VashNKnives

I’ve been thinking about what I’d love to see if I ran normal missions set to incarnate (listed below) What are you thinking?

1) Enemies should have adaptive tech like the trials. The incarnates running the mission need a bit of a scare every now and again.

2) We should have an incentive to keep taking fully +whatever incarnates on these missions, e.g. higher drop rate for purples, mission complete = astral, story arc complete = empyrean.

3) Threads/shards should drop from defeated enemies. Trials should still drop more, faster.

4) We should be able to use all our incarnate powers.

5) The same debuff that hits non-slotted characters when they try to run Apex/Tin Mage should apply to keep it special.

6) If new stories are written to go with the setting. Content should range all zones and timelines. It should be epic.

I know this is a suggestion that the devs have acknowledged as a possibility (i.e. not my idea), I am just thinking, beyond just ramping everything we fight up a few levels and letting us blow stuff up, what do we really want from an incarnate mission setting?

I really like flashy and as such I don't have a single willpower main yet However, some of my selections were just sooooo right that I geek out sometimes when I play them (in order):

1) arch/fire/mace blaster = standing in a flaming battlefield I slowly point my bow up into the sky to rain a devastating amount of firepower on the squirming enemies that surround me. Right now, the pure style of this sentiment just gets me Just like my old kat/dark and bs/electric scrappers still pull me into the game with their big attacks... arch/fire is just bigger and more WOW!

2) rad/mm/mace blaster = this hovering bubble of doom flies straight to the middle of enemy groups to unleash all sorts of colorful beams/explosions. Bright colors FTW!

3) plant/fire/fire dom = plant it, nurture it, kill with it, burn it down, start over Write a nifty Daft Punk song while you're at it

4) earth/storm/fire troller = people have actually complained about being blinded by all the crazy fun this combo brings.

5) electric melee/shield defense = BOOM! Here comes the BOOM! I only have a couple different elects/ and /shields, but not this combo. However, lightning rod and shield charge together make you a rolling weapon of mass destruction. Who's not going to notice that? You may actually end up being a little annoying, especially to those using toggle debuffs :P

So I don't just go into my favorite combos, I'll just list some big "flashy" sets I've played:
energy blast
dual blades
dark/storm
crab spider
spines
dual pistols
illusion
warshade
peacebringer
traps
fire blast
masterminds
gravity

Well, since I'm a big fan of using my melee attacks on blasters while dodging ranged attacks, here is a decent build for an energy/energy/scorp. This build has softcapped smash/lethal/range (very close)/energy defense along with some room to wiggle in a little more defense or some better slotting. I also just like the ease of use for Explosive Blast instead of Torrent but you can switch those interchangably without affecting the defense numbers. You'll also see spiderlings and stun to stack with Total Focus/etc. Now, a few caveats:

1) I've never played an energy/energy, and slotting is a bit to taste
2) I'm a huge fan of the blaster Scorpion patron
3) While I don't slot PVP I/O's or expensive purples, I did add some semi-expensive sets.
4) I consider the Alpha Slot an easily obtainable lvl 50 buff, but other incarnate powers, such as Destiny's Clarion, a long term goal. Therefore, make sure you turn on incarnate once you open the build (along with accolades).
5) I took out hasten, but since you have so many attacks and presumably not soloing pylons and AVs, I figure something is recharged that is worth using almost all the time.

http://www.cohplanner.com/mids/downl...52F11F6ED3FCF2

And another one just in case Power Boost and a fully slotted Aid Self are your preferance (fully softcapped to range also):
http://www.cohplanner.com/mids/downl...C0FA3FFD62F3F9

I've teamed with some of the people posting in this thread, including DrGemini, and while I can't say that I regular any of your groups, I've found that if you frequent the forums you're likely atleast decent at playing the game. In other words, DrGemini runs good teams, probably like you and like me (although I can't seem to be bothered with that much anymore). I hate it when we act like usual MMO forumers and instantly seek out fault in one another. I thought it obvious that DrGemini's post was about frustration. However, maybe he'd do better finding a different outlet for his grumblings (like I have with my wife :P) since posting these things here is like preaching to a very easily aggravated choir.

Anyway, thanks DrGemini and others here who add that human element that makes MMOs, especially CoH, so entertaining, and hopefully someday I'll have enough time to join one of your +4 Shadow Shard TFs.

Being manipulated and forced ARE two different things. The devs have every right to create both in thier game. As players, we choose to abide by both, some, or none. However, you can only pull a rubber band so tight before it snaps. There are some who feel that the rubber band is too tight for them and are becoming burnt-out. Of course the devs don't want to risk losing business. The players are manipulating the devs, but the devs can choose who to listen to or can they? I'm sure the devs ARE forced by someone or somegroup.

Anyway, choices are great! However, everyone wants their cake and they want to eat it, too. If that is your choice, then you are forced to go for it since it may not just come to your mouth. Manipulating me in pursuit of my cake makes me think of other options. I just don't want to lose my taste for the cake.

With all due respect to the great forum names in this thread. As a vet player myself, I appreciate the positive responses and direction to Positron's post rather than responding with "you're wrong" or "don't worry about it" or "just play differently".

Personally, I'm waiting on the dev's post. I want a reason to play the numerous 50 incarnates that I have. As a test of the new trials, I wanted to take one of my most powerful/vicious characters (a heavily I/O'd arch/fire/scorp blaster) through to the tier 4 stage before working on any other characters. The reason that I didn't play my other incarnates was that the system didn't apparently have a time release mechanism to it like the weekly strike targets except for the empyrean merits. To make matters worse, I got a very rare and some rares within the first few times I ran the trials.

My faulty thinking was reinforced and I went into gold rush/gambling mode of "I'll play the trials again, next time I can get the very rare". I no longer wanted to do other things in the game.

I've been stuck getting uncommons (in the upper 30s) and commons for weeks now if I play with my league. Rares have dropped for me if I play against my leagues, and I'd hazard a guess that if I were willing to play against my league some more I'd get very rares.

Now that I know the system is under review and may change in some way, I've stopped to take a breath. I cringe knowing my current level 20 something's have been collecting dust as are my other 50s. This game has always been about alts to me, but I won't try to grind that many alts through those 2 trials unless a significant change is made to the rewards. That breaks the end game for me and probably others.

Anyway, thank goodness the dev's listen to their customers. I'm also hoping for a fix to the current participation system and an incarnate level to each existing level 50 taskforce or any reason not to have to do these two trials adnausium. I also want a reason to do the Tinmage/Apex taskforces, as I really like those two.

I will say that on my perma-eclipse warshade I sometimes feel very squishy compared to my scrappers, brute, stalker, widows.... and even my trollers, dominators, and corruptors.... Therefore, if I could figure out a high recharge build with decent power slotting and decent defense numbers I would go after it in a heartbeat.

The difference is that almost all of those main I/O'd characters have softcapped defenses + their own tricks and my warshade is pure resistance with no mez protection, slow resistance, or endurance drain protection and middle of the road HP. Then you get hit with things like:

"I can't stay in dwarf b/c I have no end but I can't get end b/c I have no breakfrees and I can't get breakfrees b/c I can't kill anything without end while being held"
or
"I see you and I'm going to really kill you if my darn attacks would recharge... or that hold you keep spewing at me would finally miss and I could switch to another form"

Also, the warshade is an AoE monster, drawing alot of return fire quickly, and 15%+15%+15%+15%.... starts adding up quickly whereas 100%+miss+miss+miss+dodge+.... gives you time to do nasty things.

All that said, I like the warshade AT and can't wait to see what incarnate content will do for the AT and I'll keep looking for a decent +rech/+defense build that isn't a boatload of purples and pvp I/Os.

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=243802

I'm very glad for this. However, I would also love zone events for other major groups in the game. "Uh oh, the Freakshow have taken their mechanical ambitions too far this time!", "This just in! All citizens are being psychically controlled by the Carnival of Shadows!"(Imagine even Carnie cars on the street and tents popping up places), "The Circle of Thorns have opened demon portals everywhere!", "Stop the Malta snipers... and giant robots... and tanks... and MISSILES!", etc.

They shouldn't be all the time, but varied and often enough that these groups would be worthy of their elite status. After all, the life of a citizen in cities full of super-powered beings is not without its risks... and times are never dull. Villians: "Muahhahahaha.... <insert plan to take over the world>"

A rogue isle taskforce that allows the players to hire/control/Architect-style build a certain faction to begin his or her or its plan to assimilate/destroy/control/rule the world would be even neater! I know that this would probably require new tech though.

Inherent stamina is great to me because I look forward to slotting challenges. I think purples will become even more valuable because of the higher percentage enhancement that they provide. I think I will want to take sleep and snipe powers and devote slots for the cheaper bonuses, and then add a purple or 3 to my main powers to maintain nice numbers.

My wife, who doesn’t play as much as me is also excited but for a different reason. She HATES toggle dropping. The game to her is about running around and blasting or defending, not endurance management. Her interest in the game wanes terribly as she struggles to maintain her toggles through the lower levels.

As a veteran player, I have characters without stamina. I can use my knowledge of I/Os, recharge, Mids’, power selection, and what damage resistance/mez toggles I should run to maintain the delicate balance of certain stamina-less builds. HOWEVER, even with that knowledge, I find stamina a requirement to enjoy the game for most of my characters.

I was playing on Freedom and decided to log in another Freedom character to get a couple badges and now I can't get back in on any Freedom character I've tried, including the one I was on originally. Hoping this is fixed soonish.

Apparently he already had to change his name and costume:

I've played all of the corruptor primaries and secondaries, and the only powerset that I just don't like in most circumstances is /sonic resonance. Now THAT is a set that brings little special to the table. In fact, it may make the team like you even less (ugly colored/KB/headaches).

As for the traps debate, I'll say that I loved my traps much more before the rightful bug fix that was the poison trap nerf. You can still do insane things on a cheaply I/O'd trapper, but most of the set combos can do as much with as much effort. I prefer my /cold, /dark, and /storm now more. I'd just recommend to look for synergies between sets, playstyles, and potential I/O'd final builds if someone looking to make a corruptor asked.

It would be really nice if eventually you could level all the way up to 50 or Incarnate in Praetoria. The often clamored for Space and Underwater Zones would be nice fits there, maybe even as active war zones like the Rikti Warzone.

I checked and my build is only close to soft-capped to ranged damage (like 44.8% or something similar). I chose a very inexpensive route to slot, but it is still a very fun build. However, any +recharge you can add is sweet icing to this otherwise tough troller.

I have one of these in the upper 40s and its been great fun. The -def -res in the cold powers helps the imps hit and hit harder, and the shields, slows, knockdown, and arctic air keep them alive longer. I added aidself and aidother to further boost survivability.

I/O to flavor and you have a fun character. I think my current build is softcapped at range and AoE. I use bonfire for melee timeouts. Added recharge is also very nice in this build, as heatloss is a very nice power. Endurance was a pain until I got heatloss, but then again, I spam the AoE immob like crazy and I like ninja run.

I just have ice breath and ice storm left to pick up. I use sands of mu and nemesis staff often since they hit reliably with the -def powers. I also use keybinds for my shields so that keeping up with them isn't much of a bother on large teams.

cold dom characters really have something for almost any situation. Trollers can make the shields atleast somewhat useful solo. /cold trollers are a great jack-of-all-trades addition for any team.

This change got me to play my PVE specced elect/nin stalker in Virtue's RV tonight. I know I'm not that great and I knew I'd die alot, but I knew I'd have plenty of chances to get back out there and learn. I did learn a few tricks and most of all, how to better follow the leader's calls. There were many players on both sides and teams were full and pretty balanced, both in skill and numbers. I even got a PvP I/O drop - glad armor res/rech.

I'll definately be bringing some of my other I/O'd characters to PvP zones now, especially if they are as packed as it was tonight =D And, hey, if nothing else, I'm good veng bait =P

Nice guide! My kat/dark actually usurped my main at the time and became my new main hero, still getting regular play well after I hit 50 with it. Wonderfully powerful with I/Os, I can race the tanks and brutes to the next spawn without worry and decimate mobs very very fast. I built for end recovery, recharge, accuracy, hitpoints, and regen I/O bonuses.

Like you, I feel sting of the wasp, divine avalanche, lotus drops, soaring dragon, and golden dragonfly are the only needed attacks from the primary and do not really desire cloak of fear from my secondary. Unlike you I chose the body mastery pool for focused accuracy, because I still felt I was missing too much and hate -perception, conserve power because I run hot and non-stop without wanting to worry about de/retoggling, and energy torrent because this attack adds even more really nice knockdown mitigation and AoE damage and I think looks good.

This really is a powerful set combination that allows for personal preference and playstyle. I am glad you took the time to write about it.

Don't feel bad Bonebaby, I did that also.

All right, so I'm new to the whole PVP thing, but seems to me that since stalkers have a great ambush power there should be a hero hunting them. Trying to prevent the "ganking". This would be the stalker AT's nemesis, like in the comics. Batman would figure out Jokers plans ASAP, Superman would investigate Lex's plans ASAP, etc. So in CoH whoever is the Stalker AT's nemesis would have an inherent ability to see that AT without special devices or powers, because it's one of the major reasons they exist as heroes (to counter that type of supervillian).

I don't see any problems with this, while the Stalkers are out there stalking and still ganking players. They have to watch their backs and be prepared for a real fight if there nemesis shows up. It'll give PVPers a good guy AT to play solo that will surely lead to epic battles or to just help out their team as a spotter. The hero will not have an ambush power, just normal powers and the inherent power to see a fully cloaked Stalker.

Summary: Give the Stalker’s nemesis AT in CoH the inherent ability to see the Stalker (no extra powers or devices required).