Dark Mental

[Snarky]

This is my new Blaster experiment.  No idea how it will play.  4 DFB and Posi 1 / 2 out of the way.  I think (total guess) this will do better in late game with very high ranged defense and focusing on debuffing a little more than pure damage.  Any tips advice and wry comments always appreciated.

 

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

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Snarkbone: Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Dark Blast
Secondary Power Set: Mental Manipulation
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Dark Blast

• (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
• (3) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
• (3) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
• (5) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (5) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (7) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
  

Level 1: Subdual

• (A) Apocalypse - Chance of Damage(Negative)
  

Level 2: Gloom

• (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
• (7) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
• (9) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
• (9) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (11) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (11) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
  

Level 4: Umbral Torrent

• (A) Overwhelming Force - Accuracy/Damage
• (13) Overwhelming Force - Endurance/Recharge
• (13) Overwhelming Force - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (15) Overwhelming Force - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (15) Overwhelming Force - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (17) Overwhelming Force - Damage/Chance for Knockdown/Knockback to Knockdown
  

Level 6: Aim

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (48) Recharge Reduction IO
  

Level 8: Moonbeam

• (A) Executioner's Contract - Accuracy/Damage
• (17) Executioner's Contract - Damage/Endurance
• (19) Executioner's Contract - Damage/Interrupt
• (19) Executioner's Contract - Damage/Range
• (21) Executioner's Contract - Damage/Recharge
• (21) Executioner's Contract - Disorient Bonus
  

Level 10: Psychic Scream

• (A) Superior Defiant Barrage - Accuracy/Damage
• (23) Superior Defiant Barrage - Damage/RechargeTime
• (23) Superior Defiant Barrage - Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime
• (25) Superior Defiant Barrage - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (25) Superior Defiant Barrage - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• (43) Superior Defiant Barrage - RechargeTime/+Status
  

Level 12: Tenebrous Tentacles

• (A) Cloud Senses - ToHit Debuff
• (27) Cloud Senses - Accuracy/ToHitDebuff
• (27) Cloud Senses - Accuracy/Recharge
• (29) Cloud Senses - ToHit Debuff/Endurance/Recharge
• (29) Cloud Senses - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
• (42) Cloud Senses - Chance for Negative Energy Damage
  

Level 14: Hover

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• (33) Kismet - Accuracy +6%
  

Level 16: Concentration

• (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff
• (31) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge
• (43) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance
• (46) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance
• (48) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance
• (48) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up
  

Level 18: Abyssal Gaze

• (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
• (31) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
• (31) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
• (33) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (33) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (40) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
  

Level 20: Drain Psyche

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
  

Level 22: Stealth

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
  

Level 24: Invisibility

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
  

Level 26: Life Drain

• (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
• (34) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
• (34) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
• (34) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (36) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (40) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
  

Level 28: Hasten

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (36) Recharge Reduction IO
  

Level 30: Maneuvers

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
  

Level 32: Blackstar

• (A) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Accuracy/Damage
• (36) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Damage/Recharge
• (37) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (37) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (37) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (43) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Recharge/Chance for Fire Damage
  

Level 35: Night Fall

• (A) Cloud Senses - ToHit Debuff
• (39) Cloud Senses - Accuracy/ToHitDebuff
• (39) Cloud Senses - Accuracy/Recharge
• (39) Cloud Senses - ToHit Debuff/Endurance/Recharge
• (40) Cloud Senses - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
• (42) Cloud Senses - Chance for Negative Energy Damage
  

Level 38: Psychic Shockwave

• (A) Absolute Amazement - Accuracy/Recharge
• (50) Absolute Amazement - Chance for ToHit Debuff
  

Level 41: Dark Embrace

• (A) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All)
• (42) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
  

Level 44: Soul Tentacles

• (A) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Recharge
• (45) Trap of the Hunter - Endurance/Immobilize
• (45) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Endurance
• (45) Trap of the Hunter - Immobilize/Accuracy
• (46) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Immobilize/Recharge
• (46) Trap of the Hunter - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
  

Level 47: Assault

• (A) Endurance Reduction IO
  

Level 49: Tactics

• (A) Rectified Reticle - Increased Perception
  

Level 1: Brawl

• (A) Empty
  

Level 1: Defiance 

Level 1: Quick Form 
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash

 

| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|MxDz;1496;689;1378;HEX;|
|78DA65946B4FD36014C79F6E1DB0C1DCC69830B98EC9802185A9EF4D1435288BC42|
|5BE5D0A6B58A5B4CD2E465EFA114C14041CA8F1FAC6AFA0C6EB8750D4787DE3E50B|
|9879D6F36710D664FBF5F99F9EF37F7A4EDBF4D5A9B6A767AF9D1092FF94A1168BD|
|993F45FD20A9EB4BAA0CF0B3ABC19532D2CCE59A6D64CAB28E2D98BAAB9A0E59429|
|8A714E7C279229DBB655282969CD2CA94636AD9ABA5D36D4926E99A16933AF15485|
|7764E5A672DCB50CE18FA42BE1472CEA7CD2B7A519FD30DBDB4EC73948CAD69B980|
|733AA3A939AD50CCEB76CF695B9F57D28EE5926EE6B219AB5C33ABAD97BB68A709F|
|AE53B048EAA4754082959B836C12DA67C07BCCB6CBAC7BC2EEAB9B476399A4EF524|
|D49350AF09F55A50AF05F57CA8E743BDCB94EB46AEFBBDDBD1DA3E80DBCC031FC14|
|FCCE067E622E57A3857F28C71BD09D0A05833EA36BF642DF88AD9FE1A7CC3EC780B|
|BE63DEA8CD17B95E213BDA41097431BBDCA0CC4C7A984BE4DB8ADCD62FD49F5E591|
|CFA0A7E63F67C077F30477F32BDB461BFC4F7E38F484EBD817FC289DD2404503770|
|9FFBDEF780997CC81C7FC49C780C3E619AB4A7107243984F1FE6D387F90C603E039|
|8CF30E6B342083BD3AD8A307AEBA77D46789F22827D0648EBC473D109CD22DF287C|
|A3F08DC13706DF187CE3FB7C07A95E3766DB0DDF3818A2582FFC7BE16593573FBCF|
|AD7F9F9886F300FDF062BE02633B9C57C461844EE206696C0CC12985902331BDE37|
|B335CA1AC23E87D2DCEFD405E673AA3B82798E1C65AFD14EC9C97B41CB31788EADF|
|03D1C59056F816BCCF1757083D94EF7AFA0D74A8C7B12266D123D99AC907F989E2F|
|79CFBB5AA543C46A0A5F553D9FAC47ABC9862B271B94548372AC4139DEA0CCEC3AD|
|28BCE7D9995EBDF0B2139577983F5AF40F5978FA2D2DEE89F5DC525C5B88FA97324|
|0C132F714F7E3764FDDDABACB2F37F5F4FFD46|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

[Snarky]

rolled through 4 DFB, posi1, posi2, Synapse and a few Council missions 50+4 in PI.  I like this better than AR.  That is as much a theme judgement as it is a value judgement.  I like a ghastly skull headed robed figure slinging dark magic better than anybody pulling out a rifle and shooting.  Just feels more like the genre I want to be in.  

 

As far as I can tell the mechanics at high level are as I expected.  Since nobody can clear a large 50+4 spawn without using Judgement powers it becomes necessary to have a secondary effect starting to work on the mobs.  Dark provide arguably one of the better ones in the game.  To Hit Debuffs.  While the cones I was slinging at 50+4 council was not clearing them it was hitting a lot, ...and debuffing a lot.  That has got to count for something.  The same will be true in Incarnate content, with the odd exception of runners in BAF trial who are not swinging at you.  Also, even enhancing for debuffs on 2 of the cones it is still Dark damage.  According to a table I just saw that is the most effective damage type across the board in PvE, with (as always) odd exceptions like CoT ghosts.

 

I am still not completely happy with the slotting, but I am in love with the very large ranged defense numbers.  If the combats go as I suspect I will probably leave it like this.  Unless someone has some insight.  Again, I am new to building Blasters.  I can build Tanks and Brutes.  Mostly with concepts and formats I stole from Hyperstrike and a few others.  Blasters....as you can tell I kept this build straightforward.  Practically stinking linear lol.

 

I think I will 50 this one.  Really liking how it plays.  Love cones, lot of cones.  Need to organize the things by range I have so many lol.  creep up, unload, creep further unload, one more hover step in, unload lol.  Not having KB is very nice too.

 

Drain Psyche is interesting to use.  Since it doers not buff damage it is not desperately needed most of the time.  Usually (50%?) I can plan my step in and recharge.  Other times I am swarmed.  Perfect time for the PBAoE Heal lol, just when things go sideways.  I think I will be able to make peace with this PBAoE in my playstyle.  Easy if a tank is around.  step next to Tank, Drain Psyche, Blackstar, hover up.  Cone Madness.

[Neogumbercules]

I've been running this build on and off for a while now. I'm wondering about the best way to slot world of confusion, or if it's even worth taking at all.

[Snarky]

I use the Rogue Alignment Power "Duplicity" quite a lot on my Invul Tank.  It can add mitigation (slight break) in odd situations, when swarmed and I am worried about squishies, or when grabbing a glowie.  I cannot see its use if you are running ranged, or even much use if blapping.  It is not guaranteed, it does not last long, and while sometimes the stars align and things work great. (the Lt kills the sapper after the sapper saps the boss!!!)  usually....no.  I am a definite thumbs down on confuse powers.  I would rather have a knockdown any day of the week.  Since I already slotted two cones for debuff instead of damage and felt iffy about that, kind of glad, kind of want more damage numbers lol.  I cannot think about taking and then slotting up a Point Blank power that is a soft control that works sometimes and not for long.

[Neogumbercules]

Thanks Snarky. I respec'd out of WoC and the build makes a lot more sense now. I'm still not sure I'm going to stick with Dark/. Rad/ or Fire/ pairs better with a character that will be standing in PBAOE range all the time...

[Llewellyn Blackwell]

slotting Drain psyche like that makes ita  power not even worth having. Build it to fast recharge and heal big and you will have a regen rate off of a large group to rival regeneration scrappers in high lvl play. WoC is def worth building as a confusion power if your going to be in melee range most of the time.

 

Anything can pair with mental really its just about going close quarters rather then fearing the mobs. I tend to make psy shockwave a CC attack rather then build it for dmg.  Cant say Ive been impressed by the patron pools on blasters really ever. On sentinels and scrappers I find them damn good though.

Edited February 25, 2020 by Bentley Berkeley