Socorro

I always took it as you were 'encouraged' to use the forms, by dangling little carrots (dwarf gives you Mez protection)

If they really want every - single - kheld to pick and slot the forms, there's certainly stronger ways.

Give human form around 3 attacks only, like a Mastermind, and no shields. Then people would look at 'formless' Khelds the same way they do petless Masterminds. (if this were the case I'd never touch a kheld again, but it's just a 'for instance'...)

The Shapeshifting is unique, but that they duplicated almost every power the Squid and Dwarf can do into the Human Arsenal as well is, to me, a strong indicator that All Human was always supposed to an option.

Personally, I think they messed the shapeshifting mechanics up. They *should* have kept basically one suite of powers (essentially, everything that the Human has) and the Forms should have become, beyond the new shape and animations, thematic Modifiers to those powers. Each form should have had access to all the powers the Human had slotted.

Shifting to Dwarf would have weakened the attack's damage (greatly weakening the Ranged Attacks) the Hitpoints and Resistance goes way up. Essentially you become a Tank with as many powers as a normal tank has.

Shifting to Nova would have lessened the Hitpoints and weakened the resistances, but increasing the Attack's damage (greatly increasing the Ranged Attacks); Blaster with a full array of powers.

All this talk of slot-crunching, making one form strong at the expense of weakening the others, would never have come into play.

That's how it should have been done; never gonna happen now. This isn't breaking the cottage rule - it's blowing the cottage up haha

As a dedicated Human Only, I empathize heavily. The changes really make Human Only quite strong, which I love, but I do hope they throw a bone the Forms way at some point...provided it doesn't take any away from what they gave Human

It is lighter than it used to be, but to me it seems to be enough that I avoid a large portion of those incidental Mezzes (that minions and lieutenants throw) that I used to be exposed to all the time. I still get mezzed, but it's noticeably less, even when jumping into a pile of Arachnos. I was used to using BFs already, so I just still keep a couple for when it happens. I use them less - much less. Seems to be working well.

So, I chose Rebirth instead of Clarion. 3 Heals: the Light Form Health Crash is never an Issue.

Well said - my heavily IOd PB is lovin' it. My next comments really only apply to Heavily IOd PBs...

I differ with you a bit in that the changes only effect a PB's toughness. Yes it does that, and improves it. My PB was tough, but never resist-capped Tough all the time.

But these changes also indirectly help my PB's damage significantly, in the form of Recharge. With Perma Lightform, I gave up my shields completely (well, kept shining shield single slotted). That's 2 full powers and 11 extra slots I can put somewhere else. That's 2 extra mules for LotGs and enough extra slots that I can use high recharge IOs in powers that I normally wouldn't (such as glinting eye). I probably get an extra 30% recharge just from having these spare slots.

So, I have enough recharge that Inner Light is perma and overlaps, meaning I have +100% extra damage (+130% during the overlap) a significant amount of time. Also, since my recharge is plenty high, I can get Muscular instead of Spiritual for some extra Kick.

When soloing, it finally feels like I'm dishing out serious hurt on enemies. I've never been able to solo my PB at +8 settings, even with lots of Purples, but last night I did the Morality Mish "Rescue the Bane Soldier", giant map chock full Arachnos, at +8 w/bosses. It wasn't a cakewalk, but it was doable; a feat in the past that was only reserved for my Brute, Scrapper, and Mastermind.

I see your point with SO builds. PBs that cannot get perma lightform will have to still invest in the Shields and/or Forms for protection. I guess it just doesn't bug me that much. I haven't started a New PB with these changes, but it still seems to me they will have it significantly better than they did before. Your better now, but to be Uber Awesome you have to IO out.

A Smack to the Face because they kept the floating energy patterns of the previous lightform...?

Okaaaaaay...

While active I prefer the more subdued look of LF while its running, when it ends, if something like a burst of light then a fade happened to give you the visual cue that it's ended, that would be nice. Of couse seeing your bars dip is a pretty good indicator already haha

Because that's its only weakness related to the other travel powers. It's already safer and more maneuverable

I was on that trial with you with my PB I believe (Socorro Starborn). I actually got lost for a bit and ended up way ahead of the group. I was all alone several rooms up in the tunnels, amidst all those lvl54 evil things, getting smacked and pot-shotted left and right. I made it back to the main group without dying, even though I kept making wrong turns and diving into new mobs. That was my biggest acomplishment of the night haha

Quantum Acceleration is, of course, faster. And while it's on there's zero flight drift. When you stop, you stop instantly. Some may like that - it seems to make moving around indoors a bit easier even though it's faster (watch for mobs though, cuz you can't attack them until you toggle it off). It's does give a decent defense bonus so you're less like to get one-shotted if you do smash into a mob.

Oh, and it'll hold a LotG. That sold it for me.

Ditto for me. I always think of Incarnate powers as just expansions of my character's original power source instead of a new source of power; cosmic, sentient watering hole be damned...

Forms aren't, nor where they ever, been the only way to play Khelds. I feel that the design of the powersets (so many Human attacks duplicated from Nova, Human Shields) meant that the Devs intended the Human Form to be a primary (or only) form if the player so chose.

Many play Human-only Khelds. They were somewhat viable before the change - now they're very viable.

And RP-wise I always preferred to think of my Khelds as infused with an energy being (like the movie Starman) as opposed to a Shapeshifter.

Different strokes, folks...

Nothing in the game is really worth 2 billion, and no RL Diamond is worth 2 thousand, but in a free market if you want it you have to pay what they offer. I agree about the S/L softcap thing - if I could get a toon there without it I wouldn't bother. Heck I only have it on one toon anyway, so I don't really bother already...

Although I'm thinking of going for it on my respecced PB...

That's my favorite change of all. This game has one of the best costume creators in the business - powers that make it useless most of the time are useless to me.

I'm just a casually/serious marketeer (oxymoron?) I don't flip stuff; don't use AE for tickets, don't buy and horde stuff to make the price artificially high, etc.

I just run regular content, and when I'm done I stop by the market, see what I have, and do a quick check to see if the salvage or recipe (crafted) will make me at least a million. If it will, I'll craft it and put it out there for roughly the going price (usually a bit lower). Takes a few minutes each time I play, tops.

I sell everthing (salvage, recipes) that won't make me at least a million for 1 inf (or sell at a store if I happen to be near one).

This will usually earn you a couple billion Inf well before you can earn 30 a-merits. Then you can buy the sucker from the market or somebody.

I can used them with Sleeveless Jackets but not Regular Jackets...Weird.