Is Volcanic Gasses Worth taking

Have a level 26 earth/kin troller who is great fun. Basically this toon is a support one, since it has nearly no way to arrest anything ( at least without vet powers).

so in looking at volcanic gasses I see a 240 second recharge for Damage over time..

So wondering if it is worth taking..since I always team.

A thousand times yes. Volcanic Gasses is possibly the best AoE hold in the game. With just SOs you'll have the power worked down to about 2 minute recharge. If you decide to slot heavily for IOs you can work it down to a little over 60 seconds--which is the actual duration of the power.

It is definitely worth taking.

It isn't as good as it used to be though. They made some change some time ago that affected the rate at which the vents in it kicked out their holds. Or something. All I know is that you used to just about be able to use the power on its own and have it hold stuff pretty well. Now, lots of stuff manages to slip out and you kinda have to use other controls to get them stuck in it. Its almost like quicksand now in that I like it as the under-pinning for other controls. But, you cant just throw it under a group and have it hold most of them.

At least in my experience. But, still VERY much worth taking.

Lewis

No question, Volcanic Gasses is a "must have" power for any Earth controller. My Earth/Rad guide discusses some of the mechanics of the power. Basically, it spawns three geysers as pets that pulse holds on the foes. This allows it to stack mag and hold bosses. I suggest that you always use Quicksand underneath it to make sure that foes stay in the area, or use your Stone Cages, or both.

Earth Controllers have three AoE control options: Stalagmites+Stone Cages, Earthquake, and Volcanic Gasses. (There is a 4th in Salt Crystals, but a PB AoE Sleep is not nearly as effective.) You can stagger them to always have one available for every group. Or you can stack them for tough groups. The nice thing about Earthquake and Volcanic Gasses is that they are not "one-shot" controls -- the will continue to control additional foes who enter the area. However both will sometimes take a second or two to take effect, meaning that you may take some damage unless your tank or your Animate Stone take aggro first.

And Lewis? That's the effect of the Pet Recharge Nerf. Volcanic Gasses used to fire off its Geysers more often before pets (and quasi-pets) were stopped from receiving benefit of Recharge.

AND you can cast it around corners or from cover! Along with Earthquake and Quicksand.

Cowardly? Maybe. But cowards seldom ask for wakies.

/headdesk











That's a yes.

Another +1 for VG from this player

Ever since the big ED nerf I would typically recommend a pass on the controller AoE holds. Earth is the exception to my rule. VG is a unique controller AoE hold that has significant tactical utility. In addition to its persistent holding effect that have been discussed to some degree in the posts above, I would also mention that it can be "cast" without having line of sight (LOS). This allows you to basically fire this power from behind cover and not worry about eating the alpha strike as a squishy.

Think of it as a patch of gas that lasts 60s, which targets enemies inside it and shoots up fumes which then hold the targeted enemy and anyone surrounding it.

Why do this? Because thats exactly what it does

The ingame description does not do this power justice. The main drawback of most AoE holds is their relatively short duration. Volcanic Gasses however can last for over 60 seconds..

OK so I agree with others that this power is worth taking because it's the best AoE hold in the game, but you can also make it one of Earths few opportunities to do some real damage.

VG can accept at least three damage procs (both hold procs and positron's blast). Since the vents fire off pretty often, and each one can hit several mobs in the area, and each time they fire they have a chance of applying the procs to those mobs; it gives you a unique opportunity to really hurt stuff while still doing the main job of controlling. I slot my VG with 4 x Acc/Hold/Recharge and two procs (the hold ones are both cheaper than positrons). This has the power up often, has the vents stacking holds so bosses in the area will be held often just by VG itself (much less common now than before the pet recharge nerf, but still possible) and can be counted on to actually hit things without having to drop quicksand or earthquake to help it out - though I drop quicksand and earthquake anyway because they have procs in them too, making it an overlapping region of held mobs dieng to my uber proccage.

Anyway I hope that helps with your decision on whether to take it. VG itself does very little damage so definitely don't slot it for damage, but the procs can help it do quite a lot if you decide to use them.

I often skip the 4 minute recharge AoE hold on my Controllers.

But not this one. Another vote to take it.

It can be summed up in two words - hell yes.

See my Guides and Tutorials

Earth is one of the few sets that can still lock down multiple mobs at one time. VG is one of the reasons. Take it take it, a thousand times take it.

Definitely take it. Its best use is casting a quicksand on a corner, then pop shot the mob so they come after you as you duck around the corner, that way they all bunch up in the same spot on the quicksand, right before they get to the quicksand, lay down VG right where the quicksand is, and it'll maximize its effectiveness at holding the herded mobs together and then gassing them. All risk free too.

Yes.