Comicsluvr

Background: I was running my TA/Archery Defender on a mission team. Rest consisted of two Scrappers, two Blasters, a Tank, a Controller and an Empath Defender.

Team Leader to me: Hey Moon (character's name was Crescent Moon), whenya gonna help wit the heals?

Me: I don't get Healing Arrow until lvl 18 and Recovery Arrow until 20.

(Later, after I dinged 18) Team Leader: Hey Moon, didja skip Healing Arrow?

I have to say that the round of snickers from the rest of the team was worth the aggrivation.

I was invited to an all-Defender superteam once. Typical 'built 8 of X and try to race to 50' kind of thing. The organizer was posting his idea on the Forums asking which would be best...all the same build or spread across the field? He was thinking of the layers of shields from Sonic, Cold and FF. I suggested that such a thing would be effective but could be boring with the endless buffing and shielding going on. I suggested that the whole team be TA and then ran down the numbers with all the cool stuff we'd have by lvl 12. The Secondaries could be whatever the players wanted.

It was a hoot. There was some dissention in the ranks but we found 8 willing sacrif...er...volunteers and tried it one weekend. We had the Diff turned to 11 by lvl 14 and never looked back. It required some coordination...we couldn't race off alone without serious risk...but when we faced our first Red Boss at lvl 7 and Held him before he could blink we knew we had a winner.

So for all the Blasters, Blappers, Scrappers, Scrankers and all the other high-damage/low respect players: The next time 8 of you take 15 minutes to take out a GM or an AV just remember that ONE of us would have made it easier. Two of us would have made it MUCH easier. And 8 of us wouldn't have needed you at all...

I think my problem is that I was set up for AoE, not single target. Since I'm not drowning in IO Sets I'm going to make an alternate build for single target. I was able to beat him on my Nrg/Elec Blaster but my Fire/Fire Blaster had the same problem and for the same reason. The Fire Blaster was an AoE beast accustomed to working with at least one teammate so his ST damage was a bit lacking.

Again, thanks for all the help and advice.

Thanks gang. I think beating him down quickly will be the key. I'm used to wearing someone down but as has been said the more clones he gets the better his Regen so I need to put him down fast.

I have a Cold/Storm Controller at 50 but I made almost all of it teamed with the usual Tanks and Blasters. I was not worried about doing damage because they took care of it. Now here I am trying to defeat Trapdoor solo and he Regens faster than I can hurt him. I'm slowly building sets but I'm not dedicated to anything on the build yet so she's kind of a blank canvass with SOs and IOs.

Where should I be looking for damage from these powersets? I can lock down the battlefield well enough but single-target damage I just don't have. Help!

Ah, I see. I also checked the Server Status after the first failure and saw them as being up.

So many things going on today...and it's not even 1 p.m. yet!

This morning my Windows Vista was apparently updated automatically. After the update I am unable to login due to "firewalls or local server problems" or whatever the message says. I've restarted my machine twice and completely shut down all internet protection and firewalls and still no joy.

Is anyone else having this problem and what do I need to do to fix it?

While in a team earlier tonight I realized that the desirability of certain Powersets and even certain ATs can wax and wane with the difficulty of the enemy. I felt it odd that I never realized this before.

Tanks can be a wonderful thing to keep the attention off of the squishies and tie up the enemy. But on a mission where most of the enemies con white or less the AT becomes less desirable because the threat from the enemy is less and more damage or control might do the job just as well or better.

The same thing goes for Empathy. Many teams STILL cry for a 'healer' from time to time but when the enemy is relatively weak there is less need for team buffs and more control or damage might be just as good or better.

Some Powersets, like Kinetics, are always desired because they bring a lot of utility to the team in any circumstance. Between the AoE Heal, the Transference, Fulcrum Shift and the ever-popular Speed Boost Kin is just a handy set to have around. In tough fights this is even more apparent where the damage buff from FS can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Players who are struggling with some ATs or Powersets finding teams might want to consider forming their own and raising the Difficulty a notch or two. The guy who says the team can live without Bubbles or healing or whatever might change his tune when the enemy is all red con to him and his Health Bar is at 20% and falling...

Wow...a very busy thread!

I tried Ninja/TA and I couldn't keep the little buggers alive past lvl 15 or so. I was a relatively new MM player then and Ninjas are so FAST that they often ran out of range and dies out of LOS of me.

Ninja/FF seemed to work well but like others I'm not a fan of FF. I have one at lvl 13 now that's ok but we'll have to see. Oh, and for those that complain about having to buff frequently, be thankful that most Def and Resist buffs (like FF) last 4 minutes. I HATE when my single Kin has everyone screaming SB! every 2 minutes.

I haven't mastered /Storm yet but I've read that it's good. I've also seen /Storm players in action and if they know what they're doing they can ROCK! Being able to push targets that have been Held or Immobilized into a convenient corner for the slaughter with Hurricane is huge.

I have a Ninja/Pain Dom at lvl 18 now and she may go by the wayside. Against many opponents the Genin die before they can be healed by any means. I'm going to try and stick it out to lvl 22 for the Regen toggle and Maneuvers as well as SOs.

Basically, try what you think you'll like and see. We can give you all kinds of advice but nobody can play the toon for you (without paying for a PL...). The most effective build in the world might get on your nerves. In the end you'll just have to try it and see.

Thank you very much! I hit upon the Rogue connection when it struck me how much easier it is to sway public opinion one way than the other. The next installment will be up late next week as I'm off to Colorado for a few days.

This is the second in a series of stories revolving around a very well-meaning psychologist working with Villains in the Zig, Heroes of paragon City and two members of the fledgling Rogue Program. The first story dealt with Total Violence, a nasty character by any definition of the word. This one deals with Doctor Zombie, a former Villain trying to clear his name.


The World Through My Eyes

Stacey checked her watch yet again as she hurried through the corridors of the Zig. She hated to be late but the near-riot down in Cell Block 4 had detained her for over an hour. Still, she had been instrumental in talking the inmates down and none of the hostages were harmed. It looked like it might turn out to be a good day after all. At least she hoped so as she approached the counseling room. She suppressed a shudder as she approached the door…the last time she’d been in that room she had been afraid for her life. She was resolute in her belief that she could help some of these prisoners. She’d chosen Total Violence as her first case because she knew he would be the worst. This time would be different. This man wanted to be reformed.

She noticed the smell as the door swung open. She’d never smelled anything like it. Her new subject didn’t seem to mind it though. In fact he was sitting upright at the table with his eyes shut. He remained that way as she took out her clipboard and warmed up her laptop. When she was seated she finally tried to get his attention.

“Mister Zom? I’m terribly sorry I’m late. I hope waiting here wasn’t too uncomfortable for you.”

Nothing…not a flicker of an eyelash. She waited, determined to win the silent contest of wills. It was several minutes before she noticed that he wasn’t breathing. She suddenly reached across the table and felt no pulse at his neck.

“This man is dead!” she exclaimed as she checked again. Not only was his pulse still but his skin was cool to the touch. He’d obviously been dead for some time.

“Alright Doc…play nice,” one of the guards said sternly.

“You people have no sense of humor,” the dead man replied as he opened his eyes. Stacey did her best to retain her composure and she was pleased that she didn’t cry out. She was sure that the man had been dead and cold.

“I’m terribly sorry child…I am allowed few distractions in here so I confess that I am something of a prankster with the new people,” he smiled as he spoke. “Please allow me to introduce myself…I am Doctor August Zom at your service.”

“My name is…” she began and then one of the guards waved her off.

“Uh uh Doc, not this one,” the guard cautioned her. “Tell him your name and you’ll be having nightmares for the rest of your life.”

“I saw nothing in his file about mental powers,” she thought aloud as she reopened his file.

“Not mental powers…Voodoo,” the guard explained. “Doctor Zombie here practices magic…as in black magic. Turned the last councilor into a toad.”

“Newt,” Dr Zombie corrected him. “I turned him into a newt. It was only for an hour and he is fully recovered.”

“Dr Zom I don’t believe in magic,” Stacey said flatly. “If you possess some innate power then that’s fine but black magic simply doesn’t exist.”

“My poor child…keep thinking like that and you will find yourself doing poorly in your chosen profession,” Dr Zombie chided her gently. “Hamlet said that ‘there are more things in Heaven and on Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy’ did he not?”

“That he did,” Stacey relented. “Do you know why I’m here Doctor?”

“Ah yes…undoubtedly some dry and dreary report of my sanity…or lack of it,” Dr Zombie sighed as he placed his hands on the table. Stacey noticed that his fingers were bound together with a form of metal restraint she’d never seen before.

“Those look uncomfortable Doctor…what are they for?”

“A little something whipped up by my friends over at MAGI,” he explained as he wiggled his fingers. “They allow almost full range of motion while restricting my spells. One of the main reasons I am still in your company. They would not trust me in your presence otherwise.”

“Well Doctor, you’re assessment of my work is only partly right. It is my hope that by learning something of the truly hardened criminals that I can try to reform some of those with lesser sentences.”

“Spoken like a true optimist,” he smiled again. He waved his hands briefly and produced a red rose which he began to hand to her. She absently reached for it when one of the guards slammed Zom’s hands to the table. Stacey jumped and when she’d composed herself she saw that the ‘rose’ was actually just wire and paper delicately wrapped together. Still, the wire might have been used as a weapon and she leaned back to be safely out of reach.

“Forgive me my harmless pranks dear lady,” he apologized and shrugged his shoulders. “Still, I am being a poor subject. I shall behave myself from here on…lest I raise the concerns of my two armed friends here.”

“You know they will shoot you if you try that again,” Stacey tried to regain control of the situation. Letting an inmate play games with her was a poor start.

“Oh yes…they’ve done it before,” he said sheepishly. “Last month they managed a clean decapitation…although I suppose that’s something of an oxymoron isn’t it?”

“They…they shot you last month?”

“Blew his head clean off,” the guard almost seemed to be bragging. “He was working in the infirmary and he tried to steal some of the instruments. We cornered him with a scalpel and had to put him down.”

“But…but…if you shot him how is he sitting here?” she stammered.

“Doc, you really need to start doing your homework in here,” the guard sighed. “Our friend here can’t actually die…that we know of. I’ve lost count of the times we’ve taken him out. Now we just shoot him and dump him back in his cell. Next day he’s back to his old self.”

“Eleven,” Doc Zombie said flatly. “I’ve been killed eleven times since I was incarcerated. Three times by inmates who disagreed with my opinions, seven by the guards.”

“That’s only ten,” Stacey said as she tried to take it all in. “You said eleven.”

“Accident in the machine shop during Mr. Creed’s escape last month,” he explained. “We were in the middle of a lockdown and another inmate failed to properly shut down his saw. A piece of metal came in contact with the blade and struck me in the head. I awoke the next morning to find Mr. Creed gone and my head throbbing terribly.”

“Yes well…,” Stacey struggled to collect her thoughts. “You volunteered for this assessment Doctor Zom so we might was well press on. Our files on your background are sketchy at best. Are you willing to speak about your past?”

“Since you asked nicely,” he smiled. “I was born August Zom to my parents who were American missionaries in Haiti. I was raised there while they continued their work. When I was old enough they sent me to America for my schooling where I eventually became a doctor. I had planned to return to aid them in their work but alas they were killed in a bus accident while I was in college.”

“I terribly sorry for your loss Doctor,” Stacey said sincerely. “According to your file you finished your residency and opened your own practice in the south.”

“Yes…New Orleans to be exact. I practiced for a number of years before I met and married my wife Louisa.”

“Again I’m sorry for your loss,” Stacey said before Doc Zombie corrected her.

“Oh but my wife isn’t gone,” he said simply.

“But according to this she died of cancer in 1997,” she recited from the file.

“Yes, she died…but then she got better,” he grinned again. “You see when Louisa took sick I tried everything to save her. Nothing worked…but then I thought of my parent’s work. They’d told me stories of the Voodoo religion and some of the healing mixtures that the priests used. I was desperate so I journeyed there and spent a year trying to discover something that would save my wife. I was taught the formula for a concoction that was guaranteed to revive her…that was the term the Houdun used. I was cautious of course so I tried it on myself first. The result now sits before you.”

“So you claim to have died and returned from the grave is that right?” she asked as she made notes.

“Well I died but I was never buried so returning from the grave is something of a misnomer.” he corrected her again. “However the rest of it is accurate…I died and then rose from the dead to entertain you this rainy afternoon.”

“And you say that your wife also recovered…I mean rose from the dead?”

“Yes, but her process was a bit different,” Doc Zombie explained. “You see I was alive when I took the formula and thus it was what killed me. However Louisa succumbed to cancer before I could return with the formula so I had to perform a ritual in order for it to work. The dead cannot drink potions you see.”

“So…you raised your wife from the dead?”

“Yes, after much trial and tribulation. It was a complex ritual and it took me nearly two years to gather the ingredients and master the necessary skills.”

“It also says that your criminal activities more or less stopped at that point. Why is that?” she asked.

“There was no point any longer,” he explained patiently. “My criminal career, if it can be called that, hinged on the return of my wife. Once I’d completed that task and we were reunited there was no longer any desire to break the law. That is why I chose to come forward and clear my name.”

“So you don’t feel motivated by revenge or anger or greed?”

“I was never motivated by those things dear lady. I wanted my wife back and I was willing to do anything to accomplish it. Now that I have the Isles are no longer safe for us. I know that as long as we are wanted criminals we can never be together so therefore I decided to try and earn my freedom.”

“You realize that some of these crimes carry life sentences?” she asked as she referred to his file. “Even if you’re cleared of the minor offences you may still do heavy time.”

“Louisa has told me she will wait for me,” he said with a faint smile. “We spoke at length about this before making the decision. She also has some minor offences on her record and those will also be part of my negotiation.”

“What negotiation?” she asked, somewhat surprised. All arrangements with prisoners in her program were supposed to be approved by her alone. If someone was cutting side deals she had to know about it.

“The Rogue Program…you’ve heard of it?” he asked. “Some less dangerous criminals are allowed to earn their freedom by working as agents of the law under proper supervision. They are often given consideration if they turn evidence against their former associates. I have agreed to do both and thus am considered a likely candidate. There are, however, some matters of my record that need to be cleared up.”

“I was not aware that you were being considered for the Rogue Program,” Stacey said evenly. That damned program could undermine everything she was trying to do. “Still, since they will be asking many of the same questions you might look at this interview as a sort of test-run if you wish.”

“Your optimism is entirely refreshing my dear,” he replied with a somewhat eerie smile. “I’m ready when you are.”

“It says here that you were notorious for experimenting on human test subjects,” she read aloud from the file. “Is this true?”

“Absolutely not,” he retorted with a huff. “While I admit to practicing my craft on the recently deceased I never performed experiments on the living. There was no point…Louisa was dead. Anything I needed to learn to bring her back would have to come from the dead.”

“There are several reports of you breaking into banks in and around Paragon City. Do you deny this as well?”

“Sadly no,” he lowered his gaze. “I regret that I was forced into a life of crime but I needed funds for my research. Being dead myself I knew that an appeal to the medical community would turn me into an oddity and I would never be able to perform my experiments.”

“Is that why you went to the Rogue Isles?”

“Yes, there were fewer questions and I had the freedom to do my work.”

“But you willingly worked for the Arachnos organization…why?” Stacey asked. “Surely you knew that they would try to steal your research for their own purposes.”

“Another patent falsehood,” he said with a scowl. “Ghost Widow knows more about being dead than even I do…there was nothing to be gained from my research that she could not tell them. However they had access to equipment and people that I could use to my own ends. Since my research was not useful to them they insisted that I commit certain crimes to defray my expenses.”

“There are rumors that you broke from them and even fought with Ghost Widow.”

“I do not wish to brag but yes…we fought. In the end she was defeated by her own desire to return to the living. It was that lesson that taught me that I’m better off as I am. You really can’t go back…”

“So you’re saying that you can return to life but you choose not to?”

“No child…I’m saying that returning from the dead and returning to LIFE are not the same thing,” he explained. “I am an animated corpse…capable of thought and motion but I shall never again be truly alive. My wife has fared somewhat better than I since I was able to restore her fully. She lives and breathes…something I can never do.”

“You are accused of no less than eight bank robberies in your career,” she continued reading. “There were also four kidnappings and the theft of several million dollars worth of scientific equipment. How do you plan to make restitution?”

“I have agreed to pay fines equal to the value of the stolen equipment and also to make payments to the kidnap victims as well as anyone else harmed by my actions,” he replied. “I have also agreed, odd as it may seem, to assist the authorities in increasing their security measures at local banks and laboratories. You see making the vault door heavier does no good when someone like me can simply mesmerize the bank staff in opening it.”

“You also stand accused of killing no less than twenty people during your career Doctor,” she said sternly. “You cannot simply pay their families money and expect them to forget.”

“I agree,” he replied with downcast eyes. “I deeply regret the lives that I’ve destroyed in my time. I cannot plead self-defense for they were mostly police performing their duties. I cannot plead insanity because I knew every minute what I was doing. However I have offered my not inconsiderable skills as a physician as well as my other talents free of charge for life. I hope to heal the sick and nurture life for as long as I can to atone in some small way for the harm I’ve done.”

“You seem sincere Doctor but the public will not be so easy to convince,” Stacey said in a softer tone. “You might spend twenty years trying to make up for what you’ve done and still not be accepted.”

“I understand that dear lady, but I still must try. My wife and I now wish to simply live out our lives in peace. My actions have made me many enemies in the Rogue Isles…more so than even here in Paragon City. We cannot remain there with any safety and to come here is to risk prison. Yet here there is at least a chance of redeeming ourselves. In the Isles our end would be swift, certain and painful. Having spent so long to bring my wife back I cannot lose her again. Thus I have come here in an effort to earn us some small measure of peace.”

“Do you think people will understand what you’ve done…why you did it?”

“I think that many people would sympathize with my plight, yes. Imagine a loved one dying…wasting away before your eyes. You’re so close to being able to help them and yet something holds you back. Not enough time, not enough research money, poor equipment…you can feel them slipping away and you grow more and more desperate. Then someone comes to you one day with a glimmer of hope and you latch onto it. You do things you never thought possible…all for that ray of hope. In the end I’ve sacrificed everything for her…even my life. I didn’t do these terrible things for greed or hatred or a quest for power. I did them for love…plain and simple. People may not forgive me but I hope that they might understand my motives and understand how I came to do what I did and be what I am.”

“You’re very eloquent Doctor…I think you’ll make a good candidate for the Rogue Program.” she said with a smile. “You seem to be extremely contrite and honest to me and I’ve dealt with prisoners for years. If we can somehow make the parole board and the Rogue officials see things through your eyes we might have a shot.”

“It’s easier to do this the other way you know,” Zom said half to himself. Stacey looked at him quizzically and he explained.

“If you look around you can find plenty of examples of so-called dark heroes and others who claim to be good but who actually break the law while apprehending criminals. For many of these it would be so easy to go over to the other side…to really become evil. A bad jury, an overly-harsh judge, a clever frame-up by a hated enemy and suddenly our hero is a convicted felon. Being housed in a prison where many of the residents were put there by you is not healthy for anyone. Then they get a chance to escape and they take it…intending to simply drop out of sight you understand. They don’t intend to become hardened criminals they simply cannot stand life behind bars. But now where do they hide? Their identities are known…their funds likely confiscated. They can live like an animal or they can go to the one place where their talents and powers might buy them some small semblance of stability; The Rogue Isles.”

“Not everyone is willing to go to such lengths Doctor,” Stacey tried to correct him. “Some heroes are excessive yes but most are not willing to cross the line into being actual criminals.”

“True…but for some the reality is that such an outcome is entirely possible,” he said evenly. “The trouble is that it’s easier for a good person to become bad than it is for a bad person to be perceived as good. In order for a ‘hero’ to be perceived as evil all they have to do is commit a few crimes and get caught. But in order for someone like myself that is viewed as a fiend to be accepted in society will take years of hard work on my part if it happens at all.”

“As much as I admire your courage Doctor I do not envy your struggle. I’m not sure I would have the strength to do what you’re attempting to do.”

Zom removed a small locket from his shirt and held it open for her to see. On the left side was a picture of Louisa lying in a hospital bed, obviously close to death. On the right side she was lively and smiling, with a gleam in her eye that Stacey found both exciting and disturbing at the same time.

“Trust me my dear lady…with proper motivation you can accomplish anything.”

I used to run an event called MasterMind Mondays on Triumph. Yeah, mapsize was the only real issue. On cave maps and small buildings we'd split up into two teams of four and clear 8-man spawns. We had the most mixed-bag of toon you'd ever see too and it was riotous fun for sure.

I've heard of 8-man teams of anything/FF defeating everything without the small bubbles running. To be honest 8 MMs with Leadership running is sick no matter what. 25% Def or more, huge damage buffs and EVERYTHING hits pretty much all the time. Stack in the Secondaries and it gets dull fast.

I would like to see an all-MM superteam on the next double xp weekend though. Maybe after we get Demon Summoning...

Polish the video cards though because the graphics are simply killer.

Personally I would go with 4 VEATS (I like 2 Spiders and 2 Widows) if you have a lvl 50 villains, 3 Corrs and a Brute otherwise.

First thing, use Mid's to plot the builds. You can avoid skipping a very useful power this way.

Second, plan for Leadership at lvl 12 or soon after. Even just taking maneuvers at lvl 12 and stacking it increases the team's Defense immensely.

Focus on secondaries that can help the whole team all at once with buffs like Arctic Fog or Nightfall. The individual shields are cool but personally having to make sure everyone is still buffed every few minutes gets tedious to me. Much easier to do AoE buffs on the team, ST buffs in the Brute and then go.

MMs can be used in place f the Brute since they bring a lot of their own team buffs to the table but as was mentioned before pet control can sometimes be a pain. If you want to roll fast then stick with the Brute.

As an alternative you can go all MMs and then you'll REALLY see some fun! Everyone take Mercs, Thugs or Bots (ranged Pets) and Leadership and off you go. One or two /Darks and /Pain Doms and the team will be nigh inwincible...

To be honest the auto-sk feature is one thing I love about the MA because my friends and I have toons all over the place level-wise and even with Sking often someone will be left out. We get together once a week to play and chat on Skype so it's not like we're PLing fiends or anything.

Note that the auto-SK feature is not an automatic indication of a farm. Several of my friends have set up missions that we like simply because of our disparity in levels. Unlike farms the missions are typically run indoors with the usual number of enemies (some custom, some not) and objectives.

Some features of the MA are great, they're just being used in an unintended fashion. I happen to like the fact that my friends and I can all hop on our fave toons and play together without worrying that one is 40 and one is 19.

I used to have trouble with my Blasters (and I'm a 30-month vet) because of all of the Power buttons. About a year ago I got my first 50 Blaster and I was determined to make it work so I began mapping a portion of the Powers to the numpad. I also keep 3 trays open at all times and the right-most three keys of all 3 trays are now mapped to my numpad (8,9 and 0 on the bottom tray to Numpad 1,2 and 3 for instance). The visual similarity between the 9 Numpad buttons and the 9 Power buttons halps to remind me what goes where. I usually use these for Aim, BU and the Secondary. My Controllers use these for short-ranged attacks and Empaths bind Heals to them.

I also have trouble hitting anything after 4 on the top number strip so the first 4 are the attack chain and then it gets into the weird stuff. I still click some things with the mouse though.

It it makes things any easier I slaved the Tilde key to Target Nearest and I can reach that with my left pinkie.

Many thanks for all of the positive waves. Look for more in the near future.

I've heard, but never tried, taking the Pool Taunts for a MM to keep attention on him and away from the Pets. Coupled with Tough this might be a viable tactic in BG mode. I'll have to grab an MM and try it in the second build and see what happens. Most of the time my MMs are trying to be the center of attention anyway so I'm intrigued...

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I did a "Mids build" once and saved up everything I needed for when I hit level 25. Recipe and enhancement storage space turned out to be much larger problems than salvage storage or market prices.

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This was my big concern. When I saw the sheer amount of stuff that I'd need (and I have no problem letting the cheap stuff wait until Crafting Day to buy to save space) even just storing the recipes looked daunting. I may try to work up a solo SG from an established alt to try this and see how it goes if storage is available.

Thanks for all of the help and advice.

I love OG and use it on most characters that can can get it. I can shut it off for Boss fights (since it does no good unstacked) and on for Minion Wars. Against Melee Minions it's sweet IMHO.

Also, there is a Disorient Proc that Immobilizes IIRC. Slotting that might keep some stunned minions from walking out of the area.

A lot will depend on your play style. If you like to be more active then your MM might want to take a few attacks. If you have no problem letting the thugs do the lifting then skip most of those (I always take one to pull with) and lean more towards the Secondary.

The first two heals from Pain are a must. One works for the guys close to you, the Soothe for the Bruiser or any stragglers. I would go 4 slots for each eventually, one Rech, one End Redux and two Heals.

Skip Share pain. You can't heal yourself for a few seconds afterwards and the damage buff is not useful to you.

If you solo a lot you can skip Conduit or put it in your second (team) build. It doesn't work on pets so useless solo.

Likewise Enforced Morale. It'll help the pets later on if they get stunned but less useful if you solo.

Suppress Pain is da shite. Take it...slot it with 3 Heals...use it alla time. The more Health the pets regen the less you have to heal.

World of Pain I like for Boss fights and the like. Coupled with hasten it'll be up pretty frequently and the 90 second duration should last some EB fights as well. Doubly good in a team, triply so in a team with other MMs.

Anguishing Cry and painbringer are the same...good for 90 seconds worth of carnage. Stack all three for an AV fight or cycle them throughout the mission (fully slotted with 3 Recharge IOs they should have one up at all times).

On a golden moment when you have everything running and hit Gang War most enemies will go away with shocking speed.

If you REALLY wanna rock the house (and you subscribe to the 'MM with few attacks' school) then take the first three leadership Powers to boot. It stacks with the Enforcer's mini-Leadership and adds appreciable damage.

At one time I worked up a build for a toon on Mid's and then printed off all of the stuff I'd need by lvl 30 for recipe slotting. For me lvl 30 is where I abandon SOs and go with straight IOs or recipe IOs hence thr target level. It surprised me to discover how much salvage I'd need just to craft everything I wanted at lvl 30.

Has anyone ever tried to do this...plot out their build from lvl 1 and then horde what they needed/sell what they didn't? Was it successful at all?

I only have one SG with enough storage space to try it and they're redside. I'd like to try it blueside as well but do not have the space for it.

The main reason I ask on this Forum is I'm wondering if this will make it easier or harder with regards to the Market. By level 30, with normal play, can I expect enough of the right kind of salvage to drop to craft everything?

If not can I expect enough sellable stuff to drop that I can expect be able to afford to buy what I need?

This is more of an intellectual exercise than anything but I may try it this summer as a test. Just wondered what the experts thought...

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Eek. Yall are scaring me away from mercs... sad. I really can not stand how the other sets pets look (especially teh ridiculous looking and thematically ridiculous thugs) aside from zombies (and I am jsut not a zombie kinda fella)

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I have a Mercs/Pain and a Mercs/Poison and they both do just fine so have no fear. Some players have their faves for sure and some have had bad instances with some (I can't seem to keep Ninjas alive for instance).

But unlike many other types of characters where you can just Tab-shoot-Tab-shoot MMs require some thought which for me is part of the fun. Do you want to slot for Acc/Dmg all the time or would the occasional -Def be a good idea? Do you like the idea of massive FF defenses (which are simple to play and effective but can be somewhat boring) or do you want your damage mitigation to be more aggressive like /Dark? All things to consider.

Like I said above, made the duo with anything that strikes your fancy and play it to DOs. If you don't like it by then you may not like the rest of the trip so try another mix to see if you like it better.

For me MMs are all about the fun more than any other AT. Sure Blasters and Tanks and the rest are good at what they do but for style of play and versatility the MM is all that and chips for me. So play what you have fun with and forget all the hype.

Only you can determine what you like to play.

I will usually use the 'Attack my target' command while targeting the door. Barring that setting them close to the door in Aggressive should work.

You want to prevent KB from your own Power?

To the best of my knowledge there are no Patron Powers (or Hero Epics for that matter) that prevent KB. PFF might make a KB Power hit less but does not actually prevent KB that I know of.

Why are you asking? Putting the question in context might help.