I've made the courageous decision to shift my focus of gameplay from strictly support roles to DPS to see what all of the fuss is about with these unbalanced powers and what not. Long story short, I've been going through a lot of loadout DPS videos, and a lot of people have been making the addition of the Robot Sidekick iconic to the power trays since the AMs have started coming out. My question is - does the Robot Sidekick really give THAT much of an edge with DPS output and being competitive in PVP as well as PVE? Are there certain powers that need the Sidekick and others that can get away without it? I'm one of those people that likes to come up with a concept and sort of backstory for my characters and not many of them would make sense with a Robot Sidekick. However, if there's a real gameplay benefit to its use, I'm game to try I guess. I just need to know when to use it.
It's constant damage from a spot on your bar that would other wise occupy a very little used skill or a shield. Since most WM formula is burst power, dot power, buff, supercharge, PI. Applicator if not already covered, leaves you a free spot on your bat a constant DOT is better the a little used power and really in everything escort lockdown and SM he very seldom gets KO'd
It definitely helps. It works like an extra DoT and as most powers (without am atm) have their basic DoTs and then a spammable move (after a WM), you don't need 6 actual powers anymore. (For example ice: Wintry tempest + ice bash and then just spam ice boulder while having your robot do some extra ticks and a supercharge). Powers like gadgets don't need it for example when you use their AM. (Spam EMP basically xD). If you intend to compete on the scorecard, it is recommended for most powers atm yes.
It does scalable dmg for a one time power cost. It doesn't die very often, since it's one of the few pets that's smart enough to stay back from a boss. It only gets up close if you are generally speaking plus it has a shield that's nearly always on. The dmg is pretty medicore but it goes up with your CR. It's special attacks cost no power, their just weapon combo's so you don't have to worry about powering it. The only thing that takes power is it's shield, and it's very little power. Plus unlike some other pets it seems to get power back via weapon combos or something because it rarely runs out of power in combat despite the shield always being up. So it's free dmg that takes no effort to maintain. Most people only need one burst power, one PI set up power, and a Dot of some kind. Some times those requirements can over lap. Just about any load out will have at least one or two power slots they don't really need. In fact trying to use more powers only hurts their rotation speed most of the time. Ever since WM came out you need to spam your powers less, a 2-3 second delay between powers due to WM combo's means you don't need all 6 powers to keep up with your power's cool downs any more. So the robot side kick is pretty popular for powers without a pet of their own.
I see... thanks for all of the responses! I've noticed this to a degree with my one DPS character that I've used up to this point. There was always one odd spot that I populated with some random power for variety's sake. But the logic of having a free DoT that requires nothing from me other than a one time activation sounds pretty good. To extend the discussion a bit, are there any powers that stand out as having enough useful abilities for me to be able to disregard the robot and maintain a fighting chance at staying competitive with damage?
tbh I only entertained using it once max damage came out - if I don't need a particular power to get a 60% damage mod, then yes, I have room for bot..don't like it, but its doing something. (and occasionally getting in ppls way...)
I at one time used it...worthless in higher content! So it sits in the iconic tree awaiting a time of usefulness again. IA ARMY
yes if u use AM u dont need robotsidekick if u use WM+burst almost every power should use robotsidekick except sorcery/earth...
Actually, I often find that using a movement power (or 2!) in my extra slot often helps me and my party stay alive (dead dps = 0 dps). For example I am currently quantum (my main is a shapechangere whose powers fluctuate depending on what he's working on) and I find that teleport is incredibly handy, not only for getting me out of those tight spots you sometimes get boxed in when a boss lunges you, but also for just getting a free shield, agro dump and get me out of here so I can continue my dps unchecked. Yet I also use swoop in solo, duo content and sometimes in high level when I need to get somewhere in combat fast (pick up a player, hit a switch, etc) and my teleport is on cool down. (Nothing beats teleport -> swoop for a GET ME OUT OF HERE! move when you really need it) [Swoop, drop a point blank power or lunge a boss and then teleport is also a great move if you want to do a melee range attack on a boss and survive] So, yes, while Robot Sidekick, particularly if it fits your concept, is a nice add, sometimes having a movement power or group shield (SC), even as dps, on your bar is the difference between a successful run and a wipe. Main: KrystalStorm CR 108 SP: 179
All of them do actually. Rage can go with a second DoT or a melee combo move Light can go with a range comb starter or melee combo starter It all depends on how you spend your power points, it is super easy, safe damage. My personal opinion is robot is to durable he needs to cost more time and power for the damage your getting, its passive and to be honest so common I would actually call it cheesy. AS people start to branch out from the standard WM formula, go take a look at what Kaiser is doing with gadgets and HB, and complementing weapon Master combos with old school clipping into very effective rotations you will see robot go away. We are really just starting to scratch the surface of WM and AM hybrid builds especially since not everything has a true AM build, there are at least some very interesting times ahead.
