Powers that change the game

[Hopeling]

I've played CoH for a long time, but not nearly every AT and powerset. Sometimes when I try something new, certain powers will fundamentally change how I interact with the game. My most recent example is playing a Grav controller, which has Wormhole, kind of an improved Fold Space with more control over targeting and destination. Wormholing the next pack into my ongoing Storm killzone is great fun, and quite unique.

 

Some other examples, both major and minor:

• Every travel power changes how you think about getting around a zone.
• Being able to stealth missions instead of fighting through them
• Taunt auras to prevent runners
• Playing with/without mez protection
• Confuse powers to pit mobs against each other

What are some other powers that do unique things, that change how you interact with the game?

[The Trouble]

Oh that magical moment when your Kheldian unlocks Dwarf!  Suddenly getting to toggle on more sturdiness and mez protection changes every strategy used prior to this power.  It feels as good as the best T9 primaries without nearly as long of a wait to unlock.  White & Black Dwarf change everything.

[Neiska]

Some memorable ones for me -

 

The first time using power boost then FarSight and watch my DEF skyrocket.

The first time I turned on group fly with robots, instantly loved how they even added little rocket boots to them for the occasion.

The time I did what I thought was a meme build, stacking as many puddle/ranged aoe effects (bonfire, corrosive vial, etc etc) all atop of one another. I thought it would just be a goofball move, but it surprised me how fast stuff in the area just melted.

The first time I tried flying with a crabby. Survivability instantly went through the roof, like I was a flying tanker.

The first time using Burnout + Gangwar. Then figuring out how to perma-gangwar.

Fold Space. A game changer if you know how to use it.

Lastly, I think many underestimate Oppressive Gloom, and it is entirely exploitable and I am surprised I don't see more builds with it.

 

Edited 23 hours ago by Neiska

[WumpusRat]

The first time I tried a controller, and went with Illusions because I thought it'd be fun. Got to 20th, got Phantom Army, and just started laughing maniacally as they curbstomped the entire room full of enemies. Then they went away, and I saw that HUGE cooldown. "I must make this permanent!"

 

And the power that really changed the game for me the very first time was Hover. Getting to 6th level for the first time, picking it up, and floating up into the air. Being able to actually fly in an MMO. It was a marvelous feeling.

[Uun]

12 hours ago, Neiska said:

Lastly, I think many underestimate Oppressive Gloom, and it is entirely exploitable and I am surprised I don't see more builds with it.

I tend to skip it on Dark Armor but quite like it on defenders and corruptors.

[Snarky]

23 minutes ago, Uun said:

I tend to skip it on Dark Armor but quite like it on defenders and corruptors.

Oppressive Gloom is part of the many layers of “faux defense” that Dark Armor relies on.  My two inf

[KaizenSoze]

Crashless nukes. You get a power that does 30-50% of all your damage. Wipes out a huge chunk of a spawn. With no downsides.

Edited 10 hours ago by KaizenSoze

[tidge]

3 hours ago, KaizenSoze said:

Crashless nukes. You get a power that does 30-50% of all your damage. Wipes out a huge chunk of a spawn. With no downsides.

 

Of all the things we have on HC, this is probably the most upsetting to game balance (when compared to other ATs)... moreso than any Brute/Tanker debate.

 

It makes Blasters fun, but I think it is pretty crazy that Blasters got both sustains and crashless nukes... not to mention a reworked Inherent that mitigates enemy control powers..

[ivanhedgehog]

Granite armor before they messed with stone

[Hedgefund2]

I opened this thread wondering how many times Fulcrum Shift would be mentioned and (thus far) it's ZERO?  

 

So easy answer: Fulcrum Shift.

[skoryy]

21 minutes ago, tidge said:

 

Of all the things we have on HC, this is probably the most upsetting to game balance (when compared to other ATs)... moreso than any Brute/Tanker debate.

 

It makes Blasters fun, but I think it is pretty crazy that Blasters got both sustains and crashless nukes... not to mention a reworked Inherent that mitigates enemy control powers..

 

And even with all that, its still not City of Blasters, because you're still going to wind up picking up more debt than most anyone else.

[Hopeling]

14 minutes ago, Hedgefund2 said:

I opened this thread wondering how many times Fulcrum Shift would be mentioned and (thus far) it's ZERO?  

 

So easy answer: Fulcrum Shift.

Fulcrum Shift is a very good power, but I'm more interested here in powers that are qualitatively unique. The border on that is a little fuzzy, of course. Like, crashless nukes do kinda qualify because wiping out a whole spawn in one shot will feel crazy if you haven't played a blast set before, but numerically it's just a strong aoe power.

 

25 minutes ago, tidge said:

 

Of all the things we have on HC, this is probably the most upsetting to game balance (when compared to other ATs)... moreso than any Brute/Tanker debate.

 

It makes Blasters fun, but I think it is pretty crazy that Blasters got both sustains and crashless nukes... not to mention a reworked Inherent that mitigates enemy control powers..

FWIW, those aren't even HC changes. The inherent was like that on live for years. Sustains and crashless nukes were i24 changes from the original devs, it's just that i24 never made it out of beta before shutdown.

[Hedgefund2]

To me, at least, capping a team's damage with a "stroke of the pen" counts as unique.  I certainly can't think of another power that does it.

[mistagoat]

Lightning Rod and/or Shield Charge are game changers for melee.

Fade and Farsight redefine survivability for those sets and their teammates.

Radiation infection

Phantom Army

Telekinesis

Fulcrum Shift of course

I'm sure there are tons more!

[KaizenSoze]

58 minutes ago, tidge said:

 

Of all the things we have on HC, this is probably the most upsetting to game balance (when compared to other ATs)... moreso than any Brute/Tanker debate.

 

It makes Blasters fun, but I think it is pretty crazy that Blasters got both sustains and crashless nukes... not to mention a reworked Inherent that mitigates enemy control powers..

It's not just blasters. The nukes are massive percentage of damage for any AT that has one.

[Neiska]

4 hours ago, Uun said:

I tend to skip it on Dark Armor but quite like it on defenders and corruptors.

 

I actually like to use it on Masterminds, due to the stun which can be boosted to be as long as 28 seconds in some builds. A 28-second-long stun is absurdly strong to keep pets alive in hard content. And yet I don't see many others take it!

[Uun]

12 minutes ago, mistagoat said:

Telekinesis

I miss the original Telekinesis pre 2005ish nerf.

[Glacier Peak]

How has nobody said Group Fly. 

Edited 3 hours ago by Glacier Peak
It was indeed mentioned!

[Neiska]

15 minutes ago, Glacier Peak said:

How has nobody said Group Fly. 

I did! 🙂

[ZemX]

Originally... Super Jump.  I just loved hopping through Steel Canyon across skyscrapers or going rooftop to rooftop in Founder's Falls.

 

Now... Teleport.  Not because I love it more for travel.  I like it less, actually.  But it's just so damned useful INSIDE missions.   I wasn't expecting that.  Sure, Combat Teleport is faster, but for ONE power pick in the pool that handles both travel and gets me through/around obstacles in a mission?  Can't be beat.  Doorway blocked by a mass of enemies?  BAMF!  Feet webbed to the ground and I need to be up on an overhead walkway tanking right now!? BAMF!   It's Monday?  BAMF!

 

Really fun thing to do as well: Bind a key for teleporting to a target.  Pick a teammate, punch that key, and appear right next to them... even through walls.  Next time an annoying Sky Raider or Sorcerer teleports away from you while you're attacking?  FOLLOW him.    It does have some quirks and gives you a blocked message in caves sometimes.  But often it works and I've literally bounced between two split halves of a group tanking for both a few times.  It's wild.

[mistagoat]

1 hour ago, Uun said:

I miss the original Telekinesis pre 2005ish nerf.

For whatever reason, I avoided Mind control from the inception of the game up to about a month ago. Really it was the changes to sleep that enticed me to try it but I quickly fell in love with TK! However, I'm not familiar with any other incarnation of the power, what was it like pre 2005ish?

[Championess]

1 hour ago, mistagoat said:

For whatever reason, I avoided Mind control from the inception of the game up to about a month ago. Really it was the changes to sleep that enticed me to try it but I quickly fell in love with TK! However, I'm not familiar with any other incarnation of the power, what was it like pre 2005ish?

 

It was a toggle aoe hold/repel of 16 targets that drained a lot of endurance.  If you could manage the endurance the old version made most other powers in the set more than redundant.  The change to old old TK and old Mass Confusion was the devs encouraging Mind players to make use of more of the powers in the set.

Edited 3 hours ago by Championess

[Uun]

53 minutes ago, mistagoat said:

For whatever reason, I avoided Mind control from the inception of the game up to about a month ago. Really it was the changes to sleep that enticed me to try it but I quickly fell in love with TK! However, I'm not familiar with any other incarnation of the power, what was it like pre 2005ish?

There were several iterations. Prior to 2024, TK was a hold, not an immobilize. It had a smaller radius and a target cap of 5. The repel had no distance limit and would keep pushing the targets away unless you aimed for a wall or other obstruction. There was also no time limit on the toggle, but it had a very high endurance cost. I can't find a power description prior to  the 2005 changes, but I seem to recall that it had a much larger target cap and possibly a larger radius. 

[Glacier Peak]

2 hours ago, Neiska said:

I did! 🙂

Oh I missed that 👍

[Yomo Kimyata]

23 hours ago, Hopeling said:

What are some other powers that do unique things, that change how you interact with the game?

Lots of things from the P2W vendor.  XP boosters on command, for example.