Returning player requesting guidance

[kcfalcon]

Hi all!  I'm a returning player who has just recently discovered Homecoming!  I'm thrilled that this game has been resurrected and am looking forward to jumping in.  

So, as I have been dabbling a bit with all the new options available in creating a toon, I found myself wondering about two things, and would greatly appreciate any assistance / guidance on these...

 

1.  In many MMO's that I've played, I've found that...when it comes to endgame content / raids / etc., that certain classes are desired and some are not.  Is it the same  here?   For example...the sentinel.  This AT sounds very fun to me, but since it doesn't seem to deal near the damage that a blaster would...perhaps it would not be desired in groups / raids, etc.  Is this the case?

 

2.  I'm very intrigued by the wide variety of options...specifically the different armor sets.  I'm leaning toward leveling a brute, and am wondering if there exists anywhere a comparison table that lists the amount of resistance, defense, endo regen, etc. that each set offers?  I've read some posts offering chunks of info on this, but would love to see a table that lists all of it.  If there isn't one, is there a way for me to observe/collect this data on each armor set without leveling a toon all the way to 50 first?

 

 

[Sakai]

Welcome home. 

 

As far as endgame  it seems to be still "bring what you want to run."  Its always nice to have a Tank but if none appear there are a wide range of other options available...someone will step up.  I have no actual experience with Sentinels myself but have ran with many and they seem to be doing just fine. 

 

There might be a comparison chart for def/res. I know I saw one for damage so tbe other probably exists. 

 

 

[Troo]

Hi

I'd suggest; if you had a former favorite starting there.

 

Endgame content.. well, once a character is all maxed out, mostly all of the content has been done. (new content may be on the way)

Late in the game, Defense debuffs & Psi damage becomes more common (more fyi than critical info)

 

Blasters still trump other archetypes for ranged damage. These can be built to be very sturdy.

AoE is more inline with the current group play style.

 

Have Fun!

[Gulbasaur]

5 hours ago, kcfalcon said:

1.  In many MMO's that I've played, I've found that...when it comes to endgame content / raids / etc., that certain classes are desired and some are not.  Is it the same  here?   For example...the sentinel.  This AT sounds very fun to me, but since it doesn't seem to deal near the damage that a blaster would...perhaps it would not be desired in groups / raids, etc.  Is this the case?

My experience - everyone is so absurdly overpowered by endgame that it doesn't matter apart from a very small slither of things. Play how you want to play. Really, truly, honestly this is one of the better games for "I just wanna play X" playstyles. I've run incarnate trials and task forces etc and I would never turn someone away for playing a sentinel. 

5 hours ago, kcfalcon said:

2.  I'm very intrigued by the wide variety of options...specifically the different armor sets.  I'm leaning toward leveling a brute, and am wondering if there exists anywhere a comparison table that lists the amount of resistance, defense, endo regen, etc. that each set offers?  I've read some posts offering chunks of info on this, but would love to see a table that lists all of it.  If there isn't one, is there a way for me to observe/collect this data on each armor set without leveling a toon all the way to 50 first?

There was a set of screenshots of different totals going around a while ago. 

Check out Mids Hero Planner (in the tools section of the forum) for a build simulator - it's a bit complex if you're new to the game but it can give you an idea of what stats are like for which sets. Broadly speaking, 45% defence in smashing and lethal or melee, ranged and AoE and 90% resistance will put you in the really, really sturdy category, but "more is better" is a good rule of thumb and some sets have alternative means of protection (lots of healing, lots of absorb shield, control effects) that will let you get away with less.

 

I think people can be a bit myopic about end-game builds, whereas in practice you'll be levelling for a while and level scaling is a thing in the game. The brute forum gets a bit clogged with farming builds, but Tanker and Scrapper armour sets are almost identical (Sentinel and Stalker less so) so it can be worth looking at those. 

[Techwright]

5 hours ago, Troo said:

 

Endgame content.. well, once a character is all maxed out, mostly all of the content has been done. (new content may be on the way)

 

Troo is right, after a fashion.  The classic-type endgame stuff has a limit.  But what this game does well, that I don't really get on other MMOs, is to fold the character back into all the remaining missions and story arcs that the character failed to grab on the way up the ranks.  Sure, I can go back and do earlier content on other MMOs, but they are all grayed out.  Here, I can set it up so that nothing is grayed out, and be earning Incarnate ranks, and getting Incarnate thread drops, etc. towards refining my character's abilities.  I know there are players who have well exceeded 99 Incarnate levels, though I've never heard the highest.  And should you, by some means, have the time to complete every last bit of hero-side content, well then there's every bit of the Praetorian saga to do, and you can even go rogue and do every bit of the villain side and it's strike forces.  And should you conquer all of that, there's the user created stories in the AE, and I'm not talking about the power-leveling farms.

 

All that, and I'm just now getting to the fact that you can make adjustments to the difficulty of instanced missions, allowing you to remain challenged.  Several of the players also go for "Master" status on the various task forces, with demanding conditions to show how tempered your creation has become.  And should you feel you've truly created a superman, then there's the way of folks who solo giant monsters and arch villains intended for team and league content.  There's a lot to do beyond 50.

 

 

Now as to one type being snubbed in end content, I don't think you've anything to worry about.  I've been playing since May of last year, and I've only been snubbed by a team lead one time, and honestly, he came off as an arrogant little toad.  It wasn't even my sentinel.  Setting toads aside, there are occasionally those who, due to the challenge they wish to specifically set up, will be very demanding in the selection process of teammate, but they're honest with it up front in their announcements, and I can't recall a specific archetype being excluded.  It's more a specific role that gets excluded:  "We have enough DPS, we're in need of tanking".    

 

A sentinel should be fine.  I've a few of them, and they're a joy to play.  I've never been denied in end content or task force.   It has been noted by others that they're the middle of the road, "the jack of all trades, master of none" sort, which, if you're the type that like to manipulate ever crumb of a character's stats, then you might find it lacking in your opinion, but honestly, this also goes back to what other players have said:  it's the man in the machine that matters far more than the machine.

 

Welcome to Homecoming!

Edited November 27, 2020 by Techwright

[kcfalcon]

So much great input / advice!  I really appreciate you guys taking the time to share!

[Ironblade]

11 hours ago, kcfalcon said:

1.  In many MMO's that I've played, I've found that...when it comes to endgame content / raids / etc., that certain classes are desired and some are not.  Is it the same  here?   For example...the sentinel.  This AT sounds very fun to me, but since it doesn't seem to deal near the damage that a blaster would...perhaps it would not be desired in groups / raids, etc.  Is this the case?

Pretty much everyone is useful.  In fact, for Hamidon raids, you need ranged damage, melee damage, holds and tanks.  So a variety is very helpful.

I've taken almost every archetype to 50 and they're all good.  The only one I haven't done yet is Sentinel since it's new and I've been busy recreating characters I had back on live.

 

11 hours ago, kcfalcon said:

2.  I'm very intrigued by the wide variety of options...specifically the different armor sets.  I'm leaning toward leveling a brute, and am wondering if there exists anywhere a comparison table that lists the amount of resistance, defense, endo regen, etc. that each set offers?  I've read some posts offering chunks of info on this, but would love to see a table that lists all of it.  If there isn't one, is there a way for me to observe/collect this data on each armor set without leveling a toon all the way to 50 first?

I don't know anywhere you can find all that information compiled but, to be honest, that's probably because it would not be that helpful.  Most sets are a 'defense set' or a 'resist set' or a 'regen set'.  There are some that cross over; Invulnerability is considered a 'blend set' (resistance and defense).  And most armors will have different stats vs smashing / fire / energy / psi / etc damage so it would be very hard to compile the stats in a legible format.

 

Decide what you're going to do with the brute and that will narrow down the options for you.  Do you plan to farm?  Do you mostly play solo or on large teams?  Are you creating this character for end-game content?

 

And I wouldn't use endurance recovery as a factor in a decision since it's super easy to deal with endurance issues (IO set bonuses, incarnate powers, ancillary power pools).

[Bastille Boy]

Welcome back to the game!

 

My experience is that every archetype and powerset combination is welcome in endgame pick-up groups. Brute and Sentinel are both good choices for a new player or for a returning player who's rolling their first toon in 8+ years. They play well both solo and on teams. Their role on teams is simple: do damage! A brute can function as a tanker (herding, taunting), but it's not expected.

 

Though "play what you want, how you want" is generally good advice, there are three playstyles that can cause friction on a team:

1. Being a "dedicated healer." Characters with "healing" sets like Empathy and Pain Domination are welcome. They're expected to attack and buff/debuff as well as healing.
2. Using knockback, especially AOE knockback, unskillfully. Slotting knockback-to-knockdown enhancements on knockback powers is often a good idea. Knockdown is fine.
3. Using AOE controls in a way that prevents the team's tanker(s) from herding.

I don't think any of these would be a big issue for any of the brute powersets. For a sentinel or other ranged type, I might steer clear of Energy Blast for a first toon.

[LiquidBandage]

14 hours ago, kcfalcon said:

Hi all!  I'm a returning player who has just recently discovered Homecoming!  I'm thrilled that this game has been resurrected and am looking forward to jumping in.  

So, as I have been dabbling a bit with all the new options available in creating a toon, I found myself wondering about two things, and would greatly appreciate any assistance / guidance on these...

 

1.  In many MMO's that I've played, I've found that...when it comes to endgame content / raids / etc., that certain classes are desired and some are not.  Is it the same  here?   For example...the sentinel.  This AT sounds very fun to me, but since it doesn't seem to deal near the damage that a blaster would...perhaps it would not be desired in groups / raids, etc.  Is this the case?

 

2.  I'm very intrigued by the wide variety of options...specifically the different armor sets.  I'm leaning toward leveling a brute, and am wondering if there exists anywhere a comparison table that lists the amount of resistance, defense, endo regen, etc. that each set offers?  I've read some posts offering chunks of info on this, but would love to see a table that lists all of it.  If there isn't one, is there a way for me to observe/collect this data on each armor set without leveling a toon all the way to 50 first?

#0 Welcome back

#1 Play what motivates you (inspires creativity). How a group meshes together helps determine the success of the group (play style combined with complimentary powersets). Is a healer or tank useful? Yes, especially if the group is all Blasters. Is it required? No. Can those capabilities be covered by other ATs with pool power picks? Yes. What is most important is that someone in the group mentally fills the role and leads the group (debuffing, tanking, healing). There are some edge cases like Hamidon or Lord Recluse (in MLTF) where just walking in without a plan will end in disaster regardless of what ATs you bring. 

#2 Armor sets ALWAYS have a gap in protection somewhere. Your offensive powerset can help mitigate your weaknesses (knock up/down, -ToHit) a little. iirc you can boost a character on the Test server to take a look. 

 

As a side note, Resistance plays a little differently than Defense. With Resistance, you go in expecting to take damage. With Defense, you go in hoping to not take damage. It is much harder to gauge your relative effectiveness if you aren't getting feedback (taking damage) on a regular basis. That is why players push hard to get to the soft caps ASAP. 

 

Also, the "endgame" content is not the goal of the game. Games with leveling systems invariably paint themselves into a corner content-wise. Take the time to enjoy the game as you level. There are different challenges to overcome that not being a nigh-invulnerable maxed out character will provide enjoyment. It also takes time to learn how your powersets and power choices work together (or don't, necessitating a respec). Some power combinations hit the ground running at character generation while others take time (needing specific powers or slots to make powers impactful) and playing through those rough patches helps inform you of situations where you NEED to be mindful of what you are doing. So if you run across a similar situation in the future (being exemplared or running a low level TF or mission arc via Ouroboros) you don't automatically face plant. 

 

It also helps to be observant of how the group tackles content (ref Bastille Boy's post above) and figure out how you can best assist the team. As a Energy Blast Sentinel that does plenty of knockback, I wait a tick or two for a tank to engage before firing off my AoEs. Once the mob fires off a power and moves in close a Controller can immobilize then you can go to town. Alternately you can target the Boss and slam your single target powers (they tend to be more resistant to knockback) while the pack huddles up. Or you can reposition yourself so your knockbacks drive them into the tank or against a wall, etc. There are multiple ways to be mindful about how you operate in a group. Then sometimes knockback is a CC in itself and is a great option. 

Edited November 27, 2020 by LiquidBandage

[Dazl]

Welcome home. Play what ever you want, all are welcome end game, such as it is. This isn't like WoW.

 

I enjoy doing end game content with my level 50 fire/fire sentinel and never had an issue with any leaders or ever felt like I wasn't pulling my weight.