Winterminal

Indeed, if you want us to catch you up, gotta give us a point at which to start. Though if you've been gone long enough to forget your account info, you are probably going to have a lot of reading to do.

Gotta remember: Some of the weapons are axes (which will result in handle bashing with some of the animations) and some of them are swords, which look just right with the animations. Obviously, with a set like this, there is a ton of room for customization. I think most players would rather it look like they were hitting their opponent in the gut with the staff of their huge axe, rather than be limited to fully-bladed weapons. Use the weapon to it's fullest potential!

**SPOILERS** If you have yet to run it and do not want the experience ruined, I do not recommend that you continue reading.

(DISCLAIMER: I am not a big fan of the Incarnate trials. I like to successfully run each one on each of my Incarnates to experience it from their point of view, and then I usually let the trials alone. However, given that I never got around to trying the new trials on Beta, finding a working strategy was a tactical puzzle. I am a sucker for puzzles.)

Last night (12/7/11), I had the privilege leading two successful TPN Campus I-Trials on Pinnacle (the first successful runs for the server to my knowledge). Tuesday night, we ran it 3 times unsuccessfully (only 1 of which I led), so we changed up the strategy last night, and it worked. Without divulging the details (don't want to spoil too much): while the strategy we used won't work for badge runs, it was quick and efficient, allowing us to achieve victory in 30 minutes flat.

The first thing I noticed (after our first success) was that the trial is very different from what is implied on the official guide from the CoH website. Without going into detail, it is clear that the extended Beta testing had a significant impact on the final product. The guide made the trial sound quite difficult and frustrating, but the Live version is in fact quite doable.

TPN is a formulaic (and sometimes tedious) pattern in much the same vein as the Keyes Island trial and as long as you move swiftly through the pattern success is nearly guaranteed. I was thrilled when this discovery led to some people's first successful TPN run. However, despite being glad at having led the leagues to victory, I have been left slightly disappointed.

I am not a big fan of the Keyes Island trial because of it's repetitive nature. I was hoping for something a little more like the Underground Trial (but shorter), with multiple stages each requiring a different approach. The Underground trial is the most interesting trial to date in my opinion because of the varying tactics that are required throughout. I would be tempted to run it more often if it weren't so long. That said, I found that there are certain types of characters (melee vs. ranged vs. control, ST vs. AoE, etc.) that are best suited for one part or another of the TPN trial's strategy, as opposed to everyone just dog-piling everything. That variance is a plus for me.

I think I am in the minority, judging by the negative response that erupted at the (now eliminated) proposed changes to the BAF and Lambda trial rewards. The player base as a whole, or at least those playing the end-game, like trials that:

• Have an easily followed pattern/strategy
• Do not require any specific type of ability, Incarnate or otherwise, to complete
• Are on the shorter side

With that being the case, I have to congratulate the Devs. The TPN trial has nearly the same pattern throughout 75% of it. There is no power that is nigh-required to make the trial doable. And the run time seems to be about 30 minutes.

It is impossible to tell right now (it has only been 2 days) but this trial has the potential of being run as often as the BAF and Lambda, perhaps even more often given that you are guaranteed at least 60 threads and at least 1 Empyrean Merit every run. That's more than enticing to anyone trying to get their Incarnate powers, especially those going for T4s.

While I congratulate the Devs on modifying the trial to fit the requests of the player base majority, I am left with a divided opinion of the final product. I am slightly annoyed that such a formulaic final state is what the majority of us want out of the trials. However, as I said earlier, I am glad that certain characters are best suited for certain tasks throughout the trial, which will provide for a unique experience when playing the trial with a Blaster vs. a Tanker. It seems a good balance has been found between appeasing those who just want to steamroll for the rewards and appeasing those who want to feel as though they are contributing something to the league that not everyone else can offer.

I admit, I am upset that my puzzle is now solved, but the fact that this trial has the potential to become very popular, thus appeasing both the player base and the Devs, leaves me satisfied.

(I'm still looking forward to the revamped Dark Astoria though!)

To the OP: That is complete and total B.S.

First off, I hate discrimination of any kind, so this pisses me off right away.

Secondly, most people running trials now have been doing so with the same characters for a while. Which means that most characters are at least 50+1 (unless you're odd like me and don't feel any of your current 50s' concepts call for that level of power). So the majority of any league at this point will most likely be 50+, and unless you're doing a Master Of- run, I see no reason to call for that.

Got any server transfers stocked? Come over to Pinnacle. None of my current incarnates are plus-anything (for my own odd conceptual reasons), and I've never been shunned.

Because I have dreams where I am flying.
Because I am a sucker for the superhero genre.
Because I can be any type of superhero I want, customized almost to perfection.
Because I log in for a half hour and still walk away having accomplished something.

Because I like being the hero.

Everything I do revolves around my character's theme, and I am pretty rigid about it (i.e. none of my current 50s have level shifts because none of their concepts call for that level of power).

I have only taken an Interface power on one character so far: a t3 Paralytic on my Energy/Energy blaster. He is much like Ironman, using an armored suit, so I chose Paralytic as sort of a "tag and lock on" system. Each successfully landed attack helps him lock on to the target (by lowering their DEF).

I've said it before, but just to weigh in... I almost never play melee characters, and the few that I do tend to be based more around single-target centric sets. So yeah, I have next to no reason to buy this, haha.

That said, it looks very cool, and I look forward to teaming with some Titan Weapons characters to see it in action.

By now, you've probably seen us leading the charge against the Rikti on a weekly basis. We've received a couple amusing questions along the lines of, "How are you controlling 4 characters at once, Winter?"

To set the record straight: I am only ever behind Talsor Vox. The rest are other players, players whom you could be among!

Joining an established SG is tough though, especially if it is one with a theme. I know, I've been there. But you should know that we will be the exception. We are a flexible, friendly group of people with an easy-to-navigate base, and we have a very loose way of doing things. But hey, why should you believe me? This is the internet after all! Come see for yourself.

The Talsorian Guard cordially invites you to an Open House event on Sunday, December 11th, at 7:30pm CST (8:30pm EST). Maybe you saw our characters and were intrigued. Maybe you've always wanted to try a themed SG but have been reluctant to make the effort. Maybe you just feel like hanging out with some fun players. In any case, we want you there!

Come hang out in our base, get to know some people, and maybe learn what we're about. At the very least, you'll walk away with a couple global names of people with whom you can team in the future. Then we can all go out and fight back the Rikti together at the usual time.

And if you can't make it, or maybe you don't feel like waiting that long(!), you can check out our website by clicking on the banner in my sig, drop me a tell or an email! My global is @Winter. and I will be happy to talk about the SG and take you on a tour any time.

Great showing again this week, Pinnacle! Once again, we had a full league, with others door-sitting to try and get in the zone if someone was unfortunate enough to disconnect. I myself had a disconnect issue this week! But minus those nuisances, the raid was a success and we all had fun, so thanks for coming out.

I would also like to personally thank those who took a second to say that they had fun. Makes it all the more fun for me to lead knowing people are having a blast.

The original post has been updated with this week's date.

The two you are looking for are "PinnBadges" and "Cozmic's Playground." You'll be able to find exactly what you listed above. Just know that PinnBadges automatically silences all new members as a spammer precaution, so just look at the channel list and message one of the guys with a star next to their name and they'll un-silence you. See you there!

My schedule is in constant flux lately, on a daily basis. But at this point, I have no other obligations that evening, so I intend to be there with a blaster.

Ice/Ice/Cold is a ranged fighter. I also recommend going the "hover-blaster) route. If you've been using the melee abilities, I suggest respec'ing out of them. You can easily slot up enough recharge to form a continuous attack chain using mostly your primary, and with Ice's slow effect, you will have to actively run in to use your melee abilities (as opposed to waiting for the enemies to come to you) which will just take time that could be better spent blasting.

Defensive powers are your friend, for two reasons. First and most obvious, it offers you protection. But defensive powers also offer you a place to slot the Luck of the Gambler: DEF + 7.5% Global Recharge IO enhancement. You already have Frozen Armor (I hope) so that's 1.

I recommend taking the Flight pool, since that gives you Fly (your travel power) as well as Hover and Afterburner. Use the default slots on Hover and Afterburner for the LotG enhancement, then put a lvl 50 Flight IO enhancement in Swift and Fly. By doing all of that you waste no slots, leave yourself with 3 power pool choices left, provide yourself with 15% global recharge, give yourself essentially 100% defense to melee (Hover), increase your hover speed (flight IO in Swift), and put yourself very close to the new flight speed cap (Afterburner active with Flight IOs in Fly and Swift).

At this point, your global recharge is at 22.5% (3 LotGs). But hell, why not go for the limit of 5? I recommend picking either the Concealment and/or Leadership Pool(s). Concealment offers you "ghosting" capabilities, and you can take your pick of 3 powers for the LotG enhancment (Stealth, Grant Invisibility, or Invisibility). Leadership buffs are decent but can be costly. I took Maneuvers, Tactics, and Vengeance (with Maneuvers and Vengeance holding the LotG enhancement). I find I have little use for Maneuvers at all, and I only use Tactics when I need its fear/confuse protection, but I had power choices to spare. If you don't, you may want to consider something different. At any rate, either of those choices will bring you to 5 LotG enhancments (the limit) and a global recharge of 37.5%.

Take Hasten and 3-slot it with Recharge Enhancement IOs, and that should be the end of your recharge woes.

As for the rest of your powers:

First off, read up on the Ranged Damage IO sets, found here. (The rest of that page holds useful info on all the other types of sets as well.) Ice Bolt, Ice Blast, and Bitter Ice Blast are perfect places for any of those sets. My personal favorite is Thunderstrike, as it tends to be on the cheaper side, will enhance the damage of a power to over 100%, and each full set offers you 3.75% increase to ranged, energy, and negative energy defense, not to mention other some other nice bonuses. But choose for yourself.

I recommend six-slotting all of your primary powers except Aim and Ice Storm. Lockdown is a great set for the two Freeze Rays, and Positron's Blast is best for Blizzard and Frost Breath. I covered your three single target blasts above.

For your secondary powers, it all depends on what you use most. I only took Chilblain, Build Up, Ice Patch, and Shiver. I use Chilblain and Shiver most, so I six-slotted those. (Trap of the Hunter in Chilblain and Pacing of the Turtle in Shiver, though Tempered Readiness works well too). 1 recharge is all you need in Ice Patch, and 2 or 3 Recharges in Build Up will have it up quite often.

For Cold Mastery, it is completely up to you. As I said earlier, Frozen Armor should be a no-brainer, and I recommend 4 slotting it with Luck of the Gambler (with one slot holding the +7.5% Recharge). Hibernate is great, and you only need 1 Recharge in its default slot. Finally, I recommend Flash Freeze to open the power set (Snow Storm + Shiver is redundant), plus it makes soloing a breeze with 2 or 3 sleep enhancements. If you have the slots to spare, go ahead an slot it up with the IO set of your choice.

Finally, all the +recharge can be harsh on your endurance, so I recommend 3-slotting Fitness with Endurance Mod. IOs, and 3-slotting Health with 2 Heal IOs and 1 Numina's Convalescence +Regen +Recovery.


...Sort of got lost typing there, so I apologize for the length. Keep in mind, this is just my way of doing it, one that I have found particularly effective. I offer this as advice rather than a rigid guide. Personally, I hate min/maxing, but for this particular character of mine it was necessary to get him "exactly the way I wanted." Build your character your way in the end. Good luck!

For anyone saying Tankers are obsolete, I ask that you consider Gauntlet (their inherent). I can count on one hand the number of Brutes I have met that could hold aggro like Tankers, and all of them were actively using Taunt. Most Tankers I know skip that power altogether because their attacks automatically taunt anyone in their vicinity. For those that don't have an "aggro aura" (Against All Odds, Chilling Embrace, Rise to the Challenge, etc.), they need only launch a PBAoE attack within the mob in order to keep most of their teammates safe. The typical Brute, for all it's orange numbers, cannot do that.

The Corruptors vs. Defenders argument is a bit more plausible in my opinion. Corruptors lose nor gain nothing between solo and teamed situations. Defenders lose damage when teamed, but gain the ability to activate abilities at a lower endurance cost provided their teammates' health bars are failing. These days, endurance management is trivially easy compared to what it once was, so that part of Vigilance is much less meaningful now. While I've seen Defenders do some amazing things for their teammates' stats, I find the Corruptor's buff/debuff numbers to be close enough to the defenders, making the difference in damage (while teamed) much harder to justify.

Blasters are the outlier, in my opinion. They are supposed to be the highest damage dealers, and their ability to attack from range is supposed to be their mitigation. I see no problem with increasing their ranged damage output (not overall damage output, mind you). When using attacks with, say, a range of 30+ feet, they get a damage bonus. It won't step on the Scrapper's or Stalker's toes for melee damage, it will make their presence quite more noticeable than currently, and is consistent with the definition of the archetype.

I rarely play melee, and I am definitely more of a Single Target player. Obviously, this set is not for me and I probably will not be buying it. That said, it looks quite well designed with an interesting mechanic, so I look forward to teaming with Titan Weapons characters and seeing the set in action.