** Dark Miasma / Electric Blast Guide **
** Contents **
1> Introduction and Disclaimer
2> Pros of Dark Miasma / Electric Blast
(a)Reasons why a player might consider this set.
3> Cons of Dark Miasma / Electric Blast
(a)Reasons a player may not want to choose this set.
4> Dark Miasma Powers
(a)Power Name
(b)Power Description of how it works.
In game is not always accurate.
(c)General uses, and/or specific combinations
unique to this set.
(d)My Personal Rating on a 1 to 5
(e)My personal slotting of the power.
Those that I did not take were at least
tested with three slots.
scale, 1 lowest and 5 being highest.
5> Electric Blast Powers
(a)Power Name
(b)Power Description of how it works.
In game is not always accurate.
(c)General uses, and/or specific combinations
unique to this set.
(d)My Personal Rating on a 1 to 5
scale, 1 lowest and 5 being highest.
(e)My personal slotting of the power.
Those that I did not take were at least
tested with three slots.
6> Overview and Closing
** Introduction and Disclaimer **
I have been asked on several ocasions on what
I would recommend to up and coming Dark/Electric.
Wether it be in game, on the forums, or even
through private messages. Thus I decided
to write a guide on the AT and its power sets.
It may also prove helpfull to those up and coming,
simply because there seems to be more trying out
this set. If you simply want to have a better
understanding of this specific power set read on.
If something is stated in quotes, it is generall
because it is an in game term that is used in
CoH, and will be explained in the power section(s).
*Disclaimer* Slotting and Opinions of a given
power are mine alone. YMMV depending on playstyle.
Power descriptions and how they work will not
(or i will try not to) have bias in that section.
Also keep in mind, any comments for this guide
in regards to the Electrical Blast set, will be
only in regards that apply for Defenders.
** The " PROS " of Dark Miasma and Electric Blast **
1>This set is fairly unique, and very few take it to 50
2>It is the most Controller(ish) Defender set.
3>It has the most powerful Debuff in the game: *Darkest Night.
4>It has one of the most sought after Buffs: Shadow Fall.
5>There simply are no " Bad " powers in this set.
6>This set is capable of soloing; good at group support.
7>This set is one of the few that can summon more then one pet.
** The " CONS " of Dark Miasma and Electric Blast **
1>This set has no " Status " protection for self or group.
1>This set is not the best Healer for defenders
2>Many people do not understand how " Anchor " debuffs work.
3>This set can be quite Endurance heavy.
4>Like all defenders, the PC's hit points are not very high.
5>At low/mid levels, soloing can be somewhat slow/dangerous.
6>You will constantly wish you had more slots.
7>Pets can not be controlled or dismissed at will.
** The Powers of Dark Miasma **
1>-Power Name: Twighlight Grasp
-Power Description: This power is a targeted "ToHit"
(Must make a succesful attack and hit) self Area of
Effect (AoE) heal. On a succesful hit, this power also
lowers a villans ACC (Accuracy, also show as -Acc)
and Damage (also shown as -Dmg).
-Power Usage: This power is generally used to heal
your self or group mates that are close to you.
However it can also stack with other debuffs, including
itself. Recharge enhancments will be needed to achieve
this effect if stacking is wanted.
-My Rateing: 4
-My Personal Slotting: 1 Recharge, 2 Accuracy, 3 Heal
2>-Power Name: Tar Patch
-Power Description: This is a movement speed only, targeted AoE slow.
-Power Usage: This power is useful because it can
reduce a villans movement speed, and thus keeping them
out of melee range to yourself or team mates, provided
they are not already in melee. It is also great for
keeping villans from spreading out like they tend to
do when cetain powers are used on them. Most effective
at keeping all villans with in range of Darkest Night.
-My Rateing: 3
-My Personal Slotting: Not Slotted (Respec'ed out),
If slotted, recommend minimal because the power is great
by itself.
3>-Power Name: Darkest Night
-Power Description: A toggle and targeted based AoE debuff.
This debuff reduces accuracy and damage. The damage
reduction of this power can not be slotted with
enhancments. The ToHit debuff (the accuracy penatly)
can be slotted with enhancments.
-Power Usage: This a staple to any Dark Miasma. Its
debuffing abilities, especialy if highly slotted,
can make a huge difference in the out come of battles.
Villans of +2 and less will often miss attacks at a
very consistant rate. *Note, the -ACC does not apply
to villans useing " Status "
(Sleep/Hold/Disorent/Stun/Knockback/Immobilization) powers
, thus unless defended by other powers/insperations they
will likely take effect on you, and dropping Darkest Night
in the process.
-My Rateing: 5
-My Personal Slotting: 1 End Redux, 5 ToHit Debuffs
4>-Power Name: Howling Twilight
-Power Description: A targeted ToHit AoE disorent and
a PBAoE (Point Blank Area of Effect) revive. The revive
effect will give more hit points to a team member based
on the number of villans hit with the effect. *Note This
power does not give a consent box if more then one
villan is hit with the effect. It is likely a bug, but
no Dev responce has been given at the time of this
writing. Thus you can raise a group memeber even if it
is not really safe to do so.
-Power Usage: Highly usefull for disorenting a large
group of enemies or adding a " Magnitude " (A Numeric
fator to determine if it is a success in holding a
villian, as some have higher numbers to exceed then
others.) value so that a villan with a high magnitude
can be effected with status effects. It is also the
only AoE (PBAoE), that can revive more then one fallen PC.
-My Rateing: 3
-My Personal Slotting: Tested Only
5>-Power Name: Shadow Fall
-Power Description: A PBAoE buff that raises defence
and resistance to Energy/Dark Energy/Psionics. The
defence and resistance or both, can be slotted to improve
the effect. This ability also grants stealth to all in
the effected range. The user of this abilites movment
rate is slowed, but not group members.
-Power Usage: Usefull for sneaking up closer to a villan
or group of villans. It also has the only applied group
resistance to Psionics. (All others in the game are self
only.) The other resists are also welcome at all levels.
*Note, this ability does NOT grant status protection, and
only gives resistance to Energy/Dark Enegry/Psionic damage
. (Dark Energy is also shown as Negative energy)
-My Rateing: 5
-My Personal Slotting: 1 End Redux, 1 Defence, 4 Resistance
6>-Power Name: Fearsome Stare
-Power Description: A cone effect that causes all effected
villans to cower and tremble with fear. While left alone
the mobs will not engage anyone, while the effect lasts.
However any direct manipulation of a feared mob will
allow them a free (or counter) attack for click effects,
and a timed counter attack to non attack effects. This
includes the PC or the villans allies to break fear for
a retaliation attack. The cone effect is also rather wide
as well as deep. Even at distance villans can be
effected reliably. (This version is updated to show changes
in Issue 3)
-Power Usage: While many people did not care for this power
before I3, it had its uses. It has since been updated to
give more controlling ability to the Dark Miasma set.
This power is excellent at stopping runners, or removeing
a villan from battle that has strayed too far from your
(or your groups) debuffs.
-My Rateing: 4
-My Personal Slotting: 1 Recharge, 2 Accuracy, 2 Fear
7>-Power Name: Black Hole
-Power Description: A targeted AoE that makes all villans
effected removed from attacking or recieveing attack,
aka as if it were Phase Shifted.
-Power Usage: This power has its uses for temporarily
getting rid of a tough villan with in a group, or
reducing a very large group to a manageable size.
-My Rateing: 3
-My Personal Slotting: Tested Only
8>-Power Name: Petrifying Gaze
-Power Description: A single target hold, that leaves
the effected defenceless. This power will drop toggles
on any villan useing them. It can also cause flying
creatures to fall, and possibly take falling damage.
(A hold allows no action to be taken.)
-Power Usage: Used to hold a villan in place till you
are ready to dispatch it, or to allow you free attacks
while it is under the effect. Its fast base recast
rate is sufficent enough to allow villans with higher
then average magnitude (aka Bosses and at specific
intervals AV's (Arch Villans)) to be overcome by the
effects and to be held.
-My Rateing: 5
-My Personal Slotting: 1 Recharge, 2 Accuracy, 2 Statis Amplification
9>-Power Name: Dark Servant
-Power Description: A summoned NPC or Pet. This pet
while not capable of doing great amounts of damage
can debuff and heal in the same ways as the user. The
effects the pet will use are: Darkest Night,
Twighlight Grasp, Petrifying Gaze. The pet constantly
has a Death Shroud effect on them. This pet was granted
mobility and a duration of 4 mins as of Issue 2.
-Power Usage: This pet is usefull for adding more
defence for the defender. Its power list will stack
with that of the controlling defender as well as others.
-My Rateing: 5
-My Personal Slotting: 4 Recharge, 1 Accuracy, 1 Stasis Amplification.
(In game does not show that the stasis enhancments can be used,
but will fill the slot as well as effect the hold times of the
pets Petrifying Gaze)
** The Powers of Electrical Blast **
*Note* The use of " End drain " is not meant to show that
that the user recieves this endurance, it is merely removed
from the effected target(s).
1>-Power Name: Charged Bolts
-Power Description: A very basic damage and light endurance
drain single target attack. This power is required to be taken
as it is the only one available during character creation.
-Power Usage: This is a very quick, as well as a very quick
recharge, light damage attack. With slotting this attack is
capable of putting out a modest rate of damage, even if it is
not flashy.
-My Rateing: 3
-My Personal Slotting: 1 Accuracy, 1 End Drain, 4 Attack
2>-Power Name: Lightning bolt
-Power Description: A higher single target damage attack then
charged bolts, but is slower to recycle. The endurance drain
effect on this power is the same as charged bolts.
-Power Usage: This is a more powerful form of charged bolts.
This is often a mainstay for any electrical secondary wanting a
good and consistant single target blast.
-My Rateing: 4
-My Personal Slotting: 1 Accuracy, 1 End Drain, 4 Attack
3>-Power Name: Ball Lightning
-Power Description: A targeted AoE blast that does its damage
in the form of a DoT. (Damage over Time). Endurance drain
seems only slight better then that of the previous powers.
-Power Usage: While not being of a higher damage then Lightning
Bolt, it can hit multiple villans for decent damage and a more
noticeable portion of end drain.
-My Rateing: 4
-My Personal Slotting: Only Tested
4>-Power Name: Short Circuit
-Power Description: A PBAoE that while it also does damage
in the form of a DoT, also drains a high amount of all
effected villans endurance. This ability also stops any
effected villans recharge rate of endurance for a short
while. This ability, as of this writing, has no noticeable
effect on AV's or Monsters.
-Power Usage: This power can aid in giving more controll
by allowing the user to keep villans in a state of non attack
since they have no endurance. In higher levels where many
villans have high endurance useage attacks, you can reduce
their danger or hazard to a minimum.
-My Rateing: 5
-My Personal Slotting: 1 Accuracy, 5 End Drain
5>-Power Name: Aim
-Power Description: This ability gives 100% to Accuracy
and 50% boost to damage. This power will last 10 seconds.
-Power Usage: Usefull for fighting higher level villans
that you may have trouble landing certain effects on. Also
good to help ensure a Twighlight Grasp lands when missing
mighyt prove disaterous. Another good use is to help increase
the damage and accuracy of all attacks.
-My Rateing: 4
-My Personal Slotting: Not Slotted (Previously 6 Slotted)
6>-Power Name: Zapp
-Power Description: An electric version of a " snipe " attack.
(Snipe means to have very high damage and very long range, but
it can be interupted.) The end drain on this power is about
the same as lightning bolt. This ability must have line of sight
to begin the power and must also have line of sight for when
the power goes off in order to hit the villan. The cost in
endrance is paid up front, meaning that wether it goes off or
not, the user will loose the endurance.
-Power Usage: To try and pull single villans from groups,
or to try and do a single massive attack on one villan. This
power in conjunction with Darkest Night, will normaly land
with out too much fear of being interupted.
-My Rateing: 3
-My Personal Slotting: Previously 1 Accuracy, 1 End Drain, 4 Damage
7>-Power Name: Tesla Cage
-Power Description: A single target hold that also does a
small amount of damage as well as endurance drain.
-Power Usage: A hold that does it all, little damage, little
endurance drain. It is also most helpful for adding magnitude
to high magnitude villans. It is also usefull for chain
holding either a group of villans or a single AV.
-My Rateing: 5
-My Personal Slotting: 1 Recharge, 2 Accuracy, 2 Statsis Amplification
8>-Power Name: Voltaic Sentinel
-Power Description: Often considered a pet, that can not be
targeted, buffed, or recieve hostile action. Any hostile
action it takes, will be as if you were the one doing the
damage. Voltaic Sentinel's damage is between that of Charged
Bolts and Lightning Bolt. This pet will last 90 seconds.
If summoned while in battle this pet will average 10 attacks
before disapating. Endurance drain effect seems to be equal
to those of other single target attacks.
-Power Usage: Its a pet that does damage, though it is not
capable of pulling agro (villans dislike of you) onto itself.
While not as endurance heavy as Dark Servant, its endurance
cost/repeated cost can add up in a fight. However this ability
is also one of the best ratios of damage and endurance cost
that one can find. Steady and deliberate damage is what this
pet is all about.
-My Rateing: 5
-My Personal Slotting: 1 Recharge, 1 Accuracy, 1 End drain, 3 Damage
9>-Power Name: Thunderous Blast
-Power Description: An extream damage, targeted AoE blast.
This power also has a high endurance drain effect on villans.
This power will drop your endurance down to nothing, and you wil
l not be able to recharge base endurance (base endurance recovery)
for awhile.
-Power Usage: The highest damage blast this set can look forward
to. It does have a price for this damage, if one is willing to
pay this price, it will most definatly serve you well. This ability
is very good in regards to earning badges of levels gone past.
-My Rateing: 4
-My Personal Slotting: Previously 1 Accuracy, 1 End Drain, 4 Damage
** Overview and Closeing **
As I said before, this set has many ways to acomplish its goals.
The only true challenge for this set, is simply picking powers you
want most and slotting them to your ideal. There really are no
bad powers.
For those who are or for those who are planning to embark upon
the journey as a Dark/Electric Defender, I wish you well, and
that you enjoy this AT and Power Set as much as I do.
-For those that share my continued journey, you have my thanks and best wishes, and I will see you in the game!
