What do I do with you, grav/storm?

Gravity is the only control set I haven't taken to 50 yet. I started this toon quite some time ago, but it didn't appeal to me much. A costume change later and a bit of playing with wormhole, and I may have found the motivation to make it 50.

I've mostly focused on the recharge with the build, but tried to retain high values in some key powers. However, I wasn't sure on the slotting of some powers and I'm worried about the level of endurance consumption. I also have Temp. Invulnerability as a mule for Steadfast Protection: +3% def though I don't imagine I'll use it outside of soaking the occasional alpha strike. So I'm seeking some general advice as well as answers to a few specific questions that follow.

• How should Lightning Storm be slotted? Is it worth slotting for some endurance modification considering that I can have two out simultaneously?
• Is the Force Feedback: + Recharge proc useful in Hurricane?
• What is the preferred slotting for Singularity?

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I dunno. Grav is the only one I haven't played past 28. I just can't seem to get into it and have deleted each and everyone of them.

If controllers ever get /traps (which I doubt will ever happen). I might try a Grav/traps just to wormhole a spawn on top of a pile of trip mines or a time bomb. I doubt I'll stick with it long enough to get up to level 36 though unless grav gets a serious buff in the future.

I don't have access to Mids at the moment. As for slotting of Lightning Storm, I like Dam/Rech and Dam/EndRdx/Rech from Thunderstrike and Entropic Chaos, plus Dam/Rech and Chance for Hold from Devastation.

I have slotted my Grav/Storm up as a solo character, but he's not yet 50. I focus on single target damage, relying upon Hurricane to keep foes away and the ToHit Debuff as my defense. GD, Crush and Propel all slotted up for damage, with Air Superiority in there as well. Singy is slotted for damage and the Resistance Procs to make him nearly unkillable. Tornado is use more to throw foes around to protect me than anything else -- until I run into a hard-to-hit foe, when Tornado becomes a major damage dealer.

I had previously been quite critical of the Grav set. But now that I have gotten my Grav/Storm up into the 40's, I find that I really enjoy the set. It is not fast, but the strategy of using Wormhole to thin out groups is a lot of fun -- Wormhole just doesn't get old. Singy is a great pet as a tank and controller, but only OK for damage. I use Steamy Mist+Super Speed to lead Singy into the fight, and while he keeps them busy, I can pick off foes one by one. Alternatively, I can peek around a corner, target a foe, the set up out of line-of-sight to Wormhole them into a corner or against a wall, then Immob, Freezing Rain, Lightning Storm, Thunderclap if needed, and pick them off one by one while Singy helps.

I usually always at least 5-slot Lightning Storm. I also try to max it for damage.

I don't think the chance for recharge items in there are worth it. Hurricane and Gale aren't the best powers for sticking them into, just because largely you'll be doing other things, so trying to trigger the recharge that way is kinda self limiting. Chance for recharge is best in powers you fire and forget.. Also, your recharge (71.25% without Hasten or either of your chance for recharge items figured in) is good enough as it is, in my opinion.

With that in mind, I'd move the 6th slot from Hurricane over to Lightning Storm and throw a Thunderstrike Acc/Dam in it. Then, while you are at it, I'd put all of the Dark Watcher's set in Hurricane EXCEPT the chance for recharge slow. Its honestly not a big deal to have the chance for recharge slow in it. Also, throw an accuracy into Gale instead of the change for recharge item.

Your Singularity is pretty well slotted, considering that you were going for the recharge bonus.

I would move the Absolute Amazement purple set to Wormhole. Put in the first 5 items, and skip the chance for hit debuff. In the 6th slot, put a Rope a Dope Acc/Rech. That way you'll have really good numbers in Wormhole. Then, in your 5 slots for thunder clap, put the first 5 items from Stupefy in it. Thunderclap recharges so fast and has such a good duration that even with just 5 Stupefy in it, you'll have well over perma-Thunderclap, AND you'll pick up an extra 6.25% global recharge.

That would optionally allow you to drop your cost a wee bit by dropping one of your LOTG recharge items, or you can keep it and just have that much more recharge.

You can still get much better numbers out of your hold powers (Gravity Distortion and Gravity Distortion Field) while still retaining your set for recharge. The chance for +2 mag is nice, but not at the expense of your basic numbers in my opinion. I'd go with the first 4 Basilisk items (skip the a/e/r/h since it is expensive, and skip the chance for recharge slow). Then put in an acc/end/rech/hold from Lockdown and an acc/hold/rech from Essence of Curare. Do this for both powers. You'll keep all your global recharge, but you'll also have 95% recharge and hold duration on your hold powers, with 81% accuracy and 35% end reduction. That's plenty of accuracy with your global accuracy.

I don't think there is much point in using Temp Invulnerability as a defense mule for the steadfast unique. Your defense numbers are too low for it to matter, and with Hurricane debuffing enemies, the defenses you have stacking will be high enough that it won't matter. Basically, you'll either be way low on defense, or way over on defense + def debuff whether you have it or not. But, I guess you may as well.

One other issue here is that even though you have the stealth item in sprint to stack with Steamy Mist, I'd almost consider taking Super Speed in place of Temp Invulnerability, simply because its more convenient, and you can get the combo sooner and for no cost and have a travel power at a much lower level. Still, either way. If you do go with Super Speed, you might try going with Hasten/SS at levels 6 and 14, so that you can get the stealth sooner. The downside to that is that you'd have to take Health at 14, GDF at 24, Hover at 30, and Fly at 49. Or, you could just stick with your steadfast idea, or take Super Speed late. I'm just rambling on ideas here.

I think you'll find Hover to be tediously slow with only 1 flight enhancer. Steamy Mist could use more endurance reduction. Sure, you've got plenty of global recovery, but still, that's a pet peeve for me. I'd almost be tempted, if it were me, to put a resist/end titanium coating instead of the LOTG, since you can pick up 6.25% more global recharge anyway by following my Wormhole/Thunderclap option. Still both of these are minor concerns.

I'll also point out that a strength of gravity at low levels is having an attack chain, and you pretty much skipped over that. I also prefer to skip propel as you did, but I usually take Lift to use in conjunction with GD and Crush. I also usually take an epic single target attack also. But, no biggie. Just keep in mind that you are less oriented towards a single target damage chain than a lot of Gravity controllers are.

OK, those are just some thoughts off the top of my head. Maybe they will help. Use some or ignore them all, as you prefer.

Lewis

Some good suggestions here. Thanks folks.

I checked out the wiki page on Force Feedback and found a vary good reason to move it out of hurricane. It seems that if it triggers too often it will spend most of its duration in the surpressed state. Removing that from Hurricane left an extra slot to add some more damage and accuracy to Lightning Storm.

I also took your suggestion on slotting the holds for the AoE hold, Uni. With the single target hold, I stuck with the proc though. For the single target, replacing the proc only added 3.7 secs to the duration and shaved off .12 secs on the recharge. Also, with global bonuses its accuracy was already sitting around 188%. I find the extra chance to overpower a boss a little more useful than the added duration.

I also like your suggestion for changing the sets in Wormhole and Thunder Clap. I gladly welcome more recharge. Speaking of which, I'm going to drop Temp. Invincibility and pick up Combat Jumping for another LotG: +7.5 recharge.

Finally, as for Superspeed... well, I've never liked it much. I find it hard to control indoors and like the safety and ease of flight outdoors. I've used steamy mists and the stealth proc on other characters without issue. The suppression time when clicking glowies isn't too bad.

If Traps ever gets ported into Controllers, there will be a HUGE surge of Grav/Traps characters. The image of Wormhole into a "Pit of Hell" is just too tempting.

I have a Robots/Traps at 40 and a Traps/Rad Defender at 23. Traps will never be popular with the "rolling through missions" crowd. I mostly solo with mine, which isn't easy with the Defender. My Traps Defender seems to work best on a team with a Blaster and a Tank/Scrapper, and that's about it.

Hmm Mind or Ice with Poison