This is a nice, well explained and well-reasoned question . . . and one I have been thinking about myself. I also have an Ice/Storm/Ice with the Cardiac Alpha. The nice thing about Cardiac is that not only do you get the Endurance reduction, but the buff to Resistance helps Steamy Mist without having to slot for Resistance. That's a nice added bonus.
My inclination is to go for Recharge bonuses . . . and damage procs. Ice/Storm has lots of opportunities for damage procs, so adding a bunch of them could increase your otherwise weak damage.
Personally, I skipped Thunderclap -- I find Thunderclap more useful when I have another Stun to stack with, as on my Earth/Storm or Grav/Storm. With Inherent Fitness, I added in Shiver for those times (like the Incarnate trials) where I may not want to stay in melee. I have been finding it more useful than I thought . . . with AA, Shiver and Snow Storm, I can slow huge areas to a crawl with lots of -Recharge. Add some Impeded Swiftness procs in there, and the bits of damage will add up.
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I tend to think that non-Kin Controllers are among the builds for which Musculature is actually most useful. With Containment, you have a very nearly a Blaster's (virtual) base AT damage scalar (0.55*2 = 1.1 versus 1.125) -- but unlike Blasters, you don't have regular access to high-order damage buffs (Aim, Build Up, Defiance).
So Musculature will provide a larger proportional benefit to a non-Kin Controller than it will to most anyone else.
In Ice/Storm/Ice's case, Musculature will provide a significant boost in the damage of Frostbite, Chilblain, Block of Ice, Ice Blast, Frost Breath, Ice Storm, Freezing Rain, Jack Frost, Lightning Storm, and Tornado. That boost to base damage will be further augmented by the -RES debuff in Freezing Rain. Though it's certainly true that lower damage powers will receive a smaller bonus in absolute terms, it all adds up. Musculature also boosts Judgement and Lore powers; of all the alpha slots, in fact, Spiritual is explicitly designed to provide the least benefit to other Incarnate powers.
None of the above necessarily means that Musculature is right for you; I just thought I'd throw it out there. Prior to I-20, I would have said categorically that Cardiac is the way to go; Ice/Storm is such an obscene endurance hog that there's little choice in the matter, almost no matter what you do with IO bonuses. Nowadays, you've a little more leeway.
The approaches I'm considering for my own Ice/Storm are as follows:
- Musculature Alpha (likely Radial for the incidental +recovery, but possibly Core if I feel I can get away with it) with Ageless Destiny. Ageless obviously locks me out of Clarion Destiny's mez protection, so if I were to go this route I'd probably stick with Psi Mastery for Indomitable Will. You can certainly function without mez protection on an Ice/Storm, but Arctic Air really shines when it can't be easily detoggled.
- Cardiac Alpha (Core all the way) with Clarion Destiny. Probably the most obvious set up. The addition of Clarion would give me a guilt-free choice of APP/Patron pool. I'd probably take Ice Mastery here.
As far as IO bonuses go, I'm a big fan of DEF bonuses. Recharge and recovery are given of course, as are procs where you can fit them. I'll try to remember to post some sample builds later.
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Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze
Nice build
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Take Ice Mastery on Ice/Storm Controller, softcap s/l defense, get high recharge, fuel it with Cardiac, win everything.
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IMO all of that extra endurance can be put to work with a new build. Ice Control used to be really endurance heavy, and that limited your slotting. That is no longer really the case. Cardiac in particular lets you get away with stunt slotting you normally couldn't because you'd have to skip bonuses to slot endurance reduction (particularly in Arctic Air).
My approach would be a little different than some people's. I like Ranged defense for Ice Control more than Slash/Lethal. The major reason is that even with capped defense, you are still going to get hit. Because of that, I generally prefer a Resistance based armor over a Defense based one. Cardiac boosts Resistance even further.
Here is a sample of how I might build Ice/Storm/Psi. My incarnate picks would probably be Cardiac and Ageless. The build is capped to Ranged all of the time, near-capped to Psi most of the time, usually mezz protected (esp. with Ageless making buffing your recharge times), near perma hasten (perma with Ageless) and has 60% resistance to Slash/Lethal. If you get overwhelmed, Hurricane will floor the melee attacks of anything in close range, Ranged defense protects youu from of everything beyond that range, and you mostly can't be detoggled. Only AoE attacks from range are a potential issue, and luckily those usually don't hit as hard.
Possible changes you could make would be to drop Thunderclap, move all 6 of the slots to Boxing, and pick up Shiver (slotted with 1 accuracy). For the loss of 10% recharge you could also reslot Frostbite with procs. I don't use Frostbite this way with my Ice characters because I don't spam it, but I can see why Ice/Storm would.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.94
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Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Ice Control
Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Psionic Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Block of Ice -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(3), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(3), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(5), Dmg-I(5), HO:Perox(13)
Level 1: Gale -- Acc-I(A)
Level 2: Frostbite -- GravAnch-Immob/Rchg(A), GravAnch-Hold%(15), GravAnch-Acc/Immob/Rchg(43), GravAnch-Immob/EndRdx(43), GravAnch-Acc/Rchg(46)
Level 4: Chilblain -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(17), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(19)
Level 6: Arctic Air -- CoPers-Conf(A), CoPers-Conf/EndRdx(7), CoPers-Conf%(7), CoPers-Conf/Rchg(9), CoPers-Acc/Conf/Rchg(9), CoPers-Acc/Rchg(11)
Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(11), RechRdx-I(13)
Level 10: Steamy Mist -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(15), RedFtn-Def(19), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(23), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(25), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(25)
Level 12: Ice Slick -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Zephyr-ResKB(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(50)
Level 16: Freezing Rain -- RechRdx-I(A), Achilles-ResDeb%(17)
Level 18: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 20: Hurricane -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb(A), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(21), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(21), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/Rchg(23)
Level 22: Boxing -- Acc-I(A)
Level 24: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
Level 26: Glacier -- Lock-Acc/Hold(A), Lock-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(27), Lock-%Hold(27), Lock-Acc/Rchg(34), Lock-Rchg/Hold(36), Lock-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(36)
Level 28: Thunder Clap -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(29), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(29), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(31), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(31), Stpfy-KB%(31)
Level 30: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(37), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(37), RedFtn-Def(37), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(40), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(43)
Level 32: Jack Frost -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExRmnt-+Res(Pets)(33), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(33), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(34), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34)
Level 35: Tornado -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(36)
Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(40), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40)
Level 41: Indomitable Will -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), RechRdx-I(42), RechRdx-I(42), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 44: Mental Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(45), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(46), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46)
Level 47: Psionic Tornado -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(48), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(48), Posi-Dam%(50)
Level 49: Mind Over Body -- ResDam-I(A)
Level 50: Cardiac Core Paragon
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(50)
Code:
| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1393;660;1320;HEX;| |78DA6593594F135114C7EF74A6225DA02C651FC0B25ADA91465F0D89A8090924D5E| |A9B5A6A19CA24654ADAC1C893B87C06971870F90A2E10DFFC042E7179D0AFA0E0BE| |BCD4D3F3BFA53533C9CCEFCEFFAC73E6DEB9CBC70342AC4F0925349DCF944AE9E98| |2ED140BF9BC59F4CE65725656340821FA6B6AD5C198C99AD5F5409DF9D8EAE2A291| |720AC5E5746A7579B9605B76AE65C65E328BA6ED18D5852F59A014A915D35C08F07| |2D6CCAC9067905F4E5AB925A712C76F33F625AB645DB4F296B3D67E62C5CA1AC992| |4579B3E9B94CC9318B6B5DD4E138DDB71421AFB257BCF108A10BCF3BE03D437B0BE| |8E4921081A3044D15F3B530217AD8749B24A8654D39E5A9484D6719D1D3C019463C| |C5B849BE2ADC3DEA066708DD63B46E32EE9083574167DE731CB36F1EC830F69F072| |E307C69468446DF80284FC30427F20101204BC64699B631AC709B3E466B13A3C3CF| |E80A0041C65D7AFAE5F7FA9168882A052129C18F5C3CF181B140CECDD2D20CE7D07| |3B2B4890E8A694171D182E2A65231B0A4B63DE5F8F667C036A3638BA15068587610| |C6C455923A65B6CECA42171BF4EC96BFB3FB0707F6FC01FE320EFC640CFD027E331| |629AA5746F55EE1B6FAAE02EB8CFEEBC035E00643A3F2BA9CA48E8F19C6EC8631BB| |610C740C238C62CA9BF41C90B50676B8FCE037E03BB08B46BF005F19398A8AC8914| |6B015878025B28CC87C23D847A30F00ECA3D1878C316CAEB1FB8C97B4F5C6D1BB3A| |8EDE0FE24FFD8F17E43721B34F207B0CD963481B439138B2C791FD354519F228188| |F583AF41878026C3112DB8C57E43E29FFE3648CA53EADEE7C95E9127A4D29475DD6| |4997927029875DCA119732EB5292DADEB1160A2B8DA1BD935BFEE423AB526FDD712| |99F5DCA6E4D5194418C0298A2A39080A5EEFA0700ABFF48| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
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This is more or less how I'm slotted now. I have multiple procs in Frostbite, Arctic Air, Freezing Rain and Thunder Clap to help with extra damage. I spam them a lot to keep the procs firing often. I do have recharge bonuses but not as many as I would like. To put things in perspective, I currently sit at 3.3%/sec end recovery with my bonuses and 80% recharge rate increase from set bonuses. Compare that to my defense, which with powers toggled on, my highest attribute is 12%. |
Originally Posted by Local_Man
This is a nice, well explained and well-reasoned question . . . and one I have been thinking about myself. I also have an Ice/Storm/Ice with the Cardiac Alpha. The nice thing about Cardiac is that not only do you get the Endurance reduction, but the buff to Resistance helps Steamy Mist without having to slot for Resistance. That's a nice added bonus.
My inclination is to go for Recharge bonuses . . . and damage procs. Ice/Storm has lots of opportunities for damage procs, so adding a bunch of them could increase your otherwise weak damage. |
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Obitus
I tend to think that non-Kin Controllers are among the builds for which Musculature is actually most useful. With Containment, you have a very nearly a Blaster's (virtual) base AT damage scalar (0.55*2 = 1.1 versus 1.125) -- but unlike Blasters, you don't have regular access to high-order damage buffs (Aim, Build Up, Defiance).
So Musculature will provide a larger proportional benefit to a non-Kin Controller than it will to most anyone else. In Ice/Storm/Ice's case, Musculature will provide a significant boost in the damage of Frostbite, Chilblain, Block of Ice, Ice Blast, Frost Breath, Ice Storm, Freezing Rain, Jack Frost, Lightning Storm, and Tornado. That boost to base damage will be further augmented by the -RES debuff in Freezing Rain. Though it's certainly true that lower damage powers will receive a smaller bonus in absolute terms, it all adds up. Musculature also boosts Judgement and Lore powers; of all the alpha slots, in fact, Spiritual is explicitly designed to provide the least benefit to other Incarnate powers. |
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Silas
Take Ice Mastery on Ice/Storm Controller, softcap s/l defense, get high recharge, fuel it with Cardiac, win everything.
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
Here is a sample of how I might build Ice/Storm/Psi.
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Main Character: Ice/Storm/Ice Controller (Justice, 1340 badges)
You know, it's funny: I've had a few builds I've been kicking around for my Ice/Storm's I-20 incarnation (no pun intended) for ages now -- but now that I sit down and think about them, I'm struck by indecision. Even more indecision than usual, I mean. 
For instance, do I even want to keep Jack Frost? He's annoyed me endlessly for years now, and his AI these days seems to be at about its lowest point. Frankly, the best argument I can conceive to keep him has more to do with his stacking slow aura against AVs than it does with the pet itself. That's pretty sad. Sadder still when you consider Jack's odds of surviving in melee range with an AV for any meaningful length of time.
Then there's the whole issue of AoE damage. As things stand now, frankly, Reactive Interface + Freezing Rain is probably all the AoE you'd ever want or need on an Ice/Storm character. And the devs have said (apparently) that pseudo pets' interaction with Interface procs is working as intended -- but is that assurance truly worth building around?
So anyway, a couple of builds with which i'm not really all that happy, but they serve as decent examples of the two different approaches I mentioned earlier.
First, a PSI Mastery build designed to go with Musculature, Spiritual, or Cardiac and combined with Ageless Destiny. Really any of them should work; the idea is that you get your end management from Ageless and your Mez protection from Indomitable Will, which is very nearly perma when Ageless is thrown into the mix.
44.9% Ranged DEF, 47.2% Psi DEF (with IW active), 20+% to all other types/positions. +30% global damage, +98.8% global recharge (before Hasten or Ageless). On this build I did take Jack, though I'm not thrilled about it; I thought about swapping Jack for Mental Blast (Thunderstrike having the same +ranged DEF bonus as Blood Mandate), but I don't love the way the psionic attacks look; PSI Mastery is really only there for the status protection.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.94
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Code:
Second, an Ice Mastery build designed to go with Cardiac/Clarion. This one has a more traditional (for lack of a better term) flavor to it, both in form and function -- a fully fleshed out single-target attack chain (though it's worth noting that Mids' numbers for the APP attacks are over-inflated), and two bona-fide AoE attacks (Frost Breath and Ice Storm). It should play pretty well solo or teamed with or without the current Reactive Interface mechanics.| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1432;690;1380;HEX;| |78DA6593596F525110C7CF6111D94A2994AE50BA694BDB5B68AB3E9A5835692D094| |9139FAC94D25B20A1408026FAE6A7B02E695D1E4CFC02A6FA66A23E6BE216F513A8| |5D5CDE71EE7F0E050309F737E77F66E6CC9C7B277EE3A24B885BE7856C9FCFA72A9| |5E47CB1502D17F379BD6C8DA732B9B4B00921420DB5EEA02DA4F5BA3DD0B47D616B| |63435BAE16CB9BC9E5ADCDCD622157C878170A59BDAC17AA5ADD70268A94E2723E9| |7C9563DB097F4D4BA5EAE64732507D6CB255D5F77D5B74A94C57FA9944B6B894A8E| |72A693F154A5AA976F76537511FADF9642FD6A5631651222265C1AD03FCD8802E12| |7E418149331AC561B5142F40A43DA2649AA44F2BDC970367D667C042C9F1893C870| |6201B843216615659E83E49805DACE32F6903D7406ABD00C7097A2AC2ACA7A8DF3A| |D0027AF339240C72AE04F016B14655345DB0691D64E6B3BAAAE59EC5F509FE32BE0| |EA44BFBDC3F00B9F2358CCE23E894E95C239812D27A570B324DD1CDBF10D5827670| |FEF983DAF21B5BF61BC02A65E127CC24B19BC5C84C9CBC776ABF3228A1DE4E26317| |E9E3D2271969523B79C7DAE94470A08D733880900B88B8819807D0E9D9A54AEB7A8| |162C27B40EC39E3193044E7F6A8D27AB8DFC1FF1020873E76107D5CFB3D3C590A3E| |9586D72E3D07D4FB1AF8CEF13F80919FC0E97DC601E310C850D4908A1A3A443DC34| |78C5F8CDFC0C81FC65F204B51A32A6AF4B130A4530F19BB8C47C0F80E107900BCA5| |8F708CFB308F716BE30ADCD514AFDE91DF84BA90892E1E89003BCC980D871D5A68E| |A66351E83691E83E90F0C9E063F5D5C54DD52948FE8B7340D558D7E62A94549588E| |A74C482841C3872BAAD9DB8FA7A99670181F0BDB2B4D76AAC95E6BB2F7C996EA4D4| |AFEEA0F9AA53148870D49CAAB3C228BC05163C724C3B8543F23B08D8EA32DCD445A| |94588B32D7A2CCB628577C549A6AE31F5967F0A7| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
44.9% Ranged DEF, 37% Smash/Lethal DEF, 20+% to all others. +30% global damage, +106.3% global recharge (before Hasten).
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.94
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Click this DataLink to open the build!
Code:
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Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze
Nice build
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A variant on the Ice Mastery build, this time with soft-capped Smash/Lethal DEF as well as soft-capped Ranged DEF. +98.8% global recharge, +29.5% global damage:|
Originally Posted by Obitus
Second, an Ice Mastery build designed to go with Cardiac/Clarion. This one has a more traditional (for lack of a better term) flavor to it, both in form and function -- a fully fleshed out single-target attack chain (though it's worth noting that Mids' numbers for the APP attacks are over-inflated), and two bona-fide AoE attacks (Frost Breath and Ice Storm). It should play pretty well solo or teamed with or without the current Reactive Interface mechanics.
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Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.94
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Code:
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Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze
Nice build
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Cheaper version of my Ice Mastery build in the previous post, this time without Hurricane. Also kept Jack Frost because I figure you probably don't share my hangups with the power. |
Originally Posted by flipside
Thank you for sharing your build. Unfortunately I'm very stuck on wanting Ice Mastery for the epic for synergy. There are also a couple power picks in there that I don't plan on taking again, such as Hurricane. I spent a long time with Hurricane but I don't believe my current play style works well with it.
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No Frost Breath this time, though, unfortunately. I'm sure there's a way to cram it in there if you really want it. (Problem is that you start to run into the cap for 6.25% recharge bonuses the more AoEs you toss into the mix. This is one of those rare situations where Purple sets really do give you more benefit than their incrementally improved numbers might superficially indicate.)
44.9% Ranged, ~32% Smash/Lethal, 19.9+% all other DEF. +83.8% global recharge, +28.5% global damage. Only one purple IO (the Unbreakable Constraint proc), no PvP IOs:
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.94
http://www.cohplanner.com/
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Code:
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Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.94
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Code:
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Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze
Nice build
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While I completely agree that Jack's AI seems to have been replaced by a cheeseburger, and while I also have contemplated whether I really need him or just keep him around because I always have for years, I do think he contributes to my overall damage output, even when he does get stuck in an attack cycle. Agreed as well that he doesn't last at all when in melee range of an AV which has any kind of AoE. He melts, literally, quite quickly. I barely bother to pull him out for the iTrials as it stands.|
Originally Posted by Obitus
For instance, do I even want to keep Jack Frost? He's annoyed me endlessly for years now, and his AI these days seems to be at about its lowest point. Frankly, the best argument I can conceive to keep him has more to do with his stacking slow aura against AVs than it does with the pet itself. That's pretty sad. Sadder still when you consider Jack's odds of surviving in melee range with an AV for any meaningful length of time.
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Originally Posted by Obitus
Then there's the whole issue of AoE damage. As things stand now, frankly, Reactive Interface + Freezing Rain is probably all the AoE you'd ever want or need on an Ice/Storm character. And the devs have said (apparently) that pseudo pets' interaction with Interface procs is working as intended -- but is that assurance truly worth building around?
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I originally went with the Resist Debuff tree because I thought it would synergize well with Freezing Rain and the resist debuff in there already. While that is true, I do feel like I missed out on something better by not going the other true. I'm currently on that path now, just missing a metric ton of, oddly enough, common components.
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Originally Posted by Obitus
Second, an Ice Mastery build designed to go with Cardiac/Clarion. This one has a more traditional (for lack of a better term) flavor to it, both in form and function -- a fully fleshed out single-target attack chain (though it's worth noting that Mids' numbers for the APP attacks are over-inflated), and two bona-fide AoE attacks (Frost Breath and Ice Storm). It should play pretty well solo or teamed with or without the current Reactive Interface mechanics.
44.9% Ranged DEF, 37% Smash/Lethal DEF, 20+% to all others. +30% global damage, +106.3% global recharge (before Hasten). |
I think the recommendation to try to softcap Smash/Lethal or Melee is a good way to go. I have watched my playstyle over the past couple days and I definitely tend to stay within melee range when playing to get maximum usage out of Arctic Air.
I'm glad we got these free respecs with I20 because I'm going to need to some serious planning on getting the existing IO sets I have on this character out and switched around. I think by current market rates I have about 2-4 billion in enhancers on him (no PVP IOs but a couple of the big name Purple sets and procs).
Main Character: Ice/Storm/Ice Controller (Justice, 1340 badges)
Heh. My first 50 was also Ice/Storm -- is that some kind of a trend? -- but I haven't ever sat down and tried to rebuild her with IOs. I really ought to; I love the character.
Question: are we sure the Musculature bonus affects the pseudo-pet (Lightning Storm, Tornado, Ice Storm, Freezing Rain, etc.) damage? The rules for pseudo-pets have always been weird, and at one point I became sure (note: I could have been wrong, but I was sure) that the Leadership powers did NOT buff the pseudo-pets.
If we are to die, let us die like men. -- Patrick Cleburne
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The rule is that they must be loved. --Jayne Fynes-Clinton, Death of an Abandoned Dog
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And we have confirmation that the updated patch on Test removes all the Reactive Interface damage glory that rain powers have received. This hasn't changed much for me in terms of what Incarnate powers I'll go for, but it does remove my want to gather up the needed salvage to try for the other Rare Reactive slot.
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Originally Posted by Obitus
Then there's the whole issue of AoE damage. As things stand now, frankly, Reactive Interface + Freezing Rain is probably all the AoE you'd ever want or need on an Ice/Storm character. And the devs have said (apparently) that pseudo pets' interaction with Interface procs is working as intended -- but is that assurance truly worth building around?
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Main Character: Ice/Storm/Ice Controller (Justice, 1340 badges)
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For a good while, external damage buffs did not modify pseudo-pet powers. By "external," I mean anything other than enhancements -- Build Up, Aim, Assault, Fulcrum Shift, etc. The day when Ice Blasters finally got their Build-Up-buffable Blizzard was a big deal. That was some time ago now, though.|
Originally Posted by Sailboat
Heh. My first 50 was also Ice/Storm -- is that some kind of a trend? -- but I haven't ever sat down and tried to rebuild her with IOs. I really ought to; I love the character.
Question: are we sure the Musculature bonus affects the pseudo-pet (Lightning Storm, Tornado, Ice Storm, Freezing Rain, etc.) damage? The rules for pseudo-pets have always been weird, and at one point I became sure (note: I could have been wrong, but I was sure) that the Leadership powers did NOT buff the pseudo-pets. |
As far as I know, damage enhancements always modified pet powers. So long story short: there's no obvious reason that Musculature wouldn't properly buff pets of all kinds. It's just another damage enhancement.
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Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze
Nice build
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So my main character, whom I play nightly, is an Ice/Storm/Ice controller. It was my first level 50 character and I take great pride in playing it. When Inventions were first introduced, I carefully put together an IO build which focused heavily on recovery, +max end and recharge as these two sets together are very endurance intensive and have some long recharging powers. With this build, pretty much all endurance woes had been solved.
Fast forward now a few years to Incarnate abilities. I've gone with the Cardiac Core Paragon Alpha power, which gives the extra 45% endurance reduction along with some damage resistance. With this slotted on top of the set bonuses I have, I have an endurance bar that does budge past about 90% even during a cast of all my pet and pseudo-pet powers.
At this point, it's a bit of can overkill I think. I've looked through all the other Alpha powers and the only thing that jumps out at me is the Spiritual tree for +recharge:
So, it's coming down to this: do I simply switch to the Spiritual tree for the +recharge and call it a day, or do I keep the Cardiac I have and rework my build for new areas of set bonuses? I'm leaning towards reworking the build for new set bonuses, but what to shoot for? I guess this depends on some powers I have and play style. My normal tactics are to be in the thick of the battle as I have Arctic Air running all the time. In non-iTrials the confuse fires off a lot and is very helpful (which includes a Contagious Confusion proc). In the iTrials, Arctic Air doesn't do much so I tend to stay at range with the team, keeping my Leadership toggles running along with Steamy Mist. I focus a lot on damage mitigation via holds, Ice Slick, Snow Storm and Lightning Clap. I have one major debuff power via Freezing Rain which recharges extremely fast and I fire off whenever it recharges. I rely on most of my damage output from three powers: Jack, Lightning Storm and Frost Breath. Ice Storm works well for large groups but doesn't recharge fast enough for use on every mob.
So, that is a long way to go for the question of what IO sets would you shoot for on such a character? More ranged melee and ranged defense since I alternate between the two? More recharge to get those damage mitigation powers recharging faster? Maybe something I'm missing altogether? I'm open to any and all criticism and discussion.
Thanks in advance!
Main Character: Ice/Storm/Ice Controller (Justice, 1340 badges)