Local_Man

Well, at this point I have Ill/Rad, Earth/Rad, Fire/Rad and Plant/Rad all at 50, and all of them continue to get some play time. Does that qualify me as a "Rad enthusiast?"

Sorry, I actually have a life once in a while . . .


To the OP:

Take a look at my Illusion/Radiation Guide, linked in my sig below. There is a ton of information on the build, including several perma-PA builds with a variety of power choices.

To solo AVs, you do not need perma-PA, but you do need Phantom Army to have a lot of recharge. Phantasm's Decoy, Inspirations and a few other techniques, plus a little luck, can fill a short gap between when PA despawn and can be recast. But if you really want an AV killer, Perma-PA should be the goal. Also, try to add a little extra global accuracy or extra accuracy in Ling Rad to make sure its -Regen hits the AV. You will also want one of the APP blast powers, so the Earth APP is probably not best.

The Rad debuffs, Radiation Infection and Enervating Field, also interrupt powers. In low levels, this will prevent a Vahz Embalmed Cadaver from exploding. And even on the Statesman's TF, this can keep Recluse from some of his summons.

It is very, very small, but it is good to know it is there, because every once in a blue moon, it looks like Blind has hit more than one foe. Blind has a slightly shorter duration than other single target holds because of this. It also allows Blind to take Sleep enhancements, so a few people slot the purple Sleep set in it.

Actually, they are Rikti Guardians. I did this once, running through a Rikti mission while invisible, Deceiving all the Guardians. I was able to stack 6 AMs at one point. Of course, it only works if you can avoid those darn Drones, who can see through invisibility. I used Teleport to 'port past them without being seen.

The later guide, Post #7, is the current situation. I-14 fixed bugs in Carrion Creepers, and the first guide was based on the bugs that existed before the fix.

One thing I'm not sure of: exactly how Carrion Creepers will take buffs like Fulcrum Shift or Accelerate Metabolism. Should we wait on using the buffs until after the Vines appear? Or will the buffs carry over to the sub-pets? My guess is that it would be better to wait until the vines appear, but it will take some testing to see, and my Plant/Kin isn't high enough yet for Fulcrum Shift.

Phantom Army cannot be buffed. This is why Ill/Rad and Ill/Storm are so popular -- the debuffs on foes work like buffs on PA. All those nice buff powers in Kinetics will not affect Phantom Army.

Phantasm can be hit with Speed Boost, but it only speeds up his travel, not his recharge. I guess it boosts his Recovery, but I've never noticed his endurance being a problem. Increase Density can be used to break Phanty from mez, but he really doesn't get mezzed all that often thanks to his decoy. Siphon Power and Fulcrum Shift will buff Phanty's damage, but it is sometimes hard to get him in range, since he tends to knock any foes back. Siphon Power works OK, but the danger of Phanty knocking back your target for Fulcrum Shift and the other siphon powers where you have to be close to the target (Transfusion and Transference) causes some Ill/Kins to not even use Phantasm.

These are two of the several synergy problems with Ill/Kin.

This is a good, and amusing, answer. I have both at level 50. And I really like them both.

Ill/Rad is, in my opinion, the most flexible build in the game. Works great solo, small team or large team. It adds to any team, regardless of the make up of the team. You won't solo the fastest, but you can solo at a decent pace with not much danger. You can be the key player on a small team, providing whatever the team is lacking. You can contribute in many different ways to a large team, adding damage, control, buffing endurance and speed, healing, stealthing, etc. The only team buffs are AoE (the AoE heal and Accelerate Metabolism -- not counting the rez, Mutation), so you don't feel like a buff-bot. My guide sets forth the benefits, so I don't need to repeat it here.

If you are new to controllers, an Ill/Rad is pretty easy to play, and yet complex enough to use some advanced strategies for maximizing your effectiveness for an experienced player. Casual Players can have a lot of fun with an Ill/Rad since there are several "set it and forget it" type powers. Power players can maximize the build to get Perma-PA with the goal of being able to solo AVs. Leveling up an Ill/Rad is also less frustrating than many controllers because you get many of the better powers early, but still have very good powers coming late.

On the other hand, Ill/Storm is a lot of fun, with lots of flashy powers from the Storm Secondary. The best part, as well as the biggest problem, is the chaos. Without any kind of -knockback power, a badly played Ill/Storm can frustrate a team to no end by sending the foes flying every which way, angering the Melee players and aggroing more and more foes. On a large team, an Ill/Storm needs to substantially limit his/her use of many of the Storm powers to limit the knockback. Solo and on some small teams, this is less of a problem.

Ill/Storm has no self-heal, so you need to take that into account. This, combined with the chaotic nature of the Storm powers, makes Ill/Storm better for a more experienced player. You have to learn how to limit the aggro directed toward you to avoid frequent faceplants. Storm does not have a debuff to Regen, so it is not an ideal AV killer. Storm is also very tough on Endurance and has no endurance recovery powers.

On the other hand, Ill/Storm can be a heck of a lot of fun to play. The storm power mix with the Illusion powers well, mainly thanks to the debuffs in Freezing Rain and the several pets that do damage. A solo Ill/Storm can throw out 3 Phantom Army guys, 1 Phantasm with his Decoy, plus a couple of Tornados and Lightning Storms if he/she has enough recharge. Nine pets running around doing damage while the Controller stands in the middle of the chaos and cackles in delight. Using the Storm powers well takes strategy and practice, but is lots of fun when you work it out.

One big advantage of Storm is the added damage from the later storm powers, Tornado and Lightning Storm. Rad has a very situational damage power in Fallout, and Trick Arrow has a slow-to-recharge and slightly fickle damage power in Oil Slick Arrow, but Storm provides the most damage from the secondary.

The bottom line is that both are really fun characters. Ill/Rad is more all purpose, while Ill/Storm is more crazy. Ill/Storm's weaknesses are easily offset by the fun factor.

There are a lot of great things about Ill/Rad . . . it works great solo, on small teams or on large teams. It is a great first controller -- easy to make one fairly effective, but it takes some strategy to play it really really well. Ill/Rad is very flexible -- it can be effective against a wide variety of foes (but generally avoid Nemesis and Robots in general).

I consider Earth to be mostly a team AoE controller. Nobody does that job better. It can solo, but slowly. Grav is an interesting set with the right secondary. I had trouble getting into Grav until I made a Grav/Storm and stuck with it until the 20's. Then playing around with Wormhole got me up to 32 and Singy. I mostly solo'ed mine, but it wasn't fast. It worked better than, say, an Ice or Earth solo, but wasn't fast since the damage is mostly single target, and it has a severe lack of AoE control. I'm now enjoying my Grav/Storm at 41, but all that took a while.

Overall a nice build. Personally, I would take Deceive earlier, but that's me. I have a few tweeks to suggest.

Speaking of Deceive, consider replacing the Confuse with the Contagious Confusion proc. It turns a single target confuse power into an occasional Mass Confusion -- one of the best procs you can get for an Ill/Rad.

The third EndRdx in EF only saves .05 end per second. Move that slot to SI, and it will reduce SI's endurance cost by .20 end per second.

You seem to be slotting some for Defense, but you have the Resistance Shield. If you really want to focus on Defense, then the Ice or Stone Shield is probably better. That Steadfast +3% Defense is expensive and not doing you all that much good unless you have a lot more defense.

One -Knockback IO is enough about 90-95% of the time. The second provides only minimal benefit. The Zephyr -knockback is very expensive, and you can do without it if you are trying to reduce costs. You could put a Karma in any of the Defense powers instead of the Steadfast, depending upon which is less expensive.

I would take the 2 Defense Debuffs out of RI and add them to Blind for more damage. At level 50, you could add Acc/Dam and and Dam/Mez Hami-Os, but they are expensive. Also, I like 3 Enzyme in RI to free three slots for other powers, but you have to find your set bonuses elsewhere.

Look into adding a Numina's Unique and a Miracle unique into Health. Expensive, but worth it. You can earn them with Merits.

I would put an Acc/Dam/Rech in place of that EndRdx in Spectral Wounds to cap out damage and add a little more Acc and Rech.

A few other tidbits, but it is too late. Take a look at my Ill/Rad guide for more tips.

Take a look at my Earth/Rad guide. It will give you a pretty good idea of what you may be in for, even if you choose a different secondary.

If you go with an Earth Controller, be prepared for low damage. You trade faster kill speeds for safety and AoE control.

It would really help if you would post your build, so we can see the choices you have made. What else are you taking that makes it hard to take Snow Storm? I consider Snow Storm to be effective on Bosses and as a kind of filler control while waiting for Seeds to recharge. (-Recharge + Immob means they can't attack much. Good against second groups that come in after seeds has been thrown.)

On the Plant side, Strangler, Roots, Seeds, Creepers and Twoey (Fly trap) are essential. Vines is very good to have, and Entangle if you plan to mostly solo but otherwise skippable. Spirit Tree is optional for teams, and Spores is skippable. That generally means two powers easily skipped in Plant -- Spores and Entangle for teams or Spores and Spirit Tree for solo.

Storm? O2 is optional, and almost useless if you solo. Thunderclap is very skippable on a Plant/Storm, since it does not have another stun to stack with. Assuming you take Strangler and Roots at levels 1 and 2, then you have to take O2, Snow Storm or Entangle at 4 -- Snow Storm is the best of these, maybe unless you solo, where Entangle might be more use. I don't mind taking O2 late in the build, but it is really just a "be nice to your teammates" power.

If you have lots of powers you want, consider using Hasten/Super Speed for travel. Super Speed + Steamy Mist gives you full invisibility for getting in just the right position for the Seeds cone. Here's the way that I selected the powers for a team build, and you really don't need BOTH O2 and Spirit Tree:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 37 Mutation Controller
Primary Power Set: Plant Control
Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fitness
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Strangler -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Gale -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Roots -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Snow Storm -- Empty(A)
Level 6: Hasten -- Empty(A)
Level 8: Seeds of Confusion -- Empty(A)
Level 10: Steamy Mist -- Empty(A)
Level 12: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Empty(A)
Level 16: Freezing Rain -- Empty(A)
Level 18: Health -- Empty(A)
Level 20: Stamina -- Empty(A)
Level 22: Hurricane -- Empty(A)
Level 24: Vines -- Empty(A)
Level 26: Carrion Creepers -- Empty(A)
Level 28: O2 Boost -- Empty(A)
Level 30: Spirit Tree -- Empty(A)
Level 32: Fly Trap -- Empty(A)
Level 35: Tornado -- Empty(A)
Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Empty(A)
Level 41: [Empty]
Level 44: [Empty]
Level 47: [Empty]
Level 49: [Empty]
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment

I just try to answer the questions when they come up . . .

Maybe since you can set your own diff now, a controller that can solo the hardest content may be getting more popular.

Weatherby Good has a Mini-guide on Creepers. Be sure to look further down the thread for the update, as there were significant bug corrections to Creepers with I-14.

Fire/Storm is a great build, but you had better prepare to max slot for Recovery. It can drain a blue bar faster than just about any other build. Start saving up for the Numina's and Miracle Uniques and every other Recovery bonus you can get. With a melee-oriented build and no self-heal, it is also tough on Regen, but there are too many good powers to fit in the Medicine Pool.

I had trouble getting a Grav any higher than the mid teens until I made a Grav/Storm. I found Grav/Storm to be a very good solo controller -- not fast, but fun. Freezing Rain + Crushing Field is a knockdown Immob, a unique combo. Then the Storm goodies carried me along until Wormhole at 26. Figuring out the best ways to use Wormhole+Thunderclap was enough to carry me along to Singy at 32. He's now 41, and I want to get back to him to finish leveling him up, but my usual buddies are focusing on Villains at the moment.

I looked at your build and made a few suggested changes to Blind, SI, Ling Rad, Spectral Terror, Phantom Army and Flash. A lot of people forget the benefits of Hami-Os, but they can improve a build in some cases. In Blind, the Perox not only enhances the Hold, but also enhances the rare Sleep. I moved the 5% Recharge bonus to AM and changed RI to 3 Enzyme HOs to max slot for all three aspects of RI. Superior Invis needed EndRdx badly, but I had enough slots to add some Defense and set bonuses. Ling Rad gets a small Recovery bonus. Flash badly needed more Accuracy, since it has a 20% penalty. PA got the Chance for Build Up proc and some Regen bonus. And with the left over slots, I was able to slot ST for a bit of a global Accuracy bonus.

Personally, I would move Ice Blast to 41 and move Mutation to 49, or even replace Mutation with Hibernate depending on how much I team. Mutation is nice, but with all the ways to rez now in the game, not needed unless you team a lot with PUGs or suicidal blasters.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Ill-Rad Expensive Build: Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Illusion Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Ice Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Blind -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(3), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(3), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(17), HO:Nucle(40), HO:Perox(43)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(5), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(5), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Dct'dW-Heal(43)
Level 2: Spectral Wounds -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(7), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(15), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42)
Level 4: Accelerate Metabolism -- Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(9), Efficacy-EndMod(9), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(34), Efficacy-EndMod/EndRdx(36), Efficacy-Acc/Rchg(42)
Level 6: Deceive -- CoPers-Conf/Rchg(A), CoPers-Acc/Conf/Rchg(11), CoPers-Acc/Rchg(11), CoPers-Conf/EndRdx(17), CoPers-Conf%(42)
Level 8: Radiation Infection -- HO:Enzym(A), HO:Enzym(13), HO:Enzym(13)
Level 10: Superior Invisibility -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(15), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(36), LkGmblr-Def(43)
Level 12: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(40)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Run-I(A)
Level 16: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 18: Health -- Numna-Heal(A), Mrcl-Heal(19), Mrcl-Rcvry+(19), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(37)
Level 20: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(21), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(21), P'Shift-End%(37)
Level 22: Phantom Army -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(23), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(23), S'bndAl-Build%(34), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(36), S'bndAl-Dmg/Rchg(37)
Level 24: Enervating Field -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(25)
Level 26: Lingering Radiation -- Acc-I(A), TmpRdns-Acc/Slow(27), TmpRdns-Acc/Dmg/Slow(27)
Level 28: Spectral Terror -- Abys-Acc/Rchg(A), Abys-Acc/Fear/Rchg(29), Abys-Acc/EndRdx(29), Abys-Dam%(46)
Level 30: Flash -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(31), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(31), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(31), HO:Endo(40)
Level 32: Phantasm -- ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(A), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(33), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(33), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg(34)
Level 35: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 38: EM Pulse -- UbrkCons-Hold/Rchg(A), UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(39), UbrkCons-Acc/Rchg(39), UbrkCons-EndRdx/Hold(39), UbrkCons-Dam%(46)
Level 41: Mutation -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 44: Ice Blast -- Apoc-Dmg/Rchg(A), Apoc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Apoc-Acc/Rchg(45), Apoc-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Apoc-Dam%(46)
Level 47: Frost Breath -- Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(A), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(48), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Ragnrk-Knock%(50)
Level 49: Frozen Armor -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(50), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Containment

As a minor personal campaign, I'm trying to get folks to recognize that Fly Trap's nickname of "Audrey" is not really correct. In Little Shop of Horrors, the plant was actually named "Audrey II," and Seymore called it "Twoey." So, the correct nickname should be "Twoey" or "Audrey II." You can see it in the clip linked above.

My entirely subjective listing, in part guided by my fondness for the controller set, is:

1. Phantasm
2. Animate Stone/Rocky
3. Fire Imps
4. Singularity
5. Jack Frost
6. Twoey

I don't dislike any of them, but the Imps rate high with me because they make such a huge difference in the character. Singy, too, but Singy's lack of damage knocks him down a slot. But while Twoey has been improved a great deal, I find I sometimes forget to cast it, and it doesn't make a huge difference in the character's effectiveness (except solo).

I would rank Plant Control above Grav and Ice, but not the pet.

As other posts have said, good Herd-icaners are few and far between. I have certainly done it myself with success -- it was a very effective strategy in the heydays of AE -- let the tank run in, throw out Ice Slick/Earthquake/AoE Immob and Freezing Rain, then run around the outside of the group with Super Speed and Hurricane on, pushing the bad guys all towards the center. Throw out a Lightning Storm or two on the outside edge to keep knocking foes towards the inside.

But even then, I would pop Hurricane on only when I needed it, and leave it off most of the time. And my experience with most other Storm players who use Hurricane a lot tends to be that they view it like a windy Dispersion Bubble -- leave it on all the time as a defensive power, ignoring the fact that it is pushing foes away from the Melee people.

Kinetics is a late-blooming set -- two of your best powers come at 35 and 38. Plant/Kin is an awesome build, especially if you team with a good scrapper or tank who will herd up the foes in a tight group, so you can hit them all with Seeds of Confustion+Roots, then use your Siphon Power and Siphon Speed, Transfusion as needed. Your teammate(s) will love you if you keep them Speed Boosted, and it will help the team kill everything much faster. Later when you get Transfusion and Fulcrum Shift, you will be able to cruise through large groups.

After you get Roots early and then Seeds at 8, your next great Plant power is Carrion Creepers at 26. That will add a lot of damage and draw aggro, making it easier to solo if you want. Transfusion can take care of your, and everyone else's, endurance problems, and then Fulcrum Shift will kick your damage way up.