The Best Build

There is no best power or powerset. There is no best tank, or best farmer, or best damage dealer. There is no best way to get to 50, and no best PvP toon. There is no best build.

Words to live by.

But not a week goes by without a new thread asking about the "best" whatever it is they want. The psychological implications are intriguing, to say in the least, and it got me thinking (which happens from time to time). What makes people pursue these notions and constantly ask for input from those of us in the know? The game's so easy as it is; why is a "best" even required in the first place?

I've been observing this trend for a while, and I think I've gotten a pretty good idea of why people seek out the ultimate build. I've figured that most of the time someone queries what's best, they fit into one or more of the following categories:


Some People are Lazy

You know how it is: you want your first level 50 ever, and that Defender you rolled up when you started playing and refuse to team with (no social skills maybe; this is an internet game) just isn't cutting it for you. Rather than stick it out, swallow your pride and maybe join your first team, you just say "screw it" and ask people who care about express tickets to get you to Fiftytown in less time than the average interval between DOOOM threads.

It may be a misplaced perception of achievement; that there's some kind of award or special status that is bestowed on you with level 50... but there isn't. Maybe it was the epic archetypes back in the day, but we've seen how that goes: people rarely feel they were worth the level 50 and anyone who's anyone would have known that ahead of time. I think a better explanation is that people forget this is a video game: play it to have fun; don't fool yourself and focus your time and energy on achieving things that, in the real world, bear no significance whatsoever.

But whatever the case, some people just really want level 50 and they're not willing to spend the time to get it. So they come to us, asking about the build that can defeat the most enemies the fastest, or in some other way yields a higher XP:time ratio than any other. They don't ask for advice; they ask for builds, and they go out and make that build verbatim and pretend they're enjoying themselves. It's fun to screw with these people by suggesting builds that are arguably less than optimal.


Some People Sell Money

This one's not really much of an issue for City of Heroes anymore, but it used to be. There are these companies out there who make their living on selling people in-game money. Remember that whole "no real-world significance" bit? It applies here too, and grubby hands are capitalizing on people's laziness. The higher-level characters can make the most money the fastest, and when that's how you get food into your mouth every day, you tend to take it seriously.

But since these companies aren't too keen on spending money, you'll be hard-pressed to find any of their employees learned enough in the art of gameplay to actually do their own research and determine the best builds for their needs themselves. So instead, they wind up back in the laps of the paying customers, begging for scraps of info to help them do their own jobs.

Be careful when replying to these "best build" threads, because the person on the other side of the internet just might be asking you to help them steal from you. The moral of the story? Don't be lazy! If a fool and his money are soon parted, then it's depressing just now much money that fool has to part with; and the recipient isn't all that outstanding a citizen either.


Some People are Timid

There's this type of person out there who got picked on a lot in school (even got picked on in home school, the loser) and is so terrified of making mistakes or not looking cool to the cool kids that they throw away any semblance of an identity and just try to find some kind of flow to go with. All their lazy, money-selling friends are tearing it up on the battlefield, and they're still sitting there wondering if it was worth it to put that fifth Training Enhancement in Rest.

The solution? Get educated, of course! Consult The Players' Guide to the Cities; visit The Mentor Project; get some help so you know what the crap you're doing! But no, that requires initiative. That requires effort without any guaranteed success. Surely there's a better way?

Well, practically, no there isn't a better way, but in the mind of the timid player, there is: ask the cool kids for a cool build. These people are immune to logic and understanding: all they want is something that will make them unconditionally successful, and everything else just goes in one ear and out the other. If you haven't noticed the running trend here, it's this: people who ask for best builds tend to be more focused on achieving something than enjoying the game for what it's worth.


Some People Don't Ask for Best Builds

Ooh, curveball. Bet you weren't expecting that! No, the mathematical inverse of those mentioned above are the ones who know the game and what they can do. These people don't tend to ask for builds, because frankly, they're busy designing builds of their own. I'd like to say that this accounts for the vast majority of players, which is a good thing.

People generally know what they want, and people are aware that once they get to level 50, there's not a lot left to do and part of the fun is just starting anew with a powerset combination they've never used before. Others like to test their limits, and take an unorthodox approach or just make something completely awesome.

These are the people who enjoy the game. These are the people who aren't trying to obtain some imaginary achievement. These people make the best builds: the ones that are fun.

Some people don't read the forums

That would fall under both laziness and timidness, I think. Someone who's not willing to, say, scroll down and find the solution to their problem. To them, it's important enough to merit its own thread, and specific attention from the people who know about things and stuff.

This thread is so disappointing. Where is the mids link?

As annoying as it may be to read that yes, indeed the elec/sd scrapper is still the best farmer, I kind of enjoy reading what other forumites enjoy playing in different situations. Its not good for the altitis though...

I can empathize with your point of view.