Neiska

I wonder if there is a way for them to add a "toggle off" ability under such powers that affect other players. IE a way for them to turn it off when affected by such a power on the fly. Group Fly isn't the only power that causes problems when used on other players when it isn't wanted. And I don't mean Null the Gull, I mean if for example, they could have an extra button pop up somewhere when affected by team powers to turn it off then and there. There are also a few powers that can, well, be used in ways perhaps not intended, such as Teleport Target. There are certainly others as well that I will not mention here, but I am sure those in the know, know which one's I am talking about. AKA The "trolling tools." Not trying to add to the "is it right or wrong" topic, more wondering if it's possible for them to do something like that.

EA is indeed strong. By strong I don’t mean big numbers. It’s strong in the following ways - 1. Group status protection. Not unique to EA, but it is very noteworthy to have. 2. Group absorb. Not just for you and pets, but teammates as well. 3. AoE healing. Not the strongest of heals, but it’s fairly cheap to use and very fast to reuse. 4. Pretty much infinite endurance for you, your pets, and your team. This alone makes EA welcome on many teams. 5. An AoE -10% damage, and a single target 20% damage DeBuff, and yes these can stack. So EA is pretty much one of the best MM support secondaries. In my opinion it really begins to shine after incarnates, because usually people take status protection or endurance destiny, but you already have those. So you are free to pick barrier or-def protection, not something that many other builds can boast. So if you are looking for big numbers, EA may disappoint. But my EA MMs have outlived some tanks before, due to everything mentioned above and bodyguard mode. An EA MM has multiple layers of survival- +RES Heals Absorb Bodyguard mode Status protection End to spare These combined all in one neat little package is not something everyone can boast. And can be pushed even more, depending on your primary. EA powers are fairly fast to recharge, which some believe makes it a busy set. It “can” be, but doesn’t have to be. If your shield is up, no one needs healed, and End is good, you don’t “have “ to use a power. Sometimes I’ve found myself using non-EA abilities often. EA is a survival and support focused set. Not everyone likes that style, and that’s okay. But in terms of durability, EA is one of the best secondaries.

If you are working with your team, instead of against them, they will do the most of that for you. If your bots are in melee of the AV, then your tank/brute isn't doing their job, or possibly your group fly is making that more difficult than it needs to be? Either way, considering your attempt at ad hominem, coupled with your "me me me me", you proved yourself not worth my time responding to you further.

A fine scenario, but somehow I doubt that is how it went down. At all. He refused to turn it off and got kicked after all.

Not when you are on a team it isn't. If you are, you know, playing as part of a team and not someone self obsessed insisting everyone revolves around you, that rarely happens. I used to 3 box robo mms, even wrote a guide. Think I am pretty well aware of what you can and cannot do with them, thank you. Pretty sure you are just being a jerk in the situation. It isn't on others to opt out of a power that you don't have to use, and the team leader was well within his right to boot you for not turning it off when asked. You want to use it on teams? Make your own. But don't be shocked when people leave.

The irony of using powers that affect others, and then insist its OTHER people who are demanding accommodation, when its a power of connivence at best, entirely optional, vs several powers and builds like seismic that can't actually function when not on the ground.

But you are imposing upon others the choice to op out of a power you choose for yourself, and an entirely optional power at that. Not an argument that holds water, to my mind. Its like playing your music really loud and then getting upset when people ask you to turn it down, saying no, and then getting offended when no one invites you to parties anymore.

My two cents - On the fence with this one. I use it myself but consider it a “best for solo” tool. If you ability only affected yourself, then sure. Go for it. But since it affects other people, it’s not just you here either. Yes, null the full is a thing. But so are other team activities that might use it, like Hami. Personally, I don’t really use it in teams because there really isn’t a need to in most circumstances. But if the leader asked me to turn it off, then I would. You may feel differently, and that’s okay. But, just as you are free to use that power as you like, then so too that extends to the team leader not wanting it used, and is within the circumstances to remove you from the team. If you want to use it in a team setting, then either clear it with the leader beforehand or you can also make your own team. But don’t be surprised if you have people leaving either.

Random thought but is it possible that people are browsing the forums from work or something and just don’t log in? That would show up as a guest, right? Just saying it might be something simple. I know I don’t log into forums and things from my work computer, but I might browse the forums at lunch.

Honestly Snarky, you should start your own collection of these stories in one place. Like a Journal or Log, all in the same place for easy reference. You could even narrate them if so inclined. I did something similar in ESO for a time. People seemed to enjoy my silly stories told from the viewpoint of my character, not me the player.

I would rather leave real life sensitive topics out of hobbies and entertainment. Life is already quite charged enough for me, thank you.

I don’t think it’s too hard or too easy. A blind monkey can play the game on lowest difficulty, and the hardest difficulty just takes basic game knowledge and preparation. My only observation is that the difficulty seems to vary according to enemy or TF type. They are not all equal even on the same setting, and the difficulty seems to jump a bit from say +3 to +4. But no, not too difficult either. Other games are far more challenging. So as far as the too easy vs too hard, I think it’s pretty good. It’s just the in between and context that’s bumpy.

Hello new guy. My best advice - FLEE! FLEE WHILE YOU CAN! SAVE YOURSELF! My second best advice - watch out for Nosferatu’s here on the forums, for they can be a bit Snarky. In seriousness, welcome. We are a crazy bunch.

For me it’s fairly simple - when it’s not fun to play anymore or when I want to play something else. Sometimes I completely strip them down and delete them, others I’ll mothball them and play them once every blue moon. Just depends how much I enjoyed the character, really.

For me it’s the minion/pet builds and ATs. I’ve always enjoyed such classes in games, and this one has multiple versions of them from MMs to Crabberminds, controllers and more. It just scratches my pet lover itch.

I'm starting to muse if he's possibly playing the wrong AT. If he wants to go toe to toe with AVs, some certainly can, but it takes planning an preparation. And he has to accept the fact that he has to use all tools available. Even if a Tanker or Brute is tough enough to stand up to them, they will often have to use things like Poison Daggers to overcome the regen. Taking down an AV isn't about DEF/RES and leaping in. It's about bringing all the right tools required "by yourself," and is often a war of attrition. Slowly chipping away at their health while at the same time weathering their attacks and/or mechanics. And the specific things needed can vary AT to AT, but -regen is pretty much a must for all of them, even the GMs in open world, at least if you are going to fight them alone. Very few setups could do it without using tools outside of their primary and secondary powersets, no matter what AT you picked. And they are kind of designed this way on purpose. I don't think they intended AVs/GMs/TFs to be solo'd at all. The fact some people were smart enough to figure out ways to do it in the first place I think is pretty impressive.

Forum necromancy is too OP and should be nerfed.

This guy - “AVs hit too hard!” Also this guy - “I don’t use IOs or sets because I can’t afford them.” Has it not occurred to you that mayhaps you have reached the point where you need to actually plan a build and upgrade your enhancements? That perhaps one might have to *gasp* actually upgrade their build before engaging something with a name like “arch villain?” What?!? Why I never! How utterly preposterous! How dare the game get more challenging and engaging! Spoiler alert: No matter what build, AT, or powers, there will be a point when you will have to sit down and upgrade things, which might involve collecting and gathering resources like money to be able to progress further. Shocking concept, I know. But we believe in you! You can do it!

I bet he's REALLY good at Elden Ring and Dark Souls.

Hellos! 1. Well, this is where primary and secondary pairing are considered. You may not feel the pinch not having a heal so badly, if your pets can heal themselves, like Robots, Undead etc. Some pets like mercs are very sturdy by themselves. Not having a heal is not a make or break, but there are other things that come into play to be considered. Medicine pool is "alright." Not great, but not horrible either. Your pet def/resists should be as high as you can make them by default. Soft controls certainly help, but so does other tricks like Spirit Ward, and not everyone knows but you can also use inspirations on your pet. You just drag and drop onto their bar, and if they are close enough they will "use" said inspiration. 2. Group fly can be quite useful, but I consider it a solo tool. Most people do not get the Null ability to make them immune to it, and many random people you may team with can be annoyed by it. There are a few team activities where it is handy, like Hami and so on. But generally speaking many don't like it. Again, personal preference here. Using group fly on random teams is something of a tossup topic. All ranged pets certainly get the most mileage out of it, which means Robos and Mercs. As an example, I have a Merc/FF MM based entirely on flying. So in relation to your question #1, my pets take so little damage that not having a heal is not really an issue, on "most" activities. I wouldn't expect to hover and pewpew an AV down by myself. But most other activities? No problem! The thing is when it comes to enemies, not all enemies have a full cycle of ranged attacks. A handful dont have any to speak of whatsoever, some have a few, others like Arachnos have a LOT of ranged attacks. But in many fights, just hovering just out of melee range drastically cuts down on the number of incoming attacks, which effectively adds another layer of survivability before attack rolls, damage, and resists are even considered. So group fly "helps" in the right situation. In some it can help a LOT, others, not much at all. Personally, I try to fit it in with any Robot or Merc setup I have. 3. Leadership is generally one of those impulse things that nearly every MM takes. Its simply too useful not to have. But if your secondary is a DEF set, then its not as critical. And not using it does save on END cost. But as others mentioned it is a spot to put your global recharge which in some builds is tricky to get. So I would say how needed leadership is depends on your secondary. 4. I tend to focus on pets living first and foremost. A dead pet is zero DPS. Even if you can resummon it quickly, it costs END to do so, and you cannot resummon them indefinitely. And they don't come resummoned with upgrades either, so you have that to do as well. And while you are frantically summoning speed bumps, your enemies are still attacking you. So really its a delaying tactic. Sometimes it pays off and you can turn the tide, but if you find yourself resummoning pets often, then you really need to look at your pet stats and see what you are missing. Another special mention is that some pet sets have special "features." One example is necromancy pets - you can slot the heal uniques like regenerate into the pets and they benefit from it, which is something only necromancy can do. Thugs benefits greatly from Burnout, as it lets you double cast gang war, as does Demons with Hell on Earth. Ninjas I am uncertain about, but I hear they are good damage, but a bit fragile. Beasts well... I feel kind of bad for beasts. Some combinations work GREAT together, even though they aren't immediately apparent. One powerhouse is Necromancy and FF, because FF is pretty hands free, so you can focus on your personal attacks, which make even more temporary pets. Another good one I don't see often is Robots/Dark, because the /Dark has loads of -tohit which is fantastic to have with Robots +DEF, you have healing to spare, even some CC thrown in. And since its all ranged, you can still use group fly. Demons/Electric is probably the most durable and toughest MM you can have, I have survived things on my Demons/EA that has killed my tankers before. Built right, they can be "that" tough. Anyway, hope this and what others have said help! Happy Masterminding!

Someone: "I can't solo this AV." Me: "Did you - " 1. Research the AV in question, to learn their attacks and plan countermeasures? 2. Did you plan a build in MIDS? 3. Did you use all tools available to you, like inspirations, nukes, p2w, etc? 4. Are you playing an actual capable build, or is your build a meme or just for fun build? Even with all these steps taken, even then not all Builds or powersets are capable of it. If you are expecting to just trade blows with an AV blow for blow in melee, while only having to use powers 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, I have some bad news for you - even builds that can solo AVs, are rarely capable of "that." But let's play hypothetical here. Let us say for a moment, that the Staff waved their hand, and suddenly AVs could be solo by anyone. What would challenge people who do all the above things? One of them, much less a full team of them? If AVs were suddenly hitting like limp noodles, a competent player could make a tank or something else, engage the AV, put one power on autocast, then go make a pizza from scratch (including growing the tomato's), file their taxes, change their engine oil, and read the entire Lord of the Rings and come back and its very likely they will still be trading blows with the AV. And lets think beyond just AVs here. No Archtype, build, power combination, can solo absolutely everything in the game. Also let us not forget, the builds that "can" do such feats, are generally bad at other activities. As an example, a build that can solo AV's 1, 2, and 3, will not be the top performer on random speed mission pug team #453897. And I suspect this is entirely by design. Builds that are the best at soloing stuff, are generally not the best at group activities, fast activities, or farming. Personally, I go by "know the pool you choose to swim in." Speaking as a primarily solo player, when you make a build "just for fun" you are knowingly making the choice to opt out of certain things, or not be the best at other things. The game isn't limiting you, you are choosing to limit yourself. Now, there is nothing wrong for liking just for fun things, I do that myself. But I choose to do so with the thought - "Gee, this power likely isn't the one to use on that one activity or enemy, but I can accept that." This is like choosing to use training wheels, and then complain when you didn't win the bike race, and expecting them to shorten the line for YOU, while not considering the other 100 people in the race who trained, bought the best bike, practiced, practiced, practiced, tried many times, and failed, and only succeeded through persistence.

Every set has a weakness, and Bio can stumble against -def. There are ways to help with it but they aren't fullproof, many are mentioned above. You can also use an incarnate power to help with -DEF. But if someone else is giving you -DEF protection bio still rocks on that mission. It is hard to make specific suggestions tailored to you without seeing your build though.

A few thoughts. The first - not everyone chases the same things. Some people like to chase the META, others like to chase the style or feel of a set, I have even met a few who picked their powers based entirely on looks. There is no wrong way to "enjoy" a character. The second - even on most tests, pylon timers etc, the game in itself has so many different activities, so many different enemies with different resists and so on, that it's impossible to get a 100% kiss-your-elbow best on everything. There is simply too many variables. Now I hasten to add, they are good "ballpark" figures, but they are just that, ballpark numbers, not something to bet the farm on. The third - what set does perform best, will also vary on things that cannot be precisely measured, like player knowledge or experience in the game, or skill. Even if you take the very best powerset, and blow 600m inf kitting it out, you might still stumble, if you don't know the mission, the map, the enemy type, the new powerset, so on. So take things that people say with a bit of salt. Opinions and input are good to have, but there is no magic powerset or AT that will be the kiss your elbow best at all activities on all missions and so on. And keep in mind, often what makes or breaks a set or AT is playing to its strengths, many of which cannot be fully appreciated through just math. An example off the top of my head, is at high level gameplay when doing the hardest difficulties, debuffs are often king. But in other situations, like speed running lvl 50 missions, such a build will not be the top performer, even though it might absolutely wreck-face doing the most challenging game content. My usual reply to "what's at/power is best" is "in what context?" because context matters quite a bit in CoH. My two cents

On ATs themselves - Last time I checked, Blasters, Dominators, and Corruptors are actually pretty good at soloing, I have seen Dominators in particular do some pretty insane things. Defenders I can't really comment on, never played one. But you can't just load up for damage and faceroll every enemy type at max difficulty anymore. You have to have a few other things to or be very skilled at being glass cannon. As far as the other point of "them changing group dynamics" - Personally, I haven't found these changes difficult or challenging, only time consuming. I neither like nor dislike them, but I do agree that I suspect the powers that be here on Homecoming want to slowly weed out Farming and PI Power leveling and the like. I doubt they will come out and say it. But between several changes over the years, it certainly feels that way. I also find a little ironic, as solo farming/playing now is not even the fastest way to level or get money anymore. I do fear a few certain number of these changes may have actually backfired Which I find kind of funny. Which ones? If "you know" then "you know," and I am not going to point them out because the last few builds/methods I shared got nerfed to oblivion. So I won't be sharing any further loopholes or shortcuts that others and I discover.