Infinitum

Yeah, I see what you are saying there and agree, but IO Set bonus type builds aren't built for normal content. From my own experience you either bypass normal content to 50+ altogether or you play the early content up for the experience. When I play the content up I use common IOs and it's still a challenge. Most people don't incarnate up for the normal gameplay though, it's for the endgame content like Itrials and incarnate missions which still pose a challenge. So no, level up content isn't a challenge for OP builds, but it's not supposed to be either.

The only final fantasy I know about is the words you are attempting to attribute to what my point is here. I didn't dismiss anyone. Nobody is forcing anyone to OP everything they play. Last I checked SOs are readily available. Use them if you want a challenge, or don't. It really doesn't matter but to complain that there is no challenge when you are downing the megawatt sugar slushy of set bonuses and incarnate powers while you crush the same council radio mission over and over again isn't a justified position. There are challenges to test incarnate OP builds but don't expect the pre incarnate stuff to give your OP build a headache.

No, as usual you are missing the point. The incentive remains the same regardless, and if you get more from harder difficulty and grind that's your incentive. Its a game. Create your fun any way you want. It allows that. These changes would remove that.

Agree 100% to both.

I think the shard is a non issue, it's not that people hate or fear it, it's just not an efficient way to spend your time. I personally love it, but it's hard to get people to want to invest the time to do the content there. Even condensed DR Q takes at best 1.5 hours on average - from my experiences and that's if everyone is on board and everything goes perfectly.

Who is doing that? Nobody is doing that. That's a conscious choice that everyone has. The games population will absolutely allow it too because it's so laid back and forgiving. Theres probably a whole sector that would join just for nostalgia purposes, myself included.

It's not really a balance issue though. Either way, my point is you can incarnate and overslot everything like I do - I have 17 now and working on 6 more at the moment. I like being OP. There's nothing wrong with that. Or you can slot for challenge and grind. Either avenue is available right now providing for a very diverse and versatile game which is a good thing for a resurrected game 12 years removed. All this would be interesting as add on difficulty options though.

Nobody is holding a gun to yours or anyones head to min max though thats the point. From IO sets to SOs the game suddenly gets a ton more challenging. That option is always there without affecting how anyone else plays.

There is an AE map by Flaremare that has ambush spawns when attacking a certain enemy that's like a WWZ zombie rush by default it increases the amount of enemies around you in seconds. That would be a fun design to put in game. Gimping builds not so much. As soon as this stops allowing you to do super powered things and requiring every challenge to be team specific is when this will taper off and die. The inclusivity is one of the greatest things HC has going for it. Doesnt matter what type is wanting to join right now. "Sure buddy come on board, we can make it work" that would go away with this. There is a thread on this in Suggestions about call for help, but I think that's more the way to go than what you are suggesting IMO. There's a few directions lately people are seeking to make this more grindy, and then exclusive will come by default. On a ressurected game where time is more important to most of us reliving the glory days when our lives have changed in the last 12 years, I think for the most part we like the ultimate power, inclusiveness, and being able to run Tin mage or Apex in 13 min. Some days we don't have hours to grind or get frustrated by 10 minions mopping the floor with a build that previously could take on 100 if it could gather that many. Like others and myself have said, tailor your challenge any way you want, make a whole SG of like minded people too. Every Avenue is open to do that to make this as hard as you want it to be, and this way our avenues to be ultra powered easy buttons stay open as well. Everyone gets to play the way they like. More content like Apex and Tin Mage - and especially the dark astoria Arc is all the game really needs. Wouldn't even be opposed to have this as a check box TF option, but as the rule for the masses? No that would help kill inclusiveness and ultimately the game.

Same here, and KO Blow, and Greater psi Blade.

A lot of sets thats more played than EM corpse bombs though, Rad does and its a good setand people like it.

I think the biggest problem is its not fun for those of us that remember it as it was - not that it can't be made to do pretty decent damage. You felt like a nuclear powered bruiser before the nerf, now I'm not sure what you would call it but the flow and look of the marquee power in ET just isn't there. I would much rather play SJ for the feel and have less damage than what EM is now. Just doest look or feel the same since the nerf.

probably could, but i can step up on a curb on the invul build LOL

This is my invul build, i think i patched the psi hole pretty good. Its a solid build .Infinitum - Tanker (Invulnerability - Super Strength).mxd

This is my shield build, with AAO running it outputs nearing brute damage. and its probably 50 % more unkillable than the brute, i honestly havent found anything, normal or incarnate that really hurts me. Weird stuff like the blue swords of death on apex and the air crackles on magisterium can, but thats all unresistable stuff - so it dont count. Captain Infinitum - Tanker (Shield Defense - Street Justice).mxdCaptain Infinitum - Tanker (Shield Defense - Street Justice) Assault Stance.mxd The assault stance has even more damage output - and i currently have both setups that i interchange as needed.

With elec armor and how it caps - it doesnt make sense to not roll it as a brute, simply because the resistance numbers are so similar and you still have the same weaknesses as if you had a tank, but with a better damage output. This could change once the tank changes roll out, so who knows. The best way to mitigate the toxic hole is to utilize energize, get rebirth radial, and melee core hybrid, leverage void radial judgement for the -dmg, and go with the resistance alpha - then you are mitigating it 5 ways and it spreads it out enough to where each factor keeps your HP bar high. I did this with my first Elite build on homecoming and played it for months. Then i got altitis really bad. I ran everything with the Rad Elec brute though and even TFs like the apex I was still unkillable and didnt notice any incoming damage. Your endurance is second to none, and you eat psi for breakfast. This is my build, I have refined it several times but its a good one. Shadowstryke - Brute (Radiation Melee - Electric Armor).mxd

Yeah plus you really don't need any t9 when melee hybrid exists anyway. But. SOW and OWTS are useful enough to take as emergency powers should you ever need them. You can build high enough without them but there are a few isolated instances where they come in handy. Powers like unstoppable are largely useless because of the crash and perhaps should be tinkered with eventually so more people would choose them. As it is now I would never take an unstoppable like power on a tank or any melee type becausr the crash is a potentially unnecessary death sentence that you otherwise would rarely need to risk in the first place. And I know there are tricky ways to mitigate the crashes too, but again...

This points seems remarkably familiar for some odd reason. lol

I couldn't tell you, I have only done one Hami Raid and that was pre IO issue on live. Just isn't anything that interests me... Yet.

I think it would defeat the purpose for sets like SR and Ninjitsu being set up like they are and eliminate their use on a team for the end game content you are suggesting. Like others have mentioned, what you are suggesting already exists in the forms of various resistance, defense, to hit, and recharge debuffs for the end game. Could you add more difficulty levels? sure, but adding this could grenade some sets usefulness because of the debuffs that are already present. There was also a suggestion in another thread to have the enemies call for help to increase difficulty which I thought sounded pretty cool.

Yeah but how would you do that without making every power that has KB OP? It's almost a can of worms too big to open because whole sets would potentially need to be rebalance across various attributes. Unless I'm oblivious to the obvious - which is entirely possible. lol

It's hard to reconcile that part of it for me too.. Eliminating KB with an enh is cool and I exploit that myself but how does it make sense for an explosive power or kick to the chest to not kb something? I think about that for a split second then continue chain repelling mobs with a set of sudden accel slotted and giggle like a little girl as they keep getting knocked down. Or Crain kick someone and they bounce up then hit the ground at my feet as if they hit an invisible wall. I dunno. Thematically kb makes you feel powerful for a split second until they all get up 100% strength and start mowing you down. At the end of the day I chalk it up to this is a game and I won.... Yay me.

Same thing happened to me, what is your alpha out of curiosity?

I dont know if thats a fair comparison, i dont even have an alpha slotted yet because i havent played the character in months. I am much more of a meleer than control or ranged. Try it without mez protection just for kicks.

You use any incarnate powers? What did you do to combat getting held also? What are the multiple self heals? either way you can survive indefinately with SR or Ninjitsu. ive seen people do it with 12-14 herded.