Curious Questions about trollers :)

Hello I'm new to playing trollers and wondering if anyone can answer a few questions so here goes nothing.
1: which primary is the right one for my playstyle (i.e. how would I know which style of controller I want?)
2: Which secondary would be helpful to a troller who wants to team/solo either one as well as the other?
3: which power pools are recommended based on the first two questions answers ?
4: as my usually char at is blaster which controller primary/secondary would be a good match for me?
and 5: which epic/patron pool would be good based on the above answers?
sorry if I sound newbish but I have never successfully played a controller and want to very badly thanks and hope to see some people soon in game

Welcome the Controller Thread !!!

A few things first..

One you neglected to say what your playstyle is. Thats crucial info.

You have to remember with controllers you really arent going to pour out a ton of damage for a while. The controller secondary is usually designed around support. To buff and debuff. Kinetics is a good option for something that can help you and help your team. Its also very hard to go bad with Radiation.

Power Pools youare going to want.. Obviously a travel power. Fitness at least until Issue 19 comes out. you will want Hasten.. Leadership pool will help your pets if you take a set that has pets.

Question 4 and 7 really cant be answered because until you pick a set. The Epic wont matter.

You have to understand that a controller isnt a blaster. Its not about defeating enemies quickly at taking them down as fast a possible at least not in the beginning. Controllers IMO start to bloom around level 26 and then take off from there. Why because you probably have more of your core powers and have at least gotten Stamina and can slot SO's

Dont let this deter you however because later a controller can be quite powerful and the core of any team.

Well, he said he likes Blasters. My recommendation is my usual recommendation for most new controllers: Try an Illusion/Radiation. Blind-Spectral Wounds will feel like blasting. Deceive and Invisibility makes is very safe. It works great solo or on teams. Ill/Rad is pretty easy to play moderately well, but can be a challenge to play really well.

And I happened to write a guide about that combo . . . linked in my sig. My guide has lots of information to help folks new to controllers learn the details.

Based on what you've said about wanting something like a Blaster you may actually be looking for a Dominator. Controllers are a lot of things, including some that are good at dealing damage, but I've never had one that felt much like a Blaster.

Take a look at some of the Dominator secondaries. They typically consist of a blend between a Blaster's primary and secondary, usually with 2-3 single target blasts, a few "Blapper" melee attacks, and 1 or 2 flavor powers typical of Blasters (i.e. typically Power Boost to boost your control, Build Up or Aim for burst damage, or an extra AoE power).

The only thing Dominators tend to lack is AoE, although they make up for it in their epics. The new Fire APP gives them Rain of Fire and Fireball. You can also get Sleet and Ice Rain from the Ice APP.

I don't want to put you off Controllers completely if you're set on using one, but now that we can freely pick our ATs there's no reason to force yourself into one or another.

Well, if you want a "blaster" like choice, go Mind Control. You have in it 3 ST attacks and a Cone AoE attack, most of which double as Mezzes (a sleep, a Knock-up power, a hold, and a fear), and ocne you have decent recharge, they chain together very well.

Remember that no matter which primary you choose, you won't do good damage UNLESS a target is already Slept, Held, Disoriented or Immobilized. The controller inherent, "Containment", adds double damage to your attacks, and what's great is it ignores the damage cap, ED, etc, because your damage isn't simply doubled; what happens is that you do your damage, and then the damage occurs *again* a split second later. And if you're already at the damage cap (400%), which is achievable if you're using, say, a Kin, you can quickly kill just about anything.

As for pools, well, it depends on whether or not you need them. A Rad or Kin or even an Emp, properly slotted, can get away without going after Stamina (they all have +end or +recovery powers). A Kin doesn't need a travel power because they have access to Siphon Speed and Inertial reduction (a self/PBAoE +jump power). A Illusionist doesn't need Stealth.

If you want, I recommend getting Mids Hero Builder, or use an online build-planner (Both available at the Titan Network here: http://www.cohplanner.com/ ) so you can see what all the power for the primaries and secondaries are like and see what piques your interest.

Have fun!

I agree you might want to also consider a Dominator if your enjoyment comes from the damage that blasters can do.

I'd also suggest a Dominator. They tend to play like a blaster with controls. PLus they get mez protection and endurnace with Domination. So, I'd post your questions on the Dom boards with the addition of your playstyle preferences. i.e. do you prefer AOE or single target attacks. Do you want more control or more offense. Do you want more melee or more ranged.

I am playing an Electric/Earth Dominator and am loving the control+blapper feel. The "bl-" part comes from my veteran attacks though as Earth is very scrapper-y.