Chill_Out

I personally can't get into Sonic. I like to have my pets avoid attacks more than resist them.

I do like Force Field.

Traps is a jack-of-all trades, master of AV soloing. Because traps is at its best in stationary, long-term fights and has ample -Regen and -Resistance. But if you don't like to wait for your force field generator to catch up with you, hate watching mobs scatter from Acid Mortar's fear, and don't care about soloing AVs with PGT's -regen, I'd recommend FF over Sonic.

FF is a one-trick pony, but its a very good trick. Your pets are very much godlike-tough. FF (with PBU from Mace Mastery) will cap your pet's defense on just SO's alone (25 defense from shields, 12 from Dispersion Bubble, 4 from Maneuvers, 5 from pet IO). If you add in the ATO +AoE Defense IO, you can get them to incarnate softcap vs. AoEs (a godsend).

Traps cannot do that, because its not as specialized. Traps will get your pets 25 Defense (16 FFG, 4 Maneuvers, 5 from pet IO). Because FFG is a pet, it cannot benefit from Mace's power boost power. One of the reasons Traps is paired with Bots so often, is the Protector Bots will make up the missing difference in Defense Traps fails to provide (with 2 prot bot bubbles, your assault bot and drones get to soft cap, the prot bots wind up at 36% def).

FF paired with Bots gets your pets to ridiculous levels of Defense, enough to account for Defense Debuffs (which again, traps cannot do). My Robot/FF/Mace assault bot sits at 68% Defense vs. Melee/Range and 83% vs. AoE. That's well over incarnate soft-cap and plenty of room for regular missions with some debuffing.

While I don't normally run Force Bubble all the time, I can use it well to herd entire groups into corners, where BigBot's AoEs can melt them down. Its also valuable in things like the BAF trial, where area denial powers can help make choke points easier to manage.

If you want a barrier power and you want pets that are tough as nails, i'd recommend FF, myself. My only major gripe with FF was the individual buffing, but since the buff patch last year, its no longer a chore to buff the pets and teammates, and I have lots of time to use my attacks (yes, MM attacks are rather anemic originally, but you'd be surprised how well +damage procs and Interface incarnate procs can up that to be respectable additions to your pets, and you can actually feel like you are part of the firefight).

have fun, either way you go, MMs are a fun class, and saying one is worse than another is like saying one high-end sports car is worse than another high end sports car.

Also, for the OP, if you want mez protection and you intend to go incarnate, Clarion Destiny exists pretty much perma at T3 (easy to get).

Normally with Farsight, Defense will be high enough you won't need it. And of any archetype, MMs can do well enough with their pets that they can survive some mezzing prior to 50.

I'll thow a voice in there for Force Field, too.

Yes, its pretty one-dimensional. But you'll have soft-capped defense for all pets, you can get some very respectable defense for yourself, everyone gets status protection (important for pets), and you have Force Bubble which is nice for some trials (ie, BAF). You also do not have to get into melee, just bubble pets and send them in to kill while you hover at their back.

FF also adds +30 tox resists, endurance drain resistance. Ember Demon can do heals to help out (but I'd still recommend Aid Self). To note, Ember heals more reliably IMO than Protector Bots.

While FF doesn't have too much control (unless you enjoy KB), Demon Price adds slows and a hold, so you get some extras there.

FF is also easy on your slotting (Time is not), and you can take all three attacks and debuff resistance all day lone and actually attack. FF would be my second choice after /Time.

Have fun, Demons and Bots are arguably the two most strong sets in the AT (with Thugs being a contender).

I've heard some folks like Storms paired with Demons, but I don't have much experience with Storms, just not my cup of tea.

However, I'd reccommend Time. With IOs, you can get about 35 defense for your Demons, plus the -tohit from Time's Juncture, and all their great resists, plus heals, then slows (to stack with Demon Prince) and even some -damage; and its layers of defenses, lots of controls, and some nice debuffs to help them kill quicker, and makes a nice package.

Only thing I don't like is feeling compelled to grab Mace for the power build up to maximize Farsight, but that's not a bad thing.

Demons like melee, also, and Time likes melee. You'll be right up there with them. Luckily, Ember demon also adds to your resistances, but do make sure to toughen yourself up with a Patron shield, etc, so you don't fall over with a good breeze up near the action.

DB uses a combo system.

Broadswords, bright electrical storms and glowing energy fists are not stealthy either.

Not all stalkers are ninjas, sorry.

Failure on all accounts. Why don't we wait and see what happens, rather than make baseless speculation?

Unless, of course, you are being tongue-in-cheek, then bravo, good sir, bravo.

[double post for the post gods]

Haven't tried Beam Rifle, but I have a 50 T3 incarnate FF/Energy/Mu who is tough as nails and does pretty decent damage for a Defender, plus has some controls (immob, KB, hold) to add along the way. Pretty much I live where others die, and I can blast away happily on a team all day long without a lot of concern that other squishies have.

That said, if I was working off SO-only build, I would choose something other than FF for soloing, since you can't get DEF high enough for my liking without IOs. For teaming, that's another story, as someone said, teams love FF. Even incarnate teams I still get 'yay, a bubbler'.

Easy enough to recommend Bots/FF. I have an incarnate Bots/FF/Mu and its tough as nails and fun to play (since the buff changes) - I focus on my own attacks now that I don't have to do buff rotations. I've reworked my build a bit and have well over softcap for me and protbots, and at the Incarnate softcap for the other bots.

Mercs being a 'bad' MM set is like 'Energy Melee' being a bad scrapper primary. You still kill stuff, you just won't be min/maxing.

IIRC, PBU does not work on pets.

I went from 58mph to 78 mph, significant but not OMG.

What was also a nice perk was the hover-like handling with fly (no more skidding) and the +defense for even safer travel (I actually use it in Lambda for when PFF is down so I can cap DEF and avoid mobs in the sabotage phase).

Protector bots only bubble the mm once. Check your combat numbers in game. Be nice if it was otherwise. That said my 50 bot/ff has 62 def on big bot and lil bots and he and protection bots sit about 48 (ranged) so Good numbers are possible with some basic sets.

Fun question.

My short list goes, in order:
1. Mastermind
2. Defender
3. Corruptor

Then, in no particular order:
Controller
Stalker
Scrapper
Brute
Dominator

Nothing after that. I don't enjoy Tanks, Blasters, EATs or VEATs (sacrilege, I know).