Rudra

I disagree. If you have the toggles on, you obviously have the shield ready. It sits on your arm. If you have the toggles off, the shield sits on your back. Yeah, that would be a problem. You don't carry a weapon and shield on your back for obvious reasons. Though in comics and anime they do despite how it prevents the use of the weapon by trapping it under the shield.

There is even a wealth of historical precedent for it. In medieval Europe, shields were typically carried on the back with straps and then slid into place for combat. Outside of history, in comics and anime, the back is still where shields were often carried. So yeah, sounds like a good idea to me!

I like that! Make him mostly retired, available to join the fight if needed, but mostly just acting as an advisor. Edit: Maybe even be the primary advisor for any Battalion/Hamidon related content.

I have never and will never make a petless MM. However, there are ample times when I have my MM fight without pets. And against basic non-boss spawns? I have never had the problems I hear about on the forums about MM innate attacks (rather than pet attacks) being useless for lack of damage. It may take my MM an extra hit to drop a mob from the spawn, but oh well. (Edit: And those spawns are white or yellow, never less. So no, I don't understand the problem.) And I'm always firing my MM's innate attacks even when I have my pets out, alternating between attacks and support to keep my pets alive. Yes, this is probably a case of just because I don't see the problem does not mean the problem does not exist, but I have (or have had) MMs of every type and not one has/had this problem. (Though I am definitely not a fan of Beast Mastery's MM innate attacks or lack of range on pets.) Edit again: For clarification? My MMs never run out of END unless a Sapper tags me or a Carnie hits me with an END drain Mask attack. At low levels I'll only be using my pets, a single innate attack, 1 Leadership power, and my secondary toggle; but using those (while attacking with that 1 innate attack) and using my secondary to support my pet(s), I never run out of END. As I get more enhancements slotted, I run full Leadership, Fight pool, secondary toggles, my Patron or ancillary defense toggle, all three innate attacks, and my support powers like heals without any fear of running out of END. And I'm not slotting for END any more than I do for all my other characters (which is still a primary concern in my slotting, just not my main concern).

Then my recommendation would be to allow players to not wait out the timer even when switching characters. When logging off in a base or Pocket D, there is no wait even when switching characters. So obviously there is no need for the wait except to force characters that may try to log off during combat to still face the dangers of combat. The character can stay on as normal subject to mob damage as applicable while still allowing the player to log on another character.

That is what I was asking about. Why should that be biased to the start of the game when enemies are weakest rather than mid to late game where it becomes more important?

Why should MM pet effects be biased to the start of the game when enemies are weakest?

Unless logging off works differently in those locations, you don't have to wait for the timer to hit 0.

The damage is still variable, just not broken up into DoTs that may or may not trigger to deal damage.

I disagree. My current primary character is an Energy Blast/Energy Manipulation Blaster, and is chewing up the opposition. I'm slotting for damage, but still outperforming my other ranged characters. (Edit: I just wish my KB triggered more often. It's not really triggering in most fights.) (Edit again: I'm trying to see if I can pump up the character's damage through enhancements and set bonuses to drop white con minions in a single hit with my fast snipe. I've already managed it a couple of times, but it is inconsistent at best.)

Yes. Remove the +5 levels of power while exemplared. That would go a long way to making exemplared characters actually part of any non-exemplared team they may join. They still get all their enhancements since those slots don't retain any level tracking. And they still get the benefit of their sets unless they exemplared to more than 3 levels below the set's minimum level. Yes, but only for under level 50 content and teams, though I have no delusions about anything incarnate being reigned in. As long as the +5 levels while exemplared is in effect, having access to Judgements, Lore pets, active & passive incarnate buffs and the ability to inflict passive incarnate debuffs while level 45 is ridiculous. Take away the +5 levels of power availability while exemplared? And my opinion changes to "no". Having access to your incarnate powers while at level 50 is perfectly fine. If you are level 49 or less? You should not have access to your incarnate abilities. What about temp powers? What bearing do they have on any part of this discussion? Appropriateness: When game content is designed to handle available powers with expected available enhancement slots at a given level of character progression. So using powers at the level originally coded or higher would be appropriate because the enemies are designed with the expectation that those powers will be used against them. As opposed to inappropriateness such as expecting mobs that are designed with lower level powers and more limited numbers of enhancements to be any challenge for higher level powers. As has already been said, by me at least, flashback content is a good example of how using higher level powers than the missions/arcs were designed for makes those missions/arcs far easier than normal. And with higher tier powers being made available even earlier, with no known adjustments to the mobs to deal with it, that situation gets even further amplified. And yes, those exemplared down powers do damage appropriate for the level they are being used at. And they still skew the missions/arcs. There is a reason why when people find out I play at level in the game, I get told to level up to 50 first and then go back and play the arcs. Because clearing missions/arcs while exemplared down with the +5 levels is already easier than playing through the missions/arcs at level. So lowering the levels of priority acquisition powers further skews the game balance.

The ability to team with anyone at any level was always about being able to work together and pool your abilities to achieve a goal and have fun as a team doing so. (Emphasis on the have fun part.) Once upon a time, teaming was necessary to clear several missions. Not even counting the multiple glowies that must be clicked simultaneously bit, AVs were always AVs and equal level EBs were TOUGH. There was a reason to team. There was definitely a need to team for those missions in particular. EBs are a joke to most players now. Hells, EBs used to only have the 2 level shifts every boss got. Now they're 3. Players keep screaming for powers to be made inherent so that they can enjoy having those powers without having to use a power slot for it (in the name of quality of life of course), for existing powers to have added effects (in the name of quality of life of course), and for high end powers to be available at lower levels (in the name of quality of life of course). And as the game gets easier and easier, they then turn around and call for higher difficulty content, followed soon after by calls for changes to make it easier for them to clear that more difficult content (in the name of quality of life, of course). So the answer to the OP's titular question? Is changing the power levels power creep? Absolutely. Hells, it's not even creep, it's a full on mad dash. Those that want their nukes at level 26 (or level 1) will find out that the mobs at those levels are not suited to dealing with those tier powers so soon. (Which is already apparent to those that go back and do that content as a flashback.) Which may actually be the point of the request. When players have access to higher tier powers than the people they are playing with and are solo clearing the maps while the rest of the team is trying to find some way of contributing beyond aggro magnet to keep more mobs in range of Superman/Superwoman, interest is lost. When a game gets too easy, people stop playing it. Of course players can keep choosing the lowered level powers at the previous levels. That just means those players will not be able to contribute to teams that have players using their T9s at level whatever (1 if some people get their wish), even when they are the same level progressing up to 50. ("Why didn't you take your nuke? It's your best power and already available to you! What? Who cares if it used to be a level 32 power. Don't you know how to play the game?") I've already been told by players that joined me while I was solo to clear an EB I couldn't handle that I was playing wrong. And in their "mercy and generosity", offered to power level me to 50 so I would have the higher level powers to deal with the content I wanted to play at level. And this was on LIVE, not even on HC yet. (My first level 50 on Live? Was because I was told by almost everyone I knew that I was playing wrong since I hadn't managed to get a character to 50 yet and was cajoled into door sitting through a weekend power leveling session on double xp weekend.) The game already has a two-tiered player system. (Three depending on how you look at it.) The players that min-max their builds and eke out every bit of efficiency and power they can as if the game were some engineering project to be maximized (often power levelers), and the players that try to play the game with the resources they get and don't bother trying to figure out their combat effectiveness and probabilities to the umpteenth decimal point. I've actually been told by people in this forum that they would help me build a better character because most of my characters can't handle +4/x8. I won't accept. Why? Because from previous experience with players offering such sage advice? I must use specific powers from a specific primary and a specific secondary depending on the AT with these exact numbers of enhancement slots each using these specific enhancements. Everything else is a waste of time. And now those highly sought after powers are going to be available sooner. How long before players that aren't taking their nukes or other high end powers are simply booted from teams, particularly TFs, SFs, and trials because they're too 'incompetent' to grab the powers at their lowered levels? So sure! We can keep selecting them at original level. And hopefully only get lectured in the name of making us "better players" rather than ostracized and kicked for not being helpful. Players already get kicked for daring to play Energy Blast. That is, of course, assuming being an ineffective member of the team isn't so depressing that those players just up and quit. (Or give up and jump on the Easytown Bandwagon.) Getting off my soap box now. (Not going away, just ending this very long-winded post.)

Your comment argues against itself. The whole team up with anyone at any time thing that Super Sidekicking encourages is shot to hell when the response to god tier characters making low tier heroes superfluous is to not team with those players/characters. What happened to 'team with anyone at any time' when the response is either be useless or don't team with those other players, including when they are friends you want to spend time with? Do I now have to tell my friends what characters they are allowed to use when we play together? Or what builds those characters are allowed to have to team with me? I won't do it. Exemplaring was a good thing to put in the game. Exemplaring while retaining all your enhancements and up to +5 levels of powers was the bad idea. Now we're looking at exemplaring with all your enhancements, +5 levels of powers, and the high tier powers are available at levels they were never meant to be used at against foes that have no means of dealing with them. So a bad situation is made worse. I'm already loathe to ask for help when I'm up against a +2 or +3 EB I can't fight while solo because the game won't or can't spawn the EBs at the mission level. Too often getting help results in me feeling like Office Worker A as Superman comes crashing in to... say change the printer cartridge. It's like "That was my job, and Superman had to come do it for me. Maybe I need to find a different line of work." It's not fun to be saved by another. It is even less fun to be unable to contribute meaningfully when you're supposed to also be a super. And the response is just don't team with them? Just tell my friends who only play their maxed out characters "Sorry, my characters that I prefer playing are all low to mid level and I don't want to feel useless, so I'm not going to play with you."?

Thanks. Now have Gladiator pop in and join them. (Edit: Or Silver Surfer.)

You're not in a position to call yourself the teacher. Why don't you instead explain why all powers should be unlocked at level 1? All powers have an increasing amount of power as you move up the tiers. Not damage, power as in what they are capable of doing. That is effect, size of effect, associated damage, and incidental or supplementary effects. No super ever started his/her career by being able to blow up in an inferno at will and then learn how to toss a minor fire bolt to injure any enemy sometime later on. It is always some low or moderate effect that the character progressively masters and improves. (The exception being guns. Whatever the character can afford or get his/her hands on is available for use. However, they often have to build up the resources such as weapons dealers to get the bigger, better weapons unless they are super wealthy like Wayne and Stark. And even in their cases, their tools, gadgets, and weapons show a progression in capability as better versions are researched and produced.)

The point is that unless you want to door sit, players want to actually play. And being as effective as Robin throwing foam birdarangs while Superman and Wonder Woman stomp the baddies is not a fun way to play. We already have that problem with the +5 exemplar boost. With lower level nukes and other high tier powers being available even earlier, anyone not exemplared on that team is less than useless. Have Superman join your team in a world with no kryptonite and magic rendered less than effective against him as several end game builds already are. Superman with his full sun god power on your... someone give me a super group name that is not a primary like the League and deals with more street level threats than world ending ones. Imagine how frustrated those heroes would feel as they get to just stand there and watch as Superman walks through and takes down everything before any of them can even react to attack the baddies. Can't imagine it? Be a non-50 and have a 50 join your team, let alone an incarnate. Then come back and tell me how fun the game is when you're relegated to spectator because the exemplared character is tossing nukes around like it's going out of style faster than you can fire your regular attacks.

Yeah, story progression is a good thing. No argument there.

Give him a new TF somewhere. As a side note and not to be done with the TF suggestion I'm obviously stealing for @Sirius.Games, also restore him at his trainer pedestal in the Echo so street sweeping players have someone to train them up.

Do what someone suggested on another thread: put BABs back on his trainer pedestal in Echo:Galaxy City. Since the Echo zones are there so players can still street sweep in them to get xp and experience the zone, having access to a trainer makes sense. Still should be no contacts or missions for Echoes though. And I will always be against any suggestion that ignores the story such as simply restoring Galaxy City per the OP.

Holy hells! We agree?! Edit: Though depending on my AT and who is joining, it feels more like being normal civilian teaming with Superman. "I'm so helpful! I got to attack a single enemy once before the entire room of spawns was defeated! I'm so good!"

We always started with Brawl and our starting attack. The origin powers were added because players thought that was not enough of a chain to take down enemies that possessed a single attack, usually Brawl. And if you want to revert the Fitness pool back to being a power pool? Then all of it gets reverted. Further, reverting the Fitness inherent to a power pool will free up exactly 0 powers for your build. Fitness was made inherent without taking away any power slots. So Fitness being made a pool again would grant that many power slots. Edit: CoX and other games have attempted to make Wall Climbing. I'm not aware of any games as old as CoX pulling it off. And I don't get the reasoning for removing Swift and Hurdle as inherents to simply re-add them without the names into the character's base move. So I'm opposed to your suggestion on several counts.

I partially agree and I partially disagree. Powers are how you level, but those new powers are the progression of said leveling. From a super point of view, it is the character gaining enough experience to improve his/her current abilities. That is not a RP thing, that is a character development thing. As for dead spots in progression, there are what, two of them? A whole two points in the character's progression until level 41 where no new primary or secondary powers are made available? Most likely with already unselected powers from those sets. Also, I'm not saying CoX will force a respec because I have no way of knowing how CoX will handle a level change or progression order for AT powers. I'm saying because I was constantly being forced to respec by CO, I am very much opposed to these kinds of changes. (CO would immediately put you in the respec screen upon login with your character as a new character routinely because a power's level got and prerequisites got changed or it was moved to another point in the set's order.) And @Greycat is right. When you level up and the new power is highlighted, it tells me "This is your new power. Take it." It's those dead spots that tell me it's time to either dip into a power pool or having dipped into a pool, go back and grab a power I postponed earlier to grab those pool powers. Yes, I am capable of making my own decisions and not relying on the game's cues for when to do what. Pretty much because I use Mids. Those signals are still there though.

No need to apologize. I don't recall ever having seen that pose though.

I think you are confusing Ms. Liberty with Dominatrix. Aside from that? No opinion on the OP.

Players always have choices. Powers from their AT's primary or secondary that they skipped and pool powers. The whole point of the leveling based powers acquisition is to show progression. The character progressively learns how to use his/her powers in more effective, powerful, or expansive ways. Even CO has requirements to access powers, with the nukes and other high end powers requiring several powers from the set to unlock. Which puts them behind two walls, the level requirement to have that many powers and the set requirement of prerequisite powers. CoX only has the level requirement. Each primary and secondary set for non-epic ATs only have 9 powers. With the freedom to improve the character from available pools to either increase survival, effectiveness, or increase available options for play such as stealth powers, heals, and so forth. Why the rush to get the key powers from a set earlier? Edit: If you really want the powers earlier, then we can go the CO route. Each power in a set requires the character have the tier-2 in powers from the set to get. So your T1 and 2 powers are available. Tier 3 requires 1 power from the set. Tier 9 requires 7 powers from the set. There you go. No more level requirements. Edit again: One of many things I hated about CO was that they changed power order. I've been forced to respec a character twice in one month because power order was changed. So yes, I am strongly biased against changing power order/levels.