Rudra

How was your Willpower character held by the Ancient Vampire? City of Data says the Ancient Vampire has a Mag 3 Hold and a Mag 3 Sleep. And Indomitable Will gives Mag 10.38 protection against both.

That is a choice you have. You can always choose to join an Advanced Mode team and get the badges, you can't choose to temporarily change your AT to be able to solo TFs/SFs. Edit: It's just like the PvP badges. You don't PvP so you can't get them? Wrong. You can choose to PvP until you get them, and then stop PvP'ing. That is a choice. However, badges that are keyed to specific ATs? Are a problem in my book. Because that takes away player agency, now in order to get that badge, they have to limit their character concept to get it. Badges for soloing things not every AT can solo? Just as bad. That limits player's choices if they want that badge. (As well as gives a reason for the toxic attitudes/behaviors I witnessed back on Live with Master of badges until everyone started getting them.)

Then propose a different solo badge for each TF/SF, not a universal one that doesn't differentiate between them... You and I are in complete disagreement over this. Reasons given above. I can accept a single badge for soloing any TF or SF, but not specific badges for each.

I provided more than 1 option. And I'm sure you can think of more based on your playstyle. So my comment stands: Take precautions. (Edit: Or join a team. And this is from a solo player. I've faced the exact same enemies you have. There is a way to deal with them. I can only offer general advice. It is up to those of us that choose to solo to figure out how to deal with the challenges we face plant into.)

I'm telling you. If a boss is randomly spawned in an instance for any reason, that boss will be a boss regardless of what your notoriety settings are. And that still leaves the problem of individual players' notoriety settings being applied to a world map/zone. Notoriety settings cannot be applied to zone maps. That is why there are always bosses on the zone maps even if you and everyone else currently in the zone has bosses turned off. Because zones cannot be adapted to individual player preferences. If you are finding yourself facing the EBs as random spawns and unable to deal with them, then ToT near a team and ask them to lend you a hand if an EB shows. Or ToT near drones so that when one shows, you can flee to the drone's protection. Or click the door and immediately flee to a ranged position so you can check the mobs and continue fleeing if it is an EB. Take precautions.

How is a inv/ss tank with strong poison debuffs in any way appropriate for solo players? The same way enemies like Protean are appropriate for solo players. Mobs are not tailored to specific player's character builds, solo or not. Other than the Ouro-based workaround, how? Trick or Treat doesn't respect notoriety settings and never has. By running away. There is a delay when the monsters spawn and exit the building. If you see one you can't handle, you run away. And if it is particularly problematic, then you ToT near drones. Inspiration loading is the way I deal with them, and I keep breakfrees on me. However, the one-two punch of being held or terrorized and then getting KOd happens too quickly for a lot of players to react to. Then they should take precautions like ToT'ing near another team or drones, stocking up on inspirations, or by clicking the door and then fleeing until they can safely check the spawn. Check the Halloween Elite Bosses thread for why that can't happen. Yeah, that is how it is supposed to be. There is safety in numbers and if you choose to not join others for that safety, then the onus is on you to manage. Then offer in Broadcast to ToT near solo ToT'ers so you can help them should an EB appear.

That doesn't matter. Zones are not affected by notoriety settings. Only instance maps are affected by notoriety settings, and even then, only by the mission holder/team leader's notoriety settings. How are you supposed to apply notoriety settings to a zone map without either screwing over players that want low difficulty or players that want high difficulty? And even if somehow notoriety settings could be applied, you are still talking about random spawns, which even in instance missions ignore notoriety settings. (Again, most likely because of game engine/code limitations.) So your request simply isn't feasible as far as I can tell.

I was under the impression @Steampunkette wasn't getting any mobs at all.

This isn't true. You only need to be level 20+ to get the tips. https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Halloween_Event/Trick_or_Treat

What is your character's level? You can only ToT in zones appropriate to your or your team's level.

You are talking about a zone event. Notoriety settings do not apply to zone maps. (Edit: That's why even with bosses turned off, you can face plant into bosses in the zones normally.) How would they? Say Player A has bosses turned off and Player B is in the same zone but has bosses turned on because Player B is looking for bosses to fight, whose notoriety settings would apply to the zone? So you are asking for something that can't really happen.

I have yet to see a Council lieutenant turn into a boss War Wolf. I only see them turn into lieutenant tier Nightwolf Champions. Edit: Now, if you are talking about Council bosses that you have downgraded to lieutenants via your difficulty settings? This has always happened. And not just with Council. A boss that is spawned after the mission is set, typically spawns as a boss regardless of difficulty settings. (And I don't mean bosses that don't appear until after a trigger condition has been met. I mean bosses that are spawned randomly after the mission has started.) This has always been so and is likely a limitation of the game code. This is not something new from that update. Edit again: And if you want those Galaxies to not self-rez after you defeat them? Whittle their health down and then get outside their radius to finish them with a ranged attack. (Just like fighting a Super Stunner.) Grab the Nemesis Staff or Blackwand from START if you have a melee character and don't want to grab a ranged attack from the power pools or ancillary/patron pools.

Even before the Council were updated, Council would already turn into werewolves when they were near defeat. Even one of the Vampyri bosses would turn into a War Wolf when his health got low enough. And those War Wolves already threw boulders at players. So I'm not understanding the complaint about Council turning into werewolves after the group was updated.

Not really. If we were to take the two spawns from all of the T-intersections of the Oranbega maps where you routinely find two spawns and disperse them elsewhere, there would still be long stretches of hallway with nothing in it. I won't say most, but there are multiple Oranbega maps that are just mostly empty. (And then there are others that are jam-packed and you are fighting every 5 feet or so. So it isn't the T-intersection spawns, it is the respective map's number of spawn points.)

Except you aren't getting double size spawns. You're getting 2 different spawns. And if you have range attacks, you can tag one of the spawns and fight them well away from the other. And if you don't, then you work your way to one of the sides rather than the bisecting hall and either fight along the wall where the other spawn can't see you or you smack something in the near spawn and then retreat back down the hall to finish obliterating them. The part of the OP I agree with is that some of the Oranbega maps have long stretches of nothing before and after the T-intersections, and those being not empty would be appreciated.

Except I did base shop. All the bases had bosses. So I chose the 1 that had just the 1 boss. (And I was on a flying Scrapper at the time.) (Edit: I swear we've had this discussion before....)

Tried that. Most times, every firebase had at least 1 boss turret. And even taking the approach of weakening every turret to near dead and then trying to blitz them, which I was successful at, by the time I reached the computer inside, it told me I had to clear the base defenses first to use it. Tried that 3 times, always taking the approach of getting all eight turrets as low on health as I dared to avoid accidentally killing them, wiping them out post-haste starting with the missile turret because it took the longest to kill, racing inside, and getting told again that I had to clear the base defenses. There was no way that was a 5 minute respawn time. (I completed it at the time because a PvP'er came by, was not a villain, and lent me a hand.) (Edit: Hells, even with the Blaster helping me, it took us another 3 tries to get to the computer and not be told we still had to clear the base defenses.) (Edit again: It may have actually only taken 2 tries with the Blaster, but it definitely took more than 1.) Admittedly, this happened back on Live, but still, unless the turret respawn times have been adjusted to be longer by HC, some builds cannot solo clear the Bloody Bay firebases.

Masterminds as an AT devote almost everything to their pets. THis leaves them with just 3 underpowered, endurance heavy, attacks. Crab Spider Soldiers on the other hand have their choice of 17 attacks, 4 of which are mutually exclusive in pairs, with which to decimate and destroy their opposition. They also get 5 armor power choices to MM's 0. So no, I disagree that Soldiers of Arachnos should get to control their pets like how MMs do. They have other advantages, lets not take away the MM's key advantage.

No, it isn't. It has been a thing for as long as I can remember playing the game. Oranbega map T-intersections often have different spawns on opposite sides of the half-column. Just like that one tiny room with the raised platform area that is basically a T-intersection room routinely has 3 different spawns in very close proximity to each other, but their line of sight is broken by the raised platform area.

I do not agree with this. You are correct in that just because a badge exists, that doesn't mean everyone has to get it. However, I am of the firm belief that anything added to the game should be achievable by anyone playing the game with sufficient applied effort. And some things are just beyond some characters. Saying those characters can't have something the game provides though because you think they aren't good enough if they can't get it without help? That I have issues with. I can take a Controller or Dominator on some missions, just regular missions, not a TF or SF, and have to call for help because the boss, not the EB or the AV, the regular boss is effectively immune to my layered mezzes and I lack the HP and damage to triumph. (Hello, Fortunata Mistresses.) Especially if they spawned at a higher level than me. (Which can happen even if you lower the difficulty to -1 depending on the mission.) That isn't a bad thing in and of itself. It means I either need to out-level the mission or call for help. (Typically, it means I have to call for help because I'm going to need multiple levels over the enemy to prevail in the provided example. Other examples, I may just need an extra level and sufficient inspirations.) Both are viable options. Now if I'm trying for a badge because that badge title suits my character concept and I can't get it because someone decided that only players playing characters that can complete that content unaided are deserving of it? I have a problem with that. If it is a team badge? Okay, I have the option of joining a team to get it even if I prefer to play solo. (I've actually joined multiple teams expressly for this purpose despite being a soloist.) If it is a solo only badge? Not even a mission or task accomplishment, but strictly a "I did this completely solo" badge? And the badge requires the solo character clear a TF or SF that the character cannot without help? Then how is that a player choice? So I have issues with it. (Yes, I had issues with the Master of badges back on Live for this reason too. [Which I still got eventually, but for a long time there, there were players running around with Master of badges mocking players on their team that didn't have them. Personal experience. And those same players screamed when the Master of badges started being achieved by everyone else. They weren't the elites of the CoX world any more as proven by their badge title. And that is something I would rather stayed dead.] It is also why I am not a fan of MM only badges and similar. What if that badge is the perfect title for my Stalker? Well, too bad, so sad, your Stalker should have been a Mastermind despite that not being the character concept.) So yeah, if there is to be a "I soloed this! Huzzah me!" badge for every TF/SF in the game? No, I oppose it. If it is for soloing any TF/SF though? Okay, I'm fine with it because the badge will be achievable with sufficient applied effort and the penal length comparing stays dead in the game.

If you want a badge to solo each TF/SF? No. Not every AT can and not every build in the ATs that can are able to either. Whereas anyone can join a team to clear a TF/SF. Neither are those vaunted Lore pets available below level 45, not everyone can manage to get a Shivan pet from Bloody Bay with how the firebases work (because if you're too slow clearing all 8 turrets, the ones you cleared respawn), and trying to leverage START pets/powers isn't within everyone's price range, especially if in heavy use/demand. However, if you just want a badge for soloing any TF or SF? Fine, I can accept that. Because then players do have access to your listed options to clear something.

You just provided the useful information (not just data) that justifies it, as did I earlier. WM hits more targets, has a wider arc, has arguably a "better" damage type (smashing), hits harder with most attacks, and has the hardest hitting single target attack with the lowest animation. So, what are you saying exactly? -def justifies lower damage, less targets, less arc, and no clobber equivalent? Head Splitter and Crowd Control are NOT similar powers. Head Splitter and Shatter are similar. Why would you compare a 180% arc power with a 20% arc power but to muddle the discussion? Clearly, that doesn't make any sense. Why are you so vested in defending a clearly, tangible, mathematical difference that is most readily observable in the manner I listed earlier? (i.e. spreadsheet style) It's an indefensible point, which is why you attempt to muddle the details instead of analyzing simple, relevant comparisons. Broad Sword is simply inferior to katana, War Mace, and Battle Axe, and all it takes is simple math (addition and/or subtraction) to witness this. The only subjective point would be arguing the value of -def versus knockdown, or stun chances, etc. You keep saying versions of the same tired argument ... "many things come into play in assessing value" then you post the numbers that clearly prove Broadsword is objectively inferior. If you take clearly similar powers from each set and put them side by side, there is never an instance where BS comes out on top. Compared to katana, the animations are significantly longer with barely more damage. Compared to War Mace, as I've demonstrated so many times, the animation times are similar, the endurance is similar, yet war mace does more damage and to more targets and has a significantly better single target attack with fast animation. And, BA has similar advantages to WM, but with the added convenience of a pbaoe whirlwind with two true aoe's that don't require positioning. It's the bottom of the pack with no discernable advantages over the others (aside from ability to be used with shield compared to katana). Are we reading the same things? First, smashing and lethal damage are the most resisted damage types in the game. Second, when you compare Slash to Bash, the powers that you said were equal and are, the only difference between them is Bash has a 10% chance of stunning a target while Slash has a 100% chance of reducing the target's defense, they are the exact same. Third, I compared Crowd Control to Head Splitter because both of those powers are the sets' capstone powers. If you compare a power you can get at level 2 from your primary to a power you can get at level 26 from your primary and expecting them to be anywhere near comparable, then either you want that T9 power you get late in the game to be a joke or you want that T3 you get almost at start to be god tier. Neither is acceptable. Fourth, when you compare the two capstone powers from the sets, they are comparable. Crowd Control has a wider arc, but Head Splitter has a farther reach. Crowd Control has a guaranteed KD if the target lacks KB resistance, but Head Splitter has a high chance of knocking down targets while also guaranteed to debuff their defense. Crowd Control can hit more targets, but Head Splitter hits roughly 2/3s harder.

In regard to Katana, it is because kendo/kenjutsu teach the sword is properly wielded with both hands. (Edit: As opposed to broadsword that was commonly wielded one-handed with a shield like longswords and arming swords.)

When it comes to the different powers and power sets, everything is factored. The damage each power does, the animation times of those powers, the endurance cost of those powers, the secondary effects of those powers. Everything. For instance: War Mace: Bash: 1.05 base accuracy, 7 feet range, 1.33 cast, 0.5 seconds before effect, 4 second recharge, 5.2 endurance, 10% chance of Mag 2 Stun for 5.96 seconds, 62.5615 damage. Broadsword: Hack: 1.05 base accuracy, 7 feet range, 1.33 cast, 0.7 seconds before effect, 8 second recharge, 8.528 endurance, 100% chance of -7.5% target defense for 10 seconds, 102.6009 damage. Edit again: Broadsword: Slash: 1.05 base accuracy, 7 feet range, 1.33 cast, 0.5 seconds before effect, 4 second recharge, 5.2 endurance, 100% chance of -7.5% target defense for 6 seconds, 62.5615 damage. Edit yet again: Let's also take a look at Crowd Control vs. Head Splitter. War Mace: Crowd Control: 1.05 base accuracy, 8 feet range, 2 second cast, 0.9 seconds before effect, 12 second recharge, 11.856 endurance, 180 degree arc, 10 target max, 100% chance of Mag 0.67 KB (KD), 100.724 damage. Broadsword: Head Splitter: 1.05 base accuracy, 10 feet range, 2.33 second cast, 1.233 seconds before effect, 14 second recharge, 13.52 endurance, 20 degree arc, 5 targets max, 60% chance of Mag 0.67 KB (KD), 100% chance of -7.5% target defense for 10 seconds, 162.6599 damage. Powers are not just animation time and damage. So if you want to have Broadsword changed, you need to provide justifying data that the devs can readily check to convince them to change it.

To the best of my knowledge, yes, they are. However, if the author (or anyone else) can show that Broadsword is not in line with the other sets for it, then that would be game data the devs keep asking us players to provide but never seem to. So again, game data to show the set needs to be updated/changed is what the devs ask we provide when we ask for sets to be updated/changed. (Edit: I would also ask that you prove that "a lot of OG sets weren't balanced with these things in mind", because even back on Live, there was great discussion about how the sets were balanced, and the animation times were part of those discussions.)