tidge

FWIW, some badges/contact unlocks/accolades are often accomplished by fighting 'con grey' enemies in (relatively) open world low level zones.

Not that long ago...

Per the power icons, it looks like Faraday Cage adds a LOT of Static. I suspect I am going to take Defibrillate out of the build. Self-rezzes (and temp rez ally) powers/insps are too easy to come by to make this power worth investing a pick in, especially considering the mediocre enemy-affecting portion I'm thinking to keep Amp Up, and try to leverage it with the Catherine Wheel solo. It definitely looks more like a power that should be cast on a support ally.

If multi-boxing is mostly behind instanced doors and 'one player"... why wouldn't you multibox on a different server and just migrate?

Yeah, I've still got them installed... I miss the Deux Ex FPS we never got... IIRC there was a third 'new era' game planned when that studio closed up shop. I understand how the economics weren't there for it of course.

Re: Cloud Senses (x4) The "schedule" for debuffs is such that I find an attuned set of Cloud Senses (which normally caps at 30) offers very little noticeable difference compared to a set that normally caps at 50 (or higher, for HOs). Unless I'm skimping slots or frankenslotting a primary/secondary power: I a;ways opt for Cloud Senses. Brilliant Barrage isn't a good source of %proc for me, I'm guessing it's the 'nothing left after effect' (similar to Seeker Drones) and/or 'after' effects. I expect that I'll end up slotting this to get a set bonus, probably with some set that end up offering respectable recharge components. The multiple types of possible controls would seem to make this a good place for one of the ATOs. Hypnotizing Lights is a fine %damage attack for me (so far). Normally I'd take a power like this and lean into the Control aspect... and Purple control sets are good choices... but the deep sleep plus the confuse seem to be working against each other. A different sleep power/effect (that doesn't include deep sleep) can be used to 'break' deep sleep, but this is a PITA to work into an attack chain. For example, I can use /Elec Defibrillate to 'overwirte' Deep Sleep, but this isn't a sustainable (or particularly effective) strategy.

The tea leaves left after the HC rework of Energy Melee pretty much indicate that there won't be any changes to that set. From my PoV, the cone Power Crash was added explicitly because (a) "Where is all the AoE for Energy Melee?" and (b) "Who wants Stun, anyway?". The Energy Focus mechanic was added to try to add a little something-something to the single-target focus that EM had in the distant past... I half-suspect that the tie to the new cone was to make the new mechanic more 'relevant'. (Because 'combos' are the new 'fetch') Personally: I kinda like the EM updates, even though they aren't what I wanted and I have yet to respec or start a character to include Power Crash. For whatever reason (lingering resentment over EM from the first days of PvP on Live?) we were not going to get EM as the pinnacle of single-target DPS, plus a Disorient.

And the builds still don't satisfy you?

To quote Stuttering John to Ringo Starr: "What did you do with the money?"

FWIW I sell next to nothing on the market, once I've got the "sell 10" badges for each type... after those it is exclusively recipes I've crafted from drops, salvage (which just piles up) and prismatic aethers (which also drop). You seem to think *I* am persecuting you via the market, and if my posting stuff for 1 inf is the make-or-break for anyone...take that first mission and earn 100 inf from some rando DO drop. It's not like a character doesn't have powers because they aren't slotted(*). I can almost guarantee if you are repeating content ad nauseum, it is your choice. You can skip the intro missions. VEATs and HEATs can quickly change alignments. The market forces aren't dragging you into Tinpex over-and-over. There is a different set of weekly TFs each week that offer increased merit rewards. Each of them is available to your PLed level 50. If your characters can't hang on a PUG weekly TF then I think we are at the point it has become "blame the workman and not the tools". (*) ...and if it is something like desperately needing an ATO Fiery Orb/Energy Font or a %+2 Mag Hold that requires your precious character vision to be realized... OMGBecky, collect 100 merits from 20 zones.

I like this suggestion more than "Please only allow comments that agree with the OP, delete all others." I don't agree with either, but I have my preferences.

I only have Inf and Merits because the game made it so easy for me to accumulate them. If you enjoy planning and executing builds, and require beaucoup whatevers, Brainstorm is for you. If you are PL-ing up characters... you should be collecting drops along the way. If you are 'executing' characters at level 50, you should be collecting drops as you do so. How you cannot do any of this is a mystery to me. If you are turning over character after character... strip down the ones you are done with. Respecs are plentiful, and I guarantee you will have gotten at least one for free for those unloved level 50s. Correct, and also merits (for collecting all of the ones in most zones that have multiple exploration badges)

The option exists and is called Brainstorm. Oh, you don't like that option because you won't have anybody to show off your PWNZER-L33T build to. Nobody is laughing at anyone's PLed level 50s because they have neither backstories nor enhancements. Such characters get invited to PUGs just like everyone else. This is some arbitrary measure that you are self-applying... and you do this while putting down other players that don't complain about their own choices on how to equip (or not) their characters. You call those efforts grinding, the rest of us call it playing. That you can't recognize this means that you have got such tunnel vision on-top of a judgemental attitude that I can't imagine you having much fun in other aspects of life. City of X is one of the least zero-sum games that exists... because you literally need so little to enjoy it. That you have trouble enjoying even the content you confess to play is either because you are playing the wrong game or you are playing the game wrong.

I'm working up a Pyro / Electric Controller, so I'd thought I'd share my initial thoughts on the secondary and see what tips other may want to share. Its more of an ally-assisting secondary then I usually take... one thing I'd like to know: Does Power Transfer's %Heal also come into play for any allies that may be hit with and ally-affecting power that has it slotted? I haven't seen it myself, but teams are pretty chaotic for such testing. What follows is my initial impressions: 1 - Rejuvinating Circuit - A fine level 1 pick, I'll probably 5 or 6-slot this with Panacea 1 - Shock - Looks to be a good enemy debuff, but one that I will delay taking... I will probably slot it with just Accuracy and a Power Transfer %Heal 4 - Galvanic Sentinel - useful as a target to apply ally buffs that can chain back to me solo, maybe just slot with Accuracy and/or Endurance reduction 10 - Energizing Circuit - Blue bar for allies, but most players take care of this themselves. It may get delayed 16 - Faraday Cage - Useful, can mule important pieces will take and slot 20 - Empowering Circuit - This seems like the capstone power for allies... and it looks like it needs no extra slots 24 - Defibrillate - I was hoping that the sleep effect would be more pronounced, the only 'trick' I think I am seeing with it is that it can overwrite the 'deep sleep' from Pyro's Hypnotizing Lights to get confused enemies back in the game sooner. 28 - Insulating Circuit - Who doesn't love +Absorb? I'll probably 6-slot this with Preventive Medicine 30 - Amp Up - efefcts are ok, but even getting it down to 2 minute availability seems like it would be a lot of effort for relatively little gain. I may take it towards end-build.

Ehem. This thread was a discussion about making all stuff available for free on the marketplace... you are the one who derailed it about "grinding." The Live and HC devs explicitly put optional stuff in place for players to use to avoid the things that the devs saw as 'grinding', which include: DFB, and introductory level 1 task force Multiple-XP boosts, plus extra-XP times, and "Experienced" Patrol/Day Job XP (not really optional, but that is a different grief!) Exploration badge XP Fast travel options (between zones, missions) Travel powers at level 4 The many added extra connection points between zones Incarnate XP (and rewards) unlocked without having to do incarnate content Alignment changes made trivial SG Bases are no-cost, and travel points are all unlocked Furthermore, the HC devs have lowered the levels at which higher tier (and Epic/Patron) powers can be taken, explicitly to allow that "top tier feel" to happen even sooner... hint, it is below level 50! We also have a full suite of temp attacks, prestige powers, and buffs available at the S.T.A.R.T. vendor. Any/All of these things makes it pretty easy to play sub-50 content, all the way down to level 1.... and it makes it easy to get to level 50 if that is where the content is that people want to play. On top of all this, we can convert merits (which are trivial to get) into PVP/Purple recipes (i.e.not gated behind either content or play time) and ATO/Winter pieces... not to mention every other recipe can be purchased via merits or inf without having to visit AH (or even take the invention tutorial). Almost everything on the AH itself is fungible, and because of the existence of useful crafting badges for 25/30 and 45/50 IOs, there is no shortage of inexpensive IOs at those levels. TL;DR: the devs and players have different attitudes than the ones you've expressed about both grinding and rewards. The devs even have a server explicitly to test builds (at whatever level) that many players use to see if they'll be happy with a potential character before they invest any effort into it. You want to argue against this, but the devs have provided exactly the thing you claim to want. I know your argument against brainstorm is "boo hoo no one will play with me", but on no other server is a PUG not going to play with you because your character isn't loaded to the gills with Purples/ATOs/Winters/PVP/Signature summons/blah blah fishcakes. And if you are somehow part of a cohort that does require such things... try asking them for free stuff. Nobody here is passing judgement on the way players want to play, or how they build their characters... except you who wants everything to be free and also wants to pass judgement on everybody else who is ok with this fun game's play options and reward structure. Asking for everything to be free is pretty much NOT playing the game.

This wall of exposition offers no evidence that any players wanting around to play level 50 content also want enhancements to be effort-free. +1

That is an export from the game using /buildsave I think the game exports "Strike" as "Lunge".

I avoid the Fighting pool and Hasten for similar reasons. I have some (older) builds... this version of the Fortunata does include Hasten... I popped it in after a respec to try out Fate Sealed, and it is pretty late in the build. IIRC I wanted to see if I could get some quicker return times on some longer powers. Night.txt Fortunata.txt

Paragon city has become entirely too 'voke.

It doesn't sound like role-playing is your idea of fun, or you wouldn't be whining for free enhancements. Nobody has chimed in describing themselves as grinders... except for you. If this game isn't for you, you should try to find one that is more your speed.

I haven't forgotten what triggered your endless back-in-forth in this thread was my statement that clever players will know how to be able to play exactly the way you describe (PL to 50, full-kit). You are the one who equated being able to do exactly this as a "grind", whereas other people don't see playing the game for rewards as a grind. I'm not mad at you for advocating laziness, I'm disappointed in you because you know the game isn't going to give you want for free, you know it isn't a grind to get the stuff you claim to want, and the arguments made to support your position always come back to somebody keeping you (and some unknown number of hypothetical players) at the bottom of some hierarchy that only exists in your mind. As @Demobot points out...if you can't find people to play with you on Brainstorm (and it isn't because folks aren't eschewing your global for some other reason) it is because players would rather play on a server where the enhancements (and accolades, and whatever) require more than an "I win!" button.

CoX offers so much more content variety below 50, that this ^guy^ has got a warped perception of CoX and what is grinding. Lulz if playing the game after 50 doesn't satisfy the criteria of "gaining experience points or defeating enemies". Nobody cares if a level 50 on a PUG is poorly slotted.

You must be a lot of fun at McDonald's when you find out they won't serve you a Wendy's Frosty.

And vice versa!