Kioshi

Macs use the same damn processors and etc. as a PC. The difference is that they can run Mac OS X (Pcs too but that requires doing some stuff that the average user may not want).

Pal, it's not that 'macs aren't good for CoH' - you're being ignorant here. It's the client that's a bloody mess.

I can run CoH and Rift (a 2011 game) on 2560x1440 resolution here on my Mac, all gfx settings turned to the max (ATI 6970M here). So yeah mac can run things other than Farmville. But that's on Windows, because, read well, the Mac OS X client is bad. I can run with max settings too but it will be less smooth and the client will lock up sometimes, which doesn't happen on Windows 7 - on the same Mac.

Ok that isn't exclusive to CoH, some other games are ported to Mac OS X via emulation tech and they don't always deliver, like CoH doesn't, but it's just sad the client is so bad. I prefer playing on W7 because of Mid's and etc but lots of people don't install Windows on their macs.

Slotting: damage and rech - they have high acc and you'll likely use Aim or eat a yellow before - Obliteration is perfect for a PbAoE nuke and you can use only 5 slots unless you really want to max out your recharge, but adding a 6th slot for a rech IO won't do much, although the Oblit proc is nice (but better in a fast recharging power if you don't have the slots or the cash).

They can be emergency powers but they're motley 'fun' due to the stupid long recharge.

But depending on your secondary, you can wipe entire spawns with it, although PleaseRecycle is not wrong when saying it's not that good for a corr because for clearing up spawns you'll have to set up debuffs first so it may not be that helpful as an emergency power, although it has saved my Defender (only one I have) a few times because he's /psy and his nuke has a Stun (and also because since his primary is rad I can use EM Pulse first so it's kinda safe to use the nuke). But even if I had a blaster, I'd only keep a nuke for fun purposes, I don't really need it on my defender, I just like it.

As others said it's a playstyle that can work but it's slow killing, and after elec control was introduced, you can both sap faster AND do good damage with a elec/whatever dom, doesn't even need to be elec/elec, so you get more choices as a Dom besides sapping better.

One thing you all should consider is that Shadow Maul is worthy using even as a ST attack. It's actually the second hardest hitting attack in Dark Melee if you hit one target, with 8s rech and 8.53 end cost.

Let's compare Shadow Maul with other AoEs being discussed (using Tanker numbers since they share these powers):

Shadow Maul: 8s rech, 8.53 end, 95.9 dmg
Combustion: 15s rech, 13 end, 57.8 dmg

Actually screw comparing it with other AoEs, if they keep Shadow Maul with the same numbers on rech/end (because Bone Smasher for example is different on melee ATs and Blasters), you can see in City of Data that Shadow Maul is a 2.2638 damage scale attack while some blaster melee STs hit for only a bit more or less:

- Fire Sword, 10s rech, 10 end, 2.36 dmg scale
- Ice Sword, same stats, but 1.96 dmg scale
- Bone Smasher and Havoc Punch have a 2.6 dmg scale on Blasters but they take 14 seconds to recharge and cost 13.5 end

And Shadow Maul can easily hit 2 - yes long animation but it's a cheap attack and it's not wasted even as a ST attack on the melee ATs - actually it's a cone with ST attack stats, so it's more part of the Dark set attack chain than an AoE thrown there like Combustion, with the bonus of being able to hit 2 easily and more if you line up (with practice you can hit 3 regularly, I have several dark melee toons).

I don't think their idea was to include a good AoE power in the Dark secondary, but rather making like /EM and /Elec, the two secondaries that have three solid attacks. They may change the recharge and end cost, since Smite on melee ATs is a 1.36 dmg scale attack that recharges in 6 secs while Charged Brawl/E. Punch on Blasters are 1.96 dmg that recharge in 10, and supposedly Smite is the equivalent to Charged Brawl/Energy Punch, so if they change SM to match rech/end of the 2nd tier attacks you get at level 10 (Havoc/Bone Smasher) just like SM will be available on Blasters, Shadow Maul will end up doing more damage than those even used as a ST attack. The price you pay for that is the long animation time, the bonus you get is being able to hit 2 consistently and 3-4 sometimes (ok hitting 5 is very rare unless you're on an ambush farm or something).

So SM is kind of a different power, since although being a melee cone, it has a rech/end/dmg ratio of a good ST attack. On scrappers, it actually does close to Golden Dragonfly's damage (148.4 vs 164) except you get SM at level 2 and GD at lvl 32. And GD is a 20 degrees cone with 12 end/12s rech, SM is a 45 degrees cone with 8 end/8s on scraps.

So I think SM is a great power for Dark Manipultation, ok I'd prefer Siphon Life but I like SM enough. I think the skippables there will be Death Shroud and Touch of Fear (edit: Dark Pit too, it has REALLY sucky stats, I'd never used the power so I thought it was a mag 3 stun).

If you're set on DM I'd make a DM/Nin - DM/Regen will feel frail, not take advantage of Dull Pain like the scrapper (and consequently because of the low hp cap, you'll regen less with dull pain up, also applicable to IH), and maybe 'too many heals' - with DM/Nin you'll have two and be softcapped with some IOs. Plus it's unique to Stalkers, I always advise people to roll their first Stalkers as /Nin since it's different and unique.

With a base duration of 28 secs at level 50, I didn't feel the need to slot it for fear.
My slotting is 5 posi's blasts+1 rech IO since the Posi set only gives about 26% recharge.