Epic Power Pool Advice

[wyrmclaw892]

So I started a dark/dark troller up in Praetoria and I'm in love! Will continue to advance to 50 but when I look at the epic power pools my eyes glaze over and I really have no idea which of these pools (both ancillary and patron, as I haven't decided yet if she'll be a hero or villain) would fit well with these darkness powers. Any advice you could give me on this topic would be most appreciated!

Edited Saturday at 02:24 AM by wyrmclaw892

[biostem]

30 minutes ago, wyrmclaw892 said:

Any advice you could give me on this topic would be most appreciated!

Generally speaking, I use my APP/PPP pick to shore up some holes that my primary/secondary/AT may have.  For 'trollers, that's typically defense, so I'd go with an APP/PPP with a defense-based armor.  Mace mastery is the obvious choice, since it provides smashing/lethal/energy defense, which are all common damage types, especially in the late-game.  The only downside is I don't think the other powers in the set are particularly great, (though you do then gain the ability to display the mace on your costume if you wanted).  Ice mastery doesn't require you wield a weapon for the attacks, if that's an issue for you, has a defense-based armor, as well as a way to recover health & end via hibernate.  Earth mastery, again, has the defense armor toggle, a self heal, and can stack additional mez effects, (though the hold is melee-based).

Edited Saturday at 02:52 AM by biostem

[tidge]

I find myself looking at Epic/Patron pools (for each AT) with one of two perspectives:

1. The build has some gaps that the pool can help to fill,
2. There is a power (or two) in the pool that I feel especially compliments the concept

In my stable of characters, it runs roughly 4-to-1 in favor of the first. This is mostly because I like my characters to feel 'complete' by level 30, with a little bit of my 'character concept' drives AT/Primary/Secondary more than anything else. Part of this "completeness" feeling extends into picking up (explicit) ranged attacks at level 35+. Mileage varies of course.

 

My thinking specific to Controllers follows:

 

Usually I've sunk so many slots into the primary and secondary that I don't have many spare slots to dedicate to epic/patron pool powers. Especially when I look at a "level 50" build, Controllers generally have fewer opportunities (in terms of power choices) where to slot their ATO... and if I want some ranged attacks, there isn't anything stopping me from picking them up from 'regular' power pools earlier than level 35.

 

As a practical matter, when there isn't a specific power I want at level 35+ from a pool, I tend to lean into pools that allow me to mule Resistance and/or Defense Enhancement sets. Psionic is one choice, and IIRC each of the Patron pools allows for a Resistance toggle at level 35 with no pre-requisites (beyond having opened the Patron pools).

[Carnifax]

Like most I go on the gaps in the build. 

 

Carni is Illusion / Dark so a Def shield. Have Spectral Wounds, Blind & Phantom Army do most of my damage so no need for a "quick" second attack but something that would help the PAs would be nice. Have lots of recharge so something which can leverage that would also be nice. Mace fits perfectly here. s/l/e defence shield to layer on top of Fade. Poisonous Ray has -resist, perfect for sticking on a boss being attacked by PAs & is very proccable to make the damage worthwhile. The Tarantula is really slow to recharge but since I have ~perma-PA levels of recharge it's perma too. 

 

Plant / Storm I was between Mu and Ice but opted for Ice. Freezing Rain + Ice Storm + Roots is a death patch (with Creepers too). Since it's quite a "drop and watch" set in some ways Hibernate is a good one-slot panic button / combat rest (things will keep either killing each other or being beaten up by Creepers, Tornado, FR + Ice Storm) & the Def armour is grand (and even better if you are skipping Fighting and need somewhere for uniques, although I didn't need it). 

 

Grav / Trick Arrow : I needed something AoE to make Flaming Oil Slick easy. I went with Mu. He's a "hoverbot" so I'd built for Ranged Def so smashing / lethal / energy resist shield works well. Had the slots so ended up getting the Guardian as the 3rd power (my debuffs help keep him and Singy alive).

 

Ice / Traps : One of my two (soon to be 3) meleetrollers. Earth all the way. Traps is Slot light, giving me room for Fissure + Seismic procced up. Rock Armour + FFG is great defences and his concept fits the look (he's an asymmetric, cobbled together scrapbot). Earths Embrace gives me HP + a Heal on a secondary with no heals. My Elec / Poison also went Earth (again Mu may have worked here too for Power Sink + Elec, but I've shelved them anyway after gutting them of IOs during the week). 

 

Fire / Marine : As said I'm still debating this and lots of folk gave me lots of good reasons to pick different things. I'm leaning towards Resist shields because Barrier Reefs replenishing Absorb would work well with it and I suspect I'll need End recovery. But I also love the chonkiness of Earth attacks. 

[SeraphimKensai]

On /dark I like to use energy. For power boost, as with high recharge you'll get decent usage out of it and power boosted fade/soul absorption is pretty good. You then have a res shield to pair with tough to make you more resilient for on the off chance that you do get hit.

[Carnifax]

17 minutes ago, SeraphimKensai said:

On /dark I like to use energy. For power boost, as with high recharge you'll get decent usage out of it and power boosted fade/soul absorption is pretty good. You then have a res shield to pair with tough to make you more resilient for on the off chance that you do get hit.

Power boosted Fade hasn't worked for a few years. I respecced Carni to Mace because of it. 

 

It was technically a bug because if a power has Resist it's not supposed to be Boostable. But it made sense to fix anyway, it was a bit overpowered.

 

Clarion + PB + Fade was glorious. 

Edited Saturday at 03:59 PM by Carnifax

[Uun]

Taking a defense shield with /Dark is valid, but I went with Mu Mastery on my Elec/Dark controller. My defenses are already high (plus I've got Darkest Night). Between Shadow Fall, Fade and Charged Armor I'm close to the resist cap for S/L/E and in the 40-50% range for N/P. Definitely one of the safest controllers I've played. I also took Ball Lightning from Mu for some additional AoE damage.

[SeraphimKensai]

8 hours ago, Carnifax said:

Power boosted Fade hasn't worked for a few years. I respecced Carni to Mace because of it. 

 

It was technically a bug because if a power has Resist it's not supposed to be Boostable. But it made sense to fix anyway, it was a bit overpowered.

 

Clarion + PB + Fade was glorious. 

Ah well I'll take your word for it as it's been probably 3-4 years since I played my /dark trollers. I guess I'll have to remember to respec my ill/dark.