Want to Love Beast Mastery...

Gorillas don't move like rikti monkeys. The monkeys bounce around and leap into the air, that would look ridiculous on a gorilla.

I really do want to love this set too, but for differing reasons. I agree the variety is somewhat lacking, but honestly a lot of MM sets suffer from it. We're lucky to get new models. I feel like its pretty lackluster playing too. I'm trying to ride it out until I get the 2nd enhancement, but I feel like it takes me so long to even take down one target and they're pretty squishy. I'm re-feeling the pain of playing Ninjas. I know not all MM sets are going to be fantastic, but for a paid set I wanted something more :< Yeah I'm probably spoiled by playing demons and thugs. I've tried all the sets now to varying levels.

Wolves, lions, WOLF, seems like an odd mix but it's the sounds that win me over. Is it just me or are the bird attacks a bit nastier than most MM attacks (or have I just been whipping it too much with my demon MM?)

The bird certainly feels nastier, and it actually has a use in that it kills flight.

Its a shame that they removed the Hawk's scaling to the enemy. I loved flinging Rocs at giant shivans.

Have to agree... I saw the wolves and went ... Cool. Then I noticed the Lions.. and went Lame.

The set visualy doesn't make sense to me, so its one set I won't bother picking up.

As to the last pet... I do like the direwolf. But as far as a simple swap that would look different and is in game.... Use a Werewolf 3 wolves, 2 lions, and a big old Werewolf. That might work.

I do agree... bear was the best choice thier, but we didnt' get that .

Yeah, I've not picked up the BM set because it seems so strangely composed. Though I didn't expect it at first, I find I like the swarms of insects and birds the most, and the rest of it to be derpy.

They should make use of the "alt animation" powers in the costume generator to allow players to choose whether a pack animal is going to be a cat or dog type. We know the devs already have enough animals to do this, in that they have dogs, coyotes, and wolves, plus lions, tigers, and ligers (or something to that effect). In fact, I can easily imagine that all these models were originally created for Beast Mastery, but the lead dev elected to not enable alternate animals.

Being able to choose animals would allow huntsman players to run their all-wolf themed toons, and allow catgirls and Frigga / Hecate / Ishtar / Astarte inspired toons to run with their wild cats.

I also do not particularly like the Dire Wolf, though I can see it as an option.

Along the lines of the "wild hunt" concept, I would have preferred the top beast be a player's choice between a white stag or a unicorn. I'm not sure if that can be done with the current four-legged rigging. But if that had been the case, I'm sure there's be a TON of BM/NA MMs out there today. Who could resist?

As for the Umbral Beast in Darkness Control, I was one of the many who was disappointed to see a wolf as the pet. Especially when it doesn't seem to match the earlier pets (shades). Like other players, that has turned me off on the whole set, and if I was ever to make a Darkness Control toon, I'd be strongly inclined to skip the top pet, even if it makes my toon gimpy. It's that bad.

Having said that, I would like an arctic wolf as an option to Jack Frost in Ice Control. Not a giant wolf, necessarily, but a white wolf with arctic powers. This would be an option, as of course it would not fit all player concepts.

Did my requests over the years for an arctic wolf cause the devs to put the Umbral Beast in Dark Control? I hope not. Just because I wanted a wolf - as an alt - in one area, doesn't mean it would fit in just ANY area.

I'd really like an alternate animation for the Umbral Beast. I don't care if it is Dark Servant recycled ... just something different.

As for inserting female henchman into the other pet sets ... I think alternate animations is the key again. Give the player the option for each tier of henchman to pick either option A or B, with B being a new animation. For the mercenaries, thugs, and ninjas, these could be females. This would allow players the option of going all-male, all-female, or mixing the ranks. And for zombies, demons, and robots there could be alternate looks.

If desired, the devs could even significantly change the visual theme. For instance, ninjas could have an alt animation of Amazons, who would have roughly the same powers of swords, caltrops, and so on, with the top Amazon being a fire-wielding priestess. It would be a relatively easy way of refreshing a set, as all that would have to change are the NPC models, the Smoke Flash animation, and the empowerment animation. All the numbers and powers would remain the same.

Likewise, thugs could be reanimated using existing PPD models, or as a "mod squad" of gun and bomb using women, with a look that can work for both redside AND blueside.

Zombies could have an alternate of quasi-medieval warrior mages, using male and female models, with the zombie vomit switching to a "from the hand" type animation. Demons could have alternate female models that look like djinni, and retain the same powers and effects. (And Djinni MMs could fly around on their magic carpets!)

In short ... Masterminds were originally conceived as bad guys. With the ability to start them on blueside and play entirely on blueside, it would be great if there were henchman choices that more clearly reflected blueside.

Guess Im strange... I really like the Umbral beast in dark control. However I do agree that it seems a little odd that you start with little spector guys and end up with a shadow beast, dire wolf. I think with the effects in the game they could have easyly come up with a more... Spectorish/beast like model. say.... Spectral Werewolf model, with the umbral beast aura?


As to your other wolf comment. I would kill for a Artic Dire wolf.. useing the current Umbral Beast graphics. A Big White dire wolf, with glowing blue eyes, useing the beastly fury Aura for a ice cold breath, and the ubram beast aura with blue colors.

Yeah.... thats the jack frost I want. Rename it... Fenrir (sp?)

Totaly agree with all the MM pet swap out abilities. Thier are SOOOo many models in the game with animiations, and it really would be easy to let people swap a few of them out and poof. MMs just became massiely customizable. They could even release these custom mods as Packs. People would buy those packs up left and right for a chance to customize thier MMs and concepts. Be just like printing money for NCsoft.