FourSpeed
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Posts
1554 -
Joined
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I can't pull the build up in Mid's (at work), but a few things catch my eye.
First> This is a PvE *only* build. If you take this build into a PvP zone,
chances are very good that you'll be the Belle of the PvP Prison Ball, if you
know what I mean.
I'm not seeing a stealth IO, and you didn't take Stealth until L49... You
*will* be seen by nearly everyone in PvP.
Hide (alone) simply doesn't cut it for PvP - anywhere.
Hide + Stealth won't cut it for RV PvP.
Edit: My Bad - I see you have a Celerity in Sprint - Not sure how I missed it
the first time - that will help keep you from being instant fodder in RV, but I
think the next points are still valid)
Further, without an actual travel power - you *won't* be getting away.
Without Phase (or Hibernate, etc.) you also have minimal way to mitigate damage.
You stated that you didn't focus on PvP, so that's perfectly ok, but I do
want to emphasize that a casual stroll through RV with this build would be
a direct ticket to the hospital on any "active" PvP server.
Next> For PvE, a lot of things depend on whether you team a lot or you solo a
lot. I'm going to base these comments for a solo player since teams can
offset and cover some of the issues.
I think that Placate at L28 is way late in the build. I use it in nearly every
fight - for sequencing, and free crits - It's definitely a PvE force multiplier.
Divine Avalanche is an excellent power. Slot it for Acc and Rch first and
foremost, and then for damage. Caltrops is one of the "Bag of Tricks"
powers that I like on a /Nin stalker. It can be quite helpful defensively in PvE
when it comes to mitigating incoming damage, expecially if things start
going south on you during a battle. I've found it well worth taking on my
Nin/Nin - it's especially fun offensively as well with TP-Foe, but it's helpful
by itself (much more in PvE than PvP though).
Finally, of course, this is your toon, not mine.
My commentary is based on my playstyle, and might have little (if any)
relevance to yours, so feel free to use or ignore any or all of this as you
choose.
The key part is: Have Fun with your character - however you build it.
Regards,
4 -
I'm more with GavinRuneblade on this topic.
I haven't used TO's/DO's/SO's since I learned how IO's and sets work.
I will stress the idea of planning ahead, and patient market bidding to ease
the process...
As others have said, between 1-11 you really don't *need* anything.
On the other hand, I will slot some common IO's at L7 (they outperform TO's)
At L12, I'll slot L15 Commons.
Between L12 and L21, I'll slot Common IO's as I add slots or to tweak
specific powers to meet my performance expectations.
At L22 - L27 I'm actively slotting L25-L30 set pieces using the "Frankenslotting"
approach. Keep in mind that well before this time, I've put together a
planned Mid's build, and have started putting in bids for pieces that I'm
looking for.
Of course, my Mid's build is just a plan and depending on costs, and availablity,
I'll substitute as appropriate with the main goals of: Maxing key attributes
of the power (Acc/Dmg in attacks, for instance), adding in Erdx or Rch, and
finally, getting useful 2 or 3 piece set bonuses that are helpful (regen, recovery etc.)
In the end, I get a toon that significantly out-performs an SO build at a fraction
of the costs of a High-End (L50 IO's, purples, etc.) build.
With the new i-17 e:mail features, this is even easier now, because I can
use the resources of my other alts to bid, craft and store IO's for the build(s)
I'm currently working on.
Regards,
4
PS> wrt ACC, 60% improvement is my usual target (soft caps acc against
most stuff I fight). Also, keep in mind there are several sets that have
global acc (typically for 4 pieces - Crushing Impact, Scirrocco's Dervish, etc.),
and a 6% Acc Proc in Kismet. I don't use SO's, even for Acc... -
While I didn't comment in the "Fortune" thread, the 2 points that do make
me somewhat sympathetic to the issue are:
1> The buff lasts 20 minutes
2> Even if you log the toon off and log back on again ... see point #1
That said, re-instating the pop-up box is quite simply, stupid.
Of course, given that the current crop of devs seem woefully lost when it
comes to understanding concepts like market-merge economics, or design
of ergonomic interfaces, or even how to implement simple monthly base
rent or a properly working text-entry box, I've stopped being surprised.
As an applications programmer for 30+ years, I'm just thankful to the deities
(insert your preferred deity here) that these guys work in the gaming/entertainment
industry instead of writing code for aircraft control or financial banking systems.
See? There's always a silver lining to be found if you know where to look...
Cheers,
4 -
Beware the silence.
Danger unseen, lurks nearby.
Death by stalker's sword.
Regards,
4 -
As others have noted, the softcap wrinkle might be a key part of the question.
My E3 went all the way to L50 without stamina and without any major issues...
That said, these points probably also apply:
A> That was pre-I9 / IO's
B> It's a toon I played mostly Solo with some Duo - so pacing was more
relaxed.
C> Softcapping wasn't even a thought - effective attacks and standard
Blaster thinking (kill it before it can kill you) was the main priority.
D> I recently filled out the 2nd build for that toon, and it has IO's, and
Stamina. It's not really much more powerful per se, but it's a lot smoother
doing it's thing (fewer hiccups, fewer situations that go South on me, etc.).
I kept the original SO build, and it still plays surprisingly well, but the newer
build is better overall.
As always, it depends on what you want, what you expect, and what
you'll need to meet those goals.
Regards,
4 -
The Base Forum is that way --->
That said, rent IS a lot cheaper than it used to be...
On the other hand, I'd be perfectly Ok if they just dumped the rent idea
altogether, but I have no illusions about that occurring...
Regards,
4 -
As the posters have said, Hidden is in fact, hidden.
My default mode is Hidden from Searches (/whoall, teaming screens, etc.)
When I *really* don't want to be bothered at all, I also hide from SG, friends,
Global Friends and Channels, and I can assure you - it works...
Friends of mine know I play that way, and given that they often can't see
if I'm on or not, they just shoot me a blind /tell... If I choose to answer it,
then they know I'm on - otherwise, they have no idea. You really are Hidden.
Unless somebody actually sees your toon standing there in the game, they
have no way of telling if you're logged on or not depending on the settings.
Frankly, it's one of the features I love about the game
Regards,
4 -
I like this thread - interesting and amusing.
You could call me:
Mr. Bocor
or
Peter Themari
I would NOT work in Customer Service....
Cheers,
4
PS> I'd be programming (as I've been doing the past 3 decades)... -
Quote:lol - fair enough... Of course, bad players are just bad...Originally Posted by Psycho Jas
Problem is most people in this game are retarded and would rather impale/shrak/impale/shrak/impale/shrak rather then AS.
My thought on that is if a player can't find a way to use his hardest hitting
attack fairly often, he might need some more practice time to figure out
how to play the toon.
That's not to say every player/toon can be AS'd, but if TrowShrak is the
*only* way the player can attack, remedial training is a definite requirement.
Cheers,
4 -
As a solo player and avid Frankenslotter (typically at L25 or so), I don't run TF's,
and IO's are covered early.
So, my criteria are quite simple: Achieved Build Purpose And/Or Reach L50.
In the first case, I have several "level-capped" toons that were built for
specific reasons, including a couple that will never leave the tutorial
Once they get to the point they were built for - they're done...
In the absence of the first goal, then they're done at L50.
Unlike toons in the first group (which I play fairly often), toons in the latter
group are typically done playing as well. I'll log them in to get Day Jobs, and
event badges, but that's usually the extent of it - they're effectively retired 50's.
Finally, I do have some L50, Purpose-Built toons (a PvPer or two, a farmer or
two, and a couple marketeers) which meet both criteria.
Regards,
4
PS> My original main covered most of the "content" goals (way back when),
so I'm not missing out... Newer toons run newer content during their development
times so I get to see the new zones, missions, etc. It works for me - YMMV
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Spines tends to be the one I see most.
That said, I've done ok with NB... The main issue is no ranged finisher for when
the victim bails after an AS... Sharks, Blackwand, Gloom, Nemmie Staff, etc.
are all helpful in that regard...
Spines solves that problem with Impale...
Regards,
4 -
My stalkers (and other toons without -KB powers) are fine 90% of the time
with just a single -KB Karma or Steadfast in the build. There are still the
rare knockdowns, but very few.
Bear in mind though that some things (Rikti Bombs, etc) either ignore the
protection or overwhelm it - nothing to be done in those cases, but grin
and bear it...
For PvP, the conventional wisdom is 41 points. Personally, I don't bother
with that much, but I also play zone (mostly SC) and on mostly stealthed
toons, so it hasn't been a big problem for me, but that is the usual reco.
Regards,
4 -
So far, the only one I've crafted is the Serum...
After finding out that the jetpack temps only give 30 mins (after I stocked up
on a few of the recipes - the spendy ones ... alas, stupid Mkt UI), I've decided
to simply hit Gville or the Shard at L1 - per usual...
Kinetic Dampener has some appeal, but I've not made one yet...
The others are just vendor fodder afaic.
Regards,
4
PS> Med Pack has potential, but heck, I have inspie lock already - I'd probably
never think to click that in time to be helpful...
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Quote:Well, if it helps, this story gives me a chuckleOriginally Posted by Smurphy
I sent out a broadcast in Atlas Park on Freedom yesterday that advertised my exchange service. I do about 1 broadcast a day. A person responded that I was "a snake in the grass". I got him to elaborate and he said "you know as well as I that you can't trade Influence and Infamy". I responded "Hence my service." He said he was reporting me. I asked him to make sure he spelled my global name properly --> @Smurphy --- and I gave him a link to this thread. If I could have business cards, bumper stickers and a promotional hat I would have given him some of those too.
I thought it was funny so I mentioned it in /chanjoin "TheMarket". One person mentioned that I'm not really directly exchanging Influence and Infamy because you can't directly convert them. I explained that I do Influence and Infamy exchanges exactly how currency is exchanged in real life. He tried to further explain how I'm not truly converting it. I explained how "when you go to a currency exchange they don't take your euros, whoop out a paint brush, and draw them into dollars. They don't take your yen, shred them, and reprint them as pounds. They take whatever currency you have, put it in their safe, and give you some other type of currency. That's what I do. You give me one side, I put it in my pile of money, and give you the other side. That's an exchange."
Well... at least I thought the dialogues were funny. Soon after I was sitting on my toon in Virtue, I walked away, came back and I saw "you have been disconnected from the server" message. My connection is pretty stable and I don't get timed out because I start up random AE arcs to prevent the auto-time-out. I thought "no way the report actually worked!" Then I noticed Virtue crashed.
Oh, I'm still open by the way. No promotional hats yet.
4 -
Three for me:
1> Fix the behaviour of the Vault Storage to work like Salvage Racks (ie. clicking, drag-n-drop, etc).
2> Add some device/contact/??? so I can pay rent *from* the base without having to go to AP or PO...
Better yet - give me an "autopay rent" option of some sort.
Even Better Still - Drop rent altogether - it's a token fee as it is which is nothing but simply inconvenient / irritating / valueless.
3> Let players invite/promote/demote their own alts - tie it to base permissions if you like.
Thanks,
4 -
Quote:This is where I'm leaning, too.Originally Posted by SwellGuy
I've decided the best part of the new Posi TFs is the old one is in Ouros so I can solo it.
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Hmmm... Several things come to mind, all "rewarding" in their own ways to me...
1> Creating a Backstory for a character (all of mine have one).
2> In the "Payback is a B*tch" column
a> I'll kill any Void or Quantum on sight, regardless of what toon I'm on,
Kheldian or not... They *all* need to die...
b> The random 1-shot AoE on an entire spawn of grey mobs... Just for fun.
Watching them all fall down at once makes my villains give an evil mua-ha-ha
chuckle, and on my heroes, it gives me a sense of "Justice Incarnate"
3> There were a couple market niches I love playing, not for wealth, but because
their behaviour is so illogical and counter-intuitive they just tickle me.
4> PvP - sometimes, it's rewarding to bag a veteran. Oftentimes, it's hilarious
to kill a newb (this past weekend, I got accused of hacking/crashing a guy's
connection so I could then PvP kill him - in Warburg. I kid you not, *that* was
his story). Now *that* is entertainment!
5> Exploring - The Shard started this one for me too ... Just touring around
a zone and seeing what there is to see...
6> Watching players - I have a couple toons that "live" in the tutorial. I
just enjoy seeing how players start out a new toon... Warshades are great
for this as I can tp from bldg to bldg and spectate, 95% of the time
without them even knowing I'm there... "fly-on-the-wall" mode...
7> "Guardian" character... I have a mid-level toon (Emp Def) that simply cruises
lowbie levels (AP, GX, Hollows etc) and "rescues" near-dead, or struggling lowbies
with a timely heal, or a Fortitude or RA buff... It's kind of an extension of
#6, but my motto for that toon is "No hero will die in here on MY watch"
It's also the balancing alter-ego to #4 who exists purely to kill other players...
Regards,
4 -
Nice Guide.
If you are going to dabble with L50 crafting, the Discount tickets from the
Day Job are definitely well worth it - they'll save 100K+ on every recipe crafted...
There's also an abandoned lab near the market in St. Martial as well.
Regards,
4 -
Quote:I agree with this - If I could switch the color scheme of my PB's, I'd do it in
Purple > White
a heart-beat...
Having experienced this with ex-wives, I maintain a somewhat different opinion,Quote:And soul sucking is awesome.
and prefer to keep it *out* of my leisure-time gaming experience...
Cheers,
4 -
Interesting thread.
I'm in the "from the minute I create it" crowd. ALL of my toons have to have
a reason to exist, and consequently, ALL of them get a backstory from minute
one.
To the best of my memory, I've deleted just 1 character - a sonic blaster
(back in the day when the sounds were just awful - I haven't rolled sonic
anything since).
That said, I've got several characters that I don't play very often, but they're
still around, and unless I *need* a slot on that particular server, they won't
get deleted - probably ever.
I do have one I've intentionally left at a low level (7, I think) pending a
re-make, but until they actually allow a "Huge" female body shape in a
toon, it stays dormant (She needs to be short and wide for her storyline)
Regards,
4 -
Quote:I'd say:Originally Posted by CrazyJerseyan
PvE - WS
PvP/Arena - PB
PvE/PvP/Arena: PB
PvE: WS
Of course, I'm kinda partial to PB's - that whole "siphoning corpses" necro thing
that WS's do is a bit gruesome, and offputting to me...
Not to say it isn't powerful, or even fun for some folks, but I'll stick with PB's
myself (my highest WS, after several attempts to like them, is only in the mid 20's).
Cheers,
4 -
Over 9000!!!!!
Oh, nvm - that's the answer to other posts... 413 here...
Cheers,
4 -
I'll further add that it depends one what you're doing with the build.
The 3 HO/3 Proc set-up is a nasty little combination for PvP.
I also like the idea of Frankenslotting AS with L25 IO set pieces as well.
That approach still lets you max key attributes (Acc/Dmg --> 60/95%),
while giving some nice bonuses available down to L22 if you like to exemplar.
Additionally, you can usually get an SO or more worth of Recharge or
Endurance Reduction, or a mix of both depending on what IO's you use, and
finally, at that level, they're pretty cheap to buy and you never have to
change them again...
Some decent pieces for this are:
Bruising Blow: 1% recovery
Pounding Slugfest: 8% Regen
Kinetic Combat/Smashing Haymaker/Touch of Death: + Max Health with 3,
and two of those sets also have "Chance For" IO's as well...
Of course, 2 Acc, 3 Dmg, and a Endrdx or Rch (either commons or SO's) are
fine too...
It all depends on what you're trying to accomplish.
Cheers,
4 -
Quote:Welcome aboard!Originally Posted by Arry
So, I'm new - due to login for the first time tonight. I have two questions really, is CoX still pretty well populated and what's a good build for soloing?
As others have mentioned, there are anywhere from 40K to 120K subscribers,
depending on any number of factors.
Typically, the busiest servers (from US standpoint) are Freedom, Virtue,
and servers like Guardian and Protector are among the quietest.
You can build characters on any servers you like (or all of them).
I solo 95% of the time, so I tend to run those on less populated servers. I
also PvP, so I run those characters on Freedom. If you like to team often,
I'd pick a busier server, and if you prefer solo, any will do...
Regarding solo play, with the combination of difficulty slider settings, ALL
toons are capable of soloing. The rates at which they progress through
levels will vary depending on AT and Build. By the same token, ALL toons
are capable of being useful on teams - really, it's the skill of the player
that typically is the larger determininant for effectiveness there (imho).
Some advice I'd lend: Pick a toon that interests you... Don't be in a big
rush to gain levels - learn how the game is played, where things are, how
key systems work (contacts, enhancements, missions etc.). For most folks,
the journey to L50 is more important than actually arriving there. In the same
vein, feel free to play several different toons if they interest you - you'll find
that different AT's play very differently, and even different builds within the
same AT can have different playstyles. You get a lot of character slots to
play with - put them to good use.
You can *always* speed through that stuff later, but for your very first
toon, I'd go slow initially. One thing, I find glaringly painful is players that
rushed through the levels and still don't know how to find a particular
zone, or what basic enhancements to put in a power, even though they
are playing a "high level" character.
Also, posting here on the forums will get you in contact with all kinds of
friendly and helpful people who'll gladly answer honest questions.
Additionally, the paragon.wiki website is an excellent resource for all things CoH/V.
Finally, welcome to the game --my most important advice: Have Fun!
Regards,
4 -
Quote:Not to overly belabour the point, but MagaJoule appears to be saying that
Originally Posted by Megajoule
What I meant to say is that it's good that the market is optional, or players who don't have hundreds of millions of inf to throw around would be completely screwed. It has become its own game, feeding back on itself, with increasingly little connection to what spawned it.
Quote:Originally Posted by Nethergoat
The more you say, the less sense you make.
poorly funded players are hosed wrt the market, so it's good that it's
optional (assuming I'm reading it correctly).
The non-sequitur in this (and presumably the reason behind Goat's
comment) is this simple fact which frequently gets ignored by folks
complaining about the market.
FACT: When prices are high (ludicrous, exhorbitant - pick your term) and
drops are Free (in the course of normal play), SELL, SELL, SELL!
The best way to NOT be poor is to have ppl give you money - The best
way to get ppl to give you money is to SELL them something they'll pay a
lot for which you got for cheap, or ... Free...
Invariably, this concept seems to be lost in 99% of market complaints.
As for how much you *really* need? I think if you go the DO/SO route, it
adds up to ~18M - 19M over the entire 1-50 career of a toon (based on a
thread peterpeter had a long time ago).
So, yeah, in that context, 100M or even 50M is quite a bit...
Our point however, is that making 50M - 100M is almost impossible to *avoid*
doing even without the market...
My original Blaster had 35M on him when he hit L50 at the start of I-3 - That's
when there wasn't a market and TO/DO/SO/HO were the only "loot" in the game.
The stretch from ~L19 - L33 was tough (cashwise), but post L33 he had more
inf than was spendable...
That truism is even MORE true today... Sell a few drops between L1 and L15,
and there will be NO inf issue - period.
Regards,
4
PS> Also, bear in mind, there is, in fact, ZERO inflation on DO's/SO's -
those prices haven't changed a whit since I-1.... Further, the only
"inflation" on Common IO's is related to salvage, and is minimal. Table
prices and crafting costs haven't changed since I-9