Dark/Dark Build help/advice for a new player

[BasherBot]

Hey, I am a relatively newer player (since I missed out on City of Heroes during it's hayday) and I was hoping to get some help with my build for my first character.

 

Villain Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Dark Blast
Secondary Power Set: Darkness Manipulation
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Flight
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Dark Blast -- Empty(A), Empty(3), Empty(3), Empty(7), Empty(9), Empty(13)
Level 1: Penumbral Grasp -- Empty(A), Empty(5), Empty(7), Empty(42), Empty(42), Empty(42)
Level 2: Gloom -- Empty(A), Empty(5), Empty(9), Empty(15), Empty(15), Empty(19)
Level 4: Hasten -- Empty(A), Empty(39)
Level 6: Hover -- Empty(A)
Level 8: Fly -- Empty(A)
Level 10: Smite -- Empty(A), Empty(11), Empty(11), Empty(48)
Level 12: Umbral Torrent -- Empty(A), Empty(13), Empty(19), Empty(21), Empty(21), Empty(23)
Level 14: Moonbeam -- Empty(A), Empty(17), Empty(17), Empty(23), Empty(25), Empty(25)
Level 16: Tenebrous Tentacles -- Empty(A), Empty(27), Empty(27), Empty(29), Empty(29), Empty(31)
Level 18: Abyssal Gaze -- Empty(A), Empty(31), Empty(33), Empty(33), Empty(33), Empty(34)
Level 20: Soul Drain -- Empty(A), Empty(31), Empty(40), Empty(40), Empty(40), Empty(45)
Level 22: Touch of the Beyond -- Empty(A), Empty(43), Empty(43), Empty(43), Empty(45), Empty(45)
Level 24: Shadow Maul -- Empty(A), Empty(48)
Level 26: Life Drain -- Empty(A), Empty(34), Empty(34), Empty(36), Empty(36), Empty(36)
Level 28: Dark Consumption -- Empty(A), Empty(48), Empty(50), Empty(50), Empty(50)
Level 30: Death Shroud -- Empty(A)
Level 32: Blackstar -- Empty(A), Empty(37), Empty(37), Empty(37), Empty(39), Empty(39)
Level 35: Dark Pit -- Empty(A)
Level 38: Midnight Grasp -- Empty(A)
Level 41: Night Fall -- Empty(A), Empty(46), Empty(46)
Level 44: Oppressive Gloom -- Empty(A), Empty(46)
Level 47: Soul Storm -- Empty(A)
Level 49: Soul Tentacles -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance 
Level 1: Quick Form 
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run 
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- Empty(A)
------------

[Snarky]

I am more brute than blaster. But I have run a few as well as some Sentinels.  One thing that will be most helpful is a PROC in Umbral Torrent that converts KB to KD.  

 

The next step is to decide how much time you will invest in the character.  If it’s a lot you can start throwing on expensive sets and chasing build goals. If not then just have fun blasting. GL

[Erydanus]

Sorry I didn't get the chance to reply to this post earlier. I actually have a Dark/Dark blaster I've been leveling myself and it took a bit of time with it to get some insight. I'm sure you're probably well along now but here are some suggestions I have for a leveling build which may be of use to the next person who comes along. One thing particular to your build is that I would not take Hasten at 4. You need more attacks to use at that level over getting the recharge down. Hasten is better taken 20s IMHO. Now what I would be down with taking at a really low level is Hover so you can slot it with a knockback protection IO (or even just to actually hover in combat all the time for its own limited knockdown protection and defense ). However taking Hasten, Hover, and Fly all below level 10 while actually leveling would be a really unpleasant experience, even if you rely on Sands of Mu and Blackwand for extra attacks, I think. 

 

1. Moonbeam should be taken as early as possible (probably for all blasters now) as it can be routinely used during combat as one of your fast, hard-hitting moves. It is expensive so you might want to slot it with 1 end reducer before you start slotting it for damage - snipes are that good.

 

2. Soul Drain is your build up, I would try to get it in the build as early as possible, same thing for Aim. In fact Aim, Soul Drain, Moonbeam at point blank is a boss killing tactic.

 

3. Touch of the Beyond, despite the name, is a ranged attack and it helps with recovery so I would also try to take it immediately.

 

4. Death Shroud was more end manageable than I expected, especially with inherent Stamina and Touch of the Beyond, I don't even have Dark Consumption yet.  (I jammed it into my build around level 18 in the middle of a Synapse TF; no regrets.) For a new character, taking the P2W prestige enhancement with a chance of knockdown and putting it into your damage aura power can be tremendous mitigation. 

 

5. I think Umbral Torrent is one you can skip for a while, at least until you can get the knockback to knockdown IO. What I did instead was get Tenebrous Tentacles right away at 12 and rely on them as my cone AoE damage. They are less damaging and shorter range than Umbral Torrent, but the cone's wider and the recharge is faster. They've been fine to use as my main AoE on Yin and Synapse task forces, for instance. When soloing, I'm using my single target attacks primarily; moonbeam almost always kills something and the combination of gloom, Dark Blast, Penumbral Grasp, and later Abyssal Gaze is easily enough damage and control to lock down the other 2 mobs (as most spawns are 3 mobs). 

 

6. I'd skip Dark Pit, I think it's complete trash; it's just a mag 2 stun with a short duration, and it's 15% lower innate accuracy. (It's one of the several Dark Defender powers that got nerfed along with certain controller powers.) As it's the 35 power, just take an epic at this point instead. 

Edited December 2, 2019 by Erydanus

[towgod98258]

On 12/2/2019 at 7:28 AM, Erydanus said:

Sorry I didn't get the chance to reply to this post earlier. I actually have a Dark/Dark blaster I've been leveling myself and it took a bit of time with it to get some insight. I'm sure you're probably well along now but here are some suggestions I have for a leveling build which may be of use to the next person who comes along. One thing particular to your build is that I would not take Hasten at 4. You need more attacks to use at that level over getting the recharge down. Hasten is better taken 20s IMHO. Now what I would be down with taking at a really low level is Hover so you can slot it with a knockback protection IO (or even just to actually hover in combat all the time for its own limited knockdown protection and defense ). However taking Hasten, Hover, and Fly all below level 10 while actually leveling would be a really unpleasant experience, even if you rely on Sands of Mu and Blackwand for extra attacks, I think. 

 

1. Moonbeam should be taken as early as possible (probably for all blasters now) as it can be routinely used during combat as one of your fast, hard-hitting moves. It is expensive so you might want to slot it with 1 end reducer before you start slotting it for damage - snipes are that good.

 

2. Soul Drain is your build up, I would try to get it in the build as early as possible, same thing for Aim. In fact Aim, Soul Drain, Moonbeam at point blank is a boss killing tactic.

 

3. Touch of the Beyond, despite the name, is a ranged attack and it helps with recovery so I would also try to take it immediately.

 

4. Death Shroud was more end manageable than I expected, especially with inherent Stamina and Touch of the Beyond, I don't even have Dark Consumption yet.  (I jammed it into my build around level 18 in the middle of a Synapse TF; no regrets.) For a new character, taking the P2W prestige enhancement with a chance of knockdown and putting it into your damage aura power can be tremendous mitigation. 

 

5. I think Umbral Torrent is one you can skip for a while, at least until you can get the knockback to knockdown IO. What I did instead was get Tenebrous Tentacles right away at 12 and rely on them as my cone AoE damage. They are less damaging and shorter range than Umbral Torrent, but the cone's wider and the recharge is faster. They've been fine to use as my main AoE on Yin and Synapse task forces, for instance. When soloing, I'm using my single target attacks primarily; moonbeam almost always kills something and the combination of gloom, Dark Blast, Penumbral Grasp, and later Abyssal Gaze is easily enough damage and control to lock down the other 2 mobs (as most spawns are 3 mobs). 

 

6. I'd skip Dark Pit, I think it's complete trash; it's just a mag 2 stun with a short duration, and it's 15% lower innate accuracy. (It's one of the several Dark Defender powers that got nerfed along with certain controller powers.) As it's the 35 power, just take an epic at this point instead. 

Did you put this Build into Mid's ???