Ukaserex

Bronze does win, in my opinion. At least it did before converters - though I don't think anyone is going to waste a conversion on most of the recipes that drop from AE reward rolls.

The reason why Bronze wins is because of the ticket cost. Only 60 tickets as opposed to...525? So, the odds of getting 1 good one out of 8 or 9 recipes is fair. Most are junk, but when you get a steadfast res/def or kb procs, they make it worth it. As do Stun Manipulators and Rectified Reticles. (check the market, no telling what's worth what now)

http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Recipe_Drop_Pools

There's a link if you're wanting to get some stuff for your toons.

All of the DA story arcs are available via ouro, assuming you've done them already.

My poor blaster had to redo sister solaris's arc because I figured I'd take the assistance. (and lost out on the badge because of it.)

heh, it was a lot easier the second time around with that extra nuke.

Welcome back.

Different leaders have different leadership styles. When you use the lfg queue system to get into a trial - you really have no idea what the league composition will be until you zone into the mission map.

Because of this, whoever has the league star is really just the one who happened to zone in first. They may or may not have any better idea of what to do than you do.

Yes, by all means review the guides.
http://na.cityofheroes.com/en/news/g...ound_guide.php

This was one of the guides I looked at for the ugt - which is probably the easiest iTrial to get lost in.

There's no substitute for Paragon Wiki, but the link above gives details that are usually omitted for the sake of brevity.

If you find yourself on Liberty, come to our MoUGT runs on Sunday nights. I'm pretty sure I have a macro to answer almost any question you may have. (about the trial)

Thanks for the guide.

But, a correction, if I may.

Based on what you said about the Red Fortunes and LotG's being the only level 50 defense sets, I thought it might be interesting to see if I could convert from Adjusted Targeting to Gaussian's.

I got a Dark Watcher's Despair To Hit Debuff.

Curious, I tried to see if I could convert a smashing haymaker (caps at 35) into a kin combat.
I got an oblit instead. (not complaining about that, lol)

So, I'd be real careful with the category type conversions.
At least until we know a bit more about what all is included in each category.

I find myself asking the same question sometimes. Especially when I roll an alt and not doing incarnate content.

But, I think whether one stays vip or not hinges primarily on a few things.

1. Server slots. Whether vip or not, anyone would use up more than 2 slots. I dunno how a freebie can get by with just 2.

2. Incarnate content. Beating on a bar of hp is simplistic. There's absolutely nothing challenging about any of the content prior to incarnate stuff. Even at +4, it's just a question of kill the npc before it kills you. There are no obstacles, nothing special about it, not when compared to the MoM or UGT.

3. Limitations - As VIP, there's nothing you're not allowed to play. You get everything. You don't have to deal with not being able to team with friends because they're vip and you're not and they felt like running some DA arcs.

Like the others have said, it's up to you. Maybe it would be worth your while to drop to premium for a month and see if you miss being VIP. You can always resub.

I'm inclined to agree, at least in part with TopDoc's assessment about the Super Packs.

What else would most of the vet players do with all those reward merits anyway? I'm just glad that I didn't speculate at all - except to buy some celerity run's and ends, steadfast res/ends, kin combat procs and end/recharges from resist damage sets.

Just for kicks, I did get quite lucky my first couple of conversions with PvP IOs. I bought two javelins for 60 million each. It took me ONE conversion for each to turn one into a panacea and the other into a glad armor. Then, 3 converters to turn the panacea into the proc, and the glad into the 3%def. This was undoubtedly best case scenario. Because it was so easy, I tried again and blew 540 reward merits (54 converters ) to turn a third javelin into a 2nd glad proc. That one should be easily sold for 300m - at least I think so. If not, I'll toss it into one toon or another.

I realize that some of our better marketers might be a bit upset about the reward merit only option - but I think that this is a good thing. At least, it will be in the long run. With fewer reward merits available - it won't be too long before the next alt for a player will need those 5 lotg 7.5% - and that player won't have many reward merits left. Eventually, those prices will creep upward. Not as much as they used to be, I wouldn't think, but they will get higher.

Those of you with untold billions of inf - relax, take your shoes off and set a spell. Patience is a virtue. Just like Dow Jones - some prices go up, some go down, some stay the same. But, like any economy, when the government prints more money without gold to back it, there is inflation. And you may be assured - they will print more money. (figuratively speaking)

Zombie, that's a pretty cool illustration. Thanks!

But, I guess dinging at an MSR is probably going to obscure most graphics regardless.

When you buy a set of, say, Reactive Armor and slot it at 17, there are some discrepencies between the ones you get from Wentworth's and the Paragon Store.

If I buy from the paragon market, I can slot them and I keep those bonuses and the effectiveness of that set increases as I level.

This is not the case with the ones bought from Wentworths. Yes, of course, someone pays real world currency, they should have something better than something bought with game currency, shouldn't they?

Is it "pay to win"? I would say that would all depend on your definition of "win".
I can either buy unslotters, and spend in game currency on level 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 reactive armors (and then pass the ones I'm not using to my enhancement storage bin until the next lowbie needs them) or buy multiple sets of reactive armors from the store.

Currently, they're 400 points for the four that I typically slot. I can forgo Super Packs, and buy a set each month, or buy a few packs, maybe sell what I ATOs I can and maybe buy the IOs I want.

Either way, I can use real world cash to get what I want, or I can use in game inf. One way is easy and convenient. The other way is a chore, to be sure.

In the end, though, it all depends on what your definition of Win.

4 MSRs
2 UGTs
4 Moonfires
1 Katie Hannon TF
4 Croatoan story arcs
3 Council Empire Maps
2 Drecks Map
1 Goldside (level 1) to Blueside (level 21)
4 DFBs
4 Spelunker Missions
1 Serpent Drummer Story Arc
1 Midnighter Story Arc
1 Leventera Story Arc

Hey, in my mind, if you're VIP, you send a petition, the GM should totally respawn Jack for you.

Acknowledged, some may feel there are some entitlement issues here.
Also, patience is a virtue. There are probably another couple of Jacks running around as well, or would be within 5-10 minutes.

But, yeah, it gets a little wearisome when patient, polite and well meaning people suggest that the player base shouldn't expect service because "these things happen".

So what. If it happens, fix it. If the gms don't want to fix it, they can complain to their bosses and maybe these problems will start to be addressed.

I'm looking forward to reading what the math gurus tell you. Without looking it up, my gut says that you can skip one of the 6 in any set and go with the proc - but dam/rec is not the one to skip.

If noone else has chimed in, I'll take a peek at it on Tuesday. (hey, it's 2xp! I got work to do!)

After this weekend, I'm sure most of us have seen this effect a good bit.

But, it occurs to me that when you level 50, there's really nothing different about the fx. Just like any other level.

Typically, we say "grats" or cg, or some silly spelled out version of the same sentiment. But, in this day and age, leveling is faster and easier. There's really nothing to be congratulated for, except, maybe turning 50.

I'd like to see a different kind of graphic when a toon levels 50.
In the midst of an msr, if someone dings 50, I think the whole league should know it. I don't care what it looks like, (as long as it's not another cutscene) I just think it should be different from the rest of the other levels.

I just want there to be more incentive for the f2p player to subscribe.

Withhold badges or something more significant. It's trite, but I'm tier 9 and the only reason I subscribe is the incarnate goodies. But, most f2pers don't miss what they don't know. They've very little incentive to buy the cow with all the free milk being given away.

I think someone who forms iTrials (or anything else)conflicting with a scheduled event is not necessarily a griefer - that term is a little too loose for my tastes, although that action did cause me grief. On that evening, because of the lack of attendance, the start time for the next scheduled event (MoUGT) was tough to pin down. There was never a set time for the MoUGT, it was always after the raid. In this specific context, I knew I couldn't do a trial - because I was supposed to lead the raid. When I saw insufficient numbers for the MSR, I had to find something else to do. As the raid typically lasts 40 minutes once it starts, I popped into pocket D 40 minutes later to join it, only to read/hear that an MSR had formed - presumably after the MoDD trials.

So, once again, the players had choices and they chose non-scheduled events both times. That's fine. That frees my time up tremendously. So, I see no point in my scheduling events in the future. I've no way of knowing when the new "shiny" that is issue 22 will fade away. For me, it was 2 days after it hit live.

To sum up - and simplify - I'm not leading because obviously people want to do other things than the scheduled events.

I am pleased that the players have choices. I made as many excuses/reasons in my head about why folks would form PUGs 10 minutes prior to the msr scheduled to form. As I stated earlier - not everyone likes to do MSRs. And if they don't, I certainly don't have the right to tell them they can't form up an iTrial.

I think the server just had a little hiccup in the routine. I just don't know how long it will last. I just know I'm not going to try and form an event and waste the time of everyone who joins the league only to cancel it because of insufficient support.

Pen and paper rpg? You mean like..D&D? That game even exist today with all these computer games available?

Honestly? I think they're still thinking about how to handle it.

On the one hand, people have bought them - and for reasons of their own, are expecting what they bought to not change.

On the other hand, the "anti-pay to win" crowd have issues with them being better than the in-game drop/buy for merit version.

And, now that I know what "power creep" is, I can use it in a sentence! They have to be sure leaving it as is (and possibly upgrading the in game drop/buy version to make it equivalent) won't take things out of balance.

I don't think they are going to rush in with a fix. They'll probably take a peek at some data and then come to a conclusion one way or another.

I think a lot will depend on what you are including in your total earned inf for that hour.


But, I think that with 7 different characters, you could very easily earn 1 alignment merit each day, but it would only take about 6 to 10 minutes, depending on your travel power and load speed. It would be boring, but it certainly can be done.

Just remember, there is no wrong way to make inf - just so long as you're not taking something for nothing.

Hi. Pretty sure none of you know me, but I felt like giving some insight and possibly some advice.

The most precious resource any gamer has is time. We can't accumulate it. When it's gone, hey, it's gone. If you're a trial leader, the needs of the league must be taken into consideration.

Part of the reason UGT is so lengthy is the time it takes some leagues with unshifted toons to defeat the many mobs along the way to the Avatar. The time difference between a league of mostly shifted toons and a league with more than 4 or 5 unshifted can differ by as much as 20 minutes. I've led the trial on my server countless times, so I think I have a good grasp of what goes on. Fortunately in UGT, Desdemona and her pets are really what win or lose this fight. You keep her unconfused, and you will likely win. If whoever has Desdemona does not lead Des in to fight, you're going to have an incredibly long fight. I would say Des does 80-90% of the damage to the Avatar. (but, I could be wrong)

Even more important than level shifts is player experience. I would rather have someone who has done several MoM trials successfully (on an alt) bring their unshifted scrapper than a +3 scrapper who's never done the trial.

Additionally, if you can solicit agreements that those who are unshifted continue to do the same trials while you bring your lowbies, it becomes far easier to stomach someone bringing the "lowbie 50". Because, eventually, those people will get their +3.

If you are going for an MoTrial, I don't think anyone can really hold a grudge for asking for level shifted toons. But, if it's just a regular trial, it is up to each leader, and player to weigh the percieved chances of success. If you stay on a team that looks weak, if it fails, it's just as much your fault as the folks who weren't shifted. You had a chance to voice your reservations before the queue. (most of the time, anyway)

As mentioned before, a lot of players don't have the time that an unemployed fellow like me might have. They play a few hours a week - and those hours are probably off-peak, so they don't get to take their 50's to the msr and get 4 or 5 shards every Friday and Sunday. (or whenever your fine server may have them) They can't run a Lambda, MoM, DD, Keyes, UGT, TPN and BAF all in the same session. They may not have the cash to get Super Packs with their zillions of windfall temp powers that increase shard drops. Heck, I suspect that half the playerbase still doesn't even know what a superpack is, or that you can't get to Dark Astoria through Talos anymore. The idea of telling a casual gamer that they can't come along on the one 45 minute play session they have is kind of unsavory.

Yet, what the other players? The ones that have put the time in - in my case, none of my 50's touch foot in a trial until they're +1. This is not because it's not allowed by my fellow players, but because I want to be as capable as I can be. Is it fair for me to expect others to think and feel and act the same way I do? If I'm not paying their sub, I'd say no.

Yet, as a leader, I have other players to consider. Suppose two players have only a 45 minute window to play in? One is shifted from converting a vast amount of notices into threads, when the eden trial was the weekly. (and don't we all know that trial can be done in 15 minutes? ) The other is just doing what they can when they can. Is it fair for the unshifted to put their wants/needs for incarnate salvage and iXP against the other player who also only has a limited time?

I think if you ask 100 different people, you'll get 100 different responses.

For me, the only true objection I have is to those players who, when they get +3, stop bringing that toon out and start bringing their unshifted toons again, but are unwilling to switch.


However, the idea of placing a progression throttle for those that can't log in isn't horrible. They have patrol xp, why not patrol iXP?

Just my opinions, I could be wrong.

I think a lot depends on what level your farming at. If you're farming at level 50, hands down, it's going to be */fire/* brute.

However, as much as footstomp is used for an extra AoE at 50, even in AE fire maps, my SS/FA brute (level locked at 35) has to continually stay on top of the endurance issues. Kill speed is okay, but I honestly think Fire Sword Circle is better than Footstomp.

Given the recent AE nerfs, you can't really get close to ticket cap before the rage crash, have to suffer through a couple of the crashes. Given that, for me, fire/fire is better. (at level 35)

But, what's really better in my mind is the fire/fire tank at 35.
True, there's no fury, but there is more survivablility and bruising. It's pretty much mindless with the tank. No need to watch end, yet for some reason, on the brute, I do.

Again, depends on what you're farming, and a few other factors. Overall, I like fire/fire the best.

It's all yours, AV. I initially took over hosting the raid because noone that was on at the time @noyjitat seemed to want to do it. Believe me, I would have much preferred to have someone else lead so I could get my level 49 earth/cold Controller those last few bars.

As for the time change - my computer corrected the time for me, it was a change I was completely unaware of. That could certainly have made an impact on things.

I'm sorry-- "power creep"? Is that anything like a shifty stalker? Not familiar with those two words used together.


Personally, I don't have a problem with the change to the proc per minute change, but I think it's bad form to change it, offer it in the store while the in-game version is different. Undoubtedly, they will either boost the one in game to match the one in store and risk the "balance" of some powersets - adjust the one in the store to match the one in game and irritate those who bought them in bulk. Alternatively, they could change both to a third alternative.
Either way, someone will get upset. I know I did, because if I'm leveling up now and am able to manage my end issues - which are still there, later, when I exemp to an adjusted/changed proc, it will likely create some problems with my attack chain. And then I'll have to respec. or spend a good bit more time on mids and use up some unslotters to make some changes for the change they will make.
I honestly don't put much thought into our enhancements being "too" powerful. The integrity of balance between a tanks higher hitpoints and the brutes higher dps isn't lost completely on me, but the damage dealt by an attack, the endurance that attack used, the recharge rate all coupled in with the base endurance recovery rate is a bit more complicated than I want to think about.
All I can say is it is the way it is. I'll have to adjust accordingly or not.