Since when?

Screech is almost a drop in replacement in terms of performance, because as it has an almost identical base duration/recharge ratio as PG. It has the obvious benefit of applying a 20% DR debuff while PG applies only its hold*. In exchange, it has a higher recycle time, which affects how soon you can stack or how soon you can recast in case of misses. Obviously Screech doesn't stack with Dark Servant's hold. The latter isn't terribly important for the average spawn, but I find it's nice for boss fights, where you can expect the Servant to focus on the same for as you.

I waffled over the choice of which power to take on my Sonic/Dark Corr and settled on PG because I valued the faster base recast time, but that was pretty much all about personal priorities.

* The lack of a secondary effect has been one of the main complaints about PG for as long as I can remember, even before its duration/recharge was nerfed back in the day. It didn't help that for the longest time its description reported it has having -Defense, which it never, ever did have.

Now that's a good point which I didn't consider. Granted, my Corr can't get OG, but that would work nicely for a Defender, if only late game. I probably still wouldn't choose it specifically to stack with HT, but having the option would definitely have merit.

There are plenty of Dark Miasma around, RO has an entire dedicated SG of them. OTher servers have them as well. However, builds tend to go in cycles, and Dark/ may have simply cycled out. It'll be back in sooner or later.

Dark/ Anything is good.

Dark Miasma/Sonic Blast would excel at focusing harder targets, similar to a scrapper. The harder the target the more -resistance the sonic can stack and the closer they can move to optimal damage. However, vs soft targets the targets die before the -res can reach optimal levels. Against large groups of targets, sonic lacks in the AoE department.

Dark Miasma/Dark Blast and Dark Miasma/Rad Blast would both excel at focusing on larger groups of softer targets. Proc-ing AoEs as well as STs can dish out some impressive AoE damage as well as acceptable ST damage.

The question then becomes which you'd rathat focus on and which fits your playstyle and expectations best.

While I am somewhat reluctantly forced to agree that a Dark/Sonic, can be viable, and dish out some fugly damage, I put my Dark/Dark through a stress test just last night.

Before I say anything, understand that this is not a embellisment at all.

I Tanked 5 mobs of Freakshow on a difficulty setting of +1/8 w/bosses, lived through the entire thing, and killed them all.No inspirations, no vet powers, and NO MERCY!

(New account, no vet powers.)

Thats what?60?70 Baddies I dropped?

How did I have the endurance for this?Simple, if you pay attention to your Vigilance buff.It gives you one for your Dark Servant, when he gets hit, your endurance raises, just like it would with any team mate in danger.during the entire fight, I noticed that my endurance bar would keep jumping up, and put 2 and 2 together.

So much for Vigilance being worthless huh?

As for how I controlled that many baddies?It was my Dark Blasts.
Those cones have a very nasty range, and AoE capacity, especially when theres that many things there is beautiful.Tar Patch, and Torrent where awesome at controlling the mob when they started to get to close, or unclumped.

I was freakin out the entire time, but I did it!

I chose Freakshow because they res, heal, and have alot of HP, as well as Tank Bosses that can almost 1 shot me.(If they hit me!LOL!)

So for my build, its the feeling like a GOD when I face a horde of baddies that would make Tanker crap his pants, and wipe a 8 man team!

Fire Minded. I can tell by your signature that you do not play on Pinnacle.

Pinnacle is the drunk server and proud of it.

Dark is an extremely defensive set, that doesn't suit the Min/Maxers as much as Rad or Kin. It also tends to be very Endurance costly. This is universally true, Dark Melee and Armor are pretty End heavy too.

The good news is, it pretty much is the Min/Maxer set of choice FOR defense. So maybe it's just that it's not tried as much as it's not the first on the list of things to try.

I don't know about anyone else, Harkness, but I stopped trying to understand you after you said

I tried playing a dark/dark defender... He was cool... I liked the way I designed him and I love the effect dark powers have when I'm teamed with someone using them... the sets just aren't for me.

Every toon I play gets to lvl 15 or so before I can really decide if I'm digging them. I have yet to find a defender I really like, so it could just be that the AT isn't for me too.

[QUOTE=BrandX;2559097]One of the problems I think, is that people don't realize Howling Twilight has a huge -regen debuff.

Even those who play it, don't realize it.

I know on my Dark/Ice/Psi, I didn't realize it.

Now, on my Dark/Sonic/Dark...I do.

QUOTE]

I love Howling. I use it on my D3 all the time. Get mobs together, scare'em, tar em, twilight em, TT, and fire away. Fun, fun, fun. I love my D3. May have to make a new one on Pinnacle.