Tips for a Soul Vampire's Darkness build?

doomedluke1

Hey people,

I finally got my FF slot and am recreating my Void character (the one in my avatar, formerly known as Vlad Bathory) as a FF. But it's my first build all by myself, so I'd be glad for some help.

The concept is that he's a kind of soul vampire with powers based on darkness (with no summons). I want him to have high DPS with good survivability if possible, but I'm not sure if I prioritized the right stats. I also put Shadow Form and Regeneration for alternate builds, since I wasn't sure what Passive to pick (since I'm not sure I'm clear with how powers and builds in a FF work).

What I got so far in planning is this (right now I'm at level 14):




PowerHouse (Link to this build)

Name:

Archetype: Freeform

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

Talents:
Level 1: The Void
Level 6: Ascetic
Level 9: Daredevil
Level 12: Boundless Reserves
Level 15: Shooter
Level 18: Accurate
Level 21: Acrobat

Powers:
Level 1: Shadow Bolt
Level 1: Shadow Embrace (Rank 2, Dark Displacement, Accelerated Metabolism)
Level 6: Shadow Form (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Lifedrain (Rank 2)
Level 11: Spirit Reverberation
Level 14: Concentration
Level 17: Ebon Void (Voracious Darkness)
Level 20: Ebon Ruin (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 23: Regeneration (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26: Rebirth
Level 29: Shadow Shroud (Rank 2, Terrifying Visage)
Level 32: Ebon Rift (Rank 2, Vengeful Shadows)
Level 35: Skarn's Bane (Rank 2, Warlock's Malice)
Level 38: Grasping Shadows

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Shadow Wings (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Inky Ooze Tunneling

Specializations:
Ego: Force of Will (2/2)
Ego: Insight (3/3)
Ego: Aggression (2/2)
Ego: Sixth Sense (3/3)
Guardian: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)
Guardian: Retribution (2/2)
Guardian: The Best Defense (3/3)
Avenger: Ruthless (2/2)
Avenger: Anguish (2/2)
Avenger: Round 'em Up (3/3)
Avenger: Relentless Assault (3/3)
Mastery: Ego Mastery (1/1)


Another question is: what is the best resurrection power?


Thanks in advance if anyone can reply!

flowcyto

The basics of the build seem okay. There's a few means to go about Darkness dps- I'll make yours centered around heavy Ebon Rift and Ebon Ruin use, instead of pets or shadow blast + avenger mastery.

PowerHouse (Link to this build)

Archetype: Freeform

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

Talents:
Level 1: The Void
Level 6: Ascetic
Level 9: Daredevil
Level 12: Boundless Reserves
Level 15: Shooter
Level 18: Accurate
Level 21: Acrobat

Powers:
Level 1: Shadow Bolt
Level 1: Shadow Embrace (Rank 2, Dark Displacement)
Level 6: Shadow Form (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Ego Sleep (Plagued by Nightmares)
Level 11: Spirit Reverberation
Level 14: Concentration
Level 17: Lifedrain (Rank 2, Vampiric Sympathy)
Level 20: Ebon Ruin (Rank 2, Nyctophobia, Paranormal Paranoia)
Level 23: Regeneration (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26: Ebon Void (Voracious Darkness)
Level 29: Rebirth
Level 32: Ebon Rift (Rank 2, Vengeful Shadows)
Level 35: Ego Surge (Rank 2, Nimble Mind)
Level 38: Skarn's Bane (Rank 2)

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Shadow Wings (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Inky Ooze Tunneling

Specializations:
Ego: Force of Will (2/2)
Ego: Insight (3/3)
Ego: Follow Through (3/3)
Ego: Sixth Sense (2/3)
Guardian: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)
Guardian: Retribution (2/2)
Guardian: The Best Defense (3/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: Focused Strikes (3/3)
Vindicator: Mass Destruction (2/3)
Mastery: Ego Mastery (1/1)

Changed Shadow Shroud for ES/NM, which is less thematic but more optimal of a burst dps/heal cd. Ya can change it back if ya want. Also took out the cast-CC hold, since its not that good in group PvE (aside from looks).

Ya needed a better/more reliable means of applying Fear to single-targets for Spirit Reverb than shadow embrace, so I gave ya Ego Sleep w/ adv instead- it'll apply Fear (and disorient) on tap (in an AoE when charged). Ya can always trade it for shadow blast full-charges or ebon shift w/ adv, but they won't be as convenient as a Fear apply vs. a tapped Ego Sleep for a ranged dps.

Cleaned up the specs a bit- gave ya Guardicator since its an optimal mix for damage and defense.

Lifedrain's heal crits are derived from its single target dmg crits, so upping ur ST-crit% and severity can help the healing (as an alternative to Pres/+heal%).

I kept Skarn's in there at the end. I assume that's just for pvp or debuffing certain bosses like Ao'Queph?


Oh, and the best ally res power at baseline is Res Serum, if ur going by the amount it heals allies up - but it has a small cd and shorter range. Redemption and Divine Renewal have AoE advs and better reach, but res allies w/ notably less health per rank vs. serum. If ya got extra adv points, the latter two are good, if not then the serum will work fine.
If ya just meant a self-res, then keeping Rebirth is fine.

jimhsua

TBH while regeneration is an excellent leveling power (probably *the* best, given my experience in grab alerts - for several reasons: flat % dmg reduction, large +healing without requiring bonus healing or PRE, and most importantly requires no energy for healing), at lvl40, lifedrain + shadow form + other passive healing can probably cover all of your healing needs provided that you're not the main tank. You could then take the rez, more support powers, etc. depending on your preferences.

doomedluke1

Thanks for replying, guys!

Flowcyto, at first your Ego Sleep suggestion seemed too off the concept since he wasn't intended for having psychic powers, but in practical terms it looks really interesting. I'm already almost at level 17, so instead of rolling back a few powers, I'll just swap places for ES and try it.
I put Grasping Shadows more for filling the space and for having some form of CC, so ES might do it.

I didn't think about Vindicator being beneficial for Life Drain, so I'll follow that one too, although I prefer to stick to Critical Chance than Severity.

But I didn't get the Ego Surge part, since I don't know how it works. Can you please clarify?


Jimhsua, I'm not familiar with all the passives, can you give me a few suggestions about?


Another doubt I have as a FF is how many passives can I have active at a time, which I assume is one?

jimhsua

Well, for the basics, there is this page on the old wiki: http://web.archive.org/web/20130807180224/http://champions-online-wiki.com/wiki/Slotted_Passive

1. Only 1 may be active at any one time.

2. What you can slot depends on your selected Role (hybrid/tank/melee dps/ranged dps/support). Shadow form is an offensive passive - it can only be slotted into the hybrid/dps roles. Regeneration is a defensive passive - it can be slotted into the hybrid or tank roles.

3. Which offensive passive you choose mostly depends on the dmg type you're doing: choose something that's compatible. For darkness, Shadow Form is good, and plus the fact that it boosts Dimensional damage, which includes ego. (See here for the damage type categories: http://web.archive.org/web/20130807194718/http://www.champions-online-wiki.com/wiki/Physical_Damage )

4. Which defensive passive you choose is dependent on a number of things. For a good (though outdated) review, see the first post in this thread:
http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=85948. However, it is highly recommended NOT to choose PFF (Personal Force Field), especially for a first build.

5. You can choose both an offensive and defensive (as here) if you want. These builds aren't obviously as optimal as one that specializes in either, of course.

6. Don't worry about the support passives for now. Those are probably not suited for a first build.

jimhsua

About flow's suggestions:

Ego Surge (with the Nimble Mind advantage) is the go-to power for dramatically boosting your crit chance, especially since CON is a SSS. Highly recommended that you take it for the DPS.

A method of proccing fear is very important for darkness, because the energy unlock depends on it. I'd also consider Void Shift w/ the adv, Howl, etc as alternatives, but yea Ego Sleep is a good ranged one.

Vindicator improves both crit chance and sev. Take both of them.

Also .. accelerated metabolism is just ... bad. Puny energy, even if it works (which it usually doesn't). Points there should rather go to anything else, including travel powers.

flowcyto

Ego Form is another offensive passive that can boost paranormal dmg like Darkness', offers a smaller boost to physical dmg, and grants a small amount of all dmg resist. Doesn't have the small heal from Shadow Form or the reduced threat/aggression effects, though, and is less in-theme.
Quarry or Night Warrior could also work since they provide some all-dmg boosts, but they would prob be even less in-theme than Ego Form (unelss ya wanna play a stealthy shadow-mage w/ NW or something).

Aura of Ebon Destruction could be another fitting (support) passive that is dps-oriented, but it'd require you to be in Hybrid role (sub-optimal for dmg and keeping threat low, but does boost ur healing more) and its best left for pet-heavy builds due to its ebon lightning proc.

jimhsua wrote: »

Also .. accelerated metabolism is just ... bad. Puny energy, even if it works (which it usually doesn't). Points there should rather go to anything else, including travel powers.

Yeah, AM has an internal cd of about 10-12 seconds before it can proc again, iirc. The tooltip for it is very misleading. And that icd is shared among all abilities, so it doesn't matter how many of them ya put AM on.

I only consider AM if I have 1 spare point left and I dun wanna rank my 2nd TP, and then it'll usually just go on a regularly used attack for a small energy boost (or just don't spend that point at all and have a slightly less retraining cost :x ).

I think everything else has been covered, but let us know if there's any other questions or concerns.

monsterdaddy

If you are planning to fight at 100ft range with Ebon Ruin then I suggest Shadow Blast -- a full charge applies Fear. Also, I'd recommend sticking to Ebon Ruin R3 with Nyctophobia because losing 20% from Rank 3 to gain 10% back doesn't make sense to me.

Is your hero a stealthy type, i.e. blend in with shadows? I'd recommend trying out Shadow Form Rank 3 with Sigil of Radiant Sanctuary Rank 3 plus cooldown gear. Pretty neat to be invisible to your targets as you pick them off from 100ft, even works on Rampage bosses like Frosticus. They can't hit what they can't see (though they can see your Sigils, hence the cooldown gear to re-stealth yourself.)

For costume, check out Shadow Form aura with Ice Sheath aura. Neat effect.

jimhsua

monsterdaddy wrote: »

If you are planning to fight at 100ft range with Ebon Ruin then I suggest Shadow Blast -- a full charge applies Fear. Also, I'd recommend sticking to Ebon Ruin R3 with Nyctophobia because losing 20% from Rank 3 to gain 10% back doesn't make sense to me.

Is your hero a stealthy type, i.e. blend in with shadows? I'd recommend trying out Shadow Form Rank 3 with Sigil of Radiant Sanctuary Rank 3 plus cooldown gear. Pretty neat to be invisible to your targets as you pick them off from 100ft, even works on Rampage bosses like Frosticus. They can't hit what they can't see (though they can see your Sigils, hence the cooldown gear to re-stealth yourself.)

For costume, check out Shadow Form aura with Ice Sheath aura. Neat effect.

Obligatory video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz_mcmKkImA

Seriously though shadow form is a very versatile offensive passive for both DPS, off-tanking (with the small HPS), and even support (with the -% threat bonuses + lifedrain w/ adv).

flowcyto

monsterdaddy wrote: »

If you are planning to fight at 100ft range with Ebon Ruin then I suggest Shadow Blast -- a full charge applies Fear. Also, I'd recommend sticking to Ebon Ruin R3 with Nyctophobia because losing 20% from Rank 3 to gain 10% back doesn't make sense to me.

Depends on the rotation (and the team, in group content). Ur assuming the vast majority of the dmg will be coming from ER. But shadow dps builds using SB + AM, pets, or Ebon Rift (like the OPs) won't necc be true w/ that. Plus its not taking into account any team-wide boost that results from the Paranormal debuff.

Unknown

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doomedluke1

So guys, I've been leveling (now at lvl 26) and trying out what we discussed here and am following a mix of flowcyto's build and mine, but also swapped a bit the order of the powers to suit what I felt the character needed.

gradii wrote: »

Well considering how many vampires have supernatural abilities to hypnotize their targets, (see the new shadows ego sleep) I'd say ego sleep works fine with a Vampire concept build.

Yeah, well thought, but he isn't really connected to traditional vampires so his powers are quite different... That said, I tried Ego Sleep but felt kind of strange and couldn't get used to it with this char, even though I have it with my Mind character. So I sticked with Grasping Shadows with Unyielding Agony since it adds some DPS. The only downside to me is its charging time.


I usually play solo and at mid range, so I chose to give Ebon Ruin the advantage rather than rank 3, as I use more area powers. I also forgot to pick the group healind adv for Life Drain and picked rank 3 instead... :P
I realized I'm kind of following the Void AT more or less, but I think it's been a balanced build and it quite fits the character's concept (Void and Grimoire are the best ATs IMO). I might try something different if I find powers that I think they fit though, the problem is gathering Gs for the respecs... XD

I still couldn't decide if I'll get Regeneration seen how Shadow Form gives some healing... The problems I found with this build are two things: my energy equilibrium is pretty low since I had invested too little in REC, and this prevents me from starting the combat with Grasping Shadows... Should I Swap Super Endurance for Recovery or may I compensate this just with gear? The other thing is that fighting a lot of more powerful mobs can be overwhelming sometimes, for example, accidentally drawing entire groups in Fighting City Hall.

I'm thinking of forgetting Regen and using the slot for a different power...


One more question, if anyone can help me: I've seen sometimes in alerts a power which consists of some kind of dark vortex or tornado with a really haunting sound... Does anyone know what power is that? It's not any of Squall AT powers.

flowcyto

Recreating an AT isn't necc bad, since not all of them have bad builds.

Void has a good power selection for an AT. It has a poor SS setup (imo), and a role that's not optimal for dps (hybrid), but its power selection is mostly solid. As an FF, taking an AT template and adding more powers and tweaks.. is def a valid way to approach building FFs (in fact, its one means I'd recommend to newer players wanting to get into FF building).

If ur having trouble w/ the stats, ya can always try one I usually take for ranged builds that can have energy-heavy attacks, like ER: INT/End/Con. Int PSS has Preparation- which allows End to also increase equilibrium. W/ that and some Rec talents or one secondary w/ Rec on it, I find those characters tend to have good enough starter and total energy to perform most rotations that demand higher energy use. You'd still want to gear from some Dex/crit to have a decent crit rate (w/ Int PSS ya can get 20-30% more return from Dex's crit as well).

Another good option could be EGO/Int/Con, w/ a bit of extra Rec/End gearing on the side. You'd gear mostly for Int (and Con) which means you get more from Int's cost reduction and from Ego PSS's Insight, while still getting the crit and defense benefits from taking Ego PSS. EGO/Con/Rec w/ mostly Ego gearing could also work, but will mean higher ability cost and longer cd timers.

As far as dropping Regen (which you'd only want to keep if you plan on regularly swapping between both passives) ya could replace it w/ an AD, which the base build/AT lacks. Resurgence or (un-ranked) MD would be good picks. They can allow ya to get through tight spots w/o needing to swap to a defensive passive - provided its not happening very frequently.

One more question, if anyone can help me: I've seen sometimes in alerts a power which consists of some kind of dark vortex or tornado with a really haunting sound... Does anyone know what power is that? It's not any of Squall AT powers.

I was going to guess Ebon Rift, but if you played the Void you may have already seen that, so I dunno. It and Vortex in Wind can pull enemies toward the spell effect.

doomedluke1

For what I've found searching this power, I think it may a device, and not really a power. It seems it might be Soul Vortex, a drop from Aftershock.

I tried Resurgence but didn't find it satisfying, so I got back to Regeneration. And while changing the role cuts a bit of the damage, it makes my character really difficult to be killed. But, although when in Ranged role the energy problem almost disappears, in Hybrid it comes back. So I'm switching between Ranged when doing regular missions and Hybrid when fighting stronger enemies.

I think I'm gonna wait until I get to lvl 40 to see how it comes out, but maybe I'll respec at least the stats. I don't want to give up Ego and Con, but I may swap End for Rec or Int... don't know yet.