I have never felt too much grind in getting these. In fact, any of my characters that spend any time in RWZ generally carry around Vanguard Merits that they don't have a use for. Particularly since the day job for logging out in the vanguard base increases your earn rate, not a lot but if you focus on it the benefit is noticeable. (edit: that sounds grindy. I meant focus on earning the badge.)
The only change I could recommend for these would be to make them tradeable, but that is highly unlikely.
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I have never found them a grind, but that is just my experience and will admit that other players do consider it so. Also, I see more suggestions on what to do with the excess merits (let's go Rikti O's! |
Originally Posted by Techbot Alpha
Why not lump all of them together (weapons included or not) and make it a 200 merit package? Or something? For such a great costume set, it's imensely frustrating to not be able to get the parts without grinding for hours and hours on Rikti missions where you aren't even guarenteed to get any reasonalbe drop rate.
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). Anyhow, but this part about a making them together would be great. So many sets are, well, sets, and I never understood the piece meal fashion on obtaining the set.
Why are merits so easily available for ship raids ? -- that is the primary incentive to run the raid
It is my opinion that the Devs are being genorous in allowing us to earn them slowly by other means.
The closest in-game analogy would be runnign DE missions allowing you to build up partial credit for a HO.*
My bottom line thought, a single well coordinated team can get the shield down and get lots of merits, they cannot easily** summon Ukon Grai due to bomb planting counting for the whole team, but they can get lots of merits. Two teams (16 people) dont even require much coordination
*which it kinda of does as HOs are tradable, but the inf earning isn't restricted to just DE missions.
** there is a way round this, but it basically requires the single team to split into 3 seperate teams before planting the first bomb.
@Catwhoorg "Rule of Three - Finale" Arc# 1984
@Mr Falkland Islands"A Nation Goes Rogue" Arc# 2369 "Toasters and Pop Tarts" Arc#116617
The HO comparison isn't quite the same though.
I'd be all for more things to buy with VG Merits, but why make the costume pieces so hard to unlock?
Even IC, I see no logical reason for this, especially since nowadays the zone is open from level one but the merits only start at 35.
In fact, IC there is even less reason for the armour to take so long to get, let alone in general terms.
Maybe I'm just being picky. But the cost of all the costume parts is rather excessive.
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.
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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon
NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.
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On several characters I have a thousand or more merits going 'to waste', on one I have some seven thousand and chnage.
Before making them easier to obtain, or reducing the costs of the existing items, we actually need more things to buy with them otherwise we end up with large amounts just sitting there.
@Catwhoorg "Rule of Three - Finale" Arc# 1984
@Mr Falkland Islands"A Nation Goes Rogue" Arc# 2369 "Toasters and Pop Tarts" Arc#116617
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Here's the problem - they're not tradable, so even if you have thousands on one character, it doesn't help you any on another. Do people really have the full set of Vanguard armour on many of their characters? Because I have at least 15-20 in range of the pieces, and I don't think I have more than 10 pieces between them. I would be DEAD - literally dead in my swivel chair - if I tried to earn the full set for all of them. At this point, I've all but given up on that set and just make do with the Vanguard weapons where available.|
Originally Posted by Catwhoorg
On several characters I have a thousand or more merits going 'to waste', on one I have some seven thousand and chnage.
Before making them easier to obtain, or reducing the costs of the existing items, we actually need more things to buy with them otherwise we end up with large amounts just sitting there. |
I am very much FOR a reduction in cost and bundling of costume pieces.
*edit*
If you have 1000 Vanguard Merits, isn't that, like, two summons of the HVAS?
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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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Tradeable would be nice.|
Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
Here's the problem - they're not tradable, so even if you have thousands on one character, it doesn't help you any on another. Do people really have the full set of Vanguard armour on many of their characters? Because I have at least 15-20 in range of the pieces, and I don't think I have more than 10 pieces between them. I would be DEAD - literally dead in my swivel chair - if I tried to earn the full set for all of them. At this point, I've all but given up on that set and just make do with the Vanguard weapons where available.
I am very much FOR a reduction in cost and bundling of costume pieces. *edit* If you have 1000 Vanguard Merits, isn't that, like, two summons of the HVAS? |
It's not like reward merits, where you get something big like IOs. It's costume pieces and small temp powers. Hardly game breaking.
I have one full set of Vanguard armour, on my character who was built as a Vanguard Colonel with a sword and shield. I think I got the weapons ONLY doing regular missions, which nearly killed me. Then I found out that (at the time) ship raids ran every Friday. I ran EVERY raid I could do, and had the costume in no time (I also leveled faster as I was so set on Merits, xp just rocketed while it was ignored)
Without the ship raids, it's nigh impossible to reasonably get a full set.
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.
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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon
NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.
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Sam just FYI, Vanguard heavy is 250 merits.
@Catwhoorg "Rule of Three - Finale" Arc# 1984
@Mr Falkland Islands"A Nation Goes Rogue" Arc# 2369 "Toasters and Pop Tarts" Arc#116617
I recently ran the first two arcs in RWZ and got close to 200 Merits because of the enhanced settings. I wasn't even maxed out, just -1/x3 That was enough for the Shield I wanted, and something else. If I had focused on repeatable missions against Rikti for the same amount of time, I'm sure I would have gotten more.
Point is, it takes some work, and it should, but it takes a lot less than it used to.
The zone is designed for normal mode (slow) and Bonus Mode (ship raid). You may not like raiding but it works for people who want fast Merits. Saying it's 'nigh impossible' otherwise is misleading exaggeration.
"Null is as much an argument "for removing the cottage rule" as the moon being round is for buying tennis shoes." -Memphis Bill
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Whereas I ran through ALL of the RWZ arcs on my Brute, on Malicious (as it was back in the day), and got maybe something in the realm of 250-300.|
Originally Posted by Lemur Lad
I recently ran the first two arcs in RWZ and got close to 200 Merits because of the enhanced settings. I wasn't even maxed out, just -1/x3 That was enough for the Shield I wanted, and something else. If I had focused on repeatable missions against Rikti for the same amount of time, I'm sure I would have gotten more.
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Anyway, time to repost my wonderful list!
Things they need to do with/for Vanguard Merits:
1) Up the drop rate. Not everyone wants to or can ship raid.
2) Give merit bonuses for the RWZ story arcs.
3) Give a merit bonus to the Lady Grey TF.
4) Severely reduce the price of the Vanguard costume parts. (IT COSTS 200 FOR PANTS PEOPLE, 100 FOR A GUN)
5) Allow characters of any level to earn merits.
6) Find some way to allow players to use unlockable costume parts at creation. Account-wide unlocks, redeemable tokens (sort of like Vet rewards), or make the unlocks recipe-based.
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Originally Posted by IanTheM1
Whereas I ran through ALL of the RWZ arcs on my Brute, on Malicious (as it was back in the day), and got maybe something in the realm of 250-300.
Anyway, time to repost my wonderful list! Things they need to do with/for Vanguard Merits: 1) Up the drop rate. Not everyone wants to or can ship raid. 2) Give merit bonuses for the RWZ story arcs. 3) Give a merit bonus to the Lady Grey TF. 4) Severely reduce the price of the Vanguard costume parts. (IT COSTS 200 FOR PANTS PEOPLE, 100 FOR A GUN) 5) Allow characters of any level to earn merits. 6) Find some way to allow players to use unlockable costume parts at creation. Account-wide unlocks, redeemable tokens (sort of like Vet rewards), or make the unlocks recipe-based. |
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All that gets a huge /Signed from me
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.
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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon
NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.
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WAY ahead of you there!|
Originally Posted by Catwhoorg
we actually need more things to buy with them otherwise we end up with large amounts just sitting there.
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New Vanguard Merit purchasable temp powers and stuff!
Summon Drones: You can summon two reverse engineered Rikti Drones to fight alongside you for 90 seconds, this power has a 5 minute recharge time and has 3 charges. You may only have one Summon Drone power at a time.
Merit cost: 150 merits
Rikti Heavy Energy Blade (The new ones they use): Your work with the Vanguard has allowed you access to their confiscated weapons locker and granted you use of the new Rikti Heavy Energy Blades. You have this power for up to 1 hour of in game time before it is recalled to the locker, you may only have on in your possession at any given time.
Rikti Heavy Energy Blade: High Damage (Lethal/energy), Foe: Knockback, Recharge: Moderate (12 seconds)
Merit cost: 200
Vanguard Curse Wand: The Vanguard has given you one of their special magical wands used to cast the Curse of Wariness on foes. (Curse of Weariness (Ranged, Lethal, Foe -Defense) Cursed: You are tired. Your endurance total has been reduced.) You have 5 charges on this wand and can only cast once every 60 seconds.
Merit cost: 500
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Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
City of Heroes is a game about freedom of expression and variety of experiences far more so than it is about representing any one theme, topic or genre.
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And your reward is pants!|
Originally Posted by IanTheM1
4) Severely reduce the price of the Vanguard costume parts. (IT COSTS 200 FOR PANTS PEOPLE, 100 FOR A GUN)
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Seriously, though, I agree with you completely, just as I agreed last time. Vaguard gear is too difficult to earn on EVERY character. Either it needs to be easier to get, or it needs to apply to all characters.
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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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I was also incredibly peeved that the Sigil Costume Change Emote was so pricey. Considering that it's just an emote, and a situational one at that, why in the heck does it cost as much as cool-looking, always-around costume pieces such as the Talsorian blades? Should be 25 or 50, IMO.
Never surrender! Never give up!
Help keep Paragon City alive with the unofficial City of Heroes Tabletop Role Playing Game!
At least in some regards.
First off, the drop rate of Merits on standard missions is rediculously low. Even in the RWZ, it's incredibly hard to get merits just by missioning. Your more likely to get 100 merits from the 2 merit end of mission reward you can get from logging off in the Vanguard Compound than by killing Rikti.
Now, yes you can get great levels of VG Merits by doing ship raids...IF you can get a raid. They seem to have pretty much died off on Union (Where I lurk) where once they were an every Friday occurence, like clockwork.
So, the 'main way of getting them' is now gone, if not forever then at least for the forseeable future. And yet, why should you have to do ship raids to get merits?
In fact, why do the VG costume parts cost so much? Or why are they seperated into so many pieces?
Why not lump all of them together (weapons included or not) and make it a 200 merit package? Or something? For such a great costume set, it's imensely frustrating to not be able to get the parts without grinding for hours and hours on Rikti missions where you aren't even guarenteed to get any reasonalbe drop rate.
I remember outfitting my Vanguard Colonel with a good chunk of kit just from Rikti Missions. Part of this was he was a Sword/Shiled scrapper, part of it was sheer determination. It was a grind. A boring, boring, horrible grind.
And then I got on a few decent ship raids and he was fully kitted...so, why the massive difference?
Some people will probably disagree. But the Devs seem to be cracking down on 'Unrealistic to achieve' stuff, and right now this seems to be straying into that camp.