Just for the fun of it, I took my currently-justice-geared main onto test and fitted her with equivalent heroics. The loss was about 10% dps and 15-20% survivability (the variance there being because there are multiple ways to measure survivability; the 15% increase was to 'what level of damage input can I personally heal through', while the 20% was 'how much damage can I survive when I have an outside healer keeping me up'.)
At least for my build, this does make a difference: with heroic gear, she's just a bit too squishy to tank cosmic level threats / Frosticus / etc., and the dps difference makes some fights (most notably Vikorin) exponentially harder.
I also have a dodge tank, and can say with absolute certainty that gear makes an enormous difference there. She has one piece of legion gear, but it's that one piece that lets her get to 100% dodge chance; without it, she wouldn't be a tank at all.
As for the gear progression... right now, I wouldn't bother with Mercenary or Heroic (unless you happen to find a piece you want on the AH for cheap, or stockpiled Heroic pieces while they were reasonably priced). Go from leveling gear - there are some very nice blue pieces you can get as mission rewards, particularly from the Vibora Bay missions - directly to Justice, Distinguished, or Legion.
As for the gear progression... right now, I wouldn't bother with Mercenary or Heroic (unless you happen to find a piece you want on the AH for cheap, or stockpiled Heroic pieces while they were reasonably priced). Go from leveling gear - there are some very nice blue pieces you can get as mission rewards, particularly from the Vibora Bay missions - directly to Justice, Distinguished, or Legion.
Considering you can do all content in cheap non-merc blue primaries and cheap purple secondaries that you can grab off the auction house, all gear grinding is completely optional and you should do it only if you care about the minor increase in stats it gives you - especially when you consider that the content you're doing to get that gear is the content you'll still be doing after you get that gear since you're not gearing up to get to the next tier, you're gearing up for the sake of gearing up.
At least for my build, this does make a difference: with heroic gear, she's just a bit too squishy to tank cosmic level threats / Frosticus / etc., and the dps difference makes some fights (most notably Vikorin) exponentially harder.
People tank the cosmics and TA in heroic gear though. I know I did - both my healer and tank started their TA journey in heroic gear, and the character I currently use to tank in cosmic fights isn't even in full heroic. When you say "My character cannot tank those things", that is a self-imposed limitation. I've also done Vikorin in just heroic - heck, I solo'd that whole place on elite in heroic multiple times, the fact that I can do it slightly faster in Justice isn't particularly meaningful.
I will note that having four-slot defense gear does give a squishy toon a fairly easy way to get a good chunk of health, which helps survive certain boss attacks.
what I don't get is why Diggot feels the need to grind things in sequence.... My acquisition of Heroic did not require me to first acquire Merc....
He might think that because a set of gear comes out after another set of gear that that indicates which rung of the gear ladder it exists on - he's basically applying logic that most other MMOs follow. He's one of many people that don't seem to realize that CO isn't like other games regarding endgame gearing, as evidenced by the fact that he behaves as if he's forced to gear up in order to access or participate in something... what that something is, I'm still not sure. As far as I can tell, gear is always a result of participating in content, and never a requirement.
I will note that having four-slot defense gear does give a squishy toon a fairly easy way to get a good chunk of health, which helps survive certain boss attacks.
Yes, more health and defense will make things easier. The good news is the three slots in heroic/merc gear will already give a player access to lots of it - the 4th slot on Justice gear will give them a little more.
i've personally seen the gear "tredmill" on champions to follow the format of "get whatever entry level gear (Mercs, Heroics, Heirlooms, Random Blues/Purples)" then work towards your top end gear of choice... though with the Recog changes Heroics has kinda moved from that Entry Level spot to one of the "top end" choices... though it's pretty much in that spot of "just ignore me" since by the time you get the SCR for it you could have the GCR for Distinguished or the tokens for Justice, or even the Globals for Legions...
i've personally seen the gear "tredmill" on champions to follow the format of "get whatever entry level gear (Mercs, Heroics, Heirlooms, Random Blues/Purples)" then work towards your top end gear of choice... though with the Recog changes Heroics has kinda moved from that Entry Level spot to one of the "top end" choices... though it's pretty much in that spot of "just ignore me" since by the time you get the SCR for it you could have the GCR for Distinguished or the tokens for Justice, or even the Globals for Legions...
It's not guaranteed that you have the tokens for Justice by the time you have enough SCR for Heroics. Luck might not be on your side and after doing enough Rampages to have tokens for Heroic, you still don't have any Justice. In that case, the player has the option of grabbing Heroic if they feel like it, or one of the other rewards. If tales of players running Rampages for months on end and not getting a full set of Justice are to be believed, then there are players who might consider this option.
On the other hand if you run Gold content, you are effectively skipping Heroic. You could say that's one of the rewards of being willing to face the challenge.
Heroic Gear is also a goal of the stubbornly solo player - you know, the ones who absolutely refuse to do content in a group. They won't be seeing any justice tokens or GCR, though they might eventually get lucky and land a piece of Legion.
I haven't made a new char in more than a year, but the way I did it, was get all the justice tokens ready, buy all the mods ahead of time, plan out the exact build that I wanted for it. Then pick up vigilante. Then I would get the char done up, and leveled; then get them into their gear right away. I couldn't see putting time, effort; and funds into something that wasn't going to be anything but junk, vendor trash after I was done with it. >.> I still have 1000s, and 1000s of g worth of bound legion, and vigilante stuff in all my chars banks from where I upgraded to justice/onslaught stuff, and can't do anything but look at all the g stuck in the dust of the bank, and cry a lil inside.
I still have 1000s, and 1000s of g worth of bound legion, and vigilante stuff in all my chars banks from where I upgraded to justice/onslaught stuff, and can't do anything but look at all the g stuck in the dust of the bank, and cry a lil inside.
It's vendor trash now. Sell it for some Gs and free up the storage space.
I haven't made a new char in more than a year, but the way I did it, was get all the justice tokens ready, buy all the mods ahead of time, plan out the exact build that I wanted for it. Then pick up vigilante. Then I would get the char done up, and leveled; then get them into their gear right away. I couldn't see putting time, effort; and funds into something that wasn't going to be anything but junk, vendor trash after I was done with it. >.> I still have 1000s, and 1000s of g worth of bound legion, and vigilante stuff in all my chars banks from where I upgraded to justice/onslaught stuff, and can't do anything but look at all the g stuck in the dust of the bank, and cry a lil inside.
I'm surprised you ever made a new toon to begin with considering that I actually got back from stop playing the same what... 3 months ago? I look at these prices for Heroic and then I look at the prices for everything else and I laughed.
I showed this to my cousin which simply just asked me: "Why do you play this mediocre game left on life support?"
And then I look this comment:
Joof8 months ago perhaps when the changes affect your enjoyment you have every right to stop playing - why play something you don't enjoy? For me though, I can't keep track of the changes so I just blindly bumble on playing it pretty much like I always have ;p
Which is exactly why I stopped farming/grinding for anything in this game because its like people here they either wanted these changes so badly but still offhand wish to grumble about it quite significantly.
But I'll probably just quit the game because by that time the changes will be of things that I just don't care for or better yet care for in this worthlessly addicting game.
Yeah I get it. "Oh yey the times are changing, we're getting our late but so wonderful game balance" I get that, for the four years that I started playing the game, I've noticed plenty of things, plenty of things that would ruin my experience just as much as yours.
There is just something which I cannot support, I dislike things with the game just as much as anyone else.
But to be perfectly frank, none of us good players for two reasons:
1. We cannot learn to adapt 2. We refuse to do so
Suppose would be simpler to just stick with it what we have now and learn to roll with the punches.
I haven't made a new char in more than a year, but the way I did it, was get all the justice tokens ready, buy all the mods ahead of time, plan out the exact build that I wanted for it. Then pick up vigilante. Then I would get the char done up, and leveled; then get them into their gear right away. I couldn't see putting time, effort; and funds into something that wasn't going to be anything but junk, vendor trash after I was done with it. >.> I still have 1000s, and 1000s of g worth of bound legion, and vigilante stuff in all my chars banks from where I upgraded to justice/onslaught stuff, and can't do anything but look at all the g stuck in the dust of the bank, and cry a lil inside.
This is what I do, now. Farm J gear on old characters for the new ones. Use Aurum to level up, then skip Merc/Heroic/Legion.
I am sure this is why they are going to make J gear bound to character sometime soon.
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SIGNATURE:
Used to be coach on the forums. Still @coach in game.
Comments
At least for my build, this does make a difference: with heroic gear, she's just a bit too squishy to tank cosmic level threats / Frosticus / etc., and the dps difference makes some fights (most notably Vikorin) exponentially harder.
I also have a dodge tank, and can say with absolute certainty that gear makes an enormous difference there. She has one piece of legion gear, but it's that one piece that lets her get to 100% dodge chance; without it, she wouldn't be a tank at all.
As for the gear progression... right now, I wouldn't bother with Mercenary or Heroic (unless you happen to find a piece you want on the AH for cheap, or stockpiled Heroic pieces while they were reasonably priced). Go from leveling gear - there are some very nice blue pieces you can get as mission rewards, particularly from the Vibora Bay missions - directly to Justice, Distinguished, or Legion.
You can't buy heirloom gear off the auction house. I wanted to just grab some gear for cheap off the auction house and compare it to justice.
People tank the cosmics and TA in heroic gear though. I know I did - both my healer and tank started their TA journey in heroic gear, and the character I currently use to tank in cosmic fights isn't even in full heroic. When you say "My character cannot tank those things", that is a self-imposed limitation. I've also done Vikorin in just heroic - heck, I solo'd that whole place on elite in heroic multiple times, the fact that I can do it slightly faster in Justice isn't particularly meaningful.
Or you could be reasonable and just stop grinding. You don't have to, so why are you choosing to if you don't like it?
I can't really take you seriously until you admit that your "joke thread" line was dumb. Until then I have to assume you're just making joke comments.
My super cool CC build and how to use it.
i was talking to diggot - and you CAN actually buy aurum heirloom gear off the AH, just not any other type of heirloom gear
My super cool CC build and how to use it.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
My characters
Whoever you are, be that person one hundred percent. Don't compromise on your identity.
My super cool CC build and how to use it.
On the other hand if you run Gold content, you are effectively skipping Heroic. You could say that's one of the rewards of being willing to face the challenge.
Heroic Gear is also a goal of the stubbornly solo player - you know, the ones who absolutely refuse to do content in a group. They won't be seeing any justice tokens or GCR, though they might eventually get lucky and land a piece of Legion.
My super cool CC build and how to use it.
My super cool CC build and how to use it.
Whoever you are, be that person one hundred percent. Don't compromise on your identity.
I showed this to my cousin which simply just asked me: "Why do you play this mediocre game left on life support?"
And then I look this comment:
Joof8 months ago
perhaps when the changes affect your enjoyment you have every right to stop playing - why play something you don't enjoy? For me though, I can't keep track of the changes so I just blindly bumble on playing it pretty much like I always have ;p
Which is exactly why I stopped farming/grinding for anything in this game because its like people here they either wanted these changes so badly but still offhand wish to grumble about it quite significantly.
But I'll probably just quit the game because by that time the changes will be of things that I just don't care for or better yet care for in this worthlessly addicting game.
Yeah I get it. "Oh yey the times are changing, we're getting our late but so wonderful game balance" I get that, for the four years that I started playing the game, I've noticed plenty of things, plenty of things that would ruin my experience just as much as yours.
There is just something which I cannot support, I dislike things with the game just as much as anyone else.
But to be perfectly frank, none of us good players for two reasons:
1. We cannot learn to adapt
2. We refuse to do so
Suppose would be simpler to just stick with it what we have now and learn to roll with the punches.
I am sure this is why they are going to make J gear bound to character sometime soon.
SIGNATURE:
Used to be coach on the forums. Still @coach in game.
My super cool CC build and how to use it.