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That escalated quickly! Even though I use Unrelenting on my Fortunata, I can totally grok why Rune of Protection is a valid choice for others. Frankly, the most controversial point in the thread is that Widows don't need Tough/Weave ... which I agree with 100%. It used to be MUCH more common (at least from my casual reading of this sub-forum) that there were a few (demonstratably) experienced players who would casually suggest to a newer (VEAT) player that their proposed build could do without Tough/Weave only to be met with disbelief. I find it to be much more interesting discussion regarding the choice between Rune of Protection and Unrelenting. Some unrelated blather that came to mind: I'll make as many of my own biases explicit: I don't like to play Incarnate content, and even 45+ tends to be monotonous (I'll happily join AV teams of course). This means that (as a player, independent of character) if I am looking for extra coverage of any sort, it is almost always coming from SG base buffs and the core build, not from Incarnate choices. Ironically perhaps: my Fortunata probably has the most veteran levels (well above 100) and a LOT of that came from Incarnate content. When I (the player) play lvl 45+ content it will almost always be with PUGs (except for Television, because WE ALL LOVE TELEVISION, but my love for Television is especially unique), and I actually do expect us to play as a team, not as 8-solo characters. I will do my fair share of 'solo' work on lvl 45+ teams, but that is based on my mood. I really do believe that lvl 50+ missions that involve defeating AVs and lots of mobs go faster when the team sticks together, but YMMV.

I also prefer Unrelenting, especially for Defense-based ATs as the "Oh $#!+" power backing up the Absorb %proc/set bonus and Scaling Resistance Global pieces. My experience has been that once I am comfortable with the character's performance I will start using Unrelenting for the offensive boost. Heck... I often forget that it has a self-rez component as well. The Presence pool is slightly problematic: it requires FOUR power picks to get the two best powers (Unrelenting, Invoke Panic) behind three choices, two of which will barely rise to the level of "meh". Far more annoying to me than the mechanics of those first three choices is that those three (Pacify, Provoke, Intimidate) don't synergize with each other so being forced to take TWO of those three is a real waste of a power pick. I suppose I'd be bothered slightly less if Pacify worked like Placate (at least for the ATs that have such a power), but the only rework the set really needs is to be able to pick Invoke Panic as a second pool pick. Unrelenting is already awesome and needs no adjustment. Because I have written this in months: the game need both a PVP and Purple Fear set. I'd prefer both: the PVP set would be a good spot for another %damage proc and the purple set should have a %Contagious Fear proc (like Contagious Confusion) to make the single-target fears slightly more effective when facing larger spawns.

I'm a 'free thinker' on the topic of soloing AVs. Once a character can survive an AV, my primary consideration is surviving boredom when fighting solo against an AV. It's not as if there is a day job for having an AV beat at/on a character. Many of my characters can survive AVs (and higher level zone GMs) without being able to defeat them. Some of my characters can survive and defeat AVs, but only if RNGsus is kind. One missed attack/debuff at an inopportune time can have a BIG effect on how the fight goes. A few of my characters can defeat AVs through some combination of button smashing. Depending on the character, sometimes I consider it a 'win' if (solo) I can get the AV/GM stunned (or otherwise victim to 'control') or flopping around from knockup/knockdown/knockback.

I plotted how my exemplared Controller was going to solo finish the Moonfire TF. Answer: Build Snowbeast.

Ugh, Yellow Recipes (sometimes true Uncommons!) that require Rare salvage are a grief. The Orange (Rare) recipes that don't require Rare salvage don't make up for it IMO.

I also have a Mind/Poison/Primal that I enjoy playing. This was intended to be a sort of goof-ball character, but with lots of AoE and heavy leveraging of %damage procs, I find that he is a very capable solo character. I should note that my goofball doesn't leverage many of the (secondary) Poison powers; this is a conscious choice that makes him slightly less effective (on teams) than he could otherwise be: Secondary choices: Alkaloid (slotted with Miracle +Recovery only), This helps (me) during low level TFs. Other powers act as mules for other pieces. Envenom (6-slotted: 4xShield Breaker w/ %damage, Achilles' Heel %-Res, Touch of Lady Grey %damage) Weaken (skipped; should I ever drop another power this would be the first power I add into the build) Neurotoxic Breath (skipped; no great %damage, my character is less about 'control') Elixir of Life (mule for the Gladiator's Armor global) Antidote (skipped) Sorry teammates, I know you have a Break Free in your pocket! Paralytic Poison (6-slotted, 3xGladiator's Net with 4x %damage procs) Poison Trap (6-slotted, 5xArmaggedon plus an extra %damage proc) <- I opted for Armageddon as opposed to 'proc-monstering' this because I wanted the global Recovery, Accuracy, and Recharge bonuses. I play a lot of lower-level content. Venomous Gas (skipped), see below I tried to make Venomous Gas work for this character, but it simply wasn't working for the ranged attacker I built him into, especially with Terrify and Energy Torrent as cone attacks; every other offensive or control option works at range, aside from Poison Trap. In addition to being a ranged attacker, I wasn't going to be able to improve Defenses and Resistances enough to want to put him in close combat. I spent most of the time between levels 40-50 trying different play styles and slotting options; Venomous Gas simply wasn't a power for this character.

It is hard for me to take the Praetorian Calvin Scott storyline seriously when the Primal version of the Calvin Scott arc (and adjacent characters) is also so messed up (from my PoV). In case my opinion isn't clear enough: I really didn't like the 'forced evolution' of the main NPCs over the course of the Live game. It's been a more classic trope that 'heroes never change' in comic books... or alternatively: after an author has played with them, they get put back in the box as they were found for the next author. Updating the costumes was fine (original Positron was ugly), but (for example) I would have been totally ok with Positron being stuck in his armor as a result of the Rikti Invasion. Only for the most extreme examples (such as the introduction of vigilante and rogue alignments) would it have made sense to me to pull one 'big NPC' from both sides and drop someone else in their place (Manticore, Scirocco). My attitude is distinct from updating/revamping the 'hazard zones'... unless characters were driven to them by specific contacts, the only appeal (to me) was for a riskier caliber form of street sweeping for level appropriate characters. Revisiting the Hazard zones (including the RWZ remake, which I am somewhat cold on) addressed more problems than they caused... although I cannot imagine ever liking the plans for Perez Park... the lowest level Hazard Zone needs to stay as is IMO.

I don't like that Praetoria was destroyed per the 'official Lore'. I prefer my CoX to be open-ended without necessarily trying to bring 'epic storytelling' into the MMORPG. My own feelings on this are tied up with how the desire for Incarnate-level content essentially demanded a blood sacrifice, and the end of Praetoria gave us a good look at the direction the Live Devs would have taken the game (as if Galaxy City and Dark Astoria were not sacrifices enough). So... with my 'magic wand', I would Subtly alter the resolution of the Praetoria story such that Hamidon doesn't win, but reaches a new accord with either Emperor Cole (preferable but unlikely, without some mission rework) or a suitable replacement character that essentially maintains the status quo of all the existing zones. Heck, I 'd accept primal Lord Recluse stepping in and putting a lackey in charge as long as the general populous of Praetoria doesn't know! Arcs that rely on the 'total destruction' would have to be altered to be "what if? / Ouroboros" types ortweaked to simply be one-off examples of "Angry Hamidon" or as a result of general "escaping chaos in Praetoria" Invent Praetorian Epic Archetypes. One PEAT would be a multi-path DE hybrid (demonstrating new levels of 'experimentation/trust', another PEAT would be a multi-path IDF... much like how VEATs work. After this... well, I look forward to reading other player's ideas.

For the record: I have no issues with the AI that allows enemies to run... my in-game annoyance with runners is two fold, with an added third annoyance due to (I think) client-server mechanics: Some of them will run VERY far away. I find this most annoying on 'defeat all' or 'defeat a particular spawn'. Some of then will run/fly away at speeds that would be impossible for a player to achieve thanks to movement suppression. The mechanics of 'follow (F)' can make it such that a player can get just close enough to an enemy mob to stop moving, but still be too far away for a melee attack.

We've had some very polite and informative conversations about potential "changes" for Masterminds over on that subforum, and there has been some analysis of 'raw damage' from the henchmen in the suggestions forum. I even have my own favorite dead horse... which on the surface looks to be completely in the realm of an idea I think @Captain Powerhouse has expressed no interest in visiting (auto upgrades for Henchmen) but my specific suggestion is IMO more subtle and different than the typical ask for auto-upgrades of henchmen. I'm not linking the above here because of a sense of self-importance, but because: much like the Stalkers have a common layout in terms of primary power choices (not to mention the default Hide in the secondary), Masterminds have a rather formulaic primary power layout... but in the case of MMs it's just that some of the primaries have powers that leverage the ATO/Pet Enhancement pieces MUCH more effectively than other primaries and by rejiggering one of the powers common to all MMs, we could smooth out the performance of all the MM primaries.

My Villains often do end up missing Port Oakes (because of XP), but it is very symmetrical with how my Heroes often missing either/both of the Hollows/Galaxy City. Port Oakes has the repeat Mayhem Mission contact... I just wish he wouldn't often send me to the other side of the map to catch a ride to cause more mayhem!

"Can I interest you in the exciting world of day jobs ambushes?

I agree with the above (because if you want to 'taunt' one your probably want to 'taunt' more), but there is a tiny fraction of content where Confront is superior to Provoke: Confront doesn't require a ToHit check (AFAIK, I never take it!... well maybe once on a VEAT) so Taunt/Confront is superior for keeping the aggro of enemies like Lord Recluse. I'm a 100% with the comment about Runners being a PITA, and not just for Melee. Runners are one of the two reasons why I was against the range in range for Fast Snipes (the other reason is that for Blasters, the nerf to Fast Snipes screwed up the range hierarchy for attacks).

Communication on a message board strike me as more civil and with less attitude when posts are constructed without trying to include the words "you", "him", or "her" in every other sentence; especially when there is a tendency to attribute motives, attitudes, and thoughts to other people.

There is a distinct forum for suggestions for the developers to consider. I cannot promise that passions run cooler there, but chances are good that a suggestion made there will be greeted with some cold, uncaring numbers presented in the service of explaining game balance. When a person makes a specific suggestion about changing an AT in the sub-forum for a particular AT, the chances are good that the folks who frequent that specific forum will have a very rich set of opinions about the suggestion, and the suggester will have to stomach that rich stew or face the possibility of a bellyache. No matter how it is sliced, suggesting a change to an AT's inherent, on the sub-forum for the AT, is going to get reactions. Writing only for myself: I'd like the Brute AT a LOT more if I didn't have to fuss over the Fury bar. I've yet to make a suggestion about how the Brute's Inherent can be improved so I'd have more fun with the AT.

I never wrote that, straw-ma'am. I was writing about making a specific AT effective at low levels. Perhaps you are tired because the imagination is working over-time. From my PoV, most ATs don't come into their own until after level 20, along with more slots and more AT-defining powers.

I simply want to congratulate @Brutal Justice for reminding this thread that there are differences between Taunt, Auras with a Taunt component, Confront,, and Provoke. Changing Confront (on the ATs which have it) into a aggro Toggle would have some serious balance issues, IMO. I also happen to agree that it's the sets without a damage aura and a survivability mechanism tied to the aura that set those apart from classics like Fiery Aura... surely I'm not the only player that remembers how Fiery Aura Tankers used to simply consume DE Swarm for easy XP?

We can quibble about how awesome "sets" can make awesome characters, but as I wrote above: It doesn't take MUCH (in terms of slots) to make an effective low-level (< 20) Stalker. I certainly agree that individual pieces can be expensive in terms of INF, but that cost is all relative to how much time/effort the PLAYER wants to make (see threads on the Marketplace, Farming, and Merit generation). Generally, what I recommend for a low-level stalker: Slot the Kismet piece in Hide. You are going to almost always have this toggled on, so save on not worrying so much about extra Accuracy slotting in attacks. Slot Panacea %+HP/Endurance somewhere. Everyone can put it in Health. <- You will need the extra Endurance to keep going. Slot Performance Shifter %+Endurance somewhere. Everyone can put it in Stamina. <- You will need the extra Endurance to keep going. Depending on your secondary, slot Shield Wall +Resistance, Gladiator's Armor +Defense, Steadfast Protection +Defense. Remember you can respec your slots/powers if you make an early compromise for a Global piece that you really want somewhere else (e.g. Hide can take Shield Wall) Take Build Up at level 8. Minimally slot it with Recharge. When you can: slot the Gaussian's %Build Up in there. (I like all 6 pieces, but you can make do with far fewer.) Put the Assassin's Mark proc in one of your attacks. Put the Stalker's Guile %proc in your Assassin's Strike Personally, I always take a travel power. I slot it with a Blessing of the Zephyr Knockback Protection piece (if necessary) or a Winter's Gift Slow Resistance (otherwise). Under level 20, there are Recharge/%Damage IOs available at P2W. Go ahead and get all five. Slot them in your attacks. You probably want some Endurance reduction in your build (non-Hide toggles, certainly) but also attacks. If you feel like you don't have enough of an attack chain at low levels, buy some P2W attacks. While you are at low levels the various boosters are also pretty inexpensive for 8 hours worth.

I want to note that by level 12 a Stalker can have the Kismet +Accuracy (really +ToHit) piece slotted in Hide, and that this helps a LOT with early slotting choices at low levels. If you have Build Up at level 8, and leverage the ATO, and have teammates, it really isn't inconceivable to be playing at +2 by level 12 since at that point you can also have global pieces that help with Endurance, Defense and Resistance. My stalkers could not take large spawns at low levels, but could take on higher level ones. This is while leveling without access to awesome set bonuses. The level 50s who exemplar down do much better, obviously.

@SwitchFadeisn't the only Stalker player that does what he describes, I do much the same thing when helping PUGs with the Maria Jenkins missions, at least for the missions with multiple objectives (Malaise and his poisons comes to mind) or when ATT is down and the rest of the team can't immediately join in the fun (Back Street Brawler, Infernal). I know that players with other AT builds can solo these missions at +4/x8, but my favorite Stalker is pretty much the only character of mine that I can defeat AVs back-to-back in a relatively quick period while also "fighting the clock" of other players grinding through the rest of the map to other objectives. Many of my other builds can hang with AVs, but none can take them down relatively quickly. My build is a 'spendy' Spines/Bio Stalker, but Inf/Merits are easy to come by. As for sets: It uses both ATO, 5x of two Very Rare (Armageddon, Apocalypse), 5x of one PVP (Panacea), one 6x Winter (Avalanche), three HO (but these were late additions to the build after a lot of play) and a smattering of 1-off pieces (Globals, %procs) from PVP and Very Rare sets plus 5x LotG. The ATO and Winter sets have been catalyzed, and I have boosted pieces where possible (where it makes sense to have boosted) with only a marginal eye on the effect of Recharge rates on %proc chances... the only real %proc powers are DNA Siphon and Throw Spines and my slotting choices on those power doesn't have any meaningful pieces capable of boostable recharge to significantly hurt %proc chances. I don't expect any character of mine to be soloing AVs at +4/x8; this isn't part of the game how I try to challenge myself. I also don't expect leveling characters, or ones that haven't invested in slots and enhancements to be able to to do so... but if I can do these things it should be within reach of other casual players. My build doesn't have capped defenses (the build includes Shadow Meld, but I only use it when trying to time against certain AV attacks or to mess up their Streakbreaker). The build is survivable because of Ablative Carapace, and I'm somewhat sure that the -Regen from DNA Siphon is what allows me to bring down AVs via attacks. I do try to switch to Defensive Adaptation when going toe-to-toe (solo) with AVs, but it depends on how RNG is treating their punches.

Is the complaint about AS being partially driven by low-level play (<15) ? I join a lot of Frostfire missions and because of my build choices I typically only have 3 attacks (without the full suite of Global Recharge) and I will admit that playing with AS at such a low level takes a little bit of adjusting. It gets so much easier with an attack chain that uses higher level attacks... and you can leverage more tricks from your secondary and pools. Very few classes are great at distinguishing themselves at low levels; all AT get better when exemplaring down (more slots!)

My experience (on the Dominator) was that if the nearby enemies got confused, they would basically just ignore me (typically scattering) but for only a VERY short time. It simply had no place in any conceivable version of my build... and I tried to make it work. I think I ran with it for at least a couple of weeks trying different lvl 45+ content. (Obviously Nemesis troops were unaffected)

When did I suggest lowering the Brute Resistance Cap? This (original) post in the thread I'm responding to is about the Taunt aura on Scrappers. I'm going to ignore your attempt to put a Taunt aura on your word salad/strawman character.

I find my Dark/Time Blaster very rarely using Blackstar on teams, and I never use it as an opening move against large spawns. On teams, I will move in to use it if someone else in the group has grabbed the aggro, but often the faster cycling AoE Umbral Torrent (with the -ToHit effect) helps teams more against harder targets. solo (or in team situations where aggro is not under control) I use Blackstar (and the PBAoE End of Time) for when I'm getting swarmed.

I have no experience with WoC in the Blaster secondary, but I tried VERY HARD to make it work on a Dominator (from the Ancillary pool) and I was very disappointed with it. There was no combination of play style or alternate power choices that could make it worth the slots or Endurance cost.