Winterminal

The important thing to remember is what the archetypes look like from 1-50, as opposed to at 50 and beyond.
-Before Dominators get Perma-Domination
-Before Brutes have the slots available for End Mod so that they can run toggles and continuously attack without running out of Endurance
-Before a Scrapper has the slots available to make his/her secondary shine.
-etc.

IMO, the lower levels are where the distinctions become apparent. A blaster's role is damage, and it will do great damage starting at level 1. A tanker can "tank" starting at level 1. Sure, both those ATs will get better at doing what they do as they level up, but they are still very good at what they do right off the bat.

With an archetype like (say for example) a scrapper, that is expected to be both resilient and damaging, it is hard to achieve both early on due to the design of how we pick and slot our powers. By the early twenties, we have had over half of our power choices and less than half of our slots. For a blaster, those slots are most likely going towards damage, and a wise tanker will devote most of those slots to their primary (they are going to have the aggro, they should be able to survive it). But for an archetype like a Scrapper, its hard to choose which road to take. Do you do more damage but are less tough, hoping you kill your enemy before they kill you? Or do you slot up your defenses and just acknowledge that it will take a bit longer for you to defeat the bad guys? The archetypes with a more specific role have a much easier decision in that situation.

By level 50, with proper IO set slotting and Incarnate powers, pretty much any archetype can be turned into the proverbial "tankmage," mainly because all of the above affects each archetype equally. A Controller's Judgement attack will do just as much damage as a Blaster's, and a Dominator's Destiny power will buff people just as well as a Defender's equivalent. That being the case, it is only natural that homogenization become apparent.

Frankly, I dislike the situation, but at this point I honestly think they are damned if they do and damned if they don't. If they do nothing, then it is like everyone has been saying: Tankers will lose their specialty somewhere in the mid-30s and Brutes continue to be popular, Blasters will lose their specialty around the same time once Defenders and Corruptors get (and can maintain) their more powerful buffs/debuffs. If they actually do something, like upping Blaster's damage numbers for example, then they succeed in distancing blasters as the "damage kings" but they end up with an archetype that (once they have IOs and Incarnate powers) is vastly more devastating.

Of course, that begs the question of whether or not that is the point of the Incarnate system in the first place: to make any character capable of great damage/defensive buffs/debuffs/etc. But that is off-topic.

TL;DR
I agree that there are definitely archetypes are becoming less significant, however, I do not think that there are any changes to be made that would not imbalance either the early game or the late game.

I did myself a disservice: My first 4 50s were blasters, blasters with which I took the time to make really good builds, with a fair amount of IO set enhancement (no purples though). Basically, this means that I can never play those power sets on any other archetype, nor roll another blaster with that same power set.

Take my Ice/Ice/Cold blaster as an example. The guy can hold a boss indefinitely. He can take out an entire mob without taking any damage via Flash Freeze and Freeze Ray. One application of Shiver puts an entire room at or darn near the slow cap. His single target damage is insane. And on the rare occasion that I get overwhelmed, Hibernate allows me a fresh start in the middle of a battle.

Now I ask you: how am I supposed to play a level 1 Ice Blaster, or worse, an Ice/ Corruptor or /Ice Defender (with their lower base damage output) after playing that juggernaut?

So, my favorite power set is definitely Ice Blast (one of my favorite comic characters is Iceman), but I fear I will never have more than my one character with Ice Blast (or Electric Blast, Energy Blast, and Archery for that matter...)

Thanks for posting this, True Gentleman! Nice little review, with realistic facts. Kudos to Paragon.

I have very little stake in this conversation, mainly because I do not play female characters. (Or Huge model, for that matter. I tend to visualize myself as my characters and, well, I'm closest to the standard "male" character model :P) I will probably be buying the pack (eventually) because I really like the male costume.

However, I do want to point out that this is the first pack to be released where I have felt that the female costume did not match the pack title in the least.

Though the free months be terribly tempting... with all the other gifts I am buying this year, not sure if I want to drop the amount on myself. Thankfully, this last's for a while, so if I discover in a few weeks that I'm within budget, I will probably take this offer.

Last night, we filled the Rikti War Zone to it's player limit! 6 teams, meaning we reached the League size limit(!), with door sitters waiting to get in. Good showing Pinnacle! I am sorry to those who had connection problems and whose spots were taken by the time they got back in. I have updated the OP with some tips on how to decrease your chances of a disconnect, and welcome anyone with other hints to post them here.

Join the Talsorian Guard in combating the Rikti next week! Date and time on the OP.

Truth be spoken here.

Er, written here...

Haven't had a chance to team with Rose, but I'm sure we'll be able to do so at some point!

I'd say they could double their sales if the reward token system was WAI.

As it is, my account renews with its usual monthly schedule on December 1st. I'll decide after that whether or not I want to front-load for the next semester/year (or if I can even afford it, heh).

I am glad to hear that the fog will still be present to a degree. To be sure, I was not a fan of flying through that zone and nearly running into buildings half the time, but I enjoyed the fact that it was a unique effect.

I am also glad to hear that it will become an entirely Incarnate themed zone that offers multiple ways for 1-8 players to make progress towards being an Incarnate. That thrills me to no end because, while it still sounds like it will be slower than running the trials (as promised), it also sounds like a character could spend a night running missions and street sweeping and still feel like they made some progress towards their goals.

As for the Well:

It is an integral part of the game's history, having granted powers to some of our most iconic characters (Statesman, Lord Recluse, Tyrant, etc.). I acknowledge that, and for that reason, I believe it should play a role in being an Incarnate, though I do not believe it should be the only way to gain "great power." However, the problem then is that the Devs cannot possibly input a system with any sort of structure that works for 100% of the players.

Up until now, I have been able to write off my character's specific Incarnate powers as further power mastery, while avoiding any influence from the Well:

• Ice Blaster's Cryonic Judgement and Intuition Alpha as a stronger cold blast and more strength to his freeze rays.
• Elec Blaster's Ion Judgement and Agility Alpha as (again) a stronger blast and further sapping ability.
• Super Soldier's Cardiac Alpha as a scientific enhancement that allows him to battle tirelessly.
• Energy Blaster's Paralytic Interface as a tech enhancement to his gauntlets allowing for better targeting.
• Archery Blaster's Spiritual Alpha as, well, a way to no longer wait for "arrows to recharge"

I could go on, but you get the idea. As far as I'm concerned, they can write their game however they see fit as long as they allow the wiggle-room in the story for us justify these abilities however we see fit within our specific characters.

Epic thread necromancy indeed, but the gravity of it is justified. Can't say it wasn't expected.

This really makes me wonder if whoever dies in the current Signature Story Arc will actually remain dead.

I had no intention of unsubscribing between now and then, so here's hoping nothing happens to my account that prevents my account renewal every month

I really like the looks of those helmets, and I look forward to the other items as well.

A couple of reasons to post. First:



Sorry, had to, haha.

Second: I find it incredibly ironic that a user named "BrokenImage" created a thread about this particular issue...

Finally: Blackleviathan, this issue has been fixed. If you are still having trouble seeing the thumbnails, I suggest contacting support.

Thanks to all those who made it out last night. We had a league of 41 people, over 5 full teams! And it felt a lot smoother than last week. If you did not make it out, you missed a good time. But hey, you can join us next week! The OP has been updated. Have a good week, all!

I sort of get this. My main still has his original costume as one of his slots. Granted, i NEVER use it any more because, well, I didn't quite have the options I had later in his career.

A better example, though, is one of my toons who started in "Patent Leather" for his chest and legs, made to look like more realistic tights. Well, now we have the "Defender" look which is really perfect, so I made the Defender variation costume, instead of just modifying the original.

I put a lot of thought into my costumes, but I have never ran out of costume slots. Usually, I struggle to think of what to do with my 5th slot because I am content with my original ideas. (Though I know I am in the minority on that front...)

Making ATIOs and certain costume pieces exclusively obtainable via these packs is ... well, Lex Luthor puts it aptly.

I don't mind the idea of packs, but for exclusive stuff that you only have a chance to get? Unless the price of the pack is a steal, I dislike the idea.

SG/VG Name: The Talsorian Guard

Public relations: Our Website

Peak teaming hours: Generally in the evenings, after 5pm CST.

Amount of PvP: Very little

Amount of Powerleveling: No dedicated powerleveling, but teaming is encouraged. And since we host the weekly Rikti Ship Raid, you should be able to get plenty of xp out of that

Amount of Drama: What is this, I don't even... no.

Size of Base: Medium, with all the necessities. We will be expanding as our numbers increase.

Requirements: There's a story behind the Talsorian Guard, and to be a part of that story you need to create a new character. To find out more, read the topics located in this forum on our website.

Guild Description: On November 12, 2009, the Lady Grey officially removed the title of "Talsorian" from Vanguard weaponry. Her reasoning (according to her official statement) was that the "Vanguard" troops, and associated heroes, should be using "Vanguard" weapons, without any other monicker. In actuality, she had new plans for the unique title: a faction of scientifically engineered and technologically enhanced super-powered soldiers, bred from Vanguard's very best, loyal only to Vanguard and its goals. Now, after nearly two years of enhancement and grueling training, kept hidden from even The Dark Watcher, the First Generation of The Talsorian Guard is ready for active duty!

Leaders: @Winter.

Voice Chat: Nope

Nice Kheprera! I actually ended up using a similar design for mine.

I put two "Long White Counters" lengthwise next to each other, up against the same wall cabinet you used to simulate a headboard. I kept it simpler since these are barracks beds and as such probably aren't going to be the most comfortable things, but I appreciate the screen shots! I will probably use a similar design at some point.

Eh. I've found the "old school" method of team recruiting to be pretty effective. Y'know, opening up the Team window, clicking "Find Member" and sending a few tells out to random people. More often than not, I find players who are grateful to have a team because they wanted to do something but didn't necessarily have time for a TF or Trial.

I will agree that the LFG tool would certainly increase the ease with which one goes about getting on a team, but I dislike the impersonal nature of it. "Join, complete objectives, kthxbye" is no fun. I'd rather take some extra time to form a team, and leave the team feeling like they met someone with whom they could conceivably team up again.

Hey all,

I am attempting to create a barracks-like room, which I would like to have a few beds in it. This is a modern SG with a modern base, so I am trying to avoid the "rustic cots" and "floor mats," except I do not see any modern variations for beds/cots.

Am I missing them? If not, has anyone had any luck in creating something out of other pieces? I'd love to see a screenshot with a description of you have.

Hmm, they have yet to make to Pinnacle *knock on wood* at least in any noticeable fashion. Guess I'll count my blessings, yikes.