Best Powersets/Archetypes to use with Soul Mastery?

[CrusaderPenguin]

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm pretty new to this game, haven't even gotten a character to level 20 yet, but that's mostly because I haven't found a combo I vibe with. I'm trying to create a character that, for internal headcanon reasons, will use Soul Mastery to great effect later in the game. Just have a couple of requirements and would love to hear your thoughts on what would be the best powersets/archetypes to take advantage of SM.

 

1. For lore purposes, I don't want a Dark primary or secondary. I want SM to feel unique and impactful when I get it

 

2. I'm open to playing either melee or ranged and basically any type of character, but I'd like to be able to solo as much content as possible, including endgame stuff (I play at weird times and can't commit to things consistently because of my schedule).

 

3. I'd ideally like some sets that let me really play around with more than one SM power. I've done an Ice/Time Corrupter with the intention of going SM, but the powersets just don't feel quite right to me. Also I feel kind of squishy (which might be due to my poor playing as opposed to the powers themselves) but for my first leveling experience to 50, I think maybe something with a bit more resilience would be helpful.

Really appreciate any help in advance! There are so many powersets that it's hard to choose from and I think being able to pick the brain of this community will be a massive help.

[Glacier Peak]

Arachnos Widow sounds like it would be all that you're looking for. 

[CrusaderPenguin]

16 minutes ago, Glacier Peak said:

Arachnos Widow sounds like it would be all that you're looking for. 

Hey, thanks for the response! This might be a dumb question, but are you allowed to start as a Widow on the Hero side? Probably should have mentioned this but I wanted to experience some of the low-to-mid-level Hero content before switching to Villain (unsure if permanent or temporary, would have to see how the character develops).

[Maelwys]

5 hours ago, CrusaderPenguin said:

I'm trying to create a character that, for internal headcanon reasons, will use Soul Mastery to great effect later in the game.

Are you looking for attacks; debuffs; Crowd Control or Summons?

Here are what IMO are the standout powers in Soul Mastery across the various ATs:

+ Gloom - Single-target ranged blast. Powerful; but it deals most of its damage over time and so may not feel impactful as there isn't an instant "Blam! --> Dead" reaction.
+ Soul Storm - Single-target Hold. Will hold a LT out of the box; and is stackable with itself to hold Bosses. Deals roughly the same damage as Dark Blast as a DOT.
+ Moonbeam - Single-Target Snipe. VERY good damage; even during combat whenever it switches to "fast mode". Typically a top-tier pick.
+ Dark Obliteration - Targeted AoE. Fast activating, Large radius and High Target Cap. Its base damage is OK; but it takes LOTS of damage Procs. Another Top-Tier pick.
+ Dark Embrace - Self +Damage Resistance Toggle. Primarily buffs Smashing/Lethal resistances, as well as a bit less to Negative/Toxic.
+ Power Boost - Increases many effects of other abilities. Use before a relevant long-duration buff like like Forcefield Bubbles or Farsight. Top Tier for specific powersets.
+ Shadow Meld - Large +Defense buff to self. Not perma, but 50% uptime is doable. Beware the long activation time. Useful situational utility ; especially when soloing.
+ Darkest Night - Large radius enemy-anchored AoE -ToHit debuff; very good at grabbing aggro. A Top-Tier aggro management power for Tankers/Brutes.
+ Midnight Grasp - Single-target Melee attack with a built-in Immobilize. Very useful. Long recharge but procs well.

The other abilities are IMO either more situational or outright less useful.

+ Dark Blast - Single-target ranged blast. Decent Damage, but just not as powerful as Moonbeam and it's only available on the same ATs.
+ Soul Drain - PBAoE +Damage/+ToHit. Decent buff but LONG recharge time.
+ Dark Consumption - PBAoE +Endurance. Decent buff but LONG recharge time.
+ Night Fall - Cone attack. Decent DOT damage; but a very narrow arc. A filler attack at best.
+ Oppressive Gloom - PBAoE Stun. Mag2 SO ONLY AFFECTS MINIONS! May be useful if you melee and you've another Disorient power to stack with it.
+ Soul Tentacles - Cone Immobilize. Reasonable DOT damage; but a very narrow arc. AoE immobilizes are best used to keep things in damage or knockdown patches.



Most Tankers, Brutes and VEATs will do very well by going [Gloom] plus either [Dark Obliteration] and/or [Darkest Night].
Likewise most Scrappers and Stalkers will do very well just by picking up [Moonbeam] and possibly [Shadow Meld].
Most Controllers and Dominators will benefit from going [Dark Embrace] plus [Dark Obliteration], which opens the way to a (very optional) Fortuna Pet.

Corruptors and Defenders will benefit from [Dark Embrace] plus [Power Boost] providing they're Forcefield or Time Manipulation. The rest will have better Epic Pool choices.
For Masterminds? [Dark Embrace] is useful, but the rest are iffy unless you really want to stun minions. Flame or Mu Epics simply bring far more to the table.
For Blasters? [Dark Embrace] is useful, but unless you already have an AoE disorient (like Mental Manipulation) I'd pick another Epic Pool.
For Sentinels? [Darkest Night] is the real standout; but you need to take another power as a prerequisite. [Midnight Grasp] is brilliant... however if you don't want to melee then you're stuck with [Soul Tentacles].

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -


As for the summons:
+ Fortuna Seer [Controller] [Dominator] - Ranged, Decent Damage. Blows through Endurance.
+ Fortuna Mistress [Defender] [Corruptor] [Sentinel] - Ranged, Damage and CC. Blows through Endurance.
+ Night Widow [Scrapper] [Stalker] - Melee, Damage and Debuff. Blows through Endurance.
+ Blood Widow [Tanker] [Brute] [VEAT] - Melee, Damage and -Regen. Blows through Endurance.

The Night Widow is almost always going to be a trap option unless you're trying to shave a few milliseconds off your pylon kill times. It doesn't do wonderful damage and neither Scrappers nor Stalkers can keep it alive.
The Blood Widow is a bit better. It can be vaguely useful against AVs with the -Regen it inflicts; and it deals quite high damage as long as you can keep its Endurance bar filled (slot it for EndRed and use specific Incarnate abilities like Talons Radial Lore or Ageless Destiny). VEATs can buff its Defence to help keep it alive in regular gameplay. It'll typically still die pretty quickly at higher difficulty levels unless you're using Spirit Ward and Barrier on it.
Neither of the Fortunas stands out. Having an extra pet may help Controllers (and to a lesser extent Defenders and Corruptors) when soloing; but they don't have much in the way of inherent damage resistance or Hitpoints so it'll be a struggle to keep them alive at higher difficulty levels. 

[Maelwys]

6 hours ago, CrusaderPenguin said:

Hey, thanks for the response! This might be a dumb question, but are you allowed to start as a Widow on the Hero side? Probably should have mentioned this but I wanted to experience some of the low-to-mid-level Hero content before switching to Villain (unsure if permanent or temporary, would have to see how the character develops).

Technically nope, the character creation screens lock VEATs into starting on Primal Earth redside in Mercy Island.
However you can immediately run to Pocket D and talk to "Null the Gull" and swap to blueside.


 

Edited October 22 by Maelwys

[Snarky]

In my opinion you need a character you love.  Love the concept, the archetype, the powers.  When i started i loved Brutes.  Now it is Blasters.  
 

If you create a character you have a deep attachment to then you will enjoy the game.  If you build based on “what us best” probably not….

[Lightslinger]

For a more impactful addition of Soul Mastery to the character, what if you did more street tier powers? So you'd be a street level hero who one day gains access to these dark, mystical powers.

 

For that I'd go with Martial Arts or Street Justice, can't go wrong with either. 

 

If you're wanting to solo a lot I'd personally go Brute. You'll get respectable damage, coupled with nigh Tanker toughness. Scrapper can also qualify with some IO help for endgame stuff.

 

 

[CrusaderPenguin]

3 hours ago, Maelwys said:

Are you looking for attacks; debuffs; Crowd Control or Summons?

Here are what IMO are the standout powers in Soul Mastery across the various ATs:

+ Gloom - Single-target ranged blast. Powerful; but it deals most of its damage over time and so may not feel impactful as there isn't an instant "Blam! --> Dead" reaction.
+ Soul Storm - Single-target Hold. Will hold a LT out of the box; and is stackable with itself to hold Bosses. Deals roughly the same damage as Dark Blast as a DOT.
+ Moonbeam - Single-Target Snipe. VERY good damage; even during combat whenever it switches to "fast mode". Typically a top-tier pick.
+ Dark Obliteration - Targeted AoE. Fast activating, Large radius and High Target Cap. Its base damage is OK; but it takes LOTS of damage Procs. Another Top-Tier pick.
+ Dark Embrace - Self +Damage Resistance Toggle. Primarily buffs Smashing/Lethal resistances, as well as a bit less to Negative/Toxic.
+ Power Boost - Increases many effects of other abilities. Use before a relevant long-duration buff like like Forcefield Bubbles or Farsight. Top Tier for specific powersets.
+ Shadow Meld - Large +Defense buff to self. Not perma, but 50% uptime is doable. Beware the long activation time. Useful situational utility ; especially when soloing.
+ Darkest Night - Large radius enemy-anchored AoE -ToHit debuff; very good at grabbing aggro. A Top-Tier aggro management power for Tankers/Brutes.
+ Midnight Grasp - Single-target Melee attack with a built-in Immobilize. Very useful. Long recharge but procs well.

The other abilities are IMO either more situational or outright less useful.

+ Dark Blast - Single-target ranged blast. Decent Damage, but just not as powerful as Moonbeam and it's only available on the same ATs.
+ Soul Drain - PBAoE +Damage/+ToHit. Decent buff but LONG recharge time.
+ Dark Consumption - PBAoE +Endurance. Decent buff but LONG recharge time.
+ Night Fall - Cone attack. Decent DOT damage; but a very narrow arc. A filler attack at best.
+ Oppressive Gloom - PBAoE Stun. Mag2 SO ONLY AFFECTS MINIONS! May be useful if you melee and you've another Disorient power to stack with it.
+ Soul Tentacles - Cone Immobilize. Reasonable DOT damage; but a very narrow arc. AoE immobilizes are best used to keep things in damage or knockdown patches.



Most Tankers, Brutes and VEATs will do very well by going [Gloom] plus either [Dark Obliteration] and/or [Darkest Night].
Likewise most Scrappers and Stalkers will do very well just by picking up [Moonbeam] and possibly [Shadow Meld].
Most Controllers and Dominators will benefit from going [Dark Embrace] plus [Dark Obliteration], which opens the way to a (very optional) Fortuna Pet.

Corruptors and Defenders will benefit from [Dark Embrace] plus [Power Boost] providing they're Forcefield or Time Manipulation. The rest will have better Epic Pool choices.
For Masterminds? [Dark Embrace] is useful, but the rest are iffy unless you really want to stun minions. Flame or Mu Epics simply bring far more to the table.
For Blasters? [Dark Embrace] is useful, but unless you already have an AoE disorient (like Mental Manipulation) I'd pick another Epic Pool.
For Sentinels? [Darkest Night] is the real standout; but you need to take another power as a prerequisite. [Midnight Grasp] is brilliant... however if you don't want to melee then you're stuck with [Soul Tentacles].

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -


As for the summons:
+ Fortuna Seer [Controller] [Dominator] - Ranged, Decent Damage. Blows through Endurance.
+ Fortuna Mistress [Defender] [Corruptor] [Sentinel] - Ranged, Damage and CC. Blows through Endurance.
+ Night Widow [Scrapper] [Stalker] - Melee, Damage and Debuff. Blows through Endurance.
+ Blood Widow [Tanker] [Brute] [VEAT] - Melee, Damage and -Regen. Blows through Endurance.

The Night Widow is almost always going to be a trap option unless you're trying to shave a few milliseconds off your pylon kill times. It doesn't do wonderful damage and neither Scrappers nor Stalkers can keep it alive.
The Blood Widow is a bit better. It can be vaguely useful against AVs with the -Regen it inflicts; and it deals quite high damage as long as you can keep its Endurance bar filled (slot it for EndRed and use specific Incarnate abilities like Talons Radial Lore or Ageless Destiny). VEATs can buff its Defence to help keep it alive in regular gameplay. It'll typically still die pretty quickly at higher difficulty levels unless you're using Spirit Ward and Barrier on it.
Neither of the Fortunas stands out. Having an extra pet may help Controllers (and to a lesser extent Defenders and Corruptors) when soloing; but they don't have much in the way of inherent damage resistance or Hitpoints so it'll be a struggle to keep them alive at higher difficulty levels. 

This is an awesome overview, thank you!

[CrusaderPenguin]

2 hours ago, Snarky said:

In my opinion you need a character you love.  Love the concept, the archetype, the powers.  When i started i loved Brutes.  Now it is Blasters.  
 

If you create a character you have a deep attachment to then you will enjoy the game.  If you build based on “what us best” probably not….

Thank makes a lot of sense. I guess where I struggle is the fact that some power combinations/archetypes have a hard time soloing or don't really benefit from Soul Mastery all that much, and while I would love to just create something that's purely thematic I don't want to be locked out of doing content or forced to take something that isn't SM to be viable.

Edited October 22 by CrusaderPenguin

[CrusaderPenguin]

2 hours ago, Lightslinger said:

For a more impactful addition of Soul Mastery to the character, what if you did more street tier powers? So you'd be a street level hero who one day gains access to these dark, mystical powers.

 

For that I'd go with Martial Arts or Street Justice, can't go wrong with either. 

 

If you're wanting to solo a lot I'd personally go Brute. You'll get respectable damage, coupled with nigh Tanker toughness. Scrapper can also qualify with some IO help for endgame stuff.

 

 

This is a really cool concept, definitely one I'm considering. I think I'd like my secondary on a Brute to be somewhat supernatural in nature, so it makes the Soul Mastery thing feel like a new thing but not too much of a stretch. I'm also a big sucker for weapons, been looking at War Mace, Broadsword, and Katana. Any ideal pairings with those that you like?

[Without_Pause]

11 hours ago, CrusaderPenguin said:

I'm pretty new to this game, haven't even gotten a character to level 20 yet

 

I've done an Ice/Time Corrupter with the intention of going SM, but the powersets just don't feel quite right to me. Also I feel kind of squishy (which might be due to my poor playing as opposed to the powers themselves) but for my first leveling experience to 50, I think maybe something with a bit more resilience would be helpful.

You don't even have Farsight yet. It will be easy to get perma. You can even perma Chrono Shift although that will take effort.  You are also missing a second attack which offers a hold so you could stack your holds to hold a boss easier. Blizzard is also a nuke with AoE KD. Not all builds need to vibe with you, but Ice/time is legit S tier type of a build for a Corr. You just haven't gotten the best powers from it yet. I would plan out a build, stick it on Beta and give it a run. If you need to know how to do that, ask.

[Snarky]

40 minutes ago, CrusaderPenguin said:

Thank makes a lot of sense. I guess where I struggle is the fact that some power combinations/archetypes have a hard time soloing or don't really benefit from Soul Mastery all that much, and while I would love to just create something that's purely thematic I don't want to be locked out of doing content or forced to take something that isn't SM to be viable.

you are on the right track, asking questions, looking around.

 

remember for tough solo missions you can use temp powers (even temp pets!) many are available from P2W

[Lightslinger]

1 hour ago, CrusaderPenguin said:

This is a really cool concept, definitely one I'm considering. I think I'd like my secondary on a Brute to be somewhat supernatural in nature, so it makes the Soul Mastery thing feel like a new thing but not too much of a stretch. I'm also a big sucker for weapons, been looking at War Mace, Broadsword, and Katana. Any ideal pairings with those that you like?

There's some great "dark" options for all those weapons, I especially like the Rularuu weapons for a concept like this.

 

War Mace/Energy Aura (color the powers dark) is a fantastic combo, there's some Endurance help in /EA.

 

Katana/Ninjutsu is a classic for a reason, would work well with your concept.

 

/Bio Armor works great with almost anything, is a top tier set for damage with great survivability, you can re-color or minimal FX most powers into a dark concept, but there's a few powers that still use the biological type effects. With some effort you could explain that as darkness stuff too though.

 

/Shield is great and has some good designs for a dark concept.

 

/Super Reflexes is great but beware it has no endurance tools, you can fix that with IOs and especially Incarnates, but you'll be out of breath a lot while leveling a, for an example, WM/SR.

 

Plenty of other sets but I've got the most experience with those.

Edited October 22 by Lightslinger

[Lusiphur Malache]

If you want unique and impactful, you've come to the right place, how about a Elec/Sonic blaster?  Lots of end drain, add combat teleport then you'd be a very effective blapper with all the melee holds Sonic offers.  Soul Mastery would give you some armor in Dark Embrace, Oppressive Gloom would help in a AV fight if you have adequate healing on your team.  Soul Storm is one of the coolest looking powers in the game i think.

 

Alternatively, I've heard good things about Battle Axe recently (haven't tried it myself so ymmv).  Lots of Knockdown.  Bio Armor is a personal favorite, good at defense, resist, and DOT.  Add in Gloom for runners, Darkest Night for damage mitigation, and Dark Obliteration for an opener.

[CrusaderPenguin]

1 hour ago, Lusiphur Malache said:

If you want unique and impactful, you've come to the right place, how about a Elec/Sonic blaster?  Lots of end drain, add combat teleport then you'd be a very effective blapper with all the melee holds Sonic offers.  Soul Mastery would give you some armor in Dark Embrace, Oppressive Gloom would help in a AV fight if you have adequate healing on your team.  Soul Storm is one of the coolest looking powers in the game i think.

 

Alternatively, I've heard good things about Battle Axe recently (haven't tried it myself so ymmv).  Lots of Knockdown.  Bio Armor is a personal favorite, good at defense, resist, and DOT.  Add in Gloom for runners, Darkest Night for damage mitigation, and Dark Obliteration for an opener.

 

Hey that first idea sounds really cool! I definitely like the look of Elec powersets. Sonic seems fun too.

 

The look of battle axe isn't quite my thing. Would Katana be a good replacement?

[Lusiphur Malache]

15 minutes ago, CrusaderPenguin said:

The look of battle axe isn't quite my thing. Would Katana be a good replacement?

I have a katana brute.  It is very effective and quite fun, but I don't think it even nudges the needle of cool.

[Psyonico]

19 minutes ago, CrusaderPenguin said:

Would Katana be a good replacement?

Katana is in a really good place. I'm not sure exactly how it compares to Battle Axe, but Katana is a solid power set (I've got at least 3 level 50 Katana toons)

[Without_Pause]

Battle Axe will win in the sheer DPS department while producing eye popping End cost. It can use all the Recharge you can fit in while managing that much End usage. Kat is not that. Depending on what sets your are comparing it against, Kat is at least in the running for the smoothest set to play. It's the only melee set where not single power has a Arcanatime animation time of 2 seconds. It's more of a playstyle thing in that being the slow end heavy big orange numbers thing or being a blender. 

[Owl Girl]

the Katana powerset really shines in providing steady damage at reasonable end costs, and the animations feel pretty good if You prefer a more mobile play style. using Golden Dragonfly to joust is very satisfying and looks as good as using a flying Crane Kick. if You like to solo and really get into cool looking fights, it will be hard to beat Katana and it's variants (Ninja Training on Blasters is my fav pick, hands down).

[CrusaderPenguin]

48 minutes ago, Owl Girl said:

the Katana powerset really shines in providing steady damage at reasonable end costs, and the animations feel pretty good if You prefer a more mobile play style. using Golden Dragonfly to joust is very satisfying and looks as good as using a flying Crane Kick. if You like to solo and really get into cool looking fights, it will be hard to beat Katana and it's variants (Ninja Training on Blasters is my fav pick, hands down).

I didn't even know Ninja Training existed. Any cool primaries that you like playing alongside it?

[TygerDarkstorm]

25 minutes ago, CrusaderPenguin said:

I didn't even know Ninja Training existed. Any cool primaries that you like playing alongside it?

Dual Pistols. Electric Blast and use a lightsaber for Ninja Training and you've got yourself a Sith.

[Owl Girl]

for a Blaster that mostly solos, Storm Blast is great with Katana. since You are in control of the pace, You have time to place your Storm Cell and open with a snipe to the boss or else the chain lightning move (forgot the Name!) before wading into melee to do some Dropping Lotus action followed by the fantastic AoE placate. the Storm Cell will slowly move to keep You in the centre and all the bonus KD will really make You feel like a bona fide Onna-Musha ❤️

 

there's even a clicky for end recovery in Ninja Training so You won't be hurting much from the speed of your attacks and if You can believe it, You even get built-in stealth and crits (not as good as Scrapper crits tho)!

[CrusaderPenguin]

42 minutes ago, Owl Girl said:

for a Blaster that mostly solos, Storm Blast is great with Katana. since You are in control of the pace, You have time to place your Storm Cell and open with a snipe to the boss or else the chain lightning move (forgot the Name!) before wading into melee to do some Dropping Lotus action followed by the fantastic AoE placate. the Storm Cell will slowly move to keep You in the centre and all the bonus KD will really make You feel like a bona fide Onna-Musha ❤️

 

there's even a clicky for end recovery in Ninja Training so You won't be hurting much from the speed of your attacks and if You can believe it, You even get built-in stealth and crits (not as good as Scrapper crits tho)!

Thank sounds really cool, I've been looking at the storm sets quite a bit. Might have to give this a try.

[biostem]

22 hours ago, CrusaderPenguin said:

Really appreciate any help in advance!

I've had a lot of fun playing my dual pistols/ninjitsu sentinel, and with their version of soul mastery, you get a nice assortment of attacks, debuffs, utility, and even a decent (albeit temporary) pet.

[kelika2]

Force Field characters.  I have a few masterminds left that use powerboost + bubbles still

Some firefarmers that are not DoT based.  my claw/fire uses soul for dark obliteration

many of whats left of my defenders use it.  time/fire/soul defender is pretty damaging and very utility based.  power boost + farsight is insane.  elec/elec also benefits greatly end draining with power boost