Brimstone and Hellfire: A Guide To Demon Summoning
By
Black_Marrow,
Posted on: 2010-04-24 16:22 in Player Guides
Just a small correction to what you said about Bodyguard. It's not an even split between the Mastermind and henchmen.
To quote ParagonWiki
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Everything else about what you said is accurate, though, and it's still a good guide.
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Bodyguard Damage Mitigation: When set to Bodyguard mode, the Mastermind and his pets share damage from any attack that the Mastermind takes damage from. Each pet takes one 'share' of the damage, and the Mastermind himself takes two 'shares'. This is in addition to any damage that the pets themselves might incur from Area attacks. Example: If a Mastermind has 3 pets set to Def/Fol, and he gets hit with a 100 point attack, each pet will take 20 points of the damage, and he himself will take 40 points. Example 2: If a Mastermind has 3 pets set to Def/Fol, and he gets hit with an Area Effect attack for 10 points of damage, then each pet will take 2 points of damage, and he himself will take 4 points. Pets that were also in the Area of Effect will take an additional 10 points each, as normal. |
Currently published Mission Architect arcs:
Arc ID# 70466: From the Abyss.
Arc ID# 403174: The Serpent's Revenge.
Arc ID# 534236: The Clockwork Angel.
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Oh hey, thanks! I'll clean that up right away.
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Originally Posted by Spectreblade
Just a small correction to what you said about Bodyguard. It's not an even split between the Mastermind and henchmen.
To quote ParagonWiki Everything else about what you said is accurate, though, and it's still a good guide. |
This is one of the easiest to read and informative guides I've read on these forums. Definately right up there with the high-rollers on this forums. 2 Thumbs up.
@Mazzo Grave
Webmaster Grave, Virtueverse!
Energy/Energy Blaster Guide
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Originally Posted by BackAlleyBrawler
you *******!!!!
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You corrected the Bodyguard definition, but not the example you used.
"if you have one pet summoned and you and your pet get smacked with a 100-point AoE, you take 50 damage. Your poor pet takes 150!"
In actuality, you would take 67 and your pet would take 133
Otherwise, it's a good start to a comprehensive guide. The formatting is great and easy to read, and it is well organized and structured.
I'd think that you could flesh out the secondary section a bit even without having played them all -- especially if you have played other Masterminds in the past. What types of powers did you find yourself wishing you had? Did you find yourself using your heal frequently, or would a non-healing secondary (FF, Sonic, TA) do OK?
Also, can you describe the Demons' AI? Do they tend to favor Melee or Ranged? I think that Demons are the only MM set with significant cone attacks. Do you have to micromanage their positions a lot because of them?
Thanks!
[SIZE=1][COLOR=Yellow][U]Virtue Heroes (Serenity's Children):[/U] [B]@Eek a Mouse, The Devil's Mark, Outlaw Sniper, Gas-Soaked Rag Man, Amazon Prime, Friday's Child, Hot Blooded,[/B][B]Flower of the Moon[/B], [B]Rouge Demon Hunter[/B], Stimulated Emission, Animatronic Wench, [B]Lennie Small[/B]
[U]Virtue Villains (Serenity's Orphans):[/U][/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=1][COLOR=Yellow] [/COLOR][/SIZE] [SIZE=1][COLOR=Yellow] [B]Eek a Rat[/B], [B]Bomb Blondeshell[/B], Babe Brute, Jeanne Dark, Fallen Angle[/COLOR][/SIZE]
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All stuff coming up with the next revision, I promise! Actually, half of it is already typed out, but I wanted to go back and re-confirm a few observations before I put them out there.|
Originally Posted by Eek a Mouse
You corrected the Bodyguard definition, but not the example you used.
"if you have one pet summoned and you and your pet get smacked with a 100-point AoE, you take 50 damage. Your poor pet takes 150!" In actuality, you would take 67 and your pet would take 133 Otherwise, it's a good start to a comprehensive guide. The formatting is great and easy to read, and it is well organized and structured. I'd think that you could flesh out the secondary section a bit even without having played them all -- especially if you have played other Masterminds in the past. What types of powers did you find yourself wishing you had? Did you find yourself using your heal frequently, or would a non-healing secondary (FF, Sonic, TA) do OK? Also, can you describe the Demons' AI? Do they tend to favor Melee or Ranged? I think that Demons are the only MM set with significant cone attacks. Do you have to micromanage their positions a lot because of them? Thanks! |
Barring the Bodyguard example, which I completely missed yet again. Thanks! I'll make sure that gets corrected, too.
For the curious, the reason a lot was left out in the first run was due to PC complications causing me to lose all of my progress sporadically while attempting to do the full shebang. Frusteration had me put out what I had before I wound up having to type up everything you see posted for the fourth time in a row.
I don't suppose anyone knows a better way of formatting/typing these things than using Notepad? It did allow me to save my progress.. but it made for a -ton- of formatting for forum use.
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I actually play left hand on keyboard and right on mouse but don't have a problem with numpad binds. All you do is have your left hand take over for movement with WASD+QE and dial the "code" on the right hand then switch back. It takes about 1 second once you've mastered it. I would encourage people who play lefty-key, righty-mouse to at least give it a try. I think it's worth the extra granular control you get over your pets. This allows you to do things like keep your Ember Demon on defensive but send your gargoyle into melee quickly and easily.
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Originally Posted by Serevus
4. Keybinds for the Single-Handed: If you're like me - and that seems to be a minority - then you might play with only your left hand on the keyboard, while your right remains on the mouse at all times in order to control the camera at any given moment. This makes Numpad binds awfully difficult to work with - but there is a solution.
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Originally Posted by eltonio
This is over the top mental slavery.
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I'm going to have to disagree with you on Crack Whip. Between Lash and Crack Whip, the latter is preferable for three reasons. First, Crack Whip is more efficient DPS and DPE as soon as it hits 3 or more enemies, which is not difficult to manage. Second, Crack Whip applies its resistance debuff to multiple enemies, which your pets will then attack with AoEs. That's good force multiplication. And finally, Crack Whip draws the aggro of several enemies at a time toward the Mastermind. That's good for Tankermind tactics.
YMMV of course.
@SPTrashcan
Avatar by Toxic_Shia
Why MA ratings should be changed from stars to "like" or "dislike"
A better algorithm for ordering MA arcs
I love your guide. Its the only DS guide out there I think and DS has been out for months. I would suggest posting this in the MM guides section so others can find this hidden treasure. Seriously, I had to search this think up under lots of old threads.
Not only was this an informative and useful read that made me want to work on my Demons/Thermal mastermind, but it was also wonderfully easy to read. Something about your layout and sparing use of colour made this an ease and a delight to waltz through. Nicely done!
Definitely time for a round of editing on this guide 
Adding inherent fitness to the mix, too. I'd think some info on Traps and TA should be able to be added - if nothing else just from asking around in the MM forums.
... trying to think if I have one of either in my mass of alts.
I'm not a heavily experienced COH player, but certainly at earlier levels up to 20ish the DR reduction on the whip attacks from dark Miasma seems to make a pretty huge difference. MMs of the no-player-attacks-persuasion may want to reconsider when choosing DM as a secondary. Given the nature of DR, I would think DR-reduction attacks would only become more useful as you go up in level and enemies get tougher.
I actually skipped the light attack and went with the medium and heavy knockback whip attacks, which still have plenty of range to let you stand behind your minions. I haven't put much effort into slotting either for damage so that's been negligible and I rarely seem to draw aggro for long with the whips. It's the DR reduction and fairly reliable knockback that really make them shine. Also it's deeply gratifying to whip the bejeezus out of stuff, seemingly inspiring a performance boost on the part of your minions who suddenly start killing stuff a lot faster.
I think the trick to slotting minions is to just watch your pet combat chat and keep an eye on their endurance bars. I've put 5-slots of damage on the little guys with one slot of whatever I happen upon for accuracy (just damage-15s, no acc. invention yet) and they melt health bars pretty darn quickly with acceptable accuracy.
One thing I find somewhat puzzling is that the ice demonling almost always tends to go down first when things get dicey. Not sure why. I know they're all different but I haven't seen anything about him being particularly weaker. Do his attacks draw more aggro? Taking the leadership defensive aura with some slots seemed to help with that but I don't get the impression it's a major buff.
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The ice demonling is missing some key resistances the other demonlings get - you'll notice he has a buff missing that the others get. The reason for this is he's an ice demonling and has no resistance to fire. I suspect it's either intentional or he's supposed to get a different buff.|
Originally Posted by SodaPops
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One thing I find somewhat puzzling is that the ice demonling almost always tends to go down first when things get dicey. Not sure why. I know they're all different but I haven't seen anything about him being particularly weaker. Do his attacks draw more aggro? Taking the leadership defensive aura with some slots seemed to help with that but I don't get the impression it's a major buff. |
That being said, I'd really like to see a guide that covers demon summoning and time manipulation. Surely I'm not the first to test this out. The demons seem incredibly short-lived, the heals seem incredibly weak, and my endurance... where did it GO?!?!
...even still the combo rocks pretty hard. I've just hit the hellzone though, so time will tell (ha!) if I can get this character to 30 and then 40.
you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you <3
I'm currently playing a level 35 Demon/Storm Summoning Mastermind, and thought I'd share my thoughts here.
I'm only a casual player, and am by no means an expert. I like a nice simple build that I can play Solo fairly easily. I really like this build! I can't tell you any numbers or stats- all I know is that when I'm playing this build, I can finish missions in AE, Holiday Specials, Signature Arcs, Finale missions, etc... that I can't beat with my Scrappers, Blasters, Fire/Kin Controller or my Tank. I think one of the main reasons is the survivability of this build. It allows you to protect the Master Mind, even if you do have to respawn some of your minions from time to time.
Pros: Good Buffs, Good DeBuffs, Single Ally Heal +Resistance, Self Defense (with Repel & Debuff), Fair amount of Damage, Great Crowd Control (but this takes practice!)
Cons: Only having a Single Ally Heal (I took Aid Other & the Leadership Pool to help compensate), Being vulnerable to attacks by quick Blasters, no Self Heal.
Synergy: Medium- the two powers look great together, but it can be a bit of an overload at times.
Powers I Liked (in order of preference with this build): O2 Blast, Thunder Clap, Steamy Mist, Snow Storm, Freezing Rain.
Powers I recommend disregarding: Gale and Tornado add very little value to this build. I haven't tried Lightning Storm yet, but I suspect it will also be a skippable power.
I added the Medicine and Leadership Pools to this build to help fill in the gaps, and I think it works nicely. Having Ninja Run also helps to add extra powers without needing to take Travel Powers until you really need them.
I. A Fine How-Do-You-Do (Intro)
II. Beginnings and Ramblings (Getting Started)
III. Understanding the Demonic (Primary Powers)
IV. Care and Feeding for Your Unholy Minions (Secondaries)
V. Taking Command (Strategies)
Welcome! Whether you're a Test Server veteran looking for someone else's perspective on the latest addition to a Mastermind's repertoire, or someone simply looking to get a leg up on Demon Summoning's releases (more on that in a moment), it is my hope that you'll find everything you wish to know by the time you're finished with this guide. The purpose of this guide is three-fold: The first purpose I have just mentioned - Education. Demon Summoning has quickly become one of my favorite Mastermind primaries, and I'd like to share my experiences with others to save them a bit of hardship in the future.
Secondly, I do this for fun. As I said before, I've taken quite a liking to the set - and this is a way for me to show my enthusiasm in a productive manner. Finally, this is a learning experience for me, too. I've always wanted to try my hand at writing guides... and now I have an excuse to give such a daunting task a whirl.
As my first attempt at a guide, it's liable to get a bit messy here and there. Expect a few revisions as time goes along as I try and make this as easy to read and fun to browse as possible. With that said, let's get started! Shall we?
At this point, you may have one of two questions (among many others I hope to address as we go along). If you're asking "What's a Mastermind?", then the following paragraph is for you. If, instead, you're asking "Demon Summoning?", then the paragraph after that is for you.
First, a few notes on Masterminds. If you've never played a Mastermind before, then allow me to explain: A Mastermind is a Villains-exclusive Archetype (this will change with Going Rogue and Side-Switching) based around the care and command of AI and player-commanded "pets" who serve to do the majority of your dirty work. It's a play experience like no other in the game, and calls for an attentive eye and a bit of brainpower to work at it's best. Sounds daunting, doesn't it? It's actually not so bad once you familiarize yourself with the basics. On that note, I would suggest reading Master Zaprobo's Guide tot he Modern Mastermind and Sandolphan's Revised Mastermind Numpad Controls as a brief primer to the Archetype. I'll be covering some of the basics in the 'Strategies' section - but these two go into much better detail than I could ever hope to.
Demon Summoning, you say? As I mentioned before, this is the latest Primary available to the Mastermind Archetype. Currently, it's still in the Open Beta stages. When Issue 17 hits the Live servers, this set will become available to anyone who pre-purchased the Going Rogue expansion. With Going Rogue, the set will then become available to, I believe, everyone. Given the nature of the two-stage release, I feel it's fair to say that the set may see some changes between now and it's official release with Going Rogue. Thus, the content of this guide will change as necessary to reflect any heavy changes made to the set.
Compared to other Mastermind Primaries, Demon Summoning stands out as a mixed bag; and unique in the fact that no two pets are precisely the same. I'll go more into detail in the next section, but as a general statement you'll find that this powerset covers a lot of ground. It buffs. It debuffs. It heals. It controls. It damages in Single-Target and Area of Effect attacks. I have yet to figure out how to make it cook dinner or do the laundry, but rest assured; you folk will be the first to know once I discover the secret. It's a set designed as a true jack-of-all - fitting handily into almost any situation you can throw at it. Eager to know more, yet? Let's continue.
Here we are! This section will be as simple as I can make it. Finally, less rambling and more informing. Ah, but one note before you take off! I will suggest several slottings that I've found useful for each power - but these are by no means the end-all, be-all ways to slot your powers. They are simply the ones I have personally found most useful to my own playstyle, and as such, they all assume standard SOs as the enhancement type used. Fair enough?
Corruption
Available At: Level 1
Power Type: Ranged Attack (80 Ft.)
Power Limit: Single-Target
Damage Type: Fire (Initial) / Toxic (DoT)
Special Effect: -9.38% Resistance
Recharge Time: 4 Seconds
Recommended Slotting: 1 Accuracy, 2 Damage, 1 Endurance Reduction
Notes: Ah, Mastermind attacks. Quite the divisive topic! The Demon Summoning variations of these certainly aren't any help in the debate. Simply put: If you have room for them, you can't go wrong by taking them. They keep you busy in battle if you're using a 'fire and forget' secondary such as Force Field, and they add a bit of damage comparable to your first-tier pets (second tier as well, in some cases). With Demon Summoning, the -resistance makes this even more lucrative. It stacks well with the -resistance your Hellfire pets already throw out. However, if you have a tight build and just don't think you'll be able to squeeze them in - or if you just plain don't want to have personal attacks: then by all means, don't take them. If you only take one, however, then Corruption will be the most flexible. It's the only Ranged attack of the three Whip powers.
Summon Demonlings
Available At: Level 1
Power Type: Summon Tier 1 Henchmen
Recharge Time: 60 Seconds
Recommended Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Endurance Reduction
Alternate Slotting: 3 Accuracy, 3 DamageNotes: Ah, the little guys. As you can see from the notes above, all three of them have different 'specialties', offering a variety of damage types and effects. Other than that, these little boogers are fairly straight-forward. They do damage, and a fair amount of it to boot.
Lash
Available At: Level 2
Power Type: Melee Attack (20 Ft.)
Power Limit: Single-Target
Damage Type: Fire (Initial) / Toxic (DoT)
Special Effect: -9.38% Resistance, 40% Chance of Knockdown
Recharge Time: 8 Seconds
Recomended Slotting: 1 Accuracy, 2 Damage, 1 Endurance Reduction
Notes: I've said more or less all I could say here up there with Corruption. It hits harder than Corruption, and the Knockdown is especially nice when it happens.
Enchant Demon
Available At: Level 6
Power Type: Pet Upgrade
Power Limit: AoE (50 Ft. Range, 30 Ft. Radius)
Recharge Time: 6 Seconds
Recommended Slotting: 1 Endurance Reduction
Notes: Ah, your first upgrade. Now you truly begin to see the power of a Mastermind: though your road is just beginning! This handy little doodad upgrades all of your pets within it's radius with a single click! It does eat a fair chunk of your endurance - but gone are the days of individually upgrading every summoned pet, and thus spending several minutes at the start of each mission 'setting up'. For specific powers, please see the comments on each 'grade' of pet.
Crack Whip
Available At: Level 8
Power Type: Melee Cone (30 Ft. Range, 30 Degree Arc)
Power Limit: Cone
Damage Type: Fire (Initial) / Toxic (DoT)
Special Effect: -9.38% Resistance, 25% Chance of Knockdown
Recharge Time: 15 Seconds
Recommended Slotting: 1 Accuracy, 2 Damage, 1 Endurance Reduction
Notes: Unlike the other two attacks, this one can hit multiple enemies at once! It's also your highest damage personal attack. With that said, you can skip this one even if you're taking personal attacks. It's not a bad power, but I really didn't find myself in many situations where I found myself wanting any extra AoE damage. Your mileage may, of course, vary.
Summon Demons
Available At: Level 12
Power Type: Summon Tier 2 Henchmen
Recharge Time: 1 Minute, 30 Seconds
Recommended Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Endurance ReductionNotes: Beautiful, isn't it? Just look at that variety of powers! This is when you truly begin to understand the power behind Demon Summoning - ah, but it only gets better from here. As you can tell, your Hellfire Gargoyle is purely a combat type. He gets into melee and wreaks havoc. Make sure to keep him topped up, because he will draw lots and lots of aggro - and use lots and lots of endurance. Your Ember Demon will also use an ungainly amount of Endurance. With the End Reduc slotted, they'll both be fine. (Contrary to belief, putting an End Reduc into your summon does, in fact, reduce the cost of the pet's own powers as well.) After all, he does run an AoE shield for your entire team (Ember Shield), keep your pets somewhat topped up with a single-target and an AoE heal (Abyssal Mending and Reconstruction) - just don't expect him to keep everything alive by himself. Both healing powers have fairly hefty recharge times.
Hell on Earth
Available At: Level 18
Power Type: Ranged Pet Buff, Special (60 Ft.)
Power Limit: Single-Target
Damage Type: Lethal, Toxic (See Notes)
Special Effect: +7.50% To-Hit and +37.50% Damage for 1 Minute, 30 Seconds / Chance to Summon 'Living Hellfire'
Recharge Time: 10 Minutes
Recommended Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 2 Damage, 2 Recharge
Notes: This is an interesting little buff. The +To-Hit and +Damage are nice, for certain, but it's the 'Chance to Summon' that really makes this power shine. Every 15 seconds this buff is active, is has a chance to summon a little Hellfire Imp (Living Hellfire) at the affected pet's location. These little guys don't do much on their own, but if you get 5-8 of them running around - well, it adds up awfully fast. Note: Unlike Gang War, the Hellfires do not have an inherent taunt that will draw aggro away from you.
Summon Demon Prince
Available At: Level 26
Power Type: Summon Tier 3 Henchman
Recharge Time: 2 Minutes
Recommended Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Endurance ReductionNotes: Now you've reached the pinnacle of pets! Not only are his attacks powerful, but so are his controls. Like your Hellfire Gargoyle, this is a pet that craves Melee - but his control powers tend to keep him at arm's length more often than the former. Like your Ember Demon, however, he is an endurance-hungry pet. Thus, a single Endurance Reduction will go a long way towards keeping his blue-bar manageable. And, finally, we may see the cumulative effects of all six of your pets. Paired with a set that specializes in enemy debuffs, you'll be a force to be reckoned with in any situation. I've heard that Buff secondaries are also quite popular... Ah, but that's for another section, now isn't it?
Abyssal Empowerment
Available At: Level 32
Power Type: Pet Upgrade
Power Limit: AoE (30 Ft. Range, 30 Ft. Radius)
Recharge Time: 10 Seconds
Recommended Slotting: 1 Endurance Reduction
Notes: The last piece of the puzzle. Once you have this, you've reached the pinnacle of Demon Summoning: and what a pinnacle it is! There isn't much to say here that wasn't mentioned with 'Enchant Demon', unfortunately. Just take it and revel in your new-found glory.
Ah, secondaries. The make-or-break when it comes to enjoyment and performance. Take any Primary you like, but the Secondary is what truly refines how something is going to play for you. Unfortunately, this section shan't be nearly as detailed as the Primary section was. The reasons are two-fold: First, I have only played Demon Summoning with Dark Miasma as a Secondary. It's my intent to try one of each type, eventually - but that shall take quite a bit of time. This brings me to the second reason: I doubt I'm the only one itching to write out a guide for our latest powerset - and I'd like to leave this space available for others to fill in the blanks. Thus, if you write a Demon Summoning guide with any particular Secondary, just shoot me a PM, if you like, and I can link to that guide here under the proper heading. With that said, I'll write what I know so far.
A small note on 'Synergy' before I begin: Synergy is not a measure of how well a set is going to perform in combination with Demon Summoning. Despite having listed Force Field as 'low', for example, a Demon/FF Mastermind is still going to kick lots and lots of tail. For the most part, Synergy is just a measure of how well a secondary capitalizes on the strengths of a particular Primary. Dark Miasma is 'High' with demons, for example, because it's largely an AoE Debuff set - which lends itself very well to the Demons' AoE damage; while its controls stack and complement the Prince's own controls very nicely.
Cons: Heal has a tiny radius, and requires a to-hit check; very little buff capability. Lack of -defense.
Synergy: High
Powers of Interest: Darkest Night, Tar Patch, Petrifying Gaze, Dark Servant.
This was my first choice for secondary, and I have very rarely regretted it or wished for another. To be truthful, the only reason I picked Dark Miasma intially was due to the embrassing fact that in the several years I've been playing the game, I had yet to take a Dark Miasma character beyond the early twenties. I'll be getting more into specific powers later, but for now... What a wonderful combination. You have heals, to-hit debuffs galore, and all sorts of status effects (Stun, Hold, Fear, Intangibility) to allow you to dominate the flow of any given fight. The only thing this set truly lacks is +to-hit or -defense - making defense-heavy enemies quite a bother. Did I mention that many of these powers are two-fold, thanks to the Dark Servant pet? Very good times indeed. (Note: Specific Power summaries are pending for this section. I'll add them as soon as I get a bit more time in with Dark Servant.)
Cons: It does what it does very well - but it does very little else. No Self or Ally Heal.
Synergy: Low
Powers of Interest: Deflection Shield, Insulation Shield, Dispersion Bubble, Force Bubble, Personal Force Field
Cons: Debuffing is present, but not very strong. Many powers are pointless to the solo player (This could also be a Pro, for some of you.)
Synergy: Medium
Powers of Interest: Suppress Pain, World of Pain, Anguishing Cry, Painbringer.
Pain Domination is, more or less, the Villains' equivalent to Empathy. Well, that's what it was stated to be, but it's really more like a combination between Empathy and Thermal. If you're a solo player, then you can get by without Share Pain, Conduit of Pain, or Enforce Morale if you find yourself wanting more room. If you're a team player, however, then this set really begins to shine. As it stands, watching a Painbringer-buffed Demon Prince or Hellfire Gargoyle run around causing havok is a beautiful thing indeed. Anguishing Cry gives you a little debuff to make your pets hit that much harder; particularly in combination with the World of Pain buff.
Cons: Heal eats a TON of endurance. Mainly a Single-Target-based set until 38. Little in the way of buffing.
Synergy: Medium
Powers of Interest: Envenom, Weaken, Noxious Gas
This is the set that Arch-Villains and Giant Monsters have nightmares about. Pre-Noxious Gas, you'll be the undisputed King/Queen/Other of taking down tough individual targets - by debuffing them into wet noodles! Post-38, you can throw Noxious Gas on your Prince or Gargoyle and watch the enemies choke on your awesomeness; adding even more debuff to the solid repertoire you developed with Envenom and Weaken. The main catch with this set is that it really is more solo-friendly than team-friendly until the later levels, when tough targets become more commonplace. The exception lies with Elixir of Life and Antidote - an ally revive and mez protection, respectively. Your heal is also rather weak for it's endurance cost - so you'd do well not to rely heavily on it until it's been well slotted with healing and endurance reduction.
Cons: Very Active Secondary, No Crowd Control.
Synergy: High
Power of Interest: Fire Shield, Plasma Shield, Forge, Heat Exhaustion, Melt Armor
Ah, Thermal. This was a very popular secondary throughout the Test phases - and for good reason! The shields stack very nicely with your pets' own shields and innate resistances - giving you an entire posse of miniature Tanks to roll around with. THrow in the fact that you have a fair AoE Heal and some strong +Damage through Forge, and you have a very potent combination. Heat Exhaustion is best saved for EBs/AVs, and it goes a long ways towards softening them up for Demon fodder. The only thing that holds this set back at all is it's lack of Crowd Control. You can roll right through almost anything the game that throw at you - but you'll be wishing you could just hold the enemy still at least once in your career. It's also a good thematic match!
Coming Soon!
Coming Soon!
1. Bodyguard Mode! What is it? It's quite simple. Under "Advanced Pet Controls", if your pets are in the Follow/Defensive stance, then you are in Bodyguard Mode. Please disregard what I had written here before. Here's the correct information from Paragon Wiki: (Thanks to Spectreblade for pointing this out!)
Example: If a Mastermind has 3 pets set to Def/Fol, and he gets hit with a 100 point attack, each pet will take 20 points of the damage, and he himself will take 40 points.
Example 2: If a Mastermind has 3 pets set to Def/Fol, and he gets hit with an Area Effect attack for 10 points of damage, then each pet will take 2 points of damage, and he himself will take 4 points. Pets that were also in the Area of Effect will take an additional 10 points each, as normal.
3. Bosses/EBs/AVs: You have two main choices here, and it's going to depend largely upon what type of boss you're fighting. Is it heavy in AoE damage? If you have any debuffs available, then stay in Bodyguard mode and throw those down. At least you can soften the blow - your pets probably wouldn't survive an attack on their own to begin with. Is it more single-target based? I'd recommend the same tactic - unless the enemy has access to Holds, Stuns, or other status effects to which you have no resistance to. In this case, you might want to send the pets in and time your debuffs, if available, so that they land just as your pets draw aggro - thus softening the blow and keeping you in the fight.
4. Keybinds for the Single-Handed: If you're like me - and that seems to be a minority - then you might play with only your left hand on the keyboard, while your right remains on the mouse at all times in order to control the camera at any given moment. This makes Numpad binds awfully difficult to work with - but there is a solution. Cheap, dirty, and simple; there are three 'main' keybinds that I find myself using almost exclusively, which led me to bind the 'Attack Aggressive', 'Follow Defensive', and 'Goto Defensive' commands to keys that my left hand can easily reach. Your mileage may vary concerning the specific keys, but as an example... Here's what I use:
/bind Q "petcom_all Att Agg"
/Bind E "petcom_all Follow Def"
/Bind T "petcom_all Goto Def"
5. Power Pools. Depending on your Secondary, some of these are going to be irreplacable - others, useless. In general, you can't go wrong with Fitness if you have a more active Secondary - or any secondary with plenty of toggles in it. Medicine will also be highly useful if you play a set like Force Field, which has no inherent Heal power of it's own. Leadership isn't a must, but there's isn't a Mastermind of any combination who won't benefit from having the pets hit a little harder and more accurately. Stealth has some interesting connotations, with the ability to grant you and your pets some form of invisibility, though such uses are more just for fun than anything else. Leaping is another pool to consider, if only for Acrobatics. It's the only form of Hold protection you can give yourself access to (that I'm aware of.) Barring inspirations, of course.
More to come as I think of it.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? I'll take them all and respond as best I can.