Local_Man
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Quote:I haven't pulled out my Earth/Rad to go after AVs, and he's not really built that way. Mine is build as a team controller, where the damage is expected to come from the team -- I don't have any single target attacks other than Fossilize. But I bet I probably could work on a solo build by increasing number of attacks and his damage. With the upgrades to Rocky, he is now one of the better pets and certainly one of the most durable. With the right IO sets, you can buff his Resistance by 20% easily.Originally Posted by Lynx_Nordique
So? Earth has the advantage of having a resilient pet that does decent damage. It is not perma PA, but with the right techniques and tactics, Stonney can last quite a bit, if not all the fight while fighting an AV.
What makes the Earth challenge interesting, is that it requires the toon to be multitask. You have to :
1)Find a what to get the AV health regen stopped or overwhelmed and make sure the debuff doing so is applied almost all the time. In a matter of seconds you can screw up several minutes of fighting;
2)Add damage on your own, so you don't rely exclusively on Animated stone for damage;
3) Keep Stonney alive because he is getting most of the attention. Just that means: a) Healing the pet, b)minimizing the incoming damages;
4) Find a way to boost the damage output of the primary attacks.
To say, Earth damage is "at the bottom" is kinda depressing. But to take an Earth controller and go defeat some AVs alone, that very few toons can defeat on their own, is kinda fun and rewarding, even if you have to faceplant many times and invest in expensive IOs.
Just look a fire control. It might be doing lots of damage on a single target, but refreshing the Imps often enough is a challenge too, since AVs do murder them very fast. And some found ways to solve that problem and defeat AVs alone.
It wouldn't be too tough -- cast Rocky in range of the AV and stay near enough to him to be able to heal him and keep the Resist auras on him. Then cast the Rad debuffs and hit the AV with your attack chain, firing off LR whenever it comes up. Keep using Quicksand to help Rocky hit. -
My best suggestion would be to take a look at my Illusion/Radiation Guide, linked in my sig. I have a lot of discussion about perma-PA builds and the sets needed for additional Recharge. A little further down in the thread, you can see my current build.
If you want to squeeze out some slots, start with Enervating Field. That third EndRdx gives a very small benefit once you slot two IOs, so move the third slot.
You can cut the slots in Radiation Infection to 4 by using 4 from the Dark Watcher set. They are generally cheap, too.
With enough global Recharge, you will be able to cut out some slots from Ling Rad.
The best thing to do is get Mid's builder, and play around with it a bit. -
Quote:Deacon_NA is correct. You can only have one Spooky out at a time. On the City of Data entry, I think that's what the "Effect does not stack from same caster" means.Originally Posted by EricHough
RedTomax shows the AE fear as having an accuracy of 1 and the single target version as having an accuracy of 1.4 and none of the effects are listed as being autohit, so yes, it looks like both will need to hit. The single target attack has a recharge time of 6 seconds and the to hit debuff is 20s duration, so it might be able to stack. For single, big targets (like EB's or AV's) I like to just stack spectral terror as much as possible - with the amount of recharge you need to even consider taking on an AV you would probably be able to keep at least two out.
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Quote:I was pretty critical of these tests when they were done. I tried to point out the weaknesses -- especially in regards to Illusion. The way in which Magicj did the tests excluded any benefit from the Spectral Damage in Spectral Wounds or Phantom Army. The spectral damage contributes substantially to Illusion's damage if used properly. When I pointed out some of the problems, Magicj just dismissed my suggestions -- I think mainly because Magicj had frequently expressed dislike for the Illusion set.Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
It's probably too early in the morning for me, and my Internet is too slow to watch the videos, but I don't understand the tests. Did he just create a bunch of Controller characters, go to town on a boss, and record how long it took? How many times is each run repeated?
There are tons of variables involved in a test like this. You'd have to run it many times before you could call your results demonstrative.
Furthermore, you would need to keep a log of every attack the pet made each trial, the order in which the attack occurred, how much time elapsed between each attack, and whether the enemy was able to retreat or somehow hinder the attackers at any point in time. The reason you have to do this is you have to show that pet AI consistently uses the same attacks in the same order at the same times. If you can't show that, you have to come up with a method of normalizing the damage (and will still get wobbly results).
You would also have to find some way to account for attacks that miss, since there is a 1 in 20 chance that any attack could miss at any time (Well, almost. It's more complicated because of the streak breaker but you get the idea.)
Most of us know from experience that Fire does the most damage. It specializes in AoE, but when the three Imps focus on one target, that foe goes down pretty quickly. Plant probably comes next for AoE damage, but it is not strong for single targets. Gravity does good-but-slow single target damage, but is weak on AoE. Illusion does good single-target damage, especially when its pets are focused on one foe, and its four pets allows it to deal with multiple targets better than Gravity. Mind has good single target damage early, but doesn't get the "bump-up" in damage that other sets get from their pets. Earth and Ice are generally at the bottom of the controller damage list, with Earth barely higher than Ice. -
Quote:Dude, take a chill pill.Originally Posted by Lucky
This makes zero sense superior invis puts you at the stealth cap. You are completelty wasting a slot, and I ask why? is it because of ignorance?
Multpile people have told you it's a waste do you think we are lying? Let me say that again. SI PUTS YOU AT THE STEALTH CAP AND THE STEALTH IO IS A COMPLETE WASTE. You comprehend that?
SI provides Stealth at 1000, while the Stealth cap for blue side is 600. (GI give 666 stealth.) Going over the cap has no benefit . . . except that it might provide a benefit in certain limited situations such as +perception foes or for aggro effects. I'm not an expert on this mechanic, but Q_Arkhan's old Smoke and Mirrors Guide for Ill/Storm goes into it at length, where he discusses the rare benefit of having both SI and GI. That was written before Stealth IOs were around, so there might, possibly, be some rare benefit to having a Stealth IO + SI. But it would probably take some significant testing to see if there is any effect.
I personally wouldn't do it, but give the guy a break. It is his character and if he knows it is most likely a waste and wants to do it anyway, why should you care? -
Quote:Generally, if you have Perma-PA, you have enough global Recharge that Ling Rad is perma without additional Recharge enhancements. In his build, Ling Rad has duration of 30 sec and recharges in 29.4 seconds.Originally Posted by Prime_Nighthawk
It's my understanding that a big part of AV solo'ing is debuffing their regeneration. Yet you have Lingering Radiation with 1 slot and neither recharge or accuracy. There may not be any good options set wise, but why not put in a regular accuracy and 2 recharge IO's?
You may also have enough global Accuracy. However, since you are trying to use that -Regen against AVs and I want it to HIT, I put a common Accuracy IO in that default slot. The accuracy in his build is only 132%, too low for AVs. -
Quote:Like Oedipus, I don't see a need for corresponding sets. The older Controller primaries and secondaries don't have any corresponding sets. Some recent additions could be in that category -- Ice/Cold or Fire/Thermal (I suppose an argument could be made for Grav/Kin). Maybe that's the trend for Corrupters, but I prefer Controllers.Originally Posted by Jade_Dragon
Well, the problem with dismissing Electric Control outright is that it leaves Electric Assault without a corresponding Primary. And brings up the question of why such an Assault Set was even made in the first place. It isn't technically Proliferation, after all, there is no other Electric Assault set in any other AT, so it had to be created, not just ported over from an existing set. We're also coming very close to the point where there will be no more Proliferation options for Dominators and Controllers.
While Riot Control (my favorite name for the concept, personally
) is a great idea, a lot more would go into creating it. There are no existing powers that could be scavenged for the Set, and whole new animations and graphics would have to be created for it. (I think something like a glue gun or other wierd-looking weapon would be neat, although I would think grenades would probably be the most logical delivery system) Plus, there will need to be a Secondary to go with it, although a combination of Dual Pistols and Martial Arts might be in theme.
I suspect "Electric Control" would essentially be a control set cobbled together from existing powers in the game -- Electric Fences, Tesla Cage, etc. In effect, it would be mostly "more of the same" with one or two unique powers. Yes, that would be far less expensive to put together. But I would prefer something kind of new and different. Plant was different enough from other sets to have been a nice addition. A gadget set could be like that. (I'd love to see a Dalak-like pet, rather than a recycled robot that already exists, but there might be trademark issues.) There could be a lot of options to put such a set together . . . make it high-tech from Crey stuff, or steam-punk from Nemesis stuff, or more spy-like from Malta stuff.)
Of course, if you want corresponding sets, you could always make a Gadgets/Traps Controller . . .
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Quote:Yeah, there is. When a foe is the one doing the damage, you don't generally get XP for damage you don't do. Confusion actually gives you some BONUS XP since you get some of the credit for damage done by the confused foe as long as you, your pets or teammates.Originally Posted by Beelzy
I have a really fun build for a Mind/FF all planned out, the only thing holding me back is the fact that damage from confused mobs takes XP away. I know the argument about the XP rate being better, but is there really a decent reason that we don't get the XP from confused mobs? It just doesn't make sense to me...
I have a Mind/FF at 39 that I mostly solo -- It is a fun character, not real fast but not bad to solo. He's a lot of fun on teams, also. However, I haven't noticed any kind of drop in the XP he earns due to Mass Confusion or Confuse . . . in fact, those powers often save me.
Personally, I think this concern about XP Rate should not be a concern. On teams especially, your teammates will be doing most of the damage and any missed XP (It is not really lost, only missed) is way too small to be a concern since you will kill stuff faster. If the character looks like fun, try it! My Illusion/Radiation Guide has a section on XP and Confuse powers. -
Thank you very much, Castle, for coming in here to dispell this rumour. This kind of communication makes y'all great. It helps us avoid unfounded expectations and reduces complaints.
Electric Control might be OK, but I would personally rather see a Gadgets set. Like Dual Pistols, I could see loading the Immob and the Hold powers with different materials to get different secondary effects: Ice for slow and -Rech, Fire for extra damage, Stone/Earth for -Defense, something else for -ToHit, etc. Maybe even have a different AoE effect depending upon the load: Ice would give an Ice Slick or an AoE confuse, Fire has a Stun, etc. -
Quote:Personally, I would much rather have the extra damage from an attack chain of Blind-SW-Blast-SW. I can't imagine skipping Spectral Wounds.Originally Posted by Beelzy
The Celerity was a drop, and gives me that little extra stealth that I like to have... I know it isn't much, but it makes me feel safer...
Blind-PB is a better combo than SW-PB I would think... Either way you have a 2 attack chain, Spectral may offer a tad more damage, but it lacks the Hold. Plus the extra power slot is more useful than having SW, because I am not willing to forgo blind...
I will take your advice on PA.
Defense is never useless. And seeing as I am not giving away much to get it, I am happy to have defense rather than not. Makes me feel less squishy...
But I do see where you are coming from, and you are right in many respects, but again, the more insurance plans you have, the better.
On a perma-PA build, Defense is less important than most other builds. Between invisibility, the distraction of PA, Phanty's decoy and Phanty, the control of Spectral Terror, the control of Deceive, and the ToHit debuff from Radiation Infection, you really shouldn't be getting many attacks your direction. And for those few times you do get hit, you have a self heal.
On the other hand, taking out foes faster with a good attack chain will allow PA to concentrate on the remaining foes, leaving fewer to shoot at you. Defense is nice, but I consider it a low priority for a perma-PA build -- a lot lower than damage. -
Quote:I actually have a few characters on Free-dumb for when my usual buddies aren't on and I'm willing to go with the rather-inconsistent PUGs there over playing solo.Originally Posted by UnicyclePeon
I wont ask you to name it but I will ask you to say why it shall not be named. Just curious.
Nope, I go for the AoE control mostly. I use the same stuff as you for single target damage, except I have the Ice APP, Sands of Mu and the Nemi Staff, too. I'm a big fan of Stone Cages, too -- love having it hit on big targets. When I try the Stone Cages + Tornado trick, I find that I will often get so busy doing other stuff that I don't fire off Stone Cages again fast enough and some of the foes go flying around. I don't mind too much, as it just means the scrappers have to chase around their targets a bit . . . a little extra exercise is good for them.Quote:Just because you can miss one guy out of a group, making the Tornado+Cages combo only 95% perfect, that doesn't make Stone Cages a poor choice. I personally love Stone Cages. You probably have your build slotted up with some single target action instead, I'm guessing? My build has everything except single target damage. My single target damage is handled by Tornado, Fossilize, Lightning Storm, Blackwand, Animate Stone and Fireball.
Lewis
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Quote:I'm having fun with my Earth/Storms -- one at 36 on Guardian and at 42 on another server-that-shall-not-be-named. It is a very fun combo. I didn't skip Hurricane -- I love it as a tool. I skipped Stone Prison, Salt Crystals and, reluctantly, Snow Storm. Yeah, the -knockback in Stone Cages can keep Tornado from throwing foes everywhere . . . until it misses or until you don't quite fire it off in less than 12 seconds because you are doing something else.Originally Posted by Amy_Amp
The biggest part of /storm not being team friendly is Hurricane and Earth/storm has enough control to where it can be skipped. Tornado has KB issues, but Earth has the tools to not make it such a burden. Is Earth/rad more team friendly? Sure. But I play for fun.
Since I got my TA/a up to 29, I'll just add a vote for /ta as well. It's one of the most under valued sets around. I can't wait to start to IO out the build even on a cheap basic level and I just about school girl squeal at the idea of leveling up my lowbie Plant/ta.
So, does that mean that I'm a Meathead? Probably fits . . .Quote:Originally Posted by UnicyclePeon
Hmm. Does that make Local_Man the Rob Reiner of Controllers?
High praise, indeed.
Lewis -
Quote:But isn't as team-friendly as Earth/Rad.Originally Posted by Amy_Amp
But Earth/storm goes to 11.
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Quote:That is not correct. The factor used by the court is whether the alleged violation creates a likelihood of confusion. Many trademark claims are for "similar but not exact" copies.Originally Posted by Sharker_Quint
trademark, yes. copywrite, no. if it was true that you could copywrite a name, anyone would have free reign to file lawsuits against anyone or anything that had the name. in order for a trademark violation to go through court it has to be the same exact thing as the original, i.e.: same name, costume, powers...
as it stands, the GM's will generic any name or costume to save anything from happening. even the littlest thing. -
Quote:First, cases that are settled still can and do cost huge amounts of money to defend until you can reach a settlement. Quite often, parties settle cases with little to no merit because it is cheaper to settle the case to defend it and WIN . . . there may be no way to get your attorney's fees from the other side if you win.Originally Posted by MunkiLord
What court battle? I remember a lawsuit that got settled out of court, but there was no court battle. Sounds like you're talking out your rear.
True, it doesn't have to be on the list to be copyrighted. Like I said before however, you can't copyright names. Therefore, that name is not copyrighted.
From what I recall, the suit with Marvel lasted for quite a while until it was settled. I seem to recall that Marvel lost a Motion to Dimiss, and settled before amending the Complaint. It probably cost NC Soft and/or Cryptic quite a few thousand dollars before it was settled.
Generally names would be protected by Trademark, not copyright. In fact, most trademarks are the names of products, companies and services -- most comic characters are trademarked since trademarks can last forever while copyright has a limited duration. If the owner of the trademark does not actively protect the trademark, the owner can lose it. As a result, sometimes stupid lawsuits are filed to try to protect trademarks. -
Quote:Great minds think alike . . . I usually go for names that amuse me, and this one does. I like your costume -- much better than what I made in a couple of minutes, but mine was on a placeholder so it didn't matter. Too bad we can't have a big puffy thick tail.Originally Posted by Necrotron_RO
Wow, I actually made the same idea/concept!
I actually used the name for my DP/Ice during Closed Beta on Test, so should I claim "First!"?
What server are you on? Mine's on Guardian.
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Quote:So, do you know the answer to the question I posted to your guide? Does Fulcrum Shift (or other damage buffs) work on Creepers? When is the best time to cast the buff? Will the buff on me pass down to the various pets, or do I have to wait until Creepers has been cast and spawned before using Fulcrum Shift?Originally Posted by Weatherby Goode
Lets see. Does my sig still have my CC guide?
Edit: Nope, lemme find it.
Here: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=127023
(Just got Fulcrum Shift over the 2XP weekend and haven't had time to try it out.) -
Quote:I don't have any citations for you, but I'm fairly certain that as long as you do some damage to the foes, they will drop normally. If a foe is defeated by a confused foe alone? I'm not sure. But that shouldn't be a problem if you are using the Seeds+Roots+Freezing Rain combo -- all foes will take some damage.Originally Posted by doomrider
I frequently use the seeds+roots+freezing rain combo on my plant/storm troller and I am aware that when confused enemies damage each other, that they inf and exp gained will be somewhat diminished. My question though is whether or not this diminishes the chance for recipe/salvage drops?
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I haven't purchased the GR pre-order yet, but I made a character to save my name --
Pepe LePewPew.
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Well, obviously Hot Feet drains your endurance if you slot it like that. It need to be slotted for max EndRdx, then Damage and some Accuracy. A little Slow is nice if you can fit it in, but that's less important on a Fire/Kin than other Fire controllers. The Obliteration set has almost no EndRdx.
I think on my Fire/Rad I have the moderately cheap slotting of Scirocco Dam/End and Acc/Dam/End, Tempered Readiness Dam/Slow and Slow/EndRdx/Rech, Acc/Dam Hami-O and a common EndRdx. With that slotting, I have no problem running both Hot Feet and Choking Cloud (also slotted for max EndRdx as well as max Hold). -
Quote:I rather like Sparky on my Dark/Elec and Kin/Elec Defenders. Sparky can do bits of damage while I'm busy doing other things.Originally Posted by Novawulfe
Ok, I'll humor you and give you my top 5 most retarded and created powers up until now.
At number 5..... Voltaic Sentinel
As a blaster the last thing you want is something or someone following you around, more so if you fancy yourself a strike and flee kind of player... If I ever get a electric toon that high, no VS for me. I wont take gun drone either, my dev blaster likes to stay hidden and blow S*** up under the cover of his cloak.
Actually, Gravitational Distortion and Gravitational Distortion Field, the single target and AoE holds, have -knockback.Quote:And my all time number 1 is..... Dimension shift!
This one power ruins the set, and drive me away from playing it, playing a power set that I wont take a power before I get and try it, just cause I KNOW it isn't useful or productive... Come on.... That's like jumping into a snake pit naked with mice taped to you. Not to mention no power in the set provides kb pro for the baddies... FAIL.
The lack of knockback in the Immob is actually quite nice for a Grav/Storm using Freezing Rain.
But I agree, Dimension Shift (and Black Hole) are horrible. I tried Black Hold on my Thugs/Dark just because I had never tried it before. After the second use, I was determined to respec out. However, I teamed with a Sonic Defender just yesterday who did a nice job of using Sonic Cage to take out tough bosses while the rest of us clobbered the rest of the foes. When the cage finally ran out, we were able to gank the boss. I think that is the first effective use of an Intangibility power I have seen -- but we were all on voice chat so he could tell us when he was using it. Plus, it had this easy-to-see blue cage, so it was easy to tell when the foe was impossible to hit. -
Quote:Mass Hypnosis is pretty weak as AoE control unless you are solo -- I mainly use it to set up containment for Terrify. If you don't like Snow Storm, that's fine, but it is worth mentioning. Snow Storm has its uses -- for example, in the ITF, those guys resist a lot of control powers, but are substantially affected by Slow powers -- My Ice/Storm is one of my favorite controllers on that TF. Snow Storm on the many EBs provides a huge benefit.Originally Posted by MaxLongstreet
I don't think mind lacks AoE control early on - it gets Mass Hypnosis at 8. I'm not a huge Snowstorm fan, particularly on Controllers. You could take it if you team a lot and your team wakes everything you sleep, but even then I'd respec out when I got my other AoE's later on.
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Looks like a nice build. A couple of things to think about:
If you replace Group Invis (or SI) with Combat Jumping, you get Immob protection and a boost in maneuverability for almost no endurance, and it can still take the LotG. That way you get something out of an otherwise wasted mule power.
The slot for the Purplex in Deceive might give you more benefit somewhere else. Add a Numina's Heal to Health for a lot more Regen; add an EndRdx to Superior Invis for a lot less endurance use; Or a Chance for Build Up in Phantom Army.
If you replace the Glympse set in Spectral Terror with the Unspeakable Terror set (5% Recharge), you can then get a full 5 Posi Blast set in Psi Tornado for an overall gain of 5% Recharge. -
Quote:Actually, aren't there three? Snow Storm, Steamy Mist/Arctic something, and Freezing Rain/Sleet? Snow Storm in both sets does a nice job early of providing a kind of AoE control when many controllers, like Mind, Illusion and Grav, are lacking in AoE control.Originally Posted by MaxLongstreet
Cold fills the possible solo controller hole of difficulty vs. AVs/EBs who can't by mezzed by giving you fantastic debuffs, as well as the same two great powers storm gets, as well as a great endurance tool at high levels.
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Quote:Originally Posted by UnicyclePeon
I've tried Illusion/Storm with both Flash and Thunder Clap. I far and away prefer Thunder Clap.
It may "only" be Mag 2, but it is amazing. It is up all the time and with all of the other crazy stuff you're doing to the enemy, even taking out "only" the minions is superior, because its easily perma. If you've got about 70% global recharge (not counting Hasten) then it can be perma-double stacked to get all the LTs and Bosses as well. Its almost unfair. Flash is cool too, with that much global recharge, its up 1/3 of the time. Not bad. I'm not saying Flash is useless at all. I just think it meshes less well with the chaos-Y feel of the set. You could certainly argue that it creates containment, but you get that with double perma-stacked Thunder Clap too, and all the time, and against bosses. Not that my build leverages it. Still.
Either way, its all good. Flash. Thunder Clap. Pick yer poison.
Lewis
That was my reasoning for trying out Thunderclap, but I find that I'm just not using it that much. On Illusion controllers, I try to take out the lower level foes first. It allows me to leverage off of the Spectral Damage better, and it concentrates the Phantom Army on the tougher foes. I generally attack the minions first from range, then run in to fire off Lighning Storm if needed to attack the tougher targets.
I might try to revise my tactics a little, by running in to hit Thunderclap before Lightning Storm, then running out again to attack the minions first. Maybe that will make Thunderclap more useful . . . but I often forget to use it until too late.
On my other Illusion Controllers, Flash is my Filler power when Phantom Army is Recharging. That's why mezzing Lts is important.