Plant/Storm Journal

I've finally got a new alt!

Quick background for those that don't know me... My Main is a Mind/Kin from waaaay before Mind or Kin were cool, back in I-2 :-).

I've done just about every Mind/ combo of Pri/Sec both for Controllers and Doms. I've also done just about all the Fire/ Combos for both Controllers and Doms.

Took a break from CoH because I got two fingers on my right hand smashed (to the point where they practically needed to be reattached 0.o ) and using a mouse was awkward if I had to hold the button down for too long. And typing was kinda uncomfortable too.

Anyway, fingers are better (if the tips are still a bit wiggly as there is some missing bone) so I've been dabbling now and again with various of my chars. Recently I got a chance to play with some 41 (ish) variations on Plant/ characters and I found that Plant/Kin was fun, but too fragile. Plant/Storm however was awesome! Though I suspect I was playing it a bit differently than some as I was using Snow Storm quite a bit as well as Spirit Tree.

So I thought I'd start a journal bout my experiences playing Plant/Storm with the intent of eventually FINALLY doing my first Guide (still have plans for doing a confusion guide that covers best confusion targets by lvl ranges).

Anyway, have to go help put the kids to bed... We spent all day building a 20' X 10' turtle pen for the kid's box turtle (complete with pond!) and everyone's a bit wiped.

Viridicane's up to about 11th IIRC, so I'll try to catch up on journal entries later this evening. I'm picturing that the journal will be a bit like Ish's Solo Grav controller project for anyone that remembers that far back ;-)

Plant/storm was hands down the most fun ride to 50 of any of my toons. After getting seeds at 8 it was all downhill and once i had roots + seeds + freezing rain slotted up, soloing large mobs was a breeze. Makes me feel like taking him out for a spin again and maybe making an io build

I am leveling a plant/storm, "Valerian Foxglove" on Pinnacle right now as my main.
She just hit 16.
I look forward to your journal/guide/adventures and tips!

So, Level 11.

So far I'm seeing much what I expected. Don't even have DO's (quite) yet, so basically my slotting is Acc with one Conf slotted for Seeds and one Hold slotted. It helps a lot that I have all three Vet attacks for single target dmg, without them I'd probably have gone with either Air Sup or Entangle. As it is, I'm basically using Seeds + Roots for AOE dmg and holding either the boss or time sharing between LT's.

I'm getting a lot of mileage out of Snow Storm as well, even in the beginning lvls :-). Since I've got the Vet option of picking a travel power at lvl 6, I've been using SS to get up close to setup Seeds when the spawn composition seems doable And if it's all spread out, I target the farthest out Mob, hit Snow Storm and dash closer until it triggers than run out as fast as possible. If I can make the trip in and out fast enough not to aggro anyone else in the mob, then they tend to clump up and follow around the corner en-mass where I'm waiting with Seeds ready to go. Pop Hasten and start beating on the LT's etc. With Hasten running I find that I generally drop the vast majority of +0 or +1 Minions by the time Seeds drops LT's can get touchy and if I've got +1 or +2 bosses in the mix it get's quite dangerous to be handling a large spawn.

So for now I'm mostly running +0 or +1 missions as 3 Hero equiv and it's good and challenging. Hopefully once I get DO's slotted up I'll be able to move up to larger spawns.

I have to say: Viridicane has been the MOST fun in Perez of any character so far! Just a blast taking down huge spawns of even con Hellions and CoT.. Which has had the benefit of lots of good salvage :-). Viridi has saved up about 2.5 mil inf just from selling salvage drops, which is quite a bit better than past alts, though I suppose the salvage costs have gone up a lot too. Still it makes getting that full suite of DO's trivial cost wise, and means that I can probably start working on buying some franken slotting of IOs for the early 20's.

So far her build at 11 looks like:

Plant

Strangler: Acc Acc Acc dmg
Roots: Acc Acc Acc Dmg
Seeds of Confusion: Acc Acc Conf

Storm:

Gale: Acc
Snow Storm: Endred

Pools

Speed:

Super Speed: Endred
Hasten: Rechred Rechred Rechred

IIRC the build I'm tentatively going with has me taking Hurdle at 12, Health at 14 and (of course!) Freezing Rain at 16. I *think* I'm picking up Steamy Mist at 18 for the full invis (with SS) which will be awesome for positioning for seeds as well as getting close enough to tag the back most mob with Snow Storm. Then the obligatory (esp on a /Storm!) Stamina at 20 and Hurricane at 22.

Once I get Hurricane the pulling/clumping method using Snow Storm will REALLY start working, though I'll need Spirit Tree before I can handle doing +2 or +3 large spawns.

::rubbing hands gleefully::

This is *such* a fun build!

The good news from yesterday: Got and completed the Fortune Teller mission, that will come in handy later as the +end bonus will help IO set bonuses keep up with with the end demands I *know* /Storm is going to make.

Notes for IO set planning:

I'm thinking that +rech is going to be even more important on this build than on most. Carrion Creepers hugely useful, but not up nearly often enough ;-). Same for Spirit Tree, and getting the Roots spamming speed up will make a hugh difference.

+recovery and max endurance bonuses should take first priority then recharge. /storm is a huge end hog, especially while spamming roots and powers like tornado and l.storm.

Also, you can slot strangler with less acc enhancements, its inherently accurate I think 1.20x rather than 1x. base.

I look forward to your journal!

So far, it seems that you are building your Plant/Storm the same way I would. I actually have a Plant/Storm on a less-often-used server at about 14, but it is one alt that I haven't had time to work on.

Personally, I think Snow Storm is undervalued. The -Recharge can have a huge impact at reducing the number of attacks, thereby reducing incoming damage. In upper levels, it may not be needed as much when you have other tools to mez foes, but it remains as an effective tool against tough-to-mez foes. (Snow Storm is one of the most effective tools in the Imperious TF, since those guys have a lot of mez resistance.)

Didn't get too much time to play, so she's just up to about 13.5 now.

Changes: Picked up a full suite of DO's at 12, which had the normal impact.

Got a very pointed reminder of just how much of a PITA Fortunatas are for control types other than Mind/ . Ran though a radio mission at +1 2 hero equiv and every span with a Fortunata there was a pain. A +2 Fortunata Lt with 4 or 5 other assorted minions and LTs is a major problem at this point. By doing a little pulling where needed, and some careful tactics I got though the mission (I think there was one faceplant), but it was tricky. Dom's have it easier with the much higher damage output.

Things will get a LOT easier once I've for Freezing Rain, the ability to make the Vet attacks HIT will go a long way to fix my single target dmg issues... Only 2. 5 levels to go!

Then the next major milestone will be Stamina at 20 (sooo needed for /Storm) and then start slotting IO sets and SOs at 22. I suppose I need to figure out IO load outs for Seeds, Roots etc. Seeds and Roots are definitely the cornerstones of the build at this stage (well strangler too, but that's a given )

Vir dinged 16 last night and got her Freezing Rain . Haven't had enough of a chance to play with it yet, but it's pretty much as awesome as I remember (though it REALLY comes into it's own once you have SO level enhancements), though the duration is a bit shorter.

Continuing to play with using Snow Storm to clump up groups better. It works. Will get a lot better when I have Steamy Mist to pair with Super Speed so I have full invis to tag the mob at the back of the spawn with aggroing those in the front prematurely. Hurricane will be a godsend to push the forerunners back and break up the Alpha. Add Spirit Tree to jack my regen up to soak up what gets through Hurricane, and Freezing Rain to boost the dmg from Roots as well as upping the dmg mobs do to each other with Seeds... Should be a lot of fun :-)

Moved from Kings Row/Skyway to Faultline and had some fun with first missions from Jimmy Tremblor. Fusionette is a MUCH better pet now that they've made her less suicidal .

Hope to play tonight with the mob lvl booted a bit now that I should be able to hit better.

Viri dinged 18 last night :-). So far it's been all soloing as I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the powers and how they can be used, teaming provides too many other variables atm...

I DID see some of the Fire/Rad super team last night over in Faultline though! :: waves ::

Anyway, got the Stamina pre-reqs out of the way and picked up Steamy Mist last night, so that's progress. On my wish list for the near future (after Stamina at 20) is still Hurricane (22) and Spirit Tree (24) then Carrion Crawlers (26).

Now that I've got full invis I plan on experimenting with pulling multiple spawns together into a single swarm so I can *prune* them all with extreme prejudice using Seeds/Roots. The big question is how much of an alpha I can take without Hurricane and Spirit Tree to dampen the alpha and give me more resilience.

Another question is whether it might be worth slotting Steamy Mist for some def to stack with the heavy -acc from Hurricane.

There's really not much to taking alphas if you toss out Seeds first. I got my Eerie Gator to 50 without ever taking Hurricane or Spirit Tree. I'll have to dig up that build and let you know what I took in their place. Hurricane seemed to me to require you to be in melee (not good for controllers) and cause too much chaos when you were. And fights were generally over much faster than a planted Spirit Tree could have much effect. I've noticed those stationary regens, if they're truly needed, don't seem to provide enough regen to turn the tides of the fight - but that's only my perspective.

Have fun! My most fun toon too date!

Sounds like you are having a blast.

One of the dirtiest tricks in /Storm, by the way, is powering up Hurricane and using that moment to fire Aid Self. The enemies who havent been sent flying are under a massive -ToHit penalty, and if they can't hit you, they can't interupt the power. Call it a "ghetto PFF." That's if you actually decide to spec into the Healing pool of course.

Leveling up my two Plant controllers, I Frankenslotted for Acc/Conf/Rech in Seeds. No matter how much recharge, it always seems to need more.

Freezing Rain has a variety of options. One is 5 Lady Gray and a common Recharge. I have seen several people slot it up with lots of procs. The most important is Recharge, to have it up for just about every group. Some amount of Defense Debuff doesn't hurt, but isn't really necessary.

Hurricane: I usually put in 4 Dark Watcher. I have an extra button on my mouse binded (bound?) to Hurricane, so I can turn it on and off quickly with a click of my thumb. This makes it far more useful and surgical.

Steamy Mist: I like slotting it up for EndRdx and then Resistance, but some people use Defense. In either case, it is a great place for a Karma OR Steadfast -Knockback. That makes a big difference.

Spirit Tree: I have it but don't use it all that much. Maybe slot it with 5 Doctored Wounds? Maximize Recharge that way and get a Recharge bonus.

Fly Trap: a/k/a Chompy, or my favorite nickname, Twoey. (In Little Shop of Horrors, the man-eating plant was named the "Audrey II," but Seymore called it "Twoey." Some folks incorrectly call it "Audrey.") Twoey used to be a pretty bad pet, but he's gotten much better. There are lots of options on how to slot this. 4 from the Expediant Reinforcement set gives good Recharge, but you will need to add a little extra Damage and Recharge to cap -- you can finish out the set, or the two triples from Call To Arms work. However, lots of Recharge in Twoey lets you re-cast him more often.

Tornado: Another place you can put a 4 from Expediant Reinforcement set for more global recharge, but focus more on EndRdx.

Lightning Storm: I like a lot of Recharge in this power, and the Devastation Chance for Hold proc is wonderful here. It goes thematically, too, since the foe is held in a Tesla cage.

Great feedback Thx

What do you think for roots? Load up on the procs? Or a 5 pack of something like Posi for the globals and drop in one extra proc from an immob set?

I suppose I might lose the liking for Spirit tree after I've had it for a bit... But it seems like such a perfect match to fill the self heal hole in Storm. I like Oedipus_Tex's idea of Aid Self as you trigger Hurricane as a getto hibernate/PFF though . I'm really looking forward to exploring some of the less publicized Plant/Storm synergies...

Thanks!
I'll have to give this technique a shot for bigger mobs, perhaps I am playing too cautiously...

I look forward to your posts!

Had to take quite a break as we were up on the Hill in DC with an IAB Fly In lobbying effort talking to Senator offices/staff, great experience! Got an interview with NPR out of it too ;-).

Anyway, got Viri up to 25th so she's now got Spirit Tree and has Hurricane 4 slotted with 3 Acc Debuf and an Endred. She's hell on wheels with BP, ditto for Freaks, but have to be careful of CoT and Tsoo with the diff set to +1 and 4 hero equiv.

It's a really fun combination, not totally safe and you have to be ready to adapt your tactics as you go. The Snow Storm pull/Hurricane clumping tactic works reasonably well. The trick is to try and use hurricane to clump all the mobs into a single pack on one side of you so you can hit them all with Seeds. If one or two end up on the wrong side, Hurricane works very well to keep them off you while you focus on the main clump. Spirit Tree works very well so far to help you keep up with incoming dmg that gets through Snow Storm/Hurricane as well as generally having you come out of the fight with a full bar of green. At this level, a fight against a 4 hero spawn of +1/+2 mobs can take awhile, so the slow rech of Spirit Tree (only a single heal slotted so far) isn't much of an issue so far. Don't need it every spawn, but it certainly does add some resilience when needed.

The build is getting a LOT more flexible, and frankly I'm getting a lot better use out of Hurricane than I have in most of my other /Storm Controllers.

What it really comes down to is this: This is a FUN combo. Storm complements Plant/ very well indeed so far, as no self heal is one of the big drawbacks of /Storm, having the Tree does indeed help to fill that void. It's NOT as effective a heal as many other sets, but it's quite low maintenance as it's just a drop and forget which helps free up your attention for all the other things you're juggling.

So far I really don't see a need for Vines or Spores, though I haven't hit any Nems yet, which I know is going to be a major PITA mob type for a Plant/ . Based on my experience thus far I'm thinking that a combination of soft control from /Storm, Flytrap, Carrion C, etc will still be workable.

1 levels to go till I get to toss Carrion Creepers into the Mix!

Slow progress as there's this annoying thing called PRW (Pesky Real Work/World) that keeps getting in the way .

Anyway, got Viri to 27, so she's got her hands on the bright shiny new toy that is Carrion Creepers! Yum. Mostly been teaming the last couple of levels (just the way it worked out), so I haven't had much of a chance to really play around with the tactical possibilities yet.

I've also been spending a lot of time playing the market and getting her some initial sets! Kinda like a kid's first bike, but without wheels, not made of tubing and tires and without any training wheels. Ok... So not so much alike. But it's still a place to start.

She's setup now with a 5 pack of Malaise + the tri-aspect from Perplex (Seeds), a four pack Of Dark Watcher (Hurricane (thx LM!)) and a 4 pack of Gaze of the Basilisk(Strangler). Took a bit of bidding/waiting, but it was worth it, and +18% (ish) Global rech makes a difference at 27th, and the +Rec is VERY welcome. The +Rec will be even more critical once Tornado and LS put in an appearance!

That reminds me, need to make some time to finish up the Pupil, Silver Bullet and Slayer badges... Atlas would come in handy about now .
:: scribbles note to self ::
:: snort ::
:: throws away illegible note and types up reminder in iCal instead ::

Next up:

What to do at 28? Current plan has 28 and 30 openish... I've currently got Assault/Tactics penciled in as Tactics is *always* and esp helpful in the later game both with purple mobs and with those pesky Night Widows . But Oedipus_Tex had a good point about Hurricane and Aid Self. Or I could always go with Vines (for Nems) and either Spore Burst (as a Sandman mule) or Thunder Clap to pair with Fissure.

Hrm... That's if I go with /Earth. /Ice is pretty attractive with Ice Storm, and would go beautifully thematically.

Anyone got any good suggestions for the 28/30 pairing? Reasons?

Maybe I should start a poll... .

'K, back to PRW!

I suggest you ignore PRW entirely!

My main now is currently a Plant/Storm on Pinnacle, so I am following your development closely.

I still have not been able to pull off/understand/duplicate a reason not to open with Seeds instead of Snow Storm.

God/Goddess bless you if you like it better, but for me hitting big groups with Seeds first makes them cluster up in a big throbbing pile, I then Snow Storm a boss, put a freezing rain under the massive cluster and then Roots...

While if I try your "corner pull with Snow Storm first on a mob near the back of the bunch out of line of sight" They all seem to run AWAY from the snow'd guy and out of his slow aura and come visit me! The snow stormed target ( being slow) hangs back alone and late to the party... I guess to each their own!

Maybe I am doing it wrong, but Seeds--> Snow Storm --> Freezing --> Roots is my attack sequence of choice...

I am also very jealous you are advancing so well and quickly I am still at 17 being only able to play about 2 hours a week lately.. Darn that PRW!

I'd also advocate using Seeds first. I find Seeds->Freezing Rain->Roots to be the best opening sequence: get them to charge each other and clump up, debuff them and make the stragglers flop over, then immobilize them. (Sprinkle with Creepers, Tornado, LS, epic AOE attack as available.)

I don't see why you 'wouldn't' start with Seeds of Confusion. That initial Alpha Strike will be used against each other and that's a lot of dmg. No better way to safely mitigate the Alpha either.

But you shouldn't snowstorm until confusion is off. Why would you nerf the dmg your enemies will do against each other? You want to take maximum advantage of forcing them to fight each other.

I'd go Seed of Confusion > Vines. While they are fighting each other you can set up your other abilities Snow Storm (and hope they don't slip to much. Because that's dmg they aren't doing to each other. But at the same time with the -def and -resistance you want to be taking advantage. You could possibly hold off on this, depending on how fast you want to go). This also give you the chance to throw your carrion down under then, summon a lightning storm etc.

I think you're missing the point. I use Snow Storm to pull when the spawn is spread out, with some around a corner etc. Using Superspeed + Steamy mist for full invis, go to the guy in the back, activate Snow Storm, then run FAST back through the rest of the mobs and around a corner, drop Spirit Tree and wait with Hurricane up (turn off Super Speed and Steamy Mist to save End) standing right near the edge of the corner so the mobs mostly pile up just short of the corner. A few will probably make it through but they are thoroughly debuffed and the Tree will generally keep up with any dmg incoming from them.

That gets them all in a single clump, and the alpha is largely neutered by Hurricane. NOW hit 'em with Seeds, drop Snow Storm and go into a normal attack pattern. If you just used Seeds on the group that you could initially see, all the others on the other side of the cave bend/door/corner/crates/whatever would (most often) come running and you catch all their attacks in your teeth.

If you can see and hit the entire spawn with seeds at the beginning of the fight, then I totally agree that Seeds is perfect as an opener. Unfortunately when you're dealing with large 4/6/8 hero equivalent size spawns, the mobs are very often spread out, esp in caves and other broken geometry maps, so you need a tactic to group them up.

Carrion Crawlers is often even better if it's up, though the Snow Storm pull can also be used to herd several spawns together if you're playing with smaller size spawns, which is something that can be very effective on small teams.

The other time this method is useful is with Nemesis and other confuse resistent mobs.

Basically this method is part of a toolset, to be used when appropriate. It's not intended to be a one-size-fits-all attack pattern, but it IS quite effective in the right situation, and it's unusual and FUN.