Troo

We have seen mentions in several areas that suggest team buffs have an impact on difficulty. Obviously minimal impact on solo play while it definitely could have an impact on steamroller teams. But what about casual teams? As @macskull points out, changes to team buffs if handled poorly could be a tad disliked. Damage sponge characters might not notice as much as squishies for some team buffs but may well for others. While not a fan of the idea, maybe there is something I am missing.

Thoughts?

Okay. That's pretty impressive for a little floating book.. you win.

Annoying to craft and/or use the market, is that what you mean? (I'm just wanting to understand better) I'll definitely concede there is a wide range of fun to be had. -----+------+------- Game balance is a perpetual goal and an outcome. Trying to identify or quantify it with a mathematical equation is as futile as trying to capture the ocean in a glass. (you can get part of it but miss the whole) The first "I designed was quite naturally perfect, it was a work of art, flawless, sublime; a triumph equaled only by its monumental failure. The inevitability of its doom is apparent to me now as a consequence of the imperfection inherent in every human being. Thus I redesigned it, based on your history, to more accurately reflect the varying grotesqueries of your nature. However, I was again frustrated by failure. " -the architect

This may simply be a result of p2w exp boosts. Yes, it's easy (as intended) but the leveling happens quickly enough that it discourages gearing up for some folks. +acc and some end mitigation is definitely needed after 30.

I am willing to be wrong, but I think you would find the the 'average meta' surprisingly lower than you are indicating. As I said 30 pages ago, sure IOs could be used as the current balance point given power creep. (generic IOs not set bonuses or ATOs)

Corruptor.. but I am villain biased

I liked that you went all in on cross punch (i would never on EM but do like that you did. that's the kind of possible build variety that would be great to see more of) It's interesting to see how previous AT preferences and experience can influence your playstyle on a stalker. (not playing it 1-50 likely also has an impact) I'm glad you point out how TF as the combo opener really impacts the how a Stalker is used. Kudos.

'murder for freedom' 'hunting and killings a game'

Bell Tinker or Flying Monkey

wrong game..

I heard there are gonna be ranged claws coming soon..

Malaise is pretty awesome. I use it often under fancy armours. Psych gloves/boots can be used with Malaise to some success

Gotta love double build-up blasters like Funky Frank Freedom.

This is great. Thank You

If harder challenges is the same as new high level content.. yes absolutely (some already on the way)

I haven't done he scrapper enough to be certain but that order feels right (and the opposite of expected baseline survive-ability which also seems right).

This is a good explanation. Compounding what folks 'feel' is: #1 the price bug and #2 items for sale a long time can get 'stuck'. Pro Tip: Buying or selling some less expensive items can help keep things moving. FYI: Many of the existing bids are low ball bids. There really are only so many people playing. It's likely fixing the price bug will address other baseline issues at the same time.

/em doublefacepalm

The current system of design changes, closed testing & adjustments, followed by open beta = Most folks find out about changes so late in the process that they have very little impact on what was done, OR even worse, end up being shouted down by those that were involved earlier in the process and have some stake to defend.. (this last part was very evident recently) There is a bit of an echo chamber currently. This is not to offend anyone who does volunteer and do testing. Your efforts are appreciated.

Rolled a scrapper to try out Energy Melee.

First guess, wrong path. Its typically something super simple like that.

Alrighty.. got a Shield/Energy Melee to 50 with a decent build and it is pretty effective. I have seen quite a few Total Focus animations when teaming so there are definitely more EMers out there than were previously. Some empirical notes for the tanker to follow: [rough (will edit)] It does a pretty good job switching between single target focus and AoE focus. Whirling Hands > Power Crash & repeat will grind away at large groups. Trying to use Total Focus to boost Power Crush.. meh (get close, but then backup some.. meh) AoE still pales compared to the AoE teammates can put out. Energy Melee now feel fairly late blooming. Bone Smasher is the most used power in most runs. Stuns happen but are pretty random vs intentional. Total Focus seems to miss more than it should. Thank goodness the combo mechanic is still initiated. Using a slow power to initiate a combo mechanic is still lack luster. Total Focus was likely intended originally to be used as a finisher on a stunned target that couldn't hit back. With little risk these days, it is fine. BuildUp > ET > TF > ET > BS > Char ended up being the realistic/non-optimized single target attack chain. Total Focus and Energy Transfer are available quite often. Overall = It's a fun tank with some smashiness. There are few tactics involved.. but it is a tank. The combo mechanic works to give a fast Energy Transfer but otherwise seems superfluous.