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Quote:Thanks, Spiritfox, for linking to my guide. I agree and disagree with some of your advice, however.I've not had a major project to work on since my AV-soloing Fire/SR scrapper. Now I want to do an Ill/Rad that can do pretty much anything. I want to be able to solo pretty much anything in the game. That being said, I'm looking for general advice on what I should build for. I'm assuming Perma-AM and Perma-PA are goals? Do I need hover and the ranged softcap as well? Do I also need to try to come up with some kind of attack chain of my own or will my pets take care of that for me?
Thanks for the help.
If you have a perma-PA build, you really don't need to worry about Defense hardly at all -- PA and Phantasm's Decoy will be drawing so much attention that the foes won't be concerned about you hardly ever. The only thing after Recharge that you need to worry about is Recovery. It gets expensive to run those Rad debuffs and spam attacks, even with perma AM.
The main reason you will look for Defense powers? Because you can put a Luck of the Gambler Recharge IO in Defense powers.
Since you can be invisible, you don't need to worry about Hovering out of reach, but you can certainly play that way if you want. Once you cast PA, then the baddies won't be on the lookout for you . . . until PA expire and you have that short time during your re-cast. But you have a self heal that can take care of the few times that they hit you.
On your attack chain: leveling up, you can take Air Superiority to make an attack chain of Blind-Spectral Wounds-Air Supp. Once you hit level 41, you can replace Air Supp with one of the APP blasts (Fire, Ice, Primal or Mind ... Earth won't work for this). Blind-SW-Blast-SW makes a great attack chain. At that point, you might want to switch to Hover, both as a way to stay at range and as another place for a LotG Recharge.
Note, however, that Spectral Wounds, and Phantom Army and Phantasm's Decoy, all have "Spectral" or "Illusory" damage that heals back after a few seconds, unless you kill the target before the healback happens. Thus, you want to kill your targets as fast as possible. This means that, contrary to what SpiritFox suggested, you actually want to kill off the low level foes first. This allows you to (a) take advantage of more of the Spectral damage before it heals back, and (b) focuses your pets on fewer targets faster, where they will keep the tougher target away from attacking you. The net effect is that you get more damage overall by wiping out the lower level foes first.
The Stone APP set has a lot of nice powers, but I don't think it is best for an Ill/Rad. Fire and Ice are my preferred sets for the reasons explained in my guide. You can get a perma-PA build with the Fire and Ice APPs -- my guide has examples. -
Slotting can vary widely depending on how you play your character and your preferences. You didn't explain if you mostly solo, small team or large team. Do you want to aim for Recharge or Defense?
For an Ill/Storm, I feel the best things to slot for are Recharge and Endurance Recovery. Defense isn't needed as much, thanks to PA and Phantasm's Decoy drawing a lot of the aggro, plus the -ToHit in Hurricane (depending on how much you use it).
Spectral Wounds: The Decimation set for Recharge. If you want Recovery and Recharge, you can have a mix of Thunderstrike and Devastaton.
Gale: Who cares? I rarely use it, but have an Accuracy in the default slot. If you use it somewhat often, a second Accuracy is strongly recommended.
Blind: Several options -- for solo, you mostly want to slot for damage, Recharge and Accuracy. For Teams, you may want some Hold Duration. My guide gives some options here.
Snow Storm: EndRdx mostly. Maybe a couple of Tempered Readiness (slow) for the 1.5% Recovery.
Superior Invis: You want to look for a lot of EndRdx. Can slot Defense sets here, so folks looking for Recharge often slot 1 Luck of the Gambler +Recharge here, and if you have the slots, you can add 5 Red Fortune for a little more Recharge.
Freezing Rain: You want to enhance it for Recharge, to have it available as much as possible. If looking for sets, there are a few options -- some damage procs, the Achilles Tendon Resistance Debuff proc. Look also at 5 Lady Grey and a Recharge to cap Recharge.
Phantom Army: 6-slot with 4 Expediant Reinforcement, leaving out the Dam/End and the Resistance proc for the two triples from Call to Arms. At 50, you can replace those two Call to Arms with the Dam/Rech and Chance for Build Up from Sovereign Rights.
Hurricane: I like 4 from the Dark Watcher set, focusing on ToHit Debuff and EndRdx.
Deceive: I like to take it earlier. Do NOT put a damage proc in here, as it will mess up the "no aggro" aspect of the power. Leveling up, you can frankenslot with Acc/Confuse/Rech. 5 Malaise Illusions, or at 50 put in 5 of the purple set, which is one of the more affordable sets.
Spectral Terror: It does fine with just a Recharge in the default slot, but some Accuracy doesn't hurt. Only slot this up if you plan to put 5 from the Ghost of the Abyss set in it to maximize Recharge. Otherwise 1-3 slots is plenty. I think I have an Acc/Rech and the damage proc on my Ill/Storm.
Thunderclap: I have mixed feelings about this power on my Ill/Storm. I am considering switching and taking Flash instead. Illusion doesn't have another Stun power to stack with this, so it only affects minions. If you want to devote the slots, 5 Stupify + a Recharge for the proc is good. The Purple set is better.
O2 Boost: If you have the slots to spare (I didn't), 5 Doctored Wounds gives a Recharge bonus. Otherwise, 2 Miracle gives a Recovery bonus, and 2 Numina's gives some Regen.
Phantasm: Phanty is a big part of your damage, so you want to slot him for Max damage and some accuracy. Leveling up, I usually go for Acc/Dam and Dam from Blood Mandate, Acc/Dam and Acc/Dam/End from Brilliant Leadership. If you want Recharge, you can go with the same slotting as Phantom Army (except you can't slot more than one of the purple set).
Tornado: Damage and Rech. It is autohit, so Accuracy doesn't matter. Another place for 4 Expediant Reinforcement, 2 Call to Arms.
Lightning Storm: Damage and Recharge, a little Accuracy and some EndRdx if you can. Lot of options here, but I really, really like the Devastation Chance for Hold proc in this power. I think I have Dam/Rech and Dam/Rech/EndRdx from Entropic Chaos and Thunderstrike, and then Dam/Rech and Chance for Hold from Devastation. You could use 5 Decimations for Recharge.
Recall Friend: If you are looking for a Recharge build, you might replace this with Combat Jumping and slot it with a Luck of the Gambler Recharge.
On APP sets: Fireball is great, but I find that I use the Single-target blast a lot more. Consider moving Fire Blast to 41 or 44. On my Ill/Storm, I went with the Ice APP. Storm lacks both a self-heal and a self-Recovery, and Hibernate gives both. The Ice Blast is very good, and then you can take two AoE damage powers -- Illusion lacks AoE damage. Plus, Ice Shield is another place for a Luck of the Gambler Recharge. -
Quote:I'm glad I found this thread.
Related question: Is it worth it to even take the recharge of the power that high, then? I'm not high enough in level to have much experience with Carrion Creepers, but it seems like they're slow to respond to additional spawns when you move on. I could find better uses for the power's last slot, if a 110-second recharge is going to function about the same as a 95-second recharge.
Somewhat like Phantom Army for an Illusionist, one of the better aspects of Carrion Creepers is their ability to draw aggro. Having them up as much as possible may save you from having to wait around for a little while to recharge, or may allow you to recast them more quickly in a long fight.
Whether it is worth it to you to give up a slot for the sake of perma-Creepers is up to you, but I always 6-slot Creepers as I consider it to be one of the three or four key powers in Plant. -
Yeah, Plant/Storm is a great combo. Plant control is particularly good for AoE control and damage over time with Seeds of Confusion and Roots, and then Carrion Creepers added. It is weak on single-target damage. But Tornado and Lighting Storm can add some nice single-target damage. Roots has -Knockback, making Tornado more effective as a damage power.
Yes, you can farm with a Plant/Storm. I'm not sure how it compares to other builds, as I'm not a farmer. But Plant Control is great, and Storm is great, and there are quite a few synergy aspects to the two sets. Seeds of Confusion+Roots+Freezing Rain adds up to lots of AoE damage as early as level 16. -
Quote:While a Perma-PA build is great, don't feel that you HAVE to get there. Illusion/Radiation is a great build even with SOs or common IOs. On teams with a decent tank, or even any kind of decent team, perma-PA really isn't needed -- it is nice, but not needed.I'm Level 26 right now but I'm just amazed at how badass this combo is. I've been playing red side for a few years now and nothing compares in my opinion.
Minus av's, nothing has been a problem... And I'm only using single origins. Can't wait till the 40's. Perma pa is going to be crazy!
If you have any questions about your character, you might want to take a look at my guide, linked in my sig. -
Quote:Take a look at my Illusion/Radiation guide for a lot of information, including strategy hints, for your Illusion powers. I have also listed all the IO sets that provide Recharge for you to consider in your quest for perma-PA.Hi all my I has rolled an Ill/Sonic and was looking for a nice build to follow any one got one. I will be mainly dueoing and teaming, no PVP but lots of TFs etc. It would also be nice if I could solo a bit. Will be aimining for perman PA or as close as I can get on a budget. Any help would be great.
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Didn't read all the posts . . . I have a level 35 Mind/FF, which I have solo'ed about 85% of the time. My reasoning for the combo is this: Mind Control is such a strong primary that it really doesn't need much from the secondary. Force Field, as a secondary, provides a few very useful things -- a great "panic button" power available from level 1, partial mez protection and some self-defense from Dispersion Bubble, and two simple powers that would make me welcome on any team. Since so many of the FF powers are not "manditory," it left me plenty of room in the build to take all the Mind powers and a few other goodies, or I could play around with the other FF powers.
Mind has 5 AoE controls, (well, really 6 if you include Telekinesis) so it can handle groups easily. It provides decent single-target damage in the attack chain of Dom-Mez-Lev. It allows me to take foes out of the fight with Confuse until I have time to wipe them out with my attack chain. The AoE damage is weak, with only Terrify and no pet. While Mind solo'ed very well in low levels, better than most controllers, its damage seems to level out in higher levels just when other controllers are picking up more damage from their pets.
Solo, the mez protection is wonderful -- I need to keep a few Break Frees handy for sleeps, but don't have to worry about most other mez issues. On teams, I can bubble the team, and then focus on using my controls in just the right way.
I have enjoyed the character, and plan to continue to level him up as I have time. I tend to focus more on "control" than buffing/debuffing, so I just don't think of the secondary first. I think of "what secondary will make the Mind primary better or more interesting." I don't think of an FF/* Defenders being comparable to a */FF controller. The defense numbers don't matter nearly as much when most or all of the foes are controlled. -
Quote:Yes it works, but has limited benefits for most builds in my opinion. Why? 10% resistance doesn't have that much of effect unless you have more resistance to stack it with.Does the unique from this set (Resist Bonus Aura for Pets) work for the Fire Imps?
And if it does work how can you tell it is running?
Thanks.
Also, those imps have a tendecy to run around, often out of range of the proc. I would consider the resistance procs for a Sonic or Therm secondary, but in general, I think slotting for Damage, Accuracy and Recharge is the best in Fire Imps. -
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I use Glue Arrow on just about every group -- not just to keep the foes in Oil Slick, but generally to keep foes in the area of my Debuffs. Is it necessary to keep foes in the area of Oil Slick? I'm not sure, but an AoE slow is very useful for an Illusion controller who lacks AoE control powers.
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Quote:Since you are posting in the Controller forums, you might be interested in making a controller. Take a look at my Illusion/Radiation guide, with the link to it in my signature below. I have included a lot of basic information for new players, including a section about the different types of enhancements.In this case, im the dummy. How do I make a good build and what are the things under the power? enhancements? I got 2 mill and I want to get the best build what should I do, and where do i get the enhancements?
Thank you.
An Illusion/Radiation Controller is a very good first controller. It is pretty easy to understand the concepts and to build an effective character. Read through my guide, and it will be easier.
Everyone has different favorites. I prefer controllers. One of my buddies prefers Tanks, and another prefers Scrappers. Another is better at blasters. Try out lots of things, read the guides and the in-game information. And have fun. -
"Area Man causes confused and weakened villains to see things and defeat themselves!" (My Ill/Rad is actually named "Area Man.")
"Hero duo of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy capture foes with glowing Fire and Brimstone" (Capt. Fantastic is Fire/Rad, Brown Dirt Cowboy is Earth/Rad. The names come from an old Elton John song.) -
Quote:Is a corpse-bomb build really the best choice for a solo/duo player? I think that can work for larger, more chaotic teams, but not for a solo/duo. I thought that for solo, you really, really need the Dom-Mez-Lev attack chain. For a duo, you want decent AoE control, allowing the teammate to do the majority of the damage, and you want to build for your partner's survival, not his/her death. My build includes all five AoE controls, but had to leave out Mutation, Fallout and Telekinesis. If I had room, I would add back Mutation first. Granted, leveling up, I would slot things differently than the level 50 build I posted, but I thought that the OP was doing a level 50 respec.It is a packed build. I'm very fond of having the trio of hard controls (Total Dom, Mass Confuse, EMP) all ready to go for optimum oldschool lockdown. And you combine that with the other key fun of Mind/Rad-- being a corpsebomber with recall/venge/fallout/mutation. And really you can't neglect the rad basic trinity RI/EF/AM... he question becomes what to exclude. The answer really is several powers in Mind, as far as I'm concerned. Something like:
1 Radiant Aura
1 Mesmerize or Levitate (3-6 Slotted as a ST Damge tool)
2 Dominate (4-6 slotted Hold&Rch&Acc&End)
4 Radiation Infection (1-2x End)
6 Confuse (3-6 slotted Rech&Acc mainly)
8 Accelerate Metabolism (3x Rech to start, 3xEMod later)
10 Enervating Field (1-2x End)
12 Swift/Hurdle
14 Health
16 Hasten (3xRech)
18 Total Domination (6 slot: Rech&Hold&Acc)
20 Stamina (3xEMod)
22 Recall Friend
24 Teleport or Superspeed
26 Terrify or Mass Hypnosis
28 Lingering Radiation (1-4 slotted Rech&Acc&End)
30 Mutation
32 Mass Confusion (5-6 slot rech&acc, then conf)
35 Fallout
38 EM Pulse (3-6 slot, rech, then acc & conf)
... would suit me, though some will flip over TK and Mass Hyp or Terrify going missing... they're do-without-able. Missing either Mes or Lev may actually be less desireable, from a soloing standpoint, but I tend not to build to solo. Personally I'd also try and squeeze in Leadership for vengeance. Full-bore corpsebombing on a team that's steamrolling is some of the best fun in the game. -
Quote:Here is a moderately expensive, moderately effective build. I chose powers and enhancements first for effectiveness of the power, then looking for Recharge enhancements. The two purple sets are the least expensive of the purple sets and not too hard to get. You have perma-Terrify, not-quite perma-Mass Confusion. With those two, I don't think you use Total Dom or EM Pulse much.Looking to update my old mind/rad toon. Any good builds you would like to share. It mainly just my wife and I that team and I do like to solo. Thx again
The Great Cheeze Whiz (Victory)
With a few tweaks, you might be able to get perma-Mass Confuse, but that would mean taking slots out of other powers, making them less effective. On the other hand, you could go for different slotting to try for Defense over Recharge.
I didn't like taking Radiation Infection so late, but Mind has too many good powers you really need early. If you are not a big fan of Confuse (but I am), you could fit RI there. I chose the Primal APP mainly to get Power Boost. PB with Mass Confusion is sick.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Mind/Rad: Level 50 Technology Controller
Primary Power Set: Mind Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Primal Forces Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Mesmerize -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(19)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg(11), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(15), Numna-Heal(46)
Level 2: Dominate -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(3), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(11), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(17), Thundr-Acc/Dmg(31), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(34)
Level 4: Levitate -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(5), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(17), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(36)
Level 6: Accelerate Metabolism -- Efficacy-EndMod(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(7), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(7), Efficacy-Acc/Rchg(42), Efficacy-EndMod/EndRdx(43), RechRdx-I(43)
Level 8: Mass Hypnosis -- FtnHyp-Sleep/Rchg(A), FtnHyp-Acc/Sleep/Rchg(9), FtnHyp-Acc/Rchg(9), FtnHyp-Sleep(19), FtnHyp-Plct%(40)
Level 10: Confuse -- CoPers-Conf/EndRdx(A), CoPers-Conf/Rchg(13), CoPers-Acc/Conf/Rchg(25), CoPers-Acc/Rchg(37), CoPers-Conf%(40)
Level 12: Hover -- Krma-ResKB(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(13)
Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I(A)
Level 16: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 18: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(43), Numna-Heal(46)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(21), EndMod-I(21)
Level 22: Radiation Infection -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb(A), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/Rchg(23), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(23), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(40)
Level 24: Enervating Field -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(25)
Level 26: Terrify -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dam%(27), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(27), Posi-Dmg/Rng(29), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37)
Level 28: Total Domination -- Lock-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(A), EoCur-Acc/Hold/Rchg(29), G'Wdw-Acc/Hold/Rchg(37)
Level 30: Lingering Radiation -- Acc-I(A), RechRdx-I(31), TmpRdns-Acc/Slow(31), TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(50)
Level 32: Mass Confusion -- Mlais-Acc/Rchg(A), Mlais-Acc/EndRdx(33), Mlais-Conf/Rng(33), Mlais-Acc/Conf/Rchg(33), Mlais-Dam%(34), Pplx-Rchg/Conf(34)
Level 35: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(36), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 38: EM Pulse -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(39), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(39), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(39)
Level 41: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(42), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 44: Energy Torrent -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(45), Posi-Dmg/Rng(45), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), Posi-Dam%(46)
Level 47: Temp Invulnerability -- ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg(48), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(48), ImpArm-ResDam(48)
Level 49: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50), RechRdx-I(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Containment -
Quote:As SwellGuy said, you get two choices: If you increase the number so that the game treats you as if you are a team of 2, 3 or 4 or more, you get an increase in the number of foes. Keep in mind that sometimes tougher foes will spawn for a larger team, even if you are set on the same level. You get an increase in XP available to earn because you have more foes to defeat.Rather than muddying up the forums anymore with another thread, I do have another question.
Regarding the difficulty lvl change that came with I16 how does it work? For example if I want to solo my missions as if I'm in a duo does it increase the lvl of the mobs the number of them or both? Is it safe to assume then also that it increases the xp as well?
If you increase the difficulty of the foes, you won't get more foes, but the foes you get will be higher level and more of a challenge. Tougher foes give more XP when defeated per foe.
Of course, you can increase both. The other day I pulled up my 29 Plant/Kin Controller (Flora the Explorer), and didn't notice that she was set on +4 foes and +1 difficulty for when I was teaming with my scrapper buddy. After a LONG time and a few deaths, I finished the mission . . . and went out to reduce my difficulty. She was able to handle it, but it took too long. A Plant/Kin is particularly good at handling large numbers of foes, but not at single tough foes.
If you like your defender, you really should try a controller. Controllers are more strategic, more varied in gameplay than other ATs. The damage ATs usually consist of working out an attack chain and using it until foes are dead -- controllers can use more and different tools to either control for a team, buff and debuff or do damage. Take a look at my Ill/Rad guide -- Ill/Rad is a great first-time controller, easy to play but can be very strategic, too. -
Quote:I use a lot of keybinds. For buffer-type characters, I generally bind my keypad with my buffs so that I can apply the buffs with a single keypress. As long as the teammate is in range, I don't have to target him -- the keybind automatically targets him. If I have more than one buff to apply, I can either set up the binds to rotate through the various buffs (like FF or Therm or Cold or Sonic shields), or I can set up a new set of binds with Shift+Numpad# or Ctrl+Numpad# or Alt+Numpad#. I also use a 9-button mouse and set up my most-often-used powers on mouse buttons so I can click on a teammate and press a quick button.For any that are already saying TLDR: New guy... still pretty unfamiliar with a good portion of the game... any tips are helpful
That could likely be seen as stupid. I've played for collectively three months and I still feel like there are quite a few things I'm not really comfortable with for whatever reason.
I played WoW for 4 years or so but before anyone decides to point it out, I do understand that this is an entirely different game which is one of the reasons I've come to love it. I really wish I'd given the game more of a chance whenever I first tried it but I had already been sucked into WoW. Anyway, there are a few things I'm still trying to adjust to.
First, I'm working on a defender and before I join a team and get us killed I want to make sure I have a good handle on things. One of the things I got accustomed to in WoW were mouseover macros. Basically all of my healing or support spells were set up to where I could move my cursor over the person I wanted to buff/heal hit the button and the spell would cast allowing me to keep my main target as whatever we were killing at the time. If this is not possible can anyone suggest a viable alternative?
I use an old program called CityBinder to set up my binds. The original program is out of date in that it does not have many of the new powersets, but it still works great. Some wonderful person made an update that includes most of the newer powersets, but it is still missing one or two. This Thread has links to the download of the original program and its update. That thread also includes a sample set of numpad binds.
Quote:Secondly, as far as enhancements, outside of the basic "woohoo they boost my stuffs!" I'm not sure I understand all of the mechanics around them. Any information here is going to be more than I already have. I've tried to read up on single origin etc... but honestly I feel like it's way over my head.
It is a very, very good idea to get Mid's Hero & Villain Planner. It will allow you to make sample builds and see the effect of different types of enhancements. Read the guides on your specific type of character to see what kinds of enhancements will provide the most benefit.
One important guideline is the limit of three -- You get full value for two single origin enhancements (SOs) of the same type. You get nearly full value for the third. After that, the value of further enhancement is very small, so that it is probably better to either put something else there, or use that slot somewhere else. Most attacks are slotted with a minimum of 1 Accuracy, 3 Damage. Then you can choose to add additional accuracy, recharge or endurance reduction as you feel the need in the two remaining slots -- if you use them.
On Invention Origin Enhancements (IOs), IOs=SOs at about level 30-35, but IOs don't expire. At level 50, 2 and a half (from a set) IOs = 3 SOs.
Quote:Lastly, I've finally come to the realization that this game is not a rush to the level cap to get to endgame and while I do think it's awesome this does raise two other questions for me. What does endgame consist of? I'm not asking if it's fun, I'm sure most think it is or the game wouldn't be successful. Also, while again I realize it's not a rush to the lvl cap I've seen people talking about farming toons...is there an advantage to taking a toon to 50 ASAP for that purpose? If so what is everyone's opinion on the best AT/build for it?
Ok... I didn't plan on this being as long as it is. If you've read all this, thank you!
I'm not a fan of farming. I find it boring. Some people feel a need to maximize their characters immediately, and want to accumulate huge amounts of Influence and drops to have the richest and maxxed out characters possible. Some people spend a lot of time "playing the market" to get huge amounts of Influence. It is fun to them. I do a little of it to get stuff I want, but I get the most enjoyment trying out new powerset combos, figuring out strategies to make those powerset combos effective. Most of the best content in this game is in the leveling up, not the end-game (but the end-game has improved substantially with a lot more options). One bit of evidence that mid-game is good: One of the most requested features by players was a flashback system where you could go back and play story arcs that you may have missed. The devs implemented this as the Ouroborous system, and at the same time gave us one of the best transportation options in the game.
Don't stick to just an Empathy Defender. Try out lots of characters. The last of the five ATs I tried was Controllers, and Controllers turned out to be my favorite by far. (Seven of my 14 level 50 characters are Controllers.) A good friend of mine loves Tanks, and another loves scrappers. In fact, I thought Defenders were my favorite until I tried a controller -- Local Man is actually a Dark Miasma/Electric Defender. -
Quote:I can't disagree with anything in Mr. E's post. It is simply a matter of choices -- what do you want out of your APP set? All of them will work.I'll throw in a vote for the Psi pool. If you have enough recharge for perma-PA then you have enough for perma-AM and perma-Indom Will. Mez protection is REALLY nice on a character that is pretty reliant on toggle debuffs.
Having said that, Local Man's advice is pretty spot-on. The lack of any significant non-psi damage can be quite frustrating, although that shortcoming is reduced with such high recharge - you can really spam the crap out of attacks (assuming you can manage the endurance usage).
I have the Psi pool on my perma-PA build, and I like it a lot. I had Primal on my non-perma build and enjoyed it quite a bit. A slotted, powerboosted EM Pulse is a thing of beauty, believe me. I would love to have Fireball's AoE damage and Ice Storm would be an absolute BEAST on a high-recharge build. With Illusion's lack of an up-every-spawn containment power Ice Storm's blaster-level damage would be fantastic. The concern about enemies running out of the rain is partially addressed with Lingering Rad. It won't keep all enemies in IS for its entire duration, but it helps immensely, especially stacked with Storm's slow.
Ultimately I would say that it would be hard to go wrong with Psi, Fire or Ice. Primal would be good if you really want Power Boost and are willing to sacrifice some AoE damage to get it.
I explain in my Ill/Rad guide why I feel that being able to take down foes quickly provides a substantial benefit to an Ill/Rad, by allowing an Ill/Rad to take advantage of spectral damage. That's why I like the Fire set -- the damage is front-loaded. Psi Tornado and Ice Storm are both DoT, giving the spectral damage time to heal back. I tried the Primal set on my Ill/Rad at one point (before Torrent was available) and found that I didn't use Power Boost all that often -- but then I usually keep EM Pulse in reserve as a "panic button" power. Different folks have different playstyles.
I have tried all of the APP sets one one 'troller or another. I love the Psi set on my Fire/Rad, who really needed IW, and makes good use of Psi Tornado. I like the Earth set on several of my controllers, like my Fire/Kin and Plant/Rad. Most of my */Storm 'Trollers take Ice for Hibernate. I think the Primal set is well suited on Mind Controllers who can use Power Boost for long lasting AoE controls. The APP set you choose depends on what you want out of it, but none of them are bad. -
Quote:Most of what you would ever want to know about your Illusion/Radiation Controller is in the guide, linked in my sig. There is a section where APP power choices are discussed.I'm trying to decide a future build for my Ill/rad. What is a good choice for ancillary powers?I'll be doing the fully decked out perma PA and stuff but I may do a little farming with him too. I'd still like to solo av's and gm's. Any help choosing would be appreciated.
One other quick question, can you change the colors on Ancillary powers?
Frankly, there are good reasons for each of the APP sets. I recommend taking a set with a fast single-target blast, to make a nice attack chain with Blind-Spectral Wounds-Blast-Spectral Wounds. (That would leave out Earth. While there are some nice things about the Earth APP, you don't really need the heal, as you have one. You don't really need the melee attack and the short-range AoE, as you will be safer staying at range.)
Many people love the Psi APP for the mez protection in Indomidible Will. I find that my Ill/Rad doesn't have much of a problem with getting mezzed. Also, there are a number of foes in the later part of the game who are resistant to Psi attacks, and most of the damage from Illusion is Psi. Using a different damage type can make dealing with Robots and other Psi-resistant foes easier. While many people choose Psi, I didn't.
One thing Illusion lacks is AoE damage. So, I want AoE damage out of my APP set if possible. I would also like some utility out of the other powers. Psi has a decent AoE damage power in Psi Tornado that might be a good choice if it weren't the same damage type. Primal has a good single target blast, but its only AoE is a fairly narrow cone. Plus, Illusion's lack of standard control powers means that you get limited benefit from Power Boost, the best power from the Primal set.
That leaves Fire and Ice. Fire has an early, fast and hard hitting AoE damage power in Fireball. Fire Blast is great, and does a little more damage than other APP blasts. The shield is Resistance, and then you have Consume (for Endurance Recovery -- needed sometimes) and/or Rise of the Phoenix, a self-rez power. Not essential, but useful.
Ice has two AoE damage powers in Frost Breath (a cone) and Ice Storm (a Rain-type power on a long recharge). Unfortunately, you don't have an AoE Immob to keep foes in the Ice Storm. Ice Blast is very good, and the shield is defense-based (which I like a little better). Hibernate is a wonderful "panic button" power that lets you recover both health and endurance by taking you out of the fight for a short time.
I chose the Fire APP on my main Ill/Rad, mainly for Fireball and Consume. But I use Fire Blast the most, and I suggest taking Fire Blast at 41. I have Ice on my second Ill/Rad and on my Ill/Storm. I have Fire on my Ill/TA, but he really needed Fire Blast and Fireball to light Oil Slick Arrow.
No, you cannot change the colors on APP powers at the present time. -
I figured I would take your slotting and make a few suggestions on how to tweak it.
Block of Ice: Your slotting here doesn't have much direction. Are you going mainly for Hold or Damage? I personally believe that Damage enhancements add more damage to a single-target hold than a damage proc. There are a lot of options for slotting this power. If you want Recharge (at a reasonable cost), then 4 Basilisk Gaze + some additional buffing if you want hold, or 5 Decimations + a common Hold if you are looking for damage. (Since you are spending the Infl for those Luck of the Gambler Recharge IOs, I'm guessing you want Recharge.) If you are looking for AoE and Ranged Defense, then 6 Lockdowns would work. If you want both Damage and Hold, at the cost of some set bonuses, then use Hami-O's -- 1 Acc/Dam, 2 Dam/Mez, 1 Acc/Mez, 2 common Recharge IOs.
Chilblain: It starts with enhanced accuracy. You could probably take that Trap of the Hunter out of there, and frankenslot two Acc/Dam and two Damage. You don't really need to enhance the Immob or Rech. That gives you a slot for somewhere else.
Arctic Air: Consider EndRdx/Confuse, Confuse and the Contagious Confusion proc from Coercive Persuasion, plus EndRdx/Confuse and the Psi Damage Proc from Malaise and a common EndRdx. That caps Confuse and EndRdx, plus gives you the Contagious proc and a damage proc. I have this slotting on my Ice/Storm, and find it very effective.
Artic Fog: Replace that Reactive Armor Endurance with an Impervium Armor Resistance. The End Recovery buff offsets the small increase in Endurance cost, but you get better resistance.
There are a lot of options for Sleet. Here's one to consider to get you some Regen and Recovery -- DefDebuff/Rech, DefDebuff/EndRdx/Rech, Rech/EndRdx and Chance for Neg Damage from Lady Grey, common Rech and the Achilles Heal proc. If you want to give up the damage proc for more Defense Debuff, replace the damage proc with a Defense Debuff from Lady Grey. But you would lose the Slow -- but that is only run speed and has no effect on -Recharge. You have other options to keep them in the area, like Snow Storm or Ice Slick. Personally, I would try to fit Frostbite into the build, but you can live without it. -
The problem I have with this kind of build is that you gut the effectiveness of your powers just for the sake of getting perma-PA. If you want to give up the benefits of several of your other powers for the sake of Recharge, that is your business, of course.
Blind: The Sleep is nearly worthless. This power should be slotted for Hold and/or damage. My Ill/Rad guide explains the limited benefit of the sleep.
Superior Invis: without some EndRdx, it will be pretty tough to run this power and do anything else. It is a hog on endurance.
Freezing Rain does almost no damage, so slotting it for damage is a waste. It needs Recharge and maybe Defense Debuff.
Steamy Mist: It should be slotted for Damage Resistance and EndRdx. Much of the power's benefit is wasted without it.
Tornado is mostly a damage power. The Stun has limited benefit.
Lightning Storm needs slotting for Damage and Recharge -- and its knockback does not need slotting. (That set could be used in Gale.)
Hurricane should be slotted for ToHit Debuff and EndRdx.
Grant Invis is a complete waste when you have Group Invis. Why not take Combat Jumping instead? -
Quote:Same thing works with Stone Cages and Earthquake -- same 12 second duration for the -knockback, but you get the benefit of a Defense Debuff, that helps your AoE attack hit everything more easily.There is a sneaky way to combine Containment and Ice Slick.
Basically, you have to do what everyone tells you not to and enhance Frostbite for immob duration. This increases the duration of the immob but does NOT increase the duration of the anti-kb component. Enemies will still refuse to fall for those first 12 seconds, but after that they will flop right over.
I dont use this tactic all the time, but one place its hilariously useful is when you're being chased. You pop the group with Frostbite to keep them from following, wait 12 seconds, then throw Ice Slick at them followed by an AoE (Fireball is a great one for this). You just got a contained cheap shot at enemies who can't shoot back, and can't chase you even if they don't fall.
[edit: original post said 15 seconds, when the real time is 12 seconds.] -
There is a real difference in playstyles -- I use Hurricane in only limited situations. I find that running Hurricane a lot often tends to irritate melee characters to have their targets blown all over the place. (I know that when I am on a melee character, I HATE teaming with someone who uses perma-'Cane!) Obviously, the tactics change depending upon the team, but most of the time, I run with a good tank. Solo, I use Hurricane a lot more. But most of my advice is not base upon a level 50 character who is fully IO'ed out. I think that giving advice to someone new with a character should be based upon leveling the character up rather than a fully IO'ed and proc'ed character.
On my Ice/Storm, I run Steamy Mist and Arctic Air all the time. Once the tank grabs aggro, I cast Ice Slick and then run in with AA. Ice Slick allows enough time for AA's effects to mitigate about 70-80% of the melee attacks on the melee characters, which is plenty -- their armors can easily handle the rest. While I stand there, using AA and Freezing Rain as my main area control, I contribute holds and damage with Block of Ice and Chilblain (slotted for damage).
On my Earth/Storm, I stay back and used ranged controls, running in only to cast Lightning Storm in later levels. Hurricane becomes mostly used to protect the squishier teammates, and to push foes into the location targetted AoEs.
On Ice Slick vs. Frostbite: It is simple -- don't use Frostbite on Ice Slick. No problem. I'm not concerned with AoE containment, since I really don't worry much about doing damage on my Ice/Storm on teams. I didn't even pick up Frostbite until level 30, as I mainly wanted it for its -knockback with Tornado. -
Quote:There are some similarities and some differences between the two. Ice and Earth are the two lowest damage primaries for controllers. While you "can" solo them, don't expect it to be very fast -- you'll do much better on teams where you focus on control and let the teammates do the damage.I've been playing a fire/kin for a while now and I love it to death. Unfortunatly its time to make a new toon. I've taken an interest in storm summoning, but i don't know what primary to use. I've looked through the guides and I"m considering either stone or ice. I'm more of a damage type player but I just love my holds on my fire/kin so thats why i decided to make another troller. Anyway, any suggestions would help. Thanks
The first question you need to ask is: "Do I want to play mostly in melee, or do I want to stay at range?" Ice Control is unique in that it has a power (Arctic Air) that lends itself to a melee playstyle, but you can also build an Ice Controller for range, too (using Shiver). (Personally, I like the melee build better.) Earth Control is better as a ranged set.
The second question is whether you prefer the secondary effect of Defense Debuff (in Earth) or Slow (in Ice). The third question is whether the visual effect of Earth or Ice is more fun for you.
My Ice/Storm was a great melee support character. Arctic Air let me stay up front with the tanks and scrappers. I let the Tank grab aggro, then throw out Ice Slick and move in with AA to mitigate damage to the melee characters. If Ice Slick was recharging, I could do the same thing with Freezing Rain. As I leveled up, I had more and more tools to control, but I generally stayed up front. Then the upper level Storm powers added some damage to allow me to solo at a passable speed, but I still preferred to team.
My Earth/Storm is effective at AoE control from range. It has three AoE control powers, and the Storm powers add even more. The Defense Debuff makes in easy for the entire team to hit the foes, allowing us to go after more difficult opponents. Also, Earth has Stalagmites, an AoE stun that can stack with Storm's Thunderclap to stun bosses -- Ice does not have a stun power. An Earth/Storm easily has enough control to be the only controller on a large team. In the upper levels, he can solo, but he also does much better on a team.
I find that the Earth/Storm is a little more 'strategic' than the Ice/Storm. I stay back and survey where my controls are needed. I think I prefer the Earth/Storm slightly more, but I tend to prefer ranged controllers. If you prefer melee, you may like the Ice/Storm better. Both are fun characters, and they are different enough that they don't feel the same.
You could always try them both. -
Quote:I disagree -- Fly and Super Speed are my two default travel powers. I go with SS if the stealth is useful or in some other situations, but Fly is my most often used travel power, especially with Blasters, Controllers and Defenders. I mostly limit Super Jump to melee-type characters who already have a lot of defense. There are a lot of advantages to Fly. Speed is not the only consideration, and Fly is fast enough, especially in difficult terrain that slows down SS and SJ. Not all of us are concerned with getting there first. As long as I can get there in a reasonable amount of time, it is fast enough. One reason I like Fly so much is that I find Air Superiority so useful on many characters, including most of my Controllers.<QR>
There's no reason other than concept to take Flight on any character, regardless of powersets, unless you make one of those oddball builds, like the Blaster that's got softcapped ranged defense and hovers above the mob. On its own, Flight is just too damn slow and clunky, and even with stacked Siphon Speed, it doesn't get much better. The run speed cap is higher than the fly speed cap, and you'll hit the run speed cap with two applications of Siphon Speed. Add in the fact that the way to best leverage a Fire/Kin's potential is to be in the middle of the mob and things start to favor SS and SJ a lot more (CJ as well, for the built-in immob protection.
I'll admit that I have Fly on three characters - one was my first character and first 50 and I have no intention of doing a respec again until I have a real reason to play him; another is my 3rd 50, a Kat/Regen Scrapper that I use exclusively for Hami raids now so having flight of some kind is useful; and the 3rd is my Earth/Storm Controller, mostly because I made his final build back when I thought Fly was a good travel power and don't play him enough to justify re-building. The rest of my characters have either SS, SJ, or a combination of the two (SS and CJ, more often than not), while my Warshade has SS and CJ for in-combat mobility and teleport for out-of-combat travel.
Barring something going horribly wrong, a good player using a good build should rarely die. Only enemy type that gives any of my characters issues hitting is the Cimerorans, and that's nothing Aim/BU or a few yellows (or team buffs/debuffs) can't fix.
For example, I much prefer to have Fly for those open air missions where you have to search for someone or something . . . floating overhead while looking is far safer than running around, even with Super Speed's stealth. And Super Jump is nearly worthless in this situation -- a great way to get squishier characters killed.
Fly is a great escape power . . . go straight up. Fly works pretty well in caves and indoors, where Super Jump is mostly worthless. Fly is easy: set it and forget it for a few seconds. And Fly (or Teleport) is almost mandatory in the Shadow Shard. Sure, you can fill in with the Raptor pack, but Fly is faster and doesn't wear out at inconvenient times. I take Fly not for "concept," but because I like it.
It is kind of funny . . . I have version of the two of your characters that you mention have Fly. Both of mine have Super Speed. For my */Storm controllers, I usually take Super Speed to combine stealth with Steamy Mist, plus it is very useful with Hurricane. -
First, if your partner is a Spines/Dark, you may want to consider a set with Resistance shields instead of Defense. This would include Thermal and Sonic. These will stack with Dark Armor's Resistance.
But if you really want a Mind/FF, here's a build based upon my own personal preferences. I picked the Primal APP set entirely for Power Boost. Power Boosted Mass Confusion is sweet. I picked Air Sup over Hover because I like the protection that Air Sup provides.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Mind-FF with Fly: Level 50 Technology Controller
Primary Power Set: Mind Control
Secondary Power Set: Force Field
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Medicine
Ancillary Pool: Primal Forces Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Mesmerize -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(3), Dmg-I(7), Dmg-I(17), RechRdx-I(40)
Level 1: Personal Force Field -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 2: Dominate -- Acc-I(A), Hold-I(3), RechRdx-I(7), Dmg-I(19), Acc-I(37), Dmg-I(42)
Level 4: Levitate -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(5), Dmg-I(5), Dmg-I(17), Dmg-I(19), RechRdx-I(43)
Level 6: Deflection Shield -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(9), DefBuff-I(13), EndRdx-I(46)
Level 8: Mass Hypnosis -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(9), Sleep-I(11), RechRdx-I(37), Sleep-I(39), RechRdx-I(43)
Level 10: Confuse -- Acc-I(A), Conf-I(11), RechRdx-I(15), RechRdx-I(39), Acc-I(43)
Level 12: Air Superiority -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(13)
Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I(A), Flight-I(15)
Level 16: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 18: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(21), EndMod-I(21)
Level 22: Dispersion Bubble -- DefBuff-I(A), EndRdx-I(23), DefBuff-I(23), DefBuff-I(37)
Level 24: Insulation Shield -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(25), DefBuff-I(25), EndRdx-I(46)
Level 26: Terrify -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(27), Dmg-I(27), Dmg-I(29), Range-I(31), Fear-I(34)
Level 28: Total Domination -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(29), Hold-I(40), Hold-I(40), RechRdx-I(48)
Level 30: Aid Other -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(31), Heal-I(31)
Level 32: Mass Confusion -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(33), Conf-I(33), RechRdx-I(33), RechRdx-I(34), Conf-I(34)
Level 35: Aid Self -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(36), Heal-I(36), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 38: Force Bubble -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(39)
Level 41: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(42), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 44: Energy Torrent -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(45), Dmg-I(45), Dmg-I(45), Acc-I(46)
Level 47: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48), RechRdx-I(48)
Level 49: Repulsion Bomb -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(50), Dmg-I(50), Dmg-I(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Containment