Bots have great help with FF, due protector bots do also bubbles, you get some lovely stacked defence. As 90% they are fully ranged, it works great with FF forcebubble.
They ditch out quite good damage, they do -regen as you dont have debuffs yourself and can heal eachother.
Other then that, i would say Mercs due fully ranged (but u lack massive on damage) or ninja's with stacked defence.
So to say.. 'they are ok'.
50)Sinergy X/(50)Mika.
(50)MaceX/(50)Encore
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Persuasion... Without using a Jedi mind trick or something like that the best option would be to tell you to ask any Bot-MM from 40 to 50 if you could join him for a mission.
Then watch how anything in his path will be pulverized by the sheer mass of rockets, missiles and laser beams.
That's just as scary as any ghoulish person you might come up with. 
If it has eyes, you can blind it, if it has blood, you can make it bleed, if it has a mouth, you can make it scream.
I prefer robots and thugs as they are much easier to control than the melee pets (ninjas, zomibes) I'm not really a fan of mercs as their minions and powers don't really compare to say assault bot and gangwar.
i would say mercs n dark, good range attacks fun n dark is a good debuff n all
I have to shout out for Ninja's, Thug's and Zombie's. Those sets go great with Traps/Poison/Dark/TrickArrow. Ninjas 2nd tier henchmen can confuse, placate, debuff, hide, do criticals, throw caltrops, they just do so much. The 2rd tier pet also holds, has a brutal Fire Sword, and Rain of Fire.
Thugs, the Gang War and Bruiser with Poison = AV solo'er, I have duo'ed with a few, and watched em basically chop down tall trees while I was picking up tanbark, and I think my build can hang tough mostly. Just massive debuff with the damage and your own personal brute is nice.
Zombie's, all melee mostly, and can also give and take pretty decent damage. They can roll through most mobs with a good build and play style. Just juggernaut style.
For ninja's, if you do go there, lots of "RP" possibilities. Are your ninja and mine in same clan? Lets check tattoo's.
Undead Ninja are also popular.
Your:
Private Dancer
Personally, I like Thugs, they have a lot of personality and with Gang War up, you can feel like you're leading a real army. I RP a character with Thugs/Dark and I love it although a friend of mine has Thugs/FF and having watched them in action I'd say that's a pretty solid combo too.
I'm also trying Necro/FF at the moment and it works pretty well. If you're keen to RP a character I'd let the concept dictate what you go for. Masterminds aren't 'easy' but I think it's very hard to make a bad one. I think all of the combinations will work well together, it's just which one suits your idea best.
@Dante EU - Union Roleplayer and Altisis Victim
The Militia: Union RP Supergroup - www.themilitia.org.uk
Necro/Poison - it'll DeBuff everything heck and back and throw out so many mezzes you'll wish you could use bodyguard for something! OK, so that last bit is purely post-32 speculation but the theory is sound - with the right slotting and the right enhancements (HOs and IOs really) you can floor your targets tohit, defense, recharge and speed while severly crimping their damage, resistance and regen, all the while throwing around mezzes like they're going out of fashion.
[WARNING! The above post contains severe Necro/Poison bias]
@Jay Leon Hart
Kerensky: this has nothing to do with underwear
Zwillinger: I put on my robe and wizard hat...
Synapse: I had to resist starting my last post off with "Yo dawg!"
Well, I am not too fond of Zombies. A Zombie-MM has to be constantly monitoring his pets' movements to avoid drawing aggro from behind the moon... and often enough I've seen Zombie-MMs fail at that. On top of that melee pets are not too well received by melee teammates who find their paths blocked.
However, for a soloing MM or when teaming in brute-less teams Zombies are an alternative, but other than that I generally prefer ranged pets.
If it has eyes, you can blind it, if it has blood, you can make it bleed, if it has a mouth, you can make it scream.
Of course, the two best pets in Necro are ranged and your Zombies' (Tier 1 pets) best attacks are the cone and AoE vomits.
@Jay Leon Hart
Kerensky: this has nothing to do with underwear
Zwillinger: I put on my robe and wizard hat...
Synapse: I had to resist starting my last post off with "Yo dawg!"
[ QUOTE ]
Well, I am not too fond of Zombies. A Zombie-MM has to be constantly monitoring his pets' movements to avoid drawing aggro from behind the moon...
[/ QUOTE ]
Actualy Ninja's are worst at this issue. Since 99% of their strength is melee, their woozie AI.
Necro is great in both sides, zombies having the mini-AoE vomit, Knights having 2 ranged (basicly the 2 first powers of dark) and Lich has cone, cone fear, range hold, range heal, cone immobilize, normal range attack. This combined, they can do a insane -acc flooring nearly every mob's accuracy. As long you let them start attacking from range, they often stay ranged attacking. As i have the 'ranged' pets too, mercs, i even dare to say they even do better ranged then mercs who are 99% ranged (way too much DoT).
Yet, move the knights melee range, they grab they sword and increase your damage output insane. Double crit headsplitter can nearly 1shot a +1 boss and their self heal. Add zombie vomit, self heal, and even melee they can do awsome damage.
My opinion they are the most avarage range/melee pets, dispite their lack of resist wich compensate their -acc dark attacks and selfheal.
50)Sinergy X/(50)Mika.
(50)MaceX/(50)Encore
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Oh, yes, I have to agree that the ninja AI is a nightmare in action, but I feel I have to elaborate a bit to make myself understood about my issues with zombies.
I didn't want to say that zombies weren't strong because I know very well that they are. I also didn't want to say that I prefer ranged attacks just because they are ranged and I most certainly didn't want to say that zombies are uncontrollable.
However, what I do want to say is that zombies are not ranged pets in the same way as, let's say, robots are. Robots are not inclined towards melee and they behave accordingly.
Just a short example of a common situation to illustrate what I am talking about:
It's a laboratory map and the team is fighting multiple spawns to keep things interesting and xp-heavy. The MM is busy for a moment placing a debuff or whatever, so he has an increased reaction time concerning pet control. Meanwhile, the MM's pets are particularly angry at a certain mob and he knows it, so he decides he might need some running exercise and heads up a flight of stairs.
If your MM has robos as pets you hear some laser gunshots or the impact of nastier things and that guy is history.
If your MM has zombies as pets chances are that some of them will run after the cowardly mob and invite the next two to three spawns to the party downstairs before the MM can call them back.
I know there are MMs who make sure to stay in charge of their pets, but I also know that they are way better than the average MM who will only realize that one of his minions is amiss when he is already going down in those formerly unaggroed spawns. A MM with the same amount (or lack) of skill with 'true' ranged pets might have caused less mayhem to the team.
The same goes for blocking paths of melee fighters: A skilled MM might consider forming a line of defense between the team's brute and the squishies or picking off mobs who might provide problems for the rest of the team while the average MM seems to make sure to always attack the brute's target which is fine with me if that means that there will be missiles and laser beams whizzing past my brute, but which is a problem if that means that I get pushed aside by some rotten cadavers, losing fury and being unable to position myself correctly for cones etc.
So, from a MM-player's point of view I say that zombies are not nearly as MM-beginner-friendly as 'true' ranged pets and from the point of view of someone who regularly teams with MMs I say that I feel a lot safer and statistically get less debt if the MM has ranged pets.
Ironically, the by far worst MM player I know is a robot/dark MM, but he can't play any toon at all since he is dumber than a sack of rye, so I guess this doesn't count... and I am convinced he could do the impossible thing and be even worse with zombies or ninjas. 
If it has eyes, you can blind it, if it has blood, you can make it bleed, if it has a mouth, you can make it scream.
All true - Safe mode has got to be a Bots/FF MM - a pseudo-God Mode in PFF, mez protection, lots of Defense for your pets from your bubbles and you Prot Bots, and a good deal for you with Dispersion Bubble and Prot Bot shields. Top it off with a nice selection of enemy positioning tools in your secondary, a full pet heal in your primary and a nice low-end usage that easily allows you to replace Stamina with the Leadership toggles for even more carnage.
@Jay Leon Hart
Kerensky: this has nothing to do with underwear
Zwillinger: I put on my robe and wizard hat...
Synapse: I had to resist starting my last post off with "Yo dawg!"
[ QUOTE ]
big story
[/ QUOTE ]
I kinda dissagree on most parts. First bots are highly known to be 'blockers', mostly due their huge size they are the ones blocking of doors once a mob gets out of LoS.
Running pets after a scared mob is an AI issue, no where near anything to do with necro's. I currently have all pets, vary from 41 merc, 37 necro, 36 bots and 24 thugs, i dont like ninja. From those i can say, each has a pro and a con, but necro really isnt worse then other pets or a bad 'starter-friendly' set. But overall, Necro gives me the best feeling of actualy controlling something.
Runnaway pets are among all pets, sound is just something extra to deal with. A good MM keep eye on every pet he has, pets dont make the MM. Specialy MM's that just do a goto_all will face 'runaways' alot, since they dont order pets to attack a certain mob. Great example is skyraiders with they TP power, if you dont pay attention it goes wrong big time. And then it really doesnt mather what set you have.
But mercs are known to be 1 of the worst pets around, wich are 99% ranged, so in your view the best 'starter-friendly' set. However, its 1 of the most less played set of all.
50)Sinergy X/(50)Mika.
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Sign the petition, dont let CoH go down! SIGN!
Don't know why you try to flamebait me with that quoted 'big story', but rest assured that it was received as the unnecessary insult it is.
Feel free to disagree with anything I say, write or think, it's not like it would matter to me if you can't even see the difference between henchmen shooting after a fleeing mob and running after the same fleeing mob. I don't even want to know what massive amounts of teleporting mobs you fight that it makes you think this might add any emphasis to your point.
I only talked about my experience as MM player and as a player teaming with MMs. It's a fact that I have seen by far more occasions where a brute has been pushed around and body blocked by zombies than players being blocked by robots (despite robot MMs being not any less common). Personally, in my 50 levels of experience as robot MM I had maybe a handful of those occasions (in cramped spaces) and they were sorted quite easily and with only minor disturbance. So, I can only call the story about robots being the big blockers a myth, 'highly known' or not. (Not that it would be the only 'highly known' myth...)
Another fact is that the amount of debt my toons have received due to the mistakes of zombie MMs is hugely out of proportion to the amount of debt incurred by mistakes of robot MMs. So, if both sets are - as you say - equally starter-friendly this means that either Necro-MMs are less intelligent than Robot-MMs by a large margin or that zombies are significantly weaker than robots. Alas, I know from first-hand experience that this can not be true.
And concerning mercs: Please don't mix 'starter-friendly' with 'strong'. The fact that they deal miserable damage against so many foes is totally independent from starter-friendliness. Ironically, you were the one recommending mercs to Psi_Storm. 
If it has eyes, you can blind it, if it has blood, you can make it bleed, if it has a mouth, you can make it scream.
As a very experienced Zombie MM player, I can say that most brutes I have teamed with tend to let me attack first, and that Ninjas run after mobs a hell of a lot more. Zombies are in no way squishy, I've seen an Assualt bot get taken down a lot qicker them a Grave Night. Plus, as Zombies Melee a lot more then anything else but Ninjas, it may look that way. But if a Bot/Merc/Thug got to close to a mob, he wont last long, comapred to a zombie.
I started with zombies, and can say there as starter-friendly as any. I tried Bots and got bored with standing around watching them attack. Tried Ninjas and got fed up with the lack of control. I tried Mercs and fell asleep when my 1st mission took ages.....but, I've now got a level 22 Thugs/Dark MM, and loving it, not as much fun as Zombies but more so then the others. IMO
All pets have there pros and cons, just some tend to notice the cons more.
[ QUOTE ]
And concerning mercs: Please don't mix 'starter-friendly' with 'strong'. The fact that they deal miserable damage against so many foes is totally independent from starter-friendliness. Ironically, you were the one recommending mercs to Psi_Storm.
[/ QUOTE ]
And once again, i think you should start reading abit better. I mostly quote parts that i reply to, but as it reply your story as whole, i just quote it as 'big text' to prevent nasty huge quotes wich only make up lousy page filling. And if i would have put it down as a flame bait, i would have replied in a way different mather.
Ironicly, Psi_Storm stated he was FF, my first choice is Bots. 2nd of that, i clearly that he will be massive lacking power if he pick other then bots, mercs. Only reason is picking a set that suits FF, wich makes all things easy if mobs go 99% ranged.
[ QUOTE ]
Other then that, i would say Mercs due fully ranged (but u lack massive on damage) or ninja's with stacked defence.
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Your whole story came down from a 'necros sux bigtime' to a story 'necro are worse then bots'. Either you teamed with some serious bad necro players, or you just dont like them. I highly doubt if you ever seen a necro/dark in action, i think there is no other set doing more mez in a row then that set actualy can (not mentioning a completly flored acc). Outside that, the 2 upgrades pets can get are next to ninja the fastest casting ones. Not a airdrop-pick-itup or a upgrade-machine out of the floor that takes seconds to get the pet moving again.. instant upgrade and ready to rock. And a repair versus extract soul.. i know wich one does a way better job.
If you dont like necro, fine. If you love bots, fine. But they are nothing less or worse then any other, the only one i pick out of the set is mercs. And for that whole story, i refer you to my 'why not to pick merc/ta' topic a long time ago.
50)Sinergy X/(50)Mika.
(50)MaceX/(50)Encore
Sign the petition, dont let CoH go down! SIGN!
Now, if you could just explain to me how you could understand this
[/color]<blockquote><font class="small">Antwort auf:[/color]<hr />
Well, I am not too fond of Zombies.
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as this
[/color]<blockquote><font class="small">Antwort auf:[/color]<hr />
'necros sux bigtime'
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then we would perhaps also be able to determine why you think that I said something like this
[/color]<blockquote><font class="small">Antwort auf:[/color]<hr />
'necro are worse then bots'
[/ QUOTE ]
when in fact I said this
[/color]<blockquote><font class="small">Antwort auf:[/color]<hr />
...or that zombies are significantly weaker than robots. Alas, I know from first-hand experience that this can not be true.
[/ QUOTE ]
So, I don't think it's me who should start reading a bit better. And although I didn't state it explicitly an observant reader might have noticed that I not only have seen a Necro/Dark MM in action, but that I actually play one. (In fact I have tried any set of pets, but only robots, thugs and zombies survived.) That's how I know that zombies are just as strong as robots. And that's how I know that they need a bit more babysitting than robots in quite some situations.
Zombies are great... in the hands of good MMs. But when I give recommendations to a new player I don't talk about what a good MM can do. If I don't know the player in question I have to assume that he has 'average' skill. And regarding this I would have to recommend a set that causes less mayhem to the team when played by an average player. In my experience the 'low-mayhem' pets when played by average MMs are robots, thugs (with increased team-mayhem potential with bruiser) and mercs (harmless for the team and their enemies). The high-mayhem pets (again: average MM) are zombies (other than that they are very strong) and ninjas (Avoid! Avoid at all cost!).
So, regarding the comparison of robots and zombies: I know that both kinds of MM can be a great asset to a team if played well, but in the case of an average MM player robots are the significantly safer choice for the rest of the team.
If it has eyes, you can blind it, if it has blood, you can make it bleed, if it has a mouth, you can make it scream.
IMO an important part of playing a MM is the need to control your pets. That's what makes the MM special, the ability to control your pets. I found bots way too passive, more like a controller with out control powers.
The sets I regard as 'fun' for MMs are those that need the most control. Ninjas and zombies. What is the fun in playing an AT if you're practically missing the thing which makes the AT in question special? In this case the ability to control your pets.
None of the MM primaries are bad, it only depends on the player how they work and that's it. I dare to say that I could play a MM very well some months ago, which now isn't possible due to the fact that I abandoned the MM for months. The ninjas in my control worked as they should, I kept my eye on them to avoid getting extra aggro, and in the case that I got any I'd warn the team about it with a simple bind.
There... My 2 cents.
- @DSorrow - alts on Union and Freedom mostly -
Currently playing as Castigation on Freedom
My Katana/Inv Guide
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. -Einstein
Yeah, it is true that zombies generally rewquire more watching then say bots. First of all they are great at chasing runners into new spawns, not a problem for any decent MM unless the fight is already going south. Second alot of Necro MM's prefer to get thier tier 1&2 pets into melee after the first ranged attack, me included, so there is some extra management there.
But i would instead say its a wery good set for new players since it forces you to actively control your pets all the time rather then like many botter "attack then stand and watch" kinda game style. This means you lear to control your pets right from the start.
Ok, I've been reading up on the MasterMind ArchType and I really want to make one but i'm still unsure of which pet to take. I know so far that I want ForceField, and people have been telling me that Bot's are my best option but im not sure because i'm a RPer, And on CoV I have been RPing as a few ghoulish people, and I don't no if I want to change into a Bot dealer... But can anywone help me, or persuade me that Bot's are ok..?
Thanks!