Regarding Black Hole (Dark Miasma/Affinity)

[Rimerat]

Black Hole in Dark(ness) Miasma/Affinity currently gives the immobilzed and intangible(phase shifted) effects to up to 16 targets in a 20 ft AOE. It is notably the tier 8 ability in both powersets, 

 

While I won't say it's worthless, I think it has extremely niche uses and is, in my opinion, one of the worst T8's in the game currently. I personally have a problem with all the foe-intangible powers in the game (Sonic/FF) but for now I'm going to talk about Black Hole because I'm more experienced with the dark powersets.

 

Problems:

- You risk frustrating your team by: 1) miscasting it 2) using it on a displaced target 3) using it at all since it lasts long enough for most players to traverse most maps to encounter your intangible'd group in time.

- It does create trolling opportunities.

- It is arguably a new player trap. Even when used optimally in its niche forms, I feel its risks far outweigh its potential rewards, especially in team gameplay.

 

Suggestions:

 

1) Change the 'intangible' effect to a knockdown.

 

or

 

2) Change the ability to work similarly to fold space, where it teleports targets in a wide radius inward to the cast location - or even onto its caster.

 

or

 

3) Remove the 'intangible' effect but keep the immobilize and maybe add some damage or healing/absorb to it.

 

 

[Outrider_01]

I would like to it as an intangible hold, low target cap of 8,  90 sec recharge like stun, cast, holds target for 6 seconds untouchable, than does a front load damage like fire ball "as you return to reality from the dark abyss" or flavor text in that direction. Basically an attack in a buff/debuff zet

[Uun]

In all my years of playing (going back to 2004), I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen it used. My recommendation would be to change the mechanics to match Dimension Shift, wherein you and your allies can enter the phased area and fight the phased foes.

[AgentForest]

59 minutes ago, Uun said:

In all my years of playing (going back to 2004), I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen it used. My recommendation would be to change the mechanics to match Dimension Shift, wherein you and your allies can enter the phased area and fight the phased foes.

 

THIS!  Dimension Shift's rework was beautiful, and makes it far more useful to a team.  I was genuinely surprised Black Hole never got the same attention when that rework happened though.  Make it an area that phase shifts all inside it, and also immobilizes enemies.  Then when allies enter, they can still hit the trapped foes, while becoming immune to outside opponents.

[SwitchFade]

6 hours ago, Uun said:

In all my years of playing (going back to 2004), I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen it used. My recommendation would be to change the mechanics to match Dimension Shift, wherein you and your allies can enter the phased area and fight the phased foes.

This

[Andreah]

I still dislike dimension shift in team content and prefer when teammates simply don't use it. I wouldn't directly complain about it, but it's the sort of thing I'd go look for another team over if it kept up.

 

Black hole, as is, is worse ofc.  I would ask people not to use it, and I would leave if they continued. That's rarely a problem, since most team leaders will boot someone for continuing to use it after being asked to stop. 

 

I'd say that's motivation enough to do some fixing on the power. If it at least behaved more like Dimension Shift, it would be less awful.

 

But I'd like both to get some further fixing.  

[srmalloy]

15 minutes ago, Andreah said:

Black hole, as is, is worse ofc.  I would ask people not to use it, and I would leave if they continued. That's rarely a problem, since most team leaders will boot someone for continuing to use it after being asked to stop. 

Black Hole, as I see it, has one viable use, and if your team is reasonably well-built and competently played you shouldn't need it. As an "Oh, shit!" button to temporarily sideline the third (or fourth) spawn that you didn't expect to join in, it's a viable tool. That said, I think it was sometime in 2008 the last time I saw a mob panic and run off with a Rad debuff toggle left up on it, and the resultant six-spawn aggro because a Defender wasn't paying attention. It's just too specialized a tool to make sense in all but a very few builds. You will virtually always get more use out of that power pick and slots elsewhere.

[sbloyd]

Some time back I suggested a retool to use the anti-repel Singularity now has, only higher mag and instant duration.  Choose an area and SCHLORP! a short lived black hole sucks all the mobs around into the targeted location.  It would have applications not unlike Shadow Slip, Wormhole, or Fold Space.

[Rudra]

If Black Hole sucked targets towards it instead of making them untouchable, that would so be worth me taking it. As is, I always skip Black Hole as a power choice.

 

(Besides, it makes sense. What does a black hole do? It sucks everything in its vicinity into itself.)

[biostem]

Maybe lower the target cap, recharge, and intangible duration, so you aren't just sitting there waiting for enemies to phase back in, but at the same time, it is more readily available to handle problem enemies on a case-by-case basis...

[Rudra]

29 minutes ago, biostem said:

Maybe lower the target cap, recharge, and intangible duration, so you aren't just sitting there waiting for enemies to phase back in, but at the same time, it is more readily available to handle problem enemies on a case-by-case basis...

Sure. This saves me the trouble of going back and respec'ing my characters. I'm fine with it staying skippably useless.

[Rudra]

You want it to stay an intangible effect? Then make it a toggle. Then it lasts for as long as you need it to or have the endurance to power it.

[Naraka]

Because I'm on psychedelics all the time...

 

What if Black Hole was changed to a new power called Nether Portal.  This Nether Portal power is a ranged summon click (Dark Miasma already has another pet so why not a 2nd?) that has a short duration AoE placate when summoned at its location.

 

Then, it'd use the additional power tray mechanic that opens up a few pet commands for your Nether Portal.  One that commands the portal to cast a short pull effect around it (short meaning it doesn't draw everything right to it instantly but slides stuff 3-6ft closer and immobilizes them for a bit.  Another command casts an Intangibility field around it on foes and allies that lasts a short duration (like 8sec or so).  Another command causes the nether portal to teleport the summoner to its location. Being pet commands, they don't have a cast time for the summoner, only the pet itself, so you can be doing other stuff while it's casting these effects.

[Rudra]

Careful. There are some seriously anti-pop-up tray peeps out here. If you see torches and pitchforks? Hide.