Game Re-balancing: AT Inherent Pools

Lately on the forums, I've been reading a lot of different complaints about the game, and they seem to be more about how AT's are starting to blur together, and how most "role's" aren't appreciated anymore. Everything is just "damage, damage, damage". There have been changes to multiple AT's Inherent to try to make them feel equally effective, unique and important, which in turn makes others feel less so.

Current AT Problems(Please reply and add to this list)

• Blasters
  1. Mez Issue
  2. Lack of damage(DPS and Burst)
  3. More team contribution
  4. Better debuff/control mods
• Controllers
  1. Possibly increase reliability of control inherent
• Defenders
  1. More team contribution
  2. wants a better "team feel"
  3. Better control capabilities
• Scrappers
  1. More unique playstyle/inherent
• Tankers
  1. Move farther away from brutes as the better tanker
  2. More team contribution
• Kheldians
  
• Brutes
  
• Stalkers
  1. Make stealthy playstyle more attractive
• Masterminds
  1. Pet problems
  2. More team contribution/feel
• Dominators
  
• Corruptors
  
• SoA's

• Lessens the AT's problems/disputes: Not so much making blasters tankmages, but more making defenders buffs/debuffs more potent/useful or making tanks more attractive for tanking than brutes
• Adds depth to a boring inherent(scrappers/defenders/MM's, I'm looking at you)
• Stregthens the role of the AT
• Creates a more Unique feel to the AT's

• Consist of 5 powers(6 if you count the current inherents at lvl 1)
• Give you 1 power every 10 levels starting at lvl 10, with the original inherents at lvl 1 like they currently are
• only consist of auto powers and click buffs(no direct damage or control powers)
• Like incarnates, would not accept slots or be effected by global recharge

I do see your point about ATs blurring into one another in some cases. I think the biggest example of this, (to me) would be how the stalker changes made my stalkers better at scrapping than my Scrappers.

Your ideas for Blaster powers are thematic and sound helpful...but adding MORE powers, along with incarnates, might be just to much. I am also totally not supporting blasters getting mez prot in any way.

It is an interesting idea though..waiting on your ideas for other ATs.

Just some of the top of my head

Controllers...Shutdown. A click giving a higher chance for overpower, extra containment damage.

Tanker...Imposing. Increase mag of all your taunts as well as a small -to hit. Click.

Scrapper...Duel. CLick that increases damage, lowers to hit on single target.

MMs...Nothing, just fix pet AI.

Corrs...No Mercy. Increase scourge change and the extra damage.

Fenders...Desperate Measures. Increases the debuff and buff values of all support powers for a short time.

SoA...Um..not sure here. How about..Arachnophobia..a click that summons masses of minion class spiderlings.

Khleds...Void Shielding. A brief click that provides immunity to void hunter weapons.

Stalker...Again..not sure, the new changes did make them awesome. Maybe something to give them a bit more aoe? Perhaps making AS a pbaoe, with reduced damage.

Doms...Power from Pain. Working on doms sadistic (well..according to teh AT info..) nature..attacking provides stacking +def/res for a short time.

Blasters..I like your ideas.

Blasters have lack of damage listed as a problem?!

Damage is not what Blasters need help with, not by a long shot.

not to mention that even if blasters have slightly more damage, once blasters are mezd... they fall WAY behind

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Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

Not to derail the topic from 'AT balance' to 'Blaster balance' any further...Blasters are going to be made more survivable. They won't be as inherently survivable as a tank AT but some of the difference will be made up.

As for the actual dealing of damage, that is also being looked at as a whole. This is why snipes are being changed. It's not so much Blasters are weak at damage, it's just ranged damage sets just are quite up to snuff...hopefully, this will be getting some attention, also hopefully with a slew of new powersets to mix in the fray such as assault, manipulation, control and pool power sets.

So if any difference in damage dealing needs to be made up in regards to Blasters, most likely it should be with respect to improving ranged (and manipulation) sets, not an extra pool.

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Originally Posted by theduke24 Current AT Problems(Please reply and add to this list) Blasters Mez Issue Lack of damage(DPS and Burst) More team contribution Better debuff/control mods

Mezzes are a problem of all ATs without direct protection available. This may also be rebalanced on the critter AI side rather than giving the ATs direct counters to it. Even still, there may be room for another direct or indirect counter to that situation.

But I do agree with the better mods for controls and debuffs. Doms have pretty good debuffs from their powers...or at least powerful means of spreading those debuffs and controls through potent powers like AoE controls and such. Blasters, on the other hand, don't have as many tools to debuff or mez. If their mods were at least improved to give what limited powers they could leverage an edge, it could turn the survival tide to bring them closer to Doms (and yes, I think Blasters should have *at least* close to the same survivability as Doms since Doms, frankly, are probably one of the more directly powerful (MMs are more indirectly powerful, using pets as a proxy) ATs in the game).

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[list][*]Controllers Possibly increase reliability of control inherent

Frankly, I feel Controllers get to have their cake and eat it too. They already have the best mods for controls and decently high mods for buff/debuffs. They also get a defensive inherent (Overpower) and an offensive one (Containment) that really push them into the realm of 'too much'.

If we're to add anything to them, I'd probably aim for something QoLish.

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Defenders More team contribution wants a better "team feel" Better control capabilities Scrappers More unique playstyle/inherent Tankers Move farther away from brutes as the better tanker More team contribution Kheldians Brutes

*shrugs*

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Stalkers

One possible point to aim for is their stealthy side. As is, the new changes make any sort of 'stalkerish' playstyle unattractive compared to just scrapping. Even before the change, using the 'sneak attack' method wasn't *that* attractive but it had its perks like demoralize. Now? Demoralize, Placate and even Hide are mostly obsolete.

Aiming to deepen that side of gameplay may be a good direction.

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Masterminds Pet problems More team contribution/feel

Again, I mainly don't see a need to grant ATs more needless power *BUT* there's always the avenue of concept and theme. One theme that MMs usually plays out is the whole 'villainous taskmaster' concept. Not saying all MMs draw upon that concept, but mechanically, that's exactly what MMs do: exploit expendable minions...

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Dominators Corruptors SoA's

Again, there's always the avenue of concept and theme. What *is* a corruptor or a dominator? What do their powers conceptualize? Aiming toward this could be a possibility.

As for the suggestions, might I suggest, rather than a pool of powers one chooses from a pool unique to each AT, what about a list of upgrades/alterations to the AT's inherent?

Just for an example:

<<Dominators>>
Domination = Nothing delights a Dominator more than inflicting pain. When a Dominator attacks, his sadistic nature grows. When your Domination bar is over 90% you can activate this power to unleash his true potential.

1. Sadist: Acts like current Domination.
2. Bondage: Choosing this option changes Domination into a toggle. While Domination.Bondage is inactive, you receive a scaling +duration to your mez powers as well as a +1 mag chance dependtant on the level of your Domination bar. Only after building the bar can you activate Domination.Bondage. This power grants a -duration to your mez powers but allow for Double-Hit to all your assault powers. This grants weaker protection from mez but high amounts of resistance. Bondage cost no endurance and can be run continuously but when you turn it off, it must recharge and you must build Domination again.
3. Pain and Pleasure: Domination becomes a passive. For every attack and mez you use, you build your domination bar. While you are targeted by mez, your domination bar goes down until it completely empties. While the bar is not empty, you can ignore the effects of mez as well as gain a measure of absorb for every attack you use. While your bar is empty (or below 25%), you gain no absorb for your attacks but your mezzes have a heightened chance of causing double-mag mez.

Could think of it as a 'choose your inherent' type deal as you can only pick one at a time. It could fulfill the needs of more players that generally like the powerset combos of an AT but not how it plays. For instance, altering MM Supremacy/Bodyguard into something more self-focused (think 'heroic MM').

Just make 1 giant AT with every power like it was in Alpha.. that is what this game has become now anyway with stuff like IOs, Incarnates and the new P2Win powers. =(

If I were to add anything to Controllers, it'd be a way for them to meaningfully contribute during AV fights/iRaids. (AVs that can't be controlled and can't be debuffed? +4 All-boss ambushes making my single-click AoE mez useless, and I can't even damage them worth a damn anyway? Sigh, good thing I have speed boost =/) However, that's more an issue with mission structure than the AT, so I'm at a loss as to what can be done to change controllers, short of balancing the individual sets against each other first.