The Lazy Mastermind [or Where’s the Balance?]

I have a confession to make. I’m a lazy Mastermind. The pets do all the heavy lifting and combat while I just stand around running Assault and Tactics plus occasionally dropping a Triage Beacon. They turn soloing into snore fest as the Bots cut down the opposition like a bird through a jet engine. Difficultly is cranked up to [level 4] and occasionally to [level 5]. I’ve taken to reading books or surfing the web while the pets take care of business. The most activity I do is at the start of a mission in summoning and buffing all the pets. In a combat situation, I have a ground target bound to the “G” key that sends the pet to a point from which they attack anything in range. About the only time I really pay attention is when there’s an Elite Boss or Hero/ArchVillain in the group mix. That’s usually at the end of the mission and might occupy a few minutes of time. I tend to think of Masterminds as a wee bit overpowered in what they can do or handle in terms of missions.

Follow up:

Why do I mention all this? It’s because the term balance came up in a discussion over the Fallen/Redeemed concept. Back when CoV was fresh and new, there was discussion on setting up a Trial/Mission Arc that would allow you switch sides. Heroes would fall, Villains would be redeemed, such things happen in the comics all the time. In some cases, you need a scorecard to keep track of who is on what side when. Some people [like myself] would like to see such a system put into place. Others have pointed out it would be through off the balance of the game and be unfair to various AT’s on both sides for various reasons. Personal opinion that this is crap and the Mastermind is a point of evidence in that direction. My Brute, Dominator, and Corruptor could not even begin to pull off the stunts and sheer firepower that the Mastermind can do. I can look at a room of reds, shrug, and start pulling with the Mastermind, the other two would have to get help or make many trips to the hospital. And don’t even get me started would Stalkers, the red-headed step-child of AT’s. If anyone has it bad, they’ve been dealt a raw deal. The one AT that needs to hide to survive and they are automatically targeted by ambushes. If Assassin Strike misses or fails to cripple the target, a Stalker is running or flattened with even odds on which result happens.

A few folks countered that it would make certain AT’s obsolete. That is doubtful, since each AT is mostly unique in what power sets they can choose. Tanks will still be the first choice for taking the Alpha, keeping the mobs focused on him, and directing the battle. Stalkers might see a dip, and that’s a big might, with all the other options now available. Corruptors and Blasters are both similar and opposite in terms of primary and secondary powers, but I doubt Blasters will just disappear just because Corruptors have a better AT ability. Dominators and Controllers have different enough power sets as do Brutes and Scrappers. They fill similar roles in a group, but each has a different play style and options to enhance a group. Masterminds and Defenders both are niche AT’s enough as not be effected, though you would probably see a boom of each AT on the other side. Villains have buffers, but a Defender is the best at that job. And nothing says overwhelming firepower than six fully buffed pets opening up on a group of mobs.

As a side note to all this, Issue 12 has been announced by NCSoft. Part of the issue will be the sharing of power sets between Hero and Villain AT’s. This will help smooth out the differences in power sets between the sides and bring them closer together. Still would like to see a Mastermind type AT for Heroes and more dedicated Defender type for Villains, but that’s just part of my wish list.