Justice29

Hey all.

I'm making my way through the Incarnate system with my first toon since getting my DM/EA Brute to tier 3 in all Incarnate Abilities. Choices came easily for my brute...Spiritual for Alpha for the +rech (more AOEs means tearing through mobs of 16 at a time goes quickly), Pyronic for Judgment to absolutely melt group after group after group, Reactive for Interface (same reasons as above...-resistance and +fire DOT helps destroy all those baddies), Phantoms in the Lore slot since they don't have any KB (I like to keep the mobs CLOSE to me and one pet hits me with AB which is nice), and Barrier in Destiny to keep me up when things get crazy. I've LOVED how the Incarnate System has changed this character from a great one into an AMAZINGLY PHENOMENAL ONE and now I'm hoping it can do the same for my Corruptor.

I generally don't play Corruptors, and this one I'm on now is my only Corruptor that's level 50. He's a ton of fun, though...Fire/Cold Domination/Soul. Because I don't know many people that play, I generally am soloing so I tend to go with Brutes/Scrappers/Tanks/etc just for the survivability and the fact that I LOVE taking on 16 at a time. I use this Corruptor when I do get the chance to play with others so I don't need any responses to be geared towards soloing.

With that said, I've accepted my role as a buffer (ice shields anyone?? Come on..you know you love them!) and damage dealer. I'm going with Masculature in the Alpha slot for the +damage, but I'm stuck on the Interface slot. Anyone have any suggestions or examples of what has worked for you? I'd love to hear your thoughts on each of the Interface options. Looking forward to hearing from you.

As always, thanks much!!

I've got a new computer on the way (finally will be able to turn the settings back up and partake in iTrials and the such again!) and it got me thinking about my gaming setup. Currently my computer is just sitting in one of the spare bedroom...very basic...on a computer desk, computer chair, futon in the room, but that's it. I do have a nice big monitor /flatscreen that makes the game MUCH more enjoyable than just the basic computer monitor. But, with the new CPU on its way, I began wondering if there's some ways to optimize my gaming experience. I've learned so much from you other players out there about the game, this computer I ordered, etc. So, I thought I'd ask for your help with this as well!

Was hoping to get some shots of what your gaming setups look like to possibly steal some ideas. I was considering moving my computer to another room...but if I do I'd like to have something in mind. That's where you come in. Let's see how YOU'RE gaming! I'd love to steal some of your ideas. Is everyone playing like me....sitting like some telemarketer in front of the computer in a very traditional manner? Or, do some of you have some L33T!!! gaming setups that you'd like to share to possibly inspire others like me that really want to get the MOST out of this game? I'm LOVING my time back (just recently returned from three year absence), but I just wonder if there's MORE out there for me than how I have it setup now.

Edit: Thanks Memphis_Bill....thanks to you I was able to get my setup picture posted! ....

This is all great stuff. I know it's not my thread, but I've sure learned a lot from it as if it was!

Wanted to ask your opinions on something. I did contact a local friend of mine who works for the school district as a computer tech. Told him the WHOLE situation...he's a gamer as well so he gets it. He connected to my computer and took a look at everything and determined that while my 3 Gigs of memory isn't ideal, it's probably not the main thing causing lagginess in huge mobs, iTrials, attempting to dual box, etc. He said the culprit was more likely my video card which only has 256 *whatevers* (can't remember if it's MBs?? ). He suggested, and I was shocked by this, Costco. He brought up some pages of CPUs that were a GREAT price, but I wanted to make sure these would work with you guys...here's a link to the four he recommended. Ranging in price from $599-about $1,000. http://www.costco.com/Common/Categor...t56671&topnav=

ALL of these from iBuyPower (which I was happy to see you mention above) would be a huge upgrade to what I have now. I'm thinking of going with the $799 one. It's CPU only (although I believe this one has a mouse and keyboard I don't need) so I assume they save some money there, but looking at the specs...what's not to like? I'm sure some of you can point things out that I'm missing, but wouldn't this system be able to handle raids, iTrials, dual boxing, heavy teaming? I noticed some of the other ones had a video/graphics card "integrated" so stayed away from those per my friend's request.

Let me know what you guys think. I'd like to be able to get it, plug my monitor, speakers, keyboard, and mouse in and PLAY!!! And...FINALLY turn the settings back up! Can this handle it?

Just so you know....I ONLY use desktop computer for COH/V. Everything else I do on my laptop.

And a last question...I couldn't find the info on their site, but would I be able to upgrade the 8gigs of memory to 16? (again, focusing on the $799 iBuyPower model). The 2 year warranty also is a nice piece of mind.

Appreciate any insight.

I'm literally drooling over here. My Alienware that I purchased in around 2005 was "top of the line" or so I THOUGHT at the time. After a long absence from the game, I've recently returned (that Alienware wasn't even turned on for all those years...I literally only use it for COH...use laptop for surfing/email/etc) to find that my little 3 Gigs of memory don't seem to cut it anymore. Had to turn settings WAAAAAYYY down from what they were before my absence so that now I feel like I'm playing, as someone described earlier, with stick figures and such.

I want to thank the OP for this thread, because I was just about to post something similar. I have the same price range and I'm in the market as well.

What really made me want to post, though, was all these AMAZING looking "rigs" and parts and pieces!! I will NEVER forget the day my Alienware arrived...(keep in mind I was playing on something equivalent to a Commodore 64 up until my gaming Alienware arrived) ...I logged in, and WHAM...I could NOT BELIEVE how real, alive, vibrant, clear, SHOCKINGLY AMAZING the game looked through my massive flat screen and new computer. I could dual box with ease, and did so often. Trials, TFs, Hamis, etc all EFFORTLESS. Now, trials lag me badly and dual boxing causes way too much choppiness and sound looping/issues. I want the old days back pretty badly.

But, you see, I'm a guy who knows NOTHING about that stuff. I mean literally not a thing. Overclocking? 32bits? Processor? All of that is as clear to me as a foreign language. Which is why, 7 years ago, I bought from Alienware. Guess I'd rather pay the little extra (or a lot extra) to have it DONE...I plug it in and play. Now, in hindsight, if I had gone a different route I probably would be able to upgrade and have all that joy back, but have been told that my memory is at the max. Sigh.

Can you guys offer some words of advice for guys like me who are in a similar situation as the OP, but differently, we have no technical background or expertise. We are the ones Alienware and other companies make their money from because it's easier to just give them the money and be done with it. Let's say I have $2000...where do I go from here? Are there people such as @Hyperstrike above who will use our money to build the best BEST possible gaming rig in return for a fee? If so, HOW do you find them?

I'm just a teacher...I work all day...but I LOVE this game and I want to experience it the BEST possible way. I don't, however, have the knowledge necessary to put something like this together. Is this a case of "it's not what you know it's who you know"?

Thanks again, OP, for posting this. It's been great to see all the responses from the point of view of someone who is in a similar position.

If anyone has tips for me and would like to share in-game, globals are @Clever One and @Justice29. (on @Clever One mostly these days)

SHHHH!!! It's our little secret!! Don't want too many people finding out!!

I have a LOT of characters to choose from and many of them are level 50. I don't reach for any faster than I do my Dark Melee/Energy Aura/Soul Mastery Brute named Adam Not So Quick.

My current strategy is this: Run around and anger ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING in sight (yes, there's a cap, but as the baddies start falling, the others I've angered quickly run over and take their place), hide around a corner, jump into the middle of the mob once they are nicely packed, and then the fun begins. I hit them with Soul Drain to start things off. At my current setting (+2 X8), my health generally isn't even an issue at this point. *By the way...is there a better sound in this game than Soul Drain hitting a huge group??*. Follow up Soul Drain with Dark Obliteration (minions start falling at this point because of the Soul Drain boosted Obliteration as well as the Fury boost to it), but just to drive my point home I hit them with Dark Consumption which not only saps them of end, it also adds to mine AND does a good amount of damage. As more baddies start rolling in (either from my initial irritation or me going out to get more), I hit the group with the Energy Aura end return PBAOE (forgot the name..) which I use mostly as it gives a defense boost for each baddie hit. Rinse and repeat as powers pop back up. Hit those left standing usually only once and down they go.

One of the huge bonuses of this combinaton that people don't usually talk about is the +recharge you get for each baddie around you. This is an INCREDIBLE boost for a player like me who spends his days surrounded by the limit. Yes, I understand that people's concern is the lack of AOEs, but with this recharge boost I have Soul Drain, Dark Consumption, Dark Obliteration, *the +def end-return aoe (forgot the name...no damage) , AND pyronic judgment up for literally EVERY mob. If these aren't enough for you, which I promise you they are, then you could always supplement with hand grenades or plasmatic taser temp powers. (Both could be used at the end of the chain for any that are left standing...which after SD, DO, DC, and/or Judgement is literally only one or two IF THAT). In the rare situations where five or so are left standing, a side-step-to-line-em-up Shadow Maul puts them in their place.

I was running some Tips missions today (same setting +2 X8)...baddies were Freaks, Carnies, Crey, Arachnos, and some Nemesis. Every single group was so laughable that at one point I was looking over my power trays and realized.....OMG...I haven't used Overload in probably a week!!! This combo is really that good. Note: I definitely didn't have time to look around my power trays whilst fighting the Arachnos!! Ouch!

After reading this post, though, I think I'll make a respec change. I currently have Gloom, Dark Obliteration, and the pet from Soul Mastery. Gloom and the pet were helpful to me as I was leveling up and doing a lot of boss fights at the end of missions. Now, she's completely useless and dies rather quickly. Gloom was used to pull much earlier on in levels, but as you can see...pulling isn't really necessary now. Per your recommendations above, I think I'm going to go with Darkest Night (i'm actually curious if this can be used as a pull technique...) and tentacles (all that practice setting up an effective Shadow Maul should come in handy as I try to get as many as possible in the tentacles).

I'm VERY curious to see where this toon can go. He's currently slotted with IO sets, but nothing fancy. No purples, no ATOs, no LoTG +rech, etc. Just a few Crushing Impacts and Scirrocos, etc. I didn't put much thought into the bonuses and stacking def, etc. Can't wait to see what he can do when I have some high dollar sets that actually make some sense! I'm not very good at planning builds as I, to this day, still don't get what bonuses to go after on defensive toons like this (ranged? s/l? aoe? etc...). It's reassuring to know that even without TRYING to make him "Godlike", to me he's pretty much there!!

And ps...I can't, for the life of me, figure out why people are so high on SS/? brutes. I'm sure the rage + fury + knockout blow = SICK amount of damage, but if the argument is SS>DM because of AOEs, then that's an argument I don't understand because what other AOE does SS have besides Foot Stomp?

Thanks for helping to shed some light on the game's best kept secret, New_Dark_Age! Don't shed TOO much, though...or else we're going to end up seeing more Dark/Energy brutes than what we're seeing today with SS/Fire!

EXACTLY. As a new returner with a boatload of 50s, I'm in a similar situation. After MUCH questioning, searching, etc I was finally able to figure out enough to get one of my favorite characters to 50 +3. However, I noticed exactly the same thing. Nothing was more irritating than getting on an iTrial and having your questions about strategy be completely ignored or even worse, mocked. All we're trying to do is learn as quickly as we can.

Ah....thank you RAjani. 4 more % and it's unlocked!

Gameboy1234 and ClawsAndEffect, I appreciate both of your responses.

ClawsandEffect ...I wanted to let you know that I did continue the DA arcs by going to the contact in Cimerora that my contact in DA gave me when I finished their arc. I can't remember the Cimerora contact's name...I want to say it's Sister Solaris or something like that, but I finished her arc and received Incarnate XP and Incarnate drops throughout. (Her missions were INCREDIBLE, by the way...a little buggy, however...). All her missions were in Cimerora, but you got on boats for each mission and went to islands to fight massive mobs of bosses (playing on +0 X8 was FUN), and even one mission out in the middle of the ocean to fight off the Kraken. After finishing her arc she gave me Doctor Dream (I believe that's his name) back in DA so I'll be continuing there tomorrow.

Thanks for the tips on the iTrials, Gameboy1234. I noticed a bit more action today, was on ANOTHER unsuccessful DD trial, but the servers going down at 6pst put an end to my play session. I generally play from about 4:30-8:30ish on weekdays and most of the day on weekends. (Pacific Standard Time). I think you're exactly right about more leaders being needed. There are often people asking, "Any iTrials forming?" but those questions (mine included) go unresponded to often. Eventually someone will jump on and broadcast that they are putting one together and they fill pretty quickly. Being rather new at this still (5 year VIP, but just returning from a 3 year absence remember) so I don't feel comfortable yet forming one myself. Each time I join one I carefully watch what the leader does, how he/she communicates, with the ultimate goal being able to lead them myself. At this point I don't even know who the contacts are to start them. I'll get there...in time. I've always got DA, right?

I'm about to unlock my Lore slot and thus we arrive at the question I've come to. Most of my info I've gotten through the aforementioned ways, but for this Lore/Pet slot I haven't been able to get as much info as I want in order to make the best decision for my character. I see that the list for Lore pets is long, so is there somewhere that breaks down each pet and what it does? I've looked at Paragonwiki (here: http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Lore_Slot ), but that info wasn't terribly helpful in breaking down each of the pets and their abilities. Do any of you know where I can find some good info on these?

Thanks again everyone...

*Edit* Whoops, missed a part. ClawsAndEffect...I was heavily leaning towards Agility early on when I initially started looking at the Alpha slot. I decided against it because with my character's 2 end return PBAOE's (used in every battle), his endurance rarely falls below even 80ish%. The +recharge was nice, but I wanted to get that recharge along with the heal so that when I fire off Siphon Life, it will heal me that much more. Also, energize isn't slotted up much, so that extra % heal means more survivability for him. So, I feel like Agility would have been helpful for the recharge, but completely useless in terms of the end mod. Now if this was my Spines/Dark Scrapper, I can definitely see going the end mod route!! Appreciate your input.

Let me know about those Lore pets when any of you get a chance. Really curious about them and want to make sure the one I choose is the one I will be happy with.

Justice down, but not on that list. Sigh...right as I was tapping on the +2 door, too!!!

Thanks Agent White. I will continue in Cim then. Great to know the +1 continues to apply throughout.

I was able to unlock the Interface slot as well and slot it with the tier 2 Reactive. I absolutely love how all this incarnate goodness has changed my character. He was always one of my favorites, but now he's far and away my go-to toon.

I'm sure this has been brought up before, but I really believe that something should be done in-game to help make ALL this new stuff a little more user-friendly. Without very helpful people (you all as well as @Pericles) I would have given up on the whole incarnate thing...and wouldn't have known what I was missing out on!! Even Paragonwiki is confusing and overwhelming. It's like telling a normal person to figure out a complex mathematical problem by just saying, "Here, look in this book"....and of course the book is full of jargon that person doesn't understand.

I guess if people want it badly enough, they'll FIND the help (like I did), but I can see why people would just move on.

That said, time to go Incarnate it up!

I unlocked the Judgement slot as well as my tier 3 alpha. WOO HOO LEVEL SHIFT!! LOVING the +1 shift. Definitely worth all the time/effort. So if I'm understanding you correctly, this +1 shift will only work in DA or iTrials? That's sort of a bummer if true.

@Gameboy1234...the character I've been focusing all the incarnate energy on is Adam Not So Quick...he's a Dark Melee/Energy Aura/Soul Mastery Brute. I went with Spiritual for my Alpha slot for the +recharge and the +heal for the 2 heals this toon has. In the judgement slot I went with Pyronic....and that was a VERY welcome surprise!! I hoped it would be good, but had no idea it's THIS good. And only at tier 2! Can't wait to see what tier 4 is like!! My normal attack chain (after rounding up the limit of baddies and clumping them together) is soul drain, dark obliteration, and dark consumption...by that point, usually only +1 or more minions or LTs/Bosses are still standing so just single target them to death...then on to the next mob. However, just with this Alpha slot and Judgement slot, that has changed drastically. Without changing my level of difficulty (so keeping it at x8 and +0) level 50 minions are blue to me so they only basically survive through soul drain and dark obliteration. Up the level of baddies to say...+1...and hit the same sized mobs with soul drain followed by my judgement fireball....BOOM....it's like a Fire Blaster's Inferno with none of the drawbacks! The recharge is lengthy, of course, but nothing like a Nova-type power and certainly quicker than I anticipated.

So ...I keep plugging away. Mainly running DA missions (although I just finished what I believe is the last arc...see question below) and jumping on as many iTrials as I possibly can to gather all the stuff I need for incarnate crafting. Those trials aren't coming as quickly as I had hoped, however....one per day if I'm lucky. The couple I've been on (BAF) were only something like 30 minutes long so I hoped to be able to get more trials done than I am. I'm on the Justice server...joined the popular channels as was directed to here...but still entire days will go by (like today....and a Saturday no less) and there will only be a couple iTrials. Today I saw 2 advertised and when I responded RIGHT away to one, it had filled already. I've tried the LFG "queue" *clicking first available iTrial and even check "willing to join in progress"* but I've waited for literally 3 hours with absolutely nothing happening so I'm not even sure if that's working properly.

The question I have for today is this: I finished the last arc in DA this evening, and my contact sent me to a new contact in Cimerora. If I continue on with this contact, will I still receive the incarnate rewards that I've been receiving DA? (Things like the psychic/physical experience necessary for unlocking my Lore/Interface/etc slots, shards, threads, components *story arc rewards*, etc)? If the answer to that is no, then are my options limited to repeating the DA content and keep going after those iTrials?

Thanks again everyone!! My newly +1 character thanks you!! (As do I).

Such good stuff. Thanks gang.

I was able to get all the stuff needed to create the first two levels of the "tree"...not sure what you call that exactly. I'm now working on piecing together the things needed for the midddle level of that tree.

Which leads me to today's question. I've noticed characters running around that are Level 50 (+1) or Level 50 (+2) or even Level 50 (+3). Since I created the first two "tiers" (again, not sure if that's what you call it) in my alpha slot and have the second Spiritual level thing slotted, does that mean my character is Level 50 (+2)? I'm assuming not as there are still 2 or 3 more levels to go on the tree....

This recent information was VERY helpful to me. I feel a little dumb asking these questions...as it was just 3 years ago that I felt I was at the top of this game and knew EVERYTHING. Now, I know exactly how my students feel when I'm explaining algebra for the first time or something like that.

I figure if I have these questions, then there's got to be many others out there that are as confused or more than myself.

You mentioned Incarnate Trials being a good route to take. I'm going to look into these on ParagonWiki. In the meantime, I've been running through the DA missions/arcs and gaining all psychic/physical incarnate experience. When the reward options popped up after finishing one of the story arcs, I selected the option that gives a component for the tree one of you referred to above. (That explanation of the tree, by the way, was EXTREMELY HELPFUL).

Can any of you share a channel I can join to hook up with people that are putting together these weekly TFs/SFs you mentioned? Or, did I see somewhere that there is now a way to "queue up" to join these?

I'm moving along...trying to learn as much as I can as I go. I feel like I'm brand new to this game...and I've been a paying player for over 5 years!! When I try to sort through it all on paragonwiki, I get frustrated because that gets just as confusing as trying to figure it out in-game. Your input has been invaluable.

Last question for today: Once I've decided what I want to create in my Incarnate Powers (ie...agility), how do you know where to get the incarnate components that make them up? (the *stuff* needed to make them)?

Thanks all!

I went ahead and unlocked my alpha slot, and finished the Signature Story Arcs. At the end of each SSA episode, the first two I selected "4x Reward Merits", the rest I selected the Astral Merits. I wasn't sure even what they do, but figured that since they can be turned into the threads, that was the "safest" choice.

Now that I have the Alpha Slot unlocked, I was told I should try to get the ITF and LRSF completed so as to earn parts/pieces used to fill that slot. Is this information correct? I'm trying to head in the right direction efficiently, but every step of the way I feel like I'm doing more harm than good. That's the drawback to being gone so long I suppose.

As for alignment, I've found myself unable to even click on those Tip missions because I don't want to find myself stuck in some sort of alignment limbo and not be able to get back if I so choose. There are characters I wouldn't mind switching sides, but I'm not sure this one I'm currently playing is one of those.

Again, thanks so much for all your input.

Thanks Grouchy...yes, I have mids and used it years ago when I was here. Was not aware of the Titan Network. That helps a lot. Thanks.

One more quick question: I noticed at the end of the signature story arc missions you get a choice for a reward. Can someone break down what each of those are and what they apply to? Was one of them the things you need for the incarnate slot (is that how you word it?) If I was working on unlocking that slot for a character and I was doing the signature story arcs, which reward would I want to select to ultimately help with the Incarnate slot..?

Wow. Just wow. ;o) All such great stuff. This is part of the reason that this game is so much better than any others out there. Your explanations and expertise are very generous and thourough. I really appreciate you taking the time to come up with them.

To answer one of the questions, I play mainly on Victory for my heroes, and Justice for my Villains. (There's some cross-over on each, but that's the bulk of it). I am on both "Forum Channels"...Justice Forum and Victory Forum. Most people have been EXTREMELY helpful....some even go above and beyond....*THANKS @PERICLES!!!*

So as to not completely gimp myself unwantingly, I think I will start with the Incarnate and go from there. Once I have a firmer grasp on the tips and alignments, I will start to dabble in them a little more.

That info about the dual builds was insane to me! Each time I've been logging into a character after this three year absence, I've been respec'ing them instantly as each of them were built before the fitness pool was given out to everyone. Freeing up those three (swift, health, stam) power choices to choose other things has been very time consuming. As you can imagine, with so many characters, copying down builds onto a piece of paper (including which enhancements go where) and then executing the respec takes a LOT of time. I'm assuming there's no other way around this...?

Thanks again for all your help. This transition back has been exciting, but at the same time, scary and overwhelming enough to make someone want to throw up their hands and say, "UGH!!! Why even try????".

I'm off to Mender Remiel in Oro!! Excited to try out this Incarnate stuff!

Hey gang.

Glad to be back after a 3 year absence. Initially tried the F2P option, but after only 2 days I was completely dissatisfied with all my IO sets not working, but yet extremely excited about all the new stuff!! Also, not being able to access many of my characters (I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 level 50s...love them all) made my decision to go back to VIP very easy.

Which leads me to my question. I noticed the "tips" that drop from time to time and found them under my contacts. I read and reread the info provided there, but it just isn't sinking in with me. From what I *think* I understand, these can lead you to changing from hero to villain and vice versa? ...

If I was to follow these "tip" missions, would it be possible to have a character that can dabble in both the hero and villain areas? Are these "tip" missions the same as all this "incarnate" I keep hearing about? Perhaps you guys have links to where all this info can be found in a "user friendly" type way?

I'm very excited to be back, but to be honest I'm very overwhelmed. All these changes...and they seem, quite frankly, very difficult to understand. (Various merits, alpha-whatevers, etc....). Any hints/tips for me? Or perhaps a nudge in a direction where I can find these things out?

Thanks all....and I look forward to running into you all out there in CoX country.

How does one get to the Council America mission that many people farm? I assume you can look up the arc it's in using Ouro, correct? If so, what is the arc name and contact?

I've been farming the Unai Family mission...and haven't got any purple drops after about three days. Question: I have it set on -1/8. Am I not getting purples because of the -1? Does it have to be 0 or more?

Thanks Mike...I'll check into that one!

Thanks for the tips, guys.

More specifically, I'm looking for blue side. I'll probably focus on purples/salvage. What are the best missions to do this?

Hey all...maybe someone can give advice or direct me in the right direction.

I've been playing for years and have several different toons that I can "farm" with. Basically, I'm looking for the best way to set up a farm to earn inf, purples, recipes, salvage, etc.

All that said, what is the best way to go about setting up a good farm? Mission ideas? Levels/number of baddies? Etc. If you were to direct someone to set up a great farm what would you tell them to do? I appreciate any and all input...

Thanks Organica! That's EXACTLY what I was looking for. Very interesting stuff!