SailorET

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I would just like to add that Shivans are a squishy's friend.

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True, they're helpful to even non-squishies, but it's also good to keep in mind that on two of the challenge settings, No Temp powers and only AT powers, you won't have access to Shivans.

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But they are super-helpful when you're debuffed or the enemies are buffed. I try to make sure I have my temp powers when I select either of the two for additional firepower.

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I actually consider them far more useful when running without inspirations or enhancements... which IMO is a far greater handicap than buffed enemies or debuffed chars

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Now I apologize for not reading through the rest of this thread, as I'm sure it's full of great points, but it's late and there's one other point that I think helps make this game so fun...

Open contact with the devs.

Now I don't have a large amount of experience with other MMO's, but those I have tried out (GW, D&DO, TR) really didn't have any contact with their development crew like our devs here. The open communication we get with Positron, BAB, Castle and the others keeps us informed of what's being looked at and what's to come (except the incredible dupe of weapon customization... what a great surprise there). The meet & greet events, while I haven't had the opportunity to attend, are also a great chance to see who it is that makes the mountains move for our entertainment. Playing in open beta with BAB in global chat, goofing off in AP or Oroboros, let us know they're not only watching as we test and break their new additions, but listening and paying attention to what's broken and who finally got the exact experience they were seeking. It adds a layer of trust that really shows when someone puts out a gigantic doooom rant denouncing the devs because /em salute doesn't make PB dwarfs instantly kill their target and they get 500 replies because honestly, it's not a nerf if something broken is fixed! (OK, extreme example that never happened but if it did... you'd see that post.) We've seen the devs in action doing their jobs, and we trust them to continue doing them, and I'd like to say thank you to all of them.

Pitbull is a cutie... Ex, you just gained about 400 cool points.

The question now... what's its name?

I recently made a earth/storm troller, and I really appreciate the info!! We've been lacking guides in the post-IO world!!

Edited for grammar!

Excellent guide!

As a longtime AR/Dev, I'm glad to see a newer guide for us. One suggestion I have to add, though, is that the combination of beanbag + snipe lets you pull off your strongest power without worrying much about interruption. Ignite is also an excellent power when you're in a group to spam on AV's (how I took down most of the praetorians). I'd like to see your IO set suggestions as well. I've found that SOTM fits perfectly into snipe, and Air Burst is efficient and low-cost slotting into Flamethrower.

Thanks for putting this up for us, though!!

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Alternate theory:

Artic_Sun, standing on a chair, swinging a broom wildly at those who attempt to come close to his computer, screaming, "THIS IS THE ARTICLE I ALWAYS WANTED TO WRITE, AND NOW THERE'S NOTHING THAT CAN STOP ME! IT'S PUBLISHED, AND YOU CAN'T UNPUBLISH IT! MWAHAHAHA!"

To which Positron goes, "Looks like we'll have to push Villain EATs and the return of the 5th Column back another issue, folks."

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This is full of win.

There's only one thing I can say about this...

Cryptic, you have now, more than ever, lived up to your name.

WHY? WTF?

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I was just wondering, would anyone be happy with a lesser version of power customization?

When I mean is that we're probably thinking of something with costume creator power, but as far as I can tell from what the Devs said, it's not going to happen any time soon. Instead, what if we got copies of current powersets with a different color "baked in"?

For example:

Energy Melee (Red) - The current one.
Energy Melee (Blue) - What Luminary uses.
Energy Melee (Green) - Maybe taken from the Shivans.

or

Broad Sword (Classic) - What we have now.
Broad Sword (Tech) - What the Knives of Artemis use
Broad Sword (Magic) - Maybe taken from the CoT or Necro pets.

or

Invulnerability (White) - The Hero one.
Invulnerability (Black) - The Villain one.
Invulnerability (Gold) - A new one, for the shinyness.

That way we could still have some influence over how our powers look, but we wouldn't need to rewrite half the game to do it. A powerset is a powerset, this one is just another color.

Would we be happy with something like this? I'd be, but would you?

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See, this is very much along the lines of what I was thinking about it. I've wondered if maybe the way to color customization is simply new powersets that are recolored versions of the old sets. You've brought up a good point that some of this stuff exists already, just not for PCs. The stumbling block for me on that idea though, is that it would only benefit new characters-- you can't re-choose your power sets in a respec.

But you've helped indicate which powersets would best benefit from coloring options; it's been correctly suggested that some sets probably wouldn't, such as Stone armor, etc. To me, the sets that benefit the most from color customization are the energy related ones: fire, electricity, energy, radiation, even dark. I'd love to see a white version of the dark set.

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Umm... wouldn't a white version of the dark set be like... a light set? But it's still called dark?

Maybe it's "light dark" or "white dark"?

I don't get it. Maybe some things don't need to be customized.

This should be stickied to the top of all forums.

Thanks Memphis_Bill!!

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While this version contains the "behind the scenes" goodies for the Character Transfer and Character Rename features, those features will not be going live with this update.


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Wait for it... Wait for it...

It's like knowing you're getting a Mustang for christmas but waiting for Dec. 25!!

GAH!

NOTE: You could take that as the car or the horse... I know there's a lot of "pony" fanatics out there...

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I was afraid of this... the rikti have amassed so much popularity they're having scheduled appearances. Next thing you know they'll be featured on Oprah, Barbara Walters is going to interview the Honoree a week from thursday. Lady Gray is going to have a fit.

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And if you want to talk about inactive people giving up their name, what about the recently deceased Captain America? Assumed dead in 1945, he returned in 1964 after he was revealed to be frozen in suspended animation. Let's see... 120 days vs. 19 years? It's always possible someone will come back, and a true hero would willingly give up their title to the former. Will you have the same strength of character if a level 50 whose name you stole for your level 15 blaster came back?

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Flawed arguement. 1.) multiple Heroes can have the same names at time. There has been multiple captian america's.

COX doesn't allow for the same name to be used. Period. regardless if the hero is active or inactive.

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Not the point I was making in that particular paragraph, you apparently mixed things up. Here's a better example:

Let's say BillZBubba took a hiatus from the game. While he was gone, for some reason, cryptic decided to make his name unreserved. You see that it's available and make a new character with that name. Now if Bill, whom we all know and love for sharing his vast technical knowledge with us all, decided to come back, would you change your name to something else in order to give the name back to someone who made it known in the first place?

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I am strongly against name-camping.

Every pre-20 character not played in the last 30 days should have its name made available. Ever pre 32 not played in the last 60 should have its name made available. Every 50 not played in 120 should have its name made available.

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Every [u]50[u] not PLAYED in [u]120 DAYS[u] should have its name made available? Are you that needy?

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The quality of names has really suffered due to the number of people camping names that they will never use. The only risk to giving up a name you've camped is that someone else will play it regularly, which says to me that they deserve it more than you.

That's how it works in comics, too. Names get passed on when the old holder fades away.

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Not playing a character for 30 days is NOT name camping. That's called taking a break, maybe having a baby, or otherwise having a life that involves more than playing Co* every weekend. Name camping, as explained by Positron, is:
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Sure, it doesn't take a lot of effort to get past level 5. But in the case of name campers, it looks like they didn't even put in that amount of effort on those characters. They simply made a level 1 character with the name and called it a day, or played a tad and got a level or 2.

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What you're referring to is having a name you wanted. I'm in the Navy, and as such I regularly cannot play the game for 5-7 months at a time because I'm on a ship in the middle of the ocean halfway around the world. If I had to rename some or all of my characters EVERY time I got back from deployment, I would not be playing this game anymore.

And if you want to talk about inactive people giving up their name, what about the recently deceased Captain America? Assumed dead in 1945, he returned in 1964 after he was revealed to be frozen in suspended animation. Let's see... 120 days vs. 19 years? It's always possible someone will come back, and a true hero would willingly give up their title to the former. Will you have the same strength of character if a level 50 whose name you stole for your level 15 blaster came back?

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One question. IF I wish to rename a toon, and the name still isn't available, then what? Currently you can check to see if a name is taken or not while logged on by sending a tell to 'xxxx' named toon, but this wouldn't tell you if name was in unreserved status would it?? So how will we know if the name we want is available without actually going through the process of renaming an existing hero??

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Try loading up the test server, you might like something you see!!

Personally, I'm really trying to get "Mike".

Great tips there. I especially have to agree with the Task Forces, they're hands down the easiest way to pop through levels quickly, especially Sister Psyche to punch the 20-25 range. On that note, I offer one other point of advice:

Freakshow are the greatest XP resource you'll ever find in the game. They give massive XP per kill, especially tanks, and they have this funny habit of self-rezzing which, with a minor alteration in tactics (don't just move on when they drop), gives you DOUBLE the xp.

SailorET's I9 guide to successful and courteous Task Force preparation

Why bother with task forces? There's plenty of reasons. They involve a deep story arc, revealing much of the game's hidden story. They're a serious commitment, doing a large quantity of missions in a few hours. They yield great XP bonuses for those within the level range, and plenty of influence or debt relief for those above. Besides completion badges, they're a great souce for "Defeat X number of Y type villains" badges. You can sometimes gain temporary powers for them; Amy Jonsson is a great example. They also yield great salvage and recipes, including those from lower-level brackets when exemplared (remember, you're accessing recipes from three of the four pools on one TF: Individual villain, Mission completion, TF completion). Completing the Task Force Commander Accolade badge offers an extra 5% health and an extra costume piece.

However, there are other things to consider before starting these missions. The first and foremost is time. Different Task Forces have different time constraints: I've seen quick Katie Hannon TF's that take 15 minutes, and I've seen Numina TF's run over 4 hours. A good guideline is that if you don't have two and a half to three hours free, it's better not to start one. Party composition and particular TF are a defining factor here. Second, the only contact available is the person who gave you the TF, and they don't run a store. Therefore, you need to have good inspirations on hand or have somewhere else to get them from. I'll advise on this later. Next, remember that if you are above the maximum level for your TF, you will be exemplared down to its maximum level. This means that unless you've specifically engineered your build, you might lose powers you have slotted appropriately for (namely Stamina), or possibly even your travel power! Finally, remember that you are stuck with your team. Once you begin a TF, you cannot invite others to your team; if someone quits (or gets kicked), you are down by that extra body for the remainder of the TF.

Gleep_Wurp has created an excellent guide which details TF's as well. Link

Preparation, or So you want to be a Task Force Commando?

One great key to completing a task force efficiently is preparation. The lack of inspiration shopping can stall a task force team, possibly even end it altogether. Where can you possibly get vital inspirations like Catch a Breath, Respite, Break Free or Awaken (and their stronger variants)? If you have a SG base with an inspiration storage rack, you can make sure it's stocked beforehand with all of these. Otherwise, you can always make use of the storage space in Wentworth's (if you drag something to a "sale" slot but do not apply a price, it will simply be stored).

It's also advisable to look up specific info on your chosen TF online beforehand. There are a few great guides available on the forums, but for a good resource you can turn to ParagonWiki or Red Tomax's Guide for a mission-by-mission guide of each TF. In fact, it sometimes helps to either print these guides out or play in windowed mode so you can periodically check back on what's next.

Finally, you're ready to build your team. Finding interested people isn't often difficult; if you're scheduling a time well in advance, you can always post on the "Player events" forum as well as the forum for your specific server. On a shorter time frame, you could post a message on your server's badge channel (I believe all servers have one, usually created by a fellow player), or send a few messages on the broadcast channel. Just remember that these broadcast channels only go as far as the zone you're in; If you're starting, say, a Synapse Task Force, you're more likely to find people by broadcasting in Steel Canyon than Skyway (especially considering the position of both the CH and the University there). You can also check the people in your "friends" list; after all, you added them for some reason and you probably already know how to coordinate with them. If you're in a SG, you can try the SG or coalition channels as well. At some point, however, you'll probably have to simply start opening a "find person" window and sending Tells. This is important: DO NOT INVITE PEOPLE TO TASK FORCES WITHOUT ASKING FIRST. Many people aren't interested for one reason or another, and besides, it's extremely rude.

If you happen to be invited to join a task force, please make sure you have enough time available to complete it. Task forces typically end with an archvillain battle, and you really want to have a decent sized team to take them down. There's nothing worse than running through an entire TF only to continually fall to the final AV because your defender had to go to work ten minutes ago. If you might not be able to stay for two hours or more, you should at least inform the team leader before the TF is started; this way they can plan accordingly, and keep you on hand if there's still room.

How should you build your team? Well, typically a good base involves at least one of each archetype. While this rule commonly provides an efficient team, it's not a requirement; I ran a Synapse TF consisting of 5 Blasters and 2 Scrappers as well as a Sister Psyche TF that included 6 Defenders, a Scrapper, and a Tank. If you can choose your team, try to base it on what you're facing on the TF. A few people with Electric Blast can be invaluable on Synapse's TF; Positron, on the other hand, benefits much more with someone with Empathy to combat all the CoT Mezzes and Vahzilok DoT attacks. Sometimes, however, you'll only get a handful of people interested, and you have to remember that a body is still a body and you'll need all the help you can find. Besides, just because you'd rather have a Blaster that's never coming then a fourth Tank doesn't mean they won't add something to the team. Remember, you probably made an open invite to this and people are giving up a large amount of game time to run through this with you. Don't keep them waiting.

OK, let's get started!

Once you're ready to go, make sure by asking if anyone is not ready (that way silence doesn't isn't construed as not ready), and talk to your contact. Odds are you'll start with a door mission, and odds also are that you'll gain the opportunity to call the contact back after the first or second mission (Devs threw this in because we're already changing zones for almost every mission). In case you run out of pre-staged inspirations on the way, you can always head over to the friendly bartenders at Pocket D for help, or just call in a friend or SG mate to pick up some from a contact and trade or give them to you, or, if you don't mind paying extra, you could always put in a bid over-cost at the CH and try to buy them off there.

Another point to worry about is the "leecher." This is someone who follows you to every mission and then stands in the door and collects XP. Now, I can understand if you've regularly been contributing and suddenly need to go afk for a bio break or some real-world emergency. But if you've got someone just generating extra mobs to fight and letting the rest of the party do the work (and you didn't ask for this-- some people like it for the extra XP or challenge), it's acceptible to warn them to stop such behavior, and with repeated noncompliance, kick them from the team. You don't need the extra weight, especially if they're adding more threats to your team (this really matters in Positron's TF, where there's typically around a 6-8 villain per hero ratio).

Otherwise, feel free to go forth, and commence butt-kicking for justice! Enjoy your new Task Force career!!