Gulbasaur

Before I was properly kitted out and couldn't hit anything in +4x8 missions led by incarnates, my strategy was to float near the group so that my buffs landed on people spamming confuse on any mobs with heals or force fields. I eventually apologised, saying I felt useless, but the response was "no, your buffs are great". I'm properly IO'd out now and heading for incarnate stuff, so I feel useful again.

It's more than cosmetic, they do different kinds of damage (which normally has a different secondary effect like reducing damage resistance or defence) and have different skills. For example, robotics has a robot that gives you all a force field so is a good defensive set, whereas beasts are very focussed on melee damage. The game scales you down for lower level stuff, so I'd say that if things aren't populated it's because they're boring, rather than low. DFB is good for people who want to skip the first ten levels or so, which can feel very slow if you've done it before. It depends on the powerset more than archetype, really. Some sets are quite single-target focused whereas others are more AoE. Radiation melee, for example, has a feature that turns all single target attacks into AoE attacks when it triggers. I think one of the arachnos spider sets is technically the leader for AoE damage. They're quick use buffs - the healing ones heal you, the defence ones give you a bit of defence for a short time, the endurance ones give you a bit of endurange and the break free ones break you free out of control effects. Use them, love them. If you have three of the same kind, you can combine them to make one of another kind, which is useful if you have lots of one variety. They drop so often I wouldn't worry about saving them. Levels 1-12, slot whatever drops. Levels 12-22 maybe buys some ones that make sense. Level 22+, try to use Invention Origin enhancements, crafted at the university (Steel Canyon South is one of the easiest ones to get to). These scale with your level so you don't outlevel them ever. I think level 22 is the point at which they become mathematically worthwhile. Note that enhancements lose their effectiveness if you have more than one in the same power - three seems to be the sweet spot, so you might want to put 3 damage, 1 accuracy in an attack power. Recharge reduction is useful as well, and it is sometimes better to put an endurance reduction enhancement in an attack you use a lot than in a toggle power. There are also named Invention Origin sets that give you bonuses if you have more than one of the same set slotted in a power, like a bit more defence or a small damage boost. End-game builds make really good use of these to plug holes in power sets, like adding more defence, resistance or recharge. The shining star of these are Archetype Origin enhancements and each set of those has one that does something unique - these vary between god-tier (stalkers) to mediocre boost (defenders). Most are worth getting when you can afford them, though, even if you leave the rest of the set for much later. Hugely. I'd argue that some are similar, but they all play differently. Tankers, brutes, scrappers and stalkers can all take very similar sets of powers, but they have a different playstyle. Tankers are slow and steady and unkillable, brutes need to keep a quick pace up or they start losing damage, scrappers favour "I just want to stab things and watch them fall down" play and stalkers can set up absurd damage spikes by playing in a structured and methodical way. Of the ranged ATs, defenders get higher bonuses for support powers and corruptors get higher bonuses for damage but otherwise they're pretty similar. You can feel the difference between them in teams, though, as a good defender can make a team godike but can't put out the same damage output. Controllers get crowd control and support stuff and do double-damage against controlled enemies and tend to be either really good at soloing or absolutely terrible and can carry a weak team to glory because their skills can entirely change the flow of combat. Dominators have more damage output than controllers from the get-go, and can magnify the strength of their control powers, so they're better at control than a controller but don't have the support skills so are more DPS-with-control. Blasters are the extreme in that they (mostly) are all about damage with no defence but the damage they do is colossal. Sentinels are sort of like scrappers, but with range (I just want to blast things and watch them fall down). Masterminds are unique in their very pet-based playstyle and have useful support skills and, like controllers or blasters, tend to be either winning or dead already. Of the "epic" archetypes, they're all a hybrids in that they all have high defence or resistance (or both) and a mixture of control, range and melee options. I think, in a weird way, the epic archetypes are actually the most balanced but they also often don't have a clear role in a team, which some people prefer. PB and WS favour tank-mage playstyles and SoAs are kind of high damage support with good defence. It doesn't really matter at all. You get a low-level power that's meant to help you and a few flavour differences here and there, but that's it.

Ah, okay. The Fallout 3 Train Hat gave me an appreciation of the amount of trickery you have to do to get the game to do what you want it to. Thanks for clarifying.

Is it possible to get the arachnos pieces working on *other* characters (or even in the normal slots)? Or is the spaghetti too tightly tangled even for that?

Honestly, there is so much wrong with that sheet that I'm surprised people are using it. It has methodological issues everywhere and presents a very unrealistic view of things. For example, the peacebringer attack chain seems to be based on repeatedly toggling on and off Bright Nova for zero damage while you spam your weakest attack and consequently peacebringers come dead last in DPS - because two thirds of the powers listed in the attack chain past the first few step are switching on and off a toggle with a timed transformation. It's not finished and there is so much about it that looks like someone filled it in randomly. ATOs are applied whether or not the creator liked them or not (scrapper and stalker, no one else, even where they provide a flat or statistically predictable damage boost), which is, again, bad methodology. The spreadsheet looks like a noble attempt, but enough of it is unfinished or placeholder information that I really don't trust the rest of it.

Rogues get a mass confuse power (after a little wait, I think - vigilantes get a fear power) and my first thought entering that room was well, now is the time to use it.That's the only way I made it out of that room in one piece.

I accidentally left a sale amount starting with a comma - I deleted the first digit of a 7-digit number and it did not update to move/remove the comma. When I tried to amend it by clicking to move the input to the beginning of the number, it caused a CTD. Basically, where | is the little blinky text input thing: 1,234,567|-> 1|,234,567 -> -> |,234,567 -> (clicked somewhere else like enhancement conversion or something) -> ,234,567 -> |,234,567 -> Crash to desktop.

For realsies. Kheldians are complete powerhouses in teams due to their inherents, but solo they need some building, especially if you avoid forms (nova until you're nearly dead then pop into dwarf to heal up and rest a bit). Fortunatas are pretty much the same in and out of groups. High control and decent melee options. I tend to confuse a lieutenant, hold someone else and then start stabbing away, throwing AoEs and stuff about when I can.

Boiled-down, simple version: Fortunata is basically a dominator/controller with high defence and scaling resistances - the more you beat them up, the harder they are to beat up, which people often forget as it doesn't show up in build planners. They give defence, ToHit and damage buffs to teams, which mean that every team you'll ever be on is better for you being there. Other than that, they mostly play like controllers or dominators doing psi damage, mezzing and throwing out mind link when it comes up for a big defence whoosh. Note that up until level 24, you're basically a scrapper with Leadership so early game doesn't represent late game *at all* due to the branching powersets. They can also do melee damage quite capably, but you don't want that and you can build around it. Warshades are basically a blaster with a sideline in mezzes with really high resistances and a bit of defence. They get buffs from teaming and from enemies so how powerful and protected they are shoots up and down and feels different solo and in groups. I would argue that if you're going human-only, peacebringer may be a better option as warshade builds tend to form swap a lot to stack buffs (look up MF warshade - top tier spec with higher difficulty), while peacebringers' buffs are almost all human-form. Warshades are harder work for higher results, while peacebringers can just rocket through things hoping Light Form doesn't crash at the wrong time but never quite hit the epic highs of a warshade. I'm sure it can be done well, though and aesthetic is 90% of the law in City of Heroes so I get it if you want dark and spoopy.

What sort of base resistance do you get? Widow scaling resistance is a tricky thing to measure, but I got to 40% with a suicide drop in Founders Falls without much by way of IOs (the defence +res one and the scaling resistance one) on about 50% health. As long as you don't take any alpha strikes, they're pretty sturdy,

Her roguish counterpart's mission doles out 20 merits and is pretty good. I did it in about 40 minute not stealthing, but a stalker with super speed could probably do it in 15. It felt well-designed and had no ambushes or kill-alls.

Just completed Bobby's arc. A few thoughts: I really liked the variety of missions and of settings. Nothing felt cookie-cutter. The ending was very strong. I liked how the clues were handled. It felt like an RPG, which was great as a lot of the dialogue in CoH feels inconsequential. Good use of NPCs in storytelling. Good use of speech bubbles. The ending was clear - I knew I had to make a choice and that was well done. The badge is well-named (little thing, but it shows attention to detail). No kill-all missions ❤️ No named female characters until the very end, but the one that's there is important. Well done to the writers, level designers and everyone involved. It was a great little experience and I look forward to more!

Honestly, there isn't much of one. Parry when it comes up, AS when it pops, Build Up when it refreshes and otherwise I just bash at things as they come off timer, saving my T9 for my guaranteed crits. If that's not up, I use the knockdown attack or fireball from the ancillary pool because if you can't crit hard, you might at well crit wide. I have my lower damage stuff on 123 and my higher stuff on 45 with the arc on 6. 7 is shield charge, 8 is fireball (ctrl+8 is pyronic judgment aka big fireball). 9 and 0 are utility stuff like mystic ward, because I like having quick access to them. Ctrl+number uses your second tray, so I bound crtl+1 to Build Up as that's pretty handy. I have my toggles in a separate tray as a sidebar so I don't unclick them by accident - I use keys for most attacks but click on some powers because life is short and the game is slow enough that you can do that.

That's worth knowing about. Thanks

I'm running a half-melee, half-ranged fortunado (Doctor Fortune on Everlasting, come and say hello) and he's just hit 41. I'm enjoying the hybrid master-of-none playstyle (I loved my Peacebringer but find it hard to pick back up). Information for widows is sparse as they're the least played archetype. I, coincidentally, ran a /psi defender and a mind/ controller back on Live and got a stalker to 50 on HC so the powers are all pretty familiar... but incarnate stuff is something else. My current plan is Musculature (because I'm a scrub) but beyond that I have no idea. Probably Ageless because endurance and recharge are always welcome, but Barrier is a great "Not Today, Satan!" power. I'm also torn between Assault and Control. What incarnates are people running, and what would they recommend?

I have Ball Lightning on my brute and Fireball on my stalker and Fireball is the heavier hitter, but unless it crits it's not going to wipe out a whole spawn of mobs (but when it does crit, it crits hard because of stalker double build-up tricks). Go with the one you like thematically. Personally, I think Fireball is more fun because sometimes you just really need everything to be on fire, but I certainly get a lot of mileage out of Mu Mastery as well.

Sadly, it's only slottable into sleep powers.

That is correct. You need to kit out two totally separate builds with enhancements.

Yeah, you just have to either slog it out or put end reduction in all your attacks, which usually works out much better than slotting your toggles.

Musculature allows you to take some of the more defensive or cheaper IO sets and still maintain a high amount of damage, which is a win-win for me. It's boring, but it works.

They seem to be based entirely off the i22 changes to stalker's assassin's strike, which is basically a melee snipe, so it's not like there is no precedent.

It fits the theme I was going for and plays well enough. The T8 and T9 powers both hit hard enough that you don't feel like you've wasted a crit as long as you hit one of those two. It's very focussed on single-target damage, which suits a stalker very well and Parry means that your normal attack chain raises your melee defence, which is just a nice additional feature.

Not hugely different, but try a stalker. It's like a scrapper with planned critical hits instead of random ones and the ATOs are absolutely broken. You basically get one or two guaranteed crits every four or so attacks and can use Build Up two or three times a minute. You actually have to work to get aggro but can take the fallout when you do get it so it plays more like a scrapper than a scrapper does. Really fun high DPS class but absolutely because of power creep late in the games development.

Ah, no. I haven't noticed that.

My personal experience and opinion: Roughly what level should I start seriously looking to slot IOs? For "normal" IOs as soon as you you can afford them - level 25 enhancements are the point at which they are stronger than SO and DO enhancements, so many people kit out at level 22 and leave those in until they replace them with named enhancements with bonuses. You can kit yourself out for 2-4 million at level 22 and just do the rest as you go. For "named" IOs with set bonuses - pick up a few when you can afford them and leave the rest for later. The ATOs mostly have a unique-in-function one in each set and it's usually worth getting them as soon as you can afford them if they're worthwhile (I think 20 is the minimum). Some really add a lot to gameplay - the Stalker and Kheldian ones, for example, are flat upgrades. Get a few cheapy ones with good bonuses as you level but I'd say most people don't have full sets until they're well into Incarnate territory unless they have a lot of inf stored up and have worked their build out carefully in advance. I see some have set levels and some scale with you? Is there a difference in quality? The lower level ones give you a lower enhancement, so if you get one with a 20% enhancement to a stat, it will always be 20% as you level up. A higher level one might give you 25% all the way up, for example. The set bonuses don't vary by level so you can mix and match. How do I go about crafting these (keeping in mind I'm not part of a SG at the moment)? At a crafting station - the universities are the easiest ones to find and have a tutorial. Each one uses a recipe, some salvage and some inf. You collect recipes as you go, or buy them off the consignment house (type /ah to open it). Recipes are used up when you create an enhancement. You can also buy them from the consignment house - I just bought most of my set bonus ones rather than craft them but that's because I'm lazy and had enough inf over enough time to do that. I craft the "normal" IOs without set bonuses because you can just buy the recipes from the crafting menu. A much riskier method is to craft cheap enhancements and use enhancement converters to something more useful (even if you just sell it on the auction house to fund getting something you actually want), which can be quite profitable but carries an element of risk. Also, you can create a SG and create a base for free on Homecoming. It's worth doing even just as a giant teleport hub. Are there any "must have" sets overall or for each archetype? Not really, but lots of people go for Luck of the Gambler for the global recharge reduction one (goes in a Defence slot), Panacea (Healing slot) and Performance Shifter (Endurance slot) for extra endurance over time - these are all specific enhancements from each set, rather than a whole set bonus. The archetype-specific enhancements vary between amazing and kinda okay - most have one that does something unusual that I would get as early as is practical (Stalkers have a proc to hide and a proc to recharge Build Up, Kheldians have one that gives you a different bonus per form, for example). I see lots of builds being shared with various IO sets, at what point do you layer in those sets? When you can afford them? Level 50? Sometime before? When you can afford them, basically. Note that if you use the Ourobouros flashback system or task forces a lot and want to be extremely efficient, you might want to have a level 50 sparkly IO build and a levelling build (talk to a trainer to change builds) as some of them lose effectiveness below a certain level. If you're not too bothered about being mega-efficient, you can stick with one though (I stick with one as it's not like I'm speedrunning task forces solo or anything). What should I prioritize in your mind when choosing IO sets to pursue? It really depends on what you want to achieve. A bit more defence (smashing & lethal or melee/ranged/AoE), resistance (smashing and lethal are most common) and global recharge are usually things people want to go for and some of the accuracy and damage bonuses are pretty nice. Knockback-to-knockdown can transform annoying, chaotic knockback powers into incredibly useful ones that act like a hold. I'm currently building up tons of salvage across my dozen or so alts (I have a serious case of alt-itis since coming back). Should I stockpile, or just sell on the market and re-buy when I need? I would sell as I think the 15% (I think?) you lose to the auction house acts as a tax on me not having to remember where I keep what salvage but I am also really lazy. I always sell orange salvage and recipes I won't use. Anything about IO's that I'm not asking about, but I should be made aware of? Just in case it wasn't clear, a "proc" is a chance for an effect to trigger, like extra damage or a bonus on something. Most of them say how often or how likely they are to occur. Procs get less frequent on powers with short recharges to counteract that you're firing them off more often and AoEs have a lower rate per target. Global recharge doesn't effect proc rate, which is one reason why everyone loves Luck of the Gambler's special recharge reduction enhancement. You shouldn't have more than five of the same thing - if you get six LotG global recharge reductions, only five of the will have an effect. It's not unusual to see your damage dip slightly with a full enhancement set if they're lower level enhancements - the Musculature alpha incarnate is a pretty good way of counteracting this.