ROFL ... no the're not ... one is spelt D-E-F-I-L-E and the other D-E-S-E-C-R-A-T-E. Makes em different

he he

The reason I mention Reckless, is it is AOE and affects multi targets ... Price of failure is a little bit too much like micro management (I'm just lazy )... but you make a good point all the same

Blood of the Master was essentially worthless in combat before this last change, since only ajacent minions would be healed. Hence while I have it I've never used it. Why do I feel 10 is rather limiting? Because I don't actually use them for their offensive abilites. Up till now I've employed Bone Horrors (using 14 death so only level 16) primarily as targets. The AI is stupid enough to attack them instead of attacking the warm bodies, so the minions are essentially a wall keeping monsters off of me and the support casters. The actual damage they tend to do is minimal in the grand scheme of things.

Slapping in an extra maintenance skill into my skill bar would nessecitate removing one of my handy blood magic skills (not likely, those things are useful) or my pet skills (and make my friendly little black widow Graivlor less effective? Perish the thought!). Citing new minion skills and the Flesh Golem elite as compensation for the other changes ignores that fact that I don't actually HAVE those skills yet, not until I buy them/cap them. Until then I have to make do with the same old minions we've always had who haven't in fact gotten better in any way, shape, or form. And I get less of them to boot.

Oh, and before you ask why I keep so many non-minion related skills around, it's because I realize minions are a finite resource, and the clock is always against you with them. The build I use is designed to still be fairly effective even if I don't have any minions raised, it just gets more so when I have them around. Rely too much on minions and you shoot yourself in the foot when you're up against nothing but fleshless foes, have to wait too long and can't maintain them, etc.

Before, MM's were almost total broke with over+15 minions and a way to keep those minions alive for a decent amount of time. The new restrictions are, in my opinion, better for the overall mm build.

In 12 v 12 alliance battles are still overpowering with indefinite amount of bodies, opposing teams (or your own) can simply overwhelming the enemy.

So although mm's lost verata's sacriface, it doesn't mean its the end of the mm's; with a good monk one can still keep 10 minions (an impressive army in itself) for a decent amount of time.

My first character was a Necro and I never saw the point in the MM build till factions came out. To me it was a waste of time to try and keep minions alive long enough to get wiped out by one warrior.

Since they added the Flesh Golem, I have taken an intrest in the build. I think the new skill balance makes the MM build an overall more enjoyable and new player friendly expierence. It doesn't take a whole lot now to keep 10 minions alive.

You got me!