biostem

And the superior damage people will do nothing if they faceplant because they can't handle the aggro or incoming damage. We can cherry-pick scenarios all day, but my point still stands: -DR + mediocre damage = no -DR and superior damage.

Or by dropping the enemies' DR via debuffs. "Superior damage" vs an enemy with high DR is basically the same as "lesser damage" vs an enemy with a bunch of -DR on them...

That's interesting - Did that mob become a valid target between the activation and the target check of the power, if you couldn't have targeted them beforehand?

I don't really have a list, per se. It's simply a matter of having "enough" of any given aspect. For instance, you don't need a tanker if you have enough buffs/debuffs and those with them are proactive or responsive enough. You don't need a huge amount of raw damage if you can drop an enemy's damage resistance enough. You don't need a lot of buffs/debuffs if you can sufficiently control the enemies. The problem is that many people often play on PUGs, where there is little communication and everyone is basically soloing in the same instance. Anytime I see these kinds of posts, my first inclination is to ask if you took the time to talk to your teammates, examine your team composition, and derive a strategy that used those resources to their greatest extent...

@Luminara hit the nail on the head - use a location-based AoE power to hit them. There's still a little bit of an untouchable period, but you'll be able to hit them much sooner...

You are the one that brought up the notion of doing things that were "cheatie". My point is that you should not discount legitimate aspects of the game, such as different effects/bonuses that various powersets and set bonuses have to offer. Here's a suggestion going forward - avoid the hyperbole, since inflection or intent does not carry over well in a text-based medium, and don't infer bad intentions where there is none.

OK, so "totally legitimate methods of play". Gotcha. It's like saying it's "Cheatie" because dual pistol sents can get a permanent range bonus when using cryo ammo, or how ninjitsu sents can get a stealth power w/o having to take concealment. Different sets offer different things, and that's not cheating.

OK, and? That's not "cheatie" - set bonuses have certain rules as to how they are applied and such. I'm not sure what your point is? Sentinels also have shorter ranges by default.

Yeah... not being able to "have it all" can stink sometimes...

Don't underestimate the value of range enh's in cones, either...

It all comes down to pathing issues. The NPC logic just isn't that advanced. Frankly, I wish we could just "carry" them - even if it disabled our powers while doing so. You just gotta take it slow and be patient, which is really annoying given the pace of the game everywhere else...

Agreed. For me, I usually use the 1st build as a leveling/"good enough" build, and save the others for end game. By that, I mean I take low level attacks or even some pool/filler powers to get a decent enough attack rotation or to take powers that are good *now*, but may be overshadowed later by APP/PPP powers.

Fantastic costume! The little bit of of gold on the belt blends perfectly with the chest piece! Splendid!

Craziness, perhaps, but it does seem that many players build their characters in anticipation of being "ready" at 50, instead of consuming a respec. It may be easy to get them, but it's still something some people are loathe to "waste" on a leveling build...

This is only true for certain combinations of primaries and secondaries. Even that initial immobilize power can deal decent damage if slotted and used for that purpose. The issue is that many players build with an eye on how the build will perform at 50, so handicap themselves in the here-and-now toward that end...

What obligation does the HC have to get a 3rd party app/program working? I also disagree with your statement that MIDS is "vital"...

Consider giving the VEAT "Arachnos Soldier" a try - they can be very "Mastermind-like", and get pets in their patron pools...

Here's something I whipped up, heavily based upon a costume I've been using for my blaster: darklord1.costume

I wonder if it would be feasible to implement some sort of lottery system - you buy "tickets" for like 50 inf each, and at the end of each week, someone wins like half of the total amount, and the other half goes "poof!".

Texas T?

It requires a little more thought about your positioning, and some people just want to point and click. Frankly, they don't bother me one bit, and I do in fact slot range enhancers, even going so far as to pick incarnates with even more range!

These could potentially be a way to grief players. Since it's an isolated instance, I see no problem with this. This may potentially be an issue with the GUI or game engine in general. Too up to subjective opinion and/or may be punishing to quality, but less popular AE content. Why not both? Maybe also allow unslotters to be bough for inf. No thanks. Why penalize people for using the invention system? Now, a non-permanent/on demand portable work bench, (sans the temp power) costing inf, or perhaps scatter some benches-for-rent out in other zones where they don't already exist could be interesting.

I'd say they're on par or better than other armor sets' taunt auras. The key is that evolving armor and genetic contamination interact with the various adaptations, (efficient, offensive, defensive), to provide different or greater/lesser effects, so you'll have ot play them by ear. I tend to take stone prison as the prereq for its greater range, because it brings down flyers, and because I dislike sleeps, but if you can make salt crystals work for you, go for it!

Honestly, there's no powers in Bio Armor that I'd want to do without. You can probably skip charged brawl and lightning clap without issue, from electric melee, and possibly even build up, (if you build is tight, and you're willing to forego the extra damage and tohit). That being said, I don't know if I'd want to dip too heavily into both presence AND force of will. Maybe just stick with one, or use the patron/Ancillary power pools to flesh them out. Soul mastery has some great options, and I'm a bit partial to earth mastery, (I really like their version of quicksand).

In these trying times, don't discount the store-brand spam. Even Dollar Tree has a version, (though theirs contains plasma, which @Snarky might like)...