Revolver Law's Guide to Trip Mines (I5)
By
Angus_Black,
Posted on: 2005-09-06 06:42 in Player Guides
One more tactic:
The Big Boom
Sometimes you're in a team where the tank can take the aggro, but can't hold it. So you want to blow mobs up so hard that there's nothing left to shoot back. Trip Mine is perfect for this task.
Step 1: find a place that the tank will pull the mobs to
Step 2: mine the area, put down 5-8 mines. In I5, due to the AoE limits, you'll have to use more mines, and also spread them out a bit so that all mobs get the pleasure of being bombed.
Step 3: back out of range so that your mines won't explode.
Step 4: wait for tank to pull the mobs to the killing field.
Step 5: run in when called, so that your presence activates the mines with the mobs right on top of them. The explosion is something you have to see at least once in your /Devices career. 
Yea, I really didn't want to post that one. I hinted towards it in the beginning of the guide, but didn't want to outright say it - certain applications of it will lead my lovely Trip Mines to the N word.
Think of it as one of those things that we just shouldn't talk about it. Nothing good can come of discussing it.
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One last note is that Trip Mines will not go off if you aren't in a specific range of them, no matter how many mobs are in their aggro range. However if a mine has been sitting for a long time (forgive me I haven't timed it exactly, roughly 2-5mins) it will explode no matter where you are.
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The distance to detonation (player to Tripmine) looks somewhere from 40-50 feet. A Tripmine's lifespan if undetonated should be 4 mins and 25-30 seconds.
@Deadboy
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One last note is that Trip Mines will not go off if you aren't in a specific range of them, no matter how many mobs are in their aggro range. However if a mine has been sitting for a long time (forgive me I haven't timed it exactly, roughly 2-5mins) it will explode no matter where you are.
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The distance to detonation (player to Tripmine) looks somewhere from 40-50 feet. A Tripmine's lifespan if undetonated should be 4 mins and 25-30 seconds.
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Thanks DB.
You may also want to mention that Caltrops really helps in slowing down foes so that you get more in the radius of your Trip Mine. Often, one foe will run ahead of the rest, setting off most of your mines before the other foes arrive. Caltrops slows down the lead runner so you get a most concentrated group when the frontrunner hits the mine.
Actually, trops and mines have to be placed very carefully or the mobs will hit the trops, stop and retreat from the pain of them. It can be very tricky getting mines and trops to play well together. I prefer the cluster of mines around the corner trick.
I prefer to place them in small clusters in a hallway, usually three per cluster. Then stagger them, so I have three sets of three mines and then go toebomb the boss and run back behind the first cluster. The first cluster usually will take out the front runner, the second set hits the boss and a few others, and only sometimes is the third cluster necessary, but it helps to be more safe than sorry.
And the caltrops I use when all else fails. I run around a corner and throw the 'trops right on the corner so they have to run through them to get to me. It slows them down enough to make a nice clean getaway, or at least buys enough time to regroup and unleash with other attacks.
50 Fire/Kin Cont
50 Fire/Axe Tank
50 Spine/Inv Scrap
50 Eng/Dev Blast
50 Claw/SR Scrap
50 Emp/Dark Def
50 Eng/Elec Brute
50 Fire/MM Blast
My DeviantArt Page
Nice guide RL, I am working on my first Blaster atm, and look forward to demo fun 
(H)Dark/Rad, Rad/Psi, Spine/Regen, Ice/EM, Psi/EM, Earth/FF,
(V)EM/NIN, Bots/FF, Fire/Rad,Fire/Fire, Earth/Fire, Grav/Energy
@Angus.Black
Glad you're getting some use out of it. When I get a chance I'll throw up some demos too and I'm gonna add a few things to the guide during the week.
One guy killed me over and over when I tried pvp on test (before I4) by using tp foe on me into a stack of mines. It was nasty.
I really should've put PvE guide. I don't like playing my Dev Blasters in PvP because so much of the play is just TP Foe+Trip Mines - especially with an AR/Dev.
Really great guide, Revolver. And that thing we aren't going to talk about ... works spectacularly! Especially with two tanks and two miners. Got me from 35 to 38 in about 10 hours all told. So yeah, expect mines to get the nerfbat real soon.
Good Post Revolver.
Life as a Dev 2ndary is fun, trip mines are awesome. As you can see I like trip_mines I like the strategy side of it, wish I saw it when I first started my blaster.
Just a side note with getting the Time Bomb and Trip Mines to blow together, I've noted that when there's about 5 seconds left before the bomb explodes, the blinking light on top speeds up its blinking. If you plant a mine the instant it starts doing this, they go off at the same time. My suspicion is, thats one favor the devs did for us bomb luvin' heroes. Or, alternatively, its because the devs didn't want to, or couldn't, count to ten.
Mmm, multiple Tanks, multiple /dev, what a blast that was Gal 
<3 Cuppa!
Great Guide Revolver. I saw you on Liberty last night when I was playing Frau, and almost stopped to bow for your efforts.
The tactic that shall not be named is one that I have used in the past, even solo. In combination with Caltrops, they act as my own "tanker" to drag the mobs accross for the huge boom boom.
Regards,
muffinlad
This is exactly what I was looking for to perfect my Fire/Dev blaster now at level 33.
Thanks.
█ Players Guide to the Cities
Some great stuff in here, just got my AR/DEV up to 33 lastnight, have had trip mine for a while and it's been serving me very well. Lastnight took out my first freak boss without ever pulling the trigger on the rifle 
How are people slotting Trip Mines post-I6? I jsut picked it up and was thinking of going 3xDamage, 2xAccuracy, 1xRecharge
I run at max difficulty so I'm usually fighting +2 and +3. The second Acc enhancement would help me where it might not be necessary for some.
Thoughts?
Sounds about right for someone fighting +2s and +3s. I've never been big on putting ACCs in mines, but now with ED I figured it'd be a good idea.
I'm a total newbie when it comes to mines. I like this guide, it answers a few burning questions, but it raised a few too. What is the relative strength of a trip mine? 3-slotted with damage, I sort of assumed would take out a group of white minions. Are clusters a sort of insurance against missing an enemy here and there or do the explosions stack such that the they get hit with damage from every mine?
What about stealthing in, planting the mines, then executing a PBAoE attack? Is that suicide or would it do enough damage to blow out the whole group?
Just got my mines last night and I find them hard to use. probably need to get used to them.
My main problem is that most mobs run over the mine and the mine explode behind them, dealing little to no damage unless there was another mob behind the first one. So far I have had to use caltrops to slow the mob almost every time.
I was surprised at how long it takes to set one mine down, and how long the interruption period is. Any benefit in slotting interrupt reduction or is it a waste because you will still get interrupted?
Several times I tried to set a bomb at the foot of a held Lt, only to be jostle by some AoE splash from another mob and not be able to place the mine.
At this point I would rate them as not very useful (situational) in a team environment. I can see their value in soloing though.
The other thing that I'm not quite sure I understand about mine is: is there a delay between setting it down and it "arming"? Do I need to step *away* from it first? otherwise when you toebomb, aren;t you going to aggro the group as soon as you;re done setting the bomb since it shoud explode immediately?
I slot 3 damage, 3 recharge. The recharges let me stack a ton at a time, great for the respec tf. Good for laying a few quickly when someone is pulling around a corner. While soloing you can wipe out group after group quickly without having to wait for tripmine to recharge. Makes street hunting in Brickstown a non-stop shrapnel fest.
For toe-bombing I have cloaking device on, superspeed into the middle of the group, and plant. About a second after the kneel-down I press the run backwards key, this will have me zoom back once the mine is planted. With a little practice you can get the timing down where you can throw your AoE right before the mine goes off for maximum carnage. That should wipe out white minions and leave lts hanging on by a thread. Bring your marshmellows if you're using Fireball
Trip mine is fantastic for soloing, your best opening alpha strike by far as long as you're fighting foes who don't have excellent perception like Rikti drones or Nemesis.
"aren't you going to aggro the group as soon as you're done setting the bomb since it shoud explode immediately?" If they're dead they can't aggro you
Revolver Law's Guide to Trip Mining (Updated for I5)
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Last update: September 29, 2005
Special thanks to CuppaJo for editing the original post.
Feel free to leave any questions here and I'll try to answer and then include them in the next update.
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Trip Mines are only available to Blasters with the Devices secondary at lvl28. A Trip Mine is a small bomb that is classified as a Pet, meaning they have their own accuracy. Any outside ACC buff will not affect the mine. These mines can not move from their original location. They are set off when a mob comes into it's aggro range. If a certain amount of time goes past without a mob aggroing a mine, the mine will go off on it's own. Trip Mines deal "Superior" Lethal/Fire damage in a large AOE.
One last note is that Trip Mines will not go off if you aren't in a specific range of them, no matter how many mobs are in their aggro range. However if a mine has been sitting for a long time (forgive me I haven't timed it exactly, roughly 2-5mins) it will explode no matter where you are.
Slotting
There is no "right" way to slot Trip Mines, everybody has their preference. However there are three slotting techniques that are most commonly used:
<ul type="square">[*]6-slotted, all damage
This setup is mainly for those who decide the natural accuracy of the mines are fine. This setup will get you the most damage from the Trip Mines. This slotting is the minion/lt killer, but usually means you'll be luring high-con mobs like bosses into a field of mines.[*]6-slotted, 5 damage, 1 accuracy
This setup is for those who don't want to chance a mine missing a boss or other high-con mob.[*]6-slotted, 4 damage, 1 accuracy, 1 recharge
This slotting is mainly used for PvP matches to set a large cluster, fairly fast with the hopes of using TP Foe.[/list]
The art of Trip Mining in regular mission based PvE requires specific powers.
<ul type="square">[*]Cloaking Device
You can't Trip Mine or "Toe Bomb" without Cloaking Device (or Stealth).[*]Super Speed
Combined with Cloaking Device you achieve invisibility, which will make you undetectable by most mobs[*]Smoke Grenade
In the past, Smoke Grenade wasn't required for Toe Bombing, however since many mobs have been given increased perception SS+CD is no longer guaranteed to conceal you from all mobs. Smoke Grenade lowers the perception of all foes that it hits, this is the only thing that will allow you to remain undetected from mobs with enhanced perception. Use at least two applications to make sure every mob is hit.[/list]
The typical setup for Toe Bombing is as follows:
<ul type="square">[*]Turn on Cloaking Device and Super Speed[*]Smoke Grenade the mob from a far distance.
Keeping farther away insures that if the SG misses a minion or something that you won&#8217;t be detected. Use as many applications of SG as necessary to make sure every mob is hit.[*]Wait 10 seconds
This is due to suppression. In I5, the Devs made it a bit easier to tell when Cloaking Device/Stealth aren't suppressed anymore. When they're suppressed, you'll notice that you're a lot more visible. Once the suppression wears off, you'll go back to normal.[*]Drop a Trip Mine in the middle of the mob
Trip Mines and Time Bombs do not count as attacks, so suppression does not come into affect here. Before you drop the mine, target a mob that is in the center. This will help you with the next step.[*]Jump back and use your strongest AOES.
I say jump instead of run back for several reasons. When running backwards you'll usually end up being blocked by several mobs and you won't be able to maneuver past them in time to get off your AOEs. While jumping backward you can let off your first AOE before your feet hit the ground. This allows you to get quickly perform your second AOE faster.[/list]
AOEs to use for Toe Bombing
<ul type="square">[*]Always use a damage-over-time (DoT) AOE before using an instant damage AOE. For instance, a Fire/Dev Blaster should always use Fire Breath before Fireball. The reason behind this is the DoT AOE can do it's DoT while you use other attacks that do instant damage. In other words, you kill faster.[*]AR Blasters should always use Flamethrower first, then Full Auto. They're both DoT AOEs, but FT's damage ticks are a lot slower than Full Auto's. Having FT's ticks going while using Full Auto creates a lot of damage. Buckshot and/or M30 (if you have them) should be used after to clean up any leftovers.[/list]
Nuking
All Blasters love to nuke and Time Bomb is a great tool in the process. The greatest asset of Time Bomb is the fact that it has a 15 second timer. This allows you to do the following:
<ul type="square">[*]Steps 1-3 of the "Toe Bombing" procedure.[*]Set a Time Bomb in the middle of the mob.[*]Wait 8-9 seconds; depending on if you count fast or slow you may wait longer or shorter periods of time.[*]Place a Trip Mine in the same spot the Time Bomb is in.[*]Use your nuke. AR Blasters should use Step #5 of the "Toe Bombing" procedure.[/list]
You have to wait a period of time before dropping the Trip Mine because the mines go off the instant a mob is in the area, while Time Bomb will not go off until 15 seconds has passed since it was placed. The object of this is to generate as much frontloaded damage as possible.
Destruction Corridors
This a trap that takes some time to setup and is mostly used when soloing. I used them when there was a boss that I wouldn't be able to take in a straight up fight (Gunslingers, Zeus Titans, Crey Tanks). The idea is to make the mob chase you and as they do have Trip Mines blow them up along the way.
<ul type="square">[*]Make a clear path to the mob(s) you want to come through the Trip Mines. Anything that's in the way could set off one of your mines and cause aggro that you don't want and/or aren't ready to deal with.[/b][*]Set mines along the path. With no recharges in Trip Mines and only Hasten as a speed buff, I can put down around 8-10 Trip Mines before they start to go off. Some like to put all the mines in one cluster, hoping to one-shot the mob, while others like to line the entire hallway with them for the fun of seeing the mob get blown up a lot.[*]Once the mines are down you have a few options:
Soloing Bosses
You can use the Destruction Corridor method I described above or use a "Mined Turret", which is an Auto Turret that sits in a cluster of mines. The idea behind this is to use the turret as an aggro magnet. The setup is tricky because Auto Turret will automatically attack anything in it's range when it's summoned.
<ul type="square">[*]Make a cluster of Trip Mines, about 7-8.[*]OPTIONAL: Set a Timebomb at the boss' foot. This is only to add more damage to the boss while remaining undetected.[*]Set the Auto Turret behind the mines. Setting the turret on top of mines sometimes causes a few not to go off and setting the turret in front insures hardly any mines will go off since the boss probably won't be in range.[/list]
When the Auto Turret is set, it'll automatically attack the boss - taking all the aggro. Try not to attack until after the mines have gone off, this is so you don't inadvertantly steal the aggro from the turret and get yourself killed. The boss will eventually move in for a melee attack against the turret, which will cause the mines to aggro and explode.
Mining on Teams
Let's face it - most of the time while on a team you won't get the chance to toebomb and set up traps, but that doesn' t mean the mines are useless. There are a few ways you can use mines to protect the team:
<ul type="square">[*]Set a mine or two behind your team just incase things go bad and you have to retreat - anything giving chase will set the mine off.[*]Set mines where the squishies on your team will be fighting from. This ensures that anytime a mob tries to melee a squishy, they'll set off a mine in the process.[/list]
Respec Trial Reactor
In the Reactor Room of the Terra Volta trial, Trip Mines can grant your team tons of support. Place the mines around the reactor. This is not meant to be the only defense for the reactor, it's for support. The mines keep your team from being overwhelmed, allowing you to kill them at your own pace. This works especially well against the Sky Raiders and Rikti since they have the ability to teleport directly to the core. Against the Freakshow, mines can kill a rezzer before it even gets a chance to stand up.
This also works fine for the 30 Fir Bolg Croatoa mission. Just place the majority of the mines at the two points where the Fir Bolg stream from.