teddification just needs to not make bosses lose resistance to knock, and not gain massive defense, and suddenly it becomes a great debuff.
No. It needs to be entirely optional. You should be able to opt out of it, as it heavily enforces very one-sided theme, both on AT and on FFs.
Also, it's aggro magnet and the one that can't be turned off and is completely random. I can't believe anyone thought that putting it on the support AT is a good idea.
Really, whoever was in charge of putting together premium ATs was completely clueless person who very likely never played any MMO (not even a trinity based ones).
I agree. I know the devs hate zero-point Advantages, but this really needs to be one. Not every Inventor is wacky. (Mine have been, but yeah.)
Also, a rez power is easily justifiable - you take a moment in combat to inject your comrade (or your equipment automatically injects you) with medical nanites that bring you back from the brink of death. Boom, justification! Not sure what level to shoehorn that in at, though.
"Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"
Or get rid of teddy and make him an aura. We have that crit aura, why not a teddify one too? Then you can have wacky powers of enemy mutation no matter your power choice and we can all have a fancy laser gun. All the amusement, none of the annoying resistance boost.
This could be really good archetype worth paying for if it was just given few small fixes.
Get rid of teddyfication, give it ressurection power - these two small changes alone would go really far for improvement. It's a support AT, it doesn't need to be a murderhouse.
I had little difficulties taking my Inventor to 35, constant pew-pew-pew-pew was a little bit boring, but this AT is still is better than mistakes like the Fist.
This. Right here. This is why I started doing this. 100% agreed, and that's why I share my feedback about the AT rather than just showing a pretty picture. The costumes are important to me, but the discussions of the AT? This is spot on.
I quit this AT only because the whole leveling was pointless - this AT is a waste of Zen because it serves no purpose.
It's a paid support AT who's outperformed by both free support ATs at this job. It actually doesn't work like support at all, thanks to teddyfication it breaks encounters (good job, really good job at bulding support AT, no comments...).
Really, Cryptic should finally fix it.
It's like slap in the face for people actually paying for their ATs.
And this is where I'd mildly debate. It's a petmaster AT. Support works for those, because you need the extra energy. The passive keeps em around longer. Neither of those were a bad decision. The bad decision came with auto-teddy and nobody having a choice. The "modify your laser with a clicky" is fun, if you approach it from a ranged melee perspective. The pets are cool. But the rez. The rez takes it to the next level, and makes the AT a worthy purchase.
I agree. I know the devs hate zero-point Advantages, but this really needs to be one. Not every Inventor is wacky. (Mine have been, but yeah.)
Also, a rez power is easily justifiable - you take a moment in combat to inject your comrade (or your equipment automatically injects you) with medical nanites that bring you back from the brink of death. Boom, justification! Not sure what level to shoehorn that in at, though.
Orbital should be a bit earlier. The rez should be the 40 power. This thing needs a dps boost a bit earlier than that, but I've always been an advocate of "give the AT one more power and it'll work well". Near endgame, ATs stall. It's just a waiting game for the next power, and you're sitting on a ton of unused advantage points.
Or get rid of teddy and make him an aura. We have that crit aura, why not a teddify one too? Then you can have wacky powers of enemy mutation no matter your power choice and we can all have a fancy laser gun. All the amusement, none of the annoying resistance boost.
Having played the set, I'm now not even sure that a clicky would be a good idea for teddification. It'll give trolls an on next hit guaranteed "I just broke your sht" power. I'm just gonna put this out there: boss interrupts are a bit unfair. Knockable bosses shouldn't happen. Combining the 2? This thing better be a t5 power if it happens at all. And I'm not even sure I can agree with the aura. Some bosses have visual tells, like the doll block that murders everyone. Even particle effects break it. The crit aura definitely does.
I'm still working on the project, but I noticed something tonight. Threat wipe with evasive maneuvers doesn't work on the whole pack. I go invisible, and then half of the mobs still murder me. Stealth nerf, sure. Some mobs should see through... No I'm not sure I can get behind that either. But if we're going to see through stealth? A threat wipe should be 100%. Not wiping threat from half of the mobs, that's just absurd with a raw dps character. If I use evasive maneuvers with advantage, and then don't attack? Nobody should focus on me if it triggers the advantage. Yet, half of the alert/raid/whatever always does if we're fighting skulls or elite. Given the 2 minute cooldown on self heal devices, that's not really fair. A 50% chance to make some of the mobs ignore you for 3 seconds is a sad joke of a power.
That's my "Fix it" for the Marksman. I don't even have to 40 it to say so. But I will, anyway, because besides that issue it's a fantastic at.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008. RIP Caine
Yeah, if the Inventor just got Res Serum and teddification made optional or something, that'd help it quite a good deal and I'd no longer call it a 'bad' AT (I wouldn't call it 'great' then either, but at least one I wouldn't dissuade people from playing).
Marksman is really good.. well for everything but single-target dps. But its also the only other AT besides the Soldier that can snipe-cheese Gravi and F&I (even if the dmg isn't great, its safe and easy). I didn't even pick up Relentless Recurve (wanted a stronger opener w/ Torrent) but still had plenty of CC w/ Storm's root adv and Sonic Arrow's DD adv for the stun. Lotsa stuns/CC, mobility and splash dmg all around- ya get to run around pretty much all ya want as well. Fun kit.
As far as EM: it could be a few of them had some ToF spells or DoTs on you that 'revealed' you to them but not the other mobs that just immediately snapped back. I do think the aggro drop adv is permanent once it works- but the stealth can be iffy, yeah.
Having played the set, I'm now not even sure that a clicky would be a good idea for teddification. It'll give trolls an on next hit guaranteed "I just broke your sht" power. I'm just gonna put this out there: boss interrupts are a bit unfair. Knockable bosses shouldn't happen. Combining the 2? This thing better be a t5 power if it happens at all. And I'm not even sure I can agree with the aura. Some bosses have visual tells, like the doll block that murders everyone. Even particle effects break it. The crit aura definitely does.
Eh, I play my character pretty suicidally anyway, so am not overly concerned about killing myself on Baron's shield. At least I would die laughing. Would be totally worth it.
I don't use the advantage on EM with my marksmen because I like to steal all the aggro and keep it. What makes me sad is that tab targeting seems on the slow side for throwing explosive arrow around. But it might just be my controller dying. That and the cool down on rain of arrows. I don't really use anything outside of explosive arrow and RoA. Occasionally I tap Torrent of arrows if I need to knock things away or am tanking and don't want to switch target to the ads.
What helps with ATs that can't heal is to pay attention to the orb drops. Even without a healer or elixir, I've been able to tank alert bosses with "squishy" ATs just by darting over to the yellow and green orbs when they drop. Hiding behind pillars works too. The AI is bad enough that you can sometimes drop aggro on bosses by breaking line of sight. And then gain it back as soon as you stop hiding. Flying works well too. Many npcs are melee and can't really do anything to you if you fly outside of melee range. Even if you don't go outside of 100ft.
Yeah, I'd considered that, hell Winza got me started with his "and I only use gear that drops" thing. However, lol I just started this after I got my LTS, and I'd feel like a complete fool spending 300 bucks on a game and then not playing with that account. How's that experiment working for you? I can't imagine getting all of that q was an easy grind.
It took a while, but then again, I didn't play that account as much as I would have had it been my only. Every few days I just go run them through the Alert cycles and go back to my main account.
The Soldier I like very much. Hammered things better than I thought he would.
The Glacier's OK, but as an ex-CoXer, it's STILL hard for me to get the right feel of a "ranged tank".
The Inferno seems OK, but kind of bland.
The Blade was made less boring by me choosing the wrench. Gave it a whole new feel for me, even though it's mechanically no different no matter what you pick.
I'm in no hurry, though. It's a side project, so it often gets set aside to do other things.
Haven't tried it with the Blade yet, but Foxbat's Trout dropped for me during FoxbatCon, and I've used it for an Unleashed and a Devastator. The Devastator, Fishbat, is hilarious to watch.
"Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"
OMFG, please tell me he's a shark in a foxbat costume.
I'd considered making "grease monkey" one of my ATs, and giving him the wrench. Same reason, it just seems like it'd be a riot. We really need more gag weapons, I'd kill for a stop sign and a parking meter.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008. RIP Caine
OMFG, please tell me he's a shark in a foxbat costume.
No, just a Devastator wearing the Classic Foxtbat mask and as close as I could come to the modern Foxbat tights, along with the classic belt - and wielding an oversized trout as a weapon.
"Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"
I'm not even gonna lie, this has been my favorite archetype to level. I took my time with it, and while some internet issues were there for part of it? Mechanical issues were a bit more prevalent. I actually want to break theme here and give this thing 3 ratings. PVP, PVE, and Alerts. It behaves very differently in all 3, so I'll do my best to cover each and give the AT its fair due.
Archetype pvp does not exist anymore. And it's a shame, because this thing is a beast at that. The where's the kaboom advantage, mixed with sonic arrow's stun, and snap shot? Full on hammer down protocol. You don't even know it hit you until it's done. That's been the case in the past, and I saw it work again in an AT duel. Sleight of Mind is great for pvp as well, because when it fires (50% of the time) you can get that rotation going pretty fast. It's heavily spiky. Can we make AT pvp a thing again? Because The Marksman has always been amazing at it.
Pve? I ran with the cc/knock/root build that always worked in the past. With a threat wipe just in case I got in over my head. And it works just like it did. Party play? You're a ghost, that appears only to murder the living hell out of anything you fight. If it sees you? Well, his friends are dead, so threat wipe and dip for a sec. Mow him down, because only the big guy is left. This is an easy non-alert level. With a good tank, you might as well not exist. I made it my trademark to hop into areas around the mobs and flank them, then knock them into the tank. It's stunningly effective, especially when you follow it up with storm of arrows/Achilles Heel, since they basically have to sit there and take what the tank is about to do to them.
Alerts... Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng. God, the nerfs. Dodge nerf hurt. Bad. It used to be able to hold its own with a hybrid. It still can, but it takes a ton of work. The block sucks. SUCKS. You have to be attacked to get retaliation, and you can't retaliate when you're dead. Dodge got hit hard. Block -> threat wipe -> big spike? Nope. Not anymore. The mobs have stealth sight now. Evasive maneuvers with sleight of mind has a 50% chance to trigger. The threat wipe has an I don't even know the numbers chance to remove the threat, but it seems to be hanging at around 50 as well. Half a chance that half of the people might ignore you. If my numbers are wrong, they can't be by much, because even when I go "invisible" a bunch of the mobs are on me anyway. This only happens in alerts.
You want to know the best part about The Marksman? It was fun regardless. There were tactics here, in the spec trees. Dex trees work really well with crits or dodge (I went combat training/gear utilization, deadly aim/quick reflexes, fyi. It shored up some weaknesses in the build), and you can use your otherwise useless straight shot to make your sonic arrow hit a lot harder. Snap shot, which is *BY FAR* the better option, is a quick little dps bump. I'm pretty sure the timer on it is off, because it seems silly fast for the dps it throws. The advantage (finish him) lets you just roll straight shot -> sonic arrow -> snap shot. and burn down 2 health bars.
But this will get you all of the threat.
I've mentioned elsewhere how I feel about the dps/threat/role scenario being a bit skewed. This one is bad for it, because it's really REALLY easy to just run it as you should and draw a mountain of threat. It'd be great, but read back to where I asked for a threat wipe. This one was nerfed for alerts.
I'm gonna just say it the best I can here: The Marksman was the hallmark of a great archetype pre dodge/stealth perception in alerts fix. Either of those alone? It is *perfect*. See through stealth, but dodge it. Less dodge, escape it. This got hit by both. The end result? The low dps for an offensive AT is seriously hurt by... Dude, not every archer has heart. You can give a few of em a pass.
Their biggest drawback in an alert will be covered in the disadvantage section. It's so big that I just have to say it as a sentence. Y'all don't wanna see that rage.
The costume? I kinda wanted to just build the best 90s anti-hero I could with a bow. It's a rebuild of my main, outside of her atomic suit. Bit of an author avatar, here, and I'm glad the AT proved to be just as interesting to run as she was.
Advantages:
- NOT. A SINGLE. SELF ROOT.
- Heavy crowd control. Roots, knocks, stuns.
- Solid tap dps.
- Easy to follow for beginners, it's like dialing a telephone.
- GREAT specializations.
- Non Alert monster. If you're running normal content? They're probably the easiest leveling possible.
- Spike monster. Their spike is easy to set up and easily repeatable.
- Survivable, to a point. As long as you're equipped with a few heal pots and don't care about your stars? Marksman is the best zerg in the game. You'll almost always build full stacks before you die if you learn your rotation.
- Beginner Friendly. See above.
Disadvantages:
- The dodge nerf hit them hard. Even well geared, the Marksman was a reliable off tank back in the day. Now? Better learn to path and block line of sight.
- Low dps for an offensive archetype.
- Seriously, lack of a self heal. Quarry's advantage comes at the cost of ranking it to max. This is bad for bosses. Why do 2 minute cooldowns for paid heal devices still exist?
- LOL you thought a threat wipe worked. That's cute, let me tell you about my friends. They're called Viper. They will eat your face.
Rating:
9/10. Even when it fails it's fun and hard hitting.
One thing that would make it better:
A tank. Or, realistically, a threat wipe that works reliably in alerts. Pick one, the latter is a lot more reasonable. This thing *only* drops in alerts. It is a god everywhere else.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008. RIP Caine
Only sorta hard times. The threat wipe thing sucks for alerts, but otherwise it's actually pretty great. I imagine if you just took evasive maneuvers to r3 it'd be fine in alerts. Haha the one odd drawback that I didn't even wanna put as a disadvantage? That shiiingthunk has a 100 range and a hell of an arc, as I know you're aware. It's a riot to use, but I'm not even gonna pretend I haven't pulled half of the bank at once because I underestimated it. I can't even say it's fully a bad thing though, because I laugh my **** off every time it happens. "Damn this thing has some reach to it", etc... I'm surprised the energy builder doesn't have a hundred foot range. Everything else does.
You know? The thigh quivers are bad ****. The big quiver's neat too. The belt quiver? Also awesome, but we're now in overkill mode because quivers=/=pouches. The best part of that set? THE CAPE IS A NECK PIECE. This means it doesn't disappear when you use phoenix flight or shadow wings, and you can do stuff like have a cape and a quiver at the same time.
Also, "Thigh quivers" sounds like something a bad fanfic author would write. It's the best description, but we need a new one lol.
Haha and yeah, mal, didn't know if you had a primus page.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008. RIP Caine
... You know? Torrent of arrows would be a great compliment to force cascade, and explosive/where's the kaboom would probably be HILARIOUS when paired with cascade. Hell, toss a sonic device on there and they'll have no choice but to watch the doom happen. We all know force and quarry is like peanut butter and jelly. That is actually a flat out incredible idea.
The fire ant is a good bike, I love mine. However, if you get an arrowhead? hnnnnnnnnnnng. I have a broadhead, that thing is easily my favorite vehicle. Never managed to get an Arrowhead, that's the one I was really hoping for.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008. RIP Caine
That's actually pretty much exactly how I'd picture it. I'd probably skip force eruption though, the bonus is additive and therefore pretty much exists to make us all feel better about standing on a silly little glowing patch. E-wave, on the other hand...
Betcha by swapping that around a tad you'd have a pretty serious leveling build on your hands. That's pretty sick.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008. RIP Caine
Oh yeah. explosive arrow tap, straight shot tap with sonic device, full charged cascade, snap shot. It'd all fire off basically at once, and that's probably a hellacious amount of damage. I can imagine that easily going over a 30k spike with some luck.
Looks like a leveling build now, too. That's pretty freaking boss. I imagine it'd need some cost reduction gear to get the cascade full charge, but I actually kinda want to see this in action now.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008. RIP Caine
The Savage is probably the easiest AT to play.
It lacks AoEs aside of a single melee cone one, but that's the one drawback and not even a serious one.
The way how its spec trees and SS are set up, it can tank even if it has no access to the Protector tree. Just overstat Con and you have all defense needed on top of your Regen. Though you'd probably need Legion gear to do it right.
The way how CO threat mechanics work, DPS above all, it can actually outthreat other tanking ATs. And DPS toons as well. It also helps that Challenging Strikes are on Devour Essence, so maintaining threat is a no-brainer. And I'm rather sure that heal from regen also draws aggro.
Except on this AT there's no point in avoiding aggro in teams.
It's not freeform, it does not invalidate freeforms because it's performing well. And is certainly worth purchasing.
And funny, but that's also the most commonly seen of all premium ATs. I saw the Savage with all possible character concepts, from bestial, alien, demon, to mechanical. I think it speaks something about what is the main factor for most players when considering purchasing an AT.
It seems that usually utility goes before the character theme (of course, when it comes to the Savage or the Master, various character themes are easier to do than with energy projector ATs since both Archetypes look vaguely like generic melee types).
Aside of additional effects displayed near to character, there's little in bestiall powers what makes them looking only like you were clawing at someone. It also looks like vaguely like punching targets.
I think this AT and the Specialist are the only true "hybrids" amongst premiums. It can work either as a tank, or as a DPS, the Specialist can do either melee or ranged DPS.
The Night Avenger was close, but the way how its toggle form were made as a one choice, it can't be balanced for both ranged and melee.
The Savage might be the best AT in the game. I'm waiting for 40 to call it, but I have yet to discover a serious downfall to it.
The only thing about Savage I dislike is that Devour Essence doesn't work too good for a lot of wild/feral thematic characters like manimals and such - it's more of a Infernal Supernatural than Bestial Supernatural power.
I'm gonna preface this by saying everything Meedacthunist said is 100% true.
This AT was the first one I've ever retconned in the middle of running, because it has an odd quirk: It tanks better without the tanking advantages. I tried the crippling challenge/challenging strikes route, and it wasn't holding on to threat. I stacked damage instead, and I had mobs stapled to me. This thing was EASY to run. Regen really is an underrated passive, you know my common complaint that the AT needs a heal? Well, none of that is to be found here. There were moments where I'd have to pop devices to keep myself going under heavy fire, but the usual anti tank headaches just don't exist for the Savage. Brickbusters didn't hurt, and it has str primary so knocks weren't much of a thing. The other interesting thing is, setting it up to just throw damage and survive? The damage was actually nothing to scoff at. I ended up eschewing bite, because it really feels inferior to massacre if given a choice, and I noticed pretty quickly that spamming massacre was really the easiest win button I've seen on any of the ATs so far. It was getting 4.5k taps in alerts, the dps was really on point. Minor pet peeve though: Some of the animations suck. Shred might as well be renamed "bloody knees" because that's about where you're attacking.
The only major disadvantage I noticed to it was the aoe was pretty weak. This is a boss killer, throwing the aoe damage actually lowered my overall damage a great deal, and the mobs took far longer to kill. Focusing and burning down the big guys? We were cleaning up. Another issue? Aggressor wasn't stacking enrage, since I didn't have the enrage toggle. That has to be a bug, but it was a buzzkill, since The Savage comes with cooldown redux for active offenses. That's ok, though, because resurgence was a lot more useful anyway.
This AT is special, in that so far it's the first I've played that flat out could be a freeform. It didn't have any serious weaknesses, it performed very well at its intended role, and tanking didn't matter to it. It was throwing out the damage, and if it took aggro then so be it. I didn't feel like it trivialized the freeforms I have, at the same time, though. Premiums are supposed to be a taste of what freeform has to offer. This is definitely that.
The costume: I wanted to come at this from a different angle. Talyn is a rage fueled cyberpunk street samurai, with cybernetic talons and a nanobot hive that works to regenerate her. I wanted to use the holoforce set in a non-obtrusive way, and give homage to Lady Deathstryke and Glory (from Shadowrun:Dragonfall). It's a pretty simple costume, but try as I might I couldn't bring myself to replace it. It fit the powers perfectly, and I got a ton of compliments on it. Probably one of my favorites, now, but I doubt it'll ever win a CC. Honestly, I'm near statting her out in Shadowrun and giving her a go in PnP.
Advantages:
- Mobile. No self rooting here, it can run around and reposition as needed.
- Fast enrage stacks.
- Solid dps. Bleeds help, I love that it doesn't have a rupture technique because the damage just kept on going.
- Easy leveling. It has a self heal right out of the gate, and it's simple to use.
- Versatile spec trees. You can turn it into a tank or a dps thrower with just a few choices.
- Stable dps. When the damage gets done ramping up, you're throwing reliable hits. It may not top the crowd (although it can) but it's always a solid performer.
- Crazy survivable. This is the first and probably only AT I can imagine tanking a rampage. It'd take some help, and heals, but what tank doesn't?
Disadvantages:
- Weak AOE.
- "Choices". The power picks you're given aren't, really. Bite, maybe, but even then the dps is pretty similar and you're stuck with a charge. Lots can go wrong while that charge is going off. The aggressor enrage thing is also a buzzkill.
- taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap. Sure is a sore wrist over here. Melee falls victim to this overall. The Savage is no exception.
Rating:
10/10. This is the cream of the AT crop, and should be the standard by which other ATs are judged.
One thing that would make it better:
Honestly? I got nothin. Maybe a bit more aoe dps? Frenzy is kinda weak on this, and the spec trees don't help much. But that's such a minor issue that I feel bad even suggesting that get fixed. This really is nearly perfect.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008. RIP Caine
This is an AT that I've wanted to try for long time. I have no idea why I haven't! I guess I've been scared off by some peoples opinion of regen :rolleyes:. I have no idea why regen is considered not a great passive by some people.
But this looks like a very good tanking/scrapping type of AT - which is a game play style I really enjoy!
This is an AT that I've wanted to try for long time. I have no idea why I haven't! I guess I've been scared off by some peoples opinion of regen :rolleyes:. I have no idea why regen is considered not a great passive by some people.
But this looks like a very good tanking/scrapping type of AT - which is a game play style I really enjoy!
It most certainly is. I dunno why regen gets so much hate, it really is a phenomenal passive. Especially for leveling, even before it got buffed I used to use it on ALL of my leveling builds. It's even better, now. The synergy on this AT in particular is great, though. You've got regen, devour essence for if you're taking a bit of a beating, and resurgence for immortality mode.
I think Bestial SU has an unfair rep, too. You don't see it a hell of a lot, barring this AT, and it's really rather good.
For what it's worth, not sure I'd cal lRegen quite up to being a dedicated tanking passive, but for a hybrid DPS/off-tank, or for PvE.. it's really phenomenal.
And as I said in-game, yeah, I really love her look, Taco.
I saw a regen tank take on qwyji and teliosaur at the same time. The *only* possible issue is frosty, at least for this AT. Mostly, because damage mitigation is Eh. But stacking def and getting armadillo secondaries can really help that a ton.
I can easily see even this AT tanking Gravytrain without to much of a problem. I've literally seen regen do absolutely everything except Frosty. And, I think that's mostly because I haven't been around when some of the better regen tanks have done it. You get a freeform going, an slap unbreakable and resurgence on it? That's pretty much it, right there. Nobody's killing it, once it gets good gear.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008. RIP Caine
II can easily see even this AT tanking Gravytrain without to much of a problem. I've literally seen regen do absolutely everything except Frosty. And, I think that's mostly because I haven't been around when some of the better regen tanks have done it. You get a freeform going, an slap unbreakable and resurgence on it? That's pretty much it, right there. Nobody's killing it, once it gets good gear.
I have tanked Gravytrain when I ran a Savage. Doable, but you need to be on the ball and ready to pop your Heroic Resonance/heal device/Resurgence when things get hairy.
I don't have anything else to say you haven't said already. This AT is boss and the other ATs need to be brought up to its level so that playing one isn't such a chore.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
[thread=139701]My old, old guide for Ego Blades. Updated for On: Alert.[/thread]
[thread=154211]The Costume Contest Schedule. Stay up-to-date without having to log in![/thread]
Ever since I saw a video by IronMarble I have used Regen on quite a few of my builds. I love it to the point where it almost makes any character under level 25 OP. The reason I say 25 is so far my highest character is 26. I am unfamiliar with builds past that so far.
Getting Regen to work against anything that makes huge spikes means you have to stack as much defense from other sources as you can.
Which on this AT means defense gear, mods, and Juggernaut spec with seriously overstatted Con.
This will be made, obviously, at the expense of Str. On the other hand, the Savage has also The Best Defense spec, so your offense will never be very low.
Yeah, even through just specs that thing got more defense and offense than almost any of my builds, with heirloom gear. The spec trees really nudge you toward speccing like that, the dodge nerf/def and off buff worked a treat for it. Even on a second of looking at the concept in powerhouse, the choice there was obvious.
I've got a few characters in the works right now: The soldier, the mountain, and the void. The soldier is what I expected, it's great if you play tactically and advantage it right. True story: it's the first AT my fiancee (brand new to the game) hit 40 with. She loved it, even never having touched an MMO before.
The Mountain... Actually is already impressing me more than I expected, even if the damage is SAD.
The Void. Eef. That's a slow burn. I know what it turns into, and the end effect is amazing. But getting there is a slog and a half.
I'm gonna put my builds and tips on the wiki's guide blog, as I find the time. I'll post here and update the original posts when I've done so. How to run each AT for best effect, specs I used to make the leveling easier with an eye on 40. I know they've already been done on the NPW boards, but I feel like I should bring my own specific experience to the table. It's differed in some major ways from existing guides, although the ones we already have rock as well.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008. RIP Caine
I tend to think about the Mountain as of the Glacier Plus. It plays similar, but DPS is better because knock-ups and it has some very weak self-heal, albeit very late.
Not bad, despite problems some people are suffering with Earth powers graphic FX. Could use better self heal than one advantage that is weaker even than unranked BCR (but the same could be said about the Specialist, or other premium ATs with no self heal).
I think this AT isn't popular only because of FPS drop some people are suffering due to debris.
And I'm kinda in agreement about the Void. It suffers with difficulties as other ranged squishes early, but then it gets Drain Life and the entire play is "lol, easymode".
I found that my void was pretty fun to play almost from the get go. no idea what you're doing differently.
EXTREMELY low dps. I'll put the full writeup later, but damn. I've been parsing it, and even starter freeforms outperform it. When it gets a life drain, it's amazing. But the stealth part of the passive? Nope. Not in alerts.The dps? Lackluster. It can't tank, although it tries, and the dps is frankly pathetic. We're talking 400ish at 20. Every other hybrid at has thrown 1000 at least, by this point. It isn't even a good off heal.
Still, it's no Squall.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008. RIP Caine
I tend to think about the Mountain as of the Glacier Plus. It plays similar, but DPS is better because knock-ups and it has some very weak self-heal, albeit very late.
Not bad, despite problems some people are suffering with Earth powers graphic FX. Could use better self heal than one advantage that is weaker even than unranked BCR (but the same could be said about the Specialist, or other premium ATs with no self heal).
I think this AT isn't popular only because of FPS drop some people are suffering due to debris.
The Glacier throws a LOT MORE dps. I liked the Mountain specifically for how hard it was to kill. That heal? hahaha phttt. Worthless. I'd prefer The Specialist, but dodge hit that one hard. That nerf ruined the AT. I think I got most of the good ATs out of the way. There's nothing but bad from here on out.
I mentioned the framerate issues on the wiki, and yeah. It's bad. The Mountain is fantastic as long as your team is running a good computer.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008. RIP Caine
The Glacier throws a LOT MORE dps. I liked the Mountain specifically for how hard it was to kill. That heal? hahaha phttt. Worthless. I'd prefer The Specialist, but dodge hit that one hard. That nerf ruined the AT. I think I got most of the good ATs out of the way. There's nothing but bad from here on out.
I mentioned the framerate issues on the wiki, and yeah. It's bad. The Mountain is fantastic as long as your team is running a good computer.
Strangely, I found the Mountain more dynamic in play, killing things was faster for me than with the Glacier. Not sure why. There was nothing unusual with my Glacier or Mountain builds, and the Mountain has more self roots on its powers, so it should feel slower.
Maybe all this debris and ka-booms flying around makes it only look more dynamic...
And yeah. Premium ATs were hit hard with the Lightning Reflexes overnerf.
Best part is, they were warned in PTS thread it will end badly for premium ATs.
Still, the Specialist could be salvaged if it was given BCR and energy unlock.
Isn't the specialist's damage and hybrid role strong? And I have heard that its fun play. Besides, no one can disagree that dual pistols is just swag overload :P
"Good can be found in heights, even in the deepest pits of evil" but "The valleys of evil always exist in the mountains of good."
Comments
No. It needs to be entirely optional. You should be able to opt out of it, as it heavily enforces very one-sided theme, both on AT and on FFs.
Also, it's aggro magnet and the one that can't be turned off and is completely random. I can't believe anyone thought that putting it on the support AT is a good idea.
Really, whoever was in charge of putting together premium ATs was completely clueless person who very likely never played any MMO (not even a trinity based ones).
Also, a rez power is easily justifiable - you take a moment in combat to inject your comrade (or your equipment automatically injects you) with medical nanites that bring you back from the brink of death. Boom, justification! Not sure what level to shoehorn that in at, though.
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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[at]riviania Member since Aug 2009
This. Right here. This is why I started doing this. 100% agreed, and that's why I share my feedback about the AT rather than just showing a pretty picture. The costumes are important to me, but the discussions of the AT? This is spot on.
And this is where I'd mildly debate. It's a petmaster AT. Support works for those, because you need the extra energy. The passive keeps em around longer. Neither of those were a bad decision. The bad decision came with auto-teddy and nobody having a choice. The "modify your laser with a clicky" is fun, if you approach it from a ranged melee perspective. The pets are cool. But the rez. The rez takes it to the next level, and makes the AT a worthy purchase.
Orbital should be a bit earlier. The rez should be the 40 power. This thing needs a dps boost a bit earlier than that, but I've always been an advocate of "give the AT one more power and it'll work well". Near endgame, ATs stall. It's just a waiting game for the next power, and you're sitting on a ton of unused advantage points.
Having played the set, I'm now not even sure that a clicky would be a good idea for teddification. It'll give trolls an on next hit guaranteed "I just broke your sht" power. I'm just gonna put this out there: boss interrupts are a bit unfair. Knockable bosses shouldn't happen. Combining the 2? This thing better be a t5 power if it happens at all. And I'm not even sure I can agree with the aura. Some bosses have visual tells, like the doll block that murders everyone. Even particle effects break it. The crit aura definitely does.
I'm still working on the project, but I noticed something tonight. Threat wipe with evasive maneuvers doesn't work on the whole pack. I go invisible, and then half of the mobs still murder me. Stealth nerf, sure. Some mobs should see through... No I'm not sure I can get behind that either. But if we're going to see through stealth? A threat wipe should be 100%. Not wiping threat from half of the mobs, that's just absurd with a raw dps character. If I use evasive maneuvers with advantage, and then don't attack? Nobody should focus on me if it triggers the advantage. Yet, half of the alert/raid/whatever always does if we're fighting skulls or elite. Given the 2 minute cooldown on self heal devices, that's not really fair. A 50% chance to make some of the mobs ignore you for 3 seconds is a sad joke of a power.
That's my "Fix it" for the Marksman. I don't even have to 40 it to say so. But I will, anyway, because besides that issue it's a fantastic at.
RIP Caine
Marksman is really good.. well for everything but single-target dps. But its also the only other AT besides the Soldier that can snipe-cheese Gravi and F&I (even if the dmg isn't great, its safe and easy). I didn't even pick up Relentless Recurve (wanted a stronger opener w/ Torrent) but still had plenty of CC w/ Storm's root adv and Sonic Arrow's DD adv for the stun. Lotsa stuns/CC, mobility and splash dmg all around- ya get to run around pretty much all ya want as well. Fun kit.
As far as EM: it could be a few of them had some ToF spells or DoTs on you that 'revealed' you to them but not the other mobs that just immediately snapped back. I do think the aggro drop adv is permanent once it works- but the stealth can be iffy, yeah.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
Eh, I play my character pretty suicidally anyway, so am not overly concerned about killing myself on Baron's shield. At least I would die laughing. Would be totally worth it.
I don't use the advantage on EM with my marksmen because I like to steal all the aggro and keep it. What makes me sad is that tab targeting seems on the slow side for throwing explosive arrow around. But it might just be my controller dying. That and the cool down on rain of arrows. I don't really use anything outside of explosive arrow and RoA. Occasionally I tap Torrent of arrows if I need to knock things away or am tanking and don't want to switch target to the ads.
What helps with ATs that can't heal is to pay attention to the orb drops. Even without a healer or elixir, I've been able to tank alert bosses with "squishy" ATs just by darting over to the yellow and green orbs when they drop. Hiding behind pillars works too. The AI is bad enough that you can sometimes drop aggro on bosses by breaking line of sight. And then gain it back as soon as you stop hiding. Flying works well too. Many npcs are melee and can't really do anything to you if you fly outside of melee range. Even if you don't go outside of 100ft.
[at]riviania Member since Aug 2009
RIP Caine
It took a while, but then again, I didn't play that account as much as I would have had it been my only. Every few days I just go run them through the Alert cycles and go back to my main account.
The Soldier I like very much. Hammered things better than I thought he would.
The Glacier's OK, but as an ex-CoXer, it's STILL hard for me to get the right feel of a "ranged tank".
The Inferno seems OK, but kind of bland.
The Blade was made less boring by me choosing the wrench. Gave it a whole new feel for me, even though it's mechanically no different no matter what you pick.
I'm in no hurry, though. It's a side project, so it often gets set aside to do other things.
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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I'd considered making "grease monkey" one of my ATs, and giving him the wrench. Same reason, it just seems like it'd be a riot. We really need more gag weapons, I'd kill for a stop sign and a parking meter.
RIP Caine
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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WRAITH
The Marksman
*deep breath*
I'm not even gonna lie, this has been my favorite archetype to level. I took my time with it, and while some internet issues were there for part of it? Mechanical issues were a bit more prevalent. I actually want to break theme here and give this thing 3 ratings. PVP, PVE, and Alerts. It behaves very differently in all 3, so I'll do my best to cover each and give the AT its fair due.
Archetype pvp does not exist anymore. And it's a shame, because this thing is a beast at that. The where's the kaboom advantage, mixed with sonic arrow's stun, and snap shot? Full on hammer down protocol. You don't even know it hit you until it's done. That's been the case in the past, and I saw it work again in an AT duel. Sleight of Mind is great for pvp as well, because when it fires (50% of the time) you can get that rotation going pretty fast. It's heavily spiky. Can we make AT pvp a thing again? Because The Marksman has always been amazing at it.
Pve? I ran with the cc/knock/root build that always worked in the past. With a threat wipe just in case I got in over my head. And it works just like it did. Party play? You're a ghost, that appears only to murder the living hell out of anything you fight. If it sees you? Well, his friends are dead, so threat wipe and dip for a sec. Mow him down, because only the big guy is left. This is an easy non-alert level. With a good tank, you might as well not exist. I made it my trademark to hop into areas around the mobs and flank them, then knock them into the tank. It's stunningly effective, especially when you follow it up with storm of arrows/Achilles Heel, since they basically have to sit there and take what the tank is about to do to them.
Alerts... Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng. God, the nerfs. Dodge nerf hurt. Bad. It used to be able to hold its own with a hybrid. It still can, but it takes a ton of work. The block sucks. SUCKS. You have to be attacked to get retaliation, and you can't retaliate when you're dead. Dodge got hit hard. Block -> threat wipe -> big spike? Nope. Not anymore. The mobs have stealth sight now. Evasive maneuvers with sleight of mind has a 50% chance to trigger. The threat wipe has an I don't even know the numbers chance to remove the threat, but it seems to be hanging at around 50 as well. Half a chance that half of the people might ignore you. If my numbers are wrong, they can't be by much, because even when I go "invisible" a bunch of the mobs are on me anyway. This only happens in alerts.
You want to know the best part about The Marksman? It was fun regardless. There were tactics here, in the spec trees. Dex trees work really well with crits or dodge (I went combat training/gear utilization, deadly aim/quick reflexes, fyi. It shored up some weaknesses in the build), and you can use your otherwise useless straight shot to make your sonic arrow hit a lot harder. Snap shot, which is *BY FAR* the better option, is a quick little dps bump. I'm pretty sure the timer on it is off, because it seems silly fast for the dps it throws. The advantage (finish him) lets you just roll straight shot -> sonic arrow -> snap shot. and burn down 2 health bars.
But this will get you all of the threat.
I've mentioned elsewhere how I feel about the dps/threat/role scenario being a bit skewed. This one is bad for it, because it's really REALLY easy to just run it as you should and draw a mountain of threat. It'd be great, but read back to where I asked for a threat wipe. This one was nerfed for alerts.
I'm gonna just say it the best I can here: The Marksman was the hallmark of a great archetype pre dodge/stealth perception in alerts fix. Either of those alone? It is *perfect*. See through stealth, but dodge it. Less dodge, escape it. This got hit by both. The end result? The low dps for an offensive AT is seriously hurt by... Dude, not every archer has heart. You can give a few of em a pass.
Their biggest drawback in an alert will be covered in the disadvantage section. It's so big that I just have to say it as a sentence. Y'all don't wanna see that rage.
The costume? I kinda wanted to just build the best 90s anti-hero I could with a bow. It's a rebuild of my main, outside of her atomic suit. Bit of an author avatar, here, and I'm glad the AT proved to be just as interesting to run as she was.
Advantages:
- NOT. A SINGLE. SELF ROOT.
- Heavy crowd control. Roots, knocks, stuns.
- Solid tap dps.
- Easy to follow for beginners, it's like dialing a telephone.
- GREAT specializations.
- Non Alert monster. If you're running normal content? They're probably the easiest leveling possible.
- Spike monster. Their spike is easy to set up and easily repeatable.
- Survivable, to a point. As long as you're equipped with a few heal pots and don't care about your stars? Marksman is the best zerg in the game. You'll almost always build full stacks before you die if you learn your rotation.
- Beginner Friendly. See above.
Disadvantages:
- The dodge nerf hit them hard. Even well geared, the Marksman was a reliable off tank back in the day. Now? Better learn to path and block line of sight.
- Low dps for an offensive archetype.
- Seriously, lack of a self heal. Quarry's advantage comes at the cost of ranking it to max. This is bad for bosses. Why do 2 minute cooldowns for paid heal devices still exist?
- LOL you thought a threat wipe worked. That's cute, let me tell you about my friends. They're called Viper. They will eat your face.
Rating:
9/10. Even when it fails it's fun and hard hitting.
One thing that would make it better:
A tank. Or, realistically, a threat wipe that works reliably in alerts. Pick one, the latter is a lot more reasonable. This thing *only* drops in alerts. It is a god everywhere else.
RIP Caine
I was the one tanking!!!
You know? The thigh quivers are bad ****. The big quiver's neat too. The belt quiver? Also awesome, but we're now in overkill mode because quivers=/=pouches. The best part of that set? THE CAPE IS A NECK PIECE. This means it doesn't disappear when you use phoenix flight or shadow wings, and you can do stuff like have a cape and a quiver at the same time.
Also, "Thigh quivers" sounds like something a bad fanfic author would write. It's the best description, but we need a new one lol.
Haha and yeah, mal, didn't know if you had a primus page.
RIP Caine
... You know? Torrent of arrows would be a great compliment to force cascade, and explosive/where's the kaboom would probably be HILARIOUS when paired with cascade. Hell, toss a sonic device on there and they'll have no choice but to watch the doom happen. We all know force and quarry is like peanut butter and jelly. That is actually a flat out incredible idea.
The fire ant is a good bike, I love mine. However, if you get an arrowhead? hnnnnnnnnnnng. I have a broadhead, that thing is easily my favorite vehicle. Never managed to get an Arrowhead, that's the one I was really hoping for.
RIP Caine
Betcha by swapping that around a tad you'd have a pretty serious leveling build on your hands. That's pretty sick.
RIP Caine
Looks like a leveling build now, too. That's pretty freaking boss. I imagine it'd need some cost reduction gear to get the cascade full charge, but I actually kinda want to see this in action now.
RIP Caine
The Savage might be the best AT in the game. I'm waiting for 40 to call it, but I have yet to discover a serious downfall to it.
RIP Caine
I'm at level 30 with Talyn, should have a writeup here in the next few days. Been putzing with her while I'm not wiki-ing.
RIP Caine
I keep meaning to try this one! It looks like it might have great dps and survival potential. Can't wait to see your write up.
It lacks AoEs aside of a single melee cone one, but that's the one drawback and not even a serious one.
The way how its spec trees and SS are set up, it can tank even if it has no access to the Protector tree. Just overstat Con and you have all defense needed on top of your Regen. Though you'd probably need Legion gear to do it right.
The way how CO threat mechanics work, DPS above all, it can actually outthreat other tanking ATs. And DPS toons as well. It also helps that Challenging Strikes are on Devour Essence, so maintaining threat is a no-brainer. And I'm rather sure that heal from regen also draws aggro.
Except on this AT there's no point in avoiding aggro in teams.
It's not freeform, it does not invalidate freeforms because it's performing well. And is certainly worth purchasing.
And funny, but that's also the most commonly seen of all premium ATs. I saw the Savage with all possible character concepts, from bestial, alien, demon, to mechanical. I think it speaks something about what is the main factor for most players when considering purchasing an AT.
It seems that usually utility goes before the character theme (of course, when it comes to the Savage or the Master, various character themes are easier to do than with energy projector ATs since both Archetypes look vaguely like generic melee types).
Aside of additional effects displayed near to character, there's little in bestiall powers what makes them looking only like you were clawing at someone. It also looks like vaguely like punching targets.
I think this AT and the Specialist are the only true "hybrids" amongst premiums. It can work either as a tank, or as a DPS, the Specialist can do either melee or ranged DPS.
The Night Avenger was close, but the way how its toggle form were made as a one choice, it can't be balanced for both ranged and melee.
The only thing about Savage I dislike is that Devour Essence doesn't work too good for a lot of wild/feral thematic characters like manimals and such - it's more of a Infernal Supernatural than Bestial Supernatural power.
TALYN
The Savage
I'm gonna preface this by saying everything Meedacthunist said is 100% true.
This AT was the first one I've ever retconned in the middle of running, because it has an odd quirk: It tanks better without the tanking advantages. I tried the crippling challenge/challenging strikes route, and it wasn't holding on to threat. I stacked damage instead, and I had mobs stapled to me. This thing was EASY to run. Regen really is an underrated passive, you know my common complaint that the AT needs a heal? Well, none of that is to be found here. There were moments where I'd have to pop devices to keep myself going under heavy fire, but the usual anti tank headaches just don't exist for the Savage. Brickbusters didn't hurt, and it has str primary so knocks weren't much of a thing. The other interesting thing is, setting it up to just throw damage and survive? The damage was actually nothing to scoff at. I ended up eschewing bite, because it really feels inferior to massacre if given a choice, and I noticed pretty quickly that spamming massacre was really the easiest win button I've seen on any of the ATs so far. It was getting 4.5k taps in alerts, the dps was really on point. Minor pet peeve though: Some of the animations suck. Shred might as well be renamed "bloody knees" because that's about where you're attacking.
The only major disadvantage I noticed to it was the aoe was pretty weak. This is a boss killer, throwing the aoe damage actually lowered my overall damage a great deal, and the mobs took far longer to kill. Focusing and burning down the big guys? We were cleaning up. Another issue? Aggressor wasn't stacking enrage, since I didn't have the enrage toggle. That has to be a bug, but it was a buzzkill, since The Savage comes with cooldown redux for active offenses. That's ok, though, because resurgence was a lot more useful anyway.
This AT is special, in that so far it's the first I've played that flat out could be a freeform. It didn't have any serious weaknesses, it performed very well at its intended role, and tanking didn't matter to it. It was throwing out the damage, and if it took aggro then so be it. I didn't feel like it trivialized the freeforms I have, at the same time, though. Premiums are supposed to be a taste of what freeform has to offer. This is definitely that.
The costume: I wanted to come at this from a different angle. Talyn is a rage fueled cyberpunk street samurai, with cybernetic talons and a nanobot hive that works to regenerate her. I wanted to use the holoforce set in a non-obtrusive way, and give homage to Lady Deathstryke and Glory (from Shadowrun:Dragonfall). It's a pretty simple costume, but try as I might I couldn't bring myself to replace it. It fit the powers perfectly, and I got a ton of compliments on it. Probably one of my favorites, now, but I doubt it'll ever win a CC. Honestly, I'm near statting her out in Shadowrun and giving her a go in PnP.
Advantages:
- Mobile. No self rooting here, it can run around and reposition as needed.
- Fast enrage stacks.
- Solid dps. Bleeds help, I love that it doesn't have a rupture technique because the damage just kept on going.
- Easy leveling. It has a self heal right out of the gate, and it's simple to use.
- Versatile spec trees. You can turn it into a tank or a dps thrower with just a few choices.
- Stable dps. When the damage gets done ramping up, you're throwing reliable hits. It may not top the crowd (although it can) but it's always a solid performer.
- Crazy survivable. This is the first and probably only AT I can imagine tanking a rampage. It'd take some help, and heals, but what tank doesn't?
Disadvantages:
- Weak AOE.
- "Choices". The power picks you're given aren't, really. Bite, maybe, but even then the dps is pretty similar and you're stuck with a charge. Lots can go wrong while that charge is going off. The aggressor enrage thing is also a buzzkill.
- taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap. Sure is a sore wrist over here. Melee falls victim to this overall. The Savage is no exception.
Rating:
10/10. This is the cream of the AT crop, and should be the standard by which other ATs are judged.
One thing that would make it better:
Honestly? I got nothin. Maybe a bit more aoe dps? Frenzy is kinda weak on this, and the spec trees don't help much. But that's such a minor issue that I feel bad even suggesting that get fixed. This really is nearly perfect.
RIP Caine
But this looks like a very good tanking/scrapping type of AT - which is a game play style I really enjoy!
It most certainly is. I dunno why regen gets so much hate, it really is a phenomenal passive. Especially for leveling, even before it got buffed I used to use it on ALL of my leveling builds. It's even better, now. The synergy on this AT in particular is great, though. You've got regen, devour essence for if you're taking a bit of a beating, and resurgence for immortality mode.
I think Bestial SU has an unfair rep, too. You don't see it a hell of a lot, barring this AT, and it's really rather good.
I saw a regen tank take on qwyji and teliosaur at the same time. The *only* possible issue is frosty, at least for this AT. Mostly, because damage mitigation is Eh. But stacking def and getting armadillo secondaries can really help that a ton.
I can easily see even this AT tanking Gravytrain without to much of a problem. I've literally seen regen do absolutely everything except Frosty. And, I think that's mostly because I haven't been around when some of the better regen tanks have done it. You get a freeform going, an slap unbreakable and resurgence on it? That's pretty much it, right there. Nobody's killing it, once it gets good gear.
RIP Caine
I have tanked Gravytrain when I ran a Savage. Doable, but you need to be on the ball and ready to pop your Heroic Resonance/heal device/Resurgence when things get hairy.
I don't have anything else to say you haven't said already. This AT is boss and the other ATs need to be brought up to its level so that playing one isn't such a chore.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
[thread=139701]My old, old guide for Ego Blades. Updated for On: Alert.[/thread]
[thread=154211]The Costume Contest Schedule. Stay up-to-date without having to log in![/thread]
Veteran from 2009 recently returned to the fray.
Which on this AT means defense gear, mods, and Juggernaut spec with seriously overstatted Con.
This will be made, obviously, at the expense of Str. On the other hand, the Savage has also The Best Defense spec, so your offense will never be very low.
I've got a few characters in the works right now: The soldier, the mountain, and the void. The soldier is what I expected, it's great if you play tactically and advantage it right. True story: it's the first AT my fiancee (brand new to the game) hit 40 with. She loved it, even never having touched an MMO before.
The Mountain... Actually is already impressing me more than I expected, even if the damage is SAD.
The Void. Eef. That's a slow burn. I know what it turns into, and the end effect is amazing. But getting there is a slog and a half.
I'm gonna put my builds and tips on the wiki's guide blog, as I find the time. I'll post here and update the original posts when I've done so. How to run each AT for best effect, specs I used to make the leveling easier with an eye on 40. I know they've already been done on the NPW boards, but I feel like I should bring my own specific experience to the table. It's differed in some major ways from existing guides, although the ones we already have rock as well.
RIP Caine
Not bad, despite problems some people are suffering with Earth powers graphic FX. Could use better self heal than one advantage that is weaker even than unranked BCR (but the same could be said about the Specialist, or other premium ATs with no self heal).
I think this AT isn't popular only because of FPS drop some people are suffering due to debris.
And I'm kinda in agreement about the Void. It suffers with difficulties as other ranged squishes early, but then it gets Drain Life and the entire play is "lol, easymode".
EXTREMELY low dps. I'll put the full writeup later, but damn. I've been parsing it, and even starter freeforms outperform it. When it gets a life drain, it's amazing. But the stealth part of the passive? Nope. Not in alerts.The dps? Lackluster. It can't tank, although it tries, and the dps is frankly pathetic. We're talking 400ish at 20. Every other hybrid at has thrown 1000 at least, by this point. It isn't even a good off heal.
Still, it's no Squall.
RIP Caine
The Glacier throws a LOT MORE dps. I liked the Mountain specifically for how hard it was to kill. That heal? hahaha phttt. Worthless. I'd prefer The Specialist, but dodge hit that one hard. That nerf ruined the AT. I think I got most of the good ATs out of the way. There's nothing but bad from here on out.
I mentioned the framerate issues on the wiki, and yeah. It's bad. The Mountain is fantastic as long as your team is running a good computer.
RIP Caine
Strangely, I found the Mountain more dynamic in play, killing things was faster for me than with the Glacier. Not sure why. There was nothing unusual with my Glacier or Mountain builds, and the Mountain has more self roots on its powers, so it should feel slower.
Maybe all this debris and ka-booms flying around makes it only look more dynamic...
And yeah. Premium ATs were hit hard with the Lightning Reflexes overnerf.
Best part is, they were warned in PTS thread it will end badly for premium ATs.
Still, the Specialist could be salvaged if it was given BCR and energy unlock.
"Good can be found in heights, even in the deepest pits of evil" but "The valleys of evil always exist in the mountains of good."
~me