Mind_Over_Matter

It was my understanding that there would be no math.

*golf clap*

Give in to the Clash of Kings. Join me in embracing in the win. (I just finished the first book a week ago and have gotten halfway through Clash of Kings.)

In all my time of playing, i've believed this to be the default position for you guys. It is because of your willingness to address mistakes, try new things, and offer as much info as you can (as frequently as you do) that I continue to trust in what you ultimately decide. With how diverse we as a player-base can be, it seems like anything you might offer will be derided by some as too insignificant to participate and by others as too important to be missed.

I appreciate your willingness as a studio to continue to accept this risk and listen to our feedback, whether what we type is reasonable or less than so. I look forward to the Surge, whenever it occurs and whatever form it takes.

PS: Yogi: How could I have forgotten the most EXTREME! drink ever to come out of Norway? Thanks for the reminder.

As much as I wanted to refrain from comment, this quote above illustrates one of the more frustrating flaws about the previous "Master Of" requirements: a frequent reliance on specific team compositions. If folks want a specific badge denoting they earned it "the Hard Way" with Mind/ Doms or with Corruptor-heavy-teams+Stone Brutes, then someone would want the badge to be for doing it without such reliance.

I know that you said "most times you *needed* a mind dom" but in saying so, you also acknowledge a frequent reliance on a specific AT and powerset. That reliance more frequently manifested as a dependency on "several corruptors and a non-squishy brute" that allowed a couple so-called "pity" spots for other ATs. This presented an atmosphere of exclusivity that essentially gave players the option of either having a character that the MO-team considered "useful" or awaiting a spot on a run that had room for a "filler." This example in no way diminishes the potentially high skill level of all players involved. It does provide a common example of how even Master LRSF runs could be achieved with relatively little additional skill once enough optimal AT combinations were recruited. The "fillers" simply had to avoid doing stupid things for the duration of the run.

While there will always be some sets better suited for some challenges more-so than others, the fact that so many teams "earning" their old MoLRSF badges used such a strategy is a particularly damning argument against the final mission spawn design or a particularly powerful argument that the Devs *love* Mind/ Doms. Why pit your team against 8 Heroes all in the same place if the intended methodology to displaying "Mastery" is somehow separating them from one another immediately after they resolved to stand together against your dastardly band of brigands. "Your Team versus One Hero/AV at a time" is a standard affair in our game. The method by which a team manipulates aggro to avoid fighting the encounter as spawned or relies on one particular AT & powerset does not denote "Mastery" of much more than that particular aggro mechanic or that one particular AT & powerset.

Kay (along with others) have noted how Incarnate-wielding players achieving these older "Master Of" doesn't have to take away from what you and your teams did to achieve them. The pride you have in how *you* did it can remain with you. There may be others who disapprove of easily *you* may have obtained the badge. This emphasis on how superior one team's coordination and patience was or how long it took for them to get it comes off as hubris only when they demand that others experience it the same way. Badges are inherently a matter of pride, but some folks would rather take pride in being able to have their team of 8 pitted directly against the Freedom Phalanx all at the same time without any defeats. This doesn't make your accomplishment any less of an accomplishment. It just means they deserved the badge more than you, right?

Thankfully the Devs have (somewhat) reduced the AT dependency for Mastery of the new TFs and Trials. Sadly there are still folks out there clinging to "safety league" formations that promote some of the AT exclusivity that often creeps into our otherwise inclusive game. It happens. But many can now rejoice in the likelihood that their rarely seen AT combo can now contribute to the old Mo runs in ways they previously would have had a hard time being invited to attempt.

I have to check the in-game stats and test the numbers for Traps when I get home. I'm all for it if they have updated the Defender pseudo-pets to be superior to the Corruptor versions, but I know for a fact that many pseudo-pets were not adjusted when ported between ATs. I'll post the comparison numbers later, unless someone comes along beforehand.