cocomilkshake

Originally Posted by Rigel_Kent

I'm not aware of anything changing in the game that could possibly dislodge Fire/Kin as top dog in farming. Team size settings favor solo builds like Fire/Kin. Nerfed XP on all-boss custom groups does the same. Knocking the Fulcrum Shift buff down to 20% only hurts non-farmers and corruptors. Electric Melee for scrappers and Radiation Blast for blasters are so-so.

Originally Posted by Necromatic

I hope one wasn't me, but what you described sounds like it. Lately, been practicing dissecting hero huddles with a jumping shark attack against one of the foes. The attack is timed so that you fall behind terrain when it activates. The net result is a big glob of damage from seemingly nowhere. If the target runs (best case), you can chase and when hide is back up (thank you 8 sec timer), you can crit again doing even more damage. Since I'm spines, I can throw in a little more -movement. When stalkers see other stalkers attack targets, they have a tendency to focus fire, so... moar sharks.

The counter is easy, a hovering blaster can target the stalker and keep him out of hide and out of your hair. An emp can keep ya well healed. And finally, have that tanker taunt.

-Zoobait

Originally Posted by Solo_One

fighting mms is pve+

i dont consider it pvp, even against "skilled mms".

to the OP topic: psi blast doesnt need a nerf, just the placate proc.

Originally Posted by Enantiodromos

Did you note the person you're quoting points out that Mind IS left with soloing ability?

I trust you're aware that spawn size scales to team size?

I trust you're aware that what distinguishes ST DPS from AOE DPS is that the latter's power scales directly with spawn size, wheras the former does not? And that the game caters overwhelmingly to team play, wherein spawns then are very large? And ST Dmg is drowned out by all those AoEs taking x8 to x10 damage output multiplers because there're 8 or 10 mobs present?

And Plant doesn't toast Mind into ignominity. It toasts it into oblivion. The comparison:

Seeds, Roots, Entangle, Giant Fly Trap, Carrion Creepers, Spirit Tree
Vs
Mass Confusion, TK, Mesmerize, Levitate, Terrify, and Confuse...

That's four 5-star powers, a 4-star, and a throwaway, vs one 5-star power, four 3-stars, and a 2-star.

And no, it's not the ability to lock down spawns with X bosses in X+1 applications of two powers (MC + Confuse), vs the ability to lock down spawns with X bosses in X+2 applications of two powers. (Seeds + Strangler). Unless one's really soloing (which has been acknowledged a specialty of Mind), this emphasis on instant lockdown of ALL bosses is unwarranted. Not to mention that that comparison misses the fact that [MC+Confuse] is going to be availabel half as often as [Seeds + Strangler].

Originally Posted by EmperorSteele

Here's the deal. We all know that Seeds of Confusion is slightly overpowered, especially in conjunction with Plant's other AoEs and compared to the only power like it anywhere else, Mass Confusion.

One might think that a nerf for SoC would be in order. Something drastic to make it barely a shadow of it's big cousin: Double the recharge, and halve the duration, range and # of targets (though widen the cone to compensate). And then lower its Accuracy, too (which, along with recharge, is the main balance-obliterating portion of SoC's numbers) Maybe even take this a step further and remove/reduce the damage component from Roots. This would definitely make people pause before saying that the set completely obliterates Mind Control (at least, when based on two similar powers)

But is this the only way? Certainly, people who love Plant love it for what it is, and wouldn't be too keen on the nerf bat coming down hard (or at all, even if they did admit it was OP... that's why they like it!). Also, how far down do you bring the numbers before you cross the apparently fine line between "overpowered" and "gimp"? Perhaps a Buff to Mind is the better answer.

For one, reduce the recharge and increase the accuracy on Total Dom and MC. That would balance out one of the main problems with Mind when compared to every other set, and give it a steady stream of containment*. MC in particular should affect an even larger # of targets (say 25) with an increased chance for Overpower criticals. That way, it would claim its place as a Tier 9 power when compared to Seeds.

*: If Plant gets a power that's better in almost every way than a T9 power, then Mind gets to have it's own distinct AoE advantage by having less down time on its hard controls. Fair's fair, especially considering Mind lacks steady containment that's present in almost every other Controller set, as well as the -constant- extra damage and agro mitigation from a pet.

I don't think anyone would argue against the fact that a tier 9 power should be better than a tier 5. The question is, how do we best accomplish this?

Or maybe do nothing. Let "Mind" continue to be undervalued (and underplayed), which only helps them shine more when you do find one. After all, the LAST thing I wanna see is Mind/Kin PL farmers clogging up PI and AE lobbies.

What do you guys think?

(Because we haven't had enough mind vs plant discussions this week =P)

Originally Posted by ConFlict

Sadly both are most easily dealt with by running to drone safety, or as I call it pulling a Chido.