Why is /traps so good?

I see all around, best combo for bots is /traps. I see traps has the -regen for av's but what else does it bring to the table that makes it better than others? Force field has awesome defense bubbles and is team friendly... add in assault and everyone gets dmg boost. Sonic adds layered resistance and defence along with debuffs/buffs on its own. Thermal has heals and buffs. Dark has -tohit, a heal, and lots of debuffs. I just don't see why its always recommended to be the best combo with bots. Can someone enlighten me

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Poison gas trap: aoe hold, aoe -regen
Acid mortar: targetted aoe debuffs
Forcefield generator: with the defense of this big bubble, including mezz protection, you can soft cap defense about anything.
Seeker drones: squishy aggro absorbers that also debuff perception and tohit.

The trap and mortar are 'clickies' so they continue to function even if you are mezzed or otherwise occupied. They aren't anchors on foes, either.

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Triumphant Defenders Forever
Psylenz FF/Psi, ArticQuark Storm/Rad, Symon BarSisyphus Bots/psn, Max VanSydow Thugs/Dk, Cyclone Symon Bots/stm, Blue Loki Ice/Cd, Widow 46526
HelinCarnate:OMG it is so terrible. I have the option to take 3 more powers but no additional slots. Boo F'ing hoo.

I personally believe there's a bit of hyperbole surrounding Traps. Very very good with a strong case for "the best"? Yes. Definitely the best, especially with Bots? Nope.

You have mez protection for you and pets. FFG provides a strong baseline for +Def. You mentioned the -regen, but also helpful for AVs is -res (Acid Mortar) and -dmg (Seekers), two debuffs that aren't included among AV resists. Caltrops offers further mitigation with mobs slowly trying to run out of the field. Triage provides strong +regen. Last but not least, Trip Mine goes BOOM! MMs have a bargain with Trip Mine, which does the same damage as the Blaster and Corr versions.

Some of the other sets you mentioned, as well as Storm and even Pain Dom, deserve consideration as well.

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Global = Hedgefund (or some derivation thereof)

Why is traps awesome? Well now.

• Traps has FFG, which meshes well with the significant defense that the protbots grant you and the other pets. It also gives you status protection, and who doesn't like status protection?
• Traps has Seeker Drones, which do -dmg, -tohit, and stun, and can be used to soak an alpha. Once they pop, the enemies are debuffed and the debuffs mesh well with the bubbles from protbots.
• Traps has Acid Mortar, which is awesome. It can be made perma with ease and at the higher end you can count on having two out at any time. You want those burn patches to be ticking for big numbers all the time, right? Right.
• Traps has PGT which does a massive -regen along with a great AoE hold. Stuff getting a little hairy? Drop PGT and watch the enemies start choking. Bonus when you make Statesman vomit up his breakfast!
• Traps has Triage Beacon, which when combined with all its other tricks can totally serve as all the healing you will generally need solo. Protbots will keep their buddies topped up as well.

It's not that traps is best at everything, it's that traps does enough of everything that you are covered no matter what. Softcapped pets/you? Traps can do that. Ton of -regen? Traps has that. Something to eat the alpha of mean spawns, while debuffing them too? Traps has you covered. Hell of -resist and -defense, all the time? Traps says no problem, sugar. Other sets do stuff well too, but traps is the whole package, baby. Also, it fits thematically quite easily with Bots.

Now that said, there is nothing wrong with other sets. Thermal is great, heals and debuffs? Hell yeah. Dark? You'd be crazy to turn your nose up at dark. Time? Farsight alone is worth the price of admission! Trick arrow? ...never mind. I find that when I play other secondaries, I miss Traps. On my /thermal, I miss the defense and the seeker drones. On my /FF, I miss debuffs. On my /dark, I miss status protection.On my /time... well, actually my /time is pretty awesome, but I still miss Traps. So in conclusion, traps is just awesome but really, the "best" secondary for bots is the one that you enjoy most and make work best for you.

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In addition to what Deacon mentioned, webnade seems a bit meh on a minion, but the -recharge and immobilize on an AV can be the difference between win and wipe.

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Triumphant Defenders Forever
Psylenz FF/Psi, ArticQuark Storm/Rad, Symon BarSisyphus Bots/psn, Max VanSydow Thugs/Dk, Cyclone Symon Bots/stm, Blue Loki Ice/Cd, Widow 46526
HelinCarnate:OMG it is so terrible. I have the option to take 3 more powers but no additional slots. Boo F'ing hoo.

Traps has almost every thing going for it, Acid mortar for -DEF and -RES I have 2-3 mortars out at at time mostly 3( thats -60% RES and DEF before achillies heal proc goes off). FF generator is one of two sets for MM's that gives Mez protaction, that and it gives nice +DEF to all slap it together with another DEF shield like Scorpion Shield and your at almost 40% S/L DEF and thats with just SO's.

Next up would be triage beacon, not much to say on it it's a mini RA that I really only use for AV's and its easy to have two up at a time for about 600% regen for every one in a good area around it. It also goes great with your high DEF.

Next is prolly my fav. power in the game Posion Trap, but a Lock Down chance to hold proc in this( I use the whole set) and you can lock down every mob you come to. On top of that it has massive -regen(1000%) and its no trouble to get 3-4 of them on a AV at one time, mostly stopping a AV's health from every going back up. It also has a little -rechrg on it but that doesnt relly matter.

Last but i guess not least would be the trip mine and detnator. I don't use either of them cause of the KB on trip mine(last thing i want is mobs NOT standing in range of posion trap and Acid Mortar) and detnator cause the rechg is so long and if you get into the mob quickly you can hold them before they kill your pets.

So why is traps so good, I'd have to say cause there really isn't stand out bad powers. It runs great with just SO's and can walk on water and do magic hat tricks with a bunny if you put IO's into it.

PS: yes I know I didn't cover every power in the set cause web nade and caltrops you are forced to take and seekers I never take.

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Poison Trap goes quite well with Ion Radial Final Judgement.

* Set bots to follow/defensive
* Target boss
* Activate Clarion Radial Epiphany
* Fire Ion Radial Final Judgement
* Rush to targeted boss
* Lay down Poison Trap
* Set Provoke on auto fire
* Lay down the rest of your traps
* Let the bots kill 'em all

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In addition to all that good stuff, the number one reason Traps is such a great secondary is that there is never any reason for you or your pets to have to absorb an alpha ever again once you get up to Seekers. It is incredibly rare for my Thugs/Traps mastermind to die, even compared to my other, non-Traps masterminds.

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A lot of the Traps are the Corruptor version too aren't they? IE FFG gives you 10% defense as oppose to the 7.5% you'd expect a MM version to do (and as MM Dispersion Bubble does).

I think the End costs are higher than Corruptor versions but any of the powers which use a Pseudopet (even Trip Mine!) uses the corruptor version.

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Another thats not actually mentioned is the sheer amount of -regen poison gas trap has. Its -1000%. And perma with 200% recharge, for reference, the other -regen values that other powersets have are as follows:

/dark: -50% in twilight grasp (perma without any enhancements), -500% in howling twilight (requires 100% recharge to perma), -50% in dark servant's twilight grasp (could be perma, if dark servant used it often enough)

/poison: -25% in envemon (perma without any enhancements)

/thermal: -200% in Heat Exhaustion (requires 200% recharge to perma)

/time: -100% in Time crawl (perma without any enhancements), -50% in time stop (easily perma)

/trick arrow: -1000% in emp arrow (unable to be perma, due to 300 seconds recharge, 15 second duration)

Now, looking at other non MM secondaries, and using defender values:

/cold: -500% in benumb (requires 300% recharge to perma)

/kin: -50% in transfusion (perma without enhancements)

/rad: -500% in Lingering radiation (requires 200% recharge to perma)

So in conclusion, poison gas trap has the highest -regen value out of any -regen powers, double what Lingering Radiation gives, while requiring the exact same recharge.

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My problem with /traps is it's too vanilla. Half the MM's out there are /traps it seems. Also it's a lot of work. I find that, even with Hasten, I'm always trying calculate out the timing on my Acid Mortar to make it coincide with the next spawn. It's kind of a pain. However, I must admit I love it when enemies aggro the to Mortar, lol. At least it's not damage I'll have to waste any trouble healing later.

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Traps requires you to change your play style to make it work, as it's static drops require some planning and basic tactics to make the most out of, but in return it is mechanically very solid. It's a fantastic utility set, with a little bit of just about everything.

The main thing I've found w/ my Bot/Trap MM, and it's pretty obviously given the high number of click powers that all do something different, that RECHARGE is very important. If you have enough recharge to make sure you have optimal availability for your toolboxy power options, you will do very well.

Also, slot effect procs into Acid Mortar; I have Positron Energy, Lady Grey Negative, and Achilles Heel -RES in mine currently (and ACCx1, RECHx2). It makes more of a difference than you might think.

I used to avoid Seeker Drones as I just don't like them much for some reason (probably because I'm a control freak and their semi-random behavior aggravates me), but the numbers are just too good and I eventually relented. Using them strategically to soak alphas really is a winning tactic.

Playing other MM's is still fun...but I often find myself wishing for FFG or Acid Mortar or even Triage Beacon from time to time. Basically other sets all have a hole somewhere, while Traps feels more across the board covered at the cost of mobility.

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the reason i think traps is so good is it is entirely based on pseudo pets which when combined with procs and multiple instances of the pet it becomes very powerful

not to mention that it also gives plethora of debuffs which are not heavily resisted and +def and mez protection

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From my demon/traps, Traps is good because just about everything is stackable, Acid mortars, beacons, poison traps etc. are all stackable. In addition everything has good use, an aoe hold and -regen that requires no accuracy check is really something. Traps is probably the best all-round set, Other powersets can outperform it in certain areas but as a package, it's quite nice, good debuff with some nice buff, very much like time is now.. just different.

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"It is that balance, the ground between EB and AV, where the PvP struggle should exist. Where a 1v1 becomes a struggle of equals, and 1vMany gives the benefit to the 1."

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