awesome guide. good to know that GI doesn't adversely affect a tank's aggro keeping ability.
most recent 50 - psy/mm blaster
You have put together a nice quick summary, but I have to say that I disagree with a lot of your recommendations. I think a guide should review and compare the common practices, and explain when you recommend going one way over another. Give people more information than just your opinion.
Spectral Wounds -- you don't explain the heal-back, and how important it is to slot up this power quickly because of it. It is important to understand that if the foe is not defeated, a substantial amount of damage heals back. However, the damage done due to Damage enhancement does not heal back. The heal-back makes it appear that SW does not get full containment damage, because containment is calculated on the base damage after the heal-back.
You have SW slotted with 2 Acc, and that's not bad, but since SW has a 10% accuracy bonus, I find that most of the time, 1 Acc is enough. I put that extra slot in as a second recharge. Why? It allows me to fire off Blind, and then SW twice before Blind is recharged. It works even better when you get the APP blasts, as you can go Blind-SW-Blast-SW.
Blind: You have it slotted for damage, while most experienced Illusionists recommend slotting Blind with 2 Acc, 2 Rech, 2 Hold. If you are a solo-oriented Illusionist, damage is fine, but for teams, greater control is needed. I didn't put Damage in Blind until I got Hami-O's. The longer hold is more important than damage for team play.
Deceive: This is a hot-button topic for me and many others -- there has been a recent thread where Deceive and people's perception of it has been discussed extensively. You don't discuss the details of the power, and why it is so good (or bad, depending upon your point-of-view). You don't even mention that if your deceived target fully defeats one of his buddies, you and your team get no XP, but if you do some damage, then you and your team get a greater percentage of the XP than the percentage of damage you have done. (You do 50% of the damage, you get 80% of the XP.) Some feel Deceive is skippable, some feel it is situational, while others, including me, consider Deceive to be a "use it all the time" power, to, in effect, give you a second single-target hold, plus. Deceive can save you and your team from debt and help you get earn XP faster. Or, if you use it wrongly, Deceive can result in you losing XP.
I like to slot up Deceive. While it has a 20% accuracy bonus, it is one of the best powers to use against high level foes and even AV's. It lasts a lot longer than Blind, has higher accuracy, the same activation time and a slightly shorter recharge. Unfortunately, Deceive does not set up Containment. It is effective with just an accuracy in the default slot, but if I have the slots, I try to slot it with 2 Acc, 2 Confuse, 2 Recharge.
Flash is another hotly debated power. I generally recommend getting it, but waiting until Level 28 or 30, after Spectral Terror, and at a point when you have the slots needed to make it decent. Flash is Illusion's only power that sets up AoE containment, so it very effective with AoE damage powers like Fireball or Ice Storm.
Group Invis: The three Defense in GI is a waste of slots -- the defense is so small that it is just not worth it. GI needs 2-3 Recharge, but won't be perma until after you get SO's.
Phantom Army: You left out a lot of important detail, like the fact that the PA are invincible to everything except Hamidon, cannot be buffed, and the nature of PA's illusory damage. Pilcrow's PA guide recommends that PA be slotted 1 Acc, 3 Dam, 2 Rech, as the third Recharge only reduces the recharge by a few seconds, but the third Damage enhancement adds a lot more damage. Also, a lot of the unenhanced damage done is illusory, so it will heal back in a few seconds if the foe is not defeated. Also, PA's damage looks like various different types of damage, but is actually all Psi. Some people, especially solo'ers, rely upon PA for damage, but it can be one of the best control powers in the game, too. Your estimated recharge time is too short. The unslotted recharge is 240 sec., and with 3 SO's, that changes it to just over 2 minutes (One minute after it expires.) Hasten will shorten that to about 45-50 seconds.
Spectral Terror has become the second best power in the Illusion set. It is one of two AoE options, but does not set up containment. It is so good because it recharges as fast as its duration. However, it is an immobile pet, so a recharge lets you re-cast it somewhere else a little sooner. I like to slot it 1 Acc to start, then 1 Fear, 1 Rech when I have slots to spare.
Phantasm: You don't mention the huge complaint about Phantasm -- his knockback. I have had a couple of Tanks ask me not to used Phantasm because they did no want to deal with his knockback. Phant is a great pet with the second best damage among the Controller pets, but you have to learn to deal with the knockback.
As for the summary of the secondaries, I feel that Rad and TA have the best synergy with Illusion, as both have a lot of Debuffs. Since PA cannot be buffed, only debuffs will provide a benefit for Phantom Army. Kin only helps with the recharge, using Siphon Speed. Kin, Emp, FF and Sonic are mainly buff sets, and buffs are useless for PA, Illusion's most important power. Also, Rad and TA have additonal control powers that help to fill Illusion's weakness for control.
Ill/Emp is very popular as a battlefield healer, due to SI. Ill/Storm is a complex combination that can be very effective in the hands of a skilled player, or can be pure chaos otherwise. Tal_N has an awesome guide to Ill/Storm.
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Guide Links: Earth/Rad Guide, Illusion/Rad Guide, Electric Control
I know this post doesn't touch on IOs, but I just wanted to throw in my two inf that you're really wasting slot "real estate" by slotting SI and GI with defense.
There are a number of special IOs that can be slotted in any power that takes defense enhancements. While they're expensive, that doesn't mean they're not something to aim for. For example:
knockback protection
global ToHit
global recharge
Hell even run speed is better than slotting up GI/SI with defense
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You have put together a nice quick summary, but I have to say that I disagree with a lot of your recommendations. I think a guide should review and compare the common practices, and explain when you recommend going one way over another. Give people more information than just your opinion.
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Thanks for your opinion. This was a general guide aimed at first timers. There are a lot more specific guides out there. I went with the basics on purpose. Not everyone has been playing for 3 years like you and I...
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I know this post doesn't touch on IOs, but I just wanted to throw in my two inf that you're really wasting slot "real estate" by slotting SI and GI with defense.
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Read my signature. I abhor the entire Invention system. Covering IOs in a guide would be a waste as figuring out IOs is an event onto itself.
BALANCE IS A NERF
Liberty Server
@Energy Aura and @Ill Conceived on Global
Han Solo: [laughs] Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good BLASTER at your side, kid.
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Blind: You have it slotted for damage, while most experienced Illusionists recommend slotting Blind with 2 Acc, 2 Rech, 2 Hold. If you are a solo-oriented Illusionist, damage is fine, but for teams, greater control is needed. I didn't put Damage in Blind until I got Hami-O's. The longer hold is more important than damage for team play.
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I have to disagree with this entire statement. Damage is more important then control when you are dealing with a single target. I take down my target in the same time a scrapper does on a team, and I take no or little damage in the process. Blind is spamable with HASTEN, so why not slot for damage. It's not like you are going to single target BLIND an entire mob while a team fights.
BALANCE IS A NERF
Liberty Server
@Energy Aura and @Ill Conceived on Global
Han Solo: [laughs] Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good BLASTER at your side, kid.
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Superior Invisibility
Level 8
Type of power: Self Stealth (Toggle)
Youre impossible to detect, with a high Defense bonus. You can only execute powers that affect yourself.
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Just a correction here. with superior invis active you can do everythign normally. you are not limited to powers that only affect yourself while it is active.
Wokka, he might of ment that if you do attack, you will blow your cover (even though it is still on, and you get a (small?) defense bonus). Or he might not of... lol.
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Phantasm: You don't mention the huge complaint about Phantasm -- his knockback. I have had a couple of Tanks ask me not to used Phantasm because they did no want to deal with his knockback. Phant is a great pet with the second best damage among the Controller pets, but you have to learn to deal with the knockback.
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Another note to add, is the phantasms range. you can be just out of range of site from a mob, but the Phant can send out an energy torrent and bring the whole group in on you. Be very careful with the pet, and learn your distances. Aside from that, I love the Illusion set. My first 50 was Ill/Emp.
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The BIG misconception about this power is that it takes away a Tankers aggro keeping power. NOT TRUE. As a matter of fact if you Invis an Invuln Tank with this and he has all his toggles running the inherent Taunt will get them the aggro just like normal. The added Defense is a nice bonus too.
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A misconception about a percieved misconception. (try saying that 3 times fast)
Ok, how does the AI choose a target from a crowd of enemies? Ever wondered why the blasters take aggro from across the room. Why that tanker is keeping enemies so close to them? There are a number of factors which define who the AI chooses to target over another, they are:
Distance to target.
Threat multiplier of target. (AT specific)
Damage target is causing to 'me'.
Visibility of target.
Taunt value.
Now if you have two targets standing next to each other and the AI just aggro'd to them both it'll weigh up these values. A tanker standing next to a defender has a much higher chance of being chosen since it has a higher 'threat value' than the defender. If the tanker however is further away and invisible then the AI will choose to attack the defender.
Thus any kind of change to the stealth value of a npc or player means they are less likely to be attacked compared to a nearer or more visible target. Tankers maintain close range aggro due to gauntlet and their taunt auras, however targets outside of that area will quite happily choose a more visible target. So you can see, GI works against the tankers ability to hold and attract aggro.
I only picked GI so I could slot a LotG recharge proc in it. I never use the power. Then again in another controller I five-slotted Brawl so I could get the Crushing Impact recharge bonus, so...
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Hi, nice guide... But just had to comment on one area. You suggested:
"Empathy
Potential: Superior Teaming and Medium Solo
Discussion: Buffs for yourself and pets when solo and teamed. With Illusion as a Primary, dont get caught up in the Secondary. Stick to the things you can use when solo and slot your Primary first. If you want to be a Healer, roll a defender. The green numbers are better and you wont be wasting a great Primary. Although it is a solid Secondary, it wont make you UBER."
I have to dissagree. I have soloed much of the 30's with my ill/emp set on invincible amd rarely even take damage. When soloing I currently average 2000-3500 exp per min...and can do so at a fairly relaxed pace. That seems pretty "UBBER" to me.
Just my thoughts
Issue 9 Illusion Controller Guide
This guide is a composite of all the Illusion Controllers I run. I have several of the secondaries (4 currently) and Im planning at least 2 more. I play some like scrappers and others like blasters. To me this is by far the most useful and powerful (versatile too) Primary in the game, hopefully you will see why.
ILLUSION CONTROL
Spectral Wounds
Level 1
Type of power: Ranged Attack (Click)
Description: Target takes illusionary damage. If the victim survives, the illusion fades and some of the wounds heal.
Editorial: Heavy Damage, quick recharge and low end usage. This is one of 2 powers available heading into the Outbreak. This is especially nice if you farm for the badge in Outbreak as it has a bit more damage than Blind. It is also you bread and butter damage attack from 1-50 (first of 2).
Recommendation: Must Have
Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Endurance Reduction or Recharge Duration.
Blind
Level 1
Type of power: Ranged Hold/Attack (Click)
Description: Target is Held and takes damage. Other nearby foes may also be Blinded, but escape if attacked.
Editorial: Nice Damage, quick recharge and low end usage. This is your second (and last) bread and butter damage attack from 1-50. This is the cornerstone of your one-two punch. Blind Spectral Wounds Rinse and Repeat
Recommendation: Must Have
Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Endurance Reduction or Recharge Duration.
Deceive
Level 2
Type of power: Ranged Attack (no damage) (Click)
Target attacks his allies. If executed before you are seen, you remain unnoticed. No experience for targets victims.
This is touted a lot as a Swiss Army Knife power. I dropped it on 2 or my builds (/Rad and /Kin) as they kill too fast to even bother. However, while I did have it, I used it not on combatants, but on the support enemies. Tsoo Sorcerers, Banished Storm Shamans, Sky Raider FF Generators, Rikti Guardians and Crey Radiologists are favorites. Their buffs now work for you. This is also a power that causes no aggro and thus will allow you to get the buffs running before the fight.
Slotting: 1 Accuracy
Flash
Level 6
Type of power: AoE Hold (no damage) (Click)
Blinds nearby foes. Flashed foes are rendered help-less and unable to defend themselves.
Another power that I can live without, although it does come in handy as an Oh, [censored] power. Doesnt have the duration or the recharge to be a mainstay of an Ill/ build. This is also our shortcoming as an AT, a so-so AoE hold and no AoE damage. So if you take it, use it for protection situations, but you could live without it.
Slotting: 2 Accuracy (2 Hold, 2 Recharge for added usage)
Superior Invisibility
Level 8
Type of power: Self Stealth (Toggle)
Youre impossible to detect, with a high Defense bonus. You can only execute powers that affect yourself.
I love this power. 99% of stuff in the game will never see you. I stand next to AVs and dance all the time. The 1% of stuff that can see you, Rikti Drones. They will see right through you.
Slotting: 3 Endurance Reduction (3 Defense Buff if you can afford the slots)
Group Invisibility
Level 12
Type of power: AoE Stealth (Click)
You and nearby teammates are very hard to detect. Less powerful than Superior Invisibility, but affects group.
I have recently changed my mind on this power. I was running Superior Invisibility 24/7 and realized I didnt need to. With Group Invisibility you can Invis the whole team and allow them to position themselves for quick mob exploitation. Also great for stealthing missions. The BIG misconception about this power is that it takes away a Tankers aggro keeping power. NOT TRUE. As a matter of fact if you Invis an Invuln Tank with this and he has all his toggles running the inherent Taunt will get them the aggro just like normal. The added Defense is a nice bonus too.
Slotting: 2 Recharge, 3 Defense Buff
Phantom Army
Level 18
Type of power: Targeted Pet Summon (Click)
3 Phantoms attack target. They arent real and cannot be destroyed; their damage is like Spectral Wounds.
This is the reason to make a Ill/ controller. Pets at level 18. These chaps (and ladies) are awesome. The Tank, the Blast, and they hold aggro. Turn your mission difficulty to Invincible and solo to your hearts content. They last about a minute and with 3 Recharge SOs they are down for about 20-30 seconds.
Slotting: 3 Recharge, 1 Accuracy, 2 Damage
Spectral Terror
Level 26
Type of power: Targeted AoE Fear Pet (Click)
All foes run away from illusionary spectre in Fear, and will not return until the illusion is gone.
Although Spectral Terror doesnt set up Containment, it is available 100% of the time with an overlap and no Recharge Enhancements. Great for damage mitigation. Great accompaniment for Phantom Army.
Slotting: 2 Accuracy (1 Fear)
Phantasm
Level 32
Type of power: Targeted Pet Summon (Click)
Powerful Phantasm is real, and can be healed and buffed. The Phantasm can summon illusionary duplicates.
One of the best pets in the game. He is invisible and wont drag aggro when moving with him out. His attacks are Energy Blaster types (Energy Bolt, Energy Blast and Energy Torrent). Excellent damage and very resilient.
Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage
SECONDARY POOL
How I rated Potential:
Basically any of the Secondaries can make an Illusion Controller awesome in the right players hands. How I determined the Potential was I first looked at the Protection, Recovery (both Health and Endurance), Buffs/De-Buffs, versatility and ease of use of the set for an average player. I then looked at this usage when teamed (assuming a well rounded team) and solo. And last, the ability for a first time Controller to use the set without much trial and error. Remember, these are Secondaries and not Primaries like a Defender. They should enhance our Primary and not become the Primary themselves.
Empathy
Potential: Superior Teaming and Medium Solo
Discussion: Buffs for yourself and pets when solo and teamed. With Illusion as a Primary, dont get caught up in the Secondary. Stick to the things you can use when solo and slot your Primary first. If you want to be a Healer, roll a defender. The green numbers are better and you wont be wasting a great Primary. Although it is a solid Secondary, it wont make you UBER.
Force Field
Potential: Superior Teaming and Medium Solo
Discussion: Your typical protection set, or is it? Bubbles for your Phantasm and Mez Protection for you and your team. This set is a good way to go if you go the scrap-troller route. With the Defense bonus from Dispersion Bubble, Superior Invisibility and Group Invisibility, you will have about the Defense a Luck Inspiration at all times. Not bad these days post Defense nerf.
Kinetics
Potential: Superior Teaming and Superior Solo
Discussion: This is one of two UBER Secondaries (IMO) for any controller. Really only 1 power (Repel) that doesnt have a use. Here in one package you have health and endurance recovery, individual and team buffs from increased damage to Travel Power alternatives. The de-buff from Kinetics is OK, but its the buffs that make your damage shine. Containment for APP no longer works, but who needs it when you can Fulcrum Shift and entire mob and cap your damage output.
Radiation Emission
Potential: Superior Teaming and Superior Solo
Discussion: This is the second of the 2 UBER Secondaries (opinion again). This time instead of increasing our damage, we de-buff the enemy. Rad is not a necessity for AVs or GWs but it sure makes the fight a lot easier and quicker. Also this gives you the ability to solo AVs; yes I said it out loud. I requires a Shivian Temp Pet in addition, but you can do the Praetorian AVs solo.
Storm Summoning
Potential: Medium Teaming and Superior Solo
Discussion: I am sure I will get a lot of flaming over this, but I find Storm to be a bit anti-team. Everyone on the team has to know the effects and the /Storm controller has to be able to read the team. The de-buffs are great, dont get me wrong, this just isnt a Secondary that everyone can master.
Sonic Resonance
Potential: Superior Teaming and Medium Solo
Discussion: Ah, Rings This set is also a good way to go if you go the scrap-troller route. Similar to Force Field, this time Damage Resistance instead of Defense. This actually is a better route with an Illusion Controller than Force Field due to the Defense bonus from Superior Invisibility and Group Invisibility. Now add a fair amount of Damage Resistance on top of that, so now you get hit less and take less damage. Throw in a targeted friend AoE Resistance de-buff and an AoE Hold/Knockdown with damage and now you have AoE Containment and AoE damage.
Trick Arrow
Potential: Medium Team and Medium Solo
Another potential for my guide to get flamed. This is the Swiss Army Knife secondary. You can do just about anything with this Secondary. Additional holds, AoE de-buffs, Oil Slick with the Fire APP gives you a great AoE damage tool. To me though, this is a very busy secondary, and would require a bit of effort to master fully.
POOL POWERS
Concealment
Our powers are way better and are in our Primary. Why waste a Pool on something you already have?
Fighting
If you go the scrap-troller route, you might want boxing, but the benefits of Tough and Weave really dont pay for the use of a Pool and the amount of slots.
Fitness
Yes Most defiantly Without a doubt You were considering NOT taking??? Swift or Hurdle, Health and Stamina are a must for almost EVERY Hero out there. Regen not withstanding.
Flight
Option one for travel power. Air Superiority gives you a nice soft control (knockdown) power with very respectable damage. Makes scrap-trollering a lot of fun and very survivable. Flight plus Swift gives you good speed and mobility indoors and out. It also meshes nice with the your Phantasm as he flys.
Leadership
Hmmm Fire/Kin Controller YES Illusion Controller, not too sure. Tactics for PvP specialization or some other build specific purpose, but overall it doesnt add enough benefit in my opinion.
Leaping
Second travel power option. Really great possibilities when paired with FF or Sonic. Combat Jumping and Acrobatics in addition to the Big Bubble/Ring. Now you are really a solid scrap-troller. Just watch out for Stuns.
Medicine
Another fine addition to the 4 Secondaries with no self heal. And you get a team buff in addition to a self heal. Note: Slotting Aid Self with 2 Interrupt Reductions will let you heal even while affected by most DoTs.
Presence
Dont even consider this. You arent resilient enough to Taunt, and our Fear Power is much better. /ignore
Speed
Third option for a travel power. Actually a good choice. I recommend Hasten for ALL Illusion Controllers. In addition, you can pick up Flurry (nice DoT damage and chance to disorient). This is a very viable option if you are Kinetics.
Teleportation
Fourth option for a travel power. This is also a viable choice as Recall Friend allows you to stealth a mission and bring the team to you.
CONCLUSION
Just some parting thoughts:
Stamina and Hasten are almost required to be effective.
Air Superiority, Boxing or Flurry add another attack to your chain and if you dont have a Veteran Reward Power you might want 2 or all 3 to fill out an attack chain. All Pool Power attacks also take Containment double damage bonus.
Initiating with PA will 99% of the time give you a successful defeat of a mob.
Dont feel like you need to take all the Primary Powers. Flash and Deceive are easily by-passed if you are building to a specific end state as well as one of the Invisibilities.
I hope my insights help new players and enlighten old players. There are many ways to go with an Illusion Controller and they are all viable options.
Cheers
BALANCE IS A NERF
Liberty Server
@Energy Aura and @Ill Conceived on Global
Han Solo: [laughs] Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good BLASTER at your side, kid.