Dez's Mind/Fire/Mace - Concept Build

Cenozoic · October 28, 2021

@BurningDezire

Hope this helps!

MAJOR ITEMS

45% SLR
Near perma-Hasten
Perma-Dom
Perma-Confuse (all standard AVs)
95% Accuracy against the vast majority of stuff
AV Debuffing (Poisonous Ray w/Proc)

NOTES

There are a lot of tweaks that can be done on this build ... lots of room to move stuff around
AV ST Attack Chain should include Mesmerize and Poisonous Ray to detoggle and -Res
Team-friendly Maneuvers and Tactics to keep the party rolling

This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.5.6
https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Dez's Mind Fire Concept: Level 50 Mutation Dominator
Primary Power Set: Mind Control
Secondary Power Set: Fiery Assault
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Mesmerize

(A) Fortunata Hypnosis - Sleep/Recharge
(5) Fortunata Hypnosis - Accuracy/Sleep/Recharge
(7) Fortunata Hypnosis - Accuracy/Recharge
(45) Fortunata Hypnosis - Sleep/Endurance
(45) Fortunata Hypnosis - Chance for Placate

Level 1: Flares

(A) Accuracy IO

Level 2: Dominate

(A) Unbreakable Constraint - Hold/Recharge
(7) Unbreakable Constraint - Endurance/Hold
(9) Unbreakable Constraint - Chance for Smashing Damage
(43) Unbreakable Constraint - Accuracy/Hold/Recharge
(43) Unbreakable Constraint - Accuracy/Recharge

Level 4: Hover

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

Level 6: Confuse

(A) Coercive Persuasion - Confused
(9) Coercive Persuasion - Confused/Recharge
(17) Coercive Persuasion - Accuracy/Confused/Recharge
(17) Coercive Persuasion - Accuracy/Recharge
(19) Coercive Persuasion - Confused/Endurance
(19) Coercive Persuasion - Contagious Confusion

Level 8: Boxing

(A) Kinetic Combat - Accuracy/Damage
(46) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Endurance
(48) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Recharge
(48) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Endurance/Recharge

Level 10: Fire Blast

(A) Superior Winter's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
(11) Superior Winter's Bite - Damage/RechargeTime
(11) Superior Winter's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
(13) Superior Winter's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
(13) Superior Winter's Bite - Damage/Endurance/Accuracy/RechargeTime

Level 12: Maneuvers

(A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
(37) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
(40) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
(40) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance/Recharge

Level 14: Tough

(A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
(15) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All)
(15) Unbreakable Guard - +Max HP

Level 16: Embrace of Fire

(A) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 18: Total Domination

(A) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Recharge
(31) Basilisk's Gaze - Recharge/Hold
(34) Basilisk's Gaze - Endurance/Recharge/Hold
(37) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold

Level 20: Weave

(A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
(21) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
(21) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
(23) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
(23) Red Fortune - Defense
(25) Red Fortune - Endurance

Level 22: Tactics

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

Level 24: Hasten

(A) Recharge Reduction IO
(25) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 26: Terrify

(A) Artillery - Accuracy/Damage
(27) Artillery - Damage/Endurance
(27) Artillery - Damage/Recharge
(29) Artillery - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
(29) Artillery - Accuracy/Recharge/Range
(31) Artillery - Endurance/Recharge/Range

Level 28: Super Speed

(A) Winter's Gift - Slow Resistance (20%)

Level 30: Vengeance

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

Level 32: Mass Confusion

(A) Superior Ascendency of the Dominator - Accuracy/Control Duration
(33) Superior Ascendency of the Dominator - Control Duration/Recharge
(33) Superior Ascendency of the Dominator - Endurance/Recharge
(33) Superior Ascendency of the Dominator - Accuracy/Control Duration/Endurance
(34) Superior Ascendency of the Dominator - Accuracy/Control Duration/Endurance/Recharge
(34) Superior Ascendency of the Dominator - Recharge/Chance for +Damage

Level 35: Blazing Bolt

(A) Sting of the Manticore - Accuracy/Damage
(36) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Endurance
(36) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Interrupt/Recharge
(36) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
(37) Sting of the Manticore - Chance of Damage(Toxic)
(48) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 38: Blaze

(A) Apocalypse - Damage/Recharge
(39) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
(39) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Recharge
(39) Apocalypse - Damage/Endurance
(40) Apocalypse - Chance of Damage(Negative)

Level 41: Scorpion Shield

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

Level 44: Poisonous Ray

(A) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff
(45) Accuracy IO

Level 47: Fly

(A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points)
(50) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range

Level 49: Evasive Maneuvers

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

Level 1: Brawl

(A) Empty

Level 1: Domination

Level 1: Sprint

BurningDezire · October 28, 2021

4 minutes ago, Cenozoic said:

@BurningDezire

Hope this helps!

MAJOR ITEMS

45% SLR

Near perma-Hasten

Perma-Dom

Perma-Confuse (all standard AVs)

95% Accuracy against the vast majority of stuff

AV Debuffing (Poisonous Ray w/Proc)

NOTES

There are a lot of tweaks that can be done on this build ... lots of room to move stuff around

AV ST Attack Chain should include Mesmerize and Poisonous Ray to detoggle and -Res

Team-friendly Maneuvers and Tactics to keep the party rolling

This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.5.6
https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Dez's Mind Fire Concept: Level 50 Mutation Dominator
Primary Power Set: Mind Control
Secondary Power Set: Fiery Assault
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Mesmerize

(A) Fortunata Hypnosis - Sleep/Recharge

(5) Fortunata Hypnosis - Accuracy/Sleep/Recharge

(7) Fortunata Hypnosis - Accuracy/Recharge

(45) Fortunata Hypnosis - Sleep/Endurance

(45) Fortunata Hypnosis - Chance for Placate

Level 1: Flares

(A) Accuracy IO

Level 2: Dominate

(A) Unbreakable Constraint - Hold/Recharge

(7) Unbreakable Constraint - Endurance/Hold

(9) Unbreakable Constraint - Chance for Smashing Damage

(43) Unbreakable Constraint - Accuracy/Hold/Recharge

(43) Unbreakable Constraint - Accuracy/Recharge

Level 4: Hover

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

(31) Kismet - Accuracy +6%

Level 6: Confuse

(A) Coercive Persuasion - Confused

(9) Coercive Persuasion - Confused/Recharge

(17) Coercive Persuasion - Accuracy/Confused/Recharge

(17) Coercive Persuasion - Accuracy/Recharge

(19) Coercive Persuasion - Confused/Endurance

(19) Coercive Persuasion - Contagious Confusion

Level 8: Boxing

(A) Kinetic Combat - Accuracy/Damage

(46) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Endurance

(48) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Recharge

(48) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Endurance/Recharge

Level 10: Fire Blast

(A) Superior Winter's Bite - Accuracy/Damage

(11) Superior Winter's Bite - Damage/RechargeTime

(11) Superior Winter's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance

(13) Superior Winter's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge

(13) Superior Winter's Bite - Damage/Endurance/Accuracy/RechargeTime

Level 12: Maneuvers

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

(37) Luck of the Gambler - Defense

(40) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance

(40) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance/Recharge

Level 14: Tough

(A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%

(15) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All)

(15) Unbreakable Guard - +Max HP

Level 16: Embrace of Fire

(A) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 18: Total Domination

(A) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Recharge

(31) Basilisk's Gaze - Recharge/Hold

(34) Basilisk's Gaze - Endurance/Recharge/Hold

(37) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold

Level 20: Weave

(A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance

(21) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge

(21) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge

(23) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge

(23) Red Fortune - Defense

(25) Red Fortune - Endurance

Level 22: Tactics

(A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff

(43) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge

(46) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance

(46) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance

(50) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance

(50) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up

Level 24: Hasten

(A) Recharge Reduction IO

(25) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 26: Terrify

(A) Artillery - Accuracy/Damage

(27) Artillery - Damage/Endurance

(27) Artillery - Damage/Recharge

(29) Artillery - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge

(29) Artillery - Accuracy/Recharge/Range

(31) Artillery - Endurance/Recharge/Range

Level 28: Super Speed

(A) Winter's Gift - Slow Resistance (20%)

Level 30: Vengeance

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

Level 32: Mass Confusion

(A) Superior Ascendency of the Dominator - Accuracy/Control Duration

(33) Superior Ascendency of the Dominator - Control Duration/Recharge

(33) Superior Ascendency of the Dominator - Endurance/Recharge

(33) Superior Ascendency of the Dominator - Accuracy/Control Duration/Endurance

(34) Superior Ascendency of the Dominator - Accuracy/Control Duration/Endurance/Recharge

(34) Superior Ascendency of the Dominator - Recharge/Chance for +Damage

Level 35: Blazing Bolt

(A) Sting of the Manticore - Accuracy/Damage

(36) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Endurance

(36) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Interrupt/Recharge

(36) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Endurance/Recharge

(37) Sting of the Manticore - Chance of Damage(Toxic)

(48) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 38: Blaze

(A) Apocalypse - Damage/Recharge

(39) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge

(39) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Recharge

(39) Apocalypse - Damage/Endurance

(40) Apocalypse - Chance of Damage(Negative)

Level 41: Scorpion Shield

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

(42) Luck of the Gambler - Defense

(42) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance

(42) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance/Recharge

Level 44: Poisonous Ray

(A) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff

(45) Accuracy IO

Level 47: Fly

(A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points)

(50) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range

Level 49: Evasive Maneuvers

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

Level 1: Brawl

(A) Empty

Level 1: Domination

Level 1: Sprint

Awesome, ty Cen! :D

MoonSheep · October 28, 2021

a big thumbs down from me, misses the point of a mind/fire dom

source: main for many many years is a mind/fire dom

Edited October 28, 2021 by MoonSheep

Cenozoic · October 28, 2021

Thanks for the feedback @MoonSheep!

Could you elaborate a bit so I can understand your perspective?

MoonSheep · October 28, 2021

1 hour ago, Cenozoic said:

Thanks for the feedback @MoonSheep!

Could you elaborate a bit so I can understand your perspective?

absolutely - thank you for inviting further comment, i’m looking forward to adding a perspective in a few hours after work

Cenozoic · October 28, 2021

Right on! Looking forward to it!

MoonSheep · October 28, 2021

The comments below are purely my thoughts as someone who mained a Mind/Fire dom on live and now again on Homecoming since May 2019. I play almost nothing else, much to the amusement of my friends on Excelsior. It currently sits on 8,300 merits having played every TF on the game multiple times, every ouro mish and just about everything going several times over.

It outlives any AT or build time and time again

Opinion warning: some of the thoughts may differ to the status quo.

Defense

My first opposition is that building for defense and following the fad for squishies taking Tough/Weave shows the biggest misunderstanding of the character. This is a shame as it's near enough one of the strongest characters in the game when played by indivdiuals who want a dominator, not a scrapper/blaster. The majority of people on CoX play combat classes and play them a lot. This results in a playerbase which is entirely focused on a defense:attack mechanic, with little knowledge or experience of other playstyles.

This is not what a dominator is about however. Think of an elite ninja, with all its deadly abilities and skills. If the ninja was to be advised by the average Homecoming forum builder, it would be equipped with a bullet proof vest, handed a hammer and told to stand in the mob and start swinging wildly. It would do some damage sure, but it misses the point of the elite ninja entirely. A playstyle that advanced dom players such as @Voltak showcase. When played as a dominator, doms will outlive any AT.

Every single power on a mind/fire dom is ranged, apart from incinerate (nobody takes combustion, sorry combustion). As such, the mind/fire dom can stay far, far away from the chaos and choose what it interacts with. This means it takes almost no damage in combat

The opener to most fights starts with either a hold or a confuse - Lets assess how much damage a +4 paragon protector deals after 1 application of Dominate as a permadom: 0. How about confuse? Also 0.

Thus, building for defense and using a large amount of slots on defense gives us zero value or return on investment. Individuals who take tough and weave on a mind/fire dom are likely better suited to playing a sentinel or scrapper as a dominator is not a defense:attack achetype. It is comparable to a tank building itself as a team buffer and healer.

There are nuances and techniques to playing a dom, such as identifying the most disruptive enemy in a mob and applying mez on that foe as battle opens. With a rapidly recharging confuse, this can be done on several foes before anything is even aggroed. AV's can be perma confused through PTOD, they deal 0 damage.

Moreover, mind has several powerful AoE mez powers available, any combat situation can quickly be completely shut down with the click of a button.

You have been promoted to the position of: Corpse

A simple post cannot convey the sadness I feel when I see 8 vibrant, full health bars on a team. Do my teammates not know the hidden benefits of their nutrient rich, vengable body? Choose Assault and TP Target. The death of a team member is not only a price I'm willing to pay, but also one I actively encourage and orchestrate. I may be a hero, but I'm still a dominator.

Psi Damage

A smaller opposition, Mezmemize should be slotted as an ST psi attack. It is incredibly useful during instances where foes pop a +Res All But Psi power, it cuts very nicely dealing several hundred damage whilst team mates are pinging it for 2's and 3's.

Mastery

Lastly, and another biggie, which in my opinion adds to my case that someone who would play the above build doesn't really 'get' dominators: the mastery. Doms have access to two of the best masteries in the game and the individual was somehow able to miss them both of them.

A buffet of the worlds finest steaks was on offer and ya’ll managed to pickup a hotdog.

Ice Mastery provides some amazing powers - most importantly, defender strength Sleet. I've preached heavily on the greatness of this power, the main takeaway is that it's hugely powerful in -def and -res and can be slotted for a -res proc. Not taking it is criminal as with Sleet you now have on your dom the best power on a Storm defender, combined with a well slotted Veng for powerful team +Def, with incredible ranged Mez powers to deploy and the most damaging dom assault set at your disposal. This is the strength and glory of the mind/fire dom: it's incredible versatility, changeable playstyles and abilities. It is not a one dimensional defense:attack class.

The other wortwhile mastery is Soul, which as @Mezmera will testify, brings doms to another level. Soul Drain when slotted combined with the +rech of an average dom sustains a near +70% dmg buff for 30s, taking the same amount of time to recharge. Ontop of Fiery Embrace (+68%), this puts a /fire dom in an extremely strong position.

In summary, the mind/fire dom is one of the most powerful AT combinations in the game, but only when played by someone who logs on to play a dominator.

Edited October 28, 2021 by MoonSheep

Mezmera · October 28, 2021

There's lots of great Epic pools for doms.

Yes I love Soul Mastery for my Energy dom since I'm always in melee and there's so much aoe damage available in that set along with Soul Drain capping at +100% damage along with like 35% tohitt for 30s along with doing the pbaoe damage it does. Then there's the end drain that fixes any endurance issues you might have but if you start to put it in your arsenal and slot something like that pvp -res proc it becomes a power that'll do so much more for you. Plus the other powers in that pool are almost as good.

Sometimes I go with Primal Mastery if I have a heal since ET does 300 points more damage than any dominator's highest attack. Then there's that aoe blast you can slot that Force Feedback proc into which has 16 chances to fire which it'll always fire.

Then there's Cold Mastery for that easy -res.

Or Fire Mastery since Fireball will really benefit from Embrace of Fire.

There's all kinds of pools to fit your fancy. Experiment to find your fit.

Edited October 28, 2021 by Mezmera

Cenozoic · October 29, 2021

@MoonSheep Thank you for following up, and happy to see that we both have experienced perspectives. What fun is a game if we don't play with it and share our differences and similarities in a respectful manner?

I am also a lifetime Mind Controller/Dominator (2004 launch and CoV beta), and am versed in attack mechanics and enemy group nuances. My main is a Mind/Psionic Dominator.

To clarify my initial post's intentions, I created a custom build for a player's first Dominator. We shared ideas on the goals and best approach for a first Dominator, followed by a detailed AV training session in which I delivered some key ideas around how to attack and plan using Domination, and listened to their needs and playstyle goals and expectations. There were several points of their request which contradict your recommendations, which makes sense from both perspectives:

The player wants a non-solo, team-oriented dominator which can perma-confuse
- Mind or Dark primary; Mind was chosen and the above build supports this function
The player wanted an exclusively ranged character (no PBAoE or melee)
- Fire secondary was chosen
The player wanted strong survivability where possible
- With ranged hover, the two concerns are Range and AoE
- Ranged defense >45% to mitigate the majority of distance attacks
- S/L/E defense >45% to mitigate the majority of AoE attacks (Rad, Elec, Arch, Energy, AR, Beam, etc)
  - Energy Defense is the reason for Scorpion Shield. I agree that Cold Mastery is quite acceptable for similar application, and either Sleet or Poisonous Ray are effective.

To your points in the post above, hopefully these replies help:

Mesmerize is a great tool, and can definitely be slotted over other powers for damage. I noted this specifically with the player (as stated, there is a lot of room to test and adjust). This is the first build. Experiment to find the fit.
There are definitely some instances where Psionic damage output can outperform Fire (MoG is a good example), however, many of those powers can be mitigated by mez, time, or def/res debuffs, such as Poisonous Ray or Sleet.
Perma-Confuse - yes, I did clearly state that this toon was capable of perma-confuse. Also, I showed the player how to use Power Analyzer to identify Purple Triangle uptime, cycling, and special conditions for some AVs. The player was a terrific student and I think we had a blast examining the Hold, Sleep, and Confuse mechanics.
TP/Assault for Veng - These are viable options, and I chose to recommend different powers. Vengeance has a 60ft power range with a 100ft bonus radius, so hovering near the body and casting is realistic. Assault's 10.5% damage boost is nice, though it didn't factor into the current build.
Tough/Weave - This does seem to be a polarizing topic. I agree that there are great slotting alternatives, however, I disagree that slotting for defense bonuses is not valuable. Enclosed areas, large AoE radii, enemy spawns outside of aggro control numbers, PUGs, exemplaring, and ambushes can certainly lend credit to the viability of defense.

Part of the adventure in this game is building a character that is fun and effective. I believe that I accomplished this intent for the player with the given build, and I support your opposition to my assertion.

Thanks for reading!

Voltak · October 29, 2021

18 hours ago, MoonSheep said:

It outlives any AT or build time and time again

Opinion warning: some of the thoughts may differ to the status quo.

Defense

My first opposition is that building for defense and following the fad for squishies taking Tough/Weave shows the biggest misunderstanding of the character. This is a shame as it's near enough one of the strongest characters in the game when played by indivdiuals who want a dominator, not a scrapper/blaster. The majority of people on CoX play combat classes and play them a lot. This results in a playerbase which is entirely focused on a defense:attack mechanic, with little knowledge or experience of other playstyles.

This is not what a dominator is about however. Think of an elite ninja, with all its deadly abilities and skills. If the ninja was to be advised by the average Homecoming forum builder, it would be equipped with a bullet proof vest, handed a hammer and told to stand in the mob and start swinging wildly. It would do some damage sure, but it misses the point of the elite ninja entirely. A playstyle that advanced dom players such as @Voltak showcase. When played as a dominator, doms will outlive any AT.

Back in live, I used to have much loved Plant/Thorns/Cold Dominator.
I used to farm with him the Battle Maiden map. He had no defenses via IOs. He was built for very high recharge and dmg bonus and extra hit points.
I relied on controls to farm the map and I did it quickly. Throw seeds, then proceed with the rest, but I had to angle the seeds just right to hit as much as I could. With my single hold power ready to use in case I missed a boss with Seeds. I packed green inspirations only.
Farming was fast and smooth. But that is relatively very easy content. That changes a bit when the difficulty of what you do increases.

*** I was thinking about making a ninja costume for my Dark/Dark Dom when I first got into specializing in the ITF, Master settings with no inspirations.
This post speaks to me, now I have to use another costume slot and make a ninja costume. ***

The first thing that I was impressed with when getting into doing the ITF at extreme challenge settings is that my dominator did not need to try to fight using conventional means that other ATs may use to get the mission done.
There was no good reason at the time to reveal myself to all foes that I was there doing whatever I was doing to get the mission done.

Sure, there were times when I used good judgment to come out of stealth, but discerning when to do that is important.
Sure, if you like to be a bravado character as a Dom, go ahead. But your face planting over and over is going to slow you down as well if it gets to that.

I made a video on one way to do part 2 of the ITF with a Dark dominator but that can be applied to a Mind dominator as well and even a Plant dominator.

I do recommend the stealth pool to any dominator. Both of my current doms that are decked out, they both have stealth.

These tactics can be applied to any setting.

For example, how to deal with multiple AVs in one TF, while you are solo? You avoid being seen or noticed, you control one AV, or possess it, that AV kills the other, and you do this until there's only one left. Then, you don't let yourself be revealed at that time, but you possess or confuse that AV until you reach a magnitude that it works to remain perma, then you can break stealth. Or, you can summon your pets, or NPCs, to draw aggro for you, and you go to work.

In the case of Black Knights who are tough to mez, relying on your other strengths is key.
In that case, Dark/Dark enjoys huge amounts of to hit debuffs.
( no intent here on deviating from Mind/ Doms. I am just using one example of when deviating tactics or using other options may be helpful )

I was going over the numbers in another post. You can stack enough to hit debuffs to rival corruptors who use Radiation emission's to hit debuffs, or even defenders if you use the doms equivalent of powerboost and Clarion Radial T4 (which also works as a power boost)

With Shadow Field, well slotted, Gather Shadows, and Clarion Radial, you can have to hit debuffs of over 50% on a Dark/Dark Dominator. That rivals hurricane. Why? or How? Talking with @Carnifax  brought this up, but Dominators with domination up , they summon TWO shadow fields, and both of them stack on top of the other, then you had a powerboosted fear x2 (one from Gather Shadows and one from Clarion Radial) and we are talking enormous amounts of to hit debuffs.

A ninja that's very hard to hit even when seen. Now that is thematic. So, when I am exposes and my invisibility is gone, then and only then do I use the rest of my instruments.

I agree with MoonSheep, to play a Dominator well, you don't have to be face tanking anything with bravado. You have options, so you can take various approaches.
The ninja idea is great.

I have three (3) builds on my dark/dark dominator, what I use varies on enemies, or task force, or team composition or the tactics I am going to be using.
You can do this same thing on any dominator if you have the budget.
That brings more variety and more spice to gaming

Edited October 29, 2021 by Voltak

Voltak · October 29, 2021

9 hours ago, Cenozoic said:

@MoonSheep Thank you for following up, and happy to see that we both have experienced perspectives. What fun is a game if we don't play with it and share our differences and similarities in a respectful manner?

Part of the adventure in this game is building a character that is fun and effective. I believe that I accomplished this intent for the player with the given build, and I support your opposition to my assertion.

Thanks for reading!

This community is awesome. Cenozoic is player that I recommend every dominator or blaster player listens to and follows and even friend him.

He not only posts some great information but he actually will take some of his playing time and use it to team with you , do some testing, and share any insights.

The advantages of playing a dom is also the community of great dom players. You can learn from example or reading quality information by players who love their doms with passion.

I have had the joy of teaming with @Cenozoic and it's nothing short of refreshing and rewarding.

BurningDezire · October 29, 2021

I asked Cen to help me with this build. It's my first Dominator and my playstyle most likely doesn't optimize the AT fully.

I enjoy teaming and you seldom come across teams where the tank understands aggro cap mechanics or doesn't care to play accordingly, so they'd aggro multiple groups and once aggro cap is reached, the squishies take heat. Also, there is ALWAYS that one toon on a team that wants to go try tank another group solo and when they can't, you get heat from the mob aggroed by that toon. It is for this reason I like ranged Def. I would say that ranged def isn't as important on a Dom if you're only soloing. But if you're teaming, it's essential for survival because you need to account for the unexpected aggro from teammates.

So the build posted by Cen is centered around my playstyle. :)

Being my first toon with Mind power set, Cen provided some eye-opening knowledge and strategies on Mind powers. Ty Cen.

Cenozoic · October 29, 2021

43 minutes ago, BurningDezire said:

I asked Cen to help me with this build. It's my first Dominator and my playstyle most likely doesn't optimize the AT fully.

Being my first toon with Mind power set, Cen provided some eye-opening knowledge and strategies on Mind powers. Ty Cen.

My pleasure, Dez! In the end, it's about fun, so I hope we brought you to the Dominator team with that spirit. Mind Control is one of the harder sets to master, and it's important to embrace the adventure of discovering enemy weaknesses and new build tweaks based on playstyle.

Like @Voltak said, the fun of a Dom is that one level 50 Dom can have 2-3 totally unique builds for different occasions, and you picked an outstanding Primary/Secondary combo to build upon.

Happy hunting! Let me know if you need mind control tips or want to modify a build.

Mezmera · October 29, 2021

3 hours ago, BurningDezire said:

I asked Cen to help me with this build. It's my first Dominator and my playstyle most likely doesn't optimize the AT fully.

I enjoy teaming and you seldom come across teams where the tank understands aggro cap mechanics or doesn't care to play accordingly, so they'd aggro multiple groups and once aggro cap is reached, the squishies take heat. Also, there is ALWAYS that one toon on a team that wants to go try tank another group solo and when they can't, you get heat from the mob aggroed by that toon. It is for this reason I like ranged Def. I would say that ranged def isn't as important on a Dom if you're only soloing. But if you're teaming, it's essential for survival because you need to account for the unexpected aggro from teammates.

So the build posted by Cen is centered around my playstyle. :)

Being my first toon with Mind power set, Cen provided some eye-opening knowledge and strategies on Mind powers. Ty Cen.

I play on Excelsior if you'd ever want to see how a Mind dom can play. Like @Cenozoic says doms have good reason to have multiple builds. I have a team oriented build and then 2 other builds with usually a few slotting changes here and there and a few different powers suited to each build.

Beyond recharge I also aim for as much defense, hp and resistance that I can since most of it is usually a slot away from the recharge I'm building for.

Blackmoor · November 25, 2021

On 10/28/2021 at 11:05 AM, MoonSheep said:

The comments below are purely my thoughts as someone who mained a Mind/Fire dom on live and now again on Homecoming since May 2019. I play almost nothing else, much to the amusement of my friends on Excelsior. It currently sits on 8,300 merits having played every TF on the game multiple times, every ouro mish and just about everything going several times over.

It outlives any AT or build time and time again

Opinion warning: some of the thoughts may differ to the status quo.

Defense

My first opposition is that building for defense and following the fad for squishies taking Tough/Weave shows the biggest misunderstanding of the character. This is a shame as it's near enough one of the strongest characters in the game when played by indivdiuals who want a dominator, not a scrapper/blaster. The majority of people on CoX play combat classes and play them a lot. This results in a playerbase which is entirely focused on a defense:attack mechanic, with little knowledge or experience of other playstyles.

This is not what a dominator is about however. Think of an elite ninja, with all its deadly abilities and skills. If the ninja was to be advised by the average Homecoming forum builder, it would be equipped with a bullet proof vest, handed a hammer and told to stand in the mob and start swinging wildly. It would do some damage sure, but it misses the point of the elite ninja entirely. A playstyle that advanced dom players such as @Voltak showcase. When played as a dominator, doms will outlive any AT.

Every single power on a mind/fire dom is ranged, apart from incinerate (nobody takes combustion, sorry combustion). As such, the mind/fire dom can stay far, far away from the chaos and choose what it interacts with. This means it takes almost no damage in combat

The opener to most fights starts with either a hold or a confuse - Lets assess how much damage a +4 paragon protector deals after 1 application of Dominate as a permadom: 0. How about confuse? Also 0.

Thus, building for defense and using a large amount of slots on defense gives us zero value or return on investment. Individuals who take tough and weave on a mind/fire dom are likely better suited to playing a sentinel or scrapper as a dominator is not a defense:attack achetype. It is comparable to a tank building itself as a team buffer and healer.

There are nuances and techniques to playing a dom, such as identifying the most disruptive enemy in a mob and applying mez on that foe as battle opens. With a rapidly recharging confuse, this can be done on several foes before anything is even aggroed. AV's can be perma confused through PTOD, they deal 0 damage.

Moreover, mind has several powerful AoE mez powers available, any combat situation can quickly be completely shut down with the click of a button.

You have been promoted to the position of: Corpse

A simple post cannot convey the sadness I feel when I see 8 vibrant, full health bars on a team. Do my teammates not know the hidden benefits of their nutrient rich, vengable body? Choose Assault and TP Target. The death of a team member is not only a price I'm willing to pay, but also one I actively encourage and orchestrate. I may be a hero, but I'm still a dominator.

Psi Damage

A smaller opposition, Mezmemize should be slotted as an ST psi attack. It is incredibly useful during instances where foes pop a +Res All But Psi power, it cuts very nicely dealing several hundred damage whilst team mates are pinging it for 2's and 3's.

Mastery

Lastly, and another biggie, which in my opinion adds to my case that someone who would play the above build doesn't really 'get' dominators: the mastery. Doms have access to two of the best masteries in the game and the individual was somehow able to miss them both of them.

A buffet of the worlds finest steaks was on offer and ya’ll managed to pickup a hotdog.

Ice Mastery provides some amazing powers - most importantly, defender strength Sleet. I've preached heavily on the greatness of this power, the main takeaway is that it's hugely powerful in -def and -res and can be slotted for a -res proc. Not taking it is criminal as with Sleet you now have on your dom the best power on a Storm defender, combined with a well slotted Veng for powerful team +Def, with incredible ranged Mez powers to deploy and the most damaging dom assault set at your disposal. This is the strength and glory of the mind/fire dom: it's incredible versatility, changeable playstyles and abilities. It is not a one dimensional defense:attack class.

The other wortwhile mastery is Soul, which as @Mezmera will testify, brings doms to another level. Soul Drain when slotted combined with the +rech of an average dom sustains a near +70% dmg buff for 30s, taking the same amount of time to recharge. Ontop of Fiery Embrace (+68%), this puts a /fire dom in an extremely strong position.

In summary, the mind/fire dom is one of the most powerful AT combinations in the game, but only when played by someone who logs on to play a dominator.

I strongly agree with virtually all of this. Chasing the softcap is the last thing most Dom builds should concentrate on. The best defense is a well-slotted primary.

Edited November 25, 2021 by Blackmoor

Galamane · December 12, 2021

On 10/28/2021 at 12:05 PM, MoonSheep said:

The comments below are purely my thoughts as someone who mained a Mind/Fire dom on live and now again on Homecoming since May 2019. I play almost nothing else, much to the amusement of my friends on Excelsior. It currently sits on 8,300 merits having played every TF on the game multiple times, every ouro mish and just about everything going several times over.

It outlives any AT or build time and time again

Opinion warning: some of the thoughts may differ to the status quo.

Defense

My first opposition is that building for defense and following the fad for squishies taking Tough/Weave shows the biggest misunderstanding of the character. This is a shame as it's near enough one of the strongest characters in the game when played by indivdiuals who want a dominator, not a scrapper/blaster. The majority of people on CoX play combat classes and play them a lot. This results in a playerbase which is entirely focused on a defense:attack mechanic, with little knowledge or experience of other playstyles.

This is not what a dominator is about however. Think of an elite ninja, with all its deadly abilities and skills. If the ninja was to be advised by the average Homecoming forum builder, it would be equipped with a bullet proof vest, handed a hammer and told to stand in the mob and start swinging wildly. It would do some damage sure, but it misses the point of the elite ninja entirely. A playstyle that advanced dom players such as @Voltak showcase. When played as a dominator, doms will outlive any AT.

Every single power on a mind/fire dom is ranged, apart from incinerate (nobody takes combustion, sorry combustion). As such, the mind/fire dom can stay far, far away from the chaos and choose what it interacts with. This means it takes almost no damage in combat

The opener to most fights starts with either a hold or a confuse - Lets assess how much damage a +4 paragon protector deals after 1 application of Dominate as a permadom: 0. How about confuse? Also 0.

Thus, building for defense and using a large amount of slots on defense gives us zero value or return on investment. Individuals who take tough and weave on a mind/fire dom are likely better suited to playing a sentinel or scrapper as a dominator is not a defense:attack achetype. It is comparable to a tank building itself as a team buffer and healer.

There are nuances and techniques to playing a dom, such as identifying the most disruptive enemy in a mob and applying mez on that foe as battle opens. With a rapidly recharging confuse, this can be done on several foes before anything is even aggroed. AV's can be perma confused through PTOD, they deal 0 damage.

Moreover, mind has several powerful AoE mez powers available, any combat situation can quickly be completely shut down with the click of a button.

You have been promoted to the position of: Corpse

A simple post cannot convey the sadness I feel when I see 8 vibrant, full health bars on a team. Do my teammates not know the hidden benefits of their nutrient rich, vengable body? Choose Assault and TP Target. The death of a team member is not only a price I'm willing to pay, but also one I actively encourage and orchestrate. I may be a hero, but I'm still a dominator.

Psi Damage

A smaller opposition, Mezmemize should be slotted as an ST psi attack. It is incredibly useful during instances where foes pop a +Res All But Psi power, it cuts very nicely dealing several hundred damage whilst team mates are pinging it for 2's and 3's.

Mastery

Lastly, and another biggie, which in my opinion adds to my case that someone who would play the above build doesn't really 'get' dominators: the mastery. Doms have access to two of the best masteries in the game and the individual was somehow able to miss them both of them.

A buffet of the worlds finest steaks was on offer and ya’ll managed to pickup a hotdog.

Ice Mastery provides some amazing powers - most importantly, defender strength Sleet. I've preached heavily on the greatness of this power, the main takeaway is that it's hugely powerful in -def and -res and can be slotted for a -res proc. Not taking it is criminal as with Sleet you now have on your dom the best power on a Storm defender, combined with a well slotted Veng for powerful team +Def, with incredible ranged Mez powers to deploy and the most damaging dom assault set at your disposal. This is the strength and glory of the mind/fire dom: it's incredible versatility, changeable playstyles and abilities. It is not a one dimensional defense:attack class.

The other wortwhile mastery is Soul, which as @Mezmera will testify, brings doms to another level. Soul Drain when slotted combined with the +rech of an average dom sustains a near +70% dmg buff for 30s, taking the same amount of time to recharge. Ontop of Fiery Embrace (+68%), this puts a /fire dom in an extremely strong position.

In summary, the mind/fire dom is one of the most powerful AT combinations in the game, but only when played by someone who logs on to play a dominator.

I've never played a dominator before and after reading this I want to become a Ninja. Do you have a leveling build so I can better understand how to slot powers for this combo?

MoonSheep · December 12, 2021

6 hours ago, Galamane said:

I've never played a dominator before and after reading this I want to become a Ninja. Do you have a leveling build so I can better understand how to slot powers for this combo?

lets see if the export works..

it's not a fancy build, as long as you get your permadom achieved i'd recommend slotting to however you like - e.g. if you have a favourite set, proc etc go for it. perscriptive builds take the fun out of things in my opinion

the build needs some improvement, e.g. ice storm is pure dreadful, but sleet is incredible, especially with the -res proc (a total of -50% res when it triggers)

at lower levels you'll be more focused on locking down the most disruptive enemy in a group, makes a notable difference when on sub lvl 20 teams. the main damage powers bloom quite late, but they're well worth it. the animation times are so low that you'll be in the top 10% of damage dealers. blaze + blazing bolt puts out crazy numbers in such a short amount of time

This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.6.0
https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Moon Sheep: Level 50 Magic Dominator
Primary Power Set: Mind Control
Secondary Power Set: Fiery Assault
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Ice Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Mesmerize -- Dcm-Acc/Dmg(A), Dcm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(23), Dcm-Dmg/EndRdx(34), Dcm-Dmg/Rchg(37), Dcm-Build%(37)
Level 1: Flares -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Dominate -- SprAscoft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), SprAscoft-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(3), SprAscoft-EndRdx/Rchg(3), SprAscoft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(5), SprAscoft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(13), SprAscoft-Rchg/+Dmg%(23)
Level 4: Fire Breath -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg(A), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(5), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(11), PstBls-Dmg/Rng(11), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(13)
Level 6: Confuse -- CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx(A), CrcPrs-Conf%(7), CrcPrs-Conf/Rchg(7), CrcPrs-Acc/Rchg(9), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg(9)
Level 8: Super Jump -- UnbLea-Stlth(A)
Level 10: Fire Blast -- Dcm-Acc/Dmg(A), Dcm-Dmg/EndRdx(15), Dcm-Dmg/Rchg(15), Dcm-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Dcm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17)
Level 12: Incinerate -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Dmg/Rchg(40), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Hct-Dam%(43), Hct-Acc/Rchg(43)
Level 14: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 16: Embrace of Fire -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(21)
Level 18: Total Domination -- BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(A), BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(19), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(19), BslGaz-Acc/Hold(21), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 20: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(29)
Level 22: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(31)
Level 24: Mass Hypnosis -- FrtHyp-Plct%(A), FrtHyp-Sleep/EndRdx(25), FrtHyp-Sleep/Rchg(25), FrtHyp-Sleep(31), FrtHyp-Acc/Rchg(45)
Level 26: Terrify -- GlmoftheA-Dam%(A), GlmoftheA-Acc/Fear/Rchg(27), GlmoftheA-Fear/Rng(27), GlmoftheA-Acc/EndRdx(29), GlmoftheA-EndRdx/Fear(31), SprDmnGrs-Rchg/Fiery Orb(50)
Level 28: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 30: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(40)
Level 32: Mass Confusion -- MlsIll-Acc/Rchg(A), MlsIll-Acc/Conf/Rchg(33), MlsIll-EndRdx/Conf(33), MlsIll-Acc/EndRdx(33), MlsIll-Conf/Rng(34), RechRdx-I(45)
Level 35: Blazing Bolt -- StnoftheM-Acc/Dmg(A), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx(36), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), StnoftheM-Acc/ActRdx/Rng(36), StnoftheM-Dmg/ActRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 38: Blaze -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Dmg/Rchg(39), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Apc-Acc/Rchg(39), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(40), Apc-Dam%(45)
Level 41: Sleet -- AchHee-ResDeb%(A), UndDfn-DefDeb/Rchg(42), UndDfn-DefDeb/Rchg/EndRdx(42), RechRdx-I(43)
Level 44: Hoarfrost -- DctWnd-Rchg(A), DctWnd-Heal/Rchg(50)
Level 47: Ice Storm -- Bmbdmt-Acc/Rech/End(A), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech/End(48), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech(48), Bmbdmt-Dam/Rech(48), Bmbdmt-Dam(50)
Level 49: Telekinesis -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Domination
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Pnc-Heal/+End(46), Mrc-Rcvry+(46)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(46)
Level 49: Quick Form
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 4: Ninja Run
Level 50: The Atlas Medallion
Level 50: Task Force Commander
Level 50: Portal Jockey
Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 8: Double Jump
------------

Edited December 12, 2021 by MoonSheep

Galamane · December 12, 2021

Thank you for this setup and the tips. As of now Im 27 and using inventions for my slots (had a bunch laying around). Hopefully they should work out until i get 47.

MoonSheep · December 13, 2021

8 hours ago, Galamane said:

Thank you for this setup and the tips. As of now Im 27 and using inventions for my slots (had a bunch laying around). Hopefully they should work out until i get 47.

yes absolutely, it’ll of course not be as powerful until you have your nice IO setup for permadom, but hopefully an enjoyable journey regardless. posi 1 and 2 are my favourite TFs on the dom as i can really feel like i’m making a difference!

some notes if helpful;

i’d recommend slotting the ST sleep for damage as it’s a nice psi damage dealer for foes which pop a +Res All But Psi power

the dominator +Damage IO goes nicely in the hold and triggers quite often

contagious confusion in the ST confuse is great

the AoE sleep is valuable to shut down other mobs that accidentally get aggroed

incinerate despite being melee is worth taking. incin as an opener then blaze/blazing bolt is a great combo

other than that, season to taste really and see how you get on. hope you enjoy finding out which goes give out buffs and confusing them for yourself, e.g rikti guardians, CoT mages. ones which give debuffs are also good fun to confuse. the most powerful foe in a group is now a handy pet - longbow wardens and paragon protectors are no longer a pain

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