Eldandil

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Hey Eldandil...firstly, thanks a ton for this guide, it's helped me a lot in bringing up my Fire/Storm/(soon to be Fire due to double xp).

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I'm glad it was of some help, Stat_. Have you made it to ancillaries yet?

I've been thinking about doing an expanded version with more tactics and strategies and with more IO-related stuff. I think I'll hold off for now and make it an i10 version after the next update.

Just a quick note on IOs: I recently respecced Eldandil for ranged defence instead of recharge. Eldandil's controls were pretty good even before IOs, but he's always been fragile and susceptible to mezzing. Hence, ranged defence makes a lot of sense especially with Hurricane running: if they can't hit you, they can't mezz you. When he gets all the IOs he needs, he will have 44.7% ranged defence. With the IOs he has at the moment, he has almost 40% ranged defence and his survivability has already gone up significantly.

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Q: Not to bring up the FF+TC thing again, but...I have yet to see this effect a boss, and I've tried it a lot, against all sorts of mobs. Have bosses possibly seen an increase in their mez resistance?

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I've done quite a bit of testing on this, and FF+TC does actually work on bosses for me. My guess is that either one of your mezzes is missing a lot or else you've been trying to mezz Carnival bosses, who often go intangible.

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O: You stated that Hot Feet is only a rated power for Hovering trollers, due to the fact that it doesn't effect mobs when you, um, Hover. That's actually not been my experience. While it's true you can't activate the power if you're Hovering (or Flying, etc.), the damage (not sure about the Slow or semi-Fear) seems to still apply.

[/ QUOTE ]

To be perfectly honest, I have never tried to run Hot Feet together with Hover because I "knew" that wouldn't work. So much for a scientific mindset. If I am reading you correctly, you're saying that if you are already in the air, Hot Feet cannot be toggled on; but if you toggle on Hot Feet before hitting Hover, Hot Feet stays on. Is that the way it works in practice?

[ QUOTE ]
Any feedback you've got would be greatly appreciated, and again, thanks a lot for this guide!

Edit: Oh, and grats on 50!

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks! I'm glad to say that Eldandil still hasn't been retired. IOs are so much fun.

If you'd like, you could post your build here and I could give you my two cents' worth.

Happy hunting!

Does anyone know which file silences the blaster's Boost Range? I have it perma'd and on auto-fire, and hearing that sound every 30 seconds is driving me nuts.

The 2 factors

Is anyone still here or have you all already run off excitedly to tog out your heroes and villains with mid-level IOs? Just in case anyone's still reading at this point, I shall next talk about the two reasons why level 25-30 IOs are so close to level 50 ones benefit-wise.

The first factor is the way that IO enhancement strength scales with level. The IO enhancement curve on the Paragon Wiki demonstrates graphically that the between-level gap in enhancement value of IOs has a certain constant gradient from levels 1 to 26 and has a different constant gradient from levels 27 to 50. In simple English, IO level increases are worth less after level 26.

From level 27 onwards, higher level IOs are still better than lower level ones, but the difference isn't really that great.

The second factor is Enhancement Diversification, and this only comes into play when you put in multiple enhancements of the same sort in one power. when you do that, and you cross a certain threshold, a part of the total benefit accruing from those enhancements gets nixed. The further you go past that watershed, the larger the percentage of enhancement wasted.

Conclusion

High level IOs cost a lot of influence/infamy in terms of recipe price at WW's or the BM, salvage cost (different level enhancements may require different salvage), and invention fee. This is especially true of set IOs.

Such being the case, new/casual players would probably be better off going for level 25 or 30 IOs instead of level 45s or 50s. You would end up only a hair weaker than you would be with 50s and still manage to steer well clear of bankruptcy. Also, these lower level IOs can be slotted in earlier, so a level 22-27 character could already start feeling really super. If you were to wait until 42-47 to get the IOs you really want, you'd have to suffer through the majority of the game as an almost-super hero/villain.

One caveat before I go: while high level popular set IOs are prohibitively expensive, high level common IOs often are not. When you hit 42-50, it wouldn't hurt to start poking around for dirt-cheap commons in the CH/BM. The IOs that would not be affected by ED are the ones you should be upgrading.

Happy hunting, reader!

While it's generally true that the higher level an IO is, the greater the benefit it gives, two factors interact to steeply reduce the effectiveness of IO levels past a certain point.

What this translates to for the casual player not inclined to monkey around with a calculator is that, generally, there is no real need to aim for level 50 IOs. Level 25-30 IOs do practically as good a job as level 50 ones at a tiny fraction of the cost.

"Yeah, right," I hear you saying. "Level 25 and 50 IOs are practically the same? No way." Actually, absolutely. Most of you probably don't need to know why this works, and only want to see a demonstration that I'm not just whistling in the dark, so I shall present first some hard comparisons.

Slotting examples

First, let's look at a typical super-long-recharge power: Unstoppable. Now, Unstoppable has an extremely long base recharge of 1,000 seconds, so we should see quite large numerical effects from even small changes in slotting. This is actually bad for me, since I'm trying to show how different IO levels don't really affect a power much, but anyway.

Let's start by 1-slotting Unstoppable with a common recharge IO and study what happens to its recharge time purely due to the IO.
<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>
IO level | recharge time change from previous | % of base change from previous
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
base | 1,000.0 0.0 | 100.0% 0.0%
10 | 895.3 -104.7 | 89.5% -10.5%
15 | 838.9 -56.4 | 83.9% -5.6%
20 | 796.2 -42.7 | 79.6% -4.3%
25 | 757.6 -38.6 | 75.8% -3.9%
30 | 741.8 -15.8 | 74.2% -1.6%
35 | 731.5 -10.3 | 73.2% -1.0%
40 | 721.5 -10.0 | 72.2% -1.0%
45 | 711.7 -9.8 | 71.2% -1.0%
50 | 702.2 -9.5 | 70.2% -0.9%
</pre><hr />

Hm...looks like benefits drop off steeply at level 30, and even more drastically at 35. This is due to factor 1 (explained later in this thread).

Next, we shall 3-slot Unstoppable with common recharge IOs. This time, both factors will come into play and we should see an even more dramatic situation.
<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>
IO level | recharge time change from previous | % of base change from previous
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
base | 1,000.0 0.0 | 100.0% 0.0%
10 | 740.2 -259.8 | 74.0% -26.0%
15 | 634.5 -105.7 | 63.5% -10.6%
20 | 567.8 -66.7 | 56.8% -6.7%
25 | 520.3 -47.5 | 52.0% -4.8%
30 | 511.1 -9.2 | 51.1% -0.9%
35 | 508.9 -2.2 | 50.9% -0.2%
40 | 506.7 -2.2 | 50.7% -0.2%
45 | 504.5 -2.2 | 50.5% -0.2%
50 | 502.3 -2.2 | 50.2% -0.2%
</pre><hr />

As expected, when 3-slotting with the same sort of enhancement, level 25-30 IOs give practically the same numbers as higher level ones.

Ok, so recharge might be a bit of an odd duck, so let's take a look at something simple instead. Say, damage. In our 3rd table, we'll see what happens when we 1-slot the Energy Blaster's Nova with a common damage IO.
<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>
IO level | damage change from previous | % of base change from previous
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
base | 271.1 0.0 | 100.0% 0.0%
10 | 302.8 31.7 | 111.7% 11.7%
15 | 323.2 20.4 | 119.2% 7.5%
20 | 340.5 17.3 | 125.6% 6.4%
25 | 357.9 17.4 | 132.0% 6.4%
30 | 365.4 7.5 | 134.8% 2.8%
35 | 370.6 5.2 | 136.7% 1.9%
40 | 375.8 5.2 | 138.6% 1.9%
45 | 380.9 5.1 | 140.5% 1.9%
50 | 386.1 5.2 | 142.4% 1.9%
</pre><hr />

Yep, we still get the breakpoints at levels 25 and 30. Now for 3-slotting.

<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>
IO level | damage change from previous | % of base change from previous
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
base | 271.1 0.0 | 100.0% 0.0%
10 | 366.3 95.2 | 135.1% 35.1%
15 | 427.3 61.0 | 157.6% 22.5%
20 | 477.5 50.2 | 176.1% 18.5%
25 | 521.1 43.6 | 192.2% 16.1%
30 | 530.4 9.3 | 195.6% 3.4%
35 | 532.8 2.4 | 196.5% 0.9%
40 | 535.1 2.3 | 197.4% 0.8%
45 | 537.4 2.3 | 198.2% 0.8%
50 | 539.7 2.3 | 199.1% 0.8%
</pre><hr />

What, breakpoints at 25 and 30 again? It shouldn't be a surprise to us anymore at this juncture.

I was going to do the same using Brawl to show that a low damage power gains virtually nothing at all in terms of raw damage numbers when upgrading from level 30 to 50 IOs, but I'm lazy and I think you get the picture. Suffice it to say that Brawl does 39.7 damage 3-slotted with 45s, and 39.9 damage (0.2 points!) with 50s.

[ QUOTE ]
Items and bids are listed for up to 60 days if you do not login to confirm your self. After that they can become lost.

[/ QUOTE ]

So if I put up something for sale and don't claim it (or the influence someone paid for it) within 60 days, it could disappear into limbo?

BTW, nice guide, Terra.

[ QUOTE ]
Posi, how are you going to account for the skewedness of the poll?

What I mean is that we have no idea what your intentions were behind some of the sets. Like, how is Vibration different than Fore Fields? How is either of those different than current armors?

[/ QUOTE ]

I believe Fore Fields are found on golf courses?

Anyway. My guess is that the poll was not so much about the mechanics of the incoming sets but the sound of them. It's possible that we'd get basically the same power set game-wise whether Vibration or Force Fields gets implemented and only the look would be different. Just guessing, you know, wildly here.

&lt;QR&gt;

I've been a fan of your City of Data site for a long time, RT. Beautiful job expanding it into a complete game guide!

Speaking of which, Eldandil's slotting has undergone some revision. In particular:
1. Fire Cages now has a Disorient proc in place of the damage proc. Procs slotted into powers with long-lasting effects only trigger once every 10s, not with every pulse of the effect. The chance of stacked Disorients is probably a lot more useful than the possibility of half an unslotted Fire Ball's damage every 10s.
2. Flash Fire and Thunder Clap have had their knockback procs removed. According to Mids' planner, the procs do Mag 3 knockback, which could make things very messy. The Razzle Dazzle immob chance proc has been put into both instead. I decided also to waste the range component in one of the Stupefy IOs in TC to retain the +6.25 set bonus.
3. Freezing Rain's -recharge proc has been removed. Tempered Readiness will now be 4-slotted.
4. Cinders has lost one slot, and will take the Ghost Widow set for added Endurance.
5. Fire Imps no longer have the Taunt/Placate Resist IO since Assault gives one layer of such protection already. I've upped the slots here to 6, with a focus on damage and a small recovery bonus thrown in.
6. Tornado has been reslotted to be a little cheaper. It also has greater range for those Tornado pulls. The 1.5% +recovery is nice too.
7. Fire Shield has traded about 1% of S/L/F/C resistance for F/C defence. It's cheaper to run too.

I wish I had more slots to play with, but this is nonetheless a much leaner, meaner Fire/Storm/Fire troller build than it was before. After 2 years of play, Eldandil became my first 50 a couple of weeks back (serious altaholism with a dash of role player's syndrome). I've been scrounging up the ingredients to slot him out the way I've planned but, boy, is he expensive!

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.152
http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/hu/mhd.php

Eldandil Tauro: Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Fire Control
Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Fire Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Char -- EoCur-Acc/Rchg:50(A), EoCur-EndRdx/Hold:50(3), EoCur-Acc/EndRdx:50(3), EoCur-Hold/Rng:50(5), EoCur-Acc/Hold:50(5), EoCur-Acc/Hold/Rchg:50(7)
Level 1: Gale -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 2: Fire Cages -- Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Enf'dOp-EndRdx/Immob:50(7), Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx:50(9), Enf'dOp-Immob/Rng:50(9), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg:50(11), DblAc-Stun%:30(11)
Level 4: Snow Storm -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 6: Swift -- Flight-I:50(A)
Level 8: Hover -- Flight-I:50(A), Flight-I:50(13), Flight-I:50(13)
Level 10: Steamy Mist -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(15), S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx:30(15), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(27), Ksmt-ToHit+:30(40)
Level 12: Flashfire -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun:50(19), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx:50(21), Stpfy-Stun/Rng:50(21), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg:50(23), RzDz-Immob%:30(23)
Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I:50(A), Flight-I:50(25)
Level 16: Freezing Rain -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(17), TmpRdns-Dmg/Slow:50(17), TmpRdns-Acc/EndRdx:50(19), TmpRdns-Rng/Slow:50(25), TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow:50(27)
Level 18: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:50(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+:40(34)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(31)
Level 22: Cinders -- G'Wdw-Acc/Rchg:50(A), G'Wdw-EndRdx/Hold:50(31), G'Wdw-Acc/EndRdx:50(33), G'Wdw-Acc/Hold/Rchg:50(33)
Level 24: Hurricane -- ToHitDeb-I:50(A), EndRdx-I:50(34)
Level 26: Assault -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 28: Thunder Clap -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun:50(29), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx:50(29), Stpfy-Stun/Rng:50(31), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg:50(33), RzDz-Immob%:30(37)
Level 30: 02 Boost -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 32: Fire Imps -- SvgnRt-PetResDam:50(A), EdctM'r-PetDef:40(34), BldM'dt-Dmg/EndRdx:50(36), BldM'dt-Dmg:50(36), Dmg-I:50(40), Dmg-I:50(43)
Level 35: Tornado -- BldM'dt-Dmg/EndRdx:50(A), BldM'dt-Dmg:50(36), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun:50(37), Stpfy-Stun/Rng:50(37), RechRdx-I:50(39)
Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Decim-Acc/Dmg:40(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx:40(39), Decim-Dmg/Rchg:40(39), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:40(40), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:40(45), Dmg-I:50(45)
Level 41: Fire Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg:40(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx:40(42), Decim-Dmg/Rchg:40(42), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:40(42), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:40(43), Decim-Build%:25(43)
Level 44: Fire Shield -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx:50(A), Aegis-ResDam:50(45), Aegis-Psi/Status:50(46), ImpSkn-ResDam/EndRdx:30(46), ImpSkn-Status:30(46)
Level 47: Fire Ball -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:50(48), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(48), Posi-Dmg/Rng:50(48), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(50), Posi-Dam%:50(50)
Level 49: Consume -- C'ngBlow-Acc/Rchg:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth:50(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:50(A)


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</pre><hr />

Ah, Hot Feet. That is one expensive beast to run.

However, two of the best things a troller can get from IO sets are +MaxEnd and +Recovery. Eldandil's End Recovery has gone up to 3.12/s from 2.48/s in I8. Toggle-wise, his End drain is now 1.05/s from 1.35/s without Hurricane and Snow Storm on, and 1.86/s from a horrible 2.22 with. Also, most of his clicks are significantly cheaper now. And his 7.65% MaxEnd increase hasn't even been taken into account in these calculations.

Hey, Dess, glad you popped by.

I agree that the Fire/Storm/Fire isn't the most End-efficient build there is, but even pre-I9 I was constantly running two Leadership toggles on top of Steamy Mist and Fire Shield without serious End issues. Anyway, with IO sets in I9, accuracy has become less of a concern and Tactics isn't really important anymore, so dropping it is a good idea. As for Assault...to be honest, it doesn't add that much to your damage values. I only have it because it's fun to try and squeeze out just a little more damage from my attacks.

Take a closer look at IO sets, Dess. You'll find some very nice surprises in there. Mid's planner (link in my sig) is a good tool for this.

[ QUOTE ]
Second, a week ago I finished the process of converting my builds from SherkSilver/JoeChott over to SuckerPunch's online planner. Because of that I'm not excited about installing another planner and doing all 74 builds over again.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's not so bad, Scrap. Just short text export from Sherk's and then forum import on Mids'.

[ QUOTE ]
Third, every export I've seen from this new planner doesn't include set bonuses. Without that information, I'm not sure what the value of an export feature is over any other planner. Right now it seems like a lot of work for me to install, get the build into the planner, and export it, for not much benefit. As I see it, the benefits are that people could see which set IOs go into which power in the actual build notation, which is certainly a convenience, but that omits the actual information about how the power is enhanced and what set bonuses you get from the slotting, which make up most of my considerations when deciding how to slot a power. So I'm not sure the convenience is worth the effort.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, but the export includes a chunk of code that anyone can copy and import into their own instance of Mids' builder, so looking up the actual values isn't an issue at all.

Initially, I'd thought that damage procs trigger per damage pulse, which made the Trap damage proc very attractive for Fire Cages. Of course, that would make damage procs ridiculously overpowered, and the truth is that they only trigger once every 10s when slotted into a long-duration power like FC.

Since this is the case, the additional damage from the proc isn't really all that attractive anymore, and the 20% chance of disorient (mag 2) proc from Debilitative Action synergizes better with this build. Since Thunderclap (mag 2 disorient) and Flash Fire (mag 3 disorient) tend to be followed up immediately with Fire Cages, this proc allows you to occasionally stun bosses (and Lts, in the case of Thunderclap) with just a 2-hit mezz combo. It also helps to catch the odd minion (or Lt, in the case of Flash Fire) that escapes the initial disorient.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Can I have 5 at 12% from one set and 5 at 12% from another set?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep.

[/ QUOTE ]

unless this was just changed, you cannot. you can have no more than 5 of each percentage for each buff type

[/ QUOTE ]

Hm. I could've sworn he said "5 at 12% and another 5 at 4%". O.o

I stand corrected.

Edit: Ah, I see where I went wrong. I quoted the wrong part of the post. Had meant to quote the bolded part below:
[ QUOTE ]
Now, does that mean I can have 5 +Regens at 12% and another 5 +Regens at 4%? Can I have 5 at 12% from one set and 5 at 12% from another set? Or am I limited to only 5 +Regens no matter which set?

[/ QUOTE ]

As Nemo_Utopia has already answered, 5 x 12% &amp; 5 x 4% = yes, 5 x 12% &amp; 5 x 12% = no.

[ QUOTE ]
Can I have 5 at 12% from one set and 5 at 12% from another set?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep.

/e looks amusedly on as Miladys_Knight practises necromancy.

Though I like crunching numbers myself, I must say this is an excellent guide. Adding it to my sig!

The problem with discussing an I9 build is that no power may be taken solely on its own merits. Comparing an I9 power to an I8 one is not exactly comparing apples to apples, since the I9 power must be considered in a set bonus environment.

If you were to change, say, half of all the slotting choices in my build, most of my powers would no longer work as described below. With that caveat in mind, let us see how I9 has changed Eldandil, largely for the better.


Slotting for Recharge and Endurance
My primary focus for this build is Recharge speed. With the current slotting, I gain a global 42.5% recharge bonus, which effect is only a hair less than that of slotting one level 53 common Recharge IO (43.5%) in each and every power. The Fire/Storm Controller has many fun toys at his disposal, but some are better than others. Better Recharge means the better toys can be used more often. Also, it becomes easier to stack mezzes on bosses and other protected mobs.

My secondary focus is Endurance management through increased Recovery and Max Endurance. With greater Recharge speed, you'll find that you eat up Endurance more quickly. And a Controller without Endurance is nothing more than a sitting duck.

Other bonuses such as Health Regeneration are just gravy.

Tactics and Fire Blast
One of the most noticeable changes in I9 Eldandil is that he has swapped out Tactics for Fire Blast. With set bonuses, Eldandil no longer needs Tactics to maintain an extremely high level of Accuracy on all his attacks. This freeing up of a power pick has allowed Eldandil to learn the Fire Blast ancillary power, which is very useful considering how his damage-per-second has been hurt by the I8 controller nerfs.

Fire Blast is a fast-cycling attack (3.9 seconds after factoring in set bonuses) that you could spam between controls and debuffs, so the 20% chance of Build Up from the Decimation set is likely to trigger fairly often. Since this particular IO doesn't benefit from levels, it is a good idea to slot it at as low a level as you can. Lower level IOs tend to be cheaper and, more importantly, stay active when you exemp down.

Lastly, the 3rd and 4th Decimation set bonuses are really quite nice, hence my choice of this set.

Fire Cages
This power is slotted with all of the Enfeebled Operations IOs save for Endurance/Immobilize. Although the +3.13% Melee Defence from 6-slotting EnfOps is tempting, I believe the damage Proc from the Trap of the Hunter set would be
more useful.

One alternative is to 6-slot Fire Cages with the Trap set, but then you wouldn't get the Recharge bonus from the EnfOps set.

Steamy Mist
Steamy Mist takes a back seat with the new slotting. One slot is moved elsewhere, and another is devoted to the Recharge unique from the Luck of the Gambler set. The remaining slots are filled with IOs from Steadfast Protection, a level 30 set, for +1.5% Recovery and 3% global Defence.

Flashfire and Thunder Clap
Stupefy is a wonderful Disorient set - the fifth slot gives a whopping 6.25% global Recharge reduction bonus.

Thunder Clap is a PBAoE, so the Stun/Range IO in Stupefy is wasted. Sure, the +3.13% Ranged Defence would be nice, but the slot could be better used elsewhere, really. Either replace this with a pure Stun IO or else just 5-slot this power as I have done.

Freezing Rain
This one made me struggle within myself for a long time.

Originally, I 5-slotted it with Tempered Readiness for the global bonuses. Then I remembered how often I use this power and came to my senses. After several tweaks, I ended up 3-slotting TempRead for bonuses, adding 2 common Recharge IOs so that FR can be up even more often than in my SO build, and throwing in the -Recharge Proc from Pacing of the Turtle. I figured that FR's rate of fire should cause the Proc to trigger on probably every single foe caught in the rain, and a 20% Recharge debuff on all the bad guys is surely a good thing.

Health
Remember that my secondary goal was Endurance Management? I slotted Health with only the Recovery/Regeneration IO from Numina's Convalescence instead of a Heal enhancement.

I'd initially put in the Heal IO from NuminCon as well to gain a very substantial Regen bonus, but later decided that Eldandil tends to either not get hurt at all or else die quickly; more Regen doesn't really seem very useful in either case.

Cinders
This is another power just begging for Essence of Curare slotting. However, the Hold/Range EssCur IO would be kind of wasted in a PBAoE, so I elected to swap that out for a common Recharge IO. Some might prefer replacing that with a Hold IO, but Cinders is so slow to cycle that more Recharge really is the best thing here.

Fire Imps
Your Imps really don't need anything besides 3 Damage SOs (or 3 Damage IOs, if you're rich and want that little bit more damage from the little buggers).

However, there are 3 unique Pet set IOs that are just too tempting to pass up:
1) Edict of the Master has an IO that grants your pets a 5% Defence buff if they are within 20' of you.
2) Sovereign Right's unique gives your pets 10% Resist All (except Psionics).
3) Commanding Presence's aura makes your pets resistant to Taunt and Placate.
Useful, all three, especially since the Fire Troller has more than one pet.

Tornado
Tornado, being auto-hit, doesn't benefit as much as it should from any of the sets. Instead of set-slotting, just convert all the SOs into equivalent common IOs.

Lightning Storm
As with Fire Blast, Decimation is useful here. Since Build Up is not be quite as useful to a Lightning Storm as it is to you (the Proc slotted here would Build Up the Storm, not you), skip that IO in lieu of a common Damage IO.

Alternatively, the full Devastation set would give your Lightning Storm a 15% chance to apply a Mag 2 Hold on each target it hits, which is unarguably cool. However, this slotting results in quite a hit to your global Recharge bonus, and since this is not a staple power in the way that Freezing Rain or Flashfire are, I believe Decimation's bonuses are more useful here.

Fire Shield
This one is an odd duck. I slotted this with 2 partial sets and a common Resistance IO. The partial sets contain IOs which grant Status Resistance (so Eldandil can recover more quickly from Status Effects), and the common IO rounds out the power's Resistance value.

Fire Ball
Positron's Blast. 20% chance of 32.1 Energy damage to all mobs hit by the AoE. +2.5% Recovery. -6.25% Recharge Time. 'Nuff said.

Sprint
Sprint can be run concurrently with Hover or Fly, and slotting in a +Stealth IO here allows you to toggle on both Steamy Mist and Sprint for capped Stealth.

Rest
Instead of slotting Rest with the standard one Recharge enhancement, I elected to put in the +Recovery IO from the Miracle set. This gives a very nice global +15% Recovery boost.

Final thoughts
I know this post isn't really all that organised, but I hope it was useful to you anyway. Even if my particular slotting doesn't appeal to you, I hope that I've given you some thoughts on the value of full and partial set slotting.

Now go out there and experiment! Have fun!

I9 brought us Invention Origin enhancements, and now enhancement slotting is an entirely new ballgame.

In this post, I will share Eldandil's dream I9 build. In the next post, I shall discuss the reasons behind some of these slotting choices.

Be aware that this is only one of countless ways to slot up a Fire/Storm controller, and this example is meant only to give the reader an idea of the power of IO sets. Also, some of the IOs needed for this build are likely quite rare, so don't toss the SO build out the window yet!


Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.151
http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/hu/mhd.php

Eldandil Tauro: Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Fire Control
Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Fire Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Char -- EoCur-Acc/Rchg:53(A), EoCur-EndRdx/Hold:53(3), EoCur-Acc/EndRdx:53(3), EoCur-Hold/Rng:53(5), EoCur-Acc/Hold:53(5), EoCur-Acc/Hold/Rchg:53(7)
Level 1: Gale -- Acc-I:53(A)
Level 2: Fire Cages -- Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg:53(A), Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx:53(7), Enf'dOp-Immob/Rng:53(9), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg:53(9), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob:53(11), TotHntr-Dam%:20(11)
Level 4: Snow Storm -- EndRdx-I:53(A)
Level 6: Swift -- Flight-I:53(A)
Level 8: Hover -- Flight-I:53(A), Flight-I:53(13), Flight-I:53(13)
Level 10: Steamy Mist -- LkGmblr-Rchg+:25(A), S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx:30(15), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(15)
Level 12: Flashfire -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg:53(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun:53(19), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx:53(21), Stpfy-Stun/Rng:53(21), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg:53(23), Stpfy-KB%:20(23)
Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I:53(A), Flight-I:53(25)
Level 16: Freezing Rain -- RechRdx-I:53(A), RechRdx-I:53(17), P'ngTtl--Rchg%:20(17), TmpRdns-Dmg/Slow:53(19), TmpRdns-Rng/Slow:53(25), TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow:53(27)
Level 18: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:30(A)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I:53(A), EndMod-I:53(31)
Level 22: Cinders -- EoCur-Acc/Rchg:53(A), EoCur-EndRdx/Hold:53(31), EoCur-Acc/EndRdx:53(33), EoCur-Acc/Hold:53(33), EoCur-Acc/Hold/Rchg:53(33), RechRdx-I:53(34)
Level 24: Hurricane -- ToHitDeb-I:53(A), ToHitDeb-I:53(27), EndRdx-I:53(34)
Level 26: Assault -- EndRdx-I:53(A)
Level 28: Thunder Clap -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg:53(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun:53(29), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx:53(29), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg:53(31), Stpfy-KB%:20(37)
Level 30: 02 Boost -- EndRdx-I:53(A)
Level 32: Fire Imps -- SvgnRt-PetResDam:25(A), EdctM'r-PetDef:15(34), CmdPres-PetRes:10(36), Dmg-I:53(36), Dmg-I:53(40), Dmg-I:53(40)
Level 35: Tornado -- Dmg-I:53(A), Dmg-I:53(36), Dsrnt-I:53(37), Dsrnt-I:53(37), EndRdx-I:53(39), RechRdx-I:53(43)
Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Decim-Acc/Dmg:40(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx:40(39), Decim-Dmg/Rchg:40(39), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:40(40), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:40(45), Dmg-I:53(45)
Level 41: Fire Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg:40(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx:40(42), Decim-Dmg/Rchg:40(42), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:40(42), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:40(43), Decim-Build%:25(43)
Level 44: Fire Shield -- Aegis-ResDam:53(A), Aegis-Psi/Status:25(45), ImpSkn-ResDam/EndRdx:30(46), ImpSkn-Status:10(46), ResDam-I:53(46)
Level 47: Fire Ball -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:53(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:53(48), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:53(48), Posi-Dmg/Rng:53(48), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:53(50), Posi-Dam%:20(50)
Level 49: Consume -- Acc-I:53(A), RechRdx-I:53(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth:15(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 2: Rest -- Mrcl-Rcvry+:20(A)


Copy &amp; Paste this data chunk into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build.
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Uh-uh. No go, SuckerPunch. We're not worshipping you until you get them numbers in.

...

...

Would you settle for adoring stares in the meantime though?

[ QUOTE ]
Thunder Clap to disorient then Cinders to keep them from wandering.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm probably missing something here, Lemming. Why would I use Cinders instead of Fire Cages to stop them from wandering?

[ QUOTE ]
If folks find this sort of thing useful, I may post a series of them. ST holds would definitely be in that series, although they're a more in-depth discussion because many of them accept more than one set type (holds and ranged damage, or holds and melee damage).

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, Scrap, folks do find this sort of thing very useful.

At least, this controller is breathlessly awaiting a continuation of your IOs-for-controls series.

Ooh. Tasty.

I'm glad you like the guide, true. I've actually got a link in it to a character builder screenshot showing my slotting at level 50. You can see the order in which I chose my powers, and also how I slotted each power.

What you won't be able to see is my slotting order, but I personally feel that slotting order should be based on your feel of the gameplay at each juncture. As you play, if you find that you are mezzing your foes just fine but are having problems doing damage to them, focus slotting on the damage-causing powers (especially if you only solo). If your mezzes wear off too quickly, start slotting mezz recharge or duration. That sort of thing.

Of course, as a troller, I would strongly suggest you get your accuracy up as soon as possible, because your best moves (your mezzes, mostly) have long recharge times and hitting an enemy takes it out of the fight instantly.

In the early game, when you have only TOs, I strongly suggest that you put at least 4 accuracies into Flashfire, Char and Fire Cages in that order. TOs are one-fourth as effective as SOs, in case you didn't know. Forget about doing damage and team a lot.

When DOs become available, you can drop the number of accuracies to 2 if you'd like. DOs are half as strong as SOs, so 2 DOs in your controls should be good enough for most enemies. If you find yourself fighting mostly higher level mobs and missing a lot though, you should consider having 3-4 DOs in each control.

Even when you get to SOs, you should still be mostly teamed up with other players. This build doesn't begin to do any real damage until level 33 with fully slotted Imps. Actually, I prefer teaming to soloing, even with all the toys I have at level 48. It's so much more fun playing in a good team than playing solo. That said, I must also warn you that a bad team, especially one full of angry blame-casters, can really ruin your playing experience.

Lastly, some players (myself included) never buy TOs and DOs because SOs cost so much. We use the ones that drop and sell the rest so that we have an easier time converting fully to SOs at level 22 and thereafter.

You can go directly to the image here.

Don't be afraid to experiment and build your character differently from the way I have built Eldandil though. I frequently enjoy myself more planning a character and tweaking a build than actually killing pixels.

Happy hunting!

PS IMHO, Hover is a wonderful positioning tool for the /Storm troller, and I heartily recommend grabbing it. If you take Hover, you might as well take Fly as well for both concept as well as power choice efficiency. Also, your Imps are slow as heck, so the other Travel powers would make you way too fast for them to catch up to you across a zone.

If you prefer to forgo Hover, however, you could consider Super Speed (which, with Steamy Mist, renders you all but invisible to mobs).

You could also take Teleport with Recall Friend so that you can pull your Imps to you when you need them. There have been many occasions when Imps got stuck in geometry and I had to resummon them because I didn't have Recall Friend.

The troller is a little fragile for Super Leap though - you sometimes land in the midst of a mob you didn't know was there. Makes for exciting travel though.

trueballerisme just sent me the following private message. I thought that my reply to him could be useful for others, so I will put it up in the following post.

[ QUOTE ]
Hey man I'm gonna make a fire.storm controller and I love ur guide. The only thing I was wondering was if you had an exact lvl by lvl guide. That shows me were to put my slots at each lvl and powers. Your guide sortof has it but I just need help with exact stuff cause I'm new,

Also what travel power do u recommend for the controller?

Thanks 4 ur time

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Brought him out to do some running around in PI and was able to take out 2 Zeus and an Ops without much trouble. Though I found out a Master Ill is still a problem and found myself staring at the pavement.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, the lack of mezz protection can be a huge pain. That's another reason I love teaming with Eldandil. Let someone else take the alpha and use the few moments' respite to mezz 'em all.

[ QUOTE ]
I find myself using not only the flash fire/fire cages combo, but with smoke and steamy mist I also go for the thunder clap/cinders/lightning storm combo as well especially on bosses.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thunderclap and Cinders don't have synergy. One is a PBAoE minion-level disorient while the other is a PBAoE lieutenant-level hold. Since they don't stack in any way, the Thunderclap in this combo would be completely wasted (unless you mean to catch the one or two lucky mobs that escape your Cinders). Of course, using Cinders first to hold everyone then applying Thunderclap + Fire Cages when Cinders wears off is a valid strategy.

[ QUOTE ]
Tornado comes out on bosses usually as well to create some havoc, which is really what makes this build so much fun. The slows, dizziness, knockbacks, total chaos and it's a blast.

[/ QUOTE ]

Controlled chaos. 70-odd alts and this is still my favourite character to play.