The Trouble

I know Infigidate is single-target, but proccing it out changes it from a good debuff to a good debuff that also dishes out a shocking amount of damage. Include an Achilles Heel -Res, and you can lean even harder into its debuff potential.

I do most of my playing on a small server because I enjoy the predictability and comfortable small-town vibe. It's easy to quickly understand what the regular event organizers expect from their leagues. You've touched on the downside. I've given up on one of the scheduled raids on my main server because the leader can't help but randomly blurt out extremely divisive political statements. Thankfully, nothing I've seen them say is overtly hateful, but it makes me uncomfortable enough that they're now on my ignore list. On the big shards, I can easily find multiple opportunities to engage with raid leaders that don't use the game as a soapbox. So Excel will give you more opportunities to interact with jerks, but also more opportunities to avoid them.

Only if the run is advertised as "optimized". I generally avoid Hardmode stuff due to a strong dislike of micro-managed builds/Incarnates. That said, I'm not against soft guidance like communicating who the primary and secondary Incan folks will be, or "Let's get 1more debuffer" (as opposed to "We need an Ice/Cold Corrupter!"). I don't want to be accused of bringing the league down because I didn't equip T4 Barrier.

It's no big deal on non-defensive sets. You don't become more vulnerable.* That's the fun of Super Strength on non-defensive sets that are slotted to proc-bomb. Those types of builds generally shrug and say, "What Rage crash?" *I've rightly been corrected on this point. Let me clarify that I only said that you don't become more vulnerable because I've never noticed a difference. 💪

Not in MIDS, but the literal plus button on your keyboard. I only just this week discovered that Shift & Right Click can clear all the enhancements on a power

I remember when Fitness was considered a must-pick for your pools (thankfully this is now inherent). Hasten was also once considered a must. I think the phase we're currently in is "Soft-cap Defenses". I'm guilty of this one... but it's so much fun! It's a premium proc because it enhances almost every power you can activate. Its presence makes perfect sense for most builds. The problems start when a powerset's utility is compromised just to plop in one more LotG. It sounds like you can spot the difference, so try not to let it bother you. Flavors of the month don't automatically make a recipe worse in the same way they don't automatically make a dish better.

The greatest irony is that I didn't ask for the build advice they gave, and I thought I was returning a favor. Although, they did say that Dark Armor would have Endurance issues that couldn't be solved until Incarnates, and that hasn't been my experience at all. Maybe that's due to being an Ebil Marketeer (thanks @UltraAlt), and being able to afford all those End Discount bonuses. 🤷‍♂️

I prioritize Accuracy and Endurance Reduction first. If you miss, you need to try and hit again... thus wasting End. It's tempting to go for Damage first because the monkey brain says, "Hurt more=defeat more!". The truth is your strikes need to connect, and they need to cost less stamina for you to be able to continue attacking. And yes two slot Stamina. Earth sheep are silly, but apparently @MoonSheep are wise.

I discovered Homecoming in 2023. So unlike the early adopters, I didn't have coffers overflowing with money. The anticipation of having a "perfect" build became too much, and because I play mostly solo, I realized that in order to have the influence to fund my "perfect build" quickly was through Wentworth's. I did some reading. Long story short: I had my enhancements already in my inventory as the slots became available. It was amazing. Anyhow, I was teamed on a farm to get some quick early levels on one of my Tankers. The lead was generously giving me advice on my powerset because their main shared the same primary. Then they casually complained how hard it was to keep funding their growing stable of alts. They said that farming got them about 20m per hour. So I shared some marketing wisdom... sort of a "thank you" for their build advice. I let them know they could get about ten times what they were making in the same amount of time. Their response was filled with the most profanity filters I've seen in the two-ish years I've been back in Paragon City! "Greedy" this, "price-gouging", that, "manipulation" this, "leeching" that... The entire mood soured instantly. I had no idea of the stigma until I opened my mouth, and it honestly shocked me. Has anyone else made the mistake of admitting they're an evil Wentworth's leech in-game?

The Kheldian culture on the forums is primarily: "You need enhancement sets to be competitive." Here's the bitter pill that I'm having a hard time with lately... that sentiment is mostly true. I can build a very solid Tanker with just Single Origin Enhancements. There are power sets that can soft-cap their protective powers with the regular stuff you can buy from stores. I know Kheldians were designed to require thoughtful play, but other archetypes - Including VEATs - can dip their toe into the min-max metagame without spending the hundreds of millions that we do. Then, even after a "perfect" build, I can still be seen as sub-par in hardcore communities. This is not the only measure of an archetype... but it does illustrate that something is amiss. I want more people to enjoy Khelds the way I do, but the generosity of the archetypes' limitations make them a hard sell.

Just yesterday I noticed that Brimstone Armor adds Fire to your attacks. Stone's rework has made it a beast. I paired with with Spines on a Brute, and holy moly...

I still run the tutorial when making new heroes. I like the freebie large inspirations and seeing Outbreak is still a cool nostalgia trip, even after all these years. The thing I don't do is that final indoor mission. Coyote is probably pretty disappointed in me, and I haven't seen Flower Knight in decades... but I have a limit on tedium.

I also agree with @ZemX, but here is where you touched on why these discussions become heated. I don't mind "carrying" a player with a sub-optimal build. I do, however, get frustrated having to instruct another player about every single action when I invited them onto a team so I could count on them to increase my fun. That's basically where the power level stigma comes from: you trying to play the game, while also being forced to play text-based adventure game for a completely different character. Remember those days?! Holster gun. -I don't know how to do that. Use holster. -I don't know how to do that. Use gun on holster. -I put away my gun.

After level 50, you can earn salvage that you can convert into "Incarnate" powers every 3 levels up to Vet Level 99. After that, there is no mechanical benefit. It's simply a number that can reflect the player's dedication to that character. Some folks shut of XP gain, and even though they have played for years their Vet Level is relatively low... so it's not even 100% accurate to a person's playtime. Basically, it's a really good sign that the game we're all playing remains fun long after literally everything is unlocked.

Whatever streaming service won the bid to televise the event, because they'll make the most money off of nearly nothing happening 🤷‍♂️