Illusion/Dark Controller?

I was playing around with an Illusion/Dark Controller in Mids and holy hell! The opportunity there.

You have three powers that boost the team's defense:
- Group Invisibility (2 minute duration)
- Shadow Fall (toggle)
- Fade (1 minute duration)

You also have three pets:
- Phantom Army
- Phantasm
- Dark Servant

Now, Fade's power has been changed a bit since the last Mids update, so I can't make an accurate build now since the defense numbers are going to be a lot lower than this...but in a test build I made I was able to get all defense stats to 41.1% with just Group Invis, Shadow Fall and Fade. With a Steadfast Prot in Tough and Weave on, those numbers were at 51% as my personal defense.
Then stacked with Scorpion Shield, I was at 71% S/L.

And I didn't otherwise really slot for defense in bonuses. I went for recharge to try getting Phantom Army, Fade, Hasten, and Soul Absorption up as often as possible. Got the recharges to 68s for PA (with 60s duration), 118s for Hasten (120s duration), 31s for Soul Absorption (30s duration), 50s for Fade (should be 1 min duration - but I think the recharge time was increased, so this number may not be accurate either). But that it is all without any Incarnate alpha power that gives more recharge - it is 113.8% global recharge or 183.8% recharge with perma-Hasten.

I think this set combo has the potential to be seriously kick-***. It is heavily dependent on recharge in terms of what you would want to slot for, but its potential can be incredible, I think.

Any thoughts? Has anyone tried this combo out?

Welcome to the Party...

Pets

Phantom Army (2-4 seconds off perma )
Phantasm
Dark Servant
Spectral Terror

Nice debuffs

Tar Patch, Howling Twilight and Twilight Grasp

Nice buffs, defense heals and end recovery

Twilight Grasp, Fade, Soul Absorption....

I went with Ghost Widow and picked up Dark Embrace and Dark Obliteration..

So ive got perma fade, ShadowFall and Dark Embrace...

I cant even tell you how ridiculous this toon is make one yourself and enjoy it !!

( it wasnt a cheap build by the way )

Depending on what the final numbers for Fade turn out to be in Mids, I might drop Scorpion Shield and grab Soul Mastery for Soul Drain.

Soul Drain + Soul Absorption just sounds so ungodly good.

Ill/Dark is a very very nice combo.

Fade is 9.38% def and 9.38% s/l/neg/psi res with the same up/down time as haunt, so you're looking at perma 14-15% defense, another 5% from shadow fall, 3% from group invis, and 4% from maneuvers for 27% defense to everyone in the group on top of -to hit. Not bad at all.
Soul absorption is 100% regen +50% recovery, and an additional 18.8% regen and 9.4% recovery for every living/dead enemy in its radius up to 16 (auto hit except for the -to hit). 45s up/160s down. Theoretically you could get it as high as 800% regen and 400% recovery. For your whole team.

I can not stop playing my Illusion/Dark troller. I was able to get her to 50 during double xp weekend, and she's just a couple of IOs away from being complete. This combo is great solo and on teams.

If you can afford to get PA to permanent or close to permanent, there's literally no downtime. It is delightful.

I found Soul Drain to be useless because I am not in melee a lot to take advantage of it and I dont have enough personal attacks to make the damage boost worth while.

I am almost perma pa.. Once I slot my Agility Alpha I should be perma PA easily...

Easily one of the best controllers I have ever made..

here is the chunk to an ill/dark with 0,7 % short of softcapped def to sm/l/f/c/melee/aoe (i am taking the new numbers for fade)
others are above the softcap with barrier
it has perma PA(0,05 sec away from it), Fade and Indomitable Will and Hasten
Soul absorption is 1,43 sec away from perma (28,43 sec rech from 120 sec originally with 3 sec cast time and 30 sec duration)

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Here's the IO build I'm using. Very happy with it.

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If you want to add insult to injury (or just more injury to your foes) go for a patron pool pet... with all the recharge you'll have getting PA perma you'll also have a perma patron pet as well.

Phantasm + Patron + 3 Phantom Army Pets to dish out damage.

Spectral Terror + Dark Servant to handle mez, healing and debuffing

And you get to be the cherry on top of that sundae doing just about anything you want as you cripple foes with debuffs and controls, while tossing some damage yourself with spectral wounds, blind and a patron aoe.

I get giddy just thinking about it. Moreso when I think of adding incarnate pets to my amassed forces... you'll be like a mastermind without bodyguard and the fine pet commands but with much more personal damage, control, buffs and debuffs.

I just have to say a few things about how awesome this build is and can be with the recharge levels needed for perma phantom army.

For one with that recharge(perma PA levels) and 2 recharges IOs in tar patch you can keep two tar patches going for -60% res(Sweet!). Have howling twilight up 30 out of every 45 seconds for -500% regen(2/3 of the times double sweet!). Dark servant sets up aoe containment with his tentacles which the only way an ill can is flash but even with crazy recharge it's not up every spawn. With all the pets real easy to keep another -10% res from reactive interface for a whopping -70% res. And of course even with perma phantom army you have the recast which can get you hurt you have darkest night dark servant and spectral terror laying down massive to-hit and some -damage and fear.


This might be the most perfect controller I have ever played or had the pleasure of building.

edit: just to add both my pet and me have heals so that is awesome and conserve power with all that recharge is up more then half the time which completely takes care of all end problems.

Here's the build if anyone is interested I managed to make this significantly cheaper threw the use on converters then what they other wise would have cost.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.954
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Illusion Control
Secondary Power Set: Darkness Affinity
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Primal Forces Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Spectral Wounds -- Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Decim-Acc/Dmg(3), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(5), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(5)
Level 1: Twilight Grasp -- Cloud-Acc/ToHitDeb(A), Cloud-Acc/Rchg(17), Cloud-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Cloud-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(19), Heal-I(19), Heal-I(21)
Level 2: Deceive -- CoPers-Conf%(A), CoPers-Conf/EndRdx(7), CoPers-Conf/Rchg(7), CoPers-Acc/Conf/Rchg(9), CoPers-Acc/Rchg(9)
Level 4: Tar Patch -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(21)
Level 6: Blind -- UbrkCons-EndRdx/Hold(A), UbrkCons-Dam%(11), UbrkCons-Hold/Rchg(11), UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(13), UbrkCons-Acc/Rchg(13)
Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(15)
Level 10: Hover -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 12: Fly -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
Level 14: Darkest Night -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb(A), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(15), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(23), DarkWD-Rchg/EndRdx(23)
Level 16: Howling Twilight -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(25), EndRdx-I(25)
Level 18: Phantom Army -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(27), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(29), S'bndAl-Dmg/Rchg(29), S'bndAl-Build%(31)
Level 20: Flash -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(31), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(31), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(33)
Level 22: Shadow Fall -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), RedFtn-Def(33), RedFtn-EndRdx(33), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(34), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(34), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(34)
Level 24: Afterburner -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 26: Spectral Terror -- SWotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), SWotController-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(36), SWotController-EndRdx/Rchg(36), SWotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(36), SWotController-Rchg/Dmg%(37)
Level 28: Superior Invisibility -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 30: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 32: Phantasm -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(39), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(39), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), HO:Nucle(40)
Level 35: Power Blast -- Apoc-Dam%(A), Apoc-Dmg/EndRdx(40), Apoc-Dmg/Rchg(42), Apoc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Apoc-Acc/Rchg(42), ExStrk-Dam%(43)
Level 38: Dark Servant -- Nictus-Heal(A), Nictus-Acc/Heal(43), Cloud-ToHitDeb(43), Cloud-Acc/ToHitDeb(45), Cloud-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(45), Cloud-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(45)
Level 41: Temp Invulnerability -- ImpSkn-ResDam/EndRdx(A), ImpSkn-ResDam/Rchg(46), ImpSkn-EndRdx/Rchg(46), ImpSkn-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(46), ImpSkn-Status(48), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(48)
Level 44: Energy Torrent -- Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Ragnrk-Dmg(48), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(50), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(50)
Level 47: Fade -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 49: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
------------
Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(37)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod(37), EndMod-I(39)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run

I believe that power boost doesn't work on fade because it has a res component.