Nobody else has tacked this one in the last few days, so I'm going to start. I'm not an expert on Dark/Dark, as I'm still working on mine. But I've been around Controllers for a while and I might be able to add a helpful hint or two. And, no offense, but I think this build needs some work.
You did not explain your playstyle. From the build, I would guess that this is a team-only support-focused build. You only have two powers slotted for damage (Haunt and Umbra Beast), which leads me to the conclusion that you don't intend to do any damage yourself. Some folks like to play that way, but I don't and most don't. Even if I'm mainly playing on teams, I can contribute to the damage and thus help missions get completed faster.
In Mids, take a look at your Recovery and your Endurance usage. Do you see how they are almost even? That means that if you use your powers during a battle, you will be sucking down your endurance very fast and go dry in a very short time. You didn't slot Stamina and didn't slot for any boost in Recovery. A character with no Endurance is pretty useless. You should put 3 slots in Stamina. 2 level 50 EndMod and the Performance Shifter proc is the usual slotting. You may want to add the Miracle proc and the Numina proc in Health. By putting a third slot in Health for a Miracle Heal, you get a Recovery buff bonus and an increase in Regen from the power itself.
Twilight Grasp is a heal that requires a ToHit on a foe. You have no accuracy slotted there, which means you'll miss a lot. I would suggest you 5-slot Touch of the Nictus there instead.
World of Confusion sucks. Pretty much every one agrees that the radius is too small, the duration of the confuse is too short. The Contagious Confusion proc helps some with the duration, but it can't help the too small radius. You took this and skipped Possess? Possess is a no aggro, single target confuse, similar to Illusion's Deceive and Mind's Confuse, but with a cooler animation effect. I strongly recommend taking Possess early in the build. If you can, 5 or 6 slot it with the purple Confuse set.
The purpose of Indomidible Will is to provide you with mez protection. It needs to be slotted with Recharge, not EndRdx.
Past those things, we are getting into "Personal opinion and choice" territory rather than "everybody knows" territory. You have slotted for Defense and Resistance at the expense of various powers. That's a choice, but I prefer to be an effective controller over an invulnerable lump. Dark/Dark has tons of ToHit Debuff, so you really don't need nearly that much Defense or Resistance if you play smart. Plus you have a very powerful heal and a Regen/Recovery buff. Plus, if you control foes before they hit you . . . they can't hit you. Plus, you can use Stealth from Shadowfall (with a Stealth IO or Super Speed for full invisibility) to avoid taking aggro. Plus, debt means almost nothing in this game (other than a few badges), so it's not so bad if you faceplant once in a while. But not everyone agrees with me on that -- lots of folks like to build for Defense, so it is a viable choice.
Since I don't focus so much on Defense, I'm not a fan of using the Fighting Pool on Controllers. I prefer to have more control or even situational powers.
I prefer to have some damage in Dark Grasp and Living Shadows, either using procs or some damage slotting. Fearsome Stare can be slotted for ToHitDebuff instead of Fear, which makes it a great alpha attack. By the time the Fear runs out, you will have been able to apply Darkest Night and Living Shadows, which means that the foes can't move and they will have a lot of trouble hitting you.
I feel having full invisibility is very useful, especially with a PB AoE control like Heart of Darkness. I usually take Super Speed for travel with my Dark Miasma (and Storm and Cold) characters, but you can use a Stealth IO instead. You can lead your pet into battle to draw the aggro, and then hit the group with Heart of Darkness. (Of course, you will also be able to stealth missions.)
You put the Will of the Controller set in HoD -- I put it in Shadow Field with the proc in Living Shadows, but some people would put it in Dark Grasp as the proc provides pretty good damage. Also, if you are building for Defense, the Lockdown set in Shadow Field (like you have it) is pretty nice. Several options there.
If you aren't going to slot Dark Grasp with the Will of the Controller set, you might want to add two more slots to your 4 Baz Gaze for an Acc/Dam and a common Damage IO. This can be a significant source of damage.
That Cloud Senses set? I'd move it to Fearsome Stare or Dark Servant. Fluffy's biggest benefit is his Aoe ToHit Debuff (but he does other nice things, too).
Soul Absorbtion: You have one of the better Heal powers in the game. I would suggest slotting for Recovery rather than Regen.
I could do a build for you, but there are too many personal choices. (and I have run out of time.) Hopefully you might get a few things out of my rambles.
With all these extra slots I'm suggesting, you will have some problems unless you steal some from somewhere else. I would drop the Resistance slotting in Shadowfall and Fade, and probably 4 slot them with Luck of the Gambler.
I would choose a different APP set. I picked Fire for mine because I wanted the damage, but I'm considering going for the Mace PPP.
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
Quote:
I agree Local that defense carries a little less weight for a dark controller though it is still possible to build for lots of defense, significant resistance, and effectively slot your powers. It may not fit everyone's play style, but I found the mixture of high defense and powerful debuffs has makes dark/dark one very sturdy controller.|
Originally Posted by Local_Man
Past those things, we are getting into "Personal opinion and choice" territory rather than "everybody knows" territory. You have slotted for Defense and Resistance at the expense of various powers. That's a choice, but I prefer to be an effective controller over an invulnerable lump. Dark/Dark has tons of ToHit Debuff, so you really don't need nearly that much Defense or Resistance if you play smart. Plus you have a very powerful heal and a Regen/Recovery buff. Plus, if you control foes before they hit you . . . they can't hit you. Plus, you can use Stealth from Shadowfall (with a Stealth IO or Super Speed for full invisibility) to avoid taking aggro. Plus, debt means almost nothing in this game (other than a few badges), so it's not so bad if you faceplant once in a while. But not everyone agrees with me on that -- lots of folks like to build for Defense, so it is a viable choice.
Since I don't focus so much on Defense, I'm not a fan of using the Fighting Pool on Controllers. I prefer to have more control or even situational powers. {snip!} I would choose a different APP set. I picked Fire for mine because I wanted the damage, but I'm considering going for the Mace PPP. |
Dark Affinity is a good starting point when building for defenses because it provides a very nice boost to defense and resistances. Jumping straight into the fighting pool may not give you great returns on your goals. To hit debuff sets provide some interesting options for defense slotting that can easily provide more benefit without giving up three power picks. For example, my dark/dark/soul controller has capped ranged, smashing, lethal, energy, and negative without investing in that pool; hover, maneuvers, and combat jumping make up the difference and provide a bit more utility for myself and the team.
As for APPs/PPPs, a lot of them can work. I considered going with Psi as well for the mez protection, but opted for Soul because of theme. This is one of the things I really like about Dark Affinity; you can stack it with a defense armor or a resistance armor and still get some viable protection. Mace or any of the other defense armors will quickly help you cap smashing/lethal and leave plenty of leeway to cap other defenses, shore up recharge, or other build goals.
Note, this build is a 'work in progress' and I'm sure I've missed a few things. But it's still should be able to give you a few ideas (I hope). As to "Twilight Grasp' not following Local Man's advice, I decided to switch it up a bit (I already have 3 darks with Touch of Nictus slotted there) and see how the Numina proc would work out there (and plus the def set bonus).
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.957
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Pretty Darkness_v02: Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Darkness Control
Secondary Power Set: Darkness Affinity
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Dark Grasp -- SWotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), SWotController-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(3), SWotController-EndRdx/Rchg(7), SWotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(29), SWotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(37), SWotController-Rchg/Dmg%(42)
Level 1: Twilight Grasp -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx(A), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(3), Numna-Heal/Rchg(13), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(27), Numna-Heal(37), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(40)
Level 2: Tar Patch -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 4: Shadowy Binds -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(5), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(5), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 6: Living Shadows -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb(A), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/Rchg(7), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(15), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(25), HO:Nucle(36)
Level 8: Fearsome Stare -- Cloud-ToHitDeb(A), Cloud-Acc/ToHitDeb(9), Cloud-Acc/Rchg(9), Cloud-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(29), Cloud-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Cloud-%Dam(46)
Level 10: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(21)
Level 12: Howling Twilight -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(15)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
Level 16: Shadow Fall -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(17), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(17), S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx(31), Ksmt-ToHit+(40), Ksmt-Def/EndRdx(42)
Level 18: Haunt -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(19), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(19), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(43), ExRmnt-+Res(Pets)(43)
Level 20: Fade -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(21), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(23), LkGmblr-Def(31)
Level 22: Possess -- CoPers-Conf%(A), CoPers-Conf(23), CoPers-Conf/Rchg(42), CoPers-Conf/EndRdx(43), CoPers-Acc/Conf/Rchg(46), CoPers-Acc/Rchg(46)
Level 24: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(25)
Level 26: Shadow Field -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(27)
Level 28: Soul Absorption -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 30: Darkest Night -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 32: Umbra Beast -- BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg(A), BldM'dt-Dmg/EndRdx(33), BldM'dt-Acc/EndRdx(33), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), BldM'dt-Acc(34), BldM'dt-Dmg(34)
Level 35: Heart of Darkness -- Amaze-EndRdx/Stun(A), Amaze-Acc/Stun/Rchg(36)
Level 38: Dark Servant -- Cloud-ToHitDeb(A), Cloud-Acc/ToHitDeb(39), Cloud-Acc/Rchg(39), Cloud-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Cloud-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(40), Cloud-%Dam(45)
Level 41: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 44: Dark Embrace -- HO:Ribo(A), HO:Ribo(45), HO:Ribo(45)
Level 47: Dark Consumption -- P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(48), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(48), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg(48)
Level 49: Summon Seer -- C'Arms-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(A), C'Arms-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50), C'Arms-Acc/Dmg(50), C'Arms-Dmg/EndRdx(50)
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Heal(11)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod(11)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- EndMod-I(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon
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Code:
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/Empaths can turn three people into Jesus, one person into God, and everyone else into the twelve apostles.~Angry_Citizen
Don't you know that discussion of power selection/slotting can ONLY be based on hearsay, rumor, idle speculation, and bald-faced lies??!? ~Elf_Sniper
First and foremost, what the hell?! I just recently started playing around with Mids'. Honestly, despite the presence of buffs in the secondary sets, I was unaware that Controllers could get such amazing defenses and resistances.
I am currently in the process of working on a Dark/Dark Controller to replace my Dark/Dark Corruptor. Fluffy's Puppy, Fade, and Soul Absorption look amazing.
I am having a bit of trouble balancing- unsure whether to lean toward positional or typed defenses. Meep.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.957
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Darkness Control
Secondary Power Set: Darkness Affinity
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Psionic Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Dark Grasp -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(3), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(7), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(7)
Level 1: Twilight Grasp -- Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(A), Numna-Heal(5), Numna-Heal/Rchg(5), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(9)
Level 2: Living Shadows -- Cloud-ToHitDeb(A), Cloud-Acc/ToHitDeb(3), Cloud-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Cloud-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(11), GravAnch-Hold%(11)
Level 4: Tar Patch -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(13)
Level 6: Darkest Night -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb(A), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(13), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(15), DarkWD-Rchg/EndRdx(15)
Level 8: Fearsome Stare -- Abys-Acc/Rchg(A), Abys-Acc/EndRdx(17), Abys-Dam%(17), Abys-Acc/Fear/Rchg(19), Abys-Fear/Rng(19)
Level 10: Howling Twilight -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 14: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx(A), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(21), S'fstPrt-ResKB(21), GA-3defTpProc(46)
Level 16: Shadow Fall -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(23), Aegis-ResDam(23), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(25), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(25)
Level 18: Haunt -- C'Arms-Acc/Rchg(A), C'Arms-Dmg/EndRdx(31), C'Arms-Acc/Dmg(43), C'Arms-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46), C'Arms-+Def(Pets)(46)
Level 20: Fade -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(27), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(29), Aegis-ResDam(29), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(31), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 22: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), Ksmt-ToHit+(27), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(33)
Level 24: Heart of Darkness -- WotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), WotController-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(33), WotController-EndRdx/Rchg(33), WotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(34), WotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(34), WotController-Rchg/Dam%(34)
Level 26: Shadow Field -- Lock-Acc/Hold(A), Lock-Acc/Rchg(36), Lock-Rchg/Hold(36), Lock-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(36), Lock-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(37), Lock-%Hold(37)
Level 28: Soul Absorption -- Dct'dW-Heal(A), Dct'dW-Rchg(37), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(39), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(39), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
Level 30: Hover -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(39)
Level 32: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(40)
Level 35: Umbra Beast -- BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg(A), BldM'dt-Dmg/EndRdx(40), BldM'dt-Acc/EndRdx(40), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), BldM'dt-Acc(42), BldM'dt-Dmg(42)
Level 38: Dark Servant -- RechRdx-I(A), Acc-I(43), RechRdx-I(50)
Level 41: Indomitable Will -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), EndRdx-I(45)
Level 44: Mind Over Body -- EndRdx-I(A), ImpArm-ResDam(45), ResDam-I(45)
Level 47: World of Confusion -- Mlais-EndRdx/Conf(A), Mlais-Conf/Rng(48), Mlais-Acc/Rchg(48), Mlais-Dam%(48), Mlais-Acc/Conf/Rchg(50), CoPers-Conf%(50)
Level 49: Fly -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- Empty(A)
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Set Bonus Totals: