Slotting for Distortion Field, Time's Juncture, and Arctic Air?

Apologies if this has been covered and I just didn't see the thread, I did try a search, so pointing to a relevant thread is also appreciated

I'm pretty much looking for general slotting advice, not sets or high level stuff other than figuring out Chance-tos.

I made an Ice/Time and am liking it a good deal- the two auras together, though expensive, are pretty awesome and I felt pretty powerful just standing there doing soft mitigation at low levels (I'm not sure how this will continue to be late game.) It feels like the Arctic Air confuse is coming up more often than I recall back in the day (I'd rolled a couple Ice trollers but never really liked them enough to keep them. Time is pretty much my happy place though- I almost feel like they took all the little things I like from other sets and put it in one set just for me. I've been getting more into the power of debuff, but I do like a little healing and buffing too. I chose Ice because I'd been meaning to take that one seriously and I didn't want to repeat any other trollers I like and already have, and it did seem to synnergize.)
I'm only just getting into my 20s and starting to try to figure out how to focus and dish out my slots.

Slow seems to be a strength of the sets but something I should be reaching the cap of pretty easily- do I even need to slot for slow at all, or just throw one in Shiver or something?


Distortion Field is my big question for the set- it comes back pretty fast on its own so doesn't need heavy recharge, but I'm not really clear how it behaves or what else I should slot it for. How does the hold work?


Time's Juncture and Arctic Air both take a variety of Chance-to IOs which seems great. Since I'm Ice I figure slotting for slow isn't a priority for me, but which Chance-to are most worth it? I figure I'll throw in a couple damage and the -recharge to keep stacking in that direction? What else should I slot them for (besides end reduct of course)? I threw a tohit debuff in Juncture and confuse in Arctic Air so far.


The other powers seem fairly straightforward to slot, but feel free to point out anything I should be thinking about that may not be immediately obvious. Part of the key of the set seems to be whoever has Time Crawl on them will be hit harder by most of the rest of your debuffs.


Thanks!

The only thing distortion field needs is some recharge(at least enough to be perma, but more is better so you can stack it), and maybe some endrdx(time is an end heavy set). It does like it some procs though, and I think Lockdown chance for +2 mag hold is wonderful, and impeded swiftness chance of smashing damage is great at well. The hold is not worth enhancing, and time has little trouble hitting the slow speed cap, but depending on the needs of you're build you can fit 4 basilisk's gaze in there for the amazing set bonuses.

On my illusion/time I'm using Basilisk's Gaze Chance For Recharge Slow, Acc/End/Rch/Hld, End/Rch/Hold, and Rch/Hold along with the two procs I mentioned above.

Time's Juncture is also easy to slot. I like Dark Watcher's Despair because of the great set bonuses(I'd use the To-Hit Debuff, End/To-Hit Debuff, To-Hit Debuff/Rch/End, and the Proc), perhaps along with an Impeded Swiftness chance for smashing damage proc. If you'll run into rule of 5 problems, you could also put in 3 from dampened spirits which will also provide good set bonuses and make the power good enough(Once again, To-hit,To-Hit/End, and To-Hit/Rch/End).

You'll notice for both of the one's above I don't suggest using the pacing of the turtl proc. That's because recharge procs have fairly little impact in most fights, but they are worth it if they'll provide a good set bonus. Since time doesn't need much if any slow enhancement, you likely won't be using the set.

Arctic Air, when paired with time, I would slot one of two ways. The first way just involves putting two standard EndRdx IOs in there and calling it good. You don't need more slow, and the confusion is really short in duration. The other way I'd go is to slot 5 of the confusion purple, Coercive Persuasion, because it provides amazing set bonuses(just slot everything but the pure confusion one, the proc will be very good in there).

In either case, you may want to add an Impeded switness chance for smashing damage, and/or a malaise illusion chance for psi damage.

On my Earth/Time I slotted DF with 3 dmg procs and a rech IO. It has added some much needed AoE damage along with the impeded swiftness proc in Quicksand.

As an FYI, DF will take up to 5 dmg procs - 1 from slow sets and 4 from holds.

I'm usually playing with a friend who is doing Fire/Time Corr so that's pretty fun. Sometimes other friends join us.

I was thinking of slotting more endreduct in some other powers to taste once I get to SOs, I'm not sure how its going to work out yet. Its at least somewhat manageable since Ice had a lot of drop and forget powers but I'm still finding end going pretty quick with 3 DOs in Stamina if I don't pace myself.
That's good to hear Distortion Field stacks with itself, so its worth putting the recharges in. Does the hold pulse more than once like Volcanic Gasses? Its kind of hard to tell when they're held since it seems like they get the swirl just for being slowed I think. Why is the hold not worth slotting for? Its just so short?

The Lockdown +2 mag hold proc always seems awesome, though that's one of the harder ones to get or I'd use it more often. I think I have it in Choking Cloud on one of my other trollers that I spent a lot of time and money IOing out.
I do commonly try to pick up the Slow procs as well as Dark Watcher where I can I'll have to remember to pick up Basilisk's Gaze too. I used to pick up the Turtle -Recharge proc but you're right, maybe it doesn't matter that much. I did add the Malaise Illusions damage proc in Arctic Air already since I happened to get a low level one.


I alt a good amount, so I've gotten to the point I don't really have the patience to outfit more than my select favorite characters in all the best IO sets for them ^_^; I figure the game is quite playable without doing that, and my favorite characters will just shine. Inventions add so much more to think about and manage! I at least try to do some Chance-tos though since those add additional function to certain powers.

I think I might have been unclear, I don't know if the slow on distortion field stacks, but being up to have multiple up on the battlefield is useful, and I think the procs can hit multiple times.

I don't know how often the hold pulses, but it does pulse multiple times, the problem is even when it does hit it's low mag and for a short duration so it's more like an added bonus than real control. The lockdown proc makes the hold more reliable, but it'll never be good at grabbing anything other than minions.

The chance for recharge slow procs have their uses, but the problem is that a)You'll have a lot of recharge slow allready, and b)most enemies who will live long enough for the proc to make a huge impact are resistant to recharge slows. I would slot the basalisk's gaze and dark watcher one mainly because they have good bonuses at the 4 slot mark, yet you don't really get much benefit from a force enhancement other than the proc.

If price is an issue, I'd skip basalisk's gaze, the set gets expensive unless you are willing to use alignment merits. The purple confuse set is really affordable for a purple set(because confusion powers are rare), so it may be worth getting. If you are skipping basalisk's, either because of costs or because you don't need the recharge, load it up with damage procs.

Slotting priority for DF should be endred>rchg>lockdown proc>dmg proc. 4 Basilisk gaze works wonderfully in the set, add a lockdown proc if you have extra slots, damage procs are a bit overkill though.

Nitpick: I would disagree about not slotting Confusion in AA. IMO you want the Confusion in this power to last as long as possible as that significantly increases survivability.

At normal levels I slot the power with two endurance enhancers, and two confusion enhancers. Note that you can sometimes buy already crafted Confusion IOs dirt cheap. I've occasionally bought them for 5 influence when I've been lucky. Very few people will be looking for Confusion/Endurance IOs specifically so you can frankenslot several set's worth. Do not focus on Accuracy IOs in AA because it is autohit.

My usual slotting at 50 is either x5 Coercive Persuasion + 1 Endurance IO, or, on Ranged defense builds with endurance recovery supported by Incarnate powers, x6 Coercive Persuasion. Even if you don't go full bore with the purples, the purple proc is a must have--as in the most important slot in your build. You should never bypass Contagious Confusion in AA. And the best part about that is that it still works when you exemplar.

I've been toying of the idea of trying a proc-monster build. Artic Air and Distortion Field can take up to 7 total, Frostbite can take three. That's 10 damage procs that will have a chance to hit multiple times every spawn.