Attempted bestial/darkness build

harlequin

Hello! I am trying to put together a bestial/darkness build for mostly casual play and I don't really know what I'm doing and would love some feedback.

Here's what I've got so far:

bestial/darkness 1st draft - Freeform (Any / Multiple)
v3.44:37

Super Stats
Level 6: Dexterity (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Endurance (Secondary)

Talents
Level 1: The Chiller (Dex: 10, Con: 10, Rec: 8, End: 10)
Level 6: Acrobat (Dex: 5, Con: 5)
Level 9: Accurate (Dex: 5, End: 5)
Level 12: Boundless Reserves (Con: 5, End: 5)
Level 15: Martial Focus (Str: 5, Dex: 5)
Level 18: Physical Conditioning (Str: 5, Con: 5)
Level 21: Survival Training (Dex: 3, Con: 3, Pre: 3, Rec: 2, End: 2)

Powers
Level 1: Shadow Bolt
Level 1: Shred (Rank 2, Penetrating Strikes)
Level 6: Shadow Embrace (Rank 2, Draining Shadows)
Level 8: Night Warrior (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Supernatural Power
Level 14: Form of the Tempest
Level 17: Resurgence (Rank 2)
Level 20: Massacre (Rank 2, Bloody Mess)
Level 23: Lifedrain (Rank 2)
Level 26: Antagonize (Rank 2, Quills)
Level 29: Shadow Shroud (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 32: Evasive Maneuvers (Slight of Mind)
Level 35: Summon Shadows (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 38: Rebirth
Adv. Points: 36/36

Travel Powers
Level 6: Teleportation
Level 35: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3)

Specializations
Dexterity: Combat Training (3/3)
Dexterity: Power Swell (2/2)
Dexterity: Deadly Aim (3/3)
Dexterity: Expose Weakness (2/2)
Warden: Slaughter (3/3)
Warden: Ruthless (2/2)
Warden: Tenacious (2/2)
Warden: The Best Defense (3/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: Focused Strikes (3/3)
Vindicator: Offensive Expertise (2/2)
Mastery: Dexterity Mastery (1/1)

Devices

Thanks!

flowcyto

Well, the main issue w/ the build is that the Darkness attacks won't proc the EU, although the EU is good for the Bestial attacks. That would mainly concern Lifedrain (LD) and SEmbrace here, so perhaps if you had enough Dex and cost discount, and didn't use those powers too much then it could be okay. Outside of that, I'd prob get R3 in LD over the Active Offense, and get Mass Destruction in Vindicator spec, and maybe Upper Hand in Warden (instead of Tenacious). I'd prob also skip on the special adv for the block enhancer, and get a different self-res than Rebirth. You may also want a different threat wipe power- EM's adv is okay for it, but it does have a longer animation and forced relocate.

harlequin

Thank you for the feedback! I'm worried that I'm trying to polish a turd with this build; is there a better way to combine Bestial and Darkness abilities? I tried focusing on Bestial and supplementing it with Darkness; would it work better the other way around, for example? Also, following your advice, would Cower and Thundering Return be better options than EM and Rebirth?

flowcyto

Well, Cower puts Fear on you (which briefly lowers your dmg), but it is an AoE threat wipe that comes out faster than EM's (which is single-target). And yea, Thundering Return would be fine. As far as mixing the sets- as long as energy is okay when using the Darkness attacks then the build could work, esp since Supernatural Power pairs well w/ expensive SN attacks like Massacre. Having some decent End + Rec (which you'd want for Supernatural Power anyways) can also help w/ energy overall. You'd prob want to test it out in the PH and/or PTS first to make sure, though. SEmbrace isn't that expensive overall, but you could also replace Lifedrain w/ Life Essence (it won't proc FotT, but will work w/ Supernatural Power), if energy is an issue when using LD.