Good APP for Mind/Rad?

I have a mind/rad. troller that is getting close to the 40's, and so I was wondering what a good APP would be for him. Right now, I'm thinking Stone. I originally planned to take Psi, but I want some damage. With the mind powerset combined with Choking Cloud, I normally don't have too much trouble locking enemies down. Terrify is definitely my most effective. I've read that Mind is somewhat rarely taken because of its low damage, and I know trollers are supposed to be hold and support, but Stone Mastery offers some serious damage as well as defense options that I think could add nicely to my build. I realize Psi has defense, unique in that it offers defense towards psi damage, but I think I could get more out of Stone. I don't like the idea of Psi Tornado whipping everyone around, and with my mind powers, WoC doesn't seem too needed. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

SIDENOTE: is Telekinesis ever useful?

I'm not so sure I'd classify any controllers damage as "serious" outside of /kins and even then just invite one blaster onto your team and then see how serious damage can get.

I think you may be a little confused on the psi APP. It has MoB which is a resistance based shield that has resists not defense for smashing/lethal and psi damage. It also has Indomitable Will which is a clickbased power that is mezz protection with a little psi defense thrown in. But you don't really take the set for psi "defense" per se.

Frankly, each of the APP sets have something to offer.

Fire has the most overall damage. Fire blast is quick and adds some DoT. Fireball is a nice, fast targetted AoE that is available at 41. The Shield is Smash/Lethal/Fire Resistance-based, Consume can help your endurance issues, and Rise of the Phoenix is the only self-rez available to Controllers.

Ice has a fast blast almost as good as Fire. It is the only set with two AoE damage powers, Frost Breath and Ice Storm -- both add slow to the AoE Damage. Hibernate is a great "Panic Button" power that lets you regenerate both your health and endurance. And the Ice Shield is Smash/Lethal Defense with Cold Resistance -- Defense is usually better than Resistance.

Primal has a decent blast, a cone AoE, but the real jewel is Power Boost. It will substantially increase the duration of your control powers when active -- great for Mass Confuse, Mass Dom, Terrify and EM Pulse. Conserve Power is great for Endurance problems and the Shield is Smash/Lethal Resistance.

Earth has a slow but hard-hitting single target, Hurl Boulder. The AoE damage is Fissure, a very short range AoE that has a chance to stun, and you have to be on the ground to use it -- it is very popular with */Kinetics Controllers. Arguably the best power in the set is the hard hitting melee attack, Seismic Smash, which has a hold included -- great for stacking single target holds on Bosses while doing damage, but only if you like to play in melee. The shield is ugly, but it is good Smash/Lethal defense. And Earth's Embrace is a HP boost/Heal, which is always nice.

Psi's best power is Indomidible Will, the click mez protection that is only part-time. It helps prevent your toggle powers from being knocked off as often. IW includes some Psi Defense, but that is its only Defense. Psi blast is OK, Psi Tornado is actually pretty good with Knock-Up (and not throw around) and decent Damage over time. The armor is Smash/Lethal/Psi Resistance, kind of meh but it is less intrusive in its looks. World of Confusion simply sucks -- too small a radius to be effective.


There are some factors you should consider. All your damage other than Levitate is Psi damage, and Psi damage is heavily resisted by some foes in the late game -- especially Robots. So a different damage type might be a consideration.

Terrify is a cone. That means that you will already be in position for another Cone. Primal and Ice have Cones. Ice also has Ice Storm, but you don't have an AoE Immob to keep foes from running away. Mind Control also has limited opportunities to set AoE Containment, but has good single target Containment. You may get more overall damage from a fast single target attack than an AoE attack.

In general, I lean towards Primal for Mind Controllers because Power Boost has a lot of benefits for Mind Controllers. But a lot depends on your playstyle.

As for Telekinesis -- it is a situational power, but can be useful. It is a toggle hold with repel, but it is great for trapping foes against a wall or in a corner. Still, it is the most skippable power in the Mind Control set.

It is hard to go wrong with Primal on a Mind Controller.

if you want more data comparisons, scroll to near the bottom of:

http://tomax.cohtitan.com/data/power...etype.php?at=3

its a few issues old, but i don't remember any changes to these powers since then.

fire might be the best on raw data, but stone can seriously destroy close especially with seismic smash and a melee oriented character.

fire:
fire blast: 1.42 scale dam, 8s rech
fireball: 1.29 scale dam, 32s rech

stone:
hurl boulder: 1.64 scale dam, 10s rech
fissure: .9 scale dam, 20s rech
seismic smash: 2.6 scale dam, 28s rech

fissure isn't as strong as fireball, but they have the same radius and fissure comes up faster. things to consider

Thank you very much for that breakdown, Local Man. I guess my real problem is that I have played very off and on over the years, while also suffering from altitis, and so I don't have many characters in the 40's. The only APP's I've tried are for blaster, and I just want to get the most out of my toon. I had the same feeling regarding WoC. I really wasn't sure of its effectiveness, but I'm inexperienced with the power.

You've got me leaning towards Primal now. I also have the Stealth, Invisibility, and Phase Shift in case that changes anything. I like the self-rez and damage aspects of Fire, though, but Conserve Power seems like it could be slightly more effective than Consume, or maybe it just has a different play style affixed to it. Lots of good stuff to think about.

I like Fissure and Seismic Smash from Stone too..... Man!

Regarding Telekinesis, it was always too much of an end drainer for me, especially while running Stealth, RI, and EF. Managing end. is definitely a concern with this toon, but I try too keep up my enhancements in that aspect to keep things running smooth.

Thanks for being a great community, by the way! I really appreciate all the help.