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Local_Man

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  1. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SerialBeggar View Post
    Any archetype can have the Pets window open. For example, I have it up on my Blaster to keep track of the Gun Drone. That said, I'm very annoyed that the Carrion Creepers don't show.
    The pet window only works on actual pets, and not "pseudo-pets." Creepers actually spawns several pseudo-pets. That's similar to powers like Volcanic Gasses.
  2. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Crystalline View Post
    If I may go off on a tangent here, Local_Man, I always find your posts to be a treasure trove of useful information, so I'll add my thanks to Starget's.
    That's nice of you, thank you. I figure that if I babble on long enough, the odds are moderately good that I might say something useful to someone sometime . . .
  3. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Salud View Post
    I went with Spiritual on my Ill/Rad/Fire. It put me over the top and now have perma Hasten/AM/Phantom Army.

    I'm assuming this is a good thing but it actually ruined the Controller AT for me. Compared to this toon, everything else is just meh....
    As much as I love my Ill/Rad/Fire, I find that controllers are so varied that having one good one doesn't ruin my enjoyment of the others. For example, compare a good Earth/Storm/Ice with your Ill/Rad, and they are widely different characters. Earth Control is wonderful for AoE control but weak on damage. Storm is wildly different from Rad. My Earth/Storm playstyle is significantly different than for my Ill/Rad.
  4. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Starget View Post
    I have decent fire farmer for +4x8 as long as he is solo without bosses. I have tended to ae farm for about a week per toon i have built. The inf gain is decent plus i tend to score many of the recipes I'm building for. Sometimes it's just nice to spend an hour burning things.

    Converters are a mainstay of my tactics. Most of my lotg procs and healing procs have come from converting.

    Another big tactic is that i formed my own sg so that i can hoard useful drops regardless of which toon i play to have them readily accessible for alts. Sometimes it's just more economic to hold the big ones like purples for a toon that can use them later. Plus i like to go for a working build while waiting for the big one down the road. PermaPA is a goal that i am willing to wait on. As is pa should be up more often than down and purples drop decently in itrials alongside astrals for converters.

    I noticed you have skipped snowstorm. I love that power and have previously skipped the aoe stun and hold. Gives me something to think about
    I end up getting all of my LotG Recharge and Healing procs from Hero Merits. I don't have to worry about random chance. But whatever works. If you like farming, great.

    I like Snowstorm, too, but I couldn't fit it in. Also, it tends to draw aggro to me, and I do whatever I can to avoid aggro directed at me. Flash I find useful, and it was a good place for a purple set. Thunderclap is mainly there to hold the purple Stun set, as it only stuns minions. With my playstyle, I tend to clear out the minions first. Thunderclap does, however, set up Containment so that I can use Frostbreath and get full Containment.
  5. Local_Man
    You really don't need to "farm." I find I can earn pretty good Infl or the recipes I want using the first Who Will Die? mission: My Illusion controllers can solo that once a week to earn a Hero Merit in about 10 min. Most of my scrappers and Stalkers can do it in about 8 min. I have a LOT of characters who can solo that mission easily, and it is only level 20+. Each Hero Merit can be spent to get a recipe that can sell from 50-80 mil, or two merits can get a recipe that sells for 100-160 mil.

    I know the real experts on farming can earn tons. I can farm quite well on my Elec/Shield scrapper -- I have specifically saved one of the classic farming missions for him, but I find it boring. You can also earn a lot through marketeering -- I got one of my older characters up past the 2 Bil level by marketeering just to see if I could do it, but it also was kind of boring.

    Another trick: Buy some of the cheapest purple recipes, make the enhancement, and then use an Enhancement Converter to (hopefully) get an enhancement that sells for a lot more or happens to be one of the ones you need.

    There are a LOT of IO Sets that have 6.25% Recharge, but you are limited to 5. That is one reason that some of the purple recipes are essential -- they can not only provide a nice 10% recharge but also free up another 6.25% slot. The first one to go for is the Confuse set for Deceive because that proc makes Deceive much better.
  6. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Anti_Emporer View Post
    I'm working on an Earth/Storm/Earth build and I feel like it has a lot of potential for IOs, especially procs. I suppose I'm more just looking for input on what I should put where, what's worth it and what isn't.

    Most notable performance shifter: chance for +end in lightning storm. Will that have a chance to go off every time LS strikes? Is it worth it if it does?
    Lightning Storm is a pet, so the proc will only have a chance to go off when you cast the storm. Because it is a pet, none of the strikes will benefit you.

    I like the Devastation Chance for Hold in Lightning Storm if you have the slot for it.

    Far more important is slotting up Freezing Rain for procs. I generally have 2 Recharge and the procs in Achilles Heel, Posi Blast, Lady Gray, Impeded Swiftness. None of those are overly expensive.

    Impeded Swiftness can also go in Quicksand (which I use a lot) and in Snow Storm (may not be worth it unless you use it a lot).

    Procs work really well in Volcanic Gasses due to the odd way it works, but there are so many good procs for that power that it is tempting to give up some of the good slotting in it; Unbreakable Constraint, Ghost Widow, Neuronic Shutdown and even Lockdown for stacking mag all work, plus Posi Blast and Will of the Controller will all go in this power, but you want some Recharge and Hold in it, too. Don't bother with the Baz Gaze proc.

    Stone Cages can take Grav Anchor Chance for Hold (great), Posi Blast, Trap of the Hunter and Will of the Controller. I use 5 Grav Anchor and the Posi Blast proc.

    Earthquake can take Achilles Heel and Lady Gray, Explosive Strike and Force Feedback. I went with Achilles.

    Animate Stone: If possible, put BOTH +10% Resistance procs (Expediant Reinforcement and Sovereign Right) as that added resistance really helps Rocky's survival.

    Tornado: Absolutely get that new Overwhelming Force KB-to-KD proc.
  7. Local_Man
    To the OP: I made a few changes to my original build to fit in Fly instead of Super Speed. You still get full invisibility with Steamy Mist + Sprint (with the Stealth IO in Sprint). If you need full invis but want to save endurance, you can always pop GI.

    I also replaced the Panacea set in O2 Boost with the much, much cheaper Doctored Wounds, but the build still has Perma-PA. The other purple sets, sadly, are needed to provide the Recharge needed for Perma PA since there is not +Recharge power in Storm.

    The S/L defense is decent at 32.8%, so that you can reach the softcap with an Insp or a team buff. But you really shouldn't need it between the distraction of PA and Phanty's Decoy, invisibility and/or Hurricane.

    Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.96
    http://www.cohplanner.com/
    Click this DataLink to open the build!
    Ill-Storm: Level 50 Magic Controller
    Primary Power Set: Illusion Control
    Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
    Power Pool: Speed
    Power Pool: Flight
    Power Pool: Leaping
    Power Pool: Leadership
    Ancillary Pool: Ice Mastery
    Hero Profile:
    Level 1: Blind -- WotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), WotController-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(3), WotController-EndRdx/Rchg(3), WotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(5), WotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(5), WotController-Rchg/Dam%(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 -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(23), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Dct'dW-Heal(25), Dct'dW-Rchg(29)
    Level 10: Steamy Mist -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), RedFtn-EndRdx(34), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(37), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(37), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(37), RedFtn-Def(40)
    Level 12: Fly -- 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)
    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), OvForce-Dam/KB(40)
    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)
    Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Containment
    Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Sprint -- ULeap-Stlth(A)
    Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(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
    ------------

    Code: 
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  8. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by UnderArmor View Post
    I never took Tornado before. My teammates didn't like it that it would send the mobs flying..we liked to keep things together. It sounds like they have made changes though or a lot of people really like that power. I would rarely run solo on him. Solo just wasn't as popular back then as it is now and my teammates hated any power with knock back in it.

    I would usually follow the tank in or throw PA in....flash..then use blind on the one or two that flash didn't hit..The next group same thing but with thunder clap because flash would still be recharging. Throw a heal up every now and then. I would have endurance problems though...so occasionally it was just..all out madness because waiting around for endurance is lame..but only every 4 or 5th group. Got to have some excitement every now and then anyways.

    Phantom Army did a lot of damage back then... They nerfed them hard..... I was sad.
    Things have changed. Inherent Fitness and IOs mean that you can build for Recovery so those endurance issues mostly go away.

    As for Tornado: On its own, Tornado is a lot of chaos and is appropriately hated on teams. It is a pet that damage over time and major knockback while it runs around to the various foes in the area. There two important reasons to take it: (1) it is autohit, so you can use it against hard-to-hit foes like Paragon Protectors who have hit MOG or foes with a lot of -ToHit; (2) over its life, Tornado does a substantial amount of damage. This makes it perfect to use on AVs -- since Storm has no -Regen, Tornado's Damage over Time (DoT) in effect acts as Storm's -Regen. Some control sets have an AoE Immob with -knockback, so you can use Tornado as a damage power without getting foes throw all over the place. But Illusion does not have any -knockback powers, so Tornado had limited benefits on a team-oriented Illusion/Storm . . . until the recent introduction of the Overwhelming Force KB-to-KD proc, which significantly reduces the knockback. Even before the proc, I had it on my Ill/Storm -- it is great solo and very situational on teams.

    Do you use Freezing Rain whenever possible? All-in-all, I consider FR to be the best power in Storm. I love to slot it up with a bunch of procs.
  9. Local_Man
    After a long time of complaints, the Devs "fixed" Oil Slick Arrow. It used to be that pets would run from the Oil Slick when lit and never return to the area where the flames had been. The fix now has the pets avoid the flaming Oil Slick while it is flaming, but the pets will return to the area once the flames go out. I believe this is "working as intended." The idea is that pets will want to get out of the flames. Of course, that doesn't make a lot of sense when the pets are made out of flame, like the Fire Imps.
  10. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by UnderArmor View Post
    I have a 48 Illusion/Storm and I was wondering why skip Flash? I just started after taking a very long time off, but I thought flash was a very strong power to take. Again it has been a long time since I've played and he has a lot of dust on him. I would use flash one group and then thunderclap the next. This was before IO's were around though.
    It really depends on your playstyle. People who prefer to stay at range often skip Flash or use it as a set mule only. Personally, I like to have Flash as the only way to get AoE containment and as "another tool in the toolbox." I may go a full play session without using it, and then I may have a time when I use it a lot. I find it really useful for ambushes that ignore Invis when I don't want to scatter them all over the place with Hurricane. I tend to use Flash more on teams than solo.

    In the old days, the AoE Hold was an essential power. Now Flash is optional but nice to have. Thunderclap is even more optional since it is only Mag 2 (minions only). On the other hand, Thunderclap recharges pretty quickly and looks pretty cool. Thunderclap is more useful for primary powersets with an Aoe stun, like Fire, Earth, Dark and Gravity. You can stack the stuns to stun bosses.
  11. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Liz Bathory View Post
    I like Fox to lose all Marvel characters rights as soon as possible and let Marvel go on with their movie verse....
    There is a down side to that . . . Marvel Studios is only going to do a certain number of films a year. By having some of the Marvel properties at other studios, there's a chance that more films will be made based on Marvel characters. Take this year for example. Marvel Studios only put out The Avengers, but we also had Amazing Spider-man from Sony (mostly good) and <mumbles> Ghost Rider (mostly bad).

    OK, so some of the non-Marvel Studios movies suck. But some are OK or even somewhat good like X-men First Class. It is probably better for the X-men universe to be separated from the rest of the Marvel-verse.

    Daredevil was never a "favorite" character of mine. There are just too many other interesting characters. He's fairly weak on the super-powered scale. He's limited geographically to the Hell's Kitchen area. In spite of this, I found the movie mostly entertaining -- Like many superheroes, he is a play on stereotypes; a blind criminal defense lawyer who secretly has superior agility, can see things nobody else can see and beats up on criminals. I liked the casting of Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin, as there really isn't anyone else with the acting ability AND physicality to play that role, and the change of race didn't bother me at all. (MCD is currently in the hospital, I believe.)

    I would not mind seeing a re-boot, as long as it is good. And that's the key -- keep the tone serious and let the little bits of humor come from the characters (like quips) and not from the situations (like the stupid playground scene).
  12. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mr_True_Shot View Post
    I dunno about why the last DD movie was SOOOOO lousy, but....well, it was

    Probably Ben A$$fleck.
    The Director's Cut is quite a bit better than the original release. It still has some significant flaws (like the playground scene), but it is definitely better, and the Director's Cut moves DD into a mid-tier Comic Book movie.

    Now Electra and Catwoman, those were really lousy movies. The two Fantastic Four films were a mixed bag, more bad than good, with the "comic" tone, a silly story and the poor casting of Gruffudd and Alba and McMahon. Evans and Chiklis were pretty good, and it had the best Stan Lee cameo where he played an actual character from the comics.
  13. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Starget View Post
    Yeah, I figured the ss+stealth enh+steamy mist. Not up on the math of speed of attacks but understand why you want speed with the spectral damage. I don't mind SS as a secondary travel, but so many zones in this game require verticle
    You can buy a Raptor pack for verticle travel (only costs 10,000 and the vendor is now easy to get to in the Shard by using the new Tunnel), or you can make a Jetpack from a recipe. The Raptor/Jetpack moves almost as fast as Fly, so there is really no need to get Fly to cover the verticle travel issues. Why use a powerslot when you can get virtually all the benefit in a temp power?

    You need either Steamy + Super Speed, or Steamy + Stealth IO. You don't need all three.

    As for the three attacks; When fully slotted and with the Global Recharge you need, Blind recharges in about 2-3 sec. SW recharges in under 2 sec. Fire or Ice Blast have a base recharge of 8 sec, so the slotted rech is 2-3 sec. Factor in the animation time, and you can do a continual stream of Blind-SW-Blast-SW. The PPP single target blast has a base recharge of 24 sec. so you can see why that won't work.

    As for the Force Feedback proc: I very rarely run Hurricane. I only use it when there are several foes coming after me, or if I am "herdicaning." The proc only works when you are actively using the power and hitting foes. That proc wouldn't go off often enough to make it worthwhile.
  14. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Starget View Post
    Hmm, thanks Local. It is definitely expensive with purples. As it stands, I think the big thing I would feel missing is flight. I spent a lot of time on this toon hovering over Hami and dropping PAs back in the day when there was a dedicated PA team (that was actually the initial reason I made him). As is, though, I could drop Hibernate and take flight Fly though. Still kind of wondering about Mu vs Ice. Both fit with the Storm summoning but I have yet to look up what powers controllers get from Mu. The good news is I have 15 or so HOs I can sell off. Hopefully Acc/Mess Dmg/Mezz and buff/end HOs sell high
    Sadly, the days of the Hami Drop team are long gone. The main reason I went with Super Speed is because Super Speed + Steamy Mist = full invis without having to use SI or GI. You could change SS to Fly and throw in a Stealth IO to accomplish the same thing. Most of my Illusion Controllers are fliers, but I like Storm on the ground -- I like to use Super Speed to "Herdicane."

    Personally, I like having Hibernate. I have the Ice APP on quite a few controllers and Hibernate has saved my backside a bunch of times. It lets you both heal and recover endurance in an emergency. It is a situational power, but a nice panic button to have.

    The most important reason to keep Ice is the single target blast. None of the PPP sets have a fast single target blast, and Illusion really needs one to complete the attack chain of Blind-Spectral Wounds-Blast-Spectral Wounds. Mu also is a Resistance-based armor instead of Defense, and Ice provides a S/L Defense based armor. The Mace PPP has a really nice S/L/E armor, but the lack of a fast single target blast makes it inadequate.

    If you want a detailed explanation of why I think the fast attack chain is so vital, take a look at my Illusion/Rad guide where I explain how to keep the benefit of Illusory Damage.

    In terms of expense, one nice thing about the game now is the ability to earn Influence in a variety of ways. Tip Missions allow you to earn Hero or Villain Merits (a/k/a Allignment Merits). One or two of these will get you the most expensive non-Purple, non-PvP IO recipes, and if you plan properly and do a little bit of research, you can use these to earn lots of Influence without having to farm (which I dislike). The Signature Story arcs also will award A-Merits after you have done one full set of Tip missions.
  15. Local_Man
    This is a pretty expensive build, but you should be able to see what you can do with an Ill/Storm. It has perma-PA, very good damage, the KB-to-KD proc in Tornado, making it far, far more useful when you don't have an Immob with -knockback. I wish I had a few more slots, but this is a pretty nice build. (Please note that I do not actually have this build, as my Ill/Storm is on a secondary server . . . maybe some day . . . )

    Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.96
    http://www.cohplanner.com/
    Click this DataLink to open the build!
    Ill-Storm: 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 -- WotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), WotController-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(3), WotController-EndRdx/Rchg(3), WotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(5), WotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(5), WotController-Rchg/Dam%(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-EndRdx(34), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(37), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(37), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(37), RedFtn-Def(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)
    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), OvForce-Dam/KB(40)
    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)
    Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Containment
    Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
    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
    ------------

    Code: 
    | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
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  16. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Kitsune_Rei View Post
    Choking Cloud is one of those YMMV depending on your playstyle powers.
    I really like it, and I wouldn't play without it, but you have to be someone who jumps in the middle a lot. I generally start a fight with PA and ST and then run in.
    I see the hold coming up often enough that I appreciate it although most people say its erratic. I like being able to Flash or EM Pulse (which also needs you to be in the middle) and then have it help lockdown any harder targets by applying a second hold (though I know this isn't guaranteed). I put in the chance for +2 mag hold proc and I see that come up a fair amount (it makes the electric hold visual effect). I just like having that little bit more of control on a largely soft control set.
    A few things to consider:

    Yes, Flash requires you to run into or near melee. However, you can do this while invisible without drawing aggro. However, if you are running Choking Cloud, then you are already drawing aggro.

    EM Pulse has such a huge AoE that you can hit it fairly far away and still get an entire group in front of you (as well as everyone behind and on either side of you). Just like Flash, you can be invisible when you close into melee, but not if you are running Choking Cloud. Besides, the -Recovery from EM Pulse will most likely cause you to run out of endurance quickly if you are running Choking Cloud unless you pop a lot of blues.

    Yes, I like the Lockdown +2 Mag proc in Choking Cloud, too, and have it on my Fire/Rad and Elec/Rad. But keep in mind that the "tesla cage" animation goes off even of the foe was already held without the proc, so the actual effect of that proc is less than it appears. Still, because of the unique way that Choking Cloud works, with two "chance for" holds that can stack a Mag 1 and a Mag 2 hold, that extra Mag 2 provides more benefit than in most powers.

    I have known a few folks who like Choking Cloud on their Ill/Rads and that's fine. Some folks just like the power generally. I find it a cornerstone power on my Fire/Rads and my Elec/Rad. However, my opinion is that an Ill/Rad is best played from range, even if it is short range. Choking Cloud is too demanding in terms of slots, endurance and playstyle and doesn't provide all that much benefit. If a foe is already distracted by PA or feared by Spectral Terror, I don't think I need an erratic hold like Choking Cloud on my Ill/Rad.
  17. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Kitsune_Rei View Post
    I guess Spiritual is still the obvious choice. I was just worried it'd increase my end problems a bit at times.
    Spiritual is the obvious choice because Recharge is so essential. Your endurance issues should be taken care of mainly by perma-AM fully slotted for Recovery (Efficacy Adapter set). The healing buff from Spiritual is nice to have, too.

    If you go with the Spiritual Radial Paragon side, you also get enhancement to Slow. If your build is like mine with only a single accuracy in Ling Rad, the Slow is a nice addition.

    However, Agility is now a valid choice as well. I find it hard NOT to take Agility on most of my characters who don't need Cardiac.
  18. Local_Man
    I never take Hover on a melee character. If you want that little bit of extra defense, Combat Jumping is much better. Combat Jumping gives you that little bit of extra defense without having to be slowly floating in the air; instead you get more maneuverability to hop around the battlefield and the defense for a very, very low endurance cost.

    Hover is nice for a ranged-only character to stay out of melee while fighting. Other than that, I don't take it.
  19. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Arcanaville View Post
    Display List Interrupt graphics!

    <---- ANTIC baby
    ANTIC and A.N.A.L.O.G. were the two Atari magazines I read in complete detail every month. And typing in those programs was a royal pain in the tail. I recall the first time I found a local bulletin board that had the programs to download, I was in heaven!

    My first computer experience? My High School had 2 teletype terminals on a Digital mini-computer (1974-7). We saved programs on long yellow paper tapes with holes punched out, and it usually took 2 or 3 tries before the reader got most of the program right. We then had to go through the program line-by-line to compare it with the last print-out to make sure that we caught any errors from the reader (there were many). I recall writing a few programs that overloaded the memory. Each paper tape only lasted 3 or 4 reads before it became too worn.

    One summer I worked in a university computer lab, and I thought the stacks of punch cards with FORTRAN programs were huge step up. Then in college, I got to see my first GRAPHICS terminal with green screen vector graphics. Some buddies of mine came up with a game where you put in an angle and direction, and the system would determine where you landed if you jumped off of the tallest building on campus. (Which was kind of sick since a few people had actually jumped off. They had to close the top floor balcony.)
  20. Local_Man
    No question that Christopher Reeve did a wonderful job playing Superman. I remember seeing that scene when he straightens up to become Superman, and then changes his mind and slumps back to Clark as a defining moment -- it finally made it understandable how people could not immediately know that Clark and Supes were the same person.

    The one problem I had with his performance was really the tone of the film in the second half . . . The original Superman was made in the days that directors thought that a "comic book movie" had to be "comic." I disliked that Clark Kent, this award winning reporter, was a bumbling buffoon. As was everyone else in the movie. Not at all the fault of Reeve, as his Clark Kent fit the overall tone of the film to a "T."

    I saw each of the Superman movies in the theater when they came out. The ad campaign for the first one was great -- "You will believe a man can Fly!" And unlike the advertising today, we never got to see Superman in the suit until the movie came out. I remember having mixed feelings about Superman the Movie -- Christopher Reeve was fantatic, the special effects (for the time) were great, and the movie up through the Airplane scene was fantastic . . . but the story after that was stupid as hell. And WTF with the "You can't change time" speech followed by Supes changing time with NO CONSEQUENCES AT ALL? I felt cheated by the hand-wave, deus ex machina resolution. (Supes 2 followed the same kind of stupidity.) If the tone from the first half of the movie (up through the airplane rescue) had stayed all the way through, it could have been arguably the greatest superhero movie ever. Instead, it suffered major flaws due to the change in tone and a poor plot.

    I don't know if Henry Cavill will be able to capture the key dichotomy of Clark vs. Superman, but I hope and pray that Zack Snyder has a story that makes sense without massive plot holes.


    By the way, George Reeves had a small speaking role in Gone With the Wind before he became Superman.
  21. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Lord_Nightblade View Post
    Psh. You kids and your Windows 95. When I was a kid, my family started on DOS and Windows 3.1
    You had it easy. I actually taught myself how to do some programming in 6502 Assembler (machine language). BASIC ran too slow for anything that you wanted to be responsive. We spent a lot of time PEEKing and POKEing values in certain memory locations. Doing music on the Atari consisted of having to set up timers to POKE values into one of the three voice memory locations.

    Who knows what BASIC stood for (without looking it up)? PL/1? COBOL?

    MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 were cake compared to those.
  22. Local_Man

    Dark Control

    POST-ACTION

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ChrisMoses View Post
    Oh. I should have gotten that.

    OK, the controllers I have that I love are Fire/Rad, Ice/Kin, Illu/Rad, and Fire/Storm.
    The controllers that I have and like are Elec/Time.
    The controllers that I have and merely tolerate are Earth/Sonic and Plant/Thermal (I'm not a healing fan; I should have known better).

    I haven't been able to get into Gravity (though the only shot I've given it is a level 24 Dominator), nor Mind (though I think I've only played it to level 10, if that - I just like the promise of pets at 32, I think).

    So, put in that perspective, I like being in the muck with the melee, PBAoE toggles, and slight damage potential. Elec/Time may be my safest controller, but the lack of damage (currently level 33, so that will change, at least a little, with an APP) irks me.

    I make Controllers with the predominant intention of teaming, but I want to be able to run a mission or two solo if I have to.

    The most I put into a build is set IOs, then occasional purples as they drop. Though both the Plant/Thermal and the Earth/Sonic only got Generic IOs + cheap Slow or Immob procs. So if I like the Controller a lot (as is the intention before even beginning it!) then I'll dump like 80 mill into it and call it a day until drops convince me otherwise.

    The secondaries that don't interest me are Trick Arrow (I don't want redraw, nor ever came up with any sort of good archer concept), Thermal, Empathy, Sonic, or Force Field. I wouldn't mind playing Kin or Storm again. I should probably stay away from /Rad (two 50's already) and /Time (currently leveling), but I could be convinced. The most attractive, however, would be a set I've never put extensive time into, such as /Cold, /Dark, or /Poison.

    So. Given those parameters, what are my Dark Control pairing options? In fact, now that I've talked about it so much, does anyone want to make a strong push to also start a Mind or Gravity Controller? Dark is the priority, but now I'm curious!
    Dark/Dark should be a good choice. The cone nature of Living Shadows combined with PB AoE of Heart of Darkness makes me play my Dark/Dark into a kind of Short-Range controller, right at the edge of melee, sometimes running in. Much like a Fire controller, you get a nice ranged control power (Fearsome Stare) to hit before running in close. The combination of ToHit Debuff stacked from both sets, the Defense you get later on and the self-heal lets you survive quite well.

    As for Gravity -- I tried a few Gravity controllers until I finally teamed it with Storm, and that was a synergy I really liked. Crushing Field+Freezing Rain's knockdown gave me the AoE control that let me get through those lower levels when you have very little AoE control. You can't really appreciate Gravity until you get Singy -- I think Singy makes more of a difference to the Grav set than any other pet other than Illusion's PA. I don't think Gravity is a very good dominator set since so many powers are geared to single target damage, which you don't need as a dominator.

    Mind, in my opinion, is better as a dominator primary than a controller primary. It has so many powers that benefit from Domination that it sometimes seems overpowered. My first Dominator to hit 50 was a Mind/Energy. (I also have a Mind/Storm at 50 and a Mind/FF at 44.)
  23. Local_Man
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mad Grim View Post
    I personally don't use Choking Cloud. I tend to fight at range and it drains a lot of end.

    I have Superior Invisibility six slotted, 5 red fortune and a gambler proc.

    I use both Flash and EMP. EMP has that pesky recovery killing and a longer recharge. So I use Flash for most crowds and EMP as an emergency.
    This is exactly my position on whether to use Choking Cloud . . . it is the advice I give in my Ill/Rad guide (link below). I also prefer to play from range. I tried Choking Cloud on my Ill/Rad at one time, and found it to be mostly useless.

    Choking Cloud's odd way of working makes it less ideal for an Ill/Rad. It needs 5-6 slots to function properly, and sucks down a huge amount of endurance. All that for a part-time erratic AoE hold that takes a while to take effect.

    Choking Cloud isn't enough by itself . . . it needs some kind of secondary control, preferably something continual. Fire/Rads have Hot Feet (with Slow and Afraid and damage), Elec/Rad has Static Field and Conductive Aura (to drain endurance), and Ice/Rad has Arctic Air (Slow, Afraid and Confuse). You could combine CC and Spectral Terror, but Spooky alone does the job of control without Choking Cloud's slot and endurance cost. The only reason to use CC is to set up Containment, and I don't think CC is worth the endurance cost and cost of 5-6 slots for a fairly small benefit since you don't have any AoE damage until APP levels. Before that, Blind sets up Containment for your single target attacks, so you don't need CC.

    I'm not a fan of set mules, and it is possible to get a perma-PA Illusion/Rad build without wasting the slots and endurance on Choking Cloud. I love it on my Fire/Rad and Elec/Rad, and I even have it on my Plant/Rad.
  24. Local_Man

    Dark Control

    POST-ACTION

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ChrisMoses View Post
    I don't know. Fun? I have so many characters, I don't know of any hole in my heart I'm needing to fill.
    I think he is asking about your expected playstyle with this character.

    Teams or solo? Most of my controllers are team-oriented but able to solo slowly if I don't have a team. However, if I expect the controller to solo most of the time, I will make a different build.

    Melee or ranged? Again, the build will be different if you have a tendecy to run into melee vs. generally stay at the edges. Some people like to play Controllers like a scrapper, while others like to stay back and be more of a field general.

    Moderate price or mega-expensive? You can have a very effective character at a moderate price.
  25. Local_Man
    My first computer was the Atari 800 (the original one with a sturdy body and keyboard). Two cartridge slots, and my word processor was on a cartridge. It cost $899 (in 1981) for the base computer, plus $79 for the Cassette drive. It came with 16K of RAM, and I later got an additional board with 32K ($89) to get it up to the maximum of 48K RAM. I had to wait a while until I could afford the single-sided, single density floppy drive ($399 with about 90K of storage per disk).

    Yet that computer served as my word processor through graduate school and for several years after that. I had a spreadsheet (Visicalc). I had on-line access to local bulletin boards and Compuserve -- my first modem was a 300 baud acoustic modem. Have you ever seen the Wargames movie where the phone headset was placed into two rubber cups? That was my first modem. I later replaced it with a 1200 baud modem with a direct connection.

    When the old Atari was replaced by an IBM-XT, we loaned it to my in-laws, who eventually threw it out. I really wish I still had it.