question answered

[DarknessEternal]

This is a legit question, not a snark.

 

They seem interesting, but I can't figure out what role they'd actually fill.  Is there some situation I'm not aware of?  What makes Dominators worth playing?

Edited December 12, 2021 by DarknessEternal

[Six-Six]

As a dominator, you have control powers + range + melee attacks. You're like a controller in a bad mood. I personally like dominators and play them like blappers (I play my blappers like doms, too). hold enemies helpless in place while I slowly kill them. You don't get a lot of def/res, but you don't really need them if your foe is pinned down and can't harm you. 😃

I mostly solo, so it works for my style of play. In a team, it's a bit hard to say. Teaming in CoH is a big grey area where you can do as you please.

[Nyghtmaire]

I’ve been leveling my dom (earth/dark) a bunch this week. In groups, focusing on damage (of course), cc’ing hard targets, reducing defense so the team hits more often, spreading -tohit to add layers of safety, and -if/when things get borked - carpet bombing with controls until the team readjusts. For example, defending the door on Yin is hilarious with all the controls available in earth/.

 

At higher levels, the aoes from patron and ancillary pools become available. High level teams typically have less need for the controls. This allows for more focus on damage. Luckily, doms can bring the pain. 
 

For me, chasing permadom is a full time activity when playing a dom. There is a post further down as to to how to get this as early as possible. It’s a fun minigame. And with permadomination, the AT plays in a different fashion. For example, reliably holding bosses always gives me a jolt. At that point, a dom can neuter alphas with their controls.

[DarknessEternal]

Hmm, let me restate.  Why be a Dominator when you could have been a Blaster or Scrapper?

[Troo]

14 minutes ago, DarknessEternal said:

Hmm, let me restate.  Why be a Dominator when you could have been a Blaster or Scrapper?

 

Controls

 

14 hours ago, DarknessEternal said:

This is a legit question, not a snark.

 

They seem interesting, but I can't figure out what role they'd actually fill.  Is there some situation I'm not aware of?  What makes Dominators worth playing?

 

The "Archetype is counterintuitive" IO sets can make them fairly sturdy. Incarnates allows them to keep pace with other ATs. An expert Dom is something to behold.

 

https://archive.paragonwiki.com/wiki/Dominator_Strategy

The Dominator as an Archetype is counterintuitive to play, difficult to master, and relies on mechanics and techniques that are not obvious to many styles of player. Furthermore, the Dominator has a legacy of being underpowered, and suffers in the early game slightly as the game becomes more difficult, often leading to them being considered a 'weak class'. While not as obviously powerful as the other Archetypes in City of Villains, strategic and tactical play can make a significant difference to the play experience.

[DarknessEternal]

So far, it sounds like the answer is "nothing".

 

I asked what they were good at, not what you can kludge together with expert play that then allows them to do what other ATs do with less effort.

Edited December 12, 2021 by DarknessEternal

[Nyghtmaire]

Just now, DarknessEternal said:

So far, it sounds like the answer is "nothing".

Your question is wrong. Why play a pure damage AT when you can do MORE? Or, why play a scrapper when you can play a tanker (better AOE and survivability)?

 

See @Voltak’s soloing madness as to what can be accomplished. Or, what roles are you envisioning in a game with no clear role?

[GraspingVileTerror]

This has the same answer as every other question of this nature:

Dominator (or insert whatever Archetype you want) is the most appropriate for the player-character's concept.

 

Combat doesn't matter as much as making a character that fulfils one's personal concept of enjoyment.

If combat were the only thing that mattered, then there wouldn't be any variety to the Archetypes.

But if someone's -personal- objective is "just combat," then . . . sure.  Go play as a Blaster or Brute.  But you might find this game severely lacking if that's your only metric for enjoyment.

[oedipus_tex]

On 12/12/2021 at 1:43 PM, DarknessEternal said:

Hmm, let me restate.  Why be a Dominator when you could have been a Blaster or Scrapper?

 

 

Like most classes its hard to nail down the entire archetype, because there are so many kinds of Dominators.

 

Overall the class excels in a couple of areas that may or may not appeal to you:

• Most Dominators are very good at relatively easy missions, say around the +0x3 niche. An Electric Control Dominator for example running this style of mission without IOs probably has the highest survivability chances of any squishy build out there because it can just spam Static Field. For this reason they aren't a bad class for beginners or people who just want to run easy content without hassle. Inexperienced players will likely struggle with Blasters more.
• Dominator is the only class that has mezz protection as a class feature. For much of the live game's run this was a much bigger advantage than it is currently, but it does mean you don't have to take certain powers other squishies have to rely on to get there.
• Dominators have some of the best APP powers in the game. The class takes a huge turn in the level 40-ish range. Sleet, Mind Link, Indom Will, and a few others in these sets are extremely good for APP powers.
• Dominator multipliers aren't as poor as a Blaster. So it is easier to build for Defense. 

 

There was a period of the game where Dominators were (IMO) significantly better than Blasters, mainly most of the game's live run. If I'm being honest in the current iteration I think Blasters are a bit more useful than Dominators in the current meta, but Dominators are still pretty good.  

[Blackmoor]

On 12/12/2021 at 2:06 PM, DarknessEternal said:

So far, it sounds like the answer is "nothing".

 

I asked what they were good at, not what you can kludge together with expert play that then allows them to do what other ATs do with less effort.

 

We can hold AVs dead in their tracks. When I ran Aeon SF, I held Midas in place so well that he barely even hit anyone.

 

 

Edited December 15, 2021 by Blackmoor

[DZKFire]

Dominators are the only AT that can reliably solo 1 shot CC 95% of the game's boss level goes, along with being almost immune to all mez types as well.

 

This actually matters a lot in harder content, where holding a pretty troublesome boss can make the fight much easier or quicker. (Ruin Mages, those crey bubble bosses forgot their name, holding/stunning paragon protectors before they do MoG or Unstoppable, etc...)

 

This along with being the only AT in the game that can hold (or confuse) an AV by themselves given a tailored build. 

[Frozen Burn]

On 12/12/2021 at 2:43 PM, DarknessEternal said:

Hmm, let me restate.  Why be a Dominator when you could have been a Blaster or Scrapper?

 

On 12/12/2021 at 3:06 PM, DarknessEternal said:

So far, it sounds like the answer is "nothing".

 

I asked what they were good at, not what you can kludge together with expert play that then allows them to do what other ATs do with less effort.

 

I'll also add into the above answers, that originally, Dominators were a Villain-only AT along with Brutes, Stalkers, Corruptors, and Masterminds.  They filled the needed "Control-hole" villain-side with their unique setup of being a controller that did damage (while MMs and Corrs buffed/debuffed).  Once all ATs were available on both sides, yeah, it was hard at first for pure-hero players to understand the greatness that a Dominator can be.  Because yeah, if you like Blasting and Scrapping - why be a Dom?  You don't really know truly how great they are until you try playing one.  

 

As others have stated above, they are basically Controllers that do damage instead of buff.  With their "critical" holds/mezzes that can pretty much be prerma'd, they can lock down a mob and destroy them quickly.  

 

As for comparing to Blaster or Scrapper.... I personally would ALWAYS rather be playing a Blaster, whether at range or as a blapper - it's my favorite AT.  But I do enjoy playing all the others ATs too (except for Crab Spiders even though they are a good set too - I just hate spiders).  🙂  But a Dom plays a lot like a Blapper, so I enjoy it.  It's alos like Scrapper, but instead of a shield set, you get a Control set to lock down all the foes and mitigate all the damage to protect you.  

 

Beyond that, it's just personal preference of playing.  If you like Blasters and Scrappers, you may enjoy playing a Dominator.  But if you're the type of person that only wants to dish out the most damage possible (which is ok!), then just keep playing Blasters and Scrappers.  The beauty of this game is that there is an AT(s) for everyone's preferences and playstyles.  🙂 

 

 

[JnEricsonx]

When my team lead today praised my CC on my Earth/Earth dom, I know I'm doing my damn job.

[Clave Dark 5]

On 12/12/2021 at 8:00 AM, Nyghtmaire said:

For me, chasing permadom is a full time activity when playing a dom. There is a post further down as to to how to get this as early as possible.

I seem to recall having seen that somewhere but can't find it.  Anyone know where it is?  Please and thank you!

[Nyghtmaire]

3 hours ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

I seem to recall having seen that somewhere but can't find it.  Anyone know where it is?  Please and thank you!

Here you go! Excellent resource from @oedipus_tex