Thermal/Dark/Dark build help

[SeanAF]

Hi!

I haven't made a build for literally 12 years at this point. Started playing again a week or 2 ago and ended up with this pairing as my first to start nearing 50. Have mostly been randomly placing slots so am going to respec into something more solid.
Really truly don't know what I'm doing building anymore. I wanted to go for ranged defense originally but adding Consumption and Drain maybe I should have just been going for standard s/l defense instead. Obviously I gave up trying for ranged defense anyway and just tried to get AOE near the cap at least.

 

Like I said, it's been a LONG TIME. I've read a lot of forum posts and discord but still not completely sure how IOs have changed and what is best now!

Thanks in advance for any help or insights! Also my first dark blast ever so I may be selecting powers completely wrong there too.

 

Spoiler

This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.4.7
https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Mango Pits: Level 50 Natural Defender
Primary Power Set: Thermal Radiation
Secondary Power Set: Dark Blast
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Dark Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Warmth

• (A) Harmonized Healing - Heal/Endurance
• (7) Harmonized Healing - Heal/Recharge
• (9) Harmonized Healing - Heal/Endurance/Recharge
• (9) Harmonized Healing - Heal
• (11) Harmonized Healing - Endurance/Recharge

Level 1: Dark Blast

• (A) Vigilant Assault - RechargeTime/PBAoE +Absorb
• (11) Vigilant Assault - Accuracy/Damage
• (13) Vigilant Assault - Damage/RechargeTime
• (13) Vigilant Assault - Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• (15) Vigilant Assault - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance

Level 2: Thermal Shield

• (A) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance
• (3) Aegis - Resistance/Recharge
• (5) Aegis - Endurance/Recharge
• (5) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
• (7) Aegis - Resistance

Level 4: Gloom

• (A) Defender's Bastion - Accuracy/Damage
• (15) Defender's Bastion - Damage/Recharge
• (17) Defender's Bastion - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (17) Defender's Bastion - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (19) Defender's Bastion - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge

Level 6: Plasma Shield

• (A) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance
• (19) Aegis - Resistance
• (21) Aegis - Resistance/Recharge
• (21) Aegis - Endurance/Recharge
• (23) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge

Level 8: Cauterize

• (A) Miracle - Heal/Endurance
• (27) Miracle - Endurance/Recharge
• (29) Miracle - Heal/Recharge
• (29) Miracle - Heal/Endurance/Recharge
• (31) Miracle - Heal

Level 10: Dark Pit

• (A) Stupefy - Accuracy/Recharge
• (23) Stupefy - Endurance/Stun
• (25) Stupefy - Accuracy/Endurance
• (25) Stupefy - Stun/Range
• (27) Stupefy - Accuracy/Stun/Recharge
• (46) Stupefy - Chance of Knockback

Level 12: Hasten

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (46) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 14: Thaw

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 16: Power of the Phoenix

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 18: Forge

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 20: Super Speed

• (A) Endurance Reduction IO

Level 22: Maneuvers

• (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
• (31) Red Fortune - Endurance
• (31) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
• (33) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
• (33) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
• (33) Red Fortune - Defense

Level 24: Tactics

• (A) Endurance Reduction IO
• (43) Endurance Reduction IO

Level 26: Heat Exhaustion

• (A) Accuracy IO
• (45) Accuracy IO
• (45) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 28: Assault

• (A) Endurance Reduction IO
• (43) Endurance Reduction IO

Level 30: Night Fall

• (A) Annihilation - Accuracy/Damage
• (34) Annihilation - Damage/RechargeTime
• (34) Annihilation - Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime
• (34) Annihilation - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (36) Annihilation - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• (36) Annihilation - Chance for Res Debuff

Level 32: Melt Armor

• (A) Analyze Weakness - Defense Debuff
• (39) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Defense Debuff
• (39) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Recharge
• (40) Analyze Weakness - Defense Debuff/Endurance/Recharge
• (40) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
• (40) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 35: Dark Consumption

• (A) Synapse's Shock - Damage/Accuracy/Endurance
• (36) Synapse's Shock - EndMod
• (37) Synapse's Shock - Damage/Rechage
• (37) Synapse's Shock - EndMod/Recharge
• (37) Synapse's Shock - Damage/Recharge/Accuracy

Level 38: Combat Jumping

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

Level 41: Dark Embrace

• (A) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance
• (42) Aegis - Endurance/Recharge
• (42) Aegis - Resistance/Recharge
• (42) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
• (43) Aegis - Resistance

Level 44: Soul Drain

• (A) Scirocco's Dervish - Accuracy/Damage
• (45) Scirocco's Dervish - Damage/Endurance
• (46) Scirocco's Dervish - Damage/Recharge
• (50) Scirocco's Dervish - Accuracy/Recharge
• (50) Scirocco's Dervish - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance

Level 47: Tenebrous Tentacles

• (A) Gravitational Anchor - Immobilize
• (48) Gravitational Anchor - Immobilize/Recharge
• (48) Gravitational Anchor - Accuracy/Immobilize/Recharge
• (48) Gravitational Anchor - Accuracy/Recharge
• (50) Gravitational Anchor - Immobilize/Endurance

Level 49: Vengeance

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

Level 1: Vigilance

Level 1: Brawl

 

 

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Sprint

• (A) Celerity - +Stealth

Level 2: Rest

• (A) Empty

Level 2: Swift

• (A) Empty

Level 2: Hurdle

• (A) Empty

Level 2: Health

• (A) Miracle - +Recovery
• (3) Numina's Convalesence - +Regeneration/+Recovery

Level 2: Stamina

• (A) Endurance Modification IO

------------

I realized I forgot the MIDs chunk, will add on later 😅

Edited May 8, 2021 by SeanAF

[SeanAF]

Spoiler

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Data chunk!

[kikyoku]

I've been playing that exact set just recently, wow.

 

I did a lot of similar things on dark blast,
Similar power selection, even put stupefy on dark pit. I'm curious why you didn't get blackstar though? I'm putting in avalanche, and it's been a big part of my dps so far. I also switched to dps focus on secondary over control, I found that it wasn't really working, and the damage bonus protects me much better.

 

My other thought is that you seem to be focusing on defense a lot, which I generally wouldn't on a defender (I play teams and try to avoid aggro). I focused on global recharge bonuses, and it's been paying out pretty well.

 

In that same vein, I tend not to slot the casted shields that much? The powers themselves don't benefit from the end/recharge, and as I mentioned I don't focus so hard on survivability. I just dual-slot resist IOs.

[SeanAF]

1 hour ago, kikyoku said:

I've been playing that exact set just recently, wow.

 

I did a lot of similar things on dark blast,
Similar power selection, even put stupefy on dark pit. I'm curious why you didn't get blackstar though? I'm putting in avalanche, and it's been a big part of my dps so far. I also switched to dps focus on secondary over control, I found that it wasn't really working, and the damage bonus protects me much better.

 

My other thought is that you seem to be focusing on defense a lot, which I generally wouldn't on a defender (I play teams and try to avoid aggro). I focused on global recharge bonuses, and it's been paying out pretty well.

 

In that same vein, I tend not to slot the casted shields that much? The powers themselves don't benefit from the end/recharge, and as I mentioned I don't focus so hard on survivability. I just dual-slot resist IOs.

 

I didn't take blackstar mostly because I couldn't figure out how to fit it in a slot it appropriately. 

Your other points make a lot of sense and would spare me the slots to do that however. Plus it has felt silly jumping in just for soul drain, would make sense to follow up with blackstar.

 

The shields I was just overslotting for set bonuses. Guess the bonuses from all of those slots aren't really paying out in the end the more I think about it.

 

You're right about the global recharge as well. My biggest thing playing this character right now is that I want melt armor up so much more than it is so I don't have to feel precious about using it. 

 

Going back to the drawing board! I appreciate the comments, thank you!

Edited May 10, 2021 by SeanAF

[SeanAF]

Spoiler

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Not sure how much recharge is too much on this character tbh. I feel like the more melt armor, soul drain, and blackstar are up, the better!