Squirrel_Mark1

I play a scrapper and a blaster both... and I admit to asking; regularly "What the heck *Does* a blaster do?"

Even in groups... I mean really; what am I bringing no one else is? Damage?

Scrapper's got it.

Ranged damage?

*WHEN*; just once tell me *when* is "ranged" damage any more important than 'damage' period? The only situation in the *ENTIRE* game where I've found I *really* needed ranged damage was in the Ernesto Hess TF; with the ring of sentry guns.

Except I could stand on the ledge behind them and hack them off.

What ticks me off is this; alot of scrappers try to say "blasters do SO much more damage though!" and... they don't. I play both; I know better.

My scrapper is a juggernaught; an engine of destruction. Thats not to say she's overpowered; frankly she's not. There are moments of "OMG" uberness that a blaster will never see; its true, but after the nerfing those often involve alot of luck; some skill, and inspirations. Its a fun challenging situation. (I play Katana/SR).

My blasters though...

Well I put it to you like this.

I've found *3*; *3* Primaries that have *ANY HOPE* of accomplishing the "Ranged Damage" goal; and they don't even they don't do it all that well.

Fire - Fire has a good mix of Single Target and AoE; its activation times are generally quick (outside of... flares... who takes flares though?); plus Fire is a hard to resist damage type in the game; thankfully.

Archery - Full Range. There isn't one lousy "close" attack in the entire set; the Cone being the closest. It does all lethal damage, and only its snipe does more than most scrapper attacks; which is downright sad; given they are identical in damage type; and the Blaster has no defense to speak of. But still; this is, despite the endurance cost; one of the *GOOD* sets (If paired with Energy or Ice...).

Ice - Obvious. Nothing needs to be said; why else are ice blasters becomming ubiquitous? High speed activation times; great single target DPS; and even good range on higher damaging attacks. No snipe; and only a couple utility powers in the primary. (Look at the Ice secondary too; anyone notice that has some *actual* UTILITY?)

But still...; Explain this one to me everyone...

How come my scrapper; who is imho rather decently balanced, can do an Extreme damage attack with an improved chance of critting, a minor AoE to it, -Def... etc... in melee (where I live);

But a Blaster can *only* do Extreme damage with *no* chance to crit *AND* a chance to be interrupted with a long wait time to fire; with their snipe. Which generally has no secondary effect but maybe knockdown.

If they even just made the snipes into normal attacks... *that* would help alot of things.

Making the utility powers go into the secondary and replacing them with normal attacks; that would help. (Hell, don't even replace the melee attacks; give blasters larger than average; and change the inherent to "Versatility" for cryin out loud).

Or, Up the damage on stuff like Tesla Cage and Voltaic Sentinel; and make Power Burst and the like full range.

There are *many* ways to fix blasters; but they aren't doing it and I admit; its starting to tick me off. (This comming from a *long* time scrapper; I've always wanted to do a blaster; every time I do one though I get so annoyed... SO annoyed.

My AR/Energy; Dead at 19; I can't stomach going further. My Elec/Elec...... don't ask. My Elec/Eng Blapper... dead; can't stomach an Ice/Eng; Fire/Energy is fun for now but I expect to quit her soon somehow; it just can't last. Impossible.

My Archery/Energy is the only one I can stand to play at level 13; she does do reasonably well; but its ridiculously more difficult than it should be; and frankly she can only do as well as she does because I've given up a travel power till 16 to take both Build Up, Aim, and all the attacks through Explosive Arrow).

Ok, I'll be quiet now. <-.-> Its early, I haven't slept, and I'm hacked off at the blaster situation.

&lt;-.-&gt; &lt;nerfs the thread&gt; COME ON PEOPLE!

This is ridiculous. Its not on test yet; you have *no* idea how it will work 'in practice'; how much things will cost, how big the buffs are, how much salvage they'll eat... NADA.

You know *NOTHING* yet; except for the duration.

As has been mentioned:

Solo; yes, you may have some difficulty returning to your mission in time, thats part of the risk of playing solo. I personally play solo with all the ATs save Defenders (just a personal preference).

At any rate: If you are solo; how often *do* you come across a "sticky part" in a mission, honestly? Most spawns are near-identical to eachother; with just a little variation, more than likely if you've been a soloist until now, you already have a good feel for what you can accomplish alone; and have your difficulty tuned to allow yourself to do it.

Here are the 2 situations I see where you could need Empowerment solo.

Elite Bosses: Which if you've already cleared to the EB, you aren't likely to fail getting back to him with enough time on the buff to fight. (Even crossing 3 zones to do it; thats about 12ish minutes travel time most often).

Multiple Bosses together: Usually a fair number of inspirations can handle this; but I'll admit, there are times; especially on squishy characters, where 2 bosses together can be really really tough. Again though; if you've cleared the mission to this point anyway; you can indeed make it back.

If you didn't take a travel power; well, perhaps ignore this feature. I don't have a travel power on my SR scrapper (Granted, I'm still fairly quick); but as you may have noticed he mentioned specifically that you can boost travel speed.

I cannot see how anyone with a travel power could have trouble getting to a mission within 15 minutes to take out a few bosses. You won't get 15 minutes of buff of course... I don't think that was ever the intention; the extra duration is just a matter of letting you get there.

Sorry if I'm comming off harsh here but jeez; EVERY time a new feature is announced it turns into a gripe fest, and has since I3.

Chill out, wait, test it when it goes to test (that IS part of what an issue going to the Test server is for; granted, its not always perfect; but it is part of it); and *then* complain if it turns out to be worth it.

That video at the begining of the thread was really neat &lt;o.O&gt;b Almost reminded me of my SG and base lol &lt;,&lt; Cats everywhere! &lt;'x'&gt;; (Woot!)

Someone prolly mentioned it ^^ But lets not forget the AV -&gt; EB change; which is awesome; and very recent.

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i enjoy a challenge in games, ED in conjunction with a difficulty slider makes for a great challenge. Analyze the problem, adapt your tactics, overcome the problem.

but still the game could be a little more challenging, such as when a mob runs away, often towards another enemy mob, it aggros the new mob. the wounded mob calls to his friends for help. gives certain ranked enemies (lt and above) a small inventory where they have random inspirations of their own (this would work well on invincible setting)

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&lt;. .&gt; I actually really like this idea. &lt;Stamp of approval&gt;

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&lt;.&lt; &gt;.&gt;

o,o obviously, if they DID have a kitty npc group/villain grp, they'd end up being nerfed for being over powered. Thats the reason Bobcat and Mynx never get to have there real supporters in game and have to use random thugs instead.

&gt;.&lt; and shame on you who don't know what Nyo means! it's the same as mew! it's just dialect!

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&lt;. .&gt; kitten-ban dialect to be exact &lt;o_O&gt;m &gt;.&gt; Ms Kitty might be from Mowsaka &lt;o.@&gt;; (err &gt;.&gt; &lt;hides&gt

Don't chase the squirrel!!!!!111111111eleventy &gt;.&gt;

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First, Mayhem missions aren't generally at the Portal Corp.

Second, Longbow is one of the groups you might be fighting. There are others.

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I kinda figured that &lt;^-^&gt; I'm excited to see what they are like.

Though Mayhem at Portal corp would kick [censored] &gt;.&gt;;;;

From the looks of that shot though; I assumed it was the culmination of some awesome story arc we haven't seen yet &gt;.&gt;

&lt;. .&gt; Oh, and cats rule, nyah! &lt;o_O&gt; (Squirreliness doesn't prevent Kittiness &gt;.&gt

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The -regen attributed to Twilight Grasp isn't listed in the in-game power documentation (for CoV, at least). Most people seem to believe it exists; has any red-name mentioned this?

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There's definitely no question Twilight Grasp is -regen.

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Perhaps I don't understand how -regen works...

But I just tried Twilight Grasp out on a minion. Struck him to half half hp, and kept spamming TG on him (I set it to autofire) wait about 2 minutes and he was back to full hp....

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Quick FYI ^^ -Regen isn't quite like -Recovery; It slows regen; but it doesn't prevent it entirely. -Recovery flat out *stops* endurance recharge (usually) from what I've seen

And as was said; AVs/Monsters are usually your best bet when looking at -Regen effects; cause they are the ones who actually cause issues with their regen. Typical mobs not so much.

&lt;,&lt; and I love it! &lt;@_@&gt; hahahaa &lt;. .&gt;

FYI: I'm a nerd/geek multiclass &lt;. .&gt; I'd add dork, but it'd gimp my xp and I can't afford to advance slower. Plus I want my new rank of "geekisms" ASAP &gt;.&gt;

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Was the "45-50" a quote from a redname, or was that an assumption for the new zone? I keep hearing all kinds of speculation, but no hard data.

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Sorry, RV is level 40 to 50. This cold has my head all fogged up.

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&lt;;.;&gt; Colds suck; but thats good news! &gt;,&lt; (I need to level nore now... &gt;.&lt; damn)

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I find it amusing that SR isn't even considered. =P

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&lt;;.;&gt; I don't &lt;runs away crying&gt; &lt;T.T&gt; &lt;--- SR scrapper

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Exclusive, top-secret, stolen from Positron's laptop while he was ordering a double-latte, screenshots of the new gladiators in action.

Or so I was told.

-T

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Ok, that's just evil.

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&lt;-_-&gt; some of us ARE villains &lt;-_-&gt; &lt;purrs maniacally&gt; &lt;,&lt; (Yes, squirrelcats can purr &lt;o.O&gt; don't ask!)

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Thanks, folks!

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Pff! I liked some of those 3-D Castle ones. Those were sweet. This makes you look liek a dork.

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I do math for a living. I think I qualify...

And, yeah, I liked 'em to, but this was closest to what was kicking around in the back of my head...and it's 56k modem friendly.

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Funny random story...

I got into a debate with someone in Mercy Island a couple weeks back; not even sure what it was about exactly (it was a point of minutea (sp?)) but... this third person suddenly says.

"shut up i hate nerds"

&lt;,&lt; You can imagine what that did... My response...

"You're playing a computer game about superheroes, and you're complaining about nerds?" &gt;.&gt;;

&gt;.&gt; In other words! Take pride in your dorkiness, your geekdom, your granted powers of nerd! &lt;o.O&gt;m

(Nice choice &lt;,&lt; thats what I meant to say!)

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Then we repeal the hated stealth nerf. The reason why: many well reasoned posts. It's that simple. You guys pointed out the problems.

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Does this mean that stealth WILL be nerfed or WONT be nerfed? (Im very, very, very slow on stuff)

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Stealth isn't getting nerfed ^^m you may relax

I'd just like something to do besides punch bad guys once in awhile... I mean; Pocket D is nice and all; but not all of us want to dance and hang out.

In particular hmm... and I know this is a LONG way (ie: years; if ever) away, but example:

I'd love to see vehicles. Not just any vehicles though.

I want vehicles we can customize; just like we can our character. Build parts in your base with Salvage, then attatch them to various hardpoints; depending on the vehicles chasis.

I even have ideas for *magic* origin vehicles! &lt;o.@&gt; I mean, just because it uses the same system doesn't mean you can't say... summon a pegasis, and 'mount' a lance on it. It's the same system as for building a tank with a 120mm canon; but different in just about every other way.

Of course, *if* they ever do vehicles it'll be large; complex, and *someone* is going to complain. (People are already complaining about Inventions; and all we know is a very vague possibility of what they are.)

But thats what I'd like to do in my out-of-combat time; construct things.

Obviously; only one or two members of an SG will get to mess with base building which is imho the only out of combat activity. (Stuff like chatting with friends under atlas isn't really something exclusive to CoH ya know? "talking with friends" isn't game content as much as just something you do; whereas the base builder is an actual part of the game).

So thats just my idea. Inventions will help as well; and I'm really hoping we get more stuff to do. I know Apartments whenever those come around will be nice. Having more Costume slots would be wonderful too; since mucking with a costume is a ton of fun imho.

Power Customization would; believe it or not; be a fun out of combat activity at least for some of us. Especially Tech people; but even mutants and magic characters.

(Example: If your body naturally produces electricity; who says you've always got to throw electric punches? Electrikick! Or; just because you always summon red fire imps... whos says you can't try to learn a spell to summon blue ones?)

Just some variety.

I dunno ^^ Ideas

Maybe "shelved' just means 'back burnered'? Just a guess.

and...

Hiiiii sleeeeepyyyy &lt;o.O&gt; &lt;waves&gt; err... &gt;.&gt;

Actually; for the record; I hate leetspeak used in any non-comedic sense; and am an RP type person.

However; in the defense of RP people; liking RP in no way means you can't enjoy pvp &lt;^,~&gt; I &lt;3 PVP; and if you look at WoW; so do a great many people there; just before I quit that game (the devs... really ticked me off in some ways) they added several RP PVP servers.

So... just as a thing; just because you like/hate leetspeak, or like/dislike pvp; has no bearing on you liking/disliking RP in my experience.

I think leet is only a problem in the context of serious discussion; like, where meaningful information needs to be exchanged.

Ex: Your team is dead on the floor and someone is comming back, you wish to remind them to get awakens for everyone.

'Hey; could you bring us some awakes please?" (I'm nitpicky about shorthand too... 'hey cud u get sum awakes plz' bugs me as well &gt;.&gt

Or
"d00d g3t sum 4\/\/4K3NZ plzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!111111111111"

&gt;.&gt; I prefer the first.

I guess its just a matter of context to me; like when its acceptable to use the f' word in conversation; things like that. I dunno &lt;o.O&gt;

Then again, I'm an english major and I took Semantics a year ago... if you want to spend 3 days discussing the word 'just' as used in various contexts, thats an incredible class. &gt;.&gt; (Actually it was fun; our professor tossed a garbage can and other things when getting empathic about a point; neat guy.)

So its possible that my view on all this is extremely skewed &gt;.&gt;; But hey, skewing makes neat line effects in photoshop; so somehow that applies to this and we're all ok. &lt;. .&gt;m

Oh; and '1 w1l1 pwn u in p\/p d00dz' err... that is all &lt;. .&gt; lol &gt;.&gt; (sorry!) &lt;-- has all the l33t skillz of uhm... something without them... uhm... ... ...

&lt;leaves the thread while people stare awkwardly&gt;

Question though... if we debuff an enemy's range uhm... won't they just close with us? >.> And hurt us in melee?

I could be wrong; I've never used Hurricane myself (I haven't gotten my storm defender high enough yet); but it seems to me that if you end up dropping an enemy's range; all they'll do is get closer. And then you are no longer at range at all. Which uhm... yeah... <~_~> I could be wrong though; not meaning to bash it; just not understanding is all.

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Any hero that has the one year anniversary badge and logs in during the next anniversary event will receive a special gladiator badge.

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Wait, so there's only a reward if you were around last year? Or will newer characters at least get a badge similar to Celebrant for the 2nd anniversary?

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Yes, newer characters will get an Anniversary badge.

The gladiator is for having BOTH Anniversary badges.

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Crud &gt;,&lt; I had to switch accounts some months ago &lt;;.;&gt; lol (my fault; was on my bros account for most of the first year; now I have my own) I wanna gladiator &lt;;.;&gt; *sniffle* oh well &lt;~_~&gt;;

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While I might be anti-crafting, I'm surprisingly pro-invention system.

I know it's just a change of one word, but with all the great inventors in comics (Tony Stark, Mr. Fantastic, Forge) it definitely fits in.

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Ditto ^^m I wouldn't like a normal 'loot' crafting system; but the way this invention thing sounds from everything I've heard about it up till now it sounds very very cool &gt;&lt; and very in-theme with CoH. (plus not a 'grind' like it is in so many games &lt;x.x&gt

We'll miss you both &lt;~.~&gt; gawd; I shouldn't feel much of anything seeing two people leave the boards who I only know from reading the occasional post, but without you its not going to be the same.

We'll miss ya Arctic and Alexa &lt;~.~&gt; wish ya the best in your new positions!

And yes; I am an overly emotional person. You got a problem with that? &lt;stares at other posters&gt; &lt;teardrop&gt; DAMMIT! I'm trying to be intimidating!

Don't gooooooo &lt;T.T&gt;

Ok go... (so ya know... you keep that whole 'job' thing &gt;.&gt; kinda important)

But don't forget to write! &gt;.&lt;

Ok, *now* we can say "DOOM" &lt;;.;&gt; Seriously. Doom. We'll miss youuuuuuu!

I think the one-shot solution will work fine honestly.

Here's why: In PVE; the big problem seemed to be with a squishy, regen, or Defense based character just plain *dying*. No chance at anything.

Now, they'll last hopefully long enough for a respite. I know some people are saying "Thats not enough time!" but I think you'll be surprised how long that is. It doesn't matter how *much* hp 1% is; 1% of tanker HP with Dull Pain active is still pretty much 1shot and you are dead.

But thats not the point; it gives you the ability to do something. And I believe we'll be able to react with a respite or such in time. Also; for Ice Tanks, SR scrappers, and Regen scrappers; that'll be enough time that maybe the defenses will actually work on the second swing (or in Regen's case... use Reconstruction: The better respite).

PVP it will help to; though I think Assassin Strike's toggle dropping was a bigger problem honestly. Most 1shottings from AS seemed to be the result of inspiration chewing en-masse; tons of reds. I know my SG leader who is a blaster can't be one shotted from just a Build Up + AS as is. (Admittedly, blasters have more health than some squishies, but they still lack any defense).

This also means that A) The second strike may miss; because of the higher miss rate in PVP. B) Means the stalker still has that fearsome "OH CRAP" aspect; but without the un-fun "I'm dead before I knew they were there" aspect. There's still an extremely good chance you are dead if you meet a stalker alone in a dark alley. Thats the idea. But its not guaranteed; and they can't use inspiration spam to take you out without giving you a chance.

I think most people gripe about stalkers because they are difficult 1v1 (they are meant to be). They *do* have every advantage when you're alone. Thats the point. If you happen to be with even one other person (or better yet; 3 or 4); the stalker is probably going to look for easier prey. So; basically; PVP is designed in a group on group scenario. Stalkers being able to 1shot by ODing on red pills wasn't meant to be (nor were AVs 1 shotting heroes/villains in missions either for that matter); but stalkers *ARE* meant to cut you apart alone.

Keep the whole group thing in mind.

Do try to forgive for honest mistakes. Accidental aggro happens; bad pulls happen, and sadly, team wipes happen. Keep your cool; its only debt.

Do compliment people on names and interesting bios if you thinkt they are neat! Alot of us who write bios do it in the hope someone will read it &lt;^,~&gt; having an ego boost just makes it all the more worth it! (Of course; if you didn't like the bio; you don't have to say anything &lt;,&lt; but if you did; its nice to hear! &lt;^_^&gt

Do tell your teammates 'good job' when they do something right; and do try not to beat them over the head when they don't, unless its consistently bad.

As someone already said:

Do remember that *REAL LIFE* (Ya know; the place where those other humans are... the place where you have work/school and is outside the computer box thing?); has to come first. That goes not just for your teammates but for *YOU*. I implore any new player to watch their time close. Play; have fun, kick tail. But don't live on the game, because it can mess with you.

(I've been playing MMOs for 9 years; and I won't deny; until 6 months ago this is ALL I ever did; I messed up 2 semesters of college due to being so addicted to gaming. I'm alot better now; I'm only playing 6 hours a day (yeah... only); but still, just watch yourself. Cause no one else will realize its a problem; only you can.)

Do keep your mouth firmly shut if you see a build you don't think is very good. Its not your character, and its not your 15 bucks a month going to pay for them to play it. Thus you don't have any say in what they pick. That said; if someone asks advice on something build related; polite opinions are almost always welcome!

Do remember that a skilled player can make anything work; yes... even an AR/Fire blaster.

Do remember: Its just a game; even when you die nothing really is lost. Try to keep your chin up and a smile on your face.

Most importantly:

Do enjoy every minute of your life as much as you can; in game and out. Kick [censored] in everything you do, school, work, gaming, whatever, give it everything you've got and be proud of yourself for it. Not enough people will tell you 'good job' or 'thanks for doing your best'; but its worth it.

Actually Possibility; you're a bit off...

The reason she mentions Flash Arrow as Mitigation is that since you *are* getting hit less; you are thus taking less damage.

Acid Arrow actually does -Res *and* -Def; Disruption is only -Res. Both great powers.

Just wanted to clear that up.

(level 36 Bots/TA mastermind &gt;.&gt;; Hey; it works!)