IT'S A TRAP! (Or, is it?)

[Aeroprism]

I wanted to have people's opinion on the /Traps powerset.  I currently use it on a DP/Trap Corruptor but I understand it doesn't change much from one AT to the next.  I know that the rage is all about that Trip Mine, but what about the rest?  Which powers are mandatory and which are skippable?

 

I'm particularly interested in knowing about Poison Trap, Acid Mortar and Triage Beacon.

 

Thank you!

 

(Spoiler: It was not a trap)

[Spaghetti Betty]

Traps is a set that increases in value over time. In a game that's about explosiveness, it's extremely anti meta! This is why it's not seen as much.

 

Triage Beacon is very skippable. +100% Regen is not much! I would only take it if there's absolutely nothing else available, since Healing sets have good bonuses.

 

Poison Trap and Acid Mortar are your BnB picks, so absolutely grab them. Poison Trap will absolutely floor enemy Regen, which is fantastic for AVs. It also does a pretty good job of lockdown with a +2 hold proc. I will opt for this over the AoE hold on controllers. Also, very few mobs in the game will resist Vomit. I think PToD gives AVs protection to it, but outside of that, I can't think of a lot instances of immunity.

 

Acid Mortar is your set and forget -RES and -DEF debuff. I'm pretty sure the grenade can miss, but I've never seen it do so. It's also incredibly easy to double up on the pet and the unique casts will stack!

 

The only thing I can't comment on is Temporal Bomb. I haven't ran any of my Traps since it got added.

Edited May 13 by Spaghetti Betty

[Maelwys]

48 minutes ago, Spaghetti Betty said:

Triage Beacon is very skippable.

Agree with nearly everything else Betty says here.
However Triage; last I checked; can actually become useful if you stick a Panacea proc in it.

Admittedly I'd still only take it if I had nothing else useful, but for the sake of a slot or two it can be a decent sustain power for the entire team (particularly on a MM)  if they ever find themselves needing to turtle up.

[Aeroprism]

This guy was a random idea I had this weekend.  While I couldn't sleep. You know.  Perfect time to come up with whacky characters.

 

I love this guy so hard.  He's level 19 now, mostly from story arc teams, a few solo missions at 18.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

AÜ-NÔWZ comes from ... well it can't really be spelt with your alphabet.  It's another place. Another planet. Another multiverse thing.

 

It happens.

 

In his home tribe of AÜ-GGEEMEE-ÂBRÂYK, AÜ-NÔWZ used to be some sort of respected thinker.  Tinker. Whatever. He thinked and tinked a lot. And his people respected him for that. He was proud of his lustrous yellow coat and his powerful, wide hawk-wings.

 

Then the multiverse happened. Completely, totally the multiverse. Blaming it on that device AÜ-NÔWZ was experimenting with would be ludicrous. Yup.

 

Now AÜ-NÔWZ ends up in Paragon city, where everyone has weird heads and skin color.

 

Poor AÜ-NÔWZ.

The transfer took his right arm in the process.  He had to improvise.

The transfer also changed his wings.  But don't ask about his "new" wings.  Just don't. 

 

You see, AÜ-NÔWZ is a REALLY precise shot.

 

So at first, AÜ-NÔWZ tried to dress like the people of this strange city. 

 

 

If didn't go well.

 

Frustration and anger led him in to fights and eventually, members of a Super Group called "Rise or Fall" approached him and showed him how to use that frustration to further a nobler goal.

 

Now, AÜ-NÔWZ proudly wears the colors of his people and fights evil in Paragon City, hoping to achieve the technological means to go home some day.

 

 

Now, if only the humans could learn to pronounce his name properly and NOT laugh each time they try.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

(I can't seem to do a proper export from MidsReborn so, here's a data chunk!)

 

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Edited May 13 by Aeroprism

[Uun]

Web Grenade: Skippable unless you don't want Caltrops for some reason. Can be handy to bring down fliers. Has a decent amount of -recharge so somewhat useful as a debuff.

Caltrops: Not sexy, but don't see why you would skip this. 

Triage Beacon: Skippable. My Traps is a MM so I do have it, but I would definitely skip it on other ATs. 

Acid Mortar: Must take

Force Field Generator: Must take

Poison Trap: Must take

Seeker Drones: Optional. Useful for pulling or taking the alpha. Has a decent -dmg and a small -tohit.

Trip Mine: Can be useful if you have time to set them up and pull mobs into them. Generally too slow to use on teams unless you can set them in combat (the Traps version is interruptible, but the Devices version is not). I find that Poison Trap usually gives me a window to set.

Temporal Bomb/Detonator: I haven't used Temporal Bomb, but Detonator (which MMs get) is quite good.

 

For the most part Traps doesn't play well with procs. Damage procs do work well in Poison Trap, but they don't work in Seeker Drones or Trip Mine. The Force Feedback +rech proc works well in Trip Mine.

[Onlyasandwich]

I think Seekers doesn't get nearly enough credit in general.

 

Its -tohit is a bit higher than mids suggests. Corruptors get -5 per seeker, which is enhanceable to ~9%. This may not seem amazing, but it stacks per seeker! ~18% -tohit is pretty hefty, and the 15 foot radius is good enough to get strong overlap, not to mention the stacking -20% damage debuff.

 

They also take the Decimation buildup proc, which doesn't sound useful at first. However, It actually procs the effect on the caster, and does so with more reliability than pretty much anything else that could take it! 90% chance with no recharge slotted. This means a great opener also buffs your damage, giving you even better followup on that opener. Especially good on a Corruptor.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 14 by Onlyasandwich

[Aeroprism]

So much awesome in those replies!  I'll revisit my build tonight!

I'll most likely spec Triage Beacon out but I don't know what for.  I didn't take the fighting pool for this guy, the Defense bonus of Weave doesn't justify 3 powers for someone who comes with a portable Force Field and the 15% S/L on Tough is more than compensated by the epic pool.  I just wanted to make a character that was not forced to follow the ever-boring cookie-cutter.

[Aeroprism]

19 hours ago, Onlyasandwich said:

I think Seekers doesn't get nearly enough credit in general.

 

Its -tohit is a bit higher than mids suggests. Corruptors get -5 per seeker, which is enhanceable to ~9%. This may not seem amazing, but it stacks per seeker! ~18% -tohit is pretty hefty, and the 15 foot radius is good enough to get strong overlap, not to mention the stacking -20% damage debuff.

 

They also take the Decimation buildup proc, which doesn't sound useful at first. However, It actually procs the effect on the caster, and does so with more reliability than pretty much anything else that could take it! 90% chance with no recharge slotted. This means a great opener also buffs your damage, giving you even better followup on that opener. Especially good on a Corruptor.

 

 

 

 

 

Fun fact: Seeker Drones no longer seem to accept Range Damage (Decimation) Sets.  Mids Reborn also says they do, but they don't.

 

They take pet sets now.  Let's see what we can get for them...

[Onlyasandwich]

1 hour ago, Aeroprism said:

Mids Reborn also says they do, but they don't.

Ah, one of the set normalizations from the last page then. Mids is missing a lot of stuff related until the next update.

 

I wonder if the one I still have slotted will still work. I know set bonuses don't, but am guessing the proc would.

 

Sort of silly that they take pet sets though, as basically all the enhancement values within would be useless. Of course ranged damage never made sense either.

Edited May 15 by Onlyasandwich

[Aeroprism]

1 minute ago, Onlyasandwich said:

Ah, one of the set normalizations from the last page then. Mids is missing a lot of stuff related until the next update.

 

I wonder if the one I still have slotted will still work. I know set bonuses don't, but am guessing the proc would.

 

Speaking of Procs, the Pet set procs seem to affect pets only.  Not very useful for suicide pets that aren't meant to stay on the field.

[Onlyasandwich]

1 hour ago, Aeroprism said:

Pet set procs seem to affect pets only.  Not very useful for suicide pets

They'll affect other pets, so useful as a mule on a mastermind so they can invest more productive slots in their minions.

[Aeroprism]

30 minutes ago, Onlyasandwich said:

They'll affect other pets, so useful as a mule on a mastermind so they can invest more productive slots in their minions.

 Makes sense!

 

But on a corruptor, not so much.

I chose to 6-slot Dampened Spirits (to hit debuff) in there. Since it's not really a damage power to begin with.  The set bonus are very good, tons of resist for levelling to 50 and it's dirt cheap.

[tidge]

I'm mostly familiar with Traps as the MM secondary.

 

Quickie: Don't put %procs in anything that doesn't "leave behind" a thing. A %proc might trigger on cast, but otherwise this is usually a waste of a slot.

 

Hot takes on the MM secondary:

1. Caltrops is my preferred first pick. Patch Slows have a more general use than...
2. Web Grenade is skipped. It has uses, but they are very limited.
3. Triage Beacon is skipped. It isn't bad for what it does, but what it does is of limited use for many MMs. Probably more useful for leveling builds than for level 50s.
4. Acid Mortar is a must take.
5. Force Field Generator is a must take.
6. Poison Trap is a must take.
7. Seeker Drones is a power I like, but I skip. Not enough utility for my taste.
8. Trip Mine is skip for me. I find I'm too active to use this, and I don't have the slots to invest in it.
9. Detonator. I haven't swapped into this. I can see how it could be used, yet this feels like too many steps and conditions to leverage for better damage than just having the henchmen do damage.

Basically it comes down to me picking only a limited number of "drop in place" elements, and focusing on the things that speed up defeats via debuffs to act as a force multiplier.

[Uun]

50 minutes ago, tidge said:

Detonator. I haven't swapped into this. I can see how it could be used, yet this feels like too many steps and conditions to leverage for better damage than just having the henchmen do damage.

This was changed in Page 7. There are no steps or conditions, just select pet, click and kaboom! It doesn't require slotting either (just 1-2 recharge), since it inherits the enhancement values of the henchmen. It is affected by level shifts, so T3 does more damage than T2, which does more damage than T1. 

[tidge]

I know it was changed, the steps and conditions I am referring to are:

• keeping an eye on the henchmen, to decide if it would be worthwhile to detonate
• resummoning henchmen, and buffing them

 

EDIT: so for me, this is more mental bandwidth to juggle for keeping the squad alive (including bodyguard mode) and defeating enemies.

Edited May 15 by tidge

[Aeroprism]

Interesting take on the Detonator power.  Really shows MMs were made as villains.  I try to imagine my blue side Beast MM exploding one of her lions and... nope.  😄

 

But yeah, I've tried trip mine, it's powerful but it such a rhythm breaker...

[Spaghetti Betty]

I'm seeing some dislike against Web Grenade. I would just like to make a case for it! 

 

It is the single most important power for AV soloing  (and PVP). It's a spammable mag 4 immob, massive -speed and -fly on a very short timer! You don't even need to slot it. The Gravitational Anchor proc is super useful here! A single Traps can potentially stack a mag 7 hold on a single target with procs, and that's before you consider running something like Ice or Dark Blast, or having an epic Hold!

[Linea]

If you are going after AVs:  Web Grenade and the Trap with -Regen.  

 

Traps is a great set.  The downsides are that it's position based, strategic, and slow moving.  The average team is Perma-Super-Speeding at 90mph from one end of the mission to the other.  Perma-Super-Speed does not play well with traps.

[Doomguide2005]

Don't under rate the potential contribution of Triage Beacon in a static fight such as vs an AV.  First its base is 150% not 100%.  Second it stacks from the same caster.  It's easy to keep 2 out and with enhancement that's in the 500 to 600% range.  A subtle but effective boost that'll reduce the need for healing overall.  Is it worth taking guess that depends on your build goals and needs