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Champions of Rigidity

vonqballvonqball Posts: 923 Arc User
edited September 2021 in Champions Online Discussion
We've had quite a few powerset revamps over the tenure of our current dev overlords. And some of them have been improvements, and some of the wackier OP powers have been brought in line... somewhat.

The current power sets tend to channel you into using one specific power, or rotation of powers, for optimal damage... any deviation from standard and you take a massive hit to effectiveness. So, color inside the lines, or become irrelevant. Fun stuff!

This isn't a good trend for a game that's main draw is customization, making the hero you want to make, etcetera. Remember the days where you could build around blasts like arcane and ice? When pure combo builds were viable? When you could spam throwing blades at near light speed... well that was maybe a bit much, but you get the idea. We had more options than building around the one power in every set that does decent damage.

Sure everyone used to spam 2gm.. but now everyone spams PA toggles... so have we really gained much in the way of balance considering how much we lost in the way of fun and build diversity?

I ask the devs to reconsider the rigid lines of the path they seem determined to make us all walk down. Because that path is looking increasingly flat, bland, and unappealing to me.

Comments

  • jaazaniah1jaazaniah1 Posts: 5,425 Arc User
    Rigid lines make development easier, and our devs are all about the easy. Looking forward to ranged Earth replacing PA as the new meta.
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  • subjustsubjust Posts: 48 Arc User
    This could not be more true.
  • theravenforcetheravenforce Posts: 7,065 Arc User
    jaazaniah1 wrote: »
    Rigid lines make development easier.

    I definitely agree with this part.

    This has been a trend for a very very long time. If you standardize everything to roughly the same level, you can then go in and "allow" for creative cross play between chosen sets.

    A good example is Heavy Weapons and Fire.

    Both were revamped and were redesigned to work well together.

    So this isn't too surprising. Oddly enough, I don't see that many PA users these days, maybe I'm just on at the wrong times?
  • vonqballvonqball Posts: 923 Arc User
    I think people bring out their PA A-game for harder content like Eidolon and Therakiel. I've been to Eido fights where I felt like the only non-PA DPS present, screen just a net of beams. xD
  • sannia1sannia1 Posts: 86 Arc User
    In Castlevania's development, Konami had a rule where the developers had to clear their bosses without taking a single hit.

    I think CO should do something similar. Once a month, a dev should build a unique alt. (Don't have to level it, just create it.) The alt should have different powers than any of their previous alts and the alts of other devs. The alt should be geared with Heroic Primaries and Heirloom Secondaries.

    Then the dev should:

    Do all three cosmics. If the alt is dps they have to survive kiga without dying, beat qwyjibo without hitting a heart, and pass their share of a dps check at dino. Would have to think of similar rules for tanks and healers.

    Go to QWZ and do the randomly selected set of 5 daily solo missions in under 45 minutes.

    Complete a 5 hero mission such as TA, TT, Andrithal etc. without the party wiping once.

    And if an event is going on, they should do the event dailies with the alt without respawning.

  • phasestarphasestar Posts: 116 Arc User
    I don't mind if there is an ideal "path" for what the signature style of the powerset is intended to be. I realize that makes things easier and also means that there is sort of a "guided tour" for players to follow.

    However, what I'd really like to see if it's possible is that the powers that are not the optimal ones be allowed to shine more and be more viable at the expense of more points invested. For example, if you really want a themed character based entirely on one or two powers that are not the intended path, allow the player to invest say 6 or 7 points instead of 4 or 5 to bump those powers up to be equivalent to the intended meta or optimal path.

    That would never be the most efficient path, but it opens up a much wider range of character concepts if some of the lower end powers had this kind of "specialization" ability, akin to a Rank 3, to bump them up a bit.
  • warcanchwarcanch Posts: 1,069 Arc User
    I'd like some better way of making a TIer 2 power, like Skullcrusher, do comparable damage to Annihilate, while still having access to Challenge, at least.

    Build diversity would be nice to have again.​​
    .

    -=-=-=-=-=-(CO in-game handle: @WarCan )-=-=-=-=-=-
    "Okay, you're DEAD, what do you do NEXT?"
  • vonqballvonqball Posts: 923 Arc User
    edited October 2021
    Yeah, hard to see a reason for Skullcrusher to exist in it's current form. At least HW has Skewer as a viable(ish) second option to build around, which is better than might or arcane or lightning or darkness or dual blades or a bunch of others. Too bad, cuz skullcrusher has a fun animation that you kinda have to shaft yourself to use.

    Not sure about archery, is there a viable dps build that doesn't use rapid shots? Seems like Focused shot is too limited to actually build around... but I could be wrong.
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