So... No Freespec w/ I22?

There's an issue here: Not the lack of a freespec per se, but the fact that we've had a one freespec (sometimes even 2) since I7.

It's become expected - often for fewer changes than we're experiencing here.

If we're not getting a freespec that's ok in one sense. It's expected, but not guaranteed... but the lack of notification jars somewhat.

Sure, Paragon don't owe us a freespec but they fact they are not giving us one and not telling us is poor form.

"You got to dig it to dig it, you dig?"
Thelonious Monk

I certainly hope they pass out some respecs considering the state of Dark Affinity. Both Fade and Soul Absorption are slated to change. The 15 second duration Fade that's on live right now is one that I can easily see many skipping only to be frustrated when it receives its buff.

Why should PLAYERS have to spend a Respec they have earned with time and money to fix character issues caused by the Devs changes?

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Originally Posted by BrandX You have the power, you have it slotted, weren't respecs originally for changing powers, not keeping the enhancements? You know, back in the day when you didn't care if you lost your enhancement cuz you'd just buy a new one.

The evidence suggests that Respecs were for changing powers AND keeping enhancements. After all they made the design decision and spent coding time to allow you to keep 10 of your enhancements in your enhancment tray during a Respec. If they had felt that saving enhancements was not part of the Respec it would have been easier and cheaper to not have put that feature in since this was "back in the day when you didn't care if you lost your enhancement." Why spend money for a feature nobody cares about?

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Originally Posted by BrandX And just handing out free respecs, that just seems to go against the whole "Here we've put them in the market to make more money"

I agree, and thats the point. They seem to be changing policy and withholding a Respec so they can force players to pay cash. That is the reason people are complaining. It appears we are now being charged for what used to be free. I support charging for new content that would have never been available pre Freedom. I may think a Frisbee Power is a waste of my money but I when I see someone use it because it means another happy player and more money to make stuff I might want. I oppose for what was once free since it will reduce the incentive to play and is one more step towards making other stuff no longer free.

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Originally Posted by BrandX More so when there are free ones for being a vet, free ones to be found in game, and ones to be bought on the market. Not saying I wouldn't pass it up. But I wouldn't expect them anymore. And like I (believe I) said, re were reissued new ones with Freedom. With the game it is today, I have to ask, do people need /that/ many respecs?

The Devs need to change powers to make the game better, both for player enjoyment and/OR player retention. However such rule changes penalize players in many ways, some not so obvious.

They can change enhancement slotting for an effective build.
They can change the order you take powers for exemplaring purposes.
They can change the other synchronizing powers you take and when you take them.
They can change the concept, looks, and feel of powers in ways that will make some Roleplayers tear their hair out.
They can affect PvP.

These issues and probably others are the result of the Devs actions, not the players.

The Respecs you mention require time and/or money and that's assuming you have not already used those Respecs for one of the reasons they were intended for. And by using one you no longer have it available at a later date for when you do screw up and need it.

And that's the point.

Why should PLAYERS have to spend a Respec they have earned with time and money to fix character issues caused by the Devs changes?

A store-bought respec was one of the oldest options for purchase, and along with renames and server transfers, and predates Freedom by quite a bit. Freespecs have been given out in the past when a store-bought respec was one of the few offerings they had for micro-transactions, so I'm a little less inclined to assign devious motives for not getting one now.

The store-bought respec is there either for convenience (trading money for time saved), or for players that wanted to change a build so often that they've exhausted the other available options.

As others have mentioned, I would think the changes to stalkers, gravity sets, Hamidon enhancements, and the introduction of archetype enhancement sets would be enough of a reason for a freespec to be granted. They may also want to look at it as an opportunity to encourage the use of other store-bought enhancements too, though I personally won't take it that way.

I feel like I'm the last person who would be accused of going out of my way to see the worst in the devs. Given that, the lack of a freespec for changes this significant is eyebrow-raising. I have more respecs per character than I could use if I wanted to so in that sense I don't care one way or the other but if freespecs are done as a thing that is given out, that would be worrisome. That said, I don't think that this one data point is enough for us to say that they will never give out another freespec or that they would only do so grudgingly. We don't know what they're doing in April, for example.

If respecs go on sale in the market in the next couple months for 50% off, that's where you might consider complaining loudly on the forum. Failing that, well, there've been other issues that lacked freespecs and the sky didn't fall then.

I'm sort of holding out hope that maybe there will be a freespec once they get out the rest of the i22 changes (some of the Grav and Dark changes that rednames were planning didn't make it into this build). Zwillinger didn't technically deny this:

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Originally Posted by Zwillinger Currently, there are no plans to issue a free respec coinciding with the launch of Issue 22. My apologies to anyone who may be disappointed by this.

I'm probably wrong, but it would be nice.

The changes to certain self-rez powers also require a respec to take advantage of, which has somehow avoided mention in this thread so far; in fact, trying to respec my /WP scrapper to grab the no-longer-trash Resurgence is how I discovered we hadn't gotten a freespec.

The Peacebringer, Regen, and Willpower self-rezzes gained 15-second damage immunity, turning them from glorified Awakens into usable combat rezzes. It's buried in the patch notes somewhere.