Ironblade

If brute force doesn't work, you're not using enough of it.

Firstly, I've only been recreating characters I had on live so I already know what kind of +recovery or type of defense they might need. I had 37 50's so it's probably going to be a while before I create any 'new' characters. For a powerset I'm not familiar with, there will be some experimentation and respec'ing as they level up. If a character is going to need +recovery, stealth, -KNB, +3% defense unique or something like those, I'll slot it as early as possible. After that, I start slotting sets around level 32 (level 35 IO's). For the overwhelming majority of my characters, these will never get replaced. I think I only ever had 2 characters that I respec'ed at 50 to fully optimize their builds - my main, Ironblade, and a dominator. By the time I get to around level 40, I have *ALL* the IO's I will need for the final build sitting in my trays waiting to be slotted as I level up. In my experience, this gives me pretty good builds and really doesn't involve much effort or investment. I only worry about absolutely mix/maxing my main (who is currently vet level 29 - he gets played a lot). As for what IO's to slot, don't overlook frankenslotting. Sometimes it's super effective and super cheap. For example, +regen is generally the first bonus in a set that offers it. I had an invuln tank with +360% regen. That amount of regen on tank hit points with Dull Pain is just brutal. And it was dirt cheap. I'm pretty sure that build only cost me 80-100 million back on live - it would be much less now. My average build back then was 200-300 million. Ironblade's build cost me around a billion but was worth more like 4 billion at the high point of the market. My opinion is that you can get about 3/4 of optimum character performance for a pittance and that's really all you need unless it's going to be one of your main characters.

Yep. I've been on teams that did it with zero holds and it's a pain. Even worse than the Kahn TF that was all DPS with no tanks or brutes.

Sorry for not doing my part. Back on live, I had 4 catgirls. So far, I have recreated only one.

I'm pretty sure there is no limit on shards or threads. There are definitely limits on incarnate merits as noted in the iTrial summary here: https://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Incarnate_Trial

No! That's socialism! Seriously, though, your entire post is based on the premise that this income imbalance is a problem. It isn't. It's simply a fact of life in pretty much every video game that has some sort of currency. And the top two classes don't earn "too much" because that's not a thing.

Yep. This was known back on live, also. That's why I took Void for my Judgement power.

And there you are doing it again. You're stating that he CHOOSES to take your language in a certain way. It's all on him. Personally, I usually skip over your posts because IN MY OPINION they come across as abrasive and antagonistic. It takes two (or more) to engage in effective communication. If a significant number of people are reacting to your posts in a negative manner, then communication has failed. Maybe some people are too thin-skinned and maybe you're too blunt. I can't say that one of those is predominant or what the ratio is, but the job of communicating isn't being accomplished because emotional reactions are getting in the way.

I kind of figured that, since I'm taking it to tier 4, but wanted to ask.

Yep, I had one character like this for a long time before shutdown. Taiga Tigress was a mild-mannered (and short) librarian who changed into a 7-ft were-smilodon (i.e. a really tall catgirl with correct coloration for a sabre-toothed tiger).

Okay. 1 reply and 93 views. Since I checked a few times, I guess that's about 88 people who read that reply and didn't disagree. 🙂

Hey, I'm buying up my 2nd and 3rd Destiny powers. I remember that we need Clarion for the Underground trial - WHICH Clarion power is best for the trial? P.S. I have my favorite Lore pets (Seers for psi damage and the Fortitude), but which one is best for pure damage output? I want to get a good DPS pet also.

Really nice look. I was working on a new character and needed access to a Pillar of Ice and Flame to get a mission so I could get the Ouro badge, etc. So many of the public transport hub bases have ONLY the teleporters and didn't think about the Pillar, invention table, etc. This base has all the key items AND looks awesome. Bravo.

What's that supposed to mean? Is that directed at me? 😛

To be fair, I thought the "Put one foot in front of the other" reference was from the elf in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I had to search for it. I just knew it wasn't Snow Miser.

Yes, BUT, a thousand servers running in people's basements is not a community. If NCSoft decides to take action, there would be no more servers with thousands online.

Dude, you need to up your game. Firstly, I think you mean Snow Miser. But that song is actually from 'Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town' from a scene with Kris Kringle and the Winter Warlock.

You are mistaken. DRAMATICALLY so. Back on live, at the time of shutdown, I tracked my money in a spreadsheet. Not so that I knew which character had money, but so I knew which characters had room to hold more. I had 57 billion influence at shutdown. How much was from farming? I'd estimate about 1-2% at most. I would clear a Council map with my fire/kin once or twice per month for variety. Farming bored me. I had thousands upon thousands of reward merits. In fact, I tracked how many Ironblade earned in total - 8597. And he spent a bit over 2500. And how did I amass this wealth? By playing the game. In particular, I enjoy task forces and trials. Back on live, I ran over 600 TFs or trials in some years. Your point #2 is of little concern as AE is a niche activity. Point #3 circles back to your #1 and is just as wrong. Point #4 is also wrong. My "third party app" for figuring out IO's is Microsoft Excel (which I use for every game I play, from EQ2 to Minecraft to CoH). I love Excel. The Incarnate system isn't that complicated. In a way, it's like IO's - you can get as far into the weeds AS YOU WANT. If you want to be a key player on iTrials and TF Master runs, then knock yourself out. If you just want to upgrade your character with a kick-ass build, that's pretty cheap and easy. Now, I get that you end by saying this is not a rant and I agree, it isn't. You also say it's your "experience and opinion", but you make many statements of fact, like "The only viable way to make money for end game IOs is to create a fire farmer." which are FACTUALLY INCORRECT. You're certainly welcome to your opinion. So perhaps this is the only way YOU have found to buy end-game IO's. That doesn't make it THE only way. I fully recognize that the way I play is not the only way to play. My girlfriend uses Mids Hero Planner (or Pine? whatever is is now) for her IO planning. I just made a fire/fire brute for farming because she wanted to farm and felt it would be more fun together. So I don't have any problem with farming per se - I just find solo farming boring. So I made more inf than I could ever spend by other methods.

Not to mention, "the person who knew how this worked has since left and we're afraid to touch it now."

Thank you. Have now included that entire directory in my overnight back-ups. FYI, my full path was C:\Users\(my login name)\AppData\Local\NCSoft\CoX\VisitedMaps

This - "within reason". Positron at +4 is not within reason. (Or +3, or +2 or even +1 for Posi.) For an ITF, "within reason" can range from skipping the cyst ambushes to killing every living thing on the final map. I'm up for either.

Well, that sounds like someone with control issues or a strong preconception that their way is the only way. Running the low level TFs at +0 is *NOT* a speed run. Stealthing where you can in a tedious, low level slogfest like Synapse or Citadel is *NOT* a speed run. And, to directly address that persons comment, accepting a place on a TF doesn't bind me to jack. If they broadcast for a TF and make no mention of any special conditions, then we start and it's at +4, I am bound to NOTHING. I retain free will. If it's a TF below level 30 or so, I'll ask if it's intentional. If so, I'll see how it goes for a mission or two. If the team genuinely can't handle it - I'm gone. I am under no obligation to suffer because someone has delusions of might. P.S. On a side note, my default assumption when someone is recruiting for one of the Weekly Strike Targets is that we will be trying to get it done quickly. Maybe not a 'speed run', per se, but sure as hell not killing everything on the map in every Synapse mission. P.P.S. I fully recognize that I can get away with some 'assumptions' because I usually lead the TF's I'm on. I generally run them the way that I think is 'normal' for that TF. If I plan anything other than a 'normal' run, I announce it as such.

On a side note, I just soloed Talshak's arc to unlock Karsis on another character. Talshak's arc rewards THIRTY merits. I just soloed it on an invuln tank and it was a breeze. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take note of the time required.

OMG REALLY!?!?!?! This bug has existed for about five minutes less than FOREVER!