Draeth Darkstar

There are a lot of changes on Thunderspy that I don't like, but the Mastermind updates they did are awesome. I would really like to see Homecoming take their own swing at MM love. It's by far the most unique thing about CoH, mechanically.

I think OP means the bit that covers the underside of the jaw:

Heya folks. Trying my hand at a Proc Monster build with a Plant/Storm and I'd love any feedback or suggestions I can get. This'll be my first Stormie and first Controller build since The Time Before and I'm a little rusty. As I see it: Pros: Lots of procs (of course) Perma hasten Softcapped S/L and Ranged, small purple from E/N Doesn't need Super Speed for stealth, nice for Control positioning with Hover/Fly Cons: End drain is pretty high and Storm is end hungry. Ageless 100% required Weak ST attack chain No room for Frost Breath Gave up a couple proc opportunities to get the recharge and defense up there This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.4.7 https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Seelie Queen: Level 50 Magic Controller Primary Power Set: Plant Control Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning Power Pool: Flight Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Ice Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Strangler -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Slow%(3), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(7), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(7), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(46), NrnSht-Dam%(46) Level 1: Gale -- Empty(A) Level 2: Roots -- SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), SprWiloft-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(19), SprWiloft-EndRdx/Rchg(25), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(25), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(37), SprWiloft-Rchg/Dmg%(40) Level 4: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(5), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(5) Level 6: Fly -- Frb-Stlth(A) Level 8: Seeds of Confusion -- CrcPrs-Conf(A), CrcPrs-Conf%(9), CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx(9), CrcPrs-Conf/Rchg(11), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg(17), CrcPrs-Acc/Rchg(19) Level 10: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(11) Level 12: Steamy Mist -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFrt-Def(13), RedFrt-Def/Rchg(13), RedFrt-EndRdx(15), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg(15), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(17) Level 14: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 16: Freezing Rain -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 18: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(46) Level 20: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(21), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(21) Level 22: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(23), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(23) Level 24: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A), HO:Cyto(50) Level 26: Carrion Creepers -- SprOvrPrs-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), SprOvrPrs-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(27), PstBls-Dam%(27), JvlVll-Dam%(29), Ann-ResDeb%(29), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(31) Level 28: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 30: Vines -- SprOvrPrs-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(A), SprOvrPrs-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(31), SprOvrPrs-Rchg/Energy Font(31), GldNet-Dam%(34), UnbCns-Dam%(37), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(43) Level 32: Fly Trap -- ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(A), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExpRnf-Dmg/EndRdx(33), AchHee-ResDeb%(34), TchofLadG-%Dam(34) Level 35: Tornado -- OvrFrc-Dam/KB(A), ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(36), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(36), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(37), FrcFdb-Rechg%(43) Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Apc-Dmg/Rchg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Apc-Acc/Rchg(39), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Apc-Dam%(40), ExpStr-Dam%(40) Level 41: Ice Blast -- Dcm-Acc/Dmg(A), Dcm-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Dcm-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Dcm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Dcm-Build%(43), ImpSwf-Dam%(45) Level 44: Frozen Armor -- LucoftheG-Def(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(45), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(45) Level 47: Ice Storm -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(48), Artl-Dam/Rech(48), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(48), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(50), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(50) Level 49: Victory Rush -- EndMod-I(A) Level 1: Containment Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(3) Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 50: Nerve Radial Paragon Level 50: Ion Core Final Judgement Level 50: Spectral Radial Flawless Interface Level 50: Ageless Core Epiphany Level 50: Control Core Embodiment Level 50: Storm Elemental Core Superior Ally ------------

If I remember correctly, the only Hero Archetype you can get somewhat close to the original experience with is the Scrapper. Controllers, Defenders, Blasters, and Tankers have all had significant improvements to their Inherent power that made them all much more powerful, especially solo. Blasters and Defenders are basically off the table entirely since they've had such enormous buffs to the Ranged Blast sets (insant snipes, crashless nukes, DPA buffs for tier 1-2-3 blasts) and also all Blaster secondary sets (more controls, sustain powers, orders rearranged to make them better for leveling) on top of that. Controllers are a whole different animal with Containment and Overpower, they were nigh impossible to solo with in Issue 0, and Tankers have had their base damage increased by 20% on top of the massive increase to their AoE size with the new Gauntlet. It's an interesting thought experiment, but honestly it sounds like torture to me. I do wish all the best to anyone who wants to give it a go, though.

Right! It's been an age since I looked at Night Ward, totally forgot about that.

It really is a bizarre choice that somebody decided to drop that big reveal in the AE description. As far as I know, it's never referenced anywhere else, and I'm pretty sure the only appearance Odysseus makes in-game is his MKSF debut. I do think the way that one ends makes it pretty apparent that whoever wrote it (Probably Sean McCann? I think he was the one working on the redside revitalization) had plans to continue that story, but never got the chance because of the sunset. It does add a second tie to the Warriors into the Incarnate lore, so maybe what they were going for was to retcon them out of using magical enhancements and into pursuing Incarnate powers, but that's just speculation. It might be a more interesting way to take them than Better Hellions, at least?

That's fair. It wasn't intended to be critical.

If you decide to do this, please make a plot point out of it instead of it just suddenly being different. From the original City of Heroes site description of the group (preserved here) "The Warriors are a fierce street gang in Paragon City. They operate primarily out of the Talos Island and Striga Isle zones. Their membership is wide and varied, and they don’t seem to discriminate based on ethnicity, race, or religion. The one common trait that all members share is the ability to fight and to fight well." Notice what's missing there? Gender. The Warriors are the exact type of dudebro cult that I have always thought to have intentionally been written as sexist. They're obsessed with the ancient Greeks, after all - an extremely misogynistic society. As much as I am completely, 100% for diversity of all types, I would hate to see it added in a retcon instead of a plot development. This is a perfect opportunity to make a point out of prejudice being a weakness. Also, as far as peoples' image of the Warriors being "all natural," that's not really accurate to what the lore has always said. Also from the original lore: "The Warriors’ martial skills are also seemingly enhanced by some exposure to magical energies. Nowhere is this enhancement clearer than among the bosses, although some suspect that the lieutenants and even some of the street soldiers have also benefited from a magical blessing. The Smasher Elite, Slasher Elite, and Hewer Elite are not only expert fighters, but are magically tough and resilient. Inexperienced heroes may be surprised the first time they land a powerful blow to see the Warrior laugh it off and strike back just as hard... Rumors suggest a man named Odysseus founded the Warriors after he stole a magical artifact from a defeated hero, or possibly did a favor for the Circle of Thorns, or even sold his soul to an Arachnos mystic. To date he has remained hidden, directing his soldiers from the highest levels." The AE description states: "After making a deal with a demon prince, David Odysseus Hill formed one of the most powerful gang forces in Paragon City. In fact, he now leads the coalition of gangs known as Smuggler's Run. All of the Warriors gain power by drinking from an ancient mystical urn given to Odysseus by the demon. It is whispered around Paragon City that the urn is connected to the Well of the Furies. With his own highly trained fighting force adding the muscle provided by the Hellions and Outcasts, this group is a threat to take over all gang activity in Paragon City. " Calling them a "purely Natural" group is very, very disingenuous inaccurate.

Y'all are wild with your "I don't like politics," playing a superhero game. Superheroes were invented to express political (specifically liberal) views. The genre is inherently political. Superman is a literal Jewish Golem created as a symbol against anti-Semitism in 1938 (read: the beginning of the Holocaust). The first published image of Captain America is of him punching Adolf Hitler in the face on the cover of Captain America #1 in 1941.

Which is exactly what I'm asking for. There's an update in testing right now. No one outside that test has any idea what's in it, and while there may be some experimental features, it certainly isn't all, especially in the broad strokes. Take Page 1, for example: You could describe one of the key features of that patch as "Making a balance pass over Blaster secondary sets," without getting into any of the changes that were being experimented with.

I'm not in any way trying to levy blame at you or anyone else, individually. Your collective (lack of) post history is sort of what I'm getting at, though. Both you all and the community could mutually benefit from somebody who's sole job it is just to communicate that Stuff is, in fact, Happening, whether you're too busy to talk about it or not. Hell, I'll volunteer for the job myself, while acknowledging there are a great many people more qualified than I am. I do at least understand code and technical jargon and have a healthy amount of experience translating that into business-speak, which is similar, if not the same. I'll be working remotely for my day job for the foreseeable future, so I've got time to kill and I could use some more humans to talk to.

I think something as small as, "Hey folks, we're starting internal testing for Page 2, and our goal for this one is [lead feature]," would have been perfectly satisfactory. There's no need to reinvent the wheel with every post, of course, but there's also no need for there to be zero public information about what's currently being tested for the next release.

100% agreed. That said, it was the also the only post of its kind in 2020 if I'm not forgetting one, and everything in it that was at all specific is already in the wild. It's been five months now, and four since the Issue 27, Page 1 patch notes, which was the last time anything was shared about the state of the project apart from donation information and, I think, one post about some new Dev's Choice arcs? That's quite a lot of time for nobody to be talking about what's on the horizon (or anything, really), especially when we know that there's a closed beta going on.

There'll be flame wars from bad actors no matter when the information drops. I don't feel that's a good reason to leave everyone else totally clueless.

That's fair. There are certainly advantages to phased testing. Maybe the real problem is that the only information coming out to the larger community is, itself, the open beta testing phase. That's not your problem to solve, given what your position is, but I do feel it's a real problem for this community to have such long periods of near-to-total radio silence from the Powers That Be, given the history. Maybe the Homecoming team needs some Community Managers to engage with people more and write roadmaps and such.

IIRC, I switched from mostly testing Blaster changes to mostly testing Energy Melee, but that's not really important. I'll definitely take you up on that, but - I think this says what I was trying to communicate better than I did. I'll happily put in the work to test regardless of how it's done, but I still don't feel that a very long closed beta phase followed by a short open beta is the best way to manage testing for a community with CoH's relatively low population and rocky history with inclusion.

I'd love to know what I did to do it, then. I did quite a bit of testing for Page 1 powers changes and additions, and from what I remember seeing, my feedback was pretty thorough and much more polite than a lot of the more... let's say "aggressive," folks on the Beta boards at the time. I did, back before Homecoming was even a Thing. I was one of the people who helped connect Cipher and Leandro after OG Torchbearer was taken down.

Just... run... an open beta... for testing...? I'm a professional software engineer. The purpose of closed betas is almost entirely business-oriented once you're past the load stability stage. As Homecoming is not a business, and City of Heroes is a nearly 20 year old MMO that does not have load stability problems... it really serves no purpose at all to control information with a closed beta and it unarguably feeds into the ugly, cliquey in-crowd, out-crowd nature of the community that is most obviously exemplified by the whole... 6 year secret server debacle. The larger community deserves better than to be kept in the dark for months upon months at a time while the feedback of a handful of players is all that's really ever considered for serious review behind closed doors, which aside from the social aspects, leads to predictable self-selection bias problems that Piecemeal just admitted to which would be obvious to anyone who's not too close to the painting to see the picture.

Do keep in mind that DB on Stalkers is completely different from all of the other melee ATs, moreso than any other set. The stalker combos are widely considered to be better, and the addition of an Assassin's Strike to an otherwise very slow animating set increases its single target damage far beyond what the others can do. https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Dual_Blades#Combination_Attacks

This right here is just cause and effect. I know this community just loves its secret elitist cliques, but we're small enough at this point that this handpicked closed beta cabal is causing more problems than it's ever going to solve, and it also creates a deafening silence from the people in-the-know for 90% of the time to the rest of us.

Thanks, Aberrant. So basically, this fixes them being the strongest Lore pet. I wonder where they'll shake out now.

Could we get some detail on what these fixes are? 'Fixed' doesn't tell us how it was broken or what changed.

Force Fields - the entire set. It's got a special place in my heart, it was my first 50 (Bots/FF) and I love it conceptually, but it is a terrible powerset. As far as individual powers go, Psionic Tornado is probably my #1. It's so cool looking. And so, so weak, especially for how long the animation is. One of the worst DPA AoEs in the game and yet it's my favorite. Demon Summoning's whip attacks because they look awesome but they're garbage due to Reasons, with an honorable mention for all the rest of Mastermind's personal attacks. The entire Mercenaries set. Bane Spiders as a whole. Kinetic Melee. Ice Control... Gosh, this game does still have a lot of old powersets that really need some love.

Good thought. I'm not sure where I'll pull the slots from, though. Maybe dumping Maneuvers is the way to go for a low slot alternative. I figure my cone aiming is going to be limited by Soul Tentacles' shorter range, so I went more for slotting that one for Range instead. It's still smaller than Psychic Scream, but they're closeish as is.

Lately I've gotten the kick to play a psychic, and I've been having a lot of fun with a Fortunata. It's wild to have so much blasting power with status protection and team support, it's like what a Sentinel should be. I'm curious about exploring the other options though, and I'd like to hear what people have been having fun with since there's so many. Psy/Kin Corruptor? Grav/Psi Dominator? Psy/Mental Blaster? Something else entirely?