Mercs and Ninjas seem to be a bit thin on the ground - I think it's because they're simply humans and not evil undead or killer robots.
Some powersets, despite being nice, just aren't as popular as others.
I have a Mercs Mastermind, he just happens to be on Zukunft though. 
So they arent gimped then? Its just simply a "theme" choice?
Nope - Mercs are actually a very nice set - they have a healer, two mezzers and some nice high-end AoE to play with.
Of course, if you want a PvP MM then you can't go wrong with Ninjas - most of their attacks are single-target which are key to winning PvP (noone really goes to take down multiple targets at once, like they do in PvE).
Level 40 Mercs/Traps Mastermind here; absolutely, positively adore them.
While they're certainly "bland" in looks - especially compared to players - I've found them to be surprisingly durable and effective in combat. The Spec-Ops disrupt the enemy alpha strikes nicely, the Commando is a one-man army...etc, etc.
Sure, they're not OMGPWN AoE damage, but when they all let rip in a narrow cone it's sheer bliss seeing the HP of your target(s) fade away to nothing in three seconds.
With I7, the bullet casings left on the ground are also orgasmic, too.
LVL 32 mercs/ff mm signing in here.
you are right tho i hardly ever see another mercs mm.
Seems mainly to be bots/ninja pets i see.
Lv 38 Magic Mercs/FF signing for duty. I just love the controllery side of the Mercs - the Spec Ops really make things more bearable and interesting than they would as pure damage dealers.
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I think it's because they're simply humans and not evil undead or killer robots.
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thats why my MM is merc, i think its better. *sigh* im just not into robots, ninjas and zomies anymore..wait never did like zombies 
Because
1. Ninjas are inherently _cool_. Now maybe a pirates MM set would be even cooler, but in the meantime we all have to do with ninjas 
2. Because Ninjas have a built-in +def that stacks nicely with FF bubbles. Even the Genin's "only" +7% def makes actually a lot of difference when it's added to a 14% deflection shield or +17.5% insulation shield. Throw in a 4.29% Maneuvers too, and you'd be surprised how hard they are to kill even by anything short of elite bosses. (And survive a fair bit against those too.) And so far we haven't even talked standing close enough so they're in the big dispersion bubble, which adds another 9% or so to it all.
Most of the time you just have to hang around and watch them do your mission for you. Maybe throw in a heal from Medicine now and then, just to cut down on the downtime. The vast majority of solo missions I don't even have to re-summon them and re-upgrade them.
Robots are another tough cookie, since they have some very weak bubbles of their own (but again, they add to FF bubbles), but they have damage resistance too and add to your own defense too.
3. Because with Ninjas you can safely forget about the Genin once you have two Jounin and an Oni, if you're not in the mood to haul them along as extra meat shields. Or when you're in a group that doesn't appreciate a horde of minions standing in the way.
The same applies to Robots again.
With Mercs the third grunt is your medic, so you get to grudgingly summon the trio no matter what.
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Nope - Mercs are actually a very nice set - they have a healer, two mezzers and some nice high-end AoE to play with.
Of course, if you want a PvP MM then you can't go wrong with Ninjas - most of their attacks are single-target which are key to winning PvP (noone really goes to take down multiple targets at once, like they do in PvE).
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Worth mentioning that the dude is suicidal tho.
@Shift
Shift 50 DM/DA Scrapper ][ TTL 50 Kat/Reg Scrapper ][ Shabriel 50 Peacebringer ][ Ion Shift 46 Rad/Rad Corruptor ][ Thermal Shift 35 Fire/Fire Blaster
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Mercs and Ninjas seem to be a bit thin on the ground - I think it's because they're simply humans and not evil undead or killer robots.
Some powersets, despite being nice, just aren't as popular as others.
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I tried ninja's 4 times, I wanted to like ninja's but they kept running out of melee for no known reason, and as I wanted to be dark that wasn't helpfull
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"
lvl 36 Mercs/poison on union, and there is a lvl 40 Mercs/dark in the SG too.
They rock,even the grunts are still good to have around (not just for the medic).
DG>
I have a level 21 merc/poison MM on union, pretty cool, only retired him because I am no god with MMs from lvl 20-30.
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I tried ninja's 4 times, I wanted to like ninja's but they kept running out of melee for no known reason, and as I wanted to be dark that wasn't helpfull
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Yeah, with Dark they're not all that useful, as they get spread all over the place. Put some FF bubbles on them, though, and they can go toe to toe with an Elite Boss with very little problems.
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Nope - Mercs are actually a very nice set - they have a healer, two mezzers and some nice high-end AoE to play with.
Of course, if you want a PvP MM then you can't go wrong with Ninjas - most of their attacks are single-target which are key to winning PvP (noone really goes to take down multiple targets at once, like they do in PvE).
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Worth mentioning that the dude is suicidal tho.
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Lol I have heard this before, although on my bots MM i find that I have one 1st tier that always dies first too, he seems all to keen to go melee - anyone else get this?
The Medic has a shorter range than the other mercenaries - so when you order them to attack a target, he tends to get out in front. Best thing to do, is tocreate a macro which orders all but the Medic to attack, or as soon as you order an attack tell the Medic to follow you again 
The Intrepid's / The Institution - Union Server Hero / Villain Supergroups
Lvl 40 merc/poison here. I chose them for concept rather than anything else, but I'm certainly not disappointed!
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Because
1. Ninjas are inherently _cool_. [...]
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You invalidated your entire post with such a horrible and untrue start .
I suggest you all avoid the Merc/Traps combination, because it can be addictive. Stay away, it is not too late for you. ;-)
My question is will the Medic continue to heal if he is in passive, since if you have him set to follow defensive as soon as someone shoots one of your other henchies he runs off to join the fray????
Sapphire Maiden lvl 50 Eng/Eng/Flame Blaster
Misstrix lvl 50 Fire/Rad/Ice Controller
Foundations Claw lvl 50 Fire/Fire/Flame Tank
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Kestrell lvl 50 Rad/Kin/Soul Corr
Lvl 41 Merc/FF here and i love it, i picked mercs as i was so sick of seeing loads of robots and ninja running around.
The only thing they cant handle while buffed up is psi damage and hey thats the same for most of us.
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My question is will the Medic continue to heal if he is in passive, since if you have him set to follow defensive as soon as someone shoots one of your other henchies he runs off to join the fray????
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No - Passive mode will stop any healing/buffing henchman from doing so unless they're active involved in combat (i.e. you've given an Attack my Target command - buffs/heals seem to be factored into their attack chain).
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Lol I have heard this before, although on my bots MM i find that I have one 1st tier that always dies first too, he seems all to keen to go melee - anyone else get this?
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Yeah I do - I even renamed that bot Twiki, after the annoying little robot in the old Buck Rogers TV series (the late 70s... oh what a golden age ), because I always wanted to see that little freak get served
My Twiki tries to get himself killed ALL the time /sigh. I've even started using him to check out doorways in offices before I run through them (though I summon my Dark Servant in doorways to do that too, and he usually survives it) - easy to convince myself that Twiki volunteered for "taking point" - he's just so eager to please (/die)
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With I7, the bullet casings left on the ground are also orgasmic, too.
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I created a Merc/Traps MM the other day and that was one of my main motivations for doing so - yes, Im silly
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I suggest you all avoid the Merc/Traps combination, because it can be addictive. Stay away, it is not too late for you. ;-)
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Im dooooooooooooomed!
Well, after I get my existing Bot/Dark MM to L50 I am
I've always hated pet classes in previous MMOs (prefer direct combat, preferably melee) - I don't know why that isn't the case with Masterminds, but Cryptic must be doing something right
How come I hardly see any Merc MM's about? I have taken a Bots MM to 38 so far and am very impressed with the chaos they cause but surely Mercs cause a lot more.....dont they?
What's the main reason people arent Hiring Mercs? I have a feeling they would be a better ally in PvP than Bots, not because of their damage type, but because of the constant flood of Mez / immob they toss about.....