Neiska

See, I wouldn't object to that. Make the xp boosters unlockable after people already had a 50 on the account or make them cost inf. I don't oppose limits/restrictions, but I do oppose its outright removal. Or even restrict how much a person can get. Right now you can get like, 8 stacks for 8 hours. Why not make it so you can only get X amount X amount of time, or make it similar to the tailor tokens where you get X of them at each level or something like that. I only maintain that removing AE/Farms would do as much harm as good, and that to me doesn't sound like a solution.

I disagree here. The game has always been a "play your way" format. You can make what you want, go where you want, combat how you want, roleplay how you want. Now I do agree that newbies only getting game experience/play from fire farms is bad. But the AE is more of a critical tool than some might realize, which would be an entire topic all on its own and I feel would not be appropriate to hijack the thread with. All I will say is that this solution would indeed help "some" people/gameplay style, but harm "others." I mean if farming wasn't a tool available to me, I likely would have gotten bored and moved on, and its possible that many others would have as well. Just as much as the argument of "bonding with your character" makes people come back, so too does the argument of "I'm making alt #3092" has merit, and removing the AE tool would make this far more difficult and enjoyable.

A few random ideas from me that might not help but couldn't hurt either. But I do want to remind everyone of something - The HC staff aren't doing this for money, they aren't getting paid. Far as I know its a free project made with love. So I think we should keep expectations realistic than any great huge sweeping changes that would require lots of money and time investment. I don't know even how big their staff is, but I would be surprised if it was more than 10-20 people. 1. I don't know if HC has an active social media or not, (I don't use it myself) but things such as a facebook or official HC channel might draw in new attention where they talk about their current projects or the direction that HC is headed. Just to get people talking about them and to draw new attention to HC itself. 2. Possibly new ATs, or update the oldest ones. I know the original wiki still has "Primalist" up but not much more about it. And as far as I know, the Epic ATs (Warshade, Peacebringer, Solders of Arachnos and Widows) have never seen an update, ever since they were added in the original game. 3. The ongoing power tweaks/updates/fixes are quite lovely, such as the Electrical trees, Seismic trees and what have you. 4. The ongoing addition of new Enchancements, but I wish they would add things that would open build variety, to make some powers not so obligatory in nearly every build, like Haste, Tough/Weave, Combat Jumping, etc. It seems no matter what AT/build someone makes, nearly all of them take these powers. Which makes "optional" powers, not so optional after all. 5. I know this is a long shot but here goes - what if CoH was linked to our RL phones somehow, like being able to check to see whose online, manage auctions, send ingame emails and so on? Some other games have this feature. And I do admit, it might be opening a can of worms with account security and the like. But I am wondering if this is even possible? As the community we could come together to help matters as well. Because no matter what actions the staff takes, without us the game will flounder. Its like trying to run a Supergroup by yourself. If you don't have members who are also positive, energetic, and help out then it grows stale and can die out. So here are some spitballed ideas how "we" can help. 1. First off, talk about it to gamer friends from other games. I don't mean to try and "poach" from other games, but just mention it in passing. I keep finding more and more online friends who didn't even know CoH made a return. 2. Keep doing community events - hats off to those people who run/host public task forces, contests, games, so on. For nothing in return save for the entertainment of others. 2a. I am no PVPer myself, and I bear those that do no ill. And, lets be honest, out of all the different kinds of players here, the PVP community has the fewest tools available. But I honestly wonder why there isn't any sort of form of official PVP league yet, with like, rankings, different "weights" (pvp experience.) Like, how hard would it be to set up a "PvP Season" for each Server, pick some offical judges/refs from the pvp community, keep track of wins/losses, have different brackets, etc. It would be like CoH's Fantasy Football, just with PVP. I mean, I am sure people would volunteer to help farm money for prizes of that was needed too. Any pvper's care to comment here? Out of my realm of experience on this particular point, but it might be a good idea? 3. I do wish the AE was more intricrate where we could make our own contact NPCs, story arcs, and so on. We can make our own bases, and make our own missions, it would be wonderful if we could find a way to link them somehow. 4. More and more I see people simply "reacting" to things, more than helping "create" them. If you help "create" things, such as team missions, farms, events, roleplay, so on, it could increase activity as well as interest. I hasten to add that I am not pointing the fingers at anyone here, it's only something I noticed. The community as a whole seems to be getting more and more passive/reactionary, than active/creative. Just my two cents and a few random ideas off the top of my head. Hope they might helps.

Thanks @JJDrakken, I'll have a look! Side question - Which AT does spines perform best on? Tanker vs Brute vs Scrapper Vs Stalker?

I have been summoned and find myself disappointed at the lack of cookies or chocolate!

I have had a Katana Tanker and Scrapper, to me its one of the better weapon primaries. It's fairly fast, second only to claws, and I "think" its roughly equal to dual blades. It also hits decently hard, has some nice slotting options. It doesn't have the best AoE or ST damage, but I would say its 7/10 on both. The only big downside is its all S/L, but even that's not really a deal breaker. If I had to say it's niche was anything, I would say it's a well balanced set. You could use it as a sort of measuring stick to compare the rest of the weapon sets against. TLDR - Measuring damage and speed, it feels very similar to Dual Blades, without the combo system. Other peoples opinions might differ of course!

I tried rolling a Merc MM once. The enemy critters kept laughing at them, and I swear I saw one of their weapons fire and a cartoonish sign that said "Bang!" came out the end. The other one just had a pointed finger and was yelling "Pew pew pew!"

Thank you for the imput! I wasn't aware thorny assualt had toxic parts, so will look at that as well as possible pairings. Water blast is a possibility, but I would like something that actually deals toxic damage. The chemical ammo did occur to me, but I would prefer to avoid the technological implication, And yes, I am sort of leaning spines/bio pairing right now, I am just uncertain which AT that pairing would perform best on. But if nothing else jumps at me, that's my fallback!

Hello forums, I would like to ask for suggestions for a toxin/poison (Lovecraftain) based character. Instead of picking AT and powers first and a theme to fit, this time around I am doing the reverse - planning a build to fit the theme. I have looked at the powers that offer some sort of Toxin effect, but I haven't picked an AT yet. Hopefully, I would like the build to be as effective as possible. Melee - Spines - AoE focused, but its pretty focused on physical and toxic damage. Radioactive Melee- I'm not sure if this one should really count, it has a poison like mechanic, but this seems more energy than toxic based. Ranged - Radioactive blast - In a similar boat as Radioactive Melee, as I am not sure if this should count as "poison" per say. Armor Sets - Bio Armor - a pretty heavy toxic theme, and would fit nicely. Support - Poison - This one should be obvious, but I have no experience with the set. But I believe its very heavy toward single target debuffing. AT - Widows - I know Widows have some toxic/poison, and their mind effects might fit the theme as well. But I already have a widow, and would prefer to customize a character for a better match. Pool - Experimentation - I "believe" the Pool power makes a toxic puddle, but I am not 100% on that. I have yet to see a build actually recommend taking this set though. While not necessary, it might be fun or interesting to try something new. But I am open to suggestions for power combinations and which AT. I just don't know which set a powerset works better on, such as Spines on a Tanker vs Brute vs Stalker vs Scrapper, and so on. Also by all means if I missed something feel free to point it out. As I type this I don't have access to powers at this exact moment, so am going largely from memory. I am not expecting epic levels of OP-ness, but I would love it if it was functional on the highest difficulty. So any suggestions for a build with a toxic/poison feel to it? Thanks in advance forums

I was just leveling an alt over the weekend. Usually I don't watch their recipes/salvage stocks until they are full and time to sell. Opened my alts and saw four purple recipes. First time that's happened. But I will see 2 or 3 sometimes. I always get at least 1 or 2 during the level up process.

Thanks Bill! I assume the Inf is the same as the XP multiplier, so with 3 accounts I'm making 1.5 as much as I would playing a single character. It may be split across 3 accounts but that's still a net 50% gain since I'm the same person. It does explain a few head-scratches I had, so thank you. 😁

I make more when I multibox. I think the drops are split but not the inf gained, so i get much more in raw currancy.

Some of us like helping too! Can't count how many MM's I've helped, and not just levels/money stuff. A lot of it is just explaining things, it is a complex class. (or can be.)

Fair! But nothing says you "have" to stay ranged with robots either. What I do and what works very well for me, is I watch for where my assault robot puts its fire patches down, (or tell him to target X enemy), and once his fire patches are there I move to it and stand in it, forcing enemies to come to it in order to fight me. Considering that single attack is around 70% of my total DPS, its in my best interest to make sure it hits as many enemies as much as possible. While standing in my assault bots fire, I then drop a bonfire for additional damage, but more for the CC as it forces them to get knocked down and remain in it for several long moments. Then on top of that, I use fold space to pull things to me. But if I want to go ranged I can do that as well. Group fly or abilities like web grenade help with this. Anyway, the important part with EA is that you remain close to your pets, the distance to the enemies is largely irrelevant. There are other methods and tactics to be sure, but this is just what's worked fantastically for me!

Far from a computer expert here, but, here is a video of a person playing Doom on a Ti-84 calculator and many many potatoes? (as in literal potatoes)

Thank you, not used to playing ranged dps/support, but you gave me a lot to change, also got some help from someone in discord too. But ya, turns out i was slotting the wrong way, you two pointed out a lot of the same things. So, back to the drawing board, do want to keep the same primary/secondary, but got lots of other things to move around. But thank you for your imput! Going to make some fixes! (okay, a lot of fixes)

Demon/EA is quite possibly not just the most durable MM but can rival Tankers for durability. My personal favorite (and main character) is Robot/EA. They complement each other quite well.

Hello forums, Well, I am going to be making a Seismic/Nature Corruptor, to often play with a friend (shield tanker), but may solo some too. I have zero experience with Earth and only minimal experience with /Nature. Not sure what powers to skip or how to build on any synergy that might be there. But here is my initial take on it, not sure how i feel about it, looks kind of questionable to my inexpert eye. Any imput/advice/corrections would be welcome. Thanks bunches in advance! This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Technology Corruptor Primary Power Set: Seismic Blast Secondary Power Set: Nature Affinity Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Shatter -- Dvs-Acc/Dmg(A) Level 1: Corrosive Enzymes -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 2: Rock Shards -- Bmbdmt-Dam(A), Bmbdmt-Acc/Rech/End(3), Bmbdmt-Dam/Rech(3), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech(5), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech/End(9) Level 4: Regrowth -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(47), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(48), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(48) Level 6: Entomb -- SprScrBls-Acc/Dmg(A), SprScrBls-Dmg/Rchg(9), SprScrBls-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), SprScrBls-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), SprScrBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(49) Level 8: Wild Growth -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-EndRdx/Rchg(25), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(46), UnbGrd-Max HP%(46), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(46), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(48) Level 10: Spore Cloud -- DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb(A), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb/Rchg(11), DarWtcDsp-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(11), DarWtcDsp-Rchg/EndRdx(15) Level 12: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg(13), LucoftheG-Def(13), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(15) Level 14: Kick -- Empty(A) Level 16: Lifegiving Spores -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(17), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(17), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(42), Pnc-Heal(42) Level 18: Tombstone -- SprMlcoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprMlcoft-Dmg/Rchg(19), SprMlcoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), SprMlcoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), SprMlcoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), SprMlcoft-Rchg/Dmg%(42) Level 20: Wild Bastion -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(21), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(21), Prv-Heal/Rchg(36), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(37) Level 22: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(23), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(23), GldArm-3defTpProc(25) Level 24: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(27), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(27), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg(31), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(31) Level 26: Stalagmite -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Dmg/Rchg(31), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Apc-Acc/Rchg(36), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(36) Level 28: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(29), Rct-ResDam%(29) Level 30: Rebirth -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 32: Meteor -- SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(A), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx(33), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(34), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(34) Level 35: Entangling Aura -- Lck-%Hold(A), Lck-Acc/Hold(43), Lck-Rchg/Hold(43), Lck-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(45) Level 38: Overgrowth -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(39), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(39), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(39), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(40), RechRdx-I(40) Level 41: Soul Drain -- Obl-Acc/Rchg(A), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(45) Level 44: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 47: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(47) Level 49: Seismic Force -- GssSynFr--Build%(A) Level 1: Seismic Shockwaves Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Scourge Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 1: Health -- Prv-Absorb%(A), Pnc-Heal/+End(7), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(7) Level 1: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(5) Level 49: Quick Form Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon ------------

I use enflame on another build, I just make it a part of my rotation to press once every 60 seconds, i treat it as a buff more than a toggle. But that's far from a make or break in any build. Its nice if you like it, doesn't hurt if you don't. Depends on style and personal preference really. About your build - only major thing I see is you are overcapped on defense. You could drop Scorp shield entirely if you wanted to. But it should be fine. Your resists are a bit low for my taste but that's personal choice. Your END is a little tight too, so you will be popping blues or have to use ageless now and then. Aside from those I see no glaring issues or problems.

Hello @ArchmageMC, I have a thugs/time you can look at as a starting point. She's pretty solid, the only major change you might want is I had issues with pets running off all the time, so I took the teleport pool for fold space. You could swap this out with something else if you wanted to though. I did take Mace Epic both for Web Grenade (another tool to help with CC) but more importantly Power Boost for the massive buff to Farsight. Other things it has is Burnout for Gangwar x2, a damage proc Distortion Field, and pretty strong slow effects overall. On a side note, not sure where you heard Sorcery/Enflame is bad. Enflame used to be a lot worse, and there are many clever ways to use it. Though I will admit, its likely better on Demons or Robots than Thugs. I wouldn't think Thugs really need the boost and could get more milage out of other tools such as the ones I mentioned. But this is a solid build, works fine for me on +4/8 solo. Hope this helps! This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Natural Mastermind Primary Power Set: Thugs Secondary Power Set: Time Manipulation Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Teleportation Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Call Thugs -- SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprCmmoft-Dmg/EndRdx(45), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), SprCmmoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), SprCmmoft-Rchg/PetAoEDef(46) Level 1: Time Crawl -- Range-I(A) Level 2: Temporal Mending -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(3), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(3), Prv-Heal/Rchg(43), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(43), Prv-Absorb%(43) Level 4: Time's Juncture -- ImpSwf-Dam%(A), ImpSwf-Acc/Slow(5), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb(5), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(7), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb/Rchg(7), DarWtcDsp-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(42) Level 6: Equip Thugs -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 8: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(9), LucoftheG-Def(9), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(11) Level 10: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(11) Level 12: Call Enforcer -- ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(A), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(13), ExpRnf-Dmg/EndRdx(13), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(15), ExpRnf-+Res(Pets)(40) Level 14: Super Speed -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 16: Distortion Field -- ImpSwf-Acc/Slow(A), ImpSwf-Dam%(17), ImpSwf-Acc/EndRdx(17), NrnSht-Dam%(37), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(42), GldNet-Dam%(42) Level 18: Gang War -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(19), EdcoftheM-PetDef(19), SvrRgh-PetResDam(21), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(23), CaltoArm-+Def(Pets)(23) Level 20: Burnout -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(21) Level 22: Kick -- Empty(A) Level 24: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(25), UnbGrd-ResDam(25), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(36), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(37), UnbGrd-Max HP%(37) Level 26: Call Bruiser -- SprMarofS-Dmg(A), SprMarofS-Dmg/EndRdx(27), SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg(27), SprMarofS-Acc/EndRdx(34), SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), SprMarofS-EndRdx/+Resist/+Regen(36) Level 28: Farsight -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(29), Rct-EndRdx/Rchg(29), Rct-Def/Rchg(33), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Rct-ResDam%(34) Level 30: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def(31), Rct-Def/EndRdx(31), Rct-Def/Rchg(31), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(33) Level 32: Upgrade Equipment -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 35: Web Envelope -- GrvAnc-Immob(A), GrvAnc-Acc/Immob/Rchg(45), GrvAnc-Acc/Rchg(48), GrvAnc-Immob/EndRdx(48), GrvAnc-Immob/Rchg(48) Level 38: Chrono Shift -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(39), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(39), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(39), Pnc-Heal(40), Pnc-Heal/+End(40) Level 41: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50) Level 44: Teleport -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 47: Combat Teleport -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 49: Fold Space -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50) Level 1: Supremacy Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 2: Health -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(50) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(33) Level 1: Punk Level 1: Arsonist Level 26: Bruiser Level 12: Enforcer Level 14: Speed Phase ------------

@arcane Thanks for thinking of me hon. Here's my Demons/EA build. It has several perks like Bonfire for CC/Procs, Enflame for increased AoE damage, Burnout for Hell on Earth goodness. This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Mastermind Primary Power Set: Demon Summoning Secondary Power Set: Electrical Affinity Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Sorcery Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Heat Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Summon Demonlings -- SprMarofS-EndRdx/+Resist/+Regen(A), SprMarofS-Dmg(3), SprMarofS-Dmg/EndRdx(3), SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg(5), SprMarofS-Acc/EndRdx(5), SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7) Level 1: Shock -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 2: Rejuvenating Circuit -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(7), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(23), Prv-Heal/Rchg(25), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(25), Prv-Absorb%(31) Level 4: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 6: Enchant Demon -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 8: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(9), ShlWal-Def/Rchg(9), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(11), ShlWal-Def(11), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(23) Level 10: Energizing Circuit -- PreOptmz-EndMod/End(A), PreOptmz-EndMod/Rech(33), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/End(34), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/Rech(34), PreOptmz-EndMod/End/Rech(34) Level 12: Summon Demons -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(13), ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(13), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(15), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), ExpRnf-+Res(Pets)(17) Level 14: Kick -- Empty(A) Level 16: Faraday Cage -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(17), UnbGrd-EndRdx/Rchg(19), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(19), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(21), UnbGrd-Max HP%(21) Level 18: Hell on Earth -- OvrFrc-Dam/KB(A), RechRdx-I(33), SvrRgh-PetResDam(48), EdcoftheM-PetDef(48), CaltoArm-+Def(Pets)(50), SprCmmoft-Rchg/PetAoEDef(50) Level 20: Mystic Flight -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A) Level 22: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(40), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(40), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(43), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(45), GldArm-3defTpProc(45) Level 24: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-ResDam%(37), Rct-Def(45), Rct-Def/EndRdx(46), Rct-Def/Rchg(46), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(46) Level 26: Summon Demon Prince -- SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), SprCmmoft-Dmg/EndRdx(29), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(29), SlbAll-Build%(31) Level 28: Spirit Ward -- Prv-Heal/EndRdx(A) Level 30: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50) Level 32: Abyssal Empowerment -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 35: Insulating Circuit -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(36), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(36), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(36), Pnc-Heal(37), Pnc-Heal/+End(37) Level 38: Bonfire -- Ann-ResDeb%(A), Ann-Acc/Dmg(39), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(39), ExpStr-Dam%(40), Ann-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), PstBls-Dam%(48) Level 41: Enflame -- RechRdx-I(A), PstBls-Dam%(42), JvlVll-Dam%(42), RechRdx-I(43), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(43) Level 44: Super Speed -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A) Level 47: Tactics -- GssSynFr--Build%(A) Level 49: Burnout -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 1: Supremacy Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 2: Health -- NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(33), RgnTss-Regen+(39) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(31) Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon Level 1: Cold Demonling Level 26: Demon Prince Level 12: Ember Demon Level 1: Fiery Demonling Level 1: Hellfire Demonling Level 12: Hellfire Gargoyle Level 44: Speed Phase ------------ To OP @Gottagobro - In general a Demon/EA MM is among one of the most durable builds, not just out of Masterminds but out of ATs in general. You get a strong heal, plus an absorb shield, plus bodyguard mode, plus status immunity, and effectively infinite END. When it comes to endgame incarnate powers, people usually have to pick one of the three - Ageless (for END problems), Clarion (status immunity), or Barrier (sustain). But this is one of the few builds that can get all three. So with that in mind, imagine these values as your minimum when barrier is "off." Now picture how durable your pets are with a full barrier, +absorb, in your Faraday's Cage. You can nearly go afk with this setup, bypassing some tanker builds in terms of total effective durability. But there is a downside - the damage is normally only so-so. But Demons is one of the top damage picks for MMs, and likely the best single target primary. Their normally AoE is a bit weak, which is why I included Enflame and Burnout to help with that.

Hehe I was at work too so Yay for forum posting at work! I largely agree with your replies. My only reply is regarding your point #3 - I really don't see much "trash talking" about any class or even powers really, except the meme nerf regen and buff mercs. My only complaint about Kheldians specifically is that I team with so few of them to see what they are capable of. I don't think I have ever teamed or even seen a fully bankrolled, full t4 incarnated Kheldian of any sort, since homecoming began. It could be they are mechanically bad, or if they just have a stigma too. Whatever it is, I see more Sentinels, Defenders, Widows, etc etc than I see SoA's or Kheldians. I hasten to add that I don't consider either of these bad. SoA's are actually one of my favorite AT's, I just tend to solo more than team, and SoA's seem to be more team focused. But I made one that can solo +4/8 just fine, and can even quasi-farm. Basically I just focused on sustain instead of recharge, and treated the pets more as dps cooldowns than actual pets like I would a Mastermind or other Recharge Pet class. Once I stopped trying to make pets work for high solo difficulty, that gave me lots of room to focus on other things - defense, resists, endurance, etc etc etc. I do have a "crabbermind" build saved, since you can have 3 builds per character I just swap between them as needed - one for solo play (petless), and one for team play (with pets, where solo sustain isn't so important) One thing that did occur to me is I do wonder if a lot of the opinions in the game are cases of "moment envy." As in, Player A sees an AT in its element at its defining moment - (A blaster nuking an entire spawn, or a tank seeming immortal, or a scrapper doing astounding damage, a brute just being a wrecking ball, etc) and goes "wow that is so cool!" and decides to roll one, only to discover that the same AT falters elsewhere - that Immortal tank taking forever to down an elite boss, that blaster splattering, that scrapper having difficulty with mezz, so on. That's what I try to think about when I think about ATs, an AT at its best in its moment, doing what its best at. This is where Kheldians are sort of in a grey area, they are more or less "stance dancers", able to full fill different roles. (I know we don't have roles here, but you know what I mean) - they are fluid, adjustable, able to act differently in different situations which can make them hard to really measure fairly, because their "niche" is that fluid adjustability, even mid-combat. Personally one thing I value greatly in a build is consistency. I like having a character that will perform more or less the same when under different circumstances and enemies. I am also aware that high DPS is usually "burst" and is anything but consistent. The stars align and you can rip apart worlds, but if they don't you can stumble over sandcastles - I personally dislike that sort of play, but I can understand how others like it. I would just rather have smooth repeatable performance than that random off chance of godhood. (which is likely why I main Tankers, Masterminds, and SoA's, they all feel very consistent to me no matter the difficulty or activity.) I still think out of all the ATs, Kheldians and the other Epics need the most updating. Far as I'm aware they are more or less the same as when they were first released with no significant changes. If I had one thing I could change, I would give Crabberminds a Taunting tool, even if it was a weak aura or even a quick recasting provoke with higher target caps. That alone would make Crabberminds much more viable to solo at higher difficulties endgame. Far as Kheldians go? Well, mabye give them the option to "specalize" in a form to enhance their favored stance somehow, sort of like the Bio Armor or Staff Fighting mechanics. Just something for them to focus and build on if they wanted to, maybe to catch them up to other ATs that can perform that "role". But that's just me musing. Think I killed enough time though, almost time to go home. Happy Friday!

My two cents for what its worth, and to play armchair philosopher with builds a moment - First off, what is/is not OP or weak I would say depends on the content as well as difficulty. You could say "X is OP during +4/8 raid content" but can struggle in other areas. One should also keep in mind that a build might be fantastic when solo, but lackluster on teams, or vice versa. I think we would all agree that some of the strongest team support builds can be abysmal to solo. So I think it's important to clarify first what kind of content as well as difficulty, to start. Personally I try to see +2/8 as "normal" and anything beyond that as a sort of hard mode or extra content, because - General thoughts - 1. Not all ATs/Builds/Powersets can even perform at +4/8 level (at least solo), regardless of the inf and time invested or what their incarnate levels might be. 2. As much as people like to focus on things like pylon times or soloing AV/GMs, this is also sort of a trap in linear thinking as if nothing else matters aside from times/damage. If that is all we want to compare, then we might as well toss half the ATs in the garbage bin before we even begin. 3. I have noticed things like "Total Effectiveness" are largely unaddressed or ignored when comparing builds. Lets take Soldier of Arachnos as an example. They usually have iffy single target damage, but pretty respectable AoE damage. But no one brings up how their mere presence gives some of the strongest team toggle buffs, or how one /Kinetics' presence can also boost everyone's damage significantly, despite both being usually regarded as far from OP. Another example would be Masterminds, where I often see or hear people call them underwhelming, where I consider them to be one of the most powerful AT's in the game. True, they certainly won't win any damage contests, but they have several features that no other AT has such as flexibility in builds and playstyle, or the fact as much as people like to say tankers can target 16 enemies at a time, a single MM can engage more than twice as many targets all on their own. (48 targets per MM.) Personally my favorite thing about Masterminds is you can do so much with them in a single class. 4. Personal preference plays a very significant part on what is or is not OP. What one person considers soloing a GM/AV to be the height of accomplishment, another player might value clear times, or effective build cost, playstyle, and so on. Not everyone is going to have the same priorities. 5. I would also like to highlight that some builds can be utterly devastating one minute, but the very next feel like they contribute nothing. Let's take /Plant as an example - on a normal team, Seeds might very well be OP and make the missions utterly easy. But you take that same /Plant and put it on a very speedy all out damage team and the targets might die too fast for /Plant's uber-ness to even come into play. This is just one scenario off the top of my head, but I am sure there can be others. 6. Let us not forget that some powersets change wildly depending on the AT in question. Let's take Savage Melee for example - Phenomenal on Brutes, but regarded as subpar on Scrappers. Or Super Strength - Good on Tankers, iffy on Brutes. There is however a few general powers/ATs that I feel could use some number tweaks - 1. Mastermind - Mercenaries - famously weak, even among other MM pets. 2. I do think all the Epic AT's could be updated - Widows, SoA's, Peacebringer and Warshade. Just some number tweaks and perhaps power adjustments would be all that's needed. 3. I also think some ATs in general seem to lack oomph or a niche. Sentinels come to mind, Defenders as well to a point. I hasten to add I don't think these are bad per say, only they don't really have much to call their own or set them apart from other ATs. Just about anything they can do, others can also do but better in most circumstances. I also shudder at the idea of trying to solo one of these on max difficulty. Just some thoughts from me.

@Snarky Hey Snarky! Always good to see you on the forums. To your question - I have two very durable non tank/brutes that I can recommend. The first - My crabber. She is built differently. First off, she's a flyer, with defense capped and very good resists on everything but Psionic. She has a bit of CC with a very fast recasting web grenade, but I ditched the pets. The pets are too difficult to keep alive on max difficulty (when alone), so this is my solo +4/8 crabber. She has lots of debuffs and AoE, but her ST damage is so-so, but thats an AT issue more than a build issue. But here's a snapshot of her stats - She really does feel like a flying fortress playstyle wise. If you like ranged damage with buffs/debuffs but don't like being squishy, then you might enjoy this. The other build I can highly recommend is a Demon/Electric MM. How tough can that be? AFK levels of toughy. All your pets will be resistance stacked, and no slouch in defense either, plus bodyguard mode. But you also have status immunity from the Cage, plus absorb and heals and endless END. Plus since you have both endless END and status immunity, you are free to take barrier or whatever else you like as an incarnate power. My Demon/Electric has survived stuff that she honestly shouldn't have. Some people dislike pet builds, but if you want something stupidly tough and durable, I can't recommend Demon/EA enough. So you can "tank" if you want to, but you can also play healer/buffer too on teams. Everyone is always happy to have infinate END and immuneity to status shinagins. Let me know if any of these interest you and I can post their builds. Stay snarky!

I've run Beast/Kin with some success. It is pretty up close and personal though and doesn't have much in the way of panic buttons. But it is nice synergy with Beasts. I have a Robot/Kin as well, but thats part of my box team. But MM pets with the big damage buff is very noticeable. Problem with kin as an MM is it doesn't have a ton of ways to help the pets, at least for a "close/melee" set.