The Dark Servant...

[Ukase]

Anyone have any insights on how to make the most out of the Dark Servant, other than just to spawn him as a distraction? Does proximity and my current health level have any impact on whether he uses a heal, or is it his own health (or lack of it) that triggers the heal? 
 

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Here's the longer version: 
 

So, I'm playing an ice/dark corruptor now. It's an interesting mix. As a fairly experienced player, I understand that toggles like Shadow Fall aren't usually what lead to endurance not being what I'd like, but the frequency of attacks. But, damn, this character drinks endurance like a drunk at a free bar. 
But never mind that - I'll sort that out, even though I already have the 3 end/stamina special IOs, like Numina, Miracle and Panacea, and the +end perf shifter, perf shifter end mod, AND a power transfer end mod in stamina. 
Thing still gobbles up endurance like crazy. But, I digress - the dark servant. 

I noticed this creature healed me. I can think of more than a few times when I sorely needed a heal and the dark servant was like me, a bit more focused on surviving themselves instead of worrying about a long-animation heal that also requires an accuracy check. 

The dark servant has a lot of abilities. Not a great aggro magnet like other pets - but then the Dark servant isn't a pet. I was surprised to see I can't slot pet sets in it. In a way, that's cool. But, the two sets I'm torn between setting in it...Cloud Senses and Basilisk, they're both lower level sets. They both cap at 30. Now, as far as percentages go, the boosts aren't that much smaller, but there is a difference. Poor dark servant won't really care. 

What do we know about the dark servant? I know I'm usually too busy fighting to pay him much attention. If I didn't need a heal, I probably would have never noticed him giving me one. I was probably just lucky and in the area. The description tells us he's an unwilling servant. 

He's all stealthy-like, so I can't really make out what animations he's doing to determine what he's doing. I know he likes to use a hold, those are quite good and timely, usually. We can't control him or tell him what to do. So what gives with the Dark Servant. What's the best way to manipulate it into being more useful? 

 

[Carnifax]

They does LOTS of -ToHit. A PBAoE aura and then every attack (except maybe the hold) does -ToHit. So it's like a mobile Darkest Night (the pbaoe is essentially darkest night but as an aura). 

 

4 Cloud Senses, including the proc and one -ToHit either as an IO or from Dark Watchers Despair is how I slot them. The proc will do most of their damage (it's not a lot but it's fine). No idea what forces them to heal, I suspect it's their own health + the attack chain but it's not reliable, just a nice bonus. 

 

They will wander into melee range and debuff things + occasionally heal which can be handy on teams so you don't have to. I've also occasionally summoned them into a spawn beside the aggro holder because then the debuff will kick in. 

Edited March 5 by Carnifax

[Burnt Umber]

I slot Dark Servant with two To-Hit Debuff IOs and three Acc./Mez. HOs.  I feel that maximizes what the pet generally does with the heal being a nice bonus.

[tidge]

I slot my Dark Servant (/Dark Controller) as follows:

 

Level 30:              Dark Servant     

 (A) Cloud Senses - Accuracy/ToHitDebuff

 (*) Cloud Senses - Accuracy/Recharge

 (*) Cloud Senses - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge

 (*) Cloud Senses - Chance of Damage (Negative)

 (*) Gladiator's Net - Chance of Damage (Lethal)

 (*) Hami-O Endoplasm (Accuracy/Mezz): Level 53

 

I like the Cloud Senses set bonuses, and the %proc has a chance to contribute on all of the Dark Servant Attacks

Gladiator's Net %damage only has a chance to fire on the hold, but the PVP %damage is one of the better %damage sources... so it isn't great, but for my build it was the best remaining option (I had used the Unbreakable Constraint %damage elsewhere).

I thought the Endoplasm was the best choice, because Fluffy needs Accuracy and also has multiple types of controls... the HO boosts each of them.

[Snarky]

I run a lot of Dark but I hate pets.  In every game. IRL I love dogs and enjoy how cats disparage human existence with a glance.  But in any game I abhor pets. So when I build anything with access to these I do not use them. In the few (like Dom) that I do take them on I do not activate them nearly as much as I should.  Because I F-ing hate them.  
 

But…. Yeah, nope got nothing. They also add to the cannot see a damn thing in this cave fun…

 

[Major_Decoy]

The best thing to do with a Dark Servant is to get it to pick a card.

 

 

[Uun]

Other than the -tohit aura (which is always on), Fluffy has 4 powers it can use. Darkest Night is a toggle, so once that's placed on a target it will cycle through its other 3 powers - Twilight Grasp (AoE heal), Petrifying Gaze (ST hold) and Tenebrous Tentacles (cone immobilize). The heal has a shorter recharge than the other two, so in theory should be used more frequently. After 4-slotting Cloud Senses, I prefer to devote the other 2 slots to healing rather than mezz. My current slotting is:

 

Cloud Senses:  ToHit Debuff, Acc/ToHit Debuff, ToHit Debuff/End/Rech, Chance of NE damage

Touch of the Nictus: Heal, Acc/Heal

 

This gives me 48% acc, 48% tohit debuff and 69% heal. Note, slotting recharge only affects how quickly you can summon a new Dark Servant. Fluffy's powers ignore recharge enhancements/buffs. 

[kelika2]

teleport target, throw it into melee all the time

[catsi563]

Dark Fluffy as theyre colloquially named  is a major debuff and support pet, fluffy doesnt do damage but they do heal like mad including aoe healing. they have darkest night which shuts down bad guy acc and damage, and being near them gives you a defense buff and they can immobilize and paralyze targets leaving them wide open for attacks

 

so set fluffy out and theyll do the rest