Dominators vs Elite Bosses?

[Flat Line]

I've been really struggling fighting Elite Bosses to get the Villain Patron powers.

 

At level 40 with a Mind/Martial Dominator. 

I believe at the last mission for Scirocco. "Stop the rituals" to draw him out.

 

Getting there was painful. Even with Domination up, eating 4 reds, purples, yellows, and orange inspirations. Then layering two holds. The Elite Bosses in those missions walk through everything.

If I do hold them it's very briefly, then they kill me.

I'm playing on -1/x0, No AV. 

 

Usually to finish the boss at the end involved doing about 1/3 damage before dying, then rushing back to do a little more. Until I finally finish them off.

 

I'm finding this last mission even harder. Might need a team.

 

Anyone else get their Patron Powers solo?

Is it possible?

Is their an easier way?

 

My build has all the Mind/ powers except the cone fear and the t1 mesmerize. I have all the ranged attacks in /Martial.

Running: Combat Jumping, Stealth, Acrobatics, Maneuvers. 

Edited September 7, 2019 by Daemon Creed

[Niss]

I haven't done it on HC servers yet (still levelling the dom), but I recall doing it back on live with my Gravity/Energy dominator and the answer was having a lot of purple inspirations, together with the DPS to have it not take all day.  Energy was helpful there as I recall as it was putting out great single target DPS and as long as my defence was through the roof you could smack them around long enough to put them down.  Once you have the full inventory for inspirations available, you can clear them out and fill up with even the lowest tier Luck and stack 3+ of them at a time to provide the defence you need not to get glibbed while you lay the smackdown.

 

I seem to recall occasionally leaving a mission for a few levels on occasion as well.  Once you're a few levels higher it's much easier to smack them around.

 

~N

[Hedgefund]

That mission is the finale to Scirroco's second arc.  Unless you went straight to that arc via Oro, you should have already completed the first arc (when you fought Serafina) and have the patron powers already unlocked.

 

Scirocco's arc is IMO a tier ahead of all the other 3 for difficulty.  It's the one I choose when I feel I have a character looking for that kind of challenge.  It's the one I avoid if I don't.  That particular mission is even notable for Scirocco's arc, you could face Ice Mistral twice (she spawns both in a static mob placement and also as an ambush) and Scirocco himself is far from easy.

 

All this to say, fret not, you've reached the 1% of content that's actually hard.  With EBs, you should be able to handle that mission with one teammate. 

 

What I'd do with an SOd character for this is bring t3 insps.  Maybe 8 purples and 8 t1 purple insps.  A t3 + t1 = 45% def.  This is to allow a 4 minute fight for each of Ice Mistral (you can skip her static mob) and Scirocco.  I honestly don't know if that's too much or too little, but it feels right.  Add 4 break frees (t1 is fine) and the rest t3 reds.  Don't engage either of the EBs until Dom is ready to fire.

 

A good insp loadout goes a loooong way to covering up deficiencies for a short while.

 

The conventional wisdom, for those just seeking the path of least resistance to open patrol pools, is to choose Black Scorpion.  

 

Edited September 7, 2019 by Hedgefund

[Flat Line]

1 hour ago, Hedgefund said:

That mission is the finale to Scirroco's second arc.  Unless you went straight to that arc via Oro, you should have already completed the first arc (when you fought Serafina) and have the patron powers already unlocked.

 

Scirocco's arc is IMO a tier ahead of all the other 3 for difficulty.  It's the one I choose when I feel I have a character looking for that kind of challenge.  It's the one I avoid if I don't.  That particular mission is even notable for Scirocco's arc, you could face Ice Mistral twice (she spawns both in a static mob placement and also as an ambush) and Scirocco himself is far from easy.

 

All this to say, fret not, you've reached the 1% of content that's actually hard.  With EBs, you should be able to handle that mission with one teammate. 

 

What I'd do with an SOd character for this is bring t3 insps.  Maybe 8 purples and 8 t1 purple insps.  A t3 + t1 = 45% def.  This is to allow a 4 minute fight for each of Ice Mistral (you can skip her static mob) and Scirocco.  I honestly don't know if that's too much or too little, but it feels right.  Add 4 break frees (t1 is fine) and the rest t3 reds.  Don't engage either of the EBs until Dom is ready to fire.

 

A good insp loadout goes a loooong way to covering up deficiencies for a short while.

 

The conventional wisdom, for those just seeking the path of least resistance to open patrol pools, is to choose Black Scorpion.  

 

Thanks for this!

 

I didn't know I'm in the 2nd arch and already have access to the patron power pools. 

I'll likely leave it for later and come back when I have better enhancements and maybe even with teammates.  

 

It's good to know that this content is known to be hard. I was starting to think I just had a bad build for solo play. I played mostly on teams up to level 40.

 

My plan with Dominators was to have one AT to focus on and hopefully do all the content. Solo, team, farm, PvP. 

Considering the challenges in these missions, I'm thinking maybe a Sentinal instead (or a Blaster?).

...I've been looking for this holly grail since issue 1 way back when.... I think it's probably a melee class. But I never enjoyed playing them..

[Chirikiti]

I'm surprised.

 

I've solo-run everything in game story arc/mission-wise on what's now +3 on my Dominator. You can soooo solo that content (all content) on a Dom, even with an SO build. Did it again here too. Both hero-side and villain.

 

"A good insp loadout goes a loooong way to covering up deficiencies for a short while" - Totally, I thought this would have been sorta obvious.

 

-Number-Six 

 

[Hedgefund]

2 hours ago, Chirikiti said:

I'm surprised.

 

I've solo-run everything in game story arc/mission-wise on what's now +3 on my Dominator. You can soooo solo that content (all content) on a Dom, even with an SO build. Did it again here too. Both hero-side and villain.

 

"A good insp loadout goes a loooong way to covering up deficiencies for a short while" - Totally, I thought this would have been sorta obvious.

 

-Number-Six 

 

Good post, I hope it gets lots of likes.  Everybody knows that the most helpful reply to someone saying they're having trouble is to tell them "lolz its ez 4 meeeee!"

[RayeGunn]

As has been said, purples are your friend with EBs, since your primary damage mitigation method is not going to work against them very well. But figured i should add that you can save some insps, have a bit more room in your tray for reds/greens, if you go get the Archmage/Demonic accolade power. Demonic is (much) easier to get before 50, and you're redside anyway at the moment if you are doing the arc, and it  will convert into Archmage when/if you go blueside again. I know the hunt may be annoying, but you can get all the mobs you need for the CoT badge by cruising the forest in Cap au Diable killing Hordelings, it's way easier than the BP masks the Archmage badge needs (at least before 50ish). And the shield is 50% defense and 30% resistance to all damage types except Psi for 2 minutes. (for Psi, you need Vanguard) which will let you eat the alpha in safety, and hopefully either they will be dead, or the triangles will drop when it falls, or you can pop some purples then. It's totally worth it for EB fights. I've had the Demonic/Archmage badge since i was level 30 or so, and my character leveled solo with the content doing arcs, and that accolade was a lifesaver with EBs

 

and Doms are very soloable, (I usually do +1/x4 or x5 with my dom, even before i hit 50, could probably go higher but that's the sweet spot between cakewalk and challenging for me)  it's just EBs can be a bit of a problem due to triangles negating your best defense. but if you want a character that can take anything the game throws at them solo, a Brute is probably your best option, maybe a Mastermind with a good debuffing secondary like Dark, though going /Traps would allow you to solo AVs/GMs because -regen.

Edited September 8, 2019 by RayeGunn
awkward wording

[Flat Line]

4 hours ago, RayeGunn said:

As has been said, purples are your friend with EBs, since your primary damage mitigation method is not going to work against them very well. But figured i should add that you can save some insps, have a bit more room in your tray for reds/greens, if you go get the Archmage/Demonic accolade power. Demonic is (much) easier to get before 50, and you're redside anyway at the moment if you are doing the arc, and it  will convert into Archmage when/if you go blueside again. I know the hunt may be annoying, but you can get all the mobs you need for the CoT badge by cruising the forest in Cap au Diable killing Hordelings, it's way easier than the BP masks the Archmage badge needs (at least before 50ish). And the shield is 50% defense and 30% resistance to all damage types except Psi for 2 minutes. (for Psi, you need Vanguard) which will let you eat the alpha in safety, and hopefully either they will be dead, or the triangles will drop when it falls, or you can pop some purples then. It's totally worth it for EB fights. I've had the Demonic/Archmage badge since i was level 30 or so, and my character leveled solo with the content doing arcs, and that accolade was a lifesaver with EBs

 

and Doms are very soloable, (I usually do +1/x4 or x5 with my dom, even before i hit 50, could probably go higher but that's the sweet spot between cakewalk and challenging for me)  it's just EBs can be a bit of a problem due to triangles negating your best defense. but if you want a character that can take anything the game throws at them solo, a Brute is probably your best option, maybe a Mastermind with a good debuffing secondary like Dark, though going /Traps would allow you to solo AVs/GMs because -regen.

This is great advice,

Thank you!

 

Going to work on the accolade today. I think it will make a huge difference.

 

My trips to the hospital are always when my tray is empty. So giving it a bit more room would be a big help.

 

I'll also need to look more into accolades. I never really went for them. Even back on live. 

[Coyote]

To add another version of this advice, I soloed Protean in the 20s with a Mind/Fire as an AV. Obviously I couldn't have perma-Dom at that time, so I had to deal with him as if I were a ranged character... without having fully IO'd defenses for capped defenses.

 

So I bought a jetpack, came in loaded with Purples, and fought him while flying. His DPS is a lot lower at range, and I was able to survive while emptying out my entire tray. It was tough, but using flying helps a lot. You could also look into re-slotting, as I have for most of my Doms, with Entropic Chaos on the ranged blasts. It still adds +Recharge, and an attack cycle using the Heal-self IO pretty much doubles your Regeneration, which doubles the incoming DPS that you can survive long-term.

[Chirikiti]

Alright you have a point, it was early and I was surprised because...I think EB with purple triangles aren't the difficulty being represented. I mean you fight these while leveling forget level 50.

 

I never use Accolades, demoninc or force of nature or whatnot. Or Pets. Or Temp Powers. And I solo AVs and Giant Monsters. let alone purple-triangle EBs. And this is while leveling too.

 

- Insp loadout like mentioned is important.

-Playing your toon in a variety of situations and observing and experimenting with methods. Leveling normally goes a long way to this. Experience.

-Some -regen

 

"...but if you want a character that can take anything the game throws at them solo, a Brute is probably your best option, maybe a Mastermind with a good debuffing secondary like Dark, though going /Traps would allow you to solo AVs/GMs because -regen."

 

- A Dom can do what both that brute and MM can do. Or maybe I'm wrong maybe it's only mine =p

 

 

[Radiaria]

So, you're a dominator. Regardless of what control set you chose, you will have a mag 3 hold. With domination "critical" this becomes +6. Two applications and you should hold most EB's without any issues.

Except... Exemp'd EB's that *should* be AV's. This is different. AV-EB's still retain the PToD. However, they DO have "down" phases. But alas, this is the downfall of the dominator. 

You DO HOWEVER HAVE ONE VERY IMPORTANT SOLOING ADVANTAGE THAT AS A MIND DOMINATOR ***MESMERIZE***

 

Mesmerize WILL make it so that if things get too hairy for you, that fight is going south, you can sleep EVEN AV's with domination INSTANTLY. You can use this period to recover, get the first hit in, etc. This is VERY important to AV fighting. You will effectively stop time and gain an opportunity to recovery from a bad fight. Use this!

[ed_anger]

I was finding it hard to finish a level 35 patron arc, so I waited a couple levels and went back and it was easy. Just sayin.

[SlimPickens]

grab yourself some envenomed daggers from the PTW vendor as well. those will help on damage vs the EB.

 

Use base buffs by converting your salvage.

 

Use confuse on the EB to start the fight, you should be able to confuse him and hit him for a while with no retaliation. If there are mobs near him, confuse those into attacking him.

 

And like the poster above said- use mez to sleep him if you are getting overwhelmed and heal up.

 

As a mind dom, you have the tools to break through triangles, stack up on insp and use your tools and outside buffs and you can make it work.

[The_Cheeseman]

As others have stated, at the early levels, the best thing to do is chew purples to hit the defense softcap, then stuff yourself with reds and burst the EB down before they wear off. However, once you manage to get to perma-dom, mind control becomes ridiculous, and you can just perma-confuse basically anything, even with the PToD. I think I managed to achieve perma-dom by level 33 on my dom using attuned set IOs, and IOs are cheaper now then they were at that time. I highly suggest using attuned sets to fill out your build as you level, rather than waiting until 50 to invest.

[Generator]

On 9/9/2019 at 9:48 AM, 3333053222 said:

You DO HOWEVER HAVE ONE VERY IMPORTANT SOLOING ADVANTAGE THAT AS A MIND DOMINATOR ***MESMERIZE***

 

Mesmerize WILL make it so that if things get too hairy for you, that fight is going south, you can sleep EVEN AV's with domination INSTANTLY. You can use this period to recover, get the first hit in, etc. This is VERY important to AV fighting. You will effectively stop time and gain an opportunity to recovery from a bad fight. Use this!

I continually forget this.  I like to think it'll eventually sink in.  Thanks for the reminder.

[Omega9]

Interesting. I just wait 3 days and auto-complete.

[Omega9]

So, yeah. Electric/Earth Dominator, quite fun, but I just fought Protean at -1 level with a belt full of Phenomenal Lucks and Resurgences and he kills me 5 times, even had Domination up twice, but Sleeps and Confuse did nothing. I did get a Hold on him twice, but he kills me in one good hit. So I just did auto-complete again rather than waste anymore Phenomenal Lucks on the battle that Dominators just aren't supposed to fight I guess. Might have won, but he gets the PBAoE 100% heal and Earth powers only work on the ground.

[Shoulung]

To be fair, I don’t think the game was designed for anyone to be able to solo AVs, power creep just made it possible for some builds 

[wonderdad]

2 hours ago, Shoulung said:

To be fair, I don’t think the game was designed for anyone to be able to solo AVs, power creep just made it possible for some builds 

It’s hard to solo AVs for sure really hard for a dom as they don’t have a way for someone else to take the argo.  My illusion rad controller is best I have for it.  Mostly because PA holds the Argo.

 

On Ebs eating insp like others say if you need to.

 

I proc out my single target holds for damage now so my doms hit pretty hard which helps on EBs to.  

[Coyote]

Also, something to note: Dominators usually will solo AVs by perma-Holding them, but this is available to only some powerset combinations since you need a fast-activating Hold, or a medium-activating Hold plus Power Up. However, it is possible to solo some AVs like Protean by taking the single-target Immobilize or by taking Hover. If you can force them to fight at a particular range that's out of their melee attack range or away from their special abilities like PBAoE attacks, you have a chance.

You can mitigate a lot of incoming damage with a mixture of Ranged Defense and Lucks, but some will get through.

You can survive a decent amount of incoming DPS with a mixture of Regeneration set bonuses, Panacea proc, and Entropic Chaos/Heal in your ranged attacks.

 

So you do have options, but they may require some build changes. For example, an Electric/Earth will generally not have use for Hover, or do enough damage if you buy a Jetpack for the fight. So you might have to respec into the single-target Hold just for AV fights. Note that it's definitely possible to solo AVs with low ranged damage as a Dominator without trying to mez them, but you do have to build for it: Immobilize or Hover, good Ranged defense, and a way to increase your normal HP regeneration... set bonuses, +Regen IOs, Panacea, Entropic Chaos.

[The_Cheeseman]

On 9/30/2019 at 9:25 AM, Coyote said:

Also, something to note: Dominators usually will solo AVs by perma-Holding them, but this is available to only some powerset combinations since you need a fast-activating Hold, or a medium-activating Hold plus Power Up. However, it is possible to solo some AVs like Protean by taking the single-target Immobilize or by taking Hover. If you can force them to fight at a particular range that's out of their melee attack range or away from their special abilities like PBAoE attacks, you have a chance.

You can mitigate a lot of incoming damage with a mixture of Ranged Defense and Lucks, but some will get through.

You can survive a decent amount of incoming DPS with a mixture of Regeneration set bonuses, Panacea proc, and Entropic Chaos/Heal in your ranged attacks.

 

So you do have options, but they may require some build changes. For example, an Electric/Earth will generally not have use for Hover, or do enough damage if you buy a Jetpack for the fight. So you might have to respec into the single-target Hold just for AV fights. Note that it's definitely possible to solo AVs with low ranged damage as a Dominator without trying to mez them, but you do have to build for it: Immobilize or Hover, good Ranged defense, and a way to increase your normal HP regeneration... set bonuses, +Regen IOs, Panacea, Entropic Chaos.

Great tips, here. I would like to especially emphasize the Panacea proc, as not only does it help with health regen, it's also the single biggest increase to your endurance recovery you can get from a single IO. It's one of the best overall IOs in the game, and worth every penny to get.

[Coyote]

It is also available at Level 7, well before you can try to look at set bonuses to help with End recovery, or Accolades, or many later powers like Power Sink or Conserve Power. It is the first IO that I buy for any new alt, and slot it immediately. It's better, even, than the Sliced Bread Assault Set.

[MajikMayhem81]

Just need the badge from the arc.  Once you have that your set

[MrSnottyPants]

Conductive Aura has been a great help against EBs.  Been going through Faultline solo, got to the first Widow EB with just one purple, assume I was doomed.  Nope - she ran out of gas first.  The Lost Lts were a bigger hassle 🙂

[Overclock]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this before me, but the tried and true method for taking out most EBs and AVs is:

Step 1.) Go to Bloody Bay

Step 2.) Lose your fear of being ganked because no one is there anymore

Step 3.) Earn a Shivan temp power by doing the quick mission for them

Step 4.) Unleash Shivan on EB/AV.

Step 5.) Help Shivan out if you feel like it (actually required on AVs, often not on EBs)

Step 6.) Profit!

 

Seriously, the Shivan temp power can be an incredibly decisive factor in any tough fight and its so easy to get these days. The P2W Vendor has other temp summons available but they're generally weaker than a Shivan and can be a lot pricier than an quick trip to Bloody Bay.