Squishy Ninja Jerks - Ninja Time vs Ninja Dark

OK, I am considering giving Ninja Time a shot. The only MM Secondary I have found that works well with Ninjas is Dark and FF. FF has always been too boring for me and Dark, whiled it worked great I just didn't want to do dark again.

Will time be able to compete with dark for survivability on these squishy jerks or will I forever be Ninja-less?

Yes it beats out Dark easily. It is exactly like rad (well you do become faster than the foes! It's relative.).

If you run with them to melee, it is a very very strong set. The clickies and toggles making it a very defense/-tohit/-recharge strong set, slowed mobs are good for melee-happy-ninja's. The hold is usefull for the scary hitters.

The proc holds drop on the minions quite regularly too if you stack your slows (Times Juncture plus Distorion Field).

Playing through a nin/time right now and it's about as painless as a nin mm has ever been. Up to level 25ish & the FW content, started running +1 around level 17-18. I could turn it higher, but I'm running this at a "casual gaming" level.

You really have to be in melee with them - much of the strength comes from the awesome debuff aura.

Sweet, I'll give it a try. I just saw a bunch of talk in the beginning that Time was going to be a waste on an MM.

Second follow-up question. Which would be stronger in the long run Ninjas/Time or Necro/Time? My primary concern being damage output.

Ninjas are gonna need resistance and healing regardless of how much -tohit or defense you have. Its best paired with thermals unless you want to have a much harder time. Resists are needed so they just dont outright get 1 shotted and the heals are good to patch them up as needed.

i vehemently disagree with pairing ninjas and a resist set. even though thermal is great mitigation with resists and solid heals ninjas are the epitome of the term "glass cannon" and placing "leather armor" on a piece of glass will still cause it break and shatter. Def sets like FF, Time, Traps, and -to hit sets like Dark and Storm go very well with Ninjas.

And in case you were wondering yes powerboost AND clarion radial epiphany(the one that inc special) gives your farsight 30ish DEF to all. with def IO and maneuvers and their innate 6.9ish% positional def they can just reach the softcap. (NOTE: Jounins will be higher than that) Now add 15.5% to hit debuff with time juncture and musculature alpha, Sprinkle on a HOT and your ninjas are G O L D E N. They kill so fast IF they are kept alive. Heck /time even gives you an AOE -res/def every spawn power as well as a mini fortitude on your jounins to crit even harder.

I love /time soo much.

Ninja/Time is a very powerful set. I currently have a lvl 36 and if you do, in fact, run with them as they charge in or even before... or.. team teleport, your ninjas will not die. I've only had a few ninja deaths due to a lucky shot by an elite boss. I have, however, been thinking about Thugs/Time. They get more defense overall near their enforcers and they dont split as much (Range/Melee). I guess its another build for another day.

I am now the proud owner of a level 50 Ninja/Time Mastermind and I can tell you that the sets pair very well. Let me try to summarize my observations:

Cons:
1. Very endurance heavy while leveling especially if you run Time's Juncture. Invention IOs @ 50 help significantly. But, even then, if you aren't careful you can be running down near empty due to the spamming of your secondaries.

2. Inherent need to keep your pets close enough to benefit from all 3 of your major AoE heals/buffs. You being in melee with them helps a lot. But, you will find yourself hitting the "follow" command to keep them from running too far off. You may want to select something from your Epic set that can immobilize mobs and prevent your pets from chasing too much. That being said, if you get in the habit of firing off your "big 3" as often as you can, even the ninjas that chase the mobs live a lot longer.

3. Stuns/Holds/Sleeps are your worst enemy. Breaking up your "system" of cycling your powers tends to hurt the most. Clarion is probably your best friend. Until you get clarion, just make a habit of carrying Break Free inspirations with you (or make friends with someone willing to keep Clear Mind on you!).

Pros:
Well, here is what I have seen to be the best "method" of engaging mobs of any size...

1. Apply any buffs you can prior to combat.
2. Toss out Distortion Field into the mob. If it is up also use Slowed Response.
3. Run into the mob with your pets (make sure to have Time's Juncture going).
4. Drop your Time Crawl on anything problematic and/or hold them.
5. Watch as the mobs crumble. Use/Reuse your buffs/debuffs regularly.

Long story short, I am able to solo most things on x8 settings. I soloed the entire Mender arc on that setting. Trapdoor wasn't even a threat. The double-EB fight was very active but manageable.

As soon as mids is updated, I could post my build. I'm sure it could be tweaked but currently the build rocks.

Big thanks to everyone: I want to testify! My eyes are open! Ninja/time is IT.

I rolled one up on a lark to see what it's like, and I am completely in love with the combination. It's fun and effective. In fact, this is the first time I've ever found a ninja pairing that wasn't torture to play.

Dr. Gemini, Azero, Neogumbercules (from another thread), Vinceq1980, and anyone else I missed - thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville ...[I]t would be more proper to say this game is slooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowly dying.

Ninja/Thermal has been the only time I've found the ninja's to be worth it. That and chaning my tactics a bit to not us BG, keeping them in passive unless ganging up on my selected target. I keep them on a short leash, and the thermal heals pick up the slack.

Been considering a Merc/Time but I may look at Ninja/Time now.

Clarion Radial Tier 3(Inc Special) THEN POWERBOOST yields soft cap necros who inherently have 0 def.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...110921173.jpg/

ninja/time was the first idea i had when time came out. I tmakes sense and because of the heals, to hit debuffs and the slows and defense, it fits perfectly with the ninjas. They've always been known as squishies and this set really pairs up with them power wise and theme wise. your pbaoe debuff that gives you -to hit debuffs works really well since they are melee characters. Definatley fun

I have a ninja/therm at 41, and while its fun, I'm pretty sure a ninja/time would have a lot more synergy in the sets.