MisterD

I agree Mike. As I said..I am 'trying' to avoid it being a 'new shiny, we all want it' type thing. But..it IS a new shiny. And seemingly an important of if some/more/all of the idea of Bioarmour..is based around absorb (likewise with Nature, to a degree).

In other words..for a support/melee set we have..Resist..Defence..Heal and Regen. These things are the framework. Absorb adds a 5th layer. Obviously not every set has or needs, or even should have all 4. So again, no reason ALL sets should get the 5th.

But like Mike just says..Regen with Absorb? makes sense as a theme, and would help. Regen has no def, very minimal res, so why not give it the 5th layer?

I know, I know..regen has Mog. But you have to think at a base performance for sets. Take fire armour..sure, soft cap it, Io it, pair it with ss and soul, and its wtfawesome. Take it, on its OWN, no IOs, no fighting (I think fighting should HELP a set out, not be an almost compulsory pick) and it is pretty squishy. Consume having some absorb..to a set with no def or regen? Why not? Extra layer.

Again though..I have NO practical experience with absorb from Test. So if people can chime in and say things like 'Oh no, some absorb here would be simply to good and require the set to be nerfed in other ways' that is very helpful. Like I said..it is an idea, more from a theme point than to make us all super dooper.

Oh that iss a good one. I didnt think of Ice. But yeah, totally would fit, be like a self frostworks, but with Absorb.

Not quite a fully formed topic in my head..but just some ideas..

In i24, Blaster secs are getting absorb powers (leaving aside I still dont think they should) which sounds interesting, especially if its alters/changes existing powers. Now I am NOT saying Melee ATs need/want/deserve a 'buff'..but...

Should this mechanic be added, down the track, to other melee armour sets? Oh, and likewise, to some support sets?

Looking at BioArmour as a rough example, the set has 2 (I think, Im just going from mids, forgive me if I get anything wrong) absorb powers, the medium rech heal/regen/ab, and the long rech tier 9. Seems to be the general consenus is that the set does pretty good. I get that it is basically a trial run for the Absorb mechanic, so in a similar way to sual blades combo system, compared to StJ combos, I would assume they would get the mechanic 'not quite' right, and improve it in later instances.

So..I was thinking..would bio do ok with no absorb? Speaking as someone who has NOT played the set (always a great situation to speak on a topic..lol) I think it would. The tier 9 as a SoW clone, the Absorb medium power just being a heal/regen..and the set it still decent. Given that...and how blaster sets are getting it..again..do other sets deserve it?

I am not going to go into huge detailed reasons why the melee sets do or do not need it. Technically, nothing 'needs' it. To go on a tangent..the specs for Rad Armour that were listed, seem to me almost a copy of Elec, just with absorb thrown in. So..why not for current sets?

Theme-wise too (I dont just want it too seem like I am saying..omg new mechanic? give me more powwwer) I think a few sets could use it. When Burn of FA got buffed awhile back, I had a huge argument with people on Freedom, because I dared to suggest the set needed a lil more than just that. Take Consume for example..wouldnt that just be a perfect power to add some absorb? As you burn away your enemies matter, and add it too your own?
Other examples..what about Regen, and Reconstruction? You are healing your body, and actually strengthening it briefly, thickening skin, muscles etc, giving a bit of Absorb.
Elec Armour could also get it from power sink (much inferior to energy auras sink now it gives +def) as you convert energy into absorb.

Obviously the above sets are all resistance (I think res sets lag behind a bit in performance..another topic though) but you could easily make a case for some def sets getting it. What about Stone Armour and granite giving absorb, instead of just being, as it is now, a 'slap huge def and res into an otherwise average set, and call it good.'

Also, quite a few Support sets could use it. I Know Healing Ios are now heal/absorb, but I am assume it does NOT just magically add absorb to stuff? Anyway..things like ForceField, could totally use it, partly helping with teh issue of FF being def..and def..and..more def. Even sonic, which has the same issue, but with res (which isnt as good).

Other sets too..Therm and Cauterise..wounds sealing up, scar tissue adding absorb? How about..Emp and Absorb Pain (which a lot of people hate..silly emps). You take thier 'pain' and it damages you, but also renders you resistant to pain for awhile, providing absorb. So you still cant heal yourself, but you take less damage, IF you do get hit. Cant believe I am going to suggest improving Kinetics..but...one of the siphon powers (maybe siphon power, since its rendered basically useless by FS) getting a small Absorb as you drain power. Pain Dom could totally benefit from it as it seems to be one of teh least used (and wanted/needed?) sets..with very little mitigation too. Also small (crappy) ST heals like O2 boost and Alkaloid could use it.

As I said..just ideas I had. And I am really not just trying to get everything buffed. I am a big supporter of making the older sets shiny again as well as keeping up with new mechanics.

Take Veng, slot it for recharge.

I agree Hybrid is easily the least popular, due as much to how we have to unlock it, as how it works. I am still not sure how they could have balanced the power more than they did, with the constant vs click thing.

really, anything more added to Hybrid might help..but..this, in which people need to hit 50, get 4 slots, THEN run mag trials for Hybrid...just to be able to use it at 40 (or whatever)..does not seem that great.

I have seen a couple of people whose Bios SAY they have every t4. This being on Freedumb and (Lack of)Virtue.

I saw this of MM in oro whose bio bragged about his big collection..a bots bubbles mm..with resislent? Yeah..totally see why thats gonna be a t4 alpha for that combo..

Oh and I could mention a certain Emp fender, also on Free, who ALWAYS spams lf trial binds, tooting a collection of EVERY single T4..and then proceeds to spend every trial just spamming healing aura...I guess she COULD be spamming because he is rereading the power info of all those T4s..

Maybe the OP can test it for us..by getting EVERY flashback badge, then doing them all again..and commenting on his/her mental state..(due to doing it all twice, obviously!)

I know you are just trying to help..but..those Flashback badges are ALREADY so much work. Especially the ones with silly stuff like no travels, no pool powers, buffed enemies. It is annoying enough to get them once, one your badger toon, let alone making you do them again, on the other side.

Oh no..a set with Whirlwind?? You HAD too!

Seriously though..I do like the idea. As opposed to just being a MA (or whatever) scrapper who 'can' run at super speed. Why cant he only run at super speed, why can he throw punches too? Hence..Speeeed Combat! Zooooom.

And no..Speed COmbat would not be a fight where you throw little colored heart shaped pills at people..

I really like the Friction power idea..really neat. The whirlwind one..while I can see it as a 'basic' PbAOE, something like that new blaster power..um...whatsitcalled...would be much cooler.
The idea of building up speed, with weak/base attacks is good too..but might be a little similar to TW? (Not a bad thing).
If anything, it would let us make Proper speedsters. I like it.

Get some utterly mad combos in that Army of Me.

I remember teaming with a friend..my petless demon/time (dont ask, I wanted to whip things) MM and her blast. EIGHT MM clones, with..6 pets each. 48 pets, 8 disruption fields, 8 slow aura. Yeah..not happening..lol.

So she switching to her cold fender, sleet'd them, heatloss, and..we win.

Moral of the story, Cold Fenders are BETTER than petless MMs. Did anyone see this coming?!

Agreed. 50% would be way to good.
But..even if it was 10% aoe def..do we LEAVE it at that? 10% aoe def, to say..robots to gonna be a big deal. 10% to robots with pet uniques and a secondary with some +def is even bigger! 10% to necros is jack, and still not that great unless the secondary was say..ff or maybe traps.
I remember my necro poison MM..and the pets just got stomped by basically any aoe whatsoever. In NORMAL play (not just incarnate). Goes back to what I said about this being more a power set and combo thing than the AT itself.

But it is silly. Leaving aside how it all works, a numi says..20% regen. That sounds huge. It doesnt say..'oh, 20% of your base regen, which is 5% but gets faster or slower'.

Of course, if you KNEW combat stats was there, you could look before hand, and see what your regen is, and know that 20% isnt gonna be that much.

But as I was saying..if your a new or just unknowing player, you would not even know about combat atts. 5% acc..is 5% acc. Sure, it is not the same as to hit, but most things say they are doing to hit and not acc, avoiding the confusion. But regen bonsues have BIG percentages. LotG does 10%. How are people meant to realise that that 10% is not actually..10%.

I sort of moved to a different topic again ANd kinda confused myself with what I was talknig about..

Ok, thanks Hope..that makes..sense. I think.

Still just makes me go wtf though, since everything measures regen as hp/sec. Not saying you arent right, I believe it. And I am sure when it comes to server lag, client data and all those technically things..it was the BEST way to make it work.

It also makes me even MORE annoyed at how things like the numina regen proc is listed as 20% regen rate. Which sounds utterly awesome..assuming you actually DONT know how the system works...such as any new player wouldnt. Hell, I am not knew, and I had no idea regen wasnt just hp/sec..as advertised.

Then you slot the shiny numi..look in combat atts..and its gone up like... 0.2hp/sec (or whatever). Even more silly is how the combat atts presents regen as 0.X per sec (again, on a blaster this this..mines at 0.75% currently) instead of something else..since as you say..base regen is ALWAYS 5%.

Anyway, sorry to sidetrack teh thread a bit!

Still confused.
How can regen always be 5% of the max? Why is regen then measured in hp/per sec, with the HP value changing..while the second value..doesnt.
Wouldnt the combat atts look different in the regen column then? Not to mention, if improving regen just made the tics faster..the 'gap' between tics, as you got lower, would be so tiny as to make hardly ANY difference. Yet..theres a massive change in say..base regen of a corr, to that corr in rest.

The DG's in that redside clone mission cheat even MORE..because they get powers of a higher tier, and the utterly stupid AE based throwing stars..that do like 300 damage.

I think there are a couple more tips that use it too. And don't forget the Posi tf. Which..could also be a factor in why it is not so widespread. Time Manip (and some other sets, forget which) were not functioning correctly on the Dopplers, meaning they would have far higher tier powers than they should. I recall some friends doing teh TF with..4 or 5 time toons..and ending up having to quit because they could not kill them.

But I do love the feature, it is really cool too see. In tips, they can be VERY tough on some combos..I remember my Km/Shield scrapper being one shotted by a lvl 53 'Me' with ConcStrike....not to mention blaster clones ripping you up with aim and bu!

Totally would love seeing a Lore pet version. Perhaps not being total clones, so you dont end up with say..an Emp/Psi fender have two clone pets, and STILL usless damage..it could be cloning either on of your power sets, into either a Assault or Support pet?

Good idea also Dechs. I think Claws mentioned a similar thing earlier, about just making Rage do a lower damage boost to non Smashing attacks.

To Ultimus..
I am not saying your wrong, or what your stating is wrong. To my opinion, from playing different brutes, one being ss (not paired with FA. SHield insead, so yeah, aao might be it) but saying SS is low performance, when buffed..um..what? I have done ITFs with that brute, on teams with lots of support..so..+damage, -res, kins, you name it. And hitting Footstomp and doing 600+ damage to a mob of 52 bosses..is low performance? yeah ok..trying to compare that to what my stone melee or fire melee brutes do with aoes..it is NOT that. And that without even stupid stacked rage.

If you could quote some numbers as to if.why SS is bottom when buffed (not talking cap buffed to EVERYTHING, just general, good buffing)..I would like to see. AGain, not saying your wrong, just goes well against my experiences.

Oh Hopeling makes a good point about webnades etc. I do nothice getting hit with them quite a bit more on my ea versus my shield.