Does it get better?

I came back to the game because i wanted to try demon summoning. I'm currently leveling 15 and feel as if my pets are under-performing. They seem weak with no real utility. Maybe I'm missing something. I know with necro, the pets have -acc, with mercs, the pets have good mez/holds, etc. I'm not sure I know the utility of the demons, although I think one of the pets is supposed to be able to heal me.

Anyway, I'm just hoping it gets better - in an enjoyable kind of way.

The main advantage about Demons is that you have 6 different types of pet with the top 3 being completely different from each other. The Demonlings have the same attacks, but they come in fire, ice, and hellfire flavors. The Demons have Ember Demon that is similar to protector bot and Hellfire Gargoyle which has a ton of AoE attacks. Then there is Demon Prince that has a ton of debuffs and a hold. There is Hell on Earth which is a really cool power compared to other level 18 Mastermind powers.

-recharge and variety would have to be what demons have over other Masterminds.

Demons are all about damage. For that, you really need to get up to SO level performance to see it all shine through.

Yes, it does get better. I thoroughly enjoy my demons. The utility you have are some subtle benefits from your 2nd tier demons. The ember demon will heal you. The ember demon has a resistance buff aura that is good for your team and allies. Ember demon has a single target heal he uses on the mastermind and other pets. At level 32, he picks up an AoE heal aura that he spams more frequently than he uses his single target heal. Your gargoyle has an aura that does toxic damage. The toxic damage the gargoyle deals from a number of powers is very effective.

The Demon Prince is a quite sturdy boss pet with chilling embrace and frozen aura. He can dominate the battle site. He is very much an ice brute. Hell on earth is great for grabbing aggro off your other pets and the team.

The scheme with the little guys, your first tier pets, is that they do three types of damage, so no foes resist all your attacks. It's a good mix.

The one aspect that is a bit of a weakness to your top three pets is they suck up the endurance. Because they have auras and heals that don't have damage components, you need to slot enhancements with endurance reduction that affects the broader base of their powers. Heal/end in your demons, slow/end in your demon prince or generic endurance reduction IOs will address the situation.


http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Demon_Summoning

I'll just leave this here then...


On a more serous note My DS/Storm MM is coming along very well. I can tell that in time the daemon diversity, and -res personal attacks, are going to mesh nicely. Make shure you take the personal attacks they are worth it on DS.

You didn't mention your secondary, that may be part of your problem as well.

You're at 15. You're about to hit the stretch where masterminds just *hurt.* (18 = 3 Tier 1s, and they all drop a level. And then you meet Scrapyarders and the oh so fun Demolitionists, with KB'ing AOEs.)

Stick with it. Get to SO levels. See, first you hit 22, and SOs. Then you hit 24, and get your second Tier 2. Then you hit 26 and get your Tier 3. Then you laugh maniacally - well, ok, titter maniacally until you hit 32 and your last upgrade, then go on evil-laugh-practice sessions with Vernon von Grunn as you tear your way through the rest of the game.

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I think what's been said pretty much covers it.... Yes you will definately get better and as Bill mentioned will be laughing as you watch foes dropping like flies. I am curious.. what did you take as your secondary? I went with DM since it seemed to fit well and mainly because I just love the set. Everything in that powerset either debuffs, holds, slows, scares or disorients opponents including your heal and your rez. I have told team mates many times I hope you have awakes if you die because HT is an amazing power and will disorient Bosses and even some EBs so I can NOT promise it will be available. I use it as fast as it recharges.

My other suggestion to you would be to find someone to team with. I have a partner that created a DS at the same time I did and both of us went with DM. Even in the lower levels the combination was lethal... COT and Tsoo couldn't stand up to that assault. Double the pet attacks and twice the debuffs made missions a breeze. By the time we hit the 30s we were taking on EBs without even thinking about it twice.. heck we were specifically taking missions from contacts to get at Elite bosses.

Hang in there even solo is great as you get higher and stronger! :-D

Thanks guys.

My secondary right now is dark. I figure that with two pets healing me, I should be able to stay alive longer. I'm going to try to stick in there. I'm actually level 13 right now lol. For some reason, I thought that I was 15.

The low point of all Masterminds is from about 18 to 26. Unlike all other ATs, MMs don't depend on their own attacks, they depend on a progression of power ups from their henchmen, that come at specific levels. So their damage curve lags way behind other ATs through the 20s. You really don't begin to start to deal damage until you can pick up Upgrade at level 32.

SOs will help a lot, as will getting your second Tier 2 at 24. The upgrade to 3 Tier 1's at 18 doesn't really help your damage, as the three do about as much damage as the two did before. Going from one to two gives a Tier about 50% more damage, though. Then you get another boost when your Tier 3 arrives. So the big jumps for Mastermind are at 6, 12, 24, 26 and then a huge jump at 32. That whole stretch from 12 to 24 can seem like it takes forever.

From 34 on you'll look back on the days that you ever thought Masterminds had low damage and laugh. And as others have said, picking up the whip attacks can help you through this low point. You'll want them for later as well, but for now they'll be pretty good damage. You might even scrounge up a few extra slots to put in them, you can always respec them out later.

One other thing to consider trying, especially since you are /Dark, is to grab Provoke out of the Presence pool. Once I got it and my Heal slotted up a bit, my pets just don't die. I run into the middle of a mob (usually set to x3) and Provoke them and then just spam Provoke and my heal when needed. The Demons kill stuff dead really fast, especially once you get Hell on Earth for the extra pets and have Tar Patch available all the time. My Demon/Dark MM is by far the "strongest" MM I've played yet.