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I think I fall into the "player picks the character" camp, for reasons: I'm happy to play through well-worn content with different ATs and power sets I like to see when other players (on PUGs) handle different ATs and power sets I definitely have a bunch of characters that can "solo" during PUG TF/SF, so simply seeing others do the same doesn't really impress me... but when I see players doing unusual tricks with different characters.... that I enjoy.

Has anyone gotten any of the recipes to drop (on Beta)? If so, do these have the 'more serious' crafting requirements similar to 'newer' recipes? There is always something for EbilTM to keep puckering on the table!

As you may recall, there are a few of us who keep making the same points over-and-over, for example: Keep this in mind: with new slotting options for Pacify, I think the power at least moves out of the "who thought this was a good idea?" category. My suspicion is that the power-that-be are essentially ignoring the Presence pool, possibly because of a blunt dismissal that it 'isn't worth taking'. I'm torn on whether or not I see ignoring Presence as a good thing or not... for what a player can do with it (for the rather high price of entry) it is quite powerful. For example, I don't think we'd get a pool power like Unrelenting in the 'modern' (i.e. HC) game. I see the Presence pool as sort of a BizarroTM version of the Fighting pool: Presence offers tools that most AT can benefit from (Threat! Control! Self-Heal! Self-Boost!), but doesn't have great options for Enhancements, i.e. there are extremely limited options for mules, and there is only one PVP set (Panacea) option to leverage and there is the requirement to take TWO mediocre powers (pick any two; Provoke, Pacify, Intimidate as opposed to a single choice from Fighting) before picking either one of the great powers (Invoke Panic, Unrelenting). If BOTH Tough and Weave were locked behind having to take BOTH Boxing and Kick, imagine how much grief would exist.

I'm thinking about them as "scale to any level, plus boosted".

Some random points: The only characters I have that (almost always) multi-slot "Travel powers" have Kinetics. I just wanted to make the point that it isn't strictly a Travel pool issue, even if it is just that for 95% of the characters made. Would it be the end of the world to have the new Slow set be a PVP set, with commensurate bonuses? I feel that Slow and Threat powers really deserve either/both a PVP or/and Very Rare treatment. Do we simply not think those can be balanced in PVP play?

I wanted Soul Drain as a first power pick. If I was only committing to level 50 play I can see the advantages of Epic Dark. I have other builds to use for that. A @Yomo Kimyata wrote, the FF %+Recharge proc works in all(?) the Dual Pistol attacks because without Swap Ammo active they will do Knockback. This isn't a character I plan to play in a lot of solo +4/x8 content. I totally agree on trying to 'perma' Benumb, but frankly the to-hit requirement means that this isn't really going to be guaranteed (shakes fist at RNG). Likewise Heat Loss. My leveling build does include Hasten, so I can play with it a bit.

I'm getting close to a level 50 respec for my Dual Pistols/Cold Corruptor, and I haven't come to any firm decisions about slotting the offensive (primary) power set. Basically I am just looking for some discussion/suggestions. I'm not going to post a full build... here are some of what's in my mind: I'm not really trying to hit defensive softcaps (i.e. 25% - 30% is good enough for me) I really like Accuracy bonuses, but I may be over-doing it. The build doesn't include Hasten, I don't find myself using it as I level. I feel like the global Recharge I get from set bonuses has a relatively smooth attack chain. Long recharge powers would be great to have up ASAP, but (shrug). I'd like to balance (reliable) -Res into the (primary) attacks with some extra (reliable) %proc damage Here is my current (sloppy?) thinking on the Dual Pistols primary: Level 1: Dual Wield 6x Superior Malice of the Corruptor. I feel like this set should be 6-slotted for the defense and recharge bonuses. The %proc rate stinks, but it is in a power used as part of the attack chain. Level 2: Empty Clips 6xslot This is a cone that I will franken-slot with %procs. Any set bonuses will be negligible. I wasn't planning on any ATO here. Level 10: Bullet Rain 6 slots, with a rough idea of 5xRaganarok with one Force Feedback +Recharge. I feel like I could "do better" with this power. Level 18: Executioner's Shot 6x Superior Scourging Blast. This ATO feels like it could be split (either into 2-pieces or 3-pieces) but for the time being I thought I'd keep them together in a single-target power. The %PBAoE +End is a mystery to me. I wonder if instead I should use Superior Winter's Bite and just drop this set in... Level 26: Piercing Rounds 6xSuperior Frozen Blast. I was thinking to add a Winter set for extra Mez/Slow resists and the ranged/AoE defenses. The cone is extremely tight, but I have been able to get multiple targets with repositioning and the use of my secondary. Level 32: Hail of Bullets 6 slots with 5xArmageddon and one Force Feedback +Recharge. I have been leveraging the +Recharge in this PBAoE power because of the play style (and the generally poor positional Melee defense)... I have the long-recharge (patron) Soul Drain (with %procs) as part of a 1-2 PBAoE punch (or is it a 2-1-1 punch?) Thanks in advance!

The new combinations are as follows: Endurance Modification/Accuracy Endurance Modification/Recharge Accuracy/Range Damage/Endurance Damage/Recharge Heal/Accuracy Heal/Recharge Slow/Recharge/Endurance Threat/Accuracy/Recharge I was hoping for an Accuracy/Recharge piece; there are a handful of powers across my diverse characters that could free up a slot by using a few of these. For example, from the same Corruptor: Benumb. I have two assumptions (neither of which I have tested): The new combinations won't convert into each other The new combinations won't drop from Hami, LRSF, etc. If so, then it won't take but one EbilTM Marketeer (per market) to use a LOT of INF to raise the roof on all of them.

I'm with the herd on this one. I expect a flood of the Ice Mistral %Cold proc, just like every other %proc that many people over-inflate but few people want to buy. I don't think Slow powers aren't suddenly going to be worth all the extra slots. (*1) Ditto for Threat and Travel powers. I suppose the rarity of the new Travel pieces could screw up what has been a reliable conversion from uncommon-to-rare. The DSOs will fill some niches, my hot takes follow: Most of the /Recharge ones will see some interest for one/two-slot builds, especially for mediocre set options with 2 pieces. Accuracy/Range is a nice to compliment Centriole Damage/Range for multi-%proc cones, but those are never in high demand. I'm torn on the use of Heal/Accuracy and Heal/Recharge in a power like DNA Siphon, as opposed to 3-slotting Touch of the Nictus (which not only allows a %damage, but gets a global Accuracy boost as well). I suppose the Endurance/- could also be dropped in? The "enemy sapping" strategy (such as it is) is looking to get even worse, so I wouldn't sit on any stock there. (*1) I have a /Cold Corruptor that might be tempted to add the Ice Mistral %Cold proc to the level 1 secondary Infrigidate, as the power is a decent extra (low level) attack, and Cold damage is probably less resisted than Smashing or Lethal.

When I'm trying for "Open World Badges (solo)", I usually try to do them during the Halloween event when players tend to congregate in Peregrine Island for ToT leagues. There are a handful of badges that are much easier to get during that time while players are button mashing in other zones. For example, capturing Spectral Pirates in Port Oakes.

I have a "hot take" (no testing, judge me) based on my use of Placate (and Pacify) in Homecoming since spring 2019. For VEATs, it's pretty much only the Bane's Shatter that I see this as being really useful for 90% of most content. The power pick Placate comes too late for VEAT (level 26 for Banes, level 28 for Widows) as opposed to Stalkers (level 12) to really make that much of a difference. [sidebar: VEAT's long wait for Placate is one of the reasons why I think it would be nice to allow Pacify (Presence pool) to act like Placate for VEATs and Stalkers] I realize that MOST of the game is played above these levels (including Exemplar content that would allow VEAT's Placate)... and if you are playing Red side only it is possible to need to "solo kite" the AV heroes that start appearing in the level 30+ missions... but otherwise I question the play circumstances that are going to make this a preferred power pick for VEAT. I like the changes a LOT more for (low level) Stalkers. It won't be everyone's cuppa, but my experiences have been that (unless you are playing Ouro missions with no enhancement bonuses) it's pretty much only at the low levels where solo players can regularly get in over their head.

Fundamentally: Pacify is for avoiding fights (or ditching aggro), while Provoke is explicitly seeking it and Intimidate is a straight-up attack. That's what I mean about Pacify working against the other T1 Presence Pool powers (to first order). My (solo) experience has been that when engaged with enough enemies where I want to Pacify (only one, by design of the current power) of them, it only buys me very little time if the others in the same spawn aren't dealt with. Intimidate has served a better use (again, for me), and it can stack with other Fear effects. If I am NOT engaged with an enemy, there is no reason to even toss a Pacify. Kudos to you for juggling Provoke (or was it an actual Taunt?) with it... since Provoke is a ToHit check w/ AoE, it isn't straightforward in the heat of a battle to know which ones I actually hit with Provoke as opposed to those who just noticed me and want to fight. Thinking over my characters with heavy investment in the Presence pool, I don't know that I would respec from a 6-slot Provoke for a 6-slot Pacify. If Pacify had a small AoE, it would be slightly more useful in things like Mayhem missions, or in those cases I described above (when your character is getting debuffed like crazy from a relatively small spawn).

It is a net positive that a power like Placate can actually accept anything meaningful as an enhancement. I do feel that Pacify (from Presence) is still going to be a crap choice with many things working against it: It doesn't behave like Placate (e.g. crits) for AT which can choose Pacify. This isn't a deal-breaker for me, but other AT can 'double up' certain signature powers with Power Pool choices, why not allow this for something as flat-out weak as Pacify? I'm NOT asking for all AT to get the possibility of crits after a Placate. Pacify is not an auto-hit. It is a Pool power, so it should NOT be auto-hit, just like Provoke is NOT a PvE auto-hit (compared to Taunt or Confront) Pacify is only a single target, it would become more viable if it had an AoE component. As it is, (potentially) Pacifying one enemy in a spawn is of very limited utility. It works against each of the two other power picks in the Presence pool. Provoke is an AoE Taunt analog, Intimidate is a single-target control power. On the last point, the ONLY utility (*1) I have gotten out of Pacify has been when I have been playing low-level characters with 'aggressive' difficulty settings with higher level enemies but small spawn sizes. This is because the PC can usually eliminate the minion-levels but needs a breather against the LTs and Bosses. Players who want to experience what I am describing can try Ouroboros flashbacks with "no enhancement bonuses" in lower level content... pick an Arachnos mission... of course they probably won't have Pacify in their build! If Pacify had the AoE component (with a small cap and small AoE, just like Provoke) it would become infinitely more useful, provided that the player actually adjusts strategic play (e.g. kiting enemies). (*1) I am a big fan of the Presence Pool, and I know that it doesn't get much love in forum builds. I've worked with it on a number of my characters. It's a real pain to have to take two choices from Pacify, Provoke and Intimidate before getting either of the two stellar powers: Invoke Panic or Unrelenting. I object less to the barrier to entry (i.e. 2 crummy choices that work against each other) than the fact that one of the three crummy choices (Pacify) is nigh useless.

That's a stinker.

I appreciate the proposed updates to Placate (and Pacify). My hot takes (without testing) The ability to slot "threat duration" sidesteps the current blunt criticism "why take a power I cannot slot?" The increased number of affected enemies (in PVE) via target cap and AoE will increase the utility of the power. I have used Placate on a variety of solo characters that don't have much (if any AoE), and it would have been much more useful in certain arcs to be able to placate multiple enemies. The DSO (Threat/Accuracy/recharge) will be a nice option for folks that don't invest (m)any slots in Taunt (or now Placate) Question(s): Is the Presence pool version (Pacify) going to at least get the AoE effect? I wouldn't want it to be auto-hit, but it shouldn't flat-out stink. I would prefer Pacify to get the same AoE and target cap, similar to how the Presence Pool's Provoke is not auto-hit, but has a larger cap than the auto-hit single-target Challenge powers. I'd also like Pacify to be able to trigger critical chances (only for the AT that have an primary/secondary Placate power)... that Presence pool power needs some attention to make it not stink.

City of Titans: I joined the (original) Kickstarter at one of the higher levels. I ought to qualify for something (if they even honor those original backers). The 'lore' fanfic quickly bored me, such that I skip over almost all update emails I never bothered to install whatever it is they off right now. Costume creator? Flight simulator? Ship of Heroes: I thought they had the most creative solution for "War Walls" (zone limits), which would let them add new content as desired. Making "the Lore" be entirely distinct from "real comic universe brah" was smart. I feel that the City of X team lost its way when trying to 'modify the (game) universe' rather than simply adding new content and power sets. I don't care one whit about NPC so-and-so's life story... I want to play my characters life stories.

I'm not a fan of Radeon video cards. I don't do any over-clocking, bitcoin mining, or anything else that ought to be pushing my video cards. I had a workhorse of an NVIDIA give up after 5 years (yes, I keep my systems alive... they are built to be 'future tolerant') and because of supply I ended up replacing it with a Radeon. The card lasted about 6 months, but it had issues from the get go. For me, the main grievance was that the assorted levels of 'software' (including drivers) were not working as advertised. I also seem to remember a weird 'sleep mode' that I couldn't disable, but the (related) kicker for me was that while I could monitor all sorts of technical parameters of the card, I was unable to control something as basic as the fan speed except to keep it turned on (full speed) or off, no matter what else I was doing with the card. Temperatures (even with the fan on at turbine speed) would ceiling in CoH even with minimal FX settings in unpopulated maps. I was tempted to chalk it up to CoH (because that is what I was playing heavily in 2019, thanks Homecoming!) but I saw similar issues in other games (mostly older ones) like Civ V, Deus Ex (HR/MD) and with video playing/editing. I don't think my individual card was a unique lemon, because others had reported similar issues... it's just that they weren't widespread enough for me to notice before purchase. I replaced it with an NVIDIA. The extra software is minimal, and it wasn't that hard to remove pieces I installed (against my better judgement). The card has no issues; its extra cooling kicks on in more predictable ways and doesn't sound like a jet engine.

My Inv Tank is no Mind/Psi Dominator, but when I'm tanking Lord Recluse I always keep Dull Pain up for the +MaxHP. In most other content, I rarely touch it... but I'm still benefiting from the 6xPreventive Medicine set bonuses for a heckuva lotta content.

If you "flat out aren't taking damage". why bother toggling on the resistance powers? think of all the Endurance you can save!

Are you referring to the Preventive Maintenance %proc? That will trigger even if it is in a click power. If you are referring to the Numina's global... I don't even include it; I think it is one of the most over-rated pieces in the game. The ONLY time I even come close to recommending Numina's Global is while leveling, and even that is a bit of a mug's game, because in addition to the build having to need (just a little bit of) Regeneration and Recovery: The build has to not be getting Regeneration (or +HP) or Recovery (or +MaxEnd, or Endurance discounts) from slotting set bonuses (or simply using IOs) The build has to have a "spare slot" to drop into Health The build has to be level 27+ If a build REALLY needs the Numina's global all the time, I suspect that the slot from Health could almost certainly be better used somewhere else to address the actual issue why it is needed. I work that market niche, so I profit when players gobble them up, but it is really a pretty poor use of a slot considering all of the other options. You don't have to believe me, and you can "prove me wrong" by anecdote... just take one of the builds you have with it slotted and use an Unslotter to take it out and play for a couple of days without it. That's what I do for my characters when I think something may be 'marginal', in the specific case of the Numina's global I tried this on several different characters and I really never noticed if it was there or not. For Tankers (and Brutes, the high HP ATs), the priority should be Power Transfer %Heal, then Panacea +HP/+End, then Performance Shifter +End, and then everything else.

That Inf isn't spending itself! Others will have different opinions, but I almost exclusively only use HO if I have a limited number of slots in a power because: I simply didn't want to invest (more) slots to in the power, and I want to enhance multiple attributes of the power I filled the other slots with things like %procs, and I want to enhance multiple attributes of the power In both cases, it's not really a high priority for my builds but almost every build has some power that could use one (or four, or eight)

I suggested putting Preventive Medicine in Dull Pain because it "saves" you a slot (ultimately, from Stamina) but doesn't "cost" you the Preventive Medicine %proc. On my Inv Tank, I have 6-slots (all Preventive Medicine) in Dull Pain, I like the 5th and 6th set bonuses a LOT, plus I want it 'nigh-perma' for Lord Recluse et. al. My (ebil) motivation is to find you 3 more slots to do the same! I think you can get the one from Stamina for 'no big deal', and I'm tempted to ask you to give up the Numina slot in Health as well. (Why is it in Health and not in Dull Pain with the rest of the set anyway?) The loss in Recovery may covered (with accolades) by the 5th piece (Endurance Discount) bonus from Preventive Medicine, and if Regeneration is the key note that the Impervious Skin piece offers a higher fraction... but if Regeneration is a factor in thinking you really do want Dull Pain to be maximized... both for the availability, HP boost and the (presumed) concern with healing-over-time. Maybe you've crunched the numbers on Dull Pain and have min-maxed so that you don't 'overshoot' the HP cap? I think at level 50 6-pieces of Preventive Medicine should give at least 100 more HP than 3 pieces of Numina.

Because I only have a fixed amount of mental capacity, I use this rule of thumb to remember when the diminishing returns for an Enhancement(*1) kicks i (since it varies by type): "Self, ya know how a level 50 Hami-O will enhance at least two attributes of a power? Two level 50 HOs of the same type will get you to the point where ED (Enhancement Diversification) is just about to kick in." (*1) the attributes of powers may hit the point of diminishing returns even if the enhancements haven't hit the "ED point". YMMV, but you can have that extra 0.12 damage when you pry it from the cold, dead hands of my Stalker.

I know this particular opinion isn't really that popular, but I think set bonuses from Reactive Armor are over-rated on Invulnerability. I find them to be rather marginal. On my own Invulnerability builds I will scatter slots between Resistance powers to add Impervium Armor Psi Resistance before I would try to get a little bit more S/L resistance and (minor) Defenses. Except in particular circumstances, I am like to not even toggle on Resist Physical Damage. I do favor 4xUnbreakable Guard for both Endurance Discount and Melee positional defenses. I also would never give up Taunt on any Tanker... but with Invincibility (and War Mace!) you really do want to draw enemies to you. Each to their own taste as far as Healing and Regeneration, but if you are only 3-slotting Dull Pain, I would put 3xPreventive Medicine in Dull Pain, and use the Power Transfer %Heal in Physical Perfection. On my Invulnerable Tankers I find the massive Hit Point infusion to be a key part of their ability to Tank. With HUGE base HP, the assorted %Heal, +HP and Regeneration are IMO much more important than a little bit more Defense or Resistance.

Thanks. The build includes (one of) the Shields (and Frostworks!), I simply didn't list them because those are pretty straightforward slotting IMO. As far as the defensive side of the build goes, I found myself kicking around the following options, if I commit to including Tough and Weave for myself: Ice Shield or Glacial Shield? Either would be a fine Mule; I went with Ice Shield for S/L support and to allow for teammates who may feel close-combat is too dangerous to creep closer. I'll be upfront: I certainly could take both shields to help my teammates, but I want to lean into the Corruptor aspect for this character. How to slot Weave vs. Arctic Fog? One was going to get 6xReactive Defenses, the other would get something else... usually 3xShield Wall (boosted) and at least a LotG Global Recharge. I opted to put the 6-piece set in Weave (base Defense is higher, even if Endurance cost is less) and 5-slotting Arctic Fog to include a Kismet +Accuracy (really +ToHit). Where other players seek out a little extra S/L resistance, if I have a toggle (or auto!) power that I will almost always keep on I will add that piece to allow for some 'slop' in powers that may not get enough Accuracy slotting.