tidge

The current release on Open Beta opens up a lot more options for all players, it even looks like it makes some alternate slotting choices for my main MM (which is highly optimized for my purposes. The one area that now looks like I can make modifications is with that MM's focus on +MaxEnd, Endurance Discount, and Recovery... because of the reduction in Blue spend for MM primaries and secondaries. I play this MM through some long, drawn-out combat: multiple GMs, multiple AVs, etc. while using the MM to try to keep aggro on it (instead of on the henchmen)... so running out of blue would be a real problem. Minimally: I should be able to repurpose one slot from Stamina, and I think I should be able to change at least one enhancement set. The henchmen haven't achieved there (prior to current Live) levels of damage output on (current) open beta, but they easier survive content.

I didn't see any place to post feedback for the continued MM updates... Henchmen seem to survive easier... but the bad henchmen AI with (turning off) Group Fly continues. Even telporting teh henchmen to me (with the T1 power) keeps them frozen until I toggle group fly on again.

I've seen as many as three at one time.

Open world zones generally do NOT get unloaded when no players are present. If this was the case, then mobiles associated with Giant Monsters would not persist for days, Zones can have more than one of the special presents in them. I predict it will be a relatively short time before people start complaining that there are too many Winter Lord boxes/spawns.

Show me on the Benovo hologram where Eochai touched your henchmen.

The Winter Lords will de-rezz after 15 minutes, so this worry is not much different than logging in and seeing "TF is full" message without ever seeing a recruitment request in LFG.

If you have event zone messages turned on in the same tab, you will see where WL zoned. These WL are timed, so there isn't a lot of time to dilly-dally if you want to fight one.

What is min level for WL?

MMs don't have to have all of their henchmen standing in the same place. This is part of what I meant when I wrote: I get it... not every solo MM encounter with an AV or GM plays like scrapper-lock is a winning strategy. I've got some MMs that can do exactly that... but for some content I expliciltly have to pay more attention to what the henchmen are doing.... and for the content where I can play the MM like a scrapper/blapper/contrapper... I *still* have to pay attention for when things begin to go pear-shaped. Put another way: The game can be exceptionally easy for some ATs and builds. The game isn't harder for MMs. (EDIT: Unless you seek out content specifically to make it harder... but that is true for most ATs)

I think there are two dominant effects: 1) Server-Client and Game resolution of aura applications (for everything, including Bodyguard, Supremacy, damage dealt, etc) 2) Player expectations being incompatible with "how to play" The first might be able to be mitigated for "death spirals" of henchmen getting clobbered before they have finished animating on summons, but it surely isn't some broad mitigation of "AoE damage"... For example, the henchmen could have a "complete immunity" for a duration equivalent to the animation time... but that would have to be a special sort of immunity that allows them to start benefiting from buffs/auras/Supremacy/fishcakes. I'm not sure this is possible, or if it wouldn't immediately be susceptible to the same complaints we already get. Alternatively... MMs have to adapt their strategies vs content, which is something that almost no other AT must do. Standing toe-to-toe with something that has a base ToHit of 75% means that you had better have the henches at 25% better defenses than they have against even con minions.... or maybe not summon them where they are likely to get hit by AoE. Obviously the content designers have limited tools to make things harder, but considering Destiny Barrier exists... we are almost certainly going to see more auto-hit enemy powers.

I typically delay one of those for a late-build choice... but when I have both I tend to alternate. I don't pay that much attention to the damage cap on my Blasters, FWIW. I pay attention to ToHit bonuses, but those usually go past the point of diminishing returns (or cap, IIRC) if I use both simultaneously.

Kismet is a level 10 set, Blaster's often can take their buildups/aims before they get their snipes. The other choices of sniper sets... kinda suck IMO, and the best of the bunch are much higher than level 10 to slot. I realize it is possible to (at level 10) slot ranged single-target sets, and blaster ATOs in the Snipes too... but Blasters have other attacks (in both primary and secondary to slot those). The Experienced Marksman set has useful bonuses even without slotting the "Fast Snipe"... it's not as if a character is likely to dump all six slots into a sniper attack at level 10, yeesh.

This is a special feature of Snipes. Currently, on HC: "Slow Snipes" have longer range, and base damage is increased by 22%. They are interruptable, and the interrupt time eats into time for other attacks. "Fast Snipes" are not interruptable, have reduced range, but every amount of +ToHit increases the damage of the attack, up to +22% (equivalent of the "Slow") In terms of performance... the nearest equivalent I can think of is the Stalkers' Assassin Strike from Hidden. Those do more damage, but multiple uses of them slows down attack chains, and when used as the opener takes longer. To repeat what I wrote earlier: If a Blaster can take a snipe at low level (e.g. Moonbeam at level 8), slotting the fast snipe piece makes it behave like a 'regular' attack with a predictable cycle time. I find this to be most convenient when I don't want to take both the T1 and T2 blasts to have a regularize attack chain. Personally: I never feel the need to play 'far away blaster' except on certain Master of ____ runs, so I don't plan on opening at Slow Snipe range as most of my attacks are not at that long range. I *do* miss the original (HC) fast Snipe range, because runners. It isn't particularly hard to have a solo level 50 Blaster sitting at/near +22% ToHit. Kismet can get +6, there are Build Ups, Aims, Tactics... and for certain builds (I've done this with Temporal Manipulation) a Build Up like Chronos can be auto-fired every 22ish seconds, with a ~90% of having the Gaussian's %BuildUp proc activate. For Scrappers/Stalkers who get Snipes in an Epic/Patron pool in the 30s... they shouldn't need the snipe for a realistic attack chain... so the Slow snipe (as an option) makes more sense for them IMO. Depending on the primary, those ATs may not have another ranged attack, so Sniper enhancement sets may not even be an optimal choice for them. Blasters usually have lots of different options for various damage enhancement sets, and IMO the Experienced Marksman set offers attractive set bonuses for Blasters.

@Uun identified the ones that I will skip (unless I specifically need one or more set bonuses). Energy Font/Fiery Orb can be cute, but there is almost always a better use for that slot. The best are the Scrapper ATOs, after thos... probably the Stalkers, VEATs and Tankers... but generally they are good. As for set bonuses: I will share one trick relating to Dominator ATOs and set bonuses. I have one (perma)Dominator that already has five +10% recharge bonuses from purple sets, so I use the non-superior Ascendency of the Dominator set to get +8.75, since the superior set's bonus of +10% would be wasted.

I find the Fast Snipe (and range!) enhancement from Experienced Marksman to be a very sneakily good option. It is also the 6th piece, so it isn't by any means necessary... the rest of the set offers good enhancements (including Interrupt times, Recharge) what I like about this piece: There are a few blast sets that get a Snipe at low level, so having the Fast Snipe gives the character a 'regular' attack... I know this can feel like 'but I lost my infini-range attack!', but for most content this isn't really necessary. The Mechanics of the Fast Snipe are such that building for +ToHit (up to +22%) adds damage to the Fast Snipe. We did lose range on the Fast Snipes, but the range enhancement helps to mitigate that. This is the purpose IMO to slot that piece even though in-combat the Snipe powers all become 'fast'. IIRC, +22% damage is what the Slow Snipe does... so a Kismet piece and power choices can have Blasters pretty much almost always at +22% ToHit. I typically don't use Fast Snipe pieces on Scrappers/Stalkers... I like them to have the option for very long range attacks, and when in combat they will always have Fast Snipes anyway (as noted above).