Do dominators suck like people say they do?
By
Aleshanee_NA,
Posted on: 2006-07-05 13:59 in Dominators
The only weakness I see Dominators as having is a lack of ability to deal damage like the other AT's. Only one Dominator combo really can bring it, and that's fire/fire.
There is another issue regarding Dominators, and it's indirectly related to it's control abilities. And that's many EB's and most AV's with special status protection that's extremely high.
The reason I say this is indirectly a problem for Dominators is because everyone with control abilities is affected by this problem. And I think the solution is for the developers to rework that special status protection system. The default protection level offered by "purple triangles" (whatever that power is called) is just too high. It should be lowered to a level that can give Dominators a real shot in missions with them.
Any AT with contol powers should have a shot at least. But Dominators more-so since that's their biggest role as an AT.
It's a matter of consistancy. Doms can hold anything other than a Giant monster or triangles with Domination up, but the Cors/MMs can quickly hold a Boss without such special conditions being met.
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You're ignoring part of the problem. While I am comparing us to Controllers, that's really why you hear everyone saying "I feel like such a leech when I'm on a team because my hold suck..." 25% is a very big number, and the reason Corruptors don't complain about their damage is they're designed like Offenders were--weakening the opponent with their debuffs to approach Blaster-level damage while keeping the team safe, getting the benefits of both ATs. Corruptors also get Scourge, which further increases their damage. Some could argue Corruptors are BETTER than Blasters, and they are often considered the most well-designed AT.
Dominators, however, don't synergize so well with their secondaries. Our secondary is all about doing damage (and not very much at that). Two sets have Power Boost, so we get many bursts of time when we have increased hold times, but in the long run, our hold times are nothing special. We bring two things: Damage and Control. Corruptors bring slightly less Control, but they bring more ST damage, AoE damage, debuffs, buffs, heals, and arguably more Soft Control.
Brutes vs. Tanks is easier: they're designed to be a mix of Scrapper and Tank. Therefore, they are squishier than Tanks but do much more damage, but since they are more durable than Scrappers, they do less damage than they do most of the time.
So, while Doms may be designed as a team support AT, the level of team support we bring is near the same amount a MM or a Corruptor would bring--and they surpass our damage. Though, oftentimes, our holds do bring less lag than a MM would bring. Do you see why people compare us to Controllers? We have nothing meaningful BESIDES Control to bring to a team, so why is it weaker than a Controllers' 70% of the time? We should be be equal 70% of the time and better the other 30%, no questions asked, because the only team support we bring are Controls. We're designed like the Defender AT: they specialize in one area and dabble in damage a small bit. We, on the other hand, don't specialize too well at all.
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I want to say that you are dead on. That right there is a huge problem with our archetype. We have no distinct advantage.
The Domination inherent is the problem. It needs to be nerfed I think. It was dreamed to be something fun and exciting...but became a ball and chain for the dominator. There is probably simply too many variables involved when trying to buff/nerf a dom and then factor in the domination inherent...
We most likely end up staying nerfed because the balance for domination is probably worked in with it being on whenever it is done recharging....which is not how our AT works all the time...
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That is probably the best I've seen it said so far, both of you.
Honestly, as much as people compare us to Corruptors, the problem with Dominators isn't Corruptors. That comparison is easy to hype because it's largely true (Corruptors bring more damage to the table in addition to a wider range of more effective support), but as ExIan pointed out, at the end of the day the problem with Dominators is Domination.
That the AT is balanced around its inherent is, I think, a little ridiculous. The inherent should compliment the AT, not define it. The devs need to stop looking to Domination for a quick fix and a crutch and address the fundamental problems with the AT.
For as weak as our holds and damage are, and considering our complete lack of passive defense, I don't see why a number of things couldn't be done to improve our situation. They could raise our HP, raise our damage, strengthen our holds, or a combination of all three.
Domination should be relegated to a passive that marginally increases hold duration and magnitude the closer the Dominator gets to death. At an orange or red bar, our holds should have the current Domination's duration and magnitude. That would keep it from being overpowered and would also contribute to the AT's lack of self-preservation.
To the OP: Honestly, nothing you can read on this board can answer your question as well as you could by playing one yourself. Yes, Dominators can be fun and effective, but they can also be extremely frustrating. It's really not hard to see why they're considered the weakest AT.
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That the AT is balanced around its inherent is, I think, a little ridiculous. The inherent should compliment the AT, not define it. The devs need to stop looking to Domination for a quick fix and a crutch and address the fundamental problems with the AT.
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It works for Brutes just fine. Scrappers too but not to such a large extent. Seems like most complaints about Controllers always end up with the damage they do because of ... yup, Containment.
Put it this way, Vigilance compliments the defender very well in his role of team player. It's also one of the most complained about inherents in the game. As far as Domination kicking in more near death, you might want to read some of what Blasters have said on the subject of inherents that require you almost die to work.
Count me in the minority I guess who likes Domination. I can control it. It boosts more than just holds. And it makes my character very strong for a pretty long time.
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So where are the devs on this.
States in beta said he would be keeping a close eye on Dom's after all the Dom's are too weak calls.
Then they said in I7 they were still looking and here we are a month later and nothing said.
So where are the devs in all this, it seems like they really dont care much. Its like dom's dont have enough players to be worth spending time on.
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Ok, thought of this, its half way a joke, half way something that seems to grate on me.
I think the devs are too busy worrying over AV fights being too easy to worry about doms being good on teams, or up to par with other ATs.
To me, to fix Doms, it doesnt really have to involve changing doms at all.
1) Change AV triangles to suppression (per Mal's suggestion)
2) Change acrobatics to being mez resistance, not mag increase. Makes holds last 1/4 of time (click instead of toggle), and make break frees only take you out of one current hold, no lasting effect at all. Add stun immunity to a different power (aid self, or make aid other have long duration stun resistance, or maybe add stun resistance to manuvers to make it worth taking).
3) Make controller and dom control factor the same (1.0 for doms, 1.25 for controllers currently). I dont understand why defenders and MMs have as good a control factor as dominators do. Bring trollers down or doms up, either way.
As for other suggestions, I dont see double damage on AVs as balanced, or fair to other ATs. I have 10% extra health on my dom due to accolade, it makes no net difference (though Im sure it better). The 5-7% I7 damage increase makes little difference on my */nrg dom, and as he does a lot of melee, I dont see a similar boost to range damage making doms that great.
Doms should be about applying holds and controls on team, with some damage thrown in. I believe the above 3 changes would let our primary function, not be overpowered, and allow us to be more of a contribution to teams vs AVs and in PVP.
I do think there are some issues with fearsome stare being too effective (few resist fear, seems like decent duration and recharge) and wonder why a non-dom COV ATs can get so many holds/control type powers, but thats not a huge deal to me until I really see one able to out control me.
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Do dominators suck?
Are they fun?
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Obviously it depends on what your definition of suck and fun is and what your expectations are. Someone who solos and doesn't mind taking his time will have no problem. A person like that may say Doms are fine and have no problems at all.
A dom that plays on a team that makes use of and appreciates the dom will be likely to have less issue with doms. However, a person who plays on what might be called a dom-unfriendly team or expects doms to solo even somewhat as fast as a brute will not be so satisfied.
What corruptors, stalkers and brutes bring to any team is an obvious positive. What Doms bring is situational. As long as you and/or your team doesn't expect a dom to be as useful as other ATs all the time, as long as you understand what a dom brings to the table and appreciate it, then all is well.
I've played on teams that just have zero need for dom controls. The dom knockback, aoe agro, and other special powers like dimension shift or wormhole are all unwanted. So all that's left is the lower damage.
Dom usefulness is situational and for some teams that situation happens rarely if ever. For other teams it may happen with almost every fight. That's why there is such diversity in the answer to your question.
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I dont understand why defenders and MMs have as good a control factor as dominators do.
[/ QUOTE ] I notice this all the time, and all the more so now that I've made two new MMs. It's astounding to me that (IMHO) my /dark has more effective controls that my grav/ except when domination is up. IMHO Even a clever /force field can control better.
Doms are fun in PvE and against casual PvP, but Doms are no fun when you face heroes that has more than one clear mind buff on them which is more often than not (blame Stalkers?), it negates the majority of Dom's attacks.
Doms' mez effects are shorter than Controllers', secondary attacks still do subpar damage but melee damage was upped which helps a little especially for thorny and energy assault. I often run out of endurance even with fully slotted stamina whlie trying to build domination during missions.
And the fact that most other villain ATs get patron hold and immobs and pets that do some of it, negating the need for a Dom in teams on most occasions. I have noticed in the 40+ game in Grandville, I almost never see Doms, Brutes and Corrs are far more common.
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So where are the devs on this.
States in beta said he would be keeping a close eye on Dom's after all the Dom's are too weak calls.
Then they said in I7 they were still looking and here we are a month later and nothing said.
So where are the devs in all this, it seems like they really dont care much. Its like dom's dont have enough players to be worth spending time on.
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Ok, thought of this, its half way a joke, half way something that seems to grate on me.
I think the devs are too busy worrying over AV fights being too easy to worry about doms being good on teams, or up to par with other ATs.
To me, to fix Doms, it doesnt really have to involve changing doms at all.
1) Change AV triangles to suppression (per Mal's suggestion)
2) Change acrobatics to being mez resistance, not mag increase. Makes holds last 1/4 of time (click instead of toggle), and make break frees only take you out of one current hold, no lasting effect at all. Add stun immunity to a different power (aid self, or make aid other have long duration stun resistance, or maybe add stun resistance to manuvers to make it worth taking).
3) Make controller and dom control factor the same (1.0 for doms, 1.25 for controllers currently). I dont understand why defenders and MMs have as good a control factor as dominators do. Bring trollers down or doms up, either way.
As for other suggestions, I dont see double damage on AVs as balanced, or fair to other ATs. I have 10% extra health on my dom due to accolade, it makes no net difference (though Im sure it better). The 5-7% I7 damage increase makes little difference on my */nrg dom, and as he does a lot of melee, I dont see a similar boost to range damage making doms that great.
Doms should be about applying holds and controls on team, with some damage thrown in. I believe the above 3 changes would let our primary function, not be overpowered, and allow us to be more of a contribution to teams vs AVs and in PVP.
I do think there are some issues with fearsome stare being too effective (few resist fear, seems like decent duration and recharge) and wonder why a non-dom COV ATs can get so many holds/control type powers, but thats not a huge deal to me until I really see one able to out control me.
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This is pretty good! Yeah, maybe the problem is not in Doms. It's in other things! I like your listed 3.
What's left is to normalize all Assassin Strikes and improve Stalker's old sets (Claw, MA and EM)! You don't need to bring back the missing PbAoE attack. You just need to make the existing ones better! For example, make Slice a WIDER and LONGER cone.
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I dont understand why defenders and MMs have as good a control factor as dominators do.
[/ QUOTE ] I notice this all the time, and all the more so now that I've made two new MMs. It's astounding to me that (IMHO) my /dark has more effective controls that my grav/ except when domination is up. IMHO Even a clever /force field can control better.
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Yup, /Dark has aoe heal, fear, hold and great nasty debuffs and some good buffs from Shadow. That set is just imply too strong. No wonder so many MMs take /dark.
What's left is to normalize all Assassin Strikes and improve Stalker's old sets (Claw, MA and EM)! You don't need to bring back the missing PbAoE attack. You just need to make the existing ones better! For example, make Slice a WIDER and LONGER cone.
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I dont understand why defenders and MMs have as good a control factor as dominators do.
[/ QUOTE ] I notice this all the time, and all the more so now that I've made two new MMs. It's astounding to me that (IMHO) my /dark has more effective controls that my grav/ except when domination is up. IMHO Even a clever /force field can control better.
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Yup, /Dark has aoe heal, fear, hold and great nasty debuffs and some good buffs from Shadow. That set is just imply too strong. No wonder so many MMs take /dark.
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Their durations and recharge times suck (hold and fear wise).
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Count me in the minority I guess who likes Domination. I can control it. It boosts more than just holds. And it makes my character very strong for a pretty long time.
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I'm aware of what Domination boosts. I'm also aware that it lasts for 00:01:30. I personally don't believe intermittent bursts of effectiveness seperated by long stretches of mediocrity make a balanced AT, but your mileage may very. This is all assuming, of course, that you can even build Domination in the first place. Dying at the wrong time in the wrong place can really cripple you, and don't even get me started on PvP.
What I am acutely aware of is that there are too many situations in which I am completely boned without it. Where I literally contribute nothing and can not function. Thankfully those scenarios should thin out now as I approach 18 where I can finally stack holds, but... For these first 17 levels it has been a total crutch.
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I dont understand why defenders and MMs have as good a control factor as dominators do.
[/ QUOTE ] I notice this all the time, and all the more so now that I've made two new MMs. It's astounding to me that (IMHO) my /dark has more effective controls that my grav/ except when domination is up. IMHO Even a clever /force field can control better.
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Yup, /Dark has aoe heal, fear, hold and great nasty debuffs and some good buffs from Shadow. That set is just imply too strong. No wonder so many MMs take /dark.
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Their durations and recharge times suck (hold and fear wise).
[/ QUOTE ]What?? The fear recharge is on par with Controller/Dom fear times and /dark's hold is longer than the ST hold but still comes up rather fast. My fire/dark Corr is a beast.
Do doms suck? no
Do doms need work? yes
In general PvE, I really don't complain about any of my doms performance.
In PvP, I am a squishy target whose primary is negated by 50% of the enemy or a 50inf inspiration and my damage should I get a hold is very lackluster. Bad combination.
Against Heroes, it's hit and miss, but again, the purple triangles pretty much negate the reason to be there.
1. Give doms 10% more damage to all attacks...we need it. Some would say that would step on the toes of corruptors. I think the corruptors are sitting pretty well though overall, and judging by the influx of corruptor teams (specifically in PvP), something there is working. If that means taking 10% off the damage done in domination...or hell...even 25%, then so beit.
2. Give doms 10% hp...we are too easy to kill and have no way to negate that. We don't have bodyguard or debuffs to use to dull damage done to us.
3. Limited mez protection - maybe while in domination mode, having some reistance to mezzing would be nice...still puts us in the mode of needing to have dom up though.
I love the concept and feel of dominators, but with exception of a very few l33ts, everyone, even the enemy, agrees that doms need work. Being uber is not the goal, but serving a purpose is. When holds are so easily negated and damage is so lackluster, it's hard to see a point to having doms when other AT's add more to a team.
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Villains - Mike Brady
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Count me in the minority I guess who likes Domination. I can control it. It boosts more than just holds. And it makes my character very strong for a pretty long time.
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I'm aware of what Domination boosts. I'm also aware that it lasts for 00:01:30. I personally don't believe intermittent bursts of effectiveness seperated by long stretches of mediocrity make a balanced AT, but your mileage may very. This is all assuming, of course, that you can even build Domination in the first place. Dying at the wrong time in the wrong place can really cripple you, and don't even get me started on PvP.
What I am acutely aware of is that there are too many situations in which I am completely boned without it. Where I literally contribute nothing and can not function. Thankfully those scenarios should thin out now as I approach 18 where I can finally stack holds, but... For these first 17 levels it has been a total crutch.
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And I disagree that it's been a crutch early on or that there are long stretches of mediocrity. At least with my Dom an empty end bar doesn't mean I have to rest again all the time since I have the option of Domination. Dieing before Domination builds is just like Dieing with full Fury - it's still dead. Considering your early stages medicore because you can't stack holds is like the Stalker who can barely scrap early on because of no Placate until 12, low defenses, few attacks and slotting issues. Everyone has pain early on compared to what happens later. Whether or not you consider it too much pain is where the phrase YMMV comes into play.
It's so much of an half-empty half-full case it's not funny. You can look at what you can't do early on or when Domination isn't available. Or you can look at what you can do as you progress and what you can do with Domination. How happy you are with the non-Domination periods seems to relate directly to how cool and fun you think the Domination periods are (which of course is subjective from person to person). Likewise how much you enjoy MMs relates to how much fun you get out of the pets and what they do in relation to all the nonsense that goes into managing them. Shrug.
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As an example, I can recall vividly a mayhem mission with a buddy who has a MM where we got the pawn shop side mission. He told me to expect a wave of ambushes after we get the safe. Well, I had no idea how huge the ambush would be. I think at one time we had 4 groups (2 longbow and 2 security) all at once in the shop. There was no way we should have survived it but we did because I had Domination. That one situation would have killed almost any duo who wasn't "medicore". Domination allowed me to take our duo and make us perform like a team of 2.5 or even 3 players. Sure it took good work on both of our parts (you still need to be a good player) but having been in that situation many times before with almost every type of AT out there, I can safely say we should have died.
Here's the key to Domination for someone like me. To this day that one fight stands out after countless hours of mindless mobs. There are other such moments that also stay with me but I can attribute that one to Domination and I expect it to happen again. That's why I see Domination as half-full and see it as a fantastic inherent that doesn't cripple the AT but make it, just like Fury.
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Side note not directed to anyone. I'm done contributing to the post count of another post with "Dom" and "suck" in the title. I feel dirty I contributed as much as I did already. Looking for other posts instead.
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I personally don't believe intermittent bursts of effectiveness seperated by long stretches of mediocrity make a balanced AT, but your mileage may very.
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I don't find the stretches between domination particularly long. Domination lasts for about two fights then takes about three fights to refill and recharge. My main dominator is a mind/psi, though, which has good cast times, recharges, and attack chains, so I almost always have the bar full when the button recharges (the major exceptions being at the start of a mission, after a defeat, or when playing with very slow PUGs).
As for mediocrity while Domination is down, I don't feel that either. I don't know whether that's a difference of power sets, play style, or perception. I do tend to suffer more defeats than my teammates, but the same thing happens playing my /regen scrapper. I've always assumed that I'm just too aggressive and tend to get in over my head.
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What I am acutely aware of is that there are too many situations in which I am completely boned without it. Where I literally contribute nothing and can not function. Thankfully those scenarios should thin out now as I approach 18 where I can finally stack holds, but...
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What situations are those, and what are your power sets? Judging by the character level, I'd guess that you're having trouble with boss fights. Even then, you should be able to contribute by holding lieutenants or minions; you don't need to lock down a boss to help out a team, especially if you have good boss-killers on the team.
Also, keep in mind that dominators aren't alone in struggling in the teens. It's a common complaint among scrappers, tankers, brutes, and stalkers too: Just like dominators, they often have trouble with survival and endurance management until the mid-twenties.
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Change acrobatics to being mez resistance, not mag increase. Makes holds last 1/4 of time (click instead of toggle), and make break frees only take you out of one current hold, no lasting effect at all. Add stun immunity to a different power ....
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Acrobatics is currently a better defense for us than for our enemies. It doesn't stop our holds, but it does protect us from everyone but controllers and other dominators. It's also a big help in PVE. Furthermore, changing it from protection to resistance would actually make it harder for us to hold other characters: Holds wouldn't last as long against squishies, and it'd be even harder to stack them on defense ATs. Meanwhile, since it wouldn't even stop minor holds anymore, toggle-heavy doms (like mine) would be in a lot of trouble.
I have a similar problem with eliminating the duration on Break Free inspirations. My biggest challenge in PVP is dealing with controllers and stun-heavy enemies. Removing duration from BFs means that I'll burn through them a lot faster against those foes. Against controllers, running out of BFs is fatal, and they can already exhaust my supply long before the end of a 10-minute arena duel. Energy stalkers aren't much different, except that I can currently expect a full tray of BFs to protect me from their stuns for a whole fight. Even though weaker BFs would help me against some foes, I don't really need the help against them -- I can already stack through or exhaust their BFs. Again, they do a better job of protecting me than hindering me, in my experience.
You know I did that fight similiar to that with my nin/tra and my friend en/en brute and we had no trouble with about 4 packs.
And here is the kicker.. My nin/tra is that good ALL THE TIME... not just for 90 second spurts.
Boycott Ncsoft if they close down Coh.
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I dont understand why defenders and MMs have as good a control factor as dominators do.
[/ QUOTE ]Their durations and recharge times suck (hold and fear wise).
[/ QUOTE ]What?? The fear recharge is on par with Controller/Dom fear times and /dark's hold is longer than the ST hold but still comes up rather fast. My fire/dark Corr is a beast.
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Although Fearsome Stare does indeed have the same base duration/recharge as Terrify, Pet Gaze most certainly isn't longer than a Dom ST hold, it's shorter - and it has double the recharge.
The AT modifiers change how effective the durations on those powers are anyway, and don't forget that Dom holds (and Terrify) have a fairly decent damage component too.
Let's look at the actual numbers shall we?
<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre> End Cast Rech Dur AT_Mod L50_Dur L50_Dam
MM Pet Gaze 7.8 1.67 16 8 0.8 9.536 n/a
MM Fearsome Stare 8.5 2.03 40 15 0.8 17.88 n/a
Corr Pet Gaze 7.8 1.67 16 8 0.8 9.536 n/a
Corr Fearsome Stare 8.5 2.03 40 15 0.8 17.88 n/a
Dom Dominate 8.528 1.1 8 12 1 17.88 36.14
Dom Terrify 20.8 2.03 40 15 1 22.35 36.14</pre><hr />
All numbers are for unenhanced attributes.
NB: The ranged fear modifier for both Corr's and MM's is 0.8 as per iakona's tables (i.e. MM's don't have the same control modifier as Dom's for all Mez types). The hold modifiers have never been listed by iakona, but they appear to follow the same 0.8 modifier as per the Prima guide numbers.
Remember Terrify is only one of Mind Control's multiple AoE controls, whereas for Dark Miasma it is pretty much its only noteworthy AoE control - Howling Twilight is a low mag stun with a recharge twice that of Flashfire.
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One thing they can do though is to increase Domination gain against AV so Doms can dish out much better damage when Domination is on.
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Ooooooo, I really like that idea. I wouldnt mind my "control" power not affecting a certain enemy type (AVs or Giant Monsters) IF I was then alllowed to do more damage. If Doms would get to generate Domination 4 times faster when fighting AVs and GMs, then (IMO) this would be a fair trade off.
Just last night I was in a group taking down Deathsurge. If my controls were doing anything, it wasnt noticeable. My Domination was only up once during the fight, but during that time I felt like I was contributing because I was doing some decent damage.
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I don't find the stretches between domination particularly long. Domination lasts for about two fights then takes about three fights to refill and recharge. My main dominator is a mind/psi, though, which has good cast times, recharges, and attack chains, so I almost always have the bar full when the button recharges (the major exceptions being at the start of a mission, after a defeat, or when playing with very slow PUGs).
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I don't find them particularly long either, but by comparison, if we use your number that assume you've got it up every three fights you're still only running at maximum effectiveness 33% of the time. Not great.
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What situations are those, and what are your power sets? Judging by the character level, I'd guess that you're having trouble with boss fights. Even then, you should be able to contribute by holding lieutenants or minions; you don't need to lock down a boss to help out a team, especially if you have good boss-killers on the team.
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That's exactly my point. I have been relying on my team so heavily that I might as well just be an extra MM pet.
For example, last night I took a team in to the mission where you rescue Wretch in the sewers. Team fell apart by the end leaving myself and a MM. I died on a spawn, so there went Domination. Next group had two bosses. After SoC wore off I was dead before I even saw my life start dropping. Then we got the mob whittled down to just the bosses and it got even worse. I couldn't hold, couldn't confuse, couldn't do anything and my damage was laughable. Laughable, but my quick-cyclying, low-damage attacks still managed to draw aggro through the MM pets, so I pretty much just chain-died and/or ran until the MM finished the mission for me.
The alternative would have been to just stand there and watch the MM fight, which I don't think he would have appreciated. Also, I feel it's worth pointing out that the MM was one of the worse MM's I've partied with, but because I was so powerless myself, I was still forced to rely entirely on him, which I don't think I should have to do. And if he'd left? I would've really been in the [CENSORED] then. That was the last spawn left in the level so there were no more minions to build Domination on, but I had to beat them since they were guarding Wretch. Without that MM or waiting around for more people to pop LFT, I'd have had to restart the level to solo it on villainous.
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Also, keep in mind that dominators aren't alone in struggling in the teens. It's a common complaint among scrappers, tankers, brutes, and stalkers too: Just like dominators, they often have trouble with survival and endurance management until the mid-twenties.
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Well, that's true, but I can't say I really agree with it... I think Tanks, Scrappers, and Brutes' complaints stem largely from the fact that they were spoiled in the older issues and they're not very good at aggro, damage, and endurance management in general whether in spite of their AT's or because of it.
Most Stalker players just don't know how to play their AT. There are a hundred and one bad ways to play a Stalker and only one right way: Play a Stalker like a Stalker.
I've played a Brute, Scrapper, Tanker, and Stalker all through the mid-20's and I honestly can't say I've ever had a noticeable problem with survival with any of them unless I simply bit off more than I could chew.
They all have endurance issues until Stamina since they need to be constantly running toggles (especially my Stalker and Scrapper since they were both the very end-intensive /Dark), but they all chew through mobs consistently faster, safer, and overall more effectively.
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I don't find them particularly long either, but by comparison, if we use your number that assume you've got it up every three fights you're still only running at maximum effectiveness 33% of the time. Not great.
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It seems kind of off to factor in the inherents that way.
Scourge only kicks in 12.5% of the time, on average.
How often is a brute at max fury?
A stalker gets one critical every how many hits?
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Most Stalker players just don't know how to play their AT. There are a hundred and one bad ways to play a Stalker and only one right way: Play a Stalker like a Stalker.
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I think that a number of posters here would say the exact same thing about dominators that you are saying about stalkers.
If I quote #'s, they're from City of Data.
Global: @Kazari
It was either Taunt or Purple Triangles of Doom. I stand by my decision!
-BackAlleyBrawler
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One thing they can do though is to increase Domination gain against AV so Doms can dish out much better damage when Domination is on.
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Ooooooo, I really like that idea. I wouldnt mind my "control" power not affecting a certain enemy type (AVs or Giant Monsters) IF I was then alllowed to do more damage. If Doms would get to generate Domination 4 times faster when fighting AVs and GMs, then (IMO) this would be a fair trade off.
Just last night I was in a group taking down Deathsurge. If my controls were doing anything, it wasnt noticeable. My Domination was only up once during the fight, but during that time I felt like I was contributing because I was doing some decent damage.
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Giving us more Domination gain against super bosses is a good trade-off for us not being able to "hold" them. Holding them is indeed a bit too strong because what kind of tough fight it is if the boss is held throughout the fight? It's the same as holding a minion.
We have almost no defense when the opponent is not held/controlled so it's only logical to give us damage boost through quicker Domination gain. If not, we are inferior. We can't heal the team, we can't tank for the team, we can't debuff/buff for the team, and we can't even out damage most ATs. What can we do if we can't hold or control effectively? DAMAGE baby. That's our second nature, Assault.
What's left is to normalize all Assassin Strikes and improve Stalker's old sets (Claw, MA and EM)! You don't need to bring back the missing PbAoE attack. You just need to make the existing ones better! For example, make Slice a WIDER and LONGER cone.
The difference being corruptors are good before you even factor in scourge.
Boycott Ncsoft if they close down Coh.
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But you have 2 stackable holds, which allows instahold on an boss, and soulstorm is the most incredible hold ive seen and one of the few shining patron powers.
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Well there's two things I'd like to point out here. First of all yes, they can hold 'a' boss with their 2+ stackable holds, but they cannot keep several bosses locked down like we can, and they will have trouble keeping even one boss locked down permanently due to their rubbish durations and recharge times (the Patron holds have a huge 32s recharge!). Now that may not be completely necessary if the team can defeat said boss before the hold wears out, but the Dom can certainly provide a much higher safety margin. Soul Storm may look awesome, but that's really the only thing going for it over our holds (other than the fact it's broken and breakfree-proof - but that's another story).
Secondly, you say 'insta-hold', but most of the Corruptor holds have significantly longer animation times than Dominators, and of course with Domination we can hold a boss in one hit - a Corruptor will always be allowing a boss to get one hit off, and certainly has the rest of the spawn to worry about - we can lock the whole lot down and keep the boss(es) locked down too.