Local_Man

Actually, I use an 8-button mouse, and I have a standard way of setting up my binds using CityBinder so that most powers that I can't access easily from the lower trays with the first 6 or 7 number keys get bound (binded?) to a mouse button or a button combo. One button is my travel power, and I link certain buttons to unused keys to gather my binds. Not to say that there might be a better way to do it, but I have pretty quick access to any power I need if I have prepared the way.

I'm not expecting this to ultimately be a min-max character. Probably take her up to 50, and try to come up with a reasonably priced "good enough" build that probably will not include a bunch of carefully planned IO sets designed to get max Defense. I have too many characters to want to max them all out.

But you are correct that added damage is an important factor. Kinetics makes up for its lack of defensive powers and debuffing by buffing damage. That's the main reason Stone and Fire are in the running. I just need to decide whether Damage is more important than Mez Protection on a team-oriented Plant/Kin.

Whatever is fun for you trumps everything else . . . even if Arctic Air is awesome.

The biggest complaint against Ice is the lack of damage. It is the lowest damage primary for controllers. Either you had better try to get some damage out of your secondary (Storm) or you'd better plan to team all the time. Dominators don't have the same problem, since a Dom's secondary is all damage. So you get the advantages without the disadvantage.

I haven't played one yet, but I can see it being a pretty good set for Dominators.

Earth/Storm is a great AoE controller, but has diddly damage until the upper levels (Rocky at 32, Tornado at 35, Lightning Storm at 38). Even then, the damage is mediocre -- you can solo, but not fast. The pet Recharge Nerf hit Storm particularly hard, as fast Recharge in Lightning Storm allowed it to put out huge amounts of damage. Not so much anymore. I love Earth Control, but its strength is AoE control for teams and not farming.

Fire is the best damage among controllers, but you have to be melee. Fire/Kin is faster, Fire/Rad is safer. With Rad, you also get many of your best powers early in the set -- AM, RI and EF. But Fire also matures late, in that the Endurance demands of Hot Feet plus the additional help from the secondary needed means that a Fire/Kin isn't really all that until about level 40, and a Fire/Rad needs fully slotted Hot Feet, Choking Cloud and Fire Imps, so it takes about level 36 or so.

Plant is the one controller that gets the best AoE control/damage early in the set. The combo of Seeds of Confusion+Roots is great. Roots does twice the damage of other AoE Immob powers, so over time, you can take down groups as fast as individuals. In later levels, Carrion Creepers and the pet add more AoE damage. It is weak on single target damage, though, but that's not a problem on any kind of team with a damage dealer.

Combine Plant with Rad and you have a pretty good AoE controller with some AoE damage. Plant/Kin will do more damage in the long run, but it will mature later. (I have a Plant/Rad at 50, working on a Plant/Kin with a team, which is 28 at the moment.) Plant/Storm is also a great combo, with the debuff from Freezing Rain coming at 16. Plant has the advantage, also, of having three optional powers (Entangle, Spores and Spirit Tree), allowing the build to be a bit "looser" than other controller primaries. (I would take Entangle slotted for damgae if I expect to solo a lot. Otherwise, Spirit Tree is nice to have as a Regen boost at times for teams, but not necessary).

Not the "main" damage type -- the only damage type in Illusion until Phantasm's Energy/Smashing damage. This is one big reason why I recommend having a different damage type for the APP pools other than Psi. I prefer Fire or Ice, as they allow you to have a nice attack chain of Blind-Spectral Wounds-APP Blast-Spectral Wounds. Primal works, too.

While I agree that Imps do not need huge amounts of Accuracy, you need to remember that the Imps are one level lower than you are. Even with high accuracy, they may have trouble hitting higher level foes.

On Choking Cloud: I had tried this power on my Ill/Rad and hated it. But on a Fire/Rad, it is wonderful. Flashfire+Fire Cages and Cinders are both "one-shot" holds. CC is a toggle hold with an odd mechanic that causes it to often take a few seconds for it to hit, but it usually lasts long enough to allow Hot Feet to take down the foes (with containment, of course). My Ill/Rad guide explains the mechanics.

What makes it so good with Fire/Rad is the interaction with Hot Feet. Hot Feet has the combination of Damage/Afraid/Slow. That means that when you run in and get foes in range, Hot Feet begins doing damage, but the foes will often take an initial attack and then try to run away slowly. Because Choking Cloud takes a few seconds to hit, it is a good idea (but not necessary) to have some other kind of distraction (like a tank) or control (Flashfire+Fire Cages or Cinders) to keep the foes from taking initial shots at the controller, but once you run in with CC+HF going, it becomes very effective. Any foes not controlled will try to slowly run out of the area, giving Choking Cloud more time to hit. Any foes hit will just stand there, choking and taking damage (with a 75% chance of containment).

Part of what makes this combo so good is that it works great on fast moving teams, where Flashfire and Cinders haven't had time to recharge. On a good team, the tank runs in to grab initial aggro. A Fire/Rad can then run in, stand there and Char anything that moves. After a few seconds, pretty much everything is held and their health is chipping away. The Imps come in to finish the job. While the Fire/Rad is cleaning up the remaining foes, the tank can go on to the next group, helping the team to wipe out groups faster.

Choking Cloud has a 90% chance of getting at least a Mag 1 hold on foes in range. While this is worthless on its own, it allows you to hold a boss with a single application of Char. And it has a pretty good chance of holding minions and Lts over time. Yes, it uses a lot of endurance, which is why I recommend that CC be 6-slotted with max EndRdx and Hold. Don't take it unless you plan to fully slot it. With IOs, you can "frankenslot" to fit in the Lockdown +2 Mag proc (which is wonderful in this power) and a damage proc, and still have max slotted EndRdx and Hold.

Choking Cloud is a key power on my Fire/Rad. It works great solo and on teams. And if you have ever seen a full team of Fire/Rads running Choking Cloud + Hot Feet, you will see a team that simply melts all opposition.

I don't know that I'd suggest a Plant/Storm over an Earth/Storm, but I agree that the Plant/Storm will do more damage. Earth is a superior AoE control set lacking in damage. It has three ranged AoE controls, and you can have two usually up for every group. At least one of those three will work in almost every situation. Two of the three (Earthquake and Volcanic Gasses) provide continuing control, while the third (Stalagmites+Stone Cages) is a partial one-shot (Stalagmites in one-shot, but Stone Cages can be applied over and over again.) Plus, it provides massive Defense debuffs to make it much easier for teammates to hit the foes. Earth is the best team controller, but it really needs a team until the upper levels. Once you get Rocky and the Storm damage powers, you can solo at a not-too-slow speed.

Fortunately, the new Power Customization/Colorizing options have made the Earth graphics easier to deal with for those who didn't like them. The Lava mode looks pretty nice, and the Crystal mode seems less intrusive than the old Earth graphics. Personally, I never had a problem with the Earth graphics -- everyone on the team could easily see my contributions.

Plant is more of a one-trick pony, but it does its one trick very well. Seed+Roots can be supplemented by Carrion Creepers. Both of its AoE controls (Seeds+Roots and Vines) are One-shot type controls, but with Roots used over and over again mostly for damage. Once you have fired off Seeds and Creepers, you only have Vines as a panic button until Seeds recharges. With a Plant Controller, I often have to wait around for Seeds to recharge, or I may forgo using Seeds on smaller groups to save it for the next larger group. Yes, Plant does a lot more damage and is better solo.

After being cynical about Grav for a long time, I have finally gotten a Grav/Storm up to 40 . . . and it is a heck of a lot of fun. I did solo him most of the way, but have done some teaming. It helps that I have a lot of experience with Storm, so I know how to use the powers effectively on a team. The combo of Freezing Rain + Crushing Field (which allows the foes to fall down but keeps them in the area of the rain) is very effective for teams. I'm careful to pick just the right time to pull out Hurricane or Tornado -- and don't use them much. But I can add a decent amount of single target damage as long as I pick a foe nobody else is beating on (so the slow animation of Propel isn't wasted).

I have a couple of macros set up asking the team to wait here for a sec and I'll deliver a surprise, for Wormhole. Singy makes a hige difference in the character. I find that on teams, I mostly rely upon FR+CF for AoE control, with frequent Wormhole+Thunderclap+Crushing Field. I find that I rely more upon my secondary than with some primaries, but learning the unique tricks and strategies of Grav have been fun.

Overall, I like my Grav/Storm as more of a solo character. I can really pull out a lot of strategic tricks solo, as some of them take a few seconds to set up. Wormhole works much better when you are out of line of sight. Wormhole+Thunderclap+Crushing Field followed by Hurricane once the foes begin to break out of the stun, works really well as AoE control until I can pound the foes into mush with Grav.Dist.+Crush+Propel plus Lightning Storm. So I would say that Grav/Storm is a very good solo set. It may not kill as fast as others, but it does the job and it is fun to work out the strategy.

Edited it to add the data chunk. Don't know why it didn't work.

My build doesn't have near the defense, but frankly, I don't think that with added control and a heal, you need as much defense.

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No, it was actually someone else . . . but it was someone I know . . .

You have some significant problems with this build, from my perspective.

Char is a key power. There are a lot of options on how to slot this up, but it should have 6 or at least 5 slots in it. You can either slot it for hold or damage -- or both.

Radiant Aura -- I like 5 Doctored Wounds for the 5% Recharge bonus.

Radiation Infection: Not enough EndRdx. Consider slotting this with 3 Enzyme Hami-Os (ToHitDebuff/DefenseDebuff/EndRdx) and using the other slots in other powers.

Hot Feet is a Damage/Afraid/Slow power that uses a lot of endurance. It is one of the main sources of damage. You haven't slotted any damage enhancements in it. Your goal should be to slot this for Max Damage and EndRdx, with a little Accuracy and a little slow if you can fit it in. I think mine has Scirocco's Acc/Dam/End and Dam/End, Tempered Readiness Dam/Slow and Slow/EndRdx/Rech, an Acc/Dam Hami-O and a common EndRdx.

Fire Cages default slotting is 2 Acc, 1 EndRdx. Its Recharge and Immob duration are nice to enhance but not needed since it already recharges before the immob runs out. It is a good place for damage procs. However, it has a 12 second -knockdown effect -- and you put an expensive and completely wasted Chance for Knockdown proc in it. Trap of the Hunter set is cheap, but the Gravitational Anchor Chance for Hold is wonderful in this power.

Flashfire is a key power and should be 6-slotted up with Acc, Rech and Stun. The Stupify set with a common Recharge in place of the proc is a great option if you can't get the purple set.

Enervating Field: That third EndRdx is only saving you .03 End per second -- that slot can do more good somewhere else . . .

. . . Like in Hasten, where that third slot will help it recharge about 6 seconds faster.

Choking Cloud is a key power for a Fire/Rad, and needs more EndRdx and more Hold -- see my Ill/Rad guide for more details on exactly why, but it makes a BIG difference in the performance of the power. I think EndRdx and Hold shold be capped -- leaving only enough room for the Lockdown Proc and one of the Chance for Psi Damage procs.

Ling Rad is way overslotted. If you have enough global recharge, you can get away with 1 accuracy alone. If not, it needs some accuracy and Recharge, but Slow? You have Fire Cages to lock them in place, so the Slow would have no effect.

Fire Imps: Acc/Dam and Damage from Blood Mandate, Acc/Dam and Acc/Dam/EndRdx from Brilliant Leadership is all you need at a minimum. Add some Recharge to taste. Or if you have access to Hami-O's and you're short on slots, try 3 Acc/Dam Hami-O's. If you want more Global Recharge, go with 4 Expediant Reinforcement, then there are a few options -- add the two triples from Call to Arms, or a Dam/Rech and Chance for Build Up from Soulbound Allegiance, or several other options.

APP sets: Earth is a a good set, even though I prefer the mez protection from Psi. However, Earth's Embrace, while a nice power, isn't needed severely in a character that already has a self-heal. Seismic Smash is badly needed single-target damage with a hold built in, so that should be slotted up more than Earth's Embrace in my opinion.

First, I suggest you take a look at my Ill/Rad guide, linked in my sig. Many of your questions are answered there.

I don't know that I would say that Fire/Rad is a "better soloer," just different. Ill/Rad has better single target damage if you leverage the illusory damage right, and gets a huge improvement at 18 with Phantom Army. Fire/Rad is much more AoE focused. So I would say that Ill/Rad is probably better against smaller numbers of tougher foes, while Fire/Rad is better against larger numbers of weaker foes. Both of them get very powerful in later levels, but I think Ill/Rad matures faster.

See above. Ill/Rad is more flexible, but Fire/Rad kills large numbers better. Phantom Army is the thing that makes Ill/Rad more powerful against tough foes -- the PA keep the attention away from you while you and your pet blast away. With PA, an Ill/Rad can tank an AV. Against that same tough foe, a Fire/Rad has weaker defenses and most of his damage is AoE so it takes longer to kill things -- but you can kill a lot of things in the same amount of time. Both builds are great, and I continue to use them both. They have very different playstyles.

Ill/Rad is one of the higher damage sets if you properly leverage the illusory damage. Part of the reason is that you can get an effective and quick attack chain with Blind-SW-Blast-SW (once you get the APP blasts). Earth/Storm is able to solo thanks to the damage in Tornado and Lightning Storm, but not quickly.

No pets benefit from containment. That includes "pseudo-pets" like Tornado and Lightning Storm as well as real pets like Phantasm, Phantom Army and Fire Imps.

I have both, and Ill/Rad is my favorite build in the game. Fire/Rad isn't far behind, though. Ill/Rad is safer. Ill/Rad takes more thought and strategy. Ill/Rad has more tools for a variety of situations. Deceive is a big part of the fun. Invisibility to be the team spy. Spectral Terror is my spooky buddy. Choosing when and where to use PA. Illusion is safer -- it is not uncommon for my Ill/Rad to survive when nobody else on the team does.

Everyone has their own preferences, however. I happen to really like Illusion -- I have three Illusion controllers at 50 (Ill/Rad, Ill/Storm and Ill/TA) and a 4th one at 40 (second Ill/Rad on a different server). I have my 50 Fire/Rad who was leveled up with a specific team, but who has gotten a lot of post-50 play. I also have a Fire/Kin at 42 and a Fire/Storm in the 20's. I consider Fire to be a melee-oriented set, and thus more limited.

Both sets are a lot of fun, and I would suggest that you try both. It may be that Fire/Rad fits your playstyle better. I think that my Ill/Rad guide explains why I like Ill/Rad so much.

One thing you need to be aware of -- Fire/Rad is a fairly slow starter. It doesn't really come into its own until around level 35 or so. You need to get Flashfire, Fire Cages, Hot Feet, Choking Cloud and Fire Imps all slotted up properly. Plus AM really helps.

In low levels consider taking Air Sup/Fly for travel. The added control from knockdown in Air Sup saved my tail quite a few times -- a knockdown to keep a foe from attacking while you wait a couple of seconds for Char to recharge can save you if you have a sliver of health away from a faceplant. At 50, I still have Air Sup/Fly, but I also have Super Speed with a Celerity Stealth in it for battlefield maneuvers.

My quick Mini-guide: For Fire, Char, Fire Cages, Hot Feet, Flashfire, Cinders and Fire Imps are fairly essential. Ring of Fire, Smoke and Bonfire are optional, depending on your playstyle -- if you expect to solo a lot, Ring of Fire slotted for damage helps. I chose Bonfire, and skipped RoF and Smoke, but there are good reasons for any of these three powers.

For Rad, Radiant Aura (no choice) AM, RI, EF, LR and Choking Cloud are essential -- Fire/Rad is probably the single build that can make best use of Choking Cloud. EM Pulse is highly recommended, but situational. Mutation and Fallout would be nice to fit in for a team-oriented build, but I couldn't.

Any travel power works, but I liked Air Sup/Fly. Fitness is essential. For APP sets, I found my biggest need was mez protection, so I went with Psi and have Indomitable Will, Psi Tornado and Mind Over Body. Then I took Super Speed at 49 for stealth and better battlefield maneuvering.

My experience with Fire/Stoirm is somewhat limited -- my highest one is in the mid-20's, even though I have lots of experience with Storm on other characters. But I have discussed the character with others, too.

Fire/Storm's #1 problem is managing endurance. Better plan on slotting for lots of Endurance bonuses. It is more active than Fire/Rad in most ways, because you have to manage the knockback, determine which powers to use and which to not use, and keep putting out the pets (in the upper levels) while spamming Fire Cages (for the -knockback). A few folks have said that Fire/Storm was their most fun character -- but that is due, in part, to a lot of flashy visuals. It requires a lot of "smart" choices. Hot Feet and Hurricane are not compatible unless you can trap a foe in a corner, and the other knockback powers will knock the foes out of your Hot Feet unless managed just right. Under the right circumstances, it can probably kill faster than a Fire/Rad, but it can also send foes all over the place, forcing you to have to chase them down. Fire/Rad is more flexible, and frankly, easier to play. Also, Fire/Storm doesn't have any -Regen for AVs, as in Ling Rad and EM Pulse. It has Resistance and Defense debuffs in Freezing Rain, and ToHit Debuffs in Hurricane, but no Damage debuffs as in Enervating Field. On the other hand, it has added damage in the Tornado and Lightning Storm pets.

During this Halloween event, I can use my Fire/Rad, put out the Imps, turn on HF+CC, turn on my Indomitable Will mez protection, then pop a door and stand there. I Char any bosses or Puppies that come out, maybe use Fire Cages, but I can just stand there and let stuff die. On the other hand, my Stormies require some substantial management and strategy, but I love to use Hurricane to trap the baddies in an alcove and let the pets shred them.

For this kind of thing to be a "guide," you need to guide folks. Provide information or suggest ways to deal with situations. Explain how the filter works and its limitations (if you know). Suggest polite or clever ways to ask offenders to behave in accord with the EULA, and maybe explain how to log conversations, screencapture offensive comments and then petition to the Devs to punish the people who continue to be offensive after gathering enough evidence.

I find it interesting that you are nitpicking my comments, and yet seem to be taking the side of people who are violating the rules.

The "Teen" rating is a guideline, not a law or even a rule -- I dare you to show me where in the EULA or any statute that says that a 12-year-old is not allowed to play CoH. Besides, my 17-year old also plays, and even though he "has heard it all," I don't particularly want him to see foul language, either. Besides, it is obvious by the use of the term, "Teen," that the publisher of this game intended some of the users to be minors.

Minors enter into contracts every day. Every purchase of goods or services, even a candy bar, is a contract. Some types of contracts are considered "executory," meaning that the performace is expected in the future, and some are "contingent" based upon the happening of other events. These contracts, when entered into by a minor, are legally considered "voidable" rather than "Void." That means that the minor can choose to rescind the contract when the minor reaches the age of majority, but it does not make the contract invalid. So technically? You are wrong on that point. (Don't argue the law with a lawyer!)



The concept of "an activity that should be closely supervised and scrutinized by discerning parents" is clearly a naive statement from someone who either does not have children or possibly has children but is so overbearing and oppressive that it borders on child abuse. (Ever seen the movie "Carrie?" Carrie was "closely supervised and scrutinized" by her mother.) Kids have to be put "in" the world so that they can learn to deal with it. We do our best to limit and reduce the amount of objectionable material they experience, but we cannot supervise every minute of every day -- and if we did, the kids would either HATE us or be so brainwashed that they didn't know any better. We do our best to provide a fairly good example -- never good enough, but as good as we can. And we discuss these topics on a regular basis -- what is good, what is proper, vs. what is crude, illegal or rude.

I actually have two accounts. One is mine, one was my wife's before she quit the game. I keep the second account mainly for the kids. I often team with whichever one wants to play. It gives us stuff to talk about. If the kind of crass language comes up while I'm on the game with one of the kids, then I can deal with it. As I said, there was another game that I kicked them off of because I did not like what I saw there. Yes, they often play CoH when I'm not around. The crude language doesn't bother them nearly as much as it bothers me, as they hear it all the time at school (where I have no control whatsoever). But, I'm happy to say, my kids don't use that language from what I have been able to tell, and their friends confirm that my kids are viewed as being a bit on the prudish side (Good!).

The problem really arises based upon expectations. If I purchase a movie rated PG, and it contains R-rated material, then I'm going to be upset -- not for me, as I have seen plenty of R-rated movies, but because I expected a certain type of content that I was willing to expose to the kids. In the case of this game, the Devs/Publisher does a pretty good job trying to maintain it's "T" rating -- but they acknowledge much of it depends upon the community. Either the individuals need to control themselves, or when someone gets out of control, the other members of the community should step up and let that person know that his/her behavior is not acceptable. That is how we set "community standards."