Local_Man

I doubt many folks will have a build for you -- Ice is a fairly rare primary, and Sonic is probably the least used secondary. I don't recall many (if any) posts about the combo. Ice is the lowest damage primary, so there is little damage to take advantage of the Damage Resistance Debuffs in Sonic. The pet isn't very durable, so Jack isn't a good target for that ally debuff (Works well for Earth's Animate Stone).

Personally, while I run a lot of controllers, I have never been able to get */Sonic very far . . . I just haven't enjoyed the set. It is nice to have a Sonic on my teams, but I don't really want to play the set. I have an Ice/Storm at 50, and a low level Ice/Rad at a low level on a rarely-used server. Overall, if I want a high-control, low damage controller, I prefer Earth.

No Choking Cloud on a Fire/Rad? That's a mistake. The combo of Hot Feet and Choking Cloud is the key to a Fire/Rad, and Choking Cloud should be fully slotted for Hold and lots of EndRdx. You will have severe endurance issues with this build already, and the recharge on Dark Consumption won't cover it -- the end cost for Leadership is too high. You made a lot of other choices I would not make, and this is going to be a very expensive build.

There is a simple rule of thumb for damage procs: don't slot damage procs in a damage power until the damage power is at (or near) ED cap. That's because you will usually get more damage from slotting the power for damage than the proc. The exception is the purple procs, because they have a 33% chance to hit instead of 20%.

As Dark Tower said, Oblit is a nice set but does not have enough EndRdx for Hot Feet. The Multistrike set works well, and adds a little bit of defense. Or you can franken-slot -- In one of my two Fire/Rads, I have Dam/End and Acc/Dam/End from Sirocco, Dam/Slow and Slow/EndRdx/Rech from Tempered Readiness, a common EndRdx and an Acc/Dam Hami-O. That caps Damage and Endrdx, with good Accuracy and some good Slow . . . the Slow keeps foes in Hot Feet longer. But he is poor . . . (I had the Hami-O sitting around). There are certainly plenty of other ways to franken-slot the power, especially if you can afford purple sets.

Just a few quick thoughts (as I don't have Mids available, so I can't check your numbers):

Lift: I'm disappointed with the Gravity version of this -- it does less damage than Crush or the Mind version, Levitate. With an APP blast, do you really need Lift? If you mostly play on teams, then you can use Lift instead of Propel. If you mostly play solo, then you don't really need it -- the attack chain of GD-Crush-Propel-Blast has no gaps. But those slots could be used in other places. You could replace it with Snow Storm -- lots of -Recharge to slow foes down until you can get to them (and wonderful in the ITF). Or you could fit in Combat Jumping if you want a low-cost power for another LotG Recharge.

You could add another LotG Recharge in Steamy Mist with one of those slots. You can earn those with Hero Merits, so it shouldn't be expensive. My view on how to slot Steamy Mist has changed a bit lately -- I used to like slotting for Resistance, but now, with all the other places that you can get Defense, I like slotting it for Defense. Those little bits of Defense add up the more and more you get. (like adding Combat Jumping, too.)

Consider moving that Decimation set to Crush, and including the Chance for Build Up. If you 5-slot and then add something else in the 6th slot it so you are still at capped damage, then you lose nothing and gain the chance that a Build Up might happen just as you are hitting a foe with your big hitter, Propel.

I have generally not been a fan of Leadership, especially on a high endurance character like a */Storm. Yes, the extra damage is nice, but I'm not sure it is worth the power pick and endurance cost. But then, I tend to be more focused on mitigation for my controllers. If you build up Defense, I suppose Maneuvers might be a choice. Or CJ.

On the APP set, I went with Ice. Mostly, since Grav/Storm does not have either a self-heal or any way to recover endurance, Hibernate can cover both. Plus you get a single target blast almost as good as Fire. And a S/L Defense based shield -- remember what I said about building Defense? Here's a big chunk of Defense. Even relying upon Hurricane's repel/ToHit Debuff, that defense can be useful. Ice has two AoE damage powers -- Frost Breath is adequate (but Fireball is better) and Ice Storm recharges too slowly but might fit your needs.

Hmm. I was on several Lambda Trials last night with my Elec/Shield scrapper who only has Super Speed for travel. (I use Raptor Packs when I need vertical.) While the Jet packs were disabled, Ninja Run worked fine, and that's what I used to get up to the guns and then jump from gun to gun.

Are you sure you checked to see whether Ninja Run works? It did for me.

And we did a successful Master Lambda Run the last time through! Woot!

I have seen very little information on what the Devs intended to work or not work. It would not surprise me to learn that the Devs did not intend to have any of the Interface buffs work on PA, since PA are unbuffable other than enhancements actually slotted in the power itself.

No Choking Cloud? In my opinion, that's one of the main reasons to make an Elec/Rad is the synergy with Static Field, Conductive Aura+Choking Cloud, and the other layered forms of control.

Fire/Rad, Ice/Rad and Elec/Rad all have the ability to used a ranged control, then run in with Choking Cloud and another PB AoE Aura to provide stacked control -- this is the strength of all three builds. But Choking Cloud needs to be fully slotted for ED capped Hold and lots of EndRdx.

I find the Cardiac Alpha to be invaluable on several of my characters, including Tanks, most scrappers and */Storm controllers. It takes characters who were tough on endurance and makes it easy -- it is fairly rare that I have powers slotted to the ED cap for EndRdx, so the Cardiac has full effect on them. Plus, I often have Powers that offer Resistance of one kind or another that are not fully slotted . . .

On my Invul/Axe tank, Resist Elements was a power I had skipped before I-19's inherent Stamina. I can now fit it in my build, but don't have slots for it. Cardiac adds an SO's worth of enhancement without using a slot. On my */Storm controllers, Cardiac adds Resistance to Steamy Mist while I slot the power for Defense -- I used to believe that Resistance is better in Steamy Mist, but have recently "changed my ways."

When the Alpha Slot first came out, I thought I would use Spiritual most, but it turns out that I have more characters using Cardiac.

It is even tough to categorize powersets within ATs . . . Controllers can tank with Phantom Army (and Phantasm's decoy), Animate Stone and Singularity. A Fire/Kin with high Defense should more properly be considered a Damage Dealer.

An Ill/Rad alone can do blasting, controlling, buffing and debuffing and tanking, and is probably strongest at tanking and debuffing.

There is a common misunderstanding of the effect of Confuse powers. If you understand them, you can maximize the use of confuse powers as an excellent control power and have a net result of killing stuff faster. My Illusion/Rad guide actually has a long section on the misunderstandings about confusion powers.

Frankly, if you are looking for a */Storm controller for larger teams, I would agree that Plant/Storm is an excellent choice. You "lose" almost no XP to the confuse in Seeds of Confusion due to the fact that you should almost always follow it up with Roots (which does twice the damage of other AoE Immob powers -- which is then doubled by Containment).

Several people have actually tested the net XP/Time using Confuse powers and not using them, and the XP/Time using Confuse powers is greater than or equal to not using them -- as long as you make sure to do some damage to the foes. Which is easy when you have Roots.

When a confused foe attacks another foe (the Target), the confused foe may do some damage to the Target. However, if you or your team or your pets do damage to that Target, you not only get the XP you earned, you also get some of the XP earned by the confused foe -- you actually get bonus XP you did not earn. For example, if you do 50% of the total damage, you earn 80% of the total XP. This means that you defeat more foes faster, complete missions faster and overall earn more XP even if you don't earn quite as much XP per foe. The only time you miss out is if you allow a Target to be defeated ONLY by a confused foe -- you, your team and your pets do no damage at all. (But truthfully, with Seeds of Confusion and Roots, that's almost impossible.)

There are times that an Illusion or Mind Controller may confuse an individual foe and that foe may defeat a Target, but the overall effect of that is so minimal that it is insignificant. When you consider that the Confuse powers may be helping turn a foe's control power against other foes or that the Confuse power may be reducing damage taken by the team or may even be preventing a player from being defeated, the net effect is far better than not using Confuse powers. (It takes a lot longer to earn back the debt from a defeat than it would take to make up any reduction in XP!)

Plant Control is a great set, and it works well with Storm. By level 8, you get great AoE control that also does good damage, with the Seeds of Confusion followed by Roots combo -- Plant and Earth are the best low level AoE controllers, and Plant is probably second to Fire for AoE Damage. Seeds of Confusion+Roots+Snow Storm means that foes can't attack very often due to the -Recharge in Snow Storm, so they are effectively held and waiting for your team to wipe them out. Add Freezing Rain and you are doing a lot of damage with Roots. Hurricane can be used to bunch foes into tighter groups for your AoE controls. And Roots has the -Knockback to make Tornado more effective as a damage power. So does the Immob in Creepers.

For the situation you described of wanting to do damage as well as control, I would probably choose Plant/Storm as my first option. I personally love Ill/Storm, so I would go with that second. Fire/Storm is a late-blooming set, and I find it frustrating with the endurance issues. Fire/Storm also spends a lot of time in melee and tends to draw a lot of aggro -- if I play aggressively, I tend to faceplant a lot. On the other hand, the Flashfire+Fire Cages, run in with Hot Feet and hit Thunderclap is pretty nice synergy -- as long as you have enough endurance.

The best place to get questions like this answered is the Gameplay/Technical Issues forum. A bunch of the guys who hang out there really know their stuff on video cards.

There are a lot of ways to slot up an Earth/Storm. You can expect to have endurance problems, so you need to look for Recovery bonuses. Probably plan to take the Cardiac tree for your Alpha Slot once you hit 50. But you can slot for Recharge or Defense or Regen or a lot of other ways. And, of course, it depends on your budget.

Fossilize: Single target hold can be slotted for Hold or Damage. Sadly, it is one of your more damaging attacks so you may want to slot for some damage. If you are going for Recharge, then 4 Baz Gaze are good. Finish out the last two slots with some added Acc and as much Damage as you can -- I like an Acc/Dam Hami-O and a common Damage IO, but you could use two Thunderstrikes for less damage.

Gale: At least throw an Accuracy in the default slot.

Stone Cages: Low damage, so slotting for damage is mostly wasted -- I believe you actually get more damage from procs. Leveling up, you need Accuracy (to counter the 20% Accuracy penalty) and EndRdx. Immobilize isn't really needed since the power recharges faster than it expires. The Trap of the Hunter set actually has some decent bonuses. At 50 and if you are going for Recharge, go for 5 from the purple Grav Anchor set, leaving out the pure Immob, and finish it off with a damage proc like the Posi Blast one.

Snow Storm: It uses a lot of End, so I prefer 2 EndRdx if you use it a lot and can spare the slots. However, O2 Boost is worth considering on a team-oriented Earth/Storm -- it is a somewhat weak heal, but also provides protection from Stun (nice for teammates who just used a wakey) and substantial Endurance Drain protection. O2 Boost also lets you heal your pet, Rocky. Leveling up, I skipped Snow Storm since Quicksand is also an AoE slot. However with I-19's inherent Fitness, I added Snow Storm in my build mainly for the -Recharge.

Quicksand: It is autohit, so Accuracy is worthless. Leveling up, I slotted it for Recharge. With enough global Recharge, a single Recharge is enough. Some EndRdx wouldn't hurt, but I didn't use it. Quicksand is a patch slow with a HUGE 25% Defense Debuff. I use it underneath all other controls. It can be an amazingly effective tool.

Steamy Mist: I used to think that it was best to slot this for Resistance, but with all the Defense in the game, my attitude is changing to going for Defense. Especially if you are going for Ice Armor from the Ice APP. You can slot either Steadfast or Karma -knockback here. It is also a good place for 4 LotG -- Def, Def/7.5% Rech, Def/End and Def/End/Rech.

Stalagmites: If going for Recharge, 5 Stupify (leave off the proc) and a Recharge, or 5 Absolute Amazement if you can afford them.

<Super Speed>: Super Speed + Steamy Mist = full invisibility. Or you can skip SS and get a stealth IO for Sprint. But I like SS for the fast maneuvering when Herdicaning or running in to cast Lightning Storm or leading Rocky into battle to be my tank. A single EndRdx is all it needs, or you could use a slot for a Zephyr -Knockback.

Freezing Rain: It needs Recharge, as you want this up as much as possible. With all the Defense Debuff in Earth, FR does NOT need Defense Debuff. Recharge first, and then procs if you have room, starting with the Achilles Heal Chance for Resistance Debuff.

Earthquake: Recharge first. Maybe ToHitDebuff and maybe another place for an Achilles Heal Chance for Resistance Debuff.

Hurricane: 4 Dark Watcher ToHit Debuff, with some decent EndRdx.

Volcanic Gasses: Hold and Recharge, then procs -- due to the way it works, Damage procs are quite good here. 5 Unbreakable Constraint, with the damage proc instead of the Hold. Maybe a 6th slot for another damage proc if you have spare slots.

Thunderclap: 5 Stupify.

Animate Stone a/k/a Rocky or Stoney or Poo Man: Adding the two 10% pet Resistance procs are great for Rocky to add to his already high Resistance. You also want to get his damage high as he can do quite a bit.

Leadership: Don't bother with Tactics, as you have a ton of Defense Debuff. I consider Leadership to be a low priority, maybe just Maneuvers.

The Ice APP is a nice addition to an Earth/Storm. Smash/Lethal armor, Hibernate, a fast single target blast and one of two AoE attacks.

Personally, I like Repel on a few of my Kinetics characters. I was recently on an ITF with my Plant/Kin. Since Plant control relies heavily on Seeds of Confusion and Creepers, both on longish timers, once both powers have been used and are recharging, my Plant/Kin is kind of a sitting duck. Repel is the only significant defensive power in the Kinetics set, and it let me handle ambushes quite well . . .

Repel was especially great for that moment in the last phase of taking down the computer, when the large group of Robots come to life . . . Repel sent the ones around me flying and let me survive long enough for the computer to go down.

Situationally, Repel can be quite good.

Illusion/Storm can be played as a team-friendly character . . . but it has to be done carefully and thoughtfully. Only use the knockback powers in limited situations. Focus most on PA and Freezing Rain, using Steamy for team stealth, using Lightning Storm for damage but positioned where it is likely to knock foes into a wall, using O2 Boost for some touch healing and de-stunning and End Drain protection, Flash and/or Thunderclap for some AoE Mitigation, Hurricane for careful positioning around the edges and ToHitDebuffing, etc. It is helpful to have played with a BAD stormie sometime so you know what NOT to do.

Thunderclap is skippable, but not a terrible power. It recharges quickly enough that it can be slotted to be perma. Since it only stuns minions (Mag 2), it can be used to stack with other AoE Stuns or to weed out groups . . . one strategy I have used with a good tank is to let the tank run in to grab aggro, then I hit Thunderclap. He then moves to the side taking the Lieuts and Bosses for the scrappers to wipe out while I and an AoE teammate or two wipe out the minions.

On the other hand, Flash will hold Minions and Lieutenants and have a 20% chance to get bosses. And one Blind will then hold a boss who was not held. It just recharges much more slowly. Personally, I like to have either Flash or Thunderclap.

I haven't seen any buffs from the orbs. It may be because they are buffs limited to the specific foes -- kind of like how Vaz Morts can only rez Vaz even when confused.

Since you don't get standard Experience XP for defeats done by confused foes, I suspect that the Incarnate XP and credit towards the tables has some kind of similar effect -- the more the confused foe does, the less is available to earn.