imported_Heroic

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Granted, I do grind for prestige some nights. I stealth it to the end of the Newspaper mish's, kill the boss, and move to the next mish.

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So you're saying all we have to do is use the kind gameplay that resulted in ED?

I'm pretty sure stealthing to the end of a mission, avoiding all the content/mobs leading up to that, and killing the boss just to get the bonus and going to the next mission is the exact kind of thing that will get stealth nerfed by the Devs.

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Er, actually, I've done this repeatedly *without* stealth. The holiday jetpack really helped with this - I just flew through the mission till I found the last room with the boss, took him out, and left. My characters that are level 14+ can do this with their own travel powers. You may be hit once or twice, but most foes don't do enough damage for this to be an issue.

My own experience with my 2-person VG has been rather lackluster - playing since release, we have less than 500k. I don't even use the base portal anymore...it's too depressing.

Honestly, I don't really miss the three power slots. The only power I wish I could have fit into my build is Howling Twilight - and I can either pick it up in the 40's or respec out of Pulse Rifle Burst. The rifle attack isn't really needed, but it gives me something to do when the fights aren't tough enough to require me to spam Twilight Grasp. Howling Twilight is simply too situational to be a high priority for my character...the recharge time is a killer.

You may not have many Endurance problems. I have NO Endurance problems - and it's really nice to have enough Endurance recovery to teleport across an entire zone without taking a break. Since I'm playing for fun (aren't we all?) it's a relief not to have to manage my Endurance use.

Also, oddly enough, taking the Fitness pool actually frees up Enhancement slots, since I end up only spending two slots on Stamina. Swift and Health are fine with just the base slot).

Nice guide. I disagree with a few of the specifics, but it's still one of the best guides out there.

My main point of disagreement is the Fitness pool. I think the statement that the AVERAGE Robot/Dark MM doesn't need Stamina is incorrect. If you know exactly what you're doing regarding END use, don't take any attacks, and carry a few inspirations for extended fights, you can get away without it. But Stamina is a huge buffer - and spending three power slots and two enhancement slots will save you a half-dozen enhancement slots for other powers. In short, anyone who actually needs a guide to help build their character is going to need Stamina.

Even with ED, enhancement slotting can be pretty tight. Dark Miasma has several powers that can easily eat up six slots (Twilight Grasp, Fearsome Stare, Petrifying Gaze, and Dark Servant) and virtually all of them should have at least 3 slots.

I've also found that slotting Tar Patch with a Slow really helps, especially in a group situation. That gives extra time for your robots to knock back foes trying to reach you in melee.

Here's a build with Stamina, to use as a contrast to what is suggested in the guide:
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Exported from Ver: 1.7.5.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
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Archetype: Mastermind
Primary: Robotics
Secondary: Dark Miasma
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01) --> Battle Drones==> Acc(1)Acc(3)Dmg(3)Dmg(5)Dmg(5)
01) --> Twilight Grasp==> Acc(1)Acc(7)Heal(7)Heal(11)Heal(19)Rechg(34)
02) --> Pulse Rifle Burst==> Acc(2)Dmg(11)Dmg(17)Dmg(23)Rechg(37)
04) --> Tar Patch==> Rechg(4)Rechg(19)Rechg(23)Slow(29)
06) --> Equip Robot==> Rechg(6)
08) --> Darkest Night==> TH_DeBuf(8)TH_DeBuf(9)TH_DeBuf(9)EndRdx(34)
10) --> Recall Friend==> Range(10)
12) --> Protector Bots==> Acc(12)Dmg(13)Dmg(13)Dmg(15)DisDur(33)
14) --> Teleport==> EndRdx(14)Range(15)Range(40)
16) --> Shadow Fall==> DmgRes(16)DmgRes(17)DmgRes(37)
18) --> Swift==> Run(18)
20) --> Fearsome Stare==> Acc(20)Fear(21)Fear(21)Rechg(25)
22) --> Health==> Heal(22)
24) --> Stamina==> EndMod(24)EndMod(25)EndMod(31)
26) --> Assault Bot==> Acc(26)Dmg(27)Dmg(27)Dmg(29)
28) --> Assault==> EndRdx(28)
30) --> Tactics==> EndRdx(30)TH_Buf(31)TH_Buf(31)TH_Buf(34)
32) --> Upgrade Robot==> Rechg(32)Rechg(33)Rechg(33)
35) --> Petrifying Gaze==> Acc(35)Hold(36)Hold(36)Hold(36)Rechg(37)
38) --> Dark Servant==> Acc(38)Fear(39)Fear(39)Heal(39)Rechg(40)Rechg(40)
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01) --> Sprint==> EndRdx(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Acc(1)
01) --> Supremacy==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Rechg(2)
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Here's a slightly different take on the Bot/Dark - using Teleport as the travel power.

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Exported from Ver: 1.7.5.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
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Name: Wraithtech
Level: 40
Archetype: Mastermind
Primary: Robotics
Secondary: Dark Miasma
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01) --> Battle Drones==> Acc(1)Acc(3)Dmg(3)Dmg(5)Dmg(5)
01) --> Twilight Grasp==> Acc(1)Acc(7)Heal(7)Heal(11)Heal(19)Rechg(34)
02) --> Pulse Rifle Burst==> Acc(2)Dmg(11)Dmg(17)Dmg(23)Rechg(37)
04) --> Tar Patch==> Rechg(4)Rechg(19)Rechg(23)Slow(29)
06) --> Equip Robot==> Rechg(6)
08) --> Darkest Night==> TH_DeBuf(8)TH_DeBuf(9)TH_DeBuf(9)EndRdx(34)
10) --> Recall Friend==> Range(10)
12) --> Protector Bots==> Acc(12)Dmg(13)Dmg(13)Dmg(15)DefBuf(33)
14) --> Teleport==> EndRdx(14)Range(15)Range(40)
16) --> Shadow Fall==> DmgRes(16)DmgRes(17)DmgRes(37)
18) --> Swift==> Run(18)
20) --> Fearsome Stare==> Acc(20)Fear(21)Fear(21)Rechg(25)
22) --> Health==> Heal(22)
24) --> Stamina==> EndMod(24)EndMod(25)EndMod(31)
26) --> Assault Bot==> Acc(26)Dmg(27)Dmg(27)Dmg(29)
28) --> Assault==> EndRdx(28)
30) --> Tactics==> EndRdx(30)TH_Buf(31)TH_Buf(31)TH_Buf(34)
32) --> Upgrade Robot==> Rechg(32)Rechg(33)Rechg(33)
35) --> Petrifying Gaze==> Acc(35)Hold(36)Hold(36)Hold(36)Rechg(37)
38) --> Dark Servant==> Acc(38)Heal(39)Heal(39)Fear(39)Fear(40)Rechg(40)
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01) --> Sprint==> EndRdx(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Acc(1)
01) --> Supremacy==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Rechg(2)
---------------------------------------------


I took Pulse Rifle Burst because it helps with the initial alpha-strike against a boss (seven chances of knockback when you and your bots all fire at once). Skipped the other attacks because I only wanted an attack for the initial hit and mop-up near the end of a battle.

I skipped Repair because I've never had a problem keeping my Assault Bot alive with a 5-slotted Twilight Grasp.

Shadow Fall is slotted for Damage Resistance because it really helps with Psionic Damage. My bots can hold up a LONG time against Psionics thanks to their innate resistance plus Shadow Fall.

I skipped Howling Twilight because of the long recharge. It's useful...but just not useful enough.

Fearsome Stare is an essential part of my battle strategy, because it limits return fire from foes and allows me to pick and choose my targets in a chaotic melee.

With Tactics, I can get away with only 2 ACC in my Battle Drones, and 1 ACC in my other bots.

I'm currently up to level 30 with this build, and doing quite well. No Endurance problems, good damage, and good staying power.

Any chance this thread can be moved to another forum, so we don't lose it?

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Hardest difficulty would give you purple bosses. An orange Freakshow boss will kill Genin in 1 hit. A purple Freakshow boss will kill Jounin in 1 hit. I can't take on those missions solo at that sort of difficulty setting, even if my minions had their damage output doubled!

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Well, Mercs is a ranged set, and Traps has Caltrops to keep foes out of melee. If he combines Caltrops with Acid Mortar, and lures foes to choke points in maps, I can see him doing it. The only problem is that Triage isn't the greatest healing power, which means he'd need Aid Other to keep up with the incoming ranged damage.

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Infamy (and influence) rewards need to be increased at low levels, significantly increased. And given the new desire to earn Prestige, I highly doubt much needs to be done at high levels to reduce inf rewards. I think infamy will be a continuing problem for villains of all levels.

My villain is almost level 20, and after buying a grand total of 10 DOs, I have only 100k infamy. No costume changes, very few inspirations. That's just ridiculous.

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Here's your solution:

HUNT GREEN-CON FOES

I thought I had spelled it out in my earlier post, but apparently I need to be more clear. If you're fighting red-con foes, you get a lot more XP per foe. Since the chance to drop is the same regardless of the level of your foe, you get less Enhancements to sell before you hit the next level. Fight green-con foes, and it's just the opposite. Actually, I've found that the best return is level -2 lieutenants (blue-con), since the enhancements drop more frequently and you can take them out about as fast as a yellow-con minion.

You really don't level all that much slower on green-cons, since you make up the XP by quantity instead of quality. And you get more enhacements dropped, which you sell at the correct stores to make Infamy. The only time it is worthwhile to play up is if you hit a level breakpoint where higher-grade enhancements drop much more frequently.

For those complaining about a lack of civilians to save...those civilians give an equal amount of XP and Infamy, with no enhancement drops. What would you rather have - 10 XP and Infamy from saving (or mugging) some civilian, or a 5% chance for a foe to drop an enhancement worth 500 to 1000 Infamy?

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Thanks, appreciate the information, and it tells me some things I did not know before . Quick follow-up though, what is the overall percentage chance for an enhancement to drop? For example, after fighting my way through an entire mish, shouild I not have more than 1 or 2 enahncments?

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That I don't know - it was never revealed in beta to my knowledge. I've had good and bad days for drops, but the best way to maximize them is to take on lieutenants and bosses, preferably ones 2 levels below you for maximum speed in defeating them.

Okay, unless they've changed the drop methods since CoH Beta, this should be accurate:

Enhancement Drop Percentages

Enhancements drop (are acquired from the enemy) based on the level of your foe. Lieutenants and Bosses drop enhancements based on their true level, but have a higher chance of a drop than minions. The default drop is a training enhancement, but dual-origin and single-origin enhancements become available at higher levels. Some foes drop specific categories of enhancements – for example, the Tsoo drop Focusing Devices (mutant/magic origins) at higher levels.

• Generics that drop from level 1 to 19 will be Villain Level, VL-1, or VL-2.
• Generics that drop from level 20 to 29 will be Villain Level, VL+1, or VL-1.
• Generics that drop from level 30 to 40 will be Villain Level, VL+1, or VL+2.
• Dual Origins that drop from level 15 to 29 will be Villain Level, VL-1, or VL-2.
• Dual Origins that drop from level 30 to 40 will be Villain Level, VL+1, or VL-1.
• Single Origins will always be Villain Level, VL-1 or VL-2.

• Training (Generic) Enhancements drop exclusively for foes of levels 1 to 14.
• Level 15 to 19 foes have a very rare chance (roughly 1 in 200) of dropping a dual-origin enhancement.
• Level 20 to 24 foes occasionally drop (roughly 1 in 4) dual-origin enhancements.
• Level 25 to 29 foes occasionally drop dual-origin enhancements (same as level 20 to 24), but also have a very rare (roughly 1 in 200) chance of dropping a single-origin enhancement.
• Level 30 to 40 occasionally drop (1 in 4) a dual origin enhancement and occasionally drop (1 in 4) a single-origin enhancements. This means that these foes drop training enhancements roughly half the time, with the other half having an equal chance of a dual-origin or single-origin enhancement.

So, that should give you an idea of what you'll get when you fight a particular foe.

Getting More Infamy

Throughout the game, you will get the majority of your Infamy from selling enhancements. Make sure to sell them at the right store - trainings should be sold at the Quartermaster, while origin-specific enhancements should be sold at a store matching that origin. This can make a rather large difference in the amount of Infamy you gain.

Pay attention to the level breaks - they'll tell you the best foes to fight to get Infamy. For example, at level 17, you can fight level 15 foes (green to you) to get a better XP/Infamy ratio. However, at level 20, you're better off fighting equal-level foes, because it is far more likely for a dual-origin to drop from a level 20 than a level 18.

Fighting at higher difficulty levels will generally give you a worse XP/Infamy ratio, though it can be worthwhile if 'playing up' pushes you past one of the break points mentioned above.

At level 22, if you need more Infamy for SO's, go out and find level 20 foes - preferably lieutenants or bosses. The foes should be fairly easy to defeat, with lots of groups in the area. Do this for an hour or so, and you should have significantly increased your Infamy. Fighting opponents two levels below works at other levels (I used it to quickly raise Influence at level 12 to buy dual-origins), but is particularly effective at level 22 because of the break point for dual-origin drops.

Hope this helps...

One tip to prevent outleveling story arcs is to do only the minimum necessary to complete each mission.

If you have a Defeat X foes outdoor mission, tackle blues, greens, or even greys to fill it, so you don't get that much experience from the fights. As a bonus, the fights go really quick versus greens and greys.

If you have to defeat a specific foe in a mission, run past the other foes in earlier parts of the mission to get to the final room. While this is easier to do with some form of stealth, I can do this with just Sprint versus any foes that don't have ranged status effects. After you've played for a while, you'll get the feel for the maps and know just where to go.

Likewise, if you have a 'click the glowy' mission, run past your foes and just look for your objective. You may have to defeat foes immediately around your objective, and all the newspaper 'get X' glowy missions require you to clear the room the object is in. However, it's a lot quicker than plodding through multiple levels of foes, and you only get XP for the mission reward and the few foes you need to fight.

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On the contrary, at around 1.5m you can have a fully functional base with medical bay and crafting tables, a total of 5 added rooms. A little farther to 2m and you've got a fully equipped PvE base.

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A full team of 75 level 50 characters should have a bit more than a tiny PvE base.

Not to mention, my tiny SG with less than 10 members will take a year just to get the prestige to make a functional PvE base.

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Bug. We neglected to give Stalkers and Brutes the immunity to the Range Debuff that Scrappers and Tankers get. I fixed it internally yesterday...it'll hopefully make it to you folks "Soon(tm)"

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Are the Mastermind melee sets out of luck, then?

So, my Electric/Devices character will pay 13% less Endurance, but lose 30% of his damage capability? Which means I'll use 30% more attacks and thus pay 30% more Endurance to defeat foes...

I think the used car lot down the street is looking for another salesman. I'll have them give you a call.

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Second, we’re still scouring the boards for bugs and other issues, but we’ve finished making large changes to the power sets. We’ll still be looking at issues as the arise.

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I guess Enhancement Diversification doesn't count, right? Oh, wait, since it affects the slots, not the powersets themselves, you're in the clear. Even though the slotting affects the powers...

If you had rolled out Enhancement Diversification INSTEAD of I5, I would be far more supportive. But this is just adding insult to injury, or injury to insult - I haven't decided which, yet.

You may also want to mention that Caltrops really helps in slowing down foes so that you get more in the radius of your Trip Mine. Often, one foe will run ahead of the rest, setting off most of your mines before the other foes arrive. Caltrops slows down the lead runner so you get a most concentrated group when the frontrunner hits the mine.

Hmm. Havok hasn't posted in two weeks - looks like I5 has already driven off one of the better members of the CoH community.

It's too bad I had to switch from my beta account to a live account last April. I would have loved a 'beta-tester' badge.

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It hit me today... Your attack powers come from epic pools now. We don't need two attack powers in gravity bringing the total to 3 single target and 1 area attack from most epic pools.

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There are a lot of Gravity controllers that are not level 41+. Please keep that in mind.

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That works if you are using Gravity to fold/bend space to allow you to warp from point to point. I however use gravity to allow me to float/fly, bend light (concealment pool), and to fall sideways extremely fast (speed).

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Well, that leaves you an open pool for Teleport.

Seriously, though, I think the AoE Wormhole fills a much needed control gap. If the only downside is needing to go to a power pool for single-target foe teleports, I think we got a good deal.

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Actually this change is going to make me drop Wormhole from all my Grav builds. The increase in disorient duration tells me that the power is going to go live as an AoE.

I used Wormhole as a placement power to pull, push, and move individual anchors and troublesome foes but the AoE change has killed that for me. I'm not going to use it to pull because I can't just get one when soloing and teams don't need the controller to pull the entire group. I can't push with it anymore because I can't control what I send away and what gets left behind. Moving stuff around in battle has the same problem as pushing but with the added problem of knockback, I could take CF to deal with that but then I have to slot two powers to replace one unslotted power.

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You know, now that Wormhole is AoE, it wouldn't be stepping on any toes if they improved Teleport Foe to act more like the old Wormhole did (minus the disorient and knockback, of course). You could place single foes where you need them, remove eminators, etc. And since Teleport Foe has no prerequisite, it could easily be taken instead of the current Wormhole, for those who don't like the AoE version. Or take both for even more fun.

Good art, decent story, but a bit dark. In that respect I preferred the Blue King comic - it challenged the heroes without having a bunch of people dying in every issue. I hope issue #1 of the new comic isn't going to be the standard they're striving for.

Personally, I'm disappointed by the Wormhole change.

NOT because it's AoE, but because of the extremely lackluster Disorient time. If you're going to give us an AoE disorient, make it last about as long as the AoE Disorients in other Controller sets. Moving foes is useful, but without a significant disorient it just means more people shooting at me.

As for Dimension Shift - I don't like it as it stands. If I could toggle it on and off, or it was doing some amount of damage while the foes were shifted, or something similar, I might find a reason for it. Right now, I don't see a reason to take it besides PvP - and I'm not really interested in PvP. Heck, even if I was, I could take Detention Field from my secondary to neutralize a tough foe.

The change in Propel is going to be a tough decision on whether to take it. Right now I have Lift six-slotted (1 ACC, 5 DMG) as my best attack. Propel will do more damage...but it has a longer animation and can throw a foe out of range for a followup attack. I'm waiting to hear more feedback on how it functions on test.

For the record, I haven't reached level 32, so I don't have any feedback on the Singularity changes. I can say that trying to level before level 32 is sheer agony, because of the lack of damage. I haven't completed any of my story arcs, because groups usually prefer to do TF's and street sweeping instead of my missions, and soloing them takes FAR too long.

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I remember back in Beta when Regen was considered a worthless set.

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I remember starting the "Why Take Regeneration?" thread in beta.

Actually...I still have the 250+ posts in that thread saved on my computer.

The Warcry Regeneration FAQ is out of date. Please use the following link for a more current version (hosted on this board):

Heroic's Regeneration FAQ
(formerly Fedifensor - my beta ID)

Regarding the GUI - any chance the Enhancement screen (and/or the Enhancement tab on the main screen) could show the current influence of the character? I like to check that periodically, and going to the ID screen is a bit cumbersome.