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Forums > Home› Builds and Roles

Freeform Darkness/Shadow Build?

tykunetykune Posts: 70 Arc User
in Builds and Roles
I am looking to formulate pve and pvp freeform build for a shadow/darkness type character, but I am willing to be flexible with the character's background depending on what alterations would be made to the build (be is elemental or telekinetic, etc) to make it more dps/survival savy, though leaning more towards dps. I would very much like to request people's opinions on it, and for advice to make it better.

http://powerhouse.nullware.com/powerhouse.html?v=13&n=&d=1536TXWQPYZs000K000K100K205K503K3047F00K705KD07K900K405KA03KE05000000000ckr3Svt3VNY

Comments

  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,859 Arc User
    Looks okay thus far. I'd rank up Shadow Blast as its an easy, cheap, and long range way of putting up Fear. Plus, if ur planning on using ERuin heavily for ST dps (which its now good at), its a lot easier on energy to alternate SBlast and ERuin casts than to try to spam ERuin (plus ya got Preemptive Strike anyways), and if ur using SBlast that heavily then you'd want to rank it.

    I'd also change Shadow Shroud for Ego Sure w/ NM, though if ya wanted a diff AO than ES/NM for the theme then that's alright.

    I prob wouldn't really bother w/ Grasping Shadows; holds are pretty weak w/o being a Manip build- even AoE ones imo. May also want to consider the ally healing adv on Lifedrain, depending on ur priorities. I'd prob add a threat wipe, a self-res, and/or Active Defense in there as well. Would prob also get Find the Mark in Guardian over Locus.
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
  • tykunetykune Posts: 70 Arc User
    edited April 2016
    flowcyto said:

    Looks okay thus far. I'd rank up Shadow Blast as its an easy, cheap, and long range way of putting up Fear. Plus, if ur planning on using ERuin heavily for ST dps (which its now good at), its a lot easier on energy to alternate SBlast and ERuin casts than to try to spam ERuin (plus ya got Preemptive Strike anyways), and if ur using SBlast that heavily then you'd want to rank it.

    I'd also change Shadow Shroud for Ego Sure w/ NM, though if ya wanted a diff AO than ES/NM for the theme then that's alright.

    I prob wouldn't really bother w/ Grasping Shadows; holds are pretty weak w/o being a Manip build- even AoE ones imo. May also want to consider the ally healing adv on Lifedrain, depending on ur priorities. I'd prob add a threat wipe, a self-res, and/or Active Defense in there as well. Would prob also get Find the Mark in Guardian over Locus.

    The thing with locus is that it is fairly easy to build up through both void blocking and my DoT attacks, plus it coincides well with The Best Defense as both the defense and offense gained from full stacks of locus go towards the bonus. And since fortified gear increases the defense I get from equipment by a percentage, it would scale it up pretty well as well considering that I gain 100% of my defense as offense. Would Find the Mark still be a better option?

    Also, is ego surge still useful even though I don't have ego blades? Shadow Shroud seems to offer what ego surge does, with the exception that it gives a chance to fear, and has an advantage that gives a chance for them to go in a psychotic break that stuns and damages them over time. Shadow shroud also makes it so I do not have to upgrade my shadow blast as it pretty much has the same effect.

    As for grasping shadows, I figured presence would fix that considering it gives hold duration. I am open for whatever abilities would give a threat wipe, self-res, and/or active defense.
    Post edited by tykune on
  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,859 Arc User
    The main draw to Ego Surge isn't the base power, but rather Nimble Mind. NM gives you flat, DR-free crit% that scales really well w/ Con. Any FF build w/ Con SS (even if not a tank) can get very high crit from it, which makes ES/NM far surpass other AOs for burst dps.

    As far as Locus: I consider the crit from Find the Mark better for Ranged dps builds, cause Locus has downtime (even when spamming AoE), and the offense/defense boost is a bit dwarfed by what The Best Defense and Aggressive Stance already give you (and for dps, any added Offense to dmg will be heavily diminished in return). ERuin and Shadow Blast don't proc Locus either.

    For non-PFF builds (such as this one), any Active Defense other than Field Surge can be good. Masterful Dodge is typically the best one for a tanking cd, since it puts you well past 100% dodge even at R1 (so ya dun want to rank it up) and basically serves to halve all dmg ya take for the duration. Unbreakable is a decent alternative, though not as good for dps build, but the dmg shield can be nice for completely shrugging off smaller hits. Resurgence is just a big burst heal that scales w/ Con, and it can crit- so its decent for dps w/ Con SS that also have high crit%. Ice Barrier is also a decent mitigation cd, but it ties ya to some destructible ice pillars for that mitigation.

    If ya want a threat wipe, I'd pick between Palliate w/ Absolve (long cd, but guaranteed threat wipe w/ a small heal added) or Evasive Maneuver's w/ SoM (much shorter cd and gives a dodge buff, but the threat wipe has a 50% chance of triggering). I've gotten Smoke Bomb w/ adv to work as a threat wipe as well (the AoE KB will keep enemies from hitting you after using it), but it doesn't seem to be as consistent (or perhaps sometimes it bugs out, idk).

    If ya want a self-res, I'd prob take Rebirth, since CoRG ties you to a circle.
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
  • tykunetykune Posts: 70 Arc User
    edited April 2016
    flowcyto said:

    The main draw to Ego Surge isn't the base power, but rather Nimble Mind. NM gives you flat, DR-free crit% that scales really well w/ Con. Any FF build w/ Con SS (even if not a tank) can get very high crit from it, which makes ES/NM far surpass other AOs for burst dps.

    As far as Locus: I consider the crit from Find the Mark better for Ranged dps builds, cause Locus has downtime (even when spamming AoE), and the offense/defense boost is a bit dwarfed by what The Best Defense and Aggressive Stance already give you (and for dps, any added Offense to dmg will be heavily diminished in return). ERuin and Shadow Blast don't proc Locus either.

    For non-PFF builds (such as this one), any Active Defense other than Field Surge can be good. Masterful Dodge is typically the best one for a tanking cd, since it puts you well past 100% dodge even at R1 (so ya dun want to rank it up) and basically serves to halve all dmg ya take for the duration. Unbreakable is a decent alternative, though not as good for dps build, but the dmg shield can be nice for completely shrugging off smaller hits. Resurgence is just a big burst heal that scales w/ Con, and it can crit- so its decent for dps w/ Con SS that also have high crit%. Ice Barrier is also a decent mitigation cd, but it ties ya to some destructible ice pillars for that mitigation.

    If ya want a threat wipe, I'd pick between Palliate w/ Absolve (long cd, but guaranteed threat wipe w/ a small heal added) or Evasive Maneuver's w/ SoM (much shorter cd and gives a dodge buff, but the threat wipe has a 50% chance of triggering). I've gotten Smoke Bomb w/ adv to work as a threat wipe as well (the AoE KB will keep enemies from hitting you after using it), but it doesn't seem to be as consistent (or perhaps sometimes it bugs out, idk).

    If ya want a self-res, I'd prob take Rebirth, since CoRG ties you to a circle.

    Speaking of crits, do you think presence is fine to have as a super stat or should I trade that out for dexterity? I know that it would strengthen my lifedrain and palliate, but I am wondering if the crit I get from dexterity would off-set that benefit.
    Post edited by tykune on
  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,859 Arc User
    Dex PSS is better for pure dps builds, but Pres PSS is better for survival given the bonus heal boosts and the larger boost to Defense via Force of Will- both outweigh Dex's crit/severity boost for crit-heals. Stronger dps vs. stronger healing - its up to you.

    If using Dex PSS, though, you'd want to switch to Chilled Form if ya also wanna keep Pres and Con as SS's (since Conc doesn't scale from Pres, Con, or Dex).
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
  • tykunetykune Posts: 70 Arc User
    flowcyto said:

    Dex PSS is better for pure dps builds, but Pres PSS is better for survival given the bonus heal boosts and the larger boost to Defense via Force of Will- both outweigh Dex's crit/severity boost for crit-heals. Stronger dps vs. stronger healing - its up to you.

    If using Dex PSS, though, you'd want to switch to Chilled Form if ya also wanna keep Pres and Con as SS's (since Conc doesn't scale from Pres, Con, or Dex).

    I was thinking of dexterity being a secondary stat, and keeping ego as my primary.. or would dex not be a good SS.
  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,859 Arc User
    Dex can be fine as a SS- trading bonus heal for crit%. Although heals can crit, bonus heal is more reliable for outright healing, whereas extra crit is good for dps. So again, kinda up to ur priorities.
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
  • tykunetykune Posts: 70 Arc User
    flowcyto said:

    Dex can be fine as a SS- trading bonus heal for crit%. Although heals can crit, bonus heal is more reliable for outright healing, whereas extra crit is good for dps. So again, kinda up to ur priorities.

    I am honestly not sure what to go with. How effective would palliate and lifedrain be without presence?
  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,859 Arc User
    They'd be weaker, but the extra crits can help make-up for that bit (though Palliate is on such a long cd it should be more used for its threat wipe than anything). Perhaps test the build in the PH w/ either setup and see which one ya like more, but again, its up to you to choose between more reliable healing or better dps.
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
  • tykunetykune Posts: 70 Arc User
    edited April 2016
    flowcyto said:

    They'd be weaker, but the extra crits can help make-up for that bit (though Palliate is on such a long cd it should be more used for its threat wipe than anything). Perhaps test the build in the PH w/ either setup and see which one ya like more, but again, its up to you to choose between more reliable healing or better dps.

    I put them into the powerhouse, but I don't see any detailed information regarding like crit percentage.. but I figured it would be best to ask your opinion on this. Would I get more damage out of ego primary with dexterity secondary, or Dexterity primary with ego secondary? Also, in either case, could use some advice on the talents as well to get the most out of my DPS with plenty of endurance and recovery.

    This is what I have right now:

    http://powerhouse.nullware.com/powerhouse.html?v=13&amp;n=Shadow Assault&amp;d=1532TXWQPLKs0f0K000K105K205K5037F00JC04K705KD07K900EI04KA03KE05QJ00DM000ckr438W3VNY

  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,859 Arc User
    Dex PSS will be better dps, but not by much over Ego PSS for ranged builds.

    As far as talents, if ya want extra Rec and/or End, then ya can either talent for them, or use 2ndary gear to gear for a small amount of them and instead use talents for the SS's and the other stats.
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
  • tykunetykune Posts: 70 Arc User
    flowcyto said:

    Dex PSS will be better dps, but not by much over Ego PSS for ranged builds.

    As far as talents, if ya want extra Rec and/or End, then ya can either talent for them, or use 2ndary gear to gear for a small amount of them and instead use talents for the SS's and the other stats.

    Well, I made some tweaks and changes that hopefully give me a bit more dps with some survivability. I am unsure if I went the right path down the dexterity tree, but I would like your opinion on it thus far.

    http://powerhouse.nullware.com/powerhouse.html?v=13&amp;n=Shadow Assault&amp;d=1235TLKQPIGs0f0K000K105K205K5037F00JC04K705KD07K900EI04KA03KE05QJ00DM000mUA438W3VNY
  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,859 Arc User
    edited April 2016
    I'd take Dex Mastery and forgo gearing for severity rating on gear (since Dex Mastery's severity puts you into its DR)- can get more crit rating or a bonus heal mod instead. One issue w/ Dex PSS is losing Insight, so I may watch for energy issues, and in that case I'd prob take Int as SS over Ego (more CD reduction and cost discount, still scales w/ Conc).
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
  • tykunetykune Posts: 70 Arc User
    flowcyto said:

    I'd take Dex Mastery and forgo gearing for severity rating on gear (since Dex Mastery's severity puts you into its DR)- can get more crit rating or a bonus heal mod instead. One issue w/ Dex PSS is losing Insight, so I may watch for energy issues, and in that case I'd prob take Int as SS over Ego (more CD reduction and cost discount, still scales w/ Conc).

    Wouldn't the loss of ego reduce my ranged damage by quite a bit?
  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,859 Arc User
    Not really, since that ranged dmg bonus is in the earliest dmg layer, it won't add much dmg to a geared FF build (esp a dps one). The shorter cds from Int can actually bridge that gap and give ya better cost discount.
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
  • tykunetykune Posts: 70 Arc User
    Something like this?

    http://powerhouse.nullware.com/powerhouse.html?v=13&amp;n=Shadow Assault&amp;d=1234OLKQPHMs0f0K000K105K205K5037F00JC04K705KD07K900EI04KA03KE05QJ00DM000i5q438W3VNY
  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,859 Arc User
    Yeah, that looks fine. I'd go test the full build out.
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
  • tykunetykune Posts: 70 Arc User
    edited April 2016
    flowcyto said:

    Yeah, that looks fine. I'd go test the full build out.

    I will give it a go. Thank you very much for all the advice you have given me. I am now just trying to figure out where to put the rest of my advantages.. is either palliate or anything else worth upgrading?
  • flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,859 Arc User
    As I said in another thread, I'd get at least one travel power to R3 (the one ya think you'll use the most). Beyond that, ya can get R2 of ES/NM, I suppose- most of the remaining stuff ya can rank I'd consider to be low priority.
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
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