Perfidy

I still have at least one character who has an enhancement in a slot that isn't supposed to be slotted there. Nothing happens to the enhancement. I can't log in at the moment to see if the boost/benefit still carries over. I generally dislike doing a respec. When they ruined Rune of Protection for me, (yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear ya) the characters with Rune - I haven't logged those characters back in to respec them. There are so many slots, and rather than try to adjust a character who was already "complete", it's easier for me to just start another character. I have yet to take the pool that offers Rune of Protection since, by the way. Maybe I should take another look at it. But probably not for a while.

First, I will read the patch notes. Then I will look at the new badges and wonder if the juice is worth the squeeze. I will try any new content and any new powersets. Beyond that, I hope it will not have any impact on my life.

I have always looked for a woman who had too much pride to allow her man to work.

This is in line with my experience with the current tank in question. For whatever reason, I don't want to be finding myself in an iTrial (like Underground) and when bringing the AV to the corner by the elevators, not be able to keep taunting because I'm dead. Or being in a MLTF and not be able to handle Lord Recluse without putting some teammate at risk because they have to constantly buff me. I just want to be able to do my part. And I think I can do that with the build I have now...but not having dealt with Stone Armor, just wasn't clear what the normal limits for the build are, without granite. I don't like the penalties of granite, and not a big fan of how it looks either, although I could deal with that. Since we get more than one build, I might have a 2nd build that uses granite, and lets the other armors stand as mules for various set bonuses. At least there's options, right?

This is really the only MMO I've ever played. After shut down, I tried every other game I ever heard of. Some games seemed interesting, but the inability to use the arrow keys to move limited my enjoyment. I know for many of you, the WASD and mouse are vastly superior for reasons that just weren't obvious to me when I began. The arrow keys just made sense - want to go forward - look at the keyboard - hey, that key is pointing forward! Makes sense to me to use that. But, I digress. If you'd asked me a couple of years ago, well, the game was just something to do during the lockdown. I played back in live, but not a lot, except during unemployed times when I had more time to play. Served 4 years in the Army and couldn't play at all during that time. Now, the game has some things that I really have to be in a certain mood to enjoy. Other things are a bit peevish. Like forming a TF or SF and taking more than 5 minutes to fill it. So bothersome! I'm so impatient sometimes! If it weren't for the 4 people I already have on the team, I would just log out! Fortunately, the content doesn't typically require any specific set of powers or ATs for successful completion. If, for some reason the game shut down and I couldn't play again, part of my brain would regret the countless hours and effort putting into getting ALL of the badges on multiple characters. In fact, I kind of regret that now. It was rewarding in the moment, but looking back...the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. The other part of my brain would miss the ability to get to the highest point in a zone, and simply step off and feel that sinking feeling in my gut. It's so crazy how my body thinks I'm really falling! Flight in this game is a hoot. And so are the rest of the travel powers. The various characters the rest of you create with certain looks and themes - I only rarely make such attempts, but some of your efforts I marvel at, really impressed. Some of you..I just shake my head and wonder what your reality is like to come up with names like "4 angry inches". (to be transparent, I've never seen that name in THIS game)

I appreciate your taking a look and making changes. As far as the 4 accolades go, I get them on every character I have. Already have them, actually. I took the time to create this build on brainstorm. Going to test it against +4/8 Aeon, Lady Grey and ITF. Not that I anticipate doing those all the time, but just want to see what I'm working with.

TL;DR version: Is it unrealistic to expect to reach s/l/e/n resist caps without granite? What resistance and defense stats are "the norm" for a properly slotted stone tank without using granite? With those stats, can the tank punch it's way out of a paper bag? Further, if anyone has a Stone/Battle Axe build to share, I'd love to get some ideas - but I insist on Combat Jumping. ********************* Longer version: Just dinged 50, and considered granite as a mule for the lotg. Like most characters, I really could use like 5-7 more slots to round things out to where I'd like them. I've looked at some older builds - before the changes to stone armor, but have yet to see anything that doesn't revolve around the use of granite. Now, I am okay using it, since it doesn't turn off the other toggles, and I can switch back easily enough. But it would cause me to have to rework a number of things and potentially change the way I play. So, I'd like to avoid that, if I can. So, first question: Is it unrealistic to reach s/l/e/n resist caps without granite? I am thinking it's possible, but the trade-off is going to be taking a number of slots from the attacks. I may have to consider two builds for this - one for solo, where I can rely on more damage and less survivability, and a team build where I can let the team do the damage, while I just try to keep all the aggro. The alternative is keep the build I have, which has really worked okay for me. My concern is the incarnate path, and not being able to hold up against the stronger content. And I'm certainly not comfortable tanking Recluse, as I've no idea how sturdy this character is. The toughest it's faced is a level 40 Positron in Mortimer Kal SF. And, that went fine. In the MSR, (having only done it sub-50 so far) it can herd the Rikti to the bowl, but if I try to gather a very large group, the -recharge is quite noticeable, and I'm unable to keep taunting. (and Earth's Embrace is simply not going to recharge before I need it) Also, during the MSR, I ended up having to monitor hold protection because they stacked holds on me and succeeded. Never expected that, candidly. Fair enough, given whatever mez protection I have is incidental. Attached is what I'm currently working with. I thought fold space would be a nifty tool; but it seems useless in the MSR as slotted. If I keep it, I'll have to find another slot for accuracy, or blow a couple billion on the 53 d-sync that does accuracy and recharge. It's only inf, petty cash for me. Current Build - Tanker (Stone Armor - Battle Axe).mbd

I respect the player's command of polysyllabic terminology. I can't remember if they ever invited one of my characters or not. I get random SG invites a lot. I have turned every single one of them down except one - and that one took about 6 weeks of me weighing the pros and cons, and actually teaming with the SG. Some days, I regret being a member, because the more members you have, the greater the chance of drama. Other days, I have a fun time, with a lot of laughter and bad jokes. But, like anything, I'm sure people will get out of the SG experience what they put into it.

I was not aware of it. And, in a fashion, I'm still not. If I'm going to listen to music when I play, I think it's just easier to use my own playlists from iTunes or Amazon Music. I don't really see the point of listening to someone else's idea of a good playlist. Like..what's the point? Is there some sort of in-game benefit?

I want to encourage you to remember one of the primary rules of making money on the AH: Patience! Anecdotally, there was a time, a couple of years back maybe, when the LotG 7.5% sold routinely for 6-8M, typically 7M on average. And then, wouldn't you know it, someone listed a good number of them - over 100 - at less than 6M. Almost all of my characters use these, at least 3 per character. Given the number of slots we have per shard, that's at least 3K of these I'll use at one point or another. So, I bought as many as I could at 5M - which was only about 110 over the course of a couple of days. I thought about relisting them, but that seemed a bit mercenary, and I knew I'd use them and I still have about 50 or so in my base. But, each day I'd check back, and the 7M (fairly stable price) just didn't seem to come back. It would seem production of these had picked up, and 6M was the new normal. Will 3-5m become the new normal? No idea. I doubt it. I would expect since people have been willing to pay 7M in the past, they'll be willing to pay it again - eventually. But it all depends on the supply, and of course, the demand. We've got a fair number of what I'd call "new" players, many of whom may have played before, some before IOs were even a thing. No idea how long they'll stick around, but the cheaper prices can only be a good thing for the game and the players. Still - relisting? Why? Just wait for the cheap ones to get bought and then yours can get bought at a higher price. It's just the way the market works sometimes. Sometimes, you have to wait a week. Sometimes you'll wait a month. But usually, everything sells unless you've really priced your stuff just too high, like 1.5x the price you're used to getting.

How shall I put this so as to not disturb anyone's sensitive nature...it's not my intent to offend or disregard anyone's opinions or ideas as without merit. But, that said: This idea that we need procs to win the endgame is simply not accurate. At least, it's not accurate for me, and I dare to say it's not accurate for most of us. But those are just words, right? I suppose I could channel some version of an inner philosopher and ask, "What do you mean by win?" Is getting to 50 winning? Getting to t-4 in each incarnate slot? Getting all the badges on a character? 5 characters? Each AT? ALL of your characters? Achieving a hard mode (what is it, 4 stars?) ITF and Aeon, and soon, Lady Grey TF? Is getting a trillion inf winning? Ask Yomo or some of the other folks with big stacks. Regardless of your definition of win, you don't need procs to get there. Some of the procs can help, sure. Particularly if you understand how they work best. Aside from certain D-Syncs and Hamidon enhancements, the most expensive enhancement is probably 30M if you're impatient. Heck, just politely request one in chat and you're likely to get either donations of influence or the actual item you seek for free. I have indulged in these charitable acts fairly often, simply because I have more than most and will never spend it all. Even so, while there are 120 "procs" (give or take a few) using the term in the broadest sense, none of the "Chance of X type damage" cost more than a few million - which, when you reach the end game is what most would call petty cash or chump change. But - to be specific to your particular question - "Is relying on procs good game design?" the answers you will get are fairly without relevance, as they're just opinions. This guy says yes, this guy says no. Who's right? I've no idea. I'm not an expert on game design. I use some procs on some builds and on other builds, they don't seem worth it. Maybe I haven't won the end game yet. I genuinely have no idea.

I have had ChatGPT suggest to me what AT and powersets to play with decent success. I haven't figured out how to pose the question properly for ChatGPT to develop the build in Mids yet, but maybe soon.

So, just in case you guys didn't know, Snarky had to search high and low for a unicycle to have this picture taken. Apparently the bag pipes are a regular thing. Just kidding.

So that's why...

My opinion is a brute/scrapper/stalker or blaster/sentinel/corruptor - just depends on your playstyle. Scrapper's damage is awesome. Pretty sturdy. Brute's damage is also good, particularly at early levels, because Fury seems to be a big boost. I love blasters and think they're awesome at every level. Sentinels are okay, but for a first-timer, a great experience. It was the first thing I made when HC first opened up - before I found out the damage was lower (been some adjustments since then) I never noticed the lower damage. Corruptors are amazing when build properly. Starting from nothing, not sure I'd go that route, but, you could do worse. You have 1000 slots. Make one of everything, lol. But I'd start with a brute.

It was strange. I never thought about Levantera being naked. Closing the game and verifying the manifest resolved the issue.

Tried to talk to Levantera to get the Vanguard Member badge and this is what she says:

So, this sheds a bit more light, and well, I would suggest you not worry about feeling like a tagalong. We were all new at one point, and most of us learn something new that we weren't aware of before. I think my best advice would be to avoid speed runs, but other than that, I think you would be just fine if you're teamed. That said, I love to solo and solo far more often than not. I also team. Teaming is a smoother XP ride, and a lot more efficient than going solo, unless your character is geared towards one specific npc damage type. Don't try to squeeze yourself in a box. Solo, team - do all of it. You can bounce quickly with a group, just try not to do so when you're on a Taskforce or Trial.

Quick, someone show this to the dev team. Maybe we can squeeze this in a future issue. It would be awesome!

With regards to bosses potentially dropping better items, I can't speak with any authority as to how things work now that HC has changed things, because I don't really remember if they changed how recipes, enhancements, catalysts, converters, threads and shards drop. (And any other loot) I did find this in the HC wiki, regarding only recipe drop rates: This is the link here if you wish to give things a more thorough look. As for the best or optimal way to plow through npcs for XP gain, I can only give anecdotal evidence. On my fire farmers, when they were leveling up, once I got burn 3 slotted, I found that running at +1/8 gained me more xp per minute against council mobs then at +2,3 or +4. But, recognize, it was just a spines/fire brute leveling up. Burn comes later on a brute than it does a tank. The tank levels up faster once it gets burn, too. The brute, with Fury, seems to do pretty well in the early levels, better than a scrapper. But that's just anecdotal perception. But, when I'm solo, I go afk a lot, so fury drops. In some cases for me, the scrapper is a better choice to maximize XP. In a nut shell, it varies a lot with what your specific character can handle. Perhaps you build your characters better than half of us, and you can get optimal xp per minute with +3/8, while most of us have to settle for 0/8. So much of the answer depends on your experience and knowledge of the npcs you're fighting, your experience and knowledge of your character and the build you've made for it, where what's true for me may not be true for you.

I wish I had known this before I set up my 2nd account.

My experience with Synapse is the duration has more to do with the individual player's experience with the TF. When I recruit for it, I state the intent is to go as fast as we can, but to not kill ourselves in the process. On a non-speed run, with a pug, my best effort to my recollection is about 40 minutes. There was at least two players that were the true speedy types, who got to the boss at the end of the map by the time I entered the mission. My load times aren't very long, about 10-30 seconds. Theirs must be instant or close to it. And pretty sure everyone had Team Teleport and SG base macros for zone hopping quickly. As for hard coding smaller maps...I can't say I've noticed that.

First, let me just say I applaud her name selection! I like that name! Second, anecdotally, when I had first began playing this game, by chance, a friend and I had invited an illusion/ice controller to our little team, and I was amazed at the abilities, We went from mashing countless greens (too new to realize what a purple did!) to easily dispatching the npcs. So, I'm a fan of just about everything ice. As for how much assistance to dole out, that's probably going to give you several different answers. I recall clearly on an iTrial, someone told me to not give them an ice shield because it covered their costume, and that it was incumbent upon me to see the tailor to minimize the effects of same. Needless to say, I made sure they had an ice shield for the rest of the trial. I am also embarrassed to admit that I'm one of those people that don't want help on my characters when I'm solo. Now, there's no way for anyone to know this without asking, but if I get a buff, or the npc gets debuffed, then I'm really not sure where my character stands. I won't be real sure if I need to slot more for survivability, accuracy or damage, or whatever. The buffs and debuffs obscure the feedback I get from the encounter with the npcs. Granted, I know they mean well, but it's a little annoying. Now, a recent anecdote, just a week ago, I'd made a tank and was testing my limits. A level 20 had dropped a rain of fire on top of my herd and they died within seconds. I don't know if this player thought they were helping or hunting, but it irritated me enough to go to Echo:Galaxy and repeat the effort. To be fair, I was at half health, but I hadn't yet used any inspirations or my self-heal. So, you can take that how you wish. Perhaps most players would prefer the assistance. For me, thanks, but no. The only time I want buffs/heals/debuffs, etc, is when I'm on a team, after I learn my character's strengths and weaknesses. Now, it may just be my opinion, but if someone wants to genuinely be helpful, the best thing they can do is be an available teammate. A few days ago, I was forming a team for the Lady Grey TF. We had 7, but no melee. I was concerned that I might lose some of the other players while waiting for a melee to join. I joked we could always brawl/box the weakened yellow mitos, or, if someone had fold space, maybe we could port weakened Hamidon out of the goo. I still don't know if 7 players using brawl/boxing on a weakened yellow mito would work. Thankfully, someone switched and we got it done the traditional method. So, yeah, if you or your wife see folks looking for folks in the LFG and they've been looking for more than a couple of minutes, volunteer! That's probably the best way to help, in my opinion.

Well, congrats to you. It's not everyone that can suffer through a Synapse alone and emerge victorious!

To my knowledge, I have no copyright infringements, though one character has the name of the title of a book. I have seen a couple of characters fly under the radar for a spell. No idea if they ever got flagged/caught. I've seen plays on celebrity names...Carol Burnit comes to mind. Mr. Warmth, and I swear the character looked very much like a heavier Don Rickles. But I don't think those names quite cross the line.