kalashnikow
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Posts
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Joined
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no, it doesn't. 90% of time i play masterminds. i know what i am saying.
switch to advance control mode and you will see 2 radio buttons.
first is the command, second is stance.
commands are attack, follow, goto and stay.
stances are aggressive, defensive and passive.
and as long as the stance still be defensive bodyguard WILL work. regardless which command you will give.
those 3 command buttons are predefined since release i think and not appropriate to actual game mechanic.
first is "attack aggressive" and if you hit it - then of course bodyguard will be gone. but if you rightclick on the button and redefine it to "attack defensive" they will stay in bodyguard and attacking your actual target.
i am soloing avs and gms whole the time. surgy would have killed me with a single blast without bodyguard. so my "tests" are proven by my successes. -
mez protection can be compensated with inspiration if need. healing can not, well not for needed amount.
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Quote:eeehmm.... no.Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison
Attack/Defensive will take you out of bodyguard mode.
bodyguard or not is depends on aggressive/defensive state.
attack DO NOT cancel bodyguard. -
Quote:true. thermal offers a solid multitool.Originally Posted by Deacon_NA
Many people say of Sonic "why roll Sonic when there's Thermal?" and I think this is a good case in point.
sure. take scorpion shield, tough/weave and maneuvers+assault. problem solved. still you have heals and better buffs.Quote:Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
With Demons/Thermal the MM himself is VERY squishy
my demon/thermal eats gms and avs at breakfast. i seriously doubt that demon/sonic will be able to do it, lack of heals is nothing you can compensate with pool powers. -
just my 2 cents: mercs are the most bugged and underperforming minions.
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you can reassign those mm buttons to something more valuable.
like "attack defensive" = attack+bodyguard. -
demons/traps combination while being very good separately is somewhat difficult to use. demons tend to wander around, while traps require positional fight. i don't recommend it. same for ninja/traps.
if you want to do demons - make it demon/thermal.
ninja cannot survive very good, therefore either strong buff like forcefield or strong debuff like dark are recommended. -
Quote:except the tar patch has a long cd, which means that it will be available only ca. half of the average fight time. aside of the long stationary AV fights, for that thermal has melt armor.Originally Posted by Mid_Boss
If your pet is enhanced to 95% damage from enhancements you'd need a +60% damage buff to equal the increased damage a -30% -resistance debuff gives.
many weak mobs - tar patch slows. demons don't neet slow, they have slow aura. no reason to debuff resistance too, mobs will die anyway. but more damage is always there to buff the nukers.
strong AV - some baddies just run out of the patch, like deathsurge or scrappy. melt armor gives only a bit weaker debuff and it can not be outrun. and pets being underlevel have problems to hit stuff. forge is not only +30% damage, its also +15% to hit.
final calculation may show that forge+melt armor is better then tar patch.
well, thermal is healer set, all +end procs are mandatory anyway....Quote:Originally Posted by Mid_Boss
For 9 endurance you buff the damage of everyone and all your pets while to keep 3 team mates or pets Forged costs 39 endurance.
well, there at most only few real damage makers, no point to count damage affecting buffs or debuff toward tanks or defenders, but on a leading brute or a widow or a blaster forge works wonder, knockout blows over 1k and more.Quote:Originally Posted by Mid_Boss
If you're in a team that tar increases the damage of all your team mates. Not just the three you are cycling through. I wouldn't have the patience to Forge babysit 3 targets anyway.
and since there are many -res powers around and most AV have debuff resistance, which renders debuff somewhat unuseful, not to forget that demons already have a lot of -res.
but only few ATs have +damage, none can resist the buffs, they are always with you and you can effectively put them on dedicated damage dealers makes this choice at least on the par with tar patch if not somewhat better.
well, itrials are already hard enough, don't you think? especially if you running against the time and have to be mobile.....Quote:Originally Posted by Mid_Boss
If you're not on a team and you're rolling fast enough that Tar is not up every spawn then increase your difficulty you can handle a lot more than what you're fighting.
don't get me wrong, my main is zombie/dark, i know how good dark can be, but its also not flawless. the great advantage of demons/thermal is the superior mobility and overall effectiveness with no design holes.
i've tried to kill scrappy with both zombie/dark and demon/thermal, pre incarnate. zombie/dark ended in a draw, i couldn't kill him, he couldn't kill me too. demons/thermal have killed him without any trouble. -
Quote:eeehhhm, the thing is, "forge" can buff 3 targets if you cycle them. that's the big daemon and 2 middle daemons that get buffed. consider those three are responsible for roughly 90% of the damage your pets can produce its quite a buff you have at your disposal. and it is always with you, not like the tar patch that stay on the ground far behind the rolling strike force.Originally Posted by Mid_Boss
I would suggest demon/dark. Tar Patch lowers the damage resistance of all enemies in the aoe which is far better than a +damage buff that only affects one pet.
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thugs/traps is probably THE powerhouse of the masterminds, av/gm solo beast.
......except suicide arsonist, who just don't want to live another day.
he annoys me like hell, that only reason i don't have this combination.
if you have spare patience and "aid others" it might work out. -
i would recommend /thermal. together you will have about average 80% resistance on pets, which helps a lot them to survive and making them to (nearly) unstoppable tanks. gm's and av's are mostly piece of cake.
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1. pain isn't suitable for tankerminding at all.
2. mercs are (heavily censored untranslatable foreign slang)! forget them.
3. pain is mostly heal and thugs have no heal, so combination will work quite good. but don't expect that late you will be able to handle tough enemies alone. you can't outheal the damage of a gm without constant damage preventing/resisting means. you will be very good on teams, but only decent solo.
so its mainly the question of the purpose why you making your toon and what you want to do with it after hitting level 50.
roleplay purposes? forget any comments and do what you want. but expect that this toon will gather dust in the corner being underpowered in compare to other toons.
team play only? than again all supportive secondary skillsets with heals will be good.
want to be a beast solo and powerhouse in teams? only very few combinations will allow you to do so, but you will rule the battlefield post 50 content. +4x8 missions with AVs will be not a problem solo.
mm is very versatile archetype. you can make it very weak and useless without much effort. or very strong and powerful, but it require some planing and deep thinking. -
Quote:as a def shield it can be used too. but the rest of the powers are complete waste.Originally Posted by Deacon_NA
Chill Mastery (or whatever it's called) simply has too many fantastic tools available, most notably Hoarfrost and Hibernate (a great 1-slot wonder).
a single target slow, ae sleep - total waste.
selfheal for a toon with about 60% def selfbuffed? if its not a waste i dont know what it is. better of take medicine pool, at least you can heal your bots.
hibernate? again, a 60% should not be scratched at all. AVs and GMs bite off their teeth on me by default. more then a waste of power slot.
really, its not a tip, its a mislead.
you never play solo, do you? you never done itf without healers and tanks? well, i did and was actual tank whole the time.Quote:Originally Posted by Lord_Thanatos
Scorp shield is absolutely not necessary in this age of widespread +Def IOs,
... wear off and prot bots are busy firing instead of rebuffing or has been stomped in to smithereens. you cannot rely on it.Quote:Originally Posted by Lord_Thanatos
Prot. Bot bubbles
... that can be blocked by team members, corners, enemies, lag, can be killed by AoE and so on... you cannot rely on it.Quote:Originally Posted by Lord_Thanatos
and FFG are already more then half way (+26% Def to be exact, slotted) to the softcap.
if you not gonna be hit at all you don't have to worry about b-g at all.Quote:Originally Posted by Lord_Thanatos
In addition, resistance shields work amazingly with B-G mod, resistance is applied BEFORE B-G mode which in turn is then further reduced by it and also will deuce the amount of damage your pets take as well.
aggressive stance by default. period.
thats only point i would agree on. thug/traps are powerhouse par excellence. however thugs buff only work for thugs themselves and for the mm only. not for the team or other pets. it has been nerved some times ago.Quote:Originally Posted by Lord_Thanatos
PS. In my honest opinion, if you are going to build to the softcap without Prot Bot bubbles, you mine as well go thugs for the extra damage unless it's part of a concept. (the pets have the same amount of def. and it stacks with other thug MMs) -
Quote:naa, shield is mandatory. simply as it is.Originally Posted by Reppu
Scorpion Shield isn't mandatory. Not having Electrifying Fences is /horrible/.
fences have nothing really great in them, their knockback protection is very short on duration, damage is negligible. if you need ae immobilization then again area web grenade is much better.
but not having scorpion shield means that every time shield drone is a step behind or hanging on a corner you will get *****.
a) because shield drone isn't 100% of time around you.Quote:Originally Posted by Reppu
Additionally, it is retarded-easy for a /Traps to soft cap with out Scorpion Shield, allowing them to get 70% S/L Resistance with Charged Shield. Amazing, yes? If I can have 45% in my defenses prior to the Prot Bots, why would I want Scorpion Shield?
b) several mobs debuff your defense and since you don't have debuff resistance then the only way is to have bigger number.
i can tank the most of itf just by myself and i am happy with it.
as i had charged armor+fences it wasn't safe at all.
stun? hahahaQuote:Originally Posted by Reppu
As for Photon Grenade, it's useful due to having a stacking stun with the Prot Bots, but most important the damage + stun is a good aggro boost. Also, it can set off Interface. Caltrops + Fences + Grenade = A lot more damage than you'd think.
never looked on to web cocoon? never read its numbers?
what is better on lgtf: stupid stun, that gives you nothing good except funny animation or long time ranged hold?
i'd rather stack holds and help others on fighting green bubbles than just standing around doing nothing.
your damage is a pity in compare to your bot, boost their damage with assault, you'll be better off if its damage you look after.
yeah, and instead of wasting slots on useless personal attacks put some damage procs on caltrops and mortar and see big numbers floating.
and again, its not about personal agro, its about preventing and canceling agro. its not about personal damage, its about setting traps. you ain't blaster, never try to be one. you are controller, lay traps, tackle stuff and so on and let the bot do the rest. -
2 laid caltrop patches + poison trap + seeker are more then enough tanking for me. some web area grenades/cocoons if it isn't enough on av/gm. more slows, less recharge.
seriously, provoke and personal attacks are wasted potential.
don't endure agro, prevent it.
and scorpion shield is mandatory, no discussion. take anything else and slap yourself. -
i can toss you my build
it isn't perfect in therms of min/max of the sets, but its quite good.
also i don't wanted to spent too much money on it.
so only expensive sets are numina and miracle, but as a healer they are mandatory anyway.
still its enough to pwn scrappy gm, in fact i get used to kill him every time he appear on the map. i am villain, you know
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1,942
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
deamons: Level 50 Technology Mastermind
Primary Power Set: Demon Summoning
Secondary Power Set: Thermal Radiation
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Summon Demonlings -- SvgnRt-Acc/Dmg(A), SvgnRt-Dmg/EndRdx(3), SvgnRt-Acc/EndRdx(3), SvgnRt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), SvgnRt-Acc(5), SvgnRt-PetResDam(7)
Level 1: Warmth -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Numna-Heal(19), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(23), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(25), Numna-Heal/Rchg(34), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(34)
Level 2: Fire Shield -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(7), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(17), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(31)
Level 4: Cauterize -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Heal(19), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Mrcl-Heal/Rchg(33), Mrcl-EndRdx/Rchg(34), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx(37)
Level 6: Enchant Demon -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(9), RechRdx-I(9)
Level 10: Plasma Shield -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(11), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(11), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 12: Summon Demons -- BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg(A), BldM'dt-Dmg/EndRdx(13), BldM'dt-Acc/EndRdx(13), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), BldM'dt-Acc(15), BldM'dt-Dmg(17)
Level 14: Super Speed -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 16: Power of the Phoenix -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(23)
Level 18: Hell on Earth -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(33), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(37), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(43), ExRmnt-+Res(Pets)(43)
Level 20: Thaw -- Range-I(A)
Level 22: Hover -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(50), Zephyr-ResKB(50)
Level 24: Kick -- Acc-I(A)
Level 26: Summon Demon Prince -- BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg(A), BldM'dt-Dmg/EndRdx(27), BldM'dt-Acc/EndRdx(27), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(29), BldM'dt-Acc(29), BldM'dt-Dmg(31)
Level 28: Forge -- AdjTgt-Rchg(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(33)
Level 30: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(31), RctvArm-ResDam(45), RctvArm-EndRdx(45)
Level 32: Abyssal Empowerment -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 35: Heat Exhaustion -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(36), Acc-I(36), Acc-I(36)
Level 38: Melt Armor -- ShldBrk-Acc/Rchg(A), ShldBrk-Acc/DefDeb(39), ShldBrk-DefDeb(39), ShldBrk-DefDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(39), ShldBrk-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(40), ShldBrk-%Dam(40)
Level 41: Scorpion Shield -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(42), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(42), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(42), RedFtn-Def(43), RedFtn-EndRdx(46)
Level 44: Weave -- RedFtn-Def(A), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(45), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(46), RedFtn-EndRdx(46)
Level 47: Maneuvers -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def(48), RedFtn-EndRdx(48), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 0: Born In Battle
Level 0: High Pain Threshold
Level 0: Invader
Level 0: Marshal
Level 50: Musculature Total Core Revamp
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Supremacy
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(21), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(21), P'Shift-EndMod(40) -
Quote:i theory. i fact double acc slotted with io's of appropriate level is not enough to penetrate shield projection of sky riders. and that on middle 30. i even don't want to discuss how bad it will be on lvl 50 incarnate trial levels of mobs.Originally Posted by JayboH
Yes you can. The ability to slot acc in Envenom was not an accident.
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combination is quite good. still there are no protection for yourself, so i highly recommend tough/weave, scorpion shield and some of the tactics, maneuvers and assault at least. hover is also mandatory for protection purposes.
but overall combination is quite good on solo killing AVs and GMs.
still i have put diamagnetic interface incarnate because of -tohit debuff, without it incoming damage sometimes to high to heal against.
and i have also barrier for same purpose. -
Quote:i've already wrote it. if the target has no def u don't need it, if it has - u can't hit with it.Originally Posted by JayboH
No, there is several powers in the game designed to lower defense that require accuracy - why should Envenom be any different?
mm isnt't a brute or blaster that have build-ups, so you can't compare those skills to that of mm. /dark skills are auto-hit, traps are mostly auto-hit, storm skills are either auto-hit or have fast ticks. the hell, even trick arrow has oil slick that is an area -def.
those skillsets require aggressive play style, as well as /poison. so you see, there are no reason for those powers for not to be an auto-hit. all others are, why poison should be exception?
the only exception are thermal and pain because they are mostly support/buffers, so their debuffs both crippled by recharge and hit. which can be understood as balancing mean.
but the poison is all about debuffs, which are useless if you can't hit. thats why all other skill sets have auto-hit -def debuffs.
that's why i've got deleted my thug/poison mm. -
my 2 cents:
alkaloid. shorter animation, less endurance. AoE or +regen.
it need to be on the level of radiant aura in therms of useablity.
envenom. kinda funny that a debuff supposed to lower defense need to overcome that defense in first place. either i don't need it or i can't hit stuff with it. it is pointless right now. make it like tar patch, always hit AoE area.
weaken. again it is as strong as darkest night, but need to hit and single target. clone it like the darkest night.
neurotoxic breath. speed and recharge are not helpful at all. make it long time sleep with puke effects or short time stun/confuse. skill set need an alpha strike canceler.
elixir of life. make it buff-rezz. if some one is alive - he will be buffed, if dead - he will be resurrected and buffed. and not only player, but also a pet. really, thermal has its forge and it can be used on any target. dark has an AoE control that also a rezz, why not a buff with rezz option?
antidote. well, all such skills, imho, suck badly. traps/bubbles/sonics have AoE anti-mezzes, all other are forced to do heavy clicking.
but, oh well.....
paralytic poison. longer duration, longer cooldown, less clicky.
poison trap. clone from traps is good beginning. but i would prefer that it will unleash a long lasting gas cloud, which mobs would like to escape. say magnitude 50 fear area. good squishy defense like caltrops or like lightning storm.
the other possibility is to make it like steam cloud, that cover from ranged fire. all friendlies within get +def on ranged, all enemies within big area get -perception. like stationary stealth field.
noxious gas. make it toggle like from sonic. make it NOT scalable with tier of pet. not every set has tier 3 melee to get its full potential. -
nekro/dark/soul of course.
the best synergy of all possible combination to nekro.
think of /dark as of aggressive controller/dominator with more pets, which also are controller. as long as you have the initiative you will win.
1. fearsome stare + soul tentacles = fake AoE hold of a whole spawn. cooldown of 15 sec is something controller would kill you for, their AoE holds despite being "true" have cooldown of 240 sec.
1.5 +fearsome stare from lich gives you (roll this from the lips) magnitude 6 fear. elite boss will be having bad time against you.
2. you have always advantage to do first action, AoE stealth is quite useful for prowling and it gives also psi resistance.
3. all that debuffs from you and from pets will certainly get even a GM and AV to -tohit debuff cap, reducing his damage nearly to zero.
4. if you play your cards right you zombies will not be scratched at all. and if not you can bring all of them back to 100% life with 1 blast of twilight grasp.
i have killed solo deathsurge and ghost of scrapyard with my nekro. its quite good.
why not poison:
its single target debuffs. get a full +4x8 spawn and try to kill it with /poison. and then facepalm yourself for choosing that skillset.
poison is only in 1on1 pvp superb. in all other aspects it suck badly.
i had only 1 /poison and had deleted him, no regrets after. /dark debufs are just quite good in numbers, but are AoE.
why not thermal:
no initiatie, pets have to suck on alpha strikes, which they most likely not survive. only exception is on deamons since they primary protection method is also resistance and its stack for them. and even then it is hard sometimes to keep them alive.
zombies will get killed pretty fast even with better resistance. the key is to control the enemies, to deny them a chance to attack you in first place.
why neither poison nor thermal:
1. i said it already several times in the past and i will always say it again - twilight grasp is the best damn heal in game available. sure it can miss sometimes, which isn't going to happen more then 1-2%, given the fact you have slotted it well. but the pure heal output over time is much more then of that dedicated healer skillsets. of course its situational and sometimes don't work like on hamidon fight in lgtf since it is hard to hit there. but pure healers will be there not that much better because of healing debuff. thermal heals with 2 spell are weaker then the grasp, i know it, i have them both. and on the top of it the grasp even debuffs, which gives even more use of it.
2. fluffy aka dark servant is something very very valuable. and his heals are as strong as yours with only bit longer cooldown. if you get mezzed, knocked or anything else preventing you from fire up your own grasp - his grasp will save you and your other minions from being killed.
when this combo don't perform well:
1. heavy mezzing enemies. all except of /traps and /bubbles will have their problems with it. "break frees" are your friends.
2. several attack vectors. you can efficiently debuff only one group. again only traps or bubbles can counter it, but they are dedicated defenders.
3. heavy melee AV/GM can blast your whole team of pets with one stomp. that hurts a lot. you really need all pet related IO sets that gives your pets +res and +def. as long as they survive with 1% life you can heal them in no time. fortunately for you you can easily slot both +res sets because soul extraction is recharge intensive set. -
Quote:mercs are the worst pets ever, nuff said.Originally Posted by Psychoti
The primaries I'm considering are Thugs, Mercs, and Necromancy. I have concepts in mind for both Mercs & Necromancy, depending on the secondary.
thugs are bit tricky. too much of a bit, i had 2 of them, both deleted.
necromancy can be good depending on the secondary. the main problem is - 5 of 6 pets are melee fighters who gonna agro stuff a lot and getting hurt a lot. you need AoE heal for them or controls.
poison is worst secondary, no worthwhile AoE powers. only make sense in pvp.Quote:Originally Posted by Psychoti
For secondaries I'm considering Poison & Pain. I have played Pain corruptors and liked them okay but I am leaning much more heavily towards 'Poison' because I just love debuffs a lot.
pain offers no protection whatever, only one debuff on long cooldown.
now, to the point.
zombie/dark/soul is the classic necromancer build, very good if you play your cards right. fearsome stare + tentacles is a fake AoE hold every 15 sek. more then this, lich has fearsome stare too, so its stacked together magnitude 6 fear, if i correctly remember, that the combination can produce.
soulstorm + petrifying gaze holds bosses for sure. magnitude 6 hold.
that's elite boss magnitudes i've talk about.
the combination in total plays more like troller/dominator. requires pro-active playstyle and just like on all troller-like characters thing may go wrong if timing not right.
since your background is based on troller experience i would highly recommend this. -
Quote:sorry to disappoint you, but this is completely WRONG.Originally Posted by Comicsluvr
Traps is not a great set for MMs in general IMHO. I have a Thug/Traps in the 40s and it's not very smooth to operate.
traps considered to be the most powerful set of all.
several days ago my bot/trap mm was actually a tanker on itf.
sure, we had another "normal" tanker, but he was more dead then alive.
more then this, thug/traps considered to be the most powerful combination of all. i personally dislike thugs for several reasons, but i have seen ppl soloing very difficult maps and whole tf/sf on this combination. -
where did you read "don't take it" in my words?
it is so that it isn't a FFG in terms of reliability or damage prevention.
of course it is strong, but it cannot protect you 100% of time. reasons were already told, -tohit resistance is one of them for example. its a viable part of /dark, but its worth nothing on its own without all other skills.
to cancel attacks with fearsome stare is more viable. if i correctly remember my build fires the combination of fearsome stare and tentacles every 17 sec while duration of fear is longer then the cooldown, which in total is fake cone hold. since i have zombie/dark it stacks further with the stare from lich.
in most cases i don't need further debuffs, unless its an elite boss or AV. -
Quote:exactly. therefore /dark user should not rely on it and even don't bother to think about it. /dark is not a protector like FF, its more a controller.Originally Posted by plainguy
I never said it was a way to start a fight. I just mentioned it can be unreliable method of obtaining defense cap.
you can't control everything till they don't attack you, but you can greatly cancel incoming dps, like by 90%
you can't debuff everything till they don't hit you, but you can greatly reduce incoming dps, also like by another 90%.
for that dps that incomes from not controlled and not debuffed mobs you have probably the strongest heal in game.
so its not about defense, its about whole synergy of all skills.