Seschat

Three failed incarnations of my Ice/SS tanker, Mint Altoid (He's curiously strong!) Min height, max width, huge body.

Just coudn't get into playing him.

I would settle for a blue-side contact, say Manticore's head of Wyvern's day-to-day operations, offering a mission arc about the length of a patron unlock arc. He sends you off to sabotage Arachnos operations: steal a shipment of maces before their isomorphic settings are activated, hack the database at the lab where they program RNA retro-viruses to unlock latent Mu powers, rescue a shipload of captured ghost pirates before they can be delivered to GW's tower in Mercy, and intercept a raid in Bermuda where mako's agents are stealing Red Coral. Wrap up with a fight against some number of Patron lieutenants. In the end *ding* patron powers access. No easier than what a red-side character has to endure, just minus the hassle of blowing a week and change cycling one's alignment.

Avoiding spoilers, the ending cinematic plays too quickly, and really needs to be slowed down by about 25-40%. I read rather quickly by most standards, and I had difficulty reading all the text boxes before they faded out.

We may also want to rethink the use of Dark Red text boxes with Black text on Black backgrounds.

As a 4.5 year veteran, on a budget, I have neither Paragon Points nor Reward Points to spare. Nor do I wish to encourage the company to encourage my fellow players to gamble. I will not be supporting this product.

Taking some time to think about it, my complaint with the Incarnate/Well storyline is that it is coming to our characters Too Damn Early in their development. Yes, really, our level 50 characters are not in the least bit ready for Cosmic Level threats.

Let us look at who we fight at level 50: the same ghosts we've been beating on since level 6. Alien invaders that aren't even as effective as Kree or Skrull, but at best Khunds. The Freedom Phalanx's old nemesis from the 1940's who they can't be bothered to squash again. Angry meta-phobic normals in cowboy hats and their dumpster-shaped battlesuits. The goatee-twirling neurotics from the dimension next door. Fungus people. Psychic Clowns. Rularuu is the only serious world spanning opponent, and we're invading his dimension.

Godzilla hasn't strolled into Independence Port heading for the snack buffet of Terra Volta. Terminus hasn't gang-tagged the North American continent declaring "all your resources are now mine!" Mot waking up and needing to be put down by the skin of our teeth, and a frantic search for lost relics of a bygone era, should be a PRE-cosmic plotline. If we put "Kali" or "Hecate" in his place, would anyone bat an eyelash? Atlantis hasn't attacked, Sub-terrania hasn't popped up declaring "Die surface-dwellers!", the moon isn't about to hatch a giant space bird, and the sun hasn't so much as flickered. All of which I would expect to face before the ultra-scary fundamental forces running the multiverse from behind the scenes come into play. This is like the Power Pack being expected to deal with Galactus.

Then there's Praetoria. However technically well written the stories involved are, like the works of Charles Dickens, their content does not deserve the attention that has been expended upon them. The Maria Jenkins story arc should culminate in a reference to Alexis Cole-Duncan as a contact, and a final Task Force, not an additional seven zones of alternate first-half of the game shades-of-dark-charcoal content, and a pile of raids that fend off a threat that really shouldn't be all that threatening.

And THAT is why I have issues with these stories.

Ignoring my opinions for the Develper associated with the character (I came in around I-9, after he left), and the poor characterization that 90% of the writers have inflicted on him, I do feel that his death, while emotional, suffered too much of a gimmicky, cop-out, feel. The villain I ran through the arc, characterizing her attitudes, really feels that his death was unsuitable. She wanted him to fall by her hand, preferably after an hours-long epic battle of Incarnates, trashing an entire city zone, and only delivering the final blow when she was down to about 15 HP, pausing only long enough to catch her breath, and letting him have the chance to wheeze out those final words. "But not today, Statesman. Farewell." *THWOCK*

Dual-build poster child.

By day, she's the dutiful grand-daughter of Cole, her face is on IDF recruiting posters, and she does TV spots when she isn't making sure she is being Seen by the right people around the Magesterium.

By night, she's the willful and rebellious child, participating in the underground (as opposed to Underground) club scenes, currying favor with those whose societal programming is not quite broken enough to warrant a trip to the BAF or joining the Resistance, and picking up intelligence from those who are deluded enough to think she's sympathetic to their complaints and isn't as square as those geezers who run things.

I do wonder whatever happened to her private army of masochists armed with Thanagarian power-maces.

Anyone with Kinetics.

Most anyone willing to enjoy using a versatile variety of powers and doesn't suffer an unhealthy fascination with a "three power, max DPS, thinking about combat actions is HARD" attack chain.

OK, it may be easier to consider what builds Hasten actually adds enough value to balance the hassle of glowing amber hands and not being able to control-click any other power in your build. Dominators, obviously. Tri-form Kheldians, trying to overcome the limited attack powers in their alternate forms. Anyone with Regeneration, as you don't really have any damage mitigation beyond your ability to click something and make the damage go away. Illusion Controllers trying to achieve perma-Phantom Army (ie: any of Local Man's disciples). And last, but certainly not least, any character concept (as opposed to build) that involves the overall idea of heightened or super-speed.

Pretty sure Manticore's ID is public: Twinshot bloody well broadcasts it to her team when you're in you single-digit security levels, and you include Flambeaux in that group. Manty wears a mask more to protect his face from his lifestyle (exploding Nemesis Warhulks). The mouth is left uncovered because he designed the outfit when he was single, living the life of, as Mister Stark puts it, a "billionaire genius playboy philanthropist".

Add my vote too! I am unable to build my Egyptian-themed Super Strength brute, the Two Tonne Caiman, without being able to put the Egyptian hat on a reptilian head!