Neiska

Thank you for the imput! I wasn't aware thorny assualt had toxic parts, so will look at that as well as possible pairings. Water blast is a possibility, but I would like something that actually deals toxic damage. The chemical ammo did occur to me, but I would prefer to avoid the technological implication, And yes, I am sort of leaning spines/bio pairing right now, I am just uncertain which AT that pairing would perform best on. But if nothing else jumps at me, that's my fallback!

Hello forums, I would like to ask for suggestions for a toxin/poison (Lovecraftain) based character. Instead of picking AT and powers first and a theme to fit, this time around I am doing the reverse - planning a build to fit the theme. I have looked at the powers that offer some sort of Toxin effect, but I haven't picked an AT yet. Hopefully, I would like the build to be as effective as possible. Melee - Spines - AoE focused, but its pretty focused on physical and toxic damage. Radioactive Melee- I'm not sure if this one should really count, it has a poison like mechanic, but this seems more energy than toxic based. Ranged - Radioactive blast - In a similar boat as Radioactive Melee, as I am not sure if this should count as "poison" per say. Armor Sets - Bio Armor - a pretty heavy toxic theme, and would fit nicely. Support - Poison - This one should be obvious, but I have no experience with the set. But I believe its very heavy toward single target debuffing. AT - Widows - I know Widows have some toxic/poison, and their mind effects might fit the theme as well. But I already have a widow, and would prefer to customize a character for a better match. Pool - Experimentation - I "believe" the Pool power makes a toxic puddle, but I am not 100% on that. I have yet to see a build actually recommend taking this set though. While not necessary, it might be fun or interesting to try something new. But I am open to suggestions for power combinations and which AT. I just don't know which set a powerset works better on, such as Spines on a Tanker vs Brute vs Stalker vs Scrapper, and so on. Also by all means if I missed something feel free to point it out. As I type this I don't have access to powers at this exact moment, so am going largely from memory. I am not expecting epic levels of OP-ness, but I would love it if it was functional on the highest difficulty. So any suggestions for a build with a toxic/poison feel to it? Thanks in advance forums

I was just leveling an alt over the weekend. Usually I don't watch their recipes/salvage stocks until they are full and time to sell. Opened my alts and saw four purple recipes. First time that's happened. But I will see 2 or 3 sometimes. I always get at least 1 or 2 during the level up process.

Thanks Bill! I assume the Inf is the same as the XP multiplier, so with 3 accounts I'm making 1.5 as much as I would playing a single character. It may be split across 3 accounts but that's still a net 50% gain since I'm the same person. It does explain a few head-scratches I had, so thank you. 😁

I make more when I multibox. I think the drops are split but not the inf gained, so i get much more in raw currancy.

Some of us like helping too! Can't count how many MM's I've helped, and not just levels/money stuff. A lot of it is just explaining things, it is a complex class. (or can be.)

Fair! But nothing says you "have" to stay ranged with robots either. What I do and what works very well for me, is I watch for where my assault robot puts its fire patches down, (or tell him to target X enemy), and once his fire patches are there I move to it and stand in it, forcing enemies to come to it in order to fight me. Considering that single attack is around 70% of my total DPS, its in my best interest to make sure it hits as many enemies as much as possible. While standing in my assault bots fire, I then drop a bonfire for additional damage, but more for the CC as it forces them to get knocked down and remain in it for several long moments. Then on top of that, I use fold space to pull things to me. But if I want to go ranged I can do that as well. Group fly or abilities like web grenade help with this. Anyway, the important part with EA is that you remain close to your pets, the distance to the enemies is largely irrelevant. There are other methods and tactics to be sure, but this is just what's worked fantastically for me!

Far from a computer expert here, but, here is a video of a person playing Doom on a Ti-84 calculator and many many potatoes? (as in literal potatoes)

Thank you, not used to playing ranged dps/support, but you gave me a lot to change, also got some help from someone in discord too. But ya, turns out i was slotting the wrong way, you two pointed out a lot of the same things. So, back to the drawing board, do want to keep the same primary/secondary, but got lots of other things to move around. But thank you for your imput! Going to make some fixes! (okay, a lot of fixes)

Demon/EA is quite possibly not just the most durable MM but can rival Tankers for durability. My personal favorite (and main character) is Robot/EA. They complement each other quite well.

Hello forums, Well, I am going to be making a Seismic/Nature Corruptor, to often play with a friend (shield tanker), but may solo some too. I have zero experience with Earth and only minimal experience with /Nature. Not sure what powers to skip or how to build on any synergy that might be there. But here is my initial take on it, not sure how i feel about it, looks kind of questionable to my inexpert eye. Any imput/advice/corrections would be welcome. Thanks bunches in advance! This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Technology Corruptor Primary Power Set: Seismic Blast Secondary Power Set: Nature Affinity Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Shatter -- Dvs-Acc/Dmg(A) Level 1: Corrosive Enzymes -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 2: Rock Shards -- Bmbdmt-Dam(A), Bmbdmt-Acc/Rech/End(3), Bmbdmt-Dam/Rech(3), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech(5), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech/End(9) Level 4: Regrowth -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(47), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(48), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(48) Level 6: Entomb -- SprScrBls-Acc/Dmg(A), SprScrBls-Dmg/Rchg(9), SprScrBls-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), SprScrBls-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), SprScrBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(49) Level 8: Wild Growth -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-EndRdx/Rchg(25), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(46), UnbGrd-Max HP%(46), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(46), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(48) Level 10: Spore Cloud -- DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb(A), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb/Rchg(11), DarWtcDsp-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(11), DarWtcDsp-Rchg/EndRdx(15) Level 12: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg(13), LucoftheG-Def(13), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(15) Level 14: Kick -- Empty(A) Level 16: Lifegiving Spores -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(17), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(17), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(42), Pnc-Heal(42) Level 18: Tombstone -- SprMlcoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprMlcoft-Dmg/Rchg(19), SprMlcoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), SprMlcoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), SprMlcoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), SprMlcoft-Rchg/Dmg%(42) Level 20: Wild Bastion -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(21), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(21), Prv-Heal/Rchg(36), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(37) Level 22: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(23), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(23), GldArm-3defTpProc(25) Level 24: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(27), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(27), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg(31), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(31) Level 26: Stalagmite -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Dmg/Rchg(31), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Apc-Acc/Rchg(36), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(36) Level 28: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(29), Rct-ResDam%(29) Level 30: Rebirth -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 32: Meteor -- SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(A), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx(33), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(34), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(34) Level 35: Entangling Aura -- Lck-%Hold(A), Lck-Acc/Hold(43), Lck-Rchg/Hold(43), Lck-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(45) Level 38: Overgrowth -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(39), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(39), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(39), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(40), RechRdx-I(40) Level 41: Soul Drain -- Obl-Acc/Rchg(A), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(45) Level 44: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 47: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(47) Level 49: Seismic Force -- GssSynFr--Build%(A) Level 1: Seismic Shockwaves Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Scourge Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 1: Health -- Prv-Absorb%(A), Pnc-Heal/+End(7), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(7) Level 1: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(5) Level 49: Quick Form Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon ------------

I use enflame on another build, I just make it a part of my rotation to press once every 60 seconds, i treat it as a buff more than a toggle. But that's far from a make or break in any build. Its nice if you like it, doesn't hurt if you don't. Depends on style and personal preference really. About your build - only major thing I see is you are overcapped on defense. You could drop Scorp shield entirely if you wanted to. But it should be fine. Your resists are a bit low for my taste but that's personal choice. Your END is a little tight too, so you will be popping blues or have to use ageless now and then. Aside from those I see no glaring issues or problems.

Hello @ArchmageMC, I have a thugs/time you can look at as a starting point. She's pretty solid, the only major change you might want is I had issues with pets running off all the time, so I took the teleport pool for fold space. You could swap this out with something else if you wanted to though. I did take Mace Epic both for Web Grenade (another tool to help with CC) but more importantly Power Boost for the massive buff to Farsight. Other things it has is Burnout for Gangwar x2, a damage proc Distortion Field, and pretty strong slow effects overall. On a side note, not sure where you heard Sorcery/Enflame is bad. Enflame used to be a lot worse, and there are many clever ways to use it. Though I will admit, its likely better on Demons or Robots than Thugs. I wouldn't think Thugs really need the boost and could get more milage out of other tools such as the ones I mentioned. But this is a solid build, works fine for me on +4/8 solo. Hope this helps! This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Natural Mastermind Primary Power Set: Thugs Secondary Power Set: Time Manipulation Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Teleportation Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Call Thugs -- SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprCmmoft-Dmg/EndRdx(45), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), SprCmmoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), SprCmmoft-Rchg/PetAoEDef(46) Level 1: Time Crawl -- Range-I(A) Level 2: Temporal Mending -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(3), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(3), Prv-Heal/Rchg(43), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(43), Prv-Absorb%(43) Level 4: Time's Juncture -- ImpSwf-Dam%(A), ImpSwf-Acc/Slow(5), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb(5), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(7), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb/Rchg(7), DarWtcDsp-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(42) Level 6: Equip Thugs -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 8: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(9), LucoftheG-Def(9), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(11) Level 10: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(11) Level 12: Call Enforcer -- ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(A), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(13), ExpRnf-Dmg/EndRdx(13), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(15), ExpRnf-+Res(Pets)(40) Level 14: Super Speed -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 16: Distortion Field -- ImpSwf-Acc/Slow(A), ImpSwf-Dam%(17), ImpSwf-Acc/EndRdx(17), NrnSht-Dam%(37), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(42), GldNet-Dam%(42) Level 18: Gang War -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(19), EdcoftheM-PetDef(19), SvrRgh-PetResDam(21), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(23), CaltoArm-+Def(Pets)(23) Level 20: Burnout -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(21) Level 22: Kick -- Empty(A) Level 24: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(25), UnbGrd-ResDam(25), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(36), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(37), UnbGrd-Max HP%(37) Level 26: Call Bruiser -- SprMarofS-Dmg(A), SprMarofS-Dmg/EndRdx(27), SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg(27), SprMarofS-Acc/EndRdx(34), SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), SprMarofS-EndRdx/+Resist/+Regen(36) Level 28: Farsight -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(29), Rct-EndRdx/Rchg(29), Rct-Def/Rchg(33), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Rct-ResDam%(34) Level 30: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def(31), Rct-Def/EndRdx(31), Rct-Def/Rchg(31), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(33) Level 32: Upgrade Equipment -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 35: Web Envelope -- GrvAnc-Immob(A), GrvAnc-Acc/Immob/Rchg(45), GrvAnc-Acc/Rchg(48), GrvAnc-Immob/EndRdx(48), GrvAnc-Immob/Rchg(48) Level 38: Chrono Shift -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(39), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(39), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(39), Pnc-Heal(40), Pnc-Heal/+End(40) Level 41: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50) Level 44: Teleport -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 47: Combat Teleport -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 49: Fold Space -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50) Level 1: Supremacy Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 2: Health -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(50) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(33) Level 1: Punk Level 1: Arsonist Level 26: Bruiser Level 12: Enforcer Level 14: Speed Phase ------------

@arcane Thanks for thinking of me hon. Here's my Demons/EA build. It has several perks like Bonfire for CC/Procs, Enflame for increased AoE damage, Burnout for Hell on Earth goodness. This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Mastermind Primary Power Set: Demon Summoning Secondary Power Set: Electrical Affinity Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Sorcery Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Heat Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Summon Demonlings -- SprMarofS-EndRdx/+Resist/+Regen(A), SprMarofS-Dmg(3), SprMarofS-Dmg/EndRdx(3), SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg(5), SprMarofS-Acc/EndRdx(5), SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7) Level 1: Shock -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 2: Rejuvenating Circuit -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(7), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(23), Prv-Heal/Rchg(25), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(25), Prv-Absorb%(31) Level 4: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 6: Enchant Demon -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 8: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(9), ShlWal-Def/Rchg(9), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(11), ShlWal-Def(11), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(23) Level 10: Energizing Circuit -- PreOptmz-EndMod/End(A), PreOptmz-EndMod/Rech(33), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/End(34), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/Rech(34), PreOptmz-EndMod/End/Rech(34) Level 12: Summon Demons -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(13), ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(13), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(15), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), ExpRnf-+Res(Pets)(17) Level 14: Kick -- Empty(A) Level 16: Faraday Cage -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(17), UnbGrd-EndRdx/Rchg(19), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(19), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(21), UnbGrd-Max HP%(21) Level 18: Hell on Earth -- OvrFrc-Dam/KB(A), RechRdx-I(33), SvrRgh-PetResDam(48), EdcoftheM-PetDef(48), CaltoArm-+Def(Pets)(50), SprCmmoft-Rchg/PetAoEDef(50) Level 20: Mystic Flight -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A) Level 22: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(40), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(40), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(43), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(45), GldArm-3defTpProc(45) Level 24: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-ResDam%(37), Rct-Def(45), Rct-Def/EndRdx(46), Rct-Def/Rchg(46), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(46) Level 26: Summon Demon Prince -- SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), SprCmmoft-Dmg/EndRdx(29), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(29), SlbAll-Build%(31) Level 28: Spirit Ward -- Prv-Heal/EndRdx(A) Level 30: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50) Level 32: Abyssal Empowerment -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 35: Insulating Circuit -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(36), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(36), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(36), Pnc-Heal(37), Pnc-Heal/+End(37) Level 38: Bonfire -- Ann-ResDeb%(A), Ann-Acc/Dmg(39), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(39), ExpStr-Dam%(40), Ann-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), PstBls-Dam%(48) Level 41: Enflame -- RechRdx-I(A), PstBls-Dam%(42), JvlVll-Dam%(42), RechRdx-I(43), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(43) Level 44: Super Speed -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A) Level 47: Tactics -- GssSynFr--Build%(A) Level 49: Burnout -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 1: Supremacy Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 2: Health -- NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(33), RgnTss-Regen+(39) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(31) Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon Level 1: Cold Demonling Level 26: Demon Prince Level 12: Ember Demon Level 1: Fiery Demonling Level 1: Hellfire Demonling Level 12: Hellfire Gargoyle Level 44: Speed Phase ------------ To OP @Gottagobro - In general a Demon/EA MM is among one of the most durable builds, not just out of Masterminds but out of ATs in general. You get a strong heal, plus an absorb shield, plus bodyguard mode, plus status immunity, and effectively infinite END. When it comes to endgame incarnate powers, people usually have to pick one of the three - Ageless (for END problems), Clarion (status immunity), or Barrier (sustain). But this is one of the few builds that can get all three. So with that in mind, imagine these values as your minimum when barrier is "off." Now picture how durable your pets are with a full barrier, +absorb, in your Faraday's Cage. You can nearly go afk with this setup, bypassing some tanker builds in terms of total effective durability. But there is a downside - the damage is normally only so-so. But Demons is one of the top damage picks for MMs, and likely the best single target primary. Their normally AoE is a bit weak, which is why I included Enflame and Burnout to help with that.

Hehe I was at work too so Yay for forum posting at work! I largely agree with your replies. My only reply is regarding your point #3 - I really don't see much "trash talking" about any class or even powers really, except the meme nerf regen and buff mercs. My only complaint about Kheldians specifically is that I team with so few of them to see what they are capable of. I don't think I have ever teamed or even seen a fully bankrolled, full t4 incarnated Kheldian of any sort, since homecoming began. It could be they are mechanically bad, or if they just have a stigma too. Whatever it is, I see more Sentinels, Defenders, Widows, etc etc than I see SoA's or Kheldians. I hasten to add that I don't consider either of these bad. SoA's are actually one of my favorite AT's, I just tend to solo more than team, and SoA's seem to be more team focused. But I made one that can solo +4/8 just fine, and can even quasi-farm. Basically I just focused on sustain instead of recharge, and treated the pets more as dps cooldowns than actual pets like I would a Mastermind or other Recharge Pet class. Once I stopped trying to make pets work for high solo difficulty, that gave me lots of room to focus on other things - defense, resists, endurance, etc etc etc. I do have a "crabbermind" build saved, since you can have 3 builds per character I just swap between them as needed - one for solo play (petless), and one for team play (with pets, where solo sustain isn't so important) One thing that did occur to me is I do wonder if a lot of the opinions in the game are cases of "moment envy." As in, Player A sees an AT in its element at its defining moment - (A blaster nuking an entire spawn, or a tank seeming immortal, or a scrapper doing astounding damage, a brute just being a wrecking ball, etc) and goes "wow that is so cool!" and decides to roll one, only to discover that the same AT falters elsewhere - that Immortal tank taking forever to down an elite boss, that blaster splattering, that scrapper having difficulty with mezz, so on. That's what I try to think about when I think about ATs, an AT at its best in its moment, doing what its best at. This is where Kheldians are sort of in a grey area, they are more or less "stance dancers", able to full fill different roles. (I know we don't have roles here, but you know what I mean) - they are fluid, adjustable, able to act differently in different situations which can make them hard to really measure fairly, because their "niche" is that fluid adjustability, even mid-combat. Personally one thing I value greatly in a build is consistency. I like having a character that will perform more or less the same when under different circumstances and enemies. I am also aware that high DPS is usually "burst" and is anything but consistent. The stars align and you can rip apart worlds, but if they don't you can stumble over sandcastles - I personally dislike that sort of play, but I can understand how others like it. I would just rather have smooth repeatable performance than that random off chance of godhood. (which is likely why I main Tankers, Masterminds, and SoA's, they all feel very consistent to me no matter the difficulty or activity.) I still think out of all the ATs, Kheldians and the other Epics need the most updating. Far as I'm aware they are more or less the same as when they were first released with no significant changes. If I had one thing I could change, I would give Crabberminds a Taunting tool, even if it was a weak aura or even a quick recasting provoke with higher target caps. That alone would make Crabberminds much more viable to solo at higher difficulties endgame. Far as Kheldians go? Well, mabye give them the option to "specalize" in a form to enhance their favored stance somehow, sort of like the Bio Armor or Staff Fighting mechanics. Just something for them to focus and build on if they wanted to, maybe to catch them up to other ATs that can perform that "role". But that's just me musing. Think I killed enough time though, almost time to go home. Happy Friday!

My two cents for what its worth, and to play armchair philosopher with builds a moment - First off, what is/is not OP or weak I would say depends on the content as well as difficulty. You could say "X is OP during +4/8 raid content" but can struggle in other areas. One should also keep in mind that a build might be fantastic when solo, but lackluster on teams, or vice versa. I think we would all agree that some of the strongest team support builds can be abysmal to solo. So I think it's important to clarify first what kind of content as well as difficulty, to start. Personally I try to see +2/8 as "normal" and anything beyond that as a sort of hard mode or extra content, because - General thoughts - 1. Not all ATs/Builds/Powersets can even perform at +4/8 level (at least solo), regardless of the inf and time invested or what their incarnate levels might be. 2. As much as people like to focus on things like pylon times or soloing AV/GMs, this is also sort of a trap in linear thinking as if nothing else matters aside from times/damage. If that is all we want to compare, then we might as well toss half the ATs in the garbage bin before we even begin. 3. I have noticed things like "Total Effectiveness" are largely unaddressed or ignored when comparing builds. Lets take Soldier of Arachnos as an example. They usually have iffy single target damage, but pretty respectable AoE damage. But no one brings up how their mere presence gives some of the strongest team toggle buffs, or how one /Kinetics' presence can also boost everyone's damage significantly, despite both being usually regarded as far from OP. Another example would be Masterminds, where I often see or hear people call them underwhelming, where I consider them to be one of the most powerful AT's in the game. True, they certainly won't win any damage contests, but they have several features that no other AT has such as flexibility in builds and playstyle, or the fact as much as people like to say tankers can target 16 enemies at a time, a single MM can engage more than twice as many targets all on their own. (48 targets per MM.) Personally my favorite thing about Masterminds is you can do so much with them in a single class. 4. Personal preference plays a very significant part on what is or is not OP. What one person considers soloing a GM/AV to be the height of accomplishment, another player might value clear times, or effective build cost, playstyle, and so on. Not everyone is going to have the same priorities. 5. I would also like to highlight that some builds can be utterly devastating one minute, but the very next feel like they contribute nothing. Let's take /Plant as an example - on a normal team, Seeds might very well be OP and make the missions utterly easy. But you take that same /Plant and put it on a very speedy all out damage team and the targets might die too fast for /Plant's uber-ness to even come into play. This is just one scenario off the top of my head, but I am sure there can be others. 6. Let us not forget that some powersets change wildly depending on the AT in question. Let's take Savage Melee for example - Phenomenal on Brutes, but regarded as subpar on Scrappers. Or Super Strength - Good on Tankers, iffy on Brutes. There is however a few general powers/ATs that I feel could use some number tweaks - 1. Mastermind - Mercenaries - famously weak, even among other MM pets. 2. I do think all the Epic AT's could be updated - Widows, SoA's, Peacebringer and Warshade. Just some number tweaks and perhaps power adjustments would be all that's needed. 3. I also think some ATs in general seem to lack oomph or a niche. Sentinels come to mind, Defenders as well to a point. I hasten to add I don't think these are bad per say, only they don't really have much to call their own or set them apart from other ATs. Just about anything they can do, others can also do but better in most circumstances. I also shudder at the idea of trying to solo one of these on max difficulty. Just some thoughts from me.

@Snarky Hey Snarky! Always good to see you on the forums. To your question - I have two very durable non tank/brutes that I can recommend. The first - My crabber. She is built differently. First off, she's a flyer, with defense capped and very good resists on everything but Psionic. She has a bit of CC with a very fast recasting web grenade, but I ditched the pets. The pets are too difficult to keep alive on max difficulty (when alone), so this is my solo +4/8 crabber. She has lots of debuffs and AoE, but her ST damage is so-so, but thats an AT issue more than a build issue. But here's a snapshot of her stats - She really does feel like a flying fortress playstyle wise. If you like ranged damage with buffs/debuffs but don't like being squishy, then you might enjoy this. The other build I can highly recommend is a Demon/Electric MM. How tough can that be? AFK levels of toughy. All your pets will be resistance stacked, and no slouch in defense either, plus bodyguard mode. But you also have status immunity from the Cage, plus absorb and heals and endless END. Plus since you have both endless END and status immunity, you are free to take barrier or whatever else you like as an incarnate power. My Demon/Electric has survived stuff that she honestly shouldn't have. Some people dislike pet builds, but if you want something stupidly tough and durable, I can't recommend Demon/EA enough. So you can "tank" if you want to, but you can also play healer/buffer too on teams. Everyone is always happy to have infinate END and immuneity to status shinagins. Let me know if any of these interest you and I can post their builds. Stay snarky!

I've run Beast/Kin with some success. It is pretty up close and personal though and doesn't have much in the way of panic buttons. But it is nice synergy with Beasts. I have a Robot/Kin as well, but thats part of my box team. But MM pets with the big damage buff is very noticeable. Problem with kin as an MM is it doesn't have a ton of ways to help the pets, at least for a "close/melee" set.

My Savage/Bio brute is one of my strongest and most fun builds to play. 😃

Hello OP @optimistic, bit late to the conversation but I'm here! I feel your pain, I love crabby playstyle but had the same issues you do - that the pets just aren't good for solo play on anything past +3/4. I have tried everything - from trying to juggle support hybrid and barrier, trying to quasi tank with provoke, keeping them ranged with group fly, so on. Nothing seemed to work to keep them alive. So while they do pretty good damage (for a pet), their survivability is pretty blah even if you try to focus on it. So, you have a few options - 1. Play on lower difficulty. 2. Treat them as a quasi DPS cooldown, more than "pets" per say. Meaning you use them just to help burn something down faster and then forget about them. Using them in this way means you don't have to build for recharge either. 3. Omit pets in your build entirely, which frees up a few power picks and many slots to put elsewhere. 4. Do keep in mind you can have more than a single build on a character. What I do is have a "tanky" Crabber for solo play, and a "Crabbermind" build for team play, and swap between them as needed. Honestly, my best results (for solo) was using a durable flying crabber, without pets. This build has performed the best when I was soloing +4/8. It's a flying ranged AOE focus, with many damage procs and debuffs built in. She runs full toggles, and has no END issues with Ageless. Here are some of the perks - 1. Extremely durable - 45%+ to all defenses, plus 56% to flying defense. Since she is a flyer, her defenses perform very well. And she has very good resists as well, 80% to smashing, lethal, fire, and cold, with a respectable 60% to energy, negative, and toxic, and her lowest is 44% psionic. 2. AoE Damage - Her AoE rotation is - Venom Grenade, Suppression, Frag Grenade, Electric Fences. You can also pop Aim and Mu lightning for single targets as well. And all of her attacks has some kind of debuff and/or damage procs. She chews through groups just fine, its Elite Bosses that can take a little bit to down. 3. A bit of CC from Electric Fences, its worth slotting them to prevent runners, and you can keep it up 100%. My duration is 47 seconds, with a 6 second recharge time. 4. Perma-Serum - You can use it both as a heal, and as a +hitpoint buff. 5. Runs double Maneuver and Assault toggles, with the Leadership Toggle, meaning her mere presence is a very good party buffer. 6. Manages to squeeze in Elusive Maneuvers for respectable -fly debuff resistance. You aren't immune from getting knocked down, but you are resistant to it. It happens but not often. Note - When looking at the Defenses/Resists, dont be fooled by Elusive Maneuvers. Yes it provides a passive def bonus, but as soon as you attack or do anything that nice def boost vanishes. Playstyle wise, it feels like you are playing a flying tank, of sorts. If you like ranged damage, but hate being squishy like some Blasters or Corruptors can be, you might very well enjoy it. It feels like you are playing a flying fortress bomber. Anyway, just wanted to share. I wish they would give SoA's and Widows an update, but I doubt that will happen at this point. So I have run lots and lots of tests, leveled 3 different SoA's, probably spent around 4 billion on several crabber builds, and this is what I have found works for me the best, when solo. When playing on a team, I usually drop some of my defenses (usually aren't needed) for additional pet DPS. But there have been times where I was the most durable one on the team which was funny. So here's the build with a screenshot of values. But feel free to have a look. I love crabbys too, but always felt the pets were more gimicky and lackluster than effective. Hope this helps! Sin's Hovercrab.mxd PS - Also far as the frenzy power goes, it actually makes a decent afk-farming power if you have enough regen/def/res to afk farm on lower difficulty, it's been awhile but I believe my "afk farmy" crabby can do +3? It's not as fast as an actual farmer by any means, but its nice to farm veteran levels and incarnate materials while doing housechores and stuff. Power is personal preference really, but overall the melee crabby powers are kind of "blah." But don't let that stop you from using them if you like them.

I prefer the last version of TW personally. It was a bit over tuned, no argument there. But IMO I think they over corrected it. I mean, if I want ST damage, I can take something like Energy Melee, if I want AoE I can take something else. TW used to be a solid middle of the road (for damage type) while being consistently good at both, now? It's kind of lackluster, at least to me. I mean, why would I put up with TW clunkiness now if it's not even the top damage do-er anymore? I also suspect that how good TW is/was, really depended a lot on what sort of AT you were - Scrapper, Brute, Tanker, so on. But yes, I too have noticed a huge dip in TW since the change, to the point I rarely see one now. I see more psi melee and staff fighting now than TW. Well, if they wanted to entice players to play other things, I guess they succeeded. Still think they over corrected it, the refigured mechanic feels even more unwieldy and awkward without the satisfying CRUNCH payout. Just my two cents.

Here's the pairings I've tried that were 4/8 capable, some with bosses, others with elite bosses - Robots/Electric (My favorite) Robots/Time - DEF focused, but can also build for immobilize and slows, to out-range enemies. Robots will stay at range and shoot at enemies. Robots/FF (slow but possible) Demons/Time - DEF and recharge focused. Demons/Fire Demons/Electric - Absurdly durable, I would say moreso than Robots/FF due to resistance buff, absorb, healing, and status protetion. Beasts/Kin Beasts/Nature Thugs/Time I don't have overly much experience with Necromancy, so I can't really recommend a build for that. Don't forget you can do things like use inspirations on pets, or enflame from sorcery pool to help the pet sets with blah AoE, such as Demons and Beasts. Each set has various tricks or tools at their disposal or secondary pool pairings that pair well. /Time is fantastic for both Demons and Thugs for the recharge, which helps Gang War/Hell on Earth. For Robots group fly if you want to have a team of hover-bots that blast with lazers and missles, but fold space from teleportation pool is fantastic for robots as well, as it lets you yank things to your own fire pools, which is 80% of your damage. With Necromancy I imagine there might be some synergy if you focus on all out debuffs, such as Darkness, but I have a friend who runs both a Necro/Poison and Necro/Nature that seems to do well. I've thought about trying Robots/Storm and focus on flying with knockback, for added damage and to keep things at range as much as possible, but that would be pretty much a solo only build. Anyway, there are lots of options, don't be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to masterminds. Hope this helps!

A few thoughts, The first, with respect, I am not jerking your chain here. You are a respected voice on the forums. But I am curious as to why only your "conditions" count for what is good, or what is bad, and not anyone else's? I mean, you say in one breath "doesn't count if its multiboxed" to "but if being actively played," I mean, why does your stipulations count but not others on measurement here? I mean, we could also say "only builds with 200k or less inf spent" or "only X enemies" or "only x maps", and we are in a since, arguing semantics here? And personally I sort of cringe at those sorts of arguments, because it leads to the sort of thinking that "if something isn't good, then it is bad" or "if it isn't kiss-your-elbow the top 2% meta, then its utter trash" which I hope we both agree isn't what CoH is about at all. My original point wasn't in regards to farming at all, but as i said before, aggro tables. With 48 possible targets (in theory), then it's possible for a MM to pop barrier, run through a map, with pets on passive, aggoring everything, and bringing them all back to the team and having them blast them all down like the times of yore. Some people still want that playstyle. True, it might not be an entire map or 100+ mobs at a time, but its something more than 16. But again in theory, with 2-3 MMs (or even plant domis as you inferred) its still possible to enjoy "en-masse" style of play. Also, here is a video of my farming, if you were wondering - You may not like MMs, and that's perfectly fine! I have played Plant controllers and dominators, and they weren't my cup of tea. (not the powersets, the classes themselves.) And I find it kind of sus that a single actively played Plant Domi can match the time of a single actively played Fire Brute. (My best brute wasn't even a /fire brute, my personal best is actually my Savage/Bio brute) Again, not meant as any sort of personal insult or anything, just respectfully disagree on that, particularly since I have both played a plant Domi myself and have yet to even see a plant Domi farmer of any kind. I am not saying they don't exist, or aren't valid, or good, only that I have not see one or heard them touted before as good farmers. But to underline my point, to the OP here - There are ways to engage more than 16 targets at a time. Masterminds are capable of it, and apparently so are Plant Domi's.

😆 Plant dominator as fast as a /fire brute? But hey, you do you. But pretty much everyone I've ran with was very impressed, even the sub-farming community. And no, I said just under 3 mins is my best time. And I have to disagree that "a lot" of pairings is capable of that, especially if you take multiboxing into account. Brutes certainly, but not all ATs are as easy to multibox. Moreover, this thread isn't about farming, its about aggro/numbers of targets. My original point still is that MMs can aggro much much more at a time than other ATs, which is something not many people realize. Plus even if plant doms are special in some regard, thats specifically just "plant", not "every" dom such as the case with MMs.

With 2 mms I can clear the asteroid map in 4 minutes, but my quickest time is with 3 MMs with all 3 of them using Longbow Lore pets, its just below 3 minutes. I would call that pretty efficient personally, but whatever works for you. One MM You can do it just fine, but you need a bit of space to move because you can get overwhelmed. I am curious as to why/if Plant Control can aggro more, can they also defeat them all in a reasonable time as well or is it slow?