PhoebusApollo

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We're making some tweaks with Defiance in the upcoming patch.

It is not getting a major overhaul though. Just tweaking the defiance so it starts to kick in earlier. The overall buffs posted earlier are staying about the same (getting only slightly better), but you will be recieving a damage buff earlier in your health bar now.

This will be reflected in the Defiance meter as well. We've made some tweaks to that as well.

I want to stress that you actually can end up being buffed over 500% with Defiance. (500% is the max buff for Blasters) This actually does nothing except protect you from damage debuffs.

This is one of the rare instances in Issue 5 where a solo character is able to reach a cap without help (or inspirations).

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Having it kick in earlier is certainly on the road to making it a useful power, but it needs to kick in A LOT earlier. I ran through an even-con CoT mission with my level 50 blaster trying to run him as a "defiant blaster" and found it quite impossible to garner any benefit from Defiance. I just let the baddies smack me around, waiting for any kind of movement on the defiance bar. Waiting....waiting.....waiting.....waiting.... Okay, now sweat is popping out on my forehead because the HP bar is doing that panicky flashing thing it does when there's just a bare sliver left and.... Behold! I have a buff from Defiance! I get exactly one shot off (which missed by the way) and then I die.

The original description of this power being used as part of an overall strategy by "defiant blasters" seems flawed. I really see no way to use this ability in any way unless you're current level < 10 after I5. At less then 10 you don't have to worry about debt so you can redline all you want (of course the walk from the hospital back to wherever will still slow down your progress).

It doesn't really matter to me if Defiance sticks around or not. It doesn't cost me anything to have it, and I'll never use it, so do what you like with it devs.

Oh and as for pawning it off on scrappers? It doesn't seem to me that it would do much good for them either. Unless defiance kickes in MUCH earlier, any AT trying to use will face plant soon after the Defiance bar starts to move.

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THANK GOD you finally fixed this wildly overpowered power. I praise you

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Was burn causing you problems? Were you on playing a minion who got burned to ash by a fire tanker and thought it unfair?

I truly do not understand people who get mad when one particular type of hero can do something they cannot. My fire/ice tanker gets so close to death because of his lower resistances that it's only burn's damage that saves him.

Okay, now you nerf burn. My tanker dies with much greater frequency. Do I have to start playing him the way I do my blaster? Pull some baddies, take 'em out and then pull some more? I've done that. I did it all the way to level 50 and now I want to play a tanker. I want to be able to stand toe-toe with a mob of baddies and be the guy left standing.

Does it matter that my tanker can take out the mob from melee range with all villains attacking him when my blaster had to hit and run and snipe to have the same effect? No, it doesn't matter, they're different heroes. Different heroes should have to defeat villains in different ways.

So instead of just sitting there on the sidelines watching a fire tanker with burn doing his thing and getting upset about it, perhaps you should concentrate on how to have fun with your AT. If you don't like fire tankers and their powers, don't team with them. I don't like that energy blasters constantly knock foes out of my melee range with knockback, but I don't beg for knockback nerfs, and I certainly wouldn't celebrate the neutering of knockback; I know way too many blaster who depend on it when they solo to keep them alive.

Oh yes, soloing. Not a big solo player myself. I like to team with people I know, my SG, etc. I also like knowing that if nobody I know is on at the moment, or if they're playing alts at a different level than me, that I can solo without playing russian roulette with a pickup team. No AT should ever be forced to team.

Oh, and just on the off chance this generates some reply to the effect of, "shows how much you know, I PLAY a fire tanker and think burn is WAY too powerful!" May I make this humble suggestion: don't take burn. Problem solved.

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Play mostly on Guardian, some on Protector.

(Eagerly awaiting dev responses to the overwhelming disappointment most players have shown to proposed changes)