Ukase

I have 2 accounts. One is my primary; when I'm not pursuing a badge or playing an alt, I'll have my afk farmer sitting in AE, raking in the loot. The second account has two characters, identically built spines/fire brutes on two different servers to PL my new toons to level 17 so they can skip the levels I find boring, (and inadequate enhancements - there should be SOs and IOs for level 1's. ) I do hami raids most nights. Because they're done on level 50 characters - they just accumulate the merits. Hami-o's, in my opinion, are better off bought when needed, rather than risk 80 merits for an HO worth less than a million inf. I think 3 of the possible HOs that might drop are worth more than the 80 merits when using the standard 80k per converter "exchange rate". But, as we know, the market can be a fickle mistress. So, I always go for the merits. When you can use a few merits to turn "Trap of the Hunter" into an LotG, the converters make more than they would selling for 80k. At least, anecdotally, they have for me. As for getting the converters, those alts use the reward merits to convert to hero merits. They email the hero merits. My primary account brute will get those, and convert them to reward merits, then to converts. Another alt, on the same server as the secondary brute will do the same and simply gift the 2nd brute with converters. I don't track any of this - what would be the point? It's not real money. I see the pile get bigger, that's all I need to see. 30 billion and counting, and I'm still giving away 1 billion every couple of weeks, and have been for a couple of months.

I think it was the time of day..they appeared far more in Moth Cemetery than Romero Heights - at least for me. No idea what time it was in zone, but I was able to find them more often than my first attempt. Thanks, all!

Yeah, I solo'd all the tfc tfs with my brute, (making use of temp pets for the avs when needed), and they go so much faster solo. So much faster! I even save the 5 to 20 minutes it takes to form them, so now I look at the lfg channel and I think to myself - why do you "need" 3 more? Quit wasting time and go with what you have. But, my thinking and playstyle isn't like everyone elses. I was on the LRSF tf that went 10:13. There were a couple of really smooth moments, but there was also a player DC who came back, zone in as the cut scene was ending. Didn't miss a beat, but I suspect we could trim 5-6 seconds from somewhere. Just not sure where.

I am questioning your reasoning. Who said the gravity controllers were designed to solo? Or better at being solo than, say, an Ill/rad or a fire/kin? Every AT and powerset may be built to team or solo. The choice is the players. Your characters play best when equipped properly, provided the player understands how to make that build support the way they want to play. Years ago, my 2nd character was an emp/elec defender, as my first character was a blaster. They didn't have sentinels then; but I knew I wanted to blast, but I needed an emp to keep me going. So, the emp had blasts, and heals. Seemed like an easy choice, until I started playing it. Never occurred to me the damage was less than a blasters. I'd overlooked that somehow, despite the graphic illustration that shows it. But, I still got that character to 50 mostly solo, until I'd learned how to team with it. I think I was level 30 before I got heal other, and I don't think I ever got absorb pain until a respec after I was 50. It was all under my control, those decisions. I was ignorant of how to build, or even play an empath for the first 30-35 levels. Then I started figuring things out when someone told me there were forums. I'd had no idea! So, I read, asked questions, read some more until I learned enough to get much better at slotting, and power selection and wise use of macros and binds. I share that to illustrate that powersets don't have to be one or the other. They can be both. We have 3 builds we can make for our characters to devote to any style of play we like. PvP, PvE 1-25, PvE 26-50. The ATs and powerset already cater to just about any playstyle you could ask for. But, that's just me.

The game as it stands now already supports all of those play styles. The truth is - the only reason for the devs to contribute any time other than maintenance to the game is to keep players interested. Interestingly enough, no new content was added in the 7 years when the game was shut down, and player interest did not wane very much, if at all. I suspect at least 70% of the old player base at least gave the game a look when HC brought it back online. The truth is, they shouldn't devote any time into developing the game, only maintaining it. The game is not broken now. Why mess with it? There's so much content, I know I haven't done everything in game yet, despite having numerous level 50s up to t-4, and a badge toon that's pretty much encouraged to do all content to get said badges. Anyone that says they've done it all is probably unaware of what they've missed. Need more content - roll a pb or warshade and do Sunstorm's arc. I'm still working through those after all the years I've played. But, I suppose that's presumptuous to assume my experiences are the same for everyone else. I'm sure others have differing opinions. As for me, I don't want any new content. I just want the game maintained as is.

Thank you very much!

These three badges are presumably awarded when you complete a buff, debuff or patrol mission in one of the lower level pvp zones - Siren's Call, Bloody Bay or Warburg. I didn't see any option to do these in Ouro, and the contacts won't talk to me, as I've out-leveled them, despite my being exemplared in zone. Would teaming with an appropriate level suffice? I'm thinking it would, but figured I'd ask before I went to the trouble. Or maybe there's something I'm missing.

I think i did that by accident on live - so I switched to macros, so I could tell right away.

I did, but as stated - few and far between. Thought there might be a tf or trial or mission I hadn't thought of, or forgotten about. They were also in the Moth Cemetary area. In both locations, amongst other npcs, and woefully outnumbered. Not an issue, just annoying.

My understanding is 100 incarnate level CoT, which I presume are found in DA. I have found a few, but it's like hunting for igneous in the Hollows. I've done all the missions in DA - have no recollection of facing CoT at any level. Am I going to just have to grind this out, or is there something I've not thought of?

Hey, I appreciate your thoughts. I figured there were some aspects I hadn't considered. I still would like extra, but who can fault me for that?

There's probably some perspectives I've not considered,but I believe that there's a problem with the way Reward merits are currently awarded. If I complete a task force on a team of 8, and we run the content at +4/8, I get the same reward merits as another team that ran it at -1/8. Why is that? Clearly one is easier than the other. If I finish a task force in 10 minutes, I get the same merits as someone that took 4 hours. Why is that? (I can kind of get that, as I often solo the shard tfs and take lunch. I'd likely get irritable if it cost me merits) Still, some folks are working harder than others and not being rewarded appropriately. I've no idea what the solution is - or if there is one - but I think if you finish LRSF in 10 minutes, you should get MORE merits than what's given now. Give folks something beyond a badge, as 1) for many players badges are meaningless 2) Awarding a badge for some insanely fast times would require more effort than I want to invest for EVERY task force. Or even some task forces. But merits...those are quite useful.

Some may think I'm joking, but there were some references to "Power Creep" in this thread. I read that..and my mind goes back to a day when people would complain about getting nerfed and not feeling "super" anymore. But, that's a nice derailing thread, so I'll stop there and say, "Let's not (discuss it) and say we did." If you really want to increase the challenge in game, have you considered time spent in X mission or X TF to be a gauge as to your abilities? If said content is so trivial for you, finish the LRSF in 10 minutes. Coordinate with your friends and decide who will get incan, who will get various interfaces, etc to get yourselves the fastest time possible. Maybe that's not your cup of tea, and you want +5 content. As I understand it, it's not possible yet. Maybe some day. In the meantime - the biggest thing you can do to increase your challenge is simply do nothing but PUGs. You'll have no idea what kind of treat you're in store for. TF leaders that go afk at the beginning of a mission with some emergency...but never return, after an hour. Or worse, a non-leader doing the same thing, but the leader refuses to kick them, stalling the teams progress. The biggest challenge (and blessing) this game has are the people that play it. They make difficult content easy, and more often than I'd like to think about, easy content difficult. Like in Pen Yin, when someone clicks the terminals right away, instead of dealing with the mobs that are already there. Not impossible, but the increase in mobs does make it more difficult. Quit your SGs! Those people are making you too comfortable! Teaming with people you know? That's just nuts if you want a challenge. Try going solo at level 12 at +4/8. Try going solo at +4/8 on every AT. Try it on a tank, you'll live, but it will take you a long while to finish those mobs. Try it on an AT you're not comfortable with, and you might find the difficulty more than you can manage. A +4/8 with freakshow is one thing - with Banished Pantheon or Malta or Carnies is something else entirely. Lastly - just stop slotting enhancements. That'll make the game super tough. I would never go that route; I hate to miss. But if you want it harder, that's the way to go.

I'm not Obi-Wan, but you don't need to do iTrials to get the t-4 parts you want. There are arcs in DA that award the same reward tables that an iTrial will. The biggest difference is you can set the difficulty for the DA arcs, but the iTrials will be +4 by default. And you can redo the arcs through ouro. The Heather Townsend arc is the first, and by most accounts the fastest of them. That said - if you really want to try an iTrial solo, the only way would be to get the required minimum, say 8 for a lambda, and have the other 7 quit while you remain. If you try to queue it solo, it will state you lack enough people.

I'm finding this not only tedious, but a bit nauseating myself.

Almost all of them. This is how I figured it out. I basically looked at the title and the contact of each arc, and then searched through the Paragon Wiki. If the contact was in Mercy, I did those arcs. It's been a couple of weeks, so I don't remember, but it's all of them except one contact, if I remember right. Just find out who's in Mercy and do those arcs. That said, if it's badges you want - may as well do all the arcs. They'll all help in someway - debt, mez, inf, damage...

I knew my combat attributes showed me as stealthed! That explains a lot!

Well, I certainly can't disagree with what you wrote. I probably should have written things more clearly. I think the experience - not knowing the content, but the lessons learned from getting know the content are what help shape a simple blaster into a really good one. I also didn't intend to suggest the use of macros or binds implied that a blaster that didn't use them was not good, nor that one that does use them is good. Only that their use would suggest someone knows a bit more about the game than someone who doesn't use them. It's not a hard fast rule, just something that I think is likely to be case more often than not. And I probably still didn't express myself very clearly. Sorry!

I really should read through all 5 pages of this, but I'm not. I did read that one felt blasters are the least survivable of the various ATs he/she had played. I see this type of comment in various league chats, broadcast, help channel, lfg, etc. ALL the time about how weak blasters are. Rubbish! Badly played blasters are certainly lacking. But a skilled blaster will outlive many other ATs that are played by equally skilled players. The beautiful balance of damage, accuracy, endurance management, recharge and defense is like a chess game. Advance one piece too far, and you're out of control in other facets. But, with forethought, practice and intelligent slotting, blasters are a genuinely capable AT. The initial question by the OP was answered, and answered well. Other posters chimed in, but the OP thinks the use of damage mitigation from melee attacks "brass knuckles for a guy with a glass jaw" don't make sense. Here's something the OP didn't consider: a badly played blaster will indeed have a glass jaw. But a skilled one will not. And it has less to do with melee attacks, and more to do with the player behind the avatar. What inspirations do they carry? Do they make effective use of binds and/or macros? How much experience do they have with their character and the content? Many of us who played back in the early issues to closing know the content very well. There's just not many surprises. Because we know what to expect, we've learned how to position ourselves for best results. (admittedly, experience has less to do with skill, but it's still a factor) Perhaps a blaster just isn't a good fit.

So...a thought occurred to me after I got a gentle rebuke from Paragon Wiki. I wasn't thinking about how they were trying to keep the wiki as the game was when it shut down - not with the new changes. Just a minor thing I'd changed, the number of reward merits for something. Apparently, I missed the memo on how our HC devs upped the reward merits a smidge, compared to how things were before the shutdown. So, they took my change out. So, with that, I know I'm not the only one who refers to Paragon Wiki for about 95% of things when I'm unclear on the best place to hunt certain things, or if I want to get an idea if I can solo a tf, etc. I'm wondering if there would be someone with more tech-savvy abilities than I have who could just port over a copy of the Paragon Wiki - maybe change some things, like calling it HC Wiki, and then folks like me could begin to update it to how things are in this version. The only reason I make the suggestion is because I was under the impression that Tony V has stepped away from The Titan Network, and that the HC team has arranged some sort of partnership with them. Maybe I'm completely misunderstanding something, but I think a wiki would be quite useful.

Wait - you can get purples with tickets? huh...I need to take a second look. You typed AE, did you mean AH?

You know, I really had no idea how many people had such strong feelings about the AE farm issue - on both sides. 7 pages on a thread isn't gigantic, but the fact that folks are continuing to express opinions and thoughts just shows me how little I know about how other people think.

So, while running Sir Bedwyr's arc, part 4, (doing them out of order) I notice that the npcs are Talons of Vengeance. Beat 100, get a badge. But, when I took out a banshee - no progress on the bar. Curious if that's by design? Doesn't make sense to me. The others give progress, so it won't hold me back - but why wouldn't the Banshees give progress? They are part of Talons of Vengeance.

lol. I have no time for foolishness like the tailor. That's even worse than reading what the contact is sharing to get you to do a mission. It's irrelevant. With the new transparent stealth, I can't see my character anyway. I basically did a load costume from my scrapper to my blaster, and back again. Each one cost me 4 million, so I only had to do it 13 times. Now I can ignore the tailor forever. Such a strange thing..don't you people like your costume when you start your character? Why would you ever change it? Makes no sense to me - but it doesn't have to. City of Options and all that.

Thus, the reason for my post. Playing melee, I don't notice it, as I'm already right there. On my blaster, not so much.