Crysis

No! That’s the funny part. It was in Numina after the final “kill XX in zone YY” and we’d all split up to take out the various trash and at that point were all already in Eden and a few hundred yards from the door mish that follows those annoying mini missions. It was petty and yes I saved them the trouble and just dropped and re-ran it with my own team. Playing an MMO offers no guarantees that you’ll be playing with people who have a personality worth teaming with in first place.

AFAIK, you can’t stack it, but the -RES debuff from Achilles does stack with Annihilation -RES debuff, and you’ll find many builds posted that slots both procs, although typically in different powers. And once upon a time, Achilles used this strange mechanic that sort of granted the target a temporary power that gave it the resistance debuff, meaning the -RES value wasn’t diminished via scaling thru the Purple Patch. But now it scales based on the targets level relative to the caster. Little bit of game change lore there, but just realize that the -RES impact from both DO stack.

See now that’s fine, especially in the Shard TF’s. Which, to this day I’m convinced were all created by a summer intern learning how to build missions via copy and paste.

Was on a TF the other day and made the mistake of arriving at the door BEFORE the leader. Now mind you, I didn’t ENTER the mission, just arrived at the door before the leader. Apparently they were fiddling trying to find the Team Transporter power and everyone was supposed to wait to use that method of transport. So they began yelling about it in team chat, and two others chimed in to “kick me” because apparently, at least a few of this group were SG mates. No mention of this was made in the advertising of the TF, nothing said at all about it. No harm done, right, because again…I DIDNT ENTER THE MISSION JUST GOT TO THE DOOR AHEAD OF LEADERS ABILITY TO TRIGGER TT FOR THE TEAM. ”My TF, my rules, obey them or I kick” I do PUGs frequently, usually without much expectation of anything other than finishing the missions/TF’s we embark upon, its not like much about this game is unbeatable with a PUG. But to be threatened for a kick JUST FOR NOT WAITING FOR TT was over the top. I couldn’t /gignore the leader and their cohorts fast enough.

The impressive thing about goals isn’t the goal itself, but the effort and dedication it took the achiever to make the goal and then achieve it. Congrats on your first page of 50’s!

Compared to a Scrapper? A Blaster? A Corruptor? I’ll admit that MM’s aren’t likely the simple “press three buttons and blow the whole spawn down.” But if you want easy mode this isn’t the right class. You want some challenge…..this is the right class.

There's a bunch of different ways to build a Thugs/Time. I got some inspiration from another poster here on the boards, don't recall whom, and skipped all my personal attacks in favor of going all punchy/kicky. I stay on BG mode, jump into the middle of spawn with TJ running. Between my S/L/M softcapped DEF and the -TOHIT of TJ, I eat the alpha and the boys come in gunning and swinging. Then whomever the Bruiser is pounding on I jump over and do Kick+Punch+CrossPunch repeatedly. It's fun and Cross Punch is decent soft control. Plus my +Recharge is bonkers high (hits over 300% at times) so Burnout is up pretty frequently for the fun double GangWar. I have another variation of this build that goes Leviathan for Knockout Blow to add more punchiness to the character. By comparison, I'm also including an equally strong build that relies on Bonfire to keep the spawn flopping while the thugs mop the floor with them. That's a more traditional Ranged +DEF softcap build. A friend of mine in-game herds with this very effectively, basically hopping from spawn to spawn with TJ running to pull aggro, ducks around corner, drops bonfire and then....ducks in a barrel. Just leave the henchmen waiting around corner using Goto and Passive commands. Very different playstyles, but I love "Stay Classy." It's basically Ron Burgandy with the News Crew gang doing beatdowns. I'm obnoxious withe petsayall dialogue during battles lol. "Rick, where'd you get that grenade?" Enjoy, by no means perfect builds for either, but just shows the versatility of the Thugs/TIme powersets. Stay_Classy_Alternate_SoulMastery.mxd timeless_beauty_-_Mastermind_Thugs.mxd

This is a stealth nerf to Flight pool I'm betting.....

@StrikerFox that's what I thought. So on Cold, all the powers that have any kind of +/- RES basically are unaffected. Both ice shields, Sleet, Arctic Fog and Heat Loss. Basically, for /Cold, you are..... ....are ya ready kids? Wait for it...... OUT IN THE COLD hahahahaha

Cold's Shields used to not be affected by PowerBoost at all. When did this change? Something about them being both +DEF and +RES and Powerboost being coded to ignore anything that's got +/- Res in the power? That was my original intent but have read on here that most of Cold's powerset doesn't work with PowerBoost.

Mmmmmmhmmmmm….especially if it’s just reassigning existing powers that otherwise exist in game already.

I was soloing an AV earlier today and as I cleared out the trash around him it occurred to me how much nastier an AV could be if they could direct all attacks from all minions within the room onto a single player. Sort of how a MasterMind can use “Attack my Target” and/or Bodyguard mode. It’s a very effective tactic in PvP team battles and I can only imagine if the AV had the ability to call in all minions within the area to focus their attacks on a player. The rules of aggro generally allow you to do what I did….clean the trash out of the area first, so it’s truly 1v1 against an AV. But if aggro rules didn’t apply to an AV, and they had the ability to call in all available support -and- direct their attacks onto a single target (maybe via a highest threat indicator flag or similar), it could really up the challenge factor. Or is this being done somewhere in the game already?

Wondering if Power Boost does anything useful for Sleet? Or Mercs? I have a single power selection available in build, and it has to be a one-slot wonder. Vengeance is usually the one that comes to mind with a 7.5% LOTG dropped into it as a mule. But since I went with Scorpion Shield I have PowerBoost looking at me there for a lvl 49 pick. I had Snow Storm but threw it out on a respec as with the single slot it was pretty useless. EDIT: I may have answered my own question. Since PB doesn't work with any power that applies +/-RES in any way, it won't work with Sleet or either of the ice shields. Presumably, it doesn't work on Benumb either. Then again, I can't trust MIDS. Per MIDS (newest build) Powerboost will boost Arctic Fog's +DEF, Scorpion Shields +DEF, Maneuvers, CJ, Hover, etc. But I have several /Time MM's and looking at Combat Attributes, Powerboost does NOT improve Scorpion Shield's +DEF at all, presumably because it also has +RES to Toxic, thus negating any ability to boost any part of that power. So presumably, Arctic Fog, Serum, Scorp Shield, etc etc in a Mercs/Cold won't have -any- impact from Powerboost across the powerset, other than +DEF only powers like Hover, Maneuvers, CJ, etc. Looks like even as a one-slot wonder, it's lacking. Maybe as an alpha booster but that's not much of a bonus. Looks like Vengeance it is then.

I stood at elevators in Portal Corps and after dismissing and (re) slotting the enhancement, I took vators to lower level. Then I re summoned and applied Train Ninjas. Finally….both the LOTG +Recharge (to me) and the +Def in Danger Sense changed. Looks like one of those fleeting zoning bugs that pop up here and there. I mapzoned a few missions and it appears the bonus from the enhancement sticks now.

It’s a few months later since you posted this but I’m seeing the same bug with the “Train Ninjas” power when slotting a +Def IO. I’ve tried generic +Def enhancements, crafted +Def IO’s, Hami-O’s…..nothing I’ve used has ANY effect on the Ninjas base Defense. Definitely broken.

I'm starting to wonder if the "Train Ninja's" power is bugged. I've tried slotting a LOTG +5 defense/recharge IO in there. The +Recharge isn't applying to me...I can slot/unlsot/re-slot it and my +Recharge value never changes. I know that +Recharge has no impact on the henchmen. But per the patch notes, any +Def IO slotted in this power should enhance the +Defense passives for the Ninja. But when I summon them, then apply Train Ninja's while monitoring their Defense values in Combat Attributes....their Defense never changes. In fact, nothing appears to change. I realize they aren't Protector Bots and thus I'm not waiting for them to cast a defensive bubble or anything. But it just seems to make no difference what +DEF IO I stick in there...their Defensive values never change.

I'll personally never understand a MM who takes zero personal attacks. But you do you man. Enjoy the ride.

@bellona100 here, I’ll make it easy for you:

Go search “It’s a BOW time” thread. All you ever need to know about Ninjas/Time builds.

It’s because you are the kind of MM who thinks keeping the henchmen alive is all there is to playing the AT. I get it, that’s ONE way to play it. The other way to play it is that henchmen are “expendable” and you don’t need to keep them alive. Just resummon as needed. There’s more than one way to ‘win’ at this game and there’s more than one ‘right’ way to slot accordingly.

Oh but we get Force of Will power pool as Scrappers! Weaken Resolve = Not the droids you are looking for.... Project Will and Wall of Force = Force Push! Unleash Potential = Channel the Force for a few moments to overcome all odds!

This is absolute sacrilege. You’ve given up your hokey religion for a blaster? THESE ARE NOT THE DROIDS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR! But this is….. I’m kdding….I love Mad King specials!

Thugs have always been my fave MM animation sets. I almost universally take Cross Punch on all my Thugs/anything MM’s because I love to follow the bruiser and take turns beating down his target with him. It’s just giggle-inducing fun for me. Plus you get a better appreciation for the all the Thugs various animations by watching them from inside the spawn. The little hellions all seem to have their roles figured out and just go…well…all thug on everything. Honestly, while MM’s still need a bunch of work, it was the MM class in this game that made me miss it so much at original sunset. I’ve yet to find a single other game that gives me such diversity of pet classes. I don’t know which dev cooked up the AT animations (and I’m sure it had a cast of many) but just know if you read this….COH’s MasterMind AT is literally in a class all by itself in the entire history of gamedom. The only thing I found even somewhat close was playing the game Overlord back in the day, but even that didn’t compare to the tactical nature of MM battles, especially when soloing.

Demons/Storm build here….

I’ve played just about every MM combo you can with /storm. It’s still a hard toss-up between Demons and Thugs as to which plays better. Thugs is likely more offensive overall, and the way I’ve played /Storm MM’s is all about Defense. You can softcap pretty easily with either set. With the recent changes, my Necro/Storm is much improved as well and that’s pretty thematic as well. But I’d suggest no matter which primary you choose, you view /Storm first and foremost as a Damage multiplier. Sleet, Tornado and LS all are bread and butter damage dealers. If you pick up the flame APP you’ll also get a nice confinement power which allows you to really focus on keeping everything in range of your storm summoned powers. And finally, build for +Recharge and that’s very easy to do given you can load up so many FF +Recharge procs into a great many of your powers. /Storm is a lot of fun, even more so if you throw in the necessary KB2KD procs. You can’t really go wrong, but learn to manage your Endurance! The storm mistress demands a price!