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It’s the badge awarded to players for winning a costume contest, made available to everybody. I guess it puts a value on winning costume contests, and that value should be high.

That explains why I couldn’t find it! I don’t know about others, but I’ve stopped even noticing the XP bar. I’ve clocked somewhere around 600 level ups on HC so far, they’ve become something I don’t celebrate anymore. I no longer rush to the trainer after each ding unless I know there’s immediate value in doing so. I even had a few hours before I realised one toon had hit 50 and was well into their Alpha slot. And that’s without AE, just regular content. XP just isn’t a significant part of the game for me and I don’t notice the grind as it stands. I have a petless MM which I levelled petlessly (and realised, far too late, what a terrible idea that was), and I ran her through the Tunnel Witch AE farm maybe a dozen or so times to get her through the teens. That for me was significantly more painful and grindy, and I was waiting for that XP bar to grow so I could get on with playing her. I know folks feel the complete opposite, that doing normal* content 1-50 is the grind and AE farming is the relief. OP has noticed that this can create an irritating dissonance, but it remains a very personal issue. *is there a better term than normal or regular that we can use, as though AE were abnormal or irregular? Vanilla, maybe?

Correct on both accounts. You’d need to craft the new incarnate power. You’ll notice on the equip screen for incarnates that any powers you have crafted will be listed on the right and one can be slotted at a time. Having multiple incarnate powers can make you quite adaptable. And incarnate powers are slotted independent of respecs.

Your protestation confused me, because I took to clearly mean Don't play [the game]. Which I snapped at with a retort of the same extreme sentiment but about being part of the community if you feel that way about this one niche. I found that extremely narrow minded and dismissive of any critique to AE or any part of the game. I realize you meant Don't play [the part]. And exclaimed a long 'ooooooooooh', and will profusely apologise. I'm sorry for misreading that. That's a whole different notion and I agree with it, obviously. I stand by that the notion of nerfing AE isn't the popular one, though it's bound to come up regularly, so I think it was still misplaced to be cracked up by 'the community'.

As I understand it, and I may be wrong here, the chance of the different enemy ranks dropping anything at all is different. So a boss has a higher drop chance than a minion. Then, the rarity of that drop is another... (This is where Riverdusk ninja'd me with actual numbers and research)

Because the suggestion to leave the game if players find things they dislike is essentially the same. I have plenty I don’t like about the game and will raise them as they’re discussed, and I don’t want to be told to leave the game for that.

I can’t find the thread in suggestions easily (stuff in there gets buried quick), but Leandro gave a pretty decisive no to this idea. I feel that both HC and the Live devs have made 1-50 easy enough, but that’s coming from someone who likes the levelling process.

But this thread has never been about this and not many people support getting rid of or nerfing AE. Even the OP didn’t suggest it. The other similar thread currently on page 1 of general did, but is still clearly a minority opinion. I think it’s a long way off representing the community, who by and large either use AE or are ambivalent. These conversations prompt good discussion about how people play the game and the challenge and reward of older/non-AE content. I like talking about that; it’s interesting to me.

I think the drop rate is 1/5000. That’s plenty; super-rare is exactly that.

A softcap is when you can increase the value beyond a certain point, but it has no effect (defence softcap is 45%) You can go higher, but the only benefit is that there is a buffer if you are debuffed. a hardcap means that the value stops at a certain point. Resist hardcap on a tank is 90%, it doesn’t go higher.

Absolutely, but there is in assuming that everyone else in the community has that point of view, even though most seem moderate at worst on the subject, and then treating that point of view as laughable.

If you don’t like the community, don’t be a part of it.

I’d like to see Hazard Zones become more significant and for street sweeping to be a viable and enjoyable progression path for some level ranges. I don’t know how you’d accomplish this, maybe giving hazard zones a strategic ‘PvP-zone-esque’ map event for large teams.

Not at all. “Change nothing; it’s great” is still an answer, and worth talking about. I’d personally like to see the older AVs given a bit more challenge, presence and uniqueness in their encounters. CoH got good at handling climactic fights later in development. Those moments are rewarding in themselves. I stand firmly in the “don’t boost xp for normal content” corner. As I said in another thread on an identical subject, AE shouldn’t form the baseline of progression and challenge is important for a game. OP stated that they deleted their PL characters for them not feeling earned - which I relate to - but also suggests that normal content should be boosted. You can’t have your cake and eat it. XP isn’t the only form of reward, currently or potentially. And not all reward need be numeric, it might be intrinsic too.

I’m all in favour of turning this thread into a discussion of ‘what could the old content become to be rewarding and interesting’. That’s a wholesome topic.

I keep eating junk food. The government should shut down McDonalds.

No Slotshaming.

Before he died, did he share his builds? did he go for damage, resistance, or proc? which enhancements go in a Nemesis slot?

You’re right in the potential problem with farming, which may be a very, very long-term effect. If it ever reaches the point that content is something that happens irregularly and hastily between farming, I’d like to be long gone. But I believe enough of the community is like-minded enough not to exclusively play to farm. We didn’t get this game back in order to not play it. (Disclaimer: not arguing anti-farm. Just an unlikely worst-case scenario) But I don’t think the content should match AE for rewards. For me, the process and challenge of going 1-50 is still important and I enjoy the narrative of character progression - it’s pretty defining of an RPG. I think it should retain its pace; accelerating it would water down an already overly-forgiving game. Even DXP is a little too fast for outpacing the stories, and it’s not like it’s difficult to make millions of inf. I think risk/reward should be looked at, but maybe not with regards to xp. I’d like to see some unlockables return or be put in place. In fact, I think the live devs missed an opportunity to make AE assets unlockable through playing content. AE can do what it does, but shouldn’t be the baseline for progression.

If eating a sandwich is part of Savage’s attack rotation, I’m sold!

I can’t speak for tank, but I find managing my end is a lot harder on my WP brute than on my Inv tank, even though I hit rage at every opportunity. My Brute is sitting at 43 with a frankenslot build right now, though. But I never had so much trouble on my inv tanker. I thought easy end management was a perk of WP.

I lost track of all the changes, but if that’s still the plan then I’m pretty stoked. That little extra adaptability and strategy will go a long way to enjoying my SS tank.

Yes, you are.

He’s on to me! I’ll escape on my Nemesis Yacht!