Elemental Chaos! The i10 Fire / Storm Controller
By
Arashi,
Posted on: 2007-07-27 05:44 in Player Guides
Part 3: Fire Control
Fire Control has a bad reputation as a set with poor control, and that reputation is not entirely undeserved. Though 8 out of 9 of the powers in Fire/ are controls (with the 9th being Fire Imps), and the 2 Immobilizations, 2 Holds, and 1 Disorient in this list are pretty much par for the course, the remaining 3 powers (Smoke, Hot Feet and Bonfire) are relatively difficult to use for damage mitigation. However, Fire/ in the right hands can still do a lot to keep the bad guys busy. It also combines beautifully with the relatively control-heavy Storm secondary to give you some form of area control, hard or soft, for every situation you could come across.
One disadvantage of Fire/ is that most of its powers have a small damage component, so you can be sure youll be picking up lots of aggro. What makes this worse is that the damage is doled out over time. Without good aggro-control on your team, or if you attack before aggro can be managed, you are almost guaranteed to take a lot of damage in retaliation. On the other hand, all this damage you do does add up, especially when Containment is factored in. Fire is also not that commonly resisted. These truths make soloing at the higher levels go just that little bit faster - if you can stay alive, that is.
Note 1: This guide uses information from City of Data. Therefore, damage is listed not in Brawl Index numbers but in terms of actual damage done at level 50.
Note 2: Non-set slotting recommendations assume the use of level 50 common IOs. For sets, do not restrict yourself to level 50 IOs. Level 30-35 IOs are only a hair less effective than level 50 IOs, as I have explained in this thread.
Level 1: Ring of Fire
Type: Single Target, Ranged
Accuracy: +20%
Endurance cost: 7.8
Activation: 1.2 sec
Recharge: 4 sec
Range: 80 ft
Duration: 27.9 sec
Damage: 5 ticks of 6.73 Fire (33.65 total)
Effects: Immobilize Mag 4, -Fly (15 sec), -KB (15 sec)
Max targets hit: 1
Rating: 
in the early game, when your attack chain grows more complete
Until level 8, Ring of Fire ties with Char for most damaging primary set power. But RoF recharges twice as quickly as Char and costs a bit less endurance, and is therefore clearly the better damage dealer. Some people take it at level 2 (I strongly suggest taking Char at level 1) and respec out of it when better powers come along, which is a fair strategy.
Note that Ring of Fire is Mag 4. This means you can Immob a Boss and some AVs with a single application of RoF (other AVs and EBs require either 2 Rings or 1 RoF with 1 Fire Cages). While I don't see Boss Immob as a very high priority task for the multi-mezzing Troller, this is the only hard control in the Fire/Storm's repertoire that would immediately have an effect on an AV with the Purple Triangles of Doom pointing up.
Kinesia informs me that Ring of Fire is actually rather useful in PvP. Considering how many Breakfrees PvPers tend to pack, fast-cycling, highly accurate single-target status stackers are arguably more useful than slow-activating, slow-recharging mass mezzes. I estimate this power would rate 4 smilies in PvP.
Also, if you're going for an Earth APP Perma-Stun build (see section 8), RoF is a better choice than Char.
Slotting:
Non-set: 1 Acc, 0-2 EndRdx, 0-2 Recharge, 0-2 Damage
Set: If you do take this power, you will want to stack it often for damage and Immob. Its base Immob duration is long enough that you will not need to slot for that. Increasing its Damage and lowering its End cost are priorities, so go with the Ranged Damage sets. Good choices include:
- Devastation: global Regen, Damage; Hold chance
- Thunderstrike: global Recovery, Accuracy and Defence
- Decimation: global +MaxEnd, Recharge; Build Up chance
- Entropic Chaos: global Regen, +MaxEnd, Recharge; Heal chance
Level 1: Char
Type: Single Target, Ranged
Accuracy: +20%
Endurance cost: 8.53
Activation: 1.1 sec
Recharge: 8 sec
Range: 80 ft
Duration: 22.4 sec
Damage: 5 ticks of 6.73 Fire (33.65 total)
Effects: Hold Mag 3
Max targets hit: 1
Rating:
Ah, Char. Now were talking. Take this power at level 1, slot it, use it, love it. Its your standard fast-cycling single-target hold, and youll be relying on it through your entire superhero career. By itself, it can hold a Minion or a Lieutenant. Stacked on itself (which is where the recharges come in) or on top of Cinders, it renders Bosses helpless.
Char does about 1.5 times the damage of Brawl and will be one of your primary mob-killing tools early on. Its damage pales in comparison to that of other powers available later on, but youll still find that the slivers of health it burns from mobs will help to finish them off just that little bit more quickly.
Char has an inherent accuracy bonus. If you choose to run Tactics and dont ever want to fight anything stronger than an even-con, you might consider not slotting for Accuracy at all. I like to be able to hold +5s though, so I used to have both Accuracy and Tactics pre-I9.
Slotting:
Non-set: 0-1 Acc, 0-2 EndRdx, 2 Hold, 1-2 Recharge
Set: I would normally recommend slotting this for Hold duration as you will want to stack this on Bosses to keep them placid. When you face multiple Bosses, Char's base duration will not be quite enough to keep them all perma-Held. Ghost Widows Embrace is particularly good for its +MaxEnd global bonus.
Level 2: Fire Cages
Type: Targeted AoE
Accuracy: -10%
Endurance cost: 15.6
Activation: 1.0 sec
Recharge: 8 sec
Range: 80 ft (30 ft radius)
Duration: 27.9 sec
Damage: 3 ticks of 3.36 Fire (10.08 total)
Effects: Immobilize Mag 3, -Fly (12 sec), -KB (12 sec)
Max targets hit: 16
Rating: by itself, in combination with FF and other powers
Fire Cages do not do much by themselves except piss off the bad guys. Early on, solo, youll only use this power to keep your foes at bay (ranged attacks tend to hurt a little less than melee moves) and set up Containment. Once youve picked up Flash Fire, however, the Fire Cages power becomes the second part of the famous Fire/ one-two combo (refer to the Flash Fire entry in this section). Take this power and slot it up. Its expensive to use, so put in at least one EndRdx. Recharge enhancements are not strictly necessary; I used to have them in on Eldandil in order to quickly stack Immob on bosses. FC does not need Immob enhancements. It lasts really long and you could always stack it if you need it to last longer.
Note that Fire Cages will immobilise foes as well as ground them and prevent them from being Knocked Back. Therefore, on a Knock Back-heavy team, you could use FC to keep the bad guys clustered. This power also works beautifully in conjunction with a Blasters rain attacks or a Fire Tankers Burn patch.
Also, if you intend to keep Hot Feet on and to stay in melee range, you may not need Fire Cages to keep Disoriented mobs from wandering away.
Slotting:
Non-set: 2 Acc, 0-2 Recharge, 1-2 EndRdx
Set: The damage component of this power is pathetic, so most people go with Immob sets. May I suggest:
- Rooting Grasp: Damage, Recharge
- Enfeebled Operation: Recharge, Defence
- Trap of the Hunter: its Damage Proc would by itself improve the average damage of this power by 150%
- Debilitative Action: if you plan to layer FC frequently, the Disorient Proc in this set would work quite nicely to keep things mezzed in combination with your other Stuns
Level 6: Smoke
Type: Targeted AoE
Accuracy: no modifier
Endurance cost: 7.8
Activation: 1.2 sec
Recharge: 30 sec
Range: 80 ft (35 ft radius)
Duration: 60 sec
Damage: none
Effects: -90% Visibility, -5% Accuracy
Max targets hit: 16
Rating:
The nice thing about Smoke is that it lowers enemy Perception radius by 90%. Coupled with some sort of Stealth power (like /Storms Steamy Mist), Smoke renders you practically invisible to mobs. It also does not alert the enemy to your presence whether you hit or miss with it, which means you could stand at its maximum range and keep Smoking the enemy until you succeed.
Unfortunately, its Accuracy Debuff component is rather weak. Dont count on Smoke saving your life, though of course every bit of effective Defence helps. If you take this power, take it as a means to attain ghetto invisibility and just put one Acc in there. Or you could instead squeeze a little more Debuff out of it with one enhancement in that direction. In either case, dont bother adding slots here.
Slotting:
1 Acc or 1 AccDebuff
Level 8: Hot Feet
Type: Toggle, PBAoE
Accuracy: no modifier (but non-damage components are auto-hit)
Endurance cost: 2.08 / sec
Activation: 1.5 sec
Recharge: 20 sec
Range: self (20 ft radius)
Duration: N.A.
Damage: 7.65 Fire every 2 sec
Effects: -Fly, -87.5% RunSpd / JumpHeight / JumpSpeed
Max targets hit: 16
Rating:
Running Hot Feet puts a nice 2-second-pulse damage aura around you that also scares away, grounds and slows all the mobs around you (up to 16 at a time). While the damage isnt a lot, it benefits from Containment and really adds up against big spawns. If you mostly solo small spawns, however, this powers not quite so hot (again with the puns) especially considering its huge Endurance cost.
Note that you cannot activate this power while in the air. Hovering controllers should toggle up HF before leaving the ground.
Slotting:
Non-set: 1-2 Acc, 2 Dmg, 1-2 EndRdx, 0-1 Slow
Set: While going Slow isnt a bad idea, you will probably be using this power more for damage than as a Debuff. After all, with a Storm secondary you can add plenty of slow with either Snow Storm or Freezing Rain. Therefore, consider using damage sets and adding a Slow or Damage/Slow IO if you have a slot to spare.
- Cleaving Blow: Recovery, Damage
- Sciroccos Dervish: Regen, Defence; although its Damage Proc would only activate once every 10 seconds, the damage it would add to HF is still significant
- Impeded Swiftness: yes, I know this is a slow set, but it has a Damage Proc that would be quite nice in this power
Level 12: Flash Fire
Type: Targeted AoE
Accuracy: -20%
Endurance cost: 15.6
Activation: 2.4 sec
Recharge: 90 sec
Range: 70 ft (25 ft radius)
Duration: 14.9 sec
Damage: 4 ticks of 1.84 Fire (7.36 total)
Effects: Disorient Mag 3
Max targets hit: 16
Rating:
This power makes up the other half of your one-two ghetto hold. Flash Fire disorients up to 16 mobs in a large area at range, rendering them incapable of taking any action except stagger aimlessly about. However, there is a bug that often causes Disoriented mobs to slide away at amazing speeds, so Fire Cages is useful to keep them all rooted in place. A slow like Hot Feet, Freezing Rain or Snow Storm may be used in place of Fire Cages, though of course only FC's control is total.
The Flash Fire + Fire Cages combo is available more often than Cinders. Also, unless youre right in their faces, mobs tend not to react to you until youve hit them with Flash Fire. If all goes right, their only valid response would be to walk dazedly around. This is probably the safest mass-mezz in your arsenal.
To lock down everything up to and including Bosses, follow up FF with Thunder Clap from your Storm secondary. The two combine for a total Stun Magnitude of 5, which means that nothing in that spawn is going to be doing anything to your team mates for a while.
With 2 common Recharge IOs, FF pops every 49 seconds. That means you should be able to use it on every 2nd or 3rd group you come across solo or on a fast team. Youd wish it would cycle more quickly, but this slow recharge also means that youd have a reason to use your other mezzes during the fights its down. 
Slotting:
Non-set: 2 Acc, 2 Disorient, 2 Recharge
Set: Flash Fire does very little damage and doesnt last that long. Disorient sets are highly recommended.
- Stupefy: Recovery, Recharge, Defence
- Razzle Dazzle: Recovery, Defence
- Stagger: Recharge
- Rope A Dope: Regen
Level 18: Cinders
Type: PBAoE
Accuracy: -20%
Endurance cost: 15.6
Activation: 1.1 sec
Recharge: 240 sec
Range: self (30 ft radius)
Duration: 14.9 sec
Damage: none
Effects: Hold Mag 3
Max targets hit: 16
Rating:
This would be your best tool if not for its terrible recharge time. As it is, even with 2 Recharge enhancements, youd only get to use it every 5 7 fights. Such being the case, some people recommend skipping this power altogether. Ive personally found this power to be of great utility as a panic button and as a Boss-stopper in tandem with Char.
Cinders is especially useful against Council Warwolves. Since the Wolves are highly resistant to both Immob and Slow, your usual Flash Fire + Fire Cages/Slow combo is going to scatter them like confetti. Cinders does not have this problem.
Slotting:
Non-set: 1-2 Acc, 2 Hold, 2 Recharge
Set: I wouldnt recommend spending too many slots on this power unless you have lots of slots to spare (yeah, right). 4 Ghost Widows Embrace IOs would add sufficiently to the utility of this power and also give a nice +MaxEnd bonus.
Level 26: Bonfire
Type: Targeted AoE
Accuracy: auto-hit
Endurance cost: 13
Activation: 3.1 sec
Recharge: 60 sec
Range: 70 ft (25 ft radius)
Duration: 45 sec
Damage: 13 ticks of 5.56 Fire (total 72.28) no Containment bonus
Effects: Knock Back
Max targets hit: 16
Rating:
Both Bonfires damage and knockback components are auto-hit. This makes it a great tool for blocking off doorways or for trapping enemies in corners. However, throw it onto your tank and youre going to get sworn at for the next few minutes.
The damage component of Bonfire looks fairly substantial too, even though it is done over time and doesnt get magnified by Containment. However, the strong Knock Back that it causes means that you can only use it for damage if you are willing to stack on Fire Cages every 12 seconds or if you only use it on mobs youve nudged into a corner with Hurricane. Ive tried it, and it was just too much work for too little gain. In the end, it just sat in my tray unused the Fire/Storm has too many better tools at his or her disposal and I eventually respecced out of it.
Slotting:
Non-set: 0-1 Recharge, 0-1 EndRdx, 0-2 Damage
Set: Dont waste too many set IOs here. Remember that Accuracy doesnt do anything for this power. In fact, if you are using it for soft control rather than for damage, dont use set IOs. If you want to do damage with it (good luck), try Positrons Blast for Recovery and Recharge, and for its Damage Proc.
Level 32: Fire Imps
Type: Pets (3)
Accuracy: +20%
Endurance cost: 26
Activation: 2.0 sec
Recharge: 240 sec
Range: 60 ft
Duration: until you zone or enter/leave a mish
Damage: each imp does 27.81 + 3 ticks of 11.12 Fire (total 61.17) every 4 sec no Containment bonus
Effects: none
Max targets hit: 1 each
Rating:
This power will turn you from a purely support character into a strong soloer. It summons three Fire Imps that just love to frolic with the bad guys and accidentally burn them to a crisp in the process. Out of the box, they have great accuracy and do much more damage than you are capable of yourself. Slotted with Damage enhancers, they become truly a force to be reckoned with.
In a team, Imps are great conversational pieces. Their antics will often get a chuckle out of your team mates. The damage they add and the aggro they absorb also make them valuable additions to the team.
The Imps have few HPs and little in the way of defences, however. I8 also saw an Imp nerf that made Imps appear at -1 level to you. Send them without backup into combat even against white-cons and theyre bound to get badly hurt or killed. They are best kept in reserve and only unleashed when you have the bad guys mezzed. Sometimes, however, it is worthwhile sending them in first to take the alpha. (More on this in section 7.)
Unfortunately, managing your Imps can be an exercise in frustration. You cannot control them directly, and all you can do is to move yourself and wait for them to follow. The little buggers have quite a long perception range and are very aggressive. Wander too near a mob and the three stooges would be off like rockets before you even had a chance to say, Oh, bleep! They reduce your scouting ability to zero, and if they are not tightly reined in (by you staying in the rear echelon of your team), they could very easily aggro multiple groups and cause a team wipe.
Slotting:
Non-set: 0-1 Acc, 3 Dmg, 0-3 Recharge
Set: The problem with the pet sets is that there isnt enough damage in any one set and heavily slotting for bonuses invariably leaves your imps significantly weakened in the kill em all department. You will want to combine set IOs with commons if youre looking to max out damage. In set slotting, look out for the following bonuses:
- Commanding Presence: Recovery, +MaxEnd
- Unquestioning Loyalty: +MaxEnd
- Blood Mandate: Recovery, Defence
The pet Resistance bonus IO in Sovereign Right, the pet Defence IO in Edict of the Master, and the Taunt/Placate Resistance IO in Commanding Presence are all tempting additions, but I would suggest putting these in your other pets so that you can max out your Imps damage. Hold on, Eldandil, what other pets? Why, your Storm pets, of course. Both Tornado and Lightning Storm can take pet set IOs. Storm is the only Controller secondary that gives you additional pet IO slotting choices.
Part 4: Storm Summoning
If you thought Fire Control had a bad rep, wait till you hear about Storms! Storm Summoning is a very fun, very useful set that gives control, buffing, debuffing, damage and healing. Its quite possibly the most difficult Controller secondary/ Defender primary to play well. Bad Stormies tend to use Gale, Tornado and Hurricane in ways that make their team mates tear their hair out. They Gale mobs away from the Tank and Scrapper, run into the middle of groups with Hurricane on, and happily throw Tornadoes out every chance they get. A bad Stormie could quite literally halve the entire teams XP gain rate by the team wipes they cause.
A good Stormie, on the other hand, is a holy terror to the bad guys. Learn to use your Storm powers wisely in combination with your Fire skills and you will be able to pull your team out of impossible situations. Of course, they probably wouldnt realise just how much you had to do with them surviving miraculously, but youd know, and that should be enough.
Level 1: Gale
Type: Cone (80 deg)
Accuracy: -10%
Endurance cost: 7.8
Activation: 2.2 sec
Recharge: 8 sec
Range: 50 ft
Duration: N.A.
Damage: 3.06 Smashing
Effects: Knock Back
Max targets hit: 16
Rating: if you Hover, if you dont
As a Troller, you have no choice but to take this power. But fret not, this is a pretty good power. You dont even have to add slots to it either.
Gale does practically no damage at all, but it has a strong 100% knockback component (if you hit) that you can use to reposition mobs and/or take them momentarily out of the fight. With the ragdoll physics in the game, a foe that gets knocked down will take maybe three seconds to climb to its feet. That may be all the time you need for Char to pop so that you can lock it down.
If you Fly or Hover, you can use Gale from above a target in the air or on a ledge to knock it straight down towards ground and your waiting team mates (though a -Fly like Snow Storm, Ring of Fire or Fire Cages would be more efficient in the case of flying targets). If a mob wanders out of a Debuff zone or away from the tank, you can circle around and Gale him right back into the thick of the action (make sure you know the range and knock back distance of your Gale though).
There's also the tactic of starting a fight with Gale. More on this in section 7.
Just be circumspect in your use of Gale. Using it thoughtlessly could very quickly incur the wrath of your fellow heroes. Since this power has such a strong Knock Back already, I do not recommend the use of Knock Back enhancers except for laughs. Remember, the key word here is finesse.
Slotting:
1 Acc
Level 2: O2 Boost
Type: Single Ally, Ranged
Accuracy: N.A.
Endurance cost: 13
Activation: 2.3 sec
Recharge: 4 sec
Range: 80 ft
Duration: 60 sec buffs
Damage: N.A.
Effects: 155.494 Heal, Resist Sleep / Disorient / Endurance Drain
Max targets hit: 1
Rating:
While its true that O2 Boost is a heal, its also true that O2 Boost is pathetic as a heal. In the end-game, even 3-slotted with Heal enhancers, it barely makes a difference on a tank the same level. Therefore, I dont really recommend using this power as a heal. A Fire/Storm is a mezzer and debuffer, not a healer. Youd be better off preventing further damage than trying to patch up damage already done.
Should you skip this power then? Thats doable, actually. However, the power does have other components that greatly increase its utility. Basically, whomever you use the power on gets broken out of Sleep and Disorient, and gains resistance to these mezzes for a full minute. Your target also receives 69.2% protection against End Drain for the same duration. If someone in your team shouts out zzz, hit him or her with O2 Boost; if nothing else, they get a little healing and some mezz resistance. Going up against Malta Sappers? Slap an O2 Boost on your tank before he charges in Taunting. That should keep him relatively safe from an End crash.
All in all, this is a pretty good power to have. I dont feel that it is absolutely necessary for any Fire/Storm, but do pick it up at some point if you can spare the power pick.
Slotting:
Non-set: 0-2 Recharge, 1-2 End Rdx, 0-2 Heal
Set: There are some very nice set bonuses in the heal sets. Actually, slotting up O2 Boost seems a little wasteful to me, but you might be seduced by the following:
- Regenerative Tissue: Recharge
- Doctored Wounds: Recharge
- Miracle: Recovery
- Numinas Convalescence: Regen, Defence
It might seem a good idea to put in either Numinas +Regen/+Recovery IO or Miracles +Recovery IO here, but it really isnt. You would have to use O2 Boost every 120 seconds to gain their benefits if you do that, and thats simply a hassle even if you have Imps to use this power on.
Level 4: Snow Storm
Type: Toggle, Ranged Foe-Anchored AoE
Accuracy: N.A.
Endurance cost: 0.26 / sec
Activation: 2.0 sec
Recharge: 10 sec
Range: 80 ft (25 ft radius)
Duration: N.A.
Damage: none
Effects: -62.5% Recharge Rate / all Speeds / JumpHeight, -Fly
Max targets hit: 16
Rating: against most foes, against certain enemies
Every single power in Storm is useful, and Snow Storm is no exception. This toggle Debuff is cast on an enemy, who then carries it around with him wherever he goes. All foes near him (within 25 ft) get grounded and slowed tremendously. This works on everything, including Arch Villains, Giant Monsters and Paragon Protectors in Moment of Glory mode. As such, this is usually the power I lead with when fighting AVs.
Snow Storm really doesnt need slotting. Just stick an EndRdx in there and youre set. If you plan to use it a lot though, a second EndRdx cant go wrong. Some people also like to put in Slows to make foes truly crawl. Do note that the Recharge Rate Debuff cannot be enhanced.
Slotting:
Non-set: 1-2 End Rdx, 0-2 Slow
Set: Its probably a criminal waste of slots and influence to put sets here. It might be fun to make Snow Storm do damage with Impeded Swiftness damage Proc though.
Level 10: Steamy Mist
Type: Toggle, PBAoE
Accuracy: N.A.
Endurance cost: 0.26 / sec
Activation: 1.9 sec
Recharge: 15 sec
Range: self (40 ft radius)
Duration: N.A.
Damage: N.A.
Effects: Stealth, 3.75% Defence to All, 15% Resist Fire / Cold / Energy, Resist Confuse
Max targets hit: N.A.
Rating:
Steamy Mist envelops you and nearby allies in an aura that confers Stealth, a little Defence, fair Resistance to 3 damage types, and good Resistance to Confusion. The Defence is too measly to seriously slot for, but the Resistance is definitely worth 3 slots. With 2 common IOs, Steamy Mist grants 22.5% Resistance, which is not half bad. Stack on either the Fire or Ice APP shield and youd have elemental Resistance to turn most Tankers and Scrappers green with envy.
Note that the Stealth from this power does not stack with the Stealth from the Concealment Pool powers. It does stack with Smoke (which is a Visibility Debuff) and Super Speed (which carries a PvE-only Visibility Debuff) though. It also does stack with the effects of the +Stealth movement set IOs, and this points to another way you can gain effective Invisibility without taking Smoke.
Slotting:
Non-set: 1-2 End Rdx, 0-2 Resist
Set: Possibly the best thing about this power is that it takes both defence and resistance set IOs and there are some very sweet bonuses and special IOs in those sets. Consider, for instance, the following:
- Steadfast Protection: Defence; its Knock Back Protection IO is good if you dont Hover
- Red Fortune: Damage, Recharge, Defence
- Luck of the Gambler: Regen; its special Recharge IO is also great for the Fire/Storm
- Impervious Skin: Recharge; its Status Resist IO could be useful
- Kismet: Recovery, Recharge
- Gift of the Ancients: Recovery, +MaxEnd
- Impervium Armor: Recovery, +MaxEnd
- Aegis: its Psionic/Status Resist IO could be useful
Level 16: Freezing Rain
Type: Targeted AoE
Accuracy: no modifier
Endurance cost: 18.2
Activation: 2.0 sec
Recharge: 60 sec
Range: 60 ft (20 ft radius)
Duration: rain lasts for 15 sec, debuffs remain at full strength for 30 sec after that, slows remain for another 15 sec after that but at only the 20% debuff level
Damage: 75 ticks of 0.56 Cold (42 total) no Containment bonus
Effects: Knockdown, -40% Recharge Rate / FlySpeed, -30% Defence All / Resist All, -50% RunSpd / JumpSpd / JumpHeight
Max targets hit: 16
Rating:
If someone told you that Freezing Rain was the crowning jewel in the Storm set, I wouldnt be much inclined to disagree with him. FR is so awesome that you must take it the moment it becomes available. Take it, slot it up, use it every time it pops.
FR not only cuts away a large chunk of Defence and Resistance from up to 16 enemies at once (actually more than that, considering the random nature and rate of fire of the Rain and the duration of the Debuffs), it also slows them a great deal and makes them fall down continuously for most of their time in the Rain. Some people call this Popcorning the mobs, and once you see FR in action youll agree thats an apt description.
Would you believe Freezing Rain does almost 75% of the damage that Hot Feet does? Its cloud of 1s can actually kill! As such, it is viable to slot this for damage if you can spare the slots, though recharge should still be your priority.
With 3 Recharge enhancers in it, you can have FR up for practically every fight. Its not a cheap power to use, so at least 1 EndRdx would go a long way toward keeping your blue bar healthy. FRs base Defence Debuff is big enough that a single DefDebuff IO would take most mobs to the Defence floor. A Slow wouldnt hurt either, and 2 would effectively Immob anyone on foot. Accuracy is not necessary since the Rain makes 5 to-hit checks each second and a single hit cripples Defence. Too bad the Resist debuff cannot be slotted for.
Also, remember that Fire Cages grants -KB for 12 seconds (15 seconds for Ring of Fire)? FC/RoF + Freezing Rain = popcorn machine breaks down. If youre trying to popcorn your targets, keep your finger off the FC button. Use Hot Feet or Snow Storm instead if you really want them to stay in the Rains area of effect all that badly.
Slotting:
Non-set: 2-3 Recharge, 0-2 Slow, 1 EndRdx, 0-1 Defence Debuff, 0-2 Damage
Set: While you can slot for damage, theres no point investing too heavily in damage IOs as their accuracy components would be largely wasted. You might choose to combine damage with slow sets, and/or mix in common IOs. These following sets stand out:
- Tempered Readiness: Recovery, +MaxEnd, Recharge, Defence
- Positrons Blast: Recovery, Recharge
- Curtail Speed: Defence, Recharge
- Pacing of the Turtle: Recharge; its -Recharge Proc does not fire every tick but only once every 10 seconds, and is thus a lot less useful than it would appear at first blush
- Impeded Swiftness: Defence; its Damage Proc adds significantly to the powers kill potential
Level 20: Hurricane
Type: Toggle, PBAoE
Accuracy: auto-hit
Endurance cost: 0.16 / sec
Activation: 2.0 sec
Recharge: 10 sec
Range: self (25 ft radius)
Duration: debuffs last for 10 sec after last contact
Damage: none
Effects: -60% Range, -30% Accuracy, Knockback, Repel
Max targets hit: no limit
Rating:
Hurricane is a pretty tricky power to use. Its a great Debuff, as Im sure youll appreciate if youve ever tried to melee a Tsoo Sorceror, a Banished Pantheon Storm Shaman or a Cabal Sorceress. With 2 Acc Debuffs in it, Hurricane practically floors (-44.9%) any mobs chance to hit you or your friends.
However, its also a PBAoE toggle centred on you, and it does both Knock Back and Repel. Ive actually played with Stormies who insisted on running Hurricane into the middle of a spawn, scattering them like confetti all over the place. Thats moronic, and theres no kinder way to say it.
With Hurricane on, you can run around the very edges of a spawn to nudge them into a tight knot ready for AoEs or so that the Tank can more conveniently do his or her job. This is actually easier to do right after using Fire Cages, since FC protects against Hurricanes Knock Back but not against its Repel. Or you could crowd a few mobs into a nearby corner and pin them there, Debuffed and unable to do much at all, while you turn around and deal with real threats. Both these uses require you to know your Hurricanes range rather precisely though. For instance, if you crowd too near the mobs youre trying to pin in a corner, they tend to get pushed up and out of the corner instead.
If you take this power, make sure you read section 7 for some neat things you can do with Hurricane.
It used to be that, in PvP, Hurricane would unfailingly interrupt any melee Assassin Strike, but it is my understanding that such is no longer the case. But leave it on in PvP zones anyway. It still has a fair chance of saving your skin.
Slotting:
1 EndRdx, 0-2 Acc Debuff
Level 28: Thunder Clap
Type: PBAoE
Accuracy: -20%
Endurance cost: 10.4
Activation: 2.4 sec
Recharge: 45 sec
Range: self (25 ft radius)
Duration: 18.6 sec
Damage: none
Effects: Disorient Mag 2, 8% Toggle Drop chance in PvP
Max targets hit: 16
Rating: by itself, with Flash Fire
Thunder Claps long activation time and PBAoE nature mean that mobs will almost always manage to unleash a full alpha strike on you before they get Disoriented if you lead with this, so its best used against small spawns, after the Tank has aggro, or after you have mezzed Minions and Lts with Flash Fire. Also, its only a Mag 2 Disorient, so only Minions (not even Lieutenants) are affected by this.
Is this skippable? Yes, it is. But is it useful? Again, yes. This is the fastest cycling area mezz in the Fire/Storm Trollers toolbox and you can use it every fight with just a little slotting. This power really shines when stacked with Flash Fire. I believe no troller other than the FF/TC Fire/Storm is able to so frequently, rapidly and consistently lock down all the Bosses in a group.
Slotting:
Non-set: 2 Acc, 1-2 Disorient, 0-2 Recharge
Set: Same recommendations as for Flash Fire:
- Stupefy: Recovery, Recharge, Defence
- Razzle Dazzle: Recovery, Defence
- Stagger: Recharge
- Rope A Dope: Regen
Level 35: Tornado
Type: Pseudo-Pet
Accuracy: auto-hit
Endurance cost: 20.8
Activation: 1.2 sec
Recharge: 60 sec
Range: 60 ft (7 ft radius)
Duration: the funnel lasts for 30 sec
Damage: 60 ticks of 6.67 Smashing (400.2 total) no Containment bonus
Effects: Disorient Mag 2 (14.9 sec), Knockback, Knockup, -15% Defence to All (8 sec)
Max targets hit: 5
Rating:
Tornado is probably the hardest Storm power to use well. It creates a (rather squat) twister that runs amok after enemies in range. Used unintelligently, it could easily aggro several groups at once and lead to a team wipe. Used well, it could save lives and kill mobs.
Usually, as long as aggro is well-controlled, Tornado should remain in your back pocket. However, if things go terribly out of whack, for instance, if someone else in the team has already aggroed all nearby spawns and the team is starting to fall apart, a Tornado couldnt really make things worse, and its ability to Disorient and Knock Back could take some of the heat off the team.
Also, when few mobs are left in the immediate area, Tornado could be used to keep a dangerous mob Debuffed and busy. MoGed Paragon Protectors, AVs and GMs are good candidates for this auto-hit pseudo-pet. It also does a fair amount of damage (over time).
Another way to use Tornado for damage is to apply Fire Cages every 12 seconds to negate Tornados Knock Back factor. This can be done even with multiple mobs still in the fight as long as there are no unaggroed big spawns nearby.
Lastly, while 'pull with Tornado!' is sort of a joke, this can actually be a smart move if done right. If you know there are mobs just around the corner, you could cast Tornado out of sight and let it plow into the spawn. Do NOT go running after it, or it could well decide to roam further afield and bring back more friends. Instead, allow your team mates to step forth after your Tornado has thoroughly Disoriented the Minions in the near spawn, or else wait (with Imps and Lightning Storm, possibly Hurricane) for the mobs to come charging you one at a time.
Slotting:
Non-set: 0-3 Dam, 0-2 Disorient, 0-2 Recharge, 0-2 EndRdx
Set: Tornado takes pet and disorient sets. While it might be tempting to use disorient sets here, remember that the powers low Stun Mag means that only Minions will be mezzed by it. Hence, its probably best to slot this with common damage IOs and mix in a few pet IOs. The following are worth thinking about:
- Sovereign Right: its pet Resistance bonus IO would help your Imps stay alive
- Edict of the Master: its pet Defence IO would again be good for your Imps
- Commanding Presence: Recovery, +MaxEnd; its Taunt/Placate Resistance IO would be quite nice unless you run Assault
- Unquestioning Loyalty: +MaxEnd
- Blood Mandate: Recovery, Defence
Level 38: Lightning Storm
Type: Pseudo-Pet
Accuracy: +40%
Endurance cost: 31.2
Activation: 2.0 sec
Recharge: 90 sec
Range: self (100 ft radius; you must stay within 60 ft or so for LS to keep shooting)
Duration: 60 sec (one bolt every 4 sec)
Damage: 15 bolts each doing 14.04 Energy (600.6 total) no Containment bonus
Effects: Knockback, 7% End Drain, -90% End Recovery (30% chance, lasts 4 sec), 17% Toggle Drop chance in PvP
Max targets hit: 1 (but mobs very close by may get hit as well)
Rating:
This power summons a very impressive-looking cloud right above your head. This cloud is stationary, but it will shoot lightning bolts every 4 seconds at foes within 100 feet as long as you do not move too far away from the cloud. Foes hit get zapped for a fair bit of damage and get thrown quite a distance away.
Interestingly, if that mob is standing right next to another mob or two, his neighbours get zapped together with him. Therefore, a LS cast right after youve pinned a number of mobs in a corner with Hurricane can be expected to be more than usually efficient.
LSs high innate Accuracy means that you dont really need to slot in Accuracy enhancements. However, it is very expensive, so you could do worse than to put in at least one EndRdx. Youll also want some Recharges in there so that you can more often mess up Paragons weather patterns. Needless to say, 3 Damage IOs are par for the course.
Slotting:
Non-set: 3 Dam, 1-2 Recharge, 0-2 EndRdx
Set: There are so many good ranged damage sets that youre going to have a hard time choosing between them. I would suggest you keep in mind maybe two or three attributes to boost and select your sets based on your list. These sets are particularly nice:
- Entropic Chaos: Regen, +MaxEnd, Recharge; note that its Heal Proc would be completely wasted in Lightning Storm, as it would attempt to heal not you but the storm cloud 
- Decimation: +MaxEnd, Recharge; as with Entropic Chaos Proc, placing a Build Up Proc here would Buff the Storm, not you
- Thunderstrike: Recovery, Defence
- Devastation: Regen, Damage; though undeniably cool, its Hold Proc isnt too useful in a power that fires off so infrequently
- Tempest: Damage; its chance of End Drain Proc isnt that great in a slow power like this
Part 5: Power Pools
Now, a character is hardly complete without some Pool powers. Well take a quick look at the available Pools in this section.
Concealment
This is a pretty nice Pool for squishies like yourself. However, since you have Steamy Mist (you are taking Steamy Mist, arent you?), you dont need Stealth at all. Invisibility is pointless as well if youve picked up Smoke.
Grant Invisibility could be useful, but you could just tell your team mates to huddle close while you Stealth them with your Steamy Mist. Still, GI does do the job better in all ways, so it wouldn't be a totally wasted pick. It also takes defence sets, so you could throw a Luck of the Gambler +Recharge IO in it.
Phase Shift could theoretically save your life. However, PS has several major limitations (including a long activation time) that make it less than ideal as a life-saver.
All told, Concealment is not necessarily the best Pool choice for the Fire/Storm Troller.
Fighting
If you really want Smashing/Lethal Resistance, Temp Invulnerability in the Primal Forces APP gives precisely double Tough's S/L Resist for the same endurance cost. Fire Shield in the Fire APP gives you almost double Tough's S/L Resist and Fire and Cold Resistance.
Of course, you could always layer Tough with Steamy Mist and an APP Shield for S/L Resistance in the 70s, but the total toggle cost may not be quite worth it. You dont even need Tough, really. The point of playing a Troller is to not get hit much in the first place. Also, while Tough is nice, if youre playing a ranged Troller the prerequisites would be kind of meh.
Boxing's actually a good power to take if you want to do up-close single-target damage. It's not so useful if you intend to stay at range though.
Forget about Kick. Boxing's way better.
As for Weave, well, it's probably not worth the prereqs and endurance cost. The Fire/Storm troller isnt the most End efficient build around, after all.
Fitness
While I hate to say it, you will need Stamina if you're going to run all the nice toggles that this build offers and still be able to spam controls. You could of course replace it with sufficient +MaxEnd and Recovery set bonuses, but why not take Stamina and grab the bonuses too? I suggest taking Stamina ASAP and two-slotting it.
If you want to Fly, take Swift as a prereq and slot it with one Flight Speed enhancer (more enhancers add hardly anything to your Flight Speed). Swift (with a Run enhancer) is also useful for the Super Jumper, since the low ceilings in most indoor maps often make sprinting more attractive.
Both Super Jumpers and Super Speeders would get a lot out of Hurdle. This adds Jump Speed to the Super Jumper and Jump Height to both Jumpers and Speeders.
You could take both Swift and Hover, but why not take Health instead? Never hurts to have a little more Regeneration, in my opinion, and it's a good container for all those excellent heal set special IOs.
Flight
Hovers base speed was increased by 10% in i8. This has made Hover more attractive than ever as a combat travel/manoeuvring power. The ranged Fire/Storm Troller is all about positioning and precise targeting, so I highly recommend taking Hover and 3-slotting it for Speed if youre going that route. Hover is useful even when using Flash Fire: it allows you to fly up and pick the mob closest to the centre of a spawn as your target. Last but not least, you gain a measure of resistance to Knockback while in the air. You'd just twirl in the air for a moment instead of get smashed painfully onto your face.
If youre taking Hover, you might as well take Fly too. This build is fairly tight on power picks and you can ill-afford to waste too many picks on travel powers. And Fly's quite fun anyway. Except that it's slower than a blonde in a breaststroke competition.
Group Flight sounds good on paper, but is sadly gimped in play. The pets and team mates you grant Flight to tend to fly more slowly than you do (I suspect this has to do with lag) and you'd have to move at a crawl if you want to keep them all safely within your Group Flight radius.
Air Superiority is widely touted as the best Pool attack there is. It does decent damage and also unfailingly knocks your target onto its derrière. But if you're not going into melee, skip it.
Leadership
Controllers come in only behind Defenders in gaining benefit from Leadership powers, and thats one reason why this Pool is a good choice for you. These powers are also particularly useful to run since you will usually have at least 3 team mates (your Imps) with you at all times.
Tactics increases your Accuracy significantly and also gives a tasty +Perception that comes in useful against stealthy foes like the Knives of Artemis. If you have a lot of Accuracy from your sets bonuses though, Tactics might be overkill.
Assault's damage amplification doesn't do that much, but every little bit adds up. Plus it grants your Imps Resistance to Taunt and Placate.
Manoeuvres has got a rather sad 2.63% Defence bonus. Don't bother unless you're trying to cap Defence. This power would be useful as a defence set IO container though.
Vengeance is probably not necessary. You cant use it on your Imps, and your job is to keep your team mates from face-planting. Play well and youd hardly see an opportunity to use Vengeance; I say skip it.
Leaping
Not a bad Pool choice by any means. Super Jump is possibly the best travel power, all things considered. It's fast, has good vertical clearance, has great air control, and is practically endurance-free. Being a squishy, though, a bad landing could kill you unless you're effectively Invisible. Jump with care.
Combat Jumping adds a fair bit of vertical clearance, which would be quite a boon to Super Speeders. It also gives some protection against Immobilization and raises your Defence by a minuscule amount.
Acrobatics would certainly come in useful against mezzing foes. Often has Eldandil lamented the lack of hold protection when fighting the Carnival of Shadows and the Devouring Earth.
You do not want Jump Kick, however. It's not the best Pool attack around, and you're probably better off attacking at range anyway. A Splatroller might find this one useful, but
nah.
Medicine
If you really want to be a healer, consider this Pool since O2 Boost sucks so bad as a heal. Then again, if you really want to be a healer, you shouldnt be playing a Fire/Storm.
None of the powers in this pool are bad. Stimulant even clears up more status effects than does O2 Boost. However, all the Medicine powers are interruptible, and you'll likely find a need to invest 1-2 Interrupt Reduxes into each power you wish to use in combat.
Presence
You dont need more control than you already have. These controls are much weaker than your main ones. They do not synergize well with the Fire/ and /Storm sets. You do not want to draw aggro. Pass.
Speed
Hasten cant be easily permaed anymore, but many people still swear by it. Take it if you want to; certainly cant hurt to have faster Recharge Rates much/all of the time.
Super Speed, when combined with Steamy Mist, might allow you to lead with Thunder Clap without getting beaten on. If you do take all these three powers, try it and tell me how they work out in combination.
You shouldn't need either Whirlwind or Flurry. Both pretty much suck in terms of combat efficiency.
Teleportation
There were occasions when my Imps got stuck in terrain (notably on CoT temple maps) and I regretted not having Recall Friend to bring them in. Certainly, this is one of the best utility powers in the game.
Teleport might move you more than a little too quickly for your Imps to catch up though. Even Eldandil, who flies, tends to leave his elementals far behind when hes moving through a zone in a hurry.
Teleport Foe wouldn't add that much to this build. And Team Teleport just doesn't impress me much.
Part 6: Ancillary Power Pools (APPs)
Finally, weve come to the APPs. Ive only had experience with the Fire APP, unfortunately, so my thoughts on everything else are based on stats alone.
Fire Mastery
I selected Fire Mastery for Eldandil because of character concept, and it has turned out to be an excellent choice. His Flash Fire + Fire Cages + Freezing Rain + Fire Ball combo speeds up soloing against largish spawns significantly. Fireball does 56.3 base Smashing and Fire damage (mainly Fire), has a range of 80 ft, and has an effect radius of 15 ft.
Fire Blast is a fast-cycling single target attack that does a third more damage (71, purely Fire) than Fire Ball. This is an excellent addition to the Fire/Storms arsenal, and is invaluable whether on a team or solo. This is particularly good against small spawns and tough enemies.
Stacking Fire Shield onto Steamy Mist gives decent (read: Scrapper-level) resistances against several types of damage. Fire Shield gives 19.25% Smashing/Lethal, 14% Fire and 7% Cold Resistance.
Consume is very useful for the Endurance-hungry Fire/Storm. This does Brawl-level damage to up to 10 nearby foes and returns 20 base Endurance points per enemy hit.
Ice Mastery
This looks to be a fair pick, but lags behind Fire for quick AoE as well as single-target damage. Ice Blast does 55.6 Cold and Smashing Damage to a single target, but also slows down movement and Recharge Rate by 20%. The Smashing Component renders Ice Blast weak against foes with Smashing Defence. Compare this with Fire Blast's pure Fire damage.
Ice Storm is similar to the Blaster power of the same name. It does 0.56 Cold and Lethal damage 5 times a second for 15 seconds (84 damage in total). It also slows Recharge by 10%, Fly Speed by 30% and all Run and Jump Speeds by 40%. It has a relatively short casting range of 60 ft but a large 25 ft effect radius. The Fire/Storm Troller probably has enough slows that another isn't quite necessary, and killing with this would take too long.
Hibernate appears to be a better panic button than Phase Shift in many ways, but the Fire/Storm already has a number of panic buttons named Cinders, Thunder Clap, Hurricane, and Tornado. If you intend to use it as a safe way to regain some Endurance and Health though, you'd probably like it quite a bit
except that it's got a 240 second recharge duration.
Frozen Armor and Fire Shield are highly similar powers. However, Frozen Armor grants Defence (10.5%) instead of Resistance against Smashing and Lethal attacks. I suggest that Frozen Armor is actually superior to Fire Shield in this regard, and here's my reasoning: Fire Shield is a Resist toggle, so its benefits come in only when a hit lands, whereupon each component of FS protects against one specific damage type. Frozen Armor works at the To-Hit level though. If an attack contains multiple damage types, your effective Defence is calculated using the damage type you are most protected against.
Here's an example: A villain punches you with an Energy Punch that does both Energy as well as Smashing damage. The Fire Shield user is not any harder to hit than an unprotected hero, but the Smashing component of the attack is blunted by Fire Shield's S/L Resist. The FS hero takes full Energy damage and partial Smashing damage. Frozen Armor, however, has S/L Defence. Since the Energy Punch is one single move, its Smashing and Energy components either both hit or both miss - they are treated unitarily in the calculation of To-Hit. If the attack hits, full Smashing and Energy damage is taken; but if the attack misses, even the Energy component that FA doesn't protect against is negated as well. Since many attacks even in the late game have a Smashing or Lethal component, you can expect your Frozen Armor to guard you against a surprising variety of moves.
Frozen Armor also grants strong Cold Resistance, but few NPC foes do Cold-based damage.
In summary, Ice Mastery trades damage for a little more protection (direct and indirect) as compared to Fire Mastery. This protection isn't anywhere near as valuable in PvP though, since it is mostly Defence-based and Defence is currently borked in PvP.
Primal Forces
Conserve Power and Power Boost both look like very attractive choices for a Troller. However, they both have long recharge times (600 sec and 120 sec respectively), and I dont really like powers that I cant use frequently. I know Id probably just forget to use them entirely in the end. I rather suspect they are more useful for PvPers (who tend, if I am not mistaken, to use their powers in intense spurts) than PvEers.
Power Blast does 55.6 Smashing and Energy damage at the standard 80 ft with an unimpressive 30% chance to do light Knock Back. This is a weaker choice than both Fire Blast and Ice Blast. This APP also lacks an AoE attack move.
Temporary Invulnerability costs the same as Fire Shield and Frozen Armor, but it only protects against Smashing and Lethal Damage (21% Resistance). While these Resist values are marginally higher than Fire Shield's, I am inclined to say that Fire Shield and Frozen Armor's additional Fire and Cold Resistances put them ahead of Temp Invul.
Psionic Mastery
If Indomitable Will had a shorter recharge, I would have been very much tempted by this power. It gives 17.5% Psionic Defence as well as very strong total Mezz resistance for 90 seconds. Its recharge is a whopping 360 seconds though, so, no, thank you. PvPers may find this useful, however.
Mental Blast is a standard Troller APP single-target attack. It has nice advantages in damage type (55.6 Psionic damage) and a short (6 second) 30% Recharge Time Debuff though. It also has a 100 ft range for those of you who like to engage in really long-range battles.
The Psionic personal shield, Mind Over Body, gives decent Psionic Resistance (14%) on top of S/L (19.25%). This is one of the very few powers in the entire game to grant such a Resistance.
Psionic Tornado is actually a very impressive power on paper. It does almost as much damage as Fire Ball (48.7 Psionic), has a slightly larger effect area (20 ft), and has a very useful pair of secondary effects as well (50% Knockup chance and -30% Recharge Rate for 10 seconds). Its range is also the usual 100 ft for Psionic powers.
Psionic Mastery appears to be a very strong Controller APP. A seldom-resisted damage type, high damage values, protection against that same damage type, (occasional) protection against mezzes, and very useful secondary effects make the Psionic APP really shine. If not for character concept, Eldandil would be very tempted to swap his Fire for Psionic. Reader, do give this set some serious consideration.
Stone Mastery
Fissure is yet another targeted AoE Disorient, but this one actually does decent (50.1) Smashing damage, is available every 20 seconds, and has a 50% chance to Knock Down targets. However, it only has a 50% chance to Disorient, a short 20 ft range, and a small 15 ft effect radius. A concept build Ive come up with uses Fissure to both keep mobs perma-Stunned and to add to area damage. If youre interested in reading more about this build, take a look in section 8.
Hurl Boulder is a short range (40 ft) single-target attack that does 91.2 Smashing damage and has a 50% chance to do significant Knock Back. Notice that this is the strongest single-target attack in the Controller APP list. It does recharge more slowly than usual (10 seconds), however, and the short range can be limiting.
Rock Armor, like Frozen Armor, grants Defence instead of Resistance. Therefore, it affords the same "extra" protection that Frozen Armor does. Rock Armor's S/L Defence values (11.2%) are slightly higher than Frozen Armor's but it does not have protection against other damage types. However, in this case, since many attacks have either a Smashing or Lethal component, Rock Armor is possibly as good as or better than Frozen Armor.
Earth's Embrace is a self-heal, a HP boost and 14% Toxic Resistance all in one click, similar to Tanker self-heals. I see it as a sort of panic button for a getaway. It's on a 360 second timer.
Part 7: Strategies and Tactics
[u]Basic strategies[u]
If you are new to the game or new to controllers, consider the following:
1. As a troller, I would strongly suggest you get your accuracy up as soon as possible, because your best moves (your mezzes, mostly) have long recharge times and hitting an enemy takes it out of the fight instantly.
2. In the early game, when you have only TOs, I strongly suggest that you put at least 4 accuracies into Flashfire, Char and Fire Cages in that order. TOs are one-fourth as effective as SOs, in case you didn't know. Forget about doing damage and team up a lot.
3. When DOs become available, you can drop the number of accuracies to 2 if you'd like. DOs are half as strong as SOs, so 2 DOs in your controls should be good enough for most enemies. If you find yourself fighting mostly higher level mobs and missing a lot though, you should consider having 3-4 DOs in each control.
4. Even when you get to SOs, you should still be mostly teamed up with other players. The ranged Fire/Storm doesn't begin to do much real damage until level 33 with fully slotted Imps; Splatrollers are a little better in this respect, but they still aren't damage powerhouses until Imps. Actually, I prefer teaming to soloing, even with all the toys I have at level 50. It's so much more fun playing in a good team than playing solo. That said, I must also warn you that a bad team, especially one full of angry blame-casters, can really ruin your playing experience.
5. Some players (myself included) never [u]buy[u] TOs and DOs because SOs cost so much. We use the ones that drop and sell the rest so that we have an easier time converting fully to SOs at level 22 and thereafter.
6. When you hit level 32, consider converting fully to common IOs. Level 35 IOs are better than SOs and just about as good as level 50 IOs. Once you go fully IO at level 32, you don't ever have to get new enhancements again. Of course, you will want to when nice sets come your way, and some people just *must* have level 50-53 IOs, but level 35 commons really are good enough for the rest of your crime-fighting career.
7. Lastly, don't be afraid to experiment and build your character differently from the way I have built Eldandil and Fire Wind Earth below though. I frequently enjoy myself more planning a character and tweaking a build than actually killing pixels.
[u]Tactics and combos for the Fire/Storm Controller.[u]
Here are some moves that I've found particularly useful or fun.
1. Flash Fire + Fire Cages + Freezing Rain + Fire Ball burns non-Fire-resistant enemies down quite nicely. If there are quite a few bosses in the group, you could add a Thunder Clap followed by another Fire Cages and see if you can snare them too.
2. Against small spawns made up mostly of Minions, you could safely replace Flash Fire with Thunder Clap (or Fissure). Remember that the bad guys will manage to get off an alpha strike on you, so dont try this when there are Sappers or mezzers in the group.
3. Cinders takes out everything Lieutenant-level and below. Adding a single Char would mezz a Boss as well. The FF + FC combo doesnt work well on Council Wolves, as they are highly Immob Resistant (they tend to scatter all over the map after they get Disoriented), so Cinders is a better option with them.
4. Freezing Rain is a great soft control whether you use it alone or in combination with Snow Storm and/or Hot Feet. You could also popcorn mobs with FR after 12 seconds of Fire Cages; the Immob from FC lasts a lot longer than the -KB.
5. Lightning Storm tends to scatter mobs, but you can take advantage of Fire Cages -KB to prevent that. Also, Hurricane could be used to crowd mobs together for extra LS damage; the KB from the Storm tends to not scatter mobs that are in a corner so much either.
6. Hurricane works well in tandem with Fire Cages. FCs -KB prevents Hurricane from sending mobs flying across the room, but its lack of -Repel means that Hurricane could still steadily Repel mobs in the direction you want them to go.
7. Hurricane also works great with MoGed Paragon Protectors. It is auto-hit and can be used to keep a PP waiting helplessly in a corner until its MoG wears off. In the meantime, you can use Tornado and Bonfire (which are both auto-hit) to whittle away at its health. Tornado also Debuffs Defence although it's questionable how much that would help against active MoG.
8. Like Hurricane, Snow Storm works to reduce a MoGed PPs damage-dealing capacity. It grounds and Debuffs intangible Carnie Illusionists as well.
9. When facing a mezzing foe, it is feasible to send your Imps in first, either by edging near enough that they run out to play or by casting Summon Fire Imps right on top of the spawn. You could always O2 Boost them back to wakefulness if they get Slept or Stunned.
10. Similarly, if you are about to launch an attack against an enemy whose damage type you and your Tank are weak against, send in the Imps first. You get no debt even if they die.
11. A Tornado pull is not as crazy as it sounds. Just be sure to keep out of sight and wait for the harassed mobs to come to you.
12. The Lightning Trap works like this: You first cast Lightning Storm in line of sight of a single mob; the Storm must be just next to a corner. Next, you corner pull that mob with Fire Blast; whatever comes after you will try to run past your storm cloud to get to you, and will most likely get zapped by your cloud before he can reach you. While it's writhing on the ground, you can step around the corner to pull off a Hold in absolute safety. This is particularly useful against troublesome single Bosses. Against groups, consider pulling with Tornado instead of Fire Blast so that the mobs trickle in and are zapped by the cloud one by one.
13. You can Hurricane a single foe, even a Boss, into a corner and the Debuff should keep him quiet. If necessary, add a Tornado and the foe will be kept in a perpetual Knock Back cycle. This can be done outside any tall building, inside any building or against outside walls with overhangs so that your target doesnt get pushed up and over the wall.
14. Sometimes, it is desirable to start off a fight with Gale. If you are facing a single Boss, or a Boss with just one or two lackeys, opening with Gale may allow you to slap two Holds on the Boss before it can get to its feet.
15. Another situation in which Gale could be a good opener would be when you are facing mobs in a tight cul-de-sac. You know those small rooms or short passages in indoor maps with only one exit and solid walls on three sides? If you toggle on Hurricane beforehand and then step in with Gale, you can send the spawn flying into the rear wall. Then, you can get in close to pin the entire spawn in the two rear corners with Hurricane. It's beautiful when it works.
16. Freezing Rain lasts 15 seconds. The full Debuffs stick for 30 seconds after a target leaves the Rain. After these 30 seconds, partial Debuffs remain for another 15 seconds. Basically, don't be afraid to recast FR on the same group of foes if many remain alive for more than half a minute after they've run out of the Rain. The Debuffs would have worn off by then. Use Hurricane and/or Fire Cages and/or Snow Storm to help you keep the bad guys in a bunch for maximum FR effectiveness. Beware Fire Cages' Knock Up if you intend to use FR for the popcorn effect.
17. Hurricane reduces the bad guys' range by 60% and accuracy by 30%. Debuff effects last for 10 seconds after last contact. When you're not using a power actively, keep moving around to tag the bad guys and herd them into a corner.
[u]Some thoughts on the care and feeding of Imps:[u]
1. Imps hit less reliably in the post-i8 world. Slot your Imps with at least 1 Accuracy. If you intend to fight purples a lot, consider putting in 2. Tactics is a good toggle to run if you tend to stay within range.
2. If you slot up your Steamy Mist properly and/or have pet Resist/Defence IOs slotted, just staying close to your Imps ups their survivability appreciably.
3. Needless to say, Char is your friend. Just as you would use Char on mobs which are giving your team mates trouble, use it too to save your Imps from a bad beating. If the battlefield is too messy, target through the player or Imp under pressure and fire it off; chances are the mob they are after is the one after them.
4. The post-i8 Fire/Storm troller can no longer afford to just sit there and make witty remarks while his homicidal Imps do a number on the enemy. If you want your Imps to stay alive, you have to stay in the thick of the action. Of course, that's arguably more fun than doing the old mezz-n-wait, so it's not necessarily a bad thing.
5. Imps do not like Caltrops. They run out of 'Trops excruciatingly slowly. Expect your damage output to drop against Caltrops-happy groups like the Knives of Artemis.
Part 8: Sample Builds
This section contains 2 demonstrations of Fire/Storm synergy. The first build is a long-range build with lots of versatility but only moderate area damage. The second is a close-range pseudo-tank build that trades control flexibility for very good area damage.
Please ignore enhancement slotting order for both builds.
[u]The Ranged Fire/Storm Controller[u]
Eldandil Tauro is a ranged Fire/Storm/Fire controller who specializes in keeping the bad guys unable to return fire with a variety of hard and soft controls. Since he works best from range and has Hover and Hurricane to keep the bad guys at arms length, his IO slotting is geared towards maxing Ranged Defence.
Just how effective is this strategy anyway? Lets put it this way: with 44.7% Ranged Defence, most mobs are left with around a 5-6% chance of hitting him. If he cant be easily hit, he cant be easily mezzed and cant be quickly killed. This means he has more time to lock down each and every single foe in combat with him. High Ranged Defence also affords safety during the lag between casting a group mezz (like Thunder Clap) and the mezz taking hold.
Eldandil also kills at a pretty fast clip, since Char and Fire Cages actually do decent damage with his slotting. His Damage-slotted Char allows the perma-Holding and quick killing of any 1 foe. Just 2 rounds of Char + Fire Blast (with Assault running) is often enough to kill a +2 Minion.
One problem with this build is his lower AoE Defence (only 22.2%). He hates stun grenades with a passion. Thankfully, AoE mezzes are relatively rare in the PvE game, and his Stealth frequently allows him to take the initiative.
Also, his Damage-slotted Char's Hold duration just isn't that long. It's rather tough keeping more than 2 mobs perma-Held, especially if one of them is a Boss.
A minor issue is that his two area Stuns are slotted with Knock Back Procs. This was necessary to get his Ranged Defence to an uber level, but can be irritating. This can be prevented by applying Fire Cages before laying on the Stuns; Eldandils high Ranged Defence allows him to do this in relative safety.
Lastly, Defence is worth almost nothing in PvP. This is most certainly not a good PvP build.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.20
http://www.honourableunited.org.uk/mhd.php
Eldandil Tauro: Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Fire Control
Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Fire Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Char -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(5), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(5), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(7)
Level 1: Gale -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 2: Fire Cages -- TotHntr-Acc/Rchg:50(A), TotHntr-EndRdx/Immob:50(7), TotHntr-Acc/EndRdx:50(9), TotHntr-Acc/Immob:50(9), TotHntr-Acc/Immob/Rchg:50(11), TotHntr-Dam%:50(11)
Level 4: Snow Storm -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 6: Swift -- Flight-I:50(A)
Level 8: Hover -- Flight-I:50(A), Flight-I:50(13), Flight-I:50(13), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(15)
Level 10: Steamy Mist -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(15), S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx:30(19), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(27)
Level 12: Flashfire -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun:50(21), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx:50(21), Stpfy-Stun/Rng:50(23), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg:50(23), Stpfy-KB%:50(40)
Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I:50(A), Flight-I:50(17)
Level 16: Freezing Rain -- P'ngTtl-Acc/Slow:50(A), P'ngTtl-Dmg/Slow:50(17), P'ngTtl-Acc/EndRdx:50(19), P'ngTtl-Rng/Slow:50(25), P'ngTtl-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow:50(27), P'ngTtl--Rchg%:50(34)
Level 18: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:50(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+:40(31)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(33)
Level 22: Maneuvers -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx:50(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg:50(25), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg:50(29), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(29), RedFtn-Def:50(31), RedFtn-EndRdx:50(31)
Level 24: Hurricane -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 26: Cinders -- G'Wdw-Acc/Rchg:50(A), G'Wdw-EndRdx/Hold:50(33), G'Wdw-Acc/EndRdx:50(33), G'Wdw-Acc/Hold/Rchg:50(37)
Level 28: Thunder Clap -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun:50(34), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx:50(34), Stpfy-Stun/Rng:50(36), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg:50(36), Stpfy-KB%:50(40)
Level 30: O2 Boost -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 32: Fire Imps -- BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg:50(A), BldM'dt-Dmg/EndRdx:50(36), BldM'dt-Acc/EndRdx:50(37), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(37), BldM'dt-Acc:50(39), BldM'dt-Dmg:50(43)
Level 35: Tornado -- BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg:50(A), BldM'dt-Dmg/EndRdx:50(39), BldM'dt-Acc/EndRdx:50(39), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(40), BldM'dt-Acc:50(45), BldM'dt-Dmg:50(48)
Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(42), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(42), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(42), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(43), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(43)
Level 41: Fire Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(45), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(45), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(46), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(46), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(46)
Level 44: Fire Ball -- Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:50(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(48), Posi-Dmg/Rng:50(48), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(50), Posi-Dam%:50(50)
Level 47: Assault -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 49: Consume -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth:50(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 1: Containment
<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>| Copy & Paste this data chunk into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
</pre><hr />
[u]The Perma-Stun Fire/Storm Splatroller[u]
When I saw how nicely the Stone APPs Fissure would combine with the Stuns from Fire/ and /Storm/, I realized there was a way to safely get up close and personal and do lots of damage. Taking some cues from Enantiodromos Splatroller guide regarding damage, I eventually ended up with the Perma-Stun Splatroller.
This Fire/Storm/Stone build leads with either Flash Fire (Mag 3) followed by Fissure (50% chance of Mag 2 Stun, 50% chance of Knock Down), or with Fissure followed by Thunder Clap (Mag 2), depending on whether Flash Fire is ready. Either 2-hit combo should stun all Minions, all/most Lts, and about half the Bosses. Fissure is reapplied every time it pops for both damage and control; with a 6-8 second recharge time and a 15.8 second duration, this should keep the mobs permanently in Stun.
Possibly the weirdest thing about this build is that it does not have any Holds at all. Since area Stuns should be available for every fight, it is more important to stack Immobs to keep the bad guys from wandering than to lay on redundant Holds. Hence, Ring of Fire and Fire Cages are applied liberally for both damage and control. RoF, which is available every 1.35 seconds, is also slotted with the Build Up Proc to increase damage output. Fire Cages has 2 Damage Procs and a Disorient Proc in it.
The chief weakness of this build is that it has little in the way of non-S/L defences. If the random number generator decides to play a mean trick on you when you use Fissure, you just might faceplant quickly enough to shame your teams AoE-happy Fire blaster.
Also, this build has fewer area controls than the Ranged build above. As such, it is less capable of dealing with multiple spawn aggro.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.20
http://www.honourableunited.org.uk/mhd.php
Fire Wind Earth: Level 50 Mutation Controller
Primary Power Set: Fire Control
Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Stone Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Ring of Fire -- Decim-Dmg/EndRdx:40(A), Decim-Dmg/Rchg:40(3), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:40(3), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:40(5), Decim-Build%:40(5), TotHntr-Dam%:30(9)
Level 1: Gale -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 2: Fire Cages -- TotHntr-Acc/Rchg:50(A), TotHntr-EndRdx/Immob:50(9), TotHntr-Dam%:50(37), Posi-Dam%:30(37), DblAc-Acc/EndRdx:30(37), DblAc-Stun%:30(50)
Level 4: Snow Storm -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(7), RechRdx-I:50(7)
Level 8: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 10: Steamy Mist -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(A), LkGmblr-Def:50(11), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(11), S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx:30(36), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(36)
Level 12: Flashfire -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun:50(13), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx:50(13), Stpfy-Stun/Rng:50(15), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg:50(15)
Level 14: Super Speed -- HO:Micro(A)
Level 16: Freezing Rain -- Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:50(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(17), Posi-Dmg/Rng:50(17), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(21), Posi-Dam%:50(31), RechRdx-I:50(34)
Level 18: Health -- Numna-Heal:50(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:50(19), Mrcl-Rcvry+:40(19)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(21)
Level 22: Hot Feet -- C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx:50(A), C'ngBlow-Dmg/Rchg:50(23), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx:50(23), Sciroc-Dam%:50(25), ImpSwft-Dmg/Slow:30(25), ImpSwft-Dam%:30(27)
Level 24: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(27)
Level 26: Bonfire -- Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:50(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(36), Posi-Dmg/Rng:50(40), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(43), Posi-Dam%:50(46)
Level 28: Thunder Clap -- Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun:50(A), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx:50(29), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg:50(29), RzDz-Acc/Stun/Rchg:30(31), RzDz-Immob%:30(31)
Level 30: Super Jump -- HO:Micro(A)
Level 32: Fire Imps -- CmdPres-Acc/Dmg:30(A), CmdPres-Dmg/EndRdx:30(33), CmdPres-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:30(33), CmdPres-PetRes:30(33), BriL'shp-Dmg/EndRdx:40(34), BriL'shp-Dmg:40(34)
Level 35: Acrobatics -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Dev'n-Dmg/EndRdx:50(A), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg:50(39), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(39), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(39), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(40), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(40)
Level 41: Fissure -- Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:50(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(42), Posi-Dmg/Rng:50(42), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(42), Posi-Dam%:50(43), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg:50(43)
Level 44: Rock Armour -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx:50(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg:50(45), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg:50(45), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(45), RedFtn-EndRdx:50(46), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(46)
Level 47: Hurl Boulder -- Dev'n-Dmg/EndRdx:40(A), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg:40(48), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:40(48), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:40(48), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(50), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(50)
Level 49: Smoke -- ToHitDeb-I:50(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 1: Containment
<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>| Copy & Paste this data chunk into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
</pre><hr />
Part 9: Afterword
Be aware that these are only two of countless ways to slot up a Fire/Storm controller, and these examples are meant only to give the reader an idea of the power of IO sets. Also, some of the IOs needed for this build are likely quite rare, so don't toss the common IO build out the window yet!
Right, thats it for now. I hope you found some use out of this guide. If you have questions, comments or objections, please feel free to post replies in this thread or PM me.
Have fun with Elemental Chaos!
I like it so far. It's great that you're explaining everything and not assuming that your audience already understands magnitudes and containment. Looking forward to the rest.
If you need any help, Cinderwind's 39 and I'm in love with her.
Really wish I could do more for my imps than just 02 Boost them, though.
Can't wait for Fire Ball!
Carl and Sons @Aurora Girl (Pinnacle)
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by EarthWyrm
But I do understand that there is an internet rule that any bad idea must be presented by someone at least twice a year to remind everyone who hasn't already read every previous thread on the topic precisely why the idea is bad.
|
Looks great so far, I'm looking forward to reading the entire thing.
Nice Job!
This helps me get a final respec out of my Pre I5 slotted troll.
Thanks for the encouraging comments, everyone. I spent hours writing this and I'm glad it's useful to people.
A comprehensive and useful guide.
5 Stars from me.
-H
I got a mention, so now I feel compelled to get back to my own guide - it's been almost a month without an update...
Anyway, I've still got a good chunk of this to read, but I *love* what I've read so far. My own fire/storm is still pretty low level, but I have started playing him again (really so I can try to farm for good salvage and recipes, but also because it's a hella fun combo). Outstanding work all around.
Not sure if anyone else pointed this out yet, but according to City of Data, the chance to crit is 20% on controller holds. As I have more time to finish reading, I'll see if there are any other comments I want to make. This is one of the best guides I've seen for controllers. Well done.
RagManX
"if the market were religion Fulmens would be Moses and you'd be L. Ron Hubbard. " --Nethergoat to eryq2
The economy is not broken. The players are
Glad you like it, Mell (Laughing_Man) and Rag! Rereading it now after the edit window has closed, I've found a couple of grammatical errors and typos, but what the heck.
Rag, chance to crit is 20%? Thought it was much lower than that.
What a great guide. Excellent descriptions of the powers that include not only the numbers but how, when, and why to use them! I really like the way you gave advice on how to play your toon at different levels, too.
I think a Fire Controller or Dominator is next on my list of alts, so I'll definitely be looking this over.
Thanks, Bobitron_. Have you started on your Fire/ yet?
Hey Elandil great guide. Having a fifty fire/storm myself I agree with everything you said about each one of the powers. I currently farm with my fire/storm. The build imposting is a bit different then the one I currently have. i dont have the fighting pool's three powers boxing, tough and weave. Instead I have acrobatics, aid other and aid self. Also my current build does not have a miracle unique cause they have eluded me for some time. But I will get it .
Anyways I am planning on respec'ing into this build on test first to check my endurance since you very well know that is our biggest achilles heal.
Here it is:
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.20
http://www.honourableunited.org.uk/mhd.php
firecrakker: Level 50 Technology Controller
Primary Power Set: Fire Control
Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Fire Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Char -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(37), Acc-I:50(46), EndRdx-I:50(46)
Level 1: Gale -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 2: Fire Cages -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:50(3), Acc-I:50(3), Dmg-I:50(5), EndRdx-I:50(21), HO:Nucle(31)
Level 4: Ring of Fire -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(5), EndRdx-I:50(7), Acc-I:50(7), Dmg-I:50(31)
Level 6: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I:50(A), Krma-ResKB:30(34), DefBuff-I:50(43), HO:Cyto(45)
Level 8: Hot Feet -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(9), Dmg-I:50(9), Dmg-I:50(19), EndRdx-I:50(21), EndRdx-I:50(27)
Level 10: Steamy Mist -- DefBuff-I:50(A), DefBuff-I:50(11), HO:Cyto(11), HO:Ribo(15), ResDam-I:50(27), ResDam-I:50(29)
Level 12: Flashfire -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx:50(13), RzDz-Acc/Rchg:30(13), RzDz-Acc/EndRdx:30(15), RechRdx-I:50(25), EndRdx-I:50(29)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 16: Freezing Rain -- DefDeb-I:50(A), DefDeb-I:50(17), EndRdx-I:50(17), EndRdx-I:50(19), RechRdx-I:50(25), RechRdx-I:50(31)
Level 18: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 20: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+:40(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:50(50)
Level 22: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(23), EndMod-I:50(23)
Level 24: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(34), RechRdx-I:50(36)
Level 26: Boxing -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 28: Tough -- ResDam-I:50(A), ImpSkn-Status:30(34), Aegis-Psi/Status:50(40), HO:Ribo(46)
Level 30: Weave -- HO:Cyto(A), DefBuff-I:50(50), DefBuff-I:50(50)
Level 32: Fire Imps -- HO:Nucle(A), HO:Nucle(33), HO:Nucle(33), HO:Nucle(33)
Level 35: Cinders -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(36), RechRdx-I:50(36), RechRdx-I:50(37), RechRdx-I:50(37)
Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(A), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(39), Dmg-I:50(39), RechRdx-I:50(39), RechRdx-I:50(40), EndRdx-I:50(40)
Level 41: Fire Ball -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(42), Acc-I:50(42), Dmg-I:50(42), RechRdx-I:50(43), EndRdx-I:50(43)
Level 44: Fire Shield -- HO:Ribo(A), ResDam-I:50(45), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(45)
Level 47: Thunder Clap -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx:50(48), RechRdx-I:50(48), RechRdx-I:50(48)
Level 49: Super Speed -- Run-I:50(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment
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This build gives me rather nice end recovery, mez resistance, granite tank Defense (of course unslotted granite ). Greather than granite tank resistance to S/L and fire (again unslotted granite). Not bad resistance to others as well including some Psi.
Edit: I dont have tornado, sno storm, or hurricane any more. I dont fight AV's anymore. I used those powers situationally against AV's mostly. Everything melts so quickly that those powers arent necessary anymore. IMO
It looks to me like your build is an upgraded version of an SO build. That's another very valid way of building post-i9, and is in fact probably the best/easiest way for people not inclined to compulsive min-maxing.
This sort of build allows you to take a favourite old 50 and painlessly improve him significantly across the board. You end up stronger than your pre-i9 self in most (or every) way, alleviate the End management problem, and get to play the exact same way you've always played.
Taking a quick look at your slotting, I'm thinking that the Hami-O in Combat Jumping is a bit of a waste. You could also take one of the Def IOs out of Steamy Mist and one out of Weave without feeling it at all. The 3rd Stamina slot doesn't add that much to End Rcvy and might be better invested as an EndRdx in an oft used power.
Thanks for a helpful post, gmanskillaz.
Here's a catch by Windenergy21 in another thread:
Smoke is Autohit in PvE. Hence, only people who might want to PvP should put any Acc enhancements in the power. Everyone else should be slotting in 1 ToHitDebuff.
Some more numbers regarding the Perma-Stun build in section 8:
In this build, FF does a Mag 3 Stun for 26.3s and recharges in 32.6s. TC is Mag 2, 31.3s / 16.8s. Fissure is Mag 2 (50% chance) 18.5s / 7.23s.
By itself, TC is almost able to stack to keep Bosses mezzed, but Fissure spammed as an AoE attack (115.1 damage) every 7 seconds is necessary to keep *most* Bosses Perma-Stunned beyond the initial 26 seconds or so. For the duration of TC, you get 4-5 chances to lay down Stuns with Fissure; assuming 4 chances, that's a 93.75% chance of getting a total Mag of at least 4 on each target in range (assuming you don't miss).
With a bit of luck, Fissure can even stack itself on a target (12.5% chance of double stacking, 12.5% chance of triple) to mezz an Lt or Boss all by itself.
Also, Fire Cages have themselves a chance to Stun from the Debilitative Action IO, further improving your control.
So, is the Perma-Stun build really going to Perma-Stun every single Lt and Boss you meet? Almost assuredly not. Some will escape your Stuns for brief moments now and then. Also, as suggested before, things can even get really ugly occasionally. But you should still be able to keep the vast majority of critters you meet Disoriented and helpless while you quickly finish them off with your excellent area damage.
Considering that you will be spamming Fire Cages for both control (Immob and occasional Stun stacking) and damage (mostly from procs), Bonfire and Tornado become viable damage dealers. How much damage could you crank out? Let's see...
Bonfire does about 14 damage every 2 seconds on average (7/s), Hot Feet does 20.9 every 2s (10.45/s), Fire Cages do 37.7 every 3.13s (12.04/s), and Fissure does 115.1 every 7.23s (15.92/s). That's a total of 45.41 (!) damage/s to each of up to 10 mobs at once. Then there's Containment, which should, if my calculations are right, change that DPS number to 59.4. These fall behind Blaster AoE numbers, of course, but 59.4 AoE DPS is superb for Controllers.
And this is discounting the significant small-area damage from Tornado and Lightning Storm, as well as the strong single target damage from Hurl Boulder and Ring of Fire.
Edit: Bonfire is not affected by Containment.
Very thorough guide. Quick question for you fire/storms... which results in better damage: hot feet w/fire caged containment or bonfire?
Nice work, El. It's good we have full-fledged Fire/Storm guides out here, mine's narrow and antiquated, and I was always afraid it was making too much of an impression per its reliability.
Correction: the reason to not take vengeance is not that it's not uber (it is, not that you said otherwise) and not that you should be absolutely able to keep people from dying on your team-- it's that you can't use it on yourself! (I'm just being a smart-alec-- you're right, the reason is, you won't have dead teammates around to use it on-- fire/storm is probably the first to die on a team in trouble. Sort of like lichens amphibians and pollution. XD)
Choosing a Controller V2 | Splattrollers | Plant/Rad | Fire/Storm | Mind/Emp & Mind/Rad
Weird Controller Powers | Conf & XP/Time | Controller Damage
Being a Healer | The word Necessary | Natural Concept Characters
I kinda wish you'd put in a tactical guide for each level plateau (6, 12, 18, 24, 32, 42+)
Right now mine is at level 14 and I am having Boucoup problems trying to get her anyplace. Was your build oriented more towards a respec, or towards someone levelling up the hard way?
mice_luv_cheese: Definitely Hot Feet, with or without Containment.
Enantiodromos: Hi, again, Enan. Onward, lichens!
Brigadoon: Hm... the problem with starting to write a guide around level 50 is that one forgets how the early levels played. I would love input from you regarding the play experience at these levels.
Although Eldandil did see a few respecs along the way to 50, the changes were mostly slot-based. His power choices remained largely constant throughout. In other words, this isn't a 50 respec build, exactly, though of course some of the IOs can't be slotted in right from the get-go.
As for being stuck at level 14, let me see... Ah, the lack of Freezing Rain is a painful thing. I would suggest getting into teams and using Flash Fire or Snow Storm on groups, with Char being your main single-target tool. Forget about doing damage for now; just focus on helping your team stay alive.
a damn good and well thought out guide. you make me want to roll one myself. until now, i never thought of the set synergy. Instant Toggle.
Yah, I agree, I am thinking of using my vet respec to get some of the single target-things, like the single-target immobilize and perhaps AS.
I am sure that at level 30, the whole 'fire cages+hot feet thing' will completely rock, but at level (15 now) it's either extremely expensive (You need to pop a tray of purps to stay alive against -1 crowds of council in Boomtown) or You scrape up a LOT of debt.
Does anyone have any ideas of ways of making a fire-storm at low levels more.... useful to a team? ways that don't involve hot feet or fire cages? (I might keep fire cages as a way of keeping baddies clustered, but hot feet is GONE until I have some way to survive 'the herd')
Or I might just keep it as is (It's similar to your build but not exactly the same) and start begging like Oliver twist for teams :P
I just HATE having to rely on teams. at 15, the hollows has dried up, and getting a team in SC or sky is like pulling teeth. Most people don't start teaming again until level 22
ELEMENTAL CHAOS!
) and Stat_ for their contributions to my original Fire/Storm guide.
Eldandil Tauro's i10 guide to the Fire/Storm Controller
Contents
Part 1: Preface
Part 2: Basic Controller Concepts
Part 3: Fire Control
Part 4: Storm Summoning
Part 5: Power Pools
Part 6: Ancillary Power Pools (APPs)
Part 7: Strategies and Tactics
Part 8: Sample Builds
Part 9: Afterword
Part 1: Preface
The last version of my guide was released a day before i8 went live. Not anticipating any major changes to controllers in that issue, I was caught off-guard by the Imp nerf and the Controller APP nerf. At the time of this update, Issue 10s just gone live. Here's hoping there won't be any nasty surprises this time!
Eldandil Tauro was the first character I created when I started CoH for real just over 2 years ago. Due to my severe altaholism, I only managed to level him to 50 a couple of months ago. So he's reached the level cap, but theres something compelling about him that keeps me going back to fire him up again (pun quite intended). Also, the introduction of Inventions to the game in i9 has made him even more fun to play.
Having read more fantasy books than is probably healthy for anyone, I created Eldandil as a Fire/Air elemental mage. It therefore only made sense to plan for a Fire ancillary pool as well. Mind you, this was long before I learnt that a Fire primary and a Fire APP were two-thirds of the equation for what is widely considered the most uber troller build. But of course that uber build requires a Radiation or Kinetics secondary, not a Storm.
Anyway. The Fire/Storm troller isnt the build with the most control. If built as a ranged controller rather than as an in-your-face splatroller, it isnt necessarily the most damaging of builds either (though damage is still decent). Regardless, with its very flashy repertoire of moves, the Fire/Storm combination is a lot of fun both to watch and to play. And as you hit the early to mid thirties, you will find yourself a very capable soloer. Soloing speed ramps up at level 42 (with slotted Fire Blast or Fire Ball) and again at level 45 (with slots in the other APP blast).
Before we move on into the main part of the guide, Id like to thank Enantiodromos for his multitude of controller write-ups (including the definitive Splatroller guide referenced above), BrimstoneGale for the original Fire/Storm guide, TheMightyScourge for a funny and informative Storm Summoning guide, RagManX_CoH for his notes on Hover and Hot Feet in his Fire Control guide, and Kinesia, Enantiodromos (again
At the risk of sounding like an Academy Award winner, I'd like to also thank Dess_, _Enos_, SuperJe, DaemonDivinity (who also has a very nice Fire/Storm guide out there), hudsonsmith, Dunkirk, Sailboat, Smashmaster, BlackJoker, CommunistPenguin, and Slodeine for their opinions on various threads. You have all helped me in measures greater or lesser to create or modify Eldandil.
Special thanks also go out to Sherk Silver and KayMoonpetal, respectively creator of and heir to the awesome CoH/CoV Character Builder. Though I am no longer using this program, it helped me tremendously up until i9 came along.
Last, but definitely not least, many thanks are owed to Red Tomax and iakona for the incredible CoX database known as the City of Data, and to Midnights for his amazing Invention compliant Hero Designer. These are truly stunning pieces of work.
Disclaimer: This is primarily a PvE guide. I only PvP casually and occasionally, and am not experienced enough in that arena to write a guide about it.
Part 2: Basic Controller Concepts
[u]1. Control Magnitude[u]
All mezz effects have a certain attendant magnitude. When a control power is used on a target, this magnitude number is applied to the target's inherent mezz effect number (which is either zero or a negative number). If the final number exceeds zero, mezz is established. You may stack controls on mezz-protected foes to push them over the edge.
Ok, that was tough to read through. A simple example or two should make more sense to most of you.
E.g. You use Char (Mag 3) on a Hellion Minion. The minion's inherent mezz protection is -1. Adding the two numbers together gives us 3 + (-1) = 2. Since this result is more than zero, the target is Held.
E.g. You use Char (Mag 3) on a Hellion Boss. He has inherent protection against Holds at the -3 level. The total now would be 3 + (-3) = 0. He is not mezzed.
E.g. You stack another Char (Mag 3) onto the Hellion Boss from the last example while the first Char is still active. Now, since he's still at mezz = 0, adding a Mag 3 mezz to him brings his mezz number up to 3 + 0 = 3. This number is greater than zero, so he is mezzed.
Typically, Minions have -1 mezz protection, Lieutenants have -2, Bosses have -3, EBs have -6, and AVs have -3, -6, or -60 (I think) depending on whether they have Purple Triangles of Doom and whether those Triangles are pointing up or down.
Special note: Knock Back and Knock Up work a little differently. If I understand it correctly, KB and KU magnitudes actually represent the number of feet a target with zero protection would be sent flying backwards or upwards. Therefore, a very low KB/KU Magnitude (say, 0.67) basically just knocks the target down. For effect-over-time powers like Freezing Rain, this is a very good thing: a target that is constantly falling down and picking himself up can't attack you.
Edit: Knock Back/Up is a little more complicated than this, it seems. Please read this thread for details.
[u]2. Critical Control[u]
Controllers have a small (5%?) chance to pull off a Critical Control each time they use any power with a mezz component (except KB/KU). When this happens, the power's mezz Magnitude is doubled for that application. This is why you can occasionally Hold a boss with a single Char.
[u]3. Hard controls, soft controls, positional damage mitigation and debuffs[u]
Hard controls are moves which prevent a target from performing a certain action by making that action invalid to it. Holds, Disorients and Immobilizes are all hard controls. Fears and Sleeps are also hard controls, though their effects can be momentarily or completely negated by attacks on the control target. Confuses are special hard controls that make the target attack its own allies (and also turn it into a valid target for both friend and foe). Lastly, Intangibilities are special hard controls that make the target unable to affect others or be affected by others.
"Soft control" refers to moves which keep a target too busy to attack anyone. The run-away effect in Hot Feet functions as a soft control, as do Knock Down and Knock Up.
When you make use of positional damage mitigation, you are reducing incoming damage by adjusting the position of a target to you or your team. Immobilizing a target and then running behind an obstacle is an example of this. Another example would be staying out of attack range through the use of Immobilization or Hover. The most common type of positional damage mitigation used by squishies is keeping opponents at range since most mobs' melee attacks do more damage than their ranged ones.
Debuffs are effects placed on a target that reduce their abilities. For instance, if you lower a mob's Resistance, you make it easier to kill; and if you Debuff its Recharge speed, you prevent it from using its best attacks on you as often as it normally would.
[u]4. Containment[u]
When a Controller attacks any target that is already Held, Disoriented, Slept or Immobilized (by anyone), the base damage of that attack is doubled. You will want to lock down a target (with one of these 4 hard controls) before you unleash your heavy-hitting attacks on it. Fear, Confuse and Intangibility do not set up Containment.
[u]5. The PToD[u]
Most AVs have what are known as Purple Triangles of Doom, little purple triangle icons that circle around them every now and then. When these Triangles are pointing up (that is, one vertex is higher than the other two), the AV has about -60 mezz protection. However, when they are pointing down, the AVs mezz protection drops to just -3.
Note that the PToDs mezz protection boost does not work against Sleeps and Immobilizes. Therefore, Sleeps and Immobs are particularly useful against many AVs.