Shin Magmus

Amyloplasts OR 3-pc Numina's were the exact slotting configurations I was thinking about using, but I need to know that it will work.

You tell it like it is. Here's an example: I'm going for the Old School Rules badge on MLTF (STF). On Live my Invuln Brute isn't quite up to snuff and the much lower Energy Res, combined with minor -End and -Recov resistance, means that I'm going to die quickly AND get sapped if I don't die when solo tanking Lord Recluse for the team. Fortunately, I have a 3-minute Unstoppable which will cap my Energy Res and make it impossible for Recluse to sap me. 3 Minutes is definitely long enough for my team to at least take out the red tower, maybe even more than that, and then the tanking will be much easier and we'll be past the "hard" part. On Open Beta I pop Unstoppable and only get 40s out of it... which might be enough for this specific use-case if the team doesn't suck, but there's lots of similar fights where it won't be. Yeah there's no crash, but it doesn't last long enough to protect me through the whole fight (to say nothing of the T9s that only last 30s... yikes), so as soon as it drops I'm going to be weak again and die. I'll die not because of a crash, but because the short duration of the power made it worthless for this use-case and I need something else. Now these examples use "weak" characters and team comps, but not every single team you're on will be great. You won't always have the right mix of incarnate powers and support sets to make everyone an unkillable god, but you did used to have options to turn yourself into an unkillable god for 3 minutes. A nerf to a 30s duration means these powers last 1/6th as long as they used to: that's 1-2 trash enemy spawns and nothing more. This is why many people are asking for mutually-exclusive options, but yet again the overwhelming majority of feedback is being ignored disagreed with and silently disregarded by the dev team. I actually don't have much to add, because other people have already made all the good points necessary to "justify" problems with the T9 changes. I am in agreement that many of these powers feel worse and now only have value in a hyper specific combo-chain using Demonic Aura and dumb powers like Unrelenting all in tandem with each other to cover their gaps: a needlessly complex strategy that I've seen other players use but don't care for myself. I just listed one possible example and want to let everyone know that I am absolutely a player who uses Live Unstoppable and Kuji-In Retsu. I don't use those powers often, but I get incredible value out of them when I decide to use them.

I actually think it should be the opposite. Practiced Brawler should grant more Absorb than it does now and it should be something you can click whenever, but clicking it before fights causes you to get a nice buffer going into them, and clicking it during a fight at low HP is a contrived, somewhat unlikely scenario since you need to click it in order to have Mez protection already, but when it does happen it will be a nice boon and grant massive Absorb. Master Brawler is going to be completely outclassed and be a shit Toggle with 0 slotting options, so Master Brawler should grant some enhanceable +Max HP. This way the people who want the hands-off build with the toggle will have an option that is both not completely outclassed and that can be slotted with a Unique Heal IO and End/Heal enhancements for useful benefits and set bonuses.

I'm very much against this, it's finally a good single target attack with all that entails: good attack chains, good proc rates, etc. I don't want to see it ruined.

I wish I could get some sort of understanding as to why Seismic Blast and Storm Blast have to be mediocre. I just can't get my brain to understand why these 2 HC sets are just destined to be cursed underperformers forever. You have to work harder, with extra weaknesses (stay in one area / stay on the ground, use primarily Blast set attacks and be punished by using Pool or Epic Attacks) but there's no payoff. You do more, try harder, eat those limitations, and your reward is dealing less damage than gimmick-less sets. You know, many of us want to like Storm Blast, but you make it really hard...

In-game text on Consume implies every aspect of the power requires a ToHit check and every aspect of the power only occurs under Fiery Embrace. Since this is clearly erroneous, doublecheck the text on Consume across all 5 Fiery Aura ATs. Additionally, I want a dev to just tell me what aspects of Consume are intended to be autohit. Consume won't let me slot Accurate Healing sets, so the HP component better be autohit, otherwise I'm being handicapped and unable to slot efficient Acc/Heal pieces.

Yes, try it on Advanced Mode.

My favorite part of playing a Stalker is knowing that I am deliberately locked out of the best single target attack in a set, on my single-target focused AT with guaranteed crits. Wait... I don't like that, that's awful. Good thing it's a manufactured problem not present in any other Stalker set, goes against the established design of the AT (even on sets HC has tweaked on Stalkers themselves such as Energy Melee), and is easy to fix by just giving Stalkers access to Lightning Clap. Who's against this idea? Anyone?

Neat: I'll be respeccing out of Obscure Sustenance on my Tanker. I don't know if you know this, although I'd hope you do because you seem to read what we talk about in Discord... 95% of people were recommending Dark Regeneration already. Before the Obscure Sustenance nerf, the common consensus was that Dark Regen was still the better power and that Obscure was a weaker but decent alternative suitable for leveling builds or newer players. I was one of the only good builders in that Discord still recommending and using Obscure, and you've successfully made even me no longer want to use the power. So... good job?

Sorry Auroxis, you won't get what you want my friend. The devs are very happy to destroy the proc rate in Whitecap, screw you for playing; this is like the 4th or 5th recent dramatic nerf to an AoE proc nuke. You had your fun, now lose it

I'll even elaborate using very real examples and the exact way Stalker gameplay will work after this patch goes live. If Elec Melee doesn't gain access to Lightning Clap, then Elec Melee Stalkers from lv1 to lv35 will have the best power to use from Hide (ATO proc or otherwise) in their attack chain be... Havoc Punch. Leveling up and getting new powers will not improve their lv1 gameplay (really level 6 gameplay after getting Fast AS) at all because the entire set gives nothing but AoE powers with 50% Crit Rates. Savvy, well-informed players will take a Snipe at lv35 (probably Zapp for theme), and that will be the first level where their core Stalker gameplay improves at all. Less-well-informed players will be gimped, hard, by the glaring omission of Lightning Clap from the set. This is one instance in which I am 100% right. Just swap Jacob's Ladder for Lightning Clap and ensure that the set is fixed for Stalkers prior to hitting live.

Has there been any internal discussion to the fact that Stalker Elec Melee is going to be retroactively FUCKED by the proposed Elec Melee changes unless you swap power acquisition and order? You've changed the set so that it now has a dedicated strong T3 single target attack in Lightning Clap, with a refocus on making Chain Induction be an AoE power (it even now takes AoE sets instead of single target Melee sets.) Elec Melee Stalkers do not get access to the best single target power in the set. Correct solution: Stalker Elec Melee should lose access to Jacob's Ladder and gain access to Lightning Clap, with Lightning Clap as the T8 and other power order moved up (earlier levels) to compensate. This needs to be done before the patch is released, Stalkers don't deserve to lose access to the literal one power in the entire set worth using while Hidden, with good dmg and a 100% Crit Rate.

Has there been any internal discussion to the fact that Stalker Elec Melee is going to be retroactively FUCKED by the proposed Elec Melee changes unless you swap power acquisition and order? You've changed the set so that it now has a dedicated strong T3 single target attack in Lightning Clap, with a refocus on making Chain Induction be an AoE power (it even now takes AoE sets instead of single target Melee sets.) Elec Melee Stalkers do not get access to the best single target power in the set. Correct solution: Stalker Elec Melee should lose access to Jacob's Ladder and gain access to Lightning Clap, with Lightning Clap as the T8 and other power order moved up (earlier levels) to compensate. This needs to be done before the patch is released, Stalkers don't deserve to lose access to the literal one power in the entire set worth using while Hidden, with good dmg and a 100% Crit Rate.

Looks like we might be getting something to this effect in Open Beta right now, but it only does Stealth and Defense. You guys should test it.

...in exchange for dealing +100% dmg with Crits when it breaks Hide... I think they'll somehow find a way to still be happy.

Stalker Willpower is being made into a real set, this is insanity? It actually looks playable!

I also got this badge with no effort. First someone kindly advertised a present cus they already had it, and after that I knew what they looked like. Went to a less popular zone like FF and got it almost instantly. Keep in mind that there's A LOT OF ZONES including PvP like Macskull said, you can definitely get it if you want it. You can also help someone else get it.

There's a startling lack of being excellent to each other going on here. Most of you need to take a time-out. Suggest actual improvements to the game like reducing Ground Zero and Meltdown needlessly long animation times, instead of pointlessly bickering.

Yep, Fire Imps need the level penalty removed + damage slightly adjusted to compensate + Containment bonus damage increased to account for the DoT (it is currently too low on Controllers).

While we wait, an AT is relegated to being a useless sack of shit: a half-strength Defender with no attacks. But it's okay because MMs are "strong" on really easy content that presented no challenge, and we can't buff them too much or they might be OP on easy content.

My friend solo'd the final fight on his Brute while I did nothing but give him World of Pain and Painbringer. We are strong players, even with my character neutered and almost completely ineffective, he was more than capable of defeating the multiple Nemesis AVs.

I completed the the new Zoe Langston TF on Advanced Mode, blind, 2-man with my friend as usual. Since MMs have been "buffed" in this patch I decided to do it with my MM. We did finish, but the entire TF is incredibly anti-MM and the last mission in particular has the most forced, unavoidable, autohit, wide-ranging AoE dmg I think I've ever seen in this game; It is overwhelmingly anti-MM. This highlights a significant problem, because while you can theoretically be allowed to play the game while maintaining perfect uptime on 90% Res buffs and supported by tons of Regen buffs and heals, the instant a pet dies once you are no longer allowed to play. There is no safe area, no gap, no time to realistically resummon a pet and be able to apply your Upgrade Powers and any other buffs to the pets before they die again. This is the MM pet deathloop. The MM pet deathloop can occur in other content, but it's never been as prevalent and completely unbeatable as it is in the Zoe Langston TF. I'm not exaggerating for comedic effect, it's "literally unplayable" unless you run away from the encounter and summon somewhere else, far from your team and the actual battle. You can try to teleport back to your team and perfectly time some Barriers + Wild Growth + World of Pain etc. and maybe your pets won't die in less than 2 seconds, maybe... big maybe. So, since this last update started to address MM issues, I would like to make a suggestion for further improvements. Holy Mission: To Defeat the evils of Mastermind Pet Deathloops All MM Henchmen should have a buff on summon that works like a hyper-condensed version of Barrier Destiny, with short-lived depreciating buffs. The purpose of this power is to give any MM player just enough time to cast 3-4 powers on their MM reliably: both Upgrade Powers and then either some shields/buffs in their secondary (Deflection Shield) or Barrier Destiny. The detailed information of this power is below: "TENACITY" Henchmen are the strength of the Mastermind, and cannot be so easily defeated. We get knocked down, we get back up again. +18% Damage Resistance (All) / +9% Defense (All), unresistable, for 3 seconds (90% / 45%) +18% Damage Resistance (All) / +9% Defense (All), unresistable, for 4 seconds (72% / 36%) +18% Damage Resistance (All) / +9% Defense (All), unresistable, for 5 seconds (54% / 27%) +18% Damage Resistance (All) / +9% Defense (All), unresistable, for 6 seconds (36% / 18%) +18% Damage Resistance (All) / +9% Defense (All), unresistable, for 7 seconds (18% / 9%) 🙂 Being allowed to play the game is much more fun than not being allowed to play the game.🙂

If not dev, why dev-shaped?

These are literally the kinds of changes that make a set less annoying to play, and are therefore among the most impactful to the average player. Finally, if you see a boss you want to start Attune on, you can do it without walking up to kiss them on the mouth, saving time and enabling you to stay in the middle of the pack for Deafening Wave placement. Making the startup of the Toggle be as fast as possible reduces both the literal downtime and the tedium of having to repeatedly toggle Attune on multiple enemies in a fight. These are the kinds of things I would've made as fast and friction-less for the player as possible before committing to the concept of Attune at all. We have now successfully accomplished Step 1 of Sonic Melee.

Sai, I know the point you're trying to make, but the casuals here will just see all the other optimization you did and summarize that the set "looks fine to me" or point out how you're still killing enemies so it "feels fine to me", while the HC Devs will see this as even more evidence that Bio needs to be nerfed. To make the point in a way that mattered, you'd have to make a side-by-side video just like this but with Sonic Melee swapped out for Axe or another good set.