How to solo with /dark?

[ebssgd]

I find that I get bored quickly with most of the easy to solo AT's (Brute, Scrapper, etc.) and I really find the controller playstyle engaging. I like the /dark secondary and would like to stick with that if possible, but I am not totally sure on primary. I have been using Grav, but I don't want to invest a lot of time into that if it is not very good. As far as what content I want to do, I would rather have a character than can solo AV's rather than a farmer. Any help in deciding a primary would be greatly helpful. Thanks in advance.

[Harakh]

I went with fire/dark and love it. I solo most avs at 50+1 many at 50+2 and just a few at 50 ... Pylon last I tried I took one down in ~3m 50s.

 

Although I've invested a bit to do it.

 

I'm nearly soft capped to all defenses, psionic, melee, and energy(?) are ~1.2% from soft capped. Using support hybrid (mainly for pets) will take you above and beyond but really I use it for the imps and dark servent. They run approx 27% def at all times and just over 40% with support. Add in the -acc and -dmg debuffs and we all survive massive hits. 

Edited August 9, 2019 by Harakh
Typing on phone...

[oedipus_tex]

Gravity has an incredibly easy time soloing. It's probably the steadiest soloer of the Controller sets post i25 (it didn't used to be--lots of fixes were made to it).

 

For Gravity, look to invest in a kb to kd IO to make life much easier. (Get the one that can be put in non-damage powers, not the unique set one). Put one IO in Singularity and one in Wormhole. Now you can Wormhole enemies right on top of Singularity and you have a mobile version of Bonfire that can hold aggro.

 

Fire or Plant are also good choices altho each will bloom later than Gravity, which should be able to solo from level 1. They do more AoE damage tho.

 

 

Edited August 9, 2019 by oedipus_tex

[Harakh]

1 hour ago, oedipus_tex said:

Gravity has an incredibly easy time soloing. It's probably the steadiest soloer of the Controller sets post i25 (it didn't used to be--lots of fixes were made to it).

 

For Gravity, look to invest in a kb to kd IO to make life much easier. (Get the one that can be put in non-damage powers, not the unique set one). Put one IO in Singularity and one in Wormhole. Now you can Wormhole enemies right on top of Singularity and you have a mobile version of Bonfire that can hold aggro.

 

Fire or Plant are also good choices altho each will bloom later than Gravity, which should be able to solo from level 1. They do more AoE damage tho.

 

 

This isnt as effective as bonfire. The baddies stop knockingdown after a few cycles and its a small radius. Grav does solo very well, i have a 50 grav dom but definitely slower and more of a stealth play porting enemy groups apart when needed rather than just burning them down together. But i am comparing my time from dom vs troler so, eh.

Edited August 10, 2019 by Harakh
...phone

[Mercurias]

I love my Fire/Dark/Fire controller. I heavily recommend it. The pairing has significant synergy, though high endurance use, and at endgame is a strong solo controller.

[oedipus_tex]

4 hours ago, Harakh said:

This isnt as effective as bonfire. The baddies stop knockingdown after a few cycles and its a small radius. Grav does solo very well, i have a 50 grav dom but definitely slower and more of a stealth play porting enemy groups apart when needed rather than just burning them down together. But i am comparing my time from dom vs troler so, eh.

Gravity on a Controller solos smoothly from level 1, unlike most Controllers. Plant picks up fairly early due to Seeds of Confusion. Fire Control is a real chore (to me) until the pets at level 32.

 

Dominators don't have any real trouble soloing with any set, because they are a damage AT.

 

As for Singularity vs Bonfire, they are different powers with their own strengths. Singularity's advantage is that unlike Bonfire, any enemies that land on it will also likely attack it. Combined with the fact that Wormhole doesn't alert enemies, the combination makes Gravity incredibly safe to solo with. The tactic does die off somewhat on ultra optimized builds, but only at the very highest levels of play.

Edited August 10, 2019 by oedipus_tex

[speczero]

I would say the easiest AV soloer with Dark as a secondary would be illusion/dark.

[Doc Ranger]

If you want to experience a real controller play style then Illusion should be at the bottom of your list. You might as well play a Mastermind. 
 

I’m a controller player at heart and I’m leveling an Ill/Cold right now to see what this AV killer is all about. I’m at 40 right now and I’m about to scrap it and try something else. 
 

Is it effective vs Bosses? Yes. But only because of the pets (that you really have no real control over). For this reason I feel I have the least real control over the battlefield. 
 

I tried to hop on board the Grav/Time train and was unimpressed as well but more because of the animations and sounds of both sets. And the need for using tricks and combos just doesn’t fly in most chaotic battles with a team.

 

I’m still searching for something really controllery and fun to play outside of my Dark/Dark and Fire/Dark (less defense than D/D but still quite fun). 
 

 

[Erydanus]

On ‎8‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 6:03 PM, ebssgd said:

I have been using Grav, but I don't want to invest a lot of time into that if it is not very good.

No, you're good. Carry on. Enjoy the hideous combination of Tar Patch, Wormhole, and Crushing Field

 

Take both your attack powers, Lift and Propel. Establish containment and spam the heck out of them. You get extra damage ("impact") from things that have been hit with Gravity Distortion previously so squeeze a little extra recharge in that so you can spam it. 

 

Slot Singularity with 3 damage.  Singy doesn't get impact or containment but he does do double your normal damage and Lift got a serious damage buff so he's plenty of damage.  Don't skip Dark Servant, its slotting is personal pref question but it can be a healing or debuffing machine for you.

 

Remember Howling Twilight is an autohit  stun and fear with a 500% regen debuff. Coincidentally it also will full rez your entire team but aggressive use may prevent the need for that auxiliary function. If the things in your tar patch aren't dying fast enough you may need to zero out their regen with "The Howling."  (The inspiration for Within Temptation's song? Maybe, maybe not, it could also refer to the werewolf movie;  but they're cool and I could see them playing City.)   So enjoy some good battle music while you rip things apart with your grav/dark: