Greycat

Oof. If you're looking through the storylines, honesstly you're either going to solo/duo it or spend half your time turning your XP gain off and on again. It's *really* easy to outlevel bits and pieces. Maybe if everyone does the exact same arc and makes the exact same choices - but you're still going to pull in more XP from having more mobs through playing with a team.

Do you still have your old computer available? Run the launcher, click "Screenshots" at the top. It'll take you to the screenshots. On Windows (and Mac too, as I recall,) the explorer window has a breadcrumb feature - you can click each level of the directory (if you were typing it out, it'd be everything separated by a backslash, like c:\windows\temp, but in the "address bar" of the window, they're separated by a > ) to move there: (Yeah, I've got slightly different names for where it's installed. Since I throw everything into a "games" folder that's game related, my directories won't match your location.) By default, clicking on "screenshots" would take me to This PC > E: > Games > Homecoming > Screenshots. CLick on "Homecoming" and it takes you here. Then double click that (here, top) folder, "Accounts." You'll see a folder (or folders) with your account names. These match the login account names for the game.

The other question here is, how high are your characters? You mention having two of them. If they're 50, they're safe from the name getting freed up. And as mentioned, *IF* the policy were implemented (which it has not been, and frankly I hope never is,) it would only *free up the name* - so if you had SuperSgtSnorkler at level (say) 30 and were gone a year, if nobody else wanted that name at that point... you'd still have it. Even if someone else DID take the name, it would just tell you you needed to rename the character. Everything else about it - SG, level, money/slotting, missions done, badges, etc - would be fine.

I've got a Legion 5 15" ... two years old by now? It's been solid - only issue I had was a little odd with a driver that refused to update for a while. Didn't see anyone else with the same issue, so I wouldn't call it a concern in general, and quite honestly I'd happily buy another one. I'd just get a bigger screen. (More a "My eyes" thing than any issue with the screen itself.) Runs COH just fine. The laptop I had before it - an Acer Aspire 15" - was all right, the main issue with it being if I tried to use the video out, it would *not* use the nVidia card but the integrated graphics (and that's .. .ugh.)

Soooooo.... Things build on things. 🙂 The absolute basics of IOs are taught in an invention tutorial - which used to be handed to you, along with other contacts. Blueside, it's in the university in Steel Canyon. I ... honestly don't remember the contact right offhand. Very first use of IOs would just be basics, not sets - at least how they were introduced. Unlike the DOs and SOs you're used to, they don't expire, which is just generically nice. 15s (which you can slot at 12) are typically cheap and nice 'til the mid-ish 20s, people may wait 'til 27-32 so they can slot 30-35s (roughly SO strength.) For some powers, that's all you want/need. They do, obviously, get stronger as you get higher levels (unlike SOs, which always give the same percentage... which is why you kept having to buy them, thanks to them getting weaker and expiring.) Getting stuff: It drops. *shrugs* Salvage tab, "invention." Standard (non set) IOs generally just use basic, white salvage and some INF. You can also buy it on the market. Recipes also drop, and you'll see which salvage (and how much INF per IO) you need. Et voila. To make a level 20 Accuracy IO, you need one Luck Charm, one Boresight, and 32k INF. You craft these at crafting tables (in Universities/abandoned labs, the RWZ, and bases, for starters.) You will then have one level 20 Accuracy that improves Acc by 25.6%. TIP - especially if you like badges. Or saving INF. So, you need components, INF and a recipe to craft badges. HOWEVER, if you look here, you'll see... you get badges for "memorizing" recipes. Which you may want to do if you're going to craft a bunch of them (I tended at one point to have a character crafting commons for other leveling characters in SGs to use, for instance.) Even if you don't like doing this, it has a side benefit. One, you don't need a recipe for a memorized recipe. Two, the crafting cost is cheaper. For level 15 and 20 (the two levels are combined, it's level 10, then 15/20, 25/30, 35/40 and 45/50,) you'll have to craft six of level 15, six of level 20, and then one extra of either. You'll then get a badge (for 15/20 ACC, it's the Lt. Colonel badge) and then, if you go to a crafting table, you'll have a new item that says "memorized" ... and the ability to just use the correct salvage and a bit less inf to just craft level 15 and 20 Acc IOs on the fly. If you do enough of these (all but the highest levels of each...) you'll get a portable crafting workbench. However, it's generally cheaper to just buy it at START. Tip 2 - Doing what to them? So, you'll hear people talking about doing two things to IOs. 1. Catalyzing. This means (at 50, or just buying from the market) using an enhancement catalyst and an IO in the enhancement screen - just like you were combining SOs - to make the IO either "levelless" (it'll scale up and down with you through its level range) or, in the case of Winter and AT enhancements (which haven't been mentioned yet,) "Superior." (Which increases the potency of set bonuses.) You can't catalyze basic IOs. There's no levelless basic IO. Won't let you do it. Got to be an INF sink somewhere, after all. 2. Boosting - This is something you *can* do to basic IOs, and if you're sticking to high level content, it's probably worth it. These take an enhancement booster (cleverly named, hm?) and an IO and combine them, up to 5x. So your level 30 Acc, for instance, will turn into a level 30 +5, giving you the same boost as a level 35 IO of the same sort. The big plus for this - again, if you're doing high level content - is *slot savings.* Once you hit 35+, the basic IO values exceed even-level SOs, from a little to a lot. (Level 50 recharge, for instance, gives a 42.4% boost - where a level 50 SO still gives 33.3%, and 53 - highest you can go with them - is only 38%.) Whiich means... two boosted IOs gets you bumping against the practical ED cap. All right, so get comfortable with basic IOs. They're pretty straightforward, and even when you start playing with sets... you'll probably find use for them (for instance, Recharge in powers like Hasten.) Once you're comfortable there - it's *really* just a step up from SOs to use basics, after all - that's when you start looking at sets. Sets: At its most basic, an IO set is a set (duh) of 3-6 IOs that provide some sort of global bonus for slotting multiple pieces of the same set in the same power. For instance, making one up: "Basic attack set" (BAS) : 3 piece which has one BAS (Accuracy,) BAS (Damage,) BAS (EndReduction.) When you look at the description, you'll see something like: 2: 2% Melee def 3: 5% End Reduction So if you slot one BAS (Accuracy,) you'll just get... accuracy of whatever level it is, just like a normal ACC IO of the same level. Slot a BAS Accuraccy and BAS Damage, and you'll get a bonus 2% melee defense. Slot the full set and you'll also get a global 5% END reduction. Most set pieces - but not all - enhance more than one thing, for instance, instead of just ACC, it'll be ACC/DMG, enhancing both Accuracy and Damage, but (generally) at a bit over half for each aspect of what a single-aspect IO would be. (For instance, just making up numbers, if a level 30 ACC IO enhanced Acc by 30%, and a level 30 DMG IO enhanced DMG by 30%, an ACC/DMG IO would *not* be 15%Acc/15% DMG but more likely something like 17.5% of each. (Don't take the numbers as gospel there, I'm just creating some for an example.) So even if you don't like all of one set, often "frankenslotting" (taking pieces from multiple sets to slot in one power) can give you some slot savings. Set Shenanigans, or "ok, here's where they complexity starts." Things to remember about sets: - You can only have one of each type of IO from a set in a power. Taking that "Basic IO set" (BAS) I created above, you could NOT slot BAS (Acc) in a power twice. (It'll actually grey out the power and not let you.) You CAN slot it in more than one power, though. If you took Kick and Jab, you could put a BAS (Acc) in each of them... - Unless it's Unique. You will run across some IOs that, in the description, say UNIQUE. This does not mean you have to be vewy vewy quiet when creeping up on them. It means, of course, you can *only slot one* of that... anywhere in your build. (Multi-build note! If you play with multiple builds on one character, "Unique" IOs don't care what's on another build.) - Side note, ATOs, Winter sets and Purples are all Unique. ATOs (Scrapper's Strike, Overpowering Presence, etc.) are *all* considered Unique. Even when you catalyze them (from earlier,) which makes them superior versions of the same set, they're all considered unique to each other. So Overpowering Presence Acc/Dam and Superior Overpowering Presence Acc/Dam are considered the same IO, even if the set bonuses are kind of considered different sets. (Just wait 'til you play with them... it can be handy.) -Buying tip. If you're *buying* set IOs instead of crafting them? *Buy the attuned* (generally.) Set IOs and attuned set IOs share the same pool in the auction house. If there are 330 Nosehair of the Nictus Acc/Dam, you'll see there are also 330 attuned Nosehair of the Nictus Acc/Dam. Buy the attuned. (Back to the ATO/Winter/purples - the superior versions do NOT share a pool with the regular ones. Different enhancement values. Worry about it later.) Last, the big thing with builds which gets asked in help is: REMEMBER the Rule of 5. What this is is a way to control set bonuses. (personal note, I'd have made it 3, but that's long since past.) What this means is you can only have 5 of the *same* percentage of the *same* set bonus active - if you put in a 6th, it won't affect the rest of the set's bonuses, but you won't get it. It doesn't care what the *source* of the bonus is - it can come from 5 of the same set, or 5 of the same value of the same thing from different sets - it only cares there are 5. For instance. Entropic Chaos is a Ranged set. It's possible you slotted 5 range powers with its Acc/Dam and Dam/Recharge. You would then get the two piece bonus - 10% Regen improvement - five times. If you slotted a sixth Acc/Dam and Dam/Rech from Entropic Chaos in another power, you'd still get the IO's boost to accuracy, damage and recharge, but you would *not* get another 10% to regen. Instance 2. You have five totally different sets - say, two ranged damage, a melee damage, a travel power set and a healing set. They all have, somewhere in their set bonuses, 2% ranged defense. You have five (the limit) 2% Ranged defense bonuses. Any other 2% Ranged defense bonuses, from *anywhere,* won't count. HOWEVER, a 2.5% Ranged bonus? it doesn't care. It's a different value. A 2% Melee bonus? Also doesn't count. It's 2%, but it's 2% going towards something else. (Note. This is why Luck of the Gambler (LOTG) Global Recharge is used frequently. This piece is not unique... and it is *its own bonus category.* It's not just a 7.5% recharge, it's a 7.5% Increased Global Recharge Speed bonus... which does NOT interfere with any other 7.5% recharge bonus. Just itself.) OK. After that? That's where you get into builds, and using MIDS, and where I'll let someone else yap about it, because I don't do builds. Really. I slot what looks either useful, interesting or amusing (let me tell you about the group of Elec blasters I ran with that all put in Chance to Stun IOs from an end drain set...) "Basic" builds can do fine. "Basic IO" builds can do fine - as in "Eh, just fit 5 Thunderstrike sets in 5 ranged powers" and such while you see what they do. Or you can start poking around with numbers and mids and such, worrying about caps and things - as mentioned, I'll let someone else get into that. Go experiment.

I've generally considered them the same as the "reflections" you fight in Mender Ramiel's arc - which, as I recall, still aren't really explained. (Whether they're related to the same sort of thing in the Shard, I don't know.) Though the name sort of implies they're not "really" what they look like.

Either a Peacebringer or a Warshade. Depends on my mood.

Only thing I try to make sure I have on a non melee is a breakfree for him, and I don't always need that.

That's typically how I play. Not in a rush.

Nice, maybe. Practical, no. "Hey, in a sort of pre-alpha we're thinking about doing this, but it might not even make it to beta" becomes "KFC bucket blast was PROMISED!" so... Yeah. 'Til it gets to open beta (and even not then, always) it's best to just wait.

Fairly frequently, at least as much as running across stealthable missions go. Even if it's simply *them* not seeing me, or the person stealthing, go anywhere... since they're invisible. 😉 Flip side being I *have* seen people rush after someone with less transparent stealth and flat out say "I didn't know they were stealthing." Thus the "visual indicator." Wouldn't affect your costume at all, easier to see than trying to pick out a tiny power icon in a string of them in a team window. Granted, some people will do it if you discuss stealthing th emission at the start of a TF, mention it before going in and when inside the mission, but I find that to not be quite so frequent.

Should be fine as long as the mission isn't "rescue hostage and his wife." >.> Seriously though... for a non combat "lead to the door" hostage, yeah. However, there are hostages I *want* to lose - for instance, the RWZ "Rescue negotiators" mission where you rescue several non combat and two "helper" hostages - who, if they die, make you lose the mission. If I can't save them for last, I end up dragging them back to the entrance and running like *hell* so they stay there. If they do - they don't get killed, and there's nothing there to aggro them. So... not for all hostages, please.

Interesting, but I could see it being rather frustrating for other teammates who don't want to be stealthed (especially if it happens to hit someone who's got a hostage/rescuee following them.) Plus, after all, brutes and tanks have taunt already...

*nod* Mostly just throwing more data points in. (Which is why I was mentioning slotting, mobs and that it was open world vs. mission.)

Hmm. Quick run through a few - Elec/elec blaster, running around open world mobs (Tsoo, Freakshow, Family) - no reaction like that. Slotted with SOs. Dark/Dark dom, open world, Carnies, Malta, Posessed Scientists - no reaciton like that. SO/standard IO Fire/fire blaster, open world, Warriors, Tsoo, COT - dropped an Executioner's chance for disorient in to see if that did anything - no reaction. So... yeah.

Yep, just tested it. No errors, nothing returned. Zoned, still gone.

You don't get to dictate who can reply to you or your threads in a public forum. And how is anyone else supposed to know who you have on ignore? You've got them on ignore. You've done what you're supposed to. Leave it at that. How often do people join a group via LFG and "drop for the whole thing," as you mention? I can't think of a single instance of that happening. Yet you're proposing a draconian solution that would punish people that *lose connection for a moment.* (One that, again, was dropped on Live.) I've had people just standing around talking disconnect suddenly, then appear running back up to the group 5 minutes later. If they were in a group running - well, *any* TF, regardless of length, why should they be punished for something like that? Mind you, there are a *lot* of reasons for someone to be dropped. Fortunately I don't think anyone much is on dialup any more, since picking up the phone was infamous for that. But things can knock you offline you're completely unaware of. Yes, storms - which don't have to be right by you to affect the infrastructure your connection goes over. Network hiccups. Someone tripping over a network cable. Kid throws a ball and just happens to hit the power switch for the router. Brief power flickers for any number of reasons (Get a UPS, folks. Be like me and get a couple, make sure your router and modem are plugged in as well!) The only outcome I can see coming of this, if it were to be implemented, would be player frustration and even *fewer* people using LFG as anything but a fast transport. I'd say that'd outweigh the level locking for a *lot* of people.

Basing this completely on this thread and comment. Plus things like the "vintage" SG (trying to reproduce early COH) and other efforts and requests like it. First, these probably shouldn't be sets. Just standard IOs in standard ranges, since that allows fine tuning (once you have the levels) of just how far to slot them. (Set bonuses would probably be counterproductive) Second, I don't know if this would work better as a -runspeed (for instance) or -jump, or just setting a new cap (which might mean the level would be irrelevant) at non-enhanced speeds. But creating a set of IOs that directly counter the unslotted values of each of the fitness powers seems to be a way to handle the occasional request to this sort of gameplay. Niche? Yeah. But, different strokes.

Trying to think if the radius of the effect has any relation to the radius of the power, which I can't recall right offhand - might want some sort of alternate in that case. (I want to say it doesn't, though as I recall it also has a duration - or had one until recently - which could be throwing off that impression.) If that's not the case, can't really think of anything that might be a downside. (Of course, you'd also just get used to the power, so... *shrug*)

Resistance pants under "tucked in." (they aren't billowing out there.) And yeah, resistance boots from there.

The devs mentioned before not wanting to do the pick-a-power thing again, FWIW.

How about taking the "stands" idea and just spinning that off into an aura instead. Or some sort of temp power. You want the look? You can have that look going on for blasters or anything else that fits the concept for the character then, with powersets that *also* probably fit better. And you can probably copy OTHER things in the game for it as well. After all, if it's all about "freedom to express" or whatnot, why force people who may not want to play Khelds to play them to get that look? Bio armor was mentioned before - why should someone playing *that* not get to - say - do a costume change or temp power to suddenly have a minotaur behind them on their more defensive set, then switch over to a wisp for the more offensive setup?

Slightly off with that. The Peacebringers (who I'm going to refer to as just "kheldian," as they're the unaltered version) basically have the abilities they'd have regardless - doesn't matter who or what they've merged with. The Nictus altered themselves to feed off the life energy of those Kheldians. (Thus the science origin.) Merging is ... mostly philosophical. The Peacebringers could very well force themselves onto a host - it wouldn't change their abilities. They just don't, given their history. They look for a voluntary merging, temporarily or permanently. Nictus tend to take what they want, whether it's temporary (having allies keeping weakened hosts for them to live in and regain their strength after emerging from travelling via Cyst, for instance) or permanent. They may not necessarily *force* their way in like they tried to do in one of the Kheld arcs (forcibly taking over city officials and finding PBs there waiting for them,) but they'll also try to gain a host and take them over by guile. That doesn't affect their powers. Warshades, of course, give up the conquest mindset of the Nictus and try to join willing hosts instead. (Couldn't help myself. You made a lore comment. And I am after all the person who dug into all this to write up the Kheld backstory guide back in the day and updated it for quite a bit. Keep planning on writing a 2.0 to clean some stuff up...)

... I think that's the best description. Even in little things like having the Alpha *not obviously* having a threads recipe unless you know to scroll down. Not an uncommon question in Help.