Demon/Dark help

So, I am pretty new to the game, my highest is lvl 21 blaster.

I just purchased the going rogue expansion and decided to go Mutation Mastermind. I saw some other build mixes and tried to play around with Mid's builder but being new to the game kinda makes it hard to know what to unlock when and what enhancements to get. I'm lvl 3 right now so i figured i would reach out for some help before going to far and unlocking the wrong thing.

I will probably solo a lot as I (after a week) finally just got into a group today with my higher guy. I don't see a lot of people on and I hope that changes when this goes F2P. Until then it looks like solo will have to do .

Either way, I really greatly appreciate all the help I can get. If you have some builds linkable and maybe some helpful tips?

Thanks

What serer and side do you have your guys on, that often helps with how to find teams.

Also join your servers global chat channels, often teams are organised through them.

As For Demons/Dark, I havent updated my build et, to match a few changes im planning on making, so wont post it, but they can be very very powerful with IOs, but are good on just SOs too.

Slot end reduction in the Pets as they are abit hungry, and read Master Zaprobo's guide to MMs, I believe he has a section in there on useful binds (the threads at the top if this forum section) leverage Bodyguard Mode and good pet commands is the key to any good MM.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VoodooGirl [*]Watching out for the Spinning Disco Portal of D00M!*

Welcome to the forums. You chose a great build to solo with but also to learn the game with. You should do as much research in the guides as you can especially about bg mode and useful macro's. This is a long but thourough guide.

Some quick tips:
pick all pets and both upgrades as soon as they are available. This may mean putting off a travel power.
You will only need 1 attack (or none fine too). I'd recomend corruption because it is ranged.
Howling Twilight is a strong debuff as well as a rez and you don't need dead people for it to work.
Don't get black hole
Have fun

Thanks for the replies, i'm on the champion server on the Hero side. I tried finding slot end reduction but I just could not find it. I tried looking for End before and still couldn't find it. I may just be overlooking it.

thanks for the guides, i'm gonna start looking at them now. I was just concerned about them being outdated and since i don't know that is updated. I'm guessing I14 means issue 14? So what is our current version?

Thanks again.

i20 now.
Don't worry about slotting anything yet.
This is an intro to enhancements on Paragon Wiki you have plenty of time to study it they don't really get good till lvl 22. Do some searches on Paragon Wiki it's a great resource and always very close to up to date.

there are a lot of guides / builds that the links don't work, i'm guessing its going to an old CoH Page.

I'm still looking for builds, i found some on this forum but they where all work in progress and incomplete.

I hope you have the Mids Hero Designer. The way I set out to make a build is to look at the powers and the order first. I usually look making the build from a 'growing' concept, not plugging in the best or purple enhancements right away. As you level higher you can substitute out the workable IO sets for the real gems.

So for a demons (I have laid out a DS/dark build before) I plug in the automatic selections:

1. Summon demonlings
6. Enchant demons
12. Summon Demons
18. Hell on Earth
26. Summon Demon Prince
32. Abyssal Empowerment

Then I tackle the priority dark miasma:

1. Twilight grasp
2. Tar Patch
4. Darkest Night
10 Howling Twilight
20. Fearsome Stare
38. Dark Servant

I really want Shadow Fall, too. It is very powerful, but it's not as critical as this list. Demons/Dark also has a slotting crisis right around level 20, so I delay Shadow Fall until 22 or 24 usually, right about the time I can run it with two SOs of endurance reduction.

I look at the build so far, and I find a couple openings at 8 and 14. These can easily be travel powers. Recently with the auctionhouse temp travel, the safeguard temp powers, or the mayhem mission travel power rewards, I just delay the travel powers until later opportunity. Currently I suggest using a temp power and picking up your mastermind primary attacks such as lash and crack the whip. All three DS mastermind powers are good enough. I prefer crack the whip since it is an area-of-effect. It's not wrong to take travel at this point. It's not wrong to take the Mastermind attacks.

Level 16 is another open slot. Suggestions to go here are hover or assault. Assault is what I am putting in this build because at level 18-22, your demons have growing pains. You don't have single origin strength enhancements yet, and you don't have the second demon until level 24. I probably cannot run Assault 24/7 but I can toggle into it for the more difficult spawns.

Level 22 I have as open, it could be switched for shadowfall here for various reason. I pick up Tactics in this build. Tactics to-hit buff while smaller than defenders or corruptors will help your first tier demonlings and living hellfire. Tactics also has the benefit of added protection to confuse. Confuse status from a CoT succubus can be devastating to a mastermind.

Level 28, 30, 35 are optional levels, too. This is where I pick up my permanent travel powers. I have probably run out of the first level 6 raptor pack, probably in the middle of a temp flight pack. I usually go hover/fly/recall hover/fly/group fly or hover/recall/teleport. For masterminds, if not any other AT, good cases can be made for group fly and team teleport.

I will restate 8, 14, 16, 22, 28, 30, 35 are the most flexible levels in a mastermind build. The powers to consider are travel, leadership, and mastermind attacks. For your own taste, if you switch it around doesn't mean you are wrong, just that this game has a lot of flexibility.

... to be continued

Slotting is a different game, but it's easier with masterminds because of the 'mandatory' slotting. You have immediate needs and long term needs for demon slotting. Level 3 and level 5 are dedicated to Summon Demons. Level 13, 15, and strongly suggest one of level 17 slots goes to Summon Demons. You want your damage dealers to be damaging ASAP. Level 7, 9, and 11, I spread out for minimal slotting while getting the demon minions enhanced.

I am up to level 17 now, I backslot a spot in darkest night. 18 we take Hell on Earth. I slot 2 slots on enhancers at 19. Fearsome Stare is 20, 21 slots go in Fearsome. Level 23 I put in inherent Stamina. You might slot some to stamina in the 7, 9, 11 group as an option. 2 slots go to shadow fall at 25, then after Demon Prince, we slot the next 4 slots there.

Level 31 we start a phase of widely optional power slotting. The demons are slotted up, and you are more than ready to convert to IOs for cheaper enhancements to maximize the demons utility. At this point without the demand for slots in the pets, and by postponing travel, we can back fill the secondaries and the mastermind attacks and pools. Not a coincidence, your demons explode with extra powers at the level 32 upgrade.

Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Mujica?: Level 50 Natural Mastermind
Primary Power Set: Demon Summoning
Secondary Power Set: Dark Miasma
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Flight
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Summon Demonlings -- Empty(A), Empty(3), Empty(3), Empty(5), Empty(5), Empty(9)
Level 1: Twilight Grasp -- Empty(A), Empty(7), Empty(31), Empty(34), Empty(37), Empty(46)
Level 2: Tar Patch -- Empty(A), Empty(7), Empty(43)
Level 4: Darkest Night -- Empty(A), Empty(11), Empty(17), Empty(31)
Level 6: Enchant Demon -- Empty(A), Empty(43)
Level 8: Crack Whip -- Empty(A), Empty(9)
Level 10: Howling Twilight -- Empty(A), Empty(11), Empty(34), Empty(37), Empty(46)
Level 12: Summon Demons -- Empty(A), Empty(13), Empty(13), Empty(15), Empty(15), Empty(17)
Level 14: Lash -- Empty(A)
Level 16: Assault -- Empty(A)
Level 18: Hell on Earth -- Empty(A), Empty(19), Empty(19), Empty(36), Empty(43)
Level 20: Fearsome Stare -- Empty(A), Empty(21), Empty(21), Empty(36), Empty(40)
Level 22: Tactics -- Empty(A), Empty(33), Empty(33), Empty(34), Empty(46)
Level 24: Shadow Fall -- Empty(A), Empty(25), Empty(25), Empty(33), Empty(36), Empty(37)
Level 26: Summon Demon Prince -- Empty(A), Empty(27), Empty(27), Empty(29), Empty(29), Empty(31)
Level 28: Hover -- Empty(A)
Level 30: Fly -- Empty(A)
Level 32: Abyssal Empowerment -- Empty(A)
Level 35: Group Fly -- Empty(A)
Level 38: Dark Servant -- Empty(A), Empty(39), Empty(39), Empty(39), Empty(40), Empty(40)
Level 41: Dark Embrace -- Empty(A), Empty(42), Empty(42), Empty(42)
Level 44: Oppressive Gloom -- Empty(A), Empty(45), Empty(45), Empty(45)
Level 47: Soul Storm -- Empty(A), Empty(48), Empty(48), Empty(48)
Level 49: Soul Tentacles -- Empty(A), Empty(50), Empty(50), Empty(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Supremacy
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- Empty(A), Empty(23), Empty(23)


I am showing this bare of IOs so you can see that the desire to slot extra spaces is driven be an overall scheme and to maximize sets later with special bonuses forecast in the upper levels.

Awesome that has helped me soooo much.

Ok I'm lvl 10, here is what i have right now.

I also added in what you where saying and some suggestions.
Hmm how can i get the code in 1 box and not a long line?

http://www.cohplanner.com/mids/download.php?

uc=894&c=398&a=796&f=HEX&dc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

ok, So going off that build you posted i just need to decide how i'm going to use mutant enhancements.

I have crack whip and lash backwards i can fix that when i hit 14.

Thank you so much this is so helpful.

Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Mujica?: Level 50 Natural Mastermind
Primary Power Set: Demon Summoning
Secondary Power Set: Dark Miasma
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Flight
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Summon Demonlings -- EdctM'r-Acc/Dmg(A), EdctM'r-Dmg/EndRdx(3), EdctM'r-Acc/EndRdx(3), EdctM'r-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), EdctM'r-Dmg(5), EdctM'r-PetDef(9)
Level 1: Twilight Grasp -- Nictus-Heal(A), Nictus-Heal/HP/Regen/Rchg(7), Nictus-Acc/Heal(31), Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Heal/HP/Regen(34), Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Nictus-%Dam(46)
Level 2: Tar Patch -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(7), P'ngTtl-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(43)
Level 4: Darkest Night -- EndRdx-I(A), DampS-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(11), ToHitDeb-I(17), ToHitDeb-I(31)
Level 6: Enchant Demon -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 8: Crack Whip -- Acc-I(A), Posi-Dam%(9)
Level 10: Howling Twilight -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(11), RechRdx-I(34), Dsrnt-I(37), Dsrnt-I(46)
Level 12: Summon Demons -- EdctM'r-Acc/Dmg(A), Dmg-I(13), EndRdx-I(13), ResDam-I(15), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx(15), Heal-I(17)
Level 14: Lash -- Acc-I(A)
Level 16: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(43)
Level 18: Hell on Earth -- C'Arms-+Def(Pets)(A), ExRmnt-+Res(Pets)(19), ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(19), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(36), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(43)
Level 20: Fearsome Stare -- SipInsght-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(A), SipInsght-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(21), SipInsght-Acc/Rchg(21), SipInsght-Acc/ToHitDeb(36), SipInsght-ToHitDeb(40)
Level 22: Tactics -- AdjTgt-ToHit(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(33), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(33), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg(34), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx(46)
Level 24: Shadow Fall -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-Psi/Status(25), LkGmblr-Rchg+(25), S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx(33), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(36), S'fstPrt-ResKB(37)
Level 26: Summon Demon Prince -- EdctM'r-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), Dmg-I(27), P'ngTtl-Acc/Slow(27), P'ngTtl-Dmg/Slow(29), P'ngTtl-Acc/EndRdx(29), P'ngTtl-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(31)
Level 28: Hover -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 30: Fly -- Winter-ResSlow(A)
Level 32: Abyssal Empowerment -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 35: Group Fly -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 38: Dark Servant -- Acc-I(A), DampS-ToHitDeb(39), DampS-ToHitDeb/Rchg(39), DampS-ToHitDeb/Rchg/EndRdx(39), DampS-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(40), DampS-Rchg/EndRdx(40)
Level 41: Dark Embrace -- ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(42), ImpArm-ResDam(42), ImpArm-ResPsi(42)
Level 44: Oppressive Gloom -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(45), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(45), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(45)
Level 47: Soul Storm -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(48), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(48), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(48)
Level 49: Soul Tentacles -- Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg(A), Enf'dOp-EndRdx/Immob(50), Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx(50), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Supremacy
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(23), EndMod-I(23)


This is what I call a 'grower' build. It isn't purpled out, but it isn't budget either. Summon Demons is tricky. I now go Acc, Acc, centriole, centriole, enh/heal, heal to max out accuracy and damage at level 50.

Mutations dont have the same enhancements as natrual's do, do they? Or are they the same thing but different icons

You are correct. Mutation dual origins DOs come in a couple varieties: Magic/Mutant or Science/Mutant. You can buy these DOs at the magic, mutant, or science store in Steel or Skyway or through the auctionhouse. New Dual origin mutant enhancements are very useful at level 12 and level 17. I generally use DOs 12-21, Single origins (mutant in your case) at 22-30ish, and when a single Invention Origin is as strong as one single origin mutant enhancement, I start to switch over as time and influence allow.

The stores in Praetoria also sell dual origin enhancements.

but they all have the same stats? so if i look for the same stats you have on your build i should be able to find them right?

To Psylenz: I am curious why you favor Fearsome Stare (sleep) over Petrifying Gaze (hold). I have a bots/dark MM who has been 50 for a long time, and while I took FS leveling up as an alpha mitgator, I eventually respec'd out. I found that the bots did too much AoE that the mob never stayed asleep long. Wouldn't this be the case on demons, too, or do they do less AoE? Or...is the whole reason for taking FS the to-hit debuff and the possible set bonuses? I know the DS gets his own bag of tricks and you do have Soul Storm (awesome hold), so is taking the dark hold just redundant?

Btw, I have tried the whole Presence Pool/Provoke strategy, and I have found Psylenz's advice about using Crack Whip/demon attacks much more effective. I think demons is definitely one set where the attacks can be worth taking. Plus the fire whip just looks cool.

I like that this post is being revisited. There are folks who are new to mixing demons and debuffs To be precise, fearsome stare is a fear status. Feared targets will be motivated to action by attacks, but if during the duration of the fear status they are not further damaged, then they will revert to the fear state similar in effect to static field of electric control.

The numbers on Fearsome Stare's tohit debuff are 11.25% base, cone, 30 degree, 70 feet base. This stacks with Darkest Night: 22.5%, and Dark Servant's Chill of the Night: _30 %_ PbAoE on the Dark Servant. That is a TON of tohit debuff.

There are some slotting options that are all favorable. 5 slots of siphoned insight with a single Range IO is justifiable. Slotting Glimpse of the Abyss for the late game after all the stacking tohit debuffs are heavily slotted isn't a bad option. If you are short on funds, slotting as many dampened spirits as you can afford can be really inexpensive and effective with some accuracy IOs thrown in.

Awesome...thanks for the reply. I had not known that Fearsome Stare's fear was working like electric control's. Some of my controller pals have made it sound as if not all fears work the same and that electric's was fairly unique in that the mobs could go back to sleep. Maybe this was a fix across the board?

At any rate, not only is this good info for my up and coming thermal/dark, I am revisiting my bots/dark and will work this in.