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The look of it is, in my opinion, the best part. It's completely and utterly unique - other powers like the Mace and the Guns can be used by other classes. Also the closest we can get to tentacle powers like Dr Octopus or Omega Red. Not the same, obviously, but god knows if I was a superhero I'd want huge mechanical claws/arms that do things for me because I'm lazy 😄

Consider this post part love-letter to the devs, part request for build advice, and part just discussing one of the coolest looking ATs in the game. To begin? Kudos to the artists and devs who worked on the Crab spiders, both the NPC and PC variants. The huge claws look just cool as shit, the animations are fantastic. They look and feel impressively powerful to use. I know that as a crab I could keep using my arachnos gun, and it may in fact be more advantageous to do so - but c'mon. Those arms are GREAT! Why wouldn't I want to use them instead? Then there's the powers they get. I love playing as Masterminds and Crabs being quasi-masterminds but more active is right up my alley. Sacrifice some support in exchange for a huge amount of extra offense? Sign me up baby! So I went and put together a fun build that, IMO, gives me all the coolest looking attacks the archetype has. Perhaps not the most effective (I'm guessing that this build is actually seriously mediocre) but the powers I chose are the ones that feel badass to use, the ones that make me grin as I lay down suppression and summon in bombs and nuke the crap out of my enemies. That said, I acknowledge it's not ideal - but I'd like to try to get the most out of it that I can! And I'm hoping someone here might be able to look at what I've got, and perhaps offer some constructive criticism on slotting. Specifically, I'd really love to be able to get my pets out 100% of the time, and load up the rest of my abilities with as much damage and defense as I can. Could anyone give me some assistance here? |MBD;14087;942;1256;BASE64;| |GwY3ACwK7Ab6bpFEmB9vfJohtK4U6dqzvKUua4Rybw+bH/szsmbR6eqr00XKVy8LtAW| |Y0mfsu/fd7Ktql9BLf/0V1dKHjL5xA5pIjHf/q6Uzd+NjNMrgFrqySPj7fUrpqpS6SR| |cyg4pmUCgmFlcdzkdi7VF/L7R7BxJkHCriVGMO2Q60enrqHrHIIRXdmfrDWhRM2344L| |g8jCPItFNKdm74C8JCGKETFTQT6Gvmg0xfnBX0zljjQkOpWc/kBtLuHur+NEVJf5iv8| |547ogf+qiN5gM8MERLTJCctXFNcwpKYM8bLg0s0fGiGW8KTX59uHQ4TSZPlEburjYe6| |7lJCLubQhQuExq87CTVpHvtV7Qw/xY72PMiHrWbUlxCxvpqhc3tH9B5C4HnRpLfcdh0| |0quIOmFd80mGvV3V1R9IGdjNXOe76XmATxRwx/HwdT/RjJZGMeTMn/gAk05BNph9fnP| |VKcsu9LqDiGvRCwfFqvQ0dTm+N4rgAPBW+jMaBB6Bvbqfo99hXmSlHlOFlTHboW2qv9| |/9wzkQBbjduEyzx+BQ1/4ZSI6SH6H/kXZ+mDSeIEm5RDs8y4xfqaMQFPAT8iyCiZR57| |XP5n2rdnZks9L0sT635g7TrSAr20L3sIMldRlr5tvA76FnjnYMM+qWaap247xAn6FiZ| |57XyZrBT+S5TP7c4/U1CpjU5OJ4Xwgts0Z9VW/xCqYMh00k8CyMsx7lydfmE9uAZMGx| |eRMwFN8GWsO35LnIn5dCh8OoFoHTfxVYVRXOBumcAaP3bXTNecGfEs963Xp0JmunBd5| |ydZPyPA9cuBMQJM4aKYES+lCpsFyTaXPlw1SK8lBjHuqR+qtdSQOTRPGhl98DCSWg9W| |vFlZWlFpLa6JLg48sLWaj+tkimDgLIz1YqczaNvDM6fZS43g2dasm5wWDTWatHTSUoO| |eg8U0yBjumEO9eqG5arED1K2Qe5AXvRvKzzEzEmdrImYCnhB/J883jl3ksdJTcy8PFa| |h8YviBrzgX4EsHkGJDqL80icpTwFytF5ct5wWCtRWtl4RF2rAigY2jcxxqRt8VOVL9T| |BJXpoBYzbMN0y3iOSltnfopvvM+DykGejfjVkJJbu0pXueLGeAA/0udbEuN4MZqIjB9| |M9gYyeov28qBAkJDPQW+OO9rYIqvv+/M7q3Wib/wB/0OFWgrrV3fsJAvHH2v8x3AtBP| |ipd5LO49+7U+l+PM0LphNtAP9fpkw1WelfTLuTrNebH4WlVdcO|

Most of the powers and whatnot are pretty self-explanatory, but there's a few things I'm unclear about. 1) Wormhole. What is the point of this power? I'm struggling to see the use for it. 2) Singularity - what's the best way to slot this power in particular? 3) Fulcrum Shift - Is this power auto-hit? Mid's doesn't show an accuracy but it shows you CAN slot accuracy enhancements, so I'm wondering if they're necessary or if that's a trap. 4) Since I have Transference for endurance, do I need to put a ton of Recovery IOs into Speed Boost or is that a waste?

I often find I have a difficult time with certain powersets such as Cold, Force Field, Sonic, etc. that lack in any healing capabilities. Medicine is one option available but without at least 3 power investment it's a slow, interruptible heal. Even enhanced it feels lacking compared to powerset heals. What I'm wondering is if there's some other solution I'm unaware of. A temporary power, a prestige power, a pet that has a regen or healing aura, something like that. Or do I just pick up Medicine and call it good?

I almost always play MMs because... they're interesting and unlike other MMO classes. I've been branching out a bit and come up with some fun character ideas - but I'm really not familiar with how best to slot my characters. Specifically, I've been wanting to try to build a water/pain corruptor. Probably not the most ideal of combos, but it's for a specific character idea I have. I just haven't got a clue what the best way to slot it would be! Which powers are useful to slot, which are a waste, etc. I know I'm going to pick up Fly/Hover/Evasive and GW will be my patron, but other than that I feel lost in the woods trying to figure out what to take, leave, and what powers deserve slots/which don't. Any chance someone out there with the experience I am lacking could put together a quick build in Mids that I could use as a reference to how best to slot that combo?

I suppose I'm just a bit overwhelmed with all the options on Blue. On Red, I've done so many of the great mission arcs - Television, Radio, Tons of really fun and interesting arcs are out there. But it's contained within a very specific set of zones and I don't have to worry about out-levelling if I don't want to. On the flip side you have COH. Where there's multiple overlapping similar-level zones like IP, Croatoa, Brickstown, etc. How do I know which arcs in which zones are the good ones that are fun and have interesting content vs how many are just busywork to help someone level? The well-written stuff vs the boring dreck?

I've spent hundreds of hours playing MMs. I just can't stay away - they're just the most fun I have in this game. My main is a Bots/FF and he's loads of fun, but lately I've been branching out. Mercs/Storm is amazing and I love watching the shells being thrown around with the winds. Necro is, of course, hilariously fun with ghosts and spirits and zombies everywhere. And who doesn't love throwing birds in other people's faces? But in the end, I always seem to come back to Bots and Mercs as my favorite sets. Now, I don't like to play solo. This game is just more fun in a group so that's my playstyle. I want my henchmen to be doing the damage while I aid my teammates. And that's what I like to focus on as a goal - Buffing friends, debuffing enemies, and doing OK damage so I don't feel useless. I'm not looking to top any damage charts but I don't want to be tickling enemies either! But I'm hoping to up my game a bit. There's a few things that are tough for me to decide upon and I'd like some advice on them. 1) Slotting - My initial instinct is always to 6-slot my 'main' powers (All the henchmen and my big Force Field Buffs), then slap entire sets in at once. But I see so many other people who 'frankenslot' and put a mix of various different things in different places. How can I tell when that should be done vs just going all in on a single set? Is there a good guide out there I can check out? I know I can just copy other people's sets, but I'm hoping to learn what to be actively looking for so I understand WHY other people slot the way they do. 2) Incarnate Powers - What's generally recommended for an MM, especially a bots/ff MM? My initial instinct is to go 'Nerve' to boost my bots' accuracy which always feels lacking, and get some Defense Buff power out of it. But on the other hand, my bots sure could use the +attack from musculature. The other bonuses it has aren't very helpful for me though. How does 'Interface' work with bots? Does it only offer procs on my attacks, or ALL of my bots attacks? Is there a clear winner for usefulness here? What are the other 'go to' Incarnate options, and why? 3) Auras, Procs, and Me. Obviously there are some really important IOs to get my mitts on first, because they grant auras. What I'm unsure of is how to determine what works where. A few examples of things I'm unsure about : Sovereign Right - Resist All. Does that apply to me as the MM or to my Pets? If it applies to pets, does it apply to all of them or just the ones I slot it into? Superior Command of the Mastermind - the AoE Defense Aura, does it center on me or on the pet it's slotted into? How do I know when an enhancement is a 'proc' versus when it's a constant effect? Do I specifically look for the word 'chance'? If I put a constant-effect IO into a healing power does it affect me all the time or does it affect the person I use the power on? (Panacea HP/End, Numina's Regen/Recovery, etc) 4) Lastly, how do level/incarnate shifts affect my pets? If I'm Level 50+1 does that make my Battle Drones level 47 or 48? This may sound kind of basic but the systems don't give me clear info to go on and I want to learn more details. Too much of my knowledge of the game predates IOs and Incarnate content.

I played a ton of CoH back in the day. Love the game, love the community. But recently I've introduced a few new people to the game and the discussion came up of stories, storylines, arcs, and Lore. Now obviously one can easily go to the Wiki to get lots of the plot and storylines, but why do that when they're in game? So I'm curious - approaching the game from a perspective of 'I don't know any of these groups!', what storylines are worth doing in what order to introduce a new player who isn't interested in just farming XP and hitting 50 ASAP to check out. Now obviously Villain-side is going to be easy - it's all linear! But hero side is much more spread out. There's a multitude of zones and I never know which contain fun and engaging storylines, and which are just sort of filler-ish. Are there good questlines in specific trial zones like the Hollows? How important are zones like Faultline? Are there good storylines that introduce major factions, like Praetorian Earth, the Carnival of Light, and the Banished Pantheon? What storylines should one do to experience major events like the big ones regarding Stateman? What order should 'Signature Arcs' be done in? Obviously this is a huge open-ended question but I'm trying to approach the game from a fresh perspective.

I definitely think that older content getting a revamp (TF/SF) to be available and challenging to higher end groups would be ideal. Weekly TF/SF helps encourage players to engage in that older content, and anything that can improve that and encourage more and more players to see some more of the game's content and zones is ideal. There are so many wonderful areas that just never get visited or used. So many zones that feel hardly ever touched. People run the same content over and over and while it's fun content, there's so much more that could be explored.

1) Super-speed allowing you to run up the side of vertical buildings. 2) Controller/Mastermind hybrid with control powersets primary, pet powersets secondary. 3) A new powerset similar to thermal (IE : Group heals and buffs) that buffs defense and not res. Cold would be ideal if it had an aoe heal. 4) Grappling Hook pool. Basically a targetted teleport but not instant, instead it 'pulls' you rapidly to the point you target and holds you there until you target a new spot. Customizable to look like a hook or webs or whatever. Powers would include movement hook, wrap (A hold), spinning strike (PBAoE of swinging it in a circle around you), and grab (Pulls an enemy to you). Just a few from the top of my head.

S'why I kept my suggestion to new pets. New pets is easy, you just pick a model, choose the powers, adjust the damage to be in line with other incarnates and you're done. It's as close to copy-paste as you're gonna get, but it's one that'll make the players happy (I absolutely guarantee Malta lore pets would be a hit).

Thank you for the continued support! Side question. The weekly discussion ~2 weeks ago was regarding underperforming powersets that need a boost. Are the powersets mentioned in that thread being looked at for possible patch or hotfix in the near future?

I can agree with those sentiments. For myself, much as I love the current supply of Lore pets the options for 'paramilitary themed' characters is severely lacking. Hence why I'd love it if Knives of Artemis or Malta were available. I'm a huuuuuuge fan of theming on my Lore choices.

Request : New Lore Pets. Knives of Artemis, and/or Malta Operatives. I really would love a Zeus titan lore pet. I can already see it - Malta Core Superior Ally would be a Zeus Titan side-by-side with a Gunslinger. It... would be so beautiful...

Just tossing out an idea here, see if anyone thinks it's interesting. The first EAT was Kheldians showing up. Before Issue 3 they weren't around. So what if the PEAT was something similar - an alien race showing up out of nowhere to ally with the Praetorians? Aliens like, say... another version of the Rikti?