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I've never liked that the Synapse TF (who is located in Skyway City) sends the team all over Steel Canyon, plus an excursion to Boomtown, and only ends in Skyway....plus a need to go back to Steel Canyon to talk to Positron. Citadel is worse, in that the doors can be in such odd places that it is sometimes faster to go to Dark Astoria first to get to the Talos Island doors. Citadel would be much smoother if there was a simple transition from IP bases to TI bases rather than hopping back-and-forth. I can tolerate the revamped Positron "talk to Azuria", and I think my tolerance is probably due to the fact that the revamped arcs are so much shorter. The Penelope Yin arc is wonderful, as the TF literally just takes the team from place-to-place like an actual journey in the same zone where the contact is. Even the spiraling Numina is fine by me, since most TF can split up to tackle the Defeat X portions.

If I had 250 Minf, I would make:

This is the answer: The requirements for the crafting badges for the lvl 45 & lvl 50 pieces are quite steep, and in practice no single character would ever benefit from using all of the resulting IOs, so selling them on the AH for 5 inf (and progress towards a badge) is only slightly better than simply deleting them. It would be awesome if we could combine the crafted common IO to boost them instead of having to use Enhancement Boosters.

Thanks for the chart. I am personally aware of how the DPS of /Psi Assault is concentrated in Melee, but in practice I find it impossible to translate the high DPS of the single-target attacks into faster clear times for x8 content on my Dominator. I found this to be true both while leveling (and Exemplaring) and at end-game. On my Fire/Psi, I attribute this to: mobs within a group are spread out, and tend to stay that way once they are hit with the controls on 0x8 there will be mobs that will escape controls and run, either from something like Hot Feet, or debuffs, or DoT my Dominator is already highly click-intensive, and the controls work best when rapid cycling between targets. Trying to focus Single-target attacks in melee would IMO waste time versus tossing AoE and PBAoE against everything but the hardest targets still standing. I've kept my Fire/Psi range focused because when I get to a point in the attack chain to cast an attack, I've usually landed on an enemy out of melee range so a ranged attack is the natural choice. After I've closed to melee range with a target, if I'm close to more than just one target I will prefer to cast T6 Drain Psyche (to reload myself) or the PBAoE T9 Psychic Shockwave (or Cinders, from the Fire Primary). I almost wish that there was a way to increase the $NumTargets for cone powers like T5 Psychic Scream, but since there isn't I settled on increasing the cone's range from 60 feet to 85+ feet and added three %damage procs to it. Psychic Scream may be doing only slightly more than half the damage of either of the melee attacks, but it is almost always hitting more than one enemy. The only other subtle/secondary choice I made in picking Telekinetic Thrust over Mind Probe is that the T2 is (ignoring %procs) pure Psychic damage whereas the T3 is a mix of Psychic/Smashing. There are certain enemy types that heavily resist Psychic damage and so I didn't want to have my eggs in one basket.

While I believe that certain TF revamps would be most appreciated, I have a personal vendetta against T1 Web Grenade in /Traps secondary that cannot be forgiven. EDIT: to answer @Normal Thomas I don't think a single-target Immobilize (requiring a ToHit check) can be made competitive in the game (early, middle or late), without introducing a very specific sort of Debuff %proc (-Res, -Def, -MaxHP) in a new IO set. Generally, I prefer mandatory powers to provide some utility without having to invest slots in them... the single target Immobilizes require heavy investment to get much use out of them. (I write this without considering a major inherent change to those powers, such as adding a -Range component to them.) Of course, I'd prioritize the creation of a new Fear (Superior, or PVP) IO set over Immobilize, since Immobilize already has a Superior set.

EDIT (A note on Recovery when leveling versus Recovery after perma-Dom): Like with many AT, you will have to address Endurance costs ASAP. The easiest way is to invest slots in Health and Stamina and leverage unique pieces. The secondary power Drain Psyche can also help. Once you can get Domination permanent, keep in mind that one of the many great effects is that it will refill your Endurance bar. Many late-game builds for Dominators account for this. My own /Psi build has no extra slots invested in Health or Stamina at level 50. I can comment on /Psi, from the perspective of a Fir/Psi/Psi Dominator. I will include my post lvl-50 slotting suggestions, but keep in mind you should tailor the slots as you level. As you go for perma-dom, you will have to be careful with set bonus choices for Global +Recharge. My final build requires paying attention to Hasten (which is *just* perma, by itself) and a Force Feedback %+Recharge (clamped at 90%). T1 Psionic Dart: We have no choice but to take this, but at some point I respec-ed it down to a single slot for the lvl 50 build. After some play at lvl 50, I eventually moved a second slot back into it because sometimes I just can't help but to want to toss a fast single-target attack. Final slotting: H/O Nucleolus (Acc/Dam), IO Damage. T2 Mind Probe: I skipped, both during leveling and in final build. P2W attacks can get you through the early levels if you want more offense. T3 Telekinetic Thrust: My final build has this 5-slotted with Hecatomb. In practice: I don't end up using this attack that often, despite its strength. See notes in T7 Subdue (below). T4 Mental Blast: My final build has this 5-slotted with Apocalypse. T5 Psychic Scream: This power (and T6 Drain Psyche) underwent some slotting experiments. The original lvl 50+ build had this 6-slotted (5xRagnarok, plus a %damage proc) to get more Global +Recharge, but I found that I could sacrifice some Recharge and keep perma-dom allowing me to franken-slot this cone attack as follows: HO Centriole (Dam/Range) HO Centriole (Dam/Range) Positron's Blast %Energy Bombardment %Fire Javelin Volley %Lethal Ragnarok %Knockdown My build has lots of +Accuracy Bonuses (which typically come as an earlier set bonus when chasing +Recharge) so this slotting works out fine for me. (Edit: YMMV on the utility of the Knockdown, but I like having it as a soft control even on a Dominator) T6 Drain Psyche: While leveling, I used this to hold 6xPreventive Medicine, which has excellent set bonuses. After a lot of play post-level 50 (including a lot of exemplaring) I found that I could sacrifice the set bonuses and get more Endurance as well as offense from it with this slotting: Theft of Essence %+Endurance Touch of Nictus %-Negative Touch of Nictus Acc/Heal Touch of Nictus Acc/End/Recharge Preventive Medicine %Absorb Preventive Medicine Heal I want to note that Touch of the Nictus behaves like a PVP set, so you can boost the non-proc pieces above lvl 50. T7 Subdue: I skipped this. It would serve my play style better than Telekinetic Thrust, but two things work against it. (1) I couldn't make the set bonuses work to hit my +Recharge targets without leveraging the melee set Hecatomb (2) I want both attacks and controls for low levels missions (e.g. Positron, Synapse). As it is, this build already has too many attacks which is why T3 Telekinetic Thrust doesn't get used as often in higher level content. T8 Psionic Lance: With fast Snipes now a thing, this is a regular part of the attack chain. It is 6-slotted (5xSting of the Manticore, plus Javelin Volley %Lethal). T9 Psychic Shockwave: There are many options for slotting this. My build uses 5xObliteration plus Armageddon %Fire. (I can't add a 6th +Recharge at 10%, but I can add a +Recharge at 5%) My build uses two powers from the Ancillary Psionic Mastery pool: Link Minds: It's perma, when slotted with Adjusted Targeting Recharge, 2xLotG Def/Recharge, and Def/Global Recharge. Indomitable Will: Used primarily as a mule for a LotG Def/Global recharge, but it is useful to have active before I get my perma-dom going. This was taken very late in the build (lvl 47), and with so many other powers to click I have never considered trying to make this power perma.

I don't have Mids, but is the issue related to Invincibility?

IIRC, the primary T2 on Blasters can also be used while mezzed. Writing only for myself, with a near-complete build I will typically only have the T2 on Blasters because: I don't need/want two low-damage ranged attacks as part of an attack chain My Blasters will usually build for +Recharge, so there becomes very little difference between T1/T2 attacks in terms of cast times Blasters usually have enough different choices (without doubling up on T1/T2) and not enough enhancement slots, that both powers would be needed. There are of course many different ways to approach builds, and leveling builds should be viewed differently than final builds.

In the category of "possibly straightforward to implement": Is it possible to perma-install the Nemesis Base from the Black Scorpion/Dark Watcher's RWZ arc somewhere in the Shadow Shard, similar to how the Council base was added to Faultline? Honestly I just want something there to break up the visual monotony, and it would be fun to have an area that spawns a large number of specific lvl 50+ enemies as opposed to the random spawns elsewhere in the Shard. Stretching this idea: just as the Council base can deploy a Warwalker GM, enough defeats around a hypothetical Shadow Shard Nemesis Base could allow for the spawn of a GM Nemesis (assets to be stolen from the Nemesis Plot Invasion event).

While it seems odd that the Ragnarok Targeted AoE set doesn't include a %damage proc, the HC devs have already added another targeted IO set (Bombardment) which includes a %damage (Fire) proc. Targeted AoE requires the least love, from my PoV. Lets look at Fear sets first, followed by Taunt. Yes, I am aware that Very Rare %damage procs do more damage when they fire, and that they exemplar to the lowest levels... but this seems like a problem for the 1% to me. Even without a secondary effect on a ranged AoE attack that can open up other %proc choices, you can slot the following %damage pieces, in addition to multiple ways to get %controls (including Knockdown): Bombardment %Fire Positron's Blast %Energy Javelin Volley %Lethal Annihilation %-Res Writing only for myself: While I have a few builds that would certainly add a hypothetical %damage piece to a power using 5-pieces of Ragnarok, I also have several builds that use the %Knockdown Ragnarok piece by itself (as a 1-off)... because the Overwhelming Force piece is also a unique, and only powers which take knockback enhancements can accept a Sudden Acceleration KB->KD piece.

(1) T1 v T2: My experience has been that for certain AT, I never take both. For example: MM attacks are terribly weak, whereas the Henchmen are the bread & butter. I find single-target immobilizes to be nearly useless, so those get skipped (in primaries). DPS AT don't need two low-level attacks (unless you lurv some combos power sets) so one gets skipped (usually the 'fast' one). For defensive primaries, I almost always take as many powers as possible to serve as IO mules. (2) Secondary T1s & T2s: Obviously you get 'stuck' with the T1 secondary. For Tanks and Defenders, this will be an attack, so you may as well slot it and use it. Some other AT get saddled with nigh-useless T1 in the secondary. (Ehem, /Traps Masterminds). You accept the punishment and don't bother investing slots in it, as you will always have a better power to invest those slots in. (3) T9s: Defensive T9s are often skipped because whatever benefits that they provide can usually be mimicked by an Inspiration... and Inspirations have no downside beyond keeping them in your inventory. Offensive T9 are almost always taken as they will be 'nukes'. There are a few exceptions on both sides... for example the /Traps T9 is a very limited 'nuke' (all ATs). (4) How I determine power to skip (or minimally slot): If the power cannot mule a Global IO piece, or cannot hold a useful set bonus it gets skipped. I personally dislike immobilizes, but on at least one build I took and slotted a Patron pool power just to get a set bonus, and on Dominators/Controllers the AoE immobilize (or equivalent) is an important part of the attack/control chain and so gets treated as a valuable power (slots, IO choices). If the low-level power requires slotting (e.g. accuracy, %procs) to become useful - see those T1 immobilizes. Single target, requires a ToHit check, can stop melee but not ranged or AoE attacks... hardly worth slotting (or having) such powers. Single target Debuffs are another story! If it is a power that exclusively works on teammates... and I'm going to mostly solo with the character... I will generally look twice before picking such powers. An example of an ally power that I don't have slotted is the (secondary) /Poison Alkaloid. A ST-heal is hard to use reliably, so I have only the single-slot with a Miracle +Recovery in it slotted so I can use it to benefit myself as well. See also /Kinetics powers that can mule Universal Travel IO pieces. If it is a long-recharge power in a build where my build won't have sufficient Global +Recharge to have it available 'often enough'. I almost never take Patron pets from the Epic pools for this reason. On certain high-Recharge Defense-based DPS builds I am a huge fan of Unrelenting (Presence pool), but this is a power that becomes much more useful if you can have it used as much as possible. Never skip the defining powers for the AT. This includes the passive resistances/defenses for such ATs, the pets for MMs, etc.

I am very glad so many folks jumped on the "LotG Def/+Recharge segment is being manipulated" crowd. I don't market in that niche, but I often visit it... and I see no signs of manipulation relative to the utility of that piece. The only times that I have observed anything with a passing semblance of manipulation in that sector are the times when I see beaucoup bids on other Defense set pieces (e.g. Red Fortune or Reactive Defenses) or even other 'unloved' Luck of the Gambler pieces because those can be converted into the LotG +recharge piece (easier than other pieces). BUT... ...this is indistinguishable from just supply/demand, because there is a demand for pieces to convert them into something else (with a nigher value). Intent can only be divined not proved, but I can easily believe (but not prove) that the intent behind many of the bids on those pieces are either: bargain shoppers (e.g. maybe I can get one for cheap), or folks willing to invest converters to flip within the set/type to try make a profit. How much profit could someone make? Each spin of the converter wheel (within a set) is roughly 210KInf (based on historical market prices for converters) or roughly 1MInf for 5 spins (in a set)... Paging Dr. Poisson... Dr. Fine... Dr. Howard... The Average Defensive IO pieces have roughly got this conversion price baked into their current market prices. In other words, it is reasonable to guess that there could be several thousand bids for LoTG +recharge at under 3MInf, because it would be possible to (eventually) make a profit on them... but this wouldn't be signs of market manipulation, it would be a sign that there is a market for those pieces. If I am being frugal and I see an IO piece I want and the sale price in the AH looks "inflated" to me I will do the following instead: Buy the available recipe, if the price is less than the extra cost of crafting and ingredients (and catalyst, if player is catalyst-poor) Buy another (crafted) piece that can be 'rolled' into the piece I want (if I can save more than 2 MInf this way, it's almost a no-brainer) Both of these options are available because of the current AH policies. A market manipulator would have to overcome the seeded items, the merit-converter ceiling, and invest in almost every area of the market (because of fungibility and converters) to close these avenues.

Interesting. Attuning really shouldn't cost anything extra in the Homecoming system... at most it would be the purchase/listing fee of an un-attuned piece. Of course, once you start playinglvl 50s, each can get a single catalyst drop per day, so avoiding the market is possible. Since my Bots/Traps doesn't really need recharge, and I have the Leadership pool for the pets (for +ToHit), I didn't find the Very Rare (Purple) or Winter IO pieces to be that important. In general, I see the Very Rares set bonuses as a source of global +Accuracy and Recharge and the Winter ATOs as sources of Resistances (and occasionally Defenses, if I dedicate enough slots)... but I'm not trying to play the MM as the source of steady damage, so without a recharge-intensive pet power in the build I just don't fret Recharge. For similar reasons, the only (non-common) boosted pieces I think I have in the build may be: A Gladiator's Net Recharge/Hold (may actually be Acc/End/Rech/Hold) in Poison Trap Blessing of the Zephyr Fly/End in Fly As for set bonus choices: Instead I opted to go heavier for +MaxEnd, Endurance Discounts, and +HP set bonuses. Three big (10%) global +Recharge bonuses are available if you spread out one of the ATOs. This has resulted in several IO set choices that I would never make on other characters, including: Limited franken-slotting the Poison Trap with Gladiator's Net (x2) and Ghost Widow's Embrace (x4)... I'd rather have the set bonuses than any more %damage from procs (it has two, I know it could have more) Four instances of the Annihilation %-Res piece (3 of them get the x2 set bonus and 2 instances get the x5 set bonuses)... I know they don't stack (by themselves), but they do extend the debuff times, which I find very valuable with the otherwise low damage (DoT) Bots. Extremely limited use of %damage procs in the MM's powers. Instead I leverage them all to make it easier for the Bots to clean up: I lean heavily into the debuffs (including %-Resistance) or control (Knockdown). I'm well aware that the terrible damage scale for MM attacks makes them a prime candidate to leverage %damage procs, but my build is focused on using those powers as force-multipliers for the hench-bots rather than trying to make my own character (slightly) more offensive. The endurance costs of the MM attacks are quite nasty, so even using them without more global recharge (from Hasten) makes my build run hot... which was one of the main drivers of my initial reaction. (The above describes my standard Bots/Traps MM build... let's not discuss the disappointment that is a "One Big Robot" or "Petless" builds).

Without Incarnates, no Hasten, and no +Recharge procs: Acid Mortar is 36.37 sec, Poison Trap is 39.34 sec. Caltrops is 22.62 sec. At some point there is diminishing returns, I don't see an advantage to cutting those seconds off of the recharge times for those powers. When not setting Traps, I'm using Photon Grenade, Mace Beam Volley, and Pulse Rifle Burst with Knockdowns and -Res (2 AoE, 1 ST) (on top of -Res from the Acid Mortar and its procs) to draw aggro and keep large groups of enemies in one place for the Bots. I could have opted for Web Envelope for an AoE Immbolize instead of Pulse Rifle Burst, but I prefer to have the enemies to come running to me. My build only has 1 Purple piece (Soulbound Allegience %Build up) so it isn't like I broke the bank on Very Rare bonuses.

I checked in-game (on a Blaster) with all other +ToHit sources turned off, and a Kismet +ToHit in Maneuvers (as an easy toggle). The +ToHit bonuses mean nothing for +Damage to Slow Snipes, but a +ToHit will increase Fast Snipe damage, as described above.

I didn't open the build, but what is the vision for having Hasten in Bots/Time? I run Bots/Traps and don't need it... is there some long recharge /Time power that is crucial? I can understand shooting for something like rapid-recharging Gang War, but otherwise I suspect too much Global recharge would turn into an Endurance sink for MMs.

Maybe Montgomery Scott was fiddling with the transwarp drive?

I want to offer some folks the benefit of doubt when it comes to a stated inability to self-fund through drops; but I can't picture how this is true, even with a marginal build an a low-DPS AT. I've tried to think about different corner cases I've experienced, so here are my thoughts on approaches I have taken with different characters. At level 50, there are essentially two extremes of play: The first is to have a well-equipped character that can run x8 content and get beaucoup drops. I'll ignore that. The other extreme is to run x1 content... you will get fewer drops, but you should still be getting merits for completing arcs. The merits by themselves can self-fund... yes it is going to take a while if you insist on buying 100 merit recipes, but if you choose to avoid less expensive methods, that's on you not the game. At low levels (say 25, when set IOs really start to matter and powers have slots) it is trivial to run Ouroboros content that is both fast and rewards you well. I ran a self-funded character through the Aaron Thiery Atlas Park mission hella-many times, and each time before the final mission I would take a detour through Perez Park to street sweep Hellions. The LTs and Bosses will con Yellow/Orange so you get both good XP and good drops from them. With the extra slots in powers, it is much easier than facing them at the true level. That arc concludes with a rare recipe drop, plus merits. It's not the best return in the game, but it is very straightforward. Another low-level arc that is near-trivial to 'flashback' into is the first Signature Story arc (either red or blue). This can be run for 20 merits each week (plus another 20 for running it immediately after the first time you run it). Even the lowest DPS characters can complete this solo in 10 minutes. You don't even have to visit Oroboros to run this mission. I will also echo that spreadsheets are not necessary to use the market... but you will need to have some understanding of what folks will buy. Generally, looking at builds in the forum should give you a simple idea of what sort of pieces interest folks. Looking at the for sale/bidding ratio will also give you an idea (hint: just because it is a %proc doesn't mean anyone wants to buy it)

I used to think so, but I believe the +ToHit -> +damage for all snipes (in Homecoming) fast or slow as a result of the Snipe changes.

I sell the level 50 common IOs (on average, they are 100KInf each) to the vendor to fund crafting (and posting fees) for the other lvl 50 recipes, the most expensive of which are 600KInf (without discount). With the relative drop rate of commons to others, and the fungibility of recipes in the marketplace I don't see a reason to change costs.

It should be noted that if your character uses snipes (e.g. Blasters, Patron Scrappers/Stalkers) the ToHit bonus contributes extra damage (up to +22% ToHit).

I am no HC dev, but this appears to be more an issue with the underlying AH database , and not so much the code. I am still occasionally getting surprised by (what I think are) display oddities (as opposed to simply odd winning bids/sales). The easiest way to have a clue that the prices displayed may not apply to the item displayed is to look at the for sale/bidding ratio (those appear to be unique to the displayed item). I agree that the display bug is a barrier to entry, but it is not insurmountable. Both seeding and making the salvage fungible across rarities work against market manipulation.

Beyond the beautiful history of the game of backgammon, there are some (possibly) interesting parallels to the implementation of the (modern) market on Homecoming: Backgammon was a rather straightforward game relying on random elements, complete knowledge and skilled positioning for all of its ~5000 year history... until some crafty Americans added the doubling cube to the game (approximately 100 years ago) which added a completely new dimension to the game, making it possible to do so much more (including making money easier!) than without the doubling cube. Playing backgammon without the doubling die is like playing Homecoming and ignoring the market.

The above quote touches on the foundation of a couple of my beliefs about the game (and how well the market works). Because of the plentiful amount of recipe drops, and the existence of converters & catalysts... no player "needs" to go to the market if they don't want to. It's more expensive to get things like ATO, Very Rare or PVP pieces without using the market, but from my PoV the market is saving us orders of magnitude of both time and "currency" compared with not using it. A side effect of the above, is that (aside from simply accumulating them in bulk for a possible crafting badge run) there is no reason to hoard recipes in storage container. If you absolutely must hoard them outside of email, that's a perfectly fine use of the auction house... where you could just buy them when you want them, anyway.