HelBlaiz

Why would being beaten by shamans worshipping eldritch abomination gods and zombies make people hate you more than being defeated by anything else? Combined with the lovecraftian inspiration, it seems like the concept of losing face by failing to beat them might carry some unfortunate unintended implications.

I always receive mixed messages from these difficulty arguments. I play a lot of alts, I only have about three over level fifty, and only my fire farmer is IOd to any real degree, because I wanted to have a brain dead easy way to get inf so I could get common lvl 25 IOs for the sea of alts once they reach level 22. My level 50 Inv/TW tank is running on SOs and a panacea proc that dropped in his twenties. He used to be in an SG will all manner of fully IOd out toons and I'd probably be the squishiest teammate. On a invuln tank. We would run stuff on +2 and I'd feel challenged unless the resident /dark corruptor was around, then things would be easy. Everyone complains about how easy the game is when you IO out everything. Of course it's easy! CoH is a numbers game. If.hero#>villain.#= hero.win. Or however the prae clockwork would say it. Everyone goes out of their way to give themselves the biggest numbers. It is literally easier to just get SOs and be challenged than it is to IO out and steamroll. When I sit down on MIDs and theorycraft builds, I'm not doing it expecting to be challenged. I'm doing it to imagine how badass and steamrollery the character could potentially be. Building your character into a literal god and then being angry that the content balanced for mortals isn't hard enough seems petty to me. And backwards. Do you want the biggest numbers? Or do you want to sweat? If you wanted to sweat, why put extra effort into making the game easier? If you wanted bigger numbers why are you complaining that the enemy has smaller numbers? I'm all for choice, and more modular difficulty sliders sound cool, but why is there so much doom and gloom over how easy the game is? Or how terrible it is to use SOs instead of IOs like the idea of not being a god to be challenged is some sort of insult. You literally have to go out of your way to trivialize +4/x8 content, by playing the market, farming merits, t4 ing incarnates. Just... Don't? And sweat? Like you say you want to? At least until +6/x10 is on beta?

Before the patch, double xp on a dfb run would net you level eight. Now it barely achieves level seven. A full four runs would manage I believe level 16 to 18 (can't remember for certain). Four runs now only get level 14, I think. If there WAS a stealth nerf, all they've done is made players need one more dfb run to qualify for a dib or blockbuster event. Not the result I'd imagine anyone would want.

Might I suggest the cool refreshing taste of Enriche?

It's a relative measure. Empathy and Pain are the only two sets (three with nature affinity? Not as familiar with it as I'd like to be, moar alts needed) with three heals. Thermal has two (to synergize with its resist buffs), while most other sets have either an area heal or a st heal, if they have heals at all. Empathy and Pain (and definitely NAff) have more than just healing, but they're the sets with the highest level of dedication to healing. It doesn't help that the first three powers in the two sets are the heals. Though to be fair, the low levels are where the healing is most appreciated in my experience.

Empathy is a heal heavy set, which is a reactive playstyle. How useful it is depends entirely on how well or poorly the group is doing. If the group is doing well, the heals are a bandaid and a kiss, if the group is struggling, there are more impactful ways of improving the performance. That being said, Empathy is great, so long as you don't judge your effectiveness based on how critical your heals are. Fortitude is awesome, Clear Mind is awesome, Regeneration and Recovery Aura are awesome, Adrenaline Boost is awesome. Focus on efficiently using those the higher level you go. As for Sonic Blast, it's popular for the same reason you live Kinetics, MOAR DAMAGE. Sonic Blast has -res as it's secondary effect which means moar damage and can further boost dps even for a team at damage cap. On topic, my favorite support set is Time, usually paired with Rad for irradiate and time's juncture synergy. I also have a kin/sonic that is a blast to play. For as much as I like Dark Miasma I haven't made a character with it yet on HC, I should change that. I think the only support set that looks unappealing to me so far is Trick Arrow, and even then I still want to make one at some point to give it a fair shake. Even poison is interesting and fun thematically for me to have a few in my roster already.

They're faction specific so the bonus is hyper specific but significant enough to be a nice thing to have. Having already fought 100 Malta gunslingers to get the Malta Stetson trophy hat toggle should come with a significant edge against Malta. You've done this enough, it's noticeably easier.

Need to share this awesome idea, now. This for the guy who wants his hats. We impliment faction specific trophy hats, things pulled right off the mob models and plop onto the character. They will be available in the costume creator for free under hats, so anyone who wants to can just wear the hat no hoop jumping required. Those who put in the effort though get a toggle power that grants +5% to hit and defense, and +10% damage and resist versus members of the associated faction for zero endurance. The best part? Code it like that one mission with the freakshow disguise so when the power is active, your character gets the hat on top of their costume as a special fx rather than a costume piece. Having the toggle let's you use the hat with whatever hairstyle you want effectively, even with other hats. It'll clip like mad for most things I imagine, but it'd be unique as he'll without limiting the costume pieces in the creator!

I don't think fly will be obsolete, I'd still pick up fly and hover for any character who flies on their own power or with a costume piece jetpack/rocket boots. The fly power is enhancable as well, and can get you after burner.

This is good. I like this, my broadsword/katana character can use it on their costume from the start, and I can go play a mission on my blaster to get the temp power version.

I like that idea, permanent temp powers is cool.

You have used this argument multiple times now with different faces slapped onto it. To paraphrase, "we get the [point], it's just not [convincing]." Legend of Zelda has a core gameplay loop of "raid dungeon, get trinket, beat boss." Borderlands has a core gameplay loop of "kill stuff, get loot." City of Heroes has a core gameplay loop of "Pick AT, agonize over the costume for an hour, agonize over the name for another hour, fail, reagonize over costume for an hour for a different theme, agonize over getting a name again, succeed, level to fifty."

I don't think anyone is against rewards for accomplishments, outside the worry of game addiction mentioned a couple times now. The only thing anyone is against, it seems, is content locking costume pieces arbitrarily. And it WOULD be arbitrary at this point. HC has "no content locked costume pieces" as one of its selling points. You may not like it, but it IS a selling point for me and anyone else who never really enjoyed incarnate raids (or were terrified of messing up and being raged at for being a first timer) but really wanted the ascension pieces. If you want content locked rewards, I am simply asking that they not be costume pieces. Make it something either worthwhile for gameplay (bonuses versus the associated faction) or something the game has no precident on yet, like the permanent costume change powers, ala ToTing.

Ultimately what changed the server makes is up to the volunteers running Homecoming. IF they decide to make the statement "All costume pieces are available from the start with no grinding" false, I will hate it vocally, but will have to live with it. On the topic of having things to grind for, my official stance anyone may quote me on is thus: "I am in full support of adding content locked rewards for people who wish to have them, so long as Costume Pieces (and Power Customization Options) remain freely accessible with no investment. I personally think permanent versions of the Costume Change Powers awarded during Trick or Treating would be an awesome reward that I do not mind being content locked, as I do not count them as Costume Pieces. Other content, such as temporary powers, badges, titles, and story arcs, would also make good unlockable content. I do not wish to run content to unlock hats, please do not make me."

The costume change powers earned through ToTing could be neat unlockables.

Separate server is a good compromise.

Better idea, instead of getting the armor, completing Vanguard tasks grant uses of the Curse of Weariness or bonuses against Rikti?

As long as the earnable content is gameplay specific or doesn't arbitrarily limit costume creaction, I am happy.

The issue is that currently it is a true statement to say "there are no costume pieces locked on Homecoming." And that is a very compelling draw to me. I do not want that statement to be rendered false. I definitely don't want it rendered false in the name of "achievement" when other rewards can be provided that don't mess with a big draw to the server. Yes, what I am stating is a self centered opinion, that does not make it any less valid. That makes it an opinion to be voiced so that the volunteers who are trying to make people happy know what will make people unhappy.

So you're going to take away what we already have to get everything you want?

Because I dont have to worry about unlocking things on Everlasting and can play whatever content I want rather than the content holding costume pieces hostage.

If it is solely about the feeling of accomplishment, then a more fitting reward would be more badges, or accolades, maybe a leaderboard. Locking costume pieces behind it makes it a chore for anyone who just wants a costume piece.

To be fair you could probably enter such a contest as a ninja cowboy, and maybe walk away with an honorable mention through sheer audacity. Regardless, I don't see why the reward has to be something people who hate grinding would miss having.

That requires costumers to be grinders. In order for me to play MY way, I suddenly need to play YOUR way.

If it were something along the lines of "Run 10 Malta Radio missions to unlock a cool Malta oriented story arc" that'd be neat. But don't tell the costumers we can't wear the backpack because you want to earn it.