DrGemini

Well, running Time Manipulation, I would say I probably have access to 3 great aggro control/grabbing powers already. I have Time's Juncture, my slow/hold patch, and Slowed Response. So, in terms of leading off a fight, Provoke is not necessarily my "go to" power. I would rather be throwing down debuffs to start off. But, I find Provoke is excellent for helping to keep the mobs operating within parameters that are favorable to me. Namely, all of the heavy fire is aimed at me where my high defenses absorb the vast majority before Bodyguard even needs to kick in.

While I agree that there are some issues that need to be addressed with henchmen, I think that, based on my experiences, the vast majority of problems are caused by the player trying to do things without taking into account how the AI works.

Let me give you an example...

Recently, I was on an outdoor mission. For about 5 minutes I seemed to be "warring" with my pets. It seemed to me that they would not stay with me but kept running off to a point on the map I had already been through. I did everything I could think of, including dismissing and resummoning. Error in the AI I thought. Right?
Well, it wasn't until I decided to follow them that I discovered the problem. There was an enemy still alive that had drawn their attention. And, it wasn't until the enemy died that my pets would ignore it.
Perhaps there is/was still a problem with the AI. But, my point is that, it wasn't until *I* adapted that the problem was solved.

It is also apparent to me that many people who play Masterminds still fail to understand how best to utilize their henchmen. People try to play Masterminds as nothing more than a Controller with "controlable" pets. They don't seem to understand that those henchmen are designed with a "personality" all their own (at least as much as the AI can give them).
Sure, I agree that improvements could be made. But, as far as I have seen, the AI does seem to do a good job of cycling through the attacks in a manner that is the most efficient. Your henchmen are designed to engage the enemy as best as the AI can utilize their skills.

So, before people go crying about what needs to be fixed, perhaps you need to look into the way you play your mastermind and make the adjustments you can make. There are legitimate issues needing attention. But, I think there are far more issues that can be fixed just by changing the way you play.

Currently, my Ninja/Time MM has provoke. I looked at it as a way of being able to abuse bodyguard for taking the "alpha" strike from a mob. The funny part is with all my +Defense I rarely take any real damage. And, Barrier soaks up what does get through.

I will also use provoke to keep the harder hitting mobs directed at me so they aren't 1-shotting my ninjas. It does tend to work, since, again, I operate with a lot of defenses that pretty much negate incoming damage. In fact, I run aggressive more than defensive.

Carnie missions have been spawning Vanessa Devore as a regular occurrence. I have personally seen this.

Lovely Hero... *thinks real hard*

*Wags finger at camera* I did not have relations with that...

No can't say that I do.

He didn't pay him... he PLAYED him.

No wonder he logged.

Just wanted to add that last weekend we had very good turnout for all 3 of the raids. And, except for a few specific instances, everyone did their part well!

"Freedom Hami Raids" is the global channel we use for all things related to the raids. Feel free to join it and keep yourself up-to-date on future raids.

Indeed, great turnout last night. My henchmen even cooperated and didn't get me killed as often as the past couple times.


Also:

Freedom Hami Raids (the global channel) is now open to the public. Anyone wishing to join the channel where we post upcoming raid info is welcome.

The original post has been updated to say HERO side. I am too used to doing them on hero side that I don't always remember villains have one too.

The following is a summary of what role each archetype normally fills in the raid. Of course, these roles may be altered depending on various factors.

Aggro Management (Taunting)
It is very important that we redirect Hamidon's aggro away from the squishier folks. And, well, because Hamidon can cause group wipes fairly quick.

For this role, we recruit a total of seven (7) Tankers or Brutes. To fulfill this role, you need to have your Ranged Taunt. It also helps if you have decent Mez/Knockback protection and you have good Healing/Regeneration capabilities to survive. We will, of course, make sure that you are provided buffs and plenty of [Essense of the Earth].

One taunter is placed in a team with several Empathy Defenders. They will see that you are buffed with Adrenalin Boost and receive any other similar support. The taunter of this group is tasked with taunting the nucleous.

The other 6 taunters are responsible for taunting the Yellow Mitos (which do the most damage). They stand outside of the goo and taunt from range.

The aggro team(s) generally do not attack with the rest of the group. However, we do look for a few extra "DPS" classes to join their teams so the aggro teams can enjoy the drops from the Mitos.

Yellow Team
We normally group other Tankers, Scrappers, Brutes, Stalkers and other melee-focused classes together. Their job is to focus on killing the Yellow Mitos. The Yellows are only vulnerable to melee damage. So, our meleers group together to make targetting and killing easier.
It should be noted that members of this team need to turn off any powers designed to attract aggro (if possible). You don't want to risk overriding the taunt team with your own aggro powers. And, make sure you bring a form of Flight so you can reach the yellows.

(Once the yellows are defeated, this team proceeds to help defeat the other mitos.)

It should be noted that the Yellows fire a targetted AoE attack and also have a close (but less damaging) PBAoE attack. Both attacks carry a Knockback and Stun.

Blue Team
Blasters, Corruptors, and other classes designed for Ranged damage are usually grouped together for the purpose of targetting the Blue mitos (which are vulnerable to ranged attacks). However, this group usually helps kill the Greens (and sometimes yellows) prior to the Blues. The blues are usually killed last.

It should be noted that the Blues fire a single-target Electric-like attack. It does less damage than the yellows. However, it has the side effect of draining endurance and causing a Fear effect. The Fear Effect has a chain ability and will jump to nearby targets. Also, these attacks will Slow.

Green Team
The "green" team is usually reserved for Controllers, Dominators and any other characters with strong HOLD abilities. It is necessary to HOLD the green mitos before they will die. So, naturally, control types are placed in this team to help make their job easier. Any other characters with HOLD attacks are encouraged to help with the Greens.

Greens provide healing to their allies. Their attacks do little damage but greatly debuff (and even stop) any healing incoming to their target.

The Greens are attacked simultaneously with the Yellows. The greens are usually the second group to be defeated.

Support Classes
As you can imagine, any buffs brought to the raid are a great help (except Resistance or Defense). Of course, your usefulness depends upon the exact buffs provided. Empathy is probably the most coveted buff set for the raids. Kinetics is a close second. But, really, anything that helps keep people up and/or operating more efficiently is always welcome.

Empathy defenders are grouped with the taunters to help keep them on their feet. And, any other support is usually spread throughout the teams to maximize effectiveness.

Masterminds
I thought I would cover this. Masterminds are NOT useless for raids. As long as the pets are kept in check, Masterminds are welcomed for their ability to fulfill multiple roles in the raid. Usually, we place them with the Ranged group.

Epic ATs
These are always welcome too. Your place in the raid will depend on which types of attacks you have focused on. I have even seen Warshades and Peacebringers use their Dwarf to help with aggro management in a pinch.

Well, I hope all this stuff helps. If there are any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

And now, the raid!
When all teams are set, the leader will guide everyone through the buff sequence. Then, he/she will count down through several general steps:

1. Establish the "aggro management" team(s). They usually go in first (while buffs are hot) and cement all of the aggro on them. Thus, freeing everyone else to...

2. Attack the Mitochondria. The "melee" teams go first for the Yellow Mitos while the Control and Ranged groups go for the Green Mitos first. Everyone attacks their assigned targets. The Yellows usually die first. Then, once they are dead, the Greens are killed. And, finally the Blues.

3. Once all of the Mitos are defeated, we can converge on the nucleous. However, we cannot defeat it in one go. At intervals of 3/4 HP, 1/2 HP, and 1/4 HP, the Mitos will be respawned. This means...

4. Essentially, we repeat the previous 3 steps until we get past the final respawn and can deal the final blow. Sometimes, the leader will ask everyone to regroup outside of the "goo" to reapply buffs. If the group feels confident enough, we will frequently skip past regrouping. We reapply buffs while attacking the nucleous, etc. Then, once the mitos respawn we simply jump back into action.

Rewards
As you might have guessed, there are some good rewards for completing the raid:

1. A window will come up giving you the option of 3 rewards: 4 Incarnate Shards, 53 Reward Merits, or a special enhancement.

2. During the raid, you will have a very good chance of getting a good amount of salvage, recipes, and incarnate shards/threads. (I have actually had my salvage nearly full at the end!)

3. Of course, you will have the great feeling of a job well done and have enjoyed a fun time with your friends.

That is the extent of how our raids normally go. Below, I will summarize the roles of characters in the raid.

The following is a summarized guide to Hamidon Raiding as we do it on Freedom. Other servers probably do it differently. So, familiarizing yourself with our strategies would be helpful.

What is Hamidon?
Simply, Hamidon is the big end-game boss of the Devouring Earth. It is a giant one-celled organism complete with several "Mitochondria" and a central "Nucleous".

Currently, Hamidon is designed to be a raid-size encounter. No single person can "solo" Hamidon in current form. A watered-down version can be found in various smaller encounters. But the genuine version is found either in The Hive (hero side) or The Abyss (villain side). It is rumored that Praetoria will be getting a Hamidon of their own.

Notes to be aware of...
It should be noted that Hamidon and the Mitochondria are not the same as other "normal" mobs found in the game. Their abilities go above and beyond what is experienced throughout the rest of the game. Therefore, some change in tactics is necessary.

1. Normal Resistance and/or Defense buffs have no effect. Hamidon's attacks ignore any resistances or defenses a character might normally possess. Therefore, the normal "armors" that people use are not useful for Hamidon Raids. Also, the Destiny power "Barrier" has no effect on your survival. |We normally ask people to refrain from using Barrier because it only produces more lag without any other benefits.|

2. Special inspirations called [Essense of the Earth] are the only means by which any damage resistance can be obtained. They can be acquired from any of the Devouring Earth monsters roaming the game. We usually get a fair amount from the monsters we have to kill prior to the raid. These inspirations are highly useful to us during the raid, particularly those tasked with aggro management.

3. Regeneration, Recovery, Damage, Recharge, Mez Resistance and other types of buffs are useful for the raid. It is highly recommended that all characters turn on their "Mez Protection" (if you have any) or carry a few Break Free inspirations. |Please note that direct forms of healing are less useful due to the "debuff" that comes from the Mitochondria.| Clarion, Rebirth, and Ageless are all very useful for us during the raid.

4. Even though they are useful elsewhere, Pets are strongly advised against during the raids. Unfortunately, they have been known to create problems with aggro management. We ask that, if you have them, you save them for the last portion of the raid OR use them while we are killing the monsters. |The only exception to this would be Masterminds. We simply ask that you maintain control of your pets and not let them run wild.|

5. The majority of the Mitochondria float around in the "goo". So, you will want to bring some sort of "flight." Jetpacks can be acquired from various sources around the game. If you are a Mastermind, you can acquire a group fly temp power in the First Ward.

6. Lastly, the use of powers with an Area of Effect should be used carefully. These powers can cause problems with aggro management. If you can manage without them, we encourage you to do so.

Pre-Raid Activities
Generally, before the actual raid begins, there is one importan thing we have to do: Spawn Hamidon. This is done by defeating a number of the monsters in the zone. After we defeat enough, they will retreat and Hamidon will spawn in his little "pit."

Also, we (now) use the League settings. This allows us to better organize people into the appropriate groups we need them to be in. It also allows us to direct buffs, etc to those who need them. When you come in the zone, simply make a broadcast with your Archetype and Powers. You will be recruited into the appropriate team.

Before the raid starts, you should also double-check with your team leader to make sure you understand your team's part in the raid. Once your team leader knows everyone understands their role, he/she will communicate with the raid leader and bring the raid one step closer to commencement.

WHEN:
--Fridays @ 9:00 PM Eastern--
--Saturdays @ 9:00 PM Eastern--
--Sundays @ 8:00 PM Eastern--

WHERE: "The Hive" -- Take "Founders Falls" to "Eden." The Hive is on the opposite end of Eden. It is a zone open to anyone level 45 or higher.

Other details about the raiding can be found below in other posts. We are currently back on a non-evac trend.

We typically begin "forming" the raid 15-30 minutes early so that the team leaders can get set up prior to the main broadcast going out.

The majority of our Hamidon raids are hosted by the members of Freedom Hami Raids. Our channel is public and open to anyone who wishes to join. The channel message usually includes announcements about upcoming raids.

My main controller is an Elec/Kin. And, I must tell you that there is one major concept you really should aim for: Sap-troller. This is a build that really lets Electric Control do what other sets cannot do which is completely neutering enemies by not only controlling them but depriving them of the endurance they need to do anything.

To make this build work, you need to take Mu Mastery for Power Sink. Power Sink, Conductive Aura, and Transference are your big three powers. And, all of your primary powers have a Recovery debuff on them which makes it even easier to accomplish this. The nifty part is you don't even really need to slot End Mod (except in the major 3 powers). You just do your part and even Archvillains can be fully drained.

Now, for damage, I pretty much use Ball Lightning and my pets as the major damage makers. But, with Fulcrum Shift and Siphon Power, your damage is decent no matter which attack you throw out.

Oh, and don't forget Static Field. With the Fortunata set in it, you can turn it into a really great power that allows you to wade into big mobs without much trouble to do your Sap-trolling. After all, with the Placate proc, not only are the mobs being put to sleep on a regular basis but they are being Placated which means they can't even target you.

At the rate I'm knocking out things to do on Emerald Scale, I might end up getting Time Manipulation nerfed.

Anyways, always happy to help a good group.

Right now my Ninja/Time is allowing me to solo every AV or GM I encounter. And, I solo them as AVs not watered-down Elite Bosses. I think my time record for killing an AV is about 2 minutes.

I have not personally used Team Teleport. But, from my understanding, Time is a set that wants you to be in the thick of the fight where all of your powers are most effective since the vast majority are Area of Effect. Team Teleport would then serve to drop your pets into melee with you to take advantage of bodyguard and whatnot.

Sounds like a plan. Croatoa it will be at. Time and so forth are still being decided.

Hello ladies and gents.

I got to thinking that it might be fun for us to plan some events over the "official" Halloween weekend. One of these events should be a massive Costume Contest.
But, I cannot do it alone and am looking for help/input as to the contest. I am thinking that we should host more than one over the course of the weekend to allow everyone a chance to participate (since a zone can only hold 50).

Rewards?

Well, influence and big-money items are always good choices. I was also thinking that with the Paragon Points there might be some way we could "gift" points (or items) if that kind of thing can be arranged.

Also, I might be convinced to help organize a PvP event. I think it might be cool to have people PvP in their costumes. Perhaps we could put a few people in charge of being "photographers" and catch some of the action.

Anyways, I thought I would start the ball rolling on this thing and see if any others like the idea in general.

Interesting ideas. I suppose I'm less inclined to slot as many procs mostly because I like to get the set bonuses to boost my own stats so that I can survive the hits I do take. Though, I tend not to take many hits at all.

The above build was put together through some good old fashioned research and use of paper (yes I am that old school). I intend to make use of mids to help tweak the build.

The primary things I looked to improve for myself was Health, Endurance, Recharge, and all of my defenses.

In case you are wondering, I prefer to 6-slot all of my pets simply so that I can allow them to take full advantage of those sets. And, I prefer to slot the purple set in my Jounin because they make the most efficient use of the build up proc.

Anyways, feel free to browse and critique it. So far it works wonders for me in terms of being able to almost always solo on x8 +0. I can increase to +4 when I want to but usually don't outside of my couple of "farming" missions.

Hello Folks. Prior to finishing and posting my guide I thought some of you might be interested in my current build for my Ninja/Time Mastermind. No doubt it can be better but it may be a help to anyone currently trying to figure out slotting.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.951
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Emerald Scale: Level 50 Natural Mastermind
Primary Power Set: Ninjas
Secondary Power Set: Time Manipulation
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Teleportation
Ancillary Pool: Field Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Call Genin

• (A) Edict of the Master - Accuracy/Damage
• (3) Edict of the Master - Damage/Endurance
• (3) Edict of the Master - Accuracy/Endurance
• (5) Edict of the Master - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (5) Edict of the Master - Damage
• (7) Edict of the Master - Defense Bonus

Level 1: Time Crawl

• (A) Tempered Readiness - Accuracy/Slow
• (21) Tempered Readiness - Range/Slow
• (21) Tempered Readiness - Accuracy/Damage/Slow
• (23) Tempered Readiness - Endurance/Recharge/Slow

Level 2: Temporal Mending

• (A) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Endurance
• (7) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Recharge
• (9) Doctored Wounds - Heal
• (9) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Endurance/Recharge
• (19) Doctored Wounds - Endurance/Recharge

Level 4: Time's Juncture

• (A) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Endurance
• (45) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Recharge/Endurance
• (45) Dark Watcher's Despair - Recharge/Endurance

Level 6: Train Ninjas

• (A) Endurance Reduction IO

Level 8: Hover

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
• (43) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
• (43) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
• (43) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance/Recharge

Level 10: Temporal Selection

• (A) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Endurance
• (11) Doctored Wounds - Endurance/Recharge
• (11) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Recharge
• (17) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Endurance/Recharge
• (19) Doctored Wounds - Heal

Level 12: Call Jounin

• (A) Soulbound Allegiance - Damage
• (13) Soulbound Allegiance - Damage/Recharge
• (13) Soulbound Allegiance - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (15) Soulbound Allegiance - Accuracy/Recharge
• (15) Soulbound Allegiance - Damage/Endurance
• (17) Soulbound Allegiance - Chance for Build Up

Level 14: Fly

• (A) Flight Speed IO

Level 16: Distortion Field

• (A) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Hold
• (37) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Recharge
• (37) Basilisk's Gaze - Recharge/Hold
• (37) Basilisk's Gaze - Endurance/Recharge/Hold
• (39) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold

Level 18: Hasten

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (36) Recharge Reduction IO
• (36) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 20: Time Stop

• (A) Unbreakable Constraint - Hold
• (34) Unbreakable Constraint - Hold/Recharge
• (34) Unbreakable Constraint - Accuracy/Hold/Recharge
• (34) Unbreakable Constraint - Accuracy/Recharge
• (36) Unbreakable Constraint - Endurance/Hold

Level 22: Maneuvers

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
• (23) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
• (33) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
• (33) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance

Level 24: Tactics

• (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff
• (25) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance
• (25) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance

Level 26: Oni

• (A) Sovereign Right - Accuracy/Damage
• (27) Sovereign Right - Damage/Endurance
• (27) Sovereign Right - Accuracy/Endurance
• (31) Sovereign Right - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (31) Sovereign Right - Accuracy
• (33) Sovereign Right - Resistance Bonus

Level 28: Farsight

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
• (29) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
• (29) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
• (31) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance

Level 30: Recall Friend

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 32: Kuji In Zen

• (A) Endurance Reduction IO

Level 35: Slowed Response

• (A) Analyze Weakness - Defense Debuff
• (39) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Defense Debuff
• (39) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Recharge
• (40) Analyze Weakness - Defense Debuff/Endurance/Recharge
• (40) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge

Level 38: Chrono Shift

• (A) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Endurance
• (40) Doctored Wounds - Recharge
• (42) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Recharge
• (42) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Endurance/Recharge
• (42) Doctored Wounds - Heal

Level 41: Temp Invulnerability

• (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
• (46) Resist Damage IO
• (46) Resist Damage IO
• (48) Resist Damage IO
• (48) Endurance Reduction IO
• (48) Endurance Reduction IO

Level 44: Vengeance

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed

Level 47: Afterburner

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed

Level 49: Assault

• (A) Endurance Reduction IO

Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon
Level 50: Barrier Core Epiphany
Level 50: Pyronic Core Final Judgement
Level 50: Reactive Radial Flawless Interface
Level 50: Nemesis Core Superior Ally
------------
Level 1: Brawl

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Sprint

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Supremacy
Level 2: Rest

• (A) Empty

Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift

• (A) Empty

Level 2: Health

• (A) Miracle - +Recovery
• (45) Regenerative Tissue - +Regeneration
• (46) Numina's Convalescence - +Regeneration/+Recovery

Level 2: Hurdle

• (A) Empty

Level 2: Stamina

• (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End
• (50) Performance Shifter - EndMod
• (50) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Recharge
• (50) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Accuracy

Thank you for the input. I thought that Membranes were for enhancing def/acc buffs not Enzymes. Enzymes are for the opposite effect.