Bonus Power At 40

qynn411 · March 12

While this is something I don't expect to ever happen, I think it would be a massive improvement to the game:
Both Freeform characters and Archetypes should get an additional power at 40 (and an extra two to four advantage points imo, but that's me pushing my luck even in this hypothetical scenario), and in both cases it should be a fully freeform choice. This has more than a few useful results:

First, for freeform, it:

opens up a solid number of builds a little more. I've had my fair share that leave me wishing I could fit in just one more power.
provides an indicator for noobies that something is wrong if they're now out of space on their hotbar for this new power. This doesn't sound like an issue, but in a game as open and overwhelming as this can be, that sort of thing can help the lowest end of players and push them to both explore more to learn the systems properly and potentially seek help with their builds at that point. If this game were any larger, this would be the sort of occurrence that I could see being relevant weekly.
leaves more room for dumb flavor picks. In a game where 95% of the content is often incredibly easy, this is basically always a good thing imo.

For archetypes, meanwhile, this change:

Enables players to creatively compensate for gaps in the archetype's current design. An easy example is Grimoire. They could pick another passive and just hotswap out as needed. Especially because, up until that point, their passive has been an incredible boon for them and now, even with the upcoming changes, it's still actively bad for them. (The "Applied first" stuff, while reducing effects on the group most of the time, does still mean that they want to be running out of the group and then back in if the healer ever dies or anything like that. And it means that they don't get to benefit from the better buffs so typically provided by the better AoPM provider.) Dragon Spirit could pick up thundering kicks and maybe potentially see some full use as a dodge tank (and thus justify its existence in hybrid). DPS classes can pick up threat wipes or self heals without sacrifice. And so on.
Gives free players a taste of freeform before they truly dive in. This is good because it shows players how much they're missing out on and encourages them to give freeform a try, rather than it being some nebulous thing that's 20x as expensive as another character slot
adds further replayability to ATs by potentially diversifying them even more than they currently are. This sells character slots, costumes, and potentially more, and thereby increases player retention.
adds incentives for archetype players to unlock powers from the likes of OV and Recog vendors and lockboxes (in the cases of ones like we're getting now with Sundering Breath), which increases player retention in the former pair of cases and sells keys in the latter case.

Furthermore with the rise of PVDs, players are encouraged now more than ever to branch out from their core powersets to create synergies with these modified powers that are, themselves, often full-fledged build-arounds. An extra slot means that this build-around is now able to be fit into a wider range of existing builds. This change also opens up PVDs to archetypes, where before the archetypes who want a PVD couldn't make good use of it, and the ones who could use a PVD didn't want it. Both results mean more total people and characters get use out of PVDs, and thus more people want them, and thus more people are trying to get them and are using them and playing the game

apeboy · March 12

This would add so much fun to AT's while also providing a way to make your AT more unique. all for this.

areee · March 12

warcanch · March 13

Even though I've always been a Lifetime subscriber, this seems like a nice change for AT players.

And, of course, who couldn't use another power slot and/or 2-4 more advantage points?

nacito · March 13

This is actually a sick idea

thisiscraftaaa · March 14

Huge +1 from me. Diversifying builds a lot with even just one extra power slot (and maybe more adv points) would be a breath of fresh air after- in my case at least, and I know it's a lot more for many other players- a few months shy of ten years of roughly the same, over and over again. Though admittedly, the biggest appeal to me isn't even more wiggle room for Freeforms; it's that last one: giving Archetypes one single choice of any power allows for, as stated in the original post, compensating for gaps in the designs of ATs to make them much more viable, including letting them use PVDs more effectively, and (much more appealing to me) allowing them to use unlocked powers, ults or otherwise, that would otherwise only be usable for Freeforms.

spordelia · March 19

yes honey +1

oyo32 · March 21

Yes please do this. Cryptic (DECA?) hire this person.

jaazaniah1 · March 22

I thought one of the reasons for ATs to be relatively weak as compared to FFs was to nudge players towards an LTS. If so, this would subvert that plan, unless some way was created to monetize it.

For FFs I think the devs want to limit power choices to encourage players to create more characters (i.e. buy more charcter slots, auras, etc.), and also prevent them from being even more OP. E.g. some players want Threat Wipe devices so that their already OP characters can can use a freed up power slot (doesn't need TW any more) to become even more OP.

So, while a nice idea that many players would certainly like, I think the devs have opposing underlying ideas that will preclude it from happening.

vonqball · March 23

Neat idea +1

doggepope · April 4

This is legitimately well-presented.

Although I support OP's post in its entirety, I'm pessimistic that Freeforms will be given any more potential. However, giving Archetypes one custom power couldn't hurt anybody, allows them to be fine-tuned to the player's interests, and will tempt F2Ps to give Cryptic their money.

Seems like everybody wins.

Bonus Power At 40

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