Trying to avoid 'trap' choices in Dark/Pistols

[bertboxer]

Hey all, played during live and picked things back up again with homecoming. I'm usually a tanker player but had a concept for a somewhat reformed Skull Bone Daddy as a Dark/Pistols defender. I'm in the mid 30s right now and just trying to feel my way through the powers, mainly playing in teams and taskforces and I want to make sure I'm avoiding powers that people would consider 'traps'. What I mean by that is things that are simply not worth investment and should be avoided in the majority of builds. Here's where I'm at right now. I know respeccing and end game content is its own thing but I'm mainly trying to just level normally and not be a burden to my team.

 

Dark Miasma

Twilight Grasp

Tar Patch

Howling Twilight

Shadow Fall

Fearsome Stare

Petrifying Gaze

Dark Servant

 

Pistols

Pistols

Dual Wield

Empty Clips

Swap Ammo

Bullet Rain

 

Pools

Hover

Fly

Experimental Injection

Maneuvers

Assault

Tactics

 

 

Are there any powers I need that I'm obviously missing or powers that are awful that I've taken?

[Mezmera]

On the Dual Pistols side of things here's what I go with.  

 

Pistols

Swap Ammo

Bullet Rain

Executioner's Shot

Hail of Bullets

 

This is a very fine rotation and will allow for you to lay out those Dark powers while getting in your best shots.  

[Psyonico]

Really, the only "trap" in Dark Miasma is Black Hole, which I see you don't have.

[bertboxer]

30 minutes ago, Mezmera said:

On the Dual Pistols side of things here's what I go with.  

 

Pistols

Swap Ammo

Bullet Rain

Executioner's Shot

Hail of Bullets

 

This is a very fine rotation and will allow for you to lay out those Dark powers while getting in your best shots.  

 

Good info, I'll drop dual wield and empty clips moving forward in favor of hail and executioners. thanks!

 

6 minutes ago, Psyonico said:

Really, the only "trap" in Dark Miasma is Black Hole, which I see you don't have.

yeah, the stasis effect it mentions seems tailor-made to mess up my teammates burst damage if timed incorrectly. i've only had a few issues in groups with adds joining mid-fight that black hole seems designed to address but i'd much rather be numerically more efficient for the regular fights than deal with that

 

Edited September 27, 2022 by bertboxer

[Linea]

Here is a very old build, aimed at heavy armor.  It skips more than one otherwise very useful power.  You could also go a completely different direction, lowering armor, using the psuedo defense -to-hit, then putting resources toward Dark->Souldrain on high-recharge.  Note Dark->Souldrain has half the recharge vs Soul->Souldrain. 

 

 

Dark DP - Beta Template 2c - [i25].mxd

Edited September 27, 2022 by Linea

[bertboxer]

34 minutes ago, Linea said:

You could also go a completely different direction, lowering armor, using the psuedo defense -to-hit, then putting resources toward Dark->Souldrain on high-recharge.  Note Dark->Souldrain has half the recharge vs Soul->Souldrain. 

 

 

wait, just to make sure i'm following correctly, there's a power called Soul Drain in both the Soul Mastery Patron pool and the Dark Mastery Epic pool and they have similar effects but the Dark version of Soul Drain has half the cooldown of the Soul version?

 

that said, it looks like i have to invest further into Dark to get that Soul Drain vs the Soul Patron version which I can grab earlier.  are there any other standouts among ancillary pools that i should go out of my way to grab? I picked up the leadership toggles and experimental injection because it fit the theme i was going for but i can drop those if they fall behind

[Ankhammon]

5 hours ago, Psyonico said:

Really, the only "trap" in Dark Miasma is Black Hole, which I see you don't have.

except in a few certain situations like the lord recluse strike force thingie where it can be very nice. Or possibly speed runs through certain caves to delay/halt squids and lobsters while you chill their pills.

 

Maybe use in on an alt build or even level 49 choice... just a thought.