Still looking for suggestions

Well, I've been trying very hard to enjoy my Controller, but it's really much like trying to enjoy root canal. Thus, I've been thinking of recreating him in a different AT, and I thought I'd see what you all had to suggest.

The idea is that he's supposed to be a mystic. The original Champions (pnp) character had a multipower with virtually all the powers in it, so versatility was important. The comic book inspiration is Dr. Strange.

The character is currently a Controller (Grav/Rad), with Teleport, Concealment and Flight (just Hover). However, he does so little damage and is unbearably weak if attacked (he often gets one and two shotted by MINIONS). I mean, as a Controller, his only defense is to not be attacked (by controlling his foes); but half the foes in the game are immune to holds (anything Boss level or higher, zombies, spirits, ghosts, daemons, etc.), so he's basically dead much of the time. Personally, I don't find this to be much fun.

Thus, I come to you. I'm considering making him a Defender, but my experience of Defenders is much like my experience of Controllers. No offense, no defense. I've considered him as a Blaster, but that's not quite in conception, as a character who is able to aid his allies, and I hate the Blaster AT in general (too squishy).

The requirements, as I see it, are thus:

He needs Stamina, Teleport, Hover and Phase Shift.
He needs to have the capability to help his team (via healing or what have you).
He needs to have some personal survivability, as he will be soloing most of the time (this can come from the option of a second build).

Any thoughts?

Rad/Sonic Defender? Sonic is one of the more damaging powersets for Defender secondaries and Rad primary gives you powerful debuffs (helps teams and solo survival), an AoE heal and the Accelerate Metabolism buff. I mainly soloed my Rad/Rad defender to 50 but I'd recommend Rad/Sonic for you for greater damage (Sonic wasn't an option when I made mine). Stuff your pool power requirements (Hover, Phase Shift, etc) where you want 'em.

I've never been able to level a Controller past... umm... 6? The pathetic beginning DPS just wears on me.

Hm. Some good thoughts so far. I'm not sure a Scrapper would fit the Dr. Strangeish style (though I'm sure it would be more fun to play than a Controller). I've been using Rad, and I kind of like that the glowing green effects are used by other mystics in the game (Thorns). I'd been thinking of going with Mental Blasts, but Sonic might be a reasonable alternative.

Gravity is one of the higher damage Controller primaries and Rad is one of the stronger secondaries, so i'm confused as to what's happening. Especially getting one or two-shotted by minions. i leveled a Grav/Storm to 50 and never had any serious difficulty soloing. Soloing was a bit slow at times, but never difficult.

What difficulty setting are you playing at? If you're having that much difficulty i'd suggest lowering enemy level to +1 at the most, and would even suggest +0 or -1 with bosses turned off if need be. Team size setting should be kept below 3 or bosses will show up anyway.

Not sure what else to suggest. For a Doctor Strange inspired hero Grav/Rad is a pretty good combo. You could also try Fire or Illusion with some creative recoloring. Force Field or Storm are other thematic secondaries IMO, but FF will reduce your damage output even more.

*hmph* Try Illusion/Rad or Illusion/Storm?
Personally i'd just stay with the Grav/Rad if already had one to middling levels. Well slotted and played Rad can do a good job of increasing damage and survivability, and as i've already mentioned, Gravity does a good amount of damage for a Controller primary.

Edit: Rad/Dark Defender could be quite Doctor Strange-ish. Good damage, lots of AoE potential and you can color the Dark Blasts and tentacles to look more "good". Like, say, snaring enemies with gold or green tentacles and blasting them with similarly colored blasts.

Gravity/Rad sounds pretty much perfect to me.

Phase Shift can be dropped in favour of the Ethereal Shift invention recipe power, if you want to save 3 powers.

The downsides to this are:
1) using it makes you intangible (and unable to affect others) for a minute at a time - not a big deal if you solo, but on team you can get effectively stuck in the phantom Zone helplessly watching your allies die.
2) it only has five charges - but not too bad that your Doc Strange guy has to check in to the university every now and then to refresh a spell.

Add in the Phase Power available from a patrol mission in Warburg (30 minutes of temp power phase toggle) when you hit 30 and you really can skip the concelament pool.

Invisibility can be replaced with a stealth IO in one of the temporary sprint powers if you have the influence.

I'd try the following rough build:

1 Crush - 6 slot as an attack ie - damage, acc, recharge and end. Do not slot for immobilise.
2 Radiant Aura
4 Gravity Distortion - 6 slot for acc, hold and recharge
6 Radiation infection - 2 end reduction, maybe a to hit debuff or two.
8 Propel - 6 slot as an attack
10 Hover
12 Recall Friend or TP Foe
14 Teleport
16 Swift
18 Health
20 Stamina
22 Accelerate Metabolism - 3 recharge
24 Enervating Field - 2 end reductions
26 Wormhole - 6 slot recharge, acc and stun duration
28 Choking Cloud - end reduction and hold
30 Gravity Distoprtion Field maybe?
32 Singularity - 3 damage, 1 acc

For bosses. Pop Radiation Infection on them and apply Gravity Distrotion twice as quickly as possible. They should have a 6 second or so window to hurt you at highly reduced to hit values - things dont look god for them!

For melee attacks - dont get any pool powers. Use Sands of Mu vet power with Rad Infection dropping the Defence enought o hit relaibly.

You will never solo like a Scrapper.
You'll be slower with your damage output, and prone to being jumped by surprised attacks. But any battle your start on your own terms should be easy to handle. Ideally fight small numbers of higher level foes so you have to throw out fewer controls. Hitting them isn't an issue because Radiation Infection will severely debuff their defence.

If your build is way different from what ive laid out, I'd urge you to try one more respec along these lines and give it a fair go.

Well, here's an example of what I've been working with. The character is only L18 now, so Stamina may help things. I didn't take Radiation Infection yet for two reasons. One, as soon as I put it on a foe, he has a habit of running everywhere, aggroing whole maps. Two, the endurance cost is prohibitive.

Anyhow, here's the Controller version.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Dr. Solomon: Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Gravity Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Flight
Ancillary Pool: Primal Forces Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Crush -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(3), Immob-I(3), Dmg-I(5), Dmg-I(5), Dmg-I(29)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(7), RechRdx-I(7), Heal-I(9), Heal-I(50), Heal-I(50)
Level 2: Gravity Distortion -- RechRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(9), Acc-I(11), Hold-I(11), Hold-I(13), Hold-I(31)
Level 4: Accelerate Metabolism -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(13), RechRdx-I(15), EndMod-I(15), EndMod-I(17), EndMod-I(17)
Level 6: Recall Friend -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 8: Crushing Field -- RechRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(19), Acc-I(19), Immob-I(21), Immob-I(21), Immob-I(31)
Level 10: Stealth -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(50)
Level 12: Swift -- Flight-I(A), Flight-I(46), Flight-I(46)
Level 14: Teleport -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(23), Range-I(48)
Level 16: Health -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(23), Heal-I(25)
Level 18: Gravity Distortion Field -- RechRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(25), Acc-I(27), Hold-I(27), Hold-I(29), Hold-I(48)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(31), EndMod-I(33)
Level 22: Hover -- Flight-I(A), Flight-I(33), Flight-I(33)
Level 24: Enervating Field -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(48)
Level 26: Wormhole -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(34), Dsrnt-I(34), Dsrnt-I(34), Dsrnt-I(36)
Level 28: Radiation Infection -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(36), DefDeb-I(36), DefDeb-I(37), ToHitDeb-I(37), ToHitDeb-I(37)
Level 30: Grant Invisibility -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(39), DefBuff-I(39)
Level 32: Singularity -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(39), Hold-I(40), Hold-I(40), Dmg-I(40), Dmg-I(42)
Level 35: Phase Shift -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(42), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 38: Lingering Radiation -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(43)
Level 41: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(43), RechRdx-I(43)
Level 44: Energy Torrent -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(45), Dmg-I(45), Dmg-I(45), Dmg-I(46)
Level 47: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 49: Team Teleport -- Range-I(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Dmg-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Containment

Here's a Defender version:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Defender
Primary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Secondary Power Set: Psychic Blast
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Concealment
Ancillary Pool: Dark Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- EndRdx-I(A), Heal-I(3), Heal-I(3), Heal-I(5)
Level 1: Mental Blast -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(5), Dmg-I(7), Dmg-I(7), Dmg-I(9)
Level 2: Subdue -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(9), Dmg-I(11), Dmg-I(11), Dmg-I(13), Immob-I(46)
Level 4: Accelerate Metabolism -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(13), EndMod-I(15)
Level 6: Radiation Infection -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(15), DefDeb-I(17), DefDeb-I(17), ToHitDeb-I(19), ToHitDeb-I(19)
Level 8: Hover -- Flight-I(A), Flight-I(21), Flight-I(21)
Level 10: Psychic Scream -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(23), Dmg-I(23), Dmg-I(25), Dmg-I(25)
Level 12: Recall Friend -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 14: Teleport -- EndRdx-I(A), Range-I(27)
Level 16: Swift -- Flight-I(A), Flight-I(27), Flight-I(29)
Level 18: Health -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(29), Heal-I(31)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(31), EndMod-I(31)
Level 22: Will Domination -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(33), Dmg-I(33), Dmg-I(33), Dmg-I(34), Sleep-I(46)
Level 24: Telekinetic Blast -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(34), Dmg-I(34), Dmg-I(36), Dmg-I(36)
Level 26: Grant Invisibility -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(36), DefBuff-I(37)
Level 28: Psionic Tornado -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(37), Acc-I(37), Dmg-I(39), Dmg-I(39), Dmg-I(39)
Level 30: Invisibility -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 32: Phase Shift -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 35: Scramble Thoughts -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(40), Dmg-I(40), Dmg-I(40), Dmg-I(42)
Level 38: Psychic Wail -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(42), Dmg-I(42), Dmg-I(43), Dmg-I(43)
Level 41: Oppressive Gloom -- Acc-I(A), Dsrnt-I(43), Dsrnt-I(45), Dsrnt-I(45)
Level 44: Soul Transfer -- Dsrnt-I(A), Dsrnt-I(45), Dsrnt-I(46)
Level 47: Dark Consumption -- Acc-I(A), EndMod-I(48), EndMod-I(48), EndMod-I(48)
Level 49: Soul Drain -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(50), Dmg-I(50), Dmg-I(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Vigilance

Dont try the Defender version. Thay'll be far more frustrating to play than a Controller one, partly because the toggle will run around everywhere. The damage wont be heaps better.

Don't write off Controllers until you've got Stamina. They suffer from very poor damage per endurance (propel being one of the better powers for this), and Stamina eases this a lot.
Soloing Controllers, i found that I often spend the last half of a fight in my teens with a fuill health bar and empty end bar, refreshing holds on the last few targets. Its no fun, but once you get Stamina, you've turned a big corner.

Never slot an immobilise power (single or area) for immobilise - they last 30 seconds out of the box and refresh in far less time. Dont slot Crushing Field much at all, slot Crush for damage over all else.

Get Radiation Infection ASAP.



You may have already got this, so forgive me if I'm preaching to the converted:
Controllers need to juggle. A Scrapper of Blaster works best focussing on each enemy in sequence, taking them down one by one. A Controller is best swapping targets all the time. Once youve held a bad guy, he isnt going anywhere for 20 seconds or so, so switch targets and hold someone else rather than whittle him down like a Scrapper would. If face dwith 3 minions solo, i usually deisgnate one as the "damage bearer", hold the other two as quickly as I can, and just occasionally refresh holds on them while the "damage bearer" goes down. Then nominate whoever has fewer HP left as the next damage bearer, and repeat.

Oh, and never use Propel if containment isnt set up.

I've got a respec burning a hole in my monitor, so I'll respec and see if it helps. I have a Mind/Emp Controller already and he was fine to play. This guy has just been a pain in the rear. Is Grav more endurance heavy than most sets? Rad?

Anyway, I'll respec and let you know.

Here's the revision, any reviews?

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Doctor Solomon: Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Gravity Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Concealment
Ancillary Pool: Psionic Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Crush -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(3), Dmg-I(3), Dmg-I(5), Dmg-I(5), Range-I(43)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(7), EndRdx-I(7), Heal-I(9), Heal-I(46), Heal-I(46)
Level 2: Gravity Distortion -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(9), Dmg-I(11), Dmg-I(11), Dmg-I(13), Range-I(45)
Level 4: Accelerate Metabolism -- RechRdx-I(A), EndMod-I(13), EndMod-I(15), EndMod-I(15)
Level 6: Radiation Infection -- EndRdx-I(A), DefDeb-I(17), DefDeb-I(17), ToHitDeb-I(19), ToHitDeb-I(19), ToHitDeb-I(21)
Level 8: Crushing Field -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(21), Dmg-I(23), Dmg-I(23), Dmg-I(25), Range-I(46)
Level 10: Recall Friend -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Hover -- Flight-I(A), Flight-I(25), Flight-I(27)
Level 14: Teleport -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(27), Range-I(43)
Level 16: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 18: Health -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(29), Heal-I(29)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(31), EndMod-I(31)
Level 22: Gravity Distortion Field -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(31), Hold-I(33), Hold-I(33), Hold-I(33), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 24: Grant Invisibility -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 26: Wormhole -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(34), Dsrnt-I(34), Dsrnt-I(36), Dsrnt-I(36)
Level 28: Invisibility -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(36), DefBuff-I(37)
Level 30: Phase Shift -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 32: Singularity -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(37), Hold-I(37), Hold-I(39), Dmg-I(39), Dmg-I(39)
Level 35: Lingering Radiation -- Acc-I(A)
Level 38: Choking Cloud -- EndRdx-I(A), Hold-I(40), Hold-I(40), Hold-I(40)
Level 41: Mental Blast -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(42), Dmg-I(42), Dmg-I(42), Dmg-I(43)
Level 44: Indomitable Will -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(45), DefBuff-I(45)
Level 47: World of Confusion -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(48), Conf-I(48), Conf-I(48), Conf-I(50)
Level 49: Psionic Tornado -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(50), Dmg-I(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment

Sorry, I should have read your last build more thoroughly.

You dont have Propel, this is really one of the defining points of Gravity Control, especially solo. (The others are Wormhole and Singulairty)

Its the highest damage Controller attack of all, and also the best damage-per-endurance attacks, which helps a lot when solo. Its main drawback is that its slow to activate, but if your enemies are held and you're on your own, this doesn't matter too much.

I can dig if you dont wnat to take it for concept reasons - Dr Strange never threw a toilet, forklift, coffin or insulation bale at someone, after all.

Without Propel, you're basically fighting with your single target hold and immob for damage, which is the unenviable position that Earth and Ice find themselves in.

So I'd say either get Propel (replace Crushing Field or GDF) or re-roll as Illusion.

My apologies for not spotting this earlier.

The AT you're looking for is a DOMINATOR.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eltonio This is over the top mental slavery.

I neglected to mention, I did originally take the Propel power, but found the Blackwand a superior alternative. It's not as accurate, but it's quicker and actually does more damage (unslotted, at least). As a bonus, it has a -tohit element.

I looked at getting that "holy trinity" of powers, but I'm not sure I can stand the endurance costs.

I've done the respec, and I'll tinker with the build in Mids some more.

You are skipping a lot of set defining powers and ones that would greatly aid your solo ability, especially on the damage front. Going for concept is great and all, but it just might not work with those sets since there are so many good powers that you replace with, no offense, meaningless pool powers. You're planning on taking most of the Concealment pool, which takes away from the powers that are actually going to actively help you.

As I said, you're skipping the bread-and-butter of your primary powerset for concept reasons. It's doable, but it's certainly not going to be very effective. At the very least get Propel, Choking Cloud will be much less useful since I assume you'll be Hovering most of the time (because of the 3 flight speed enhancers) and thus, hopefully, out of melee range. The same goes for World of Confusion and since they can both only affect minions, Choking Could would mostly cancel the effects of World of Confusion. Enervating Field will add to your damage and your survivability.

Recommendations: Drop Choking Cloud and World of Confusion for Propel and Enervating Field at the least. You would have to change either Mental Blast or Indomitable Will to Mind Over Body, but the armor will help a lot in conjunction with Enervating Field's -Dam component. You're also slotting some powers too much and in ways that are fairly negligible. For example, at level 50 your hold does a total of 33 damage, even doubled that's not worth the 3 slots spent on damage enhancers. Especially if you have Propel and the Vet powers, keep in mind those can't be slotted and can be very endurance heavy, which is probably part foy our problem. I would get Lift in there too, but then you'd actually have to take away powers from concept.

The build is difficult to change since you seem to want to hit your concept as soon as possible, but that really cuts your effectiveness at the lower levels to almost nothing and is certainly the source of your woes. It's really a question of how much pain you're willing to endure to play the concept sooner rather than later. The build could easily be made that put of many of the concept powers until a later level and made you actually soloable until then.

Here is my build the gets you concept late in your career but makes you more bearable to play before then. Some things to note. Teleport comes after level 14, just use the Safeguard temp travels. They should last you until at least level 22, especially if you get both.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Doctor Solomon: Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Gravity Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Concealment
Ancillary Pool: Psionic Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Crush -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(3), Acc-I(3), Dmg-I(5), Dmg-I(5)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(7), EndRdx-I(7), Heal-I(9), Heal-I(43), Heal-I(46)
Level 2: Gravity Distortion -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(9), Acc-I(11), RechRdx-I(11), RechRdx-I(13)
Level 4: Accelerate Metabolism -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(13), RechRdx-I(15), EndMod-I(15)
Level 6: Radiation Infection -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(17), DefDeb-I(17), DefDeb-I(19), ToHitDeb-I(19), ToHitDeb-I(21)
Level 8: Propel -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(21), Acc-I(23), Dmg-I(23), Dmg-I(25), Dmg-I(43)
Level 10: Recall Friend -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Enervating Field -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(25)
Level 14: Crushing Field -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(27), RechRdx-I(27), Immob-I(33)
Level 16: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 18: Health -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(29), Heal-I(29)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(31), EndMod-I(31)
Level 22: Teleport -- EndRdx-I(A), Range-I(31), Range-I(42)
Level 24: Gravity Distortion Field -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(33), EndRdx-I(33), RechRdx-I(34), RechRdx-I(42), Hold-I(42)
Level 26: Wormhole -- EndRdx-I(A), Acc-I(34), Dsrnt-I(34), Dsrnt-I(36), Dsrnt-I(36)
Level 28: Hover -- Flight-I(A), Flight-I(36), Flight-I(37)
Level 30: Grant Invisibility -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 32: Singularity -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(37), Hold-I(37), Hold-I(39), Dmg-I(39), Dmg-I(39)
Level 35: Lingering Radiation -- Acc-I(A), RechRdx-I(43), RechRdx-I(46), EndRdx-I(50)
Level 38: Invisibility -- EndRdx-I(A), DefBuff-I(40), DefBuff-I(40), DefBuff-I(40)
Level 41: Phase Shift -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 44: Mental Blast -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(45), Dmg-I(45), Acc-I(45), EndRdx-I(46)
Level 47: Mind Over Body -- EndRdx-I(A), ResDam-I(48), ResDam-I(48), ResDam-I(48)
Level 49: Psionic Tornado -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(50), Dmg-I(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment

Try using your hold and immobalize on the anchor target for Radiation Infection and Enervating field - that way they can't run around. Just make sure you leave the anchor till last for defeating.
I find that a leut near the back of a group is a good anchor or possibly a boss (because you want to be sure he gets debuffed).
If you skip RI you will suffer a lot of deaths.
Don't use ghosts or wolves as anchors - they are immune to immobalizes.
Don't use teleporting mobs like tsoo sorcerers, rikit gunmen, skyraider porters or malta gunslingers as anchors.

Gritting my teeth and being constructive here:

From the Defender version, here's what I know about Rad:
You need 95% or close to it Endurance Reduction in both main toggles. You will also want as close as possible to 60% ToHit Debuff in Rad Infection. The Defender version drops even-con enemies to the to-hit floor. Defense Debuff in Rad Infection is unnecessary.

Soloing pre-SO's on any support character is miserable- and almost every character is miserable in the 16-19 range anyway, as people get all their big end draining powers and nothing to mitigate yet. (Level 21 is known among our SG as "level suck." I won't powerlevel ANYONE EVER... with one exception. I'll change servers, log in a new character, quit something in the middle to powerlevel some complete stranger if they're level 21.)

I'd invest in some level 20 IO's. Four L20's is as good as three L25's, so it's worth "overdriving" Rad Infection even if you're only going to use them for four more levels or so.

Once you have RI, EF and an immobilize, you should be pretty damn safe.

I don't know how the controller half works, so I recommend listening to the nice people who do.