Sonic. 'Nuff said.
If I were to roll another Dark defender I'd most certainly go with Dark/Psi/Psi. It has SO many control tools, it's not even funny:
- 1 Fear cone
- 2 Holds (Petrifying Gaze and Dominate. 3 if you take TK)
- 2 Stuns (HT and Scrambled Thoughts)
- 1 Sleep (2, with Mass Hyp)
- 1 Immob (nice to keep AVs on Tar Patch)
- 1 KB and 1 KD (it is control, wheter you like it or not)
- -Rech on most attacks.
- Fluffy, the most amazing pet ever. That's one extra hold, extra immob, massive tohitdebuff and handy heals.
If the baddies even get to touch your mates, you got the best PbAoE heal in the game, DN and even Black Hole if you feel like grabbing it. Ah, and shadow fall: +res against the most nasty types of damage and fear.
I kinda feel like rolling one myself now...
@False Fiction - Virtue / Defiant
Current projects - [Glaciologist - Ill/Cold Troller] [Cloudshaper - Storm/Dark Def] [Harald Wartooth - Elec/Psi Domi]
That's still mostly describing Dark Miasma. 
Sonic gets the single target stun too, and instead of a single target sleep you have a cone sleep that's perma unenhanced. Trades -rech for -res (usefulness may vary, matter of preference). Psi doesn't have KD, it has KU, but I admit they're similar in function. Sonic has a cone KB, if you like KB... Psi does have the handy immob.
Dark/Ice/psi
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Sonic. 'Nuff said.
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Dis
Just to be clear I dont have a problem with Knockback, I have a problem with the Archery knockback which would scatter foes out of the anchor and off the tar patch. Cone Knockbacks or ST knock backs I would be fine with (and have no problem with the tornado Knockup.
Oddly enough it was looking for something in Sonic to make up for the Imob of psi which was why Psi was still in the running. Control wise they match up well except that Psi gets the imob and Sonic IIRC doesn't
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"
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Psi doesn't have KD, it has KU
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Pretty sure it has both. Anyway, the way I see it Dark/Psi seems more interesting to level up with. Dark/Sonic might be a safer bet for AV fights tho.
Just in a sidenote: Psi's sleep happens to be the most damaging attack from the set with awesome range while Sirens Song is awfully situational. Mass Hyp would be a much better choice if you are looking for a nice and safe PbAoE sleep (yea, I know it's from Psi Mastery).
@False Fiction - Virtue / Defiant
Current projects - [Glaciologist - Ill/Cold Troller] [Cloudshaper - Storm/Dark Def] [Harald Wartooth - Elec/Psi Domi]
Both have their merits. Sonic Attack won't have you cursing and swearing whenever you're up against anything robotic, for example.
As for the KD, Psi's only attacks with Knock* are Telekinetic Blast (mag 8.31 Knockback) and Psionic Tornado (mag 1.4 Knockup). Tornado will probably do knockdown at lower levels (Knock* effectivity scales up as you level up), or against higher-conning targets. And even when it doesn't, Knockup is pretty much Knockdown anyway, only with ragdoll effects, so the difference hardly matters. The magnitude isn't that high anyway.
I'd like to claim, though, that the debate on how much -damage- either powerset does is largely academic in nature. Dark Miasma is a spammy primary as it is, so your secondary will mostly be useful for its side-effects, especially because a Defender puts out a fairly low portion of the damage in a team. And I daresay Sonic's -res is a more useful side effect than Psi's -rech, in teams. This is, of course, especially evident when fighting single hard targets like AVs or GMs, where Sonic Attack starts looking more like a second Debuff set to go with your primary... 
There is also the fact I will probably only have 4 or 5 powers from which ever blast set because of Dark being so good and it being a team based defender.
I realise that I cant reach the amount of control I have with my Necro/Dark MM so I think I might go with Sonic to give me extra debuff to compensate
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"
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Dark/Ice/psi
[/ QUOTE ] Haha I've started a build for this spec. I really like all the debuff's, there's plenty of To-hit debuff's, Slow and the Psi epic set's just nice. Can't wait to level it up some tonight and tomorrow xD
Sonic will help push up your own damage too don't forget. Howl & Tar Patch = -50% damage resistance
Of course everyone's already mentioned the sleep, though you may not need it with all of Dark's control. I would still go dark/sonic though, the -resistance debuff is so tempting in the hands of a Defender.
Defiant EUQuaver: Kinetics/Sonic Defender
Semiquaver: Sonic/Kinetics Corruptor
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There is also the fact I will probably only have 4 or 5 powers from which ever blast set because of Dark being so good and it being a team based defender.
I realise that I cant reach the amount of control I have with my Necro/Dark MM so I think I might go with Sonic to give me extra debuff to compensate
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Another thing I've just thought of...
Shriek/Scream/Shout/Howl/Dreadful Wail (or) Screech is all you really *need* from Sonic Attack to be effective. The nuke is always personal choice, as is Aim/Amplify but you can easily skip the sleep and knockback and not miss them.
Defiant EUQuaver: Kinetics/Sonic DefenderSemiquaver: Sonic/Kinetics Corruptor Am likely to take the +tohit power for using Howling Twilight on AVs, hate when that misses on my MMs, so will try and make it not happen on my defender
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"
Aye it will help against AVs for sure. In that case, you could get by with Shriek/Scream/Shout as your attack chain, Howl as a team-friendly debuff, and Amplify for the AV situations 
(Edit for getting confused with the names of the blasts again...)
Defiant EUQuaver: Kinetics/Sonic DefenderSemiquaver: Sonic/Kinetics Corruptor From my attempts at Sonic Blasting (ditched for Ice in the end, just couldn't move quick enough for old defiance) I liked the DoT ST attack and I can see that the cone will be useful. Shout is the high damage attack, does it chain with the others well enough, assuming Twilight Grasp to fit the gaps?
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"
I don't see why it wouldn't. I tend to use Kin buffs first, then Shriek/Scream/maybe Howl before unleashing Shout. The debuffs and my own damage buffs means the longer time Shout takes is worth it. If you use Shout and then immediately Twilight Grasp, or vice versa, you may find yourself rooted for quite awhile, so I'd leave gaps in between just for your own safety.
Also the main reason Shout is so hefty is the higher damage it does in PvP, due to it taking longer to animate. It's not impossible for me to hit 300 smashing + 300 energy. Not bad for a Defender
Defiant EUQuaver: Kinetics/Sonic DefenderSemiquaver: Sonic/Kinetics Corruptor My /Dark MM is pretty much routed all the time, but with Dark it doesn't bother me. Used to bother me a lot with Fire Manipulation on a blaster being routed though. Routing with Mitigation is fine, without it its a dead character
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"
True, with Kinetics you gotta be dancing about or you go squish. Anyways have fun with Sonic Attack ;-D
Defiant EUQuaver: Kinetics/Sonic DefenderSemiquaver: Sonic/Kinetics Corruptor
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True, with Kinetics you gotta be dancing about or you go squish. Anyways have fun with Sonic Attack ;-D
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Got a kin/sonic at 41, and she is indeed dancing her head off where ever she goes. Even without Speed Boost, she does well.
@Double
Double Flame 50 fire/devices
Double Shade 50 tri-form warshade
Double Light 50 dwarf-human peacebringer
Double Control 50 earth/rad
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Am likely to take the +tohit power for using Howling Twilight on AVs, hate when that misses on my MMs, so will try and make it not happen on my defender
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iIsn't Howling auto-hit in PvE? I've always thought it was. Aim is nice before Fearsome Stare & Howl followed by your single target chain. Also very handy vs what will be your (ahem) Nemises's. Vengence is very annoying and Aim lets you hit through it. With no -Defense debuffs Aim comes in dead handy.
Rooting isn't a huge issue for a Dark/Sonic, most things are quivering in fear anyway or are getting debuffed by Darkest Night and/or Fluffy.
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Am likely to take the +tohit power for using Howling Twilight on AVs, hate when that misses on my MMs, so will try and make it not happen on my defender
[/ QUOTE ]
iIsn't Howling auto-hit in PvE? I've always thought it was. Aim is nice before Fearsome Stare & Howl followed by your single target chain. Also very handy vs what will be your (ahem) Nemises's. Vengence is very annoying and Aim lets you hit through it. With no -Defense debuffs Aim comes in dead handy.
Rooting isn't a huge issue for a Dark/Sonic, most things are quivering in fear anyway or are getting debuffed by Darkest Night and/or Fluffy.
[/ QUOTE ]
Damnit you're right, I guess on a Dark aim isn't as nice as it is on a Rad cause you can autohit that -regen. Still before Fearsome it should be good
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Am likely to take the +tohit power for using Howling Twilight on AVs, hate when that misses on my MMs, so will try and make it not happen on my defender
[/ QUOTE ]
iIsn't Howling auto-hit in PvE? I've always thought it was. Aim is nice before Fearsome Stare & Howl followed by your single target chain. Also very handy vs what will be your (ahem) Nemises's. Vengence is very annoying and Aim lets you hit through it. With no -Defense debuffs Aim comes in dead handy.
Rooting isn't a huge issue for a Dark/Sonic, most things are quivering in fear anyway or are getting debuffed by Darkest Night and/or Fluffy.
[/ QUOTE ]
Damnit you're right, I guess on a Dark aim isn't as nice as it is on a Rad cause you can autohit that -regen. Still before Fearsome it should be good
[/ QUOTE ]
On a rad? Surely all that -defence is just a fancy way of doing what Aim does anyway?
Defiant EUQuaver: Kinetics/Sonic DefenderSemiquaver: Sonic/Kinetics Corruptor
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Am likely to take the +tohit power for using Howling Twilight on AVs, hate when that misses on my MMs, so will try and make it not happen on my defender
[/ QUOTE ]
iIsn't Howling auto-hit in PvE? I've always thought it was. Aim is nice before Fearsome Stare & Howl followed by your single target chain. Also very handy vs what will be your (ahem) Nemises's. Vengence is very annoying and Aim lets you hit through it. With no -Defense debuffs Aim comes in dead handy.
Rooting isn't a huge issue for a Dark/Sonic, most things are quivering in fear anyway or are getting debuffed by Darkest Night and/or Fluffy.
[/ QUOTE ]
Damnit you're right, I guess on a Dark aim isn't as nice as it is on a Rad cause you can autohit that -regen. Still before Fearsome it should be good
[/ QUOTE ]
On a rad? Surely all that -defence is just a fancy way of doing what Aim does anyway?
[/ QUOTE ]
AVs have debuff resistance, they dont have self buff resistance, Aim helps
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
On a rad? Surely all that -defence is just a fancy way of doing what Aim does anyway?
[/ QUOTE ]
AVs have debuff resistance, they dont have self buff resistance, Aim helps
[/ QUOTE ]
I suppose you could say the same for Darks other -regen power, Twilight Grasp. But that's so spammy it doesn't really matter if you miss occasionally.
I find Aim handy on Dark/Sonics for ensuring a full Sonics attack chain hits. Very useful vs Rikti Drones (and Nemmies, but you'd be best off avoiding Nemmies, they're just frustrating for Dark/Sonics, they nullify all your best tricks).
I'm thinking I need a Darkie on the hero side, I have my two /dark MMs but I never get to bring the goodness to the heroes. My Cold/Dark is 48 and my Rad/Rad is 50 and I need a new debuffer.
Nor originally I was going to go with Dark/Elec, I even made one but put it on hold when Cold became an option for defenders. Since then I have taken an Elec/Mental blaster to 50 and I dont really feel like playing elec again. Not cause its a bad set, but just because it was so recent.
Energy is out because I find it generally poor and graphically dull, have Rad and Dark already on defenders and a level 50 Ice blaster. I'm also levelling an Archer so that's a bit of a no, although I do really enjoy it I know that the aoe Knockback would bug the hell out of me
That leaves me thinking either Psi or Sonic. I actually quite fancy a go at Sonic but I was wondering at other peoples experiences with these two on a Dark defender. Surely more -res can only be a good thing. But with this defender I'm thinking of Psi mastery as an epic, so that may lead more to Psi blast I guess. Complimentary status effects and all...........
Opinions please
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"