MoonSheep

very true from my experience. i spent around 150m a few years ago as an experiment to try and control a specific item but it was futile within around 1 day and was a massive net loss the behind the scenes programming that an invention recipe or enhancement of any level are all placed into the same bin seems to create a mechanic whereby influencing the market for personal gain doesn’t seem to work

have you tried https://cod.uberguy.net

i’ve also found putting two psi procs into slow recharging hold powers works well to cut through them

i also have an elec/shield stalker. there are no other ATs worth rolling this combo as the stalker benefits greatly from having quick AS as part of the attack chain

woo, thank you!

i feel like the outlier here, i tend to only play defenders or dominators now starting to play stalkers more. as a heavy insp user i tend to stay away from melee ATs as the secondary set of defensive powers is a waste for how i play alts - total contribution (damage, debuff, lockdown) is the most important aspect for me, survivability is provided by a few insps instead

i am wholly aligned to your view of MMs i want to like them and have wanted to play one for so many years but it feels like in order for them to be comparable to other ATs you need to invest heavily in a Rube Goldberg of complex builds and advanced play strategy just to be on par for a niche selection of use cases where they operate in an acceptable but not mindblowing level of performance at present they’re not worth the hassle for the limited situations where they can contribute. having an MM on the team is essentially a filler position

as a thought, perhaps these changes are intended to keep masterminds competitive in the new expanded level range but not give them a noticeable buff for regular content? could explain the (perceived) unnecessary level of complexity

so.. as an outsider opinion maelwys it looks like a considerable amount of time has been spent to debuff the buff gained from changing the pet levels? and now a considerable amount of time is needed to understand the impact, which is probably a net 0% gain or net nerf for the average player that doesn’t spend their life playing on +4/x8

wow, it takes the entire indom server population to defeat the minotaur?

you are so correct, i infact had this post open just now to make another edit reflecting this fact

a lot of changes, but nothing substantial from what i can see. is a long list of tweaks and bug fixes substantial enough to count as a new release? i’ll have another read through, maybe it’s more substantial than my initial parsing of the log edit 1: a lot of fog labrinyth content, though i rarely see anyone recruiting for it on LFG edit 2: the expanded difficulty for incarnate dark astoria will be nice. it may pull some people out of AE edit 3: really like the origin art idea for the character info window edit 4: as very correctly stated by scarlet, this is a Page rather than an Issue. a fair amount of changes for a single page

speed runs hard mode badges playing with friends enjoying the alt playing other alts

flares has the same cast time as fire blast but less than half the damage - it’s not even worth taking a sidewards glance at fire blast on dominators is fairly strong, worth having. fire blast, blazing bolt, blaze + occasional incinerate is my usual attack chain

nice 😎

my main is a mind/fire dom. you’ll love elec/fire - it’s what i’d remake it into the damage output of /fire is fantastic, you’re essentially a blaster with more tricks and mez protection i’d highly recommend picking incinerate over flares. the damage is much higher and will remain a useful part of your attack chain as an opener when jumping into melee throughout all levels

with this in mind, diantanes post isn’t that unreasonable. people like to pile on simply for the fun of it

up to lvl 31 now, have been street sweeping bosses in croatoa which has been good fun slotting the chance for hide in TF and opening with it makes more sense now. have been opening with TF into hidden quick ET, phone smasher then quick AS. a nice combo looking forward to levelling it more

@Troo @Maelwys hey i didn’t sign up for any complicated maths or complex thinking! i expect over time once i’ve played it for a bit i’ll find a good rhythm of how to get the best combo. hopefully it won’t be a taxing ordeal, i’m usually not a fan of modern combo mechanics up to lvl 25 after a session last night - it’ll really come alive over the next few levels

good point - i think TF will regularly recharge under 10s as i mostly play in teams with kins and similar. i'll factor in an attack chain to avoid spamming it too often

useful as always, thanks guys. def agree with the point around the snipe @Maelwys, looks like i hadn't checked the numbers on fireball much - pretty terrible damage. think i'll go with ice mastery for some reasonable damage snipes, blast and cone powers. i'm an ice fan so it'll be a nice addition will put the AS ATO set in TF instead, haven't played energy with the new focus mechanic, will see how things go with using TF as an opener @Uun softcap? don't make me tap the signature 😛 helpful comments on the slots thanks - that'll polish it off nicely. i'll see what i can sacrifice to fit grant cover in too i made the alt on halloween for the 20 year anniversairy of CoV, currently at the mighty heights of level 1.5 but will get it moving properly later today

i'm looking to roll a new alt having not made anything new since january 2023 which was an elec/shield stalker this time round i'm going to see how energy melee is for speed runs and similar fast paced content. a shame to not have crits on ET (and TF?) but should still deliver some powerful hits against bosses as someone who spends a lot of time commenting on other builds, i'm keen to get thoughts and ideas on this one @Uun @Maelwys@Ston some build notes: - will always use def insps during gameplay, seeking to balance good damage with a sensible amount of base defense for a small purple insp to supplement - could consider just using teleport as my primary travel power with combat jumping, may feel a bit janky though - not wedded to any particular mastery, i tend to forget about them on a stalker. fireball + shield charge could fill the AoE gap nicely - will prob go with musc alpha ENERGY SHIELD - Hero Stalker Build plan made with Mids Reborn v3.7.14 rev. 3 ────────────────────────────── Primary powerset: Energy MeleeSecondary powerset: Shield DefensePool powerset (#1): LeapingPool powerset (#2): TeleportationPool powerset (#3): TeleportationPool powerset (#4): SpeedEpic powerset: Fire Mastery ────────────────────────────── Powers taken: Level 1: Energy Punch A: Mako's Bite: Accuracy/Damage Level 1: Hide A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed17: Luck of the Gambler: Defense39: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance39: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance/Recharge40: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Recharge50: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage Level 2: Bone Smasher A: Superior Assassin's Mark: Damage/RechargeTime3: Superior Assassin's Mark: Accuracy/Damage3: Superior Assassin's Mark: Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime5: Superior Assassin's Mark: Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime5: Superior Assassin's Mark: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime15: Superior Assassin's Mark: RechargeTime/Rchg Build Up Level 4: Deflection A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed17: Luck of the Gambler: Defense37: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance43: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance/Recharge46: Luck of the Gambler: Endurance/Recharge48: Invention: Resist Damage Level 6: Assassin's Strike A: Superior Stalker's Guile: Accuracy/Damage7: Superior Stalker's Guile: Damage/Recharge7: Superior Stalker's Guile: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge9: Superior Stalker's Guile: Damage/Endurance/Recharge9: Superior Stalker's Guile: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge13: Superior Stalker's Guile: Recharge/Chance to Hide Level 8: Super Jump A: Invention: Jumping Level 10: Build Up A: Invention: Recharge Reduction11: Invention: Recharge Reduction11: Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control: Chance for Build Up Level 12: True Grit A: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All)13: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3%37: Invention: Healing43: Unbreakable Guard: +Max HP Level 14: Battle Agility A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed15: Luck of the Gambler: Defense39: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance40: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance/Recharge40: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Recharge Level 16: Active Defense A: Invention: Endurance Reduction Level 18: Power Crash A: Armageddon: Chance for Fire Damage19: Armageddon: Damage19: Obliteration: Chance for Smashing Damage21: Scirocco's Dervish: Chance of Damage(Lethal)21: Eradication: Chance for Energy Damage23: Nucleolus Exposure Level 20: Against All Odds A: Invention: Endurance Reduction Level 22: Total Focus A: Hecatomb: Chance of Damage(Negative)23: Mako's Bite: Chance of Damage(Lethal)25: Touch of Death: Chance of Damage(Negative)25: Gladiator's Strike: Chance for Smashing Damage27: Invention: Damage Increase33: Nucleolus Exposure Level 24: Placate A: Invention: Recharge Reduction Level 26: Energy Transfer A: Hecatomb: Damage/Endurance27: Hecatomb: Damage33: Hecatomb: Damage/Recharge33: Hecatomb: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy34: Hecatomb: Recharge/Accuracy34: Touch of Death: Chance of Damage(Negative) Level 28: Shield Charge A: Obliteration: Damage29: Obliteration: Accuracy/Recharge29: Obliteration: Damage/Recharge31: Obliteration: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge31: Obliteration: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge31: Obliteration: Chance for Smashing Damage Level 30: Teleport A: Invention: Range Level 32: Combat Jumping A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed34: Shield Wall: +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All) Level 35: Char A: Basilisk's Gaze: Accuracy/Hold36: Basilisk's Gaze: Accuracy/Recharge36: Basilisk's Gaze: Recharge/Hold36: Basilisk's Gaze: Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold Level 38: Fire Blast A: Decimation: Accuracy/Damage42: Decimation: Damage/Endurance42: Decimation: Damage/Recharge42: Decimation: Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge43: Decimation: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge Level 41: Combat Teleport A: Invention: Endurance Reduction Level 44: Fire Ball A: Javelin Volley: Chance of Damage(Lethal)45: Positron's Blast: Chance of Damage(Energy)45: Bombardment: Chance for Fire Damage45: Nucleolus Exposure46: Nucleolus Exposure46: Ragnarok: Damage Level 47: Fold Space A: Invention: Accuracy48: Invention: Recharge Reduction Level 49: Hasten A: Invention: Recharge Reduction50: Invention: Recharge Reduction ────────────────────────────── Inherents: Level 1: Assassination Level 1: Brawl (Empty) Level 1: Sprint A: Invention: Run Speed Level 2: Rest (Empty) Level 1: Swift A: Invention: Run Speed Level 1: Hurdle A: Invention: Jumping Level 1: Health A: Miracle: +Recovery48: Numina's Convalesence: +Regeneration/+Recovery Level 1: Stamina A: Invention: Endurance Modification37: Invention: Endurance Modification50: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End Level 1: Energy Focus Level 8: Double Jump ENERGY SHIELD - Stalker (Energy Melee - Shield Defense).mbd

adding some bullets after @Uun's review: - i would pick up vengeance rather than having manuvers, assault and tactics. i'd drop tactics for it. having veng pairs well with fallout. which brings me to: - fallout is good fun! i'd drop rain of fire for it. throwing a handful of pennies in the air is more effective than rain of fire - there's a lot of travel redundancy, i'd drop infiltration to pick up EM pulse. it's some nice extra -regen for end game AVs and similar - the focus on defense has resulted in the offensive powers being slotted sub-optimally. the -res from radiation would pair nicely with a greater focus on procs - personal taste: fly, hover and similar powers make any alt a sitting duck. combat jumping is a must - if i wanted power boost, i'd pick it up from soul mastery which recharges in half the time. conserve power has a base 10 minute recharge, it's not going to save you often - as uun said, enzyme exposure HOs are great. i expect they were quite literally made with radiation infection in mind. two of those frees up a lot of slots - overall my personal preference is not to build for defense as it restricts the potential of alts and consumes a lot of slots which could be replaced by popping a single medium purple great combo though, it'll be an enjoyable character to play

you’re killing him

i have experienced the opposite problem for years - attributes i monitor sometimes simply disappear and i have to read add them. no idea why it happens, perhaps i accidentally press a hotkey combination