WhyNot

No one's mentioned a Grav/Energy Dominator yet?! Unacceptable!

Just a QR: read the thread and saw many folks coming *close*, but none proposing the hilarity that is a Grav/Energy Dominator. Made one as a lark while my preferred realm was down, and that villain was easily the most fun I've had getting to 10, ever.

I'm going to agree with the general advice others have given, that it really depends on how you want to play each character. It really does come down to picking a set that either removes an annoyance you had with the character or gives a neat, new power that you know you'll just love to use.

If you want to toss out a specific AT that's making you scratch your head the most we could at least give some brief overviews of the different sets available to it. Rest assured that just about all of them are cool and powerful, just in different ways.

QR: I've read the other suggestions posted, and as you're saying the Ice/Kin isn't quite working out for you I've got a few suggestions I can add to the thread.

For a character with Storm Summoning: Try a Dark/Storm Corrupter. Dark adds a lot of variety given that it's a blast set with some very useful (and strong) debuff and control abilities.

For variety and flash: I'm going to second the suggestion to try a Dominator, and specifically one with Plant Control. This will get you several very neat abilities, including an AoE regenerative power in Spirit Tree and a powerful pet in Fly Trap. Any of the secondary assault sets will go good with it: you can keep to the plant theme with Thorns, whallop opponents with a mighty hammer with Earth, smack opponents around with flashy Energy blasts, or conjure a sword of Ice and chill them to their marrow.

For a Bard-like character: try one of the special, unlocked villain classes, either the Arachnos Soldier or Widow. Both get stronger versions of the Leadership auras, boosting the team's damage, accuracy, defense, and in the Widow's case a power that gives the whole team a huge boost if any member ever goes down (Vengeance). The Widow probably has slightly more variety, also, as you can really mix close and ranged attacks while also keeping your buffs going.

I haven't seen Sonic Resonance mentioned yet, and honestly I think it has a relatively strong synergy with Energy Blast out of the available sets.

Energy Blast is a set with high damage-per-blast (with appropriate recharge and animation times) split between two damage types. Sonic Resonance offers a single-target resistance debuff to start, good for picking one nasty target to burn down with your high-damage alpha strike. Sonic also has some thematically matching (and controllable) knockback components in Sonic Repulsion and Liquefy, without becoming as madcap as Storm + Energy do. Finally, and this will sound silly, dropping Disruption Field on your main melee'r gives you a handy graphic to aim for when trying to "putt" stray enemies back into PBAoE range of them (and your own selfish motivation for tossing them there, for the Corrupters in the crowd ).

Other sets that benefit from a choice of Energy Blast are those with placed debuff areas: Dark (Tar Patch), Storm (Freezing Rain), and Traps (several). Knocking stray runners or missed groups back into the patch is a very useful back-pocket ability to have.

Storm has its own measure of control through knockback, and while I'd consider this a point of extra synergy it also adds a large measure of extra trickiness, so I couldn't recommend without caution (i.e., "are you *sure* you want to do this?". Rest assured, though, it can be great).

Otherwise, while Energy doesn't have a strong affinity for any particular set it likewise doesn't pair badly with any set either, letting each shine quite strongly without getting in its way either thematically or mechanically.

Gonna toss in a vote for Ice Armor here. As the OP mentioned aggro management, Ice is very strong here, plus it has the advantage of a slowing aura that ensures that even if something slips away from you, it's not getting far and not doing as much damage as it could be. A margin of error is good for someone learning to play the Tank role.

Willpower would be my second choice, as it's the easiest set for a new player to manage. The tradeoff is that it's a bit tougher to hold aggro than with the other sets, but this too can be good to learn on as it shifts your attention to the active duties of someone taking on the Tank role, and it's every bit as capable of top-tier performance.

Stone I'd honestly avoid recommending for a new player, as it's almost too focused on survival; some folks become frustrated with the set once they get to high level. If you do take it and end up frustrated, think about whether you're frustrated with the set or frustrated with Granite specifically. The set is still very, very capable without taking Granite and its associated tradeoffs, and if anyone gives you guff just tell them you like seeing your costume while you're playing.

Am I the only person here who picks based on whether fisticuffs or cold steel make more sense for the character?

I seriously go by what looks right for that hero or villain. Truthfully, it means the axe more often than not as it's easier to justify a character having an odd item than having sparkly, speedy fists. (Plus I do just think the axe looks cool, heh.)

Honest answer?

It was evident IN BETA, back before CoH went live the very first time (we're talking Issue 0 here), that two things elevated a character to a completely seperate, higher performance tier:

1. Taking Hasten and perma-ing it (very easy at the time).

2. Taking Stamina.

In my opinion, this change has been needed from Day 1, from before Day 1, specifically to prevent the formation of divergent and irreconcilable gameplay experiences due to truly separate performance classes. I cannot state this strongly enough.

Note that this originally also meant, prior to respecializing even being possible, that an effective character had to take either five or six pool powers within the first 20 levels (depending on whether Super Speed was the player's desired travel power). Playing through such a large portion of the game with such a small number of in-AT powers was... well, I'll just say there are reasons I feel strongly about this change being right. (Not that I'm bitter, heh.)

Much like the change in Defense And ToHit from being additive/subtractive to being multipliers, this is indeed a major shift but one that has also been a known issue from before Day 1. I am glad it is being addressed, I absolutely consider it necessary, but if one wanted to propose some alternate ways of awarding the powers besides making them fully active at lv. 1, here's a couple of ideas one could discuss:

1. Award them at the levels they would normally be choosable, for the sake of retaining the same flow and feel to character growth.

2. Make the powers do very little or even nothing until and unless they are slotted with an Enhancement by doing something like the following (using Health as an example):

Change Health to have a 60% enhanceable bonus to Regen and a -40% UNenhanceable penalty to Regen. At three SOs, roughly the same maximum value of Regen bonus (near 80%) is achieved. At zero Enhancements, 20% is gained. At one SO in the default slot, the same 40% effectiveness as the unslotted original power is gained.

Exact values resulting in nearly equivalent performance at default single-slotting and max slotting could likely be calculated. Similarly, the enhanceable bonus and unenhanceable penalty could be set to identical values (80% and -80%) to make the powers do literally nothing without slotting. Also, implementation could be very non-trivial despite apparent simplicity; I'm not meaning to imply the devs haven't already thought of this.

This does have the benefit of having the powers gradually ramp up as the player graduates from TO to DO to SO Enhancements, and it could theoretically be combined with awarding the powers at the same levels they currently become available, though the benefit of doing both rather than solely one is likely marginal.

Regardless, the above are presented solely as thought exercises, as I'm also not saying they're particularly good ideas. Instead, let me end by saying I stand by the opinion that making Fitness inherent is and has been needed, BADLY, for a long, long time.

Have an INV Brute, but closes WP is a Scrapper, but anyway...

Generally agree with the comments here, but want to be sure to say that while WP starts stronger and offers smoother progression, INV starts lower and slower but can reach a fair distance higher. If you're really focused on building a Tanker-esque Brute and are planning on getting some IOs happening, you'll be happier with INV at 50. Otherwise, WP is a smoother ride.

(Bias: I AM doing the pseudo-Tanker thing with my Brute, going so far as to even take the passives in INV. I kinda regret not going WP, as I happen to like the fire-and-forget, more regen-based nature of it, but on the other hand I really like having a Brute that's even tougher than he looks.)

I've read the whole thread, but am replying in a new thread just for threads' sake.

First, I don't think Devices would be balanced if it was uplifted by adding damage. That also wouldn't address the playstyle issues that actually keep people from playing it in practice (bribing people to play a powerset they don't naturally enjoy by adding extra damage is harmful in the long run).

I also don't agree that Taser needs augmenting. As stated, there's synergies with other possible stuns, and it's useful enough as-is in a general sense. I could see a 30% or less chance of adding +1 mag to the stun, but don't agree it's needed. I would be distinctly amused if a largish -End component were to be added, as this would in its own small way aid the Electricity primary's issue of having few sets it has that synergy with (even if it's just this one power). But adding a -End that doesn't in practice do anything at all without other -End powers is highly misleading to new/unknowing players.

The powers I think could be augmented and would like to toss my own thoughts into are these:

Time Bomb: the "remote detonator" idea is one I like, but in practice there's enough trouble getting the Oil Slick pet to behave the way it's supposed to. Still, tech-wise, I see how this can theoretically be done:

- First, choosing the power awards two "powers", Time Bomb and Detonate. This is likely possible in the same way Swap Ammo awards multiple toggles.

- Second, using Time Bomb spawns a pet that essentially deals damage in an AoE when it dies. The pet dies when it runs out of health.

- Third, the pet casts a "buff" on itself with a certain duration when it spawns. All this does is deal 1000%* damage to it when it expires. (*not a typo. Needs to guarantee death.)

- Fourth, "Detonate" is an PBAoE attack with an appropriate range that affects solely the Time Bomb you spawned*, dealing 1000% damage to it. (*this is tricky, having it only affect yours and not everyone's). Is only "clickable" while the Time Bomb is spawned. (Alternate approach: clicking the button orders the Time Bomb pet to activate a power targetted on YOU, whose only effect is to apply damage to itself. There are already powers, such as Shared Pain and Energy Transfer, that harm the user, and possiblt several other ways the power can behave this way. This wouldn't require a check of everything in a possibly large radius, and if you're outside its range it would naturally fail to function.)

I see this not as a way to buff the set, but as something that would be worth implementing just for the sake of being cool.

Smoke Grenade: I like the general concept of a 30% (at MOST) chance of choking/coughing animation as a quick and easy boost to its utility, but I'm not convinced it's fully appropriate. Alternatively, for synergy with the rest of the set and for the sake of providing something unique I'd like to recommend this be given a Placate (with brief Stealth) effect similar to the power from Ninjutsu. A Devices blaster would then have a unique way to escape a fight, especially when combined with Cloaking Device. Tricky part: providing blasters a way to shed aggro is likely too powerful of a tool, even if the powerset gives up damage to do it.

Cloaking Device: on the other hand, I think making this work like Hide and provide a damage bonus to your initial attack steps on Stalkers' toes a bit much. The ability to engage the enemy on your terms is powerful enough as it is. To set it apart from other Stealth powers and abilities (such as the Stealth you can add to any travel power now), I could see adding a larger BUT suppressed Defense component, making the Blaster more likely to evade an attack when s/he hasn't broken Stealth. Tricky part: Blasters are already soft-capping Defense with IOs. Giving a large Defense value, even if it suppresses, could allow for abuse of the power. Also, this with a non-aggroing Smoke Grenade could similarly be abusable.

(Counter-argument: the Blaster inherently builds up a rolling damage bonus as s/he fires off attacks. A damage boost of a level that represents the average a blaster is expected to get from their inherent makes a certain sense, as a blaster in non-suppressed stealth is all but guaranteed to be outside the durations of those bonuses. This would give the first shot the same damage boost anticipated for the rest of the blaster's shots, which wouldn't disturb the balance equations so much. This boost might not be more than 15% or so, though, which won't necessarily SOUND like enough.)

Targetting Drone: I'll admit, I'd rather this didn't boost sniper attacks, as it's a synergy contingent on taking a specific other power that not every set has. If it didn't, I think there would be more room to argue for a first-attack-from-stealth damage boost in Cloaking Device. I also feel this power provides a very strong boost as it is just in adding Accuracy and Perception. The one thing this power could do to make Devices play more uniquely would be to have a small but constant +Range component (!), which would have broad synergy with many of the Blaster's powersets. I propose this mainly as it's thematically consistent and doesn't tread into the more murky areas of balance. Tricky part: adding this now would likely make this power too much of a must-have within the set. It's too many different benefits coming from a single toggle.

The remaining powers I feel are largely good as-is. Anyway, my two cents and food for thought.

I think it's really a question of grouping versus soloing. Getting the attacks earlier and doing more damage with them is a boon for Corrupter. Getting higher base percentages for all effects (meaning normal, ice *and* chem rounds, as well as the effects in Kinetics and Leadership if you take it) is a boon for Defender. The smallish percentage more damage of Corrupter matters more when alone, the smallish percentage greater effects matters more if grouped.

I will add, though, that I chose Defender and the most frustrating thing is how many levels are between me and the DP attacks I want.

Check the "Defender Guides and FAQs" sticky thread on the Defender forum for guides to Storm Summoning. Reading them will give you a strong impression of how Storm behaves and what the powers can do.

With this, you'll get a feel for how to slot the powers for your playstyle, and what works where. That'll let us give better critique and guidance as we'll be able to see where you're hoping to channel things.

Hello all,

First, while I'm sure there's a Halloween Event feedback thread, I couldn't find it, so I'm posting this here hoping some kind soul will report it and have it moved to where it should be.

Second, it's small, but I really think the text for the hunter badge should be augmented:

"You have defeated 20 of the nefarious Vampires, lords of the night who rose from their graves on Halloween."

Bold bit is the added bit.

Let's just say I noticed a pattern to the other badges and don't want this one left out.

QR:

Blasters feel faster than many other ATs to me, and I haven't seen any recommended yet. I'd recommend an Archery / Mental Manipulation Blaster. Try it, you'll like it.

(Conversely, stay away from Energy Blast, it's kinda the Broadsword of the set)

I can also back up the folks who have recommended Claws, as I've got a fun one of those at lv. 22. Quick and deadly.

(Somehow, this QR originally ended up in the wrong thread. Fixing that now. )

QR:

Blasters feel faster than many other ATs to me, and I haven't seen any recommended yet. I'd recommend an Archery / Mental Manipulation Blaster. Try it, you'll like it.

(Conversely, stay away from Energy Blast, it's kinda the Broadsword of the set)

I can also back up the folks who have recommended Claws, as I've got a fun one of those at lv. 22. Quick and deadly.

EDIT: How in the heck did this end up in *this* thread? I could have sworn I was posting to a different one. Gah! :P

QR

It's worth it now that it's been fixed. Been fixed for some time now, actually, and yeah, the initial version... just not worth it. But I'd say try it out now.

QR

Remember that the history of Vigilance is partly that teams *wouldn't let* Defenders do anything but buff/heal the team, since anything else was a "waste" of their precious Endurance. Vigilance was partly a solution to a people problem, a problem I'd hate to see return.

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With the proliferation, is this a brute or a scrapper?
If it's a brute, head to the brute forum for better advice.


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I posted in the Brute forum as well, since you suggested it. I figured since Brutes didn't have Claws currently, this was the best place to get good answers. But I'll take a good answer from where ever I can find it, I'm reading both and checking both.

I'm sure the Scrappers and Tankers are trying to figure out how to make the set as durable as possible too.

I've heard a lot of add Defense and adding Defense really does little for you because of amount of defense reduction present.

I think everyone agrees that additional health and regeneration are great to use, but can those get to meaningful levels?

How much help is Aid Self really? Can I really fire it off?

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That's kinda the problem, "meaningful" is subjective, and there's ALWAYS more you can do to increase your survival (at the cost of giving up other things). The question is really, where does your character start to feel right to you?

Aid Self can either be saved for between fights, or a bit of interrupt reduction can be slotted into it to make it do-able in battle IF you're careful. It's potentially a big help because you get it when you need it, an active response rather than a passive, general boost to your overall toughness (like the passives and pool-power toggles are going to be). Is it a big help? Try it on the test server and see how well it complements how you tend to play.

Seriously, play it by ear. If you go too far towards your character's durability, there will come a point where you'll start noticing the tradeoffs you're making to get there. Also, decide whether spending Inf is an eventual issue for you. ANYONE can potentially get one or two positional defenses close to the softcap using IO set bonuses, but it's not cheap.

As an aside, thanks to the person who pointed out the other post. Just plain helpful, that there.