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I played an Invuln/Axe tank up to 50. I enjoyed the set, but overall, I like other sets better. The knockdown is a key aspect of the set and mitigates a fair amount of damage. The set was significantly improved when Penduluum was changed from knockback to knockdown. The AoE isn't too bad, with Whirling Axe at 360 degrees, Penduluum at about 180 degrees, and Cleave as one of those very narrow cones that hits hard.

The best part about the Battle Axe set? You get to hit your foes with a big frikkin' AXE! (Although, due to character concept, I started using the Shovel as soon as it was available.) It puts out a pretty steady stream of damage -- the middle level attacks do a little more damage, while the big hitters aren't all that big. But Axers need to plan on slotting EndRdx early.

One reason you might be happy with your choice of Mace -- in upper levels, robots resist Lethal damage, but are weak to Smashing. I always hated having to go after Robots.

Oh, and I have that Kinetic Combat knockdown proc in Scorch on my Stone/Fire tank and love it. It hits often enough to be noticable. Since Fire has no mitigation in the set, it seems to help. So I would recommend it. As CMA said the Stupify proc is knockback, so it is a bad idea -- I learned that the hard way on my Fire/Rad controller.

Two players with Repel go to either end of those parks with arches at the end -- Hellion Soccer! See if you can make a goal past the other player!

I don't know that you would call him famous, but one of the pioneers of computer gaming, Scott Adams, plays CoH. I teamed with him a while ago. When he said his name, I asked if he was THE Scott Adams of Scott Adams Adventures, which he was. Is he considered famous if he has a Wikipedia entry?

That was pretty cool to me, since I remember playing some of his games on my first computer, an Atari 800.

I actually like my Fire/Rad over my Fire/Kin. Fire/Kin is very good at killing off large numbers of lower level foes. This is why it is preferred by the Farmers. However, my Fire/Kin dies a lot more than my Fire/Rads. Fire/Kin has little defense and the secondary adds buffing to damage and speed instead of more control and debuffing. Fire/Kin is also very late developing -- it doesn't really become good until you get your level 32, 35 and 38 powers.

Fire/Rad is more flexible and durable -- I liked my first one so much, I made a second Fire/Rad on another server. The key to a Fire/Rad is the synergy between Hot Feet and Choking Cloud. It doesn't kill as fast as the Fire/Kin, but it lives longer and things still die pretty well. One huge advantage in low levels is Fire Cages + Radiation Infection -- RI has a big ToHitDebuff, so they can't hit you much. Fire Cages makes it so that the foes can't move. Together, those powers are almost a hold. Fire/Rad works great solo and on teams.

And a team of Fire/Rads is the strongest team in the game for most content. Simply amazing.

Here is my current build . . . almost. Just have a few more to get to finish it out.

I have thought about dropping Fly to use Super Speed as my only travel, so I could fit in Mutation -- it is nice to have on teams.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.621
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Capt. Fantastic: Level 50 Mutation Controller
Primary Power Set: Fire Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Psionic Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Char -- HO:Endo(A), HO:Nucle(3), HO:Perox(15), HO:Perox(36), RechRdx-I(37), RechRdx-I(37)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Numna-Heal(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg(15), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(43), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
Level 2: Fire Cages -- Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx(A), GravAnch-Acc/Immob/Rchg(3), TotHntr-Acc/EndRdx(11), Posi-Dam%(23), TotHntr-Dam%(34), GravAnch-Hold%(34)
Level 4: Accelerate Metabolism -- Efficacy-EndMod(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(5), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(5), Efficacy-Acc/Rchg(37), Efficacy-EndMod/EndRdx(40), RechRdx-I(46)
Level 6: Radiation Infection -- HO:Enzym(A), HO:Enzym(7), HO:Enzym(7)
Level 8: Hot Feet -- Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), HO:Nucle(9), TmpRdns-Dmg/Slow(27), TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(27), EndRdx-I(40)
Level 10: Air Superiority -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(11)
Level 12: Flashfire -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(13), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(13), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(17), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(17), RechRdx-I(19)
Level 14: Fly -- Frbd-EndRdx(A), Frbd-Fly(42)
Level 16: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 18: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Numna-Heal(19), Mrcl-Rcvry+(46)
Level 20: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(21), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(21), P'Shift-End%(39)
Level 22: Enervating Field -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(23)
Level 24: Cinders -- HO:Endo(A), HO:Endo(25), RechRdx-I(25), RechRdx-I(40)
Level 26: Bonfire -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 28: Choking Cloud -- UbrkCons-EndRdx/Hold(A), UbrkCons-Dam%(29), Lock-%Hold(29), EndRdx-I(31), UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(31), UbrkCons-Hold(31)
Level 30: Lingering Radiation -- Acc-I(A), RechRdx-I(46), TmpRdns-Acc/Slow(50), TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(50)
Level 32: Fire Imps -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(33), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(33), S'bndAl-Dmg/Rchg(34), S'bndAl-Build%(43)
Level 35: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(36), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 38: EM Pulse -- HO:Endo(A), HO:Endo(39), RechRdx-I(39)
Level 41: Indomitable Will -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(42), HO:Membr(42)
Level 44: Mind Over Body -- ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), ImpArm-ResDam(45), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg(45), S'fstPrt-ResKB(45)
Level 47: Psionic Tornado -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(48), Posi-Dmg/Rng(48), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(50)
Level 49: Super Speed -- Clrty-Stlth(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 0: Ninja Run

As previously stated, Fire/Rad can vary depending upon your playstyle. But the powers really, really lend themselves to a particular playstyle. Flashfire+Fire Cages from range, then run in with Hot Feet+Choking Cloud on and the Imps trailing behind. Use Char on anything that moves while you stand there letting CC hold, HF and Imps kill stuff.

Of all Rad controllers, no build can make better use of Choking Cloud than a Fire/Rad. That's because it synergizes so well with Hot Feet. (In fact, CC mostly stinks on most other controllers . . . other than Ice/Rad using Arctic Air. But CC is a key power for a Fire/Rad.) Don't really evaluate either of Choking Cloud or Hot Feet until you have both fully slotted. Hot Feet should be slotted with EndRdx, Damage and a little Accuracy. Adding Slow is nice, but only if you have sufficient slotting in the others. Choking Cloud should be slotted with Max EndRdx and Hold. The unique way that CC works means that slotting for Hold can make it more effective. Only after EndRdx and Hold are max slotted should you think about procs . . . but the Lockdown +2 Mag proc was just MADE for Choking Cloud due to its mechanics on how Mag is stacked. (Take a look at my Ill/Rad guide for an explanation.)

When slotting sets, you need to decide . . . do you want a max Recharge build? There are some benefits to that, such as having Flashfire recharge quickly. Do you want a Defense build? There are some benefits to that, too, as you will often be in or near melee. Go for Damage? That's a good one, too, for obvious reasons.

I suggest you first go for Damage and Recovery/more Endurance. If you are on teams, especially a team of Fire/Rads, your recharge will be taken care of by multiple castings of AM, and if you have so many people who can heal, you don't need much defense.

Char: Your slotting is good for a Recharge build, but if you want damage, you may want to reconsider it. Want Damage AND Recharge? Consider 5 Decimations and a common Hold.

Fire Cages: It really doesn't do that much damage, so you don't get all that much benefit from damage. It has an Accuracy penalty and uses a lot of endurance, so you want to make sure that those two attributes are the main focus of your buffs. After that? Here is a good place for Procs. At level 50, the purple Gravitational Anchor Chance for Hold proc is wonderful here. Otherwise, go for some Damage procs instead of damage enhancements. You will net more damage.

AM: Efficacy Adapter is a good set here. You have the proper SO and common IO slotting.

Hot Feet: My level 50 slotting is Dam/End and Acc/Dam/End from Sirocco's, Dam/Slow and EndRdx/Rech/Slow from Tempered Readiness, an Acc/Dam Hami-O and a common EndRdx IO. The main goal is EndRdx, then Damage and some accuracy. You need to keep that EndRdx maxed so that you can run HF and CC together and still have enough endurance to do other things.

Recall Friend and Mutation are nice to have but luxuries -- I like them on other builds, but don't have them on my Fire/Rads.

Flashfire: The Stupify set is good, but swap out the Chance for Knockdown for a common Recharge. Fire Cages has -knockback, making this proc useless.

Stealth? Why? Try Super Speed instead, since you should have Hasten anyway. (I don't see much use for Stealth anymore since you can get stealth for no endurance from a proc in Sprint or your travel power.)

Radiation Infection: I would take this earlier. It should be slotted mainly for ToHitDebuff and EndRdx. The Defense Debuff is nice, but most folks don't need more than the base amount to be able to hit the Accuracy/ToHit cap. With ToHitDebuff, Fire Cages + RI is a fill-in control for when the stun in Flashfire runs out . . . foes can't move and they can't hit you very often, so it's almost like a hold. Ideal slotting at level 50 is 3 Enzyme Hami-Os, but 4 Dark Watcher is OK. The Achilles proc is nice here only if you have a slot to spare for it - as it only goes off every 10 sec.

Ling Rad: EF is far more important as a buff to damage as well as a debuff to foe damage. Slot EF with 2 EndRdx. As for Ling Rad, yeah you should take it, but later. The -Rech and -Regen are nice. You mainly want to slot Ling Rad for Accuracy and Recharge.

I'm not a big fan of the Fighting Pool for Controllers. If you are controlling foes, you won't need the Resistance or Defense. And unless you come close to softcapping these, small amounts don't provide big benefits. I prefer control powers.

Cinders: I use this as my fill-in control power when Flashfire is recharging. I use it a lot.

Level 28: Choking Cloud. Slot it, love it. You can "frankenslot" this for max EndRdx and Hold. Some folks suggest Accuracy, but that should only come if you have max EndRdx and Hold.

Fire Imps? I like slotting for Recharge more than the Resist proc . . . the imps run around too much, often out of range of the proc. With Recharge, you just re-summon when they die . . . which they will, often. 4 Expediant Reinforcement, then the 2 Call to Arms Triples. Even better at level 50 -- Dam/Rech and Chance for Build Up from the purple Soulbound Alliegence set.

Fallout: It is very, very situational. My Ill/Rad guide explains why. It can be very powerful if your team knows how and when to use it, but for most builds, it is the most skippable power in the Rad powerset. I like Bonfire better -- a single Recharge gives you an AoE knockback zone that acts as a barrier, and can add a little damage to anything resistant to knockback.

EM Pulse: Arguably one of the three best AoE holds in the game. Huge radius, long duration and no accuracy penalty. It stops your endurance Recovery for a short time. I use it mostly as a "panic button" power. I don't use it as much as Cinders, but because I have EM Pulse, I don't have to worry about saving Cinders for "panic button" moments. And it does damage to Robots.

Personally, I like the Psi APP set for my Fire/Rads, as Indomidible Will cuts down the number of times a mez causes me to drop my HF+CC toggles.

How many Illusionists does it take to change a Light Bulb?

Only one, but first the light bulb has to be confused into wanting to change, and then believes that an entire army has already changed it . . . but only with enough Recharge.

I have a few suggestions on the Grav side . . . not personally fond of Emp.

Crush: Do you even need the Recharge? Standard single target attack chain is GD-Crush-Propel. Since Crush is DoT, it continues doing damage while Propel is animating. By the time you have finished with Propel and GD on the same or next target, Crush is up again. Especially with Hasten, you should be able to do something else with that slot. A Decimation Chance for Hold would allow a chance to stack mag or hold foes missed by GD.

Singularity is arguably the toughest pet in the game (other than the ones who can't be hurt). Singy does not need Recharge. I would slot up Hold and maybe a +Resist proc.

Crushing Field is your AoE Immob for foes stunned by Wormhole. Stun+Immob=AoE Hold that recharges faster than your standard AoE Hold. You might want to consider moving CF closer to Wormhole. Also, it may need some EndRdx if you use it a lot.

Grav is overall a kind of weak control set. It is lacking in AoE and has three particularly interesting powers, but the rest of the set is kind of lackluster. (Propel, Wormhole and Singularity make the set fun.) I couldn't get into it until I paired it up with Storm and stuck with it until the upper 20's, after Wormhole. You don't see many Grav/Emps because there really isn't much synergy between the sets. Illusion, Mind and Plant are probably the best primaries for */Emp. I would say that */Storm is the best secondary for Grav, although Cold might work. The combo of the knockdown in Freezing Rain (same as Sleet) combines nicely with Crushing Field, which is the only controller AoE Immob without -Knockback. Then Lightning Storm adds some badly needed damage, and the rest of the Storm set adds debuffs and control to make up for the lack of AoE control in the primary.

OK, I have a bunch of suggestions here. My belief on most controllers, especially a */Rad, is that you should slot for Recharge first, then Recovery/more endurance.

Char: If you can fit in one more Basilisk here, the triple or the quad, then you can get a nice recharge bonus of 7.5%.

Radiant Aura: I like 5 Doctored Wounds for the Recharge, but in any event, you should try to maximize Heal.

Fire Cages: Here may be one of your problems with endurance if you use it a lot. This power should be slotted first for Accuracy (it has a 10% accuracy penalty) and EndRdx. I prefer a minimum of 45% or so of EndRdx, and you don't have enough. Then it can take procs -- damage is good, but the Grav Anchor Chance for Hold proc is great.

AM: I prefer to 6 slot this with the Efficiacy Adapter set if you have a lot of recharge, or at least 5 slot it with a Recharge in the last slot. This is a big boost to your Recovery whenever it is up, so you want as much recharge as you can to have AM up as much as possible. Of course, AM does many other nice things, too.

Rad Inf.: You can get 2-3 slots back here. If you can, use 3 Enzyme Hami-Os. In three slots you can maximize all three aspects of the power, ToHitDebuff, Defense Debuff and EndRdx. Otherwise, I recommend 4 Dark Watcher, maximizing ToHitDebuff and EndRdx. Defense debuff isn't as important.

Flashfire: The Stupify set is good if you can't get the purple set. It needs a 6th slot with a Recharge in it. This is a key power.

Super Speed: 3 slots in this is a luxury if you are short on slots. I generally slot just an EndRdx, and then put the Stealth in sprint if I'm short on slots.

Health: If you can spare the slots, add a Numina's Health and a Miracle +Recovery. (But not at the expense of key powers.)

Enervating Field: That third EndRdx is only saving you about .05 Endurance -- to little to be worth a slot. Put that third slot somewhere else. I would also move this to after Stamina. I put Hot Feet earlier, but for a level 50 build, it doesn't really matter that much other than some low level exemping.

Cinders: How much do you use Cinders? I use it mainly to fill in as AoE control while Flashfire is recharging and as a panic button. You can regain a slot by only using 5 here -- 4 Basilisk, and then an Acc/Hold/Rech from any other set (Essence is usually cheap).

Hot Feet: This is your main source of damage. The basic strategy is to Flashfire+Fire Cages from range, then run in with Hot Feet and Choking Cloud running to let Hot Feet and the Imps kill everything. Use Char to hold anything not held by Choking Cloud. The slow is nice but way down the list in importance, since its only benefit is to slow foes from running out of the HF+CC zone -- Fire Cages can handle that if needed. I have mine slotted with Dam/EndRdx and Acc/Dam/EndRdx from Sirocco's, Dam/Slow and EndRdx/Rech/Slow from Tempered Readiness, an Acc/Dam Hami-O and a common EndRdx.

Ling Rad: The main benefit of this power is the -Regen for AVs, but it is nice to use on other foes for the slow and -Recharge. I slot for Accuracy and Recharge -- slow enhancements only affect run speed, and you have Fire Cages.

Choking Cloud: This is a key power. It needs to have max slotting for EndRdx and Hold with "frankenslotting," and then fit in the Lockdown +2 Mag proc if you can. See my Ill/Rad guide for an explanation of the mechanics of this power, explaining why max slotting for hold is so important.

Fire Imps: Consider replacing the Commanding presence with 4 Expediant Reinforcement (all but the Dam/End and the Resistance proc), and then use either the two triples from Call to Arms or, even better, the Dam/Rech and Chance for Build Up from the purple Soulbound Allegence set. The max Recharge lets you replace them as they die, which works better than Defense or Resistance.

Fallout: Skip it. Bonfire has some nice situational uses as a barrier. Plus you can throw it under an AV for a little extra damage. All it needs is a single Recharge. Adding damage is nice, but not necessary. My Ill/Rad guide discusses the situational nature of Fallout.

Smoke: Some people like it, but I'm not a big fan -- I respec'ed out on my Fire/Rad (but still have it on my Fire/Kin). Since you have Super Speed + a stealth proc, you don't need it. You certainly don't need to waste 3 slots on a power you don't use. You might want to consider taking EM Pulse at 38 and add in the Psi Blast. Or take Air Superiority as a melee attack with knockdown and -Fly.

EM Pulse: It is a great "panic button" power that can be used more often than you realize -- you know it does damage to Robots? The AoE is huge, and the -Recovery is managable if handled right. It you are tight on slots, go with 2 Acc/Mez Hami-Os. You could go with two Acc/Mez, 2 Rech, or you can put 4 Basilisk for more global Recharge.

IW can be made perma . . . but it takes a LOT of Recharge. You generally have to reduce the effeciveness of some of your other powers to get more recharge. I feel that the small amount of down time in IW is worth other powers being more effective.

Yep. Illusion/Empathy. Invisibility lets you get around and heal without being seen. Phantom Army and Deceive lets you pull foes away from teammates. Illusion gives you single target control, damage and confuse, plus the AoE distraction from PA and control from Spectral Terror. The Illusion set lets you be an effective controller, and still use your buffing and healing powers. (Notice I said buffing first.) You can solo if you want, but build for a team player.

Frankly, Emp is far from the best secondary for an Illusion controller, but Illusion may be the best primary for a */Emp Controller.

Uh, yeah. One-shotting foes, especially problem foes like mezzers, with your snipe is really, really nice.

I consider Aim and Build Up on blasters to be pretty much essential . . . kind of like Stamina, but more flexible on when you take them.

I'm in the camp where I prefer to have Stone Cages over two slows. For lots of reasons: (a) Stone Cages have -Fly which will handle the problem the majority of the time . . . plus there is -fly in Quicksand, so once they are on the ground, you can keep them there. (b) Stone Cages sets up Containment, as others have mentioned. (c) Stone Cages + Stalagmites act as a hold. While the Slows reduce the movement of the stunned foes, some often do wander out of the AoE of the slow. (d) Stone Cages is your fastest recharging control power. You can fire it off every few seconds. Add a proc or two, and that damage can add up. On the other hand, the Slows will only fire off procs every 10 seconds, and you don't have as many procs available. (e) Stone Cages + a corner to hide behind is just as good as an AoE hold . .. up every few seconds and able to be made perma at LEVEL 4! (f) There is a significant value to -Knockback . . . depending upon your teammates. Just try teaming with a Peacebringer. And if you realize that the -knockback only works for 12 seconds, you can use that to your advantage, since the Immob continues long past then. Cast Stone Cages, and just as the 12 seconds starts to run out, you can then use Earthquake or Freezing Rain a/k/a Sleet to make them bounce in place. (g) People complain that Stone Cages conflicts with Earthquake and the knockdown in Sleet/Freezing Rain -- just don't cast it. Too many people think that Stone Cages has to be spammed, but it can be used stragically. (h) Personally, I like the graphics of huge stone things locking down foes. It also makes the foes easy to see.

While there are some benefits to having both slows, I think the better choice is to take Stone Cages. The combo of Stalagmites+Stone Cages is just too good and fast as a "First Strike" control. Both Earthquake and Volcanic Gasses take a few seconds to work on the entire group, but Stalagmites is your only "instant control" AoE power.

At 195%, assuming you have Hasten and AM running, you will be able to get PA to recharge in about 62 seconds which is technically Perma-PA. I found that that gives me too little time for a cushion, so for my Perma-PA build, I aimed for 203% and actually got 206.25%. That build is on the #83 post of my Ill/Rad guide.