Berzerker_NA

I've been wanting to try a bots resistance intensive build, but I can't decide which resistance secondary to use.

Some things I'm wondering if I go /sonic:

1) - Since the pets rarely engage in melee, will Disruption Field be of any use to me? I'd hate to sink all that end into it and then have the enemies never stand close enough to get affected anyway.

2) - How well do the defender bots back me up on healing? Would it be worth taking Repair to augment my healing, or would medicine be sufficient?

If I go /Thermal:

1) - People say the bots do a fairly decent amount of -Regen on their own. Would that make it a waste for me to take Heat Exhaustion?

Mostly I'm just trying to weigh the two against each other. /Thermal can make for an awesome tankermind build with the new AOE defense proc (easy to get the pets' AOE defense up near softcap now.) But /Sonic would be just plain fun, and definitely higher damage. Anyone have any good advice? Has anyone tried either of these?

I have cool names reserved, whichever way I go.

Awesome guide. Ty!!!

Was worried I wouldn't be able to do this.

I haven't tried doing this since the updater was changed. However, I discovered this week that I had an old account with some paragon points on it, so I started a new character on it, and cashed them all and got the character some nice ATO's and about 300 Merits, but the character is level 2..... and I don't really want to play them up to level 10 so I can buy useful stuff with those merits. So I was thinking maybe I could run both accounts at once, and power level that character up to level 20 by having it team with a toon on my main account, so the merits would be worth something.

Anyway, I can't figure out a good way to make both accounts run simultaneously on the same computer. Maybe that's not supposed to be possible. However it would help me a lot.

Trouble for Therm is that Power Boost doesn't enhance +Resist, so your Thermal Shields are unaffected. Also it won't enhance +Damage, so while the +ToHit aspect of Forge is improved, the +Damage aspect is not.

I'm not sure if the -Regen in Heat Exhaustion gets a boost or not. The -Recovery certainly does, for what that matters.

Melt Armor's Def Debuff is improved, but it's -Resistance is not.


http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Mace_Mastery#Power_Boost

Maybe instead of wolves, the bottom tier should have been some kind of hyenna or dogs of different breeds, or maybe another type of cat smaller than a lion, just to break up the wolf.

Integrating big cats with wolves just feels kind of odd. It would make more sense to go one way or the other, or maybe make two sets out of it: one all wolves, and one all cats, thus getting the greatest bang for their buck on those art resources.

I want to try Beast/Traps, but if I used Detonator on them I'd feel like I was committing cruelty to animals. :-(

I'd say to go with Soul Mastery, just because the armor has the best combination of resistances, but it depends on what you're going for and what your play style is. Thugs/Thermal is pretty flexible that way.

Cold Mastery would be pretty awesome too.

Oooh. Nice idea, especially the teleport self part. Most of my MM's have that power so I can explain to myself in my MM's story where it is the pets are materializing from.

The real problem isn't whether it's tactically wise to forgo Forge in single player. I'm pretty sure I won't miss it with Mercs.

It's whether people will feel ok about it on teams. Is a /thermal with no Forge like a /FF with no shields, or is it a really optional buff? I like to do everything I can to make people want to team with me since.... you know.... I'm playing an MM and all.

I find the ninja set at least doubles in playability if you just skip Genin altogether. (Either that, or take them and never summon them - just use them as your proc mule.) I just take snapshot and slot all the procs I can to it. (It has quick recharge and high accuracy - a good combination for proc bonuses.)

This makes you slightly less powerful, but saves you the incessant mindless tedium of having to continually resummon the gimpiest pet in the game. When people say ninjas die a lot, I'm pretty sure that's the pet they're talking about. Jounin do ok even if your secondary isn't exceptionally defense oriented, but if it is defense oriented then they do amazingly. You hardly ever even have to resummon them on /ff.

As per Unclepeon's request, here is my build.

You're going to laugh. I'm going for a tankermind build, and I gave her two punching powers. This is my actual in game build of the character right now. She's level 28. Other than that the IO's are lower in level than shown, they are the ones she's using right now. Except in some places I put IO's where I'm really using DO's.

I'm having good luck using burst and grenade to taunt Mobs (instead of taking an actual taunt power), and then I like using Boxing and Air superiority to shut down the boss and deal a bit of damage.



Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Major Mercury: Level 49 Mutation Mastermind
Primary Power Set: Mercenaries
Secondary Power Set: Thermal Radiation
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fighting

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Soldiers -- BldM'dt-Acc/EndRdx(A), BldM'dt-Acc(3), LdyGrey-%Dam(3), Achilles-ResDeb%(5), Empty(5), Empty(7)
Level 1: Warmth -- Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx(A), Mrcl-EndRdx/Rchg(7), Mrcl-Heal/Rchg(9), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(9)
Level 2: Burst -- Salvo-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rng(A), LdyGrey-%Dam(11)
Level 4: Cauterize -- Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Mrcl-Heal/Rchg(11)
Level 6: Equip Mercenary -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 8: Super Speed -- EndRdx-I(A), Run-I(13)
Level 10: Grant Invisibility -- DefBuff-I(A), EndRdx-I(13)
Level 12: Spec Ops -- BldM'dt-Acc(A), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), BldM'dt-Acc/EndRdx(15), EdctM'r-PetDef(17), LdyGrey-%Dam(17), Achilles-ResDeb%(19)
Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I(A), EndRdx-I(19)
Level 16: Power of the Phoenix -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 18: M30 Grenade -- Det'tn-Acc/Dmg(A), FrcFbk-Rechg%(21), FrcFbk-Rchg/EndRdx(21)
Level 20: Thaw -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), S'fstPrt-ResKB(23), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(23), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(25)
Level 22: Boxing -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(25)
Level 24: Air Superiority -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(27)
Level 26: Commando -- SvgnRt-PetResDam(A), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(27)
Level 28: Plasma Shield -- TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Empty(29), Empty(29), Empty(31)
Level 30: [Empty]
Level 32: [Empty]
Level 35: [Empty]
Level 38: [Empty]
Level 41: [Empty]
Level 44: [Empty]
Level 47: [Empty]
Level 49: [Empty]
------------
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Supremacy
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run


The two unfilled slots on the bottom tier pet are actually filled by Command of the Mastermind def vs. AOE, and Damage/Accuracy procs. My version of Mids doesn't have those yet, so I left them out. Also I accidentally added 3 empty slots to Plasma Shield, but really I only have 1 slot on it so far.

Later on I want to take afterburner, and maybe Hasten (and.... just maybe if I have room take burnout as well.) Also I want to take Serum at some point.

Any good advice? So far all I've thought of is to use a GoTo command so my henchmen stand a little ways away from me before I taunt the mob. That way at least the first salvo of AOE's hits me and not them.

I decided to try tankerminding now that the new MM set is out, so I could get some use out of the def vs AOE proc, but my pets are nowhere near softcap even with it, and I've been having some trouble with enemies just decimating them out from under me, even after I get most of the aggro on me.

Would like to see a Pirates MM, to oppose the ninjas.

I should point out that I'm playing Mercs/Thermal. There are some pools I want to mix in so I've really got to hunt for good skipping powers. I'm tempted to even give up Melt Armor or Heat Exhaustion, but Forge is at the top of the list for now.

Basically I've got enough def debuffs to never worry about missing in single player, and the only pet who's worth buffing damage on is the Commando. It would be really nice to get the boost, though. Maybe I'll wait and take Forge when I'm pushing close to Level 50, so as to have it available for end game content.

It would also make them really OP. I can only imagine how much damage my pets would deal if they got to attack twice as often.

Petless MM = lots of pain.

I sometimes skip tier 1, but never tiers 2 and 3. That's like being a blaster with zero hp, and only 3 attacks.

It is too bad we can't put the set on our personal attacks, though. The only good reason I can think of to have recharge in the set.

I'm trying to talk myself into skipping it, but I've heard players say that they like it a lot. The MM version is +15% ToHit and +30% damage. It just doesn't seem like enough of a boost to get all drooly over, and it has no defense or resistance effects.

I've done a lot of thugs/ builds.

Thugs/FF -

Pro - Your henchmen are totally invincible (defense way above soft cap, so even def debuffing enemies are powerless to get them.)

Con- Nearly every boss you ever face will run in terror, requiring you to chase them. The soft capped defense falls apart if your thugs break formation so using an AOE immobilize on mobs is essential to survival.

Thugs/Dark -

Pro - Between toHit debuffs on enemies and Thugs' natural defenses, you can hit softcap, and the healing is nice.

Con - I tried it before I knew about BG mode..... so there might not be any cons.

Thugs/Thermal

Pro - Solid mix of resistance and defense. Also nice now that the shields will spam onto your gang war, and you can usually get Forge onto both Bruiser and Arsonist.

Con - Your guys are far from invincible.

Thugs/Pain

Pro - Lots and lots and lots of survivability.

Con - Boring as hell to play. I just plain got tired of my character and deleted her.

That's why they gave us bodyguard mode. It looks like you've done an awesome job of demonstrating the value of the "aggressive mode" strategy, because it is usually better to have the enemies shoot your pets instead of you, so you can just keep summoning more as they die. However... for the implacable, determined, foe, there is no substitute for BG mode.


If you don't already know, the way to enter BG mode is, open up the text on the "follow" command button. Change the word "Aggressive" to read "Defensive". Then whenever you hit that button, the pets enter a mode where all damage dealt to you the MM, will get divided evenly among your pets. So if you have 6 pets out, attacks directed at you personally only deal 1/7 their normal damage.

It's kind of hard to justify that mode to myself sometimes in terms of story..... like how am I sharing my pain with my henchmen? But I find ways to justify it. It's just too useful not to.

I find the Jounins tend to kill their target too quickly for the Achilles Heel proc to make much of a difference. I might give them the Lady Gray proc, though, just to add another damage type. (Negative).

When adding a damage proc, you've got to ask yourself whether a 20% (due to the proc firing 20% of the time and presumably doing as much damage as a small attack would have done) increase in overall damage is worth a slot. If instead, you could simply add another damage enhancement to bring your base damage up by 21% or more, then that would probably be a wiser option.

Arsonist is your big damage dealer, and 2 levels lower than you, so I would say not to skimp on ACC. I wouldn't want to play with less than 1.50 accuracy. I usually slot it into the high 1.70's or low 1.80's. You can get that with 3 parts of level 29 Blood Mandate set. It doesn't cost that much. I don't know what you plan to do with the extra slots, though.

I must agree with the OP. It makes me laugh that they put recharge into the MM set. Did the guy making that decision honestly not know that MM's don't benefit from Rech?

I'm happy with the proc, though. At least three of the parts of the set are worth slotting. I can fill in the rest with some other set, I guess.