Dark/Fire or Fire/Dark??

[WitchofDread]

Never really ran a Sentinel before so not really sure if either of the below builds are any good but here we go.

 

I'm thinking the Fire/dark/elec is probably the stronger of the 2

 

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!

Level 50 Magic Sentinel
Primary Power Set: Dark Blast
Secondary Power Set: Fiery Aura
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Dark Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Gloom -- SprSntWar-Acc/Dmg(A), SprSntWar-Dmg/Rchg(5), SprSntWar-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), SprSntWar-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), SprSntWar-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), SprSntWar-Rchg/+Absorb(9)
Level 1: Fire Shield -- Ags-ResDam(A), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx(3), Ags-ResDam/Rchg(3), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(9)
Level 2: Umbral Torrent -- SuddAcc--KB/+KD(A), FrcFdb-Rechg%(40), Bmbdmt-Acc/Rech/End(40), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech(43), Bmbdmt-Dam(43)
Level 4: Molten Embrace -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 6: Abyssal Gaze -- NrnSht-Dam%(A), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(25), NrnSht-Acc/EndRdx(39), UnbCns-Dam%(39), GldNet-Dam%(40)
Level 8: Aim -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 10: Healing Flames -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(11), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(11), Prv-Heal/Rchg(13), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(13), Prv-Absorb%(15)
Level 12: Temperature Protection -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
Level 14: Dark Obliteration -- PstBls-Dam%(A), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), PstBls-Acc/Dmg(17), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(17), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(19)
Level 16: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 18: Antumbral Beam -- Apc-Dam%(A), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Apc-Dmg/Rchg(21), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(21), Apc-Acc/Rchg(23), GldJvl-Dam%(25)
Level 20: Consume -- Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Obl-Acc/Rchg(45), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(45), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Obl-%Dam(46)
Level 22: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(23)
Level 24: Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 26: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), GldArm-ResDam(27), GldArm-End/Res(27), GldArm-Res/Rech/End(33), ResDam-I(50)
Level 28: Burn -- FuroftheG-ResDeb%(A), Arm-Dam%(29), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(31), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), Arm-Acc/Rchg(31)
Level 30: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def(34), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(36), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(36)
Level 32: Blackstar -- Obl-%Dam(A), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Obl-Acc/Rchg(33), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(34), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34)
Level 35: Netherworld Tentacles -- Rgn-Dmg(A), Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Rgn-Dmg/Rchg(37), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Rgn-Acc/Rchg(37), TraoftheH-Dam%(39)
Level 38: Smite -- TchofDth-Acc/Dmg(A), TchofDth-Dmg/EndRdx(46), TchofDth-Dmg/Rchg(46), TchofDth-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(48), TchofDth-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(48), TchofDth-Dam%(50)
Level 41: Engulfing Darkness -- Obl-%Dam(A), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Obl-Acc/Rchg(42), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(42), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43)
Level 44: Fly -- Empty(A)
Level 47: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(48)
Level 49: Tactics -- GssSynFr--Build%(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(50)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Opportunity 
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 -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A)
Level 50: Agility Core Paragon 
------------

 

 

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!

Level 50 Magic Sentinel
Primary Power Set: Fire Blast
Secondary Power Set: Dark Armor
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Electricity Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Fire Blast -- SprOppStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprOppStr-Dmg/Rchg(37), SprOppStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), SprOppStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), SprOppStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
Level 1: Dark Embrace -- Ags-ResDam(A), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx(3), Ags-ResDam/Rchg(3), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(5)
Level 2: Fire Ball -- PstBls-Dam%(A), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), PstBls-Acc/Dmg(36), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(37), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(37)
Level 4: Tenebrous Regeneration -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(5), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(7), Prv-Heal/Rchg(7), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(9), Prv-Absorb%(9)
Level 6: Blaze -- SprSntWar-Acc/Dmg(A), SprSntWar-Dmg/Rchg(13), SprSntWar-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), SprSntWar-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), SprSntWar-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), SprSntWar-Rchg/+Absorb(46)
Level 8: Aim -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 10: Murky Cloud -- Ags-ResDam(A), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx(11), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(11), Ags-ResDam/Rchg(13)
Level 12: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 14: Fly -- Empty(A)
Level 16: Obscure Sustenance -- Obl-Dmg(A), Obl-Acc/Rchg(17), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(17), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), Obl-%Dam(21)
Level 18: Blazing Blast -- Apc-Dam%(A), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(23), Apc-Dmg/Rchg(23), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(25), Apc-Acc/Rchg(25), GldJvl-Dam%(48)
Level 20: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(21)
Level 22: Cloak of Darkness -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(45), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(45), LucoftheG-Def(46)
Level 24: Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 26: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), GldArm-ResDam(27), GldArm-End/Res(27), GldArm-Res/Rech/End(29)
Level 28: Rain of Fire -- PstBls-Dam%(A), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(29), PstBls-Acc/Dmg(31), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(34), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(34)
Level 30: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(31), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(31)
Level 32: Inferno -- Obl-%Dam(A), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Obl-Acc/Rchg(33), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(33), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Obl-Dmg(50)
Level 35: Oppressive Gloom -- AbsAmz-EndRdx/Stun(A)
Level 38: Chain Fences -- Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Rgn-Dmg(39), Rgn-Dmg/Rchg(39), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Rgn-Acc/Rchg(40), PstBls-Dam%(50)
Level 41: Lightning Field -- Obl-%Dam(A), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Obl-Acc/Rchg(42), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(42), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), Obl-Dmg(43)
Level 44: Cloak of Fear -- GlmoftheA-Dam%(A), CldSns-%Dam(45), CldSns-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(46), CldSns-Acc/ToHitDeb(48), CldSns-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 47: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 49: Soul Transfer -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Opportunity 
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 -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(50)
Level 50: Cardiac Core Paragon 
------------

 

 

[CaptTastic]

I would personally go Dark/Fire from those choices, just because I don’t think Dark Armour has been adapted to Sentinels very well at all. 
 

I’m a believer though that you can make any combination work and your favourite characters always end up being the ones you can’t really explain why you love them - you just do. 

[WitchofDread]

Why dont you think Dark Armour has been adapted well?

[SeraphimKensai]

The dark/fire will have more heals you can juggle than the fire/dark. With the /fire you get a toggle to add fire damage to all your attacks. You'll have some tohitdebuffs on your targets due to dark blast

 

That said, dark armor is generally more a balanced resistance spread. Fire blasts have more damage than dark blasts.

 

But any toon can be built well, so pick one you think you will have fun with.

[oldskool]

You're on the right track with both ideas but they could still use some refinement.  

The Fire/Dark, as it currently is, has a slight edge especially at range.  The Dark/Fire catches back up in melee due to Smite.  

In both builds you completely skipped the crowd control protection powers (Obsidian Shield [Dark] and Plasma Shield [Fire]).  Those powers you skipped would protect you from holds, sleeps (Plasma Shield), fear, and stun (Obsidian also includes the latter).   Both sets trend towards more melee and you'll likely get eaten alive the moment anything CCs you.  

Fire Blast doesn't offer much beyond more damage so it doesn't necessarily bring synergy with Dark Armor.  However, Dark Armor on Sentinels plays a bit differently from the melee ATs.  Oppressive Gloom and Cloak of Fear are entirely optional if you intend to Hover Blast.  I disagree with @CaptTastic here.  Obscure Sustenance has longer range than Dark Regen does and it doesn't trigger off multiple targets since the effect doesn't stack.  You don't use that power in the same manner as you would Dark Regen.  Obscure Sustenance is more of a maintenance power you cast to grant yourself its bonus where Dark Regen works more like a snap "oh shit" heal.  

As long as you hover within 35ft of an enemy you can tap a single enemy with Obscure Sustenance on cooldown and reap its benefits.  I've honestly really soured on Cloak of Fear.  The accuracy in it is horrible and its endurance cost is massive.  If you really want a to-hit debuff in a toggle, then use the Purple Proc in Oppressive Gloom.  Not only does Oppressive Gloom have legit base accuracy by default, it costs substantially less.  If you're fully intent on holding enemies up close, then Chain Fences + Lightning Field + Rain of Fire sounds fine on paper.  

 

Last note on Fire Blast just to keep this from turning into a novella.  If you plan to run Cardiac with Dark, then I do think Fire Blast is a good choice.  Dark can get expensive if you use Cloak of Fear, but Fire Blast IS is expensive to chain Blaze - Fireball - Blazing Blast.  Oh, dump Fire Blast (the attack - not the set 😄).  You should build without it and go with Flares.  Flares is much better in general and can be much better considering a total build revamp.  

Dark Blast can bring synergy with any set.  So it's actually a pretty intelligent choice with Fire Armor.  Fire Armor lacks in mitigation and Dark Blast brings an absolute crapload of to-hit debuffing in Blackstar.  Furthermore, Blackstar is PBAoE and so is Burn.  I don't think you can hover very far and still use Burn.  So that's something to think about.  I could be wrong through.  I just haven't tried it in years.  

You've got the right idea with Abyssal Gaze; proc the hell out of it.  You skipped Life Drain though which can do very similar things.  With procs it is quite powerful.  Hell, with high enough recharge you could run Abyssal Gaze, Antumbral Beam and Life Drain only as your ranged attacks.  So Gloom vs Dark Blast is a coin toss.  Take Dark Blast if you can get your endurance under control otherwise Gloom can help due to how the inherent works.  

When in melee, Smite, can either replace or supplement your range attacks.  I actually rather like the Dark Mastery pool and especially when paired with Dark Blast due to more to hit debuffs.  I'd probably push the slotting you have in Burn to Engulfing Darkness.  
 

So, fun ideas... 

Both primaries bring a PBAoE T9 power.  That means both can take that Fury of the Gladiator debuff with a clamped 90% chance to proc it.  That also means both can run the Armageddon set.  However, that Engulfing Darkness ain't a bad place for those IOs either.  The Opportunity Strikes ATO can be useful in the T9 for both recharge reduction and high burst of near guaranteed opportunity meter.  I have a few characters with 23 second recharges on their T9.  Opportunity runs for 15 seconds.  15 - 23 = 8.  You can effectively turn your T9 into an Opportunity generator and drive down the lag between Opportunity uses.  It does work.  However, I'd only bother to do this if you're running a worthwhile PBAoE that can take the Armageddon/Fury combo.  Otherwise putting those in the T9 is very strong.  

Unless you plan to group with 6+ members per group that Gaussian's Build-Up can better off in Aim.  If you group with big groups, and especially ones bringing pets, then Gaussian's in Tactics can potentially be better.  Still, you lose total control over the proc that way vs Aim and that can be a significant kick in the pants if you time your Aim + Blackstar/Inferno.  

 

Cauterizing Blaze is a heal over time power.  It's not regeneration.  Its heal over time.  That's generally better and that power is worth considering.  

If you plan to get into the melee realm of things with either build, try to plan on getting 32% melee OR to damage types you plan to engage in commonly (like Smashing/Lethal).  The more defense the merrier, but I've found 32% is a nice sweet spot especially for playing in +2/# difficulty missions.  If you start to go for +3 or +4 enemies solo, plan to get pounded on in melee.  You can hover of course, but both builds as you have them benefit in melee.  You don't necessarily need to softcap, but the more defense you can stack with high resistance the better off you are.  The more mitigation you can layer in general, the better off you are.  That said, Dark/Fire has a lot of potential mitigation there (to hit debuffs, multiple heal sources, resistance, etc..).   

I have a Water Blast/Dark Armor/Psi Sentinel.  She can handle some fairly rough fights as long as she can leverage the stuns she brings (Oppressive Gloom/Geyser/Psi Shockwave) and she includes some additional healing in Dehydrate.  I have 32% defense from multiple sources and fairly high resists without Cardiac.  She runs Musculature Core Alpha for damage and as with all things in this game... downed enemies are the best mitigation. 


 

Edited April 26, 2020 by oldskool
Typos... I swear I'm not drunk!

[CaptTastic]

More than happy to defer to @oldskoolon the dark armour overview. He’s provided a brilliant comparative guide in general. 👏🏻

[WitchofDread]

Well @oldskool that is a considerable overview to digest, thank you!

 

I liked the idea of both power combinations working in melee as both /Fire and /Dark seem to fit that more than being at range. Really if anything the dark/fire would work as brute as it would be pretty much the same principle. But then you lose out on the T9 PBAoE for those big damage numbers. The idea with torrent was to open up on a group and trigger to +rech proc and see how fast i could trigger the T9. Abyssal looks great, i just wish the hold duration was a bit longer! Life drain i find is always one of those powers that almost does too much so it either does one thing well or both things not so well. 🤷‍♂️

 

With the Fire/Dark i liked the idea of having multiple auras, Oppressive unfortunately doesn't get any dmg procs but that was my main reason for taking cloak of fear. I wanted to see how often both dmg procs would trigger and if so would that warrant the power, if not then id drop it. This idea continued on with Lightning field as well, if im in melee with dmg auras why not go all in.

 

I do like the Dark epic set i just wish tentacles did more dmg similar to that of a def but oh well.

 

Ideally id like both builds to be able to stand up to an AV and obviously handle regular content.

 

Honestly im entirely torn and not sure which to run

[SeraphimKensai]

Run both. 

[oldskool]

58 minutes ago, WitchofDread said:

Well @oldskool that is a considerable overview to digest, thank you!

 

I liked the idea of both power combinations working in melee as both /Fire and /Dark seem to fit that more than being at range. Really if anything the dark/fire would work as brute as it would be pretty much the same principle. But then you lose out on the T9 PBAoE for those big damage numbers. The idea with torrent was to open up on a group and trigger to +rech proc and see how fast i could trigger the T9. Abyssal looks great, i just wish the hold duration was a bit longer! Life drain i find is always one of those powers that almost does too much so it either does one thing well or both things not so well. 🤷‍♂️

 

With the Fire/Dark i liked the idea of having multiple auras, Oppressive unfortunately doesn't get any dmg procs but that was my main reason for taking cloak of fear. I wanted to see how often both dmg procs would trigger and if so would that warrant the power, if not then id drop it. This idea continued on with Lightning field as well, if im in melee with dmg auras why not go all in.

 

I do like the Dark epic set i just wish tentacles did more dmg similar to that of a def but oh well.

 

Ideally id like both builds to be able to stand up to an AV and obviously handle regular content.

 

Honestly im entirely torn and not sure which to run

Brutes are generally better with damage auras since Fury makes them more powerful.  

 

All powers adhere to the recharge cap regardless of things like FF +recharge.  There is a ceiling on that availability you're not going to break with that proc.  Still, if you can squeeze out an extra second or so of availability, why not. 

Oppressive Gloom and Cloak of Fear are far more valuable for their CC than proc deliveries (even if no damage exists in the Stun sets).  Toggles check procs every 10 seconds, not per pulse of the power.  Cloak of Fear has a very low base accuracy.  So every time it misses during that 10 second window is a time where a proc never landed that extra damage.  You're unlikely to see multiple foes being tagged by procs without also running something like Tactics.  You'd be piling on a lot of endurance drain to experience a gimmick.  The procs there just aren't reliable enough to justify the endurance cost.  There is an argument to be made about the merits of CoF as both a mild CC ability (due to how fear works) and its minor to-hit debuff.  I personally no longer find the power worth it.  That includes having run it with Dark Melee to purposefully stack fear with Touch of Fear (its a cute gimmick but completely unnecessary in an IO world).  

If you're willing to use some inspirations and other tools like envenomed daggers, then AV hunting isn't exactly out of your grasp.  This is why I highly suggest you try to get at least melee defense to 32%.  That means a small defense inspire will get you an additional +12.5% defense (so 44%+).  You could also use the defensive booster temporary power or other things.  These tools aren't cheating.  AVs have very high regeneration rates and resist a ton of effects.  If you don't have enough damage, then they will just regenerate whatever you do to them while largely ignoring the tiny debuffs you apply.  

Dark Blast can be turned into a pretty hard hitting primary with damage procs in Abyssal Gaze/Life Drain.  Enough that it becomes competitive to other sets like Fire Blast.  Fire Blast can do pretty heavy damage all on its own and in many ways is very flexible in build designs.  Either of these sets can accomplish your offensive requirements.  

Dark Blast/Fire is going to be better defensively than Fire/Dark.  Fiery Aura on Sentinels comes with a heal over time and a direct heal power.  That is worth its weight in gold as you don't need to rely nearly as much on green inspirations.  On top of this, Dark Blast brings a -35% to-hit debuff in Blackstar.  Its massive.  Its duration is 20 second too.  Remember when I said you can drive the cooldown on the T9 to 23 - 26 seconds?  That means you use Blackstar on cooldown to maintain its debuff (even against AVs this is high enough that it will still inflict some noticeable - though minor - debuffing).  Any time your enemies spend missing you is you buying time to heal up through toggle and Life Drains.  

Fire/Dark has a lot less defensive synergy.  Obscure Sustenance is no where close to Dark Regen as a heal.  So you're stuck with temporarily high regeneration (Obscure Sustenance has a tiered effect I have written about multiple times in this subforum) and that's about it for the extra mitigation.  Otherwise you're just relying on whatever defense you stack and resistance you can muster.  Dark/Fire is far better at battles of attrition but Fire/Dark still has potential to be quite damaging even while running full sets or Cardiac Alpha.  In the case of Fire/Dark, I'd think you'd have a FAR easier time justifying the use of Winter IO sets for more defensive gains as the overall slotting potential of Fire is minimal (and it really doesn't need extra proc damage).  

TL;DR: Brutes are largely better at damage aura use and their general AoE hammering is very, very effective at high fury.  Between Dark/Fire and Fire/Dark one is definitely more defensive in nature and the other more offensive. Though the reality of which is what isn't that obvious.  
 

[Caulderone]

1 hour ago, oldskool said:

(even against AVs this is high enough that it will still inflict some noticeable - though minor - debuffing).

Example using this info.

+3 AV @ level 54

-35% * 0.65 = -22.75% (purple patch

-22.75% * (1 - 0.87) = -2.96% effective to-hit debuff

[WitchofDread]

I think then given what has been said i'm likely to get more mileage out of Dark/Fire than i am Fire/Dark.

 

@oldskool How would you recommend building this? 

[oldskool]

15 minutes ago, Caulderone said:

Example using this info.

+3 AV @ level 54

-35% * 0.65 = -22.75% (purple patch

-22.75% * (1 - 0.87) = -2.96% effective to-hit debuff

Just an even leveled purple patch will still reduce that debuff down to just over -4%.  

[oldskool]

41 minutes ago, WitchofDread said:

I think then given what has been said i'm likely to get more mileage out of Dark/Fire than i am Fire/Dark.

 

@oldskool How would you recommend building this? 

Now that is a great question.  Dark/Fire is a pretty tight build since there are a lot of defensive holes in Fiery Aura and Dark Blast really likes recharge.  Its tough to balance both without considering Incarnates.  I'd need to play around with this a bit more to find something I'd enjoy before I bothered to share it.  

I'll try to keep the Flight pool in mind and those Epic powers since they were part of your original builds.  I probably wouldn't bother with them personally, but I get the appeal. 
 

 

 

[WitchofDread]

What epics would you take instead?

[oldskool]

On 4/24/2020 at 12:15 PM, WitchofDread said:

What epics would you take instead?

That too is a great question.  I don't always build in the Epics on Sentinels.  I frankly don't try to push maximum damage with every single pairing because ultimately the builds don't necessarily work as well in practice as they do on paper.  If I am tight on slots/power picks, then I'll snag an AoE immobilize and call it a day.  If I don't need an immobilize, then I like Tashibishi in Ninja Tools.  If I really want to go deep in an Epic, I'll take Psi Mastery largely for Link Minds.  The Mind Probe + Dominate combo is undeniably powerful, but its not something I always go with.  My Psi Mastery picks with my Water/Dark is a default slot Mass Hypnosis (which honestly is quite good out the box), Psi Shockwave for MOAR AoE, and Link Minds.  I have a Beam build that doesn't bother any of the Epics and it functions just fine for my tastes.  

Below is what I would consider a bit extreme.  Its Dark/Fire and it uses procs at the expense of defense.  Dark Blast is innately defensive and Fiery Aura is offensive (largely due to Burn).  I feel there is a pretty big build conflict here with trying to proc out the powers to push damage while trying to shore up the defensive short falls in Fiery Aura.  I was tinkering with another version that uses more full set bonuses (something Fiery Aura wants) and the damage gets cut dramatically.  The damage largely gets pushed on to Burn, but Burn also has some use conflict with Hover.  I kept it, but I personally would pass on the travel powers other than Combat Jumping (immobilize protect all the time vs limited with Burn).  Anyway... Here is one stab at it.  I slapped Intuition Radial because it offers a lot and I was exploring some outside the box logic.  You could run whatever you wanted for an Alpha but if you push procs, avoid Agility/Spiritual.  Barrier is on option for Destiny to get you better defense/resistance or Ageless for sustain/recharge, or Rebirth for passive heals (its underrated imo).  For Hybrid you could also consider the melee options to plug some holes.  When using Incarnates like that, know that you'll be weaker without them below level 45.  You could always run a second build with cheaper IOs for exemplar content and shuffle things around if you wished.  

Even with the above in mind, the build would still have some better than expected durability due to Blackstar.  When I had ran Dark Blast/Regen, the big to-hit debuff worked wonders for me.  I had around 16 defense to most things.  Just keep in mind I wasn't trying to push too hard beyond +2/x8 difficulty.  Not all builds can both survive and curb stomp +4/x8.  Thems just the breaks.  For AVs you might want to seriously consider temp summons like Shivans if melee feels too dangerous or you don't want to constantly hover out of range.

 

http://www.cohplanner.com/mids/download.php?uc=1469&c=706&a=1412&f=HEX&dc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

 

Edit: Ok, so this is a bit more of a balanced approach.  Probably not perfect, but I tend to prefer playing a bit more well rounded.  With Cardiac the resistance to Smash/Lethal is capped and endurance is more manageable.  Life Drain adds a little bit of health return and possibility for Theft of Essence (probably won't go off too often).  The high amount of to-hit in Blackstar can buy time for Cauterizing Blaze to heal and make Healing Flames a bit less stressful.  I'd suggest testing these to see what works best before spending influence/time on it. 

http://www.cohplanner.com/mids/download.php?uc=1452&c=693&a=1386&f=HEX&dc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

 

Here is a Fire/Dark too just for sake of comparison.  Fire does substantial damage even with full sets.  I opted to put Psi Mastery in there because Dominate is great and Link Minds is also great.  This runs a lot of toggles though so Cardiac is there to offset costs as well as bring resistances a bit.  Overall healing is limited entirely to Obscure Sustenance which isn't that great at direct healing since it is a regeneration boost.  Its handy, but Dark Armor has no +hit points to speak of so the high regen isn't as awesome as it sounds.  Still, this doesn't seem too horrible on paper. 

 

http://www.cohplanner.com/mids/download.php?uc=1453&c=679&a=1358&f=HEX&dc=78DA6593C94F136118C6BF69A7625B560BA52C1541986E386DD58B5B888A1815122289D7A681B18C9616A768F4E8D1BF00B718E34D4DFC4B5C6F1AE5A651A308EE7AAA6FE779ACC44EDAFC26EFFE3EF37D5317C79B1F1CBD3CA6B4D6C3C57CA5929BB14A4B76C92AFAA6F2057B56D59E26F9F7FEB5E74EE64B056BCE9CB01D2B77485296FAEAAE71EBB455AA58E678DE399B3BE82C941D159C2E978BE644D12ECC2F05DCF79945CB9A6B735F27ADFC9CE554E6EDC51684D5A2EC52A1E7C8A23D6BD6CB4E57ECDC9434B29C4B1119C5907FD9507CAABABA2188E92ABD0C66AF92D7C8EBE0485CA8B9393E159697A8AE86BBC90868ECF42A95D5552C4D66C173065325577BA6BBB6D6A7E44370EB23F23138F8048C495F2FFA7ABDBF502FF90DDCF19DFC093AD2C7C73EBEACC7B56DCA90A3E066136C4E93A3C83D6FE05349AED6945288BD8B98B8CCE0E70CFEDF880F70960067897116BF1409225605BB34D716145B0B6AAB96AA3CEA7E42A936583C6D1F91D9FE817C0F5E90893AB84DC70AD4D8F28A7C01869F839197548FDBAC48FD10270E718ACE4EB21DEC0F81F724B60BB15AD73BE48757C12199BC9BBE6E5715BF8A901DE2EB81CFD3C31EBDACDDFB15F92189E9637EDF1DA8D97F1BD4C417A52A5157952BB2F100371E3880A86DFBC93DE45E70701F39864EAF658B219EE9A1147CDB93648C8C83C309D02B138C50A5117E4F83DFD3F8EF6CBD91FA71CE16BF85F391A0DA8963A89758C0F6C93CEE43F226EECE5BC94DB14FEA0B7246D7C9CFE41AA8CB4C265535A96A9AAAA64F20468595CA50B90C63FAF5FA9D965F4DCD3389DA8DADDD876A35D9E0CD3458B20D965D0D96DD0D96C98D163F7498D6EBF75D696E94BF5D6E312CD5D58078B58DDEB57F168F760AFBE8C735573B7D103B7F6AC85ADF98B58EF3EFF9412E6392B1900031D53FC2C1F13C

 

Edit: After thinking more about these, either would be fine to run.  Hell, the original builds from the OP are fine to run they just need to include the mezz protection powers that they lack or otherwise, what's the point of playing the Sentinel in the first place?  Furthermore, there is a LOT of missing context here.  There is no real discussion on what difficulty the character would be played at.  That matters.  It actually matters a lot.  You can hunt AVs as a Sentinel on +0 difficulty just fine and there isn't a lot of bending over backwards needed in order to do it though temp powers speed things up.  Some builds will be faster than others but that isn't uncommon across the ATs.  What gets tricky is when one wishes to start chasing +4 AVs or doing things like solo TF runs at max difficulty or the like.  Finally, the Sentinel ATOs are affected by the purple patch.  That meaning that if you hit a higher level enemy than you the effects of the procs are weaker and its pretty dramatic in my experience.  That needs to be fixed and it mostly certainly can impact performance in a negative way.  

Edited April 26, 2020 by oldskool