Golden Azrael

Yeah. There's a bit of the 'retribution' AT vibe about it. L50 with Perma everythign IO sets....is pure deliverance. L32 is redemption. Even a balanced build up the Hollows and some of Steel gives some of the 'Mine eyes hath seen the glory...' 'Remember me? The skinny Peter Parker guy you picked on at school? Well...I got bitten by a aardvark and like pulling the legs of ants...before I hoover them up.' Azrael.

I'd never thought of it as sadistic. But I completely aggree with the objective was to make the Dominator as the the kind of villain who toys with the prey before finishing them off. A Dr. Doom type. It's not mean to be teH DAMaGE (if people want that? Roll a fire brute or blaster...) but it is meant to be powerful. I have a friend who managed to L50 a Grav/FF controller but has never mastered Dominators. Which I find. Ironic. But you can build damaging Doms. Fire/Stone? Burn them....bash them. etc. Etc. Great to watch. Elec elec? '*Toys with mobs.* So I'd say a DOmi is.... Squash the spider vs Pulling the legs off the spider. It's the latter. It's a mind set. If you want insta kill roll another AT with lots of fire. (But a good fire/Stone Domi will run it closer than you might think...without the comeback a fire blaster may get.) Just like tanking. And that's the beauty of Domis. You can be a fire starter, you can be a controller, a blaster, a blapper, you can toy, you have the power to lock down many mobs. You can stretch a fight out on your terms...the whole battlefield is yours. You can play range only....blap only (with skill) or everything inbetween. It's an art form. It's the ultimate AT. It requires skill to play. Yes. I suppose it is sadistic. 😛 Perma sadism. *Coined. Azrael.

Ahhhh. Hello. You've come to the right place. 'Unlimited Po-WAH!' Though you'll patience. Perseverance. Yes. Is the answer. Range to lock down what you can...quickly close to melee. Let them have it! BOW! SHAKKA! However, over ambition in this regard will get you in over your head and get you killed. But that's the delicious load balancing of the Dominator. It's the one AT that is an art form. So, in English, you have to keep an eye on that difficulty setting. The sheer joy of playing the Dominator is that you hit that (Big Button...) and BOOM! You're a GOD! Pain. Pleasure. Death by Hospital...and then Domination! 'Remember me? The guy you send to casualty? Welllllll....you're not Doctor Doom now, are you?' (Mezzing with Domination!) Three pivotal moments come to mind with Dominators. 1. For the early levels. Having absolute balance of Control vs Melee powers selected. That way you can control at range then swiftly (use/sprint/swift) to close to combat melee range and use your melee 'blaps' to put them into 'Vienna' (ie sleep horizontal mode.) So earning your stripes in the Hollows is difficult but street sweeping will quickly improve your elastic reach of range to melee as Trolls bounce you around the pavement. 2. L32. The previous 32 levels of giddy death...vs 'I'm GOD' (sure, you'll keep saying, 'Why did I make one of these....?' alot.) But everything time you hit the domi button... By the time you reach L32. It all begins to make sense. 'THIS is why I rolled a Domi.' I will say no more. Just get to L32. And if you've balanced Range to Melee selection fo Control to Assault....then you're good for gravy. My other hot tips would be Assault to boost your damage. And Tactics to make sure those controls...and melee hit. As both have risk. Control and miss? They will come after you. Melee. And miss? You're going down in a two hits probably. 3. L50. Perma Hasten. Defence Cap. Perma Domination. Find the best forum build. Copy it. Add your own twist of lemon. You'll need a mirror to be constantly impressed by your own divinity. Azrael. PS. A generic IO build to take the rough edges of a solid SO build is fine. That's my favourite place to be. However, should you wrap your head around IOs...(perhaps as a 'Build 2.') You may consider the lilly. And true god power will be yours.

Good comment. Back on live. Well, even before i4, it was nice to 'stand and watch' ATs as they performed their role. Tanks go and get the aggro'. With a healer on standby 'just in case.' Too bruising? Let the blaster take his turn and pull the mob with a snipe. Then? 'JUMP(!)' the mob when they swarm the tank. (Don't forget that heal...) Controllers. Used to be like gold dust. An elevated and respected AT. It was great to have them on your team. As most liked to play blasters, tanks or scrappers. Ergo Defenders who could heal or Controllers were rare and much sought after. You always knew when you had a 'good' controller on your team. (To be fair, this was before IOs spawned the IO super athlete who can do lung busting feats on early TFs with a good Attuned perma hasten def' capped build...) I still view the game as best seen through the eyes of a top SO build. Gradually, I learned that a team need not need a healer or a tank. That a controller (a good one...) could lead from the front (one mind controller comes to mind...he was excellent) and it was 'something' to see a mass brawl break out in a mob with the rest of the team looking on in awe. I never did get a Controller past L10 on live. But I *have* on HC. (Illusion, Radiation AND Stone Epic. :D) So it's always a good idea to walk in an AT's shoes before you break eg. a tank's pull with 'instant immob'!'. As for Gravity controllers. I don't mind them being 'naughty.' It all boils down to having that 'psychic' understanding. I personally think that DUO teaming (good for Husband and Wives, or 'good friends...') is the way to travel as it will test your AT knowledge and team work. Playing a Gravity controller is enlightening and very different to Illusion... The amount of things you can do with Singularity (Pass me the neural grenade, 'Arry...this one is a bit of 'an 'ard case...) and wormhole are intoxicating and you can certainly 'complement' as tank. You don't necessarily have to stand looking at a tank like some supportive gooseberry. But breaking a tank's taunt every....single....time...is...*tanks stops. Watches as the lampost timer runs down. Looks at the 'Troller (pun intended) deals with an angry mob with a can of beans for Hit Points....and those HPs go down in that staccato fashion (You pulled the aggro'...and guess what, you're dead. How did that happen? 😛 ) So, I viewed the initial post with some fondness and affection. We've all been there. I'm invincible....! Don't you know who I am? I....Imperio will save us all...and beat this mob...(breaks taunt...) and aggro this mob...SEE? Don't you revere the awesome of the SUper EGo I? ME? I-ME? Me name alone inspires the Gods to weave tale of lore on lute...etc etc. Azrael.

Yes. Azrael.

It's part of getting old. Not liking anything. Well, except pancakes. Azrael.

I tried the Mad King idea (proc city) on my Sentinel. Not bad. (I spliced your sentinel build with a defender 'proc' build. Not an entirely successful build. Just lacks for accuracy. I'll do a rebuild staying close to your use of Psi on the epics. A lot of fun in the main. I emphasis the unstoppable power. Gives insane def' numbers. I have to time the 'drop' to put my shields back up. Azrael.

Aye. But a spam Controller won't be one of them. Azrael.

Amen. Azrael.

Just follow the tank's lead. That doesn't stop you from doing what you can do as a Controller. You can enhance what the tank does. You have the toolset to do so. eg. when he has aggro' drop your singularity on the mob/tank's head. Crush them in that corner. In a team without a tank? Different matter. You could take the 'lead' and 'tank' yourself. Remember, we're all...'special.' Azrael.

Yep. Azrael.

Agreed. Wormhole can be used to grab some aggro' (other than the tanks) onto the tank. The tank can stand at a given place and a duo of tank and controller can tag team the taunt/aggro'. Depends on what relationship/communication you have with your DUO partner. Azrael.

'He'll like it!' Will he? 😛 As an Ice/Ice tanker, you're familiar with wanting the aggro' to swarm on you so your DoT and Slow Aura can play to your strengths? It would be annoying if someone with an ego the size of a balloon Mez Immobilised Spammed that 'taunt' or aggro' before it had fully settled on you? ie. Your taunt would be neutered. You'd be left to run around and do what? Throw the odd punch whilst the controller plays City of Lamp posts. He won't 'appreciate' it if you keep breaking his taunt. Highly irritating. You'll get no 'thanks' for that. If you're not concerned about your friend, then why worry if they grow tried of your controller or tanker? Tip. *Watch him tank. And support what he's trying to do. If you're a Controller, you're in a support role, not leading. So let them lead. And throw your power around their strength instead of 'I....' and more 'I....' and yet more ....'I....' Yes. Many heroes have ego. But on my teams? Whether I'm the tank or not? I lead as tank or follow the tank. ie. Support the tank in the latter instance. Tank (you or him.) Pull the mob to a corner and mass around the tank. Controller. Then let loose with the mez/immob' spam. Why? It's more efficient this way. Otherwise, I move to the next mob and leave the Controller with all the aggro'. We have to respect each role on our team. If the tank can't lead? There's no point being on the team. Let the controller plays City of Immo Spam. It's really irritating when a controller plays 'immob' spam. As a tank? I just move to the next mob. If I'm on my Domi? I *WAIT* until the tank has all the aggro' on them before I do anything. If you're going to 'duo' with your friend? It's a two way street. You have to learn to work together. Swapping tank and controller roles occasionally, you should learn what it feels like to do that role. Azrael. PS. In the age of the 'super athlete' attuned builds and perma capped IO builds...many ATs can 'spam' with immunity. That can leave the traditional roles somewhat confused and blurred. Controller spamming is quite the problem in general from what I've seen. Mob? Immob SPAM! Power, sure. But where the elegance of tactics and the art of war?

Ty GM Tahquitz. 🙂 😄 I'll investigate the link. 🙂 Azrael. PS. I'm missing playing CoH. But I'm not pulling the trigger on a new rig 'just yet.' I'll investigate your 'hot tip' in the meantime...

I'm in Windows 'Safe Mode.' I've put the -gfxreset in the Options launch parameters...it won't have it. I'm guessing my GPU is fried (as it doesn't let me launch in safe mode in Mac but will in Windows.) But I would have thought I could run in safe mode despite impaired resolution or performance? Azrael.

Sure. There's something sadomasochism about it...nobody likes being dragged around the Hollows by your cape through the back of some trash cans in those Outcast alley ways, crying, 'please...not the face...' ...until you hit L32 and it's...., 'Ah...respite from the hammer.' 'Remember me? I was the hero that you dragged by the cape through the...etc. etc.' Then the heavenly choir of angels illuminate your struggle. Pain. Pleasure. Azrael.

Also, Dominators can be very intoxicating with their level of control with glimses of that power on the way up to L32 and finally a L50+ Perma cap build. Elec/Elec domi may seem much a do about nothing. But the blaster in question made that comment from the luxury of being a higher damage AT and, noteworthy, just before he died. 🙂 And a Fire/Stone Domi is quite a damaging beast. But fire, eh? My most rewarding journeys in the game have been? Elec/Elec on live. Elec/elec on HC. Stone/Stone on live. Dominators both. It's the journey. And the road of the dominator is a richly rewarding one. But like many truth...it depends greatly on our point of view. Azrael.

That's a point of view. I can see what you're saying but I don't share it. I, similarly, had a friend who couldn't get to L32 (when Domi's start to arrive...or 'arrive.') And until then it can be hard. You're either God or a can of beans getting slapped around, having your mask taken off and you being dumped in the river with your cape in tatters. That said, it can depend on the challenge you set yourself upto L32. It's relative to... Only in defeat can the Domi taste the sweet victory. It's the same with all heroes. Brutes and Scrappers have it easy. There's little to fear unless they amp up the settings. SOs vs IO perma caps. Night and Day arguments. I judge the game on SOs. Tricked out IO builds is a nice place to get to. There is alot to Master with Domi. It's basically control to melee. Master that and you're be rewarded. You can stay at range or go melee where the risk is greater. It's a very thoughtful and artful AT to master. Making it 'I win' like Brutes, Scrappers or Sentinels where you have pretty much no fear of defeat and where being reckless no consequences of note would be a mistake. Contrary. With Dominators you have the best choice in the game. It's my favourite AT for that very reason. But wrong choices from the many available will get you killed. It depends on what setting you play, what buttons you press and what combat choices you make. I saw someone used to playing Sentinels run right into a mob with their 'tricked out' blaster and wonder why they died so quickly. And concluded very quickly that blasters were not very good. What do you say to that? What can you say? Azrael.

...as opposed to a toggle? Interesting. Never tried it on Blaster. Only Controller and Defenders. So it works 'better' as 'click' on a blaster than the pulsing end draining monster toggle on a defender/corr/controller? Azrael.

I like the choking cloud on my Controller. It's always had that somewhat 'unreliable' intermittent 'hold.' It's enough to take the pressure off in melee though. Azrael.

Good catch. HC will be sensitive to unwarranted attention if they are still negotiating an official server with NC. That's my guess. Azrael.

People can tell other people to be more creative. But some may simply not want to. It's easier to copy 'their' favourite hero. Each person is unique. Has a unique imagination. But whether they wish to use it? Another thing. I'd say most of the CoH community harnessed their personality very well. So much so, the 'copys 1:1' stand out like a red thumb. We have a very creative community. I see the Hulks wandering around Paragon, but I think it was very precious of Marvel to knock on NC's door all those years ago. Even a watered down duplicate is hard to mistake for the 'real thing' but some people like the homage and get real close to the 'real' thing. But then, I'm not Marvel. They have some cheek to sue anyone after the way they treated Kirby and Ditko. Marvel and DC having been 'copying' one another's fads and IP with thinly veiled copies for years. At the least, being original means you can hit the 'pizza hero' random button and be completely original in CoH terms. Minimum of effort. But still some may want to play 'their' hero. eg. Hulk, Spider Man, Superman or recreate all the Marvel or DC heroes as homage alts. I don't see the harm in such an old, not for profit game. It's like fan art. It's not like this community of 'heroes' is ripping Marvel or DC off financially. You can't force anyone to do anything. Short of a gun and a C&Desist letter from Disney. Or just giving them a warning not to post straight copies for fear of it taking down the servers... Copyright and Trademark and IP discussions are complex. No doubt. Captain Marvel was nothing like Superman in appearance or concept. But it didn't stop DC Comics from forcing Fawcett out of business eventually. I preferred the big red cheese, myself... Azrael.

You're spot on re: the organisations listed. Why does Microsoft's 'Windows' get to camp on a generic term? There will be IP infringement by the way you think, references, links and behave if those corporations have their way. Azrael.

It went no where because it was over reach on Marvel's part. Azrael.

We lost perma-hasten in the transition to i4 Ed? So, if I could have perma hasten and perma domi with 'mere' SOs? I wouldn't say no. I like the Jekyll and Hyde feel....as you press that Domi button and get up off the canvas....'Let's try that again...' Adds bite to combat. Azrael.