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Here's the things: Why should players have to wait until level 47 until they can slot their henchmen? Masterminds are one of the few AT where I find myself putting all my slots (as I level) into the summons powers without even considering slotting other powers. I'm aware of the different HOs, but often there are other features that Henchmen can be slotted for than just acc/dam There are set bonuses that can benefit the MM that won't be had with 3 HO and 3 %procs.

The two big ones are related to build-crafting: Primaries that don't have a recharge intensive pet require us to burn precious slots for the henchmen global pieces. The first upgrade power comes before the summons for the second and third tier henchmen... which make ZERO sense. Just give all the henchmen the first upgrade powers automatically. I would also like to see color customization (at least) of the henchmen.

Maybe this is what was meant as a marginal gain, but I always thought that the primary appeal of the End/Move HOs was that it avoided making the choice between slotting for either Run speed or Flight speed in Swift. (For "Sprint", I just leverage the Prestige options to have different one-slot-wonders)

I have this as a Blaster build, and it is a lot of fun. If there is a reason I haven't taken that character to lvl 50, it's because the dog doesn't like "firecrackers".

I can't offer any advice on the specific combos you listed, but I have some general advice for x8+4 or x8+4: The relative level shifts will likely mean that you will require (global) +Accuracy (and, if possible +ToHit) bonuses, which can work against the general advice of trying to fit as many %proc as possible. You will also need to be sensitive to your defenses against boosted enemies. There really is no secret to doing this, but I don't typically see forum builds advertising power choices or set bonuses for "Accuracy/To Hit" like I do for Defense/Resistances. If you are running a character with Incarnates, obviously these are easier to address... below a certain level, and you will struggle more. It may be possible to leverage a combo of primary/secondary that also provides (AoE) debuffs that can effectively increase your defenses (-ToHit) and/or DPS (-Resistance) so that solo x8 against large spawns is smoother than simply trying to go for MOAR DPS.

As was written above, the Uncommon salvage market is the 'most vulnerable' one, as we saw in the past... but the vulnerability (such as it is) requires a lot of attention and (from my casual observation of last time) is to first order just a mechanism of turning Inf into Misery. This is not to say that it wouldn't be possible for an individual trying to exploit the vulnerability to profit, just that there are so many better avenues to pursue that would require much less (Auction House) time and effort. The Uncommon salvage market is 'vulnerable' because of a couple of factors: The relative differences in the drop rates for common / uncommon / rare salvage The two-orders-of-magnitude difference between the seed price and typical AH price The need for uncommon salvage for low-value, low cost uncommon Enhancement recipes, which is an element of a common AH marketing strategy

From memory, the Blue Corporate Culture arc (which has nothing to do with chemical pollution) are the sets of missions that most bluntly tie Crey Corp with other groups found in the CF zone, and typically has several missions in that zone. Like many arcs of its era, it will send the player(s) to several other zones as well. I have a small appreciation for the original Hazard Zones, but I always longed for some content that would better explain what is going on in them. Faultline is the obvious "best in class" example of a reworked original zone with not just its series of arcs but also a TF that ends up finishing in the zone. Boomtown at least has a spawnable GM,plus a random GM but otherwise there is no real story there (a few new missions not withstanding). Terra Volta remains a waste, and Eden is just a waypoint to more interesting content. I miss old Dark Astoria, but if the devs were going to sacrifice a zone to Incarnate content that was a better choice than Perez Park, IMO.

Oh to be clear, I barely even market. I haven't even spent that much time in-game the last few months. It's been at least a year since I did anything that most of us would consider "marketeering". The niches I noticed looking "odd" were because: I was playing around with 2nd or 3rd builds, and who wants to spend all that time on the test server?! I check the AH before I pull/craft/spin pieces for new builds. After a play session, there are certain enhancement drops I will always craft/spin... and the Miracle set is one that I always check.

I want to thank you for admitting that you were behind this peculiar part of the market; I'd noticed the oddness for this unique some time ago and simply ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . You didn't stop all my sales, but I feel like you got in the way of many. I don't work in specific niches, so it is not as if concentrating on this enhancement had major effect on me. I believe there is similar activity happening in a few other areas as well... although I am mostly out of the market myself, I still drop certain things there.

There was a player on Torchbearer who used the names of Pink Floyd cuts for his characters (I sussed him out when I met "Your Possible Pasts"); I'm sure he wouldn't mind you using Seamus as the name of one of the (howling) canines. If you are having trouble coming up with names for the felines, there is always Kitty Purry. My poor henchmen remain nameless, but I get a kick out of seeing what other players name theirs. I offer no real opinion except that for macro reasons you many want each of their names to start with a different letter.

Put %damage procs in mass confusion, and you will get credit (including drop chances) from any foe that is damaged with the %damage. While they fight each other, hit 'em with an AoE. Here is my Mind/Poison build. Any empty slots are %procs that aren't in Hero Designer. Hero Plan by Hero Hero Designer 2.23 https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer Level 50 Technology Controller Primary Power Set: Mind Control Secondary Power Set: Poison Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Concealment Power Pool: Sorcery Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Primal Forces Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Levitate -- GldJvl-Acc/Dmg:50(A), GldJvl-Dam/End/Rech:50(3), GldJvl-Dam%:50(3), Dcm-Build%:40(5), ExpStr-Dam%:20(5) Level 1: Alkaloid -- Mrc-Rcvry+:40(A) Level 2: Dominate -- HO:Nucle(A), HO:Perox(7), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%:50(7), NrnSht-Dam%:30(9), GldNet-Dam%:50(9), Apc-Dam%:50(11) Level 4: Envenom -- AchHee-ResDeb%:20(A), TchofLadG-%Dam:50(13), ShlBrk-%Dam:30(13), ShlBrk-DefDeb:30(15), ShlBrk-Acc/DefDeb:30(15), ShlBrk-DefDeb/EndRdx/Rchg:30(17) Level 6: Confuse -- CrcPrs-Conf:50(A), CrcPrs-Conf/Rchg:50(17), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg:50(19), CrcPrs-Acc/Rchg:50(19), CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx:50(21), CrcPrs-Conf%:50(21) Level 8: Mass Hypnosis -- FrtHyp-Acc/Rchg:50(A), FrtHyp-Sleep/EndRdx:50(23), FrtHyp-Sleep/Rchg:50(23), FrtHyp-Acc/Sleep/Rchg:50(25), FrtHyp-Plct%:50(25) Level 10: Kick -- FrcFdb-Rechg%:50(A) Level 12: Grant Invisibility -- ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP:50(A), LucoftheG-Rchg+:50(27) Level 14: Mystic Flight -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB:50(A), BlsoftheZ-Travel:50(27), BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx:50(29) Level 16: Elixir of Life -- GldArm-3defTpProc:50(A) Level 18: Total Domination -- SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear:50(A), SprWiloft-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg:50(29), SprWiloft-EndRdx/Rchg:50(31), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx:50(31), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg:50(31), SprWiloft-Rchg/Dmg%:50(33) Level 20: Tough -- UnbGrd-Max HP%:50(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx:50(50) Level 22: Stealth -- LucoftheG-Rchg+:50(A) Level 24: Spirit Ward -- Prv-Absorb%:50(A) Level 26: Terrify -- HO:Centri(A), HO:Centri(33), PstBls-Dam%:50(33), Empty(34), GlmoftheA-Dam%:50(34), JvlVll-Dam%:50(34) Level 28: Paralytic Poison -- GhsWdwEmb-Dam%:30(A), NrnSht-Dam%:30(36), UnbCns-Dam%:50(36), GldNet-Acc/Hold:50(36), GldNet-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold:50(37), GldNet-Dam%:50(50) Level 30: Weave -- LucoftheG-Rchg+:50(A), Rct-ResDam%:50(37), Rct-Def:50(37), Rct-Def/EndRdx:50(39) Level 32: Mass Confusion -- MlsIll-Dam%:50(A), Ccp-Dam%:30(39), SprOvrPrs-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear:50(39), SprOvrPrs-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg:50(40), SprOvrPrs-EndRdx/Rchg:50(40), SprOvrPrs-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx:50(40) Level 35: Poison Trap -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx:50(42), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(42), Arm-Acc/Rchg:50(42), Arm-Dam%:50(43), GldNet-Dam%:50(43) Level 38: Power Blast -- Apc-Dmg:50(A), Apc-Dmg/Rchg:50(43), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(45), Apc-Acc/Rchg:50(45), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx:50(45), GldJvl-Dam%:50(46) Level 41: Energy Torrent -- HO:Centri(A), HO:Centri(46), PstBls-Dam%:50(46), Empty(48), JvlVll-Dam%:50(48), ExpStr-Dam%:20(48) Level 44: Rune of Protection -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(A) Level 47: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A) Level 49: Temp Invulnerability -- Ags-Psi/Status:50(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Containment Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- UnbLea-Stlth:50(A) Level 2: Rest -- IntRdx-I:50(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Run-I:50(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End:50(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%:50(A), EndMod-I:50(11), Empty(50) ------------

I should add this: I have logged quite a lot of Fortunata time without the Fighting Pool. Obviously the "core identity" of the ATs are different, but in practical terms for much of the game's content I'm not sweating having only 5% - 12% resistances (Toxic/E/N/S/L)... F/C/Psi are much higher. I don't do anything peculiar with the favorite Fortunata build, except that I'll use Unrelenting as often as possible (every 204 - 219 seconds). I'd like to fit the Power Transfer %Heal into the build, but the build is starved for slots as is.

AFAIK, the Preventive Medicine +Absorb %proc has the same chance to trigger even if the power it is slotted in is never clicked (or toggled on). I don't play SR tanks, so I can't say if there is a better place for that piece/set, and I don't know how +Absorb factors into this particular discussion for SR tanks.

While the Baseball Bat weapon skin exists, the War Mace swings are IMO far less "Baseball" than the Invulnerability secondary....as far as flavor goes. YMMV. I don't mean to yuck-in-the-yum, but be prepared for somewhat slow/clumsy attack chains without Recharge.

At the start of my Controller's careers (I solo almost all my characters, even forgoing "Death from Below" buffs at times): P2W temp powers, the 5 special enhancements are acquired and ready to be slotted. I like Plasmatic Taser and Hand Grenade. Controller damage from the P2W attacks is still terrible, but it helps smooth out what would be an otherwise boring experience at low levels. Some cost Inf, many are free. Containment goes a long way, although it is hard to recognize at low levels... between focusing fire with single-target attacks, and few slots in powers. This is just one of those things you have to pick up on. Others have mentioned %damage procs in attacks. They work especially well in AoE (I prefer them in Cones). By level 26, most Controllers will have at least one AoE that will serve (with %damage) as a combo control/damage power. I picked 26, because that is when Mind gets Terrify.... but this is still a relatively low level for the game, and an offensive AoE goes a LONG way. Inspirations. My experience with Controllers has been that enemy mez/control is the most likely thing to ruin a Controller's experience, followed by -ToHit (or -Accuracy) debuffs. While leveling, Break Free and Insight are the ones I have found to be the most useful. Insights become less important after serious slotting, but when facing Circle of Thorns through low-to-middling levels those little yellow yummies make a difference. There are temporary powers that allow you to summon pets to both debuff and do damage to enemies. Shivans are can be reloaded, The Snowmen are available from Winter time, and there are others that crop up through arc missions. Earning Shivans is harder as a Controller, because of the DPS and the need to defeat 8 turrets in a relatively short period of time, but it is not impossible. I feel like my solo Controllers have used Shivans (and Envenomed Daggers) against many EB/AV.

I don't play Brutes, but when I converted a concept for an Inv/War mace Tank into a War Mace/Inv scrapper, my attitudes were: Trying to grab/hold aggro was off the table (probably not the case for da Broot), so I worried less about maximizing Resistances and Defenses. Global Recharge was MUCH more important on the Scrapper than for a Tank, so LotG and set bonuses for +Recharge were more important for performance. I should note (if it is not obvious from the WM primary) this is not a farming character.

My (previously unwritten in this thread) opinions haven't changed. Robotics is a strong primary albeit with two things working against it: It does NOT offer a "Recharge Intensive Pet" that can take the global pieces to buff the henchmen The Knockback (especially from the henchmen) makes it difficult to apply debuffs/AoE to enemies (and costs an additional slot to turn into Knockdown) Any secondary that can work around (or support) these aspects of the Bots, specifically keeping enemies somewhat tightly grouped, should be very good. I have experience with /Traps, which can keep enemies together, debuff them, and offers an easy Defense buff for the henchman (FFG). I'm don't like to advocate a Mastermind spamming their own attacks, but Robotics/Traps offers lots of opportunity to have attacks/pseudopets with %-Resistance and Knockdown. I haven't played Robotics/Dark on Homecoming, but on Live it was also a very good combination for reasons similar to Traps. The one aspect of /Dark that I suspect held a lot of appeal on Live is that the mandatory first pick of the secondary (Twilight Grasp) is one of the better "utility" powers to be stuck with on a build. It's no Infrigidate (in terms of %procs) but with the active heal and the single-target debuffs it is a great T1 power. Keep in mind that MMs pay a heavy Endurance tax on just about everything they do, so spamming anything has to take the Endurance costs into account. The one Mastermind opinion of mine that I'll finish with: The henchmen are critical to MM performance, but only to a certain point... I don't sweat trying to keep the robotic Henchmen alive as much as I try to make sure they are doing as much damage as possible. They will pool their Health with the MM (important!), but their damage output is quite a slow grind... try running a mission with only 1 tier of robotic henchmen to see how much of a slog it is... the point I am trying to make is that I don't feel that any secondary for Robotics should be focused only on reinforcing, healing, or buffing the henchmen... and that in order to get the most offense out of them the MM has to be doing something to debuff enemies as well.

For your first VEAT, I suggest the following: leveling through normal content have just enough attacks so that missions are not a slog try to pick all the different non-attacks run with and without toggles IMO, this is the most straightforward way to see first-hand how Endurance costs affects your build and you will get a sense for what all the different powers affect playstyle. If you are really having Endurance issues, it is entirely possible that you are using Hasten "too soon" in your leveling. There certainly can be reasons to want Hasten on a VEAT (Mind Link is probably #1, AoE %damage attacks are probably #2) but you don't really need it... and until you have lots of set bonuses as well as excellent -Endurance in attacks (and other powers) it is simply an Endurance tax trap. I agree that Widows/Fortunata can see Endurance issues without Hasten, but Hasten (plus button mashing) and Sprint are usually the top culprits for draining the blue bar. Respecs are plentiful: I don't think you will end up keeping all the powers you experiment with, but seeing how each works will give you a deeper appreciation for what your build(s) could do.

Why.... that's like 4π!

Some late comments agreeing that Invulnerability being a nice, easy primary that can be made excellent for almost all content... and is simply great for the rest of the content it isn't excellent at. Invulnerability doesn't need many slots in the primary. Ignoring set bonuses and/or globals... while leveling, Endurance reductions in the toggles is pretty much all you need. Having slots for the attacks (Accuracy and Endurance) goes a LONG way. Depending on enemy factions, Inv tankers may not even need certain toggles... maximum Endurance savings! There are only a few instances of EXTREME game content where "perma Dull Pain" would ever come close to being necessary. There are some nice 5/6 slot set bonuses to put in it of course! Now some sour: War Mace. I had a concept that I liked and I considered Invulnerability / War Mace... but I couldn't bear to having such slow attacks (and so few to start!) for so much of the content (I also level up characters by standard game content)... so I used it as a War Mace / Invulnerability scrapper instead. No regrets on this choice, as Invulnerability as a secondary still is very effective. The only thing *I* really miss for that character is the aggro control. As was written above, with enough global +Recharge, War Mace becomes much smoother... in my experience it is one of the offensive sets that sees the biggest jumps in performance once the Superior sets become available for use.