Casual player + limited skillset = mastermind!

[Gilsamania]

So I've been back to the game for just under two weeks and managed to indulge my altism to a level that even I find incredible. Back when the game was live, I had a problem...this time around it has seen me roll around 30 toons and kept each of them under level 20. Part of the problem is that I can play so irregularly and for such short spurts of time that I rarely get outside the character creator or through more than a door mission at a time. Anyway, all that is sort of immaterial - the point being I need to have a toon that can solo content at a leisurely pace. My highest level character right now is a 18 bots/cold mastermind. I had a 50 bots/FF back in the day and I really remember it being more...impressive. Is it going to be a slog until I get my assault bot or am I doing something wrong?

[Force Redux]

Team until you get your SOs/IOs and Assault Bot. Them it will be much better. Robots relies in Big Bot for the majority of it's damage.

[Nyghtmaire]

Somewhat of a slog until the AssBot. I had a bot/FF on live right before shutdown that I was leveling, stalling out at upper 30’s immediately after the announcement. 27 was a relief, but 32 was transcendent. With Cold, I imagine you’ll be more beastly (err... techno-destructoid?!?) than you ever remember from your force field days.  ;)

[Doctor Brainbottle]

Getting the assault bot will make the slog more bearable, but the REAL turning point is a few levels later, when you get the final upgrade for your robots, and particularly the insane AOE missiles for your assault bot.

 

I can't tell you how satisfying it was when I got that upgrade, and once again heard the sound of my assault bot launching volley after volley of missiles into a crowded pack of helpless, doomed mobs. THAT was what I was missing.

[PaxArcana]

I'm going to disagree slightly with when being an MM, especially and including Robo/FF (my main back on Live, and something I'm playing again - among others - currently).

 

At first, yes, any MM is "a slog".  But as you gain more pets, you get better and better, it takes less and less time to deal with enemy spawns.  The tipping point, I think, is in your teens.

 

At 12, you've got three robots - two drones and one Protector.  That's pretty good right there.  Still a bit slow, a bit more of a "deliberate pace" than a headlong rush.  But not bad either.

 

And at 18, you get your third Drone.  That, IMO, is when things really start to pick up.

 

At 24, you get your second Protector, and at 28, your Assault Bot.  Those are a really good boost, between them.

 

But as Doctor Brainbottle says, the real "zoom" moment is when you get the second Upgrade power.

 

And that is the point where you need to dust off your "Evil Cackle" skills, and get with the MWA HA HA-ing in earnest.  :D

[Dixa]

Pick up the attacks. Grab the prestige attacks. Once you hit 32 either respect or flip to build 2 and drop the personal attacks.

 

Get aid other, aid self and field medic.

 

Team as much as you can

 

However if you were looking for easy I would recommend street justice/sr or /bio stalker, not an mm.

[Wintervoid]

I am playing an Bots/Cold right now, I think he just hit 28.  The character is powerful, but slow and boring.  I know things will pick up at 32 as I have had bots in the distant past, but I am not sure the game play will become more interesting. 

 

Early levels I pick up the 2x XP bonus and do 2-4 DFB runs.  Kind of boring, but it will get me to the mid teens in about an hour.  Once you hit 18, you get a power bump w/ an extra bot.  Then 22 is SO's which is a bit boost, then 24 for 2nd protector bot.  That is significant because you can have VERY good defense by then.  Fully slotted Cold shield is about 17% Def, Both bots add 15%, Maneuvers slotted 3% and if you get both the +5% defense I/Os, that adds another 10%.  So, all together, you should be at Cap, with the protector Bots at about 38%.  At this point, you can almost AFK while your bots wipe spawns....slowly.  At 26 it speeds up a bit, and at 32 it should improve dramatically.  Having a 'goal' ever 2-4 levels is pretty satisfying as you are almost always within reach of something new and powerful.

 

A quick plug for my most fun mastermind.  Beast/Kin.  It is a frantic playstyle.  Later on you can actually have Capped Defenses (While Fortify the pack is up) AND 300% damage w/ Fulcrum Shift.  Unlike Bots/Cold, it is very active to keep those stats and you will have plenty of times your pets are at 24% defense and you need to scramble to keep them alive.  Very little AoE, but they just melt single targets so fast I sometimes miss the heal on them because the target is dead before I get the heal off.