How's electric control for damage?

[ninja surprise]

I'm running a Dark/Electric Defender and while it's decent fun, it's so slow to defeat critters that it's discouraging. Sure the Dark powers are my main, but it feels like I'm throwing pointless zaps while waiting for the rest of the team to defeat everything. On a +4 ITF I couldn't even defeat a single Centurion before he and a buddy chopped me to bits. 😞

 

But my concept could easily re-roll as Electric / Dark. More control means they can't attack me while I'm whittling away on their health... but does Elec have good enough damage to take out a boss and some minions? I'm leaning into Tar Patch's -30% resist too.

[Onlyasandwich]

It's on the lower end.

 

The key here is that none of the powers really have any worthy proc potential, so there isn't a way to transcend the boundaries of controller scales.

 

Jolting chain is okay damage but abysmal for procs. The hold has the same damage potential as any. Gremlins do respectable damage, but their ai is a bit wonky and they die super quickly.

 

I do enjoy the set and it is effective for control. I ended up taking it on a dominator to leverage better damage.

 

Edit - as others have pointed out, jolting is solid for single target damage with procs. The chains don't proc well, however. Still, I would struggle to identify a control set that is definitively worse for damage.

Edited July 22, 2023 by Onlyasandwich

[honoroit]

^ as said, great control set, terrible damage.

 

it might best to think your role as disablement (which you can do with sleep patch and jolting chain almost on its own...

 

paired with dark affinity you'll have what is always a good 2ndary, unique to controller.

 

it works best to shine though if you can layer up to hit debuff from a primary that generates it - dark, or to a lesser but still exceptional (and autofiring cone cannon) degree; illusion and its spectral terror. 

 

illusion is not a high damaging set... unless... you can get phantom army permanent. then its decent, and youll have spookieboogie dark servant, and the phantasm (who isnt nearly as weak as some say)... plus, show your pet window, so youll see right away if he dies.

 

illusion also stacks well with dark affinity for defense holding powers and luck of the gambler (you can have 5)

 

elec gremlin pets do decent damage, its you in the equation that does not, power wise.

 

epic pool - scorpion. this will help any controller imo.

 

poison ray and disruptor blast take like 5 and 6 procs respectively, and you have opportunity for focused accuracy for hard content (you dont need to worry about end much at all on dark affinity, soul absorbtion is a monster skill for long lasting, often near cap recovery, and about 5/s if you hit literally only 1 mob, when 6 slotted set for end mod).

 

returning to strengths of elec control - it has the best sleep in game - bc it puts them back into it after theyre hit by you or team.

 

elec / kin corruptor would work well'ish, because of shock when the enemies have low or no endurance.

 

best elec ranged imo os elec/elec blaster - where that shock mechanic is going off a lot. to the point where it doesnt feel worse than fire, and is certainly a change.

 

melee, elec/shield, stalker.

 

on dominator:

 

elec/earth - melee splosion

 

elec/thorny - just wonderous aoe, skip ripper and thorntrops

 

elec/savage - sleep, then tp in

 

sleep, then tp in can be also achieved with spring attack from leaping pool, which you can proc up but has high base cooldown.

Edited July 22, 2023 by honoroit

[biostem]

2 hours ago, ninja surprise said:

I'm running a Dark/Electric Defender and while it's decent fun, it's so slow to defeat critters that it's discouraging. Sure the Dark powers are my main, but it feels like I'm throwing pointless zaps while waiting for the rest of the team to defeat everything. On a +4 ITF I couldn't even defeat a single Centurion before he and a buddy chopped me to bits. 😞

 

But my concept could easily re-roll as Electric / Dark. More control means they can't attack me while I'm whittling away on their health... but does Elec have good enough damage to take out a boss and some minions? I'm leaning into Tar Patch's -30% resist too.

The important question is how are your powers slotted.  Believe it or not, but your T1 ST immobilize can do decent damage if slotted for it.  Also, some pool powers can provide a bit of a direct punch if you are lacking that.  The secondary you have, and whether it has any +dmg or -res can also make a big difference... 

[Onlyasandwich]

To my earlier point, this would make an outstanding dom! Electric is a great control set, and only better in the hands of a perma dom. Dark is also one of the better assault secondaries. Damage will be very high indeed when properly slotted.

[Wimbochismo]

11 hours ago, Onlyasandwich said:

It's on the lower end.

 

The key here is that none of the powers really have any worthy proc potential, so there isn't a way to transcend the boundaries of controller scales.

 

Jolting chain is okay damage but abysmal for procs. The hold has the same damage potential as any. Gremlins do respectable damage, but their ai is a bit wonky and they die super quickly.

 

I do enjoy the set and it is effective for control. I ended up taking it on a dominator to leverage better damage.

 

I agree that Electric's dmg and proc potential is low.

 

And you pointed out you can fully proc out Tesla Cage for good single target dmg. Like @biostem pointed out, the immobilize isn't terrible.

 

But Jolting Chain is surprisingly ok as a single target attack. It has an 8 sec recharge and can take 3 dmg procs. I usually 3 proc and 3 Thunderstrike (the 3 that don't boost rech). The procs will go off reliably on the first target. You get a single target attack that happens to chain knockdown.

 

[arcane]

Between having a decent AoE confuse and Jolting Chain being pretty good with procs, there are definitely worse sets for offense.

[Onlyasandwich]

41 minutes ago, arcane said:

definitely worse sets for offense.

I agree that jolting is solid single target. However, what controller primary would you identify as truly worse in damage once procced out?

 

Ice is a contender, but now has good proc options for cold snap and a more survivable pet that will actually stick around to apply its damage.

 

I do think that electric has enough damage to to get by just fine, and is a good set overall. However, I'd still rank it very low compared to others based on primary damage potential.

[ninja surprise]

16 hours ago, honoroit said:

illusion is not a high damaging set... unless... you can get phantom army permanent. then its decent, and youll have spookieboogie dark servant, and the phantasm (who isnt nearly as weak as some say)... plus, show your pet window, so youll see right away if he dies.

 

 

Yep I have an Illusion/Trick Arrow with perma-PA and the debuffs from TA helpPA do more damage.

Maybe I'll have a look at Elec/Dark Blasting... see how that goes.