EnjoyTheJourney

Demons / electric is a powerhouse combination. Electric affinity provides *very* strong buffs that are excellent at keeping pets alive. It also provides faraday cage, which means mez protection for pets operating inside (so, get used to hovering over melee, for example, and invite pets into the area). That means you can skip clarion as the destiny pick and instead pick barrier to make pets and your MM even sturdier. The end / recovery buffs are helpful for demons because they can sometimes run out of end at inconvenient times otherwise. Demons synergize particularly well with electric affinity because the -res debuffs in the pets and the MM personal attacks allow everything to hit harder (and the slow in the T3 pet is another debuff); since the amount of debuffing electric affinity brings on its own can be reasonably viewed as a key limitation of the set, demons make for a particularly strong pairing with electric affinity. The key potential drawback of this combination is that three key skills that heal pets, given them a hefty absorb shield, and refill everybody's endurance end up being used a lot. A. Lot. If you like having a lot of time to attack and/or debuff mobs, then electrical affinity probably won't end up being for you. You might enjoy storm, cold, or trick arrow more, in that case.

Here's a link to an endgame dom video findable in the "Trap Door" thread in the scrapper forum, a kind of test for characters which is run at max notoriety -- It is semi-challenging endgame content, with a mix of council and arachnos, plus an EB at the end. I went ahead earlier today and tested out a fire / earth / ice dom on the beta server. The pylon time wasn't terrible, clocking in at 4:15, for a DPS of 284 (usual restrictions of no insps, no lore, no damaging hybrid, no judgment, no temps, ...). That was literally the first fighting done with that dom and it wasn't smoothly done. Probably DPS in the low 300s is achievable without further tweaks to the build. Trapdoor is still quite new to me and the fire / earth / ice dom Trapdoor run was a festival of errors and bad luck, taking almost 9 minutes to complete. I finally remembered partway through the run that cinders is a PbAOE power, and not a ranged AOE power 🙄; that mistake alone led to several runners in earlier spawns and more mob scatter in general, plus lots of other mistakes were made. It might not be easy to replicate the 5:35ish time of a fire / fire / fire dom. Still, a lot of time can be shaved off of the 9 minute long first Trapdoor run.

Doms can do just fine in harder content whether teamed or solo (at least some powerset combinations, although perhaps not all). But, most dom builds don't focus on building up robust and layered defenses, which leads to problems against stronger foes. Which leads to a rep for having low survivability. Mezmera and some others build sturdier doms that are comfortable staying in the front lines at +4x8 against Cims, arachnos, carnival of shadows, malta, etc. On that note, activated accolades like eye of the magus, geas of the kind ones, elusive mind, and vanguard medal make a big difference for survivability in tight spots. The "big four" passive accolades help a lot, as well. Getting these accolades and using the active accolades (reasonably) well makes a dom able to handle substantially higher peak levels of aggro and incoming damage. Tex's comments on blasters are totally on point. A well built blaster will generally do sooo much more damage than a dom (although with notable exceptions for AOE by plant control doms using seeds / creepers and fire assault / energy assault doms for their single target damage).

I'm also interested in trying out a fire / earth / ice dom. The build below seems like a reasonable candidate for endgame play and it might also exemp down fairly well. Layered defenses (defense, resists, absorb from 2 procs) should help survivability. Still, this is a work-in-progress and feedback is welcome and appreciated. As always, if others find useful ideas here, then that would be a welcome outcome. Edited ... : Put in another winter set combo (in ice storm) and put ragnarok IOs into fire cages. Earth assault Earth assault powers feel "crunchy" and the single target attacks can hit quite hard. It also provides a good home for unique +recharge force feedback IOs. But, earth assault is an endurance heavy set that requires a melee presence on the ground to operate at full effectiveness; that means taking more aggro and absorbing more heavy melee hits from mobs compared to doms that can be effective while hovering above mobs. Also, key earth assault attack powers tend to animate slower than for multiple other sets. It has so-so DPA for its AOE, as well. Finally, earth assault by default has some difficulty with putting together a smooth single target attack chain. ... enter Fire Control To help with these problems, char in fire control provides a quick animating and quick recharging attack that can fill gaps in the single target attack chain. It also offers a place to insert the unique ATO +dmg IO into the single target chain in a way that should lead to many activations. A perma bonfire tends to help melee survivability quite a bit, with a KB-to-KD IO in it. Hot feet and fire cages help to supplement otherwise so-so AOE damage, as well as helping to make staying in melee more survivable. This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Dominator Primary Power Set: Fire Control Secondary Power Set: Earth Assault Power Pool: Sorcery Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leaping Ancillary Pool: Ice Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Char -- HO:Nucle(A), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(3), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(3), NrnSht-Dam%(5), GldJvl-Dam%(5), SprAscoft-Rchg/+Dmg%(7) Level 1: Stone Spears -- HO:Nucle(A) Level 2: Fire Cages -- Rgn-Dmg(A), Rgn-Dmg/Rchg(27), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Rgn-Acc/Rchg(33), Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(43) Level 4: Mystic Flight -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(7) Level 8: Hot Feet -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(9), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(25) Level 10: Hurl Boulder -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(11), Apc-Dam%(17), FrcFdb-Rechg%(17), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(19) Level 12: Flashfire -- AbsAmz-Stun/Rchg(A), AbsAmz-Acc/Stun/Rchg(13), AbsAmz-Acc/Rchg(13), AbsAmz-EndRdx/Stun(15), AbsAmz-ToHitDeb%(15) Level 14: Spirit Ward -- Prv-Absorb%(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(33) Level 16: Power Up -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(34) Level 18: Cinders -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(34), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(34), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(36) Level 20: Heavy Mallet -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(21), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(21), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(23), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(23), TchofDth-Dam%(25) Level 22: Rune of Protection -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), GldArm-End/Res(36), GldArm-ResDam(36) Level 24: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 26: Bonfire -- SuddAcc--KB/+KD(A), FrcFdb-Rechg%(27) Level 28: Seismic Smash -- HO:Nucle(A), Hct-Dmg(29), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Hct-Dam%(31), UnbCns-Dam%(31), SprEnt-Rchg/AbsorbProc(31) Level 30: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(45), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(45), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(45), UnbGrd-Max HP%(46) Level 32: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-ResDam%(37), Rct-Def(40), Rct-Def/EndRdx(43) Level 35: Sleet -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(37), AchHee-ResDeb%(37) Level 38: Fissure -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg(A), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(39), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(39), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), PstBls-Dam%(40), FrcFdb-Rechg%(40) Level 41: Frozen Armor -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(42), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(42), ShlWal-Def/Rchg(42), ShlWal-Def(43) Level 44: Hoarfrost -- Prv-Heal/Rchg(A), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(50), RechRdx-I(50) Level 47: Ice Storm -- SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx(A), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(48), RechRdx-I(48) Level 49: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(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+(46), Mrc-Rcvry+(46) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(48) Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon Level 50: Degenerative Core Flawless Interface Level 50: Melee Core Embodiment Level 50: Ageless Radial Epiphany Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve Level 50: Portal Jockey Level 50: Task Force Commander Level 50: The Atlas Medallion ------------

Domination does 3 tasty things at one and the same time, as follows: 1. Domination doubles the mag of numerous control powers and noticeably increases control duation, meaning insta-mez for bosses with a single application. This is huge for shutting down bosses before they can fight back and the extended duration adds a lot to safety. Controlling EBs and even AVs is soo much easier with domination active. 2. Domination provides stable mez protection, which limits the possibility of being interrupted in the middle of using a skill and ending up having that use of that skill cancelled. 3. It refills the endurance bar. Number 3 is for many builds not that important. The first two points above, though, they are game-changers for how a dominator plays.

Focusing on dark assault, 8 of the 9 powers look good, with only nightfall looking clearly skippable. To supplement tex's thoughtful advice about the +dmg dominator unique IO, fearsome stare is a good candidate for it. It's useful for crowds, in particular. Where that slotting ends up not boosting damage much, though, is when fighting hard targets; it's not usual to spam fearsome stare on AVs or even EBs, for example. Since trash mobs tend to fall pretty fast in most situations, hard targets are probably the mob type for which you want to have your best damage boosts. On that note, for higher single target damage to help with harder targets, midnight grasp (MG) is a very good place for the ATO +dmg proc IO. I have MG with the ATO dmg proc IO on an earth / dark dom, along with moonbeam, gloom, and smite. MG is the lead-off for single target chains because it usually procs the +dmg unique IO, boosting damage for all other powers. When hitting single targets the average number of stacks is somewhat north of two stacks, with two stacks being the most common situation, and with three stacks appearing more commonly than one stack. Even though a lot of emphasis went to making the build defensively strong, it still has superior single target DPS compared to most dominator builds; running an average of plus 40%ish damage because of ATO +dmg proc activations helps noticeably for bringing that about. On paper MG does have lower DPA than several other dark powers. But, its ability to frequently activate the ATO +dmg proc means it ends up contributing more to damage than any other power in the single target damage chain -- because it increases damage for all of them. If this doesn't sounds persuasive, then try out some builds on the beta server. Pick builds with MG (slotted with the ATO +dmg proc IO in it) and without MG. The latter builds are going to have better single target damage, other things being equal.

Thank you for the build, kiramon, as well as the observation about accuracy. I put an extra accuracy into both infrigidate and benumb; mobs with boosted defenses or to hit debuffs could be pretty difficult otherwise. When I've got a bit of free time to explore this build further I'll test out the (accuracy adjusted) build I put together and put it through the paces. If it comes up short then I'll give your build a try; your build looks very solid and in many teaming situations it is likely tougher than the build I put together above.

I never knew this. Thank you for mentioning it. The thread which you are highlighting also points out that arctic fog isn't boosted by power boost. And, Mids does boost ice shield defense totals and arctic fog defense totals when power boost is engaged, so that would have been confusing. Revised math for pet defense totals with agility core alpha selected follow ... ice shields - 19.59% positional defenses maneuvers - 6.29% all defenses arctic fog - 6.45% all defenses unique pet "all defense" IOs - 10% all defenses unique pet "AOE defense" IO - 15% to AOE defense ... which adds up to 42.3ish% melee and ranged defense, as well as a bit over 57% AOE defense. On reflection, cardiac core may be a better pick to make endurance management better for both the MM and all the pets. It means a loss of about 0.5% from defense totals, with a noticeable rise in resistance totals as a result. A range increase would help for the pets' cones, as well. The (newly) revised build is as follows: This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Rime Demon: Level 50 Magic Mastermind Primary Power Set: Demon Summoning Secondary Power Set: Cold Domination Power Pool: Flight Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Fighting Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Summon Demonlings -- SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprCmmoft-Dmg/EndRdx(5), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), SprCmmoft-Rchg/PetAoEDef(9), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(46) Level 1: Infrigidate -- Acc-I(A), IceMisTrmt-+ColdDmg(39), ImpSwf-Dam%(40), TchofLadG-%Dam(40), ShlBrk-%Dam(40), AchHee-ResDeb%(43) Level 2: Ice Shield -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFrt-Def(3), RedFrt-Def/Rchg(3) Level 4: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(5) Level 6: Enchant Demon -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17) Level 10: Glacial Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), RedFrt-Def(11), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(11) Level 12: Summon Demons -- SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg(A), SprMarofS-Dmg/EndRdx(13), HO:Nucle(13), OvrFrc-Acc/Dmg/End(15), SvrRgh-PetResDam(15), SlbAll-Build%(17) Level 14: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(34), LucoftheG-Def(46) Level 16: Frostwork -- Prv-Absorb%(A), Prv-Heal/Rchg(19), Prv-Heal(43) Level 18: Hell on Earth -- SprMarofS-Acc/EndRdx(A), SprMarofS-EndRdx/+Resist/+Regen(19), HO:Nucle(21), SlbAll-Dmg(25), CaltoArm-+Def(Pets)(25), ExpRnf-+Res(Pets)(27) Level 20: Arctic Fog -- ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(A), ShlWal-Def(27), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(31), GldArm-End/Res(31), GldArm-ResDam(21), GldArm-3defTpProc(33) Level 22: Tactics -- AdjTrg-ToHit(A), AdjTrg-ToHit/Rchg(31), AdjTrg-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(34), AdjTrg-EndRdx/Rchg(23), AdjTrg-ToHit/EndRdx(23), AdjTrg-Rchg(50) Level 24: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 26: Summon Demon Prince -- SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), SprMarofS-Dmg(34), HO:Nucle(36), SlbAll-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), EdcoftheM-PetDef(36), ImpSwf-Dam%(37) Level 28: Benumb -- Acc-I(A), RechRdx-I(29), RechRdx-I(29) Level 30: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(33), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(33), UnbGrd-Max HP%(46), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(50) Level 32: Abyssal Empowerment -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 35: Sleet -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48) Level 38: Heat Loss -- SynSck-EndMod(A), SynSck-Dam/Rech(39), SynSck-EndMod/Rech(39), SynSck-Dam/Rech/Acc(45), SynSck-Dam/Acc/End(45), SynSck-EndMod/+RunSpeed(42) Level 41: Scorpion Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(42), Rct-Def(42), Rct-ResDam%(43) Level 44: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(45) Level 47: Weave -- ShlWal-Def/Rchg(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(48), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(48), ShlWal-Def(50) Level 49: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Supremacy Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Flight-I(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(9), Mrc-Rcvry+(37) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PwrTrns-+Heal(37) Level 50: Degenerative Radial Flawless Interface Level 50: Banished Pantheon Radial Superior Ally Level 50: Support Core Embodiment Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve Level 50: Portal Jockey Level 50: Task Force Commander Level 50: The Atlas Medallion Level 1: Cold Demonling Level 26: Demon Prince Level 12: Ember Demon Level 1: Fiery Demonling Level 1: Hellfire Demonling Level 12: Hellfire Gargoyle Level 50: Cardiac Core Paragon ------------

FWIW, my main blaster has been part of a trio of blappers that successfully completed a +4x8 MoITF under the old rules, with no inspirations as an added challenge, in about 33 minutes. There were a handful of touch-and-go situations that came up. And, to be up front, the other two players were much more experienced at high difficulty speed MoITF runs than I am (and more skillful players overall). My main goals were to not die and to slow us down as little as possible. My takeaway from that and similar experiences is that soloing a +4x8 ITF with a blaster must be possible, especially if you allow yourself to use inspirations.

Thank you for your input! Your observation about resistance primary, defense secondary got me to do some back-of-the-envelope math about defense totals. Turns out that switching the alpha incarnate to agility core leads to the following defense totals for pets ... power boosted ice shields - 26.97% positional defenses maneuvers - 6.29% all defenses arctic fog - 8.91% all defenses unique pet "all defense" IOs - 10% all defenses unique pet "AOE defense" IO - 15% to AOE defense ... which adds up to a little over 52% melee and ranged defense, as well as a bit over 67% AOE defense. If cardiac is chosen then defense totals stay just a little under softcap and a defense debuff cascade could easily happen for any pet. In fact, with 6 pets it's highly likely that during any given minute of combat a defense debuff cascade will affect at least one pet, and perhaps multiple pets. With that in mind, here is a revised build ... This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Rime Demon: Level 50 Magic Mastermind Primary Power Set: Demon Summoning Secondary Power Set: Cold Domination Power Pool: Flight Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Fighting Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Summon Demonlings -- SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprCmmoft-Dmg/EndRdx(5), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), SprCmmoft-Rchg/PetAoEDef(9), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(46) Level 1: Infrigidate -- Acc-I(A), IceMisTrmt-+ColdDmg(39), ImpSwf-Dam%(40), TchofLadG-%Dam(40), ShlBrk-%Dam(40), AchHee-ResDeb%(43) Level 2: Ice Shield -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFrt-Def(3), RedFrt-Def/Rchg(3) Level 4: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(5) Level 6: Enchant Demon -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17) Level 10: Glacial Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), RedFrt-Def(11), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(11) Level 12: Summon Demons -- SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg(A), SprMarofS-Dmg/EndRdx(13), HO:Nucle(13), OvrFrc-Acc/Dmg/End(15), SvrRgh-PetResDam(15), SlbAll-Build%(17) Level 14: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(34), LucoftheG-Def(46) Level 16: Frostwork -- Prv-Absorb%(A), Prv-Heal/Rchg(19), Prv-Heal(43) Level 18: Hell on Earth -- SprMarofS-Acc/EndRdx(A), SprMarofS-EndRdx/+Resist/+Regen(19), HO:Nucle(21), SlbAll-Dmg(25), CaltoArm-+Def(Pets)(25), ExpRnf-+Res(Pets)(27) Level 20: Arctic Fog -- ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(A), ShlWal-Def(27), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(31), GldArm-End/Res(31), GldArm-ResDam(21), GldArm-3defTpProc(33) Level 22: Tactics -- AdjTrg-ToHit(A), AdjTrg-ToHit/Rchg(31), AdjTrg-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(34), AdjTrg-EndRdx/Rchg(23), AdjTrg-ToHit/EndRdx(23), AdjTrg-Rchg(50) Level 24: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 26: Summon Demon Prince -- SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), SprMarofS-Dmg(34), HO:Nucle(36), SlbAll-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), EdcoftheM-PetDef(36), ImpSwf-Dam%(37) Level 28: Benumb -- Acc-I(A), RechRdx-I(29), RechRdx-I(29) Level 30: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(33), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(33), UnbGrd-Max HP%(46), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(50) Level 32: Abyssal Empowerment -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 35: Sleet -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48) Level 38: Heat Loss -- SynSck-EndMod(A), SynSck-Dam/Rech(39), SynSck-EndMod/Rech(39), SynSck-Dam/Rech/Acc(45), SynSck-Dam/Acc/End(45), SynSck-EndMod/+RunSpeed(42) Level 41: Scorpion Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(42), Rct-Def(42), Rct-ResDam%(43) Level 44: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(45) Level 47: Weave -- ShlWal-Def/Rchg(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(48), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(48), ShlWal-Def(50) Level 49: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Supremacy Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Flight-I(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(9), Mrc-Rcvry+(37) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PwrTrns-+Heal(37) Level 50: Degenerative Radial Flawless Interface Level 50: Banished Pantheon Radial Superior Ally Level 50: Support Core Embodiment Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve Level 50: Portal Jockey Level 50: Task Force Commander Level 50: The Atlas Medallion Level 1: Cold Demonling Level 26: Demon Prince Level 12: Ember Demon Level 1: Fiery Demonling Level 1: Hellfire Demonling Level 12: Hellfire Gargoyle Level 50: Agility Core Paragon ------------

Below is a not-very-busy MM build. If the pets and the MM can all stay upright then the debuffs should be enough to take down pretty much anything. Clarion core would be the destiny incarnate choice and void radial the judgment incarnate choice. The key questions are ... 1. Does this build look like a reasonable way to put together a demons / cold MM, or is there another build plan that would do waaayyy better? 2. On a connected point, does this build look likely to help keep minions upright relatively well? 3. Are there any small tweaks I'm missing that would make the build stronger? Feedback is welcome and appreciated. This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Rime Demon: Level 50 Magic Mastermind Primary Power Set: Demon Summoning Secondary Power Set: Cold Domination Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Flight Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Summon Demonlings -- SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprCmmoft-Dmg/EndRdx(5), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), SprCmmoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), SprCmmoft-Rchg/PetAoEDef(9), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(46) Level 1: Infrigidate -- Acc-I(A), IceMisTrmt-+ColdDmg(39), ImpSwf-Dam%(40), TchofLadG-%Dam(40), ShlBrk-%Dam(40), AchHee-ResDeb%(43) Level 2: Ice Shield -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFrt-Def(3), RedFrt-Def/Rchg(3) Level 4: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(5), WntGif-ResSlow(19) Level 6: Enchant Demon -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17) Level 10: Glacial Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), RedFrt-Def(11), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(11) Level 12: Summon Demons -- SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg(A), SprMarofS-Dmg/EndRdx(13), HO:Nucle(13), OvrFrc-Acc/Dmg/End(15), SvrRgh-PetResDam(15), SlbAll-Build%(17) Level 14: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(34) Level 16: Frostwork -- Prv-Absorb%(A), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(43), Prv-Heal(46) Level 18: Hell on Earth -- SprMarofS-Acc/EndRdx(A), SprMarofS-EndRdx/+Resist/+Regen(19), HO:Nucle(21), SlbAll-Dmg(25), CaltoArm-+Def(Pets)(25), ExpRnf-+Res(Pets)(27) Level 20: Arctic Fog -- ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(A), ShlWal-Def(27), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(31), GldArm-End/Res(31), GldArm-ResDam(21), GldArm-3defTpProc(33) Level 22: Tactics -- AdjTrg-ToHit(A), AdjTrg-ToHit/Rchg(31), AdjTrg-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(34), AdjTrg-EndRdx/Rchg(23), AdjTrg-ToHit/EndRdx(23), AdjTrg-Rchg(50) Level 24: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 26: Summon Demon Prince -- SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), SprMarofS-Dmg(34), HO:Nucle(36), SlbAll-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), EdcoftheM-PetDef(36), ImpSwf-Dam%(37) Level 28: Benumb -- Acc-I(A), RechRdx-I(29), RechRdx-I(29) Level 30: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(33), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(33), UnbGrd-Max HP%(46), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(50) Level 32: Abyssal Empowerment -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 35: Sleet -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48) Level 38: Heat Loss -- SynSck-EndMod(A), SynSck-Dam/Rech(39), SynSck-EndMod/Rech(39), SynSck-Dam/Rech/Acc(45), SynSck-Dam/Acc/End(45), SynSck-EndMod/+RunSpeed(42) Level 41: Scorpion Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(42), Rct-Def(42), Rct-ResDam%(43) Level 44: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(45) Level 47: Weave -- ShlWal-Def/Rchg(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(48), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(48), ShlWal-Def(50) Level 49: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Supremacy Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Flight-I(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(9), Mrc-Rcvry+(37) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PwrTrns-+Heal(37) Level 50: Degenerative Radial Flawless Interface Level 50: Banished Pantheon Radial Superior Ally Level 50: Support Core Embodiment Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve Level 50: Portal Jockey Level 50: Task Force Commander Level 50: The Atlas Medallion Level 1: Cold Demonling Level 26: Demon Prince Level 12: Ember Demon Level 1: Fiery Demonling Level 1: Hellfire Demonling Level 12: Hellfire Gargoyle Level 50: Cardiac Core Paragon ------------

Glad to be of help!

I probably can't diagnose the reason for why they fade. But, I can assure you that having the Wild Fortress vines always visible is doable; I have an ice / plant blaster for whom the vines fit her costume really well and they are always visible for her. I have her entire plant manipulation secondary set to "original" in the facemaker / tailor window, in case it helps.

I put domination on auto and click hasten when it's up. As long as overall recharge is in a good place it's less problematic to be a bit slow pressing hasten than it is to be a bit slow pressing domination, so I prefer to put domination on auto. I use hasten on my dom builds and usually get 75 - 100+% global recharge beyond that. If global recharge is on the low end of that scale, then that tends to be for builds that have force feedback +recharge IOs in them that will often trigger when used. PS: Purchase a snowball in the P2W vendor's "just for fun" sale window. It's inexpensive. You can then build dom while outside missions by throwing snowballs at player characters, pets, some NPCs and objects, and all enemies.

Tried out a pylon on a fire / martial / mace blapper. No insps, temps, or pets used. Judgment not used. T4 musculature, T4 degen core interface, T4 melee core hybrid incarnate, which was used for mez protection; it didn't increase damage. The pylon went down in 138 seconds, for a 406 DPS total. It was a first effort, and so it could have gone at least a bit smoother and faster.

As a brief update, assault was swapped out for tactics, with a lvl 50 cytoskeleton in the default slot. A T4 barrier was created and it sometimes used (ie: for relentless Aeon runs, when another barrier may be needed). Other than these changes the build is identical to the one in the OP.

I tried a run with a fire / martial / mace blapper, curious to see how it might go. The build run with has T4 musculature, T4 degenerative interface, T4 rebirth radial, and T4 melee core hybrid (used actively for anti-mez, though it didn't help damage in any way). No insps, amps, temp powers, or "clickie" accolades were used. The run took 5:35, which isn't horrible and could be better. I'm not familiar with the mission, which slowed me down somewhat. Plus, I flubbed up alpha for a couple of spawns, nuking while away from the center of the spawn. I also hit judgment (T4 void radial) once by mistake, but decided not to scotch the run; it probably helped to wash away some time lost to poor positioning for nukes, although probably not all. It clearly didn't match up to the best blaster times. That's OK, though, as survivability was given high priority in putting together the build, it held up very well during the run, and the time still seems decent overall.

Here's another approach to the powersets you've put together. It's not clearly better overall, with tradeoffs being made for both builds; key defense totals are higher for your build, but resistances are noticeably better with the build below. FWIW, the build below has better recharge and will probably do more damage overall. Plus, rune of protection offers even higher resists and a source of mez protection on a part-time basis. The resist aura IO in animate stone should hopefully help stony stay upright a bit better. Resistances against recharge and speed debuffs are noticeably better for the build below. Wanting tactics in the build to avoid being blinded is understandable; it's a pain to have a character blinded. But, once tactics is set aside you would probably find that a couple of yellow inspirations on hand is good enough for the majority of situations. YMMV about this, of course. The single target chain includes poisonous ray, stone prison, and arcane bolt. Boxing could be used as a gap filler when gaps arise. AOE is provided by oil slick arrow, acid arrow, and enflame. Hopefully what's below proves at least interesting, and perhaps even helpful in some way. This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Controller Primary Power Set: Earth Control Secondary Power Set: Trick Arrow Power Pool: Sorcery Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leaping Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Fossilize -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(3), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(3), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(5) Level 1: Entangling Arrow -- GrvAnc-Hold%(A), GrvAnc-Immob/EndRdx(5), GrvAnc-Immob/Rchg(7), GrvAnc-Acc/Immob/Rchg(7), GrvAnc-Acc/Rchg(9) Level 2: Stone Prison -- HO:Nucle(A), HO:Nucle(13) Level 4: Arcane Bolt -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(19), SprWntBit-Dmg/Rchg(27), FrcFdb-Rechg%(29) Level 6: Quicksand -- DS:DSyncSlowRechEnd(A) Level 8: Flash Arrow -- CldSns-ToHitDeb(A), CldSns-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(13), CldSns-Acc/ToHitDeb(15), CldSns-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(15) Level 10: Mystic Flight -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 12: Boxing -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(23), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(25), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21) Level 14: Stalagmites -- SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), SprWiloft-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(19), SprWiloft-EndRdx/Rchg(36), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(21), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(23), SprWiloft-Rchg/Dmg%(29) Level 16: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(25) Level 18: Earthquake -- DS:DSyncSlowRechEnd(A) Level 20: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(31), GldArm-End/Res(39), GldArm-ResDam(46) Level 22: Rune of Protection -- GldArm-ResDam(A) Level 24: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(31), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(36) Level 26: Volcanic Gasses -- UnbCns-Hold/Rchg(A), UnbCns-Acc/Hold/Rchg(31), UnbCns-Acc/Rchg(33), UnbCns-EndRdx/Hold(33), UnbCns-Dam%(33) Level 28: Disruption Arrow -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 30: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(34), Rct-ResDam%(34) Level 32: Animate Stone -- ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(A), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(36), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), ExpRnf-+Res(Pets)(37), Dmg-I(37) Level 35: Oil Slick Arrow -- Rgn-Knock%(A), Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Rgn-Acc/Rchg(39), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), Rgn-Dmg/Rchg(40) Level 38: Scorpion Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(40), RedFrt-Def(42) Level 41: Enflame -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(42), Artl-Dam/Rech(43), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(43), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(43), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(42) Level 44: Poisonous Ray -- Apc-Dam%(A), Apc-Dmg/Rchg(45), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Apc-Acc/Rchg(46) Level 47: Acid Arrow -- SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(A), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(47), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(47), PstBls-Dam%(47), Ann-ResDeb%(48), AchHee-ResDeb%(48) Level 49: EMP Arrow -- BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(A), BslGaz-Acc/Hold(49), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(50), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(46) Level 1: Containment Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Flight-I(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 1: Health -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A), Pnc-Heal/+End(9), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(11), Prv-Absorb%(27) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(11) Level 50: Intuition Radial Paragon Level 4: Arcane Power ------------

I'm not knowledgeable enough about dual pistols to comment on that part of these builds. And, you've done well to reach the defensive goals you've outlined. The appeal of going for positional defenses definitely gets stronger with dual pistols, given how HoB boosts positional defenses by 10% when used. You can BoS into mobs, HoB to both nuke and boost defenses, then clean up with DT and bullet rain while defenses are still boosted. Other feedback / suggestions below: 1. Unless you take the sorcery pool and melee core hybrid clarion looks like your most functional incarnate destiny pick. That means setting aside barrier core and rebirth radial, which are otherwise really solid destiny choices that would in most cases add quite a bit more to your character's survivability than clarion. If you run the P2W defensive amp full time, then naturally clarion isn't needed for most situations, especially with inner will in the build. 2. Mids shows eagle's claw as having noticeably better DPA than suppressive fire, with or without procs in the build. You can test this out by putting eagle's claw temporarily into the build in place of bonfire. Put 5 superior blistering cold IOs into eagle's claw (get the SBC hold proc, it procs fairly often) and the hecatomb damage proc in the sixth slot. Then compare the DPA / DPS for suppressive fire and for eagle's claw. If you make this switch, then you can put the kinetic combat IOs into ki push and the hecatomb set (except the proc) into storm kick, with the FF +recharge proc in the sixth slot. Math it out and you'll realize that the damage lost from storm kick is still less than the gain from using eagle's claw over suppressive fire. You'd also get an extra 10% recharge this way, as well as better single target damage. Finally, eagle's claw recharges faster than suppressive fire, giving you a smoother single target attack chain. 3. As a partial substitute for super speed you can put a stealth IO into sprint. In many (although admittedly not all) situations that is enough stealth to allow you to run by mobs if you'd rather not engage them. You could then drop super speed, get vengeance, and put a LOTG into vengeance (moar recharge!). Also, vengeance is great in middling to mediocre PUG teams because usually somebody else's character will get defeated before your character and you can then softcap your defenses with vengeance. 4. Getting the scaling res IO into your build is a very worthwhile thing to do. One way to do that would be to replace the red fortune IOs in maneuvers with the scaling resist reactive defenses IO and the defense IO from the same set. You'll still get the 1.5% bonus to smash lethal resist, as well as 3 to 12% more resistances across the board, while giving up very little in defense to do it. Food for thought. Your builds are still solid, overall.

As another potential resource, in case you hadn't run across it earlier here's a thread I posted a little while back. The "fire blast" portion may not transfer very well to dual pistols. But, the slotting and IO choices for martial might provide some useful ideas, along with incarnate choices.

If you want to operate from range then it's not surprising that you'd find martial brings little to the table. Martial is a mediocre-at-best set for blasters looking to operate from range. But, if you're comfortable blapping and it fits with the character concept, then martial is a solid choice because it is a top tier blapping set. If you embrace blapping then you'll want DT in your build. You can use burst of speed to maximize how much value you get out of using DT, and using DT can keep your character significantly safer because if its knockdown (and the +recharge FF proc IO fits very nicely in DT). You'll then want to embrace alternating between using DT on the edge of crowds (when being in the middle is too risky) and heading right to the center of crowds to saturate DT with targets (when the risk of being there seems manageable). You can also joust with DT if you find that fits a given situation best. If your character concept doesn't involve any martial melee attacks, then sentinel, defender, or corruptor probably work fine as a replacement for your DP/martial blaster. As another option, depending on the details of your character concept you might consider a "martial assault" dominator, which blends melee and ranged martial attacks with a control primary. Good luck to you, however you move forward.

Single target DPS is a helpful metric to consider when building a blaster. But, in addition, sustained and burst AOE DPS also matter, at least to some degree. Where blasters truly shine in comparison to other ATs is through their ability to bring high burst AOE DPS to teams; although other ATs have nukes, blaster nukes stand out for how well they tend to decimate spawns, often leaving just a handful of mobs out of an 8-player spawn still standing after they've been used.

Problem solved, thanks to good advice received in-game. The format that worked is given below: /chan_motd "Channel name here" "This is a sample MoTD message" Once the quotes were around both the channel name and the message it immediately worked.

Thank you for your response. I have tried pretty much everything at this point, including the ideas given above that I can try out. I can't explore which person / character created the channel, though, as I'm not the one who created the channel. I'm just one of the three of us who ultimately accepted operator privileges when the one creating the channel went on break from the game. I'm fresh out of ideas to try, at this point. Still, if there are other ideas to try out then I'd give them a go. Not being able to change the MoTD would be unfortunate. And, I'll check back in on this thread for a while. In the bigger picture, if I can't change the MoTD then, well, there are bigger things in life to think about.

A whirlwind / corrosive vial / sleep grenade / body armor character could perhaps scale the heights of mediocrity.