Local_Man

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With enough Rad's, you could also floor her To Hit enough so that her heal wouldn't hit.

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TA will do it better, since flash arrow is unresistable.
Flash Arrow 3 slotted will give about 7.8% to-hit debuff, meaning you'll floor her at 6 TAs.

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Wow, I didn't know that. I still think 8 /Rads will be better since I'm also assuming 8x Maneuvers and you'll still hit def cap one way or another for the imps. TA will have better -resists w/Acid & Disruption than just EF, but then you get AM and more -regen with the Rads. Either way, it'd be a slaughter.

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When comparing TA's Damage Debuff to Rad's, most folks forget that AM contains a 20% Damage buff. While that doesn't affect Phantom Army, it does affect all teammates and most of the other pets. When you combine the 20% damage buff to he 22.5% Resistance Debuff from EF, Rad is actually more effective at increasing damage than TA's Acid and Disruption Arrows.

And Rad has a self heal . . . . but it doesn't have an oil slick.

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Like the title says. Well not exactly. I have roled a couple of defenders. They were FF, emp, and kin. well back to my question at hand. I realy liked kin on my defender. yet i kept dieing. One of my friends suggested roling a controller. I thought earth might be fun and kin allways seem to be on teams. Now does earth and kin go with each other. or should i rethink this toon. any tips on powers and stratgies will be welcome. if you got a guid on this it will be realy helpfull. thanks for the info in advance.

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Yes, Earth and Kin can go together. However, Earth is an AoE control set that can be handled from range, but Kin encourages you to go into melee to get the benefits of the heal (Transfusion) or the Endurance Buff (Transference) and the full effect of the damage buff (Fulcrum Shift). Kinetics is a very powerful secondary, and is welcome on most teams. But expect folks to annoy you asking for Speed Boost every two minutes.

Personally, I prefer Rad or Storm as secondaries for Earth. Take a look at my Earth/Rad guide for lots of details on the Earth/Rad combo. Storm is a tough secondary to play well for a new player or even a older player who is new to controllers. Even if you choose to go with Earth/Kin, take a look at my guide for lots and lots of information on the Earth Primary.

For Kinetics, I suggest skipping Repel. If you want to go with a travel power, then Inertial Rediction is skippable. I like to have Increase Density as a form of partial mez protection or to break people out of mez, but it is optional, too. Siphon Power is good to have but optional, especially after Fulcrum Shift (which you don't get until 38). The essential powers to have are Transfusion, Siphon Power, Speed Boost, Tranference and Fulcrum Shift.

On Earth, Stone Prison is useful as a damage power if you want to solo (which I don't recommend), but otherwise skippable. Salt Crystals is really cool looking, but the most skippable power in the Earth set. Take everything else. See my guide for why. Some folks may suggest skipping Stone Cages, but I think it is an important power to have.

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With enough Rad's, you could also floor her To Hit enough so that her heal wouldn't hit.

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TA will do it better, since flash arrow is unresistable.

Basically, RI slotted with 3 to-hit debuffs is about 39% -tohit, she's level 53, so that means your debuffs are only working at 65%, so about 25.35%, factor in the 85% debuff resistance after that and you're looking at a whopping 3.8% to-hit debuff, even with 8 rads, you're still going to be well below the to-hit floor (30.4%)

Flash Arrow 3 slotted will give about 7.8% to-hit debuff, meaning you'll floor her at 6 TAs.

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<<Makes note to add Flash Arrow to my Ill/TA's second build>>

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Whoa, Accuracy is capped at 95? Honestly, I was never aware of this. The accuracy/defense formulas always bored me. I just knew the 45% defense soft cap. So, does having accuracy above 100 play no role with high defense enemies?

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Here's the best Guide to ToHit, Accuracy and Defense that I know of. I think Arcanaville has a direct pipeline to the Devs.

In effect, you inherently get 75% to hit chance on even level minions. (Foes get an inherent 50% chance to hit you.) Each level up decreases that chance for you to hit a foe, and any accuracy increases the chance . . . but it is all limited by a 95% cap. No matter how good your defense is, the foes always have a 5% chance to hit you. (That's why you occasionally get hit while in PFF.) No matter how excessive your accuracy, you have, at best, a 95% chance to hit and a 5% chance to miss. So, any accuracy that takes you over 95% will only benefit you when going against higher level foes, and there is a point at which that accuracy is wasted.

The 45% "softcap" for Defense is because anything over 45% is often wasted . . . but not always against higher level foes. The 50% chance to hit you, plus 45% Defense, puts you at the 95% cap, but the numbers vary depending upon the level of the foe. That's why it is called a "soft" cap.

The bottom line: Two accuracy is pretty much all you want to slot. In some powers with an accuracy bonus, or if you have enough Global Accuracy, one may be enough. Some powers, like Storm's Lightning Storm, have such high inherent accuracy that no accuracy is really needed.

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As far as the bubbles go: "My mindset is that if he can't be worth a damn, damage wise then everything he does (Epic excluded) will be control."

I stated enjoying Mind/FF only pre-teens and completely hating it at the 20's. Total Domination and Mass Confusion have terrible accuracy, hence the added Acc IO. The Psionic Epic isn't really going anywhere because the character was designed to be a telepath. I don't expect controllers to have blaster style AoE damage, but as far I've noticed, only Mind is so horrid at any sort of AoE damage. I don't see myself spending on HOs or sets until I'm convinced it's worth getting to 50.

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Well, going with "concept" generally means that you will give up some on effectiveness. Nothing wrong with that at all as long as it is fun for you.

I find that Mind is pretty strong in lower levels, then it flattens out on damage in the upper 20's. At 32, once you begin to leverage the "damage" caused by confusing foes, the damage picks up, but it doesn't quite get as good as other controllers who get a big jump up at 32 with their pets.

The "terrible" accuracy is the standard 20% AoE accuracy penalty, and two Accuracy enhancements pretty much cover it. Using more than two will be a waste most of the time, as there is a 95% accuracy cap. Two puts you at that cap for all but foes that are at a much higher level. Simply because it is an AoE, you will miss a certain percentage -- the game was set up that way.

But Mind Controllers have a bit of an advantage there. Mind has two AoE and one single target controls that cause no aggro. Most controllers get clobbered by the foes who are not held, but Mind can use Mass Hypnosis, Mass Confusion and Confuse without fear of drawing a response. That gives you a chance to use Confuse your single target controls on the ones missed before drawing aggro.

Mind has really two AoE damage powers -- Terrify and Mass Confusion. You don't get either until the upper levels. Comparing it to Fire/Kin is no comparison, as Fire/Kin's entire focus is on AoE Damage + Control. Mind's focus is on control and confusion. Plus, you have the secondary that does less to boost your damage than any other secondary. No Resistance Debuffs, no Damage buffs and only one damage power. If you are looking for damage from your secondary, Storm has a Resistance Debuff at 16, and the two best damage powers at 35 and 38. TA has a good damage power at 35 and lots two powers that debuff Resistance. Rad has Debuffs and a damage buff (and Fallout for damage, but it is hard to count that). Sonic has large Resistance Debuffs.

OK, here are a few thoghts:

PFF: You want some Recharge in that so you can pop out of it, do some fighting, then pop back into it. You can actually do some herding with PFF.

Confuse: I would replace that last Confuse with a Recharge. I actually slot Confuse with 2 acc, 2 conf, 2 rech.

Total Dom also gets the 2 Acc, 2 Hold, 2 rech treatment. The third Acc is mostly wasted.

Dispersion Bubble: This is YOUR only defense. 3 Defense, 1-2 EndRdx.

Aid Self: If you want to use it as a battlefield heal, 2 IntRpt, 3 Heal, 1 Rech. Only DoT will stop you from using it most of the time.

Mass Confusion: 2 Acc, 2 Conf, 2 Rech. With your slotting, it won't last very long.

I'm not a big fan of the Psi Pool for a Mind/FF Controller. First, getting a different kind of damage is good for those Psi-resistant foes, like robots. Second, you want a Defense-based shield to stack with Dispersion Bubble. Third, getting a set with a heal and/or Endurance Recovery is a good idea to fill in one of your holes. You may not need Aid Self with the Right APP. I like Ice, as it has Hibernate as an emergency Heal and EndRecovery, a cone attack to match your cone in Terrify, and Defense-based shields. Primal is a nice choice if you mainly want to boost the duration of Mass Confusion or Terrify. Earth has a great heal in Earth's Embrace, a defense-based (but ugly) shield and some other nice powers.

I didn't really have time earlier. My thoughts were that if you expect to team at all, you need the two ally bubbles. I took the Smashing-Lethal one in lower levels, and the other in my 20's. While my Mind/FF mainly solos, it is very nice to have those two powers for teams.

I haven't fit in aid Self yet -- with PFF, I almost never die -- may have to run away sometimes, but I don't die.

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Thank you for the replies. By the time I'd come back to check, I'd already gone ahead and made the Fire/storm. We'll see how it works for now, I guess. I should have mentioned, I suppose, that PvP is not a consideration. I won't enter the PvP zones. Ever. There isn't a single thing in the PvP areas that's worth having to put up with the kind of player you're most likely to notice in PvP.


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I see three reasons to go into PvP zones: Shivans, Nukes and Badges. That's about it. The few times I have actually tried to PvP, it became evident that those zones are Jerk-magnets. It wasn't fun.

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I'll try to get to level 12 or so by tomorow evening, to see whether I like Fire/Storm or not. And Fire Cages works fine against the knockback from Gale, at least. I don't really plan on taking Hurricane. It's knockback and repel, and the end drain looks massive. The only use I could see a for it, is to push thing back out of melee if they escape Cages, and frankly, Gale seems more than sufficient for that.


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Gale stinks. I almost never use it. I was on an ITF yesterday, and while I used Hurricane every now and then, I never used Gale. Gale can be used as a positioning tool in just the right situation, but it has a 20% accuracy penalty so to use it with any regularity, you need to put 2 Accuracy in it minimum. I haven't freed up a slot for a second accuracy on any of my Storm characters.

But Hurricane has good uses. It has a HUGE to Hot Debuff if you learn to use it with skill. My favorite use of Hurricane is in those Cul-de-sacs in offices. Stand at the entrance, toggle on Hurricane, Lightning Storm, AoE Immobilize, Tornado, then anything else that does damage. Bad guys are trapped and mostly can't hit you.

I use Hurricane sometimes as a kind of "Panic Button" power, to get the foes outta-my-face and give me a chance to pop an Insp or run away. And sometimes, I use it to position foes AFTER they have been immobilized -- the -knockback does not stop the Repel in Hurricane, even if it stops foes from falling down. And remember that the -knockback only works for the first 12 seconds for Fire Cages, 15 seconds for Ring of Fire. After that, the foes can be knocked down in place. Useful to know for Freezing Rain.

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I do wish this game had a "danger room" mode, where you could temporarily be set to level 50 and fight a few waves of training dummies. It would be nice to know whether a given AT/powerset/build is going to fit my playstyle without having to waste ten or twenty hours first. I don't have tons of experience with the game yet, so I don't know the ins and outs of everything. And so far, a few powersets that were a lot of fun at level six felt more like slamming face first into a brick wall at level 15.


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Several power set don't really "come together" until late in the set. Illusion totally changes when you get Phantom Army at 18, and then again with Spectral Terror at 26. Storm really needs at least level 16 and Freezing Rain. Fire is somewhat like that, in that you really need to get to SO-level and get Flashfire and Hot Feet fully slotted to get to appreciate them, and then the Imps at 32. Fire/Rad even moreso -- You really can't see what the charcter is really like until you get Hot Feet, Choking Cloud (Level 28) and Fire Imps (Level 32) fully slotted.

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As far as the other primaries go, I already have at least one of everything but Mind, Fire, and Stone. I tried stone, and didn't care for it at all. (If I don't like it by level 10, I don't generally assume that it'll get better later on.) I'm not sure yet about Gravity - I only have it on a Dominator, and even then only because it was the closest thing I could find to a 'bad luck" powerset. (Flying up and hitting your head on the ceiling, then getting hit in the face with a forklift seems pretty unlucky to me.)


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I love Earth Control, but admit that it is much, much better on teams. The damage is low solo, but can be solo'ed in upper levels. Take a look at my Earth/Rad guide if you want an idea on how well the set plays.

Grav is the only controller set I have not taken past 32. The two key powers are Wormhole and Singularity at levels 26 and 32, so I want to get there eventually. Other than Propel, Wormhole and Singularity, the powerset seems pretty boring to me. Still, I want to get my highest Grav/Storm, currently 21, high enough to experience those key powers.

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For the secondaries, as a solo player I don't really see the point of taking Kinetics or Empathy. My only level 50 hero is Plant/Thermal, and that's more due to stubbornness on my part than any fondness for Thermal - I'd gotten a lot of the Holiday stuff with that character and wandered up to the mid twenties before it really became apparent that Thermal isn't much use to a solo player. (That was about the third character I had made at that time.) With the pet, I can get some use out of it, but only until I exemplar down to a point where I can't call the flytrap anymore. (Such as Ouroboros missions.) If there was a way to re-choose the base powersets, I'd drop Thermal in a heartbeat. I'd considered Radiation, obviously, and I already have a /sonic. I've got a Force Field Mastermind, and one character with that set is plenty. And I have two with Trick Arrow.

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Don't count out Kinetics. It is actually quite effective solo. My Fire/Kin has mostly soloed her way up to 40. Speed Boost, even with the recent change of not helping the recharge on pets, still benefits Imps in running around faster. Fulcrum Shift boosts the damage of your Hot Feet and your Imps. My Fire/Kin dies more than my Fire/Rad, but kills stuff faster. Although a Fire/Kin has become a cliche' in this game, it really is a very powerful combo, even solo.

And Kinetics is another powerset where you can't really appreciate it until you get the last two powers in the set.

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I've decided to replace one of the characters I never play with a Fire controller, since that's a set I've never played yet. I was thinking of either Storm or Radiation as a secondary, and can't seem to decide. I've looked at the controller guides, and they really don't narrow it down. (The simple fact is, if a combination is possible, someone, somewhere, thinks it's the best thing ever.) A major consideration for me is that I solo a great deal, which is why I was considering Storm in the first place - Rad has some nice powers, but several of them require another player character to function. In fact, Mutation and Fallout both require a dead player character, which can be tricky to get even on a team. (Unless it's a *bad* team, then they're all dead.)

Before anyone decides to be clever with the "trollers R 4 teams, lrn2play n00b," my only level 50 hero is a Plant/Thermal controller, and does quite well solo. I just don't have any real experience with either the Radiation or Storm powersets. While I mostly solo, I don't actually make anti-teaming builds. So if I do team up for some reason, I'd like to not instantly be the most hated person there just for what powersets I have. (This is the reason I don't have an Energy/Energy Blaster, for example.)

Radiation pros - early access to a self-healing power, large number of debuff powers.
Radiation cons - Accelerate Metabolism no longer hastens pets, Mutation and Fallout both require a defeated player character, EMP has a really, really long recharge.

Storm Summoning pros - some decent slows/stuns/debuffs, and two additional pseudo pets (Tornado and Lightning Storm.) Steamy Mist has stealth.
Storm Summoning cons - no self heal, and O2 Boost is a very weak heal other. Powerset includes Hurricane. Tornado pet is insane, does knockback, and will happily scatter or aggro (or both) every group of critters it can find.

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I have a Fire/Rad, and it is one of my faovorite characters. It is uniquely built to take advantage of Choking Cloud. Rad is overall the most flexible secondary powerset. Because AM and the debuffs come early, the lower levels are easier on a Rad. For example, Fire Cages + Radiation Infection is almost a hold, since the foes can't move and they have a lot of trouble hitting you. Your "cons" about Mutation and Fallout? I skipped those two on my build. While Mutation is a nice Rez, it is far less needed now that we can combine Insps. Fallout is powerful, but it is the MOST situational power in the game. I have it on my Earth/Rad, but had no room on my Fire/Rad.

I skipped Smoke and Ring of Fire on the Fire side, and Mutation and Fallout on the Rad side. Ring of Fire is actually useful if you plan to play solo a lot -- slot it for damage. I actually had Smoke leveling up, and felt it was the weakest power in the set, but not useless. Plan on 6-slotting Choking Cloud and Hot Feet. Max CC with EndRdx and Hold, and slot Hot Feet with EndRdx, Damage and a little bit of accuracy. Some people skip Bonfire -- I like it, but agree that it is situational.

Fire/Rad, like all fire controllers, don't really hit their peak until you get those Fire Imps, but Fire/Rad has a lot of tools to get you there.

I haven't taken a Fire/Storm up to 50 --I only have a low level one. It is HORRIBLE on Endurance -- just sucks down the blue bar like crazy. Storm is crazy fun, and visually the coolest secondary. However, you have to learn when to use certain power and when not to. Fire is a melee set, and Storm tends to send a lot of things out of melee if you use Gale and Hurricane and Tornado and Lightning Cloud. Still, I know several people who claim that their Fire/Storm is their most fun character.

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I did notice that the phantasm doesn't fade away after a time, so that's cool. But when did they change the pets? It's the phantasm I'm most concerned about, because that could alter a lot of my plans on other characters.

Does the change effect things like Voltaic Sentinel?

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Yes, you can't have more than one pet in most cases. There are a few exceptions. Phantom Army gets 3 all the time (It used to be random 2-4). Fire imps get 3 only. Warshades can get multiple fluffies with enough recharge. But only one Phantasm, Jack Frost, Rocky, Singularity, Fly Trap, Dark Servant, Voltaic Sentinel.

You need to learn about Enhancement Diversification a/k/a ED (no, not that ED). In effect, you can slot 2 SO or better enhancements for full effect, and the third one gets a slight penalty. The fourth, fifth and sixth ones have very, very little effect. So, where you used to 6-slot Hasten, now you 3 slot it. There is one or two guides that explain ED fairly well in the guides section. I think one of them is linked in my Earth/Rad guide.

Some of the loss in power is being made up for by set bonuses in Invention Origin (IO) enhancments. We also get procs, and recipes and salvage and lots and lots of other changes. While your characters may be weaker in some ways, the game is much, much better now than it used to be. A lot of changes have been made for the sake of balance. A few of them angered some of the players, but the game is better for it.

I'm working on an Ill/Rad guide whenever I can find time. My Earth/Rad guide should answer most questions you have about the Rad secondary. In the mean time, if you have any questions about how to re-build your Ill/Rad, let me know and I'll try to help.

Earth/Storm: Awesome AoE control, Tons of -Defense debuffs, positioning tools, visually overwhelming. Will be able to solo effectively in later levels, but has very low damage before level 32. Earth is the best AoE control powerset, combined with the most fun secondary. Earth's Stone Cages has -Knockback to make Tornado into a damage machine. The upgrades to Earth's Pet have made Rocky into one of the better pets in the game. You have a lot of options on how to handle any situation.

Mind/TA: Mind has an early attack chain, Don-Mez-Lev, that makes solo play in lower levels easy. While Mind has good single-target control in lower levels, you have to rely upon an AoE Sleep and a slow recharging AoE Hold for AoE control in lower levels. In upper levels, the damage becomes less impressive, but Mind has good overall AoE control with an AoE confuse and hold and sleep, plus a cone fear. Mind doesn't need much from the secondary. TA has added control, adding some AoE control. It gets one damage power at 35 and some good debuffs. Very, very tight build, and very clicky.

I'm working on an Earth/Storm, after having played Earth and Storm up to 50. It is a great combo.

I took an Ill/TA up to 50. TA is an OK secondary, but I like Rad better. Mind is an OK primary, but I miss having a pet and it is visually boring.

Just my opinion. I'm sure others will disagree.

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Hmmm reply didn't post for some reason.

Since there's such a high global accuracy already would a plain damage IO replace the acc/damage HO well without really missing ? I've never seen a miss message for hotfeet so not sure how much acc I need for it and I don't have it slotted with any acc as of yet. Or perhaps a pacing of the turtle dam/slow which loses .1 damage a pulse but adds more slow for the higher level mobs.

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I believe that Hot Feet does not show the "miss" messages because the Slow part of it is autohit. I think at one point, the damage was autohit, but that was later changed. The best way that I know of to test the benefit of the accuracy is using Herostats.

It may be that with enough global Acc, you don't need the Hami-O. I used to run a lot of Hami Raids in "the old days," and have kept a bunch of them. With enough Global Accuracy, you might be fine with adding a Pacing of the Turtle.

I made a few minor changes. I moved a Recharge from Psi Tornado (you only lose 1 second) to AM, and re-slotted AM with Efficiency Adapter. You get 5% more Recharge, plus 10% Regen.

Then I changed your slotting for Hot Feet. It would be cheaper because 1 Hami-O is a lot cheaper than two purples. It maxes EndRdx, but you get a little less Recovery. According to Mid's the difference was actually 0.01 in favor of my build -- virtually zero. But with my slotting, you trade 1.5% Defense for another 10% Regen AND you get better accuracy AND you add 47% Slow to Hot Feet. The slow helps foes who break out of Choking Cloud's hold to stay in the area longer, improving CC's chance to hit again with the next pulse.

I also moved the Chance for Resistance Debuff from RI to adding a Resistance to Mind Over Body -- just to reduce incoming damage a little more. I personally don't use RI much except against AVs (who resist debuffs), so I thought the resistance in MoB would do more.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Djunn: Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Fire Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Psionic Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Char -- Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(5), UbrkCons-Dam%(5)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Mrcl-Heal/Rchg(11), Mrcl-Heal(11)
Level 2: Fire Cages -- GravAnch-Hold%(A), GravAnch-Immob/Rchg(7), GravAnch-Acc/Immob/Rchg(7), GravAnch-Acc/Rchg(9), GravAnch-Immob/EndRdx(9)
Level 4: Accelerate Metabolism -- Efficacy-EndMod(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(13), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(13), Efficacy-Acc/Rchg(15), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(15), Efficacy-EndMod/EndRdx(50)
Level 6: Ring of Fire -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(17), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(19), Apoc-Dam%(37)
Level 8: Hot Feet -- Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), TmpRdns-Dmg/Slow(21), TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(21), HO:Nucle(23), EndRdx-I(23)
Level 10: Combat Jumping -- Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(A), Zephyr-ResKB(25), LkGmblr-Rchg+(25)
Level 12: Flashfire -- Amaze-Stun(A), Amaze-Stun/Rchg(27), Amaze-Acc/Stun/Rchg(27), Amaze-Acc/Rchg(29), Amaze-EndRdx/Stun(29)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(31)
Level 16: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 18: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(31)
Level 20: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod(31), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(33), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(33)
Level 22: Cinders -- BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(A), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(33), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(34), BasGaze-Acc/Hold(34)
Level 24: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(34), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 26: Radiation Infection -- HO:Enzym(A), HO:Enzym(36), HO:Enzym(36)
Level 28: Choking Cloud -- Lock-%Hold(A), Lock-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(37), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(37), EoCur-EndRdx/Hold(39), G'Wdw-EndRdx/Hold(39), NrncSD-EndRdx/Hold(39)
Level 30: Lingering Radiation -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 32: Fire Imps -- ExRmnt-+Res(Pets)(A), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(40), ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(40), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(40), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(42), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42)
Level 35: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(42), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(43)
Level 38: EM Pulse -- UbrkCons-Hold(A), UbrkCons-Hold/Rchg(43), UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(43), UbrkCons-Acc/Rchg(45), UbrkCons-EndRdx/Hold(45)
Level 41: Indomitable Will -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), RechRdx-I(45), RechRdx-I(46), RechRdx-I(46)
Level 44: Mind Over Body -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), ResDam-I(46)
Level 47: Psionic Tornado -- Posi-Dam%(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(48), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Posi-Dmg/Rng(48), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(50)
Level 49: Enervating Field -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment

Any Plant build that does not take Seeds of Confusion at level 8 and have it six-slotted automatically fails. Basic slotting is 2 Acc, 2 Confuse, 2 Recharge. Basic strategy for any Plant controller is get in position to maximize the cone, hit group with Seeds, lock them down and do damage with Roots. Lock down bosses with Strangler or whatever else you have. Keep using Roots for damage, refresh Seeds when necessary, until foes are dead. Once you get Carrion Creepers, you can lead with them.

Seeds need Acc-Conf-Rech. Roots needs Acc-Dam and some EndRdx. Creepers needs Rech, and some damage is nice.

From your storm side, Snow Storm is a huge help, especially while waiting for Seeds to recharge. Foes who are immobilized and have their recharge slowed are almost held -- they can't move and can only attack you once in a while. Also, Snow Storm knocks down Fliers -- since Roots won't work on anything more than a few inches off the ground, Snow Storm is particularly usefull for a Plant/Storm. I would take Snow Storm over Leadership, Thunderclap, Spirit Tree or O2 Boost.

Need more damage? Drop Hover and take Air Superiority for a melee attack. If you need to "hover," you can slot up Fly with Flyspeed and EndRdx. The knockdown in Air Sup is a great way to keep a foe occupied while you wait for your single-target hold to recharge. Another option is Super Speed. The stealth in Super Speed combines with the stealth in Steamy Mist go give you full invisibility. That's what I do with most of my */Storm controllers until I can get a Stealth IO. With a Plant/Storm controller, Super Speed is nice because it lets you get in good position for maximum use of Seeds and your various positioning tools.

Only slot a full set of Lady Gray into Freezing Rain if you have enough global Recharge. This power needs to be up as soon as possible, so replace something with a Recharge to maximize the Recharge. But if you can get enough global Recharge, then you can keep the 6th one.

If you are going to slot for Defense, then you should take one of the APP sets that give you a defense based shield, like Earth or Ice. I prefer to slot more for control and recharge, though.

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having trouble on getting my setup dialed in a bit(i quit a few months after the game came out, started again about a month ago)

I am currently playing a fire/rad controller and my question is for higher end pve/pvp if there's any skipable powers, i have heard that smoke, ring of fire is for the most part?

if hot feet/choking cloud is normally a good setup to run(end hog though i am finding) then lingering radiation is skipable?

and lastly i am wondering if fallout is worth the slot (for extra dps with those trigger happy blasters) and bonfire for additional cc(when tied with fire cages to lock them down)?

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On my Fire/Rad, I skipped Ring of Fire and Smoke. RoF slotted up as a damage power is useful for folks who are doing a lot of solo play before level 32, or for anyone who wants a power to immobilize a boss. For a team controller, it is skippable, and it is not really needed for damage after Imps.

Smoke is loved by some people, mainly as a way to avoid aggro until you are ready for it. I had it leveling up and dropped it in my level 50 respec. Instead, I added Super Speed and a Stealth IO to let me go invisible.

Some people skip Bonfire, but I like having it. It is a situational power, but if you look for opportunities, it can be used often. I generally do not use it as a damage power except against AVs or other foes who cannot be knocked back. But it works as a barrier and as a positioning tool. I recently did both an STF and ITF with my Fire/Rad, and used Bonfire a ton in both.

Fallout is skippable. I consider it to be the most situational power in the game. Not useless, but it is rarely used on good teams. I have it on my Earth/Rad, and you can read about my summary of the power in my Earth/Rad guide.

Mutation is nice to have but skippable.

I love the Choking Cloud + Hot Feet combo. I recently added the Lockdown +2 Mag proc to CC and I really like it. It is easy to tell when it works, since it shows up with a Tesla Cage. Make sure you max slot both for EndRdx, and Max slot Hold duration in Choking Cloud. Hot Feet needs damage and a some accuracy. Some slow is nice in there, too, as it keeps foes in range of Choking Cloud longer.

Ling Rad is important for AVs. While the slow has some impact, the most important part to me is the -Regen. Still, having both a ranged slow (LR) and a melee slow (Hot Feet) is really effective. I would drop Bonfire before LR. I slot mine with Acc/Slow and EndRdx/Rech/Slow from Tempered Readiness, 1 Acc, 2 Rech common IOs. With enough Recharge, you can make it perma.

I have recently been running with several of my buddies with a team of 5 Fire/Rads. We just steamroll through everything. But my Fire/Rad is also one of my favorite controllers to solo. I can't help you with PvP -- Don't do it.

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(c) Before Wormhole, you have almost nothing to use as a "panic button" power to save your tail.

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Actually gravity has a great panic power... however, it just phase shifts everything and doesn't let you kill anything. But "panic-button"-wise, it's great.

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Whoops, you are correct. I forget about Phase Shift powers because I never take them (and very few people take them, either).

Anyway, to the OP, by all means, try Grav and see if you like it. There are many folks out there who love it. And even a bad controller is better than most other kinds of characters . . .

Grav is my least favorite controller primary, and the only one I have yet to get over 32. My highest Grav Controller is only in the low 20's, and I have a Grav/Rad and two Grav/Storms on different servers. Why am I not so crazy about Grav?

(a) lack of AoE control until Wormhole at 26 -- you only have an AoE immobilize and a slow-recharging AoE Hold -- and even Wormhole is on the funky side.

(b) lack of interesting powers. I find three powers in Grav to be interesting enough to make it stand out -- Propel, Wormhole and Singularity. The rest of the powers are unremarkable and pretty boring.
(b)(1) and as visually cool as Propel is, it is very frustrating on teams. It feels as though most of the time that I try to use Propel, by the time it finishes animating, the target has already been defeated by a teammate. The animation is so slow that many Grav controllers skip it, even though it does very good damage.

(c) Before Wormhole, you have almost nothing to use as a "panic button" power to save your tail. Even solo, I find my Grav controllers take a lot of damage. This is, in part, due to the slow animation of Propel and because the main AoE is an Immobilize. One of the things I was most looking forward to was the combination of Freezing Rain and Crushing Field, since Crushing Field is a unique AoE immobilize without -knockback. But the knockdown on Freezing Rain is not all that dependable, so the combo is just not that impressive -- I still take a lot of damage.

Fire and Earth have AoE Stuns at level 12. Ice has an AoE knockdown at 12. Illusion has Deceive early and Phantom Army at 18. Mind gets Confuse early, an AoE Sleep and excellent single target control/damage powers in the lower levels. Grav doesn't get much of anything really good until 26.

I can see how Wormhole and Singularity could be a lot of fun, so I plan on continuing to pick up a level or two every now and then on my Grav/Storms, but other controllers just seem like more fun.

And I think Storm is the best secondary for Grav. It gives you another stun to stack with Wormhole, great positioning tools and damage in the upper levels. But then Rad is great with anything, too.

One of the most important aspects of Storm's Tornado -- AUTO-HIT. It is one of the few powers that is auto hit, even through high defense. It can be used against much higher foes and foes who have some kind of high defense buff (like paragon protectors).

I like Psi Tornado too, but I would take Storm's Tornado over Psi Tornado.

My overall favorite is Ill/Rad. It is the most flexible build in the game. It can easily solo, team with small groups or large teams. While Ill/Storm comes close, I find that I have to limit my use of the Storm powers when on a large team, as the chaos tends to upset (and rightfully so) other teammates.

Fire/Rad is another one of my favorites. I have actually been teaming with my buddies on a team of 5 Fire/Rads lately, and they plow through stuff like no other build with very little effort. I call it the "Lazy 'Troller" build with Choking Cloud + Hot Feet and Fire Imps. Fire/Kin does huge amounts of damage, but dies a lot more than Fire/Rad.

And I also have to give mention to Earth. It is the best AoE controller I have played (and I have played all the primaries to at least 32, except for Grav -- I just have trouble getting into Grav). Earth pairs well with any secondary, but especially Rad, Storm and TA. It contributes to any team with its great AoE control powers and its Defense Debuff, helping teammates hit more reliably. Damage is low, so you will almost always want to be on a team, but on a team, Earth is amazing. See my guide for more details.

Frankly, all the controller primaries have something going for them, making each one a little different and fun to play. Everyone has their favorites for different reasons. In many cases, it may be the first character they took to 50. There are good reasons to really like Plant, Mind, Ice, and yes, even Grav.

On secondaries, there are good reasons to like each of them, but my favorites are Rad because it is the most flexible, and Storm because it is so much fun visually and adds damage at the end. Kin adds a lot to a team focused on damage, but I get tired of the "buff-bot" role. TA adds lots of control and debuffs, but lacks buffs. Therm is flexible, but the debuffs come so late in the set . . . but it is visually nice. Sonic and Ff also have their benefits . . . FF has one of the best panic button powers in the game as its first power.

My suggestion? Try 'em all.

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I almost went with the Earth APP as well, but went Ice instead as Fissure will really lower the damage Seeds is doing. Of course you've got Creepers perma by then, and can do a lot of damage with Fissure and Seismic Smash so it's probably a wash.

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I went with Earth mainly to boost single target damage. Plus, the hold in Seismic Smash will stack with Strangler for holding a boss. But an AoE damage power is a good choice on a team, and Ice has both Frost Breath and Ice Storm.

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The single target Hold, Air Superiority and vet Sands of Mu is all I need. Very seldom do I pick up the single target Immob. I have the vet Nemesis Staff, but for some reason, its accuracy sucks way more than Sands of Mu to the point where I don't find it reliable at all until I get some +tohit or +acc.

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Or -Defense. There is a lot of -Defense available in the Earth Primary, and in Rad's Radiation Infection, which you can get very early. An Earth/Rad, while having very low damage, has the tools to make those vet attacks hit very reliably. These will make your vet and other attacks hit much more often, which is important in those lower levels before Stamina.

TA has -Defense in Acid Arrow, but that doesn't become available until much later (Level 20 I think). Storm has great -Defense in Freezing Rain, available at 16. Thermal has it very late in the build.

I would choose most of the same powers but do it a little differently.

The build I'm posting has some options. My slotting is to suggest SOs or Common IOs only, but I would slot a bit differently with IO sets. I did not fill in the last two powers because there are so many choices. I went with the Earth APP set because Plant's biggest weakness is single target damage, so Fissure and Seismic Smash add single target damage, but other APP choices will work, too. You could add Hurl Boulder and the rock armor, or Assault + Tactics, or many other choices.

You could fit in Super Speed for stealth + maneuverability. (My Plant/Rad actually uses Hasten/Super Speed for travel. Adding a Stealth IO gives me full invisibility.)

I went with Spirit Tree and Mutation, as I had in mind a team build. For a more solo build, I would drop those for Entangle, and I might consider Spore Burst or other pool powers.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Pot Holder: Level 46 Mutation Controller
Primary Power Set: Plant Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Stone Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Strangler -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(3), Hold-I(15), Hold-I(17), RechRdx-I(31), RechRdx-I(31)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(17), RechRdx-I(31), Heal-I(37)
Level 2: Roots -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(3), EndRdx-I(7), Dmg-I(15), Dmg-I(19), EndRdx-I(23)
Level 4: Accelerate Metabolism -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(5), RechRdx-I(5), EndMod-I(37), EndMod-I(40), EndMod-I(40)
Level 6: Air Superiority -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(7), Dmg-I(36), Dmg-I(36), RechRdx-I(37)
Level 8: Seeds of Confusion -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(9), Conf-I(9), Conf-I(11), RechRdx-I(11), RechRdx-I(13)
Level 10: Radiation Infection -- ToHitDeb-I(A), ToHitDeb-I(13), ToHitDeb-I(25)
Level 12: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I(A)
Level 16: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 18: Vines -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(19), Hold-I(46), RechRdx-I(46)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(21), EndMod-I(21)
Level 22: Enervating Field -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(23)
Level 24: Lingering Radiation -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(25), RechRdx-I(40), RechRdx-I(43), RechRdx-I(43)
Level 26: Carrion Creepers -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(27), RechRdx-I(27), Dmg-I(29), Dmg-I(34), Dmg-I(34)
Level 28: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(29), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 30: Mutation -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 32: Fly Trap -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(33), Dmg-I(33), Dmg-I(33)
Level 35: Spirit Tree -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(36)
Level 38: EM Pulse -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(39), RechRdx-I(39), RechRdx-I(39)
Level 41: Fissure -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(42), Dmg-I(42), Dmg-I(42), RechRdx-I(43)
Level 44: Seismic Smash -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(45), Dmg-I(45), Dmg-I(45), RechRdx-I(46)
Level 47: [Empty]
Level 49: [Empty]
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Containment

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What would you all say is the best way to slot R.I. ?

I currently have four Dark Watchers in (mainly for the recharge set bonus) but have been considering putting in the Achiles (sp?) Heal proc and possibly the Touch of Lady Gray proc.

What are your thoughts on this? Good idea, bad idea?

((this is for my ill/rad controller))

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Three Enzyme Hami-O's maxes out all three aspects of the power in only three slots. Enzymes enhance ToHit Debuff/Defense Debuff/EndRdx. Those other three slots can go somewhere else. You lose out on bonuses, but you can put the other slots into powers where you can get better bonuses.

I find that in upper levels, I don't use RI nearly as much as I did in lower levels mainly because of the cast time. I use it a lot on AVs and tough bosses who will last long enough to make it worth while.

And on an Ill/Rad? Make SURE you get the Contagious Confusion Proc from the purple confuse set for Deceive. It turns a single target confusion power into an occasional Mass Confusion -- 1/3 of the time, you hit one or more additional targets. It is one of my favorite procs.

Even if you have taken an Ill/Rad to 50, an Ill/Storm is a very different character. Keep in mind that unlike other primaries, you will need to rein in some of your Storm powers on teams -- you don't have the AoE Immobilize that can prevent the knockback from Tornado and other storm powers. Ill/Storm is wonderful solo and on small teams, but you need to be restrained on large teams.

I also have an Ice/Storm at 50. If you want to play a support-oriented melee-centric */Storm Controller, it is a great choice. Thematically, they go together, too. But only go that way if you want to go melee using Arctic Air -- from range, an Earth/Storm is better.

I have enjoyed the Storm secondary so much, taking two */Storm controller up to 50, that I'm working on a Plant/Storm and an Earth/Storm. Both have the AoE Immobilize with -knockback that will make Tornado into a damage machine. Both Plant and Earth are great primaries with good AoE control. Plant does better AoE damage against Minions and Lts, while Earth is more control-oriented with tools to even control bosses, but lacking in damage. I'm working on a couple of Grav/Storms, too, but I'm just not that crazy about the Grav primary.

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acc/dam HO x3, Chance for Build Up from bloodmandate (Ithink) and a defense aura.

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Chance for Build Up is from the purple set, Soulbound Alleagence. The defense aura is only worth it if you can stack it with other defense in my opinion. I would rather have recharge to re-cast the pet over a paltry 5% Defense.