OneWhoBinds

After taking a closer look at things, I'm pretty sure this combo may not be what I am looking for... see new thread...

I've mentioned this before, but I'll put it up here, too.

While I could see alternatives that I think would be more useful than the current form of DS, it really isn't bad as it is. It just needs a better visual effect, to make the shifted enemies stand out better.

Because personally? As someone who has teamed with a Grav/ controller often... I hate wasting my attacks on a shifted foe far more than waiting 30 seconds for him to be a viable target again. And I still can not see a noticable effect from the shift, at all.

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You know it would be very simple for them to fix defender damage, just reduce sonic blast's debuffs and increase base defender damage all around. Since nothing remotely like that has happened it can only be assumed the devs want defenders to have ultra crappy damage for anything that isn't sonic blast or the rain powers in Ice Blast.

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Well, if Going Rogue allows Corrupters to come blue side, I guess that may just happen indirectly.

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I suspect Defender number to drop dramatically after Corruptors are available Blue Side.

Maybe then the Devs will finally take a look at the AT...

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Good to know! I always thought it was duration and always wondered what it was good for. On the other hand, though - if Intangibility enhancements enhance Intangibility magnitude and Dimension Shift already affects bosses (it doesn't play its effect on bosses, but it most certainly affects them), what's the point in slotting those in it?

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EBs. Maybe some AVs. They might be able to shrug off the effect withough slotting its magnitude up.

It's ironic, I think, that the powers that could use such enhancement the most (and be the most useful by enhancing them), are the two powers that CAN'T slot Intangibility. The single-target versions got the shaft on that...

May I ask a serious question, in regards to those who say this is a nerf.

You say that Dominators were fine as is, and we just needed to learn to play them, correct?

Well, does your 'Learn to play them" necessitate building in enough recharge to achieve Permadom?

If so, forgive me for ignoring you, but I'll go right back to enjoying my new Dom. I really disliked that attitude, and being told that "The only good Dom is a Permadom" made the whole AT just unappealing to me. I want to enjoy my entire play experience, not just the very end of the game when I might finally be able to get that much recharge into my build.

Now? Now I don't need to Permadom to be effective. And I don't intend to build for it, either. Just because I actually can avoid it.

On the other hand, if your "Learn to play" did not involve Permadom... well, then I'm sorry. You found something worthwhile in the AT that most, including myself, were unwilling to even look for. I applaud your efforts, and hope these changes didn't turn the gem you found into paste...

You will want a pretty self-sufficient Primary... one that is pretty tough and requires little-to-no micromanagement.

In other words, Robots/ or Thugs/.

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I'd use the crap out of d-shift if it lasted 10 seconds, had an obvious visual and recharged in 30 seconds.

That would be very nice for the new uber npc's in MA that like to 1 shot squishies with buildup.

But at 30 seconds of intang it just lasts too long for most applications. imo of course.

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What if D-shift got changed to a lower duration (10 secs), lower recharge (30 secs), had a nice pulsing "Dimension Shifted" text over affected enemies like "Containment", AND had a significant debuff to affected enemies coming out of the intang. -Recovery, -Regen, -Mvment speed, -Def Res?

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Doesn't need to go that far. Just inflict a Knockdown on the targets once the shift ends. That works just fine as a signal to teammates that the DS is over.

Actually, I would suggest not enhancing the heal - from what I can tell, the more powerful their heal is, the less often they use it.

For an ideal HO build? 2 Enzyme, 2 Nucleolus, an Endoplasm and a Peroxisome. In addition to bankrupting your Inf, this should give you the equivalent of... 3 Def SOs, 2 End SOs, 3 Damage SOs, 3 Accuracy SOs and 2 Mez SOs.

Nothing to sneeze at, that. But your pocket book will hate you.

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My Merc/FF is a pretty effective toon. Since they're all ranged it's not hard to keep them in the bubble, and FF is good at keeping foes away. Course there's the bubbling everyone every 5 minutes (you don't HAVE to, but why wouldn't you?) which some people hate, but I'm used to it- having your pets be more durable means you don't have to rely on Bodyguard Mode so much, and can have more control over what your pets shoot.

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No.

I tried this combo once. I got to level 10, and deleted it because of how dull it was - the first and only time I've fallen asleep playing the game!

It may have become a workable set, if I had gotten to Repulsion Bomb and Force Bubble... but I couldn't.

I will never take another /Force Field Master Mind. I need to DO something when playing, not just sit and watch my pets do things.

I may go ahead and try /Trick Arrow... I've never really played that one before...

I'd agree with Dahjee, except I've seen it in play.

I've teamed off and on with a Grav/ Controller, who has this power. Objectively, I know that he uses it in the 'right' way - as an "ACK!" Panic Button, but I've hated it every time he uses it anyway, even knowing that.

This is not because of what the power does, but how the power fails at it.

The main issue is the lack of visible cues. I often waste a lot of time attacking Shifted foes because I can not tell by sight which Mobs have been affected. Depending on my character, I may have fired off an entire attack chain before I realize that my target is Shifted.

I would LOVE to see DS changed into something more intuitive - maybe a 'Superior Intangibility' self toggle, for example - but I'd settle for giving it a very noticeable visual aspect. Paint the effected targets blue or something! Just make it visible enough that it can be quickly noticed, and NOT mistaken for other Gravity powers!

I would also really like it if it did some damage or a Knockdown when the enemies shift back, but that would be gravy. Given a way to tell at a glance which targets are intangible, and I'd say the DS hate would drop considerably.

I thought the poison gas made more than one hit check? Which would mean that the -Regen only fades 10 seconds after they leave the gas, or it fades away (which takes 30 seconds.)

With hasten and 3 recharge, Poison Trap comes back in 34 seconds. Just enough time to set it again.

Is this correct? Can someone confirm this?

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well since /traps has a -res tool would Sonic/ be a good fit for it synergy wise?

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Sonic/ goes well with pretty much everything.

Okay, being an Altaholic... and something of a masochist, I've decided to roll up yet another Mastermind. This time, I will be revisiting Mercs, which I never got past 10 the first time around. (Not to do with the Mercs themselves - bad choice of a secondary...)

So... I'm trying to decide what would be a good compliment to Mercs. I already know /Force Fields is out (the aforementioned bad secondary - I fell asleep playing that one!)

I'd also rather avoid /Poison and /Traps, as I have one of each of those currently.

So... all that remains is /Dark Miasma, /Storm Summoning, /Pain Domination, and /Trick Arrow... how do each of these fit with Mercs?

Okay, so Energy is now a rather good single-target damage set, and people are still debating Psionic assault... and probably will be ad nauseum.

So... how are the OTHER Secondaries? Electricity, Fire, Ice and Thorns? I know all of them were tweaked a bit, and would like to hear opinions about them...

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But you are right, it *can* be weak in certain situations, and strong in others. I just wish they would replace Poison Trap with something more useful. I'd still place it as one of the better debufing secondaries for MMs.

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Actually, all it needs is a better effect. The Trap itself can remain, but a 10% End drain is worthless. Unless you can drain something to zero - and keep them there - sapping endurance is a waste of time. Which means that all this really is, is a way to possibly sleep hard targets, if you can get them into two at once.

Personally, since the sleep isn't likely to last long in any case (trigger happy pets...) just replacing the -End with a -Recharge would both make sense, and be much more useful.

There's a nasty AI bug that creeps up when NPCs - including MM pets - don't have a ranged attack. So some form or ranged attack will stay.

While it's not great for DPS, I would never make a Sonic Blast character without it.

In those situations where single-target DPS is really all that matters, you may want to ignore it, but otherwise? That's a very big hit in your arsenal.

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Definitely skip Detonator... Trip Mine I could see being useful against really powerful foes (depending on the primary - robots should stay at range and lure foes onto the minefield)...

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Robots DON'T stay at range and shoot, no matter how sensible it would be. Once engaged in a battle, they will move to what they think is a better position... even if (for some reason) that position is in melee range. (Why Protector Bots, Why?!)

I've found it much more effective to simply stay in Bodyguard mode and toe bomb things after my 'bots have their attention. Still, it's a flavor power for a Master Mind... don't feel too bad if you have to drop it.

Same with Detonator. Robots actually have an easier time with this power... they make a loud noise and flash some lights when they are low on health - having your nearly dead robot (even a battle droid) explode on your opponents is a better use for it then just letting it die.

Overall, though... you might go one or the other, but you probably don't want to take both.

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I happen to love Caltrops --- keeps the enemy from closing to mlee with me or the bots and keeps them at range.

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Agreed. I especially like it as it needs little slotting - the initial slot is usually good enough.

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I happen to hate Triage Beacon; sure, the bots are better about staying in place and attacking at range, but IMO triage beacon's immobility and the fact it's not a heal but a regen-booster really make it questionable. It's rare for me to stay in one place long enough to benefit from it (except, I suppose, on BIG fights but there aren't enough of those for me to spend a power choice on it).

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Triage Beacon is better for other player teammates, than for the bots themselves. It is better for reducing downtime and as a... well, beacon. It's a good way to mark a location visibly, that won't hinder any further plans.

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I'm not sure about Repair -- my Bots is Dark, so I don't NEED the heal so much, but even if I were traps Secondary and "only" had Aid Other... the Protector Bots ~usually~ do a pretty good job of healing. Not always, true, but every time I see a bot's health fall and start getting ready to heal somehow, BOOM, the Protector throws a heal.

Still, if I had a free power choice I'd probably get it just because it looks cool and there IS the chance the protector won't heal when I need it to. Repair (AFAIK) only works on YOUR bots, though, so it's less useful than, say, Aid Other that can be used on anyone (although Aid Other isn't a FULL heal, necessarily).

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Aid Other may not be a full heal, but it is a better choice in the long run. Take Aid Other, and - if you still have an extra power choice - take Triage Beacon over Repair.

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For a second I was going to put down Poison Trap but I was thinking of the POISON secondary's Poison Trap, which IS horrible. The traps version is -great- and definitely worth getting.

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Not as great as it was, but the -regen still makes it worthwhile. Be sure to maximize its recharge... against really tough things, you will be dropping one of these every time it comes up!

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Only other power I can see skipping would be Seeker Drones --- perhaps I'm not using them properly or in the chaos of combat I don't realize what effect they are really having, but I haven't been OMFGWOW impressed with them.

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Seekers have some nice debuffs... but nothing special. Their real purpose... is as an Alpha eater. Enemies can target the drones themselves - so summon them just outside of the enemies aggro range. The Seeker(/s) will launch themselves, and the enemies will waste their alpha on the seekers!

It's unlikely that the enemies will destroy the seekers before they detonate, but either way, you - and your bots - are spared that initial attack. I recommend putting in at least 1 Range enhancement into Seekers... that will give you some breathing room to summon them from without getting the enemies aggro yourself.

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Just want to see some general discussion and your thoughts.

How about fixing the current bugs that plague the game before the release of I15. How about the chat bug, mish end bug, freeze bug and about 5 or 6 of the ae bugs that still persistently plaque us before shoving another issue with all it's bugs down our throats. I have crashed more times today then ever before and it's starting to get irritating. 8 gigs of ram and two 2.6ghz processors with two more to spare aren't the problem so don't blame my pc either. Since I14's ticket nerf (and even from i14 itself) the game has so many bugs and things that are not being fixed properly that's it's a pain in the [censored] now.

And low and behold soon I15 may hit us with even more bugs because it's being pushed out for competition with champions. Please don't do it devs! no more bugs. Please fix what is already a pain to everyone. NO one likes the ae bug where peeps can't get back in a mish if a toon quits gameplay without quiting ae mish and ae team first. The chat is so annoying. game freezes for no reason when leaving a mish or anytime. Everyone has these issue so pls fix em before plaguing us with even more from a new issue.

Ok I feel better. So should I15 be released without these things being fixed or No? What are your thoughts?

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Okay... either you are explaining things poorly, or I've never experienced these bugs.

My only recurring issue with the game are all from my end (need a better processor and connection.)

I DO know how hard and time consuming it can be to track down a bug once its worked its way into the code. I also know unlikely it is that the Devs can spend that much time and effort when they have deadlines and pressure for new content - especially in light of Champions coming out this September (as of now), and DC's being released next year.

Repairing annoyance level bugs is just not going to be a priority.

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widdershins and biff are why i set out to make the ultimate av/boss killing machine - and after many chars run through those missions i settled on a thugs/traps. although really nearly anything with /traps will work provided you can keep the poisoin gas trap cloud perma and your primary can keep a nonstop attack chain going. bots will pause...frequently.

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Do you mean that I (as a bots/traps) will need to work in all my personal attacks to take on these EBs/AVs? Or that I just can't do it alone?

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Also, the devs stated that the reason they gave Defenders such a horrible and almost completely useless inherent was because they thought that Defenders were already the most balanced AT. They didn't want to mess with that, so they didn't get a noticeable inherent.

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When did they say that?

I ask, because these days, it seems to me that Scrappers are the most balanced.

Defenders may be internally balanced, but are under performing overall.

Admittedly, this is my personal observation based on solo play - where the Defender is designed to be weak. But since I choose CoX because it was a solo-friendly MMORPG, I do not feel this is an invalid benchmark.

You know, I had a sudden thought.

I like Miladys_Knight's suggestion, a lot. It simply makes more sense than the current system. But there's a big issue with it.

Toggles.

A lot of the Buff/Debuff sets involve toggle powers. How would those work in a power-based buff? Per activation? Like a proc, activating once every 10 seconds? Or would they just be ignored in the entire process?

Darn it... it' such a good idea, but I'm suddenly rather certain its unworkable too...

It was more useful when the cost of upgrading pets was lower. Then, sacrificing one pet for some AoE damage was more worth it. Especially for the suicidal pets - Might as well make a pet determined to die go in a spectacular manner.

Now? The cost associated with upgrading one pet is prohibitive. And since the only way you get more damage than the Trip mine is by sacrificing your boss pet... well, the only positive I can say about Detonator... is that at least it isn't Time Bomb.

...gee, you don't want much, do you?

Sounds like maybe you should look hard at a Peacebringer.

Or a Dominator... although I might suggest waiting until I15 goes live in that case, so as to not have to readjust how you play.

As a Dominator... try Plant or Mind control, and Ice or Thorns for Assault. Maybe Energy, too, after the I15 changes...

Actually, I sort of like the self-effecting intagibility toggle for Dimensional Shift. Only, it doesn't need to be a PBAoE... just a self intagnibility toggle. One with a quick cast time, large End cost, and no set durration.

This would allow the Grav controller to act as an Alpha Eater (As above,), or use the power for a superior panic button, without much issue of griefing.

It still leaves Gravity without reasonable AoE mitigation until 26, but that would give it a suprior self mitigation power that I could see all kinds of benifits of...