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I want to say that perma-Domination requires something like 122.5%; I always shoot for 123%. This is of course assuming that enemies aren't hitting the character with -Recharge. Mileage varies on what follows. I have built Dominators using different methods (and combinations) of hitting Perma-Dom: Purely via global +Recharge from Enhancement slotting Relying on Hasten Relying on Force Feedback %+Recharge I have enjoyed playing Dominators the most when I didn't need either (2) or (3). A side effect of Hasten (beyond the simple practical consideration of trying to juggle multiple 'perma' powers) that I dislike is its extra Endurance cost... both upon expiry and because of MOAR button-mashing... as my Dominators walk on the knife's edge of spending blue and getting blue bar refills via Domination. In almost all cases where (1) is all I need, I will still usually add Hasten to the build for (a) Emergencies and/or (b) really long recharge-time powers. Nobody likes finding their Domination expired because of a bunch of slows, only to become vulnerable to mezzes they have been shrugging off... with an empty blue bar.

Present! I won't argue against a Bonfire with Knockdown, but for me it's all about Rise of the Phoenix getting my Blapper back in the fight.

Some things to consider: I pretty much only use Group Fly to travel and while sweeping on my way to somewhere else. Robotics are ranged-attack henchmen. Flying doesn't really hurt them. I almost always turn off Group Fly during fights, but it doesn't hurt traps any more than Hover. This is a non-consideration. It's trivial to 'x' on most maps to get to 'ground level' if that is what is bothering you. This is NOT a stay at range build. The MM is always toe-to-toe with enemies. I usually don't bother toggling on Tough. I spent quite some time experimenting with different options for that last slot in Poison Trap, including Lockdown %+2 Mag(*1). I would go into large spawns of even-con mobs to see just how often the %proc would fire, and with what radius. I came to the conclusion that neither the radius (and this is a 'set bomb', and not a 'target AoE') nor the %damage was really worth it when compared to getting 100+ HP of Absorb... as I always try to keep the bots on Bodyguard. The recharge time on the Poison Trap simply doesn't make sense (for me) to try to eek an extra 70 HP of damage against (some) enemies. Keep in mind: it's really the -Regen I want against hard targets. The hold is nice but the Henchmen are faster at cleaning up than the little bit of extra damage I could try to eek out. Not to mention, the Entomb piece is also contributing to the Recharge time of the power. (*1) This %proc makes it trivial to see which enemies are actually hit by the %proc, which is easier IMO to estimate relative performance than pouring over the combat logs. I have no performance issues with this build. I typically run into other Robotics/Traps MMs while sweeping GMs, and from my PoV it is faster at solo defeating GMs (including Caleb, who it can fly after) than the other MMs.. It also appears to be faster at defeating GMs than other (primary/secondary) MM builds I regularly see, with the potential exception of Jurassik... because resistances... (and maybe the Goliath War Walker... but I have to bring out the Lores to finish that one off solo). It 'farms' just fine, I never worry about what enemies I'll be facing. IMO: The only thing that the 3-bot build is missing from a tactical PoV is Web Grenade to immobilize single targets. I hated that (for most of the game's history) I had to take it, it's a power that is nigh-useless in +95% of the content. There are times when it could be useful, but frankly all the other powers play a more important role in the build. I have toyed around with the idea of replacing Mace Beam Volley with Web Envelope, but I dislike the smaller number of targets, shorter range, and slotting options. The (AoE) attacks are one of the ways I grab aggro with the MM itself. The Knockdown as a soft control suits me just fine. Defensively, the only thing aspect of the build that annoys me is that it is susceptible to (long) mezzes. In PvE content, the capped defenses (and henchmen getting some aggro) generally mean that this is not an all-the-time problem... but every once in a while a long-duration Stun (Malta) will land, or a Fear (Jack in Irons)... and it is a little embarrassing when something like a Paladin or Babbage lands a Sleep but can't land another attack to break it.

IMO these are the key consideration for almost all short-duration non-damage-dealing %procs in attacks. Examples include %-Resistance, %BuildUp as well as %+Recharge *gasp*. It's one thing for me to add a %proc piece as part of a set that was otherwise going to be slotted, but if that franken-slot isn't contributing as a %proc in any meaningful way... I'm sure I have some other power that can use the slot.

I've been pretty liberal posting my builds. I'll admit that since I don't use MIDS (or similar) I'm mostly turned off by folks just wanting to "do comparisons". I mean: I made my build why do I need to put it in a format easy for someone else unwilling to simply copy it into their program of choice? My standard 3-bots build (page 5): A single-bot build (page 5, IIRC):

The Kismet +6% ToHit is a lifesaver for a lot of content. It is especially useful while leveling up.

For MM secondaries with some sort of healing that can be applied to the bots (or allies!) Recharge on Maintenance Drone is probably not that important. I can attest that for my Robotics/Traps... I think it is somewhat important (in a final build), for a few reasons: The Maintenance Drone sticks with the MM, even if the henchmen are positioned elsewhere. The Maintenance Drone seems to be taking damage at a higher rate than the MM... I suppose due to AoE, but it does appear to sometimes get aggro. The Maintenance Drone is a fire-and-forget power for the MM. As soon as a henchmen takes enough damage, the drone does its thing... without being directed to do so. Generally, my Robotics/Traps relies on Incarnate-level Defense soft-caps with a modicum of Resistance, plus Bodyguard mode. I often run into enemies that debuff defenses and/or mezz the MM... so the henchmen start taking more damage than I'd prefer. TL;DR: There are often times when I stray into combat where I end up having to respawn the Maintenance Drone more often than I'd like.

I take travel powers on approximately 19-out-of-20(*) characters. 1) It feels more like a comic-book world with an actual travel power. YMMV 2) I can slot them both as mules and for Enhancements (boosted or attuned, depending on the character). 3) The travel powers generally are pre-reqs for another power I want. 4) I like to get to the mission door ASAP. I always supplement my non-fliers with a temporary Flight power. I also get the Jump Pack for extra flight boosts. Some examples of characters where I did NOT take a "travel" power: The page 5 power pick placements made it very uncomfortable for me to fit in a travel power pick, so I simply passed. (not sure this counts) I have used the revamped Concealment pool to use Infiltration as a travel power as I was going to use several other powers in Concealment to mule LotG +Recharge anyway. I also used Infiltration to mule the Kismet +ToHit as early as possible in that build.

Definitely get a dedicated video card. This is pretty much the one piece of hardware that will keep a "gaming" machine viable fr long periods of time (*1). Don't bother over-clocking. "Solid State" storage will improve performance/load times. I like to have multiple drives, one for the OS and one for "everything else." When I am really motivated, I put an OS partition on each SSD so that should their be a catastrophic failure of one system drive I can do a quick swap and have the machine up and running ASAP. If building a machine, don't get a power supply that is close to the (upper) edge of what you need. It is good to have some headroom in the power supply, typically because when you replace devices (e.g. video cards) they will usually want MOAR, and if you add devices they will also add to the power budget. Typically this advice is only good for desktops, with laptops the options are much more limited. (*1)This is not an effort to (re)ignite a video card war, but I have sworn off of AMD video cards. I can believe that there exist people that bought and used a single AMD video card without any trouble, I ended up burning through two different AMDs in a relatively short period of time. In addition to the rather short lifetime I found that I had very little control over what the cards were doing (in terms of power consumption, fan speeds, voltage levels) and it seemed as if the drivers and ancillary software were both contributing to my issues and getting in the way of me doing anything about those issues. I'm sticking with Nvidia, no matter the price point.

I definitely agree: my Dark Blaster plays differently than my other Blasters. Despite having taken the melee powers, I find myself rarely engaging in close quarters. This is the character that I miss the original (for Homecoming, Fast) Snipe ranges the most... the longer-range (fast) Moonbeam paired nicely with Umbral Torrent for drawing the attention/hitting enemies at distance (including runners). I usually don't recommend %damage in Blasters, but I felt like fooling around. Originally I did not have Tenebrous Tentacles in the build... then started playing with them at higher levels, and with page 5 forcing some other changes I decided to go with them. I went with Dark/Temporal. I'm not sure it is the most creative, The one thing I like about this build is that Chronos is on fast timer, with a very high %Build Up chance, even without Hasten. 5-Slotting Arcane Bolt is a choice based on the concept as well as the set bonus. I could probably consider reworking this as a Corruptor...

10 minutes is my average, across AT, for just 'blowing through' it. The slowest ATs are probably Masterminds. My point is: It's a viable farm that also has incarnate rewards. It also offers defeats for badges, if that is part of the jam.

At level 50+, I rather like running through the Heather Townshend Dark Astoria arc at x8 (at 'even' enemy levels). Clear times vary per character... but these four missions don't require clearing... typically I find that it is usually between 30-40 minutes to clear all of the maps. This is slower than AE farming, but you can get a couple of Empyrian merits out of the effort. I try to keep the levels 'even' because of drop rates. Two runs is usually 'about right' to get a level 50 PVP or Purple recipe drop.

In the context of 'solonly', I disagree (with caveats). If nothing else, the other AoE mez powers are typically much better at helping clear maps, because of %damage. As I implied in the linked post... Mass Hypnosis is pretty much a contingency power (in solo, on teams) for use when things go pear-shaped. A well-slotted Terrify (also from Mind Control) is IMO a far better power to use whenever it is available.

I'm with @Supertanker. I don't use Mass Hypnosis very often on my Mind/Poison Controller, until: I'm on a team that is missing a LOT of attacks, I'm suddenly drawing a LOT of aggro It is mostly true that (2) isn't that much of an issue... up until a second spawn has its attention drawn to me! The first condition is (in my experience) rather common. All it takes is running x8 missions at a higher level of difficulty(*1), and/or "splitting the party". I don't a priori object to players on a team splitting up, this circumstance is most problematic when players are not entirely sensitive to the capabilities of teammates. If everyone is hitting with their attacks/controls... an AoE Sleep is far from optimal. If a majority of players are making and missing attacks... it can be a godsend. (*1) For example: that first room on a Frostfire mission with a +4x8 setting.

I don't have any Radiation Blast blasters, but it is a set I use on other AT. I do have an /Atomic Manipulation Blaster, so perhaps these nuggets of experience will help: For Atomic Manipulation, I took every power in the secondary except Electron Shackles (I don't like single-target Immobilization, except in corner cases) and Positron Cell (same reasoning, but for single-target Holds on a DPS character). My picks/slotting for /Atomic. The melee attacks offer the chance to lean into a wider variety of Enhancement sets/bonuses. YMMV. Atomic Manipulation is a solid Melee set. Some caveats: It may not pair very well with Radiation Blast across all levels. I work the melee attacks into my attack chain, using Combat Teleport to position/reposition myself between range & melee. Melee/PBAoE means you have to make the character able to 'hang' in melee. Atomic Manipulation isn't for a "Range/Hover" type of play style.... unless perhaps the powers I skipped were taken instead of the melee powers. You are (more-or-less) going all-in on Energy damage. I don't recommend trying to build only for %damage on DPS characters, except for the no/low-damage AoE powers. %damage as part of a Enhancement set is fine by me. It is necessary to one-two (negatrons/positrons) with Atomic Manipulation powers to get the Gamma Burst effect. IIRC the only way my choices can get the Gamma Burst are via the Negatron Slam and Positronic Fist combination... so I don't see it at lower levels. I can't say that I miss not having it across all content. If you want it earlier, you have to take Positron Cell. Ionize is IMO a GREAT build-up power. I typically prefer the secondary "Build Ups" to those in the Primaries, although I often add the Primary ones to the builds at much later levels. I wasn't originally sold on Radioactive Cloud, but once I found myself in melee combat (at least half of the time) I saw how useful it was, especially on x8 content. With Radiation Burst in the primary, the Atom Smasher attack from the secondary may not be necessary... or the two powers could be tag-teamed. The animation time on Atom Smasher is painfully long IMO. On my build Atom Smasher is the attack I use the least; I use it primarily when I am dog-piled and haven't yet selected the specific target I want to focus on.

I have a Shield Defense Tanker (and love how it plays, and don't have any disagreements with the assessment), but it isn't as good a 'meat shield' across all content as my Invulnerability Tanker. As noted, I think it is the difference in max Health/HP/Healing (in addition to the spectrum of resistances) that gives the edge to Invulnerability. Pretty much all Tanker primaries can be made really Tuff (see also Bio). The main difference I see in my play style between Invulnerability and Shield Defense is that I have to play my Shield Defense (/Battle Axe) Tanker such that I am having to pay a LOT more attention to the positioning of both enemy mobs and teammates... which leads to more of what I suppose could be called 'kiting' with the Shield Tanker, but otherwise I don't consider 'kiting' to be a Tanker play style. The Tank ought to be able to toss a Taunt at any group at a distance they would engage with (modulo range and direct lines-of-sight for BAMF). I don't mean to imply that I slack when I play the Invulnerability Tanker... it is more that it feels like it is easier to 'sweep and keep' enemy aggro easier with it.

I pretty much agree with @SwitchFade. Invulnerability (all by itself) goes pretty far. Power pools are useful for 'turning it up'. If the focus is on being a 'meat shield', i think the secondary comes in by making sure you are getting the attention of as many mobs as possible... via Taunting and hitting (accurately and repeatedly)..

See Health Regeneration. From memory: Every player gets (Total Health ÷ 20) healing per tick. The time between ticks is (12 seconds ÷ Regeneration rate) Obviously, a player needs to have taken damage for this sort of Healing to mean anything. For my way of thinking... unless the character has a high base Health (Tanker, Brute), or is otherwise not even trying to have Defenses or Resistances, chasing more Regeneration (beyond what players get from the base Health (40%?) isn't likely to be particularly noticeable... as opposed to Endurance/Recovery, since toggles and clicks have an Endurance cost. Tankers/Brutes start with more HP and so getting it back with shorter ticks allows them to keep 'spending' Health. Any character that is considering increasing Regeneration as a viable strategy to avoid defeats should probably consider slotting the Reactive Defenses: Scaling Damage Resistance piece first, because it will further add to the base resistances while the character is not at full Health.

The only other unusual thing I noticed in the market recently was that Converters had been sitting relatively high (my opinion) and then fell back to a price that looked as if they were being dumped at a higher rate than they had been (just previously) bought at. I usually start to dump uncommon salvage when the individual stacks in a character's personal inventory get close to '10'... otherwise I'm generally using them to craft (recipes, or SG buffs). I do have an alternate strategy... keep reading. I notice the jump in prices, so I switched to... Pulling the yellow salvage I had sitting in personal vault space or in the AH and dumping it on the market. The alternate strategy is to slowly build up these stacks for times when folks go cuckoo for yellow. It's peanuts, but I like to imagine that there is either: a single 'returning' (from live) player that has some crazy scheme to corner the market, after they've built their first full-kit farmer natch', or a relative newbie trying to follow a market guide and has decided now is the time to get their BInf ASAP via crafting uncommons.

Welcome to the Procity of Heroes! Imagine what the vocabulary would be like if instead of Lord of the Rings it had been the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant!

I'll offer a minority viewpoint of (perhaps) no relevance for the Fire primary: My "Mystical Blaster" used the Sorcery pool as follows (page 5): Level 4: Mystic Flight (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points) (*) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance Level 12: Arcane Bolt (A) Apocalypse - Damage: Level 50+5 (*) Apocalypse - Damage/Recharge: Level 50 (*) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge: Level 50 (*) Apocalypse - Damage/Endurance: Level 50+5 (*) Apocalypse - Chance of Damage (Negative): Level 50 Level 24: Rune of Protection (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3% I landed on this because (A) I wanted Rune of Protection somewhat early in the build and (B) I didn't have enough power picks to get everything I wanted (mostly in terms of powers to mule Enhancements). The DPA on Arcane Bolt isn't great... but it isn't terrible. I ended up using it as a place to 5-slot a Very Rare set. Because of my choices I was going to end up with a gap in attack chain or have some other sort of performance gap across a lot of content. For this character: level 24 is when I wanted Rune of Protection, often my builds that take it get it somewhat later. To be honest: unless my character looks like some sort of magic user, the Arcane Bolt animation kills the immersion for me. This guy leaned hard into the mystic aspect which made the above choices easier.

Even though I think it is a mundane option, when I want an actual power for a squishy's mezz protection I lean into the Sorcery pool for Rune of Protection. I'm not crazy about burning a couple of pool powers to get it unlocked, but there are reasonable precursor mule powers, and Arcane Bolt isn't a terrible single-target attack for Controllers... although I prefer other pool power attacks. Often with Controllers I simply don't sweat the risk of enemy mezz and try to have a column of "Break Free" Inspirations on stand-by. Also keep in mind that the temporary SG base buffs (mezz resistance) can be crafted with some salvage... this isn't the same as protection of course.