Stormwalker

Yeah. The reason I created that build was to get a sense for "Ok, the OP said their defenses were 'pretty high'. How high could they possibly be, and what kind of odds would that give them?" So that when I wrote up my response I could base it on a roughly-best-possible-case scenario. Even though that's really the worst case scenario in terms of an actual usable build. At low level, the best defense is a good offense. On an SR scrapper, I usually don't even take Focused Senses until level 12, because at very low levels you're better off spending the endurance on attacks than you are spending it on trying to run two toggles.

Actually, below level 10 the melee auto power isn't available yet. The only melee defense available is the toggle. Now, for ranged defense, you'd be correct. I put together a "way too many defense slots" build while writing my post, and it came out to roughly 21%/29%/3% melee/ranged/aoe. Of course, it was a ludicrous build. Having seven defense SO's slotted at level 9 is absurd.

Thanks to name release, the neurotic Robotics/Traps mastermind Datamine has returned! Once again, his robots insist that he is the only worthy ruler and that the world requires his brilliance, and they are therefore bullying him into supervillainy so that he can amass power and overthrow Recluse. Of course, this is what he wanted to do anyway, which is why he built the robots; they just aren't letting him chicken out.

Ok, let's talk a little math here. Defense never makes it impossible to hit you. The accuracy floor is 5%. That's a 1 in 20 chance. That's if you are at or above the soft-cap (45% defense), which, if you are too low-level to have Practiced Brawler (which is available at level 10), you are nowhere close to. If you've focused on defense at the expense of weakening your offense, you might have 25% melee/ranged defense at that level. That's still going to get you hit 20% of the time - that's 1 in 5. And if you even have 5% AoE defense, you've devoted way too many slots to defense at your level. So you're going to get hit 40+% of the time - more than 1 in 3 - by AoE attacks. You could be hard-capped on defense and they would still have a 5% chance to hit you. That's 1 in 20. As an example: my fully soft-capped Claws/SR scrapper can pop Barrier Core (putting her at 137.3%/137.3%/140.3% defense - over triple the soft-cap) and stand in the middle of a pack of +0x8 mobs, and she will take hits. Not a lot of hits, of course - not enough hits to overcome her resistance and regeneration, typically - but she will consistently take hits. And not because of the streak-breaker, but because the accuracy floor is 5%. To say nothing of what happens when she runs into Nemesis with stacked Vengeance, or a DE Quartz emanator, or Rulaaru eyeballs, who add enemy To-Hit Buff to the mix and can make many enemy attacks almost auto-hit even against soft-capped defenses. Never assume you cannot be hit, because you can be and you will be. Expect to be hit, and have an answer for it. The accuracy floor and the RNG are more dangerous to you than the streak-breaker is.

Here's another relatively straightforward one: A "Metallic" skirt texture that goes with the Metallic1/2/3 top options. The Metallic Dress Mini doesn't quite work for this; the colors don't look the same on it, and they are differently reflective. Example: Metallic 3 top with Metallic Dress Mini, the mismatch is pretty clear, and thus this combo just doesn't quite work:

For context, let me observe that I am NOT super wealthy. Even [edit: all but one of] my 50's do not have completely finished builds (most of them are close, though; several of them are at the point of only needing to replace some other set with a winter set to finish the build plan) due to handing down too much inf to my MANY alts that I'm still leveling up. Lately, I find that (outside of purples) recipes rarely sell for any significant amount. It's trivial to check, so I still do it, but almost never do I end up selling a recipe on the AH. It either gets crafted (if I can make a reasonable profit selling the crafted enhancement) or vendored. The vast majority of level 50 yellow recipes get vendored, because most of them sell for less than the cost to craft a level 50 enhancement. There are two kinds of exceptions: Specific yellow sets which are in high demand (Red Fortune, for example) and thus sell well. The yellow enhancement in an orange set is sometimes worth crafting and converting (emphasis on sometimes) to one of the orange ones. Many orange recipes get vendored at all levels because they sell for anywhere from 50k to 1 million, and while it might be worth crafting if I could be sure of getting 1 million for it in a reasonable amount of time, I often can't be confident of that. So only orange recipes that reliably sell for 1.5 million or more get crafted. I usually list at the low end of the recent sale prices shown, because I don't want to have something sitting and taking up one of my auction slots for ages. If something has been selling for 3-4 million, I'll typically list it for 3 million. Maybe even 2.5 million if that will still be a solid profit. The only exceptions are purples (which I tend to list in the middle of the range and they usually sell quickly), PvP enhancements (same situation as the purples) and certain high-demand enhancements I know will sell quickly even at the higher end of their price range (LotG +rech is a good example). For example, a particular Unbreakable Constraint IO was selling for 16-18 million. I listed it at 17 million and it sold in less than 24 hours. It's definitely worth waiting 24 hours for the extra million. If a set has a proc, I always check sale price of the proc compared to the other enhancements. If the enhancement I have is selling for 2 million, and the proc in the same set is selling for 4 million, for example, it's worthwhile to convert it before selling. Sometimes, when I am buying enhancements for a character (usually after leveling up), and I'm buying cheaper pieces and converting to get the ones I want, I'll end up getting a proc that wasn't what I was looking for but sells very well. For example: trying to convert an LotG end/rech (which I bought for 2 million) to LotG defense (which at the time was selling for 3-4 million) and getting LotG +rech (which at the time was selling for 5-6 million) instead. When that happens, I'll sell the proc and buy another cheap one to convert. I have on a couple of occasions made enough inf this way that I basically got my new slots for that level for free. EDIT: [ Had to make a correction, because as of tonight, Kitten America's IO build is 100% finished, finally! ]

I don't care how people leveled as long as they play the game competently when I'm teamed with them. Note the word "competently". I don't expect everyone to be an expert in everything. I don't expect people to be perfect, and I don't expect them to be optimal. I don't even mind if someone gets killed a lot (I've had the occasional bad day myself), as long as it's not in content where that's an issue. I do mind if they're not contributing to the group at all because it's their first character and they got PL'd to 50 and thus never learned the fundamentals of playing the game. If they already know how to play the game, I have no problem with people PL'ing. Personally, I'd recommend not PL'ing your first character on a given AT. Every AT has new stuff to learn, and leveling up the old-fashioned way is the best way to learn it. But that's a recommendation, not a demand. I don't do it myself because PL'ing is boring and tedious and I'd rather just play the game. The game doesn't start at 50. Also, I'd rather do as much of the content on-level as I can because I generally do not optimize my builds for exemplar play. I am occasionally tempted to PL certain characters that have frustrating problems in certain level ranges (example: SR Scrapper at low-mid levels due to lack of AoE defense). But I don't give in to that temptation because I remember the one character I did PL and how much I hated it. But I know other people don't see it that way. And as long as they've already learned the fundamentals of the game and won't be dragging down their teams, they can PL to their hearts' content and it doesn't bother me a bit. In converse, I ask that people don't look down on me for playing through my story arcs solo and taking months to get to 50. I'm having plenty of fun the way I'm playing, and have no real desire to change.

My view on each of these: Chi could be either natural or magic depending on your approach to it. How mystical are your martial arts? If your martial arts are focused primarily on the physical, and the chi abilities come as a consequence of mastering your body and its energy flows, then it still falls in the realm of a Natural. If your martial arts are more spiritually inclined, then you start to get into the realm of a Magic origin. In most fictional martial arts, the line between the physical and the spiritual is blurred - you can influence the spiritual from the physical side, and the physical from the spiritual side. So it's a matter of your approach. My martial arts hero Liberty Star is a Natural even though she does have Focus Chi, because she obtained her chi focus ability by training her body until she could feel and manipulate its energy flows by sheer body mastery. Her Super Reflexes powers work similarly; she's so in-tune with her body's energy flows that she has learned to recognize the energy flows in others as well, and can thus (in combination with reading their stance and movements) tell what they're going to do next. (And as an example of how you can refluff powers for any Origin, my other Martial Arts hero Patriot Dream has the "Focus Chi" power, but in her case it doesn't represent chi abilities at all - it's her Mutant power at work, which makes her stronger depending on how deeply she believes in what she is fighting for). If you want to get really complicated, I have a character who has a mutant power that gives her perfect body awareness and control (basically, I built her concept around the Regen power of "Integration" taken to the extreme), and she actually gains some chi manipulation abilities from that. Of course, she's also a ninja and thus also verges into Magic as she uses some shadow manipulation techniques which are definitely in the realm of ninpo ("ninja magic"). So while she's classified as a Mutant origin, some of her powers reach outside her Origin a bit. After all, your origin is what provides the core of your powers. Many heroes cross origin boundaries somewhat. Psychic powers could potentially be ANY origin, depending on how you acquired them. If you acquired your psychic powers via intense practice and mental focusing techniques that theoretically anybody with sufficient discipline could attain if they knew the method? That's Natural. Inborn mutant power is obviously Mutation. If you did experiments on yourself and developed powers from them, or if you had a science-y accident and developed them, or if you took the Family route and obtained them through drugs, that's Science. Psychic powers via mysticism? That's Magic. Psychic powers via some kind of device? That's Technology. And yeah, if you have a Willpower/SS tanker who is just really determined and works out so hard he's a Strongman-competition level bodybuilder, then he's obviously a Natural. Even if he takes some supplements, that's not enough to qualify him as Science (unless he's taking some really extreme or experimental supplements, that is). As you say, Indiana Jones is definitely a Natural. Han Solo and his ridiculous luck is also a Natural. A Jedi, on the other hand, is probably Magic (depending on how you feel about midichlorians), since Jedi arts definitely lean deeply into the spiritual side of things. I view Batman (as most of the writers write him, anyway) as a Natural origin. The core of his abilities stem from intense martial arts training, a brilliant mind, and highly trained detective skills. The technology augments that. However, there have been some writers which have strained the edge of that and pushed him toward Tech a bit, making him rely on gadgets just a bit too much. And as I've said in other posts, Jean-Paul Valley's brief stint as Batman definitely crossed the line into tech, because every problem he ran into his solution was "upgrade the suit" until he reached the point that he was basically wearing power armor. Bruce even called him out on relying on the suit too much.

So, this is the build I've decided to go with in the end. It's based on one of Infinitum's builds (with a few modifications for concept and personal taste). It's more defensive than offensive (noting the lack of many procs in the attacks), but I've tested it on Brainstorm and I don't find it to be lacking for offense at all (and I'm accustomed to Scrappers, not Tankers, so that's saying something). On top of that, it has more psi resistance than I thought was even possible for Inv to achieve. It's vastly overcapped to S/L defense, but that will be helpful in Incarnate content, so I'm not inclined to change that. The only thing I'm really thinking about changing is backing off the psi resist slightly to add more end reduction, but honestly when I was testing the build I didn't have problems with end as long as I remembered to use Conserve Power. Build can be downloaded here: https://api.midsreborn.com/build/download/FIbgxV5O4xWAtji2 Sylvie Stardrive (ver. 3) - Hero Tanker Build plan made with Mids' Reborn v3.7.5 rev. 21 ────────────────────────────── Primary powerset: InvulnerabilitySecondary powerset: Super StrengthPool powerset (#1): LeapingPool powerset (#2): SpeedPool powerset (#3): FightingPool powerset (#4): LeadershipEpic powerset: Energy Mastery ────────────────────────────── Powers taken: Level 1: Temp Invulnerability A: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance3: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance5: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime7: Unbreakable Guard: Endurance/RechargeTime27: Unbreakable Guard: RechargeTime/Resistance43: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance Level 1: Jab A: Superior Might of the Tanker: Accuracy/Damage13: Superior Might of the Tanker: Damage/Recharge29: Superior Might of the Tanker: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge33: Superior Might of the Tanker: Damage/Endurance/Recharge34: Superior Might of the Tanker: Recharge/Chance for +Res(All) Level 2: Dull Pain A: Numina's Convalesence: Heal/Endurance3: Numina's Convalesence: Endurance/Recharge5: Numina's Convalesence: Heal/Recharge36: Numina's Convalesence: Heal/Endurance/Recharge46: Numina's Convalesence: Heal46: Numina's Convalesence: +Regeneration/+Recovery Level 4: Combat Jumping A: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage Level 6: Haymaker A: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage7: Superior Blistering Cold: Damage/Endurance13: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance15: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge17: Superior Blistering Cold: Damage/Endurance/Accuracy/RechargeTime42: Superior Blistering Cold: Recharge/Chance for Hold Level 8: Unyielding A: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance9: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance9: Unbreakable Guard: Endurance/RechargeTime11: Unbreakable Guard: RechargeTime/Resistance11: Unbreakable Guard: +Max HP46: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime Level 10: Super Jump A: Winter's Gift: Slow Resistance (20%) Level 12: Resist Energies A: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance17: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance29: Unbreakable Guard: Endurance/RechargeTime36: Unbreakable Guard: RechargeTime/Resistance37: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime40: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance Level 14: Hasten A: Invention: Recharge Reduction15: Invention: Recharge Reduction Level 16: Resist Elements A: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance25: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance33: Unbreakable Guard: Endurance/RechargeTime37: Unbreakable Guard: RechargeTime/Resistance37: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime42: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance Level 18: Invincibility A: Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control: Chance for Build Up19: Shield Wall: Defense19: Shield Wall: Defense/Endurance25: Shield Wall: Defense/Endurance/Recharge48: Shield Wall: Defense/Recharge Level 20: Knockout Blow A: Force Feedback: Chance for +Recharge21: Hecatomb: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy21: Hecatomb: Damage23: Hecatomb: Recharge/Accuracy23: Hecatomb: Damage/Endurance27: Hecatomb: Chance of Damage(Negative) Level 22: Tough Hide A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed Level 24: Rage A: Adjusted Targeting: To Hit Buff/Recharge Level 26: Resist Physical Damage A: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All)43: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance45: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3% Level 28: Punch A: Superior Gauntleted Fist: Accuracy/Damage31: Superior Gauntleted Fist: Damage/RechargeTime31: Superior Gauntleted Fist: Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime34: Superior Gauntleted Fist: Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime34: Superior Gauntleted Fist: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime45: Superior Gauntleted Fist: RechargeTime/+Absorb Level 30: Foot Stomp A: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage31: Superior Avalanche: Damage/Endurance36: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance39: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge40: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge40: Superior Avalanche: Recharge/Chance for Knockdown Level 32: Boxing A: Invention: Accuracy Level 35: Tough A: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance48: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance48: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime50: Unbreakable Guard: RechargeTime/Resistance50: Unbreakable Guard: Endurance/RechargeTime50: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance Level 38: Weave A: Shield Wall: Defense/Endurance39: Shield Wall: Defense/Endurance/Recharge39: Shield Wall: Defense45: Shield Wall: +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All) Level 41: Conserve Power A: Invention: Recharge Reduction Level 44: Focused Accuracy A: Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control: To Hit Buff/Endurance Level 47: Physical Perfection A: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End Level 49: Maneuvers A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed ────────────────────────────── Inherents: Level 1: Gauntlet Level 1: Brawl (Empty) Level 1: Sprint A: Quickfoot: Endurance/RunSpeed Level 2: Rest (Empty) Level 2: Swift A: Invention: Run Speed Level 2: Hurdle A: Invention: Jumping Level 2: Health A: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance33: Miracle: +Recovery43: Preventive Medicine: Chance for +Absorb Level 2: Stamina A: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End42: Performance Shifter: EndMod Level 10: Double Jump Level 4: Athletic Run ────────────────────────────── Accolades: Freedom Phalanx ReservePortal JockeyTask Force CommanderThe Atlas Medallion ────────────────────────────── Incarnates: Agility Core ParagonMighty Radial Final JudgementDegenerative Core Flawless InterfaceLongbow Core Superior AllyAgeless Radial EpiphanyMelee Core Embodiment

Here's another one I forgot to include in my earlier post. Non-spiked collars/chokers, please!!!! We desperately need something to add a splash of secondary color to the neckline of a costume that doesn't have spikes on it. Even a plain unadorned choker or collar would be an incredibly easy add, I would think, and would be very welcome.

The reference to roleplaying was not targeted at your comment, but rather at the comment that I was actually replying to. You know, the one I actually quoted? That said, I also don't think they make a very good guideline for that, because a lot of the enhancement names are irrelevant to many character concepts that fall firmly within their associated origin.

Most roleplayers I've played with cheerfully ignore the enhancement system entirely from an in-character perspective. Myself included. Honestly, the idea of "enhancing" individual powers is one that is incompatible with a lot of character concepts anyway, because their "powers" in-game are not separate things at all. They're different techniques to employ a single power. My Energy blaster, for example, doesn't think about "Power Bolt" and "Power Blast" being things at all. To her, it's really just a question of how much power she focuses into the blast, how tightly she focuses it, and for how long. For that matter, the whole concept of "enhancing" her powers is kind of foreign to her, too. All of her efforts into improving her use of her powers have been in the area of learning to moderate and control them more effectively. Which is to say, she's continually working to get better at hitting things with precisely the right amount of force (which is usually less, not more!) And that is largely a matter of practice. Generally, to me on an in-character basis, Enhancements don't exist.

Honestly, the enhancement system is not something that should be examined too closely. It isn't meant to be examined that closely. They just threw some things out there that are examples of theme. I've never once met a single City of Heroes roleplayer - and on Live I played on Virtue and was an active roleplayer myself - who actually took the enhancements they slot as being meaningful to their character in any way. shape or form. My technology origin Street Justice/Willpower scrapper gets her power from a nanite swarm that circulates in her bloodstream. That is about as Techology origin as you can possibly get. She does not have ANY cyberware. She just has nanites. To put this in another sense... one of my Natural origin characters, the aforementioned Liberty Star, currently has several "Military Speed" enhancements slotted. She's a 17-year-old girl. She's not in the military. She's never had any military training. She's a high-school student. That enhancement name is completely irrelevant to her. It's just named according to a "Natural" theme. And I promise you NONE of my science origin characters are willfully irradiating themselves. Even the ones who actually did get their powers by accidentally irradiating themselves in some way or another!

The way I see it is this. What is it that makes you "super"? My Dual Pistols/Martial blaster villainess Gun Bunny uses guns. But she could pick up any guns and use them and be super. Or, for that matter, she could pick up throwing knives and use those and she would still be super. The guns are not what makes her super. What makes her super are her mutant powers which enable her to use those guns (and her body, see her secondary) with superhuman grace, speed, and precision. Thus, she is a Mutation origin, not Technology. My Super Strength/Invulnerability Tanker heroine Sylvie Stardrive designed and built her own power armor. It grants her superhuman strength and durability, as well as some onboard weapons. While her own intelligence certainly IS super, the way she applies that intelligence to combat is largely through the Technology that she designs and builds. If you take away her powersuit, she is only slightly more capable in combat than an average citizen (she does have a little bit of unarmed combat skill that she has learned in order to USE the powersuit... but she's definitely not a hero-level martial artist). Thus, she is a Technology origin, not a Natural. My Martial Arts/Super Reflexes Scrapper heroine Liberty Star is a very talented martial artist. She makes use of a few gadgets in her hero work (my justification for her travel power is that she has a motorcycle, and she has a utility belt which is not as well stocked as Batman's but gives her a few tricks up her sleeve. Yes, she uses some technology in her work, but what makes her "super" is her intense training in martial arts. She's a Natural, not Tech. As I noted in my previous post, Batman is a Natural. He's a Natural because, for all that he uses Technology, he would still be Batman without that technology. What makes him "super" is his martial arts prowess and his detective skills. The Batcomputer does not make him the World's Greatest Detective. It just helps him apply his skills more efficiently. Batarangs don't make him an exceptional crimefighter. They're just give him additional options to deal with changing situations. Batman wouldn't be as effective without his technology as he is with it, but he would still be Batman. Azbats, on the other hand, viewed "more technology" as the answer to each problem he ran into during his time as Batman. When he struggled in a fight, what was his answer? Upgrade the suit. Time and time again, until he was walking around in something just short of powered armor. Azbats: "My suit is both armor and weapon!" Batman: "And you rely on it far too much." Thus, Azbats was Technology origin.

Having both a Claws and an EM scrapper at high-end builds, I can say that in my experience Claws (using FU -> Focus -> Slash) is slightly better at sustained DPS than EM (using ET -> TF -> ET -> BS -> EP) is. That said, it's only slightly better, and EM has better burst damage. On the flip side, Claws also has spectacular AoE damage output. Obviously, I'm not using a snipe in either build (concept reasons), and that would alter the equation somewhat. EM probably benefits from adding a Snipe more than Claws, since adding another attack to Claws' chain reduces your Follow-Up stacking, whereas for EM you just replace EP with the snipe straight-up and get a significant DPS boost in single-target situations. In AoE situations, for Claws I go FU -> Spin -> Shockwave. A little jousting is required to make optimum use of both AoE's since one is a PBAoE and the other is a (very large) cone. Slotting KB -> KD in Shockwave is necessary for proper synergy. For EM I go ET -> TF -> ET -> WH -> BS in AoE situations. BS frequently gets skipped in this rotation due to Build Up, Hasten, or other clicks (Energize/Energy Drain/ Conserve Power/Incarnate powers). In practical experience the EM rotations frequently get modified with extra BS or EP being inserted to cherry-tap an enemy that is at too low health to be worth wasting an ET or TF on. That's of those ways in which real gameplay differs from stuff like Pylon tests. A quick attack that does less DPA but still defeats the enemy is better than a long wind-up that wastes most of its damage on massive overkill. Of course, if you're going to WH again before the fight ends (and if you're not over the target cap for WH), you can just tab to a new target and let WH finish off the weakling when it comes up. Similarly, in practical experience with Claws I often use modified attack chains like FU -> Focus -> Shockwave, which allows me to dribble the boss like a basketball while also KD'ing the spawn, which yields massive damage mitigation and reduces their ability to do annoying things (like summoning or debuffing or, running away). Both sets are better than anything else I've tried on a Scrapper (which includes MA (x2), Katana (x2), BS (x2), DB (x3), KM, PM, StJ, DM (x2), Staff, and ElM. I also have an Ice scrapper but she's only level 7, so it's far too soon to evaluate her performance yet), and they've well established themselves as my two favorite Scrapper primaries (DB is probably my third, but I love them all). This is all anecdotal, of course, but hard testing is only so useful in this case since the available tests favor certain kinds of builds in ways that regular play may not (as the previous poster noted). Regarding Secondaries, my order of strength is Shield (damage buff, plus team def buff) > Energy Aura (best overall defensive set, recharge bonus) > SR (adds recharge and stays out of your way so you can focus purely on offense) >> everything else, with the caveat that I have not played Bio (It's U-G-L-Y and it ain't got no alibi) or Rad (just can't come up with a concept for it). My favorite is Energy Aura, followed closely by SR.

Yeah, I have to disagree with this suggestion. Ice Blast does not need any kind of buffs at this point. Of my blasters, my Ice/Ice is unquestionably the strongest (at level 36, she's much stronger than my Energy/Energy was at the same level, and while she doesn't have the raw damage of my Fire/Fire blaster she's far more survivable), and Bitter Freeze Ray is a significant part of the reason why. I don't even slot it for damage, I slot it for Hold, so making it a snipe and giving it a fast animation while keeping its Hold would make it hilariously OP in my build. The long animation time is pretty much the only drawback the power has, so taking that away would remove the only tactical consideration involved in using it. And reducing the magnitude of its Hold is a non-starter in the other direction. That would be an enormous nerf. Being able to use your two holds together to hold bosses is essential to Ice's design. Ice is arguably overpowered already. I'm not saying it should be nerfed, but it doesn't need to get stronger. Unless a number of other Blaster primaries get upgrades first.

Yep. The ones with Unstoppable are easier to hit (they just don't take very much damage). It's the ones with old pre-Regen-nerfs MoG with waaaaay too much duration that are really obnoxious. Focused Accuracy helps, but unless you're exemp'ing down for that story arc, you're unlikely to have that power since the earliest you can possibly get it is 35 (and I usually don't take it until one of my last two power slots, so it's right out for me) I have been at times tempted to put a "Nerf Regen (for Paragon Protectors, that is)" thread in the suggestions forum. If we as players only get 15-second MoG, then Paragon Protectors should only get 15-second MoG!

The lessons we should learn are "Don't listen to Azuria" and "Don't assemble dangerous magical artifacts that were presumably broken up and scattered for reasons."

Yeah, and I wasn't giving my caveats as a criticism. Just adding my own opinion on the situation in that case as it specifically relates to Scrappers. I generally find your takes highly reasonable and rarely disagree with them. Even when I do disagree with you, it's usually in the nuances and not in the core of the argument.

They actually tried this originally, where you could just select any two powersets you wanted. The reason they went away from it and created AT's was it was way too easy to make completely unplayable builds, to the point that it was basically a trap for players.

Yes, exactly. Master Illusionists might be even more egregious time-wasters than Paragon Protectors. And that's saying something, because Paragon Protectors are terrible (speaking as someone who recently did the Revenant Hero Project story-arc again and, yes, that's why my list included Paragon Protectors three times).

To be fair, in the early days of the game, a lot of street sweeping happened. You leveled up a lot slower then, and typically your story arcs were not enough to get you through to the next set of contacts, so you either joined other people's teams and did their arcs, or you street swept. Being someone who likes to play at my own pace and therefore mainly only teams for TF's and iTrials, I did a LOT of street sweeping back in the day. Things like reductions in how much debt you get, and Patrol XP, plus adding more story arcs to the game, changed that. As for Grandville, that zone is unforgivably obnoxious on any character using Super Speed or Infiltration. My redside 50 street samurai with Infiltration keeps a set of temp power rocket packs around because otherwise she can't get anywhere in Grandville.

First off, I totally agree with what you said in the first three paragraphs. Completely and without hesitation. On the fourth paragraph... I agree that a character can be super strong without using the Super Strength set, but... with the caveat that I also don't feel like any of the unarmed combat sets we have for Scrappers currently captures the feel of superhuman strength. The unarmed combat sets we have for Scrappers: Martial Arts. It's fast, it's full of very fancy, showy kicks and a pinpoint strike (Cobra Strike) which draws its power from technique rather than strength. It's the closest thing we have to a Dick Grayson powerset becuase of the acrobatics (though it doesn't really capture his style, either, it just has the right kind of grandstanding for it). I love the set, but it very much does not feel like someone with superhuman strength. I have two Martial Arts characters. One of them is a Natural who has no strength enhancement at all. The second is a Mutant who has variable strength enhancement (her strength is directly proportionate to how strongly she believes in what she is fighting for), so she can't count on being super strong all the time, so her fighting style explicitly doesn't depend on it. Street Justice. People point at Street Justice a lot in these , but... Street Justice feels to me like someone is taking huge windups to deal those big hits, which is something a character with super strength explicitly doesn't need to do. They generate that power without the huge wind-up because they're just that strong. Yes, KO Blow in the Super Strength set also involves a huge windup, but that comically overdone windup really looks more to me like making a show of winding up than actually winding up, so it doesn't feel out of place. I have a character who uses Street Justice, but she doesn't have superhuman strength. She fights with techniques borrowed from a wide variety of combat arts, and she does need to wind up to hit someone really hard, so the set feels just right for her. Dark Melee. Back before Street Justice existed, this was the go-to set for someone who wanted to feel like Batman. Personally, I can't overlook the smoke clouds, and it feels much more super-fast than super-strong to me anyhow. None of these sets really suit a super-strong character. So, if I want a super-strong unarmed character now, I have to go to Tanker or Brute, whose mechanics really don't suit the characters' personalities in my head. I made Sylvie Stardrive (my Bubblegum Crisis inspired powersuit character) a Tanker, but she really, really ought to be a Scrapper, because narratively she fits the Scrapper mold much better. She's aggressive, almost reckless, she *enjoys* the fight and testing her skills, she's a bit hot-blooded, and she's definitely inclined toward pre-eemptive strike as a tactic.

First off, I completely agrree with you about Rad Armor - the very concept makes no sense to me,. But, I also agree with and salute your statement about the limits of our imaginations. Thus, I don't begrudge people who play Rad Armor - they have ideas that work with it, and they're having fun, and that's great! I won't make a Rad Armor character myself, but I have no objection to the set being available for those who want it. I do kinda get Fire, and I have a Brute that uses it, but she's a very unconventional character, so I can definitely understand how applications for it would not be immediately apparent. I do think SS can be employed by a scrapper, but then it should be noted I define the differences between Scrappers, Brutes, and Tankers a little differently than some players do. To me, the difference between the melee AT's is mostly one's approach to combat than physical abilities. In other words, I define the difference between AT's by narrative and personality more than by capability. 1. The Tanker is the Superman type. It's not defined so much by being incredibly tough as by having a defensive combat mindset. The Tanker is a protector, seeking to use their superhuman abilities to put themselves in harm's way to shield others. They tend to be more defensive in focus because this is what they do. Defend. The defining feature of the Tanker is that they seek to draw the enemy's aggression to themselves. 2. The Brute is the brute force melee type, like Juggernaut. They tend to enjoy violence and want to inflict as much of it as they possibly can. They don't tend to be terribly technical about combat, preferring to instead overwhelm their opponent with raw power. They're nearly always fueled by anger. The defining characteristic of the Brute is being an offensive fighter who favors raw power over skill. 3. The Scrapper is exactly that... one who scraps. One who savors the fight. They are skilled combatants (not that Tankers and Brutes cannot be skilled, but it is not their primary focus, and it is the scrapper's primary focus. Wolverine is the best there is at what he does - and he boasts of that because he's proud of it. They are not above enjoying the feral rush of combat, but they also relish the test of their skills against another, and this is frequently (though not always) what drives them. They frequently win battles by technique, cleverness, and guile. The defining characteristic of the Scrapper that of being an offensive fighter who favors skill over raw power. If you grandstand in fights? You are probably a Scrapper, because that joy of proving your superior skill is characteristic of the Scrapper. For example: Why do I consider the Metropolis Kid (Superboy, pre half-Kryptonian retcons) a Super Strength Scrapper? 1. He's a lot more aggressive fighter than Superman. He tended to try to take the fight to his opponents, rather than bringing them to himself. Now, LIke any hero, sometimes he threw himself into harm's way to protect others, but it wasn't his usual approach. Usually he tried to take the opponent down before they could threaten others. Thus, he's not a Tanker. Pre-emptive strike is absolutely not the preferred tactic of Tankers (though they may resort to it when they have to. Every AT has to step out of its comfort zone sometimes). 2. He's rash, impulsive, hot-blooded, sure, but he's not particularly angry. He clearly enjoys the fight. He grandstands. He makes witty comments, He's *having the time of his life* being a superhero. This is characteristic of a Scrapper, and the lack of anger is not characteristic of a Brute. 3. He frequently won fights by outthinking his opponents, using the enviornment to his advantage, and finding creative ways to use his powers (notably the tactile telekinesis) to defeat opponents rather than overpowering them with raw strength. This is to say, he did not fight like a Brute, he fought like a Scrapper. Sure, he was super strong, but he almost never won a fight with superior strength. He almost always won it through guile or skill. And he's my definitive example of a Super Strength Scrapper, for that reason. And one of the biggest reasons I think Scrappers should get access to the set.

The reason I said I'm sick of arguing with you is twofold, and not the reason you seem to think. 1). I don't think damage numbers are relevant to this conversation at all. I don't think your standpoint that they are relevant is rational. Therefore I don't think we can have a rational discussion on the matter. Having reached that conclusion, there is no point in arguing with you any further. Period. You can go on thinking you won the argument if you like (I honestly do not care), but do understand that you have not changed my viewpoint in the slightest. You've only succeeded in annoying me to the point that I don't want to talk to you anymore. 2). Your constant barrage of gifs was literally giving me a headache, and it was pissing me off, which was making it hard for me to argue without saying something that would get me warned by the moderators. Therefore, it was in my best interest to stop. And that's the last I'm going to say to you on the subject. Imagine there is a Willy Wonka "I said 'Good day!'" gif here.