It's a great solo build, but a late bloomer as the fun really starts with Wormhole at 26. Slot the first four powers in Grav for damage, although you may find yourself wanting to respec out of Propel around level 30. Crushing Field can wait until after Stamina. Don't take Dimension Shift. Take Freezing Rain immediately at 16. Hurricane is key for pinning enemies in corners. Singularity can't be healed, so O2 Boost is a waste on a strictly solo build.
What about the Fighting pool? I've heard both good and bad on it.
You can try to build up some positional defence using set bonuses and pool powers, and you'd do OK if you focus on Ranged and AoE Defence. Hurricane is your melee defence, and far more useful than what Im about to describe, since it gives a 30% To Hit debuff, 48% when slotted.
So, on to Defence IO basics:
Thunderstrike gives you +3.75% Defence per set, you've got 4 powers that can take that (Crush, Lift, Gravity Distortion and Propel). This set isnt available till level 27 (when you cdan slot level 30 IOs), but its cheapish, and wont compromise the actual powers effectiveness for a solo damage-based Controller.
Blesing of the Zephyr is exepnsive, but stick it in Hover for +3.125% vs Ranegd and AoE.
The Fighting Pool at its best is Weave fully slotted with Red Fortune (4.5% base, 7.2% slotted, +2.5% vs Ranged Set Bonus) and Tough as a holder for the SteadFast Protection unique (+3% Def to all) and the Aegis set (4.6875 vs AoE)
Say for starters you take Hover (2.25% def to all) as well since you're an Air controller, and slot Blessing Of The Zephyr, and four Thunderstrike sets.
You now have:
2.25+3.125+15=20.375 vs Ranged
2.25+3.125 =5.375 vs AoE
2.25 vs everything else
Add in Fighting as slotted above for:
+10.2 vs All (Weave + Steadfast)
+2.5 vs Ranged (Red Fortune)
+4.6% vs AoE (Aegis)
and this costs one power pool, 3 powers, and 10 extra slots.
Totals to:
33.5% vs Ranged
20% vs AoE
12.45% vs everything else
So thats the decision you have to make. Are those powers, pools and slots worth it? As a Controller, you'll often be fighting enemies that dont fight back, so Defence is wasted. On the other hand, the extra defence will often save your bacon if ambushed by a mezzer (or Sapper) or when you're locking down a mezzing boss.
Hurricane gives you an awesome To Hit debuff close up, but wont help in an ambush
Oh yeah, I forgot. Blood Mandate in Tornado give +3.75 vs Ranged and +4.6% vs AoE. If you go chasing defence bonuses, do that too.
Like I said, all this starts to fall together in the late 20's/early 30's. Get Stamina at 20 and Hurricane at 22 and be bold with Hurricane until then.
Thanks, I'll probably take the Fighting pool for the extra defense, because I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
My Grav/Storm solos very well without the fighting pool. Frankly, Hurricane is pretty much all you need. Once I had it at 22, I was able to pick one guy to clobber while Hurricane keeps the others from hitting me much.
I did not take Lift, but instead took Crushing Field earlier in the build. Because Crushing Field does not prevent knockdown, it combines very well with Freezing Rain as a kind of AoE control. Solo, Grav Dist, Crush (slotted for damage) and Propel do very good damage.
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I'd definitely defer that decision until you've experienced Hurricane in action, SuperFerret. You may decide after that that you don't need to sacrifice other powers in favour of extra defence.
Like I said, you wont build up much useful Defence until your late 20's, and there are far better power picks than Tough and Weave in your teens and early 20s. What i'm describing above is a bit of advanced mucking around and not standard build advice.
At level 32 you get 18 powers. (and 35 and 38 are Tronado and Lightning Storm). I'd break them down as:
Must haves:
Gravity Distortion
Crush or Lift
Propel (for a solo-er)
Wormhole
Singularity
Gale (because you have to)
Freezing Rain
Hurricane
Hover and Fly (for concept and travel power)
Swift, Health and Stamina (to run Hurricane)
Thats 13 Powers.
Nice to have (you get 5 of these):
Other one of Crush or Lift
Gravity Distortion Field
Steamy Mist
Thunderclap
Crushing Field
Fighting pool (3 powers)
Other pool powers eg Hasten, Stealth, Assault.
So choose from that list, do you want to spend 3 out of 5 optional choices on Fighting, or go for more flash and thunder?
With steamy mists, maneuvers, hover, and some set bonuses I have around 19% to range and aoe. Couple that with the debuff from hurricane and you're pretty solid. I've used the fighting pool on other trollers though and it is nice, but I'm not sure it's worth giving up the power picks in this case.
Personally, I went with Hasten/Super Speed for travel instead of Hover/Fly. Steamy Mist + Super Speed gives me full invisibility, plus the ability to maneuver in combat quite easily. I like to run right up to a few foes, then pop on Hurricane for the ToHit Debuff -- it makes it hard for them to hit me with the alpha. Freezing Rain + Crushing Field keeps them busy. Then I pick one to take down while the others flop or keep trying to attack me with very poor results.
I consider Freezing Rain+Crushing Field a key part of the synergy for Grav/Storm. I like to wormhole to a corner, crushing Field while they are stunned, Freezing Rain for the Resistance debuff and control, hold them in place with Hurricane. Then it is like shooting fish in a barrel . . . and this is before using Tornado and/or Lightning Storm.
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My Grav/Storm is currently 36. I never felt the need for the fighting pool. Indeed Storm is pretty endurance intensive, I think the fighting pool would just be likely to run you out of end rather than actually make you more effective.
For solo, Freezing Rain( with 2 procs) + Crushing Field( with either full set of Trap of the hunter, or 4x Trap and 2x Positrons ( including both procs) + Snow Storm ( 1 proc ) = a lot of control/mitigation while softening things up in the process. Add to that the single target hold, the single immobilize, and Propel and you should be fine. I was really disappointed with Wormhole after I got it, but the above combo with the occasional use of Hurricane should see you through pretty much everything you'll come against. Note: ALWAYS drop Freezing Rain from around a corner if you can manage it, it will entirely mitigate the alpha - add Crushing Field and Snowstorm after they are flopping, and you will take very little damage, either on teams or solo. Health is enough to keep up with what you do take so you will be back to full health usually before the end of the fight.
I agree with the advice on slotting for ranged defense in sets - you will almost never have to get up next to someone in a Grav/Storm build.
I really enjoyed the build, and the synergy ( except for Tornado really which I reserve for bosses and AVs) is very strong.
I plan on using this combination to simulate an air controller, and I'd like to be able to solo effectively, and be able to take some damage without going *splat*. Does anyone have any advice for me regarding this? Should I post my current build? (I'm only level 12 at the moment.)