why do i suck lol

ok as far as i know, (magic blaster) i think i have a pretty decent power build, even though i plan to respec to get rid of what i dont want. wondeirng why do i suck so much? i can barely do my missions solo, like right now i am trying to do the missions to unlock extra costume slots and literally getting my butt kicked! also how can i find a group for respec mission? i spent about a hour broadcasting but get no hits :S

thanks

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ok as far as i know, (magic blaster) i think i have a pretty decent power build, even though i plan to respec to get rid of what i dont want. wondeirng why do i suck so much? i can barely do my missions solo, like right now i am trying to do the missions to unlock extra costume slots and literally getting my butt kicked! also how can i find a group for respec mission? i spent about a hour broadcasting but get no hits :S

thanks

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Uhm. You might try telling us what powersets you have and how you have them slotted.

That way the player experts can give you the advice your seeking.

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ok as far as i know, (magic blaster) i think i have a pretty decent power build, even though i plan to respec to get rid of what i dont want. wondeirng why do i suck so much? i can barely do my missions solo, like right now i am trying to do the missions to unlock extra costume slots and literally getting my butt kicked! also how can i find a group for respec mission? i spent about a hour broadcasting but get no hits :S

thanks

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Uhm. You might try telling us what powersets you have and how you have them slotted.

That way the player experts can give you the advice your seeking.

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Telling us how you normally approach and tackle a spawn would help too.

OK, things like "What level", "What primary" and "What secondary" would help for starters.

I'm going to give some answers to common new-kid problems... I spent a couple minutes once trying to go in the "out" door of the tram, so I'm not up on any particular pedestal here.

1) SLOTTING. If you're level 22 or higher, you should have single-origin enhancements in your powers. Attacks should be 1 accuracy, 3 damage and then "whatever else" (accuracy, recharge, endurance reduction) if you have extra slots. Generally no more than three SO's (or IO's totalling 100% if you're getting fancy) of the same type in the same power. Make sure you buy enhancements you can use! For Magic, you want to go to the little shops with the only working chimneys in Paragon.

2) POWERS. Build Up and Aim are both important to hitting hard with your key attacks. Aim, despite the name, is a "mini-build-up" doing +65% damage instead of +100% damage. Stamina is another good power to have- you should aim to get this around level 20-24. It's in the Fitness pool, and you need two "prerequisite" powers before you can get it. (Either swift or hurdle, and then Health, are the standards. I like swift but it's very much a personal choice.)

3) TACTICS. Conveniently, I wrote a mini-guide on Blasters so I wouldn't have to repeat this stuff too often. You're not Godzilla, you're James Bond. When you get hit, it hurts, and you have to hit people fast and hard until they drop.

I hope one of these is the answer you wanted.

<QR>

Whenever I see a thread like this, not only should Primary and Secondary be taken into account, but difficultity as well.

If you have the diffucultity cranked to high, lower it down a notch or two. If your having issues on heroic, then it's time to really look at what you have. Take what Fulmens mentioned as a start.

Thank you for the time...

@Travlr (Main) / @Tymers Realm (Test)

Did you talk to a Hero Corps Analyst at some point and changed your "Reputation"? In case you weren't aware, Reputation = Mission Difficulty setting.

To check what Difficulty setting you're at right now, open your Missions window, at its upper right, you should see something like "Heroic: Challenge Level 1" (Heroic is the lowest difficulty setting). Do you have something else?

Yeah, a LOT of extra info is needed.

That said, just on the mission you mentioned (unlocking extra slots) -

1. Drop your reputation to Heroic. *shrug* Just on general principle, if you're having trouble, lower the rep.

2. Grab breakfrees. You'll be fighting Tsoo, which have ink men (mezzing) and Ancestor Spirits (stuns.)

3. Keep at range.

4. Go down the west side, between the tailor and the hospital. Attack greys. Just to get that over with.

If you're doing the cape mission, same thing - break frees because of the anathema.

Plus, all the other questions - what powersets, how are you slotted, and what are you doing for each spawn?

See my Guides and Tutorials

ok thanks for the posts guys, sry i am a energ/energy manip....

here is my build atm.
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/9252/pwoer1.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/7551/power2.jpg

so yeah theres my build if anyone wants to cmment on it
and thanks for the info about difficulty lvl defintatly a good idea

btw where can i find a "hero corps analyst to lower my difficulty?

I see your problem.

You're completely missing enhancements. You've also got 6 slots where you should have 3. AND your tray is full of level 1 enhancements.

Did you actually PLAY the game at all?

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Did you actually PLAY the game at all?


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Please tell me those pics were a joke.

Perhaps an attempt to show the evils of AE babies?

That can't be real.

How does one go about choosing slots and not know they are there for powers to be slotted?

This isn't meant to be rude but by the time you learn about slots, enhancements have already been taught.

oh i thought that slots were level ups for the powers...i see now, enhancements are complicated though cause its hard to figure out how to buy them from the westworth place, i look for the ones tat are for sale only, and i cant figure out how to buy it and put it in my enhancement inventory :LS

You can only have 10 enhancements in your tray at a time. In the Enhancements tray, you need to hit "Manage" and then put the enhancements in their proper slots. THEN you can buy more.

At level 22 (as I think you mentioned you were at) you can buy Single Origin Enhancements from stores in Skyway City or Steel Canyon. Find the store that suits your origin. It will give you the enhancements you need. At level 22, you should be able to slot level 25 SOs. You can only slot enhancements within (I believe) 3 levels of YOUR level. I do it every 5 levels; your mileage may vary.

Also, ParagonWiki. Learn it Live it. Love it. It can answer any question about enhancements you'll ever have and some you won't. Oh look, a whole info page on them!

Edited to add info about levels.

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oh i thought that slots were level ups for the powers...i see now, enhancements are complicated though cause its hard to figure out how to buy them from the westworth place cause i buy em but it says enhancemnts full and ugh its just confusing lol...

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Do yourself (and us) a favor. Create a new character. Do the tutorial. Actually read the pop up windows in the tutorial. Play the character for a few levels (10 at a minimum). Actually read what the trainers and contacts say.

Do not enter the AE building at all until you have accomplished that.

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At level 22 (as I think you mentioned you were at) you can buy Single Origin Enhancements from stores in Skyway City or Steel Canyon. Find the store that suits your origin. It will give you the enhancements you need.


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The pics he posted are from a level 50 character.

As stated above, there are stores on the map. They sell the generic enhancements when you first start. Later you get enhancements that are dual origin, that means a mutant and a technology might be able to use the same power if it says so. Later you get single origin enhancements, the stores for these will be labeled Mutant Store, Technology Store, Magic Store etc.

Also, when you get enhancements as drops from defeats and missions, selling those to the correct store, Magic enhancements sold to a magic store for example, give you more money. Wentworths is an option, it isn't a necessity.

You can access your enhancements on the main skill bar by clicking enhancements. That will show how many you have and you can sell those at the store apporpriate for the type.

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At level 22 (as I think you mentioned you were at) you can buy Single Origin Enhancements from stores in Skyway City or Steel Canyon. Find the store that suits your origin. It will give you the enhancements you need.


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The pics he posted are from a level 50 character.

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Well, reading fail, lol. I forgot that some people live in the AE and don't do their costume missions at the time when they're actually supposed to, level-wise...or unlock that last slot with Halloween salvage.

OP, you'll want to be learning about the Inventions system. Do the tutorial in the Steel Canyon University. It doesn't take very long and if you read EVERYTHING, yes, EVERYTHING in it, you will learn valuable information.

alright i gotcha, problem is that the magic store enhancments are only lvl 20s, how can i get lvl 50 enhancements? ima t the westwroth buying place but cant figure out how to buy the enhancements

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alright i gotcha, problem is that the magic store enhancments are only lvl 20s, how can i get lvl 50 enhancements? ima t the westwroth buying place but cant figure out how to buy the enhancements

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There should be a person standing in the middle of WWs, an NPC. Talk to them and they'll teach you to buy things. Also, do the tutorial in Steel Canyon University, as already mentioned.

At level 50, your store contact will be Ghost Falcon in Peregrine Island for SOs, and he'll want you to do a mission for him first to unlock the store.

However, you'll PROBABLY want IOs for maximum power, which means, yes, you need to do research. You can function perfectly well WITHOUT IOs, most people just prefer to use IO sets after a certain point.

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alright i gotcha, problem is that the magic store enhancments are only lvl 20s, how can i get lvl 50 enhancements? ima t the westwroth buying place but cant figure out how to buy the enhancements

[/ QUOTE ]The levels that are sold are dependent on the zone. For level 50s, you want to go to Peregrine Island and do the mission for Ghost Falcon to unlock his store or just go to the Rikti War Zone and buy from the store there.

But yeah, I'd highly recommend rolling a new alt and reading the information actually given to you in the tutorial + by the trainers + Invention Tutorial. It sounds like you simply PLed your way to 50, so you really won't have any way to understand how the game works via that.

We've been saving Paragon City for eight and a half years. It's time to do it one more time.

You have to go to a level 50+ area. Peregrine Isle, Rikti Warzone etc all sell 35-50 enhancements at the proper store.

As others have said. You should make a new toon and figure out how to play the actual game and learn the basics then go back to your lvl 50 once you know some things about the game.

Stay out of AE until you know what you are doing.

Scooped by Kitsune but its still the same info ;P

Azrael,

(1) If you haven't figured out enhancements yet, do not bother with Wentworth's yet. It is not the easy, beginner route to buying or enhancing your powers.

(2) Level 50 enhancements can be bought at the store in Peregrine Island, once you do a mission for the vendor (Ghost Falcon).

(3) Honestly, though, the game is not set up to help you learn basic systems like enhancements on a level 50 character. This is why, for instance, the store does not immediately sell you things, but instead sends you on a mission. If you want to learn the basic system, you would do better to make a new character and play it outside the AE system. The AE system is new, and contains none of the ordinary tutorial material. This is probably why you have gotten to 50 without learning basic information. If you play non-AE content from level 1 on, you will learn the basics of the game, like enhancing your powers. Once you learn that, you can come back to your level 50 character and probably make it 10 times better than it is now.

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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Do yourself (and us) a favor. Create a new character. Do the tutorial. Actually read the pop up windows in the tutorial. Play the character for a few levels (10 at a minimum). Actually read what the trainers and contacts say.

Do not enter the AE building at all until you have accomplished that.

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Just quoting this again from before. The reason you suck is because you seemingly know nothing about enhancements or the game world. To get 'on track', you should start from square one and go back to basics.

Roll up a new character, and play that for a few levels (10 levels should be good) outside the AE. Make sure you run the Tutorial, reading the little boxes and such (there's a whole section on just Enhancements for you). As you level up, read what the Trainer offers to tell you about the in game functions.

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oh i thought that slots were level ups for the powers...i see now, enhancements are complicated though cause its hard to figure out how to buy them from the westworth place, i look for the ones tat are for sale only, and i cant figure out how to buy it and put it in my enhancement inventory :LS

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Az, what server are you on? I'm sorry that AE has messed you up so bad. But in your defense, its not your fault. AE makes it too easy to crank out a toon while not learning a thing about how the game systems work.

Sadly, your current build is a little over slotted in some places and under slotted in others. A respec is in order. However, in the age of AE, I can't help but think a Respec Trial is not going to happen any time soon.

I think your best bet is to visit the Blaster Forums and view some of the builds they have there. Ask questions about Energy/Energy blaster builds to help you work out an idea of how to build your toon.

You dont need to build your toon exactly like someone else's but there are some things you should keep in mind. Like no more then three slots in stamina. Usually only one slot in swift, but no more then 3.

Personally, (and I know this is not going to be a popular idea) I think you should reroll, and start from scratch. Play each level with actual game content and NO AE. This will help you learn how to use your powers, and figure what kind of circumstances work best for what kind of attacks, and what enhancements to buy. There are stores to buy enhancements other then Wentworths. Some are origin specific meaning they sell enhancements specifically for your origin.

It is common to pick up only one travel power. Picking up two travel powers means four power choices are used up to acquire travel powers as opposed to two power choices being used for one travel power. But it is not wrong to pick up two travel powers. If that is what you want, and you don't mind the sacrifice to attack powers for extra travel powers there really is nothing wrong with it.

There are some great tools available to help you with your planning a build. The two better ones (in my opinion) are here. Mids is a download you can run. Its the best one, but can be confusing for a new user, once you get the hang of it, its great. The other, SuckerPunch's is good too, its online. It great for the casual player who just wants to make a plan and is not concerned about the actual numbers. Its a little more friendly for casual players but lacks the finer details the hardcore folks like.

Get blaster folks to 'critique' a build for you. Let them help you come up with a decent build. Then either respec or reroll.

"The one thing that can stop a full team of MasterMinds dead in its tracks... a doorway!" --Frogfather