[ QUOTE ]
Lightning Storm Great power. Pretty simple too
it floats in one spot and deals damage and knockback. Great for use in hallways, doorways or to position around the backline to keep people off them and support them with damage. Also has a new graphical effect. Sparks fly off the body when it hits. Ragdoll also applies to this power, which is just great stuff. Fun to watch a guy get hit by lightning and his limbs flail around as he falls.
Slotting Suggestion: Damage to taste. An end reducer or two if you find you need it. It takes knockback distance, end drain and range. I wouldnt mess with these.
[/ QUOTE ]
Good guide in general. I slot differently, but /agree on most things.
On Live, I5, I use 3 recharge/3damage (converted from 1 recharge/5 damage in
preparation for ED) for Lightning Storm
Can you still create more than one Lightning Storm on test?
Currently running Animate Stone as 1 acc/2 disorient/3 damage, also in preparation
for ED.
Animate Stone still has this use, especially in the 40+ game with psi damage foes:
"Rocky," as I call him, is IMMUNE TO PSI DAMAGE.
So, I have Swift/Hurdle/Stamina, Combat Jumping and Steamy Mist.
Teamed with a blaster and defender, I wondered at how to engage all these
psychic clockwork! (AV not present)
So, I found I was able to do the following.
Rocky starts next to me, not dropped in the middle, because his recharge is a lot
longer these days.
I move forward at Swift (1 SO runspeed) speed, and jump (CJ + hurdle, with SO
for jump height in Hurdle) over the clockwork, who cannot see me due to Mist.
I land on the opposite side.
Rocky trudges after me, comes within range of the psychic clockwork, and either
moves to engage or Hurl Boulder, and they all Alpha Strike him, for 0 damage :-)
That done, my teammates open up with heavy AoEs and other attacks, and we
swiftly make work of things.
Both lieut types (tesla replacement lieut and cannon knight) EACH have a mez
this time around, the fake-tesla's sleep/hold and the cannon knight's KB/disorient.
So, make sure you Hold any lieuts you see. The Boss with Psychic Tornado is a
bit more of a problem, but doable with strategy.
Rocky's also nice vs. Carnies.
Also, unlike your players, my SG demands if people can take a Primary or
Secondary Heal (not Pool) that they do so.
So, I've always had O2 Boost since it was available. 1-slotted, but there. Made
Medic at level 33 :-) later in the 30s added 3 slots with Heal SOs.
I've found that vs. some foes, if you have no tanker, and a scrapper is standing
in, and the return alpha from a quicksand, etc. might be too much for the
controller, best to send in the scrapper, toss in O2 a couple times (1 recharge, as
many heal as you like, to the ED max) and throw those location AEs between O2
activations.
It just depends. Nemesis in particular are wont to return fire rather than try
to move in slo-mo. Steamy Mist with 3 resist SOs does help vs. the fire, but not
the KB. (though I have CJ/SJ, Acrobatics lost out to Snow Storm, which I took at
level 35, 1-slotted for end, as a debuff for AVs.)
I also have an SG that worships at the altar of "KB is bad. Do not even make any
kind of strategy that revolves around KB in any way." I find it pretty restrictive, but
the fun is equal, and I do run my En/En Blaster to keep them humble :-) Tried
Tornado briefly on my Storm Defender. Am hopeful ED is enough of a nerf to make
KB desirable again. Word is AE damage is fairly low in CoV, and that design idea
might make its way into CoH.
I like my Stone Prison with 1 acc/1 end redux/1 recharge/3 DAMAGE.
At level 42, I'm doing base 10, containment total of 20, per tick. That's 80 damage
over the lifespan of the power. Yes, my APP Ice Blast is a lot more damage
(1 acc, 3 dam = 100-150 base, depending on foe resist, x2 in containment) but
80 damage is pretty appreciable, given that I'm just trying to control the foe.
When arresting just one lieut or boss while the team is busy, I am often just pressing
1, 2 and 3 (Stone Prison, Fossilize, Ice Blast) until he falls.
Some of your slotting suggestions are interesting indeed. Quicksand, like Snow
Storm is 1-slotted, though with Slow, and I took it at level 8. A while back I observed
that even -3 warwolves in striga would RACE through quicksand... so indeed there
is merit in raising the number of slows to 3.
Also, I believe Quicksand can stack with itself, in terms of the -DEF, so 1 to 3
recharges might be useful from that perspective.
For any who wonder at the order of stacking Joe suggests, go find a Paragon
Protector with Flight, open with Quicksand, watch him fall to the ground, then
Earthquake him, and if he hasn't fallen on his butt, add Freezing Rain, and enjoy
the show :-)
And Joe, I'm sure you didn't mean to, but Earth's Immobs have that -knockback,
and that stops the Quake/Rain combo from doing its thing.
Gasses is a great followup to the Quake/Rain, as Cages/Prison is with the
Stalagmites/Tclap combo.
On the subject of slotting 1 or 2 acc in some powers, it's important to know these
details:
Stone Prison is +20% acc, base, so 1 acc SO is all you need.
Foss is standard +0, so 1 or 2 acc as you like. I do 1 acc/1 end redux/1 recharge/
3 duration.
Stone Cages is -20% acc. Note the MINUS sign. 2 ACC SOs is a real good idea here.
If this is a Control for you, 2 acc, 1 recharge, 1 end redux might be fine. At present
I use 1 acc, 1 titan shard [eden trial] that is acc/dam, 2 dam, 1 end redux, 1
recharge. The recharge was a 4th damage SO, because Cages recharges pretty
fast, but I consider it an AoE containment generator in addition to its control uses.
My SG's love for AoEs means I have never taken Salt Crystals. Joe is quite right
that it takes a team willing to "go slow" and pay attention to make it work right.
My SG runs fast, with little to no debt and good xp/minute; I've never missed
Salt Crystals, really. I'd like to try out the slower strat, say throw an SC then
have a scrapper or tanker confront/taunt and such, but unlikely to happen in the
near future.
On Freezing Rain: 3 recharge. As Earth already debuffs defense, save yourself
3 slots, IMHO.
Freezing Rain *does* have to roll to hit now, though it's +100% acc or something.
You may wish to consider 1 ACC SO if you fight a lot of purples. You can observe
how well the Rain is doing by watching the stream of "-1"s above mobs. If you
see hardly any, that's because some of Rain's "ticks" are MISSING. In theory, if
you have already opened up with Quicksand and Quake, this is a non-issue, but
there are edge cases where you just did Quicksand and Quake, but are ambushed
by Devouring Earth Swarms, and you have to self-nuke with Rain to send them
away. Or, you might have some silly player trying to solo a second spawn off to
the side, and a quick Rain over there helps him recover.
Hope that helps.
Great guide Joe, thanks for all the work =)
Liberty server: Ms. Darknight lvl 50 MA/Inv Scrap; Trics Galor lvl 50 Necro/Dark MM; Demonatricks lvl 45 DS/Thermal MM; Azyima lvl 50 Shield/SS Tank
Just wanted to thank you for the excellent guide, KokopelliJoe. I was planning a */storm controller for an RP project, and thought earth/storm made sense to the story, but less so in gameplay. Your guide proved otherwise, and I'm loving it so far. 
Thanks for a great guide. I am trying the controller and so far like the earth/storm combo. I am a little stuck on how to construct my build.
I am looking at the very very very early part of my build. At lvl 4 I have the choice of Stone Prison, O2 Boost, and Snow Storm.
This is my first controller and I am having a hard time with this. I plan on taking Stone Prison at some point. I do not want to be pestered to heal and if I do not take Animate Stone, then O2 Boost is a bit of a waste. I guess my question is: Is Snow Storm a good power in the higher levels? If it will only help on the lower levels, then I might as well skip it and get Stone Prison now. I can wait till later to slot it. That frees up a power slot for a better high lvl power.
I also went through to the higher level and found that I had only used 2 power pools up to lvl 38. I decided to use Speed for Hasten and SS, and I needed Fitness for Stamina. It was kind of surprising. There are just to many good powers in the primary and secondary.
Thanks again for the guide and I would appreciate any advice on your low level power picks.
My build is extremely different,
Snowstorm 2 end reducers
Ditch Thunderclap for quicksand. Stalagmites will be plenty for disorient. Stalagmites it best at 3 recharge 2 acc
Tornado is not necessary, unless you really like it.
Steamy mist is a must at 3 resists 1 or 2 end reducers.
Do not take salt crystals, its not a good power.
Do not slot quicksand with anything more than recharge or end reduction, because quicksand plus snowstorm = slow cap.
Do not slot earthquake for tohit debuffs, I have tried on test server pre ed with 6 lysos and didn't notice any difference. The tohit debuff is minor. Hurricane is where any tohit debuffs should go if you want them.
Great guide, thank you so much for the hard work. I've got Gaiana up to lvl 11 now on Freedom, and she is an absolute blast to play.
I am wondering one thing, though: why is everyone so high on picking up Quicksand? It slows the runners, but it doesn't seem to affect recharge in any way. With snowstorm the mobs are slowed, and with stone cages they're not going anywhere anyway, so... why take quicksand?
I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions on the build in the future as I level up. Thanks again for a wonderful guide!
[ QUOTE ]
I am wondering one thing, though: why is everyone so high on picking up Quicksand? It slows the runners, but it doesn't seem to affect recharge in any way. With snowstorm the mobs are slowed, and with stone cages they're not going anywhere anyway, so... why take quicksand?
[/ QUOTE ]
Quicksand has a very nice defense debuff attached to it. So even if you don't care about the slow, it makes hitting things VERY easy. Also, it helps keep things on your earthquake/freezing rain longer, so is a good combo power with these.
I got Quicksand late, but my expereince thus far is that (with the Tuatha at least) it is the biggest agro magnet on the field. Lay it down, pull all the agro off the tank and die. If I have a corner or other way to break line of sight, I do fine, and I can use it well as a pull trap (especially if there is a corner), but using it in the middle of battle with Tuatha is risky.
I haven't had much opportunity to try it against other enemies - I hope this is a specific thing beause I'm too squishy to draw tis much agro.
If you can reach the spawn being out of line-of-sight, Quicksand can be a great opener. I tend to take point when I form PuG's with my Earth/Storm, and don't want the team gathered staring at the spawn, waiting for someone to start it up. I will get out of LOS and drop QS, then EarthQuake, or Volcanic Gases, or Freezing Rain. This combo will incapacitate spawns of most enemy types, and the whole group is still gathered tight for my team to unload on.
I could have opened with any of the other 3, but there would inevevitably be someone that I did not hit with the power, that would charge around the corner at me, and ruin the above scenario. QS guarantees (again, vs MOST enemy types) that they will all be stuck together, and even if VG or EQ keeps missing someone, they will still be in the path of destruction from my team.
"Before there was Rock, you only had God."
Playing on Protector
Heroes - BurlyTorch, Johnny Tectonic, BurlyFrost, Maridon, Soul Doubt, ProtoTorch
Villians - Matt Daemon, IceLuge, Incendere, Mugwort, Vedova Mortale
To add to BurlyTorch's idea, I have found that three range enhancements in Earthquake allow for a reach that equals quicksand! This is very helpful in laying down the EQ + QS combo that is a bread and butter hold for your entire career.
Then again, finding three extra slots for range on EQ is a very difficult thing when you take the slot-hungry /storm summoning secondary. If you can you'll enjoy the results.
[ QUOTE ]
Quicksand has a very nice defense debuff attached to it. So even if you don't care about the slow, it makes hitting things VERY easy. Also, it helps keep things on your earthquake/freezing rain longer, so is a good combo power with these.
[/ QUOTE ]
The defense debuff is, as they say, awesome. The Sands of Mu temporary power that my level 28 Earth/Storm has hits nearly every time on mobs in Quicksand.
The Sands will be soon be granted as a permanent veteran reward. With Sands and Air Superiority you can solo on invincible before you get your pet.
Bosses are particularly easy to handle. From around a corner hit the boss with Volcanic Gasses and Quicksand, then after a moment pop out and use Fossilize. The boss will probably be held, and you will be able to hit him most every time with the Sands. Throw in Freezing Rain and you will be doing near-scrapper levels of damage (no crits, of course).
[ QUOTE ]
Ditch Thunderclap for quicksand. Stalagmites will be plenty for disorient. Stalagmites it best at 3 recharge 2 acc
Tornado is not necessary, unless you really like it.
[/ QUOTE ]
I totally totally disagree. I couldn't disagree more actually. Really really bad advice.
Does anyone have any updates to this Earth/Storm guide?
I have a level 47 Earth/Storm controller, or as my teammates are fond of calling him: the Annoying/Annoying Controller. The build is one of the funnest builds I've played, and is not really good in PvP (although, in SC against a horde of MM's all quad-bubbled, etc., this build is quite effective).
Anyway, for teaming on large teams, this build is a joy to play - even with all the complaints from the folks on slower computers with melting graphics cards. ;P
I currently do not have any IO's at all in mine, and I don't think I'm going to put any into him; also, while I do have a ton of HO's I probably will not put any into him, either. Obviously, there are many powers that can be HO'd out to great effect, but for the purpose of this reply, I've stuck with standard IO's (level 50) in the build.
A few notes on SLOW and -DEF and all the goodness that is earth/storm: I often don't put SLOWs in my powers or -DEF, as almost every power out of the box is effective enough, and they will stack. Quicksand and Snowstorm will cap SLOW together; Quicksand + Stalagmites + Stone Cages will push the -DEF so low, you won't need anymore.
When I was 46, I was EASILY hitting 52's with everything - even Sands of Mu and Nemesis Staff (your two main damage dealers in this build, lol).
I have P00MAN currently, but will spec out of him - he sucketh big time, and the recent "enhancement" to him (and Jack Frost) didn't do much. The only time I use P00MAN is to tank the Clockwork King (100% PSI resists, baby!) and as the OP stated, to absorb the alpha. However, since I am 99% playing this toon on a large team, I do not need to take alpha, etc. so P00MAN is really never used.
O2 Boost can be dropped, but one extra heal is nice, plus I think of O2 boost as a BUFF with a heal component. The resistance to END DRAIN is VERY useful (especially against Malta and Carnies, etc); the SLEEP/DISORIENT protection is also great, even if you just use it on someone who popped an awaken. I had the slots to spare, so I left 3 heals, 1 end (obviously, 3 golgi's would be ideal as the end cost is high, but you aren't spamming this, so 1 end reducer is fine).
Finally, FIRE EPP is a great synergy with Steamy Mist, as S/L resists are filled in and Fire/Cold resists are doubled up (layer-wise) and I took HURRICANE last, only because I am rarely using it. The last few times I used it was to try and get a mob out of the geometry of the cave map (you know, when they get stuck in the wall); it didn't work. Otherwise, this is more to manage the herd for the tank (push back any stragglers who haven't died). Again, rarely used. In PvP, obviously, this is mandatory, but this IS NOT a pvp build.
Anyway, play this build for the MOST CONTROLLING build in the game. Controls, debuffs, slows, detoggling, etc. It has EVERYTHING except decent, consistant damage. This is not a build for soloing unless you are VERY patient. On a team, the -DEF and debuffs are so awesome that even the n00b getting PL'd can hit and do lots of damage to those +8's!
-r0y
Here is the basic build:
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.21
http://www.honourableunited.org.uk/mhd.php
Annoying-Annoying Controller: Level 50 Technology Controller
Primary Power Set: Earth Control
Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Fire Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Fossilize -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(3), EndRdx-I(7), RechRdx-I(37)
Level 1: Gale -- Acc-I(A)
Level 2: Stone Cages -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(3), Acc-I(5), EndRdx-I(7), EndRdx-I(15)
Level 4: O2 Boost -- EndRdx-I(A), Heal-I(5), Heal-I(15), Heal-I(40)
Level 6: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 8: Quicksand -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(9), RechRdx-I(9), Slow-I(43), Slow-I(46)
Level 10: Steamy Mist -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(11), ResDam-I(11), ResDam-I(13), ResDam-I(13)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A)
Level 16: Freezing Rain -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17), RechRdx-I(17), DefDeb-I(46)
Level 18: Stalagmites -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(19), Acc-I(19), RechRdx-I(21), RechRdx-I(21), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 20: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 22: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(23), EndMod-I(23)
Level 24: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(25), RechRdx-I(25)
Level 26: Volcanic Gasses -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(27), RechRdx-I(27), Hold-I(31), Hold-I(31), Hold-I(46)
Level 28: Thunder Clap -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(29), RechRdx-I(29), RechRdx-I(34), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 30: Acrobatics -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(31)
Level 32: Snow Storm -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(33), Slow-I(33), Slow-I(33)
Level 35: Tornado -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(36), RechRdx-I(36), Dmg-I(36), Dmg-I(37), EndRdx-I(37)
Level 38: Lightning Storm -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(39), RechRdx-I(39), Dmg-I(39), Dmg-I(40), EndRdx-I(40)
Level 41: Fire Ball -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(42), Dmg-I(42), Dmg-I(42), Dmg-I(43), RechRdx-I(43)
Level 44: Fire Shield -- EndRdx-I(A), ResDam-I(45), ResDam-I(45), ResDam-I(45)
Level 47: Consume -- Acc-I(A), EndMod-I(48), EndMod-I(48), EndMod-I(48)
Level 49: Hurricane -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(50), ToHitDeb-I(50), ToHitDeb-I(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Containment
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"Look how many pages of crap are in this thread already!" -r0y to all threads on these forums.
I'm loving this troller so far. It's one of the easiest toons I've ever played (and my 2nd 50 was a pre-pre-pre-pre-nerf Spines/Regen! :O). Here's what I've come to see so far with my playstyle....which is basically described as a Debuff/Mez Grenadier for teams.
<ul type="square">
1) Stone Cages is crap for lower levs. You'll do WAY more for your team by taking and slotting a debuff pit like Quicksand or even Snow Storm (thanks for NOT fixing the animation bug yet, Devs...really... 
). The only tactics that are required for safe application is to drop them from around a corner or behind an obstacle (much like most of the mez/debuff pits in this combo) or, with Snow Storm or any other target power, toggle it out of LoS and then run into LoS for a split second and then run BACK OUT of LoS. I can't tell you how many other Earth Trollers I want to strangle because they go Cage-Happy and end up getting all of the aggro and dying. Especially since Cages NEGATES the Knockdown of your Earthquake and everybody elses KD powers. In post-ED, KD is a very welcome form of mitigation. Knockback still blows though. :P Save Cages for when you get Tornado so you can eek out the grinder damage without sending mobs flying everywhere. In low levels, it's damned near pointless.
2) Hurricane isn't needed. That's right. I said it and mean it. I hated it on my 40's Stormfender (which I deleted without a shred of remorse) and my opinion applies even more on this build. I know about the debuffs and, yes, they are cheetz0rz...but the mob spread isn't worth it and the whole waste of time that 'herdicane' requires is more for fun than efficiency. Yes, I've done it. Yes, it works. But, with all the debuffs/mezzes your disposal with this build on a team, it's like having the choice between a high-powered fan and a fire extinguisher when your sofa's on fire.
3) Gale. Forced to take it, but don't remove it from your power bar. Just learn to use it...meaning run WAY back and then Gale the mob into your debuff soup. The range on this thing is atrocious but running/jumping back before using it actually makes it situationally effective for that one mob that miraculously gets out of your debuff stew pit.
4) Steamy Mist...also a toss-up. I haven't taken it. Probably still won't. Nice stealth, defense, and resistance. Always great to have. But, IMO, it's a toss-up with this build. Many of your AoE debuffs and mezzes should be fully recharge slotted. Mobs that are AoE Slowed AND Held or Stunned or Repeatedly Falling On Their Azzes with a -Acc Penalty are pretty much a non-threat. It's yet another cool looking power in the Storm set that's too situational in this build to be a must-have. Having said this of both this power and Hurricane...
5) Go ahead...leave Sprint on! Without the cool looking blue-drain toggles, you won't run out of end. Period. I debated taking Stamina but, with it, I hve more blue than a cheesy Fruit Of The Loom commercial.
6) As far as Volcanic Gasses and Freezing Rain go...are you kidding me. Take them and slot them up ASAP!
7) Thunderclap...your choice. You can stack the stuns with Stalags on Bosses and we all love teams running on Invinc and that means buttloads more bosses. That kind of AoE mez is much more than team-friendly.[/list]
I'd write more, but it's NYE and I'm sitting here in the Hyatt Business center with my GF giving me that, "If you waste 1 more minute on that damned comp, you're SO not getting any when the ball drops" look. 
Just remember to pick and use your powers knowing how to take advantage of the out of LoS drop-quality that many of them give. That's the key for great teaming with this toon. Ask others for solo play. Gotta run, gang!
With the advent of Inventions, I have found that:
Fossilize gets 4 neuronic shutdowns (health +1.5%, accuracy +7%) and maybe a couple procs, maybe just more IOs. (But Neuronic Shutdown does cap at level 30, so YMMV).
Stone Cages gets 4 Trap of the Hunter (+1.88% health and +9% accuracy)...it's a great way to establish containment, and the Trap proc isn't horribly expensive.
Quicksand I just have two Tempered Readiness in (+1.5% recovery), you could do 4 Pacing of the Turtles or both.
Stalagmites...I have some toons with 5 Stupefys together for the recharge 6.25%, but generally I just do 3 Stupefys (Recovery 2.5%, Health 1.88%) and this time I used 2 Rope a Dopes (6% regeneration) and the razzle dazzle triple for the enhancement value (gasp! horrors!)
I haven't looked at Earthquake yet.
Volcanic gases is getting 4 Ghost Widows (Health 1.88%, END 2.25%) and maybe something else as I slot it more.
Animate Stone has 2 Blood Mandate (1.5% recovery) and 3 Edict of the Master (health 1.5%) and I may get one of the pet specials...not the protective one, he doesn't need it. Plus, Animate Stone got better AI at some point, I think. Certainly he does most of my damage now that I have him, followed by Black Wand and Fossilize.
O2 Boost I have a pair of Harmonized Healing in (1.5% recovery), 2-3 Miracles or Numinas would be great to add to it if I get the $$.
Freezing Rain I need to find something for...several of the new "non power 10" categories may be nice in there, or I could put slow sets.
Steamy Mist I have 2 Impervium Armor (Recovery +2.5%) and I got the Steadfast Protection KB protection as a drop so it's in there too.
Thunder Clap, 3 Stupefys (another +2.5% recovery and 1.88% health)
Health has another pair of Harmonized Healing (Heal and Heal/End for the +1.5% recovery) plus another IO and I still have +88.5% heal enhancement with level IOs.
I went the Leadership route and Tactics (if I don't ditch it for Hurricane or Tornado...I like that this build has relatively few toggles) is probably going to get a To Hit Buff set
Stone Cages doesn't go well with earthquake, or with people who want to knock stuff back. For establishing containment, however, it's nice. My usual combo is Stalagmites, Freezing Rain, Stone Cages, maybe Thunderclap or Volcanic Gases: the stone cages keeps the disoriented mobs from running out of the rain, which they do rather well because of the stun bug that seems to give mobs a speed buff.
Yup. Now that I have Tornado dmg slotted, that's pretty much my chain now as well. For teams that are steamrolling where our dmg isn't worth poop, I revert back to the good old Behind a Wall/Obstacle Quicksand, Rain, Quake unless there's KB happy player on the team and then I'll go ahead throw in the Cages Chain.
Version 1.1
- Updated some enhancement stuff to further comply with ED after testing/feedback
- Fixed some typos
- Added some useless anecdotes
- Extended my Animated Stone rant
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So in Issue 5, Controllers got hit pretty hard by several separate nerfs. Our pets have changed. Our AoE controls took a hit on recharge and/or duration. The number of people we can hit with one AoE changed. We did gain containment, which makes a high level controller's damage output ridiculous.
In Issue 6 we will be introduced to enhancement diversification (ED). This is a system that will "encourage" players to slot their attacks a bit differently through a process of diminishing returns for slotting one type of enhancement again and again. ED doesn't affect the Earth/Storm *too* much, as a lot of control type powers just lend themselves to diverse slotting already.
This guide is going to cover all of this. I have tested the initial ED implementation on the test server, and the slotting suggestions will reflect that. If any drastic changes are made to ED, I will update the guide accordingly, but I doubt anything they will change will affect this guide too much.
*One note: I do not slot my control powers for damage. All the slotting suggestions are coming from a level 50 character who has APP attacks for damage output. For starting out and lower level controllers, putting some damage enhancements into fossilize or stone cages might be a good idea to speed up soloing. But I don't recommend completely sacrificing control enhancements for damage, strike a balance.
So let's get into it...
Earth Control
Stone Prison The basic single target immobilize. Has a -fly, -knockback and -def attached to it. This is one of my favorite powers to bring to an AV fight. AV's are just downright hard to control. While they cannot be perma held/disoriented with one controller present, they can be perma immobilized. This is a lot more useful than it sounds. Keeping an AV right in front of the tank is extremely important. How many times have you had an AV go berserk and run around wiping out the squishies? Not going to happen with stone prison wrapped around him. Note: Some AV's can resist it... so don't rely on it alone. Not so useful in the early levels, as stone cages is better at controlling groups of enemies. Also great for bringing down pesky fliers into melee players reach.
Slotting Suggestion: I recommend minimal slotting. I haven't had anything but one acc in it for a long time, and it serves my purposes. With ED, I will probably have extra slots and might make it 2 acc, or 1acc/1 duration.
Fossilize Your single target hold. Great power that is useful from level 1 to 50. It takes two applications of this to hold a boss. Its not complicated so not much to say here.
Slotting Suggestion: ED doesn't affect this much, as it is good to have a mix in it anyway. I feel most comfortable with 2 acc/3 duration/1 recharge. 1 acc is probably fine, but I do not like to miss with my hold. Always better IMO to have more duration than recharge, or else you will have to spam the power more often to hold a single person.
Stone Cages The AoE version of Stone Prison. One of the visually "loudest" powers in the game, and a reason a lot of people leave the Earth set. "I can't see anything..." I say just use tab Anyway, it is very beneficial to take this power early on as you will be short of any *real* way to control the mobs. Once you get this you can combine this with gale to do some poor mans controlling. Use gale to blow the baddies around a corner or anywhere out of line of sight, then pop your head around the corner and hit them with cages. Its a good tactic for keeping additional mobs immobilized *and* unable to shoot you. Cages has the -fly, -knockback, and -def that stone prison has. If you have a group of flying baddies (like the cabal) it is a beauty. It can be used like Stone Prison to perma immob an AV, but it is much more expensive, which is why I always recommend taking both powers (albeit stone prison can come in much later) By itself it doesn't do much to save your butt, but is one of the best "combo" powers in the set.
Slotting Suggestion: Again, I would go minimal and save your slots for the bigger controls. One or two acc, an endurance reducer if you are going to be using any of the tactics that require you to spam it, or an immob duration.
Quicksand I don't want to get into a lot of detail for PvP builds, but if you are a PvPer, you have to have this. -fly, -jump, -def, -speed. With a few recharges, you can hover/fly in the air and keep a tank/scrapper... or anyone without TP basically perma-slowed. If they try to run out of the area, just put another patch down in the direction they are headed. Meanwhile you can be spamming holds and hitting him with APP attacks, or just use it to keep a pesky scrapper from helping his team. Ok enough of that... if you want to make a PvP Earth/Storm just PM me and we can chat . Quicksand is equally useful in the real game. Again, in the early levels when you have no way to mez more than one target, a location based slow can be a life saver. You can cast it around a corner (use it with the gale+cages combo also), and be safe from aggro while your team can pop their heads around the corner and blast at their leisure. Almost all the earth powers have a -def to them, but quicksand's is a little bit heftier. I try and always have this down to increase how often my team hits. I said stone cages was the best combo power... I lied... it's quicksand.
Slotting Suggestion: In my current build for Issue 6, I have 3 slows in it. That's the only thing you need to slot this with. It is perma on it's own, and is dirt cheap (ahh I crack myself up). 3 slows in quicksand hits the slow cap anymore than that and the enhancement isnt doing anything.
Salt Crystals The least liked power in the Earth set. Why? It is a PBAoE sleep. So you have to run into the middle of a mob, and then cast a sleep and hope someone doesn't use an AoE right after you do. And who doesn't use AoE's that has them? Personally, I love the power. It is hard to get used to, and can be frustrating. When Joe was in his 30's I teamed with a lower level Earth/Storm, and she used salt crystals every mob... and just about everytime, I would be the one to break them... and immediately slap myself on the forehead. It is just a hard power to use unless you are teaming with people that understand it. And even then, like in my case, if you dont let them know you are using it, they may already have an AoE attack queued up. Most people see the controller doing something, and then just let loose on the mob. If you take this power and like it, here is my suggestion to you. Use it as your "break glass in case of" power. When an extra mob gets aggrod, jump over to them and cast salt crystals. Make a bind with it if you prefer, saying "Finish the first mob before starting on these guys" or something similar. Just use it to hold off an incoming attack from a mob that your team isn't ready for. It is extremely useful this way, since your team wont have to deal with 2 mobs at once, and you will still have all your main control tools to deal with the mob that you are fighting.
Slotting Suggestion: 2 Accuracy/ 2 Duration
Stalagmites Your AoE disorient, and the first very good control power you get. Take it as soon as you can. Even after it took a huge hit in recharge/duration in Issue 5, it is still the best "opener" in the set. It may not be ready to open on every mob, but every other mob ain't so bad. The mob tends to wander as they will with disorients, but with stone cages, quicksand or quake that can be controlled. As with all controls, it takes two disorients to affect a boss (see thunderclap for a boss disorienting combo).
Slotting Suggestion: 2 Acc/2 Duration/2 Recharge. Again, I hate missing with the *real* controls, so 2 acc is going to be the norm for me. With the Issue 5 nerf, the duration and recharge took a big hit, so feel free to play with those to fit your playstyle. I will get into strategy a little here; Stalagmites is the best opener in the set because it is instant. The people you hit won't have time to hit back until it wears off, which means no alpha strike. I have had great success using this solely as an opener, without regard to duration. I will use it to initially disorient the mob, which will give me time to apply holds, earthquake, volcanic gases etc... things that would normally get me shot if they weren't disoriented. By the time the disorient wears off, I will have had them otherwise controlled. So I can definitely see a benefit in slotting it 2acc/1duration/3 recharge, or 3 acc/3 recharge if you want to use it just as a short duration alpha control.
Earthquake Location based knockdown. My personal favorite power. I remember the days when with a few recharges and hasten I could have 3 of these puppies out. No more... Use it around corners with quicksand to keep them on top of it. Again, simple power, good power, 'nuff said. Take it when you get the option. Another huge bonus to this power, is that it doesnt need an accuracy check to work. I was in the Ernesto Hess TF, and was exemped to the lowest person on the team. Everything was a +4 or +5 to me and I was still an extremely useful member of the team. Quake will keep anything on their backs (as long as they arent knockback resistant like jaegers *shivers*). This plus quicksand was really all I could use, which made it boring but without the quake I know there would have been many team wipes.
Slotting Suggestion: Recharge is all I would put in it, but it does take tohit and def debuffs, which are both very nice to have. As many recharges as you need to keep you happy, and with ED since we cant go all recharge, 3 rech/3 tohit debuffs would be a good way to go. (You will get enough def debuff since almost all earth powers have def debuffs, and you also have freezing rain.)
Volcanic Gases Location based AoE hold. Awesome power. Unlike some other set's holds, if you run up to a mob and use this on them by itself, you will catch some aggro, as it is a pulse hold and takes some time to go into effect. Some other baddies may also have time to run off of it. You now have 3 location based powers that you do not need line of sight to use. Stand around a corner and start with quicksand, quake, and then this. They won't be able to get out and run over to you, and the slow/falling will keep them there long enough for the hold to kick in. Also extremely useful for AV's. Use the perma immob and keep volcanic gases under him as much as you can. This way you don't have to watch for triangles. Throw a fossilize out every now and then, and when his mag protection drops down, he will be held until it goes back up. Also great for just bosses. Lay this down at the feet of a boss, then queue up fossilize while the animation is still going and you will have a held boss within seconds.
Slotting Suggestion: I will have mine 3 duration/3 recharge in Issue 6. This can be modified quite a bit with good results, some like some accuracy in there, but I haven't noticed a big difference between with and without. Throw an end reducer in it if you need it.
Animated Stone Well what can I say. The current incarnation depresses me. When there was 3 of them running around, they could do some good damage, hold quite a bit of aggro, and were just fun to watch. Now with only one, his DPS isn't anything worthwhile (at least to anyone with an APP attack), his aggro control is non-existent, and he looks lonely. He has three attacks, Hurl Boulder, which is a ridiculously long recharging and animating power. This is his preferred attack unless you force him into melee range (or he is feeling spontaneous). His melee attacks aren't much better. His default melee attack is stone fist, which recharges quick enough, but doesn't do any kind of solid damage. He also has stone mallet... but if he uses it, you better get a screenshot and put it on your wall with Sasquatch. I might sound cynical, and for those upcoming controllers I am sure he will be amazing when they get him, as it is a big achievement. But if you line up all the controller pets, he is unarguably the worst one. My suggestion is not more pets, but making him more dynamic. I had suggested to the devs that they get rid of Hurl Boulder and replace it with mudpots so he would fill his role a little better (no dev response and thread deleted). But for now, what you need to know... he is the tank pet. He can take a beating. What I use him for these days is casting him in the middle of a mob to soak up the alpha strike. The current build I have for Issue 6 does not include Animated Stone (gasp!). I have tested it quite a bit, and really the game isnt much different at all without him... which really says something. His damage is pretty much useless to a controller with any APP attack in Issue 5 and with ED on the way, it will only get worse. Without a change to this pet, I will say goodbye to Spock at the end of Issue 5 (and I dont expect him to ever be changed)
Slotting Suggestion: 2 Acc/3Damage or 2 Acc/3 Damage/1 (knockback/disorient, whichever you want)
I will say this for the storm set too, but I wish I had room in my build to take every Earth power. There isn't a bad apple in the bunch (well Spock sucks now but the emotional attachment would be worth it if I didnt have so many other useful powers to take.) Use your combos wisely, and often... With the Issue 5 changes, you may have to alternate the powers you use on each mob since they recharge slower. But the good news is, Earth has so many control options, you can still reliably control every mob you face.
Storm Powers
Gale No choice here, gotta take it. Might as well learn how to use it! Great in the early stages when all you have is a slow, an AoE immob and a hold. *Use corners* Use gale to blow a mob back in a hallway, quicksand the area between them and you, and stone cage them. Then you and your team can sit around the corner and attack them when you want. Also good for knocking extra mobs, or stragglers onto your location based controls. And Knockback distance scales with level difference. (you will knock a level 10 farther back than a level 20.) Once you get up some levels, go to a low level zone and use it to knock baddies off a roof. I cant wait for the ragdoll physics to go live. The storm powers are so fun to watch while the mobs flail around. Anyway
Slotting Suggestion: 1 Accuracy... 2 if you *really* love the power.
02 Boost A heal, and a disorient/sleep protection. Great if you are going to do some duoing, but once you get into larger teams of people you don't know... they may start asking you to "heal, heal!" I dropped the power because in my playstyle, my concern is not the the players, but the enemy, and I used the space to get another control power. It is a constant distraction to have to monitor who needs a heal and who has the protection. If you spend more time controlling you shouldnt need a heal.
Slotting Suggestion: 3 heal/2 recharge works well
Snow Storm A target based toggle AoE slow and -recharge. In the early levels it is nice, but the end drain can be a pain. Very nice power, but has all the issues related to anchors. Very useful against AV's and long fights. The -recharge is the selling point, but in normal length mob to mob fights, they are mezzed for the majority (if not all) of the fight, so -recharge might as well be -hair growth in those fights.
Slotting Suggestion: One or two end reducers, and 3 slows.
Steamy Mist Love this power for one thing... Team stealth. The resistance bonus is nice, the defense is almost not there.
Slotting Suggestion: 1 end reducer, unless you want to slot for resistance. Don't slot for defense, since the base is around 3%.
Freezing Rain In my opinion, the most important power in the set. Great defense debuff, resistance debuff and a slow. Also has a knockdown (much less effective than quake so get both) Location based. Get this when it is available. Your team will hit more often and for more damage, which is an unbeatable benefit. Make sure they are otherwise controlled or the rain will cause them to scatter. Has a nifty new graphical effect on the ground in Issue 6.
Slotting Suggestion: 3 def debuff/3 recharge is how I am going. Can take an end reducer or two if you need it. Can't go wrong *unless you slot it for damage*
Hurricane Extremely useful power. I don't use it much, because it doesn't suit my playstyle well. It has a great tohit debuff that is killer when slotted up. It has knockback and repel, and has a pretty high end cost. You can use it a variety of ways. Stand directly in front of the backline folks, and it will protect them from melee attacks. Herd people into a corner and keep them repelled with lowered accuracy. This power can make things a bit messy, so do practice with it before you take it into a team setting. Even when folks are in stone cages and have knockback resistance, you can still move them around with the repel, so be cautious when you use it or you may end up scooting the mob *off* your location powers.
Slotting Suggestion: The tohit debuff is the most beneficial thing to slot, I would go 3 of them, and 2 end reducers, or 3/3.
Thunderclap PBAoE disorient that only affects minions. You may say "what? that sucks!" I used to also. First, the graphic and sound is awesome. Second, If for some reason you had a mob of 5 bosses... you could disorient all of them in two clicks.... stalagmites + thunderclap. Unbeatable benefit. Even without this, the majority of almost every mob is minions, and if all you do is take them out, you are still saving yourself and teammates from a lot of damage. Dont use this as an alpha, as the Lts and bosses dont like you being up in there faces. Use stalagmites from range, then rush in (or TP in, very effective) and thunderclap them. You will probably take a hit from them since the animation is long, so make sure you arent doing this against +4s
Slotting Suggestion: 2 acc/2 duration/2 recharge or something similiar.
Tornado A tornado that chases around baddies and throws them in the air. Fun to watch, but dangerous. There are two circumstances I use this in. I slot it for damage, and spam stone cages for the -knockback. The tornado will rip through them like paper (especially with freezing rain). The second is if it is about to be a team wipe, I will just throw it out there to create a little bit of chaos among the enemy ranks so we can make a getaway. The tornado+stone cages is best for soloing, but works great.
Slotting Suggestion: 1 end/3 damage if you want it to be a damage device (recharges if you want). Otherwise just 1 end.
Lightning Storm Great power. Pretty simple too it floats in one spot and deals damage and knockback. Great for use in hallways, doorways or to position around the backline to keep people off them and support them with damage. Also has a new graphical effect. Sparks fly off the body when it hits. Ragdoll also applies to this power, which is just great stuff. Fun to watch a guy get hit by lightning and his limbs flail around as he falls.
Slotting Suggestion: Damage to taste. An end reducer or two if you find you need it. It takes knockback distance, end drain and range. I wouldnt mess with these.
Ok so again, wish I could take them all. You now have 4 location based AoE powers to combo. Quicksand, Earthquake, Volcanic Gases and Freezing Rain. From complete safety you can cast these on a mob and then let your team know when they are ready. Might be overkill, but it's fun and safe! Your combos will depend on your playstyle, so just try out the powers and what works together for you.
I am not going to go into great detail about pool powers that work well for controllers, as there are a ton of guides for pool powers. I will tell you this, you will probably want stamina with this build, and with ED, 3 slots are all you are going to want. Lots of end heavy powers in both sets. This is a no-hasten build. I did without it for 36 levels. Even with the longer recharges, an Earth/Storm controller without hasten is still one of the best available in my opinion. Of course, if you want hasten, take hasten, it is still very useful non-perma... just not my thing.
One note about ED 3 slotting any one enhancement is the rule of thumb, but that doesnt mean you cant slot more than that. If you have some extra slots left over and want a little more damage out of an APP, or a little quicker recharge of a power, more power to ya. But just keep in mind the returns are *extremely* limited past 3 slots.
I am also not going to give you an example build as I practically have with the slotting suggestions. I also think that Earth/Storm has some of the most diverse options in builds while still making an effective controller. I cannot emphasize enough how nice it is to have the test server (even though this is my only emphasization of it and emphasization isnt even a word.) Since there are so many love/hate powers in the sets, when you level up, copy to the test server so you can feel out your choices and save yourself a respec or two because you found out on test you hate a power you were going to take. Now I dont like forming builds for people and saying do this, but if you want me to look at your build or help you come up with one, dont hesitate to PM me.
Joe
"You're the sun and the moon to me..."
My Antiquated Earth/Storm Controller Guide!
@KokopelliJoe