Local_Man
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Posts
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Joined
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First, Welcome back!
Your datalink is not working. That happens a lot when you go back to edit your post. As a result, I generally try to post the Data Chunk so that even if the link doesn't work, other can still get the build fed into Mid's. As a result, I can't load in the build unless I pull up Mid's and re-choose all the powers.
Because of the above, I can't see your bonus numbers. From what I see, it is a pretty nice build, and I can see why you chose the enhancements and powers you chose. I think Freezing Rain is underslotted . . . I have recently tried slotting FR (and Cold's Sleet) with 2 Rech, Achilles Heel Proc, Lady Grey proc, Posi Blast proc, Impeaded Swiftness proc. Freezing Rain alone kills stuff. I'm quite happy with the amount of damage I get from those 4 procs. But that would mean pulling slots from somewhere else. -
Quote:"Visual theme of the icons" seems pretty subjective. I don't really see how the Devs could sort stuff based upon your (or anyone else's) subjective considerations. While I would like, in some ways, to separate stuff into categories, I am delighted with the alphabetical sorting . . . it lets me find stuff fast, which is the main thing.Originally Posted by Todogut
In my base, I had storage sorted based on visual theme of the icons. For example, I grouped all the metals, all the gemstones, etc.
It was an unpleasant surprise following the release of Issue 21 to find that the carefully sorted contents of my salvage racks were re-ordered. It appeared to my eyes to be a bug. I posted about it in the basebuilders forum and was informed by another player about the change to alphabetical sorting. The player noted that alphabetical sorting had been a longstanding request from the community.
Well, I've been a member of the community since launch, and I don't like alphabetical sorting by name. I prefer visual sorting by icon.
Can an option be added to salvage racks (and other storage containers) to turn off alphabetical sorting? So that the player can sort the contents however he or she likes? (Like before.)
This is an official development request from a community member. I expect it will become a longstanding request before it is fulfilled--if ever. Thank you.
If you really want to sort things further, then just use different racks/tables. -
Quote:There is a Kindle reader for the PC as well as your Android phone. I have an Android, too, and then got an actual Kindle over the summer. I use Calibre to convert my book formats and manage the library, download metadata about the book, download cover art, and choose what gets loaded to your device (phone or Kindle). Calibre also has a reader function. I strongly recommend that program.Originally Posted by Coin
Just downloaded the Kindle app for my Android, it's actually pretty good. Very easy to use and I already have an Amazon account so I can get the books I want easily, even delivers the new Pratchett book direct to my phone on day of release, which is cool
Now I need to work out if I can download the book to my PC as well, or is just trapped on my phone forever.....
The Baen Free Library has a bunch of very good books . . . but most of them are early books in a series, which are posted with the hopes that you will later buy the author's other books. Still, it is a great source for free books. I love the explanation of why they do it, and plan to support them in the future. With all the free books and really cheap books (several for $1) that I have picked up, it will be a while before I need to pay full price for anything.
I have downloaded a bunch of classic books for free from a lot of sources. Many of them are great fun to read, like the Edgar Rice Burroughs "John Carter of Mars" Books (which are usually referred to as the "Barsoom" series) and some of his Tarzan books. The Oz books are also public domain, as are a few classic early space opera books from EE "Doc" Smith. H. G. Wells and Jules Verne are also available. If you have never read them, both "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" are great books and very different than the movies. -
Quote:I never bother slotting Brawl because I never use it past level 4 or so. Of course, now that it gets Containment . . . it has become a damage powerhouse!Originally Posted by Mageman
Yes, it has gotten long, 11 pages is a lot.
One little thing about your builds - you don't slot Brawl (I normally put in +ACC), Sprint (+RUN), and Rest (+RECHARGE). I know, it's minor, but those may be places where you can find some "mule" slots. I also have Prestige Power Slide (Endurance Reduction). That way I have a choice for extra speed or save endurance.
I generally slot Sprint with an EndRdx. I use CityBinder with the Speed On Demand (SOD) binds, so I am always in Sprint whenever I am moving. (I sometimes use Prestige Power Slide for Ice-related characters.) Sprint automatically turns on whenever I press a direction key. The SOD system has a few quirks that not everyone likes, but I love it. Rest always gets a Recharge.
I know some people use Brawl as a set mule, but I dislike using a power that I never use just for the set bonuses. Even those powers that I take in my builds mainly as a place to put this IO or that IO, I find some use for the power to not make the power a total waste. For example, Combat Jumping provides Immob protection and greater mobility. GI in a build with SI gives me the option of casting invis on the team and allows me to use GI and drop SI to save endurance. Slotting up Brawl, on the other hand, would be a waste except for the set bonus. -
Quote:The thread has gotten long . . . but the guide has been very popular. I'm working on updating the guide with the little tidbits and new stuff I learn, so most of the stuff in the thread is in the guide. I have updated through the powersets and added Ratings (which I did not have before). I still have some work to do on the other Incarnate stuff, the builds and the strategy section.Originally Posted by Mageman
P.S. have you considered starting a new thread with all you have learned so it won't be as long?
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Quote:I would say that just about every controller plays differently solo than on a team. In the lower levels, all controllers are a bit of a challenge solo, because you don't have all your tools to control groups. Some of the sets get a decent AoE control power earlier, but you still have to wait for recharge. It takes a lot of Recharge before Flashfire, Ice Slick, Stalagmites or Seeds of Confusion are up for every group.Originally Posted by seebs
Ill/rad plays very differently solo and on a team, at least in my experience so far. Solo, I have to take a while confusing things before starting on a spawn, if I want to win fights without getting whacked. Unless PA's up, which at 18, it usually isn't.
Illusion doesn't get any decent AoE control until PA is up quickly and until Spectral Terror at 26. (Flash doesn't really count until it can be fully slotted with SO level enhancements. At least Illusion has Deceive, which can, with enough time, fully control a group so that a solo Illusion (or Mind) can wipe out an entire group with no risk whatsoever. -
Quote:My Demons/Poison MM is up to level 35, and so far the best power in my secondary is a cone slow. That's it . . . a cone slow. I understand that some changes have been made for the controller version to make it a bit more AoE, but there are too many single-target only powers to make it effective.Originally Posted by EtherealStar
I apologize, I did not mean that Illusion is all about pets and damage. I couldn't find the right words, but I meant that it was completely different from Plants. Illusion is very much different from the average controller primary set up (roots, AE roots, one pet, et cetera).
You're probably right about seeds of confusion... but it's just so much fun! It was, honestly, a big part of why I chose that powerset. If you say poison is really bad, I will take your word on it and not reroll my plants controller just yet. I am going to see how the community responds to /poison before making that choice. I kind of agree, I guess ... it doesn't look tremendously powerful.
By the way, I also have my name reserved. To my surprised, Temporal Girl was not taken! So I reserved it in advance. Several other time-related names were not taken either, but Temporal Girl just has a nice ring to it. But, I digress!
Most of my character names are jokes or puns of some kind, but I will be breaking away from that for my Ill/Time's name. I chose a famous quote by Albert Einstein that is just perfect: "Time is an Illusion." Even Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy spoofed it when one of the characters said, "Time is an Illusion, Lunchtime doubly so." -
If you want to get some details on Illusion, take a look at my Ill/Rad guide, linked in my sig. It fully explains the Illusion powers, gives some strategy tips and has lots of information on slotting.
Illusion is not "all about pets." It is all about distraction in place of hard controls. It is a good set for single target damage, can solo or team easily and is very flexible. Illusion is well known for being one of the best sets in the game against single hard targets like AVs or GMs. However, it does not have much AoE damage and makes a poor farmer. The combo with Time should be very interesting . . . Even though I already have 4 Illusion/* controllers at 50, I have already researved my name for my Ill/Time controller.
Plant, on the other hand, is better at AoE rather than single target. It is a bit of a "one-trick pony" that relies heavily on Seeds of Confusion, but it does that one trick very well. I know that Plant/Storm is a great combo . . . I have one that I'm working on, after already taking Plant/Rad and Plant/Kin to 50. I'm not sure that Plant/Poison will be that great in gameplay (although the concept works). I have a Demons/Poison MM I'm working on, and I'm really unimpressed with Poison . . . I'm not planning to role one up myself. -
Quote:Actually, it was referred to in the second post. But a 25% Defense Debuff can be pretty effective, especially stacked with the 20% in many of the other Earth powers.Originally Posted by False_Fiction_EU
Don't think anyone mentioned Quicksand has a -def component. Not that it matters much after Sleet, but it's nothing to overlook.
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If you are only concerned with battling AVs, then Ill/Cold is better. The powerful single target debuffs combined with the large amount of -Resistance in both Sleet and Heat Loss really helps to take an AV down quickly. The Cold set has a lot of great things going for it, but it really shines in taking down hard single targets.
Where I feel Ill/Rad is a bit more flexible than Ill/Cold is due to: an AoE Heal that is also a self-heal -- Cold has Ally shields, but no self or AoE heal; an AoE buff that also buffs yourself, including Recharge for you and your teammates; a quickly-cast AoE Resistance and Damage debuff (Enervating Field) that is virtually always available because it is a toggle that recharges very quickly when the anchor is defeated -- compared to Sleet and Heat Loss which are on somewhat long timers; a ToHit and Defense AoE Debuff that may not be hugely effective on AVs, but is hugely effective on everything else around the AV. Rad also provides some great utility powers, like a Rez and a huge PB AoE Hold that stacks with Flash. Rad has a huge amount of flexibility that Cold lacks.
When evaluating the "good" powers in Rad against hard targets, you can't forget the huge amount of -Regen and -Recharge and Slow in Ling Rad, plus the -Regen in EM Pulse. The Cold set has more Slow and -Recharge, but not as much -Regen. It is pretty easy to make Ling Rad perma, so that debuff is usually available. While the -Regen is resisted by AVs, Rad puts out so much of it that it still has a big impact.
I have played both sets extensively, both solo and on a wide range of teams. Both are great characters -- My Ill/Rad is my favorite overall character, but my Ill/Cold isn't far behind. The game has changed a bit recently to make the Cold Shields a little less needed -- making Ill/Cold not quite as team-focused as an Ill/Rad in the upper levels since so many people are already soft-capped on Defense. Ill/Cold has several single target buffs and debuffs, while Ill/Rad is more focused on AoE. -
Quote:As Tex said, there are varying opinions on the need for Defense. None of my controllers are built for high defense, as I usually focus more on Recharge to make me a better controller. But some of them do have an OK amount of S/L Defense starting with one of the S/L defense armors available from APP/PPP powersets. Your secondary is based upon Resistance, so stacking more Resistance may provide better benefit.Originally Posted by BrokenFace
hmm. would tough/weave provide enough defense to noticably matter?
I'm not rocking a /kin secondary, so I don't need tactics, I'm rocking fire, so I'm...burny, and my shield looks cool?
Or would I end up having massive end problems without the end alpha?(the plan, btw, is to be plant/thermal/fire just because this is like the first toon I've ever had where I can justify that specific APP for thematic reasons, in addition to general 'badassery')
When looking at Pool Powers like Leadership or Fighting, a key question is whether the cost (what you are giving up in terms of power choices or slots) is worth the benefits (the small amount of added Defense you may be getting and how much it will really help you). Even situational powers like Spore Burst or Spirit Tree may provide more benefit than Weave, and certainly provide more benefit than Boxing.
If you build for high recharge, do you really need all that much Defense? How much are you able to control and how much damage do you take that can't be handled by your self-healing? The answer to that depends a lot on your playstyle. To me, the key for a Plant controller is to get Seeds of Confusion and Creepers up as often as possible, so Recharge is important. But if you tend to fire off Roots a lot and get a lot of return fire, then Ranged Defense may be more important.
Once you have an answer to that question, then you need to decide where your focus will be on IO sets: for Ranged Damage powers (like Entangle), you could go with Decimation for Recharge, or Thunderstrike for Ranged Defense. -
Quote:Where I disagreed with you were your first two sentences and your last. Illusion does not have to spread out foes . . . with Deceive, you can get foes who have drifted a little bit away from the group to re-join them. Proper placement of PA can tighten a group. Yes, Phantasm will knock foes back, but with some management, that knockback can be productive. Plus, any foes who get separated from the group should usually be your first target to take down with the Blind-SW-Blast-SW attack chain.Originally Posted by The_Augur
It actually doesn't sound like you disagree, but might have misread my post. I didn't say that Ill/storm is better on teams. I said that Ill/Rad is better on teams, and that Ill/storm is better solo, so we're certainly on the same page there. I also agree that Ill/rad is better against AVs, and that storm's lack of a self-heal is problematic. And you're right about radiation being an early blooming set that's fantastic for leveling.
However, most of that is due to Rad's abilities, independent of the illusion primary. Rad is good for all the things mentioned, whether it's a controller or defender, and regardless of what the primary is. Similarly, Phantom army is great for what it's used for, pretty much regardless of the secondary.
Illusion and Storm, meanwhile, have some astounding synergy. In particular, both tend to spread mobs out a lot, but neither tends to suffer for it, whereas some aspects of illusion and rad work against each other. Also, the game has a lot more ambushes than it used to, and storm is better, IMO, at dealing with surprise attacks. RI can't be counted on in an emergency, because it takes a very long time to cast and doesn't give you any immediate breathing room. Hurricane, conversely, can just be left on, and barreling through a group of enemies will knock them down, debuff their accuracy, and protect you from virtually all melee attacks.
The downside, of course, is the severe team-unfriendliness of the set, as well as a lack of debuffs that will stick to a moving AV. Obviously, both sets have situations where they shine in, and you can't go wrong with either.
Where Ill/Rad has special synergy is the mix of +Recharge, -Resistance and -Defense. The combination of two PB AoE Hold powers. I do agree that Storm has some really nice protective aspects in Hurricane and the chaos of Tornado, Lightning Storm and even Gale to keep foes at range.
And I do not agree that Illusion is more solo oriented. It is very flexible in that it can easily solo or team, and Illusion controllers have fewer conflicts with other controllers than other control sets. No AoE Immob means that the Ice Controller can use Ice Slick, the Earth Controller can use Earthquake and the Electric Controller can use Jolting Chain. -
Leveling up my Earth/Storm, I had to skip either Quicksand or Snow Storm . . . and I chose to keep Quicksand. Because it is a location-based AoE, it is just a lot more effective than a foe-toggle power. I love the -Recharge and -Fly in Snow Storm, but I constantly use Quicksand under every other control, while Snow Storm is situational. (When we got inherent Stamina, I was able to fit in BOTH . . . but I still use Quicksand a lot, lot more.)
Quicksand+Volcanic Gasses mean that any foes who aren't caught initially by the Geysers will stay in the area for the next pulse. Quicksand+Earthquake means that you don't have to worry about foes running out of Earthquake. Stalagmites+Stone Cages+Quicksand means that you don't have to worry about missing a foe or two with the Cages, as the Q-Sand will keep the stunned foes in the area. -
Quote:Controllers are hard to evaluate until the late levels when you get some of the best powers and after you get at least SO level enhancements. Illusion gets PA at 18, Spectral Terror at 26 and Phantasm at 32. Before SO level enhancements, you spend a lot of time standing around waiting for powers to recharge. Once you have Hasten slotted up and the various powers fully slotted, it gets much better.Originally Posted by humulass
Ok so I think i,need to revice. My picks. Ill is cool but after ,20lvls just not fealin it. I am open to any other ideas. Like ice or fire..
Are you playing around with Deceive? I find it to be a really fun power. I especially love to deceive foes who have AoE powers that they can turn on their buddies. Flash should be skipped until later levels, even though it becomes available at 6. The reasons why are explained in my guide. -
Quote:The one combo where I would consider making another Gravity controller would be Grav/Traps . . . the idea of using Wormhole to dump some unsuspecting bad guys on a field of trip mines is just too funny to pass up. Just imagine what would go through their minds . . . "What the F . . .where are we? and what are these things on the gr<BOOM>"Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
FYI my ideal for pairing Gravity would now be Time Manipulation. Specifically (unless it has changed since I last looked a week ago) Gravity/Time/Primal. Take Power Boost for insane defense from Farsight, use Conserve Power to reduce end costs (long recharge on Con Power is cut down a lot by Time's huge recharge buffs), use Energy Torrent + AoE immobilize slotted with Chance for Hold and Chance for Knockdown + Time's long duration slow patch slotted with a hold proc to hide Gravity's relative control problem.
You can run around on top of enemies with Time's Juncture on too, but by no means have to. -
I have a lot of experience with Earth Control . . . not so much with Sonic, but I have a few suggestions:
Fossilize: If you can find a couple more slots, it is worth while to put some damage in Fossilize. At level 50, consider an Acc/Dam Hami-O and a common Damage IO.
Quicksand: Slow enhancements only effect Run Speed, and there is a Slow cap of 90%. The default slow amount in Quicksand is 90% for even level cons, so you only benefit using Slow enhancements for higher level foes . . . it really doesn't need any. You can save a slot or two or even three here. With enough Global Recharge, you may be able to get by with a single Recharge (but I generally use 2 Recharge, and maybe an Impeaded Swiftness damage proc).
Stone Cages: The Enfeebled Operation set is great if you are going for S/L defense, but otherwise not so great. Trap of the Hunter is better, or the purple set (with the Hold proc) is even better.
Stalagmites: If you can, add a 6th slot for Recharge. You want this up as much as possible. The Stupify set is good, but if you can afford it, the purple set is better.
Earthquake: You really don't need to slot for Defense Debuff. Just use Quicksand in addition to Earthquake (and everything else). Slot for Recharge if short on slots, or ToHit Debuff if you have enough slots. This is a good place for an Achilles Heel Resist Debuff Proc.
Combat Jumping: That's using a lot of slots for very little benefit. Especially when you don't really have a defense build . . . if you want to go for Defense, then you should have a Defense Shield from your APP/PPP set.
Volcanic Gasses: The power itself need Hold and Recharge. Putting a Lockdown +2 Mag proc is really nice due to the mechanics of how the power works. If you can afford it, go for the purple Unbreakable Constraint set, and make sure to get the damage proc . . . since VG works through pseudopets, the proc has a lot of chances to go off.
Animate Stone: Rocky is one of your main sources for damage, and acts as your tank as well. Normally I would say to try to get both Resist procs in there, but your Resist shields, if you use them on Rocky, will cap his Resistances. So try to get his damage capped.
Your Defense numbers are pretty low, so just abandon any prospect of going for Defense. (Either that, or go with an Epic set that will give you some significant Defense.) Six slots in Maneuvers is not justified unless you have better defense than you do. You could easily drop it and the entire Leadership pool. In fact, with a Resistance Shield, Tough will do you more good than Leadership, but you don't need either. My Earth/Rad uses the Stone APP with the Rock Armor, but my Earth/Storm doesn't use any shield at all.
You have two -knockback procs providing Mag 8 of protection. The problem is that about 90% of knockback is protected by Mag 4, and to get any additional protection beyond that, you need Mag 12, or 3 -Knockback procs, which will protect you from about 95% of the knockback in the game. You could put one more in Recall Friend or your Resist shields. Or drop it down to 1 proc and you won't see hardly any difference than 2. -
Quote:1. Phantom Army do not receive the benefit from Assault. PA are only affected by enhancements slotted into the power itself, but enemy debuffs will increase PA's damage (which is why EF is great). Phantasm does get the buff from Assault, but that alone does not merit using the power. Phantasm's Decoy does not get the benefit from Assault.Originally Posted by Purus
Two questions:
1. Would an Illusionist's pets (PA & Phantom) be affected by assault
2. If answer to 1 is yes, would it be worth fitting into an ill/rad build
Thanks
2. so, no, I don't think Leadership is worthwhile on an Ill/Rad.
Take a look at my Ill/Rad guide, linked in my sig, for a lot of details on your powers, suggested strategy and builds. -
Quote:Enervating Field casts quickly enough that it should be a "use it every fight" power. The damage and Resistance debuff will help with every battle. My general practice is to throw out PA and immediately follow with EF before I start attacks. I only use RI when foes are going to last long enough to make the cast time worth while. I used RI a lot in lower levels, but EF alone is good enough in high levels.Originally Posted by MriBruce
Illusion/radiation is, by a wide margin, my single favorite combo of powers in the game. It's true that the anchored debuffs are impractical in many fights, but they do great things to bosses, most particularly elite bosses and arch-villains and such, so I just think of them as "extra oomph when needed" powers - much like I feel about a good rezzing power, a welcome thing to have even though I seldom use it very much. Also, as a matter that's partly moral and partly aesthetic, I'm happiest with heroes whose powers clearly aren't killing the bad guys.
By re-coloring your powers, you can reduce this effect. The white is hard to see through, but darker blues are much easier to deal with.Quote:/Storm is also an awesome secondary, and everyone should try it out. I did and ended up not liking it for a reason I doubt will be an issue for most people - I just dislike the visual clutter, with too much of my screen feeling obscured and hard to make out. (I have this problem with warshades, too, which is a shame because I think they're just awesome, too.)
I had a lot of trouble finding a combo with Gravity that I could play . . . I tried several and never seemed to make it out of the low levels before I lost interest. I finally focused on Grav/Storm, and the synergy between the sets made it a fun combo. I played it mostly solo, however, as my effectiveness on teams was limited.Quote:Gravity/ is very cool but a bit underperforming, which is a shame, as the kid in me who grew up reading comics in the '70s loves the concept to bits.
My Elec/Rad is up to 47. On certain teams, I find the character very frustrating -- mostly if there is another controller on the the team with an AoE Immob that has DoT and -Knockback (like a Fire Controller spamming Fire Cages). The DoT ruins Static Field (the sleep patch) and -knockback invalidates Jolting Chain. Plus, Synaptic Overload (the chaining confuse) is slow to develop and if it misses, a huge part of the best control for the set is useless. The endurance drain is, in my opinion, not all that great on teams but works well solo. Unfortunately, my Elec/Rad solo relies heavily on the Gremlins for damage and it takes a while to drop foes. It is an interesting combo, but a little more damage would really help the set. If Jolting Chain just did more damage, it would be a pretty good set.Quote:I only recently dabbled in Electric/. It was fun! Watching the endurance drains kick in, and opponents flailing around for lack of endurance is almost as much fun as opponents deceived or knocked down. I'm too hooked on invisibility to just give up on Illusion/, but Electric/ seems a really worthy companion affection for me. -
Quote:I have to say that I disagree with this pretty strongly. I've played Ill/Rad, Ill/Storm, Ill/TA and Ill/Cold to 50, a second Ill/Rad to 45, plus Ill/Kin and Ill/Emp pretty high. No question that Ill/Storm is a great combo, and yes, Storm provides some defensive powers. But Rad is the ONLY secondary with Defense AND Resistance Debuffs AND a recharge buff. The Recharge buff in AM means that PA are up much more frequently and Ill/Rad is easier to make into a Perma PA build because of it. Many of the best Rad powers come early in the set, making it easier to level up. The ToHit Debuff acts as a defensive power, and it is not limited to a PB AoE repel power. Foes tend to bunch around PA (especially with Deceive to help), so it is easy to pick an anchor for your debuffs. EM Pulse adds a huge hard control since it is one of the best, largest area AoE holds in the game (and can easily stack with Flash to hold bosses). You get a self-heal, which is something that Storm severely lacks. The Heal, team buff and the nature of the debuffs make Ill/Rad a great team player as well as a great solo player. Careful use of invisibility and Deceive should take care of most of your defensive needs on a team where teammates should be taking most of the aggro.Originally Posted by The_Augur
IMO, ill/Rad works a bit better in theory than practice. Not that it's a bad combo, and Rad has some great powers, but illusion tends to spread mobs out a bit, and kill unpredictably, which makes Rad anchor debuffs difficult to use. Rad is great to have for AVs, but I think storm is a perfect fit. Both sets use a lot of autonomous pets, and storm gives you a lot of defenses that make up for illusion's softer control. I also think storm is much better at handling surprises. Rad is probably more group friendly, but illusion is already more solo oriented than other controller sets.
Ill/Storm, on the other hand, is the King of Chaos. Some controllers have an AoE Immob to limit the knockback, but Illusion has no -knockback at all. Solo, you blow foes all over the place. On teams, you have to limit your use of several powers or you will end up throwing foes every-which-way and frustrating your teammates -- you are mostly limited to using Freezing Rain on fast-moving teams. Storm adds some nice (but chaotic) damage powers late in the set, but I found it works best solo or on small teams (2-4) than on large teams. Don't misunderstand . . . I love Storm and have a bunch of them (Ice/Storm, Ill/Storm, Grav/Storm, Earth/Storm all at 50 with several in the 40's). But to say that Ill/Storm is better on teams than Ill/Rad is just wrong.
As for Ill/Cold, it really is a great combo, but more team-dependant in low levels and best powers come late in the set. It steals some of Storms best powers -- Sleet (Freezing Rain), Arctic Mist (Steamy Mist) and Snow Storm, adds two very desireable team buffs (the Ice Shields) and one skippable one (Frostworks), two single target debuffs good for bosses and tough targets and the Fulcrum Shift of endurance, Heat Loss. It has large Resistance debuffs to make it really good for taking down tougher targets, but lacks a self heal or any self-buff or AoE control. It also lacks Rad's Recharge buff, making it much more expensive to reach Perma-PA. -
Different people have different preferances. Personally, Illusion is my favorite powerset in the game. Gravity and Electric aren't even close. Both Grav and Elec have some interesting powers that require some interesting strategy, but they aren't nearly as powerful or flexible as Illusion.
Illusion is one of the best controllers to solo. Illusion is fantastic on teams, too. It works well with any secondary, but especially well with Rad, then Storm, Trick Arrow and Cold. Ill/Cold is particularly effective as an AV Killer, but it takes a much more expensive build to make it great.
Illusion/Rad is well known as one of the best builds in the game. Take a look at my guide, linked in my sig. It will give you more information on Illusion and Radiation than you ever wanted to know. It also has recommeded leveling-up builds and end-game builds. -
I took a look at your build, and then did my own version. I am a strong proponent of a great attack chain being much better than an extra pet, so I changed the Epic set to the Ice APP. This gives you the amazingly effective Blind-SW-Blast-SW attack chain, some some decent defense, and well past the recharge needed for Perma-PA. You get Frost Breath for an AoE Damage power -- it recharges much faster than Ice Storm and is all up-front damage. My Ill/Rad guide explains why fast killing is important for an Illusion controller, so that you can take advantage of the Illusory Damage in SW, PA and Phanty's Decoy. This build also slots up powers that need slotting without slotting up powers that you probably won't use hardly at all. Personally, I hate wasting 6 slots on Gale.
Notice that I got rid of Superior Invis. Steamy Mist+Super Speed is functionally the same with very few exceptions, while extending the benefits of Steamy Mist to the team. If you ever need that little bit of extra Invis, you have Group Invis. Since Ice Armor can take a LotG Recharge, you don't need SI.
I changed Blind to do some damage, and added Flash for its effectiveness as a hold and a place to put the Unbreakable Constraint set. Thunderclap takes the Absolute Amazement set (supposedly the Proc in it is supposed to get fixed, and the ToHit Debuff might be helpful).
I took out Fly . . . you can use the Raptor Pack if you need to go up in the air. If you still want Fly instead of Super Speed, then don't forget to slot up a Stealth IO somewhere to stack with Steamy Mist.
By the way, if you keep Fly, there is no need to slot Flightspeed. Since I-18, Fly is automatically at Flightspeed cap without any Flightspeed enhancements whatsoever -- it only needs an EndRdx in the default slot. Or you can put a Stealth there. Flightspeed enhancements are only needed for Hover. And the Raptor Pack is just barely short of being at Flightspeed cap, so it makes a perfectly good substitute for Fly.
Here's the build, which I think will do a lot more damage than your previous build:
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Ill-Storm with Damage and Perma-PA: Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Illusion Control
Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Ice Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Blind -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(3), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(3), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(5), HO:Nucle(5), Dmg-I(29)
Level 1: Gale -- Acc-I(A)
Level 2: Spectral Wounds -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(7), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Decim-Build%(23), HO:Nucle(27)
Level 4: Deceive -- CoPers-Conf/Rchg(A), CoPers-Acc/Conf/Rchg(11), CoPers-Acc/Rchg(11), CoPers-Conf/EndRdx(13), CoPers-Conf%(13)
Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(7)
Level 8: O2 Boost -- Panac-Heal/EndRedux(A), Panac-EndRdx/Rchg(23), Panac-Heal/Rchg(25), Panac-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(25), Panac-Heal(29)
Level 10: Steamy Mist -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(37), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(37), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(37), RedFtn-Def(40), RedFtn-EndRdx(40)
Level 12: Super Speed -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
Level 14: Flash -- UbrkCons-Hold/Rchg(A), UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(15), UbrkCons-Acc/Rchg(15), UbrkCons-EndRdx/Hold(17), UbrkCons-Dam%(27)
Level 16: Freezing Rain -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17), Achilles-ResDeb%(34), LdyGrey-%Dam(34), Posi-Dam%(34)
Level 18: Phantom Army -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(19), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(21), S'bndAl-Dmg/Rchg(21)
Level 20: Hurricane -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb(A), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(31), DarkWD-Rchg/EndRdx(31), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(31)
Level 22: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 24: Group Invisibility -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 26: Spectral Terror -- Abys-Dam%(A)
Level 28: Thunder Clap -- Amaze-Stun/Rchg(A), Amaze-Acc/Stun/Rchg(43), Amaze-Acc/Rchg(43), Amaze-EndRdx/Stun(46), Amaze-ToHitDeb%(46)
Level 30: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 32: Phantasm -- ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(A), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(33), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(33)
Level 35: Tornado -- ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(A), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(36), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(36)
Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(39), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40)
Level 41: Ice Blast -- Apoc-Dmg/Rchg(A), Apoc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Apoc-Acc/Rchg(42), Apoc-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Apoc-Dam%(43)
Level 44: Frost Breath -- Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(A), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(45), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Ragnrk-Knock%(46)
Level 47: Frozen Armor -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(48), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(48), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 49: Hibernate -- RechRdx-I(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(50)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), P'Shift-EndMod(50), P'Shift-End%(50)
Level 4: Ninja Run
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Set Bonus Totals:- 19% DamageBuff(Smashing)
- 19% DamageBuff(Lethal)
- 19% DamageBuff(Fire)
- 19% DamageBuff(Cold)
- 19% DamageBuff(Energy)
- 19% DamageBuff(Negative)
- 19% DamageBuff(Toxic)
- 19% DamageBuff(Psionic)
- 2.5% Defense(Energy)
- 2.5% Defense(Negative)
- 1.25% Defense(Ranged)
- 4.5% Max End
- 54% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 143.8% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 4% Enhancement(Confused)
- 5% FlySpeed
- 95.4 HP (9.38%) HitPoints
- 5% JumpHeight
- 5% JumpSpeed
- Knockback (Mag -4)
- Knockup (Mag -4)
- MezResist(Confused) 7.5%
- MezResist(Held) 7.5%
- MezResist(Immobilize) 15.2%
- MezResist(Sleep) 7.5%
- MezResist(Stun) 7.5%
- MezResist(Terrorized) 7.5%
- 23% (0.38 End/sec) Recovery
- 36% (1.53 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 8.82% Resistance(Fire)
- 8.82% Resistance(Cold)
- 5% RunSpeed
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There are a lot of variations you can do if there are certain powers you prefer. For example, if you really, really want Recall Friend, you could drop Thunderclap, put those slots into Spectral Terror with an Unspeakable Terror set for 5% Recharge, and then take Recall Friend in place of Thunderclap. Put the Zephyr -knockback in Recall Friend, and then you could change Super Speed to Fly with a Stealth IO. -
Both of my level 50 Fire/Rads use the Psi APP pool for Indomidible Will for mez protection. Break Frees aren't good enough because when you get mezzed, you lose the toggles for Hot Feet and Choking Cloud and it takes a little while for them to recharge. So you need mez protection from either IW from the Psi pool or Clarion Destiny power. Either one can cover you most of the time, depending upon your build and how well you remember to click on powers.
I haven't gotten to Destiny yet on either of my Fire/Rads . . . I was considering Clarion, which would allow me to respec out of the Psi Pool. -
Quote:Earth's only PB AoE control is Salt Crystals, a sleep that almost everyone skips. Other than that, Earth's controls are all ranged.Originally Posted by EmperorSteele
Kin is also a good secondary for melee fun. Three of your best powers work exclusively or best in melee.
As for primary, you want probably Fire, Ice, or Earth, as they each have, AFAIK, at least one PBAoE mez or effect.
When Time Manipulation comes out, that seems like it'll be a decent candidate for a secondary for this type of character as well.
You may mean Electric, which has a PB AoE toggle endurance drain power, Conductive Aura.
To the OP: The three Control sets with PB AoE aura powers are Fire, Ice and Electric. Fire does the most damage, by far. Fire/Rad (with Choking Cloud) and Fire/Kins are both very, very popular for good reasons. Fire/Rads are particulary awesome when several are on one team . . . a full team of Fire/Rads is simply sick.
Rad works very well in melee when you can combine Choking Cloud with another control aura. Ice/Rad is great toggle AoE control with Choking Cloud+Arctic Air -- uses a lot of endurance, but great mitigation. Very little damage, though. Elec/Rad is also great mitigation with very little damage, combining Choking Cloud with Conductive Aura.
Kinetics is the other secondary that works very well in melee. However, if you play it well you will be very, very busy. My */Kin controllers spend more time buffing than controlling on large teams.
Other secondaries can certainly be played in melee, but Kin and Rad lend themselves to it. Time appears to also have a PB AoE toggle, so Time can be a melee set. Storm can certainly be used in melee as long as you manage the knockback. The other secondaries don't really add much to melee over ranged.
Similarly, all controller primaries can be played in melee, but Fire, Ice and Electric are designed for melee. -
I have both Earth/Rad and Earth/Storm at 50. Both are great fun, but the Earth/Storm can do quite a bit more damage and has better self protection (Hurricane).
In addition to Earth/Time, another you could consider is Earth, Elec or Ice/Cold. As a Secondary, Cold is very powerful but late blooming. The two best powers, Sleet (basicly the same as Freezing Rain) and Heat Loss come at 35 and 38. However, the Ice Shields are always welcome, the single-target debuffs let you take down those tough foes more quickly (great on AVs), and you get Snow Storm and a clone of Steamy Mist.
I have an Ill/Cold at 50, but I bet an Earth/Cold would be pretty awesome. There are a couple of folks on the forums who are very fond of Elec/Cold -- I'm not all that impressed with Electric since it has many conflicts with other controller sets. I like Ice quite a bit . . . mine is an Ice/Storm, but I play Ice in melee and he does take some damage. (Arctic Air, once you add the Contagious Confusion proc, is great.) -
I meant to comment on this build a few days ago but never got around to it. Here are a few suggestions:
You have six sets with 6.25% Recharge, or one more than allowed by the "Rule of 5." You could change the set in Spectral Terror to Unspeakable Terror to change it to 5%, or you could change one of your Decimation sets to the purple set.
I'm not a big fan of the Primal APP set for an Ill/Kin . . . Power Boost doesn't have all that many benefits. I prefer Fire for a slightly faster Blast, a better AoE damage power, the Fire Shield is OK, and you get the only self-rez available for Controllers. Ice might be a good choice, too, with a fast single target blast, two AoEs and a Defense-based S/L Shield. And Hibernate, which is a wonderful Panic Button power.
Blind -- The Lockdown proc really doesn't do nearly as much as you think. Assuming it hits, Blind will hold minions and lieutenants. It has a 20% chance to hold a boss on its own. So that proc will potentially only have any effect whatsoever on the 80% of Bosses who were not held. Bosses are, what, about 20% of the total foes? And the proc hits only 15% of the time. So 20% of total foes x 80% of bosses unheld x 15% proc chance = 2.4% of the time, the proc will be effective. Is that worth spending a slot on? It looks as though the proc is hitting a lot more than that, because the Tesla Cage animation will happen if the proc hits on a foe already held, which will be most of the time, but the proc will accomplish nothing. I would rather slot damage, which will hit all the time.
The Baz Gaze proc is pretty worthless, too. What good is a Recharge Slow when the foe is held? Consider slotting 4 Baz Gaze, 1 Acc/Dam Hami-O and a common Damage.
Transfusion: The pure Heal is really not needed. Only slot 5 Touch of the Nictus and use that last slot somewhere else.
Deceive: Replace the pure Confuse with the Acc/Rech. You need more accuracy there, and the pure Confuse is way over the ED cap.
Hover: You have 8 Mag of -knockback. 4 is enough for about 90% of the -knockback in the game, but if you want to hit the 95-98% level, you need 12 Mag (or 3 -knockback IOs). 8 Mag really isn't any better than 4. Anything with more than Mag 4 knockback is usually greater than Mag 8.
Speed Boost: The proc isn't very useful there. Use a common EndMod.
Increase Density: Mez "resistance" is not "protection." "Resistance" simply shortens the duration of the mez, and not by much. 100% Resistance shortens the duration in half. If you want that third -knockback IO, here is where to put it.