crime.

*edit* does CoV count? I play both, but my dom came to mind, as she's my 'main'.

@ChicagoDoodler

Dominators, I keep telling people, are blast/blappers whe traded their nukes and some other powers for AoE mez and the awesome button.

Yet I find people who compare them to controllers, it's weird. Like the Plant/guys who rely so heavily on their tree to heal the team, and take the medicine pool. Bah. I can see a lot of people trying them as a new controller, getting fed up, and moving on. I can also see folks trying them as a new experience, and loving them. Blueside, doms will be nigh unstoppable. Arachnos? no problem. Longbow? None to be found, but watching your back.

That said, I think while people will like to play them, I'm not sure how 'in demand' they'll be. Good control trivializes content, and is far more effective than healing...yet players continue to give far more priority to support sets. (Hint: it's because buff/debuff sets make them/their hits awesome, rather than turning foes to fools.) That said? Hero buffs are truly potent, and doms are the second highest damage AT in the game. Any damage buff on a dom turns them into the blaster that can also keep the enemies put. That won't be unwelcome.

*edit* oh, and I do think doms, especially perma-doms, will be well sought after for TF's especially. Task forces seem far more vulnerable to control manipulations than strike forces. A perma-dom that can make sure the big AV's can't lift a finger? I can see those being handy.

Duo's I've found so far:

Mastermind/dominator:
Pets live longer with the control from dominators, the dominators get a pass from flack as the pets grab aggro. The mastermind can soften targets and/or mitigate damage that does get through controls. A very safe combo, with damage from both sides.

Mastermind/mastermind:
This comes more to secondary chemistry than you'd think. a traps+forcefield is unstoppable as a pair, in my experience.

Corruptor/corruptor:
This really gets legs if there's a way to keep both safe from mez. /Sonic paired with/dark with sonic blasts 'tis fun: great resists to ALL damage, a mez protection bubble, many debuffs, and good healing. Dual pains works nicely if given time to mature.

Brute/corruptor:
This is tried and true, an easy/crazy frenzied combo. Brute plays diva, getting all the attention, corruptor does what they can to keep the brute alive and enemies weak. Corruptor often have better AoE than brutes, so the brut can break down hard targets while the corruptor destroys the rest.

Crab/Bane:
The reverse of the brute/corruptor duo, the crab grabs aggro, kills the mobs, while the bane kills/softens hard targets. Both are tough with excellent damage. Stack up manuevers/assaults, then go to town.

Things I hoped for: fire/lightning/'wind'/minimal fx versions of hasten, superspeed, hover, flight, teleport, and superjump. Fire would have flame eminating from feet for flight, fire from beneath feet for speed, fire shockwaves from jumps, and fire portals for teleport. Electric the same, but no 'jetfeet' for the flight, just an electric aura. Wind would we whitish whisps for power movement, and whisps encircling the character when not. Additionally, colors for all, a standing flight pose, and a 'powerslide' version of superspeed would be awesome.


extra: medicine pool: gem/spell healing, 'no object' healing

I agree with jetpacks, but I think/hope that would be a "back" costume element. (So that it wouldn't disappear) Since the jetboots already animate according to flight, a back option that does the same is no biggee.

[Crab summary]

Yeah. Doms have the second highest melee mods, and second highest non-epic ranged damage mods in the game. (Yep, higher melee than blasters and stalkers.) Their only "Orange numberz" handicap is the limited number of attacks, and the fact that they often lack a damage boosting power.

Hm. For flavor, I'd go more for a +critical chance than a straight up-damage increase all the time. Critical shots are usually synonymous with a perfect hit, while straight +damage usually is more to do with more powerful hits.

But that's just my take on it.

I always wondered why they didn't give targeting drone a +critical shot chance...it just makes sense. You're aiming better, so wouldn't it make sense if you're able to hit a target at it's weak point, dealing critical damage?

The cloaking device stealth strike makes sense as well. Something along the lines of the widow/bane stealths would give devices a distinct flair.