My current Dark/Dark/Soul

[Nightmarer 2]

5 hours ago, PluckySidekick said:

 

I'm not worried about people thinking I'm not killing things fast enough; though, nobody has ever openly complained.

This ain't WoW, ppl won't complain, all I am saying is that blasters are a damage dealing AT so, they should deal damaga. The longer you stay alive, the more dmg you deal but in this game there's one truth that does not apply to pretty much any other MMO out there, your survivability does not depend on a tank or a healer. Guess you are used to your build, the way I see it, you do a huge workaraound to get where you could have gotten easier with a different build. There's something also true for this game that it's not true for other mMO's, there are shitload of different builds that are equally effective. I find yours isn't but again, it's just my humble opinion :(

[Chelsea Rorec]

I can tell you havn't even tried it so you have NO experience with dark cones so you have no foundation to build your assumption on and since i know you and know you are completely biased on DoT and cones you have ZERO grounds to say your build is better than anyone elses.

Please stop.

 

 

[Vulpoid]

I just want to say I love you guys.
My main character right now is a Dark/Dark Blaster, and this thread has really helped me understand the subtle nuances involved.
Thank you for your exploration!

[Nightmarer 2]

2 hours ago, Chelsea Rorec said:

I can tell you havn't even tried it so you have NO experience with dark cones so you have no foundation to build your assumption on and since i know you and know you are completely biased on DoT and cones you have ZERO grounds to say your build is better than anyone elses.

Please stop.

 

 

*le sigh*

Edited September 16, 2021 by Nightmarer

[tidge]

I enjoy using cones myself, and don't want to yuck in anyone's yum. I certainly didn't try to maximize the number of cones on my Dark Blaster... I saved that trick for my Controller (*wink*). My primary reservations about having "too many" cones break down to:

• Having "too many attacks", with some coming at a "too late" a level. YMMV, especially on the level of choice (depending on what content you prefer)
• Having limited slotting options for enhancement set bonuses

Full disclosure: I like to slot cones for range, especially if there is some sort of debuff in the cone. While I love close-combat, I am perfectly happy to play a cone-wielder at range.

 

Also: for Blasters, I typically don't rely on %proc (that's a trick for low-DPS sisters) for extra damage. It's hard for me to put the math-in-my-head in writing, but essentially I think (for a high DPS AT) that %damage from procs is a whole lotta competing second-order effects and no real first-order effects. The simplest I can explain my own feelings is this: "If I have to hit an enemy target twice with a %damage attack to KO it, the %damage proc is effectively not doing anything for my build."

 

Now, in the specific case for Dark, the damage-over-time aspect of certain powers means that getting a chunk of 'inital' damage from a %proc actually can speed up defeat times. The extent of how much this speeds up defeats is best judged by play. As an aside, I haven't really been able to tell if the Blaster Moonbeam (the snipe) has better performance (i.e. 1-hit-KO versus 2-hit-KO) with %damage, but it definitely does for Scrappers/Stalkers.

 

The -ToHit on Dark is IMHO a great feature that shouldn't be undersold. In my mind, if a %damage proc isn't speeding up KO times, I'd first consider enhancing -ToHit with teh slot than just adding a %proc, assuming other aspects like Acc/Dam/End are already enhanced through set pieces.

Edited September 16, 2021 by tidge
esplling

[Nemu]

5.25% base -to hit from the attacks is pretty low compared to the big boy debuffs out there. I wouldn't prioritize sacrificing damage potential of attacks just to squeeze in up to another 2.7%.

 

A few things to consider about dark blast debuffs:

 

Debuffs need to hit, one missed attack could be clutch in certain situations.

Debuffs have finite duration, you need to apply constant pressure, could be harder to manage when you run into adds.

Debuffs are subject to purple patch, so they are less effective, and since purple patch affects your hit rate, compound that by the previous 2 considerations.

 

If you can find room for enhancing -to hit after you enhance the attacks for dam/acc/end/rech then yeah, have a ball, or you can slot some damage procs for some more incidental damage. One thing I have not seen is slotting a FF proc into umbral torrent, which I highly recommend. I slotted mine with 3 piece avalanche (all the pieces without recharge component, don't skimp on slow resist), the FF proc, overwhelming force KD IO and the annihilation -res proc. I also feel that being able to cycle KD consistently adds a lot more to my survival than the philosophy of slotting attacks not for damage but for secondary effects.

 

As for all the cones, that makes for a good hover blaster concept. One of the things that got me in trouble a lot on my jousting dark/atomic blaster is that the range on umbral torrent often meant I blasted into the next group, firing down at an angle mitigates that risk. It can be a therapeutic play session because you really don't have to do anything else than hover and press 4 buttons 😁, the animations on the cones are long enough that you really don't have time or need to do anything else. I don't play hover blasters but I imagine you'll want to pick up evasive maneuvers for the -fly resist and the additional maneuverability. I do wish the range on the cones got a bit of normalization on dark blast though, it would make for a smoother (lazier 😆) playing experience.

[Nightmarer 2]

6 minutes ago, Nemu said:

Debuffs need to hit, one missed attack could be clutch in certain situations.

I need new contact lenses, was going crazy (English not my native language) trying to find out why "one missed attack could be dutch in certain situations"... until I finally found out it says "clutch" and not "dutch" lmao.

[Snarky]

On 9/15/2021 at 11:56 AM, Nightmarer said:

I wasn't replying to you, was replying to PluckySideckick. This build is also terrible though, like theirs (and yours for that matter), but they came with all that shit about cones cones cones and has two of them unslotted so I thought if it's all about cones, let's go big but again, wasn't replying to you, what I had to say about your build, I already said it 😞

Any chance you will stuff your head far up an elephants butt? That way you can really talk deep crap.  Right now you just seem so shallow.

 

Look, I get that you have a problem with my build, my strategy. and probably my personality.  maybe you should go find a thread where you like what people are doing.  wouldnt want you to have to traipse through all this stuff you do not enjoy.  That would be terrible.  Dark, dark, dark....

[PluckySidekick]

11 hours ago, Nightmarer said:

I need new contact lenses, was going crazy (English not my native language) trying to find out why "one missed attack could be dutch in certain situations"... until I finally found out it says "clutch" and not "dutch" lmao.

 

 

[PluckySidekick]

On 9/16/2021 at 6:11 AM, Nemu said:

If you can find room for enhancing -to hit after you enhance the attacks for dam/acc/end/rech then yeah, have a ball, or you can slot some damage procs for some more incidental damage. One thing I have not seen is slotting a FF proc into umbral torrent, which I highly recommend. I slotted mine with 3 piece avalanche (all the pieces without recharge component, don't skimp on slow resist), the FF proc, overwhelming force KD IO and the annihilation -res proc. I also feel that being able to cycle KD consistently adds a lot more to my survival than the philosophy of slotting attacks not for damage but for secondary effects.

 

You may note on the build that I'm letting Muscular Core do a lot of the lifting on damage for the Debuff items and they're all slotted with Siphon Insight which gives some nice set bonuses to boot.

 

Also, if you hit with Tenebrous Tentacles first, that negates the KB from Umbral Torrent. Some people always go flying but while they're in the air, they're not attacking either.

 

I'm looking to do things that nobody else does. That's part of my fun. Enjoy!

[Nemu]

I'm not here to stop you or anyone else from having fun.

 

I just want to provide context to new players so they know what they are getting out of that kind of build philosophy.

 

Also, not to be a party pooper but a lot of people build for defense so you are kinda doing that thing that everyone else does. If you really pride yourself on being a unicorn then I think building for + max range can be pretty neat. Put those centrioles to work 😁

 

[Snarky]

10 hours ago, Nemu said:

I'm not here to stop you or anyone else from having fun.

 

I just want to provide context to new players so they know what they are getting out of that kind of build philosophy.

 

Also, not to be a party pooper but a lot of people build for defense so you are kinda doing that thing that everyone else does. If you really pride yourself on being a unicorn then I think building for + max range can be pretty neat. Put those centrioles to work 😁

 

Building for +range on dark/dark is nice, but definitely a third tier goal in my opinion.  Why?  first, it is good.  It helps extend the cones.  Any +range gives more flexibility overall.  Bad points, until you get used to cones it is easy to agro a second group with a long cone. You line up the perfect shot.  And get the pack behind the group you were aiming for as well.  Sometimes too much. Slapping in i/o that do not reinforce 1st and 2nd tier build goals is many times counterproductive.  Lastly, as much as I love range Dark/Dark/Soul is naturally hanging out at 40-60.  +range will not change that much. You need to be close enough to jump in for the Nuke, the End bar refill, and Soul Drain.  You need to be out far enough to let the narrow cones get wide before they hit a group, help with aiming, stay out of melee attack range and give less of an AoE target profile.

 

Building for softcap ranged defense.  Oh, yeah...  That is one of the first build priorities I have. Softcap Ranged defense and a smart playstyle will allow you to still be doing damage long minutes into a tough tough fight. You can build for damage, proc it out, and have a terrific Alpha. But if you have to run, eat inspirations like candy, or pick yourself up off the ground your DPS goes to ....zero.   I can go in before a tank (thanks stealth) hit tier 9 Nuke. (has massive to hit debuff) sometimes soul drain after if still a lot of mobs left.  Then zip out to a good spot to lay down cones or start a ST burn down chain.  I can do this when a team has no tank.  All while dealing Blaster DPS.  Not Proc Fire Fire Blaster DPS, but still Blaster DPS.

 

Here is a neat bit of logic. You only need so much Defense before chasing any more becomes less useful.  

 

Here is a neater bit of logic. You can only kill a mob to a certain amount of deadness.  After that they do not get any more dead.  No more experience. No more drops. Nothing.  

 

My dark/Dark/Soul Blaster only has two damage Procs. It was built for softcap ranged defense and a playstyle that uses knowledge as a weapon. Knowing where mobs will be. Knowing how tough mobs are. Knowing who to kill. Knowing who to slap holds on.  (Looking at you Victoria robots, Paragon protectors....)  Sure, there are Blasters out there that kill faster.  But I can get into a place and fight a long battle where that type of Blaster cannot kill fast enough to survive.  Once I agro something I am debuffing its accuracy. I keep it away from me so it has to get through my ranged defense. I have a heal that is part of a decent high ST DPS chain. I win those wars of attrition. Then i let stealth fall back over me and go see where the team needs the next nuke placed.  

Edited September 18, 2021 by Snarky

[Nemu]

Look at me in the eyes and tell me you don't want to build this 😶.

 

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!

Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Dark Blast
Secondary Power Set: Darkness Manipulation
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Force of Will
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Gloom -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(7)
Level 1: Penumbral Grasp -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Umbral Torrent -- Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech(A), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech/End(7), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(9), FrcFdb-Rechg%(9), Bmbdmt-Dam(25), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(27)
Level 4: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(19)
Level 6: Aim -- GssSynFr--Build%(A)
Level 8: Moonbeam -- StnoftheM-Acc/Dmg(A), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx(11), StnoftheM-Acc/ActRdx/Rng(11), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), StnoftheM-Dam%(15)
Level 10: Fly -- BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(A), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(40)
Level 12: Tenebrous Tentacles -- Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(A), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech/End(13), HO:Centri(15), HO:Centri(19)
Level 14: Stealth -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 16: Soul Drain -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17), Arm-Acc/Rchg(40), RechRdx-I(40)
Level 18: Abyssal Gaze -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(34), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(37), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(39), Dmg-I(48), Dmg-I(49)
Level 20: Touch of the Beyond -- PreOptmz-Acc/Rech(A), PreOptmz-EndMod/End(21), PreOptmz-EndMod/Rech(21), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/End(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/Rech(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/End/Rech(25)
Level 22: Weaken Resolve -- CldSns-ToHitDeb(A), CldSns-Acc/ToHitDeb(27), CldSns-Acc/Rchg(31), CldSns-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(33), CldSns-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(34), CldSns-%Dam(43)
Level 24: Project Will -- Empty(A)
Level 26: Life Drain -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(45), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46)
Level 28: Wall of Force -- Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech(A), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech/End(29), FrcFdb-Rechg%(29), Bmbdmt-Dam(31), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(34)
Level 30: Unleash Potential -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), RechRdx-I(31), RechRdx-I(43)
Level 32: Blackstar -- SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(33), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(39)
Level 35: Night Fall -- Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech(A), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech/End(36), Bmbdmt-Dam(36), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(36), Bmbdmt-Dam/Rech(37), SphIns-%ToHit(37)
Level 38: Dark Embrace -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(39)
Level 41: Soul Tentacles -- Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech(A), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech/End(42), HO:Centri(42), HO:Centri(42), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(45), Bmbdmt-Acc/Rech/End(48)
Level 44: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), HO:Cyto(49)
Level 47: Soul Storm -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(47), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(47), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(48)
Level 49: Afterburner -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance 
Level 1: Sprint -- UnbLea-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A)
Level 49: Quick Form 
Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon 
Level 50: Portal Jockey 
Level 50: Task Force Commander 
Level 50: The Atlas Medallion 
Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve 
Level 50: Diamagnetic Core Flawless Interface 
------------

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Ha! You can't look me in the eyes, therefore you do want to build this!

 

[Vulpoid]

21 minutes ago, Nemu said:

Level 49: Afterburner -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)

I didn't think you could slot AfterBurner... Am I missing something?
https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Flight#Afterburner

[Nemu]

Afterburner became evasive maneuvers, and that you can slot a LOTG 7.5 in.

[PluckySidekick]

On 9/18/2021 at 6:56 AM, Snarky said:

 I can go in before a tank (thanks stealth) hit tier 9 Nuke. (has massive to hit debuff) sometimes soul drain after if still a lot of mobs left.  Then zip out to a good spot to lay down cones or start a ST burn down chain.  I can do this when a team has no tank.  All while dealing Blaster DPS.  Not Proc Fire Fire Blaster DPS, but still Blaster DPS.

 

I like to Combat TP in (along with Time and Space Stealth IO) and Soul Drain first... Makes the nukes nice and spicy! Anything that dodged both get a good Smite for their trouble. After that, it's another quick TP to the next group for some accuracy enhanced Judgement.

[Snarky]

1 hour ago, PluckySidekick said:

 

I like to Combat TP in (along with Time and Space Stealth IO) and Soul Drain first... Makes the nukes nice and spicy! Anything that dodged both get a good Smite for their trouble. After that, it's another quick TP to the next group for some accuracy enhanced Judgement.

Yeah i like to use Soul Drain first….but there are many times i choose just aim instead.  I get pulled into a lot of hard content lol

 

last night a 50 scrapper SG mate asked me along on a carnie map. Not sure what their setting were but i am guessing it was +0/x3-4. There were a lot of Carnies. Kill all medium sized warehouse.

 

Many times we were split up.  I would sneak into center of a fresh spawn, Aim and Blackstar.  Then Soul Drain as they were to hit debuffed. Not as spicy but safer.   Dark Consumption was very useful as well, saving me on using blues as much. After I nuked I would back up and start spamming cones. More important to keep everyone knocked down, debuffed, and slowly melting then focus on any ST. I did not die once.  The Scrapper dropped at least one time i saw.  Granted i was on a fully incarnated 50+3 (effective +1, but all tier 4d etc). But the Dark/Dark/Soul I run is very sturdy in hard content.  Even the couple times when the strategy went to crap and i got surrounded the Blaster held up and burned everything down. 

Edited September 19, 2021 by Snarky

[tidge]

What is all this talk about trying to avoid aggroing distant groups? For me, this is half of the fun of playing a Dark Blaster. Talking otherwise just makes the devs feel less bad about nerfing the range of Fast Snipes.

[tidge]

On 9/18/2021 at 11:21 AM, Nemu said:

Look at me in the eyes and tell me you don't want to build this 😶.

 

Ha! You can't look me in the eyes, therefore you do want to build this!

 

 

[PluckySidekick]

6 hours ago, tidge said:

What is all this talk about trying to avoid aggroing distant groups? For me, this is half of the fun of playing a Dark Blaster. Talking otherwise just makes the devs feel less bad about nerfing the range of Fast Snipes.

 

Oh, they know we're there and they're very impressed... for a few seconds. After that, get the spatula.