The Baseless Speculation About Electric Control Thread

So it's been confirmed. It's time for us to start grasping at straws.

First, you should watch the most recent video, with a few screenshots of the set: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1l0-2qqElY

In the slides shown, three things I notice immediately:

- What looks like a single target Hold
- What looks like a ranged knockdown
- What looks like 2 gremlin mobs

So, here are my baseless predictions so far:

1) Electric Fence - as per the Defender Electric epic pool, modified to Controller values
2) Shocking Bolt - as per the Defender Electric epic pool
4) Electric Fences (probably with a different name) - AoE Electric Fences
6) Lightning Field - modified version of Blaster secondary
8) ??
12) ??
18) EM Pulse (possibly with a different name) - AoE Hold similar to other Controllers
26) ??
32) Gremlins - perhaps similar to Fire Imps, maybe two at a time instead of 3


Additional possibilities:
- Power Sink (enemy -Recovery, self +recovery)
- Lightning Reflexes (+Recharge aura)
- Lightning Clap (AoE knockback + stun) - hope this or something like it is in there to make this set work with Storm's Thunderclap (plus a Controller with AoE -immob can stop the annoying knockback)
- Some version of Lightning Rod that does status effects instead of heavy damage (not really expecting it, but would love it)

Anyone care to join in the rumor starting?

I'm stoked, can't wait for it.

Wonder if there will be any sapping?

I wouldn't be surprised to see a single target or AoE sleep in the set. There are a few sleeps present in the electric melee attacks already, and given the added control from endurance drain soft controls could help balance things out.

I also hope the Lightning Field is a part of the set. A source of constant end drain is almost necessary for sapping PVE enemies.

I'd like to see at least one of the powers do a massive end/recovery drain as a means of control. Granted, you may as well use stun (as any enemy can use any attack with the smallest slivers of endurance), but it'd help the set stay thematic.

I'm really hoping that End Drain is a big part of the set.

Existing End Drain powers are flaky and often require specific pairings of powersets to work, but this is where the mechanism can be given its full due - in a Control Set.

Existing powersets have tied End Drain to low damage and dysfunctional secondary effects, but it doesn't have to be that way. If Choking Cloud was the only hold in the game, you might think that holds are flaky and unreliable.

A fast recharging single target drain that stops Recovery for 15 or 20 seconds and drains a +2 or +3 enemy dry in one shot, with slotting is quite doable without any additional coding required.

The net result is a bit like a stun, but has some differences. It affects bosses as much as minions, it doesn't establish Containment, and it doesn't prevent an enemy from running intelligently rather than staggering drunkenly, perhaps at superspeed.

Is it that hard to balance?

Its not really any different from Seismic Smash (Mag 4 hold) or Mesmerise (Mag 4 sleep) in that it affects bosses and minions alike.

A typical Controller single target hold lasts 22 seconds. Seismic Smash lasts 15 seconds. Maybe thats a good place to start? 15 seconds of -Recovery. A single target drain would affect a minion or lieutenant for less time than a typical ST hold would, but would affect a boss in one shot. Tweak that figure accordingly around the 15 second mark.

Using End Drain this way would make Electrical Control the "boss-holder" set sort of like Martial Arts is a low AoE boss-killer Scrapper set. Less effective against a big swarm of minions, better against a tough single target.

As for end drain on Electrical Blasts, I'd just add a non-trivial drain to the single target attacks and not base it all around the one slow animating PBAoE.

I'm with DrMike. I'd like to see electric control become the de facto sapping set. I tried an Ele/Ele blaster once, because I had heard that it could offer very strong control for a team. It did but, as others have commented, it was hit or miss. There was also no mitigation until the mobs were completely drained and hit with -recovery. Often I didn't survive to that point.

I would trade off damage for the safety of mezzing a mob then draining their endurance while they're unable fire back. I also like the appeal of end drain working in situations where normal controls fail, the ITF for example.

I have it on good authority that one of the powers(static touch) will be a single target melee attack. The toon must be wearing socks and no shoes to pull it off, and it only works on maps with a carpteted floor.

I think the thing we can all agree in is that either endurance drain should get a really big bump in this set, or it shouldn't be much of a factor at all in the set - don't make token endurance drain a reason to make other things weaker. I'd be happy with either of the two plans, as long as they don't go the token endurance drain route.

Well, I wouldn't count on End Drain getting a significant bump. It's not very effective for a Defenders Electric Blast, I can't image that Controller's would get a massive debuff denied to Defenders. I, also, don't think we'll see a different secondary effect. That would be counter-intuitive to everything they've done with Electricity up to date. I'm guessing the damage scale will be identical to Ice Control. That being said, Electricity is pretty good with AoE powers.

I could see this:

I. Electric Fence (Immob, -End)
II. Tesla Cage/Shocking Bolt/Electric Shackles (Hold, -End)
III. Electrifying Fences (AoE Immob, -End)
IV. "Sleep" Chain Induction (Ranged Single Target Sleep, - End, +Special - Power May Arc to Other nearby opponents)
V. Lightning Field (Toggle PBAoE Minor Damage, -End)
VI. Lightning Clap (PBAoE Disorient, Knockback)
VII. Unnamed AoE Hold (AoE Hold, -End)
VIII. Short Circuit (PBAoE Morderate Energy Damage, -End, -Recovery)
IX. Gremlins (Melee Minor Energy Damage)

I also think that using the Lightning Rod placement type power would be an awesome visual effect for one of these powers.

Wont get Power Sink (as it's available to Dominators in their Epic pool) and wont get EM Pulse's -regen on the AoE Hold. Lightning Reflexes would be cool, but with the possibility of pairing it with Kinetics, I can't see it happening.

Maybe we'll see an Electric Controller Epic that has Power Sink, Charged Armor, Ball Lightning, Surge of Power, Thunderstrike, or Energize.

I consider end drain to be soft control like knockdown. Also, I agree with DrMike on this: End drain has potential paired with -rech and can be a decent form of soft control. Just because its underperforming as a blas secondary doesn't mean it's not worth it. It's like saying knockdown is underperforming because you just rolled a Battle Axe tanker. Have you tried (Ice Control/)Ice Patch?