If you could cancel the Cottage Rule. . .
By
Adeon Hawkwood,
Posted on: 2009-11-18 19:01 in Archetypes and Powers General Discussion
Power Idea based off someone elses post...
Gravity gets a new power..
Black Hole Slam..
Works Like Omega Manuever.. draws folks in then BOOM Smashing Damage to all in range (no knockback) maybe disorients minions...
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-
Devices.
I pretty much agree with Dispari (although I do find Taser useful)
Overall, most of my gripes come from low-mid level endurance balancing issues on most sets, rather than particular problems. Around lvl 12-20 it gets really rather bad.
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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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Kheldian Shapeshifting: The shapeshift toggles would mostly be modifiers to powers that a Kheldian already has selected. Nova would up Damage while losing defense, Dwarf the opposite. Certain thematic qualities would remain (Nova would fly automatically, Dwarf have mez. resist...) but none of this 4-6 extra powers that need slotting. Nope, you get powers in human form and an alternate form just modifies them.
Similiar to how Granite Armor doesn't give you a whole slew of extra powers and you don't lose access to most powers save a few for thematic reasons (Granite is slooooooow, so limited movement powers...)
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In the case of FA:|
Originally Posted by Calash
Wait....Give my Fire/SS a god-mode power, then nerf it and buff the set? Why not just leave me with a rez and buff the set?
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Burn would be replaced with a straight PBAoE attack like a mini-nova without the endurance slam side effect, probably balanced around the current PPP AoEs for its level of damage. A zero range fireball.
Temp protection would be yanked completely replaced with RoTP.
New tier9 would be more along the lines of one with the shield and strength of will.
This will allow the primary dam-res toggles to be buffed while retaining the damage aligned feel of the set.
Be well, people of CoH.
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If you move the slow resist out of temp protection and into plasma shield I could get behind that. May want to see about balancing out the durations of Fiery Embrace between Brutes, Scrappers, and Tanks to allow for the longer duration.|
Originally Posted by Bill Z Bubba
In the case of FA:
Burn would be replaced with a straight PBAoE attack like a mini-nova without the endurance slam side effect, probably balanced around the current PPP AoEs for its level of damage. A zero range fireball. Temp protection would be yanked completely replaced with RoTP. New tier9 would be more along the lines of one with the shield and strength of will. This will allow the primary dam-res toggles to be buffed while retaining the damage aligned feel of the set. |
+5%S/L boost in Fire Shield would also make me happy..but now I am dreaming in my dreams
1. I like what Leo G said about melee powers - ability to have a weapon or not and select the sets to go with.
2. RoF - definately needs to be looked at. In general, I like the ideas Billz tabled, but as far as the modified tier9 be sure to add KB and hold protection. Personally, I'd add the RoF explosion (preceded by a pause like nova or inferno) at the end and and take some self-damage - just to be different. Its too cool to not use.
Miss Arc #147491: Rise of Bedlam
AKA Iron Smoke @Champion Server
I haven't played all possible powersets, but IMO, the 2 sets the really kind of need the most work are Gravity and Devices.
Gravity fixes IMO are pretty much what people have already said. Wormehole sooner, and do something with Dim Shift. heck, turn it into a toggle and it'd be 10 times more useful then it is now.
And devices just because it doesn't really do alot as far as i can tell. Back in the day, it traded ACC for Damge with Targeting Drone, but now, damage is softcapped and everyone has ACC or TO buffs out the ears. And the only decent powers in the set are CD, GT, and Tripmine. It just... again IMO, needs work.
@KingSnake - Triumph Server
@PrinceSnake
My common sense is tingling... ~ Deadpool
If you can't learn to do something well... learn to enjoy doing it poorly...
I would like to emphatically agree with everyone who thinks devices needs work.
MA Arcs: Yarmouth 1509 and 58812
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What we're seeing here is one reason why the Cottage Rule exists at all. It's there so that the few who are happy don't have their game destroyed by the many who want change, but can play another set to get something they like anyway. Think about it - you're a Gravity Controller who loves his set. You get lots of use from Dimension Shift phasing an AV out of the way so you can clear out his assistants before engaging him mano a mano. Somebody, who could have just played an Earth or Ice or Fire Controller, lobbies the devs to instead change Gravity Control. Yeah, he's happy now. Your life sucks, though, because there is no place else for Gravity Controllers to go if Gravity Control gets "fixed".|
Originally Posted by brophog02
You'll find yourself very much in the minority here due to the long activation time creating a ridiculously bad DPA. Ironically, most people would say the opposite: when it is taken, it is generally done more on Defenders than it is Blasters, due mostly to the comparative damage with other powers in the set. I would like to hear your thoughts on why you like it so much, as threads pertaining to snipes are generally one sided.
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Don't get me wrong, the Cottage Rule is way overused IMHO. Gravity Control *DOES* need help, and the structure of the powers means that they either have to be switched in order or completely reinvented, either of which breaks the Cottage Rule. But order switching really shouldn't - yeah, for the span between 18 and 26, switching Dimension Shift and Wormhole would dramatically change the set, but at 50, it's a non-issue. Putting Lift at a later level and changing it to an AoE knockup field could solve the same problem, but again, order change = bad, so no go. That's where the Cottage Rule fails.
TEH WERDZ ON SKREEN HURTZ MI BRANE!
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I can see the argument that some specific sets might need a bit of rearrangement but I don't think the sets need to be standardized across the board.|
Originally Posted by brophog02
But they don't really play differently, it is just annoying early on. You advance through the levels so fast now that you're at 20 in no time at all, and even exemplaring a set like fire or ice isn't impacted even as low as a Posi with the new SSK system. In a case like Energy, it just falsely creates the assumptions that Explosive Blast is poor, or that Energy is a ST set, when neither are true.
There's just no reason for it being this way. Scrappers, for instance, aren't this way. Every Scrapper gets their taunt power at level 12. If they have a single activation build up power, it's at level 6 (with the exception of Blinding Feint, which is at 8). The sets are getting a third ST melee attack by level 8. Even with the diversity of some of the sets, there isn't such a thing as waiting until 18 to put together a reasonable attack chain. The diversity in Scrappers comes in the powers, not in odd tier placements. Some of the blaster tier placements are the same issue as Gravity has with Wormhole.........simply unnecessary. |
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| YES. I do play an Energy Blaster a lot, so that does impact that situation some, but there are also advertisements and such for certain Blaster sets, mostly from those that think all a Blaster is there for is AOE damage. I've heard people flat out say that if you're not Archery or Fire, don't bother joining their team. It certainly isn't as pronounced as something like Emp defenders, but it does exist. |
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| You'll find yourself very much in the minority here due to the long activation time creating a ridiculously bad DPA. Ironically, most people would say the opposite: when it is taken, it is generally done more on Defenders than it is Blasters, due mostly to the comparative damage with other powers in the set. I would like to hear your thoughts on why you like it so much, as threads pertaining to snipes are generally one sided. |
As for why I like it on Blasters. My Blaster is an AR/Dev. Assault Rifle is horrible in terms of ST damage (technically Ignite fills that role but it doesn't really suit me as a power, maybe one day I'll try it again). Over time I've come to rely on snipe as an additional ST attack, I've got it slotted decently for Interrupt and using it in combat is possible, you have to time it correctly. Additionally in open maps I use the extra range to pick off fleeing enemies. Secondly I leveled my Blaster from 1 to 50 almost entirely solo. While doing that Sniper rifle was my primary form of damage mitigation. Up until the 40s I could use it to one shot most minions which is an effective 33% damage mitigation against a 3-minion spawn. Post 40 the relative damage dropped off but even then by dropping a Trip Mine before combat I could 1-shot most minions (and against Carnies I didn't even need the mine). Finally, I just really like the Sniper Rifle animation
.So yes, Snipe attacks aren't the best powers in the game and are near useless on a team but for a solo blaster they are an invaluable tool. For that reason alone I do not want to see the snipes go away.
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Oddly, I thought this one would face the most criticism (and it still might). Archery and Energy are essentially identical sets except for two big things: The ST damage is split more evenly in Energy (and more concentrated in Blazing Arrow for Archery) and the fact Archery has the short recharge ROA rather than the long recharge Nova. Other than that, if you look at the cone + AOE in each set, and the total of single target in each set, you'll see they are indeed very, very similar. Obviously they play differently due to the secondary effects, but in term of balance metrics like damage they are extremely close. Assault Rifle is similar. In all three instances the standard cone and standard AOE are essentially the same (I believe M30, Explosive Blast, and Explosive Arrow are indeed exact clones). Fistful, Torrent, and Buckshot are very similar as well (certainly in terms of damage). Assault Rifle's problems are really more in terms of Ignite acting as a tier 3, but even that is partially made up with the inclusion of Flamethrower, which gives Assault Rifle more AOEs than a standard set (replacing the normally skipped snipe attack), and not by the inclusion of Full Auto. Does Energy need rebalanced then? I would say, no. It's a middle of the road set, which is why I'm using it as a simple comparative. Why would archery need re-balancing, then? ROA in its current form isn't what makes Archery viable, although its issues of redundancy have made people think that. People have made Archery a set around ROA because its extremely effective in today's common high recharge builds, rather than because that's how the set is truly balanced. If it were that case then we have some serious balance issues with nearly all of the remaining Blast sets, because Archery's ST and AOE damage (ignoring tier 9s entirely) are right where they should be, with respect to the other Blast sets. |
Another thing to consider is that enemy groups have differing amounts of resistance and overall Smashing and Lethal are the most resisted damage types. Since both Archery and Assault Rifle deal lethal damage giving them a slightly better base damage as compensation seems fair to me.
Finally, while Archery and Fire might be the best sets for farming I don't think that is a valid reason for re-balancing. Farming is by its nature against enemies that are most susceptible to your damage type. If you took Assault Rifle and Archery in against every single enemy group in the game one after another I don't think that they would significantly outperform the other blast sets.
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I agree. At least with Devices there is only one power that is conceptually bad, and even then we can skirt the edge of the Cottage Rule by at least keeping it as a power that makes a large explosion, all that needs changing is how the explosion is delivered.
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Originally Posted by Jabbrwock
What we're seeing here is one reason why the Cottage Rule exists at all. It's there so that the few who are happy don't have their game destroyed by the many who want change, but can play another set to get something they like anyway. Think about it - you're a Gravity Controller who loves his set. You get lots of use from Dimension Shift phasing an AV out of the way so you can clear out his assistants before engaging him mano a mano. Somebody, who could have just played an Earth or Ice or Fire Controller, lobbies the devs to instead change Gravity Control. Yeah, he's happy now. Your life sucks, though, because there is no place else for Gravity Controllers to go if Gravity Control gets "fixed".
Don't get me wrong, the Cottage Rule is way overused IMHO. Gravity Control *DOES* need help, and the structure of the powers means that they either have to be switched in order or completely reinvented, either of which breaks the Cottage Rule. But order switching really shouldn't - yeah, for the span between 18 and 26, switching Dimension Shift and Wormhole would dramatically change the set, but at 50, it's a non-issue. Putting Lift at a later level and changing it to an AoE knockup field could solve the same problem, but again, order change = bad, so no go. That's where the Cottage Rule fails. |
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That much I agree on.|
Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
I agree. At least with Devices there is only one power that is conceptually bad, and even then we can skirt the edge of the Cottage Rule by at least keeping it as a power that makes a large explosion, all that needs changing is how the explosion is delivered.
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Changing the entire nature of a power is the cottage rule. Changing Time Bomb to Seeker Drones would be a cottage replacement. You go from a big nuke-recharge explosion to a debuff/mez power. Way too drastic of a replacement. If however you replace the big nuke-recharge explosion with a big nuke-recharge explosion that just does it a little differently, that seems okay. In fact, those powers are so similar that it's hard to even come up with a proper analogy that would be roughly equivalent in a power exchange situation.
The other non-cottage thing I support is simply adding things on. As long as the basic nature of the power remains in-tact, I think it's okay to add extra effects. Hence, my suggestion to add crits to Cloaking Device. The nature and purpose of the power remains, but it gains another effect. It's not a whole new cottage, just a new wing.
I'm on the fence about changes such as Conserve Power -> Energize. The basic nature of the power remains, but overall it was changed drastically. Most people don't care that CP was altered because it was just that bad of a power. But if they were to make a similarly drastic change to another power, it could either turn out really good or really bad. It's not a FULL cottage change, but it can still be a bad choice based on the way it's handled. I can hardly imagine many people thinking the change to Energize was a bad move though.
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Originally Posted by PRAF68_EU
Dispari has more than enough credability, and certainly doesn't need to borrow any from you.
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I don't think power for power they need to be standardized, just brought a little more in line in terms of annoyance factor. |
Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
I can see the argument that some specific sets might need a bit of rearrangement but I don't think the sets need to be standardized across the board.
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Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
I realize that i['m in the minority when it comes to snipes, but I'll try to explain my reasoning..........
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Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
When looking at Blast sets, I think you do need to consider more than just raw damage. Most of the blast sets have some form of damage mitigation on almost all of their attacks. Energy has knockback, Cold has slow, electricity has end drain etc. The two main exceptions are Fire and Archery (Fire just has an Avoid while Archery has one knockback and a stun). Assault Rifle is a borderline case, it does have knockback on a decent number of attacks but it doesn't have them on all powers and the chance of it proccing is lower than Energy (also like fire it has an avoid but the radius is to small to make it effective as a mitigation power). For these sets the additional damage is supposed to compensate for the lack of secondary effects. For fire this is accomplished through more damage in it's blasts (generally as one or more DoT ticks after the main damage is applied). For Archery and Assault Rifle this extra damage is in the form of a short recharge, crash-less T9.
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Energy Blast only has a 20% chance of KB on Power Bolt (but very low mag), 30% on Power Blast, and 60% on Power Burst. Slug has a 25% chance for KB.
In terms of AOE mitigation Assault is nearly equal to Energy: Torrent is a 60% chance for KB, Buckshot is 50% chance. M30, Explosive Arrow, and Explosive Blast are all clones of one another, and therefore all have a 50% chance. Fistfull attempts to compensate with a lower recharge and lower endurance figure (one of the rare differences in such attributes between Archery and Energy).
Both Assault and Archery include a disorient power, thus providing an ST mitigation tool like most blast sets do, unlike Fire where that power is replaced with Rain of Fire. By that logic then (which I don't agree with), it should be Fire or Radiation with a short recharge tier 9 and not Assault or Archery. Radiation is in the same boat as Archery, but with a lower chance of knockback (25%) in its AOE, -def rather than +acc, and a single target disorient built into its tier 3 ST power. It, like nearly every other Blast set, has a typical nuke that crashes.
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Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
Another thing to consider is that enemy groups have differing amounts of resistance and overall Smashing and Lethal are the most resisted damage types. Since both Archery and Assault Rifle deal lethal damage giving them a slightly better base damage as compensation seems fair to me.
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I didn't say mitigation, I said secondary effects. Fire has a secondary effect of more damage (generally as a DoT) while Radiation has a secondary effect of Defense debuff. They both have a secondary effect that is offensive in nature rather than defensive. I'm not really looking at the overall mitigation of the sets, some have higher mitigation (Energy and Cold for example) while others trade mitigation for Damage (Fire and Radiation).|
Originally Posted by brophog02
Energy Blast only has a 10% chance of KB on Power Bolt, 30% on Power Blast, but 60% on Power Burst. Slug has a 25% chance for KB.
In terms of AOE mitigation Assault is nearly equal to Energy: Torrent is a 60% chance, Buckshot is 50% chance. M30, Explosive Arrow, and Explosive Blast are all clones of one another, and therefore all have a 50% chance. Fistfull attempts to compensate with a lower recharge and lower endurance figure (one of the rare differences in such attributes between Archery and Energy). Both Assault and Archery include a disorient power, thus providing an ST mitigation tool like most blast sets do, unlike Fire where that power is replaced with Rain of Fire. By that logic then (which I don't agree with), it should be Fire or Radiation with a short recharge tier 9 and not Assault or Archery. Radiation is in the same boat as Archery, but with a lower chance of knockback (25%) in its AOE, -def rather than +acc, and a single target disorient built into its tier 3 ST power. It, like nearly every other Blast set, has a typical nuke that crashes. |
I was actually going to write an in depth analysis to show that the lack of secondary effects hurts Archery in comparison to energy blast, but I'm starting to think you might have a point. Most Blaster ST attacks use a damage scale that is based solely on recharge time. I hadn't realized it before but both Aimed Shot and Snap Shot (along with Burst in AR) actually have a higher damage scale than they should for their recharge times. The scales are still lower than for Fire Blast but Archery has higher accuracy to compensate so it should even out (we'll ignore the fact that the higher accuracy isn't that useful once you start slotting IOs).
AoE powers are less consistent across Blast sets but even there Archery does seem to come out ok. Explosive Arrow does of course have a secondary effect. Fistful of Arrows is an interesting case. It's damage scale is similar to most other cone attacks, however it's range is 50ft rather than 40ft. Comparing it to Howl and Shockwave in Sonic Blast (which both share it's 50ft range) we see a solid increase in damage scale as it's secondary effect.
Ranged Shot could probably use a damage boost. It's secondary effect appears to be an additional 0.031 accuracy on top of the normal 0.155 Archery accuracy bonus.
In summary, my statement that Archery is lacking in secondary effects was erroneous. they are just very diverse and rather subtle.
I still disagree with you that FA and RoA need changing though, I like them to much
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Actually, you said mitigation. |
Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
I didn't say mitigation, I said secondary effects.
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Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
Most of the blast sets have some form of damage mitigation on almost all of their attacks.
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I blame the sleepiness.|
Originally Posted by brophog02
Actually, you said mitigation.
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| In terms of secondary effect though, that still wouldn't answer why Archery would have the different tier 9, but not Radiation. The difference between Radiation's -def and Archery's +acc isn't a whole lot (particularly, like you said, post IOs). |
However, what it really comes down to is that Assault rifle and Archery have a crashless nuke for thematic reasons
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Just to say it, Devices isn't SUPPOSED to do it for the whole team. It's a BLASTER secondary. Blasters don't use buff/debuff powers to support the team. |
Originally Posted by Dispari
I've always found Devices to be a poorly designed set. By comparison, Traps does a lot of the same things, with added benefit of doing it for the whole team. It also does some far more useful things like the Forcefield Generator and Poison Trap.
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The lack of direct melee damage is more of the flaw with Devices. Although it is more a different strategy. The Blaster is relying more on stealth and traps than Blapping. I'd say the "flaw" is actually that there isn't anything else like Devices, while the other sets seem designed similar to Energy. (But arguably don't work as well as Energy)
And yes, changing the way Time Bomb's explosion is delivered wouldn't really be a violation of the Cottage Rule. The Gun Drone was a stationary trap placed in a specific location, and then it became a "pet" that followed the caster. That wasn't a violation of the Cottage Rule.
And for my answer to the question, Force Fields. And every other set designed similarly. I would concentrate the buffs more closely, and add some additional personal protection and utility powers. (And this already happened somewhat in Beta, Insulation and Reflection Shields were combined into one, and Detention Field was added. But Detention is just too specific a power, it adds another "one note" power to a set of "one note" powers)
Should I add that sets such as Sonic Resonance and Ninjitsu were in effect cancelling the Cottage Rule for FF and Super Reflexes? (Although IMHO Sonic didn't cancel it enough. And even Thermal and Cold are limited by the number of powers which are taken up by the shield application buffs)
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No, I know that. I'm saying not only is Traps able to do stuff for a whole team, but it's a more well-designed set.|
Originally Posted by Jade_Dragon
Just to say it, Devices isn't SUPPOSED to do it for the whole team. It's a BLASTER secondary. Blasters don't use buff/debuff powers to support the team.
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What I'm saying is that in the same way Thermal Radiation is Fire Armor for your team, Traps should theoretically be Devices that you use for your team. Instead it's a WAY BETTER Devices that you use for your team.
Devices is full of powers you can rarely use, or are hard or annoying to use. The huge setup time, or the interruptable nature, or the fact that you have to keep using them (the pet) make it a really unfun set. And even if you were using them, it takes way longer to do what other sets can just do directly.
As you say, it lacks direct melee damage. Really, it lacks direct damage period. All the powers it can use to do damage with (besides trivial caltrops or taser damage) are interruptable, and thus can't really be used in combat. The main issue with Devices is that none of the powers are actually usable in a fight. They have to be used before, or at the very best, while someone else is keeping baddies entertained.
The second painful issue is that the powers all have limited or minor impact. Targeting Drone is cool, but for a good 95%+ of the game you don't need a ToHit bonus. Cloaking Device is nice to stack with other stealths, but it doesn't really help you kill badguys or stay alive. Gun Drone is useful, but you spend way too much endurance and time summoning it. The whole set is full of stuff that just doesn't contribute much to an actual fight, or if it does, is a big hassle to actually set up.
Traps took a hint from this. Its buffs aren't interruptable. They don't take 8+ seconds to take effect. They all have a clear and intended effect, varied though they may be. Devices should be redone this way. Remove all the unnecessary setup times, make the powers more meaningful, and remove the godawful cast times. This applies mostly to Cloaking Device, Time Bomb, and Gun Drone.
Triage Beacon, Acid Mortar, Forcefield Generator, Poison Trap, Seeker Drones. All of these have a cast time around 2 seconds, none of which are interuptable. True it's also stuck with Trip Mine and Time Bomb. But the new powers were designed to make it a gadget set that has powers that are usable in just about any situation, which are quick to set and benefit from. Gun Drone is a pain in the rear. Cloaking Device does very little. Targeting Drone, while nice, has limited benefit in the vast majority of the game (outside of allowing lazier accuracy slotting). Devices needs to be made more player friendly, with powers that are more universally useful.
Oh, and Time Bomb sucks no matter what set it's in.
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Originally Posted by PRAF68_EU
Dispari has more than enough credability, and certainly doesn't need to borrow any from you.
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I would change Dimension Shift in Gravity to make it shift teammates instead of enemies, but only slightly. It could half-phase them for 5-10 seconds, decreasing all damage from enemies, while allowing them to still attack, kinda like the Carnies phaseshift and still mess you up. The recharge would be 1-2 minutes, unaffected by recharge boosts, so not overpowering.
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Both Blaster /Devices AND Grav Control need changed.|
Originally Posted by Jabbrwock
for just one power set to get completely reworked, which set would it be?
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Grav needs to be completely reworked with the cottage rule thrown out the window or at least temporarily placed in the trash bin.
I think that /Devices could be successfully reworked while only slightly bending the cottage rule.
If I were prioritizing the 2 projects though /Devices would go first.
-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
Devices would be my first choice of a set to change. Gravity control would be a close second. Energy Aura would be up third.
I think replacing dimension shift with a gravity well power would greatly improve the utility of the set, something like a reverse bonfire. Of course... it'd be highly exploitable in the farming community. That, or make dimension shift a single target toggle with more noticeable graphic effects.
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Let me guess: you tend to play with fast-moving teams.|
Originally Posted by Dispari
Devices is full of powers you can rarely use, or are hard or annoying to use. The huge setup time, or the interruptable nature, or the fact that you have to keep using them (the pet) make it a really unfun set. And even if you were using them, it takes way longer to do what other sets can just do directly.
As you say, it lacks direct melee damage. Really, it lacks direct damage period. All the powers it can use to do damage with (besides trivial caltrops or taser damage) are interruptable, and thus can't really be used in combat. The main issue with Devices is that none of the powers are actually usable in a fight. They have to be used before, or at the very best, while someone else is keeping baddies entertained. |
Some of us prefer a slower, more deliberate playstyle, and Devices is good set for that. Cloaking Device's 35ft stealth lets you ghost most missions if you're careful, stacks nicely with Smoke Grenade, and lets you pick your battles in almost all situations. Caltrops keeps opponents out of melee range, and combines nicely with Trip Mine to catch fast-moving target such as the Halloween werewolves. Ever one-shotted an elite boss? Trip mines + hasten + recharge has the potential. Gun drone by itself is fairly useless, but summoning one is a good way to draw a mob across a minefield while remaining cloaked.
I agree that Time Bomb is useless.
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I played /Traps to 50. Slow and deliberate. (Dark/Traps, for extra leisure.) I played some /Devices. Deleted at 29. I have to disagree that "it's a good set for that."| Some of us prefer a slower, more deliberate playstyle, and Devices is good set for that. |
[ My initial answer was "You could play /Energy and take a bite of sandwich before every spawn and still be faster than /Devices." Which is true, but you do need to be a twitchy player for that style. ]
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
Hands down...
Gravity Control. Its is a screwed up set with some a hard to manage power in Wormhole that tends to annot the team even when you do use it correctly. It has a completely useless power that almost NO ONE takes in a build called Dimension Shift (which has NOTHING to do with Gravity BTW). I has an extremely slow animating, annoyingly over the top animated power in Propel (really.. cars.. refrigerators...etc etc) that I guess they thought woulld be really cool.. except that its not cool when the power doesnt hit until the mob is already dead half of the time... It has no blend of hard and soft controls like Earth or Ice. Even thematically its not as good as it could be.. where is something really cool like Anti-Gravity field which makes foes float UP... with the animation from Ghost Widows hold (just the floating part not the little purple yellow things)
The WARSHADE has better themed Gravity attacks.
Liquefy sucks. It is about the MOST underwhelming defender Tier 9. and the fact it as no minus resistance effect on it to me is just mind boggling. Also I had the -res that I have to stick on a player. Thanks for making the poiwer USELESS when I solo.. Yeah the trick arrow can debuff a mob with a sonic arrow but the MASTER of Sound cannot debuff a mob without a some tank or scrapper.. yeah.. great..
Gun Drone.. WHY does this power take SO LONG to animate and cost SO MUCH end to do so.. Come on people.. shorten the animation times and end cost for that power. Its way over the top...
Oh and while i am on a roll.. can the MM Spec Ops pets get an AOE attack maybe ??? Like the one the medic DOESNT need.. oh and how about a Stealth Snipe so the stealth they have actually DOES something... oh and shorten the timer on the tear gas and flash grenades PLEASE....
Rise of the Phoenix.... and for that matter Soul Transfer for tanks scraps and brutes... None of these powers should exist on a tank. A tank should have a power that helps them STAY ALIVE.. you know like all the OTHER sets... Not one that you use AFTER you die.. and certainly not one that needs a dead foe in range...
Defender damage sucks..
ad last but not least
VIGILANCE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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-