Loosen up Power Pools a bit

[krj12]

I'm finding too often that I'm forced to take powers that will not be used, or of marginal use, simply because there is 

no better option.    Or unable to get powers I want due to build constraints.

Examples:

- Having to take kick or boxing to get access to Tough and Weave.

- Being forced to take only one travel power, since there is no room in many builds to allow access to another.     I usually like to have both flight/SS,  since they're both of use in different types of maps.

 

Suggestions:

1.  Allow selection of one more power pool than currently allowed.

2.  Remove the requirement to pick a lower level power to get to the actual needed one in a power pool.

[Alchemystic]

Hard pass, the game is easy enough already, we don't need to cripple it further by making metabuilds more accessible.

[arcane]

Second the hard pass

[Glacier Peak]

I stopped reading at "forced to take." 

[Greycat]

Power pools were already "loosened up." You no longer have to take Hover or Air Superiority to get Fly, for instance, and get THAT pick earlier.

 

It's already stupidly easy to make ridiculously overpowered, overprotected, perma-everything'd characters. It doesn't need to be any easier. MIght as well ask for your T1 to be a button that kills everything short of AVs/GMs in one press for 1000 yards around you. AVs and GMs would take two presses.

[arcane]

1 minute ago, Greycat said:

AVs and GMs would take two presses.

Ok this level of difficulty might be a bit unreasonable 

[0th Power]

16 minutes ago, Greycat said:

. MIght as well ask for your T1 to be a button that kills everything short of AVs/GMs in one press for 1000 yards around you. AVs and GMs would take two presses.

I Win Button

Edited December 2, 2021 by 0th Power

[Parabola]

A 'level 50 token' thread and now a power pools one? My forum bingo card is coming along nicely. Just need someone to start 'remove aggro cap' and 'powerset respec' threads and we'll have the full set.

 

In all seriousness though op, this is not going to be popular as you are seeing. The powercreep would be real. You might just want to take extra travel powers but most people would stuff in moar powah and we're struggling with the (lack of) difficulty curve as it is.

[Shenanigunner]

2 hours ago, Greycat said:

MIght as well ask for your T1 to be a button that kills everything short of AVs/GMs in one press for 1000 yards around you. AVs and GMs would take two presses.

 

Dear sir, I like your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

[Shenanigunner]

Seriously, hard no on this... but I am tired of the forced T1 choices with some power sets. Once I have (the new) Tesla Cage, I really don't need Electric Fence any more... but there it is.

[TheZag]

49 minutes ago, Shenanigunner said:

Seriously, hard no on this... but I am tired of the forced T1 choices with some power sets. Once I have (the new) Tesla Cage, I really don't need Electric Fence any more... but there it is.

 

Id probably be down for selecting either t1 or t2 of the secondary,  even stalkers (oh my!).  So a stalker could make a toon without hide,  who cares,  they can respec if they dont like it.  A mastermind isnt required to select henchmen and nobody cares.

 

Also,  4 power pools is plenty.

[PeregrineFalcon]

[0th Power]

34 minutes ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

Was wondering why it took you so long

[AerialAssault]

Perhaps this is only my experience, but I have never felt that I didn't have enough power picks to cover the core of my characters. 

 

[PeregrineFalcon]

44 minutes ago, 0th Power said:

Was wondering why it took you so long

The OP was posted around 4am my time and I was in a meeting this morning.

[Myrmidon]

7 hours ago, Greycat said:

MIght as well ask for your T1 to be a button that kills everything short of AVs/GMs in one press for 1000 yards around you. AVs and GMs would take two presses.

I would love to hear The Captain’s reply to this.🤣

[Akisan]

20 hours ago, Greycat said:

MIght as well ask for your T1 to be a button that kills everything short of AVs/GMs in one press for 1000 yards around you. AVs and GMs would take two presses.

 

We already have this though, in the form of Limitless Radial Freem!  Shame we can't take it outside of Mender Ramiel's arc...

[Akisan]

In all seriousness though, I would not complain about your first travel power pool being a "free pick" (if you actually pick the travel power; no free Hasten), in that it doesn't count against your 4 pools (or, move all 4 travel powers into their own, special pool).  I remember back when Fitness wasn't inherent, and I don't miss giving up 3 of my power choices (and a pool) to get a power that virtually everyone needs (and yes, if you plan on teaming, you will need a travel power or a very patient group). 

 

Yes, there has been quite a bit of power creep since then, but maybe loosening that restriction might allow more picks from less desirable pools like Medicine or Presence.

 

As far as reducing the in-pool requirements, most of those are intended as a "tax" for taking the better stuff (Boxing and Kick are actually the best example of this).  I wouldn't mind some pools getting looked at for revisiting or shuffling these around (Presence comes to mind), but a lot of the major pools either shouldn't have those restrictions limited (or should have them increased, for borderline OP, must-have things like Hasten)

 

22 hours ago, krj12 said:

- Being forced to take only one travel power, since there is no room in many builds to allow access to another.     I usually like to have both flight/SS,  since they're both of use in different types of maps.

 

My workaround for this is usually to run dual builds (or SJ as a happy medium between speed and vertical maneuverability), but that may not work for you or your toon's theme (plus, that can get expensive). 

[Outrider_01]

On 12/2/2021 at 7:53 AM, Parabola said:

A 'level 50 token' thread and now a power pools one? My forum bingo card is coming along nicely. Just need someone to start 'remove aggro cap' and 'powerset respec' threads and we'll have the full set.

Buff Regen, resulting in a Nerf.

 

Nerf Regen, resulting in a Buff.

 

End result nothing changes, but Regen is inherently worse now for no reason.

[Cancrusher]

12 minutes ago, Outrider_01 said:

Buff Regen, resulting in a Nerf.

 

Nerf Regen, resulting in a Buff.

 

End result nothing changes, but Regen is inherently worse now for no reason.

 

This a ridiculous suggestion.  I fully endorse it.

[BurtHutt]

I echo the hard pass on this as well.

 

However, maybe we should have the option of not being limited on the number of power pools we can apply to a toon. Right now we get 4 + epic option. Why not leave it open? I haven't crunched numbers but would it make for OP toons? The power pools aren't over the top powerful but it might be fun to take a variety of pools and make some wild toons.

[Aeroprism]

I say we turn Boxing and Kick into travel powers, a bit like you could use rocket launchers to jump higher in Quake.

 

Boxing = You like to pretend you're too cool for brawl yet, you're just a super strength wannabe.  You punch an enemy so ridiculously so ineptly hard that the recoil sends you flying in a random direction.

 

Kick = You thought you could chose this power although you didn't pick Martial Arts as your main?  Well guess what? Kicking correctly is HARD. You miss so badly that you and up completely elsewhere.

 

 

Yup.

 

[arcane]

8 hours ago, Akisan said:

Yes, there has been quite a bit of power creep since then, but maybe loosening that restriction might allow more picks from less desirable pools like Medicine or Presence.

Nothing is presently disallowing you or anyone else from picking those pools.

[aethereal]

2 hours ago, BurtHutt said:

I echo the hard pass on this as well.

 

However, maybe we should have the option of not being limited on the number of power pools we can apply to a toon. Right now we get 4 + epic option. Why not leave it open? I haven't crunched numbers but would it make for OP toons? The power pools aren't over the top powerful but it might be fun to take a variety of pools and make some wild toons.

 

So right now, many builds (particularly ones without many/any defense powers in their primary/secondary) want Hasten + four or five defense powers in their pools -- this allows them to build for softcap defense and also pick up 37.5% global recharge with LotG (and 70% with Hasten).  It's a bit tough right now if your primary/secondary doesn't support you:

 

Fighting gets you one defense power (but it's double-strength, and people generally want Tough as well)

Leaping gets you one defense power (and people like that one a lot, with its low endurance cost and good combat mobility)

Flight gets you two, but only with a three power commitment (and hover doesn't necessarily work with a bunch of builds, and EM doesn't give defense in combat)

Leadership gets you one (and people like tactics as well)

Concealment gets you up to three (one of which affects others), but people maybe don't like them very much

 

So if you regard Speed and Fighting as must-picks, and you want 4 (or 5) total defense powers, then you need to pick up 3 or 4 defense powers in two pools.  This can get fairly tight (people probably WANT to get Leaping and Leadership, but that's only two defense powers).  Being able to dip into Leaping and Concealment to pick up CJ and Stealth, while not being locked out of Leadership/Fighting/Speed (or sub in Flight there for whatever, if the character works well with flight) would result in some power creep.  There are also powers like Rune of Protection which are at least arguably somewhat balanced by not being in a pool that includes any defense powers (and also not being in Speed of course).

[Aeroprism]

I was about to write a soapbox-tantrum explaining how the Healing pool just sucks anyways but the more I look at it, the more I think I want to try it in a heal-deprived tank build.  Try to go without Tough/Weave for once and have a way to get some HP back.  

 

Well.  Hello, new alt.

 

Edit: Holy Molly activation time STATESMAN.  

 

I might reconsider my soapbox after all.

Edited December 3, 2021 by Aeroprism