I'd say that, unless you're going to be teaming regularly, Ill/kin is going to drive you crazy through the lower levels.
Illusion starts off slow. Very slow. Spectral Wounds isn't the strongest of attacks and Blind is a single target hold. You do get confuse fairly early and that can make a big difference if used properly. Once you hit 18 (?) then you get phantom army and your damage capacity goes way up.
Kinetics is a superior set if you're teaming but you lose a lot of functionality as a soloist. You're better off slotting your heal (Transferrence) as a endurance reducer and trying to keep fights down to 1 or 2 to 1.
Just my opinion but I don't think these will really work well together. Feel free to give it a try and let me know how it works. Actually, I'm kind of interested in trying this for myself.
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My first 50 was Ill/kin and had fun playing him, but when I rolled an Ill/rad...well I don't play the Ill/kin much anymore. 
The development team and this community deserved better than this from NC Soft. Best wishes on your search.
Both ill and kin are great sets. I have an ill/kin that I did enjoy playing a lot. I used him a lot for the Old Posi TF.
Some thoughts:
Only Phantasm gets the benefit from the kin buffs like FS.
The knock back on Decoys/Phantasm can interfere with the more close combat buffing style of kin.
Siphon speed is a great help for getting Decoys out more. Grab hasten as the more you have PA out, the better, safer and more damage you'll do.
Superior Invisibility is an End Hog, but a lot of fun with confuse and useful with recall friend on TFs
I don't suffer from altitis, I enjoy every minute of it.
Thank you Devs & Community people for a great game.
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Quote:
One correction: Only Phantasm has Knockback. Phantom Army and Phantasm's Decoy do not have knockback. One big problem with trying to get Fulcrum Shift on Phanty is that he has a good chance of knocking back the foe you have targetted for Fulcrum Shift.|
Originally Posted by tanstaafl
Both ill and kin are great sets. I have an ill/kin that I did enjoy playing a lot. I used him a lot for the Old Posi TF.
Some thoughts: Only Phantasm gets the benefit from the kin buffs like FS. The knock back on Decoys/Phantasm can interfere with the more close combat buffing style of kin. Siphon speed is a great help for getting Decoys out more. Grab hasten as the more you have PA out, the better, safer and more damage you'll do. Superior Invisibility is an End Hog, but a lot of fun with confuse and useful with recall friend on TFs |
In the Ill/Dark thread, I outlined the various benefits that a secondary can give to Illusion. Illusion is a great primary. Kinetics is a great secondary. Together they are . . . OK. It is not a BAD combo because both sets are so good, but they have some synergy issues.
The most important power in Illusion is Phantom Army. PA can't be buffed other than from enhancements slotted in the power itself. So your Siphon Power, Fulcrum Shift, ID, and Transference and Transfusion have no effect on Phantom Army. The only Kinetics power that provides a benefit to PA is Siphon Speed, which will help PA recharge faster.
Since PA can't be buffed, the only way to make them hit more often is to apply Defense Debuffs on the foes. And the only way to make PA hit for more damage is to apply Resistance Debuffs to foes. Kinetics does not have Defense or Resistance Debuffs. (Rad and Time have both kinds of debuffs plus a Recharge buff. Several other sets have both Resistance and Defense Debuffs.)
Illusion is a single target damage set that works best from range. Kinetics is best with AoE damage in melee (like Fire's Hotfeet).
Phantasm has knockback, and is the only pet who gets benefit from your buffs. Kinetics' buffs are mostly siphon-type buffs where you need to get near the foe. . . . But Phantasm has a tendency to knock back the foes just as you are trying to siphon off of them.
Illusion does have Deceive, which lets you confuse a foe for a long time while you use that foe as a "Battery" for your siphon powers.
Basically, Ill/Kin is powerful because Illusion is good and Kinetics is good, and not because they go well together. Ill/Rad and Ill/Time are the best combos for synergy. Ill/Cold is close -- it doesn't have a Recharge buff or a self heal, but it has stronger single target debuffs.
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Guide Links: Earth/Rad Guide, Illusion/Rad Guide, Electric Control
Hey so I was looking to make a new controller, and prefer to not use any sets that I've used on other toons (the whole looking for new experiences). Any way I haven't tried Illusion or Kinetics, and I was wondering if these two sets had any synergy? Would it be an ideal combo and if so. How would I go about the building process as far as powers I should take and should avoid? I don't have much experience with trollers other than the elec/rad I have so any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.