Bookkeeper_Jay

Old thread is old, and useless post is useless.

Mercs would be the one set that would have the most minimal customization next to Thugs; Necromancery already has the ability to color the power of the Zombies, Grave Knights, and Lich.

1st off, no, we will not get reused NPCs from the game world.

2nd- The pets will not be able to fly. No Mastermind primary should have the inherit advantage of a travel power.

3rd- Female pets are unlikely, as the Pimp Factor is still in effect.

All things considered I'm thinking we'll see a mix of Fire, Ice, and Dark in this set.

I honestly think swashbucklers should be first, followed by grenadiers, and then last (but certainly not leadty) a Captain.

Warning: AE anon enjoys blue side -_-

BUT! I'm one of the rare red sidders, so hit me up if you ever need a team .

@Dreamlord Kuzuji

I said it's optional, I never said skip it or else.

Edit: I also said AV/Hero, not Boss. Just for calrification.

Hmmm, the only weakness this combo even has would probably be...I can't really think of any weaknesses, actually. ToHit resistant enemies might be a problem, but the debuffing amount you can do with Dark combined with Robo shields will basically allow for enough protection not to notice much else.

Against Developer content you will have no weaknesses (other than the usual issues MMs have: Scatter powers, Mass AoE, etc.), but in the MA you will encounter some enemies that will give your build a shaking, and good. Oh, but you know it's slightly endurance heavy from the Dark Miasma side of things.

Robotics/Dark is indeed a very powerful combo, and arguably one of the best available. As a Robotics Mastermind you must realize 1 thing: AoE is your speciality. Yes, Bots excel at all things Area.

Now let me get down to some more deciding factors of the combo.

Dark: Ah, Dark! Possibly the most powerful secondary available to us and even more so since Robots get stacking Force Shields. From dark you'll basically want everything other than these skippable powers: Howling Twilight, Petrifying Gaze, Black Hole. Why would I say skip Howling Twilight you say? I don't mean it's a must drop, I mean it's an up-to-you kind of power, especially if you solo but not against Archvillains. As for Petrifying Gaze...that is entirely up to you. Why? Because you 'can' take Gaze and stack it with a Patron Hold. It's very useful for tricky bosses. Black Hole is probably what many people are instantly saying is skippable, but I will disagree. Black Hole is your ultimate panic button, and I'm willing to bet someone out there would love 30 seconds of safety in a very hot situation.

Example: The team is having an easy time of it against a single mob, but oh no, someone deliberately (or accidentally in this case) pulled another mob over to them! Death is happily jogging along to overrun your team. BUT! You have Black Hole at your disposal, so that group just became a non-existant (quite literally) threat for 30 whole seconds.

Example 2: You're having a field day with the Elite Boss/Objective at hand! Oh, wait, you seem to notice some ambush dialogue in your chat box (if you have NPC dialogue enabled that is). The ambush(es) arrive on the scene and you're suddenly in over your head on this one. Quickly, you deicded to whip out Black Hole completely phasing the ambushers allowing you to go on with your objective/Elite Boss undisturbed for 30 seconds (or it is allowing you to escape/re-setup and rest).

Pretty standard with Robotics. Take all the pets, upgrades, etc. Oh, wait, one more thing! Repair is absolutely optional, or in this case an absolute waste.With Dark's insane healing abilities, stacked Force Shields, and ToHit debuffs there's very little needed room for a heal on a 2minute timer.

On to how these two sets co-exist.

Robo/Dark and you: So you've decided to become a Robotics/Dark Miasma Mastermind, eh? Good choice! You've just picked a combo that can't go wrong! Now let me get a little more into the mechanics of proper synergy.

Proper Synergy: Now, Tar Patch is a power you cannot go wrong with, literally. 30% resistance debuff and a hefty amount of slowing power. Good, right? Exactly. This is another perma'd power in the set with enhancements alone,a dn it's great for your Assault Bot at level 32. I'm going to assume you know how Robotics works and just jump right in to the main point: The movement reduction in Tar Patch is absolutely delicious when combined with the Assault Bot's Incendiary Missile Swarm. So, you must be wondering 'Is that the only synergy you're gonna tell me'? No, it's not. Dark functions so well with Robotics it's almost creepy, and this can be seen with the added defense from Force Shield, and the added ToHit debuffs from Dark Miasma, which can get pretty nasty once enhanced. Another synergy tip to remember, is that spamming your heal on much more powerful enemies (I.E. Archvillains or Heroes) is HIGHLY advised. Why exactly? Archvillains do not resist damage debuffs...AT ALL. So, quite literally, making sure your Protector Bots are healthy over your other pets in a hefty fight is vital. The Protector Bots-once fully upgraded-will provide about a 40% damage debuff on their own. Wow, big, right? Oh yes it is. Combine that 40% to the near 100% you and the Dark Servant are chugging out and you've got a neutered enemy!

More Synergy Tips: The Dark Servant is a great pet, right? Correct. The Dark Servant, or Fluffy as he is affectionately called, is a very powerful source of ToHit debuffing, able to keep an entire group in melee whiffing all day long, and all night strong. Fortunately your little friend is nearly perma out-of-the-box with hasten alone, and enhancements make sure your little friend is always prepared. Now this next synergy tip isn't just general information, it's actual executable information you can apply in-game.

Herding with Fluffy and Friends: Sometimes Dark works best when the enemies are bunched up together, and this is highly noticeable once you get Darkest Night, Fearsome Stare, and Tar Patch. Set your pets on Go To Passive (defensive is not advised as stray fire from an enemy while doing this will obviously ruin the synergy of this technique) behind a a corner, or in a small. With your choice of travel power available head up to the enemy mob and place Darkest Night on your target, perferably at a safe distance that will allow you time to retreat to your pets, and begin the run/jump/walk/teleport/flight back to your little mob of buddies. Now, it is highly imperative that you have not summoned Fluffy yet, as he will become useful once the mob reaches the pets. Once you see the reticle of the target approach your corner or small room you can either do A: Place Tar Patch, use Fearsome Stare, then summon Fluffy, or B: Drop Fluffy, use Fearsome Stare, and Drop Tar Patch (Note: Fearsome Stare is not necessary if you drop fluffy directly on the mob as he'll happily keep them blinded). This technique will allow you to, quite easily, mow down mobs that otherwise would have given you some problems had you rushed them.

That's all the information I'm likely to be providing currently, and I apologize if I treated you as if you knew nothing about either of the two sets if you already had.

So get out there and be the Master of the Mind I know you can be!

Edit: Ignore any idiotic statements I may have made obviously not reading the fact you are a D3, thank you.

Stealth Strike Execution anyone?

Think of it like an Assassin Strike in a sense. Your target has just been sniped, they're fearful, confused, and pretty pissed. BUT, there's a catch (there always is, right?), the Target has been hit with a slight damage reduction debuff and a mag 3 fear hold (the fear has a chance of affecting the entire mob with a mag 1 fear as well). IF executed while completely stealth or unnoticed by the target, then you will perform a Stealth Strike. No, a stealth strike would not be a critical-like attack, but it would take the enhanced damage of the snipe itself (not affected by BU+Aim), divide the damage in half and then apply it onto thye Snipe's own damage. Yes, enhancements will affect the Stealth Strike, but any outside or self-affecting damage buffs would not apply in the equation.

As for PvP the Blaster in question would have to be completely stealth in order to perform a Stealth Strike (except in PvP the Stealth Strike would not be affected by enhancements, thus causing the damage in question to be derived from the Snipe's base damage and yet still you would have to divide that damage in half).

It's a faulty idea, I know, so I decided to add one more thing to it: stealth suppression. Yes, once the target is fully aware of your presence you will be suppressed from stealth for about 10 seconds max (number in question to be changed based upon undecided factors) thus rendering your character vulnerable in most cases. The fear factor of the Stealth Strike is a little questionable even for me, so I'm open to any suggestions on this.

Just thought I'd give my input on it.

The TTP factor is still relevant.

I'd like to personally thank the NPCs for always keeping in shape. Everytime I see you run past me in hordes-or even waves-of people I know you're staying in shape. Such precision and endurance to be able to run in an organized crowd with flailing arms is truly a sight to behold. The way you flail your arms is almost astounding as the speed at which you sprint, amazing.

And every time I walk down the street dressed in my evil overcoat, you know immediately that it's time for your daily routine.

Keep up the good work!

-Department of Investigatory Health and Journalism in Paragon City.

Whoa, when did Candlestick get banned?

Eh, w/e.

Still can't believe the guy actually went on about DB/Regen in PvP.

Slightly humorous, with a side order of ignorance.

/signed

Too many blues...

Where's mah red buddies?