Merc suggestions

Ok im planning on making a Merc/ MM. Now I have been a masterminder for years, but I always choose the wrong secondary. I am also looking for any other tips. Anything that would be very helpful. Even some of the simpleler things.

Merc/Storm is pretty fun. Steamy Mist gives a little extra defense/resist to your guys, O2 Boost syncs well with the Medic.

Hurricane keeps the melee enemies at range while [sarcasm]at least halfof your pets stay at range maybe and blast![/sarcasm] The resist debuffs from ice storm also help to bring up their damage potential.

I've found it very fun! One thing that helps me when I'm soloing those big cavern maps in oroborous and some of the more difficult to move around in warehouse maps is taking flight/group fly and tactics. Tactics plus supremacy+the defense debuffs from both the rifle fire and the storm powers keep the accuracy penalties to a minimum, and you'll never have to worry again about fitting all your pets on those tiny tiny ledges and awkward spiral stair entries.

EDIT -- SOLO is the key word in the above suggestion about group fly. Teams? Not so much.

I've got a Mercs/TA MM that has proven almost brutally effective when it comes to debuffing (Profiteer, over on Justice). Given that the upgraded Spec Ops have a Snipe power, this makes pulling targets rather easy. I also made sure that ALL of my TA powers have a proc of some kind in them (almost always damage, or in one memorable case, a proc to heal). Throw in a couple of the Leadership skills, make sure all the pets have at least one slot for Defense Debuff, and watch the mercs mow 'em down.

Once it came time for Patron Powers, I took Scirocco's set for the mass immobilize, the single target hold, and the total focus/air superiority punch... not just for their intended uses, but because they work beautifully with Oil Slick arrow.

"Oh hi! Look, you're stuck in one place, falling over, and on fire. And covered in glue. And blinded. Have fun."

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Mercs/Dark is very strong. Buddy of mine has his at 50 and he's a monster.

I've done Merc/Traps, Merc/TA, Merc/Poison, and Merc/Dark extenstively (can you tell what my favorite Primary is yet?) - and I'm currently working on a Merc/Storm. I've dabbled in Merc/Therm and Merc/Pain - but I think my overall favorites were Traps, TA, and now Storm is becoming a contender. It really boils down to what you want to do with your Mercs, though!

/Traps has a more... mini-RTS style. Make your plan, lay your traps, and watch it all come together in a beautifully-made mess. This is my current favorite just for that reason alone.

/Dark and /Poison are similar in style - but Poison is more active, and is better suited to tough, individual enemies while Dark excels in mass carnage.

/TA is similar to Dark - but without the heal. Medicine is an excellent pool choice, here. /TA is also more offensively-minded than /Dark. Debuffs galore - but not much to aid you and your pets directly. It's kind of like a mobile version of Traps, really - just without the Force Field Generator. And, as Dark Respite said - Oil Slick Arrow is quite possibly one of the most fun, effective powers in the game. At least in my personal, biased opinion. C'mon - it's Ice Slick - except you can set it on FIRE!

/Storm is... Well, I'm only level twenty-five with it so far - and Smiling_Joe said it better than I could, I think. Hurricane meshes beautifully with your pets' preference for range (even if it's currently a bit buggy, and they often go charging into melee after they've spent their ranged attacks).

Well from what I have heard from here so far, TA, dark, storm and traps seem to be the best options.

also thank-you for the opinions on power pools and etc.