golstat2003

Agreed. I would add the label "You might want to bring a team". Just like other missions that are a little bit more difficult have that label, even in a solo story arc as you pointed out. That would keep some consistency here.

Once you stop making alts or are Tier 4'd up the EMPS are pretty much useless. The only value left was converting them into Reward Merits and then those into converters to convert uncommons into rares and sell them on the AH. Doing this has netting me billions over the last year. EDIT: With that said I would rather have this then the loss of vet levels.

Not everyone will agree that every change is for the betterment of the game. That may be the intention, but there will indeed be changes that you don't agree with. Let's keep that in mind.

This sounds like it could be a useful buff for this power and other support powers, as others have said.

Speaking of which. Play STRAY. STRAY is life. STRAY is much MEOWWWWW!!!!!!!!

If they want to have one shard designated with no AE limits to see how many folks actually flock there, then sure. But that should be the ONLY change. Having our volunteer team do anything more than just that for just an experiment cause some folks just don't like AE or farming, is just a complete waste of their limited time IMO. Also not even sure if such a suggestion is even possible. EDIT: Aka does the server code even allow for one AE on one server to have a different ruleset? Also doesn't answer the question of WHICH shard this would on. Excelsoir (large shard) or Torchearer (smaller shard) ? 😉

It would add a ridiculous amount of work in terms of maintaining the AH db also. You'd have to have two based on what folks are suggesting. Agreed that this does not seem realistic at all.

Eh I don't fully buy the headstart idea. All the servers have been pretty popular for a while now. I do buy the idea though that folks stay on HC because they PREFER NOT to instant level to 50 and prefer to play some where WHERE there is an actual population, and the way HC does updates. (I've experienced updates on the other servers that screwed up my characters data and often the solution is "just recreate them". Which instantly turned me off of those other servers.). If the features of Cake were that popular there would be more folks there. I'm looking at this from folks who KNOW that COH is back on private servers, not new players.

For the farmer it's usually just better if they doorsit. Someone that low usually can't contribute to fighting level 54s.

Oh I agree. I don't think it takes that much time. But some folks just DO NOT, AT ALL want to play marketing simulator just like some folks D NOT AT ALL ever want to step anywhere near PVP. I don't get it, but I understand where they are coming from. Keep in mind we have many folks who have said they use merits to ONLY buy recipes. I think that's the worst use for Reward Merits ever, but hey if they hate the market that much, let them do them. (I will say many of the problems with the AH interface may also contribute. It's UI needed to be revamped and fixed 10+ years ago)..

The view of the market is similar to the view of PVP. Some avoid both at all costs for similar reasons. They don't see either as what the point of the game is: play a superhero and arrest bad guys.

/shrug the game is changing. I think in 3 years there won't be a version of COH out there that is at all close to the original. Each server seems to be making radical changes to the old COH formula. I trust HC more than others to make changes that WOULD NOT tank the economy. If it were any other server I would not say the same. So I no longer fear the OP's suggestion or others like it.

I'd . . . seriously be down for this, or the OP's idea. I use to be against it, but with instant PVP level 50s I see no harm. I'm now open to any and all variations of the idea. /shrug.

Try bumping up one, as others suggested and see what happens. That would be a good test to see if this would be worthwhile for all the zones. And I kind of agree I don't see a large increase in pvp if you do this, since a lvl 15 is still a level 15 to a level 50 IO/Incarnated out Pvper. I would test the change in one zone first to see if it's worth the development time to do it correctly.

I honestly . . . don't care what other servers do. The devs here will get to pet customization when they do and they'll do it their way. I'm fine with that.

Errr selling the converters is the worst way to make inf with them. That is not at all the way to make the most inf.

Actually converting EMPs to Reward Merits to Converters, then playing the converter game off uncommon IOS, after you have tier 3’d, is actually very VERY efficient and profitable. I say this as someone who has been able to use this method to make billions of inf over the past two years. EDIT: And I got those EMPs from regular +4 x8 play and the occasional farming the first three vet levels. Ofcourse this requires patience with the AH, which I’d argue a majority of players don’t have, which is why I made billions off folks paying “buy it now” prices. Also don’t ask me how many converters I have burned through converting IOS over the last two years. LOL

Great we all agree. That's not what is being asked for. Rewards are not the only issue with some of the terrible ancient content. Especially blueside.

The buffing of content is for those who do it because the content is stale. Nerfing the outlier would just move folks who do nothing but AE farm, to just PI farms. Those folks will never do regular content if it's stale and hasn't changed in years. The team should be doing both buffs to content and nerfs (if they insist). And there is a subset of folks who will NEVER do anything other than farming. Nothing wrong with that. And no, please re-read what I wrote and not what you thought I wrote. I specifically called out not to AE levels. Please read again.

There are various TFs and story arcs that have not changed in over a decade. A revamp of that content and re-balancing of rewards (yes our devs have already said they are looking at it) is something that should help. Some of the TFs especially are absolutely horrendously paced. New content that isn't hard mode options should also help. And so will new iTrials. The way to get people out of AE ultimately is to buff the rest of the game. It doesn't need to be buffed to AE reward levels. Just given a fresh coat of paint, so that us vets aren't doing the same damn stuff we've been doing for over a decade.

While I agree it makes me question just how popular "more difficulty" is if you're finding the content not being run. Shouldn't that tell us something? I mean the Aeon SF is on FARM on one of the hardest difficulties with some teams having it down to a science. And yet still not enough people are running it?

I would argue that if they can’t reduce it they SHOULD pull it until they have the code/tech to decrease the timer. I say this as someone who plays Kheldians regularly. I’d rather HC stick to their guns of getting things done well before they release than fast. It’s what separates HC from some of the other servers that throw sphagetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. EDIT: And just saw the comment after yours that it’s two separate features. That’s cool.

Only afk farming. I have some builds that actively farm that won’t have an issue.

As much as I LOATHE currency creep in mmos, it's fine if they want to have one so that everyone can't just get these things on day 1. Great feature for those who like costume customization (it's long stopped being why I play this game), even though I doubt I will ever use it. lol

To be clear I would rather have the caster be able to affect themself versus being able to buff an entire league if it’s a choice of how to balance the power. There are enough incarnate buffs being flung around in leagues, as you mention, that it’s an easier trade off for balance. the way powerboost affects it would have to change. I think that adjustment is just inevitable and to be clearer with farsight existing as it does I don’t see anything overpowering with any of the proposed buffs of the OP for Empathy