Should Power Pools improve builds?
By
Aett_Thorn,
Posted on: 2010-09-23 08:01 in Archetypes and Powers General Discussion
Well, since Power Pools are general, and can be taken by anyone, some are going to be both.
For instance, Tough on a Tanker strengthens his strength. However, Tough on a Controller covers a weakness to some extent.
Power Pools were meant to be those general powers that you see in comics that aren't restricted to any of the ATs. You have Tankers, Blasters, Controllers, Stalkers, etc in the comics, and all of them have Flight.
However, you also see Blasters that can take a hit (Tough), Tankers that can heal others (Medicine), sneaky Corruptors (Stealth), etc. The fact that some of these provide more of what an AT can already do it a byproduct of having them be general enough to cover everything.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
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I would agree with you in comic books but there is a world of difference between them and a MMORPG where balance is part of the equation, especialy for something anyone can take.|
Originally Posted by Aett_Thorn
Well, since Power Pools are general, and can be taken by anyone, some are going to be both.
For instance, Tough on a Tanker strengthens his strength. However, Tough on a Controller covers a weakness to some extent. Power Pools were meant to be those general powers that you see in comics that aren't restricted to any of the ATs. You have Tankers, Blasters, Controllers, Stalkers, etc in the comics, and all of them have Flight. However, you also see Blasters that can take a hit (Tough), Tankers that can heal others (Medicine), sneaky Corruptors (Stealth), etc. The fact that some of these provide more of what an AT can already do it a byproduct of having them be general enough to cover everything. |
btw, I'm asking if it should be otherwise, not how it works now but I believe you see no problem with their current state.
I don't think it should be otherwise.
An invulnerable tank with tough/weave is an obvious case of pool powers precisely strengthening a character's strengths.
An SR scrapper with both is covering one hole (the dam-res with tough) while strengthening a strength (the defense from weave.)
A blaster with tough and weave is doing nothing but adding mitigation he didn't have before.
However, what are the primary differences between those three examples?
The tank may be getting damn close to immortality, but he deals out very low damage.
The scrapper takes a lot more incoming damage than the tank, and this is balanced by his greater damage output.
The blaster is the king of damage, dumping it from range.
I find that the situation is balanced as is and needs no change.
Now gimme that vet power that lets me take tough/weave without having to bother with boxing/kick.
Be well, people of CoH.
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That's also a case of strengthening or shoring up. |
Originally Posted by Bill Z Bubba
Now gimme that vet power that lets me take tough/weave without having to bother with boxing/kick. |
Example: Did you know that Boxing will do Containment damage when used by a controller?
I had a Mind/Kin that took advantage of that, hit em with Dominate, walk up and slug 'em. It let me defeat things faster while spreading out my mezzes more to take groups down. Instead of holding them and then killing them with my sleep, I held one, and killed it with Boxing, leaving me free to sleep the LT that came over to beat on me.
Kick is also a nice set mule for characters in need of KB protection but don't have any KB powers to slot Kinetic Crash in. 4 Kinetic Crash gets you an instant 3 points of KB protection, and Kick will accept it.
Granted, both powers are kind of useless for melee ATs, but some other ATs can get some mileage out of them.
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Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison See, it's gems like these that make me check Claws' post history every once in a while to make sure I haven't missed anything good lately. |
If it was not for power pools, wouldn't every single ss/wp brute have the same powers and therefore be the same in most regards(except slotting)? These extra selections let you vary your toons for another of the same type. I look at power pools as another way to further make your character unique and adaptable to your play style.
Hello,
I've been thinking about the disparity between the power pools usage and a thought sticks to my mind: Should non-epic Power Pools improve builds beyond covering weaknesses?
If you exclude the 'I want for flavor' and other RP reason to take them, the 2 main reasons to take power pools is to either cover weaknesses or make your strength even stronger and it's the later I question because, after all, those pools are general ones.
For example, if you take TP pool, as far as I know, it doesn't improve a build beyond covering a movement weakness for some AT (Stone Armor for example).
On the other hand, speed pool, hasten in particuliar improves your overall efficiency regardless of AT. Same can be said about fighting pool with tough(for defense IO) and weave for some AT and there are others.
No pool are mandatory to make a toon playable, I am aware of that and that's not my point.
I don't really have solutions and maybe I am totaly wrong about this and all is fine but the way I see it is that the difference between more enjoyment and broken Uberness (which is the ultimate enjoyment imho but I digress hehe) is a question of strengthening a weakness over strengthening a stength and I see the role of Power pools as stengthening weakness.
In a way, Stamina strengthen a weakness most AT have so I am not sure it counts hehe.
What do you think?