CoH_Player_101

Well, first lemme say I think it's super cool that you imbedded the video in the referring forum post.

As for the video itself, looks great but one thing that might have put it over the top would have been to score new music specifically for the promotion. Something fast and dramatic, perhaps with a strong drum cadence and a military-type feel.

And yeah, the narrator guy did sound like he was holding back the giggles.

Heh, Posi is a fellow SWG refugee? I wonder what race/build he was most fond of? Were you an imp or rebel, Posi?

And not that he'd ever answer this, but I wonder how many CoX design decisions were based on, "boy X and Y were annoying as hell in SWG!"

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Cricket, please consider adding (if not to this poll, a future poll)...

• Lack of an economy, crafting and lootz

Thanks!

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If I were to wax philosophical for a moment – I wonder whether it’s the genre (super heroes), the medium (City of Heroes) or the nature of the internet which has led to a greater demand for individuality.

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Nah, I think it's just human nature that people must find something to gripe about.

Not to diminish the value of individuality, but I think there's a tremendous opportunity for it in this game already (costumes, enhancements, power pools, etc.). Furthermore, if you compare it to the overwhelming problems many other MMOs suffer - from gross imbalances, server instability, poor customer service, bugs, exploits, unacceptable community behavior, UI inadequacy and so forth - in my opinion, it's a luxury to complain about something as relatively benign as Patron Power Pools.

In short, if this is our greatest "disappointment," I feel pretty fortunate.

Yes, The_Josh got my point. (Thanks!) I thought from the "Secret Code" title, the intended humor was implied.

My "main" is a D3, and for the better part of CoV Beta I played a Dominator. Believe me when I say I'm very familiar with what it's like to be on the receiving end of Assassin Strikes.

That said however, after playing a Stalker now for a bit, I appreciate that it's by no means an "I win!" button in PvP. Setting up an AS can be damn hard work (if not impossible) against an opponent who knows what they're doing.

And with all due respect, Lantzer, I disagree that its necessary to have a cookie-cutter superjumping whirlwind build to significantly reduce your chances of being AS'd AND still have an effective and enjoyable experience in a PvP zone. I also don't think it's entirely necessary to constantly break line-of-sight (if at all).

All you have to do is not let a Stalker get within melee-range long enough to initiate their attack. As long as you're moving every now and then (and obviously not in a predictable pattern), you greatly minimize your risk.

Now granted that's not "invulnerable," but by that same token, you'd be amazed at how many people simply stand still out in the open (often alone I might add) just begging for a Stalker's attention, only then to act surprised when they become a victim. Some are even dense enough to immediately use an awaken.

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...as long as the target is in LOS. I have to be honest and add the conditional modifier.

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Which effectively amounts to rounding a corner or hopping over a garbage can three feet away. And just how might someone accomplish such a task? Hmm...

W, A, S, D... and sometimes R! (Add "R" to the list!!!)

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A more accurate version of your statement would be that never staying in an area long enough for anyone to queue an attack on you is a good defense against AS. This is true.

It is also not particularly useful advice.

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How is it not useful? You've conceded that it's effective, is it particularly challenging to practice? I can think of only a handful of powers (including melee attacks) that require the player to be rooted in place for any significant amount of time... and that's typically only mere seconds. Even with both Teleport and Fly, it's rare to be able to set up an Assassin Strike on an opponent who's smart enough to stay mobile, and I don't mean mobile to the degree that they're not participating in combat.

I know! Crazy huh? I sure hope the developers are looking into this!

W, A, S, D - any combination appears equally effective.

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We know Jack was States, but who was who else?

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Oh I was SO there, too!

WW

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Hehe, not to pick on you *again* WW, but I almost fell out of my chair when you first showed up as a lvl 1 Archery/Devices Blaster (and yes I have screenshots to prove it! ). Take a wrong turn at Atlas Park? Sorry for throwing out the first volley to clobber you, but I couldn't help myself.

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Yes, this is a good thing.

But could we please get a comment on that elephant over there, Mr. Emmert.

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Hehe

Great guide BlackestNight! Thank you very much for taking the time to contribute this.

I'd like to add a couple comments from my experience...

I do find Teleport Foe useful as a D3. Though arguably not the most efficient use, it's handy to grab a straggler who's just escaped my cones' reach. But where it really shines is in dealing with the more annoying mobs in the game, in particular, Sappers. I'll often use Teleport Foe to grab one of these pesky buggers from around a corner and drop him right on top of Fluffy. Between Dark Servant's debuffs and Petrifying Gaze set to auto-fire, I can typically neuter a Sapper faster than they can get a shot off. And even if I draw aggro from the remainder of the spawn, at least I'm pretty confident I've got that one sucker under control. (Works great on snipers too!)

Also, as compelling as your argument is for taking Blackstar, I'm really not fond of it. For me, the liabilities and its situational nature simply outweigh the benefits. There's never really a good time for any player, much less a Defender, to bottom out on endurance unless the threat from the mobs you're fighting is so trivial you can be relatively certain you're not putting yourself (or your team) in significant peril. If that's the case, then from my perspective, a couple extra seconds spamming Tentacles/Nightfall should be just as effective. In short, let the Blasters nuke - they're infinitely better at it than we are, AND more accustomed to face planting when things go awry.

Lastly, and you're welcome to give me a hard time on this, but I like Life Drain. Sure its damage is relatively anemic in relation to its end cost, but the longer recharge somewhat balances that out. And yeah, its heal stinks, but damn it has a sweet animation and sound effect! As a stubborn D3 who refuses to take Hasten, I find it useful as a third attack in my single-target chain. In short, is it efficient? Nope. But is it still practical? I dunno, but I certainly use it a hell of a lot more often than Blackstar. I definitely wouldn't recommend it though unless you've got one "fun" power to spare and a few free slots to beef up its damage.

Oh... and a couple notes on Psychic Mastery. This is the Ancillary pool to take if you're lamenting the i5 "adjustments" to Dark Miasma's control abilities, especially Petrifying Gaze. Though it stinks to break the Darkity-Dark theme, this set is all about control, control, control.

Dominate is simply an awesome hold. It recharges faster than Pet Gaze, it does damage, and may indeed have an ACC bonus (I'm a little skeptical on that one, but it's possible).

Mass Hypnosis definitely has its uses, though sleep powers can be quite situational if your team is inexperienced, trigger happy, or wading around with damage auras. I can't confirm if the Ancillary pool shares this trait, but one very significant advantage the Mind Controller version has is it's a completely non-aggro inducing power. This can be mighty useful if you're trying to sneak past a spawn, or keep two separate while pulling.

I don't have much to add about Mind Over Body, but here's a picture of it for those curious what it looks like (yes it's pink).

As for Telekinesis, this is possibly one of the very best holds in the game. Though it's limited to a maximum of 5 foes total, it can conceivably keep them locked down *indefinitely* so long as you have the endurance to maintain the toggle. That said, the cost for this power is insane - higher than even Phase Shift. Don't bother taking this unless you know you'll only need it for very brief intervals or can spare the slots to fill it up with endurance reduction enhancements.

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Enough with the necro-posting already.

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Wow, irony.

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Arise and all that. You know the drill by now.

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Awesome! Is it necro-thirty already?

I like a good joke as much as anyone, but is the only punch-line gonna be watching our resident necromancer get his forum privileges suspended?

C'mon Cuppa, at least throw us a good zinger before the next lock.

So, someone is bored I take it? Or is there some hidden agenda here?

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And boy am I worried about this group of people. Everything is taken so seriously that it is frightening.

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Which was preceded by...

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Well I am a bow person and moving a foot or two up really will not do anything big for you. He could have easily fired off an arrow and knocked another in the time it took to teleport. That would have done much more for him.

Also, kneeling down is in no way a good way to fire a bow. So the sniper thing is out.

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Umm, taken too seriously? Pot, meet kettle!

Maybe we just have a different sense of humor, but I see plenty of levity sprinkled throughout this thread.

*Ahem*

Am I the only one who reads the comic?

Top Cow, Issue #2, Hero Spotlight: Manticore...

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...and I can cobble together an arrowhead if I have to. I prefer to buy them though. Speaking of wise purchases, life has certainly gotten more interesting since I bought into the ability to tap the Emergency Network. Being able to teleport myself and my arrows has really opened up my options in combat.

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Edit: Apparently I'm not! Good catch VetoMan!

Wow, now I don't know who to respect more... you or your brother.

All I can say is keep on keeping on. We might not always agree with what you do, but it's sure as hell admirable.

I hate to break this to you, but Guild Wars is heavily focused on PvP.

Don't get me wrong; I enjoy the game and would highly recommend it. But if you're looking to shy away from PvP, Guild Wars might be quite a disappointment.

I've played my fair share of MMOs - from Star Wars: Galaxies to World of Warcraft. For whatever it's worth, I have the deepest respect and admiration for Statesman and Cryptic; they seem to care the most for their playerbase and I genuinely believe have our best interests at heart. I wish I could say the same for Sony Entertainment or Blizzard.

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Spoken like a true exploit artist.. won't elaborate? You mean "won't share" and "don't want to get the other bug I found fixed."

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You forgot the Golden Rule:

"Everything is okay, so long as I don't get caught."

(And yes I'm being sarcastic.)

Bone Daddies have access to Dark Melee AND Dark Blast.

Behemoths have access to Fire Blast AND Invulnerability.

That's just naming a couple off the top of my head. Really, if you want to argue players should be able to do the same things that villains can, you're talking about a whole lot more than just changing Teleport.