Local_Man
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Posts
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Guardian uses Pocket D. The main room is a nice, big open space, which is an advantage over RWZ. The other nice thing about Pocket D is that anyone with the GvE pack has an easy teleporter to Pocket D. Also, a teleporter in your base can go straight to Pocket D, while the teleporter to RWZ leaves you out in the zone and there isn't one to Cim or Midnight Club. Crafting tables are as close as your base. There are Vaults handy. And a nice view out the big windows.
Since Pocket D has an easy place to buy Inspirations and a Base porter, the only thing it really lacks is an easy vendor for selling SOs and worthless recipes and salvage. Might that be coming soon? -
This kind of thing really should go in the Suggestions forum, since Control sets apply to Dominators, too. Also, the possibility of a Dark Control primary and/or a Dark secondary has been discussed (and worked on) by the devs . . . They have said that it will really require a bunch of sets and a lot of time to do. It is not off the table, but they don't appear to be in a hurry to add it to the game.
Your suggestions have several things that I think are very unlikely to happen. A ranged AoE damage power in a controller primary? An Unstoppable/Light Form type power in a controller primary? I wouldn't count on it. -
Quote:Getting the Alpha Slot and putting Cardiac into it will make a HUGE difference on a Plant/Storm . . . and any */Storm. Not only that, but the upper tier Cardiac has a Damage Resistance buff . . . so if you slotted Steamy Mist for Defense, you get some Damage Resist for free.Originally Posted by Argentae
Whelp...
Been a long time I know.
I've been very busy working on some things IRL, and haven't had a heck of a lot of game time. Finally dusted off my COH, and spent some time last night skipping around from alt to alt, and came back to Viri again. Need to get back in the groove, but of the dozen or so characters I played around with she was the most fun, and one of the best for survivability. Still need to respec her into the inherent fitness pool (yes, it's been THAT long), but even without that, and with a rusty player behind the mouse, she was kicking butt and taking names.
Anything major change while I've been gone that would affect a Plant/Storm on the way up? I'm waffling on whether I should check out the incarnate stuff with Arg (Mind/Kin 50), One of my 50 doms (Mind/Psi, Fire/Psi, Mind/Elec etc) or finish leveling up Viri... Decisions decisions... -
Earth is great Ranged AoE control. Kinetics is great buffing from up close, especially buffing damage. Earth has very little damage. Kin is lots of offense and very few powers that can provide you with protection.
Both sets are very good . . . and together they are OK. I prefer pairing Earth with Rad or Storm, or TA or Therm. I prefer pairing */Kin with Fire and Plant, although Elec and Ice also are good in melee.
I have an Earth/Kin I started a long time ago. His concept was that he was somehow drawn to these unique soil samples in a museum, and actually stole them but got caught. That's how he got his name . . . "Dirt Napper." His name was quite appropriate, as he spend a lot of time dirt napping. Of course, that was before I had really learned how to play the Earth Control set or the Kinetics set. But all the AoE tends to draw a lot of aggro. -
Start out by taking a look at my Illusion/Radiation Guide. The link is in my sig. The guide has explanations of the powers, sample builds, strategy tips. It includes my current Perma PA build, which has a lot fewer purple sets than the build you posted. Then, if you look in the thread following the guide, there are lots and lots of builds there, too.
You made a lot of choices I would not make. A perma-PA build shouldn't need Defense. The PA's job is to draw aggro. You throw out your PA, stay back at range and shoot stuff while they are attacking PA. The Defense you have in that build is not all that much for using up 5 power picks -- you have 11-17%, which isn't all that much. If you really want to go for Defense, use a different APP set to get the S/L based Defense Armor (Ice or Earth -- Ice is better for an Ill/Rad for the reasons I explain in the guide.)
You skipped Spectral Terror, the best AoE control for an Ill/Rad. I'm not a fan of Choking Cloud for an Ill/Rad -- I explain why in the guide. Flash and EM Pulse are better choices.
You could get better damage in PA. You could add damage to Blind. You have no AoE damage at all. There are other problems with the build that I see.
Take a look at my guide, as it will give you a lot of suggestions for changes . . . I wrote it because I kept giving the same advice on the forums over and over. -
Quote:As I said in my original post, this was a concept character, and I don't know Dominator secondaries very well. (I don't play Red-side all that much. Of my twenty-somthing level 50 characters, only one is a Villain, a Thugs/Dark MM.) I certainly don't mind running into melee when it is best for the powerset combo. So, this character will play like a Blapper with controls. That should be interesting since I generally build my Blasters as ranged characters.Originally Posted by Lord_Saigon
You like to stay at range but choose elec as your secondary? lol. Anywho charged brawl is pretty decent, whereas thunderous strike will more than likely get you killed and doesnt do enough damage on a dom to warrant the longish animation, on stalker and scrapper, even brutes its fine but on doms (wags finger).
OK, this overall helps . . . take Charged Brawl, skip Thunderous Strike unless there's nothing else I need. Thanks! -
Just remember that several of Earth's AoE control powers, (Quicksand, Earthquake, Volcanic Gasses) are location-targetted AoE powers -- lots of knockback may knock foes out of the patch. Slotting knockback sets will increase the distance of knockback, making it more likely to knock foes out of the patch. Of course, you can prevent the Knockback for 12 seconds by using Stone Cages, but that makes Earthquake mostly useless.
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I'm finding difficult to take anything OTHER than Reactive. The benefits are clear to getting -Resistance and Damage over Time.
As for the -ToHit, hopefully Phantom Army is drawing the aggro so you will benefit little from a ToHit Debuff. PA drawing aggro is one of the best ToHit Debuffs in the game, as long as you stay out of AoE splash range. -
Quote:Ah, thanks for the insight. I guess Charged Brawl is worth taking. Thunderstrike is an important power for my Elec/Shield scrapper, but you are suggesting that it is less important for a Plant/Elec Dom. Thunderstrike is knockback instead of Knockdown? (I read the description -- that's what it says.) That makes a difference.Originally Posted by SpittingTrashcan
I run a Plant/Elec, and right now she's one of my strongest offensive characters. Both Plant/ and /Elec give most of their value in relatively few power selections, granting considerable freedom to take ancillary or slot mule powers.
Elec Assault is notably stronger than Elec Blast, primarily because it gets versions of Charged Brawl and Havoc Punch that are almost as powerful as their Blaster Elec Manipulation versions. Thunder Strike is amusing, but since it has the low DPA, knockback and weak splash damage of the Blaster version rather than the significant splash damage and knockdown of the Elec Melee version I chose to pass it over.
The mandatory tier 1 blast, the two fast melee strikes, and the cone are sufficient for most of your combat needs; I also took the snipe as a set mule and occasional utility power, and the Sentinel for added DPA when fighting hard targets. The cone and the AoE immob from Plant add up to fairly decent AoE damage - it's no Fire, of course, but it does the job.
The Ice ancillary is, frankly, insane. Sleet is more or less exactly as good as the Def/Corr version, applying a large sticky debuff to defense, resistance, runspeed, and recharge, as well as making enemies inside the patch flop at random - quite handy when dealing with sleep/confuse resistant enemies such as Nemesis soldiers.
Hibernate is also particularly handy on Plant/Elec/Ice, simply because you have so many ongoing effects that can change the tactical situation while you are immobile and invincible. With confused enemies attacking each other, Creepers popping up, your two pets attacking, and Sleet, Roots, and Ice Storm ticking away, you can end up defeating a significant portion of a spawn while turtled up and be in a much better position when you come out than when you went in.
It's probably possible to build Plant/Elec for high defense, but I wasn't interested, so I made my ancillary power selections with an eye toward recharge. The Concealment pool is handy as a place to stick LotG +Rech IOs, and it doesn't hurt that Stealth + Superspeed grants full PvE invisibility, allowing you to maneuver for optimum cone placement before opening a fight. I also took Aid Other/Self, as I've found that Dominators tend to take a few hits even when everything is going relatively well, and it helps to be able to top up between fights.
I found Plant/Elec to be very effective from 1 to 50: you get a strong area control and two solid single target attacks very early, and a host of fun tricks as you level up.
I'm generally not all that concerned about DPA. I want to defeat foes reasonably quickly, but I am more interested in power effects and combos. I like developing strategies. (That's one reason I like my Grav/Storm controller -- it doesn't kill fast, but with some good strategy, it can be mostly safe and can hit hard.) I don't mind knockback at times, as long as it can be used strategically. If that is the intent of Thunderstrike, then I may take it to try it, but will keep your suggestions in mind . . . I may put it off for a second build. -
I'm trying do decide which powers are skippable. Obviously, Entangle can be skipped. Spirit Tree is optional, but could be taken for a nice Regen boost. Spore Burst is not that useful on teams, but makes good back-up control when solo.
Where I'm having some questions is on the Assault side. Dominator damage sets are a combination of blasts and melee attacks. On the electric side, is Charged Brawl worth taking? I tend to try to stay more at range, but will run in if a foe is held or confused. In the low levels, I'm missing an extra attack and having to fill in with my Vet attacks. In upper levels, is there a need for Charged Brawl?
As I said in the first post, I like Voltaic Sentinel on my Defenders -- I find it to be efficient to pre-cast a pet, and have that pet doing damage while I'm otherwise busy. Build Up and Thunderous Strike seem like obvious takes. How is the cone? -
Quote:If you are Hero-side, you have to run 11 missions (10 tips plus Morality) to get to Vigilante, and then another 11 to get to villain. Then you have to run the Patron arc before you can get the Patron Power Pools -- any of the 4 will open the sets. Then to get back to Hero, you have to run 11 more missions to get to Rogue, and another 11 to get back to Hero. Also, you are limited to 5 tip missions per day, so it will take a minimum of 4 days per side if you focus on it.Originally Posted by TeamSlacker
One of the problems I have is that I haven't unlocked any of the Villain side stuff. Is it difficult to do?
My understanding is that you'd have to run 40 or so missions to get to villain side and back.
Once you unlock it for one character does it unlock for all characters on your account or is it on a per-character basis.
If I'm going for defense, Is it worth it?
So, the total count is actually well over 44 missions. This has to be done for any Hero character who wants access to the Patron Power Pools -- it is not account-wide. Some folks have done it a bunch of times -- I've only done that entire process with my Traps Defender because I wanted a S/L Defense armor.
There is no single way to build a good Fire/Rad. It really depends on your playstyle. Mine are built more as team characters who work really well with other Fire/Rads -- my usual buddies have Fire/Rads, too, and every now and then we pull them all out to team together. But because mine often teams with other Fire/Rads, he really doesn't need much Defense -- a team of Fire/Rads kills everything in sight very quickly. -
Most of your slotting is very good, and similar to what I use. A couple of quick points:
Indomidable Will needs to be slotted for Recharge, not Defense. A LotG Recharge is OK, but you want it up as much as possible.
In Radiation Infection, slotting for ToHit Debuff is much more important than slotting for Defense Debuff. But by using Enzyme HOs, you can do both.
You have lots of Global Acc, so you can change the Kismet +6% ToHit to a Karma -Knockback.
And the biggest problem: With those Leadership and Fighting toggles, you are going to have a HUGE endurance problem when running Hot Feet+Choking Cloud. Look at all the toggles you have: HF+CC, CJ, Tac, Maneuvers, Tough, Weave, MoB. And that's not including RI, EF, Hasten and IW. You won't have endurance left to fight even with AM at perma. You are getting 18-23% defense for all those toggles. This is why I don't have Leadership or Fighting on my Fire/Rads -- even with the Cardiac Alpha, I still can drain my blue bar WITHOUT those toggles.
Instead, I have EM Pulse, Bonfire, Mutation, Psi Blast and, yes, even Fallout in my build. (If you aren't going for Defense, consider changing the set in AM to Efficacy Adapter.)
I made some changes to your build, but did not address the endurance issues. Take a look and think about whether that defense is worth having no endurance.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.93
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Adremelech Flames: Level 31 Mutation Controller
Primary Power Set: Fire Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Psionic Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Char -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(17), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(19), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(19), HO:Nucle(21)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(13), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(15), Dct'dW-Heal(15), Dct'dW-Rchg(17)
Level 2: Fire Cages -- GravAnch-Immob/Rchg(A), GravAnch-Acc/Immob/Rchg(23), GravAnch-Acc/Rchg(23), GravAnch-Immob/EndRdx(25), GravAnch-Hold%(25), Posi-Dam%(27)
Level 4: Radiation Infection -- HO:Enzym(A), HO:Enzym(7), HO:Enzym(21)
Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(7), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 8: Accelerate Metabolism -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(9), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(9), P'Shift-Acc/Rchg(11), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(11), P'Shift-End%(13)
Level 10: Hot Feet -- Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(27), TmpRdns-Dmg/Slow(29), TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(29), HO:Nucle(31), EndRdx-I(31)
Level 12: Flashfire -- Amaze-Stun(A), Amaze-Stun/Rchg(31), Amaze-Acc/Stun/Rchg(33), Amaze-Acc/Rchg(33), Amaze-EndRdx/Stun(33)
Level 14: Super Speed -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 16: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), Krma-ResKB(48)
Level 18: Cinders -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(37), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(37), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(39), EoCur-Acc/Hold/Rchg(39)
Level 20: Enervating Field -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(46)
Level 22: Lingering Radiation -- Acc-I(A)
Level 24: Boxing -- KntkC'bat-Knock%(A)
Level 26: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-EndRdx/Rchg(43), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(43), RctvArm-EndRdx(43), RctvArm-ResDam(46)
Level 28: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(37), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(45), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(45)
Level 30: Choking Cloud -- UbrkCons-Hold(A), UbrkCons-Dam%(34), UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(34), UbrkCons-EndRdx/Hold(34), Lock-%Hold(36), EndRdx-I(36)
Level 32: [Empty] -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(39), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(40), S'bndAl-Dmg/Rchg(40), S'bndAl-Build%(42)
Level 35: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(45), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(46), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 38: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A)
Level 41: Indomitable Will -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), RechRdx-I(42), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 44: Mind Over Body -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
Level 47: Psionic Tornado -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(50), Posi-Dmg/Rng(50), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(50)
Level 49: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(3), Numna-Heal(3)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(5), EndMod-I(5)
Code:| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
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I took a quick look at the guides and the threads in this forum for previous discussions: Plenty of Plant/Fire, Plant/Thorn and a few Plant/Psi. I didn't spot any discussions on Plant/Elec.
Now, I'm pretty familiar with Plant Control, as I have both Plant/Rad ("Pot Holder") and Plant/Kin ("Flora the Explorer") Controllers at 50. I'm also pretty familiar with Electric Blast, as I have a Dark/Elec (The original "Local Man") Defender at 50 and a Kin/Elec ("Sultan Battery") Defender at 47. I also have an Elec/Shield ("Ohm Depot") Scrapper at 50.
When I thought of the name, I had to make a Plant/Elec Dom -- "Ohm and Garden." But while I have lots of experience in the game, I really haven't played Dominators much. So, he sat around for a few months, and I just pulled him out today and got him up to level 16. Any thoughts, recommendations or other comments about a Plant/Elec?
Yeah, I know that Elec Blast is pretty poor. Lots of folks hate Voltaic Sentinel -- I kind of like Sparky but would rather have a big blast power. The single target damage on Elec is also lacking . . . the melee set lives on AoE, especially Lightning Rod. So, I'm concerned that this combo will stink, even though I'm pretty fond of the name. How can I get to love this guy? -
Defense Debuff is nice . . . but it only goes so far. Remember that there is a hard cap on ToHit . . . no matter how high your accuracy or ToHit or how low the foe's Defense may be, you can't go past a 95% chance to hit the foe . . . there is always a 5% chance to miss. Thus, excessive Defense Debuff is wasted.
You have a 25% Defense Debuff in Quicksand and 20% in most of the other Earth powers. Then Sleet has a bunch, too, even before enhancement. Enhancing an Earth controller for more Defense Debuff is generally a waste of slots.
I have several Earth controllers, and I have an Ill/Cold at 50, but I haven't tried an Earth/Cold. I think I can imagine how the combo plays, though. Earth is a ranged AoE control set. Cold is also fully effective at range. You should have plenty of Endurance Recovery with Heat Loss, but your weakness is a lack of a self-heal. Personally, I would rather go with the Ice APP than Earth since it is more ranged.
I also think that Defense for this build is probably not as badly needed as you think. It is a team build, so you should be letting the tank take the aggro. With a self-heal and "some" defense, you should be able to handle taking a little bit of damage. The build you have softcaps S/L defense, but has much lower numbers on other types of damage. I would consider dropping the Fighting Pool, and instead picking up Medicine and maybe Maneuvers. Between Aid Self and Hibernate, you should be able to heal past whatever aggro you draw. Plus, Aid Other and Maneuvers will benefit the team and not just you. Also, to make up for some lost Defense, I tried to increase your Regen while increading the Defense you give to your teammates.
I did a few other things, too. The two Resist procs in Rocky make him much more durable. A stealth IO in Super Speed gives you full invisibility, so you can lead Rocky into the fight to draw tha aggro. Plus, you can heal him with Aid Other.
I re-slotted Sleet to include a bunch of Damage procs -- as much as you use Sleet, that may be your most damaging power. I also added some damage to Fissure, along with better accuracy.
Quicksand and Snow Storm don't really need Slow enhancements. Slow only affects run speed, and there is a cap of -90%. Add the Slow in Sleet, and you are well past the cap with either Snow Storm or Quicksand. And I assume you will be using Sleet a lot, right?
Well, take a look and see what you think. Use whatever you choose and reject the rest.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.93
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Earth-Cold: Level 50 Natural Controller
Primary Power Set: Earth Control
Secondary Power Set: Cold Domination
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Medicine
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Ice Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Fossilize -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(3), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(3), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(5), HO:Nucle(7), Dmg-I(7)
Level 1: Infrigidate -- AnWeak-Acc/DefDeb(A), ShldBrk-Acc/DefDeb(5)
Level 2: Stone Cages -- GravAnch-Immob/Rchg(A), GravAnch-Acc/Immob/Rchg(9), GravAnch-Acc/Rchg(9), GravAnch-Immob/EndRdx(11), GravAnch-Hold%(11)
Level 4: Ice Shield -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(23)
Level 6: Quicksand -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(15), RechRdx-I(15)
Level 10: Snow Storm -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(13)
Level 12: Stalagmites -- Amaze-Stun(A), Amaze-Acc/Rchg(13), Amaze-Stun/Rchg(17), Amaze-EndRdx/Stun(17), Amaze-Acc/Stun/Rchg(19)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Zephyr-ResKB(A), Clrty-Stlth(36)
Level 16: Glacial Shield -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(25)
Level 18: Earthquake -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(21)
Level 20: Arctic Fog -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(27), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(27), GftotA-Def(29)
Level 22: Aid Other -- Numna-Heal(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg(25)
Level 24: Aid Self -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg(29), Numna-Heal(31)
Level 26: Volcanic Gasses -- UbrkCons-Dam%(A), UbrkCons-Hold/Rchg(31), UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(33), UbrkCons-Acc/Rchg(33), UbrkCons-EndRdx/Hold(33)
Level 28: Benumb -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(34), RechRdx-I(34), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 30: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(37), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(37), GftotA-Def(37)
Level 32: Animate Stone -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-+Res(Pets)(36), SvgnRt-PetResDam(36), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(39), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(39)
Level 35: Sleet -- Achilles-ResDeb%(A), RechRdx-I(40), Posi-Dam%(40), ImpSwft-Dam%(40), ShldBrk-%Dam(42), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 38: Heat Loss -- Efficacy-EndMod(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(42), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(43), Efficacy-Acc/Rchg(43), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(43), Efficacy-EndMod/EndRdx(45)
Level 41: Ice Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(45), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(46), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46)
Level 44: Frozen Armor -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(46), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(48), GftotA-Def(48)
Level 47: Ice Storm -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(48), Posi-Dmg/Rng(50), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(50), Posi-Dam%(50)
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 -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Numna-Heal(19), Numna-Heal/Rchg(23)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(21), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(31)
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Quote:The Steamy Mist (and Arctic Fog for */Cold) description says that you can't use any other concealment powers. However, Steamy Mist (and Arctic Fog) will stack with a Stealth proc or the stealth in Super Speed to achieve full invisibility.Originally Posted by Super Flu
Am I understanding this correctly? I've never played an ILL troller.
Both Group Invis and Superior Invis are past the stealth cap alone, so adding Steamy Mist to Group invis would do nothing to your stealth most of the time even if someone else has it. SI alone provides the highest level of Stealth available to anyone other than a Stalker. The main advantage of going past the stealth cap is to decrease the range at which foes with +Perception (like snipers, certain Knives, certain Nemesis and those Rularuu Eyeballs). So SI is still useful when up against certain foes with +Perception -- they will still see you up close, but you can get closer than with other forms of Invis. Without testing, I'm not sure if GI+SM will decrease the range at which foes with +Perception will be able to spot you, but Steamy Mist won't improve your Invis over GI alone most of the time. Still, Steamy adds some other nice things -- a little Defense, Resistance to 3 damage types and an easy place for -Knockback IOs.
Leveling up, my Ill/Storm used Steamy Mist + Super Speed and skipped both SI and GI (which was mostly unheard of for an Illusion controller). But that started in the days before IOs and before Inherent Stamina when builds were tighter. Also, SI and GI are great places to put a LotG +7.5% Recharge, so there is more reason to take them now. I have since added SI with Inherent Stamina. -
Quote:You were claiming that Ice was clearly better. I was pointing out that for for some characters, Earth might be better, depending on playstyle and what you want out of your APP set. Some characters do very well in melee and can benefit from the Stone Mastery powers. Others work better from range and need the kind of "panic button" power that Hibernate can be. In reality, I have about 12 controllers at 50, and more have the Ice APP than any other. However, I prefer Earth on my */Kins. Several have Fire, and a few have Psi. Only one currently has Primal.Originally Posted by Lord_Saigon
LOL your not suggesting one is better but you just clearly stated rock armor has better defense, earth embrace is better than hibernate and in so little words saying fissure is better than frost breath and icestorm. So as a whole and in so little words you just stated one WAS better than the other. My only rebuttal to that is earth's numbers maybe better because its overall alot risker than ice, fissure and sesmic smash is it? you need to take your low hp having self into melee, obviously your mez's make it safer, but thats not always 100% a certanity. Hibernate and earth embrace is a wash HP healer+Hp cap vs. HP+end gainer but roots you, but with plant or fire/storm who cares if your rooted for 30 secs you have plenty of pets and psuedo pets to do the damage for you. Capping you def to me I believe has always been personal preference however I do believe your a melee oriented squishy it's something you should have. Sure you make yourself weak in some areas but that can be made up by other things outside of set bonus's, accolades, incarnate etc.
Funny enough outside of the poo armor earth mastery has I actually like it, but I just dont think it's as good as ice or relatively close.
One set isn't "better" than another. It may be better for a particular playstyle and powerset combo. And, of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion . . . (even if that opinion is wrong).
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You really need to look at each set. You can't make generalizations since many sets will exceed the ED cap in some areas.
For the most part, Holds don't really need ED cap anyway. The hold only needs to last long enough for the foes held to be defeated or the power can be re-applied, and that isn't very long most of the time today. The classic SO slotting for AoE Holds is 2 Acc, 2 Hold, 2 Recharge. None of them capped, but good values in the three most important attributes. -
Quote:Hmm, lets look at the numbers, shall we?Originally Posted by Lord_Saigon
How is it not?...It gives you more versatility then any other app....ST blast? check....ranged aoe? check? short ranged cone? check? def shield? check...way to recover health and endurance? check.
Heck the only thing it doesnt offer is mez protection. You say not being soft capped isnt necessary but as a melee orientated troller, without mez protection I deem that one of your top priorities. You cant always depend on your aoe mez's to hit every single npc. All it takes is for you to miss one npc with mez capabilities, and unless you have a break free you'll be standing in the mob like :-(, just waiting for your mez on the npc's to wear off before they demolish you. That's just me.
Fissure is an AoE with 16 Targets max doing about 55 damage (with containment, at level 50, base damage with no enhancement), that recharges in 20 seconds (before any enhancement) and appears to have a 50% chance for Stun. the damage is all up-front.
Frost Breath is a cone with 10 targets max doing about 85 damage (same conditions) over 2 tics that recharges in 32 seconds with some slow and -Recharge.
Ice Storm is harder to quantify the damage since it is a rain power with a lot of DoT, but it has a long recharge of 120 seconds.
To larger groups, Fissure is going to do more damage when you factor in the fast recharge and 16 target limit. Plus the Stun is more valuable than Slow and -Recharge, especially if you have other stuns for stacking.
Frozen Armor provides 13.5% base S/L defense, while Rock Armor provides 14.4% base S/L defense. Rock Armor has better base defense.
Seismic Smash is a huge base damage of 159 (with Containment, no enhancement), including a Mag 4 Hold. (I think I recall that the hold was reduced to Mag 3, but City of Data still lists it as Mag 4.) Recharge is 28 seconds. I think of this as my "Boss Holder/Killer" since it stacks with my Single target Hold or an AoE Hold. Ice Blast does about 60 damage (with Containment, no enhancement) and a fast 8 second recharge. Which is better? Depends what you need. On pure damage, Ice Blast will do more over 3 attacks, but Seismic does it in one. If you want to control bosses from melee, I'd say that Seismic Smash is better -- that Hold is really nice. Clearly, Ice Blast is better from range than Throw Boulder.
Hibernate takes you out of the Action while you wait for your health and/or endurance to recover. Earth's Embrace does not, and boosts your HP as well as providing a heal. If you don't have endurance issues, then Earth's Embrace is better.
I'm not suggesting that one is "better" than the other. Each one has its uses. But I don't think you can say Ice is clearly better than Stone Mastery.
Like Mental Maden, none of my Controllers are Softcapped. You have to make certain sacrifices to get there, and I would rather take control powers that will benefit the team over powers that protect me alone (like the Fighting Pool). I will often take the APP armor (but not always), and I may try to add in a few defense bonuses, but I very rarely take "mule" powers. Sure, I may faceplant once in a while . . . no biggie since debt is almost insignificant. But I feel that the overall benefit to more control powers is better for the team . . . and is a bit more of a challenge. -
Quote:I don't agree that "ice is just overall superior." It depends on your playstyle. Earth has a fast-recharging short-range AoE with stun. Earth's Seismic Smash does a bunch of damage AND hold, making it easier to hold bosses. Plus a great heal/HP boost and an ugly but good S/L defense armor. If you have a character who spends most of his or her time in melee, Earth is a great choice.Originally Posted by Lord_Saigon
If your def is softcapped, I fail to see how picking earth for the heal is justified when you can go ice, get a ST blast, icestorm to go with freezing rain and if things are truely that bad, hibernate to make up for a lack of a heal.
Heck I'd love to go earth on alot of my melee trollers for fissure alone, but ice is just overall superior.
(I tend to go with Earth APP on my */Kin characters. Fulcrum Shifted Fissure and Seismic Smash are pretty impressive. It can also work well with Fire, Elec or Ice control characters, who can have melee auras.)
I also feel that "being softcapped" is not necessary. If you have effective AoE control, they can's shoot at you. You have to make some sacrifices to get there, and sometimes those sacrifices are just not worth it. -
You should learn from your Illusion/FF teammate. Personal Force Field is a huge advantage for a "hardcore" character. Anytime you are threatened, you can "bubble up" to survive almost any situation.
I would consider trying a Plant/FF controller. As of level 4, you can draw the aggro with Roots and then hide in PFF. As of level 8, you get Seeds of Confusion, which will let you take control of large groups, lock them in place while you do nice AoE damage with Roots. Your teammates will be able to wipe out groups with little fear of taking damage, other than from bosses. If you team with another Plant controller, the two of you can stack Seeds of Confusion to even control bosses. You can contribute defense to your teammates to improve their ability to survive. -
Quote:Originally Posted by obscureent
Geez, I walk away for two days and you guys are getting all carried away with each other and such. Well, as I've said previously, I haven't run very many controllers, so obviously I'm no expert, BUT I will have to say I've noticed decent -RES and resistance buffs on the sonic end of things.
But you folks get carried away talking about rad and electricity, I just wanted to make a fun character here, who accomplishes what your generic controller should do: Hold the bad guys, and buff the good guys.
I appreciate the input you guys are putting forth, but would also like to remain on topic.
This is the Controllers forum. Threadjacks are a way of life around here. It is a kind of forum game . . . we try to see how much we can get off topic through an actual progression.
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Quote:I think you meant Immobilize instead of Range. But yes, your point is good. All of the controller AoE Immob powers, other than Grav's Crushing Field and Electric's Chain Fences, have an unenhanceable 12 second -Knockback. Enhancing the duration of the Immob will allow the Immob to extend well past the 12 seconds so that foes can be knocked down while still immobilized.Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
I pretty much agree with most of what Phantom Fury said, but want to add my own take on a few small items.
I agree with you about spamming Frostbite. I just want to add that I consider the power very important for two reasons:
- It's how you set up AoE Containment
- It keeps enemies in place so that you can more safely use Arctic Air for its confusion properties
The knockdown protection in Frostbite lasts just 12 seconds. If you slot the power for range, you can get durations approaching 50 seconds, where the enemies can't move, you get containment, but they still fall.
On my Ice/Storm, I had skipped Shiver leveling up because I had AA and Snow Storm. I knew how good it was since I also have an Ice/Ice Blaster, but felt I didn't need it since I had both a PB AoE toggle and a ranged AoE toggle. However, with Inherent Stamina, I was able to add Shiver into my build, and I must admit that I like having it. Now, if I'm hanging out with the tank over HERE, I can still slow the group over THERE to a crawl without having to use an anchored toggle. With all three, I can slow huge groups of foes. Especially on a team-oriented controller, taking both is very, very nice but not essential.Quote:IMO Arctic Air and Shiver have little in common with each other. They are each comparable to Quicksand and Volcanic Gasses from the Earth set in terms of function. I tend to feel that an Ice Control character who stays exclusively at range is working against the strengths of the set. IMO the reason to consider taking Shiver is to have an option for moments when you are forced back out of pole (not so much "melee") range for safety reasons or when the enemies cover too wide an area to keep all of them in Arctic Air. IMO a pure ranged build bypasses significant opportunities, including the ability to add to its own solo damage with Arctic Air.
[EDIT: In addition, it should be noted that -Recharge has a LOT more utility when used with a Confusion power. That's because -Recharge has little function until enemies use their powers. If you can make most of them use their attacks on each other, you significantly decrease how many shots make it in your direction.]
All three of the PB AoE holds, Glacier, Cinders and Flash, have the same 30 Ft. Radius while all the ranged AoE Holds have a 20 Ft. Radius -- you get a larger radius in exchange for it being PB AoE. However, Rad's EM Pulse is a 60 Ft. radius, amazingly huge, which is one reason why it is considered to be one of the best hold powers in the game.Quote:Note that being that close also puts you into range for Glacier, a power many players use as an "emergency button" that IMO they should as a "because it's up on a fresh spawn" power. Glacier's has a 30ft radius, which is 10ft larger than the ranged holds in other sets. This sounds less impressive than it is until you do the math on it; a sphere with a 30ft radius actually has than three times the volume as a 20ft one, which is why Glacier is able to catch entire spawns in one shot. If you ever get your global accuracy and recharge high enough to have the power up every 60-70 seconds it becomes one of the best powers in the game, both for its size, and for the fact that even on 24-person leagues, the graphic is very communicative and easy to see, unlike any other AoE hold. -
Quote:Opinions vary. My view is that you are a controller, so you should focus on control. The AoE Holds are very effective controls, even if they are on longish timers. On a Fire Controller, Flashfire+Fire Cages is your usual opener, but before you are able to slot a bunch of Recharge or on fast-moving teams or when dealing with Adds or Ambushes, you may be caught with Flashfire recharging. In those cases, Cinders is very, very nice to have. Run/Jump or drop near or into the middle of a group and hit Cinders and the group is held.Originally Posted by DeathHarvester
Still haven't decided for sure which I'm going with yet, trying to put a build together for each, which leads me to another question. IS vines or ciders worth taking? I could see them coming in handy if I was to get in a bit of trouble and need the group hold for a moment, but with the recharge time makes me think I could skip it and be just aswell. Whats your thoughts on those powers? Also seems that I should have enough help from other powers if I need a moment to get away with the right placement and/or the right moment for using a certain power.
Seeds of Confusion and Vines are pretty much the same, except that Vines is a targetted AoE instead of PB AoE, making it easier to use. Can you "get by" without them? Yes, but you can provide more kinds of control with them.
Most of my */Storm controllers (and I have several) go with the Ice APP. Since Storm doesn't have a self heal OR an endurance recovery power, Hibernate covers both problems -- and you can throw out Lightning Storm and Tornado, then "block-up" into Hibernate while your pets work for you. A Defense-based shield that isn't nearly as ugly as Earth. A fast, rarely resisted damage type blast and two AoE damage power. Earth has a self-heal, Fire and Primal have something to help with endurance, but Ice is the only set that covers both, and Hibernate only needs one slot.Quote:Also any suggestions for pool powers? And for my epic, it's between mace (for def to smash,lethal and energy) ice (for s/l def, hibernate, and ice storm) then there's stone (for s/l def, and EE), seems to me both combos can be very good with several different power pools and epics played right. Love all the new options the game has now in making builds but hate the decesion making heh.
thanks again -
Quote:There are very few of these that I would consider to fit in the "guilty pleasure" definitions. Beauty and the Beast? The Disney film might fit under my second definition, but it was a nominee for Best Picture! I think it is hard to define a Best Picture Nominee as a "guilty pleasure."Originally Posted by Tymers_Realm
I would agree with this as well.
Two films I'd put in that category, for me, would be The Red Shoes and White Christmas for certain.
But let's just say, what I view as a "Guilty Pleasure" are films I enjoy that others may or may not or one reason or another and, if offered, I'd sit and watch with no problems. Bear in mind, I might recite lines and/or make comments in the film while watching it. But that's me...
So, My "Guilty Pleasures":
The Red Shoes
White Christmas
Clue
The Princess Bride
Rock & Rule
The Fifth Element
The Hunt for Red October
2010
Krull
Batman (1989)
Batman Begins
Project A-Ko
Smokey and the Bandit
M*A*S*H
Beauty and the Beast
Star Trek: Insurrection
Twister
The Dirty Dozen
Dick Tracy
These are what come right to mind, for me, at least.
Thank you for the time...
My second definition is more oriented to the type of movie you should be kind of embarassed to admit you like. As a typical red-blooded all American straight male, my usual demographic would be the classic Michael Bay movie: Lots of explosions, action and nice lookin' ladies. Anything with those elements is going to have to be a really bad movie to be a first definition "guilty pleasure." It is somewhat embarassing for me to admit that I'm fond of "The Little Mermaid," a film that appears to be aimed at 4-11 year old girls, so that could be a second definition "guilty pleasure." Admitting that there are a few "chick flicks" that I like might also be a second definition "guilty pleasure."
Of the list above, I don't consider "White Christmas," a classic Christmas movie, to be outside the demographic of most "standard Americans." "Princess Bride" is a cross demographic film -- I can't think of anyone I have met who had seen that film and actually disliked it.
Maybe "Dick Tracy" might fit -- it was pretty bad. Maybe "Clue." But the films in green are all once I am familiar with and would not consider them to be "guilty pleasures." -
The grammar nazi in me looked at the first sentence,
Quote:and thought, "That's a dangling participle." It should be,The dark skies of Galaxy City did little to illuminate the room that Dr. Raymond Keyes was working in.
Still, a nice story with some interesting hints.Quote:The dark skies of Galaxy City did little to illuminate the room in which Dr. Raymond Keyes was working.