Puma

Hi all. Im currently beta testing and Im finding that I dont have any access to the Freebies menu. Anyone have any ideas?

I'd be down for testing with some other storm blast characters in a team up to see how they interact if anyone wants to try and pick a time and level.

I just wanted to publicly say thanks for being open to the feedback here, from all sides, and trying to find a balance. I know it isn't easy to do.

I think I was the first one to bring up the end cost, and while what you say above about recasting is true, that wasn't even my primary concern. My concern was that by set design, you're forced to drop a high end power from your blast set that does NO damage, and won't DO any damage, until you then start using your other attacks, and even then it's not "reliable" damage. And this is assuming you don't have a secondary that also requires you to drop a power as set up, like tar patch, etc. So you're starting off a fight with less end, and in a set that requires you to keep spending end constantly to get that power that cost end up front to even have a chance to do much. And if you skip it, your other powers aren't as effective since they're balanced around it. And this was something I didn't even consider until testing and finding I couldn't even get through minimal fights without being winded. I had to rest several times as I played this character, even at higher levels with IOs (no procs though). That, to me, is a bug, or a design flaw that they really should be aware of. Like I said, the concept for Storm Cell is fun, but the end cost needs to get reduced down to something like tar patch, OR you alter Intensify so it grants a slightly longer buff that also includes giving end back to you. Make it a targeted AoE version of Power Sink called Intensify where "You leech electricity from the bodies of foes, draining their endurance. This energy is transferred directly to you, granting a temporary to hit buff and damage boost to both you and your storm cell, and granting you end over time. Duration: 20 seconds." That or just change it that you "Use the static electricity in the air around you to boost the power of your storm attacks and granting yourself more endurance. +To Hit, +Dmg, +Max End" or something. SOMEHOW offset the heavy up front endurance costs of this set. If they don't want to do this change, a simpler one would be make Intensify last longer naturally, with a slightly lower boost, or give it a sort of Reach for the Limit effect, adding a proc called "intensification" to the +To Hit, +Dmg. The proc fires every time you hit an enemy during the 10 second buff, and each proc increases the accuracy of Storm Cell's attacks for 30 seconds, stacking three times. This fits thematically: your fighting amps up the storm, intensifying your own attacks and the chance your storm cell will hit targets. It would give the player a way to make the storm cell more reliable with harder targets for a reasonable amount of time, while still giving them a way to get burst damage for attacks like snipes, etc. If they did that and upped the base acc of Storm Cell slightly, they could just add a line in the power description that says "this power's accuracy can only be improved with Intensification" and avoid the entire confusion among players, while still giving a way for it to hit higher level foes and deal with end game content. I honestly believe right now if they lowered the end cost of Storm Cell or gave the set some way to get end back, and then found a way for Storm Cell to reliably hit harder targets, the set would be ready to go. I still think Cat 5 needs some upfront direct mitigation, but that won't be a deal breaker by itself if the other issues are fixed. The concern with Storm Cell's visuals is better, and I haven't seen it shoot off to other mobs yet like it did on me before, so HOPEFULLY that issue is resolved or at least mitigated now too. The devs have been listening to concerns, and making adjustments. I'm not sure why others are so upset. Nothing has been drastically altered, or nerfed. It's just being smoothed out.

I mean, they don't get amped up by their own lightning either, but that's how this version of a hurricane works. I think we can suspend disbelief a little. You could even make it so "foes are so terrified of the storm, they rush to the center, hoping the eye will be safer" if you have to have it make sense. Also, I did some more checking. On a corruptor, Tar Patch costs less than half the end of Storm Cell. While you could argue that's because Tar Patch doesn't do damage directly on its own, it DOES do -res, which adds to the damage of your other attacks do similar to Storm Cell. Tar Patch also slows like Storm Cell...only it does it better, so could we at least get maybe an end cost of 10 instead of the 15?

Edit: It looks like Storm Cell's base accuracy was bumped to 1.64 with this patch. That should help with the defense concerns at higher levels. It has a shorter recharge, but still costs 15 end each time you cast it, the same as Ice storm and other rain powers, which do higher percent debuffing out of the box and do damage on their own. I'd rather see the change swapped. Since it's relatively easy to get it recharging fast enough to be perma, keep the recharge as it was but lower the end cost and up its travel speed. That would be a huge QoL change for power. Right now Im still sucking end having to drop it every fight and then use my other attacks to get it doing much damage. Sure, it's nice that it's ready to be dropped right away if it goes down in the middle of a fight, but since you're already dying for end because of the set's design, you don't have 15 end to spare to drop it mid fight, and if you do, you don't have end to keep attacking to get it to do much. And without it up, the set REALLY struggles.

Hmmm Random thought that I haven't given much time to, so take it for what it's worth: What if you changed Intensify? Instead of an Aim variation, you made it a T or PBAoE storm version of Soul Drain/Drain Psyche? You use the enemies within the storm cell to power up your storm powers, granting you increased recovery, and boosting all your storm powers' to hit and damage for 25 seconds. This buff would ALSO apply to Storm Cell and Cat 5's procs. You could cap the number of enemies affected or the max buff you receive from it to keep it from being too powerful. This would help a few of my concerns: the end cost of this set, the difficulty of buffing Storm Cell's accuracy especially against higher def baddies, and still give you a Aim ability to buff your own damage and acc briefly. Allow it to be slotted for acc/recharge/end drain/to hit buffs. This would ALSO give people who slotted the end mod chance for stun proc a way to set storm cell (and later Cat 5), then stun minions while they go about ramping up the damage on the entire mob.

That's fine. As long as your debuffs and buffs don't cause any aggro. Otherwise? You're kinda screwed.

Sure! It's tied to the same problem I'm finding with using the secondary: Since Storm Cell is slow but limited duration, but does no damage on its own, I feel like any second I'm not "attacking" is a wasted chance for it to proc. And since it's just "chance to proc" damage and not an actual guaranteed amount of damage the way another AoE would be, that feeling is amplified. In a normal encounter with another set, I could throw in secondary debuffs, heals, self buffs etc. more fluidly and easily. With Storm Cell, I can't...without feeling like I'm sacrificing even more damage from a set that already feels light on damage. A normal opener for a Blaster/Defender/Corr when solo is some sort of group mezz or debuff and a nuke to clear large parts of the mob so you can survive the rest of the encounter. Sure...that eats a ton of your end, but you pop a blue or use a secondary to restore end while they get back up and that's enough that you can pick off the remaining baddies in the fight. With this set? You drop 15.6 end for Storm Cell, 21 end for Cat 5, and you still haven't even started making a dent. If you want to use intensify to up the proc chances, you're down 5 more end, for a total of 41.8 end before you launch your first attack and do any actual damage. You THEN have to keep spamming attacks to actually get the damage ramping up. You don't have time to do end management, debuffing, etc. You NEED to keep spamming attacks, but you're already almost half way through your end. And it's not just with nukes. Take Ice Storm or Sleet, even, and compare. If I drop Ice Storm, IMMEDIATELY enemies are debuffed, running slowly and attacking slowly, while suffering damage. If I take a second to then use a non-damage power, they are STILL suffering that damage and debuff. I'm still clearing the mob somewhat. And if I have to rely on a few less end heavy powers like my tier 1 or 2 or a secondary attack because I'm getting winded for a second, I don't feel a change in the damage and debuff from Ice Storm. It's still working optimally. But with Storm Cell? The proc chance isn't happening at all unless I'm attacking with my primary, and the more end heavy the attack the more chance it has to proc. None of this may be mathematically accurate. It may all even out somehow on paper. But it doesn't feel that way, and it's not at all enjoyable to me.

OK, so I officially just don't understand the set's design. I'm running level 28 missions at +1x2 which is the minimum diff I ever run, even on brand new characters. I cant get through a single fight without being utterly winded. Granted I'm using only IOs, but man. Dropping Storm Cell costs 15 end right off the bat, and does no damage. So I'm already starting -every single fight- with an end debt of 15, because I have to recast it all the time because it doesn't follow fast enough. Then I have this feeling like I need to immediately start spamming attacks to try and maximize its added damage. Only that drains me through end far faster, too, and honestly, I don't see a ton of added damage from it. Even when I drop Cat 5 (right now just slotted with 3 scourging blast) I am having to try and knock out damage while avoiding the agro it caused before things die. That's something no other tier 9 makes happen. Even blizzard works so fast it tends to take out a bunch of the minions before I suffer agro. And I know someone earlier said that was by design: This set is designed for higher level, longer fights, and that's where it shines. Only...there's a serious flaw there. By nature in this game, higher level drawn out fights are things like AVs...and this set's acc checks for its core mechanic, and the lock outs on a target every 5 seconds, mean that its LESS effective in those situations. You'll be spending a bunch of end to drop these powers and have their procs just miss, or hit once then be locked out for 5 seconds until it can try again. This set is feeling more complicated than any set I've ever played, except perhaps Dual Blades, and yet still feels anemic in the damage I'm putting out overall. At least with Dual Blades I could ignore the mechanic and still have a really nice damage output, but not with this set. I've face planted twice in this mission, which at +1x2 is insane. I'm barely able to use my secondary because the makeup of Storm Cell and Cat 5 demand me to focus so heavily on my primary, which only makes matters worse. Right now, I'm almost ready to walk away and give up. If this were live this toon would be shelved. I think I'm going to wait for the next build before I do anymore testing. Right now, here are my thoughts where it stands: Overall: C-. The set is BEAUTIFUL and I want to love it. The concepts are cool, the powers looks great, and it shines. But actual playstyle is terrible. It's slow. Way too slow. I don't like having to wait back for Storm Cell to catch up, and I REALLY don't like the idea I can just drop it again with its massive end cost. It's also a slotting nightmare. Cat 5 is a cool concept, but it needs direct, upfront agro management. When you first drop it, a loud thunder crack should cause momentary terrorize or something. Right now, it's the opposite of what a nuke should feel like to me. I know, I know...it's not a nuke. But that just makes this set even more anemic. I actually am using Oil Slick Arrow more than Cat 5, if that says anything. But if it just had a strong, up front short duration mez while you begin building up the damage I think it could fix it, and become a unique, fun power, even though it's still less useful than a normal nuke. Storm cell needs to be reworked: It needs to be faster, or not follow at all. It needs to cost far less end, and it needs a higher base acc, lower natural recharge, or make the damage un-enhanceable with a slight damage increase so you can focus your slots on those other issues. one other recommendation I have? Make the procs auto-hit. With the lock out in play, the damage still wont be crazy overpowered, but it would help with both slotting AND feeling like the power has some pay off for its quirks. It could help with things like MoGs on paragon protectors, etc and suddenly feel worth it. Personally, I'd rather see this power go and be replaced entirely with something else. I feel like it's ruining the set as is. The rest of the set is OK, but because it's balanced around those two powers triggering procs in Storm Cell and Cat 5, the attacks all feel mediocre on their own. And since those two powers are not good as is, the set feels that way to me overall.

On a Storm Blast/Trick Arrow Corrupter. And I would guess maybe 30 feet? But that's a guess. Distance has always been weird to me in this game, Far enough away he wasnt aggroed by my fighting the mob I WAS in battle with, if that helps.

Can you give me some math on this? How is it MORE significant a damage boosting mechanic than simple rain of fire? Or a standard AoE attack? Under OPTIMAL conditions how much damage can be expected with one cast of Storm Cell? What about AVERAGE conditions? Because I'm not ever seeing an amazing damage boost, but that could be perception issues and not actual numbers. If it IS actually doing significant boosts to damage more than, say, Rain of Fire or having a faster recharging added AoE attack, maybe we should have that damage a different color so players are more aware of it. Because right now I'm not seeing it.

I had the same question, which is another issue. With this set's weird dynamics, there needs to be better explanation of how these powers interact.

Im sorry but the more I play it the more I disagree. The set's damage was clearly balanced around the added damage from Storm Cell. It feels relatively low on the damage output outside of it, and even inside of it it isn't anything special, and is less reliable than actual straight up damage you get from a normal rain or AoE. A rain going down for a bit is no big deal because it impacts no other powers' effects or damage output. This does. Yesterday I had a situation where I laid it on a mob at a cross section in a warehouse. It decided to stay there a second, then proceeded tp;eave that entire mob to focus on a single boss located far ahead next to several crates. The mob then overwhelmed me because they were no longer debuffed and I was killed. Now this is a one off, and one offs happen. But it's a one off that ONLY happened because, if people in here are to be believed, a mechanic was added to this set purely for "flavor". And this mechanic is bothering several of the people testing, while adding nothing of value to the set aside from "flavor." So you have a set that they've worked very hard on, has BEAUTIFUL animations and a well liked concept being negatively impacted to the point it can occasionally faceplant players and leave the set's overall performance lacking compared to other sets. All for "flavor." That's kind of a big deal.

I didn't analyze closely, but could you tell us how much damage was coming from your storm powers as opposed to your storm blast powers?

To be fair, neither is "I like it so you all should just shut up because it's fine." I can tell you that as of right now (I'm still a lowbie) Im finding the set fine, but hate storm cell. I'd much rather just have an aim/build up proc power. It's way too slow and its effects way too unreliable for my taste. But Im open to part of that changing as I level up, but the "slow" part, I think, will be even worse.

OK, so hear me out. Instead of swapping Bean Bag for aim, give players a choice: Target Lock or Stunning Rounds. Target Lock: Aim, basically, with a -def proc to your attacks for 10 seconds. If you take it, you get normal aim's Tohit and DMG boost, and -def to your attacks, with a slightly longer recharge than regular aim. Cool, and it makes AR fit with other weapons sets that give -def. On a set like AR that would hardly be overpowered. Stunning Rounds: When you activate stunning rounds, your attacks have a guaranteed stun affect for the next 10 seconds. The duration of the stun depends on if it's an AoE or single target power. Single target has longer duration than AoE. So you can take that and instead of the added damage and -def boost of Target Lock you get some crowd control like bean bag, only better because it can be AoE for a short duration. Then have Ignite work this way: If the foe you attack is suffering from -def, they panic, spreading the flames to others nearby (making it a splash damage AoE). If, they are stunned, they are unable to respond to the damaging flames and suffer additional damage over time. So the cottage rule is saved: those who want Bean Bag's stun can have it. Those who want aim's burst damage boost can have it. Those who want keep ignites AoE affect can keep it, and those who want stronger single target damage can have it.

I'm sorry but you keep talking about "perma" when for most people a main complaint is it not being predictably where you want it when you want it. It's the "creeper vines" movement that's the biggest issue for most of us. I want to echo Sovera in that it follows behind you slowly, which makes it engaging the second mob...awkward. If there was a way to either have it move fast enough you stayed reasonably in the center of it when it was targeting you, OR a way to nudge it ahead of you, that would help a lot. Right now, the key power of the set feels like it's designed to purposefully slow you down instead of speed you up. *shrug*

Two things: 1: But if a critter with a toggle anchor runs away from the group you can very easily detoggle and within a few seconds set it back on someone else in the group, so you never really lose control over it. And Im running it right now at level 10, and it still struggles to keep up with me, so I'm not sure how you could possibly expect it to be better as I get actual, strong powers and move even faster. My issue is that it's recharge length and duration make it so when it's time to move on, it's both slow enough AND short enough that I assume 1/4 of the way through the fight it will fade and I'll be stuck without it for the whole fight. Which means I cant really plan on it, so I don't worry about it that often. Im not sure that's the best design idea for a power that's meant to be the backbone of a set. 2: I don't know a single defender/blaster/Corr who doesn't use rain of fire and ice storm every single mob. Most peopl get it perma easily, and lay it as soon as it comes up. You'd be really dumb not to since it's by far the most damaging power in the sets outside of your nuke, given its huge AoE and its fast tics of damage, not even getting into its slow effects. But again, those sets don't have key components of the rest of their attacks tied to their use, either.

That's awesome! FYI Im a little confused by what Intensify means by "slightly increase your storm strenth" as well. I assume it means "will also increase the chance of damage from a Storm Cell" but I'm not quite sure.

So you know how Dark Control can turn characters who suffer from their effects dark? Could you add a trigger for NPCs affected by Storm Cell that gives them a mild blue tint from being cold? That way it would be easier to see who is being affected, and give us a visual cue where to focus our storm attacks, and it would also be unique and look very cool without having crazy overpowering mist etc. for everyone to deal with.

This, again, gets at how confusing a power it is. I have no idea how much damage it's expected to do (does it follow the typical proc formula? Random? etc), where it is, who it's going to target, etc. Even in the character creation screen it doesn't give any clue what kind of damage we're talking about. And if the damage is directly tied to how many storm attacks you're using or some attacks being more likely to trigger lightning, etc. then I would, again, suggest swapping it for chain lightning in the order. I think, from what I'm seeing, lower level sets would benefit more from a defined amount of damage and reliability at low levels, and then at higher levels start to benefit more from the boosts to secondary effects and additional random damage. But mostly...I just want its speed either increased, or let us control who it targets. Those alone would help me see the value more at lower/mid levels.

Except it doesn't always follow the foe you want, right? That's why I personally would like this more like rad's toggles. Pick a boss, plant a storm cell on them, and its affects follow that boss. Right now, it's sooooo slow that if I got between mobs while it's up I find myself waiting for it to recharge before engaging the next mob because it took so long to follow me to the next mob I don't trust it to last for much of the fight. Which has translated to "I dont bother casting it at all unless I really think this fight will need it" which makes it a far less useful power that I'd rather be replaced with a standard AoE at that point.

Initial thoughts on a low level Storm/Trick Arrow Corr: I like the first couple of attacks a lot. They are well balanced, and the animations are nice. Gust could use a LITTLE more power in the sound, but otherwise, great. Storm cell...I can't figure out. I mean, it's a slow recharge, set defining power that...feels weak. It's slow. Like....REALLY slow. Both in recharge AND waiting around for it to follow you. And the edges are not clearly defined, so if I want to be in it and get its effects it can be hard at at times. Especially trying to utilize the cone attack. But also...I don't see it doing a lot of damage. Now that could be because I only have three attacks so far besides it, but at this point it just feels disappointing and more aggravating to use, especially given I have to click where I want it instead of it being centered on a targeted villain. If this is how the power performs through out, I could honestly see it never getting used except in AV fights on TFs. The secondary effects it offers aren't enough to bother wasting so much time. At least at this level, anyway, which makes me wonder why it comes this early. Could you swap Chain Lightning with Storm Cell, if that's the case? That way by the time you get Storm Cell, you actually have enough attacks that would trigger its damage to make it worth it? What kind of damage is it expected to do when you're 50 using all your attacks in its field? Equivalent to an ice storm? A single AoE attack? More? Less? I have no idea, and that's a problem. I know it's sort of like creepers, but those do so much added damage and clear debuffing with their slow, the slow follow is worth it. You know what you're getting and you don't have to worry about being near it for it to work if you happen to move ahead. Would it be possible to change it to either a pet more like a wind version of singularity, that can be buffed for speed AND you can clearly know where it is centered at all times? And can the recharge be reduced? Otherwise, can it become a toggle centered on you or a villain? Right now it kind of feels like the worst of all worlds instead of the best. Also...one more tweak I'd make? When you're in the storm cell, Jet Stream becomes a PBAoE instead of a cone. It's really annoying trying to leverage a cone that does repel/knockdown when you're trying to stay in a specific, undefined area. It becoming a PBAoE power when in the cell would take care of that because it just knows foes around you down and you dont have to try and move around and aim them correctly in a cone configuration.

Every character has limited resources. Under your logic, if I can cast Caltops on the ground that foes seem unable to walk through without suffering serious damage, but for some reason both I AND my friends can stand in just fine, why wouldn't I make them constantly disburse from a hole in my pocket as -I- walk around? Because after a while I'd just run out. It's better to have control over when and how I need that protection. The same could go for Kevlar Nano-bots. They only offer protection until they are damaged and become useless. I don't have enough to constantly reapply, so I want control over how and when they are applied. Since I wouldn't be using gun drones unless I was in trouble, it's logical to tie them to that. Applying the trap also applies the protection and I kill two birds with one stone so I can focus on my other methods of survival and subdual. Maybe summoning a rain of ice or fire is kind of hard, and so I only do it when I'm in direct danger. Sure, once I've done it the air is cold enough that the ice clings to my body, but I physically couldn't constantly maintain that ice storm without becoming exhausted. Just like I can't run constantly without becoming exhausted. So unfortunately, since the ice covering my body is generated by the storm itself, it's only going to be happen when I summon that storm. Same with Rain of fire and the ash created as I summon it. It's probably the same reason a storm defender can't keep a constant lightning cloud around them at all times, or a constant tornado around them at all times, but they can keep themselves dead center of a hurricane constantly. It takes effort and energy to use your powers, so you do it in a way and at a time that is most efficient. Except as I pointed out three times now and you've yet to address, maybe it's because applying some of these powers to your friends would HURT them. Ice defenders clearly have a way to apply ice to the skin of their friends that doesn't give them ice burns or keep them from moving, but Engagers can't do that. Electric Controllers can generate a Conductive Aura around them that gives them constant +HP and +end, but they can't share that with others. UNLESS they are also Electric Affinity users, where suddenly they can use electricity to heal others. Is an Electric/Force Field controller just more selfish than an electric/electric, or do they just have powers that work differently? Engagers might be immune themselves to Ice, Fire, Energy, etc. the same way Tankers are, but they can't make others immune the way a defender can. Just like Defenders can't safely cover themselves in ice but can cover others. Just like blasters can fire ice and summon ice storms, but not cover themselves in ice for protection. Engagers have the skill to use their powers and weaponry as traps or attacks, and use the secondary affect to help them survive via healing or absorb. They aren't defenders who can do the opposite (use it to attack or protect others but not themselves) or Tankers (use them to attack and protect themselves via armors). You're apply standards to this conceptual archetype that doesn't apply to -any other archetype- in the game.