First of all, welcome to the game! 
1. Gravity is quite a weak set until 26 when you get wormhole. Also thermal radiation is a set made for team play. You only get heals and ally buffs until 35. Not the best choice for solo play, you're far better off in teams.
2. Elite Bosses were never meant to be soloable. Pretty much all AT/set combinations have hard time with them in the lower levels.
3. Only thing I can suggest here is carrying break frees with you. It's an unfortunate thing but it happens to all squishies 
4. As I already said, grav/therm is a slow soloer. MMs breeze through the content solo, mostly because they have good buff/debuff from secondary, great damage and a lot of personal meatshields.
5. Think I dont need to add anything here, all said in the previous answers.
- @DSorrow - alts on Union and Freedom mostly -
Currently playing as Castigation on Freedom
My Katana/Inv Guide
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. -Einstein
Thanks for the reply. Guess I'll wait with my Controller till I find a decent SG.
I just really would like to have a ranged DPSer. I tried Elec/Elec Blaster, but he was a bit too squishy. Assault/Devices was quite fun, but there aren't many useful devices on low levels.
What combination would you propose if I would want damage and a bit of survivability? Should I just give up on Controllers and go with Blaster/Corruptor for pure damage?
For a very survivable blaster I could recommend Psychic/Energy (lot of soft control in the form of knockback) or Ice/Mental (-speed, -rech, holds, wonderful +regen power etc.) which is so far my favourite blaster
- @DSorrow - alts on Union and Freedom mostly -
Currently playing as Castigation on Freedom
My Katana/Inv Guide
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. -Einstein
Masterminds are stupid-good. Taking them as a baseline (other than arguably Mercs/TA) is not a good idea.
Controllers are almost all late-starters. Reason is that whereas most archetypes improvements are quantitative (a new power is a harder blast on a longer recharge or the like) the difference between most controller powers is qualitative (we get to mess the enemy up in whole new ways with each power pick for both primary and often an entirely new form of buff or debuff from the secondary). This means that early on controllers are weak and it takes a few levels and types of power before they turn into lockdown-monsters.
And Elec/Elec is a weak damage combo - its main advantage is that it can floor the End of big opponents (an all Elec team is scary to big things but it isn't normally worth it).
For pretty good damage against single targets and a fair amount of lockdown there's the ever-popular Illusionists who get superior invisibility and pets to hide behind (Phantom Army is amazing).
Thanks for tips. I'll try something from Ice/Mental and Illusion.
Although for now I think I'll play with my Necro/Pain MM for a bit, at least 3 more levels to 20 ;p
Hi,
If you go with Illusion there are a number of secondaries that are percieved as a good match.
The main two are /Rad and /Storm, Rad is probably the easiest to level and use, Storm will be harder particuarly in the low levels (no self heal) and is less team friendly if played incorrectly.
My personal reccomendation is to go with /Kin, its a pretty easy ride from 1 to 50 and you wont have the End issues of the other two. Most people will say that there's no synergy between the two (referring to the fact that /Kin cant buff Phantom Army and the knockback issue).
I'm currently putting together a guide to show how a well built Ill/Kin can excel in PVE.
L50s: Tanks: Cryofission - Ice/EM - Dr Celsius - Fire/Ice - Saint George - SD/SS | Controllers: Psichosis - Ill/Kin - Major Chaos - Ill/Stm | Scrappers - Neutron Crusader - DM/SR
Currently Levelling: Angelic Blade - BS/WP Scrapper | Seeds of Destruction - Plant/Kin Controller
For the record, Ill/Rad has its own source of extra End - Accelerate Metabolism adds more recovery than Stamina when it's up. I rarely have problems on mine except when I've left Superspeed running.
The advantage /kin has (and /storm really doesn't) is more recharge speed, hence less downtime with Phantom Army.
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, Storm will be harder particuarly in the low levels (no self heal) and is less team friendly if played incorrectly.
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Its really not hard if you know how to use your powers, dont spam gale every second, run into mobs with hurricane on
and dont spam tornados.
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For the record, Ill/Rad has its own source of extra End - Accelerate Metabolism adds more recovery than Stamina when it's up. I rarely have problems on mine except when I've left Superspeed running.
The advantage /kin has (and /storm really doesn't) is more recharge speed, hence less downtime with Phantom Army.
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In order to get the full benefit out of PA an Ill/Rad will need to run RI -Def and EF for -Res as such will have more End issues than a /Kin which is in itself very light on End.
A /Kin is not without End issues itself though as Siphon Speed increases the recharge of all powers allowing a faster attack chain - that is where an Ill/Kin will burn it's End.
L50s: Tanks: Cryofission - Ice/EM - Dr Celsius - Fire/Ice - Saint George - SD/SS | Controllers: Psichosis - Ill/Kin - Major Chaos - Ill/Stm | Scrappers - Neutron Crusader - DM/SR
Currently Levelling: Angelic Blade - BS/WP Scrapper | Seeds of Destruction - Plant/Kin Controller
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, Storm will be harder particuarly in the low levels (no self heal) and is less team friendly if played incorrectly.
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Its really not hard if you know how to use your powers, dont spam gale every second, run into mobs with hurricane on
and dont spam tornados.
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I've found my Ill/Storm alot harder to solo than either Ill/Rad or Ill/Kin due to the lack of a self heal and damage mitigation in the secondary. The Ill/storm is only L12 at the moment so there's a long way to go and I know that it will get better.
The other 2 though are excellent soloers from L1.
L50s: Tanks: Cryofission - Ice/EM - Dr Celsius - Fire/Ice - Saint George - SD/SS | Controllers: Psichosis - Ill/Kin - Major Chaos - Ill/Stm | Scrappers - Neutron Crusader - DM/SR
Currently Levelling: Angelic Blade - BS/WP Scrapper | Seeds of Destruction - Plant/Kin Controller
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In order to get the full benefit out of PA an Ill/Rad will need to run RI -Def and EF for -Res as such will have more End issues than a /Kin which is in itself very light on End.
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Half right. There's no real need to run RI for an Ill/Rad most of the time as long as you are using SOs. If you are using SO enhancements, you're going to need 3 recharge enhancements in the Phantom Army leaving either 3 damage or 2 dam and an acc. Here, I agree, RI is very useful. Under i12 IOs, you could use 2 acc/dams and a dam (for an acc bonus over 40% and a dam bonus over 70% assuming you slotted in the mid 20s) and really not need RI for the Phantom Army (or anything else). In i13, you have the fast recharge pet sets - so you really have no need to help your Phantom Army hit more often.
And the EF is expensive, granted, but I've got two EndReds in mine - as I say, I only run into End trouble when I've forgotten to turn SuperSpeed off.
RI is available early and is relatively light on End considering the effects that it gives. On all my /Rad Controllers I get it and use it all the time for the -def and -tohit (especialy usefull on a farming Fire/Rad at the low levels).
In regards to an Ill/Rad solo it is still usefull for the -tohit, so in real play an Ill/Rad would be running both toggles as well as attacking and healing - the same goes in normal team play.
Maybe it's a playstyle thing, I'm aggressive in my play and as such I'm spamming attacks as well as running the toggles as such my End bar suffers.
Playing the same way with my Ill/Kin I have fewer issues - no toggles and the ability to heal back most of my health for a relativley small cost.
L50s: Tanks: Cryofission - Ice/EM - Dr Celsius - Fire/Ice - Saint George - SD/SS | Controllers: Psichosis - Ill/Kin - Major Chaos - Ill/Stm | Scrappers - Neutron Crusader - DM/SR
Currently Levelling: Angelic Blade - BS/WP Scrapper | Seeds of Destruction - Plant/Kin Controller
Are you saying that my experience fo my Ill/Rad isn't "real play"? And -tohit for a solo Ill/Rad really isn't that useful as long as the Phantom Army is up - it doesn't matter whether the Phantom Army is hit or not. And for the gaps between the Phantom Army being up, deceive also works well (I miss rarely with any of my attacks other than the Nemesis Staff I sometimes use). When grouping, the RI tends to come out if the rest of the team is having trouble hitting - but it doesn't need to last very long as people keep killing the anchors. (And yes, I anchor the bosses).
Without the Phantom Army I agree I'd need the RI much more than I actually do. But it's there most of the time - and against small spawns I can hold them anyway.
What I'm saying is what I said from the start - that a /Rad will have more End issues than a /Kin if played the same way.
Rad is a fine set and the majority of my Controllers have been Rad for that reason, however they do consume more End than a Kin due to the toggles - even with AM.
My comments are pased on extensive experience with both sets across a number of primaries, if you've found this not to be the case then I can only imagine that your willing to play more passively than myself.
In order of End consumption from worst to best are - Storm, Rad and then Kin; all have their pros and cons and all are fine sets but in regards to Endurance the above is true.
L50s: Tanks: Cryofission - Ice/EM - Dr Celsius - Fire/Ice - Saint George - SD/SS | Controllers: Psichosis - Ill/Kin - Major Chaos - Ill/Stm | Scrappers - Neutron Crusader - DM/SR
Currently Levelling: Angelic Blade - BS/WP Scrapper | Seeds of Destruction - Plant/Kin Controller
I tried Ice/Kin Corruptor, but because I have chosen 3 kin spells and only 2 Ice, I lack the damage. This results in a fights, where I struggle to kill an enemy and I can just try to knock away enemies and to conserve Endurance.
On the other hand, I've created a Kin/Sound Defender yesterday and I'm shocked how faster he kills compared to my Corruptor. But I guess I'm just the type of offensive player ;d
:O ice kin corrs are awesome once you get to SO level, mine is 30 and scourge storm has given me a glimpse on how awesome scourgezard will be. Then you add fulcrum, mmmmmm.
Anyway Psiphon i wasnt talking about solo play i was talking about being difficult to play in teams which they arent if you make a small effort.
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:O ice kin corrs are awesome once you get to SO level, mine is 30 and scourge storm has given me a glimpse on how awesome scourgezard will be. Then you add fulcrum, mmmmmm.
Anyway Psiphon i wasnt talking about solo play i was talking about being difficult to play in teams which they arent if you make a small effort.
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My apologies I misunderstood you. 
L50s: Tanks: Cryofission - Ice/EM - Dr Celsius - Fire/Ice - Saint George - SD/SS | Controllers: Psichosis - Ill/Kin - Major Chaos - Ill/Stm | Scrappers - Neutron Crusader - DM/SR
Currently Levelling: Angelic Blade - BS/WP Scrapper | Seeds of Destruction - Plant/Kin Controller
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What I'm saying is what I said from the start - that a /Rad will have more End issues than a /Kin if played the same way.
Rad is a fine set and the majority of my Controllers have been Rad for that reason, however they do consume more End than a Kin due to the toggles - even with AM.
My comments are pased on extensive experience with both sets across a number of primaries, if you've found this not to be the case then I can only imagine that your willing to play more passively than myself.
In order of End consumption from worst to best are - Storm, Rad and then Kin; all have their pros and cons and all are fine sets but in regards to Endurance the above is true.
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I was talking specifically about Ill/Rad. If the enemy is likely to hit me then I probably will have RI running. But the difference may be a slotting one - when I target something I hit it (I'm using IO sets most of the time). And if it's hostile and I'm soloing it's held, it's confused, or it's fighting a Phantom Army (or all of the above). In none of the above cases do I need the tohit debuff.
Yeah, so hi. I've been playing this game for 3 weeks already, created several characters. My first one was Gravity Control/Thermal Controller, has only AoE healing from Thermal and single-target damage spells from Gravity with focus on Propel. But after I created a Minion Master, I noticed some problems.
1. My Controller burns a lot of energy to kill enemies.
2. I have a hard time doing solo missions, I had to set the difficulty to the lowest and I still had problems with Elite Bosses when they appeared.
3. I hate all mobs that stun, hold or disorient me... Especially those mesmer-like Fortunata Seers :/
4. I level up really, really slow. My MM has leveled from 5 to 17 in five days, it took me two weeks to get my Controller from 1 to 17.
5. I can't do bank robbery missions... Bosses just overpower, damage me, knock down or in some other way make me lose. On the other hand, my MM finishes them in ~7-10 minutes without so many problems.
I was thinking about making a Fire/Radiation controller or Ice/Kinetics. Should I leave my old controller and make a new one?