tidge

February 6

19 minutes ago, Uun said:

While necessary for zone invasions (Rikti, zombie, etc.), I find levelless mobs boring. By necessity they're always even con and don't present a challenge.

This astute observation feels (to me) like the flip side of the "My low(ish) level character can't defeat ToT spawns!" refrain.

As @megaericzero points out: enemy factions gain new abilities and phase out trivially incompetent enemies (for the most part) for higher level content.

February 6

A minor point I often consider about -Resistance, -Regen (as well as the %proc versions) is "If it doesn't stack, are other teammates likely to be using it as well?" In the case of Poison Dart, it will stack no matter what, which is an advantage over other sources. The 15sec duration (not the shortest debuff in the game, but not far from it) is kinda short for my taste... at least considering what else the Night Widow could be doing to damage that critter.

I only have made one dedicated Night Widow and one as part of a multi-build... and in team circumstance my preference leans to the Fortunata, so it isn't as if I feel that strongly about the choice. My Fortunata experience more commonly has "ugh, another enemy with Psi Resist" rather than "I wish I had something else besides Envenomed Daggers for this fight".

February 6

While the development team works on your request, are you aware:

1) You can visit the START vendor to disable specific Inspiration drops?

2) You can implement a macro or bind to combine unwanted (single/non-team) inspirations into other ones? For example:

/macro_image "BA_Vangaurd_Medal" "Yellow" "inspcombine Insight Break_Free$$inspcombine Keen_Insight Emerge$$inspcombine Uncanny_Insight Escape"

February 6

I will admit that every once in a while I'll opt for a power pool whose animations don't really fit *my* concept of the character. The number one "offending" power pool is probably Sorcery followed closely by Force of Will. I understand that being stuck with certain animations/effects is the price that must be paid for (an example) a tech bro opting to leverage an "origin pool" that doesn't quite match the concept. The origin pools being open to everyone (without respect to 'origin') is a good thing, but sometimes it feels to me like some of the animations (ehem, Rune of Protection) are there in part to serve as an open-world min-max identifier! (gooble gobble)

February 6

It never occurred to me to auto-complete the Honoree mission, even when I was trying to blitz-unlock the Alpha slot. The arguments in favor of doing so are sound, it's just that I will often slide into my level 50 "final" build and use the Mender Ramiel arc to put it through the paces.

February 6

For a Night Widow, I'm almost always picking Poison Dart for later (post-respec) builds. Early game the Mental Blast is probably more useful. The best effect of the T1 attack is IMO the -Regen component. This is hard to see in a lot of content, but is I think becomes more useful (especially in teams).

February 5

February 5

I love the range on Umbral Torrent... precisely because it can grab distant aggro. I find it to be a great power for keeping-them-coming on a dedicated ranged attacker.

February 5

5 hours ago, Vic Raiden said:

Funnier still, oversized as IP is, it's still too small to properly fit in with the rest of Paragon City. Like, it's supposed to fit Terra Volta inside, but the isolated chunk that one's supposed to be in is only a quarter size of what it logically should be.

Oddly enough, that zone-in-a-zone bothers me not-at-all. I get more mental dissonance that it is nominally protected by two sets of War Walls yet it is a complete disaster area. As I wrote somewhere (probably in this thread, among other places) Terra Volta takes my prize for the least useful and most annoying (non-Shadow Shard) zone.

I grok the original thinking behind hazard zones, at least as far as enemy spawn sizes/types and navigation "puzzles", but once Faultline was re-worked and Dark Astoria was given a series of arcs, it was Terra Volta that became the undisputed "but why?" zone. With the reactor playing a central role in multiple TFs, it makes no sense to me why the zone is constructed the way it is, or why it is nominally "abandoned".

I can imagine any of several different new arcs to leverage Terra Volta, even with its annoying geometry for non-fliers. For example:

Sky Raiders. They are physically present in large numbers... so maybe they are manufacturing their materials there. I can imagine that their FFG tech is an adapted/miniaturized version of War Wall tech... which presumably Terra Volta always had, pre-Rikti Invasion (since no Rikti are present).

The Family. Blue side, the Family lore (from Arcs) is rather blah. They are essentially the right level range for Terra Volta, and are all over the outside of TV in IP. I feel like the Family could have established some smuggling routes in-and-out of TV. It would be easy to tie the Family to TV, IP and Striga.

Devouring Earth. The game doesn't lack for DE content, but the power station could be a point of interest for the DE. They might like the warm water from the cooling towers, they might hate and waste materials. Since they hand out only the inner and outer edges of TV, it seems odd that there is effectively no story tying the two together.

February 5

Frankly: The suggestion feels more like a "*I* expect the power to work this way" suggestion and less like a "there is something deficient/broken/missing from the power". This is OK, most of us have been in that headspace at some point.

It helps to get other player's perspectives on the power, both in terms of in-game use and with game mechanics, to understand why a self-certified brilliant idea might not shine as brightly to others.

Something else that is really cool about Placate (as it currently stands) for certain ATs (I haven't verified it with all) is that it's effect nullifies whatever is causing an AI enemy critter to run away. I keep meaning to test the Presence pool version (Pacify) to see if it will have the same effect but I haven't gotten around to it. For my INF and for some ATs, stopping a runner is at least as important as trying to grab a little bit of aggro from a dedicated power like Provoke.

February 5

9 hours ago, WanderingAries said:

Those that do that caution that things may disappear if you use it like that and someone accidentally bids that high.

I didn't suggest listing them on the Auction House (that would waste Inf because of the vig), just storing them.

February 5

5 hours ago, Story Archer said:

This is good to know - for instance, an END/RECH that's been boosted would probably give me much better use out of that single slot in Kyoyo than just a boosted Endurance would. I think this principle will be even better applied to some of my other builds that rely on single slotting a number of useful powers.

Be aware that there is a difference between Endurance Modification and Endurance Reduction components when it comes to Hami-Os and D-Syncs. I have Seishinteki Kyoyo single-slotted with a level 53 D-Sync Conduit. For that power, it's something of a toss-up (for me) if I want the Endurance bar refill to be available sooner, or more for each use... I lean towards sooner, but I don't burn Endurance so quickly that I need it available that often... except that it compliments Kuj-In Restu so nicely.

As mentioned above, a boosted level 50+5 EndMod/Recharge piece from something like Efficacy Adaptor provides just under the enhancment values by an equivalent level 50 Hami-O (or D-Sync).

February 4

45 minutes ago, Mystoc said:

do people actually slot placate at all though beside the standard one slot it gives you there is your answer how impactful it is viewed by the playerbase.

I do. Mocking Beratement provides useful (to me) set bonuses for pretty much each additional piece, and Perfect Zinger allows %Psi then placates for several ATs.

Personally, I find the range and recharge attributes to be the most beneficial.

February 4

1 hour ago, PoptartsNinja said:

And since ressurects without any bonus features have almost no value (and people never wait to see if anyone has them anyway), sneak a heal resistance debuff into Ressurect and let it be used on living targets so people have a reason to take it. Might need a name change after, but tactically making a target take more healing (and regen) for a bit could be genuinely useful in a pinch and gives the Empath an option that isn't "wait until someone stands in the bad and dies."

This is one area that I feel could get a straight buff (and nothing but a buff) simply to make Empathy (and Resurrect) more appealing as a 3-minute base recharge. I find it crazy that Dark Miasma builds rarely skip Howling Twilight which nominally fills the same role. Even long(er) recharge time Self Rez powers offer more than what Resurrect does.

February 4

I suspect the reason you got thumbs-down are manifold. I didn't thumbs-down it, but I can imagine why:

There are no "Put myself immediately back in Hidden" powers in the game, AFAIK. This doesn't jive with the way the game works for "when clicked, when attacked". It likely won't have teh effect desired, because of server-client behavior, AI effects, AoE attacks, etc. The only thing that I think comes close is the Stalker's Guile ATO %Hide, and that requires a target to be attacked. I'm struggling to think of a click power that would do both of the things mentioned in the OP, i.e. "doesn't always need a target".

AFAIK Placate itself got a direct uprade and an indirect one. The indirect one is due to the modification to the "Threat" enhancements and allowance for slotting into Placate.

Placate is (now) almost a class-defining power for Stalkers and certain VEATs.

Side-bar:

I'm obviously self-judging with what follows, but I think the most radical power suggestion I've made kinda involves (something like) Placate. Because of the way the Presence pool essentially forces either Provoke or Pacify (or both), either of which might be at odds for a bunch of ATs... I once suggested that the Presence pool versions of Taunt/Confront and Placate be given modified code so that they acted more like the inherent version from the ATs that have those powers in primary/secondary. This is because while the Presence pool is quite good, it strikes me as quite the build tax for something like a Stalker to have to take an inferior version of Placate. But even in this case I'm not suggesting a different power, just that the pool version (that must be taken to unlock other pool powers) not be explicitly gimped for specific ATs.

February 4

Here is a rando thought about various maps/zones that I often have, but really never has a place to fit...

One thing that irks me, in a minor by somewhat constant way, are the zones that are either/both:

too big for their own good (and their content)
offer distinct (and obvious) different features, but don't leverage (via arcs, contacts, whatever) them for missions

An example of a zone I think avoids both of those peeves is Faultline. Between the in-zone arcs, and a few of other arcs I feel like we players get exposed to pretty much all the stuff Faultline has to offer, and there are reasons to hit pretty much every corner of the zone. The only villain flavor that is not precisely accounted for are the Freaks, but I can overlook their presence in the zone.

An example of a zone that I feel is OK for the first but fails on the second is the Hollows. The entire mountain and the south half of the zone are pretty much ignored by content, with the exception of the one Circle of Thorns mission at the end of the zone's arc.

Blue-side, I feel like the original zones mostly lacked imagination, except for "more of the same, but bigger footprints".... I'm looking at you Talos Island and Independence Port. Red-side doesn't strike me the same way, as the zones have distinctive features and a LOT of content to take advantage of them (Sharkhead is probably the best IMO, with Cap Au Diable close). The biggest lore regret I have is that there is very little reason to (open-world) visit the Fab in Grandville. It is a huge amount of real estate dedicated to existing as an instanced version in a TF.

February 4

For me: It's a balancing act. Blasters have an exceptionable amount of access to enhancement sets from many different types (melee, ranged, AoE, PBAoE) that allow them to leverage just about ALL of the best Enhancement set bonuses the game has to offer: ATO, Purples, Winters, PVPs.. and in multiple... that is, they don't get the (understandable) limitation to pick one (for example) single-target ranged damage set to use... they can easily get multiple choices between the ATO, Purples, Winters, whatever... all without having to even consider Pool power picks.

Planning to (again, I write) invest slots for Accuracy and %damage into a level 35 single-target attack seems somewhat sub-optimal, especially when the epic pool in question has later powers that more obviously benefit from slots (certainly they benefit in a less random way). Once we're talking end-game... Melt Armor, with an investment in slots, can increase Blaster-level damage across the area of it's AoE... for all teammates... and can of course also take %damage (and %-Resistance) if that's someone's game, but it needs slots that might otherwise be going into Char. As much as I like Melt Armor, I still only find myself with a single spare slot for this level 41 power, and I have it boosted for Accuracy and Recharge (from Analyze Weakness).

I'm not going to pick-apart someone else's choices for what kinds of attacks they want to have in an attack chain, and if they value a high DPA single-target attack over a couple of more modest DPA AoE attacks. For me: just looking at the provided "DPA" table, it looks (to me, as it is not my character) like the faster-recharging single-target Blaze is pretty much doing everything you want the slower-recharging Char to do... and while Blaze isn't up, I'd spam some AoE attacks!

I'm not trying yo convince anyone that the Maelwys method of power picks is wrong, just that there exists an alternative set of reasoning to make a different set of choices.

February 4

On 2/1/2025 at 10:10 PM, Jaiclll said:

Just want to know which of these two I am going to be expecting by end game.

Death from Below is probably the most hand-holded instanced mission in the game... because it is the "new player content". I suppose Drowning in Blood is similar, but there is a little more obvious "popping" between parts of that instanced mission. Neither really feels like a Task Force to me. Even the Cavern of Transcendence requires getting to the mission door in "another zone", that is the only Task Force that is almost as simple as DfB and DiB that I can think of.

Generally: Task Forces and story arcs require going to different doors, and often different zones. as @Forager noted above, there are lots of different ways to nearly-insta-travel between zones and missions that are now available to every player. Some options will not be available for some characters at some points in their careers, but most players can have options like Long Range Teleporter, Mission Teleporter, Team Teleporter, Ouroboros, Super Group Base portals at level 1, and the LFG teleport options unlock as a character levels up and qualifies for different content.

Using "classic" methods of getting around will introduce a player to other "native" forms of zone travel like tunnels/ferries, TUNNEL, trains, helicopters, etc.

February 4

5 minutes ago, Maelwys said:

That's kinda the point of Char for my line of thinking.
It's a hold, yes, but it might be better to think of it as a low-animation-time ranged DoT that happens to take Hold Set Damage Procs.

That's by spending slots on a single target Hold. Sure it can be done, but I think the opportunity cost is way too high for a level 35 single-target "attack" on a Blaster. If the character is being fine-tuned for only/mostly high level content, maybe it makes more sense to rely on single-target damage from an Epic Pool. It isn't a wrong choice, except for me.

February 4

I'll put this out there: I have a Savage Melee/ Scrapper and a /Dark Armor Scrapper, but not that combination.

While each can be made to work reasonably well, in combination (to my eyes) this looks like a challenge... for a Scrapper. My personal feels about my Savage Scrapper was that it would probably have been better at damage as a Brute. It plays quite frenetically, and the damage-over-time aspects are improved by Fury but not Criticals.

Dark of course has its own issues, primarily the classic Endurance burn from toggles but more importantly the lack of inherent Knockback resistance. For the latter, I suggest that the /Dark Armor character minimally try to get 3 points of KB protection from the 3xGladiator's Armor set, 3 more from 3x Fury of the Gladiator, and then 2 of the 4-point protection pieces (e.g. Blessing of the Zephyr, Karma, Steadfast Protection). 12 would probably be ok, but you will need 20+ to deal with FREEM! on Dark, but there is a craftable +10 boost available in SG bases.

Good luck!

February 4

A slightly practical solution for "hoarders" is to add items into a character's Auction House inventory. Identical items can be stored therein in stacks of 10 (salvage, same-level recipes, but not inspirations). The Auction House is available outside of instanced maps (and now I think it is not accessible in PVP zones).

The Vault Reserve storage grows as the character levels up, I find it to be a convenient place to store rare salvage, or less rare items I know I will be using. Vault reserve is accessible anywhere.

February 4

I greatly prefer an Epic Bonfire over any Epic single-target Hold (e.g. Char). My reasoning follows:

At level 35, a Blaster should pretty much be past the point of wanting to Hold a single target, or rely on something like single-target %damage... an AoE "soft" control is much more useful, especially if the spawn size has been turned up (including on teams). The Bonfire has a nice long duration, who knows how long a single-target hold is going to last (because an enemy critter is defeated, or has protection, or whatever).

A very personal build-crafting approach I have is to invest slots into the powers one of my builds will have before level 35. Single-target holds need slots to be able to contribute to utility! They do nothing if they miss, and they won't stack Hold without duration. Again, for Blasters... why are you just not HURTING the thing you are trying to hold? In Fire Mastery, I probably want spare slots for Fire Shield (global pieces or other set bonuses), and I almost certainly want at least two slots in Melt Armor... again, because Blasters really do want to HURT enemies, not HOLD them (apologies to Boy George).

February 4

I've never played Empathy... but I did accidentally create one on a concept character that was deleted once I realize Pain fit the concept better.

I think @Kaika identified what I see as the shortcomings, repeated below in my own words:

Most characters don't need what Empathy brings... or rather: Characters can be built to overcome the sorts of issues that Empathy can help with.
It is "too busy" for my taste, with a little too heavy on the ST ally buffs for my taste.

I think @biostem identified why Empathy itself is unlikely to be reworked: It is practical, but there is no getting around how boring it can be to play. The powers-that-be would have to see Empathy as under-performing AND have a somewhat personal desire to explicitly improve it AND change it in subtle ways that most likely don't involve existing characters being forced to rework their builds.

I do encounter a variety of Empathy-using characters "in the wild", but not that many of them.

February 4

6 hours ago, biostem said:

TBH, at least IMO, farmers dump a lot of items on the AH, which helps drive prices down, but even with that in mind, most farmers play highly specialized builds, which don't do quite as well outside of the AE or against more varied enemy types. That isn't to say they wouldn't do well in other settings or content, only that I've never thought to myself "gee, I sure wish I had a farmer's character outside of the AE and on my team right about now"...

NuEochai strikes me as tailor-made for Fire Farmers!

February 3

I *miss* the original Mercy Island but in my case it is entirely sentimental. I think it has one advantage over Atlas Park in that red-side players only rarely get sent back to Mercy Island, and for a couple of those instances it makes lore-sense.

The main thing I'd "fix" with it is that I'd increase the number and frequency of Snake spawns. The first Hunt Snakes mission can be a PITA at low levels, even if you know where they are likely to spawn.

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