suggestion Power Pool Revamp - Overall

[Zepp]

There are a couple things I am looking at here.

 

1. T₄ powers should only require a single power from the pool for unlock. So Lvl 4 T₁-T₃, Lvl 14 + one power from the pool T₄, L14 + two powers from the pool T₅.
2. The Teleport Pool (as has been discussed in two separate recent threads) needs a bit of a revamp. This pool is popular despite it needing a major renovation.
3. Presence is the least popular pool (for good reason) and may need a revamp.
4. There are several unpopular powers in other pools that need reconsideration/replacement. These include Phase Shift, Group Fly, Burnout, & Whirlwind. (This list is from memory, I saw the list a couple of days ago and those were the ones I remember as being low).
5. Whether to continue work on the expansion pools must be considered.

[MetaVileTerror]

I wouldn't mind seeing Victory Rush tweaked upward.  At the very least, it should also grant the bonuses to Hench/Pets.

I like Unrelenting and Presence in general, but wouldn't mind Intimidate being unlockable without needing either Pacify or Provoke.

[TheAdjustor]

My personal feeling is fighting could use a little looking at.

 

I suspect kick/boxing are overwhelmingly unslotted or taken as set mules. I don't get the whole force people to take something useless not going to be used idea.

 

There's also the option of not requiring two picks  to get  weave.

 

I know for blaster builds I can practically look at the build and see if it has tough or weave or not and have an instant pass fail on the build. It's also a good indicator for melee builds but not as much.

[biostem]

I really like mystic flight's 2-in-1 functionality.  I'd love to see both teleport and fly revamped to be more attractive.

[Some Random User]

Why do any Pool options need speedbump gatekeeping? Why aren't they all "take any whenever"?

[Haijinx]

4 minutes ago, Some Random User said:

Why do any Pool options need speedbump gatekeeping? Why aren't they all "take any whenever"?

Epics too.

 

While I'm personally ambivalent, since I always have too many powers and not enough slots, i can see where skipping boxing or conserve power would be better in many cases. 

[Haijinx]

You could leave the level reqs in, just not the throwaway powers 

[Some Random User]

15 minutes ago, Haijinx said:

You could leave the level reqs in, just not the throwaway powers 

If the goal here is to punish players by taking up choices in their build then that doesn't work. That is not currently an effective way to discourage players from taking the most effective options.

 

Don't get me wrong. I get why Powersets exist. I'm told that during Alpha the entire game was just "take stuff whenever" any that made for insanity. What I don't understand is why we put a global bebuff on all of the Pool Powers and then also hide some of them behind prerequisites. Choose one or the other. Once we have firm rules we're following for what should and shouldn't be available to players we can worry about making things accessible or updated or "balanced" or whatever.

[Zepp]

So no power requirements for T₄ or T₅?

[Weylin]

Group Fly? It needs to give a higher speed bonus to allies.

It also needs to increase in strength for every ally in the radius, so a full team can ZOOM

[tidge]

I have toons that have multiple powers from the Presence pool. I can't write for why others don't take it, but I use the FEAR powers as a form of Control for certain Melee characters to mitigate/prevent cascading defense failures, or to help out squishy pets. The pool may not be everyone's cuppa, but it works fine for me as is.

 

I have a big issue with Group Fly: I like it best for MMs and I like the level of control it brings (similar to Hover) but I resent having to take 2 Pool powers before being able to choose Group Fly...  especially because it is otherwise so similar to Hover and Flight when 'solo'. Writing just for myself (as a player that prefers Flight as my travel power) I often find my (MMs) wanting to take GF at some point, but unable/unwilling to burn a second power choice from the Flight pool.

 

I will add this thought about T5 Pool powers: I rarely take them, even on 'extra' builds or during 'burn a Respec' phases. This is primarily due to the cost (in terms of other power slots) with a little bit of the 'meh' nature of the options. I am disappointed that the pools have so few Auto powers... I find myself selecting powers that I may never click/toggle simply to mule an IO (ehem LotG,  Universal Travel, etc.) If only some of the unloved T5 offered something similar.

 

[Replacement]

I'm ok with, and agree with, gating powers behind picks that come before it.  

 

I am not ok with forcing players to take intentionally-underwhelming powers to get there.

 

In a vacuum, Boxing/Kick are intentionally weak, yet they're considered equivalent to Hasten.

 

Riiiiight

Edited September 26, 2019 by Replacement

[quixoteprog]

If there were any justice in the game world Hasten would require that you pick EVERY OTHER speed power before you could take it. And in exchange, you could give up Flurry.

 

More seriously, I think a better mechanic for pool power in general would be something similar to what they do in the fighting pool, where taking other powers in the same set improves each other power, but you aren't FORCED to take any power.

 

As an example, the speed pool has 5 powers. Flurry, Hasten, Super Speed and Whirlwind. Since just about everyone who takes a power in the set will take SS and Hasten and will probably only add slots to Hasten, and even then 2, at most?

 

Each power you take in the same set reduces the endurance cost, or maybe the recharge of each of the other powers by 5%?

 

You could have each power get a different buff. So, for example, Hasten should definitely NOT get a recharge bonus, maybe no bonus at all since it is kind of OP as is.  But buffing the end, recharge or even damage dealt by flurry should happen regardless of what they do.

[Communistpenguin]

I would love to take the fear powers from presence, but the buy in powers are pretty much useless to almost everyone.  I think originally you could take the single target fear first as an option to the st taunt. i wouldnt mind if that was brought back. Most of the t5s arent worth taking. 

[Some Random User]

15 hours ago, Zepp said:

So no power requirements for T₄ or T₅?

Can you name a T4 or T5 that needs a speedbump before you get there?

[Zepp]

2 hours ago, Some Random User said:

Can you name a T4 or T5 that needs a speedbump before you get there?

Removing power requirements completely would be a major shift (and also lead to questioning of the ancillary pool power requirements) which would require serious consideration before moving forward. I do not currently hold a position on total removal, however I do hold the position stated in the OP that at a maximum, T₄ should be one power and T₅ two.

[Haijinx]

18 hours ago, Zepp said:

So no power requirements for T₄ or T₅?

That was the idea i had, yeah.

 

But your counter suggestion of reducing the prerequisite # by 1 is pretty cool too.

[Zepp]

41 minutes ago, Haijinx said:

That was the idea i had, yeah.

 

But your counter suggestion of reducing the prerequisite # by 1 is pretty cool too.

Hard to call it a counter-suggestion as it was in the OP and the poll (making elimination the counter-proposal).

I was suggesting the 0-0-0-1-2 format as an improvement because the current system does not seem to be useful. This would be in addition to the reworking or replacing of less desirable T₄ and T₅ powers.