Brachaesnethar

I thought that everyone was dancing when Clark 'vanished'... not paying attention to him.

The WB network that carries Smallville --- or perhaps it was just my local Comcast or something --- locked up during a commercial (at a loud buzzing part of the commercial, too) so I missed the first bit of Clark in the future. Presumably Lois told him about the glasses at that time since she referenced them later on (thinking he had just forgotten to wear them). QUITE vexing, as that segment was the one I most looked forward to seeing. I'll have to see if I can snag it online or in a repeat on TV.

I could kick myself, but I missed the first eight minutes or so. For some reason, I thought it came on at MIDNIGHT... but on a lark, I swapped over around 11:37pm and BOOM, there was Orpheus and Eros-Billy and Thanatos-White.

LOVED the interaction with Dr. Mrs. The Monarch Girlfriend (whatever she calls herself now-a-days)... and Henchman 21.

Nice to see him finally step up and make a move (and, although alcohol may be to blame, Dr. Girlfriend seemed to reciprocate). I fear, though, what this may mean for the character(s). Could Henchman 21 and Dr. Girlfriend depose the Monarch and kick him out? Would the Monarch take -action- against Henchman 21 were he to find out what happened? For all his apparent ineptitude, the Monarch IS a killer (Doctor Manatee, wasn't it, that he whacked when he was searching for someone new to arch?)

I'll have to see if I can snag the whole thing on repeat somewhere... be interested to see hwo the whole thing started ('mind assassination device is against guild rules' you say?)

I can't check out the trailer at work, but I bought the book from the Science Fiction Book Club recently, based on the little blurb they give in their catalog.... and WOW was I disappointed. Arguably one of the worst books I've ever, EVER read.

In its defense, I am reasonably sure it's a "teen" novel, so I'm a generation (or two) beyond the intended audience. But, I mean, it hit ALL the boring tired cliches. I could predict EVERYTHING that was going to happen, and I was -right-.

When I found out it was going to be made into a movie (or HAD been, by the time I actually got the book)... I just knew it would be a Twilight-wanna-be movie... tragically misunderstood lone newbie student with secret superpowers meets local girl and falls in love.... black trenchcoated, razor-teeth bad guys hunting him and his father figure... mandatory cute pet with surprise twist....

YAWN.

I'll try to remember to check out the trailer when I get home --- always possible that the movie could be BETTER than the book...

I admit to enjoying the power fantasy elements, particularly the way the characters seemed (like I would be) to be really excited and interested to learn more about their powers.

LOVED the supporting cast, the two confidants that they each chose. I was a little surprised they mentioned Kitty Pride by name and actually had a real doll of her (complete with Lockheed on her shoulder, I think!).

One thing that irked me, though, was that Dad's power included the ability to lift five tons or more, leap huge distances (with a BOUND, not a 'leap' )... and while a bullet would not KILL him when shot at four feet to the back of his head, it DID make him bleed... apparently he can CATCH bullets with no harm, though. So either his hands are super super tough --- and he is actually FAST enough to get his hand in the path of the bullet --- or....

I got nothing. "Catching bullets" is all well and good, but if you can catch a bullet you pretty much need to be fast AND tough and if you're tough enough to catch a bullet (the one in the police station was smashed, so it's not like he caught the bullet without it making an impact).... then why would it hurt to be hit in the much-more-resilient SKULL? I mean, his hand never bled.... granted, that shot in the police station was from more than four feet away....

Having Dad be a police sketch artist is a great idea; when I first heard about the show, I misunderstood and thought he was actually a COP. This works much better, I think, and actually reminds me a bit of Barry Allen (Police Forensic Scientist, back before CSI and all that became the rage). INVOLVED with the police, but not strictly in the chain of command.

While it was a bit rushed, I'm afraid it HAD to be, to squeeze in all they could in what could be their only real chance to get people hooked (the pilot). While it's not as action-packed as super-speed or super-strength, the daughter's telepathy has the potential for much better stories, I think. In particular, I can't wait until she 'reads' her parents. No matter what you may SAY or DO, you can't always control your thoughts --- I can imagine a parent having a fleeting thought of, "What an ungrateful brat of a child" or "What could my life have been without this kid to tie me down"...

Passing, stray thought, but if the daughter picks up on that... in the preview for next time, it looks like she may accidentally 'read' her brother (perhaps just discovering his super-intelligence power that he has not yet revealed to the family).

I think they almost HAD to reveal the existence of other super-powered people and at least hint at a Big Bad Villain. If they hadn't, then people JUST watching the pilot may have thought, "Well, the powers are neat, but what is the show going to be ABOUT?"

They didn't reveal MUCH info, of course. Just that, yes, there are other super-powered beings who know that there are other super-powered beings. The revelation of the wife's boss as a Big Bad suggests (to me) that maybe the chairman of the company was eager to approve her expedition to the Amazon because that ancient plant that "could do anything" might be even more powerful than she thought originally.

Of course, if he knew that the plant gave superpowers, why send her to poke around for it... Hm...

Was a bit tiresome to hear the "no more fighting crime, okay? Sure, I promise" tired old lines...

I'll give it one or two "regular" episodes to see where they go... as long as they don't scrimp on the special effects in future episodes ---- having blown their budget on the pilot ---- it'll at least be fun for that.

Gert needs to be strong and done well, true, but the thing that worries me more than Niko (the goth chick) taking the lead is that they might play MOLLY wrong. She was the breakout character for me in the comics.

I absolutely LOVED Parker (as usual)!

"Does this rag smell like chloroform to you?" ;D

Speaking of female tats, in the Star Trek Online character creator they have an option for FACIAL tats (only, I think) that is awesome ---- you choose the shape and color of the tat and then you can MOVE the tat all over the face! You could center it under one eye, the nose, the neck, anywhere. And the best part was that the tattoo ~flowed~ smoothly over the textures of the face.

AND you could even tweak the shape of the tattoo within reason, stretching it in the X-direction and shrinking it in the Y-direction to make a short/wide tattoo or shrinking it in both dimensions to make a smaller tat, etc.

REALLY impressive.

But I'd be happy with the Champions Online muscle slider and some "stock" tattoo options for females.

EDIT: Typo

As someone who played "The Christmas We Get" ~and~ the one introducing Ramiel, I'd just like to throw out there the idea that it's still very possible for me to consider Ramiel if not a hero, certainly an anti-hero or ~possible~ hero.

In his previous arc, even though it was still clear he was a 'villain', Ramiel actually seemed almost like a good guy, or a bad guy that MIGHT turn into a good guy. This second appearance by Ramiel tends to reinforce or remind one that, yes, he IS still a villain... but despite his protestations, I still would not be at all surprised were the character to ~eventually~ shift to a more heroic nature.

Not overnight, to be sure, but I could easily see him changing subtly over time. These heroic-SEEMING acts of this, which are ultimately self-serving, could influence him. Han Solo was a criminal, a smuggler, who only looked out for himself, shot a bounty hunter FIRST and could generally be considered a 'bad guy' and yet by the end of the movie he's changed into a hero.

One of the reasons I'm looking forward to Going Rogue --- and one reason I particularly like this NPC and his presentation --- is that the idea of a character changing over time is quite appealing to me.

While I might like to see a gruff, but basically heroic Ramiel in future stories (post-Going Rogue perhaps)... I would also not be surprised if he did NOT "step up" and continued down his dark path. Even if he WANTED to change, later on as a result of influences in his life, perhaps he's already done so MUCH evil that he just can't bring himself to change.

All the more tragic, I think, to have the possibility of a character being redeemed and have him fail to make that change. Makes for a far more vibrant and REAL character, to my mind. We have too many "Mwah hah hah!" totally evil and obviously evil two-dimensional villains --- it's nice to have one with some depth.

EDIT: To =/= Too... it's early, gimme a break :P

I'm an SG-mate, so admittedly somewhat biased, but even so I believe this is another very well done story. I particularly liked the Mission-Accept "taglines" which flowed from the story and were not just "Accept" buttons. Make sure to read the final souvenir - sheds light on how the events in the story were -really- possible.

Also features a favorite NPC of mine, a non-as-evil-as-others World Conqueror.

As noted, it's easily solo-able (although if you aren't careful there's one spot where ambushes can pile up on you: I just clicked out of the mission at that point though).

This thread was probably marked heroic (I didn't think to check) but I played it with my brute, who will be Going Rogue one day... and this is a very appropriate arc for such a character, I think.

I actually entered the physics program when I started college (lo many years ago) to be able to justify comic book powers in more scientific terms. Or, more accurately, pseudo-scientific.

I can't remember WHO, but I'm pretty sure there was a comic book character who drew the heat from foes, making them cold, but in the process that character got VERY VERY hot, since the character was absorbing, gaining extra heat from targets.

As noted, an ice/fire (or fire/ice) build works great for this concept. Wish I could remember what the character was... could draw heat out of foes (making them cold) and then expel the excess energy as heat. So, yah, essentially could "shoot" cold OR heat.

I was about to rail against the cold-projectors who wear parkas --- why would they need warming gear if their powers drew heat from targets. But of course they probably aren't using their powers ALL THE TIME or they'd constantly be surrounded by ice. But if their physiology is such that they CAN absorb heat from external sources into their body, when they are NOT doing that, I can see where their body would be too cold and need extra warming (eg. parkas). So I guess a cold "projector" could certainly feel cold --- until the character drew heat from an external source.

All this said, yah, throwing ice is just a different (more primitive, less powerful) aspect of "cold generation" powers.

Haven't had time to play all the nominated arcs, unfortunately, but I've played a few, so here goes:

Best SO Level Arc (25 - 40):

1st) Teen Phalanx Forever! (#67335)

Best Serious Arc:

1st) Karmic Exchange (#47550) - at least I know I'll get one vote
2nd) Turg Fiction: Ghost In The Machine Act I (#1013)

Can't do slotting at work, but as far as power choice goes (assuming Claws for brutes exactly mirrors for Scrappers):

Level 1: Strike OR Swipe
Level 1: Charged Armor
Level 2: Slash
Level 4: Conductive Shield
Level 6: Hover
Level 8: Follow Up
Level 10: Static Shield
Level 12: Swift
Level 14: Fly
Level 16: Health
Level 18: Focus
Level 20: Stamina
Level 22: Lightning Reflexes
Level 24: Grounded
Level 26: Eviscerate
Level 28: Spin
Level 30: Lightning Field
Level 32: Shockwave
Level 35: Power Sink
Level 38: Power Surge
Level 41: Mu Lightning
Level 44: Ball Lightning
Level 47: Electrifying Fences
Level 49: Conserve Power

Skips one of Swipe or Strike (I forget which one I like better) and Taunt / Confront.

If I were building one, myself, I'd get Fly at level 6 (Vet reward) and either get whichever of Swipe or Strike I skipped earlier at level 4 and push Conductive Shield to 12 (and Swift to 14). I would probably then respec to ditch the extra attack (one of the level 1 choices) and get Combat Jumping for the extra root protection and air mobility.

My only experience with Elec Armor is as Elec / Elec and I've been doing just fine so far without Aid Self. Sure, there are times when damage comes in hot and heavy but a quick Power Sink and everyone's ~brawling~ with me as Lightning Field KEEPS their endurance from coming back. Plus I have a +heal-me sleep-based IO in Charged Brawl for a touch-up every now and again. And the Regenerative Tissue unique IO in health, too.

I haven't decided for sure on my Claws Brute's secondary although in general I like Willpower best (turn it on and forget about it).

And for giggles, that build would look something like this:

Level 1: Strike
Level 1: High Pain Tolerance
Level 2: Slash
Level 4: Fast Healing
Level 6: Hover
Level 8: Follow Up
Level 10: Indomitable Will
Level 12: Swift
Level 14: Fly
Level 16: Rise to the Challenge
Level 18: Focus
Level 20: Quick Recovery
Level 22: Mind Over Body
Level 24: Spin
Level 26: Eviscerate
Level 28: Heightened Senses
Level 30: Health
Level 32: Shockwave
Level 35: Stamina
Level 38: Strength of Will

With the later levels being patron powers with Combat Jumping thrown in probably.

I originally did not take Flamethrower, but in the high 30s I got to the point I didn't have anything ELSE I wanted so I picked it up. There are still things I don't like about it:

* Short Range -- shorter than the other attacks anyway

* DoT -- does its damage over time, which means foes have plenty of time to attack ME

* Long animation -- I hate getting stuck waving the flamethrower around, unable to move.

That said, there ARE advantages:

* Fire damage type instead of lethal

* Nice big cone

* DoT can defeat a foe after he has run around a corner or out of range so I may not have to chase (of course if the DoT damage were ALL up front he'd just DROP DEAD right there)

for me, the disadvantages are pretty annoying, but then I primarily solo and hence have relatively small spawns. Now that I've got Full Auto, though, I've been working more on using the big cones, so I use Full Auto and as the foes run closer (usually) they close into flamethrower range (and onto my caltrops patch) so then I can use flamethrower, which finishes them off as they try to run away from the caltrops.

Nothing to do with Endurance management, per se, but I'd recommend getting Unyielding at around level 16 and get Dull Pain at level 6 (I think it opens at 4?). You can push Swift/Health back to some point before Stamina at 20 although this might mean pushing Hasten back to AFTER Stamina.

Do you really -need- Tough (and hence, Boxing as well)? I am not sure what I got in their place, and I know some people swear that Tough is ~required~... I've done quite fine without it, though. And Tough is another End Drain that I don't have to deal with. Although, as noted above, the attacks are where endurance really gets sucked down. At least two End Reducers in each attack, for sure, and three-slotted Stamina (or more if you are going for a set, etc).

My Dark Armor brute lucked into a +End proc IO enhancement that is a nice boost to that endurance-heavy powerset - might be something to look at if you want an extra edge. And of course the accolade that gives +total endurance (Born In Battle, I believe: have fun getting the damage-taken badge... I had to break down and artificially grind it at level 50 :P )

Arc Name: "Karmic Exchange"
Arc ID: 47550
Length: Very Long (5 missions)
First Published: 04/12/09 04:59pm
Morality: Heroic
Level Range: 45 - 54
Description: "Life and death are not absolutes in the City; but what price will one man pay to bring back his lost love? And should he be ALLOWED to do so?"

NOTES: This is my first (and so far, only) published story. While it can be played as a straight 'adventure' the intent of it was to make the player think about just how far a 'hero' should go.

In the Golden Age, superheroes were Heroes with a capital "H", beacons of virtue who did no wrong... but in more modern times, superheroes have been portrayed more as PEOPLE, which is to say, flawed.

This arc is labeled "heroic" because that is the assumption that is made throughout, although there are hints that perhaps the player's character is not SO heroic as all that. The final choice that the player-character must make doesn't make him or her a ~villain~ (to my way of thinking, anyway).... just a different KIND of hero. Perhaps a darker, more flawed hero, but still someone who at the end of the day is trying to do what he/she thinks is RIGHT.

There are two Elite Bosses in the arc, although I don't think they're all THAT difficult - I've soloed them with many different characters of differing archetypes and powersets. As always, if you're not sure you can take down an Elite Boss you can lower your difficulty (even down to Heroic / Villainous, in which case the Elite Boss should spawn as a Boss, I believe).

I mention this option (lowering your difficulty) because the final Elite Boss fight is TIMED. I normally hate timed missions, but that's the only real way I could configure a 'choice'... you can choose to 'fail' the mission (by letting the timer run out --- another reason the timer is pretty short; who wants to wait 90 minutes for a time-out you WANT to happen?) or you can choose to complete it.

You should pretty much KNOW what decision you will be facing before you accept the mission, so you should know in advance if you want to finish it or let it "fail" ( I hate phrasing it that way :P ). If you WANT to succeed, bear in mind that you ONLY have to beat the final boss and destroy one glowie --- you don't have to bother with anyone else on the relatively small map.

I'd recommend reading all the text and especially after you accept a mission, click BACK on the contact again (to get the Still Busy dialog) ---- some of that gives a bit more insight, I think, into things (but of course is not required reading).

Sorry for the rambling. I ramble.

Your comments are appreciated.

EDIT: Missed an end-quote and need to change my sig

Opinions will vary of course, but I went with Assault Rifle / Devices just for thematic reasons. All the "powers" in the two powersets are actually external devices of some kind, which fit the concept of that character.

As for what powers to skip in AR... only one I skipped was Buckshot just because of its short range and the fact I already had PLENTY of attacks. Of course, on my AR Corruptor (who does not have a secondary that requires much effort) I took Buckshot and set it on autofire so that if anything gets close enough to me, and I'm not using some OTHER power, Buckshot will activate and (usually) knock them AWAY.

Ignite is situational enough that, even with its massive damage, I could see skipping it. You almost NEED a web grenade or some other means of immobilizing a foe to prevent them from wandering off the very very very tiny Ignite patch. But if you CAN root the foe, then Ignite is nice damage AND it's fire, not lethal (like most of the rest of AR).

Flamethrower has a short range, but it's just too good to skip, I think. Despite what anyone might say, I'd DEFINITELY get Burst and Slug ---- as a blaster, you can use those two powers even while under status effects (asleep, held, stunned, etc).

The only mitigation that AR has (aside from just KILLING STUFF) is beanbag, which is great for stunning pesky LTs like sappers and comm officers and sorcerers and shaman. Some people don't like it because it basically does no damage and only ~stuns~ but that stun keeps a foe out of your hair and I love it.

You could use Chaos Leather or Sinister for that "patched together" chest / legs look, since you cannot actually be skeletal....

Here's my quick and dirty Ice/Ice/Ice build:

Level 1: Ice Bolt
Level 1: Chilblain
Level 2: Ice Blast
Level 4: Frost Breath
Level 6: Hover
Level 8: Freeze Ray
Level 10: Swift
Level 12: Aim
Level 14: Fly
Level 16: Health
Level 18: Bitter Ice Blast
Level 20: Stamina
Level 22: Ice Patch
Level 24: Build Up
Level 26: Bitter Freeze Ray
Level 28: Ice Storm
Level 30: Shiver
Level 32: Blizzard
Level 35: Freezing Touch
Level 38: Ice Sword
Level 41: Combat Jumping
Level 44: Flash Freeze
Level 47: Hoarfrost
Level 49: Hibernate

Skips frozen fists (because I hate the look), Chilling Embrace (PBAOE and I just don't need it) and Frozen Aura (Melee range AoE minion sleep)...

I also skipped the APP Snow Storm and Frozen Armor (hate the look).

And, really, even skipping those powers I've got WAY too many powers. MOST times I just use Bitter Freeze Ray at extreme range, then Freeze Ray as I close in, and finally I throw Bitter Ice Blast at the unfrozen foe, then Frost breath the lot (usually defeating the unfrozen one). Then I just cycle the single target attacks.

Sometimes I fly up to a foe and "drift" into melee range and use Freezing Touch to put one foe in a block of ice (fast animation and when you 'drift' into range they USUALLY don't attack right away but give you that "what are you doing here?" kind of look as they pause)....

I only picked up Ice Sword later because I didn't need or want anything else, but now I've got it, and slotted it, I'm liking it. I don't blap much with my blasters, but using Freezing Touch to put a foe in a block of ice (set on autofire) and the Ice Sword to hack at foes who are -already- in blocks of ice seems safe enough to me.

I have to throw my five-star rating into the pile for this one, too. I've played all Venture's arcs and this is by far my favorite. As noted, Kobushi is a -great- character and I was actually WORRIED when I "overheard" that he had been killed.

I thought Dietrich's dialog was a bit... softer... than I remembered, but of course Things Changed after the RWZ debacle and by the end of the arc her old spark was back, but mellowed somewhat into a form I appreciated.

And I -loved- this one line of dialog she had, while being held "prisoner":

Guard: Where's your backup, witch?

WMD: I AM the backup --- wait until you see who I came with.

Nice to hear an NPC, especially an authority figure like WMD, praise my character a little bit

My memory ain't what it once was, but a few things that stuck out as worth mentioning...

In one of the warehouse maps, there were longbow and arachnos (and enemy longbow) ALL over the place. It was CHAOS. Which was great, and fit the story... but I managed to get like three patrols on me at one point and had to start gulping inspirations to pull my bacon out of the fire.

Of course if I had been patient (ha!) then I could have worked around the patrols and avoided mass combat.

And in the ship map, at first I thought, "Well this is way too easy! The Longbow agents are tearing everything up before I even GET there!"

But then at the end, when the Arachnos forces arrived... Whoa! CHAOS! The fight BACK to the front of the ship was considerably more engaging.

While I was hoping that Kobushi would survive, I didn't really want him to become "good" to the extent that he wanted to join the PPD or Longbow... I like the idea of a rogue (as in GOOD, caring for the citizens) Rogue Isles cop.

Unlike Hardcase, who does technically look out for the citizens of the Rogue Isles, I actually LIKED Kobushi.

I tried this with my 32 blaster (yeh, I know, she played a villainous arc -- Ooo! naughty!) and had a blast. A lot of the ha-ha comes from PLAYER knowledge of the game world and so on, sort of "inside jokes" that the ~character~ might not know about.

Actually I guess technically ALL of the humor is for the -player-, now that I think about it: the ~character~ may recognize it as propoganda, but I don't know how FUNNY that would be to the -character-.

I loved the custom foes in the Boomtown map (and the mix of standard foes felt perfectly in-line, too)

While the custom foes were -great-, I confess the dialog in Act III got my hackles raised a bit and I had to keep reminding myself that this was what Arachnos wanted the "loyal citizen" to think would happen if the events in the simulation actually took place. Clearly over the top, to the point that even a devoted loyal citizen of Arachnos might raise an eyebrow and wonder if things would REALLY be that bad.

Oh, and I loved the NPC dialog in the Chocolate Factory (and the /info screens) in, I think, Act II. FOR THE CHILDREN!

While the final act DID seem a bit silly, it also felt entirely appropriate as a representation of what Arachnos might warn would happen: not only do they want to show a 'bad' result but also a result that showcases Nemesis' stupidity (as they want the citizen to think anyway).

I confess I got a little startled at the end when the allied Nemesis spawned en masse. Then I saw their dialog and realized they weren't peppering ME with fire.

And in my circuitous way, I conclude by mentioning the Arbiter's great dialog in introducing and debriefing. I love that it doesn't -assume- you are The Right Hand of Recluse or some uber-powerful godling --- it's clearly a propoganda program that could be "played" by the regular grubby citizens of the Isles. And THEIR reaction to it might very well reinforce Arachnos' goals. I have to believe / hope, though, that the citizens would see through the propoganda --- although even if they did, I imagine they wouldn't ADMIT it to anyone.

I can't speak for any PvP issues, but Necro/Poison has been a cakewalk for me (currently 49.6 or so)... the zombies are far less squishy than ninjas, and the zombies (at least later on) heal THEMSELVES. Poison's heal is single target, sure, but you don't have to have a foe around (like Twilight Grasp) to use it, and I really don't find myself needing it that often.

Noxious Gas works -great- on a Grave Knight forced into melee, btw --- in PvP, as noted, that isn't going to work, but in PvE a Noxious Grave Knight can -decimate- just about any EB (although I'd recommend giving that Grave Knight some Luck insp and keeping the heals going because Noxious Gas is one MAJOR aggro generator).

AoE wise, only one I can think of (aside from the pet-PBOAE Noxious Gas) is Neurotoxic Breath which is -awesome- and available very early. Massive cone Slow and often foes will get thrown into the retching animation. At 49th level, I then throw on Bile Spray and School of Sharks for more AoE DoT-ing.

And while they are single-target, Envenom and Weaken are -crippling- to foes.

<QR>

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe he even thinks of the world as a kind of movie or video game or virtual reality and his controller encourages him to believe that. The Ender's Game gambit, basically. "Joe, thank you for volunteering to be a test subject. During the course of our testing of this new sensory technology over the next few years, we'll be inserting you into a simulated world to judge how well the equipment responds to your nervous system." If you kill someone in a simulation, what's the harm?

[/ QUOTE ]

This.

Especially with the advent of Architect Entertainment, it's quite reasonable to assume someone could use that tech (or similar tech) to trick your character. Your character could think he's been doing heroic things all his life, fighting bad guys... when in actuality he's been attacking the good guys.

They couldn't TELL him or SHOW him they were good guys, since his helmet thingie controls what he sees and hears. His "handler" might be a non-powered, or low-powered individual who can devote time to monitoring the input closely: a hand-on puppet-master, in other words.

Pity the poor guy when your character finds out what he's been doing.

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)...

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

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).

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).

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.

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.

I've tried both War Mace and Battle Axe and while they -are- quite similar, I have to give the edge to War Mace just because I ~love~ having the ability to STUN a foe; knockdown is all well and good, but can be annoying when fighting lower level foes (for badges, etc).

I'd also recommend getting Stamina --- there's no such thing as too much endurance recovery, and you'll want to speed up your attacks which means less slots for endurance reducers and more attacks means more endurance burnt.