Hey all, the character I consider my main forever and I've always felt he didn't quite hit the "leadership" feel I've always wanted him to have and he has always been Shadowform passive as it just fits thematically very well.
I have tried out Kenpo's shadow dps build which is decently survivable but at the same time I find I would like to be able to become more durable while still having good dps.
The last character I just finished leveling I had tried a dual passive of Night Warrior and Lightning Reflexes Ninja guy, and it is very fun to play.
So it left me thinking I can do something similar with my main darkness toon, though I just want to much in the character, as well I'm at odds for SS's and which defensive passive.
Currently I am on Ego/Con/Int but I really want Pre in there, but as my guy focuses on AoE destruction via Skarn's and EVoid, I need some energy management for those long maintains, especially Skarn's. Skarn's is my main attack.
So currently what I have is;
Ego/Con/Int but debating to get Pre in there I was hoping to go Ego/Con/Pre but alas I will probably have energy issues.
1 Shadow Bolts
1 Shadow Form
6 Shadow Shroud
8 Life Drain
11 Dark Transfusion
14 Concentration
17 Ebon Rift
20 Skarn's Bane
23 Ebon Ruin
26 Void Horror
29 Summon Shadows
32 Unbreakable
35 Ego Surge
38 Endbringers Grasp
Specializations:
Ego: Force of Will 2, Aggression 2, Insight 1 / Sixth Sense 2, Follow Through 3
Vindicator: Merciless 3, Aggressive Stance 2, Rush of Battle 3 / Modified Gear 2
Guardian: Ruthless 2, Fortified Gear 3 / The Best Defense 3, Locus 2
Need to be added: def passive
-Which one fits my build best? I have been debating Defiant, Regen or AoRD, though the last I realize is Support role.
I have also wanted to have a shield and heal in there which would probably be Conviction and Mindful Reinforcement. As well I have found MSA works great for an energy unlock but again, where to put it.
Endbringers Grasp looks so damn cool and just fits my aoe mass destruction theme very well.
So I know I am asking a lot from you all but any advice is appreciated. Just hoping there is a way that I have not seen yet to make this work.
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Comments
If energy issues come from Skarn's and ERuin spam, then ya could try using Circle of Arcane Power for some extra energy that way. Or maybe CoAP as an alternative to using Dark Transfusion, since DT spam imperils ur survival a good bit.
Defiance would be good since it also gives ya much more energy return for being hit, but Regen would be the easiest defensive passive to manage when solo (Defiance takes more maintenance healing and Con-gearing to be good).
If ya want some Pres, then ya can always get one mod for it. Pres would only be good here for its additive bonus heal- which is fine, but that soft-caps when Pres is at 70 (a rather low value).
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
I don't really have a way to generate fear in this build reliably, so not sure it would work so well, and I would need to change out one power for Spirit reverb, and another for fear like Void Shift with adv. Feels like to much to make that work and I'm not sure it would net me that much energy return.
How well does Overdrive work for generating energy? As i do channel Skarn's a lot.
As for Def Passive, what do I take out to install it?
I was thinking shadow shroud for Defiant, but then I give up the cycling of AO. Do you think giving up the second AO be the best spot?
For Regen, does it handle well for tough bosses or am I better with Defiant for that?
Basically I'm trying to make him survivable while being an aoe killing machine. If things get a bit to harry or we need someone that can tank well enough for a boss, then I could step up.
Overdrive prob wouldn't be too great for energy here, since it doesn't get high stacks w/o using multiple toggles at once (basically just applies to Power Armor). It wouldn't require shoehorning in a circle or short-cd powers, though. If ya wanted to try it, it scales mostly w/ Rec (in-game tooltip is wrong). Also keep in mind that won't apply for non-maintains like Ebon Ruin, and I'm not sure how often ya plan on using that.
To make room in the build, I'd first drop the Void Horror, as mentioned before. It doesn't add much dps in a build like this, and it'll give ya a 10% final energy penalty when its up. Shadow Shroud is also fine being dropped- it won't add nearly as much burst dps to the build as Ego Surge w/ NM would; I'd only keep it if ya really wanted a 2nd hold break.
Do you use Dark Transfusion much atm? Its good for energy, but I'd try to work around it if ur also having survival issues.
Regen and Defiance are both good passives, for a bit diff reasons. If energy is still an issue, though, I'd consider Defiant first, but then you'd also prob want another regular heal other than Lifedrain in there (it'd also save you 4 adv points since ya don't need to rank it up). Regen doesn't take large hits as well as Defiance (not really a big deal until Rampage-level content, imo) and also doesn't give any extra energy, but its better for solo and most other lower-end content, and requires less maintenance healing in those cases.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
Epic Stronghold
Block timing explained
As for Shadow Shroud, I will go with swapping that out for the def passive. I really like the concept of Regen with Darkness, to me it just fits thematically so well. And as I don't really have the other tools like CripplingC for tanking this will suffice just right as possibly off tank able. I don't use SS for hold breaking that often nor really need it that much as well.
As for Dark Trans, I use it on cooldown a lot. It's kind of like a mini AO and energy ability in one, and I find with the health returns from Rush of Battle and Shadowform compensate for it pretty well, that I never really find it an issue or risk usually. I find my survival pretty decent for a dps focus.
I will post an updated build link shortly.
I'd be careful taking Regen if ur using Dark Transfusion, as the heal debuff also affects Regen's heal (and the -heal debuff lasts quite a while- as long as the self-DoT). Since it doesn't sound like ur tanking most of the time, that may not be a big issue normally, but ya may just have to forgo using DT when trying to tank w/ Regen and rely more on CoAP and blocking for extra energy then.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!