TigerKnight

I am looking for opinions but more to the slotting version than "Take this, everyone else does". Besides I thought we discussed builds here. Meaning if someone doesn't agree with you, then they simply don't. OR you can tell me why I would want to take boxing/ tough other than "Put the IO in it cause everyone does".

But hey, if you want to take your ball and walk away, it's up to you. Thanks for the offer to help anyway.

Elude is on there because I exempt down quite a bit. Anything I exempt after lvl 47 would take away the set bonuses and also the soft cap. And even though currently I don't use it all the time, I have found it useful at certain times. End Drainers for example, if they get you to zero, no amount of recovery and conserve will allow you to keep your toggles and continue to fight. I have used elude and survived it. So let's call it a players choice.

yes but the Gaussians gives the 2.5 all around to make the soft cap. take it away and you fall into 41% - 43 %. Plus there are times when it feels like I can't hit something, use FA, and then I hit it frequently. Again, it's a situational power but one that aids in situations I find rather annoying.

Boxing tough.... ugh, now there is a waste. It's funny but I threw in that part about "Could go box/tough but I already" part in there cause I knew I'd get "Go boxing/ tough" Seriously when do people actually USE boxing? It's a completely wasted power. Even more than the ones I picked.

And picking up tough just to slot some expensive IO in it isn't really my style as I'd never turn it on. It's not that amazing when it's usually your only resistance and I can get the +3% through IOs anyhow. Hence why I passed on them.

So, if you had a million dollars would you look at it and say: "I have too much money. I guess I'll have to throw it all out." and then drop down to where you had to continue working 40 hrs a week to survive? No? That's how a view Aid Self. You can't have too much of a good thing. Plus miracles add to AoE defense. The redux is just because I didn't have anywhere else I wanted to slot anything.

However, on the "How much do you plan on getting hit?" question. I'll answer with "Depends on what I'm fighting" Some things in the game still auto hit. Some things have higher accuracy (Bosses for example). I feel stronger having powers that SAVE me when I run into these things as opposed to having powers just because it's the norm.

Note: Due to only playing one arc per creator, I only played the first half of this story. As such, the review does not cover the second half.

Toon Choice: Player's choice award but extreme level baddies...While this might be a shy away to something big and resistant, I stick to my gut feeling and play my level 50 Fire/kin Freedom Forged. After all, he is an ex fire fighter and who is more unsung than that?

Skip the spoilers? Scroll down to the final review.
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Mission one: My contact for this mission is the human torch and...er, sorry. Lazon who looks like the human torch and I think I can see a 4 through the flames.... >Shakes head< anyway so he sends me off into the sewers to help his team destroy a group of bombs planted in the sewer system and defeat the leader. I come across the Sentry and... er... Sorry, Captain Superior and he decides he is going to hang back and "cover me" so to speak. (Paraphrasing) I go in and make crispies out of the leader. Then I come across Bad Boy Billy (Wow.... freedom must really be hurting for not taken hero names) who wants to help but since I found him too late, sucks to be him.

Mission two: Torchie sends me to...er, Lazon, I mean, sends me to gather some encrypted evidence using some of the tech we found in the sewers. He sends two heroes there as well to cover me while I gather it. In I go and on the FIRST blinkie I touch, I got the data and now I get to... uh? I have to save the heroes too? Great. I have to save the Calvary. I save them with one telling me he'll help me get the data while the other plans on staying put and "Covering me" (She must have been Sentry's... er, Captain Superior's girlfriend.)

Mission three: What's that Tor... Lazon? A vanguard base is under attack and they have taken one of our scientists hostage? I race to the base to gather up the data and save the scientist (Whose name is completely escaping me at the moment.....) and she disappears. I wonder why there were no leftover Vanguard or allies in this one as I thought for sure there would be.... Not that I needed them but still.

Mission four: What's that? I leave the Solous base for ten lousy minutes and the kids are having a party and invited a whole Ritki army with them! I fly back to the base to save whoever I can (Which is two heroes and Commissioner Gordon who is visiting paragon on vacation. This must be the training facilities when Batman needs a new sidekick....) I will note in the beginning of this mish, I got up for a quick minute and came back dead. Ok, one for the Ritki.

With Gordon blazing beside me, we clear down to the final room where a Ritki heavy is waiting for me. I accidentally turn into the room too quickly and get flash fried before I know what it is I'm fighting. It's a Ritki heavy boss. (Again, loss of memory on the name. Usually I go through my souvenir for these things but it's too short to have any real useful info) Two for the Ritki. I come back and grab Commissioner G to go in with me guns blazing....for the 30 seconds it take the heavy to roast his ***. I siphon the end off the heavy while it plays target practice with my imps and take it out. Poor fried Commissioner *******....

Mission five: Oh, fighting's not done. Woot! This is getting exciting and Torchie's with me. (Hey, I like torchie over Lazon, sorry.) Up the destroyed burning building we go and man I'm glad I chose this toon. I fry Ritki bodies all the way down. Gordon is blowing them away. I come up to Torchie who has appearently spent too much of his energy and flies out the window to save us from his explosion. Ok, one out of two isn't bad. Especially as the one got flash fried by the mech last mish.

Down the corridor we go and if not for the dialog, I would have ran into Hro'dtohz. (The main baddie) I sipon pull him and start beating on him. About a quarter of the way through, he preys on my weakness by.....running away???? WTH?? Someone should tell this guy that running from a controller half your size is embarrass... >He turns around and cuts me down< ....... You didn't have to tell him right this second Gordon!!!! You could have waited til he was unconscious. Ugh... that's three for the Ritki.

I return and besides the Commissioner not realizing I was pulling and ducking behind the wall with me and my imps, things went much better. After Hro cut down the commissioner (/e facepalm moment... Dude, your not Batman. You're not even a trusty sidekick.) I lock him and set myself up in the fire kin sweet spot til my imps toast his ***....

....And that's when the Sentry arrives back. Seriously? Where were you? Mars? I chase Torchie a bit more before I leave.

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Final Review:

Originality: 4- It's a war story about fighting the helpless fight and saving those who you can. Fighting in the trenches with the lower heroes was different but being we were all lvl 50ish, I really wasn't fighting with rookies now was I? Hence the four over the five.

Story: 5- I can however give it high marks for a story I got immersed in and even though I made the Marvel/ DC references, I had a lot of fun. It felt like a losing fight. I was collecting dog tags for crying out loud.

Mission Layout: 4- The maps were good (The last one rocked) but getting the allies AFTER the fact kinda sucked. The blinkie right at the beginning was also a buzz kill. Still the allies I didn't run across first when I could have however you might want to make the blinkie appear after I save one of the heroes for cover.

Completion: 4- The last battles were rather high end. Yes, I completed them as a controller but a fire kin is a cream of the crop AT. As another troller, I don't think I could have beaten the fourth mission.

Final Review: 17 points (A-) It was fun as Hell. I made me feel as my character was in that war. While I won't review the second half right now as there are others still waiting, I have bookmarked it for a return as I do want to see how the story plays out. Nice work!

I can see where you're going with here. The "Attacking everyone to spread their forces thin" is a good strategy. However, it feels as if you're all alone in this mission. Yes, Crimson is directing you but attacking a group of super villains, all of which very well known, leads more into the psychotic side of things. I could see maybe troop support or Indigo's help. If you wanted to keep that mission. Hell, maybe they could set it up where Grillo was killed in what seemed to be an accident. Or, for that matter, why not just blow the building up? Also, yes, I can see how this would be something Punisher would do.... However no one said Punisher was completely sane to begin with. Hence, the "This is nuts" knee jerk reaction.





Okay, I can see your way of looking at it. However, let's say Tyrant came into our world and kidnapped Statesman and took him back to Praetoria. (Similar if not the same as the "A Hero's hero" arc) How could you save him? Just because you crippled your world's ability to use portals doesn't mean those other worlds have the same handicap.

Yes, there is always that "Next big threat" but intelligence of your enemy is always your greatest weapon. Without those portals, you cut off your supply of that intelligence. Even Punisher would scope out his enemy before trying to kill him. And as far as baddies goes, I think Tyrant would rate up there pretty high. He's already conquered Paragon City in his reality...something that Lord Recluse has yet to do in this one. (And Recluse's Victory doesn't count as it has yet to happen.)



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Agreed that this arc has potential. Which is what I said in my review in the "I can only rate it for what it is" part. I in no way meant to make you feel like this arc was crap. It was more in the direction of this could be soooo much better. It feels rushed as you were on that time limit for the contest. Now you're not. I'd go back over it and fine tune some parts of it to either A) Make it more Hero'ish or B) Drop the hero stuff altogether. Again, if you like, I can toss you some suggestions in a PM.

(P.S. When the in arc text is something like "What? I kidnapped and murdered for you already and you want me to do this...." Then even your character is thinking in his/her head "This guy's a psychopath". Kinda foreshadows anything Crimson could say afterward.)



I didn't miss that part with Crimson but I read it as he was keeping the police busy. But a full scale invasion by Black Scorpion and the Arachnos should warrant some sort of response. This isn't like some bank robbery. This is billions of dollars of equipment that can reach hostile worlds and cause numerous deaths if not in check. Guards wouldn't be a bad touch or some hero intervention. I did have some thoughts on this but I would say them here.

You can't make them betray you like Unai does? Also, you could try setting them in a sequential order. (Find the allies, use them to help cover you to get to the security camera's, betray you, plant bomb, Unai's arrival not seeing security helps/ atttacks you, etc....) I'd have to play with it a bit to see but I'm sure with a little testing you might be able to find something that works.



The list had it so you have to kill everyone on the list. While you can have the others in the arc, is it really necessary to have to kill all of them? I can see a controller having a tough go with this. I made a few suggestions up top about his mission.

I did want to say something here about "Being Evil". Being evil doesn't necessarily mean being ruthless. Doctor Doom just doesn't build a bomb to destroy New York just because he has the evil intention to kill Reed Richards. While he could do that, he has nothing against the people who live in New York. Plus it would cause a war with his homeland and America costing his people their lives at the same time. Despite his Evil intention, Doctor Doom is not about slaughtering people for the sheer hell of it.

This is what weakened your arc for me. There is no second thoughts for the "Hero". You follow Crimson's orders and the little you do question him, you still carry out the plans to a fault. There is no hesitation and there is no remorse. No feelings whatsoever. Even in that 9-11 tribute Marvel did for the WTC victims had Doctor Doom and Kingpin feeling sorry for the innocents lost for no reason whatsoever. And that is where the hero crosses the line and it no longer becomes about doing good but in achieving a goal. A goal which may not even yield the intended result as 100 things could go wrong.

Lots of potential..... now the challenge is making the arc live up to it.

Toon Choice: Hmmm.. I don't have many toons that will fit this but since there is a lot of warnings on this arc I'll follow my "Can't go wrong with a scrapper" Philosophy and bring out Vixen Foxfire, my lvl 50 MA/fire scrapper

Time to skip the spoilers:
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Mission one: The beginning dialog kinda freaks me out a bit because Crimson talks like he's just given up on everything. Real morbid. His request is simple: Kidnap Naylor. Ok, I can see how that fits into the "Do evil to do good" deal... sorta... I mean, he's a bad guy contact so there is some good in this. Not sure if bringing him in for questioning is evil but I go through the arachnos with no problem. It's a clear all and apparently I'm "Killing" them. Wow... Heroes do a lot for Crimson on a simple request. I "Pretend" kill them in my mind and haul them off to jail. After all, I'm a hero.

Mission two: Crimson goes to talk to Naylor while he sends me after a bomb because he needs one that isn't traceable. I guess his secret agent clearance doesn't cover major explosives. The opening text is "Sneak in or beat up everything" I smile. I'm a scrapper.... I'm beating up the first baddie before I even read the text. I grab the bomb and book to mission three.

Mission three: I'm off to crash a party and kill the guests... Wait, what? More killing? WTH. Crimson has got a real hard on for dead bodies as of late. It gets harder to "Pretend" as text of them choking on their own blood is dominant. And I'm using this excessive and deadly force as a distraction? I wonder what "Greater good" I'm doing by filling the graveyards in Paragon City but I trudge on.

Mission four: Now I'm being sent off to infect an arachnos computer with a virus to delete the information because Lord Recluse hasn't considered back up disks or advanced anti virus software. I smile as I think of Lord Recluses lap top going blank as he's downloading spider porn as I drop off the package. After all this, I'm dying to see what I am actually accomplishing.

Mission five: And the greater good is.... Blowing up the most advanced technological breakthroughs in all the world! What? I picture Crimson's eyes being taken over by madness as he describes his plan to kill 100s of lives, strand countless soldiers in alternate hostile dimensions, and basically leave us defenseless against the praetorians. You're kidding right Crimson? Guess not. I go through the mission thinking about all the others who are in the shadow shard.... Not just the soldiers but the Crey and the Nemesis. What stops them from still using this tech again? I feel slightly relieved that I get to save Uani and Tina but then they turn on me. I ditch them but the point is lost to me as the ending finds them both dead. Crimson continues on his thrill ride through psycho land and I leave as my toon needs a shower to wipe away all that blood on her hands to cripple the world.

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Final Review:

Originality: 1- I am struggling here as I want to rate it based on the potential it has should the whole "Doing evil for good" but it is what it is. The story isn't all too original. Some psycho who knows what's best for the world and instead just about destroys it. The surprise ending gets it the point as I didn't see it coming but then again, I'm not that surprised I didn't see it coming at all.

Story: 1- I can't see any hero doing these acts without stopping and looking at Crimson as a complete madman. Seriously, did Crimson just snap or what? While the dialog is pretty well thought out, there is no explanation on why he's decided to do this nor any clues to advance the story. Also, a couple of typos with mantis and crimson's dialog really were just icing on the cake.

Mission layout: 4: Everything was where it should be and the maps kept it a bit diverse. However the last map seemed to lack anything that made it feel like a major building was being assaulted. No security, hostages, Heroes to the rescue.... nothing. Hence the four.

Completion: 1- Way too many bosses and no allies. Plus there was no getting around fighting them. The warnings in the beginning are well justified,

Final Score: 7 (which is a D grade.) Just a bad bad concept. I don't blame him for struggling with this challenge as it was rather hard. As such and the challenge is over, I suggest rethinking the arc and perhaps changing it up a bit to make it more Heroic and less of a gore fest. I'm good for offering ideas should you want some help. And with that I'm outta here.

Have a Happy New Year everyone!!!

Toon Selection: Let's see... Magic based storyline needs a magic based toon. So onto my lvl 50 fire/ energy blaster Detective Brimstone.

Onto the spoilers: (Might want to scroll past the lines now)
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Mission one: I'm off to Croatoa where the Circle is trying to make a pact with Eochai. I'm not sure why they picked doing it by Jack in Iron's throne.... I mean, there are safer places you know? After dispensing with the Fir Bolgs I come across Sicarius who is talking about making slaves, having the hawks destroy the barriers, and betraying the betrayers. This seems a little much to just dump out there IMO. But a Beating later and I move onto...

Mission two: Off I go to destroy the barriers and.... wait. What? I reread the text and scratch my head. Ok, so we don't put two and two together here? The CoT want the barriers destroyed but yet we're going to destroy them. You'd think this aaron guy would question this.

So off I go to help the circle.. er, to "Close the mysterious rifts" in my smash first, analyze later mission and I come across some possessed Midnighters who instantly attack me. (No explanation on why the circle decided to possess them unfortunately.) I free the ally and then get attacked my more CoT. After frying some weeds, I move onto the final room where Derek's brother Garik is waiting for me. And man does he hit hard.... Good thing I have a dispensable shield..er, ALLY to take some hits. Heh.

That is until Gerik takes off flying to chase me and his brother is left in the dust. (Must have had different fathers since Derek walked everywhere) but he tells me that Derek is playing me for a fool and even Derek backs this up by informing me that he is with the hawks even before we meet his brother. I have one barrier left and I end up destroying it anyway because.... well, to see what would happen next. (Side note: Might want to have Gerik spawn AFTER the barriers have been completed)

Mission three: So after helping the circle take over the world, I went off to... The infirmary? Geez, what about Disney world? Ah well. So the Possessed Midnighters are being taken to the Zig and I'm off to break out Garik and beat up my ex-shield (Told you he was dispensable) Gerik broke himself out and left me alone to fight his brother. Brutal fight but I won. (Archmage Accolade FTW!) Before he "Dies" or whatever turned him into a skeletal mess, he hands me the keys I've been sent to find after Eochai tries to invade his mind.

Mission four: So now we have to rebuild the barriers I tore down when I was fighting what I was to perceived to be the Circle. My ally was knocked out in the beginning and just lied there injured. No big deal, I zip through the mish grabbing blinkies and searching for anyone to talk about anything else. Nope... Well, I fixed the barriers so now life is good right?

Mission five: Ugh... what do you mean that there were other teams establishing barriers elsewhere? I thought only I was destroying them? ok, so our new plan is to head into Oranbega and beat up there mage channeling the power while cutting off their access to the well of secrets. Allies not only help by fighting but also showing me what room the blinkies are in. (Which they are much better guides than warriors as it takes me a few minutes to beat down the first mage.)

Ending with me fixing my big bad and stranding two of the Un'See'lei's in my world. I go off for a beer (Which is the best MA reward yet) and life continues to normal.

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Final Review:

Originality: 3- Fairy stories using the seelies are rather rare. Before heading in, I was remembering all those white wolf games I played and while we had the ability to use fairies, we never did because there wasn't much use for them. To see them in the spotlight for a mission was rather different. However the overall plot really wasn't.

Story: 2- Yeah, I had some trouble following both in following the story and in it's implementation. Not to mention the constant arrival of customs really weren't helping. While the dialog was nice to read, it didn't help much when the missions came out.

Mission Layout: 4- In the final mission with the appearance of my allies was a cool feature. The only thing keeping this from a five was the meeting spot in the first map. It's just ackward at best as there are other maps that would have worked better.

Completion: 3- The Ally-less fight on the third mission might be problematic. Especially since the guy's main attack is full of KB. I had acrobatics to my advantage but KB protection might be a requirement to finish it.

Overall: 12 (Which is a C+ rank) Where the Text was nice, the first mission really hurt by just putting too much out there right off the bat. It wasn't much to make the leaps of logic needed to spoil the story and, ultimately, the enjoyment of the arc. I don't see me recommending this arc out though until it goes through some alterations.

Left you a message in your in box on how I think your story could be altered so it was more Arc'ish. Feel free to keep or delete whatever.

Toon Choice: An outer space arc? And I already burned through my Warshade. Well, Guess that means we go with my pure human Peacebringer Daystorm. Lvl 50 with IOs.

Spoiler alert between the lines........ but you should have known that by now ;P

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Mission One: Some strange energy source is found at the local pub with some good fried pickles. Must be a Hooters... >Ahem< Anyway, The Circle is on top of their game today as they get their first and capture the energy source forcing me to reclaim it in Oranbega. Through the trip I find random people but no energy source. But can we say Clues galore? Shredded ties keep my interest as I pound their leader into the dirt.

Mission Two: Returning back, I am not sure what to make of the Clue fest but find myself catapulted into another mission after it. (Noting the tricky wording from the second mish complete dialog and the third mission's open/ acceptance. Not bad mind you. just had to reread it to make sure I understood it.) I enter a lab to fight off Crey and rescue the same people... again. Needless to say my AE senses are tingling.....

Mission Three:...and they end up being accurate as the power source was what I was beginning to suspect. New crimefighters. Who discovered farming right away..... This must be Pre AE farming nerf. (joke there) So into the third mish I go to face Freakonaleash. Now if you're wondering why it's called that, then you don't listen to Korn much. Freak die quick enough and rez to die again. Beating Freaky gives me the clue to find the Tubeman.

Mission Four: I enter the mish and suddenly wonder if I displeased the AE gods as I stare down a Cryst. Which turned out just to be a destructible object (Thank you so much for the not needed scare) and One of the Supers (Blue Mountain) As I ventured forward smashing custom freaks with a smile, the seekers became gathered up and we head into the last room. One boss. I have 5. Cakewalk. And then I died. LOL. Hadn't considered the Ambush possibility. So I self rez and with the remaining 4 supers (Lens didn't make it) We defeated Fluxtube.

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Final Review:

Originality: 4- While the idea isn't new, the time spend to craft their costumes and the final bad guys was. Plus there was no clear ending to the arc as there could have been a betrayal or having to deal with powerless heroes. What holds this back from a five is I would have liked to have the heroes powers described in their bio.

Story: 4- Despite the tricky wording, I could follow the storyline. I understood what was going on and I didn't have any burning questions when it was all said and done. Plus there was some color splashes here and there. Nice!

Mission Layout: 5- Missions were laid out where I didn't miss anything. Different maps and different baddies again keeps my interest. Even in the last two missions where they came close to using the same baddies, there was a difference between them.

Playability/ Completion: 5- Standard foes through 75% of it and the custom foes weren't too over the top that I couldn't beat them with just about any of my toons. Simple, yet captivating. The only problem I might have had is the last mish might be too easy for some ATs. Perhaps the last boss needs more than one ambush wave.

Overall: 18 points (which makes this my first awarded A) Very nice. In other words: Try this Arc. This is yet another one that I'm going to mark down and offer to people. Hell, I might just play it again myself in the future for the fun of it.

Toon Choice: Oooh... Now I might have a problem. lol. While I have toons that far exceed this level, I want to play something similar to how a level 1-10 would feel as that's what this arc is targeting. I considered creating a new character but decided on a easier route. So I pulled out My level 50 Fortunata, switched to his alt build and leveled it only up to lvl 10. Since he had no enhancements and I barred myself from using more than 2 small inspers per mish, I figured this was close enough.

As always, skip to the final review to avoid any spoilers
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Mission One: So in our starter mission we go into a Arachnos base to root out a traitor.There isn't any action until you download the data from their comp and then the base goes to hell. Arachnos fighting arachnos. I watched as agents disposed of others and if the friendlies lost, I cleaned up the remains. (Hey, I may be evil but I'm not stupid.) The traitor Operative Birch got away (At the time I thought "name sounds familiar.... forget why though") and the mission ends

Mission Two: Now that we have Kalinda's trust, we get to move on to bigger things... and by bigger we mean snakes and Legacy. In this one, I received help in the form of snake allies. It was a nice change of pace from the first mission however other than the "Go here and do this" I wasn't really seeing where this was going.

Mission Three: Now we go from a snake hole to the sewers. The opening pop up of "Why do heroes go down in the stuff? Disgusting!" (Paraphrasing as I don't remember the exact words used) made me smile The little side mission of helping Dr. Creed was new. No amazing dialog or plot device other than that though.

Mission Four: Now we move on and next up we're against longbow as hunt down and expose a spy. Planting the bombs, as you beat up Long Bow on your way to find the hero. Who in herself is a rookie and willing sings like a canary. (Would have loved for her to beg for her life though. Even though it is implied, somehow it's like telling someone you love them as opposed to them just knowing. Just a little twisted thought.)

Mission Five: So as I get into the last mission, I have two thoughts going through my head. 1) These all seem like random events that don't seem to have any connections to anything. 2) Infected? He used the same baddies on two missions? Of course the infected were just bonuses to the vahzilok. I smile as I fight through them to another scientist who, after cowering from the infected and the Vahz... grows a set after finding a gun to help me beat them and the doctor.

So what was the point of all this. As I exited I looked to see if I picked up a clue somewhere and missed it. Nope. Alrighty then. So I talk to the contact and check for a souvenir and glory be I got one. That's when the truth about the arc comes out and I must admit, I never thought about it once.

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Final Review:

(Note; This arc was originally intended to be something else that he altered to be more VEAT related. However I feel it still caters just as much to the original intention as it does to the altered version and scores are based upon both)

Originality: 4- The story had me guessing on why I was doing all this random stuff. When I was thinking about this score through the mission, I was leaning towards a 2-3. Then the "Putting it together for you" in the souvenir really helped. Since it was from left field, I gave it the little extra as I never put it together. (Here comes the flames. lol)

Story:3- While the original idea was strong, lack of clues and low amounts of text hurt. Back in my reviews of the missions, I couldn't say much as most of the missions didn't have much to them. The only thing that saved this from a 2 was the Souvenir. However with very little work this score could be much better.

Mission Layout: 4- While the missions were clear with clear cut objectives, the order they came in felt a little jumbled. They just felt out of order really. But other than that the maps were diversified, the enemies just as much, and things made sense.

Playability/ Completion: 5- Seriously, I had my doubts on this. I was thinking that being a level 1-10 arc, I would find it too hard pre stamina and without my heavy duty powers I was so used to. Not to mention the 2 small insper and no enhancement rule I was adhering to. However allies made up where I was having difficulties and as such, made it very much solo able.

Overall: 16 points. (B+) A great mix of baddies and diversified maps made this one notice able. While that might not be something that matters to a VEAT who has already played and killed most of the things found on this arc, I'm sure new players would enjoy it by far. As such, I'm keeping track of this mission for the next time I meet one in CoV. Good job!

Toon Choice: Hmmm... tough call. Looking through my toons, the only one I saw that really fit this arc wasn't ready to head back out yet. So since I was expecting something unconventional by the short description, I went with something unconventional: Dark-Dweller, lvl 50 IO'd/Hami'd tri-form Warshade. Damage or damage resistance? I got my bases covered.

Again, to avoid the spoilers, slide on down past the two dotted lines for my final review

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Mission One: An arachnos raid on a longbow base. As I enter in I notice the fight started without me. Humorously, I watch as some 8-9 longbow tear apart the spider in front of me. Sweet! I'll just move onto the next.... Wait, what was that about a data link broken? Oh shi.... On instinct I shape change to dwarf and escape what would have been a 3 second death with about 10% of my life and surrounded by LB. After beating my way through the swamp, I am glad I picked this toon for this. Nothing else outstanding in this mission except the completion where Dietrich informs me that their labs can tell who's bullets were whose and raises suspicions.

Mission Two: As I enter in... Badge! Wait..wha...? I'm not sure if A.V. was supposed to be surrounded by baddies but he was waving at me. I find myself wondering if I'm supposed to question this guy cause he might be bad, then why am I following him into a fight? I await a double cross but instead end up against some random master mind. After cracking his head open to watch his brain mediport away (Which was cool btw) but then... More Arachnos! Joy!. I watch as random LB blast them down as I move in on their boss. Peculiar text offerings from him and a counter story from the guy I need to question. So we get to try to figure out who is telling the truth....

Mission Three: ....Except Dietrich has decided straight out that Livingston was the real mastermind. Jeez... Puts tons of weight in some guy who works for one of the highest villain organizations in Paragon City. Doesn't even try to back up her organization. I shrug as she concocts a plan to use an information gatherer to collect DNA evidence. Again, this device seems weak as DNA is one of those things that can be planted and seals can be forged. Ah well, I'll believe this guy is bad even though he's probably a victim. Some random Cop is waiting to help you fight off some Knives. no reason he's there except to help you.

Mission Four: Finds me heading into another raided LB base being raided by Arachnos. Livingston's Double Cross happened to his men. not sure why exactly. Dietrich claims he was throwing them under the bus to escape with his own hide but really? If I was being hunted by LB and arachnos, I wouldn't be so quick to cut loose any help I had. I get some encrypted info, not sure why it was important except to tell my Kobushi got his pink slip. Not sure why I should care as I still am thinking there is a twist coming to prove Livingston's innocence.

Mission Five: I'm beginning to feel slightly bogged by this story as it's just not all too exciting. Just then I spot Custom Baddies!!! WOOT!! Now we're talking. I head into the baddies and watch as on drops robots. Heh, more Masterminds to Mire. I like.... Wait, How'd I die? I come back in and slow my pace down. That's when I realize that even though the customs look alike, the powers are different. The other is a Kin/ elec with Siphon speed and Transference. UGH! I change to Squid and fire from afar. I find Kobushi and with Dietrich's help, I get him to a med center while I overlook the next mob with Dietrich BEING HELD CAPTIVE IN IT. Wow, Longbow have some really impressive training.

oh, and Dietrich's help? After she got me killed once and watched me die once, I decided she was expendable. (Facing down a gunslinger boss with a MM and an kin/elec and Dietrich pulled over a second mob by chasing the gunslinger. The deflection shield was just freaking icing on my debt cake.) After she died, I beat up Livingston in an epic slow *** cat chasing a slower *** mouse. (Leaving Dwarf form at this point probably would have gotten me killed as he had KB and he kept running) and it ends with him being the real bad guy anyway. If that wasn't enough of a surprise, Kobushi got away! The real surprise was Dietrich having a heart and helping him out.

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Final Review:

Originality: 2- Unfortunately this is all basic plot stuff here. I hate to say it but nothing was surprising in it. The custom helped.... but not much.

Story: 3- Very well written. I could follow everything rather clearly. The only thing is I can overlook the random villain and get over it as just a random event. The Ally in mish three had totally lost me.

Mission Layout: 4- All the missions made sense. The one thing that kept this from being a 5 is discussed in Mission Five with the blinkie. It needs to be moved for a flawless 5.

Playability/ Completion: 1- I'm sorry, but this was just over the top. I cannot see a defender, controller, dominator, MM, or even a blaster/ Corruptor finishing this without dying a few times. Between the Arachnos and LB swarms, the customs were just too much. Give me the standard Sappers any day.

Overall: 10 out of 20 (Which is a C) Now I want to confess something. Entering this arc, I was leaning towards being a little biased. Venture dedicates his time and energy to play other's arc on a semi regular basis and I wanted to give him a good review here. I REALLY did. Except I promised to be HONEST with my opinions. And HONESTLY, I would not play this arc or recommend it out as it was just too ho hum and brutal.

To Venture, Thank you for all you do but I just can't get behind this one at all. Sorry.

My toon choice of play for this Arc: Eternal Esper, a level 50 archery/ mental blaster. While not completely IO'd out, I wanted to play a female for the arc and she hasn't been out and about for a bit.

For those who want to bypass the details to avoid any spoilers, don't read between the lines. Just skip to Final review at the bottom.

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Mission 1: Ok, So I start off the arc and the beginning was intriguing. You start off with a dancing figure who is made of flames and can teleport you to the missions. The goal in the first mission was to put out the burning Arachnos building. While it was a fun little foray, it left a few plot holes. I had hoped that these would be covered later but they weren't. (Some things I was thinking: Why are they attacking this base? Who is the fire marshal woman? What was the flame that suddenly appeared to lead me here?)

Mission 2: Wasn't completely a mission per say. You wondered around and looked at clues. (Note: One of the clues seemed to have the wrong navigation. I had "wasn't there an Odd painting" and I clicked a bulletin board to clear it) While the idea was the women were checking you out to join them, You were checking them out. This mission made me happy that I picked a female toon as none of my Male's would consider to join the Matchstick WOMEN.

Mission 3: Takes place in Steel Canyon as the Matchstick women look to gain new recruits. Unfortunately I failed to find the two allies on this map before clearing it. However, the map wasn't hard to beat. However, more minor plot holes appeared and I felt like I had missed something. (Examples: The woman I beat up in the first mission suddenly decides I'm her friend even though I beat her and showed up where these women did. Also, the woman scared of fire was not only broken of her fear but isn't afraid of her powers. I also think when you beat the Matchstick collector talks as if she wishes to turn on the cult but yet she still fights you til the end)

Mission 4: Final showdown with Emily. Beat me once due to running out of BFs and being immobilized (Side note, CJ needed next respec). Second time around, I was able to outgun her. However, with the building crashing down around you, I wasn't too clear on why it was collapsing. I also didn't understand why it was you couldn't save her. In the end the flame that led you around vanished. Nice souvenir but didn't answer any of my questions.

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FINAL REVIEW

Orginality: 4- The Matchstick Cult were an awesome concept however I kept thinking their tailor was Constrictor from Marvel Comics. (Wikipedia it if you don't know what I mean) I would consider some costume tweeks.

Story: 2- Where the concept was original, I felt the story let itself down. Too many unanswered questions at the end. While the clues were awesome, most just added flavor and didn't clear up anything that was happening.

Mission Layout 4- The only problem I had here was possibly the first mission's map choice. I didn't understand it at all. Maybe I might have missed something here but since the reason for the choice wasn't covered it in the souvenir then I had to deduct the point for it.

Playability /Completion 4- While I can see a defender finishing this, you would need to bring along inspers to deal with the choking matchsticks. Plus the end boss might be hard to beat so I would make sure you have your boss option turned off. Nothing was impossible in the arc, just need to come in well prepared.

So, final score 14 points out of 20 (B) While I would recommend this arc to fellow AE'rs, I would not recommend it to anyone without a few AE missions under their belt.

Am I looking at a different build or something? I see the recovery to be 2.67, not 4%

Thanks for clearing up that bug problem. Just wondering, Does Build up even affect LR or SC? Somewhere I think I read that they were pet powers.

I do like the build but I'm actually debating now if I want to drop Build up for Havoc Punch as I am actually used to having 5 attack powers (Not counting LR or SC) for anything that doesn't die right away.

Unfortunately Stoney's unofficial update isn't allowing me to open this build. Would you mind modifying the post and including the numbers? Otherwise, I'd have to make the build from scratch to see what the differences are. Thanks.

I'll be IO'ing him out at level 50 and that's what I want to be excited about. What he can do at level 50. Everything else that becomes before is just paying dues to get that "Awesome sauce" I've gotten an SR scrapper to 50 and a fire armor one to 50 and I sometimes have difficulty with the fire armor one as the "Armor" part of it feels non-existent. (BTW, Castle, if you ever read this: YES, Fire armor needs a buff.)

Played a DM tank to 50... I seriously dislike DM. Maybe if they customize the look I could get into it but that's a ways away.

Seriously, Finding something that I am less than thrilled with is something I hate happening to me. I've had that happen 3 times and they were all in their mid 20s BEFORE they adjusted the XP curve the first time around like 3 issues ago.

Agreed, I need to have a look and a name before I even consider the powersets. And having 3 scrappers at 50 and 2 at 30+, I know how great they become especially with IOs. However, with that said, I like to get some of the forums opinions. Sometimes they say something that makes me take a second look at certain powers/ powersets.