Earth/Storm Procs vs Fire Blast

All,

tl;dr: am I better off with Fire Blast 5-slotted, or with NO fire blast whatsoever but 2 damage procs EACH in Freezing Rain and Earthquake?

Long Version:

I've got an Earth/Storm controller with about 50% global recharge. I currently have the following damage procs:

Quicksand: Smashing
Freezing Rain: Negative, Energy (also Chance for -Res)
Earthquake: Negative, Smashing (also Chance for -Res)
Volcanic Gasses: Smashing, Psionic
Fireball: Energy

Now, as it happens, I am about to do a respec to pull out 2 Absolute Amazement purples I have had in my character for a long time, but I'm only getting 4% recovery and frankenslot numbers there. I need it on another character. So, I am going to do a respec. I'm revisiting the character.

I have a spare power slot because of the way I'm doing my respec, so I'm wondering if I'll be better off picking up Fire Blast (with 5 total slots) for some single target damage and possible set bonuses, or whether generally I'd be better off continuing to use my Blackwand w/31% global acc for my single target and keeping the 4 slots in my EQ and FR for damage proc goodness?

Opinions are welcomed!

Thanks,

Lewis

Actually you'd be best off proccing out Stone Cages rather than the powers you've put the procs in. Either 5 slotting Posi (including the proc) and Trap of the Hunter Proc, or 5 slotting Trap (including the proc) and the Posi proc.

This will give you 2 chances to proc for damage every 7ish seconds rather than every 10. (That's with out Hasten or any other global recharge.)

If you were to do that you could potentially sneak a slot and 6 slot Fire Blast.

Well I didnt mention it but I am also thinking about taking my 5-slotted Stone Cages and swapping to a version with 2 damage procs.

So, I guess the question is really 10 AOE damage procs? Or 6 and Fire Blast? I'm leaning towards the 10 procs because its heinous / silly, but I'm considering the Fire Blast option.

Thanks,

Lewis

Remember that procs in toggles, rains, and other such continuous effect powers only check to see if they fire once every 10 seconds... at a 20% chance to do around 72 damage every 10 seconds each proc is only adding about 1.5 DPS. If you have nothing better to do with the slot then you might as well go for it, but I'd look very closely at your build and make sure there's not a place those slots will do more for you.

Taking Fire Blast and 5-slotting it could add around 35 DPS to a single target, not counting Containment. The procs add negligible single target DPS but will add up when fighting large spawns, so it's really a question of which you want to defeat faster: minion hordes or bosses.

Hmm. Ok then. I need to think about that. I normally prefer killing minions and LTs en masse when I solo. That leans me towards the proc madness. However, I'll wait a day or two and think it over.

Thanks,

Lewis

All,

This is the build I kinda want to go for, and that I'm very close to (and used to) on Live already. The main difference between the server and this mids build is that right now on Live I have a Grav Anchor chance for hold in Stone Cages, and I have a Chance for Hold in Lightning Storm, and I've got Dam/Mez action in Tornado (Hami). But, I decided to push for a bit more recharge and tweak some things.

So this is *basically* my live build now, or close. However, I could take Fire Blast at 44, Fire Shield at 47, and Hover at 49, and juggle some slots, essentially moving 4 procs off FR and EQ over to the Fire Blast. Meh. I kinda want to do it, but I kinda like my proc goodness.

Lewis

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

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Li Lung: Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Earth Control
Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Flight
Ancillary Pool: Fire Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Fossilize -- HO:Endo(A), HO:Perox(3), HO:Perox(3), Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(7), Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21)
Level 1: Gale -- Acc-I(A)
Level 2: Stone Cages -- Acc/Rchg(A), EndRdx/Immob(5), Acc/EndRdx(5), Dam%(9), Dam%(9)
Level 4: Snow Storm -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 6: Quicksand -- Dam%(A)
Level 8: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 10: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(11), RechRdx-I(11)
Level 12: Stalagmites -- Acc/Rchg(A), EndRdx/Stun(13), Acc/EndRdx(13), Stun/Rng(15), Acc/Stun/Rchg(15), Acc/Stun/Rchg(21)
Level 14: Super Speed -- EndRdx/RunSpd(A)
Level 16: Freezing Rain -- Rchg/EndRdx(A), Rchg(17), RechRdx-I(17), ResDeb%(43), %Dam(46), Dam%(46)
Level 18: Earthquake -- Rchg/EndRdx(A), Rchg(19), RechRdx-I(19), ResDeb%(46), %Dam(50), Dam%(50)
Level 20: Health -- Rcvry+(A), Regen/Rcvry+(50)
Level 22: Stamina -- EndMod(A), EndMod/Acc(23), EndMod-I(23)
Level 24: Steamy Mist -- ResKB(A), ResDam/EndRdx(25), ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(25), ResDam/EndRdx(40), Rchg+(40)
Level 26: Volcanic Gasses -- Hold/Rchg(A), Acc/Hold/Rchg(27), Acc/Rchg(27), Dam%(29), Dam%(29), Hold(31)
Level 28: Hurricane -- ToHitDeb(A), ToHitDeb/Rchg(31), ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(31), ToHitDeb/EndRdx(34)
Level 30: Thunder Clap -- Acc/Rchg(A), EndRdx/Stun(34), Acc/EndRdx(34), Acc/Stun/Rchg(37), KB%(37)
Level 32: Animate Stone -- Acc/Rchg(A), Acc/Dmg(33), Dmg/EndRdx(33), Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Acc/Dmg(48)
Level 35: Tornado -- Acc/Dmg(A), Dmg/EndRdx(36), Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(36), Dmg/EndRdx(37)
Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Dmg/EndRdx(A), Dmg/Rchg(39), Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 41: Fire Ball -- Acc/Dmg(A), Dmg/EndRdx(42), Dmg/Rchg(42), Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), Dam%(43), Dmg/Rchg(43)
Level 44: Fire Shield -- ResDam/EndRdx(A), ResDam/EndRdx(45), ResDam/EndRdx(45), ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(45)
Level 47: Hover -- Fly(A), EndRdx/Fly(48), Flight-I(48)
Level 49: Fly -- Flight-I(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Containment
------------
Set Bonus Totals:

• 10% DamageBuff(Smashing)
• 10% DamageBuff(Lethal)
• 10% DamageBuff(Fire)
• 10% DamageBuff(Cold)
• 10% DamageBuff(Energy)
• 10% DamageBuff(Negative)
• 10% DamageBuff(Toxic)
• 10% DamageBuff(Psionic)
• 2.5% Defense(Energy)
• 2.5% Defense(Negative)
• 1.25% Defense(Ranged)
• 5% Enhancement(Immobilize)
• 53.8% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 6% Enhancement(Stun)
• 40% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 5% FlySpeed
• 72.5 HP (7.13%) HitPoints
• 5% JumpHeight
• 5% JumpSpeed
• Knockback (Mag -4)
• Knockup (Mag -4)
• MezResist(Confused) 5%
• MezResist(Held) 5%
• MezResist(Immobilize) 5%
• MezResist(Sleep) 5%
• MezResist(Stun) 5%
• MezResist(Terrorized) 5%
• 19.5% (0.33 End/sec) Recovery
• 4.1% Resistance(Fire)
• 4.1% Resistance(Cold)
• 5% RunSpeed

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I would go with the procs. If you really need single target damage, Tornado will do it for you. Otherwise a large number of procs end up doing a lot of aoe damage once you get them stacked up, and Earth can use all the aoe damage help it can get.

Edit: Reading StrykerX's reply, I think his analysis misses both the fact that you are using a large number of procs, and each one gets a chance to fire on anyone in the area of the effect of the power every 10 seconds. Freezing Rain gives you two chances to proc, Earthquake gives you 4, but that is multiplied by the number of targets in the area, and again by the number of procs in the power. The real selling point is that these are powers you are going to use every fight anyway, so leaving the procs out of them would waste the opportunity to get what adds up to be significant damage out those powers.

Sweetmeat,

Thanks for the reply. Yes the crazy layering of proc chances is what makes it so cool. After thinking about it, I just don't want to give any of that up. I've been satisfied plenty with my single target damage. As you said, I've got Tornado, and generally when I'm solo, I'm fighting only 1 or 2 bosses and they are the last ones standing, so my Lightning Storm, Vet Attacks, Animate Stone, Fossilize (slotted for both hold and damage), and fireball can still cut them down quite well.

Lewis