A different sort of mastery badge set.

[Greycat]

So, sure, we have "master of" badges for task forces and trials - some, at least. You got through X TF without deaths, in a certain time, etc - or have all the badges for some itrials.

 

How about a different sort of mastery set?  Or rather... several? And yes, some people are going to *hate* this... but I'd call it more viable here than it would have been on live. (Besides, every suggestion has someone who'll hate it. That's life.) You'll see why. And why this would have to be an account-level badge.

 

Some "themes" - the older ones, typically, but not always - are spread across all categories.  Stone, dark, ice, fire, that sort of thing.  For these, how about a "Mastery of (element?)" badge.

Have characters at 50 with (for instance) Ice armor, Ice melee, Ice control, Ice blast, Ice assault, Cold domination = "Master of ice" (or "master of winter," perhaps. The name should be descriptive.)

Fire armor, melee, control, blast, domination, thermal? Master/mistress of fire.

 

Once you get this for fire, cold, dark, stone - the classic elemental sets? "Master of elements."

 

But, we can spread out the idea.

AR (and/or beam rifle,) dual pistols, MA (and/or SJ,) staff, katana/broadsword/dual blades? Martial Arts Master.

 

Or we can go vertically. One of each melee armor set, either AT specific or just the fact it's armor? Armor master.  One of each melee set (theme - so spine brute or stalker or tank, not necessarily one of each) - Melee master. Same with blast/assault, control and support.

 

Maybe by AT.

Tank with each armor set to 50? Tank Commander.

Even without doing one of each AT, one of each Epic AT (and I do mean to split out the two branches, so one PB, one WS, crab, bane, widow, fort) - "Truly Epic."  (Maybe one for one of each - one of each HEAT to 50 gives a sub-mastery... "Brings the heat," one soldier, one widow to 50, "Brings the veat?")

 

One of each MM set? "Redundancy." (Or Master Mastermind.)

 

========

OK, so why this?

 

Well, first answer, "why not." We've got 5 servers with 1000 slots each.

 

Second, on live I used to love doing these little challenges like this. One of each control set to 50 (and of course the Khelds) I finished, think I'd gotten close to one of each melee (I've *still* not gotten a katana to 50 for whatever reason.) For me, they're fun little side projects. They might get people to branch out of their comfort zones, or get other groups together to try new things.

 

Why not?

 

I can hear some arguments against it already  -

 

"I love my main, I only play that." This doesn't keep you from playing your main.  And if your main is your badger - well, that's why this is account wide. You (rather obviously ;) ) can't get these on one character.

 

"NAME CAMPING!" .... I'm going to be my blunt self here and say (a) that's overhyped and (b) I don't care. Yes, even me, an altaholic RPer on Everlasting. I don't care. Thumbs-down me. I don't care there, either.

 

"People will just farm it." This is a long-term-project sort of badge. Yes, I get some people will just farm it, in whole or in part. I debated saying something like "be 50 and have 100 merits on the character to prove you at least played it a little," but... honestly, there are sets *I* don't like and would farm through to the end, as well, to get them out of the way. This is a *lot* of farming to do if someone wants to do that.  So, in the end... it's another "don't really care." Besides, people *already* farm badges - there are guides to healing, damage, time held, etc. badges, people farm each other for PVP badges. Yes, if there's a badge, someone will farm it. Even ol' Don got tired of seeing that particular windmill.

 

"What about new sets?" OK, this one I don't really have an answer to - but on the other hand, even on live new sets didn't come out at an extremely rapid pace, so I don't think it's really something to worry about.

 

 

Is this in *any* way needed? Nope. It's just something that might be fun - and encourage people to, maybe, pick up and try a set or playstyle they haven't before.

Edited November 20, 2021 by Greycat
Forgot the new sets bit.

[arcane]

I would get most of these automatically so sure why not 🙂

[Coyotedancer]

I would love to have a Mistress of the Dark badge title for Void's Thorn... so, yeah. Count me in.  

[TheZag]

This represents hundreds or even thousands of hours to earn rewards by being forced to play certain powers.  I cant recall any reward that forces players to choose a certain powerset but i could be wrong on that.  Im respectfully a no for this one.

[Greycat]

14 minutes ago, TheZag said:

This represents hundreds or even thousands of hours to earn rewards by being forced to play certain powers.

 

Or, if you absolutely, positively don't want to play them... sit in a farm briefly. What is it, two hours to 50? Badgers set up badge farms all the time. These don't even take an unusual setup (get X type of enemy to damage/hold you for Y many hours.) Find or make an AFK farmer on a second account, let them sit overnight, leave character in farm. You don't even have to see them, much less actually play them.

 

Or don't go after the badges. *shrug* Nobody's forcing anyone to get them. They don't unlock or reward anything else and confer no advantage.

 

As far as badges favoring choosing certain powers or powersets... sure there are. Healing badges come to mind immediately.  Either need a powerset with a power that heals others, or you have to dip into the medicine pool, which you may not otherwise have done, or have to take one specific Incarnate power branch. And those are going to require a bunch of time either playing or sitting in a farm setup.

 

Nothing new here but scope.

 

And before there's a "why do it then," because some people - like me - like the sorts of things these badges would stand for and actually *do* play "one of each.... to 50" type challenges. Yes it takes time. I'd do it anyway. They're little goals to reach for the fun of it.

[JasperStone]

For those against ....badges are optional.

 

I am always down for more shiny stuff.

 

Without having game breaking mechanics, these should come with some sort of perk, 

 

I KNOWA !!!! the game is already easy  so ....shush

[arcane]

14 minutes ago, JasperStone said:

For those against ....badges are optional.

This is kind of the crux of why it’s hard to jranger anything like this. Who cares if you don’t want to work for a particular badge? It’s... a badge.

 

I would also like to plug for a vet level 1,000 badge while we’re at it 🙂

Edited November 21, 2021 by arcane

[lemming]

would these be account wide badges, so that those competitionists don't have an aneurysm?

[arcane]

28 minutes ago, lemming said:

would these be account wide badges, so that those competitionists don't have an aneurysm?

Would have to be to function as described, since you can’t, for instance, have Icy Assault and Ice Blast simultaneously except in account-wide terms.

[lemming]

1 hour ago, arcane said:

Would have to be to function as described, since you can’t, for instance, have Icy Assault and Ice Blast simultaneously except in account-wide terms.

ah, missed the 'account-level" mention.   I shouldn't be multitasking as much as I am. 

[Akisan]

On 11/20/2021 at 12:15 PM, Greycat said:

"What about new sets?"

 

Could go the route of DDO's completionist feat (level all classes to max level):  when a new set is released/proliferated, existing badges that now contain that set are revoked (go play the new set!).

[0th Power]

What is the opposite of /jranger?

[TheZag]

On 11/20/2021 at 11:05 PM, Greycat said:

As far as badges favoring choosing certain powers or powersets... sure there are. Healing badges come to mind immediately.

 

This is true but not what i meant.  All badges are obtainable without requiring a certain powerset even if some powers make badging easier then others.  I will remain not in favor of badges that are optional to earn that require certain powerset selection.