StrikerFox

Devouring Earth. I think they would be fun and unique. Dropping Cairn, Fungi, Quartz etc to buff themselves. When Boulder/Crystal pets are defeated, 3 mini versions of themselves appear as additional pets. Maybe the T7 power could summon a Mitochondria. Make it sort of like Swap Ammo, where we pick which Mito appears. Yellow needs to be destroyed by melee, blue with ranged damage and green needs to be held/mez first. Or maybe the T7 makes a Spawn Chamber that spits our more DE. Or maybe the T7 can give MMs their first damage aura, a Swarm that circles around the player that does low damage and applies various debuffs/mez. I would also like to see Shivans and Snakes primaries but I haven't really thought about how viable they could be. I rememeber when CoV came out and first bumping into Snakes in Mercy. Also destroying that snake's nest mission. So much fun! And Shivans look fantastic, love their design. They would be a hit if we could change their color in the costume creator.

The difference looks minimal when viewing damage from a DoT, 1.8 dam vs 2.19 dam. But difference equates to almost 20%. That's equivalent to the Zombie having a permanent Achilles' Heel debuff applied to them. If it was a bigger hit, say GD/Lich was hit for 200 dam, the Zombie would take around 240 from that same hit. Maybe launch the pets at a lvl 54 Rikti pylon. The damage difference between pets would be more noticeable. Some players were vocal about eliminating the level shift for tier 1 and 2 MM pets. They take more damage, do less damage, easier to get hit, needs higher acc to hit, mez effects last longer etc. All with a lower base max HP. But I don't recall reading any "Fix MM" threads since i27.5 was released in late 2022.

That's interesting. Maybe set up a tab for "Pet Damage Received." Fight the same boss and see how much damage each one of his attacks do. If the Gun Drone and Zombie are the same level, with the same +res, they should receive the same amount of damage. Like if a punch does 20 pts of dam to the GD, it will do 20 pts to the Zombie. If a kick does 30 pts to one, it will do 30 to the other etc. Zombies are two levels lower than the MM. Are Gun Drones two levels lower than the Controller? Maybe test with the Lich? Are either the Controller or MM level shift to +1? Maybe unslot Alpha/Destiny/Lore incarnates so that each character is only lvl 50. Also where is the MM situated? Are Sovereign/Expedient/Mark equipped? Is the pet within their radius? Open up the pet's Combat Attributes, view their damage resist to see if it dips at all during their fight. If they get out of range, they will lose 35% res to all damage types.

Procs that damage/debuff enemies do not work on Seeker Drones/Trip Mine, but procs that buff that MM/user does. Siphon Insight +tohit buff in Seekers and Force Feedback +recharge in Trip. Here's a screen of the SI buff, and a vid of FF buff in Trip. Dropped around 15 mines, FF proc'd 14 times in a row before failing on the last one. Click VIEW ACTIVE SETS, and if you see "CAP" that means there's too many of one (Or more) bonuses. Scroll down the list and it will highlight the wasted bonus in red. The below example is two too many Luck of the Gambler +7.5%. As for the build, I don't know how to post or see datachunks anymore. Just copy/paste the Mids' file into the forum and post.

No, I keep the melee/range defense, Sprint and Njnja Run on during regular gameplay. After defeating a target, picking the next, moving within range gives a second or 2 for endurance to bump up. Which is often when 1-2 shotting minions and 3-4 shotting lieuts. That's not something my build gets during pylon testing, especially knowing the pylon time will take considerably longer due to being level 54. At one point I had higher recovery but opted for less as recovery was adequate for pylon testing (Pre-i27.7), but overkill for normal play. The build slots Achilles' and Fury -res procs. I didn't check to see how often they activated or how effective they were when they did. Seems like it. Seen a lot of dummy pylon kills but no lvl 54 pylon kills. A few vague mentions about how pylon times are 3-4x worse, but no info beyond that.

Maybe it's just me, but I can't open datachunks anymore. Copy/paste the Mids' file and post. It will be pretty easy to hit softcap. Power Boosted Farsight will provide around +21% def. Protector Bots around +13%. Steadfast and Glad Armor gives +6%. Maneuvers around +4% and CJ +2.5%. Or skip Power Boost, and pick up Weave instead to reach softcap. Take Tough and Charged Armor. You could still be softcap and have +75% res to S/L. Energy res will be high as well. Or try the new Murky Cloud and get decent res to F/C/E/N. Or maybe skip Weave/Power Boost (Putting you at around +40% def) and let Time's Juncture's -tohit debuff do its thing. There are a lot of options to make Bots/Time a strong build. The Bot's +def buff to MM is huge and makes slotting a lot easier since you won't have to chase +def set bonuses.

Pylon runs have changed a lot over time. Before it was about a build's damage, survivbility and sustainability. Is the character survivable enough to solo a pylon? How fast can the pylon can be defeated? Is the damage/survival sustainable? That's why there were rules. No Lore Incarnate because Lore pets are only available 33% of the time. No Hybrid toggled on since it is only up 50% of the time. No inspira since a character may not have the desired inspira 100% of the time. No temp/accolade click powers as they have various up/down time. It seems like everyone is hitting the pylon dummies. They do not fight back so no survivability is needed. Some peeps are using inspira/temp/accolade powers to help with acc/dam/rech/end which trivialize a build's sustainability. It's become all about burst damage. Why did we stop hitting the regular pylon? Just because it's level 54 now? I dusted off the StJ/SR Stalker and gave a 54 pylon a go. It's rougher but still doable. Does the level 54 pylon have a different dps calculation? I used the old "(38343.75/time)+127.8125=dps" formula. Musculature Radial Degenerative Core Hybrid Assault - Off No inspira No temp powers No click accolades 3m57s/237s/290dps Significantly slower than my old 1m15s/75s/639dps pylon times but still has the same survivability/sustainability it had before.

I got on at specified time, saw a couple Rad peeps online. Sent a msg to The Jolly Green Glow chat group, waited a few minutes but there was no reply. Made a coffee, had a smoke, came back and still no reply or invite to SG, and the players that were online logged off. It was only 6:15pm central. I think I missed the boat.

Sure, let me know what works and what doesn't if you try it out. Thanks! Mastermind - Ninja Time 1A.mbd

There are a bunch of players that seem to think that. I tested it a long time ago but couldn't get the BU to proc on pets. I don't believe anyone has posted any actual proof. The more pets/teammates/leaguemates within Tactics' range will give BU a higher chance to proc on the MM, but it won't proc on anyone else.

I would frankenslot pets; regular slotting on the MM. This is probably how I would slot the pets with Musculature Alpha in mind. I don't know much about PD. I've never been able to create a build with it that I love. 2B - Mercenaries - Pain Domination.mbd I do think Hasten is pretty important for the build. Just to get Serum, Anguishing Cry and Painbringer up as often as possible. Gaussian's BU proc is pretty useless in Tactics since the MM has no attacks. Same with Kismet in Hover. It's only really helping Web Envelope and Anguishing Cry. But it could be slotted into Tactical Upgrade to improve all Merc pets +tohit. With Supremacy + Tactics + Serum + World of Pain + Kismet + pets/Anguishing Cry -def debuffs, they will probably have no problems hitting. Adding the Triage into Soothe seems odd. The build would get more recovery slotting a Performance Shifter proc into Stamina. @Xandyr pointed out that Panacea unique has a chance to proc on yourself, pets, teammates, leaguemates within range if slotted in Supress Pain. I tested it once and it's pretty awesome. All in all, it's a good build and can probably get through most content without much issue.

@Hedgefund2 taught me to untoggle Rest when stats turn to -999% on Mids'. The dude is a genius!

I would go Photon Grenade, the AoE. Just so the -regen debuff can apply to multiple targets at the same time. But if endurance is a factor, Pulse Rifle Blast.

I think Necro/Dark has the most versatility. Dark offers -tohit debuffs, -dam debuff, +def, -res debuff, +res to E/N/P, slow/stun/hold/fear mez, AoE +stealth, a rez, an AoE heal and an additional pet with similar powers that stack with your own. Necro is a powerhouse. Six pets, potentially 9 more. The Lich with similar debuff powers to your own that stack. MM attacks applies -tohit debuffs. A self heal. Necro pets are probably one of the more durable, with increased hp, heal and regen.

I'll join. Made a Ninja/Rad MM named FalloutGirl on Torchbearer. I can play Mon-Thurs evenings after 7pm PDT and maybe the odd Sat/Sun afternoon.

Mercs start with 0% res to everything. With the first upgrade, base amount is around +26% S/L res across all pets. The Commando also gets +6.5% res to F/C/T (See photo below). With some aggressive slotting (+55% res), Equip Merc would bump up to around +40% res S/L, and the Commando will get about +10% res to F/C/T. Serum base res is +30% to all damage types (Except Psionic which is 0%) with diminishing return over 60 seconds. It's final second will only provide about +0.55% res. With some aggressive slotting (+55% res), Serum would start with around +46.5% to and dwindle down to 0.85% res to S/L/F/C/E/N/T.

It's +90%. Pets get Tank/Brute level damage resistance.

Powers that require a tohit check to heal. Like Dark Regeneration (Dark Armor), Twilight Grasp/Dark Servant (Dark Miasma), Transfusion (Kinetics), Life Drain (Necromancy/Dark Blast) and Mastermind Necro pets. I don't believe there are many powers that can slot it.

I slot the ATOs in their order displayed in Mids/in-game. Zombies has the 3rd and 6th SMoS; the Lich has the 1st and 5th SMoS; Soul Extraction has the last 4 SCotMM. I'm not at home but pretty sure it's: Zombies - acc/dam and the +res aura Lich - dam and acc/dam/end Soul Ex - missing acc/dam and dam/end.

Pets are your AoE damage. Between 6-15 pets hitting different targets. MM damage modifiers are so low that it's not a much of a loss. The only shame is losing the immobilize from Soul Tentacles. Also MM endurance is so tight that it would be difficult to sustain when tossing around epic attacks. I like to frankenslot pets to give them a combination of stats, pet IOs and damage procs. This is currently how I have them slotted. Musculature Alpha to get their damage stat higher. Zombies with the KD proc to give them some mitigation. Grave Knights with acc/dam HOs. Lich with an acc/mez HO. Soul Extraction has the Unbreakable Constraint proc but it's not great slotted there. A 5th SCotMM ATO for the toxic/psionic/mez +res would probably be better. GK and Lich doesn't need much end to function so don't worry about slotting them for that. I run with around +35% def so that one Darkest Night will get me to equivalent softcap vs targets affected/within range. I think it will be trial and error, feel out your build. Make changes as problems arise. Scale back if anything seems excessive. It will come down to balancing the build to needs/wants that suits your play style. I think we get a free respec every 10 levels? Also the respec trials. So making changes won't be an issue.

The +2.5% end bonus is alright but recovery would improve more by slotting powers/toggles with end redux. Here's a screenshot of a few powers from your Mids' build. The small change doesn't effect the MM's res but provides the pets with a bit more +res and MM with improved end gain. Dark is really good at keeping Necro pets alive... Unalive. Undead. Unundead. Including Soul Extraction. One of the reasons I like Dark is because of Darkest Night and Fearsome Stare. They're typically the first powers I use. Apply the -tohit, -dam and fear debuffs. Use Soul Extraction and the 6 new pets have instant survivability because the enemies are debuffed already. DK and FS both recharge quickly and up for every fight. Your pets will be good with moderate/high +res and heals, but how much better would they be with moderate/high +res, heals and equivalent softcap def? I don't think Soulbound and Gaussian's BU procs work that way. Soulbound has a chance to proc on each soul extracted pet, individually. Gaussian's can only proc on the MM when slotted in Tactics. It has a better chance to proc when there are more pets/teammates within range. The pets/teammates do not get the BU buff. And yes, I meant procs that inflict damage. Grave Knights do well with Achilles', Shield Breaker and Lady Grey. Lich and Soul Extraction do well with Cloud Senses. Soulbound is actually really good on Grave Knights as well since their damage aura can trigger BU.

Pets have their own endurance meter that decreases with power use. Slotting end redux decreases their end cost, and will allow them to fight for a longer period of time without running out of gas. Test it by attacking the Rikti dummies in RWZ. Compare how long they last with no end redux slotted and then slot a couple end SOs. I would slot 2 acc, 2-3 dam and 1-2 end redux until ready to fully IO'd. It sort of depends on the pet, some are more end hungry than others. Slot one end redux, attack a Rikti dummy and if satisfied, slot 3 damage. If the pets peter out early, slot 2 dam and 2 end redux. Here's a screenshot of Genin's starting powers. No end redux and +95.7% redux slotted.

I think your build is really good. More survivable than my Necro/Dark MM. I'm just going to offer some fine tuning/general comments and advice: Is Tactics 6 slot for the Gaussian's +def set bonus? Would gain more type defense by putting those slots in Maneuvers. Improved Maneuvers will also help pets, team and league. Shadow Fall adds +res to E/N/P. Three damage types the build is weaker to. Maybe split the slotting between +def and +res. Twilight Grasp has a tohit check so +acc will help it. If willing to use IO Boosters, S/L can still be at +75% with Dark Embrace only 2 slotted. Spare slots could be added to Enchant Undead to help pet resistance or to whatever else you may feel is needed. A lot of powers to help Necro pets thrive are omitted. Darkest Knight (-tohit/-dam), Fearsome Stare (-tohit/fear), Howling Twilight (AoE stun/-regen) and Tar Patch powers (-res). But I know a lot of players treat pets as expendable, and feel that resummoning is part of the AT. Which isn't bad, just different build/play styles. Damage procs. Grave Knights, Lich and Soul Extraction damage is boosted significantly with procs. Would get more recovery slotting Performance Shifter into Stamina instead of Efficiency Adaptor. The PS proc adds approximately 0.2 end rec that is not displayed on Mids'. Adding a Numina Heal IO to Health will provide more regeneration than Regenerative Tissue. Numina's +12% set bonus plus higher Health stat provides slightly more +regen. Overall great build. Are you sure you're a new player? You Mids' like a vet.

Stick with the 40/45 basic IOs until you get your hands on the IO sets you want. The difference between levels 40/45 to 50 is around +3% each IO, which becomes less if enhancement diversification comes into play. I've ran with lvl 20-30 basic IOs all the way to 50. I usually play TFs to get to 50. DFBx2 to 10, Posi 1+2 to 15, Synapse to 20, Yin/Moon to 25, Citadel/Hess to 30, Manti/Sutter to 35, Numi/ITF to 45 and MLTF/Grey/Kahn/MC to 50. At the end of it all, use the reward merits to trade for rare purple IOs, and sell them on AH. Use the influence made to buy the other sets needed. But I don't think we can trade for purples until we hit 50. Get them 3 bubbles! I have a couple Stalkers that speed run TFs. MLTF, ITF, Kahn and Tinpex. When they're the weekly, usually run them a few times for some quick and easy merits. There's a daily Hami Raid (x3) in the Hive that takes around 45 minutes. We get 160 merits (Or 120 merits + one HO) in the end. Use these merits to trade for purples and email them to the character in need. When ready to swap IOs, don't delete/sell the low level basic IOs. Respec or unslot and email them to yourself. Save them for your next character that may need them. Make a character, create a SG, build a basic base with storage tables, and put them in there to help organize. When you have more characters, emailing resources from one to the next will go a long way. And I encourage you to just team. I find most players to be patient and understanding. Maybe just say at the start you're new to HC and rusty. Avoid joining a speed team, they will want you to keep up where MM pets usually fall behind. Join KM (Kill most) teams since they will give the most drops and influence. Look me up, I'll team with ya! My global is the same as my user name here. We'll do an all MM KM ITF or similar.

I vaguely remember someone tested or did the calculation, and Staff's best attack chain on a Stalker is AS-SR-PS-MB-repeat. Maintaining the Body Perfection stacks made it better than burning them and rebuilding. But I hear you, SS and EotS are pretty awesome looking attacks. I like using them, usually SS/EotS right after AS. My attack chain is typically AS-SS-PS-SR-MB-repeat for single target. AS-EotS-SR-MB-GS-repeat for AoE. But I run without Hasten. You could probably go: ST: AS-SS-SR-MB-repeat AoE: AS-EotS-GS-MB-repeat