Voltak

I played using my pure Night Widow build. No fighting pool, so no tough 4-Man team, all melee, one AT of each (1 Stalker, 1 Scrapper, 1 Tank, 1 VEAT) Master ITF Challenge, NO inspirations, no temps, no deaths, +4 x 8 Under 19 minutes , 18:51 official time

I second this and I have been using void dmg debuff since the beginning on my Dark/Dark dom. Well said.

For pylon testing that ATO proc does wonders in the T9 of Dark Assault. It can triple stack, if my memory serves me right

My empathy defender solo'd the ITF at the same difficulty settings as my Dom. Part 2 was harder on my EMPTH Defender, but parts 3 and 4 were VASTLY easier on my Empth defender. My DarkDark Dominator has done vastly more difficult stuff - 1) due to it being a dominator and 2) due to the things I decided to put my Dom against I get a strong satisfaction doing difficult things. So the crown goes to my Dom.

EJ, I love ya man. Question - usually the teams look for the purple characters to have the immobs (-fly), right? So, yes, team mates look for that, but who are they looking for to provide it ? Dmg dealers or control characters/support characters (purple) ? Again, much love to ya, EJ

For those looking for a Dark/Dark Proc build with decent defenses and perma dom https://www.midsreborn.com/builds/download.php?uc=1559&c=729&a=1458&f=HEX&dc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

Of course I was referring to Sleep being auto hit in the same place the Aeon SF is taking place. This thread is about Aeon SF. I did not think I had to explain what I was referring to because of that. Wether or not the sleep from Ice does dmg is irrelevant in teams. When they wake up, they will more likely than not wake up to whoever dmg then to cause the wake up. If there's a tank or if further controls are there, this is not an issue. Again, like I said earlier, in a team setting, you can make it work, all the sets mentioned you can make them work. It all comes down to 1) player skills 2) team skills and 3) how good is your defensive build

No inspirations , No temps, no deaths. We really want to use this team make-up for our 4-man Aeon SF which is coming up soon. One Force Field One Sonic Resonance One Trick Arrow One Kinetics Total time -- 31 Minutes and 57 seconds

Sleeps are auto hit. Ice has a long range sleep (unlike earth) That's one way to handle "Alpha" vs difficult opponents. Having at least one immob might be good, even if it is the ST immobilize which is my preferred one for AVs. Question - would Agless fix end issues if no cardiac for your Dom, EJ ? I used Cardiac on my Fortunata but I run a lot more toggles 🙂 and I need the heal Rebirth if I am doing no inspirations

Honestly, the vast majority of this game is so easy, you can make any secondary work all right. So for that general easy stuff, go for what you have the most fun with. It won't matter that much.

To summarize - I have accomplished a lot with the combo Dark/Dark when no inspirations are allowed, and master settings are in place. That combo has done some very difficult things that no other dominator combo has done as of yet (verifiably). It is a combo that's as good as it can get, at the very least nothing to envy another Dominator combo. Given my results with that combo, that's what I plan to use for ASF, and I will also use my earth/Rad dominator To try to solo the ASF, I will try my Dark/Dark Dom. It's going to take some time to know this new Strike Force well. I will see how it goes. Practice and skills will need to improve always. So good luck to whatever the OP decides to go with.

I stand corrected on the max out, but -1,000 degen points is a lot. Dark/Dark will already floor to hit chances. Diagmag will be overkill You will still get more from Degen. More dmg. In smaller teams or solo, the competition between the two is over before it begins. You will get more from Degen.

Smart tactics -- If ever an AoE immobilize is used and aggro is not riveted on something else, it is best to use an AoE when the enemy is controlled Surviving, regardless of AT being used, depends on skill as well and smart tactics. I am not trying to talk bad about thorns at all. Just saying that when inspirations are disabled a self heal is absolutely great. I Brought up electric control as it is or could be a dmg buffer in case elec blasts is in the team because the quicker the end is drained the sooner the dmg buffs begin. Unless one set is really gimped , I would take a set with pets than no pets. Dark has 3 pets that is more DPS, and they also stack to hit debuffs and they cast fear as well It's a matter of, again, being smart about it.

All the more reasons for me to prefer control sets that will ground the enemies. That will make a great contribution to your teammates who have patches on the ground to help defeat the enemies.

But, like I said earlier, this is the fact -- To play a toon melee, you just need to be in melee (whenever you want). You can take and use range powers, not just melee to be at melee range. Again, not taking credit away from Plant at all. I am just saying that vs EBs and above, seeds might not be all of that. A Dark/Dark team mate can debuff enemies in melee or AoE or range , debuff their to hit chances ( in addition to the control instruments of dark) Mind cannot do that, even the fear for Dark , in that sense is better, the strong to hit debuffs placed on the enemies. I repeat again what I said towards the end of my last post -- The fact is that when talking about teaming, just about anything goes. Even an Earth/Rad dominator will work and great stuff. So, in teaming, I wold say go for it, pick whatever you want , in teams --> Earth Mind Plant Dark These all work fine , and it is pointless here to say which one is best because in the end the team make up and the skills of the players is a lot more important. _____________________________ I do have to say that for the new changes , Electric control becomes a damage buffer, a serious damage buffer, to all others in the team who have electric blasts. Elec control will drain endurance faster than even electric affinity. In fact, elec control is the fastest endurance drainer. So given the new changes to electric blasts, with an elec control in the team doing quick end draining, their damage is getting buffed thanks to the bonus damage being applied which are IN ADDITION, functioning like Hybrid Assault Radial. So the bonus dmg is not affected by the dmg cap _________________________________ As the new difficulty changes are implemented, when inspirations are disabled, assault sets with self heal will leave the others behind. Being self sufficient is important when inspirations are off. Utility trumps all else as difficulty gets higher and higher.

I don't think anyone is taking credit away from Plant. I specialize in soloing or very small teams (2-4) If we are talking about doing very challenging settings and not using inspirations, I am speaking from experience. If doing solo without inspirations I would not go the Plant for the ITF or the LRSF or the Aeon SF. Dark/Dark would still trump plant First and foremost, it's already been tried and tested in those settings. I have done the ITF solo now on my Dom 4 times. I have done the LRSF solo +4x8 no inspirations , no deaths, no temps, on my first try. Having Possess recharged in 2 seconds. At the time the animation is over, you can click it again. Then the EB has been possessed. That is a big deal If I may very respectfully say, I think you are talking from imagining or trying to picture how the fight will go in a solo setting. I am not. In task forces, solo or small teams, I know how they go from experience. Two applications of seeds to confuse an EB... Problem here, Seeds is about 17 seconds to be recharged on a good build (without Ageless). Possess is only 2 seconds recharge FROM a MUCH LONGER range than Seeds. In 8 seconds I will possess 2 EBs , in 16 seconds, I will possess 4 EBs. While the duration and magnitudes are still high and right on top of each other to be able to renew them. Seeds is not the way to go if you want to solo an AV or use an AV to kill another AV. You want Mind or you want Dark to solo an AV if you are going to use Confuse or Possess to start the engagement, but as you might guess already, when it comes to soloing an AV +4, Dark/Dark is proven and true (with no inspirations) and it's great. The to hit debuffs from the combo of Dark/Dark is just too good for challenging content. Just the fear alone from Dark is about 20% TO hit debuff Shadow Field To Hit Debuff is 39% unslotted That's with Gather shadows without using clarion. Both of them stack. That's already 59% TO hit debuff. That passes hurricane , that passes radiation infection, and so on. Your Pet , all of them, they also stack TO Hit debuffs. Yeah.. no... I will take Dark/Dark over pretty much anything else in this scenario. I am betting, not sure yet, that Dark/Dark, if AEON SF can be solo'd at all by a Dominator, then I am betting Dark/Dark can do it and do it better. _______________________________ When teams are brought up, this discussion becomes irrelevant. In teams so many things will work. The team adds so many variables and so much more potential. I have shown and proven how Earth/Rad dominators (who have no confuse) will do very well in very challenging settings with no inspirations even in melee range.

Clarion Radial is not for mez protection, not the reason I take it. Clarion Radial is a power boost. That's why I take it. Confuse last longer Holds last longer Defense buffs become greater To hit debuffs greater It's the incarnate close cousin of power boost. ____________________ The regen of diamagnetic is not even worth it compared to how low it is. Degen is sooo good, practically it is an additional -regen to the enemy and it will not max out vs an AV. Everyone with Degen will do the same thing to the AV. So, for me, it's almost not worth taking anything else when facing AVs in the interface incarnate. Since the to hit debuffs are huge in dark/dark, I did not even consider diagmagnetic. With clarion the to hit debuffs are bigger as well Assault hybrid and degen are great combined

Given the numbers I wrote about on another post, this might be overkill. Especially if you take clarion radial. I still prefer Degen to kill AVs or hard targets. Dark/Dark on its own has hefty size of To hit debuffs servings to go around.

The huge advantage that Dominators have over other ATs is the unique ability to stack high magnitudes fast. I look forward to trying it. Cool. I feel you. ___________________________ About melee builds. A melee durable build only means that a build can survive when at melee distance. That's all you need. You don't need melee attack powers to ensure melee survival. Since any attack can be launched at melee range. You just need survival instruments and strategies when you are placed at melee The other part is figuring out how to stay away from melee as much as possible. ____________________________________________________ Dark/Dark will probably still be top combo for me for Aeon but I have no final verdict until I have hands on. I am recovering from surgery so play time is limited now or I have none. First, the higher you go in difficulty, or challenges the more you will need a self heal. When inspirations are disabled a self heal is a must for consistent or reliable results in game doing challenging stuff. When soloing the ITF and the LR SF with no inspirations, you better believe that having a self heal at times paid off. About Plant Doms. Seeds is terrible vs EBs because of the long recharge. Dark will have enough Possess MAGs already on an EB by the time Seeds recharges on a Plant dominator. Plant confuse is good on bosses and below. For higher Mags, you want Dark or Mind. The rest of the times when doing difficult stuff, it was my to hit debuffs and my controls that carried me through. There is no combo for dominators in the game that will even come close to the TO hit Debuffs possible with Dark/Dark. TO put it in perspective , a Dark/Dark dominator will rival a hurricane from a defender when it comes to the To Hit debuffs. I wrote about this on another post. Shadow Field is extremely potent, only dominators summon two of these when placed on the ground when domination is up. Then add the AoE fear, then add gather shadows, by now, you will match or beat a defender running hurricane in the To Hit debuff field. If you use Clarion Radial, like I do many times, you are looking at much higher than a defender running hurricane. I understand that tactics carried by the enemy will be a challenge. It's better to have this To Hit debuff stacking than to not have that at all. This is one of the reasons I place Dark's fear higher than the Fear of Mind. The Fear of Dark brings a strong to hit debuff, add gather shadows and it's even better. Then you have reliable dmg to kill +4 AVs. If it can be done, it will be done. I just have to find out if it can be done. I have been challenged before on the LRSF, and I did it on my first try at +4. So I am looking forward for the chance to get on test server and figuring this out.

The only one lying here is you. I do have AE content that is difficult content indeed. Who are you to state that's a lie? You are nobody to say I am lying about that. You have not even tried it or checked. 801 is not my content but it is an additional challenging content. TO clear maps, whatever one player can do, it can be done faster with additional players who will contribute meaningfully.

1. It is irrelevant Because The OP is addressing the following A. People who join groups and are, on purpose, going off on their own. B. And questioning - Why will you join groups if you are going to solo ? C. Why not go do the same content on your own ? ( it will be better xp as well ) Nah, you are not being blunt. D. It would be better to get a consent from team leader, at the very least, to see if this is cool. _________________________________________________ You are being extremely rude and you are using profanity to insult the other person or what the other person is saying. _____________________________________________________

You don't need a set full of melee powers to be in melee. There's no magic number that tells you the set will work fine and do challenging things. How long you live in melee is up to the player for the vast majority of cases. It's up to you to control how much distance you want. If you do want to stay close enough, Dark/Dark will work with no issues at all and work fine. Dark Control has a super good Stun that works very well at melee range. Dark assault, it's highest DPA attack is a melee attack, and midnight grasp hits for very good dmg. You can use the other powers while at melee range, even if they are not melee. You don't have to use any power from range just because the power is a range power. You can fire it while at melee distance. I am talking form experience here. I am not making theories. I have played at melee and at range. Experience and results tell me that Dark/Dark works fine at both and can and will do very difficult things. With the additional and vastly significant to hit debuffs dark/dark has, it will do well at melee or at range and with the rest of the instruments of Dark/Dark, it can compete with any other combo for the spot at the top.

How well the dominator survives above the default settings, or extremely difficult challenge settings (which is all I plan to do, strivede for) is all dependent on 1. Primary of the dominator (the sets of instruments for war are essential) 2. Skills 3. Build. 4. Given the higher difficulty settings, they will be set at settings I practice a lot in already - no inspirations , you will want a healing source 5. Debuffs to mitigate in addition to your controls __________________________________________________ Given my vast experience doing extremely difficult things as a Dominator, I have to make the case here again for a combo that is prepared for extremely difficult challenges and who is also self sufficient and does not depend on inspirations so much to hold it's own. The Dark/Dark Dominator. Dark/Dark provides 1. A primary as strong as it can get 2. A very versatile set of instruments including the most powerful instruments of controls 3. A huge amount of to hit debuffs 4. Additional help ( 3 pets) 5. Self heal *** this becomes critical the harder and harder the situation gets or difficulty gets

Thorn has no self heal. That's a deal breaker. Did you watch my videos with the Earth/Rad? I have a couple. The self heal was important and still is. The ST dmg of Thorns is not as good, but the AoE is better.

Right, and I have gone over the numbers concerning this if anyone is interested, it's in the Dominator forum. But the bottom line if anyone is interested in Perma holding an AV, it's not going to be via. controller, only Doms can do this.