Focused Feedback: New Powerset - Pyrotechnic Control (Controllers, Dominators)

[beelzebub]

Couple of typos or inconsistencies here in the power description:

Inconsistencies here too:

This doesn't quite make sense:

 

 

Good luck! Thanks ~

Edited Wednesday at 03:14 PM by beelzebub

[BZRKR]

1 hour ago, jkwak said:

While so far I have no complaints about the powerset it self

In my opinion the name "Multipurpose Missiles" is not really going well with the rest of the names for the powers, it just feels out of place

I might be alone with that opiniont though

Some alternatives I've thought up since reading the post above:

 

Astonishing Ambush
Brilliant Barrage
Deafening Display
Ferocious Fusillade
Overwhelming Onslaught
Shimmering Salvo
Volatile Volley
Flabbergasting Blast

 

All offered freely.

[Ereal]

57 minutes ago, scarlet_f said:

please no more Bright powersets, my eye still hasn't recovered from the storm blast launch week!

There is absolutely no way to make everyone happy on this point. So here is my best (maybe obvious?) suggestion from a QA perspective.

Would it be possible to add Power Customization options for:
The previous brighter and flashy vfx version
The current vfx version
A dark vfx version
A very minimal vfx version

AND
Add all those options as official mods to Michiyo's City Mod Installer tool?

This would potentially give an option to control the brightness to all players, even if they are just teaming with others playing the set and not playing it themselves.

It would not a perfect solution:
Not everyone will want to use or manage mods.

It would be "all or nothing" situation for those who are impacted by the vfx but also want to play the set themselves, since a mod would probably (as far as I understand it) override their own customization choices as well. Not sure if there is a way to "load" a power customization file to apply to all instances of that power?

But it seems like maybe the broadest way to address the issue?

Thank you

Edited Wednesday at 04:07 PM by Ereal

[Mythcreatio]

First, I appreciate all of the hard work and time that went into everything with the new updates and features!

 

Next:

I love this set, thanks. 

 

The only feedback I have would be in the realm of creating a damage point between "minor" and "moderate", I feel Multipurpose Missiles should be somewhere in the middle of whatever that would be.

[...]

Dark fx plz

[High_Beam]

For me, it needs to be more sparkly.  Not the bright white but the wonderful colors.

[ScarySai]

This set needs some sound variance, did a team of all pyros with some friends and the sound was mad annoying.

Edited Thursday at 02:25 AM by ScarySai

[ExeErdna]

1 hour ago, ScarySai said:

This set needs some sound variance, did a team of all pyros with some friends and the sound was mad annoying.

 

The main sounds that stick out are what the Wheel does and of course Multipurpose Missiles since that is the loudest thing about the set. To me a lot of it gets drowned out and I thought Glittering Column was louder yet it isn't. 

[warlyx]

 

was expecting more sparkles 

[High_Beam]

8 hours ago, ScarySai said:

This set needs some sound variance, did a team of all pyros with some friends and the sound was mad annoying.

Hahahah!  So did Symphonic Control when it came to Brainstorm.  A Beam can dream I suppose.

[Nathic69]

Incendiary Aura be changed from 10 targets to 16. - as I find it dependant on my survival as I am in melee range

 

Multipurpose Missiles cooldown be changed from 90s to either 60 or 45s. - Reason I find myself depending on it since cones aren't useful as I'm in melee for the Aura

 

Instead of Multipurpose Missiles change make Hypnotizing Lights a targeted AoE not a cone so I can surivive melee more effectively as the set needs support in that department

 

Glittering Column is great and very fun but I need a power that can help keep me alive in melee while Glittering is on cooldown - I would suggest Glittering last an additional 2-4 seconds. Reason for this is I have 8 seconds to line up my next set of powers and defense before being attacked, 8 seconds is difficult to line up a combo of primary and secondary powers

 

The knock up effect is good for mitigation but can easily get overwhelmed hence why I suggested these changes to also help combat that issue

 

Sparkling Chain needs stronger VFX as it's hard to tell what mob it's hit

 

Overall fun set but these changes will help massively and make the set feel complete

 

Also Dark FX would be wonderful and maybe increase the intensity of the skills as It needs to be more visual

 

I would also suggest the -Res from blast off be able to stack twice and maybe lowered to 7.5% to compensate for that as this would encourge and feel additonal benefit from using more than 1 power per pack 

 

Also please allow us to have advanced pet options or aggressive mode 

Edited yesterday at 01:33 AM by Nathic69

[LastHumanSoldier]

7 hours ago, High_Beam said:

Hahahah!  So did Symphonic Control when it came to Brainstorm.  A Beam can dream I suppose.

Than goodness for city mod installer. Muted that set right up.

[High_Beam]

2 hours ago, LastHumanSoldier said:

Than goodness for city mod installer. Muted that set right up.

I hear you.  I use the mod installer for a lot of things (Demon summons is great, heavy guns) but I want symphonic sounds with Symphonic Control (the add-in of classical music is... is not enjoyed by me).  maybe someday.  I have failed in my efforts to try and do it myself because I am not the best at codey things.

[Legion of One]

On 5/27/2025 at 8:34 AM, UltraAlt said:

 

The inside core of the dazzle effect is too bright for me, and I can't tone it down.

Coloring has an impact on my vision issues. If it was more blue or magenta it wouldn't affect my eyes as much as the yellow tone it has currently.

I'd like to ask for a dark option for this set.  It just allows for more thematic options.

[Rodion]

I would like to see a Minimal FX option on Incendiary Aura. I get that it's supposed to be flashy, but I don't like the haze it puts on the screen no matter what colors I choose in the customizable version.

 

I really don't like my character to be surrounded by haze and glare -- I want to see the action clearly, and having too many effects on the character annoys me.  I use Minimal FX on every powerset where it's available.

 

Yeah, even on Sprint :).

Edited Thursday at 11:28 PM by Rodion

[Agorazium]

Ran the David Wincott/Flux arc today. Level 10 to start, Pyro/Rad controller, +1/x2, standard SO enhancements, no P2W amplifiers, no temp powers other than Plasmatic Taser which I often take on Controllers for early game AOE.

 

Dazzle - is fine. I still think it could use a different character animation. It just looks so feeble.

 

Sparkling Cage - is also fine. The immob fx are a little hard to see when there are other ground effects (i.e. Radiation Infection). This applies to Sparkling Chain too. Also, I feel like the damage should just be upfront? A DOT doesn't make a lot of sense to me in a set that's essentially Explosion Control.

 

Sparkling Chain - I really like this power. It sometimes does not do anything. It might just be missing, but there's no MISS text, and it seems like if it misses the initial target it doesn't hit anything else which is unfortunate.

 

Glittering Column - I'm learning to love this as an opener/alpha absorber but I think it could stand to have a longer duration. 8 seconds lets me get 2, maaaaaybe 3 powers off before the column explodes. For toons that use secondary powers in their openers, this is going to be rough IMO.

 

Hypnotizing Lights - this feels fine as an emergency power, I think it'll wind up being skippable. This is one where I think the VFX could be amped up.

 

I haven't played around with Multipurpose Missiles enough yet but the lingering sound effect is sooo screechy, I foresee a lot of headaches and complaining.

 

Miscellaneous observations - the endurance use relative to the damage and control durations feels off. Even when not using /Rad toggles and consciously not spamming Chain, I was out of end while minions still had 25%+ HP left. This is with L10 Endurance Reduction SOs in all powers. Overall the set is fun so far, but between the end use and short-duration controls, I feel like it's going to struggle the higher level I get.  This was without any recharge enhancements so it is probably going to get worse.

 

Next time I have playtime I plan to jump to level 20 and run an arc or two and see how it feels as it scales.

Edited yesterday at 03:44 AM by Agorazium
Typo

[Aoleleb]

Dazzle has a very odd yellow streamer behind the projectile no matter what color you make it. Any chance that could match the colors you pick?

[ExeErdna]

There's a need for more auto and visual feedback since Multipurpose Missles stands out as the loudest in a good way so I know it's being used. Also sometimes I can use it short range fine and other times it doesn't. Is this skill checking if there are enemies close to it? That's why I cannot use it just to throw it around? I should just be able to throw it out, yet if it's checking if something is there sometimes it just doesn't work. Even if enemies are right there staring at a Glittering Column which can cause some mistiming with opening on groups.

Also, Glittering Column should be louder than what it is now. Since Omega Maneuver is the right level of auto queueing. Also, it needs to last a bit longer and as I said earlier it needs a snaring effect because, unless you're doing something chaotic. As I was running Pyro/Storm yesterday evening I can manage the chaos, but enemies still get aggroed and then will bolt full speed towards the one that used it. That lack of a snare is cool in a group where people can cover me since I can pull enemies from pretty far. Yet for solo this will make players dislike it even if it's supposed to be used over and over to control aggro. That's the signature feature that makes Pyro really standout as a set. Using your signature skill shouldn't lead to pulling more than one can handle. Since it's the most interesting thing to slot you can put taunt, acc -tohit sets into it or just throw as much raw dmg and acc on it

For Incendiary Aura is the feedback that somebody is under it's effect the "poofs" by your feet are now on them? Since I've only seen this once maybe the KW groups are resisting too much since I've seen it when messing around with Malta on a Pyro/FF. It'll pull aggro yet then it doesn't seem like it's debuffing enough. Also, it may need a Min Effect version that only allow the "poof" to be seen on enemies or at least lower the frequency on the user kinda like how the "Bat" aura works. Since I did notice my eyes getting really tired. It's a nice effect still. Also, thinking about the "Aura" version of fireworks is less potent and could be the "min" effect since it isn't as bright or as lingering. 

A bigger issue for me at least it eats WAY too much End and it feels as if I was using Hot Feet, unslotted on a lowbie Fire troller as somebody fully kitted out. 

 

 

[Kaballah]

Glittering Column feels very bad, it just aggros enemies and immediately poofs and then they turn on the caster. Puzzled at what it's intended to be used for.

Sparkling Chain doesn't seem to give any feedback when it misses, nothing in the log beyond "You activated the Sparkling Chain power." Would be nice to know what the chance to hit was or whatever.

e: I'm looking for an analogue to Ice Slick, Bonfire, Static Field, Earthquake, or any of the other sets' staple "OH WOW CONTROLLERS ARE AWESOME" big showy power with high uptime and there just doesn't seem to be one for this set.

Edited yesterday at 07:11 AM by Kaballah

[Agorazium]

10 minutes ago, Kaballah said:

Glittering Column feels very bad, it just aggros enemies and immediately poofs and then they turn on the caster. Puzzled at what it's intended to be used for.

Sparkling Chain doesn't seem to give any feedback when it misses, nothing in the log beyond "You activated the Sparkling Chain power." Would be nice to know what the chance to hit was or whatever.

Column feels like it’s supposed to be your all-purpose, every-group control. I like that it can eat the alpha strike for me but I agree, the duration is way too short and barely gives me time to set up more controls. I think it’s going to feel especially bad paired with active secondaries like TA, Rad etc. that have their own setup to do.

[ExeErdna]

4 hours ago, Kaballah said:

Glittering Column feels very bad, it just aggros enemies and immediately poofs and then they turn on the caster. Puzzled at what it's intended to be used for.

Sparkling Chain doesn't seem to give any feedback when it misses, nothing in the log beyond "You activated the Sparkling Chain power." Would be nice to know what the chance to hit was or whatever.

e: I'm looking for an analogue to Ice Slick, Bonfire, Static Field, Earthquake, or any of the other sets' staple "OH WOW CONTROLLERS ARE AWESOME" big showy power with high uptime and there just doesn't seem to be one for this set.

 

It's SUPPOSED to be for controlling aggro yet what's best for currently is pulling mobs that haven't been aggroed into the group currently fighting. Since once it pops they are MAD. It's pretty much Omega Maneuver without the stun.  After some gameplay it should last like 2-3 more seconds longer before blowing up and IMO it should slow after said explosion 

[OverkillEngine]

Made a Pyro/Energy Dom and tested up to 30. Generic IO's and Overwhelming Force set in one power. Some notes:

 

* Dark FX customization plzkthxbai.

* The immobilization powers initially appear to be skippable as usual on a Dom at low levels, though I just grabbed the AE one in preparation for taking Power Burst from my secondary since per the in game description it applies KB resists and also enemies with fly start showing up more often.

* Glittering Column and Hypnotizing Lights chained back to back were my bread and butter for keeping most of the enemy group busy while I single target chainsawed through them using my secondaries. Between them and Dazzle, I could rip through a non-boss group without hardly ever getting attacked so long as I paid attention. (You have to be on the ball with using GC and following up with HL once they clump up though since GC tends to pull a lot more than you'd initially expect)

 

* Multipurpose missiles was mainly just used as an "Oh shit" button for adds or otherwise only when both of the prior were on cooldown. Otherwise it was just clunky enough to not feel motivated to use it since I am not really sold on a ground target AE that doesn't have a persistent field effect.

* Explosive Bouquet having adaptive recharge was a godsend whenever I needed to stack holds on a boss/EB since of course I was not high enough level to be perma-dom. Thanks to GC and HL I usually didn't need it for opening on crowds with Lt's or lower ranked.

* Incendiary Aura feels unreliable as a control/mitigation tool, at least by itself.  Its remaining purpose feels like it is there to randomly boost your overall DPS oddly enough between the -Def debuff, the -Res debuff on the Blast Off mechanic, and how that mechanic also interacts with Catherine Wheel. The acc debuff while thematic feels like it is eating up power budget for no real meaningful return though. It's certainly not enough to appreciably help keep one alive between Blast Off procs against even +1 minions.

* Catherine Wheel is nice but not build defining. Not unusual/unexpected on a Dom though. It does help with the chaff enemies so that I can focus on locking down priority targets after Glittering Column wears off them. I assume it'll be better if I actually start spamming the AE immob.

----

Verdict - set is functional and playable even with DO's/SO's in even level solo content as far as I played it. Some of the powers are more skippable than the rest and there's room for polish but no absolutely meme-tier picks at least. The unreliability or clunkiness of some of the tools has me questioning the utility of the set in a +level or group size situation though.
 

Edited yesterday at 12:42 PM by OverkillEngine
cleanup

[Kaballah]

9 hours ago, ExeErdna said:

 

It's SUPPOSED to be for controlling aggro yet what's best for currently is pulling mobs that haven't been aggroed into the group currently fighting. Since once it pops they are MAD. It's pretty much Omega Maneuver without the stun.  After some gameplay it should last like 2-3 more seconds longer before blowing up and IMO it should slow after said explosion 

It sure doesn't feel like a good opener, it just feels bad to try to leverage. I feel like it should be more like 10-15 seconds or more, especially in a team you would have to have super tight coordination for it to be at all helpful. Oh hey guys wait, let me open with this power and then all of you immediately blast away in the 3 or so second window it creates

  

13 hours ago, Agorazium said:

Column feels like it’s supposed to be your all-purpose, every-group control. I like that it can eat the alpha strike for me but I agree, the duration is way too short and barely gives me time to set up more controls. I think it’s going to feel especially bad paired with active secondaries like TA, Rad etc. that have their own setup to do.

 

imagine trying to use this in a team of 8 people, like on a task force. imagine everybody knows what to do and is playing hard ball, not just following the controller passively. where is the "oh wow what was that?? that rules!" power in this set?

Edited 23 hours ago by Kaballah

[TheMoneyMaker]

Will this power set be proliferated to the Carnies? It seems like they should have it.

[Wavicle]

Glittering Column felt best to me when I slotted it for -ToHit.

 

EDIT:

And with -ToHit slotted in both Glittering Column and Incendiary Aura, I was pretty happy with the combined effect.

Edited 20 hours ago by Wavicle