Triumphant

The problem I have with this is that many of the most fun/interesting powers in the game and the powers with the neatest animations are high level powers. I also find it fun to mix and match IO sets and global and procs to try different combinations of effects. This is a huge part of the attraction of this game- the large number of character builds and powers you can combine to make very unique and interesting characters. I want to play with all the toys that the game provides. I just want the game to provide a reasonable amount of challenge to teams of players while we enjoy all of those toys. I don't think this is an unreasonable expectation. If the game offers all of these bells and whistles to us, we ought to be able to use them and still have fun. If we just grow bored, then what's the point of having them in the first place? 🤷‍♂️

Well, that's kind of a dead-end discussion. All content in the game is impossible for some players and possible for others, depending on level, character build, and player skill/experience. For example, I have about 3 incarnate level characters. I find team play so easy on teams comprised of characters of my level that I often become actively bored, even when playing at +4 difficulty. On the other hand, when I take those same characters and play in groups doing AE 801 missions, I find them overwhelmingly difficult, often to the point of futility. There are people that can run 801 content, though, so it isn't impossible.

It's not really anything new to me. I've been playing here pretty much since Homecoming came online and it's always been a thing. The solution is to introduce content that is difficult enough that the whole group has to stick together and coordinate in order to overcome each group of mobs. That's the only way you'll get the team play experience you're looking for. This is supposedly coming down the development pipe, so be patient. The issue should (hopefully) resolve itself, at that point. In the meantime, I would recommend recruiting for taskforces that are lower level and when you recruit, state clearly and firmly that the taskforce is specifically for that level (15, 25, 35, or whatever). This should keep any incarnates for joining and asking to recieve the star, which is what causes the problem in the first place (Uber-character joining the taskforce that is so strong that the rest of the team is relegated to "Hold my beer" status).

You know, I'm going to confess that I don't actually know the answer to this. I always assumed that it would increase the difficulty for teams, just as it does when playing solo. Of course, this may not necessarily be the case. Nice! 😁👍

I don't think it's ever been top damage, has it? 🤔 I dunno, though- I never played during live, so maybe it was different back then. I do play Street Justice a lot, but primarily because I love the animations and sounds that go with it. It's always performed very solidly for me, though, regardless of AT. Of course, I am not a dedicated power-builder, so you will likely want to take that last bit with the proverbial grain of salt if you are looking for advice on apex-level performance.

@Diantane Skilled character builders can get some astonishingly effective results by slotting their toons in ways that many might find unintuitive. That's part of the creative appeal of the game. I don't mind a well built "dedicated" tank constructed in a traditional way, but don't be so quick to write off players who don't do it the same way as you do as ineffective or sub-par. This is often not true. Also, there is the plain fact that this game is astonishingly easy and you can succeed in groups with a sub-par character in most of the content. All you really need is one powerful damage dealer and they can murder pretty much every mob on the map.

Ah, yes- that site. The superhero one is probably the best of the lot. You can at least mix and match results to get something coherent. 99% of the generators on that site produce nothing but idiot word salad, though. 😄

Fair points. That's true enough.

What's Werner Rules? 🤔 Google hath failed to enlighten me. 🤷‍♂️

It's not that I object to players doing solo content, mind you. It's just that Task Forces were designed for team play and I don't know how you can keep a task force fun for a team and a single player at the same time, given the current state of the game. There's plenty of solo content that's perfectly viable for solo play. I just feel that TF's/SF's should be challenging for the 8-person teams they were designed for, when set at the highest (+4/8) difficulty level.

It's an MMO. If you make Task Forces sufficiently easy to solo at +3 or higher difficulty, they won't (and haven't been) sufficiently challenging for teams of the levels (35 and up) that they're designed for, unless you get rid of IO sets/globals/procs, and incarnate abilities. And getting rid of that stuff will always be a non-starting. The practical answer is to make at least a few enemies/TF's harder to challenge high level characters with all the bells and whistles. Solo players will still have plenty of content to keep them busy.

Agreed. It's massive multiplayer game, not a massive single player game. 👍

To follow up on what Doomguide said here, you can also grab the teleport target power, which has quite a good range. Pluck one foe out from a group of them at a distance to thin the herd. Rinse/repeat as much as desired. Works pretty good for solo play, if you're not into team play.

I've been playing this game for two years now. Remembering what it was like as a new player, let me say that I fully sympathize with your frustration. This is a wonderful game, but there are a few tips (most of the important bits have already been mentioned, above, by our friendly player base) that you need to follow to get the most out of it: 1) This game has a lot of moving parts and a high initial learning curve. Once you understand all those moving bits and how they interact, the game becomes much easier. 2) Reading the wiki and forums and asking questions there and on discord will help you to get a good grasp on all the factors involved in playing various AT's and power sets. 3) Be patient. The time for overcoming this learning curve will vary by the player. I was quite slow. It took me months (very nearly a year) of playing and tinkering before I was able to confidently and competently play different AT's. Most people probably learn a lot quicker than myself; you are likely one of them. 4) Learn how enhancements work and acquire Procs, Globals, and Sets and slot them on your character as soon as you're able to afford them. 5) Learn how to make merits by doing task/strike forces and convert those merits into enhancement converters. Sell the converters on the market and use the influence to buy the enhancements you need. 6) Join a supergroup or try to join pickup games (radio/newspaper missions are great training wheels) as much as possible. Teammates can often offer buffs that will protect you from mezz effects and a good tanker will draw aggro so that you can blast the enemy with less risk to yourself. Let the melee toons engage first, to draw that aggro, before you start blasting. 7) To reinforce # 3, be patient. Keep practicing! Ask for help when you get stuck or frustrated. The game will get easier in time, I promise. Once you have a year or so of play under your belt and a fully IO'ed lvl 50, you may even begin to find it too easy. You'll find that hard to believe, now, but it's true.

Ha, ha! Yeah, definitely has a Die Hard feel to it. Not really a huge Hawkeye fan, but it looks like it could be fun.

Could definitely be helpful for reducing confusion when you're rping in a high traffic area with lots of people milling about. It can be pretty challenging to keep up with the text and parse the local conversation from distant chatter. I'll vote yes on this one. 👍

I like her where she is now. I don't have to fly or jump up to the balcony to access the trainer.

lols

I mean... it's probably incorrect in reference to some players and correct in reference to others. After all, everything in this topic is just an opinion- even my very firm belief that the change would have no negative impact and that I'm correct in that belief (which, ultimately, is still just my opinion. You'd have to actually take the change for a test drive to prove it one way or the other). Except the orangutan bit I posted. That's dead on- a statement of pure, objective fact. 😁🤷‍♂️

These are valid points. As much as I love SR, it does have these weaknesses. I get a thrill out of dancing on the blades edge, in this way- but others might not appreciate that you can suddenly go from untouchable to taking a dive, if you get a series of unfortunate RNG results in the midst of a mob of enemies. And from the specific perspective of Tankers, you may not be getting much that you wouldn't get by playing a SR Brute or Scrapper.

Whut?

Clearly not.

They do a lot of damage at very low levels. I typically AE level to 16 with new characters, though, so it's not really an issue for me personally. 🤷‍♂️

The animation and knock-up effect on crushing uppercut makes it feel like one of the most punishing powers in the game (probably the main reason I like the set so much. Spinning strike holds a similar place in my heart. I know some people dislike the narrow aoe, but I love spinning around and watching the bad buys go flying).

@quill There have been recent hints from the Devs that we may be getting the more challenging high-lvl content, that so many of us have been wishing for, in the next update. If this occurs, I have a feeling that some of the more neglected AT's and powersets may once again become useful and popular in team play and that team play, itself, may become more popular (hey- one can hope!). Keep your fingers crossed! 🤞