LostHalo

Basically, the rule of thumb for this game is to assume that anything that is instanced is basically a unique, parallel setting. (Each time you start an instance, it's like you just started a new comic book. If you want to reduce the subtle mindf*** involved with this, just imagine your character is being retconned by a new writer. Just hope you don't suffer Frank Miller, though.)

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About how much DPS is needed to take out an AV @ lvl 50 with and without Lingering Radiation (my build would have it overlapping by 4 seconds, but I'm still curious what it would take without LR)?

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Somewhere north of 93 DPS. Granted, you want much more than that since if you're net dps is only +1...that 27,000 HP is going to take awhile. Perma-LR is a -75% regen debuff against a level 50 AV, so you would only need somewhere over 23 DPS. Now to put that back on the other end...if you only do say, 94 DPS, with LR, your equivalent damage is as though you are dealing a net of +71 DPS, which is not too bad at all.

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I chose power mastery over psy mastery for CP and PB, am I going to regret not going with the mez protection? I'd prefer to solo them without the use of insps if at all possible.

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You really need CP when you should have perma-AM? Methinks something strange is afoot. That said, it doesn't really matter which epic you choose but yeah, mez protection could help.

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My planned build has 31.3% ranged defense. When combined with PB'ed smoke (14% tohit debuff) and RI (39.4% tohit debuff, 70% tohit debuff when PBed about 50% of the time), will that give me the same effect as soft capped 45% defense after the AV/GM resists the debuffage?

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Assuming no PB but 'capped' slotting, your total debuff will be 7.8+39 for a total of 46.8% -tohit. AVs will resist that 87%*** down to ~6.1% -ToHit. Your ranged defense isn't enough for 'effective' softcap. With Powerboost active, you have ~13.5% -ToHit. Still not quite softcap but better. Unfortunately, this is far from constant (and the only persistent debuff would be Smoke and that's the much, much smaller number) so it is not going to get the performance you desire.

[edit] The resistance at 50 would be 85%

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*** Thread-jack:

I swear I'm going to get all stabby on the guy who made a new "Archvillain Resistance" entry on ParagonWiki, overwriting the link to the table of resistances by level. That new entry is freaking worthless in comparison.

[edit] Gah. They moved it to the 'Archvillain' page. I swear that site is manned by monkeys at times...

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Haven't played much on dial-up and/or other-equally-sucky-connection (Verizon Wireless, I'm looking at ya!) have you?

Remember, way back when, when running mobs REALLY sucked to fight with melee powers? You know, how it was downright impossible to accomplish? And also how back early on, everybody wanted to street sweep? And how things in this game have always loved running? ([censored], I wonder if the guide that explained which mobs tended to run in a group is still around--"dealers" run!)

Remember any of that? Now remember when they introduced a patch that made melee attacks possible to use on moving targets? Yeah, there's your culprit. That's been around a long time. There's a reason why I have always loved Shadow Maul. Now that base attack ranges have been made so laughably massive, using this to your advantage is much, much, much, much easier.

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I was wondering if powerboost actually effects ice and glacial shields.

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It does not.

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I know powerboost didn't effect things with a +resistance component before but its been a while since i played the game.

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Still doesn't. Due to the way +/- resist and +/- damage function, it can't be done. There is an identical thread in the Defender forums for a better explanation.

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It seems like a powerboosted shield can offer up to 27% defense. Does anyone think this is worthwhile?

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Oh it would be potent but for the most part, you can make the team pretty tough without it.

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I've survived it on my /SR....but it was more luck then anything....the dumb broad figured it would be a good idea to hit me with Black Hole immediately after Soulstorm

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Uh... That would have still greased you. It may be a DoT but unless you change your resistance before the ticks apply, they are still going to do the damage, intangible or not. That said, I don't remember the non-level 54-STF GW's damage from that hold but I'm fairly certain it's still enough to kill a Scrapper without high regen and capped HP.

If you reverse that order, Black Hole -- Soul Storm, then it's all good.

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For some reason I predict an inevitable argument about the game being too easy.

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Indeed. I use Malta in my first arc and they're the focus in my second. Stay away, blasphemers! I chose them BECAUSE they're vicious. Too bad they're worth 1/2 of Freakshow and KoA are worth like 1/6. [censored] stupid as hell. "Risk vs. Reward" my foot. Anyway...

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For the record, "Incurable Chick Cancer"

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The thing that hurts just oh-so-much, is the likelihood that some similar variant has been used by a "screenwriter" at some point.

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I miss the toggle rooting bug (all armors, etc., would root you). It was undoubtedly annoying but had an amusing side effect once you figured out how to do it. In one patch, they fixed the rooting and other bugs but left the amusing side effect, which was awesome. That was patched again a week later and a little child-like amusement and wonder died with it.

:

Anyway. Basically, you canceled the toggle while it was still animating and it would still make the power appear as though you had turned on the toggle. For most people, this indeed sucked.

For a Stone Armor Brute or Tank that had every toggle? AWESOME. Rock Armor + Brimstone + Crystals + Minerals + Granite was just plain badass. I'd love to have just Minerals or Crystals + Granite again. Lost all my screenshots of it unfortunately with my last OS purge...

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Does that 1 level make that much of a difference?

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[edit] Meh, too many tabs open, Siolfir did a better job.

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And are these two particular AVs uncharacteristically weak/easy?

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Sonata has no PToD if I recall correctly, so there is that (and you fought him on an MM, so there is definitely that to consider as well).

Terra? Well, she doesn't have any particularly special attacks beyond those of any other Greater Devoured, so if your Scrapper happens to have a surplus of Smashing Resistance on top of some defense, you should be able to do quite well.

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It's toggle-heavy. The set is mainly defense-based and all the armors are toggles. This means that sappers (end-drainers) can *BLEEP!* your day up if they're ever able to actually hit you.

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If you are currently in a "toggle heavy" mode (e.g., not in Granite) on your Stone toon and you fear Sappers, you're doing it wrong.

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Weave benefits wonderfully from Boost Power.

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I thought toggles only benefit from Boost Power (and similar powers) for one ten-second tick?

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Toggles are basically putting a click on auto that fires every 0.5 seconds and lasts for 0.75 seconds. So yes, your thinking is correct.
Granted, Power Boost lasts for somewhere in the area of 15 seconds so I guess the extra 3% defense from Weave is a 'great' bonus if you really need it.

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Have you tried the fire grilled quesadillas at Chili's, they're pretty good. The steak and portobello is still my favorite.

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Chicken Tetrazzini!

[/ QUOTE ]We used to have Chilli's out here, then one day, poof, they just vanished. Like, no major news, no 'Oh, the business is in trouble,' just poof, the signs were pulled down and the restaurants emptied. It was really quite surreal.

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Around the area I go for various purchasing goals, there used to be... uh... The pig one, Famous Dave's I think? Anyway. They had that same disappearance as well. I had to go to the area two days in a row and at some point on the second day, they cleared the hell out of the building, identifying signs, their flamboyant delivery truck, it was all gone. The night before? Full lot.

Never ate there myself but the "now you see me, now you don't" change was rather jarring.

Another? Really? Do we have to?

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I don't really get how "You are not to use the MA for farming" is anything but clear.

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400+ runs of the STF, done ENTIRELY FOR REWARD, the cutscenes are boring and I go make a sandwich or drink while they are running, 180 seconds for the god damn lose = Farming, you cannot define it any other way = Not okay according to the rules. No punishment. Check.

Paper running specifically Freaks or other mob = Farming = Not okay, according to the rules. No punishment. Check.

Re-running/Using an arc in MA that someone might construe as "farming" because of how the map is laid out = Not okay. "BAN THE [censored] HEATHENS!" Uh...check.

:

The Comm Officers? Yeah, those were a bug. They were dealt with. Mole Machines? They were also a bug. They were dealt with.
Kill the "farming" rhetoric and everyone would be happy. MMOs subsist on "farming". They couldn't be successful without it and they wouldn't be able to exist without it.

Or just auto-lock any thread that mentions farming, meowing (ha ha, catgirl RPers), or any related subjects and things might work out for the better.

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I feel like I'm walking into a straightline...

What does it mean, to "Chicken yard"?

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[u]Tank:[u]
Taunt, step back 30 feet. Taunt, step back 30 feet. Taunt, step back 30 feet. Turn. Step back 30 feet, Taunt. Step back 30 feet, Taunt. Purple Triangles down and she's Held! Hit hit hit hit hit. Step back 30 feet, Taunt. Turn. ...

[u]Rest of Team:[u]
Ranged:
Blast blast blast blast blast blast. Crap, she's close/out of range, move back/close in enough safely. Blast blast blast blast blast. Out of range/too close again... ...
Melee:
Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Hooray, held! Wait, what do you mean too dangerous?! Groan. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Good god this is unnecessary, just get a stupid Bubbler and/or give the Tank stacked mez protection and let's get on with our lives! Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.

10 minutes later...

She's dead! If you're lucky and your team has sufficient ranged damage... Or else settle in nice and comfy, what would be a two minute fight with a minutiae of planning now takes 15+ minutes.

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I think the STF should be harder with the fight of the 4 avs, pretty simple if you know how to buff a tank with def and CMs/BFs/Claritys.

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I personally think the Patron Lackeys should come back for that fight. Would go a long way towards making our team far less annoyed when some goon demands we "pull" or even worse, "Chicken Yard" Ghost Widow. God damn I hate Chicken Yard...

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That's a technicality and still a dick move, ED did effectively nerf a lot of powers, even if it levelled the playing field. [u]From what I hear anyway[u], this was before my time.

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This is what makes me shake my head about Emmert Hate™ (and I still vote that invoking said Emmert Hate™ is equivalent to Godwinning an argument...which amusingly enough has been done in this very thread). People wanted a face to rage on and Emmert happened to be an immediate&available target.

That said, despite everything else, I trust him far more than Miller (take that for what you will but it should be noted that while I have not tried, I probably can't throw either of them very far). You can understand the logic to the majority of changes in Emmert's time. In Miller's? According to his marketing boo-boo (epic post), my hundreds of STF runs state I <censor>farmed</censor> the game and am thus primed for punishment. You normally can't pay for that kind of offensive-as-hell, finger-wagging, "You naughty children!"-style of admonishment (except in Japan).

I'm speaking from ignorance of the exact set in question but Fire Sword powers generally have no redraw of any kind.

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Maybe if there was an improved set there. I saw a lot of nerfs based on the ideas of someone who doesn't regularly play the set.

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One nerf only to granite.
Loads of buffs to everything else.

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And a lot of buffs based on the ideas of someone who still doesn't play the set.

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Your ideas tell me you don't play the set. I have all the armors. They're crap. And they're not just crap, they're hideous when paired up. Additionally, even if they were somehow buffed...then what would be the point of Granite? If I'm going to get such lackluster performance from a power like that, I again, will just return to Invuln or WP. If I'm forced to use them because of your misgivings about one power, then I'll simply shift to another primary that doesn't currently have a raging hate-on by you.
Since I know I will not agree to your ideas, I'm not going to bother responding after this, it'd just be wasted effort.

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Interesting. You would not play an improved stone set? Do you play one now?

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Maybe if there was an improved set there. I saw a lot of nerfs based on the ideas of someone who doesn't regularly play the set. And a lot of buffs based on the ideas of someone who still doesn't play the set.

::

That said, there are good ideas in the thread:
1) Rooted only being -95% jump. I don't see it as necessary but I guess some people just can't figure it out.

2) Scaling Granite, not to say I haven't always wanted it...

I. Want. My. Smaller. Footprint.

Huge Bodies on Tank-type characters = Suck. There's a specific reason my Tanks are diminutive characters.

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There is more balancing I would do to alleviate the excessive fragmentation the set suffers now, but that I would have to sit down to actually toss ideas out on.

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Lol. Yeah, that'd be a very effective way to make me actually go through and create one of my possible unkillable WP or Invuln builds, because I sure wouldn't play my Stone after something like this.

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I'd make Granite the only penalized power, no movement debuff in Rooted (sure it makes conceptual sense, but so did Unyielding.)

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Or, at the very least, allow people the ability to jump, just enough to get over curbs.

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Ahhh, this exaggeration. It will never die.

That said, I like the set as is and don't want it changed.

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That may be true for 90% of the content, but you cannot run a STF/LRSF w/ FF alone.

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WRONG. Have done it, multiple times. Our main Bubbler doesn't do any of that fruity 'aid other' crap, either.

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You cannot run a MA mission w/ lvl 54 enemies w/ FF alone.

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WRONG, again.

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But that perception is correct when it comes to spreading out mobs. If you have half a spawn where they were initially and the other half 15 feet back you have spread out spawn.

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That's not the misconception. The misconception is that the knockback is sourced from the grenade's target.

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- I am not a fan of M30. It spreads the mobs out too much. Though if you are far enough back then it doesn't matter with cones. Still, I skip it. The knockback is too much of a pain. At least with Buckshot, you have control because it is directional rather than radial.

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You need to pick your targets more carefully, then. Drop M30 on the closest mob in a group, and they all fly away from you if they get knocked back. It is more flexible that way, in that you can control which direction knockback happens by your choice of target in a spawn.

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This is one of those myths that refuses to die, isn't it? M30 Grenade's knockback is, for all intents and purposes, IDENTICAL to Buckshot. It doesn't have some voodoo extra coding that makes it abnormal from any of the other targeted AoE powers with knockback. Every bit of it is perception due to said knockback not being guaranteed.

On top of that, you know what you're likely doing with M30 Grenade combined with a set full of cones? You're moving around. And knockback has an amusing situation where it doesn't apply an effect based on where you were but where you are, meaning that yes, you can click M30 Grenade and jump into the middle of the mob before the KB applies and it will, yes, toss them away from you. I've got a short video prepared if people really want to keep denying this. I can't upload it now/next day but if it comes down to it, it'll be put up. Heck, if the short one isn't good enough, I'll just throw the full 10 minutes up to show it doesn't have the magic KB.

Try it with Nova, starting IN a spawn then jousting away--the knockback will be based on your location when the KB actually applies! Try it with M30! Make sure to try it standing still, too!

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I'd like it better if it were a Location AoE, so I could drop the grenade near targets, or use it for 'probing fire' by dropping one just past a corner; having it be a Location AoE would fit better with the way grenade launchers are actually used.

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Now, if this were how the power functioned, it COULD actually do what the myth portrays.