page 3 [FOCUSED FEEDBACK] New Expanded +5 & Incarnate +6/+7 Difficulty Options

[Uncle Shags]

9 hours ago, Cobalt Arachne said:

The difficulty increase from a difference in Level is not trivial.

 

Man, you're not kidding... 

 

I absolutely LOVE it.  

 

People are going to get demolished.

 

I've been tinkering around with a couple different tankers on +5 radios.  It's not easy!  Taking on two groups of Arachnos, Carnies, or CoT is very risky!  They'll getcha!

 

All of a sudden 90% resists, soft capped defense, 13 points of status protection, etc might not be enough.  Immortality at +4 is a faceplant at +5 if you're not careful.  

 

I love the new challenge.  I've had to go back to the drawing board on my builds to try to keep up.  Theory crafting again.  Hard!

 

Thank you!  

[Troo]

11 hours ago, Cobalt Arachne said:

The difficulty increase from a difference in Level is not trivial.

 

I appreciate what you are saying & the effort that goes into things.

 

11 hours ago, Cobalt Arachne said:

Another player having more Inf means literally nothing to your gaming experience unless they plan to give it to you.

 

[Uncle Shags]

On 11/10/2025 at 5:05 PM, The Curator said:

Mission modifiers can sometimes swing this to spawn to +1s!

 

I hate to sound like a fanboi, but again, this is great!  It adds an additional element of randomness and challenge that keeps things spicy.

 

"Careful boys! I see a +6 boss in there..."

[Perfect Square]

First off, I agree with Uncle Shags, this is a great change and I'm enjoying the new settings. 

I also believe that the fact that, currently, +x settings can produce +x larger spawns or +x+1 smaller spawns is an intended and desired feature and should be kept as is. I like the fact that every enemy on a map does not spawn at a specific level and size and there is some variety.

 

Related to that, I found one inconsistency:

On 11/10/2025 at 5:05 PM, The Curator said:

---

• Enemy groups that spawned at Level 54 have had their level range extended up to Level 55.
  • Mission modifiers can sometimes swing this to spawn to +1s!

 

As expected, if a player is level 50 running +5 missions, both 55s and 56s now spawn in regular content. I was concerned since the patch note says "up to Level 55."

 

 

However, on Incarnate content, +7 ONLY produces 57s, no 58s as I would expect to be consistent with other difficulty levels.

 

Currently (on live), there is not much difference between 50+3x8 and 50+4x8 since many of the +3 spawns are 54s but NONE of the +4 spawns are 55 (since 54 was cap previously). I appreciate that that inconsistency has been resolved with the update on regular content, but believe it should be extended to incarnate content as well. Can we get 58s when on +7? Otherwise, there is really not much difference between +6 and +7 with large teams.

[Cobalt Arachne]

11 hours ago, Troo said:

I appreciate what you are saying & the effort that goes into things.

 

The price on that specific Enhancement is because wealthy min/maxers want to squeeze the ABSOLUTE most out of their build, and that specific one lets them get a LITTLE more % out of a slot.

 

Let's not pretend like that Enhancement is a normal necessity for anybody to play this game. 

 

You can run a pair of 50+5 generic Accuracy and Recharge IOs in two slots to get very comparable performance.

 

So no, others having the money to buy fancy special Enhancements does not significantly impact anybody's gameplay experience. You can use a cheap very easily obtainable alternative for ~90% strength.

 

Also another good example of "tax the rich", they want that Enhancement badly, and it can't be obtained doing Architect Entertainment farms, so of course it became an Influence dump luxury purchase. 

[Bionic_Flea]

11 hours ago, Troo said:

I appreciate what you are saying & the effort that goes into things.

 

Or you can Speed run a few no-star Aeons for a chance to win the D-sync lottery, then slot it or sell it to pay for your entire build.

[lemming]

12 minutes ago, Bionic_Flea said:

Or you can Speed run a few no-star Aeons for a chance to win the D-sync lottery, then slot it or sell it to pay for your entire build.

They've definitely dropped in price.  I sold my first couple for just shy of a billion, but with how I spend, I wasn't needing to sell the others.   I've used the subsequent drops in a couple builds at 53 and yea, it's slightly better, but not 500m better.

[WindDemon21]

1 hour ago, Cobalt Arachne said:

The price on that specific Enhancement is because wealthy min/maxers want to squeeze the ABSOLUTE most out of their build, and that specific one lets them get a LITTLE more % out of a slot.

 

Let's not pretend like that Enhancement is a normal necessity for anybody to play this game. 

 

You can run a pair of 50+5 generic Accuracy and Recharge IOs in two slots to get very comparable performance.

 

So no, others having the money to buy fancy special Enhancements does not significantly impact anybody's gameplay experience. You can use a cheap very easily obtainable alternative for ~90% strength.

 

Also another good example of "tax the rich", they want that Enhancement badly, and it can't be obtained doing Architect Entertainment farms, so of course it became an Influence dump luxury purchase. 

Now if we could just FINALLY get an acc/end/rech, acc/end and acc/dam/end, acc/mez/end, hami's i'd be thrilled. Would be wonderful if hami's pooled in the same level on AH like IO's do so you can use them before 50 as well, esp the mez ones for powers like aura of insanity where it's really key. Universal Mez IO sets like universal damage would also be great to add.

[Faultline]

5 hours ago, Perfect Square said:

However, on Incarnate content, +7 ONLY produces 57s, no 58s as I would expect to be consistent with other difficulty levels.

[...] Can we get 58s when on +7?

 

This is news to me and I have no idea why this would be happening. The Incarnate critters were expanded to level 60. Further investigation needed.

[Championess]

3 hours ago, Cobalt Arachne said:

The price on that specific Enhancement is because wealthy min/maxers want to squeeze the ABSOLUTE most out of their build, and that specific one lets them get a LITTLE more % out of a slot.

 

This is my fault I made a new Kin those last 3 purchases were all me.  Sorry to set some sort of example for whatever point they were trying to make.

 

I'm not rich perse I've just been playing since the first month HC was back.  Talk about poor, not having enough to perma my first dom even at 50, so sad, I had to rely on the ol' Kin gibme perma method.

 

As far as taxes I liquidated 2 billion worth of Prisms which the AH took their cut then the people I bought those from got taxed.  I usually spread money around to new people for later tax writeoffs but this week I had to give those panhandlers my thoughts and prayers instead.  😋

 

For the tax the rich crowd I'd offer just play your 50s money starts snowballing after while especially now with +7s.

Edited Friday at 09:56 PM by Championess

[Seed22]

So as I understand it +5,6 etc is just stat increases right?

 

Im not sure if I commented in CB on it but I believe I said I was indifferent towards the idea? While it doesnt make the mobs more difficult other than the usual "hey they have higher stats" kind of way, it at least means more inf/XP for...not much needing to really be changed in team comp other than maybe dont have half the team be lowbies. 

 

Which I think was intended. Just bringing back old +4. 

[Troo]

7 hours ago, Cobalt Arachne said:

The price on that specific Enhancement is because wealthy min/maxers want to squeeze the ABSOLUTE most out of their build, and that specific one lets them get a LITTLE more % out of a slot.

 

Let's not pretend like that Enhancement is a normal necessity for anybody to play this game. 

 

umm... I wasn't pretending. While I can afford whatever I want, not everybody can. 

Expensive loot isn't necessary, though it can surely be nice to have. Expensive items might also help to participate in expanded difficulty levels.

But hey - if your opinion is that folks who aren't "wealthy min/maxers" don't need nice stuff, okay.

I am surprised though. I didn't guess you for one that looked down on some players.

 

I could paraphrase your response as a Mr. Burns like: "suckit-less-thans you'll make due with 90% effectiveness". 

 

I'm guessing you didn't mean it that way. But, maybe you did.

 

 

You're statement below is not troo. 

Situations where the rich get richer can definitely effect other players due to how the economy works.

I gave ONE example, we could show many more, and we could talk about the market from live.

Scarcity + some with outsized wealth = less opportunity for many

 

On 11/13/2025 at 10:23 AM, Cobalt Arachne said:

Another player having more Inf means literally nothing to your gaming experience unless they plan to give it to you.

 

While my intention is not to dress down a developer who volunteers their time and has contributed much to Homecoming. A glib comment by a blue name looking down on some players might need some clarification. 

 

{I am happy to edit this reply with the others in this exchange, but moderate as y'all see fit. I feel this is very relevant if new higher difficulty = higher rewards}

Edited yesterday at 01:23 AM by Troo

[Troo]

11 hours ago, Uncle Shags said:

"Careful boys! I see a +6 boss in there..."

 

Flavor that is good for the game.

[Championess]

1 hour ago, Troo said:

 

umm... I wasn't pretending. While I can afford whatever I want, not everybody can. 

Expensive loot isn't necessary, though it can surely be nice to have. Expensive items might also help to participate in expanded difficulty levels.

But hey - if your opinion is that folks who aren't "wealthy min/maxers" don't need nice stuff, okay.

I am surprised though. I didn't guess you for one that looked down on some players.

 

I could paraphrase your response as a Mr. Burns like: "suckit-less-thans you'll make due with 90% effectiveness". 

 

I'm guessing you didn't mean it that way. But, maybe you did.

 

 

You're statement below is not troo. 

Situations where the rich get richer can definitely effect other players due to how the economy works.

I gave ONE example, we could show many more, and we could talk about the market from live.

Scarcity + some with outsized wealth = less opportunity for many

 

 

While my intention is not to dress down a developer who volunteers their time and has contributed much to Homecoming. A glib comment by a blue name looking down on some players might need some clarification. 

 

{I am happy to edit this reply with the others in this exchange, but moderate as y'all see fit. I feel this is very relevant if new higher difficulty = higher rewards}

 

I've been doing the harder content for a long time now.  No ones being gatekept because they don't have provocations slotted.  Player skill and experince matter, AT and powerset matter, procs in right places and global bonuses matter, listening and teamwork matters.

 

The biggest thing checked for by leads are accolades and Incarnates.  If you took the time to do those you'll be welcome on most runs on any budget build.

Edited yesterday at 02:19 AM by Championess

[Troo]

6 hours ago, Championess said:

No ones being gatekept

 

Not what I said at all. 

 

6 hours ago, Championess said:

The biggest thing checked for by leads are accolades and Incarnates.  If you took the time to do those you'll be welcome on most runs on any budget build.

 

This is part of what makes it a great community.

[Glacier Peak]

11 hours ago, Championess said:

I've been doing the harder content for a long time now.  No ones being gatekept because they don't have provocations slotted.  Player skill and experince matter, AT and powerset matter, procs in right places and global bonuses matter, listening and teamwork matters.

 

The biggest thing checked for by leads are accolades and Incarnates.  If you took the time to do those you'll be welcome on most runs on any budget build.

Nevermind the fact the game has been out for over 6 years now, so the majority of players will have access to means which allow efficient inf generation. 

[Glacier Peak]

16 hours ago, Championess said:

 

This is my fault I made a new Kin those last 3 purchases were all me.  Sorry to set some sort of example for whatever point they were trying to make.

 

I'm not rich perse I've just been playing since the first month HC was back.  Talk about poor, not having enough to perma my first dom even at 50, so sad, I had to rely on the ol' Kin gibme perma method.

 

As far as taxes I liquidated 2 billion worth of Prisms which the AH took their cut then the people I bought those from got taxed.  I usually spread money around to new people for later tax writeoffs but this week I had to give those panhandlers my thoughts and prayers instead.  😋

 

For the tax the rich crowd I'd offer just play your 50s money starts snowballing after while especially now with +7s.

That's fair market value on the Auction House. If there is a player out there who is willing to pay that much instead of earning that as a reward through content then that's okay. If the Homecoming Team wanted to set a minimum value like the Salvage category, that'd be different. But you had to earn that inf just like everyone else. Spend it however you want, right?

[Cobalt Arachne]

13 hours ago, Troo said:

A glib comment by a blue name looking down on some players might need some clarification.

I'm not looking down on players? That's an incredibly odd take...

I'm talking simple economics. Supply & demand.

Supply comes from players who generate stock by playing the game.
Demand and the subsequent 'player-set' prices comes from impatient players who want to use their Influence to outright purchase the item they want from another player instead of playing game content to earn it normally.

Players who just play the game get plenty of rewards.
The intended way to gear up is to just play the game, not buy your entire build on the AH.
You could enjoy playing City of Heroes without ever stepping foot into an Auction House or ever using /ah.

(Anecdotal obviously but... I seldom use the AH in this game. I rarely have more than a couple million Influence cumulatively across my characters due to constant max level costume tweaks, but I do have 10+ maxed out Level 50 characters from just playing the game normally over the years.)

Unlike other MMOs, (which often reward players things their character class can never use, to produce a surplus that ends up in the player market), in City of Heroes use of the Auction House and engagement in the player economy is completely avoidable by simply purchasing what you need outright for Reward Merits, a currency that you accumulate from playing regular content offerings and never paying the Auction House premium for convenience.

Nobody started this game with giant Influence reserves to outright purchase finished builds (again, unless somebody was being extremely generous with their own Influence and giving it away).

[Troo]

2 hours ago, Cobalt Arachne said:

The intended way to gear up is to just play the game, not buy your entire build on the AH.

I'm sorry but this is False.

There are many ways to play. Crafting, trading, etc are ALL intended ways to play and "gear up".

 

2 hours ago, Cobalt Arachne said:

City of Heroes use of the Auction House and engagement in the player economy is completely avoidable by simply purchasing what you need outright for Reward Merits, a currency that you accumulate from playing regular content offerings and never paying the Auction House premium for convenience.

I'm again sorry but this too is False.

Not everything is available via Reward Merits.

 

2 hours ago, Cobalt Arachne said:

Unlike other MMOs, (which often reward players things their character class can never use, to produce a surplus that ends up in the player market)

This is exactly what happens in City of Heroes.

 

2 hours ago, Cobalt Arachne said:

Nobody started this game with giant Influence reserves to outright purchase finished builds 

I agree.

I will not defend outright purchasing complete builds, folks do it.

I will say: Trading for final elusive pieces to complete a set or a build is absolutely intended.

 

If you have any concern regarding outright purchasing finished builds

- then -

Adding rich-getting-richer setups should also be looked as potentially increasing the instances of outright purchasing finished builds.

 

Adding content that favors those with expensive builds AND then also giving highly increased rewards for that content could result in a rich-getting-richer setup. 

 

[Cobalt Arachne]

29 minutes ago, Troo said:

Not everything is available via Reward Merits.

Virtually everything but the Hami Enhancements (and variants) are on the Reward Merit vendor.

Not a very strong point.

 

29 minutes ago, Troo said:

This is exactly what happens in City of Heroes.

No, Enhancement Converters exist.

If I get a Control VR IO I can just convert it to Melee Damage IO.

There is no loot in CoH that is 100% unusable.

Except again, Hami Enhancements, but if that's the only existing case made, it's a non-issue because of how marginal they are.

 

29 minutes ago, Troo said:

There are many ways to play. Crafting, trading, etc are ALL intended ways to play and "gear up".

Not an intended method, no. That's a 'shortcut' to progression.

 

How did the people you're trading with get their stock to sell? They can't sell you something they didn't obtain, obviously.

 

If nobody plays the game and earns no rewards the entire premise of a player economy stops existing.

 

You can't buy and sell nothing, and nothing is what every single player started with.

 

So no, trading is not an intended method because it can't exist without you or other players playing the game the intended way. It's a dependency.

[Uncle Shags]

29 minutes ago, Troo said:

Adding content that favors those with expensive builds AND then also giving highly increased rewards for that content could result in a rich-getting-richer setup.

 

All you'd need is a basic build and a team to start cashing in.  Poor folks can get richer too. 

[GM_GooglyMoogly]

We have gotten waaay off the topic of +5 - +7 difficulty level, especially for a focused feedback thread.

 

You can start a rich get richer thread if you want to discuss that. 

[golstat2003]

On 11/13/2025 at 6:25 PM, Cobalt Arachne said:

The plan is that Levels 55+ will get increased rewards, even if it's not ready immediately at Page 3's launch.

 

For now we're working on untangling spaghetti code to make these things even possible, a lot of changes going on under the hood.

Thanks. I think folks need to realize it’s not a snap your fingers and every code change is instantly ready for this major change. It will take time (and probably multiple pages) for this all to be in. I’m fine with that.

 

I prefer the new incremental approach to makeing changes HC is taking instead of waiting till everything is perfect to release everything. 
 

I would rather not wait years just because one or two things in a feature aren’t 100% working.
 

Also this is optional. There is the option to lower one’s difficulty if the bug of 53 and 54/ 54 and 55 crops up in teaming.

[golstat2003]

On 11/14/2025 at 8:24 AM, Uncle Shags said:

 

I hate to sound like a fanboi, but again, this is great!  It adds an additional element of randomness and challenge that keeps things spicy.

 

"Careful boys! I see a +6 boss in there..."

yea also this gives even more reason to bring debuffers, controls, the leadership pool, and actual tactics (not just steam rolling) to teams interested in the change.

[Seed22]

6 hours ago, golstat2003 said:

yea also this gives even more reason to bring debuffers, controls, the leadership pool, and actual tactics (not just steam rolling) to teams interested in the change.

No not really. Just bring the exact same teams you were using to steamroll +4 hard and it'l be exactly the same as 5. Their numbers went up, not new powers.

 

But! More rewards so hey im all for it.

 

Edit: Though like I think I said earlier this will mean bringing less lowbies though to help out. But I mean, now you just might have to use barrier this time instead of not even having to pop insp.

 

And I am ONLY speaking about +5 here. 6, 7 and the like are still in the stat increase range but that does require actually more debuffers simply because stat increases would make it too tedious to complete otherwise

Edited 4 hours ago by Seed22