UnicyclePeon
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Posts
1909 -
Joined
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Justice Maid
Justice Maiden
Maiden of Justice
She also kinda looks like she has an apron on and is about to perform field surgery.
Battle Surgeon
War Nurse
Battle Nurse
I dunno.
Lewis -
Quote:Never. My fear is that not opting in to the new system heavily will make the characters that don't opt in useless for the new endgame content. They've never done that either, but anytime there is some radical new unknown system, I'm going to be worried, especially an endgame system.Originally Posted by Golden Girl
Since when have they ever added a new system that was required, and not optional?
The reason I dont play WOW now is because you have to have all the right gear and participate in all the right raids for a long time to get the stuff you need to be considered for the next tier of raid. I have no proof to think that will happen in COX with the new system, but I do worry that my favorite feature of COX may eventually go away.
Lewis -
Quote:Well, as long as the system itself does not prevent me from joining task forces due to some game mechanic, I'll be happy. I already have players on channel pinnbadges promising they wont exclude anyone and will take anyone on any endgame mission. So, as long as its viable with one or two "normal" level 50s and they don't have to recant, I will find that entirely acceptable. I just want to be able to go on all the endgame missions, even with my characters who havent heavily invested in the system.Originally Posted by Arcanaville
I don't know about apples and oranges: there are people that complain they get kicked from teams for not being IOed out now. Others have the exact opposite anecdotal experience. Those two perspectives appear totally irreconcilable. I suspect an essentially identical situation will occur with regard to end game content. Who's right and who's wrong will very likely come down to which of the two a particular player's experience matches.
I don't at all mind that to get the most out of a few characters that I'll have to focus on those guys. I dont mind making decisions. I just dont want the other 35 characters in my stable of 50s to be useless because I cant possibly have enough time to invest to make them desirable on these new endgame teams. Otherwise, I wasted a lot of time in the last 5 years, over and above what you can argue is generally a waste by playing video games anyway.
Lewis -
Quote:That may be apples and oranges, though.Originally Posted by Arcanaville
However, in the absolute sense, people who actually *need* progress to halt dead at level 50 will probably have issues with the new end game system, just like there are people who believe the invention system "forces" them onto the treadmill of accumulating purples.
Feeling you have to have purples doesn't change the fact that my level 50 character with only modest/cheap IOs, or with SOs, can get an invite to the hardest task forces, and the team is happy with me. So a person feeling they HAVE to have purples is simply WRONG, because even without purples they can go on and be useful in ALL the content and desired by any team.
If the new system makes it such that my level 50 Fire/Earth Dominator with SOs can't get on a team because the content cant be completed by someone who hasnt heavily invested in the new system, or isnt welcome on teams, or isnt tough enough, or is shut out in some way, thats a totally different complaint.
As long as the new system allows my level 50 SO only character to GO on all the content and not have the team reject me, then it will be a success. If you can't avoid the new system and still play with your friends, it will be a disaster. If I wanted a game where I had to keep up with the Jones' to expect to be invited, I'd play WOW.
Lewis -
Quote:This is exactly the same way I feel, or close. I decided a cool project for me would be to get every Fire Controller permutation to level 50, and every Fire Dominator permutation to level 50, and I've done it over 5 years. That's 16 characters that are level 50 that I played up and enjoyed but that I considered DONE. Sure, I could get accolades and badges and whatnot, but they are finished.Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
Frankly, I enjoyed the fact that my characters were DONE. It gave me a sense of closure. I just know that this new thing, whatever it is, is going to attempt to make progress infinite, or at least such a pain in the *** that I'm never going to bother finishing even one, thus robbing me of my sense of closure unless I pretend it doesn't exist. And if I pretend a few more parts of the game don't exist I might as well stop playing altogether.
Currently, I can bring any one of my level 50s into any high level content I want, and I'd be useful. Merits from Task forces and cash from Task forces (for affording purples) are perfect for an endgame because someone could do that and go crazy and be better than me, but I can currently take any level 50 character on any task force and be fundamentally useful, if not as good as the guy with 100% recharge. Someone would say "cool we have a bubbler" or "we have a scrapper, great" and not "dude, you are a scrapper with no recharge bonuses. get out". I don't want that to be the case with the new system.
I'm very nervous that the new end game system will be exclusionary or will make me feel my characters are incomplete again. I've been playing to get my stable of concepts that I like done and completed. I like going "which one of my pretties will I take on the endgame content tonight". Changing that for me will be a disaster. It'd be like deleting every level 50 I have, undermining the whole point why I still play.
If the new system is something like being able to earn bonus slots so that you could eventually 6-slot every power you can take by 50, I'd be fine with it. Because a character with ALL its powers 6-slotted would be more powerful, but I'd be able to go on all the same task forces with my currently complete characters. If however I totally cant hang with the content with some level 50 I parked 3 years ago and dont touch ever, or if you have to do a bunch or advancement to get access to the endgame missions, or if its like a new powers system and none of my "done" character need bother trying to get on a team because nobody wants me, I'll be irritated. In that event the new system will have, as far as I'm concerned, deleted all of my level 50 characters because then I can't drag them out for any content for fun anymore.
And right now, I have 40 characters that are level 50, with 1 that is level 48 right now that will probably be level 50 by the end of the weekend.
Excitement: No.
Fear: Yes.
Curiosity: Let's call it Dread, shall we?
Lewis -
Your Mid's export's data link doesn't seem to work, and you didn't also include the data chunk, so its hard to look at. That makes it a bit tedious to look through your Mid's export info on the forum. It looks like you took all the key powers, slotted sets into them including some purple sets, and picked up a few of the specials that people like (KB Prot, LOTG recharge, Miracle, Numina). Recharge seems to have been the focus. But other than that, hard to say.
I do see you skipped on travel powers. I would shoot myself unless I only sat in the AE all the time. Sure, you could get a jet pack, and I guess that'd make you a farmer from the future with a tree and a jet pack, but it seems awkward. There are other minor things I dont like, such as Hurricane only have 2 slots (Hamis or not). But I dunno. Its probably OK. Looks like a typical "throw money at it" build. It would probably suffice from that alone.
Lewis -
Welcome aboard the Party Train of Death and Glory!
Lewis -
Congrats to everyone on the team!
As for Positron's endgame, I hope it is FUN, but I also hope it is not a total time sink like in some other games.
If it confers character advantages, I hope it is something that a player with only a couple of level 50s will benefit from more with a full investment of time. However, I feel that the early benefits in the system should come fast enough that someone like me with lots of 50s won't be totally screwed in the new system.
Best wishes to all!
Lewis -
Local,
My stormies generally have both Hover and Super Speed. So, I don't have to make the decision. I still feel that Hover allows the greater control for use with Hurricane. But, if the OP doesn't have room, he doesn't have room.
Lewis -
Its OK to only have Steamy Mist. You'll just have to be a bit more careful. Also, you might be able to put a Celerity stealth IO (or the jumping stealth one) in sprint. It might stack with Steamy Mist for full invis (I know it stacks with Super Speed).
I personally hate to skip Hover on a Stormy. It makes a lot of the storm powers more fun and convenient. Plus theme, etc. But its all good.
Lewis -
Its hard for me to remember back in the day how it may have used to be different. I still wish we could summon 3 of them like we used to be able to do.
Anyway, yeah, he stands behind you. Its nice for you to have some stealth so you can drag him through bad guys. That way he can take the alpha strike if you can't. He'll still attack anyone in his aggro range.
Lewis -
Weird. I love soloing on a controller. I guess different strokes for different folks.
Lewis -
It may be that he is letting foes aggro on him, or that foes are within line of sight, or something like that.
OP: It is irritating, but foes will get pot shots on you before they start being subjected to the Ice Slick. And yeah, sometimes foes will just run right off of it on occasion. It isn't a total lockdown like a Stun, but it lasts a long time and has other advantages. For example, it works on things that Stuns wont affect.
I'd recommend the OP try casting Ice Slick while out of sight or while something else takes the alpha, so that you get less/none of the pot shots the bad guys take before they fall. Also, you'll just have to accept that a bunch of the foes will still get ranged shots off on you as they pop around, but its a lot less than they would if they weren't flopping. The overall damage mitigation is outstanding.
Lewis -
puba,
Your data link didnt work for some reason.
Lewis -
If you place damage procs in WOC (assuming it takes them?) will the damage from those procs notify enemies?
Lewis -
Seems to me that you've already done one of the best combos for farming (Fire/Kin) and Task Forces (Illusion/Rad). If you want to try something different and fun using the sets you've mentioned, I'd recommend:
Gravity/Storm: takes a while to blossom, but its crazy good fun. Its the best Gravity pairing in my opinion. Controlled chaos, battlefield placement, etc. Good times. It can solo fairly well from level 1 on up as well, with no special consideration of pool power attacks needed at all.
Ice/Trick Arrow: Lots of slows, lots of knockdown. Having both Ice Slick and Oil Slick for AOE knockdown can be very nice. You'll have multiple slows too, as well as an AoE (point blank) confuse/slow toggle, and 2 AoE holds, not to mention 2 single target holds. Plus, you'll get some resistance debuffing action. I think Ice/TA is wacky, and probably very team-dependent compared to what you're used to, but its VERY different from what you've played.
Lewis -
Well, Hover is kinda nice if you use Hurricane to herd/debuff a lot. I feel it has a great feel in terms of control and speed for "herdicane" positioning.
However, Hover isnt compatible with Fissure, since I believe Fissure requires that you stay on the ground to use it. So, if you are going for the Earth epic, dropping Hover may make sense.
Lewis -
I would not worry specifically about building for Defense or Resistance. However, I would re-consider your RI and EF plan. I think it is best to take both on all 3.
What if one dies? You want all of them to be able to handle all the duties in a pinch. And hey, why resist the DR on foes 3 times instead of once or twice? Why not have that much more -acc vs things that resist it (AVs, etc)? And again, what if you die on one of them but you don't want to lose the fight?
Its something to think about.
Lewis -
Quote:I agree with this. I took Plant/Storm to 50 and it was one of the most natural pairings (in terms of play style) that I have ever experienced. Only Earth/Storm and Earth/Rad have ever felt more "right" to me.Originally Posted by Emberly
Plant/storm has ruined me for any other controller powersets. It's just too good. I always have that one more trick up my sleeve to pull my butt out of the fire.
Good luck!
Lewis -
Actually, the armor from Ice does obscure your costume. It just doesn't look like giant eagles defecated on you. Still a bonus. Of course, nothing says you have to take the armor from either set.
Anyway, Ice has 2 AOEs, and it also has a way to regain endurance and hit points while being safe (Hibernate). Therefore I prefer Ice. However, Earth is more thematic, and its got 2 single target attacks. The melee attack is a monster!
You can't go wrong either way.
Lewis -
KingSnake,
I just wanted to say that an Earth Dominator doesn't count. You should totally do Earth/Rad after you do Mind/FF.
Local Man,
Your "click this datalink to open the build" didn't seem to work. Just FYI in case you wanted people to be able to import it.
Lewis -
Stealth suppresses in combat, at least partially, and that includes the defense values. So, you may not be quite softcapped there. Not a huge deal, just sayin'.
Also, my build is probably based on bits and pieces and choices I've seen in a dozen other builds, so no need to credit me. I probably need to credit a half dozen people myself, at least. Rip away!
Lewis -
Quote:It depends. With some farming builds I've used, you really have to pay attention to stay alive, or to perform efficiently, and it can keep the pulse pounding. On some, you are pretty much safe, and so you can pop in your DVD of Van Der Graaf Generator Live at the Paradiso, and just crush through packs of mobs while doing that.Originally Posted by Twilight_Snow
I enjoy slaughtering a huge number of mobs too. However, for farming, people probably use the same mission or certain type of mission. So, it would be a lot of fun at the beginning, and then it starts to feel repetitive after a while.
But it is sad that the OP's friend feels compelled to farm in order to be accepted in any Task Forces. The OP should start a task force and tell the friend to come along and learn the task force casually with friends so that she will be ready for doing the task force for real once she gets her IOs. She'll quickly have fun and realize that she IS doing the task force for real, and this inadequacy nonsense will vanish. Hopefully.
Lewis -
Quote:Empathy is a better follow-bot if for no other reason than the fact that IF you spam the healing aura in a tight spot, it doesn't sound as awful as the Thermal AoE heal.Originally Posted by DrMike2000
Empathy makes for a better "follow-bot" than Thermal. Its the ultimate "buff my favourite few" set when played well.
Lewis -
Here is the build I use.
This build pretty much soft caps smashing/lethal. Its only 44.4% but that is close enough.
It is inexpensive. Basically, you'll have to afford the rare salvage, and the Steadfast, and the the Reactive Armor, and that is the most expensive stuff in the build. One of the Touch of the Nictus items may be pricey. I forget. But essentially this build is pretty cheap.
The build is designed to be useful for whatever you do. Solo missions, group missions, solo farming, or group farming: all possible with the same build. Your Char and Flashfire are actually serviceable. You might not need them when farming Smashing/Lethals, but the same character can handle normal content as well. You've got Speed Boost for allies. You don't have Cinders, so its a compromise, but you could still handle most of the expected duties for normal teaming without having to switch builds for farming. The percentages are acceptable on the important aspects of the powers taken (recharge, acc, hold, end reduction, damage, etc).
The global recharge is modest (40%) and Hasten is in the build also. It is enough. This is to keep the cost down. Why spend serious money on a farm build? It defeats the purpose. Flashfire is up for every spawn as long as Siphon Speed is used. Fissure is up 2 or even 3 times in a fight if you need it. Etc. So, no more global recharge than this was needed at all.
If this becomes a favorite character, it DOES have room for upgrades, if you want to throw money at it, without having to do a respec. You can put Acc/Dam Hami-Os in the Fire Imps to edge the Accuracy up. You could throw a Purple set in Char, Fissure, or Seismic Smash.
This build is not uber at all. However, it WILL run Battle Maiden on +2/x8 (though I prefer +2/x6 since I 3-box and so I get bosses. More than x6 guarantees way more bosses, which slows me down). I think its modest cost and modest performance are justified, considering the purpose for which it is intended.
The only thing I slightly regret is Earth's Embrace. Its a great power and all, but I never need it, so I never use it. In a way, I wasted a power and 2 slots. Sometimes I think I should have taken Inertial Reduction to have vertical movement. I could then place the 2 level 50 slots on Weave and Rock Armor. That way, if I ever wanted to be stupid and throw money at this build for no reason, I would have room for 2 luck of the gambler def/recharge IOs. The build could be cheap (you could put something cheap in the 6th slot) but it would have the potential with 2 LOTG and 3 purple sets to get global recharge up to 73% or so.
Not that the build needs it. Again, this build works great for me, and I use it on normal missions as well as smashing/lethal farms.
Lewis
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
ZZZ FIRE KIN FARMER: Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Fire Control
Secondary Power Set: Kinetics
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Stone Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Char -- Lock-Acc/Hold(A), Lock-Acc/Rchg(3), Lock-Rchg/Hold(3), Lock-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(17), Lock-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(17)
Level 1: Transfusion -- Nictus-Heal(A), Nictus-Heal/HP/Regen/Rchg(5), Nictus-Acc/Heal(5), Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Heal/HP/Regen(19), Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(19)
Level 2: Fire Cages -- Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg(A), Enf'dOp-EndRdx/Immob(7), Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx(7), Enf'dOp-Immob/Rng(37), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg(40), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob(43)
Level 4: Ring of Fire -- Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg(A), Enf'dOp-EndRdx/Immob(27), Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx(34), Enf'dOp-Immob/Rng(40), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg(40), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob(46)
Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(25), RechRdx-I(27)
Level 8: Hot Feet -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(9), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(9), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11)
Level 10: Siphon Speed -- Acc-I(A), RechRdx-I(23), RechRdx-I(25)
Level 12: Flashfire -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(13), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(13), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(15), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(15), Rope-Acc/Stun/Rchg(23)
Level 14: Super Speed -- QckFt-EndRdx/RunSpd(A)
Level 16: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 18: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 20: Stamina -- Efficacy-EndMod(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(21), EndMod-I(21)
Level 22: Speed Boost -- EndMod-I(A)
Level 24: Combat Jumping -- Krma-ResKB(A)
Level 26: Boxing -- Acc-I(A)
Level 28: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(29), RctvArm-ResDam(29), RctvArm-EndRdx(33), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(34)
Level 30: Weave -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(31), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(31), RedFtn-Def(31), RedFtn-EndRdx(34)
Level 32: Fire Imps -- BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg(A), SvgnRt-Acc/Dmg(33), Dmg-I(33)
Level 35: Transference -- Efficacy-EndMod(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(36), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(36), Efficacy-Acc/Rchg(36), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(37), Efficacy-EndMod/EndRdx(37)
Level 38: Fulcrum Shift -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(39), RechRdx-I(39), RechRdx-I(39)
Level 41: Fissure -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(42), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), Posi-Dam%(43), RechRdx-I(43)
Level 44: Seismic Smash -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(45), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), RechRdx-I(46)
Level 47: Rock Armor -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(48), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(48), RedFtn-Def(48), RedFtn-EndRdx(50)
Level 49: Earth's Embrace -- Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(A), H'zdH-Heal/Rchg(50), RechRdx-I(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment
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