Ineffable_Bob

Build: Burnscar

Level 3 (Trainer: Ms Liberty)

Slots Added:
1 to Scorch (L1 Might of the Empire IO)
1 to Fire Sword (L1 Clockwork Efficiency IO)

Level 4 (Trainer: Ms Liberty)

Power: Murky Cloud (L5 Training:Endurance Reduction)
Other Useful Powers: Ninja Run/Beast Run

First slots went to spots that could use up the other lowbie IOs. The combination of extra damage, extra recharge, and the occasional proc is very handy. This may be the least I've ever used Vet powers on a lowbie. Although as mentioned in the story, Sands of Mu is always handy.

As usual while soloing at lowbie levels, defenses aren't really even worth running most of the time. But Burnscar did hit me fairly hard, and I'm likely to see more Damned bosses, not to mention Bone Daddies and various Outcasts that do non-smash/lethal damage. So I decided that picking up Murky Cloud early would be a good survival move.

Story: Burnscar

Shadow of Disgrace cautiously entered the dimly lit office. As the door closed behind him, darkness closed in, broken only by flickers from small fires scattered around. Smoke hung heavy in the air, and he could hear the murmur of voices from ahead.

Interrogation of several Hellions around Atlas Park had led him here, in an effort to stop them from performing the Ritual of Souls. Somewhere ahead, innocent citizens were in danger. But more than this drew Shadow of Disgrace to this place. It felt familiar, almost comfortable. The darkness and the burning, together, called to something in his soul.

He moved forward, flowing down the hall like one of the shadows. Several Hellions crossed his path, and fell to the fire he drew from within. It appeared dull and gray compared to the bright orange flickers burning in the corners. Was his own internal source corrupted, or somehow deficient?

He pushed such thoughts from his mind as he approached an entryway leading to a large room. Pulsing, eerie light spilled into the hallway; clearly not the result of another fire. He heard only the crackling of fires from behind; from ahead came only silence.

As Shadow of Disgrace stepped through the entryway, a sudden roar filled his ears. The pulsing light and the sound came from a huge, circular field of energy. Within it hung suspended three people, clearly the citizens which he had tracked to this place. Off to the side stood a large, high-tech computer, incongruous in this dark and damaged place. But all this was merely background...he had only eyes for the burning figure ahead.

There was a Hellion standing near the energy field, but this one was different than all the others. Flames licked at his arms, and danced in his eyes. He saw the hero as he entered, and laughed, "Another hero? Come, Burnscar will reduce you to ash you like all the others!" He leaped forward and fire jumped ahead of him, straight at Shadow of Disgrace.

For a moment, he stood frozen, as a memory suddenly jumped to the forefront of his mind. He saw another burning figure, almost completely sheathed in flame, leaping at him with murderous intent. But it was not fire that jumped out from the memory's hand, but absolute darkness...

Pain flared as Burnscar's fire caught Shadow of Disgrace along the upper arm. His mind cleared, focused on the task at hand. Focusing his will, he drew his own gray fire into a sword, slashing it across the Hellion's torso. The fires dueled, one dull and gray, one hungry and orange, as the two men strove for dominance. Another memory surfaced, of a way to soothe the burning damage, but it was only a distraction. The struggle continued, both growing weaker, the burns taking their toll, sides heaving in exhaustion.

Burnscar fell back slightly, regrouping for another attack. Shadow of Disgrace saw his opening and leapt forward, but not wielding fire. Instead, a few sands trickled between his fingers, legacy of the Mu left in an ancient artifact, one of the clues that had led him here. The power in the sands lent strength to his fists, pummeling the helpless Burnscar, until he lay defeated amidst the fires.

The roaring stopped, the energy field disappeared, and the citizens crumpled to the floor. Shadow of Disgrace was exhausted, but the need to finish his work lent new strength to his body, and he helped each of the citizens rise and make their way safely out. Afterward, he would barely remember hearing another voice from the computer, and reporting it back to Matthew Habashy...could that really have been Matthew's missing wife?

All of that faded, buried by his focus on newly recovered memories. He would learn more control of his powers from them, but that was of secondary importance. The burning figure wielding darkness was the key, he knew this. The flames concealed the figure's face and other features, but it was familiar nonetheless. The details were still unclear, but Shadow of Disgrace knew that the figure had bested him in their last meeting. In time, he would face that challenge again, and he would be ready.

Build: The Disaster in Galaxy City

Level 1

Power: Dark Embrace
Power: Scorch (L1 Will of the Seers IO)
Power: Brawl (L1 Resistance Tactics IO)
Vet Rewards: Sands of Mu, Blue Wisp Pet, Ghost Slaying Axe, Nemesis Staff
Other Useful Powers: Secondary Mutation, Mystic Fortune, Mutagen

Nothing particularly exciting at level 1 in terms of powers. I will say that I really like the new lowbie IOs that give you something useful to slot right away.

Level 2 (Trainer: PPD Defense Guardian)

Power: Fire Sword (L1 Syndicate Technique IO)
Other Useful Powers: Rest, Fitness

I could have taken another defensive power, but I'm going to take Fire Sword eventually anyway, and it'll make things go quicker through the next few low levels.

Story: The Disaster in Galaxy City

The sounds of destruction were loud in his ears as Shadow of Disgrace entered the disaster area which had been the Galaxy City neighborhood. Buildings listed at drunken angles, cracks spread through paved streets, fires raged everywhere…and through it all, strange translucent creatures pulled themselves from the ruins and began adding their own destruction.

He saw others pushing back the monsters, and rushed to join them. A sudden clarity of purpose burst in his mind, and he knew that a dark power would protect him. He knew that he could channel heat through his hands to scorch his enemies. He pushed forward into the fray, not questioning this knowledge, only knowing that this fight was one step on his journey to remembrance.

After a time, a lull in the rush of monsters allow him to glance around and take stock of the situation. Nearby lay a fallen combatant, his blue clothing torn and his body battered. Shadow of Disgrace approached, and felt an aura of potential power around the fallen figure. Again, something in his mind clicked into clarity, and he knew that he could choose to restore the fallen warrior, or destroy him.

Shadow of Disgrace paused, fragments of his shattered memories flowing through his mind. He had been in this situation before. He had both healed and destroyed, saved and condemned. The choice now would set his path forward; to either serve only himself, or delay his own advancement for the sake of others. As these thoughts flowed through his mind, the feeling of confusion faded, to be replace by one of resolve. He who knew what it was to be alone with no place in the world would not abandon others in need of assistance. He reached down and willed his power to the figure on the ground.

A brief weakness, a feeling of loss…and then standing before him was a energetic hero, ready to rejoin the fight. "Thanks, stranger! I'm the Blue Spectrum, and thanks to you I'm feeling ready to push these Shivan monsters back." He pointed further along the road, where a group of Paragon Police had set up a checkpoint. "You've done your part here by bringing me back. Head over to those fellas and tell them Blue Spectrum sent you - there's plenty more that needs doing."

The Blue Spectrum dived back into battle. Shadow of Disgrace followed his advice, and shortly thereafter found himself out of the disaster zone. He still felt confusion, and the past was still a mix of confusing impressions and half-remembered scenes. Now, though, he felt a sense of purpose greater than restoring the puzzle of his past. The people of Paragon City needed his help, and he would not disappoint.

He walked through Atlas Park, until he found the man to whom the police had directed him. "Matthew Habashy? I'm Shadow of Disgrace, and I'm here to help."

Just now got my forum access back, which sort of put a crimp in my plans for keeping up on this thread regularly. But there was plenty of other things to do with the new issue.

Build: The Beginning

Shadow of Disgrace is a Dark Armor/Fire Melee tank. Being a tank is a mixed blessing when running hardcore. The extra defenses and hit points certainly are useful for a character trying to stay alive at all costs, but you're also taking an awful lot of fire. To mitigate this risk, Shadow of Disgrace won't be doing a lot of teaming at low levels. I'd like to at least make it to level 22 (for SOs) before joining anything more than a 2-3 person team (with possible exceptions for all-Iron-Eagles teams). While it's unfortunate that this means I won't be joining task forces or the new low level trial, it does mean that I'll get to play through all the new Issue 21 low-level content.

I chose Dark Armor primarily because I don't have a lot of experience with it, and wanted to try it out. My only other Dark Armor character above level 20 is a stalker (which is of course a completely different playstyle). I haven't seen a lot of DA tanks around, though there are quite a few scrappers and brutes. I suspect he'll need quite a bit of help from pool powers and IO sets to get to the point where he's able to consistently tank large groups. Having high resistance to both End Drain and Psionic damage certainly is nice. The tier 9 power isn't useful at all for a hardcore character, of course, but I'd rather have no useful tier 9 power at all than take one with a potentially deadly crash.

The choice of Fire Melee is all about the damage. I already have two other tanks with Fire Melee and I love it. Between Death Shroud and the fire AoEs, Shadow of Disgrace should have a good damage (for a tank). This is important to me as I intend to solo a decent amount, probably through scanner/tip missions, increasing difficulty as level goes up. The biggest problem is going to be endurance, so I'll have to work on that with IOs as soon as possible.

Speaking of IOs, I don't intend to hold back on those. I've got plenty of influence and experience with the market, so there's no real need to be thrifty. I'll slot a couple of the more useful IOs as soon as possible (KB protection, the Steadfast Protection unique +def), then look to slot some L25 sets, a Miracle unique, and some LotG uniques as soon as I hit L22.

Story: The Beginning

Every day, I feel anonymous hate; Forever in the shadow of disgrace
-- Replica by Fear Factory (Demanufacture)

A man walked down a road, moving slowly but steadily, toward the blue shimmer of war walls in the distance. Occasional flecks of shadow appeared on his face, around his body, though nothing appeared to cause them. Occasionally smoke would rise from his clenched fists. His face was set, fixed on the city ahead.

He did not know his name. He did not remember his history, though many fragments of memories teased at his mind. He had owned powers to rival the gods themselves, and been broken down to nothingness. He had ruled legions, and been cast out. He had loved, and been betrayed. He had lived for uncounted years, and died uncounted times. All this he knew in only the most general terms. Specifics eluded him, like sand pouring through his grasping fingers.

In his pocket, the man had found an ID Card: Paragon City Hero Registration, under the name "Shadow of Disgrace". His face was on the card, with an association to a group known as "Iron Eagles". It was all he knew, beyond the scraps of memories which confused more than informed. It was a place to start to unravel the maddeningly vague memories.

Without warning, something streaked through the sky above the city. He saw it fall, with an impact that threw debris high into the air. Seconds later, the sound reached him, a massive boom accompanied by a roaring wind.

The man did not stop; rather, his pace increased until he was almost running. He headed directly for the site of the disaster. Where better for a hero to begin a journey to uncover his past?

An Eagle's Journey: Shadow of Disgrace

The Iron Eagles are a hardcore City of Heroes supergroup on the Justice server. Any character who is defeated must be removed from the supergroup (see link above for full rules of engagement). This journal chronicles the career of Shadow of Disgrace, one member of the Iron Eagles. It is a combination of story-telling, game-play recaps, and build advice.

I'm posting this in the Tank forum due to Shadow of Disgrace being a tank. It could have just as easily gone in the Justice server forum, or the roleplaying forum, or even the player events forum with the Iron Eagles thread. But since a large portion of this journal will discuss build choices, it seemed appropriate to put it here.

Everything was fine through yesterday, but as of this morning (Sat Sept 10), the red bars of DOOM are back with a vengeance. The game is like a slideshow. The forums and main cityofheroes.com site are also slow. I have no issues with other websites, other games, etc...only CoH-related stuff. There's something hosed with the networking between me (Charter cable modem in Michigan) and the CoH servers (both game and web).

I'm in! Anonymous Hate, Dark/Fire brute, ready in Praetoria.

Ever since the massive maintenance last week, I haven't seen the red netgraph bars issue. *knocks on wood*

You don't play CoH while you're watching sports? What's the matter with you? Took me a good long time to position the TV and computer monitor so everything was nicely lined up. :P

Lots of other people (myself included) having this issue, as you can see in this thread. Even got a redname's attention - hopefully something comes of it.

I played a bit last night after work. From approximately 5-7 PM (US East), everything was fine. No lag, no weird spikes in netgraph. Then I went to dinner, and came back around 9:30 PM. The lag was back with a vengeance. I stuttered my way through a Moonfire TF (fortunately my team was very understanding) then gave up. No changes in computer, network, etc between the two sessions.

I had similar issues from my home in western Michigan. Netgraph was showing spikes regularly, usually minor but occasionally big blocks of yellow and red. It was very noticeable in gameplay, as I'd either see rubber-banding or delays in firing off powers. I was forced to avoid bringing my Iron Eagles out as I wasn't willing to risk a lag-induced death.

I did all the usual rebooting, resetting of router, etc but nothing seemed to help. I also tried some basic testing of my network connection (ping test and the like) but no problems found. So I have to believe it's something either with the servers themselves, or the network connection that they're using.

I was really hoping this was a minor network issue that would be resolved by the time I got home tonight, but based on all the other posts I see here, chances of that seem small.

The blessings of the deity of your choice be upon you for providing all this info, Von Krieger!

I see the next session still says July 6 - is there one planned on July 13?

I agree that it sounds pretty cool. I too will miss Galaxy City. Pretty much any new blueside toon that I start these days (not that I do that many of them) avoids the Atlas Park-crush by going to Galaxy. But hey, the tutorial will be different, which is long overdue.

If you've got sub-50s that you'd like to play, I recommend the new L20-40 stuff. The Sutter TF and Mortimer Kal SF are pretty fast and fun.

Very cool idea. I think I might even have an old toon or two on Guardian already. Unfortunately real life will intrude for the next two Wednesdays, but I'd certainly like to participate when time allows!

Thought I'd post my current build for another comparison point. It wasn't horribly expensive to put this build together since I used hero merits for the expensive unique IOs, though some pieces aren't exactly cheap (Kinetic Combat, I'm looking at you).

Build isn't quite capped to anything (except Fire resist) but it's pretty high on S/L def, S/L resist, and Melee def. I rarely have any trouble with non-Incarnate content. Haven't spent a lot of time in Incarnate trials with him yet, but I expect with some team buffage he should do pretty well.

Endurance usage is a concern, but with Cardiac alpha it's not bad. When I'm playing below 50 I'll usually be in a small team and can afford to drop a toggle or two (the Leadership toggles are typically the first to go). If in a large team, there's usually a Kin or Emp to help out the End, or I simply attack less to keep the End usage down.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Fire Me: Level 50 Science Tanker
Primary Power Set: Fiery Aura
Secondary Power Set: Fiery Melee
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Pyre Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Fire Shield -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(3), RctvArm-ResDam(3), RctvArm-EndRdx(5), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(5)
Level 1: Scorch -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(7), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(7), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9)
Level 2: Healing Flames -- Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(A), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(9), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(11), Dct'dW-Heal(11), Dct'dW-Rchg(13)
Level 4: Combustion -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(13), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(15), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Oblit-%Dam(17)
Level 6: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(19)
Level 8: Consume -- Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(19), Efficacy-Acc/Rchg(21), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(21)
Level 10: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt(A), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg(23), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(23), Mocking-Taunt/Rng(25)
Level 12: Plasma Shield -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(25), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(27), RctvArm-ResDam(27)
Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(29)
Level 16: Super Jump -- Winter-ResSlow(A)
Level 18: Burn -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(29), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(31), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Oblit-%Dam(33)
Level 20: Acrobatics -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 22: Blazing Aura -- C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Sciroc-Dam%(34)
Level 24: Build Up -- AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(A), AdjTgt-Rchg(34), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 26: Fiery Embrace -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 28: Fire Sword Circle -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(36), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(36), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Oblit-%Dam(37)
Level 30: Kick -- Acc-I(A)
Level 32: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(39), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(39), RctvArm-ResDam(39)
Level 35: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(40), DefBuff-I(40)
Level 38: Incinerate -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(40), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(42), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 41: Char -- NrncSD-Acc/Rchg(A), NrncSD-EndRdx/Hold(42), NrncSD-Acc/EndRdx(43), NrncSD-Hold/Rng(43), NrncSD-Acc/Hold/Rchg(43), NrncSD-Dam%(45)
Level 44: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(45), DefBuff-I(45)
Level 47: Tactics -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(48), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(48), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(50), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(50), GSFC-Build%(50)
Level 49: Rise of the Phoenix -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 50: Cardiac Partial Radial Revamp
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- ULeap-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), RgnTis-Regen+(46), Mrcl-Rcvry+(46)
Level 2: Stamina -- Efficacy-EndMod(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(46), EndMod-I(48)
Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 4: Ninja Run
------------
Set Bonus Totals:

• 13.5% DamageBuff(Smashing)
• 13.5% DamageBuff(Lethal)
• 13.5% DamageBuff(Fire)
• 13.5% DamageBuff(Cold)
• 13.5% DamageBuff(Energy)
• 13.5% DamageBuff(Negative)
• 13.5% DamageBuff(Toxic)
• 13.5% DamageBuff(Psionic)
• 24.9% Defense(Smashing)
• 24.9% Defense(Lethal)
• 4.25% Defense(Fire)
• 4.25% Defense(Cold)
• 8% Defense(Energy)
• 8% Defense(Negative)
• 3% Defense(Psionic)
• 26.1% Defense(Melee)
• 7.38% Defense(Ranged)
• 5.5% Defense(AoE)
• 1.8% Max End
• 2% Enhancement(Held)
• 35% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 4% Enhancement(Heal)
• 34% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 5% FlySpeed
• 161.6 HP (8.63%) HitPoints
• 5% JumpHeight
• 5% JumpSpeed
• MezResist(Held) 2.75%
• MezResist(Immobilize) 11%
• MezResist(Stun) 6.6%
• MezResist(Terrorized) 2.2%
• 5% (0.08 End/sec) Recovery
• 40% (3.12 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 20% ResEffect(FlySpeed)
• 20% ResEffect(RechargeTime)
• 20% ResEffect(RunSpeed)
• 1.26% Resistance(Fire)
• 1.26% Resistance(Cold)
• 5% RunSpeed