Nexys

I am hoping for it as well. The Force of WIll pool would be MUCH more thematic to my natural characters. I'd say 40% my characters are Natural, 40% Magic, and 20% a mixture of Mutant, Science, and Technology.

That is the most concise and clear explanation I have read about the other pools. Thank you.

I don't deny that you make some decent points, but I don't think you can say its "objectively" bad for the game. Your opinion (which I may not share but do understand) is, by definition, a subjective matter. Also, "half decent names" is a subjective judgement as well. Don't get me wrong, I've seen some character names that make me roll my eyes, but the people who made the character might love that name. To me, it's a bad name. To them, it's not just "half decent," but amazing.

Those are the exceptions that prove the rule, really. If you look at the characters with the same name, it's a part of a storyline or plot point that they have the same name (alternate realities, "passing the torch," etc). Just a casual "oh, yeah, there are like six...or, maybe, it's seven now...guys named Wolverine running around. Oh, and three dozen woman all calling themselves Storm" doesn't happen.

Be that as it may, there are more examples of heroes and villains with unique names than there are ones where multiple people have the same name. And, in those cases, there is generally an in-universe reason for it. But, that said, it's really beside the point. I just found it a bit bizarre that you would refer to people who have a different opinion than you as suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Did the thought really not occur to you that people may, you know, just see things differently? There was no need to get passive aggressive and rude about it.

Someone disagreeing does not make it Stockholm Syndrome. As I said above, I am a fan of the unique names because I feel that it fits the Superhero/Supervillain genre better. Massively powerful beings flying through the air would get to be known and known by unique names. I can't imagine DC putting out a comic that had "Oh, you're Superman? The one from Metropolis, Tulsa, or Ithaca?"

I prefer unique names, simply because of the concept of the game. We are heroes fighting for our city or villains fighting for our reputation and own power. Gotham City didn't have two guys running around calling themselves The Joker or six different iterations of Poison Ivy. I just wish we could get rid of the bizarre workarounds to the unique names. It's frustrating when you get in to the game, create a unique character, and suddenly see it's name pop up in various places. Imagine, you create a character, get thrilled that you got the name you wanted (let's say "Blue Lightning"), and enter Paragon City. Two days later, you run in to "Blue_Lightning" and "Blue.Lightning" and "B1ue Lightning," etc. That has always annoyed me.

That's how I feel. I first heard about Paragon Chat about a year or so ago, and I was beyond thrilled to be able to just get back in to Paragon City, fly around, collect badges, and see the scenery I loved. When I heard, this past April, about Homecoming...well, I was like a little kid getting a surprise from Santa. I don't have faith in NCSoft either, but I have grown to really trust the Homecoming team. What they have given us, whether it lasts another month, year, or decade, is a true gift. Their openness to discuss new ideas for the game, to work on the Beta server, and to give us back the game we love puts them in high esteem in my opinion. I hope this can last for years to come.

I've tried PBs and WSs a few times (both on Live and Homecoming) and never really felt any connection to the ATs. But, between the two, I always preferred PBs. I think I was a bit overwhelmed by the myriad of possible builds and never got past the fear of doing a "wrong" build. This guide helps a ton! (As an added benefit, this fits my rainbow-themed "LightBender" character concept perfectly!)

I want a character that has ASSAULT SETS and defense. I've been very specific about what is on my wish list. This has nothing, zip, zero, nada to do with what other ATs are solo-friendly. It's about the idea, first, being floated of porting Assault sets to Sentinels. Then, that became a discussion about Assault/Defense archetypes. Why not play Doms if I want solo-friendly? Because, I want defense too. Why not play Scrappers or Brutes or Tanks if I want defense? Because, I want Assault sets too. You see?

Thank you! To me, people who decry making a new AT because there's already an AT that does something similar remind me of an old man grumbling on his front porch. "Dammit, why the hell are they opening that new Mexican restaurant up the road? We already have a good Italian place just across the street from it. Don't they know that they BOTH serve food? Dammit, just eat spaghetti if you are hungry. You don't need fajitas!"

That is a good point for people who team a lot. But, for a solo player (like me), it would be a great AT to play. Think of Controllers. They are a gigantic pain to solo with (unless you are an expert at builds), but amazing on teams. So, if we can have ATs that are great on teams but lackluster as soloists, why can't we have great solo ATs who are lackluster on teams? Not everything needs to be built with Incarnate-level results in mind. We have 50 levels of things to get through before that. Plus, at Incarnate level, the differences between ATs starts to mean less and less anyway.

I can't speak for other people's reasons for wanting either Assault sets on Sentinels or a new AT. But, personally, I would like the "Blapper" style on a character with a dedicated defense set because, though Blasters can be very strong Blappers, I feel rather limited in my playstyle right now. I can do melee with defense, ranged with or without defense, mixed with control (Dominators...and, to a lesser degree, Blasters). But, if I wanted mixed melee/ranged, I can't have a defense set. As someone who solos most of the time, and who isn't really interested in the constant tweaking on Mids or mid/maxing characters, a mixed melee/ranged character with a defense set (even if it isn't as good as the melee-only defense sets) would be a godsend.

That would be a good name, especially given that there is already a Guardian AT icon (which, I think, was an AT in development when sunset hit).

I can't see them having any control powers, just the "Assault" sets as primaries and "Defense" sets as secondaries. So you could make an Energy Assult/Energy Aura character or Martial Assault/Ninjitsu character. I just like the idea of being effective in both ranged and melee distances, even if you aren't AS effective as Scrappers or Blasters...sorta the "middle child" between the two.

That's understandable. I think it would bother me less if more MM players would park their pets somewhere out of the way when they are going to trainers or in to stores. It's the non-combat situations, the ones when pets push you out of the way or block the doors to buildings, that really get to me.

I'm dying for the Strength of Will origin power pool!

That is the #1 reason why I am not a fan of MMs. It's annoying when you're trying to get to the glowie in a cave, only to be blocked by a pack of demons or trying to level up at a trainer, but a roving gang of bots push you out of the way. On another note...MM's, why you no dismiss pets when you no need them?

That is a fair point, and I'd be okay with scaling the Assault set damage down a bit (similar to how the Blast sets got scaled down compared to Blasters). My ultimate goal is to be able to play a mixed melee/ranged character that has some defense.

That makes sense to me. My first choice would be to give Sentinels the chance to take the Assault sets as well as the Ranged. An Energy Blast Sentinel would feel and play differently than an Energy Assault Sentinel. But, if the Homecoming Powers That Be would prefer not to proliferate sets, then a new AT would be my second choice.

I like that, and like the Instigator name. It could be a nice hybrid between the Tanks/Brutes/Scrappers and the Sentinel/Blaster types. Someone who isn't necessarily as tough as a Tank or as DPS heavy as a Blaster, but who brings the best of both worlds....almost a "loose cannon / shoot first, ask questions later" type.

I don't know enough about the IO sets and their balance. What could become unbalanced about them? Just curious.

I am thrilled that Sentinels are in Homecoming. I love having a ranged character with a defense set. However, having only the Blaster/Corrupter/Defender sets proliferated over to Sentinels is, I feel, rather limiting in character concepts. Only Dominators and Blasters (both of whom lack defense sets), can give you a strong "Blapper" feel, and because of the lack of defense sets on them, it's painfully easy to face-plant every five minutes. Is there any chance of getting the Dominator assault sets proliferated over to Sentinels? An Energy Assault/Energy Aura character who wades in and out of melee range would be a blast to play and would get some more player characters who are doing more than running in to the center of a spawn (like Brutes, Tanks, etc) or hovering at the outskirts (like Blasters, Defenders, etc). Now, I know that there are ways to softcap some defenses on Doms and Blasters, but most of those strategies mean you have to take certain powers like Tough and Weave. For players, like me, who are not really good at builds or interesting in min/max stats, it becomes really limiting. Thoughts?

Not all of the new costume patterns are showing up on each body part. I made a male toon using the new Occulus pattern. It showed on his chest, gloves, legs, and boots. Then, made a female toon with the Malaise pattern. It showed on her chest and legs, but was not showing as an option for gloves or boots. BTW, I love the new costume patterns. I have several characters they will be perfect for!