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Oedipus_Tex

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  1. Oedipus_Tex
    I think this can be partly explained the fact that (at least in my observation) incarnate characters are either at the bottom or the top of the incarnate ladder, never the middle.

    In my experience, my characters are low level incarnates until I get enough iXP to unlock Destiny and Lore. Then suddenly I shoot to the top of the ladder due to stockpiled components, and then am just backfilling minor details. There are 4 things you need from the incarnate system to be able to rock a trial: the level shifts, Destiny, and the Lore pet. All of them come at more or less the same time. (IOs are helpful too, but come from outside the incarnate system directly).

    My recommendation is to move the level shifts way down the ladder to Judgment and Interface, tier 1. That would create a much more solid middle tier of incarnate character and fix some of the issues with the later AVs. It's also at least somewhat reasonable that a character could fill those slots after only a couple of runs of the lower trials.
  2. Oedipus_Tex
    I like your build overall. You seem to know what you are doing and have a good sense for the sets available. Here are a few things you may want to consider before signing off on the final build:

    - Time Stop isn't a terrible power, but IMO on a Controller it's tempting to skip. Your Tesla Cage has an animation time of 2.17 seconds and a recharge of 2 seconds, ie it recharges faster than it can animate. Time Stop has the same 2.17 second animation. In the context of this build you can stack a hold on a boss using Tesla Cage by itself, do damage, and endurance drain it. Time Stop does add -50% Regen, but IMO the power is not worth picking by itself just for that.

    - No Paralyzing Blast. I wouldn't recommend skipping this even if you have to drop below soft cap to some positions. Electric Control is subject to critical failures from Synaptic Overload, and Static Field isn't that great as a team control power at higher levels.

    - Mag 8 kb protection probably isn't very useful. Probably want to shoot for 4 or 12 (4 is usually ok for Controllers).

    - You may be overspecializing in Recovery.

    - While the defense on the build is great, remember you still have a -ToHit toggle. I would make sure Ranged (and maybe Slash/Lethal if you want to cover your bases a bit more) are capped, and let the others simply be "pretty good." The -ToHit and extra control/kill speed you will regain will cover a lot of what those extra defense points are doing for you.

    - No single target blast. I would sneak one in if I could.

    - No AoE blast. Same as above, although possibly more forgiveable on a mostly teamed character.

    - Slotting on AoE immobilize. I would change it to procs, particularly chance for knockdown and chance for hold. These two together make Electric's immob very powerful. Expensive but worth it.

    - Low overall accuracy. This is forcing you to slot accuracy directly into some powers. A kismet and some more sets with +global accuracy would help.

    - Distortion Field is better slotted with damage procs than hold duration.

    - If this is a "main" character and you don't mind spending Paragon Points on him/her, consider some Enhancement Boosters. Using 5 EBs more or less boosts a slot to around the level where you had slotted two of them. This can open up a considerable number of slots in a build if used effectively.


    Partial possible rebuild below:

    Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.952
    http://www.cohplanner.com/

    Click this DataLink to open the build!

    Level 50 Magic Controller
    Primary Power Set: Electric Control
    Secondary Power Set: Time Manipulation
    Power Pool: Speed
    Power Pool: Fighting
    Power Pool: Leaping
    Ancillary Pool: Primal Forces Mastery

    Hero Profile:
    Level 1: Tesla Cage -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(3), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(3), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(5), Dmg-I(5), HO:Nucle(7)
    Level 1: Time Crawl -- Acc-I(A)
    Level 2: Temporal Mending -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(7), Dct'dW-Rchg(9), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(9), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(11)
    Level 4: Time's Juncture -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(A), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(15), DarkWD-Rchg/EndRdx(15), DarkWD-ToHitDeb(17)
    Level 6: Chain Fences -- GravAnch-Hold%(A), Ragnrk-Knock%(17), Posi-Dam%(19), TotHntr-Dam%(19), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(21), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(21)
    Level 8: Conductive Aura -- Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(23), EndMod-I(50)
    Level 10: Temporal Selection -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-Rchg(23), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(25), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(25), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(27)
    Level 12: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 14: Static Field -- FtnHyp-Sleep/EndRdx(A), FtnHyp-Sleep/Rchg(27), FtnHyp-Sleep(29), FtnHyp-Acc/Sleep/Rchg(29), FtnHyp-Acc/Rchg(31)
    Level 16: Boxing -- Acc-I(A)
    Level 18: Distortion Field -- UbrkCons-Dam%(A), G'Wdw-Dam%(31), ImpSwft-Dam%(31), NrncSD-Dam%(33), Lock-%Hold(33)
    Level 20: Paralyzing Blast -- UbrkCons-Hold(A), UbrkCons-Hold/Rchg(33), UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(34), UbrkCons-Acc/Rchg(34), UbrkCons-EndRdx/Hold(34)
    Level 22: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), DefBuff-I(40)
    Level 24: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GA-3defTpProc(36)
    Level 26: Synaptic Overload -- CoPers-Conf/EndRdx(A), CoPers-Conf%(36), CoPers-Acc/Conf/Rchg(36), CoPers-Conf/Rchg(37), CoPers-Acc/Rchg(37), CoPers-Conf(37)
    Level 28: Farsight -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), HO:Enzym(39), HO:Enzym(39)
    Level 30: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(39), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(40), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
    Level 32: Gremlins -- ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(A), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(42), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(42), EndMod-I(43), EndMod-I(43)
    Level 35: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(45)
    Level 38: Chrono Shift -- P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(43), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(45)
    Level 41: Power Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(46), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(46), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(48), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50)
    Level 44: Temp Invulnerability -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx(A), S'fstPrt-ResKB(45), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(46)
    Level 47: Slowed Response -- Achilles-ResDeb%(A), AnWeak-Acc/Rchg(48), ShldBrk-Acc/Rchg(48)
    Level 49: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
    Level 0: Task Force Commander
    Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
    Level 0: Portal Jockey
    Level 50: Reactive Radial Flawless Interface
    Level 50: Spiritual Radial Paragon
    ------------
    Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Containment
    Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
    Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
    Level 4: Ninja Run
    Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
    Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(11), Mrcl-Heal(50)
    Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
    Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod(13), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(13)



    Code: 
    | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
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|F18|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

    Here is a partial rebuild
  3. Oedipus_Tex
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Death_Adder View Post
    While I would LOVE for this to happen, I don't really see it happening due to the interaction with tornado/waterspout. By changing the KB to KD on those powers you keep the mitigation of constant KD, and the full damage of the powers and lack of chaos that you get with the current immobs that stop KD. It's the best of both worlds and seems overpowered at first glance.

    I don't really agree. The best of both worlds would have been high damage and reliable hard control, like Plant and Fire get.
  4. Oedipus_Tex
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Arcanaville View Post
    Whether the devs want to do that or not is a separate question of course.

    I agree. Although I would love and adore that change. Electric Control was designed with its cages lacking -kb mainly because of Jolting Chain, so its disappointing that didn't happen with Ice.
  5. Oedipus_Tex

    New frontiers

    POST-ACTION

    Dinosaurs or not, I've long wanted the Midnighter Club to access some additional time frames. There are limitless possibilities. I'd love to see the Rogue Isles in the 1920s.
  6. Oedipus_Tex
    I have been really vocal lately in my criticisms of aspects of the iTrials I don't like. I feel it may be productive to balance some of that out with some comments about the things I like about them.

    One particular thing I want to point out in particular is that prior to iTrials were pretty static affairs. I actually kind of dreaded facing AVs, because it was so boring. The iTrials give me reason to run around.

    My favorite is probably Marauder's jumping. It just looks cinematic, and watching the players all go racing across the yard after him is really action-y. Most of the boss fights in iTrials feel more dynamic than the rest of the game (I'm actually growing to really like the MoM fights with the somewhat forgiveable pink death patches), but Marauder is one of my favorites just because its there to look awesome and not just kill me.

    Lambda, overall, is my favorite of the new trials. Some people have described it as "easy." I don't really agree. I think Lambda is more or less spot on in its balance between difficulty and cool factor. Yes, your team will probably win. But even kitted out most characters still can't go barreling through the enemies without protection or strategy. Lambda comes closest to mimicking an ITF to me--unlikely to be a total loss, but hard to totally master.

    Lambda is also easy to explain (the exception is the use of acids and grenades, which, while not impossible, can be a drag when teams don't pay attention). The segment where you split into two groups is very well done, to me, because the only thing people need to understand is "go through the maze and chase down the destructables." There is no need to make special assignments or to create a small team of 2 or 3 to go do something else. The 16 player limit also means I'm able to see what's going on, and feel like I'm participating.

    More importantly, there are few ways in Lambda a participant can screw the whole trial up just by playing enthusiastically. By this what I mean is that any punishment dealt to the player for a mistake is likely to be his or her own. There isn't much the player can click or do that causes everyone else trouble. Not backing away from Marauder hurts the individual, not everyone around, just as an example. Taunting Marauder out of the facility may be an exception, but its a rarely encountered one.

    The acid and grenade use situation may be my one sort of reservation about the Lambda design. I sort of feel like if the team reached a goal acting together that things shouldn't boil down to one random player receiving a power to use in a specific way. I don't mind the acids and grenades hugely, but it does seem like they should be distributed differently or we at least be told in announcement who got them.

    Anyway, I don't have control over where threads eventually go, but hopefully this one will be able to stay mostly positive and focus on the elements we want to see repeated rather than the things that we really don't like. I may need some policing myself.

    ADDENDUM: And for one slightly off topic addition, I will say my favorite fight in the whole game is the one with Mary McCromber at the start of the Katie Hannon Task Force. It, too, has an out of control feel with mobs of enemies raining down on you. There's something about the craziness of those witches and all the lightning storms that is really great. I may be the only player in the world to say this, but if Mary were to suddenly go incarnate and show up with a bunch of Storm witches that would be one raid I couldn't pass up.
  7. Oedipus_Tex

    Ice/Time Advice

    POST-ACTION

    First things first--for your first 35 levels or so you will be mostly a support character. Damage will come later but you will only be okay at it. However you will still do enough to solo comfortably later on.

    I would skip Shiver. Shiver is IMO very inferior to Distortion Field.

    With Ice Control on Controllers I have traditionally aimed for the Psi APP. This brings you to Indomitable Will, a power that protects you from mezzes and grants very good Psi defense. Psinado doesn't have as good of damage as it could have, but if you think of a confused enemy making an attack as direct damage, you will generally do a LOT more damage with Ice Control if you are slotted to be able to wade into enemies with Arctic Air, which is what Indomitable Will promotes. The only issue with the Psi APP is it offers no real break on endurance cost. This can be settled largely with incarnate powers.

    In my experience, there is a night and day difference between an Ice Control character with mezz protection and without. You can also grab mezz protection with Destiny powers, but for Ice Control specifically I prefer being able to take Barrier, because Ice's big issue is not having a very reliable alpha breaker. With Destiny Barrier you can tank the alpha straight off once every two minutes, and if you switch off with Glacier it can be fairly effective.

    I would also aim for at least around 32% Ranged defense base from IOs if you IO the character. Take Combat Jumping to help you quickly escape combat in case you get overwhelmed--the art of the Combat Jump escape + self heal is IMO something all Ice Controllers with a good heal should master. It has saved my life many times when forced back by War Walkers.

    FWIW I sometimes hear that Ice Control has "redundant" slows (in other threads, not this one). IMO, especially in incarnate content, its less about what you can kick out total and more about how much area you can cover, and how many seconds it took you to do it. So when you get something like Ice/Time/Psi, while its true stacking all of that slow and -recharge on a single group is pretty pointless, it also means that you don't have to make any special efforts to floor them, you do it by just doing your thing. A lot of the incarnate content trials also feature segments where you need to be able to pick up and run. The portability of AA works wonders for this, since with a decent build it recharges very quickly, can be cast before enemies are aware, and in some ways can be thought of as on-demand Volcanic Gasses (even if different from that power in some ways). I would never skip Arctic Air on an Ice Control character.

    If this character makes it to the incarnate levels, you may want to consider the Cognitive proc. It can stack with Arctic Air's confusion and helps cover gaps in coverage.
  8. Oedipus_Tex

    Spoilers dammit!

    POST-ACTION

    Fun.


    Nomi really is just like Cristal.

    Nilbog is goblin backwards.

    They made The Mouth of Madness into a movie.
  9. Oedipus_Tex
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Iron_General View Post
    Also irrelevant in confirming a probability bias. Since each player's random roll represents an independent event, even if every person on a 24-person league got C/U drops, that would still be insufficient evidence to show that there wasn't an increase in the frequency of R/VR drops.

    Again, if ten different refs flip ten different coins and each of them gets tails, this is not evidence that any number of the coins in the sample is biased toward tails. If the hypothetical chance of getting a C/U is 85%, every person on the league could have just rolled 85 or less.

    This is true. However I think we need to remember one caveat--you cannot build incarnate powers with "chance." You build them with the salvage that is the result of chance.

    In other words, a player who has run 500 trials may not be in a position to make a claim about overall drop chances. However, the player is able to make a solid statement about the results of those invisible odds, and how he or she feels about them.

    I don't completely back Snow Globe's conclusions that the odds of getting a Rare or Very Rare aren't much higher in some trials than others. However, I can look at Snow Globe's data and draw conclusions about the position this actual player is in in terms of advancement. I can do the same thing for any of my characters.

    FWIW I have one character I have been waiting for a V Rare drop on for a while. I think have gotten two or so total. Meanwhile I currently have three or more of every Rare available. But these drops are mostly useless to me; rolling a Rare isn't "almost" as good as rolling Very Rare, and rolling 20 Rares you don't need isn't as good rolling Very Rare one time. I just hoarde them in case they are useful later, and continue waiting on the one big drop I need. I don't really care what the overall drop chances are, only what I personally receive. It might also be useful to note I was against a random drop system from the beginning.
  10. Oedipus_Tex

    C'mon Newb!

    POST-ACTION

    For for my first few days, playing as a Force Fielder, I thought this game had a very strange, alien themed soundtrack.

    Then I found out that was the sound effect from PFF.
  11. Oedipus_Tex
    I think the civilians using Psi attacks is probably the most logical change that could happen. The Maria Jenkins arc (I think) already establishes that something like that can happen. It's really not that big a deal to me, although, it does seem out of place that your character runs through a hail of gunfire inside the buildings and then is killed by a rock thrown by a schoolteacher. If nothing else though I would like future trials to feel more epic. I think both MoM and UG succeed on that front (and I'm saying that as a not very big fan of UG).

    Unrelated to this, it's also strange that video cameras and civilians are potential targets but the HD TVs you're trying to protect are not. Not that I'm asking them to be made so, it's just an odd point of logical consistency within the task given.

    Of course, it's also a little weird, logically speaking, that civilians we're trying to protect can't be hit with buff powers that would make them less likely to die. I don't expect that change to happen, but if this fight were actually happening in a comic book I think the first thing that would happen is the league Force Fielder would be encasing the crowd to protect them. Maybe there are other things at work though (eg I doubt if the general non-super hero public would appreciate the Cold or Thermal buffs even if they were there to protect them, and maybe Empathy just doesn't work on "normal" people).
  12. Oedipus_Tex
    I should add that if you're interested in a power that is World of Confusion-like but more useful, look to Ice Control for Arctic Air. It's basically the same idea but much larger and more effective. Fire Control and Electric Control have effective PBAoE toggles as well.
  13. Oedipus_Tex
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Psychic Guardian View Post
    I'm still shocked about the slotting allybubbles thing. I've been given midsbuilds via the boards and email from people when I was in a Respec-PG mood, and this is literally the first I've heard it suggested in 4 years lol.

    That IS really weird IMO. I don't even really know what to say about it. When you play Force Field, you put at least some defense boost into the shields; this is pretty much a cardinal rule. There are some concept builds that might not do this, but for a standard FF build, other than the LotGs for the +Recharge, I would consider any FF build that didn't have at least some defense slotted to be marginal. I'm not hating on your build or anything, but I do honestly wonder about the creditentials of the people you've been asking to look over your build. Especially if they've been saying to skip Confusion.


    Quote:
    Oh and it's perfectly possible to get completely destroyed with a Mind/FF build, my first 2 were proof of that. Here's a hint of it- the very first build had Fly, SJ, TP, and Hasten, before the prereq removal of course, and he was only like lv35 then. lol.
    Hopefully you will be happy with the build, although again I think what you've got is highly unusual. I'm not trolling you but just FYI I feel your build is almost to the point where I think some teams who were aware of your slotting would be highly skeptical and possibly even kick/not invite this character. S/he is a Force Fielder with weak shields and poor personal defense, and a Mind Controller with no ability to stack Confusion, no stealth, and all Psi damage. Basically, you've bypassed some of the main reasons to roll either set.

    If you mostly solo, or stick to a small group of players, or just run with people who don't care/play mostly concept I think you'd be mostly fine, but in the interest of honesty I think your build underperforms. I hope that doesn't come across as elitist or nasty, I just feel it necessary to share since we are talking about a build evaluation, and sometimes other players who aren't part of the conversation decide to copy builds from the boards. In the end no one can tell you whether a build is 'right' or 'wrong' because all of it is subjective, although I think for all the money being spent on this build it comes up short in a lot of ways.

    If nothing else, I'm going to suggest that if you decide to PUG, not telling anyone out loud that you plan to control enemies using World of Confusion. This really would set off a lot of alarms for people who are looking for skilled players. Maybe you are in fact very good at playing your character, but that is still a pretty big red flag.
  14. Oedipus_Tex
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wing_Leader View Post
    I wonder if MoM has become popular largely because it gives players unlimited time in between phases to catch their breath, load up on inspirations, and discuss tactics for whatever comes next. When a trial design leaves no time for newbies to ask questions or have things clarified for them, failure rates go up and the fun quotient goes down. Said newbies are unlikely to return to the trial(s) to become experienced veterans who can contribute to wins and a higher fun quotient for trial leagues as a whole. It might be said that "blitz trials", as exciting as they may be for some hardcore players, could be contributing to a downward spiral of trial hate that will send a lot of players heading to the new Dark Astoria instead.

    I think this is very possible.

    The other thing is that for stuff like TPN where there are no breaks, you need the whole explanation before even queueing. Inevitably someone disconnects during the explanation. On MoM once you get your group you head straight in. If there is a disco, the person shows back up inside the trial and you don't leave them behind.
  15. Oedipus_Tex
    I would probably go with Ice, Fire, or maybe Mace.
  16. Oedipus_Tex
    I have nothing to add, just want to say how much I love the character descriptions and shots people shared. Those are some truly great costumes/bios.
  17. Oedipus_Tex
    Not bad overall, but I'm a little confused by the build. Not nitpicking, just glacing it over:

    - No Hasten, but Invisibility, Stealth, and Super Speed + Stealth proc. If you just want a mule for +Defense, make it Link Minds and Combat Jumping and drop the extra stealth abilities.

    - It has Weave, but still seems to have very low defense overall (especially given the cost of the build)

    - No APP powers at all.


    FWIW I would not skip Hasten on a Dominator (or Controller).
  18. Oedipus_Tex
    Also, is anyone able to describe the "Group Morale" thing in the last fight? I'm not sure what it is or what it does.
  19. Oedipus_Tex
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Iron_General View Post
    After this phase, we allow no Lore pets except if time gets tight at the end of phase 4.

    That's brilliant. I wouldn't have thought of it. Since there is no timer between phases, you can hang out for a while if you feel there is a big risk of losing.



    Quote:
    Phase 3 - We assign one damage dealer, usually a brute or scrapper, to go through the portal.
    Interesting. Do you find this works to keep Aurora's HP up? When you see me jump through the portals in the video, it was because her HP started dropping. It is very possible that particular move wasn't what the leader wanted, and maybe I will be in trouble for it now.


    Quote:
    Phase 4 - Typically, we pull MM to the statues so that everyone is in position when Shalice spawns. We assign one tank to taunting bosses. Everyone else is on Shalice. No KB and no premature mezzing of boss monsters is allowed. The taunter brings one boss into range and the rest of the team burns it while the taunter then gets the next monster and beats it down to a sliver of health so that it is ready to go. Typically, we can down Shalice using only two or three. The key is making sure Shalice is in the debuff cloud when the boss monster dies, and then we stack as many holds as we can. Be alive when this phase completes.
    Different and interesting strategy. I didn't know killing the giant monsters near her did anything special. Our team was able to blitz it on sheer DPS, but we were all (at least mostly) 53s.
  20. Oedipus_Tex
    Hi folks,

    Not really sure where to put this. It's not really as formal as a "guide," just something I made quickly tonight. However, in an effort to get more people running the newer trials I want to share it, if only to cut down on the time it takes to get the explanations in game. If a moderator would like to move this post to a more appropriate place, I won't be offended.

    Anyway, I was guided to victory through the MoM trial by Crux Enigma on Virtue earlier tonight. I happened to film the trial and was able to upload it to YouTube in parts. I thought it might be helpful for people who not yet done the trial who are worried about the mechanics. I aadded some annotations to the video to help explain what is going on--sorry its ugly, but hopefully its functional. If Crux or any other member of the team is out there and would like to make additional comments on strategy (or even what I as a team member did wrong ) I hope to hear from them.

    I haven't had anyone actually review the video, so its possible my statements are wrong in some parts. If anyone sees anything blatantly wrong or missing let me know. There are, of course, spoilers here in.

    [I'm also not sure if there is a way to link videos together on YouTube, but if anyone knows how feel free to let me know.]

    I hope this is useful to someone.

    FYI I also videoed a TPN win. I will annotate and share it as well if there is interest.


    Part 1: Initial fight with Malaise and the Nightmare AVs
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_QPGfuMrkg


    Part 2: Fight with Penelope Yin
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F79z4ydKDBM


    Part 3: Saving Aurora Borealis
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpbjd0M8SW8


    Part 4: Final showdown
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac1i75dnsqM
  21. Oedipus_Tex
    On a Controller Ionic is hard to beat. The only problem with it is sometimes your main target dies before the chain happens, although that may no longer happen now after they changed some other powers. Ionic is bit of a slower cast than Pyronic, though. The main reason I like it on Controllers is usually you have the enemies disabled before you shoot at them. On some other characters (eg certain Defenders or Blasters) that speed is important.

    I'm not a fan of the cone Judgments at all. The Dark one is great on some characters, but probably not an Illusionist. It provides -50% damage for 30 seconds. The again people wade into melee-ish range with stuff like Time's Juncture for far less benefit, so its ultimately up to you if you feel your Controller should heavily focus on debuffs.
  22. Oedipus_Tex
    Custom death animations.
  23. Oedipus_Tex
    To maybe simplify it some, part of the question arose for me because I note that most other control primaries can and would spam their immobilizes most of the time. Ice Control (and to a lesser extent Earth) is in a weird position because doing that can cancel out your other controls. What I'm wondering about is at what point I cross a threshold where spamming the cages is a better idea than relying on the slick.

    (Of course, an even better thing would be for Ice Slick to be able to knockdown immobilized enemies in the first place, but that's a design issue I can't fix. )
  24. Oedipus_Tex
    Very good points, PR. I am so familiar with the character that I forgot to explain a few things.

    One thing I've found is that against very difficult enemies, I need to immobilize them sometime early during the fight, or they will run up and melee me to death. No amount of slowing them seems to prevent this. So, we should make the assumption that at some point I am casting the immobilize at least once. It's currently slotted so it lasts a little over a minute. Often what will happen is I will leap in, Glacier the group, immediately follow with one cast of Frostbite, then Fireball, Rain of Fire, Ice Slick underneath them so they fall just as the -kb wears off (but they still can't move).

    However, when Glacier is down its a bit trickier. I often open with Ice Slick, jump in with AA, while casting a Hold at the hardest boss mid-jump. Its what to do after that that has me unsure. One option is to just let stuff flop. The other is, after Fireball and Rain of Fire, to switch to immobilizes for the confusion. AA is pretty good mitigation but it has holes. And AA by itself doesn't floor -Recharge, although AA + a few Frostbites will. The way -recharge works, the closer you get to the cap, the more it means. So the difference is pretty extreme.

    It's possible that this question is partially unanswerable, or at least an "it depends," because the nature of AA means I sometimes get driven back or can't cover a whole group. That's when things can get very dangerous. A loose Victoria running around means probable death; if I don't hold or confuse her before she phases, I have to run or I will die for sure. I've found I can hold out a little longer if she falls on Ice Slick, but eventually she regains her footing and the inevitable happens.
  25. Oedipus_Tex
    It is well known that I suck at math. I am seeking help, and also posing a puzzle of sorts in hopes the Arcanavilles of the community can help solve it. I may be being too nitpicky but I dislike not being able to figure stuff out.

    My "main" incarnate character these days is an Ice Control/Fire Assault/Fire Blast Dominator. I have taken the Cognitive Interface, and slotted it to Tier 4. This interface provides a 20% chance to proc Confusion per shot, lasting 4 seconds.

    Here is the problem: Ice Control's Frostbite power is a possible delivery mechanism for both the Confusion proc and base -20% Recharge. However, casting Frostbite cancels the knockdown of Ice Slick. Ice Slick has an 8% chance to knockdown every 0.2 seconds. In both cases I would be standing on or near enemies with Arctic Air running. To make things more complicated, I also have the Contagious Confusion proc slotted in AA.

    The question is: When dealing with incarnate enemies as a 50+3, in general, is it better mitigation strategy to spam Frostbite for the confusion and recharge flooring, or to rely on Ice Slick for the knockdown? Keep in mind that since spamming Frostbite means additional AoE damage, if the two are close, then Frostbite is the "better" method. I also do not have Shiver and we can safely assume Jack, in his worthlessness, is dead.

    Here are the base stats on the powers involved:
    - Frostbite: Cast: 2.02 seconds, Recharge: -20%, Confuse: Mag 3, 4 sec, 20% chance

    - Arctic Air: No cast time, Recharge: -50%, Confuse: Mag 3, 6 sec, 30% chance/sec; + Contagious Confusion (33% chance/10 sec)

    - Ice Slick: Cast: 3 seconds (according to Mids, but feels faster..?), Knockdown: 8% chance/sec

    - Possible other AoE powers to get confusion procs from: Fireball (1 sec cast, 9 sec recharge), Rain of Fire (21 sec recharge, 2 chances to proc)


    I'm open to the possibility that a combo might yield in the best results: open with Ice Slick, wait for enemies to fall, then start spamming Frostbite. Note I am also assuming I receive no interference from teammates; faced with a Plant or Fire Controller/Dom, I'd probably spam the immob just because my KD would be cancelled anyway.

    I appreciate any feedback I receive!