Here are some screenshots from the Hess TF:
Archon Burkholder
Zenith Megamech 1
Zenith Megamech 2
Zenith Megamech 3
Zenith Megamech 4
I did this TF twice in the last week. Once this past weekend as a lvl 30 (5k from 31 at start) and once the previous weekend as a 28. I was actually taking on debt during the week to avoid outlevelling the TF as I worked through my own Striga contacts so that I could do it again without exemplaring (didn't want to risk being booted by me or my exemplar disconnecting).
This is the best TF I have done to date (I've done Positron, Synapse, Psyche, and Bastion) by a long shot for several reasons:
1. Timeframe is reasonable (did it once in 2.5 hours, once in little over 2 hours with heroic difficulty and 6 man teams).
2. Mission is challenging, but not debt ridden (granted, my teams may have brought on own pain with reps turned up too high on previous missions.)
3. Missions were all in same general vicinity. This saved time on travelling all over on missions and made it easier to say, "we will make one break for selling and levelling right before last TF mission."
4. Mission had a good, logical, interconencted story arc. You could see the giant mech from one of the other missions. It made sense that Hess was your contact and you were running around destroying radar installations. In the final mission, you start at top of volcano, drop through a series of passages, end up at feet of mech and have to climb back up to top of mech.
Devs, please take note, this is what all TFs should be. Its not too late to go back and kill a few of the Positron missions and give us some map variety in Bastion.
Notes on team composition.
First time though: 1 blstr-28, 3 Defenders (2 Empaths-27/28, 1 Storm-28), 1 controller (Emp secondary)-27, 1 tank-30. 2 hours 40 minutes.
Second Time through: 2 blstrs-28/30, 1 Empath-30, 1 tank-25 (sk'ed to 30 for about half), 1 Dark Def-25 (sk'ed to 30 whole way), 1 scrap - 29 bailed half way. 2 hrs 10 minutes.
I think that with good damage dealing on this TF, your can move quickly. Second team seemed to move faster. A higher level Empath can cover the whole group (only one death on TF from someone not fast enough to make the exit at the end). The level 25 tank was tanking un sk'ed half way through prior to levelling without too many problems. As empath, I was actually throwing offense about 1/3 of the time, which is pretty high for me.
Kind of bummed that the tank didn't make it out in time. Would have been nice to have the no death TF without the asterik!
Nice guide. It helped me a little in my first attempt on this TF. I can see why people praise it. The first mission really threw us for a loop (even though I knew what was going to happen). Five of us were in the room, and one was out. Guess what happened to that poor guy.
I do have a question, though:
[ QUOTE ]
Mission 7
Find Info on Robot Attack
**2 Computers to hack at the same time
**Ruin the Generator
This mission is a larger cave mission but pretty self explanatory.
[/ QUOTE ]
What does ruining the generator entail? Our group destroyed the generator and hacked the computers (using stealth). The only thing I could think to do was to defeat the guys in the room.
The problem is that our group was not 100% efficient. We made do with the controller and tanker we had (though not a powerhouse tanker), but eventually they had to leave because our group was taking too long. When it was whittled down to just the level 28 scrapper and blaster, we knew we couldn't get the two level 31 bosses and their minions.
I learned some lessons for when I can attempt this next time. And I'll just to rein in teammates if they insist on making the TF longer by defeating everyone. Sadly, it is slim pickings out there during the day. Oh, and the mission bug where we couldn't go to the fourth radar station until the CSR showed up and told the leader to log off didn't help matters either.
Kevin
I like to also point out that the final AV room has LAVA. If you want a challenge or your TF is running low on people, get Burkholder down into the LAVA and melt him away. I thought it was awesome that the devs let us have a 2nd way of defeating him ...intentional or not.
ArchRex Dojhrom x ?
* Sidus Loricatus: B-NRG2, S-BS/Reg, T-Fire/Ice, MM-Bots/FF, St-NRG2, Dom-Psi/NRG, Cor-Son/Traps, Cor-Ice/Kin, Ctrl-Fire/Kin, PB-LB/LA
* Arachnos Loricatus: Soldier, Widow
* Praetoria Loricatus: B-DP/Dev, Cor-Elec/Elec
Brag, brag, brag.... ;-)
SPOILERS
Did the Hess yesterday. Kept having DC issues (on Liberty). One team member kept DCing every 30 seconds, and gave up and quit at the door of the first mission. We did all right up to the final mission. (If team gets separated in the trap room, recall friend can be a literal "life-saver".)
Once we got to the final room, within 2 minutes 2 more people DC'ed, and at one point we wound up with only 3 people.....a tank, a controller, and an empathy def.....in the fight of their lives. During that period, no one died. ;-) Unless I missed something, we only had one death before the mountain blew up.
It's interesting that I was one of the people who didn't get out alive (I was stupidly still healing people and yelling "get out! Out!" over and over again....), and I discovered that I could use an awaken when it was all over, and explore the room afterward....the same explosion that killed us also killed all the rest of the mobs. It's the ideal time to explore the room looking for the exits (I found one on the bottom floor that I didn't know about, an elevator with automated guns in front of it), and taking screen shots. (I think that bottom level exit might be easier to find than the one we came in through at the mid-level catwalk.....just let yourself fall to the floor, and look for the exit from there. YMMV; If anyone tries this and fails......don't blame me. 
)
I'll [i]almost certainly[/i] be happy with I7....."SOON(tm)"
Too bad "Maturity" isn't an Enhanceable power.
Anybody with a bow is okay in my book. ;-)
@Linuial
Starfire/Hellfire
Liberty, Infinity & Protector
Some helpful hints to run the Hess TF as quickly as possible:
1. In the first mission, you only need to clear out the ambush room and the ambushes. You can skip the first big room.
2. In the second mission, you only need to rescue the scientist (always in the generator room) and blow up the 6 generators. (Careful that attacking the generators agros the whole room)
3. Missions 3-6 you only need to destroy the computers, not defeat any mobs. (Might want to spread your team to the 4 areas where these missions spawn, if you have enough people capable of damage spiking the computer without dying)
4. Mission 7 you only need to get the 2 glowies (always in the same room together, and you don't need to clear that room) and clear the boss room.
5. Mission 8 you only need to beat the boss room (the one with the view to the robot)
6. Mission 9 you only need to beat the AV.
@belief, @belief v2.0
LOL @ "air ducks"
"Sometimes you have to roll the Hard Six." -- Adama
Teabagging Ms. Liberty - http://kk-comics.com/allmmproject/rsf21.jpg
There are Tons of SPOILERS... so If you don't want to know much don't read below the dotted line.
This TF in my opinion is the BEST one in the game so far. It is fun, has new cool levels, and is at the right amount of time for a good TF (2-3 hours) depending on your speed.
Location:[/color] Striga Island
Contact:[/color] Ernesto Hess (You meet him in the last mission from Lars Hansen)
Lvl Range:[/color] 25-30
Run Time (start to finish):[/color] 2-3 hours
Highly Recommended AT:[/color] Tanker with Taunt
Lvl of Enemies:[/color] 29-31 set on Heroic
**Note the Enemies levels are based on the Reputation settings of the leader (if the leader changes... due to Disconnects the Reputation of the new Leader counts for the next mission)**
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Mission 1[/color]
Defeat all Villains in Factory
**Find 2 Scematics
This mission is really cool looking. There lots of robots and De-activated robots... or so you think. If you click the 1st schematic it will SPRING a trap and start activating the Robots... so be ready. Click the last schematic and you're done.
Mission 2[/color]
Rescue the Scientist
**Destroy 6 Generators
**Save Scientist
This is a cave mission and is pretty straight forward. The only point here is that after you start to attack the generators it aggros everything in the room and seems to spawn ambushes... so be ready.
Mission 3[/color]
Disable the 1st Radar
**Destroy the Computer
This the 1st of 4 very short and sweet little missions. There is one room with a moderate number of enemies and one computer to destroy.
Mission 4[/color]
Disable the 2st Radar
**Destroy the Computer
This the 2nd of 4 very short and sweet little missions. There is one room with a moderate number of enemies and one computer to destroy.
Mission 5[/color]
Disable the 3rd Radar
**Destroy the Computer
This the 3rd of 4 very short and sweet little missions. There is one room with a moderate number of enemies and one computer to destroy.
Mission 6[/color]
Disable the Last Radar
**Destroy the Computer
This the last of 4 very short and sweet little missions. There is one room with a moderate number of enemies and one computer to destroy.
Mission 7[/color]
Find Info on Robot Attack
**2 Computers to hack at the same time
**Ruin the Generator
This mission is a larger cave mission but pretty self explanatory.
Mission 8[/color]
Defeat all Villains in Sector
Similar to the last map. The mission is self explanatory.
Mission 9 - final mission[/color]
Defeat Archon Burkholder
This is an awesome map. It is a cave mission where you drop down a few air ducks into a tunnel that opens up into a HUGE room with a GIANT robot that makes Babbage look like a tinker toy. The escape door is in this tunnel opposite of the entrance to the huge room. In the Huge room, there is a full set of scaffolding that goes around the robot with tons of enemies on each level. Archon Burkholder is at the top near the head of the robot. A Note here... there are TONS of auto turrets on the walls near the top just waiting to pick off the squishies. I recommend having a Tanker pull groups to the tunnel and fight them where it is safe. The same can be done with Archon Burkholder the Arch-Villain. He has one normal hand and one robot claw and seemed to use Energy Melee and Martial Arts. After Burkholder is defeated... you will get the "Burkholder's Bane" Badge and the TF will be complete.... EXCEPT you now have 30 seconds to escape before the place blows sky high. The exit is back in the tunnel you can from opposite the opening to the Huge room.