SinergyX_EU

with /trap you dont have to worry about that. The set has alot alpha attacks, seeker drones, poison trap, calltrops, acid mortar. Added with grant invis you can send in a minion without probs and do a detonate. Rush in, poison trap, Lich does the fear and you spam tripmines. Soul extract and continue.

2 downsides,
mini-control, you need to move pets seperate to get better damage. (knights melee do awsome dmg).
the FFG doesnt always follow you close by, too often i run and get mezzed since the bubble is not following yet.

I got a 39 Necro/Trap, i love it.

If the Proc is a AoE, i would say zombies. Afaik Knights only have headsplitter has AoE (mini cone) while zombies got trowup and that range attack.

It is checked each time you do the attack, dispite you hit or miss. (unless its a debuff on mob, wich you need to hit).

My mercs all have achilles heal, the chance of res debuff and it really doesnt trigger that often compared to my AR blaster, dispite 6 pets nonstop shooting -def powers.

Also depends on the 'avarage' tactics of engaging battle. A PuG that nicely wait till tanker moved in, or pulled a full group a granite has no lesser 'agro problems' then inv. (no, granite with 3slots swift isnt really that slow)

A granite can choose agro no mather where mobs are, an Inv has to agro mobs and at the same time check his status. Only melee range provide defence, so he cant just run all over the place. SL is never a problem for both, once elemental/nrg kicks in a inv has to start paying attention during agro-managing, where a Granite (though slower) can continue fully focus on agro stuff.

Telemining ftw! (necro tier3 pet got fear too )

And Grant invis -> detonator -> extract soul again ftw!

And Poison trap -> Knights beheaders also ftw!

You never played a Granite isit?

Let alone one with a kin in the team

Doesnt change the fact i wouldnt spend my inf for mainly +sprint bonus, neither the fact the build doesnt have granite

I would rather pick Teleport then to spend alot to get 70ish runspeed bonus. You move faster, but you stil cannot jump or get up ledges. The chance you accidently pres CJ/Sprint etc is far bigger then focusing on setbonus +sprint. Cave and some TF are really annoying if you are forced to walk around.

I learned TP self since lvl14, to master it when i reach Granite. This way you can focus on other set bonus's such as recovery, regen but more important recharge.

Outside that, even with a non-granite build, i would still take the power, if its only for a panic button. (Try battlemaiden without a backup from the team with that set).

Leadership tactics/assault/def.one?
Stimulant works nice if they get mezzed, it gives a nice protection. I use it on my mercs, great against rikti

But first pick would imho be leadership.

As granite you wont have to worry about your own health, thus you can focus more on team survival and agro management.

Non-granite, all you have is rooted as mezz-protection, means no jump/huge -slow. 1 wrong move (turn sprint/CJ/etc on) and you're without. Specialy against high mezzers (CoT, malta, rikti) its end of the line.

I do play outside granite, having the SL and nrg def shields. You basicly hold back all majority of attacks against you, nice if you wanna solo some.

Was my reason likewise.. sadly cool looking dont go well with being effective

If Ninja or Necro get in melee range, their damage is really great. Necro gets self heals (minor but still) and ninja you can keep 1 infinitive 'hidden' (nonstop crit damage).

At all costs, dont pick Mercs The few debuffs they have recharge very long, the few good shots they have are hardly used.

+31.3% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
Afaik, granite has -60ish% recharge, not -30%.

It was the on-paper maths. My recharge bonus is abit higher, but never fussed to calculate it

60+70+90 (bonus, self, IO)
450 / (1+2.20) = 140sec recharge with a 120sec duration. 20sec is nearly enough for me.

Also the tier 1 pets can be slotted with the -resist proc (achilles heel?). Funny though, while 3 pets shooting nonstop with -def, it hardly triggers that often.

So after that one, i gave up on the procs. Added that very often the 'debuff' icon shows up on my character, rather then the mob.

Note, i have both procs on my AR blaster, they trigger really often.

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You need to know what it is you are looking from a stone tank to achieve what your after.

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Bingo

My only goal when Recipes came out, reach 60% recharge bonus to nulify the penalty. Outside granite i reach nearly perma Hasten en perma EE. But even before i always been a perma-granite, combo of powers, mudpots and taunt to keep all mobs looking at me.

Get some end-reds or recipe IO's in your attacks, Stone melee is quite end-heavy.

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TA might do, its the Merc part where it goes wrong.

Up till today, i feel really sad of ever taking Mercs. Luckely my Necro and Bots make up for it.

[/ QUOTE ]mercs arn't that bad as people beleive, it just 2nd MM power is the key behind them i would say either traps or dark is there true power, other power well it alot of work as it either solo target heal from poision and holds, alot of running with TA and shields up with FF.

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It shouldnt mather, like all other MM pets they have 'perform' decent with any set. The pets itself perform 10 times lousier then all other pets, by looking at powers alone. Take LRM missile, snipe, stealth, the stupid medic, animations (they dont have the normalisation yet), the nonstop redraw, the insane pathetic DoT (instant > DoT), the retarted AI (melee runs), the useless Serum power (they are 100% ranged, melee they can only braw), 99% SL damage (flame trower is the only non-SL), the upgrade casting times (try necro, see the difference) and mez-support (stun and choke.. apart from a lucky knockback shot).

The only benefit they might have, they are all ranged.. dispite i still lack to see the benefit there tbh.

(reference, 43 Merc, 39 Necro, 36 bots and 29 ninja).

Granite will never be a clicky

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Side note, Syn's an excellent stone tank and I feel comfortable letting rip with my blaster when teamed with him. But he's not the average player

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Syn as in Sin? Then im flatttered

Its nice to know your strength, but its more important to know your weakness. Know your enemy, face your weakness.

TA might do, its the Merc part where it goes wrong.

Up till today, i feel really sad of ever taking Mercs. Luckely my Necro and Bots make up for it.

I dont think they can think up anything better tbh, every penalty they think up will have a negative issue to any other set. Recovery is deadly for some sets, HP regen affects only WP, resist is for many dangerous, although acc might be a viable option but easy to overcome (FA, yellows etc).

Pure tanking? Granite armor wins. Psionic? Stone wins. SL? Outside Granite, Inv wins bigtime. Defence? Even battle. Resist? Stone. Inv get a nice acc boost with a auto-hit taunt aura, stone gets a nearly unkillable status. Inv can reach perma-DP, Stone needs huge +rech to reach it. They both reach about the same mag-prot (rooted+granite, invinc+unstoppable). Stone wins with perception (psi-def armor gives perc) but can be countered iirc with FA (also give perc?).

Stone Granite for many looks ugly, Inv looks very 'heroic' shiny. Unstoppable is a wonderful yet dangerous power, Granite is a -rech/-dmg/-slow downside.

Personal? Perma-Granite any time.

And so, after 3 months.. nothing have changed
Merc/TA is wont cut it against EB's, retarted medic, massively bugged attacks and a idiotic commando that should learn what a blaster is.

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Merc/TA - None.. lotsa debt, lotsa
Bot/psn - few EB's, support on AV
Necro/trap - 3 EB and helped on 1 AV.
ninja/dark - did warwitch or whats her name?

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My best fun, necro/trap. Floor filled with tripmines, all traps and lure the EB. Oh he goes down sooo fast

Not sure if they do, i only had tough/weave pre-granite (im perma).

Though tough is overkill on GA, Granite and stoneskin already puts you at cap resist SL. Weave does stack with Granite's defence, so that would be a choice.