Problem/Strange Powers

So, I'm starting this thread to bring stupid powers to light to the community and devs. This is NOT a flame thread, post only real and intelligent thoughts here please.

I'll get the ball rolling with Stalker Energy Armor: Repulse

This toggle power creates a field that violently repels nearby foes. each enemy repelled costs you additional endurance.

Why was this given to a stalker? Need I say more?

huge sig is huge.

I would have to agree with you on Stalker/Energy Armor/Repulse. Why?

I also don't like stealth for tankers. Why does Dark Armor for tankers still have Cloak of Darkness? The last thing a tank wants is to NOT be seen, and even if you consider the fact that it suppresses when you attack anyway, it's a fairly high endurance cost for such a small defense bonus, perception, and immobilize protection. Not only that, but Dark Armor is a bit more frail than other power sets, and while you're at it removing the stealth from the tank version, it's heal Dark Regeneration could use a small +HP bonus. It has NO hitpoint increases and NO last resort power like Unstoppable or Moment of Glory. The general formula seems to be: Charge, Heal, Die, Rez, Heal, Die. A last resort power or some +HP bonus somewhere would make it much sturdier. It already lacks knockback protection, but at least there is an enhancement for that. Anyone who has played Regen, Willpower, Shield Defense, Energy Aura, Ice Armor, any other sets can agree that Dark Armor has some shortcomings.

*still not diggin' the 'click a Quick Reply button' thingy...*

Here's one: The power to put a stupid huge signature picture. Why they came up with that, I'll never know.

Oh my god...
There. Now seriously, get back on topic...

Alright, so why is that SIG picture so big?

Alright, three things.

1) This is not the appropriate forum for this topic. This forum is for discussing Technical Issues with your game, not for complaining about powers you dislike.

2) You sig is huge. Might I suggest making it smaller?

3) If you don't like the power, don't pick it. Simple.

It's not so much about "liking" a power, Smash Zone. What we're talking about is powers that are just not suited to the character they are given to. Would it make sense to give an assassination move to a Defender?

Power sets are supposed to maintain a general level of balance. They don't have to all do the same things, but they should provide the same level of importance to a character and his team. That's why I would agree it falls under bugs. When new sets are made to be well-rounded but older ones aren't changed to keep up, that's a maintenance issue. I program, and I know for a fact that you spend more time upkeeping a program than writing it. Online games deal with this even more so. Outdated or surpassed performance is a maintenance issue.

His main example was Stalker: Energy Aura: Repulse. It counteracts a stalker's purpose, and it for some reason ONLY exists in the stalker version.

My example was Tanker: Dark Armor: Cloak of Darkness. Why give the designated center of attention the ability to lose that attention? That's like getting your designated driver drunk. Why include this power when a more tanker-specific power could be included?

Much like Tanker: Dark Armor: Cloak of darkness, brutes get Energy Aura: Energy Cloak, a stealth move on what is somewhat the tank of the villains. Now if you are purely DPS or PvP in build, for a brute stealth may not be completely unwanted, but it's so minor in effect that not only can you replace it with a pool power of nearly equal effect, but it also doesn't really provide the effect the Brute Archetype is designed for.

Electric Armor was brought on par with other armor sets with the inclusion of a heal with +HP effect. Dark Armor was much like Electric Armor in resistance granted, but the endurance costs, mez protection, and last resort capabilities of Dark Armor were lacking in comparison. It still provides no bonus HP and no last resort like Overload or One with the Shield. They have updated other sets to be more in-line with their purpose and more reliably up-to-par with their counterparts. I still would consider these balance issues to be bugs.

Thanks Archon, at least you agree with me.

It took three years to get the Lich, which has to play nice with it's melee brethren, to stop doing Knockback and do Knockdown instead.

So, there's hope...

Okay then, sir.

You explain to me why Repulse makes any sense on a toon who is all stealth

Definitely a good point, Ironblade. Not everyone likes to follow the specific rules of the class, but the general consensus on melee classes is that most dislike knockback in favor of knockdown. They made sweeping changes to almost every melee attack set in this regard, from Broadsword and Battle Axe to Super Strength and Stone Melee. The few attacks that stayed as knockback were the ones designed for single-target tossing, like Martial Arts: Crane Kick. That can be strategically used to gather enemies up if one gets too far from the rest. My MA/Regen scrapper does this to help keep enemies near the tank.

Personally, I feel the issue here is that having a stealth class with a knockback move like Crane Kick is a great idea, but giving them an area effect scattering move like Energy Aura: Repulse is the whole other direction. Not only does it scatter enemies from the team's tank, breaking aggro and getting the less defensive people killed (including the stalker who can gain aggro from such a move), but it also will break stealth, which is how stalkers start a fight.

I do agree that Stalkers can be designed to stand toe-to-toe with scrappers and other classes and fight to the death, but they still specialize in sneaking up and getting the upper hand right from the start. This move defeats that purpose. It's almost like giving a Controller a move that snaps the target enemy out of any status effects currently on them. It's like giving a Tanker a Placate move.

I did a comparison of the existing tanker sets during closed I16 and found that Dark Armor was still more surviveable than the fire tanker, which is also resist based. On average, Dark Armor grants higher resistances and more variety of resistances than Fire Armor grants.

Also, the Fire Tanker heal, while much quicker than Dark Regen, does not heal nearly as thoroughly. (Dark Regen requires only 3 enemies in the area to heal you up full)

Fire deals with its fragility by killing quickly.

Dark deals with its fragility by inflicting status effects and debuffs on their attackers.

That said, yes, stealth is really unnecessary for a tanker.

However, what I absolutely do NOT understand, is sleep powers for tankers.

Not just sleep.

PBAoE Sleep.

We're talking about giving a status effect that is broken by the infliction of damage to a class where 5 out of 8 sets radiate damage as a part of their basic function.

The chance for sleep on Elec is moderately useful to a low level tanker, I'll grant you.

However, Salt Crystals? Frozen Aura? By the time the enemies enter the sleep animation, the sleep is already broken! What is the use?

At least Frozen Aura is useful now that it does damage, but I never see it's sleep for longer than the blink of an eye.

what's worse, these are both powers matched with defense sets that are among the ones that radiate PBAoE damage!