Bellicose

Well, thank you all for your advice. I really went back and forth a lot between Ice/Psi/Ice and Plant/Psi/Ice; but, ultimately, decided on Plant/Psi/Ice. The speed and effectiveness of Seeds coupled with the 'portability' of Creepers won out. I think it was just a little more DPS, and more sustainable for my tastes. So, now it is time level up and play Psychedillic.

I do have a Darkness Control/Cold Domination Controller. Very solo-able and can also be an impact player on teams.

I would echo this completely. Dark Miasma is not just a powerhouse, it's fun to play. My preferential pairing with it ended up being Plant Control, but I looked (and tested) very seriously with Fire, Illusion and Symphony and they were all strong choices. Now if you're you're specifically limiting your choices to Gravity or Ice, I would definitely suggest Ice Control. Ice/Dark was my "go to Controller" until I made Plant Dark. Ice/Dark was a surprisingly strong choice when I initially made it and it got stronger 16 months ago when they updated Ice Control. I imagine it would be even stronger if I took the time to revisit it and rebuild to better leverage the changes as well as what I've learned about Dark Miasma in the last few months,

Good to know. Thanks!

So, I have today off (and tomorrow as well), so lots of testing. So far, here is what I've done. Dark/Fire/Ice (build #1) Dark/Fire/Psi (build #2) Dark/Psi/Ice (build #1) Dark/Psi/Psi (build #2) Earth/Fire/Ice (build #1) Earth/Fire/Psi (build #2) Earth/Psi/Ice (build #1) Earth/Psi/Psi (build #2) Fire/Fire/Ice (build #1) Fire/Fire/Psi (build #2) Fire/Psi/Ice (build #1) Fire/Psi/Psi (build #2) Ice/Fire/Ice (build #1) Ice/Fire/Psi (build #2) Ice/Psi/Ice (build #1) Ice/Psi/Psi (build #2) Plant/Fire/Ice (build #1) Plant/Fire/Psi (build #2) Plant/Psi/Ice (build #1) Plant/Psi/Psi (build #2) Everyone of them can take down a Pylon in 2 to 3 minutes. Although, in just about every case, the builds that could slot the most FotG -Res, Achille's -Res and Annihilation -Res (as well as plop down -Regen) fared better. This really favored x/Psi/Ice. Everyone of them could run Trapdoor at +4/x8 in 8 to 9 minutes. Fiery Assault fared a little better in terms of clear time as it didn't struggle with Mk I & II Zenith Warcrys so much. Although, the Psi/Ice builds fared better that the Psi/Psi builds. That being said, Psi/Ice always made Trapdoor himself a little easier. As for the Primaries: Dark Control - I just couldn't find a rhythm with this set. I've taken it to 50 four times. I like it, but I've always played it from the rear as more of a support character and secondary damage source. I tried using Fearsome Stare vs Living Shadows, and while I took less DPS, there were always more seconds in the fight to be concerned about and it was a bit of a wash. I've watched @Voltak videos, and it's really impressive (and I appreciate you coming to this thread and giving advise); however, I just don't think it works with my playstyle. Earth Control - I had high hopes for this one, as I followed @Frosticus posts and videos about this set. This is another set I've done four times. But, all of those were more general content and for my style I don't think it's going to work for the kind of play I'm looking to get out of this character. Fire Control - Imps were just too fragile and chaotic, but without them I missed their DPS. Ice Control - This set gives me everything I would want. Plant Control - This set also gives me everything I would want. So, that leave me trying to figure out between Ice/Psi/Ice and Plant/Psi/Ice. Of course, all of my above testing was done with relatively unrefined builds. So, I guess the next step will be refining those two builds some more and see if someone comes out on top. Always looking for advice though. Speaking of advice, thank you to @EnjoyTheJourney for you advice on those procs. Speaking of procs, I do have a rather specific question. Lets assume a Plant/Psi/Ice...I have Fury of the Gladiator -Res in Psychic Shockwave, Achilles -Res in both Fly Trap AND Sleet, and Annihilation -Res in Roots AND Creepers. I assume that those three different procs and work in concert with each other; but, can two Achilles or two Annihilations proc in concert with each other?

So, I had some insomnia last night; and I ended up testing both Plant and Earth. Plant, as expected, performed very well. Target a Boss, SoC, Roots, Creepers, Sleet, dive in for Psychic Shockwave, then cycle singe target attacks (Mind Probe, Telekinetic Thrust, Psionic Lance with Psionic Dart or Psychic Shockwave used a filler during my second Cycle as needs dictate. Very simple and effective. For Earth, I once again dropped Psionic Dart to justify adding in Volcanic Gasses; and, again, I missed the Dart. I will have to rerun that test with Dart back in and Gasses out. I had being leading with Gasses, but I think leading with Earthquake should be just as effective. Anyways lead with Gasses or Earthquake, then Cages, Sleet, jump in for Shockwave, then cycle single target using Fossilize in place of Dart and intermittent Stalagmites and Psychic Shockwave. I had high hopes for how this one would play, as I have always liked Earth Control, but I found this test to run a little bit slower. Also, in the last few months I have found that I really enjoy the Sorcery pool. Particularly for RoP, but I have found that Spirit Ward and Mystic Flight (w/Translocation) to be have great functionality (and even Arcane Bolt from time to time). All that is to say, that toggling off Flight to activate Stalagmites was a bit of a drag. I do plan on rerunning all of these test runs with Fiery Assault although I suspect that Consume will be a poor substitute for Drain Psyche. Right now, I am considering Ice and Plant as my top two contenders with Fire, then Earth and, finally, Dark behind. As a run a second test with fire and then a third round with either Fire or Psionic as preferred, I do want to ask this: Are there any tips or tricks or must haves with regards to slotting? For example, I have read people talking about the virtues of Soulbound Allegiance Build Up, or the Fiery Orb Proc, or the AotD proc; and, I'm not sure I understand the virtues of these Procs.

Well, I intended to try Earth next, but slotting it was proving a challenge, so I moved on to Fire Control. I liked how Ice/Psi/Ice worked, so I kept that framework. I know I don't care for the imps. They're chaotic and fragile, so that freed up a power. Without pets, I no longer needed Spirit Ward so, I swapped it out for Arcane Bolt. With Arcane Bolt, I felt I no longer needed Psionic Dart. Dart had been my filter, and once I was in I sorely missed it. Bolt is no substitute. I also picked up Ice Storm. Overall, my time were similar to Ice and Dark; but, again I felt fragile. I actually had a couple of deaths. I think I underestimated just how much DPS the pets contribute. Also, how much heat they can draw away from me. I tried again this morning, this time with the Dart back in. Better, but not enough. I also revisited Dark with @EnjoyTheJourney suggestions. Just in Mids. Didn't like what I was seeing enough to rebuild. Next up, Plant.

So, I tried Dark/Psi/Ice today and was surprised by the results. I thought for sure that the -ToHit component would make for 'safer' runs. Negligible effect. I also thought that Haunt would speed things up against 'hard targets'. Their effect was also negligible. Overall, I was defeating mobs more slowly and taking more hits. Because the AoE immobilize is a cone, I tried leading with it, then going into the mob and dropping Heart of Darkness, Sleet, Drain Psyche and Psychic Shockwave. Never died, but lived on the edge every spawn. Both Haunt's Shades and Umbra Beast were far less resilient than Jack Frost. Additionally, I think a couple of failures (i.e. where playstyle meets the sets capacities) were I used Living Shadows a lot less than Frostbite because it's a cone. I think the combined -Res from how I slotted Ice Slick and Sleet accounted for faster kill times, coupled with the inherent Slows reducing incoming attacks. Not to mention the Kd inherent in those powers. VS the Pylon I couldn't really keep the Shades and Umbra Beast alive long enough for their damage to be significant. Both Trapdoor and Pylon times were about a minute higher. I don't think it's Dark. I'll try Earth, Fire or Plant next.

So, having looked at the builds you've provided, as well as the links, I decided to try something along the lines Darkir's Scrappy Dominator (Ice/Savage/Ice) - with a few modifications. I decided, since I was running with Jack Frost, that to help keep him upright, I would swap in Sorcery for Spirit Ward. What I found was that running the Leadership Toggles, the Fighting Toggles, the Sorcery Toggles and Arctic Air, I was a little End starved. So, I switched from Savage to Psionic for Drain Psyche. That made all the difference. My SOP for Trapdoor was to target someone in the middle and drop Ice Slick, port to them (Translocation) then cycle on Sleet, Drain Psyche, Frostbite and Psychic Shockwave. Then find a hard target and focus on them. Trapdoor time was just over 8 min and Pylon a little over 2. I was a little surprised by the low Pylon time as I assumed Psionic might be pretty well resisted; but, I'm guessing that Ice Slick and Sleet (both slotted with Annihilation -Res) probably contributed. There were a few hairy moments where, RNGs being RNGs, some lucky shot rang in and my health dropped precipitously. RoP for a little spike of protection and would muddle through. All told, I did like the characters capacity. Historically, I've used Ageless Core; but, I'm trying to lean more towards Barrier Core. However, as I've been transitioning characters that way, I've found that I often miss the End. All that is to say that I'm leaning to towards Psionic Assault very heavily as it does ameliorate that issue with Drain Psyche. Also because Psychic Shockwave is just great. I think I'm also leaning towards Ice Mastery for my APP. However, I'm not committed to Ice Control. I am curious if any of the other Primaries would work better than Ice. Dark, Earth, Fire and Plant are all still very much in contention. Thoughts?

Wow. Read that thread, then all the threads that were linked in that thread. There is a lot of information there. So, I just dug and started looking at numbers. I'm starting with the Assault side of things. I figured these sets are unique to Dominator's; and, frankly, a lot of the data provided relies principally on them. Just based purely on DPS, it does seem that Dark, Fiery, Psionic, Radioactive, Savage and Thorny are the top contenders. Looking at my goals (i.e. Defense caps, Perma-Hasten, and Stealth) little is offered by the Secondary. Although, I do note that Dark's -ToHit, and Savage's use of Blood Frenzy (+Rech of 20% with five stacks) are definitely points in their favor. I also noted that being able to insert the Ascendency of the Dominator proc was highly regarded. Which fits into Midnight Grasp (Dark), Subdue or Psychic Shockwave (Psionic), Atom Smasher or Devastating Blow (Radioactive), Vicious Slash or Feral Charge (Savage), and Impale (Thorny). That being said, I'm not really sure which, if any, of those powers would fit into a good build's attack chain. Fiery Assaults lack of "proc'ability" is also noted. Thinking in terms of offence, I'm seeing that Radioactive, Savage and Thorny all offer places to slot an Achille's -Res. Nightfall, Fire Breath, Psychic Scream, Electron Haze, Unkindness, Fling Thorns and Thorntrops all provide places for Annihilation's -Res. And, Engulfing Darkness, Combustion, Consume, Psychic Shockwave, Atom Smasher, Rending Fury, Thornburst and Ripper all allow for Fury of the Gladiator's -Res. Although, with the exception of Fling Thorns and Ripper, those cones are pretty meager with 20 to 30 degree arcs. Lastly, I thought about the Gaussian's proc, which is only available to Radioactive, Savage and Thorny. Again, I'm not really sure which, if any, of those powers would fit into a good build's attack chain. The last thing on my mind, as I did all this napkin math, was just a general concern about Savage and Thorny doing principally Lethal damage; and, how much that would effect performance. @EnjoyTheJourney, or anyone else reading, any thoughts on this analysis? Edit: I decided to explore the Secondaries just a little bit more with an eye towards sustainability (Heals and End). Dark's Life Drain, , Psionic's Drain Psyche, Radioactive's Radiation Siphon, , and Savage's Blood Craze all Heal. Fiery's Consume and Psionic's Drain Psyche help with End.

I started a thread like this in the Controller forum and got some great advice; so, here goes one for the Dominator forum. I am hoping some Dominator gurus might point me in the direction of a solid Dominator that I will enjoy. Wall of text incoming... A few things to know in advance. I will PL myself up to a reasonable level (30s), so I will never have to suffer through the low level grind. Influence is not really a concern. I tend to do about 50/50 solo vs team play. When I do team, it is with PUGs. I frequently do Speedy TFs and I really enjoy that challenge. I do have some goals. I tend to go towards, at least, some Defense caps (S/L, or S/L/E or R). I know a lot of people say that 32.5% is enough with just one small purple, but my experience (or perhaps playstyle) just doesn't really support that notion. I also always go for perma-Hasten. Since I do a lot of Speed runs, I always like to have good Stealth on board. Often this is just SS + Celerity, but it doesn't have to be. I would like to be able to take down a Pylon. I don't need to set a record here or anything. I think taking down a Pylon just represents being able to make a legitimate contribution to hard targets. I would like to be able to run Trapdoor at +4/x8. Again, I don't need to set a record here. Just looking for sustainability and survivability. I think the Trap Door test is a good benchmark as it does a nice job of representing the dangers of a +4/x8 team; and, I'd like to make a contribution when I land on one of those teams. Lastly, I'd like a Dominator that could contribute on a 4* Aeon or ITF. Those get called out frequently enough, and I've done a few; but, I'd like this toon to be a real contributor. I realize these goals may not even be achievable. Especially based on this next bit. I have taken every Dominator Primary and Secondary to 50 at this point. Some I loved, some I didn't. The ones I loved are much more in consideration than the ones I didn't. Although, I'd like to believe that I'm not so stubborn that my mind couldn't be changed. Primaries - Darkness Control: I've taken this to 50 four times now (/Cold, /Storm, /Earth Assault, and /Icy Assault). Love this set. Just don't know that it can do it all for me. Earth Control: I've taken this to 50 four times now (/Icy Assault, /Radioactive Assault, /Sonic Assault and /Thorny Assault). Love the animations, terrific pet, love this set. For a Controller, I would be concerned about damage output, not so much with a Dominator. Electric Control: I've taken this to 50 once (Electric Assault). Really did nothing for me. Don't like Sleeps or "chain" powers all that much. Maybe it's awesome and I just don't see it. Fire Control: I've taken this to 50 three times (/Kinetics, /Energy Assault, and /Savage Assault). Hate the Imps, love everything else. Seems like it should be able to meet the Goals. Gravity Control: I've taken this to 50 once (/Martial Assault). Eh. I'm not a fan of Knockback, and I consider having to put in a SA: Kb -> Kd Proc a tax. For the right power? Sure. Just didn't find the powers in Gravity worth it. Ice Control: I've taken this to 50 twice (/Darkness Affinity, and /Dark Assault). For a Controller, I would be concerned about damage output, not so much with a Dominator. And, Arctic Air with Domination is very strong. Illusion Control: I've taken this to 50 once (/Radiation Emission). I wish I liked this set more. It seems do the things I'd want it to do; and, yet, I find it chaotic (which I don't enjoy). I tested this one pretty heavily when I was building a new controller last August. I'd be willing to try again, but it didn't win out. Mind Control: I've taken this to 50 once (/Psi Assault). Blech. Plant Control: I've taken this to 50 three times (/Dark Miasma, /Fiery Assault, and /Trick Arrow). Absolutely terrific set. Symphony Control: I've taken this to 50 once (/Trick Arrow). This set just didn't do it for me. I could be convinced this is 'the one', but I'd have to see some real proof. I tested this one pretty heavily when I was building a new controller last August. and it was much better than my original estimation; but, I still have doubts for a Dominator. Secondaries - Dark Assault: I've taken this to 50 once (Ice Control/). I enjoyed it well enough, it puts out sufficient damage; but, it didn’t “wow” me. Earth Assault: I've taken this to 50 once (Darkness Control/). This one felt very solid. It hit very hard. Electricity Assault: I've taken this to 50 once (Electric Control/). I found this one cumbersome. The –End was negligible, some of the animations were slow. I don’t care for knockback. Energy Assault: I've taken this to 50 once (Fire Control/). Did not like. Taxed for Kb -> Kd. Didn’t find the damage worth it. Fiery Assault: I've taken this to 50 once (Plant Control/). This one felt very strong; and, I loved the extra sustainability from Consume. Icy Assault: I've taken this to 50 twice (Darkness Control/, and Earth Control/). I have an inexplicable love for all of the Ice sets; but, I’m not sure I would want it for a more “powerful” character. Martial Assault: I've taken this to 50 once (Gravity Control/). I wasn’t ever able to find much power in this set. Loved the style, but disliked the results. Psionic Assault: I've taken this to 50 once (Mind Control/). I didn’t like the character I had this on before; but, I blame that on Mind Control. I think this one could be a real contender. Radioactive Assault: I've taken this to 50 once (Earth Control/). This one was a real mixed bag. I ended up just focusing on the ranged attacks. I like the idea of Radiation Melee, but the animations are just pretty slow. Savage Assault: I've taken this to 50 once (Fire Control/). I paired this one with Fire and I liked how it looked on paper; in practice though, I felt the damage was a little anemic. Sonic Assault: I've taken this to 50 once (Earth Control/). I paired this one with Earth, probably should have gone fire. It has potential, I think I just made bad decisions with it. Thorny Assault: I've taken this to 50 once (Earth Control/). I really liked the idea of this one, but (again) some of the animation times left me wanting. I clearly have some leanings, but I'd appreciate a numbers or data driven perspective. Also, I fully acknowledge that my power selections, slotting or playstyle could have impacted the success or failure of any of my previous Dominators

Well, I've never seen it in the wild (so to speak), but on paper, Sonic/Energy does fulfil your criteria. PBAoE Nuke: Dreadful Wail Ranged AoEs and Cone: Howl, Shockwave, Siren's Song Single Target Melee: Energy Punch, Bone Smasher, Total Focus High DPA Single Target Ranged: Screech With the right Pool Powers and APP and good slotting you can handle +4/x8, and the fluidity in and out of melee Sustain Power: Energize (easy to perma) CC Synergy: Multiple Stun powers in each set Softening up mobs pre-nuke: Siren's Song (damage + sleep)

I always thought that it was that low HP, low Status protection toons favored Defense and High HP, well protected toons favored Resistance.

I've heard a lot of good things about Rad/Staff. This was typically coming from Tanks though. Mine was a Staff/Bio...which was fun.

Also have this issue. Went to copy a level 50 and it's listed as level 47. Also, can't find a new character. It's like the menu isn't updating to reflect what is currently there.

Doesn't Chronoshift provide +50% recharge?

Would that Combat Jumping have an impact of play if I had taken Mystic Flight early?

Yes, realized that last night while I was testing. This leaves me with a level 49 power open. I'd prefer it to be a mule for LotG. That leaves me Hover, Vengeance, Combat Jumping or something from the Concealment pool. Not sure if there are any advantages to any of those. Also need to pick out an Interface Incarnate power. Also, I wanted to thank @Without_Pause; @mistagoat; @EnjoyTheJourney; @Onlyasandwich; @Bionic_Flea; @Argentae; and @Panache for all your help this week. I did retest Ill/Dark last night (using Spectral Terror, as I should have been doing from outset) and it was an improved outcome. However, I also built and tested Plant/Dark. This set was faster than Fire/Dark in the Trapdoor tests, and reasonable against a Pylon. Additionally, it just felt more in line with my style of play. I realize that I lean into set bonuses, perhaps, more than is wise, when there there are more proc heavy builds that have higher levels of achievement. Nevertheless, I feel pretty confident that this set will serve me very well. And, thus, Mycella was created on Excelsior this morning. Thanks again!

No worries. It's good advice, and the community benefits from it. While this thread may be targeted at helping me out, I hope that anyone who reads it may benefit from it.

Yeah. It's a power I regularly use on my Ill/Rad. I feel like a dunce for forgetting it so completely during these tests.

@EnjoyTheJourney Funny story there. I have Spectral Terror fully slotted, and until I read your post, I had totally forgot about that power. It's not even in my tray for some reason. I will scrap and re-run all of my Ill/Dark tests now this time with more Spectral Terror.

Well, I am somewhat surprised at the results I'm getting. I have locked in a few things. I'm confident with /Dark (everything but Black Hole) and /Psi (Indomitable Will and Mind Over Body) as my Secondary and Epic. Also, settled into Sorcery (Arcane Bolt, Mystic Flight and Rune), Speed (Hasten), Teleportation (Combat Teleport) and Leadership (Maneuvers, Tactics, and others based on space in build). So, I've been playing with Fire/Dark, Illusion/Dark, and Symphony/Dark. I've been doing Trapdoors (some without Incarnates and Inspirations and some with Incarnates and Inspirations - although I've been clearing my Insp Tray and only using what drops). Also, been tackling Pylons (some without Incarnates and Inspirations and some with Incarnates and Inspirations - although I've been clearing my Insp Tray and only using what drops which means no Inspirations). I think the 'without' tests are useful, but not reflective of what it would be like to play 'in the wild' per se. Right now, Fire/Dark is the most consistent. Versus large spawns it's been Bonfire > pop in for Flashfire or Howling Twilight > pop out and spam hate. I can pretty reliably clear the Trapdoor mission in sub-nine minutes and can clear a Pylon in sub-five. Could probably be faster with more Procs, but I chased some Defense and Recharge bonuses. Illusion/Dark has much slower Trapdoor time for me around twelve minutes. I would have thought that it would feel less survivable on account of fewer controls, but PA really shores that up by drawing aggro. I'm a couple of seconds off of them being perma, so I probably should respec. However, it's Pylon times are consistently much faster than either of the others. Symphony has been a real surprise. I slotted my Symphony/Trick Arrow for controls and I slotted this Symphony/Dark more like a Blaster and the difference is night and day. In the Trapdoor mission it is a sea of orange numbers. My takeaway is that I really need to respec my Symph/TA controller. That being said, it has had the slowest Trapdoor times. Closer to thirteen minutes on average. I attribute this (in the aggregate) to time lost lining up cones as well as healing. It feels a little more dangerous. Without PA drawing the heat or the mobs bouncing up and down on a Bonfire, it really relies on it's own controls. Sleep and Fear are really only good until you attack again. I frequently has Warwolves ignore the controls and run up on my melee Defense and get solid hits in. Additionally, Symphony struggles the most versus single hard targets. Boss fights would also slow me down. It was slower than Fire/Dark versus the Pylon, on average, by about a minute. I think both Fire and Symphony would be faster if I wasn't chasing down Ranged Defense and +Recharge, but I am who I am. Next up, Plant/Dark. I have kind of high hopes for this combo.

So far, I've switched all of these Controllers on the test server to Sorcery power pool and Psi epic pool. I can pretty much cycle between Indomitable Will and Rune of Protection and get the mez protection I need. Plant/TA was one of my favorites on Live and I have recreated it here. Still strong. Grav/Storm - woof, I don't think I could do it. I would spray all of the enemy mobs around the battlefield and become an obstacle to my team. I'm sure of it. I know there are players out there that are absolute surgeons with Knockback (very rarely are they the ones that think they are surgeons); but, I know I'm not that good.

@Argentae I will add it to the list! So far, I've tested Symphony (based on Bionic Flea and Onlyasandwich's recommendation) and Illusion (based on Enjoy the Journeys). I'm going to also check out Fire and, now, Plant.

@Onlyasandwich Wow! Thank you. I'll check that out as soon as I get home from work.