What's Happening on the PTS

[Archived Post]

I've read a few mentions now about things being "controversial" on the PTS with Might and some other powersets getting overhauled.

The changes haven't seemed to convey a positive outlook on the future. I don't know if its fear of change and crying "doom" or what.

So what exactly is going down on the PTS or where is a link to those notes/posts?

I'm still on hiatus but curious about what's going on with the game, but things I keep reading about the changes that came about right after I left, have me pondering if I should ever bother coming back.

I've been largely content with the overall outcome of things when things have been overhauled in the past. But I keep getting the feeling that that may not be the case this time around.

[Archived Post]

OMG - There's lots!

Here's the main thread for those with access (subbers who've signed up to it)
http://forums.champions-online.com/showthread.php?t=147775

05-21-2012, 11:23 PM #1
NisDiddums
Cryptic Studios Team
Greetings!

G-Crush is still hard at work reviewing forum feedback, and making adjustments to player powers accordingly.
This build contains the latest round of updates - keep the feedback coming!

Please format any bugs you find in the following format:
Bug
Where it happens
What happens

Player Powers:
Enrage:
•Enrage is now a toggled form. Toggling on Enrage allows you to build more than 1 stack of Enraged! at a time. This power counts as a Form.
•Enrage now grants a stack when you attempt to knock a foe.
•*UPDATED* You now gain Energy when you gain a stack of Enraged! This now has a 3 second cooldown.
•This power now affects Melee damage for its full amount, and ranged damage for half that amount.
•Effectiveness reduced by 30%
•Advantage: Endorphin Rush: This advantage has returned, and now triggers whenever you gain a stack of Enraged!
•*UPDATED* Advantage: Endorphin Rush: This advantage now has a flat 6 second duration (duration no longer scales on Defiance stacks) and the healing granted is modified by the number of stacks of enrage you have. The effectiveness at 8 stacks of Enraged! is roughly ~30% more effective than the previous base.
•*BUG FIX* Enrage should no longer drop off in the rare cases where you were at 8 stacks and used a power that would temporarily cause your stacks to exceed 10. It is properly capped at 8 stacks now.

*REWORK* Aggressor:
•This power now grants all damage strength, as well as increasing your Strength and Constitution for a short time. This power also grants stacks of Enraged! based on its rank (this can trigger Endorphin Rush).
•This power now counts as an active offense.

Inertial Dampening Field:
•Energy Penalty reduced to 10%.
•This power has had its shield amount increased by roughly ~19%

*REWORK* Aspect of the Bestial:
•This power now allows you to stack Enrage by applying bleeds to your foe. You do not need to own the Enrage power for this to work.
•This power counts as a Form.

*REWORK* Aspect of the Infernal:
•This power now allows you to stack Concentration by applying poisons to your foe. You do not need to own the Concentration power for this to work.
•This power counts as a Form.

*REMOVED* Aspect of the Ethereal:
•This power has been removed.

Focus:
•Now scales only on Dexterity, instead of Half of Strength and Dexterity
•This power now affects Melee damage for its full amount, and ranged damage for half that amount.
•Effectiveness reduced by 30%

Concentration: Toggle - Form
•Concentration grants you bonus ranged damage and a lesser amount of bonus melee damage. This bonus scales with your Ego or Intelligence, whichever is higher.
•Concentration grants you bonus energy when you gain a stack of it. This bonus energy scales with your Ego or Intelligence, whichever is higher.
•You gain a stack of Concentration whenever you half charge or maintain a power for at least 4 ticks. Additionally, you gain stacks whenever you strike a foe from more than 25 feet away.
•This buff lasts 20 seconds.
•This power can be found in the "Technology" Tree (along with Power Armor, Gadgeteering, Archery, and Munitions).

Compassion: Toggle - Form
•Compassion grants you bonus healing and shield strength and a lesser amount of bonus damage. This bonus scales with your Presence or Recovery, whichever is higher.
•Compassion grants you bonus energy when you gain a stack of it. This bonus energy scales with your Presence or Recovery, whichever is higher.
•*UPDATED* You gain a stack of Compassion whenever you heal an ally, heal yourself, or get healed.
•This buff lasts 20 seconds.
•This power can be found in the "Mystic" Tree (with Sorcery and Supernatural).

Manipulator: Toggle - Form
•Manipulator grants you bonus Hold Magnitude and a lesser amount of bonus damage. This bonus scales with your Presence or Intelligence, whichever is higher.
•This will allow you to hold Super Villains and Legendaries (for very short amounts of time).
•Manipulator grants you bonus energy when you gain a stack of it. This bonus energy scales with your Presence or Recovery, whichever is higher.
•You gain a stack of Manipulator whenever you fully charge or maintain a Control power, regardless of whether the hold succeeds.
•This buff lasts 60 seconds.
•This power can be found in the "Mind" Tree (with Telepathy and Telekinetics).

Auras *General*:
•*UPDATED* Auras are now affected by diminishing returns.

Aura of Primal Majesty:
•The self portion of this passive has been reduced by 20% while in Hybrid.
•The ally portion of this passive has been reduced by 40% while in Hybrid.
•The self portion of this passive has been reduced by 25% while in Support.
•The ally portion of this passive has been increased by 60% while in Support.
•This passive is now functions differently depending on your selected role (either Hybrid or Support).

Aura of Arcane Clarity:
•The self portion of this passive has been increased by 30% while in Hybrid.
•The ally portion of this passive has been increased by 15% while in Hybrid.
•This power now grants Charge Speed while used in Hybrid.
•This power no longer increases the healing done by allies while used in Hybrid.
•The self portion of this passive has been increased by 10% while in Support.
•The ally portion of this passive has been increased by 200% while in Support.
•This power now grants Charge Speed while used in Support.
•This power no longer increases your healing while used in Support.
•This passive is now functions differently depending on your selected role (either Hybrid or Support).

Aura of Radiant Protection:
•The self portion of this passive has been increased by 25% while in Hybrid.
•The ally portion of this passive has been reduced by 15% while in Hybrid.
•The self portion of this passive has been reduced by 20% while in Support.
•The ally portion of this passive has been increased by 50% while in Support.
•This passive is now functions differently depending on your selected role (either Hybrid or Support).

Aura of Ebon Destruction:
•The self portion of this passive has been increased by 15% when in Hybrid.
•The ally portion of this passive has been reduced 20% when in Hybrid.
•The self portion of this passive has been reduced 5% when in Support.
•The ally portion of this passive has been increased by 200% when in Support.
•This passive is now functions differently depending on your selected role (either Hybrid or Support).

Medical Nanites:
•This power now functions differently depending on your selected role (Hybrid or Support).
•The self portion of this power has been increased by 30% in Hybrid.
•The ally portion of this power has been increased by 150% in Support.
•*BUG FIX* Fixed a bug with the rank scaling. The ranks should scale properly now.

Regeneration:
•This power has been buffed by roughly 30%.

Specializations: Sentinel Aura:
•This specialization has had its healing reduced by 70%.

Munitions:
•Two Gun Mojo: This power now applies Concentration instead of Enrage.
•Shotgun Blast: This power's advantage (Breaching Round) now interacts with Concentration instead of Enrage.
•Bullet Beatdown: This power's advantage (Not without incident) now interacts with Concentration OR Enrage.
•Gunslinger: This power's advantage (Trick Shot) now interacts with Concentration instead of Enrage.
•Lead Tempest: This power's advantage (Tread Softly) now interacts with Concentration instead of Enrage.
•Gatling Gun: This power's advantage (Listen to Reason) now interacts with Concentration instead of Enrage.

Power Armor:
•Overdrive: New power! Energy Unlock. Grants an energy over time buff when a maintain or toggle power is maintained for at least half of its max maintain time. Buff can stack up to 3 times.
•Tactical Missiles: Energy cost slightly increased.
•Tactical Missiles: Damage increased by ~14%.
•Now has the Crippling Challenge advantage.
•Concussor Beam: Will no longer repel targets who are farther than 45ft away.
•Concussor Beam: Targeting Arc increased to 120 degrees.
•Eye Beam: Targeting Arc increased to 120 degrees.
•Mini Gun: Radius reduced from 4ft to 2ft.
•Mini Gun: Damage no longer scales on number of targets.
•Mini Gun: Cost slightly increased.
•Mini Gun: Damage increased by ~16%
•Mini Gun: Targeting Arc increased to 120 degrees.
•Micro Munitions: Now has a small energy cost to activate.
•Micro Munitions: Energy cost per tick increased by ~8.
•Micro Munitions: Damage increased by ~35%.
•Micro Munitions: Max periods increased from 4 to 6.
•Micro Munitions: Targeting Arc increased to 120 degrees.
•Micro Munitions: Radius increased from 10ft to 15ft.
•Micro Munitions: Alpha Strike: Reworked damage scaling on number of targets hit. Previously, a single target would take 140% damage and 5 targets would take 28% damage. Now, a single target will take 140% damage and 5 targets will take 100% damage.
•Chest Beam: Point Blank Blast: Increased damage bonus.
•Power Armor: Power Beam: Now called Plasma Beam.
•Plasma Beam: Now has the Challenging Strikes advantage.
•Shoulder Launcher: Targeting Arc increased to 120 degrees.
•Fire All Weapons: Now has a 90 second cooldown.
•Fire All Weapons: Energy cost to activate reduced.
•Fire All Weapons: Energy cost per tick slightly increased.
•Fire All Weapons: Damage increased by ~50%.
•Fire All Weapons: Now has the Challenging Strikes advantage.
•Fire All Weapons: KNOW ISSUES: This power should be locking your movement and is currently not doing so.
•Power Bolts: It Burns!: New advantage. Each attack now has a chance to apply Plasma Burn.
•Tactical Missiles: Blast Radius: New advantage. Now deals its base damage in a 10ft radius.
•Plasma Beam: Melta Cannon: New advantage. Now has a chance per tick to apply Plasma Burn.

Power Armor Archetype: The Invincible:
•Now has Overdrive instead of Molecular Self Assembly.

Content:
•Drifter: The Drifter's store has new stock! Go talk to the Drifter in Ren Cen to see what new things he has to offer!

Use the Dev tracker to track further updates within that, generally about 2 a day.
splosions, akinos, crush and the like seem to be working hard there.

[Archived Post]

Thanks for that! =)

So far I'm not seeing anything to be too worried about. I'm kinda liking Enrage finally being a toggle. And a buff to Regeneration!

[Archived Post]

OMG - There's lots!

Here's the main thread for those with access (subbers who've signed up to it)
http://forums.champions-online.com/showthread.php?t=147775



Use the Dev tracker to track further updates within that, generally about 2 a day.
splosions, akinos, crush and the like seem to be working hard there.

You shouldn't be posting this stuff outside the PTS section. D:

[Archived Post]

Thanks for that! =)

So far I'm not seeing anything to be too worried about. I'm kinda liking Enrage finally being a toggle. And a buff to Regeneration!
A long as you don't have Primal Enrage ranged sniper you will probably get a boost.

Oh and PFF is also suppose to get a small boost.

And we all get a free retcon token as far as i know.

[Archived Post]

What you are looking at is a big nerf to anyone that was using Enrage with a toggle, a slight nerf to anyone that was just using a toggle, and a pretty big buff to frameworks that previously had no access to toggle.

[Archived Post]

Use the Dev tracker to track further updates within that, generally about 2 a day.
splosions, akinos, crush and the like seem to be working hard there.
Note that the Dev Tracker will not show posts that you could not see normally (such as PTS posts if you can't read the PTS forum).

[Archived Post]

A long as you don't have Primal Enrage ranged sniper you will probably get a boost.

Oh and PFF is also suppose to get a small boost.

And we all get a free retcon token as far as i know.

I wouldn't call the combat effectiveness of PFF regen being basically doubled (if my thoughts are correct) a small boost. :p

[Archived Post]

You shouldn't be posting this stuff outside the PTS section. D:

Why not? There's no NDA associated with the PTS shard, is there?

[Archived Post]

So with Enrage changed, what are those hybrid range and melee users gonna use as their form?

[Archived Post]

That depends on whether they're more focused on melee or ranged, and whether they have any knocks.

If they're more melee than ranged then they can use FotT, or if they also have some knocks Enrage, and if they're more ranged than melee then they can use Concentration.

Even the half-strength damage boost for the wrong attack type is pretty good, and if you're using an offensive passive you probably won't notice the difference anyway.

I still say the Enrage toggle needs an advantage that lets you gain stacks by being hit.

[Archived Post]

Aura of Radiant Protection:
Aura of Radiant Protection:
•The self portion of this passive has been increased by 25% while in Hybrid.
•The ally portion of this passive has been reduced by 15% while in Hybrid.
•The self portion of this passive has been reduced by 20% while in Support.
•The ally portion of this passive has been increased by 50% while in Support.
•This passive is now functions differently depending on your selected role (either Hybrid or Support).
.

Why decrease AoRP's effects on self while in support role? :confused: With the added 50% increase to allies, even keeping AoRP the same for self will make the allies portion higher. Just keep the self portion for support role the same as it is on live pls. :(

[Archived Post]

Why decrease AoRP's effects on self while in support role? :confused: With the added 50% increase to allies, even keeping AoRP the same for self will make the allies portion higher. Just keep the self portion for support role the same as it is on live pls. :(
With +defense gear, because of diminishing returns/cryptic math, you will hardly notice a difference. On top of that everyone and hes pet pikachu can have dodge.

Idea is, that "aura" is support, for others. You want alot for yourself, use hybrid mode (it got a boost), you want your friends to be tough, go into support mode. 4 others will be bigger, the "price" is that one is smaller. But as I said, not by much. Switch specializations, don't use "old" gear and theres little difference.

Its on PTS. Its not final. Things (number, details) are changing like every couple of day.

[Archived Post]

With +defense gear, because of diminishing returns/cryptic math, you will hardly notice a difference. On top of that everyone and hes pet pikachu can have dodge.

Idea is, that "aura" is support, for others. You want alot for yourself, use hybrid mode (it got a boost), you want your friends to be tough, go into support mode. 4 others will be bigger, the "price" is that one is smaller. But as I said, not by much. Switch specializations, don't use "old" gear and theres little difference.

Its on PTS. Its not final. Things (number, details) are changing like every couple of day.

Well I already have + defense gear. As a matter of face, my old pvp gear has more defense (on primaries) than the new silver recognition primaries. Also, I have a Mind AT character, so I cannot change role. (I wouldn't want to anyway.) what I said was even if they kept AoRP the same as it is now on live for self use in support role, allies would still get a bigger advantage in support role because allies advantage is being increased by 50%.

Right now, I get like 64% resistance from AoRP myself. 20% of that would be 12.8% leaving 51%.

I already have the maxed specializations to increase defense,so I'm not sure how big or little the difference will be. I know that 12.8% is almost half the % I get from gear.. Maybe it is not as big a deal as I am thinking it might be, but if it is..

Hopefully this is either changed or something else is added to compensate for the loss of defense.

(side note- I really think the maxed sentry aura should give more than just a flat 6% resistance increase. Maybe Sentry Aura could scale with your primary stat or your secondary stats. Seems like it should anyway,(which would make it even more like a lesser version of AoRP) and it would help soften the blow if this change actually goes through as is.)

[Archived Post]

All of the AT's effected by the Aura changes are being reviewed. The system guys are well aware of the impact of the changes they are making.

[Archived Post]

Do Cryptic realizes that they have to modify the archetypes with new forms?
Otherwise they may lose players.
Including paying silvers who were willing to spend money in C-Store.

I am particularly interested if they are going to give Concentration to ranged archetypes, namely to the Soldier and the Marksman.
Because if not, these archetypes will become worthless in comparison to the FF toons - which will have the ability to choose from a new forms.

[Archived Post]

Do Cryptic realizes that they have to modify the archetypes with new forms?
Yes, and they're working on it. Just don't expect them to add a form to every AT and you'll be fine.

They may add a form to every AT, but keep your expectations low and you may get pleasantly surprised.

[Archived Post]

You shouldn't be posting this stuff outside the PTS section. D:
Can you provide a link to this rule please.

[Archived Post]

snippy

Well, it's not on live yet, so there's still time. :)