f13.net

At my next level I'm choosing between swift and hurdle.

I'm collecting one of these solely so as to get access to Health and Stamina later on.

I already have fly, which allows me to move faster than swift and jump higher than hurdle.

So, which one sucks the least?

Swift.  That extra little umpf, especially in combination with sprint, lets you haul ass away from tight spots very quickly.  With swift, many fewer of my Oh-shit-I-shoulda-run-10-seconds-ago moments end with me getting away safely.

Not only that but you can socket up sprint and swift for a total of 12 slots with run speeds. If you don't take another movement power and can afford SO's when you get access to them you can probably run about the super speed if they are both filled (if not faster)

Also swift and hurdle stack with all other running and jumping skills respectivly.

So if you put six slots into swift and six into super speed you will be faster than any other superspeeder who does not match that. If you take hurdle it stacks with combat jump or superjump to give you extra height and distance.

They also cost no end so they are nice to have for escape when your endurance craps out.


Kaid

On the topic of character templates, don't you guys feel that putting so much into the pool powers and socketing them up like that gimps you a leetle beet? An honest question, because I'm going an entirely more conservative route based on some conversations during the beta.

I took Hover and Fly and that's going to be it for pool powers, which allows me to take every power in my Primary and Secondary. I've put all but a couple enh sockets onto my combat powers.

A double DO for end. cost reduction allows me to use Fly with very little end. drain, so it's fine as an escape power.

For my blaster, there are definately less-desired powers in my secondary powerset that I'd just as soon not have, in exchange for an extra movement power or something.  Have Hurdle, gonna buy combat jumping and super jump at 12 and 14, respectively.  The only thing that could really hold me up is my 2nd AE power opening up during one of those levels, and I'm not sure it will, it's near the bottom of the energy set.

As far as socketing, I kinda agree that I wouldn't wanna use 10 sockets on additional run speeds, rather put them in powers that kill stuff so I don't have to run.

--
Alkiera, a.k.a. Robot IX

I don't like thinking about this game in terms of gimp or uber.  Fun or not fun is more important, and unless you're taking a crazy mix of power pool powers it's probably more relevant.

It is important to guard against the standard MMOG mindset of optimum group makeup, DPS calculations, and maximum exp-per-hour gain.  As long as the player can have fun running faster than a speeding bullet, more power to him (or her).

Hehehe...I'll chalk this up to you not knowing me all that well.

Sky is nearly surgical in his examination of the most effective ways to kill shit.

Personally I grab a lot of power pool powers just for originality's sake.    If you're going for power, then maximizing Primary and (primary already covered) Secondary powers is the way to go.   The power scale goes Primary > Secondary > Power Pool.

Although, there is something to be said for certain combinations... Scrapper Regeneration with Stamina/Health means uber regeneration.   Hasten (Super Speed) is somewhat uber as well, decreasing the refresh time of powers by about 33% when active, especially if you've faster than usual endurance regeneration.

I grab pool powers because in most cases I will only ever use about 5 from each of my main power pools because well, there just aren't situations where I could see myself toggling on 6 secondary and using more than 4 attacks.

Once you get to high level with endurance reducers and rechargers, your shit regens so fast you just don't need all 10 abilities from the main power pool.

I'm with you schild.  The way I see it is that you should have 1 transport power pool, 1 utility power pool, and one pool to fool around in.

Thats about 12 skills that you will be getting, but since I don't take much from my secondary and primary pools, there's plenty of space to go around (I hope).

Right now I'm set up like this:

Transport Pool - Teleport (Teleport Friend, Teleport) 2 skills
Utility Pool - Fitness (Swift, Health, Stamina) 3 skills
Fun Pool - Speed (Haste) and maybe Jump or Stealth

this is on my fire blaster who is mainly AE skills.

Hmm, I'm sitting on super jump, combat jumping, flurry, super speed (proven to be quite useful in instanced missions where super jump isn't), and leadership. I'll be getting all of the leadership skills by 36.

The Nanites (Claw/Regen Scrapper) currently has Hasten, Super Speed, and COmbat Jumping.  Looking to get him also Stealth, Invisibility, Phase Shift, and Whirlwind.

Decided against picking up Fitness (Swift, Health, Stamina) on the grounds that eventually my secondary power regenerative abilities will probably be sufficient once I slot up six single origin enhancements.

From the beta boards apparently Health six slotted and scrapper regen 6 slotted is an Uber Combination.

On the pools vs primary vs secondary thing, the first thing I did was to count up how many abilities I don't need, and on storm/elec defender that means Gale (cone knockback, wtf? I have Hurricane MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA) Short circuit (pbaoe end drain), ball lightning (aoe dot), and probably Aim (most storm powers don't seem to require accuracy - they seem to auto-hit).

That gives me 6 pool slots. Two used on hover/fly. Three on getting swift, health, Stamina - because end use is a problem on this char, and I can't self heal. Then one more at level 30, where I haven't really decided what to get - maybe Maneuvers from leadership.

Yes, I've read that as well.  Although I don't know why I'd need Health and Regen six-slotted when I have Reconstruction and Instant Healing to provide me with giant health generation benefits already.

I think I'm mostly avoiding it out of a matter of creativity.   Whirlwind, Invisibility, and Phase Shift are unexpected choices.  

The secondary reason is that I've painted myself in a corner - if I picked up either Swift or Hurdle it would be a wasted power with my already having Super Speed and Combat Jumping.

I've contimplated, and passed up, the idea of restarting The Nanites as a Quills/Regen Scrapper.  Here was what I came up with in the Hero Planner:

This would be sweet character.    Quills is mucho more flexible than Claws, and a far less common choice with all the Wolverine fans out there.   Stamina + Quick Recovery assure I'll be getting as much endurance as possible, and I took Phase Shift instead of Revive because if I'm quick enough on the Phase Shift button *how can I die?*

I had changed my mind on doing this because I was thinking I'd get Swift and Hurdle and use those as my only travel powers, but really even massively enhanced I don't think they'd hold a candle to Super Speed and Combat Jumping -- but they do have the advantage in that they never need to be turned on and cost zero endurance.   It's not like I wouldn't have the time to level this bastard up between job contacts.   Arrgh, curse you chronic character indecision syndrome.

Another downside of this template is no defencive buffs until level 24 when I pick up Stealth.   My current character (Nanite 1.0) will get both Combat Jumping *and* Stealth which is a doubled Def buff.

I collected Swift this evening btw, pretty happy with it actually - if only for getting around the empty bits of a mission quickly and for conteracting the self slow effect of steamy mist.

I don't think it will be getting any additional enahncement slots mind you.

I was grouped with a level 18 quills scrapper last night in Faultline.  He was very cool, I tried a quills scrapper in Beta and didn't like it at low levels but this guy rocked.

You know that problem all scrappers have of not having any long range damage abilities?  Quills does not have that problem, he was basically a cross between a scrapper and a blaster.

Having someone who could melee and pull was quite usefull.

Apparently some other people are feeling the creativity burn as well.  Started up a broadsword scrapper and ran into no less than four sword-wieling scrappers in an hour of hunting around atlas park.  Three of them broadswords, which was unexpected considering katanas have the cool factor going for them.