Just started again, is spines/dark still viable?

[SNEAKYmrE]

just wondering before i commit to relearning and building this spec? installed the game last night and excited to get back into the way of the hero.

[Kruunch]

It will be very endurance hungry.

 

There are plenty of ways to offset that with Numina's +Regen/Rec, Performance Shifter +End, Miracle +Recovery and Panacea +HP/End.

[Zumberge]

I'm not sure when you played last, but nothing's really changed about Spines/Dark.  It's still the toggle-heavy PBAoE damage combination with no knockback protection that it always was, with IO sets helping solve its endurance issues as well as making Cloak of Darkness' defense a lot punchier.  Plus there's a Minimal FX option in the power customization section of the costume designer, so people can actually see what you're wearing and not just a big black blob of particles.

[SNEAKYmrE]

i stopped playing shortly after PB/WM were released and was having a blast farming and doing group content. im looking forward to getting back into farming and eventually doing end game content. maybe dabble in some PvP here and there. when i was younger i wasnt nearly into min/maxing as i am now and as i remember spines/dark was the top dps based on gear. looking forward to running content and farming with you guys 😄

 

[EldritchDrake]

41 minutes ago, Kruunch said:

It will be very endurance hungry.

 

There are plenty of ways to offset that with Numina's +Regen/Rec, Performance Shifter +End, Miracle +Recovery and Panacea +HP/End

Another good way is put the Theft of Essence proc in dark regen, it tends to proc quite a few times when totally surrounded. 58% chance for 10% endurance. Pretty good odds imo.

[Zumberge]

1 hour ago, SNEAKYmrE said:

i stopped playing shortly after PB/WM were released and was having a blast farming and doing group content. im looking forward to getting back into farming and eventually doing end game content. maybe dabble in some PvP here and there. when i was younger i wasnt nearly into min/maxing as i am now and as i remember spines/dark was the top dps based on gear. looking forward to running content and farming with you guys 😄

 

That was around Issue 3 or 4.  Man.  Yeah, this is gonna be really interesting for you, I can see it already.

[Sir Myshkin]

4 hours ago, Zumberge said:

Plus there's a Minimal FX option in the power customization section of the costume designer, so people can actually see what you're wearing and not just a big black blob of particles

But l like my unidentifiable blob!

 

3 hours ago, EldritchDrake said:

Another good way is put the Theft of Essence proc in dark regen, it tends to proc quite a few times when totally surrounded. 58% chance for 10% endurance. Pretty good odds imo

with PPM changes Theft isn't nearly as good as It used to be. In my current experience l was lucky to get one, maybe two Procs off a single activation of Dark Regen. Back before it was nearly a guaranteed full end bar. Don't get me wrong if you can afford the slot, go for it, but for high spec /DA builds, it was a slot to steal for better things. Leveling up, though, it is kind of nice until you get more of your end problems fixed. Right now the proc kind of just pays the bill, and sometimes leaves a tip. 

 

To the original question: Spines/Dark is still a blast to play. If you want something new, but similar, try Rad/DA.

[SNEAKYmrE]

4 hours ago, Zumberge said:

That was around Issue 3 or 4.  Man.  Yeah, this is gonna be really interesting for you, I can see it already.

is it that different? the game was super enjoyable albeit I was younger and not super into min/maxing yet. I'm more of an optimizer now. just gotta get my feet wet first. 

[Zumberge]

10 hours ago, SNEAKYmrE said:

is it that different? the game was super enjoyable albeit I was younger and not super into min/maxing yet. I'm more of an optimizer now. just gotta get my feet wet first. 

A lot's been added, and I don't want to scare you off by dumping everything on you at once, but with regards to optimizing: You remember Enhancements, right?  They added Invention Origin enhancements, which are basically CoH's equivalent of crafted gear.  The plain ones don't get outleveled, which is good because you don't have to stop every five levels to buy SOs and re-slot them into your powers, and there's sets for the different types of powers (melee, ranged, defense buffs, holds, etc.) with set bonuses if you have more than one.  If you have a build designer and a mind for it you can do some pretty interesting things with these bonuses.

 

They also have sets with IO enhancements that provide stand-alone bonuses.  You remember how you needed Leaping as a travel power pool, because you needed Acrobatics, because Dark Armor had no knockback protection which meant yet another toggle to run?  Karma: Knockback Protection.  You put it in a power and you just... you just stay on your feet.

 

It was an absolute game-changer for Dark Armor and Fiery Aura, not gonna lie.

[praxidicae]

Yeah, there were quite a few mechanical changes after you left, luckily they all tend to have fairly comprehensive know-how either in-game or on Paragonwiki: 

• City of Villains and it's Archetypes 
• Going Rogue/The Alignment System/Praetoria
• Coop Zones: RWZ/Cimeroa etc
• The Invention System and Enhancement Sets
• The Auction House/Black Market
• The most fundamental change was probably ED (Enhancement Diversification), which really split the community when it happened but has since pretty much been agreed as necessary for the game to go as far as it did.

 

Edited July 26, 2019 by praxidicae
Edit: Grammar and spelling