shhh. they're going to nerf it before it even comes out!
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I don't know if you've ever done this before, but did you know that eight of any control archetype turns everything into mush?
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Originally Posted by DrGemini
Well, for those who were waiting for them to fix it, Darkness Control is available on the VIP beta. And, it is pretty amazing. Eight of us Dom/Control rocked the DFB pretty hard. The stacking domination/containment numbers turned everything into mush.
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wonder if that applies to 8x Earth/Emp 
must be like watching grass grow (and just as safe)
kidding aside. I'm excited about Darkness.
As far as beta goes VIP means the Chosen Ones as opposed to "not Fremium" use of VIP right? so I probably can't try it out even though I have VIP account?
No, in this case "VIP" just means "VIP."
Sometimes they do a closed beta with invited people only allowed in, but that's not what they're doing right now.
If it were a closed beta, this thread likely would have already been deleted and the OP kicked out of the beta for discussing it on the public forums like this. But since it's open to anyone with a VIP account, there's no problem.
FUN FACT: That burst of light when you level up is actually the effectiveness escaping from your enhancements all at once.
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Green Machines are actually pretty crazy. (I say this as an Earth/Emp green machiner.)|
Originally Posted by Papaschtroumpf
wonder if that applies to 8x Earth/Emp
must be like watching grass grow (and just as safe) |
Stacked Fortitude, Perma AB, essentially Perma RAs, then of course everyone could take assault since with AB/RA you're never going to have any endurance issues, combine that with APP attacks and the fact that everyone sets up containment for everyone else and it can be surprisingly brutal.
Yes the lower levels are going to be slow(and safe), but the upper levels should be a cakewalk.
Edit: Perma-AB, AM is in the wrong powerset.
@Oathbound & @Oathbound Too
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Actually, once everyone got Rocky, at 32 you would have 8 super-boosted pets doing pretty good damage. Add in 8xStone Prison and Fossilize, and even a team of Earth/Emps could do pretty well. And once the APP attacks came along, this team would do decent damage.
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Originally Posted by Papaschtroumpf
wonder if that applies to 8x Earth/Emp
must be like watching grass grow (and just as safe) |
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
I can see how AB would make the combo work, I was mostly kidding.
thanks foe the info that the beta is open to all VIPs. Now I may have to give it try.
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Eh, I suppose it isn't exclusive to this experience. I just sometimes get so used to seeing a variety on the live servers. So, when I am part of a team of 8 dark/* controllers/dominators, it seems pretty amazing.|
Originally Posted by Talen Lee
I don't know if you've ever done this before, but did you know that eight of any control archetype turns everything into mush?
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Still, my experience (after currently 22 levels) with a variety of situations (yes, not everyone I ran into was running the new stuff) suggests that Dark Control will be a great addition to the primaries available to us.
For those wanting some details on the powers and what they do, here is a little summary of what I have seen so far...
The first 3 powers in the set are your standard Immobilize, Hold, and a Cone Immobilize which uses the animation for Tenebrous Tentacles. However, I do believe the mass immob power does have better range than Tenebrous does. And, it has been noted by some that the DoT component does seem to have better numbers than Fire Control. That would probably have to be tested side-by-side. Also, if you factor in the -Resist patch from Dark Affinity, you can use your Cone Immob to do some pretty good damage even at low levels. Oh, and the animation on the cone immob is pretty cool!
At level 4, you get a nifty single target Confuse called "Possess." It has a base 8-second recharge and has a cool animation. It did seem like the Confuse was not causing any significant loss of XP per kill. As you can imagine, running the DFB and the new trial, this power was pretty handy against the bosses and AVs.
Next comes Fearsome Stare. Standard cone-range fear. In my opinion, Dark Control can probably take advantage of this better than others due to the ability to keep cycling it in with other AoE controls. Due to Fear having that -Tohit component, it really stacks with the debuff in Dark Control meaning the mobs don't hit you much to begin with.
At level 8? 10? you get Heart of Darkness which is a PBAoE stun with a small DoT to it. The concensus does seem to be that this power could use some adjustment in the cast time. It uses the "Blackstar" animation with some cool swirly effects around the mobs. I could see this being a power you might skip if you don't plan on being in melee a lot.
Level 18 gives you access to Haunt. You target 1 mob for this power. It summons 2 flying Shades which will assault your target. If the target dies before the shades disappear, they will then spread out (or follow you) and attack other enemies for as long as they remain. The base recharge on this is 3.30. Haven't been able to adequately time how long they stay out, but the duration does seem long enough to help you with at least one full mob. If you are moving at a good pace, you might get 2 groups out of them. I suspect this power can be made permanent. The shades can be targetted for buffs/healing.
Okay. Beyond 18, I don't have any experience with the rest of the set. But, the 2 other powers in the set are a location hold patch and an Umbral Beast (uses a wolf body). Perhaps someone else farther ahead of me in the testing can give information on those.
Anyways, over all it seems a good set. No telling what (if any) changes the devs might make to it before the final release.
@ Dr Gemini
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| �If we would come together and be great role models, it would be amazing to see how the next generation turns out.� |
Level bumps for Dark toons would be nice right about now.
The development team and this community deserved better than this from NC Soft. Best wishes on your search.
Pretty much 8 of Level 50 anything/anything turn the game to mush in almost all cases ... it's more about the difference between coarse gruel and a fine paste. 
And watching 8 heavily buffed Rockies emerge from the cloud of dust surrounding a boss is silly awesome.
Dark Control does indeed look nice. It helps make up for just how godawful Dark Assault is.
Just looking at the powers list it seems great, but one annoyance is you'll have to jump in and out of melee to use the 90s aoe mez.
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I don't necessarily view it as a bad thing. Both of my high-level controllers (Grav/Kin and Fire/Cold) stand around in melee with the Scrappers/Brutes/Tankers anyway.
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Originally Posted by Laevateinn
Just looking at the powers list it seems great, but one annoyance is you'll have to jump in and out of melee to use the 90s aoe mez.
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What's Dark Assault like?
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Originally Posted by kinaki
Dark Control does indeed look nice. It helps make up for just how godawful Dark Assault is.
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It's in flux.|
Originally Posted by DoctorWhat
What's Dark Assault like?
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Synapse is working on designing a new PBAoE power to replace Death Shroud, because a PBAoE damage toggle conflicts horribly with Nightfall's fast recharging and very narrow cone.
Also, Moonbeam, which many people hate, in the level 20 spot, which many people hate even more.
Current settup is:
Dark Blast
Smite
Gloom
Nightfall
Gather Shadows (+Damage +Special)
Moonbeam
Life Drain
((Death Shroud, soon to be the new PBAoE instead))
Midnight Grasp
@Oathbound & @Oathbound Too
Ooo, yeah, something like Irradiation, or Solar Flare, that you can 'Voom' and then jump back. Death Shroud is great, if you have the defenses to stand in the middle of the crowd, but not for a 'squishy'.
Be Well!
Fireheart
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I think people would go for Moonbeam more if its damage was higher. But, I have noticed that one advantage to Moonbeam (as is) is that it is a very good power with which to execute pulling. However, in the current environment where pulling is much less needed, I think Moonbeam could use some attention.|
Originally Posted by Oathbound
It's in flux.
Synapse is working on designing a new PBAoE power to replace Death Shroud, because a PBAoE damage toggle conflicts horribly with Nightfall's fast recharging and very narrow cone. Also, Moonbeam, which many people hate, in the level 20 spot, which many people hate even more. Current settup is: Dark Blast Smite Gloom Nightfall Gather Shadows (+Damage +Special) Moonbeam Life Drain ((Death Shroud, soon to be the new PBAoE instead)) Midnight Grasp |
Also, Dark powers seem to be heavily invested in Cones and Damage-Over-Time. As much as a PBAoE might be useful, I would think it would be better to replace those PBAoEs with more cones. This would go together with the rest of both sets better and better promote the whole "hovering controller/dominator" concept some people see with Darkness Control.
@ Dr Gemini
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| �If we would come together and be great role models, it would be amazing to see how the next generation turns out.� |
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What I was thinking was more that you can't just stand in one place, click aoe mez and spam immobilize for damage until the spawn is dead. You'd have to move around a little and that would be lost animation time.|
Originally Posted by Kazz
I don't necessarily view it as a bad thing. Both of my high-level controllers (Grav/Kin and Fire/Cold) stand around in melee with the Scrappers/Brutes/Tankers anyway.
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The -ToHit should make up for it, but sets that are awkward combos of melee and cones annoy me.
I do hope the Devs create a Darkness Mastery APP to accompany Darkness Control as every control set now has a thematic fit. I dont really consider Soul Mastery to be a perfect fit since it was proliferated from Doms.
Personally I would like to see:
Gloom
Dark Embrace
Soul Drain
Dark Obliteration
Dark Regeneration
agreed, having to be in melee alot as a controller is no that bad. heck, that's a good place to be as a fire/kin for example.
having to constantly jump in and out can be annoying though.
Yeah having the AoE immob. as a cone instead of Targeted AoE is...a bit meh but...*shrugs*
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That immobilize does double the damage of other sets, in the fashion of Plant Control.
While I'm loathe to use the word "best," Dark Control is very, very strong, and at least possibly the "best" Control set in the game. The minor annoyance of having to run to melee masks the fact that Heart of Darkness covers more than twice as much area as Flashfire or Stalagmites.
It also has non-aggro Confusion, which IMO is the best single target mezz in the game, and none of the problems with AoE Containment that afflict Mind or even Illusion Control.
All of that and very large amounts of -ToHit.
In other words I'm saying its overpowered without using that word because I don't feel like dealing with the aftermath of that.
That immobilize does double the damage of other sets, in the fashion of Plant Control.
While I'm loathe to use the word "best," Dark Control is very, very strong, and at least possibly the "best" Control set in the game. The minor annoyance of having to run to melee masks the fact that Heart of Darkness covers more than twice as much area as Flashfire or Stalagmites.
It also has non-aggro Confusion, which IMO is the best single target mezz in the game, and none of the problems with AoE Containment that afflict Mind or even Illusion Control.
All of that and very large amounts of -ToHit.
In other words I'm saying its overpowered without using that word because I don't feel like dealing with the aftermath of that.
[I will, however, be rerolling my Mind Controllers and Dominators as Darks because there is no reason not to.]
Well, for those who were waiting for them to fix it, Darkness Control is available on the VIP beta. And, it is pretty amazing. Eight of us Dom/Control rocked the DFB pretty hard. The stacking domination/containment numbers turned everything into mush.
@ Dr Gemini