Traps Controller: Trip Mine vs Time Bomb question.

[ThePatsy]

Can anyone tell me a benefit to Time Bomb?  I like the power and really want to use it, and I will once I get my more important powers all done. It is a cool power even if it is generally weak.

 

For a blaster, Time Bomb does slightly more damage than Trip Mine.  If what I'm seeing for a controller is correct, Time Bomb does significantly less damage than Trip Mine. So is there some hidden benefit I do not know about that isn't listed on the detailed description?  Why would someone get this power at level 38 (besides it being cool) if it is inherently weaker in every way than a power you could already have?

[SenkanYamato]

It takes over 9 seconds just to set it up. Like you said...Pine's shows it's weaker than trip mine.  And it almost takes twice as long to set up. Uses for it? none that I can see tactically that outperform trip mine.

 

 

Forget Time bomb. Seriously.

[Pine]

They both suck, honestly. It's not even about the fact that they can be interupted... It's the fact that they both take so long to activate. If interupt reduction enhancements could reduce the activation time, it could be argued worth it.

 

On a side note, grav/traps could be fun by setting traps, then wormhole mobs into them... But that is opposite of how the rest of the game is normally run as far as clump mobs and now them down- rinse- repeat.

[Ringo]

I just got my illusion/traps to 50 and I'm going to drop both powers.  Time Bomb's damage is pitiful, and trip mine scatters crowds more than kills them.  If I'm going to sit in melee it's for planting Poison Trap for the -regen and holds

[Guffnat]

You could slot KB to KD into Trip Mine.

[Redlynne]

You could slot KB to KD into Trip Mine.

 

That ... is a thoroughly EVIL idea!

 

Make it so, Number Bomb.

[Rocketmandb]

On a side note, grav/traps could be fun by setting traps, then wormhole mobs into them... But that is opposite of how the rest of the game is normally run as far as clump mobs and now them down- rinse- repeat.

 

I'm not sure why you think the Wormhole into traps is counter to clumping. It actually is the best clumping power there is. Set Poison Trap in a corner Set Acid Mortar out of the corner. Wormhole a group in, and all the mobs are clumped up extremely tightly, disoriented, held, -res, etc. Cone powers are amazing here. On my Grav/Traps I took Cross Punch, and it's nuts.

 

If you set up Trip Mine just outside of the corner, when it goes off, it will blow them back into it. 

 

EDIT: For the OP, I just don't get Time Bomb. Longer recharge, less damage, much harder to actually use effectively.

[Tater Todd]

Wormhole does scatter mobs when you port them.  There's a weird little KB/Repel thing that happens once the mob finishes porting.  Thankfully this is solved with the KB to KD enhancement.  I used Trip Mine a lot for soloing and on teams I treat is as a Pbaoe Nuke.

[Coyote]

Trip Mine is great for a few Controller sets. Control all the mobs, go into them, and lay down Trip Mine with KB->KD, followed by Poison Trap. Lots of AoE damage, and for an AT that usually has to struggle to find AoE damage, this is better than gold... it's multi-Platinum :p

 

Electric/Traps is thematic and great... Sleep, Confuse, then go in and Mine/Poison them, follow up with Fences and Jolting Chain, and you have a Controller with high AoE damage that isn't Fire or Plant :p.  Though, you could go Plant/Traps also.

[Rocketmandb]

Wormhole does scatter mobs when you port them.  There's a weird little KB/Repel thing that happens once the mob finishes porting. 

 

Not when you Wormhole them into a corner. They all end up occupying essentially the same space. I duo with a Rad/Rad Defender with my Grav/Traps. When we're in a mission, I find a corner in range and let him know. He starts Radiation Infection. I wait about 1 second, then start Wormhole. He gets off Enervating Field before Wormhole fires. Wormhole puts them all literally on top of each other in the corner, where my traps all fire.

 

Where you get into issues with the KB is when there is no "top" on the corner (places like outdoor raised stairs). In this case, sometimes the mobs will skip up and out and spread out a bit. This can be mostly solved by taking Hover so you can be aiming down into the corner when you fire off WH.