Ukase

@backfire led this league. I can tell you, Backfire (as Alexander Hamidon) is a fairly clear and fast communicator. There's a discord available, but he doesn't need it. He can relay the information and if he uses macro's, I can't tell. When others were leading for the first time, and not communicating very quickly, others could see @backfire's suggestions/directions if they weren't sure what to do. He certainly does a better job of it than I do. But as far as using pets - that's nothing new. We always use lore pets (and mm pets, etc). As for strategies, same strategy we've been using since the hive re-capped at 50. Not to take anything away, but it wasn't like it was an 8 man team. (which has been done)

The pursuit of the shiny is never-ending, it seems.

I completely understand that. If it's any consolation - ultimately, damage dealt, damage taken, time spent stunned, influence earned - all of the non-badge arcs still give at least some credit towards those longer term badges. And, it seems like there's a number of badges that require all the story arcs of a given zone. Pretty sure that's an I-25 deal, I don't remember those from before. Mercy, The Hollows, Atlas Park, Faultline - I know those zones give a badge if you do all the arcs in them. There may be more, those are just off the top of my head.

Well, I appreciate your correction. I had gotten the information from that badge spreadsheet in these forums. The correct information was a lot easier than the wrong info, for sure.

Since I've already met my goal of 20B, I'll share how I did it. It wasn't really planned, I just knew that I shouldn't put all my eggs in one basket. When the game first came out, Catalysts were seen as more valuable than they do now. They were selling for 4-5M on the weekends. So, that was where I made my first real chunk of loot. After raiding hami for a week, I had 800 Reward Merits, hit the vendor up, and converted to Catalysts and converters. The reason I got converters is this: Whether it's through hero packs or just buying ATOs off the AH, in order to make them superior, you have to slot them. There were more ATOs than I had level 50's of any particular AT. At the time, I had my fire/fire brute, before I learned Spines/fire was where it was at if you wanted to AFK farm. I honestly thought AFK farm meant you could go get a drink, come back and resume playing. I didn't realize it was something you could do for 15-30 minutes at a time. So, you presumably buy from AH the cheapest ATO you can get your hands on. I placed low bids for 6M. Some went through instantly. Others, took a day or so. But, since I didn't have my first billion, I was a bit cautious, stopped at 20 ATOs. I bought them, converted to brute. I unslotted my own superior ATOs, slotted the new ATOs, catalyzed them, then sold the ones I just pulled out. 6M (ATO) + Catalyst (opportunity cost 5M) =11M Sell for 18.78M. Most of the time, I'd get 20M within a few minutes. There were only 3-5 for sale. I know I wasn't the only person doing this, but with only a few for sale, whoever else was doing it, wasn't doing that much - which was fine by me. Fewer units for auction imply scarcity, which creates the illusion of higher demand and/or value. I got about 140M within a couple of hours, while I just ran the drecks map. Then, I set out to make sure I had a level 50 blaster and scrapper, too, so I could avoid using THAT many converters. Eventually, I got a Corruptor, a Defender, a Tank & a Sentinel to level 50 as well, so even fewer converters were needed to use before slotting & catalyzing. The sales on these were far slower, and the profits weren't as good on the back end, but the investment cost of the ATO was cheaper. Still not as good, but at this time, I hadn't really figured out how to afk farm. Just figured people were exaggerating, as most folks tend to do. I made my first billion doing this. Took me less than a week. Now, I just craft & convert any drops I get. 20B and counting.

Ok, now you've just gone and made me think I should roll an alt called [Redacted] - with the brackets.

Hamidon's Enemy is supposedly a tip mission given automatically to villains when they ding 30. So, I've got a character, currently villain, but is level 50. Do I have to roll a character on an alt account and have them get this mission and invite my alt? Find some other villain that's just turned 30 and ask for an invite - or is there a way to do these through ouroboros? I've looked, and I could be looking in the wrong place...

I think you and I are on pretty much the same page. I have zero issues with everyone going off in their own direction if they can handles themselves. This is because I know ALL of my toons, even down to my emp defender, can handle themselves solo. In many ways, I think the problem that a lot of people have with this wandering off solo is they need your ability to manage aggro where they are. Not everyone can handle themselves with a minion or two. I listen on discord to some folks while we play, and I cannot fathom how they managed to level a character up. They seem helpless and clueless about the simplest of things. I just remind myself that a dozen years ago, I was a guy who had no idea what to slot. I thought that the "enhancements allowed" meant I was supposed to put one of each of those enhancements in the power. So every power got as many slots as needed to slot every allowed type of enhancement. While the savvy folks were slotting 1 acc, 4 damage, 2 recharge or similar, I was slotting 1 acc, 1 dam, 1 end redux, 1 rech, 1 slow, 1 range. Then suddenly, about level 26, I have this new power that takes 8 different kinds of enhancements, but I could only fit 6 slots. I thought the game was broken! So, I try not to judge ignorance harshly. Two things lead to disappointment in life: unrealistic expectations and/or unrealized expectations. Let's just do our best to define those before things start.

The key element that is missing prior to 90% of all team wipes is communication. This game is not hard. The challenges stem from the players themselves. A level 16 tank with 4 travel powers comes to mind. A player that turns left while everyone else goes right. It's never really quite clear to me why teams split when it's not a speed effort. Someone got to the intersection first and chose a path. I suppose some have Reveal, others don't. Some are paying attention, others aren't. Ultimately, it's the people that make things harder than they have to be. Without these people, the game would be so simple, nobody would play. It would be dull. Embrace the suck of the PUG. It is through PUGs that friendships are made, sometimes through a baptism of fire, wasted time and debt. Of course, it is also through PUGs that we learn that some players are so inept that they can't even handle a blaster using kb to mitigate damage they would take if they couldn't use kb. See - if you're melee and you just read that, your heart started to race, because you hate players that use kb! (well, only some of you hate it, others just find it annoying/inconvenient) Still, it's our ability to cope with these challenges that make the game more interesting. The other perspective suggests the player with the kb adapt and not use the kb, either through procs or different tactics. People are different. Expect these kind of issues if your leader isn't communicating while the team is forming. It's not a guarantee that things will go roughly if they don't type out direction, but when expectations are laid out prior, most people can temper their own expectations and have more fun. AND don't be afraid to drop from a tf before it starts if you don't feel right. But don't you dare drop once it starts. That's just bad form. I make notes on people who do this and refuse to team with them or let them participate in the stuff I lead.

I don't want to think about how much time that saved me. I don't have the latest vidiotmap patch because of the game being downloaded in my documents folder; it's a mess. I should do a fresh install of the game, but I've no idea how long that could take with my internet.

Let me just say this: I appreciated the accuracy of the Batman reference. Even with the screenshot, not knowing the WEB like I should, it took some time to find it, even knowing the loc. I'd get 2 out of 3 of the xyz close to correct, but was always off. Finally found it.

Guess I gotta keep drinkin' milk to get on this list. Still, glad you've got it. Might be just the motivational carrot I need.

I really have to applaud the diligence of taking notes on what you're selling/buying, etc. I don't do that at all. That said...here's my observations: Selling anything for 1million? That's just not worth the time. I want sales of at least $3M for each IO. So, I burn through a few more converters. But it's paid off for me. Always take note of how many are on the auction block. There are people who played the market back when the HC CoH first came back, and prices were much higher. Numina's proc used to sell for a lot more than it does now, that's certain! I don't take notes, so I can't say, but pretty sure they were close to 8M inf. So, stands to reason that a percentage of ALL the typical money makers are for sale, but will likely never sell, because they're priced too high for today's market. If there are less than 30 of the items for sale, you still have to look at the other IOs within the set. You don't want to be too greedy, or people will buy the cheaper IOs within the set and convert, leaving you without a sale. If they're all pretty low in inventory, you can probably afford to sell at a good price. One that's fair, not excessive. I think 4M for any damage resistance armor is about as high as you should go, but not as high as you could go, as an example. Currently, LotG 7.5% seem to be dropping in price..for now. Whomever is selling them is either wanting to manipulate the price, or is just wanting super quick sales. I have a number of these for sale at what used to be the going price. I aim to wait out the cheap sellers, because the LotG 7.5% are simply worth the 7-8M price. They're so valuable in my mind, I really think they should be going for 10M, but the market disagrees. So, I price to sell in the 7-8M range. If the market says they're not worth that much over the long haul, that's fine. I have characters that will level up and use them eventually, and I'll save inf instead of make it. Interesting that you use level 31's, presumably to save on crafting costs. But, you have to be careful. Some recipes are going to be cheaper in converter costs by using level 41 recipes. Or level 10's. Etc. Some of you will immediately know what I'm talking about. I'm confident the rest of you will figure it out in due time. Really, though, I love the diligence of taking notes, just wish I had been doing the same.

I have done Apex a number of times on my blasters. It's a hoot, and I rarely suffer defeat. Very rarely. I think Apex is one of those that you just need to run a number of times before you can appreciate the challenge/fun of it. I credit the scrapper that solo'd it...I dunno if my brute could. Might be fun to find out! That said, as a I play my blaster, super speeding about, ignoring the swords when BM runs away, and focusing only on the Champions/Mourning NPCs, I ask myself how miserable it must be to be melee in this part of the tf, and am thrilled to be on my blaster.

You know - I never realized that's what those numbers represented. <head smack> Thanks!

I see where the new arcs are supposed to be available through ouro, if we're the correct alignment. My main badge character is level 50, and a rogue. I have no idea what this arc is called, nor which arc to choose. Anyone know?

My thoughts on this issue are simply that - my thoughts. We're all different, with differing amounts of time to play, and with different knowledge about the game. So, I try not to assess people based on how they play. That said, there is a help channel. People ask questions about making more inf, and I tell them. Honestly, and openly. To me, making the influence is far more interesting than leveling the character. I really only play the character to create more opportunities to make more influence. And it's quite simple. So simple, that now, I'm playing the game, exploring new content because the influence just rolls in. I spend 30 minutes at most, just converting the drops I get into ones that are worth more to other players. There's many different ways to make influence - but I don't think that's what the post is about - but about how we treat others. I get that. Nobody should be ridiculed for the way they play. That said, if I had a nickel for every player I ran into that was clueless about how to play their characters because they got power-leveled, I'd have a lot of nickels. This is the primary reason people chastise farmers, I think. It creates, in some cases (not all!) players that are so clueless about what they're doing, they don't even know that they don't know what they're doing. Nothing forces me to team with them, of course. Until I find myself on a task force and they want to have fun, but have no idea how to actually pull with a ranged attack. It's a simple mechanic once you learn it - but you won't learn it sitting at a door in AE. And their incompetence makes what should be a simple thing into an ordeal. And they don't seem to want to learn when I try to suggest alternate strategies. Fine. Using frost breath without positioning your character...well, I could go on, but I think the point is clear. The OP ran into someone who didn't have a full picture of what was really going on. And the OP didn't take advantage of free resources available. Like simply running the Sig story arc in Skyway for 20 merits, seeing a merit vendor and selling the converters for 85 to 90k each. Then buy a pvp io recipe (level 10 to keep crafting costs low) and then go get some more merits, to get some more converters, craft that bad boy, convert it to a panacea, shield wall or glad armor, and keep the profits to either buy more recipes, or buy a couple of the IOs needed.

I wish I could say I'm at a loss for words. But, I'm not. Why in the world would you take something that works just fine, and then, "fix it"? Leave well enough alone. So what if a zillion people take hasten. Let 'em. If you don't want it, don't take it. It would just be easier to say, "Let us take as many power pool choices as we want." We'd see some odd characters, but nothing game breaking. This fantastic game, which kept our hearts even while it was closed for most of us - and all most of you want to do is change it. That makes no sense to me at all. Leave it alone. I get wanting different stories. I can almost wrap my head around wanting different costume options - although now there are more than I will ever try or even know about - but I will not, cannot understand why anyone wants to change things like powers and power pools, etc. Still I don't have to understand. Just glad I get to play - and that people will think of various things like this. I don't like this idea, but the next one might be brilliant.

I'm sorry - I do agree that ice has the highest ranged single target damage...but it's cast time is quite long? Are you talking about Bitter Ice Blast? Or something else? The ONLY long animation in ice is Bitter Freeze Ray.

Clearly, this wins my prize for the most confusing post today. Am I supposed to alter my play style to conform with how other people play? I can see doing that for pursuit of a specific badge, perhaps, but not regularly. At the same time, this situation you speak of is not unknown to me. I've felt this way on my tanks, my brutes and my scrappers. Ultimately, what occurs is the realization that in order for me to become a better tank, brute, or scrapper, I have to improve my level of play, not insist others conform or adapt to mine. CoH is a blaster's world, baby. Adapt.

When doing "volume", I was told that I would develop callouses. I did, but I'd still blister up. I found that some weight-lifting gloves with 1/2 finger sleeves work great for absorbing the sweat and preventing blisters. For the really long rows, like 1/2 marathon, I use NexCare waterproof tape, the brown stuff. It's like a second skin and if it weren't 3.32 a roll (which lasts about 4 rowing sessions), I'd use it instead of the gloves.

Some of you are just ...puzzling with your expressed thoughts. You blame the farmer - because they make influence by playing their characters? Suppose....just suppose...they played actual content the same way, outside of AE. They'd still make influence by playing their characters. And guess what - all of you who play your characters can make that same influence. The game does need something else to spend influence on, to absorb the humongous billions many of us have stashed on our alts, in our email and in bids on AH on things that don't exist in game. But to blame it on anything other than the game itself is just....puzzling.

Posi 1 and 2 can be solo'd easily. Synapse is still long, but also easily solo'd. Penny Yin TF is super simple to solo. In fact, all the TFC task forces are simple to solo. In many cases, even easier to solo than doing it with a team. Numina takes me about 40 minutes, solo. Posi 1,2, Yin about 20-25 minutes each. Synapse, with the kill alls (and my characters also needing gear smasher and running the first two missions at 0/8) still takes me about 2 hours. Manticore and Citadel are about an hour. When I say solo, I mean nobody else is on my team - but I do use envenomed dagger against the avs, as well as a lot of large reds and purples. And, the character that solos them is usually a brute or a scrapper, or my ill/rad controller. I also feel free to use a vanguard heavy if I have one. Or even a Werewolf or Katie Hannon temp power. Shivan's too.

I'll never play a bots or demon mm because of the noise. Kinetic melee is awful - in sound, and animation, so I'll never play that, either.

The main "hobby" I partake in is rowing. My feet would get really sore from jogging and even walking when I was going 5 miles or more a day, so now I row. Yesterday I did 18k, broken up into two sessions - one, a real killer called "Death Row", where you set the rower up for one minute intervals with no rest. The first minute, you chill; you aim for 150 meters. The 2nd minute, you're still chilling, aiming for 160 meters. You increase your target by 10 meters each minute. By the 11th minute, you're aiming for 250m, which isn't that bad. Not a great amount of fun, but ...when you get to 15 minutes and are looking for 290 meters, this is when the actual workout begins. If you get to 16 minutes and go for 300 meters...then you can call yourself a hero. I've gotten to 300 meters once...I usually stop at 290 because of the inability to take in enough oxygen. Should you find access to a concept 2 rower and try this - what I was told was, "Go hard. You won't die. [dramatic pause] You'll pass out first." And because the approximate distance of 4500m during this workout isn't really enough volume, I'll do a slow, steady state row in the afternoon of about 10-11k, to give myself 15 to 18k a day. (There's almost always a warm-up row before any anaerobic work gets done, about 2-3k)