Neiska

Bit late to the conversation, but have some things I would like to add. What is "OP" and what isn't is largely subjective. OP in what circumstance? Solo or teaming? Paper missions, story missions, ITFs, Raids, Farms? How much money is invested in the build? How far are you pushing incarnates? And so on. For example, a fresh level 50 might play differently once it's gotten its full purple sets, and even more so once you have your full T4 incarnate powers. Some builds are very late bloomers and only come onto their own when they reach those levels. So, to me it depends on what you want your style, feel, or focus to be, if that makes sense. As another example, some people rated Masterminds as weak or underwhelming, when to me they are one of the most OP classes in the game - 1. They can be absurdly durable, as tanky as tankers can be. (Before my tanker brethren jump on me, I hasten to say they get zero aggro management tools, but they can be as "tough" as tankers.) So you won't see Masterminds as Main Tank on raids and so on. I have had Masterminds far more durable than some of my toughest tankers, due to infnate healing, absorbs, resistances, defense, bodyguard mode and so on. 2. Another feature about masterminds, is they can be built in so many ways. A tanker is always going to tank. A blaster is always going to blast. But Masterminds, can be built in all sorts of ways. You can make a tankermind, or a dedicated support, or a CC focused, or a debuffer. Which secondary you pick as a mastermind can greatly affect how you play, I would argue moreso than other ATs. 3. Lastly, something not many people realize, is their increased aggro capicity. Tankers are limited to 16 targets. Everyone else is limited to 12. But a Mastermind can aggro 12 themselves, and up to 6 per pet. 6 pets? Thats 36 mobs, for a grand total of 48 mobs at a time per mastermind. Thats more than double than even what tankers are capable of. And while their damage isn't the same as a brutes, they can fight so many more at a time, thats a moot point. Let's say a brute is fighting 12 mobs, doing 100 dps per mob, thats 1200 "net" damage. But the Mastermind, fighting 48 mobs at a time, doing even 30 dps per mob, thats 1440 "net" damage. So even though the Mastermind is doing less DPS per mob, vs the map as a whole, it wins. So long as you are fighting more targets at a time. This makes Masterminds very, VERY, good Farmers. I 3 box masterminds, and I am just as fast if not faster than fire brutes are. And I can take that same Mastermind, without changing builds, IOs or anything, and perform an entirely different role on a team or raid. But that's just an example about Masterminds, which I think many people tend to under estimate. True, if you are going single group to single group, they can seem lackluster. But aggroing half the map at once and killing everything in 3 minutes, I would call that pretty dang OP. Anyway, the point is, I tend to compare "quirks" or styles of ATs, rather than "power". 1. Tankers - can reach literal levels of immortality, but it can take a while to reach these levels. Their damage isn't terrible either! Tankers can also solo almost everything in the game, including ITFs. It might take "forever" to for them to do so, but they "can". The tankers downside is they can take some game knowledge to push to their full potential, can be on the expensive side, and can seem a bit boring to some. 2. Brutes - brutes are a fantastic first class. They can be tough, and do great damage, and can be fairly simple to maximize. They aren't quite as durable as a tanker can be, but are close! And do a bit more damage. The downside to brutes is that due to their fury mechanic, flat out damage boosts can be less effective on them. This isn't to say you shouldn't take such powers, like buildup and so on, only that you get more bang for your buck from said powers on other ATs. 3. Scrappers - They do more damage than brutes do, while being less tanky. But enough times, they prove "tanky enough" in most situations. Some powersets retain their aggro/taunting aura, and are just as good as keeping aggro as a tanker or brute can in "some" content. Not ALL, but some. The majority of team content they are sufficient for the task, keeping aggro just fine, while doing more damage than a tanker would at the same time. But I wouldn't expect to be the tank on any top end content! 4. Stalkers - Stalkers I consider the royalty of melee damage. They can decide what dies first, and can skip missions entirely if they desire. They can be on the squishy side though, but some can be surprisingly durable depending on your secondary pick. Plus they have some fun builds such as the double charge Electric melee/shield stalker. I would call stalkers "the thinking mans melee." The downside for me about stalkers is they can flounder when under duress or pressure, lacking the tools that tankers and brutes have to push back effectively. They can also have weaker AoE damage as well. Not every stalker is bad AoE, but most of their powers are better suited for Single Target focus. 5. Sentinels - Never played a sentinel, so I can't really comment. 6. Defender - Never played a defender either, so again, can't fairly comment. 7. Blaster - Blasters are the "OVER 9000" damage class. If you like going all out, focusing on damage to all else, and leaving smoking craters in your wake, look at blasters. The downside about blasters is they can be quite glass cannon. Again, exceptions exist, but often enough Blasters rely on incarnate or epic powers to take hits if their "you die first" philosophy fails. 8. Corrupter. They are a nearly the damage of blasters, (indeed, some argue they are better than blasters in some circumstances), while having a more healing/support secondary. I would call corruptor more solo friendly. I consider them the "brute" to the blaster's "scrapper" sort of comparison. 9. Widows - I would describe widows as "aggressive support." They have fantastic buffs and CC, but can be in the thick of things too. Some widows can do comparable damage to scrappers. You can focus on melee, or focus on psi powers, but I think a hybrid widow with the spin2win and all the good psi powers the overall best. The downside to widows is their survivable mechanic is a bit funky, getting stronger the more you are hurt. But that compared with their low hp pool makes them sort of glass cannons. Not as bad as stalkers might be, but a strong alpha hit still might 1 shot you. 10. Soldiers - Solders I would consider the fun man's support class. They can give fantastic buffs with their mere presence, and can even go crabbermind for a quasi pet build if you like. The downside for soldiers is they really don't excel in any particular role or aspect. They are good in several areas, but not fantastic at anything. But this also means they dont have any glaring weaknesses to speak of either. One key feature is with a soldier, it's possible to have a full AoE attack rotation, which isn't something many others can boast. So while you won't absolutely nuke groups of enemies like the Blaster can, you can certainly chew threw them just fine. 11. Warshades/Peacebringers - They are "Stance" classes. They can do anything - Tank, Dps, Support, etc. They just can't do it "all at once.", having to stance-dance into what they need as the situation needs it. Warshades are more solo focused, using enemies to strengthen their buffs, while Peacebringers are more team focused. The downside to Warshades/Peacebringers is while they "can" do anything, they won't do it "as well" as a dedicated AT for that spot. But their fluid and options often prove enough. If you are on a team, and the tank goes down, having a peacebringer who was ranged dps able to immediately swap roles and take over can and will save the group. 12. Masterminds - see above! 13. Dominators/Controllers - I have only played one or two of these, so any claim of mine being an expert is suspect. But I do agree that on super-fast moving teams, your focused CC abilities can feel wasted. But some of their builds are fantastic soloers too. A few of them can even farm. Anyway, thats my thoughts on the overall ATs. Any AT can be OP in the right circumstances, but some are certainly more OP than others. But I think it's more important to ask the asker on what they mean by OP. In which activity/difficulty/inf spent/incarnate/levels do they want to use as a reference or measuring stick? Because, things can differ quite wildly depending on what exact content you are talking about, even within the same builds/incarnates/resources spent. And all this isn't even considering peoples personal preferences either. What I consider OP, someone else might not. Just my thoughts on the discussion!

Here is my pet! Her name is Luna, and she is a Blue Eyed Lecustic Ball Python. Pure white snake with ice blue eyes.

i wasn't aware stone was getting updated, that sounds awesome. Always thought Stone Melee/Armor were kinda blargh.

Thanks @The_Warpact, i knew about the section but I never knew it had its own sub-forums. Now to see if I can move my post there. XD

Hello Forums, First off I apologize in advance if this is the wrong section. I wasn't sure where else to put it for a general powerset question. Anyway! I want to make a Spines character, but I am undecided on which AT or secondary to pair with it. The only thing I know for sure is I don't want a spines/fire brute/farmer. I am unsure what else might shine with it, I might go Bio armor or Ice Armor, but I wanted to ask if there was any other AT or secondary that pairs particularly well with Spines? I am open to Tankers, Scrappers, Stalkers, even Brutes if it's a different secondary. I just don't want a /fire armor farmer. If people were wondering, I am hoping to have her be a "general use" character. I dislike making X characters good for Y activities but bad at Z, if that makes sense. TLDR - besides spines/fire brutes, are there any other builds that makes Spines shine in particular? Thanks bunches in advance

Live was before my time, unfortunately. I am also not bald! And I use the Ladies room, and I am actually quite fond of going sockfeets. So, wrong on all counts @Shred Monkey! 😆

Awesome, I was unaware. Neato.

Fair, but I thought it a bit sus with your disclaimer being a different font, smaller, a different color, and on the far right corner of your post, which sort of leads me to think your original post wasn't entirely sarcasm. Do we agree that it could be read either way? I mean, I kind of read your post as a "people don't want to earn things" kind of post, with that as a sort of disclaimer? As far as "telling how to play", your post did come off as a bit of a shot at people who farm, or at least the risk vs reward. And perhaps if you expand or clarify. What "efforts" are supporting "the meta"? What is "the meta"? Respectfully asking for clarification. But please don't take this as a "how dare you!" and so on. Mostly, its me scratching my head going "what?"

I wonder the motivation behind this post. I mean, what is the goal, exactly? Not to throw shade, but this game is very much designed as "play your way." Personally? I 3 box MM's, and run farms, or missions, hunt GMs for fun, or whatever I feel motivated to do. If some people, new, veteran, or returning, want to go get exp boost and power farm their way to 50? If that's what they want to do then more power to them. If others want to do the classic feel of story/contact missions only, I say that's fine too. Maybe even do the "ironman" challenge, buying nothing whatsoever, and using only what they make or find themselves could be a rewarding challenge. Or anything in-between. But back to my original question, what's the point of this post? People doing any activity they choose, long as they are having fun then who cares? I would be willing to bet most of the people you might be trying to reach don't even read the forums. So what if there's a meta? There's always a meta. I would say it might be better to focus on your own enjoyment and activates, than try to change the playstyle of others. Or perhaps, lead by example and inspiration, not by folding your arms in a huff. I say life is too short, live and let live. It's a video game. If things like this keeps someone up at night, it might be time to pause and reflect. My two cents for what it's worth.

Thank you very much @DocMidknight, i will have a look. I have played MMs a lot as well, but I have never tried beasts, and only played dark to like, level 12? Usually go robots/demons/thugs with ea/time/thermal etc. So figured i would try a pairing i never tried before, with a theme. Thanks bunches again, will have a look at your version PS - several people in discord said petrify (and black hole) was skippable from dark? is that not the case?

Hello forums, I have never really played Beasts nor Dark, so some feedback would be appreciated. I am used to higher defense/resistance values, so I am unsure if this build is bad or if thats just something to expect in a debuff set. Notes - 1. I wanted to use a few other tools/powers I never tried before, such as Enflame, Spirit Ward, etc. 2. I am overall pleased how this pet slotting looks, but I am uncertain about the Dark slotting. Thanks bunches in advance This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.4.7 https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! N/A: Level 50 Magic Mastermind Primary Power Set: Beast Mastery Secondary Power Set: Dark Miasma Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Sorcery Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Heat Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Summon Wolves -- SlbAll-Build%(A), CaltoArm-+Def(Pets)(3), CaltoArm-Acc/Dmg(3), TchofLadG-%Dam(5), SvrRgh-PetResDam(5), ShlBrk-%Dam(7) Level 1: Twilight Grasp -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(7), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(9), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(9), Pnc-Heal(11), Pnc-Heal/+End(23) Level 2: Tar Patch -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 4: Darkest Night -- SphIns-Acc/ToHitDeb(A) Level 6: Train Beasts -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 8: Kick -- Empty(A) Level 10: Howling Twilight -- RechRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(11), RechRdx-I(25) Level 12: Summon Lions -- EdcoftheM-PetDef(A), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg(13), SprCmmoft-Dmg/EndRdx(13), SprCmmoft-Rchg/PetAoEDef(19), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(25), SprCmmoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27) Level 14: Maneuvers -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(15), Rct-EndRdx/Rchg(15), Rct-Def/Rchg(17), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Rct-ResDam%(19) Level 16: Shadow Fall -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(27), ShlWal-Def(29), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(33) Level 18: Fortify Pack -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), RechRdx-I(31), RechRdx-I(46) Level 20: Fearsome Stare -- Ngh-Acc/Rchg(A), Ngh-EndRdx/Fear(21), Ngh-Acc/EndRdx(21), Ngh-Fear/Rng(23), Ngh-Acc/Fear/Rchg(29), Ngh-Acc/Fear(39) Level 22: Call Hawk -- Dvs-Acc/Dmg(A) Level 24: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(33), UnbGrd-Max HP%(34), UnbGrd-ResDam(34) Level 26: Summon Dire Wolf -- ExpRnf-+Res(Pets)(A), ShlBrk-%Dam(34), SprMarofS-Dmg(36), SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg(36), SprMarofS-EndRdx/+Resist/+Regen(36), SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37) Level 28: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(37), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(37) Level 30: Spirit Ward -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(31), Prv-Absorb%(31), Prv-Heal/Rchg(33), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(39), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(46) Level 32: Tame Beasts -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 35: Mystic Flight -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A) Level 38: Dark Servant -- CldSns-ToHitDeb(A), CldSns-Acc/ToHitDeb(39), CldSns-%Dam(40), CldSns-Acc/Rchg(40), CldSns-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Lck-%Hold(46) Level 41: Bonfire -- Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(A), Ann-ResDeb%(42), PstBls-Dam%(42), JvlVll-Dam%(43), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(43) Level 44: Enflame -- OvrFrc-Dam/KB(A), JvlVll-Dam%(45), PstBls-Dam%(45), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(45) Level 47: Tactics -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(48), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(48), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(48), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(50), GssSynFr--Build%(50) Level 49: Hasten -- 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+(43) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(40) Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon Level 1: Alpha Howler Wolf Level 1: Howler Wolf Level 26: Dire Wolf Level 12: Lioness Level 1: Pack Mentality ------------ Beast-Maisma MM (in work).mxd

@Snarky - I feel your pain hon. (hugs) I find myself playing and pugging less and less. Mostly I log in and look for things to do or groups to join, and they just aren't there, or I see a full friend list that says "offline." I still have rp dates and SG events I log in for, but as far as mission stuff goes, 95% of the time I find myself multi boxing by myself. I used to offer spots to low levels to tag along, but even that I am doing less, as people don't seem to really appreciate it anymore.

I enjoy all kinds of ways to play. Sometimes the go-go-go, and sometimes the chill mode. It all depends on the group and the flow. If I am with friends, I know what to expect. with random people, it could go any way. I tend to go by live and let live. If people want to hang out, thats on them. If people want to speedrun it, that's fine too. What I don't particularly care for is a person telling anyone else how to play or what activity to enjoy, or they are wrong for liking X, Y, and Z, or they are a noob or whatever for not power building their alt #4086 to the .00000025% umpteempth degree, when a power "just for funs/looks/whatever" is more important to the person playing the character, than min/maxing to the point one needs a mathematical degree to fully compute which is superior in every circumstance of play. Heaven forbid people do things just for fun or because they happen to like something anymore.

Personally I enjoy the pet classes the most. Particularly multiboxing masterminds. But I do all kinds of content - paper missions, arcs, ITF's, power farming in AE, or just goofing around with no goal at all. It's always fun to just slowly float by someone in open world with 18 flying robots in tow, some of the comments I get are fantastic.

@Riverdusk - we agree there. Of the support types MMs can put up good numbers. But sometimes I think people get too used to blaster/scrapper numbers and see MMs and aren't impressed. Just a hunch on my part though.

A lot of this depends on several things too. -Incarnate level shifts. (very important for masterminds) -solo vs team play. -difficulty selected. - how well slotted/invested the build is. - what activity is being done - AoE damage, ST damage, Support role, healing, AV/GMs, etc. There is no single Mastermind build that will be 10/10 on all these activities. There is always give and take somewhere. -and of course, personal preference for style, strengths, so on. There is no magic X pet/X secondary that can "do it all" in a way everyone will like. My favorite secondary is electric, because for my style it really is an all in 1 package. But time is a strong contender too. But no teveryone feels the same. And thats perfectly fine and normal. Some people praise /Storm to the high heavens, when I have tried it 2 or 3 times now, and to this day I still don't see how it ranks so high among some players. But again, that's just preference and style. Even though I don't personally care for /Storm much, that isn't to say its a terrible set or anything of the sort. Far as when Masterminds "bloom", to me it depends on the pet + power pairing. Some sets do well right out the gate, others are slow to start. But I have always felt a "lull" just after reaching 50 with a mastermind, until that first incarnate level is attained. So I usually mail myself a transcendent merit so that I can immediately get my level shift the moment I ding 50. But when it comes to any AT, but perhaps Masterminds especially, your mileage may vary, even with the exact same setup as someone else. And lets not forget, that 1 on 1 comparisons of masterminds vs other ATs isn't usually impressive. (at least on paper), in particular if the one comparing is tunnel visioning and regarding DPS as the end all-be all measuring stick. Masterminds will never shine when it comes to DPS (at least when alone.) But they can shine in nearly every other way if you build them correctly. They even have some extra features and mechanics that no other AT has that people sometimes forget about when comparing ATs, things like Bodyguard mode, or the Increased aggro capacity. These are things that no other AT can benifit from, no matter what powers they select or how much time and inf is spent on them. So yes, Masterminds an certainly stand out, but I think that really is fair to say about any AT. But Masterminds are far from garbage. Just my two cents.

When solo, there is more to do. When tripple boxing you can keep up a perma barrier wither through buffs or incarnates. So you take less damage and so on. I'd say I got about half of those from AE, the rest a mix of activities. Not sure what your fire brutes have to do with anything, either the topic, or comparing apples to oranges. You do you though, its okay to not like a set. Personally its one of my favorite secondary's, because it really is an all in one package and its thematic.

My main toon is Bots/Ea, vet level 250+. I would like to highlight that while EA "can" be a very clicky set, doesn't mean it "has" to be. As an example, if your +damage buff is still up, and its refreshed, that doesn't mean you "have" to click it. Same goes with the heals, absorbs, so on. Personally for me, clicking things when they are needed and not when they are off cooldown is more relaxed than other powersets. Once I adopted this stance it was relaxed enough for me to multibox masterminds as my EA at the lead. A lot of the time, I simply have the +absorb on autocast, and use everything else only when its needed, such as the heals or +END. I do wonder if people who say EA is clicky only click its powers whenever its available, not when its needed. But thats just me musing.

I don't use any software. Which I believe is against the terms of use, but don't quote me. I simply load 3 accounts and have the power bars set exactly the same, and alt tab between them. As explained in my original post, my two "box" mm's are on follow, with their own t3 pets as their target. This is so that they can use buffs/heals as their autocast powers instead of haste. The /Time has Heal, and the /Kinetics has Felcrum on autocast. Once all pets are up and buffed, I spend very little time on my "boxes". I simply tab to one, and pop a barrier, or click "all pets follow" and tab back to my EA. I actually spend about 80% of the time "piloting" my /Electric. Bodyguard and pet AI largely takes care of the rest. I would suggest try 2 boxing to begin before taking 3 on. And it honestly isn't that difficult as many tools are already provided in CoH and the MM class itself. As 95% of your damage is done by the pets, you can sit back and let them attack what they want to, and you heal and buff them, instead of using them to kill X target first. The pets will get to them in a minute if you are patient. About the only time I tell pets to kill X target is mostly to get runners/stragglers from the pack. 95% of the time I am in bodyguard mode with all 3 MMs.

Awe, made my morning! Thanks for that. ☺️

Its not just a matter of -regen, its also how much DPS you have with that. And while I have never tried Necro/Time, I don't think it has enough combined ST DPS with the regen debuff it has. I am not saying its impossible or anything, I am just saying I wouldn't expect it to be robots/traps level. And it's hard to say without seeing the actual build and numbers.

I only have limited experience with Necromancy, but I have leveled several /Time MMs. I think you may struggle a bit against AVs and GMs, but that is me musing, mostly to a lack of either focused damage or -regen debuffs. Where it would shine though would be in AoE situations, as you have both +def and heals, with your undead self taps and lich's CC, plus your debuff toggle and AoE slow effect. So if I was doing a Undead/Time, I would focus on the debuffs and additional effects. But /time is a strong secondary, strong enough to match with any pet set really.

Petless mastermind that uses Whips. Or your AT of choice that only uses Boxing, Kick, Crosspunch, Spring Attack. See how good you can make a character that only uses the nonstandard pool attacks.

Demons/EA was one of my most durable characters I have ever had, and I have several fully incarnate tankers and she still is as tough as them. I would ask if you are going for min/maxing or more for fun, or just to try new things out? I noticed you have no /Trick Arrow builds yet, and it was revamped recently so that might be something new? No /Time, Nature, Pain, Poison, Sonic, Radiation, Empathy. For pets, it looks like you have tried everything but Mercs. (not suggesting you do!) So there is nothing really new there. So here are some combinations off the top of my head that might do well. Robots/Time Beast/Nature Necromancy/Radiation Thugs/Pain Demons/Sonic Thugs/Trick Arrow I have never played Poison or Empathy, so I can't really comment on those. Hope this helps. Personally my favorites are Demons/EA, Robots/EA, and Robots/Time,

While I suspect troll, I would like to respond all the same. 1. "Most effective" (Dedicated role) firstly is largely subjective, both within the multiple powerset combinations as well as personal preference. Not all Radiation Tankers will be slotted the same. Nor would all Dark Armors, and so on. This goes for all armor sets, and its's largely give and take. Taking dark for an example, you could focus entirely on resistance values, and suffer with END use, and so on. Moreover, not everyone will enjoy the same slotting, or even have the same purpose/use/difficulty/budget in mind. And heaven forbid, someone does something "just for fun." 2. The OP speaks as if "Dedicated Role" and "Other Roles" are mutually exclusive here. Using their tanker as an example, it is entirely possible to build a tanker that has defense softcap, resistance cap, has good status resistance, good damage, and manages its END well. It need not be Either/Or. I do suspect that the level up process and the budget for a build affects this, as it might be best to focus on one area, but at level cap? Not so! Using the Tanker as an example once again, it is entirely possible to build a scrapper who can tank 90% of the content just as well as a "Dedicated Tank" can, and do more damage in the bargain. Again, this varies with levels, inf spent, and a number of other factors. 3. I have played many MMO's and I would argue that "Dedicated Roles" are virtually nonexistent here. I would suggest the AT control more if you are melee vs ranged, damage vs defensive, CC vs Support, and more. It is the "feel" of the character as you will, and you can even break this down further within each AT powerset combination itself - is it single target damage? Area damage? Damage types? Debuffs such as -regen? How well does it solo? How well does it team? Is it a smooth ride from level 1 all the way to level 50, or is it a late bloomer? How much inf will it take to make it flow? How well would it do if "money was no object"? There are entire scopes and aspects of the game more than "I am Tanker. I am Tough." 4. "Dedicated Roles" largely, aren't even needed here. One need not look further than Tanker Tuesdays where a group made entirely of tankers accomplish tasks. There are even mastermind groups and the like. The trinity of "Tank, Healer, DPS" doesn't exist here. It CAN if people focus on that when making their teams, but you really can put together a team of any possible combinations and make it work. Again, this is personal preference, but it is hardly REQUIRED for nearly any of the activities to enjoy in CoH. 5. And finally, I would argue all this... is a good thing, A grand thing, even. You truly can build your character from nothing - their powers, how they play/perform, their looks, their strengths, their weaknesses. All of this and more.. ..nearly without limit. If I wanted a game with "dedicated classes" where I HAD to play X class a certain way, well, no offense to City of Heroes, its community, or its staff, but there are other games out there aplenty if I wanted that sort of gameplay. 6. Part of the wonderful thing about CoH is the sheer freedom you have with your characters. So much so, that we should begin a community support group for those among our ranks suffering from the dreaded "alt-itis." Meaning people who feel so inspired for whatever reason, to roll character, after character, after character. We have 1000 slots for a reason. And personally, I find that people making such a dizzying array of characters, and are even encouraged to do so within the game world a good thing and a sign of City of Hero's success after its creation, more than a decade after it all began. 7. Anyway, back to the OP. A dedicated role is all fine and well, IF that's how YOU want to play. But make no mistake, CoH has so many layers of combat and mechanics in play, that I have found focusing on one "aspect" of it, only goes so far. Again, taking your tanker as an example, lets say you are focusing entirely on +DEF, to all else. Your defense is higher than anyone elses! You are the Supreme tank, right? Well, no, not really. This will work until the moment you run into enemies with -def debuffs, then suddenly your superior "dedicated role" of betting it all entirely on one thing, falls flat. In such a situation you would suddenly be rely on your resistances, healing, and other forms of sustainability. Le Gasp! Suddenly you, the Dedicated Tank go splat, while that stalker you sneered at happens to have more resistance than you, and finds themselves tanking like a pro. You might scoff, but I have seen it happen. Many times. This exact scenario in fact. In closing, I would highlight that there are many factors on what is good or bad, better or worse, and not everyone is going to agree. This is particularly true during level up and starting out. But we are able to "respec" for a reason, and can even have more than 1 build that you can swap between as you like between activities. With so many other factors against the "Dedicated role" train of thought, I would actually argue against it. But that is my personal preference. Just my opinions on the matter. City of Heroes is very much a "play your way" game, and that's partially why I love it so, and I suspect a great many feel the same. Best wishes to all, dedicated role or not.