To respec or not...

[Ukase]

We all know there have been some changes, particularly with the added challenging content and the changes to the council and CoT. 
Some folks have only a couple of characters that are 50, some have none, and have no real desire to get there. At least, not strong enough to play one character until they get there. 

Some of us have literally hundreds of level 50 characters, all IO'd out, t-4 in all the slots. And some of us rotate how we play those characters, while some serve purposes, like helping others and our alts get the mayhem missions and other stuff - but they don't really see any action, unless a friend is looking for a specific kind of help - which is coming up a bit with these mirror image badges and the variety badge, whatever it's called. I used to be a badger, but not really one any more. I just can't hang with it, it's not fun for me anymore. But, I digress. 

How many of you are going to respec your characters to better handle these changes? How many of you just re-roll a new character to adapt to these changes and leave the older model sitting? 

I have thought about going through my roster and respecing a lot of them, just to clean out the IOs, and delete them, as I don't play them anymore. 
I have no idea how much of a server's resources go to ensuring the data is there if I ever log them in again. The inf they carry, the badge count, the sg they belong to, the pieces of salvage in inventory...all of that takes at least some memory. Not to mention the name of the character. 

If it's a paltry amount of resources, then it's really not a big deal, I wouldn't think. But it might be of some use to me to have fewer pages of alts to sift through, a ready supply of cool names for me to choose from, since they're already names I have on my characters. 

Just curious about how many folks adapt to each patch. 

[sbloyd]

Respeccing is a big PITA.  I respecced my Widow after the recent change to them, and it really put me off the process for the time being.  I think I may just lay off the respecs until/unless something MAJOR happens.  I can't imagine going through with something like Peregrine Falcon said, respeccing out of ancillary pools off of all their characters.  I'd have a stroke.

 

That said, I do have a crutch, in that I use two monitors: I screenshot my characters' powers and slots pre-respec so I have them available to reference.  Same with being able to reference Mids on that other screen.  Having to tab back and forth? UGH!

[Captain Fabulous]

As @sbloyd said, a full respec on a fully IOd character is a massive PITA (Mids and the test server makes it easier, but it's still a PITA regardless). For me personally I will only respec if I feel it's absolutely necessary.

[KaizenSoze]

I have respec three toon since page 7 dropped. All VEATs.

 

In general I have respec so many times on beta that it's like doing the dishes at this point.

 

I would only respec toons you are going to use regularly.

[ZemX]

19 minutes ago, KaizenSoze said:

I would only respec toons you are going to use regularly.

 

This.  I don't even have a lot of characters but I still run into ones I haven't respecced from changes that happened long ago.  Like the one that changed the levels at which powers are available?  I still have old characters with key powers slotted later in the build than they need to be now.  If I ever pull one of these out and dust them off to play, I'll consider respeccing then.

 

I do have some Stalkers I will finally respec into Placate now that's it's gone through several patches from worthless to decent to, in my opinion, not skippable any longer.

Edited March 7 by ZemX
I spel gud

[sbloyd]

Absolutely.  I still have Bots MMs on the shelf from before they got the Maintenance Drone power.

[Mister Mass]

Good topic OP! 👍  I have been waffling about respeccing characters a lot lately.  I'm not in OP's position of considering deleting characters & repeccing them just to take their stuff - I like & play all of my characters on a regular basis - but the game has changed enough since Homecoming launch that quite a few characters could use a new build.  The biggest change for me is that the top tier powers in the powersets can be taken at lower levels now, & since I exemplar down a lot, having access to those top tier powers at lower exemplar levels would be cool.  But every time I sit down to plan out the new build, I just can't follow through.  I have too many competing priorities that I want to accomplish, & no build resolves them all to my satisfaction.  And since my present builds still work as well as they always did, it is hard to generate the energy to decide on the new build - even it will be BETTER! 🙃

 

So I decide against respeccing & go play the game for awhile - until I am reminded why a respec would be an improvement.  Then it is back to donkey-between-2-hay-bales time. 😛

Edited March 7 by Mister Mass

[Greycat]

I almost never respec. *shrugs.*

[Mr. Apocalypse]

I respec all the time, Sometimes it's a pain, but to me its just another part of the game and why I love it. 

 

it really depends on my mood also. Sometimes focusing in on a respec and getting it all taken care of, finding my new enhancements on the AH etc.,  is a needed distraction from life and other stuff.

 

 

[Luminara]

I respeced my Dark/Martial dominator into the new Dark APP, and my Storm/Storm corruptor into the new Ice APP.  Neither needed to be respeced, I just wanted to see what I could do with the new powers.

[Glacier Peak]

5 minutes ago, Luminara said:

I respeced my Dark/Martial dominator into the new Dark APP, and my Storm/Storm corruptor into the new Ice APP.  Neither needed to be respeced, I just wanted to see what I could do with the new powers.

That Ice APP though! Got it on my main and it's got Build Up down to a minute recharge, capped HP thanks to the heal, and more +Cold def. I even went four deep and grabbed the Ice pet, which works really well with Frostworks and my Ice shields buffs.

[lemming]

I have done one respec for the new changes (my Widow) and have maybe seven characters that I'll respec at some point, but I have a few that could be improved by some of the changes over the years, but just haven't.

[Luminara]

4 minutes ago, Glacier Peak said:

That Ice APP though! Got it on my main and it's got Build Up down to a minute recharge, capped HP thanks to the heal, and more +Cold def. I even went four deep and grabbed the Ice pet, which works really well with Frostworks and my Ice shields buffs.

 

The Heal/+HP was what attracted me.  I didn't need it, but I wanted it.  It was the one tool I felt was missing for a perfect build.  Now when I accidentally aggro a third or fourth spawn, I have a much more comfortable survivability margin.

 

I'm very accident-prone.  😇

[SeraphimKensai]

I'm pretty lazy I don't respec often, but will if it's needed, but I'm in the group that has literally hundreds to 50s that are IOd at this point. I'll usually just boot up a new alt and work from there.

[tidge]

I will respec if I have to (because a power set radically changes, like Energy Melee did) or if the set adds something I want (like Robotics did). I have several characters I haven't respecced from when the power pick choices were lowered, because I still like the way they play!

 

I have a couple of characters I should probably revisit. Some had their Patron/Epic pools change enough... and I have a couple of VEATs that probably deserve a tune-up.

[WumpusRat]

3 hours ago, Mr. Apocalypse said:

I respec all the time, Sometimes it's a pain, but to me its just another part of the game and why I love it. 

Same. Since I run mids on another computer, I can have the mids window open on one monitor and the game running on my main machine, and just glance back and forth to verify changes I make. It becomes fairly easy, and the whole process takes less than 10m.

[Yomo Kimyata]

I respec early and often, and maybe that repetition has made the process more enjoyable.  I'll make a build, play three missions, then respec again, play three more, then respec again.  I even wrote a guide!

[Clave Dark 5]

I tend to respec every toon at least once these days, which I shouldn't ha ha, because yes they are a major production and a PITA.  But it's rare that I have my build worked out 100% before diving in to play; and I have on occasion decided that I didn't like thois pool or needed that one slot somewhere else, so...  I have more than once understood that I played around with the build as I was leveling too and "maybe I should respect to fix that?... Nah..."

[Onlyasandwich]

Respec if making a new build sounds fun.

 

Most of my 50s will keep their builds for now, but if I get a bug in my britches about a certain one I'll crank mids and follow through. 

 

I am looking cross-eyed at the dead set bonuses on characters that chose water spout. Boo. There isn't a good proxy to swap in without a full overhaul. 

Edited March 8 by Onlyasandwich

[Ael]

Unless something majorly broke one of your existing builds, I wouldn't bother with a respec. Most of my built lvl 50s are okay, but my triple fire blaster, a toon that I could run at max settings before the drop, and who now can't run +1 without getting torn a new orifice... She will need a respec. I am not looking forward to it. I'm not sure I play her enough anymore to even bother.

[Cyri]

Only at 50.  Only if I am REALLY satisfied with the mids result on test server.  No expense spared. 

[Snarky]

I madly obsess on my current project.  What is in the past....

[NotsoevilDM]

I will typically only respec at 50 to rebuild a toon to a Mid's build.

 

Only other time I would respec is if I screwed up the build by picking a power that doesnt really work with the concept (or a power that doesnt get used / work like I thought it would). Or, to change slotting (as I recently did with my Ice/Mace tank when I reaslised I only needed one slot in Wet Ice). 

 

If there were significant changes to a powerset for an existing toon, I would probably respec if it was one I played regularly. 

[shortguy on indom]

Respec at lvl 50 is a time consuming chore.

Found it's much easier (for me anyways) to '/Select_build 2' or '/Select build 3.'  

Always leaving at least one playable build on the toon at all times to get earn merits/enhancements to bank and use to fine toon the other build(s).

YMMV.

 

 

[Scarlet Shocker]

Before Page 7 dropped, I had a great toon. I was really enjoying it, got it all the way to 50 on an entirely SO build

 

Hit 50, got a few of the usual procs - all that I could afford at that time - and respecced into a "better" build.

 

It was dogshit. It performed worse at 50 than 49 by a significant margin and it did not improve until I'd got almost all the build finalised. That said once it was finished, it rocks, totally

 

I think there's an issue of expectation vs reality here too - and I'm kind of loathe to give a yes/no answer. I think I approach each case on merit now but I'm also thinking that this is the perfect opportunity to utilise alternative builds, which is something I don't do very often if at all these days.

 

I'd also add that builds on the forums do tend to min/max and be extremely optimised for a particular characteristic that makes them a) super effective and b) really expensive.

 

I am firmly of the belief that there's a median space where an average IO set build will out perform an SO build very readily and be good enough for all but the most difficult content in the game, doubly so on any competent team or league.

 

In other words, don't sweat it - don't rush to respec until you are absolutely ready or feel it's imperative.