Dark/Storm "When you like Pets but don't want to play a MM"

[Tacheyon]

So I thought of a character concept for a Dark/Storm controller.  But I am having trouble getting a build down that I like.  It's more just the early game is going to suck due to low damage.  Endgame is going to be chaotic as hell with everything I can bring to the field.  Here is what I am thinking of doing for a leveling build (which is why I took Shadowy Binds).  Let me know what you think, I normally run Earth/ controllers, so I am kind of in the dark about this (pun intended).

 

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.962

http://www.cohplanner.com/

 

Click this DataLink to open the build!

 

Level 49 Technology Controller

Primary Power Set: Darkness Control

Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning

Power Pool: Speed

Power Pool: Leaping

Power Pool: Teleportation

Ancillary Pool: Primal Forces Mastery

 

Hero Profile:

Level 1: Dark Grasp -- Empty(A)

Level 1: Gale -- Empty(A)

Level 2: Living Shadows -- Empty(A)

Level 4: Shadowy Binds -- Empty(A)

Level 6: Possess -- Empty(A)

Level 8: Fearsome Stare -- Empty(A)

Level 10: Steamy Mist -- Empty(A)

Level 12: Heart of Darkness -- Empty(A)

Level 14: Hasten -- Empty(A)

Level 16: Freezing Rain -- Empty(A)

Level 18: Haunt -- Empty(A)

Level 20: Hurricane -- Empty(A)

Level 22: Super Jump -- Empty(A)

Level 24: Combat Jumping -- Empty(A)

Level 26: Shadow Field -- Empty(A)

Level 28: Thunder Clap -- Empty(A)

Level 30: Recall Friend -- Empty(A)

Level 32: Umbra Beast -- Empty(A)

Level 35: Tornado -- Empty(A)

Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Empty(A)

Level 41: Conserve Power -- Empty(A)

Level 44: Temp Invulnerability -- Empty(A)

Level 47: Power Boost -- Empty(A)

Level 49: [Empty]

Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)

Level 1: Containment

Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)

Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)

Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)

Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)

Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)

Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)

Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)

Level 4: Ninja Run

Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)

Level 2: Health -- Empty(A)

Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)

Level 2: Stamina -- Empty(A)

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[Nyghtmaire]

It’s a lovely idea! One thing to keep in mind is that Thunder Clap doesn’t play well with Hurricane. However, stacking stuns with Heart of Darkness could be useful. Also, bear in mind you can pick up another uncontrollable pet by going Red Side for the patron arc (and Water Spout in Leviathan *also* stuns for more stacking pleasure). The more the merrier!

[Papaschtroumpf]

You can talk to the gull to go red side, so it's really quite painless.

 

It's one of the concepts I'm toying with so subscribing to this thread.

[Williwaw]

It’s a lovely idea! One thing to keep in mind is that Thunder Clap doesn’t play well with Hurricane. However, stacking stuns with Heart of Darkness could be useful. Also, bear in mind you can pick up another uncontrollable pet by going Red Side for the patron arc (and Water Spout in Leviathan *also* stuns for more stacking pleasure). The more the merrier!

 

Water Spout is basically Tornado with a slightly different visual effect and longer cooldown, so that would be fun to throw into the mix, and then you get the Coralax at level 44 for even more pet-summoning fun.

 

Also, yeah, you'd be weak at low levels, but the Umbra Beast hits like a truck.  Maybe consider dipping into the Sorcery pool for Arcane Bolt until then?

[Coyote]

Low levels aren't all that bad, frankly.

Possess helps you clear mobs faster, at lower levels the damage scales are not yet very separated, and when they start to separate... you get Freezing Rain, which makes your Veteran Reward powers accurate and improves their damage. It is suprising how much damage the Blackwand does, and how accurate it is, when you shoot it at someone debuffed by Freezing Rain.

At 18 you get Haunts, and you don't really suffer much of a period of low damage.

 

You lack AoE damage, but when you're soloing, that's not such a big deal... increase the difficulty by raising the mob levels rather than by increasing "counts as" for party size, and you can focus on fewer targets. You also get more benefit from Possess that way, and you waste less DoT time since you focus on fewer mobs, but for longer periods on each mob.

 

I love the idea of combining Thunderclap and Heart of Darkness, BTW. And Fearsome Stare plus Hurricane is just too much evil... you won't be able to depend on Fearsome Stare's Fear effect since all of you DoTs will break it, but slot it up for ToHit Debuff and it will be great.

[Erydanus]

I agree with the suggestions. I found getting Arcane Bolt was a really good thing for my Dark/Dark controller and a good source of damage. I'm not sure how the DPA or DPS of it compares to other powers but the direct damage it deals is higher than the damage Shadowy Binds/Dark Grasp or the epic Power Blast do. If you look in Pines those all do 30.x damage base and Arcane bolt does 45 so why wait for an epic to get a bonus attack? Get Arcane Bolt today! I would skip Heart of Darkness or Haste to get Bolt and juggle things around later. I find Heart a little shaky because it's PBAOE and that's just not my style. But more importantly when you are at low levels soloing, you're probably fighting just 3 guys at a distance, you'll never use it. Literally you'll never use it. All your attacks are at range and you have all the control necessary for total lockdown already: You'll possess one guy, hold the second guy, immobilize the third guy (who will be the only one to shoot at you when he notices you holding his friend) and by then your hold or confuse will be up so you can hit him with one of them which will cut off attacks too. You can literally just walk your attack sequence backwards so that all 3 mobs will be held, confused, immobilized, and dying from the dots in Binds and Grasp. Where does Arcane Bolt come in? About level 12 their hit points go up and they need another attack to finish them - that and Blackwand are it. If you do get something you can't quite lock down (Cernobog, Veles, random orange-conning Vahzilok, etc) the knockdown in Arcane Bolt will still be helpful; additionally as its Energy damage it provides you with vital non-dark damage option in case you get stuck fighting a lot of dark resistant mobs.

 

 

Speaking as someone who solos controllers a lot just slot Shadowy Binds and Dark Grasp for damage. Seriously. Just shove 3 damage SOEs in there [sO Equivalents ie level 25 or higher IOs] and then if you really need it you can add some hold.  They're 90% accurate out of the box I would slot them for some damage before I even put accuracy in there. Coupled with the DFB accuracy boost power you literally do not need to do anything but shove damage DOs in there at low levels.

 

Be sure to use the 5 prestige enhancements that the P2W vendor gives you as well as they're 16% recharge 16% damage and a damage proc. I would literally stick 2 damage procs in each of Binds and Grasp when you first come out of chargen, and then as you get powers that can also take them maybe delete the second enhancements, claim replacements and put them elsewhere. ... I think I had the chance to knockdown damage proc in Living Shadows originally, so the cone had a fairly good chance of knocking foes down as well as pinning them in place. Heck put a damage proc in Gale if you're feeling sassy. And now I'm wondering if anyone ever put the chance of knockdown one in Haunt? The proc stops working after level 21 but giving the Haunts a knockdown proc sounds hilarious.

 

Another option for leveling rather than going up in difficulty is to go down in difficulty and up in size i.e. -1/x2 because that tends to spawn more lieutenants which count as like 5 mobs for xp purposes and lowering the difficulty means they're easy kills for a net gain. (Just don't do it in Faultline once you encounter Sky Raiders because you're asking for more Engineers that way.)

[Tacheyon]

 

Be sure to use the 5 prestige enhancements that the P2W vendor gives you as well as they're 16% recharge 16% damage and a damage proc. I would literally stick 2 damage procs in each of Binds and Grasp when you first come out of chargen, and then as you get powers that can also take them maybe delete the second enhancements, claim replacements and put them elsewhere. ... I think I had the chance to knockdown damage proc in Living Shadows originally, so the cone had a fairly good chance of knocking foes down as well as pinning them in place. Heck put a damage proc in Gale if you're feeling sassy. And now I'm wondering if anyone ever put the chance of knockdown one in Haunt? The proc stops working after level 21 but giving the Haunts a knockdown proc sounds hilarious.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!  I think I have a good vector on where to go now.  I have adjusted my leveling build as follows.

 

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[Erydanus]

That looks really good.

 

It's going to be hard to not immediately run this one myself but I have a Dark/Dark who just got his hound to play to 50 first.

Oh at 30 instead of Recall friend you might want to take Rune of Protection for yourself if you're doing Night Ward. There's at least one hellish mission where having a click mez protection will be hugely helpful. You could just respec out of it later if Recall is a priority.

[Papaschtroumpf]

Disclaimer: I have never played a Dark controller

 

Remember the P2W Procs stop working at or after lvl20.

 

The main problem with Arcane Bolt is that it is 2.7(?) second animation. That's a lot of time not doing something else. I'd never give up Hasten for it, Hasten allows you use your powers more often so more damage (and control, etc...) over time.

 

I see Arcane Bolt as a way to get to Rune of Protection. You already have 2 P2W ranged attacks, blackwand and Nemesis staff to hel you early in the game.

[Erydanus]

I really don't care that Arcane Bolt takes 2.7 seconds to cast. It would be nice if it was faster but it hits like a truck and both does better damage than any other attack I have and drops them with knockdown. I always have time for it while soloing. I only have so many direct moves I'm using and 2 of them are DOTs so recasting them before the dots do their full damage is just wasting endurance. And it does do 50% more damage than my dots and as direct damage. It's worth it. I'm not going to unload with every tool in my arsenal on every group of 3 dudes.  Soloing as a controller with primarily single target moves is a bit slow but a high damage direct attack like Arcane Bolt is a net speed gain. If I'm in a situation where I do need to be stacking AoE controls and Debuffs I'm probably not going to use it, if I'm fighting 2-4 guys solo I'm just gonna lock them down with Fearsome Stare and pick them off and it's a great tool for that.

 

Additionally the value of off-type damage cannot be understated. You know who resists dark? Lots and lots of magical enemies. Not so bad you can't fight them but it's so helpful.

 

 

[Coyote]

2 of them are DOTs so recasting them before the dots do their full damage is just wasting endurance.

 

Unlike some other games, in CoH, hitting a target with the same DoT power will stack the DoT damage ticks. You do NOT lose the tail of the previous DoT effect when you hit them with same DoT effect again.

[Erydanus]

Sure but you've still wasting endurance if you over-dot them and they die with some of that potential damage undelivered. I mean, that's why dots do more damage in this game you're potentially having a chunk of it go to waste. I'd rather drop a dot then remove a chunk of health with direct damage and let the first dot finish than stack multiple dots onto something. Also, faster.

[Zepp]

Ill/Storm has more pets...