Dechs Kaison
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Posts
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Joined
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Quote:That's as much as a bubble. In fact, that's as much as two bubbles, since fortitude buffs defense to everything. A slotted, PBU fortitude makes anyone night invincible and gives damage to boot. In what distorted definition is that "not really" preventing damage?Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
Minor quibble. Empathy has 9 powers, 5 of which do nothing if no one ever takes damage, and one of which removes/protects from mezzes. It has one power that "prevents" damage, but even then not really (base +15% Defense on a Defender).
If I had an empath on the team that used nothing but his attacks and a well slotted fortitude every time it was up, I'd be content.
My opinions and outspokenness about said opinions are the result of the pendulum effect. When the message of "NEED HEALS" is so ingrained in our community, it takes radical action to counter it.Quote:Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
... I also think we sometimes go too far out of our way to avoid using the word "heal" when talking about Empathy.
Minor quibble. It has ONE heal over time, which is in fact more accurately called a long term +regen buff.Quote:Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
It has some direct heals, and some very powerful heal over times.
EDIT: My mistake. AB does have +regen too. -
My two most used lines with regards to "healers":
"Empathy has nine powers. Only three heal."
"I would rather prevent damage than heal it." -
Quote:There's only three melee ATs?Originally Posted by dave_p
If you're advocating for all melee sets to be shared across the 3 melee ATs, I'm all for that. However, if we're only getting one or two new existing (for other ATs) sets, I have higher priorities than Claws for tanks: BS, as mentioned, and Spines for another one. Port Spines over and I'd finally reroll an Ice tank--Ice/Spines for the ultimate, aggro-magnet, porcupine build!
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Quote:This is another reason I like player moderated channels.Originally Posted by Kong_Fuu
The idea of a global default broadcast channel for forming teams and TFs sounds like a great idea, until you remember that you're on the internet.
Such a channel would be full of gold farmer spam 24/7, not to mention 4chan kiddie spam and everything else that makes broadcast channels untenable in real life. It would be like Atlas Park Broadcast but worse. -
Quote:They're trying to give you (everyone) everything they can as soon as they can.Originally Posted by Rubberlad
Now please, somebody, civilly answer the original question: what happened that caused Going Rogue to be doled out piece by piece?
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Quote:Mostly a question of curiosity here, but wouldn't parry have a higher +def bonus for tanks? Could that be taken as overpowered?Originally Posted by Bill Z Bubba
Why shouldn't tanks get broadsword?
Just to make sure I'm not misunderstood: I'd like to see all of the sets ported. Barring the cases where blatant overpowering can happen, I support total proliferation. Tweak the numbers if you must, but every melee character should be able to hit the enemy with everything. -
Quote:This can never be the solution, because the "official" channels do not reach into missions, across zones and servers. If communication is the key, the "official" channels cut us off far more than the global channels ever could.Originally Posted by Daemodand
Maybe the solution isn't to advertise the existence of Global Channels, but to stop using Global Channels and use the default channels everyone sees by default instead?
So what you would suggest is to make the new players into veteran players.Quote:Originally Posted by DumpleBerry
And thank god for that. I rejoice over my globals every day. If it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't be playing today.
The solution is clear! Invite new players to come along with veteran teams so they can learn!
But how can we do that, without first telling them about the channels? -
Allow me to begin with an anecdote.
Last night I was street sweeping in Talos to pick up BP masks and Tsoo Sorcerers for the accolade. Having roamed the zone for about an hour, I noticed a recent broadcast of a Manticore TF that was looking for more. I scrolled up my broadcast tab to see that the same broadcast had been made earlier, much nearer to the time I zoned in to Talos. I looked at my global channels and did not see a Manti being mentioned, so I sent a tell to the presumed leader, suggesting that he try the global channel for TFs.
"What's a global channel?"
I proceeded to explain the use and function of global channels, and invited him to join my server's TF channel. Shortly thereafter, the Manti filled and was on its way.
That little interaction got me thinking: How many people don't even know about global channels? One in ten players? One in five? Maybe half the population. How many of those people are decent and fun-loving individuals I'm not teaming with because I announce my TFs in a global channel? And with that, the Global Channel Awareness Initiative was born.
What is the Global Channel Awareness Initiative (GCAI)?
The GCAI is a movement I'm starting with the intention to improve the play experience of every CoH/V player. The premise for this is simple: The more people that know about and use global channels, the better they function for all of us.
How does that help everyone?
Think of it like fishing at a pond. You're the fisherman and the Manticore TF is your bait. The more fish in the pond, the quicker you'll fill up your basket and go home to eat. The difference is you aren't going to kill your teammates, and they actually gain from being "caught." In fact, some days you're the fish, and you're waiting for a good piece of bait to snag. More people on the channel means there will be more fishermen.
In short: More fun will be had by more people.
Why do we have to do something about it?
It's been a while since I've gone through the tutorial and read anything, but I'm not sure the use of global channels is even touched on. Even if it is, the channels themselves are player created and operated, so I believe it falls on us to endorse their use. The tutorial can't be expected hand out the commonly used and current LFG, TF, badge, raid, and chatter channels specific to that server to everyone who passes through.
So, what do you want me to do?
Just tell people about the channels. Tell your friends to tell people about the channels. If you see a TF in broadcast but not in the channel, let the player know that there are currently 271 players in the TF channel, half of them likely waiting for something to do. When you see someone spamming "lvl x AT lft," explain that most mission teams are in missions and won't see those broadcasts, but would see them in the server's global LFG channel. Much like promoting paragonwiki.com, encouraging the use of global channels will help people enjoy this game on a grand scale. Some of you probably already do what I'm asking, and for that, I thank you.
Recent observations have led me to believe that many people have been joining or coming back to our beloved game. With the coming expansion, I feel this trend will become more prevalent as the days pass. Unfortunately, most of them feel the population is all but non-existent. They wouldn't feel this way if they knew where to look.
Communication is the key, teach them how.
Thanks for reading. -
Quote:Pics or it didn't happen.Originally Posted by Microcosm
And I thought someone had already done a MoLRSF with Stalkers?
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Quote:I am fully aware that it is the AT modifiers that allow me to do what I've done and I don't deny the sacrifices that are made by others to achieve the protection I have.Originally Posted by Deus_Otiosus
I'd Just like to point out, that while a Tanker can do that - Scrappers and Brutes can not.
They must make build sacrifices to achieve softcap even to just SM/L.
Ok, it wasn't just attacks. I already mentioned the +3% defense unique, but there's also three sets of reactive armor. Otherwise, it's all in attacks.Quote:Originally Posted by Deus_Otiosus
I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that you didn't get that "just" from slotting attacks.
I brought up ED Capped CJ, Weave and Cloak of Darkness for a Tanker in Mids and it's showing Almost 20% defense to all positions and typed defenses. (I'm currently leveling my first Dark Armor, I'm not sure if Cloak suppresses it's defense amount in combat, does it?)
And no, the defense in CoD does not suppress.
This is the latest version I've posted. I've made some renovations to it since then, but I can't post those until I get home.Quote:Originally Posted by Deus_Otiosus
I'd be very interested in seeing your build if you're willing to post it because I'm not sure how you were able to get 25% Smashing, Lethal, Energy and Negative defenses "just" from slotting attacks. (If you did that it would be great to see as it would help my own build, but I don't think there is that much to be had from just attacks).
True enough. Many people might not like my build. Many people might want more damage from the fire epic. Many people would want the stun or fear auras. Many people would want to cram in more recharge to get a better attack chain with more often uses of GFS and Cremate. Most people wouldn't roll a dark armor tank to begin with.Quote:Originally Posted by Deus_Otiosus
I'd like to point out that this is extremely subjective, and is an opinion.
What one person considers as "nothing" or not important - might very well be considered by another player as important to a build.
I've built to a different set of goals though. I knew I was building a tank, so the focus was to survive anything. I set out with the intent of building a tank that, without buffs, didn't have trouble anywhere. My number one goal was to survive. When putting the tank together, I knew that surviving the majority of the game could be done with S/L defense. The next thing I noticed was my "hole" to energy damage. At only 31% resist, I needed protection here too. Energy is a fairly common damage type. Rikti drones caused me inordinate amounts of trouble.
What I built (in my opinion) is a tank that fears nothing. Psi defense at 23% and 81% resist. S/L defense at 45% with 70% resist. E/N defense at 44.9% and 31/62% resist. I've plugged the KB hole with 12 points of protection. Sappers and Masks of Vitation don't do a thing because of the built in end drain resist. With any one purple insp I don't have to worry about cascading failure. With a medium or larger, I can tank Recluse on an MoSTF. My biggest hole is to a very rare category of AoE fire/cold damage, of which I'm moderately defended and resist almost half of. Even if the stuff can damage me, I have a full bar heal every 20 seconds. -
Quote:Three years ago, people still did street sweeping. One of the biggest changes to the game is Super Side Kicking, which allows anyone of any level team with anyone else and still gain XP. Travel has become easier, so much more of the population than ever before is in instanced missions.Originally Posted by Karnage1980
I have to admit, I also came back from a 3 years long absence and noticed a massive drop in pop. I play on freedom which used to be full of people, crazy what 3 years can do.
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Quote:Yes, global channels are things you need to join. They allow for chatting cross zone and even cross server. Check down at your server's section of the forums. There's likely a global LFT channel and a TF channel posted there.Originally Posted by kalicous
Global channels...hmm I'm guessing that's just the chat feature...perhaps a channel I need to join?
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Quote:Obvious statement is obvious.Originally Posted by Another_Fan
1st:
The SR is capped to all 3 positions.
My previously mentioned dark armor tank has softcapped S/L/E/N. He uses cloak of darkness, weave, and CJ for the majority of his defense. I have one unique, and the rest comes from set bonuses in attack powers, which are all slotted to ED cap damage and recharge. I have given up nothing to achieve this.Quote:Originally Posted by Another_Fan
2nd:
Just what did you give up on your generic resist to get all three positions ?
Just at a rough calculation if you slot both defense uniques, take combat jumping, weave, and maneuvers, You need 27% more defense in 3 positons
A guassians in build up will give you 2.5 percent in all three positions bringing you down to 24.5% def still needed in all three positions.
You still have 2 power pools, 54 slots, and 16 picks, you can probably manage it but you are going to be foregoing things that the sr doesn't have to.
This is irrelevant. Especially with regards to the example, which assumes all defense debuffs come from S/L sources.Quote:Originally Posted by Another_Fan
3:
If the Generic resist is not capped to all three positions. The attacks coming from the uncapped vectors dramatically accelerate defense failure. -
Quote:8 DM/Regen or /WP that find room for maneuvers. Each has two or three self heals and defense debuffs be damned.Originally Posted by Silas
I was thinking about this last night.
8 DM/Nins would be best imo. Softcap builds and high recharge, eat orange and red insps (few purples for debuffs) and try and spike down the AVs. Running out of insp, retreat and repeat. -
Welcome back!
There's a plethora of people on Freedom and Virtue, but it's possible to find people anywhere.
If you're like me, when I came back I didn't know about global channels right away. That's the easiest way to find teams. The second best is to use the /search to find and invite people to your own team.
There's a lot of options, but the worst one is standing in a zone broadcasting "lvl x lft" -
Arachnos have mental scramble, which is defense debuff, and I believe the poison ray of bane spiders also has poison debuff.
On the subject of your math: It seems oversimplifying things a bit, but I don't think much would be gained to go on an all out statistical analysis. Your assumptions seem about spot on.
I've got anecdotal evidence that supports your findings: I have a dark armor / fire melee tank at the S/L softcap. Like your example, I have no defense debuff resistance and no extra mitigation in my secondary. With tough, I have about 70% resistance to S/L. Every 25 seconds I can fill my health bar. Without munching a tiny purple the Cimerorans will kill me. With a single tiny purple inspiration, I don't get hit by defense debuffs often enough for them to stack.
Further, I'd like to say that until I got that softcap, I couldn't take the Cimerorans at all without team buffs. Nothing in the game without +tohit or -defense gives me any pause. So, without defense debuff resistance, is the softcap useless? Hell no. -
I just managed my first successful Master run ever last night. It was a Master of Kahn TF, with two tanks, two blasters, three defenders and one controller ran in under an hour. Not bad for a PuG.
Anyway, as for an ideal team? Me and seven friends. Or me and seven other people who know what they're doing with their characters. I have specific rules for the TFs I run, one of them being: Any build, any budget, no exclusions. Nothing is needed, everything contributes, and I can't stand a team nazi.
If I were to design the absolute best team I could? I'd say:
1. Tank that can hold aggro. He doesn't need to be particularly tough, the rest of the team will take care of that. He just needs to make sure the enemies stick to him like glue.
2-8: A variety of */sonic defenders. At least one cold, dark, and rad. Sonic would be nice to anchor that debuff on the tank. Kin not so much with only one melee player. Multiple sonic blasts to floor all the enemy resists. -
If you are at range, and you tell your pets to attack, they will attack from range with their ranged attacks until nothing is recharged. Then, and only then, will they move in close to attack with melee powers.
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Quote:As was said earlier, at low levels the game's damage modifiers mean that your hold is doing no less damage than a blaster's first attack. You both two shot every minion.Originally Posted by rsclark
No need for a counter argument if there's no argument. Most controllers DO go through the newbie zone with no real attack powers. Adding some comment about later damage powers doesn't make that less true.
I wish there a way that you could pick powers as you were leveling up that are useful now, then change that choice to something else later, when it is no longer useful to you.Quote:Originally Posted by rsclark
You have one immobilize/hold/whatever that does negligible damage and in the case where you pick a slow recharge (and actually useful later game power) instead of a faster charge (and later worthless single target imm), then that minimal damage is doubly useless.
We've already established that controller damage at lower levels is plenty and at later levels, as long as containment is up, you essentially have a damage modifier equal to blasters. For both of these reasons, your argument here has nothing to stand on.
Throwing around a big word you barely grasp does not make you smart. Even for hyperbole, your claim was out there.Quote:Originally Posted by rsclark
It's called hyperbole (and only slightly at that). Look it up, chuckles.
Perhaps I should slow down for you. If you have no attack powers, you cannot provide damage. If you cannot provide damage, you cannot contribute. If you cannot contribute, you have no place on a team. You are dead weight.Quote:Originally Posted by rsclark
WHO CARES! Let's take this one step at a time for the slow class.
It's not a matter of being able to solo. It's about being able to contribute.
When was the last time you had trouble affording SOs?Quote:Originally Posted by rsclark
When was the last time you leveled slow enough to be able to afford to slot two builds before 50? Must be all that pointless soloing that gets done. -
Quote:Ah, but technically Flash Freeze is an AoE, so he'd have to use it on a target that's alone. If there's anyone else nearby, the damage is significantly more.Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
Well, technically if you don't slot Flash Freeze for recharge and never use it on anyone who's already mezzed it provides 6 damage every 90seconds which is equivalent to 4 damage a minute. So an Ice controller who only uses un-slotted Flash Freeze would deal 2-4damage a minute.
Also, flash freeze is a level 18 power. Even considering you could use it exemplared all the way to level 13, does it still only do 4 damage per use? -
I'm going to suggest that you buy one (cheap) purple. Even if you can't find it cheap, it's worth getting.
Buy and slot the Soulbound Allegiance proc in your Assault Bot. It has a chance to cause build up for every target hit. -
Quote:Speaking of this: I would support the suggestion to put respec recipes in the merit roll and purchase pools.Originally Posted by Bill Z Bubba
Not cheap. Going purely off memory, I think I paid 250mil. Granted, my memory sucks.
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Quote:This. You've pretty much trumpeted your ignorance in your first post and nothing can save you now.Originally Posted by Silverado
And you judge the usefulness of taunt based on a level 8 MM with no slots or SO's...
My mastermind has provoke, four slotted, IIRC. Do I need it to solo? No. Do I need it to solo +0/x8? Still no. Do I need it to solo +2/x8 malta? No, but it certainly helps at this point. Do I need it to solo AVs? Yes. Being able to grab and hold the attention of the one or two big hitters in your enemy is invaluable when big game hunting. To accomplish the same thing, you need to be able to out-damage your assault bot against a single target.
If you can do more damage with single target attacks than your assbot, there are only three possibilities: You forgot to equip and upgrade the assbot. You haven't haven't put slots in the assbot. You didn't summon the assbot.
Even if you can do that with single target attacks, it's not nearly as reliable as provoke, it costs infinitely more endurance than provoke, and it cannot hold the attention of more than one foe. -
Quote:I was going to put this politely and without snark, but you've proven yourself irredeemably ignorant anyway.Originally Posted by rsclark
That perfectly describes playing the above character - or did you think that 2-4 damage every minute from a hold contributes significantly to damage above and beyond brawl.
And what was the point in adding "never will" to that sentence? How would the idea that I would get a damaging power in 31 levels make me not have to rely on brawl for Outbreak? Did you try to change your point half way through the sentence and fail at it?
Hey moron, have you tried slotting your "hold" for damage? Have you even noticed that it does damage? The single target immobilize does damage too. The AoE immobilize does damage to several targets. You can slot them for damage! You also get containment damage bonuses. You even have siphon power for crying out loud. I've soloed a grav/force field controller and an empathy/psi defender, which are far worse than what you've described.
You're doing it wrong.
An earth/kin is perfectly capable of soloing, despite your inability to figure out how. A force field/kin cannot solo. A dark miasma/empathy cannot solo. No combination of buff/debuff sets can solo. They cannot slot damage in their attacks that don't exist. Without damage, you cannot solo and you cannot contribute.