Psi-bolt

It would be nice if we could pick up the hostage. Even if that came with a debuff.

We need a tongue sticking out emoji. EDIT: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abstruse

From the description of those both pro and anti the current implementation of procs, procs are an abstruse mechanic. They might be fair in some instances and not fair in others, but do procs have a major affect on balance? It seems to me that most players don't have a significant enough understanding of the mechanics to capitalize on procs and even where players do, it really doesn't make a character so much better than someone who does more conventional slotting. Personally, I think that making the mechanics more plain and easy to understand would be the first adjustment that should be made. Then we would have a better baseline to see if they are a problem.

I wish we could buy temporary charges of this power.

My primary issue is with the content itself, not its rewards. I don't think the Ms. Liberty TF, for example, should be soloable at all. No matter the rewards. Obviously some TFs like the ITF are soloable, but I think if the TF rewards Alpha components or better (e.g. Apex) then it shouldn't get this treatment.

I agree with this except for the endgame TFs like Kahn, Lady Grey, ITF, etc. Basically anything that gives Incarnate salvage. Even with lesser rewards, the story behind those IMO just don't support them being solo adventures even though some can be soloed with powerful builds.

As I said above, I don't really care about OTHER players' knockback that much. I would prefer you not Nova that spawn that I just cast Blizzard over, but I'll live. As a melee, I don't care one bit, especially on my Tanks. If the squishies decide to do things that make it harder for me to protect them, then I wish them well. I'll just move on to the next spawn. Of course they are options and yes, these are my choices to avoid this set and other sets/powers with AoE KB. But what other secondary effect is there that players feel the need to work around? Or have to 'learn' to use? I mean, the "learn" to use it argument is the one that really is insane to me. Does a Fire Blaster have to learn to use a DoT? Does the Psychic have to learn to use the -recharge. And so on and so forth. Most secondary effects even if they don't do a whole lot, don't require positioning or having to modify your playstyle or slotting an enhancer to turn them off. All I think they should do is add a power to the START vendor that applies a -30 MAG debuff to your powers with KB and applies a .67 buff to KB that ignores buffs and enhancements. Now, I do recognize that there will be some people who will auto kick any Energy Blaster, Peacebringer, etc. that refuses to use them. But IMO it would open the set up to more people making it an reasonable tradeoff. I'm mostly in "old man yelling at cloud" mode at this point. I don't expect any changes, but heck I didn't expect them to return Regen to glory and they did that so hope remains alive.

As I just finished another Blaster, I have been thinking of doing just this, slotting the two AoEs with KB-KD and ignoring the others. But I know I'll just find myself at the character create screen and wind up with a psychic blaster or something! 😆

I don’t think anyone finds auto powers annoying. As for playing level 50s, I wish I could manage my severe altoholism, but no I play lowbies quite regularly. Finally, I don’t doubt that you’ve had some fun all-KB teams. I just want a choice. I like the look of Energy Blast and if I could just suppress its KB I would play the set. I’m not going to buy an expensive enhancement for all my powers because other sets have secondary effects that don’t have the same interactions with other powers and don’t require such an enhancement.

Without knowing anything about their agreement with NCSoft, the best way to improve the resources of the game is to provide them resources in the form of money. Either provide a voluntary subscription or allow real money transactions for some in-game items. Both of those can be considered toxic by different groups of players.

I have no issue with this idea, but I think it would be easier if contacts just gave you their phone number after first meeting them like with Task Forces. It's rather silly that contacts are stingy with their contact info when you're risking life and limb to do their missions.

Perhaps, but I don't think any honest broker would argue that Energy Blast, for example, is a popular set. That could be for other reasons, but I would suggest that its KB is a core reason that people don't want to use the set. I don't complain about KB either nor do I see many people complain about KB. I think in the current state of the game on Homecoming that's primarily because things are streamlined to the extent that the clear efficiency lost from KB powers is mitigated by the game being easy enough that it really doesn't matter. Basically, I think I am like most players in that while KB can be annoying at times, it's not worth getting upset about. Honestly, the biggest argument in favor of KB is that it's fun and thematic. From a gameplay standpoint, its benefits are far outweighed by the lost of efficiency. It's not just melees either. I was playing my Ice Blaster recently and a SS character used Hand Clap on a spawn. Well with the enemies spread out like that, using either of my location AoEs would have been a waste. I didn't sweat it, like I said, I don't care that much. I just moved on to the next spawn and let the melee clean up his own mess. There are a LARGE number of powers that benefit from having enemies tightly clumped up. Many AOE powers, many buff powers, debuffs, etc. That's just a fact. KB, whatever its benefit, interferes with maximizing the use of those powers. That it does so has caused many players to avoid KB powers in my observation. I PUG almost every session I play and I rarely see sets with substantial KB or even individual powers with AOE KB. This makes sets like Energy Blast very uncommon even though it's a cool looking set. I think the various developer teams from live and Homecoming don't want to change this because of players like you who really enjoy using KB. The undeniable feeling of power that comes from tossing enemies all around is fun. That's cool, I can understand that perspective.

Didn't most people survive by not playing sets and/or powers with KB? Personally, I tend to think that the KB to KD should just be a free power that you can buy at SMART that suppresses all your KB powers.

In the D&D campaign I am currently in, an Earth Elemental was hiding in a wall and got surprise on our Paladin with a smash. I'm all for Stalker Stone! I also think re: Tanker/Brute Ninjitsu that you would need to boot Blinding Powder. That could be a good place for a taunt aura though. If they wanted to be fancy you could do that silly thing they do no Naruto where they create Shadow Clones of themselves. It could be only a visual cue too, and just be a normal taunt aura otherwise.

Recognizing the issues with Rage discussed in your other thread, I still don't see why it would be a big deal to proliferate SS to Scrappers/Stalkers. Hand Clap obviously becomes Assassin's Blow/Smash/Knockout or whatever. I don't think you can just go with Build up, but it seems to me that a +DMG/+To-Hit toggle (so no crash) called something like "Focused Strength" with perhaps equal to-hit but much less damage buff (25-40%) could work.

That Stalkers don't have War Mace is really surprising since that's basically what Bane Spiders are. I do think thematically, Ninjutsu is a little silly for a Tanker/Brute. I'm all for silly, but the changes that would need to be made to that set for it to function as a Tanker would change the character of the set so much that it would be functionally no longer Ninjutsu.

Although it would devalue base portals a bit, I think just having an exit portal that goes everywhere a player has access to would work. Have that exit portal be off to the side somewhere. The entrance portal could stay the same.

Recently, I stopped using Mids, and just build the characters as I go. I also really pay attention to how they are doing in the content that I play the most (TFs). Outside of Tankers and Brutes who are soaking up damage, I've found that an excessive focus on min-maxing really makes a lot of characters less fun. Even focusing on damage can make a character less fun than they could be. It's a hard habit to break, but I think it's worth it because having dozens of soft-capped, max damage monsters is cool, but then you start to wonder why not just play one character; why keep building new characters if the concept always devolves into unkillable steamroller.

I think that's the key that I wasn't thinking about. I respecced into it, and added two procs and I like it a lot. I kept Aqua Bolt because I just like that animation more than Hydro. But liking the attack chain at present.

That's not what I'm asking for. I'm asking specifically for the TF to be shortened. I feel this way for the Shadow Shard TFs as well. As I have stated multiple times in the thread, I think TFs get the most engagement when they are 4-6 missions. A global accolade would greatly reduce the number of runs of Synapse. I want people to do Synapse. I just want Synapse to not have random filler. As for your comment about "good exp task forces," I guess I don't understand this. By what metric are we saying that Synapse is "good exp." The best exp TF for that level range is probably Positron 2. Two zones with most occurring in Faultline. Still have clockwork, but you have Lost, Vahz, and CoT as well. Shorter so you can crank up the difficulty without it taking two hours. Once you cross into level 20, Yin beats Synapse on exp per time spent by a lot given it occurs all in IP.

Agreed wholeheartedly. I think this is why both the reconstituted Positron TFs and Yin are so much better. Positron has always been about the three villain groups designs on the dam and that changes it up in both parts. With Yin, the break with the Council getting involved for...reasons is a nice interlude.

Question: why Dehydrate over Aqua Bolt? Or neither? Not a challenge, I'm thinking about my own Water/Marine build and I didn't really consider Dehydrate because of its cast time

I agree with you obviously on shortening the TF, but I wanted to comment on this. The great thing about this 21 year old game is that there is literally no end of stuff to do to level up. TFs, at least in my opinion, are opportunities to showcase major villains and their plots (Posi, Synapse, Manticore, LGTF), culminate stories (KHTF, ITF), and/or explore the lore (Moonfire). They give great exp since you're often on teams, but the teams running radio/paper missions are almost always available. Besides that Yin, is run much more often for exp than Synapse since most people don't sign up for that slog more than once per characters (outside of the WST).

I think having to do the whole Freedom Phalanx makes sense and the TFs are introductions to the members of the Freedom Phalanx, so I think it's fine to have to do them. I think it should be changed because all the old TFs should be changed. TFs should be no more than 6 missions or so. Citadel would absolutely be next on my list, if I were the devs. I mean the story of Synapse can be told in one sentence, "Stop the Clockwork King's plot to siphon power from Steel Canyon and defeat the King." Citadel can be described as "Stop Vandal's plot to use misuse Citadel's technology." Neither of those require 9-10 missions to accomplish. They were created in a time when there was a LOT less content. Basically none of the TFs that came later were built this way. See e.g. KHTF, the ITF, LGTF, etc.

This would be my preferred option too. Personally, I would just write a shorter snappier story ala the Yin TF that is 5 missions.