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My Plant/Electric was able to get (at level 50, with Superiors) perma-Domination without Hasten (or Force Feedback %+Recharge). I didn't think it was too much of a compromise, as I was able to include all the powers I wanted, with the slotting I wanted. I even was able to %proc a cone attack from the secondary (that is: negligible set bonuses, if any). The Primary/Secondary powers I wanted just happened to offer lots of opportunity to get Global Recharge bonuses. That build includes two different travel pools.... one of them is Speed, and it includes Hasten (as a level 30 choice) which I suppose I could have swapped in at a lower level, but I simply prefer having Super Speed available for low level TFs... as opposed to try for perma-Dom at lower levels. The only "compromise" I feel like I made for that character is that by sacrificing a LotG %Recharge (mule) power pick, and/or sacrificing some slots (contributing to Global Recharge) I could make the character slightly more durable... but I prefer having perma-dom on true auto-pilot (zero extra key-presses, including movement binds).

I understand the sentiment, but as someone who has played for "more than an hour a day" (by almost any means of measurement) I'm reasonably dispassionate about almost proposed/hypothetical/upcoming changes. I certainly am capable of taking advantages of disproportionate circumstances, but most of the time I am pretty zen about... whatever. If there is an axis I have any passion about, it is the ability to play the game solo. Yet for me, this doesn't mean I have to be able to solo all content, nor does it mean that I'd have to be able to practically insta-level any new character and be able to nigh-instantly accumulate game wealth (in any currency). For example: I'd be annoyed if 2XP from P2W went away, but it wouldn't ruin the game for me. I'm drawn to the marketplace forum because more than any other aspect of Homecoming, this is the part of the game that I feel allows me to be a very effective solo player. Well... this and "everybody gets the Fitness pool". In Homecoming: I certainly enjoy PUGs and other socialization, but I also enjoy(ed) dive bars, blind pigs, and pickup sports. (self-eyeroll at the listed order!) The "being able to solo" is more of a recognition/acceptance of my own personal non-need to measure my own enjoyment (or worth, or disappointment) against others.

I cannot offer any (past) developer insight into the (non-lore) rationale for the forcespec, but as a player on Live my recollection is that the Hero-EATs leveled much better if the player did a (voluntary) respec after unlocking the third form. From memory: by the time HEATs existed, the respecs allowed placement of enhancement slots after re-picking powers, so it became possible to shift more slots into something like the Dwarf powers for Peacebringers (as an example) earlier than would be possible if the player was leveling up without using a respec. Since VEATs explicitly have different primary/secondary trees from the start, the forcespec is a somewhat obvious requirement, even if occasionally it feels very tedious... it always bugs the heck out of me when developing a second (or third) build! I'm not saying that this was the rationale for the forcespec, as VEATs are a different twist on the "multi-form" model of HEATs, but when leveling up the first VEAT build (and not rushing via some form of power-leveling) it is a really convenient opportunity to re-jigger enhancement slots. In the current (Homecoming) era this can be quite useful considering that the level of the forcespec/specialization is commensurate with the level that almost all of the (non-superior) enhancement bonuses will work, so shuffling slots to work as mules for Global bonuses can be quite a help. Obviously: Respecs are plentiful for every character, but writing only for myself I find the ability to shuffle slots early on VEATs (when we aren't quite yet swimming in extra Enhancement slots) to be very valuable to improve their performance... typically on extra Endurance/Recovery and %debuffs, in addition to chasing Global Recharge, Defenses, Regeneration.

This attribute is always at the top of my attribute monitoring, for the same reasoning. Below it will be three positional defenses, simply because those offer a quick look if I'm likely to see things go pear-shaped, and how quickly (even on characters that don't rely on positional defenses). Occasionally I will also monitor a particular travel speed, sometime ToHit bonus (if the character uses fast snipes). The number I WANT to be able to monitor is whatever the game thinks the LAST ATTACK ROLL was. Streakbreaker and I exist in an uneasy state of peace; I'd just like to keep my eye on that little bugger.

You forgot: "proselytize on the forums".

We need a poll of the best use of multiple accounts: a) skewing polls b) skewing farm rewards

Please, can we all just give our likes and lock the thread so I know who won?

Rune of Protection is in the Sorcery pool, what are you referring to?

For many (half?) of the ATs the effects of Rune of Protection were a selectable Primary/Secondary power. It isn't as if Rune of Protection is really nerfed, it just can't be (near-) perma. The AE Veteran Level Empyreans? Those are different than things like random drops for a group of 8... put 7 characters in an AFK farm run by an 8th, those 7 are all getting equal Empyrean merit rewards at the same time. If the player is really greedy (or abides the 3-box rule) they can respin the dedicated farmer as well. I've no doubt there are some folks who've do this and also have personal ideas about when to actually level characters (to get more slots for insps perhaps).

From memory: The second(?) VEAT mission offers the Shady/Shrouded badge, if that is somethig you want to collect ASAP for a (blueside) accolade. I wish I could remember the details, but on my first HC VEAT I was surprised how early I got the badge. If you aren't power-levelling (even by accident) I do recommend doing them in an level-appropriate way... as I recall, the final VEAT arc feels a little better that way... at least it did to me.

I don't think there is a precise equivalence between those two (pool) powers. Some comments from a player who was mostly ignorant/unaffected by the Rune of Protection nerf. It was my belief that the "nerf" was due to the disproportionate benefit the click power was providing as a Pool power (compared to other clicks available within Primary/Secondaries). At the risk of playing too much into whataboutism: Hasten is a different animal, as so few AT even have anything like a way to enhance global recharge, it it is a little difficult (for me, but I have blind spots) to imagine what my answer would be to a question like "which AT inherently (as a primary/secondary power choice) ought to be able to have more global recharge?" without already knowing which ATs currently have something like that. I am not ignorant on what Hasten can do, nor am I ignorant why it is such a common build choice. I have some awareness that the dev team is considering (for some possibly arbitrarily small values of "consideration") changes to other game effects that may be skewed because of beaucoup (Global) recharge (e.g. "%proc changes").

This made me flash back to trying to use Combat Jumping to get on top of the roofs of building in King's Row to complete that accursed "Defeat 10 Circle of Thorns" after out-leveling Galaxy City. I spent hours after reaching level 14 just using Super Jump.

The 'slow travel' is something I am nostalgic for, but I don't miss it. When the game and zones were all new, and so much was still unknown about the geometry and the lore, this was just one more (big) element of exploration. I can recapture this feel with restrictions on travel in Ouroboros missions. I still occasionally feel a little twinge when I encounter the 'new' architectures in certain zones (Steel Canyon, Founder Falls) where the Universities and Auction houses were put up. I completely miss Galaxy City as a starting zone. Quantums and Voids should really make a default comeback, at least on Council Radio Missions above level 30, even without Kheldian team members. Players may consider Council Radio missions to be a joke, but I'm not sure that everyone appreciates that these spawns were one of the early "hard mode" challenges.

I often find my characters not running toggles when leveling up... in fact, I am so inattentive to them that I'm only occasionally surprised to find that I am running "difficult" content and realizing lack of toggles may be the reason I am taking more damage/getting mezzed/whatever. I'm planning on respinning an unloved Shield Brute into something else... probably not a Stalker... as I've been using a BAMF-ing style of play on my last two characters (a Defender, a Dominator) so your ideas here have appeal to me. Weirdly (?) I find the BAMFing works best in PUGs. I anticipated that within a PUG, there would be more AoE (including Taunts) and less of a need to try to focus on single targets (no matter the type)... but it turns out that the PUGs have made it more likely that there is a lone enemy that was either blessed by RNGesus or simply wasn't targeted. A quick BAMF and the enemy is being dealt with. The tactic also works great in maps where enemies appear on multiple levels... for instance the Terra Volta Respec trials.

I know how to use the macros, it doesn't make it any less boring for me. I don't have any opinion or attitude beyond this.

I'm ignoring the advice offered (the OP should not, I am just disclosing I won't specifically discuss it)... Low-level characters have inherent bonuses that fade (with level), not even accounting for potential bonuses from something like Death From Below. IIRC, level 22 is when these are all gone. From approximately levels 16+ (can be earlier, can be later, depends on content being played) is when you start to run into enemies with more "tricks". The most noticeable IMO are the Circle of Thorns which can both debuff ToHit/Accuracy and mez (including knockdown). Until a character has enough slots (could be for direct enhancement, could be for some global set bonus... even a 1-piece global), it is necessary to make some focused decisions on how to slot which powers. Obviously: different ATs and different primary/secondary sets offer different kinds and levels of mitigation... this is less obvious on exemplared characters with lots of slots, but it is still an element (a fun one!) of leveling up.

I want to believe it is because of all those TFs I ran with my Inv/Em tanker that never turned on his toggles.

I've done this, but I grew bored of opening packs.

I've been playing with Combat Teleport, I quite like it. A macro to get in-the-face of a target is super helpful, and I also have a standard CNTRL+click bind to move to certain spots. The (limited) range takes some getting used to. I would not slot it for Recharge Reduction, but rather Endurance cost reduction (if not used as an IO mule), especially when leveling. I've never found myself wanting it available and NOT having it. One a recent character that wanted a bit more Recovery, I got better (Endurance/second) results by using the Miracle +Recovery piece (in Health) than by slotting a Performance Shifter Endurance piece in Stamina. I was being super sloppy with my maths, and I can't promise I'm still not being sloppy.

For my ally is the Auction House, and a powerful ally it is.

I can only write about my own feelings and motivated behavior: I'm frivolous with my own use of merit rewards, to the point (and beyond) of inefficiencies. Even so, I still only burn Empyrean Merits on Incarnate powers... that is, when I remember to craft Incarnate powers. I am sure that I have occasionally bought Super Inspirations to help with an iTrial. If I had to rank how I burn Reward Merits, it's pretty much: Converters (especially on new characters building up their own wallet) Boosters (level 50s, obviously? Precise scaling of enhancement bonuses for specific PVP zones isn't my game) ATO/Very Rare Recipes (I almost never use Winters) from the vendor Unslotters (because I'm too lazy to pull them out of mail!) The third one is incredibly rare, and it has literally been because I simply didn't feel like marketing for a single, specific piece NAO. I'd simply be lying if I said I hadn't done it. I've been out of the League of Ebil Marketers for a long time... yet I still market my drops (crafted, converted), essentially so each character can "pay it forward" to future builds. This is basically second nature for me, so like others I am surprised to read about bad attitudes towards the Auction House. While I try to be open-mided... I remain surprised that there would be any significant overlap of players who (a) despise the marketplace (b) farm (multi-box?) Empyrean Merits (c) participate on the forums and (d) remain ignorant of alternate means to "get the good stuff".

AND make Atlas Park a PVP zone!