I found a combo I like but have to take a power I don't want to take

[DougGraves]

Now that we have a choice of secondary powers at 1st level, I have not encountered a combo where I was forced to take a power I did not want - until now.

 

Dominator plant/sonic is a good combo.  But I don't want (I just googled "dominator" "homecoming" and was a little worried about what results I would get) Strident Echo.  It's not a bad power, but I'd rather take arcane bolt and just have ranged attacks.  And as a dominator I don't want Entangle or Roots as I have plenty of attacks and don't care about immobilize.

 

Are there any combos you play where you have to take a power that you would rather skip?

[TheOtherTed]

Kind of, though my story is about pool powers rather than primaries and secondaries.  On my Archery/MA Blaster, I wanted both Combat Jumping and Acrobatics, but I didn't want Super Jump.  So I had to take Jump Kick.  I used it once - and immediately removed it from my power bar.  Never want to see that animation again, especially on that character.

 

Similarly, I wanted Super Speed as the same character's travel power, which meant I had to choose between Flurry and Hasten.  Nope, I don't like either.  Nope, I'm not interested in why either one is the best power in the game.  And, nope, I'm not interested in exactly how terrible a player I am for not using whatever I picked (I honestly can't remember).

 

Don't worry, I don't team, so nobody will be "stuck" with my horrible terribleness.  The punchline is that I have two slots on one character dedicated to powers I'll never use in order to get the powers I wanted.

[Herotu]

I have a huge problem creating characters that I like.

 

I just don't understand how the primary powerset goes with the secondary. I have very few that I've actually got to 50 and here's some examples;

Willpower/SS tanker. Easy - it makes sense, he's a beefy bloke who bashes things and doesn't want to lose. No problem there.

Energy/Energy blaster. Easy - it's all the same powerset really, so I don't have any problem merging the two.

Bots/FF MM.  It's got robots and technology that makes bubbles. I can headcanon that too.

DP/Ninja Training blaster. Possibly my most adventurous character - a spanish-ish pistolero-and-sword character who fights the corrupt governor for freedom of the people.

 

... and then I'm struggling, because whilst I have lots of costumes, I can't really get the power sets to make sense. 😞

Edited January 6, 2023 by Herotu

[biostem]

40 minutes ago, DougGraves said:

I was forced to take a power I did not want

There are different ways to interpret your use of the word "forced", here - do you mean from a simple stylistic vantage point, or in terms of a power being so crucial to a build that you really couldn't function without it?  I'm not a huge fan of having to take taunt on my tankers, but I recognize that it is a nearly indispensable tool, so take it anyway.  If you're instead talking about the simple game mechanic of having to take the 1st or second power from your primary and secondary, then I'd refer you to my prior sentence.

[ScrewlooseCohh]

 

Can't you take Shriek at level 1 another Plant Control power at level 2 and then Scream at level 4 and bypass Strident Echo?

[biostem]

2 minutes ago, ScrewlooseCohh said:

Can't you take Shriek at level 1 another Plant Control power at level 2 and then Scream at level 4 and bypass Strident Echo?

I think the OP is talking about the 2 powers you pick at level 1/character creation...

[DougGraves]

8 minutes ago, ScrewlooseCohh said:

Can't you take Shriek at level 1 another Plant Control power at level 2 and then Scream at level 4 and bypass Strident Echo?

 

I only want 1 of the first 3 plant control powers and 1 of the first 2 sonic powers.  

[Grouchybeast]

39 minutes ago, Herotu said:

... and then I'm struggling, because whilst I have lots of costumes, I can't really get the power sets to make sense. 😞

 

You can do a lot with recolours, I find.  For example, I have Clocktail, a Praetorian bartender clockwork, who uses her cocktail mixing (Water Blast) and drink cooling (Cold Domination) abilities.  I also have Buffalo Lill, a mutant cow who controls plants (Nature Affinity) and drowns her enemies in milk (Water Blast).

[tidge]

23 minutes ago, DougGraves said:

 

I only want 1 of the first 3 plant control powers and 1 of the first 2 sonic powers.  

 

I don't know what other self-imposed constraints you have, but 4-slotting Strangler with Basilisk's Gaze is an easy way to get 7.5% Global Recharge... which ought to be helpful if you are chasing PermaDom.

 

Edit: Sorry, I didn't read closely enough that Strangler was already part of the build!

Edited January 7, 2023 by tidge

[Erratic1]

59 minutes ago, Herotu said:

I have a huge problem creating characters that I like.

 

I just don't understand how the primary powerset goes with the secondary. I have very few that I've actually got to 50 and here's some examples;

Willpower/SS tanker. Easy - it makes sense, he's a beefy bloke who bashes things and doesn't want to lose. No problem there.

Energy/Energy blaster. Easy - it's all the same powerset really, so I don't have any problem merging the two.

Bots/FF MM.  It's got robots and technology that makes bubbles. I can headcanon that too.

DP/Ninja Training blaster. Possibly my most adventurous character - a spanish-ish pistolero-and-sword character who fights the corrupt governor for freedom of the people.

 

... and then I'm struggling, because whilst I have lots of costumes, I can't really get the power sets to make sense. 😞

 

I have quite literally -=NEVER=- had a character where the primary and secondary were thematically the same and had very little problem justifying any of the well over a hundred characters I have made. Just sometimes you have to lean a bit harder into comic book physics than others. 😛

 

16 minutes ago, Grouchybeast said:

 

You can do a lot with recolours, I find. 

 

Taking such an approach has been part of my toolset.

[Major_Decoy]

2 hours ago, TheOtherTed said:

Kind of, though my story is about pool powers rather than primaries and secondaries.  On my Archery/MA Blaster, I wanted both Combat Jumping and Acrobatics, but I didn't want Super Jump.  So I had to take Jump Kick.  I used it once - and immediately removed it from my power bar.  Never want to see that animation again, especially on that character.

 

Similarly, I wanted Super Speed as the same character's travel power, which meant I had to choose between Flurry and Hasten.  Nope, I don't like either.  Nope, I'm not interested in why either one is the best power in the game.  And, nope, I'm not interested in exactly how terrible a player I am for not using whatever I picked (I honestly can't remember).

Super Jump is at least good as a mule. It's a great power to stick Winter's Gift: 20% slow resistance or Blessing of the Zephir: Knockback protection in.

 

Flurry and Hasten? Not so much. I wanted Whirlwind on my Dark/Kinetics tank and had to take both Super Speed and hasten to get it. (though the bonus super speed power that allows me to phase through things is kind of nice for an air elemental). It's Dark Armour, so I don't entirely regret hasten, but I think I'd rather have Oppressive gloom if I had a choice.

[aethereal]

2 hours ago, TheOtherTed said:

Similarly, I wanted Super Speed as the same character's travel power, which meant I had to choose between Flurry and Hasten.

 

You don't, though.

[Major_Decoy]

7 minutes ago, aethereal said:

 

You don't, though.

Not any more, but the travel powers used to be "You can take this at level 14 if you have one other power from this pool"

[aethereal]

Just now, Major_Decoy said:

Not any more, but the travel powers used to be "You can take this at level 14 if you have one other power from this pool"

Yes, of course, but not during the existence of Homecoming.

[TheOtherTed]

57 minutes ago, aethereal said:

 

You don't, though.

Oops, yep, you're right.  I guess I now know why I couldn't remember what I'd picked...

[Sir Myshkin]

I had to think about it for a minute, but yet, there is, and always has been, two powers that I just hate being forced to take: Gale and O2 Boost.

 

I will never take O2 Boost, it just isn't worth my time as a Stormie to think about paying attention to anyone else's health bars, and Gale gets no action unless I'm bored wandering around waiting for something to start and I decide to throw something off a cliff.

[Major_Decoy]

Isn't 02 boost status protection?

[Uun]

O2 Boost can mule the Preventative Medicine +absorb proc.

[Gorgar]

Sure, this still happens.   I don't like immob powers, so I sometimes have trouble with dominators and controllers.  My dark/dark dom has Smite, and no other melee-range attacks.  My bs/da stalker doesn't use the first sword attack.  My ill/storm doesn't particularly want O2 or Gale.  

 

They're all fine powers, just don't fit into what I'm doing with those characters.

[Doomguide2005]

10 hours ago, Major_Decoy said:

Isn't 02 boost status protection?

Yes (Stun and Sleep)

• Plus end drain and recovery debuff resistance 
• And a strong perception buff backed by resistance to perception debuffs
• And last a modest heal

Everything but the heal stacks with itself and lasts 60 secs

Edited January 7, 2023 by Doomguide2005

[golstat2003]

14 hours ago, Doomguide2005 said:

Yes (Stun and Sleep)

• Plus end drain and recovery debuff resistance 
• And a strong perception buff backed by resistance to perception debuffs
• And last a modest heal

Everything but the heal stacks with itself and lasts 60 secs

 

I often wish I had more slots so that I could slot it up. Alas I never do on my stormies.

[Doomguide2005]

5 hours ago, golstat2003 said:

 

I often wish I had more slots so that I could slot it up. Alas I never do on my stormies.

     Well the good news there is only the heal is improved by slotted enhancements.

[Lusiphur Malache]

I have a symphony/sonic dom and I'm only lvl 10, but I didn't take strident echo and don't see me taking it.  Have t2 symphony and t1 and t3 sonic.  Gonna keep it moving from there. 

[DoctorDitko]

Funny. On my Stormies, I find O2 Boost to be the quintessential "Teammate is in trouble" power. Doesn't matter much what the trouble is, it just fixes it (or at least helps).

 

Of course Lightning Storm, KB->KD Tornado, and Freezing Rain make their problems go away pretty well...

[GM Crumpet]

I have a plant dom and I find the entangle and roots really useful. I solo a lot and the holds and imobs mean I'm attacking with a lot more effect than I would expect. Add in seeds of confusion and outside of some EB's I'm pretty well sorted. I forget the name of the secondary (It's the one where you throw bees at people) but I find I don't use it that much. I do just to mix things up, but with the plants set I'm spoiled for choice. 

 

It's funny, some people have their "must have" power and other people look at the same thing and go "meh" 🙂