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Rebirth Year 6 Anniversary Event is now LIVE!  Active Release: Ri6

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#1
General / Re: Attempt: Developing Web Mi...
Last post by Redlynne - Jul 16, 2025, 06:19 PM
I'm kind of tempted to see if it's possible to "feed Mids' Reborn into Grok 4" and ask Grok 4 to refactor everything into something that can work in a web browser instead.

Only problem is, I have neither an X account (nor do I want one) nor a subscription (of any variety) to Grok.
#2
Live Bug Reporting / Re: Pilot Day Job is AWOL
Last post by Redlynne - Jul 16, 2025, 03:53 PM
Quote from: EDekar on Jul 16, 2025, 02:36 PMHowever... just a little ways away there's a row of parked Black Helicopters that are not interactable.  Those, for whatever reason, do in fact give you the pop up for Pilot.

Wait.
No ...
It can't be ...



The "black helicopter" transports used for zone transits are a different (albeit, related) asset from the ones that are just "parked" and not intended to be interacted with.

What if ...
What if ...

The two assets have a Day Job flag that is ... inverted ... somehow.



The "black helicopters" that you interact with SHOULD have the Pilot Day Job flag associated with them, but DON'T.

The "black helicopters" that you don't interact with SHOULDN'T have the Pilot Day Job flag associated with them, but they DO.

Could it really be that simple?
A tiny little "off by 1" inversion of a database entry associated with these two world assets?



Now I'm kind of wondering if the Arachnos Flyer veteran reward copy of these assets that can be installed inside your SG Base has the Pilot Day Job flag turned ON for it as well (when it shouldn't).
#3
Live Bug Reporting / Re: Pilot Day Job is AWOL
Last post by Redlynne - Jul 16, 2025, 02:39 PM
Quote from: EDekar on Jul 16, 2025, 02:36 PMSince I can't seem to figure out embeds, let's see if a direct link works: https://imgur.com/a/6JKyuu8

You do this:

#4
Live Bug Reporting / Re: Pilot Day Job is AWOL
Last post by EDekar - Jul 16, 2025, 02:36 PM
I have good news for you: I ran into this very same problem and found one place where it did, in fact, count.  In Mercy Island when you take the Black Helicopter you'll notice that it doesn't have the Pilot badge.  However... just a little ways away there's a row of parked Black Helicopters that are not interactable.  Those, for whatever reason, do in fact give you the pop up for Pilot.

Since I can't seem to figure out embeds, let's see if a direct link works: https://imgur.com/a/6JKyuu8
#5
Live Bug Reporting / Pilot Day Job is AWOL
Last post by Redlynne - Jul 16, 2025, 12:50 PM
Pilot Badge

Mercy Island
Port Oakes
Cap au Diable
Sharkhead
Nerva Archipelago
St. Martial

NONE of these locations (verified in-game) have a volume/zone assigned to the Pilot Day Job (no buff icon, staying logged out beside Black Helicopters for a week+ does not earn a "hidden" badge).

The only thing that I can think of is that a Villain alignment via Tips+Morality mission are required before the Day Job can "unlock" for VEATs.
#6
Looking for Group / Re: WST Schedule 2025 - Curren...
Last post by FarmTank - Jun 29, 2025, 09:12 PM
WST SCHEDULE (7/07/2025 - 08/03/2025)

7/07: Faathim (44-50), Penelope Yin (20-25), Silver Mantis (20-25), Dr. Kahn (45-50)

7/14: Katie Hannon (30-34), Citadel (25-30), Tree of Thorns (34-43), ITF (35-50)

7/21: Sara Moore (40-50), Manticore (30-35), Tin Mage (50 w/ Alpha), Barracuda (45-50)

7/28: Moonfire (23-28), Numina (35-40), Lord Recluse (45-50), LGTF (45-50)
#7
General / BindControl now has beta Rebir...
Last post by emerson - Jun 29, 2025, 12:39 AM
BindControl is a keybind and popmenu helper application that's been under development on and off since the mid and later years of live.  It had been Homecoming-focused for the past few years, but recently I was prompted to add Rebirth support, which now exists in a usable beta form.

The whole thing is a constant work-in-progress, the Rebirth support doubly so, but if you're curious or intrigued, check it out, and file bugs and feature requests on the Github issues page.

Hit up the github page for a much more thorough description of BindControl:

https://github.com/emersonrp/bindcontrol



#8
Tech Issues / Missing mouse cursor with mous...
Last post by Ruiz Aw - Jun 24, 2025, 10:21 PM
When I first installed the game I ran into a problem where there was no mouse cursor.  Trying to create a character was nightmare trying to use just the keyboard.

I did a bit os experimentation and found that it worked fine after turning off mouse trails in Windows.
#9
Player Help/Guides / Re: Interface slotting ... a W...
Last post by Redlynne - Jun 13, 2025, 02:26 PM
A question that I've been asking myself (now that I have more than one Level 50 participating in Incarnate Trials) is ... which Interface options are the "most friendly" with what other teammates and leaguemates have slotted?

One of the simplest bit of quick shorthand for stacking of Interface effects:
  • DoTs can stack to 8 from all sources.
  • All Other Effects can stack to 4 from all sources.
What this means in practice, is that ideally speaking ... you want a fair spread of the Interface slotting options in an Incarnate Trial league, so you don't have people "stepping on each other's toes" overwriting their Interface effects on $Targets.

So, for example ...
Let's say that everyone in a league has attack powers that have 2s animation times (to keep the math simple for this example thought) and attack chains using those powers that produce a "just in time" recharge behavior. How many people can attack the same $Target with the same Interface slotting WITHOUT overwriting each other's Interface effects (against Minions, Lieutenants, Bosses, Elite Bosses)?
Let's have a look, shall we? ::)
Interface options that deal DoTs have their names bolded.

  • Cognitive: 5-6 for Confuse (Core), 10-12 for Confuse (Radial) / 8+ for Psionic DoT (Core), 2-4 for Psionic DoT (Radial)
  • Degenerative: 1-2 for Max HP Debuff (Core), 4-5 for Max HP Debuff (Radial) / 8+ for Toxic DoT (Core), 2-4 for Toxic DoT (Radial)
  • Diamagnetic: 1 for ToHit Debuff (Core), 2 for ToHit Debuff (Radial) / 2 for Regeneration Debuff (Core), 1 for Regeneration Debuff (Radial)
  • Gravitic: 1 for Debuffs (Core), 1 for Debuffs (Radial)
  • Paralytic: 1-2 for Defense Debuff (Core), 4-5 for Defense Debuff (Radial) / 4-5 for Damage Debuff (Core), 1-2 for Damage Debuff (Radial)
  • Preemptive: 1-2 for END Recovery Debuff (Core), 4-5 for END Recovery Debuff (Radial) / 8+ for Energy DoT (Core), 2-4 for Energy DoT (Radial)
  • Reactive: 1-2 for Resistance Debuff (Core), 4-5 for Resistance Debuff (Radial) / 8+ for Fire DoT (Core), 2-4 for Fire DoT (Radial)
  • Spectral: 4-5 for Immobilize (Core), 4-5 for Immobilize (Radial) / 8+ for Negative Energy DoT (Core), 2-4 for Negative Energy DoT (Radial)

The reason why DoT (Core) options are given an 8+ count before multiple attackers reach the stack limit is because the DoTs "cancel on miss" ... and with a 25% (base) chance to proc, are highly unlikely to run for their full 4s duration of DoT ticks. Therefore, the DoTs inflicted by attackers are unlikely to stack to 8 (and stay there) for any significant length of time.

By contrast, DoT (Radial) options are not only more likely to proc, with a 75% (base) chance to proc, but they're also much more liable to run their full set of DoT ticks ... particularly with Genesis: Socket T4 slotted, increasing Interface proc chances by +10%.

With Genesis: Socket T4 slotted, you start looking at no more than 2-3 people with the same DoT (Radial) slotted before they start "stepping on each other's toes" and filling the DoT stack to the limit of 8 and then (in effect) "wasting damage output" relative to alternative choices.



Then there's the "Slot & Forget" factor, of wanting to have an Interface option that you don't need to keep changing for specific Incarnate Trials.

Cognitive: Confuse is basically "always useful" in all circumstances (in my estimation), except against PToD Resistant on Archvillains/Heroes and Giant Monsters. It keeps mobs clumped together (if they attack each other) and it redirects damage AWAY FROM the league (yourself and others). Even if you've got a lone Minion, land a Confuse on them and it's "as good as a hold" for getting them to "sit still" for you while you burn down their remaining HP.

Degenerative: Max HP Debuffs are "nice to have" but will tend to only make a difference on Elite Bosses and above ranks.

Diamagnetic: ToHit Debuffs amount to "defense via offense" (or words to that effect) and are extremely synergistic with defense protection oriented build strategies (think Force Fields, Time Manipulation, Super Reflexes, etc.). Regeneration Debuffs also fall into the "nice to have" category, and against Elite Bosses and above ranks can actually yield more "reduction in damage needing to be dealt" against Big Bags o' HP than a DoT would have been able to produce, so net win for Regeneration Debuffing vs DoTs against AV/GM ranked Foes.

Gravitic: The Debuffs (lots of them!) produced by Gravitic procs are all "nice to have" but aren't always going to be "helpful" to a league. Movement Speed Debuffing (Core) sounds great ... until you need to herd clumps of mobs into ambush points (UG and TPN Trials, in particular). Special Debuffing (Radial) sounds "weird" until you realize that it's kind of like an anti-Power Boost type effect (if you're familiar with Power Boost). Best when paired with Recharge Debuffing (Time Manipulation, Ice, et al.) and/or Endurance Drain (Electric et al.) build plans and playstyles.

Paralytic: Since this option includes no DoTs, I don't think anyone touches or bothers with this one. However, for builds with PBAoE Damage Auras/Patches (Icicles, Obliterating Death, et al.) being able to rapidly stack and maintain a 4x -5% Damage Debuff on Foes using the T4 Radial could have a lot of utility for Aggro Magnet builds (Tankers, et al.). Additionally the Defense Debuff AND Damage Debuff are likely to have pretty decent Threat Multiplier factors as debuffs, making it easier for Aggro Magnets to grab and hold onto aggro more easily than just "doing more damage" (per se) with a DoT. For AoE heavy builds, especially those that can chain multiple AoEs into a crowds of clumped up Foes, the Damage Debuff factor can make a lot of difference to the amount of incoming damage that a league is taking, especially if your powers also include Damage Debuffing natively in them (Kinetic Melee, Dual Pistols: Chemical Ammo, et al.). Additionally, Damage Debuffing synergizes directly with Resistance protection schemes, effectively yielding increased (net) Resistance beyond what hardcaps would suggest as nominally possible. Needing less animation time for healing means more animation time is available for attacking(!), which in turn could yield more damage "output" from individuals than they might have produced via DoT options.

Preemptive: The primary point and purpose of the END Recovery Debuff is to synergize with "Sapper" builds that drain endurance (often Electric).

Reactive: Resistance Debuffing sounds wonderful ... until you realize that it only stacks up to 4x -2.5% = -10% ... which isn't a lot. That's comparable to 1 leaguemate nearby having Leadership: Assault buffing everyone. While "nice to have" it isn't going to be much of a tide turner. If you think in terms of -2.5% Resistance in terms of damage equivalencies (or better yet, Interface DoT ticks):
  • 10.709/0.025*1 = 428.360 ... 13.3863/0.025*1 = 535.452
  • 10.709/0.025*2 = 856.720 ... 13.3863/0.025*2 = 1070.904
  • 10.709/0.025*3 = 1285.08 ... 13.3863/0.025*3 = 1606.356
  • 10.709/0.025*4 = 1713.44 ... 13.3863/0.025*4 = 2141.808
  • 10.709/0.025*5 = 2141.80 ... 13.3863/0.025*5 = 2677.260
In a league context, with LOTS & LOTS of damage pouring into a single target, a league will be able to exceed those threshold equivalencies ... but against a single target, you'll often need 3+ people concentrating their attacks into a single target in order to exceed those threshold equivalencies. Which is a long way of saying that while Resistance Debuffing may be "icing on the cake" it is by no means "the cake itself" (so to speak).

Spectral: Definitely the odd one out in this list, but it's also the only option that offers a Mez relevant to setting up Containment for Controllers. The problem is that Immobilization isn't always a desirable effect (herding mobs in UG, TPN) (pulling Nightmares out of Pink Puddles during MoM), but can be a desirable "feature" for ranged attackers who want to avoid melee.



Something that I haven't been able to test yet is if the Special Debuff effect will "magnify" the durations of Mez effects cast onto affected $Targets (by PCs and their Pets), essentially making them "vulnerable" to those Mez effects ... which can then interact(?) with the Confuse and Immobilize durations of Cognitive and Spectral Interface procs(?) to make them last longer, because Interface procs are "granted powers" that $Targets (involuntarily) cast upon themselves?

I think I can do some controlled testing on mobs in Night Ward to see if Gravitic (Radial) Special Debuff boosts Mez durations on $Targets. If it does, I can envision circumstances in which Controllers (and Dominators) will want to make use of Gravitic (Radial) to increase their lockdown capabilities.



However, the really big takeaway I want to glean from the above analysis is ... just how "team friendly" the Cognitive Interface option really is.

It's kind of like the age old question of Leadership: Maneuvers vs Fighting: Weave comparisons when it comes to softcapping Defenses.
When soloing, Weave is "better" on yield.
However, as soon as two people on a team have Maneuvers ... everyone on the team "gets Weave level" defense ... and if you're 1 of the 2 needed, it's a lot easier to find that +1 you need to meet (and beat!) the +Defense yield obtainable from Weave.

1x PC with Cognitive (Core) isn't going to be making that much of a difference, since usually only the Minions/Lieutenants will "notice" the Confuse effect (due to limited stacking potential). It'll happen "occasionally" but not often in clutch circumstances.

2x PCs with Cognitive (Core) attacking the same $Targets ... now the Confuse can start STACKING to useful degrees of Mag and start affecting Bosses!

3x PCs with Cognitive (Core) attacking the same $Targets ... the potential to Confuse Elite Bosses starts happening intermittently.

4+ PCs with Cognitive (Core) attacking the same $Targets ... things start getting "unfair" in a hurry, for your $Targets.

What makes this observation especially interesting is that Masterminds have Pets that will "inherit" the Mastermind's Interface slot when summoned (which includes zoning). So 1 Mastermind with 6 Pets can effectively "group attack" a single target as if they were Team-7 (if the Mastermind has personal attacks that deal damage) and were all slotted with the exact same Interface slot option. So a Mastermind who slots Cognitive, Diamagnetic, Gravitic, Paralytic or Spectral can deliver a "max stack" of Interface effects MUCH faster than a soloist of another archetype can.

I've had T4 Diamagnetic Core slotted on my Ninja/Time Mastermind build for a while, and it makes my ninjas SO MUCH MORE SURVIVABLE, because each ninja pet can inflict -5% ToHit Debuffs (max stack: 4) independently, vastly improving their survival rate in sustained combat, even if they scatter to attack their own $Targets.

Something I really ought to test is T4 Cognitive Core on a Mastermind, with the notion of using an "alpha strike barrage" of Mastermind+Pets to deliver 7 chances to proc Confuse in the opening salvo against a single $Target. With Genesis: T4 Socket boosting proc chances by +10% ... that means a 30% chance per hit of a Confuse proc of Mag 2 for 4.3s. With 7 ranged attacks incoming simultaneously, that ought to average to ~2 successful Confuse procs, enough to Confuse a Boss with the opening salvo.

Of course, in solo play, my preferred option is to attack from range with my Mastermind (to draw aggro) and then use Bodyguard Mode to help "soak" any incoming fire and prompt my Pets to retaliate (almost as one in response). Keeps things simpler in terms of "directing traffic" and has better outcomes when something unexpected happens (such as drawing too much aggro!).
#10
Defender / Re: (v2.0) Time/Dual Pistols
Last post by Redlynne - Jun 11, 2025, 07:42 PM
Well ... that's interesting ... 8)

So I had a little insight into Frankenslotting Knockback Powers for my Mercs/Nature Mastermind that I've been leveling. The power in question there was Slug (single target, 8s recharge, 1.67 animation) ... which yielded a proc chance of 32.23% per activation of the Slug power for a +100% Recharge for 5s proc from Force Feedback.

After implementing it on my Mastermind to verify the "yield" in-game (enhancement values, set bonuses, etc.), I thought ... what if I did the same thing to Executioner's Shot (single target, 10s recharge, 1.67 animation) in my Dual Pistols Defender builds?

Look what happens:

Level 28: Executioner's Shot
  • (A) Kinetic Crash - Knockback/Accuracy: Level 27+5
  • (29) Kinetic Crash - Knockback/Damage/Accuracy: Level 27+5
  • (29) Kinetic Crash - Knockback/Damage/Endurance: Level 27+5
  • (31) Kinetic Crash - Knockback/Damage: Level 27+5
  • (31) Force Feedback - Knockback/Damage/Endurance: Level 27+5
  • (31) Force Feedback - Chance of +Recharge (2.0 PPM): Level 21
    • 2.0 * ((10 / ( 1 + 0 / 100 )) + 1.67) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 0 * (11 * 0 + 540) / 40,000))) = 38.9%
  • Hybrid Assault Radial Embodiment (6.0 PPM)
    • 6.0 * ((10 / ( 1 + 0 / 100 )) + 1.67) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 0 * (11 * 0 + 540) / 40,000))) = 90% (Pre-clamp: 116.7%)
Kinetic Crash set bonuses
2: +4.5% Movement Speed
3: +2.25% S/L Resistance, +3.75% Mez Resistance
4: -3 Knockback Protection

Force Feedback set bonuses
2: +7.5% Movement Speed

In-game reported enhancement values:
  • Accuracy: 47.4%
  • Damage: 117.1% (with T4 Intuition Radial Alpha slotted)
  • Endurance: 42.1%
  • Knockback: 172.3%
  • Recharge: 0%

And, as an extra side bonus, because I could get knockback protection from a Kinetic Crash set bonus, that meant that I could swap out the slot in Hover from a Blessing of the Zephyr ...

Level 18: Hover
  • (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed: Level 25+5

So effectively, on net, I "didn't" lose the +7.5% Recharge 6-slot set bonus from Kinetic Crash. I only "exchanged" the +6% Regeneration 5-slot bonus in Kinetic Crash for a +7.5% Movement Speed 2-slot bonus in Force Feedback and a reduction in knockback protection (from -7 to -3), which shouldn't be that much of a loss in a build that has Hover.



With the previous/original slotting of Executioner's Shot (with Superior Winter's Bite, shown above), the 10s base recharge was being reduced down to 2.59174787s after factoring in Hasten, Chrono Shift and global set bonuses. That's shorter than the arcanatime of Pistols + Dual Wield, making for a very TIGHT single target attack rotation (if necessary).

However, with no recharge enhancement in the enhancement slots, Executioner's Shot (with 4-Kinetic Crash and 2-Force Feedback), 10s base recharge gets reduced down to (only) 3.44827586s after factoring in Hasten, Chrono Shift and global set bonuses. In other words, the recharge enhancement of Superior Winter's Bite was only yielding a 0.85652799s reduction in recharge time on Executioner's Shot in the overall context of my build plan (so nice to have, but not exactly necessary, all things considered). The arcanatime of Pistols + Dual Wield is 3.036s ... but Pistols (in this build) recharges fast enough to "wrap around" Dual Wield if necessary, so you can do a Pistols + Dual Wield + Pistols in 4.224s to give Executioner's Shot sufficient time to recharge.

So instead of doing a 321 321 321 rotation pattern (with Superior Winter's Bite), instead you'd be doing a 3121 3121 3121 rotation pattern (with 4-KC/2-FF) in Executioner's Shot against a single target that you don't want to let any "stray" AoE spill over from (such as against the Weapons Crates and Containment Vessels during the Gathering Phase of Lambda, since those objects "do not communicate aggro" to mobs around them when hit, but AoE attacks will "splash aggro" onto mobs and draw fire onto you).



Suppressive Fire has an animation time of 1.5s and an arcanatime of 1.716s.
5.25 - 1.5) = 3.75s of arcanatime remaining in which to activate subsequent powers able to take advantage of the Decimation Build Up proc (35.83% chance!), plus 2x Psionic Damage procs (90% chance, clamped), plus 2x Hold procs (89.58% and 90% chance clamped) ... so Suppressive Fire is a "pretty decent attack" to use as often as possible so as to "fish" for Decimation Build Up procs.
  • Pistols arcanatime: 1.188s
  • Dual Wield arcanatime: 1.848s
  • Empty Clips arcanatime: 1.848s
  • Bullet Rain arcanatime: 1.848s
  • Executioner's Shot arcanatime: 1.848s
  • Piercing Rounds arcanatime: 2.64s
  • Hail of Bullets arcanatime: 2.64s
Theoretically speaking ... you can animate 2x 1.848s attacks (take your pick) ... and consume only 1.848*2=3.696s of the 3.75s of Decimation Build Up duration available (after animating Suppressive Fire). Therefore, you can (theoretically) already have a longer duration 2.64s attack queued up at the end of the duration remaining in the Decimation Build Up and have the buff "apply" to the attack, even though the damage for it "lands" well after the buff duration has expired.

So you can pull off combo moves like this (Decimation Build Up proc duration effects apply to bolded powers):
Suppressive Fire -> Dual Wield/Empty Clips -> Executioner's Shot/Bullet Rain -> Piercing Rounds/Hail of Bullets = 8.052s total arcanatime, 6.336s Build Up buffed arcanatime

The downside to that pattern is that if your $Target "doesn't survive" while you're attacking and you need to switch targets mid-stream, you're probably going to lose the "overhang" at the end and not be able to have the Decimation Build Up buff apply to either Piercing Rounds or Hail of Bullets.

However, the "beauty" of the Piercing Rounds rotation shown above is that the 8s duration of the (standard ammo) Piercing Rounds Resistance Debuff will still be active on the $Target by the time you're able to hit the $Target a second time with Piercing Rounds, meaning you'll get a "bigger bite" out of the second rotation than you will from the first (all else being equal) due to the Resistance Debuffing. And of course, Resistance Debuffs "stack" on themselves (because of how the math works out), so things can get pretty heinous if you're allowed to sustain your Gun Fu attack rotation uninterrupted. 8)

Also, do I really need to point out how NICE it is to be able to pull off:
  • Suppressive Fire (procs Decimation Build Up)
  • Empty Clips
  • Bullet Rain
  • Hail of Bullets/Piercing Rounds
Being able to have +40% ToHit Buff and +80% Damage on 3x AoE attacks in a row can REALLY "amp up the damage throughput" onto Foes ... and Suppressive Fire recharges in 6.9s in this build, so ... lots of opportunities for "proc fishing" ... ;)

And even better yet is that if you're "shooting into traffic" with Empty Clips, the odds are rather high that you'll get a Force Feedback proc almost immediately. So with Hasten, Chrono Shift, global set bonuses AND the Force Feedback proc ... your Empty Clips will basically be recharged when Bullet Rain finishes animating.

Suppressive Fire -> Empty Clips -> Bullet Rain -> Empty Clips

This becomes a REAL possibility (almost a reliable one!) to exploit if you're ready to take advantage of it. 8)