roleki

I've wondered about that too. I mean, I get that Devastation+2 is slottable in more things than Lockdown+2, but, what good is a +2 Hold proc in a Ranged Damage power that isn't inherently a hold? Three times a minute, you might hold a minion? That said, a ST hold with both Devastation and Lockdown procs ends up holding bosses on one application quite often.

Ah yes, the old "learn 2 play!" chestnut, advertised as not and delivered in not so few of words. I shouldn't have to take hover and slot for enough speed to keep up with the pace of the team to actually make a relevant contribution, or dip into the ridiculous Sorcery pool, or resign myself to fighting outside the bowl on an MSR just so this "feature" doesn't run afoul of how everyone else is leveraging the design of the game as force multipliers. People talk about power creep, why are we stopping here? Why is KB the line in the sand? They gave nukes to everyone, AoE heals to everyone, everyone can buy as much -Regen they want at P2W, people can get heal badges off temporary powers, but god forbid they grant players the choice of mitigating KB per character instead of per-power. We can't have Storm/Energy defenders running around being USEFUL! You greedy son of a bitch, you find another slot for Phantasm in that build if you don't want it knocking things all over the place. Learn to play! Power creep! Argument for argument's sake! Christ. Nobody's saying remove KB from the game, just looking for a more elegant way to mitigate it if they choose to do so.

"Self-gimp" in the sense that the overwhelming MAJORITY of characters don't need to sink 16% or more of a given power's enhancement slots to mitigate KB. The missed opportunity could be anywhere from 0 enhancement for anything, to 53% enhanced damage from a Purple IO, to a proc, to who knows what? Because we won't know because we're too busy slotting 16% or more of a given power's enhancement to mitigate KB. Just because some instances allow you to make lemonade out of that lemon, doesn't mean everyone should just shut up, bend over and ride it out. My Fire controllers benefit maybe too much from KB:KD, but that doesn't do a damn thing for my En/En blaster.

So what you're saying is, due to paucity of sample size, neither you nor I have any inkling as to what any opinion of the majority is, so speculating that the majority is in favor of preserving KB just as it is would be as fundamentally flawed as arguing that the majority call for it to be addressed. Interesting though, that despite the forums only being utilized by a 'fraction' of players, the threads asking for KB to be addressed globally represent a large number of those posted BY that fraction, so much so that it can be predicted to happen with great regularity. And yes, the same people chime into every one of those threads voicing their yay or nay, but the fact remains, a new thread was started, by yet another dissatisfied customer, while the people arguing that KB is just fine as it is are always the same people, so.... steady growth week over week is more than just random pipes rattling.

Same deal for the Malta what drop Auto Turrets; if anything hits/notifies them after they kneel to summon the turret, it will interrupt them and they stand up facing you for the rest of the duration of the animation, doing nothing. I think the same is true with Rikti Communication Officers, or at least, the only portals I have ever seen are a result of my confusing them and letting nature take its course.

What are you using, Thoughts & Prayers?

Easy! THIS guy Wormholes everyone over to where a Lightning Storm is waiting. THIS guy puts the mob to sleep, stacks holds on the dangerous members of the group, then detonates a bomb to eliminate the rest. THIS guy slows everyone down to a crawl, debuffs them, then sets them on fire. THIS guy has two ST attacks, 11 AoEs and absolutely zero defense - let's see who dies first. And so on, and so on, and so on.

That is a LOT of healing delivered.

I haven't tried 'underslotting' it yet... I go 6-wide whether it needs it or not. On my Fire/TA that's waiting for the pieces of its REAL build, I have Bonfire at ~20s, then on my Fire/Storm what runs around at nearly 300% global recharge BEFORE Ageless, it's down to ~15s. (That's up for debate, the first number that pops up in the countdown is 13, but that would mean I've somehow circumvented the rule that floors individual power recharge at 25% base, so I am chalking it up to inaccurate graphical representation of the remaining recharge time). In any case, I might still Boost the enhancements on that guy, because the whole concept of that build is ridiculous recharge.

While I definitely commend the efforts to track/report what's brought in just as a snapshot of "this is what we're seeing" I can see where shrugging-off three purple drops and >30M inf in the same breath could stoke the anti-farm zeitgeist around here. *I* get it, but there are obviously people who see stuff like that and start grumbling. And yeah, my knee-jerk reaction is to get pissed every time that grumbling leads to an arbitrary AE inf nerf, but in the grand scheme of things it pays to remember that influence simply isn't what it used to be. That Essence of Curare that I used to dump for 100inf can be flipped into something useful for far less than the cost of buying a specific enhancement at market rates; we've got functionally-infinite storage for recipes, salvage and enhancements, plus plenty of tools to plan builds ahead of time, so no need to wield inf like a gunship when it's time to actually slot that alt you've just farmed up - just throw reasonable bids out for the ubiquitous enhancements you need and let them roll in over time (and they will). Bottom line, by marshaling resources and planning ahead, I've had to spend FAR less time in AE than I did back when I was simply acquiring inf just to spend it, and oddly enough, needed far less inf as a result. Win-win in my book!

On all characters: MeleeDef RangedDef DamageBonus Recharge RegenRate EndoRecovery EndoConsumption ToHit HoldProtection Then depending what AT/powers I am running, I'll stick a 10th attribute. For Brutes, I'll monitor Inherent (Fury) between DamageBonus and Recharge. On Kinetics characters, I'll monitor Run Speed in the same position, to remind myself to fire Siphon Speed on cooldown. Stuff like that. ETA: the HoldProtection lets me know how much danger I am in during an MSR or against mezzers in general, and the ToHit is a good indicator that I'm being debuffed OR Gaussian's has fired. Seems easier to me to look at these text indicators (blue is good, red is bad) than it is to send my eye traveling up the screen at a list of 5000 icons.

All proper respect to Seeds of Confusion, but in my opinion, Bonfire slotted a certain way makes it the best AoE control in the game. Give it Bombardment Dam/Rech and Acc/Dam/Rech, along with Annihilation of the same, a FF+Rech and a KB:KD; slotted that way you get a 25' wide AoE that lingers for 45s and can be fired every 20s (or less, depending on your global recharge) from over 70' away without the requirement of LoS. Once you drop a Bonfire patch, you get a burst of +100% recharge right there; even with all the enhanced +Rech, it still procs on cast the overwhelming majority of the time. The patch loiters for 45s, affecting anyone already in the AoE AND anyone who wanders into it. Beyond the chance for KD, the patch also does DoT, slows the mob, and causes them to flee the immediate area. Only after that initial 'flight' response do they take time to try and fire back; if the mob is still around at this point, you're already halfway to dropping another Bonfire on them, which basically puts an end to any incoming fire. Again, not taking anything away from Seeds, it's ridiculously effective and probably the 'safest' control in the City; you can basically strip naked and run around solo simply off the strength of Seeds alone, and do so within an hour of stepping foot in Atlas. That's amazing. I just happen to have a great appreciation for the additional options the +Range, -LoS, and loiter time that Bonfire brings to the table now that it has KB:KD going for it.

@Ghostal Could you post the build? It's possible a second/thirtieth pair of eyes could find untapped +Recharge somewhere, maybe enough to perma-PA outside of AM.

I don't have numbers at hand, but I do and have run the Cave Jam map cycle at 2/8 hundreds and hundreds of times, and aside from the inf nerf, have not noticed any change in drop rate or quality. I run 2/8 specifically because that seems to amp up the drop rate, and to be honest, the way the market is set up, drops trump inf these days, or at least they do for MY purposes (i.e. kitting out the alts I've got sitting at the door).

I had noticed this before I had slotted Gale for KB:KD; held mobs would slowly move backwards in a kind of Repel-like fashion along the same vector as the cone from Gale. I mitigated this behavior by slotting KB:KD in Gale, then also in Wormhole, Tornado, and Lightning Storm; now everything pretty much stays were I put it. Well, not entirely - Propel will still send non-GD'ed mobs scattering, but honestly, by the time I am using Propel, I'm in mop-up mode anyway, so no big deal. I really wanted to try Elec/Storm, but I'm kind of soured by the unmitigated knockback in Gremlins... go through all this work to get things just where I want them, then this idiot decides to send a dude flying 10 feet out of my AoE. Tried an Overwhelming Force KB:KD and... it got worse. The KB only shows up on even/lower-con mobs, but I'm of the mind that I don't want KB that I cannot plan for.

The only reason I wouldn't suggest Grav/Storm is because there is a strong chance it will ruin all other controller combos for you. It can be a bit of a drag until you hit the mid-20s and start getting the Good Stuff, and then it'll suck having no endurance for a while, but, BUT, eventually it all comes together and it's awesome.

This is how I'm doing Grav/Storm; strategically-placed FF+Rech keep me at 278% Recharge in combat, and I can dump out three Lightning Storms at once. Endurance is not an issue if you're using Wormhole to throw mobs back where your 3x Lightning Storm are hanging out. I don't care how you slice it, Grav/Storm is one of the most fun builds in the game, period. Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7 https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Rainiac: Level 50 Technology Controller Primary Power Set: Gravity Control Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Stone Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Lift -- Dcm-Acc/Dmg(A), Dcm-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Dcm-Dmg/Rchg(48), Dcm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50), Dcm-Build%(50) Level 1: Gale -- FrcFdb-Acc/KB(A), FrcFdb-Rechg%(7), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(7) Level 2: Gravity Distortion -- GhsWdwEmb-Acc/Rchg(A), GhsWdwEmb-EndRdx/Hold(9), GhsWdwEmb-Acc/EndRdx(9), GhsWdwEmb-Acc/Hold/Rchg(11), Lck-%Hold(13) Level 4: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A) Level 6: Propel -- Dcm-Acc/Dmg(A), Dcm-Dmg/EndRdx(31), Dcm-Dmg/Rchg(31), Dcm-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Dcm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(42) Level 8: Crushing Field -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg(A), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(13), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(15), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17), PstBls-Dam%(17) Level 10: Steamy Mist -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(11), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(23), GldArm-3defTpProc(25) Level 12: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(40) Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(15) Level 16: Freezing Rain -- Ann-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Ann-ResDeb%(23) Level 18: Gravity Distortion Field -- UnbCns-Hold(A), UnbCns-Hold/Rchg(19), UnbCns-Acc/Hold/Rchg(19), UnbCns-Acc/Rchg(21), UnbCns-Dam%(21) Level 20: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 22: Tactics -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(43), GssSynFr--Build%(43) Level 24: Snow Storm -- ImpSwf-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(A), ImpSwf-Dam%(25) Level 26: Wormhole -- AbsAmz-Stun(A), AbsAmz-Stun/Rchg(27), AbsAmz-Acc/Stun/Rchg(27), AbsAmz-Acc/Rchg(29), AbsAmz-EndRdx/Stun(29), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(31) Level 28: Thunder Clap -- SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), SprWiloft-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(43), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(46), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(48), SprWiloft-Rchg/Dmg%(50) Level 30: Hurricane -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 32: Singularity -- ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(A), ExpRnf-Dmg/EndRdx(33), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExpStr-Dam%(34), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(34) Level 35: Tornado -- ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(A), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(36), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(36), FrcFdb-Rechg%(37), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(37) Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Apc-Dmg/Rchg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Apc-Acc/Rchg(39), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Apc-Dam%(40), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(40) Level 41: Fissure -- FrcFdb-Acc/KB(A), FrcFdb-Rechg%(42), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(42) Level 44: Seismic Smash -- Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Hct-Dam%(45), TchofDth-Dam%(45), Mk'Bit-Dam%(45), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(46), NrnSht-Dam%(46) Level 47: Rock Armor -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 49: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Containment Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 2: Health -- NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Pnc-Heal/+End(3), Prv-Absorb%(5) Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 2: Stamina -- SynSck-EndMod(A), SynSck-EndMod/+RunSpeed(3), PrfShf-End%(5) ------------

Without the KB:KD, Gale is nearly useless. Two-slotted with an Acc/KB and KB:KD, Gale is a decent soft control; if you have at least two other powers with an FF+Rech slotted, it's well worth putting a third slot in Gale for an FF+Rech of its own. Gale procs just often enough to keep you at +100 throughout combat, provided you've got a couple other sources to keep the stack refreshed. As for Dark/Storm, it plays a little funky but I dig it; your AoE Immob and Gale (if you incorporate it) want you to be at range, but nearly everything else wants you in melee. I find it to be great either solo or on teams, and for what it's worth, Dark/Storm is a top earner in MSRs and other events that reward you for how many things you hit.

This build comes the closest I have ever seen to having every eligible unique and proc. That is something else! That said, Poison is a LOT better if you take the debuffs and slot towards them; Weaken is one of the strongest debuffs in the game, and Envenom stacked with Venomous Gas makes Seismic Smash hit like a freight train and a half, instead of just a freight train.

I appreciate all the guidance on Heat Loss; I didn't realize it was ever considered to be THAT great of a power to begin with, but I think my further 'misundermation' of it was due to the fact that the first time I ever used it (well, every time I've used it) has been on an Elec/ controller with 5-wide Conductive Aura and Stamina/Health slotted for maximum +Recovery. That said, I went ahead and 5-slotted it on a respec because I'm a fan of endurance.

Actually, in an economy where less-desirable goods can be converted to more-desirable goods, it drives the price of less-desirable goods towards the price of the more-desirable good, and the more-desirable good has its price increased to subsidize the resources expended during the transformation process; this inflation is exarcebated when those that perform the transformation are also allowed to purchase the exact same goods as they've put on the market. Example: City of Heroes. But nah, clearly the prices in the market are driven upwards only by farmers who spend hours and hours and hours earning influence only to stagger out and spend it like drunken sailors. Clearly, has nothing to do with people who brag about amassing billions of inf by playing the market against itself.

I wouldn't say I 'regret' going deep into the Medicine Pool on the one character I did (Fire/Natural), but that was an experiment on my part to see what effect (if any) Field Medic had in regards to Bloom, +Regen, +Absorb and whatnot. That said, if I had a character who was always in need of healing, I would look first towards +Def or +Res or ways to keep green insps flowing before I would resort to Medicine. Is it the worst pool? Maybe second-worst? I still have not taken the Presence pool on anything, and I don't think I've ever run anyone into the wild who had. I might try that out and see what it actually does; the Invoke Panic power seems like it could be kind of interesting. But I do wholeheartedly agree on Leadership being the best pool. With three picks and one additional slot, I can get 15% recharge and 15% +ToHit? Yeah, I'm doing that on everyone.

It's not necessarily that it is a 'challnge' to use, it's just that Heal Self is literally designed to not be useful when you would need it the most. Who wastes a pool power on "Whew! That was close! Now I'm going to shave a couple seconds off my wait to go try it again!" Then again, if someone is looking at that proposition and going for it, I imagine the game must be a challenge to SOME people.

I saw that CoD listed its base accuracy as 1.0, but that data could be super outdated for all I know. What led me to post in the first place is, for a T9 with a 6-minute cooldown, I was expecting a little more pop than what I saw running around with it. I scoured the relevant dead threads before creating this one, and people were all over the map on it - some slotting it with a single Acc/EndMod, others going 6-wide, one fellow going 3x Recharge IOs... made me wonder what the people who went full-bore saw that I didn't. It's definitely no Lightning Storm 🙂 I dunno, this was my first /Cold and it was pretty sleepy until Benumb and Sleet showed up. Benumb is flat-out astounding, though I am a bit surprised its effects aren't distributed throughout the set (the way they are in /TA) instead of all being tucked into one gigantic bomb.

Hrm. It's possible I'm not 'noticing' Heat Loss since I didn't have endurance issues to begin with, on account of slotting the +Recovery uniques in Health and having a +End bump out of Electric? Maybe Heat Loss frees up those slots?