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Under the Hood:Fighting AVsPart 3, SurvivalThis is the third article in a series about fighting Arch Villains (AVs) and similar class mobs. These are some of the most difficult mobs in the game. They hit hard. REALLY HARD! A squishy character without any protection will last maybe 10 seconds against an AV. So I'm here to tell you how to survive longer. All of the information here is crucial if you want to try soloing AVs. As usual, this applies to Heroes and Giant Monsters as well. In general, there are four ways to stay alive when fighting AVs: you can prevent the AV from attacking you; you can prevent the AV from hitting you; you can prevent the AV from hurting you; and you can heal up the damage when they do. You want to do as many of these as possible. You won't be defeated if the AV never attacks you. Due to the Purple Triangles of Doom (PToD) found on most AVs; you can't Hold, Stun or Confuse an AV for the entire battle. Use pets or Henchmen as a distraction. Phantom Army from an Illusion Controller is perfect for this since it can't be defeated, though it takes a silly amount of Global Recharge to keep it up all of the time. Animate Stone can work if you apply the advice below to keep him alive. If you have Hover or can Immobilize the AV, then the AV can't use Melee attacks on you. That's half the battle, but you'll still need to deal with the Ranged attacks. Next, you want to make sure the AV misses when they attack. Most AVs resist ToHit debuffs just like Regen debuffs, so around 85% at level 50. That means they aren't very effective, unless you're a Dark/Dark/Dark Defender who can maintain a huge debuff. Even then, you will need more Defense to survive. If you're trying to keep your Pets or Henchmen from being hit, slot the unique Defense oriented Pet Invention Origin (IO) Enhancements, and maybe take Leadership: Maneuvers. If you're trying to keep yourself alive, take lots of Defense oriented powers (Combat Jumping, Hover, and Weave) and slot up with lots of Defense providing IO sets (Mako's Bite, Obliteration, Thunderstrike, the unique Steadfast Protection: Res/Def IO, and the unique PvP IO that adds +3% Defense to All). Blessing of the Zephyr provides some Ranged Defense for only two slots, and AoE Defense for three and you can slot them in several movement powers. Super Reflex Scrappers have it pretty easy these days given all the extra Defense they can stack. Your goal is to hit 45% Defense versus whatever the AV is using. That drops most mobs down to a 5% chance ToHit, but AVs will be at 7.5%. When Defense and distraction aren't enough, use Resistance Buffs and Damage Debuffs. Resistance is obvious; it reduces the damage from a hit. Of course you need a whole lot to survive prolonged exposure to AVs. Even squishy characters with Fighting: Tough plus their Epic or Patron shield power can resist only around 50% of Smashing and Lethal damage. Melee oriented chars can do significantly better. A Stone Tanker in Granite Armor can survive almost anything. Damage Debuffs can be just as effective. A Kinetics character that spams Siphon Power and Fulcrum Shift can drop AV damage enough that it doesn't hurt very much. No matter what you do, some damage will get through. A Kin can survive using Transfusion, once the AV damage is debuffed enough. Characters relying on capped Defense often need Medicine: Aid Self to heal the hits that get through. Masterminds probably need Medicine: Aid Other if they don't have a heal in their Secondary power set. Rooted should keep a Stone Tanker alive. The Accolades that provide more Hit Points are always nice to have, as they help with Regen and may keep you alive long enough to hit a heal. If you're not trying to solo an AV for the challenge, then you have some more options. A full tray of Luck Inspirations will last 10 minutes. The lowest ones provide 12.5% Defense, while the highest ones add 25%. Shivans do nice damage, and can be a very big distraction. The Demonic Aura and Eye of the Magus Accolades provide a minute of high Defense and Resistance. Temporary Powers like Cryonite Armor, Kinetic Shield, Vanguard Psionic Shield, and Wedding Band add some Defense and/or Resistance. | If you want to try fighting some AVs, or even soloing them, try out my "Level 50 AV Challenge" arc #168611 in the Mission Architect. It has every AV available in the MA spread out over three missions, plus a couple of Giant Monsters in the second mission. Try rebuilding your character using some of the info from above, and see how long you last against an AV. In my next article, I'll discuss damage output. Do you have what it takes to put an AV down?  Fan Fiction SpotlightThey Called Me Monster"Name?" she said simply. "Schrupsher Slasher," I replied simply. She scowled at me and her pencil hovered over the clipboard she was holding. "This will go much faster if you cooperate," she said pointedly. "My name is Violence, Total Violence," I said finally. "Your records here at the Zig are pretty complete Mr. Violence... starting from when you were broken out. But the breakout and subsequent fire destroyed many previous records including yours. I would appreciate it if you could fill me in on who you were and how you came to be this way." "Why bother?" I asked flatly. "I've racked up more prison time that Charles Manson. You guys would be nuts to let me go - ever. So take me back to my cell, turn on my cartoons and leave me alone." "Mr. Violence," I could see that calling me that bothered her, "I'm trying to help you. Yes, you've been convicted of a number of crimes but I'm here to try and make your stay here less painful if at all possible. I'm trying to learn from you so that I might help others before they get as far down the road of crime as you are. I'm trying to find out how I can help others not turn out the way you did." "Well you're honest at least," I said after a long pause. "Last guy was some self-serving putz trying to get his name in the papers by working on a terrible case. Didn't care about me at all." "Is that why you killed him?" she asked in a softer tone, sounding like she really cared. Normally, when a piece of fiction is presented to me, I wait a while to let it simmer and gauge the dedication of the author. Normally, these stories taper off at the end with the apparent intent of finishing later. Few are ever self-contained. However, few have the initial punch this story does. Even if it doesn't have a follow-up story post, the first is a perfectly self-contained first-person narrative in its own right. It details the life and motivations of a true villain who's in the service of Arachnos through an interview with the prison psychiatrist. That's just the overview, though. Wriggling in the details is a disturbing tale of a grim man with a very low opinion of not just everyone, but everything he meets. It's not so much a deep-seeded hatred that drives him either, but more a simmering discontent that keeps him from really caring about the harm he's doing. He is apathetic to the misery of innocents, though he's done his fair share of tearing through other "monsters" as well. I should include a disclaimer here. I told Comicsluvr through our correspondence what I'm about to tell you, the audience. This story made me feel a little sick. Bad guys who are bad guys because they can be has always been difficult for me to accept, but Comicsluvr pulled it off extremely well in this story. Total Violence is not a man seeking revenge, redemption, riches or glory. He's just seeking to do as much damage as he can before everything goes black. There could be any number of reasons why, but I think he says it best before the close of the story. I should stop saying that I recommend stories because, if they're here, they indeed are recommended; but I should at least stress that this is most definitely NOT a "pleasant" story and there is some disturbing imagery to be found in here - tread carefully. |
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I15 Costumes and FacesAnniversary Fashion Watch Hello my little American chums. It is I, your Lord and Master of fashion disaster, Crime of Fashion. I am here to show you what fashion wonders await you with the release of Issue 15, Anniversary. I won't spend too much time talking, as I have been informed that the vast majority of you are functionally illiterate, something I can thank your American school systems for. In order to reach the vast majority of the great unwashed, I have prepared some pretty pictures for you. So sit back, let your mind go blank and stare at the new costume options. I command it! Ulterior costume set Here presented in black and white is the new Ulterior costume set. An interesting costume selection, very bold design, yet reminiscent of some of Jay's earlier work with the "Enforcer" and "Justice" sets. Personally, I think the gems of this set are the boots and gloves, which would look excellent with a large number of other costume pieces. | Vines costume set Where the Ulterior set is very bold and in your face, the Vines set is rather subtle. Selectable only as a pattern and not as a stock costume option, Vines can be applied over a number of costume options. The boots and legs look great, but the chest pattern is perhaps a little too subtle and does not provide a strong defining look. I15 faces Finally, here I provide a picture of all the faces that will be available in Issue 15. Some really great looks here, especially the little touches like freckles and moles. Overall, I think the female faces have more variety and are better quality than the male ones, although the male ones are not bad by any means. Call your cosmetic surgeon and get your face rearranged as soon as I15 hit live. So concludes my short review of the fashion contents of Issue 15. I hope that I didn't sprain your brain with all those words. Yours contemptuously, Crime of Fashion City Scoop Fashion Reporter and the secret Victoria has been keeping all these years. PS In response to Arbiter Fabulous and his supposed makeover of me last week. I can see why you couldn't make me over Arbiter Fabulous, you lack the skills to improve on perfection. |
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In the ScoopLast week, as I left the Arachnos Bookstore in St. Martial with my just purchased book, "Lord Recluses' Biggest Conquest" by Arbiter Reins; I saw a crowd of people gathered outside of the "Tarty Toon Gallery" peering into the windows at whatever was going on inside the gallery. I shimmied my way in-between the tightly gathered crowd and peered into the window. To my surprise, I saw Tartyrsause himself! He was working on a fabulous piece for everyone outside to watch. I hustled inside the gallery and peered around the corner where I saw Tartyrsause completely engrossed in his work. He looked up at me with a smile and waved for me to come over for a better look. I walked over and saw the nearly finished sketch of Pretty Little Zoe. I introduced myself and asked him if I might conduct an impromptu interview for the City Scoop Art section. Tartyrsause agreed, but only if I called him Tarty. I smiled and asked Tarty how long he had been a member of the CoX family. He thought for a moment and said "Well, I live on Freedom, which is rude and loud just like a real city. I just got my boxing gloves vet set; dunno what that makes me." I asked Tarty how long he had been an artist - he thought for a moment and then grinned as he replied, "I'm gonna say at age ten; prior to that the finger paints and crayons don't count." We both chuckled and then he said, "My first creation was a black and white tiger picture done on blue art paper (that's French for 'the most expensive paper type'). I used only white and black chalk for it, covering up the blue paper with nothing but black and white chalk. You would never know the color of the paper it was on unless you saw it from the back. After that, I remember drawing complex pencil sketches in class which was a big thing for me. However, I drew them ON my desk. Dunno why. Eventually, though, I would get to the point of drawing on paper." | As I looked about the gallery, Tarty watched me and spoke up when I saw an interesting piece hanging on the wall. Tarty proudly shared with me information about Thor's Assassin, "This image of Thor's Assassin was pretty much my starting point. The one over here I just finished, The Birth of Drunken Avenger," he said as we walked over to the piece hanging on the other wall. I asked Tarty where he gets his inspiration and if he does commissions. "I get my inspirations from anime, comic books and movies that are about anime and comic books. As for commissions, I eventually will, but I don't think I'm up to it at this time. I still feel I need to find a finalized, personalized STYLE of drawing that I can call my own." I do believe that I had taken up enough of Tarty's time, after all, the crowd outside was anxiously waiting for him to get back to the piece he had been working on before I interrupted him. I asked Tarty if there was anything he wished to share with his fans and the readers of the City Scoop. Tarty took his time as he twirled a paint brush in his fingers, and said "I find it a real pleasure to make art for people's characters in the game. After all, these people have spent hours, days, weeks, perhaps even years playing that character and building personal bios and histories, etc. To be able to capture the persona of their character in an artistic form that they can hold onto and call their own for, well, forever, is something I'm very happy and honored to do." Tarty went on to say, "I'm still starting out, but my main goal is to hone my own style of drawing and create vivid, amazing artwork for all the fans of the City of Heroes." As I thanked Tarty and bid farewell, he said, "The City Scoop may use any of my pieces that it likes, so long as I get an email about it so I don't miss out on anything." With that, I waved to Tarty as I slipped back into the crowd that was still watching through the big glass windows. Writer's Note: If anyone is interested seeing more of Tartyrsause's work, you may find them at http://tartarsause.deviantart.com/gallery/ Bring me your visions - VexXxa |
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EnnVee - Bases Mr_Grey - Fan Fiction Spotlight Reyne_Maker - The Hecktic Life VexXxa - In the Scoop Neuronia - PvP Correspondent Hostile_V - Humor TopDoc - Under the hood - Behind the Walls | |
Barron_ - Barron's Kitchen | |
Teldon - Behind the Mask HumanMiracle - The People On | |
Fleeting_Whisper - MArc reviews Bubbawheat - MArc Guides | |
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Vol. 3, Issue 3
June 8th, 2009
The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers!
Read the latest publication and then join in on the community discussion!
If you have concerns regarding the content of the Scoop please direct your comments via PM to Niviene.
If you would like to do a feature article, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Snow_Globe.
If you would like to place a classified ad or have an event covered, contact Cende, EnnVee, or Lemur Lad.
If you need some "Advice" contact Lady_Athyna, would like to "Ask The X" contact LiquidX, or need help with fashion, "Ask Arbiter Fabulous."
If you have a base you would like featured, please contact EnnVee.
Finally if you have a Recipe you would like included please contact Barron_.
The City Scoop
Exploring the Architect
By Bubbawheat
#4: Time Loop
Welcome to another edition of Exploring the Architect. I'm sorry I missed last week, but I have a quadruple sized mission for you this week to make up for it. My inspiration this time is the time loop, a staple of sci-fi shows. It's usually lumped in with time travel, but the time loop is more specific than that. The most well known version of the time loop is the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. From what I've seen, time loops usually follow these four rules, which I will try to incorporate into my mission arc. #1: The time loop is a set period, usually one day, which has a series of specific events repeated ad infinitum until a solution is found. #2: The time loop is created by an outside force, often a mischievous being, alien, or a space anomaly. #3: The time loop has a specific solution to release those trapped inside of it, whether it is to defeat the cause, or simply learn a lesson. #4: There is something recognizable to the viewer to show that the loop is starting over. This week I'll be dealing with a little more of a story, so if you are interested in playing the mission without any spoilers, skip down to the first non-numbered paragraph.
Vol. 3, Issue 3
June 8th, 2009
This Issue:
Community
Fighting AVs
Fan Fiction Spotlight
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Fashion
I15 Costumes and Faces
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Arts
In the Scoop
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Comic
Masthead
#1: The time loop is a set period, usually one day, which has a series of specific events repeated ad infinitum until a solution is found. In the Mission Architect, our period of time will obviously be a single mission, which we will repeat a total of five times. Next is the series of specific events, in this case mission objectives, which will repeat in each mission. For simplicity sake, we'll go with a Boss, a Collection, and another Boss. As an enemy group, I decided to go with Wyvern. They are low-level friendly, not widely used, and not used at all on the hero side. I picked a standard boss from them, gave one of them a name: "Agent Marx" and left the second one with a standard name: "Wing Sting Agent." Yes, I have a plan already, and I like to think I'm a little sneaky about it. For the collection object: A council computer. I chose this as it would make sense in a base, you can use it to get information, the exact same model is available in the destructible and defendable object list, and I personally like the design of it over the others. I create these three objectives through all five missions and give Agent Marx the same dialog in all 5 missions.
#2: The time loop is created by an outside force, often a mischievous being, alien, or a space anomaly. In my arc, I've decided that the time loop is created by accident caused by messing with a temporal artifact taken from an unnamed evil scientist's lair. I choose Foreshadow for the contact for several reasons. Not a whole lot is known about him, his name fits with the time travel theme, and he's pretty cool looking. The artifact is activated during the first fight with Agent Marx and finally gets destroyed in the fifth mission. I create a mission briefing that explains the artifact and the fact that you are supposed to retrieve it before it causes any ill effects. Of course, I copy this mission briefing over all five missions.
#3: The time loop has a specific solution to release those trapped inside of it, whether it is to defeat the cause, or simply learn a lesson. Now that I have my cause, and my repeated goals, I have to figure out what the solution is. My idea is the best solution is the one that is the most easily overlooked: The Wing Sting Agent boss that I put in every mission. I make him non-required in the previous four missions, and required in the last mission. I give him some dialog for the last mission, but leave the previous four blank. My idea of a little Easter egg as a hint for those more observant players, or those who are repeating the arc, I put a custom description in all five missions. I add a little bit to the description for each mission. Practically no one reads descriptions of non-custom bosses, especially non-custom bosses without a unique name, so I don't expect anyone to see it, but I know it's there.
Ebon Sever by Maxered
#4: There is something recognizable to the viewer to show that the loop is starting over. This is pretty easy, I just have the same opening text for each mission, with slight alterations in the later missions. There is another thing that this rule brings to mind: the viewer. Five missions in a row that are almost exactly the same can be very repetitive, and therefore boring. I need something to change it up in the later missions. The first two I keep nearly identical, as the set-up to the premise that you are repeating the same mission over and over. In the third mission, I have the player interrupt the contact early in his briefing. I also change up the objectives a bit in each mission. In the first two missions, only Marx is required to complete the mission. In the third mission, the computer is the required objective. In the fourth mission, the computer is a destructible instead of a collection, and is the required objective. Finally, in the fifth mission, the Wing Sting Agent is the required objective.
Now that I've got the mission set up, I'm going to mention something new to this article: Getting feedback. There are many ways to get feedback for your mission. The easiest way is to grab a team of friends and play through it with them. It's often best to make someone else the leader and give them the arc ID# so you have a different set of eyes reading the mission accept text and contact return text, the few things that only the team leader sees. There's also the MA Arc Finder global channel where you can ask for feedback. You can create a thread in the Mission Architect: Stories & Lore section of the forums asking for feedback, or post in one of the many review threads there. There is also a thread there that lists a few other ways to promote your arc and to get feedback. One common thing I found in my early feedback was that the mission arc is too repetitive, and there's not enough story to it. Some noted that I have a lack of clues that further explain the story. I was also directed to jjac's story arc: A Tangle in Time, which also deals with a time loop, has a very well thought out storyline to it, and avoids being too repetitive.
So now that I have some feedback, I use it to make a second pass at my mission arc. I create a more thorough mission briefing, and create longer mission pop-ups which help explain what's going on to teammates that don't read mission briefings very closely. I add in clues for defeating Agent Marx each time, detailing the artifact that you get from him. I change up the third and fourth mission significantly, playing into something altering the time loop, making things less repetitive for the players. Then I drop the fifth mission, since I am able to accomplish everything I want to do in four missions, so the fifth one is simply redundant. I also add in one final surprise at the end - if you want to know what it is, you'll have to play through it to find out. Arc #137561: Exploring the Architect #4: Time Loop. Exploring the Architects #1-3 are still available to play back-to-back as arc #2711.
Next week, I'll have something a little different for you, as Exploring the Architect is not just about making missions, but also playing through other missions. And to be a little different, I will present AE Horoscopes. If you are interested, please post in this thread. You don't have to horoscopize your own arc description, but feel free if you want to.