Well, here we go. Another Thugs/dark guide. This is entirely based off my own personal experience, and has nothing at all to do with specific numbers... mostly because I have no idea where everyone else pulls their numbers from. Nor do I really care.
But moving on.
I am a huge fan of Masterminds getting attack powers. All of mine have them. Reasons later.
Section I : The Thugs
Section II : The Dark
Section III : The Other Stuff
Section IV : What to do with it all
Section I : The Thugs
1 > Pistols
I skipped this power. I've heard it's a ranged brawl. Besides... you won't ever really need it past level 1. I always do the tutorial, as it's a cheap way to get to level 2 with no real work, and I can grab Jail Bird. In that time, your Punk can take care of anything dished out at you. I skipped it.
1 > Call Thugs
Your first of your bread and butter. Get this as your first power. With these hotheads, nothing gets in your way. Not for very long, anyway... get them up fast, keep them up. Don't let them die, as it's sometimes damned annoying trying to resummon them after a fairly nasty fight.
When summoned: They run from behind you, much like the Soldiers do.
Secong Punk at 6; Arsonist at 18
Recommended slotting: 3 damage, 2 accuracy, and either 1 knockback, or 1 defense debuff. Your choice.
2 > Dual Wield
This power is rather useful. And it looks so cool. As a Mastermind, you are very squishy. As is painfully obvious in PvP. Without your Thugs, you are essentially defenseless. I have never liked Masterminds who have no way of defending themselves, other then their pets. Hence, with these attack powers, you can add some marginal defense to yourself... because face it. You won't always have your Thugs available to you.
Anyway. Detaiuls of the power. Fires off a couple of rounds from your pistols; not bad damage, but it's the knockback you're really concerned with. The more an enemy is not on their feet damaging you and your thugs, the more time you can blast him without having to heal them. Both good points in my books.
Recommended slotting: 2 accuracy, 2 knockback
6 > Equip Thugs
I really shouldn't need to tell you to get this power. It beefs up yuour thugs. Honestly, who doesn't want that?
Punks: Dual Wield
Arsonist: Firebreath, with a Scourge ability
Enforcers: Dual uzis and Tactics
Bruiser: Hand Clap and Haymaker
More weapons for your thugs, and more damage faster. Who can say no? This is a staple power for all Masterminds at this level. You are a fool if you don't get this.
Recommended Slotting: 2 end redux.
8 > Empty Clips
This is just a cone version of Dual Wield. Which means more damage and more knockback faster. Again, with the personal defense thing going again. I've sprayed a half dozen Longbow agents with this power, and every one of them were knocked on their backs with it. My Arsonist then promptly Firebreathed them all. I then had a bunch of dead Longbowmen. Get this. The only problem I have with this power is that it is a rather large end hog. That's the only problem with it.
Recommended Slotting: 1 accuracy, 2 knockback, 2 end redux
12 > Call Enforcers
The second thugs to call forth and smite thine foes. My personal favorites, as they dish out quite a bit of damage, and they look friggin cool doing it. They also have some leadership abilities (Tactics, Maneuvers, and Assault, depending on their level of upgrading) that, sadly, only affect your thugs. Even if it does affect your bruiser, he'll be in melee, and not within the range anyway. Oh well. Your thugs will gain quite a bit from the leadership of your Enforcers. Keep these guys up, and make sure they stick around.
When summoned: A sewer lid pops out of the ground and they crawl out of the sewer. Kinda cool.
Second Enforcer at 25
Recomended Slotting: 3 damage, 2 accuracy, and your choice of toHit buff, defense debuff or defense buff. Whichever you need more.
18 > Gang War
This is just so friggin cool. Calls forth about ten Posse to whack at your enemies for a while, before they get bored and run away after about two minutes or so, or they die. Whichever comes first. This is your boss killer, right here. Not only does the boss have to deal with you shooting at him with your pistols, but also ten Posse, your Punks and your Enforcer(s) wailing on him. They usually die in no time flat. Definitely get this.
Recommended Slotting: 4 recharge redux. Honsetly, we could go for 6... but it's not going to be improved that much. See Section IV for more details.
26 > Call Bruiser
The last of your Tools of Smiting. And believe me... this guy does some serious smiting. He's basically a mini-Brute that runs about and kits stuff. Really hard. Like any good Brute should. I've heard that he aslo gets some Fury built up, though I haven't seen that much damage improvement over an extended fight. Still, this guy does some amazing damage, and he's just damn impressive to have around. And just like that, your gang is complete. 2 Punks, and Arsonist, two Enforcers, and a giant Bruiser. What could be better?
Recommended Slotting: 4 damage, 2 accuracy
32 > Upgrade Equipment
It's a seriously beefed up Equip. Badder weapons, more abilities... you can't go wrong with this power. Any good, half-sane Mastermind will pick up this power. More damage. Faster. Cooler looking thugs. Is this a problem...?
Punks: Empty Clips
Arsonist: Petrol Bomb and Ignite Patches (AoE fire)
Enforcers: Dual Uzi Blast, Blast Clips, Assault
Bruiser: Footstomp, Knockout Blow, and Hurl
Get this power. Seriously.
Recommended Slotting: See Equip Thug
Section II : The Dark
1 > Twilight Grasp
You have to get this power. Not because it is your mass healing power. Not because it defuffs your enemies quite nicely. Not because it saves your bacon.
But simply because it is the only option available to you at level 1 for this power set. 'But I don't want it!' you scream. To you, I say, Yes. You do. This power heals you quite nicely, and in quite a large range around you. Perfect for thise Corruptors or Dominators beside you, who aren't quite as squishy as you. The enemy targeted gets quite a nice accuracy debuff for a few seconds, but it's enough for you not to get shot again.
The only downfall to this power is that you need to target an enemy for it to work, and it has to hit. Therefore, if you are hit by an accuracy debuff, chances of you healing yourself and your buddies are a lot slimmer.
A great power.
Recommended Slotting: 4 heals, 1 recharge redux, 1 accuracy
2 > Tar Patch
I love this power. Absolutely love it. It's a targeted AoE slow. I've heard that it can also be set on fire... though I have never seen this done. It is excellent for making sure that your squishies don't get to far from the fun. Bosses are even slowed by this... Perfect for tight corridors, such as warehouses or caves. If you have flight, you can hover directly over the enemy and drop Tar Patch directly on their heads. Since stationary mobs enjoy clumping together, this helps them stay that way. Add in the Arsonists AoE Firebreath and such, as well as the Empty Clips, and nothing stands in the way. A must get.
Recommended Slotting: 3 Slow, 1 recharge redux
4 > Darkest Night
This power is very similar to Radiat Infection in that it is a single target massive accuracy, damage and defense debuff that spreads to the surrounding enemies like a plague. Couple this with Tar Patch, and what you have, my friends, is a field of wheat, ready to be mowed down. While you have DN up, you are still using end, so be carefull.
Recommended Slotting: 1 defense debuff, 1 accuracy debuff, 2 end redux
10 > Howling Twilight
This is another power I absolutely adore as a boss-killer. I rarely, if ever, use it for its intended purpose; that is, to raise your fallen team mates. I made sure to get this power, since I do not run my Mastermind without my friend, who happens to be following the same Thugs/Dark. Nasty combo. More on that later. I use this especially for the boss battles, as this power is a large-area, targeted Disorient and Slow. It does minor damage; not worth beefing up with wasted slots. Bosses are disoriented by this, and minions and Lt's stay stunned for quite a long time. I definitely must get, even if you only solo.
Recommended Slotting: 3 recharge redux, 1 disorient, 1 slow
16 > Shadow Fall
Team stealth. That's all I need to say. I don't like it, as it doesn't fit in with my play style. Some do like it, but I don't. I recommend skipping it.
~EDIT~
Gorug hath written: [ QUOTE ]
a) Mish Door Ambushes - With this running you dont get ambushed and get set up in peace.
b) It is also Team + Def , not much but every bit can help
c) It is also a decent Team Neg Eng,Eng and PSI Res, and since PSI attacks become common in the late game,while PSI def and Res is the rarest ,teams will love this.
[/ QUOTE ]
20 > Fearsome Stare
A cone fear attack. I have never like Fear attacks; I find them useless and annoying. All they do is cower and run away. Especially where I don't want them to go. I like herding, and this is very anti-herd. If you like Fear, stack Fear duration into it; otherwise, skip this power.
~EDIT~
Gorug hath writen: [ QUOTE ]
1) Fear does not cause mobs to run.They only cower in place.The running is caused by different powers and would happen even if this had not been applied.
2) This power also has a large tohit debuff.
[/ QUOTE ]
Thank you for the information.
28 > Petrifying Gaze
Single target hold. It's not bad, as holds go... Paralytic Poison from the /poison set is slightly better, but this is definitely one of the best. It holds bosses about a quarter of the time, depending on type of enemy. I haven't gotten it yet, simply because more important things have been coming up. And, if you follow my srategies, nothing stand up long enough to bother Holding. Still, all in all, a very good power.
Recommended Slotting: Hold and end redux
35 > Black Hole
A targeted Intangilibity. 'What does that mean?', you may ask. Basically, the foe is taken out of the fight for a minute or two. 'Isn't that a good thing?' No. Because while he can't hit you, you can't touch him. It's annoying as hell. It's often hard to tell the difference between an intang'd foe and a regular one, so a fellow villain may use a good power on them (sniper attacks, Total Focus, Seismic Smash, that sort of thing) and flip out because 'Unaffected' will pop up over their heads. Useless, in my opinion.
38 > Dark Servant
Yay! Another summon! Unfortunately, it doesn't stick around very long... I've heard about two minutes or so. The recharge is roughly four to five minutes, so he's not around all the time... more in Section IV.
What does he do? A mini dark/dark corrupter. Tentacles, twilight grasp, petrifying gaze, as well as Shill of the Night, which is a PBAoE debuffer. Stick him in the midle o a mob, and you have a very debuffed group of dead stuff. He has more hit points than likely anything you have, so don't be afraid to use him as an alpha-soaker of sorts. Great stuff. Pick this little dark guy up.
Recommended Slotting: 1 accuracy, 2 heal, 1 toHit debuff
Section III : The Other Stuff
Power Pools
Assuming you follow my strategies, you will not need Stamina. I don't have it, and I have no problems with endurance. I also don't have leadership, which likely shokcs quite a few of you. I haven't had a need for it yet. Anyway. Onwards. I'm not going to give recommended slotting for the power pool stuff. It's entirely based in play style and personal preference.
Speed
Hasten: I love this power, too. I use it quite often... though I don't have it perma yet. No need for it, actually. I'll explain more in Section IV. I use it mainly for Gang War and Howling Twilight. Again, details later.
Superspeed: This is how I get my [censored] out of trouble. I don't care what's following me... I go faster than they do. Lets me get in and out with no fuss.
Flight
Hover: This lets me survey the battle without getting into that pesky range known as 'melee'. I'm squishy. I know that. The more I can stay out of the range of hammers and fists, the happier I am... I still stay within the range of the healing, and the defense bonus ain't too bad. I hear a lot of people complaining about the flight speed. It's HOVER, not GO FAST. I have two defense buffs in mine. Yes, I go slow. No, I don't care. That's why I got
Fly: This is the one that gets me to where Superspeed can't take me. I go a whole lot faster than Hover will ever take me. Yes. Two travel powers. I'm squishy. Leave me alone.
Those are the only two pools I have, besides Swift. I only have swift so I don't have to run Sprint and waste end. I don't plan on getting Stamina, because I don't need it.
Section IV : What to do with it all
In this section, I'll cover strategies and how they work so damn well, as well as anything I may have missed.
Strategies
The Boss-Killer:
This is one of my favorite strategies. When I find a boss (Works really well with Elite Bosses as well... never tried it on a hero or AV...), I first peg it off with Howling Twilight, for a wicked disorient. Right after, I pop in Gang War, so I can get some good damage going. Then I send the Thugs in to do the brunt of the smiting. I fly on low enough to heal my gang, but not enough to be hit. Then I stick in Tar Patch, just as the Howling is wearing off. Any minions and Lt's are still reeling from the stun, and now they aren't going anywhere. Toss in Darkest Night, and that boss doesn't last very long. Proceed to mop up the rest.
Immediately after kicking out Gang War and Howling, I pop a Hasten pill to recharge them back a whole lot faster. I can use both three times in an average mission with that Hasten strategy.
The Hasten Pill
After I use anything with a recharge longer than Long, I pop back hasten. At the start of the mission, I use Hasten and activate my Thugs and equip them all, just so I don't spend as much time doing it. After I use both Gang War and Howling Twilight, I pop back the Hasten Pill. This works very well.
The Buddy
The guy I always play my Thugs/Dark with is also another Thugs/Dark, and we have almost the exact same powers. We both have Gang War and Howling Twilight, and Tar Patch. He doesn't have Hasten, but that's okay. When we find a boss, I hit him with Howling while he hits him with Gang War. I pop in Gang, he goes for Tar Patch, then I use Tar Patch away from the boss, so that it'll take longer for them to reach us, while he hits the boss again with Howling. All the while, our Thugs are wailing away on him, and he goes down all the faster. If the boss survives a minute, then one of us'll throw in Darkest Night. Doesn't last long. I've had it so that a boss doesn't get a single attack in on us. Not a one.
The Buddy, part Deux
Stalkers really like playing with us, as he can go about his dark shady ways while we take the brunt of the damage (By we, I mean the thugs), and he can go one-shot everything else.
Brutes aren't always a fan of us... it really depends on the Brute. Stoners aren't always fond of us, as we go too fast for them to keep up. Energy-types like us, as we like to disorient as much as they do. Super Strength ones are kinda half-and-half... some like us because a stunned opponent is easier to hit than a live one, but the other half doesn't like us as we take all their fury away. And I'm not kidding. We really do. Fire Brutes absolutely love us, as we like to herd, and all the do is AoE damage. Great system. Never played with a dark brute before, though...
Corruptors and dominators enjoy running with us, because the Thugs take the brunt of the damage, and we make it really hard for anything to get to us. As such, they stick by us. A lot. And we have amazing heals.
Masterminds always enjoy running together... the more the merrier.
That about sums it up. This was my first guide, so any feedback and/or corrections would be very appreciated.
Thank you Gorug and Kossy for their information.
