Player-1

Hi all, standing by the quote in the OP: The Cottage Rule is more of a guideline to prevent a power from being changed in function / application. For example, if we changed a Single Target Blast into an AoE sleep that doesn't deal damage, it no longer has the same function or application. This is different than if we say, added an AoE sleep around the target of the ST Blast to keep its function as a ranged ST damage tool.

@Kai Moon, thank you for the thorough report! These bugs will be fixed in the next build, including Accurate ToHit.

No, all powers should not be the same or perfectly balanced. They should be relatively balanced though, to where the "worst" powerset is not miles behind the "best" powerset for a given category. You will still have an ST focused set be slower at clearing missions than an AoE focused one, and vice versa for boss takedowns. This is great! It means there are different options for different players to have fun with.

Hello Tidge, As long as the enemy groups do not have too much variance, and similar characters are used each run, the test results should show usable deltas. For example, using Battle Axe vs lethal resistant enemies is OK provided we only look at Battle Axe vs Battle Axe between characters. Comparing it to Fiery Melee would have an obvious skew for Fire Damage in this case. Even if lethal is slower in this instance, we can still gauge the lethal vs lethal test to see the difference with limited variables. Neutral enemies from AE are likely the best bet overall as seen in the Galaxy Brain mission others have tested so far as they eliminate this issue. Thank you all for the tests so far! As noted, the best comparisons would be the same powerset across different archetypes which we have a few examples of. If there are more results of Battle Axe (Tanker) vs Battle Axe (Brute) and the like, it will help highlight the differences.

Individual powersets, particularly melee, will be reviewed seperately from archetype changes as they can impact other archetypes.

Hello Excraft, There will never be a "perfect" test, but running the same mission across similar characters is the best way to isolate variables down to just the differences between those characters. Its possible to add teammates and do a repeated test as well, but that requires much more overhead and is not as controlled as the same player taking the relatively same actions.

Some use the Trapdoor mission, others use custom AE missions they can do on repeat. As long as the same mission is repeatable in a decent time frame it would work for comparison.

Hello everyone, Something that would be beneficial now that we have a wide array of testers is to compare results between Tankers and their contemporaries (Brutes and Scrappers). This latest patch readjusted cone attacks to be more comparable to other melee archetypes, leading to better direct comparisons. The more data we can get with actual mission results between these archetypes, the better we can adjust values to help everyone have a fun role to play. As for specific powersets being impacted by changes to an archetype, we are aware that there will be some uneven experiences just like how they may play differently on each archetype as is. Powerset changes would be done seperately than Archetype changes as needed, given it may also impact other archetypes.

This is due to the way Gauntlet buffed radius from the last Tanker adjustments. The damage formula takes Base Area Factor into account, with bigger AF leading to less output as a balance against how easy it is to hit multiple targets in the area. If an AoE is smaller, but then gets increased by an outside source (Gauntlet), it gets to keep the smaller AF balance while being at an inflated AF.

Hello ExeErdna, Brilliant Barrage works just like Gravity's Wormhole where you need a target, and then have a location placement. The difference here is that one part triggers around the target you select and the other part where you place the location marker, so you can either stack the two AoEa together or hit seperate areas all at once.

Hello @euNoir, The crash has been removed from Power Surge along with the changes to recharge and uptime. If in your testing you are seeing there is still a crash, can you please confirm which archetype it is on?

Hello kelika2, As StarkWhite said, heal resistance works like other resistances. Its just the context is flipped where more resistance is not favorable where you receive less healing. Negative resistance is good in that you take more healing.

The Tri-Cannon already had containment damage before this page if this is what you are referring to.

Hello SakuraFrost, While I was not the lead on this project, the goal is to make sure the entire powerset is useful and not concentrated onto select overtuned powers. This allows for more build flexibility among a variety of players who have different concepts for their Plant Control characters without shoehorning them into just two powers played a certain way. Seeds of Confusion had to be brought down a notch or two for the type of power it is. A lower tier cone power should not be outshining high tier AoE confuses in other control powersets. This nerf, while it stings, will allow for rebalanced encounters to work with multiple control powersets instead of having to always factor in this specific power. Carrion Creepers were bugged where multiple powers activating within the patch overlapped and caused multiple procs to apply with every activation. This ballooned its strength up in a way that was not balanced due to a bug, and needed to be fixed. We are looking into ways to shore it up given the change, but from a base power perspective it is working as intended now (spawn bug aside). The other changes to Plant Control are intended to still let the powerset be strong as a kit, not just from two specific abilities.