Guide to Defender Dark/Sonic level 19 - Total team support and AV killer

[DougGraves]

Guide to Defender Dark/Sonic level 19

 

If you want to play low level content as a support character that does enough damage to solo and helps take down the toughest foes, a dark/sonic defender at level 19 is a good choice.  You will also be fine if you join higher level teams.  You can help take down AVs and GMs of any level.

 

Why a Dark/Sonic: You can fear a group every fight, stun a group and rez allies almost every fight, hold one foe frequently, heal, do decent single target damage with a lot of stacking -RES. You can do significant -Regen debuff on AVs and GMs. You have group stealth. And you can buff your teams damage and accuracy and counter blind for your team.

 

Why level 19: At level 19 you still have some inherent accuracy boost and can have the DFB accuracy, damage, and recovery buffs. This saves you several accuracy slots on characters. And your enhancements will only be slightly reduced doing low level content.

You do not get much better for several levels – dark does not get Worm Hole until 26, and Sonic gets Amplify at 20 but it is mostly a to hit buff, and Siren's Song at level 28 is good for normal sonics but is a weaker duplicate of fearsome stare.

 

Why not a Dark/Sonic: You lack AoE damage. You have no resistance and tiny defense. You need to hit to heal, and you have to stand next to someone to heal them.

 

Team Tactics

Drop Darkest Night on a boss or lt and Fearsome Stare on the whole spawn – which you do first depends on how clumped they are. If they are clumped use FS first, if not use DN and wait for them to clump to use FS.

Then use Petrifying Gaze on a target and your attacks to defeat it while it cannot fight back. Cycle through your foes. Watch your team's health and heal as needed, remember to move next to the person you are healing.

 

Solo Tactics

Use Fearsome Stare to fear the spawn. Then use Petrifying Gaze on a target and your attacks to defeat it while it cannot fight back. Cycle through your foes.

If Fearsome Stare is not up at the start of a fight, use Howling Twilight.

 

 

1 Twilight Grasp, Healing 3

Healing is important at low levels when tankers and others are not slotted and have holes in their protection. You may want to slot 1 accuracy, 2 healing, because missing with this can let someone die.

 

1 Shriek, Damage 3

Basic low damage ranged attack with fast recharge and -RES. Use first for the -RES before you hit with more damaging attacks.

 

2 Scream, Damage 3

Basic medium damage ranged attack with fast recharge and -RES.

 

4 Darkest Night, To Hit Debuff 3

An anchored toggle to drop on a boss, makes all of the foes around them hit less and do less damage. You may not need this if you can lock down foes with your other powers, but it is great in tough fights and on AVs and the like.

 

6 Howling Twilight, Recharge 3

Stuns a large group of foes and rezzes all allies around you. It is tempting to save this for the rez, but use this for the stun when you need to (like when a second group is aggro'd).

 

8 Shadowfall, End Reduction 1

Limited stealth for you and everyone around you. Plus some defense. Use this going between missions and during missions if you can afford the END.

 

10 Assault, End Reduction 1

Increases the damage of your team. Run this all of the time unless you are low on END.

 

12 Fearsome Stare, Accuracy 1, Recharge 1, Fear 1

A cone of fear. Should be up to start every fight, but not more often. So use it when the foes are bunched up, but use it often. This is your primary control. If you solo more than team, slot for 2 recharge and no fear.

 

14 Tactics, End Reduction 1

Increases the accuracy of your team and increases their perception to counter blind. Run this all of the time if you can afford the END, if your team has trouble hitting (higher level foes, or foes with force fields or -To Hit). Remember this if your team is blinded.

 

16 Shout, Damage 3

Basic high damage ranged attack with fast recharge and -RES. Use last after stacking -RES from your other attacks.

 

18 Petrifying Gaze, Recharge 2, Hold 1

A basic single target hold. This has a short duration so you cannot stack it to hold bosses. Use on lieutenants.

[Scarlet Shocker]

I rarely play defenders, I think I've had one 50 in all the time I played the game but this has piqued my interest so I'm giving it a go. Thanks