Jade_Dragon
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Posts
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Quote:I believe the Stalker ranged modifier is 0.6, not 0.5. However, City of Data lists the sniper attacks as doing damage based on the melee damage modifier, but with a 2.3 damage scale. (Normal sniper attacks are 2.75 damage scale) I suspect this is correct, as I seem to remember sniper attacks being changed to the ranged damage scale in the past. This apparently made them too weak (they would have an equivalent damage scale of 1.65, pretty much the same as the second basic attack for a Blaster) so I'm guessing it was changed back to melee scale and the damage nerfed.Originally Posted by UberGuy
The Stalker ranged damage scale is 0.5. (I know this is shared with Scrappers, and I think it's true for Brutes and Tankers as well, but have not checked recently.) This is in contrast to their current melee damage modifier of 1.0.
Amusingly (or not) the Stalker sniper attack interrupt time is *6 SECONDS*. Then again, it does Crit from Hide...
True enough. And an Assassin Strike from Hide does a scale 7.0 damage. Clearly, though, 7.0 scale damage over a 3.x animation time is superior to 2.75 scale damage over a 4.x animation time, not just because of the greater damage, but the lower cast time. Or even 4.6 scale damage over a 7.x animation time.Quote:Originally Posted by UberGuy
It also does a fair bit more damage.
I'll add that one likely reason that AS does do so much more damage than a sniper attack is that a sniper attack is MUCH less likely to be interrupted by an AoE attack cast by the target during the interrupt time. It's essentially an Assassin Strike from range, as long as you consider the Stalker's ability to Crit. -
I use sniper attacks all the time, and I'm quite aware that I'm unusual. In general because the animation time of a sniper attack is so long, most people consider them inferior because they cannot be used in a sustained attack chain without lowering DPS.
It's the old burst damage vs sustained damage argument. Unfortunately, in 9 cases out of 10, the sustained damage will win.
The only reason Assassin Strike itself is considered acceptable is that it has 1 second less interrupt time, and thus has a DPS which is comparable to other attacks, even when preceeded by a Placate. -
I don't think it's as much to become a Praetorian AGAIN, as to have your Contacts recognize you. You will always be a Praetorian, as that's where you came from. And you can always return to Praetoria, it's just for some reason the game doesn't currently recognize that fact when you are talking to old contacts.
The real question is, "Is there any Praetorian content after 20?" And there isn't. Even if content is added post-20 in future issues, it won't be exclusive to Praetorians, it will be for everyone. So the Praetorian exclusive content runs from 1 to 20, after that you must leave Praetoria to access the post-20 content.
Another difference is that there is no Loyalist/Resistance division post-20. My guess on the matter is that this is because the Loyalist/Resistance system uses the same variables as the Hero/Villain system, and thus after you get to 20 you "graduate" into the Alignment system. You're just substituting one alignment for another.
One way of looking at it is that you have three paths from 1-20 (Hero, Villain and Praetorian) and two paths after 20. (Hero and Villain) But, after 20 you can switch between the Hero and Villain paths, or even choose between both. So it's more like three paths 1-20, and one more flexible path from 20 to 50. -
Quote:Yeah, that's the logic. While the Scrapper is dealing more damage to the first foe, the Brute is eating HP. Then the Brute catches up and finishes off the spawn on basically the same HP (left) that the Scrapper has. Technically the Scrapper should also take a little less damage since he will finish off the first foe first.Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison
Yes, but the scrapper jumps in doing full damage right away.
I know that brutes jumping into a full spawn reach their full fury very quickly, but the truth is they still do less damage than scrappers, if only by a hair.
HOWEVER, (and this is a big "however", thus the caps) as long as the Brute can charge into the next spawn without losing Fury, he will no longer need to take that extra time. So as long as the Scrapper has the HP to continue on to the next spawn, the Brute should be able to as well. And he'll lose no more time relative to the Scrapper.
I like the allusion made by another post earlier that a Brute is like a freight train. (I've said that myself) Once the Brute is "up to speed", the Scrapper's advantage in time to kill is gone, and they'll both run through the mission in equal time. It's just those few seconds you need to build up Fury that is tacked on to the Brute's time.
(I will add that the above is theorycrafting, I'm not going to claim that ALL Brutes will lose exactly 12% of their HP building up Fury to the max. Obviously it's not that predictable. However, I believe that's the reasoning behind the design)
(And I will also say if you have never tried a Brute, you owe it to yourself to try it. You may hate the Fury mechanism, but if turns out you like it, it will still be fun for you even if you can't personally get as much out of it as the Scrapper) -
Yeah, there are also now the Present Inspirations, from the Holiday Event, and the special Inspirations to help take down Hamidon.
I seem to remember some new Inspirations were introduced... oh, wait, that was in a Beta, probably shouldn't mention that. But, um, there might be some associated with the new Incarnate content. Just guesswork, not based on anything I've actually seen.
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Quote:This is no longer true since the Fury revamp. The Brute damage cap is now 775%, which means that a Scrapper, when counting Criticals, will do slightly more damage. (Criticals can exceed the cap since they double both the base damage and buffs. Fury will only increase base damage, it merely stacks with buffs)Originally Posted by Ghostwind_EU
Brutes can have their damage buffed more than a scrapper. This rarely comes into effect in actual play though.
The old damage cap of 850% was greater than that. But now basically a Brute will get more out of defensive buffs, but less out of offensive buffs.
Also, snickering at the flowchart which ends up with selecting a Dominator. I too think Doms should be considered more like meleers than they seem to be.
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Quote:There can occasionally be powers with similar purpose, but overlapping powers does not happen. The devs intentionally designed it that way, and in some cases altered the porting of the Epics/Patrons to the other side to eliminate any duplication. Or, altered a power in a main Set they Proliferated. (i.e., Energize)Originally Posted by Jibikao
As for having one more caltrops, overlapping powers happen quite often in patron/epic. I don't see why that is an issue. Doesn't caltrops under Weapon set has a bit longer recharge?
There are NO duplicate powers currently in any Epic or Patron Pool. Likely Caltrops would not be made available to any Scrapper for this reason. (In any Power Set, not just Ninjitsu) -
I had a lot of the same reaction to Warshades, then found mine got suddenly a lot easier after level 30. OTOH, the lessons I learned in putting myself through the experience of upping the difficulty, lowering it again, raising it again, and overall continuing to tweak it over time helped me. The Warshade IS powerful, but there's a "sweet spot" where your damage output balances out against your survivability. I still don't push myself too far, I know just about where my difficulty level needs to be, and keep it there.
I suspect it's either a different place for most people, or most folks hear the (possibly overexaggerated) stories from this forum and overestimate the setting. You want to be SLIGHLY overwhelmed, but not EXTREMELY overwhelmed.
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Basically solo, a Scrapper and a Brute are about equal. They have the same defenses, so the Brute will last a little longer on his hit points -- but will use them up building Fury. So it comes out to a wash.
On a team, the Scrapper will pull ahead on damage, while the Brute will pull ahead on survivability. With his lower base damage, the Brute can't be offensively buffed as well, but his higher hit points give him the advantage with defensive buffs. So the further you buff a Brute, the further he gets from a Scrapper and closer he gets to a Tanker.
As mentioned, from a purely min/max standpoint this is the ideal, not only is the Brute "good enough" at doing what both the Scrapper and the Tanker are capable of doing, but it adapts to what is needed on the team. If there aren't a lot of good buffers on the team, the Brute is a damage dealer, while if there are, he can keep the buffers alive to buff him. So he's really a Scrapper when he needs to be a Scrapper and a Tanker when he needs to be a Tanker.
The drawbacks are the Fury system, which some people just don't like, and that while a Brute is close, as a hybrid it can't really match what a Scrapper or Tanker are capable of. The Tanker and the Scrapper are about reliability, while the Brute depends a lot on pressing your luck, often to the breaking point.
I honestly don't prefer either of the three, I can see the uniqueness of each of them, and I play all three of them.
Your damage bonus should be around 120-150%. At least, that's what about 65%-75% Fury is, and that's pretty much where it stays for me. Unless I have Rage, then it hovers around 200%. -
I set up my second account a long time ago, so the details escape me, but I believe it was as simple as that. I got a trial code from the NCSoft site online, used the same email address as my main account, and placed them both under my same NCSoft billing account. I'm pretty sure I got the free month for the referral, so it worked fine.
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If it's been a long time since you've been in the game, your build may be obsolete. For one thing, this is a longshot, but you were around for ED, right? If you have any powers that still have 4 or more of the same SO in them, you need to look around for a guide to ED and fix that.
Second, a lot of the Incarnate content is tailored for, if not characters that are purpled out, at the very least characters that have taken some advantage of the Invention System. If you left before the Invention system came about, check around and see where you can improve your build with some IO Sets and level 50 regular IOs. You don't need to go all out, just "beef up" a few of your key powers, and it will mean a lot. (You'll hear folks talking about "softcapping" Defense, and complex builds to do that, but I don't think you'll need to go that far)
Third, see if there have been any tweaks or nerfs to core powers in your AT's Power Sets. Or even the AT itself, Brutes, Stalkers and Dominators have all had changes to their Inherents. In most cases, the changes weren't totally negative, but may require a change to your playstyle.
Your best bet is to make a post in your AT's forum showing your build. You'll want to check out a program called "Mid's" for that, again check around and you should be able to find out where to find it and how to use it. If you don't have any Inventions in your build, you'll probably get a lot of advice really fast about what you can do to improve it. Some of the advice may be past your price range, but I'm sure if you are clear that you're a returning player without a lot of time to raise money for Inventions someone will tell you what the most important things are to start with.
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Reasonably enough, with so much of the game being instanced it is very solo friendly. Teaming is not hard, but you do have to look for it. This does make this game very unique compared to WoW or the like. And really, the XP comes in very quickly, it does not take much to get through the 20s. If you're expecting a grind to get to level 50 before you can start finding a team and good stuff, don't be.
You do want to team if you're feeling you're not earning XP fast enough, though. I think my advice is not to be afraid to do a few missions while you have yourself set to LFT. If you get a tell, you can just back out and cancel the mission.
Unfortunately, you can't join a Supergroup until you get out of Praetoria and can start new characters in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles, but you might ask around on a channel for a good SG that has set up a Global Channel. You might be able to find one willing to help you level to 20 on the promise that you'll join as soon as you do. (They'll need to have a Global Channel so you can talk to them since their SG channel won't be open to you, but I'm guessing that's common. I know my SG has a Global Channel, although that's mainly for when our members are on other servers or on villains that are in the sister VG) -
Basically, it is fairly easy to build Fury to about 65% just by running into combat and beginning to swing. If you can get a group of three or more foes around you pounding on you, you can get that up to about 75%. Pull the whole spawn and maybe the rest of the room for a full team of eight and you will probably get it up to about 80% at the maximum.
Getting above that requires something special like going up against AVs or using the Frenzy Alignment Power.
It used to be a good Brute could cap out at 85% easily, but it would take a lot of work or eating a huge alpha strike to get there quickly. Some Brutes, who didn't have IO'd builds and Primary Sets that weren't that good for building Fury, couldn't get about 65% and could even dip as low as 40%. It's now a lot more consistent across builds, although to hit that 80% number you'll probably need a good one. You can easily get 65-75% on any Brute, nowadays, though. Just pace yourself, keep fighting all the time, and move smoothly from spawn to spawn.
100% is impossible, although Frenzy will cause it to hit that mark. For about half a second.
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As I've said before, you can bring a Wolf Spider over to hero side, and he will make a pretty respectable Longbow, with the proper costume. The Venom Grenade isn't graphically like the Sonic Grenade, but it has the same -Res debuff effect. And you can pick up Cloaking Device to be a Longbow Spec Ops.
It would also be easy enough to play a Kheldian as a PPD Awakened. -
I believe from discussion of the subject that the magnitude is in feet. However, as Tex said, this may be an addition to the base knockback. So if it is indeed 10 feet, then most powers being about mag 1-6 aren't going to make must difference in the proportion of distance knocked back. At most, around 50% more distance than the base.
This is interesting, because knockback under 1.0 is knockdown. So 0.67 isn't knocked back at all, but 1.0 is knocked back 11 feet. That would certainly suggest that if you have knockback when you are expecting knockdown, (such as if the foe has negative resistance to knockback) it will be a frustratingly long distance for you. -
- I always hurry to do the first to Safeguards/Mayhems and get the packs before I end up outlevelling them.
- Villain side, it is always fun to do Doctor Creed's missions so you can make the Infected go boom!
- at level 15, ALL of my villains do "Oh, Wretched Man", without fail. That's easily my favorite arc
- hero side, at level 10 I always do the Midnighter Arc and cure the Lost. I also do the Invention Tutorial on both sides.
- I'll get the Goldbricker Rocket Pack and the Nictus Shard (at least for a mission) as long as I remember to do it. I still keep missing the hero side version with the Sky Raiders Pack.
- At 20 I will start running Tip missions and either change to Vigilante/Rogue, or renew my Hero/Villain Alignment to get the power. This will usually get me to 22-23 or so just from doing the missions.
I can usually manage to avoid having to go to Striga to get enough XP, and I avoid the Hollows like the plague. Usually, I will just pick on Contact for that level band and run through his missions. With Patrol XP it's usually plenty to get me into the 20s pretty quickly. And I won't keep playing the same character for a long time, I'll switch around, sometimes playing two lowbies in the same day. The main characters I've been levelling lately are my SoAs, so the villain missions are fresher in my mind than the hero ones, plus of course I have those unique SoA arcs. -
Quote:If this is true, then Staff is WAY easier than I believed.Originally Posted by DreadShinobi
I'm almost certain the War Mace (or was it battle axe? I wouldn't know as I'd never touch either of those sets) Taunt power tosses the war mace back and forth between hands (completely leaving the the physical grasp of one hand to the next)
As I said, though, it's possible in theory that you can "anchor" a weapon on one hand, but make it fly to the other in a sort of path that takes it to that location. Since the hands will be in a somewhat predictable location relative to each other in an animation, it should be possible to make it look like the weapon is attached to the other hand. But if the scaling throws that off, then what you should see is the weapon fly to a point NEAR that hand, and then stop as if caught and hang in midair. This is likely what the devs think looks bad.
In a fast, fluid animation, though, it might not even be noticable. For instance, in a true "twirling" of a staff it should rotate around two points, as you switch it from one hand to another. If they're close enough together the figure eight motion shouldn't really be noticable. However, it is impossible for the staff to rotate around a single point 360 degrees, since the human hand won't do that. The animation COULD make it do that, though, and the physics of it could just be ignored.
And mind you, that's still a guess. While there are plenty of attacks that have something fly off a weapon, I'm trying to think of one in which the weapon itself leaves your hand, and I can't think of one. (Unless it is put up, of course)
Ah, ah, Dual Pistols, of course! There's a Dual Pistols attack where you throw the pistol into the air and then catch it, am I right? (It's either Executioner's Shot or Piercing Rounds, I think) So that shows a weapon CAN leave the hand. It has to return to the same hand, though, at least by the time the animation ends.
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Quote:That's the perception, anyway. I have personally found that Stalkers solo very well. I don't know if I necessarily agree that they have problems in teams, but there are some individuals in this forum (Staker supporters, not trolls) that will protest very greatly about how Stalkers are inferior in all things.Originally Posted by Stryph
Again, I never felt this way [that Stalkers are solo oriented and have trouble getting teams] and I never felt like other teammates felt this way.
True, or not true, I can't really say. Just not my experience. I'm not going to discount the possibilty that a newcomer to the AT may not like it, though. -
Quote:You know, technically this is true, but only because only one AT gets TT:A.Originally Posted by ChiosuBlues
You do know that the effect of the Leadership Pool Powers changes based on the target AT, right?
L:A might give a defender %18.75 DMG bonus. A scrapper would only get %10.50.
TT:A gives everyone the same bonus, regardless of AT.
To an SoA, L:A and TT:A are identical. And just to be clear, it depends on the CASTER, not who is effected. (So a Defender's L:A doesn't buff a Scrapper less than himself) -
Quote:Heh, yeah, I did want to add that I had thought of a concept based on something like Gauntlets or Bracers to replace Shields on Stalkers. Then again, I also suggested that as one of the replacements for Caltrops. I don't know if you could make a Bracers concept complex enough that it would be added to the arms by the power set and "extended and retracted", like a shield is when it is taken out.Originally Posted by Cynical_Gamer
Yes, because the only concepts possible with Shields are medieval knights.Quote:
I doubt SD would be given to Stalkers. Stalkers are like ninjas and assassins. They want to kill quickly, quietly and be gone before anyone seems them. Lugging a hunk of metal on your arm helps keep you alive, yes, but not in being quick or quiet. 
An alternative might be just a small shield, or a Buckler. Ninja Blade is smaller than Katana, even though IIRC they do now share the same customization choices. The Stalker could add a buckler and bracer combination to the shield arm, or even both arms for an unarmed Primary. -
Quote:Which is why in the past I would have suggested adding a power that is currently available in a Stalker APP. That's not possible now, since Scrappers already get those APPs. Although I suppose Caltrops could be replaced with Physical Perfection, since that's what Stalkers get in their Weapon Mastery instead of Caltrops. (Eh, no, that would duplicate Body Mastery. So we're back to Quickness or an Endurance boost or the like)Originally Posted by JuliusSeizure
Remove Caltrops to add a different gadget that stands as a decent replacement and Ninjitsu becomes flat-out-superior on Scrappers once they take Caltrops from their APPs.
As I said above, though, ALL Scrappers can take Caltrops right now. If it is that much of a benefit to Defense based power sets, then why aren't all Super Reflexes and Shield Defense Scrappers taking it? And keep in mind that the only difference between Stalker and Scrapper defense is their hit points. They get exactly the same defense numbers. So if a Stalker can increase his survivability by keeping foes fleeing from him, so can a Scrapper.
Perhaps there are two explanations for this. One is that a Scrapper's higher hit points means that he is less likely to be one or two shotted by a foe that is balanced for his level. This means the Scrapper is more likely to be able to survive and use his heal to recover. Or, perhaps that it is just that the Scrapper does not WANT foes fleeing from him, as his skills are not based around taking out foes one at a time, and thus he depends more on keeping his foes in melee, where he can finish them off more handily.
Either way, I don't think the loss of Caltrops will have as dramatic an effect as you seem to believe. The self Heal IS powerful -- as long as you can get it off. A Scrapper would have about a 10% better chance of doing that.
By that logic, NO Stalker should EVER get any new Defense or Melee sets which are created for the other meleers. That always involves changing skills, to at least as much as an extent as it would involve changing Ninjitsu for Scrappers.Quote:More importantly, porting skills is probably far more labor intensive than the player base thinks-- certainly not as involved as creating an entirely new set, but not the simple cut and past that takes place on a spread sheet. Any time invested in porting Ninjitsu to Scrappers-- and it would only go to Scrappers as it could never function on Tanks or Brutes-- would probably have better returns in creating a new Gadget Armor set for all melee ATs.
Of course, that's likely the very reason Scrappers didn't get Shields. They did get Kinetic Melee, though, in the latest issue. So I don't think there's that much of a cost in time. Not enough to justify the devs never considering for Proliferation a set that will require tweaking.
I would say that to remain consistent with Hide, I think the 3.75% Defense in Cloaking Device or whatever the replacement is called should suppress. Personally, to make up for this I would have the base radius of the stealth be 45 feet, with all but 15 feet suppressing during combat. This would help Scrappers get closer to melee with the foes without alerting them, and even help with Blinding Powder. (assuming they get that power) -
Quote:I agree, as it would be nice, but that's the opposite problem from Ice. Castle tested it and said that he found it way TOO good.Originally Posted by MayorOfAngrytown
Why does this sentence remind me of the sad fact that I'll never has a regen brute?
Personally, I feel any tweak that Regen would get to Proliferate it to Brutes would probably end up with it turning out like Willpower. That doesn't mean it couldn't be done, though. I guess the question is whether it would still be Regen, or folks would still insist on getting Regen.
Because to my mind, Batman is not "a sneaky assassin-type who kills though stealth and skill." But Batman IS Ninjitsu. Argue with that all you like, but it's my opinion, and your disagreement is your opinion, and you're not going to convince me otherwise. To me, Batman is the very example of what Ninjitsu is supposed to be.Quote:Originally Posted by Siolfir
What is the concept for a Ninjitsu Scrapper? "I want to play a sneaky assassin-type who kills through stealth and skill. I just don't want to play it on the AT whose entire schtick is a sneaky assassin-type who kills through stealth and skill, because I don't like that concept." Thus the use of the term "whine" in my first post.
You might as well claim that Tankers shouldn't get Super Strength, because "If I want to play an angry brutish type whose strength is fueled by anger, I should play a Brute".
Honestly, if the devs did create a gadget-based defense set, combined with personal defense based on skill and dodging, then that to me would BE Ninjitsu, even if it didn't have the powers of Ninjitsu. Like Willpower and Regen, above. And if so many of the powers in Ninjitsu are special BECAUSE of how Stalkers can use them, due to their unique abilities, then even if Scrappers had them they wouldn't be able to use them the same way. Scrappers get Caltrops, (all Scrappers, potentially!) but they don't need the reduced attack rate against foes it gives them as much as Stalkers do. -
AFAIK, currently ANY Hero or Villain AT native to Primal Earth can go to Praetoria, even from level 1. I'm pretty sure I've had level 2 characters in Pocket D, so you don't need the VIP pass.
You just can't do missions there. And given as the EATs are tied to special mission arcs on their given side, I don't see any reason to start them in Praetoria. They can go there any time they want for teaming, but can still run their own arcs.
What I'm guessing is that if there is ever an EAT for Praetorians, it will be a new one, with special missions all its own starting in Praetoria. -
Quote:Yeah, seriously, it's not as much as you have these Dark powers, it's that you're using them to PROTECT your henchmen. That's where 90% of your power as an MM comes from. The idea that this somehow makes you weaker than a Corruptor or Defender, that's just not true. You can defend your team just fine, and they'll take less damage anyway since some of it will go to you or your henchmen. And your henchmen will just roll over the opposition.Originally Posted by Clave_Dark_5
Don't let all this scare you though, Crazy, */Dark MMs are still hell on wheels.
Dark is a great MM set, and it's got a lot of synergy with being an MM. My own main MM is Thugs/Dark, and she's unstoppable.
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The Wolf Spider base armor is available at the tailor, I think it is called "Padded Armor" or "Armor with Plates" or something like that. There are some minor variances in the shape of it, the plates over the legs and around the butt are slightly different (what can I say, I notice that on my female Crab) but it's essentially the same armor.
The plate over the front of the chest, the gauntlets, and most especially the boots are NOT available, and that bugs me, especially the boots. I have posted in the Costume Request thread that I want those boots. I have been able to fake the parts with the Enforcer chest plate (the smaller one without the bottom tab) the Long Sleeve option with appropriately contrasting colored gloves, and the new Praetorian Police boots. Prior to that I believe I used the Boxing boots, a variation without the laces in front. I also use the shoulder piece called Spiked Pauldrons, I think, that sort of matches the shoulder armor on Wolf Spiders.
The Crab Armor is pretty much unreproducible. I was able to fake it by using the same armor as above, but with the colors set to the same so the detail of the pads isn't visible. The legs of the Crab Armor isn't exactly the same, but the texture is close. I then used one of the Samurai Boots, again all the same color, as it was the closest match to the Crab Boots. I don't remember which one, although it might have been Nichi. I then used one of the tech options for the gloves, I think it was one of the Robotic ones.
The main thing which seemed to really match the original costume was the shoulder guards, for which I chose the small shields with the spike, which go over the biceps. This really matched the arm guards on the Crab Armor. So it looked like it was the Crab Armor with that huge metal chest and shoulder armor removed, and the armor underneath it exposed. I just stuck the Arachnos logo on the chest just to give it continuity, but a chest symbol wouldn't have been visible under the chest armor anyway.
As I said above, I would REALLY like to see the boots for both costumes made available, along with the gloves and a better shoulder detail for the Wolf Armor. The spider detail over the shoulders and back would be nice too, although just the proper chest detail would work. It doesn't have to be EXACTLY the same, there are minor differences in the Padded Armor as I said, but it's obviously the same armor. Also, the Padded Armor only works for the Crab Armor for the variation where the pads don't "stick out", another version of the leg armor with the pads in the proper places, and raised if possible, would be nice.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will simply link to some pictures of my Crab Spider:
Crab Spider Armor
My version of the Crab armor without helmet and chest/shoulder armor
Wolf Spider Armor
My version of the Wolf armor without helmet
Of course, if you have the helmets, it's easy enough to just add them to the costumes as shown here. And in fact if I could take the helmet off in the main costume slot, I might have the second as the "official" uniform with helmet on.