Ubiquity's Guide to Gravity/Empathy Controllers

Ubiquity's Guide to Gravity/Empathy Controllers
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WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE?

This guide is written for novice Controllers as well as experienced ones who are new to Gravity/Empathy
style. It assumes a basic familiarity with general aspects of combat in City of Heroes. If you are an
experienced Grav/Emp, you may be better off with a more in-depth guide on the set you are researching.

Gravity/Empathy is a very flexible and adaptable combination for a Controller, and there are several
ways to play this kind of hero. I offer an overview of the sets, and my experience in using them together. In general, I don't offer slotting specifics or any statistics, but focus on power choices and strategy. The guide doesn't cover the Ancillary Power Pools, which are unlocked after a hero has all of their primary and secondary powers available.

SO YOU WANT TO BE A GRAV/EMP, EH

Whether you've made a Gravity/Empathy Controller by choice or by chance, you will quickly discover how unique this combination is, and it's delicate balance of controlling and buffing, pushing and pulling with the tides of battle, will either exhilarate or exasperate you.

Grav/Emp Controllers are capable of soloing in a safe, if relatively slow manner, but your talents will really begin to shine on a team. Ideally you can best compliment a team of 3 or 4 heroes. You can certainly play on larger teams (and it is quite fun!) but you will have to choose your targets much more quickly and wisely, as you will have more difficulty controlling larger spawns, as well as not having time to buff a whole team - all this will come with experience. It is not wise to PL with this build.

WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE?

A Grav/Emp's effects in combat are quite noticeable, which will tend to get you repeat invites from old teammates. Gravity holds, while not as graphic as Ice or Stone's, still render villains instantly motionless and suspended in the air slightly. Propel flings random objects from a considerable collection, which since Issue 7 have the added effect of remaining on the battlefield to be further kicked about in the melee. Wormhole simply cannot be mistaken for anything else.

Empathy's effects are even more noticeable. With 4 different buffs, you will decorate teammates in auras of red, purple and blue, as well as splash large amounts of green numbers at them. This Controller build is fortunate in that it's role and methods are readily apparent to other players, once they see them in action.

OVERVIEW OF POWERS

Gravity Control powers

Crush:

This is a basic, but very useful power. I would recommend taking this very early. It immobilizes a single target, slowing them if they escape, and deals Smashing Damage Over Time. It's perfect for catching runners before they get away. Another useful aspect is that it will bring flying opponents to the ground. Combined with Flight, you can keep melee enemies at safely at bay. Use this power as the filler in your attack chain. Slotted for damage, it will help considerably.

Lift:

A standard moderate attack. The animation isn't too slow, but the damage is somewhat unimpressive. It can be fun to use in PvP sometimes. I don't consider it essential. Your Singularity pet will also be able to use this power, although you can't decide when.

Gravity Distortion:

Your main hold power, you'll want this six-slotted right away.

Propel:

A rather unwieldy, but visually appealing power. This will be a staple of your attack chain, as it deals a nice chunk of Smashing damage, especially when the enemy has been Contained first. You will summon through a vortex a random object, ranging from air compressors to pool tables to old cars, and hurl it at your enemy, knocking them back unless they are held or immobilized.

Crushing Field:

This is a group immobilize. I used to use this power a lot, back when the recharge on Gravity Distortion Field was short, but I've stopped using it lately. AoEs work best on large groups, but I've found using only one can just draw all the aggro, without accomplishing too much. It's relatively cheap endurance-wise, and fast recharging for an AoE, so some people manage to make use of it as a second immobilize/DoT in their normal attack chain. This power is sort of a toss-up for me. Fit it in if you can, but don't sweat it if you can't.

Dimension Shift:

I haven't had any experience with this power, nor have I seen it used. It will make a group of enemies intangible for a period of time. I'm not sure if it affects all enemies in an area, or only some of them, or for exactly how long they will remain intangible. Intangible enemies cannot effect you, nor can they be affected themselves. You can slot the power for duration, but once used, you can't shorten it; the affected enemies will remain intangible until the power wears off. It doesn't seem like a power you need to use in most fights, but it might be more valuable in a PvP build. I don't consider this power essential, either.

Gravity Distortion Field:

This is your group hold, and doesn't take any longer to cast than your single-target hold. It now has a very long recharge on it, so even with Hasten or Speed Boost, you usually can't use it every fight. I use this power in a few different ways. The first, is to save it as a back-up hold, for when something unexpected happens and Gravity Distortion is still recharging. It can be overkill, but there are times when it is worth it just to be able to hold another mob with out much notice. Another use is for stacking holds quickly. Cast your single-target hold, follow with this, and then as soon as it recharges, your single target hold again. This is a classic Controller strategy for locking something down that has higher resistance to holds, and with Hasten or other recharge buffs going can be very effective. I also use this power is when there is no Tanker or other melee heroes on the team and I must subdue a whole spawn for the team. Then it is quite effective to lead in with this and follow up with Wormhole. AoE powers in general have an accuracy penalty, so combining two like this insures that most if not all enemies will be affected.

Wormhole:

A very unique power, one of the true features of the Gravity set, if I may say so. It is a group teleport-foe power, with the added effects of knocking back and disorienting enemies. You target one enemy, and then click a spot on the ground, a wall or even in the air for the exit-point. A whirlpool not unlike the vortex gates out in the Shadow Shard appears behind them, sucking in nearby enemies as well. They reappear at the exit-point with a loud poof, and they are knocked on the ground only to rise, stumbling. There are many tricks that can be performed with this power that only practice will teach. Be creative, and perhaps inform your team if you do something drastic with it. You have to have line-of-sight on your original target at first, but you don't have to maintain it while you choose the exit-point. The knockback effect is somewhat erratic, but generally aimed in the direction made by the line between you and the exit point when you cast it.

Singularity:

This is your pet, who will use the same powers as you, to double your effectiveness in combat. It is nearly impervious to damage and controlling effects, although it cannot be buffed or healed itself.

When you summon it, you can choose it's initial location. If you placed it within range of enemies, it will automatically begin attacking them. A trailing Singularity can trigger mob aggro as it tries to follow you, unless you are careful where you walk. You can dismiss the Singularity at anytime with the command /petrelease_all. If you summon the Singularity (or 'sing' as it's often referred to in-game) on top of an enemy, or if enemies otherwise run too close, it will fling them away violently. This is a good trick to use to block hallways or doorways in missions. The Singularity's attacks are the same as your own Gravity powers (minus Propel), but it will use them at random.

Singularity was not included in the original design for Gravity Control. Wormhole was the final power, and in Wormhole's place now was a group team-teleport power known as Fold Space. Many early Controllers were wondering why Gravity users didn't have a pet, whereas most others have one, excepting Mind Control, who makes their own pets out of enemies. Thus the set was rearranged, Fold Space was dropped and Singularity created, and given an amalgam of other Gravity powers to use in conjunction with it's caster.

OVERVIEW OF POWERS, CONT'D

[Empathy powers]

Healing Aura

This is your radial group heal. It will heal you and all nearby heroes. Even if you don't plan on doing much healing, get this power slotted right away. It's the only sort of buff you will be able to use on yourself for quite some time. In general, I prefer to use a radial heal anyway, since you don't have to switch targets to fire it off, and with a team you get more healing potential for less endurance this way. If you take any AoE powers from your primary, you will rely on this to deal with all the attention you've gotten.

Heal Other

Your single target ranged heal. It's worth taking, but due to Controller secondaries being less effective than their Defender primary versions, I don't add any extra slots to it. You should make the best use of your primary powers to mitigate damage, then use your secondary powers to patch gaps. If you intend to focus mostly on the Empathy set, you will be much more effective as a Defender.

Absorb Pain

A second single target ranged heal, should Healing Aura and Heal Other prove insufficient. This one is costly, however, as you lose some of your own health points when this is cast, and you will be unable to heal for a short time. This is definitely a power I would recommend skipping for a Controller, letting the Defenders make better use of it. Between casting all your Gravity controls, you will barely have enough time in between to use the other two heals as it is.

Resurrect

This revives a fallen hero, once you stand near them. It is very fast casting, but takes a fair amount of endurance. I recommend taking this power. Being able to resurrect a fallen teammate can save you a lot of time in the long run. As this is a rather long game, I tend to take this power relatively early. Somewhere between levels 10-20 works without hindering the early levels too much, when powers to use are fewer in number. The default slot is enough.

Clear Mind

This power will counter or prevent status effects. It costs little endurance, casts very quickly at good range, and recharges very fast. It also wears off quickly. It is best used just prior to battle. It takes a lot of attention, but if necessary, you can keep Clear Mind on a whole team, but for the most part focus on Defenders, Blasters, Kheldians, and other Controllers. Tanks and Scrappers only need clear mind in PvP, where it grants and additional perception bonus. There isn't much benefit gained from adding more slots. This is one of the only powers I use a range enhancement in.

Fortitude

Raises the Damage, Accuracy, Defense and Damage Resistance of one hero for awhile. This is a very useful buff for almost any hero, but on teams I find it helps the sidekicks out a little more. Quite often if I use Heal Other I follow up with this power, if it's available, to help them keep the HP and take out whatever is hitting them. Depending on recharge buffs, you can typically keep Fortitude on 3-6 heroes at a time. I only use the default slot, under the same principle as Heal Other. As far as I can tell, no-once notices whether it's slotted up or not much. The difference would be more apparent in an Empathy Defender.

Recovery Aura

This will boost your endurance recovery rate, and that of all nearby heroes. I recommend taking this power, as well as Stamina. If you are just using controls or just buffing/healing, your endurance will be fine, but you will frequently be doing both, which will exhaust you without help from buffs. It takes a fair amount of endurance to cast, so don't wait until you are totally exhausted! Depending on your team mix you may want to use it before a battle or, if more of your teammates have no endurance issues than not, save it for the when the need arises.

Regeneration Aura

This power works will boost the health regeneration of all affected heroes. Otherwise, it works just like Recovery Aura.

Adrenalin Boost

This is your final single target buff. It dramatically increases a hero's endurance recovery, health regeneration and recharge rate. It will also help them resist slowing effects. You can usually only get one hero with this at a time, due to a very long recharge rate.

THE ZEN OF GRAV/EMP

General Strategy

Your role as a Controller is to direct the flow of combat as best you can. In general I find it's better to let the other heroes engage the group first, although there are tactics for when you must lead. You must be aware of the entire battlefield at all times. If the team has spread out of line of sight during a fight, let them know to regroup. You are one of the few heroes who will have the luxury of observing the fight from a safe distance, so it is your responsibility to keep track of how the fight is progressing. Tankers and Scrappers and other short range heroes can potentially lose perspective once they have gotten in it "up to their eyeballs" in melee. Blasters and other high-damage heroes tend to get locked down into one on one fights after awhile, if they draw more aggro than they can handle quickly.

Gravity Control and Empathy attempt to solve the same problem via two very different methods. Most hero's powersets are chosen for synergy: i.e. to accentuate strengths or to complement weaknesses. In our case, however, our sets compete for attention, and one does not increase the strength of the other.

Your job will be to locate a source of trouble before it happens and decide how to deal with it. To create synergy out of these competing methods we need a focal point.

Say for example, during a fight you see one of your teammates health dip quickly into the yellow, then orange. Everyone else is in good health. You now have a focal point. Click on that player's name in the team window (you have team window open, right?) In PvE, clicking your teammates' name will make their target yours by default. It's important to know targeting shortcuts, as trying to click on your target in the middle of a moving battle can waste valuable time. With this focal point you can now cast a heal at your team mate, then cast a buff (Fortitude or Clear Mind, or perhaps Adrenalin Boost), then cast a hold and immobilize at their target. In this way you have spread your energy linearly from the hero back to the source of the trouble. Knowing that situation is temporarily resolved, and in a in a quick fashion, you can assess the scene again.

Suddenly you see half of the team's HP crash into the orange. Now the focal point seems broad, you'll want to draw it close. This is where your "backup" AoE hold comes in handy. Target either an obvious enemy or one of your injured teammates who hasnt fled, fire off Gravity Distortion Field and follow up with Wormhole. If you can get near your injured teammates then, Healing Aura will complete the chain, then buff someone while you have them targeted.

The key to playing this Controller well is knowing your teammates. Be aware especially of the team compisition. If you have a Tanker, you can focus more on keeping the mob from getting too spread out, and keep the team buffed rather than subduing everything. If you have a Blaster, you might considering timing your AoE powers to concide or follow theirs, etc. Look for the flow of battle and move with it, if a teammate is having trouble keeping up, take care of them, if a particular enemy if causing too much trouble, take care of it, but when you do one, flow to the next point in the line, so to speak.

All battles can be described as relationships, which can be defined by lines between them. It is easy to lose ground in difficult situations, where you spend too much time buffing/healing, and your controls start to drop. Once they start dropping the damage rate increases, the healing becomes insufficient, and you spend a lot of time trying to reestablish your rhythm.

SAMPLE BUILD

Ubiquity's Build

Gravity Control

Crush, Gravity Distortion, Propel, Gravity Distortion Field, Wormhole, Singularity

Empathy

Healing Aura, Heal Other, Resurrect, Clear Mind, Fortitude, Recovery Aura, Adrenalin Boost

Fitness

Hurdle, Health, Stamina

Flight

Air Superiority, Fly

Speed

Hasten

Teleportation

Recall Friend

Ubiquity's build notes:

The primary and secondary choices were more or less explained in the first section, so I'll go over the power pool choices here.

[Fitness powers]

Hurdle

A non-toggle jump boost, it works well enough to get over fences and jump some troublesome gaps outside, and works wonders for maneuvering in a mission. As a Controller, you lack status protection, so you can easily have your travel powers stopped. Hurdle is an auto power, so there is no need to take time to re-toggle it. With Hurdle you can bound away to safety right after you use a break free (you do carry break frees, right?) Having multiple movement powers is also very handy in PvP, as many powers can restrict one or more types of travel.

Health

This will marginally increase your health recovery rate, even if you are held or stunned. It will also reduce slightly the effect of sleep powers, which is useful for unprotected Controllers. As an Empathy Controller you can heal yourself faster with Healing Aura most of the time, so I don't recommend adding slots to this power.


Stamina

This is another auto power that will boost your endurance recovery rate. It combines with Recovery Aura to give you plenty of endurance to work with. It affords strategic luxuries like flying, holding, buffing, healing and dealing damage all at once.

[Flight powers]

Air Superiority

A moderate melee attack with a quick animation that knocks flying enemies to the ground. The damage isn't spectacular, but decent when doubled by Containment. I find this power more useful than Hover. Works great in PvP.

Fly

A very serviceable travel power, it will get you anywhere you need to go. It's a little on the slow side, and very slot heavy compared to most other travel powers, however. It works well with Crush to keep dangerous melee enemies out of reach. Taking the Leaping pool would have afforded more protection (from Combat Jumping and Acrobatics), so this is really a personal preference here. Ubiquity's creation was concept driven so flight was chosen to match her character.

[Speed powers]

Hasten

Increases the recharge rate of all your powers for a period of time. It costs endurance to use, but only when the effect expires. As it affects all click powers, and Grav/Emp is entirely click powers, I recommend getting this. You can wait until the mid to late 20's to pick it up. Hasten helps you stack multiple holds and immobilizes on enemies to overcome resistances, as well as helping you apply buffs to more of your teammates more often.

[Teleportation powers]

Recall Friend

Teleports a teammate to a selected location nearby. Fit this in when you can. Along the same lines as Resurrect, this power will you save you a lot of time in the long run.

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You should have enough information now to begin planning your own Grav/Emp Controller. Hopefully you'll have as much fun trying things out as I did.

One note on the singularity, while it cannot be healed directly, it can be buffed.

Thanks for the clarification, not sure how I overlooked that.

So wouldn't a 3 Heal slotted Regen Aura a very nice buff for singy (in addition to teams)? I'm working on a grav/emp and was hoping that that will work. It does mean an unfortunate dropping of another power in a very tight build.

If you have room for Regen Aura and the slots for it, it would help you and the team, putting some of your healing duties on auto. I'm not sure if it would heal the Singularity or not. If it can be buffed it might accept the aura, but since it can't be healed the aura might not have any affect.

In any case, if your Singularity is taking so much damage that it actually dies before you can resummon it, then it would seem you have larger problems to deal with.