swordchucks

If you're going to do something like this, can you add an option somewhere that lets us turn off the auras on other players (and ourselves)? This is going to make MSR look even more like a puddle of Skittles-filled vomit than it already does.

The majority of AE content that isn't designed as a farm ends up with rewards in line or slightly lower than what you'd get out of other content. I do not now, nor have I ever, had a problem with those rewards. In fact, I don't have a problem with AE farms giving good rewards in line with high-end raid content. My problem is that, right now, AE farms give much, much higher rewards than other content. Also, I'm not sure how server load shakes out. What's the difference in two hundred AE farm instances and one two hundred person raid? One farm to one huge raid, sure, but two hundred farms?

It's not per-enemy rewards that are the issue. It's the cumulative rewards of the AE farm vs. any other content. The rewards (both xp and influence) of AE farming are easily double that of any "regular" activity in the game. That's overtuned. The 200-person raids were just nerfed back to 50 people because some people were abusing them to earn... about the same monetary rewards that could be earned in AE (and AE doesn't require you to cycle between many different 50s to pull that off). (Due to the nature of the current economy, merits can be considered a monetary reward. I use the ratio of 100 merits = 25 million influence in my head, though the actual ratio tends to be a bit less and varies over time. I'm open to being proved wrong, so if you have non-AE farm activities that produce in excess of 400 merits or 100 million influence per hour, I'd be interested to hear what they are - I know from several farming post that high end farmers can well exceed 100 million influence per hour.)

So, I just got done rebuilding my Ill/Rad to something similar after a flirtation with packing procs into Blind, and I decided to fiddle with this a bit. Below is what I came up with. Some thoughts: 1) I like Blind with the proc from Will of the Controller better than Overpowering Presence. The damage is better than the little ball that doesn't do much. 2) I only really use Flash as a mule for Basilisk's Gaze IOs. It's ranged defense and recharge in four slots. 3) Hover is a great mule for defense IOs. I did two LotG and a Shield Wall there. 4) Phantom Army seems to work well with 4x ExpReinforcement and the procs from Overwhelming Force and Soulbound Allegiance. 5) I dropped Afterburner, Group Invisibility, Boxing, Tough, and Weave. Replaced them with Tar Patch, Maneuvers, Tactics, Vengence, and Fire Blast. 6) I have zero real idea how to slot Twilight Grasp, Soul Absorption, and Dark Servant. I mostly guessed. 7) Phantasm and I are on a break. I left him in the build with a single slot, but the big dumb idiot is a big dumb idiot and dies too much. Perma-PA is my true love. 😎 I ended up with 235% recharge (by Mids, anyway), which is perma-Hasten, PA, and Fade. It's perma enough stuff that you'll probably eat up a lot of your rotation with popping them all. 9) Defenses ended up over cap (50%+) for Ranged, Energy, and Negative and near-cap (40-42%) for Smashing, Lethal, Melee, and AoE. 10) Resistances ended up at 67.9% for S/L and lower everywhere else. Toxic is the worst at 12%. If I were going to use this build, I'd find a way to (gently) bump S/L up to the cap and straighten out the /dark powers I don't know how to use. I'd also seriously consider purples in Spectral Wounds and Fire Ball. As it stands, this build uses one purple and two full sets of ATOs, so it's not hella-expensive. Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.5 https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Controller Primary Power Set: Illusion Control Secondary Power Set: Darkness Affinity Power Pool: Flight Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Fire Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Spectral Wounds -- Dcm-Acc/Dmg(A), Dcm-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Dcm-Dmg/Rchg(3), Dcm-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Dcm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), Dcm-Build%(7) Level 1: Twilight Grasp -- SphIns-ToHitDeb(A), SphIns-Acc/ToHitDeb(7), SphIns-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(9), SphIns-Acc/Rchg(9), SphIns-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(11), SphIns-%ToHit(34) Level 2: Blind -- SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), SprWiloft-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(11), SprWiloft-EndRdx/Rchg(13), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(13), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(15), SprWiloft-Rchg/Dmg%(15) Level 4: Tar Patch -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 6: Flash -- BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(A), BslGaz-Acc/Hold(19), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(21), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(21) Level 8: Darkest Night -- DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb(A), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb/Rchg(17), DarWtcDsp-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(17), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(19) Level 10: Howling Twilight -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 12: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(25), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(36) Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I(A) Level 16: Shadow Fall -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(37), Rct-EndRdx/Rchg(37), Rct-Def/Rchg(37), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(40), Rct-ResDam%(40) Level 18: Phantom Army -- ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(A), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(27), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(29), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(33), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(43), SlbAll-Build%(43) Level 20: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 22: Fade -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(23), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(23), StdPrt-ResKB(25), GldArm-3defTpProc(46), LucoftheG-Def(50) Level 24: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(33), LucoftheG-Def(36), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(36) Level 26: Spectral Terror -- SprOvrPrs-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), SprOvrPrs-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(27), SprOvrPrs-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(29), SprOvrPrs-EndRdx/Rchg(40), SprOvrPrs-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(46), SprOvrPrs-Rchg/Energy Font(46) Level 28: Soul Absorption -- Prv-Absorb%(A), EffAdp-EndMod(31), EffAdp-EndMod/Rchg(31), CldSns-ToHitDeb(31), CldSns-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(33) Level 30: Tactics -- GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(A) Level 32: Phantasm -- SvrRgh-Acc/Dmg(A) Level 35: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 38: Dark Servant -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(39), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(39), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(39) Level 41: Fire Ball -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg(A), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(42), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(42), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), PstBls-Dam%(43) Level 44: Fire Shield -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(45), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(45), UnbGrd-Max HP%(45) Level 47: Fire Blast -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(48), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(50), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50) Level 49: Superior Invisibility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Containment Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 2: Health -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(34) Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(34) Level 50: Ion Radial Final Judgement Level 50: Agility Core Paragon Level 50: Reactive Core Flawless Interface Level 50: Longbow Core Superior Ally Level 50: Ageless Core Epiphany Level 50: Assault Radial Embodiment ------------

I don't entirely get how the overtuned rewards from AE are a play style or a preference. Bringing the AE rewards in line with pretty much all of the other content in the game shouldn't be such a controversial opinion. If there are other farm missions that allow a similar level of reward, they should also be adjusted. It should absolutely be a viable way to play the game, but it shouldn't necessarily be the optimal way to play the game.

I'd second Plant/Nature as a fun combo. Plant has confusion on tap, which is interesting, along with lots of tentacles. Nature has several really interesting team buffs and a nice confusion aura. /Storm is also a good set, but I personally prefer it on a Corrupter.

When we last tried it (last weekend), there were mapserver issues on joining the MSR trial with a full league. It seems like about half the league doesn't make it into the instance. So... it still needs some work.

These should be available from the regular reward merit vendors. Their primary purpose at this time is to make it easier to mail large quantities of merits between characters (since they have to go one by one).

The fundamental problem with AE farming, in its current state, is that it is the most rewarding activity you can engage in by a large margin. The inf and xp gains from AE farming are at least double what you can get in any other content. Other content is getting nerfed because it's too profitable (see MSRs at the 10:1 exchange rate and Hami-zergs) when its profit is still less than what you can get in AE. This is further compounded by the fact that AE farming is generally a solo activity (and even with door-sitters, it's still mostly solo) in an MMORPG. In brief, you have a solo activity in a multiplayer game which rewards at least double what any group content rewards. This is fundamentally broken. Soloing should be a viable path, but it should not be clearly superior to group content.

You like screenshots? because I have screenshots. Not mentioned below, but the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize winners also received a purple set of their choice.

Illusion/rad is popular for a few reasons. One of the big ones is that the +30% recharge from AM makes it much easier to reach perma-PA. It's a good power, in general, and even if you're only hitting yourself with it, it's worth using. Another reason is that the only way to really "buff" the damage of PA is to debuff your target. Debuff sets, in general, are in a weird place right now (being mostly useless in grindy content while still being good against AVs/EBs), but I personally like /rad for being well rounded. It has good debuffs when you need them, a good AOE heal when you need it, and a good rez for when someone slips up. It works best when you pair it with a primary that doesn't need a ton of help from the secondary to be good (like Illusion). Of course, the value of the debuffs can go up a lot on a less optimized team. If you're running with PUGs a lot, then you may find that debuffing regular spawns is a valuable use of your time.

There is also a seven day user graph on the Homecoming discord under #live-graphs. It looks like peaks are very slightly down from past weeks when I've thought to look at it, but not by a lot.

While it isn't a tip for new-new players, there is a very good use for 24,000 influence. Mail yourself that much cash. Make a new character and skip the tutorial. Get the cash and go to the P2W vendor. Down under temporary powers are three kinds of amplifiers. Buy 8 hours of each of those (since their price is based on the square of your level, this is only 1k an hour at level 1). The amplifiers are powerful enough that you can reasonably skip all enhancements while they last.

Selling rare salvage is a good strategy, but you can also use Reward Merits to buy saleable salvage (converters, boosters, catalysts, etc. - you want to check the AH for the going rates and do the math to figure out which gives the best merit to influence ratio). You can get 5 reward merits for getting all the exploration badges in a zone or you can get them from running mission arcs and TFs. You only need ~10 to finance those early IOs. Vidiot's Maps helps a ton with finding exploration badges (link below).

Alright, so I know that Ill/Rad has fallen out of favor for ill/cold and ill/storm, but I rather like what /rad has to offer. Thus, I'm working on updating the build of mine to be more effective. Overview: 1) This build achieves near-perma Hasten, PA, and AM. It's within a second (three seconds, including cast times) on all three. 2) This build at 36% ranged defense and 75% S/L resist. Both could be better. 3) I'm attempting to leverage the procs in Blind that I hear all the kids raving about. Not quite sure I'm doing it right. Goals: A) Retaining Mutation and Recall Friend. I realize that both are useless for number optimization, but they suit my playstyle and I'd like to keep them in there. B) Getting the near-perma Hasten, PA, and AM to actual perma. C) Softcapping ranged defense. Maybe. This is a tertiary goal and as I team more than I do anything else, not that important in the end. Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.5 https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Mutation Controller Primary Power Set: Illusion Control Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission Power Pool: Flight Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Teleportation Ancillary Pool: Fire Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Spectral Wounds -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Dmg/Rchg(11), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), Apc-Acc/Rchg(13), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(13), Apc-Dam%(37) Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(7), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(7), Prv-Heal/Rchg(9), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(9), Prv-Absorb%(23) Level 2: Blind -- GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(A), NrnSht-Dam%(5), SprWiloft-Rchg/Dmg%(5), SprOvrPrs-Rchg/Energy Font(37), GldNet-Dam%(37), NrnSht-Acc/EndRdx(39) Level 4: Accelerate Metabolism -- EffAdp-EndMod(A), EffAdp-EndMod/Rchg(39) Level 6: Deceive -- CrcPrs-Conf(A), CrcPrs-Conf/Rchg(34), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg(40), CrcPrs-Conf%(43), CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx(46), CrcPrs-Acc/Rchg(46) Level 8: Radiation Infection -- DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb(A), DarWtcDsp-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(39), DarWtcDsp-Rchg/EndRdx(40), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(40) Level 10: Superior Invisibility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 12: Hover -- Rct-ResDam%(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(17), Rct-Def(19) Level 14: Flash -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(15), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(15), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(17) Level 16: Mutation -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 18: Phantom Army -- ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(A), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(19), ExpRnf-Dmg/EndRdx(21), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(21), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(23) Level 20: Lingering Radiation -- PcnoftheT-Acc/Slow(A), PcnoftheT-Dmg/Slow(25), PcnoftheT-Acc/EndRdx(25), PcnoftheT-Rng/Slow(27), PcnoftheT-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(27), PcnoftheT--Rchg%(29) Level 22: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 24: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 26: Spectral Terror -- SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), SprWiloft-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(29), SprWiloft-EndRdx/Rchg(31), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(31), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(31) Level 28: Tough -- RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctArm-ResDam(33), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(36), RctArm-ResDam/Rchg(36) Level 30: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(33), Rct-Def(36) Level 32: Phantasm -- ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(A), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(33), ExpRnf-Dmg/EndRdx(34), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34) Level 35: Enervating Field -- EndRdx(A) Level 38: EM Pulse -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(50), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(50), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(50) Level 41: Fire Blast -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(42), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43) Level 44: Fire Ball -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg(A), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(45), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(45), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), PstBls-Dam%(46) Level 47: Fire Shield -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(48), RctArm-ResDam(48), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(48) Level 49: Recall Friend -- Tim&SpcMn-EndRdx(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Containment Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 2: Health -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(3) Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(3) Level 50: Ion Total Radial Judgement Level 50: Reactive Core Flawless Interface Level 50: Longbow Total Core Improved Ally Level 50: Clarion Total Core Invocation Level 50: Assault Total Core Graft Level 50: Agility Radial Paragon ------------

I didn't see it in the notes. Did Rikti Priests get added to the MSR zone version? Did the MSR timer get added to the zone version? I seem to recall those being things on the Beta server.

All this would accomplish is leaving level 50 littered with discarded characters like level ~20 or so is now. If you are just going to level it up to try it, there's a Beta server for that. What I really don't understand is why you'd want to encourage more people to play the farming mini-game instead of the game-game. If you really want a fast way to level an alt, then there should be an end-game item you can buy with non-farm currency that can insta-level a character. Let's say it's 1000 reward merits. Heck, let it go on the AH. They'd probably go for ~250 million and serve to take some inf out of the economy and serve as a way for non-farmers to make money.

Hami is a "per day" kind of thing. One character can get one HO (or double reward merits) once per day, no matter which zones you kill Hami in.

While that would certain "fix" things, that's not at all what I would want to see happen. You could cut the inf gain of AE missions in half and it would still be the most profitable activity you could engage in in-game (and would still provide all the same supply boosts since I'm not advocating for a reduction in those). I'm not arguing that it shouldn't be a rewarding activity. I'm arguing that it shouldn't give rewards dramatically out of line with every other activity out there. Keep in mind that we just had a big deal made of fixing Hami raids and the very worst of the abusers were still earning less reward than a good farmer can reliably pull in.

So... activity X should give twice the rewards of other activities because... the people that do it want more rewards? And everyone else should get half those rewards because they... wouldn't want more rewards? I'm not entirely sure how that argument works. As for the supply/demand argument, that's essentially saying that the entire economy should be based around farmers. It kind of is right now, but is that really a good thing? I am not talking about xp. You can get a character to 50 in three hours while door sitting and I can get one to 50 in ten hours doing other stuff. Maybe fifteen, depending on what I'm doing. I don't really care about that difference. What I'm specifically asking about is in terms of material rewards (influence/salvage). The most profitable activity I'm aware of outside of AE is "first run of the day" Hami runs which require a fresh 50 every time and quite a few friends to make happen. Even then, that's limited to one run per day per character and takes at least fifteen minutes per run, more if Hami doesn't appear right away or there are organization issues or someone causes a double bloom too early.

I don't actually care about the experience side of it. There are relatively fast ways to get xp in other ways. My concern is more with the material rewards (influence, salvage, recipes) that can be earned in the AE and it's effect on the overall economy. My choosing not to take part in AE farming does nothing to keep the wealth generated there from shaping the economy. The only thing I've seen that can rival the influence income from high end farm builds was the repeated Hami-zerging, which has been fixed. I can't hammer in a nail using a fish, either, but that doesn't mean that using a hammer to hammer in a nail is somehow hard. AE farming (especially fire farming) is a solved equation. You can find a solid build for it in under an hour (along with a second low-end build for it that you can use to build from). You can learn everything you need to know about how to do it in a few hours. I have picked at a farmer a bit and it's not hard as long as you understand the relatively simple mechanics of it and pay some attention. I personally find the activity itself intensely boring, but if you find the activity itself to be fun, more power to you. It's just that it shouldn't reward markedly more influence, salvage, etc., than you can get otherwise. I am in no way saying that there shouldn't be an option for that kind of content or that it shouldn't give rewards - it's just that it needs to be in line with other content. My mind can be changed. What other content has a similar time-to-reward scale? You can probably run Hami three times in an hour on three different characters, which would provide 240 merits (which converts to 50M-65M influence) but that isn't exactly easy to pull off with the regularity you can pull off fire farming.

The problem is really that fire farming is entirely too rewarding for the challenge/risk/time associated with it. I'd like to see it brought more in line with pretty much every other activity in the game. I've never heard a reasonable argument for keeping it as-is outside of "anyone can do it" and "I like it".

This game, for all of its wonderful virtues, is nearly impenetrable to new players in certain areas. There might be guides on the forums, but you often have to know the questions to ask before you go looking for them. Even when you find them, a lot of guides are written by people with very in-depth knowledge with an intended audience of people with in-depth knowledge. That's great, but not really helpful to a new player. In-game questions probably shouldn't expect in-depth answers. Not to the level you'll find on the forums. As for this specific case... I completely understand why a request from a "newbie" asking to "door sit" would get some heated responses. While there are plenty of ways to power-level in-game, door sitting is the only one that doesn't really involve playing the game to at least some degree. I wouldn't argue for its removal, if only because it's a useful tool for folks that have already done all of the other stuff, but I can see why the idea of someone having their first character boosted all the way would be grating.

I have a level 50 ice/storm and I'd agree with this assessment. Ice is currently not in a great place. If you must, ice/storm isn't a bad combo. /storm has a lot of damage that you're otherwise lacking. Ice Slick is probably the best power in the set. Unfortunately, Fire's Bonfire with a KB>KD IO in it is a better version of Ice Slick on a shorter cooldown. Freezing Rain also feels like a better version of Ice Slick in a lot of ways (though it knocks down less).