Greycat

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.

I'm 100% serious when I say a lot of this would be handled and some of those folks who've wanted this and other changes would probably find *exactly* what they want as a sentinel. OK, argue about numbers or whatever, but they have armor, mez protection, blasts, melee, depending on what you build they can be OK off-tanks, you always look the same, there are no special enemies, etc. "But then there wouldn't be as many Khelds" might be a counterargument, but... I'd rather people play something they're *happy* with versus continually hammering away at Khelds to force them into some other mold, taking away anything special about Khelds. Form switching without forms is just Bio armor armor types or Dual pistols ammo types. Meh. If that's what I saw way back when I first got interested in Khelds? I don't think I'd have been anywhere near as interested. Go ahead, *propose* an AT or powerset that switches between "offense/balance/defense" with button options like that. All for it. Could be interesting. Then people who want mode switching without form switching (and the slotting complexity and such that go with it) can play that and be perfectly happy. Hell, it'd fit some of *my* characters better that are other ATs.

Annnd... on the ignore list you go.

. <----- the point. you---------->. 😉

I *strongly* disagree with that, having watched them for ... well, issue 3 came out in 2025, so nearly 20 years now. And am tired of this whole slope of "Oh, it's JUST this" and "oh, it's JUST that" changes that, yes, *have* been robbing Khelds of being Khelds. ... see *every discussion of new player issues.* And those new players can now just start a more complex AT right off the bat. So, no. See "Epic = lore based." You are not a magic Kheldian. A Peacebringer or Warshade's abilities do not come from slinging spells. As a Kheldian, you are a merged being - a capability which is natural to the Peacebringers, and scientifically altered for the Warshades/Nictus. And "a little bit less difficulty" and "oh voids are too hard, tone them down" and "oh, I don't know how to deal with Cysts, turn them down/off" and "You say there's a lot to them but why do I have to wait to play them" and "Oh, MINE's an angel, I shouldn't have to be natural origin" and... and...and... until we get to "Why were Khelds a thing again?" Already sliding down that slope.

Toggle suppression isn't related to the lore that defines the AT at all, so that's pretty much an apples and tractor tires comparison. Frankly I'm just tired of seeing anything unique or special about Khelds just keep getting chipped away at. Voids have gone from being a threat to being "eh, just another mob." Cysts have gone from being a threat to just a pretty rock. Light form? "I NEED TO SEE MY COSTUME!" - fortunately some of us argued to be able to keep the old look or *that* would be gone. Despite the specific definitions of why they are how they are, you're no longer locked to an origin - despite that having no real in game impact. Lore loses to "I want" again. You no longer have to have a 50, or even a 20, to make one, despite it being more complex than a standard AT. Frankly I'm almost surprised you still get introduced to Sunstorm and Shadowstar. If you want to do the armored blasting without changing your look? We have sentinels now. I'm just frankly sick and tired of an AT I've loved and played since i3 being slowly robbed of anything special about it. You want to argue numbers? Fine, argue numbers. Those don't make a Kheld not a Kheld. But leave *what they are* alone. That includes the forms looks. Maybe the next question should be "Why do you want to play a Kheldian?" I know since live I've heard "It's called an epic AT, I expect it to be uberpowerful" and when they find it's not *that* definition of epic they get disappointed. Literally having people expect to go into a room, footstomp and kill half of what's in it. (Then, of course, "Khelds suck!") No, that is not hyperbole. I can answer why for *me* and it was specifically shapeshifting - I remember seeing a PB in Nova form pop out of a mission door in issue 3 in the Hollows, wondering what it does, seeing what they are and that they had a bunch of lore specifically for them *that you play through, unique to them* - well, that was the carrot that got me through full levels of debt and no content in the late 30s on the blaster that became my first 50. A bit of revenge as that character became a PB and revisited old TFs and content was the cherry on top. If you don't want *the forms,* if you just want to be blasty and shielded... again, we have sentinels now. I'd rather push people towards those (and mine, without any sort of special build, can happily do things like tank for Rikti invasion groups, eating dropship blasts without noticing the first ten or so before popping a heal so the lowbies don't get killed) then have Khelds get more and more stripped away until there's absolutely nothing special about them but a contact (whose content you can run other ATs through in Ouro anyway. ) Sentinels have shields, status protection (without relying on a form,) blasts, melee, they don't have any special enemies targeting them (which are another "I hate khelds because voids!" even after those were nerfed) - frankly I think most of the people who have wanted all these changes to Khelds would've been happier playing those if they'd been available on live. And Khelds could have remain ed the "You want more of a challenge, you want lore, here you go" ATs.