Neiska

No problem, but here are a few more things that I forgot to mention - Pet commands - Here's what I recommend for the easiest pet commands, with no macros involved. First on your pets window, swap to "advanced widow", if done correctly you should see your buttons change. Then have 3 rows of trays, which you can then drag your pet commands to, just like they were powers. Personally I go like this - Tray 1 (bottom tray) - My t1 pet commands, then tray 2 (middle) my t2 commands, then t3 commands for tray 3. Its fairly simple. Here's a picture so you can see how I have it setup. So on the far right of all my trays, you can see they all have defend and follow commands. Then along the bottom I have "all follow", "all defend", and "all attack target". So its really just a few mouse clicks to control your pets, individually if you wanted to. I know some Masterminds like the numberpad macros, but I use my numberpad for other things, and I just found the tray commands to be easier for me. Another thing I forgot to mention is Incarnates - First off, when unlocking your first Incarnate power, get your t3 power level shift ASAP, because it does affect pets, making them all effectively +1 level. This is very important for your pets combat roles. For example, your t1 pets are your level -3, so if you are fighting enemies at +4/8, then to your T1 pets they are effectively at a 7 level disadvantage. Suffice to say, this level shift is a massive powerup to MMs just because how the level interactions work out. Alpha slot - nearly every MM I know uses Muscled alpha, for the 45% damage boost that does affect pets. Some MMs might use other alphas, if you are focused on support or debuff roles perhaps, but for 9/10 builds I would say muscled is your best bet. Destiny - this is largely personal choice, but if you are having end issues I suggest ageless, as not all secondaries have END tools. If END isn't a concern, I would go barrier. Interface - yes, your pets can proc this. You can pretty much assume whichever interface you select will be stacked. Some go for -max hps, others go for -resists. I tend to opt for -max hps myself as its not an effect to get elsewhere. But a special mention goes out to the incarnate with -tohit, because it does stack if you are playing a /dark MM, making your -tohit debuffs even more potent, and 90% of builds take one of the other two. Judgement - your choice here! I usually go Ion, or go for theme. Though the mighty with knockup can buy your pets breathing room too if you need another way to help your pets out. Lore - Personal choice, but I perfer Longbow or Banished. Banished is the most DPS, technically, but I also like longbow for theme with my robotics MM, and they benefit from group fly as well, being an all ranged lore pet, which Banished isn't. Hybrid - Support with the bonus to pets option is my suggestion. Its almost as good as Assualt but much easier to use. But as mentioned before you can Use Assualt, then pop pets, and they will benifit from further uses of assualt, at least until they die or you move maps. Personally I found that method a bit clunky to make worthwhile, especially if you move fast and change maps often. Support is fire and forget, with no clonky mechanics to fuss about. I'll add more if I think of anything!

Hello @StriderIV and welcome to Masterminding! Above are all excellent posts but there are a few important things I don't think have been mentioned yet. 1. Personal attacks/end cost - Masterminds have infamously bad attacks, both in terms of damage and END cost. A few stand out for loading up with procs, but even the best of them are pretty blah for damage when compared to high damage ATs. Also we have higher END costs as well. 2. From the "build philosophy" perspective, MMs are in a unique spot. A tanker is always going to tank, a blaster is always going to blast, but MMs can be built in all sorts of ways. Perhaps more than any other AT, your Primary + Secondary powers will greatly affect your playstyle, even with the same pet types. Here's an example of what I mean - A Robots/Forcefield build would be pretty durable, but also very passive/hands free. But a Robots/Time build would also be pretty durable, but be more active. A Robots/Traps is still one of the kings of solo play, able to take down the biggest things possible to solo. You could even do something off the wall like a Robots/Trick Arrow, combined with Group fly, for an entirely flying/ranged build setup, as robots are all ranged, they will hover back and pewpewpew their lazers. This is just an example of how its more than what pet types you pick. You really can build a MM to do just about anything, from Tankerminding, to Full Support, to a Debuffer, so something like /storm thats really its own category. 3. You can make almost any pet and power pick work, but here are a few noteworthys that stand out as good pairings from the sets I have played so far - Robots - Robots are a ranged, defense pet set. They pair well with Electrical, Time, Traps, Cold, and Forcefield. The upside to them is they have the strongest AoE damage out of all the pets, and since they are one of the only all ranged attacks, you can abuse group fly with them. They also come with some self repair/healing, and come with -500 regen built into the T3 robot. The downside to robots is they sort of put all their eggs in one basket, meaning they are fairly weak until level 32. Almost 80% of a robot MMs damage comes from their T3 pet missile attack, which leaves large fire patches. I main Robot MMs, and my advice is you will get much more mileage out of them if you stand in your own robots patches of fire and make things come to you, or use fold space to pull them into it. Also keep in mind out of the "top 3" pet types, Robots have the best AoE, but the worst ST. My favorite Robot MM is Robotics/Electric. Demons - Demons are a mixed bag, in terms of attack and damage types. They have a bit of everything - slashing, fire, cold, a few cones, and an aura. They have strong single target damage, but a bit blah AoE damage. They are a resist pet set and have good resists buffs for themselves, you, and team members. They also have Hell on Earth which is a big +hit/damage buff that can also spawn temporary little pets that help. Demons pair well with Electrical, Dark, Time, Thermal, Nature, and Storm. The downsides of demons is they are very noisy that some people dislike. Another downside is they have almost entire melee attacks. A few ranged abilities are there, but they aren't much to write home about. They also have no self healing, so its a good idea to pick a secondary with some healing. Lastly out of the "top 3" pet types, they have the best ST, but the worst AoE. Of note is Demon Resist buffs do stack on everything. My best Demon was my Demon/Electric, as it just stacks so much healing/absorb/resists/status immunities, reaching near tanker levels of durability. Thugs - Thugs are an overall "balanced" pet type, that come with 2 sets of their own leadership toggles. These only affect themselves, not you, other team mates, or even other pet types. But it will affect other Thug MM pets. They are a mix of ranged and melee, with a good all around feel to them. They have Gang War which is very similar to Hell on Earth, but it summons Pose and doesn't have the +to hit/damage buff that the latter has. The downside to Thugs is I found them the most awkward to control, because they are so varied. Some stay in close range to you, and others will run off. Your thug whose your main source of damage attracks huge amounts of aggro, and can and will die, often. Still, they have the middle road of DPS, being good in both ST and AoE, while being bad at neither. My favorite Thugs MM is Thugs/Time. 4. Tips, tricks, and tools. Here's a quick list of tips and tricks that is good for every mastermind to Know. Bonfire - Bonfire from Blaze Mastery Epic Pool, is fantastic to use as a CC ability, especially with a set like Robots. You just drop your bonfire atop of your T3's fire patches and watch things flop around and be trapped in it. You can also slot it for damage procs too. Damage procs - Some pets can slot damage procs, and yes it does benefit them! This varies from pet to pet, but a pet with a +chance to proc damage will do noticably more damage. Soulbound Buildup - I consider this enhancement a must have, but "where" to slot it varies pet type to pet type. On my Robots I put it into my T3, since hes 80% of your damage anyway. But on Demons it might be better off to slot it into your T2 pets, namely the hellfire gargoyle. Enflame - In case you were unaware, Enflame is a semi-toggle now, and its FANTASTIC on a set like Demons. It acts sort as a quasi damage aura, that you have to click once every 30 seconds. So you can put this on your pet of choice and it will do AoE damage. This is fantastic if you select that same Demon for your Hell on Earth Buff, becuase Enflame's tics have chances to make the little hellspawns. If you go with demons, I strongly urge you to consider adding Enflame into your build. Fold Space - A great tool for Robot masterminds as you can pull entire spawns right where you need them to be. Its also fun to use with group fly as you more or less yank things to you and drop them from the sky right into stacked fire patches. Power Boost - It is highly recommended to go Mace Mastery if you make a /Time Mastermind, because Powerboost affects both Farsight (your defense buff) as well as Chrono (your big regen/recharge buff.) I don't have numbers in front of me this second but its something like a 80% boost in effectiveness. Burnout - If you take Thugs or Demons, I recommend fitting burnout into your build. This is because you can pop Hell on Earth/Gangwar, then use Burnout, and use them again immediately. Burnout has a very long cooldown, but its fantastic to use with those two pet sets. Inspirations - not everyone knows but you can use inspirations on your pets! You just drag and drop them onto your pets heath bar in the pet window, and so long as you are in range your pet will benefit. You can give them green healing, or red candy to boost their damage, even +defense/resist ones. You just have to be in close range to do so. Dance emotes - for the humanoid pets - Robots, Demons, Thugs, Undead, Mercs, etc you can use the /em petsayall_dance command and make them all dance, do backflips, hold torches, so on. Not all of the pets can do all emotes, but a good many of them will. You can even make macros for them and put on a little show if you wanted to. Aggro - one VERY important thing to know about MMs is your pets have their own aggro tables. This is both a blessing, and a curse. Each pet can fight up to 6 (I think?) mobs on their own. Unlike other ATs where the mobs will just walk by and ignore you if you are at the aggro cap, a MM will have to be fighting much much more in order for that to happen. Heres the math - 12 mobs (the mastermind themselves) + 18 (the 3 t1 pets) + 12 (the t2 pets) + 6 (the t3 pet) = 48 mobs at a time, in theory. It's actually hard to tell exactly how much a pet can aggro at once, and there is no hard data on it as far as I know. (and I've looked.) So what does this all mean? Well, it means you can get over whelmed easily and wiped out if you engage in too many spawns at a time. Though if you are farming this is a boon later on, for solo play the majority of builds cant handle that. So if you are new to masterminding, just be aware of this increased target capacity. Sorry for the long post! Just wanted to cover some things that hasn't been mentioned yet. And Welcome to Masterminding!

One thing I don't see mentioned, is how you can slot DNA siphon for END instead of Healing or Damage. I usually 4 slot mine with Preemptive, so once every 30 seconds I can completely refill my END bar, even a single enemy will return 22%, 2 enemies will return 44%. With enough recharge you can juggle Parasite Aura for a massive regen buff, with Carapace for a nice absorb shield. Pair those two together and you can pretty much take any destiny incarnate power you want, but I usually swap between Barrier or Ageless Radial to plug the Debuff hole in the set, depending on what activity I'm doing. And since I don't have to worry much about survival or END, I can stay in offensive mode almost the entire time, rarely do I have to change stances. But here is one of my tankers, she hits quite hard for a tanker, and takes out bosses/elite bosses like its her job, and I even managed to sneak in Fold space to yank everything to me in a nice big ball, which is fantastic for tankers. 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 Tanker Primary Power Set: Bio Armor Secondary Power Set: Energy Melee Power Pool: Teleportation Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Speed Villain Profile: Level 1: Hardened Carapace -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(3), UnbGrd-EndRdx/Rchg(3), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(34), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(37), UnbGrd-Max HP%(40) Level 1: Barrage -- SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg(A), SprGntFis-Dmg/Rchg(5), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), SprGntFis-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7) Level 2: Inexhaustible -- PrfShf-EndMod(A) Level 4: Teleport -- Range-I(A) Level 6: Environmental Modification -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(9), Rct-EndRdx/Rchg(15), Rct-Def/Rchg(15), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Rct-ResDam%(31) Level 8: Adaptation Level 10: Ablative Carapace -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(11), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(11), Pnc-Heal(13), Pnc-Heal/+End(13) Level 12: Evolving Armor -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(25), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(46), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(46), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(47) Level 14: Kick -- Empty(A) Level 16: Whirling Hands -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(17), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), Arm-Dam%(42) Level 18: DNA Siphon -- PreOptmz-Acc/Rech(A), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/End(25), PreOptmz-EndMod/End(48), PreOptmz-EndMod/Rech(48) Level 20: Total Focus -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(21), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(21), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(23), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(23) Level 22: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(42), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(42), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(43), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(43) Level 24: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(43), ShlWal-Def/Rchg(45), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(45), ShlWal-Def(45) Level 26: Genetic Contamination -- FuroftheG-ResDeb%(A), SprGntFis-Rchg/+Absorb(27), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg(27), SprMghoft-Dmg/Rchg(29), SprMghoft-Rchg/Res%(29), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31) Level 28: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(50) Level 30: Combat Teleport -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 32: Parasitic Aura -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(33), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(33), Prv-Heal/Rchg(33), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(34), Prv-Absorb%(34) Level 35: Power Crash -- Obl-Dmg(A), Obl-Acc/Rchg(36), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(36), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Obl-%Dam(37) Level 38: Energy Transfer -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Dam%(39), Mk'Bit-Dam%(39), GldStr-%Dam(39), HO:Nucle(40), HO:Nucle(40) Level 41: Fold Space -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(47) Level 44: Tactics -- GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(A) Level 47: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48) Level 49: Build Up -- GssSynFr--Build%(A) Level 1: Gauntlet Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 1: Health -- NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(46) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(9) Level 1: Energy Focus Level 8: Defensive Adaptation Level 8: Efficient Adaptation Level 8: Offensive Adaptation Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon ------------ Sins Bio -EM Tanker mk 2.mxd

I see it as the horde vs alliance argument, both sides have their positives and negatives. Blue side - Positives - Law and Order, Justice, the "Moral Right" Negatives - Corruption, Hypocrisy, Murky applications of the Rules. Red side - Positives - Self Empowerment, Independence, Definition of Self Negatives - Might makes right, Lawlessness, and Criminal Capacity. Neither side is absolutely "right" or "wrong", as I see them.

Hello Forums, I thought I would share a different take on Crabber Soldiers. Most of the builds I see are based around recharge and pets, which is a lot of fun but can be difficult to solo harder difficulties due to lack of pet tools and pet fragility. Well, since you can have multiple builds on the same character, I thought I would try my hand at making a Crabber build for solo play, focusing on harder +4/8 with bosses enabled difficulty. After many tests and attempts, this is what I came up with, and works quite well. *Note* - This build has some personal preferences, as I generally dislike having to rely on inspirations to make a build playable because in long fights if you run out you can stumble, and I prefer to save my inspiration slots for things like team buffs and nukes. More on power picks later. Also of note is the MIDs for this setup is a bit off, particularly with defense values due to Evasive Maneuvers. True, you will have a very high defense, until you get into a fight and those values will drop. With Evasive on, your ranged defense will be 71%. With the defense buff gone however, it will be 41%. The resist values are also about 4% off as well, so I posted an actual ingame screenshot of resist values. Pros- 1. Extremely durable - This build plays like a hover blaster, but is very tough, having Ranged Defenses and boasts very high resists across the board, with more than 80% on Smashing, Lethal, Fire, and Cold, while having more than 60% in energy, negative, and toxic. Her lowest resist is psionic, but even that is a healthy 47%. 2. Very self-sufficient - This setup is very friendly on the END use, even when running full toggles. And uses both ageless and aid self for END recovery when needed, it doesn't even need to pop blue inspirations. 3. Ease of Play - Most of the features of this build are fire and forget, and they are constant - there is no juggling defensive powers, no windows to watch out for, very smooth performance. Your defenses and resists are constantly good. It really does feel like you are playing a flying bomber. 4. AoE/Debuffs - Like all crabbers, this build has great AoE with Debuffs. You won't see giant numbers pop up on your screen, but has a full AoE attack rotation, each of which has some kind of debuff built in or added. You will "chew" through groups with a constant stream of damage to all of them. This build does more damage than Mids suggests, due to stacking -resistance debuffs from Venom Grenade, Annihiliation, and Reactive Interface for a rough total of -25% resistance. 5. Immobilize - One of the attacks in the chain is Electric Fences, an Immobilize with a 47 second duration, and a 6 second cooldown. So needless to say, you are immobilizing a lot of things pretty constantly, especially with Frozen Blast procs as well. I haven't had much issues with runners on this build. Con - 1. The biggest con of this build is lack of Single Target damage, especially without any pets. There are a few changes you can do in order to improve that though. Here are some screenshots with some in-game defense and resist values - Powers and Options - 1. Frenzy - Why did I choose frenzy? Two reasons. The first is because the way it is slotted, it alone provides 12% fire and cold resistance. The second is so that I can AFK farm if I wish. I can just park this crabber on a moon map, turn on Frenzy, and go do some house chores. I don't use it when hoverblasting though. Frenzy option - But if someone feels differently, they are certainly free to swap it out for something like Mu Lightning, as it would be fully slotted and be a respectful single target attack to add to the rotation. Doing that will drop your fire and cold resistance significantly however. 2. Medicine Pool - Why medicine pool? Well, first off Serum is a nice HP buff but a bad healing tool, so having another heal pretty much on demand is quite nice. Also with the Field Medic upgrade, each time you use Aid Self you will slowly gain back Endurance. (Roughly 25%) I more often pop it for END than I do for healing. Medicine Pool option - Someone could drop medicine pool and pick up Leadership and run a full set of both toggles. Doing that would be very draining on Endurance however, and you would be entirely reliant on Ageless and blue inspires, which I personally dislike. But Maneuvers would add another 4% to your defense and put you right at the defense softcap. 3. Evasive Maneuvers - Why Evasive? For the -fly protection. It isn't 100% full proof but is a noticeable difference. I don't get knocked out of the sky very often. Personally I consider this power mandatory for the hover-blast playstyle, but others might feel differently. Incarnates - Alpha - Muscled Core Paragon - This adds 45% damage which this build sorely needs, but also adds 33% time to your immobilize which is a part of your regular attack rotation. If someone wanted to they could drop Muscled Core for Cardio, but their damage would take a noticeable dip. When I tried Agility, Resist, and Cardio Alpha's I simply didn't have the damage to solo on +4/8. But if someone wanted stronger, smoother play for lower difficulties they could swap muscled for something else. Interface - Reactive Core Flawless Interface - a -res debuff that stacks with the rest of your -res sources, increasing overall damage. You could swap it for Degenerative, but that's largely personal choice. Judgement - I went Ion, as its ranged and has a large target cap, as well as fits the Epic pool theme which is a bonus. Lore - You can largely pick what you like, as none of them add anything significant to the build. Both Banished and Longbow are good, I chose the Knives of Vengeance for their buffs. Destiny - Ageless Core - Even with the Medicine pool option, I do find myself getting interrupted at times. Rare, but it does happen. So this is more or less an emergency tool for when my aid self is getting interrupted or with END draining enemies. Because without your toggles, you will splat, fast. Hybrid - Assault Radial - This gives all of your attacks a chance for more damage, which is fantastic since this build is so AoE focused it is a noticeable bump. And that's it! A different take on Crabber Soldiers, one built more like a very tanky hover-blaster. This build performs well for me when soloing +4/8 difficulty, and it's very chill to play, and is even good on teams with the Improved Team Toggles, debuffs, and immobilize. So if you like playing hover-ranged but dislike having to constantly juggle defenses to survive, this build might be good for you. Feedback is welcome! Sin's Tanky Hovercrab mk 6.mxd

Here's my Demons/Electric build, it has several perks such as Enflame for pets AOE damage, Bonfire for CC/Procs, Burnout for Hell on Earth x2, and so on. Hope this helps! Demons-Electric MM mk 3.mxd

I have done a few Savage/X brute builds now, here are the highlights - Savage/Bio - it's so much damage, between offensive stance, bonus toxic procs, bleeds, it's a walking blender and a ton of fun to play. Savage/Dark - The blood stacks are nice to help manage the END demand of /Dark, but it's not a cure all. Dark is solid as can be expected, and it does open up a few other choices for slotting and incarnates. Savage/Rad - Another good pairing, but it feels more offensive minded than defensive. But it is very potent and the built in debuffs are nice. Savage/Electric - A fantastically efficient pairing, with essentially endless END and supreme levels of resists. Between Blood Stacks and Power Sink, you have enough energy to power the west coast for about a year. Which really frees up choices for slotting as well as incarnate power picks. Since the OP said no /Bio, I would recommend Electric. Electric is a solid choice and offers a ton of freedom in your build since END is of little concern. The downside about /Elec is it offers little in the way of offense - No +damage, no debuffs, no CC.

I've done tests in mids, the only way I see them as comparable to the other pet sets is by using group fly with them, as they are the only other fully ranged set. But even then I see them struggling on difficult content. But if people don't mind playing them on lower difficulties, or for fun or theme then I'm all for it. Have mused about what I might be able to do if i multibox them, but even then I imagine it would be cumbersome. At least the robots have the fire assault patch.

I can +1 to Demons/Electric being exceptionally durable - infinate END, status immunity, capped resists, good defense, +absorbs, healing, a good Demon/EA can be as durable if not moreso than some tankers. And the damage is very good as well by MM standard. My main Mm is Robots/Electric, who I enjoy more than the demons. Being all ranged, it opens up more playstyle options and roles which I enjoy. /Time is a very strong secondary as well, and pairs with just about anything. Playing with beasts myself currently, torn between /Time, /Dark, or /Kin.

Mercenaries.

Congratulations to the staff and to the community!

Here's how I put together a group - Say XYZ is forming in the LFG channel, has X spots. I get tells. I go by order received and send invites. When the group is full, I tell those who sent tells but didn't make it "sorry we are full" Then I tell the LFG channel XYZ has filled. And I still get tells afterward "is XYZ still forming?" Which I assume were people who were tabbed out and didn't see the "we are full" message. It happens. The only bumps I usually see is when I get the "you can't invite an enemy to group," but that is usually easy to fix, and I will wait for them to do so. The only thing that irks me is when people go "I am omw" and still aren't there 5-10 minutes later. Or ask for invites and are mid-mission and won't leave it. In such a case I usually give a grace period, a few minutes, before I invite someone else. But if I have a ton of people asking for a spot I might say "Sorry you are mid mission and others are ready to go now" and invite someone else. It's all worked pretty well for me so far.

I do something a bit differently. I have a rolling "bank" of emp merits that I mail to myself. When farming in AE I save up 50, turn them into a transcendent merit, and mail it to myself. I do this on 3 different accounts. If you don't plan on going full t4's you can accumulate quite a bit of merits this way. Then when I make an alt, as soon as their Alpha slot is unlocked I use merits to go t3 for their first level shift, and go from there. After playing them for a time I may or may not decide to go fully t4s, but sometimes I go with just t3s. It varies. Anyway, If I had to guess, I would say I have roughly 800 or so emp merits at any given time in my banks to pull from. And it isn't difficult at all to fill them back up again with just what you get from veteran levels. Not saying its the most expedient, or the best, it's just what has worked very well for me.

Thank you for the imput @Erratic1 and @Sovera, I will take a look when I get home. I just couldn't make this combo work for a tanker. Its tough trying to get enough recharge that bio loves while getting resists where you can, and I didn't even have defense softcapped.

Hello forums, I am trying to put together a Bio/Claws, but I am having trouble reaching def/res values I am happy with. I know bio is a different animal in mids, but even so I'm not happy with how its turned out, and I have tried several variations now. So if anyone has feedback/suggestions, or a build I can match this one against I would appreciate it. Thanks bunches Unfinished build - Tanker bio - claws.mxd PS - RoP is there for both status as well as resists, as status is one of the issues bio has, along with -def debuffs.

Here's mine, but it has quite a few personal picks in it. But theres lots of wiggle room. Took the standard Robot/Time/Mace for Power boost + Farsight + Chrono Shift, Incarnates are Muscled, Ageless (for end), the rest are your choice, but I like Longbow. Sins Robot-Time MM (mace).mxd

Thank you!

First I'm a She. 😋 Second, I don't know how to post a video myself. Someone did that for me. But that blaster isn't even fully leveled or slotted, they were being power leveled. So... not sure how much help they were. But if you want to come to Everlasting sometime I can show it, sure. Or read my guide, few folks I leveled left comments.

Here's my guide I wrote. That video is of my Robot team - electric/time/kinetic. But I have a few different MM teams i powerfarm with.

Hello fellow angry peoples, I cobbled together a EM/Bio brute and would appreciate any corrections or imput please. Not an expert on brutes, I usually play Masterminds and Tankers. I am hoping to use her for general use, for farming, random missions, etc. Just an overall solid damage and able to tank if necessary. Ideally, I would want her durable enough to take hits with the option to go she-hulk mode for big damage. I haven't settled on a Destiny or Interface slots yet, I am unsure what would be ideal with this setup. Thanks bunches in advance! Brute - Energy Melee - Bio Armor.mxd

To play armchair philosopher a moment, Different people will enjoy different things, and have different goals. For some, its risk vs reward - completing a long arduous journey to reap the rewards. For them, the challenge itself and overcoming it, could be the reward. For others, its simple enjoyment - enjoying the game for what it is. This has many contexts and variations, far too many to list and attempt to categorize, which in itself I think would be a disservice. For another group - it could be unusual activities, such as base building, or playing the auction house, or whiling away the hours roleplaying and making friends. So, in essence, people are comparing ways they enjoy the game, as well as their goals in it. Which I would say is normal and even to be expected. That said however, one thing I will not agree with or support is the mentality or opinion that everyone must play a certain way, or enjoy a certain activity. I do hasten do add that no one here has said such directly in words, but it could be insinuated. I believe it is wrong to try and limit another players form of enjoyment of the game, in favor for another. Or to try and change or remove their goals. For that surely will end the game more than any other paradigm. If others enjoy the game in a certain manner - be it power leveling, farming, enjoying the iron man challenge, hanging out roleplaying, or building a financial empire, I say more power to them. So long as such things do not directly infringe upon another's enjoyment. So what if some like racing to level 50 as fast as they can, to begin testing their builds? So what if some like enjoying farming or funding several builds? So what if some enjoy the hardest challenge possible? How does any of "their" actions, affect "your" own gameplay and goals within the game? I would argue, that it would not. At least not directly. And if it does affect you in some manner, then perhaps its not your own form of enjoyment that you seek, but instead to control, police, or remove other forms of enjoyment that which you do not enjoy yourself. You don't enjoy power leveling? No one is forcing you to. You don't enjoy farming? Again, no one is twisting your arm. You don't enjoy a certain difficulty? No one is holding you at gunpoint, nor is there any trophy or cash prize to be won. You don't enjoy a certain way a team is formed, or its members? You are certainly free to leave, and start your own team, and host it in the manner you desire. I cannot guarantee people will join it, however. And none of this is meant as an insult or attack on anyone here. I only hope to perhaps remind people that this really is just a game, and one that I personally feel we are lucky to be able to enjoy. As well as to highlight that, perhaps, people are missing the forest, from seeing all the trees. Our community is small enough. And I feel that attitudes such as I described will do more to drive people away, than many actions we have seen suggested, insinuated, or mentioned both here and elsewhere. "More options" are good, for everyone. Remove those options, and people are inclined to go where they will find such options, in this game or another. Rare is it, that a player who preferred one aspect of a game, lingers around if such aspects or options are removed. More likely, they tend to look elsewhere, particularly with the number of other games widely available now. Just some food for thought. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. Best wishes

Fair, and live was before my time. That said, however, People are free to enjoy the game as they please. Both back then as well as now. I mean, you can try to pigeonhole people much as you like, but not everyone will enjoy the same content as everyone else. At this point, removing the AE would do more harm than good. Personally, I like AE. It lets me try out many builds, as well as have the money to fund them, without having to sink in a year per character. Now you may not like this. Which is 100% fine! But let's not act like that's ruining the game here. I mean, that makes as much since as a die-hard base builder saying "anyone who doesn't spend 8 hours a day building bases is playing the game wrong, and all non-base building activities needs to be nerfed." Doesn't that sound silly? I do hasten to add that while I appreciate your dedication to "the classic" game, things change. Players change. Peoples ages, life circumstances, preferences, all change. I would argue that if the "slow mode" of leveling was the "only" way to play available, the game may not have exploded as it did when launched. To be fair, we will never know. And I disagree this game is "instant gratification". I mean, I have spent nearly a year now trying different Mastermind builds. I even made a farming guide for them. Even now I am still experimenting, testing ideas, trying new things. None of that would have been possible without AE or Farming. And these days I spend more time tinkering in mids, brainstorming builds, and testing them, than I do much else. I guess my point is - Not everyone runs all the story missions. Not everyone collects badges. Not everyone plays all the raids. Not everyone even teams. I would say that there is a good chunk of people who do their own thing - whatever that activity is. But I can almost guarantee you that the "these new peoples are spoiling everything" opinion doesn't help matters, it can come off as elitist/gatekeeping. Not to sound personal here but, who exactly are you to lecture other players on how to play? Or what to enjoy? Or even what "the real game" was? I would bet that each issue/patch that launched, it was received with mixed results. Some liked it, some didn't. But obviously, the "game" is still alive here and now, even if you dislike the changes. Like them or not, this is "the real game" now. So I will continue to go by "live and let live." None of this is meant as a personal attack against you or anyone personally, I only needed to bring context. Best wishes!

Why would I even want to afk farm with a MM? Kind of the whole point why I experimented with MM farming was because brute/tanker farming is pretty boring or tedious. But if that's your measuring stick, let's see your brute farmer solo AVs, GMs, perform other roles on itfs or raids, etc. I can do all that with one build, where I doubt you can do such on your spines/fire brute. 😋

Challenge accepted! Here is a vid of my MM farm at max difficulty settings, taking less than 3 minutes to clear -

Bit late to the conversation, but have some things I would like to add. What is "OP" and what isn't is largely subjective. OP in what circumstance? Solo or teaming? Paper missions, story missions, ITFs, Raids, Farms? How much money is invested in the build? How far are you pushing incarnates? And so on. For example, a fresh level 50 might play differently once it's gotten its full purple sets, and even more so once you have your full T4 incarnate powers. Some builds are very late bloomers and only come onto their own when they reach those levels. So, to me it depends on what you want your style, feel, or focus to be, if that makes sense. As another example, some people rated Masterminds as weak or underwhelming, when to me they are one of the most OP classes in the game - 1. They can be absurdly durable, as tanky as tankers can be. (Before my tanker brethren jump on me, I hasten to say they get zero aggro management tools, but they can be as "tough" as tankers.) So you won't see Masterminds as Main Tank on raids and so on. I have had Masterminds far more durable than some of my toughest tankers, due to infnate healing, absorbs, resistances, defense, bodyguard mode and so on. 2. Another feature about masterminds, is they can be built in so many ways. A tanker is always going to tank. A blaster is always going to blast. But Masterminds, can be built in all sorts of ways. You can make a tankermind, or a dedicated support, or a CC focused, or a debuffer. Which secondary you pick as a mastermind can greatly affect how you play, I would argue moreso than other ATs. 3. Lastly, something not many people realize, is their increased aggro capicity. Tankers are limited to 16 targets. Everyone else is limited to 12. But a Mastermind can aggro 12 themselves, and up to 6 per pet. 6 pets? Thats 36 mobs, for a grand total of 48 mobs at a time per mastermind. Thats more than double than even what tankers are capable of. And while their damage isn't the same as a brutes, they can fight so many more at a time, thats a moot point. Let's say a brute is fighting 12 mobs, doing 100 dps per mob, thats 1200 "net" damage. But the Mastermind, fighting 48 mobs at a time, doing even 30 dps per mob, thats 1440 "net" damage. So even though the Mastermind is doing less DPS per mob, vs the map as a whole, it wins. So long as you are fighting more targets at a time. This makes Masterminds very, VERY, good Farmers. I 3 box masterminds, and I am just as fast if not faster than fire brutes are. And I can take that same Mastermind, without changing builds, IOs or anything, and perform an entirely different role on a team or raid. But that's just an example about Masterminds, which I think many people tend to under estimate. True, if you are going single group to single group, they can seem lackluster. But aggroing half the map at once and killing everything in 3 minutes, I would call that pretty dang OP. Anyway, the point is, I tend to compare "quirks" or styles of ATs, rather than "power". 1. Tankers - can reach literal levels of immortality, but it can take a while to reach these levels. Their damage isn't terrible either! Tankers can also solo almost everything in the game, including ITFs. It might take "forever" to for them to do so, but they "can". The tankers downside is they can take some game knowledge to push to their full potential, can be on the expensive side, and can seem a bit boring to some. 2. Brutes - brutes are a fantastic first class. They can be tough, and do great damage, and can be fairly simple to maximize. They aren't quite as durable as a tanker can be, but are close! And do a bit more damage. The downside to brutes is that due to their fury mechanic, flat out damage boosts can be less effective on them. This isn't to say you shouldn't take such powers, like buildup and so on, only that you get more bang for your buck from said powers on other ATs. 3. Scrappers - They do more damage than brutes do, while being less tanky. But enough times, they prove "tanky enough" in most situations. Some powersets retain their aggro/taunting aura, and are just as good as keeping aggro as a tanker or brute can in "some" content. Not ALL, but some. The majority of team content they are sufficient for the task, keeping aggro just fine, while doing more damage than a tanker would at the same time. But I wouldn't expect to be the tank on any top end content! 4. Stalkers - Stalkers I consider the royalty of melee damage. They can decide what dies first, and can skip missions entirely if they desire. They can be on the squishy side though, but some can be surprisingly durable depending on your secondary pick. Plus they have some fun builds such as the double charge Electric melee/shield stalker. I would call stalkers "the thinking mans melee." The downside for me about stalkers is they can flounder when under duress or pressure, lacking the tools that tankers and brutes have to push back effectively. They can also have weaker AoE damage as well. Not every stalker is bad AoE, but most of their powers are better suited for Single Target focus. 5. Sentinels - Never played a sentinel, so I can't really comment. 6. Defender - Never played a defender either, so again, can't fairly comment. 7. Blaster - Blasters are the "OVER 9000" damage class. If you like going all out, focusing on damage to all else, and leaving smoking craters in your wake, look at blasters. The downside about blasters is they can be quite glass cannon. Again, exceptions exist, but often enough Blasters rely on incarnate or epic powers to take hits if their "you die first" philosophy fails. 8. Corrupter. They are a nearly the damage of blasters, (indeed, some argue they are better than blasters in some circumstances), while having a more healing/support secondary. I would call corruptor more solo friendly. I consider them the "brute" to the blaster's "scrapper" sort of comparison. 9. Widows - I would describe widows as "aggressive support." They have fantastic buffs and CC, but can be in the thick of things too. Some widows can do comparable damage to scrappers. You can focus on melee, or focus on psi powers, but I think a hybrid widow with the spin2win and all the good psi powers the overall best. The downside to widows is their survivable mechanic is a bit funky, getting stronger the more you are hurt. But that compared with their low hp pool makes them sort of glass cannons. Not as bad as stalkers might be, but a strong alpha hit still might 1 shot you. 10. Soldiers - Solders I would consider the fun man's support class. They can give fantastic buffs with their mere presence, and can even go crabbermind for a quasi pet build if you like. The downside for soldiers is they really don't excel in any particular role or aspect. They are good in several areas, but not fantastic at anything. But this also means they dont have any glaring weaknesses to speak of either. One key feature is with a soldier, it's possible to have a full AoE attack rotation, which isn't something many others can boast. So while you won't absolutely nuke groups of enemies like the Blaster can, you can certainly chew threw them just fine. 11. Warshades/Peacebringers - They are "Stance" classes. They can do anything - Tank, Dps, Support, etc. They just can't do it "all at once.", having to stance-dance into what they need as the situation needs it. Warshades are more solo focused, using enemies to strengthen their buffs, while Peacebringers are more team focused. The downside to Warshades/Peacebringers is while they "can" do anything, they won't do it "as well" as a dedicated AT for that spot. But their fluid and options often prove enough. If you are on a team, and the tank goes down, having a peacebringer who was ranged dps able to immediately swap roles and take over can and will save the group. 12. Masterminds - see above! 13. Dominators/Controllers - I have only played one or two of these, so any claim of mine being an expert is suspect. But I do agree that on super-fast moving teams, your focused CC abilities can feel wasted. But some of their builds are fantastic soloers too. A few of them can even farm. Anyway, thats my thoughts on the overall ATs. Any AT can be OP in the right circumstances, but some are certainly more OP than others. But I think it's more important to ask the asker on what they mean by OP. In which activity/difficulty/inf spent/incarnate/levels do they want to use as a reference or measuring stick? Because, things can differ quite wildly depending on what exact content you are talking about, even within the same builds/incarnates/resources spent. And all this isn't even considering peoples personal preferences either. What I consider OP, someone else might not. Just my thoughts on the discussion!