The Go Go Gadget Guide to Everything Gadgets

Omg PUG life...

Here is what I added in the Mental thread about Power Over Time changes. I'm not posting the CC changes considering there is a possibility they will be changed. Gadgets also has different kinds of CC type compared to mental and more utility tools.

Info on Pot Innate and troll with higher Vit. Also instant power heal supercharges like Bastion. I think Backflip from acro will be similar. I'll know when i test it.

Right now I'm going back and forth with study breaks to check some things out. I haven't made a youtube video discussing the changes mostly because there will be no footage from test server. I can only record on PS.

Vit & Power will be the stat the Battery aspect will focus on. Power for Self Heal Regen ticks and Vit for the INnate PoT tick (I'm waiting for confirmation on vit for PoT otherwise I have to wait until end game content is on test so I can heavily spec into each stat for my own confirmation). Gadgets PoT might work the same if Power healing is kept the same among the Controller powersets as is tradition.

To be honest controlling-wise this looks underwhelming so far. Power healing isn't improved or made more interesting apart from the brute force two PoT rotation requirement. Of course this needs to be considered in group context, maybe with everyone having a self power heal Controllers won't be forced to carry PoT, recharge and power heal SC at all times like it is now.

It's pretty basic and boring now. Power healing through PoT has been dumbed down soo much lol. Anyone can play controller now and be a great battery healer. Strict focus on that aspect of the role won't be something many will look to one person for info for like now because, and I mean this, it is stupid straight forward. The Double Ticking and the PoT syncing technique are completely gone. Long PoT cycles and awareness to them and also aggressive reaction to PoT syncing is what created a skill gap with Battery trolls. The only interesting part now in terms of power healing is the focus with 2 controllers. Awareness to the PoT cycle of the other troll is what Controllers will need and that isn't hard at all. Just look at green bolt presence or have power cool down synced with other troll. there's also knowing other trolls innate pot ticks.

I've written down and played with different set ups and approaches. Obviously with quick weapon combos and/or supercharge regen option, you'll be able to keep a PoT supercharge up and can cycle them with the other controller. Depending on rate of supercharge regen for both trolls, you can keep a PoT super up a majority of the time. There's way more I can add on the battery aspect that I came up with but i don't want to write an essay.

Thing is, i can see PoT power being used. The insta not so much especially with PoT supercharge on & players taking the self power regen option. They can opt to not use it though which is a different approach relying on weapon combos and/or supercharge and just rely on our pot. sooo much more to add but...

If players have gone the offensive route with Controlling in the past, pets, consumables, powers and weapon precision spec, those will work now. Some better than others. Stat spec and powers focus will be the idea. It's interesting stuff for a tester but currently the cool downs and limiting abilities on test are turn off.

I don't really see where controlling is supposed to go. On the one hand power healing seems dumbed down but on the other hand debuffs seem to be crap still (didn't get to verify that) and even worse because of the longer cooldowns and short duration. It's easy to say that now trolls will just duo everything, alternate PoT/SC and have resources left to do some damage or whatever, but that's giving a lot of credit to the community.
Sure, DPS could spec into Might and Power as suggested... but we know there will be some achiever league running with Might maxed spammer DPS and a Vita/Power maxed solo troll spamming recharges like no tomorrow, and chances are the average community will as always take that as a standard because it fits past experiences.
I can't imagine yet that the average group will accept a new meta with duo trolls acting as secondary DPS, especially since without a Controller stance Dom buff supposedly any other role could apply the occasional CC in the rare case when it's needed. Although maybe they'll just set Dom thresholds as high as to require people to actively spec into Dom which may be acceptable. It's hard to judge these changes without a proper endgame context.

Just to clarify, a solo Controller won't be able to spam power dump. There is currently a several second cooldown on it. Also, Controllers currently aren't receiving a Dom buff at the moment.

I'm not really sure what the vision for Controllers is supposed to be. Several of the CC powers have long cooldowns and unimpressive CC durations. The longest stun I saw was the Invisibility Sleep power.

So the cooldown on both got increased but PoT duration got decreased. But can a solo troll hold up a full raid group by using a Supercharge Generator + Supercharged head mod to achieve maximum SC uptime, assuming every other group member uses their own Self Power Heal but does not spec for Power?

That's what I'm wondering too. The CC removal doesn't concern me much yet since there was some power creep on support roles as well over the years when all those big aoe stuns were added for trolls. As long as they reduce CC for everyone that might not hit Controllers especially hard.
What does concern me about it is that since Controllers don't gain extra Dom for just being in troll stance, in theory other roles could CC and not take a Controller at all except for power. I'm not yet seeing how these changes benefit Controllers and how they will promote support over DPS, but again I have yet to test in an endgame situation to see how everything works out.
Hard to see the big picture for Controllers here.

I don't have any answers for your questions. I'm not aware of anyone that has been able to raid yet on Test under the Revamp system.

I would be hesitant to draw any conclusions based on what people are reporting. Everyone literally started at level 1 on Saturday. No one has the proper gear play a tier Controller, the Skill Points to spec appropriately, or any mods. Everyone posting their thoughts on Controlling is doing it in unmodded DPS gear.

I know what my experiences have been like in trying to dps/troll the at-level alerts and T1 alerts. Playing in DPS gear, my power contributions to the team were extremely meager while trying to play Controller.

Question to everyone testing. With the new POT mechanic, how will the elite gear affect this? Just asking because that, to me, is the best class to play with the elite gear. I know everyone has just started, but if it breaks elite gear, why continue the grind?

Yo.

I don't know if we can read what's on the vendor console that has it. They'll probably change how it works. Or they'll simplify that too so that it automatically registers a power to start PoT once the other trolls pot expired. They'll probably have something when end game content is on test.

They'll most likely change the CC since that has alot of negative feedback. I've only seen a few actually complain about the new PoT system so I'm not sure they'll change much there. I mentioned how simple it is but I plan on adding more detailed info on the feel & numbers for power out once we're able to actually get higher stats for Controller (the mods, sp, and gear). I don't like the small tick creep up direction of power. It's burst amounts that were always ideal for tough situations. The creep up is more for a weapon focus game or easier content.

The rest is just talk. Like you said we need endgame experience on test for this.
I'm thinking that with the supercharge generation, specific fast weapon combos (i think BR to MA still works), and the head mod, POT supercharges will be superior to the instant power heal only when used in conjunction with regular pot. I'm not dismissing the instant power heal completely yet though especially in more mechanics based or harder hitting content. That'll limit 4 power healing or power healing related slots already which is what we're used to on live. So far it's definitely still power healing.

If players are constantly dry even with the max might approach they'll have to resort to additional power routes. I wonder about supply drops changes. How they are cycled, along with other power healing tools like trinkets and power supers cycles, insta power heals, and the health on bosses/mechanics would play a factor in how long a team can power might based dps. In very short fights they'll get away with it. In prolonged fights there is a chance they'll run into dry spots. Depends on a few things.

The damage route for troll is also there but I can see DPS and trolls taking that max out approach you mentioned but might have to carry a hybrid damage troll in there. With 2 trolls you have a constant PoT cycle. The third troll would spam instant power heal when available and use power supercharge for a 3 troll power supercharge cycle technique while focusing on damage (perhaps weapon damage with precision). I see a set up like that working depending on supercharge rate and tool changes in the future. Of course I'm just talking from info and past experiences that relate to this. It'd be funny to see 2 might maxed dps with strict power use and the rest 3 or 4 controllers (2 or 3 battery & 1 or 2 offense troll).

@TheDark

PoT has been simplified, but its been made a hell of a lot more inconvenient, with the increased cooldown and reduced PoT cycle. The way the new Controlling system forces a second Controller is also not good, and will create resentment from people forced to PuG, because they are in an inactive league, or are only able to log on at weird hours (off peak hours) due to their work schedule / family schedule, and have to try to coordinate with a second Controller who does not respond to either Voice Chat or typed Group Chat.

Also, isn't Psychic Empowerment bugged atm? Currently, it returns power to oneself, whether it be in Controller or DPS role. Unable to test, but I think even in DPS role, Psychic Empowerment will give power dump to the group too, just like in Controller role.

Its hard to give a overall perspective on Controlling with the bugged Psychic Empowerment.

Also, I highly HIGHLY HIGHLY disagree with the new Supercharge generator philosophy. Its not needed because, no one ever really argued for increased Supercharge regeneration ever, but now Supercharge regen will be part of the new meta, whether it be for vastly increased DPS / Heals / Power Heal / Survivability. If Supercharge regen stays, everything will be balanced around Supercharges. It will increase the amount of time needed to balance everything. Its highly HIGHLY HIGHLY UNNECESSARY.

Psychic Empowerment being a bug is just a claim. It was not confirmed that it is a bug. That was one of the first few things I noticed but because of everything being made so plain I suspect it's intended. Even if it is a bug, you can still get a clear perspective on what it will do. Factor in cool down and you'll realize it'll be something that will need to be correctly cast during spams.

Suppose the instant power heal goes to the 3 least powered members still, and it is a bug. That means the Controller casting Empowerment is the 3rd player. You can still get an idea of what will happen if that's fixed. Just redistribute the numbers. It's as if you applied the current Instant power heal formula from live and just did minor alterations. If it is intended, it's similar. I'll be able to get the exact number of players it hits next time I get a chance to go on test server. There aren't complete fundamental changes to the Instant Power heal, so it's not like we're going into uncharted lands.

For your first paragraph, people are aware of the alterations the PoT changes will do to game play. I'm not in favor at all of the simplified version of PoT. Not just because of the shorter Pot cycle, and cool down but it's just that it's overall lame. What skill will you develop from it? 2 controllers finally being needed is ok even though I prefer solo but it's just the fact burst power healing with POt is gone among other tricks being eliminated. It will literally be boring once the casting of PoT with your controller partner becomes automatic. You won't actually even need to keep it up the entire time as second troll if power management levels by the individual players are good during specific parts of a short fight. That includes how well PoT supercharges supplement power. This is something that will be seen among other avenues.

The supercharge approach will definitively be something considered by Controllers for power healing. As for damage, I'm assuming the same in terms of it being the main approach. But I'm waiting for the sparring targets to go on test server so I can do base numbers on the supercharges for damage. By doing that I can get an idea of damage and d.p.s. compared to other routes. The other thing is damage registration on them compared to burst combos from weapons and powers. If someone is damage chasing on the card, it's going to be a quick burst combo for weak adds that is favorable over a supercharge that does damage over time. Even there it depends on the time per tick on the damage of the super. If I remember right, I think when I used the mental supercharge leveing up with the dots on it, it had a rapid DoT.

But Psychic Empowerment returning power in DPS role? I did not test this but Psychic Empowerment probably gives power dump to group even when in DPS role. Its also a free cast in DPS role. Not doubting the intention, but the need and whether it should be allowed. It should not.

Just do not think that this new Supercharge regen is necessary because supercharge regen has never been an issue. There would be a round of Supercharge balancing.

There is enough DPS / Heal / Power / Tank survivability balancing without having to balance Supercharges also and homogenize them.

On live, the instant power heal also returns power to a specific number of group members in Damage role. What varies is the Vitalization amount. Remember damage role gear does not carry the same amount of Vitalization controller gear does. So once we're at end game content level, you will likely see the returns on power from the Instant Power heal in Damage role with Damage role gear to be very low. Comparing to what they have done with power healing in the past and this change, it could be intended.

Are you positive it's a free cast power in Damage role? Were you told this? It costs power in Controller role. So if it's free in damage role then it's definitely something I would bet is not intended. I wonder if the power bar was completely empty (gray) when the testing of EMpowerment in Damage role was done. It's a cheap power.

It was probably the new lead mechanics designers idea. I'm willing to observe and test it on test server but if the numbers and feedback aim it in the one and only direction then it's something that's not new to anyone. The devs would just be repeating the past.

Yes, power dumps still give power to the group while in DPS role on live, but power dumps on live do not return power to self. Ever. But with this change of power dump giving power to self (if intended), its a change, another variable. Its like a free cast.

In an alert, you could run 3 dps + 1 heal. The power dumps from the DPS + the roleless buff would keep the healer well fed on power. In a raid, you could potentially still run 1 troller only, in a 4-1-1-2 setup (4 dps, 1 tank, 1 troll, 2 heals). And everyone would only request for Controller powersets for DPS and all healer / tank powersets DPS would be in the dumpster. Even with 2 trollers, controller powerset DPS could potentially become the preferred choice.

Testing
I do not have a Mental character on live, just Gadgets. Did the same basic test on both live and Test server.

In DPS and Controller role, on live, just solo without being in a group, cast a few powers to bring down power bar. Then cast Defib. Power bar starts going down. No power incoming to self from the cast of Defib. Power bar goes dry because out-of-combat power regen cannot keep up with constant casting of Defib.

In DPS and Controller role, on Test, just solo without being in a group, cast a few powers to bring down power bar. Then cast Psychic Empowerment:
1. In Dps role, Psychic Empowerment gives power back to self. Character is a level 18/19 (cannot remember exactly). Average of 90. Range of 89-94. Power bar goes back up slowly because of out-of-combat power regen combined with the power incoming from Psychic Empowerment.

2. In Controller role, Psychic Empowerment gives power back to self. Character is a level 18/19 (cannot remember exactly). Average of 120+. Power bar goes back up slowly because of out-of-combat power regen combined with the power incoming from Psychic Empowerment.

Power dumps also do not give power back to the caster in Controller role on live. The free cast goes for both roles on test. It's not 100% certain it is not intended when they operate the same on both test and live but just vary in quantity in a stat. I'm not supporting one or the other. I'm just stating patterns.

They did emphasize a variation in group composition for content. The DPS running a Instant Power heal approach isn't anything new though. D3vi1 and a few players, including myself, ran a hybrid build with a mix of Damage and Controller role gear but carried Defib for instant power heals due to the surplus in power you can generate with the old power regen AM mechanic in the past. It's the same principal now but with altered mechanics. These can be absorbed as negative or positive depending on players approach.

Instant power heals don't restore power over time on live or test. On live, yes there's no power returned to the caster. On test, power is restored to the caster from the instant power heal but it's not a power over time. The out of combat regen is something independent of the Instant power heals. Also on live, power is restored overall in burst type versus out of combat regen & weapon regen which is small ticks. On test, it's all ticks over time except for the IPH. You also need to consider the possibility that power costs of the Instant power heals on live and test are different.


Controller role gains a 35% increase in Vitalization iirc. In order to test whether the power healing from damage role would match, or just be significant, you really need a complete set of damage role gear and compare that with a controller in full controller role gear. Mods and SP spec should also be factored. Right now with the low amount of stats, and assuming you're wearing damage role gear, it cannot be accurately tested as to whether power healing in damage role is closely equal to Controller power heals assuming the DPS is also speccing for full offense. With multiple DPS specced offense and just carrying IPH normally, that might prove effective depending on power restored from stats.

@TheDark
I think the reason to having less Dots and this PoT change could be a technical reason, and them changing it this way to make for easier balancing and code management ie the change where abilities now either add a PI "or” do increased damage with PI, where previously it was "and".

Its still not so bad, and I am not vehemently against having less Dots and a change to PoT, whatever the reason.

But the new Superchange generator philosophy? That, I am vehemently against, VERY AGAINST IT.

The common fear right now is that DPS will need the self PoT, SC generator, SC, and weapon buff making for an "AM 2.0". I think the concern is justified but according to the devs these are all meant to be options for different playstyles. I didn't get to play level 30 before they closed down testing again but I think we definitely need to consider them alternatives instead of a forced goodstuff loadout.
It's a new feeling since AM, and WM before it, forced us to min-max for a specific playstyle, but it is definitely something I think the game needed. Multiple ways to build your character or to combine different playstyles depending on your loadout and stat investment.

If it turns out that having all of those specific powers and playing a multi-talent character is the best way to go then the revamp failed its goal. But it would be great if we can invest in (for example) pure Might for higher SC damage with a SC generator and SC, or balanced Might/Power for a tray casting 1234 build with self PoT, or balanced Prec/Might for a WM/longer weapon combo PI build with weapon buff, or balanced Prec/Power for a clippy short weapon combo and power spam build, or any other combination of these together with viable iconics and movement powers.

The Qwardian Time Capsule contains "Energized" head mods. Here is the description for them:
"Returns 3% of your Power when you use Powersetower_Name. This effect can only occur once every 10 seconds."

I've seen Energized Photon Blast and Energized Paralyzing Dart so far.