imported_Timeshadow

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Did you notice how dark or rocky looking all the colors available for Stone Armor are? Or how crystalline light the ice power's palate is? Thankfully no Yellow Snowman! People can now make their much desired green lantern clones but I have the feeling that these color palates are the last bastion of the customization control philosophy.

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Considering they aren't out yet, no - no one has noticed these things.

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Check out the videos that've cropped up recently. You'll see what the OP means.

Hey there and welcome to the game

1) Yes you can. There are a few different ways to earn a respec. Check out this link to find out about it. Bookmark that site. It's got a ton of terrific information.

2) To run the game in windowed mode go to the menu and select Options. Click on the Graphics and Audio tab. You'll find a drop down menu for screen size that'll have an option to set windowed mode.

There are four IO sets that contain +Stealth enhancements. They each correspond to a specifc method of travel. You've got Celerity (Run), Unbounded Leap (Jump), Freebird (Fly), and Time & Space Manipulation (Teleport).

All +Stealth IOs are unique so you won't be able to slot more than one. Achieving complete invisibility will require that you toggle on Super Speed while the IO is in effect. Keep in mind that Sprint can hold +Stealth IOs from both Celerity and Unbounded Leap. Also, you can't slot them into auto powers like Swift or Hurdle.

Well now that Xen has finished shamelessly plugging himself and the Umbra Illuminati we can get back to business

I was not implying that the Medicine Pool is required and I've certainly never seen any sort of consensus that would indicate such a thing. I recommended the powers in that particular pool because I have personal experience with them. They're certainly not game changing but they do give me an even greater level of utility than I already have on my Kheldians. The last few power choices on a Kheld are largely innocuous since you probably won't have enough slots to realize their potential. This is especially true for TriFormers.

That said, some other interesting options that'll provide added utility are Grant Invisibility, Intimidate and Invoke Panic. The latter two will see more use on Human Only builds but they can be useful on TriFormers as well. Particularly if you have Super Speed and some form of stealth that'll allow you to position yourself before initiating combat.

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I can tell you definitively that yes, SS + Stealth IO will render you invisible to NPCs. I've got the same setup on my PB

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As do I. It works perfectly. Except of course in cases where NPCs have increased Perception. Then it's a different affair.

I highly recommend the Medicine Pool. Aid Other won't do you much good without slots but the other powers have fairly good utility out of the box. Stimulant will let you respond to those calls of "Zzz" if the buffer's busy. Aid Self can be useful on a Warshade if you need HP and there aren't any bodies around to fuel Stygian. Resucitate will give you a means of getting team mates off the floor and pairs well with Shadow Recall for recovering from team wipes.

I hadn't thought of taking Grant Invisibility but that's another useful choice.

Just be careful with that. Hillarious as it is you never know how people are gonna take it if you don't confer with them first. I know I'd be pretty upset if someone tossed my Assault Bot at an AV. Not only is my best source of damage now gone, I've gotta use the Endurance to resummon and upgrade it. Not fun.

Technically yes. But that's neither here nor there so I don't care. Whoops, accidental rhyme

First things first...

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Its like asking a girl over for fun times, she shows up says: Sorry Its that time of the month & oh btw here is a kick the crotch.

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HA!

Moving right along...

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What I am needing is advice on which one to roll. I play mostly solo, and I like toons that are decent on damage, but can survive a nuclear blast to the rectum. Any suggestions?

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I recommend rolling an Arachnos Soldier and respeccing into the Crab Spider branch once you hit 24.

Crabs have considerable Defense as well as Resistance so they'll suit your playstyle. They lack a bit in terms of single target damage but you can lay down a metric [censored] ton of AoE goodness. Plus, you'll be able to deploy up to six pets (Summon Spiderlings, Call Reinforcements and Summon Blaster).

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I never said it was a necessity... did I?

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Nope and it isn't. That's exactly why I can disagree with you without being called a n00b

The old fashioned "Tank n' Spank" method runs into trouble on the Imperious Task Force. And that's not really a bad thing.

A common strategy is to have the Tank pull one of the Nicti AVs away while the team engages Romulus or the other Nicti. Depending on your preference you can have the Tank draw the auto-healing Nictus or the one with the rather nasty AoE. Either way I'd recommend having the Defender go along with the Tank for buff/debuff support.

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I have to dissagree here. If we were talking about a regen scrappers heal would you actually say by improving their recharge they were probably playing at a setting to tough for their build? or would they be able to play at that setting because they "HAD" improved their build? A well built Kheldian should have zero problem playing on invinicible/setting 5 exactly as any other well built character. We really have to stop applying different standards to kheldians as if they were a broken or substandard AT unable to do what other AT's can do.

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You're presuming WAY too much. I don't consider Kheldians substandard or broken in any way and my statement wasn't meant to imply that.

It's interesting that you mention Regen Scrappers because I have one (A DM/Regen level 50). Shortening the Recharge on such a toon makes sense because it's your primary form of staying alive. If you need that Reconstruction and you don't have it what's your plan? Depend on your toHit debuffs and hope the Random Number Generator decides to be merciful?

Kheldians are much more versatile and have other means of getting by. All that means is that adding +Recharge to Stygian Circle is more a matter of taste than a necessity. My opinions on the matter are in no way meant to be some sort of commentary on the AT's performance.

I don't really bother with +Recharge. 30s is short enough for me. If you really need it more often than that you're probably running at a difficult that your build can't handle.

I recommend going for a blend of +EndRedux, +EndMod and +Health in that order of importance.

+Recharge is the way to go if you plan on doing the shapeshifting dance to renew Mires and Eclipse during combat. However, if you're like me and prefer to drain foes at the beginning of the fight and then switch forms as the situation dictates I'd recommend going for +Defense instead. That'll give you more of a safety zone.

I have to agree with Xen on this one. The Kheldian story arcs are quite interesting. In my opinion they take you into five or six Council bases too many but they're definately worth running through.

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thanks very much guys, i will defintatly roll a new char and relearn the game it is just SO HARD solo without ae, like i tried to do missions at the begining and i was struggling like crazy!

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Team newb, team

Joking aside, teaming is a great way to get through the lower levels quickly. Not only do you get an XP bonus for being on teams, you learn about how other Archetypes and powersets function. It's a crash course in synergy that'll be invaluable throughout your CoX experience. Besides, you're playing an MMORPG. What's the point if you don't interact with others?

In the current post-apocalyptic world of the Mission Architect the ability to form your own teams is invaluable. Send tells to people and ask them if they'd like to join you for some missions. The more info you give 'em the more likely they'll be to join. Try something like "Hey there. I'm forming a lvl X team. Care to join?"

Sweet mother of all that's holy! Looks like we've got a Mission Architect baby on our hands...

I've never played a Blaster higher than level 2 so I'll only be able to offer general character advice. But right now anything'll be an improvement.

1) Power Selection

You've made some serious mistakes in your choice of powers. You've got three different travel powers. At most you only want two on any character (Preferably one unless you're going for the combination of Super Speed and Super Jump).

All those excess pool powers have crowded out your secondary powerset. A Blaster's survival is often dependant on good use of powers from their secondary pool. The philosophy of "Range=Defense" isn't foolproof so you need something to fall back on if an enemy closes the distance.

Specifically, you've taken all four powers from the Fitness pool. Wrong. The reason to dip into this particular pool is for Stamina. Since that only requires you to choose two other powers from the pool there's no reason to have 'em all.

2) Power Slotting

You've got a lot of powers either ludicrously overslotted or woefully underslotted. I can't say much about Energy Blast or Manipulation but I can help with the pool powers.

Flight
If you plan to use Hover and Fly often you need to slot them for speed. Fly is the slowest travel power so I'd give it three slots. I do the same for Hover since I use it to move around inside missions as opposed to running.

Speed
Hasten is a terrific power. It increases the Recharge Rates of all your powers for as long as its effect lasts. You want it up as often as possible so give it three slots for Recharge Reduction enhancements.

Super Speed can be left at one slot. I recommend slotting a +Stealth Invention Origin enhancement so you can use the combination stealth effect to move around undetected. But you're not ready to start thinking about IOs yet.

Fitness
All of these powers are overslotted. At most you want three slots in any of 'em. Most players leave the first two choices at the defeault one slot and invest three or four in Stamina. Some six slot it but that's usually to get the bonuses from an Invention Set called Performance Shifter. Again, you're not ready to be thinking about that sort of thing yet.

Teleportation
Recall Friend and Team Teleport are fine at their default slots. However, Teleport is a travel power that requires a slot investment to be truly useful. It has a very high Endurance cost so you're going to need two slots for Endurance Reduction enhancements. If you choose to put anymore slots into it you should use them for Range enhancements.

Enhancements

Hoo boy. This is the really important stuff that you should've picked up by actually playing through the Dev designed content. In the current CoX system there's a Diminishing Returns effect on enhancements. The numerics involved with it make slotting more than three of the same type of enhancement fairly useless in most cases. As a result the recommended slotting for any attack power is one Accuracy and three Damage followed by Recharge Reduction and Endurance Reduction as they suit your tastes.

Other powers have different requirements depending on their function and the Archetype (AT) that's using them. You'll have to ask about those specifically and learn for yourself.


I'll close this lengthy post with some helpful links and a suggestion. Roll a new character and actually play the game. Don't take any offers for teams running in the Mission Architect. Go through the Dev created content and learn about all the things you seem to have missed. Now for the links:

Blaster Forums. They can help you with the specifics of your build and your tactics. But be prepared for some jeers and the frustrated cries of players tired of dealing with the Architect fallout.

Paragon Wiki. A site that has a great deal of information about the game that ranges from content to mechanics. Search around for answers to your queries.

Mids' Hero/Villain Designer. Download that program and learn to use it well. It'll allow you to plan your builds from start to finish and allow you to slot them with enhancements as you see fit.

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Now so far I have level'd and Bane to 50 and a Widow to 50 twice (somehow my Widow was deleted and now I have to do it again). Also I have a PB at 33 and WS at 30 both all hum.

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That'll do it. Human Only Kheldians tend to have more difficulty solo due to their lower amount of versatility when compared to TriFormers. You can't Dwarf up to alleviate mezzes or use Nova's floating artillery style.

That's not to say that going all human is a bad way to build; it's just that you're sacrificing some advantages for...something (I've never gone that route so please excuse my ignorance).

Screw it. I'm gonna quote myself. The following is taken from the Soldiers of Arachnos forum.

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VEATs provide a lot of passive aid to the team with their Leadership toggles and people tend to notice that more readily (The extra icons on screen help ). That effect is, of course, multiplied as more VEATs come together. Combine that with the fact that one of their primary focuses is dealing damage and you've got an AT that's gonna garner the limelight.

HEATs, on the other hand, make their contribution to teams by being able to fill several rolls at a moment's notice. Somebody over aggroed, the tank's down and the heavies are making a beeline for the squishies you say? Not a problem. Time to Dwarf up! The team needs more damage to take down an AV? Excuse me while I shift to Nova. Thing is, there's no "I just stuck my finger in the dam and saved all our butts" icon. It's less about powers and more about play.

EATs, all EATs, are powerful and contribute a great deal to teams that have them (Provided the players are good).

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Like I said, SoAs lend their talents in very obvious ways. Kheldians require more active ability to live up to their epic title. However, that's not to say that VEAT players can afford to be lazy or otherwise less capable than HEAT players. Comparing the two is like comparing boxing to aikido. Whether it's a punch in the face or a throw, it's gonna kick your [censored].

EDIT: Personally speaking, I prefer Kheldians to SoAs. First of all, I love shapeshifters. If you've got a character class that can transform into something I'm probably gonna play it. Plus, I'm a fan of elegant solutions. Maybe it's the programmer in me but I like the fact that my Khelds (I've got one of each. Both of which are TriFormers) require me to pay constant attention to the battlefield to make maximum use of them. To quote another AT description, "Skill can divert clumsy raw power and precisely applied force can solve many problems."

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Devouring Swarms can overwhelm you if you're a Flier - they can ground you into another mob, and getting hit with 20 odd autohit -Spd/-Rch attacks can add up (make sure you know how many are in the mob - they have no collision).

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This is true. Particularly if you can't take advantage of their weakness to Fire and Energy damage or if you're without AoEs. Because they're not subject to collision detection they can end up occupying the same space. That one Swarm can turn out to be five or six once you attack.

Best thing to do is run a quick circle around the spawn to determine how many are there or try to drag a mob through 'em. Of course the latter method can be iffy since the AI doesn't always recognize other enemy factions as hostiles.

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One thing that made me sad though. I got on a team with 2 corrupters, 2 brutes, and 4 VEATs while playing my spider. I was the only VEAT with the baked in leadership toggles.

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Unfortunately that still happens from time to time. I ran a LGTF last week with a Fortunata that had skipped TT: M and Indomitable Will in favor of...wait for it...CT: O and Scramble Thoughts! Needless to say, they didn't last long when we took on the Riders.

The arcs themselves aren't level locked. You can start running them whenever you like. However, some of the enemy groups within them are. This is really only a problem for the first couple of missions though.

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3) Am I still able to drop missions? If so, has the one week timer been changed?

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Yes, you're still able to drop missions. The one week timer has been reduced to three days.

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2. Most programmers are pretty lazy. You don't need excessive education to be a programmer and many "veteran" programmers likely have the minimal credentials and just worked into the position. This isn't unlike many industries, I just think that inherently sitting on a computer + playing games attracts on average a less motivated worker.


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I'm not personally offended by this. Just needed to pipe up about it as a programmer.

Most programmers are, indeed, kinda lazy individuals. We don't like putting a huge amount of effort into anything unless it'll have equivalent returns.

That's exactly what makes us well suited to our jobs. Because computers have limited resources our primary focus is on efficiency. We chase the biggest reward for the least amount of work because our primary tools (Computers) would be running at a snail's pace if we didn't.

It's what some of us call tactical laziness and it applies to most aspects of our jobs. We'll comb through a program looking for a few lines of code we've used before rather than rewriting it simply because it's less of a strain on us. While it may seem frustrating to outsiders, it'd be extremely difficult to do what we do without that mindset.

Like I said, I wasn't personally offended by your comments. I just wanted to bring some insight to your views.

Judging by the current state of Acillary and Patron powers, access to the respective pools is determined by something that's hard coded into each individual AT. It's what allows the game to determine which powers from those pools a particular toon will have access to.

If that's the case it would be incredibly difficult to allow Kheldians access to Patron Pools if they switch sides or even Ancillary Pools if they remain in Paragon City. Not to mention the fact that, unlike certain pool powers, being able to choose those powers would come with the added burden of assigning slots on an already slot hungry AT. It's an interesting idea but runs into some practical issues rather quickly.