Electronite

Nice! You can get some really dramatic lighting effects on his face that way!

Warface in a leotard and tutu? Sweet...

I picked up a Genius MousePen 8x6 tablet for about $60 on Amazon. Since it's my first tablet, I didn't want to spend much on it. It's a ton cheaper than the Wacom Intuous3, although the wireless pen does not have an eraser on it. There have been reportsof the cursor jumping a bit, and some of the reviews on Amazon indicate that some people had trouble installing it. I have had neither problem thus far with it. It's apparently not compatible with Macs, but it runs fine on my PC with Windows XP.

/em thumbsup

Ooh, very cool!

Sweet, just sent in a payment to reserve five spots. Awesome stuff!

Help! Lady Jade wants me beheaded!

HBS, thanks very very much! This is perfect for my Sonics defender and controllers!

Nice guide, Tundara, but the +Stealth IOs can no longer be slotted into passives like Swift. I know you know this by now, just a reminder.

Well, this is from the Freedom forum. It's a start at least.

"We started with 3 basic teams.

1: hami-aggro team. 2 granite (for toxic resist) tanks, 1 emp, 1 kin (emp or kin need recall). Perfectly ideal.
2: Yellow team. We had mostly scrappers with some heal support and each of the scrapps would attack a different yellow at the start, turned out hard to coordinate.
3. everyone else, led by Rose. They started on the greens. Another true mark of this success combined with team 1 that was crucial, me thinks.

We used a 1 minute countdown timer, to give everyone a clue when we were rushing the mitos so as to start the buffs. The hami-aggro team tank1 tp'd themself into hami at 20-15 on the countdown (under EoE protection) and got hami aggro. At about 10 seconds on the countdown, the yellow team tried to all get into all six of the yellows at the same time and dmg/kill/taunt them. The at zero the main mito team/targetter (Rose et al) when straight for the greens. Holds first then kitchen-sink-can-of-whoop-a$$ next, then moved on to blues hoping yellows would be taking care of.

The problem that needed fine-tuning was the coordination of the yellow team, and the amount of EoE used.

The hami-aggro team can get by with about 20 EoE's (2 per tank per mito bloom). Look at the training room threads for exactly how we did this. It worked really really really well.

The yellow team needs more thinking. Rose, Fashion and I talked about some ways to improve the strat and its discussed in the training room forum as well. Bascially we need to change the Yellow team to be 2 teams: 1 team that is 1 taunter per Yellow with support or EoE's and a Yellow *sweep* team that is a spike dmg travelling pack. The main mito team that consists of everyone else in the hive goes after the greens first, holds and range dmg being the keys.

Both the hami-aggro team and the main mito team worked really really well tonight, the yellow team not so much.

Even with the probs, we had a full spawn of mitos knocked out in about 20 mins for the first one down to about 10 minutes once timing was worked out for the 4th one. Like I said, 2 hours 11 minutes for the full thing from when we entered the goo till we killed hami.

With better coordination and double teaming the yellow mito's, EoE usage and the time taken could be significantly reduced.

I went in more detail in the training room threads and am more than willing to share any info or answer any questions via PM's here or tells in-game @bonker"

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But even just once, in one power, not only does that power work better, but several OTHER powers get small benefits, too.

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I agree it's mouth watering. But you wouldn't be able to achieve this kind of effectiveness if you have a low level +20% regen IO from another set in each of those powers.

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If the base value is 2% or more, you're getting less by keeping your level 30 +regen IO. For a /Regen scrapper I can see that easily happening in Reconstruction, Dull Pain, Integration, and Instant Healing. For my money, I'm aiming at using at least four slots from Numina's in all four of those on my Regen. That gives me the +Regen (300%), +HP (250%), and Increased Heal (300%) set bonus on each of those.

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If you have enough of the set and feel you will lose nothing by slotting your power with it.

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Naturally, people will work towards what they think is most effective.

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A Dull Pain slotted with any four of Numina's Convalesence looks to be meaningfully weaker either as a +HP power or it will come back significantly less often than a Dull Pain slotted 3/3 with SOs. That difference is going to be hard to make up with 3% and even 6% additive bonuses. If we assume it can be made up by slotting multiple sets of NC or some other set in different powers (which I might expect) now we're into convolving in a need to have additional set bonuses to exceed what we can get from a single special enhancement. The barrier to obtaining those full sets, even if it's just time, is not likely to be trivial.

Compare that to the opportunity cost of slotting one 1-3 lower-level IOs in a low-return power like Fast Healing or Health. It's of course impossible at this point to compare the time requirement for either.

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I didnt mean to imply that I would take slots out of Dull Pain, or any other power that would normally be six slotted for maximum effect.

Dull Pain with a regular 3/3 SO slotting is, judging by the numbers we have so far, less powerful than DP slotted the following way:

+regen/+Recovery, Heal, Heal/Recharge, End/Recharge, Heal IO, Recharge IO (Where the bolded IOs are set pieces from Numina's Convalescence. ) That adds up to 105% Heal (which ED will soft cap), 90% Recharge, 25% End Reduction. Add in the +HP and +Heal Strength set bonuses, and DP exceeds what it can currently do now. One might say "But the recharge time is slightly slower," to which I respond, "Not when other sets give +Recharge set bonuses or IO bonuses."

And there's certainly no way to equal that using lower level IOs.

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I would surmise the +regen IO in Regenerative Tissue will be trumped by the +regen/+recovery IO in Numina's Convalesence, which conveniently opens up at level 30. Especially since the first set bonus for Numina's Convalesence is yet more +regen.

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IYO. Others may differ - for example, I do. My g/f does, too; she's happy with her Hurdle/Health/Stamina, and good End-red slotting, so she never has to think about Endurance - her blue bar only drops if she's facing End-Drainers. So she wouldn't care about extra +Recovery ... but her GREEN bar still drops, sometimes precipitously ... so that +20% Regen, if it can be slotted in powers like Health, she will want. LOTS.

I've a DM/Regen scrapper. I plan on getting Health and Fitness ... yeah, for the Overkill Factor. Iwon't need to even ponder the +recovery from Numina's set ... but hot DAMN, if I can slot five or six of those +Regen(20%) IOs ...?

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Opinions will differ, and time will tell how it works out in the end, but I still don't see high level characters begging for a level 30 or lower IO when a level 30-53 IO plus any other from Numina's Convalesence could provide the same benefit with an additional 9.4% recovery on top of it. Currently, ParagonWiki shows the +regen set bonus for two IOs in Numina's as a level five bonus, which means it's 300% of the base value. If the base value of the set bonus is +1%, then you're getting +18% regen and +9.4% recovery from the +Regen/+Recovery IO and any other IO from Numina's set. If the base value is 2% or more, you're getting less by keeping your level 30 +regen IO. For a /Regen scrapper I can see that easily happening in Reconstruction, Dull Pain, Integration, and Instant Healing. For my money, I'm aiming at using at least four slots from Numina's in all four of those on my Regen. That gives me the +Regen (300%), +HP (250%), and Increased Heal (300%) set bonus on each of those.

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I didn't mention the Chance of [X] procedures because I wouldn't put much faith in them unless you can stack several of the same kind.

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No, as I understand it, you can only put one of those into any given power - or else they'd be too good, and owuld have to be nerfed anyway.

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Exactly. Why would my level 50 /SR scrapper care about a 5% chance of Build Up when I can crank enough +recharge out of Quickness, Hasten and high level IOs and set bonuses to possibly get perma-Hasten again and have regular Build Up available that much more often? Not to mention Elude (though that power won't be permanent, the numbers seem to indicate it could be up more than 50% of the time if tweaked right, which is pretty tantalizing!)

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Assuming that all stacks, you're getting 35% +Regen and 21.9% Recovery per power. Times three it comes to 105% Regen and 65.7% Recovery. Congrats, you've exceeded the benefits of Health, but not Stamina, and now you have only at most three slots in Aid Self and Dull Pain to use for actual healing. Are you really feeling eager to slot powers like this?

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It's great that you have counter examples, but that does nothing for the pro examples. Lets take a Regen Scrapper. There's a lot of give and take over whether to ever slot Fast Healing. If you take Health that's another power you have a lot of slack on whether you bother slotting. Now, instead of slotting Heals in these powers, which give you +33% off the base, you could now slot straight up +Regen IOs. You get the best return out of slotting no Heals in these powers and slotting them only with +Regen IOs.

Also, for your example of an Invuln Scrapper, don't forget that he too can slot Health and even Rest with these IOs. Why gimp Aid Self to get these benefits?

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This was all in response to the original implication that one could use IOs to replace powers and/or power pools they feel forced into, Fitness/Stamina and Leaping/Acrobatics being the most often mentioned culprits. Using /Regen as an example of being able to go without Stamina is like me stating nobody needs to take Super Speed anymore, because IOs provide enough +Runspeed to equal it, and using a /SR build as an example; it's already commonly done by them now, so it's misleading to use it as an example of what might commonly be done by everyone in the future.

So far the only possibility of eliminating a power pool choice is the knockback protection provided by IOs, and somehow I think that will change.

But if you want to three slot Rest, go right ahead.

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Unless the devs make these IOs mutually exclusive, there is no "trump". You are at your best if you slot them all.

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No, you'll be hurting yourself in the process. Let me use an Invuln scrapper and take Aid Other and Aid Self. I use three slots in DP, AO, and AS each for the following:

+ Recovery (Miracle): +12.5% to base recovery
+ Recovery/+Regeneration (Numina's Convalescence): + 15% to base regeneration, + 9.4% to base recovery
+ Regeneration (Regenerative Tissue): +20% to base regeneration

Assuming that all stacks, you're getting 35% +Regen and 21.9% Recovery per power. Times three it comes to 105% Regen and 65.7% Recovery. Congrats, you've exceeded the benefits of Health, but not Stamina, and now you have only at most three slots in Aid Self and Dull Pain to use for actual healing. Are you really feeling eager to slot powers like this?

For my money, at high levels I'll use just the +Regen/+Recovery IO in each and wind up with +28.2% Recovery and +45% Regen, which is just above unslotted Health. I don't have to add slots to Aid Other at all and I have five slots at most in Aid Self and Dull Pain to keep them effective at their designed purpose. And I'll still take the Fitness pool, thanks.

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What looks easier and less costly in terms of opportuinity cost to you?
[*] Slot entire (sub)sets of set IOs in given powers. Remember that many sets taken singularly provide less pre-bonus benefit in a given power slotted optimally with SOs, and much less benefit than a power slotted with HOs.[*] Cherry pick special IOs that take a single slot apiece and provide bulk benefit to the character.

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Option, B, which is why higher level IOs will 'trump' lower level ones almost all the time. Knockback protection seems to be the only example contrary to that, and that's only desirable to a small number of characters.

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I know which looks more optimal to me. And lets be fair here - this particular topic has a lot to do with optimization. Not everyone needs or wants to min/max, but what we're looking at is that the drop system appears to provide min/max opportinities to new characters who level up after I9 that are denied, say, to an extant level 40+. Note that I said the drop system. I am not satisfied that being level 30/40+ dictates that, should I want these options I must rely on Wentworths simply because I am 40+.

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For the apparently 30 total recipes in Pool B, is that really so terrible?

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Yes, knockback protection is something a Fiery Armor or Dark Armor character wants all the time. But that's a very specialized need. Fortunately, the possibility of getting that particular IO through trading and selling is higher, because all the SR, Regen, Invuln, Stone Armor, Ice Armor, Energy Armor and Ninjitsu melee characters who wind up with that recipe are not going to be interested in slotting them at all.

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Again, I have to ask why does an extant level 40+ have to wait for these drops to drop, percolate through the "economy", and be found at Wentworths or the Black Truck? What game mechanic, balance guideline, or reasonable economy makes that approach (which I deem inherently unfair) a good implementation?

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Because the alternative in which people are awarded recipes retroactively will result in an immediate overabundance of Pool B recipes. Remember that there are only 30 or so in that pool. My level 50s each have a good amount of souvenirs, and if I were to get a level 12 IO recipe as a random drop from an early storyline, the chances of me wanting to use it for that character are quite low.

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I'm not a fan of the exclusivity of Pool B, but neither do I think rewards should be handed to my higher level characters merely for the hard work of logging in.

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That's hyperbole and no one reasonable is asking for that. What is being asked for is equal drop-based opportunity invariant of what level your character happens to be whan I9 comes into play.

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Everyone who is asking for retroactive drops based on souvenirs is asking for just that.

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Are there any others I'm forgetting?

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Healing set: Regenerative Tissue. +20% Regen Rate from one of it's IOs.

Confuse set: Cacophony. PROC for energy damage.

Sleep set: Induced coma. PROC for recharge slow.

Slow set: Impeded Swiftness. PROC for Smashing damage.

Hold sets: Neuronic Shutdown. PROC for Psionic DOT.

... and several others.

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I would surmise the +regen IO in Regenerative Tissue will be trumped by the +regen/+recovery IO in Numina's Convalesence, which conveniently opens up at level 30. Especially since the first set bonus for Numina's Convalesence is yet more +regen. I didn't mention the Chance of [X] procedures because I wouldn't put much faith in them unless you can stack several of the same kind. So really, what low level IOs are really going to be coveted by higher level characters?

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The level 10-30 set bonuses seem more designed to fill holes characters have during low levels (lots of +recovery to help until Stamina comes along, Knockback protection until one can get Acrobatics, AoE Defense for /SR scrappers until they can get Evasion, etc.) The individual bonuses, like +7.5% ToHit, will become superfluous as one attains higher levels and completes multiple sets with +ToHit as a set bonus.

Ultimately, I think people are overstating the importance of low level IOs and sets to higher level characters.

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I don't know why you think people would not want these things in addition to or instead of the things you mention. More endurance? Why just take Stamina when you can add +recovery IOs to it? Hate taking Stamina? Replace it with IOs. Hate being "forced" to take Acrobatics on your Fire Tanker? Use Prot(KB) IOs.

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Because it's likely that you're going to need a good amount of specialized IOs to provide the same effect that the corresponding power would, and slotting those takes away from the effectiveness of the power you slot it into. There will be a balancing act in trying to shoehorn enough +recovery effects between IOs and sets to be able to avoid taking Stamina. And once you reach that point, you might find yourself lacking in damage output or some other valuable attribute because of it.

Then the complaint will be along the lines of "I hate being forced to take Assault to make up for the +recovery I slotted into my attacks instead of damage so that I could skip Stamina."

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These aren't things you just don't want any more because you're 30+ or 40+. They're things you want even more, because you know really feel the limitations of the fact that you only have so many more power picks to go, or can't squeeze any more out of the powers you do have because of limited slots.

These things aren't wants we outlevel, but the devs are saying we have to outlevel getting them as drops when "younger" characters have no such limitations.

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Yes, knockback protection is something a Fiery Armor or Dark Armor character wants all the time. But that's a very specialized need. Fortunately, the possibility of getting that particular IO through trading and selling is higher, because all the SR, Regen, Invuln, Stone Armor, Ice Armor, Energy Armor and Ninjitsu melee characters who wind up with that recipe are not going to be interested in slotting them at all.

I'm not a fan of the exclusivity of Pool B, but neither do I think rewards should be handed to my higher level characters merely for the hard work of logging in.

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People might want to reconsider complaints about 50s not being capable or rerunning level 1-25 content. It is unlikely a level 50 would utilize a level 15 recipe considering the %enhancement. It is more likely that established 50s would place this material on low level alts. The devs have not been very encouraging of 50s bank rolling lowbies in the past. I don't see that changing.

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People might want to reconsider wether or not some 31+ characters might want to use a 10-30 SET, irrespective of having the most Uber bonusses possible for IOs ... BECAUSE OF THE SET BONUSSES, and some of the not-percentage-based enhancements available.

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Which sets are those? Of the known sets, the following seem to fit your criteria.

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Commanding Presence (5, Lvl 10-30)
Acc/Dam - Acc/End - Dam/End - Acc/Dam/End - Aura Taunt & Placate Resistance for Pets
Set Bonuses :

2 enhancements: +Recovery
3 enhancements: +HP
4 enhancements: +END
5 enhancements: +Def(AoE)

.

Steadfast Protection (3, lvl 10-30)
End/Res - Resist & +Def - +Knockback/up Protection
Set Bonuses :

2 enhancements: +Recovery
3 enhancements: +HP

.

Karma (3, Lvl 10-30)
Def/End - Def/Rech - +Knockback Protection
Set Bonuses :

2 enhancements: +Debt Protection
3 enhancements: +HP

.

Kismet (5, Lvl 10-30)
Def/End - +7.5% ToHit - Def/End/Rech - Def/Rech - End/Rech
Set Bonuses :

2 enhancements: +Recovery
3 enhancements: +Res(Confuse)
4 enhancements: +Debt Protection
5 enhancements: +Recharge

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Are there any others I'm forgetting?

The level 10-30 set bonuses seem more designed to fill holes characters have during low levels (lots of +recovery to help until Stamina comes along, Knockback protection until one can get Acrobatics, AoE Defense for /SR scrappers until they can get Evasion, etc.) The individual bonuses, like +7.5% ToHit, will become superfluous as one attains higher levels and completes multiple sets with +ToHit as a set bonus.

Ultimately, I think people are overstating the importance of low level IOs and sets to higher level characters.

Katfood: More disposable income than you since 2004.

Excellent guide!

The description on Wormhole is a bit vague about this one aspect, but you can activate the power while being outside of line of sight of your target. The best (and most satisfying) example of this for me was using Hover to position myself under the ledge that Seige and his guards stand on at the top of the tall tower map. My team's tanker and I timed our attack so that he would jump into the group as I activated Wormhole, moving Seige's guards out into open space and letting them fall to the ground far, far below. By the time they made it back to the top of the tower, our holds were well established on Seige, and I managed to Wormhole the bunch of guards back out into space and let them fall to their deaths.

I was literally giggling like crazy when that second Wormhole worked!

If I'm reading things correctly, slotting a third Defense enhancment in your passives provides less than a 1% bonus to each form of defense. Is that really necessary?

I'm currently running a level 33 DM/SR scrapper on the Test server with my passives only 2-alotted for Defense and I'm not feeling any more threatened than I do on my scrapper on Justice with passives three-slotted. In fact, having those extra three slots in attacks means my enemies drop faster.

The inherent to-hit debuff secondary effect of DM may be helping to mitigate what would be a more significant loss of defense for SR scrappers with other primaries. Thoughts?

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In PvP? It will take 2 stalkers and a dom to take you down You won't need perception bonus...after a stalker hits you...rage and KO...poor squishie stalker

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You'll want to Footstomp first to break their Placate, then Rage/KO Blow for the win.

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Castle, you know now that you've posted in two threads with this title, it's going to appear in every AT forum on the board right?

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Actually, you're right. I think it's also against board policy to 'call out' a dev in your post title. I think that means I've been bad by actually responding. I'll have to stop doing that.

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Snap. FWIW, I look forward to testing the endurance drain changes when they're released on Test.

Back to the original topic...

Wishlist: /elec -- Sleep seems a poor choice of secondary effect for an AT whose primary job is to cause massive damage quickly. Drop Sleep entirely from all Electric powers in favor of a more realistic Stun/Disorient effect or an increase in Endurance drain.

Dr. Electronite, please.

Sorry, Professor, but teaching someone else how to do something incorrectly doesn't magically make it correct.