EvilGeko

For single target? If there has to be a 'last' Water, no doubt. The set has everything else in spades. For AoE? I think it should be 2-3 at the top and the rest should be relatively even. In fact, I wish ST worked basically that way too. 2-3 sets that excel with a rough equivalence besides that. I might add other features like mitigation, control, and utility in that too.

So it might look something like this:

Single Target

1)Fire
2)Beam
3)Sonic
4)Everybody else

AoE

1)Water
2)Fire
3)Rad
4)Everybody else

Utility/Control

1) Ice
2) Psi
3) Sonic
4) Everybody Else

I was just throwing names out there, I'm not suggesting these as actual rankings. What I would like to see is that certain sets be seen as specialists in certain things, but that no set sucks at anything.

Occasionally, someone will go to the Scrapper (or Brute) boards and say, "What's a good Scrapper combo to try." Invariably, before you get to the end of the first page, the consensus will be: any/any. As in, sure there are differences in performance between the sets, but Scrappers are so darn awesome that you really can't go wrong. I think the devs succeeded in making Stalkers like that. I think they have failed in making Blasters like that. BUT IT'S CLOSE ENOUGH that it can be fixed. But the will has to be there.

I actually don't mind if Ice is at the bottom offensively so long as the difference between the #1 and Ice isn't so large as to make Ice not worth playing (subjectively, of course). Ice Blast, for Blasters at least, is intended to be a damage set in a damage AT. That's its primary job and it should be good at it.

As for Blizzard, I'll test that out. You may be right.

Then I misunderstood your argument and apologize. I have heard other say that Ice deserves to be last in damage because of its mitigation which is nonsense. Dark, Water, Psy all have comparable mitigation and look to have better damage after the snipe changes (Water is just plain better right now).

So to the extent I'm saying something is debunked it's that Ice deserves to be last or near the last, because there's no justification for that statement.

I'm going to try to explain this again. Relative performance matters to a great number of people. No one wants to be last. When you take a set for concept, sure performance may not matter to you. But when you want a character that's bringing the BOOM, you want to bring the BOOM. One doesn't need to be a number cruncher to care that they don't fall behind.

Relative performance doesn't matter to everyone. I get that. But it is disrespectful to suggest that it doesn't matter period. It would be like me saying that the devs should care about power pool customization. That does nothing for gameplay, it's cosmetic. But cosmetic issues are deeply important to a lot of people. (They are to me too, BTW) If 'good enough' is 'good enough' then there is no reason for any of these buffs right now as Blasters are 'good enough' now. There was no reason for the Stalker buffs, because they were 'good enough'. The reason for those buffs and for the Blaster buffs now is that other ATs have 'better shinies."

Sets aren't going to be strictly equal in performance nor should they be. But there needs to be a reasonable band of performance so that sets don't seem like obvious choices (on the good side) or sucker bets (on the bad). My concern with the snipe changes is that it is creating just that situation.

I asked the question of the math inclined folks and it looks like Psy Blast and Dark Blast will be doing well and have very good mitigation while Ice will just be doing bad. So this argument is debunked.

Arcanaville said Ice needs a buff (although she qualified it), Starsman said Ice needs a buff (no qualifier). Ice is getting screwed.

Skip Power Boost and buy offensive amplifiers off the market and/or auctionhouse. I'm serious. With the -KB IO, there's no reason not to have both AoEs.

Honestly, I'm wondering if you're trolling at this point, because it's been explained to you often. Relative performance is important to many people. If my set is #2 for damage now, but then goes to #10, then I have every reason to be upset. You may not care, but others do.

I think either Health or End is conceptually valid. But on balance, at least for organics, health makes more sense. We're mostly water after all. Sure sucking it out of someone is going to make them tired....BECAUSE THEY'RE DYING!

But the tired is more a side-effect of the health loss than the main event.

I'm literally speechless. Anyone who was here at the beginning can probably figure out why.

Geyser > All

Seriously, it's the most impressive looking T9 Nuke in the game, IMO.

So Psi Blast and Dark Blast get to have significant mitigation and snipes?

Water can do the same thing.

Hack is vastly better than Slash. It does 64% more damage on the same animation time.

EDIT: Beat by a Sailboat....

They stopped doing that a while ago. Guess too many people were buying the procs and nothing else.

That is incorrect.

For example, when you're on a ITF and the Cimerorans have shred your defense to nothing, OWTS is really nice to get that immediate 70% Sm, Le resists (will be able to cap at 90% in I24). And it gives recovery, better status protection, and the crash is manageable. Physical Perfection is a good power, but IMO, it's not going to give you the same benefit that OWTS will, not even close.

I believe it has been modified to use smaller maps for most of the kill alls. Synapse got that treatment too.

This. Saying goodbye to the Fighting Pool is a something I look very forward to.

That is only for Aid Other I think.

Blasters get modified Mastermind Patrons of all things.

Brute-Tanker
Scrapper-Stalker
Corruptor-Defender
Controller-Dominator

Blaster-Mastermind (They just ran out of combos that make sense).

You know how some guys in great shape can flex their pectoral muscles and move then up and down. Marauder can do that with his abs now.

Agreed. Numina can be done in 30 minutes. Numina is great in that every single mission you know in advance where it will be. And there is only one kill all in the whole thing.

The hunts are only a problem when you're with a team with little leadership or players who are new to the TF.

I agree with this. Citadel is boring, but it's still relatively quick these days. I can get it done with a full team in under a hour. Synapse is usually the sticking point for all my characters getting TF Commander.

Human beings are terrible at evaluation. We use comparison because it's often the only means we have. I struggle with this with my kids and school all the time. Not saying this to brag (I'm lying), but my oldest boy tested into the best elementary school in the State of Illinois. My youngest did not. My youngest gets all As. But we always have to struggle not to compare the two because it's really not fair.

Nobody wants to be playing an 'excellent' set that isn't as 'excellent' as this other set. It's not rational, it's a feeling. For example, I truly believe there was nothing wrong with Stalkers after their second round of buffs. But people still perceived them to be weak because they weren't as strong as Scrappers or Brutes. Playing a Stalker seemed like a sucker bet. People want to be the best...at least at something.