Fire/Dark

[Argentae]

Long time player, firs... err... second time tanker.
I have always preferred the tactical nature of the Control primary playstyle. Played most every Primary/Secondary powerset in multiple combinations in Controller/Dominator. Dabbled in all the other ATs into the 30s or 40s, but never took a melee type all the way through.

 

Last weekend i decided to consciously give Tankers a go, so I rolled a Fire/Fire as a common, been good forever combo. 

Ok. So the tanker balancing pass in 2020? Don't want to dive down that rabbit hole, but I'm really enjoying it. 🙂

After I got Magma Carta to 38, I took a dive in Mids to look at options and decided Fire/Dark would be interesting and probably fun.

I read a lot about /Dark being good at single target, but not good for AOE. 

Also stumbled across tristanLV's post about this build. Which seemed to support my general thoughts.

So I created Tigratra, a dark flame themed Fire/Dark tank.

 

I'd love to get any feedback/thoughts on the below? 
I'll post a build later, still playing around with some options. 🙂

 

General impressions:

 

Wow.

Fun.

 

I may be out of line with traditional thought on these sets, but I find it has more than sufficient of AOE along with quite good single target (though single target doesn't really come into it's own until Midnight Grasp is part of the chain).

 

What's amazing to me is the synergy between the two sets.

 

Two self heals, one in each set. One heavy heal, Healing Flames, on a 20 sec(ish) timer and a maintenance heal on a 4 sec(ish) timer, Siphon Life. Siphon life is decent part of the single target attack chain, so it's really easy to work in, and Preventative Medicine (my only full IO set at lvl 43), combined with  the Reactive Defense: Scaling Resist in Weave make sure I have ample time to hit HF.

 

Two AOE Endurance recovery powers that also do a bit of damage, both on identical 180 base rech, so figure about 60 sec when the build is fully mature. Consume provides good end sapping resistance for those pesky electrical attacks (and PITA Malta sappers), while Dark Consumption... I mean... Have you really looked at it as an attack? As a finishing blow for the mass mobs in a large spawn?

 

Dark Consumption:

End game it should be up in less than 60 seconds.

It fires off in 1.03 seconds!

It can be used with almost no end bar (.52 end cost)!

With a full Soul Drain hit (which isn't too hard to arrange when you a soloing maps at +x/8), Fiery Embrace, and slotted for damage it hits for about 250 damage in an 8ft radius. Given the long recharge and small radius it would probably trigger procs very well.

I have used it for a finishing blow in several spawns and it's glorious. Run through AOEs until my blue bar gets low but the at least the Lts are still standing, even better if the minions are still up. BOOM. They drop en mass, and my blue bar is instantly full. Finish off Boss with MG if needed, take out LTs with ToF, SM, Burn as appropriate and run to the next spawn... :: best Chris Evans voice :: I can do this all day. 😛

 

AOE is way better than I've seen discussed elsewhere.

Blazing Aura: Good damage aura.

Burn: Enough said.

Shadow Maul: hits like half the melee spawn even firing it off blind, full FE and SD hit -> 352 Dmg 

Touch of Fear: Hits most of a spawn with a -10 toHit debuff for 20 sec as well as fear, so if I pause, most of the mobs do too. Does 210 Dmg to most of spawn with FE and full SD as above. Would do more loaded with procs.

 

Dark Consumption: amazing stats on a slow timer. 

alternating with

Consume provides end protection and every spawn end top up when paired with DC.

 

I COULD add more AOE with Mu PPP or Soul Mastery, but I'm not sure I need any more? 

Initially I went Nrg Mastery for FA and Phys Perf, and I'm pretty happy with that so far. 

Pyre would get me Melt Armor! and Fire Ball. 

Any PPP would get me a summon, which would be useful and give me a place for the +Res and +Def procs.

 

Anyway, enjoying my Fire/Dark quite a bit.

Being able to solo 0 to+1/x8 very early (pretty much from the Hollows era on) on was pretty amazing. Outcast missions (Hollows/Steel Canyon) were my first friend, followed by Warriors (Talos) and Council (Founders Falls). Doing Council now in PI running at +3/x8 from lvl 41 to 43 so far. Popping insp in the top two rolls as they come in makes rolling through the entire map easy. Can't imagine what it will be like with a full IO build, most SOs with key +End/Regen IOs, +Def IOs, 3 LotG +rech etc. 

 

Pairing the + def with the -ToHit from /Dark gives me a meaningful def based mitigation that makes the Res based Fire/ even more effective. Good times... 🙂

 

 

 

 

[BrandX]

One of my favorite ways to slot Consume and Dark Consumption (DC being faster and more damage than Consume) if I can spare the slots/set bonuses, is ACC and lots of Procs!  Turns them into free nukes that give you END! 🙂

[Argentae]

If you make sure the SD buff is still going I don't think you need the Acc!

I run Focused Accuracy at 43, so I don't have any acc slotted in Consume. I've been eyeing the proc options, DG has more with the -ToHit tossed in.

 

Have you tried the Fury of the Galdiator -Res? 3.5 PPM, but doesn't indicate duration of the -20 damres debuff...

[Warboss]

Might look at Dark as your epic/patron power, I don't recall the name of it but, there's a toggle Ranged AoE debuff (2nd or 3rd available power (?)). It sucks Endurance but adds -To HIt. From what the way you seem to be approaching your build, layering Res/Def/-To Hit, might be a good strategy.

[Argentae]

Current leveling build, just hit lvl 45.

 

This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5
https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 49 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Fiery Aura
Secondary Power Set: Dark Melee
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Flight
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Blazing Aura -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(3), Dmg-I(3), Dmg-I(9), EndRdx-I(45)
Level 1: Shadow Punch -- Acc-I(A)
Level 2: Fire Shield -- ResDam-I(A), ResDam-I(5), ResDam-I(5)
Level 4: Healing Flames -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(11), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(13), Prv-Heal/Rchg(33), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(34), Prv-Absorb%(40)
Level 6: Shadow Maul -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(7), Dmg-I(7), Dmg-I(9), EndRdx-I(36), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 8: Boxing -- Acc-I(A)
Level 10: Consume -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(11)
Level 12: Plasma Shield -- ResDam-I(A), ResDam-I(13), ResDam-I(15)
Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(15), RechRdx-I(33)
Level 16: Siphon Life -- Acc(A), Dmg(17), Dmg(17), Dmg(19), EndRdx-I(43)
Level 18: Burn -- Acc(A), Dmg-I(19), Dmg-I(21), Dmg-I(31), RechRdx-I(33), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 20: Touch of Fear -- Acc(A), Dmg-I(21), Dmg-I(23), Dmg-I(23), EndRdx(31), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 22: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(25)
Level 24: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-ResDam%(37), Ksm-ToHit+(40)
Level 26: Fiery Embrace -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(27), RechRdx-I(29)
Level 28: Soul Drain -- Acc-I(A), RechRdx-I(29), RechRdx-I(31), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 30: Stealth -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 32: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Flight-I(37)
Level 35: Focused Accuracy -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 38: Dark Consumption -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(39), Dmg-I(39), Dmg-I(39), RechRdx-I(40)
Level 41: Midnight Grasp -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(42), Dmg-I(42), Dmg-I(42), EndRdx-I(43), RechRdx-I(43)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- EndMod-I(A)
Level 47: [Empty] 
Level 49: [Empty] 
Level 1: Gauntlet 
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), Empty(37)
Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(25), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(27)
Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A)
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[Onlyasandwich]

On 1/10/2022 at 4:40 PM, Argentae said:

Hits most of a spawn with

Worth noting: Touch of Fear's -tohit and fear component are single target only. This also means that -tohit and fear procs only affect a single target, so be sure to use melee aoe damage procs when slotting it out.