Dreamseed

Yea, sorry, -recharge, not -regen. Those pesky R words are so confusing.

Hmm, interesting replies. I wasn’t going to get into build discussion, but I may as well. A few thoughts then.

It was never a question of whether to take PSW or not. It’s a no brainer. As my main AE tool, it rocks.
Still, single mobs do happen, and I don’t particularly want to be using PSW on a single mob. It’s not hugely uneconomical, but it’s not great either. On single mobs it's also overkill.
In addition to PSW, I wanted an unbroken attack chain. I had Air Sup, which is a solid attack with a nice knockdown, but if possible I wanted to keep it PSI. Now, that’s not just for concept but for the –recharge. If we don’t use powers that complement each other, then they become weaker individually. Dart, blast, PSW, Scream and Probe are laden with the –recharge secondary. I’ve had them stacked on me, and know how bloody irritating it is.
Dart, Probe, Blast and Subdue allows me to chain in melee and at range against a single mob, and also do the whole “PSW I kill mobs by the dozen” act. Best of both worlds.

I have swift, Health and Stamina in my current build, and will be respeccing out of them. With Drain Psyche and Power Sink slotted for recharge, there is simply no need for them. I used to get by fine with just Drain Psyche. With power sink as well, they will both be slotted to a 60 second recharge even with regular IO’s, so I can pop one every 30 seconds – more than enough. I wanted to be sure so I tested this on the test server and it holds up very well. Having stamina in that scenario is massive overkill. I don’t miss Health or Swift and Hurdle seems a waste of space if I don’t go super speed.

So it comes to the point where you think, what else is there to take? I don’t really need much else.


This is where I’ll be at if I go ahead:

Grav: Lift, GD, GDF, Crushing Field, Worm, Sing and yes I am keeping Dimension Shift. It’s too useful to drop and doesn’t need extra slotting.

PSI: Dart, Mind Probe, Telekinetic Thrust, Mental Blast, Psi Scream, Subdue, Drain Psyche, PSW.

Reasons:
GD and GDF are the obvious ones, as is Sing. Wormy goes with Crushing field quite nicely and Lift is still useful as a ghetto. Dimension Shift – I’m a big fan. Use it constantly solo, and it’s a team saver. I can’t imagine my build without it.

The two grav I’ll be leaving out is propel and the single target immo, Crush. One is too slow, and the other is superseded at lower levels by Lift.

Dart, Probe, Blast and Subdue are my melee range chain. Remove probe for the range chain. Scream and PSW are of course my AE set to go with Wormhole. TK thrust for the same reason I use Lift - ghetto times 2. (Also it rocks for pushing mobs back into that corner where you are dropping PSW)

The only PSI I won’t be taking is the snipe, PSI Lance. Don’t need it. I pull with Wormhole and if I'm not pulling, then I’m in melee range.

Transport: Teleport friend for placing the Sing and team convenience, and then teleport for personal transport.

Speed: Hasten

Leadership: Tactics and Assault. (Again, with Drain Psyche and Power Sink, these two can just stay toggled on.)

Patron: Mu. I’ll be taking the lot to give them a go before possibly respeccing out if I need. Power Sink is awesome, I can see the shield coming in very handy. The AE attack doesn’t strike me on paper as too hot, but I’ll see how it fits in, and I’ve heard reasonably good things about the pet.


I’ve gone massively off topic there, but that’s what led me to the post in the first place.

So: Mental Blast. Now faster cast than subdue, the projectile travels faster than that of subdue, and it seems on par with other mid tier attacks from the other assault sets.

Stunning in a Omgwtfhax!!!11! way? No, not really.

Usable and worthy of a place in the set? I’m beginning to think so.

Thanks for the replies guys - gave me something to think about. I'll give it some more testing before I commit to it.

Got my patron started recently and was awarded the respec for it. Now, I'm not one of those guys who can sit on a respec indefinitely. It starts to burn a hole in the digital pocket after ... oh ... a day or so.
So, I copied Dreamseed over to the test server today to give the other travel powers, fighting pool and other powers which I just considered where garbage a decent go.
Mental Blast came as a surprise. Now I know they modified the animation so that the toon doesn't plant his feet at the end of it, and dare I say, it's not too shabby? Anyone else tried it?
That plus Subdue and Dart may just have a decent use now. The attack chain is pretty tight, and the -regen stacking from dart and blast starts to become somewhat effective.
I have PSW anyway, so the three shot chain would only be used for dropping the dregs that were left over.

So, anyone else tried it recently? Anyone actually have it in a current build and ... like it?

Honestly interested.

[ QUOTE ]
I use it differently to you though. DS is my ultimate panic button.

[/ QUOTE ]

And a fair use it is. Have mine slotted with just the one accuracy. While I don't want it hitting boss's and up, I do want it hitting as many of the grunts as I can to seperate the herd.

Propel - I can't really defend it, as much as I feel I want to. For those who have yet to try it, it really is achingly slow. Ok, for those times you are against PSI resistant mobs, then you have another source of damage, but that's it. Those rare instances and the, "Wow, look at me I threw a toilet at someone" factor, are really the only reasons, and that just doesn't cut it.

As Mr Minotaur above me says though, it really is a rewarding set to play, and when it does come into its own, you start to find so many possible tactics to use.

You are missing an AoE soft control at low levels, and early on that is gonna hurt, especially when other Dom's of comparative level are sleeping or confusing mobs.
Propel is an animation hog. Worse than that, the animation is cool, so even though it's a pain in the [censored] and often a detriment, we all still take the bloody thing. (I promise I will respec out of it next time. Honest!)
Last but not least, Mental blast is not great.

Alternatively . . .

Wormhole rocks my socks. You don't get it till 26, but it's the long awaited soft control you've been missing. Not only that, but it's my number one pulling tool. (Totally safe, no line of sight needed.) So yes, it’s a dual use power. (Actually three, but I’ll get to that in a second.)

I'm just getting to Psychic Shockwave (next level!) so I can't/won't comment other than to say people rave over it, and I expect it to live up to the hype.

Singularity is awesome. No, wait, lemme say that again. Fluffy little Sing is the God of rocking my socks. He is a rock hard little nutball who loves only one thing in life, messing with mobs. He does bugger all damage, but he holds and immobilises mobs just to get his giggles.
He stacks his holds with you, making Boss’s cry like babies even when Domination isn’t up. Also, he repels mobs. Don’t listen to the naysayers. They are jealous. Sing is a safe haven for the Grav dom. Too many mobs? Getting into Melee? Hide behind Sing. He’s the doorman every nightclub wants.

Drain Psyche. Can you do without Stamina if you take it? Yes, if you try to. I managed until I respec’d a couple levels ago. I now have both and I’ve not run out of Endurance once. I’ve stopped keeping blues in my Inspiration tray.

Ok, Dimension Shift – Again I say ignore the naysayers. If you take it, and look at every situation wondering how you could use it, then all of a sudden it becomes a dynamite power. (Especially solo.) It’s on a decent recharge, and needs no slotting.

This is where Wormhole comes into it’s own. Big group? Slap a wormhole on half, separate em, and DS the others. While Sing and you tear half of the confused ones to pieces, the others are locked. By the time they get out of that, you’ve put at least one mob down, probably two, and are about ready for em. If not, that’s what your AoE hold is for. (If the mobs were too close to begin with, swap and do DS first, then Wormhole. Practice makes purrfect.) Also, if you Wormhole half to the other side of Sing, then the other guys have to get past him to get to you, and that is not easy.
Too many mobs around the boss? DS him. Unless you slotted it to hit him, it won’t. Chances are it will take out all the other mobs round him though. You can have him half way down easy before they pop out again, and once more, AoE hold while you rearrange the rest of his dental work.
It’s also the ultimate “Fark!” button for when things are just not salvageable. I’ve saved groups with this. Conversely, misuse it, and groups will not appreciate it. Nobody likes to wait for it to wear off. (Practice, practice, practice.) It’s not a [censored] power, it’s just not so blindingly simple that anyone can come along and expect to automatically use it well. It takes a bit of effort.



My last comment referring to a post further up: You will regret not taking Mind Probe. It’s one of the most damaging attacks of the set. Sing will want to be near the mobs, and it’s in your interests to be near him. This puts you in dancing range of mobs.

Thanks for the reply, Battler. Started to go that way since you mentioned it - easier for sure.

Recently came back to CoV to find my toons intact - nice. For the life of me though, I can't remember where mobs drop mutation enhancements in the level 35 area.

All my paper missions are CoT, Council, Freakshow and Carnies, and ... it ain't them.

Devouring earth and 5th Column? Where can I find these guys?


Any help appreciated.

To the OP.

Grav/Psi isn't gimp, it just needs patience.

You are slightly down on controlling powers until the Singularity, but not to the point where you should struggle. That being said, when Sing does come along, it's a whole new ball game.

The powers you should not miss:

Wormhole: Ignore people who say it's a poor man's teleport foe. They are missing the point by a mile. It's a soft control that just happens to let you pull, place mobs, and be safe out of LoS while you do it. Slot it with increased disorient, increased recharge, and rely on WH heavily. It's godly.

Drain Psyche: I skipped Stamina because of this. It's getting a fix in I7 to allow accuracy enhancments, so it will be even better. Can be used either to increase survivability during a multi-mob fight, or just to casually top up the Endurance from single mobs.

Dimension Shift: Tricky one this. Personally, I love it and wouldn't be without it. However, you have to plan ahead to use it. Random use of DS will get your group building Voodoo dolls in your likeness real, real fast.
If I have a group who can think on their feet, I'll use it. If not, I'll lay off unless it's an emergency. Solo, I use it all the time.
My advice to any Dom with this power is to use it solo, and see how many applications you can come up with. It pairs well with Wormhole.
I do believe it is the duty of all Grav doms out there to educate people about DS. It's a wonderful power when it's used properly. It could be better, yes, but it's still good as is.
See things in a positive light. It's not an AE hold that stops us attacking the mobs. It's an AE sleep that stops your docile groupmates from breaking it and getting you killed.
Are you a half-empty or half-full man?

Singularity: The pet. A roving gravitational anomaly that loves to throw holds. This thing is hard as nails and fills any gaps that you may have perceived in your controlling skills. If you don't take it, you are 2/3's the Dom you could be.
Without getting too insipid, my Singularity completes me.


Obviously get Gravity Distortion and the AE version, GDF.

The rest are choice time, though I would get Mind Probe. Some people don't like melee powers, but it's pure damage. Using holds allows us to enter melee safely for brief spells. Why would we not want this?
Psychic Scream is an AE cone attack, and we have wormhole that allows us to gather many mobs and place them in a corner. That one's a no-brainer I think.

To Avoid:

Mental Blast: Animation times kill this power.

Propel: Again, bad animation times. That said, I took it due to the "Wow I just threw a car" factor, and the inherant auto-knockdown.


But, above all, just make sure you have fun with it.

Grav/Psi always seems to catch alot of flack, and most of it is undeserved.

Wormhole: Don't think of it as a teleport foe. Think of it as soft control that just happens to let you put the enemy where you want them. Slot it heavily with stun duration and it becomes pretty much a bread and butter power.

Mind Probe: If you don't pick it, you are ignoring one of your most powerful attacks. Slot with damage and accuracy.

Drain Psyche: I skipped Stamina because of Drain Psyche. That's how good it is. Designed to be used against multiple opponents. Can't take Psi and not take Drain Pyche. If they fix it with accuracy enhancements, then it becomes perfect.

Dimension Shift: Much maligned. Simple fact is, most people don't know how to use it. I'll be the first to admit it takes some thought, and you have to have really practiced with the damn thing to make use of it, but I don't regret taking it, and I didn't respec out of it. It's the other grav soft control. Once you learn its timer and the limit of the AoE, you will begin to see uses for it. The more you use it, the more you will see how useful it is.
Some education of your group mates may be needed.

Singularity: The Fuzzy Glowball of Doom. If Gravity is the weakest set at control, then the FGD remedies that. He's tough, he flies and he's an absolute lunatic.
Keep him between you and the enemy, and watch them fail terribly at getting into melee range. He's the ultimate bouncer.

Put all those together, and Grav/Psi becomes a strong pairing. Add in Psychic Shockwave later, and... well. Good night.


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Dreamseed Grav/Psi Dominator

Soloing actually works really well. You will start to anticipate what your Sing is going to do, and you will begin to work as a team.

I wouldn't leave home now without my beloved Glow Ball of Doom.

Singularity is unlike the other pets, so far as it concentrates on crowd control over damage.
It likes nothing more than to have competitions with you, to see who can hold and immobilise the most enemy.

Mine is slotted with one accuracy, a couple of hold duration and a couple of damage.
While the damage isn't fantastic, it does start to add up.

Your Sing also likes to repel enemy when they come too close, so it's good to hide behind when the melee type enemy come racing in.

Have fun with him.


Dreamseed