How can I make my MM more tankier?

[RudedawgCDN]

Hi all,

 

So far really enjoying my new Demon/Time MM.

 

Curious, what powers I can take to help him be even more tankier or give him better survivability?

 

An ingame friend suggested;

 

Mace mastery: Scorpion Shield.

 

Anything else?

Edited January 2, 2021 by RudedawgCDN

[Verix]

I would suggest Mu mastery instead. Mace shield gives you defense but the Mu shield gives you resistance.

 

A lot of your offense or defense will come from which powers you have slotted and what you put there. You can stack a set bonus up to 5 times. With effort you can get some set bonuses that give you : resistances/defense from various attacks.

 

Combine something like 30% defense with time's juncture and most enemies are left with a 5% chance to hit you.

 

 

[RudedawgCDN]

10 hours ago, Verix said:

I would suggest Mu mastery instead. Mace shield gives you defense but the Mu shield gives you resistance.

 

A lot of your offense or defense will come from which powers you have slotted and what you put there. You can stack a set bonus up to 5 times. With effort you can get some set bonuses that give you : resistances/defense from various attacks.

 

Combine something like 30% defense with time's juncture and most enemies are left with a 5% chance to hit you.

 

 

Thank you Verix, much appreciated.

 

So are you saying with Times Juncture I can put 5 Enhance Defense in?

 

Right now I have 3 -To Hit and 3 + Defense.

 

Is that wrong?

 

and because that will max me out on Defense, take Mu Mastery instead and focus on Resistance...

 

How would I stack for resistance? (Sorry I am new so I do not know which IO's to buy).

Edited January 2, 2021 by RudedawgCDN

[Psylenz0511]

Time manipulation has a lot of defense powers. I would definitely recommend taking scorpion shield. Slotting Time Juncture with your other defense abilities will not max you out on Defense. Having high defense on your mastermind means you can put your demons in bodyguard mode, eat the alpha, tackle the tough targets and then focus fire your demons on bringing down the various/scattered survivors. Having said that, you DO have some nice resistance features in your demon pets especially and there is nothing wrong with enhancing those attributes. 

 

TL;DR version: Far Sight + Scorpion Shield is TOO GOOD to pass up

[Verix]

3 hours ago, Psylenz0511 said:

Time manipulation has a lot of defense powers. I would definitely recommend taking scorpion shield. Slotting Time Juncture with your other defense abilities will not max you out on Defense.

 

You can slot however you want... but my time build debuffs enemies for -14.7% to hit  with Time's Juncture. My lowest defense is ~25 and most enemies have a 5% chance to hit me or my pets from the combat log.  When I turn on the Incarnate support core my highest defense goes up to 40 (without using hover).

 

I don't get to max out defense but I am supremely resistant to damage from the Mu shield. My Smashing/Lethal defense without an incarnate boost is ~59% and my energy resistance is 48% before pet reductions.  Most attacks in CoX have multiple energy types and will use your highest resist. So if you resist a Lethal/Fire attack you can use the higher value (If it is fire only you only get the fire value).

 

Scorpion shield is really nice but I think the Mu shield is even better.

 

As for my build exactly - I am using a modified version of Force Redux's Time/thug build. You can use that as a really strong base. Load up his build with mids and look at the set bonuses he uses. He focuses on S/L defense as well as haste.

[Six-Six]

Some powers don't seem defensive on the surface, but they do translate to defence. Like Soul Mastery's Dark. Dark has -to hit, so if they don't hit you, you survive longer. Dark Embrace is also a very good resistance toggle. Chill Mastery has nice holds and a very good heal (Hoarfrost).

 

Aside from actual powers, I would look into IO set bonuses. Those things add up if you build it right. If you're planning on a tankermind where you tank the damage so your pets can go about their business dealing damage, then the way to go is to build up your resistance and defences through the set bonuses. Presence Pool has Provoke so you can taunt your enemies, and it opens up Invoke Panic (fear/hold), and Unrelenting which is a +damage, recharge (IIRC), recovery and heal.

[Max Firepower]

19 hours ago, RudedawgCDN said:

Thank you Verix, much appreciated.

 

So are you saying with Times Juncture I can put 5 Enhance Defense in?

 

Right now I have 3 -To Hit and 3 + Defense.

 

Is that wrong?

 

and because that will max me out on Defense, take Mu Mastery instead and focus on Resistance...

 

How would I stack for resistance? (Sorry I am new so I do not know which IO's to buy).

More than 3 of any one generic SO or IO has significantly diminished returns.  It is called Enhancement Diversification (ED), and it limits how much juice you can squeeze out of a power by just throwing more than 3 slots at it.  This is where IO Enhancement Set bonuses begin to come in, and later where Incarnate powers can adjust the ED limits once you are L50 and beyond. L50 heroes get Veteran levels that help them create Incarnate powers or bonuses or ED recalculations.

Edited January 3, 2021 by Max Firepower

[Verix]

You really need to use Mids hero designer to look at the diminishing returns.

 

What I meant is that you can have 5 of the same set bonus from IO sets applying five times. You can for example have 5x enhanced recharge for 7.5% each. Many people for example make builds with multiple copies of "luck of the gambler : global recharge".

 

Be careful about overslotting powers. You can take combat jumping and 5 slot it but it won't really give you that much defense no matter what you do. The better defense powers start with like 12% instead of only 3-4% defense.

[tidge]

6 hours ago, Verix said:

Be careful about overslotting powers. You can take combat jumping and 5 slot it but it won't really give you that much defense no matter what you do. The better defense powers start with like 12% instead of only 3-4% defense.

 

Amen.

 

I want to note that I often will invest more slots in Defense and/or Resistance powers to use as mules for IO uniques, especially if the AT's primary/secondary/APP pools don't naturally have slots to put those pieces. Certain pieces will "work" even if you don't have the power on (or avialable!), provided that you are not playing content below the level where the piece could have been slotted. I'm sidestepping details on attuning IO pieces and/or PVP pieces.

 

The first global IO pieces you should consider adding are:

• (Resistance) Steadfast Protection Resistance/+3% Global Defense
• (Resistance, PVP) Gladiator's Armor TP Protect/+3% Global Defense
• (Defense, PVP) Shield Wall TP Protect/+5% Global Resistance

After those three, it is important (IMO) for a MM to increase it's own survivibility while in Bodyguard mode, so I suggest:

• (Defense) Reactive Defenses Scaling Damage Resistance
• (Healing) Preventive Medicine +Absorb
• (Resistance) Unbreakable Guard +MaxHP

I will also typically slot a (4 points of) Knockback protection unique. 4 points is enough for almost all situations. IIRC you need MUCH more (12 points?) for the specific enemies which will use extreme knockback/knockdown, and your henchmen won't get it so don't go overboard here.

• (Travel) Blessing of the Zephyr (4 points) Knockback Protection OR
• (Resistance) Steadfast Protection (4 points) Knockback Protection

A personal disclosures: I will note that the first of the IO sets that I will 'overslot' to get the 5- and 6-piece set bonuses is Reactive Defenses. The 5th piece will contribute an Endurance discount to all powers, which can be important for very active MM builds.

 

A note about PVP IO sets that also applies to Universal Travel sets:

 

The enhancement values from PVP set pieces will contribute (at a scaled value) at levels below their identified value, just like a common IO piece. This means that if you slot a lvl 50 piece and boost it to 50+5 you can eek out more enhancement from it. Note that a character stills need to be at a high enough level to be able to slot the piece, and that the "global" pieces can't be boosted (although they can be converted into, but a 'boosted' global piece has no extra effect. I mention this only because if (for example) you have a Resistance toggle with a Gladiator's Armor global Resistance piece and intend to also enhance resistance/endurance reduction in that power, then a 50+5 piece from the Gladiator's Armor is going to offer the most benefit, plus give you a set bonus (for this set: a small Recovery boost).

 

Typically, I will slot attuned versions of PVP pieces while leveling and then switch to level 50 pieces when my character is high enough for them. The PVP recipes drop across all level ranges (10+), and catalysts drop 1 per day (for each level 50 character) so some converter roulette can get me the pieces I want from those sets with very little effort. The Global PVP pieces don't need to be attuned, but I often find myself eventually attuning them anyway since an attuned PVP piece can be unslotted and donated to a lower level character. I should note that with a large stable of level 50s, I consider myself 'catalyst rich' but the auction house can be leveraged to get attuned (and level 50) versions of particular PVP pieces.

 

 

[RudedawgCDN]

On 1/5/2021 at 5:27 AM, tidge said:

Amen.

 

I want to note that I often will invest more slots in Defense and/or Resistance powers to use as mules for IO uniques, especially if the AT's primary/secondary/APP pools don't naturally have slots to put those pieces. Certain pieces will "work" even if you don't have the power on (or avialable!), provided that you are not playing content below the level where the piece could have been slotted. I'm sidestepping details on attuning IO pieces and/or PVP pieces.

 

The first global IO pieces you should consider adding are:

• (Resistance) Steadfast Protection Resistance/+3% Global Defense
• (Resistance, PVP) Gladiator's Armor TP Protect/+3% Global Defense
• (Defense, PVP) Shield Wall TP Protect/+5% Global Resistance

After those three, it is important (IMO) for a MM to increase it's own survivibility while in Bodyguard mode, so I suggest:

• (Defense) Reactive Defenses Scaling Damage Resistance
• (Healing) Preventive Medicine +Absorb
• (Resistance) Unbreakable Guard +MaxHP

I will also typically slot a (4 points of) Knockback protection unique. 4 points is enough for almost all situations. IIRC you need MUCH more (12 points?) for the specific enemies which will use extreme knockback/knockdown, and your henchmen won't get it so don't go overboard here.

• (Travel) Blessing of the Zephyr (4 points) Knockback Protection OR
• (Resistance) Steadfast Protection (4 points) Knockback Protection

A personal disclosures: I will note that the first of the IO sets that I will 'overslot' to get the 5- and 6-piece set bonuses is Reactive Defenses. The 5th piece will contribute an Endurance discount to all powers, which can be important for very active MM builds.

 

A note about PVP IO sets that also applies to Universal Travel sets:

 

The enhancement values from PVP set pieces will contribute (at a scaled value) at levels below their identified value, just like a common IO piece. This means that if you slot a lvl 50 piece and boost it to 50+5 you can eek out more enhancement from it. Note that a character stills need to be at a high enough level to be able to slot the piece, and that the "global" pieces can't be boosted (although they can be converted into, but a 'boosted' global piece has no extra effect. I mention this only because if (for example) you have a Resistance toggle with a Gladiator's Armor global Resistance piece and intend to also enhance resistance/endurance reduction in that power, then a 50+5 piece from the Gladiator's Armor is going to offer the most benefit, plus give you a set bonus (for this set: a small Recovery boost).

 

Typically, I will slot attuned versions of PVP pieces while leveling and then switch to level 50 pieces when my character is high enough for them. The PVP recipes drop across all level ranges (10+), and catalysts drop 1 per day (for each level 50 character) so some converter roulette can get me the pieces I want from those sets with very little effort. The Global PVP pieces don't need to be attuned, but I often find myself eventually attuning them anyway since an attuned PVP piece can be unslotted and donated to a lower level character. I should note that with a large stable of level 50s, I consider myself 'catalyst rich' but the auction house can be leveraged to get attuned (and level 50) versions of particular PVP pieces.

 

 

Thank you very much for the very well thought out and explained answer. Much appreciated!

• (Resistance, PVP) Gladiator's Armor TP Protect/+3% Global Defense
• (Defense, PVP) Shield Wall TP Protect/+5% Global Resistance

1. You listed 2 sets that say they are pvp sets - does this mean their resistance and defense bonuses do not work in pve content?

 

2. To give things context - sometimes when I group I will send in my pet to attack the same target as our group lead and sometimes I get aggro.

 

How can I summon my pets back to protect me and be in bodyguard mode and attack the mob at the same time?

 

Because right now I think I am doing something wrong.

 

 

[tidge]

The PVP sets will work in PVE, but they have additional set bonuses in PVP zones. The Global effects of a PVP enhancement will work everywhere. PVP recipe drops are rarer than most other recipe drops.

 

Henchmen need to either have the Defensive stance (Blue) or the Passive stance (Green) to take part of the damage dealt to you. When they are "aggressive" (red) they won't take damage for you. Henchmen in the Defensive stance will eventually attack the mobs attacking you, but it takes a short period of time.

[Arbegla]

Another thing to make your mastermind more tank like is to get the "Provoke" power in the Presence power pool. This combined with your pets being in "Bodyguard Mode" allows you to take a really large amount of damage and divide it among your pets, effectively giving you their hit points in addition to yours.

 

I would set up a 'emergency' button as a keybind that puts all of your pets in 'defensive stance/follow' for when you need the additional toughness they can provide.

[Force Redux]

I'd recommend Mu Mastery as well:

 

Both +Def IOs slotted.

Maneuvers

Hover/Cbt Jumping

Stealth

Farsight

 

Go for Ranged Defense IO set bonuses. Things in melee get debuffed from Time's Juncture so don't have to cap Melee..

 

Capped Ranged, + solid resists vs most common damage (S/L/E) + heals + regen + debuffs (ToHit, slows) + Ember Demon aura = one tough cookie.

 

If you have the room you could go Fighting Pool but I think that's overkill for most builds.

Edited January 31, 2021 by Force Redux

[Elthenar]

Did no one mention Power Boost from Mace Mastery? Take it and add another 5 or 6% defense (all) on that Farsight. That will not only benefit you but your pets and team as well. It was also give pure psi defense, which people will really love you for. Scorpion Shield on top of that is just gravy

Edited February 3, 2021 by Elthenar