Looking for some Fire/Emp help

The short of it:
I’ve come back after a few years to find my spec rather outdated (in addition to poorly done) and I am looking for help fixing my Fire/Emp healer build. My current build only uses 4 fire primaries and I wish to fix that, now that the Athletic pool is an inherent set of abilities (freeing up several power slots choices for me).

I updated Mids’ Designer and played around a bit and came up with the general spec below.

*Keeping in mind that my desired play style with the character is a healer who can control mobs, is the spec below ‘alright’?
*What should be changed around (power wise)?
*How should I slot and enhance it?


Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Fire Control
Secondary Power Set: Empathy
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Fire Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Char -- Empty(A), Empty(7), Empty(9), Empty(9), Empty(11), Empty(48)
Level 1: Healing Aura -- Empty(A), Empty(3), Empty(3), Empty(5), Empty(5), Empty(7)
Level 2: Heal Other -- Empty(A), Empty(21), Empty(21), Empty(23), Empty(23), Empty(27)
Level 4: Absorb Pain -- Empty(A), Empty(29), Empty(29), Empty(31), Empty(31), Empty(31)
Level 6: Fire Cages -- Empty(A), Empty(11), Empty(13), Empty(13)
Level 8: Smoke -- Empty(A), Empty(15), Empty(15), Empty(17)
Level 10: Fly -- Empty(A)
Level 12: Hasten -- Empty(A), Empty(33), Empty(33)
Level 14: Recall Friend -- Empty(A)
Level 16: Flashfire -- Empty(A), Empty(17), Empty(19), Empty(19)
Level 18: Resurrect -- Empty(A)
Level 20: Clear Mind -- Empty(A)
Level 22: Fortitude -- Empty(A), Empty(33), Empty(34), Empty(34), Empty(34), Empty(36)
Level 24: Cinders -- Empty(A), Empty(25), Empty(25), Empty(27)
Level 26: Assault -- Empty(A), Empty(36), Empty(36), Empty(50)
Level 28: Tactics -- Empty(A), Empty(37), Empty(37), Empty(48)
Level 30: Recovery Aura -- Empty(A), Empty(37), Empty(39), Empty(39), Empty(39), Empty(40)
Level 32: Fire Imps -- Empty(A), Empty(40), Empty(40), Empty(42), Empty(42), Empty(42)
Level 35: Regeneration Aura -- Empty(A), Empty(43), Empty(43)
Level 38: Adrenalin Boost -- Empty(A), Empty(43), Empty(45)
Level 41: Fire Ball -- Empty(A), Empty(45), Empty(45), Empty(46), Empty(46), Empty(46)
Level 44: Rise of the Phoenix -- Empty(A), Empty(48)
Level 47: Hover -- Empty(A)
Level 49: Maneuvers -- Empty(A), Empty(50), Empty(50)
------------
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run

Hmm, what did you have in mind? SO build, frankenslotting, IO slotting?

Assuming SOs or non-set IOs:

The heals can make do with fewer slots. 4-5 with 3 heal and endurance reduction or recharge reduction (depending on how endurance you find yourself burning).

You could probably get away with 3 slots in Recovery Aura (all Recharge). It's nice, but Adrenlaine Boost would probably benefit more from an extra 2 heal and another heal or an endurance modifier (depending on how much you play with end-crash-nuking blasters and the like) in addition to the recharges I presume you're planning. Regeneration Aura would also benefit from 6-slotting for recharge+healing.

With Tactics, you can probably get away with 1 or 2 Accuracy in Fire Imps along with 3 Damage.

Speaking of Tactics, I'd suggest 4 slots in it and Maneuvers for 1 endurance reduction + 3 tohit or defense, respectively.

Smoke doesn't need any more than 1 slot, or 3 if you want to maximize its -tohit (which isn't much by itself, but you do have Fortitude and Maneuvers to stack with it, and it's irresistible though level differences will still reduce it). It only need accuracy for PvP, I believe, and the recharge is good enough already.

Flashfire would go well with 6 slots (2 accuracy, 2 disorient, 2 recharge). Same thing for Cinders except with Hold instead of Disorient.

Assault is 1-slot for endurance reduction--you can't boost the damage buff it gives.

Rise of the Phoneix really only needs one slot for recharge.

You might want to consider Hot Feet for adding extra damage onto there and helping kill the enemies you're apparently thinking of Fire Cage+Fireballing, though it'll add an endurance drain and potentially draw aggro. Depends on how aggressive you want to be (and Fire/Emp doesn't have quite as much personal protection and damage amplification as, say, Fire/Rad or Fire/Cold for example). Most likely a 6-slot for 3 damage and some accuracy and endurance reduction.

Or Fire Shield for added survival. Extra smash/lethal resistance is nice because of how much uses it.

I personally find that I don't really use Absorb Pain on my Mind/Emp, with how it puts you in increased danger. I'd suggest shuffling another power earlier to take Fire Shield or taking Hot Feet instead.

My thoughts somewhat dependent on budget and the assumption you'll be using sets:

1) Healing Aura and Heal Other I'd generally go only to 5 slots. 5 Doctored Wounds vastly preferred here primarily for global recharge bonus. The great majority of the time Empathy wants recharge then more recharge then more and .... Likewise recharge is rarely a poor choice for Controllers (and this is particularly true for either set when teaming). The 6th slot is much better off used elsewhere.
2) Absorb Pain -- When I reworked your build I stuck to the same power choices and what level you took them. Normally I'm not a big fan of Absorb Pain (which may be in part do to my tendency to play very aggressive empaths). If I were to take it I would tend more towards taking it late in the build for pulling someone's backside out of trouble after getting a huge damage spike from a late game AV (or GM). Though as a respec of an existing level 50 when you take AP is much less important overall. I do think I'd aim to use less slots regardless as there are many many places to grab the +5% recharge bonus other than here with another Doctored Wounds. Get a nice large enhancement to heal and let global recharge take care of the rest.
3) Fire Cages -- I generally 5 slot with an Immobilize set and use a 6th slot for endred as when used frequently or 'spammed' it is a HUGE end usage. Huge as in slotted this way it'll still burn from around 2.38 to 2.86 end/sec depending on which set is used. I also dropped one of the 2 relatively cheap Purple sets that I used to get to perma-Hasten levels of global recharge in Fire Cages.
4) Smoke -- Started off using 4 Dark Watcher's Despair for the +5% recharge ... and swapped to Dampened Spirits when I hit the Rule of 5 for the 5% recharge bonus. As I said the build has numerous places to slot for the 5% recharge bonus. The debuff here should stack nicely (if on the small side after debuff resistances) with the Absolute Amazement proc in Flashfire when it triggers. PS: Don't put any debuff or other procs in Smoke. When/If the proc triggers it will alert the spawn and they'll come looking.
5) Flashfire -- Used the second of the 2 purple sets here. Added a 5th enhancement slot as with either the purple or Stupefy sets the +recharge is for the 5th set bonus.
6) Fortitude -- Left it at 6 slots but this is one of the first places I'd go looking (in my build) for freeing up further enhancement slots if I needed more somewhere particularly since you have and should be running Tactics 24-7. The +To Hit bonus is nice but very much gravy when compared to the +Defense (all) of Fortitude. You can also slot 3 HO Membranes here and be done but that's definitely the next price range up enhancement-wise.
7) Cinders -- Like with Char slotted with a mix of 4 Gaze of the Basilisk and 2 Lockdown in both powers for the recharge from Basilisk as much as anything.
8) Assault -- 4 slots when your choices are Endred or Recharge is way overslotting. 1 slot devoted to Endred on a team build should be plenty (2 perhaps on a solo build but that's a whole other thing).
9) Tactics -- saved a slot here by dropping to 3 slots.
10) Recovery Aura -- Usually I'd take it ASAP, but firstly this is a respec build, second you are a controller and only delayed it once. Since swapping Tactics and RA around really only involves a very narrow exemplar range and a 2% damage set bonus ... *shrug*. Again 6 slotting RA is overkill outside of going for very specific build needs.
11) Fire Imps -- grabbed the 6.25% recharge bonus and went with the pet resistance auras figuring your Imps should be running about with high regen% do to Regeneration Aura (and with minimal defenses to build on not much point in the +defense pet auras).
12) Regeneration Aura -- These days with soft capped or high defense IO builds who are generally self sufficient for end recovery along with auto hitting foes providing regeneration is probably one of the better survival buffs an end game Empath can provide. In other words don't skimp here. It's yet another place for 5 slotting Doctored Wounds. It's also one of the few ways you can regain health for yourself after using Absorb Pain.
13) Adrenaline Boost -- Another do not skimp on enhancing power (and arguably the best single target buff in the game) and yet another spot I typically use 5 Doctored Wounds, then use the 6th slot to push +recovery over 1000% to counter nuke and other -recovery crashes.
14) Rise of the Phoenix -- moved some slots around to 5 slot with Obliterate (which has very nice set bonuses)

Still quite a few improvements could be made to the following build suggestion. Many would involve quite a bit more influence but here goes (and sheesh that got longer than my usual replies):

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

FireEmpathy_Arakahs_alternate (v1.00.i20): Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Fire Control
Secondary Power Set: Empathy
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Fire Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Char -- BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(A), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(7), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(9), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(9), Lock-%Hold(11), Lock-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(31)
Level 1: Healing Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(3), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(3), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(5), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(5)
Level 2: Heal Other -- Dct'dW-Heal(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(21), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(21), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(23), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(23)
Level 4: Absorb Pain -- Numna-Heal/Rchg(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(29), Numna-Heal(29)
Level 6: Fire Cages -- GravAnch-Immob/Rchg(A), GravAnch-Acc/Immob/Rchg(7), GravAnch-Acc/Rchg(11), GravAnch-Immob/EndRdx(13), GravAnch-Hold%(13), EndRdx-I(27)
Level 8: Smoke -- DampS-ToHitDeb(A), DampS-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(15), DampS-ToHitDeb/Rchg/EndRdx(15), DampS-ToHitDeb/Rchg(17)
Level 10: Fly -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
Level 12: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(33), RechRdx-I(33)
Level 14: Recall Friend -- Winter-ResSlow(A)
Level 16: Flashfire -- Amaze-Stun/Rchg(A), Amaze-Acc/Stun/Rchg(17), Amaze-Acc/Rchg(19), Amaze-EndRdx/Stun(19), Amaze-ToHitDeb%(36)
Level 18: Resurrect -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 20: Clear Mind -- Range-I(A)
Level 22: Fortitude -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(33), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(34), GSFC-ToHit(34), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(34), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(36)
Level 24: Cinders -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(25), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(25), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(27), Lock-%Hold(31), Lock-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(36)
Level 26: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 28: Tactics -- AdjTgt-ToHit(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx(31), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(37)
Level 30: Recovery Aura -- Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(37), RechRdx-I(39)
Level 32: Fire Imps -- ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(A), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(37), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(40), ExRmnt-+Res(Pets)(42), SvgnRt-PetResDam(42)
Level 35: Regeneration Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(39), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(40), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(43), Dct'dW-Rchg(43)
Level 38: Adrenalin Boost -- Dct'dW-Heal(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(39), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(42), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(43), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(45), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(46)
Level 41: Fire Ball -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(45), Posi-Dmg/Rng(46), Posi-Dam%(46)
Level 44: Rise of the Phoenix -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(48), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(48), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 47: Hover -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 49: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(50), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(50)
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 50: Spiritual Radial Paragon
------------
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run

| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|MxDz;1548;704;1408;HEX;|
|78DA6594CB4F135114C6EFD029D8166C4B7994370581B6D0DA117C2F8C229A480B9|
|5C7D29011063AB1B6CD7434B274A146A32B17EE5C18342626C60718FF105F0BFF05|
|155F89EF7A98F3019376D2E677E7BBE7BBF7CCB9672675E978EDE393978F08C9379|
|A558BC5B9D17CCE34F2D9AC663853EA923E2FE88A9CD00D6DEC7C413533CB73470D|
|F59C9A29CEA959533372AAA975872F2AF14422AEEF49446A28BA6B7B89CDD5E21B0|
|B6CDE34DBE68F5D585C8C6365E149E73742B3FA52C6745BE3E982A62DD45BC3192D|
|AB15F286A99A7A3EE7B5A4A4A62E684631A317FC63057D9E3749A945CA6B3948894|
|4E97F4512B84A4EF1BA4A880E5954BF61EE780BBE63BA7F11155974FE600E6F7B65|
|3129595AD5389864CA297082394290E091E06980A7019E26789AE0D94B70B0A7CA3|
|1CD5AFB0C38CBBC4A70E2399CA739BFEA29A67B9A593B03CE325B43C2E235F2D6B0|
|D751F384E776AE82CF98BEA74C0F05BA3856B8DE93E692450F691E89F3F30CF29AD|
|D65ECA3983AF8EADA1C96EF3A79BCA885771CFB2499F5297082D93BC9DC471E3FD6|
|F123FFFDA405A005A2AC1D20AD11F5686CA49B20E5D2C0B50AF9C1155E33741F7B3|
|C60DEA0E966789B5FF1D907D11341F4442B7AA2133DD1FB13F9D273B6702D440BF2|
|0B90D686FAB4DD450FDD63EE7AC83C48F31D38E38E5B98BBCDEC470D6F524C17F2E|
|A5A47CC67E6C017F02B33F20DFCCEDE43E4ED41AD7BD077FDE8BB01F45D147D174D|
|330F13FAB05F5F992752E61942AFC690FB0A1D7118FB859F730E43ABE01A33F6027|
|CC97C440D3208CFE06F5E67F71FF02FF88FA994982EAA6D1C671FC739FB494BA096|
|09680ACE5EF1313FB8E93DC4394931DEFF935D3B458301597CB46B618E5BB76B773|
|88F7679EB5B403FBA369A635329452B6613158A52A10C572823154AB24249CB5B5F|
|1821598ACBB7F5FD28A529F712E75E3A631BABB6F159DB788A5E2C05E3FF69EEFE1|
|5|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

Ah, sorry I do have access to IOs etc and had a desire to use them. (Very sorry. Made the post after work and apparently mind blanked that detail) I currently have three of my powers (Imps, Healing Aura, Pain Absorption) using full sets. Influence isn't really an issue either as I plan to use my third spec to get used to it/set it up. (Assuming of course I remember to save my influence and not dump it into my SG base.)

Are the 6 slot bonus for most sets are skip-able? Looking at the bonuses now I'd imagine the 1-2% resistance is probably 'meh'. But I am constantly seeing people in /h talk about meeting resistance/defense caps and I've no clue if they are referencing a particular archetype (tanker/brute specifically) or over all.

Tankers and brutes are really the only ones who can cap resistances, and that only with highly particular damage types in highly particular armor sets. So, yes, most 6-slot bonuses are skippable.

As for defense softcap, about 45% is the requirement, or 32.5% if you want to softcap with a single Luck inspiration. Softcap means that for all practical purposes your chance to get hit is as low as it can get. However, softcapping defense isn't purely a requirement for controllers.

I overall strongly recommend going for recharge on Empathy builds because of your long recharge buffs. Doomguide's build is a decent guide for doing that with your current power selections.

Alternative power selections you might want to consider: Fire Blast (upping your single target damage), Hot Feet (upping your overall damage), Fire Shield (mostly for the smashing/lethal resistances). It's your choice though. Forgoing the first two will lower your damage output but you can still contribute.

What's your budget anyway? Your'e looking at anywhere from tens or hundreds of millions using regular sets, to billions if you want to use a lot of purples.