The AT Just Doesn't Have IT

[ImpousVileTerror]

Let's workshop the catchphrase and say, instead:

"No One doesn't want to be a Scrapper."

 

Since I've been No One since at least grade school, I can get behind such a phrase.

[Seigmoraig]

3 hours ago, Communistpenguin said:

I even have a Merc/pain with a good solid concept... Its just soooo boring.

Well no wonder you find it boring with builds like that.. /Pain is 100% buffing and mercs is bottom of the barrel tier for primary. Give yourself a chance and play an actually interesting secondary where you dont just buff every few minutes and wait for the timers to wear off paired with a performing primary and it should be a different game.

Dark, Storm and Electric Affinity (EA being my personal favorite) are some great secondaries that should keep you busy. Pair that with Thugs or Demons and you should have a more interesting character. Just stay away from super passive secondaries like Pain, Empathy or Force Field.

 

But I mean if you don't like the AT after that its no use wasting your time rolling 50 of them like the OP, sometimes its just better to move on and do what you enjoy more

Edited June 13, 2020 by Seigmoraig

[Bill Z Bubba]

Masterminds and blasters. Not my bag.

[Communistpenguin]

23 minutes ago, Seigmoraig said:

Well no wonder you find it boring with builds like that.. /Pain is 100% buffing and mercs is bottom of the barrel tier for primary. Give yourself a chance and play an actually interesting secondary where you dont just buff every few minutes and wait for the timers to wear off paired with a performing primary and it should be a different game.

Dark, Storm and Electric Affinity (EA being my personal favorite) are some great secondaries that should keep you busy. Pair that with Thugs or Demons and you should have a more interesting character. Just stay away from super passive secondaries like Pain, Empathy or Force Field.

 

But I mean if you don't like the AT after that its no use wasting your time rolling 50 of them like the OP, sometimes its just better to move on and do what you enjoy more

I only roll characters by concept. So if I don't create a Character with a capital "C" I don't have any interest in it. I rolled merc/pain because it made the most sense for the character, who I do find interesting from a story perspective. I also try and avoid repeating power sets, and I already have a storm, dark and EA. 

[Bastille Boy]

After a year in the game with bad altitis, I have eight level 50 toons, all melee types, defenders, and corruptors. I've rolled blasters, controllers, dominators, masterminds, and sentinels, but every time, I've lost interest.

 

I think this pattern reflects my inclination to play in melee range. My favorite ranged character is my Rad/Sonic defender, who fights best close to the action.

 

My choices also reflect my theory about how supers' powers affect their personalities. I like to roleplay and write backstories for supers who get along well with other people. ("Getting along," "being good," and "being conventionally heroic" are three different things.) The most sociable archetypes are tankers, defenders, and corruptors. Tankers are naturally tolerant. Nothing really hurts them, and unlike brutes, they don't get angry easily. (Super Strength tankers do get angry, but only when they deliberately choose to.) A room full of tankers is very chill.

 

Defenders and corruptors naturally want to be around other people. They especially want to be around each other. Being in seven other defenders' buff auras is an amazing feeling. If you put a bunch of defenders and corruptors in a small space together, even if they initially hate each other, they have a powerful incentive to work out their differences and become allies.

 

The one archetype I definitely don't want to roll again is Brute. I like playing Brutes just fine. But I can't get past the name. My characters aren't brutish, so I don't want them to be called Brutes. Except for my farmer, who is pretty brutish. He is a demon who was last summoned in 410AD and is really confused by a lot of things, like why everybody is wearing pants. Pants are for barbarians. Also, why do people look at him funny when he eats glass? Glass is crunchy! They are missing out.

[Fire Chief]

MM's, WS, PB, Trollers, Def, VEATS, Corr, Doms, and last but not...well I do like the whole tank concept just don't feel the lead type in a video game just wanna kick back with Blasters, Sents, Scrappers. and Brutes. Sorry if I left anyAT out  🙂

[Sovera]

I have the same reaction with Controllers. Why push a button to CC something when I could be pushing a button to kill it. It counts as CC if it's dead and not shooting back, right?

 

And then there's MM. Surround myself with a fragile herd of cats that does whatever and tends to crumble when taking a hit. But where on another AT I would either eat an insp or hover out of range for my regen to kick in I instead click to summon a new minion, then click to upgrade, then click to upgrade it a second time. Sometimes another one dies before this sequence is over.

 

Overall I find Blasters the most efficient. Annoying Tsoo lieut with Hurricane? Shoot it from afar. Starting a fight? Use the nuke, most things will be dead.

 

While I love my Scrappers and Tankers they do suffer from 'Oh, you're doing level 25 content? I'll help! Oh golly... Gee... That's.. that's four Tsoo Sorcerers... It's a lot of Hurricane... Yep... I'm at 8% chance of hitting... I'll have to wait until they choose to detoggle (blessed be that they detoggle Hurricane on their own after a certain period of time, otherwise they would keep me debuffed for half an hour and relying on lucky hits to whittle them)'.

[Redlynne]

10 hours ago, Communistpenguin said:

Masterminds. I want to like them, I even have a Merc/pain with a good solid concept... Its just soooo boring, Same with Bots/rad, I want to like it, but its just not active enough for me. Mind you, My main, and the character I learned the game on back on live, is a storm/elec. So i like alot going on, and I like Jack of all trades characters.

 

10 hours ago, TheOtherTed said:

Another for Masterminds.  I tried three different types when I bought CoV, and... eh.  The third one (Ninjas, I think) I got to 6th level, looked at my pocket posse after a fight, and thought... eh.  I realized I'd rather play a character than manage a bunch of 'em.  Logged out, deleted all MMs, and haven't looked back.

 

9 hours ago, DrInfernus said:

Masterminds: I want to play the game. I don’t just want to manage AI bots while they play it. So so dull.

 

This is one of those situations where I'm pretty much convinced that the Conventional Wisdom™ on Masterminds has "got it wrong" on how they are meant to be played ... and I'm speaking from personal experience here (see Ninja/Time/Mace Mastermind).  The Conventional Wisdom™ on Masterminds holds that a Mastermind shouldn't be build or played as the "leader" of a gang of Pets who fights WITH them, but rather should be played as a pure-ish Buff Bot who supports their Pets (who do all the fighting) while the Mastermind reserves all of their endurance for Pet support.  This notion has been cemented by the "Endurance Penalty" imposed upon their powers which makes everything Masterminds do cost more than the same power would cost if it were used by a different Archetype.  So the basic fallacy is the notion that Mastermind personal attacks are both WEAK AND WORTHLESS to take and use so should never appear in any Mastermind builds (let alone be used, because endurance "wasted" on attacks is endurance that can't be "spent" on buffing your Pets).

 

And while that notion may look like the correct one while staring at the build planner of your choice and trying to min/max your way to an optimal Mastermind build ... it completely discounts and negates any value to be gained from positioning and different Battlefield Flow Strategies which in actual gameplay can make an incredibly huge difference.  Again, I'm speaking from personal experience here ... and I cannot stress strongly enough just how much of a difference in actual gameplay it makes.  Actively attacking from long range as a (Ninja) Mastermind to draw aggro (initially) onto yourself, which then via Bodyguard Mode distributes the incoming damage AND triggers your Pets to attack (at range) like a bunch of support turrets is A LOT more fun to play than just sending in the Pets to destroy everything while you watch (passively) waiting to use a support power (if needed).  It honestly FEELS DIFFERENT to actively participate (as a Mastermind) in the beatdowns that You AND your Pets are delivering to each spawn group.  It's a far more active and engaging style of play, and it also makes it possible to use multiple styles of tactical strategy ... from "fight them over there and tenderize them as they close" to the stock and standard "fight them over here because they bumrushed towards you" that is so typical.  By expanding the envelope of opportunity and THREAT that your Mastermind not only has but and impose at your discretion, the way the Archetype plays is almost completely different.

 

So as you can tell, I am totally converted to the notion that Masterminds should take, slot and USE their personal attacks so as to not force themselves into the corner of making their Pets do all the work for them.  The ... harmony ... that results from taking and using personal attacks on Masterminds, rather than just standing around as a buff bot while your Pets do ALL of the fighting for you, is simply a matter of night vs day in terms of enjoyment in playing the Archetype.  Sadly, there don't seem to be that many Players willing to challenge the Conventional Wisdom™ on Masterminds that reduces Masterminds to being Buff Bots With Pets™ who are little more than spectators for a "team" of NPCs who do all the fighting for them.  No wonder there are a number of people in this thread saying they can't GET Mastermind gameplay ... in part because a lot of Players wind up playing builds that are the functional equivalent of playing with one hand tied behind your back in pursuit of "optimal min/maxery" (or words to that effect) that looks GREAT on paper/in the build planner but which winds up being deadly dull and boring to actually play.

 

Or to put it another way ...

 

 

 

Paganism.

It's not just for Heretics anymore ...

[Ukase]

15 hours ago, Hexquisite said:

So, anyone else? Is there an AT that simply doesn't do it for you? And if so, have you figured out why? 

 

And most importantly, have any amusing anecdotes of your efforts?

For me - the AT I just don't "get" is the dominator. 

I think, the primary reason is because supposedly, Dominators, like Khelds, are designed to perform better on teams. I recall reading something about them reaching Domination faster when teaming. I solo far more often than I team up, so that may be part of it, but even when I team up:

Damage output is minimal. Candidly, this notion that an AT is "support" is pure rubbish in my mind. I want to be the boxer in the ring, not the guy in the corner helping the champ by holding a bucket for him to spit and rinse in. 

If you can't kill a minion in 3 attacks, you delete it, and maybe try a different powerset or slotting combo. If that doesn't work, you simply never play it again. 


That said, I've found controllers to be more enjoyable, if slightly more difficult to play well. You have aggro/alpha management, with a secondary to help out your pets or a team, depending on powers/ powersets chosen. They are painfully slow to level up to high 20's, particularly when solo. Obviously, if you team up regularly, with the 2xp buff, leveling is ridiculously easy and fast. Solo - not so much. But, once you get pets, it's a smoother ride. 

And, honestly, although I've taken the time on some of my preferred characters to write "an origin", my "concepts" are more about self-induced challenges, not thematic power selections. Never cared a bit about that. 

[DoctorDitko]

I concur with those who don't enjoy Scrappers; I just hate chasing bad guys around the room. At least Tanks get the Taunt, so less chasing.

 

And I haven't managed to stick with any of the "Epic" archetypes past level 15 or so. I just wander off to find a FUN character to play.

 

(I also tend to dislike any toon with a Fantasy RPG theme. I've already played those to death, in a hundred other games! "Get me out of this frigging DUNGEON!")*

 

 

 

 

*Yes, I'm looking at YOU, Oranbega!

[TheOtherTed]

1 hour ago, Redlynne said:

value to be gained from positioning and different Battlefield Flow Strategies which in actual gameplay can make an incredibly huge difference.

Not to discount your point - I think it probably applies pretty broadly - but this potential for battlefield control was, in fact, what attracted me to Masterminds in the first place.  However, I found that I could get pretty much the same strategic feel, with a more visceral or personal "oomph", from Controllers (and even Dark Defs or /Dark Corrs).

 

To be fair, though, I'd been playing Controllers for a good long while before trying Masterminds.  If I'd tried Masterminds first, I might be singing a different tune.

[Coyotedancer]

49 minutes ago, DoctorDitko said:

*Yes, I'm looking at YOU, Oranbega!

I suspect I know what the locals would have to say about that. XD

 

*a few of the Thorn Wielders, a Death Mage and one stray Spectral with nothing better to do gather in the hall to discuss the situation... all coming to a quick agreement*

 

"We suggest that the next time one of your contacts asks you to come and 'borrow' something from us... Our books. Some ritual or other. One of our artifacts... Instead of saying yes, you tell them to GET STUFFED! ... Honestly, we're as weary of all of you barging into our city, taking our stuff and doing unspeakable things to our staff as you are of getting lost in dead-end passages, caught on torches and mobbed by summoned behemoths."

[Redlynne]

26 minutes ago, TheOtherTed said:

2 hours ago, Redlynne said:

value to be gained from positioning and different Battlefield Flow Strategies which in actual gameplay can make an incredibly huge difference.

Not to discount your point - I think it probably applies pretty broadly - but this potential for battlefield control was, in fact, what attracted me to Masterminds in the first place.  However, I found that I could get pretty much the same strategic feel, with a more visceral or personal "oomph", from Controllers (and even Dark Defs or /Dark Corrs).

 

To be fair, though, I'd been playing Controllers for a good long while before trying Masterminds.  If I'd tried Masterminds first, I might be singing a different tune.

Masterminds are just a different bag of tricks compared to Controllers.  The one thing that most Masterminds can do rather successfully is apply what I think of as distributed pressure onto $Targets because it's not just YOU attacking, it's a "collection of You(s)" that is attacking, and that creates a very different dynamic and set of engagement strategies.  For one thing, particularly with Mastermind personal attacks in the mix, (for me at least) battles tend to evolve through stages rather than being a single set piece of strategy that never varies.

 

For example ...

 

Even though with Ninja/Time my Ninjas are a mix of melee (mostly) with some ranged attack capability (Shurikens, Poison Dart and the like) and the fact that Time's Juncture is a massive aid to survivability due to the -ToHit and Slow debuffing it does ... Time's Juncture only has a 20ft PBAoE radius on it.  So there's a kind of "boundary layer" of a 20ft radius away from your Mastermind where the battle dynamics change.  So there's a 0-20ft radius of action within Time's Juncture, as well as the 20-80ft radius of action enabled by the Snap Shot and Aimed Shot personal attack powers (Fistful of Arrows is shorter ranged at 40ft base).

 

What I've found myself doing is attacking with Snap Shot+Aimed Shot from maximum range (to enforce maximum "bumrush to close" time), even though doing so is "not optimal" from a debuffing standpoint as my primary opening move.  That's because most $Targets will charge towards close(r) range and attempt to melee, during which time I'm continuing to shoot at them with Snap Shot+Aimed Shot (and even Fistful of Arrows if they get close enough) ... but usually those incoming attackers will have used at least one ranged attack before charging in at me which will "activate" my Ninjas who are either on Defensive/Follow or Defensive/GoTo (the latter is best to help them avoid burn patches in my vicinity) which keeps them in Bodyguard Mode.  This means that when a $Target is charging towards me, they're taking fire not only from my Mastermind using a bow, but also from my Pets throwing ranged attacks at them too ... and because I have the Overwhelming Force KD proc slotted into my T1 Pets, the odds of getting a Knockdown from a thrown Shuriken(!) is relatively high, particularly when I've got 2-3 T1 Pets summoned who are all attacking in support of my Mastermind.  The result is a kind of withering barrage of arrows, shurikens and darts that will often time faceplant an incoming attacker before they even reach my Mastermind in an attempt to melee me.

 

In other words, tactically speaking, my build is able to defeat a $Target before it even has a chance at doing meaningful damage to either my Mastermind and/or my Pets.  I defeat them while they are charging into melee, rather than trying to defeat them after they're in melee and doing significant (melee) damage to either my Pets or myself.  The imbalance in damage dealt versus damage taken is simply MASSIVE compared to the alternative of making my Pets deal all the damage themselves, in melee, where they will also take a lot of damage, in melee.  The differential in survival is simply a CHASM ... and that's before calculating the difference in time spent to achieve those defeats, the safety margin that the ranged opening affords and the reduced need for healing after everything is over and done with.

 

I worked all of this out by realizing that I could either spend my endurance healing my Pets for all the damage they were taking, or I could help them defeat $Targets faster(!) by attacking myself so they took fewer hits.  The endurance cost was roughly equal either way, but the tempo of action was vastly different ... since it was either defeat fast with light healing needed or defeat slower with heavy healing needed.  It didn't take a whole lot of experimentation to realize that going faster with less healing needed was the superior alternative (and a lot more FUN and engaging to play to boot!).  Having those ranged attacks ready at ALL times for use just completely inverted my thinking on how to play my Mastermind, and I am MUCH happier as a result of that.

 

 

 

I'd be willing to demonstrate the differences for anyone who'd like to witness how the different engagement strategies completely alter the dynamics ... but my Mastermind is only Level 19 and a Praetorian who is currently level locked while I'm playing through ALL of the Praetorian content.  Ordinarily, this is the kind of thing I'd want to just post a demo video for, but since we're not allowed to do that, it's not an option ... so in game team to observe in missions is the next best alternative.

[kiramon]

I don’t think I’m bored of mastermind, but I find it very much not the fast play style I expect of coh. Even when I do now I get at least 3 attacks on the mm to fight lol

[Coyote]

2 hours ago, Redlynne said:

Paganism.

It's not just for Heretics anymore ...

 

Welcome to the Heresy 😄

 

Redlynne said it great as a summary. I'll add two things to it:
1) The only reason I'm liking a NinKin MM is because I pull aggro to me with Provoke and attacks, and then the damage is distributed via Bodyguard so I'm not getting Genin constantly one-shot. And then I throw an AoE Heal to heal all the chunks of damage that got Bodyguarded out in one cast. If I had to try to wrangle crazy Ninjas while keeping them alive with very little buffing, well, I'd quit the character cold. Sometimes you have to know how to be active rather than reactive, with MMs.

2) I am planning a Mercs/FF MM. Sounds boring and weak, but the DPS of Burst-Slug-Burst-paus is almost 70 DPS... that's more than any tier of henchmen for Mercs. Heck, it's probably a 50% improvement in single-target damage compared to just letting the henchmen shoot the Boss... and it's more interesting and active. Instead of standing there telling them "shoot that guy for me and then get me a beer", I'm showing them how to do it. Probably only the Commando gets it, the others subscribe to the "spray and pray" theory of accuracy. But, being active with personal attacks will increase my DPS tremendously, and it will keep me interested in a fight instead of "shield everyone, give orders, take a bite from a sandwich, yawn".

[Redlynne]

2 minutes ago, Coyote said:

I am planning a Mercs/FF MM.

Try getting Group Fly and Medicine (Aid Other and Aid Self, possibly Field Medic if you have the power picks to spare) and see how they fare.  I'm thinking that Group Fly "negating" incoming melee damage to your Mercs (when there's enough ceiling space) may be the biggest survival boost you can give to them ... aside from their AI not wanting to run in and Brawl For Suicide anymore.

[Coyote]

1 minute ago, Redlynne said:

Try getting Group Fly and Medicine (Aid Other and Aid Self, possibly Field Medic if you have the power picks to spare) and see how they fare.  I'm thinking that Group Fly "negating" incoming melee damage to your Mercs (when there's enough ceiling space) may be the biggest survival boost you can give to them ... aside from their AI not wanting to run in and Brawl For Suicide anymore.

 

Yes, that was a good idea you had in the thread where I asked for secondary suggestions, and I'm going to try it. I posted my planned build there, I think it takes Group Fly around 16. I do recall how Mercs really didn't seem at all underperforming for me on Live, and I'm pretty sure that it was due to one power that's normally considered nice but not a game-changer: Caltrops. Keeping mobs away so that Mercs stay safe and can get more targets in their narrow cones is a huge offensive advantage... live Mercs at longer ranges do more damage than dead Mercs at shorter ranges. Come to think of it, though, that may be true at all ranges 😄

[Redlynne]

Ideally speaking, you'd want to have:

• Flight: Hover, Air Superiority, Group Fly
• Medicine: Aid Other, Aid Self ... (Field Medic optional if you have room)
• Leadership: Assault, Tactics ... (Maneuvers optional if you have room)

[Coyotedancer]

Interesting that Group Fly works well with the Mercs set... I had it briefly on Hanano (my Ninja/FF MM back on Liberty-) and it never went well with them. Even in an enclosed space and with a lot of micromanagement, the boys tended to end up outside of it more often than in.

 

Granted, that was back in the Live days before the AI update... 'Might be a little less of an issue now.

Or not. Because... ninjas. Goofballs gonna goofball. XD 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2020 by Coyotedancer
I spel gud. XP

[Redlynne]

49 minutes ago, Coyotedancer said:

Interesting that Group Fly works well with the Mercs set...

Group Fly will definitely synergize well with pure ranged Pet sets ... and not work well with primarily or totally melee Pet sets ... for what ought to be obvious reasons.

 

So Mercenaries and Robots are the obvious best mix for this, while Necromancy, Ninjas and (obviously) Beasts would not, simply because of the engagement range of the Pets.  I don't know Demons well enough to know if this would work well for them, but Mercenaries and Robots ... definitely there's an advantage to be had by keeping your Pets "up in the sky" where most melee attackers can't reach them.

[Hexquisite]

4 hours ago, Redlynne said:

And while that notion may look like the correct one while staring at the build planner of your choice and trying to min/max your way to an optimal Mastermind build ... it completely discounts and negates any value to be gained from positioning and different Battlefield Flow Strategies which in actual gameplay can make an incredibly huge difference.  Again, I'm speaking from personal experience here ... and I cannot stress strongly enough just how much of a difference in actual gameplay it makes.  Actively attacking from long range as a (Ninja) Mastermind to draw aggro (initially) onto yourself, which then via Bodyguard Mode distributes the incoming damage AND triggers your Pets to attack (at range) like a bunch of support turrets is A LOT more fun to play than just sending in the Pets to destroy everything while you watch (passively) waiting to use a support power (if needed).  It honestly FEELS DIFFERENT to actively participate (as a Mastermind) in the beatdowns that You AND your Pets are delivering to each spawn group.  It's a far more active and engaging style of play, and it also makes it possible to use multiple styles of tactical strategy ... from "fight them over there and tenderize them as they close" to the stock and standard "fight them over here because they bumrushed towards you" that is so typical.  By expanding the envelope of opportunity and THREAT that your Mastermind not only has but and impose at your discretion, the way the Archetype plays is almost completely different.

 

So as you can tell, I am totally converted to the notion that Masterminds should take, slot and USE their personal attacks so as to not force themselves into the corner of making their Pets do all the work for them.  The ... harmony ... that results from taking and using personal attacks on Masterminds, rather than just standing around as a buff bot while your Pets do ALL of the fighting for you, is simply a matter of night vs day in terms of enjoyment in playing the Archetype.  Sadly, there don't seem to be that many Players willing to challenge the Conventional Wisdom™ on Masterminds that reduces Masterminds to being Buff Bots With Pets™ who are little more than spectators for a "team" of NPCs who do all the fighting for them.  No wonder there are a number of people in this thread saying they can't GET Mastermind gameplay ... in part because a lot of Players wind up playing builds that are the functional equivalent of playing with one hand tied behind your back in pursuit of "optimal min/maxery" (or words to that effect) that looks GREAT on paper/in the build planner but which winds up being deadly dull and boring to actually play.

 

 

This. . . this is what moved Masterminds, for me, from the position it once shared with Controllers in the 'do not get!' category. I, personally, hate min-maxing, as planning things out always sucks the fun of discovery for me. I play characters, not builds ( not to say that you can't do both; just that character always comes first ), and like the characters to develop naturally. And it was an eye-opening moment, not long before sundown, when I realized that the only thing really holding me back from enjoying Masterminds was that I was playing them the way everyone else seemed to be. As Buff Bots With Pets. And that was never what the character themselves wanted to do.

 

I'm always happiest in the fray. So, I sent my MMs into the fray. Let the pets become support, covering fire, or the occasional decoy while the character took the enemies head-on.

 

Sure, I died a lot more, but they were Glorious Deaths, and I was loving every moment. Started trying out characters who didn't have all the pets, different combinations, etc, and the entire AT opened up for me. I didn't have pets, I had a crew/disciples/a bunch of robots tasked to protect me who got increasingly frustrated that I didn't stay back and let them handle things.

 

This is why I spent so much time making, attempting, and deleting Defenders, Corrupters, and Controllers. I'm still convinced there is a way to make every AT fun for me, even if I have to play them against the conventional wisdom.

 

I've succeeded with all but Controllers. And I'm still convinced I can make them work... I just can't play them as Controllers.

[Gulbasaur]

15 hours ago, Fire Chief said:

I do like the whole tank concept just don't feel the lead type in a video game just wanna kick back with Blasters, Sents, Scrappers. and Brutes.

Hah, those are the four archetypes I really don't get on with. Blasters feel underwhelming, sentinels are just safety-locked blasters, scrappers are stalkers without the interesting parts and brutes are just scrappers with a damage bonus for scrapperlocking.

 

That said, I only really play tankers, corruptors or defenders beside my fortunata main. I specifically like tanker sets that come with status effects - cloak of fear is a thing of beauty.

 

Edited June 13, 2020 by Gulbasaur

[Bill Z Bubba]

8 hours ago, Redlynne said:

This is one of those situations where I'm pretty much convinced that the Conventional Wisdom™ on Masterminds has "got it wrong" on how they are meant to be played ... and I'm speaking from personal experience here (see Ninja/Time/Mace Mastermind).  The Conventional Wisdom™ on Masterminds holds that a Mastermind shouldn't be build or played as the "leader" of a gang of Pets who fights WITH them, but rather should be played as a pure-ish Buff Bot who supports their Pets (who do all the fighting) while the Mastermind reserves all of their endurance for Pet support. 

I had FOUR masterminds here in HC that all followed the philosophy of leading from the front because to do otherwise would have meant instant deletion. Still ended up deleting all 4.

[roleki]

I feel that way about every AT that ISN'T a Controller.  "Wait, the plan is to just attack them, and move on to the next?"

[Coyotedancer]

4 hours ago, Redlynne said:

Group Fly will definitely synergize well with pure ranged Pet sets ... and not work well with primarily or totally melee Pet sets ... for what ought to be obvious reasons.

 

So Mercenaries and Robots are the obvious best mix for this, while Necromancy, Ninjas and (obviously) Beasts would not, simply because of the engagement range of the Pets.  I don't know Demons well enough to know if this would work well for them, but Mercenaries and Robots ... definitely there's an advantage to be had by keeping your Pets "up in the sky" where most melee attackers can't reach them.

 

'Wouldn't go well with demons, I suspect... They're a mixed set, but like to close on things. The Prince in particular with that ice sword of his.