Mr_Grumpums

Pros - Rare damage type, good AoE attacks, solid Resistance, decent Tier 9, Lightning Reflexes, good endurance recovery powers.

Bad - You have to be on the ground for some of your mez protection, so you'll likely have to pick SS as your travel power. There is no self-heal, and Electric Armor is a resistance set (ensuring that enemies WILL hit you), so most Elec/Elec Brutes have to get Aid Self. /Elec has no Toxic Resistance, which is a lot worse in CoV where more enemies make use of it.

I would say Stone Mastery.

Hurl Bolder is a decent ranged attack and KB, kind of like having a second Propel.

Fissure is Thunder Clap with some damage, 20 feet of range, and KB.

Seismic Smash is very good damage for a controller, and it contains a hold. Too bad it's a melee attack, I guess...

Rock Armor is a Defense toggle instead of a resistance toggle like those offered by other Controller epic pools. The -ToHit debuff from Hurrican makes defense more effective, so you get a of double layer of protection (That sounds wrong for some reason).

Earth's Embrace is a self-heal which raises your max HP by 50%.

Seems like this is a great match for Gravity/Storm.

Waterspout does Knock up, which means that enemies won't go flying unless they se themselves up for it.

DM/Invuln will keep your endurance recharged, but you should devote some enhancements towards recharge and defense...

I can see Necro/Traps working well together. Zombies running into traps that trigger explosions...Very Legion of Doom.

I have 2 Controllers: An Earth/Thermal and a Plant/TA. In PvP. I would say that the Earth/Therm would have the most success. Hope this helps!

My brain hurts from all of this dirty, dirty math and scientific observation.

From seeing both of the compared builds played by friends whom I consider to be excellent players (as in, much better than I am and whom I never see make mistakes), I'd say that a Cold/Ice Defender and a Rad/Sonic Defender are about equal in terms of effectiveness.

Rad/Sonic seems to work better than Cold/Ice when solo. The stacked -Res and -Tohit will make things much more survivable, both solo and in teams. Cold/Ice's debuffs have longer recharge times than Rad's toggles.

I would say /Regen, /DA, or /SR.

Claws/Regen is the old fashioned Wolverine-wannabe build. You get solid recovery very early on, 2 click heal powers, and a power that rapidly increases Regen. A touch of resistance and potential for IO set boosts make this 'un a good and stable build. No complaints.

Claws/Willpower is darn near a powerhouse in terms of, uh, easy mode. It has a lot more defense and resistance than a Claws/Regen, making it less click-intensive so that one might focus on attacking. It feels like it will fair better in PVP then a Claws/Regen, but I may well be wrong.

Claws/SR is darn near invincible in PVE, but it isn't as easy a road as a Claws/WP (and might not do as well in PVP, though I'm not certain due to lac of experience in PVP with this build). Elude and Quick Recovery, combined with low endurance costs in the Claws primary, make for a fast, nimble and and dangerously strong Scrapper. The high level of lethal resistance in AVs might be the only detriment to this build.

Hope this helps.

I would personally choose Earth/Kin, but that's because I really like Earth Control.

Both sets are pretty light in terms of damage, and both pets do best in melee, if I recall (I don't have any experience with Jack Frost). What I like best about the Earth/Kin combo is that you can heal and max out the damage on a pet that already has pretty impressive Resistance, making it strong, fast, and durable.

Also, Earth/Kin would only need to saunter into enemy melee range in order to buff its pet. With Ice, you need to get pretty close for Arctic Air to work.

I'll admit, though, that I see a lot more Ice/Kin controllers than Earth/Kin Controllers. There might be something to it that I'm missing.

I rolled up a build that I think would work fairly well. Feel free to tell me if you don't like part of it and which part bothers you. I'll do my best to correct it and allocate slots properly. In this build, with such a variety of IO sets that can be put in, the right amount of slots is, uh, well it's certainly a factor. :P

I left out Flares, Fire Breath, Telekinetic Thrust, and and Scare because they are the powers that are the least useful. Flares is too weak, Telekinetic Thrust does no damage, Scare isn't a very good hold (especially for an AoE Blaster), and Fire breath has too long an animation with poor recharge and endurance. I tried for a good balance of AoE and ST damage, but I recommend teaming if you want to blast mobs indiscriminately. I didn't put in enough resistance/defense to make you super durable, just high offense with some regen and a touch of mez.

Hope this helps!

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Fire Mental levelin' build: Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Fire Blast
Secondary Power Set: Mental Manipulation
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Force Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Fire Blast -- Empty(A), Empty(3), Empty(7), Empty(9), Empty(33)
Level 1: Subdual -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Fire Ball -- Empty(A), Empty(3), Empty(5), Empty(7), Empty(15), Empty(46)
Level 4: Mind Probe -- Empty(A), Empty(5), Empty(9), Empty(15), Empty(33), Empty(43)
Level 6: Swift or Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 8: Combat Jumping -- Empty(A)
Level 10: Psychic Scream -- Empty(A), Empty(11), Empty(11), Empty(13), Empty(33), Empty(50)
Level 12: Aim -- Empty(A), Empty(13)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Empty(A)
Level 16: Health -- Empty(A), Empty(17), Empty(17)
Level 18: Blaze -- Empty(A), Empty(19), Empty(19), Empty(31), Empty(31), Empty(50)
Level 20: Stamina -- Empty(A), Empty(21), Empty(21), Empty(31)
Level 22: Drain Psyche -- Empty(A), Empty(23), Empty(23), Empty(25), Empty(46), Empty(46)
Level 24: Concentration -- Empty(A), Empty(25)
Level 26: Hasten -- Empty(A), Empty(27), Empty(27)
Level 28: Rain of Fire -- Empty(A), Empty(29), Empty(29), Empty(34), Empty(43), Empty(50)
Level 30: World of Confusion -- Empty(A), Empty(37), Empty(37), Empty(37), Empty(40)
Level 32: Inferno -- Empty(A), Empty(34), Empty(34), Empty(36), Empty(36), Empty(43)
Level 35: Assault -- Empty(A), Empty(36)
Level 38: Psychic Shockwave -- Empty(A), Empty(39), Empty(39), Empty(39), Empty(40), Empty(40)
Level 41: Personal Force Field -- Empty(A), Empty(42), Empty(42), Empty(42)
Level 44: Temp Invulnerability -- Empty(A), Empty(45), Empty(45), Empty(45)
Level 47: Tactics -- Empty(A), Empty(48), Empty(48), Empty(48)
Level 49: Super Speed -- Empty(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance

Thugs MM duo? A combination of Pain, Poison, and Dark would work well, I'd imagine.

Well, a /FF and /Dark would have really solid symmetry.

I made a build that might fit a dev. It's expensive, but I'd sure play it. I'll post it here.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Mockup Blue Shield: Level 50 Natural Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Martial Arts
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Storm Kick -- T'Death-Dam%(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(13), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(15), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(34), T'Death-Acc/Dmg(43)
Level 1: Deflection -- RedFtn-Def(A), RedFtn-EndRdx(3), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(7), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(25), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(48), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 2: Battle Agility -- RedFtn-Def(A), RedFtn-EndRdx(3), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(7), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(25), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(50), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 4: True Grit -- Numna-Heal(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(5), ImpArm-ResDam(5), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(46)
Level 6: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 8: Crane Kick -- Mako-Dam%(A), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(13), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(15), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(37), Mako-Acc/Dmg(43)
Level 10: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(11), RechRdx-I(11)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A)
Level 16: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Numna-Heal(17), Heal-I(17)
Level 18: Crippling Axe Kick -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), T'Death-Dam%(19), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(23), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(37)
Level 20: Stamina -- Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(A), Efficacy-EndMod(21), Efficacy-EndMod/EndRdx(21), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(23)
Level 22: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 24: Phalanx Fighting -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 26: Dragon's Tail -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), Sciroc-Dam%(27), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(27), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(31)
Level 28: Focus Chi -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(29), RechRdx-I(43)
Level 30: Grant Cover -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(31), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(31)
Level 32: Eagles Claw -- Hectmb-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Hectmb-Dmg(33), Hectmb-Dmg/Rchg(33), Hectmb-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Hectmb-Acc/Rchg(34), Dsrnt-I(40)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Oblit-Dmg(36), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(36), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(36), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Oblit-%Dam(39)
Level 38: Boxing -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(39), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40)
Level 41: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(42), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(42), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 44: Weave -- RedFtn-Def(A), RedFtn-EndRdx(45), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(45), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(45), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(46), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(46)
Level 47: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48), RechRdx-I(48)
Level 49: One with the Shield -- ResDam-I(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
------------
[u]Set Bonus Totals:[u]<ul type="square">[*]17% DamageBuff(Smashing)[*]17% DamageBuff(Lethal)[*]17% DamageBuff(Fire)[*]17% DamageBuff(Cold)[*]17% DamageBuff(Energy)[*]17% DamageBuff(Negative)[*]17% DamageBuff(Toxic)[*]17% DamageBuff(Psionic)[*]6.88% Defense(Smashing)[*]6.88% Defense(Lethal)[*]1.56% Defense(Fire)[*]1.56% Defense(Cold)[*]6.88% Defense(Energy)[*]6.88% Defense(Negative)[*]11.9% Defense(Melee)[*]11.9% Defense(Ranged)[*]3.13% Defense(AoE)[*]40% Enhancement(Accuracy)[*]57.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)[*]105.4 HP (7.87%) HitPoints[*]MezResist(Held) 8.8%[*]MezResist(Immobilize) 18.7%[*]MezResist(Stun) 2.2%[*]8% (0.13 End/sec) Recovery[*]54% (3.02 HP/sec) Regeneration[*]6.3% Resistance(Fire)[*]6.3% Resistance(Cold)[*]3.13% Resistance(Negative)[/list]

Yup. Technology or Magic origins are the way to go with /TA. Honestly, those are the origins that make the most sense for the set, anyway. Other than maybe Natural.

I prefer PBs. I like the playstyle better. It's much more straightforward, and doesn't rely on big mobs in order to boost its power.

Plant/TA Controller, for spamming outrageous holds, immobs, mezzes, debuffs, and damage.

Dark/Fire Scrapper/Brute for great damage, solid yet interesting defenses, and the Midnight Grasp/Burn combo.

Fire/Kin Corrupter. Insane damage, unlimited endurance, and unrestricted SS and SJ that does more for avoiding damage than most defense toggles. ZOOM! BUFF! BLAM!

Bots/Dark Mastermind. Self-sufficient pets with solid damage and loads of debuffs and other team support. Also, Dark Servant.

Kinetics/Archery Defender with the psychic mastery epic. Buffs and more damage than some Blasters make for a good supporter. Rain of Arrows and Psychic Mastery powers will give you plenty of teaming and solo tactical choices. Mass Hypnosis and your ST attacks, Telekinesis and your AoE attacks, or even just using Telekinesis on a bunch of mobs and holding them there while using Transference to keep your endurance maxed.

WP/SS Tanker. It's the easiest tank you can play, and it's got plenty of damage to sling. It also lacks any weaknesses that would make it too weak to tank a certain AV without a couple of buffs, unlike many other tanker primaries.

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Although one day...I'll make an /EA brute!

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Make it a Stone/EA. With Fault, Tremor, EA Defense, and EA's endurance recovery to keep thing running, you'll rarely take a punch. Baddies will either be stunned or being slammed onto the ground.

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ok so soul master &gt; leviathan master? or leviathan master &gt; soul mastery?

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I'll say it like this. Shadow Meld is an incredible power for Stalkers with defense-based secondaries. It's effectively a miniature Tier-9 invincible power with no crash! However, Water Spout can give extra mitigation for Stalkers whose powers don't have stuns or ToHit debuffs, and its damage is respectable when you can get it to focus on one person.

If I were you, I'd go with Shadow Meld.

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I agree with the above, except Dark Blast is so much better than Moonbeam.

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I concur, but I don't like to preach any more than I have to. Shadow Meld is the important power here.

I love my Plant/TA Controller, and I get compliments on it from other controllers every now and then, but it's odd how much comment my swath of carnage is forgone for a hearty "SB pls!" from Scrappers and Tanks.

Like having an AoE Hold, Immob, KD Aura, or confuse tossed on a mob at the start of every fight along with debuffs should be ignored.

/e hissyfit

lv 41 - Elude
lv 44 - Dark Blast/Moonbeam (Soul Mastery)
lv 47 - Shadow Meld (Soul Mastery)
lv 49 - Hasten

Elude is a great Tier 9 which will make you invincible in PvE for its duration, as well as boost your movement speed and recovery. Dark Blast is a decent ST ranged attack, and Moonbeam is a Snipe, which some Stalkers love having. Shadow Meld will give you 15 seconds of invincibility with no crash, great for a quick getaway or when engaging a big mob. And you probably know what Hasten does. :P

I'd personally skip going for the Mu Mastery Ball Lightning. Its recharge is 32 seconds long, and it doesn't have enough damage to warrant the wait.

I gotta warn you. A WM/SD Brute will have serious endurance problems later in the game, enough issues that render it unplayable for a friend of mine. Slot for endurance in your attacks and toggles where possible, or maybe invest in IO sets that raise max endurance and endurance recovery.

In my experience with the two sets (A WM/EA Brute and an Elec/Shield Brute), I'd suggest starting out by picking either Bash or Pulverize, but not both (recharge time is too similar, so you only really need one to fill in the attack chain). Then put in at least 2-3 slots in True Grit for when you take hits, because you WILL be taking hits at some point. You might wish to get Taunt sometime to better herd enemies for Shield Charge, Whirling Mace, and Crowd Control, and also because Against All Odds boosts damage by the number of nearby enemies. Oh, and most people don't like One with the Shield, so you may wanna skip it.

In terms of patron pools, I would invest in the soul mastery pool and grab Darkest Night. It's an expensive toggle, but you'll be nearly impossible to hit by any enemy in its radius while your defense based toggles are running. Your other likely option for a useful patron set would be Mu Mastery for Ball Lightning, I guess.

Hope this helped a little.

[ QUOTE ]
I've been reading some of the posts re: DM/WP and DM/Nin stalkers. What makes DM so great? I had a DM/DA brute. She could stay in the fight but her attacks were a bit weak. Why would those powers be different on a Stalker?

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DM Stalkers have some powers that offer more burst damage, and they don't need time to rev up their engines like brutes, so they're doing top damage at the start of every fight. With the recent changes to Dark Melee and its impressively short attack animations, that means you can spam single target hits right after a big Assassin Strike.

Also, Dark Melee attacks debuff enemy tohit. With a DA Brute, that might not mean a whole lot, but to a Stalker using a defense set instead of a resistance set (And most Stalkers prefer defense sets or WP these days), it's like extra armor protecting them from being whacked by baddies.

ALSO, DM has Touch of Fear and Midnight Grasp, powers which keep the enemy occupied and unable to attack. For a Stalker with fairly low HP, keeping enemies from attacking, or at least keeping them out of range to melee you, can go a long ways towards keeping you alive.

See the appeal now?

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At 20, which was my point. QR and Stamina open at the exact same level. Stamina requires 2 other powers from the pool to take, QR does not.

I'd rather take powers from my primary and take QR at 20, as opposed to taking 2 powers I don't really need yet and taking Stamina at 20. QR is the better power, it should always be taken first. Add Stamina later if it turns out you need it.

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My DB/WP scrapper waited until around level 30 or so before finally getting Stamina due to all of the powers from his primary he needed to cram in. It seems like a WM Brute could work it in a bit before then, say level 26-28? Mace uses so much endurance that having another recovery boost power ought to really come in handy.

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[ QUOTE ]
Never had that problem.

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What problem didn't you have? Slot starvation?

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Slot starvation is a good name for it. I used to call it "an enhancement slot deficiency" on good days, and "NOT ENOUGH F#$%^# SLOTS!" on the bad ones.

The last 4 powers I took for my Triform PB were Swift, Health, Stamina, and Super Speed, just a last little boost to my Human form. It was either that or Boxing, Tough, Weave, and Super Speed. Or maybe Provoke, Intimidate, Invoke Panic, and Pulsar, so I could have some extra control.

You can do a lot with four powers, as long as you dedicate a few slots to 'em.