Shred_Monkey

Quick math says you'd need roughly 70 mines to hit an even con AV who doesn't have any resistances to smashing and fire to kill it.

Maybe a team of trip-miners could pull something like that off. Good luck finding enough traps and devices players who actually took the power to test the theory.

edited: That was kind of tongue and cheek response.... in reality I could see myself benifiting from having trip mine on my defender when i'm soloing alignment missions... it'd probably be faster to lay a mine field to kill a boss then to wittle their health down slowly with my attacks. It didn't fit into my teaming playstyle so I didn't bother taking it.

Simple question (i think). Which of the epic sets give a pet that does the most damage output?

Odd. Everytime I do a level 50 TF I get a shard early in the first mission. I haven't recorded any data, but I do believe it's been every TF. It's so regular, I was going to post to see if anyone else is seeing it. I'm starting to suspect there some type of streakbreaker code to force a drop.

I understand the stalker vs scrapper debate. Scrappers win 99% of the time when looked at unbiasly, and I see that as a problem, and belive stalkers need to be buffed.

However, if the OP's evidence is that they went to the zone where the weekly strike target TF starts, and broadcast for a team for awhile with no success, then switching to a scrapper isn't going to help them. First, I don't believe anyone is saying hrmm... there's a stalker available, but we're going to hold out for a scrapper. Second, most of the teams aren't forming in broadcast, they're forming in global channels and SG/coalitions. Third, when a team does start to broadcast looking for specific members, 9 times out of 10 it's not a melee damage toon they're needing... it's a healer or a tank.. possibly someone with holds, if they're planning to use that stategy or doing a LGTF. So being a stalker isn't any different then being a scrapper in that case.

All that considered I believe the OP's unstated premise that scrappers are repalcing stalkers on TF's is just wrong.

I will occasionally pick up a lowbie or 2 when running +3x3 tip missions on Shred (50 DB/SR) in AP or Steel Canyon. I figure I might as well give some lowbie some free xp while demonstrating what a fully built toon can do. The lowbie scrappers who have taunt auras almost always end up quitting because they just die over and over. There's really nothing I can do to help them. But, at least they can turn off thier taunt aura if they want. The tanks who can't even use an attack are really the ones I pity the most.

wow... i'll use both of these regularly.

I don't want anyone to mistake me for agreeing with the OP. I don't. I like the idea of low level TF's being included in as the weekly strike target. However, I do have one concern. A lot of that old content is, quite frankly, dull. You typically grind through the same spawn of badguys on roughly the same map for about 60 minutes until you lose track of where you're at and then suddenly it's over with a final 30 seconds of something new.

While I don't mind being exemplared down (and actually ran a SisterP this weekend for no reason except that it was forming when I was looking), I really prefer playing the newer TF's, and won't participate as eagerly when they do drop down to the older, less enjoyable content.

I notice you have the force feedback proc in kick. That proc requires that the power be used and then it has a 10% chance to go off, then it lasts for 5 seconds. I suspect that your friend's math is assuming that proc its up 100% of the time (which mid's would display if you toggle that button on). Even if you spammed kick and nothing else, the bonus would only be up an average of about 5 seconds of every 26 seconds.\

I realize this is only a theoretical build, but for those of you following along at home... I'd put an endurance modifier in practiced brawler, as this build already has enough recharge to make it perma *wink*.

First... I love what the incarnate system has done. It's got people playing level 50s. This is our endgame system, and whether you like it or not, you can't argue against the fact that it's very effectively gotten people to play their toons past reaching 50. Now with latest release, you've gotten more people to run 2 of the hardest TF's in the game repeatedly, and put the bar out there far enough for the very rare boost, that I think that while it may taper off from this initial rush, I can image that there will always be many teams forming for the weekly TF at any given time. Nice work.

OK.. my suggestion now. I still see 1 major thing lacking. The difficulty setting. There just isn't a good reward to get people crank up thier difficulty of their missions to the hardest setting yet. In fact, if shards, recipes, and merits are your goal, it is best to have your difficulty setting on even level. My suggestion is this: Increase the shard drop rate for higher level enemies. Have level 51s drop more then 50s... 52s more.. 53..54 most, etc. You can tweak the drop rates however you see fit. The point being, people already choose to run "shard ITFs" instead of "speed ITFs" and other "shard seeking" content. Let's leverage that desire for shards to both inspire people to move thier difficulty setting higher, and also reward those people who do so successfully.

Also, seeing as how eventually there will be no reason to gain more shards (or perhaps that won't happen if you keep using them for future boosts)... perhaps give us a shard vendor who collects shards in exchange for temp powers or recipes... something to keep the cycle going.

You are correct in that the rare is a big boost for relatively little work. (on all my active 50s I already had way more shards then needed, so all it took was running 1 TF). And the very rare is not much of a boost, especially considering that all it gives is something that's very far into the realm of diminishing returns to begin with.

But, that's the funny thing about gaming and rewards. If you build it, people will jump through every hoop you put in front of them to get it... heck, look at badges... most of them add nothing, and a lot of people go through way more effort then it takes to pick up a very rare slot to get them.

I'll say this, though. My favorite thing by far about incarnates isn't the added power... it's the increase in level 50+ teaming it's brought to the game. I'm the kind of player that likes to play his maxed out toons and I don't mind pick-up groups.

I've been around this game pretty much since day 1 and I remember most fondly a time when getting a synapse TF was as easy as walking up to Synapse and say in local "looking for Synapse." That hasn't been true for probably 6 years. But as of this week, you can do that in IP for one of the most difficult challenges in the game.

Sure, the final incarnate boost may be small... but it doesn't matter. In my opinion, this past week is one of the best weeks this game has seen in a very long time.

I hope you're rant is intended to show your frustration at your teamates for not listening to people explain what to do and not to do. If she's healing from your toons in melee... it's not that hard to come up with the strategy of just not fighting from melee distance to win.

The whole "can't click on a door until it's closes again" issue has been annoying people on the ITF and other places where it shows up for a long time. But now with the the latest release we've literaly got dozens of people trying to get through the same door as multiple TFs are using that entrance at the same time. It's pretty annoying to take over a minute trying to get into the STF submarine. I can imagine how bad it'll be next tuesday night in front of the big doors in cimerora.

My frist impression of the level shift... it may take me a while to get used to running even con TF's and seeing blue cons everywhere. The only other time I'd seen that in a very long time is when someone's outleveled thier mission, and generally I don't enjoy those experiences.

I know it's just the color of words on a screen, but for some reason that ITF I ran last night after getting the my teir 3 slotted was notably less enjoyable then normal.

Prior to the BoTZ change, I had a /willpower brute softcapped to all 6 damage types. Even with the higher hp and resistances that toon had, there's no question my softcapped /SR scrapper with highly boosted hp and regen is more survivable against level 50+ enemies. Defense debuff is quite common among those foes, and not being able to resist it means wading into full solo spawns dangerous... Sure against foes that don't have Defense debuff you're more survivable then an /SR toon (or /shield)... But you're not exactly in serious danger against those same toons on an /SR.... whereas vs spawns with defense debuff on your /willpower, when you're in trouble, you're in serious trouble.

I wouldn't farm hazard zones... There's no reason to take on large spawns when you're doing mostly single target damage anyway... you might as well take damage from 2-3 guys who you kill 1 at a time rather then take damage from 12 guys who you kill 1 at a time.

Yeah. The system is clumsy at best. Heck, just changing the screen so we don't have to use scroll bars to see all the powers and enhancers left to be placed would be a big help.

It feels like with the DM changes that improved the DPS of the set, people forgot how good Touch of Fear is. It fears a badguy (a pseudo hold), decreases their tohit by 15% (stackable) and recharges very quickly so you can apply it many times to a target, or spread it around to control 3-4 baddies at once. It's more of a low level solo trick then something you'd use at level 50, but its plenty powerful.

If the game became free to play, I'd start shopping for a new game. I wouldn't throw down my hat and stomp off mad. I may even end up staying... but it'd be enough to make me start shopping.