skoryy

We already have near-insta-50s via farming, anyways.

So I thought on it and here's the thing: In Guild Wars 2, you get all your weapon skills at level 10 or so (IIRC, its been a long while) and will have your heal, utilities, and elite well before 80. Gearing up an exotic power build at 80 is relatively trivial. If you play long enough and/or often enough, you'll get showered in enough scrolls and tomes so that leveling becomes much easier to eventually unnecessary. And even then they're selling level 80 tickets in the shop that also give you free lvl 80 high end gear. (And you're not backhanded when running older content in older zones, you keep all your skills while your stats are pro-rated down so you can still be a god among men. Yes, I am looking at you Ouroboros.) In Final Fantasy XIV, you don't get all your skills until 90 but you do get enough at the lower levels that you'll feel powered up by at least 30 and definitely by 50. Gear is pretty much irrelevant save for the ilvl. The shop offers instant level and quest boosts to get you to 80 with free gear at that level. I haven't played World of Warcraft in years, but they do offer free max level boosts with free gear in the shop. Here at Homecoming, there's a definite gulf between 0 and 30, 30 and 50, 50 and fully incarnated, fully incarnated on SOs and fully incarnated on IOs. To get fully incarnated on IOs requires at least a half billion in inf and a lot of empyreans. There are no instant levels or instant gears, the only fast method to get there is by farming. Most MMOs on the market learned that leveling is great for training your new players, but your experienced players tend to want geared-up alts already at endgame and will gladly throw money at the screen to do so. Homecoming is working with an outdated model and farming is basically the equivalent of buying those free endgame characters. Its why I don't think farming is that bad for the game in its current state, as long as the rewards aren't out of line enough to break the market or - more importantly - bypass the endgame stuff you want players filling up. The devs think so as well, what we're seeing now is damage control before things do get out of hand. Until if/when we do get freebie'd 50s, a regulated farming environment is probably the best we can hope for to match the current MMO gaming experience. Its a happy medium.

I'm starting to feel like Paul Newman trying to tell everyone the tower's got some problems. There's a reason why devs across the board hammer outliers like this as soon as they find them. Once word starts spreading, they don't stay outliers.

But for how long? This was a-okey-dokey for three years until now, its likely that the devs are seeing something there now.

Or capping for that matter. The issue is when others decide following their footsteps is the only way to keep up and the market starts getting away from everyone else, and so they feel this is the only way to keep up. Not sure if this is happening now, but the Barney Fife Rule applies: Nip it in the bud. Replacing emps to RMs with emps and equivalent RMs for non-VL rewards seems like the better play. Just need to make sure all the emps are covered.

Emps are tradeable so you'd only need one character with the accolade and we're back to square one. Honestly, I think we should go back to what emps were created for: Incarnate powers. Expand the existing abilities and build new ones. Which, I think, is on the roadmap a way down the line?

If it helps get/keep people in Dark Astoria and other solo incarnate content to possibly come, I think it'd be a good idea.

I'd recommend doing the same reward merit boost for Dark Astoria and other quests that reward emps as well. This way all non-vet level methods are covered.

Yeah, multiple tricked out 50s here as well, don't recall ever going emp to RM. Needed the emps far more for gold and purple incarnate salvage.

OK, prove it.

I don't think the devs could've painted it clearer with this change: VLs weren't the problem. Speed farming AE for RMs defeated the purpose of RMs being a reward for time investment and keeping lower level content alive (WSTs), and that was the problem. They believe its an unfair advantage. Personally, I'd like to see some numbers myself comparing VL farming to rest of the game content, but I can kinda see it.

I'll have to chew on this. Reward merits for incarnates is a nice buff, but now we'll have buckets of unused empyreans to deal with. But that's thoughts for another thread!

😑

I mean, there's your answer one post right above your question. Maybe I'm the odd duck with the perspective of playing other modern MMOs and occasionally keeping up with MMO news. However, if you're openly advertising to new players that all this game is good for is ProgressQuest With Costumes, I'm not sure how you plan on keeping them around.

Ooooof. Just to add: This is really not good for the future health of sustaining the CoH community, let alone growing it.

I've been working on a build myself. I have SJ instead of fly, and nearly permahasten without Agility or Ageless. I've tested on Brainstorm, the lack of regen and near uselessness of the heal and absorb dampen my enthusiasm on the build. I have to bring along green skittles that I only need in case of emergency on my Atomic and Fire secondary blappers. This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.2.17 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Flamethrower Ferret: Level 50 Technology Blaster Primary Power Set: Fire Blast Secondary Power Set: Martial Combat Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Flares -- Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(3) Level 1: Ki Push -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(5), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(5), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7) Level 2: Fire Blast -- Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9) Level 4: Fire Ball -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg(A), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(9), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(11), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), PstBls-Dam%(13) Level 6: Rain of Fire -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg(A), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(13), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(15), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), PstBls-Dam%(17) Level 8: Reach for the Limit Level 10: Burst of Speed -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(17), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(21) Level 12: Aim -- RctRtc-ToHit(A), RctRtc-ToHit/Rchg(23), GssSynFr--Build%(23) Level 14: Super Jump -- Empty(A) Level 16: Dragon's Tail -- Arm-Dmg(A), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(25), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(25), Arm-Acc/Rchg(27), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(27), Arm-Dam%(29) Level 18: Blaze -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Dmg/Rchg(29), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), Apc-Acc/Rchg(31), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(31), Apc-Dam%(33) Level 20: Reaction Time -- EndMod-I(A) Level 22: Storm Kick -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(33), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(34), TchofDth-Dam%(34) Level 24: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(36), RechRdx-I(48) Level 26: Blazing Bolt -- StnoftheM-Acc/Dmg(A), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx(36), StnoftheM-Dam%(36), StnoftheM-Dmg/ActRdx/Rchg(37), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37) Level 28: Inner Will -- DctWnd-EndRdx/Rchg(A) Level 30: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(39) Level 32: Inferno -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(39), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(40) Level 35: Kick -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(42), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(42), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42) Level 38: Eagles Claw -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Dmg/Rchg(43), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), Hct-Acc/Rchg(43), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Hct-Dam%(45) Level 41: Tough -- StdPrt-ResKB(A), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(45), GldArm-3defTpProc(46) Level 44: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(46), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(46) Level 47: Scorpion Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(48), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(48) Level 49: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(50), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(50) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(50) Level 14: Double Jump Level 49: Quick Form Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon ------------

I skipped right past Dev's Choice, there were still plenty that were just HoF that were non-farm! Now, on the other hand, when you have more bodies milling around AE than you do in Atlas Plaze, uh...

I went to go shower, and my inner Allen Iverson poked me in the brain. We're talking about vet levels. Not inf. Not XP one through fifty. Not incarnate XP. Not incarnate threads or shards. Not recipe drops. Not salvage drops. Not tickets. Vet levels. Now please explain to me and the devs how that we have a healthy and thriving game in-game community when we have fifteen pages of drama over the removal of vet levels from AE.

Which is why you're 100% focused on the rewards. If they should be valued equally, then why should @Starforge run his RP missions at level 1? Again: If a story's good, it will get played for the story. I went to AE on Everlasting to do a quick check to see how many fire farms crowded the menu and was surprised at that there were more than a few non-farms in the Hall of Fame. Story stuff is is still being played in AE, obviously the diminishing rewards haven't been that much of a disincentive. And again, all that's being removed is vet levels.

You're valuing rewards above actual story value. Not everyone does, and a healthy game shouldn't. The other MMOs I play - GW2, FFXIV, STO - aren't nearly as bountiful with the rewards like CoH yet I and others still keep coming back. OK, for the fashion wars, sure, but also for the story.

So, basically, all that content should be good for is dings and nothing but dings?

But now you're affecting players getting vet levels by other means. That's not the problem.

Nah, I wouldn't remove one of the more awesome maps in AE for that. It makes a great final boss stage, for starters.

Everything but vet levels. And incarnate XP. Also tickets! You still get incarnate XP, so you can still unlock all that. Also, all rewards are available in Dev's Choice arcs.

Meanwhile, I'm trying out a Fire/MC blaster concept on Brainstorm because I'm just riding that edge, boy.