How do you feel about the Incarnate System?

I like it because I think it's good for the game, it's nothing to me personally, though. Given that TFs are rare at the hours I play I'm never likely to use it.

Thematically, on the other hand, I really dislike it. The lore makes it sound like it should be a personal journey but it's not practical for it to be one. Since it is clearly meant to be based around team play, they needed to introduce it very differently, IMO.

I'm very excited about it.

I've been around for a long time and still haven't done the STF or a couple of the other major task forces that will drop shards, and all because folks were doing them as speed runs. Now that folks are taking their time, I'm really looking forward to doing them, and enjoying the experience.

Of course, the drops will help.

I only have two fifties (a blaster and a tank). The tank is the main badge toon, and I'm really looking forward to getting him slotted with his Incarnate components, so I have to learn to adjust my play style a bit. (My own stupidity there--I still play a tank like it's my job to herd the map, and you just can't do that with twenty Mastermind pets running around.) The Blaster will probably beat him to the slot--it's fairly easy for him to join a team and just do his job.

I have other toons who are getting to 50 that I am somewhat meh about. I'm not sure how I feel about a semi-deific Dual Pistols blaster. (Thoroughly a role-playing issue.) On the other hand, an earth/storm controller with godlike power will be something to see.

Then, of course, I'm looking forward to building a whole new tank from scratch who can actually have enough endurance to run toggles at lower levels. I'm actually twitterpated about that.

But shards first, new toons later.

The last week I've run an ITF, a KhanTF, and an STF. For the rest of 2010, I've run one single ITF.

There's something about this system that encourages me to run more TFs. I mean, I just finished an STF all for the sake of getting that Essence of the Incarnate. 8 more Shards and my FF/Energy Defender has her Nerve Radial Boost, and will regain an ability she didn't have since Issue 5. The ability to buff her teammates all the way to the defense cap on her own. And that's just the start of the system, I can't wait to see what Omega level Aegis Rose can do in the end. That's going to be fun.

So, so far, I'm all for it, as my previous post said, it's pretty fun and for now you progress at a fairly good pace.

i19 does not bode well because the incarnate system is an insult to skilled players!!!

i've enjoyed what i've seen so far. The new TFs are rather fun, but it's the psychological effects on the playerbase that i enjoy the most so far. The sheer diversity of high level TFs being run and the lack of emphasis on skipping as much of the TF as possible when on PuGs has been a good thing in my opinion.

Incarnate shards drop often enough from enemies that they are a greater incentive to fight the enemies in the missions than purples have been. i've also seen more people getting purples because they're bothering to fight more enemies.

The alpha slot capabilities are handy for many builds while not being overpowering. It's basically a universal enhancement slot like the one that was mentioned in that survey from a few years ago. What really interests me is seeing what the other nine Incarnate slots that have been planned so far will do.

It really hasn't changed my playstyle at all. I continue to play whichever character I feel like playing at the moment, whether that be a lowbie enjoying the sweet, sweet fruit of inherent stamina, or running a TF if someone in my SG is putting one together.

Getting all excited about the grind is the fastest way to burn out on it. I'm just gonna keep enjoying my characters and let the rest fall where it may

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In the < Week that I19 has been live, I'm seeing how it is satisfied different "camps" of players - those who live on their Level 50 toons, and those who are... more affected by altitis... and have a legion of sub 20 characters to play.

Like me.

Seriously.

I have 2 level 50's, 1 level 39, 1 level 38, and 14+ sub 20 toons.

I've been playing on/off since 2004.

I think it's great, and what's great about it is more options. The altists can still get to 50 and retire and start all over again if they want to, whereas favourite characters can be fleshed out beyond that level cap should the player choose as well.

the Incarnate system has made my lone lvl 50 fun to play again, even if it did make me a bad Tanker during an ITF. Being a Tanker and actually pounding enemies into the ground is very pleasant. Go Go Alpha Boost!

i19 has created Lowbie Heaven! A low level Ice Tank running every single toggle? YES! Low level Blasters going through a three minute shoot-out and still having some blue left? YES! This is a miracle! =))

I'm enjoying it so far. I've gotten the common boosts on two characters WITHOUT doing a single TF, and one of those was set to +0/x3, and got her common boost through the course of going villain and running her patron arc. So it doesn't feel grindy at all. I do wish the shard drops were dependent on enemy level somehow. I don't care if you're killing everything on the ITF, if you're set to +0 it's still boring. We have all this power and we're wasting it on even-cons? I miss the days when people wanted to do Invincible ITFs....*sigh.*

I love playing my 50s, and have been wanting more stuff for them to do for a long time. My biggest gripe is that the Incarnate system didn't come with any new non-TF content. But between the Alpha Slot and Inherent Stamina...I love what it's let me do to my characters.

I did find time to play a lowbie too, and I have to say, having inherent Stamina is very nice for them. And this was the lowbie who was doing ok without it.

I haven't made an alt in over a year, only playing my two mains, my Scrapper and my VEAT. As such, the system so far is decent enough, if a bit dissapointing that only the first two of the Alpha are available for now.

Numberwise it is a decent boost, but not gamebreaking. Looking forward to the rest of the system.

However, the biggest positive thing I19 and the Incarnate System has is the effect on the community: The channels are full of (lv50) TF's being formed, and people want to actually fight through them now instead of speeding through stuff. So thats a big win in my book.

My feelings are highly mixed. On the one hand, I think that the last thing the game needed was more of a reason for people to grind level 50 TFs--it's not like the ITF was exactly unloved. On the other hand, the prospect of shards has discouraged speed runs, which eliminates one of my big problems with them. I've also traditionally been pretty big on altitis, but more recently, all other alts have paled in comparison to my Earth/Fire Dominator. Having more ways to meaningfully advance her basically brought me back to the game at a point where I was playing a few times a month. ... but, if every upgrade is as easy to get as the Alpha one (I doubt they will be, but still) and we only get one or two upgrades per issue, I'm not sure if it'll be able to hold my attention. At the same time, the last thing I want to see is the required effort increased by just making it a mindless grind to get components, running the same TF 20 times in a row or something.

tl;dr: I don't knooooooow.

For me, it's up there with Flashback as "stuff other people really wanted but I don't care about." My 50s are retired and will almost certainly stay that way, especially since I almost never run TFs anyway.

As long as we continue to get new story arcs for lower levels, though, I'm fine.

I have no issue with the incarnate stuff, haven't tried it yet tho. Like alot of others, I prefer leveling toons, rather than playing my 50's.

Personally, I'd rather see them concentrate on more content, like extending Preatoria all the way to lvl 50, or some other new "regular" content. I go at my own pace and afk alot, so tf content is mostly lost on me personally. Sadly tho, I see the next while being dedicated to incarnate development, rather than new content....too bad, IMO. The direction the game seems to be going is more focused on effects and powers and reskinning, which I feel is a shame, sorry to say. I doubt we will see alot more real content in Coh.

its no secret ive wanted high lvl content forever!! so im very excited for all of it and really think its about time we cater more to the already established community the new kids.

if we devote more of this then id be one happy camper!!