Welcome to the Dark Side... Dark/Elec Defender

Raye_Gunn · 02-15-2007 11:53 PM

the Dark/Elec combo is popular becuase it was one of the 'Sith' builds, and it's also got a neat light out of darkness look to it, The only other guide around is really out of date, so I wrote a new one . I will not suggest one specific build as 'the way to go' as one of the great things about Dark/Elec is that it can be used to cater to a number of different playstyles. You can be a debuffing king/queen, Dominator wannabe, blaster with extreme safety, whatever. My personal mode of play is a melee oriented debuffer that blasts a lot.

Why a Dark/Elec? Myself, I wanted a Sith character, so it was for concept reasons. But two holds and two pets can be a big draw for some people, either for utility or just the cool factor. Also, with the extreme safety Dark gives you, Short Circuit can be used twice to drain things with a high degree of safety, and even with Voltaic Sentinel's aggro being directed to you, again, the high degree of safety your debuffs offer make this a non-issue, especially if you've already sucked things dry with Short Circuit. In short, the debuffs protection help cancel out two of the complaints about Electrical Blast.

The Powers of Dark Miasma

1. Twilight Grasp - A large AoE heal (centered around you) that needs to hit an enemy. This power is a HUGE heal and even unslotted, it will do very respectable healing providing it hits, so accuracy is key with this power. It does however have a long animation which can make it annoying to use at times. This power also has a (minor) accuracy, damage and regen debuff affecting the target you heal off of, can be handy against AV's and GM's to help lower their regen rate.
[u]Rating 4/5[u] (would be higher with a shorter animation)
Recommended Slotting - 2 accuracy, 2-3 heal, 1-2 recharge if you can find the slots.

2. Tar Patch - Targeted AoE Slow and 30% Resistance Debuff. This Power is placed with a 'bullseye' on the floor, it does not require an enemy present to be used, as such a useful tactic is to place it infront of a corner and then pull enemies into it. What you are after in this power is not actually the slow, though it is nice, it's the -resistance it offers. This power will allow you and your team to do 30% additional damage to anything standing on it. That's not to say the slow is bad, it's come in very handy in situations such as the 'Stop 30 Fir Bolg' mission, and slowing down mobs that want to flee (in 'stop X from escaping!' missions) but your first priority should be to get this power up as often as possible to increase your own and others damage. One nice thing about this power is that it WILL self-stack, provided you have a power that boosts your recharge on you, Hasten, Speed Boost, AM, whatever, AND it is slotted with 3 recharges.
[u]Rating 5/5[u]
Recommended Slotting - 3 Recharge is your first priority. Slows if you can fit them after that.

3. Darkest Night - This is your bread and butter accuracy and damage debuff. It is an 'anchor' debuff in that you place it on a mob, and the debuff will radiate out from them in a 25 foot radius, and affect all foes in that area. The -ToHit is not actually as strong as many people assume it to be, it's about 19% base. It does however stack with all the other -ToHit powers in Dark Miasma, so it adds up to quite a lot of protection when all the tools are used together. It is also a 37% damage debuff so whatever hits you, hurts a lot less. When choosing targets for your anchor, try to choose a LT towards the back of the pack, if possible, it is most likely they will last a good while, ensuring your debuff stays active longer.
[u]Rating - 4/5[u]
Recommended slotting - 1-2 Endurance Reduction, 3 ToHit Debuff, a Recharge if you can find room.

4. Howling Twilight - Targeted AoE mag 2, 15 second disorient, 20 second slow, and a -500% Regeneration debuff... oh, and it will rez people as a side effect. This is your Rez, though, if you are doing your job right, you wont have many people to rez, so I find it more beneficial to use this power as a debuff when fighting AV's/GM's, to overcome their regen rate, and for the disorient. But when you DO need a rez, this power can rez an entire team in one go, provided they are all close to you. The Disorient is a low magnitude, so will only affect minions, BUT it IS auto-hit, and even if it does only affect minions, that's still less things shooting at you and your team. It is a good power, but I found other powers took priority and I took this power quite late, and did not regret it, I still fit it in before I started facing a lot of AV's. As for the Regen debuff, it lasts 20 seconds, and is resistable but can be a very beneficial tool when fighting AV's if you slot it for recharge and use it as it recharges.
[u]Rating 3/5[u]
Recommended Slotting - 3 recharges, disorients if you can fit them. 1 recharge is probably good enough if you intend to use this as a rez only.

5. Shadow Fall - PBAoE (40 foot radius) stealth and (20% unslotted) resistance to Dark, Psi and Energy damage. This power will have you in high demand in certain situations in the late game - Sewer Trial, Psychic Clockwork King, Malaise/Mother Mayhem and their minions, Psychic Babbage, Carnies, basically anything that does Psi damage, since this power plugs a major hole in many defensive sets. Turn this power on when you log in and never turn it off, unless you need to escort a hostage. The main benefit of this power is the Resistance, and when slotted, it can give very respectable resistance to the three damage types. The stealth is just gravy, but can be used just like regular stealth from the concealment pool, and when stacked with SuperSpeed, another Shadow Fall or Steamy Mist, you will have full invisibility.
[u]Rating 5/5[u]
Recommended Slotting - 1-2 Endurance Reduction, 3 Damage Resistance

6. Fearsome Stare - A cone fear and a accuracy debuff (19%, 20 seconds). The Fear effect duration is enhanceable, the strength of the accuracy debuff is enhanceable, but the duration of the debuff is not. This is a fast activating power with a VERY large cone, you will easily be able to cover an entire group with this if you stand a few feet back. While feared they will be as good as held until they take damage, at which point they will take a shot, (which is debuffed) then return to cowering. This is a great power to open with once you have enough accuracy to ensure it hits most of them. Strong debuff, good control, what's not to love? There are a few caveats. This power will be of limited use against robots, the undead (most of them, anyway) and Nemesis troops of all kinds, since they have fear resistance. However, the accuracy debuff will still take effect, so it is not completely useless to use it in these situations, but you will want to open with Darkest Night rather than Fearsome Stare in these situations.
[u]Rating 5/5[u]
Recommended Slotting - 1-2 Accuracy, 2 Fear Duration, 1-2 Recharge. Really, slotting is pretty variable on this one. Do you want it to last a long time, or be up as often as possible? use it as a debuff? I prefer to split the difference.

7. Petrifying Gaze - A pretty basic single target hold, no side effects, just a hold. If you want to take both holds, go for it, but if choosing between Tesla Cage in your secondary and this, Personally, I would go with Tesla Cage.
[u]Rating 3/5[u]
Recommended Slotting 1-2 Accuracy, 2-3 Hold Duration, 1-2 Recharge

8. Black Hole - AoE foe intangible. Most sets have a lemon, this is Dark's. It can be situationally useful, a patrol comes by, you aggro a nearby group and you want to take them out of the picture for a while... But all in all, Fearsome Stare can fill the same function while annoying your teammates a lot less. This would be the first power to skip in Dark Miasma.
[u]Rating 1/5[u]
[Recommended Slotting - I can't give advice here, as I do not have this power in my build, and never have besides playing with it on Test.

9. Dark Servant - The power you've been waiting for, your pet! Fluffy will not do much damage, but he will help debuff and control things and will also heal. He has an aura, Chill of the Night, minor DoT and an accuracy debuff. Tenebrous Tentacles, which does much less damage than the 'real' version in the Dark Blast set, but will keep things immobilized (though Fluffy is not exactly good at lining up cones). Twilight Grasp, heals for less than your version of the power, but will do a very good job at keeping the health of those near him topped off, since he spams it frequently. Darkest Night, functionally exactly the same as yours, Though he will toggle it on and off. And Petrifying Gaze, which will stack with your own holds.
[u]Rating 5/5[u]
Recommended Slotting - 1 Accuracy, 3 ToHit Debuff, 1 Heal, 1 Hold Duration.

The Powers of Electrical Blast

1. Charged Bolts - Standard low damage attack, you're stuck with this power. It's not bad, but not great, either, but that's normal for the first blasts for Defenders. If this power recharged a bit faster, it would be easier to put together a full single target attack chain.
[u]Rating 3/5[u]
Recommended Slotting 1-2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, Recharge if you can fit it.

2. Lightining Bolt Does twice the damage of Charged Bolts, but suffers from the same problem of taking just a touch too long to recharge, imo. But you do need this power if you want an attack chain at all, so I would not recommend skipping this under any circumstances, despite this minor flaw.
[u]Rating 4/5[u]
Recommended Slotting 1-2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, Recharge if you can fit it.

3. Ball Lightning - Targeted AoE which does DoT. This is your basic AoE attack, it does good damage for an AoE, and I find this power to be invaluable when it comes to soloing, as it allows me to take down large groups relatively quickly. With your debuffs, it is not dangerous to use this, even on a team setting.
[u]Rating 5/5[u]
Recommended Slotting - 1-2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Endurance Reduction

4. Short Circuit - This is the power that will allow you to sap endurance efficiently. Most of your other blasts drain only a very small amount, but this one will drain quite a lot. You will need 2 applications to drain anything completely, and it is PBAoE, which leads some sets to not use it, since it can be dangerous. But with your debuffs protecting you, it is quite safe for you to be in melee and get off two applications of this power. It can be very handy against your weak spot, multiple mezzers, and preventing bosses from using their hardest hitting attacks. More useful solo than on a team, but still has its uses on a team, especially if you should be fortunate enough to be teamed with another character with endurance draining abilities - an Ice tank, a Kin, or another Elec with SC. Not a power I would skip, though I would possibly put it off until level 18 or 22, since it will not be very effective without SO's.
[u]Rating 4/5[u]
Recommended Slotting - My slotting differs from most. Many recommend 3 EndMod in this power, but I have found that it takes 2 applications whether you have 2 or 3 Endmod enhancements, it makes no difference. So I recommend six slotting this power, so it can perform 2 functions, sapping and damage. 1 Accuracy (it has a high base accuracy), 2 EndMod, 2 Damage, 1 Endurance Reduction OR Recharge. Once you get to Hami's you can slip in a couple dam/acc.

5. Aim - Standard Aim power found in most blast sets, will significantly boost your accuracy and slightly boost your damage for a short time. Handy in several situations, but probably skippable if you can find no room for it. It is handy or hitting higher con enemies with your powers, particularly when you REALLY want Twilight Grasp or Fearsome Stare to hit, or enemeis with high defense, such as Rikti Drones. I would highly reccomend taking this power if you plan on taking Thunderous Blast.
[u]Rating 3/5[u]
Recommended Slotting - 3 Recharge

6. Zapp - Standard Snipe attack, which will also drain a good chunk of endurance. I personally play up close and personal, but if you want to keep your distance, you will like this. Even up close, you may find use for it, since with all the accuracy debuffs, you have a good chance of getting it off un interrupted, even in melee range.
[u]Rating 4/5[u]
Recommended Slotting - 2 acc, 3 damage 1 Interrupt Reduction

7. Tesla Cage - Standard single target hold, which deals a small amount of damage, and drains a bit of endurance. As said above, if taking one of the two holds available, I suggest this one. It does more, costs less endurance, recharges faster, and has a more visible hold graphic. Though PG has a longer range and lasts a bit longer, I just feel more effective with Tesla Cage.
[u]Rating 4/5[u]
Recommended Slotting - 1-2 accuracy, 3 hold duration, 1 recharge

8. Voltaic Sentinel - You either like this power, or absolutely hate it, it seems. Your primary dictates which, to a large degree, I feel it works well with Dark Miasma. The main complaint about this power is that due to the fact that is not targetable, any aggro it generates is directed towards you. But with your debuffs, this isn't really much of an issue, your debuffs generate more aggro than Sparky ever will, and everything is so debuffed they will almost never hit you, anyway. The other complaint is low damage. It throws out 10 charged bolts. Though in my experience, this isn't bad considering what it costs to summon. It costs less than 10 Charged Bolts would, and once summoned, it allows you to use other powers while it is doing its thing, be that blasting or using your primary, it is still doing damage while you are doing other things. So all in all, I do not feel this is a bad power for a Dark/Elec, not fantastic, but not bad, I enjoy having it. But it is a power you will have to try out and see if you agree.
[u]Rating 3/5[u]
Recommended Slotting - 1 accuracy, 3 damage, 1 endurance reduction, 1 recharge

9. Thunderous Blast - The Elec Nuke. Does a large amount of damage in an AoE with a side effect of a large endurance drain on those hit. This nuke is unique in that it is RANGED. You can use it at a distance, which can be handy if you want to keep your distance. I have not taken this power myself, (though I plan to) but have seen it used to good effect by others. I recommend using this power in conjunction with Aim for a bit of extra damage as well as ensuring it hits, also with Tar Patch. Keep in mind that as with all nukes, you will lose all your endurance when using this power, so be sure to have a blue on hand for getting back in the fight post-nuke.
[u]Rating 5/5[u]
Recommended Slotting - 1-2 acc, 3 damage, recharge to taste, depending on how often you want to nuke.

Helpful pool powers.
You will not be able to fit all of these, but many people swear by them for a Dark defender.

Fitness Line, especially Stamina - this is a very endurance heavy set, and unless you refrain from blasting almost entirely, you WILL need Stamina to keep up with your team.

Hasten/Superspeed - Hasten is always nice, for obvious reasons, and Superspeed will stack with Shadowfall to grant you full invisibility. This combo is very tempting to me, but I went with Leaping because it seemed more 'Sith like'.

Recall Friend - Will be handy getting people to mission doors, or helping a team stealth to the end of a mission, but the main reason some Darks take this is to port Fluffy around to where you want him, and/or to port fallen teammates into a pile wen something goes wrong to all be rezzed by Howling Twilight. Myself, I respecced out of it for lack of use, but some people will no doubt find it more useful than I did.

Acrobatics - If you are playing the insane melee-fender, like I do, the knockback protection in Acrobatics, as well as saving you from one hold, can be invaluable.

Ancillary Power Pools

Electricity Mastery
-Thunder Strike is a very nice attack, and will help flesh out your attack chain
-Power Sink will complete the job of Short Circuit to drain a group very rapidly, as well as replenishing your endurance, in this very endurance heavy set
-Charged Armor will give 27% resistance to Smashing and Lethal, and 20% to Energy, which will stack with Shadow Fall to give you 40% resistance to energy damage, unslotted.
-Good thematic fit

Power Mastery
-Total Focus. Need I say more?
-Temp Invulnerability will grant 30% resistance to Smashing and Lethal
-Conserve Power will help with this very endurance heavy set
-Power Buildup will boost the strength of your heals, your attacks, your controls, and your endurance draining abilities, so if you hit PBU then hit Short Circuit while it is active, you will be able to drain things entirely in one hit.

Dark Mastery
-Dark Consumption will help with your endurance problems, though unlike power Sink, it will not help with your endurance draining abilities
-Oppressive Gloom will stack with Howling Twilight to allow you to stun LT's and maybe even bosses, you can also heal yourself easily to counter the health drain.
-Dark Embrace will grant 27% resistance to Smashing and Lethal, as well as 15% resistance to Negative and Toxic. the Negative resistance will stack with Shadow Fall to give you a total of 35%, unslotted.
-Soul Drain will greatly boost your damage
-the melee nature of Dark Mastery is not a problem for a Dark Miasma character
-Good thematic fit

Psychic Mastery
-More controls than you'll know what to do with, you will get a THIRD single target hold, an AoE sleep and an AoE hold/repel.
-Mind over Body offers 27% resistance to Smashing and Lethal and 20% to Psi, which will give you a total of 40% resistance, unslotted, to Psionic damage, more than anyone else in the game could ever hope of getting.

Strategies and Playstyles

[u]Crazy Melee Debuffer[u] - This is my preferred playstyle. Don't worry that you're a squishy, you have so many tools at your disposal to absolutely neuter an enemy, you are very safe, and when something does hurt you, you have a big heal to pull yourself out of trouble. Playing up close makes it easier to keep things in your debuffs, if they are all gathered around you, they will not spread out, and will stay nicely clumped up and debuffed. It also makes it easier to use Short Circuit. You will want to focus on Darkest Night, Tar Patch, Shadow Fall, Fearsome Stare, Ball Lightning and Short Circuit, with Fluffy backing you up, of course. The up close and personal approach functions best with lots of AoE damage, while making sure the enemy can't hit the broad side of a barn. Acrobatics or Hover would be beneficial here, to help with knockback. If you have the Veteran melee attack, I suggest Sands of Mu since with everything bunched up nice and tight, the chances of hitting more than one target are pretty good. Good strategies are using Darkest Night on a spread out group then ducking behind a corner. They come around the corner all bunched up and already debuffed. If they are already bunched up nicely, open with Fearsome Stare, Darkest Night, and jump in the middle. Throw down Tar Patch, Short Circuit, and Fearsome stare once they're all gathered around you and debuffed, and get to work killi.. er, arresting them. Electric or Power Mastery is a good fit for this playstyle.

[u]Controller Wannabe[u] - This strategy will work best for those who are too chicken to get into melee focus on the single target holds, Fearsome Stare, Howling Twilight slotted for recharge and disorient duration, slot a slow or two in Tar Patch. Fluffy will take care of immobs. With both single target holds well slotted, you will be able to hold a boss and a LT or two, and disorient the minions with HT, and turn it into a shooting gallery for yourself and your team. Dark or Psi Mastery would be good for this.

General Tips
-Open with a defensive power first, not an offensive one. If you open with Tar patch you will be eating an undebuffed alpha strike, and you put yourself in a lot of danger. On the other hand, if you open with Fearsome stare or Darkest Night, if they shoot at you they will most likely miss and you will be much safer.
-Shadow Fall combined with Zapp makes an excellent pulling strategy
-Voltaic Sentinel summoned infront of a group while you wait around the corner is also an effective pulling strategy
-However, you don't really need to worry about pulling one at a time most of the time, so Darkest Night works best of all to pull a large group to your location safely.
-Turn player healthbars on in the control panel, this will make it easier for you to see if someone needs your help. If someone's health is dropping, target through and fire off one of your single target holds, this will most likely hit whatever is bothering them, if it is a boss, it wont do much, but if it's a LT or lower, you'll reduce the damage they are taking. Then get yourself over there to fire off Twilight Grasp.

Local_Man · 02-16-2007 10:01 AM

Overall, a very, very nice guide with good information and strategy. I started mine, Local Man, in I-4 before the "Sith" craze started. He was my main until his early 20's . . . when I rolled up "Area Man," an Ill/Rad, to be his sidekick. I found that Ill/Rad was so much fun, he took over as my main.

I came back to Local Man a few months ago, and remembered how much fun he is to play, especially after I respec'ed and picked up a few more powers. He is a pip shy of 39 now, and I'm looking to add a few more utility powers in.

My playstyle is a bit different from yours. I tend to be more of a team-oriented Defender/Controller whose blasts come afterwards. I would agree with most of your rankings, but would probably knock Zapp and Short Circuit down to 3's. After ED severely nerfed Short Circuit, I found it was not worth the trouble. When it takes 2-3 shots of getting in the middle of the battle to drain the endurance, almost everything is dead before that, or they have all aggroed on you and you are dead. (End Drain is much more effecive on my Kin/Elec, where I drain most of the End from a single target with Transference, and then Short Circuit finished the job and keeps them from recovering End for a while.) Without Short Circuit, I can stay almost entirely at range, using holds and debuffs as much as possible. I love the combination of Shadowfall and Superspeed. It allows me to zip around the battlefield and help whoever needs it with my heals, rez, holds or debuffs.

On my Dark/Elec, I usually start either with sending Fluffy in as a tank, or Fearsome Stare, depending upon the opposition. Darkest Night and Tar Patch follow. I check the status of my teammates, and then blast in my spare time. I like Voltaic Sentinel a/k/a Sparky. I will often throw him out at the beginning of the battle and let him go to town while I'm busy with other things.

My job is mainly to protect the team from damage, allowing the damage dealers to take down the bad guys. I contribute with some damage, but that's not my main job. To me, both holds, Tesla Cage and Petrifying Gaze, are a big benefit. I really like the fact that my PG stacks with Fluffy's, often allowing me to hold a boss in one shot, and not two.

Very nice guide, and a good excuse to begin discussions again on strategies for Dark/Electrics. Thanks for the great work!

LOCAL MAN! The most famous hero of all. There are more newspaper stories about me than anyone else. "Local Man wins Medal of Honor." "Local Man opens Animal Shelter." "Local Man Charged with..." (Um, forget about that one.)
Guide Links: Earth/Rad Guide, Illusion/Rad Guide, Electric Control

Suspicious_Pkg · 02-16-2007 12:16 PM

Nice guide! I've renewed my interest in my lvl 26 Dark/Elec 'Lil Sithster' after seeing this.

Local_Man - I too am a fan of SF+SS (I have it on a D3 and stealth+SS on another alt). What did you take for vertical movement? Is hurdle enough? Good to hear the feedback on Short Circuit -- I was planning to slot it up to get more end drain. Sounds like it's not worth it in your opinion. That would save me a power and six slots!

We don' need no stinkin' signatures!

Local_Man · 02-16-2007 12:40 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Nice guide! I've renewed my interest in my lvl 26 Dark/Elec 'Lil Sithster' after seeing this.

Local_Man - I too am a fan of SF+SS (I have it on a D3 and stealth+SS on another alt). What did you take for vertical movement? Is hurdle enough? Good to hear the feedback on Short Circuit -- I was planning to slot it up to get more end drain. Sounds like it's not worth it in your opinion. That would save me a power and six slots!

[/ QUOTE ]

With my Shadowfall + Superspeed, I took Hover in my Late 20's, and love having it. It provides knockback protection in those few missions where I need it, and it allows me to float over the battle and apply my powers where needed. I do use hurdle, too. However, I took Hover before I-8 and the Safeguard missions. Now, with the Raptor Pack and the Zero-G Pack, as well as the jump jet from the GvE Edition, you could skip Hover entirely (but lose the other benefits of Hover.)

Regarding Short Circuit: Opinions differ. I have, like and use SC on my Kin/Elec, who is level 36. He was designed to be a sapper, so SC is a key power. He will take Power Sink, too, and should be about as sappy as he can be. Since Kin has almost no defensive ability, sapping Endurance is his main defense.

On my Dark/Elec, though, Sapping Endurance took too much away from all the other things I can do. The damage done by SC is small, and just draws aggro to my Defender. It's recharge is not that quick, and the End drain is only about half of the blue bar for an even-level minion. Out of the electric secondary, I left off SC, Zapp and Aim. I would like to have Zapp, but just have not been able to fit it in.

Later, if I take either Power Sink or Power Boost from the Epics, I may change my mind, but for now, Short Circuit is not worth the power choice or the slots.

LOCAL MAN! The most famous hero of all. There are more newspaper stories about me than anyone else. "Local Man wins Medal of Honor." "Local Man opens Animal Shelter." "Local Man Charged with..." (Um, forget about that one.)
Guide Links: Earth/Rad Guide, Illusion/Rad Guide, Electric Control

Raye_Gunn · 02-16-2007 05:20 PM

On the end draining side, my defender solo's a fair bit, and when I team there is often another dark/elec or a rad/elec that I team with fairly often (multiple debuffs for the win!), so we can coordinate SC's for a full drain instantly. There are more people out there with endurance draining abilities than you'd guess, Ice tanks are more popular than ever and EA recharges very quickly and saps a lot of end, for instance. If there is not another sapper around, no, it will not be too useful on a team, which is why I put some damage in there. It's not too shabby in the damage department if you slot it up a bit. Where it comes in really handy as far as sapping goes is if you solo. It's saved my butt against things with a lot of mezzers, like DE, or things with very high accuracy that can punch through my debuffs... DE again, or Nemesis. If they don't have the end to hit you, the fact that they can punch through your debuffs is much less of an issue. I also plan on taking Electric Mastery, (my defender is level 39 right now) personally, so it will then become more useful in a team setting.

Erydanus · 02-19-2007 12:10 PM

Good job, Raye.

I've played with Raye in a team, she uses her Short Circuit very effectively. The point about there being more end drain powers out there than you might appreciate is very salient.

UnicyclePeon · 02-28-2007 01:33 PM

As per the OPs request (from another thread), I'm posting my build here. Others can post theirs too. That way we can have an archive of builds for comparing notes or looking at the different ways people approach the set. Here is my build. I am thinking about a respec/change but for now this is my plan.

+---------------------------------------------
+ Built with SuckerPunch's Online Planner
+ http://www.cohplanner.com
+---------------------------------------------
Name: N/A
Level: 50
Archetype: Defender
Primary: Dark Miasma
Secondary: Electrical Blast
+---------------------------------------------
01 => Charged Bolts ==> Acc(1),Dam(3),Dam(7),Dam(23),EndCost(27)
01 => Tar Patch ==> Rech(1),Rech(11),Rech(11)
02 => Lightning Bolt ==> Acc(2),Dam(3),Dam(7),Dam(23),EndCost(25)
04 => Ball Lightning ==> Acc(4),Dam(5),Dam(5),Dam(19),EndCost(25),Rech(37)
06 => Darkest Night ==> EndCost(6),ToHitDeBuff(17),ToHitDeBuff(17),ToHitDe Buff(19)
08 => Twilight Grasp ==> Acc(8),Acc(9),Heal(9),Heal(15),Heal(34),Rech(40)
10 => Combat Jumping ==> EndCost(10)
12 => Fearsome Stare ==> Acc(12),Acc(13),Acc(13),Fear(15),Fear(27),Rech(31)
14 => Super Jump ==> Jump(14)
16 => Swift ==> RunSpd(16)
18 => Hurdle ==> Jump(18)
20 => Stamina ==> EndMod(20),EndMod(21),EndMod(21)
22 => Shadow Fall ==> EndCost(22),EndCost(50)
24 => Aim ==> Rech(24),Rech(43),Rech(46)
26 => Acrobatics ==> EndCost(26)
28 => Short Circuit ==> Acc(28),Dam(29),Dam(29),Dam(31),EndCost(31),Rech(3 7)
30 => Tesla Cage ==> Acc(30),Acc(45),Hold(45),Hold(45),Hold(46),Rech(46 )
32 => Dark Servant ==> Acc(32),Acc(33),Heal(33),ToHitDeBuff(33),ToHitDeBu ff(34),ToHitDeBuff(34)
35 => Voltaic Sentinel ==> Acc(35),Dam(36),Dam(36),Dam(36),EndCost(37)
38 => Thunderous Blast ==> Acc(38),Dam(39),Dam(39),Dam(39),Rech(40),Rech(40)
41 => Thunder Strike ==> Acc(41),Dam(42),Dam(42),Dam(42),EndCost(43),Rech(4 3)
44 => Electric Fence ==> Acc(44)
47 => Power Sink ==> EndMod(47),EndMod(48),EndMod(48),Rech(48),Rech(50) ,Rech(50)
49 => Recall Friend ==> Rech(49)
+---------------------------------------------
01 => Sprint ==> Empty(1)
01 => Brawl ==> Empty(1)
02 => Rest ==> Empty(1)

Lewis

Random AT Generation!
"I remember... the Alamo." -- Pee-wee Herman
"Oh don't worry. I always leave things to the last moment." -- The Doctor
"Telescopes are time machines." -- Carl Sagan

taveren · 03-02-2007 03:06 PM

[ QUOTE ]

With my Shadowfall + Superspeed, I took Hover in my Late 20's, and love having it. It provides knockback protection in those few missions where I need it, and it allows me to float over the battle and apply my powers where needed. I do use hurdle, too. However, I took Hover before I-8 and the Safeguard missions. Now, with the Raptor Pack and the Zero-G Pack, as well as the jump jet from the GvE Edition, you could skip Hover entirely (but lose the other benefits of Hover.)

[/ QUOTE ]

I to love this combo, it is extremely effective. I try to get it on any toon that has the availability for it to be the primary travel power. Its great on my nrg blaster with stealth.

[ QUOTE ]
On my Dark/Elec, though, Sapping Endurance took too much away from all the other things I can do. The damage done by SC is small, and just draws aggro to my Defender.

[/ QUOTE ]
I am not sure how drawing aggro can concern you with the amount of tohit debuffing you do
I agree it takes a bit away from what you can do, but it also adds to what you can, and with the amount of end drain in this game, having it, and being able to coordinate with others to drain baddies completely is a major advantage.
I love the fact that when the baddies DO have enough end to counterattack me, they miss anyways

@taveren, @pikey
defs : ff/psy/psy, kin/son/pow, dark/elec/dark, storm/dark/dark, cold/ice/pow
others: dm/invuln, fire/wp/body
nrg/nrg/force, arch/fire/fire, fire/mm/fire
ill/ta/ice, plant/rad/fire, earth/kin/fire
earth/ice/elec dom, ninja/dark mm
in the works: dp/ta/mace, fortunata

Teikiatsu · 07-09-2007 04:35 PM

I completely ignored the endy drain on my dark/elec Midnight Lightning, opting instead for the other controls and slotting for damage on the blasts. He's all single-target blasts and AoE lock-down. I took just the Dominate power from the Psi APP, I had the apple-jacks armor and TK prior to respec, opting instead for the Leadership pool. I also respec'd out of Thunderous Blast. Of couse, ML travels with my wife's blasters so AoE damage is taken care of most of the time.

Of the STFs I've taken him on, I've found that Tar Patch and Votaic Sentinel are excellent pulling tools. I have VS slotted for range; Patch is pretty good range too. Mixed with my Celerity Stealth and Shadow Fall I can get fairly close, set the targetting icon, que for a TP, then set the reticle and port out before the power is fully que'd. I've been able to pull single AVs with this method 100% of the time so far.

DestineeFable's Guide to an MSTF run (fixed!)
My latest AE madness

canned · 07-19-2007 08:22 PM

Thanks for the excellent guide. I cant wait to get home and work towards Fluffy and Sparky! Such cute names BTW

Gaean_Conspiracy · 11-23-2008 11:18 AM

It's been a long time since any one has posted in here. This is an excellent guide.

Lilatu, my dark/electric defender, sat for quite a while at level 41 after the nerfs hit, but after reading this guide, I decided to play her again. After I somewhat painfully getting her to 42 on yellow SOs, I respec'd and fitted her out with IOs. Now she is fantastic fun to play and quite powerful.

I thought people might be interested in the build I have Lil now. So without further ado, here it is:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.4006
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Lilatu (respec 42): Level 50 Magic Defender
Primary Power Set: Dark Miasma
Secondary Power Set: Electrical Blast
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Teleportation
Ancillary Pool: Dark Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Twilight Grasp -- Mrcl-Heal:40(A), Acc-I:50(3), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:40(3), H'zdH-Heal/Rchg:40(5), Acc-I:40(5)
Level 1: Charged Bolts -- Decim-Acc/Dmg:40(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx:40(7), Decim-Dmg/Rchg:40(7), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:40(9), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:40(33), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(43)
Level 2: Tar Patch -- RechRdx-I:40(A), RechRdx-I:40(9), RechRdx-I:40(11)
Level 4: Lightning Bolt -- Decim-Acc/Dmg:40(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx:40(11), Decim-Dmg/Rchg:40(13), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:40(13), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:40(15), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(42)
Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:40(A), RechRdx-I:40(15), RechRdx-I:40(17)
Level 8: Ball Lightning -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:40(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:40(17), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:40(19), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:40(19), Posi-Dmg/Rng:40(21), RechRdx-I:50(50)
Level 10: Darkest Night -- DampS-ToHitDeb:39(A), DampS-ToHitDeb/Rchg:39(21), DampS-ToHitDeb/Rchg/EndRdx:39(23), DampS-Rchg/EndRdx:39(23), DampS-ToHitDeb/EndRdx:39(42)
Level 12: Hurdle -- Jump-I:40(A)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Run-I:40(A)
Level 16: Fearsome Stare -- Acc-I:45(A), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/Rchg:45(25), DarkWD-ToHitDeb:45(25), DarkWD-Rchg/EndRdx:45(27), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx:45(42), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx:35(46)
Level 18: Health -- Heal-I:40(A)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I:40(A), EndMod-I:40(27), EndMod-I:40(29)
Level 22: Short Circuit -- Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx:50(A), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg:50(29), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg:50(31), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(31), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg:50(31), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg:50(50)
Level 24: Shadow Fall -- TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:35(33), TtmC'tng-ResDam:35(33), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:35(34), Krma-ResKB:30(45)
Level 26: Recall Friend -- Range-I:40(A)
Level 28: Tesla Cage -- EoCur-Acc/Hold:40(A), EoCur-Acc/Hold/Rchg:40(34), NrncSD-Hold/Rng:30(34), NrncSD-Acc/Hold/Rchg:30(36), NrncSD-Dam%:30(46)
Level 30: Petrifying Gaze -- EoCur-Acc/Hold:40(A), EoCur-Acc/Hold/Rchg:40(36), NrncSD-Hold/Rng:30(36), NrncSD-Acc/Hold/Rchg:30(37)
Level 32: Dark Servant -- Acc-I:40(A), DampS-ToHitDeb/Rchg:40(37), DampS-ToHitDeb/Rchg/EndRdx:40(37), DampS-Rchg/EndRdx:40(39), DampS-ToHitDeb:40(43), DampS-ToHitDeb/EndRdx:40(43)
Level 35: Howling Twilight -- RechRdx-I:40(A), RechRdx-I:40(39), RechRdx-I:40(39)
Level 38: Voltaic Sentinel -- BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg:45(A), BriL'shp-Acc/Dmg:40(40), BldM'dt-Dmg/EndRdx:45(40), Dmg-I:40(40)
Level 41: Oppressive Gloom -- Rope-Acc/Stun:50(A), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg:50(46)
Level 44: Dark Embrace -- TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx:45(A), TtmC'tng-ResDam:45(45), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(45)
Level 47: Soul Drain -- AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg:50(A), AdjTgt-Rchg:50(48), C'ngBlow-Acc/Rchg:50(48), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg:50(48)
Level 49: Aim -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Vigilance
------------
[u]Set Bonus Totals:[u]<ul type="square">[*]8% DamageBuff(Smashing)[*]8% DamageBuff(Lethal)[*]8% DamageBuff(Fire)[*]8% DamageBuff(Cold)[*]8% DamageBuff(Energy)[*]8% DamageBuff(Negative)[*]8% DamageBuff(Toxic)[*]8% DamageBuff(Psionic)[*]8.1% Max End[*]33.8% Enhancement(RechargeTime)[*]18% Enhancement(Accuracy)[*]68.7 HP (6.75%) HitPoints[*]Knockback (Mag -4)[*]Knockup (Mag -4)[*]MezResist(Immobilize) 9.9%[*]MezResist(Sleep) 4.4%[*]MezResist(Terrorized) 3.3%[*]9% (0.15 End/sec) Recovery[*]10% (0.42 HP/sec) Regeneration[*]1.58% Resistance(Fire)[*]1.58% Resistance(Cold)[*]8.13% Resistance(Negative)[/list]

<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
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|-------------------------------------------------------------------|</pre><hr />

Local_Man · 12-05-2008 10:00 AM

There are a lot of options with a Dark/Elec Defender. As I said in previous posts, I lean more towards the controller-ish side.

Fearsome Stare is my key power, and generally my opener. I put a full set of Glympse of the Abyss in there, getting occasional damage from the damage proc. My two holds both have 2 Acc/Mez Hami-Os and 2 Recharge, but Tesla Cage has a Dam/Mez Hami-O, and Petrifying Stare has the Ghost Widow Psi Damage Proc.

I went with Power Build Up for my epic. It gives me a lot of options. PBU and Fearsome Stare means that the crowd is cowering for a long, long time. PBU and Thunderous Blast finally gives me that ranged AoE End Drain. Granted, it drains my endurance, too, but it really works well. PBU + Tesla Cage + Petrifying Stare lets me hold a boss for a long time.

I still don't have Short Circuit, but I gave up other epic powers to fit in Zapp and Aim. I put a full set of Manticore (which has great bonuses) in Zapp. I put Thunderstrike in both Charged Bolts and Lightning Bolt. For Voltaic Sentinel, I have Acc/Dam and Dam from the Brilliant Leadership and Blood Mandate sets, giving 1.5% Recovery and 4% Regen in only 4 slots. I still have Hover, mainly as my knockback protection and to keep out of melee in some situations (the ITF).

I still have more shopping to do, as Local Man is far from my richest character and has no cash for purple sets. But he's a lot of fun to play at 50, and I'm pretty happy with my build.

LOCAL MAN! The most famous hero of all. There are more newspaper stories about me than anyone else. "Local Man wins Medal of Honor." "Local Man opens Animal Shelter." "Local Man Charged with..." (Um, forget about that one.)
Guide Links: Earth/Rad Guide, Illusion/Rad Guide, Electric Control

Hindenburg · 12-06-2008 10:46 AM

Nice guide. Dark Maisma is my favorite, it actually makes the game too easy tho so strong..

In regards to Twilight Grasp, i've never used more then one Acc.. My i11 build has one Lyso and 5 DocWounds, but TBH with all the acc debuffs in your arsenal, you wont even need Twilight's Grasp..

I find that I rarely have to use it, because the mobs are neutered right off the bat with Howling Twilight or Fearsome Stare.

Dark Miasma is too strong and I'm serious about how it makes the game too easy, so bring your Dark to the 8 man invincible Carnie + Malta + Nemesis missions..

perma jump is ---> /up 1