Super Strength Power Set - Update Please

[LightningDrone]

Hi,

 

I've been playing the classic Invulnerability/Super Strength Tanker. Its got me thinking whether the power set could be a little more suitable for big mobs instead of single targets. Some may argue that its easier to just play with the Street Justice power set instead of asking for changes, which is understandable. Foot Stomp, Knockout Blow and Rage are great abilities from Super Strength power set and I'd like to expand beyond that.

'Haymaker' might I recommend be a melee cone attack that does heavy damage. And 'Handclap' I would like to see do damage and change knockback to knockdown. No sense knocking back a large mob out of melee range when many faces need punching in or foot stomped. This doesn't necessarily have to be the solution but I hope this brings me a chance to share a thought.

 

Thanks,

Lightning Drone.

[tiggertoga]

Also the animations for super strength are very outdated. It should be on par with titans weapons. SS is a great set that can barely be seen while fighting. CoH has fantastic animations for other power sets, I think this one just needs to be update a a bit. 

[Player2]

Super Strength got a couple of new animations added before the shutdown, but I feel like LightningDrone has a good point... except for calling Rage a good ability.  Personally, Rage feels out of place in the set... unless you want to call the set Hulk Strength, because the various Hulks are really the only super strength characters of note that are known for powering up with their rage.  I'm not going to say it's exclusive to them because I'm sure someone will hit me with a couple of obscure references, but the Hulk characters are the only big name ones in a sea of super strength heroes and villains that rage and get more powerful.

 

I dislike Rage and would rather see the whole set's damage re-balanced around having Rage replaced with a standard Build Up.  You want rage power, just play a brute.

 

Aside from that, I do like the idea of making Super Strength a little more AoE friendly or anything to highlight the character actually being super strong.  Because yeah, we have martial artists and street justice fighters that punch and kick just as effectively, making Super Strength seem very lackluster overall.

[Vanden]

On 3/10/2024 at 4:27 PM, tiggertoga said:

Also the animations for super strength are very outdated. It should be on par with titans weapons.

 

Titan Weapons? The set with the worst, sloppiest animations in the game?

[Helgrenze]

Been thinking about possible changes to Super Strength on Tankers. The first three attacks are hitting lighter than most other melee powers. It just doesn't seem "super" at lower levels in comparison, even verses the Brute version. The damage jump (or dropoff) from Haymaker (Moderate) to Knockout Blow (Extreme) is huge and makes the earlier attacks seem lacking.

 

I think the simplest solution is to shift the Tanker damage categories for Jab, Punch, and Haymaker (Minor, Light, Moderate) up to match the Brute levels (Minor, Moderate, Heavy). As things stand, Air Superiority is the hitting with about the same damage as the Tanker Haymaker. I also think Jab should be moved up to Light Damage in both ATs.

[Shin Magmus]

"Best we can do is a random nerf nobody asked for" - anonymous dev.  What if instead of making the T1 - T3 powers better, we nerf rage and add an orange circle somewhere.

 

If SS did get buffed, Hurl (and similarly in Stone Hurl Boulder) are the powers most in need of assistance.  Maybe making those into TAoEs might fit the theme. 

[Ultimo]

I've LONG suggested Super Strength could use a bit of love.  I mean, it's the single most iconic power of ANY comic character.  You can even go back to ancient mythology, where vast strength was a power of many great heroes (eg. Herakles).

 

One thing I'd like to see them do is add some damage to knockback.  They could then pair this up with Super Strength doing lots OF knockback.  I know, people don't like it, but it's kind of the thing great strength is about... lifting and moving heavy objects.  To represent this, I'd also move Hurl so it's acquired MUCH sooner.

 

Another thing is that the set currently relies far too much on one or two powers.  Without Rage running, the set is very underwhelming, and apart from KO Blow, the damage is pretty mediocre.  Another thought I had is that perhaps Super Strength could be altered to be ALL AOE.  That is, every attack is spread across all targets in range.  If you're fighting a big group of minions, your damage would be spread to each one equally.  If you're fighting ONE enemy, he'd take ALL the damage.  It would also be useful for Tankers that way, as it would spread threat to all the enemies it's hitting.

 

Whatever the case may be, I'd like to see it tweaked to be more in line with the source material.

[Triumphant]

8 hours ago, Ultimo said:

I've LONG suggested Super Strength could use a bit of love.  I mean, it's the single most iconic power of ANY comic character.  You can even go back to ancient mythology, where vast strength was a power of many great heroes (eg. Herakles).

 

One thing I'd like to see them do is add some damage to knockback.  They could then pair this up with Super Strength doing lots OF knockback.  I know, people don't like it, but it's kind of the thing great strength is about... lifting and moving heavy objects.  To represent this, I'd also move Hurl so it's acquired MUCH sooner.

 

Another thing is that the set currently relies far too much on one or two powers.  Without Rage running, the set is very underwhelming, and apart from KO Blow, the damage is pretty mediocre.  Another thought I had is that perhaps Super Strength could be altered to be ALL AOE.  That is, every attack is spread across all targets in range.  If you're fighting a big group of minions, your damage would be spread to each one equally.  If you're fighting ONE enemy, he'd take ALL the damage.  It would also be useful for Tankers that way, as it would spread threat to all the enemies it's hitting.

 

Whatever the case may be, I'd like to see it tweaked to be more in line with the source material.

I like the idea of adding damage to knockback powers (handclap and so on) and putting in even more knockback, but that is a non-starter because the bulk of the player base hates KB and would riot (I do somewhat get it- especially where tankers are concerned.  You want to draw aggro as a tank and keep them glommed onto you.  I personally enjoy KB effects, though.  It's one of the cooler animations in the game.)

 

As to adding MORE AoE, Tankers already got an AoE buff, and I think adding on even more (and increasing damage) to SS gives me balance concerns.  I know SS is a set you can also get on Brutes and what not, so this is not strictly about tankers, but I still think caution is warranted here (granted, careful thought should be given to ANY power tweaks, so suppose that is stating the obvious).

[Ultimo]

9 minutes ago, Triumphant said:

I like the idea of adding damage to knockback powers (handclap and so on) and putting in even more knockback, but that is a non-starter because the bulk of the player base hates KB and would riot (I do somewhat get it- especially where tankers are concerned.  You want to draw aggro as a tank and keep them glommed onto you.  I personally enjoy KB effects, though.  It's one of the cooler animations in the game.)

 

As to adding MORE AoE, Tankers already got an AoE buff, and I think adding on even more (and increasing damage) to SS gives me balance concerns.  I know SS is a set you can also get on Brutes and what not, so this is not strictly about tankers, but I still think caution is warranted here (granted, careful thought should be given to ANY power tweaks, so suppose that is stating the obvious).

Oh, I agree.  Depending on how they handle adding damage to knockback, that alone might be enough to make the anemic damage better, and reduce reliance on Rage.  My main thrust is that the main thing we see strong characters doing is MOVING things (or stopping things from moving).  Anyone can punch, but lifting heavy things is kind of the point of strength.

 

It doesn't have to be a lot.  One thing about fights with super strong characters is the collateral damage.  Just adding some of this to the set might do wonders as well (presentation is half the battle).  Add a little screen shake, some cracks in the ground and dust and debris flying around.  Move Hurl down so it's available earlier, and make it a small AOE.

 

You're right, knockback is reviled today, but that's because the cost of it (ie. spreading enemies out) is greater than the benefit of it (a brief soft control).  If it did some decent damage too, that might be enough to make it useful.  Notice, this would also add a bit of extra damage to powers that are designed specifically for knocks (eg. Force Bolt), which I don't think would be unwelcome.  I'll also point out that there are enhancers that allow you to change knockback to knockDOWN.  Maybe that would make the change palatable.

 

I'd replace Jab, and give the set a power specifically designed to knock foes flying.  Not much damage, but massive knockback, like Force Bolt.  I'd make two basic punches, one single target, one AOE, like Cross Punch.  Then Hurl.  I'd have Rage near the end of the set, and call it something else, since not every super strong character is a rage-monster.  Maybe instead of adding a ton of damage, it could boost secondary effects and reduce endurance costs.  I mean, we see tanky characters in the comics getting knocked around all the time, but never in this game.  If Rage made knock effects irresistable, you could find a super strong character could be knocking down otherwise unknockable characters... which would be appropriate because the character is STRONG.

 

Anyway, it's not that it's in ineffective set for me, it's the presentation more than anything.