Thugs/Sonic

[DocRadio]

Any build advice you guys can share would be appreciated. I like the idea that I can debuff enemy resists a bit while boosting my pets resistances. Anybody try this combo?

[Shoulung]

No, but it should work well with your tank to carry your debuff toggle.

[DocRadio]

8 hours ago, Shoulung said:

No, but it should work well with your tank to carry your debuff toggle.

Didn't even consider that. Thanks.

[Apparition]

Thugs/Sonic was my very first character on Homecoming back in April, and my very first level 50 character on Homecoming.  It all depends on what you want to do with it.  I almost exclusively solo to level 43 or so, and it was bit of a bear.  Why?  No healing.  So you either have to sit around and wait for your pets to heal up often, or dismiss and resummon and re-equip them often.  But if you level while teaming a lot, I imagine it would be a much smoother ride.  At level 50, especially with the Rebirth Radial Destiny, it's fine.

 

My suggestions: Try to work Burnout into your build.  Double Gang War against tough AVs and GMs for the win.  Take the Rebirth Radial Destiny when you are level 50, it'll help a lot.

[TheSpiritFox]

3 hours ago, Apparition said:

Thugs/Sonic was my very first character on Homecoming back in April, and my very first level 50 character on Homecoming.  It all depends on what you want to do with it.  I almost exclusively solo to level 43 or so, and it was bit of a bear.  Why?  No healing.  So you either have to sit around and wait for your pets to heal up often, or dismiss and resummon and re-equip them often.  But if you level while teaming a lot, I imagine it would be a much smoother ride.  At level 50, especially with the Rebirth Radial Destiny, it's fine.

 

My suggestions: Try to work Burnout into your build.  Double Gang War against tough AVs and GMs for the win.  Take the Rebirth Radial Destiny when you are level 50, it'll help a lot.

Masterminds without healing abilities really need the aid pool, at least while leveling. A set like sonic with resistances over defenses, it's going to be a bit more important than like /traps or /cold but even /cold is a hard experience without aid pool. 

This is honestly why I only take mastermind secondaries that have healing in some form or another and my /traps still took aid pool to supplement triage beacon. I just can't not like /traps. 

[Shoulung]

Hadn’t really thought about the healing aspect; maybe pairing sonic with one of the healing primaries (bots/necro) might be better, though bots would fall behind for me because of their ranged aspect. I think being able to place the-res toggle on yourself would be a huge improvement for sonic. 

[plainguy]

Was going to post similar about healing..

 

I was playing around with Thug Sonic and noticed at the end of getting close to defense cap that there was no healing and no way to hold aggro.  So really was useless 

 

End result I had to remove Clarity and combat jump to pick up aid other and aid self but again nothing to hold aggro and you were no longer at defense cap. 

 

Unfortunately this combination does not extend itself well to IO sets compared to other sets. 

 

Traps will get you full positional defense cap. As frustrating as Trip Mine might be to place at times it is the one secondary that has a real decent AOE damage power.  Six slotted your killing a bunch of minions.  Dropping two in a row and your killing some bosses already between pets and Trip Mine. 

 

Sonic has nothing like this. 

 

Personally for me every build I make has to be an army of one.. I must solo at a minimum 2/8 to 3/8 setting. 

 

This type of build is definitely more of a team build.

  

[Hedgefund]

I do 3/8 for any random mob (4/8 for council, might dial it down to 2/8 for something more exotic (Vanguard, Rularuu) with a Beast/Sonic, so you can most certainly make an "army of one" with Sonic Resonance.  I'm not saying it's the best, it's definitely on a tier below the usual suspects for "best" MM secondary, but it works and I'd expect with Thugs, it would work quite well.

 

Thug Man = 2* 10 = 20

2 5% Def IOs = 10

MM Man = 4

 

34% def to all, add 8 if you choose to slot 2 def IOs in enforcers.

 

Bruiser has base 26.14 s/l res, 6.54 to f/c/t

Enforcers only have l = 26.14

Thugs res = 0

 

Add 25% from IO uniques.

Add 23 for shields, 17 for dispersion

 

That takes us to 

 

Bruiser 90% s/l (!!!!)

Let's just say 65% for everybody else cause I'm tired of composing this.

 

Bottom line Doc, you'll be fine.  In general I think Aid Other is a good choice for Thugs in a non-healing secondary and certainly true for Sonic.  Aid self - meh, with BG mode and resists, a column of greens will keep you upright.