Blue_One

Well, if you're taking Air Superiority, you're likely taking it primarily for the knock-up effect. It's damage is okay, but not amazing. So I'd start by slotting it with 2 ACC -- you don't want to miss with it. Then throw in END (if needed), and only then DAM if you have the spare slots.

A new Brute asked for a Guide to Energy Melee / Invulnerability. Here's what I came up with. Also very useful for Tankers. This is a mixture of my personal opinion and conventional wisdom.


[u]Energy Melee [u]

Barrage (Available at Level 1)
I’d suggest skipping it. Or, you could take it early and respec it out later.

Here’s my philosophy on attack powers: Eventually one’s attack chain fills up, and what is really important in choosing attacks is how much damage an attack does per second of activation. Endurance doesn’t matter. Recharge doesn’t matter. (Although END and RCH enhancements are great!) Eventually, it’s all about damage per second of activation. Barrage has a lackluster 21 Dam/Sec.

Instead, at low levels, use the free Brawl (16 Dam/Sec) and the free power you get for your origin (Taser Gun, Throwing Knives, etc.). At low levels, put Brawl on auto-attack to build up Fury. Just stick an END reducing enhancement into Brawl. At some point, you’ll be able to move your auto-attack to Energy Punch.

Energy Punch (1)
Great attack! 73 Dam/Sec (+ 30% chance of Mag 2 Stun) It doesn’t get much love, but it’s good. It will be your filler attack for your whole career.

Bonesmasher (2)
Another great attack! 46 Dam/Sec. Plus a 60% chance of a Mag 3 Stun.

Build Up (6)
Personal choice on this one. Some people love it, some people give it a miss. Marginally worse for Brutes, as Brute base damage is low.

Whirling Hands (8)
Opinion varies on this. Most people hate it – I love it. Not as good as other primaries’ AoE attacks, but it’s still decent. 25 Dam/Sec to each enemy. So if it’s targeting just two enemies, it’s better than Bonesmasher. 8 foot radius, cool animation, and a 30% of Mag 2 Stun. Something of an endurance hog, so you may wish to take it after Stamina.

Taunt (12)
Most Brutes don’t consider it. Some Brutes consider it invaluable, if they tank for teams. Skip it if you’re mostly soloing.

Total Focus (18)
Brutes get this at Level 18! Score! It’s damage per second is only average – 45 Dam/Sec. But it also has a 100% chance of a Mag 4 Stun. Which is huge. So most people start every battle by hitting the Boss with this. Take it – it’s one of the two attacks that makes Energy Melee.

Stun (26)
Most people skip this. Sure, it goes off faster than Total Focus. But it’s only a Mag 3 Stun (100% chance), and does a pathetic 6 Dam/Sec.

Energy Transfer (32)
The power that makes Energy Melee. Incredibly damaging. Very fast. 189 Dam/Sec With a bunch of Fury, you can one-shot most things with this. Also does some damage to you, but it’s so worth it! Consider slotting IOs that give +Regeneration to get back this loss of hit points.


[u]Invulnerability[u]

Resist Physical Damage (1)
5.625% Smash/Lethal Resistance. Always on. As a Brute, you have to take it. Tankers should also take it. It’s subtle, but very useful.

Temporary Invulnerability (2)
Great power – poorly named. You’ll always have it on, so it’s not Temporary. And the resistance it gives is only good, not great, so it’s not Invulnerability. Still, get it, and have it on whenever you’re fighting. 22.5% S/L Res for .26 Endurance per second.

Dull Pain (4)
A key power. Both heals you and increases max hit points. Some hit before battle to have higher max HP. Some hit it mid battle to benefit from the great heal. Put 3 Recharge in this, and possibly 2 or 3 Heal enhancements. Although this is a fantastic power, you don’t have to take it at level 4 – you can hold off a few levels while you fill in your attacks.

Resist Elements (6)
A lot of people skip this. A lot take it, at least eventually. Cold attacks are pretty darn rare, and Toxic isn’t exactly common. 5.625% Fire, Cold and Toxic Resistance. Always on.

Unyielding (16)
Most important power in Invulnerablity. Must have. Take at 16. You’ll be suffering from levels 10 to 16 as you get mezzed repeatly before you get this. Consider avoiding The Lost and the Circle of Thorns in those levels. Good Mez and Knockback protection, 7.5% Fire, Cold, Energy, Neg, Toxic Res and 3.75% S/L Res. At the cost of negative 3.75% Defense. (Or is it 5%?) Still, turn it on and always have it on. The Mez protection and resistances make the –Def worth it. .26 End per second.

Resist Energies (20)
A lot of people skip this. Most eventually take it in. A bit better than Resist Elements, as Energy attacks are common. 5.625% Energy and Negative Resistance. Always on.

Invincibility (28)
Not nearly as powerful as it used to be. Still a great power. Defense, Accuracy and a Taunt. All of which scale to the number of enemies in range. I believe it’s 3.75 DEF (against everything except Psionics) for the first mob, plus 1.125% DEF for each mob #2 to #10. Accuracy is 2% per mob in range (up to 10) So three mobs within 8 feet is 6% DEF plus 6% ACC. Plus you Taunt them all, a help if you’re teaming. I turn it on whenever facing more than one enemy. .21 End per second.

Tough Hide (35)
No one gets excited by this power, but most people eventually take it. I think a lot take it just because it counteracts the –DEF in Unyielding. And you always have Unyielding on. 3.75% DEF against everything except Psionic. Always on. Me, I’m a fan of always on defenses. Some people aren’t.

Unstoppable (38)
Now THIS should have been called Temporary Invulnerablity. It’s your three minutes of unkillablity. Also gives endurance drain protection. 2 or 3 slot it with Resistance to get those resistances maxed out (depending on what else you have.) The drop is annoying, but the fact that you’re virtually unkillable for those 3 minutes is very worth it. Just watch for the flashing icon to know when you’re about to drop. When you get more skilled, it’s very possible to drop in or near the battle.


Note that Invulnerablity gets no protection from Psionics. Our mind is our weakness! Except for Dull Pain – Dull Pain works great to heal the damage from Psionics. You might also consider trying to get the Rikti Invasion accolade, which provides some Psionic protection.

For more detailed numbers, I recommend:

Red Tomax's Guide to City of Heroes

Happy Smashing!

[ QUOTE ]

we know the travel part is messed up, but does the end reduction part provide full HO value?

Second, does anyone know if Spine Burst suffers from the same HO range bug as the cone attacks?

[/ QUOTE ]

Travel HO -- I don't know for sure if anyone has tested the Endurance portion of Microfilament, but I've certainly NEVER heard any rumor to the effect that it was providing less than the full 50% End Reduction. This during long threads about how it was giving less than an SO's worth of Travel speed.

So Microfilament would appear to give 30% Travel Speed + 50% END.

I thought I read that they had fixed the Cone Range HO bug on Test. Not sure, but I believe the fix is on the way.

- Jeremy White

[ QUOTE ]
How effective is Hover with 3 Microfilament Exposures? How fast? Numbers please!

[/ QUOTE ]

Bad news, I'm afraid. The Travel portion of Microfilament is the ONLY HO boost which is worse than an SO. A Microfilament gives a 30% speed bonus, versus the 33.3% speed bonus given by an SO. We don't know why that is. Every other HO boost is 1.5 times better than the equivilant SO.

But that means you don't want Microfilament in Hover, most likely. It's still useful to some people in Fly, as Microfilament gives a 30% Speed boost plus 50% END reduction. Which means you won't run out of END with it with Fly.

It is POSSIBLE that this is a bug, and that the Devs will fix this for the better at some point. Or they may have wanted to limit Travel Speed boosts. The ways of the Devs is a mystery ...

- Jeremy White

I have to disagree with the original poster about fly getting the shaft.

Fly is the best ability for scouting, by far. It is the safest ability for exploring a new area (although it is not the safest for escaping battle).

There are a lot of dimentions to the travel powers, but some were not listed in the original post. Only Teleport and Fly make travel in the Shadow Shard reasonable. Fly's ability to go AFK for a drink is an ability that no other travel power has -- and means that you can spend more of your time at the computer earning XP, instead of bouncing, porting or running through a zone. If a Teleporter wishes to go AFK, they certainly can not do it while traveling.

If Fly were any better, it would be by far the most popular travel power. As it is, it appears to already be the most popular.

At www.creyindustries.com you can search the database by Power Pools. Here are the numbers:

4058 Speed
4038 Flight
2942 Leaping
2032 Teleport

Now, it's worth remembering, some people take the Flight pool just for Hover, a HUGE number of people take the Speed pool just for Hasten, some people take the Teleport pool just for Recall Friend. I can't imagine more than a handful take the Leaping pool just for Combat Jump.

In any case, Flight and SuperSpeed appear to be the most popular travel powers, with Super Jump and Teleport considerably below those.

Based on what people are picking, Fly does not appear to need to get better. I'd hate to have a situation where people felt they needed to break their character concept to take a travel power because it was clearly better than the others.

Teleport is the most-unloved travel power. It would therefore appear just fine that it is the fastest.

- Jeremy White

Looking at the Hamidon Enhancement list above, I see it's somewhat out of date (or has been incorrectly modified). Our best current knowledge is:

*** Blue One's Clip 'N Save of Hamidon Bonuses ***

Name ............ Bonus Given ................... Great in:

Nucleolus ----- 50% DAM + 50% ACC ----- Any attack
Centriole ----- 50% DAM + 30% Range --- Any ranged attack
Peroxisome --- 50% DAM + 50% "Mez" ---- Total Focus, Controller Attacks
Endoplasm ---- 50% ACC + 50% "Mez" --- Controller Powers
Golgi --------- 50% HEAL + 50% END ---- Regen Scrappers, Empathy
Ribosome ----- 30% RES + 50% END ----- Unyielding, etc.
Microfilament - * 30% Travel + 50% END --- Fly, Super Speed

Lysosome --- 50% -ToHit + 50% -Def + 50% ACC -- Smoke Grenade
Enzyme ----- 50% -ToHit + 50% -Def + 50% END -- Radiation Infection
Membrane --- 50% ToHit + 30% DEF + 50% RCH ---- Fortitude
Cytoskeleton- 50% ToHit + 30% DEF + 50% END ----Invincibility

* Strangely, tests on the Travel power for Superspeed is only showing a 28% to 30% bonus for the Microfilament, as opposed to the expected 50%. In any case, the HO has been tested to do LESS for Superspeed than an equivilant SO. We don't know why.

Stateman incorrectly reported a while ago that Hamidon triples gave a 30% bonus to each thing, but actual testing give the numbers above.

- Jeremy White

[ QUOTE ]

To me, parts of this is confusing.

Where it says “-ToHit” should I take that as meaning it’s an Accuracy DeBuff? I would prefer that phrase be used, as it’s easy to miss the little “-” sign.

For Membrane and Cytoskeleton, it says “50% ToHit”. How is this different from just saying “50% ACC” like it says earlier in the table? If it is not different, then it should be consistent, I would think, so the thick-headed ones like me find it easier to grasp.

Finally, I’m not entirely sure I can trust this list. Many people seem to confuse RES with DEF. Someone said that Membrane would be good for Force of Nature, but FoN uses RESISTANCE buffs, not DEFENSE buffs. Only the recharge component would be useful in FoN.

Comments anyone?

[/ QUOTE ]

I can comment. I wrote the table above, compiling it from test results from myself and others on the board.

-ToHit IS an Accuracy Debuff. You're right about that. I was trying to find a compact way to write that. One tip off is that they are good in Smoke Grenade and Rad. Infection, which are known to do BAD things to their targets, not good things.

ToHit is different than ACC. A ToHit bonus goes into something like Invinciblity, Focused Accuracy, Build Up, etc. So if Build Up gave a 20% ToHit bonus, with a ToHit SO in Build Up, it would now give a 34% bonus (20% times 1.33) to each attack. An ACC bonus goes straight into any attack, and just gives that bonus in Accuracy. So a ACC SO gives you +33% chance to hit. But in just that one attack.

This list represents the best information available on the boards. It may not be 100% accuracy, but it's our collected knowledge. I'm sure its pretty darn close. All the RES and DEF entries are in the right place.

One correction, which is on more up-to-date versions that I've posted to the boards -- The Travel bonus of Microfilament has been tested as being 30%, not the expected 50%. We don't know why that is.

- Jeremy White

Thanks, Ascendant.

I agree that's it's better to overhear these over the phones.

I remember doing so, oh, about a year ago. I only posted that one on the Fan Fiction board because I knew most people would not have heard these for so long (plus, only those on Virtue got the pleasure). For many months, when I've seen that you've been in my zone, I've high-tailed it over to the tram, but I haven't overheard Ascendant on the phone for a very long time, so I felt I wasn't spoiling the surprise.

Keep up the great writing! Your 'Eggs' piece had a feel similar to The Tick comic book. Heroes, aspiring to greatness, brought down by life's petty distractions.

Cheers,

Jeremy White / 'Blue One'

p.s. Any chance you could put up the call to Paragon Medical Insurance? I have copy, but don't know if it's the complete version. There was also something about the Clockworks breaking into Ascendant's apartment, but I'm not sure if that was ever a fully-fledged sketch. Maybe an idea for a future story?...

Hasten can be made permanent with 4 HOs, which has been bandied around as proof that the recharge portion of Membrane (ToHit + DEF + RCH) must be 50%.

My own testing showed it to give a 49% boost. Despite the fact that I am very confident of my methodology, I'm willing to concede the 1% difference. So I believe 50% is correct.

You can do the math if you wish:

The raw numbers from my testing:
Build Up with no Enh: 91 seconds (Consistent with 1 sec act, 90 sec recharge)
Build Up with +3 SO: 66 seconds
Build Up with +3 HO: 58.5 seconds

Subtract 1 second for activation time (or is it 1.2 seconds?). The formula is Original / (1 + Enh) = New.

Then, divide New by 1.15 to change it from a +3 Enh to an even-con Enhancement.

If the Activation time is 1.2 seconds, as printed in the Prima Guide, and the base Recharge time is 90 seconds, one gets a boost of 49.6%, which is incredibly close to 50%.

As a sanity check, when I use the above numbers and methods to calculate what bonus an SO gives, I get 33.81%. That's pretty close to the printed 33.33% bonus an SO gives, which implies that my testing method and math are likely good.

- Jeremy White

I hit 44th level, and was able to test the level 47 Membrane I have. It boosts ToHit, DEF and Recharge.

Tested the Recharge portion in Build Up, which is reported to have a 1 second activation, and a 90 second recharge.

Did lots of very detailed testing, which I'm too lazy to type out here now.

My results show that a regular SO gives a 33.44% Enhancement boost -- right next to the actual 33.33% boost.

My testing showed the Hamidon Enhancement giving a 49% boost -- much higher than the SO, and very likely to actually be 50%.

The raw numbers from my testing:
Build Up with no Enh: 91 seconds (Consistent with 1 sec act, 90 sec recharge)
Build Up with +3 SO: 66 seconds
Build Up with +3 HO: 58.5 seconds

You can do the math now if you like: Subtract 1 second for activation time. The formula is Original / (1 + Enh) = New. Then, divide New by 1.15 to change it from a +3 Enh to a typical Enh.

At least for Recharge, Hamidon Triples give 50%. And there is no reason to believe they aren't ALL 50% -- there is no reason to believe that Recharge would be more Enhanced than other attributes.

On this one detail, Stateman was wrong.

- Jeremy White

[ QUOTE ]

This also means that the effectiveness of your Enhancements are capped to the level of effectiveness of that weight classes' Enhancements. That means that your Hamidon Enhancement is considered at an S.O. or lower level, rather than +50%. You'll still have the advantage because two or three aspects are being boosted, but you won't have the overwhelming % advantage.

This, however, does not occur when fighting within your "weight" class. If you're in your weight class, Hamidon Enhancements are killer.

[/ QUOTE ]

So those of us who are unfortunate enough to be 45th level or higher, but lack Hamidon Enhancements will just be at a severe disadvanage in PvP?

I'm considering deliberately not reaching 45th level in order not to have this disadvantage. If I'm considering something so 'counter to fun', consider the possiblity that the rules as written aren't the right rules.

The changes above are good, but because Hammy-Os go against the ethos of COH, I believe that the COH community needs more. My concrete proposals:

1 - Give one Hammy-O to each player within range of Hamidon when it dies.

Why temp people into a Prisoner's Dilema of unsociable behavior when that temptation to kill steal can be so easily removed? You can still spawn the buds, 'cause their cool, but they wouldn't give any drops.

2 - Nerf Hammy-Os to be as good as SOs. They'd still be better, as they'd give 33% to each thing they boosted. But they wouldn't be as ridiculous as they are now. Would the people who have already farmed Hamidon multiple times be horribly hurt by this change? Not really. They'd still have an advantage, both in PvP and PvE.

Anyway, those are my modest proposals.

- Jeremy White

[ QUOTE ]
Also the Kraken Enh are acquired Pre-40, so PvP will be affected long before the 46-50 level band, but no one seems worried about those. Why is that?

~Tri

[/ QUOTE ]

There not nearly as good. They only give a 25% bonus to each thing (or a 15% bonus to DEF, RES and Range). Which is worse than the 33% given by an SO. So they're only worth it if you'd naturally slot at least two of the Enhancements given. If not, stick with SOs.

I actually say that the Hydra and Titan enhancements are at a good power level -- cool, but not broken. Unlike the Hamidon enhancements, which are too good.

- Jeremy White

[ QUOTE ]
Statesman wrote:

Hamidon Enhancements boost either TWO aspects of a power by 50% or THREE aspects of a power by 30%.


[/ QUOTE ]

Not according to real-life testing.

The Recharge on Membrane (which is a THREE, and gives ToHit + DEF + RCH) has been shown to be noticably better than a +2 SO (so BETTER than 36%), and has been tested by another hero as being 50%. Unless the numbers were changed recently (which has not been reported), that Hamidon THREE was boosting Recharge by 50%.

Not sure what to believe? Test it yourself. Get a Recharge SO, and a Hamidon Membrane. Slot the first, time the Recharge. Slot the second, time the recharge. If the Membrane gives a noticably better recharge rate, we know that it's markedly better than 33%. If you want to find out the exact percentage, the formula for Recharge is: Original / ( 1 + Enhancement) = New

Don't have a Membrane? Contact me, and I'll give you one on the Test Server.

- Jeremy White

We're getting reports in another thread of the Recharge of Hamidon Membrane being better than a +2 SO -- in other words noticably BETTER than 36%.

Two people have reported this -- one reported the number to be 50%. I suspect they are right. And it's consistent with my findings that the Hydra enhancements all give 25% to everything.

This would mean that the Triple Hamidon Enhancements are better than previously reported, and that the actual numbers are:

Name ............ Bonus Given ................... Best in:

Nucleolus ----- 50% DAM + 50% ACC ----- Any attack
Centriole ----- 50% DAM + 30% Range --- Any ranged attack
Peroxisome --- 50% DAM + 50% "Mez" ---- Total Focus, etc.
Endoplasm ---- 50% ACC + 50% "Mez" --- Controllers, Total Focus
Golgi --------- 50% HEAL + 50% END ---- Regen Scrappers, Empathy
Ribosome ----- 30% RES + 50% END ----- Unyielding, etc.
Microfilament - 50% Travel + 50% END --- Fly, Super Speed

Lysosome --- 50% -ToHit + 50% -Def + 50% ACC -- Smoke Grenade
Enzyme ----- 50% -ToHit + 50% -Def + 50% END -- Radiation Infection
Membrane --- 50% ToHit + 30% DEF + 50% RCH ---- Fortitude
Cytoskeleton- 50% ToHit + 30% DEF + 50% END ----Invincibility, Ice Tanks

These things are amazingly good.

- Jeremy White

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Lysosome --- 30% -ToHit + 30% -Def + 30% ACC -- Smoke Grenade

[/ QUOTE ]

the Accuracy component to this is likely 50% since Acc SOs are normally 33%

[/ QUOTE ]

True. But the Hamidon Triples have been reported by others to only give a 30% bonus to each of the three components.

If someone has a Membrane, they could test the Recharge component -- RCH is fairly easy to test to within a couple percent. Just get a stopwatch and put something like Build Up on autofire. Remember to turn off Hasten, and to subtract the Activation time, which can be found in Hero Planner.

- Jeremy White

[ QUOTE ]
Great job Blue One I would edit my post to include that but alas, they have a timer on edit'ing posts

Only 18% Defense? I know regular Defense SOs are 20% and(from what I've heard) it should be 30% last I heard for Hammy's

[/ QUOTE ]

I am predicting 18%, as 18% is .6 of 30%. The Hamidon triples are reported to give a 30% bonus to each attribute. (Although I wouldn't be surprised if the number turns out to be 33.3%) However, DEF, RES, Range and Cone have always been found to give only .6 of the usual benefit. (For example, the 20% SOs) Someone tested a Hamidon Dual above, and found it to give only 30% Range bonus, but a 50% damage bonus, which is as predicted. No reason to believe that the DEF bonus in a Hami Triple would behave any differently, so I predict 18% DEF bonus. Besides, using logic and math is much easier than actually trying to test Defense ...

- Jeremy White

There seems to be lots of confusion on the bonuses given by Hamidon Enhancements. Below, in a handy “Clip ‘N Save” format is the collected wisdom of these boards. Not all of the numbers are confirmed. But enough are that this list is likely to completely accurate. Thanks to Jonbo298_ for optimal Enhancement use suggestions.


---- Blue One’s “Clip ‘N Save” Guide to Hamidon Enhancements ----

Name ............ Bonus Given ................... Best in:

Nucleolus ----- 50% DAM + 50% ACC ----- Any attack
Centriole ----- 50% DAM + 30% Range --- Any ranged attack
Peroxisome --- 50% DAM + 50% "Mez" ---- Total Focus, etc.
Endoplasm ---- 50% ACC + 50% "Mez" --- Controllers, Total Focus
Golgi --------- 50% HEAL + 50% END ---- Regen Scrappers, Empathy
Ribosome ----- 30% RES + 50% END ----- Unyielding, etc.
Microfilament - 50% Travel + 50% END --- Fly, Super Speed

Lysosome --- 30% -ToHit + 30% -Def + 30% ACC -- Smoke Grenade
Enzyme ----- 30% -ToHit + 30% -Def + 30% END -- Radiation Infection
Membrane --- 30% ToHit + 18% DEF + 30% RCH ---- Fortitude
Cytoskeleton- 30% ToHit + 18% DEF + 30% END ----Invincibility, Ice Tanks

The lower-level Hydra and Titan Enhancements do not enhance as much -- they all give a 25% bonus to each thing, except for the usual DEF, RES, Range and Cone, where it is believed they give only a 15% bonus.

- Jeremy White

[ QUOTE ]
Interesting/Good tests there Blue One. So basically those 3 part enhancements are actually GOOD to have since a regular 20% enhancement like defense ones but yet Hydra/Titan ones are 25%

[/ QUOTE ]

They're good, but I doubt they're good for THAT reason. The Hydra Quark (ToHit + DEF + RCH) gave a 25% Recharge boost -- which is possibly higher than I would have expected for a triple. However, my guess it that it's Defense boost would be only 15% (.6 of 25%) -- as DEF enhancements are at lower levels. I haven't tested this, as testing DEF bonuses is hard.

My prediction is that the Hydra Quark gives:
25% ToHit + 15% DEF + 25% RCH

which is a lot better to put into one slot of your Fortitude than merely a 20% DEF SO or a 33% RCH SO.

I've personally only confirmed the Recharge 25% bonus of the Hydra Quark.

- Jeremy

Ran some tests on Test, to see what percentage Hydra enhancements give.

Tested Damage on a Neutrino (DAM + ACC), and Recharge on a Quark (ToHit + DEF + RCH). Both were my level (40). I only tested Damage and Recharge, because those are much easier to test than some of the other bonuses.

The damage test was easy, and came up with a number of 25.002%. Confirms the 25% bonus previously reported.

The Recharge test was a bit more complicated. Tested with Build Up (Activation of 1.2, Recharge of 90), Whirling Hands (Act: 3, RCH: 14) and Total Focus (Act: 3.3, RCH: 20). Made sure to subtract the Activation time before calculating the RCH benefit. Particularly with Build Up and Whirling Hands, I was able to put them on autoattack, and time when they went off. I recorded both the second they autofired again, and averaged over all the results. The manual timings had a few seconds variance, likely due to human error, but it all looked good, and jived with the Hero Planner numbers (when unenhanced). In any case, in my two long really good Build Up tests, the Enhancement gave a Recharge benefit of 24.5% and 25.2%.

That seems close enough to 25% to decree that the Hydra Quark Enhancement gives a 25% Recharge bonus. Note that this is a THREE Enhancement (ToHit + DEF + RCH), which implies that Hydra and Titan that enhance 3 things give 25% to each one.

So it appears to me that the special enhancements enhance as such:

Hamidon TWOs:______ 50% + 50%
Hamidon THREEs:_____ 33% + 33% + 33% (or possibly 30%)
Hydra/Titan TWOs:___ 25% + 25%
Hydra/Titan THREEs:__ 25% + 25% + 25%

It is presumed that those things that normal SOs give only 20% instead of 33.3% (DEF, RES, Range, Cone) will also give only .60 of the benefits listed above as well. Therefore, a Hammy O Ribosome probably actually gives 30% RES + 50% END.

- Jeremy White

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Thank you for the listing of powers things are useful in. I'm still not convinced that there is anything that can really use all three powers in Membrane Exposure (ToHit, DEF, Recharge).

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, let's see. What power do you know of that buffs Accuracy and Defense?

I'll give you a hint...it's in the Empathy set...

[/ QUOTE ]

Fortitude it is! Membrane is the bomb-diggity in ... Fortitude.

Thanks.

Here's a chart of the names of the Hydra and Titan versions, to the best of my knowledge.

Remember that the Hamidon versions give either a 50%+50% or a 30%+30%+30% bonus, whereas the Hydra and Titan versions are reputed to give a 25%+25% bonus. (and unknown by me for the three-way versions.) Also, it's likely that DEF, RES, Range & Cone give less of a bonus, as the SO versions also give less of a bonus.


<ul type="square">
Hamidon.......Hydra......Titan(Eden).....Power

Nucleolus......Neutrino....Diamond........DAM + ACC
Centriole.......Neutron....Quartz...........DAM + Range
Peroxisome....Gluon........Amethyst.......DAM + "Mez"
Endoplasm.....Graviton....Calcite...........ACC + "Mez"
Golgi.............Positron....Kyanite..........HEA L + END
Ribosome.......Electron....Peridont.........RES + END
Microfilament..Theta.......Selenite.........Travel + END
Lysosome.......Delta........Gypsum.........-ToHit + -Def + ACC
Enzyme.........AntiProton..Zeolite..........-ToHit + -Def + END
Membrane......Quark (?)...Citrine...........ToHit + DEF + RCH
Cytoskeleton..Proton.......Tanzanite......ToHit + DEF + END[/list]

Note: The Hydra Quark is listed in the in-game text as ToHit + DEF + END (which is likely wrong) and right below that as ToHit + DEF + RCH. The +END version already exists as the Proton.

- Jeremy White

Thank you SO much. I've been trying to figure out these babies.

I'm working on the baby versions -- those that come off of the Hydra and Eden trials (which are called Titans). There is a version of each of the above (with a different name) in both Hydra and Titan versions.

My understanding from the boards is that the Hydra and Titan versions give a 25% bonus to two things. Don't know if they give 25% or less than that if they boost three things. If it's less, it's possible three power Hydra and Titan Enhancements may often not be as useful as an SO if your not taking advantage of all three boosts. Any ideas?

Thank you for the listing of powers things are useful in. I'm still not convinced that there is anything that can really use all three powers in Membrane Exposure (ToHit, DEF, Recharge). You list Elude, but I don't think that benefits from ToHit. Invincibility can use all three, but the Recharge on Invincibility is already pretty fast. In any case, the Hamidon benefits of 30% make it worth it for just two of the three boosts.

It's worth noting that the Cytoskeleton (ToHit, DEF, END) is amazing in Invincibility.

- Jeremy White

An as alternative position:

Do you folks have any idea of how cool PvP can be?!!!11!

Really. Battling wits with other players is SO much more fun than playing against AI.

Now, yes, it needs to be optional -- but in this game, it has been announced that it will be.

And, yes, it needs to be well designed -- and this is hard. For example, I have no idea how they will solve the problem of flyers vs. melee, and how Taunt will work.

But a well-designed, optional PvP with the right reward/punishment structure can be so, so, cool.

I look forward!

- Jeremy White

Consider leaving Unyielding Stance the way it is.

As a 34th Level Tanker, I already consider it one of my top 2 powers (along with Invincibility). And as Status Effects become more and more common, US gets better and better.

Why is it so great? While it's up, it's complete immunity from status effects. That keep my toggles up, that keeps me up, and that keeps the rest of my team up. Only Malta Sappers have a way around it with their gruesome Endurance drain.

If you added a slow movement ability to it without making it's other attributes any worse, one of the best powers I have would get better. It doesn't make sense to make a great power even better.

If you add some movement powers to it, but then removed the complete 100% invulnerablity to status effects -- well, I'd rather have the power as it currently is. The one thing that could be done is to lower it's resistance from 20% to something lower -- I use US for it's Status protection, not it's RES ability. To be honest, I'd use it if it had NO Resistance ability. Complete Status protection is that good.

Admittedly, I have teleport -- but I don't even use it all that much once I've ported into battle. I tend to be able to Provoke and Taunt things back to me, rather than moving myself.

Also, I'm one of those for whom Unstoppable is unappealing -- but for those who want Status protection with mobility -- Unstoppable (with it's MANY pros AND cons) is an option at 32nd level.

- Jeremy White

It may have been a mistake, and I don't want to hose the game for lower level characters, but I've been absolutely loving the +1 level missions.

Before, missions were getting so boring, and giving terrible XP. I was teleporting past mobs because I was too BORED to fight them. But I still played them for the story line. Now, I get the story line (with better maps), and better XP for finishing missions and interesting fights and better XP for the fights! All in all, a great improvement for this 30th level Tanker!

Mission difficulty slider. It's the answer to make everyone happy.

- Jeremy White