Modify the Dominator ATO Enhancements

[Biosphere]

I always thought that out of the ATO enhancements Stalkers and Scrappers had some of the better designs, because their enhancements compliment the archetype's playstyle. Like the global critical chance increase, or the instant rehide. With that in mind when I look at the Dominator's I don't see the same level of impact. The +DMG one is okay, but it's a basic effect that's nowhere close to how the other ATO Enhancements like the Stalker's polish its playstyle. You could add that to any archetype and it'd be fine, and I'd rather see the enhancements add definition to the Dominator with respect to its inherent. 

 

With that in mind I came up with two ideas for how to change the current ATO enhancements for Dominator.

 

Replace Ascendancy of the Dominator Recharge/Change for +DMG with...

 

Ascendancy of the Dominator Recharge/Critical Damage: UNIQUE -- No more than 1 enhancement of this type may be slotted by a character. This enhancement allows you to do extra damage to any target affected by Domination. 

 

It's basically a repeat of Containment, but only when the Dominator has Domination active. It wouldn't always be on unless the Dominator has perma-dom.

 

Then I'd replace Dominating Grasp Recharge/Firey Orb with...

 

Dominating Grasp Recharge/Increased Control Duration: UNIQUE -- No more than 1 enhancement of this type may be slotted by a character. This enhancement adds duration to your control effects while under the effects of Domination. This extra duration is canceled if you attack the controlled target.

 

It'd work like this: While you have Domination active anything you control would have extra control duration added to it, so long as you, the Dominator, didn't attack the target after applying the control effect. I think this would compliment the Dominator greatly because the Dominator with Domination active has the ability more than any other character to hold or control a target. Sometimes the target that needs to be controlled will not be the damage focus of the team or the Dominator. Therefore I think giving it an ATO enhancement that allows it to completely lockdown a target and add duration to that effect rounds out how the character would be played.

[Redlynne]

7 minutes ago, Biosphere said:

It's basically a repeat of Containment, but only when the Dominator has Domination active. It wouldn't always be on unless the Dominator has perma-dom.

The problem with that is that you've just enabled 2x damage on perma for perma-Doms.

Neither balanced nor recommended.

8 minutes ago, Biosphere said:

Dominating Grasp Recharge/Increased Control Duration

Wait ... fragile mez is your idea?

The basic problem with this one is that I don't think the game is rigged to allow debuffs (like status effects due to mez) to expire early if only the caster deals damage (see: Sleep) while allowing everyone else to do damage (see: Sleep again).  This does not sound workable without way too much extra work in order to enable the functionality that you're reaching for.  I'm just not seeing the return on investment of limited/finite/precious Dev resources to pursue this proposal.

 

 

 

I'm not saying there aren't better options for Dominator ATOs ... however I am saying that I don't think these two are really going to be workable.

[Biosphere]

I don't know if you understood my second enhancement properly. The effect of the mez would not expire, the duration would be modified. Think of it like this.

 

Dominator with the enhancement slotted has Domination active. They use their hold which from their enhancements has something like 90% hold duration on it. The enhancement then triggers a new effect once the target is held by the Dominator. The new effect adds a "proc" like enhancement effect against the enemy which boosts the hold's duration from the 90% slotted hold duration to something like 150%. 

 

As long as the Dominator doesn't touch the target that 150% duration stays. However, as soon as the Dominator touches the target it removes that "proc" and returns the value to the base of the 90% hold duration. Everyone else would be able to attack it and the duration would stay at 150% as long as the Dominator avoids damage the target directly. Everything else would perform the exact same.

[Mansome]

This really only helps perma doms. The current fire summon that happens goes a long way to help the piss poor damage doms get before pets. I have always felt the damage needs to be tweaked or move the more hard hitting powers down a lot further, like level 10. No harm in letting them get stuff like Total Focus at level 10. Also the whole recharge/damage/end formula they use needs to be thrown out. No reason weak ass powers need to have such long recharges. A lot of powers in the game are treated as if they will out do blasters and scrapper and we know that is isnt going to happen.

[oedipus_tex]

I just wish one of the two Dominator ATOs was designed for a damage power instead of a Control power. Neither set adds damage to powers. I usually end up slotting the better of the 2 and ignoring the other or just slotting the proc.

 

Most Control sets have only 2 or 3 powers where the ATO makes sense. You don't want to slot it in the T1, T2, or T3 because those need to do damage. You can't slot it in most Assault powers, and if you could, still wouldn't want to, because again you need damage. So you're left with few options.

Edited January 11, 2020 by oedipus_tex

[Chronicler J]

I just saw Rise of Skywalker and I'm really depressed but this topic made me think--in a better mood now.

 

I think this a good idea. It gives Dominators the ability to boost their damage where the crappy temp pets don't. If anyone thinks the Fiery Orbs "help" Doms, they're the same people that think crushing +4 Council in PI is a CoH Flex. If Stalkers, Scrappers and Tankers get the ability to completely change the way they play or deal damage, then I think that's the gold standard for ATOs. Currently the Dominator ATOs accomplish nothing in that ballpark (not even close) to justify the way they work now. Each ATO set that shines and people desire gives the AT a new, unique way to approach their playstyle. Dominators deal damage, so I think giving them a Containment proc and a hard mez boost just compliments the way the AT is designed. 

 

 

It could also be said that Controllers could get a global proc for a Domination effect, where they get double the magnitude. A little off-topic, I know, but it would be interesting to see the two control ATs overlap with some of their effects. The change to playstyle or build approach would be welcome. 

[Brawlin]

I don't play dominator, but if I did play a dominator. I would like to deal MORE damage. If the ATO sets help me deal more damage that's great because the dominator doesn't need more help with control.

[Frosticus]

3 hours ago, Mansome said:

 I have always felt the damage needs to be tweaked or move the more hard hitting powers down a lot further, like level 10. No harm in letting them get stuff like Total Focus at level 10. 

I dunno. a 22 sec recharge power that eats 1/5th of your end bar at lvl 10? I don't think most people would enjoy that.

[Frosticus]

41 minutes ago, oedipus_tex said:

I just wish one of the two Dominator ATOs was designed for a damage power instead of a Control power. Neither set adds damage to powers. I usually end up slotting the better of the 2 and ignoring the other or just slotting the proc.

 

Most Control sets have only 2 or 3 powers where the ATO makes sense. You don't want to slot it in the T1, T2, or T3 because those need to do damage. You can't slot it in most Assault powers, and if you could, still wouldn't want to, because again you need damage. So you're left with few options.

This is how I feel as well.

 

I wouldn't mind if the +dam proc could go in a damage power. It doesn't make sense in aoe controls and I don't use my st control enough where it stacks up much because 1 application of st control is usually enough and then you stack attacking them with superior damage powers. It's a 6ppm proc so it would work pretty well in a spammed damage power like a mid tier blast. 

 

I don't even bother with the fiery orb one (or the troller version). It just doesn't do much imo.

 

I'd vote for some changes to dom ATO's because I don't even bother with the procs. Like the OP said the stalker/scrapper ones are really good and compliment the AT's so well.  Corr ones are good too. 

 

 

[siolfir]

16 minutes ago, Frosticus said:

I dunno. a 22 sec recharge power that eats 1/5th of your end bar at lvl 10? I don't think most people would enjoy that.

At level 20 it would make sense, though; that's only 2 levels after Brutes get it.

 

I agree with making one of the ATO sets in a damage power - or just change the existing ones to be damage/mez in equal amounts, then the lack of utility in the procs would matter less because the actual enhancement values would be more valuable by freeing up slots.

[Frosticus]

1 minute ago, siolfir said:

At level 20 it would make sense, though; that's only 2 levels after Brutes get it.

 

definitely.

 

I think part of the problem though with assault sets being a secondary is you have to wait so long for just about everything. 

People expect the later tier powers to be better than what came before. Just look at /fiery. It is pretty subpar until blazing bolt and blaze. And then it is unreal. That sucks for /fiery as it means not adding epic powers until lvl 41. 

 

If i'd build doms I'd have put their assault as primary and control as secondary. It makes sense to me. Their control modifiers are already weaker than trollers (despite them both being a primary) and their attack modifiers are set similar to most primary damage dealers.

[Razor Cure]

I don't see these ideas actually helping much. +dam in DOminate mode only? That is far far less useful, especially when leveling up. +control duration in Dom? Dom already gives a big boost! 

I like the +dam proc. The Fiery orb is a PoS and hardly every seems to go off.