FourSpeed
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Posts
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Joined
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Quote:Off the top of my head (PvP):Originally Posted by Donna2) What values does each power give, for example Stealth = "x"ft
Paragonwiki will give you the correct numbers, but I think most of these are right (or close), but don't quote me...Code:Stealth: 389 ft (iirc all "Stealth" powers ie. Steamy Mist etc) Stealth IO: 300 ft Hide: 500 ft Base Buff: 250 ft (unsuppressable) Perception IO: 100 ft +Perc powers: 200 ft (the defensive toggles which add +perc)
Regards,
4
PS> Not sure if there are any VEAT related differences, I was thinking "generically" -
Quote:Frankenslotting is a technique where you slot partial sets (ie. select IO'sOriginally Posted by roodawgHow do you Frankenslot an IO ?
from a set rather than the entire set) to maximize the key attributes of
the power you're slotting rather than focus on set bonuses.
There are many benefits to that approach. There are also some very good
guides on it in the Guides section if you want to learn more about it.
Talen, Talen Talen... Still as snarky and contrarian as ever, I see...Quote:Originally Posted by Talen LeeWe give them credence, rather than the people reporting that Praetoria's too easy, right? Because that just doesn't fit the narrative.Quote:Originally Posted by FourSpeed
So, with all the numerous reports of increased difficulty in Praetoria
First off, it wasn't a complaint, it was a question, soliciting opinion and
discussion. You can tell by the "?" syntax, and the fact that I said "it
begs the question"...
I played Khelds in I-3 with the -30% gimp, when bosses were still in solo
missions, vet powers didn't exist, and Quantums and Voids were actually
dangerous. My lone Praetorian isn't having any troubles whatsoever with
the riff-raff in Nova Praetoria or Imperial City...
However, if you'd like to "give credence" to the flip side, by all means, I'll
toss out this variant just for you:
"Some folks are reporting that Praetoria (and the rest of the game) is too
easy - it begs the question "Should we just ignore Sets and IO's
completely, and use DO's and SO's since IO's dilute game "challenge"?
Now for the folks who are actually discussing the original question rather
than simply trolling, I'll say thanks for the responses - there are some very
interesting points here (imho).
A few noteworthy ones that caught my eye (paraphrased):
Several: Praetoria mobs are tougher than Hellions or Skulls, but no worse
really than Vahz, LongBow, Spectral CoT Demons etc.
Good Point, I agree.
Forbin: A lot of players have skipped low level content to get to 50 quickly
and now have trouble relating back to low level characters.
I think that is significant - the one death my Praetorian did have (@L5)
was entirely due to that (coupled with a little bit of bad ambush timing).
I didn't skip stuff per se, but my current crop of actives are all above L35,
and I had to recall how to play a lowbie again.
I see this frequently in PvP between Bloody Bay vs RV, and even SC as
well, where zone level limits can make it more difficult to play optimally.
Pinny: Difficulty has changed, but not to the point where IO's are required.
A lot of folks have said things along that line of: things are a bit more
difficult, but not to the point that game balance itself has changed
To me, that is the interesting part, and I fully agree with it, but that's
also what makes me wonder if we're at the start of a "trend" towards
more difficulty / need IOs, which, I find intriguing rather than problematic.
Once again, thanks for your replies and opinions - I think it's been a very
interesting discussion so far.
Regards,
4 -
I also have one that I could part with.
It looks like the "going rate" is 2.5 Billion - I'd be willing to sell for that price.
Regards,
4 -
Quote:Actually, I honestly don't know. In the early days, the mobs were worthOriginally Posted by sprintstnyc
Out of curiosity, how much bonus exp do
you get doing missions in PvP zones? I've avoided them ever since they
added merits to story arcs, but I'm curious.
more (not true now), but I never paid close attention to the mission bonus
to notice the difference (assuming there is one).
It's all the other factors (same zone, same contact, minimal travel, short
missions) that make them an appealing levelling strategy for me.
Couple that with the fact that every now and then I get to kill a hapless
player as a bonus perk, and, "what's not to like?"
Regards,
4 -
So, with all the numerous reports of increased difficulty in Praetoria, along
with new foes added to the base game (Super Stunners, Sonic Nullifiers etc.),
it begs the question: "Has the balance in the game shifted?"
Historically, the game challenges have been balanced around SO's with
the market, IO's, and Sets being purely optional, and mostly for the
min-maxers who want every last percentage point of power performance for
their characters.
With GR/I18, are we seeing a shift more towards a need for the IO's (et al)
over traditional DO/SO's?
Your Thoughts?
Regards,
4
PS> I've been a Frankenslotting IO guy all along, and don't mind the
changes, but I'm curious to know if folks think this is a trend shift along
with their opinions on it (either way, shift or not). -
They're a good "wake up" call...
Ran into them with a buddy of mine (on our Brutes) without noticing...
Then I saw my blue bar at 1/3rd (it usually doesn't move at all) and had a
"wth?" moment...
In our case, we just started looking for them going forward, and treating
them like Sappers - First to Die... Issue solved...
Far more problematic for my SS/WP Brute has been the Longbow Nullifiers
with their Sonic Grenade, and massive Regen debuff -- that has been pure
Kryptonite for my guy (to the point where I move the slider back if I'm
running Longbow missions). Ouch.
Regards,
4 -
I run both ways (depending on mood and RP considerations).
Depending on what you're trying to accomplish it might matter. For instance
(from a solo perspective).
Merits: If I'm trying to maximize merits, then stealthing ouros arcs is the
hands down efficiency winner.
XP/Lvl/Inf: For me, I find the fastest solo approach is running missions in
PvP zones. They're kill-alls, but they can usually be done in 10 mins or so, and
since they're all in the same relative area, you can cycle them pretty quickly.
In PvE zones, it's generally the contact/travel time that slows you down,
so even though you finish the individual mission more quickly, it still takes
longer overall to cycle through them (esp if zoning is involved).
Newspaper missions are probably pretty close though. In some zones
there are only a couple spots they send you to, and they're relatively
close together.
So. When do I stealth missions? Actually, it's usually my *default* choice
(at the expense of levelling speed) because, I tend to think of my Stalkers
as tactical/surgical killers - "get the assigned target and get out". Given
that viewpoint, stealthing the mission suits the RP profile better for me.
Also, some missions are more "interesting" than others, so I'll stealth the
ones I like least, and occasionaly kill-all the ones I like better.
As for AE, I've not done too much of that - the missions have no completion
bonus, so unless you're tailor-making a mission for the job, it seems too
hit or miss to me to rely on - YMMV. I'm not against them, but I'm also
not concerned enough about "efficiency" to put that much time into it,
compared to what I typically run.
Regards,
4 -
The TL;DR version
Anything that globally affects your Accuracy or To-Hit will also affect the Vet attacks.
Regards,
4 -
I'm pretty sure I've seen the "attack was forced to hit by streakbreaker"
msg in the combat logs for my Praetorian, although I don't know that the criteria
it uses in Praetoria is identical to CoH/V (I don't know it isn't either, of course)
I think there's enough uncertainty here to suggest that what occurred could
be WAI. I notice that I tend to miss more often when I throw in vet attacks
(both because they're intrinsically less accurate, but also because it changes
which streakbreaker range you're in).
Accuracy and To-Hit issues/complaints crop up at pretty much every
major release, and typically they're unfounded.
I'm not saying that's definitely the case here, but I'm certain we'd need
many more observations to substantiate whether there is an actual issue
or not. I'd assume it's working, but if you feel it isn't, you may want to
set up a session where you can keep and track some Herostat numbers
over an extended amount of time.
Regards,
4 -
I have several toons that do very different things, so the answers to those
questions vary quite a bit for them.
One answer they all have in common is cash on hand - I keep it all (unless
I'm shuffing some to an alt that needs funding). It really depends on what
your goal is for the inf. Mine is for equipping my toons, so I like to keep a
lot of liquid asset on hand to be allocated where and when I want it. If
some of that cash is idle, it's less an issue for me than the case where I
want something NAO, but all my cash is tied up...
As for the other questions, for toons that are running in a crafting niche,
(ie. producing from recipes/ingredients crafted shinies to sell)the policies
they typically follow are:
1> Work in batches (usually in 10 or less based on specific IO). So, I have
a batch for sale at any time, a batch on deck (crafted in my enh tray),
and the recipes and ingredients on hand for the next batch waiting to
craft. That is kept in a continual process.
2> For storage, I typically don't keep any crafted on hand (other than
the on-deck batch in my tray). For salvage, it depends. If I'm working a
niche like say Karma -KB, I typically don't keep much salvage beyond the
batch stuff (because that niche can change easier). For common IO's, I
will typcially keep a full rack of 30 for each crafting ingredient needed (so,
for L25 Dmg IO - I'd have a Brass rack and an Inanimate Carbon Rod
rack). Common IO's always sell, so you can work that niche for months (or
even years). The racks are there to prevent the "batch factory" from
being interrupted during crazy events (new release, market merge, 2XP
wkend etc), and to protect your profit point if/when salvage spikes occur.
It's a safety valve for a long-term niche...
3> As Fulmen's can probably recall, I have a major backside burr about
bases in terms of costs, implementation, and value/benefit ratio... For
marketing purposes however, the benefit ratio is better, at least enough
to be justifiable..
So, for long-running crafting niches, I'll use a base with just a workroom. Done.
In the workroom I keep a crafting table and whatever salvage racks I need.
You certainly don't need a base for marketing, but if you have one, it can
contribute to a smoother, more effective, marketing plan.
Regards,
4 -
I only have two toons that have it (1 hero and 1 villain), but both of
them made a profit while getting them.
So, yeah, with a little sense, care, and patience, I'd say it is normal
to profit while earning that accolade.
Basically, plan ahead for the badge you're working towards, lowball those
bids, wait awhile for them to fill, and sell the (non-junk) shinies you craft
(I just deleted the junk ones - immob, taunt, jump etc - mind you, verify
that they are junk first, of course - things change)
It won't be fast that way, but it should be pretty lucrative (at least, it
was when I did it way back when - I've no reason to doubt it works still)
Regards,
4 -
I'm coming to this thread way late, primarily because I rarely team, and even
on those occasions that I do, it's only as part of a duo, so I have nothing to
add from a teaming perspective.
From a solo stalker perspective though, I do have a couple thoughts.
1> Survivability is fine. Honestly, any time my stalker(s) have died it was
cause I screwed up. Either, I bit off way more than I could chew, or I
made tactical mistakes, and even in the first case I can usually escape
(unless the alpha gets me)...
That's the only time they ever die, so I don't see an issue here...
2> Placate - the only issue is the so-called bug against pre-queued
attacks. I *really* wish they'd change that... If I placate before attack
occurs (ie. not queued, but executes), then it stops that attack and
works properly. If they can test LoS on an AS before completing the
attack, they should be able to check Placate the same way.
3> AS - I'd be ok with the suggestions on (slightly) more damage, but I'd
prefer a change that makes the power useful out of hide. Apart from the
initial strike, where it's WAI, it's simply not all that useful in a normal chain...
Maybe it could be non-interuptable out of hide, or something, but right
now, for the most part, it's use once and forget it during any "scrapping"
portion of the battle. For a "signature" power, it's substandard in that
particular case.
4> Hide. I really like (Sam's?) idea of insta/quick hide if I break LoS. That
really adds to the tactical feel of the AT, with a mechanic that would be
unique and encourage more use of terrain features in combat. The idea
of "blending into the shadows" if you take your eye off the stallker seems
pretty consistent with the AT's intent to me.
I'm mixed about a straight up damage scale buff across the board, and I
don't feel we need an HP buff. Some of the other suggestions seem pretty
OP to me <shrug>.
Interesting discussion though...
Regards,
4
PS> ...and I really dislike the change they just made to
Stealth IO's -- That is a truly hateful issue for PvP (If it
was made to fix a PvE problem, fine, but set it back for PvP situations) -
Quote:I concur.
Um I honestly dont think they were thinking PvP when they fixed this, its not always
about PvP you know?
Actually, pretty much every time they "think" about PvP, they come up
with the *wrong* answer...
Nevertheless, that doesn't make what they *did* do suck any less, but,
thanks.
Regards,
4 -
Quote:Always, an option, but, if you're going to go *that* route, you need theOriginally Posted by SnakeRogers
Thanks for all the clever thoughts, though at times my head
begins to spin. Maybe I should roll up a new lvl 1 scrapper and
go hunt and kill skulls.
"proper" spelling of "Skuls"
As for the advice, I concur with the others - although Mid's doesn't make it
clear, the Perf Shifter +End Proc is definitely better than a third EndMod IO.
That, said, if you can put 4 slots in there, you can have both...
(Whether that's worth it or not is solely up to you to decide)
Regards,
4 -
Quote:It sucks even worse for Stalkers who have Freebird Stealth in Fly...Originally Posted by macskull
Yep, and it reeeeeeally sucks for those of us who put the Stealth IOs in Sprint.
With perception on 24/7 and stealth capped only while flying, any chance
of getting an AS at all now requires it to be done in fly...
Yet Another "brilliant" Dev PvP idea.... Yuk
Regards,
4 -
My guy isn't particularly "heroic" so, once it was clear he was set up as a patsy,
Cleo was toast
But, for a character who is actually strugglin with the Heroic Morality, one
way to (possibly) rationalize it with Cleo is like the Lethal Weapon movie
(where the Bad guy is diplomatically protected).
Given Cleo's connections, a simple arrest isn't probably going to stop her.
Certainly, there's enough grey area for her to wiggle out of trial - especially
with her (your) other successes (ie. Hospital plot, etc) and her relationship
with Praetor White and past work with others.
Basically, you're in the spot where you probably can't stop her any other way
from sacrificing more people to suit her "agenda" going forward.
So... "Your diplomatic immunity has just been revoked"... becomes the answer
Regards,
4 -
Only moved 2 or 3 toons the first time they had free transfers - haven't
done anything with them this time around.
Although, after reading through this thread, it occurs to me to move a couple
less active toons on my home server to open up a couple slots... Yeah, I
might do that... maybe... if I think about it when I get home tonight...
Regards,
4
Update: So, I did end up shuffling a few less-played toons from
my home server to free up some character slots there... I'm glad I
read this thread now...
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I've been doing fairly minimal marketing (too many other alts that are "busy"
playing right now) recently.
That said, I've been listing stuff I didn't want for the minimum I'd take (typically
vendor price + ~30% ).
That's been working well, and in the majority of cases I've been getting much
more than that.
For the more premium items I've listed, I have some ideas what they were
worth, and I typically list for ~2/3rds of that value just like I did pre-merger.
Regards,
4 -
My (personal) most successful Stalker(s) are NB/Nin (on a couple servers).
That said, I've got no knock on */WP, the one I have has been doing just
fine so far. I can't offer an opinion on /Regen as I haven't rolled one of those
yet.
So, I can personally vouch for /WP and /Nin as secondaries that can be
effective. Primaries that I've coupled with those are NB, Spines, and Elec,
so far.
Regards,
4 -
Quote:Actually, we don't know that. It really depends on how they are implementedOriginally Posted by Von Krieger
Considering they're sitting in inventory slots, there's no reason why they wouldn't. Since the inventories themselves weren't altered, but rather the auction house and e-mail coding.
in the internal tables for item and inventory definition.
Next, consider that Common IO's are every 5 levels, so the inventory
system *created* the ones you got - the implication is there is a table
record for an L29 Common (either due to the create, or for protperties
lookup when the create routine was called).
One might wonder if those records would be cleared/cleaned up as part
of the merger.
In any case, it's interesting that they're still around.
Regards,
4 -
Quote:Fair enough. Any ranged power will work for pulling just like it does for Blasters.Originally Posted by seebs
No staff for a couple of years yet.
So, Impale, Sharks, whatever you have, or heck, even one of the temp
powers like Revolver will do in a pinch.
Some are definitely better than others, but really, the only down-side is if
you aggro the whole group. Of course, that's when your other powers along
with some tactical thinking and cunning come into play...
Regards,
4 -
I'm mildly surprised that these survived the inventory merge.
Interesting.
4 -
Nobody else is having crashes in this dll ???
Hmmm, I guess that in itself is interesting.
4 -
Quote:Well, Def is still useful. As I mentioned previously, you're still ahead of mostOriginally Posted by TheOlle
Point taken ^^
However, I dislike the concept that one of the def sets that is considered on the top 3 for a lot of ppl is JUST because it got a self heal :P and 3 rather useless powers xD ..
comparatively, because it's easier for you to get some of it back.
And, personally, I find the perception valuable as well as the heal.
As for 41 KB - I've never bought into that, especially on a Stalker who can
pick and choose his targets. Unless we're talking arena or PvP league it's
not that big of a deal imho. Other AT's, maybe more so.
Regards,
4 -
...and, of course, Drones completely ignore stealth (presumably including this one)
So, yeah - from a practical standpoint, utterly useless...
Regards,
4