One thing that the "numbers" don't show - the HOURS a person has to spend (unless they do business with the scum-of-the-earth influence peddler spammers) to either 1. collect the massive amounts of salvage, recipes, and influence to fully slot out a character with IOs, or 2. earn the influence to buy those IOs. This has to count for something. For a casual gamer who doesn't have hours and hours each day to spend, sometimes the simple fact that they whole thing is nothing but a huge time-sink is enough of a deterrent to get them to avoids IOs, especially at lower levels. The time-sink becomes even greater if you want to later get into the set IOs. For me? I definitely wouldn't waste the time for the lower levels at all. Yeah, great, they don't degrade, but truly, at level 35, are you really going to CARE that the level 15 Accuracy IO *still* gives you a whopping 19.2%? Or are you going to spend an incredible amount of time juggling salvage, storage salvage, recipes and influence to try to keep them up level after level? Really, if you are going to continue to change them out as you level up? Save the inf and your time, and use the DOs/SOs til 35, when you have a lot more influence to put it to use once it begins to make a more noticeable difference. I think the difference is a choice in how to spend the time you have to play the game: whether or not you want to waste the immense amount of time it takes to stop and craft your own, or hang out in Wentworth's, or spend it actually playing. I found the whole invention thing to be something I don't really have time to bother with. The game was beginning to feel more like work than fun, and if I only have a small amount of time to play, I don't want to spend it running back and forth from my base to Wentworth's trying to buy, sell, and craft. Running from store to store to sell the drops was enough of a hassle for me. I guess the bottom line is, yes, they do have a slight edge but considering the time you must invest, which is a real-life commodity that not all of us can afford, it will be up to each individual player as to whether or not they are really worth it.
at level 1, i start selling my enhancements to the vendor. i don't bother putting any TOs into my powers.
around the time i've gotten a couple of thousand saved up - i put low bids on common lvl 10 IOs.
by level 7, i'm fully filled up with level 10 IOs. i probably have a few set IOs also by level 7.
i sell salvage that goes for good prices (50,000 for a luck charm anyone?); that gimps me if i wanted to make low level accuracy IOs. instead, i put a bid or two for a lvl 10 accuracy IO and see if i luck out; if not, i've already identified a few set IOs that i can make/buy pretty cheaply.
my 50,000 luck charm can buy many many lvl 10 IOs, even a bunch of lvl 15 IOs.
people spend lots of time working on their builds. set IOs add a whole new level to that. unique IOs, set bonuses, heck, you can have stealth, stamina, and (personal affecting) leadership skills with clever use of set IOs and never have to purchase the powers.
i spend more time waiting on people to sell items and then go purchase SOs after every mission; than i spend selling and picking up my next batch of filled orders off the ah/bm.
pick one toon and make it your crafter (would probably go well with your badge toon); after a bit, you've got a mid-to-high-level toon that has memorized common IOs and hooks up all your new alt toons.
everyone should take a little time, spend it wisely, and learn how to work the ah/bm to their advantage. i normally go to whatever base my toon is in, hit the atlas park teleporter, and then have a short run to/from vendor/ah/base.
but, there will always be naysayers. people who know it's a waste of time; but instead of selling that luck charm for 50,000, they're saving up 50,000 to buy a luck charm.
every person who has an eye for a bargain, should definitely give the auction house and black market a shot. bargains are there to be had. fortunes are there to be made.
with just a little research while i'm planning a build, i can plot out cheap/easy to obtain set IOs and get buffed up at an early level and never have to look back.
i'll stick with the easy to purchase set IOs and the easy to build set IOs, avoid the expensive ones, and have my toon with SO+ level IOs at a low level and never need to swap them out, unless i want to be even more powerful than an SO'd toon.
all the money i'm saving, all the money i'm making, by level 35, those expensive set IOs are pretty affordable.
could we please get correspondent writers and moderators, on the eve forum at mmorpg.com, who are well-versed on eve-online and aren't just passersby pushing buttons? pretty please?
You obviously have a lot more time to dedicate to the game than I do. I am lucky to get an hour in here and there these days, and my account often remains unsubbed for months during the semester.
I have *never* seen selling at WWs to be faster than selling drops, in COH or COV. Of course, I do all my selling in COH in Talos, where the stores are close. I don't play CoV enough to really worry about selling too much. I have a handful of villains, mostly concept characters, and none I really care to play too much.
There are a few things I learned sell well at WW's, and I will occasionally drop by there and put those up for sale. The only reason I know they are worht my trouble was from days past when I sold stuff for the toons I wanted the 'selling' badges on, back in the day when I had time for badging. I don't bother with non-accolade badges any more either.
It takes time to figure out what you need to sell and what you need to hold. What sets you want, and what IOs you can afford.
It is a good thing there are those who are willing to pay for such things. As for me? I will stick to running my missions, dropping most of my drops in the base bins, selling them with my runners and transfering the inf back as needed to the lowbies. Some of them have IOs, mostly from my friend. Most do not. Heck, I haven't respec'd any of my toons since before IOs. They play just fine. I guess if you don't bother, you don't notice a difference.
I think a big difference in the theories of 'worth it/ not worth it' must be the PVP factor. My girls don't play any different than they did before IOs came out. That is fine with me. To me, PVP in a RPG with such rich content and story lines is a complete waste of time. If I want to play "Rock'em Sock'em Robots" I can go get a console game and play Mortal Kombat. I play the game to enjoy the mission stories and the role-play aspect. I think this perhaps makes a difference in the fact that I'd rather be enjoying the actual game content than doing 'make work' tasks like crafting.
To each their own, really. I think everyone has their own play styles, and that is one of the great things about CoH. You can pretty much play any way you like - team, or solo, power builds with fancy IOs or just plain old characters built more for concept than for how 'strong' they can be. There are MANY options in the game and ways to play that involve someone who just wants to jump on for an hour and run a mission or two, up to and including those who want to spend all day grinding, and buying that 'perfect' set of IOs. It doesn't matter what style you choose, you can still 'have it your way' and it won't matter to anyone but yourself.
Also - FWIW -To let the OP know - The Hellions starting fires are not in Kings Row. They are in Steel Canyon. The buildings are at several locations around the map. The first is to the right as you come out of of the Yellow Line station, along the War Wall perpendicular to the Atlas Gate. It is a pink-ish color 'brownstone' type building. All of the buildings that spawn fires will look like this. The next one is to the north of the station about two blocks to the north, then another approximately four blocks north of that, almost directly across from the Siren's Call gate, but about a block or so to the west. There is yet another one that you can find by following the War Wall north from the Siren's gate, a block or two, and one that is behind the Green Line station. The color makes the buildings stand out pretty well. Remember to fight the Hellions, as they will restart the fires quickly if you try extinguishing fires only. Simply approach the fire chief, and click him, he will give you a "temporary power" consisting of a special extinguisher with a limited amount of uses. This, and ice powers, I believe, are the only things that work against fire. Regular attacks do nothing even though a fire cons as an "enemy". When all the Hellions are gone, and the fires are all out, the fire chief will be dancing. This means that this spawn is finished. Good luck! That was the biggest pain the butt badge for me to get on my badge toon back in the day. Ugh.
CoX is the only MMORPG I've played. Have a gazillion alts, but spend most of my time on Virtue. I'm very much a casual player, and I'm too lazy to actually RP, so I usually try to write my bios to fit my regular personality.
I'm not a crafter - main reason I don't play games like WoW. I do use IOs, but I'm not in any hurry. It's actually one of the few things left to do with my 50 - max out the IOs. I wind up selling most of my drops and saving up the influence. At the lowest levels, I do use training enhancements, but I don't bother buying them. If I can use them, I do so. If not, I sell them.
Originally posted by VuDu_DawL
Also - FWIW -To let the OP know - The Hellions starting fires are not in Kings Row. They are in Steel Canyon. The buildings are at several locations around the map. The first is to the right as you come out of of the Yellow Line station, along the War Wall perpendicular to the Atlas Gate. It is a pink-ish color 'brownstone' type building. All of the buildings that spawn fires will look like this. The next one is to the north of the station about two blocks to the north, then another approximately four blocks north of that, almost directly across from the Siren's Call gate, but about a block or so to the west. There is yet another one that you can find by following the War Wall north from the Siren's gate, a block or two, and one that is behind the Green Line station. The color makes the buildings stand out pretty well. Remember to fight the Hellions, as they will restart the fires quickly if you try extinguishing fires only. Simply approach the fire chief, and click him, he will give you a "temporary power" consisting of a special extinguisher with a limited amount of uses. This, and ice powers, I believe, are the only things that work against fire. Regular attacks do nothing even though a fire cons as an "enemy". When all the Hellions are gone, and the fires are all out, the fire chief will be dancing. This means that this spawn is finished. Good luck! That was the biggest pain the butt badge for me to get on my badge toon back in the day. Ugh.
You can also earn the firefighter badges by defeating the Hellion arsonists.
------------- The less you expect, the more you'll be surprised. Hopefully, pleasantly so.
My advice: Stay away from the Villain side. The city and the archetypes there are poorly designed and just not as fun as the Hero side, which is why you will also find lower populations there.
Any chance someone could send me a couple of trial codes for me and the wife?. I have been playing wow since it launched and have got very tired of it. I am looking for something a bit more casual and fun so coh sounds great. I would like to try the trial first just to make sure it will run without any issues first before upgrading and buying it. Thanks
For all of those who want to try CoX, their is a 14 day free trial on the main page.
Get a life you freaking Gamer.....no no, you don't understand, I'm a Gamer, I have many lives!!
Just one issue with the last reply. There is no healer class in CoH. Yes an EMpathy defender or controller has three heal powers, but that is only 3 out of 18 powers, not counting pool powers. The amount of buffs and blasts far outwiegh the number and usefulness of the three heals. You start getting your travel as soon as pools powers are open and get your actual travel power, flight, teleport, super speed, 0r super jump, at 14.
I dont understand why u dont consider defenders and corruptos healers. I have a corruptor and his main duty in a group is to keep others, specialy tanks, healed. They have nice and fast AoE heals and they are terrible for soloing. So in my opinion they are healers yes and they are buffer/debuffer as well.
1. General population is rude and unhelpful. True in just about any MMO. 2. Lack of things to do. (This is after leveling 3 characters to 70.) TBH, CoX will be even more so than WoW has been. CoX mobs are less varied than in WoW, as is landscape. CoX is even more of a grindfest. All MMOs are, but CoX doesn't even try to disguise that. 3. Minimal RP aspects. Don't know what to say - this is totally up to you and your online pals - try a RP-focused server if you haven't already? 4. Cookie-cutter character talents/specs/abilities/professions. Get used to it, it's a persistent problem through most MMOs. Some archetypes seem to be stuck in weaker mode, other stuck in stronger mode, thus the same archetypes are replayed again and again and others are rarely seen, esp. at high levels. 5. PvP (and everything for that matter) heavily dependent on gear. More so than it used to be, but CoX is not as "gear" dependent as WoW is.
So in a nutshell, I want something a little bit more than "grinding for epics". Again, these are a few complaints after years of playing WoW and loving it. I think it's time for something new. My questions are: 1. How is the CoH community attitude as a whole? About the same, but less in overall numbers than you'll be used to. People are people, after all, the rest is but an illusion. 2. Aside from questing/pvp are there other entertaining/challenging things to do? (Anyone who has played WoW know the alternative to gearing-up somehow is to sit around for endless hours in IF/Ogr.) Nope. Unless you're talking about the never-ending costume contests that get old after an hour or so. Pre-NGE SWG neither CoX nor WoW is. They do have fantastic seasonal events, better than WoW although less numerous, IMHO. Most are around Halloween-Thanksgiving-XMas time. 3. Are there player built homes? I've heard there are strongholds in CoV. Homes - no. Bases suck, for the most part. They're just mostly just PvP venues. 4. Can a couple of noobs like my boy-friend and I get skilled enough to hang without having to upgrade gear every few weeks? Yes. Instantly. And is there content for just the 2 of us to play together? Yes. I'm used to and kinda sick of 40 man raids. Not aware of any 40-man "raids" in CoX. 5. What type of factions are there, if any. Up until an hour ago, I was under the impression that you could roll Villains and Heroes on the same server. Yup, heroes and Villains are pretty much your factions - join one, fight the other, much like Alliance/Horde. No other factions per se. Each has it's own areas the other can't enter, but several shared areas that both can enter (do so at your own risk, PvP is automatic in these areas). Any feedback from you guys would be greatly appreciated. I've tried out some free MMOs like Perfect World and Reppelz. I also played a bit of Star Wars Galaxies a few years back. I basically want something new to crack out on. Thanks in advance. Just as others have said, try the free trial. CoX is a good game, but it is a different game that is trying to accomplish different things, don't judge it by another game. My personal opinion, being a long-time SWG, CoX, and WoW vet myself, is that CoX is good for a month or three, but then I go back to WoW for a month or three, and back, and forth, a cycle I will probably continue until another visionary game like pre-NGE SWG comes out.
One of the more engaging things to do in CoX is badgewhoring - acquiring all the various badges. Visit badge-whore.com to get a lot of good info about them. Similar to ol' SWG badges, but much more numerous and challenging to collect.
Hope you have fun, cya in the next SW game if/when it ever comes.
SWG Veteran and Refugee, Intrepid server NGE free as of Nov. 22, 2005 Now Playing: World of Warcrack Forum Terrorist
"4. Cookie-cutter character talents/specs/abilities/professions. Get used to it, it's a persistent problem through most MMOs. Some archetypes seem to be stuck in weaker mode, other stuck in stronger mode, thus the same archetypes are replayed again and again and others are rarely seen, esp. at high levels"
While there certainly is a tendency prominent in the 'power hungry' players to do characters that are FOTM, (for those with PL'ing and PvP in mind), I still routinely see builds that vary a lot. If, as this OP is looking for, you play with RP'ers, and not the mainstream XP junky or PvPer, you will find a lot more variety. My two fifties? An Emp/Elec defender, heavy on the emp, and an Ill/Emp controller, also heavy on the emp. The second was designed to be the younger, slightly weaker sibling, and since emp is the secondary, it worked out fine. By the time she'd hit 50, she'd come into her own and fully developed her empathy skills both in game and along her story line.
The really nice thing about CoH is that there are SO many ways you can design a character, with several primary and secondary choices for each AT, and up to four pool powersets. If the OP truly wants to break the 'cookie cutter' mold, they can design a character by disregarding the typical build advice, and pick whatever they want. Several of my 'must have stamina' characters do not. Why? Because I pair them with an emp or kin. That is their 'partner'.. they are designed to be part of a duo in their story. From the basic look, which is VERY highly customizable even down to facial details with the use of the sliders, to the powers, you can make your character be VERY individual. From an artistic point of view, this is what keeps me interested. Do I really care how many XP per hour I earn? No. Do I care about DPS? No. Some of my characters are a grind, some are not. In fact, the one that is probably the least 'grind' (scrapper) is one of my least favorites to play. I spend more time creating my characters to fit within the interwoven story lines than I do worrying about how fast they are going to level. The fun for me is not in the progress through the game mechanics, but just like real life, in enjoying the journey along the way.
"2. Aside from questing/pvp are there other entertaining/challenging things to do? (Anyone who has played WoW know the alternative to gearing-up somehow is to sit around for endless hours in IF/Ogr.) Nope. Unless you're talking about the never-ending costume contests that get old after an hour or so. Pre-NGE SWG neither CoX nor WoW is. They do have fantastic seasonal events, better than WoW although less numerous, IMHO. Most are around Halloween-Thanksgiving-XMas time."
Don't forget Valentine's day. :P The nice thing about some of the events (V-Day, Winter) is that they are co-op, heroes and villains. It is kind of fun to pair the two. A stalker that has a empath for backup? Especially one that can remain invisible as well? Or a Brute with AB and Fortitude? Definitely powerful combinations.
"4. Can a couple of noobs like my boy-friend and I get skilled enough to hang without having to upgrade gear every few weeks? Yes. Instantly. And is there content for just the 2 of us to play together? Yes. I'm used to and kinda sick of 40 man raids. Not aware of any 40-man "raids" in CoX."
I agree. There are many ways to play. You don't *need* to depend on a team. Duos can be wonderful. Both my fifties teamed some but did the bulk of their leveling as part of a dedicated team. The lovely thing is that you can co-design your characters to fit each others' needs. My first 50 was the emp defender who paired with a spines/regen scrapper. He didn't really need me, but we enjoyed each others' company and have remained friends to this day, even though we don't play together much any more. My second fifty was paired with my best friend's Warshade. Both duos hit a simultaneous 50, (not the easiest thing to orchestrate, lol). One on an 8 man team with the SG, in a mission full of Carnies, and the other two with one close personal RL friend in a Shard mission beating up errant Circle of Thorns. It was a lot of fun. But again, there ARE team, and multi-team 'raids' you can opt for if you get the urge. The Rikti attacks are a blast. I had a short time to goof off last night and just attended a few of those. One simple "Team please?" and I got instant invites, (especially after SBing two PB in dwarf form, lol). The mothership raids are interesting. "The" raid used to be the Hamidon (unique-class 'end game' monster) but they kinda pooched that, IMHO. But it is there for those who want it. (That is a 50 player max zone now - I would assume it could be done with 40, if they were the right AT and very well coordinated).
To nblitz:
I think the 40-man raid from the OP was a WoW reference, as at the time that post was made they hadn't joined the CoX community yet. I could be wrong, but that was the impression I got.
I have to SO agree with:
"1. How is the CoH community attitude as a whole? About the same, but less in overall numbers than you'll be used to. People are people, after all, the rest is but an illusion."
Nail. Head. Direct hit. I learned years ago, working in nightclubs, that "every crowd has their <insert non-anatomical term for a posterior orifice here>". It has been the same in any group of which I have been a part, whether it be in real life, or in a MMO. I think the anonymity of the Internet gives those kind of people a greater license to act out, because they know the chances of actually being caught and shamed are nil. No one *really* knows who they are. Even so, every crowd will have their share of jerks. Once you identify them, put them on /gignore and avoid them from there, and you will get along fine. There are far more GOOD people out there, who are willing to lend a hand, teach a newbie, pass out some influence, or just play and have some fun. Seek and you shall find them.
Just one issue with the last reply. There is no healer class in CoH. Yes an EMpathy defender or controller has three heal powers, but that is only 3 out of 18 powers, not counting pool powers. The amount of buffs and blasts far outwiegh the number and usefulness of the three heals. You start getting your travel as soon as pools powers are open and get your actual travel power, flight, teleport, super speed, 0r super jump, at 14.
I dont understand why u dont consider defenders and corruptos healers. I have a corruptor and his main duty in a group is to keep others, specialy tanks, healed. They have nice and fast AoE heals and they are terrible for soloing. So in my opinion they are healers yes and they are buffer/debuffer as well.
if someone advertises themselves as a healer, in cox, they're instantly considered a noob by everyone except, well, other noobs.
there's experienced players that'll look for an emp or a kin; but more often than not, they're just being lazy and want to mission on easy-mode.
a good team will either be killing so fast, or have the enemy debuffed so much, that there's really not much need FOR healing. i have emps, kins, and rads and can solo on all of them. the thing with being a 'healer' is that you're pigeon-holing yourself into such a tiny box, when there's just so much more your toon CAN do.
i played with a level 35 "healer" one day. she insisted that she made that level 'the hard way, no PL'ing, just regular playing'.
she had all the emp powers, all the leadership powers, three travel pools (no hasten however).
when SHE would take damage, she's do heal aura. otherwise she followed everyone around. because, she had leadership toggles on, and that was her contribution to the team.
she fort'd two people, once each. that was it. she didn't want to use up all her endurance.
when someone says "healer" on cox, that is honestly how useful i envision the person being.
dark miasma is my favourite 'healing' powerset. the rez is a nice stun. the pbaoe heal is a great debuffer. and well, the set itself is peaches and cream.
everyone has their own playstyle. but if you declare yourself as a healer in cox, you will be hanging out with the noob crowd and the 'i wish i were playing wow/eq' crowd.
could we please get correspondent writers and moderators, on the eve forum at mmorpg.com, who are well-versed on eve-online and aren't just passersby pushing buttons? pretty please?
if someone advertises themselves as a healer, in cox, they're instantly considered a noob by everyone except, well, other noobs.
there's experienced players that'll look for an emp or a kin; but more often than not, they're just being lazy and want to mission on easy-mode.
a good team will either be killing so fast, or have the enemy debuffed so much, that there's really not much need FOR healing. i have emps, kins, and rads and can solo on all of them. the thing with being a 'healer' is that you're pigeon-holing yourself into such a tiny box, when there's just so much more your toon CAN do.
i played with a level 35 "healer" one day. she insisted that she made that level 'the hard way, no PL'ing, just regular playing'.
she had all the emp powers, all the leadership powers, three travel pools (no hasten however).
when SHE would take damage, she's do heal aura. otherwise she followed everyone around. because, she had leadership toggles on, and that was her contribution to the team. she fort'd two people, once each. that was it. she didn't want to use up all her endurance.
when someone says "healer" on cox, that is honestly how useful i envision the person being.
dark miasma is my favourite 'healing' powerset. the rez is a nice stun. the pbaoe heal is a great debuffer. and well, the set itself is peaches and cream.
everyone has their own playstyle. but if you declare yourself as a healer in cox, you will be hanging out with the noob crowd and the 'i wish i were playing wow/eq' crowd.
I have to disagree with you on the 'healer' being a noob term. Maybe the PL crowd, or the "how many XPs can I get per minute" crowd might not want/need a 'healer' (although both my "healers" got lots of invites to farms for the AB and RA, and CM for certain ATs) the gamer who plays for the sake of the stories and roleplay will often consider their character a "healer".
Both of my empaths are built emp-heavy, though the emp Controller is much more versatile since she is also invisible. This character is the one I used to run Warburg with. She has helped many a person (hero and villain) rescue the scientists to launch the rocket because she can move about unseen by the entire NPC population there. But when she's on a large team, she focuses primarily on buffs and healing.
If you played with an emp who wouldn't use Fort because they were afraid of using up their endurance, maybe you just found a lousy player. For one thing, with Vigilance, if your team is taking damage, you don't need to WORRY about it. For another thing, you have Recovery Aura. If properly slotted, you should be able to survive the 'downtime' with an occasional insp and only if you are being a bit too proactive with the heals. THAT is the biggest issue in empathy power management. If you put your aura on autofire, YES you will have a constant endurance drain because you will undoubtedly be healing when there is little to no damage being dealt. And as for leadership toggles? Huge endurance hog. I leave that to the blasters. My emp slotted her attacks (electric blast which also drains end from the foes) well enough, and survived to 50 without tactics. I know they became a 'must have' in PvP, but since I don't PvP I figured I was working hard enough keeping buffs on those who needed it, and keeping everyone healthy and strong. If someone didn't want me on their team because I didn't have leadership buffs for them... so be it. Chances are they would be the kind I wouldn't want to team with anyway.
My main girls are both 'healers' and I am far from a noob. I have been playing this game for three years now, seriously hardcore at times, on up to four accounts with a myriad of characters and ATs on both sides of the game. I have a dark/psi defender, a dark/dark corruptor, a dark/kin corruptor, a kin/dark defender, an ill/kin controller, an ill/rad controller, a warshade, a peacebringer, and the two emps that have healing powers, as well as scrappers, dominators, stalkers, a blaster, and a tank that do not. Both emps played the game the hard way most of the way (except for some early PLs to get through the much-repeated "Defeat ** Hellions/Trolls/Outcasts), duoing mostly with a dedicated partner. The ill/emp is the character I pick when I just want to solo for a while.
I also teamed with SG members but gradually drifted away from teaming with many of them because they became the kind of players that would blow through missions and be in the next mission before anyone had a chance to read clues or mission text. That kind of play style is not for me. I enjoy the game for the story arcs. The entire story line is very intricate and well woven into the fabric of the game, and as a writer myself, I appreciate that quality. If I wanted to just beat on things at a hurried pace, I'd get a console and play Mortal Kombat. That kind of play just isn't for me.
Both my partners were the kind of people who enjoyed the journey more than the "XPs". It wasn't about getting that "Mission Complete", it was about roleplaying and actually enjoying being IN those missions. For a few hours each night, we became someone else. Someone who didn't have to worry about the mundane tasks of making dinner or cleaning cat boxes or pairing the socks.
If I want to undertake the role of a 'healer' or empath, that is my choice. I have been a personal caregiver to elderly family more than a decade, and am now in nursing school. I am a healer, IRL. It is a natural role for me to assume. It doesn't make me a noob. It makes me someone who cares about others, both in a game setting and outside the game. If you don't want to team with someone who keeps a watchful eye over your needs, then that is fine. It sounds like you'd fit more with the playstyle of my SG members who care only about blowing through missions at a breakneck pace, and that is fine if that is your personal play style, but it isn't for me.
To each their own, but we should respect the fact that there are others who hold different views and play the game in different ways and that doesn't necessarily make them noobs, or EQ/WoW wannabes.
Leave leadership toggles for blasters?????? What a waste. Defenders with leasership give about 4 times the buff then blasters with leadership. Even though both will use the same amount of endurance. In fact the cost to buff ratio of a blaster with leadership is in no way worth it.
It just seems to me that the blasters are the ones that take leadership, or at least the ones I have teamed with. Maybe they take it for PvP reasons. Or Masterminds, villain-side. My MM has it, because I was told I "needed" it, and I think it sucks. I wouldn't bother with my defender. I prefer using insps. They drop anyway, and they don't cost endurance while they are doing nothing, like the toggles do.
My MM is currently my only toon with leadership toggles, and I can't say I have missed them on any other toon. But then, I don't watch the 'numbers'. And there have been times, WITH the toggle on, that my MM has whiffed, and whiffed and whiffed. I guess it is all in the randomness.
I just can't seem to force myself to put them on a defender. But then, I don't PvP either, so that may have a lot to do with it.
Blasters, Scrappers, Tankers, Brutes & Stalkers give 10.5% damage buff, 2.28% defense and 7% to hit buff (unslotted)
Dominators & Masterminds give 11.3% damage buff, 2.63% defense and 7.5% to hit buff (unslotted)
PeaceBringers & Warshades, give 13.5% damage buffs, 2.63 defense and 9% to hit buff (unslotted)
Controllers & Corruptors give 15% damage buff, 2.63% defense and 10% too hit buff (unslotted)
Defenders give 18.8% damage buff, 3.5 defense and 12.5% too hit buff (unslotted)
Is it worth it for a tanker to take leadership or not? The question is up in the air, but 10.5% extra damage for everyone in the group is definitely a nice option and shouldn't be discarded without further considerations. 10.5% extra damage on each attack everyone does...if you have the endurance to back it up, it is always nice. My stoner is already doing little damages while in granite, might as well boost the damage of my group mates...especially that with my stoner, I only have a few defensive power to take, since they don't stack, have plenty of room for leadership (actually the 4 powers limit is the limit, more than a shortage of powers slot to take).
Assault is definitely the nicest power to pick IMO, getting 10.5% extra damage is HARD with IOs (Mako gives 3%, purples 4%...). 15% too hit buff is a LOT easier (purples give that much), and getting defense with IOs is also a LOT easier (3% global defense on that unique...).
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
I hate to be the Naysayer here and I a huge fan of the CoX game's, but i think someone needs to post a few of the downsides to the game here.
1. Almost no end game content
2. Teams (groups) are hard to come by for some AT's
3. Rogue Isle's poorly done compared to Paragon City
4. Very hard for some AT's to solo, combined with reason 2. can break game
5. no "gear" in game (i only add this one because some people like to collect items)
All that being said CoX is in my opinion one of the best mmo's on the market and has been since it's release its varied AT's to its free expansions make it a good change from someone looking to get away from wow or EQ2 but if you are expecting the same endgame/faction grind/class balancing as these games look elsewhere.
I hate to be the Naysayer here and I a huge fan of the CoX game's, but i think someone needs to post a few of the downsides to the game here. 1. Almost no end game content 2. Teams (groups) are hard to come by for some AT's 3. Rogue Isle's poorly done compared to Paragon City 4. Very hard for some AT's to solo, combined with reason 2. can break game 5. no "gear" in game (i only add this one because some people like to collect items)
All that being said CoX is in my opinion one of the best mmo's on the market and has been since it's release its varied AT's to its free expansions make it a good change from someone looking to get away from wow or EQ2 but if you are expecting the same endgame/faction grind/class balancing as these games look elsewhere.
In regards to #5, the inventions are gear. Like WoW, where you get set bonus, the IO's are the same thing. Sure the visual is not there, but then again, the customization of your character makes it so everyone appears different.
#2 and #3: On infinity server, I've not had to hard a time trying to get teams. Although most of the time I either solo or hang with the SG. I usually won't team with someone who either has a lousy name (ie the pussinator or something offensive) or their attitude is that I should be grateful I'm in their presence. The only time I've had serious issues with solo is with a Kheld. I usually run mission on either ruthless or invunerable. At invunerable, a group that has a Quant or a Void stalker can make a Kheld's life miserable. Some Elite Bosses are also a pain at invunerable.
your arguement is so persuasive, so filled with knowledge and insight. You back up your argument very articulately, with suggestions of improvements and raising examples to glorify your position....oh wait, you didn't
I hate to be the Naysayer here and I a huge fan of the CoX game's, but i think someone needs to post a few of the downsides to the game here. 1. Almost no end game content 2. Teams (groups) are hard to come by for some AT's 3. Rogue Isle's poorly done compared to Paragon City 4. Very hard for some AT's to solo, combined with reason 2. can break game 5. no "gear" in game (i only add this one because some people like to collect items)
All that being said CoX is in my opinion one of the best mmo's on the market and has been since it's release its varied AT's to its free expansions make it a good change from someone looking to get away from wow or EQ2 but if you are expecting the same endgame/faction grind/class balancing as these games look elsewhere.
In regards to #5, the inventions are gear. Like WoW, where you get set bonus, the IO's are the same thing. Sure the visual is not there, but then again, the customization of your character makes it so everyone appears different.
#2 and #3: On infinity server, I've not had to hard a time trying to get teams. Although most of the time I either solo or hang with the SG. I usually won't team with someone who either has a lousy name (ie the pussinator or something offensive) or their attitude is that I should be grateful I'm in their presence. The only time I've had serious issues with solo is with a Kheld. I usually run mission on either ruthless or invunerable. At invunerable, a group that has a Quant or a Void stalker can make a Kheld's life miserable. Some Elite Bosses are also a pain at invunerable.
Really, with the costumes in the character creator, you don't *need* the visuals. You can add whatever look you like, regardless of what 'gear' (IOs) you collect that affect your powers. And yes, with the sliders, and so many options, you can truly adjust the look of your character to be totally unique (though a huge percentage of females tend to be a bit.. *cough* top-heavy... hehehe ) I personally like that option better than having to look one certain way because I need *that* particular 'armor' or 'weapon', as some games require. I like the look being completely separate from affecting the character's powers in any way.
I agree with the suggestion of teaming with the SG. And I have never had a problem finding teams, with any AT. A bigger problem is usually blind invites, at the lower levels. I think my 'search comment' on my main is still something to the effect of "A blind invite is like groping someone without introducing yourself first." I found that supergroup teams are usually best, because you know the people, and they tend to watch your back a lot closer. Also, many SG's have some form of voice comms. I know we have a Ventrilo server. That makes mishing easier, and makes for some great camaraderie. Especially when drinking and gaming, lol.
I tend to group with people not for their AT or skills, but because of their personality. If a mission takes a little longer because we aren't all IO'ed out and haven't maxxed the damage caps, it is no big deal. I don't like flying through missions. I like enjoying the content, reading the clues, stopping to check out interesting things we might see along the way, and having a good time. My play style is very laid back. I am sure there are others across all other servers who play like I do. If you find that kind of group, and make friends with them, you will never have trouble finding a team.
Don't forget your global channels! Many times I have responded to someone who just couldn't finish a mission solo, or who got to the point in their arc where they found an EB they couldn't handle alone. They would give a shout in one of the global channels, (usually Liberty's own LBx) and I would drop what I was doing, or wrap up my own mission, to go and help them. The globals are a good way to communicate with a wide group. There are also SG based globals, and the Coalition chat feature. I have also responded to many pleas for assistance from our coalition members.
I totally agree with the 'not teaming with offensive names'. For one thing, someone with that much lack of imagination is probably not going to be much of a RPer, so that's a strike in my book, and with that kind of disregard for others, what kind of a team player can they possibly be? Respect is a huge asset when interacting with others. Names like that show a total lack thereof.
Soloing Khelds proved infinitely frustrating for me. My PB is several years old, and is at lvl 11. The constant runs from the hospital upon finding a Void or Quantum and a boss in the same mob just totally turned me off. Now, since they've changed the game to allow Lts. instead of bosses for Heroic missions, I may try to pick him up again. I did manage to get my WS to 20 (finally) mostly solo. But the last few levels, I have had her paired with my stone tank. I send the tank in first, to taunt, and once she has the groups undivided attention, the Warshade can go all out Nova on them. Since the tank was originally built only to farm MIs for the Illusionist badge (with probably 125 hours of doing so) she's built to taunt. It's kind of a challenge to play both of them at once and go back and forth between making sure all stray aggro is focused on the tank, while switching between forms and powers on the WS. Since the tank's a few levels higher than the WS (about 3 and a half right now with the WS slowly closing the gap) it makes it a bit easier.
Spring break is at an end, and the accounts are idle once again... time for me to head back to the salt mine until summer. So that's as far as the WS is going to get for a long time.
I've enjoyed grouping with SG mates. Last night is was my Peacebringer, a scrapper and another Peacebringer. We had a few wipes from unsuccessful pulls but overall it was a fun time. I know that if I was in a PUG with the same makeup, it wouldn't have been as easy. Why? Because they don't know my playstyle and I don't know theirs.
I've played 8 man groups with all blasters, all tanks or just an odd mix that sounds like it would never make it through a mission, let alone a full task force. Knowing how your team mates play and smart pulling can get you through almost everything. The only task force I've not successfully played with just a random toon is Statesman's Strike Force. Can make it all the way to Recluse but then he wipes me out.
your arguement is so persuasive, so filled with knowledge and insight. You back up your argument very articulately, with suggestions of improvements and raising examples to glorify your position....oh wait, you didn't
I've played 8 man groups with all blasters, all tanks or just an odd mix that sounds like it would never make it through a mission, let alone a full task force. Knowing how your team mates play and smart pulling can get you through almost everything. The only task force I've not successfully played with just a random toon is Statesman's Strike Force. Can make it all the way to Recluse but then he wipes me out. Currently the group of people that I normally play with are doing the Statesman Task Force have beeen doing it with a 5 man team for the challange. they start out with 8 people then 3 log off and with that toon and play with another untill the people on the TF get to Lord Recluse then they join back up to take him out and get the reward.
if someone advertises themselves as a healer, in cox, they're instantly considered a noob by everyone except, well, other noobs.
there's experienced players that'll look for an emp or a kin; but more often than not, they're just being lazy and want to mission on easy-mode.
a good team will either be killing so fast, or have the enemy debuffed so much, that there's really not much need FOR healing. i have emps, kins, and rads and can solo on all of them. the thing with being a 'healer' is that you're pigeon-holing yourself into such a tiny box, when there's just so much more your toon CAN do.
i played with a level 35 "healer" one day. she insisted that she made that level 'the hard way, no PL'ing, just regular playing'.
she had all the emp powers, all the leadership powers, three travel pools (no hasten however).
when SHE would take damage, she's do heal aura. otherwise she followed everyone around. because, she had leadership toggles on, and that was her contribution to the team.
she fort'd two people, once each. that was it. she didn't want to use up all her endurance.
when someone says "healer" on cox, that is honestly how useful i envision the person being.
dark miasma is my favourite 'healing' powerset. the rez is a nice stun. the pbaoe heal is a great debuffer. and well, the set itself is peaches and cream.
everyone has their own playstyle. but if you declare yourself as a healer in cox, you will be hanging out with the noob crowd and the 'i wish i were playing wow/eq' crowd.
I have to disagree with you on the 'healer' being a noob term.
at this point, i imagine i could actually say stuff you've said in another thread and you'd have an opposite thing to say.
Maybe the PL crowd, or the "how many XPs can I get per minute" crowd might not want/need a 'healer' (although both my "healers" got lots of invites to farms for the AB and RA, and CM for certain ATs) the gamer who plays for the sake of the stories and roleplay will often consider their character a "healer".
i notice you actually agree with what i've said, in the same sentence that you say you disagree. did you notice how, in my description of a healer, i stated that, basically, all the person did was heal, when SHE took damage; and that was all she did? you see i stated she fort'd twice, and that was it, correct? other powers you mention, that are NOT heal aura, she had, but would just not use.
Both of my empaths are built emp-heavy, though the emp Controller is much more versatile since she is also invisible. This character is the one I used to run Warburg with. She has helped many a person (hero and villain) rescue the scientists to launch the rocket because she can move about unseen by the entire NPC population there. But when she's on a large team, she focuses primarily on buffs and healing.
nice tangent; but i see you're using the word empath a lot here (not healer), and you state "buffs".
If you played with an emp who wouldn't use Fort because they were afraid of using up their endurance, maybe you just found a lousy player.
i did a bit more than imply they were lousy, hence, the term 'noob'. she was afraid to do anything that would make the blue bar go down.
For one thing, with Vigilance, if your team is taking damage, you don't need to WORRY about it. For another thing, you have Recovery Aura. If properly slotted, you should be able to survive the 'downtime' with an occasional insp and only if you are being a bit too proactive with the heals. THAT is the biggest issue in empathy power management. If you put your aura on autofire, YES you will have a constant endurance drain because you will undoubtedly be healing when there is little to no damage being dealt. And as for leadership toggles? Huge endurance hog. I leave that to the blasters. My emp slotted her attacks (electric blast which also drains end from the foes) well enough, and survived to 50 without tactics. I know they became a 'must have' in PvP, but since I don't PvP I figured I was working hard enough keeping buffs on those who needed it, and keeping everyone healthy and strong. If someone didn't want me on their team because I didn't have leadership buffs for them... so be it. Chances are they would be the kind I wouldn't want to team with anyway.
thanks for the lesson, i see it has nothing to do with my quoted post, although it does seem to be directed at me. when SHE (the self proclaimed healer) would take damage, she would hit heal aura. she normally stayed at the back of the group, so she didn't take that much damage. i'm going to speculate that she had only end redux in her leadership toggles, because her blue never went down much. all she DID was wander around with leadership toggles on and SHE said that was her contribution to the team. personally, i'd rather have had fort on occasion; with her hiding in the back and my being in melee range, i rarely saw her little leadership icons appear on my toon. if a "healer" actually uses some attacks, uses buffs, and doesn't sit around being a heal-aura-spam-bot; then, that person isn't really a noob "healer"; they're playing a toon. "playing" a toon in the fashion i stated (and you have misinterpreted) is nothing but noobsauce.
My main girls are both 'healers' and I am far from a noob.
congrats. but please, do not confuse the term 'healer' with 'empath', 'kinetic' or even 'dark miasma'. there is a huge difference in the terms.
I have been playing this game for three years now, seriously hardcore at times, on up to four accounts with a myriad of characters and ATs on both sides of the game.
again, congratulations.
I have a dark/psi defender, a dark/dark corruptor, a dark/kin corruptor, a kin/dark defender, an ill/kin controller, an ill/rad controller, a warshade, a peacebringer, and the two emps that have healing powers , as well as scrappers, dominators, stalkers, a blaster, and a tank that do not. Both emps played the game the hard way most of the way (except for some early PLs to get through the much-repeated "Defeat ** Hellions/Trolls/Outcasts), duoing mostly with a dedicated partner. The ill/emp is the character I pick when I just want to solo for a while.
do you play on champion? at this point, you're starting to make me think you're the person i had teamed with, which i described above.
I also teamed with SG members but gradually drifted away from teaming with many of them because they became the kind of players that would blow through missions and be in the next mission before anyone had a chance to read clues or mission text. That kind of play style is not for me. I enjoy the game for the story arcs. The entire story line is very intricate and well woven into the fabric of the game, and as a writer myself, I appreciate that quality. If I wanted to just beat on things at a hurried pace, I'd get a console and play Mortal Kombat. That kind of play just isn't for me.
COx advertises itself as a game with the most fast-paced, best fighting, there is. COx's devs talk about the combat being the major draw for the game. after doing 100 warehouse missions, it's a bit pointless to read what the next radio/paper mission says. you're either clicking a glowing, leading someone to an entrance, or defeating everyone in the room that has the big bad. if it's an actual story arc; then, it's not really that exciting to read through the entire story arc for the 20th time. (see, i also can read/reply to part of something quoted in context and out of context, it's quite annoying, don't you think?)
Both my partners were the kind of people who enjoyed the journey more than the "XPs".
i got lost a little here, you were talking about SGmates, and now partners. i'm taking it to mean you played games with your life partner, or two different life partners rather?
It wasn't about getting that "Mission Complete", it was about roleplaying and actually enjoying being IN those missions. For a few hours each night, we became someone else. Someone who didn't have to worry about the mundane tasks of making dinner or cleaning cat boxes or pairing the socks.
as long as RP'ing doesn't involve, "hi, i'm a magician, i can make things invisible, and for bad guys to miss you a lot, and for you to take a lot less damage when you're hit." RP'ing is as simple as saying "holy cat boxes, Pharaoh Damian-Re, I've spotted Dr. Vahz". as long as you're not talking about the "real world" and just ingame stuff, you're RP'ing.
If I want to undertake the role of a 'healer' or empath, that is my choice.
in the way i describe it, healer and empath are mutually exclusive terms. healer does nothing more than heal. empath uses all the empath powers.
I have been a personal caregiver to elderly family more than a decade, and am now in nursing school. I am a healer, IRL. It is a natural role for me to assume. It doesn't make me a noob.
no, but defending the term 'healer' and confusing 'healer' with 'empath' does.
It makes me someone who cares about others, both in a game setting and outside the game. If you don't want to team with someone who keeps a watchful eye over your needs, then that is fine.
in the example i gave, which you actually quote, please explain to me exactly how this 'healer' looked over anyone's needs than her own? if you wish to disagree with me, that is fine, but actually disagree with what i've stated (or even implied). don't just say "i disagree with you" and then your disagreement is along the lines of "i see you've stated orange is a color, well i disagree with you, i think that the ocean is made of jello".
It sounds like you'd fit more with the playstyle of my SG members who care only about blowing through missions at a breakneck pace, and that is fine if that is your personal play style, but it isn't for me.
i'm pretty sure most non-noobs to any game would rather play with someone who actually plays, than the person i described.
To each their own, but we should respect the fact that there are others who hold different views and play the game in different ways and that doesn't necessarily make them noobs, or EQ/WoW wannabes.
at this point, i once again wish that you had actually read my post that you quoted and replied logically to that post. a person who plays horribly, or plays very noobesque -- that does not qualify as a playstyle. to have every empath power, and yet the way your "playstyle" is consists of the following:
1 turn on all leadership toggles, hang out in the back of the group, behind even ranged squishy types. i.e. only the ranged squishy types are barely close enough to you to get your leadership toggle benefits
2 only cast heal aura for your heal, and only when you take damage
3 absolutely refuse to use any of your other empath powers, except for fort, which you use, literally, twice during the course of a task force.
anyone who states that as a playstyle, is indeed a noob, or just a horrible player, which many would consider noob-for-life.
as far as the op goes, however, if they've leveled multiple toons to level 70; it's pretty safe to assume that they're not uber casual players. if they've raided, it's safe to assume they're not the casual type and they indeed put many hours into a game.
if in doubt, the op could always be messaged and asked, instead of assumptions made that they only play a couple of hours a week.
i say this, because many of the posts in this thread, made by the person i've quoted, go on the assumption that the op only plays a few hours a week. a lot of us know what happens when you assume.
could we please get correspondent writers and moderators, on the eve forum at mmorpg.com, who are well-versed on eve-online and aren't just passersby pushing buttons? pretty please?
at this point, i imagine i could actually say stuff you've said in another thread and you'd have an opposite thing to say.
At this point, I'd guess that you have some basic insecurities to bolster by being rude and insulting to others. You can quote that in any thread you like.
i notice you actually agree with what i've said, in the same sentence that you say you disagree. did you notice how, in my description of a healer, i stated that, basically, all the person did was heal, when SHE took damage; and that was all she did? you see i stated she fort'd twice, and that was it, correct? other powers you mention, that are NOT heal aura, she had, but would just not use.
I think the comprehension issue here is that you are assuming that I am solely addressing your description of one single player and taking issue only with that. You made a broad, pat statement that if someone referred to their character as a 'healer' they were "instantly considered a noob by everyone."
nice tangent; but i see you're using the word empath a lot here (not healer), and you state "buffs".
Empath, healer - I refer to the girls as both. And you obviously completely miss the point. Yes, I state buffs. Again, this goes to your comment that anyone who advertises their character as a "healer" is "considered a noob by everyone." It had zero to do with your experience with ONE person who played a 'healer' but obviously didn't want to contribute much.
i did a bit more than imply they were lousy, hence, the term 'noob'. she was afraid to do anything that would make the blue bar go down.
The term "noob" was directed to, and again I quote: when "...someone advertises themselves as a healer, in cox..." Not solely to one player who didn't want to do their fair share on a team. Not one empathy defender who only used Fortitude twice. The original "noob" was a broad statement. Because you bring up an apparent example of one single bad player does not negate the fact that you started your post by calling everyone that calls their character a healer a "noob", regardless of their experience or play style.
..."playing" a toon in the fashion i stated (and you have misinterpreted) is nothing but noobsauce.
And your point is? Noob, lazy, incompetent, lousy - these can all mean the same thing. Someone that refuses to use available powers or push their character to any limits to help their teammates can be called any or all of these terms. However, once again, the ORIGINAL statement was a blanket condemnation of "someone" (anyone) who called their character a healer as being considered a "noob by everyone".
congrats. but please, do not confuse the term 'healer' with 'empath', 'kinetic' or even 'dark miasma'. there is a huge difference in the terms.
I think perhaps it is you who is confused. You are talking about two different things, here. There is no "Healer" class AT, nor "Healer" powerset in CoH. "Empathy", "Kinetics", and "Dark Miasma" are powersets. While a person might use them as descriptives for a character, the term "healer" is solely a descriptive term and NOT a powerset, nor an AT. The terms are not even related. Like a particular car can be a Mustang, a Ford, and a convertible, it can also be described as a "sports car." But if the owner drives it back and forth to work, they might call it their "work car". Does that mean it isn't a work car because it is a convertible or a Mustang? No. It just means that the owner applies his own description according to how he is using it. It is the same with a character. If I refer to my girls as "healers" it does not mean they have EVER withheld buffs to save endurance, or been a heal-spam-bot, or hung back out of melee. However you condemn all "healers" as "noobs". My point is that YOUR assumption (a very broad one) is insulting, rude, and totally wrong.
do you play on champion? at this point, you're starting to make me think you're the person i had teamed with, which i described above.
Not even close. If you actually read my posts instead of trying to nitpick and argue, you'd know I only play on Liberty. I have for years, and that isn't about to change. Again, for the comprehension impaired: I have never, ever withheld buffs. If they are up and available, they are being cast, continually. I don't spam heals. I heal the players who need it. I stay with the team, usually in melee with the tank, who always seemed to be the one who needed the RA as fast as I could give it. When I duo with partners, they were always buffed. Fortitude never dropped. If I did duo with a blaster or other squishy, they had Clear Mind on them. There is absolutely no comparison between my play style, and the person you supposedly teamed with. Of course I recognize this comment as not based on fact or anything I have said, but rather a juvenile attempt to be rude, argumentative and insulting.
COx advertises itself as a game with the most fast-paced, best fighting, there is. COx's devs talk about the combat being the major draw for the game. after doing 100 warehouse missions, it's a bit pointless to read what the next radio/paper mission says. you're either clicking a glowing, leading someone to an entrance, or defeating everyone in the room that has the big bad. if it's an actual story arc; then, it's not really that exciting to read through the entire story arc for the 20th time. (see, i also can read/reply to part of something quoted in context and out of context, it's quite annoying, don't you think?)
How the game "advertises" themselves is not at issue here. There are MANY venues for play offered here. There is PvP, there are social gather spots like Pocket D, where you don't even 'play' (fight) anything, unless you leave that zone and go to either an arena setting or an instanced mission, there are populated NPC mobs for those who like to mindlessly hunt, there are simple missions, and there are involved and convoluted story arcs. Yes, many missions are of the same 'type' of objective. However, the story arcs themselves are quite involved and well written. This is ALSO an advertised feature and promoted on the CoH website, if you look under the Paragon City Backstory link. The costume creator is one of their most promoted features, if you look back to some of their promotional videos. With the advent of CoV, they touted the base creator. The invention system is also "advertised". And if you've played enough to do all the story arcs twenty times, then perhaps you should find another game. I think there is a huge amount of content in this game. I have put in many thousands of hours, and still find things I haven't seen. And they just keep adding more. But then, I don't consider slamming a mission in ten minutes without reading any of the clues "doing" a story arc. Here's a clue: it isn't ALL about "fast-paced, best fighting" for everyone. People play this game for many different reasons, and in many different styles. You are proving to me that you can only see your own narrow-minded view and simply wish to be insulting and derogatory to anyone who feels or plays otherwise.
i got lost a little here, you were talking about SGmates, and now partners. i'm taking it to mean you played games with your life partner, or two different life partners rather?
No. One was a SG mate that I became friends with. Because we were always on at the same time, due to our work schedules, and because we both enjoyed each others' senses of humor, we found ourselves teaming much of the time. From level 20, when we met, to a simultaneous level 50, we were a dedicated duo - my main and his main. The other was a friend who was not in the SG, but with whom I struck up a roleplay friendship with in game, and we began to interact on a regular basis. We realized we were both working on characters that were about the same level, and in story-line, had my main introduce her 'friend' to her younger sister. They soon became dedicated 'partners' or a 'duo' if you prefer that term. I preferred playing with one or two people because if I stopped to read the clues I wasn't left standing behind in a finished mission while the rest of the team started the next one so they could get more XP per minute. The in-game partners have nothing to do with life-partners, though in roleplay some of the characters are 'involved' with each other. And no, not in the 'mature RP' sense, but in their story lines with most of the involvement being inferred. And with both friends, we have played different duos. Once we went to 50 together, we tried other characters. In fact, the second partner and I have a male/male (DEFINITELY not 'involved') duo that are a complete role reversal. I play the arrogant headstrong blaster and he plays a caring empath. Roleplaying a male character is a real challenge for me.
as long as RP'ing doesn't involve, "hi, i'm a magician, i can make things invisible, and for bad guys to miss you a lot, and for you to take a lot less damage when you're hit." RP'ing is as simple as saying "holy cat boxes, Pharaoh Damian-Re, I've spotted Dr. Vahz". as long as you're not talking about the "real world" and just ingame stuff, you're RP'ing.
I am getting the distinct impression that we are talking two entirely different levels of "RP'ing" here. I am not talking about simply in-mission, attack/foe related conversations or binds. I am talking serious RP, where you create a character with a unique story and personality, and while in that character, you are basically an actor. Like, when I play Dawl, she's a bit wild and bawdy, and likes to run around in as little clothing as possible. Az, on the other hand, is very prim and uptight, and spent much of her 50 levels encased in full armor. My villain males are a suave, manipulative doctor (inspired by Dr. X, of Queensryche's "Operation: Mindcrime") and his mentally enslaved assassin (who later turns 'good' and has a heroic 'alter ego' ). When in roleplay, the doctor would never say "Holy... " anything nor make cheesy jokes. In fact, he doesn't joke at all. Where as Dawl might make crude insulting remarks to her foes or advances on her teammates (especially when she's been doing Jell-O shots), Az rarely jokes about anything, maintaining a very serious veneer that makes a dark and brooding interior. When roleplaying, the characters, even ones with similar powersets, play entirely different.
in the way i describe it, healer and empath are mutually exclusive terms. healer does nothing more than heal. empath uses all the empath powers.
That is YOUR opinion, and YOUR definition. Not everyone agrees with you. Again, you choose to be insulting and combative simply because other people do not accept your personal definition as the ultimate fact. My girls are both healers. They have an "Empathy" powerset, and both refer to themselves as empathic, and their nurturing magic comes from an inherent urge to care for those around them. This doesn't mean they don't 'heal' or can't 'heal'. They are healers, in many senses of the word. This is how I choose to describe them. It doesn't have anything to do with what powers they choose to use or not use. My healers are fully equipped to heal mind and body. (Clear Mind, and Fortitude to strengthen the will and spirit, Regeneration Aura to strengthen someone's own healing potential, and the ability to mend the broken bodies, both before and after they've been defeated). This makes them healers.
no, but defending the term 'healer' and confusing 'healer' with 'empath' does.
Here we go with the grade-school insults. You insist on calling names because I don't buy into your narrow little definition of what a 'healer' entails.
in the example i gave, which you actually quote, please explain to me exactly how this 'healer' looked over anyone's needs than her own? if you wish to disagree with me, that is fine, but actually disagree with what i've stated (or even implied). don't just say "i disagree with you" and then your disagreement is along the lines of "i see you've stated orange is a color, well i disagree with you, i think that the ocean is made of jello".
In trying to parse this gibberish, I get the impression that all you can seem to focus on is your anecdotal tale of one crappy player who pretended to be a healer, but didn't bother healing or buffing anyone but themselves. My point has nothing to do with this particular incident. One more time, this time slowly: Your original indictment against 'healers' was stating that "anyone" who called their character a healer was a "noob"- not that only THIS particular player, or type of player is a noob. I am not talking about whatever player you might have teamed with. I am addressing your original statement not your story about a crappy empath. Forget the anecdotal tale. It isn't even really relevant. We have ALL teamed with lousy players. Blasters that hang back at the back of the team so they don't even take aggro, timid tankers, people who stand around in mission after mission not doing anything but putting someone on follow and walking around with a chat bubble over their head... they are specific examples of player ineptitude but are irrelevant to any generalization about their particular AT. A person can call their character whatever they want, or advertise their skills using any term, but that really has nothing to do with how they will actually perform.
at this point, i once again wish that you had actually read my post that you quoted and replied logically to that post... <snippage>
If you haven't gotten my point by now, I suppose there is nothing I can say that will change that. Bottom line is, you are harping on ONE story about ONE particular player, when in fact, your original post FIRST insulted *all* who 'advertise' themselves as 'healers' rather than just simply saying: "wow, i played with this one chick and she wouldn't heal me or fort me and she was a complete noob." You made the blanket insult THEN proceeded to follow it with a story of a particlar incident.
as far as the op goes, however, if they've leveled multiple toons to level 70; it's pretty safe to assume that they're not uber casual players. if they've raided, it's safe to assume they're not the casual type and they indeed put many hours into a game.
My post wasn't directed solely to the OP. I would assume they have some gaming experience in other MMOs. I also assume that they didn't have a prior experience or knowledge of CoH, or they wouldn't have bothered asking the questions they did. That has nothing to do with the reply to your post.
My point, which you missed completely in your haste to spew more insults, is that just because you related one crappy experience with one particular person who had the empathy powerset and called their character a healer, doesn't mean that anyone who has an empathy defender and considers themselves a healer will play in such a manner, and warrant your name calling and disrespect.
How a player describes their character has nothing to do with noobness, or experience. There are good players who don't call themselves healers, and there are people who call themselves healers that are some of the best I have ever teamed with. Then there are people who are on the other end of the spectrum.
Bottom line: I am done arguing with you. All you wish to do is call names and hurl insults at anyone who doesn't agree with your personal opinions and your broad assumptions. If you can't show respect to the opinions of others, then I am not going to continue to bother to continue to try to hold a rational discussion with you.
Regarding the term "healer" in CoX -- I have always regarded anyone using this term as someone who does not understand the game, and someone I would not want to group with.
Even if I'm playing an Empathy Defender at the moment, I will not even consider an invitation that is prefaced with "Are you a healer?" or "Are you Empathy?" For anyone who has ever played a Force Field Defender, there is no more insulting question in the game.
In the days before Trick Arrow, ANY Defender was capable of keeping a team alive, provided that team would put forth the minimal mental effort required to work WITH that Defender rather than stupidly charging around expecting "traditional" healing. So people asking specifically for a healer (or worse, an empath) was a red flag indicating that this was a cluleless team, destiined for wipe after wipe.
Unfortunately, Trick Arrow Defenders (aka watered-down controllers) have changed things a bit, and asking for healing is no longer an unreasonable question. Trick Arrows cannot fill the Defender role appropriately, and I have to be more forgiving with people who have had bad experiences with them.
However, when I'm looking for a Defender, I usually say "non-TA Defender" and avoid inviting Defenders with archery-themed names -- but only on those occasions where I'm in need of Defending. Sometimes it doesn't matter, and you can invite anyone who's interested.
Regarding the term "healer" in CoX -- I have always regarded anyone using this term as someone who does not understand the game, and someone I would not want to group with. Even if I'm playing an Empathy Defender at the moment, I will not even consider an invitation that is prefaced with "Are you a healer?" or "Are you Empathy?" For anyone who has ever played a Force Field Defender, there is no more insulting question in the game. In the days before Trick Arrow, ANY Defender was capable of keeping a team alive, provided that team would put forth the minimal mental effort required to work WITH that Defender rather than stupidly charging around expecting "traditional" healing. So people asking specifically for a healer (or worse, an empath) was a red flag indicating that this was a cluleless team, destiined for wipe after wipe. Unfortunately, Trick Arrow Defenders (aka watered-down controllers) have changed things a bit, and asking for healing is no longer an unreasonable question. Trick Arrows cannot fill the Defender role appropriately, and I have to be more forgiving with people who have had bad experiences with them. However, when I'm looking for a Defender, I usually say "non-TA Defender" and avoid inviting Defenders with archery-themed names -- but only on those occasions where I'm in need of Defending. Sometimes it doesn't matter, and you can invite anyone who's interested.
well said.
and amen.
edited: that is one thing that the devs in COx did right -- they broke the holy trinity in MMOs (tank/dps/healer).
you CAN form a team composed completely of pretty much any single AT -- and do very well.
to the person from earlier - you really don't understand, and i feel sorry for you.
could we please get correspondent writers and moderators, on the eve forum at mmorpg.com, who are well-versed on eve-online and aren't just passersby pushing buttons? pretty please?
Is this a representative from somewhere fishing for player feedback on CoX? 40 man raids...yes, right.
I'm sorry I don't think I understand what you're asking =/ I have pretty much all of my questions answered but I'll elaborate on the point that I was trying to make. I raided full time pre BC but have seen little endgame content since its release. I found 40 mans hectic and I'm sure 25 mans are not much different. I guess I could be nitpicking but there are only a few 5 mans at 70 and a heroic difficulty option to "change it up". The only other smaller instance that is doable without being 25 man geared is Kharazan which has a 1 week reset timer. It limits the options of people like me who don't have the time and patience to gear grind but still wants to see new content.
Thanks again to all who have replied. I love the game. Made a couple of toons on heroes and villains side. Then spent hours remaking them to look the way I want them to and have the play style to suit me. You're right. Missions are a blast, people are friendly and the villain side is a little less pleasing to the eyes than Paragon City.
Thanks for info on badges, salvages, inventions, etc. too btw. I have found everyone's comments to be incredibly useful. We have officially put our WoW accounts on hold. But because of a series of RL events, I must forgo gaming in general for the time being.
Comments
at level 1, i start selling my enhancements to the vendor. i don't bother putting any TOs into my powers.
around the time i've gotten a couple of thousand saved up - i put low bids on common lvl 10 IOs.
by level 7, i'm fully filled up with level 10 IOs. i probably have a few set IOs also by level 7.
i sell salvage that goes for good prices (50,000 for a luck charm anyone?); that gimps me if i wanted to make low level accuracy IOs. instead, i put a bid or two for a lvl 10 accuracy IO and see if i luck out; if not, i've already identified a few set IOs that i can make/buy pretty cheaply.
my 50,000 luck charm can buy many many lvl 10 IOs, even a bunch of lvl 15 IOs.
people spend lots of time working on their builds. set IOs add a whole new level to that. unique IOs, set bonuses, heck, you can have stealth, stamina, and (personal affecting) leadership skills with clever use of set IOs and never have to purchase the powers.
i spend more time waiting on people to sell items and then go purchase SOs after every mission; than i spend selling and picking up my next batch of filled orders off the ah/bm.
pick one toon and make it your crafter (would probably go well with your badge toon); after a bit, you've got a mid-to-high-level toon that has memorized common IOs and hooks up all your new alt toons.
everyone should take a little time, spend it wisely, and learn how to work the ah/bm to their advantage. i normally go to whatever base my toon is in, hit the atlas park teleporter, and then have a short run to/from vendor/ah/base.
but, there will always be naysayers. people who know it's a waste of time; but instead of selling that luck charm for 50,000, they're saving up 50,000 to buy a luck charm.
every person who has an eye for a bargain, should definitely give the auction house and black market a shot. bargains are there to be had. fortunes are there to be made.
with just a little research while i'm planning a build, i can plot out cheap/easy to obtain set IOs and get buffed up at an early level and never have to look back.
i'll stick with the easy to purchase set IOs and the easy to build set IOs, avoid the expensive ones, and have my toon with SO+ level IOs at a low level and never need to swap them out, unless i want to be even more powerful than an SO'd toon.
all the money i'm saving, all the money i'm making, by level 35, those expensive set IOs are pretty affordable.
could we please get correspondent writers and moderators, on the eve forum at mmorpg.com, who are well-versed on eve-online and aren't just passersby pushing buttons? pretty please?
You obviously have a lot more time to dedicate to the game than I do. I am lucky to get an hour in here and there these days, and my account often remains unsubbed for months during the semester.
I have *never* seen selling at WWs to be faster than selling drops, in COH or COV. Of course, I do all my selling in COH in Talos, where the stores are close. I don't play CoV enough to really worry about selling too much. I have a handful of villains, mostly concept characters, and none I really care to play too much.
There are a few things I learned sell well at WW's, and I will occasionally drop by there and put those up for sale. The only reason I know they are worht my trouble was from days past when I sold stuff for the toons I wanted the 'selling' badges on, back in the day when I had time for badging. I don't bother with non-accolade badges any more either.
It takes time to figure out what you need to sell and what you need to hold. What sets you want, and what IOs you can afford.
It is a good thing there are those who are willing to pay for such things. As for me? I will stick to running my missions, dropping most of my drops in the base bins, selling them with my runners and transfering the inf back as needed to the lowbies. Some of them have IOs, mostly from my friend. Most do not. Heck, I haven't respec'd any of my toons since before IOs. They play just fine. I guess if you don't bother, you don't notice a difference.
I think a big difference in the theories of 'worth it/ not worth it' must be the PVP factor. My girls don't play any different than they did before IOs came out. That is fine with me. To me, PVP in a RPG with such rich content and story lines is a complete waste of time. If I want to play "Rock'em Sock'em Robots" I can go get a console game and play Mortal Kombat. I play the game to enjoy the mission stories and the role-play aspect. I think this perhaps makes a difference in the fact that I'd rather be enjoying the actual game content than doing 'make work' tasks like crafting.
To each their own, really. I think everyone has their own play styles, and that is one of the great things about CoH. You can pretty much play any way you like - team, or solo, power builds with fancy IOs or just plain old characters built more for concept than for how 'strong' they can be. There are MANY options in the game and ways to play that involve someone who just wants to jump on for an hour and run a mission or two, up to and including those who want to spend all day grinding, and buying that 'perfect' set of IOs. It doesn't matter what style you choose, you can still 'have it your way' and it won't matter to anyone but yourself.
Also - FWIW -To let the OP know - The Hellions starting fires are not in Kings Row. They are in Steel Canyon. The buildings are at several locations around the map. The first is to the right as you come out of of the Yellow Line station, along the War Wall perpendicular to the Atlas Gate. It is a pink-ish color 'brownstone' type building. All of the buildings that spawn fires will look like this. The next one is to the north of the station about two blocks to the north, then another approximately four blocks north of that, almost directly across from the Siren's Call gate, but about a block or so to the west. There is yet another one that you can find by following the War Wall north from the Siren's gate, a block or two, and one that is behind the Green Line station. The color makes the buildings stand out pretty well. Remember to fight the Hellions, as they will restart the fires quickly if you try extinguishing fires only. Simply approach the fire chief, and click him, he will give you a "temporary power" consisting of a special extinguisher with a limited amount of uses. This, and ice powers, I believe, are the only things that work against fire. Regular attacks do nothing even though a fire cons as an "enemy". When all the Hellions are gone, and the fires are all out, the fire chief will be dancing. This means that this spawn is finished. Good luck! That was the biggest pain the butt badge for me to get on my badge toon back in the day. Ugh.
CoX is the only MMORPG I've played. Have a gazillion alts, but spend most of my time on Virtue. I'm very much a casual player, and I'm too lazy to actually RP, so I usually try to write my bios to fit my regular personality.
I'm not a crafter - main reason I don't play games like WoW. I do use IOs, but I'm not in any hurry. It's actually one of the few things left to do with my 50 - max out the IOs. I wind up selling most of my drops and saving up the influence. At the lowest levels, I do use training enhancements, but I don't bother buying them. If I can use them, I do so. If not, I sell them.
You can also earn the firefighter badges by defeating the Hellion arsonists.
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The less you expect, the more you'll be surprised. Hopefully, pleasantly so.
My advice: Stay away from the Villain side. The city and the archetypes there are poorly designed and just not as fun as the Hero side, which is why you will also find lower populations there.
For all of those who want to try CoX, their is a 14 day free trial on the main page.
Get a life you freaking Gamer.....no no, you don't understand, I'm a Gamer, I have many lives!!
I dont understand why u dont consider defenders and corruptos healers. I have a corruptor and his main duty in a group is to keep others, specialy tanks, healed. They have nice and fast AoE heals and they are terrible for soloing. So in my opinion they are healers yes and they are buffer/debuffer as well.
One of the more engaging things to do in CoX is badgewhoring - acquiring all the various badges. Visit badge-whore.com to get a lot of good info about them. Similar to ol' SWG badges, but much more numerous and challenging to collect.
Hope you have fun, cya in the next SW game if/when it ever comes.
SWG Veteran and Refugee, Intrepid server
NGE free as of Nov. 22, 2005
Now Playing: World of Warcrack
Forum Terrorist
"4. Cookie-cutter character talents/specs/abilities/professions. Get used to it, it's a persistent problem through most MMOs. Some archetypes seem to be stuck in weaker mode, other stuck in stronger mode, thus the same archetypes are replayed again and again and others are rarely seen, esp. at high levels"
While there certainly is a tendency prominent in the 'power hungry' players to do characters that are FOTM, (for those with PL'ing and PvP in mind), I still routinely see builds that vary a lot. If, as this OP is looking for, you play with RP'ers, and not the mainstream XP junky or PvPer, you will find a lot more variety. My two fifties? An Emp/Elec defender, heavy on the emp, and an Ill/Emp controller, also heavy on the emp. The second was designed to be the younger, slightly weaker sibling, and since emp is the secondary, it worked out fine. By the time she'd hit 50, she'd come into her own and fully developed her empathy skills both in game and along her story line.
The really nice thing about CoH is that there are SO many ways you can design a character, with several primary and secondary choices for each AT, and up to four pool powersets. If the OP truly wants to break the 'cookie cutter' mold, they can design a character by disregarding the typical build advice, and pick whatever they want. Several of my 'must have stamina' characters do not. Why? Because I pair them with an emp or kin. That is their 'partner'.. they are designed to be part of a duo in their story. From the basic look, which is VERY highly customizable even down to facial details with the use of the sliders, to the powers, you can make your character be VERY individual. From an artistic point of view, this is what keeps me interested. Do I really care how many XP per hour I earn? No. Do I care about DPS? No. Some of my characters are a grind, some are not. In fact, the one that is probably the least 'grind' (scrapper) is one of my least favorites to play. I spend more time creating my characters to fit within the interwoven story lines than I do worrying about how fast they are going to level. The fun for me is not in the progress through the game mechanics, but just like real life, in enjoying the journey along the way.
"2. Aside from questing/pvp are there other entertaining/challenging things to do? (Anyone who has played WoW know the alternative to gearing-up somehow is to sit around for endless hours in IF/Ogr.) Nope. Unless you're talking about the never-ending costume contests that get old after an hour or so. Pre-NGE SWG neither CoX nor WoW is. They do have fantastic seasonal events, better than WoW although less numerous, IMHO. Most are around Halloween-Thanksgiving-XMas time."
Don't forget Valentine's day. :P The nice thing about some of the events (V-Day, Winter) is that they are co-op, heroes and villains. It is kind of fun to pair the two. A stalker that has a empath for backup? Especially one that can remain invisible as well? Or a Brute with AB and Fortitude? Definitely powerful combinations.
"4. Can a couple of noobs like my boy-friend and I get skilled enough to hang without having to upgrade gear every few weeks? Yes. Instantly. And is there content for just the 2 of us to play together? Yes. I'm used to and kinda sick of 40 man raids. Not aware of any 40-man "raids" in CoX."
I agree. There are many ways to play. You don't *need* to depend on a team. Duos can be wonderful. Both my fifties teamed some but did the bulk of their leveling as part of a dedicated team. The lovely thing is that you can co-design your characters to fit each others' needs. My first 50 was the emp defender who paired with a spines/regen scrapper. He didn't really need me, but we enjoyed each others' company and have remained friends to this day, even though we don't play together much any more. My second fifty was paired with my best friend's Warshade. Both duos hit a simultaneous 50, (not the easiest thing to orchestrate, lol). One on an 8 man team with the SG, in a mission full of Carnies, and the other two with one close personal RL friend in a Shard mission beating up errant Circle of Thorns. It was a lot of fun. But again, there ARE team, and multi-team 'raids' you can opt for if you get the urge. The Rikti attacks are a blast. I had a short time to goof off last night and just attended a few of those. One simple "Team please?" and I got instant invites, (especially after SBing two PB in dwarf form, lol). The mothership raids are interesting. "The" raid used to be the Hamidon (unique-class 'end game' monster) but they kinda pooched that, IMHO. But it is there for those who want it. (That is a 50 player max zone now - I would assume it could be done with 40, if they were the right AT and very well coordinated).
To nblitz:
I think the 40-man raid from the OP was a WoW reference, as at the time that post was made they hadn't joined the CoX community yet. I could be wrong, but that was the impression I got.
I have to SO agree with:
"1. How is the CoH community attitude as a whole? About the same, but less in overall numbers than you'll be used to. People are people, after all, the rest is but an illusion."
Nail. Head. Direct hit. I learned years ago, working in nightclubs, that "every crowd has their <insert non-anatomical term for a posterior orifice here>". It has been the same in any group of which I have been a part, whether it be in real life, or in a MMO. I think the anonymity of the Internet gives those kind of people a greater license to act out, because they know the chances of actually being caught and shamed are nil. No one *really* knows who they are. Even so, every crowd will have their share of jerks. Once you identify them, put them on /gignore and avoid them from there, and you will get along fine. There are far more GOOD people out there, who are willing to lend a hand, teach a newbie, pass out some influence, or just play and have some fun. Seek and you shall find them.
I dont understand why u dont consider defenders and corruptos healers. I have a corruptor and his main duty in a group is to keep others, specialy tanks, healed. They have nice and fast AoE heals and they are terrible for soloing. So in my opinion they are healers yes and they are buffer/debuffer as well.
if someone advertises themselves as a healer, in cox, they're instantly considered a noob by everyone except, well, other noobs.
there's experienced players that'll look for an emp or a kin; but more often than not, they're just being lazy and want to mission on easy-mode.
a good team will either be killing so fast, or have the enemy debuffed so much, that there's really not much need FOR healing. i have emps, kins, and rads and can solo on all of them. the thing with being a 'healer' is that you're pigeon-holing yourself into such a tiny box, when there's just so much more your toon CAN do.
i played with a level 35 "healer" one day. she insisted that she made that level 'the hard way, no PL'ing, just regular playing'.
she had all the emp powers, all the leadership powers, three travel pools (no hasten however).
when SHE would take damage, she's do heal aura. otherwise she followed everyone around. because, she had leadership toggles on, and that was her contribution to the team.
she fort'd two people, once each. that was it. she didn't want to use up all her endurance.
when someone says "healer" on cox, that is honestly how useful i envision the person being.
dark miasma is my favourite 'healing' powerset. the rez is a nice stun. the pbaoe heal is a great debuffer. and well, the set itself is peaches and cream.
everyone has their own playstyle. but if you declare yourself as a healer in cox, you will be hanging out with the noob crowd and the 'i wish i were playing wow/eq' crowd.
could we please get correspondent writers and moderators, on the eve forum at mmorpg.com, who are well-versed on eve-online and aren't just passersby pushing buttons? pretty please?
I have to disagree with you on the 'healer' being a noob term. Maybe the PL crowd, or the "how many XPs can I get per minute" crowd might not want/need a 'healer' (although both my "healers" got lots of invites to farms for the AB and RA, and CM for certain ATs) the gamer who plays for the sake of the stories and roleplay will often consider their character a "healer".
Both of my empaths are built emp-heavy, though the emp Controller is much more versatile since she is also invisible. This character is the one I used to run Warburg with. She has helped many a person (hero and villain) rescue the scientists to launch the rocket because she can move about unseen by the entire NPC population there. But when she's on a large team, she focuses primarily on buffs and healing.
If you played with an emp who wouldn't use Fort because they were afraid of using up their endurance, maybe you just found a lousy player. For one thing, with Vigilance, if your team is taking damage, you don't need to WORRY about it. For another thing, you have Recovery Aura. If properly slotted, you should be able to survive the 'downtime' with an occasional insp and only if you are being a bit too proactive with the heals. THAT is the biggest issue in empathy power management. If you put your aura on autofire, YES you will have a constant endurance drain because you will undoubtedly be healing when there is little to no damage being dealt. And as for leadership toggles? Huge endurance hog. I leave that to the blasters. My emp slotted her attacks (electric blast which also drains end from the foes) well enough, and survived to 50 without tactics. I know they became a 'must have' in PvP, but since I don't PvP I figured I was working hard enough keeping buffs on those who needed it, and keeping everyone healthy and strong. If someone didn't want me on their team because I didn't have leadership buffs for them... so be it. Chances are they would be the kind I wouldn't want to team with anyway.
My main girls are both 'healers' and I am far from a noob. I have been playing this game for three years now, seriously hardcore at times, on up to four accounts with a myriad of characters and ATs on both sides of the game. I have a dark/psi defender, a dark/dark corruptor, a dark/kin corruptor, a kin/dark defender, an ill/kin controller, an ill/rad controller, a warshade, a peacebringer, and the two emps that have healing powers, as well as scrappers, dominators, stalkers, a blaster, and a tank that do not. Both emps played the game the hard way most of the way (except for some early PLs to get through the much-repeated "Defeat ** Hellions/Trolls/Outcasts), duoing mostly with a dedicated partner. The ill/emp is the character I pick when I just want to solo for a while.
I also teamed with SG members but gradually drifted away from teaming with many of them because they became the kind of players that would blow through missions and be in the next mission before anyone had a chance to read clues or mission text. That kind of play style is not for me. I enjoy the game for the story arcs. The entire story line is very intricate and well woven into the fabric of the game, and as a writer myself, I appreciate that quality. If I wanted to just beat on things at a hurried pace, I'd get a console and play Mortal Kombat. That kind of play just isn't for me.
Both my partners were the kind of people who enjoyed the journey more than the "XPs". It wasn't about getting that "Mission Complete", it was about roleplaying and actually enjoying being IN those missions. For a few hours each night, we became someone else. Someone who didn't have to worry about the mundane tasks of making dinner or cleaning cat boxes or pairing the socks.
If I want to undertake the role of a 'healer' or empath, that is my choice. I have been a personal caregiver to elderly family more than a decade, and am now in nursing school. I am a healer, IRL. It is a natural role for me to assume. It doesn't make me a noob. It makes me someone who cares about others, both in a game setting and outside the game. If you don't want to team with someone who keeps a watchful eye over your needs, then that is fine. It sounds like you'd fit more with the playstyle of my SG members who care only about blowing through missions at a breakneck pace, and that is fine if that is your personal play style, but it isn't for me.
To each their own, but we should respect the fact that there are others who hold different views and play the game in different ways and that doesn't necessarily make them noobs, or EQ/WoW wannabes.
Leave leadership toggles for blasters?????? What a waste. Defenders with leasership give about 4 times the buff then blasters with leadership. Even though both will use the same amount of endurance. In fact the cost to buff ratio of a blaster with leadership is in no way worth it.
It just seems to me that the blasters are the ones that take leadership, or at least the ones I have teamed with. Maybe they take it for PvP reasons. Or Masterminds, villain-side. My MM has it, because I was told I "needed" it, and I think it sucks. I wouldn't bother with my defender. I prefer using insps. They drop anyway, and they don't cost endurance while they are doing nothing, like the toggles do.
My MM is currently my only toon with leadership toggles, and I can't say I have missed them on any other toon. But then, I don't watch the 'numbers'. And there have been times, WITH the toggle on, that my MM has whiffed, and whiffed and whiffed. I guess it is all in the randomness.
I just can't seem to force myself to put them on a defender. But then, I don't PvP either, so that may have a lot to do with it.
According to Mid Hero Designer.
Blasters, Scrappers, Tankers, Brutes & Stalkers give 10.5% damage buff, 2.28% defense and 7% to hit buff (unslotted)
Dominators & Masterminds give 11.3% damage buff, 2.63% defense and 7.5% to hit buff (unslotted)
PeaceBringers & Warshades, give 13.5% damage buffs, 2.63 defense and 9% to hit buff (unslotted)
Controllers & Corruptors give 15% damage buff, 2.63% defense and 10% too hit buff (unslotted)
Defenders give 18.8% damage buff, 3.5 defense and 12.5% too hit buff (unslotted)
Is it worth it for a tanker to take leadership or not? The question is up in the air, but 10.5% extra damage for everyone in the group is definitely a nice option and shouldn't be discarded without further considerations. 10.5% extra damage on each attack everyone does...if you have the endurance to back it up, it is always nice. My stoner is already doing little damages while in granite, might as well boost the damage of my group mates...especially that with my stoner, I only have a few defensive power to take, since they don't stack, have plenty of room for leadership (actually the 4 powers limit is the limit, more than a shortage of powers slot to take).
Assault is definitely the nicest power to pick IMO, getting 10.5% extra damage is HARD with IOs (Mako gives 3%, purples 4%...). 15% too hit buff is a LOT easier (purples give that much), and getting defense with IOs is also a LOT easier (3% global defense on that unique...).
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
I hate to be the Naysayer here and I a huge fan of the CoX game's, but i think someone needs to post a few of the downsides to the game here.
1. Almost no end game content
2. Teams (groups) are hard to come by for some AT's
3. Rogue Isle's poorly done compared to Paragon City
4. Very hard for some AT's to solo, combined with reason 2. can break game
5. no "gear" in game (i only add this one because some people like to collect items)
All that being said CoX is in my opinion one of the best mmo's on the market and has been since it's release its varied AT's to its free expansions make it a good change from someone looking to get away from wow or EQ2 but if you are expecting the same endgame/faction grind/class balancing as these games look elsewhere.
In regards to #5, the inventions are gear. Like WoW, where you get set bonus, the IO's are the same thing. Sure the visual is not there, but then again, the customization of your character makes it so everyone appears different.
#2 and #3: On infinity server, I've not had to hard a time trying to get teams. Although most of the time I either solo or hang with the SG. I usually won't team with someone who either has a lousy name (ie the pussinator or something offensive) or their attitude is that I should be grateful I'm in their presence. The only time I've had serious issues with solo is with a Kheld. I usually run mission on either ruthless or invunerable. At invunerable, a group that has a Quant or a Void stalker can make a Kheld's life miserable. Some Elite Bosses are also a pain at invunerable.
your arguement is so persuasive, so filled with knowledge and insight. You back up your argument very articulately, with suggestions of improvements and raising examples to glorify your position....oh wait, you didn't
In regards to #5, the inventions are gear. Like WoW, where you get set bonus, the IO's are the same thing. Sure the visual is not there, but then again, the customization of your character makes it so everyone appears different.
#2 and #3: On infinity server, I've not had to hard a time trying to get teams. Although most of the time I either solo or hang with the SG. I usually won't team with someone who either has a lousy name (ie the pussinator or something offensive) or their attitude is that I should be grateful I'm in their presence. The only time I've had serious issues with solo is with a Kheld. I usually run mission on either ruthless or invunerable. At invunerable, a group that has a Quant or a Void stalker can make a Kheld's life miserable. Some Elite Bosses are also a pain at invunerable.
Really, with the costumes in the character creator, you don't *need* the visuals. You can add whatever look you like, regardless of what 'gear' (IOs) you collect that affect your powers. And yes, with the sliders, and so many options, you can truly adjust the look of your character to be totally unique (though a huge percentage of females tend to be a bit.. *cough* top-heavy... hehehe ) I personally like that option better than having to look one certain way because I need *that* particular 'armor' or 'weapon', as some games require. I like the look being completely separate from affecting the character's powers in any way.
I agree with the suggestion of teaming with the SG. And I have never had a problem finding teams, with any AT. A bigger problem is usually blind invites, at the lower levels. I think my 'search comment' on my main is still something to the effect of "A blind invite is like groping someone without introducing yourself first." I found that supergroup teams are usually best, because you know the people, and they tend to watch your back a lot closer. Also, many SG's have some form of voice comms. I know we have a Ventrilo server. That makes mishing easier, and makes for some great camaraderie. Especially when drinking and gaming, lol.
I tend to group with people not for their AT or skills, but because of their personality. If a mission takes a little longer because we aren't all IO'ed out and haven't maxxed the damage caps, it is no big deal. I don't like flying through missions. I like enjoying the content, reading the clues, stopping to check out interesting things we might see along the way, and having a good time. My play style is very laid back. I am sure there are others across all other servers who play like I do. If you find that kind of group, and make friends with them, you will never have trouble finding a team.
Don't forget your global channels! Many times I have responded to someone who just couldn't finish a mission solo, or who got to the point in their arc where they found an EB they couldn't handle alone. They would give a shout in one of the global channels, (usually Liberty's own LBx) and I would drop what I was doing, or wrap up my own mission, to go and help them. The globals are a good way to communicate with a wide group. There are also SG based globals, and the Coalition chat feature. I have also responded to many pleas for assistance from our coalition members.
I totally agree with the 'not teaming with offensive names'. For one thing, someone with that much lack of imagination is probably not going to be much of a RPer, so that's a strike in my book, and with that kind of disregard for others, what kind of a team player can they possibly be? Respect is a huge asset when interacting with others. Names like that show a total lack thereof.
Soloing Khelds proved infinitely frustrating for me. My PB is several years old, and is at lvl 11. The constant runs from the hospital upon finding a Void or Quantum and a boss in the same mob just totally turned me off. Now, since they've changed the game to allow Lts. instead of bosses for Heroic missions, I may try to pick him up again. I did manage to get my WS to 20 (finally) mostly solo. But the last few levels, I have had her paired with my stone tank. I send the tank in first, to taunt, and once she has the groups undivided attention, the Warshade can go all out Nova on them. Since the tank was originally built only to farm MIs for the Illusionist badge (with probably 125 hours of doing so) she's built to taunt. It's kind of a challenge to play both of them at once and go back and forth between making sure all stray aggro is focused on the tank, while switching between forms and powers on the WS. Since the tank's a few levels higher than the WS (about 3 and a half right now with the WS slowly closing the gap) it makes it a bit easier.
Spring break is at an end, and the accounts are idle once again... time for me to head back to the salt mine until summer.
So that's as far as the WS is going to get for a long time.
I've enjoyed grouping with SG mates. Last night is was my Peacebringer, a scrapper and another Peacebringer. We had a few wipes from unsuccessful pulls but overall it was a fun time. I know that if I was in a PUG with the same makeup, it wouldn't have been as easy. Why? Because they don't know my playstyle and I don't know theirs.
I've played 8 man groups with all blasters, all tanks or just an odd mix that sounds like it would never make it through a mission, let alone a full task force. Knowing how your team mates play and smart pulling can get you through almost everything. The only task force I've not successfully played with just a random toon is Statesman's Strike Force. Can make it all the way to Recluse but then he wipes me out.
your arguement is so persuasive, so filled with knowledge and insight. You back up your argument very articulately, with suggestions of improvements and raising examples to glorify your position....oh wait, you didn't
I have to disagree with you on the 'healer' being a noob term.
at this point, i imagine i could actually say stuff you've said in another thread and you'd have an opposite thing to say.
Maybe the PL crowd, or the "how many XPs can I get per minute" crowd might not want/need a 'healer' (although both my "healers" got lots of invites to farms for the AB and RA, and CM for certain ATs) the gamer who plays for the sake of the stories and roleplay will often consider their character a "healer".
i notice you actually agree with what i've said, in the same sentence that you say you disagree. did you notice how, in my description of a healer, i stated that, basically, all the person did was heal, when SHE took damage; and that was all she did? you see i stated she fort'd twice, and that was it, correct? other powers you mention, that are NOT heal aura, she had, but would just not use.
Both of my empaths are built emp-heavy, though the emp Controller is much more versatile since she is also invisible. This character is the one I used to run Warburg with. She has helped many a person (hero and villain) rescue the scientists to launch the rocket because she can move about unseen by the entire NPC population there. But when she's on a large team, she focuses primarily on buffs and healing.
nice tangent; but i see you're using the word empath a lot here (not healer), and you state "buffs".
If you played with an emp who wouldn't use Fort because they were afraid of using up their endurance, maybe you just found a lousy player.
i did a bit more than imply they were lousy, hence, the term 'noob'. she was afraid to do anything that would make the blue bar go down.
For one thing, with Vigilance, if your team is taking damage, you don't need to WORRY about it. For another thing, you have Recovery Aura. If properly slotted, you should be able to survive the 'downtime' with an occasional insp and only if you are being a bit too proactive with the heals. THAT is the biggest issue in empathy power management. If you put your aura on autofire, YES you will have a constant endurance drain because you will undoubtedly be healing when there is little to no damage being dealt. And as for leadership toggles? Huge endurance hog. I leave that to the blasters. My emp slotted her attacks (electric blast which also drains end from the foes) well enough, and survived to 50 without tactics. I know they became a 'must have' in PvP, but since I don't PvP I figured I was working hard enough keeping buffs on those who needed it, and keeping everyone healthy and strong. If someone didn't want me on their team because I didn't have leadership buffs for them... so be it. Chances are they would be the kind I wouldn't want to team with anyway.
thanks for the lesson, i see it has nothing to do with my quoted post, although it does seem to be directed at me. when SHE (the self proclaimed healer) would take damage, she would hit heal aura. she normally stayed at the back of the group, so she didn't take that much damage. i'm going to speculate that she had only end redux in her leadership toggles, because her blue never went down much. all she DID was wander around with leadership toggles on and SHE said that was her contribution to the team. personally, i'd rather have had fort on occasion; with her hiding in the back and my being in melee range, i rarely saw her little leadership icons appear on my toon. if a "healer" actually uses some attacks, uses buffs, and doesn't sit around being a heal-aura-spam-bot; then, that person isn't really a noob "healer"; they're playing a toon. "playing" a toon in the fashion i stated (and you have misinterpreted) is nothing but noobsauce.
My main girls are both 'healers' and I am far from a noob.
congrats. but please, do not confuse the term 'healer' with 'empath', 'kinetic' or even 'dark miasma'. there is a huge difference in the terms.
I have been playing this game for three years now, seriously hardcore at times, on up to four accounts with a myriad of characters and ATs on both sides of the game.
again, congratulations.
I have a dark/psi defender, a dark/dark corruptor, a dark/kin corruptor, a kin/dark defender, an ill/kin controller, an ill/rad controller, a warshade, a peacebringer, and the two emps that have healing powers , as well as scrappers, dominators, stalkers, a blaster, and a tank that do not. Both emps played the game the hard way most of the way (except for some early PLs to get through the much-repeated "Defeat ** Hellions/Trolls/Outcasts), duoing mostly with a dedicated partner. The ill/emp is the character I pick when I just want to solo for a while.
do you play on champion? at this point, you're starting to make me think you're the person i had teamed with, which i described above.
I also teamed with SG members but gradually drifted away from teaming with many of them because they became the kind of players that would blow through missions and be in the next mission before anyone had a chance to read clues or mission text. That kind of play style is not for me. I enjoy the game for the story arcs. The entire story line is very intricate and well woven into the fabric of the game, and as a writer myself, I appreciate that quality. If I wanted to just beat on things at a hurried pace, I'd get a console and play Mortal Kombat. That kind of play just isn't for me.
COx advertises itself as a game with the most fast-paced, best fighting, there is. COx's devs talk about the combat being the major draw for the game. after doing 100 warehouse missions, it's a bit pointless to read what the next radio/paper mission says. you're either clicking a glowing, leading someone to an entrance, or defeating everyone in the room that has the big bad. if it's an actual story arc; then, it's not really that exciting to read through the entire story arc for the 20th time. (see, i also can read/reply to part of something quoted in context and out of context, it's quite annoying, don't you think?)
Both my partners were the kind of people who enjoyed the journey more than the "XPs".
i got lost a little here, you were talking about SGmates, and now partners. i'm taking it to mean you played games with your life partner, or two different life partners rather?
It wasn't about getting that "Mission Complete", it was about roleplaying and actually enjoying being IN those missions. For a few hours each night, we became someone else. Someone who didn't have to worry about the mundane tasks of making dinner or cleaning cat boxes or pairing the socks.
as long as RP'ing doesn't involve, "hi, i'm a magician, i can make things invisible, and for bad guys to miss you a lot, and for you to take a lot less damage when you're hit." RP'ing is as simple as saying "holy cat boxes, Pharaoh Damian-Re, I've spotted Dr. Vahz". as long as you're not talking about the "real world" and just ingame stuff, you're RP'ing.
If I want to undertake the role of a 'healer' or empath, that is my choice.
in the way i describe it, healer and empath are mutually exclusive terms. healer does nothing more than heal. empath uses all the empath powers.
I have been a personal caregiver to elderly family more than a decade, and am now in nursing school. I am a healer, IRL. It is a natural role for me to assume. It doesn't make me a noob.
no, but defending the term 'healer' and confusing 'healer' with 'empath' does.
It makes me someone who cares about others, both in a game setting and outside the game. If you don't want to team with someone who keeps a watchful eye over your needs, then that is fine.
in the example i gave, which you actually quote, please explain to me exactly how this 'healer' looked over anyone's needs than her own? if you wish to disagree with me, that is fine, but actually disagree with what i've stated (or even implied). don't just say "i disagree with you" and then your disagreement is along the lines of "i see you've stated orange is a color, well i disagree with you, i think that the ocean is made of jello".
It sounds like you'd fit more with the playstyle of my SG members who care only about blowing through missions at a breakneck pace, and that is fine if that is your personal play style, but it isn't for me.
i'm pretty sure most non-noobs to any game would rather play with someone who actually plays, than the person i described.
To each their own, but we should respect the fact that there are others who hold different views and play the game in different ways and that doesn't necessarily make them noobs, or EQ/WoW wannabes.
at this point, i once again wish that you had actually read my post that you quoted and replied logically to that post. a person who plays horribly, or plays very noobesque -- that does not qualify as a playstyle. to have every empath power, and yet the way your "playstyle" is consists of the following:
1 turn on all leadership toggles, hang out in the back of the group, behind even ranged squishy types. i.e. only the ranged squishy types are barely close enough to you to get your leadership toggle benefits
2 only cast heal aura for your heal, and only when you take damage
3 absolutely refuse to use any of your other empath powers, except for fort, which you use, literally, twice during the course of a task force.
anyone who states that as a playstyle, is indeed a noob, or just a horrible player, which many would consider noob-for-life.
as far as the op goes, however, if they've leveled multiple toons to level 70; it's pretty safe to assume that they're not uber casual players. if they've raided, it's safe to assume they're not the casual type and they indeed put many hours into a game.
if in doubt, the op could always be messaged and asked, instead of assumptions made that they only play a couple of hours a week.
i say this, because many of the posts in this thread, made by the person i've quoted, go on the assumption that the op only plays a few hours a week. a lot of us know what happens when you assume.
could we please get correspondent writers and moderators, on the eve forum at mmorpg.com, who are well-versed on eve-online and aren't just passersby pushing buttons? pretty please?
At this point, I'd guess that you have some basic insecurities to bolster by being rude and insulting to others. You can quote that in any thread you like.
I think the comprehension issue here is that you are assuming that I am solely addressing your description of one single player and taking issue only with that. You made a broad, pat statement that if someone referred to their character as a 'healer' they were "instantly considered a noob by everyone."
Empath, healer - I refer to the girls as both. And you obviously completely miss the point. Yes, I state buffs. Again, this goes to your comment that anyone who advertises their character as a "healer" is "considered a noob by everyone." It had zero to do with your experience with ONE person who played a 'healer' but obviously didn't want to contribute much.
The term "noob" was directed to, and again I quote: when "...someone advertises themselves as a healer, in cox..." Not solely to one player who didn't want to do their fair share on a team. Not one empathy defender who only used Fortitude twice. The original "noob" was a broad statement. Because you bring up an apparent example of one single bad player does not negate the fact that you started your post by calling everyone that calls their character a healer a "noob", regardless of their experience or play style.
And your point is? Noob, lazy, incompetent, lousy - these can all mean the same thing. Someone that refuses to use available powers or push their character to any limits to help their teammates can be called any or all of these terms. However, once again, the ORIGINAL statement was a blanket condemnation of "someone" (anyone) who called their character a healer as being considered a "noob by everyone".
I think perhaps it is you who is confused. You are talking about two different things, here. There is no "Healer" class AT, nor "Healer" powerset in CoH. "Empathy", "Kinetics", and "Dark Miasma" are powersets. While a person might use them as descriptives for a character, the term "healer" is solely a descriptive term and NOT a powerset, nor an AT. The terms are not even related. Like a particular car can be a Mustang, a Ford, and a convertible, it can also be described as a "sports car." But if the owner drives it back and forth to work, they might call it their "work car". Does that mean it isn't a work car because it is a convertible or a Mustang? No. It just means that the owner applies his own description according to how he is using it. It is the same with a character. If I refer to my girls as "healers" it does not mean they have EVER withheld buffs to save endurance, or been a heal-spam-bot, or hung back out of melee. However you condemn all "healers" as "noobs". My point is that YOUR assumption (a very broad one) is insulting, rude, and totally wrong.
Not even close. If you actually read my posts instead of trying to nitpick and argue, you'd know I only play on Liberty. I have for years, and that isn't about to change. Again, for the comprehension impaired: I have never, ever withheld buffs. If they are up and available, they are being cast, continually. I don't spam heals. I heal the players who need it. I stay with the team, usually in melee with the tank, who always seemed to be the one who needed the RA as fast as I could give it. When I duo with partners, they were always buffed. Fortitude never dropped. If I did duo with a blaster or other squishy, they had Clear Mind on them. There is absolutely no comparison between my play style, and the person you supposedly teamed with. Of course I recognize this comment as not based on fact or anything I have said, but rather a juvenile attempt to be rude, argumentative and insulting.
How the game "advertises" themselves is not at issue here. There are MANY venues for play offered here. There is PvP, there are social gather spots like Pocket D, where you don't even 'play' (fight) anything, unless you leave that zone and go to either an arena setting or an instanced mission, there are populated NPC mobs for those who like to mindlessly hunt, there are simple missions, and there are involved and convoluted story arcs. Yes, many missions are of the same 'type' of objective. However, the story arcs themselves are quite involved and well written. This is ALSO an advertised feature and promoted on the CoH website, if you look under the Paragon City Backstory link. The costume creator is one of their most promoted features, if you look back to some of their promotional videos. With the advent of CoV, they touted the base creator. The invention system is also "advertised". And if you've played enough to do all the story arcs twenty times, then perhaps you should find another game. I think there is a huge amount of content in this game. I have put in many thousands of hours, and still find things I haven't seen. And they just keep adding more. But then, I don't consider slamming a mission in ten minutes without reading any of the clues "doing" a story arc. Here's a clue: it isn't ALL about "fast-paced, best fighting" for everyone. People play this game for many different reasons, and in many different styles. You are proving to me that you can only see your own narrow-minded view and simply wish to be insulting and derogatory to anyone who feels or plays otherwise.
No. One was a SG mate that I became friends with. Because we were always on at the same time, due to our work schedules, and because we both enjoyed each others' senses of humor, we found ourselves teaming much of the time. From level 20, when we met, to a simultaneous level 50, we were a dedicated duo - my main and his main. The other was a friend who was not in the SG, but with whom I struck up a roleplay friendship with in game, and we began to interact on a regular basis. We realized we were both working on characters that were about the same level, and in story-line, had my main introduce her 'friend' to her younger sister. They soon became dedicated 'partners' or a 'duo' if you prefer that term. I preferred playing with one or two people because if I stopped to read the clues I wasn't left standing behind in a finished mission while the rest of the team started the next one so they could get more XP per minute. The in-game partners have nothing to do with life-partners, though in roleplay some of the characters are 'involved' with each other. And no, not in the 'mature RP' sense, but in their story lines with most of the involvement being inferred. And with both friends, we have played different duos. Once we went to 50 together, we tried other characters. In fact, the second partner and I have a male/male (DEFINITELY not 'involved') duo that are a complete role reversal. I play the arrogant headstrong blaster and he plays a caring empath. Roleplaying a male character is a real challenge for me.
I am getting the distinct impression that we are talking two entirely different levels of "RP'ing" here. I am not talking about simply in-mission, attack/foe related conversations or binds. I am talking serious RP, where you create a character with a unique story and personality, and while in that character, you are basically an actor. Like, when I play Dawl, she's a bit wild and bawdy, and likes to run around in as little clothing as possible. Az, on the other hand, is very prim and uptight, and spent much of her 50 levels encased in full armor. My villain males are a suave, manipulative doctor (inspired by Dr. X, of Queensryche's "Operation: Mindcrime") and his mentally enslaved assassin (who later turns 'good' and has a heroic 'alter ego' ). When in roleplay, the doctor would never say "Holy... " anything nor make cheesy jokes. In fact, he doesn't joke at all. Where as Dawl might make crude insulting remarks to her foes or advances on her teammates (especially when she's been doing Jell-O shots), Az rarely jokes about anything, maintaining a very serious veneer that makes a dark and brooding interior. When roleplaying, the characters, even ones with similar powersets, play entirely different.
That is YOUR opinion, and YOUR definition. Not everyone agrees with you. Again, you choose to be insulting and combative simply because other people do not accept your personal definition as the ultimate fact. My girls are both healers. They have an "Empathy" powerset, and both refer to themselves as empathic, and their nurturing magic comes from an inherent urge to care for those around them. This doesn't mean they don't 'heal' or can't 'heal'. They are healers, in many senses of the word. This is how I choose to describe them. It doesn't have anything to do with what powers they choose to use or not use. My healers are fully equipped to heal mind and body. (Clear Mind, and Fortitude to strengthen the will and spirit, Regeneration Aura to strengthen someone's own healing potential, and the ability to mend the broken bodies, both before and after they've been defeated). This makes them healers.
Here we go with the grade-school insults. You insist on calling names because I don't buy into your narrow little definition of what a 'healer' entails.
In trying to parse this gibberish, I get the impression that all you can seem to focus on is your anecdotal tale of one crappy player who pretended to be a healer, but didn't bother healing or buffing anyone but themselves. My point has nothing to do with this particular incident. One more time, this time slowly: Your original indictment against 'healers' was stating that "anyone" who called their character a healer was a "noob"- not that only THIS particular player, or type of player is a noob. I am not talking about whatever player you might have teamed with. I am addressing your original statement not your story about a crappy empath. Forget the anecdotal tale. It isn't even really relevant. We have ALL teamed with lousy players. Blasters that hang back at the back of the team so they don't even take aggro, timid tankers, people who stand around in mission after mission not doing anything but putting someone on follow and walking around with a chat bubble over their head... they are specific examples of player ineptitude but are irrelevant to any generalization about their particular AT. A person can call their character whatever they want, or advertise their skills using any term, but that really has nothing to do with how they will actually perform.
If you haven't gotten my point by now, I suppose there is nothing I can say that will change that. Bottom line is, you are harping on ONE story about ONE particular player, when in fact, your original post FIRST insulted *all* who 'advertise' themselves as 'healers' rather than just simply saying: "wow, i played with this one chick and she wouldn't heal me or fort me and she was a complete noob." You made the blanket insult THEN proceeded to follow it with a story of a particlar incident.
My post wasn't directed solely to the OP. I would assume they have some gaming experience in other MMOs. I also assume that they didn't have a prior experience or knowledge of CoH, or they wouldn't have bothered asking the questions they did. That has nothing to do with the reply to your post.
My point, which you missed completely in your haste to spew more insults, is that just because you related one crappy experience with one particular person who had the empathy powerset and called their character a healer, doesn't mean that anyone who has an empathy defender and considers themselves a healer will play in such a manner, and warrant your name calling and disrespect.
How a player describes their character has nothing to do with noobness, or experience. There are good players who don't call themselves healers, and there are people who call themselves healers that are some of the best I have ever teamed with. Then there are people who are on the other end of the spectrum.
Bottom line: I am done arguing with you. All you wish to do is call names and hurl insults at anyone who doesn't agree with your personal opinions and your broad assumptions. If you can't show respect to the opinions of others, then I am not going to continue to bother to continue to try to hold a rational discussion with you.
Regarding the term "healer" in CoX -- I have always regarded anyone using this term as someone who does not understand the game, and someone I would not want to group with.
Even if I'm playing an Empathy Defender at the moment, I will not even consider an invitation that is prefaced with "Are you a healer?" or "Are you Empathy?" For anyone who has ever played a Force Field Defender, there is no more insulting question in the game.
In the days before Trick Arrow, ANY Defender was capable of keeping a team alive, provided that team would put forth the minimal mental effort required to work WITH that Defender rather than stupidly charging around expecting "traditional" healing. So people asking specifically for a healer (or worse, an empath) was a red flag indicating that this was a cluleless team, destiined for wipe after wipe.
Unfortunately, Trick Arrow Defenders (aka watered-down controllers) have changed things a bit, and asking for healing is no longer an unreasonable question. Trick Arrows cannot fill the Defender role appropriately, and I have to be more forgiving with people who have had bad experiences with them.
However, when I'm looking for a Defender, I usually say "non-TA Defender" and avoid inviting Defenders with archery-themed names -- but only on those occasions where I'm in need of Defending. Sometimes it doesn't matter, and you can invite anyone who's interested.
well said.
and amen.
edited: that is one thing that the devs in COx did right -- they broke the holy trinity in MMOs (tank/dps/healer).
you CAN form a team composed completely of pretty much any single AT -- and do very well.
to the person from earlier - you really don't understand, and i feel sorry for you.
could we please get correspondent writers and moderators, on the eve forum at mmorpg.com, who are well-versed on eve-online and aren't just passersby pushing buttons? pretty please?
Is this a representative from somewhere fishing for player feedback on CoX? 40 man raids...yes, right.I'm sorry I don't think I understand what you're asking =/ I have pretty much all of my questions answered but I'll elaborate on the point that I was trying to make. I raided full time pre BC but have seen little endgame content since its release. I found 40 mans hectic and I'm sure 25 mans are not much different. I guess I could be nitpicking but there are only a few 5 mans at 70 and a heroic difficulty option to "change it up". The only other smaller instance that is doable without being 25 man geared is Kharazan which has a 1 week reset timer. It limits the options of people like me who don't have the time and patience to gear grind but still wants to see new content.
Thanks again to all who have replied. I love the game. Made a couple of toons on heroes and villains side. Then spent hours remaking them to look the way I want them to and have the play style to suit me. You're right. Missions are a blast, people are friendly and the villain side is a little less pleasing to the eyes than Paragon City.
Thanks for info on badges, salvages, inventions, etc. too btw. I have found everyone's comments to be incredibly useful. We have officially put our WoW accounts on hold. But because of a series of RL events, I must forgo gaming in general for the time being.
There are catgirls everywhere. There is a reason its called City of catgirls
WoWFusion - Kitame - [F]Troll - Shaman - Level 70 - 0/44/17 - [DW]Enhancement - <Allys Nightmare>