How to fix Devices

Currently, Devices is pretty bad. It's pretty much the red-headed stepchild of Traps, at this point: it's ugly and hard to synergize thematically with primary powers, and it's very rarely, if ever used, due to the gimmicky, circumstantial powers and the lack of a build-up.

Here are my suggestions to improving the powerset, turning it from the crap heap that it currently is into what it was intended to be: a Blaster secondary that has extra support and utility at the expense of little offensive power.


1. Web Grenade: Add a lethal DoT as the super-thin strings cut into skin and armor to bring it up to speed with other secondaries' immobilizes.

2. Caltrops: Fine as-is. Caltrops is always pretty badass. Maybe change the animation to the one used by the heal in Poison, which looks better than the current "fling your arm out like a tool" animation.

3. Taser: Alternate animation when using a weapon powerset, such as DP, Beam Rifle or Assault Rifle. Fires the taser leads directly from the weapon.

4. Targeting Drone: With blasters getting an instant snipe in i24, maybe make this a toggle that gives you just enough to-hit to facilitate that instant snipe, as well as some +range. Increase endurance consumption to compensate. If not, make it similar to Focused Accuracy with an extra +range component.

5. Smoke Grenade: Turn it into a ground-targeted area of effect that lowers enemy perception and increases ally defense inside the area of effect.

6. Cloaking Device: Cool as-is.

7. Trip Mine: Get rid of this, as it does not fit the thematic image of the powerset and it is not fun at all to spend five minutes planting a giant stack of landmines (which, I'm pretty sure, was never the original intent of this power and was only kept in because everything else in Devices is trash) when you could be doing something useful like using your primary powerset instead. Ignore all the crybabies who want to keep their gimmick power that they only use because all the other powers in the set suck in comparison. Replace with either a concussion grenade (ground-targeted AoE knockback, ideally used to corral enemies into a firing slot) or a flashbang (targeted AoE sleep and -tohit.)

8. Time Bomb: Get rid of this, as I can't recall a point in time when anyone ever took or used this ability in serious gameplay. Replace with a standard build-up power, stick it lower in Devices. Maybe call it "Tactical Focus".

9. Gun Drone: Fine as-is. Maybe lower the damage and add a -def or -res component as the barrage of gunfire eats away at enemy protections.

The set is due an update but Tripmine is probably the reason people choose the set in the first place. They can be used on every mob either by pulling foes to a stack of them when solo or stealthing in and toe bombing when teaming.

Based on how I played devices I cannot support this suggestion. The one that stands out is yes trip mine. Very useful power IMHO.

Pretty much have to disagree with the entire thing. But really this:

See my Guides and Tutorials

Funny. I tend to open most fights by planting a tripmine on someone's feet, on my devices blaster. Resulting in the near death of half the spawn from that alone, usually. But meh, maybe I'm weird.

Also, targeting drone already gives enough tohit for instant snipes. With three SOs it's something like half a percent off it, which is easily gotten by slotting a kismet unique, a fourth SO or some enhancement boosters.

I wasn't aware Devices is broken. Granted, I'm pants-on-head retarded, so what do I know? Either way, I happen to like it broken just fine, thank you. If you don't, there are plenty of other powersets out there for you to play.

wow and I thought people where brutal with my suggestions, though I'd like to thank the OP of this and his hasten thread for making me feel a little less (or more depending on your point of view) pants on head retarded.

Yeah, dudes, I'm saying remove Trip Mine. It looks ugly and doesn't fit with the power. Would Batman run around planting giant stacks of landmines everywhere?

Get rid of it, replace it with something useful, like a build up power or a flashbang/concussion grenade effect. I have legitimately never, ever seen anyone use Trip Mine or Time Bomb, and the few Devices blasters I've played have never used it with no ill effect. Primarily because, again, it's ugly-looking, boring, annoying to set up, extremely gimmicky, and doesn't fit with the theme of being a Blaster. No reasonable group is going to wait around five minutes for you to set up Trip Mine for a boss; it's a hell of a lot faster to just straight-up beat the enemy to death.

Replacing it with something that better fits the theme of Devices will make the powerset a lot more tolerable for people who want to play it without sacrificing their character theme and most of their usefulness as a Blaster for some silly gimmick power that's only feasible in a few select situations.

As extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, I would like to see anyone give me video evidence of a person using Trip Mine in an actual combat situation. Just one example, unless it doesn't exist because nobody ever does it.

Times when Trip Mine is useful:

BAF: Prisoners stage or a 'Courtyard' run. Heck, even a 'Separation' run.

UG: Knowing where the waves spawn and placing a Mine or two there. Better yet, place them around the area your team is holding!

Keyes: Place them in the bunkers or spawn points, or on the generators AM flies to.

TPN: Place them at the feet of the technicians, or where the tanks drag the spawns to. Also: Put them where Maelstrom spawns.

Those are just iTrials as well! Most 'vanilla' Task Forces offer many opportunities to use Trip Mine to great effect!

You seem to be getting the usage of Trip Mine wrong. Trip Mine, generally, isn't supposed to be used in the heat of combat (Even then, with a good tank and caltrops, you can still pull it off). You're supposed to place them where you know, or predict enemies will spawn or arrive thickest.

And, despite your claim of 'No one waits for minefields to be set up', in the 3 years i've had my AR/Dev character, not once has someone NOT let him set up a minefield. A well-placed minefield can destroy an entire spawn, or demolish an AV's health.

Devices plays so much more differently than any other Blaster Secondary, it's easy to see where the 'weak' idea comes from. Devices is about preparation, and hindering enemies rather than all out damage.

If it were a throwable proximity mine-style ability, I wouldn't complain. Would maintain it's current functionality while adding another. I believe one of the devs said Time Bomb is getting an update like that at some point.

But getting rid of it is sort of silly. Like it or not, it's iconic.