What are you expecting for a solo Incarnate path?

Title really sums it up. In a few days we'll have the Pummit and one of the expected announcements/reveals is the solo path for Incarnates, so players won't have to rely solely on iTrials to unlock slots beyond the Alpha and (hopefully) a way to earn incarnate salvage to craft abilities.

So, what are you guys expecting and/or hoping it to be?

Nothing.

(Expecting, not hoping.)

I'm expecting something structured like the Tip System ...

1) Threads will drop during these missions
2) Completing each mission will award you an Astral merit, maximum of 5 per 24-hour period
3) Instead of an Alignment Mission after 10 of them, we'll get an Empyrian Merit and a random drop from the Incarnate Salvage Table (or a choice between them).

I'd be happy with that.

Missions with an AV at the end that can't be downgraded to an EB. So even if they're just a pile of hitpoints, it feels like you're actually taking on a true AV/Hero and not say, "Yes! I beat up Statesman! >_> He was EB classed!"

Basically something that says, "You will need to work on your build if you want to truely solo these missions"

Something a lot like Tip missions, with a mini-Trial at the end.

A very, very slow rate of progress compared with the i-trial "path." And LOTS of player complaints about how slow it is, far more than even that glacially slow rate of progress merits, along with the usual claims that the devs are stupid, the devs don't care about players, it's all the Ebil Marketing Soots fault, etc.

I also expect it to look almost exactly like EvilGeko's "Incarnate Strikes" proposal from some months back. While I only sometimes agree with his opinions and almost never with his overall beliefs about design, he has a proven track record of being able to read the devs' minds as they design systems.

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Remember, the devs believe, rightly or wrongly (wrongly, in my opinion, but I'm not the one making the decisions) that large-group raids are the foundation of an enduring MMO community. They're afraid of doing anything that will decrease player interest in i-trials for that reason alone, quite aside from any concerns they have about exploitability, people getting bored with a solo system, etc.

It's time to the players to accept that developer conceptions about what the players like/want/need have shifted, probably based on some study of MMO's with rather different dynamics than CoH has (or had, until recently).

A long series of missions, at least 5. Probably more.

Enemies at lvl 54. Though all Incarnate level shifts apply.

Threads drop randomly in mission. Awards one Emp merit at the end, one Astral each time after for the next 20 hours.
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Whatever they do, hopefully it'll be slower than that and arrive months after the last incarnate trial they make. I feel the day a worthwhile solo incarnate path gets introduced is the day the Incarnate trials go the way of PvP, bases and AE story content.

But thats what everyone wants.

I expect something like Tip missions.

I hope for the announcement of an entire Incarnate Zone.

One thought that might be interesting is to play on our desire for a solo path by making a SOLO ONLY path to contrast with the team only path.

In my mind I imagined it might be cool if we got special Ouroboros arcs that basically let us live out various moments in the lives of existing Incarnates.

An arc dedicated to learning what was the turning point in Tyrant's life where he accepted that people could never be trusted, an arc where Statesman gave up and resigned himself to his present state, where Lord Recluse first learned that one day the Well may consume him, where Stheno rises to power and founds the Snakes, Trapdoor's Escape, or Hero 1's discovery of Excalibur.

Possibly even delve into Incarnates of the past, such as Gilgamesh or Cu Chulainn? (Assuming either one are, Gilgamesh is strongly implied to have possibly been the first Incarnate according to the Lore)

Of course, other ideas mentioned are much better but I'd hope that if they're going to shove the Incarnate lore path down our throats we could at least learn more about what the hell these guys are.

Quote:

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.

Honestly, not much.

I am hoping for a system that provides the said rewards as noted here. I am also hoping the mission style is far more succinct and detailed. Ideally, some new contacts giving us missions that are epic/earth shattering/save the world type stuff. No more fighting giant turrets and NO MORE GOATEE UNIVERSE....AT ALL!!!

So, have a contact and give us mini-trials, solo (or small team TFs) where we battle new, exciting enemies. Hopefully some of these enemies make me feel like I am fighting a comic book foe. Something cool looking with a unique boss. Some more global-scale missions. Original maps as often as possible.

I think it would be cool to have an option of being able to take a team into these solo missions or do it solo/1 toon TF/raid/trial.

I expect something far too slow and annoying to be practical. Then, hopefully, they'll listen to enough feedback to make it a bit better, though still not as good as it should/could have been.

I expect it in 2nd Quarter of 2012, at the earliest. It would not surprise me if we wait nearly a year for it, especally as they'll keep putting other things before it, so that it keeps getting pushed back.

I expect only a hand full of missions, which we will all quickly grow deathly tired of.

I expect that you'll be able to earn a few Astral merits and one Emp merit a day. I do NOT expect threads to drop, as you could then farm the missions for just the threads to speed things along.

I expect a possible Common/Uncommon salvage drop every few missions or after every big mission. I do NOT expect Rare or Very Rare salvage to be rewarded this way at all. That's what the Emp merits are for, after all.

I do NOT expect them to directly grant iXP for doing the solo path.

I do NOT expect them to change the Inf cost of turning threads into iXP, or adding in an option to turn an Emp merit in for a huge chunk of iXP. They should do these things, but I don't expect it will happen.

I expect that any new slots will use new currancy. Shards will be able to be converted to the new currancy, but threads and the such will not. This will make the solo path worthless for the next group of slots, and force us to iTrial them until such time as they're ready for the next big thing and finally add in Incarnate Gobstoppers (or whatever it will be) into the solo path.