Memphis_Bill

1. Get to 50.
2. Be a VIP.

OK, those should be "obvious," but I'm stating that anyway. (And yes, redundant with you saying you have a 50 tank.)

There are two ways for someone with no prior 50 to do this:
1. Run Mender Ramiel's arc.

He's in Ouroboros. He has you running around on an arc which, at the end, will have Alpha unlocked and your first Incarnate Shard. (Shards are used to create components - but only those for the Alpha slot.)

Or:
2. Run Incarnate content.

Trials or Dark Astoria, doesn't matter - they'll award Incarnate XP (shortened to iXP typically) which will go first to Alpha, then to either "branch" of the Incarnate power tree. You'll see it split between Psychic and Physical.


Once it's unlocked (don't know about before, to be honest, I *think* you have to have alpha unlocked at least) you can get threads and merits from things like the SSAs (reward table at the end) and the Dark Astoria arcs. Spend them and some INF and you can push the progress on the slot unlocks - not the fastest, usually, but it works.


Personally, I use Mender Ramiel's arc. It's fast and soloable - if you're having trouble, turn down the difficulty. If you have Vanguard merits, grab a Nectambo's Curse breaker in the Vanguard zone before the mission from Lady Grey, you may need it. Every 50 I've had, even the squishies on SOs, has been able to solo this arc. And I tend to see burning iXP in trials for alpha to be... kind of a waste of it. *shrug*

Then do a mix of trials and solo content (as you want) to get the iXP and components for everything else.

After you have one unlocked, you can earn - don't recall if it was Astrals or Empyrian merits that are used for this - and "buy" an unlock for another 50 on the same account.

Ahh, but madame mathematics, how do the costume pieces fit into that?

I have no idea why, reading just the title, I get an image of Enzyte Bob pushing these.

I am playing one. Actually, playing several.

Just recently (as in, in the last month or so) hit 50 - emp/psi. Also soloed DA with that one. Tub ci was an... interesting, inspiration-laden fight without a level shift.

Two I'm focusing on:
Dark/Electric/Power at 43 or so right now. Older one I've just picked back up on.
Storm/Rad (which is an odd combination) at 25. Another fairly old one, but I've been serverhopping more and it caught my eye. Probably be slower, since I've already gotten storm and rad to 50 - just not together.

Slightly old thread, indeed....

Though I did get some comments from a (smaller) team in a mission a while back when I'd immobilized an enemy, then just casually [walk]ed up and finished them off. They loved it.

*points down to link to guides*

Have one in there about the original COH video, as well. Some discussion on the groups and such in there, if interested.

As I recall from that - after all, that's more *pre* beta, if I'm remembering the discussion correctly - you can't really point at a power pool and say "That's X now." The pools were described as smaller - more like our power pools now.

I have the CM 690 case. It doesn't show it on the pictures, but there's a little loop for a lock when the side of the case is secured, yes. You can just kinda-sorta see it in the lower left here: (follow the top of the powr supply to the left.)

Switch *TO* triform builds?

You mean you're not already running them?

Hmmm. Admitting I've skimmed a bit:

1. Make it easy to find.

It *is* easy to find - there are four zones and an arena. However, the arena UI, at least last I saw of it, was... fairly nonintuitive and a bit of a bear to get around. So that needs to be tweaked, first and foremost.

I wouldn't argue with using the Team Up Teleporter... somehow. Say, options of "Watch for arena events and notify," "Watch for PVP zone events" (but not just "someone has entered" - maybe have an imbalance trigger the user can set, or a temporary "PVP zone alert" power that comes up.)

For 2 - and tied in with 3 - er... I just don't see that working.

In the first place, they can (and do) have separate PVE and PVP effects on powers. So there's no "annoyance" there.

Second... I mean, looking at #3... there are exactly zero missions that send players to the PVP zones. WAY back when they were introduced, you had to go into the zone for the PVP warzone liason. Those were finally moved *out* of the zone so if you didn't want to, you didn't have to enter them, period.

As far as badgers in the zones - the only thing I agree shouldn't be required are things tied to accolades (barring having PVP-active-only accolades, which don't exist now.) Other than that, the only thing "forcing" badgers into the zones are... the badgers. Even then, the zones are so *dead* that there's pretty much zero risk, and zero reason for them to complain.


Now for the biggie... the wholesale power replacement.

I get the idea behind it. (Actually suggested something similar in a dedicated zone for it years ago.) But here's the thing - these are *our characters.* A Defender isn't a 'healer,' for instance (just to take a possible replacement) and forcing my Trick Arrow defender to suddenly have Empathy powers and some generic buff and debuff means I'm *not going into that zone.* Forcing my fairly controller-y Dark Armor tank to suddenly just "be tough and hard to hit" guts the purpose I built that tank for (in PVE, admittedly) - so I'm no longer playing *that* character.

Part of the fun OF PVP pre-I13 (and, IMHO, pre-IOs) was that you couldn't just see "Oh, an <insert AT here>" and instantly know their capabilities. (in fact, if you'll notice IN PVP zones, the powers tab if you pull up info is missing.) You'd watch what they were doing and try to pick it up from there. (Part of the reason the "Suppress power effects" tailor option has no effect in PVP zone.) Plus there's the finding unusual combinations - yes, some people just build FOTMs, but if that's all they fight, something off the wall can really throw them.

As far as balance? The stance on it for a long time was quite simply "It isn't. It's balanced around being part of a team," and I find that 100% acceptable, since we don't have "Tank, Healer, DPS" - we've got a ton of different power combinations which, in a PVP zone, make every encounter unique.

Frankly, I think the worst thing (and that which will be the biggest problem for reclaiming PVP) is the introduction of IOs. On SOs - or even commons? There's a low entry point. You may have DOs slotted, you may not have as MUCH slotted as that level 50 - but it's a matter of leveling and getting to know your character. Now? Soft-cap this, proc that, recharge out the wazoo... there's a decided *price* to enter serious PVP, and a decided gap between the "casual" and "hardcore." (I say that as someone who still goes in on common IOs and fights if there's someone around - but the people I tend to fight seem to end up being either new or also highly casual, so this is more of an arena or high end issue. Not that I've found anyone in the zones in *months,* mind you.)

Of course the other issue is just that, IOs and everything else aside, there's a big barrier just from powers working differently in PVP than they do in PVE *anyway.* And that can be discouraging for someone to walk into.

Absolutely not.

Wentworths and the BM are not "social spaces." If I'm in atlas and I want social, I go to the statue of Atlas and/or Ms. Liberty. In Wentworths? The only talking I ever see done is "buymyinforgoldorwhatever.com we steal your credit card number more efficiently than anyone else!" /ignorespammer. I'm not there to interact with people, and if the auction house looks crowded, I either /ah or go to, say, King's Row where it *won't* be so crowded.

Plus, as mentioned, those that can use /ah *have* paid for it - literally, through the Paragon rewards program.

Simply put, charging me to use /ah is as much a nonstarter as charging me a fee to use a power on my mastermind, controllers, Khelds or SOAs.

Started on Pinnacle, never regretted it. Lived on Victory, too, also good folks there.