Ukase

And to think, I've just zipped through that mission every time, without realizing my stats were elevated. Clearly, you folks are smarter than the average bear.

I'd be curious to know if it was account wide, or just on one character. And if it was related to inf or reward merits or some other in game currency.

My understanding of the Bug Hunter badge is that it's rarely given out. And only for a player who finds a "game-breaking" bug. Before the close, I only know of one person who got this badge, and that was Beefcake. I'm sure a few others got it, but I wasn't aware of them, or don't recall them. My questions are these: does it have to be an exploit? And what does "game-breaking" actually mean? As we all know, almost all of us have seen/experienced various bugs - but whether they were game breaking is up for speculation. Additionally, this badge is supposedly awarded manually to players who report said bugs, and in the past, were more likely to get the badge awarded if they didn't ask for it, than if they did. But we have new devs now. Do we have anyone who's gotten this yet? Are they allowed to say what for, so we might have an example?

@Voltor I wanted to add that your screenshots in this post have helped a number of people. I must have referred half a dozen people just in the last couple of days to your selfless post. Thanks again!

My thoughts are this: You can't please all the people all the time. Whether that's a win will depend on your perspective.

I thought it was 5 every Wednesday, but they didn't stack.

A little late posting, but for me, hunting bosses and such is often aided by use of a target macro. Without it, I'd probably still be looking. So often, I pass through an area and would have missed them if the target macro didn't find them on the next street over, or on top of a hill - outside my view. Family bosses (at least blue side), without question, IP. Look for Consigliere or Underboss. Striga was better for me for warrior bosses than Talos. Talos was where I found my Tsoo and Ancestor spirits. Lost Bosses were easily found in the Gordon Trench in Terra Volta. Freak bosses, too. Igneous bosses - if i ever have to find those again, I'll solo the CoT and do that, rather than hunt in zone. (or team - but teaming just adds more time to the task with recruiting, etc., unless you find a like-minded badge buddy. ) Fakes - I shouldn't surprised, but many still don't know about the first mission of the Sig Story arc out of steel. If you're level 40, I've found you have to set the diff. for +1, as Fakes wouldn't spawn for me at level 40. And, you need to set the team size to 8 to maximize fakes. Alternatively, the Docks in PI are fairly reliable. I should probably develop a list for all the defeat badges, but am lacking the time presently.

<headsmack> I knew that, but I forgot I knew it.

Why would you pay so much inf per converter? Going rate is only 75-80k if you're patient, 90 if you're not.

My thoughts: definitely you'd avoid the 2xp. You need to go through a lot of content to increase drops. So, a blaster - unless you play with large teams is probably not the best route. A sentinel, scrapper or brute (or tank when the changes go live) are probably the best bet. I can't say stalker - I've never played one. Still, whatever AT & power set combo you go with, the sooner you can increase mob size, and ergo, drop rate, the better. A spines/fire brute would probably be the best way so you could do AE maps to get the salvage you need without paying for them, at least in the higher levels. Your builds will likely be substandard until you can get the rare salvage you need for the better sets. Sounds like a fun challenge, but I don't think I could handle being substandard until level 22 or so. That would drive me a bit nuts.

KB isn't a killing speed debuff. It's damage mitigation, simply put. Incoming damage mitigation. That's all. The players that use are doing so to prevent them from taking hits. That, and it comes inherent in the power they chose. They didn't chose it to bother melee or AoE specialists. While I understand that you find it bothersome, and you've every right to your feelings and thoughts, play styles and players will differ. It's what makes this game so incredible. Without these differences, the game would be too simple and dull. Embrace the challenges.

Interesting. While I understand your perspective, I would appreciate it you'd consider this thought: many people have NO idea what Null the Gull does, aside from changing alignment on the fly. I certainly had no idea. And even if I did know it, why in the world would I choose to stop group fly when I've never, ever encountered it in game? I have teamed with bot MMs before, and none of them used group fly. Am I some kind of mind reader? Did you at least mention this Group Fly scenario before the BAF was queued? Have you ever thought about what you would do in a Magisterium, when mobility to avoid thunderous splash from the sky is vitally important? If I were stuck in a slow group fly, I'd be too slow to avoid it, I would think. I do see your side of things - and I'm glad you chose to post so that I can take action. Bear in mind though, I've 30 level 50 toons. Am I supposed to take each one there to Null, or will one suffice? Maybe an easier thing for me is to simply not team with you. Not that you're a bad guy, but because teaming with you creates more work for me that I really don't need to take time for. Consider that mindset, as many have already decided the solution is to avoid you rather than work with you - if they don't know you. I'm sure that you're a competent player, and probably a fine person. But the way you're coming off is "my way or the high way". Me, I don't know you - I'll take the highway. If I'd been league leader, I'd have asked you to turn it off - and if you refused, I'd have booted you, or taken a vote to see if you should be, as I've forgotten if a leader can boot someone from an iTrial. I do remember there being a vote system available. But, I lack the patience the better leaders have, so that's the route I would take.

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.