Leogunner

I think it wouldn't be too tough to extend it to any combo'ing circumstance within the purview of powers we have to choose from. For example, the "Ice Block" circumstance is limited to any power that has a similar effect to Block of Ice. There's actually quite a few powers for that (Block of Ice, Glacier, Ice Arrow, Suppressive Fire w/ Cryo Ammo, Freeze Ray, Bitter Freeze Ray, Cryo Freeze Ray, Freezing Touch and technically Hibernate but the enemy would have to be using this) but you'd only have to add a "mode change" to those 8 powers then add to Flash Arrow a check for this mode so it can trigger a different effect. The question would be, what kind of synergies would help the set...the above having an additional -12% ToHit could be quite beneficial and easy for the set to initiate alone but could benefit from quicker execution if organized by a teammate (pretty easy to find the guy in a crowd stuck in a block of ice). In the past, people made suggestions to give the set healing or ally buffs but I don't think the set is meant for buffing. It's always been a control, debuff and damage supplementary support set. By apologies for railroading the discussion with a past idea of mine. Reading about helping TA just sparked that memory and it made me smile. The synergy concept would likely require much more work than just tweaking numbers on the powers.

I haven't played TA on Homecoming yet so not sure about that. The PGA idea would definitely require a pseudopet as it would need to summon the pet at the location and trigger a larger AoE PGA upon destruction. The other ideas would likely be granted powers that'd have to be added to other powers and then the proper TA arrow would check for that granted power on the target and trigger an additional effect. I think Kinetic Melee's Power Siphon does this where attacks will grant +dmg if Power Siphon is present on the user. If pseudopets are still clunky, one might think of other creative work-arounds that could simulate a kind of "synergy" mechanic to make TA unique.

Back on the live forums, I made a suggestion to improve Trick Arrow that was more in-line with the set's "collaborative effects" similar to Oilslick Arrow + Energy/Fire damage producing an effect. One was using Flash Arrow on a target that is frozen in Ice (either Ice Arrow or Block of Ice/Glacier) has an additional -ToHit or a low mag stun or something. Another was using Poison Gas Arrow with any kind of area fire or explosive power (Energy AoEs, Fire AoEs, Explosive Arrow, damaging Grenades) which would cause PGA to apply itself a 2nd time in a wider area (basically dispersing the gas in a wider area via explosives). Something cool might me making Entangling Arrow do an AoE check (very close, like 5ft around its target) for any foes that are also hit with Glue, web or net based controls (not that many...just Web Grenade, Glue Arrow, Web Envelope, Web Cocoon and Entangling Arrow itself...I guess Bola's from Utility Belt power pool if that's every introduced) and if it makes a positive check, both targets are held. I had other ideas in the same vein but it's been a while. Basically, I think it'd be more fun for TA to be the SURPRISE! set that gets you different performance depending on how you combine your powers or collab with teammate's powers.

I did say "at worst" meaning that's the worst likely outcome I can think of. If it doesn't seem that bad of a thing, that reflects on the changes as a whole.

Yes, I realize that. I'm saying this perception would, at worst, make such players roll their next melee into a Tanker or something non-Brute instead of another Brute.

Okay. Isn't that beneficial since Brute is likely over represented and Tankers universally perceived as low offense?

Then turn off Granite. I think you forgot how analogies work lol So is that what you're going to do because you can't see your super cereal pro OC at all times? Because I accept varying degrees of powers obscuring things and in some cases USE these FX AS part of the visual representation of the character (i.e. the costume). I'm not arguing against adding more customizable visual effects but perhaps the concept of your character isn't someone who pulls and holds clumps of dirt and rock to their bodies as a means of protection then. You can make a costume that looks like armor made of rock and then make them Invulnerability or something if Sewer Poo Man is the only concept you can come up with for Stone Armor. Although it's not a bad concept. You got mudpots that looks like bubbling sewage and the flies aura.

Didn't the crash on Rage get removed if you don't double stack it? Sounds like a buff to me.

I'm sorry if you're not very creative, then. If you're worried about admiring your costume while fighting, then practically any team effects are going to obscure it. The armor is supposed to be a manifestation of your power, not your costume and the visible representation of ones power can be just as important as their bio or name. In fact, those things are often inextricably linked.

I think the original AoE buffs would have been quite balanced with the current alterations.

You can already build for defense. You can get -ToHit already...you just need to use the other set that's always paired with an armor set. I think people in the thread are looking at the set in a very skewed manner. For example, look at Super Reflexes on anything but Tanker: It's a pretty mediocre set that relies heavily on luck and other mitigating features. How they skew this is because, with IO sets, you can cap your defenses with a bit of slot work...that doesn't change the BASE of the set being nearly paper thin if the foes happen to have +ToHit (Devouring Earth, Nemesis and such). If we're skewing things here, Regen is decently capable if not click-heavy that isn't up everyone's alley that just like to use optimal attack chains over and over. In which case, Regen isn't for everyone but it can be pretty good if you build for it or pair it with certain sets.

What if they did something really unique and make Granite Armor more situational? Rather than making the power more mild and set-and-forget, we could make it something to game, maintain and relegate as you use your armorSET. For example: While you have Granite on, it will pulse these "effects" on you that stack up and these effects are what gets you your -run, -rech and -damage. While in Granite, they merely debuff you but when you turn off Granite, they give you a strong +rech bonus and endurance discount, with Brimstone, you get a substantial +damage, Rooted increases run speed and resistance/protection to -rech, slow, -fly, -jump, Crystal armor adds a PBAoE team +def buff...the caveat is the effect Granite casts on the user is temporary and only accumulates while in combat but could compound to up to several minutes of this effect when you turn it off. Think of it like training with weights on and feeling unburdened after taking them off. Of course, you wouldn't get the "unkillable"ness of Granite but you could choose to sit in Granite and be unkillable or use the power like it was supposed to be used and have it toggled on WHEN YOU WANT TO NOT DIE rather than all the time.

I think you'll just have to bite the bullet and accept that certain ATs will just benefit proportionally less than others using certain powers. And the majority aren't "wasting" part of the power if they aren't min/maxing IOs... Those players are out there.

I tend to agree. If coupled with any sort of defense or resistance (Shadow Meld, good amount of -ToHit, Parry/DA, Tough/Weave, IOs, team buffs), you literally become the most unkillable guy. If I were suggesting buffs: in another thread someone mentioned giving Regeneration resistance to some debuffs and I usually agree when someone posts about the topic. Give the set resistance to -def, -rech, -slow, -recover, -regen that stacks and compounds with your passives and clicks so that in certain circumstances, you can shrug off debuffs very well...alone it's just a decent bonus and doesn't really boost the set beyond current performance but coupled with any of the former stuff mentioned above, and it can be very beastly.

Was this mentioned somewhere? Seems like an idea that no one has really suggested.

I would add 3 changes to the current powers : Add +ToHit (around +8% to self) and resistance to -perception to stealth that is always on. Invisibility will pulse -perception to 17 foes in a 30ft AoE on activation of the toggle. Remove the -threat from Phase Shift and allow the use of Misdirection while phased.

And what would you be giving up for this added functionality?

You don't need all of that on a single build. Or if you're aiming to get all those pool powers, hopefully you're looking to blend them all with some key primary/secondary pools. From my perspective, having lots of cool pool options means you have a reason to centralize a concept or build goal around the combination of 1 or 2 pools (throw in a specific travel power like Teleport or Super Speed as flavor requires). But people tend to get caught up in their "standard build" philosophy despite the pools actually having concepts and sacrifices to take (i.e. you have to take 3 powers from this pool to have access to X power).

Oh right! I forgot Frost and Breath of Fire have different ranges/areas. I think Frost got out of this change quite well as the cone is 10ft 90degrees buffed to 180degrees but BoF is 15ft 30degrees buffed to 60. Even buffed for range, It's about 23.5ft range, it still misses out on hitting quite a few foes on the sides. For Frost, did you try proccing it out? I feel it would definitely benefit from getting those procs in if you got any other -res sources.

How did you have Frost slotted? Curious if you tried it with any +range in it.

Not a Naruto Run, so if you can't get your joke references right, you get a... {jranger} ...did I do that right?

Well I'll admit, I didn't read even a quarter of this thread, so I did miss out on those quotes. Seems we share much of the same outlook here. I guess I could take away from your final point there that you feel the community in the game is overly vocally opinionated (thus seeking out people to sharing those opinions)? I think that's more a product of the internet, if that's what you're touching on. It's also possible that vocal opinionated mentality is why this thread has gotten to the state that it is in. You just have to take the good with the bad. I'm sure there's some good you've gathered from this, like advice on farming or builds.

Well there's always more than one side to a story. You pointed to a mentality you felt oppressive or obnoxious or [insert whatever purpose you decided to highlight the example] but on the reverse, have you reflected on yourself? While I don't actually make posts about it because "fuck it, you do you", I read your whole post (begrudgingly, mind you. I could tell by roughly half way through, the story was meant to frame your side in a sympathetic manner to make the log more egregious). Again, I say the person you responded to has some points. But again, what did you do? You're trying to frame advice in a manner that is some sort of "community wide" mentality that has dome something to the game. Again, have you reflected on yourself? You like to make characters. You like to fund their builds. Those builds are very expensive. Have you thought about cheaper builds? Easier builds? Or *gasp* sub-optimal builds? You don't need soft-capped defense and perma-hasten to do well. If you're running TFs, your build is going to get chopped by varying level caps. Even min/maxed, the game isn't even that hard for an expensive build to be necessary...but you feel gated by the game or community or some kind of amorphous mentality and thus you've neglected the reason to play the game at all. Like you mentioned playing the market...then complaining how long you had to do it!? I know there are people that enjoy flubbing with the markets in games...if it's not something you want to do, then don't. tl;dr: If you put a mirror up to yourself, you are actually just as guilty of harboring certain "mentalities" that have negatively altered the game as the person you're framing in those /tells...I have no idea why you don't see it too.

Well, putting bruising on all the attacks is also a different extra fix. But the AoE part is what makes the attacks Fun! I like actually hitting things with shadow maul! Personally, the changes I'd be in favor of is keeping the cap for taunt the same as live and made the AoE's the the initial versions (100% range and arc+target cap increase) and THAT would be your method of getting more hate. None of this auto-hit no endurance cost cheating. You need to work for your aggro like a Brute. But their damage mod would stay the same, take the new damage cap and endurance boost. The advantage of the boost to endurance is that it increases recovery effects making them more useful and if their damage mod was the same as live, the justification works.

Reading the OP, I have no sympathy. Granted the guy you chatted with may not have been the nicest but you just lable them a "bad apple" and then dismiss his points? That's fine but it's exactly why I have no sympathy for this story and gives me a chuckle reading all the replies rushing in support. Maybe I'm insane but I don't think you need a COMPLETED farming build to farm with it. Difficulty sliders exist...