Luminara

Thousands of players were getting by without Surveillance for four years, so it can't be considered a requirement. It is nice to have, though.

I did a little tweaking on your build (i have an Archery/Devices character with similar goals). It's still soft-capped for Ranged Defense, but the endurance usage is more manageable and you get Trip Mine and Surveillance. Give it a glance, you might find it suitable, or find some ideas for modifying your existing build yourself.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

ZZZ BLA Fire Dev Mun: Level 50 Technology Blaster
Primary Power Set: Fire Blast
Secondary Power Set: Devices
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Munitions Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Flares -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(7), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(17), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(17), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(40)
Level 1: Web Grenade -- Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx:50(A)
Level 2: Fire Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(15), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(15), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(34)
Level 4: Fire Ball -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:50(5), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(5), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(11), RechRdx-I:50(11), Acc-I:50(36)
Level 6: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 8: Fire Breath -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:50(9), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(9), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(13), RechRdx-I:50(13)
Level 10: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I:50(A), DefBuff-I:50(37), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx:50(37), Zephyr-ResKB:50(37)
Level 12: Aim -- AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg:50(A), AdjTgt-Rchg:50(25), RechRdx-I:50(31)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel:50(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx:30(23)
Level 16: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+:40(A)
Level 18: Blaze -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(19), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(19), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(21), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(21), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(34)
Level 20: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod:50(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc:50(23)
Level 22: Caltrops -- P'ngTtl-Acc/Slow:50(A), P'ngTtl-Dmg/Slow:50(42), P'ngTtl-Acc/EndRdx:50(42), P'ngTtl-Rng/Slow:50(42), P'ngTtl-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow:50(43), P'ngTtl--Rchg%:50(43)
Level 24: Targeting Drone -- GSFC-ToHit:50(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg:50(25), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx:50(43), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx:50(46), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx:50(50), GSFC-Build%:50(50)
Level 26: Blazing Bolt -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(27), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(27), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(29), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(29), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(40)
Level 28: Cloaking Device -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx:30(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg:30(45), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg:30(45), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:30(45), RedFtn-Def:30(46), RedFtn-EndRdx:30(46)
Level 30: Trip Mine -- Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:30(A), Erad-Dmg/Rchg:30(31), Erad-Dmg:30(31), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg:49(36), KinCrsh-Rechg/EndRdx:49(36)
Level 32: Rain of Fire -- AirB'st-Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Det'tn-Dmg/Rchg:50(33), Det'tn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(33), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(33), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(34)
Level 35: Teleport Foe -- Zephyr-Travel:38(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx:38(40)
Level 38: Maneuvers -- S'dpty-Def/EndRdx:40(A), GftotA-Def/EndRdx:40(39), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx:50(39), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(39)
Level 41: Body Armor -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(A)
Level 44: Surveillance -- AnWeak-Acc/Rchg:49(A)
Level 47: LRM Rocket -- Det'tn-Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(48), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(48), HO:Nucle(48), RechRdx-I:50(50)
Level 49: Swift -- Run-I:50(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth:50(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 1: Defiance

Here's mine.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Defender
Primary Power Set: Trick Arrow
Secondary Power Set: Dark Blast
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Dark Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Flash Arrow -- Cloud-ToHitDeb:30(A), Cloud-Acc/ToHitDeb:30(3), Cloud-Acc/Rchg:30(3), Cloud-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg:30(5), Cloud-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:30(5)
Level 1: Dark Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:30(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:31(7), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:32(7), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:31(9), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:31(9)
Level 2: Gloom -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:32(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:31(11), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:31(11), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:32(13), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:30(13)
Level 4: Glue Arrow -- TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow:49(A)
Level 6: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A), Jump-I:50(15), Jump-I:50(15), Jump-I:50(50)
Level 8: Poison Gas Arrow -- FtnHyp-Acc/Rchg:50(A), FtnHyp-Acc/Sleep/Rchg:50(17), FtnHyp-Sleep/Rchg:50(17), FtnHyp-Sleep/EndRdx:50(19), FtnHyp-Plct%:50(19)
Level 10: Combat Jumping -- Ksmt-ToHit+:21(A), Krma-ResKB:10(21), LkGmblr-Rchg+:25(21)
Level 12: Acid Arrow -- Achilles-ResDeb%:18(A)
Level 14: Swift -- Run-I:45(A)
Level 16: Tenebrous Tentacles -- DampS-Rchg/EndRdx:50(A), Range-I:50(23), Range-I:50(23), TotHntr-Dam%:34(25), Posi-Dam%:34(25), Cloud-%Dam:16(27)
Level 18: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(27), RechRdx-I:50(29), RechRdx-I:50(29)
Level 20: Night Fall -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:49(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:49(31), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:49(31), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:49(31), Posi-Dam%:41(33), Cloud-%Dam:16(33)
Level 22: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod:29(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc:29(33)
Level 24: Disruption Arrow -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 26: Oil Slick Arrow -- Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(34), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg:50(34), Ragnrk-Dmg:50(34), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx:50(36)
Level 28: Ice Arrow -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold:15(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg:11(36), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold:27(36), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold:30(37)
Level 30: Dark Pit -- Amaze-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Amaze-Acc/Stun/Rchg:50(37), Amaze-Stun/Rchg:50(37), Amaze-Stun:50(39), Amaze-EndRdx/Stun:50(39)
Level 32: EMP Arrow -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold:24(A), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold:24(39), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold:27(40), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold:27(40)
Level 35: Life Drain -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:38(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx:38(40), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg:38(42), Dct'dW-Heal:36(42), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg:38(42)
Level 38: Maneuvers -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx:41(A), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:41(43), RedFtn-Def:39(43), RedFtn-EndRdx:41(43), RedFtn-Def/Rchg:41(45), LkGmblr-Rchg+:25(45)
Level 41: Oppressive Gloom -- Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx:44(A), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg:45(45), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun:42(46), Stpfy-Stun/Rng:44(46), Stpfy-Acc/Rchg:44(46)
Level 44: Dark Consumption -- P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg:39(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc:42(48)
Level 47: Soul Drain -- AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg:49(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg:49(48), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg:49(48), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx:49(50), AdjTgt-Rchg:49(50)
Level 49: Dark Embrace -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:15(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- ULeap-Stlth:43(A)
Level 2: Rest -- EndMod-I:50(A)
Level 1: Vigilance

It would if the revamp included adding special powers which made "denial" useful. Just inventing something out of the blue, imagine if all Outcast were given a new power which allowed them to "blink" (location-specific teleport, like the D&D spell) directly behind a player character and explode (like Self Destruction). Now fighting Outcast becomes much, much more difficult, unless you have that "denial" power or powerset available.

That's what I meant. Adding a powerset with powers specifically dedicated to shutting down enemy abilities, like this "denial" powerset would, would also require adding abilities which would make that powerset and prevent it from being used as a balance-shattering IWIN button. If the player has to use his/her "denial" abilities to prevent enemies from using those specific new powers, then he/she can't use those abilities to trivialize the enemies, and balance is maintained. Without that counter-balance of adding new powers to enemies, it's just a tankmage waiting to happen.

I'm always around, Lois.

*ducks the flaming tomatoes*

Not just TA. Any defender can be built to do a variety of things. No defender can do everything better than anyone else, but a well played and built defender can do many, many different things and do them well. I almost certainly would play one of my TA/* characters, though. Not to try to convince you to give TA a shot (no pun intended), but simply because that's the primary I play best and can most effectively use to show you how a defender can solo well and how versatile defenders really are.

You show all of the right qualities to be a good defender player, not the least of which are curiosity and willingness to broaden your perception of what a defender is or should be, and a skilled defender can give you a lot of insight and direction in choosing the defender which will be best for you. If not me, I'm certain there are other defender players who are up and logged in during the wee hours, and it won't hurt to ask if you catch someone online.

"Did it hurt?"
"Hold on, I've got the fire extinguisher!"
"You had it, and it got away?"
"Thought, or bowel movement? Is there any difference, in your case?"
"I had a thought once. I named it George."

Not directed at anyone in this thread, just throwing them out there.

OH HAI!

TA/Archery, TA/Dark, TA/Sonic... haven't done TA/Elec yet, but I'll get around to it.

Redraw isn't a problem for TA/*, in my experience. It's not like Glue, Acid, Disruption, PGA or other key TA powers recharge instantly, after all, so you're only using them once or twice per fight (at the beginning and once again later if the fight goes on for a while). My main wouldn't be TA/Dark if redraw were troublesome.

I will throw my vote in for TA/Energy. TA/Elec at least has some synergy (stacked single-target Holds, endurance draining). TA/Energy would be more difficult to work with, what with the KB knocking enemies out of OSA and/or Disruption.

OH HAI AGIN!

Level 14 or 15, I forget. SS/Energy named Red Harvest, on Pinnacle. I should see if I can level her up some more... soon.

*waves hand over face like Clint Howard in DS9*

Whoosh! I'm invisible!

I've got one. It's fun. Pew pew!

Well, no, that MoG is, in fact, a challenge. Specifically, it forces players to adapt their play style, strategy and tactics to respond more appropriately to the task at hand. You don't have to wait for the PP to use MoG, but if you do, you pay the price by having to fight for a longer period. You can mez the PP before it enters MoG. You can use your weaker attacks to whittle down the PP's HP, then use your strongest attack to defeat it before it can use MoG (it's not random, they only activate MoG when they reach or pass a certain health level). You can "game" the AI by allowing it to use MoG and run away (they usually do), then finish it off when it returns (MoG typically expires shortly before or after the PP returns), using the time to defeat other spawns while waiting for the PP to remember where you are.

If you choose to stand there and whiff at it, then yes, it becomes a tedious time sink. But that's a choice, not a requirement.

Then why are you playing a game which is generally comprised of "hit critter X times, switch target, repeat"? That really is the extreme majority of this game.

I'll also note that your proposed "denial" powerset would break the game by giving players access to "IWIN" situations regularly.

Example: Enemy with only two attacks, one ranged and one melee. Player uses "denial" to prevent the enemy from using the ranged attack, then proceeds to Hover out of melee range.

That's broken. The developers have specifically targeted that kind of tactic and removed it more than once, and they aren't going to add it back in the form of a new powerset. So the only way your "denial" powerset would ever see the light of day would be if the developers also went through and completely revamped every enemy to give them extra powers.

Now that leads to two more problems. With all enemies having more powers, that would also mean all existing player characters would need to be reexamined and buffed to account for the new powers the enemies have; and it would also mean "denial" would become necessary for many situations, forcing players to either abandon their existing characters and play "denial" characters, or be unable to play without finding a "denial" player to accompany them.

So now you've got forced teaming, entire ATs being relegated to uselessness or lacking the capacity to solo, and the whole game has been rebalanced around this one special little powerset which was added so a few players wouldn't get frustrated by the tiny handful of challenging situations in the game. This isn't a can of worms, it's a fifty five gallon drum of worms. The balance issues I pointed out are just the tip of a Titanic-sinking iceberg.

In short, "denial" is unnecessary, already available in other ways and would be so grossly out of balance in the way you describe that it would destroy the entire game for everyone who currently plays. That includes you. So it won't happen. Use the mission drop feature, avoid the content you dislike, find help to deal with it more easily/quickly (Shivans, if nothing else) or ask a developer or skilled player to recommend ways of dealing with those enemies so you don't have to suffer through frustration.

Ditto. I don't stay subscribed to this game for the updates or expansions, I stick around because I love the game, the friends I've made here and my characters. I'll be playing this game, or at least paying for it and hanging out on the forums, for a long, long time. I am, however, quite keen on SW:tOR and have every intention of immersing myself in that at least as thoroughly as I have in Co*. I might end up playing that more, I might end up hating it and playing it less, but I'll always be here.

Take Blazing Arrow. Find a way to fit it in. You will regret not having it.

With that much Ranged Defense, you could easily drop the Medicine pool and rely on +Regen and one or two Heal procs to keep you in the green.

+66% is plenty. I've done duo AV fights with ~50% +Recovery on my Archery/Energy (hover blaster), one which lasted nearly ten minutes, and never bottomed out the blue bar.

It's fine.

Corruptor. Controllers have no Dark powersets.

Try TA/*, Storm/* or Rad/*. Excellent primaries for the solo player.

Defenders = defenders. Some heal, some don't, but defining the entire AT on the basis of a few powers is incorrect. Defenders buff, debuff, control and blast. Forget what you think you know and learn the truth about defenders, then decide what you want to play.

If you're on Liberty or Pinnacle between midnight and 6-7 a.m. EST, feel free to /tell me, or PM me on the forums to nag me to log in. I'll be happy to show you what a defender can do. I can't show you what a "healer" can do, though, because I don't play any "healers".

Okay, I understand now. I apologize for arguing with you, statements retracted.

So you're saying that the developers copied controller TA, then went through every power and manually increased endurance costs by 25%, for some inexplicable reason (inexplicable because the 25% higher end cost on powers is a MM specific thing), but for an equally inexplicable reason, forgot to adjust PGA while they were jacking the endurance costs up to MM values?

I'll split the difference with you and say that there's some kind of crossover problem in the DB, causing corruptors to reference more than one version of TA, but I'm not buying the theory that the developers screwed up this horridly.

They did copy MM /TA to corruptors, and it didn't automagically make it work perfectly, which implies that it wasn't simply a case of the wrong positional modifier being applied.

The maximum total +Recharge possible is 400% (which the poster who you attempted to correct did note in his post). #/5 is the proper equation for recharge, not #/6.

I enjoy solving puzzles. I like being left with a few pieces missing, which forces me to seek out answers or draw a conclusion for myself.

I despise confusion for the sake of obfuscation or denial of conclusion. Massive leaps of logic, or simply throwing things out from left field with no explanation of how or why, that's bad writing. Whether it's because the writer simply couldn't reconcile plot points, or thought it made sense before he/she proofed it and removed a key clue or explanation, or is just an awful writer, I don't care what the reason may be, it's not a good way to tell a story. Keep your reader/viewer guessing, twist the plot until it makes no sense but tie the plot twists together logically, leave clues to be found and contemplated. Put it all together at some point so the reader/viewer doesn't walk away scratching his/her head and wondering what crack-induced psychotic episode spawned it.

Deep, convoluted story: good.

Confused mishmash with no logical progression from twist to twist: bad.

I PMed Castle.

That image needs to be revised. At the very least, the demarcation between "pre" and "post" should be at Sep. 05 (one month after the release of I5, which implemented the GDN), and potentially even further, to June 05, one month after I4's release (which implemented various nerfs such as the 50% -ToHit added to SS and SJ (precursors to travel suppression, which was fully realized in a patch between I4 and I5) and the mechanic which stopped dead characters or characters beyond 300' outdoors from receiving rewards).

With the demarcation line in the correct place, the trend you point out is much more visible and correctly emphasized. Increases in subscriptions following the strongest balance changes (nerfs), then a very steady and gradual decline, but as of the last entry in the chart (Dec. 07), still higher than the point before the "campaign" began, indicating an overall satisfaction with the "post-campaign" game as evidenced by the relative stability of subscription numbers in comparison to the "pre-campaign" data.

Market share by itself is not an accurate tool to measure the satisfaction of players, or subscription retention, and your link restricts data to only which MMOs exist and how many subscriptions they have relative to each other. Without also including total active subscriptions and/or concurrent logins, the data is irrelevant. The cute little pie charts only show that some MMOs have grown, some have died, some have remained relatively stable and the market as a whole has expanded, but they give no information about how many players each actually has, whether or not the total number of players is growing in conjunction with the growth of the MMO market or how each MMO's subscription rates have changed over the years.

Find a better metric to support your assertions.

Knockup/back/down.

Though, with the bug that allows Behemoth Overlords to use Healing Flames while knocked down... I don't know if it affects Freaks or not. I'll have to try to find a way to test it.

I did forget about Fire. Although, I could modify what I said by adding that there are pool powers with status effects (KU, KB/D, Stun), but I won't. That's a kettle of worms which I neither want to bob for apples in nor, in good conscience, would agree with.

No, you were right, I failed to take a few builds into account. Though I will say that those few builds which do lack any status effects also have sufficient other resources (meaning, pure damage output and/or high personal defense) to make the question of whether they could would have to be concerned about Freaks using DP a moot point. Make Dead/Make Dead builds don't tend to be terribly bothered if the occasional critter takes an extra 1-2s to make dead.

None of the mastermind buff/debuff modifiers go below 60% defender value. As you note, powers which seem to can be tailored pets, but they can also be a result of different scales on the powers themselves. Poison Gas Arrow, for example, not only uses distinct modifiers for defenders (0.125), controllers (0.1) and masterminds (0.075), but also has a higher scale value for defenders (2.5, versus 2.0 for controllers and masterminds).

Also, all debuffs have separate modifiers. There is no "Everything Except Slows" modifiers, each type of debuff references a different modifier in the database (or a negative value of a buff modifier).

Mastermind Disruption Arrow is equal to controller value. Defenders get the "full strength" pet. Similarly, blasters get the "full strength" version of RoA, whereas defenders and corruptors get the purposely scaled down version of the pet (which isn't terribly relevant, but i felt like mentioning it anyway).

Acid's -Res is identical for controllers and masterminds, 75% defender value (scale 2 for all three ATs, 0.1 mod for defenders, 0.75 mod for controllers and masterminds). Acid does receive a scale bump for defenders in PvP, though (scale 3, increasing its effect to 30%).

If anyone hasn't guessed by this point, masterminds access the same /TA database entries that controllers do. That's why the pet powers are identical to controller /TA pets, and why they don't gain the defender Acid PvP 3.0 -Res scale or PGA 2.5 -Dam scale. Corruptors likely access the controller /TA entries as well (but again, i haven't checked, so i'm not certain).

Endurance Drain, +Defense and -Res (negative value of +Res) for masterminds also use higher than 60% defender modifiers (80%, 75% and 75%, respectively). Note, however, this is presuming that all powers access the Ranged table. To the best of my knowledge, all TA powers do use Ranged modifiers (or, in the case of pets, have been specifically tailored to give the same result as using the Ranged modifiers), but if any were to use Melee mods, they would be much closer to defender values, with none being less than 80% defender values (ex: APP and PPP "armor" powers use the Melee Res modifier, which is identical for defenders and masterminds (and controllers and tanks)).

I don't give them a chance to use it once. I either mez them (every build in this game has the option to acquire at least one status effect, either from the primary or the secondary) or I just save my "heavy hitter" to use after I've taken them down to a point where it will defeat them without giving them a chance to DP.

That's actually what I like about the Freakshow. They're unpredictable, so they surprise you if you're not paying attention. They actually make the player adapt or suffer the consequences. Not much in this game does that. And if you do adapt, you get that 4s "free" time to attack them without retaliation, which actually makes them less of a risk after they rez because even if you do have to fight them again, they have less time to fight back, if they can fight back at all (mez them or defeat them in that 4s, for example).

50% endurance.

They're also locked in the rez animation for 4s, and not untouchable during that period. Hint hint, nudge nudge, et cetera.

Let's be completely honest here: everything the developers do is a gamble. Everything. They couldn't change the color of one blade of grass on an island that no-one ever visited without someone getting bent out of shape over it, and as much as that might sound like hyperbole, it's not.

There is no way to please everyone. No matter how hard the developers try. Even when they please most of the players, someone gets his/her knickers in a knot. So they do what they can to make the most players happy, find compromises if and when necessary and keep working to make the best game that they can. Sometimes they hit a home run, sometimes they bunt, sometimes they foul out, but the thing is, they love this game as much as we do, and they aren't going to let it die, or deliberately kill it off in the name of balance or "vision". It's not just a paycheck for them, it's something they genuinely enjoy working on and being involved with, and a big part of that enjoyment comes from experiencing our enjoyment.

They aren't going to make any changes which will kill the game. If they do drop the ball at some point, they'll pick it back up, fix it and keep trying to make the game better and the most players happy.

I recall the threads in which many PvPers declared that they were going to cancel their accounts if the I13 changes went live, and that many of them proclaimed that this would be the death of Co* because they had multiple accounts and believed that they comprised a significant percentage of the player base.

I also recall the NCSoft numbers which were released a few months ago showing that this "mass exodus" had no measurable impact. If there was any, it was so slight as to be completely negligible.

Are some players going to quit because of the changes being made in I16? Certainly. But we're also going to gain players, some naturally (found out about the game and decided to try it), some specifically because of the I16 changes (account reactivations, word of mouth, good press, etc.).

The problem is, no-one except the developers can say for certain where the game is going. Given that, quitting due to uncertainty may not be the optimal reaction. Let me make an example of myself, if I may.

Over the past year, I've noticed that a lot of changes appeared to have been intended to make soloing easier and teaming less of a necessity, and I originally concluded that the developers were simply trying to make the entire game solo-friendly and leaving teaming as a socialization option. But then, one or two little things stood out in my mind, and some of the new content got my attention, and I asked a question or two, and I realized that my initial impression had been wrong. The developers haven't been trying to make the entire game solo-friendly, they've been trying to... to shift the way the game challenges us.

This game has been pretty much the same from release until Cryptic sold it to NCSoft. We soloed missions, teamed up for S/TFs and trials, ganged up to beat up GMs and do the raids, and that was pretty much it. "Challenge" was determined primarily by enemy level and number. But after the remaining developers took the reins in hand, they started changing that. Instead of simply ramping up enemy level or throwing hordes of foes at us, they started making trickier enemies and changing the way the game works.

Ouroboros and its multitude of challenge settings, which were then added to S/TFs and trials. Cimerora, with its completely new enemies which require completely new approaches and tactics. The Reichsman S/TF, a "gadget fight", something never done before in this game and which requires players to once again realign their perception of what "challenge" means in this game.

Once I noticed all of these little puzzle pieces and started putting them together, I realized that the goal wasn't to "dumb down" the game to such a degree that my cat could play for me... it was to make the general game easy enough for casual players while still delivering respectable challenges for teams, SGs and "hardcore" players. Previously, the entire game was, essentially, the same "challenge level" for everyone and everything. Now, there's the easy part, leveling up, and the hard part, the special stuff that they've made and are still making (i wouldn't be at all surprised if some really unique and challenging content comes out with Going Rogue).

I thought I knew where the game was going, but I didn't. I may even be wrong about where it's going with this theory of mine, because I haven't actually asked Castle about any of this. But the point is, we never really know what's on the developers' minds or what their intentions are, unless we do ask or we can see a clear example.

Now, back to your concern, the developers have stated that they do not support farming or power leveling. But they also appear to have accepted that these are facts of life, as evidenced by the rather dramatic change to the way difficulty will be handled in I16 (the team size and difficulty settings, which will replace the old "difficulty slider"). They aren't trying to wipe out farming and power leveling once and for all, what they are doing is trying to control it in some way so it doesn't reach the drastic levels it hit when the AE was added and subsequently exploited and abused. They're trying to alleviate the burden of having to constantly monitor the game for exploitative behavior and abuse of the systems and mechanics, and at the same time even out the leveling speed so they can better monitor the ATs and various objectives (missions, trials, etc.) so they can more quickly and easily locate problem areas and fix them.

They're trying to make the game better, smoother and more equal for everyone. And I do think that's the right direction, and that they're taking the right approach.

This is partially true, but it's also not. The changes will make leveling easier for everyone. Everyone, not just farmers or power levelers or players with the "right" ATs. Farmers, power levelers and certain builds will be able to utilize the changes to level faster, certainly, but it won't be as enormous a difference as one player going from 1-50 in four days while another player takes three to six months, which is what started happening when the AE was added. There will still be a spread there, but it will be more compressed, more reasonable, more equal. The difference between the farmers/PLers/"special" ATs and everyone else won't be as big as it is now. And if/when outlier cases are spotted, it will be easier to figure out why they're outliers and how to fairly deal with them, rather than nerfing entire ATs, waving the banstick around or yanking content out of the game.

I tend to spend most of my play time on low pop servers, and in the middle of the night, so I understand the frustration with teaming being the way it is now. But I think we should wait and see what how I16 pans out before deciding whether or not it's driving a nail into Co*'s coffin. After all, if there are that many players camping the AE buildings for those boss farms, it's likely that at least some of them are going to step outside, blink a few times at the shiny orb in the sky and realize that there's an entire game world out there to be experienced, and want to do it on teams.

I have come to trust the developers over the years. They don't always make the right decisions, but they care so much, they try so hard and they're so approachable and willing to bend over backwards to make us happy, they've earned my respect and faith. Don't mistake that for blind fanpersonism, I don't hesitate to call them out when I know they're doing something wrong, or complain about things that I don't like, but I do it with the knowledge that they are listening, are concerned and are trying to make the best game possible for as many people as they can.

I believe in them. I've talked about things like this with Castle, and you have no idea how much joy he gets out of doing his job and making a lot of people happy. Our satisfaction really is what gets him out of bed, to his desk and through the bad days. We, the players, are everything to him. The entire team cares just as much. Whatever happens, they're going to do their best to keep this game going for a long, long time and make it better every day.