How fun are Plant/Storm Controllers?

In my seemingly never ending quest to find an AT thats fun for me and effective (and actually take to 50) i've recently heared of the Plant/Storm combo for AoE good times (makes me smile). I usually play on the Red side but even with my Fire/Storm AoE focused Corr I feel something is just lacking. Control maybe?

Anyhow, I was hoping to hear from those who have played this combo set to completion eg: made it to at least 38 where they were able to get all the powers that make the AT effective, and hear their opinions.

Thanks!

I find it incredibly fun. You can play it control-heavy, using Strangler and Vines to lock everything down at the start of your attack, or you can play it the way I do: Seeds of Confusion to direct everyone's attention away from me, Roots to keep them in roughly the same place, then fire off Carrion Creepers, Lightning Storm, and Tornado for damage. It's great if you like being surrounded with barely-controlled chaos.

Incidentally, my plant/storm controller is the only non-scrapper I've gone into scrapperlock on. Being methodical may be more survivable, but a headlong charge through a series of packed x6 spawns sure is fun :-)

<3 Thank you

I am working on one now...He is only lvl 22 and I already love him.

At lvl 22 I already can...

1.) Stealth with impunity (Steamy Mist + Super Speed)
2.) Deal with large groups of mobs relatively quickly and safely. (Seeds of Confusion, Roots and Freezing Rain) [Side note: Confusion does not slow down your leveling. It actually speeds it up considerably]
3.) Neuter bosses (Snow Storm + Gale [to keep them off of me], while stacking my hold)


There are a couple of drawbacks to leveling this flavor of controller though.

1.) Your single target damage is crappy at this level...Grab your Sands of Mu or Undead-Slaying Axe and cherish it deeply.

2.) Also, you will throw a party when you hit 21 and get stamina three-socketed.

3.) When things go south (like they do occasionaly) you are particularly vulnerable, since you do not have a self-heal available.

Well, good luck and I hope you give this a try...it is a real fun combo of sets to play.

There are some downsides to the combo . . . it is very dependant upon the Seeds+Roots combo for AoE damage -- not fast, but it works. Freezing Rain adds Defense and Resistance Debuff to increase your damage. However, if you don't get in JUST the right position to catch as many of the foes as possible with Seeds, you might be in trouble while waiting for Seeds to recharge.

But here is where your secondary kicks in, even before Tornado and Lightning Storm. Hurricane can keep any melee foes away and debuff their ToHit. Snow Storm can slow and drop the recharge of ranged foes. And Freezing Rain can act as a Slip-n-fall and keep-away zone. And even lowly Gale can be a "get out of my face" power.

When you finally get to 32, your pet, known as "Twoey" after the Plant in "Little Shop of Horrors," will add some much needed damage. Then come Tornado and Lightning Storm to add more.

You'll want to 6-slot Roots and Seeds early -- Roots needs 2 Acc, 3 Dam and 1 EndRdx. Seeds needs Acc, Confuse, Recharge and a little Range -- you can Frankenslot from the Confuse sets since those IOs are cheap.

I like mine a fair bit, and am slowly grasping towards 38 for that storm cloud.

I'm happily taking on spawns for 6 on my own, using vines to stop them firing back, roots and freezing rain for a bit of AOE damage and the -res off rain, slap on the carrion creepers, then tornado and strangler (slotted for damage) and the pet to pick off what the creepers leave behind.

only problem is getting hit with the occasional alpha and dropping faster than a tonne of bricks.

In teams i get a few instances of kicking out so much aoe that i pull aggro, but that same aoe damage, and the rather pathetic heal, make you a good support for a tank later on.