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Stalkers have their own particular pain during escort missions distinct from other ATs because other ATs aren't expected to be Hidden when not attacking. Stalkers with the %Hide ATO can also lose their escorted creature by attacking!

It does still have a "random trigger", but it is based on the current fraction of character Health.

Hide happens to be a very good place to Mule pieces from Defense sets, and it does need to be a toggle or a whole lotta 'escort' content becomes miserable. The Traps secondary (for Masterminds) is bad enough that the T1 and T2 powers ought to be swapped.

Here is a tricky one: The Kismet +Accuracy (really +ToHit) is a unique Global, but it only has an affect if the power it is slotted in is on (as a Toggle, or as an Auto power). Another subtle one: Preventive Medicine %Absorb will activate even if it is slotted in a click power, even if the click power is not being used. I have a minor peeve: referring to Global pieces (specifically the +Defense as well as +Recharge LotG) as procs.

Holy Necro! I have two stalkers, of them The Spines/Bio is a multi-target machine: lvl 12 Spine Burst, which is probably my least favorite multi-target attack on the character lvl 26 Ripper, (a melee cone, but a brutal one) lvl 28 DNA Siphon, a %proc PBAoE lvl 32 Throw Spines, the ranged cone, boosted to 42+ feet also with %proc This character is quite good at helping to grind through "defeat all missions" in x8 SF/TF... to the point where I almost always open up with one of the above attacks without bothering to first identify the 'harder' targets. Since this is an AoE discussion: One of the fun side effects of Stalkers always having Hide toggled on is that the power is a perfectly acceptable place to include the Kismet +Accuracy (really +ToHit) enhancement which allows for slightly more %damage slotting from procs (which tend to work best on AoE attacks).

I found War Mace to be a slog while leveling up, but it greatly improves with global +Recharge bonuses. For my War Mace/Invulnerability build, I ended up with LotG Mules for my last 3 power picks. My build does not use Hasten, but you may want to consider adding it as a temporary stopgap while leveling. (Possibly somewhere between lvl 20 and 30?). Alternatively, you could try to work recharge into the individual attacks. The good news is that Crowd Control (at level 32) is an awesome power when slotted. As with many DPS-dealing AT, I suggest that you have Build Up available as often as possible.

On the Mastermind (MM) sub-forum we've been having a discussion about a variety of topics, and one of the more spirited ones has focused on what is considered to be one of our favorite sports: "beating a dead horse", especially with respect to (my words) "allow the summoned MM henchmen to be automatically upgraded upon summoning". Typically, a MM primary goes like this: lvl 1: T1 henchmen summon lvl 6: first group of henchmen upgrades lvl 12: T2 henchmen summon lvl 26: T3 henchman summon lvl 32: final group of henchmen upgrades Full disclosure: I appreciate what the level 32 upgrades to henchmen bring, at the point they are available in level progression. I level my Masterminds through regular content. I play a lot of door missions and SF/TFs. I'm extremely comfortable with summoning henchmen and upgrading them. I appreciate the "aura" buffing of henchmen; this has been a great quality-of-life improvement. My issue: I don't understand why as MM can summon henchmen (with lvl 12 and lvl 26 powers) and have to apply a lvl 6 power to give those higher level hench the first set of upgrades... i.e. "why don't the high level henchmen already come with the boosts from the lower level power?" My proposal: Bake the first set of henchmen upgrades into all henchmen, and replace the level 6 power with a recharge-intensive pet that provides a buff (of some sort, e.g. +Acc). The buffs could be limited to just the henchmen, if that helps preserve game balance, or it could be team-wide... I'm open on this point as long as it helps the henchmen. Cons (all relating to game balance, IMO): There will be a boost to the performance of the T1 henchmen from levels 1-5. (I assume that all MMs take the lvl 6 power ASAP) There will be a (variable) buff to MM Endurance usage since the MM won't need to cast the upgrade (if henchmen aren't dying, this is practically no buff, if henchmen are constantly dying this could be a bigger deal) Pros: MMs without recharge intensive pets will get a power to slot with the aura Enhancement pieces, freeing up the henchmen to accept enhancements that actually boost their performance directly A "buff" pet can help the henchmen which have trouble hitting/hurting higher-level enemies (because of the level shift), which preserves the concept of the MM having a power which improves the henchmens' performance. The game already has resources for "buff pets" that can be recycled (from P2W prestige powers) There will be one less "rentry graphic reapplying the power boosts" for henchmen who enter door missions.

Heh. I feel the same, and I also make the same recognition that other players feel differently. I also take a different attitude to the Gaussian's %Build Up proc. I prefer to put it under my control in a Build Up power. If you are going to be on larger teams, especially with henchmen/pets, it is better in an aura power... but only if you are buffing the team. VEATs are intended to play this way, so as long as you always play this way, this will help you more. The Guassian's proc is essentially a "selfish" boost, in that in only works for you, so for my team I would prefer to boost the aura power itself via alternate slotting. VEATs will run VERY hot and burn Endurance like crazy. My experience has been that VEATs are one of the AT that I have to make hard choices regarding Endurance choices, more so than other AT.

I checked the patch notes... and why the revamp is fine by me, it seems motivated more by the travel power revamps than anything else. I understand that it looks like there is an effort to balance out travel options... but just like +Travel is a QoL feature that used to be (much more) gated, I don't understand why the gate is still there for the other power pools. The remaining power pools have a mixed approach to the "synergy" between the initial power choices and the gated powers (some are perhaps better than others), so It confuses me as to WHY we have to gate any pool powers behind TWO (or more, if you want BOTH the 4th and 5th power) behind two other choices. I'm not calling for commonly selected pools to be inherent, I'm not calling for Hasten to be nerfed... I know I am asking for an indirect player buff, but I really I would just prefer that all the pools be gated the same way.

It's the "Moment of Glory" combined with the "Defeat All" missions that keep me from running Manticore TF at +4. Not that I wouldn't join such a TF, but I would have to set up a second screen to watch something like the Snyder cut of Justice League to help pass the time.

Citadel +4 should not be a struggle for a TF that is expecting it... it may be LONG, but most exemplared lvl 50 builds should not really have a problem. My experience with the non-AV missions in (lower level) TFs run at higher difficulties is that it is usually the ToHit difficulties and the Control durations that offer the biggest challenges. Synapse at +4 is much worse. Positron 1 & 2 at +4 can be a horror show. As for the OP: I agree that running TFs as advertised, and asking on-the-fly regarding difficulty changes is the way to go. I have a few minor peeves, specific to way a very small number of players approach the Penelope Yin TF, relating to advertised expectations: When advertised as a "defeat all", and in mission one it is revealed that this includes Prison Doors (?!), don't start crying when players start opening all the doors in the final mission. When advertised as a "defeat only what we need to defeat" don't be surprised when groups of freaks are skipped in the first mission.

I also feel like making the call to lift the limit on 4 (Basic) power pool choices to be asking for more power creep, which in turn will fuel more calls to "make the game harder" (even though I rarely see people doing "hard" content like +4 Rularuu). For myself: I have yet to feel the need to chase more than 4 (basic) power pools, because if something in a power pool was *that important* for a specific character concept, I would choose the appropriate AT along with a Primary and a Secondary that matched the concept. The only concept I see folks chasing here is "I want to hit the (soft) caps." I absolutely look at some power pool picks to allow my builds to slot thinks like Global Defense and Recharge pieces, but in my case those choices are always fit into the build (a) if there is room and (b) they are picked after I have the core power set for the AT established. I never start with the concept "I'm going to hit the S/L Resistance cap". YMMV, as I see a lot of builds where this is the goal. An improved QoL change to power pools would be, IMO, to re-examine the number of "predicate" powers necessary to get the 3rd, 4th, and 5th powers in a pool. Being able to immediately select a true travel power (historically, the 3rd power in a travel pool) is a HUGE QoL improvement. The following would make many characters MOAR BETTA, but I'd be happy for: Allowing Tough (Fighting) to be a 1st power pool pick. We can already pick (fast) Travel and +Recharge (Hasten) immediately, why the concern about a toggle for S/L Resistance? Allow Invisibility to be a 1st power pool pick. While I can see a progression from Stealth/Grant Invisibility to Invisibility, the existence of Stealth Enhancements for travel powers makes this moot, IMO. Allow Invoke Panic (Presence Pool) to be a 2nd choice. I love the Presence pool, but no two of the necessary choices (before being able to choose either Invoke Panic or Unrelenting) offer any synergy. (Those choices are a Taunt, a Placate, and/or a single-target Fear).

I'm perfectly happy with 4 pools plus an Epic/Patron. I'm only slightly peeved by the constraints on VEAT/HEAT, but I can accept them. My guess is that if players could pick without the constraints of specific pools, we would end up with: An immediate desire to not be constrained by primary or secondary default choices, Accusations of self-gimping because some folks refuse to pick from more than five pools to make their characters MOAR BETTA

I have no strong opinion on the Beta changes for MMs. My participation in the subsequent divergence was mostly motivated by: I like playing MMs (solo) as I find there are different sorts of challenges in game play. I dislike building MMs as I feel like they are subject to more build constraints than other ATs I am very sympathetic to the purple patch/level shift issues... but I don't play my MMs though such content. My personal interest is in content below level 50, and I think there are handful of (small, subtle) changes that could be made to make the class more fun. The Homecoming team should be congratulated on the changes they have already made on behalf of MMs.

The powers I took on my Mind/Poison, each was taken at the level it was first made available: current order: t1: mesmerize t2: levitate (5 slots) <- 1 of the 5 slots is in the category of "I couldn't think of anywhere else to put it" t3: dominate (6 slots) t4: confuse (6 slots) t5: mass hypnosis (5 slots) t6: telekinesis t7: total domination (6 slots) t8: terrify (6 slots) t9: mass confusion (6 slots) I included how many slots the build uses in each power (at level 50, but the priority was roughly the same while leveling (through normal content, if that matters to anyone). I only added Hasten to the build at level 47 and it is single-slotted; I include this note just to offer some idea that I didn't see the need to prioritize Global Recharge, I didn't find the experience of leveling up to be particularly onerous. I participate in lvl 50+ content with no real surprises (except possibly that this character makes earning the Valet badge from Market Crash reasonably straightforward). I understand the emotional appeal of something like a Psionic Nexus pet... but quite frankly the current progression of powers (in Mind) "feels right" to me. Mass Confusion strikes me as "just right" for a T9 primary; I would be reluctant to see it diminished by moving it to a lower level tier (to make room for a pet). Finally, here are a few more comments: The only part of the powers (that I took) that I really dislike is the application of damage at the end of Levitate. especially since %procs occur at the initial attack! The secondary is Poison, which offers debuffs as well as complimentary controls. YMMV with other secondaries. I specifically built this (concept) character to rely on extra damage from %procs. I don't feel (as an individual player) that Controllers need more damage, but I admit that having taken other Controllers to level 50 I wanted something with a little more "oomph". Again, YMMV.

I'd be thrilled if Unrelenting was as available as often as Rune of Protection (current or planned)... as long as the effects were untouched. I find Unrelenting to be the sort of click-buff that I use as often as possible on my melee/PBAoE characters that take it. The only reason NOT to use it as often as possible is if holding it in reserve for the healing. I suppose from a game balance perspective, it shouldn't be better than a similar primary/secondary Dull Pain (or similar) power. Frankly: Unrelenting is a reasonably powerful utility power gated behind some really unfortunate necessary power pool choices (Pacify and Intimidate). It requires having high Global +Recharge to make best use of right now.

heh. I thought I was being diplomatic by offering to do away with the Level 6 Upgrade (because, well... it make some sense for the T1 hench, but less so T2 and T3) and add some sort of recharge intensive pet: Recharge intensive pets take the MM enhancements that otherwise go to henchmen The game already has recharge intensive pet powers The game already has animations for P2W summons (that happen to be toggles) A 'lil buffer pet would help when the henchmen start to suffer from level shifts. My favorite MM is Robotics. I already skip Repair, I don't put any slots in Equip or Upgrade, my 3 henchmen have to hold onto the diverse aura enhancements, and I only take two of the three direct attacks to grab aggro, get some set bonuses and for some soft controls. It's just that I feel like aside from my own choices on the (rather poor) primary attacks... I honestly don't have much variety in my Primary powers. Two extra powers would be neat. But my compromise (just replace the level 6 power) would at least free me up so that I could consider 5-slotting on of my henchmen powers with a single set. It would also be neat to be able to multi-slot my Gang War as something other than a Mule power for the Aura Enhancements.

The Endurance bar refill from Domination is a wonderful thing. The Endurance struggle is real (while leveling); from my PoV this is one of the foundational reasons for chasing PermaDom. To express my own thought a different way: If I wasn't going to benefit from all the other reasons to have PermaDom, I probably would not be doing enough with the Endurance I'd otherwise be spending.

Yep, that is my exact point of inquiry. Because the upgrades act as a sort of "targeted AoE" it isn't as if there is an easy way to avoid buffing (only some) henchmen... so the necessity (or choice, if you prefer) of applying the L6 upgrade to L12 and L26 henchmen really does seem like a penalty. Minor perhaps, but hard to justify. I can totally accept a MM primary power choice that makes henchmen MOAR BETTER, but having to use TWO primary power picks... and having next-to-no utility from slotting those TWO primary powers... There is an upper limit on how much lemonade we can expect. I can suggest LOTS of things that could be done with those two powers that would risk game balance, but I can also think of some minimal changes that would not. Personally, I don't think baking the L6 upgrade into all the henchmen would be catastrophic to game balance. If the L6 upgrade was replaced with another power... the MM Endurance tax would almost certainly cost more (in the long run) than the cost of applying the 1-time upgrade.... but MM would have more options. Just to close out the circle of my thoughts: Give every henchmen (T1, T2, T3) the 'extra' powers (granted by the Level 6 upgrade) at time of summoning. This is a slight buff to the Level 1 henchmen, but effectively only for the first 5 levels of play. Replace the Level 6 upgrade power with a recharge-intensive pet which provides some boost (perhaps +Acc?) of suitable flavor for the primary... which ought to allow all MM classes the ability to slot the Aura pieces without having to frankenslot every henchmen build just to include them. Keep the Level 32 upgrade as is.

The Presence Pool is one of my favorites, especially for defense-based characters. The gems: Provoke <- A multi-target taunt. It requires a ToHit check, and has a smaller number of targets than Taunt, but it is superior to (single-target) Confront of Scrappers and VEATs IMO. Invoke Panic <- A PBAoE "soft" control, that also allows for some %damage Unrelenting <- If your character has high recharge, this power doubles as both a sort of self-Healing and a Damage boost, in addition to having a self-rez The Mediocre: Intimidate <- A single-target "soft" control loses a LOT of utility as the content scales. I find that it's best utility is for "stacking" with other Fear affects. Without a %contagious Fear proc to slot (similar to %Contagious Confusion), this power doesn't merit the investment in slots. The stinker: Pacify <- Extremely limited circumstances of utility, and doesn't even duplicate the Placate on AT which have a dedicated Placate. I understand why (from the PoV of "pools shouldn't be as good as AT variants) but the Placate mechanic is already pretty bad (for most circumstances) I would allow Pacify to duplicate Placate (for AT with Placate). Having to take two powers before Invoke Panic or Unrelenting. The pool would have a LOT more love IMO if we could pick either Invoke Panic or Unrelenting as the SECOND power pick.

I don't feel strongly about either side of the argument, but here is what looks to be the thinking behind the upgrade powers: By giving the henchmen new abilities, the upgrades mimic the new powers that can be taken by other classes (at appropriate levels) to improve performance at higher-level content. Granting "auto-upgrades" could risk imbalance (at lower levels). Now, even though I don't feel that strongly about the specific arguments back-and-forth about whether or not the upgrades should be automatic, I will repeat my complaint that to me, they feel like boring and wasteful power picks... even as I recognize that without the upgrades (in the current game) the henchmen would be rather pathetic. There is another peculiarity (beyond the fact that slotting the upgrade powers is near-pointless): Why is the level 6 upgrade necessary for the level 12 and level 26 henchmen?

Oddball "upgrade" Power suggestion for spitballing: The First Upgrade gives all of the new powers, to pets of each tier. The Second Upgrade supercharges individual pets, but ends up destroying them after 90 seconds, forcing a resummon/upgrade of that pet.

Widows are GREAT, but I won't recommend as a "first" character for a couple of reasons: They eventually are forced to respec, and that respec will be confusing if you can't foresee what the new power choices will bring They burn a LOT of Endurance at low levels (few slots, many attacks and toggles) For learning the game (or enemy types) I think a non-DPS AT is a good choice. It will be slow to level up, but that is no sin! There is no better way to understand how different powers work against different enemies than simply taking solo missions. Any of my characters will help out other players on missions, and I know I am not the only player that feels this way.

FWIW: I did use a second build on my Bots/Traps MM as a "Boy and his Big Robot", i.e. a 1-pet only MM. This allowed me to slot the aura pieces elsewhere. The result was... disappointing.

If the Robots are ALSO trying to slot for Knockdown, that's another "tax" on the henchmen. Personally, I'm ok with opting to "burn" one slot on each henchmen for KB->KD, but also trying to fit the aura pieces in... well, lets just say that there doesn't end up being a lot of room for that much more actual enhancement of the henchmen.