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IMO... Coercive Persuasion is a great set to 6-slot. World of Confusion is hot garbage. The advantage of the %Contagious Confusion piece in a single-target Confuse is that occasionally you will get multiple targets confused. The advantage of the %Contagious Confusion piece in an AoE Confuse (attack, not WoC) is that a side-effect of the RNG is that even targets missed by the initial AoE are very likely to get hit with the Contagious Confusion. The disadvantage of slotting the entire Coercive Persuasion set in an AoE confuse is that you can't include any %damage pieces, and even a little %damage done via the initial AoE gets you on the chance to get drops, even if those %damaged enemies get 'one shotted' by their confused allies. Trade-offs!

Here is an update after some more play time (with the powers taken as in my post above). I played on a Posi 1 + 2, this was pretty typical: a few level 50s, some folks in the 20s+, and a few of us at lower levels. This went pretty smoothly, with elevated difficulty mostly (IMO) because of a Defender buffing the team. I was playing somewhat conservatively using my Domination and controls in the sorts of areas where things can go pear-shaped. I felt useful! After that, I was in the mid 20s, so I set difficulty to -1x3 and started doing tips. These were fine. Nothing much to report. Then at level 24 I started the (blue) Midnighter's Club intro arc. This was much more difficult at -1x3... I will attribute this to close to one-half of the spawns were at even-level, the map/spawn construction puts several spawns close to one another (for large spawn sizes), and the controls/debuffs used by the Lost, Rikti, and Circle of Thorns. I ended up with three personal defeats... one was 100% on me for forgetting to use a power, and two I will blame on the RNG... because at this level I don't have much to fall back on if a control or attack misses at an important point. When Domination was up, opposing controls didn't really phase me... but the naked defenses are an issue.

There is quite a lot that could be done to the "enhancement handling during respec" interface, I'm not sure where I'd even begin. I've embraced the "need to drag" as a mechanism for sorting the not-to-be-used-after-the-respec pieces for whatever comes next for them (placement in a SG bin, auction house, dumpster, whatever). Obviously 'double-clicking' could do this too, I only mention it because sometimes I find myself dragging Enhancements to not the next available open slot... even if the inventory ultimately gets telescoped in the trays after the respec. The one thing I can think of that might work against a 'double-click to do a thing' here: IIRC the respec screen is one of those "full screen UI" that isn't guaranteed to play nicely with everything else that might be happening, such as interacting with storage devices, what not. In practice, I've never observed such a problem during a respec, but my respecs usually take place somewhere like a zone where there is a badge for spending time in the zone, because multi-tasking!

The world is depressingly short of Sportsmaster GIFs.

I realize I've been sidestepping the impact of Impact! In an IO-only world, or one in which a chosen Controller secondary offers little potential for damage (direct or via %procs) I'd never skip Lift or Propel... even for a team-oriented Controller. Gravity Control has the reputation of being the damage-oriented primary for a reason. As you note, most Dominator secondaries offer more attacks, plus the Dominator damage scales (ranged and melee) are pretty much twice that of Controllers. My gut tells me that the damage scale and having just one more attack (single-target or AoE) probably eliminates any advantage a Controller would have from Impact! over the Dominator. Personally, I run colder on Dominators than I do for Controllers. I don't have any negative feels about Dominators except that the Domination mechanic is so good that I feel obligated to chase perma-Dom. I usually find more personal liberty when building Controllers because I don't feel obligated to chase global Recharge bonuses. This particular combo offered me the gun (important for concept!) and the chance to ignore three primary (and a couple of secondary) powers without feeling like the build was missing much. I wouldn't fault anyone for taking Propel, it could even be a more useful/comfortable attack than Elbow Strike (in the power picks I showed above). Propel has the nifty chance to damage nearby foes, even though I always think of it as a single-target attack.

My initial look at it will be to slot Lift for a global Recharge bonus, and after that everything else is secondary... but that doesn't mean those other effects will be ignored. My instinct is to 6-slot it with Sudden Acceleration, as I like its set bonuses (in aggregate) slightly more than Kinetic Crash. There is the 5-slot Entropic Chaos, but that is a set that maximizes at level 35 values, and the final recharge bonus is slightly less. Using 6-slots here means that I'd lose the 6th slot bonus from Ascendency of the Dominator, but I feel like I could lose one slot in the travel power (as I've often 2-slotted such a power with no major losses to the Quality of Life). As for non-enhancement bonus effects of Lift v. Crush. The one thing Crush is giving me that I like is damage-over-time. At low levels, I like that I can toss it and (if it hits) I can sort of ignore trying to damage that one single enemy. This is going to be less important as I level up and get AoE, and the damage is small enough that I expect it won't make much of a difference for enemies like Fake Nemesis. Damage-over-time is something I find useful against enemies that summon things (e.g. Rikti Communication Officers, Raider Engineers), but again, this is a single-target attack that has to hit! A miss doesn't do anything for me in that circumstance. There is another subtle issue with the single-target immobilize: There are a LOT of enemies that resist Immobilize, or otherwise have protection against it. I get the sense that the Live devs handed out resistance/protection to Immob (and Slow) as a sort of "HAR HAR, gotcha"... because I find it personally weird that Immob is a common low-level power for players yet these sorts of enemies start appearing at low levels and never really go away. Obviously I am somewhat ignoring what Domination provides for controls... but again, I'm specifically thinking about dropping a single-target immobilize for a character that will still have an AoE immobilize and a pair of Holds. This is just my PoV, but the really annoying late-game enemies aren't really affected by Immob but are affected by Holds (Sorcerors, Illusionists, other teleporters/phasers). There are some corner cases of AVs/GMs, but I've become so used to fighting those using characters without any sort of controls that I'm probably at the "I don't know what I'm missing" stage. Lift OTOH is Knock-up, which pretty much affects most every commonly encountered enemy.... and damage does too! I'll be spamming the single-target hold anyway, so any extra damage from Gravity Distortion synergy is gravy. As noted above, I'm mostly relying on Crush for damage, so it won't be a huge departure for me to add the (sometimes funny) attack in its place. EDIT: After looking at my first pass and crunching some numbers, my current thoughts about what I'd do with Lift in the build (instead of Crush) is to 3-slot Lift with Winter's Bite (getting Slow resistance, which I like for PermaDom) and moving the slots to Wormhole which should be able to take the ATO. I'll probably just keep the 5-slots of Gladiator's Net in the AoE Hold, but drop the %damage and boost all those pieces to 50+5. The AoE hold has a somewhat small radius, and the recharge won't be that great to really worry about the %Lethal damage. The enhancement values are slightly inferior to 6-slots of the Superior ATO, but shouldn't be that noticeable (because of the inherently long recharge time, and eventual global set bonuses).

I may end up swapping into Lift for this character... Part of the final reason may be that eventually the single-target immob is unlikely to be that noticeable once controls are being spammed, part of it may be that in order to move out the ATO (hopefully to the AoE Hold) and find a replacement source of Global Recharge after that swap I may need to leverage Lift. Immob sets don't have many great options (for recharge) so I'd sort of be constrained to swap the slotting on the single-target and AoE Immobilizes... except that the AoE Crushing Field also does not need slotted Recharge. From my recollection, it takes some getting used to the delayed damage from Lift. %damage from procs will be applied right away, but that won't be how I slot this character. Perma-Dom is a puzzle, but I can sort of see a few different paths.

Did I miss the request for the commemorative edition Hero Merit?

I find myself thinking: If only it was possible to hear/read Ascendant's half of the conversation.

This isn't sustainable. Reading between the lines: It reads to me more like some of those NPCs were implemented without considering a more complete set of future outcomes... and thus the "hard pause" on future implementations.

Again, I think the point was missed: The favoritism angle, and whatever motivates "agreement" was literally the first reason mentioned in the stickied/recommended post for avoiding granting your specific wish. No one in a position to even consider granting your wish has called out your posts on this topic as nonsense; to make that claim is dramatic. Why, when given a pretty direct response that your wish is not going to be granted, with rationale, was your response to a user responding to that rationale... That bit reads like a "STFU, I don't want to read what you have to say." We aren't owed a dev response to our responses to their response, especially not when it was made from a point of clarity that many users appear to have understood. I'm not writing for any of the powers that be, but the response we got is fair and just, and sustainable going forward. There is a very short list of (pretty minor) world changes I'd like TPTB to make, and for those, TPTB have made it clear that not only won't they make the changes but that there won't be discussion about it, for reasons. I don't know what those reasons are, but I can guess. Ultimately it doesn't matter because that one part of the game won't change, unless and until TPTB decide it will change. I can live without knowing the precise rationale, but in this very thread the rationale for not granting this specific wish was provided, which was not the case for the item I'm referring to. That horse, and this one, deserves no more beating.

When did I write this in this thread? If this is some general advice, why quote anyone? It comes across as a form of denial that the reality is something other than what it is. I think the advice from @Rudra to take time to grieve rather than self-cultivate anger and frustration online is not a bad idea. It's been made clear what isn't going to happen, trying to negotiate is another classic stage in the Kübler-Ross model of grieving. I've seen several good ideas presented in lieu of the wish that isn't going to be granted... and I can completely understand why the wish won't be granted, and it doesn't appear from the conversation that I'm the only one.

Is the request that I stop participating in this thread (the one on general policy) because I am disrespectful and derailing, or is there some other reason that applies to me specifically?

Except that we all can read the response that shows the people who have some say were listening. There has got to be better outlets for this than wanting to argue... with devs, with forum users, with whomever.... and some of those outlets can even happen in game, but it has to be up to the individual players to take the lead, and not try to impose something on the devs and/or the open world: The base tribute has been mentioned, even if "hologram" isn't a thing An AE mission could be created that features the passed person's character If the player was some sort of leader in in-game content, honor them by leading as they did

I feel obligated to write: This feels exactly like the "popularity contest"/"favoritism" angle that was explicitly called out as being a reason why the devs will hesitate to add such NPCs in the future. That sort of policy is not directed at any individual, it is directed at everybody individually and collectively.

I've soloed it (blue side) through the Atlas (Hashby+) arcs and it is now solo in the Hollows (level 12). I haven't teamed yet, I was trying to get to mid-teens to have some slots before joining up with others. I've been using Domination almost entirely to refill the Blue Bar (as opposed to more easily locking down enemies). It has been fine at +0x1, although I'd forgotten about the Accuracy penalty for the AoE controls. with slotting bonuses and Targeting Drone this should be less of an issue, but for these early levels something like Combat Jumping (early) with the Kismet +6% ToHit piece may be a good idea. It a couple of levels I will probably go to -1x3 for solo, but I really need some more Endurance management first. I specifically chose to NOT take Lift or Propel for this character because of (a) I already have a Grav Controller that uses them and (b) I wanted to emphasize the gun for concept. Generally: I find Lift (or any other damaging attack) to be a better choice than Crush (or any other single-target Immobilize), given the choice at level 1. I went with the single-target Immob here because I express such a negative view of the single-target Immobs that I want to see if I can make them work, where they can work, and if I can make it sing. I don't see a lot of discussion about Propel for Dominators, and it looks like I won't be able to provide any insights. This build does have/allow an unexpected (to me, because derp) amount of Knockback. I was expecting the Crushing Field to include -KB, but it does not. Knockback doesn't really bother me in game play (no matter the source), and if I was motivated to use the Force Feedback %+Recharge piece I would have a lot of options.

A thousand times this. The only positive thing I think I can say about World of Confusion is this: It was the one power that got me to take a HARD LOOK at pretty much every enemy-affecting PBAoE self-toggle in the game. In my experience, there are very few of them that end up performing as well as I hope they will; almost all of them require build choices to make them work.

If costume holograms for memorializing other characters are a thing, and AFAIK costumes can only be shared (outside of the game itself), there would probably need to be a mechanism to "grab" another player's costume (and body scales, whatever)... and for characters not actually logged in, this would provide a further issue. I don't know if implementing a slash command to try to grab another player's costume file (of which any character may have more than one) would be well received, and asking for the devs to provide one outside the game would likely present issues.

Coincidentally, I've just started a Gravity/Arsenal Dominator too! I try to get permaDom without Hasten (or FF +Racharge %procs) so here is my first thoughts on a level 50 build. I'll be making different choices for slots (obviously) as I level. The only other things specific to global Recharge bonuses I feel like mentioning is that I prefer to have set bonuses which scale down below level 27, so I'm not completely sold on the Expedient Reinforcement set in Singularity... it's providing a small buffer in Global Recharge anyway... I happen to quite like the Force of Will pool, but I can understand folks that don't use it. The powers I wanted to take from the primary and secondary (I have a specific concept for this character) meant that I could have the cone attack Wall of Force and Unleash Potential as soon as they are available, which is a nice bonus (for me, MMV). There are definitely different choices that could be made, especially with respect to which sets can offer a +10% global recharge. I should disclose that I will likely move the Ascendancy of the Dominator to one of the AoE controls (Crush needs no Recharge slotting) .... this is just my first pass at set choices. EDIT: PvP is probably a mixed bad for this sort of Dominator... my build wouldn't be particularly sturdy, and it (as planned above) it would pretty much be relying on controls, which I don't think are super reliable solo in PvP. For a PVP build, Sorcery is probably a better choice than Force of Will. I think I'd want Winter's Gift (for more Slow Resistance) somewhere. The only other thing I can think of for PvP would be to try to boost resistances and defenses, but that is an escalating fight. For PvP, Hasten is probably a must, as it allows for less of a slot commitment to certain powers.

IMO neither the thread expressing sadness over the loss of a friend nor the thread asking what the dev's thoughts on 'memorials' was trolling. It is disingenuous to suggest that. As for why the devs chose a conservative path (i.e. a reluctance to make physical changes to the open world), this should be no surprise. The game has certain elements dating from live that a tied to some rather problematic personalities (no need to bring them up, as those threads get "hidden" and are not-to-be-discussed for reasons) which haven't been particularly addressed in-game. It isn't like the powers-that-be have a hate for the lost friend (because the memorial threads still exist!), it's just that they aren't going to implement wholesale changes in-game to the (potentially tiny) fraction of players that feel strongly about the personality.

Blasters in this era pretty much only have one weakness (getting hit and taking damage), but they can pretty much overcome that by dishing damage reliably. They get some time of sustain (so that Endurance isn't much of an issue), they have fast-cycling attacks that do a lot of damage, they can make (some) attacks while mezzed ... and there are plenty of powers (and insps) to deal with being mezzed... and they have access to many other types of powers to fill gaps (in concept, as well as strategically). They also have access to several different self-rezzes if things go pear-shaped. I write all of the above because a Blaster is probably one of the easier AT to slot: Blasters can use a wide variety of really good sets in both primary and secondary (for example: not all AT can slot the ATO in either primary or secondary powers) Blasters can get a perfectly viable attack chain without taking too many attacks. My attitude for Blasters is: Get global recharge bonuses from attacks (which will also make them hard-hitting). 5-slots of most Very Rare sets gets a 10% global recharge, if the power has a "long enough" base recharge time, maybe it gets a sixth %damage piece, maybe not. I typically pass on Hasten because (by level 50) it usually only shaves a few seconds off of the longest-recharging power that I use regularly. The most common issue I have with building Blasters (and many other ATs) is getting enough reliable AoE to potentially damage lots of enemies at once. This is obviously a way to clear spawns quickly, but for me I seek out AoE because the RNG will regularly dole out a LOT of misses (even if the final ToHit is at the ceiling) , and missing against a single-target feels a lot worse to me than missing one-of-three critters with an AoE.

My recent Bane/Wolfsman also ended up not using a Patron pool. The 30+ power selection went (upon respec, powers were taken in a slightly different order while leveling): 30: Surveillance 32: Shatter 38: Combat Training Offensive 41: Combat Jumping 44: Tactical Training: Assault 47: Maneuvers 49: Aid Other The 41, 47, 49 are all essentially mules. I dislike taking Shatter so late, but for concept reasons I was delaying all of the Mace attacks. My original plan was to use the Fighting pool for melee, but it simply felt wrong to handicap by not using VEAT Placate or Buildup (because Mace) and burn at least three picks for Boxing/Kick/Cross Punch.... and still have Cross Punch come so late in the build. The Bane's synergy with VEAT powers was simply too good to pass... and for concept I can believe the gun gets put away to SMASH with the mace. None of the Patrons were going to preserve that illusion for me, except possibly Mace Mastery, but I'd be burning a power pick to get Shatter Armor, and that would only come at level 41. On my other VEATs, I definitely have used Patrons... but for those I didn't mind until waiting to end-build to have the powers I wanted.

Brickstown isn't that bad (as far as distances between gates/portal/train and missions/contacts, but somebody dropped this huge thing in the middle of the zone. For Paragon City zones, I think Talos Island is regularly "the worst". With the exception of the one door near the Dark Astoria gate, there is no quick option for any door along the war walls or on the northern islands. The Ouro drop point, SG base and Tunnel are all within sniper distance of the Train station, and the dance zones exits are pretty close by as well. I'm tempted to say "Independence Port" because of its sheer size, but at least it has the Smuggler's Submarine in the north and a train station/Brickstown gate in the south.

In-game memorials are a wonderful gesture; I agree that requests for physical game assets is an incredibly slippery slope. IMO the best way to honor a lost friend is to keep alive and showcase the attitude that the lost friend had. That is: pick up the slack for them, preserve the good feels through actions, and don't ask for a memorial that over time no one will know why such a specific memorial exists. On the negative side, I recently got a "Don't you know who *I* am?" public comment(*1) from a player that is actually relatively new to the shard, and (my words) spams LFG for a relatively narrow amount of content that isn't exactly gated (by level or skill)... and multiboxes... and while they get joiners, it isn't as if the direct impact by that player (at least publicly) is particularly big. They aren't otherwise a jerk, so yeah it would be sad if they passed on... but I can easily imagine one of the regular joiners asking for a memorial for that guy. I wouldn't want to see this become a popularity contest. (*1) The comment came as a result of suggesting an alternate, time-proven, strategic approach to common content. It didn't even rise to the "my way or the highway" reaction I can expect from a team lead.

I agree with the sentiment of the quoted post, but wanted to remark: Ultimately, I don't think %damage is making builds "grossly overpowered". If we ignore the whole Incarnate System (*1), the game is far more "imbalanced" IMO by enemy critters more-or-less unable to hit or hurt players. Combat with critters is pretty much a zero-sum game, performance between ATs is NOT a zero-sum game. There is no need to roll back to a time before enhancement set bonuses, or before nukes that caused crashes, or before sustains, or before %damage was a build option. (*1) I believe there are some significant number of folks that argue that %damage is somehow bad for the game that mostly focus on potential only for builds at 50 or 50+.