Athanatosis

Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for!

I'm trying to get maximum effectiveness out of my cones, but having to find and click on the furthest person in a high-speed fight can end up with me not getting off my full attack chain before everything dies. Just hoping there's a simpler way to handle it.

Thanks Sharksbait! I've been wondering about this, and I've also been playing both those Brutes (among so many other alts lol). I essentially want a good Brute for team play, AoE situations, etc. Claws has sturdy AoE and Elec's Lightning Field only contributes to that. With high fury it pushes impressive numbers when added up (80 per tick at level 6 wasn't bad at all). It's just that everyone keeps telling me that WP is a better secondary.

I kind of get the impression they're just parroting what they've read on the forum though. I mean people in-game, not the people on here who recommend it. Most people here actually give informed responses! Sure, WP may be one of the best, if not THE best secondary, but I think that's generally for the purpose of soloing and end-game farming. I'm not making claws to solo, or to end game farm. I'm just making it to have fun!

What makes you say that Controllers are the best AT in the game? If so, why don't more people play them? I thought they'd be about on par with Dominators. Explain to me what makes them so much more powerful than not only Dominators but every other AT?

Wow, I'm so happy to see all these informative responses. I've read them all and appreciate every word.

Here's a question: What are controllers like in comparison to Dominators after the Domination changes?

I'm really starting to like the idea of Plant primary. I want seeds of confusion! I like the idea of the damage fire secondary offers, but I'm still not sure if I'd enjoy the play style...I don't know why I've got such an issue with the fire breath cone, maybe I should give it a chance. Can someone describe Fire to me a bit, the three or four most used fire moves in attack rotations and what they're like?

EDIT: And you're right guys, I should be focusing on fun rather than FOTM. The only reason I asked was because my previous experience with FOTM power combos were positive ones. But I like that this game doesn't really hard press you to be the best you can possibly be and render everything else obsolete. In WoW everyone records your DPS no matter where you are or what you're doing and will get rid of you if you aren't incredible at it. Here it's not like that, and it's a nice break.

It's been two years since I last read up on Doms and I've heard that A LOT has changed, though I'm not sure what. I've heard about domination changes and edited power pools.

The dominator I had been working on before I quit was an Ice/Psi. I've read that Psychic Shockwave is no longer so great due to balancing, and that was really what had excited me about the set. Putting it to use with all those intense controls and AoE spamming the whole place to death. It doesn't even seem like Psi is very popular anymore, probably due to their balancing. I remember it was all the rage once.

So what's FOTM lately, then? I've seen Earth, Plant, Fire, Thorns, all combined every which way.

I've tried to play Plant/Thorns combos in the past but I hate the vomit-green poison that seeps out all over their body every time they do anything. It's the same reason I don't play Spines. It's unpleasant to look at, and I wish there was a way to change that, but even with altering the color of the thorns set it doesn't seem to change one bit. (If there's a way someone please let me know).

Breath of Fire really turns me off to the fire set, it just annoys me, but if it's insignificant in the long run for a certain build I'd consider it. I don't know why I haven't gotten into fire. Maybe I just haven't heard enough about it.

I like the idea of Earth but I don't know how to properly apply it to turn a Dom into a powerhouse.

My ideal Dom is something that both keeps an entire group on total lockdown but still deals a lot of damage.

I really enjoy the control ice was offering me, with the AoE confuse and ice slick making everyone slip constantly. The problem was that Psi offered so little damage I felt like I was contributing more by making the enemies attack one another than I was by actually attacking them myself. If Psi's AoE is just "average" now with the Psychic Shockwave nerf then I'm not so set on Psi anymore anyway.

I'm seeing a lot of love for Fire/Rad, I'll have to check it out. I also have a level 35 Fire/Kin on Freedom that I haven't played since I last quit. Maybe at that level I should just stick with it instead of rerolling Fire/Rad, who knows! It's been so long that I'd probably enjoy the new experience.

I've played a Robotics/Dark Miasma MM to 32 and I definitely enjoy it, but once I got that giant robot it didn't feel like there was much left to aim for. It was during my major alt-a-day phase so I just got too distracted. I'd really like to try Demon Summoning and Dual Pistols but I haven't got them unlocked yet and don't plan to buy GR until it comes out!

So far WS has piqued my interest the most, I just took my first one through sewers an hour ago and I think it's very cool. I look forward to taking it further and seeing how it plays. I'm just not sure if I will or will not enjoy switching from form to form over and over again to maximize my powers. I won't knock it until I try it, though.

I've got some Dominator only questions, for my villain, which I'll post in the Dom forum.

I'm reading that thread on Fort vs NW right now, very cool. So many things to try, yet so many finals to study for!

Thank you very much, all of you, for being so helpful.

Thanks JamMasterJMS, great description.

Can you explain the Tri-Form concept to me? What makes it unique from any other WS? I thought that the point of a Kheldian was to utilize their forms, and that's what I'd want to do with mine. Maybe other people feel differently!

Ice/Psi just seems like the kind of AT that is most enjoyable with a large group, and I'm fine with that.

I still have questions about the WS and Fort suggested previously, if anyone can answer them. I'm also curious about what I could make hero side, since I want at least one hero and one villain that fit the description of the sort of AT I'm looking for.

I spend a lot of time in melee range on him to make sure that AoE confusion gets everyone it possibly can, so getting in range for my powers hasn't been an issue. The two attacks I have, though, just feel so weak. There's no way I could solo something in an efficient amount of time, and I don't think that's going to change until level 38. I'll probably stick with that as my new main villain, but I'd also like to take a hero into consideration.

How much better are dominators than controllers once perma-dom comes into play?

I've been playing melee for a long time now, and have been unable to get into anything else. Lately I've been screwing around with low level controllers, dominators, corruptors, etc. and I'm starting to really enjoy them. I think that I'm getting to the point where I can enjoy one of these classes more than I'd ever enjoy a Brute, Scrapper, or Stalker. The thing is, I've researched melee classes for months, played many different types to level 30+, and I know all about what I do and don't find fun. For other classes, though, I'm at a loss.

The thing that really got my interest recently was my Ice/Psi dominator. He's only level 14, but he makes groups so easy with his AoE confuse and ice slick. It's like the ultimate defense, yet so squishy. I find the play style very unique and interesting, but I don't like the fact that I'm not going to be doing any damage until level 38.

I'm wondering what's FOTM lately for the non-melee classes, any of them. Even Kheldians, which I've never played before. I don't care about having the most DPS or any of that crap, as long as I feel like I'm kicking *** and having a fun time doing it, I'll be happy. As I've seen stated before, in a game like this DPS is really insignificant considering how quickly most everything drops in a group.

So I'm up for any suggestions, just give a brief explanation as to why you recommend what you do!

And for reference, this is what I like in terms of powersets:

Fun > Damage > Control > Support/Healing