Delta_Strider

Masterminds aren't really Tanks, or at least they weren't designed with that in mind in the beginning. I imagine they're the result of realizing Controllers pre-Pet Army nerf did a lot of damage, so they went, "Hey, lets make a whole AT built around that!"

I glanced at that chart and immediately had 'nam flashbacks of Spreadsheet data entry...

Also: Bodyguard is typically factored as hitpoints since it doesn't actually reduce damage, but simply breaks it up.

A lot of it comes down to playstyle.

Traps are a tad expensive, but since you're not picking up personal attacks it's just a matter of not burning out spamming Web Grenade, which shouldn't be hard.

I like using Mu Mastery's +Res(Though I never managed to fit the Immob in my build) since I already have high defense from Force Shield + FFG, but I don't get soft-cap that way(Which was never a huge priority to me since I typically farm enemies which eat through it).

I've never played with Hoarfrost's HP boost in combination with Triage Beacon, but I rarely take enough damage to need faster regen between Res/Def and Bodyguard.

Customization is a low priority compared to giving some standardization in terms of powerset performance and fixing the A.I.

Unfortunately most people disagree with the former(That goes for all ATs)

That build looks fine to me.

Edit: Account dies again tomorrow, so pose any Bot/Traps questions you might have before then!

That's okay, you don't need a dead weight, one-trick-pony AT on your team when you have a Mastermind anyways.



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We need the old school oh-my-god-this-game-is-making-me-vomit Sonic vfx returned before we give it to Masterminds. After all, what better Master over the Minds than one that gives their opposition migraines?

Now that I think about it, the Robots started getting very belligerent after Architect was introduced.

Issue 14: My Greatest Nemesis!

Bots/Traps Synergy:

• Protector Bots summon Seeker Drones, which stack with your own Seeker Drones for good crowd control and Damage De-buff.
• Protector Bots buff the other Robots and yourself wth Force Shields, which stack with Force Field Generator for increased Defense.
• Caltrops and Poison Trap are an effective way to keep mobs together for the Assault Bot's Incendiary Swarm Missiles, as well as other AoEs used by your Robots.
• Assault Bot's Plasma Blast Regen De-buff stacks with Poison Trap's De-buff.
• Triage Beacon is a notable survivability boost to yourself, which can help when fighting AVs/Heroes.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

I'd recommend Boxing instead of Kick strictly from a, "Kick is terrible by comparison" standpoint.

Provoke will go a long way in keeping your henchmen alive. I recommend replacing Fistful of Arrows with it.

That's about all I got to offer. If your goal is soft-cap, there's really very little to offer in the way of alterations while still maintaining that goal.

My suggestion for your first Mastermind would be not Robotics or Thugs, and not Dark Miasma. This may seem like a silly thing to say, considering the high praise all three of those come at, but my personal opinion is that you'll become either incredibly bored with Masterminds after playing one of those combos, or highly frustrated by all the other Mastermind sets, as my experience with people who typically start off with one of those powersets.

Personally, I always thought that Envenom and Weaken should be AoEs, which would improve the set in a big way.

But people always start in with this "Formula" bull crap and try to buzzshackle the idea.

It should just get a damage effect, like a DoT version of Trip Mine. It would at least make it fulfill a gap in Poison's abilities.

On a guess, it used to behave like /Trap's Poison Trap at some point. Basically for every enemy within range, a separate cloud is generated, thus those low proc chances are multiplied for every additional target adjacent to it. Course, they eventually limited it to only one cloud.

Though really, even if those proc chances were higher, the biggest problem is that those effects just aren't that useful.

This issue sounds like the bug associated with going in and out of missions and ending up with the bugged out henchmen you can't control and such.

It's a common/known issue, or at least I assume so since it's been around since they introduced henchmen traveling with you in and out of missions.

True, there are Henchmen who don't specifically deal damage, though the question seemed more directed in asking if there was a situation were "End > Dam" in slots where you would go for damage.

On that note, even henchmen that do not exist only to deal damage can benefit from slotting for it. Mix-matching HOs/IOs to get optimal damage along with desired secondary effects is a good way to go; I know that the Protector Bots add a lot of damage to Robotics if slotted for it. This is also true for the Demon Prince, and it's also important to note as the Tier 3, they're the least effected by the Purple Patch.

1.) Dam/End IOs will only reduce the end cost of henchmen powers which also do damage.

2.) Enforcer's Leadership is an Auto power, so no they won't toggle it off.

3.) Slotting End reduction will be beneficial if you're engaging in long PvP fights.

4.) Most henchmen lose their Endurance issues with 20-30% EndRedux.

5.) I would have to say no. Henchmen really aren't all that smart about DPS anyways, but a slotting situation where they're not doing optimal damage seems like a losing situation.

Necro/Pain is fairly effective for close-range. Basically if you do all your fighting in point-blank range next to your henchmen the AoE healing and your Regen boosting Aura will go a long way in boosting their survivability. Thugs/Poison can be pretty effective as well, but typically isn't so up close. You basically have to rely on Empty Clips, N. Breath, and your (P/A)PP for AoE contributions, which can still be pretty effective against groups. Either way, I'd highly recommend Provoke so you can keep the heat off your henchmen and control the mob to a certain extent.

I don't think you'll have much luck with that, personally. My alternative advice would be to just go with a resistance toggle and DN/FS for mitigation. That's easily 40% resistance before BG, and roughly -30% ToHit for your enemies. Those figures don't count the additional de-buffs to damage from DN along with the soft-control from FS.

/Rad would pretty much make Poison useless in a lot of ways, since Rad amounts to most of the same effects but in AoE form.

/Kinetics would have been cool back before Henchmen became unaffected by recharge modifiers. It wouldn't be all that bad, it's just that Speed Boost on the Henchmen wouldn't really do anything. Ninjas/Kin would be hilarious all the same.

/Sonic would be pretty fun, albeit a bit boring since in a lot of ways it's just FF with Resistance, though things like Liquefy, Disruption Field, and Sonic Siphon make it a little less dull.

Obviously what we need is Proliferation of sets that don't fall in to the existing categories: Bring on Control secondaries for Masterminds! And Melee Primaries for Blasters! And Ranged Primaries for Stalkers!

The problem with Mercs is they do crappy damage, have lousy controls, and only have so-so resistances. They don't do -anything- definitively better than anyone else, on top of being outclassed in nearly every way by either Thugs or Robotics.

Starting with survivability, Robotics get more effective healing from the Protector Bots, and mitigation via defense and resistance, Mercs get the anemic Medic and resistance to two damage types. For control, Robotics get better control through stuns by the Protector Bots(They also deal damage with those same AoEs that stun- Shocking concept I know)along with knockdowns by all the Robot Henchmen, Mercs get some very long cooldown AoE Controls that deal little to no damage, along with a ST melee Stun and a ST ranged Immob, all of which is solely from the Spec Ops. I don't think I need to even get in to damage, and if I did I wouldn't need to say the words "L____l D____e" to sell a case on why Mercs lose in that category as well.

Personally, even in all their flaws, I like Mercs. I also like my Robotics as well, because they're both fun to play. It's just that Mercs got the short end of the stick in that they were a rushed, underpowered set thrown in at the nearing end of CoV Closed Beta that never really had their issues addressed. But really, It does always come back to the fact they under-perform as Masterminds, which is a shaky basis for balancing considering how completely godless they are compared to other ATs.

It's not that I wouldn't want them to get buffed, it's just that we've been asking for that for years now, and even when we were compiling lists of suggestions and fixes, I don't think there was ever even a case of any Dev or Mods making eye contact with said lists.

I think I got a little off topic, but to get back on topic: You won't regret a Merc MM unless you get completely frustrated and "Raaaage!"ed like myself and other forum-goers at the lack of attention given to them.

Robot/Traps: Summon Seeker Drones far above the mob, so they won't die before their animation is over. I then run into the mob to drop a combination of Poison Trap and Caltrops, while positioning my henchmen a distance away to start firing, then after that it's mostly just Provoke spam so they leave my robots alone.

Ninja/Storm: Push the mob into a wall with Hurricane and Gale, or corner pull with Snow Storm. Once the mob is effectively herded together, then engage to get the maximum potential out of the AoEs available(Oni Breath/Rain, Jounin Caltrops, Lightning Storm, etc.).

Merc/TA: Depending on the mob, I might corner pull to herd them up, then Glue Arrow, Disruption Arrow, Acid Arrow, and Poison Gas Arrow, along with Provoke spam. More substantial mobs I might throw in an Oil Slick Arrow and an M30 Grenade, with some proper positioning so not to scatter the mob.

Thugs/Psn: This character uses Oppressive Gloom, Provoke, Neurotoxic Breath, and Nox. Gas to dominate a large mob while the henchmen tear it apart. I typically pitch in Empty Clips for the knockdown, along with Envenom/Weaken on larger threats.

To sum up: I do my leading front an center in the fray, face to face with the enemy.