Local_Man
-
Posts
3911 -
Joined
-
Quote:Originally Posted by Hazzard_County
Can someone throw me an ill/rad build? This is my first controller, and I'm thinking this toon will be worth it to spec out. What I am looking for is a top notch build (money won't be an issue), perma PA, purple sets up the wazoo :-) Basically an AV solo-er. Thank you in advance!
Take a look at my Illusion/Radiation Guide. It has tons of information on your powers, strategies and several builds. I included leveling up builds and several Perma-PA builds.
If this is your first controller, you need to learn to walk before flying. I have a lot of good information on how to play controllers in the guide. Look at the purple link in my sig. -
Thanks, CMA. However, that description was written with an eye towards DISCOURAGING an Ill/Rad from getting Choking Cloud, so the tone I used was a little more cynical than I would if I was writing a Fire/Rad guide. Fire/Rad and Ice/Rad are the two best builds in the game IMHO to make use of Choking Cloud. The combination with Hot Feet or Arctic Air are what make Choking Cloud work in those builds.
-
Quote:Choking Cloud was effective long before IOs were around, so Ketch's advice is a little off -- not incorrect, but a little off.Originally Posted by Deep Rootz
I'm sure this is posted on other threads, but I'll ask since I started this one. How do I get choking cloud to work effectively? I noticed it can't be slotted for acc so I figured it would be auto-hit though I've rarely noticed it hit if at all.
Choking Cloud has a unique way it operates. My Ill/Rad guide (linked in my sig) explains it in detail. Most important is to fully slot it for both EndRdx and Hold. Even with SO's, CC is effective with 3 EndRdx, 3 Hold, but IOs can make it more effective.
The power does not accept Accuracy enhancements, but you can add some accuracy by using Hold sets with accuracy -- but it is more important to ED Cap Hold duration. Why? At level 50, if CC hits on a pulse, it lasts for 7.45 seconds, and it pulses every 5 seconds. However, the unique "chance for" formula for CC means that it has a good chance to miss any one pulse, but your odds go up a lot over multiple pulses. If it hits once, then it will only last through one more pulse before it drops. But fully slotted, that hold lasts a little less than 15 seconds, or almost through THREE pulses. (Hot Feet helps here . . . the Slow in Hot Feet keeps foes in the area of CC longer, allowing more pulses. But Hot Feet also causes the foes to try to run away, so they don't try to attack you.) Because Hold duration allows the hold to last through more pulses, it substantially increases the chances of the hold continuing -- in a way, slotting for Hold duration increases your accuracy.
You want to slot for EndRdx because CC is so endurance-heavy, especially if you are also running Hot Feet. Then you want to slot for Hold. The +2 Mag proc is wonderful in this power, due to the way Choking Cloud stacks mag . . . it makes CC more likely to stack enough mag to hold. I would suggest that CC gets more use out of this proc than any other power. But I would suggest you slot up for EndRdx and Hold first. If you are doing IO slotting, you will hopefully have some global Accuracy from other sets, so just a small amount of accuracy in CC will be enough.
Before level 50, one way to do this is to "frankenslot" for EndRdx/Hold from Neuronic Shutdown, Essense of Curae and Ghost Widow, then add the Lockdown triple, Lockdown quad and the Lockdown +2 Mag proc. That's only 18% Accuracy, but it should be effective. At level 50, You can replace the Neuronic Shutdown EndRdx/Hold with one from Unbreakable Constraint, and then replace either the Lockdown triple or one of the other EndRdx/Holds with the Unbreakable Contstraint damage proc. (The 2.5% buff to Hold Duration in Lockdown makes up for the small loss in Hold duration in the power if you replace the Essence of Curae or Ghost Widow.) -
Quote:But getting mezzed at all turns off Hot Feet and Choking Cloud. Those two powers are the key to my playstyle. I don't have enough recharge for perma-AM, and certainly not enough for Perma-IW, but IW makes it so I am rarely mezzed, and those few times a mez gets past, it usually doesn't last long. My Fire/Rad controls and then kills quickly enough that the damage reduction from Mind over Body and the heal in Radiant Aura is usually enough to get me by without a max IO build.Originally Posted by Panzerwaffen
Status effects are not quite so much an issue with perma AM, as it gives you significant status effect resistance, so when you do get hit with them, they don't last very long anyway.
-
It took me a long time to get my first Blaster to 50 -- and it ended up being the second character I ever rolled up in the game, an Ice/Ice Blaster. Now, he is one of my favorite characters to pull out for high level content.
Part of it may be that I am mostly prefer controllers -- and this character has three stackable single-target holds and some nice AoE control powers -- he is almost a Blue-side Dominator. But he is very easy to solo, since he can Hold-Blast-Blast-Blast for minions and Lts, and Hold-Hold-Blast-Blast-Blast for Bosses. And if I need AoE? Shiver slows them all to a crawl, and then Frost Breath, Ice Storm and Blizzard handle the AoE damage quite well. Shiver, in particular, is an amazing tool.
I tend to say out of melee, using Fly and Hover to stay above things (I skipped the melee attacks). If staying in the air is not an option, then Ice Patch can provide some protection from melee. (To flip between Fly and Hover, I use the Speed-on-Demand binds in CityBinder.) I recently changed over to the Ice APP set in a respec, and haven't had it long enough to really get a feel for how much I like it.
I have found that this is a great character both solo and on teams, with a lot of safety from the control powers. -
Quote:Like CMA, I really like the Psi Pool for Indomidible Will. Getting Mezzed was my biggest problem, and IW takes care of that most of the time without having to have a max IO set build. I find that with the Hot Feet+Choking Cloud combo, having additional stun to stack with Flashfire really isn't needed -- I just need something to distract the foes long enough for Choking Cloud to settle in and hold. Bosses need stacked holds, so a Char works fine. And I find Psi Tornado to be quite effective as an AoE damage power without the range limitations of Fissure -- with AV's, I like to stay back a little.Originally Posted by Deep Rootz
Ok I'm on my first fire and first rad...have played both plant/kin and grav/kin to 50, but with fire/rad I'm at a loss when trying to go with defense or resistence. I figured having a self-heal would make a resistence set a better choice, but then again I could be wrong. What would be the major pro's and con's of going with one or the other? Any help is greatly appreciated...thanks in advance
-
There are a few other important things to know while you play your first character:
In addition to having to take Hover before getting Fly, you should also plan to take the other powers needed to get Stamina from the Fitness Pool. Most characters need Stamina. To get Stamina, you need to take two of the earlier powers in the Fitness pool, and then Stamina will become available at level 20.
The two early power choices in Fitness which become available at level 6 are Swift and Hurdle -- Swift makes you run and fly a little faster, and Hurdle makes you a little better at jumping. Almost everyone picks one or the other of these two, but not both. Don't bother putting additional slots into Swift or Hurdle. Then at level 14, Health becomes available . . . but you probably want to take Fly at 14, so hold off on Health until 16 or 18. Health improves your Regeneration rate, so it is nice to have.
Many people take their travel power at 14, then take either Swift or Hurdle at 16 and Health at 18, allowing you to take Stamina at 20. Stamina should get two more slots at level 21 to have a total of three. Stamina will allow you to recover Endurance faster, allowing you to fight for a lot longer, and with very few exceptions, it is needed for almost all characters. (Some folks may take it a little later than 20. The problem is that the Fitness powers aren't all that exciting, and some people want other things sooner. However, you will probably see that you are running out of Endurance during longer fights, so you should plan on Stamina by 20.)
Also, read up on Enhancements. For levels 1-11, you get Training Origin Enhancements, known as "TO's." Starting at level 12, you can buy level 15 Dual Origin (DO) Enhancements, which are twice the strength of TO's. Then, starting at level 22, you can buy level 25 Single Origin (SO) Enhancements, which are twice the strength of DO's and four times TO's. You can read up on Invention Origin (IO) Enhancements, as they can be pretty complicated.
As a blaster, you mostly want to enhance some accuracy and a lot of Damage. The general rule is that you should limit yourself to only three SO's of the same kind of enhancement in any one power. For example, your minimum slotting in your blast powers should be 1 Accuracy, 3 Damage. Then you can add Accuracy, Recharge or Endurance Reduction, or even Range or maybe a few other things if you want.
Stamina needs three of the Dark Blue Endurance Modification Enhancements.
These forums have a section of guides. Take a look there for tons and tons of information about this game, written by experienced players. The game is simple in some ways, but can also be very complicated if you want it to be.
Feel free to roll up lots of characters. While you may think you will like Blasters the most, you should try them all. If you want to try a Controller, take a look at my Illusion/Radiation guide (the purple link in my sig), as it has a lot of basic information for all controllers, not just Ill/Rads. -
Quote:I was not a fan of Gravity until I fairly recently got a Grav/Storm up to the late 20's. I pretty much solo'ed him the entire way, and he was an effective solo character, allowing me the time to fully use all my powers from both sets. One key is the combo of Crushing Field and Freezing Rain -- no knockdown protection in CF turned Freezing Rain into a knockdown power with no "run-away."Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
I am not a fan of Gravity Control. The powers look cool but IMO the set struggles next to the incredibleness of the other Controller primaries. I'd give it a rating of "Passable." There isn't any Gravity/ combo for me that IMO wouldn't be outshined by a different primary.
Ice comes in next-to-last place for me in terms of power. It's good but changes made to the game since its inception have benefited Ice less than other primaries. Containment interferes with one of Ice's main controls, and the set already had low damage. I would still rate Ice as "Good," if not necessarily the "Great" I'd give to Fire, Mind, Plant, Earth or Illusion. If knockdown caused Containment and/or Jack Frost's defenses were increased to match the Earth pet, I would bump this set up to the level of the other primaries.
Both Gravity and Ice are still fun and playable if you know what you are getting into. You should also note that Ice Control on a Dominator gets around some of the issues a Controller might have, especially solo.
Pretty much any combination of Ice and Gravity with a secondary will work ok. The exception I'd caution away from is Ice/Sonic, which would eat so much endurance that you'd probably be frustrated. Ice/Force Field on the other hand works well as a team Controller.
I use Hurricane far more on my Grav/Storm than other */Storm combos, as it protects me while I focus my single-target attack chain of Grav.Dist.-Crush-Propel on a single target. Wormhole is a heck of a lot of fun -- it takes some work to maximize its uses, but it is so much fun to target a small group, hide around a corner, then throw them into a wall, Immob them, Freezing Rain and then destroy them one by one. Thunderclap stacks with the stun in Wormhole when needed.
And finally, Singularity -- I always wondered why many Grav controllers would sing the praises of Singy . . . now I finally know what a great Tank/Controller that glowball is. Steamy Mist + Super Speed gives me invis to drag Singy into a group. Singy keeps them busy while I take out foes one by one. His Repel has saved my tail many times -- and between Singy's Repel and my Hurricane, we can play ping-pong with foes. Tornado and Lightning Storm have substantally added to my ability to do damage, so now in his 40's, my Grav/Storm is a lot of fun. Not very team-friendly, but fun. (On teams, I have to substantially limit the chaos.) Now, I consider Singy, Phanty, Rocky and the Imps all in the "best pets" category, trailed by Twoey and Jack. -
Quote:Unfortunately, the recharge time is so long that it takes a ton of recharge buffs to make it perma. I have the Psi APP with Indomidible Will on my Fire/Rad, mainly to reduce the times that Choking Cloud and Hot Feet get detoggled. (Choking Cloud used to have a very long recharge, but that was reduced a while ago.) Even though IW is a click power with a longish recharge, I think it is up on my Fire/Rad about 70-80% of the time, so he rarely gets mezzed. Even though it is not perma, I find it very worth while. Another important factor: The Psi APP now has World of Confusion, which could stack with the Confuse in AA! My Ice/Storm does not currently have the Psi APP, but for this alone, I'm considering changing.Originally Posted by Heraclea
Can it be made permanent with SOs like Practised Brawler can? Click mez protection that can't be would only be useful if it could be also activated when mezzed, and I don't remember seeing that here. Otherwise, it's a power selection that duplicates the function of an inspiration, only not as well.
My choice for an APP on a build that does not have a self heal is usually Ice or Earth. Ice has Hibernate, providing a way to get both Health and Endurance. Plus, the Ice APP has two effective AoE damage powers and a decent single target blast. The Earth APP has the heal in Earth's Embrace, a great melee damage power in Seismic Smash, a very short range AoE damage power with a part-time stun in Fissure, and a slow ranged single target attack in Hurl Boulder. Both of these sets have s/l Defense based armors. If you plan on being in melee a lot, consider the Earth APP mostly for Siesmic Smash and Fissure. -
Quote:You obviously mean Grav/Trick Arrow . . . we only wish we could do a Grav/Traps. Grav/TA looks like an interesting combo, as TA can fill in for some of the lack of AoE Control in the Grav set. I found TA to be very much a "stand back and shoot" set, which is why it worked so well for Illusion/TA -- the Phantom Army distracted for foes while I fired off my arrows. Your Traps buddy can do that somewhat with Acid Mortar drawing some aggro and Caltrops keeping the foes away from you.Originally Posted by AWRocketman
I'm just getting ready to start playing a new duo with my duo-buddy. He is playing a Traps/Sonic defender so naturally I MUST take Grav for all the fun Wormhole possibilities. The question is what to do for a secondary?
I've already got a Grav/Storm to 50 so don't want to play another. The next on the list are:
Grav/Traps
This is what I'm leaning toward right now. I'm thinking that with a number of arrows (most notably Oil Slick) you could add to a nice Wormhole trap cluster with the Trip Mines setting off Oil Slick. Disruption Arrow could be used in this manner as well. Flash Arrow would help cap effective defense. The -res stacking would be insane with the /Sonic on the defender. I also like the fact that if I go the Primal epic route that I would be able to stack insane amounts of hold mag.
The defense-based Cold shields will stack with the defense from the Shield Generator for some pretty nice overall defense . . . for your buddy. He should be able to do some tanking. He can draw the aggro with his noisy blasts, while you pick off foes one by one with your GD-Crush-Propel combo.Quote:Grav/Cold
Another -res extravaganza plus the Cold shields and Arctic Fog help cap defense. And I haven't played a /Cold controller yet.
Of course, Rad goes with any primary, because it is so flexible. An AoE Immob+Radiation Infection is almost a hold. EF to boost damage and debuff their damage. LR for -Regen and Slow. And an AoE Self-heal and the goodness of AM.Quote:Any input? Advice?
Kinetics would be nice to help the traps recharge much faster, and for the heal and damage buff, but it has almost no defensive powers. -
Quote:This is one of the reasons I like controllers best -- there is so much variety in the playstyles. My Earth/Rad stays entirely at range, and is a monster at ranged AoE control, but my Fire/Rad is up front and in the middle of the fight, doing large amounts of damage. My Ice/Storm plays very differently on teams vs. solo, but both are lots of fun. My Ill/TA is also a ranged controller, but very, very different than my Earth/Rad.Originally Posted by Heraclea
Partly it's because little in my experience prepared me for what to do with the character. There seems to be a prodigious variation in controller sets; all scrappers by contrast are recognizable variations on a theme, regardless of primary and secondary.
The powers my illusion controller has don't resemble this one's even slightly in their mechanics. The sonic defender is a closer fit, but even defenders get a blasting set; they seem easier to solo than this one does. As for the fire/kin, control had nothing to do with what was demanded of that character; on that character I felt like the mother of a nest of cuckoo chicks.
Yes, I wanted the challenge of something different. I do have a rad defender, built for team utility, that I do tend to feel was mostly powerlevelled as well. On a good team, my anchors don't stay up long; if they contribute, the effect is subtle to say the least.
It was made so I'd have something to bring to giant monster and AV fights when a rad was wanted for 'em. (There is too much content in the game that is too hard or dull otherwise, but trivial with a rad. Lord Winter, I see you.) Got him to 50 as well. But do I ever use the character to solo with? Is he really capable of pulling his own weight for earning purples, running PI radios set at +2/8, or working the Roman wall? No, that isn't what he does.
Made this character just before the winter event went live; the winter theme suggested what to roll. She's 27 now. I have actually been enjoying the character, just having a tough time figuring out her niche.
Earth and Ice seem very similar, and yet can be played very differently. Fire has some similarities, but some differences. Mind, Grav and Plant have some really unique tools and Illusion is unlike anything else in the game. It just takes some time to learn the strengths and weaknesses, and develop a playstyle to make good use of them. -
Quote:Both Ice and Grav work well with Rad and Storm, and provide substantially different game experiences. I don't have the experience with Cold.Originally Posted by Energy_Blaze
Hey everyone. I'm having trouble deciding what kind of controller to make next... I'm torn between Ice/ and Grav/. Both are new to me, and I just can't decide which to choose... Then comes a whole different problem. The secondary. I was thinking either Rad, or Storm, or Cold. I was just wondering if anyone could try to help me pick. Maybe list a couple advantages of your the different sets, or past experiences with the sets. Maybe something crazy they can accomplish with these toons that set them apart or really made them happy with their decision.
Ice/Rad can be built as a melee support character. Ice/Rad is one of two builds that can make effective use out of Choking Cloud -- combine Arctic Air with Choking Cloud for continual PB AoE toggle control. Make sure you slot AA with max EndRdx and Confuse, and CC with max EndRdx and Hold. Rad provides a very flexible set of tools.
Ice/Storm is a fun mix of controls and flashiness. One of the best parts is two AoE slip-n-fall powers -- Ice Slick can be used on one group, followed by Freezing Rain. Storm gives you great positioning powers for your AoE controls, and adds some nice damage in late levels. No self-heal, though.
Gravity is lacking in AoE controls until late in the set. It has three really interesting powers and one interesting quirk. Propel is a hard hitting but really slow damage power that is visually one of the best in the game. Wormhole is a unique power with some nice and unique strategic options. And Singularity is a tank/controller that really makes the set. The Rad secondary goes with everything, but there is nothing really special about Grav/Rad. However, the quirk gives Grav/Storm a nice option -- Grav's AoE Immobilize is the only controller AoE Immob WITHOUT -knockback. This means that Crushing Field+Freezing Rain works as a knockdown/debuff field where the foes can't escape. My personal opinion is that Grav pairs best with Storm . . . until Traps becomes a controller secondary. -
Quote:First, a small correction: Your Ill/Rad has Phantasm and Phantom Army, not Dark Servant (a/k/a Fluffy). Fluffy only goes with Dark Miasma, used by Defenders blue-side. Phantasm works the same way that Fire Imps work -- you don't have to re-cast him as long as he doesn't die, you don't die or a few other situations where he despawns -- in general, he lasts as long has he doesn't get killed. AND he tends to last a LOT longer than Fire Imps.Originally Posted by Fusion_7
Having worked pets with my level 50's MM bots/traps, my Ill/rad Controller Phantom Army and Phantasm and my level 50 dark/dark Corruptors Dark Servant, this is my first time working with Fire Imps with my level 36 fire/kin Controller. My first thought was they are like most pets and having to "re-spawn" them thinking they will disappear over a short period of time and like most pets have to be "re-spawned" again. Well, it seems this is not the case. They will continue to last as long as you can buff (heal) them and will travel with you pretty much anywhere you go. They do also seem to put out a small but good bit of damage, not having them fully slotted yet I really don't know how much damage they can do until I can max them out.
It does appear that they also have full "buff" abilities unlike some of my other pets. It is nice to give them Super Speed to watch them run around rampant...hehe. I do know you can drop heals in your MM pets slots to heal them but not sure they can be fully buffed like Imps? Unlike my ill/rad Controllers Dark Servant, it does seem they will follow you and not get stuck in the bathroom,..hehe. Of course this is only a short journey in my experience with Fire Imps. If anyone can add what to expect with these guys, maybe a good way to slot them for best results. I think you can slot them for leaping so they can jump up on walkways and tall crates and not get stuck as often.
Fire Imps can be buffed by ally buff powers, but Recharge powers have no effect. If you Speed Boost your imps, they will run faster, but that's it.
Best slotting is some accuracy, fully capped damage (about 95%) and, if you have some room, a little recharge. Some people like the Defense or Resistance procs, but I'm not a big fan of them for Imps, as they run around out of range too much. I like Recharge better.
An easy slotting to use at first, which is fairly cheap, is Acc/Dam and Damage from Blood Mandate, and Acc/Dam and Acc/Dam/End from Brilliant Leadership. Eventually, you may want to consider 4 Expediant Reinforcements (for the Recharge bonus) and then the two Call To Arms triples.
There has been discussion about naming controller pets ever since Masterminds were able to. I doubt it will ever happen.Quote:Also one more note and this one might be best for Solutions and Ideas but I'll throw it in here for some quick discussion: Why do we have the ability to name some of our pets for our toons and not others? I wondered this for a game that is so big on people expressing their individuality. For example, my MM Battle Drone Bots are Larry, Curly and Moe with my Assault Bot as the T-1000 and my two Protector Bots as Doc Brown and Doc Roboto. This only makes sense as they are called "pets". The last dog I owned was named Spunky. It would have been weird to call him "dog". Though we did have a cat we called "cat"....lol.
-
Quote:Ice control is a great primary if you want to provide melee support. Arctic Air, max slotted for EndRdx and Confuse is the key. Since you can stack so many slows, you don't need more slow. The strategy is simple . . . let the tank go in, then throw down Ice Slick. Follow the tank, allowing AA to mitigate damage. You may want to use Frostbite to keep foes from running after Ice Slick is gone. Other than that, just use Block of Ice-Chilblain-Vet powers to contribute to damage.Originally Posted by Heraclea
Actually, whenever I build a squishy (I also have sonic and rad defenders) team support and especially melee support are first on my mind. That is one reason why I chose /cold. It's not that I didn't want to buff teammates; I do. I just don't want to get tells demanding that I never let Speed Boost lapse.
I recommend keeping Glacier -- it has its uses even though it is not an "every fight" type power. I mostly use it after I have been mezzed, while AA is recharging -- Glacier fills that gap quite well. Having two slow powers is a great idea -- the second can either be Shiver or Snow Storm, at your option. -
Quote:I have fixed the data links on the two perma-PA builds . . . I hope. Yes, I like the Fire APP best. Not only does it provide a little more up-front damage, but it just looks awesome to blast foes with fire. Ice Storm is better for sets that can immobilize the foes to keep them from running out, and it is damage over time even though it is more damage overall. That duration of the DoT may allow some of your Spectral Damage to heal back. And Frost Breath just doesn't compare to Fireball.Originally Posted by Arion_Elan
With Ill/Rad your preferred APP seems to be fire - correct? And, unless I'm doing something wrong, I can't get your Perma PA build with the Fire APP to open. The data link that is
-
Before IO sets, I used to only pull out one of my 50's for high level TFs, like the Statesman. I have only IO'ed up a couple of characters, as I am not into farming. But I have taken my Broadsword/Shield scrapper and planned the build acquired the IOs to softcap his Defense . . . and he has become my favorite scrapper by far.
On the one hand, I understand the preference to focus on leveling characters rather than completed characters. On the other hand, I also understand the feeling of accomplishment when you work for so long to build a good character, then a great build with all the IOs planned just so. You want to enjoy the fruit of your efforts, as see how much better you can make the character. My BS/Shield has no purple sets, but has softcapped defense and does great damage. He is fun to take places and do things that would kill other scrappers.
Similarly, a lot of people want to put together a max Ill/Rad with perma-PA, just so they can do something that few characters can do -- solo AVs. The can also tank for a team quite easily -- not as well as a good tank, but they can do it.
I have several in-game friends who take great delight in tinkering with their builds, improving this attribute or that attribute. In some areas, a small improvement makes a BIG difference -- such as if you have a character with 40% Defense, then an extra 3% cuts the number of times he is hit substantially.
There's plenty of room for individual preferences. -
Quote:Mind is a very effective primary in low levels, especially if you want to solo. It has a very early attack chain of Dominate-Mesmirize-Levitate that will let you take down single targets with no retaliation. Confuse can fill the lack of AoE controls until you get them in later levels, by confusing two foes in the standard 3 foe spawn, and then using your chain to take down the third. It is not fast, but very safe -- and faster than most other controllers.Originally Posted by AF_Bill
thanks for all of the replies....
My only issue with pets for cosmetic reasons. I just cant see my guy having a sidekick helping him attack. However, Ive not done it in this game either, so I could learn to change my mind.
Im going to mess around for a little while and see what I come up with. More to come
Later in the build you get tons of AoE control . . . but I find that Mind's damage levels off earlier than most other controllers, who get a pet at 32.
Mind is always a tight build. I like to take all of the powers, with the only "skippable" one being Telekinesis, a situational toggle hold. Mind relies less on the secondary than most controllers because the primary is so strong. My highest level Mind controller is a Mind/FF, which many people will say to avoid if you want to solo, but I have mostly solo'ed mine. I like the mez protection from Dispersion Bubble and PFF provides one of the best "panic button" powers in the game. Mind/Rad, Mind/Storm, Mind/Kin all can be very effective. Therm, Cold, Emp and Sonic all have ally only powers that won't do you any good solo. -
Quote:This is the first I have heard of "Purple Prejudice."Originally Posted by Thirty_Seven
Nice concept there, with the more accurate type of fairy. Can't say I would have thought of that due to the common image of a fairy tale princess' type fairy.
That's all well and good but, I for one, will not slot a purple even if I get one.
The Confuse set really makes sense for an Ill/Rad if you are going for perma-PA or otherwise trying to get as much recharge as possible. Not only is it one of the more reasonably priced sets, but the recharge in it has a large benefit. The other set to put in Deceive is the Malaise Illusion set, which has 6.25% Recharge for 5. But Expediant Reinforcement, Positron's Blast and Decimation all have 6.25% Recharge, too, so it is very, very easy to come up against the "Rule of 5" with that amount of Recharge. By using 5 of the Coercive Pursuasion set (including the Contagious Confusion proc) you get 10% Recharge and free up another slot available for a 6.25% Recharge.
In my Illusion Controllers, the Confuse purple is the only purple set I have. -
Quote:After taking my Ill/TA up to 50, I really think that Illusion is the best primary for TA . . . even if TA is not the best secondary for Illusion. It is really quite easy . . . send in Phantom Army, then stand back and fire the debuff arrows. I generally save Oil Slick Arrow and EM Pulse Arrow for when PA are recharging. The debuffs make PA more effective, and the added controls in TA fill a lot of holes in the Illusion set. TA adds an Immob, AoE Slow, a sleep, a second single target hold, an AoE Knockdown and a ranged hold, all of which are missing from Illusion.Originally Posted by konshu
As for TA ... while I have several archers, only one of them is TA. I've not tried mixing TA with non-archery sets yet, though I understand you can get some good synergies going. I think Ill/TA is probably one of the better combos, because with the pets out you don't have to redraw the bow as often, and PA can take the aggro for you and hold them in a spot while you ... uh ... shaft your foes.
And as for a "reason" that an illusionist would use TA? Well, Illusion has no substance. The Trick Arrows are used as a delivery system for the physical substances such as Glue and Acid that make the foes susceptible to the Illusions. Arrows are a more precise delivery system than granades, and yet carry more than a bullet might. -
Quote:If you are going to buff up the damage, you want to put the purple set in Spectral Wounds. Once you get your APP blast, you can have a nice attack chain of Blind-SW-Blast-SW. As you can see, since you use SW twice, it would be best to buff the damage in SW.Originally Posted by dwhead
Thanks ...theses tweaks made quite a bit of difference. When I what to upgrade, would you recommend putting more damage into the ice mastery set (Purple etc. so I could solo AV's in the future? Or going to a whole different set, maybe fire mastery. Again thx for all the help. I 'll quit picking you brain for awhile.. I just see so much potential with the controllers, they are such a different way to play this game. My tanks just beat on things and hope they outlast their opponent. dwhead
I like the Fire APP set, as it provides a little more damage than Ice, plus a fast-acting AoE attack. I find Fireball to be more effective than Frost Breath or Ice Storm. But the resistance-based shield will not take a LotG Recharge. The defense-based Ice Shield will. -
Quote:First, I haven't actually tried World of Confusion with my Ill/Rad or any of my controllers yet, but I have a buddy who has been using it for a while. There are several reasons I don't plan on taking WoC on my Ill/Rad:Originally Posted by Arion_Elan
Hey there, Local. First off, thank you for the awesome guide. A LOT of help! I was wondering, what's your thoughts on the psy epic pool for Ill/Rad? I like how much Deceive helps; I was wondering if World of Confusion would be even more beneficial.
(1) It is a PB AoE with a small radius. In general, I try to keep my Ill/Rad at range, and rely upon the PA and Phanty to hold aggro. I suppose if you took Choking Cloud, WoC might have an interesting stacking power, but I don't take Choking Cloud either.
(2) WoC would require me to take the Psi APP pool, which is the same kind of damage as most powers in the Illusion primary. As I explained in the guide, I like to have a different damage type from my APP set, to handle Psi-resistant foes.
(3) WoC looks like it needs some serious slotting, including the Contagious Confusion proc. I already put that in Deceive. My buddy who has it is not all that impressed with it, and is thinking about dumping it.
I am very, very tempted to respec into WoC on my Ice/Storm, where WoC can stack with Arctic Air for some impressive confusion stacking. But it does not seem like a good fit with my Ill/Rad. -
Just a few suggestions:
In Phantom Army, you are way over the ED cap for damage. Consider changing the Soulbound Damage to a Soulbound Chance for Build Up.
In Stamina, replace the Acc/Rech (which does nothing) with the Chance for End proc. Otherwise, just put in 3 common EndMods and use that 4th slot somewhere else. 3 Common EndMods = 4 Performance Shifters unless you have the proc.
The Freebird in Fly is the exact same as a common EndRdx -- no benefit to using a set IO unless you need it for "frankenslotting" or unless you have more than one. YOu could replace the Soaring with Freebird Flyspeed. Or another idea -- you could just put a common Flyspeed in the default slot, and then maybe use the other slot somewhere else. For example, if you replace the Glympse of the Abyss set in Spectral Terror with five of the Unspeakable Terror set, you will replace your 5th 6.25% Recharge with a fifth 5% Recharge. Then you could put that extra slot into either Frost Breath or Ice Storm to get an another 6.25% Recharge -- you don't really need it since you already have perma-PA, but that would give you slightly more cushion. -
Quote:My Mind/FF is a gadgetteer, as is my Ice/Storm. My Mind/FF is a military man who happens to be an obsequious toady -- imagine a large, military version of David Spade, and you get the idea. In an attempt to obtain the approval of his superiors, he volunteered to try out some special devices that would allow him to have mental superiority over others. If he can prove that the devices are effective, he thinks he will be promoted. His name? "Major Suckup."Originally Posted by Thirty_Seven
Thanks a lot for the extremely well thought out post. I appreciate your suggestions, but I hit a wall when I get to the Magician concept... the Ice/Storm Controller I am currently leveling is of Magic origin and all of his powers are due to a magician type feel (including the hat and cloak in his costume). Since his powers were acquired from a mystical source, he figured why not go full bore and really look the part.
However, you are right, the Magician idea really would fit the concept the best.
Of course you do bring up a good point that the various effects could easily be explained via technological devices. Perhaps I should go with a gadgeteer character (something I haven't really done) and make him sort of a cyborgy Batman? Hmmmmm.
The Ice/Storm had a brother inventor who made weather control devices. When bad guys came to "shake down" the inventor, his little brother dropped the devices down a storm drain by mistake . . . and watched his brother get killed while he strained to get the devices. So, to remind himself of his failure, he took on the name, "Storm Drain," as the devices are powered by draining the heat from locations to produce the weather effects.
An Illusion/Rad could easily have a similar type of back-story. Just come up with a good pun or joke, and the name will suggest a story . . . at least, that's what works for me. -
Quote:My first Ill/Rad didn't really have a concept -- I just wanted to play the power sets. However, my second one was a Magician's Niece whose uncle was a stage magician, and she was his stage assistant (Hence the top hat, tuxedo top and fishnet stockings). She knew that he was far more powerful than he showed in the act. She found him dead one day, and while she was looking through his stuff, found his Amulet that gave him the "extra powers." As she leveled up, she was learning about all the powers in the amulet. She is now in her 40's.Originally Posted by Thirty_Seven
Some interesting ideas there.
I think I may have just thought of an interesting idea... what if I go Ill/Cold and play the Illusions as delusions caused by hypothermia? It is a matter of fact, that people see and feel odd things as they experience hypothermia... perhaps that could work.
Hmmmm, maybe some arctic adventurer who himself experiences his own delusions after a brush with death at the hands of the icey north? Does that have a snowball's chance in heck? (I know, bad pun.)
My Ill/TA was created from a bad pun . . . as are most of my characters. I wanted a name to reflect both the Bow and Arrow and Illusion. I went again with the Entertainer aspect, not uncommon in comics. So, he became the official entertainer of the French Foreign Legion, a kind of trick-shooting clown -- Beau Jester. (A pun on a classic literary reference, for those who don't recognize it.) I made him long before the Jester costume was availale, so he looked a bit bizzare with a top hat and an outfit in purple and green, but I changed over to the Jester outfit as soon as it was available. I took Beau to 50, and I'm slowly working on building up his IO build. I really enjoyed Ill/TA, and its playstyle is a bit different than Ill/Rad . . . but I like Ill/Rad better.
The "stage magician with real magic" is common in comics. The easiest example is Zoltana, who has made an appearance in Smallville; she was kind of the model for my Magician's Niece. Another way to deal with an Illusionist is through "mental manipulation" of foes, which fits with the Psi damage and the Spectral Damage done by Spectral Wounds, Phantom Army and Phantasm's Decoy. This can fit Tech, Science and Mutation origins quite easily.
Personally, I find Zombies to be a bit overdone . . . so I don't blame you for not liking the concept.
Stick with the Ill/Rad -- it is a wonderful power combo. See my guide, linked in my sig, for tons of information on the build. Illusion can work well with any secondary, but there is a special synergy between Illusion and Rad . . . it is the only secondary that gives both debuffs to make Phantom Army better and Recharge. -
Quote:Originally Posted by JuliusSeizure
My buddy has an Earth/Thorn Dominator. I have a hard time imagining anything stacking more -defense than that AT.
An Earth/Rad Controller can stack ungodly amounts of -Defense, with Quicksand, Stalagmites, Stone Cages, Radiation Infection, Earthquake and even Salt Crystals, Fallout and Stone Prison.