Golden Azrael

Nonsense. Azrael.

Just the alternative to AE 'virtual simulation' as the location for your adventures. I'd just like SG's to be extended so when you tp out or walk out then you can do so to your own privately selected zone. eg. Kings Row as the back drop for you own custom created adventures. And like SGs, AE missions you can invite people to your private zone to enjoy the 'custom' mission journey. That and up the 'AE' mission / contact limit. Or offer offline storage of your missions like you can costumes. Azrael.

One thing? Asides from Energy Melee damage for tanks being so mediocre? I'd overhaul AE. I'd extend SG bases and have the option to walk out or tp into your own zone. Where you can place the contacts for your own scripted/created missions. eg. You could have Kings Row as the 'private' map for your SG base. And like the SG base. You could invite people to play you on your 'private' map. You become the 'GM' of your own adventure in CoH this way. That way you could customise your own levelling experience in CoH. Azrael.

Have you actually played blasters with SOs until L50? 😛 Incarnates are demi-gods (half finished system)? Who knew? Defenders. I have one that can +4 x8. And deal lots of damage. I'm not describing a god mode character. I have no idea what you're talking about. 🙂 Scrappers. Got eclipsed by Brutes when they came along hero side. Now blasters can self buff they can eclipse a scrapper damage wise with 'less' fear. But they can still be mezzed. Scrappers can just wade in. Wolverine is just a short punk with some claws. Ofc the Hulk is going to damage his az'. Azrael.

Titan..... Weapons. What.... were...... Paragon..... thinking. Playing..... with ......a .....giant kipper. ........wait......for.......each...................attack! Palpations just waiting for each attack to execute. L50. Unplayed. It's awful. Azrael.

Bending over in that outfit must be uncomfortable. Azrael.

Yeah. Batman winding the Hulk. Crepe writing. Like Batman wouldn't bounce off the Hulk as if he'd tried to jump into a brick wall..., 'Ah...oh...my god...I think I...broke my leg...' C'mon... As for Tier 9s. Some good ones. Some do under whelm though. Like EMP for Tricks Arrow (which I'm currently playing.) EMP, I'd lose the -15 sec penalty for Endurance. It's hard enough keeping a Defender's end bar full with two attack chains. If it's Attacks? Energy Transfer could stand being much harder hitting if one is using their life force. Check out Over Drive NPC for how Energy should hit. Like a truck. Unstoppables? I like WP's Tier 9. But some of the others which force the tank to run away from the fight? Uh. Perhaps an end penalty where you're forced to do a couple of rounds of taunt? Like the end burn out from the end of Hasten. ie. After a grand effort you're momentarily tired. Azrael.

Jack Frost was the single reason I stopped playing my Ice/Rad controller back on live. I rolled an Ice/Ice Blastoller instead and got some damage done. Azrael.

Scrappers? Seem like an embarrassment of riches compared to defenders who generally get to stand and watch scrappers clear the all you can eat buffet. A claws/Bio scrapper is a lot of fun melee wise. I don't expect Wolverine Scrapper to do as much damage as the Hulk brute. Blasters have a self buff. But can't go toe to toe without getting their head mezzed in. So you have to be more artful than a scrapper to survive. Fighting a mob of Warriors is much easier on a scrapper. You're not that 'unlucky' shot or die roll away from getting yer head kicked in. I've liked playing the 'chosen ones' on live (Scrappers.) But I'll get my tiny violin out for them not being on a par with a brute or blaster damage wise. Azrael.

That War Wolf that used to slap us around? Well. He isn't Captain America anymore. Azrael.

Cheers Lines. We're flying the flag for the 'old school' of play as well. We've set our own rules (Tath99's idea) as they know I'm a softy for pre issue 4. The reason you see us running around a lot...is because we have no travel power. 😄 We've decided to envoke the old school 1-14 no travel power idea. So we have 1 SO of Swift. That's it. 😮 Tath's work on 'Arrow Base SG' is ongoing. A gym and a lab' are on the agenda. I managed to twist Tath99's arm to include a bottle of scotch and a leather chair with some book cases... (but the Sg Foundation sold the books?) We've been kicking Arrow Az'. For sure. I'll try to post some pics when I figure out how. Tath99 is currently investigate ideas for IO sets when we cross the L50 threshold. Here we can begin to push the levels and width of mob diff' in missions. Currently? We're doing the TF Commander. 2 TFs down. 1 Psynapse ongoing. We've frozen xp on ++ enhances so when we 'exemp' down we have good play on our SO builds. Regards, Azrael.

L40 achieved. The last four powers have been Victory Rush at L30, EMP at L32 and Stun Shot at L35. None of those I've been able to slot due to my end reduction mission. But I'd like to pile '3' into EMP and Stun Shot at some point. (Good candidates for IO sets which we aim to fit at L50.) L38? Rain of Arrows of course. Oil and Rain are the twin pillars of Defender Tricks/Arrows damage. Very....satisfying. 'De. Stroy.' The debuffs as we encounter each enemy mob for the '1st' time as Tricks Defenders is startlingly good. Control of the battle field. Dr. Vahzilock. Defeated. Yes. As an AV. I've built my Defender to be End 'neutral' with SO end reds and shared that with Tath99. Saving an a couple of points of end on a couple of attacks in your chain used often as well as a Toggle not 'locked down' adds up, end wise. We fight 'as one' so even though we have 'only' 2 dams of SO damage...we actually have 'four' as when we 'stack' on a single target it's good night Vienna. Plus the Debuffs add another damage slot for me. Put Acid on a mob and it is cruelly pounded with any attacks that follow and melt it like butter. The only gaping hole in the build is melee S&L. We fight at Range most of the time...and the Flash and Gas and Glue take care of opponent mobs easily at range. But when range is broken to melee the risk goes up. Or if we vary attacks by mob pulling directly by aggrevating bystanding mobs without applying debuffs…. All of a sudden the hp bar isn't that large in that scenario. This is where I think some melee defence eg. Scorpion Shield would make a large difference. It's a lot of fun x2 debuffing and piling on the arrows Red Cap style. 'Hey...this doesn't do a lot of damage...' Oh wait. 'He's dead, Jim.' We've played even con all the way through. We've seen our power rise from 'rookie' heroes to seasoned tactical heroes who can be very bruising together. Single play is not as good. So I don't bother. But as a Duo? This sings its siren song. An advert and poster child for Defenders and Duo'ing in general. Azrael.

I find how fast you drive in CoH is a state of mind. HC have done a sound job so that you can set your own 'rules.' Azrael.

COH is unique with the odd 'standard' convention. I think it's a simple matter of amplifying its strengths. As for 'balance.' Not fond of nerfs. TWs not withstanding. Brutes and scrappers seem to be alright. Chompin' damage monsters. Things I'd like to be brought into the game. Perma Hasten. (Not behind an IO pay wall.) Self Buffing Defenders. Time being the damage variable. Slow but harder. Faster but lighter damage. (Rad for defenders seems slow and light...damage.) Tanks being the single target monsters. Slow and heavy hitters. eg. Energy Melee. I'd make the 'big' hitters hit twice their current damage. Like Energy Transer used ta. Dark Melee's 'build up' cool downs reduced to something sane. Some of Tricks cool downs reduced. Blasters got auto snipe. I wonder if Domis can get Auto Domination (ie over the 1-50 levels you get to the point where you need to hit less and less mobs to activate this mode and as you hit L50 your button flashes as you encounter enemy mobs. Like the 'snipe' ring in Blasters.) Tanks get a longer 'build up' ie a Power Build Up with 2ndary effects. Lasting 30 secs instead of 15. A mode where they do 'twice' their normal damage for a limited amount of time. Blasters got the self buff. So def's being able to self buff? Why not? These are just the things I play. And some ideas for consideration. I see damage as a path all the ATs and power sets get to as a different path. As long as that path is 'equal' and imaginative in its 'rule.' Azrael.

It's a mini Mastermind set for Heroes. You're a 'Captain' and you lead your team of 'Heroes.' It would be cool leading a band of Phallanx Heroes. It's 'just' a Pet Patron pool. Something we don't have yet. (We have the 'odd' pet included in the Patrons...but having NPCs like the Phallanx, Miss Thistle (to tank...whilst you defend...), Fusionette (she's a bit of a nutter...but...), Jim Tremlor… There's that many NPC heroes in the game missions it would be nice to have a power set with them and included in further mission content. Azrael.

Energy Melee for Tanks. (Enjoying the Dominator Energy Focus version.) Hopefully with added 'Boomashakka.' Azrael.

My Duo Partner and I have tried 'old school' style rules of playing. SOs only until L50. (AT set allowed via earned Merits from playing the mission arcs but no crafting, no IO sets in general.) Sprint only travel power with an SO in Swift. A Pact like parity of progress as a duo. (No zooming ahead unbalancing the duo. Picking similar powers...slotting identically.) Only use of Oro is for gaining the Stature missions so we can share the Merits arc rewards and play the 'Natural' Origin content. Oro not allowed for transport. No xp boosts or P2W powers. +0 x1 only L1-50. Even Con. And you get a clear feeling of 'growing' power over time as you become more 'super.' NO influence trading between alts. It's been fun. Azrael.

Only when seeing Over Drive 1, 2 and 3 shot mobs before I get my first arrow out as a Defender. Azrael.

Patron Pools. "Captain." You lead a team of up to 5 NPCs. Opens up to people who earn the Freedom Phallanx. You can lead a team of four/5 epic heroes as NPC pets. eg. A Master Mind set of Pets? Ms. Liberty, Back Alley Brawler, The Arrows Guy Manticore, Positron and Blue Shield. Or a zone based Patron could open up. Jim Tremlor. Fusionette. Mirror. Penelope etc. Having an NPC/Pets based Patron power set(s) has been on my mind for a while. There are loads of good hero NPCs in the game. That would make good hero based pet classes. Eg. Thistle, Frost Fire. You see them in the game/missions and never hear anymore from them. I wouldn't be adverse to having one 'honoury' ally from a zone of your choice as a combat pet. Having an 'Epic' Pet class is long over due. aka. You're Captain (America) and leading your team (Avengers...) you assemble. Azrael.

Balance isn't futile. It doesn't have to be generic homogeny. ATs can specialise. Powers can be 'good' at their thing and have unique specialisms so it makes playing different sets and ATs worth it. Never been one for 'nerfs' but making concepts 'more' so. (Though TWs seems to be a bit 'out there.' Waiting for the animations to animate gives me a virtual panic attack...'..yes...yes...waits...Just hit already...') If you watch 'Over Drive' NPC from the point of view from a Defender...you can see get a feel of where some sets are that far out. Try playing solo Defender vs a solo Scrapper. And the difference is telling damage wise. You have to do this, this and this...before you can start to fight...and the scrapper wades in and starts chomping. Maybe that is just the way it is with some ATs? Does it have to be? Kinetics Rad defender. Very artful. But the damage seems to be miles off. And I think some of the more artful and thoughtful playing sets don't seem to reward the damage to encourage the play of them. I'd like to see Defenders 'self buff' so the effects they apply to others could apply to them. It seems odd the way that it is. Azrael.

You had me at 'Hello.' Tanks that could herd the Hollows. The pre-neutered Hollows. Perma Hasten. Earning your cape...no Travel Powers to 14... Ah...memories...from the corner of my mind. (*sings Streisand.) Azrael.

...and no IOs or Loot or issue 4. My vote is a lock on Issue 3. That would be my 'pure' 'old school' server. Remembers when perma hasten could be SO slotted. Azrael.

Some good suggestions there like speeding up the 'four' key 'slow' powers. Power Build Up is a good suggestion. Though I'd like to see it last longer than 15 sec. I like the idea of an AoE stun and upping the AoE mag chance. ET being faster, returning end or providing and some bonus burst damage to tier 1, 2 and 3 would be nice. EM already in beta? So it's something they've been working on for a while given the En' Melee 'Energy Focus' for the Dominator. A derived version for EM Tank might not be out of the question. I could get behind that. I'm intrigued to see what they come up with. Azrael.

Yay. Just back up that 'easy to cap' defence with resistances via IO set bonuses, Fighting Pool...maybe Man's etc. Low maintainence set. I played mine with Street Justice. Sound tank. Azrael.

If you doubled the current ET it would be 3000 say. Leaving 800 points from the old ET to spend on 'doubling' up the numbers for the rest of the set? (whilst I can understand having ET back to its former glory...perhaps having more 'one' highlight in a set would be more progressive meaning you can get a few good hits in on a 'rolling' 8 man team?) Making eg. Bone smasher a real 'BONE smasher!' and making Energy Punch less limp. And Barrage a real barrage. Or adding some dam' to the stun... and Total Focus totally hurt? And Whirling hands whealy hurt. Is that allowed? I had this idea that Tanks should hit really hard. But like the game formula says. They're slower and more piston like. And that justifies them hitting like trucks. Single target specialists. They're strong and controlled. Focused strength. (Brutes more wild and lashing out so their AoE may be better...but their single target focus less so.) And that means solo...I have the satisfaction of wiping out mobs with one or two punches. *points to mob. 'And you..., 'Arrrh...' (taunts.)'. Have we seen the way Overdrive goes into a mob and decks...him...and him...and that other one in what seems like 3 or 4 punches. We're talking flat out pancake. I have Overdrive envy..? I wouldn't mind the rest of the team melting the mobs if I could get one super truck punch in... Slow. But hard. Well. *coughs.* You know what I mean. 😉 Azrael.