Local_Man
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Quote:It is not the exact same scenario . . . stack enough Immobs on an AV and he/she can be immobed. Some can be slept. And all the other powers work on the other foes who spawn. Creepers works on AVs, drawing some aggro and doing damage. I've used Creepers to take the Alpha on AVs. And the problems that Plant controllers have with AVs are pretty much similar to the problems ALL controllers have with AVs -- most of the controls aren't effective. The point here is that the particular choice of limits built into this mission is that other controllers are effective while all three of Illusion's unique tools are made ineffective.Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
No, because this exact scenario exists in AV fights and people just assume its part of the "tax" of playing the set.
I think once you try a few other characters in the raids you'll see the love went around to all of them. All boss spawns mean Arctic Air does nothing [edit: worth risking your life at close range for], fun fun.
And other such things.
I can't think of another part of the game where one powerset's primary tools were neutralized while others of the same AT remain effecive. Illusion only has left the single target and AoE holds for control. All other control sets have other controls that can be used on that encounter.
Sure, in all boss spawns, Artic Air loses its main form of control (confuse) . . . but so do Choking Cloud (hold), Static Field (sleep), World of Confusion (confuse), and lots of other PB AoE auras. And Ice Control can still use slows with -Recharge, Ice Slick to knock down bosses, or multiple applications of Chilblain and Frostbite to immobilize bosses, etc.
There are parts in this game where the weaknesses of various sets are exploited . . . using high Psi or Toxic damage, for example. But those weaknesses affact multiple powersets and multiple ATs. The Blue Fields of Death neutralize the high defense possible in many builds. Ambushes neutralize invisibility and distraction, but other forms of control work. There are certain foes in the game that resist certain forms of control, making them tougher for any controllers who use those forms of control. Nemesis resist Confuse and Fear . . . but will still fall under the distraction of PA. Plant Controllers still have Creepers and the AoE Immob and the Sleep (if they take it). Mind Controllers still have AoE Sleep. Each set has something else to fall back upon.
I've tried other characters in the Trials, and understand that certain powers and parts of powers are made ineffective . . . that's fine because they have something else to fall back on. My Ice Blaster made a much better controller than my Illusion Controller. My Elec/Shield scrapper had plenty of damage for chasing down the runaways. My Dark/Elec Defender has AoE slows and a couple of holds.
This particular encounter encourages the use of AoE control (to stop the patients from running away), and then neutralizes Fear, Confuse and Aggro/Distraction as usable forms of control. Illusion is the only Controller powerset that loses all of its ability to control other than the same single target and long-recharge AoE that all controllers get. I have no idea whether this was intentional, but it just seems unusual for a segment in a Trial to specifically neutralize one powerset from one AT to this degree when others are not similarly affected. -
Quote:You make some decent points. Several of the newer TFs and missions make control overall less effective to add more challenge. That's fine and it requires controllers to adapt. There have been encounters in the game where various forms of control have been made less effective. Some foes are resistant to fear . . . OK, but they can be distracted by PA. Sometimes ambushes will ignore PA . . . but the foe can be controlled with fear and/or confuse. But in this case, all three forms of control -- distraction, fear and confuse are all ineffective. That doesn't affect any other controller like it does Illusion.Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
Well, Illusion Control is no different than any other set: it's not immune to the downsides of its downsides. Having only one kind of mezz is a gamble. Sometimes it plays out and sometimes it doesn't. I think this is well established and accepted with other sets.
PS: Its worth noting that on the beta boards, players of nearly every AT made comments about the missions "uniquely" targetting their build. I suppose any of that is possible. What IS clear is the devs are leading us away from a game dominated by steam rolling and tank-and-spank tactics in favor of an environment where many more responibilities are tested. Several sets that previously offered "redundant" support, control, and survivability suddenly seem more attractive. I know I'm kicking myself for having skipped resurection powers on a few toons, and wondering privately how I'm going to design builds to contend with the sudden increase in demand for true, hard core support. It should also be noted that all-boss spawns and "trickles" rather than ambushes mean almost ALL of the standard Controller AoE powers are much more difficult to employ, not just the stuff in Illusion Control, and not just during 1 5 minute portion of 1 raid.
Would Plant controllers have something to say if an encounter made Immob and Confuse and Sleep ineffecive, and Creepers also did nothing? -
Quote:First and foremost . . . . I didn't post this because I didn't know how to contribute . . . I figured that out pretty quickly. I have generally been pretty good figuring out how to adapt my many controllers and my playstyle to most situations.Originally Posted by Saltyhero13
You are entitled to your opinion right, wrong or indifferent. If you are going to quote please reread and understand my comments as I was discussing Illusion/ in general (as in stand alone). Also note not every pairing offers the same level of control you experience as Ill/Rad.
On second thought I'll reemphasize my point from my original post since it was taken out of context: Without PA and the exception of the AoE Hold (which all Controller Primaries offer) Illusion/ only AoE control comes from its AoE Fear. This is the only control with any kind of high availability and as we all know that is soft control at best.
I would go as far as to say that without PA as a crutch Illusion/ would drop down in popularity drastically as a Controller Primary. This illustrates the real design problem here.
You are mistaken. Before IOs and ED Illusion/ could summon three sets of PA that would spawn 1-4 members in each. (It could summon three Phantasms as well; all controllers with pets could summon three instances of pets). PA was a crutch then as it is now, probably even more so.
Post Issue 6 ,notably ED nerf and animation changes (incidentally I discovered this is when PA went from practically no cast time to 3.3 seconds cast time), we went three issues without IOs. During this time most players paired Illusion/ with /Rad and /Kin (mainly for the recharge buffs those secondaries offered) in order to attain the former glory Illusion/ once offered by attaining as close to permaPA as possible.
IOs came out in Issue 9 and /Rad offered the path of least resistance to attaining perma PA once again. My point with all this is that there was a small window of ~1.5 years (relative to the 7 year history of this game) where Illusion/ could not perma PA.
Mobs resistant to mezz effects already existed in the game prior to these trials. So what? All sets have some sort of limitation and scenarios that they don't excel. Boohoo. Ill/Rad can't be Jack of all Trades/Master of All. If it was intentional I applaud the devs for doing something about this. As a seven year veteran of this game I welcome more challenges like this that take players out of their comfort zones and force them to shift tactics.
Call Me Awesome made a great suggestion recommending a change in roles. The genius in his suggestion is that its a "no brainer" considering the fact Illusion/ makes a better Tanker/Scrapper than it does a Controller IMO.
I leave you with this thought "Improvise, Adapt and Overcome"
And, by the way, I have Ill/Rad, Ill/Storm, Ill/TA and Ill/Cold all at 50 . . . with an Ill/Kin not quite there yet. Every one of them has been able to be "highly effective" before getting "perma-PA." In fact, the only one who has it currently is my Ill/Rad. (I wrote my original version of my Ill/Rad guide long before I ever got "perma-PA.") Your comments suggest that without Perma-PA, Illusion is a weak set. You describe PA as a "crutch" and Spectral Terror as the only form of AoE control that Illusion gets other than the AoE Hold, and you describe Spooky as "soft control at best" . . .
Well, I see PA as primarily a form of control. It is a very effective form of control through distraction. Like a hold or a stun, PA keep foes from attacking the team and make it easier for the team to take down the foes. By drawing aggro, Phantom Army acts as AoE control, effectively keeping the foes distracted for 60 seconds -- that's why Illusion is a control set. PA is not a "crutch" no more than Flashfire or Earthquake are "crutches." It is another form of AoE control. It just happens to be a very, very effective one, able to distract bosses and AVs as well as minions. But Illusion trades some of the AoE goodies in other sets for that effective control.
The distinction of "soft" and "hard" is pretty ambiguous. Different folks have different opinions on what types of controls should be considered "hard." Immobs and Sleeps set up Containment -- should they be considered "hard?" What about Confuses, which completely neuter foes but allow them to run around and does not establish Containment -- is that "hard" or "soft"? Spectral Terror is effective AoE control most of the time. I would rank it above most sleep powers, above Immobs . . . and kind of hard to rank compared to knockdown powers.
Even a non-Perma-PA Illusionist can provide effective control simply by alternating the forms of control available . . . PA followed by Spectral Terror will easily keep a group continually controlled . . . or even Spectral Terror alone. And Spooky is perma as soon as you get it (even without Hasten). That seems like pretty effective control to me.
Oh well, the point of this was not to debate the effectiveness of Illusion . . . your posts appear that you don't like it, and that's certainly your choice. I didn't need the history lesson, since I have been around since Issue 2. The point was simply a little bit of a complaint . . . this part of BAF trial has neutralized both powers that Illusion counts on for AoE control, in a part of the trial where AoE control is important. The trial excluded a normally very effective controller from using its normally effective control powers. The changes to the normal "status quo" hit Illusion harder than other control sets, as the other sets have other forms of AoE control that remain effective. Illusion therefore has to adapt to become a somewhat less effective Blaster instead of a Controller. I'm not used to Illusion being weakened in most of the game, so I thought it felt "unfair." -
Quote:Having played Tankers and with some great Tankers, I can tell you that a well-built, well-played Tank will virtually ALWAYS outperform PA except in taking a big Alpha Strike. Certainly there are some nice advantages to having three invulnerable pets who draw aggro.Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
I kind of feel the same way.
Lots and lots of my characters are bad at some aspect of various things. I don't see why Illusion should be better than everything at everything. I like you Local Man, but I see this as a "game better balanced" issue.
In any case, Illusion Control isn't useless for the rest of the trial. I actually think the army may be immune to sequestration, in which case, it may outperform actual Tankers (yet again).
And I think pretty much every set has frustrations of various kinds during this leg. My Mind Controller has major issues with this part, and doesn't get game breaking pets to balance it out. Ditto every other character I've tried it on. The best performer during this stage I've found is my Ice/Fire/Fire dom, purely because of slows, immob, and the actual ability to kill the leuitenants (which my Ice/Rad has to just let run by). But the Dominator eats grass constantly during the AV phases of the trial and brings no support.
Mind Control at least has Mez and Lev (in addition to Dom) for single targets, and Mass Hypnosis which recharges quickly for AoE control, and Total Dom with the same long recharge as Flash (but ranged and not PB AoE). Similarly to Spectral Terror, Terrorize is useless as a control, but it also does AoE damage. Illusion ends up with Blind for control and Spectral Wound for damage, and that's about it. -
Quote:Ill/Rads are strong against single targets . . . but not strong against large groups. Ill/Rad relies upon Distraction and Fear rather than hard controls -- those work quite well, but I don't think it is accurate to ignore the fact that Illusion/Rad DOES in fact have weaknesses. Its not a farming character, like Fire or Plant can be. It is not a "only controller on a large team" like Earth, Ice or even Elec. Even Gravity is far more effective as a controller on this phase of the TF.Originally Posted by New Dawn
Given all the strengths that Ill/Rads have elsewhere in the game any weaknesses is possibly a balance welcome.
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Quote:I understand that many feel that Illusion has an overly-strong advantage in some situations . . . it also has weaknesses in the lack of other AoE options, lack of hard control, lack of AoE damage. The problem I have is when an encounter is desiged to make Illusion the ONLY controller who is made invalid as a controller by this encounter. It turns me into a very, very weak blaster . . . with a weak blaster buddy.Originally Posted by EmperorSteele
Local Man.
I respect you. I like you. I find you to be a very intelligent, upstanding individual who's nothing but an asset to our community, these forums and the game overall. And i can definitely understand your frustration over all of this. So what I'm about to say... well, i feel really bad saying it, but it needs to be said.
"Tough break". Ill/Rad has been king of the hill for a long time. It's only natural that eventually, the devs would come up with something that takes advantage of the combo's weakspots. Heck, the entire trial is biased against controllers. About the only thing that works reliably is KB and slows.
I'm pretty sure the devs mentioned something about designing some of the new content around the most popular powers (as in, making those powers less effective), and making less-used powers more useful. Heck, i worked REPEL into my mind/kin build, for crying out loud!
I'd say for you, Lingering Radiation is your best bet for asserting your usefulness during the escape phase. Target an LT and slow him (and everyone around him) down. Slows and KB are pretty much the only good tools Controllers have. Most of the Epic pools have at least one good power for this phase: Ice Storm, Energy Torrent, Psi Tornado, Fissure, Water Spout and Disruptor blast are all AoEs/cones with either slow or KB. I'd rank PsiNado and Ice Storm as the most useful, but i might be wrong.
I think this is most of the reason the Devs gave us a third build for getting our Alpha slot, because they knew a lot of characters would be up s*** creek without a paddle using their normal builds. If you haven't already, take advantage of this third build slot and try to get as much KB and Slow into your build as possible.
I should note that Lamda is more forgiving, so making a third build just for one encounter might be a bit much. We'll see what else the devs have in store...
(And by the way . . . I LIKE Repel. I actually have it on my Kin/Elec Def and my Plant/Kin Controller -- it has effectively saved my tail several times, long before these Trials.) -
Quote:Originally Posted by Call Me Awesome
I'd move the Ill/Rad into the LT killing position; it still packs a lot of damage and is perfectly capable of killing the uncontrollable LT's reasonably quickly. Take the blaster/scrapper role in that portion of the trial instead of the controller role and I think you'll have a different outcome.
I find CMA to be quite effective in that role despite the lack of AOE damage. Pretend you're playing Shiver Shot instead of Area Man and just kill the mobs, don't worry about control.
For the rest of the trial Ill/Rad should be just as effective as normal.
That's exactly what I was doing . . . But even with my attack chain, I don't get the benefit of Containment on the Lieuts or Bosses, so I'm a pretty weak blaster -- it takes a lot of attacks to take down even a Lieut without Containment. The overall point I was trying to make is that Spectral Terror should have SOME effect at being able to stop some or all of the minions for a period of time. My only way to get Containment damage is to spend my time taking down Minions one-by-one. -
Quote:With PA and Spectral Terror, Ill/Rad does fine for most AoE control in most content. While I fully agree that Illusion makes heavy use of Phantom Army, I strongly disagree that it "only shines when it get(s) close to perma PA levels." My Ill/Rad did great leveling up and on SOs long before IOs were around. PA's distraction/aggro and Spectral Terror's fear are effective AoE control. Add in Flash, Ling Rad and EM Pulse for more AoE and Blind and Deceive to take care of the individuals. (People seem to forget that there was a game before IOs . . . and Illusion Controllers were very effective long before Perma-PA)Originally Posted by Saltyhero13
I'm not surprised. I've always thought Illusion/ was extremely weak in AoE control compared to other sets. Outside of your secondary and with the exception of Flash, your only frequently available AoE control is soft control at best. Its a set that is highly dependent on PA to protect teammates and really only shines when it get close to perma PA levels IMO.
Considering all the other amazing things Ill/Rad and Ill/Cold can do and the popularity of those two combinations I wouldn't be surprised if the devs thought that encounter through thoroughly to offset an otherwise highly capable combination.
Hopefully your experience will change with more level shifts. It sucks when a players favorite character is made ineffective by new encounters.
I don't have a problem with the Devs making challenging content so that softcapped Tanks and Scrappers and Brutes can be wiped out on occasion. But other controllers can use AoE Immobs, Stuns, Holds, Sleeps, Knockdowns and even Intangibility on the minions. It just seems a little bit unfair to invalidate BOTH of Illusion's primary forms of control, Distraction (through drawing aggro) and Fear. OK, I understand the mechanic of making them ignore taunt/aggro, but shouldn't fear still have some effect, even if it is not perma? When other controllers are able to use their AoE controls, my Illusionists are limited to using single target attacks.
And Deceive seems to affect them, but it doesn't stop them from running, so it is useless, too. So my only control powers that work are Blind, Flash and EM Pulse . . . and Ling Rad -- the slows help some. All three of those AoE control powers are on a long timer, making them useful once every 30 or more seconds. Other controllers can Immob or Sleep the minions in every group. Level shifts won't change the fact that my only effective control power not on a long timer is Blind. How would you Fire controllers out there feel if your only effective control power was Char? Or Fossilize for Earth? -
I have found myself frustrated with my Ill/Rad in both of the new Incarnate trials, but especially in one phase of the BAF trial -- escaping mental patients.
This section appears to have been set up for Controllers to handle the minions while the other guys take care of the lieutenants and bosses. The controllers (and Dominators) can only control the minions to prevent their escape. However, Spectral Terror is worthless -- even the minions run right through and past it. They show the fear animation, but otherwise ignore it. PA doesn't seem to hold their attention, either -- They just run past the ghosty guys.
Since Illusion is substanially lacking in other AoE control, I find this part of the trial to be extremely frustrating on my Ill/Rad (and Ill/Cold, but he at least has Sleet and Snow Storm). The Ill/Rad only has Flash and EM Pulse on long timers for AoE control. In effect, I am mostly limited to chasing down single foes to attack with my Blind-SW-Blast-SW chain. Phanty helps a fair amount by blasting and knocking back foes. But I feel that due to the design of this part of the trial, several of my key powers have been (unfairly) neutralized.
Spectral Terror should have some effect. The minions should at least pause for a few seconds due to the fear effect. -
Quote:I've only gotten through the first 10 pages or so . . . so far some interesting characters. It is definitely NOT set in Paragon City. The initial action takes place in Atlanta.Originally Posted by Schismatrix
That was snark? i thought he was just being... well... him.
A quantum superposition of being simultaneously denser than neutronium and less substantial than interstellar hydrogen.
Either way i may take a look at the book. While i honestly prefer the style of authors like Alastair Reynolds, Warren Ellis, and Tsutomo Nihei for general reading i have enjoyed some Mercedes Lackey novels.
So... how is it, anyway? -
Quote:I suppose holding a doctorate degree is considered "educated." Whether I am "literate" is probably more a matter of opinion.Originally Posted by MentalMaden
I can assure you Local Man is quite literate and educated. But thanks for adding the the discussion, Snarky McSnarkleton.
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Quote:I understand that may be the reason it wasn't "officially" supported by NC Soft and Paragon Studios, but what surprised me was that somebody didn't mention it on these forums before I found this sitting on a shelf in my local Borders store. It has City of Heroes right on the cover, and the dedication encourages people to try a 14 day free trial.Originally Posted by Daemodand
Probably because it's not a CoH book.
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I was in a bookstore today and I found (and purchased) a brand new hardcover book co-authored by one of City of Heroes' favorite authors, Mercedes Lackey. HERE is the cover of the book on her web site . . . but my copy is a little different. The title is
Invasion: Book One of the Secret World Chronicle
Mine has a Red 15-point star shaped seal on it (not stuck on, it is part of the cover), that says:
Based upon characters first created in the popular MMORPG, City of Heroes
Why wasn't this book announced on these forums? I'm quite surprised. I just started reading it. I'll try to post a picture sometime later.
It appears to be "inspired by" CoH and fully outside of the world of Paragon City, but still, I'm surprised we haven't seen something about it. -
Earth/TA has the most overall ranged control. 2 Ranged AoE holds and 2 ranged single target holds. 2 AoE knockdowns. 1 AoE Immob and 2 single target Immob. 1 ranged sleep and 1 PB AoE Sleep. 1 Ranged AoE Stun. 2 AoE Slows. Lots of Resistance Debuff (30% total). The one thing it significantly lacks is -Regen. Yes, there is a lot in EM Pulse Arrow, but the long Recharge makes it not very useful as a -Regen power.
However, I find both Earth/Rad and Earth/Storm to be more flexible builds. Rad adds some nice handy -Regen, an AoE heal and a great team buff, a rez and a blow-up-a-teammate's-corpse thingy. Storm has so many useful tools, including good damage in the last two powers, but lacks -Regen and a self heal.
You may want to take a look at my Earth/Rad guide, linked in my sig. I haven't updated it in a little while, but it still has a ton of useful information on Earth Control even if you go with Earth/Storm.
Another one you may want to consider is Earth/Cold. Great debuffing and defense for the team.
Mind certainly is a good AoE control set, but it just feels a lot weaker than Earth for AoE Control. -
Quote:The enhancements increase the healing in the powers -- whatever healing it does including the Regen rate.Originally Posted by mousedroid
Questions:
1. How do healing enhancements work in Regen. Aura, and Adren. Boost? Do they just provide an initial heal to the target, or do they increase the regen rate boost that these powers apply to the targets?
Just to the caster, and just for 120 seconds after the power is used. They do NOT provide any benefit to teammates.Quote:2. If I slot a Regen Tissue: Regeneration unique, a Miracle: Recovery unique, or a Numina's: Regen/Recovery unique, do the bonuses from the IOs apply to the target or just the caster.
Those procs should be put in Health or some other auto (or toggle) power that is on all the time.Quote:3. Does it make sense to put any of these IOs in these powers?
I thought there were more, but I had to go to a meeting and now I forgot them. -
Quote:So far, I have enjoyed the Incarnate stuff. I haven't found it to be a grind. Each of my level 50 characters had a reason that I liked them enough to take them to level 50. I have enjoyed going back to them to fill the Alpha slot, re-learning to play them, figuring out what they need to be better and going through TFs with them with a lot of good folks. Just run TFs and the shards you need will drop.Originally Posted by UnicyclePeon
I've been reading up on the system a tiny bit, and I think it is looking a bit grindy to me. I may not actively partake. But if I do nibble, I will definitely go cardiac.
Do the Incarnate powers always work when you are level 50 (like in a scanner mission) or do they only work on Incarnate-flagged stuff (such as the 2 new missions)?
Thanks,
Lewis
In some cases, I have re-considered parts of my build and decided on a respec for a different epic power pool or to change out one or two powers. If you do TFs, the shards you need will eventually drop. It is not difficult at all to get to tier 3. Tier 4, however, can be a bit of a grind. Most of my 50's have tier 3, but only two have tier 4.
The new stuff is interesting -- I have run Lambda 3 times, with one last night being my first success. I have run BAF twice, both successful. The successes are mostly due to a good leader and other competant players. I have found the Lambda very hard on the 3 squishy characters I have run through it (2 controllers, 1 Defender) -- I spent too much time running back from the hospital. The two BAFs (1 controller, 1 scrapper) were much, much easier, especially since our team leader gave great instructions. -
Quote:I agree that it is good enough . . . between controls and the ToHit Debuff in RI and your heal, 35% should be enough defense. Some people like to play their controllers like Scrappers/Tanks, and those folks seem to want to hit the softcap . . . but that's not what controllers are supposed to be.Originally Posted by Saltyhero13
I would like to add to this thought here for the benefit of the OP. There is a point where your defense is "good enough". This build Local provided with ~35% is right there. Considering your budget is limited on what type IOs you can purchase I think you'll end up gimping the build if you try to go for more at this point....or at least until you know for sure what you want the hero to focus on.
As always YMMV. -
Here's a build I threw together quickly. I'm sure it can be improved, but it should give you an idea of how I would suggest you slot things. I was aiming for a somewhat cheap build, so there are no purples. The Basilisk Gaze and Luck of the Gambler are expensive, but they can be easily earned with Hero (allignment) merits. It is a somewhat moderate build, with good but not great defense to S/L, pretty good Recharge. With some work, you could either softcap the S/L defense or get it to perma-Hasten and perma-AM.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.93
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Brown Dirt Cowboy: Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Earth Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Stone Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Fossilize -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(3), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(5), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg(40), Dmg-I(40)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(15), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Dct'dW-Heal(31), Dct'dW-Rchg(34)
Level 2: Stone Cages -- Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg(A), Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx(3), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg(7), Enf'dOp-EndRdx/Immob(21), TotHntr-Dam%(29), Posi-Dam%(31)
Level 4: Radiation Infection -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb(A), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(5), DarkWD-Rchg/EndRdx(15), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(21), Achilles-ResDeb%(46)
Level 6: Quicksand -- RechRdx-I(A), ImpSwft-Dam%(17)
Level 8: Accelerate Metabolism -- Efficacy-EndMod(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(9), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(9), Efficacy-Acc/Rchg(23), Efficacy-EndMod/EndRdx(23), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(25)
Level 10: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(11), RechRdx-I(11)
Level 12: Stalagmites -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(13), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(13), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(25), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(27), RechRdx-I(27)
Level 14: Super Speed -- EndRdx-I(A), Clrty-Stlth(29)
Level 16: Enervating Field -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(17)
Level 18: Earthquake -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb/Rchg(A), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(19), DarkWD-Rchg/EndRdx(19)
Level 20: Lingering Radiation -- Acc-I(A), RechRdx-I(46), RechRdx-I(50)
Level 22: Mutation -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 24: Recall Friend -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
Level 26: Volcanic Gasses -- EoCur-Acc/Hold/Rchg(A), G'Wdw-Acc/Hold/Rchg(36), Lock-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(36), Lock-Rchg/Hold(36), G'Wdw-Dam%(37), Lock-%Hold(37)
Level 28: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 30: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(43)
Level 32: Animate Stone -- ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(A), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(33), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg(33), SvgnRt-PetResDam(34), ExRmnt-+Res(Pets)(34)
Level 35: Fallout -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(37)
Level 38: EM Pulse -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(39), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(39), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(39)
Level 41: Fissure -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(42), Posi-Dmg/Rng(42), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43)
Level 44: Seismic Smash -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(45), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(45), KntkC'bat-Knock%(45), HO:Nucle(46)
Level 47: Rock Armor -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(48), LkGmblr-Def(48), LkGmblr-Rchg+(48)
Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(43)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(40), EndMod-I(50)
Level 4: Ninja Run
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Quote:Originally Posted by Arbiter Hawk
Hi NT,
If you edit one of your chat tabs and include the "Cutscene Captions" chat channel, the caption text from those dialogue lines should appear there for you to read after-the-fact. I know I had to manually add it on my launch-day character's chat settings, though it is included in Global by default for new characters.
There had previously been a bug where the channel for these dialogue lines did not have a visible name, but we fixed that in i20, so it should now be easy to add so all of your characters can enjoy the story of TFs and Trials at their leisure.
Awesome! I had similar problems . . . plus, I normally put my map right where that box was showing up. Nice to know there is a fix for it.
Thanks, Mr. Hawk! and we appreciate our Devs coming on the forums to answer these kind of questions. -
Quote:The books are so good because the series does not follow the standard fantasy tropes . . . No "good heros go on an impossible quest against the ultimate evil" plot lines. Instead, it is a story of complex political maneuvers and the deadly results. The larger kingdom is made up of seven former kingdoms, and has numerous threats from inside as well as two huge threats from outside, one of which has some semblence of legitimacy. The characters are driven by realistic motivations: power, greed, lust, selfishness, justice, family, revenge, and in some cases, stupidity. Many are simply trying to survive in a difficult world. While there are "good guys" and "bad guys," all of them have shades of grey, and many of the not-so-nice characters have a damn good reason for acting the way that they do.Originally Posted by SuperOz
I'm probably not going to watch this, given that I also haven't read the novels. I actually asked my SG today what it was about and someone said 'Do you know about the War of the Roses and the 100 year war?' And I said yes (I like my history) and was told 'it's like that, except the winters are longer and rocks fall on people and they die.'
I honestly find real-world history to be more intriguing because well...it actually happened for one thing...and I'm not sure how much of Game of Thrones I could handle before I started finding myself depressed because the same person who explained the books to me also said that there's honorable and good people, but hey, they don't last long. Not a good trait.
That was a ringing positive endorsement that kind of made up my mind. It's almost like we've become masochistic in our entertainment lately. If we're not seeing people screw each other over or be flawed and oh-so-terribly-human, then it's not good drama.
I'm all for realism, but so long as it's balanced.
S.
Magic is minimized in the earlier books. In much of the story, magic is part of the background but does not play a huge role in the lives of the characters until later books. Dragons play a small but important part as the series goes on.
And some of the good and honorable people do last . . . at least so far. One of the things that makes the series so good is that you never know who will survive. Just when you think that this is a major character who will carry the story to the end, he or she gets killed off or some other significant thing happens to fully change that character. People who seem like minor characters become major characters while other major characters fade into the background. -
Quote:Except that Dark and Traps are not available as Controller secondaries.Originally Posted by Sloshed
So... Illusion seems to be the best controller type to manage it due to Phantom Army. With Rad or Cold as the subset. Dark could probably work as well. Or Traps.
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A great combo for AoE control and damage: Fire/Shield Scrapper and a Plant/Kin controller. Let the scrapper gather foes into a tight group, then the controller hits them with Seeds+Roots+Fulcrum, Scrapper wipes them out with AoE damage while Roots helps. Carrion Creepers can tank the tough foes.
The scrapper can build to softcap, but always has Transference and Transfusion to fall back on. Speed Boost and Siphon Speed keep you moving fast. Make sure that the controller has invisibility (Super speed with a stealth IO works great) to let the scrapper draw the aggro. -
The best known builds for taking out AVs and GMs are Illusion/Rad and Illusion/Cold controllers. Both need expensive, high recharge builds for Perma-Phantom Army. (Ill/Rad is a little bit cheaper because it gets 30% Recharge from AM.) Neither one needs tons of Defense because PA and Phantasm's Decoy draw the aggro away from the player. Both have a good amount of -Regen and -Resistance.
I've taken down a few GMs with my perma-PA Ill/Rad. Frankly, I feel it gets boring after a while. I believe several folks have used an Ill/Rad to take out every GM in the game who can be handled by a solo player, including Lusca. (Obviously not Hamidon.) Ill/Cold has better debuffs, but no self heal or Recharge buff, so it needs more Recharge from sets -- a few more purple sets. -
I don't have access to Mids at the moment, so your build looks like a block of nonsense to me . . . It helps to post the actual build instead of just the data chunk since some people look at the forums at work or other places where they can't use Mids.
My Earth/Rad guide is a little out of date (link in my sig) . . . I haven't updated it for IO sets and Incarnate yet. My Ill/Rad guide is current (it has been more popular), so the IO sets on the Rad section should be helpful.
Still, the guide has a ton of good information, including strategy tips. If you are used to playing melee types, you should learn that an Earth/Rad is definitely NOT a melee type. Earth/Rad is low damage, but one of the best ranged AoE controllers in the game (Earth/TA has more ranged AoE control, but is less flexible.) The strength of the build is as a ranged AoE controller, mainly using three ranged AoE controls and your buffs and debuffs to help the team defeat foes more quickly while taking minimal damage. The three AoE controls are: 1) Stalagmites+Stone Cages (+ Quicksand); 2) Earthquake (+ Quicksand); 3) Volcanic Gasses (+ Quicksand). You might see a little bit of a theme there regarding Quicksand. It provides back-up control with a huge 25% Defense Debuff underneath all your other controls.
One nice thing about this trio of controls is its flexibility. Three different types of control means that even if a foe resists one kind, you have two others that can get that foe. Stalagmites+Stone Cages is your best "instant" opener, but Earthquake and Volcanic Gasses are better at controlling Bosses and creating choke points.
An Earth/Rad needs to be careful about the amount of aggo he or she pulls, because the AoE controls can result in a lot of ranged damage. On teams, I generally wait for the tank to do his/her thing and draw the aggro before letting loose with the AoE controls. (Both EQ and VG take a second to take effect, so the foes will take shots at you unless the aggro is directed elsewhere.) Solo and small teams, Invisibility plus your pet, "Rocky," can let you draw Rocky into being your tank so that you can then back off and use your AoE controls.
The IO bonuses that will do the most good are Recharge and some Ranged Defense. Rad uses a lot of endurance, so Recovery is always good, too. I like to have Superspeed + Celerity Stealth IO for Invisibility and fast movement. I actually don't have that much Ranged Defense because I tend to play more of a "pure" controller -- trying to control foes instead of relying upon Defense. Damage is generally a low concern, but in the high levels with your pet and the APP damage powers, you can do decent damage.
There is a fair amount of flexibility in the build, with a number of powers that are skippable but useful depending upon your playstyle. Stone Prison is useful as a damage power if you want to solo. Salt Crystals is a skippable PB AoE Sleep (looks cool, though) that can be useful solo and small teams, but is mostly worthless on large teams. Choking Cloud is a PB AoE toggle hold that uses a ton of endurance and slots -- not ideal for a controller who stays at range, but some folks feel that Choking Cloud + Volcanic Gasses or Earthquake is great control. Fallout is very situational and Mutation is a nice-to-have luxury. You can fit in other pool powers if you want. You can make a high defense build if you want. You can make a team buff build with all of the Leadership pool and Recall Friend.
When posting a build, you may want to explain your goals: Team-focused controllers who doesn't worry about damage? A character who can solo as well as team? A character who gets in the middle of the action? or one who stays back to control from range? Or just a general purpose build that is inexpensive and can do a little bit of it all? -
<Sigh> Most likely, I will be on Kid Taxi duty at that time. My daughter takes an acting class from 12-2 PM.