How do you know when you have found something special?

[Rishidian]

For me, It's the AT with Primary/Secondary power choice first.  Survivability has to be there for this team (the toon and me).  If we don't work out, then they end up on the shelf.  Here's an example.  I started a Sonic/Bubble Corruptor named Soapy Water - after an adult joke: 'How do you get bubbles?'  I'm sure you can figure out the answer.

Anyway, I found the survivability to be seriously lacking.  I couldn't even complete the TwinShot arc without face planting many times with the Praetorian Clockwork.  He just didn't have the damage output needed, even slotting SO's.  This one was very squishy, and too frustrating to continue.  Another issue, the 1st Defensive Bubble - Only affects self, you can't attack out, but their attacks can penetrate it (on a to hit of 5%, but if I'm trying to heal [can't rest in the bubble], and the RNG does it's normal thing where mobs tend to roll low and I tend to roll high, then it's worthless).  This sux butt loads.

 

The second issue is the Costume, which isn't really an issue.  The most important thing is to make the back side bearable, because I'm staring at that the whole time.

 

Third is the animation. This goes for general activations (Staff if pretty cool) and activations times (Titan Weapons tend to be easily overwhelmed because they are up close and slow).  My Titan Weapons Scrapper is taking a vacation because of this.

 

Just my 2 inf.

[Yomo Kimyata]

I'm coming up on my two year anniversary on HC, and I go through waves.  Themed supergroups, unloved powerset pairings, blueside, redside, goldside.

 

One thing I've been trying lately is to challenge my assumptions of what I like.  I maybe have three blasters in my stable because I generally don't like playing them, but I came up with a good theme and I'm running her through Praetoria at normal XP (instead of double).  And she's great, I'm really enjoying the play.  I have historically avoided armor sets that have click protection because it gets micromanage-y (and I never got around to making the macros to have two "auto" powers, so I'm playing melee types with those sets *gasp* WITHOUT HASTEN!  And it's great!  I would have hated both of these builds in 2019.

 

By all means, stick with what you like.  But sometimes, question what you like and you may surprise yourself.

[Dazl]

On 3/17/2021 at 8:25 AM, Fire Chief said:

When I look at my vet lvl and its almost 100 and it feels like I just rolled him up.

True that. A large part of it is finding that AT and power set that fits your play style. 

[CaptTastic]

For me it’s when I start rooting for them, and for that I’ve learned I need some vulnerability there. 
 

Like everyone else, I have the overpowered, huge damage, +4/x8 on their own without losing health, AV-soloing characters, but they bore me because I can’t really connect. 
 

Then again, my staff/SR scrapper was doing   some lvl 40ish missions last night... no real spike damage and could take a big hit any time, and I was happy as anything because he was an underdog I could root for. When he came through stuff, there was a sense of victory and achievement rather than the dull inevitability I feel when on more powerful characters. 
 

That’s just the way I’m weird though I guess. 

[Call Me Awesome]

I've had three characters that really grabbed me that way.  First was my namesake Inv/Stone tanker about the time I hit 25 and respec'd into an unkillable build back in issue 3... suddenly I knew what SUPER was.  That was back when Invuln truly was if you built it well.

 

The second was my Broadsword/Shield scrapper sometime around issue 9 or so, unkillable defense and extreme damage output with a high end IO build.

 

Third was my 2nd Fire/EM blaster.  That was actually the very first combination I rolled up when I started playing and my noobish hands could not stay alive so I rolled CMA and deleted it.  Then sometime around the third year I'd played I rolled another Fire/EM blaster up and found it a ton of fun in my more experienced hands.  I enjoyed it so much that my first 50 on Homecoming was that blaster and he's still one of my most played characters.

 

Back on Live I had about 15 level 50 characters but out of them all those three were my go-to choices.  I believe I had taken every AT but Masterminds to 50 at least once.  I've been occupied with business this past year and haven't had much time to play but those three are still my default choices here when I get an evening free.

[Yomo Kimyata]

So recently I was struck with a fit of nostalgia and pulled up Yomo, my eponymous broadsword/invulnerability scrapper who was my first character both on Live and on Homecoming.  
 

He’s in a good place as far as I’m concerned — not wildly overpowered and not useless.  I’ve also been on a bit of a badging kick, so grinding away, making him better and better as he gains more accolades and incarnate powers.  
 

I’m currently soloing my way through Task Force Commander, then he’s off to solo all the AVs he “skipped” as EBs the first time through.  Then we will try to solo everything we can — the DA arc was very doable at +4/x8 thanks to level shifts.

 

I’m back in love.