It entirely depends on play style.
My Fire/Storm/Stone has an entirely different play style from the one you are hinting at. I don't even have Hurricane on mine. I've concentrated entirely on stuns, defense, and recharge.
I have enough recharge that I can keep Thunder Clap double stacked and I can keep Fissures double stacked. I can open with Flashfires, move in and Thunder Clap, Fire Cages and then just stand there letting Imps and Hot Feet melt every thing while cycling Thunder Clap and Fissures when they recharge.
-Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein.
-I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. - Galileo Galilei
-When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty. - Thomas Jefferson
tough and more importantly weave are generally needed to push def way up if you are on a budget.
On my fire/storm I have found good success with just pushing up my ranged def to softcap and not really worrying about aoe def, but ymmv.
Some key IO sets to seek:
2 pieces of blessing of zephr in travel powers = 3.13% ranged def each
6 pieces of thunderstrike in st ranged attacks (immob, hold, epic blast) = 3.75% ranged def each.
Or 6 piece lockdown in char if you aren't comfortable slotting it for damage =3.75 %
Steadfast 3% def in steamy mist (and enhance def value of the power).
If you ran cj+steamy+weave and had two travel powers with blessing of Z in them (ie cj+superjump) and slotted ring, char, and epic blast with thunders you'd already be at:
36% ranged def with tons of power choices and slots available to squeeze out an additional 9%.
Or you could make up some of the difference with smoke. Slotted up it is good for about ~5% defense against +2/3's.
Knight has a really good idea. Stacking stuns is very effective. I built my Fire/Storm (Only lvl 30) on a different path. I made a 2nd build with Whirlwind, Hurricane, Steamy Mist, Super Jump & Super Speed just because I wanted to see it in action. Chaos incarnate.
For my actual build I think there is no greater tool in the storm arsenal then Hurricane. The debuff is huge coupled with steamy mist, manuevers, combat Jumping. I was on a team with a buddy who was 3 levels lower on a scrapper (regen). We were fighting an EB who was 2 lvls above me and the scrapper was relatively untouched. On a troller fully slotted for -hit it deals a whopping 45%, granted that gets resisted but even cut down its still a healthy dose.
Tho Hurricane can mess up Hot Feet. If you wanna be in the middle of mobs its kinda counter intuitive but you can toggle it on and off after the enemies have been debuffed.
The great thing about fire/storm is you have a very flexible assortment of powers to stack. The bad is its END heavy and you have so many good combos to build that you wanna do em all.
I have recently created a Fire/storm as I was getting rather bored with my Fire/thermal. I love the new one a ton more, but an finding myself at a loss on what to skip in order to get my defense up.
I assume that my ranged defense and AoE would be what I should be concerned with as things really don't get close with toggles running.
Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder - (http://sherksilver.coldfront.net/index.php)
---------------------------------------------
Name:
Level: 50
Archetype: Controller
Primary: Fire Control
Secondary: Storm Summoning
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Char
01) --> Gale
02) --> Fire Cages
04) --> Snow Storm
06) --> Hover
08) --> Hot Feet
10) --> Steamy Mist
12) --> Flashfire
14) --> Fly
16) --> Swift
18) --> Health
20) --> Stamina
22) --> Hurricane
24) --> Freezing Rain
26) --> Hasten
28) --> Bonfire
30) --> Cinders
32) --> Fire Imps
35) --> Tornado
38) --> Lightning Storm
41) --> Fire Ball
44) --> Fire Shield
47) --> Thunderclap
49) --> Consume
I was wondering if Combat Jumping, Tough, and Weave were all worth building in. I'm 30 currently and really don't die often, so that's at least good. Really, Cinders, Thunderclap, and Fireblast all seemed easily dropped. Cinders doesn't seem to be that large outside of my other control, Thunderclap is minion only, Hotfeet I find that I don't run much, either.
Also, as I have recently returned is there and suggestion on enhancement slotting, regarding the special sets and such?
thanks in advance.