I think because its alot of work to fix and balance a Mastermind primary...
AND Mercs catch up a great deal via multi proc builds.
When something good happens to me, I can never enjoy it....
I am always too busy looking for the inevitable punchline...
BEHOLD THE POWER OF CHEESE!
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You got that right. I played up my Mercs/Traps to 50 and even now still play her because she is A) Fun to play and B) a death machine.
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Originally Posted by Test_Rat
I think because its alot of work to fix and balance a Mastermind primary...
AND Mercs catch up a great deal via multi proc builds. |
High Beam - 50 Blaster Energy/Ice - 1228 Badges
Munitions Mistress - 50 Mercs/Traps
Many Other 50's, Too Many Alts, All On Freedom
Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should!
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Yeah. I used to be right there with the OP about how "bad" mercs are relative to other MM primaries...|
Originally Posted by High Beam
You got that right. I played up my Mercs/Traps to 50 and even now still play her because she is A) Fun to play and B) a death machine.
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But with IOs the gap is decreased a ton (-def and KB procs are so common) and Mercs is still a Mastermind primary. It can solo +4x8 barely using your secondary faster than a majority of AT combos.
When something good happens to me, I can never enjoy it....
I am always too busy looking for the inevitable punchline...
BEHOLD THE POWER OF CHEESE!
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I see comments like this thrown about too often. I'm not a powergamer when it comes to CoH. I choose my powersets based mostly on concept and aesthetics. That said, I have been playing video games of some flavor for around 30 years, and don't feel that I fall into the "n00b" category. Not a single one of my MMs is capable of +4 x8 without constantly refilling the tray with purples (if then). Inspirations shouldn't be the criteria of performance.|
Originally Posted by Test_Rat
It can solo +4x8 barely using your secondary faster than a majority of AT combos.
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Unless you're running /traps, /forcefield, or /time (or some other combinations with bots/ and maybe thugs/), the average player isn't getting even remotely close to +4 x8. Let alone "barely using your secondary".
Synapse acknowledged that some MM primaries need help but they just don't have time for it.
Merc is one of them. I PMed him about Merc and Ninja's Oni AI when I tested them.
Merc needs a lot of work.
Sets are not and should not be balanced around IOs. Yes, the procs do help Merc but the set itself is under-performing in various categories.
1. AoE is unreliable. Mostly cones and narrow cones.
2. Control is unreliable. Two long recharge aoe controls plus a melee stun that's not used often. Ninja and Necro have better "reliable" controls.
3. Lack of damage. A while back, I did a pretty long test on how the pets perform against Dummy. Spec-Ops is ranked so low that it's not funny. First, Spec-Ops have no aoe attack. Second, Snipe's base damage is even lower than a 6s attack. Commando is doing ok. Soldier's two cone attacks are too narrow. Medic dies more often because he only has 70' range, while the other soldiers have 80'.
4. Lack of survival. Merc only has S/L resistance (commando may have more but I can't remember). Medic is just a minion pet that can die frequently and it's not like his heal is that awesome.
I can go on and on but the dev won't have time to look at Mastermind until there is a new set coming.
PS: My Merc/Storm can't solo +4x8. It's not even close. lol My single heal can't keep them alive long enough. Maybe if I keep refilling my inspirations I can eventually solo +4x8 but I'll be bored to death by then.
What's left is to normalize all Assassin Strikes and improve Stalker's old sets (Claw, MA and EM)! You don't need to bring back the missing PbAoE attack. You just need to make the existing ones better! For example, make Slice a WIDER and LONGER cone.
So... Why do you suppose the devs never seem to be willing to discuss Mercs?
I think we all agree that the spec oops (intentional) don't carry their weight very well because their control doesn't work. Cottage rule, whatever, giving them some tweaks or swapping some powers around couldn't possibly anger anyone.
I've always been a fan of giving them thug-style leadership myself (it makes sense anyway) and either lowering the insane recharge times on their controls significantly or just changing them to aoe damage powers would fix them nicely and make the set competitive to ds, bots and thugs.
Mercs shabby performance has been an issue for a very long time.