Quick Guide to the Gravity/Trick Arrow Controller
By
anachrodragon,
Posted on: 2006-09-05 10:31 in Player Guides
Nice guide! I especially liked the pros/cons section. The only real drawback to the combo for me personally is the redraw time on the bow, and I suppose that's going to wind up being a matter of personal taste as to whether or not that small delay is acceptable.
I play on Virtue and have all 12 slots full and I'm tired of listing them all here so NYAH!
Your link to Enan's guide doesn't seem to want to work.... at least for me.
Other than that, Great guide! It's nice to hear from someone who's taken the "red-headed step-children" and made them their own.
Always up for teaming with good players, so hit me up: @Deceivius and @Deceivius2
You better pick an epic that has fire or energy damage to light your oil slick. On my MasterMind Oil Slick Arrow packs enough punch to kill even level minions by itself, thats insane.
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You better pick an epic that has fire or energy damage to light your oil slick.
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Technology and Magic origin powers are both Energy damage. One need not sacrifice an APP selection for the sake of igniting Oil Slick when soloing.
This is such a great guide to base my current template on! I'm really loving Gravity/Trick Arrows because of all the long range controls and all the debuffs. I've gotten to the mid-20s thus far and have been enjoying every moment.
A few critiques and nitpicks for your otherwise excellent guide:
[ QUOTE ][*]Stacked slows: Gravity Distortion has a slow with -recharge
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Gravity Distortion only slows movement. It has no effect on recharge. That said, the stacked movement slows are still extremely useful, particularly when dealing with superspeed and/or bunny hopping enemies in a PvP fight.
[ QUOTE ][*]Smashing damage is highly resisted: Smashing damage is possibly the most resisted damage type in the game. Highly smashing resistant foes will be frustrating, especially if you solo.
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Using Culex's spreadsheet as a basis of information, smashing is the 2nd most resisted damage type in the game, outresisted only by Lethal. Out of 1341 enemy entries, 61 are vulnerable to (take additional damage from) smashing, 429 are resistant to (take reduced damage from) smashing, and 851 don't care. Average damage resistance is 6% (accounting for the vulnerable and non-resistant entities) with a standard deviation of 0.21. Lethal is worse off, with an average of 8% resistance, standard deviation of 0.22, 51 listings of vulnerable enemies, and 477 listings of resistant.
Smashing damage is particularly useful against Hydra, Rikti Drones, Devouring Earth "mineral" types, Rularuu wisps, as well as Council robots and Nemesis Jaegers and Warhulks. It's noticably ineffective against Arachnos robots, armored Rikti, council wolves, ghosts (including CoT spectrals) and various other things. Played to its strengths, it's a good damage type, but is well balanced by a second type of damage.
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Disruption Arrow: This is a location based -resistance debuff with a nice large radius. The debuff isn't huge (about 16% for controllers I believe)
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Disruption Arrow is a 15% debuff.
Great guide on the whole!
This guide is written from the perspective of a level 50 Gravity/Trick Arrow controller. At the time I'm writing this, Gravity/Trick Arrow is a fairly unusual combination of powersets for a controller. Personally I've only ever teamed with one other Grav/TA controller, and I'm the only level 50 I know of currently. I don't expect the popularity of the powersets to change drastically in the near future either, although I'll be pleasantly surprised if I'm wrong.
Both Gravity and Trick Arrow have had poor reputations in the past, and even though the bias against these sets is often based on outdated or out of context information, it's hard to overcome. Another factor is that these are both very late-blooming sets, and someone who only plays an alt into the teens or early 20s will never glimpse the real potential of the combination. Trick Arrow in particular is most effective when you have all (or most) of the powers at your disposal, and can stack their effects. For a controller, this means you'll really mature sometime in the late 30s, for a very strong high level character.
Now I'm not going to tell you that Grav/TA is the "uber" combination. If you're looking for the "ultimate controller of tank-magery," something like Illusion/Radiation or Fire/Kinetics might be a better match for your tastes. Ok, I'm just kidding... mostly. I mean no disrespect to Illusion or Fire, Radiation or Kinetics (in fact I love these sets and play them myself), but Grav/TA is just a different playstyle and mindset. It's highly control oriented, with some moderate single target damage. In fact, it's control oriented in a way that's a bit anachronistic under the dev's current vision. I like to think of my Grav/TA as having an "I want to fight statues" playstyle (**shhhh** don't tell anyone). You'll have enough AoE control in the late game to make missions trivially easy for a small to medium sized team.
Now to be fair, the control potential will never be as much as pre-AoE control nerf controllers, but it's certainly reminiscent of the days when control was king. There is some irony in the fact that Issue 5 brought us massive changes to the role of the controller, and also added the most control-oriented secondary to the controller AT.
Why Gravity/Trick Arrow?
I'll start with my personal reasons for choosing Grav/TA. When I5 was on test in August 2005, I was very intrigued by the new Trick Arrow and Archery powersets, because let's face it, archers are just sexy. At the time, I had a Rad/Dark defender very close to hitting 50, a Fire/Rad controller and Kin/Rad defender in the 30s, and numerous other alts. As much as I wanted an archer, I wasn't sure if I wanted another defender, and blasters just weren't my style. At the same time, I was also feeling disenchanted with the changes to my Fire/Rad controller regarding pets and AoE control. Gravity was the one controller primary set I really wanted to like, and had tried with just about every secondary, but I was having a hard time finding a combination I wanted to stick with. So I rolled up a Trick Arrow/Archery defender, and on a whim a Grav/TA controller. I decided I'd play them both on test, and then when I5 went live I'd recreate one of them on the live servers. When I experienced my Grav's attack chain with extra containment damage from Entangling Arrow I was excited. When I thought about all the options for high level AoE control I was sold. I recreated the Grav/TA the day I5 went live.
Of course any controller will get some nice additional control tools from Trick Arrow, so much of this can be easily applied to other primaries. I'll try to list pros and cons below:
Pros:
<ul type="square">[*]Extra containment damage: Entangling Arrow, the required starting power from the Trick Arrow secondary, provides an extra source of containment damage. An attack chain starting with Entangling arrow will provide you with a significant extra damage, especially in the low levels.[*]Easy hold magnitude stacking for bosses: Ice Arrow provides you with a second single target hold (in addition to Gravity Distortion), allowing you to hold bosses easily and reliably.[*]Glue Arrow helps with low level control: Gravity still has a reputation for having a "control gap" especially in the early levels. Glue Arrow, which can be taken at level four, provides your earliest source of AoE control. [*]Relatively endurance light: Trick Arrow has no toggles nor teammate buffs, so the endurance usage is relatively low compared to other controller secondaries. Many TA and /TA players do not take Stamina. Whether or not you choose to take Stamina will ultimately depend on your play style and other power choices however.[*]Active playstyle even against AVs/GMs: In the past some controllers have complained about feeling underutilized in archvillain and giant monster fights, due to the limited role of hard controls. Trick Arrow is a nice active secondary (full of click powers rather than toggles) which will definitely keep you busy against AVs and GMs. [*]Ranged AoE control: Both Gravity and Trick Arrow have ranged control powers, and controlling at range is one of the best synergies between the two sets (also the case with Mind/TA and Earth/TA). Your many ranged AoE control options make it feasible for you to initiate alpha strikes, deal quickly with extra agro, and generally help set the pace for the team. [*]Good synergy between Oil Slick and Wormhole: Oil Slick is a location based control power, and Wormhole is fantastic for repositioning. Wormhole mobs into a corner, and then set an Oil Slick underneath them; or set an Oil Slick first, and then use Wormhole to put mobs on top of it. These two powers go together very well. [*]Stacked slows: Gravity Distortion has a slow with -recharge, as does Entangling Arrow and Glue Arrow. You'll find stacked -recharge useful particularly against AVs, and PvP opponents should find it annoying as well.[*]No teammate buffing/healing: Trick Arrow is a nice choice for those of us who are looking for a change from team support in the form of buffing/healing. This is a purely mob-targeted play style, which is still very capable of supporting a team.[/list]Cons:
<ul type="square">[*]No self heal: While it may be refreshing to not have to worry about healing your teammates, you don't have a self-heal either. You could choose to take the medicine pool if you want to, but then you might feel obligated to heal or buff teammates as well. It's entirely a personal playstyle decision. Personally, I chose not to take medicine.[*]Bow redraw: The bow redraw time when switching between your primary and the Trick Arrow powers can be annoying. The best way I've found to deal with it is to consider your attack chain, and try to use the arrow powers together, to minimize redraw. There will still be times the redraw is unavoidable though, so you'll need some amount of patience. [*]Two late-blooming sets: Speaking of patience, you'll need to be prepared to deal with two late-blooming sets. Gravity gets Wormhole much later than other controller AoE disorients, and Trick Arrow is most effective when you can stack effects from multiple arrows. The good news is that it's a very powerful combination in the late game though.[*]Big differences between early game/late game playstyle: With Entangling Arrow, Crush and/or Lift, and Propel, you'll be a very capable damage dealer in the low levels. I like to say that I played like a scrap-troller from 1-20ish. At some point in the 20s you'll start to experience the effects of damage scaling and smashing resistant enemies, and you'll feel like less of a damage dealer. The problem is that your control won't really mature until some time in the late 20s or 30s, which makes for some rough levels in the mid-20s. Again, patience and persistence are key... or you could wait for a double XP weekend.[*]Smashing damage is highly resisted: Smashing damage is possibly the most resisted damage type in the game. Highly smashing resistant foes will be frustrating, especially if you solo.[*]No reliable -regen debuff: The only -regen debuff in Trick Arrow is from EMP Arrow, which has a 5 minute recharge, making it not very effective for AV battles. Luckily Trick Arrow has a lot of other debuffs which are useful for AV fights so you will have plenty to do. Still, in my opinion the shortage of -regen is a glaring hole in a debuff-only set.[/list]
Choosing an Origin
I know it's strange, but this is one of the few instances in the game where origin makes a difference. Well, it's actually the origin related starting powers that make a difference. Any energy or fire based damage power can be used to light your Oil Slick. Now many Trick Arrow/ and /Trick Arrow users have other means of lighting their Oil Slick, but Gravity being all smashing damage, does not. Therefore I highly recommend choosing an origin with a power capable of lighting it. Currently magic origin and tech origin both have energy based starting powers. I'm lucky that I chose magic origin for my Grav/TA, though he didn't actually receive the starting power until they added it retroactively for higher level heroes.
Gravity Powers
I'm going to give a short description of the Gravity powers here, along with my personal recommendations, and pre-HO slotting. This is not meant to be an in-depth discussion of Gravity, merely a short list to help you get started. If you're looking for more detail, I highly recommend Arinara's excellent guide to Gravity Control.
Crush: This is a single target immobilize, and one of your first power options as a gravity controller. It does smashing damage over time, sets up containment, has a -fly component and slows run speed. Crush is an effective damage power, especially in the low levels before you encounter many smashing resistant foes. While Crush does set up containment, a Grav/TA can use it more effectively after first setting up containment with Entangling Arrow, thus getting the maximum containment damage. Personally I favor Crush over Lift as a first power choice for Gravity. Recommended slotting: 1 accuracy, 3 damage
Lift: Lift does slightly less damage than Crush, and does not set up containment. However, it does have the nice soft control effect of knocking your opponent on the ground, rendering them incapable of attacking for a second or two. Like Crush, it also has -fly. It can be paired with Air Superiority, or slotted for recharge and knockback, to keep a mob perma-knocked down. It's a good damage power in the early levels, though you may choose to respec out of it later on. Recommended slotting: 1 accuracy, 3 damage
Gravity Distortion: This is your first hold power. Gravity Distortion is a single target hold, which does some smashing damage over time, and of course sets up containment. It will hold minions and lieutenants on the first hit, but will normally require two stacked holds to affect a boss (unless you get a "critical" hold). It also prevents the held target from being knocked back. This is an essential power, and in my opinion should be taken at level 2, when it becomes available. I'd recommend slotting it with a combination of accuracy, hold duration and recharge. My preferred slotting is: 2 accuracy, 3 hold, 1 recharge
Propel: This attack has good damage (especially with containment) and fantastic graphics, but a long animation time. In my opinion it's worth the animation time, and I'd recommend it to most people. There may be times when teammates kill your target even before the animation finishes; but I've still found Propel incredibly useful, teamed or solo. Recommended slotting: 1 accuracy, 3 damage (1 range optional)
Crushing Field: This is an AoE immobilize that does minor smashing damage, and has -fly. Using an AoE immobilize can have painful consequences unless it's paired with another AoE power capable of mitigating the resulting agro. The best use of Crushing Field is as a follow-up to Wormhole, your AoE disorient. Now, as a Grav/TA you have other AoE control powers that are more useful than Crushing Field. Personally I prefer Wormhole paired with Oil Slick Arrow, and I chose not to take Crushing Field. I would consider this power optional, but if you do decide to take it, just use it wisely and try not to grab the attention of more mobs than you can handle. Recommended slotting: 2 accuracy, 1 endurance reduction
Dimension Shift: This is an AoE phase power, that prevents enemies from attacking or being attacked for 30 seconds. The conventional wisdom is that this power should only be used as an "oh crap" power to avoid team wipes. Thus if your team accidentally agros more mobs than you can handle, you can remove some of them from the fight for a short time. Some gravity controllers report using it more often though, and not slotting it for accuracy -- thereby attempting to phase some, but not all the mobs in each spawn. In either case, I'd recommend discussing Dimension Shift with your teammates before you use it, as well as setting up a bind or macro to alert your team when it's used. Other than trying it on the test server briefly, I've never had Dimension Shift on my Grav/TA. I just felt that it didn't mesh well with my play style, and my other AoE control options were more useful. I'd consider it optional at best. Recommended slotting: 1 accuracy or 1 endurance reducer (for the low accuracy route)
Gravity Distortion Field: Gravity Distortion Field is very similar to Gravity Distortion but it affects multiple foes. Also, the recharge is much longer, and the duration much shorter. As a Grav/TA this is one of two ranged AoE hold powers you have access to (EMP Arrow is the other). You can use either GDF or EMP Arrow as lead-in alpha strike powers, and in cases where it makes sense to stack two AoE holds, you can use them both. This is an essential power, and I recommend taking it as soon as it's available (level 18), and six-slotting it as quickly as possible. Recommended slotting: 2 accuracy, 2 hold, 2 recharge
Wormhole: Wormhole is a fantastic power that offers two types of control, AoE disorient and mob positioning. Using it takes a bit of practice, so don't be afraid to test it out on some low level mobs when you first pick it up. Use it by choosing a target (preferably a near the center of a group of mobs), activating the power, and then selecting the location you'll be moving the mobs to. If all goes well, the target and his friends will be moved to the location you specified, and they'll be disoriented and knocked back. Wormhole does not require line of sight, so use it from around corners to safely pull a group. Also, use walls and corners to control the knockback, and position mobs more precisely. For Grav/TA, Wormhole works very nicely with Oil Slick and Glue Arrow. You have a lot of slotting options with Wormhole, and many people slot it with a combination of accuracy, disorient, range, and/or recharge. My own play style used it primarily for positioning. Slotting recommendation: 2 accuracy, 2 recharge, (2 disorient or 2 range)
Singularity: I'm heavily biased, but Singularity is my favorite controller pet. I say that even having played a fire controller in the days when you could have a horde of imps. I've also teamed extensively with Jack Frosts, Phantasms, and a poo man or two. Singularity is not as damaging as most of the other pets, but it makes up for it by being very useful and team friendly. It uses the Gravity control powers Crush, Lift, and Gravity Distortion; so it's a "mini controller" as well as providing decent damage. It can be walked through, so it wont get in the way of teammates. It also has a repel effect surrounding it, so its useful for blocking doorways or providing convenient cover. I've found more than one blaster hiding under my Sing. Like any other controller pet, it cannot be given direct commands; though you can recast it in a location of your choosing, or you can dismiss it if necessary. Sing is also rather tough. Though it cannot be healed, it rarely ever needs to be, due to its high damage resistance (note that it can be buffed though). Sing also has very high accuracy, and many people forgo slotting accuracy enhancements in it. Slotting recommendation: 1 accuracy, 3 damage, 2 hold
Trick Arrow Powers
Entangling Arrow: A single target immobilize, with -fly and minor -recharge. Entangling Arrow does no damage, but it does set up containment, so it's a good start to your attack chain. It's also nice when stacked with Crush on those immobilization resistant enemies. Recommended slotting: 1 accuracy
Flash Arrow: This is essentially a perception debuff with a very small to hit debuff. It's an auto-hit power in PvE (not so in PvP), which effectively gives you about a minute worth of stealth (not invisibility). It's agro-free for its initial application on a group of mobs, but it does seem to attract attention to the user as soon as the mobs are engaged, even if agroed by another teammate. I do not recommend this power. In fact, I think this is the only Trick Arrow power that I strongly dislike. I think the tiny to hit debuff is worthless, and the -perception is of very limited use. I imagine if you solo a lot it might be helpful for the early levels, but I think there are much more worthwhile power choices. Slotting recommendation if you do choose to take it: 1 range or 1 to hit debuff
Glue Arrow: This is a great power, and it's available early on (level 4). It's an auto-hit slow, with both -speed and -recharge. While it's not the best alpha striking power (mobs will retaliate quickly), it noticeably slows enemy attack rate. Thus reducing incoming damage and keeping your team safer. This is your first means of AoE control, and it will serve you well at any level. It's just as useful at level 50 as it is at level 4. One thing to note is that the range of Glue Arrow is shorter than many other TA powers, so I like to add a range enhancement. Recommended slotting: 3 recharge, 1 range (1-2 slow optional)
Ice Arrow: This is a single target hold with a minor -speed and -recharge. As a hold from a defender primary, it has a much shorter duration and longer recharge than the single target holds in controller primaries. It's really only useful for one thing: stacking holds on bosses. Whether or not you should take it will depend heavily on your play style. If you are a soloer, who encounters few if any bosses, chances are you don't need to take it at all. On the other hand, if you play on large teams, at high difficulty settings, you'll encounter a lot more bosses and probably find it very helpful. Personally I think it's most useful at the high levels when you encounter particularly nasty bosses. Also, if you participate in Hamidon raids, it's very handy to have an extra hold at your disposal. Recommended slotting: 1-2 accuracy (optionally add hold and recharge when you have extra slots)
Poison Gas Arrow: This auto-hit power reduces your opponent's damage, and also has a 50% chance to put them to sleep. The sleep effect is not something that can be counted on for control; it's unreliable and your teammates will likely wake up sleeping mobs anyway. Therefore, it's best to view this as a -damage power. It's certainly a good debuff, and helpful for a team, but I consider it optional for a controller. Personally, I think that most controllers have more effective means to minimize incoming damage. There's no harm in taking it, but a /TA controller can be a tight build, and other powers have more utility. Recommended slotting: 1-2 recharge
Acid Arrow: Acid Arrow has two very nice debuffs, -resistance and -defense, as well as very minor damage over time. It gives you and your teammates extra damage against affected mobs, as well as increased chance to hit. It's a small AoE. You can expect it to hit the target and a few close by friends. This power is highly recommended, and should be a part of your regular attack chain. It's especially useful against annoying high defense targets, like mobs with force fields, or even mobs using MoG. Recommended slotting: 1-2 accuracy, 1-2 recharge, (1-2 defense debuff optional)
Disruption Arrow: This is a location based -resistance debuff with a nice large radius. The debuff isn't huge (about 16% for controllers I believe), but it can be paired up nicely with Acid Arrow for stacked -resistance. In my experience it does noticeably increase a team's damage output. I've found it to be pretty useful in prolonged fights, against AVs and other tough enemies. I use this power currently, but I would still consider it optional. Recommended slotting: 2-3 recharge
Oil Slick Arrow: After 35 levels this is where you'll really see the Trick Arrow secondary bloom. A location-based knockdown, with damage over time when lit, Oil Slick is a fantastic control tool that synergizes well with your Gravity primary. I particularly like the combination of Wormhole and Oil Slick. You can use Wormhole to position mobs (into a wall or corner for example), and then use Oil Slick to keep them on their butts. Alternately, you can pick up mobs with Wormhole and put them on your Oil Slick; a tactic that works well when you have scattered mobs or knocback-heavy teammates. When lit, the damage from Oil Slick is nothing to sneeze at either. The Oil Slick can be lit by any fire or energy attack. As a Grav/TA your options for lighting it are either an origin starting power, or the controller fire epic. Otherwise, you'll have to rely on teammates to light it. On large teams, the Oil Slick damage may be somewhat overshadowed by teammate damage (as well as your containment damage), so it's possible that you may find yourself relying on the power primarily for control. Whether you take it for control or damage or both, this is definitely a power worth taking though. Recommended slotting: 3 recharge (optionally add 3 damage when you have extra slots)
EMP Arrow: This may very well be the best hold in the game. It's a ranged AoE hold with a nice large radius, and a longer duration than most controller primary AoE holds (including Gravity Distortion Field). It also does -regen and endurance drain, and has the downside of preventing your endurance recovery for a short time (carry a few endurance inspirations to deal with this). It's available at level 38 for controllers, but it's definitely worth the wait. Like GDF you can use this as an alpha strike power to initiate combat. I found that I use it primarily as a lead in power, and occasionally as an "oh crap" power. In fact, I use it almost as often as it's available. Unfortunately with it's long recharge, it doesn't feel like it's available nearly enough, but it's a staple power in any case. Slotting recommendation: 2 accuracy, 1-2 hold, 2-3 recharge.
Pool Powers
Travel power, of course, will depend most on your personal taste. There isn't a particular travel power that has any advantage over the others for Gravity or Trick Arrow; except maybe that flying archers look sexy (but that's my own personal bias). Seriously, you'll find that there are advantages and disadvantages to each travel power, so you'll need to decide which one makes for the best quality of life for you and your character. The Speed pool is nice, not so much for Super Speed, but for Hasten. Gravity and Trick Arrow are both full of click powers, and click-heavy powersets benefit from Hasten more than toggle-heavy powersets do. I'm a big fan of Hasten for Grav/TA. The other travel powers besides Super Speed will all get you vertical movement, and a variety of other utility powers. Air Superiority from Flight is a nice melee attack, and Hover works decently for knockback protection. And Flight itself might be a bit slow unslotted, but the vertical maneuverability makes up for it. Recall Friend from Teleport is very handy on teams, though Teleport Foe seems a bit redundant when you already have Wormhole. Teleport is nice for a quick escape, especially from immobilization or slow effects. Finally Super Jump gets you great vertical movement at a low endurance cost and opens up Acrobatics for excellent knockback protection.
The Fitness pool, particularly Stamina, is probably more optional for a /TA controller than most other controller secondaries. Trick Arrow is relatively endurance-light compared to Storm or Rad, for example. Being toggle-free you'll find that you're not subjected to quite as much endurance pain in the low levels as many of your controller brethren. That being said, Stamina is still a huge benefit. I took Stamina myself, and with my play style, I wouldn't want to be without it. I also have Assault and Tactics from Leadership, so I've intentionally saddled myself with optional toggles, and I pay the price for it. I should also note that I've also found 3 slotted Health to be helpful. Sure it's not much health regen, but since I chose not to take the Medicine pool it's nice to have something. Health won't save me from a fast rate of incoming damage, but it does help to reduce downtime. Personally, I feel the fitness pool is worthwhile for Grav/TA, but I have no doubt that someone who doesn't wish to take it can still play effectively.
Other pool powers that could work well with Grav/TA are Medicine, Leadership, and Concealment (I'm leaving out Fighting and Presence as they're not well suited to a ranged controller). Aid Self will help your survivability and reduce downtime. Medicine is certainly not required, as your control makes you very survivable as is; but there's nothing wrong with some supplemental healing. Leadership is another good choice for a controller, and it's the route I went with my Grav/TA. I took Assault and Tactics. Assault may be a minor damage buff, but extra damage is always welcome. The to-hit buff from Tactics is my real reason for taking Leadership. I spent most of my time on eight person invincible teams, and the extra accuracy from Tactics was valuable to the whole team, especially when fighting higher level mobs. Tactics also has +perception, making it useful for PvP. Finally, Concealment is a decent choice as well. Stealth should stack with the -perception from Flash Arrow for stealthing missions. This may be most useful solo or for small team play. In any case, your choice of pool powers should help you to round out your character, and be tailored to your own needs and play style.
Ancillary (Epic) Pool Powers
The ancillary pool options for controllers are Fire Mastery, Ice Mastery, Stone Mastery, Primal Forces Mastery, and Psionic Mastery. I wont go into the details of all the sets, but I will point out that the two sets that best compliment Grav/TA are Fire and Primal Forces. As you have many ways to set up AoE containment, Fire Ball from Fire will give you excellent AoE damage (as well as lighting your Oil Slick). Fire also has a decent single target attack, Fire Blast; a shield that protects against smashing, lethal, fire and cold damage; and Consume, which is a PBAoE endurance recovery power (which may not be the best choice for a ranged play style).
Primal Forces is a good choice for its utility more than its damage. Conserve Power and Power Boost are the gems of this set. If you chose not to take Stamina, or if you have endurance issues, the endurance discount from Conserve Power will be a welcome benefit. Power Boost will increase the duration of your controls and the power of your debuffs. This is your best high level power choice for increasing your control. Primal Forces also has a single target attack (that will light your Oil Slick), and a smashing/lethal shield.
I should also note that the Psionic set is a fine choice for the mez protection from Indomitable Will, and the AoE damage from Psionic Tornado. It may not be as much damage as Fire Ball, but it's decent damage with containment. Psionic also has a shield with smashing, lethal and psionic resistance; and a very slow single target attack, Mental Blast.
Build
Here is my own build at level 50. I'm going to be upfront and say that I don't recommend this build from level 1 though. In the early levels, the combo of extra containment and Propel make Grav/TA an excellent damage dealer for a controller; and honestly, I think it will be easier for most players to capitalize on that early-on and then respec into a control-heavy build later. In my early days, I myself took Air Superiority to supplement my attack chain, and played like a scrap-troller. I also skipped the Fitness pool initially. I respeced at level 24 into Stamina and out of my extra attacks.
It's also worth taking a moment to mention that differences in playstyle cause huge differences in build needs. I'm of course, presenting this information based on my own playstyle, which is heavily team oriented. Not only am I team oriented, but I'm in a large SG, play often with real life friends, and I'm active in the Victory community. I've teamed 99% of the time with this character, and I've only ever joined a pickup team once. That's right, one pickup team in 50 levels, and I only joined them because they were begging and pleading for a controller. The rest of the time I played on teams of SG-mates, coalition-mates, and friends. (I should also point out that I *played* all 50 levels. There was no PLing, farming, bridging, or any similar activities involved).
Now I'm not saying that Grav/TA can't be played solo, or on small teams, or on PuGs, etc... On the contrary, the very rare times I did solo it was fine. It's just that my power choices are based on my own play style. I assume that everyone else will weigh power choices against their own play styles as well. So if you want to take the medicine pool for extra survivability, or the fire epic for more damage, or you want to skip half the powers I took, go for it! It's your toon after all, and you should build it based on your own concept.
[/b]Level: 50
Archetype: Controller
Primary: Gravity Control
Secondary: Trick Arrow
-----------*------------------------------*----
01) --> Crush==> Acc*(1)Dmg*(3)Dmg*(17)Dmg(37)
01) --> Entangling Arrow==> Acc*(1)
02) --> Gravity Distortion==> EndopExp(2)EndopExp(3)Hold(5)Rechg(5)Rechg(7)Rechg(7)
04) --> Glue Arrow==> Rechg(4)Rechg(9)Rechg(9)Range(11)
06) --> Propel==> Acc*(6)Dmg*(11)Dmg(13)Dmg(15)Range(19)
08) --> Hasten==> Rechg(8)Rechg(13)Rechg(15)
10) --> Hover==> Fly*(10)Fly*(19)Fly(33)
12) --> Ice Arrow==> Acc*(12)Hold(17)Hold (34)Hold (36)Rechg (37)Rechg(37)
14) --> Fly==> MicroExp(14)Fly*(31)Fly(33)
16) --> Swift==> Fly(16)
18) --> Gravity Distortion Field==> Acc*(18)Acc*(21)Hold (21)Hold (23)Rechg(23)Rechg(25)
20) --> Health==> Heal(20)Heal(46)Heal(46)
22) --> Stamina==> EndMod(22)EndMod(25)EndMod(27)
24) --> Assault==> EndRdx(24)EndRdx(40)
26) --> Wormhole==> EndopExp(26)EndopExp(27)Range(29)Range(29)Rechg(31)Rechg(31)
28) --> Tactics==> EndRdx(28)EndRdx(42)TH_Buf(43)TH_Buf(43)TH_Buf(43)
30) --> Acid Arrow==> LysosExp(30)Rechg(46)
32) --> Singularity==> PeroxExp(32)PeroxExp(33)PeroxExp(34)Acc(34)
35) --> Oil Slick Arrow==> Rechg(35)Rechg(36)Rechg(36)
38) --> EMP Arrow==> EndopExp(38)EndopExp(39)Hold(39)Rechg(39)Rechg(40)Rechg(40)
41) --> Indomitable Will==> Rechg(41)Rechg(42)Rechg(42)
44) --> Mind Over Body==> EndRdx(44)DmgRes(45)DmgRes(45)DmgRes(45)
47) --> Psionic Tornado==> Acc*(47)Dmg*(48)Dmg(48)Dmg(48)Rechg(50)EndRdx(50)
49) --> Disruption Arrow==> Rechg(49)Rechg(50)
Other Resources[/color]
Here are some other guides you may find helpful for a more in-depth look at numbers:
Arinara's Gravity Guide
Luminara's Trick Arrow Guide
Enantiodromos ' Guide to Choosing your Controller