Blackfeather

Yup - T6: Incandescent Eruption is meant to provide an instant boost to either any of the chain powers' durations, allowing their effect to be applied across a larger number of targets for a longer amount of time, or work with Light Control's field powers to immediately apply their effects to some of the targets inside. I'm not sure about the feasibility behind the Illumination and Refraction effects, but that's for somebody more versed with the nitty gritty of powerset design to figure out... @Galaxy Brain or @oedipus_tex perhaps? And for sure! I think it'd make sense for it to apply across multiple targets. It'd still be mostly limited by the amount of enemies both Refracted and Illuminated, so it'd probably be fine.

Glad to hear it sounds compelling! To my knowledge, field-based powers can certainly be made to work with Domination - Darkness Control's Shadow Field comes to mind for example; it sounds like they need to be specifically made to benefit to make them work that way. And to clarify, yes! T9: Shining Motes are meant to be proper (if somewhat fragile) pets, akin to Fire Imps - they'll constantly deal small tics of damage to enemies near them. Only when defeated or prematurely gotten rid of will they actually go nova. I was hoping to give the Light Controller/Dominator the choice between additional damage, or on-tap sources of mass Illumination.

Likewise, thank you for your time putting in this feedback! I was definitely following Mind/Gravity Control's power arrangement, having the Hold as its T3 - I figured that people who didn't want to choose T2: Dazzling Glow would go with T1: Radiating Ties instead, given how it's the set's AoE and single target immobilize in one power. That Mind Control is the only other Control powerset that has a single target Sleep also made me want to follow in its footsteps in terms of power arrangements and so on, at least, as best as I could while still breaking from the norm. I'll admit that I don't exactly want to make the powerset lean too heavily into the Attract mechanic, if only because I think it'd be better suited for a dedicated Magnetic/Vector Control powerset, or something along those lines. That also being said, bouncing off of your ideas, I could potentially see some fun flavour in something akin to LoL's Charm status effect - say, on the consumption of the Illuminated mechanic, Attracting an enemy to towards the Light Controller/Dominator for a few seconds, or something like that. That could probably make it a little different from pulling enemies around in an area-of-effect fashion like a dedicated vector/repel-centric powerset would be. If I go that route, I might actually get rid of the Attract effect on T8: Luminous Distortion, and instead give it a chance to inflict the Illuminated effect...I might need to revise the whole "cause enemies to immediately become confused upon being Illuminated within the field" thing if that were the case. This could help increase the PBAoE focus I wanted for this powerset too - it'd encourage the Light Controller/Dominator to stay within the field to pull further enemies around them, and so on. A quick clarification about T9: Shining Motes, they're more akin to Fire Control's Fire Imps than Photon Seekers. They're not going to explode upon impacting enemies - instead, they're more supposed to hang around, and deal continuous, small tics of PBAoE damage. They'll only go nova if they're defeated by an enemy or targeted by one of Light Control's powers, triggering a high chance to Illuminate surrounding enemies. I wanted to provide the Light Controller/Dominator either the option of laying down longer lasting controls (by Illuminating enemies and thus either triggering its field effect powers, or chaining across them for longer lasting Holds/Sleeps), or dealing additional damage by just letting them do their thing. And in fact I actually started off with a Light Manipulation powerset! But given how many Support powersets there are...well, I decided to go this route to round things out, and there really ought to be more. 😅 Thanks again for your thoughts on this!

I'm not sure what the progress is on this, but this looks like what you're requesting:

Oh! Thanks for the feedback - I've actually revamped the powerset in this interim time which you can find over here: It actually meshes with quite a few of these critiques, I think (and I'm leaning on changing the OP to it entirely) - hopefully it's not too much to ask to compare/contrast them! For one, the toggle Hold's been removed, and in its place, a number of powers have conditional chain effects; definitely take a look at the post above to see how it plays out! Your mention of having too many potential AoE controls does make sense...I could definitely, say, change T7: Prismatic Field to instead inflict the Illuminated effect instead of flat out disorienting enemies for example, which might be a neat synergy with the other powers.

Going to give @MoonSheep a ping as well - hello! It looks like you've a fair amount of experience with Dominators, and as such, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts on this proposed writeup of a hypothetical Light Control powerset if you so wish. I've got two variations at the moment: one in the original post, and another with some changes thanks to the suggestions of @BrandX and @Naraka, which can be found at this link: Would be interested in hearing your thoughts on which one sounds more compelling to you, along with any suggestions on how it might be better, or even if it's something you'd be interested in playing with in the first place! Thanks in advance if so. 😁

That's correct - from the May 30th, 2019 patch notes:

That was kind of what I was going for in my revised version of Light Control (here), with its Refraction mechanic! Basically, instead of having an always-on toggle Hold in T4: Blinding Halo, Light Control now replaces it with T4: Refractive Halo, which inflicts the Refracted status effect on enemies ( T5: Twilight can also do this, to a lesser extent). Some powers are able to chain across enemies, with the caveat that for every chain, their duration halves. To allow for longer chains, every Refracted enemy that is also Illuminated maintains the duration of its previous chain rather than halving itself. I figured that making Light Control's main powers chain in this way was a nice compromise between making them totally PBAoE and standardising their powers to some degree (allows for a proper single target Hold, as per the suggestion from @BrandX). Would definitely recommend taking a read through the proposal, and seeing how it looks!

I'll just put this here. 😋

Going to give @Mashugana a ping as well - hello there! From what I've read, it looks like you're quite familiar with Controllers. As such, I'd definitely be interested in hearing your thoughts on this proposal for Light Control; I've got two versions at the moment, one in the original post and one on the fourth page here. The latter was made after plenty of feedback, and as such, I'd like to know which one people might prefer/would play! Hope to hear your thoughts on it all soon enough. 😁

Hey there @owhynot! Noticed your mentioning of enjoying Dominators a fair amount - as such, I'd definitely be interested in hearing your thoughts on this powerset proposal; if it'd be something you'd be interested in playing, if it's currently overpowered/underpowered, or even suggestions in your own right on what you'd prefer to see. I've currently got two parallel versions running: the first one's in the original post, and the second is over here; I was attempting to improve on the first after some feedback. Would love to hear which you'd prefer and why! 😄

Hey again, @5099y_74c05! Gave a little revamp of the powerset in this post here. It switches out T4: Blinding Halo for making T3: Ray of Light a single target Hold power, but one that can potentially chain across nearby enemies when used in tandem with T4: Refractive Halo. There's also some other changes in that vein with the other powers in the set that complement each other. This came after some feedback to make the powerset a bit more unique and involved, among other things. Would definitely be interested in hearing your thoughts on the revamped version, and if it's an improvement from the original post! 😁

Made a quick alteration to T9: Shining Motes: instead of inflicting the Refracted status effect on nearby enemies upon expiring, they'll instead Illuminate them - I figure that this will interact better with T7: Prismatic Field and T8: Luminous Distortion. This way, when one of the motes expire while inside one of the field powers, their status effects will automatically kick in. Or alternately, it'll give the Light Controller/Dominator a chance to chain a longer lasting T3: Ray of Light up close.

That's awesome! I know I've definitely been making plenty of use of the command on a lot of my characters; lots of patch powers benefit from it, especially on a touchpad.

I'd like to think my suggestion thread on this helped bring the idea to fruition in some way! Though given that it was posted only like a week before the actual patch notes when it came out, who knows if it was secretly in the works before. It's a neat feature for sure.

Giving @Coyote a wave as well - hey there! Given your gameplay with Dominators, I thought you might be interested in taking a look at this proposed Light Control powerset. I've got two versions at the moment, one in the original post, and one on the fourth page after lots of feedback. Would definitely like to hear your thoughts on them, which one would be more preferable/unique/thematic, and so on. And of course, any additional feedback would be great! 😄

May also give @Mezmera another ping with this rework to Light Control that I've done - T4: Blinding Halo has been changed to T4: Refractive Halo, and with it, a few other modifications that's left Light Control quite different from before. Instead of being a flat toggle Hold power, it instead allows the new ST Hold in the set to chain across multiple enemies with a specific status effect on them - the Refracted status effect, which the T4 (along with some other powers) grants. Would definitely be interested in your thoughts on this, and if it's an improvement from the original proposal!

Hey again, @zenblack! Thought you might be interested in this recent rework of my proposal for Light Control, after some suggestions in the most recent posts in this thread. I was attempting to go for something a bit more unique in feel/playstyle, especially after @Naraka's suggestions, so hopefully it feels a little more compelling this time around than the previous. Would definitely be interested in hearing your thoughts on it. 😄

Also curious as to your thoughts on this revamp to the powerset, @oedipus_tex! After some feedback, I think I've managed to keep Light Control relatively PBAoE focused without forgoing a single target Hold, while also making it a little more interactive than just "passive control aura". Would definitely be interested in seeing if this is a step up from the previous proposal - and if it makes it stand out in terms of uniqueness more than the previous, all the better. 😃

Also going to give @Galaxy Brain a wave - hey again! With suggestions from @BrandX and @Naraka from their own separate posts, I've attempted to make Light Control feel a bit more unique while also maintaining the majority of my original intent. While it's still meant to work better at close range, it's now able to hopefully work at a distance too, and in a way that feels like controlling light would work (at least that was the intent), with the introduction of a new mechanic, which hopefully makes it stand out better. Would be interested in hearing your thoughts on it - if it works out, I'll probably be updating the OP with this revised post. One issue that comes to mind here might be balancing, but I'm not entirely sure whether it'd be relatively stronger or weaker than the other Control sets, or same-but-different.

Also curious as to your thoughts on this revamped writeup, @Dahle - it does have a single target Hold now, but allows it to synergise close up to enemies too. Take a read through at the altered mechanics, and hope it piques your interest!

Hey @Tyrannical, made a number of adjustments to the powerset after some previous feedback, take a look at the post above, hope you like the look of it! 😃

Alright! I think I've finished this write-up now; it's a pretty large revamp from the original concept, maintaining the same focus on melee range combat while expanding its scope and introducing more standard powers. A big part of this comes from the change to Light Control's special mechanic. Or more accurately, mechanics plural. Special Effects: Illumination and Refraction Light Control’s special effects come in two parts which work in tandem with each other: Illumination strengthens the effects of powers in different ways (8s duration) Inflicted by: T1: Radiating Ties T2: Dazzling Glow T3: Ray of Light T6: Incandescent Eruption (50% chance) T9: Shining Motes (Post-Defeat: 80% chance) Affects: T1: Radiating Ties, bonus damage T2: Dazzling Glow, Mag 3.5 Sleep -> Mag 7 Sleep (+3.5) T3: Ray of Light, bonus damage T5: Twilight, 25% chance Refraction -> 50% chance Refraction T7: Prismatic Field, 2% chance Disorient -> Disorient T8: Luminous Distortion, 2% chance Confuse -> Confuse Powers that benefit from Illumination consume it upon taking effect Refraction propagates the effects of single target powers across multiple enemies Inflicted by: T4: Refractive Halo T5: Twilight (25% chance, 8s) Affects: T1: Radiating Ties T2: Dazzling Glow T3: Ray of Light Affected powers chain across nearby Refracted enemies, each consecutive chain halving their duration Illuminated enemies prevent this duration from being halved Chaining only occurs if the initial target is also Refracted Prioritises enemies who are also Illuminated first Your mention of using the Illumination mechanic to enable AoE powers was fleshed out into its own mechanic in its own right, @BrandX, while still keeping the T4 as its central power - that's where the Refraction mechanic comes in, with the general idea being "redirecting/channelling light". Since T4: Refractive Halo is the primary way of inflicting this effect, if the Light Controller/Dominator wants to make the most of it they'll need to stick close (though there's a few other options). This way, Light Control can still have a single target Hold as well, and can even make other powers 'radiate' out. The Illumination mechanic hopefully balances this mechanic out a little, and also add some bonus damage/stronger effects to existing powers. Without targeting enemies that are both Illuminated and Refracted, the duration of the ST powers halves with every subsequent target. T6: Incandescent Eruption provides the primary way of illuminating multiple enemies at once, and as such has a relatively long recharge time. As for the set itself the last few powers are relatively unchanged, except for stronger interactions with the Illumination mechanic, credit to @Naraka for the suggestion! However, I do think with these changes in the first half of the set, Light Control hopefully stands out a little more, while still not compromising on its more PBAoE focus. Light Control Power Table Power Level Effect Radiating Ties 1 Ranged (Chain), Moderate DMG(Energy), Foe Immobilize, Foe -To Hit, -Fly, Special Dazzling Glow 1 Ranged (Chain), Moderate DMG(Energy), Foe Sleep, Foe -To Hit, Special Ray of Light 2 Ranged (Chain), Moderate DMG(Energy), Foe Hold, -To Hit, Special Refractive Halo 6 Toggle: PBAoE, Foe -To Hit, -Range, -Stealth, Special Twilight 8 Ranged (Targeted AoE), Foe -Visibility, -To Hit, Chance for Special Incandescent Eruption 12 PBAoE, Minor DMG(Energy/Smashing), Foe Knockdown, Chance for Special Prismatic Field 18 Ranged (Location AoE), Minor DoT(Energy), Foe -Speed, -DEF(All), Chance for Disorient Luminous Distortion 26 Ranged (Location AoE), Foe Attract, Chance for Confuse Shining Motes 32 Summon Motes: Melee, Minor DoT(Energy) Powers T1: Radiating Ties Beams of light spring forth from you towards a single foe, trapping them in an array of blinding incandescence, and rendering them immobilized. Enemies powerful enough to resist this effect will still have their chance to hit reduced. Applying Radiating Ties on a refracted enemy will cause it to chain to other nearby refracted targets. The first target struck by Radiating Ties will also be Illuminated. Illuminated enemies will take additional damage from Radiating Ties before consuming the effect. Damage Moderate DoT (Energy) Recharge Fast (4s) Duration 27.94s Minimum Level 1 Effects Ranged Chain Foe Immobilize (Mag 4), -To Hit, Special (Illuminate) Enhancements Enhance Accuracy Enhance Damage Reduce Endurance Cost Enhance Immobilize Enhance Recharge Enhance To Hit Debuff Set Categories Immobilize Ranged Damage To Hit Debuff T2: Dazzling Glow Causes a dizzying array of light to appear before a foe. The target is left mesmerized and illuminated by the display, even as its brightness damages them, though subsequent attacks will free them from this effect. Enemies powerful enough to resist this effect will still have their chance to hit reduced. Applying Dazzling Glow on a refracted enemy will cause it to chain to other nearby refracted targets. The first target struck by Dazzling Glow will also be Illuminated. The strength of this Sleep will be increased when used against illuminated targets, consuming the effect in the process. Damage Moderate (Energy) Recharge Moderate (8s) Duration 55.88s Minimum Level 1 Effects Ranged Chain Foe Sleep (Mag 3.5), -To Hit, Special (Illuminate) Enhancements Enhance Accuracy Enhance Damage Reduce Endurance Cost Enhance Recharge Enhance Range Enhance Sleep Enhance To Hit Debuff Set Categories Ranged Damage Sleep To Hit Debuff T3: Ray of Light You generate a luminous beam of light and fire it at a target, dealing Energy damage to them. Its brightness can temporarily reduce the chance to hit of your foes, and render them helpless. Applying Ray of Light on a refracted enemy will cause it to chain to other nearby refracted targets. The first target struck by Ray of Light will also be Illuminated. Illuminated enemies will take additional damage from Ray of Light before consuming the effect. Damage Moderate (Energy) Recharge Moderate (8s) Duration 22.35s Minimum Level 2 Effects Ranged Chain Foe Hold (Mag 3), -To Hit, Special (Illuminate) Enhancements Enhance Accuracy Enhance Damage Reduce Endurance Cost Enhance Hold Enhance Recharge Enhance Range Enhance To Hit Debuff Set Categories Hold Ranged Damage To Hit Debuff T4: Refractive Halo You command light to surround you in a bright halo, reducing the chance to hit, range, and stealth capabilities of nearby foes. Enemies within your halo also become Refracted, as your halo continuously pulls light around you. Some powers from Light Control can chain across refracted enemies, affecting multiple targets at once. Each consecutive target will suffer from a weaker version than the previous target in the chain, unless the target is also Illuminated. Endurance 0.52/s Recharge Slow (10s) Duration 1s Minimum Level 6 Effects Point Blank Area of Effect Foe -To Hit, -Stealth, -Range, Special Enhancements Reduce Endurance Cost Enhance Recharge Enhance To Hit Debuff Set Categories To Hit Debuff T5: Twilight Draws light away from all foes near your target, inhibiting their vision. Most foes will not be able to see past normal melee range, although some may have better perception. If the foes are attacked, they will be alerted to your presence, but will suffer a penalty to their chance to hit. Your redirection of light may also cause some enemies to become Refracted, with a higher chance of this occurring if you target an Illuminated enemy, consuming the effect in the process. Recharge Slow (15s) Duration 60s Minimum Level 8 Effects Ranged (Targeted Area of Effect) Foe -90% Perception, -To Hit, Chance of Special (25% Refraction) Enhancements Enhance Accuracy Reduce Endurance Cost Enhance Recharge Enhance Range Enhance To Hit Debuff Set Categories To Hit Debuff T6: Incandescent Eruption Light swells out of you in a powerful burst, knocking enemies to the ground and dealing some minor damage. The intensity of this blast may also leave some foes Illuminated. Damage Minor (Energy) Recharge Long (120s) Duration 8s Minimum Level 12 Effects Point Blank Area of Effect Foe Knockdown, Chance of Special (50% Illumination) Enhancements Enhance Accuracy Enhance Damage Reduce Endurance Cost Enhance Hold Enhance Recharge Enhance To Hit Debuff Set Categories Hold Melee AoE Damage To Hit Debuff T7: Prismatic Field A painfully bright field of light appears at an area of your choice, dealing minimal Energy damage to foes inside of it. Enemies inside this field will have their movement dramatically slowed, and their defences weakened as they attempt to navigate with their perception compromised, with a chance of even becoming disoriented. Illuminated targets will immediately become disoriented, consuming the effect in the process. Damage Minor DoT (Energy) Recharge Long (60s) Duration 45s Minimum Level 18 Effects Ranged (Location Area of Effect) Foe -Speed (90%), -Defense(All), Chance of Disorient (Mag 3, 2% chance) Enhancements Enhance Damage Enhance Defense Debuff Enhance Disorient Reduce Endurance Cost Enhance Range Enhance Recharge Enhance Slow Set Categories Defense Debuff Ranged AoE Damage Slow Movement Stuns T8: Luminous Distortion You twist the way that light behaves in a selected area, deceiving foes into moving towards it. Enemies caught in this distortion may even become confused, targeting their allies by accident as their perception is warped. Illuminated targets will immediately become confused, consuming the effect in the process. Recharge Long (60s) Duration 45s Minimum Level 26 Effects Ranged (Targeted Area of Effect) Foe Attract, Chance of Confuse (Mag 3, 2% chance) Enhancements Enhance Confuse Reduce Endurance Cost Enhance Recharge Enhance Range Set Categories Confuse T9: Shining Motes You concentrate light together to create three Shining Motes at a target location. Shining Motes are fragile and have little intelligence of their own, instinctively moving towards enemies, damaging all those close to them. Upon expiring, they explode in a small but powerful brilliance that knocks down nearby enemies, and may cause them to become Illuminated. Targeting a mote using Radiating Ties, Dazzling Glow, or Ray of Light will force it to expire early. Shining Motes can be healed and buffed like any teammate. Damage Minor (Energy) Recharge Very Long (240s) Minimum Level 32 Effects Summon Motes: Melee Pet Powers Fly (Auto: Flight) Nova (Post Defeat: PBAoE (Energy), Foe Knockdown, Chance of Special) Shining Halo (PBAoE, DoT (Energy)) Resistance (Auto, Res(E25 N25, P25), Res(Immobilize)) Enhancements Enhance Accuracy Enhance Damage Enhance Disorient Reduce Endurance Cost Enhance Recharge Set Categories Knockback Pet Damage Recharge Intensive Pets Hope you guys like this! I think it maintains the feel of the previous design while also being more interactive in the process.

I think I might have this figured out - I've reworked a few things with your feedback along with @Naraka's, but I'll stay tight lipped for now. I'll say you definitely inspired a few changes, but I'll let you be the judge of them after I properly put them to paper. Hopefully you'll like the changes! (Though as a heads up, Mag 2 Hold with +2 Mag on Illuminated targets is how the current iteration of Blinding Halo works. 😉)

Hey there, and thanks for your thoughts on this! There's plenty here, and it's definitely engaging, so don't worry about it - I pinged you knowing your stance on unique powersets from the start, so it's definitely neat seeing what constitutes as different/unique from that kind of perspective. I'll absolutely acknowledge that I was attempting to create a relatively unique powerset from the start, so it's a bit of a shame that didn't come through. I do think that can be a bit of a challenge, especially for the Control powersets; in general, they share a lot between each other, usually varying by the shape of their powers (cone/TAoE/PBBAoE) and secondary effects more than anything else - their status effects, outside of a few oddball powers are mostly consistent with each other. From what I've seen of Wind Control, it appeared fairly similar in that regard, except with an added way to deal some damage via a builder/spender mechanic. Also, as a quick correction, T1: Ray of Light isn't an immobilize power, but primarily a debuff/damage one; there's only one immobilization power in the set in T3: Radiating Ties. This was sort of an attempt at said variation I brought up previously - the same reason why the set doesn't really have a single target Hold power. The Illumination mechanic was definitely taking notes from Time Manipulation's Delayed effect; it was actually from @Galaxy Brain that I was inspired to expand the synergies to the point where they are now, introducing its application in both the T1 and T2 instead of just the former. In other words, additional damage/stronger magnitude status effects against such marked foes was sort of the intent behind it. That being said, I do think you've a fair point - I think there might be room for another power in the set that inflicts it. I'm kind of leaning on T6: Incandescent Eruption at the moment, maybe upping the recharge a bit as a result and getting rid of the chance to Stun; essentially it'd work as an instant boost to the potency of T4: Blinding Halo for a short period of time. That'd keep the focus on the T4 while not overpowering it, hopefully - one reason why I'm fairly conservative with how many powers inflict the Illuminated effect is due to precedence in Ice Control's Arctic Air; despite being Ice Control's main control power, it's mostly standalone. I've got a few ideas in my head that may potentially make quite a few large reaching changes across this set that'll hopefully give it a more unique flavour. Thanks for your feedback, hopefully you'll see the results of this soon, looking forward to your feedback on it once I finish it!