Must take powers on pyro/time and epp/app suggestions

[Octogoat]

I have been playing a pyro/time all morning and I took dazzle as my t1 and every power after for primary I took everything but time crawl for my secondary. What should I take?

[Uun]

If you're going to skip anything from Time I would skip Temporal Selection. It's a ST buff that's pretty underwhelming and you can only maintain it on 2-3 allies. While Time Crawl is also underwhelming, it's your primary source of -regen and it doesn't require any slots. It also increases the strength of Time's Juncture, Distortion Field, Time Stop and Slowed Response.

 

You're going to want Energy Mastery for your Epic in order to get Power Boost (to combine with Farsight).

[Psyonico]

Time Crawl + Time Stop is your -regen in Time, so I wouldn’t skip either.

 

 I’ll agree that temporal selection is underwhelming

 

 I’ll also agree that you want power boost.

[Octogoat]

3 hours ago, Psyonico said:

Time Crawl + Time Stop is your -regen in Time, so I wouldn’t skip either.

 

 I’ll agree that temporal selection is underwhelming

 

 I’ll also agree that you want power boost.

Gonna get those then. Also looking at slotting Glittering Column, Incendiary Aura, and Times Juncture with 4x Dark Watcher does this seem right to you?

[Psyonico]

If you’ve got the slots for it, probably.  I’m not sure if Glittering Column’s to-hit debuff requires a to-hit roll, if it does, I’d probably go 4x the lower level accurate tohit debuff set (cloud senses?) since that gives recharge.

[BZRKR]

Yeah, 4xCloud Senses all the way.

[arcane]

On 6/18/2025 at 10:50 AM, Psyonico said:

Time Crawl + Time Stop is your -regen in Time, so I wouldn’t skip either.

 

 I’ll agree that temporal selection is underwhelming

 

 I’ll also agree that you want power boost.

I never take those powers anymore. -100% regen isn’t even worth the DPS drop from not attacking for two seconds IMO. Good -regen powers do -500%.

 

There’s a well known player on Excelsior that keeps bringing a Time/Beam to 4 star runs and insisting it functions as a Cold substitute when you add up all the numbers. But this doesn’t hold water when you look at activations etc. In the time it takes you to unload multiple slow activation bad damage tiny regen debuffs in hopes of creating one good regen debuff in aggregate, the Cold you’re subbing for has already dropped all their debuffs AND delivered several proc bomb attacks.

 

My Pyro/Time/Fire grabbed 7 Pyro powers (no st immob no aoe hold) and 5 Time powers (no crawl/selection/stop/field). Loving it so far.

 

I have finally opted for the first time to make a Time build without Power Boost because I have transcended defensive building 😄 and because the controller APP that has Power Boost does nothing of value for your offense.

Edited June 19 by arcane

[ExeErdna]

I can agree on skipping the -regen picks due to they're too slow, yet keep Temporal Selection because you can buff the pet out with it when it's off CD most allies will be fine with the healing/buffs Time can provide as is. Yet dumping a Temporal on the Wheel makes it better. When Pyro is up on mids I did plan on making Pyro/Time since the -to hit is around 40% with the auras. 

[Agorazium]

I’m a huge advocate for Temporal Selection, I never skip it. In terms of action economy, the buff to your highest damage dealer is a better use of your time IMO than the small -regen from Time Crawl, which will be reduced even further on hard targets. I also think either Distortion Field or Juncture are skippable depending on whether you’re playing in melee or at range. On a Controller you could go without Time Stop but I like it as a proc bomb, for Hami runs, and to stack holds on bosses.

[Uun]

6 hours ago, Agorazium said:

I’m a huge advocate for Temporal Selection, I never skip it. In terms of action economy, the buff to your highest damage dealer is a better use of your time IMO than the small -regen from Time Crawl, which will be reduced even further on hard targets. I also think either Distortion Field or Juncture are skippable depending on whether you’re playing in melee or at range. On a Controller you could go without Time Stop but I like it as a proc bomb, for Hami runs, and to stack holds on bosses.

 

The damage buff from Temporal Selection is 25%. That's equivalent to a small red inspiration. Assuming your target is fully slotted for damage, that's a net 13% damage increase. Time Crawl does many other things in addition to -100% regen, including -75% recharge, -62.5% speed, +1 mag to Time Stop and 20% improvement to all debuffs in Time's Juncture and Slowed Response. 

[Lazarillo]

I mostly ignored the set in Beta, but looking again, this Pyro/Time combo seems pretty keen.  Question as far as skipping powers goes...particularly with the "Deep Sleep" addition, how badly is it of a self-handicap to take Hypnotizing Lights but skip Brilliant Barrage?  I suspect this is would be considered kind of a bad idea but the latter power just seems kinda janky to use, and I worry that it'd be too easy to "waste" by applying both statuses to multiple targets, or something.

[Psyonico]

I wouldn’t skip Brilliant Barrage, it’s kind of your go-to AoE control.

 

i’d liken it to skipping Stalagmites on Earth Control.

[Lazarillo]

31 minutes ago, Psyonico said:

I wouldn’t skip Brilliant Barrage, it’s kind of your go-to AoE control.

 

i’d liken it to skipping Stalagmites on Earth Control.

 

Yeah, that's kinda what it seemed but it was also looking, or maybe I'm just hoping, that with other changes this Page, and the existing of Hypnotizing Lights, it might be less of a loss.  But thanks, I do appreciate the insight.

[SeraphimKensai]

I just leveled a pyro/time to 50 earlier today, and the build I made did skip brilliant barrage for hypnotizing lights mainly due to wanting to slot contagious confusion. I haven't slotted the build yet or finished incarnates, but it does make use of Clarion radial and power boost to get most defenses up to ~59% for incarnate content.

 

On paper it seems like it's going to be a powerhouse as far as control and survivability go, but damage might be a bit light compared to some of my other trollers.

 

Pyro definitely seems promising.

[twozerofoxtrot]

My take is that Hypnotizing Lights is best used like a proc-shotgun:



You'll get a little more damage at the close ranger targets, but overall it blasts everything in front of you. Anything that isn't dead or confused falls asleep.

 

I haven't messed with Brilliant Barrage. I think I might get on test to mess around with it, but I ran 2x Pyrokin Trollers* and 1x Pyrokin Dom during open beta and never missed it. Between the knock-up from the AoE immob, Hypnotizing Buckshot Lights, Glittering Column, and the adaptive recharge on Explosive Bouquet, I felt like I had tons of control options. But after scoping it on CoD (they've updated!) I feel like it might have some good proc-portunities. Especially if you use /powerexeclocation target to layer both attacks on top of the same target, since both effects have a minor damage component! >:3

*One of these was a Pyro/Time.

 

Edit: Goofed around a bit with Brilliant Barrage and wasn't very impressed. Not scoring double procs (my assumption is the internal CD on procs is keeping this from happening) and the longer CD on this power makes it less useful as a proc'd out damage/control option than Hypnotizing Lights.

Edited June 24 by twozerofoxtrot

[Thundernutts]

On 6/21/2025 at 7:07 PM, SeraphimKensai said:

I just leveled a pyro/time to 50 earlier today, and the build I made did skip brilliant barrage for hypnotizing lights mainly due to wanting to slot contagious confusion. I haven't slotted the build yet or finished incarnates, but it does make use of Clarion radial and power boost to get most defenses up to ~59% for incarnate content.

 

On paper it seems like it's going to be a powerhouse as far as control and survivability go, but damage might be a bit light compared to some of my other trollers.

 

Pyro definitely seems promising.

How is the Pyro time running? I have one at 50 that I love but I need to start slotting him up. However, I am at a loss where to start. I have the hardest time starting from scratch I need a template to fiddle with or I get overwhelmed.  Do you have a MIDS you would be willing to share? 

[Auroxis]

 

Min-maxed for endgame with proc bombs and tankiness, Fold Space for extra team support and making Energy Torrent viable in melee.

Controller (Pyrotechnic Control - Time Manipulation).mbd

[SeraphimKensai]

5 hours ago, Thundernutts said:

How is the Pyro time running? I have one at 50 that I love but I need to start slotting him up. However, I am at a loss where to start. I have the hardest time starting from scratch I need a template to fiddle with or I get overwhelmed.  Do you have a MIDS you would be willing to share? 

Pyro time runs fine. Both power sets synergize well together 

 

You're in luck that @Auroxis posted a build as I don't publicly share builds. Their build takes a different approach then mine, but that's alright as there's more than one way to get to a destination.

[tidge]

Re: Cloud Senses (x4)

 

On 6/18/2025 at 8:02 PM, Psyonico said:

If you’ve got the slots for it, probably.  I’m not sure if Glittering Column’s to-hit debuff requires a to-hit roll, if it does, I’d probably go 4x the lower level accurate tohit debuff set (cloud senses?) since that gives recharge.

 

On 6/19/2025 at 4:02 PM, BZRKR said:

Yeah, 4xCloud Senses all the way.

 

The "schedule" for debuffs is such that I find an attuned set of Cloud Senses (which normally caps at 30) offers very little noticeable difference compared to a set that normally caps at 50 (or higher, for HOs). Unless I'm skimping slots or frankenslotting a primary/secondary power: I a;ways opt for Cloud Senses.

 

On 6/22/2025 at 12:07 AM, SeraphimKensai said:

I just leveled a pyro/time to 50 earlier today, and the build I made did skip brilliant barrage for hypnotizing lights mainly due to wanting to slot contagious confusion. 

 

On 6/23/2025 at 11:08 AM, twozerofoxtrot said:

My take is that Hypnotizing Lights is best used like a proc-shotgun:

 

Edit: Goofed around a bit with Brilliant Barrage and wasn't very impressed. Not scoring double procs (my assumption is the internal CD on procs is keeping this from happening) and the longer CD on this power makes it less useful as a proc'd out damage/control option than Hypnotizing Lights.

 

Brilliant Barrage isn't a good source of %proc for me, I'm guessing it's the 'nothing left after effect' (similar to Seeker Drones) and/or 'after' effects. I expect that I'll end up slotting this to get a set bonus, probably with some set that end up offering respectable recharge components. The multiple types of possible controls would seem to make this a good place for one of the ATOs.

 

Hypnotizing Lights is a fine %damage attack for me (so far). Normally I'd take a power like this and lean into the Control aspect... and Purple control sets are good choices... but the deep sleep plus the confuse seem to be working against each other. A different sleep power/effect (that doesn't include deep sleep) can be used to 'break' deep sleep, but this is a PITA to work into an attack chain. For example, I can use /Elec Defibrillate to 'overwirte' Deep Sleep, but this isn't a sustainable (or particularly effective) strategy.

[Fundernutts]

6 hours ago, Auroxis said:

 

 

Min-maxed for endgame with proc bombs and tankiness, Fold Space for extra team support and making Energy Torrent viable in melee.

Controller (Pyrotechnic Control - Time Manipulation).mbd 42.23 kB · 1 download

 

Thanks for this, I did not take teleport but I think I will add it, it really fits the trickster theme I am going for. 

 

 

 

Posted 2 hours ago

  8 hours ago, Thundernutts said:

How is the Pyro time running? I have one at 50 that I love but I need to start slotting him up. However, I am at a loss where to start. I have the hardest time starting from scratch I need a template to fiddle with or I get overwhelmed.  Do you have a MIDS you would be willing to share? 

Pyro time runs fine. Both power sets synergize well together 

 

You're in luck that @Auroxis posted a build as I don't publicly share builds. Their build takes a different approach then mine, but that's alright as there's more than one way to get to a destination.

 

I respect that. :-)