Cold/Ice nuking with sleet, heat loss, aim, ice storm, blizzard (or heat loss last) is massive damage. Add in PBU and it's even more massive. I've put real dents into EBs with that combo.
My question isn't "Why would you use PBU ?", my question is why would you NOT ?
Also, contrary to most, I (almost) never use the holds on any defender. I just use sleet and/or storm and bull through. Maybe not the most recommended option, but I get by.
I also don't worry about accuracy that much, sleet and infrigidate are my accuracy. True it can rarely hurt when something runs over there and isn't debuffed, and you have to wait on the debuffs, but I work my way along just fine most of the time. Another option that probably isn't highly recommended, but, again, I get by.
Virtually true story:
There was an EB snuck in-between two packs, the nuke combo took out everything but THE EB, and I was left standing there wondering why he wasn't dead, and not really prepared for it. If I'd noticed him, I'd have used him as the center of the nuke combo and made sure to be prepared to finish him off.
"Everything else is dead, but that last boss is at 1/4 health, how the heck did he survive that ? "
*pow pow pow*
"dang it, he won't die! does this guy have some kind of tier 9 I didn't notice ?"
*pow pow pow, splat*
"Oh, that was an EB. DOH! No wonder he was so tough."
When I came back, I popped a small purple and stomped him into the ground effortlessly. If I'd just realized he was an EB and I might need that little extra bit of defense, I'd have been fine the first time around.
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I agree 100% except for the slow down bit. I already move much slower than the game, if I slowed down any more I'd be an npc. =)|
Originally Posted by SkeetSkeet
Putting 2 and 2 together over the course of this thread, the single most effective thing you can do is to develop new play habits. Slow down, concentrate on remembering to use the abilities that turbo charge your damage output. Put a post-it note on your monitor, electro-shock therapy, whatever it takes.
This is the difference between dropping 1 or 2 of them at the start to tip the fight in your favor... and taking so long to get your first kill that the group wears you down. |
The problem is there are too many options. I've been trying to learn how to use cones for the last 8 months. Still a work in progress. Remembering to use buffs is on my list. I do take them, and I put them on power bar #2 right above my attacks.
"Hmm, I guess I'm not as omniscient as I thought" -Gavin Runeblade.
I can be found, outside of paragon city here.
Thank you everyone at Paragon and on Virtue. When the lights go out in November, you'll find me on Razor Bunny.
What you could do is put together a teaming and a solo setup for your second tray.
So for example, for soloing: Put PBU, Sleet, Heatloss and Benumb in the first 4 slots, right above your first 4 attacks (Ice Bolt, Blast, BiB and Freeze Ray I guess?)
For teaming, switch your second bar to bar 4 (or whatever number, really) and put PBU in the first slot again so you can easily see it. Put Ice Shield, Glacial Shield and Sleet/Heat Loss in the next slots.
That way when soloing as you click your attacks you can easily see when PBU/Sleet/Heatloss/Benumb are back up. They're in the rough order of how much you'll be using them while soloing. PBU/Sleet/Heat Loss as often as possible, Benumb for bosses.
For teaming the second bar lets you keep an eye on PBU as well as reminding you the shields are there 
Ice/Cold does have a lot of options, but you can also really boil it down to the core components.
Soloing a small spawn: PBU if it's up, Freeze Ray one, drop Sleet (Heat Loss too if it's up), blast away.
Soloing a boss spawn: Benumb and Freeze Ray the boss (refreshing Freeze Ray when it's recharged), drop Sleet and blast away.
Soloing a large spawn: Freeze Ray the nastiest thing in it, drop Sleet (Heat Loss too if it's up), drop Ice Storm, blast away.
Teamed against a small spawn: If shields are up -> PBU (if it's up), drop Sleet/Heatloss, if there's something nasty like a Sapper Freeze Ray it, if there's a boss Benumb it, otherwise blast away.
If shields are down -> refresh them, then do the above
Teamed against a big spawn: If shields are up -> PBU (if it's up), Sleet/Heatloss, Benumb the boss if there is one, drop Ice Storm, blast the boss.
If shields are down -> refresh them then do as above 
The core of it is: Drop debuffs, blast. The only stuff you need to keep an eye on is conditional stuff.
If PBU is up, use it.
If Heat Loss is up, use it.
If there's a boss, Benumb it.
Profit
Support Guides for all Corruptor secondaries and Fortunatas
The Melee Teaming Guide for Melee Mans
The Melee Teaming Guide for Melee Mans
So the short version is I should be playing more like a blaster and less like a controller?
"Hmm, I guess I'm not as omniscient as I thought" -Gavin Runeblade.
I can be found, outside of paragon city here.
Thank you everyone at Paragon and on Virtue. When the lights go out in November, you'll find me on Razor Bunny.
...I guess?
I mean, the only really controlly power you have is Freeze Ray, which you should be using a lot regardless as playing as a Controller or Blaster.
Support Guides for all Corruptor secondaries and Fortunatas
The Melee Teaming Guide for Melee Mans
The Melee Teaming Guide for Melee Mans
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Only advice I can give on frost breath is to target the enemy in the back of the group when you use it, and try to avoid using it when there's only one enemy.
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Originally Posted by GavinRuneblade
I've been trying to learn how to use cones for the last 8 months. Still a work in progress.
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Quote:
I tend to think of slows as controls rather than debuffs. Not lockdowns like a hold or full mez, but in the same field as immobilizes.
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Originally Posted by Silas
...I guess?
I mean, the only really controlly power you have is Freeze Ray, which you should be using a lot regardless as playing as a Controller or Blaster. |
"Hmm, I guess I'm not as omniscient as I thought" -Gavin Runeblade.
I can be found, outside of paragon city here.
Thank you everyone at Paragon and on Virtue. When the lights go out in November, you'll find me on Razor Bunny.
Quote:
Ah, yes. |
Originally Posted by GavinRuneblade
I tend to think of slows as controls rather than debuffs. Not lockdowns like a hold or full mez, but in the same field as immobilizes.
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Yeah, I don't really try to slow stuff specifically. Stuff gets slowed as a by-product of the other stuff I do.
Drop Sleet so you can kill faster, blasting away with Ice Blasts and dropping Storms, dropping Heat Loss so stuff dies faster and you/team gets endurance = stuff gets slowed
The only slow for the sake of slow power I might use is Snow Storm, which I didn't take. Stuff stays in place plenty with Sleet + Ice Storm. If I had a spare power slot I'd take it, but I didn't. I took FW instead, since it's also just great with one slot and comes in more handy than Snow Storm would.
Support Guides for all Corruptor secondaries and Fortunatas
The Melee Teaming Guide for Melee Mans
The Melee Teaming Guide for Melee Mans
This is based on my ice/ice blaster experience...
Soloing a 3-person group, you should be able to keep two of them held with properly slotted Freeze Ray. If you want to be fancy you can start with Bitter Freeze Ray and then immediately Freeze Ray the second guy. If only one guy is fighting back I imagine it will be a considerably easier fight.
I used to describe Ice blasting as "Bartender with a mallet." Hit the guys who are trying to interrupt, then take an order, then hit the guys who are trying to interrupt...
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
Here's my honest opinion on how to make your life really easy. You are level 41 yes?
Pick up oppressive gloom from dark epic.
Drop sleet on them run and stand among them and all the minions will be perma stunned. Use freezeray on the lut. Now everything you face solo is mezzed with no real special attention needed other than targeting the lut and standing among them.
Take your time killing them, you are in no real hurry any more.
As a byproduct this will put you where you need to be to maximize heatloss.
From the sounds of it you are just being overwhelmed with options cause everything you have is a click power. You said you are already moving slowly, so now the best option is for you to slow the game down by eliminating pretty much any danger you face more or less passively so that you can focus on your attack sequences without worry.
It will make your life a lot easier than any of the other epic options. And drop frostbreath, it is lame.
Quote:
Oooh, I like this idea! Thank you. Now I just gotta figure out a build for it.
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Originally Posted by Frosticus
Here's my honest opinion on how to make your life really easy. You are level 41 yes?
Pick up oppressive gloom from dark epic. Drop sleet on them run and stand among them and all the minions will be perma stunned. Use freezeray on the lut. Now everything you face solo is mezzed with no real special attention needed other than targeting the lut and standing among them. Take your time killing them, you are in no real hurry any more. As a byproduct this will put you where you need to be to maximize heatloss. From the sounds of it you are just being overwhelmed with options cause everything you have is a click power. You said you are already moving slowly, so now the best option is for you to slow the game down by eliminating pretty much any danger you face more or less passively so that you can focus on your attack sequences without worry. It will make your life a lot easier than any of the other epic options. And drop frostbreath, it is lame. |
"Hmm, I guess I'm not as omniscient as I thought" -Gavin Runeblade.
I can be found, outside of paragon city here.
Thank you everyone at Paragon and on Virtue. When the lights go out in November, you'll find me on Razor Bunny.
If I try to focus on my AoE's, I only have three: the two rains and frostbreath, and they all have very short range, DOT damage, and very long recharge. So I often get killed while rooted or while the enemy is having damage tick away on them.
Putting 2 and 2 together over the course of this thread, the single most effective thing you can do is to develop new play habits. Slow down, concentrate on remembering to use the abilities that turbo charge your damage output. Put a post-it note on your monitor, electro-shock therapy, whatever it takes.
This is the difference between dropping 1 or 2 of them at the start to tip the fight in your favor... and taking so long to get your first kill that the group wears you down.