Shazbot Wants To Fix Mercs

[Shazbotacus]

I wanna fix mercs please. This is a topic I've given a lot of thought to, and Mercs is a set I want most to be successful and competitive with its fellow henchmen in the list of loyal henchmen available to our Mastermind players including myself. So no screwing around; let's get right to it.

What's wrong?
Mercs lack any strength relative to other sets, having very low damage with the dubious honor of the only set that can't break out of double digits in single target damage (assuming SO enhancements only), and no better survivability than even Ninjas. I want to address this problem by giving them a defined strength that'll make them stand out and fun to play.

 

The Direction?

I want to see Mercs be a set with solid damage and a respectable survivability through debuffs courtesy of real world riot munitions. I'm going to be getting most of my inspiration from how Necromancy gets its survivability: debuffs and control. So let's address the problem by going power-by-power, and I'll say what I think will help Mercs be worth leading into battle and why I want to make the changes that I do.

 

Soldiers, Role: Single-Target Damage & Healing

So, Soldiers, they need a cutting down on activation time of many of their powers to help their damage output. The Medic oughta be better specialized to healing so that slotting for healing is worth doing. Every power I list will use level 1 stats.

 

I'm shifting over to single shot/burst/heavy burst to solve the Soldiers' problems with activation time. I'm making the Medic more specialized to healing.
Soldiers, submachine gun

base power: Single Shot (Dmg: 9 lethal & -3.75% Def for 5s, Rech: 4s, Act.Time: 0.9s, Range: 90ft, End.Cost: 5.2, Dmg/Cast Cycle: 1.84) As it looks for Soldier of Arachnos.

1st Upgrade: Burst (Dmg: 9x3 lethal & -3.75% Def for 8s, Rech: 8s, Act.Time: 1s, Range: 90ft, End.Cost: 8.53, Dmg/Cast Cycle: 2) Also as it looks for Soldier of Arachnos.

2nd Upgrade: Heavy Burst (Dmg: 6x6 lethal & -3.75% Def for 16s, Rech: 16s, Act.Time: 2.67s, Range: 90ft, End.Cost: 11.86, Dmg/Cast Cycle: 1.93) As it looks the Soldiers right now, but still single target. That makes three single target attacks.

For weapon variety, consider giving one of the Soldiers one of these instead:

Pump-action shotgun, for a close-range higher damage soldier.

base: Narrow Spread Buckshot (Dmg: 18 lethal w/ 50% chance for mag 0.79 knockback & -3.75% Def for 8s, Rech: 8s, Act.Time: 0.9s, Range: 45ft, End.Cost: 5.2, Dmg/Cast Cycle: 2.02) A short-range heavy blast of single-target damage

1st Upgrade: Slug (just as it is, but with added -3.75% Def for 8s)
2nd Upgrade: Dragon's Breath (Same range, animation, end cost, and activation time as Incinerator for Sentinels, but with 16s recharge. 3.5 fire damage as 11 ticks over 2.5 seconds for a damage per cast cycle of 2.14. And -3.74% Def of course.)

 

Battle rifle, for the designated marksman

base: Hip Shot (it's just Single Shot)
1st Upgrade: Aimed Shot (Dmg: 20 lethal & -3.75% Def for 8s, Rech: 8s, Act.Time 2.67s, Range: 150ft, End.Cost: 8.53, Dmg/Cast Cycle: 1.87) Sniper rifle animation and sound.

2nd Upgrade: Incendiary Round (Dmg: 24 [12 lethal then 4 fire x3 ticks over 3 seconds] & -3.75% Def for 8s, Rech: 10s, Act.Time 2.67s, Range: 150ft, End.Cost: 8.53, Dmg/Cast Cycle: 1.89) Sniper rifle animation, Council marksman rifle sound.

Medic, some kinda carbine/short rifle

base power:

Med Kit (Mostly as it is, but with its recharge lowered to 16s)

Single Shot (see above)

1st Upgrade:
Bio Shield (20-25% or so absorption for 90 seconds, Rech: 8s, Act.Time: 3.17s, End.Cost: 13) An absorb shield also enhanceable with healing

2nd Upgrade:

Regeneration Treatment (+150% regen for 90s, Rech: 8s, Act.Time: 3.17s, End.Cost: 13) Another power that uses the medical tool animation. Applies a strong regeneration buff to henchmen and maybe even the Mastermind.

Stimulant (Mostly as it is, but with a 4s recharge and 90s duration instead)

 

Notice that the damage per cast cycle has gone up to around Thugs' level and that's mostly because activation time went down to reasonable levels, although the first two Soldiers boast a little more since I'd like to see the Medic specialized utterly to healing so slotting that becomes worthwhile and he will hopefully have a greater impact on Mercs' survivability which is presently very lacking. I also think they should have a bit of a range advantage, so we'll be seeing more of that going on here. On to the next. Spec Ops changes are going to focus on improving their ability to debuff the enemy's offense, and they will provide the bulk of Mercs' survivability through this.

Spec Ops, Role: Offense Debuffs for squad survivability, Single-Target Damage

All Spec Ops, weapon: suppressed assault rifle w/ Cryo Rounds

base powers:
Single Shot (As seen above, but with half lethal/cold damage and added -15% move/recharge) It should also use the SCAR snipe sound. It sounds great; we need more of it.

Cryo Burst (Burst as above, but with half lethal/cold damage and added -15% move/recharge for 10 seconds on targets) Silenced burst sound, same Burst that Soldiers get, but with added slow effect to hinder enemy's pace of attack.

Cryo Grenade (-20% move/recharge in 15ft. around target for 30s, Rech: 45s, Act.Time: 1.87s, Range: 90ft, End.Cost 13) Replaces Web Grenade. Hits a group of targets in a radius with a decent debuff to recharge and movement.

1st Upgrade:
Beanbag (2 mag Stun for 8s, Rech: 16s, Act.Time: 0.9s, Range: 90ft, End.Cost: 10) Simple single-target mag 2 stun.
Flash Bang (Mostly as it is, but the -To Hit goes up to -7.5% instead of -5% and lasts for 30s while the recharge goes down to 45s) Improved to provide better mitigation through more consistently applied debuff and CC.

2nd Upgrade: 

SCAR Snipe (Mostly as it is, but with half lethal/cold damage and Recharge reduced to 6 seconds for a new damage per cast cycle of 1.77, and with -15% move/recharge for 10 seconds) Council cryo rounds with a silenced snipe sound pretty much.

Tear Gas (Mostly as is, but loses its Hold, adds -7.5% To Hit to debuff and extends debuff duration to 30s, and reduces recharge to 45s.) Same reasoning behind Flash Bang.
Stealth (as is)

So Spec Ops damage is going to go up a bit, but even more than that will its debuff and CC consistency and power, providing a lot of survivability for Mercs. Two Spec Ops firing their -To Hit grenades, without enhancements, should apply up to -30% To Hit between them both for a good while, and they can potentially have up to 4 mag 2 stuns out, potentially stunning 2 different bosses and everything around them below Lieutenant for a short while, or as long as both their beanbag and flash bang are affecting targets. That's nothing to scoff at. Commando should become an AoE damage machine, although not nearly as much as Assault Bot and that's fine.

 

Commando, Role: AoE Damage

Commando, weapon: assault rifle w/ under-barrel grenade launcher (not the frankenrifle please)

base powers:
Single Shot (as it is for Soldiers)
Burst (as it is for Soldiers)

1st Upgrade:
Buckshot (as it is)
M30 Grenade (mostly as it is, but with 16 damage [6 smash/10 lethal] instead for a new damage per cast cycle of 0.89) So it doesn't suck.

(edit in) Maneuvers (+10% Defense to all henchmen within 60ft)
2nd Upgrade:
Incendiary Grenade (Shares most stats with M30 Grenade, but has no knockdown and does 24 pure Fire damage over 8 ticks [3 each] over 7.1s for a damage per cast cycle of 1.34) Good damage. Not multiple burn patches for Assault Bot good, but there it is. Replaces Flamethrower for an AoE power with less activation time.

Toxic Grenade (Shares most stats with M30 Grenade, but has no knockdown and does 20 pure Toxic damage instead for a damage per cast cycle of 1.12) More solid AoE damage.

LRM Rocket (Mostly as is, but with a 30s recharge instead for a new damage per cast cycle of 0.7) So it doesn't suck, pretty much.

So my hope here is to make each Merc in the player's squad decent at what they do, and those roles should be pretty well defined here. It's kind of an involved overhaul, and it's for a set that's needed help since its first day on live over a decade ago. Well, I hope you guys like it too. Share your thoughts here.

EDIT: Look, I think Serum should be fixed too. Here's a copy-paste from what I also said further down:
Oh, right, addressing Serum. There's a few things I have in mind, actually.

1. Like ya said, Lynne, just take out the crash, cut down the recharge, and apply it to the whole squad. Well, you said take out just the -Recovery in the crash but I'd go further and say just all of it. However, rather than keep the anemic +Damage and +To Hit, I'd rather just drop it and let the power be purely a survival-boosting defensive buff. You mentioned adding a Regeneration component as well, and that might be considered so we'd be looking at strongly enhanceable properties as being resistance, recharge, and healing. That'd be the easiest way to do it. It doesn't feel particularly "mercs" to me though, so I have other things I hope get considered, such as...

2. Fire Support Beacon
Place a Fire Support Beacon down with similar range and animation as calling in Seeker Drones. You can plop it right down in the middle of a group of bad guys. The beacon itself can be targeted, is very durable, and has a tendency to draw aggro. It will "fire" a number of PBAoE attacks around itself visually made to look like artillery and/or air strike munitions detonating around it, dealing high damage and drawing enemy attention to the beacon with a +threat component so it can tank for the Mercs for a bit.

3. Call Air Support
Very similar in practice to the Fire Support Beacon, this power should call in a short duration temporary pet that makes a pronounced impact for its brief 60 second duration in battle. This pet, a repainted Longbow Chaser, is also targetable and very durable, and should be capable of laying down good area effect damage while generating threat with every rocket and bullet that hits before flying/teleporting off to refuel and rearm.

Why'm I suggesting these things? Well, it's Mercenaries, right? Calling in air and fire support is a fairly common trope in military-themed games and especially shooters. I'd feel a lot more like a mercenary commander if I could call in such heavy assets. In-game, it'll have the role of adding some damage while drawing attention away from the squad, helping survivability while it's active.

Edited June 30, 2020 by Shazbotacus

[Capitancopyright]

What if I said...

No?

In all seriousness though, mercs are the joke of MM. Even ninjas can actually do stuff, and they die almost immediately. Only problem is that there’s a long way to go to get to this. Nice to see that medic’s abilities are more like protector bots. Not fair that *they* get all the fun.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Zauhesi

[Monos King]

Definitely for the AoE specified commando changes, seems very appropriate and probably what it should've always been.

[Zeraphia]

5 hours ago, Shazbotacus said:

Soldiers, Role: Single-Target Damage & Healing

So, Soldiers I'd like to see given some variety like Demonlings, and this has a practical purpose as well because lethal damage is commonly resisted so let's give them some different weapons that won't all be affected by this widespread resistance. Additionally, we'll be cutting down the activation time of many of their powers to help their damage output. Finally, the Medic will be utterly specialized to healing so that slotting for healing is worth doing. So design their new powers. Every power I list will use level 1 stats.
First Soldier, weapon: submachine gun

base power:
Single Shot (Dmg: 9 lethal & -3.75% Def for 5s, Rech: 4s, Act.Time: 0.9s, Range: 90ft, End.Cost: 5.2, Dmg/Cast Cycle: 1.84) As it looks for Soldier of Arachnos.

1st Upgrade:
Burst (Dmg: 9x3 lethal & -3.75% Def for 8s, Rech: 8s, Act.Time: 1s, Range: 90ft, End.Cost: 8.53, Dmg/Cast Cycle: 2) Also as it looks for Soldier of Arachnos.

2nd Upgrade:

Heavy Burst (Dmg: 6x6 lethal & -3.75% Def for 16s, Rech: 16s, Act.Time: 2.67s, Range: 90ft, End.Cost: 11.86, Dmg/Cast Cycle: 1.93) As it looks the Soldiers right now, but still single target. That makes three single target attacks.

 

Second Soldier, weapon: beam rifle
base power:

Single Shot (See above, but in Energy Damage instead of Lethal at 120ft range, and with a 1s activation time, making a new damage per cast cycle of 1.8) Just as it looks for players using Beam Rifle.

1st Upgrade:
Charged Shot (See above, but one hit of Energy Damage (18) instead of three ticks of Lethal at 120ft range and with 1.67s activation time, making a new damage per cast cycle of 1.86) Also as it looks for players using Beam Rifle.
2nd Upgrade
Incendiary Shot (Dmg: 4x9/9.5s energy, Rech: 16s, Act.Time: 1s, Range: 120ft, End.Cost: 9, Dmg/Cast Cycle: 2.12) A very drawn out fire damage over time, kinda like Disintegrate but without the neat mechanic.

Medic, no weapon

base power:
Med Kit (Mostly as it is, but with its recharge lowered to 16s)
Stimulant (Mostly as it is, but with a 4s recharge and 90s duration instead)

1st Upgrade:

Regeneration Treatment (+150% regen for 90s, Rech: 8s, Act.Time: 3.17s, End.Cost: 13) Another power that uses the medical tool animation. Applies a strong regeneration buff to henchmen and maybe even the Mastermind.

2nd Upgrade:
Bio Shield (+20% [or so] Absorption for 90s, Rech: 8s, Act.Time: 3.17s, End.Cost: 13) An absorption shield placed on a single other henchman. All powers, except the status protection, benefit from healing enhancements. So the Medic should end up being really busy keeping buffs going on with his gadget.

Because of the presence of procs (the majority of damage for minions by their bases given their damage will probably never be *that* great) you're actually causing a massive nerf. Currently both of those two soldiers, are identical. Which is a good thing. Why? Several of their powers have a -def component. So what? Well that means they can run Lady Grey's chance for Negative Damage proc, Shield Breaker's Chance for Lethal Damage proc, and Achilles' Heel Resistance Debuff proc. Those procs end up being far more damage than the minion's basic damage itself by quite a lot, and there are 3 of them. Giving the medic legitimately no attack, and losing its attack that would've taken all of these procs is going to NEUTER their DPS. You're NERFING it (hardcore...) rather than helping it.

Hard vote no. Hard /jranger to this idea. Sorry.

 

Aside from that and looking at the rest of these changes, the Spec Ops idea is interesting, but truth be told, I'm not sold on improved tohit debuffs as the "way to go" for them. Quite honestly, tohit debuffs suffer a lot from purple patch, and given they're not your highest-level minion, their debuffs will be resisted, and many enemy groups will have an "answer" against these debuffs. Defense is a better route to go, giving them Maneuvers like Thugs or shields like the FF from robots is a much better route overall in terms of effectiveness for them. However... a big change to your idea that keeps it to a "degree" would be to have the minions' stuns recharge more often and have it only used during certain mob parameters to be more effective instead of just spamming the stuns against useless singular minion targets then being on "lockout" unable to protect the group.

 

The Commando idea I can get behind.

[ShardWarrior]

6 hours ago, Zauhesi said:

Even ninjas suck can actually do stuff, and they die almost immediately.

Fixed for you. 😁

 

Any and all improvements to MM pets would be welcome.  The completest in me leveled one to 50 and I can confidently say that will be my one and only level 50 MM.  Never again.

[Galaxy Brain]

1 hour ago, Zeraphia said:

Because of the presence of procs (the majority of damage for minions by their bases given their damage will probably never be *that* great) you're actually causing a massive nerf

No, they should not be held back on account of this as even with all those procs they still fall way behind currently.

 

Make them work at a base level then worry about that after.

[Shazbotacus]

1 hour ago, Zeraphia said:

Because of the presence of procs (the majority of damage for minions by their bases given their damage will probably never be *that* great) you're actually causing a massive nerf. Currently both of those two soldiers, are identical. Which is a good thing. Why? Several of their powers have a -def component. So what? Well that means they can run Lady Grey's chance for Negative Damage proc, Shield Breaker's Chance for Lethal Damage proc, and Achilles' Heel Resistance Debuff proc. Those procs end up being far more damage than the minion's basic damage itself by quite a lot, and there are 3 of them. Giving the medic legitimately no attack, and losing its attack that would've taken all of these procs is going to NEUTER their DPS. You're NERFING it (hardcore...) rather than helping it.

Hard vote no. Hard /jranger to this idea. Sorry.

 

Aside from that and looking at the rest of these changes, the Spec Ops idea is interesting, but truth be told, I'm not sold on improved tohit debuffs as the "way to go" for them. Quite honestly, tohit debuffs suffer a lot from purple patch, and given they're not your highest-level minion, their debuffs will be resisted, and many enemy groups will have an "answer" against these debuffs. Defense is a better route to go, giving them Maneuvers like Thugs or shields like the FF from robots is a much better route overall in terms of effectiveness for them. However... a big change to your idea that keeps it to a "degree" would be to have the minions' stuns recharge more often and have it only used during certain mob parameters to be more effective instead of just spamming the stuns against useless singular minion targets then being on "lockout" unable to protect the group.

 

The Commando idea I can get behind.

First part, is something I actually don't like about Mercs is their present reliance on procs to just not be terrible, or more like become less terrible. Everyone's attacks has substantially better damage per cast cycle in my rework, and it's my hope that'll make up for it. Like take a look at the commando's M30 Grenade in game stats, it's half what I'd like it to be. If it's really needed, though, I'm fine with adding a small -DEF component to the beam rifle soldier's attacks. You will still lose it from one pet, the Medic, but you should still have good yield from procs in that case.

As for Defense, y'know, I was thinking about giving the Commando Maneuvers with 10% defense. I forgot to do that. You know what else I forgot to do? List my rework idea for Serum. I gotta go to work now, though, so I'll try to get to that later when I have time.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Shazbotacus

[Zeraphia]

8 minutes ago, Galaxy Brain said:

No, they should not be held back on account of this as even with all those procs they still fall way behind currently.

 

Make them work at a base level then worry about that after.

There are still ways to go about fixing them rather than actually killing one of the few good parts of Mercenaries, to which I have a remake of a pre-sunset toon of mine (Mercs/FF) for nostalgia. I never said they were "above average" or even "good" I actually agreed they needed fixing, but giving them a practical nerf to key powers that make up easily double-triple their damage output via procs is not the way to go. I play this toon, I like that effect and I stand by cottage rule with this in this case. Sorry.

6 minutes ago, Shazbotacus said:

If it's really needed, though, I'm fine with adding a small -DEF component to the beam rifle soldier's attacks. You will still lose it from one pet, the Medic, but you should still have good yield from procs in that case.

THIS I can get behind, so that I can still see the enjoyment of the procs I put into my Mercenaries that is one of the few redeemable parts of Mercenaries not utterly shattered. 

[Shazbotacus]

I’m starting to think I’d rather see both Soldiers with beam rifles, and leave the hipfiring assault rifles and lethal damage for Spec Ops and Commando. Nah.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Shazbotacus

[Galaxy Brain]

2 hours ago, Zeraphia said:

There are still ways to go about fixing them rather than actually killing one of the few good parts of Mercenaries, to which I have a remake of a pre-sunset toon of mine (Mercs/FF) for nostalgia. I never said they were "above average" or even "good" I actually agreed they needed fixing, but giving them a practical nerf to key powers that make up easily double-triple their damage output via procs is not the way to go. I play this toon, I like that effect and I stand by cottage rule with this in this case. Sorry.

 

Wolves can put the same exact procs in the same exact amount of powers, and they have literally over 3x the base DPS of Soldiers before that.

[Zeraphia]

8 minutes ago, Galaxy Brain said:

Wolves can put the same exact procs in the same exact amount of powers, and they have literally over 3x the base DPS of Soldiers before that.

So this is an interesting point, I'd also state that Wolves are melee, thus are in a more dangerous situation, thus deserve higher DPS, it is also comparing an early set to a polished one without any improvements. I have said, they should be improved numerous times. I've never once said they're "fine" but if the solution is to nerf how Mercenaries get okay-decent damage, I am not for it and I don't deem it as a "fix" or an "improvement." There are as I've said, multiple ways to improve it without taking away their ability to proc. As you point out, why can't Mercs just get improved damage WITHOUT taking away their procs (as you've pointed out, other sets get this novelty)? 

 

Please stop acting like I'm AGAINST direct improvements to the set. I am not. What I am NOT for is trying to "buff" something but inadvertently nerfing it in the process.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Zeraphia

[Galaxy Brain]

What I am against is directly attributing performance to Procs as a hard-core measurement. Yes, they play a role but seeing as they are optional in how they are slotted they should not be the deciding factor in how powers get changed (outside edge cases).

Edited June 26, 2020 by Galaxy Brain

[Redlynne]

2 hours ago, Shazbotacus said:

List my rework idea for Serum. I gotta go to work now, though, so I'll try to get to that later when I have time.

Serum

 

Buff Mercenary +DMG, +RES(All except Psionic), +To Hit, +Recovery

You can use a special Serum to turn one Mercenary into a virtually Unstoppable killing machine for a short time. Once the Mercenary is injected with this Serum, his Damage, chance to hit, Endurance Recovery, and Damage Resistance to all damage except Psionics, will be greatly increased. The target Mercenary will also be virtually immune to controlling effects including Disorient, Sleep, Hold, Immobilize and Knockback. After the Serum wears off, the Mercenary will be exhausted and drained of all Endurance and be unable to recover endurance for a short while. Recharge: Very Long

 

Level	18
Type	Click
PvE damage scale	0.000000
Accuracy	1
Modes required
Modes disallowed	Disable_All
Range	100 feet
Activate period	-
Interrupt time	-
Cast time	1.3 seconds
Recharge time	1000 seconds
Endurance cost	13
Attack types
Effect area	Character
Radius	-
Arc	-
Max targets hit	-
Entities affected	MyPet
Entities autohit	MyPet
Target	MyPet
Target visibility	None
Nofity Mobs	Always

 

Target:

• +52.5% Res(All but Psionic) for 60s
  If target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Soldier) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Medic) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Spec_Ops) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Commando)
• +100% Recovery for 60s
  If target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Soldier) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Medic) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Spec_Ops) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Commando)
• -100 Knockup, Knockback for 60s
  If target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Soldier) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Medic) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Spec_Ops) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Commando)
• +1000% Res(Knockup, Knockback, Repel) for 60s
  If target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Soldier) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Medic) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Spec_Ops) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Commando)
• -10 Repel for 60s
  If target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Soldier) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Medic) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Spec_Ops) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Commando)
• -12.975 Stunned, Held, Sleep, Immobilized for 60s
  If target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Soldier) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Medic) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Spec_Ops) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Commando)
• +7.5% ToHit for 60s
  If target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Soldier) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Medic) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Spec_Ops) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Commando)
• +7.5% Dmg(Smashing, Lethal, Fire) for 60s
  If target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Soldier) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Medic) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Spec_Ops) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Commando)
• -1000% Recovery for 20s (after 60 second delay)
  If target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Soldier) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Medic) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Spec_Ops) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Commando)
• -100% Endurance (after 60 second delay)
  If target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Soldier) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Medic) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Spec_Ops) or target.VillainName(MastermindPets_Commando)

 

The Serum power suffers from two fatal flaws of negligent game design.

1. Affects only 1 Mercenary at a time.
2. Ridiculously terrible uptime (60s out of 1000s base is a miserly 6%!!!)

 

The first problem is blunt force trauma to the face stupidly simple.

Change Serum from being a Ranged single target buff to being a 60ft PBAoE around the Mastermind.

So instead of Serum being a single target buff, it buffs all of your Mercenaries simultaneously.

It really doesn't get any simpler than that.

 

As for the STUPIDLY LONG RECHARGE ... even that can be fixed pretty easily by lowering the recharge from 1000 seconds (obnoxiously ridiculous!) down to 300 seconds.

 

 

 

Only other thing I'd want to do to the power to fix past bad game design decisions would be to delete the Recovery debuff for 20s while keeping the Endurance crash the power causes after 60s.  That way the "crash" after 60s would cause a "fallback" to low endurance attacks, but would not "switch off" the affected Mercenaries (plural) for 20 seconds while their Recovery is debuffed into the ground and held there.

 

 

 

I'm thinking that is would be really a good idea to make Serum come with a serious Regeneration buff for the 60 second duration, so the Mercenaries don't need as much healing for the duration (see: Supersoldiers).  Of course, adding that factor would then mean adding Healing enhancements and Healing sets (but not Accurate Healing sets).

 

 

 

But in terms of simple solutions to the Serum Is TERRIBLE!!™ problem ... changing it to a Supremacy radius PBAoE and lowering the base recharge to 300s would do a LOT to rehabilitate the reputation of Serum (which has ALWAYS been bad!).  Deleting the Recovery "crash" while keeping the Endurance "crash" after 60s would also make the power NOT TERRIBLE anymore.

 

 

 

Other wishful thinking checkboxes would be to increase the +ToHit and +Damage buffs for the 60s duration so they aren't quite so ... anemic.

+7.5% for a 1000s recharge on a 60s duration?

Seriously?!?!?

 

These are supposed to be Super Soldiers!

Not Super STUPID Soldiers!

[Lazarillo]

I've got a hard no on the Beam Rifle thing.  It's just...not in concept for "Mercenaries".  You want lasers, go Robots.  Plus, having each Merc be unique doesn't really fit the "army" theme either.

That said, I haven't played them much since the old days (I had a Mercs/Thermal who got a fair bit of playtime back in the day and was generally "fine" but not exciting), but I feel like...are sweeping changes really necessary anyway?  Cut-down the activation times, drop the Recharge on the Spec Ops controls drastically since the AI doesn't know how to use 'em.  And cut the recharge/remove the crash on Serum.  Bada-bing, bada-boom.  You've got your ranged tank-y/control-y pet set.

[Shazbotacus]

I think it fits quite well. Army squads have different roles within them beyond the bread-and-butter riflemen, such as an automatic rifleman with a light machinegun, also called a squad automatic weapon, and a grenadier with a rifle affixed with an underbarrel launcher. Squads might also have a designated marksman, or an anti-tank operator with a rocket launcher, also called a light assault weapon. You're right in that sweeping changes aren't strictly necessary, and you can get away with just fixing their activation times, maybe increasing damage on powers if that ain't enough, making recharge timers for many powers reasonable, replacing some powers that have no use with ones that do like Rifle Butt with Beanbag, or adding some where it'd help further an overall strength like giving Maneuvers to Commando. Going a little further, however, addresses some practical things like prevalence of lethal damage resistance and some flavor things like making Mercs just feel exciting. It might not fit their aesthetic now, but frankly they need a uniform upgrade anyhow.

Besides, no one said "you want guns, stick with mercs" when Thugs got added. I'd also rather be seeing mercs fire from the shoulder, like soldiers who were trained to aim their weapons, than all of them hipfiring like 80's action stars, and only Beam Rifle has those animations.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Shazbotacus

[Shazbotacus]

Oh, right, addressing Serum. There's a few things I have in mind, actually.

1. Like ya said, Lynne, just take out the crash, cut down the recharge, and apply it to the whole squad. Well, you said take out just the -Recovery in the crash but I'd go further and say just all of it. However, rather than keep the anemic +Damage and +To Hit, I'd rather just drop it and let the power be purely a survival-boosting defensive buff. You mentioned adding a Regeneration component as well, and that might be considered so we'd be looking at strongly enhanceable properties as being resistance, recharge, and healing. That'd be the easiest way to do it. It doesn't feel particularly "mercs" to me though, so I have other things I hope get considered, such as...

2. Fire Support Beacon
Place a Fire Support Beacon down with similar range and animation as calling in Seeker Drones. You can plop it right down in the middle of a group of bad guys. The beacon itself can be targeted, is very durable, and has a tendency to draw aggro. It will "fire" a number of PBAoE attacks around itself visually made to look like artillery and/or air strike munitions detonating around it, dealing high damage and drawing enemy attention to the beacon with a +threat component so it can tank for the Mercs for a bit.

3. Call Air Support
Very similar in practice to the Fire Support Beacon, this power should call in a short duration temporary pet that makes a pronounced impact for its brief 60 second duration in battle. This pet, a repainted Longbow Chaser, is also targetable and very durable, and should be capable of laying down good area effect damage while generating threat with every rocket and bullet that hits before flying/teleporting off to refuel and rearm.

Why'm I suggesting these things? Well, it's Mercenaries, right? Calling in air and fire support is a fairly common trope in military-themed games and especially shooters. I'd feel a lot more like a mercenary commander if I could call in such heavy assets. In-game, it'll have the role of adding some damage while drawing attention away from the squad, helping survivability while it's active. I'm gonna add this to the main post.
but the cottage rule
No one come at me with the "cottage rule." No one get me started on the "cottage rule." Please. Besides, it was caveated with the occasion if there should be a given power in such a need of an absolute rework, and I believe we're looking at it now: Serum does not feel good for Mercs in its present function, no matter how much that function is improved.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Shazbotacus

[Communistpenguin]

I vote no to giving mercs beam rifles. 

[Galaxy Brain]

I agree that mercs should not have beam rifles. Different types of military guns? Sure, but lets keep it to pumping lead 🙂

[Fortuneteller]

Yeah i'd rather not have my mercs guns changed to a beam rifle. Would completely ruin the aesthetic. They are meant to be present day soldiers, not future soldiers.

Also not a fan of the medic having no attacks.

[Galaxy Brain]

that said, future soldiers would be lit as a new set

Edited June 26, 2020 by Galaxy Brain

[Shazbotacus]

Y'know what, I think I can work with that. I can post some alternative Soldier weapons. I would like to see more firing from the shoulder, though. Here's what I got so far.

Pump-action shotgun, for a close-range higher damage soldier.

base: Narrow Spread Buckshot (Dmg: 18 lethal w/ 50% chance for mag 0.79 knockback & -3.75% Def for 8s, Rech: 8s, Act.Time: 0.9s, Range: 45ft, End.Cost: 5.2, Dmg/Cast Cycle: 2.02) A short-range heavy blast of single-target damage

1st Upgrade: Slug (just as it is, but with added -3.75% Def for 8s
2nd Upgrade: Dragon's Breath (Same range, animation, end cost, and activation time as Incinerator for Sentinels, but with 16s recharge. 3.5 fire damage as 11 ticks over 2.5 seconds for a damage per cast cycle of 2.14. And -3.74% Def of course.)

 

Battle rifle, for the designated marksman

base: Hip Shot (it's just Single Shot)
1st Upgrade: Aimed Shot (Dmg: 20 lethal & -3.75% Def for 8s, Rech: 8s, Act.Time 2.67s, Range: 150ft, End.Cost: 8.53, Dmg/Cast Cycle: 1.87) Sniper rifle animation and sound.

2nd Upgrade: Incendiary Round (Dmg: 24 [12 lethal then 4 fire x3 ticks over 3 seconds] & -3.75% Def for 8s, Rech: 10s, Act.Time 2.67s, Range: 150ft, End.Cost: 8.53, Dmg/Cast Cycle: 1.89) Sniper rifle animation, Council marksman rifle sound.

I think I'll put it in the main post.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Shazbotacus

[Redlynne]

3 hours ago, Fortuneteller said:

Yeah i'd rather not have my mercs guns changed to a beam rifle.

Change the existing Mercenaries powerset to beam rifle ... HARD NO.

 

Copy/paste the Mercenaries powerset into a duplicate that uses minor alterations to produce a beam rifle version of Mercenaries (called something else) ... okay, I'm listening ...

 

 

 

Add and extend, not repeal and replace.

[Shazbotacus]

Okay, I get ya. I changed up the original post and have three weapon sets on the table for Soldiers. What do y'all think of it now?

[Fortuneteller]

I still have issue with the medic not having any attacks, a change like that would need a lot of testing. I'm not going to attempt the math, but i'd say off the top of my head there's a DPS loss there. But it's your ideas, so more power to you. If you're lucky some dev might make it their pet project. 😛

[Shazbotacus]

What do ya think about a single attack power? Like... a shotgun or a pistol or something? Or a rifle with one power? edit: Y'know what, I'm gonna give him a submachine gun little carbine. Check it out. How's it look now?

Edited June 27, 2020 by Shazbotacus