Cold is not really rare, it's just as common as the other Defender Primary sets... that aren't Rad or Kin. >_>
QR
Not uncommon, but not common. FOTM for defenders is Kinetics right now (and for awhile) in my opinion.
The City of Heroes Community is a special one and I will always look fondly on my times arguing, discussing and playing with you all. Thanks and thanks to the developers for a special experience.
I don't think they're rare... more like well done.
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Cold is not really rare, it's just as common as the other Defender Primary sets... that aren't Rad or Kin. >_>
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Or Empath. 
Personally, I don't encounter them very often at all. I might be just looking in the wrong places >_>
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I don't think they're rare... more like well done.
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Definately rare. Rare is a cool red center.
A rare done Cold Defender should be warm through the middle, lightly charred on the outside, browned around the sides and bright red in the middle. The Cold Defender should be soft to the touch, feeling like a raw Cold Defender but browned over the surface.
Cook this Defender as hot as possible for a very short period of time, probably about one to two minutes per side for a one inch thick Cold Defender (depending on your Fire Corruptor).
This is the Defender for the true carnivore who wants raw Defender, but gets it cooked (as little as possible) to be polite.
Edit - A potential excerpt from the Book "To Serve Man" (Twilight Zone, Season 3, Episode 89)
-Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein.
-I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. - Galileo Galilei
-When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty. - Thomas Jefferson
From my experience, I don't see enough of them. Maybe it's just me though. I know I always go looking for Cold Defenders over Empaths for example.
BrandX Future Staff Fighter
The BrandX Collection
If you include "pure healer" AE kiddies, all primaries other than empathy are rather uncommon. Cold in particular is definitely underused.
Based on my own personal observations, they don't seem rare. That may be the company I keep though; usually the teams I'm on take some effort to make sure a Cold is included and is what I get requested to bring the most, if a Kin is already on a team, otherwise the Kin gets preference.
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Based on my own personal observations, they don't seem rare. That may be the company I keep though; usually the teams I'm on take some effort to make sure a Cold is included and is what I get requested to bring the most, if a Kin is already on a team, otherwise the Kin gets preference.
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For me it depends on which global channel and which server I happen to be on. I give folks a choice of several, (Forcefields, Empath, Trick Arrow, Rad). If they say healer/Empath for anything other than an STF I know that I'm going to be with a less experienced team. That's ok though I still need healing badges on some of them and I get more progress that way.
-Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein.
-I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. - Galileo Galilei
-When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty. - Thomas Jefferson
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Based on my own personal observations, they don't seem rare. That may be the company I keep though; usually the teams I'm on take some effort to make sure a Cold is included and is what I get requested to bring the most, if a Kin is already on a team, otherwise the Kin gets preference.
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Ditto on this, I wouldn't call them rare. Good TF teams will likely bring a cold or two along because the debuffs are just that good, with 1 providing solid defense and some good resists. Two keeping everyone softcapped + some high resists and probably enough up time on heat loss to keep everyone at or near their recovery cap all the time. That and the epic amount of debuffs they bring.
I've played with one Cold Defender (and 1 Corrupter) ever in three years of playing. And most of this is on Virtue, where Defenders and Controllers are not hard to find. I don't team heaps, I often solo or duo by myself, but I have found Cold Defenders very rare.
I have no idea what Benumb or Heat Loss look like. That says something 
So I'd say if you're trying to avoid FoTM, Cold is a very good place to start.
I haven't played with many. I have one at 33, but I don't really count her because I plan on deleting her. While the powers are fun, my heart is still in Storm. After shielding and slowing, my Cold def has nothing to protect herself but blasts. Storm lets me defend myself and the other squishies with Gale and of course Hurricane. Cold has no "get away from me" power. Between that and the shields, though they look cool, it just isn't my play style.
But if you're looking for something that isn't FOTM, then yea, Cold will do just fine. 
Cold is one of the sets I see in bursts. I was on a team a few weaks ago with two. Since then, not a one.
Psi/* blasters, */DB tankers, Energy/* blasters, and Earth/ controllers all go on the 'see them in bursts, then never again' list.
They ALL float down here. When you're down here with us, you'll float too!
@Starflier
My fave character is a Cold/rad. That said, I didn't see many others leveling her up, and see others at 50 very occasionally.
Siberian Spring-50 (Cold/Rad, Rad/Ice, Ice/Rad, Sh/Ice) - KGB SS8
Chernozem-50 (Ice/MM, Emp/Ice, MA/Regen) - KGB SS8
Wila-50 (Dark/Arch) - KGB SS8
Also: Krassivy Mechtayu-50 (Ill/Rad) - KGB SS8; Ms. Hypatia-50 (Dark/Regen)
no they are not rare..i never worry about FoTM because the reality is after 5 years everything has been FoTM at one point or another.
The hard things I can do--- The impossible just take a little bit longer.
If numbers are so much more important than a teammate who is fun to play with, forget about the game altogether and go play with a calculator instead. -Claws and Effect-
Cold is one of those odd sets that actually is better on a Corruptor than it is on a Defender since -Resistance is identical on Sleet, the slows and end/recovery caps out just as easily for both, and the Defense difference isn't greater than the difference in damage output to make it worthwhile.
That said, Cold is still a perfectly capable set for defenders, it just doesn't feel like a bigger impact as Kin and Rad do as primaries instead of secondaries.
EDIT: LOL @ the costume QQers
I see more Cold Defenders than Sonic Resonance...
I agree with this. After having done a fire/cold to 50 and a cold/dark to 50, the only thing I can really say I like abou tthe defender version better is that you get sleet at 26 vs 35 for corrs.
lvl 35 is a major PITA. All the other powers seem to come soon enough as a corr to not make much of a difference when playing the def version. Those 9 levels are definitely tangible though.
Benumb comes 10 levels later, but imo isn't a game changer like sleet.
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While the powers are fun, my heart is still in Storm. After shielding and slowing, my Cold def has nothing to protect herself but blasts. Storm lets me defend myself and the other squishies with Gale and of course Hurricane. Cold has no "get away from me" power.
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There's a reason why my Ice Dom is Energy Blast *winks*
50s: Bla- Arch/Mental Cont- Mind/FF, Earth/Cold, Ill/Therm, Earth/Rad Dominator- Plant/Psi, Elec/Earth Corr- Fire/Storm, Arch/Sonic, Rad/Kin, Beam/Sonic, Psi/Time Stalker- Elec/SR Def- Storm/Dark, Emp/Psi, Dark/Elec, FF/Arch, TA/Ice, TA/Elec, Kin/AR, Cold/DP, Traps/Psi Scrap- Fire/Shield Tanker- Dark/Mace, Ice/Kin Brute- Claws/WP, SS/Energy, BS/Elec
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While the powers are fun, my heart is still in Storm. After shielding and slowing, my Cold def has nothing to protect herself but blasts. Storm lets me defend myself and the other squishies with Gale and of course Hurricane. Cold has no "get away from me" power.
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There's a reason why my Ice Dom is Energy Blast *winks*
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True, no "get off me" powers, but it does have "why are you even bothering me" powers with Heatloss, benumb, and infrigidate.
Sadly, infrig is the only spammable one of those and it is the weakest in the "you're now useless so just give up" category.
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I agree with this. After having done a fire/cold to 50 and a cold/dark to 50, the only thing I can really say I like abou tthe defender version better is that you get sleet at 26 vs 35 for corrs.
lvl 35 is a major PITA. All the other powers seem to come soon enough as a corr to not make much of a difference when playing the def version. Those 9 levels are definitely tangible though.
Benumb comes 10 levels later, but imo isn't a game changer like sleet.
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The downside of sleet coming earlier for defenders is that your 3rd ST blast in your secondary comes significantly later as well.
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I agree with this. After having done a fire/cold to 50 and a cold/dark to 50, the only thing I can really say I like abou tthe defender version better is that you get sleet at 26 vs 35 for corrs.
lvl 35 is a major PITA. All the other powers seem to come soon enough as a corr to not make much of a difference when playing the def version. Those 9 levels are definitely tangible though.
Benumb comes 10 levels later, but imo isn't a game changer like sleet.
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The downside of sleet coming earlier for defenders is that your 3rd ST blast in your secondary comes significantly later as well.
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Depends on which you find most important.
50s: Bla- Arch/Mental Cont- Mind/FF, Earth/Cold, Ill/Therm, Earth/Rad Dominator- Plant/Psi, Elec/Earth Corr- Fire/Storm, Arch/Sonic, Rad/Kin, Beam/Sonic, Psi/Time Stalker- Elec/SR Def- Storm/Dark, Emp/Psi, Dark/Elec, FF/Arch, TA/Ice, TA/Elec, Kin/AR, Cold/DP, Traps/Psi Scrap- Fire/Shield Tanker- Dark/Mace, Ice/Kin Brute- Claws/WP, SS/Energy, BS/Elec
Thanks everyone for your comments. I think the majority believe it isn't rare, but it is definitely not common either. So, sounds good. I honestly really want to roll one now, but like I said... I just came back to the game and I was shocked at something... AE! From what I have seen, it has ruined the game imho!
I am not sure if I am in the mood to level a new character during this time 
I made the character for fun anyways though
Anyone know any good SGs on Freedom that aren't based around AE?
I am just returning to the game after being gone for quite a while. I am wondering, is Cold a rare primary choice for defenders? My main is a Sonic/Electric Def, but I've played TA, Storm, and Rad to high levels as well.
I am looking to create a new defender, but I don't want to be a fotm.