Socorro

IO sets that turn KB into KD won't work because KB is only really detrimental when on teams. Soloing, the mitigation it gives can be a life saver.

IMO, the best way to handle it would be to give the KBer the option of when to KB or not. Pretty much the only way I can think of to do taht is with a Toggle; that, when on, gives the character Negative KB global magnitude, effecting every power that causes KB. Maybe its magnitude is not off the charts, so Nuke Powers would still cause some KB.

Should it be a toggle that every toon has automatically? An accolade? A Temp, crafted from a Recipe? Not sure, but it's the one solution that noone really should have any issues with...and one I'd use in a heartbeat. I LOVE KB when soloing, but I'd also really love to turn it off on large teams.

People have been complaining about the Inflated in-game economy lately, but the best way to get purples is to play the market. Crafting and Selling certain IOs will earn you a lot of money, with which you buy purple recipes. Plan on spending about 10 minutes or so per login session to make sure you're steadily moving stuff thru the market.

Yes, purples are outrageously expensive right now, but guess what, so is everything else. That means you're selling stuff for a whole lot of Inf, so it evens out. (all prices will drop with I16, buying and selling, so it'll still even out then)

Finally, you don't have to farm to get good IOs - just play.

Why am I qualified to say this? Because a few months ago, after AE was already out and the market prices were going up. I decided to take up the challenge of purpling my main toon (A Human Only Peacebringer). In that inflated economy, I've managed to slot 28 Purples in a few months.

And I don't farm (except the Cimeroran Wall occasionaly, but that's so much fun it doesn't feel like farming). No mishes set aside for farming at all. I just played: solo or teams, missions or TFs, whatever was available, and then did the market as I said. I got my share of purple drops, but a good chunk came from the Market.

Essentially, if you don't enjoy playing a single toon for a while and/or simply detest playing the market, I wouldn't bother with purples. They're nice and shiny, and you certainly notice a performance difference when you have them, but they're not worth grinding for if you're not having fun. Even if you don't like the market, it's only a few minutes per play session. Otherwise, stick with other IOs - they work splendidly too...

IMO, of course..

Well, I'm considering giving this 'soloing AVs' thing a try, so I'm counting on you guys to tell me I don't have a chance... haha

Firstly, I've never attempted it - on any toon. However, my Human PB has successfully soloed the EB versions of Nemesis, Ghost Widow, and Nosferatu and many of the Praeteroian EBs. Most of these were done before I recently started 'Purpling Out' my PB.

Well, now she is purpled out, I have a lot of recharge (about 140% with Hasten, which is auto and has less than 20 sec. downtime) and Purple Procs for the extra damage needed. I've not calculated my DPS, but I feel like I might could put a dent in an AV. No, what would likely prevent me from succeeding is my Damage Resistance and my Endurance.

Right now, my Resistance sits at around 35% for Smash/Lethal to around 50% for Energy/Neg. Energy, with everything else somewhere in between ('cept Psi, that's around 11%, forget soloing a Psi-dishing AV). I don't have an real Defense to speak of. I depend on my Resistance and fast-recharging Heals for protection and that works very well against pretty much all normal content, but got a feeling it's not sufficient for soloing an AV. I believe to have a shot I'd have to stay in Light Form as much as possible and hope I can ride out the moments it's down. Lots of Oranges and Purples, maybe...?

Then there's my Endurance. I normally run all 3 Shields, Combat Jumping, and Assault all the time, plus have Hasten on Auto (thus it's up most of the time), so I can burn thru *alot* of endurance. To counter it, I have a Numina +Recovery, Performance Shifter Proc, and IO bonuses, so for most situations Endurance is manageble, even though I use it like a Hummer. But on Long Fights, it can start to dip low. I have Light Form and Conserve Energy for those moments, but not sure of the gaps between their downtimes. Maybe alternating between them will work. I also recently got a Miracle +Recovery, but haven't had a chance to see how much of a difference it makes. Additionally, I could probably turn off some of the shields, depending on the AV...

So, how to go about it? First, got to pick the right AV. An Uber Psi or Mezzing AV is right out, as is probably one of the Tanker Type AVs (my DPS is good for a Kheld, but not sure if it's that good). Any suggestions (or how about suggesting "Give this idea up, fool!")

Another opinion: LX stated that for these goofy scenarious, using a Shivan or other Non-AT based Pet is not really soloing. Well, what about having other players on your team but they don't help you fight the AV? They'd just stand around cheering you on...and of course provide some nifty Cosmic Balance buffs. I'm pretty much certain I could solo some AV with that haha. It *is* a part of our ATs package (we're not going outside the AT, like with a Shivan), but it does require teammates... Thoughts? Is it soloing an AV if you have teammates but they don't help with the actual fight?

Just gloating, sorry... Nah, not sorry... haha... just had a little ol miracle with a miracle IO...

Well, my Human PB is about IOd to the gills now. 27 purples, -KB IO, LotG +Rchg, Numina +Recovery. So I run several Toggles all the time, plus have Hasten on Auto (Not perma, but less than 20 seconds from it, so close enough). For most content, I don't have much of an Endurance problem, but I've noted that for some GM and AV fights I start getting low on End. It takes a while - I have decent recovery, but nevertheless, this is my pimped-out toon, and I want as much chrome as possible.

So, I figured, why not get a Miracle +Recovery and put it in Health - then maybe I can be the first PB to solo Hamidon or something. I look at prices at Wents... Holy Carp!, they've gone up just like Purples!! 150 Million+... Really don't feel like spending that much.

Do you ever get those feelings, like the stars are lined up just right. I had a few merits from some TFs, so I go over the Merit Vendor. I'm explicitly wanting one single expensive recipe... I still feel like I'm in the zone...

*Cha-ching* Random Recipe Roll - and I've got me a Miracle +Recovery.

What are the odds...? I haven't been living *that* right haha.

Get it however you can. The -KB Zephyr is, without too much question, the single most useful IO I've ever slotted in my Main (a Human PB)...and she currently has 27 purples

Alrighty, well all that makes sense - thanks alot guys...

Never done it but felt like trying one. Heard Posi was one of the more soloable one, so got me a couple of padders, started TF, entered first mission, then thanked the padders and told them they could exit any time. But when they did, the Taskforce ended, and I got dumped back on the streets haha...

I thought that's all you had to do: get enough to start the TF, then once it got going, others could all drop and as long as you had one remaining it'd keep going. What am I missing?

Thanks...

Well, I think all you formers have been exploiting shapeshifting bugs for years (Double footstomps, anyone )

I don't think Kheldian shapeshifting was conceived as something you do all Helter Skelter like, popping from one form to another like the Impossible Man, but rather you see a scenario, pick a form that best deals with it, and more or less stay in that form unless there are dire reasons to switch again.

That's essentially how I play a tri-form, since I don't bother with all that non-official keybind styles that you have to dig into someone's virtual storage bin to find. Maybe that's why I'm not as effective a former as some of you - I'm not exploiting haha

Don't take offense. I'm half joking. Half in the sense that I don't care how you play, and the other half in that I think I'm right in how the Dev's originally conceived the AT to work (and still do, possibly, and a pushing it in that direction).

The change is supposed to be a concentration thing, as evidenced by the animation (the big squeeze), and there are other animations like that that root you. My Brute stops in mid-flight all the time when I turn on certain toggles...

We're not smart enough to Toggle, Chew gum, and Travel at the same time

I do see it as Kheldian Epic are already built in to their sets. We have 14/12 powers vs. other ATs 9/9.

I really, really do hope Khelds eventially get customization. I so want that hand ground smash for my PB's Solar Flare, and maybe Martial Art's new Tier 9 animation for Inc. Strike. Oh, and goldish coloration for the powers, and being able to tint those bubble shields so it seems they're not there...

Alternate forms would be wonderful were I a former; as is they'd just be gravy

I do believe we'll get customization for khelds someday (perhaps by GR, where I see them proliferating *lots* of options to all ATs ), though perhaps not to the extent I wish...

*sigh* Novella, if you are a 4+ year vet then surely you've read and heard many of the rough scenarios Kheldian Players have had with Cysts. Perhaps some of these are just whiners and complainers, but I know that many are not, because I've experienced it too. Now that I'm a much more accomplished player I don't experience it nearly the level I used to. I, too, can solo Cysts now.

All that begs the point. Cysts, relative to how often they spawn, are much more likely that other foes to cause an extreme situation, especially for less powerful and inexperienced teams. When I described my 8-team wipe scenario, you bring up things such as maybe team makeup wasn't adequate, and suggest that the team shouldn't have kept trying. I don't know how 'optimal' our team was, but we handled all 'normal' mobs and bosses just fine... and since when is giving up on a scenario considered the normal gameplay. Most teams should only give up when a situation is hopeless...and if Cysts can cause an over-abudance of 'hopeless' situations, again relative to spawning rates, then to me that's a problem.

Additionally, when I said that that Cysts are the worst non AV/GM foe out there, I didn't mean for Khelds only (as you seem to have taken it), but all ATs. Yes, my PB can handle Ring Mistress, Rikti Mental Bosses too (solo them fairly easily now), but certain other ATs don't even blink with those foes. And yet just about every AT seems to be wary of a Cysts. A Cyst is the only foe in the game where I've seen non-Khelds make special keybinds just to spot one (well, them and Sappers...a Vs and Qs, but the latter are kheld related too, so doesn't help the topic). I teamed with a Defender once who's keybind included team speech: "I detect the dark presense of Cyst Crystal." or something like that...

I've never seen Tankers and Blasters holler out 'Dark Ring Mistress!!!', or "Look out! Malta Gunslinger!"

Ultimately, Cysts are an 'admitted' bug that the Devs have, for whatever reason, decided not to fix. It doesn't matter how well a prepared or powerful team can handle them, Cysts don't belong in regular missions, physically or thematically. Remember, they're the safe houses of Nicti that don't have a host; the Crystal keeps them alive. Cysts are supposed to be, like, sorta precious... So when I see one on a Sidewalk in Downtown PI while streetsweeping ( and I have ), or hanging out with Devouring Earth I find it more than a little odd...

But you have no problem with it, so lets just leave it at that...

I hope they go the 'extra Enhancement slots' route, whether is those 'universal' things from the survey, or just more slots to add to existing powers - with IOs you could see a real increase in power there.

I'll admit that a Forming Warshade seems to have more potential than a Human Only Warshade (don't know from experience - never got one past lvl 14). But Peacebringer's Human Only, esp. at high levels, seems every bit as effective as a Former. My lvl 50 PB's 2nd build is Tri-Form, and it's pretty good, but I can just arrest things faster (and without the shapeshifting clunkiness) with Human Only.

There is one aspect, though, where a PB Tri-form is perhaps better, and that's when a team needs a Niche performer. Say, all a team needs is extra DPS or can't find a Tanker, a Tri-form can fills those rolls. I played someone's AE arc (something about the Marines). Team had a Tanker and 3 Scrappers haha. Star asked me if I could switch to my build that had Nova for the extra AoE DPS. I did, and that's pretty much all I did, hover back and blast clumped mobs. I was pretty effective, but I still think my Human Only would have been effective in that situation (or at least as good). A Human PB, with those single target Melee attacks, shields and heals, is better against bosses and above - and this arc was chock full of them...

And let's be honest, no Niche-player is ever a *Must Have* in today's CoH world.