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Slotting the Robotic Henchmen does feel like a calculus assignment! Supremacy only goes so far in helping the (especially lower-tier) henches in non-Incarnate content, and as noted if Endurance slotting is ignored, the henches will end up standing around not fighting. I know the game offers some ways to mitigate inferior Endurance Reduction slotting, but the henches perform best when they don't require micro-management and TLC. I also feel that MMs got a little bit of a raw deal with the ATOs, since they can only be slotted in the Henchmen powers (and for primaries with a pet summons, plus the extremely limited number of secondaries that offer a single power). I don't think any other AT ends up being so severely limited in terms of choice of where to possibly slot their ATOs. I understand that aside from "Universal Damage" there aren't really that many choices of sets for henchmen that can boost Accuracy, Damage, and Endurance Reduction... yet I feel like if I could slot some of the MM ATO pieces in primary attacks, or even pseudo pets I could not just improve the performance of the MMs but have some more variety in my builds too.

I usually only 2-slot Alpha Barrier. (Ribsomes) I see the bonuses you are going for, but I think the slots could be better used elsewhere. I usually 4-slot Gamma Boost. The more Health is smart, but this is where I drop a Power Transfer %Heal and 2x Numina (+Recovery/+Regen, Heal) for extra healing on this resistance-based primary. IMO no Tanker should be missing a Power Transfer %Heal piece. I tend to skimp on slots in Fallout Shelter, treating it very much like a mule (for SteadFast Protection). It has relatively meager base values for enhancing IMO. Radiation Therapy shouldn't need a Theft of Essence +End piece in it. I put the Gauntleted Fist Recharge/%Absorb in it, and two pieces of Touch of the Nictus (Heal/Recharge, %Negative) for the HP bonus. I wouldn't bother with an Achilles' Heel %-Res in Beta Decay; I'd just slot am Enzyme (Endurance Reduction, -ToHit, -Def). You shouldn't need the Endurance Reduction, but I think this sort of piece is the only option to boost both of Beta Decay's enemy-affecting properties. I have only a couple minor notes on Ground Zero: I use 2x (boosted) Fury of the Gladiator in it (Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge, Damage/Recharge). The Eradication %damage is Energy, the same type as Ground Zero itself, I usually opt for off-type %damage when I have the opportunity. I don't sweat adding %Lethal or %Smashing to an Energy-damage attack. Weave looks to be overslotted to chase a bonus, Meltdown appears seriously underslotted. Meltdown is a high-grade T9. I happen to have it 4-slotted with (boosted) Gladiator's Armor, not for set bonuses but for the global and maximum recharge. As for the rest, the only specific suggestions are: I would franken-slot/boost Rage for as much Recharge as you can get out of the three slots, or just use two slots with (boosted) IOs. Even more ToHit isn't nothing, of course... it just may be not needed. You could still have 2 boosted pieces of Adjusted Targeting for level 45+ content with frankenslotting. I feel like at least one (maybe both) of the +ToHit from Rage or the Kismet piece in Combat Jumping is overkill. Melt Armor is probably going to be a more reliable source of -Resistance than any %-Resistance... even considering the long recharge time and the necessary ToHit check. I usually 2-slot this with boosted 50+5 Analyze Weakness pieces (Accuracy/Recharge, Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge). The %-Resistance in Ground Zero is probably fine, but I think you'd get better total damage from another %damage piece.

I feel like you are making a specious argument about slotting choices. There are (by my reckoning) six important "pet" globals that contribute significantly to henchmen surviving, making them better at bodyguard and better at sustaining DPS, From Recharge Intensive Pet damage: Call to Arms, Defense Aura Expedient Reinforcement, Resistance Aura From Pet damage: Edict of the Master, Defense Aura Sovereign Right, Resistance Aura From the Mastermind ATO: (Superior) Command of the Mastermind, Defense Aura (and Recharge time) (Superior) Mark of Supremacy, Resistance (also some Regen, and Endurance Reduction) There is one other "pet global" from Commanding Presence, but I tend to ignore it. There is a Pet-specific %Build Up, but that isn't a global, it is tier-specific. A Robotics Mastermind primary has only 18 potential slots (divided between 3 tiers of henchmen) to slot those six pieces. This is one-third of the potential slots! A Thugs MM has 24. If a MM has a power in a secondary, they might be able to slot a couple of the aura pieces in it... but this is quite rare. Storm has it best I think with Tornado (IIRC it can slot all three categories I listed for MMs), and Traps with Seeker Drones as mentioned earlier. AFAIK there aren't any pool powers for MMs to slot those pieces. A Stalker that wants to slot a global piece from one of its ATO typically has 7 different powers (with up to 6 slots each) from its primary to drop one of its ATO globals in (I know the stalkers ATOs aren't globals, but this is an argument about globals, not procs)

I only solo, no multi-boxing. No judgement, just me wanting to be upfront. On my solo Robotics, I used the MM attacks to draw/keep aggro... with some tricks... so I didn't notice a big change except that I couldn't rely on the henches to nearly-AFK solo things like GMs any more. I'm a 100% aligned with being sour about the lack of a non-hench power in the primaries for some of the MMs to casually slot with the global pieces. At least 'bots got the KB (mostly) removed, which saved a further precious slot on each tier. I was hoping that one or both of the reworked upgrade powers would be allowed to slot those pieces, even if such a thing makes no sense otherwise. I think the "slot tax" was referring to a primary like Robotics, and the globals (e.g. +Def Aura) which only can slot into the actual henches, which means sacrificing a potential other enhancement... could be just an attribute (Accuracy, Damage, Endurance reduction), could be a piece like the %Build Up, could be a %proc, could be for a set bonus. Other sets (like Demons, Thugs) have another non-hench power that can mule those globals with only limited impact to what those powers ultimately bring... so the henches can be "better enhanced" in those sets (because they don't 'burn slots' on global pieces).

I can believe this. Even though the individual damage of the Robotic Henchmen was worse and included KB, the stacking -Regen that required almost no effort by the player was pretty useful for mindless activities like farming, or even AFKing on giant monsters (although the GM revamp had a bigger effect on that). The niche area that got obviously better for Robotics (in terms of clear times) was soloing with only the Assault Bot. I make no excuses for just how niche this is, but I did try it before and after the revamp. It isn't great now, but it was PAINFUL before the revamp. The other Robotics changes were IMO a net plus, with the change to slotting the first upgrade and the Maintenance Drone... those cover a lot of ground that makes it less critical (solo) than before about choice of secondaries. Obviously multi-boxing can cover all sorts of ground (heals, buffs) better than any solo build.

Thanks for the reminder! ... and the trip down memory lane. For my Robotics/Traps build, I vaguely remember trying to leverage Seeker Drones to hold the globals from Edict of the Master and/or Sovereign Right, but my choice of mule powers (and lack of free slots) made that choice a bit of a wash. I also remember being somewhat annoyed that the Seeker Drones could not take Recharge Intensive Pet pieces!

The only part of the game that feels (to me, YMMV) more like a 'time sink' (as opposed to immersion) are those day 0 contact arcs that require back-and-forth travel between a couple of open-world contacts. I do still roll my eyes on the Day 0 arcs that require jumping from zone-to-zone many missions in a row, but that became less of an issue once travel powers became available at level 4 and certainly not a problem with veteran/prestige travel options.

The only time I worry about keeping henchmen alive is at very low levels, with a small number of henchmen. If I am really worried, I take Aid Other (and eventually respec out of it)... think level 10 street sweeping of Perez Park. Otherwise, the henchmen are there to take damage (via bodyguard, or alpha strikes <- not really recommended, see advice above from @Nemu ) and to provide damage. The latter is more important IMO. If the MM is drawing most of the aggro, or has set up some pets/pseudopets to help, the henchmen should be fine... provided they aren't grabbing aggro. The best way for MMs to keep aggro is IMO via AoE attacks and AoE debuffs, Against single hard targets, ST attacks/debuffs are fine. I don't recommend Provoke, because the target cap is smaller than most AoE attacks, and it also requires a ToHit check.

I've had this happen to me, but only when I waited to long and the targeted corpse was de-rezzing.

The SG base buff "Increase Attack Speed" is also available! Disclaimer: I typically achieve perma-dom with just set bonuses; no Hasten, no FF %+Recharge. Minimally, I try to work in the Winter's Gift unique for slow resist. As I am pulling so much Global Recharge from set bonuses, there often aren't a lot of opportunities to also get Slow Resistance. IIRC the next 'easiest' is to 2-slot Superior Winter's sets, but because the powers that can take those sets also provide more global recharge with 4 or 5-slots via other sets, I usually don't have a best place for those. I suppose if an attack is franken-slotted with %damage, 2 of the slots in that power could be a Winter's set.

Some drive-by comments. Even though Dull Pain is not necessary for most content, I typically end up taking it early (because of options-at-levels) and slotting it either with Panacea or Preventive Maintenance. For the content I need it, I want it available as often as possible. either one of the Resist _____ powers can be delayed IMO. Personally: I'd never take a Tank without Taunt. When I have a melee toon with some sort of 'aggro aura' I prefer to take Combat Teleport to compliment it. IMO: Every Tanker should have at least one Power Transfer %Heal somewhere. Because of Tanker base HP, the return on HP is greater than the Panacea global. Use both! I also would not sleep on more regeneration (for a Tanker) from 2x Numina (the global, and Heal) in Health. (I'll post a build that doesn't have 2xNumina, but has fast-charging Dull Pain) Hasten is something of a wash IMO. I do tend to take it (at high levels) on Invulnerability Tankers (mostly) to further improve the Dull Pain times in certain content. If it is taking an extra slot, I'd put the Kismet +ToHit in an auto-power like Tough Hide. There is no reason to use an extra slot and dump in a late-level toggle power, if Tough Hide isn't already 6-slotted. Invulnerability has a LOT of powers that can well-leverage Hami-Os. Some set bonuses are worth chasing, others not so much. My own 'baseline' Invulnerability slotting is below. I've left in some other powers that contribute to 'surviving' for my Invuln Tank.

A triple-box MM *is* going to have a LOT of plates spinning to be worrying about choosing appropriate targets for robotic's laser attacks. I've talked with duo-boxers (2xMMs), they tell me trying to focus with the Robotics is too much trouble. I know one who tried it, and went back to mostly playing 2xNecro. The triple-box MMs I watch (who are too busy to talk!) are pretty much just zerging whichever giant monsters they see. My solo Robotics can do that... it takes more time, but it goes faster with (most) allies.(*1) One of the three MMs should be /Marine... because /Marine is a huge force multiplier. Which primaries somewhat depends on the content. If the plan is x8 all the time, I'd go with Robotics for one or two of them, because AoE, resistances and self-heals (with the Maintenance Drone). If difficulty gets turned up (+3), it will be slower going modulo AoE debuffs. /Marine will help, as would /Time. The other one (or two) should probably just be something that can swarm in melee. I have no real preference but Necro is good at zerging. (*1) Robotics is, by itself, something of a 'triple threat': It has debuffs (player controlled, via attacks), resistances and healing (relatively automatically). The secondary can boost each of these... but again, it will be busy. The advantage of 'bots for a multi-boxer (as I see it) is that the Robotic Henchmen are almost 100% ranged attackers, so they are very good at being positioned and providing areas control and/or focusing fire. If the player can handle that while multi-boxing 3 MMs... maybe one of the other three should be a Blaster or Corruptor! The issue I see multi-box MMs having (open world, although this would apply to some instanced content too) is when something like a Giant Monster can make multiple AoE attacks, semi rapid-fire that triggers a cascade of henchmen defeats... this is almost certainly why I see MMulti-boxers avoid solo Eochai and Lusca. Eochai's Pumpkin Patch will tear through a group of henchmen PDQ; Lusca, even with just the ink attacks and cones from a single tentacle can be a problem... multiple tentacles will make life harder for a MMulti-boxer than something like a solo Jack in Irons or Jurassik. The only other GM I've observed MMulti-boxers have trouble with is the Arachnos Flier, but that's more because they can prevent it from landing and allow it to regenerate to 100% with the shields up, not because there is anything inherently tough about the flier.

Keep in mind that -Regen is (now) only from the MM primary attacks. Robotics (prior to this change, the henchmen did -Regen) made it relatively easy to AFK things like Giant Monsters... this is no longer the case. Robotics is perfectly capable of soloing giant monsters (without Lores... or Allies) but it is *busy*. It may be too busy to count on the -Regen for a triple-box. Bots will be perfectly fine for the AoE of course.

For moi: Almost all of the time the 'best' place for a Gaussian's %Build Up is in an actual "Build Up" (or "Aim") power, as those tend to have 90 second base recharge times, so the %proc rate will be at/near the 90% ceiling even with a full set of Gaussian's (or simply more recharge) slotted in it. There is a small corner case for (a) high-DPS characters that will be (b) surrounded by a lot of pets or allies to add the Gaussian's proc to a leadership toggle, as the more friendlies affected by the toggle the larger the chance for %Build Up. The only AT I would make this blanket recommendation for are Crabberminds, as they have a good damage scale and are likely to be nearby things to trigger the proc (and can trivially get a toggle to do this). I think it is a waste on Masterminds because of their very poor damage scales, even if they could have it trigger frequently. The (proc) effects of %Build Up are short, only 10 seconds IIRC. Of course you also have to HIT with whatever attacks would happen in that time. As for putting a %Build Up in an attack, I'd just use a %damage proc instead. The Proc rates will be 3.5 (or 4.5) better for %damage, and the damage will be applied directly to something you have already targeted and hit. AFAIK: The +Critical strikes isn't a blanket +50%, it only increases the chance of the existing Critical strike by 50% of the inherent value. So 2% would go to 3%, not 52%.

I don't mind the critter AI that makes them flee... but it is rather common to have a single critter (including minions!) run enormous distances for a long period of time... which I can almost tolerate, except that this happens on 'defeat all' and on certain maps there is no guarantee that they'll make it back to their spawn location in a time frame shorter than the cooling of the Earth's core. The two 'changes' I'd like to see (although I don't know how to implement either): #1 An enemy which has 'run' ought to have a second (delayed?) timer that has them 'run' back to their spawn location, rather than the leisurely stroll they often take. #2 Flying enemies should have travel suppression, or some other mechanic, that keeps them from rocketing great distances. For an open-world example of just how far fliers can get, and sometimes become 'lost': The Grim Vale event demonstrates that the Cabal can (a) end up just about anywhere, even when NOT pursuing players (b) is a contributing factor as to why there is an asymmetry in outcomes favoring team pumpkin when no players are involved... since the witches will scatter wide making it easier for team punpkin's AoEs to wipe out team irons.

Here is my general impression on self-heals for ATs with 'armor' sets (melee, Sentinels): #1 By the time you need a self-heal, it is probably too late to make a difference. If a player thinks they are going to need self-healing, there are two pieces that absolutely should be added to the build first. The Preventive Medicine %Absorb and the Reactive Defenses %Scaling Damage Resistance. Those uniques will kick in once a character starts taking damage, and will generally buy a player more time to consider the next step. #2 There is an opportunity cost for pursuing a self-heal just to have a self-heal. The best "power pool self-heals" IMO are those in power pools that include powers that will be both useful and likely to be used. My clear favorite is Force of Will: it has a solid travel power (that requires no extra slots) and a nice debuff (that also requires no extra slots). The single-target ranged attack is IMO meh, but the AoE cone is also excellent. Experimentation isn't bad, but I don't like the travel power. Presence probably offers the most useful of the 'self heals', as it doubles as a damage boost and self-rez, but the choices to unlock it are mediocre (at best). I have used the Medicine pool, but pretty much only for very limited periods of time (e.g. low-level Masterminds running xN content) or as a mule for the %Absorb piece. It's quite a miserable choice otherwise IMO. As for Epics? We're somewhat at the mercy of the ATs. The ATs with access to Rise of the Phoenix have it best IMO. It's not a self-heal, but for as often as I've seen self-heals choke/not prevent defeat it may as well be one.

Just a short comment on Parry. I'd slot the Kismet +ToHit piece (possibly along with 5x Scrapper Strike) here before using the power as a mule for LotG Def/+Recharge. The LotG isn't a bad choice, and the Kismet could go into something like Combat Jumping at an early level, but so could LotG! You need to make at least one Parry attack every 2 minutes to get the Kismet bonus. My personal preference for Scrappers is to have 3 primary attacks for content like Positron TFs (i.e. before level 15) and getting the extra ToHit is almost always valuable. If a player is exclusively focused on an attack chain (at all levels) without Parry, obviously the Kismet piece won't be a good choice. Short comments on Soul Mastery. This is an easy choice of epic/patron pool for me. I use it often (but not exclusively) Moonbeam is an easy choice of ranged attack. It offers an off-brand damage type to most Scrapper offense. If saves me the trouble of moving to engage something otherwise out-of-range. Since it is a choice in the 30s, it has a wide range of enhancement set choices with an equally wide range of potential set bonuses. I always 5-slot it, sometimes 6. Shadow Meld is a fine addition to Scrappers that don't have a focus on Defense. I tend not to rely on it, its just a bonus. Also, it can mule the LotG piece! (among others) I find it doesn't need more than 2 slots to work for me.

Keep in mind... And that Nova Form is available really early, giving Kheldians access to more ranged attacks at a level sooner than any other AT (originally, before prestige attacks)... and that Knockback is a mitigation for the terrible defenses of Nova Form. Nova Form makes Kheldians OP, but only for a very limited level range of content, and those are levels that many players breeze right past! @Jason0162 point is a good one. On the days of Live, Kheldians were really quite good using the non-human forms at the levels those forms are available... since Live (on HC) players can get access to their higher tier powers earlier in the build (all ATs) so it isn't like a Dwarf form with all its tricks at level 20 is going to seem all that impressive when a Tanker/Brute/Scrapper isn't going to have to wait much longer (in terms of levels) to get an even more impressive choice of powers. I find it disappointing, but the price Kheldians pay for getting a suite of powers with one form pick is that those powers never get any better, except with slots.

Every time I've ever had an issue doing a respec inside a SG base it was because I had some sort of other window (e.g. base storage) open when I tried the respec. I'm convinced that the advice to "leave the base" is ultimately just removing the temptation/opportunity to have such other windows open.

Writing only for myself (and definitely not @Nemu ) players can pursue whatever set bonuses they want. I don't think players who pursue +3.75% S/L bonuses are getting it 'wrong', as it is clear they want those bonuses. My personal opinion is that putting 2+ more slots into a power (that may or may not be used, except as a mule) is often a poor return-on-investment for 'surviving' or quality-of-life considerations. The Defense/Resistance discussion is complicated, in my perception, often these types of builds look like (to me) they are not just from the days of Live, but from the days of Live when folks still hadn't completely embraced Enhancement Diversification. It is also very hard to have a conversation about "surviving" content because there is such a wide variety of it at all levels. Folks can look at a my build suggestions and point out what they see as inefficient or poorly considered, and they do! That isn't going to stop me from boosting Damage pieces in a 5-or-6-slotted Purple set just to get the tiniest more DPA, or continue to pursue/achieve perma-Domination without Hasten, or argue against folks recommending single-target %damage attacks on Masterminds with a full suite of Henchmen, or whatever.

If you are using a "DPS TOOL", I am having trouble imagining that it is more valuable to be using it in the open world instead of on an instanced map. I also am having trouble believing that this is such a big deal (i.e. THE DATA IS SO IMPORTANT) that rando buffs from teh open world are more impor5tant than going through the temp powers list to make sure only the powers you want tested apply. Is the DPS TOOLS data vitally important at the Atlas Park Levels? Back Alley Brawler is also available in Atlas Park of course.

This takeaway confuses me, was the message received that it should be easier to get more resistance and defense bonuses for less effort?