The Illusion Control and Empathy Synergy Guide(I6)
By
13th_Disciple,
Posted on: 2005-12-17 13:05 in Player Guides
You know I just made an Illus/Emp Controller and was really reconsidering the primary powerset until I read your guide. It's great to know what I'll really be able to do with her. Thanks!
great guide
remember everyone that reads this post
these sets are very end heavy!!!! ill/emp
get fitness and slot properly
Wow, people actually read my guide and replied! I feel so special, I am glad I can help and if you have any specific questions feel free to send me a PM.
[ QUOTE ]
great guide
remember everyone that reads this post
these sets are very end heavy!!!! ill/emp
get fitness and slot properly
[/ QUOTE ]
Not necessarily. My Ill/Emp doesn't have Stamina, never had it, and never will. I do not doubt the use of the power and have it on other characters, but it is never necessary. The thing about Illusion and Empathy is the powers take a lot of endurance, but they also take a very long time to recharge. If you slot heavily for recharge and use Hasten (I did when it was able to be perma, have since gotten rid of it) then Stamina will be more useful. But Recovery Aura is up often enough to be useful, and if you take the Power APP, you can get Conserve power. The first half of the levels will be difficult, but you cannot get Stamina until 20 anyway.
I am not one of those who hate stamina because everyone takes it, but I just found all the powers in both sets to be just too useful not to take. I have every power in both Illusion and Empathy. I also have Teleport friend, Teleport, Hover and three powers from the Power APP.
I will agree with Sad_Cookie though, you will find yourself slotting a lot for End Redux in these powers, as well as recharge.
great guide
Grizzate Guizzide
Since I have a level 23 Ill/Emp controller, I found this most useful. Thank for such an excellent Guide.
[ QUOTE ]
Not necessarily. My Ill/Emp doesn't have Stamina, never had it, and never will. I do not doubt the use of the power and have it on other characters, but it is never necessary. The thing about Illusion and Empathy is the powers take a lot of endurance, but they also take a very long time to recharge. If you slot heavily for recharge and use Hasten (I did when it was able to be perma, have since gotten rid of it) then Stamina will be more useful. But Recovery Aura is up often enough to be useful, and if you take the Power APP, you can get Conserve power. The first half of the levels will be difficult, but you cannot get Stamina until 20 anyway.
[/ QUOTE ]
Another option, which I've been playing with on test (since I want to try and recover those 3 power slots for Leadership, is the Fire EPP. Granted, you must get to lvl 47 to get Consume, but with Hasten, it fills in the gap between Recovery Auras.
(I keep going back and forth between this soluton and the Ice EPP, since Flash followed by Ice Storm is pretty devastating.)
-----
50s: Doc Sharpe (C:I/K), Malan Bloyth (S:BS/Sh), December Blue (T:I/I), Michael X (Mm:R/T), Ultraboy (C:R/K), Zzyxx (Night Widow), plus 4 retired/rerolled
[b]Heard on Teamspeak:[/b]
"First of all, take off your mother's fishnets"
"Zzzzz."
Also a very good option. Another thing to note is to never under estimate the power of Endurance Reduction enhancments. 1 of each in your pets and heavy End powers could go a long way.
I should really go to Test and try out all the different APPs, right now I only have experience with the Primal one.
I have had my Ill/Emp at 50 since I2 and found this guide to be very informative. My toon is now PvP spec'd but this guide does help a ton with the PvE aspect of things. It seems like you took a lot of time and effort into making this guide and I commend you. Great job!
Also, people say "LoL 2ndary Empaths", but an Ill/Emp on a team is much more stable than any "Empath Blaster (Defender)" out there because of its team-oriented effects. Besides, slotted properly, the differences between the 2 are not that great! Although in PvP, you can actually see the differences tremendously between a defender and a troller empath.
Thanks for the compliments 13th_Disciple. I have yet to respec my toon for PvP and don't as of yet have much experience with it. Teleport and hover do not make good PvP movement, which is key for that area of the game I feel.
Id love to hear your take on the PvP aspect of the Ill/Emp, Id like to eventually get into PvP and update my guide here for that.
I also want to update it for APP, but that will take a fair bit of testing, so it might be a while.
i have a lvl 50 ill/emp and dont really like him, can someoen convince me that its good, i like the guide but i want a build that does well in pvp, i sorta feel dumb for choosing emp now because there are so many other cool ones i didnt know about when i just started. Such as storm or kin. I just dont like my guy...
A PvP Ill/Emp is a very different animal than a PvE one. One could go so far as to say they're practically incompatible, so extreme are the build distinctions. PvP builds dip a lot into pools to acquire abilities that fill holes for PvP performance. The degree of this is not needed at all in PvE.
Most PvP Ill/Emp are as close to pure empaths as possible (some say they are the preferred empaths, even over defenders), mostly because of Superior Invisibility. They are team exclusive. Thus they take practically none of the primary set, since they will not be employing any controls, only acting as healers/buffbots for their team.
There are several threads and guides about this topic. Scan the controller and PvP forums for on-going discussions of it. Good luck!
-Sandolphan
"When heroes fail, the Angels will save you."
MASTERMIND NUMERIC KEYPAD PET CONTROLS
HAMIDON NUKE RAID GUIDE
I liked your guide, but I feel you should've enclosed more information about the powers themselves. The numbers, and especially your opinion on them. With neither, well... we might as well just be looking at the character creation screen info, until we get to the tactics portion of your guide.
Doom.
Yep.
This is really doom.
[ QUOTE ]
I liked your guide, but I feel you should've enclosed more information about the powers themselves. The numbers, and especially your opinion on them. With neither, well... we might as well just be looking at the character creation screen info, until we get to the tactics portion of your guide.
[/ QUOTE ]
I had thought about this when writing my guide, and in fact the first version had a long paragraph next to each power describing it and how I normally used it. I found, however, this made my guide very cluttered, longer to read (already long), and most of the paragraphs turned out to be more ramblings than anything else.
In this version, the power section was meant to be a type of manual, a brief of what the powers did, so that you knew what I was talking about when I described my strategies.
Adding things like numbers or how I slot the powers I decided against doing. First, numbers can be obtained from various other sources. Also, I am not going to include numbers that I didnt find out for myself, and I dont have the time to figure out the defense value of Group Invisibility, all I know is that it is more effective than not using it. Slotting powers is a personal choice that is affected by how you want to play your character, and with the addition of inventions, the many ways you can do that is innumerable.
So, slotting advice and numbers I wouldn't add, but I am open to adding some more opinions on the powers themselves. Do people feel that it would make things more cluttered or more confusing if I added that?
City of Data is your friend. Pretty much all the numbers in there are accurate.
By the way, I don't think it would clutter it. When I wrote my guide for Nin/Nin Stalkers, I listed the numbers and the experiences, and it didn't look too cluttered. A lot of people found it easy to read and extremely informative.
Doom.
Yep.
This is really doom.
This is a good guide. It's kind of restrengthened my will to use my Controller, though I wasn't gonna give up on him...I'm hoping to make him my first 50.
Though I chose not to get some key powers (Clear Mind, Ressurect) for concept purposes, your guide didn't make them seem like they were necessary, so I feel more comfortable with my choice.
On the topic of ill/emp and endurance: sets help a lot here. I have both +recovery procs and a bunch of recovery set bonuses, plus perma hasten and Recovery Aura with 40 seconds of downtime. With all that, my endurance only goes under 50% when I'm exemplared below both Health and Stamina. I'm considering dropping Stamina in order to fit Deceive (the only Illusion power that I skipped), but as much as I like the power, I hate the long animation. If Deceive's cast time was shorter (one second like Spec Wounds) I would take it.
[ QUOTE ]
Though I chose not to get some key powers (Clear Mind, Ressurect) for concept purposes, your guide didn't make them seem like they were necessary, so I feel more comfortable with my choice.
[/ QUOTE ]
Resurrect is not necessary at all; I don't have it on my 50. People rarely die on my teams, and if they do, someone always has a wakie (I carry some out of habit, but i12 means you can make a wakie out of any three equal inspirations, making Resurecct pretty much worthless).
Clear Mind, however, I'd take if you can squeeze it in your build somehow. Try to rationalize it into your concept. When you are fighting enemies with mez effects and squishies are getting held, stunned or feared, not having Clear Mind can lead to immense amounts of frustration.
www.SaveCOH.com: Calls to Action and Events Calendar
This is what 3700 heroes in a single zone looks like.
Thanks to @EnsonsDeath for the GVE code that made me VIP again!
[ QUOTE ]
This is a good guide. It's kind of restrengthened my will to use my Controller, though I wasn't gonna give up on him...I'm hoping to make him my first 50.
Though I chose not to get some key powers (Clear Mind, Ressurect) for concept purposes, your guide didn't make them seem like they were necessary, so I feel more comfortable with my choice.
[/ QUOTE ]
I am glad you enjoyed my guide. I am actually in the process of revising it, taking into account inventions and what not as well as some of the feedback posted here.
yes i went from 1-50 with ill emp and also did not take fitness, now at 50 looking to redo a bit and drop PPP, i find i almost never use them and hasten might go also one i almost never use
Fluffy Bunny 1 Person SG
Rabid Bunny 1 Person VG
Both on Pinnacle
Hobbit's Hole 1 Person SG
Spider's Web 1 Person VG
Both on Freedom
The Illusion Control and Empathy Synergy Guide
but its always best to make sure they dont die in the first place.
The purpose of this guide is to outline the Primary Controller Powerset, Illusion Control, and the Secondary Power Set, Empathy.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Overview of Powers
III. Power Combinations
IV. Working Well with Others
V. Solo Play
VI. Going through the Levels
VII. PvP Play
VIII. Conclusion
I. One of the most popular primaries in the Controller Archetype, Illusion Control is a varied and powerful beast. What it lacks in hard control, it makes up for in soft control, or control through chaos. Empathy is another popular choice because of its ability to produce bright green numbers over the tops of peoples heads. It provides the most visible benefit to teams, especially in the early game, but not necessarily the greatest benefit. The one thing I have noticed from reading guides and other builds on these boards, is the Illusion Control primary and Empathy secondary are rarely paired. Illusion usually finds itself coupled with Radiation or Kinetics. I am here to show that Illusion Control and Empathy control may not necessarily work well to enhance each other, but can be used powerfully together by any Controller. There are very few things an Illusion Controller cannot do with these two power sets
The Illusion Control Powerset is very different from the other Controller Primaries. It lacks any single target or area of effect immobilizations or disorients. What it does have is two powers that provide enhanced defense and three powers that summon pet entities. It is said that Illusion Control gives up the ability to control for the power to cause damage, which is rare to a controller. Illusion has a single target attack and two pets that cause high, moderate, and minor damage. While Illusion does have a higher damage potential than other controllers, I would not say that it gives up control ability. It is just a different form of control, what I like to call, Controlled Chaos. Living up to its name, Illusion powers cause your enemies to attack what isnt there, believe what isnt real, and not have a concept of anything that is happening. Illusion causes your enemies to spend more time on their back, frightened stiff, and attack themselves, that they do not even see you or your teammates, no less attack them. Rarely will your enemies be standing in one place waiting to be cannon fodder for your blaster teammates. But I can guarantee, that if played correctly, they wont be attacking your teammates at all.
Empathy is a powerset that is not as diverse as Illusion Control might be, but plays a very specific role and does it well. The main focus of the Empathy powers is to make sure your teammates never have to worry about those two green and blue bars at the top of their screen. Those green and blue bars become your responsibility. It is important to note from the very beginning that controllers with Empathy as a secondary will only be 75% as effective as Defenders with Empathy as a primary. But that does not mean you are ineffective. Youre primary function is not to heal but to control. You control the green and blue bars of your teammates so they can focus on more important things. You do have powers that do other things, which should not be overlooked at all. You can buff accuracy, damage, defense, recharge speed, and clear any hold, disorient, or immobilization. You can even restore those green and blue bars to full after they have completely run out(Resurrect).
The last thing I have to say here is a commentary on controllers. Before you create your Hero(or Respec him/her), remember that you are a controller. You are not a modified blaster or defender. Your job, the job you can be best at, is controlling. So CONTROL. Do your job right, the damage and the success will all come by itself. The other part is to remember what a controller does. A controller does not just control the actions of the enemy by making sure they dont make any actions. A controller controls the battlefield. They manipulate and guide the enemys actions into a way that is most profitable to yourself and your teammates. A controller also guides and manipulates your teammates actions. By applying certain buffs and heals, you affect how they use their powers, how daring they get in battle, how powerful they can truly be. You control all aspects of the battlefield, on both sides, dont forget that.
Now lets talk about the Powers.
II. Overview of Powers
Illusion Control
Spectral Wounds: Spectral Wounds is a single target attack that does Psionic damage. The least controlling power you will have. A small percentage of the damage dealt will heal back, but any enhancement for damage will not increase the amount healed back.
Blind: Blind is your single target hold. The affected enemy cannot move or attack for a period of time. Any other enemies in the immediate vicinity of the targeted enemy will be put to sleep. The power also deals minor psionic damage.
Deceive: Deceive confuses an enemy into attacking his allies instead of you or your teammates. Any damage done by a confused enemy will take away from the experience you receive from defeating an enemy.
Flash: Flash is your point blank area of effect hold. All enemies in a moderate radius around you have a chance to become held, unable to move or attack. This power has an accuracy penalty and deals no damage.
Superior Invisibility: You become invisible to your enemies, allowing you to walk right past them undetected. If you attack, the enemy will realize you are there and attack. It also provides a decent buff to defense from ranged and melee attacks. It is a toggle power.
Group Invisibility: A power that once cast, causes you and all surrounding teammates to become invisible to enemies for a extended period of time. If you or a teammate attacks an enemy, they will realize you are there and attack. Also provides a small buff to defense.
Phantom Army: This power summons three Phantoms which will draw the attention of and attack any nearby enemies. These Phantoms cannot be buffed, debuffed, or destroyed in anyway until they disappear when the power wears off. A great portion of damage done by the Phantoms will heal back.
Spectral Terror: This power summons a stationary pet, which will cause all surrounding enemies to quiver in fear. These enemies will not attack or move unless attacked first. It will also decrease their accuracy and every so often cause an enemy to run off in fear.
Phantasm: This power summons one Phantasm for an extended period of time. This Phantasm has moderate damage blaster attacks, can fly, can be buffed, debuffed, damaged, healed, and can summon its own indestructible decoys similar to Phantom Army.
Empathy
Healing Aura: Healing Aura is a point blank area of effect heal. All heroes surrounding you, including yourself are healed for a minor amount. While the heal is small, it is the only one that can heal you.
Heal Other: Your main single target heal, Heal Other heals a selected hero for a moderate portion of their hit points.
Absorb Pain: Absorb pain is a special single target heal. It heals a large amount of hit points back, but damages you slightly in the process, as causing yourself to be unhealable for the next few seconds. This power costs very little endurance.
Resurrect: Resurrect brings a hero back from defeat with full hit points and endurance. This power has a large recharge time and needs a large amount of endurance to cast.
Clear Mind: Clear Mind removes all status effects from a select hero and protects that hero from status effects for a given period of time.
Fortitude: This single target buff increases the damage potential, accuracy, and defense of a select hero for a given period of time. The defense is from all forms of attack.
Recovery Aura: This is another point blank area of effect buff. All heroes surrounding you, including yourself, are given a tremendous increase in their endurance recovery for an extended period of time.
Regeneration Aura: This power is similar to Recovery Aura, except it increases health recovery.
Adrenalin Boost: This single target buff gives a select hero increased endurance recovery and decreases the recharge time of all powers.
III. Power Combinations
In this section, I will describe how to best use your powers in a way that each builds of each other and different ways to use these powers in different situations.
Defensive Maneuvers One of the strengths of the Illusion/Empathy controller is its ability to stop teammates from receiving any damage whatsoever. Many of your powers can be enhanced to work towards that strength. There 10 powers that I think work best towards this goal: Blind, Flash, Deceive, Superior and Group Invisibility, Phantom Army, Spectral Terror, Clear Mind, Fortitude, and Regeneration Aura. Superior and Group Invisibility are the first key to making your team untouchable. Superior Invisibility is important because you most of all need to stay alive for your powers to take effect. With Group Invisibility, you not only increase the defense of all your teammates, but you also increase their stealth, which means less enemies will attack them, allowing you to focus your powers and maximize them on a select few enemies. Blind and Flash are both ways to prevent the enemy from casting any powers. The less powers the enemy casts, the less chance they have of casting them on your teammates. Deceive and Phantom Army are both ways of redirecting your enemies focus. Instead of attacking your teammates, they are attacking themselves and your Phantoms instead. Spectral Terror helps in two respects. First it stops the enemy from attacking at all, unless attacked first. Second it decreases the accuracy of the enemy, which means they have less of a chance to attack your teammates. Fortitude, increases defense, that speaks for itself. With Clear Mind, even if an attack manages to get through all this defense, if its a status effect, it still will not affect your teammate. Finally, Regeneration Aura is integral to fill in the gaps of your defense. If an attack manages to get through and hit your teammate, this power will heal any damage back up in a jiffy. Heal Other or Absorb Pain can also be used if it was a major hit. Placing the right enhancements and focusing on these powers can allow you to turn your team into an impenetrable mobile fortress.
Chaotician As I said early, the Illusion Controller uses Controlled Chaos. By having the enemy running and pushed into all directions, it may seem as if there is no order to what is happening. Your scrappers are running left and right to stay next to a target and the blasters cannot get enough targets together to effectively use their area of effect attacks. But you on the other hand see a beautiful mosaic in which each piece woks intricately with the next. Phantasm, Spectral Terror, Phantom Army, Flash, and Blind are the key powers to this masterpiece. The problem that many scrappers and tanks have with Phantasm is they use energy based attacks, which have strong knock back capabilities. I have had my Phantasm push a boss across an entire map before in an effort to kill it. However, a skilled Illusionist can use this to his or her advantage. An enemy on his or her back is not attacking. And pushed into the right direction, enemies can be set up for some devastating attacks. Spectral Terror causes enemies to run away occasionally, which can be a pain to track down. Phantom Army goes from one target to the next, rarely staying long enough to kill an enemy. But, when each of these powers are placed properly, you can dictate where your enemies go and use Flash and Blind to keep them there. If your enemies are standing next to a wall, dont place your Phantasm in the middle of the group, place it on the other side, so they push them into the wall. Place your Phantom Army at the edge of a group to have them better focus on one enemy at a time, or place them in the middle so as to draw them all inward. Place the spectral terror on the edge of a group to help dictate what direction an enemy might run. This method isnt possible to teach. You must use your powers over and over again get a feel for how they work, how enemies react to them and soon you will be able to control chaos like the best of them.
Make-shift Defender Sometimes your Illusion abilities are lacking. Occasionally you will group with friends that are one or two security levels above you and the enemies are three or four levels above you. None of your holds are landing and Phantasm and Phantom Army keep missing. This is the point where you need to rely more on your secondary power set. Heals cannot miss. Focus your endurance on heals, when holds are just wasting your time. Dont forget your buffs though. Group Invisibility will help keep your teammates alive. Fortitude and Clear Mind are incredible powers that all heroes enjoy. I have yet to find a hero who was not eternally grateful for the endurance boost from Recovery Aura and Adrenalin Boost. Your secondary is incredibly powerful, do not forget to overlook it. Sometimes your primary can come up short in some situations, this is when your empathy side really begins to shine.
Five Star General Your pets are some of your strongest powers. The indestructibility of Phantom Army and the Decoys summoned by Phantasm are probably some of the most useful powers in the entire game. It is the reason why Illusion controllers once had the ability to solo Arch-Villains and do so well in the arena. With the proper use of Adrenalin Boost on the Phantasm, you can have 7 pets out at a given time (adrenalin boost on Phantasm allows the pet to cast two decoys for a short period of time). Slotted for damage, your pets can also destroy enemies in record breaking time. Phantom Army does psionic damage, which is not commonly resisted. Phantasm makes up for Phantom Army when the enemy, like robots, does resist Psionics. Spectral Terror is its own controlling machine, causing fear in all the surrounding enemies. Putting Fortitude and Adrenalin Boost on a Phantasm can make it a killing machine. With your heals to make sure they dont die, some might question the need for teammates. I, however, feel teammates are always necessary and helpful. By focusing the majority of your enhancements and powers on your pets can make you a formidable opponent. Also, scrappers and blasters make great pets
IV. Working well with Others
Controllers are made to group. It says as much in the manual. When grouped with teammates is when your powers really begin to shine and come into their own. Remember, every teammate you have increases your own power. As a controller, you literally become part of each member of the team, through your buffs and your heals. As a part of each member of the team, a part of you dies when a teammate dies. When that happens, you can always bring them back to life
Before I go into ways you can work effectively in a group, let me just say this. You wont always. Sometimes you are going to be in a group and feel utterly useless. You fire off a heal every 5 minutes, your holds arent needed or used, your pets are just getting in the way. This happens to everyone. There are some power sets and play styles that make you redundant and unneeded. Dont take it personally, it happens. Get a new team. For example, an invulnerability tanker, who is herding groups, is not going to find much use for your powers. Just do your best, be useful when you can and if you find its not worth your time, leave and get a new team. On the other hand, there are times when you are going to feel the only thing separating your team from life and death is you and you are barely able to keep going. Trying to keep seven blasters alive is tough. Remember, while you are a part of every team member, you are not the whole part. They need to put in effort too. When you find a team that works well together, everyone is feeling useful and not over stressed, stay with it. Make friends with those people. Team with them as much as possible. Finally, do not think that just because there is an Empathy Defender or another Illusion controller on the team that you can ignore any power you have.
Now working well in a group.
The first step to working well with a group is to know yourself. Know how your powers are slotted, what they can do, what they cannot do. Dont think you can keep seven blasters alive in a mission of purple conned minions, lieutenants, and bosses unless you can. Read through the rest of this guide. Make sure you have experience with your powers. Dont deceive yourself or your teammates with promises of no deaths and relative ease in battle. Know your limitations and work around them. Know your strengths and build upon them.
The second step is to know your teammates. A Tanker works differently than a scrapper and a scrapper works differently from a blaster. If you have seven teammates, know who the best person to apply fortitude on is. Know who deserves and needs Adrenalin Boost the most. Also, make sure your teammates know you. They need to know that in order to receive your point blank area of effect buffs, they have to be near you. Sometimes they want the buffs, sometimes they dont. A Tanker really does not want to be invisible, as it detracts from their ability to gather the attention of the enemy. If other controllers are around, know when to stack holds and how to work together to control the battle. Sometimes working with another controller can be the hardest of all.
Thirdly, know your enemy. Understand how the enemy works. Know their strengths, their weaknesses, their powers, their behaviors. Know all of this can allow you to better use your powers. If you are going up against enemies who are resistant to holds, know that you either need to stack them or not use them. If you know your enemies like to use ranged attacks, put Phantom Army right in the middle of them. If your enemies like to target the blaster most of all, buff and heal him/her the most. Knowledge is key. Know everything and you can react properly.
Battles can go one of two ways, safe and coordinated or hectic and chaotic. Now as long as people are smart and know their powers, their enemies, and their teammates, you can get through both situations alive. But, we wouldnt be Illusion controllers if there wasnt a bit of chaos in our battles. That said, it is very important that your teammates know what you are doing. Battles start to get messy when teammates start stepping on each others toes and doing each others jobs and other tasks are being neglected. No sense for a tanker to taunt an enemy you already have held. No reason for a defender to heal someone you have already healed. It is a waste of endurance, time, and concentration. Spread the work evenly among teammates and do what each does best. I have always found that the best approach to teaming is to be adaptable. Sometimes when you find yourself in a random team, play styles conflict slightly. If you can learn to adopt your use of powers, you can streamline the battles and make life a lot easier for everyone.
Beyond this, there isnt much more I can say. Working well with others takes patience and intelligence. Learn from your mistakes and develop your own style through the course of play. Be a unique hero.
V. Solo Play
Invariably, there are going to be times when your supergroup teammates are not available and finding new teammates just is not going well. You decide to go it alone, you, your powers, and the enemy. As a controller, you wont be doing very much damage and completing missions and defeating mobs may take some time. The advantage to being a controller is that it will be a relatively safe process. With your healing powers and control abilities, death will not come often when soloing.
Soloing with an Illusion Control and Empathy Controller does present some challenges. The first is your secondary power set. The primary focus of your set is to heal and buff others. Only three powers in the entire set affect you. Until you reach level 32 and can summon a Phantasm, six of your powers will nullified when soloing. The three powers that are available, however, are extremely useful and will most likely be used frequently when soloing. Another problem that presents itself, is the second and third of those self applicable powers come after level 28. For the first 27 levels of game play, Healing Aura will be the only power in your secondary power set that will have any influence on solo play.
On the other hand, your primary power set is full of powers that make soloing much easier. Spectral Wounds is a great attack power. Blind, Flash, and Deceive are all useful in controlling enemies. Group and Superior Invisibility are useful for their stealth and defense. Your pets make soloing not so lonely. Also, with Phantasm available, many more powers in your secondary power set become useful while soloing because your pet is able to be buffed and healed.
One tactic that I employed often was to use one of my invisibility powers to skip many enemies in missions. Often, missions have goals such as finding an item or defeating only a certain boss and his henchmen. This means that you do not have to defeat all the enemies in a location to complete your mission. This is a nice and quick way to some experience points and mission completion. You can easily complete five or so missions in less than 20 minutes, sans travel time, with this method.
Deceive is another power that can be used to immense success while soloing and even in group play. Many people shy away from deceive because any damage done to an enemy by a deceived opponent will detract from the experience gained from the defeat. However, the speed at which deceive can increase victory can lead to more experience over time, than not using it all. Deceive is in some ways better than a hold, because not only does it take one opponent temporarily out of the fight, it also causes damage to a different enemy or enemies. In addition to gaining the benefit of opponents damaging each other, if they contain any team powers, they will use them on you. Tsoo Sorcerers will heal you if damaged, Sky Raiders Force Field Generators will protect you, etc. Best of all, any enemy that can summon more onto the battlefield, if deceived, the summoned opponents will forever be on your side. Banished Pantheon Shamans are particularly susceptible here. Death Shamans, will spawn zombies who attack their own, Storm Shamans will summon lightning cloud that will attack all but you, Avalanche Shamans will cause earthquakes that knockdown all but your team. Do not skip this power lightly.
Aside from completing missions in the manner I described two paragraphs above, the only way to gain experience in City of Heroes is to defeat villains. To do this, you need to cause damage, either your pets or yourself. Placing damage enhancements in Spectral Wounds, Phantom Army, and Phantasm are all viable solutions. Illusion Control happens to be the most damage oriented of all the controller primary power sets, so this would be an advantage to take. A word of warning though, you are not a blaster, you are a controller and control will always be what you do best, do not neglect those duties, they will serve you better than damage in either a group or alone.
I caution a quick word about the pets of Illusion controllers. The main advantage of using pets in City of Heroes, is, once cast, they continue to do their job regardless of your endurance status. No matter how long you run without any endurance, your Phantom Army and Phantasm can still attack and your Spectral Terror can still inspire fear. It also allows you do other things while they do their jobs. The warning I provide is the potential loss of control. While you certain can position your pets have a say in how they function when you cast them, afterwards, you have little say in their actions. They will attack any enemy they see, rarely staying on one long enough for a defeat. They can get the attention of unwanted enemies and not know when to stop. Be wise when using your pets, for even though you can no longer control them once cast, you are still responsible for their actions, as when they leave, any aggro they had, will be transferred to you.
VI. Going through the Levels
To be Completed
VII. PvP Play
To be Completed
VIII. Conclusion
Hopefully, what you have gained from this guide is a working knowledge of the Illusion Control and Empathy Powersets for the Controller Archetype. If you do not have one of these characters, perhaps now you will better understand one, when you eventually team with them. If you are one, hopefully, you will now be able to choose powers with a bit more wisdom and develop more effective strategies. If you are inquiring as to my experience with an Illusion/Empathy Controller, well I have been playing one since the Beta of CoH. I started my character in the three day head start and only now is he level 44. I take my time with my characters and enjoy experiencing all the content I can. Over a year and a half of experience should qualify me to speak a bit about this character. I still have two more sections to write for this guide: the Going through the Levels section is proving to be the hardest because it is going to be very in depth and I never experienced the Hollows, Striga, or Croatoa content with my Controller; the PvP section will come once I actually start participating in PvP and have something to say about it. If you have any questions, send me PM. If you see any mistakes I made, please let me know. Any criticisms or problems with the guide, again tell me, I always enjoy the opportunity to better myself and my work. Stay Safe and remember, in Paragon City, we all have the ability to be Heroes.