EnjoyTheJourney

There are a wealth of possibilities. If you'd like something fairly tanky, with strong buffs and debuffs, and good AOE, then you could do much worse than a water / cold corruptor. Dark tanks need more healing like a desert needs more sand. They love love love more endurance recovery, though, and once you get to later levels heat loss helps a lot for that. They also benefit a lot from the defense shields and frostwork (Dark tanks can't self-cap hit points like some other tanks can). Cold also has top tier debuffs that can help a tank stand tall through a lot of challenging content. Sleet is a particularly helpful debuff because debuffing mob defense lets dark's amazing heal more reliably hit mobs. Benumb is also great for hard targets.

Here's a rough draft of a possible build. I have little experience with electric control. So the slotting choices could use some review by somebody who is experienced and skilled at building and playing the set. So, for example, I don't know from experience how well the placate and heal procs contribute when slotted into static field; it may be that the heal works well, but placate not as well. As another caveat, I haven't play-tested whether replacing bone smasher with the slower animating and slower recharging energy transfer works or not. You might not end up with a smooth attack chain with what's here. Still, perhaps looking at a full build can offer a decent place to start for putting together your own build. Good luck with your dominator, whichever direction you decide to take. This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.2.17 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Dominator Primary Power Set: Electric Control Secondary Power Set: Energy Assault Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Force of Will Power Pool: Fighting Ancillary Pool: Primal Forces Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Tesla Cage -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(3), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(3), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(5) Level 1: Power Bolt -- HO:Nucle(A) Level 2: Chain Fences -- SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(A), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), SprDmnGrs-Rchg/Fiery Orb(7) Level 4: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(7), Rct-ResDam%(9) Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(9) Level 8: Conductive Aura -- PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/End(A), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/Rech(11), PreOptmz-EndMod/End(11) Level 10: Mighty Leap -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 12: Static Field -- FrtHyp-Sleep(A), FrtHyp-Sleep/Rchg(13), FrtHyp-Acc/Sleep/Rchg(15), FrtHyp-Sleep/EndRdx(15), FrtHyp-Plct%(17), CaloftheS-Heal%(37) Level 14: Weaken Resolve -- AchHee-ResDeb%(A) Level 16: Power Up -- RechRdx-I(A), DS:DSyncSlowRechEnd(17) Level 18: Paralyzing Blast -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(19), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(19), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(37) Level 20: Whirling Hands -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg(A), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(21), Arm-Acc/Rchg(21), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(25), Arm-Dam%(25), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(37) Level 22: Unleash Potential -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), RechRdx-I(23), RechRdx-I(23) Level 24: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 26: Synaptic Overload -- CrcPrs-Conf/Rchg(A), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg(27), CrcPrs-Acc/Rchg(27), CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx(36), CrcPrs-Conf%(36), CrcPrs-Conf(50) Level 28: Total Focus -- SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(A), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(29), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(29), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(34), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(34), SprAscoft-Rchg/+Dmg%(36) Level 30: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(31), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(31), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(31), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(34) Level 32: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(33), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(33), ShlWal-Def(33) Level 35: Sniper Blast -- Apc-Dmg/Rchg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Apc-Acc/Rchg(39), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Apc-Dam%(40), StnoftheM-Dam%(40) Level 38: Power Burst -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), ExpStr-Dam%(43), GldJvl-Dam%(46), FrcFdb-Rechg%(46), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(48) Level 41: Energy Transfer -- Hct-Dmg/Rchg(A), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Hct-Acc/Rchg(42), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Hct-Dam%(43), Mk'Bit-Dam%(43) Level 44: Temp Invulnerability -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(45), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(45), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(45), UnbGrd-Max HP%(46) Level 47: Explosive Blast -- Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Rgn-Dmg/Rchg(48), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(50), FrcFdb-Rechg%(50) Level 49: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Domination Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Prv-Absorb%(13) Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 1: Energy Focus Level 49: Quick Form Level 10: Takeoff ------------

Your build is very thoughtfully put together and it has pretty good defenses already. Given the -to hit from venomous gas and weaken mobs shouldn't be hitting you particularly often. With all the -damage effects whatever gets through shouldn't hurt quite as badly, either. For atomic blast, if you remove a damage proc and replace it with the armageddon damage IO, then boost that to +5, you'll boost the nuke's damage to 860. If you replace one more damage proc with the armageddon damage / recharge IO and boost that to +5, damage would fall to 838 (a drop of about 2.5% in damage done from 860). However, the recharge time would also drop from slightly over 70 seconds to 58.55 seconds, for close to 16% quicker recharge. If you make both of these swaps you boost fire / cold resists and also get a bit more recovery, which are modestly helpful boosts. Take the unique shield wall "resist all" IO and move it to weave. Replace the LOTG defense and defense / endurance IOs with shield wall defense and defense / endurance IOs. You'll end up with a bigger life boost. Also, as a more minor boost, in case you like to exemp and run with attuned LOTGs, you can boost the shield wall IOs to +5 and slightly improve defenses against all attacks (0.15%, not huge by any means, so maybe not worth the expense, up to you).

Another combination not previously explored is reported out about below ... Plant / Psi assault / Ice mastery dominator Pylon defeat: 2:55 (347 DPS)Trapdoor run: 6:40- 1 pylon defeat and 1 trapdoor runT4 intuition radial alpha, T4 degenerative core, T4 barrier core destiny, T4 melee core hybrid, no judgment or lore used. No clicky accolades, temp powers, or amplifiers were used. Only insps used were yellow inspirations to nullify blind in trapdoor run. Pylon ... Just scanning the DPA for different single target powers in psi assault doesn't suggest mid-300s DPS on a pylon test would be likely. It must be the combined effects of drain psyche, creepers, and sleet that pushed DPS that high for the pylon test. Trapdoor ... One of the unusual facts about this pairing is that plant control and psi assault have distinctive features to them that make them potentially good for AOE versus large crowds. Plant's advantages for improving AOE damage (seeds, creepers) are quite well known at this point. One somewhat less well known fact about psi assault is that psychic shockwave has a target cap of 16, versus a target cap of 10 or lower for other dominator assault set AOEs (including PbAOEs). Even though the damage from psychic shockwave isn't higher than other dominator AOEs, being able to hit 60% more targets helps for clearing crowds. At least for me this is a very good Trapdoor time. In the hands of others it could probably speed through even faster. This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.2.17 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Dominator Primary Power Set: Plant Control Secondary Power Set: Psionic Assault Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Sorcery Power Pool: Fighting Ancillary Pool: Ice Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Strangler -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(3), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(3), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(5) Level 1: Psionic Dart -- HO:Nucle(A) Level 2: Roots -- SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(A), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(23), SprAscoft-Rchg/+Dmg%(25), SprDmnGrs-Rchg/Fiery Orb(25) Level 4: Mind Probe -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), Hct-Acc/Rchg(19), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(21), Hct-Dam%(21), Mk'Bit-Dam%(11) Level 6: Telekinetic Thrust -- SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(A), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(17), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(17), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(15) Level 8: Seeds of Confusion -- CrcPrs-Conf/Rchg(A), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg(9), CrcPrs-Acc/Rchg(9), CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx(13), CrcPrs-Conf%(15), CrcPrs-Conf(50) Level 10: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(11) Level 12: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(13) Level 14: Mystic Flight -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 16: Spirit Ward -- Prv-Absorb%(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(36) Level 18: Vines -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(23), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(19), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(46) Level 20: Drain Psyche -- TchoftheN-Acc/EndRdx/Heal/HP/Regen(A), TchoftheN-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(43), TchoftheN-Acc/Heal(43), TchoftheN-Heal/HP/Regen/Rchg(46), DS:DSyncHealRech(48), DS:DSyncEndModRech(50) Level 22: Rune of Protection -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), GldArm-ResDam(43) Level 24: Boxing -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A) Level 26: Carrion Creepers -- SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(27), TraoftheH-Dam%(27), PstBls-Dam%(40), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(42), JvlVll-Dam%(42) Level 28: Subdue -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(29), Apc-Acc/Rchg(29), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(31), Apc-Dam%(31), TraoftheH-Dam%(31) Level 30: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(34), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(34), UnbGrd-Max HP%(34) Level 32: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-ResDam%(33), Rct-Def(33), Rct-Def/EndRdx(33) Level 35: Psionic Lance -- StnoftheM-Acc/Dmg(A), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx(36), StnoftheM-Dmg/ActRdx/Rchg(36), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), StnoftheM-Dam%(37), GldJvl-Dam%(37) Level 38: Psychic Shockwave -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg(A), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Arm-Acc/Rchg(39), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Arm-Dam%(40), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(40) Level 41: Sleet -- DS:DSyncSlowRechEnd(A), DS:DSyncSlowRechEnd(42) Level 44: Frozen Armor -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(45), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(45), ShlWal-Def(45) Level 47: Hoarfrost -- Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(A), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(48), RechRdx-I(48) Level 49: Spore Burst -- CaloftheS-Heal%(A) Level 1: Domination Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A), Clr-EndRdx(50) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(46) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 49: Quick Form Level 50: Intuition Radial Paragon Level 50: Degenerative Core Flawless Interface Level 50: Barrier Core Epiphany Level 50: Melee Core Embodiment ------------

I'm still very new to rad assault, so it's a given that there's a lot for me to learn about it. The potential seems there for good damage, though.

Given that the post quoted in the OP draws conclusions based on just DPS there's a case to be made that it oversimplifies a complicated subject. And, it's true that only looking at single target DPS would be a myopic and ineffective way to design characters. Still, a case could be made that the importance of balancing builds across multiple criteria, and not just single target DPS, is so clearly important that to keep such a post simple and clean it can be left implicit. Perhaps it would have been better to provide a caveat along with the DPS ranking. But, most players who bother to read the forums seem likely to pick up on what's not being said even without a caveat being given. Although it's just an "N" of 1, I've actively played characters that range from sub-150 DPS to 400+ range and I've found the scale given in the OP fairly well represents my own in-game experiences. Perhaps my experiences have been unusual, though, and finding out if that's true is in part what motivated me to start this thread. Edit & PS: I can't speak from the experience of having actively played characters in the 600+ part of the DPS scale. Your observation may very well be correct about extreme high end DPS builds. The closest I have come would be a gravity / storm / psi controller I tried out on the beta server, which had 390 DPS against a pylon which (I believe) couldn't be subject to containment. Against mobs that could be contained that character can probably clear 500 DPS, even if only just. His AOE DPS wasn't high enough to make him the kind of beast described in the post quoted in the OP. But, he had very solid defenses, he ran a very safe Trapdoor run (not quickly, but very safely), and he would play just fine in-game. FWIW. Also, the pessimism expressed about debuffs doesn't square with my own experience. In my experience, debuffs tend to become more helpful as content gets harder. As just one of a very large number of possible examples, last night a trio of doms that I was part of ran a +4x8 speedy ITF with no insps and no temps as conditions. It would have been deathless if not for a silly mistake by me in part 3 (1 death). We finished in 33 minutes, even though my dom's one death slowed us down. A key reason we were able to finish so quickly was that all three of us had sleet, from ice mastery, and IIRC all three of us had drain psyche.

Grant cover is pretty much a "must take" power for shield defense. There are a lot of enemy groups in the game that have members of their group that debuff defense. The phrase "cascading defense failure" describes the result of stacked defense debuffs that, for example, take normally robust positional defenses for a shield powerset using character all the way down to close to zero or less than zero. Rapid death is a very likely outcome when that happens, especially for stalkers who don't have a huge hit point pool. Preventing cascading defense failure is by far the most effective choice, rather than struggling to somehow survive after it's happened. To prevent cascading defense failure you take all the powers that provide defense debuff resistance in the shield powerset; grant cover provides a lot of defense debuff resistance, so you really want it even if you never play on teams. On a connected point, for shield defense characters it's a good idea to get high recharge on active defense and to put it on autofire because the defense debuff resistance that active defense provides stacks across multiple castings. Also, it's worth considering getting to a T4 ageless radial for the incarnate destiny pick because it stacks even more defense debuff resistance. The high potential defense debuff resistance shield characters can acquire has the potential to make them highly survivable in most situations.

When on a Manticore TF the other day 2 "x8" spawns were controlled at once. One spawn was held by cinders. Another spawn was stunned by flashfire and held in place by fire cages. Plus, bonfire was placed in the middle of it all to try to interrupt attacks from any overflow mobs not already controlled by something else. Twas good times and it's a pleasant perk for playing a dom.

The post I'm quoting seemed like a reasonable baseline for thinking about potential DPS targets for different builds. To make sure credit is given to the right person for their thoughtful post, Zeraphia was the one providing the post quoted above.

Below is a "borrowed" (ie: quoted, with spaces and bolding added for ease of reading) post that is in the blaster forum that seems to provide reasonable hypotheses about benchmarks for single target damage. If the benchmarks below seem like they could be improved upon, then what would make them better? If I had to offer one thought it would be that single target DPS can be brought above 300 for a lot of builds if budget limitations are removed. There are sooo many possible powerset combinations, though, that my observations about this may be off base.

Essentially, all times given for duration and recharge for powers are estimates because of how ticks work. This explanation seems very, very plausible. Thank you for posting this. It would seem that arcanatime is the best available basis for estimating recharge times and animation time before effect is the most plausible beginning point for estimating duration.

If the powers used in a single target attack chain averaged 1.584 seconds of arcanatime per cast and have an average of 0.375 seconds of "lost time" between them, then that would be about a 20% DPA loss*. Under these circumstances 250 damage becomes 200, 500 damage becomes 400, and so on. If arcanatimes are shorter than 1.584 seconds then even more DPA would be lost (with an average of 0.375 seconds of lost time between attacks). * This is being a bit loose with the numbers. Still, the presence of one "extra" attack at the beginning or end of the attack sequence, compared to the number of "lost time" incidents helps to reduce what would be fairly close to a 25% DPA loss to about a 20% DPA loss (depending on the number of attacks). Ergo, repeatedly losing small amounts of time can add up to a non-negligible DPA drop.

Activation time is one of the issues I'm wondering about. For a noticeable number of powers their activation time will occur 0.5 seconds to 1 second earlier than the finish of their animation time. For such powers noticeably less recharge would needed to maintain a continuous attack chain if powers start to recharge as soon as they take effect. When expanded across quite a few powers, this could be a noticeably source of difference between DPS for different builds. Some examples of differences between arcanatime and animation time before effect ... Dominator earth assault, Seismic smash: arcanatime = 1.716 sec, animation time before effect = 0.833 sec (about 0.88 seconds difference) Dominator earth assault, power up: arcanatime = 1.167 sec, animation time before effect = 0.5 sec (0.667 seconds difference) Dominator earth assault, heavy mallet: arcanatime = 1.848 sec, animation time before effect = 0.8 sec (1.048 seconds difference) Dominator psi assault, telekinetic thrust: arcanatime = 1.188 sec, animation time before effect = 0.533 sec (0.655 seconds difference) Dominator psi assault, mind probe: arcanatime = 1.32 sec, animation time before effect = 0.567 sec (0.676 seconds difference) ... and so on Thank you for this. It's very helpful and I've incorporated these ideas into a spreadsheet that will help with building and streamlining attack chains.

There seems to be three possible reasons why there's no response to this question. 1. The answer is so obvious and simple that people are embarrassed to tell me. 2. Nobody who has read this thread is quite sure of the answer, and so "no response" seems like the best response. 3. A number of people know the answer and are trying their best to respond. But, their hands are being held by their sides, away from their keyboard, by a Very Mysterious Force. Regarding possible reason #1 above, feel free to embarrass me with your understanding of when the recharge countdown starts after clicking a power to use it. Knowing this helps noticeably for figuring out how to slot single target attack chains and there are probably plenty of people who don't know. Regarding possible reason #3 above, get voice recognition going so you can continue to post and to ask for help getting rid of that Very Mysterious Force holding your arms by your sides.

It's good to hear that your dom is fun to play and effective in-game. 🙂

Mind / radiation assault / ice dominator Pylon defeat: 3:46 (297 DPS)Trapdoor run: 9:31- 1 pylon defeat and 1 trapdoor runT4 intuition radial alpha, T4 degenerative core, T4 barrier core destiny, T4 melee core hybrid, no judgment or lore used. No clicky accolades, temp powers, or amplifiers were used. Only insps used were yellow inspirations to nullify blind in trapdoor run. The build itself probably needs a bit of polishing because it has only 145% global recharge and only 35% resistance to recharge debuffs. Taking out total domination was a choice that could be reasonably questioned, as well. It also handled rough in my hands. There's probably quite a bit more potential in this combination of powersets with somebody more practiced at using them and with a more carefully thought through build. Pylon ... Some powersets seem relatively comfortable and fluid to use for pylon defeats, while others feel the opposite. For me radiation assault fell in the "this felt awkward" category, with plenty of so-so decisions about the order for attacks. Which means it's unlikely its single target damage potential was shown here. Trapdoor ... The awkwardness in working with radiation assault carried over to the trapdoor run. I haven't played mind control in a while, either, so the trapdoor run was full of errors. Also, the relatively low global recharge total and fairly minimal total resistances to recharge debuffs led to losing domination twice for this run; in both cases melee hybrid recharged in time so mez protection could be re-engaged until domination was up again. The heal was quite useful on the one occasion when it was likely to be helpful. It's kind of amazing the trapdoor run took less than 10 minutes, given the circumstances. Discounting for the unusually plentiful driver errors and build problems, radiation assault looks like a solid choice. This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.2.17 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Dominator Primary Power Set: Mind Control Secondary Power Set: Radioactive Assault Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Sorcery Power Pool: Fighting Ancillary Pool: Ice Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Mesmerize -- FrtHyp-Sleep/EndRdx(A) Level 1: Neutrino Bolt -- HO:Nucle(A) Level 2: Dominate -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), GldNet-Dam%(5), NrnSht-Dam%(7), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(7), UnbCns-Dam%(9), GldJvl-Dam%(9) Level 4: Contaminated Strike -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(11), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(13), TchofDth-Dam%(46) Level 6: Confuse -- MlsIll-Acc/Rchg(A), MlsIll-EndRdx/Conf(15), MlsIll-Acc/EndRdx(15), MlsIll-Conf/Rng(17), MlsIll-Acc/Conf/Rchg(17), MlsIll-Dam%(19) Level 8: Mass Hypnosis -- CaloftheS-Heal%(A) Level 10: Electron Haze -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg(A), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(19), PstBls-Dmg/Rng(21), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(21), PstBls-Dam%(23), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(23) Level 12: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(25) Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(25) Level 16: Fusion -- GssSynFr--Build%(A), DS:DSyncSlowRechEnd(27), DS:DSyncSlowRechEnd(27) Level 18: Mystic Flight -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 20: Radiation Siphon -- DS:DSyncHealAcc(A), DS:DSyncHealAcc(29), DS:DSyncDamEnd(29) Level 22: Spirit Ward -- Prv-Absorb%(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(48) Level 24: Rune of Protection -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), GldArm-ResDam(31) Level 26: Terrify -- Rgn-Dmg(A), Rgn-Knock%(31), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), Rgn-Acc/Rchg(33), Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(33), PstBls-Dam%(33) Level 28: Boxing -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(34), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(34), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34) Level 30: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(36), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(36), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(36), UnbGrd-Max HP%(37) Level 32: Mass Confusion -- CrcPrs-Conf(A), CrcPrs-Conf/Rchg(37), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg(37), CrcPrs-Acc/Rchg(39), CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx(39), CrcPrs-Conf%(39) Level 35: Proton Volley -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), Apc-Acc/Rchg(40), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(40), Apc-Dam%(42), AchHee-ResDeb%(42) Level 38: Devastating Blow -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Dmg/Rchg(42), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(43), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), Hct-Dam%(43), SprAscoft-Rchg/+Dmg%(45) Level 41: Sleet -- DS:DSyncSlowRechEnd(A), DS:DSyncSlowRechEnd(45) Level 44: Frozen Armor -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(45), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(46), ShlWal-Def(46) Level 47: Hoarfrost -- Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(A), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(48), RechRdx-I(48) Level 49: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-ResDam%(50), Rct-Def/EndRdx(50), Rct-Def(50) Level 1: Domination Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(3), Mrc-Rcvry+(3) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(5) Level 49: Quick Form Level 50: Intuition Radial Paragon ------------

A common way of slotting singularity seems to be 4 pieces from the expedient reinforcement set, for the set recharge bonus, and to put the sudden acceleration knockback-to-knockdown IO in the fifth slot. Singy does a noticeable amount of damage, which makes damage-based pet sets potentially more appealing than control sets. It shouldn't necessarily kill your build to go either way, though. Not sure whether it's good to put the Ascendancy set into Singy or not. If the +damage proc IO in that set would only buff Singy while slotting in Singy, then you can probably find a better place for that set (or at least for the +damage proc IO). If Singy can trigger the +damage proc IO in the Ascendancy set for your dom, then it could be more appealing.

Tried out some combinations these past several days, with most of them underperforming. Below is a report-out about a combination that was pleasantly and surprisingly effective. The current build has a couple of noteworthy limitations, though, and can probably be polished further. Fire / Ice / Ice dominator Pylon defeats: 3:27 (313 DPS) and 3:10 (310 DPS) Trapdoor run: 6:36 Cimeroran timed mission: about 9.5 minutes to clear cave - 2 pylon defeats, 1 trapdoor run, 1 timed Cimeroran mission T4 vigor* radial alpha, T4 degenerative core, T4 barrier core destiny, T4 melee core hybrid, no judgment or lore used. No clicky accolades, temp powers, or amplifiers were used. Only insps used were yellow inspirations to nullify blind in trapdoor run. * mistakenly listed this as "nerve" earlier. But, the alpha used was T4 vigor radial, and not nerve. ------------------------------ This combination puts a lot of emphasis on not letting mobs move or attack very much. Hot feet, chilling embrace, bonfire, sleet, and fire cages help to bring that about as mobs tend to very slowly try to close to melee range or run away in fear (when not immobilized). Its effectiveness may not seem as clear when looking over a forum post or a Mids build as it is when you experience it in-game. The key weaknesses are that permadom is more susceptible than would be ideal to being lost when -recharge debuffs stack up on this dominator and that endurance can be challenging to manage. Probably some tweaks to the build below would be worthwhile, even though it performed very well overall for what's reported here. Pylons ... Endurance management for the pylon runs was challenging, at times, with endurance bottoming out near the very end of first pylon defeat reported up top. Fortunately, the pylon exploded just handful of seconds later. The degree of consistency across runs suggests that single target damage may be in the low-ish 300s. Single target DPS in the low 300s is reasonably good, even if not top end. Trapdoor ... The trapdoor run went better than it probably should have gone. It wasn't executed well, with plenty of klutziness along the way. The key reason it went so well is that mobs that wanted to run away had a lot of difficulty doing that. So, they were repeatedly exposed to AOE damage from different sources and they fell over fairly fast. Also, incoming damage was mitigated to a substantial degree, it would seem, by all the -recharge and -movement stacked up on mobs. This was my second quickest Trapdoor run with a dom thus far, with the difficulties mobs had moving probably being the key to attaining that speed. Timed Cimeroran mission ... This dom was so effective at neutering mob movement that it seemed helpful to give it a tougher test than trapdoor. So, a timed Cimeroran mission was taken on, which ended up being a "defeat the Cimeroran boss" mission. The mission was fully cleared in noticeably less than 10 minutes, after accounting for time getting to the mission door and a bit of lollygagging inside the front door before starting. The Cims have never seemed so non-threatening when soloing them with a dom even when there was two spawns engaging with this particular dom at the same time. Barrier and other defensive skills got forgotten a fair amount with no negative consequences. The Cims spent a lot of time afraid and vainly trying to run away, only to be hunted down whenever it was their turn to be defeated. The key takeaway seems to be that when stacked in large amounts -movement and -recharge can be very powerful. This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.2.17 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Dominator Primary Power Set: Fire Control Secondary Power Set: Icy Assault Power Pool: Sorcery Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Ancillary Pool: Ice Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Char -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), GldNet-Dam%(3), NrnSht-Dam%(3), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(5), UnbCns-Dam%(9), GldJvl-Dam%(9) Level 1: Ice Bolt -- HO:Nucle(A) Level 2: Fire Cages -- SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx(5), SprDmnGrs-Rchg/Fiery Orb(7), SprAscoft-Rchg/+Dmg%(7) Level 4: Ice Sword Circle -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg(A), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), Arm-Dmg(15), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(15), Arm-Dam%(17), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(17) Level 6: Mystic Flight -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 8: Hot Feet -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(19), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(21), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21) Level 10: Ice Blast -- HO:Nucle(A), DS:DSyncDamEnd(23), DS:DSyncDamEnd(23), IceMisTrmt-+ColdDmg(25), ImpSwf-Dam%(25), GldJvl-Dam%(27) Level 12: Flashfire -- AbsAmz-Stun/Rchg(A), AbsAmz-Acc/Stun/Rchg(46), AbsAmz-Acc/Rchg(46), AbsAmz-EndRdx/Stun(50), AbsAmz-ToHitDeb%(50) Level 14: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(27) Level 16: Power Up -- DS:DSyncSlowRechEnd(A), DS:DSyncSlowRechEnd(29) Level 18: Cinders -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(29), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(31), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(31) Level 20: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(31) Level 22: Boxing -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(33), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(33), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33) Level 24: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(34), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(34), UnbGrd-Max HP%(34) Level 26: Bonfire -- SuddAcc--KB/+KD(A), FrcFdb-Rechg%(36) Level 28: Chilling Embrace -- IceMisTrmt-End/Slow(A), IceMisTrmt-Dam/Rech(36), IceMisTrmt-Dam/Slow(36), IceMisTrmt-Acc/Dam/End(37), IceMisTrmt-Acc/Dam/End/Rech(37) Level 30: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-ResDam%(37), Rct-Def(39), Rct-Def/EndRdx(39) Level 32: Spirit Ward -- Prv-Absorb%(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(39) Level 35: Ice Slash -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(40), Hct-Dmg/Rchg(40), Hct-Dam%(42), TchofDth-Dam%(42) Level 38: Bitter Ice Blast -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Dmg/Rchg(42), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(43), Apc-Dam%(43), GldJvl-Dam%(45) Level 41: Sleet -- DS:DSyncSlowRechEnd(A), DS:DSyncSlowRechEnd(45) Level 44: Hoarfrost -- Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(A), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(45), RechRdx-I(46) Level 47: Frozen Armor -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(48), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(48), ShlWal-Def(48) Level 49: Rune of Protection -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), GldArm-ResDam(50) Level 1: Domination Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(11), Mrc-Rcvry+(11) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(13) Level 50: Mighty Radial Final Judgement Level 50: Degenerative Core Flawless Interface Level 50: Barrier Core Epiphany Level 50: Melee Core Embodiment Level 50: Vigor Radial Paragon ------------

When I first joined the MITF channel I half-jokingly referred to my characters as "the team's official veng bait". It was important to keep expectations lows because, well, that was warranted. Things got particularly ugly, at least at first, when I was still new to the channel and playing melee doms in team-based ITF runs that were +4x8, no insps, no temps, enemies buffed, and players debuffed. When enemies are buffed some EBs can crit for 2,500 hit points of damage (before being reduced by player resists), so you can imagine how rough that could get for an AT with relatively low hit points. With practice things get better, though. What counts for a lot is that you know a lot about the game and a lot about how to build and play doms. You'll probably figure out how to make adaptations quite soon after joining some "all dom" +4x8 ITF runs. It would be fun to team with you. 🙂

Acre plays earth / earth very well, which was a key reason for how well earth / earth held up. Also helpful were stacked to hit debuffs from dark control (Vol) and earthquake (more minor in amount than what dark control brings, but it probably tagged some mobs that Vol's powers didn't). It also helped that the earth / earth dom had ice as the mastery, with hoarfrost. Having a hefty heal and +max hit points buff is so much better than not having one, even if it is on a long recharge. Something else that helped the run quite a bit, although it may not be immediately obvious from watching battles in the video, was that there were two doms with sleet from taking ice mastery (fire/psi/ice and earth/earth/ice). Stacked -defense and -res debuffs from sleet made everything easier to take down. That's why, for example, even as just a trio AVs went down quite quickly in part 3 and mobs in the part 4 towers also went down quite fast.

A very good single target attack chain for any given set of powers will fully realize the single target damage potential of those powers, keep endurance management in a good place, be relatively easy to execute, and use slots and other resources in an efficient way to achieve these objectives. Fully realizing single target damage potential ... Much about this is straightforward. One issue is straightforward in theory, but potentially a bit challenging to sort out in practice. In theory, it helps to have a seamless transition between powers used in the single target attack chain. One power is used, the next one is ready to go and used immediately, and so on ... with no gaps between the availability of powers to be used (ie: no "dead space" in the attack chain). This is relevant because time spent waiting for the next attack to recharge is time spent doing no damage*. * A possible exception is that sometimes a short wait will allow a key power to fully recharge (ie: a power that boosts damage) so it can be used just ahead of a barrage of heavier damage attack powers. In practice, figuring out how to minimize "dead space" in a single target attack chain can be challenging. This is true in part because of uncertainty concerning when powers start to recharge. Do they start to recharge immediately after you press a button to use them? Do they start to recharge when they activate, but before they finish their animation? Do they start to recharge after their animation fully completes, but before arcanatime finishes up? Do they only start to recharge after arcanatime casting time finishes up? Are there different answers to these questions for different powers and, if there are differences, is there an observable patterns to the differences? Thank you in advance for any insight provided.

Two reasonably inexpensive and effective options would be to slot the full set of either Mako's Bite or Touch of Death. Check out Mids with both of them and see the differences between them for melee and ranged defense. Pick the one you like better. Bear in mind that stacked speed and recharge debuffs can really put a damper on your dom's day. And, if you dropped all the winter set IOs from this build then your dom would only have 20% resistance to speed and recharge debuffs. If you can find a way to pay for it, then it's highly likely to be helpful to keep the 2 superior frozen blast IOs in the build, especially if you take out all the blistering cold IOs.

I can empathize with where Mezmera is coming from, as I initially had quite low expectations when you mentioned that you were going to stay away from purple IO sets. But, after having put together a build it seems clear that a sans-purple-IOs build can still do decent damage and survive quite well. For damage, with 3 AOEs that all do decent damage that part of your build is in good shape. The single target attack chain has reasonable DPA as well. Survival was my biggest concern for your build, ahead of seeing how it might finally come together. But, especially if barrier core destiny and melee core hybrid are taken then this "no-purples" build should survive quite well in most situations. Not all ATO sets are worth slotting. And, the dominating grasp IOs aren't efficiently helping you do more damage, build up recharge, or put together better defenses for this build. The Call of the Sandman set that replaces dominating grasp is providing you 6.25% global recharge that helps you attain permadom and the "heal" proc IO in the fifth slot, which has a 90% chance of healing 15% of your hit points every time you cast mass hypnosis. Since you sometimes want to use mass hypnosis to shut down mobs when they're hammering your dom, it's helpful that it offers a high chance of triggering a noticeable heal when you use it. Also, unlike with a damage proc, healing your character shouldn't draw mobs' aggro to you and make them want to kill your dom when they wake up after being asleep (at least, not as far as I know). On that note, by all means use mass hypnosis freely when you don't have a damage proc in it. The fiery orb proc IO is a bit of an iffy pick on purely functional grounds, for terrify. But, fiery orb looks fairly cool, it distracts mobs, and it can potentially be viewed as a "kitsune" thing to do to create globes of fire. If you swap out fiery orb and put in another damage proc IO then that's also a reasonable choice that gives you more up front damage than spawning fiery orbs. Call swarm has a very low DPA and is only potentially useful as a filler when all of your main single target attack skills are on cooldown (maiming slash, call hawk, and vicious slash). It's very common in many dominator builds to leave the T1 dominator assault power at 1 slot for this reason. You already have 3 AOEs with good DPA and a good "cool factor". Psi nado has low damage and low utility. If you really love it, though, then perhaps consider making room for it by dropping one of your other AOEs (at least try terrify out before dropping it, though, it's a mind dom's bread and butter way of stopping incoming damage while also noticeably damaging mobs as well). Check out what mind over body does for your build by looking at the "totals" screen across all your defenses with it in the build, drop it, check the numbers again, and put it back to see what you've gained by slotting it as it is. Dropping increases any smash / lethal damage taken by about 140% (ie: every 100 points of damage taken with mind over body in the build becomes about 240 points of damage taken without it in the build, 200 damage becomes 480, 300 damage becomes 720, and so on). Removing it also makes melee defense noticeably lower, meaning more hits would get through. It would be a Big Hit to survivability to take mind over body out of the build. At the end of the day, though, fun > all. You should build your dom the way you want and, hopefully, you'll have a blast playing her.

It's easier to pay little attention to defenses for a mind / fire because you're usually free to operate safely from range. Mind / savage tends to be in melee range a lot. Having minimal defenses can go sideways really quickly when in melee range.

Two main challenges stand out. 1. 120% global recharge isn't enough to maintain "permadom". You'll want noticeably more (145 - 150 global recharge would be a minimum total). 2. Defenses are not that robust. Other ideas for potential improvements ... 1. Mass hypnosis has a damage proc in it, which will wake mobs up shortly after putting them to sleep. It's good to avoid that because otherwise any control over mobs gained by using a sleep power is almost immediately negated. 2. Terrify is a very helpful power to have because it stops mobs from attacking much more effectively than its written description might suggest, because it's frequently available, and because it does damage. Also, intimidating enemies into cowering in fear may reasonably be considered "cool." To address these challenges and a few others, here is a revised build ... (caveat: defenses are still not quite in a comfortable place, but they're at least noticeably more solid). Switch out the two new winter IOs with some other acc / dam / end combo if you'd prefer to save some funds. Do splurge if possible on the steadfast defense / resistance IO and the gladiator's armor +defense IO, though, as they boost all defense by 6% and take defense totals to a noticeably better place. Global recharge is now 147.5%, which will be workable for a permadom build, albeit not more than "just workable." Since you'll be in melee a *lot* with this build and melee attacks are both more numerous and more damaging than ranged attacks, good melee defense should help quite a bit. With this build you only need a small purple inspiration to softcap melee defense. Best of luck with your dom, however you might decide to move forward. This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Yosako: Level 50 Magic Dominator Primary Power Set: Mind Control Secondary Power Set: Savage Assault Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Sorcery Power Pool: Fighting Ancillary Pool: Psionic Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Mesmerize -- CaloftheS-EndRdx/Sleep(A) Level 1: Call Swarm -- Acc-I(A) Level 2: Maiming Slash -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(3), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(3), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(5), TchofDth-Dam%(45) Level 4: Dominate -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(46), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(46), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(46) Level 6: Vicious Slash -- CrsImp-Acc/Dmg(A), CrsImp-Dmg/EndRdx(7), CrsImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), CrsImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), CrsImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), TchofDth-Dam%(11) Level 8: Mass Hypnosis -- CaloftheS-EndRdx/Sleep(A), CaloftheS-Acc/EndRdx(23), CaloftheS-Sleep/Rng(31), CaloftheS-Acc/Sleep/Rchg(31), CaloftheS-Heal%(31) Level 10: Unkindness -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg(A), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(11), PstBls-Dmg/Rng(13), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(13), PstBls-Dam%(15), AchHee-ResDeb%(15) Level 12: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-ResDam%(17), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(36) Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17) Level 16: Spot Prey -- GssSynFr--Build%(A), RechRdx-I(19), RechRdx-I(37) Level 18: Mystic Flight -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 20: Spirit Ward -- Prv-Heal/EndRdx(A), Prv-Heal(23) Level 22: Rune of Protection -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), GldArm-ResDam(37) Level 24: Rending Flurry -- Obl-Dmg(A), Obl-Acc/Rchg(25), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(25), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), Obl-%Dam(29) Level 26: Terrify -- SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(A), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(34), PstBls-Dam%(36), SprDmnGrs-Rchg/Fiery Orb(37) Level 28: Blood Craze -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(29), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(34), Prv-Heal/Rchg(47), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(48), Prv-Absorb%(48) Level 30: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 32: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(33), UnbGrd-EndRdx/Rchg(33), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(33) Level 35: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(36) Level 38: Call Hawk -- Dcm-Acc/Dmg(A), Dcm-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Dcm-Dmg/Rchg(39), Dcm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Dcm-Build%(40), CldSns-%Dam(40) Level 41: Mass Confusion -- SprAscoft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), SprAscoft-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(42), SprAscoft-EndRdx/Rchg(42), SprAscoft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(42), SprAscoft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(43), SprAscoft-Rchg/+Dmg%(43) Level 44: Link Minds -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def/Rchg(45), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(45) Level 47: Mind Over Body -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(47), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(48), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(49), UnbGrd-Max HP%(50) Level 49: World of Confusion -- MlsIll-Acc/Conf/Rchg(A), MlsIll-EndRdx/Conf(49) Level 1: Domination Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(21), Mrc-Rcvry+(21) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(19) Level 1: Blood Frenzy ------------