End Game Dominator Videos

[oedipus_tex]

After I uploaded the last Ice video I decided it may not have been entirely fair, since it was one of the first test runs of a build. I've since refactored it, plus played a little better in the next video I captured.

 

Switching to Destiny Ageless made a huge difference with the blue bar, plus allowed some key powers to recharge faster. I also got smarter about actually using the new Sleep. Overall, I was actually quite impressed. I think Ice/Dark is a particularly synergistic combo of course. The -ToHit and multipliers in Gather Shadows definitely helped carry me. Still this performed better than I imagined it would.

 

Note, every tiime you see the word Domination appear when I'm not casting anything, its probably the new World of Confusion. It's actually really impressive, just hard to fit in a build.

 

 

There's a really fun moment that comes around 2:40 that is exactly the kind of chaos I love so much in City of Heroes. So I may end up playing this guy more often.

 

 

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by oedipus_tex

[Drederik]

@oedipus_texHow did you get the names above baddies on at all times?

[Clave Dark 5]

8 hours ago, Drederik said:

@oedipus_texHow did you get the names above baddies on at all times?

I believe there's a box you can tick under Options somewhere.

[oedipus_tex]

8 hours ago, Drederik said:

@oedipus_texHow did you get the names above baddies on at all times?

 

 

 

That's a holdover from playing sapper builds.  I actually had to go reread one of my old posts to remember how I did it. The commands aren't in the Options windows, instead type:

 

 

• /optionset ShowVillainName 1  
• /optionset ShowVillainBars 1

 

 

Turning those bars on is especially useful for Electric builds because it lets you visualize how much endurance enemies have remaining. You can read the rest of that old post (a bit outdated now, but still mostly relevant I hope) here: 

 

 

 

 

[Drederik]

9 hours ago, oedipus_tex said:

 

 

 

That's a holdover from playing sapper builds.  I actually had to go reread one of my old posts to remember how I did it. The commands aren't in the Options windows, instead type:

 

 

• /optionset ShowVillainName 1  
• /optionset ShowVillainBars 1

 

 

Turning those bars on is especially useful for Electric builds because it lets you visualize how much endurance enemies have remaining. You can read the rest of that old post (a bit outdated now, but still mostly relevant I hope) here: 

 

 

 

 

Oh thats awesome!!  Thanks so much, I remember seeing a video a while ago with it and just couldn't find out how to do it because there isn't any option to click.  You are a lifesaver!!

 

Also, love the build 😄

[Crowcus Pocus]

On 2/18/2022 at 6:15 AM, oedipus_tex said:

After I uploaded the last Ice video I decided it may not have been entirely fair, since it was one of the first test runs of a build. I've since refactored it, plus played a little better in the next video I captured.

 

Switching to Destiny Ageless made a huge difference with the blue bar, plus allowed some key powers to recharge faster. I also got smarter about actually using the new Sleep. Overall, I was actually quite impressed. I think Ice/Dark is a particularly synergistic combo of course. The -ToHit and multipliers in Gather Shadows definitely helped carry me. Still this performed better than I imagined it would.

 

Note, every tiime you see the word Domination appear when I'm not casting anything, its probably the new World of Confusion. It's actually really impressive, just hard to fit in a build.

 

 

There's a really fun moment that comes around 2:40 that is exactly the kind of chaos I love so much in City of Heroes. So I may end up playing this guy more often.

 

 

 

Looks fun! Mind sharing the build so I can take it for a spin?

[oedipus_tex]

6 minutes ago, Falsey said:

Looks fun! Mind sharing the build so I can take it for a spin?

 

 

Sure thing The build is a little strange, because I was also testing to see how well the Dom ATO would proc in Arctic Air against big groups. It actually tended to stay at at least 2 stacks a lot of the time.

 

I also didn't run the full gamut of Incarnate abilities I could have. I didn't run Interface, Judgment or Hybrid at all. Adding those in would probably make a big difference. 

 

 

\\\\

 

 

 

This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.2.17
https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Dominator
Primary Power Set: Ice Control
Secondary Power Set: Dark Assault
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Concealment
Ancillary Pool: Psionic Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Block of Ice -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(3), BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(3), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(5)
Level 1: Dark Blast -- SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(A), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(5), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), SprWntBit-Dmg/Rchg(9)
Level 2: Smite -- SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(13), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(15)
Level 4: Gloom -- Apc-Dam%(A), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(17), Apc-Acc/Rchg(17), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Apc-Dmg/Rchg(19)
Level 6: Arctic Air -- SprAscoft-Rchg/+Dmg%(A), SprAscoft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(21), SprAscoft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(21), SprAscoft-EndRdx/Rchg(23), SprAscoft-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(23), SprAscoft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(25)
Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(25)
Level 10: Frostbite -- Acc-I(A)
Level 12: Ice Slick -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 14: Boxing -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(27), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(27), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29)
Level 16: Gather Shadows -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Flash Freeze -- Ann-ResDeb%(A), PstBls-Dam%(29), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(31)
Level 20: Engulfing Darkness -- Obl-%Dam(A), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Obl-Dmg(31), Obl-Acc/Rchg(33), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(33), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33)
Level 22: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(34)
Level 24: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 26: Glacier -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(34), BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(34), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(36)
Level 28: Life Drain -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(36), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), TchoftheN-Heal(37), TchoftheN-Acc/Heal(37)
Level 30: Stealth -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 32: Jack Frost -- ExpRnf-+Res(Pets)(A), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(37), ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(39), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(39), ExpRnf-Dmg/EndRdx(39), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40)
Level 35: Moon Beam -- StnoftheM-Dam%(A), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), StnoftheM-Dmg/ActRdx/Rchg(40), StnoftheM-Acc/Dmg(42), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx(42), GldJvl-Dam%(42)
Level 38: Link Minds -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg(43), LucoftheG-Def(50)
Level 41: Mind Over Body -- UnbGrd-Max HP%(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(43), UnbGrd-ResDam(43), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(45)
Level 44: Psionic Tornado -- PstBls-Dam%(A), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(45), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(46), PstBls-Acc/Dmg(46), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(46)
Level 47: World of Confusion -- CrcPrs-Conf%(A), CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx(48), CrcPrs-Conf(48), CrcPrs-Conf/Rchg(48), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg(50), CrcPrs-Acc/Rchg(50)
Level 49: Indomitable Will -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 1: Domination 
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(9)
Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(11), PwrTrns-+Heal(11)
Level 49: Quick Form 
Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon 
Level 50: Cognitive Core Flawless Interface 
Level 50: Ageless Core Epiphany 
------------

| Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|MxDz;1442;677;1354;HEX;|
|78DA6594594F135114C7EF4C67040A152B60D95AECC2224BA1266ADC120D9504A54|
|99557B58EB5D489B5259D6AE463881A9E8CF1D1ED498DB87D060DA27E049F140444|
|88CB783AFF73A1864926BFB96799F33FF79E99C48D78DDC4C4C831A1D40FE70CCB4|
|AC50B57CDBC512A14F5849135D32E415715DDFE0D476AB8902F150BB9E8683A239F|
|039BDEE396655CCB95A271A378452E843B59A084F1C94CE692C7791C31B3974B663|
|EFBFFCAEBAC46F3D74DCBBC68E6CCD254C78949331D4D5A66216FA65309C32A658A|
|5310992D976B266961BAF795852A65B1C276897995046B42FDC8FC046A9FC1259F9|
|097AD89279A1031723E06B73D623E04AB1F80CB3E598092943B30D6DD66DE02B74F|
|336F822B94E49249AE98EA18770C3107C19D51E60078803274C5A965EBFA5B97636|
|C7CC39C0577BD62BE049B5F83A12A9C573959A9EA137032F7534C0DEF92A86985F1|
|20196BA5B19623157A8747EEA727490869A2F534F30CD83E0EAE5297F55C53D4F31|
|B0ED16BBD6C54BD5FA0AE7D16CE80AA3BFC49990D1CA4370804056CEC43E017B8FB|
|37F30FF32FE8228D4DAC5169DA8BE4A04FC15993D327BBF295C3C87998625A64572|
|D3C25419E92204F4998A7648DB4B571B0D67617C2C3F798F7C14803CA469A400F95|
|F5CBB27E2E7B847C1D6CD43B56A03EB20C762D301799DFC1EE25709D64846472681|
|E65BB3F30E7C03DEF98EF99FD3C0D74029D9CAC76B29C5E2F186B042314D42377A5|
|671D99BD6BCC15B0FF07D845C17D8287B38F8FB3FF05F33938F08CF994C9C7DD49C|
|951D94BD440838317986799E7C0D879660A0C53F290DCDA21EE85A66FE353B6DB2B|
|16E5B56D8BB1ADA6A4B6F9210BC5317D756FFE3D38EADB56D34285491141EC47F54|
|9B2746B62B1C2A98A1948764F3357F13B38D54B2D48B56334F831CEB08FFA2A1633|
|959E7FD36DE42D|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

 

[StriderIV]

7 hours ago, oedipus_tex said:

 

 

Sure thing The build is a little strange, because I was also testing to see how well the Dom ATO would proc in Arctic Air against big groups. It actually tended to stay at at least 2 stacks a lot of the time.

 

I also didn't run the full gamut of Incarnate abilities I could have. I didn't run Interface, Judgment or Hybrid at all. Adding those in would probably make a big difference. 

 

 

\\\\

 

 

 

This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.2.17
https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Dominator
Primary Power Set: Ice Control
Secondary Power Set: Dark Assault
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Concealment
Ancillary Pool: Psionic Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Block of Ice -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(3), BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(3), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(5)
Level 1: Dark Blast -- SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(A), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(5), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), SprWntBit-Dmg/Rchg(9)
Level 2: Smite -- SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(13), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(15)
Level 4: Gloom -- Apc-Dam%(A), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(17), Apc-Acc/Rchg(17), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Apc-Dmg/Rchg(19)
Level 6: Arctic Air -- SprAscoft-Rchg/+Dmg%(A), SprAscoft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(21), SprAscoft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(21), SprAscoft-EndRdx/Rchg(23), SprAscoft-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(23), SprAscoft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(25)
Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(25)
Level 10: Frostbite -- Acc-I(A)
Level 12: Ice Slick -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 14: Boxing -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(27), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(27), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29)
Level 16: Gather Shadows -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Flash Freeze -- Ann-ResDeb%(A), PstBls-Dam%(29), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(31)
Level 20: Engulfing Darkness -- Obl-%Dam(A), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Obl-Dmg(31), Obl-Acc/Rchg(33), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(33), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33)
Level 22: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(34)
Level 24: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 26: Glacier -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(34), BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(34), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(36)
Level 28: Life Drain -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(36), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), TchoftheN-Heal(37), TchoftheN-Acc/Heal(37)
Level 30: Stealth -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 32: Jack Frost -- ExpRnf-+Res(Pets)(A), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(37), ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(39), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(39), ExpRnf-Dmg/EndRdx(39), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40)
Level 35: Moon Beam -- StnoftheM-Dam%(A), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), StnoftheM-Dmg/ActRdx/Rchg(40), StnoftheM-Acc/Dmg(42), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx(42), GldJvl-Dam%(42)
Level 38: Link Minds -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg(43), LucoftheG-Def(50)
Level 41: Mind Over Body -- UnbGrd-Max HP%(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(43), UnbGrd-ResDam(43), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(45)
Level 44: Psionic Tornado -- PstBls-Dam%(A), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(45), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(46), PstBls-Acc/Dmg(46), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(46)
Level 47: World of Confusion -- CrcPrs-Conf%(A), CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx(48), CrcPrs-Conf(48), CrcPrs-Conf/Rchg(48), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg(50), CrcPrs-Acc/Rchg(50)
Level 49: Indomitable Will -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 1: Domination 
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(9)
Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(11), PwrTrns-+Heal(11)
Level 49: Quick Form 
Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon 
Level 50: Cognitive Core Flawless Interface 
Level 50: Ageless Core Epiphany 
------------

 

| Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|MxDz;1442;677;1354;HEX;|
|78DA6594594F135114C7EF4C67040A152B60D95AECC2224BA1266ADC120D9504A54|
|99557B58EB5D489B5259D6AE463881A9E8CF1D1ED498DB87D060DA27E049F140444|
|88CB783AFF73A1864926BFB96799F33FF79E99C48D78DDC4C4C831A1D40FE70CCB4|
|AC50B57CDBC512A14F5849135D32E415715DDFE0D476AB8902F150BB9E8683A239F|
|039BDEE396655CCB95A271A378452E843B59A084F1C94CE692C7791C31B3974B663|
|EFBFFCAEBAC46F3D74DCBBC68E6CCD254C78949331D4D5A66216FA65309C32A658A|
|5310992D976B266961BAF795852A65B1C276897995046B42FDC8FC046A9FC1259F9|
|097AD89279A1031723E06B73D623E04AB1F80CB3E598092943B30D6DD66DE02B74F|
|336F822B94E49249AE98EA18770C3107C19D51E60078803274C5A965EBFA5B97636|
|C7CC39C0577BD62BE049B5F83A12A9C573959A9EA137032F7534C0DEF92A86985F1|
|20196BA5B19623157A8747EEA727490869A2F534F30CD83E0EAE5297F55C53D4F31|
|B0ED16BBD6C54BD5FA0AE7D16CE80AA3BFC49990D1CA4370804056CEC43E017B8FB|
|37F30FF32FE8228D4DAC5169DA8BE4A04FC15993D327BBF295C3C87998625A64572|
|D3C25419E92204F4998A7648DB4B571B0D67617C2C3F798F7C14803CA469A400F95|
|F5CBB27E2E7B847C1D6CD43B56A03EB20C762D301799DFC1EE25709D64846472681|
|E65BB3F30E7C03DEF98EF99FD3C0D74029D9CAC76B29C5E2F186B042314D42377A5|
|671D99BD6BCC15B0FF07D845C17D8287B38F8FB3FF05F33938F08CF994C9C7DD49C|
|951D94BD440838317986799E7C0D879660A0C53F290DCDA21EE85A66FE353B6DB2B|
|16E5B56D8BB1ADA6A4B6F9210BC5317D756FFE3D38EADB56D34285491141EC47F54|
|9B2746B62B1C2A98A1948764F3357F13B38D54B2D48B56334F831CEB08FFA2A1633|
|959E7FD36DE42D|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

 

 

I know with incarnates, everything is great for endgame content…. But do you feel Doms are one of the best archetypes for extremely difficult 4x8 style stuff?

[oedipus_tex]

2 hours ago, StriderIV said:

I know with incarnates, everything is great for endgame content…. But do you feel Doms are one of the best archetypes for extremely difficult 4x8 style stuff?

 

 

I think it depends. You'll notice none of my runs are versus a very difficult enemy. I don't have any Dominator who can clear a +4x8 Carnival of Shadows mission solo, and that goes for a lot of other enemy groups. They can be built to destroy very specific content that meets specific criteria. Even the best Dominators tho probably eat dirt regularly. That's a hazard of being an unarmored archetype expected to enter melee range with (usually) very little buff, debuff, healing, or really anything but Controls. And also, outside of Domination mode, most Dominators actually have weak controls, since they have very few powers they can stack together. 

 

There's a strange dichotomy at work with Dominators. A few of them can clear ridiculous obstacles just because shutting down an enemy's responses can open up possibilities. OTOH most probably don't reach that threshold.

 

On the other other other other hand, in 2022 it's a fact that Blasters produce WAY more damage than they ever did on live, Their nukes are crashless, do huge damage with terrific Accuracy, recharge 100 seconds faster than a Dominator's AoE Hold, and many of them have stuns, holds or other dramatic effects of their own. Dominators are a lot of fun and still my favorite class. But you'll note I cherry pick them. It's not that some of the sets are bad, strictly speaking. A few of them are just unfortunately bland and same-y. For example, I'd put Ice, Electric, and Thorny all into the "why bother" category just for being unflavorful. I can combine virtually any two Blaster sets and still end up with a high damage character with a stable blue bar, multiple sources of self Heal procs, Bonfire if I want it, and other advantages. That just doesn't happen with Dominators.

 

TLDR on paragraph above: I believe this is an archetype where primary and secondary set matter a lot. I don't think any amount of bad slotting can make Plant/Fire bad, or any amount of slotting can make Grav/Electric a competitive character for heavy investment (just because I wrote that someone will prove me wrong; I'd love to see a build that makes it work).

 

If I was charting out Dominator performance, I'd say most start strong, dive in usefulness through the midlevels (especially in terms of endurance usage), and only after significant investment break even with other classes at high levels, depending on what you want out of them. They can master certain very specific content, and are one of if not the worst classes for certain other kinds of content. But they are fun to play, and if kept within their niche, can be exciting.

Edited February 20, 2022 by oedipus_tex

[EnjoyTheJourney]

Doms can do just fine in harder content whether teamed or solo (at least some powerset combinations, although perhaps not all). But, most dom builds don't focus on building up robust and layered defenses, which leads to problems against stronger foes. Which leads to a rep for having low survivability. 

 

Mezmera and some others build sturdier doms that are comfortable staying in the front lines at +4x8 against Cims, arachnos, carnival of shadows, malta, etc.  

 

On that note, activated accolades like eye of the magus, geas of the kind ones, elusive mind, and vanguard medal make a big difference for survivability in tight spots. The "big four" passive accolades help a lot, as well. Getting these accolades and using the active accolades (reasonably) well makes a dom able to handle substantially higher peak levels of aggro and incoming damage. 

 

Tex's comments on blasters are totally on point. A well built blaster will generally do sooo much more damage than a dom (although with notable exceptions for AOE by plant control doms using seeds / creepers and fire assault / energy assault doms for their single target damage). 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by EnjoyTheJourney

[Dark Current]

Here's my contribution to these naughty videos:

 

Umbriel

Level 50

Dark / Savage / Psi

Permadom +

 

vs.

 

Level 54 Council

Team Size x8

Sewer Map

Grandville

 

Strategy: Rip, rip. Shred, shred. Tear, tear. Pop skittles as needed.

Redlined HP a couple times. No deaths.

Haven't played her in several months, so a little rusty.

 

 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Dark Current

[oedipus_tex]

Part of the answer to Dominator effectiveness I think can be seen in iTrials. You might suppose that given all of the trash mobs in iTrials that Dominators would be a key class for shutting enemies down while the team concentrates on the boss. In practice, what you probably need is a lot of damage to burn the boss down fast + buff characters to help the team shrug off the attacks. Most Dominators probably should fall back second or third rate single target blasters. Encounters tend to come in two varieties:

 

1) Dogpiles, where control doesn't matter much, and the mob quickly evaporates

 

2) Dangerous ambushes and adds, where you probably don't want to hit them with anything. When they wake from the mezz they'll maintain perma aggro. If you had just left them alone you might be okay.

 

The out-of-iTrial analogue which every new Dominator is likely to experience at least a few times is an enemy pack ambushing the team, thinking you can save the day with a carefully timed Control, only to have half the enemies ward it off and destroy you. Bonus points if the Control was a psuedopet wiped out on death. 😄 We've all been there.

 

 

Mind Control and to an extent Illusion and Dark Control have a slightly easier time of of it in iTrials because they can mezz trash mobs without alerting them. I suppose Gravity would too, if its teleport worked on boss level enemies in that content.

 

Anyway, I'm in total agreement on the need for Defenses for Dominators. You don't have much else, your damage is usually close range, and in the most difficult content many of your controls create more problems than they solve. As with all things, there are exceptions.

 

OTOH I do still find the class fun to play, and they can excel in some unusual ways where other builds might not. 

Edited February 21, 2022 by oedipus_tex

[Mezmera]

Before all the changes to blasters dominators were on the verge of being OP.  I think everything that they are had been left as is along with the broken powers in Bonfire, Creepers and Seeds because of how overtuned they made blasters.  The snipe changes were great and benefited everyone.  The nukes in their current form is a bit overdone, they were warranted a change but it was too good.  If we went back to how things were last on live it'd be a lot of omg doms are OP, which permadoms kind of were.  

 

Doms are about efficiency.  You should be taking the most effective aoe controls, your best attacks and then dabbling in the pools to round out your build.  You're having to take so many defenses to make use of lotg's to build for perma so why not just make use of all your defenses and add the extra layers that are available to you?  

 

I build all of my characters first with as much survivability that I can get.  You never know when your controls become meaningless (Cimerorans) and need to lean heavy on your defenses while you blast to help clear.  

 

Doms are in a very good spot from start to finish, you just should take into account that sometimes your control will fail or becomes near useless with tons of damage.  If your team has tons of blasters that's where its great to not be lagging behind so you can lock down mobs for your blasters and then toss some procs into your powers since they proc well anyways which helps contribute to kill speeds.  

Edited February 21, 2022 by Mezmera
spelling

[oedipus_tex]

38 minutes ago, Mezmera said:

Before all the changes to blasters dominators were on the verge of being OP.  I think everything that they are had been left as is along with the broken powers in Bonfire, Creepers and Seeds because of how overtuned they made blasters.  The snipe changes were great and benefited everyone.  The nukes in their current form is a it overdone, they were warranted a change but it was too good.  If we went back to how things were last on live it'd be a lot of omg doms are OP, which permadoms kind of were.  

 

Doms are about efficiency.  You should be taking the most effective aoe controls, your best attacks and then dabbling in the pools to round out your build.  Your having to take so many defenses to make use of lotg's to build for perma so why not just make use of all your defenses and add the extra layers that are available to you?  

 

I build all of my characters first with as much survivability that I can get.  You never know when your controls become meaningless (Cimerorans) and need to lean heavy on your defenses while you blast to help clear.  

 

Doms are in a very good spot from start to finish, you just should take into account that sometimes your control will fail or becomes near useless with tons of damage.  If your team has tons of blasters that's where its great to not be lagging behind so you can lock down mobs for your blasters and then toss some procs into your powers since they proc well anyways which helps contribute to kill speeds anyways.  

 

 

I think this is pretty accurate. I'm not sure I'd call most legacy Dominators overpowered, though a few specific builds were. Plant/Fire/Ice is surely up there, along with a few other handpicked builds. Back then, just being a squishy who wasn't a Force Field, Sonic res or Traps character with mezz protection was pretty valuable and stood out, of course. 

 

On the other hand, Dominators on live and still on some other fan servers didn't have any consistency between power animation times and damage, leading to situations where ranged attacks sometimes outdamaged melee attacks, cones and spheres did inconsistent damage with smaller radii, some powers like Chilling Embrace did almost nothing, and numerous other issues existed. You could do very well with a Fire or perhaps a Psi Dominator, where most other secondaries were either average or in some cases very poor. Homecoming Dominators are somewhat better than on live.

 

You can still see the animation time disparities at play with the low level immobilize and hold powers. Weirdly, its a problem that continued even with sets releases later in the game's cycle. Electric Control's hold takes 2.37 Arcanaseconds to animate, versus 1.32 for Fire Control. A balance pass to normalize the animation times is welcome. It would benefit Controllers more than Dominators, but both classes are likely to benefit from more consistency.

Edited February 21, 2022 by oedipus_tex

[Mezmera]

8 minutes ago, oedipus_tex said:

 

 

I think this is pretty accurate. I'm not sure I'd call most legacy Dominators overpowered, though a few specific builds were. Plant/Fire/Ice is surely up there, along with a few other handpicked builds.

 

On the other hand, Dominators on live and still on some other fan servers didn't have any consistency between power animation times and damage, leading to situations where ranged attacks sometimes outdamaged melee attacks, cones did and spheres did very poor damage, some powers like Chilling Embrace did almost nothing, and numerous other issues existed. You could do very well with a Fire or perhaps a Psi Dominator, where most other secondaries were either average or in some cases very poor. Homecoming Dominators are somewhat better than on live.

 

You can still see the animation time disparities at play with the low level immobilize and hold powers. Weirdly, its a problem that continued even with sets releases later in the game's cycle. Electric Control's hold takes 2.37 Arcanaseconds to animate, versus 1.32 for Fire Control. A balance pass to normalize the animation times is welcome. It would benefit Controllers more than Dominators, but both classes are likely to benefit from more consistency.

 

Oh yeah there's still discrepancies within power sets but that's kind of true on all ATs.  Some controls for sure could use being brought up to par and a few assaults could use some minor tweaks here and there.  The dom revamp long ago did a good job of bringing some of the lesser performing assaults up to speed.  The one thing I want though is that while the lesser performing dom powers get tuned up I don't want them to just be a copycat of the better power sets.  I like the energy release mechanic but I don't want to see it ported to everything else as a way to fix things.

 

I do think they have some control stuff cooking.  It has been quite a while since control and dom assaults have had any new toys.  I'd bet there's going to be a lot of tweaks coming for control which might just appropriately coincide with some new content where there's some harsh control enemies that you'll need to take on.  HC does a good job of themed releases.  

[EnjoyTheJourney]

Here's a link to an endgame dom video findable in the "Trap Door" thread in the scrapper forum, a kind of test for characters which is run at max notoriety -- It is semi-challenging endgame content, with a mix of council and arachnos, plus an EB at the end. 

 

 

I went ahead earlier today and tested out a fire / earth / ice dom on the beta server. The pylon time wasn't terrible, clocking in at 4:15, for a DPS of 284 (usual restrictions of no insps, no lore, no damaging hybrid, no judgment, no temps, ...). That was literally the first fighting done with that dom and it wasn't smoothly done. Probably DPS in the low 300s is achievable without further tweaks to the build.

 

Trapdoor is still quite new to me and the fire / earth / ice dom Trapdoor run was a festival of errors and bad luck, taking almost 9 minutes to complete. I finally remembered partway through the run that cinders is a PbAOE power, and not a ranged AOE power 🙄; that mistake alone led to several runners in earlier spawns and more mob scatter in general, plus lots of other mistakes were made. It might not be easy to replicate the 5:35ish time of a fire / fire / fire dom. Still, a lot of time can be shaved off of the 9 minute long first Trapdoor run. 

 

Edited February 21, 2022 by EnjoyTheJourney