Like the warning said.
I hate complaining about game changes. I really do. Change is supposed to be the nature of an MMO. I've been here since Issue 1. I was here for ED.
I've never felt that a change was so great that it'd force me to stop playing or enjoy the game any less. I've never felt the need to cry nerf and
let slip the dogs of doom.
But. The loss of Shocking Bolt might just do it.
If you've not heard yet, they're taking Shocking Bolt out of the Electric Mastery pool for Blasters, and replacing it with Conserve Power. I do not
like this. It might just ruin the game for me.
No, I'm serious. Let me explain. Is that an overreaction? Perhaps. But it was my favourite power on my Blaster, and absolutely critical to my playstyle. I
took great delight in being able to either constantly throw out hold/immob and light control powers, or do pure damage - making my Blaster great to solo, and
great in a team.
Let me make this clear. I have many characters whom I love to Roleplay. That's why I have so many alts.
But the hero I love most to play - as in, to just log in and treat CoH like a game and not just a glorified chatroom... was my 50 Blaster,
Glass Lass.
I say was.
I recognise that Blasters still have holds available in the Flame Mastery and Munitions Mastery lines. Neither of those will work for me. I hate redraw, so
Munitions is out - and either way, most importantly, neither Flame nor Munitions fit my character concept. And like many players, character concept is very
important to me.
And I think concept is important to many people. I'm sure everyone here will agree, but I think it's also true for the general player population. After
all, a selling point of this game is that ability to realise your creative vision.
I can't accept the argument that Shocking Bolt proved unpopular in datamining. I cannot accept that. The Hold-Blaster playstyle isn't that
uncommon, and most Electric Blasters I've seen liked to stack Tesla Cage and Shocking Bolt for the logical combination. I would imagine it's more that
the developers saw Conserve Power as popular, and wanted to put it in another pool. And they figured, well, Blasters already have a couple of hold
powers in other pools...
If that's their thinking...I can see it. Maybe. But I really, really, don't like it. Replacing an unpopular power with a popular one, sure. Replacing a
power that I'm certain many of us loved...
Well.
I've got a Blaster, here, who's my only hero to be IO'd and Hami'd. I've invested all my resources into Glass Lass. Come I13, if
this change goes live, I'm going to be missing a key power, and that really stings, since this is the ONE character I've bothered to equip like this.
Yes, you've probably heard me talk about IO'ing Syndesis or Space Mage, but that's just talk. Glass Lass is the only character for whom I actually
DID it. And let's be clear, I FINISHED her build. There is a LOT of effort and time here.
So when I13 comes, she's gonna be...a lot less fun. It isn't going to ruin her, not by any means. She's still got acceptable levels of control. But
it'll be less entertaining. Less fun.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do then. I'm not going anywhere for now; my subscription's good up to the end of the year. So I'll give it a
shot. Besides, I love you folks, and I love this community.
But if I can't find a new favourite hero to play, not just for concept and RP, but to play...I really don't know if this will do it
as a game, for me, anymore.
EDIT: Am I overstating my case? Possibly. Might I cool down later? Maybe. Am I pissed now? Yes.
-- Acyl
I hate complaining about game changes. I really do. Change is supposed to be the nature of an MMO. I've been here since Issue 1. I was here for ED.
I've never felt that a change was so great that it'd force me to stop playing or enjoy the game any less. I've never felt the need to cry nerf and
let slip the dogs of doom.
But. The loss of Shocking Bolt might just do it.
If you've not heard yet, they're taking Shocking Bolt out of the Electric Mastery pool for Blasters, and replacing it with Conserve Power. I do not
like this. It might just ruin the game for me.
No, I'm serious. Let me explain. Is that an overreaction? Perhaps. But it was my favourite power on my Blaster, and absolutely critical to my playstyle. I
took great delight in being able to either constantly throw out hold/immob and light control powers, or do pure damage - making my Blaster great to solo, and
great in a team.
Let me make this clear. I have many characters whom I love to Roleplay. That's why I have so many alts.
But the hero I love most to play - as in, to just log in and treat CoH like a game and not just a glorified chatroom... was my 50 Blaster,
Glass Lass.
I say was.
I recognise that Blasters still have holds available in the Flame Mastery and Munitions Mastery lines. Neither of those will work for me. I hate redraw, so
Munitions is out - and either way, most importantly, neither Flame nor Munitions fit my character concept. And like many players, character concept is very
important to me.
And I think concept is important to many people. I'm sure everyone here will agree, but I think it's also true for the general player population. After
all, a selling point of this game is that ability to realise your creative vision.
I can't accept the argument that Shocking Bolt proved unpopular in datamining. I cannot accept that. The Hold-Blaster playstyle isn't that
uncommon, and most Electric Blasters I've seen liked to stack Tesla Cage and Shocking Bolt for the logical combination. I would imagine it's more that
the developers saw Conserve Power as popular, and wanted to put it in another pool. And they figured, well, Blasters already have a couple of hold
powers in other pools...
If that's their thinking...I can see it. Maybe. But I really, really, don't like it. Replacing an unpopular power with a popular one, sure. Replacing a
power that I'm certain many of us loved...
Well.
I've got a Blaster, here, who's my only hero to be IO'd and Hami'd. I've invested all my resources into Glass Lass. Come I13, if
this change goes live, I'm going to be missing a key power, and that really stings, since this is the ONE character I've bothered to equip like this.
Yes, you've probably heard me talk about IO'ing Syndesis or Space Mage, but that's just talk. Glass Lass is the only character for whom I actually
DID it. And let's be clear, I FINISHED her build. There is a LOT of effort and time here.
So when I13 comes, she's gonna be...a lot less fun. It isn't going to ruin her, not by any means. She's still got acceptable levels of control. But
it'll be less entertaining. Less fun.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do then. I'm not going anywhere for now; my subscription's good up to the end of the year. So I'll give it a
shot. Besides, I love you folks, and I love this community.
But if I can't find a new favourite hero to play, not just for concept and RP, but to play...I really don't know if this will do it
as a game, for me, anymore.
EDIT: Am I overstating my case? Possibly. Might I cool down later? Maybe. Am I pissed now? Yes.
-- Acyl