I come seeking wisdom, Mind/Dark advice

[Solus Nova]

I've been playing CoX for a long time but never really went for Dominators, don't know why. Anyways I was teamed with a Dom recently and it looked like fun so I thought I try one, made a few but nothing stood out.

The I had an idea, a descendent of Elizabeth Bathory, she's a pseudo Vampire. Which lead to me making a Mind/Dark for theme.

The problem is I have no real idea how to put an effective build together, ideally I'd like to be able to solo or run with teams, just to be effective.

So what powers should I get? What to avoid? Go for leadership or fighting? For my Epic I'm torn between Soul or Psi and I want Flight just for the concept.

So any advice? Or can someone toss up a build so I can see it, I'm curious about what, when, and why to take powers.

Thanks in advance, and stay awesome! 

[Mezmera]

My main is a Mind/Dark dom and my favorite to play.  You build the dom right you'll be able to be super effective at whatever you like.  Hope you're not too invested in theme that it keeps you from being creative with your power selection.  

 

I find the healing aspect of /dark to allow some creative choices as far as damage chains.  I do like Soul for the shield and Soul Drain on my other doms that don't have a heal.  But /dark can take full advantage of having Energy Transfer in your damage chain so I'd highly recommend Primal Mastery.  

 

As for flying I go with Sorcery as my 4th pool so you can have a flight power along with a great resist shield in Rune of Protection.  

 

The bare bones you'll want in your main powers are: 

Mesmerize, Dominate, Confuse, Mass Confuse and one other AoE control ( I like Total Domination, some like Terrify) 

Dark Blast, Gather Shadows, PBAoE attack at 20, Life Drain, and Moonbeam

 

My pools are Speed, Fighting, Leadership, Sorcery and Primal Mastery

 

I won't put everything out here but if you'd like a guide I can give you my build and reasoning for it.  

[Solus Nova]

16 hours ago, Mezmera said:

My main is a Mind/Dark dom and my favorite to play.  You build the dom right you'll be able to be super effective at whatever you like.  Hope you're not too invested in theme that it keeps you from being creative with your power selection.  

 

I find the healing aspect of /dark to allow some creative choices as far as damage chains.  I do like Soul for the shield and Soul Drain on my other doms that don't have a heal.  But /dark can take full advantage of having Energy Transfer in your damage chain so I'd highly recommend Primal Mastery.  

 

As for flying I go with Sorcery as my 4th pool so you can have a flight power along with a great resist shield in Rune of Protection.  

 

The bare bones you'll want in your main powers are: 

Mesmerize, Dominate, Confuse, Mass Confuse and one other AoE control ( I like Total Domination, some like Terrify) 

Dark Blast, Gather Shadows, PBAoE attack at 20, Life Drain, and Moonbeam

 

My pools are Speed, Fighting, Leadership, Sorcery and Primal Mastery

 

I won't put everything out here but if you'd like a guide I can give you my build and reasoning for it.  

Thanks for the response, and yes I'd like a guide and definitely the reasoning for various choices/slots. The reasoning/logic is were I'm having issues.

[Mercurias]

Hey there!

There isn't really one, single way to build a Mind/Dark Dominator. Like everything in CoH, you can pretty-much find what works for you and run with it.

One thing you'll probably want to focus on, though, is getting to Permadom, when Domination recharges before its effect runs out (which will give you a full endurance bar and refreshing your amped controls, as well as maintaining strong mez protection). To do that, you'll likely want 70-ish% global recharge plus Hasten. I tend to prefer 80/85% to be safe.

 

Mind Control:

Mesmerize: This power deals Psychic damage to a single target and puts it to sleep for a prolonged period of time. As far as single-target soft control goes, it isn't bad, but its damage isn't really something I would invest in heavily for a Dominator. A single Accuracy IO should be all this power needs to lock a darget down until your team mate uses an AoE and wakes it up again.

 

Levitate: The Mind Control set cousin to Lift from Gravity Control. You yeet an enemy into the air, and they take smashing damage. I find this to be another solid control power, since you can chain it and continuously bounce a boss around before it gets an attack off. For Dominators, I put this in the "Nice to have, but hard to fit into a build" category, since Domination gives your mezzes enough juice to render it a little less useful than it would be for Controllers.

 

Confuse: Your best control power. You make enemies into your minions temporarily, and they hit other enemies for you until they come to their senses. I highly recommend getting this power ASAP and slotting it with the Contagious Confusion proc at 50.

 

Mass Hypnosis: Largely a solo power, or a useful power for running away. It's an AoE sleep, so it will mez most of a group until they're struck. Beware of AoEs. I tend to consider this a situational or optional power choice. 

 

Telekinesis: Grabs an enemy and other enemies nearby, then repels them. Nice for grouping up enemies and obliterating your endurance bar. Not my favorite power, but it has some uses and doesn't need a lot of slotting to do its job. Another optional choice.

 

Total Domination: Your AoE Hold. It's ranged, unlike some AoE holds, and with Domination it allows to to instantly lock down anything that isn't an EB or AV so long as it hits. A nice power, but its long duration doesn't make it a 100% required choice. 

 

Terrify: Your 100% required choice AoE Mez. A large (90 degree) cone which fears enemies and deals minor psychic damage over time. You can easily make this a permanent mez even without Domination. WITH Domination, you can have it up every ten seconds or so and fear bosses the first time you use it. 

 

Mass Confusion: Joy and Chaos at the click of a button. You can make this power recharge before its duration wears off quite easily, and under Domination this essentially ends a fight before it starts.

 

Dark Assault

Dark Blast: A weak ST blast power. You have to take it. I'd slot it if you can, but if you can't then by 50 you can basically remove it from your bar. 

 

Smite: Single Target melee attack. Nice animation, fun thwack sound when you hit with it. 

 

Gloom: ST attack with more range than Dark Blast. This is a sneaky power, because it deals its damage over time. So long as you remember that and use it accordingly, it's a solid choice.

 

Nightfall: A teensy 20 degree cone ranged AoE blast. I don't like it very much, but it's your only ranged AoE option. 

 

Gather Shadows: Like Build Up Powers? Heck yeah you do! Well this one also amps the secondary effects of your powers! Now those Dark Assault attacks will deal more -ToHit, and it boosts the duration of your mezzes! A nice little one-slot wonder. 

 

Engulfing Darkness: It's a PBAoE attack with a long-ish animation that deals extra -ToHit compared to other Dark Assault powers. If you want to fight in melee, this is a decent power. 

 

Life Drain: A decent AT Blast made fantastic by the addition of a small heal. Making this part of your rotation does good things for your survival. Definitely wanna get this one. I also tend not to bother enhancing the heal, because it's only 8%. It adds up to a lot over time, but enhancements wouldn't boost it by very much.

 

Moon Beam: Your strongest ST Blast, and a snipe. A definite choice.

 

Midnight Grasp: Your strongest ST Melee attack, which also immobilizes. Like Gloom, this power does a lot of its damage over the course of time. Because of that, I tend to use both Gloom and Midnight Grasp on one target in order to stack the DoT.

 

 

For pools, you'll likely want things that give you Defense. Not only does Dark Assault lower enemy chance to hit, which makes defense more attractive for survival, but you can slot up to five Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed enhancements into your build for a combined 37.5% global recharge reduction. That's really nice for working towards Permadom. 

Hopefully this way-too-long post helps!