Predator-Ds Mercenary/Traps MM PvE Guide v1.0
By
Aakan,
Posted on: 2005-12-27 24:45 in Player Guides
Notes from a Mercs/Traps MM at 25:
1) Caltrops is overrated. I don't *need* to slow down my mobs, Poison Trap does that. And frankly, scattering them is the last thing I want.
2) Poison Trap rules. A decent Hold (Choke/Vomit) that stacks with itself and reduces Regen rate - where is the bad in this? I've seen this thing trip up Elite Bosses.
3) Acid Mortar does -Res *and* -Def. Do I need to say more? Makes hard battles go faster, and your teammates love it.
4) Triage Beacon is far too fun, especially in EB or Boss-rich battles. The regen rate under current rules is really impressive, especially with 3 SOs.
5) Another point to consider when looking at Burst over Slug is the lack of Knockback. You *may* think that's a disadvantage, but since I use my attack to start a combat I like the mobs to come running ASAP.
6) I saw someone up there advise people to *not* do the Equip on Spec Ops, since all it gives you is the Rifle Butt attack and the Flash Grenade. I heartily disagree. The flash grenade is a fantastic attack, since it does disorient, and with 2Spec Ops throwing them they can overwhelm Bosses.
awesome but can you tell me how many toggles you typically
use?
Also why no ancillary powerset?
and is aid other for pets or players? 
One thing I hate is when people look down on Trip Mine or just say it's bad.
I count myself as a Trapmaster and Tactician (atleast while on my Merc/Traps MM).
If you have ADD or just don't like to take a minute to set up for boss fights the you can stop reading.
I take 1 maybe 1.5 minutes before what looks like a tough fight (boss and lots of minions, EBs). I lay out a minefield of 6-7 mines (slotted 1 Acc, 3 Dam, 2 AR), 2 Poison Traps, 1 AM and a set of Trops. I can then either send in the drones or use my Goto/Passive macro (I call it Ambush), then shot the boss, run back to my guys and set them on BG.
I can then sit back and watch the fireworks. It's often a bit in the way of over kill but once the target gets through the field I have my guys open up and the boss goes right down.
Try this sometime (for those with Merc/Traps) and see how effective it is. The time it takes to set up more then makes up for the speed at which the target goes down.
I used this with a group that was having trouble with an EB (forget which) one of the team members had played with me a few times and had me come in for some help. I laid my field aggroed the EB and he hit the field smack in the center.
Got Debuffed by the PTs, Debuffed by the AM and then blown to pieces with the TMs and the rest was history. 
Entropy: Not just a fad, it's the future!
To YOU I'm an atheist. To God, I'm the Loyal Opposition.
Photons have mass!? I didn't even know they were Catholic...
late to the party comments:
I've played a couple of other mm's and never really hit it off with any of them. I'd usually delete them in the early to late 20's due primarily to the maniacal thirst of ambushes for mm blood & their complete immunity to distracting pet aggro.
My ninja/dark MM got deleted. my thugs/poison got deleted. my bots/bubbles got deleted (even as my buddy has taken his to the high 30s and loves him to death).
But I wanted to check out traps, and I've already had my fill of corrupters....so mercs/traps it was.
And so far so good. Traps takes care of the thing that annoyed me most about mm's, the insane pursuit of various ambushes. The combination of caltrops, bubble & acid mortar has proven effective against even the most overwhelming and agressive ambush...even multiple ambushes.
I'm in the high 20's now, and have some informed comments to make-
Skipping triage beacon for the medicine pool, at least early on, seems blindingly obvious to me.
With slotting the interruptibility of the heals is basically a non-factor, they're up pretty quick with a couple of recharges & the ability to restore most of a pet's health and keep them in the fight is hard to overrate.
The same goes for the self heal, only more so....avoiding otherwise certain debt is better than eating an ice cream cone while riding a unicorn through a field of candycanes.
The medic's heal nice when he uses it, and handy between fights, but it's desperately unreliable and he's usually the first to face-plant thanks to his short range (another benefit of Heal Other- keeping the medic alive with your heal means he gets more heals off).
The triage beacon is a cool, very thematic power and I'll probably pick it up later on, when 'must have' powers get thin- I always liked Regen Aura on my empath, and I can see the beacon being very beneficial in prolonged static battles.
But the Beacon is situationally useful while Aid Other is globally useful.
I don't have Poison Trap yet, but I've teamed with enough who do to consider it an absolute Must Have power. It does amazing things, and I'm salivating at the thought of the devestation I'll be able to spread by combining it with my acid mortar.
Just a couple of quibbles with an otherwise excellent guide.
Cheers!
The Nethergoat Archive: all my memories, all my characters, all my thoughts on CoH...eventually.
My City Was Gone
This is the build I use for my Merc/Traps MM. I play him on Relentless and have had no major complaints for anyone I've teamed with (except the Stalkers who think I kill things too fast). In PvP, as usual, I have been called grossely overpowered. The only time I'm defeated is when a group of heroes get together to gank the lone MM. Poor underpowered heroes.
Before you question it... The final power is more of a filler until they open Lord Recluse as a patron.
Thanks for the guide!
---------------------------------------------
Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
---------------------------------------------
Name: Major Victor Stryker
Level: 50
Archetype: Mastermind
Primary: Mercenaries
Secondary: Traps
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Soldiers==> Acc(1)Acc(3)Dmg(3)Dmg(5)Dmg(5)Heal(19)
01) --> Web Grenade==> Acc(1)
02) --> Caltrops==> Rechg(2)
04) --> Triage Beacon==> Heal(4)Heal(7)Heal(7)Rechg(11)Rechg(19)Rechg(40)
06) --> Equip Mercenary==> EndRdx(6)EndRdx(36)
08) --> Combat Jumping==> DefBuf(8)DefBuf(9)DefBuf(9)EndRdx(21)EndRdx(48)
10) --> Acid Mortar==> Acc(10)Rechg(11)Rechg(17)Rechg(43)
12) --> Spec Ops==> Acc(12)Acc(13)Dmg(13)Dmg(15)Dmg(15)DisDur(17)
14) --> Super Jump==> Jump(14)Jump(25)Jump(43)
16) --> Force Field Generator==> DefBuf(16)DefBuf(21)DefBuf(43)
18) --> Assault==> EndRdx(18)EndRdx(46)
20) --> Poison Trap==> Rechg(20)Rechg(36)Rechg(46)
22) --> Tactics==> EndRdx(22)EndRdx(23)TH_Buf(23)TH_Buf(25)TH_Buf(37)
24) --> Serum==> Rechg(24)Rechg(34)Rechg(48)
26) --> Commando==> Acc(26)Acc(27)Dmg(27)Dmg(29)Dmg(29)EndRdx(36)
28) --> Seeker Drones==> Acc(28)Dmg(31)Dmg(31)Rechg(33)Rechg(34)Rechg(48)
30) --> Maneuvers==> EndRdx(30)EndRdx(31)DefBuf(33)DefBuf(34)DefBuf(37)
32) --> Tactical Upgrade==> Rechg(32)Rechg(33)Rechg(37)
35) --> Grant Invisibility==> EndRdx(35)EndRdx(50)
38) --> Detonator==> Acc(38)Dmg(39)Dmg(39)Rechg(39)Rechg(40)Rechg(40)
41) --> Stealth==> DefBuf(41)DefBuf(42)DefBuf(42)EndRdx(42)EndRdx(50)
44) --> Aid Other==> Heal(44)Heal(45)Heal(45)Rechg(45)Rechg(46)Rechg(50)
47) --> Trip Mine==> Rechg(47)
49) --> Stimulant==> Rechg(49)
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Power Slide==> EndRdx(1)
01) --> Sprint==> Jump(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Acc(1)
02) --> Rest==> Rechg(2)
01) --> Supremacy==> Empty(1)
---------------------------------------------