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Message: <blockquote data-quote="fba827" data-source="post: 5140453" data-attributes="member: 807">A basic attack is (often) strength or dex based.  Whereas a power is (often) based on whatever attribute is primary for you (i.e. could be int/cha/wis/str/dex/con, etc).  So your chance to hit is (often) better with a power rather than a basic attack if Strength (or dex) is not your primary attribute.Minions have the same defenses as other 'normal' monsters of the same level.  So it isn't that they are easier to hit, but rather they do go down if they are hit.Minions also have the benefit of having much simpler attacks (i.e. you don't have to decide between 3-5 different attack powers, it's often 1, maybe 2 attack powers or features to track).  Thus, making it easier on the DM to make tactical decisions since there is less to decide from.Generally, minions make combats go faster.However, recognize that it means more people on the battle field.  I could have 16 minions on the battlefield vs. 1 solo (i'm using extremes to show my line or thinking, i realize this is a corner case situation, but the concepts mentioned below carry through to less extreme situations).16 minions take a lot longer if you don't have multi-target attacks.  Also, it's 16 attack rolls (and potential damage rolls) for the DM vs. 1-2 attack rolls and damage rolls for the solo (since they often get more than one attack in a round).That's also several more opportunities for opportunity attacks to sneak in there (which are good, but they do break a little of the flow when someone has to stop someone else and interrupt what the first person is saying/doing)Also, conditions that a PC imposes as part of their powers are somewhat meaningless against minions (you can stun/daze/impose penalties/mark/gain combat advantage/etc but it doesn't really allow the combat to end any faster against minions; where as if your powers stun/daze/impose penalties/immobilize/mark/slow/gain combat advantage against the solo you're either denying the solo his turns/movement or increasing the rate at which it does get killed)In my own experience, multi-target attacks and minions being clumped makes all the difference between fights with several minions taking a few rounds vs a couple rounds.</blockquote>

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