Bionic_Flea

That too. Although a lot of people get to 50 and geared up, and then run the lower level TFs. The DFB is just a little head start. Also, everyone knows that Arcane is a special little snowflake. 😜

Some farmers like to farm. They like the feel, the pace, the rhythm. Other players farm because they like the fast rewards. Put faster/better rewards somewhere else and those players will go there. What gets run a lot other than farms: The weekly, the TFs needed for TFC accolade, ITF, Tin-pex, Market Crash, DFB, RSF/MLTF, Hammy and Ship Raids. Am I missing any of the usual suspects? Why are these things run more often than all the other TFs and story arcs? I'm not saying that other things are never done, just that these are done WAY more. I'll answer my rhetorical question - Because all of those either grant good rewards quickly or because it's the only way to get certain rewards. If they want players to AE farm less, they can reduce rewards in AE, they can increase rewards out of AE, or they can create new content with unique rewards. Oh, look! That's what this new "page" does. What a coincidence!

There are all sorts of things that they could do short of shutting off the game. This patch has just shown us a few. I am confident that not everyone will like all the things they could do to curb certain undesired behaviors. I agree that every player does what they like. But many players do what is fastest, or easiest, or most efficient. Right now, AE fire farming is all 3. If the trend is that players are spending the majority of their time in AE and that trend continues to grow, at what point do we just have one giant AE and forget about all these empty zones?

I'm stating what I think the problem the HC team is trying to solve. *Thumbs down to add to your impressive collection* Me, personally, I am against systematic AFK farming, especially multi-box AFK farming, with extra hate reserved for automated multi-box AFK farming. I don't care or mind that AE Fire Farming is the fastest method to get XP and Inf, but I would prefer that it not be multiple times better than anything else. But I am not sure how much better AE Fire Farming actually is or should be compared to the next best thing.

I-trials may be faster, but your proposal greatly curtails solo incarnate progress. So again, no thank you. The "problem" that I think they are trying to solve is that more and more players are doing nothing but AE and that some players are doing AE AFK 24/7 on multiple accounts and reaping tremendous rewards in Inf, Emp Merits, and (since Emp merits are convertible) reward merits. If you can get everything you need in AE and faster than anywhere else, why do anything else?

Please, no. They are set up nicely now to quickly get to +3 level shifts, then T3 to all, with T4 possible with only vet levels by 99. Changing the drops would change that nice progression.

Dunno. The only thing I can think of it to time yourself running from point A to point B on each server and time it.

Sooooo . . . does anyone want to get together on Brainstorm to run some ITFs this week?

I agree.

Bait and Switch!

At least you didn't say pineapple on pizza. But that was a @Jimmy thing and he doesn't love us anymore. I blame @Luminara

I am me, and you are Flea, and we are Flea, and we are all together.

Goes to claim this name and search for geometry holes.

10-4. Off to test! Now he tells me! Went to Fort Trident, then Penny Yin exit, still could not LRT to Fort because my test character doesn't have those badges.

I also notice on Brainstorm that my LRT had Fort Trident listed, but greyed out. What's the deal with that?

/timeout @Yomo Kimyata 24

I think he means in my imaginary "what if 4 star gave 10x the XP and Inf as standard run" from a post above. I still think more people would run 2 and 3 star, but who knows.

You know, I haven't checked if level 35s can even be invited to or run hardmode stuff. Lemme see. EDIT1: I checked on a level 38 that I already had on Brainstorm. He doesn't even get the UI for Advanced Difficulty ITF selections. So Ivan is right, no Hardmode for level 35-49. EDIT2: Same for ASF. No Advanced Difficulty UI settings for under 50. EDIT3: Level 50 IS able to invite level 35 to 4 Star . . . but that's probably not wise and definitely a pity spot. (Thanks @ivanhedgehog) EDIT4: Level 50 can quit team and leave poor little level 35 on a 50+4.x8 4 star TF. LOL. So much pain for my 38 ice/cold controller.

I can't answer the first question because I am not a dev. But it seems to me this update has more than hardcore stuff -- new powersets, new costumes, new arcs, and a bunch of other stuff on top of the "hardcore game." I don't know if you have tried 1-star Aeon SF or on the new ITF currently being tested. It's only slightly harder and no where near as intense as a 4 star. If all they were adding was 4 star, I would agree with you. As for not being able to run ITF on a level 35, that is also conjecture. We won't know until we get there. And I 100% agree with the last part. I would like to know precisely what the problem to be solved is to know if this is a good solution.

That may work for you, but that doesn't work for me. Clicking on totals does nothing.

And put some clothes on that Avatar, Zac!

That's exactly what a member of this cabal would say!

Bad Ghost! Timeout for you. Go to the corner!

My understanding, as I have never checked myself, is the daily numbers everyday between 8:30 am and 9:30 am. And especially in Pocket D and other zones with AE buildings. There is a noticeable difference on Tuesdays when the servers go offline. Presumably there are a number of AFk farmers that get booted and don't come back until they wake up, come back from work, whatever. @Ukase Here's a chart from HC Discord.

Our voices have been heard!