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Modern video cards may have something to do with improved performance. When CoV launched I had what at the time would have been considered a "mid-range" rig, but my video card struggled with drawing the architecture of the Rogue Isles. Much of the time in the zones was spent drawing resources that would not normally be visible to the players, such as building extending deep underground into hills or otherwise below street level.

In this season of winter joy, there is the "Golden Rings" temp power as well. This is not to single out one character on the TF, but if the Dominator only had one hold (single-target) on a LGTF... poor build choices may have something to do the struggle. Many attacks across AT include an element of 'hard' control, and several AT explicitly include hard controls in the primary/secondary.

Tip missions IMO are among the better written content for both Red and Blue. As described above, I have also found myself leveraging Tips more often in the Rogue Isles at certain points in a villain's career than I would Blue side... partially because quick/easy XP from TF/SF isn't as readily available and partially because there are a few arcs/contacts that I don't want to bother with. I'll add this little bit about my own head-canon: I can appreciate the Redside contacts sending characters off to certain missions (because they subconsciously recognize that your character will pwn them!) but I can't understand why the Freedom Phalanx would simply stand around not doing much of anything in Paragon city.

At first I found the Street Justice "AoE" to be slightly deceptive in that Spinning Strike is a melee-targeted AoE (I was expecting a PBAoE) and Sweeping Cross is a classic melee cone that requires repositioning... unless you are running content with a lot of enemy mobs where they will line themselves up to some extent. Until you level up and can handle large groups, these two attacks will seem rather "meh". To the OP: I have experimented with an AoE-focused Stalker, leveraging the Primary (Spines) and Secondary (Bio Armor). I enjoy playing the AoE character more with teams, because for much of the content in any given mission/arc (at default settings), there aren't enough hard targets in mass combat to occupy the entire team. I can stay relatively close to the team, or I can wander off. My single-target Stalkers pretty much have to wander off in order to increase clear times. With Spines/Bio, I leverage all of the Primary except the T1 (Barb Swipe) and T6 (Placate). The T3 (Spine Burst) is mostly just holding a set bonus, I don't use it all that often because of the long cast time... but it is a PBAoE. The T8 (Ripper) is a classic melee cone. the T9 Throw Spines is a classic AoE ranged cone; I have it franken-slotted on my character for Damage/Range plus 4 %damage procs. I have all the secondary powers from Bio Armor except the T8 PBAoE Genetic Corruption. I would have tried to work it in the build, but it comes too late (as a power pick) as it runs into Epic Pool territory, and I want every one of my Stalkers to have a Snipe. The T7 DNA Siphon can be made a very good PBAoE; I also have this franken-slotted with 4 %damage procs. I would have tried to leverage the T9 Parasitic Aura with some PBAoE %damage, but it is another power that comes late in the build (I could only squeeze it in at lvl 44 without making some serious compromises) and I don't have enough slots to dedicate to it for the somewhat marginal extra damage I could get from it. TL; DR - I have found that it is not necessary to have AoE on Stalkers, but that my method of dealing (Stalker) damage does change my play style.

This isn't a bad (gameplay) strategy at all; I do the same thing with Overwhelming Force and pieces of catalyzed PVP recipes. In practice, I'm unlikely to follow that advice for Winter pieces since I will usually use the ATO first, and then there aren't a lot of slots to invest in the Winters. As far as market strategy: I'm staying out of the Winter pack market, except to buy up some packs for alts that (may) eventually want Winter pieces buy up cheap converters from the market The converters are my long-term strategy: that's usually how I get 80% of the specific ATO, Very Rare and PVP pieces I want for builds, plus normal market-play of course.

I run my Fortunata with very few resists (~10% baseline, with ~30% Fire/Cold and ~40% Psi). I keep Mind Link available as a Defense recovery mechanism (on my ranged Fortunata it is almost perma, but not quite). There is a Scaling Resistance that will kick in as you take damage. I personally don't recommend investing in the Fighting pool as I think you sacrifice too much (powers, slots) to leverage it, but if you are only focused on ITF the extra Lethal Resistances will help, but not so much when being dogpiled. My ranged Fortunata leverages controls as much as attacks. As part of this strategy I use the Presence pool for PBAoE Invoke Panic and Unrelenting as a self-Heal for troublesome content or as a boost when I am unlikely to need the heal. Incarnates are also available for emergencies; most folks run ITF with Incarnates available. You should also investigate 'soft' controls in your AoE such as the %Terrorize ATO and Knockdowns. Confuse (and Aura of Confusion) are your friends in ITF. There is no denying that you may have to run slower... I can't just jump in and take alpha-strikes in ITF or against x8 Rularuu as fast as I do in other content. Getting the Cimeroran Surgeons to buff/heal you is very helpful. I write all this without consideration of your teammates. Many folks run ITF as a rather disorganized team, but that approach works against Fortunata.

Not as bad as the petless Mastermind, but for a short while in the MM sub-forum there were a few of us who experimented with the "Boy and his One Big Robot" meme. The concept should be obvious, but it was to have a Robotics/ Mastermind where you only had the Assault Bot out helping you. I have a lvl 50 Robots/Traps with a lot of INF, so I rolled an alternate build into this. Robotics is essentially an AoE attack primary, so performance is terrible. As part of the build, I did take the other pets to hold unique IO pieces and for set bonuses. I tried to squeeze out as much -Res and -Def as I could, but simply clearing missions with only the one henchman was painful. The only thing I didn't do with that build that might have helped a little was that I didn't try to convert the MM attacks into using as many %damage procs as possible. As for the Maximum Knockback: I have a Controller concept that was intended to pursue victory and demonstrate his own ineptitude by: making people fall down/up paralyze folks with shock confuse friends into fighting each other This was the origin of my Mind/Posion/Primal Controller. In practice: I was sad to see that (Primal) Energy Torrent was only Knockdown, as opposed to the temp Plasmatic Taser attack which causes Knockback. This build does allow for a whole lotta %procs (2 cones, 3 Holds plus a Hold trap, debuffs) and has become a reasonably effective offensive character.

I did some playing with my /Psi Dom trying to leverage Telekinetic Thrust, and I'm not changing my opinion of it. One aspect of the attack I had forgotten is that it's a single-target melee attack with Knockback. On a non-control AT, this would immediately drive me towards slotting to mitigate the Knockback, but slots (for +Recharge set bonuses) are precious on Dominators! To be fair: I want to note that dropping the Hecatomb IO set for Sudden Acceleration would not necessarily be the end of the world in terms of Global +Recharge bonuses, as Dominators can pretty easily find five other IO sets to get the +10% Recharge bonus. The Primary controls can mitigate the effects of Knockback, but those are not guaranteed to be working as necessary to be making a melee stand against targets... it's not a major issue, but I consider this to be another one of those marginal issues that will come up enough (especially in x8 content) to be one more source of annoyance. I appreciate this discussion, but in this case I'm not persuaded to try to leverage this power into being a regular part of my attack chain. In my case, any mathematical superiority from the raw numbers is cancelled by the build and in-play compromises I would have to make to use this attack successfully as part of a regular attack chain. YMMV. For the record, I'm perfectly happy with single-target ranged attacks that cause Knockback. On such attacks I almost never try to convert the Knockback to Knockdown, because such attacks aren't breaking up my attack chain.

Add me to the list of players that will be doing a respec out of Spring Attack. I had hoped to use this as a thematic attack on a particular character, but since that character is a Scrapper, this now feels like a waste. EDIT: I was disappointed with the power in use... but now I understand why!

Congratulations, and I echo your sentiments. Before this thread attracts the weird comments that "I just want to say I never play Redside because ____", I want to write that I have also taken characters through red-only content and that I feel as if there is a more natural progression of villainy on the Red side than hero progression on the Blue. I can't quite put my finger on it, but 'defeating' Countess Crey in Paragon City rings hollow as a hero whereas beating down Synapse and Mynx (for example) on your villainous path seems like an accomplishment because they never step foot in the Rogue Isles again (without taking another beatdown)!

As of this day, Peacebringers have edged out Masterminds for the number 2 spot. I can't say I completely disagree with either of those two being ranked highly. This is just my own take: each takes some serious effort to understand, and each requires a change in play-thought to get the most out of... and then the "most" may still fall short of other ATs. I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around why Dominators and Soldiers of Arachnos are ranked so high. With Dominators, I suppose it could be that some folks view 'perma-Domination' with some sort of disgust (or are just jealous Controllers?), and maybe it is the backpack (or slow mace attacks?) that turns folks away from Soldier VEATs?

It's been decades since I've slung dice with a table-based RPG. My own 'PnP' gaming started with table-top games (think early Avalon Hill, Star Fleet Battles) and I was introduced to D&D during the early mass market "box" era (red/blue, Gamma World, Boot Hill) and dove into AD&D and later Star Frontiers. My engagement with TSR ended at the initial Dragonlance era, pre-second edition D&D. I remember the lesson of Boot Hill as basically "never start a fight"! I never got into TSR's Marvel Superheroes; instead we were a Villains & Vigilantes group that morphed into the revised Champions (mid-late 1980s). We definitely tried out other RPGs: FASA's Star Trek & Doctor Who (both good for fanfic, neither so good for play), GURPS (excellent as an excuse to explore different source material, not a game system I enjoyed playing) come to mind immediately. The Fantasy setting I had the most fun playing in: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (the 1st go 'round). I enjoyed that characters didn't start with a lot of agency (i.e. you aren't a blessed or chosen one) but that you could improve your lot (and stats!) in a very dangerous world that could be both funny and horrific. The WFRP adventuring groups definitely had that feel of being an oddball cast of characters that had to find a reason to work together: working around the diverse character roles tended to stifle over-the-top roleplay that I'd seen weirdly injected into more 'basic' archetypes. I am less impressed by the golden-haired elf-child who ascends to demigod status than I am by a Rat Catcher who works his way into the ranks of Highwaymen!

You are correct, but in the build I referenced I have the Panacea %proc in Health. The %Absorb Preventive Medicine will (potentially, depending on HP) fire even if you never click the power as long as you aren't exemplared below the minimum active level of the set. I could move the slot to Health, but why not keep it in Drain Psyche where I can get a small set bonus? TL;DR I don't really have an extra slot I want to put in Health simply to move a piece that is providing a tiny bit of S/L resistance.

I've never liked that the Synapse TF (who is located in Skyway City) sends the team all over Steel Canyon, plus an excursion to Boomtown, and only ends in Skyway....plus a need to go back to Steel Canyon to talk to Positron. Citadel is worse, in that the doors can be in such odd places that it is sometimes faster to go to Dark Astoria first to get to the Talos Island doors. Citadel would be much smoother if there was a simple transition from IP bases to TI bases rather than hopping back-and-forth. I can tolerate the revamped Positron "talk to Azuria", and I think my tolerance is probably due to the fact that the revamped arcs are so much shorter. The Penelope Yin arc is wonderful, as the TF literally just takes the team from place-to-place like an actual journey in the same zone where the contact is. Even the spiraling Numina is fine by me, since most TF can split up to tackle the Defeat X portions.

If I had 250 Minf, I would make:

This is the answer: The requirements for the crafting badges for the lvl 45 & lvl 50 pieces are quite steep, and in practice no single character would ever benefit from using all of the resulting IOs, so selling them on the AH for 5 inf (and progress towards a badge) is only slightly better than simply deleting them. It would be awesome if we could combine the crafted common IO to boost them instead of having to use Enhancement Boosters.

Thanks for the chart. I am personally aware of how the DPS of /Psi Assault is concentrated in Melee, but in practice I find it impossible to translate the high DPS of the single-target attacks into faster clear times for x8 content on my Dominator. I found this to be true both while leveling (and Exemplaring) and at end-game. On my Fire/Psi, I attribute this to: mobs within a group are spread out, and tend to stay that way once they are hit with the controls on 0x8 there will be mobs that will escape controls and run, either from something like Hot Feet, or debuffs, or DoT my Dominator is already highly click-intensive, and the controls work best when rapid cycling between targets. Trying to focus Single-target attacks in melee would IMO waste time versus tossing AoE and PBAoE against everything but the hardest targets still standing. I've kept my Fire/Psi range focused because when I get to a point in the attack chain to cast an attack, I've usually landed on an enemy out of melee range so a ranged attack is the natural choice. After I've closed to melee range with a target, if I'm close to more than just one target I will prefer to cast T6 Drain Psyche (to reload myself) or the PBAoE T9 Psychic Shockwave (or Cinders, from the Fire Primary). I almost wish that there was a way to increase the $NumTargets for cone powers like T5 Psychic Scream, but since there isn't I settled on increasing the cone's range from 60 feet to 85+ feet and added three %damage procs to it. Psychic Scream may be doing only slightly more than half the damage of either of the melee attacks, but it is almost always hitting more than one enemy. The only other subtle/secondary choice I made in picking Telekinetic Thrust over Mind Probe is that the T2 is (ignoring %procs) pure Psychic damage whereas the T3 is a mix of Psychic/Smashing. There are certain enemy types that heavily resist Psychic damage and so I didn't want to have my eggs in one basket.

While I believe that certain TF revamps would be most appreciated, I have a personal vendetta against T1 Web Grenade in /Traps secondary that cannot be forgiven. EDIT: to answer @Normal Thomas I don't think a single-target Immobilize (requiring a ToHit check) can be made competitive in the game (early, middle or late), without introducing a very specific sort of Debuff %proc (-Res, -Def, -MaxHP) in a new IO set. Generally, I prefer mandatory powers to provide some utility without having to invest slots in them... the single target Immobilizes require heavy investment to get much use out of them. (I write this without considering a major inherent change to those powers, such as adding a -Range component to them.) Of course, I'd prioritize the creation of a new Fear (Superior, or PVP) IO set over Immobilize, since Immobilize already has a Superior set.

EDIT (A note on Recovery when leveling versus Recovery after perma-Dom): Like with many AT, you will have to address Endurance costs ASAP. The easiest way is to invest slots in Health and Stamina and leverage unique pieces. The secondary power Drain Psyche can also help. Once you can get Domination permanent, keep in mind that one of the many great effects is that it will refill your Endurance bar. Many late-game builds for Dominators account for this. My own /Psi build has no extra slots invested in Health or Stamina at level 50. I can comment on /Psi, from the perspective of a Fir/Psi/Psi Dominator. I will include my post lvl-50 slotting suggestions, but keep in mind you should tailor the slots as you level. As you go for perma-dom, you will have to be careful with set bonus choices for Global +Recharge. My final build requires paying attention to Hasten (which is *just* perma, by itself) and a Force Feedback %+Recharge (clamped at 90%). T1 Psionic Dart: We have no choice but to take this, but at some point I respec-ed it down to a single slot for the lvl 50 build. After some play at lvl 50, I eventually moved a second slot back into it because sometimes I just can't help but to want to toss a fast single-target attack. Final slotting: H/O Nucleolus (Acc/Dam), IO Damage. T2 Mind Probe: I skipped, both during leveling and in final build. P2W attacks can get you through the early levels if you want more offense. T3 Telekinetic Thrust: My final build has this 5-slotted with Hecatomb. In practice: I don't end up using this attack that often, despite its strength. See notes in T7 Subdue (below). T4 Mental Blast: My final build has this 5-slotted with Apocalypse. T5 Psychic Scream: This power (and T6 Drain Psyche) underwent some slotting experiments. The original lvl 50+ build had this 6-slotted (5xRagnarok, plus a %damage proc) to get more Global +Recharge, but I found that I could sacrifice some Recharge and keep perma-dom allowing me to franken-slot this cone attack as follows: HO Centriole (Dam/Range) HO Centriole (Dam/Range) Positron's Blast %Energy Bombardment %Fire Javelin Volley %Lethal Ragnarok %Knockdown My build has lots of +Accuracy Bonuses (which typically come as an earlier set bonus when chasing +Recharge) so this slotting works out fine for me. (Edit: YMMV on the utility of the Knockdown, but I like having it as a soft control even on a Dominator) T6 Drain Psyche: While leveling, I used this to hold 6xPreventive Medicine, which has excellent set bonuses. After a lot of play post-level 50 (including a lot of exemplaring) I found that I could sacrifice the set bonuses and get more Endurance as well as offense from it with this slotting: Theft of Essence %+Endurance Touch of Nictus %-Negative Touch of Nictus Acc/Heal Touch of Nictus Acc/End/Recharge Preventive Medicine %Absorb Preventive Medicine Heal I want to note that Touch of the Nictus behaves like a PVP set, so you can boost the non-proc pieces above lvl 50. T7 Subdue: I skipped this. It would serve my play style better than Telekinetic Thrust, but two things work against it. (1) I couldn't make the set bonuses work to hit my +Recharge targets without leveraging the melee set Hecatomb (2) I want both attacks and controls for low levels missions (e.g. Positron, Synapse). As it is, this build already has too many attacks which is why T3 Telekinetic Thrust doesn't get used as often in higher level content. T8 Psionic Lance: With fast Snipes now a thing, this is a regular part of the attack chain. It is 6-slotted (5xSting of the Manticore, plus Javelin Volley %Lethal). T9 Psychic Shockwave: There are many options for slotting this. My build uses 5xObliteration plus Armageddon %Fire. (I can't add a 6th +Recharge at 10%, but I can add a +Recharge at 5%) My build uses two powers from the Ancillary Psionic Mastery pool: Link Minds: It's perma, when slotted with Adjusted Targeting Recharge, 2xLotG Def/Recharge, and Def/Global Recharge. Indomitable Will: Used primarily as a mule for a LotG Def/Global recharge, but it is useful to have active before I get my perma-dom going. This was taken very late in the build (lvl 47), and with so many other powers to click I have never considered trying to make this power perma.

I don't have Mids, but is the issue related to Invincibility?

IIRC, the primary T2 on Blasters can also be used while mezzed. Writing only for myself, with a near-complete build I will typically only have the T2 on Blasters because: I don't need/want two low-damage ranged attacks as part of an attack chain My Blasters will usually build for +Recharge, so there becomes very little difference between T1/T2 attacks in terms of cast times Blasters usually have enough different choices (without doubling up on T1/T2) and not enough enhancement slots, that both powers would be needed. There are of course many different ways to approach builds, and leveling builds should be viewed differently than final builds.

In the category of "possibly straightforward to implement": Is it possible to perma-install the Nemesis Base from the Black Scorpion/Dark Watcher's RWZ arc somewhere in the Shadow Shard, similar to how the Council base was added to Faultline? Honestly I just want something there to break up the visual monotony, and it would be fun to have an area that spawns a large number of specific lvl 50+ enemies as opposed to the random spawns elsewhere in the Shard. Stretching this idea: just as the Council base can deploy a Warwalker GM, enough defeats around a hypothetical Shadow Shard Nemesis Base could allow for the spawn of a GM Nemesis (assets to be stolen from the Nemesis Plot Invasion event).

While it seems odd that the Ragnarok Targeted AoE set doesn't include a %damage proc, the HC devs have already added another targeted IO set (Bombardment) which includes a %damage (Fire) proc. Targeted AoE requires the least love, from my PoV. Lets look at Fear sets first, followed by Taunt. Yes, I am aware that Very Rare %damage procs do more damage when they fire, and that they exemplar to the lowest levels... but this seems like a problem for the 1% to me. Even without a secondary effect on a ranged AoE attack that can open up other %proc choices, you can slot the following %damage pieces, in addition to multiple ways to get %controls (including Knockdown): Bombardment %Fire Positron's Blast %Energy Javelin Volley %Lethal Annihilation %-Res Writing only for myself: While I have a few builds that would certainly add a hypothetical %damage piece to a power using 5-pieces of Ragnarok, I also have several builds that use the %Knockdown Ragnarok piece by itself (as a 1-off)... because the Overwhelming Force piece is also a unique, and only powers which take knockback enhancements can accept a Sudden Acceleration KB->KD piece.

(1) T1 v T2: My experience has been that for certain AT, I never take both. For example: MM attacks are terribly weak, whereas the Henchmen are the bread & butter. I find single-target immobilizes to be nearly useless, so those get skipped (in primaries). DPS AT don't need two low-level attacks (unless you lurv some combos power sets) so one gets skipped (usually the 'fast' one). For defensive primaries, I almost always take as many powers as possible to serve as IO mules. (2) Secondary T1s & T2s: Obviously you get 'stuck' with the T1 secondary. For Tanks and Defenders, this will be an attack, so you may as well slot it and use it. Some other AT get saddled with nigh-useless T1 in the secondary. (Ehem, /Traps Masterminds). You accept the punishment and don't bother investing slots in it, as you will always have a better power to invest those slots in. (3) T9s: Defensive T9s are often skipped because whatever benefits that they provide can usually be mimicked by an Inspiration... and Inspirations have no downside beyond keeping them in your inventory. Offensive T9 are almost always taken as they will be 'nukes'. There are a few exceptions on both sides... for example the /Traps T9 is a very limited 'nuke' (all ATs). (4) How I determine power to skip (or minimally slot): If the power cannot mule a Global IO piece, or cannot hold a useful set bonus it gets skipped. I personally dislike immobilizes, but on at least one build I took and slotted a Patron pool power just to get a set bonus, and on Dominators/Controllers the AoE immobilize (or equivalent) is an important part of the attack/control chain and so gets treated as a valuable power (slots, IO choices). If the low-level power requires slotting (e.g. accuracy, %procs) to become useful - see those T1 immobilizes. Single target, requires a ToHit check, can stop melee but not ranged or AoE attacks... hardly worth slotting (or having) such powers. Single target Debuffs are another story! If it is a power that exclusively works on teammates... and I'm going to mostly solo with the character... I will generally look twice before picking such powers. An example of an ally power that I don't have slotted is the (secondary) /Poison Alkaloid. A ST-heal is hard to use reliably, so I have only the single-slot with a Miracle +Recovery in it slotted so I can use it to benefit myself as well. See also /Kinetics powers that can mule Universal Travel IO pieces. If it is a long-recharge power in a build where my build won't have sufficient Global +Recharge to have it available 'often enough'. I almost never take Patron pets from the Epic pools for this reason. On certain high-Recharge Defense-based DPS builds I am a huge fan of Unrelenting (Presence pool), but this is a power that becomes much more useful if you can have it used as much as possible. Never skip the defining powers for the AT. This includes the passive resistances/defenses for such ATs, the pets for MMs, etc.