Travel Powers

Overview

Travel Powers are any powers that modify a character's movement to such a degree that they can travel large distances quickly. There are seven Power Pool powers designed primarily for the purpose of personal movement. The four original ones are Fly, Super Jump, Super Speed, and Teleport. The three additional ones offer variations on the original four. Because you can only have four Power Pools, you may make a decision based on the utility of the other powers in the pool; for example, Super Jump might be more attractive than Mighty Leap because Combat Jumping provides excellent mobility in combat, a modicum of defence, and a convenient place to slot some unique IOs.

Other powers provide smaller or temporary travel benefits, or grant them to entire teams. Often the P2W Vendor can provide sufficient mobility to avoid or delay the use of a power pick for a travel power. Peacebringers come with an inherent flight power, and Warshades an inherent teleportation power.

The base speed of Flight, Super Jump, and Super Speed increases with Level. Teleportation "speed" (range) does not increase with level since its "speed" is tied to the enhancements slotted in it, set bonuses, and buffs applied to the character.

Most Travel Powers are subject to Suppression after making an action that affects an ally or enemy. Buffs that mimic travel powers (such as Speed Boost and Siphon Speed) are not subject to suppression. Teleport is not subject to suppression.

Travel Power Suppression functions differently in PvP, both in PvP Zones and in Arena matches. Teleport is affected by PvP Suppression. Buffs that mimic travel powers (such as Speed Boost and Siphon Speed) are not subject to PvP Travel Suppression.

Fly, Super Jump and Super Speed are subject to "hard caps", which means there is a threshold past which nothing will increase the speed at which you travel. Teleport has no hard cap due to its nature.

Travel Speeds

Each mode of travel has a different base and maximum speed value. Teleport has the fastest maximum potential, but is greatly dependent on the user's ability to quickly and accurately activate the power to achieve this potential. Running provides the highest movement cap, followed by jumping, and lastly, flying. However, with Afterburner slotted with at least 37% enhancement value, flying exceeds the jumping movement cap.

At any level, Fly can exceed the flight speed cap without being enhanced. However, since Afterburner raises the flight speed cap, enhancements in Fly can still be valuable. In the Combat Attributes Window, a given movement speed turns cyan when it is capped. Super Jump and Super Speed experience more difficulty in reaching their caps, especially at high levels, but ordinarily a second enhancement slot is not needed in either.

Notes:

• Blasters with Energy Manipulation may be able to achieve as much as 312 MPH with Teleport by using Boost Range and Range Enhancements.
• Swift adds 2.93mph fly speed at level 50; with 3 even-level SOs, it adds 5.71mph.
• Swift adds 5.01mph run speed at level 50; with 3 even-level SOs, it adds 9.77mph.
• Hurdle adds 17.83mph jump speed at level 50; with 3 even-level SOs, it adds 29.71mph.

See how Flight Speed is calculated on the Flight Powers article.

Travel Powers

The following is a listing of "formal" Travel Powers. They are all subject to Suppression unless noted otherwise.

Fly

Toggle. Self +Fly

Fly is simple to use, safe, and highly maneuverable, but expensive in Endurance and relatively slow.

Mystic Flight

Mystic Flight provides the same speed as Fly but improving it with Afterburner will use a second power pool. However, when in Mystic Flight, it offers an (unenhanceable) teleportation ability with the same base stats as Teleport.

Group Fly

Toggle. PBAoE Team +Fly -Acc

Group Fly is slower than Fly, but just as maneuverable. Teammates and Pets in the 'gaseous nebula' it creates will be granted flight. Allies remain flying for 10 seconds after leaving the nebula. Group Fly does not suffer Suppression; however, it applies a severe ToHit penalty.

Super Jump

Toggle. Self +Jump

Super Jump is simple to use, fast, fairly maneuverable, fairly safe, and cheap. Its biggest drawback is the danger of accidentally jumping into a crowd of enemies.

Mighty Leap

Mighty Leap offers the same performance as Super Jump, and while this power is active you're able to use Stomp, which will knockdown nearby foes. However, Combat Jumping is an extremely useful power in the Leaping Pool.

Super Speed

Toggle. Self +Speed

Super Speed is simple to use, cheap, fast, and safe, but is very much restricted by terrain since it offers no way to gain altitude. Jetpacks are readily available from the P2W Vendor, largely obviating this downside. It is tricky to travel at ground level because most of the obstacles are there. On the upside, Super Speed grants minor stealth versus computer-controlled enemies.

Speed of Sound

Speed of Sound has the same performance as Super Speed, and when it is active you may use Jaunt, an unenhanceable teleportation power with roughly 2/3 the base range of Teleport. However, the Speed Pool includes the Hasten power, which is extremely useful if you have strong powers with long cooldowns, and Speed of Sound does not grant the minor Stealth that Super Speed does.

Teleport

Ranged (Location), Self Teleport

Teleport is complex to use, can run you out of endurance, and somewhat risky. On the other hand, it is potentially the fastest of all Travel Powers, it is the least affected by debuffs and Status Effects, and it doesn't suffer Suppression.

Activating Teleport gives the player a targeting reticule similar to targeted AoE and Pet Summon powers. Each time the player teleports, they are given a four-second grace period at their new location where they can't fall (but also can't move, except by teleporting again). This grace period exists because the sudden change in location can cause a computer to pause for a few seconds while it redraws the screen.

Some powers, however, do affect this grace period. Firstly, the Tanker and Brute powers Granite Armor and Rooted (from Stone Armor) will cause the player to start falling immediately (presumably because of the heavy nature of the player). Secondly, characters who are flying can also start moving as soon as their screen is refreshed. And finally, characters with Super Jump, again available as Mayhem mission reward or temporary power, can Super Jump from the point teleported to if the leap is performed immediately.

A common bind for Teleport is /bind LSHIFT+LBUTTON "pow_exec_name Teleport". This combines activating the power and placing the reticule into a single step, activated by shift-left-clicking a location.

Team Teleport

Ranged (Location), Team Teleport

Team Teleport behaves just like Teleport, but with less range. Any teammate within range will teleport with the character to the same spot. This can be disorienting to teammates if they are not expecting it. Use with prudence.

P2W Vendor

The P2W Vendor offers a number of ways to improve movement speed. The Beast Run and Ninja Run powers are free, and improve running speed considerably and jumping ability somewhat. The Jump Pack and Steam Jump powers are free and offer superb vertical mobility for a short time. The basic Jetpack is cheap at 5,000 inf for half an hour. The Mission Transporter and Team Transport Power are expensive, but can reduce the need for a travel power by teleporting you directly to your mission.

Movement

These powers, though not actual travel powers, do aid in movement from place to place, and some can replace a travel power altogether. None of these powers are subject to Suppression.

Sprint

Toggle Self +Speed

Sprint is an inherent power that slightly boosts run speed.

Swift

Auto Self +Speed +Fly

Swift increases run speed comparable to Sprint and slightly boosts flight speed.

Hurdle

Auto Self +Jump

Hurdle increases jump height, as well as forward momentum while jumping. Hurdle stacked with Combat Jumping provides impressive transportation speed.

Hover

Toggle Self +Fly +Defense

Hover's base flight speed is somewhat faster than base running, approx. 21.3 mph. Slotting with 3 SO enhancements brings it to 28 MPH, approx same as unenhanced Sprint. By itself, Hover is more a tool for staying outside enemies' melee range than a Travel Power. However, when combined with significant flight speed-boosting powers like Siphon Speed and Accelerate Metabolism, it can be a viable combat movement power.

Combat Jumping

Toggle Self +Jump +Defense +Resist: Immobilize

Combat Jumping uses minimal Endurance and improves combat movement dramatically.

Siphon Speed

Ranged Click Self +Speed +Fly +Recharge FOE -Speed -Fly -Recharge

One application of Siphon Speed will grant a character Super Speed-like ground mobility. Siphon Speed also boosts flight speed and can easily cap Fly. Siphon Speed requires a hostile target and a successful attack against it in order to be used.

Speed Boost

Ranged Click Ally Targeted AoE +Speed +Recharge +Endurance recovery.

Speed Boost grants Super Speed-like movement, which can make placement and control of a character difficult for a player who isn't used to such speeds, or who receives them without warning. Fortunately, Null the Gull can turn off the bonus speed for players who find it uncomfortable. Like Siphon Speed, the +Speed bonus is not affected by Suppression and can allow swift movement from one foe to the next. Very dangerous when Brutes and Scrappers get into scrapperlock, as they can rocket across an entire room to attack, gaining aggro along the way.

Inertial Reduction

Click PBAoE Ally +Jump

Inertial Reduction effectively gives the character and those around Super Jump for 60 seconds. There is a noticeable degree of control in mid-air while jumping compared to Super Jump due to the effects of the power.

Accelerate Metabolism

Click PBAoE Ally +Damage, +Recharge, +Recovery, +Speed, +Fly

Accelerate Metabolism's speed boost is similar to Swift and Sprint speeds, yet this is still a noticeable increase to movement. With a base recharge of 7 minutes and a duration of only 2, it is not possible for a single character to stack multiple applications without serious extra +Recharge boosts from other characters. However, three or more separate characters with AM can give everyone Super Speed-velocity running and boost Hover to the speed of Fly.

Quickness, Lightning Reflexes, Mental Training

Auto Self +Speed, +Recharge

• Scrappers, Stalkers, and Brutes with the Super Reflexes power set can take Quickness.
• Brutes and Stalkers with Electric Armor can take a similar power, Lightning Reflexes.
• Arachnos Soldiers can take Mental Training from Training and Gadgets.
• Arachnos Widows who choose the path of a Night Widow can take Mental Training from Widow Teamwork.

All four powers boost run and flight speeds (among other things) about the same as Swift does. Combined with Swift and Sprint, they could eliminate the need for ground movement travel powers.

Suppression

Travel Power Suppression was implemented by the developers to combat a tactic known as jousting, which involves queuing an attack against a distant enemy and then traveling quickly past it. Due to various delays, the attack will not begin until the attacker is well past the target, potentially leaving him out of range of counterattacks.

To reduce jousting, activating most powers (particularly, those that affect hostile targets) triggers Suppression for 4 seconds. While Suppression is in effect, all speed bonuses from Super Speed disappear, as do all jumping speed and height bonuses from Super Jump. A Flying character remains flying, but his flight speed is reduced to approximately the same as Hover's base speed. Enhancements in the suppressed powers do not reduce Suppression's penalties. Movement speed buffs from other powers remain in effect.

External Links

• Movement Guide by TopDoc