tidge
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Posts posted by tidge
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6 hours ago, Astralock said:
What would be the most efficient way to obtain and accumulate reward merits red side, solo?
I have suggestions:
1) For leveling characters, run arcs. My recollection is that red-side arcs (from contacts) give merits (and at a better rate) whereas the blue-side OG contacts don't really start offering merit-rewards until later... and only if you get to the point where they offer them to you.
I want to note that if you run with XP boosts (and to some extent, with XP on!) a red-sider will out-level content quickly and have to turn to Newspaper missions to get new contacts, so it can be something like a merit-defeating feedback loop.
2) Leveling red-siders should consider tip/morality missions, especially to reinforce the feel of villainy. It takes 10 to get the 40(?)-merit morality mission. I suspect that very few players who complain about the "total lack of agency" in the Rogue Isles have regularly done this content. There are different tips at 20-29, 30-39, 40-50.
3) For level 50+, as mentioned (while I was typing this up!) The Ghost of Scrapyard is the easiest of the GMs to spawn (and find). This will be a bit of a grind, and it is not easy for solo characters below 50.
Level 50s can also do #1 through Ouroboros, and can cycle through the same batch of Tips at level 50.
Special extra: the Signature Story Arcs exist on red-side as well, the first one in "Who Will Die?" is a fast one to re-run (faster than Ghost of Scrapyard, for sure). The first time you run a SSA you earn 20 merits, and you can earn an additional 20 merits each week by running it. It offers 5 merits while the rewards timer is active.
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This is definitely not-a-bug, but I wasn't sure where to post. TPTB should feel free to move this thread.
Why does the page for Mind Control include a note on Levitate that the knockup is on Dominators only? I have had a Controller for a long time and the power has been sending single-targets up into the air. Is it because of the different coding between Controllers and Dominators?
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My preferred way to address the OP would be to replace the Unbreakable Constraint set with Gladiator's Net; this set can also be boosted to 50+5). This will get you 7.5% global recharge. If you want the Hold to be slightly more %proctastic, you could opt for 4 pieces of Basilisk's Gaze (a level 10-30 set), leaving room for two (more) %procs but getting the same 7.5% bonus.
Knowing nothing else except that this character has the epic Psi, I would not be using World of Confusion even as a place to slot Coercive Persuasion or Ragnarok.
- World of Confusion has a miserable radius, and a terrible %proc rate.
- The %Contagious Confusion is (almost entirely) wasted in an AoE. It is much more useful in a single-target power (hopefully the set is in the single-target Confuse)
Better to put the slots into Link Minds and slot 5 Pieces of Adjusted Targeting for 5% more global recharge for a good power (this wouldn't be my first choice, but you can get lots of recharge and still squeeze in a LotG)
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On 1/26/2023 at 5:47 PM, DougGraves said:
Engangle and roots give you immobilize but not hold. What use do you get out of the immobilize? How does it help you to have them not moving?
Roots is the power where my Plant Dom has Superior Ascendency of the Dominator - Recharge/Chance for +Damage (along with 5 other pieces of that set) slotted.
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2 hours ago, Yomo Kimyata said:
This is as good a place as any to ask if anyone has any good words to speak on Misdirection from the Concealment pool? Placate is meh, but 15 seconds of -11.25% damage resistance is a nice damage boost for a few attacks once every minute or two.
I've been experimenting with it on a level 20 Blaster (I have XP off most of the time; the character has been played for almost 2 weeks, so I am logging time with this power), specifically for the -Resist Damage. I have not seen particularly promising results with it. Some could be because of level, but it is a long-recharge power which requires a ToHit check, and requires two early power picks (I chose Infiltration and also Grant Invisibility as a mule). I plan to respec out of it at either level 24 or 26. It simply feels like it has cost me too much in terms of opportunity of other power choices for the little yield it offers.
I want to disclose that I have been playing this character as a "Blapper", so this isn't a case where I have specifically chosen a PBAoE power on a character that isn't close to enemies.
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2 hours ago, DougGraves said:
One downside - I didn't realize that Team Transport and such were by build. So it looks like I need to shell out another 15 million or so for P2W powers for my alternate build.
Those should still be in your powers, although you will have to add them manually back to your tray. (Timers reset when switching builds, FWIW)
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I use them, generally up until I can slot level 25 IOs, or there is some set bonus I really want before that time (e.g. an ATO, or from a PVP set). If nothing else, they speed up getting the Isolator badge on new heroes.
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I dunno, those defenses look paper thin.
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At this moment in time, I'm playing a /Atomic Blaster that is level-locked below 20 specifically to revisit more of the 'classic content'. This means my current experiences with the power don't have a lot of extra slots (for anything, let alone FF +Recharge!), or exemplared effects from global pieces, etc. My own attitude will of course be different for a full-kit character exemplaring down (which was the subject of the OP, I know).
As an aside, I have a personal peculiarity with respect to almost every toggle power: I often find myself running content without them on at all. Often I'm forgetting to put them on, sometimes I just want to see how the characters perform without them (generally worse, ehem Sustains and Hide) but some toggles have very little noticeable effect, I can easily imagine that Beta Decay can fall into that category for certain content and play styles.
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6 hours ago, ZemX said:
I really want Fold Space on a Tanker. I want it every time I find myself on a team with 2-3 controllers and I know my odds of ever gathering mobs into a nice tight group for AoE is about nil.
Fold Space is always something I consider taking on a Tanker, but I have never taken it, because:
- I don't want to slot it for Accuracy, Recharge, or Range to make it more available.
- Tankers already have large AoE, so more positioning of enemies is less necessary
- It doesn't work on level 54 bosses, AFAIK
- With Combat Teleport, I can get to that problematic spawn (or single mob) just as easily as tossing out a Fold Space
- I am trying to keep an eye on the larger battlefield, but if I observed something I'd want to engage, I'll either toss Taunt, a ranged attack, or my Tanker at them.
I have played in PUG with a Tanker who uses it, and while I can adjust, frankly it feels like it is (at best) simply breaking up what I am trying to do, at worst it reminds me of "wait here while I gather the map" (except that it doesn't grab the map faster than the rest of us can deal with it).
Hasten is one of those powers that I find works well on some characters, but generally play is smoother if I just build for recharge from LotG and set bonuses (this is true for Dominators too, which want to hit perma-dom without relying on Hasten or Force Feedback). My simple calculus is if it takes 2 clicks of two different powers to defeat a mob (or a spawn of mobs) it takes a long time for the benefit of the extra global recharge to manifest itself... again, assuming 25%-65% from sets plus whatever I can scrounge from LotG.
I recognize that if an attack chain is min-maxxed such that the character has the minimum number of attacks which generate an uninterruptable attack chain exists as a possibility for narrow ranges of content is something that can be pursued, but that is not for me.
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With only a couple of power picks, I usually opt for Enhancement mules, although if I am going to lean into a power pool (typically because it offers travel, an attack, and even more!) the decision becomes easier.
The Specialized pools (Sorcery, Experimentation, Force of Will) are good for "going at least 3-deep" because they each offer attacks, travel and mule power(s)... and almost no choice in them is a "stinker".
Concealment is an easy pick for LotG mules; if one of the self-affecting powers is chosen early I find it to be a good spot for the Kismet +ToHit piece as long as that power is toggled on (similar to how a Stalker's Hide is a good place for that enhancement). With a Dominator: being able to slot as much global recharge is really quite important... and you are unlikely to have many extra slots available (because, set bonuses for global recharge) so Concealment/Recharge may be the way to go.
Any power that can take a Healing enhancement is a good choice for the Preventive Maintenance %+Absorb piece. The power doesn't need to be used (or available!) for that piece to kick in.
Combat Teleport is simply FUN, I think the Stalker subforum has the BMAF MELEE discussion.
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29 minutes ago, Nemu said:
I'd drop beta decay as a late game pick, consider that you want to exemplar and be effective, how survivable are you going to be standing close to mobs to reap the full benefit of beta decay at those levels you exemplar at? This and sonic disruption and other toggles that encourage you to stand still in melee range are trap powers, they look great for people that play melee ATs, but you are playing a blaster.
Oh a get this, but blasters have a melee damage scale of 1.000, which is better than many other AT, I suppose it's the "survivability" thing... and it seems like such a waste of a secondary to avoid melee powers. Full disclaimer: I've done exactly this with other Blasters, so my headspace is more occupied ATM with developing unique styles of play for new character builds rather than simply regressing to a mean (that is optimized in a particular way). Beta Decay (on my current level 18 Blaster, so few slots) is an interesting toggle that I think is helping with recharge rates of the limited number of attacks I have at this level.
For the Water/Atomic Blaster, I was considering the Presence pool to add some soft-ish controls (the Fears) to contribute to "aggressive survivability", but aside from the IMO miserable options to get the PBAoE Fear by level 14, I felt like I was going to be leaning a little too much into the control aspect, especially for the low-level content where controls just don't matter that much (in my experience).
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On 1/21/2023 at 11:21 AM, tidge said:
The "empty" power picks are "free choices", designed to allow me to pick a level 14 pool power that requires 2 earlier picks from the same pool. This is a LOT of offense, but I wanted something like an attack chain for low-level TFs. I was thinking Concealment pool at 4, 12, 14 (to play with the debuff aspect of Misdirection... as I have never used it... recharge times may be to long)...
I did some experimenting with a power progression like this (albeit different primary - Water Blast, same secondary) to test out Misdirection at level 14 (Infiltration at level 4, Grant Invisibility at level 8 ) on a character doing a lot of solo content below 20. XP was turned off, so this was not an exemplared build. I was disappointed with Misdirection as it was never buying any breathing room when the aura Ionize was used, and I barely noticed the short duration Resistance debuff... certainly not worth the recharge times.
I am actually happy with Infiltration, (at a low level) as it serves double duty as a mule for Defense pieces (such as Kismet +ToHit) in addition to letting me stealth to the end of missions; this is good for an XP-is-off experience, as I don't need to defeat all. Grant Invisibility is simply a mule that can be pushed off if I am going to drop Misdirection.
I haven't quite figured out what to do with the four "free choices" below level 20 if two of them are Infiltration and Combat Teleport. The 'obvious' picks are Boxing and Tough, as that will give me one more melee attack at low levels and also mule for Resistance enhancements. Combat Teleport is a power simply too useful to not take: it works wonderfully for characters that have a mix of melee and range, plus it offers utility for navigating maps that otherwise require more synchronization between synapses and fingers. I've made my peace about not having a low level travel power (aside from P2W + Infiltration) as many of my characters are already 'fast' and I don't need to beat PUGmates to doors/objectives on every character. I also dislike Teleport as a (zone) Travel power.
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2 hours ago, Luminara said:
The one that bothers me is the office map with something like 17 floors. It doesn't bother me because it has 17 floors, it bothers me because 10 or 11 of those floors are nothing but a short corridor to the next elevator. They aren't populated with critters. They have nothing interesting or engaging in them. They exist solely to add time to the mission. It's lazy design, and as an explorer-type player, the least rewarding to play through.
Can I just say this? I like it when the office building maps start on "floor five", so I know exactly what to expect.
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One of my least favorite maps is the Orangeban massive complex that is used as a "Rescue 8/12 whatevers from the Circle of Thorns/Malta". There are simply too many hiding places for the folks in need of rescuing, such that I find it difficult to even clear the map such that the 'red triangles' will appear. It is a combination of map size, geograpy, and hidey-holes that I find extremely frustrating.
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I was noodling around with the primary/secondary choices are here is my initial assessment, based on my own style.
1 Power Blast
1 Negatron Slam
2 Energy Torrent
4 ---
6 Power Burst
8 Sniper Blast
10 Ionize
12 ---
14 ---
16 Beta Decay
18 ---
20 Metabolic Acceleration
22 Explosive Blast
24 Atom Smasher
26 Nova
28 ---
30 Positronic Fist
The "empty" power picks are "free choices", designed to allow me to pick a level 14 pool power that requires 2 earlier picks from the same pool. This is a LOT of offense, but I wanted something like an attack chain for low-level TFs. I was thinking Concealment pool at 4, 12, 14 (to play with the debuff aspect of Misdirection... as I have never used it... recharge times may be to long) and slip in Combat Teleport at level 18 to BAMF into spawns for (PB)AoE and BAMF back for cones/blasts. I really like Combat Teleport, but I don't think it is well-used at lower levels. The 4 slots lend themselves to Boxing/Tough/Weave + Travel if so desired.
I don't mind being squishy, so I had planned to delay the Fighting pool until later, but either it (or Sorcery) could be put into those early free choices for mules/beefing. If Hasten is desired, I would put it at level 28 (certainly not before 18) because that's when the longer recharge powers are part of the build. I would probably have Ionize on auto, but I can understand keeping that power as the click (if Hasten is on auto/perma). See my later hot take on the Epic pool... with mule powers from other sets, and a willingness to NOT shoot for soft cap defenses and live life dangerously, I think this sort of build could actually skip the Fighting pool.
I had considered delaying (or not taking) Power Burst, but I could not convince myself that there was a better option. I think Arcane Bolt would be a decent alternate choice if you were leaning into the Sorcery pool. I would try to fit in Electron Shackles for AVs who run (it doesn't need much slotting thanks to cheap Hami-Os) but such a power isn't really as important at low levels IMO. Aim is typically (for me) slipped into the build at a higher level as a backup boost for powers like Ionize. If Rune of Protection is seen as the necessary power, I would take it at level 20 and delay the picks of powers I listed by one power pick, I think if you decide you need it you need it sooner than you need those other power picks, YMMV.
I hadn't thought too much about Epic pools. My "hot take" (pun intended) would be Flame Mastery: Bonfire for minimal slotting but some Knockdown control potential, Fire Shield as the Resistance/Defense toggle, Melt Armor to debuff when needed. My choice to be squishy and play aggressive makes me think there is a place in the build for Rise of the Phoenix as well.
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3 hours ago, Erratic1 said:
The biggest downside with Shield, as goes damage, is that when you are not fighting a pack, the damage boost from Against All Odds is minimal.
My Shield Defense Tanker does end up dragging(*1) the scraps from one fight into the next spawn(*2), or timing things such that Build Up is ready for the last few enemies.
(*1) Aside from Taunt (power, effects), Axe Cyclone (this is a Battle Axe secondary) helps keeps enemies close.
(*2) via Shield Charge and Combat Teleport. I didn't try to fit Fold Space into the build.
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I want to pile on the recommendation to do the red side arcs. Even without using 2XP, there is too much content to experience without turning off XP completely. Arguments about "I have no agency!" are pretty bogus IMO as the progression redside literally builds you into a villain who outplays, and puts down Lord Recluse... and along the way you face off against the best Paragon City has to offer.
Something I finally did (blue side) was to turn off XP (at level 5) and do all the classic level 1-5 missions in Atlas Park, just to remind myself of all the different variations of those initial arcs. Did I "waste" a couple of hours spend just hopping around Atlas Park that could have gotten me to level 22 (solo) instead? Nobody cares but me.
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2 hours ago, Bionic_Flea said:
You must grind.
This is the way.
Grind? or STRUT?
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And while we are at it, can I upload a list of item drops that I am just going vendor anyway? My inventory keeps filling up and I feel like I am missing out on some inf by getting too many recipes and salvage.
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1 hour ago, wolfshadow31 said:
It says LotG. Haven’t removed them from the bought tab. I’m in contact with a GM, and he told me not to remove or slot them. They are working on a fix for me. It seems it was a market problem and not an actual enhancement change.
You have to put them back on the market, I sense a great unmet need for 53+5 pieces!
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How invested are you in all those travel pool powers? If most of them are mules for LotG, you might want to look into the Concealment pool (that pool offers plenty of Defense set mules), and delay those picks until later. I can see the advantages to having a power with Kismet slotted on all the time, but whatever that power is would be one I slotted for Endurance cost as well.
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"If you think I am talking about you, just remember I am talking about myself."
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Some minor observations.
On my Blasters, I have found myself replacing a 5-piece slotting of Sting of the Manticore with a (boosted) PVP Experienced Marksman set on the snipes that are available at low levels. I am aware of the different set bonuses, but because SotM is a 35-50 level set, I feel like the PVP set is generally a better one across more content (I always skip the "Fast Snipe" piece, as it costs too much in terms of power flexibility IMO). YMMV if you want to try to toss a %damage proc in it, Blasters don't really need %proc damage and the %proc rate will be pretty low anyway.
I have not played with Atomic Manipulation as a set, but it looks to me like Beta Decay ought to be taken much earlier in the build. I can understand why Hasten is taken relatively early (although given the slotting of enhancement sets in the offensive powers, it looks like there is no problem with a smooth attack chain without Hasten) , but with Beta Decay at a (much) lower level you may not miss Hasten for the lower level content. I'd multi-slot it to reduce the Endurance cost. The sets it can take offer some useful buffs for Blasters (Damage, Endurance). I'm not sure how efficient the %proc will be in it as an aura, If I was single-slotting it I would use a level 53 Hami-O Enzyme in it... I appreciate %-res, but if it isn't reducing the number of power clicks I need to defeat spawns then I feel like it is wasted.
Similarly, I see Ionize as the Build Up power that I would want available across more content, with more up-time. I can't offer a specific recommendation as I'm unsure of your attack chain and play style. Personally, I usually delay the Fighting pool power picks until late in the build, but even that is a rule I don't always follow. I won't argue against the benefits of Weave, but (especially with changes to damage typing) I rarely even toggle on Tough for most characters.
Best Method for Gaining Reward Merits Solo, Red Side?
in General Discussion
Posted
Those OG blue side contacts (level 1-4, 5-9)... starting with the ones in city hall, don't have story arcs that offer merits. Players who leverage the contacts introduced later (Matthew Hasby, Sondra Costel, et al.) can get story arcs without dilly-dallying with an "introductory" mission. It is trivial to outlevel these, especially with 2XP of course.
Redside, IIRC, every one of the initial contacts immediately offers a new player an arc with merit rewards.