Discussion: 63 And 66 Month Veteran Rewards!
By
alienuterus,
Posted on: 2009-07-17 14:05 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
Why can some people NOT understand that A Veteran reward is just that, a reward for continualously paying for and playing the game. You can't pick or choice what you want out of the list of things. You get them as they are EARNED. Some of the complaining in here is as bad as the ones in AE missions that "piggy back" into high level missions wanting HUGE amounts of xps & influence basically spoonfeed to them.
Just put in your time and you WILL EARN it.
Deeds not Words....
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I stopped playing three years back (as the reg date of my account will verify) before there were veteran rewards, so I didn't even have a chance to know that I'd get something for staying subscribed.
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CoH has been sending out info regarding updates via e-mails for as long as I can remember. Even if you leave the game, if you have any inkling you might return later, it's a good idea to keep your e-mail info up to date on your NCSoft management info.
I still get e-mails from games I have left. When something and interesting comes out, I can decide if it's worth returning to the game for.
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If I pay $10-15 extra dollars a month, why shouldn't I get double credit for veteran rewards? Or just a flat $15 a month to "catch up"?
What exactly is so threatening about allowing people that haven't been playing for five years some way to compensate NCSoft to receive the same benefit as those that have?
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Because just as many folks if not more would come in crying about having to buy Vet rewards. Folks are all up in arms about paying for Booster packs as it is.
It's not a question of being threatened. Veteran Rewards were designed as an incentive for being around. Allowing folks to simply buy them defeats the whole design. They're just something nifty to have. A minor reward, nothing that will give you a massive advantage over those folks that haven't been around as long. They're never supposed to be a big deal.
SI Radio has many DJs and listeners whom hold City of Heroes close to their hearts. We will be supporting many efforts to keep CoH ALIVE!!
What would be nicer for a vet reward is a pet that was actually helpful, like a Warwolf or a Shivan, etc.
You know...I've been wanting statues of the Freedom Phalanx and Arachnos to put in my base for a long time...
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Looks good. Not great, but good. But then the City Traveler is going to be hard to beat. The Fog of War Reveal will help with my OCD about uncovering zone maps. Hopefully, it's permanent.
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This, but it will cheapen the experience!!!!
However: now I'll get those spots that were unreachable in many maps, like outside the bobbles in the shard.
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Actually from a Shard TF standpoint this will be a useful power.
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They're just something nifty to have. A minor reward, nothing that will give you a massive advantage over those folks that haven't been around as long. They're never supposed to be a big deal.
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The 15-month award wings, while just a costume piece, are pretty vital for some character concepts from an aesthetic point of view. And while the Valkyrie wings compensate a bit for the angel wings, the dragon wings aren't really bat wings.
Another reward that is huge, aesthetically speaking, are the base parts, especially the weapon displays. As a base-builder, not having access to those is a big deal to me.
The way things look does matter to some people (like me), and having so many options locked away for such a long time is intensely frustrating.
And the 60-month reward, early travel powers? That's not just a minor reward. That's a big deal. That's a free power slot.
I think it'll be most useful in the Arachnoid caves, since you can never tell where the hard walls are on the maps, to know if there is a path you missed.
Liberty
My 50s:
Hero: Armor Assassin (scrapper), Cross Dresser (scrapper), Surly Seaman (blaster), Defensive End (Tank), Rad Rhino (Cont)
Villain: Beast Infection (Corr), Sweet Zombie Jesus (MM), Milk Weasel (Stalker), Orgullo (MM), Agent Eris (Crab)
I'm looking forward to the Fog-of-War lifting power. I tend to get a bit obsessive about clearing the fog out sometimes. But like others have pointed out, sometimes the fog can be useful in seeing what parts of a map have been explored and what parts haven't. I liked the idea of "multi-tiered" Fog of War that someone mentioned earlier. You'd get the benefit of seeing the whole map, while still knowing what parts of it you haven't been to. I wonder it it'll work that way, and if not, it should. I still think it's nice to have, though.
Currently published Mission Architect arcs:
Arc ID# 70466: From the Abyss.
Arc ID# 403174: The Serpent's Revenge.
Arc ID# 534236: The Clockwork Angel.
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I think it'll be most useful in the Arachnoid caves, since you can never tell where the hard walls are on the maps, to know if there is a path you missed.
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True. That is one mission map I would glady use the power on. For the most though I would take my active alts to all the outdoor maps and use the power to remove the Fog of War, especially everyone's oh so favorite areas: The Shadow Shards.
I think these two are pretty awesome.
63 Months: Honorable = [u]The ultimate cure for OCD-related "fog of war" clearing[u] and many wasted hours...
"Fog Be-Gone Button" FTW!
66 Months: Enduring = All types of Extra Slots... very nice, can't complain about those.
I recently hit = 54 Months: Allegiant and it rocks, getting the 2nd wand/staff power = perfect for those darn "oh noes, run-away" mobs on melee toons or taking Sands of Mu on ranged ranged toons or those that I originally picked the Axe with - for thematic reasons.
I'm dreading the next one though - 57 Months: Abiding = a Tailor Discount? I already have costume tokens for expensive changes, or Inf for minor changes.
Yes, I'm sure some people really dig that VR - if they switch costumes on a near-daily basis, for RP or seasonal attire (even if we normally get Tokens for seasonal/event costume changes, and with each issue, 1 per open costume slot)... *sigh*
But, the VR at 60 Months: City Traveler, will probably make me forget the severe let down of 57: Abiding's - 50% Tailor Discount...
But between now and them it's gonna be a long, dreadful 6 months (roughly) waiting for City Traveler... 
SJ'ing, SS'ing or (maybe) Flying through lowbie Zones will be sweet - even though I know I'll go back and pickup C.Jump, Hasten, Hover, or AirSup. at some later level(s) on most characters.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
City of Heroes didn't fail, City of Heroes was killed. If a 747 dropped on your house, you'd say you were killed, not you failed to find a safer dwelling.
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Yeah, the fog be gone button and the vidiots plugin will definitely make navigating hazard zones (especially the shadow shard) a lot easier.
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the recipe slots are nice...but uh fog of war?...am i suppose to be familar with this term?
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Its a term that goes all the way back to the good ole days of command and conquer and other games that have minimaps.
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It's actually attributed to Carl von Clausewitz, back in the early 1800s.
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Really now? Well that was the first place I know I ever heard it hehe.
Friends don't let friends buy an ncsoft controlled project.
+5 recipe inventory slots *drool*
That will give me 34 recipe slots (:
/t @Flame Enchantress, /em sends tell
ERROR: CANNOT FIND MOCKINGLAUGHTER.TXT
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They're just something nifty to have. A minor reward, nothing that will give you a massive advantage over those folks that haven't been around as long. They're never supposed to be a big deal.
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The 15-month award wings, while just a costume piece, are pretty vital for some character concepts from an aesthetic point of view. And while the Valkyrie wings compensate a bit for the angel wings, the dragon wings aren't really bat wings.
Another reward that is huge, aesthetically speaking, are the base parts, especially the weapon displays. As a base-builder, not having access to those is a big deal to me.
The way things look does matter to some people (like me), and having so many options locked away for such a long time is intensely frustrating.
And the 60-month reward, early travel powers? That's not just a minor reward. That's a big deal. That's a free power slot.
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A) buy the Valk pack and wait like the rest of us did to get the angel wings. there is NO costume that will be completely ruined if you have to use valk wings instead of angel wings. Big feathered wings are big feathered wings whether armored or not.
B)the base parts are so much less than a big deal beacause all you need to do is have another SG mate put in a weapons display 
problem solved
C) the 60 month isn't an extra power slot it's early access to a power. Again no big deal
Bottom line is that you WILL eventually get these rewards when you EARN them... like the rest of us have
BTW Disclaimer: I stopped playing for about a month after getting a 2 month late start so i'm about 3 months away from getting 63 but i know that i WILL indeed get it. PLUS i have several friends who were behind me in vet rewards who saw my Nem Staff the 1st time i pulled it out and they were like "OMG I CAN'T WAIT until I hit 33 months!!" so the arguement that the VR disheartens other players is crap!
Lord Raptor lvl 50 Thugs/traps MM Le Guerrier lvl 50 Broadsword/invuln scrapper
Lola the Chain lvl 50 electric/energy brute Kage Ryu lvl 50 ninja/dark MM
Billy. Bones lvl 50 zombie/trick arrow MM Jet Stream lvl 50 Super Strength/invuln tank
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+1 Auction House Inventory Slot
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One? That's kinda cheap.
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I think after 5+ years of non stop play, we should get a vet power than can auto lvl a character by 10 lvls, to be used at any time. I mean really...after 5+ years I think we earned that.
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I disagree.
One of the nicest things about this game is that there are Vets playing low level characters around to help those who are playing the game for the first time. If this is put in, than you will effectively kill that angle.
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I think after 5+ years of non stop play, we should get a vet power than can auto lvl a character by 10 lvls, to be used at any time. I mean really...after 5+ years I think we earned that.
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I disagree.
One of the nicest things about this game is that there are Vets playing low level characters around to help those who are playing the game for the first time. If this is put in, than you will effectively kill that angle.
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QFT
Lord Raptor lvl 50 Thugs/traps MM Le Guerrier lvl 50 Broadsword/invuln scrapper
Lola the Chain lvl 50 electric/energy brute Kage Ryu lvl 50 ninja/dark MM
Billy. Bones lvl 50 zombie/trick arrow MM Jet Stream lvl 50 Super Strength/invuln tank
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A) buy the Valk pack and wait like the rest of us did to get the angel wings. there is NO costume that will be completely ruined if you have to use valk wings instead of angel wings. Big feathered wings are big feathered wings whether armored or not.
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You completely failed to address bat wings, while bringing up all the points I already mentioned.
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B)the base parts are so much less than a big deal beacause all you need to do is have another SG mate put in a weapons display problem solved
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And if I am in a solo SG, or have no veterans in my SG?
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C) the 60 month isn't an extra power slot it's early access to a power. Again no big deal
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The ability to pick Fly without having to pick Hover is an extra power slot. Whether you feel the defence bonus of Hover or the attack power of Air Superiority is worth having isn't the issue; that they are no longer required means you are getting a free power, which would allow you to decide between, say, Hover and Conserve Energy.
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i have several friends who were behind me in vet rewards who saw my Nem Staff the 1st time i pulled it out and they were like "OMG I CAN'T WAIT until I hit 33 months!!" so the arguement that the VR disheartens other players is crap!
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"I can't wait" means, literally, "I am incapable of waiting long enough".
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Bottom line is that you WILL eventually get these rewards when you EARN them... like the rest of us have
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Did you earn them with time, or with money? Is your time worth more than $15 a month? Is it worth more to NCSoft?
Continually advancing benchmarks create systems where it is impossible to catch up, and thus impossible to "eventually" get anything, because by the time to get to the old benchmark, there's a new one and thus more things you cannot have and must "eventually earn", and so on in a never ending cycle.
By the time I "eventually" get the 60-month rewards, there will be 108-month rewards out there that I must still wait for and "eventually" earn, and "eventually" will never come.
I'm not asking to get them for free. I'm asking that, after five years, there be some system other than mere simple subscription to gain access to them.
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B)the base parts are so much less than a big deal beacause all you need to do is have another SG mate put in a weapons display problem solved
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And if I am in a solo SG, or have no veterans in my SG?
[/ QUOTE ] That one is extremely easy.
Invite one high end veteran either permanantly, OR temporarily.
I have several friends who have gone in and decorated someone's base for them!
Then you can move the items wherever you want.
VERY EASY!
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C) the 60 month isn't an extra power slot it's early access to a power. Again no big deal
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The ability to pick Fly without having to pick Hover is an extra power slot. Whether you feel the defence bonus of Hover or the attack power of Air Superiority is worth having isn't the issue;
[/ QUOTE ] Oh, but it is A major issue. Most people who have looked at their builds, have determined they will still take pre-reqs. just in a different order. minor advantage.
Extra slot? No that is smoke and mirrors. Exactly the same number of slots in all cases.
and in most cases the pre-reqs are still in.
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Bottom line is that you WILL eventually get these rewards when you EARN them... like the rest of us have
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Did you earn them with time, or with money? Is your time worth more than $15 a month? Is it worth more to NCSoft?
[/ QUOTE ] MAJOR fail on this point. VRs are the fairest rewards in the game.
Everyone's money is exactly the same on this point.
Two people who pay, and wait out a year, get [u]exactly the same thing[u].
4 sets of VRs
THAT is the point of VRs. EVERYONE has the same amount of carrots to encourage them to keep paying and playing for the same amount of time and money.
Different carrots. but no one gets more of them for the same amount of paid and waited time.
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Continually advancing benchmarks create systems where it is impossible to catch up, and thus impossible to "eventually" get anything, because by the time to get to the old benchmark, there's a new one and thus more things you cannot have and must "eventually earn", and so on in a never ending cycle.
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If you need, I will come back and explain to you, how the people who will miss out on getting some of the highest rewards when THE END comes for CoX, is counterbalanced by the fact that NO ONE who was playing at the beginning, got ANY VetRewards for OVER TWO YEARS.
It forms a nice symmetry.
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. . . Bottom line is that you WILL eventually get these rewards when you EARN them... like the rest of us have
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I liked most of your points. But You really didn't take this one quite far enough.
The REAL Bottom line is that EVERY player, in X amount of months will receive the same number (call it Y) of sets of VRs, right on schedule.
Perfectly equal. perfectly fair. No one gets more of them for the same amount of time paid and waited out.
It ends up being the only perfectly fair reward system in the game, because of the reason for their existence.
The real purpose of VRs is to entice players to keep paying and playing.
Every player knows that in less than 3 months, there is another little perk waiting for them, if they stay.
...And if they quit, or take a break from their subscription, then they will delay, or totally give up these little perks that are in their near future. and it will also delay any VRs that they REALLY want down the line, by however many months they take off. <ul type="square">[*]Allowing people to buy them early without earning them with their time, Defeats the Purpose of VRs.[*]Or Allowing people to cherry-pick the VRs they like best, out of order, Defeats the Purpose of VRs.[*]Everyone earns them the same way, at the same rate, in the same order as everyone else in the game. Any deviations from this would be unfair, and Defeats the Purpose of VRs.[/list]
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You see . . . VRs are completely fair.
And the ONLY completely fair reward in the game. <ul type="square">[*]Every account must earn them through time... You can't buy VRs.[*]You can't cheat to get them, or use exploits to get them.[*]You can't manipulate the Market to get them.[*]You can't PL to get them.[*]You don't even have to actually spend time in game. As long as you keep your account active, you get a new VR, every 3 months, like clockwork.[/list]
Each account gets each reward at the exact same time of that accounts length of paytime.
Every player, whether a 1 month, or a 50 month,
will get exactly ONE set of VRs in less than 3 months from any given moment,
as long as they keep paying, and wait for it.
No other reward in the game that is fairer.
Quit trying to muck them up, folks.
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* +5 Salvage Inventory Slots
* +5 Recipe Inventory Slots
* +1 Auction House Inventory Slot
....show of hands, who here would pay to get either of these separately? I sure as hell would, especially the recipe one.
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Just seeing everyone pointing out the fact that certain rewards will always be out of reach, a thought occured to me that could benefit all of us game loyalists who couldn't have a five year account.
I for example was but a wee teenager of 17 when the game came out and my mother refused to let me have a job while I was in high school as it would "distract me from my studies" so I had no disposable income of my own to speak of aside from what I horded in left-over lunch money. I scrounged to buy the game after I had bothered my mother enough to allow me to open a bank account to put some left over christmas money into so I'd have a debit card and I subscribed a short couple of months (two I believe) after the game came out, bought the DVD edition and everything. I subscribed for a good 9 months before my funds were depleted and I had no means to replinish them well enough to not overdraft my account, so I was forced to cancel and wasn't able to return until a few months after CoV came out (bought while the special edition was still on shelves). That's a good chunk of time missing there, and I ran into similar problems shortly after and had to cancel again until recently, right around a year and a half ago. As stands I'm 3 years behind on vet rewards but I've been a loyal follower, kept up with game news, and to this day CoX is my MMO of choice, can't even get started in others because I've come to love the feel of it so much nothing else "feels" right. So basically I'm a loyal fan who's been around for 5 years but due to lack of funding I'm missing out on 3 years of vet stuff.
Now schpiel over, here's the meat:
What if there were a system implemented for say... half-years that basically gave you a Reward Pool to choose from. You get your 3 month vet badge, you can now choose from the first 4 vet rewards from the first half of that year. You'd eventually have to take them all, but you could get the one you were most interested in sooner, and it'd keep new players interested in Vet rewards more. Specifically I'd love this as my next coming-up reward is in-game faction emblems. Meh. I'll use them, make no mistake. I've already got an idea for a PPD toon, but it's not high-up on my list. HOWEVER, the boxing set IS. I WANT THOSE BOOTS. I mean, you wouldn't BELIEVE how badly I want those boots. The shorts aren't bad either for swimsuit costumes, but THE BOOTS. Made my point? If I was given a pool of four to choose from I'd gladly snap up the boxing set and leave the emblems for a later date. Done properly this could also help clear up the veteran badge tab as that's a nightmare at the moment to me. I never take the prestige sprints unless I need them for a character concept and accidentally clicking on the redeem button is grounds for re-rolling the new toon right then and there so I don't have four extra powers that I'll never use clogging up my inherent power list (Perhaps an option to only take what you want from the list?). I also have to be careful not to accidentally redeem my respecs before I intend to use them so they aren't wasted. If we had a single button to click on that said "Veteran Rewards Set 1 Redeem" and when clicked on offered you a list of possible rewards to pick, I'd be thrilled.
Anyway, I'm done rambling. Just wanted to put in my two cents worth to possibly open up Vet Rewards a bit more to the less-fortunate players who couldn't afford/weren't able to have a full-time subscription without making it unfair to the players who have.
EDIT - Just read the start of Stever's post about "cherry-picking" powers out of order. That's why I suggested they be available in half-year blocks. You'd be allowed a tiny bit of choice, but you'd still be limited to four reward blocks that you couldn't go past until you'd earned the next block of time. Perhaps the year-mark rewards wouldn't be included in the blocks and would be locked to those specific badges as they're big milestones, but a block of four to pick from, a block of three, your year reward, then another block of four and so forth doesn't sound like an atrocious idea to me. Just gives players a little more incentive knowing that they can get that reward they REALLY want a little sooner and the one they want not so much later on down the line while still keeping it fair to those who have such long-standing accounts.
Holy hell! A power to remove all the fog of war... I am SO gonna' love this power! My friends might love it, too, if it makes me move faster on teams not having to explore so much. I suspect I'll only ever use it outside, though.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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The real purpose of VRs is to entice players to keep paying and playing.
Every player knows that in less than 3 months, there is another little perk waiting for them, if they stay.
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Actually, the fact that I will never get all the Veterans Rewards, that there will always be another reward out there that I'll want and will never get to makes the Veteran's Rewards completely ineffective as incentive. "Collect them all!" is a pretty enticing idea, but when collecting them all becomes impossible, it loses its appeal.
As such, the idea of losing Veteran Rewards has absolutely zero effect whatsoever on my choice to stay subscribed. I play the game because I have fun with it and enjoy my VG, not because I have another Veteran Reward coming around the corner.
They might entice five-year veterans, but at this point, the already four+ years of rewards that I won't have for X amount of time has completely removed any ability for the system to entice me at all. Now, I am simply annoyed that, in a game whose primary strength over its competitors is the creativity and customisation of its character creation (and base editor), there are options that, for completely arbitrary reasons, I cannot use for another year or more.
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Here's my Vet power suggestion:
You know how you can summon a Crafting Table with the Field Crafter accolade? Well, similarly, create a Vet power that brings Jack Wolfe to you so you use your respec anywhere.
Or...what about a 6th costume slot? Or a Freedom Phalanx / Arachnos costume change emote?
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/signed .... I LOVE THIS! Like a repec table are something. Sick of going to galaxy are nerva to respec everytime
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