Snarky

As a side project this is doing okay. I have Tier 4d all Incarnates: Alpha: Musculature Total Core Interface: Reactive Radial Flawless Judgement: Pyronic Core Final Destiny: Rebirth Core (with plans for Incan, Barrier, and Clarion) Lore: Banished Pantheon Core Hybrid: Assault Core All damage enhancing Incarnates were chosen with an eye to outputting more pure Fire damage. Not saying it is the most efficient, but that was the design choice. Any chances to do more Fire damage were taken over PROC for energy, smash, or any other effects. I run this as a second string I Trial Blaster right now since he is not Accoladed out and the build is rough. My most interesting challenge on him this week was me and two other Blasters from my SG ran a 50 +4/x8 Night Ward story arc. There were deaths lol. But we literally had zero strategy and did alright. We were on Discord and laughing and talking about strategy. Then we would Leroy Jenkins the mobs. 80% of the time it worked 100%. The Theft of Essence is a garbage idea. I had some great builders who were shocked I could even get it on the build lol. The damage aura on Cauterizing has to do a to hit check to even activate the chance, and I am in 8 ft radius as little as possible, I have no melee attacks. So it never PROCs. Here is what I am respccing it into today. Again, this will no doubt be revised more than once in the future. Sigh. But it is at least a bit better than my first attempt. This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.5.7 https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Blaster Primary Power Set: Fire Blast Secondary Power Set: Fire Manipulation Power Pool: Flight Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Flame Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Fire Blast -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(3), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(5), SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(7) Level 1: Ring of Fire -- Dcm-Acc/Dmg(A), Dcm-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Dcm-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Dcm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Dcm-Build%(11) Level 2: Fire Ball -- SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(A), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx(15), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(17), SprFrzBls-Rchg/ImmobProc(19) Level 4: Combustion -- Erd-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Erd-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19) Level 6: Rain of Fire -- Rgn-Dmg(A), Rgn-Dmg/Rchg(21), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(21), Rgn-Acc/Rchg(23), Rgn-Knock%(23) Level 8: Fire Breath -- Ann-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), Ann-ResDeb%(25) Level 10: Fly -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A) Level 12: Aim -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(25), GssSynFr--Build%(27) Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(27) Level 16: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(29) Level 18: Blaze -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(29), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(33) Level 20: Cauterizing Aura -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(33), EndMod-I(33), Mrc-Rcvry+(34), Mrc-Heal(34), Mrc-Heal/Rchg(34) Level 22: Maneuvers -- Ksm-ToHit+(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(36) Level 24: Tactics -- RctRtc-Pcptn(A) Level 26: Blazing Bolt -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(37), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(39) Level 28: Consume -- PreOptmz-Acc/Rech(A), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/Rech(36), Erd-Acc/Rchg(36), Erd-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/End(40), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(40) Level 30: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 32: Inferno -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(40), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42), SprAvl-Rchg/KDProc(43) Level 35: Burn -- TN:DiaShard(A), Obl-%Dam(43), ScrDrv-Dam%(43), Erd-%Dam(45), Arm-Dam%(45), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(45) Level 38: Char -- TN:DiaShard(A), GldJvl-Dam%(46), NrnSht-Dam%(46), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(46), UnbCns-Dam%(48), Apc-Dam%(48) Level 41: Fire Shield -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(48) Level 44: Rise of the Phoenix -- AbsAmz-ToHitDeb%(A) Level 47: Bonfire -- Ann-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Ann-ResDeb%(50), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(50) Level 49: Hot Feet -- Erd-Dmg(A), Erd-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(11) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(13), EndMod-I(13) Level 49: Quick Form Level 10: Afterburner ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1410;674;1348;HEX;| |78DA8D935B4F135110C767B7BB222D154BB9438182D052DA4251E39321721585482| |4F1956C605336296D538A415113BF822F18AEFA24E0E5C9EB77F185A8311A41DF4C| |34669DDDFF6079F424BBBFB333F33F3367CED9C9E5E18A1763F70748F10F658CC5C| |599417E17CD823E69A4AD597246193F0D629EB96E64D3E65C72D42A98080D1F79A6| |97F2F95CA108D7A491B5F24B19A368E5B2E49BCAE532C9D18C959E2F7ADDF974DE3| |4E72ADDE98469CC9985C5792BEF4798136565D35523796B9645C682B39A93E1563D| |17D2CDCF25A72AC579D93AED6844298DD45DE11EA83D153E034F3C076F96B41AAD3| |222EC7B089E5C13AE83DE0D70D091483EE525D639F54AF81A3CFD46F816AC7A072E| |B3CAE3B6D1563CDF54A210FB0EC021B6EA528BDEAFBAF1D56785E7C0DAF3C20BE0B| |07320D028659F3CAEADFE33E8E3932A878FCADF237E84BF7CC8AFFA7A08F1C2C65D| |C4B4B3CE2F35FA8F7CC2DB8C4AF1558AAD5938CA08485F0284FD362B608B2AF4083| |5B04D07575815146D701575B43D10B661FDF015C5ED7F785C380606B8DE1AE941CD| |1F727BD9E1185813645F9DF4A06E93D70B6A34E65C60C9D5B0865E9D59176E0837C| |1AE2DE1367887554DEEE1DB7AD34FD4DEF15BF815E7D825E71AF9057B641FDA6AAE| |2584DE5148EABBCC5FAD524BEB86C46F82DD5BC26DE12330F618BCCBAA76D1B6B77| |04ECD433142AED80A7A163F442DF18BE8657C00FE1D46A7683B459B88C397301457| |9358408DBDE3D0F6A6C05D0E8B4ABFA3FDD0F4D641B3C79F3DD2EF9E6B887FC2B62| |46C6AF223E2537247531FB0977BECED9335FBBEA0E694FC1761EDDF3F6A376B24C3| |266AC41E274A7EBEF0C839A589896D8ACD830EBCC7A212501E1EB74561FB5EB2291| |44695DE1BE8C48F924F25B9A515724B2BE4965E8DF14E90D9A65A2E48E6FF3BFE02| |155AE76E| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|

Well…… I do this every Saturday night still with Cosmic Council on Excelsior. On a Beam Rifle/Temporal Blaster. I stay ranged and flying and just keep the fire hose of damage up. Rarely do I have to stop DPS for more than a few seconds. Then we do super inspirations for team buffs and Rebirth And Barrier. Goes real smooth

Colin Robinson and the Internet Troll is must watch TV for everyone in the modern world.

For me the Peacebringers and Warshades have always been derivative of HP Lovecraft's Cthulu mythos. And that, my friend, is avery deep pool even I dare not dip a toe into. (Honestly reading part of an HP Lovecraft story and taking a nap in a warm living room on a sunny afternoon can give me nightmares!)

I like the thinking, but the warmth would be psychological more than biological. Might be like you putting an ice cube in your mouth. You might feel cold but your body will remain the same temperature. I am drawn to a theme of "The negative material plane" and what that means for creatures that draw power from it. In our game I see the Dark power sets as drawing their power from this Dark place. When Dark powers drain or debuff the vast majority of that effect is the relationship between the target and the negative material plane. The character using the power is just aiming the effect and possibly acting as a conduit for the effect. Sometimes as the life force energy is drained from the victim the caster enjoys a bit of a boost (Soul Drain, Siphon Life, Dark Consumption) but mostly it is just letting the Dark do what it does, drain the life from anything it touches. To me this applies nicely (if not neatly) to the Vampires draining blood. It is the life force they are striving to take. Most Vampires are unaware of the Dark per se and are just acting on blind instinct and hunger. But a truly aware Vampire would (in my thinking) be closer to a Sith Lord. Aware of the life around them and burning through it to gain more power and do what they want. The Sith do not create the force or strengthen it like a Jedi, they ride it and use it up. Where this does not neatly fit into the scheme of things is why blood? That question I am exploring in my current short story. But "The Blood is the Life" is the card Vampires are dealt. So, that is the cornerstone I have agreed to write around.

“Jockhstrjhap”. Jo kah sah trah pah

Yes, he turns down a lot. No one smart works for nothing. But once you meet a certain dollar figure gate he will not turn it down, no matter how atrocious. As evidence I would like to present: Nicolas’ Cage’s acting career!

Kolchak was a reporter and the TV series was awesome. But I had actually forgot there was a wonderful Vampire movie that kicked the whole thing off!!! Thanks for reminding me. Twilight…. The only good part in any of those was the clips I saw if them ripping each other’s heads off. Then they used that as a “never really happened”. Sigh. Vampires sometimes do sparkle in the sun. Right before the real pyrotechnics kick in and they explode or melt I an not averse to a Master Vampire who is weakened by the sun. In the old tales people who were trying to figure out Vampires sometimes believed this Sigh, no Nicolas was not a Vampire in Vampire’s Kiss. I know in the modern era we show deference to someone’s beliefs about themselves. And this is an interesting comment on the movie, highlighting Nicolas’ good acting as well, where the main character is insane. Accurate. But Nicolas still owes me the movie money back and two hours of my life. With interest

I strip all "projects" of everything. Enhancers, Inf, salvage, you name it I take it off. Those go on the back pages in case ever wanted again. Quite a few are 50s. Characters that are my "go to" roster are first page. Projects or unsure what to do with or the oddball 50 I love but never run are page 2 to.... I also put them in level order in both sections except page 1. Page 1 is by play importance.

Some of you may have noticed I like the Dark powersets. Some may think I am a bit fixated on Vampires. Others just think I suck. Whatever. First, I wonder how long it will take for this thread to be categorized. And Moved (read killed and buried) So appropriate for a Vampire thread.... Second, why do I resent Nicolas Cage. As is true with so many actors who will not quit (great, good, mediocre, and truly horrid) The more I see them the more I like things about them. The same is true for Nicolas Cage. He has done some fun work. But near the beginning of me discovering Nicolas.... he crapped all over the Vampire cinematic experience. Then lit it on fire and kicked it towards the audience. Not entirely his fault, the man will act in ANYTHING except possibly pron. You got a script, a camera and a few dollars and Nicolas is in. He would probably do it without the script if you had the cash. Vampire's Kiss 1988. I will watch any (every) Vampire film, finding things to like in each and every one. But not Vampire's Kiss......because there is never a single F-ing Vampire.... GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrr O F really? I wasted all that time. Okay, the movie Priest had Vampires and my friends and I left the theatre feeling like we had been collectively robbed of 2 hours of our lives. But no Vampire? Really? Arrrrrghhhgrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Hrmph. Third, Nicolas is going to be in Renfield, as Dracula. The movie will explore the codependent relationship of said ghoul and vampire master. Rumor is that it is good. Fourth, you are saying wait.... What does this have to do with.... Morbius is out! Vampires are big again! (When were they not) Vampires have .....SUPER powers. Who do you think uses all those Dark powersets? So, How would you write up Dracula? My main (who I am sloooooowlllly writing a book about) is a Vampire that I have rolled as a Dark/Dark Brute and a Dark/Invul Brute. Honestly I think the Dark/Dark is closer but the Dark/Invul Tanks a lot better (in my opinion) and a Brute needs to be able to slip into that role if you are on it a lot.

I still have not played this a ton. Also, I have been on very few "bad" (read PUG) teams. Running with Cosmic Council is incredibly smooth on even a bad toon. But yes, I have run enough Blasters to respect Fire^3. This thing puts out hate, in overly generous greasy spoon diner portions. With dessert sides and crackers. Free refills.

I will be doing more play testing. I have only run this 50 Fire^3 in a few environments. Still, my initial impression is there will be no end problems. I did get set bonuses that added to max endurance where I could choose to do so. Couple that with the Blaster sustain and the PBAoE End re overu power and I feel comfortable But I do need to play test a bit more. I have made a few bonehead moves in the build I discovered. Once I have a bit more time I will look at MiDs again and revise Thank you everyone for the great tips and rollicking discussion.

Oh, the wackiness of the flavor text on powers and archetypes. THe game also states Blasters are Ranged. Do you know how hard it is to make a Blaster fully Ranged and NOT gimp it? Ranged? Not since I crawled out of the coffin...

I soloed every arc and side mission that had to be completed pre 50 on my project toon recently. A Brute that I ran everything at -1/x1 That feeling of crushing your enemies after they talk about their big plans never gets old

Oklahoman sometimes runs PUG Magisterium badge attempts on Excelsior. They are a great leader. It is a tough trial. The SG I joined (Cosmic Council On Excelsior) does an every Saturday night group of Incarnate badge runs starting with Magisterium Really Hard Way and then 2-5 other trials. But mostly it is a trial that is best done with a little more prep than “Let’s do this” followed by “Leeeeroooooy Jennnnnnnkiiiiiiiiins!!!”

Here is my Ice/Ice/Cold build. Since I chased Ranged Defense this shaped where I could put things. Wrath went into Blizzard This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.5.7 https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Blaster Primary Power Set: Ice Blast Secondary Power Set: Ice Manipulation Power Pool: Flight Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Cold Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Ice Bolt -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(3), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7) Level 1: Chilblain -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(9), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11) Level 2: Ice Blast -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(13), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(13), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17) Level 4: Frost Breath -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(17), Artl-Dam/Rech(19), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(19), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(21), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(21) Level 6: Aim -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(23), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(23), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(25), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(25), GssSynFr--Build%(27) Level 8: Freeze Ray -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(27), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(29), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(29), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31) Level 10: Frigid Protection -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(31), PwrTrns-+Heal(33), PwrTrns-EndMod(33), ThfofEss-+End%(33) Level 12: Ice Storm -- SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(A), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx(34), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(36), SprFrzBls-Rchg/ImmobProc(36) Level 14: Fly -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A) Level 16: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(36) Level 18: Bitter Ice Blast -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Dmg/Rchg(37), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(39), SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(39) Level 20: Ice Patch -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 22: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(39) Level 24: Maneuvers -- Ksm-ToHit+(A) Level 26: Bitter Freeze Ray -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(40), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(42) Level 28: Shiver -- PcnoftheT-Acc/Slow(A), PcnoftheT-Dmg/Slow(42), PcnoftheT-Acc/EndRdx(43), PcnoftheT-Rng/Slow(43), PcnoftheT-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(43), PcnoftheT--Rchg%(45) Level 30: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 32: Blizzard -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(45), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(48) Level 35: Snow Storm -- PcnoftheT-Acc/Slow(A), PcnoftheT-Dmg/Slow(48), PcnoftheT-Acc/EndRdx(48), PcnoftheT-Rng/Slow(50), PcnoftheT-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(50), PcnoftheT--Rchg%(50) Level 38: Flash Freeze -- Bmbdmt-Dam/Rech(A), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech(45) Level 41: Frozen Armor -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A) Level 44: Hoarfrost -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A) Level 47: Tactics -- RctRtc-Pcptn(A) Level 49: Hibernate -- NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(A) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 14: Afterburner ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1355;622;1244;HEX;| |78DA6D934B6F12611486BF819942B91401DBD20B14A8AD555A5AFC0326D64BAA50D| |1266E1B02133A8600019AE8D29D8997851B13B5AD1A2FADDA7A89D7FFE2C23FA076| |E5CE8C07DEB78485930CCF70CE79CF79BF6FE6CB5D3BEDDB3B77E3A4D2FC8B9542B| |3B97A4A7E5B66C3C815CA5651B52F97DC1186572F17AA65B3945E2A9AA88C1F2456| |D6EBF55AA3D5C9E40A55ABBE5E29B4AC5A5579F3B55A257DB66295D75A9ECEF34AD| |D344B81CE63D62C94CC4673CDAAFB51D6AEB2AAE5E099BA554C2FD62A2569D6EE7F| |3D222EE2722FA983CB36D48620A32BC726B905EA8FC92760DF53F0E67FB47DD4BAA| |97553EBA1D643ED798146AD46AD8F5A1FB503D40E507B88DA0B0227B54EA7819C0E| |860CB20F3CEC22DD60565406B5C633472736F49C7C01465E92DBE0E80E98E3DB6B6| |B5DF43C4ACFE3F43C4ECF317A8ED1F32D417F67C1B6DE7F1FFD62F7C0F81F1DDC27| |43B2BAA8AE96A5DA0B8DE1FD885CE213F999FC024E7E25BF815E31EA8757E5FF8E3| |9B7E55F00312D9082AF49F2A220C859C16DF438B243BE225F83D36FC85DF08EA8C2| |9C1566BFA4CC1FE4AC41C6A6C9A0E486314B0DFF559DB5E605239C3FA2D0F7A8463| |A4827784C270DF0AEA8C6A81DDBD590DB038FBF25DF91EFC1D90F6048BC44E93D9A| |80BF4B8209F69B78E044FD4370EE11B9416E82F35B605990A436492FF3F4324F2F1| |97AC9D04B865ED6443BC53D9BB2B1B65985EFD692DC0CF76CE60466FDF02995A2F7| |547B43651FC3B29E34EBD21BF2DEC3BABA2AE50B8C2D5CC1AC847E70006D7B5CEF9| |E63A546B107D9DED81C6279BD7B669566CBA57E7A24C2CEDA24AA7EF5C66610FBDD| |1B4BC0FD7E6F8C27420D75BF5AFB1F5AD0BEDA| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|

I play two different types of Blaster. 1) Fully ranged. These I softcap Ranged defense on and use Ranged sets like Beam Rifle or Electric. @) Just started a Fire/Fire Blaster. No defense. MOAR damage. I depend on knowledge of the fights and teamwork to stay effective. The Beam Rifle is the sweet spot of effective and easy for me. But the Fire, wow, so much damage. When you can make the Fire work you are seriously helping your team/league.

It does bring up the question...does Jack still play CoH? We will probably never know. He would need to be incognito on any public server he joined.

Running ITrials (and all content, but especially hard mechanic driven contests like ITrials) with a quality SG like the one I ran into (Cosmic Council on Excelsior) has changed my gaming perspective. The way they do things are pretty organized and insanely efficient. The difference for me was like being part of a group of farmers in a small community sharing small equipment and once in a while helping each other and doing a barn raising (PUG Life)....to a corporate farm where you jump into the job you need to work on while being given detailed ionstructions on what is happening, why it is happening, and what you can do before the event and during real time on discord (organized SG). They just get the job done. This makes my gaming experience more productive and more fun. Also, having a community on Discord to bounce ideas off and get info from is pure gold.

Cosmic Council is a large organized SG. We have a few players in Europe including a very regular UK player. You might want to check us out on Discord: https://discord.gg/DVksJ4N read the Rules and info, if you are interested, then post in Gateway (under public channels) that you agree to the rules and who you want to bring on board. Good luck!

A great example why looking at an AT and the powersets and synergy is more important than filling out a grocery list. 4 Blasters check, 4 corruptors, check, 3 healers check, 1 controller, check, 1 tank check GO! Nooooooo It is ALL about niche cases in CoH. Find armor you need for Aeon and get it to 100% resistance. Even if you love Scrappers it might pay to bring a Brute to this fight so that you can actually stop eating greens and start cracking heads. In reality knowing what you are doing and getting most of the team/league to have a good mix of the powers you need is generally enough in CoH. Of course.....I do not run Relentless. The rest of the League is not a "carry" per se, they are working hard. But you need to at least nod to certain mechanics in most of the high end stuff and nearly ALL the badge attempts at high end.

That is my understanding and where I discovered the simple truth or Resistance Debuff Resistance. (Why does that phrase never sound like I am conveying what it is lol?) There is a lot or Resistance Debuff in some of the battles evidently. i have run it sporadically for social groups (speed runs and one Master outing) I am a "just Say No" to Relentless. That is crazy by my standards.

This linear mechanism came as a shock to many of us recently as we explored build ideas for Dr Aeon. (It did to me at least!) Resistance value is the resistance to debuff resistance? No Way! CoH is infamous for deep layers of alternate abilities with diminishing returns and arcane adjustments to get to the final number. Side note, way easy for a Brute to get to that 100% value for certain powersets needed for certain fights. A dead or running Scrapper is doing zero DPS, i don't care what your spreadsheet attack chains say.

You're killing me smalls. You Do not know what a Brute is? I run a Dark/Invul Brute. Situationally awesome. I can Tank. If you do not believe that then I cannot show it to you. Sorry for your lack of understanding. Would a Tank be a little easier to do that with.... slightly. But guess what. If you are holding agro and not dying it does not matter. The Brute can do that. I have a solid ST attack chain. That adds quite a bit more damage than a Tank. As much as a Scrapper? No. But If I am Tanking AND doing significant damage? This is not a bad combo. But think what you want. You have been around a few weeks. if you think there is no place for Brutes in high end incarnate work you must be right.

I think you have to look at "special cases" quite a bit when looking at this type of work. MOST Corruptors are very good at incarnate work due to heals or debuffs. Now take an Ice/Cold Corruptor... Fuggedaboutit. The Benumb and Sleet powers are so good due to the debuffs, and the pairing of Scourge with Ice's two DoT AoEs.....just wow. Rather than pick ATs you really need to look at the job needed to be done on each individual trial and bring the powers to get the job done, with the AT that has the most powerful and synergistic ability to deliver the powers. This requires an understanding of the Trials and an in depth knowledge of game power mechanics. This is one of the many reasons CoH/CoV still delivers. The complexity is just astounding. No one even tries for this anymore. Most new players from other MMORPGs will miss the details because they never realized a game could have this much under the hood. For instance, How many people realize you can only stack 5 interfaces of the same type on a target, but if you have 5 T4s you can still stack another 5 T3s of the same Interface....?