Frozen Burn

Hi and Welcome to the game and forums! My opinion... don't bother. Just load up on green, purple, and orange inspires for now. Super Reflexes is so good when you get up in levels and get it slotted, that you'll end up respec'ing out of the medicine pool since you'll rarely, if ever, use it. Yes, it might be handy now as you level, but in your 30s and 40s, you'll wish you had other pool powers instead. Instead, take other pools that can increase your defense: Maneuvers from Leadership, Combat Jumping from Leaping, Weave from Fighting (having Tough is a great mule to carry the 2 +Def special IOs) - there are others that could help too, depending on your concept, but these 3 are the big ones to consider instead of the Medicine Pool. Also, you can recruit and team with a Defender for heals/buffs! 😄

Try radiation - either defense set (Defender/Corruptor) or as an armor (Sentinel), or as Blast set and Secondary Blaster set (called Atomic). I have a toon that is the embodiment of the Light of God and is a Rad/Atomic Blaster (see pic below). Radiation Emission for Defs/Corrs provides lots of great debuffs and some control. You can pair with either Rad or Energy Blasts, but maybe try Rad for something different? Radiation Armor for Sentinel is quite good - however, you will be lacking in all the controls you want with a Sentinel. And I love my Rad/Atomic blaster - it's powerful, and has some controls with holds and stuns, but maybe not as much as you want? Unfortunately, there are no control sets that will give you what you're looking for, so I think Controller and Dominators might not work for your concept. But other Defensive sets could be Force Fields or Sonic, depending on coloring?? Good luck and let us know what you pick! Divine Radiance (Rad/Atomic Blaster)

Welcome to the game! Quite simply, yes, there is. You just have to keep playing. There are many, many, many arcs on your journey to lvl 50 and beyond that will explain much of what you are asking. Many people have already posted above some specifics for you, but just simply put.... yes. Play, play, play. 🙂

As I've posted elsewhere, depending on how you play, the new change to explore badges is horrible and useless for some, while others get the benefit, instead of everyone getting the same thing across the board no matter what. And the patrol XP doesn't give more inf... just faster leveling, which we do too fast as it is, imo. All the other badges are rewarding enough and there doesn't need to be any other incentive to get them.

Was just in my base from Ouro: Crafted 3 IOs. Converted 60 Vanguard Merits to Reward Merits. Converted 50 Reward Merits to a Hero Merit. When I went to email anything to myself for an alt, I kept getting the error message: "Email not sent, salvage is not tradeable." ....which is definitely not right as the Hero Merit and IOs are able to email to myself. I went to try to ask others about this in a global chat channel and all my global channels were gone as if they never existed. Zoning out of the base and back into Ouro resolved the issue - I could email the Hero Merit and IOs to myself and all my global channels were back. For testing, I ported back into my base and all globals were still there. This whole thing is highly odd.

Thank you for the explanation of the reasoning behind the change. I appreciate you weighing in on this and elaborating. However, like @Rudra, I too do not agree. This is an extremely biased benefit now. For some and how they play, it's fine; and others are completely losing out. The change clearly favors some over others. It was a system that didn't need "fixing" or upgrading. And as @Player2 stated - at low levels, the XP awarded is significant enough to gain levels. I've done this too when my friends have logged off for the night and I want to catch up to the next level, or I've logged on early to get that level before my friends show up and we start rolling. And do the Devs really want us to stop our "course of normal gameplay" to slow down and explore the zones and badge hunt? If the idea is to just pick up one two along the way to a mission or during a hunt mission... okay... but you have to come back later and collect the remainder in the zone, and that is usually done at the end or beginning of gameplay when the majority of patrol XP is useless. This reasoning still does not make sense to me. But again, thanks for taking the time to chime in and let me know how this all came about.

These examples are not badges that unlock content.... these are story arcs that unlock a TF/Trial contact, which then will lead to a badge. When you complete story arcs, you are typically given a souvenir that stays with you forever. If you have that souvenir, that is how the game recognizes you've done the prerequisite content. This is pretty much the entire contact list in the game - one contact leads to another and some of those contacts will give a badge mission/TF/SF/Trial. You'll have to explore the Homecoming Wiki for all of it. But there is limited TF/SF unlocks.... Completing Talshak the Mystic's arc unlocks Karsis for the Cavern Trial in the Hollows Completing Buck Salinger's arc will unlock Katie Hannon's TF. Completing Lars Hansen's arc in Striga unlocks Ernesto Hess TF. Completing Leventara's 1st arc in Rikti War Zone does award a badge (Member of Vanguard) that will allow you access to the instanced version of the Mother Ship Raid. That's all i can think of that has TF/trial unlocks. Again, there are many story arc missions that award badge, and you just need to be introduced to those contacts either by another contact, doing radio/paper missions, or through Ouro. Again, check the Wiki and the long list of badges and the contacts who award them.

See.... i THOUGHT she had a body and now reading you stating this, I am kind of remembering all of this from back on live ages ago too. I've only defeated her a couple times since Homecoming launched, but fully accept that i could be misremembering. However, just logged in and got lucky and found her!! I can confirm, when she dives, she does NOT currently show a body, flippers, or tail. This is all you see before she disappears - the bottom of her neck.... (Sorry I'm not tech-savvy enough to do a video.)

Welcome to the game! Sorry you're feeling frustrated. The first toon to 50 is always a struggle financially, but there are ways you can help ease the pain. 1. Teaming Large teams earn more XP and more INF. Soloing is fun and fine - but teaming will yield more Inf for you. Also, your teammates will help cover deficiencies in your slotting - they'll help kill, heal you, keep foes from you, etc. Look for Task/Strike Forces or Trials forming in your level range. Those will generally yield a good chunk of change. They also give Reward Merits at the end. If you're worried about out leveling story content, turn of earning XP again and just collect Inf. Look for Giant Monster hunts and join those teams/leagues. You get reward merits, monster aethers (that can be converted into a mini-pet recipe and sold on the AH for millions), and a chance at a outright drop of a mini-pet recipe. 2. Sell your drops on the Auction House: Those Reward Merits after story arcs, TFs/SFs/Trials - convert those into Boosters or Converters at a Merit Vendor. Then sell those on the AH - you can get a several million Inf from that alone. If you get a random Prismatic Aether drop on mission completion - don't save it for that costume yet - sell it on the AH and you'll get 2.5-3 million Inf. Generic IO recipe drops sell more at a vendor than the AH - but craft those yellow and orange ones and sell - you can turn a profit, generally. You can even try to convert some yourself into nicer ones to sell. Orange salvage also sells really well on the AH. Generally, can get 350k - 500k inf each for it. 3. Use those Invention Drops Level 25 Common/Generic IOs are 32% bonus which is roughly the same bonus as an even-con SO (33%). A level 30 Common IO gives 34.8% bonus (roughly a +1 SO). IOs never expire or get old, so you could slot your level 25-30 common IOs and leave them in until you're 50 and making even more money. Save the useful Set IOs for yourself instead of selling - so you don't have to buy back later. I hope this helps, and good luck!

As @Rudra stated, I, like SO many others, have lots of alts. Whether they are low level or lvl 50+ earning incarnate XP, pretty much all of them are maxed on patrol XP when I log them in because I rotate between characters (again, like so many other people as well). Yes, if you play 1 or 2 characters all the time, whether for short or long periods, you'll see some benefit from the patrol XP. But I may know of only 1 maybe 2 people who fall into this category - doesn't mean there aren't more - but from my perspective, there are a lot of people who alt a lot and see little to no benefit from a patrol XP boost from exploration badge hunting. As @Psi-bolt mentioned, yes, you have to now think about when you do your explore badge hunting. Never had to before. Just grab them when you can and get your reward. Now, **IF** you want to leverage this benefit, you have strategize of how and when you're going to badge hunt. That's a pain in the arse for something as simple as just collecting some explore badges.

"It had been decades since Sally left Croatoa. But she misses her best friend, her most cherished love. Through the deep dark underground tunnel that feeds the lake she calls home, Sally makes her way to the ocean and swims across the Atlantic. Arriving in Loch Ness, she meets her long lost love and soulmate, Nessie...." ... JK!! 🤣🤣🤣 I would have swore I saw an outline of her body through the murk of the water. I just checked again and zoomed in really close - nope, I was wrong - it was an optical illusion (I guess that's a good thing?). I know the Sally in Croatoa is just the neck and head, but I thought the mini-pet at least had a body (like what i thought I saw). Oh well. If there is no body underneath like I thought, then making the water clearer to see her isn't just an ask for 1 thing and is more complicated than I thought.

I'm not sure why it was changed that exploration badges no longer give actual XP and now give patrol XP. I wasn't thrilled about reading the patch note about this, but I've been trying to be open minded about it. However, I've found it's mostly just wasted and no benefit at all. 1. Typically when you log on, you are full of patrol XP - so gathering explore badges at the beginning of your play session makes the patrol XP awarded useless. 2. If you collect badges at the end of your play session - again, the patrol XP will be useless because you're logging off and you will fill up anyway by the time you log back on. Benefit useless. 3. The only time to take advantage of the benefit of patrol XP awarding from explore badges is in the middle of your game play. "Hold on teammates while I collect some explores so I can get some more patrol XP" - says no one. No one will stop the TF/SF mission train they are on to do this. If someone grabs a couple explores between missions or while waiting for their team to fill for that TF/SF - there MIGHT be some use provided they've used enough already after logging on and have room for it. 4. Being awarded real XP for explore badges was an instant benefit and it didn't matter when during your play session you hunted them - beginning, middle, or end. Also, numerous times, I come out of a mission just 1 or 2 kills shy of a level, but I'm in a zone where mobs are too low level to award XP "but hey! I can grab these explores that I haven't collected yet!" and DING! I've got my level before the next mission. Yes, I can go to a level appropriate zone and hunt - but the real XP award from explore badges was benefit and a use too. Hunting explore badges is something to do solo while you wait for your friends to log on, the team to form, or after you're done and your teammates/friends leave - and earning patrol XP at these times is pointless. You typically don't want to interrupt your play session to seek these badges when the patrol XP bonus would be of any benefit. ....please change it back it back real XP?

But the sphere of water doesn't even look like water - it looks like a steel/metal ball with a snakehead poking out. This doesn't even begin to look like what she is supposed to. This is the only mini-pet I wanted for any of toons, but this is just a disappointment because you can't see her. The water can be a little murky if you have to for "thematic" reasons - just not so opaque that we can't see her underneath. We all love Sally and want to celebrate HER - not a snake or worm head sticking out of a metal "apple." 😛

Well, at least Sally could use some clearer water. 😛

So... love the mini-pets... and love me some Sally! Glad she was the first random recipe drop I got from cashing in the monster aethers! I also love that we give her a floating spere of water to survive in while she follows us! Aren't we nice?! 🙂 However, can we make the water cleaner and clearer for her and less murky? I am sure she would love to show off her beautiful slender body. Right now, she just looks like a steel ball that has wings and a snake popping out. 😄 I am sure Lusca mini-pet (maybe others too - I do not know) that would love to show off their bods in clearer water too?

I've posted some of this in the costume thread, but I was lvl 9 then and now that I'm almost 50 and have all my costumes, figured I post it all here.... The Joy of Clubbing (War Mace/Invuln/Mace Scrapper) Joy Johnson practically lived at nightclubs--always dancing and partying. She raved with some Carnies in Pocket D one night and woke up the next day brainwashed and inducted into the Carnival of Shadows running the High Striker game where people try to ring the bell with a mallet. Later that week, heroes stopped the Carnival and Joy was set free from their magical mind-control before it permanently held. But Joy's mind hasn't been right since--she can't get enough of swinging mallets and clubs! Instead of fighting these urges, she registered with Hero Corps to put her new found passion of "clubbing" to good use. However, this passion can be too intense and she sometimes crosses lines to the dismay of Hero Corps. When not on patrol, Hero Corps encourages Joy to dance and party all night long in Pocket D, Paragon Dance Party, or even Studio 55 to burn off her over-enthusiasm of clubbing villains. ....If you can't tell, War Mace and this toon is a JOY to play! 🤣

Dual Pistols always reset too. I have not had an issue with Cloaking Device yet.

You can still use your base TP macro.... you just have to first click Long Range Teleport (Accolade) or Base Teleport (purchased from START/P2W vendor or earned through Monitor Duty day job). You can even still use your macro if you summon a Base Portal (again, temp power purchased from START/P2W vendor or earned through Monitor Duty day job). Click one of those, then click your macro, and then you'll do your emote, say your message, and port to your base, 🙂

I have a set of 5 Posi Blasts in mine (no proc). I want the damage and a bit of recharge.

Yep. That's what my whole post was about. If you have a floor at the right depth with some of the tiles, you can swim under underwater - otherwise, you walk on the floor underneath. And others, you only swim on the surface. I too have lakes that I'd like to swim underwater in, but can't unless you make it fairly shallow.

If you've ever played around in creating a base, using the various water effects allows you to do different things. There are a lot of water "blocks" (we'll call them) that you can only swim on the surface. These, you mostly cannot see under - like the water in Talos, IP, around the Rogues Isles, etc. But there are other water "blocks" that are clearer and can allow you to swim under them to some depth, depending on how far from the "floor" you've created. This is evident in the Cimeroran maps that others have talked about above. and yes, if it goes too high above the floor, you end up just walking around like there is no water at all. I'm using this swimming effect in my base as well. I'm also trying to figure out how to do it on a large scale - so far, unsuccessfully. But smaller shallower areas is working well. So yes, the swimming animation is there, and it is theoretically possible to do more underwater things, provided the depth of the water "block" is made to be MUCH deeper than it already is.

Arena/PvP zone for the Defense shield power. Hosp, Univ, or Midnighter Club for the Ally Heal and Ally Rez powers. But generally, I'm logged out in Ouro for ease of going wherever when logging in. (So, I guess I get recipe bonus and +Rech on those toons.)

I like that it doesn't aggro on its own like other pets - it only attacks when I attack. This is safer and less risky. Don't have to worry about the pet wandering off to another moba nd aggroing it and bringing it onto me or the team like all the other pets can and will do.

I just ran this last night with my vigilante - switched to rogue for it, obviously, but then switched back to vig. The Temp Power that Stephanie Peebles awards upon defeat in this arc is called "Wedding Band (Echo)" - so it is a "different" temp power than what heroes get by do her arc, which just called "Wedding Band." It's really just a copy of it - same buffs, etc - just named something different. I have both powers in my tray simultaneously. The hero version, "Wedding Band," lasts for 2 hours of usage. The Villain version, "Wedding Band (Echo)," lasts for 5 minutes of usage.

Damn, that looks fun!