Alpha_A

Hey everyone! I've come back after (another) break, and just finished IOing and Incarnating out my latest 50 -- an Earth/Fire Dom.

I've grown pretty bored of the whole Trail scene, having gotten my 50s to T3+, so the endgame (or lack thereof) is pretty much gone for me. Now I'm looking for another project, but I can't think of anything to build!

So far I have 12 toons at 50: two Brutes (SS/WP and Elec/FA), two Scrapper (DM/SD and Spines/FA), a Rad/Kin Corrupter, a Fire/Kin Controller, a Bots/Dark MM, an Arch/MM Blaster, a Rad/Sonic Defender, an Inv/WM Tanker, an Earth/Fire Dom, and a Crab. As you can see, I enjoy me some FotMs...

So, what do you all think? What should my next project be? Although the combo doesn't have to be a FotM, I'd rather avoid something super-gimped, like...a Stalker. The set doesn't have to be a powerhouse, either, but I'd really enjoy something strong enough to not dread going through another round of iTrials. Also, I'd rather not play the same set twice, if I can help it, but I'm open to anything!

Thanks in advance, everyone!

~Alpha

Hey all! I'm coming back after a year-long break, and am a little bit lost with all of the new features. I've tried digging through the forms, but to no avail.

My biggest question is about the Incarnate/Alpha Slot thing. Where do I actually start the mission or TF that unlocks the Slot for me? From there, what do I do in order to craft the Alpha Enhancement things? Does that require more TFing? I'd greatly appreciate a link to a page with info on this (if it exists).

My next question is more of a question about in-game experience. What's happened with AE? When I left, the lack of non-AE teams coupled with the constant cries of "PL meh!" in Atlas was a real issue. To what extend has this been resolved??

Thanks in advance!

~Alpha

Well, it certainly is better than it was before! One of my first Brutes was a SS/EA. Needless to say, the ride to 50 was extremely painful, and he was deleted shortly after.

Since the mini-buff to EA, giving it a self heal, things have gotten a little bit better. I've never made it to IOing him out, but it shouldn't be too bad. One good thing: you have some great end-recovery tools in the later levels. The defense isn't the best, and the stealth is situational, but overall, it's not bad.

TL;DR Go for it. It's not a FotM set, or the best Brute secondary, but it can get the job done.

~Alpha

Looks great, Nai. 1,000 Times better than before. It should work very well now that you're playing to your strengths.

IO'd out, AD will be perma, so you're good there. The end sustainability should be OK, but you can never be sure when running that many toggles, along with attacks with low End Redux slotting (Obliteration provides next to nothing in that department.)

Because you don't have Hasten (which I completely understand,) I would consider switching around some sets for more Recharge. Without totally re-working your build, as it's very good now, I would just swap out 5 Decimations for the T'Strike in Mu Lightning. Also, when I make a defense build, I use Red Fortunes, as they give not only Ranged defense, but also 5% Recharge, and they're a hell of a lot less expensive than slotting LotGs and the +Recharge. Just something to consider for future builds. Although I don't know what your budget is, it will significantly lower the cost, as well as providing some nice bonuses.


Good Luck!

~Alpha

Wait. What?

The Incarnate system preview was what I was most looking forward to. In fact, that's the reason why I pre-ordered. I am dying to see what is being added to the endgame, hoping that it will give me a reason to stay, play, and most importantly pay for this MMO.

I agree with the other posters in that GR as a whole has been executed in bad taste.

The Devs launched a hype-up campaign to get a super-early pre-order from us, then proceed to set up another pre-order, this time with tangible bonuses, "punishing" those devoted players who pre-ordered as soon as they saw a CoX expansion. Finally, now that they've taken our money, they proceed to take out a promised feature.

True, it is only one feature. True, things change in the beta process. But I, for one, would be willing to put that aside if this was the first issue.

Really, devs. When are you going to realize that we are the paying customers? I guess as long as people continue to pay, they won't change their ways.

Don't get my wrong, I think that CoX is a nice game, and the devs do work hard on bringing in new content. But I feel as if I, myself, as a paying consumer, have never been listened to. In my eyes, the Devs think that they know what is best for the game as a whole, and act on it without asking the players who, in reality, pay their salaries (having been in CB, I can say that the Devs rarely listened to the ideas of the testers, at least in the rotation I was in). While that's nice, and they are correct for the most part, there have been a few times (Read: Issue 13) where the players were not, and still are not listened to, even if it is the minority.

A post expressing their understanding, an apology to the loyal fans, a discussion thread to hear the reactions (and listen to them! An important yet seemingly overlooked step), anything would be helpful at this point! It's really not that hard to listen. Just look around, the forums are constantly being used by players who want to give their opinions, whether it's GR expectations, the lack of end-game content, or PvP. Just look around, you might learn something new, devs!


~Alpha

The Uglies farm was nerfed?

Oh God, I can't wait to log back into Freedom and hear all of the whining in Broadcast!

~Alpha

Thanks again for the response PC. I went into RV with my BS/Regen, and was immediately crushed by 10+ Villains a few steps outside of the Hero Base. Fun stuff.

So, just to clarify, is there really a reason to actually play for PvP drops? It seems like the farming method would produce about the same amount of Drops Chances/Min as zoning solo. Is the only viable way to team? If I'm understanding correctly, on a team of 8, it is possible to have a chance to drop every minute or so. If I'm on a zone team on Blueside, and one of the members kills a Villain that I've killed in the past 5 minutes, will our whole team (myself included) still have a drop chance?

Once again, thanks for your help. I'm really confused/turned off by this new and "Improved" PvP system.

~Alpha

Well, I'm not sure how you are planning to solo AVs when your highest defense is 27% to Fire/Cold......

I know that there have been many people who have solo'd AVs on their Willpower toons, but you need to keep in mind that most AV soloers (Read: 99%) use defense-based toons, or build enough defense into their toons to survive an AV's attacks. Yes, your Regen will be helpful, but fighting an AV is like taking a constant Alpha Strike, which is not Willpowers forté.

If you want any chance of taking on an AV, build for the softcap, preferably to S/L. I say this because you are going to have a tough time building for Melee, Ranged, and AoE when WP starts with nothing. Although you won't be able to solo all AVs, softcap'd S/L will allow you to at least solo easier ones like Battle Maiden.

Also, to the build that you posted. It's not that bad for an End-Game, general play build, although you seem to just be throwing inf at it (while not optimizing the build.) I do question why you would put Dark Watcher's into RTTC, though. The -toHit is not worth slotting for.

~Alpha

Is this a troll?

No offense, buddy, but I don't see the Devs adding powers to an existing powerset that would, in your own words, encourage AFK usage (Botting).

As to the AoE buff powers, that's not going to happen either. Many other sets have powers that would be more convenient as an AoE (FF, Therm, Cold Shields all come to mind.)

Yes, it is very annoying and monotonous to have to click Fortitude, Clear Mind, etc. over and over, but that's how buffing sets play. In fact, many sets are worse than Emp in that department. The only solution I see: Just pay attention to teammates and their status. That's how the set was intended to play.

~Alpha

I understand what you're doing, Naikelea, but to be frank, I completely disagree with what you're trying to build.

For one, running all of those Leadership powers puts a heavy drain on your Endurance (to the tune of ~.50 End/Second.) Another thing, as Fury alluded to, Brute Leadership provides an incredibly small buff for the price you pay in power-picks, slots, and Endurance (Look at the bottom of: http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Leadership) And once again, echoing Fury, this is all assuming that your teammates stay in range for your buffs.

Also, your build has neither Build Up nor Hasten (obviously choosing the Leadership pool over it), two powers that simply can't be overlooked for added damage which, in my opinion, is a Brute's number one job. Active Defense is easy to keep Perma'd, and there's really no excuse not to build for that, instead hoping to buy even more expensive IOs to make this build semi-useful. A Brute can't effectively deal damage, tank, or in your case buff if they are Held in place.

Another thing. I was really surprised when you mentioned picking up powers to "pull" mobs. As a Brute, your job is to get up in that mobs face and go Smashy-Smashy. I know that everyone plays the game differently, but you should still try to play to your strengths. If you're planning on teaming, you can count on another AT to be able to pull and buff, and more effectively than you. Every AT has their place, and it seems that you are stepping into Corrupter/MM territory. You seem to be throwing inf. at this build, hoping that something useful will come out of it, but you are really gimping yourself with your power-picks (once again, IMO.) But, to each their own, I guess!

Just my 2 inf.!

~Alpha

For what you're trying to accomplish, the build does not look bad at all. You're not sacrificing all that much in the way of enhancements to get to the softcap, so that's good. One thing that's a big no-no is slotting the Numi unique into RTTC. Please, put it into a passive power.

The only thing that I question is your goal of softcapping to F/C/E/NE. It's not worth spending inf. on the sets when you're not going to encounter many enemies with pure F/C/E/NE. Just in case you didn't know, an enemy's chance to hit with a power using two types of damage is rolled against the higher defense of the two. I.e. if a Rikti Conscript hits you with "Rikti Sword" (Melee, Energy/Lethal), it will be rolled against your Energy defense. If you had built for the S/L softcap, it would be rolled against your Lethal defense, making there no need for Energy.

Now, you only have 50ish Resistance to S/L, which is not all that great. True, it's helpful, but with 70%+ of the mobs in the game having some form of S/L damage, it's not enough. I would strongly consider going for S/L Defense, as I just don't see the exotic defense bonuses that useful.

As a WM/WP, your Regen coupled with the damage mitigation of WM/ should be enough to go toe to toe against the rare enemies with pure F/C/E/NE damage.

If you would like to see a sample build, just lemme know!

~Alpha

Thanks for the help, PC.

Just one more quick question. If I go for "farming" IOs in the Arena, will I still need to wait for the kill timer to reset before getting a chance for an IO? I ask this because, from what I've experienced in the past two days, zone PvP feels like being zerged by 10 angry AVs with fully-slotted Travel Powers, and I don't know how much of that I can do without losing my mind.

Also, do you happen to have a BS/Regen build lying around? Other than the fact that I need lots of -Kb IOs, Phase Shift, and Procs, I have no idea what I'm doing in a PvP build.

Hey everyone. Honestly, I can't believe that I've ventured back into this part of the forums, much less created a thread! I haven't PvP'd since the I13 changes were implemented, so I'm a little bit lost.

Having spent the last year or two playing the market, I've obviously noticed the incredible shortage of PvP IOs. Now, I'd like to help with that, and am looking at PvPing for drops. A few questions, first.

1) I've heard talk of a "nerf" to PvP Drop farms, is this true? Does it make PvPing for IOs useless?

2) What exactly are the "rules" for PvP IOs? I know that, when you kill in a PvP zone, you have a small chance of a drop. If you try to kill the same toon again, you will not be eligible for a drop. Does it work the same way in the Arena? How do support toons get IOs?

And, finally, I have 2 toons that look like they could work in PvP, a Rad/Sonic Defender (with a Pema-AM, TF build) and a BS/Regen Scrapper. Now, if neither of these options are viable, then I'd be willing to start up a FotM, like a Psi/EM. If anyone has a build for, or any advice on the best choice out of the 3 above, let me know.

Thanks in advance!

~Alpha

Echoing what Mac said, it would be helpful to know your endgame plans (budget, use of toon.)

I would go WM/Inv, myself. In fact, that's what my Tanker is. /Inv is very sturdy when IO'd properly, and it isn't all that expensive to do. It would probably cost the same amount, possibly more, to IO /Elec but, again, it depends on what you're after.

For leveling, my /Elec was very squishy. I leveled him before the Elec changes, so I didn't get to use Energize until level 40. Given that, I can't comment on the ease-of-leveling for /Elec, but I do know that WM/ will give you some added damage mitigation.

An /Invuln brute won't hit the softcap until IO'd, so your survivability while leveling won't be nearly what it will be at 50. Once again, WM/ will add some damage mitigation. Between /Ele and /Invuln, I would give it to /Invuln for both leveling and performance at 50, though.

As for your brother, I would recommend Elec/WP. It was my first /WP toon when I11 hit, and I loved leveling it.

Good luck!

~Alpha

After looking at the /Earth powerset again, Ice/Earth is looking like a really good pairing.

Because of both concept (Stone set to Crystals and recolored = Ice) and the synergy, I think I'll be going with that.

Thanks again for the great advice!

~Alpha

If you have some inf to invest: SS/Fire

If you are looking for a farmer on a budget: SS/WP

I prefer SS/WP, personally.

~Alpha