Timeshadow

Thanks for your responses, guys. @Carnifax I was just reading your thread the other day. From my understanding, your macros basically turn TA's location-based AoEs into targeted AoEs, which sounds much more enjoyable than having to manually place the patches all the time. Do I have that right? @evetsleep Really appreciate the insight on Archery. I've heard the set can be kinda wimpy in terms of damage, largely due to some powers having longer animation times and the general suck of majority Lethal damage. Knowing that Scourge effects Rain of Arrows is a big plus in favor of a Corr. One of the things that's really stumped me is slotting. Should I focus primarily on +Rech to keep my debuffs available, +Def for more survivability, or some kinda frankenslotting to maximize the impact of my effects?

Greetings, Defenders. For the first time in a long time, I'm considering rolling a support AT. My very first character back in 2008 was a Defender but I found out pretty quickly that DPS was more my style. So what's brought me back to the more ally oriented side of things? A great concept, of course! I've got an idea for an Archery/TA toon but I'm torn between rolling it as a Defender or a Corr. I've heard about (and seen) the nasty debuffs TA can put out and I'd like to have at least one other toon (Besides my Khelds) that can do more for the team than just straight up kill stuff. I understand that the basic difference is a simple one. Defenders have stronger debuff values while Corrs are more damage focused. But that seems overly simplistic. What, specifically, am I missing and how do I choose between the two?

While I definitely like the concept of having form-specific powers automatically switch the character into their requisite form, I don't think the engine supports this. Maybe my binds are just out of date but I have to press the bound key twice, once to drop the form and a second time to fire off whatever power I want. My understanding is that's a hard technical limitation that can't be bypassed but I could be wrong. I have to agree with @Laucianna on the other proposed solutions to this. Frankly, I'm not sure complexity as a barrier to entry is necessarily a bad thing, provided that complexity isn't arbitrary and serves to give the AT a unique identity. I'd say Khelds definitely do this. You can play one in a more simplistic manner without being gimped but you won't be capable of the more high end feats that experienced players can pull off. IMO, that's less an issue than it is good management of the skill floor/ceiling that tends to be inherent in RPG shapeshifters. As for the lackluster WS Human form, I think that's another example of what distinguishes WS from PB. A PB can stay in Human form their whole career if they want. The only thing they lose by doing so is utility. WS is a different design philosophy altogether. All three forms are intended to be parts of a whole, giving the AT a more fluid playstyle than its counterpart. Do you have to get good at the form dance? Yeah, but that's the point. If someone wants to play Human-only without impacting the AT's core gameplay loop, PB is right there. The inherent is a problem, for sure. It's useless solo and, depending on team comp, might as well not exist in groups either. I'm not entirely sure what to do with it but my immediate thought is to have it buff you based on the number of mobs in your immediate vicinity. Maybe have different enemy classes (Minion, Lt, Boss, etc.) provide the different types of buffs? I dunno. Just a thought.

I think the larger issue with underwater design is that it's not fun. Plenty of MMORPGs have tried to do 3D combat underwater and it usually flops with the player base. Most famously, Blizzard developed a whole underwater zone for WoW a while back. It did not go over well. If you think about it, underwater movement would likely be similar to flying. That probably works ok for ranged toons but if you've ever tried to have a midair duel as melee, you know it's significantly less enjoyable.

So, so much. I first started playing CoH when I was a senior in high school in 2007. Growing up a superhero fan, this game was an outlet for fantasies I'd only been able to write about until then. Seeing them "come to life" and being able to experience them alongside other players doing the same thing was absolutely incredible. The next year, I went away to college. New school in a new state with all the new people and things that came along with moving. CoH was a link to the place I'd come from and a familiar comfort when adjusting was just too much to handle. I played off and on until the sunset in 2012. That was a hard day. It felt like losing the home I'd grown up in. Even now, I'm getting emotional just remembering it. I tried Champions Online, DC Universe, anything that might give me the feeling CoH did but nothing worked. The games themselves had merit but they just couldn't match that X-factor that made CoH the game I loved and looked forward to playing. Homecoming going public was, quite frankly, a miracle for me. Finding out that my game, my home, was still out there and I could go back to it? Man, I can't begin to tell you how happy I was to log in and see Paragon again in all its stylized glory. Coming back to the forums and seeing all the old names I'd bantered with over the years? If you'd told me I was dreaming then I probably would've believed you.

As others have said, PBs don't get the Hover animation for Combat Flight. Sadly, we're stuck with the regular Fly animation. Why? Nobody knows...

First of all, thank you all so much for bringing this game back and getting the community back together. When CoX originally shutdown, I tried every MMORPG out there in the hopes of finding a new home. Not one of them felt the same. Having this game and these people around is beyond anything I could've hoped for in those dark days of 2012. Second, please tell me that cow emoji means we've got an animal/monster-themed shapeshifter coming in i28! ...I mean obviously you can't tell me, tell me but y'know...tell me! 🥺

I'm planning on playing it normally, both while leveling and at 50+. Call me a traditionalist but I never PL or farm. Nothing against people who do. It's just boring to me.

It sounds like you want to play a Blapper type character, which we can already build. If you're saying you want more weapon based sets for such a character, I'm all for it but wouldn't it make more sense to accomplish that by just adding more Blaster secondaries?

Ok, here's what I managed to come up with. A couple notes/thoughts: I take some form of stealth on every character I run. I like being able to sneak objectives during TFs and whatnot or cut down time spent in missions when I'm solo. I've tried playing without it in favor of something more meta and I always find myself missing it. This build is super End heavy. Even with Physical Perfection slotted for +Recovery, the numbers indicate I'll be shredding through blue bar with all my toggles running. On another set, that wouldn't be a big deal because I'd have a +End click power but /Stone doesn't account for that and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm sure the build could be better with purps, Hamis, D-Syncs, etc. I'm a budget builder by choice so I pretty much never include those kinds of IOs in my setups. As always, your feedback is very much appreciated.

@Thraxen I'm thinking something along the same lines but I actually like the Ripper animation so I'm gonna take that too. I definitely like having some form of Accuracy/ToHit buff, both for ITFs and other content where mobs stack +Def and/or con purple to me. Taking the snipe for extra ST sounds great but I won't be doing any damage if I'm missing so I think I'll go with Body Mastery. The extra recovery will be great too. I'm working on an IO build now. Trying to focus on making myself as sturdy as possible with +Recharge as a secondary concern. I'll post it for feedback when it's ready.

Thanks for the insight, everybody. As I'm running up the levels (Currently 27) I find myself kinda hating Impale. The damage is fine and having a ranged attack early on is great but the animation is killing me. Not only does it have that goofy baseball inspired wind up but it takes soooooo long to go off. Feels like 9 times outta 10 my targets die of old age before Impale even connects. Now I'm wondering if @Grimm2 has the right idea about skipping it in favor of Barb Swipe. I'm still running without enhancements so I can't comment on the total performance just yet but that super drawn out activation time is a problem.

Greetings, mighty DPS Lords. I come humbly seeking your wisdom 🙇😝 So I've got a thematic idea for a Spines/Stone stuck in my head but, having never played Spines, I'm hoping to get some advice on how to build it. Here are my specific questions: What's the ST damage like? I understand Spines is an AoE focused set but as a Scrapper I like being able to focus down hard targets relatively fast. With Spines having just Barb Swipe, Lunge, and Impale for ST attacks, can I reasonably expect to be able to do this quickly? Is Throw Spines worth it? Normally, I'd balk at a T9 that only does (According to Mids) 101.5 unenhanced damage. There's the AoE component to consider but I'm wondering if I could skip it in favor of Barb Swipe for a more filled out ST chain while relying on Spine Burst, Quills, and Ripper to cover my AoE needs. What about Quills + Mud Pots? In theory, this seems like it'd be a great combo for passive AoE damage and some level of slows to keep mobs from getting away. Looking at an actual build though, it seems like power selection gets kinda tight and Mud Pots might be worth skipping in favor of something else. That's all I've got for now but please feel free to drop any other pointers you have. I'm not looking to go crazy with this character (Not trying to solo AVs or anything) but I'd definitely like to get a better understanding of the set before I invest the time and inf into it.

Claws is a great set across the board. Overall DPS is very high (Top of the charts in some cases), and it's got soft control in the form of Knockdown from Focus and Shockwave. On the aesthetic side, you've got weapon customization so you can change up the vibe of your character whenever you want. Regarding the secondary, I don't have much experience with Invuln or WP but what I'd tell you is go with fun over performance. End of the day, CoH does a great job of making all the sets viable. The disparities between them really only show when you get into the high end challenges, things that aren't necessarily intended as content (i.e. Soloing AVs and/or GMs, running solo +4x8 missions, etc.). If you're interested in taking on that level of minmax, then your choice of a set really makes a difference. But if you're not, there's nothing to lose by going with what you prefer.

@victusfate Sounds like your build plays very similar to mine. I'm constantly swapping forms during the course of a fight depending on the role I'm filling and the powers I need at any given moment. Between the rez and Tactics, I'd probably drop the latter. TriForm builds switch back and forth so often that I find human toggles to largely be irrelevant. On top of that, you have Inner Light running pretty much constantly to cover the extra ToHit. You can slot a Rectified Reticle unique in Bright Nova for always on +Perception.

If you don't have Reform Essence (The human click heal), you should. It's your primary source of healing and the go-to button for refilling your HP after the Light Form crash. If you've got enough +Rech for perma-LF, Reform Essence will be up the vast majority of the time so you can use it pretty freely.

This. A normal Synapse usually takes anywhere between 1 to 1.5 hours. That's not an unusual amount of playtime for a single session. In general, CoH does a good job of providing content in smaller, more accessible bites than other MMORPGs. Where Synapse (and Citadel) fall short is their lack of variety. Same enemies and similar maps on repeat for the entire TF makes it feel much longer than it really is. The hefty number of defeat all missions doesn't help. I'd very much be in favor of a rework to add more variety and keep players engaged, rather than just cutting content to reduce the overall time.

This is actually a really interesting potential angle. People have made the comparison between Hero Corps and mercenaries. One way that could play out is to treat them like a PMC (Private Military Contractor). They come in when some government somewhere needs to augment its superpowered capabilities and they're not exactly married to the ideals of truth, justice, and the American Way. I'm imagining high level arcs where Malta or some other international faction needs to be dealt with "off the books." The FBSA doesn't want their fingerprints on the job so they bring in HC to run the in-universe equivalent of covert action. It would have more Vigilante/Rogue themes than the traditional superhero morality you get from Longbow or the, "We're taking extreme measures to save the multiverse," vibe of Vanguard. Might be a good way to give our more morally ambiguous characters some actual content outside of running tips.

What do you mean by it doesn't show how to slot them? Nova doesn't need slots at all (I usually drop a Rectified Reticle +Perception). Dwarf is generally about pumping the Resistance while chasing whatever bonuses you want.

I'm no DB expert but I've run the set to 50 before and I find the common opinion that you should just ignore the combo system to be pretty accurate. That's not to say it sucks. You just don't need it for damage. Of the four combos, I only found Empower and Sweep to be really useful. Empower for its buffs and Sweep for its PBAoE soft control. On a Brute, you may not need Empower at all since you'll have Fury but I've never crunched the numbers so the impact may be more significant than I realized.

@Zect Thanks for your input. I reworked the build to focus more on +Recharge and managed to get decent numbers. Not perma double stacked Rage numbers but better than what I had before. My Defenses aren't softcapped but I'm sitting comfortably in the mid 30s with Offensive running. I'm not thrilled about taking the Leaping pool but the extra set of Red Fortune + another LotG is undeniably nice. I appreciate the tip about Bile Spray. I don't have any experience with Leviathan Mastery (Picked it up for concept) so knowing it's strengths was helpful. I'll be real, I don't like building with Incarnates in mind. I enjoy running content at all levels so a build that relies on powers you can only access at 50+ doesn't really work for my style. That being said, I can certainly incorporate the things that are best to have when I'm playing in that level range. https://www.midsreborn.com/builds/download.php?uc=1672&c=719&a=1438&f=HEX&dc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

Thanks @Xandyr. Your write up was really helpful. I managed to put a build together that I think is semi-decent. It's got about 30% Def to everything except Toxic and Psi. I managed to counter enough of the -Res from Offensive Adaptation that I'm no longer looking at negative percentages when it's toggled on. I could definitely get better Def numbers by taking Combat Jumping or something like that but having stealth (Usually in the form of Infiltration + a Stealth IO) is a must for me. Mystic Flight is there for theme but I'd be happy to switch it out for something else. Getting some +Perception in would be nice for those times when a smoke bomb gets tossed or there's a map full of Knives of Artemis to deal with. If anyone has constructive feedback, I'd be happy to hear it. This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.4.7 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! BioBrute: Level 50 Magic Brute Primary Power Set: Super Strength Secondary Power Set: Bio Armor Power Pool: Concealment Power Pool: Sorcery Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Leviathan Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Punch -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(5), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(7), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), CrsImp-Acc/Dmg(23) Level 1: Hardened Carapace -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(13), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(15), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(15), UnbGrd-Max HP%(48) Level 2: Haymaker -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(3), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(3), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), CrsImp-Acc/Dmg(19) Level 4: Inexhaustible -- PrfShf-End%(A), RgnTss-Regen+(48) Level 6: Environmental Modification -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(17), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(19), LucoftheG-Def(40), Rct-ResDam%(50) Level 8: Knockout Blow -- SprBrtFur-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBrtFur-Dmg/Rchg(9), SprBrtFur-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), SprBrtFur-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), SprBrtFur-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), SprBrtFur-Rech/Fury%(13) Level 10: Adaptation Level 12: Infiltration -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 14: Mystic Flight -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 16: Ablative Carapace -- NmnCnv-Heal/Rchg(A), NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(17), NmnCnv-EndRdx/Rchg(50), DctWnd-Heal/Rchg(50) Level 18: Rage -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(40), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(40), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(43), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(46), GssSynFr--Build%(46) Level 20: Evolving Armor -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(23), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(34), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(34) Level 22: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 24: DNA Siphon -- TchoftheN-Heal(A), TchoftheN-Heal/HP/Regen/Rchg(25), TchoftheN-Acc/Heal(25), TchoftheN-Acc/EndRdx/Heal/HP/Regen(34), TchoftheN-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(39) Level 26: Foot Stomp -- Obl-Dmg(A), Obl-Acc/Rchg(27), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(27), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(29), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29), Obl-%Dam(31) Level 28: Genetic Contamination -- Obl-Dmg(A), Obl-Acc/Rchg(37), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(37), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Obl-%Dam(39) Level 30: Parasitic Aura -- ThfofEss-Heal(A), ThfofEss-Heal/Rchg(31), ThfofEss-Acc/Heal(31), ThfofEss-Acc/EndRdx/Heal(33), ThfofEss-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(33) Level 32: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(33) Level 35: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(36), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg(36), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(36) Level 38: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48) Level 41: Spirit Shark -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(42), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43) Level 44: School of Sharks -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg(A), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(45), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(45), PstBls-Dmg/Rng(45), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46) Level 47: Stealth -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 49: Grant Invisibility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Fury Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 1: Health -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 1: Stamina -- SynSck-EndMod(A), SynSck-EndMod/Rech(21), SynSck-EndMod/+RunSpeed(21) Level 10: Defensive Adaptation Level 10: Efficient Adaptation Level 10: Offensive Adaptation ------------

So, I've got a character concept that fits well with (SS)/Bio but I'm struggling to figure out how to build it. Not in terms of individual IOs, per se, but exactly what my goals should be. I know Bio is a hybrid set. It seems to have a little bit of everything going on so I'm not sure where to focus. Do I aim for softcapped Def, big boi levels of Res, huge +Regen, or some balance of the three? For context, I play pretty casually most of the time. Soloing +4/x8 or other min/max feats aren't really for me. I just want something sturdy enough to be self-sufficient while still delivering a good amount of SMASH. Protecting a squishy here and there wouldn't be bad either.

So I've recently rolled a Plant/Savage Dom. It's currently sitting at level 22 but I'm already thinking about what to craft once I can access the Incarnate system. Judgement and Lore are purely thematic choices for me so they're not a concern. Destiny has always been a question of the extra utility it provides as opposed to the buffs so that's also a non-issue. What I'd like some input on is how to slot Alpha, Interface, and Hybrid. Not sure if it matters but I'm planning to build for permadom anyway so I don't anticipate needing any more +Recharge.

Great thing about this game, nothing requires 100 buttons and a complex rotation. CoH is much more forgiving than a lot of other MMORPGs. There are no strict DPS checks or gear requirements to do (most) content. For a newbie, I always recommend melee DPS ATs (Short for Archetype. It's what we call classes 'round these parts). They're inherently more survivable than most ranged/support ATs and they generally don't require you to do much other than kill stuff. Great for learning the basics of the game without having to worry about getting yourself or your team killed (ProTip: Don't be afraid to team up. We're a friendly bunch and a lot of us enjoy helping newbies get the hang of things 😄). Anyway, Stalkers can be a great choice. They're basically CoH's version of rogues. The only thing I'd really point out is that you don't need to worry about attacking from stealth all the time. Since their revamp years ago, Stalkers can open from stealth for big damage, then just fight normally until everything's dead. Rinse and repeat. Some new Stalker players think that because stealth is the ATs gimmick, they're only really effective working from it. That's not the case. Hope you find your ATs (Nobody plays just one 😅) and welcome to the City of Heroes!