Local_Man
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Posts
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Quote:Wow!! Thank you very much!! I didn't know it existed. I wish someone with the ability to do such things would pick up the updates, but this makes life much easier.Originally Posted by Lord Raveneyes
I have a slightly updated version of citybinder (everything up to 1/15/09)
You can download it here.
Install Citybinder then extract these file into the citybinder directory and over-write the files.
I installed this update, and it appears to work with most of the newer powersets. -
Quote:FF doesn't really have any synergy with Earth. You will be able to provide some good control for the team, and bubble them. Not much else about the combo -- but then, I'm not a huge FF fan. The best things about the FF secondary are: (a) you get one of the best "panic button" powers at level 1 in Personal Force Field, (b) you get partial mez protection, in that it covers Holds and Stuns, but not Sleeps or Immobilize, and (c) everyone likes having bubbles. While bubbling your pet will make it better, it actually would gain more from buffing its Resistance over Defense. Earth/FF will be an effective combo, but I prefer other combos better -- Earth/Rad, Earth/Storm, Earth/Kin, Earth/TA and even Earth/Therm and Earth/Sonic.Originally Posted by anachrodragon
After seeing a SG mate's earth controller with the new crystal animations, I'm being tempted to roll my first Earth controller. I've avoided Earth in the past, due to the animations, but damn the new options look nice.
I'm being tempted by Earth/FF or Earth/Storm as I haven't played those two secondary sets yet. This character would likely be about 95% teamed, either with my husband, my SG or possibly PuGs. I'm leaning toward Earth/FF right now. Any thoughts on that vs. Earth/Storm?
Storm, on the other hand, is viewed by many as the best secondary with Earth for several reasons. (Personally, I like Rad a little better, but my Earth/Stormies are fun, too.) Earth is mostly a Targetted AoE set, and Storm's best power, Freezing Rain, fits right in. The -knockback in Stone Cages allows you to turn Tornado into a damage machine if you keep casting Stone Cages every 12 seconds. Hurricane works both as a panic button power and a way to push foes back into your AoE areas. Thunderclap's stun stacks with Stalagmites to stun bosses. Storm and TA are the only secondaries with decent damage, to make up for the lack of damage in Earth. And you get lots of "Flash and Boom" with Earth/Storm.
If you are going to play an Earth Controller, take a look at my Earth/Rad guide for lots of info and strategy about the Earth Control set. -
Quote:CityBinder is wonderful -- I use it on all my characters. Unfortunately, it is badly out of date, and Monorail left the game a while ago. It is still very usable, but it does not have the newer powersets build in . . . you'll have to substitute the names for the powers in the newer sets. But it is easy to do.Originally Posted by Shadow State
Citybinder is probably the easiest way to set up speed on demand binds.
The Speed-on-Demand binds will do exactly what the OP wants. Just pick a key for the start/stop toggle (I use H). One problem: Every now and then, most often when zoning, the SoD binds get messed up, and you end up in a perma-forward mode where the only way to stop is to press and hold the backwards ("s") key. CityBinder has a quick built-in fix -- just press Ctrl-R to reset the binds. I think it is a minor inconvenience, but a few folks feel that this makes the SoD binds unusable.
CityBinder also has an easy set-up for buffing binds. On Storm Characters, I have O2 Boost set up so that I only have to press the number pad key for each of the teammates according to the team list. I do the same thing for Speed Boost on Kinetics characters, but you can set up CityBinder to cast ID with a second press of the same key. -
Quote:Actually, it is 21 days, but yes, once you get Caregiver (for logging off in the hospital for 21 days) and Professor (for 21 days in the University), you get an Accolade, Physician, that then will give you charges to rez an ally for time you spend logged off in either any Hospital or any University. The best source for this kind of info is usually Paragonwiki. (Note that this is part of CoHTitan -- the old ParagonWiki site was taken over by some other folks and the information is not up to date.)Originally Posted by EmperorSteele
The Day Job accoldae I think you get by spending time logged off in a Hospital and a University. After a full 20 days worth of time in each location (you don't have to spend 20 straight days logged off, it's cumulative, just go to one of those locatiosn when you're done playing), you'll have both badges, which gives you an accolade power.
The Team Teleport is a Veteran Reward power for like 42 months or something. You can find more info on Vet rewards here: http://www.cityofheroes.com/communit...s_program.html
On the SI vs GI thing: While GI can be a nice team buff, it is not really high on the list of desireable buffs. I like it for allowing a slower moving team to get in position for an alpha strike, but fast-moving teams don't need it, and a good tank can do the job, too. Frankly, even on a team build, I like Superior Invis better . . . Having to re-cast GI every few minutes is a real pain, when you can get it as a toggle. However, the downside is having to remember to turn off the toggle during battles that last long enough that the higher endurance of SI makes a difference.
On Hasten: I like having Hasten, even early, but before SO's at level 22, it is just not up all that often. It makes a much bigger difference after level 22. That's why I chose the order I did -- I felt that SI provided a larger benefit at levels 12-22 than Hasten did. But that was just my opinion, and lots of others may disagree. -
Quote:Q_Arkhan's guide was intended for solo play, and of course was outdated. I acknowleded his Tom Foolery Guide in mine, but he did a few things more solo and less team oriented. I tried to have suggest a more flexible build. If my guide had been around in those days . . .Originally Posted by Obscure Blade
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As for builds; I got to 50 on my ill/rad mostly using this old guide. It's pre-IO, but by the time you get to 30+ and IOs get as good or better than SOs you'll probably have enough of a feel for what you want that you can decide on your own.
I really tried to be fair and show different points of view (while pushing my own, of course). If anyone feels other points of view, I invite you to add to the discussion in my guide and post alternative builds. -
Quote:I have to disagree with much of this advice. My suggested build was intended to be a all purpose leveling build -- that's why I put it in three steps. I then had a final build with IOs that can be a level 50 respec build. The leveling build was intended to be for a player who both solos and teams. For a mostly solo character, I might do things differently. For a Team-Only character, I would also do things differently.Originally Posted by EmperorSteele
I should point out that Local_Man's "suggested" build won't do you any good right now, but that's the build you want to "respec" into once you hit 50. See, you're putting off your resurrection ability until last level (because you don't need to slot it for anything), but your teammates in the meantime may expect you to have it.
For NOW, I'd say switch Hasten with Mutation.
Also, re: invisibility. Superior Invisibility and Group invisibility are pretty much swappable. Group invis obviously helps the whole group, but Superior invis will keep YOU safer if you're solo.
What I recommend is that you work on two builds (you can have an "alternate" build that's accessible via any Trainer): A solo build, and a group/teaming build.
For the Solo build, get Superior Invis, hold off on any team buffs for as long as you can (such as Mutation, or even skip it all together), and work on getting Stamina and your pets as quickly as possible. Also, take Flash sooner if you can, it's your only good single-target, damage hold
For the team build, you can put off stamina and hasten, as you'll (hopefully) team with other controllers and defenders who can buff you. At the very least, you can pause while the rest of the team is fighting to catch your breath. In the meantime, you can get Mutation sooner and swap out SI for GI. Work on getting as much of your secondary and AoE mezzes as quick as possible. Flash you can hold off on, too.
Both Ill/Rad is a VERY powerful combination... you may have trouble playing anything else once you get the hang of this build =)
Mutation is entirely optional -- Of my 4 level 50 */Rad controllers, two of them have it and two don't. It depends on how tight the build is. Mutation is nice to have but with Rez inspirations, the ability to combine inspirations, the self-rez you can get as a temp power and the ally rez you can get as a day job accolade, I really find the need to have a rez power has dropped a lot in this game.
Hasten is not optional. You want to get PA up as much as possible once you get to SO level enhancements, and it has a lot of other benefits. I would not want to delay it until 49.
Using the dual builds is a good idea . . . as long as you have plenty of Influence. Having to buy two full sets of Enhancements is expensive for a new player. But it DOES allow you to have two distinctively different builds.
To discuss the OP's original question on Invisibility -- Frankly, a lot depends on your playstyle. With my Ill/Rads, I don't like getting killed much. I tend to use a lot more distraction, with Deceive and my pets, to avoid being detected. I would rather take a little longer to kill off a foe in safety than run in and kill stuff quickly. So, I like having invisibility early. I don't need much defense if the foes don't know I'm there until they are distracted by PA and/or Phantasm's Decoy, Deceive and Spectral terror. SI uses a lot of endurance, but that is not a problem if you are moving a little more slowly. (This is for solo and small team. On larger teams, the tank and/or scrappers will take the aggro, so you mainly need Invis for stealthing missions.) With Invis, you can lead your PA from one battle into the next without drawing attention to yourself. You can avoid fights that can be skipped.
Can you get by without Invis until upper levels or entirely? Sure! (I think I actually suggested holding off on GI until SO's.) But there are some real benefits to having it. If you want to delay SI or GI for a while, I suggest you go to Bloody Bay at level 15 and do the "Patrol Bloody Bay" mission from the Longbow contact. That will give you a 30 minute "Hyper Stealth" temp power -- not full invisibility, but it might be enough sometimes. -
The benefits far outweigh the few problems. I keep a macro to dismiss my pets handy, and I will use it more often now, but it saves time.
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You made a few choices I would have made differently: I will take Hot Feet earlier, and max slot it for EndRdx, damage and a little bit of accuracy and slow. With enough EndRdx, you can run it most of the time.
I'll skip the Leadership pool -- I just don't think it adds enough on a controller to be worth skipping other powers. For example, in your build, dropping Leadership would let you take Bonfire or Smoke, plus Earth's Embrace. Since */Cold does not have a self-heal, Earth's Embrace could be a huge addition. And I really like Bonfire for a lot of uses, including as a "panic button" power.
In Fissure, consider changing to the Posi Blast set instead of Stupify. The stun is erratic, and I feel Fissure's best use is as a damage power. I generally slot 5 Posi Blast and a common Recharge. -
Quote:Ewwww.Originally Posted by Reptlbrain
I did make a snot/earwax mutant controller though.
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Ring of Fire (You called it Fire Cage) is optional. Flashfire isn't. It is the most important control power for a Fire Controller, since Flashfire+Fire Cages is a quasi-hold that keeps the foes in place while you barbeque them with Hot Feet.
Ring of Fire is optional. It is mainly single target damage in low levels, or a way to immobilize bosses and AVs in upper levels. It is useful if you expect to mostly solo . . . in which case you could drop many of the Cold powers.
Except for Flashfire, you listed the key powers in Fire Control -- Char, Fire Cages, Hot Feet, Flashfire, Fire Imps. I would place a high priority on adding Cinders, but Ring of Fire, Smoke and Bonfire are situational and skippable. Personally, I like having Bonfire over either Smoke or Ring of Fire, but I admit that it is situational. -
Like most of the folks in this thread, I'm a big fan of the Dark Miasma and Storm sets. Local Man is a Dark/Elec defender. In effect, he is a Blue-Side Dominator, with tons of controls, debuffs and blasts. With Pet Gaze + Tesla Cage, I can take the Boss out of the fight. I have two pets, in Fluffy and Sparky. Fearsome Stare is great control with a -ToHit Component. And any Dark Miasma player should know to spam his heal on any AV -- which combines a heal with the -Regen. While a Kinetics character supports the melee-types, my Dark Miasma Defender provides more support for the ranged, squishy types, with ToHit Debuffs and a heal centered around me rather than around the foe. For an AV, spamming that heal can keep ranged characters in the battle -- and I can always bring them back if they fall.
Storm is the one secondary for controllers which can add significant damage from the secondary, other than Trick Arrow. This can be the difference in whether a controller can solo effectively. The debuffs and controls in Storm often stack with many of the primary powers to make Storm one of the most effective secondaries for controllers. My personal ranking is Rad first, then Storm -- but it really depends on the character and the team. Rad may be better for a large team, but Storm is often better for smaller teams and solo.
On the Red side, my experience is more limited. I find that both Dark Miasma and Storm are wonderful secondaries for Masterminds. Both increase the survival for the MM and the henchies. I don't find any of the other secondaries to be as effective. -
While I like the feel of Granite being an "ultimate" armor, I would love to (a) not look like a DE and (b) not look exactly like everyone else in Granite Armor. So I would be in favor of the change. I would love to see a new set, however, that still gave you that "ultimate" feeling.
And yeah, I'd like to see the Rock Armor changed to be more symetric and less ugly. It is hard to make a character look good while Rock Armor is on. Especially on Controllers -- I purposefully do not choose the Earth APP on some controllers because of how it makes the character look bad. Some kind of stone plates would be better . . . and maybe a lot more stone plates for Granite. -
Quote:Since I pretty much ALWAYS go against +2 and +3, yeah, I would say it is useful. The duration of FF is never long enough to kill off minions and Lts with Hot Feet alone for me. If the erratic Imps focus on a foe, it dies pretty quickly, but I can't rely on that when there are a lot of foes.Originally Posted by StratoNexus
If almost the whole spawn is stunned and immobilized, what do you need the hold from CC for? By the time my Flashfire wears off, the minions are dead and any surviving Lts are held and/or seconds away from dead.
I understand the stacking on a boss, but as I stated originally, I normally only run on small teams, so my boss fights are few, and then Char is plenty. I have run on big teams: with a tanker, I have no need of CC; the few big teams I have been on without a good alpha eater/aggro tanker, I think I could have made good use of CC. I am concerned once I turn my difficulty up, but I was thinking of only making the enemies spawn as if I was 6 players, which still keeps the boss count low. I was thinking about going +2, which would spawn +3s as well, and that might make the duration of Flashfire shorter than comfortable.
If I were to drop CC in, I know it needs slotting. I would drop Tough (and then Weave), which I have found to be very helpful at mitigating those surprise adds and the damage of those first few seconds before I have the lockdown/debuff applied, but CC does appeal to me as well. How would I slot CC, and is CC still useful vs. +2s and +3s?
I haven't really played my Fire/Rad since I-16 hit, so I can't suggest how to set the settings. My Fire/Rad is just about my favorite character for the Statesman's TF, with its large numbers of foes, lots of add-ins, and with a good team, lots of fast moving action. I can't wait for FF to recharge for each spawn (unless we have a Kin speed boosting me, and even then not always). Because of the mechanics of CC, it doesn't always hold all foes in range, but the combination of HF+CC is great because those not held are slowed and "afraid" -- trying to run out of the area. Fire Cages holds them in the area, but stops the "afraid" mechanism so that they can take a shot or two at me before CC hits and holds them.
My experience is that without Cages to hold them in place, the foes tend to scatter out of range of RI. Or they all aggro on me . . . except the one with RI anchored on him, who runs away.Quote:I use RI that way as well, but I have found it works fine without Cages, and it is often convenient to allow the enemies to move anyway so they collapse into a tighter spawn for easier removal. 
I have to admit that I like having my AoE Immobilize and use it a lot in the right situations -- but I don't agree with the majority of Fire/Kins who seem to spam it constantly in all situations. AoE Immob needs to be combined with something else -- a stun, a ToHit Debuff, someone else drawing the aggro or even cover. But when used right, it is very effective control. I discuss some of my strategy in my Earth/Rad guide, but Fire Cages is a bit different because I'm always considering the effect of Containment boosting the damage from Hot Feet.
The Containment for HF makes a huge difference, even if it only works 75% of the time. Plus, I have a Grav Anchor Chance for Hold, and a Trap of the Hunter damage proc. Those added benefits make Cages into a very effective control/damage tool. I have enough global accuracy that it hits quite reliably.Quote:Originally Posted by Local_Man 
On teams, it is even easier. Let the tank run in to get the aggro -- I can save Flashfire or wait for the group to gather more tightly. Flashfire + Fire Cages or run in next to the tank and Cinders, or just Fire Cages to keep them all in the area (in case one was missed -- that way he'll have to stay around for CC+HF and have a chance to get hit by CC's hold). Stand there, char any straglers or anyone moving. The tank can then move on to the next group, knowing that I can finish up this one just by standing here.
This is the biggest time where I wish I had Cages, so I could get contained HF while saving Flashfire for an emergency. Fortunately, RI has been strong enough for me in most emergency situations.
I can tell you that stacked Fire/Rads with the HF+CC combo can kill things in this game faster than anything I have seen in almost 5 years in this game. I have been on a couple of teams of Fire/Rads who literally ran through missions, only pausing for a second to cast AM and to make sure that the bosses drop. We actually had to stop for a few seconds for AVs. My recollection is that a team of Fire/Rads set the speed record on the Statesman's TF -- but that was before some of the more recent changes.Quote:Originally Posted by Local_Man
It is even better with two or more Fire/Rads with the HF+CC combo. Everything in range is held very quickly, even bosses. All we have to do is run around, imps trailing behind, and everything dies. (It's like Amdro and Fire Ants . . . ) You ain't seen nothin' until you have seen a full team of Fire/Rads run though a mission/TF in record time. Just stay together, walk up to a group -- they all die -- walk up to the next group -- It's too easy.
That is true. I have never teamed with another Rad anything, much less another Fire/Rad, so I would not often (or ever) get to benefit from stacking CC. My Rad/Ice defender, OTOH, is made to team with other Rad/Ice defenders, and the stacking leadership and AM make any control unneeded, while multiple ~damage capped Frost Breaths eliminate spawns in seconds.
My Ill/Rad guide discusses the slotting for Choking Cloud. You want to cap the Hold duration, and get as much EndRdx as you can. It doesn't take accuracy, but you can sneak it in as part of a Hold set. However, My Fire/Rad has enough global Accuracy that I don't worry about it. I have the Lockdown Chance for +2 Mag in it, which I love. Due to the mechanics of CC, it really makes a difference. -
Quote:My Fire/Rad is the only character I have where Choking Cloud is NOT skippable. It is really quite simple . . .Originally Posted by StratoNexus
Well, I feel I received some useful information. I will admit I was a bit startled by so many comments on my lack of a travel, but that is not a big deal, I just felt like explaining that I (and my teams) have zero difficulty with or without a travel power.
The most unusual thing in my build seems to be the lack of Fire Cages. I have loathed AoE immobs for some time, although in the case of contained Hot Feet I have a much higher tolerance for it. Of course, I always seem to team with those Fire controllers who run Hot Feet, use Fire Cages, and then stay at range anyway. I did want to take Fire Cages, but since I rarely have anything escape my Hot Feet anyway, I do not see the point.
Choking Cloud is often referred to as skippable, I am not sure why I need to hold enemies that are either stunned or debuffed so much they rarely hit. THe imps also help keep some aggro off me (although not a lot). I like Choking Cloud, though, and I am glad to see some recommend it, so I will defintely keep it in mind as a possible addition if I do have troubles.
I like to get information from people, even if they have playstyles that diverge from my own. I can parse the differences in playstyle pretty well normally.
Flashfire and Cinders have a fairly long recharge time -- one shot, and that's all you have for a while. Hot Feet is Slow/Damage/Afraid, but that alone doesn't stop them from shooting at you. Hot Feet takes a while for it to chip away at the health of foes, and it often takes longer than the duration of Flashfire or Cinders. Sure, the Imps can work on three foes at a time, but they do have a tendency to run off. Choking Cloud gives you a toggle hold that has a good chance to hold the foes long enough to be killed off by Hot Feet. Plus, it sets up Containment and stacks with Char, letting you take out Bosses in one shot most of the time. (Take a look at my Ill/Rad guide. I discussed the mechanics of the power there. Although I do not recommend it for an Ill/Rad for the reasons I state there, I love Choking Cloud on my Fire/Rad.)
Standard Strategy: From Range, I Flashfire + Fire Cages. The I run in with Hot Feet and Choking Cloud running. Hot Feet chips away at their health, and after a few seconds, Choking Cloud begins to show that it has a hold on most of the foes in range. As I stand there and let the two toggles do their thing, I look for anything moving and hit it with Char. It there is a Boss, I might hit him with Char first, then EF to chip away at his damage faster. Within a short time, the group is all dead, and I didn't have to work very hard . . . not nearly as clicky as a Fire/Kin.
If another group shows up and starts shooting at me (with Flashfire recharging), then I can hit them with Fire Cages and Radiation Infection, so they miss most of the time.
On teams, it is even easier. Let the tank run in to get the aggro -- I can save Flashfire or wait for the group to gather more tightly. Flashfire + Fire Cages or run in next to the tank and Cinders, or just Fire Cages to keep them all in the area (in case one was missed -- that way he'll have to stay around for CC+HF and have a chance to get hit by CC's hold). Stand there, char any straglers or anyone moving. The tank can then move on to the next group, knowing that I can finish up this one just by standing here.
It is even better with two or more Fire/Rads with the HF+CC combo. Everything in range is held very quickly, even bosses. All we have to do is run around, imps trailing behind, and everything dies. (It's like Amdro and Fire Ants . . . ) You ain't seen nothin' until you have seen a full team of Fire/Rads run though a mission/TF in record time. Just stay together, walk up to a group -- they all die -- walk up to the next group -- It's too easy. -
I think World of Confusion is the only aura that does damage in the Controller APP sets. Lots of folks with Fire/Kins are lately going with the Earth APP, as Fissure recharges fairly quickly, doing damage, knockdown and occasional stun to stack with Flashfire; Seismic Smash is great single target damage (plus a hold); and the armor is Smashing and Lethal defense-based. Plus you get a huge heal/HP boost in Earth's Embrace. Between the armor and the heal, you should be able to make up for Tough and Weave.
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Quote:I agree that under the Fair Use doctrine of the Copyright Law, back-ups of software are allowed for proper use of the software, assuming the backup can be performed without breaching the DMCA. However, most software is also subject to a license in addition to copyright. In the license, the publisher can choose to prohibit backups. Enforcement may be another thing, but legally, the publisher can put that prohibition into the license contract. Most of the time it would be a dumb thing to do as there are technical ways to add protection and the inconvenience to the user would be high, but it could be done.Originally Posted by Willowpaw
They can claim "No backing up" until they are blue in the face. That does not actually trump the rights granted by federal copyright law. I believe the relevant section is 117...
I am not seeing anything there that grants the copyright owner authorization to override the rights granted to the rightful user of the software to make a backup.
I'm sure there is precedent for other works as well. But that will take a bit of extensive digging, and it is way too late at night for me to engage in such a hunt.
(and yeah, I'm a lawyer.) -
This is not the right place. This forum is for Guides. This question should probably be posted in "Player Questions," "City Life" or "Suggestions and Ideas."
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Quote:Originally Posted by Frosticus
How to skip a travel power on x/rad.
A. get lots of +rech for as much uptime on AM as possible.
B. Slot AM with 1-2 runspeeds
C. Get swift slot with 1-2 runspeeds
D. Slot sprint with 1-2 runspeeds.
E. Get powerboost and cast before you click AM.
= ~56 mph (65 mph for the 15 sec pb is actively boosting sprint too)
w/o pb = 44.5 mph
Unslotted superspeed = 64 mph
2 slotted quickness+2slotted swift+2 slotted sprint = 46 mph
F. Get shadow shard flight pack.
OK, I see that, but I can't imagine using up that many slots, plus using two slots in AM that could be used for EndMod. But, I suspect the OP is one of those folks who likes to go against the grain. If so, it is kind of odd to come into the forums to ask for comments on a build without explaining the unusual preferences first. Of course, folks will point out the unconventional things in the build.
A while ago, I tried a non-travel character by 2 slotting Hurdle, Combat Jumping and Sprint all with Jump enhancements. Was it usable? Sure. Did I like it better than Superjump with only its default slot? No. I changed it on a Respec. -
My son was playing around with a Fire/FF that he rolled up, as a witch with a red-n-black color scheme . . . Red and Black on Personal Force Field looks really nice, as do the fire powers in Red and Black.
I did roll up my Fire/Cold over lunchtime . . . all the powers are dark blue and purple or dark blue and black. It is an interesting look.
Did a Respec TF last night, and the new super sideKick is a huge improvement. No more invisible leash. No more worrying about matching up SKs with Mentors. It is a big quality of life improvement. -
Quote:Travel is only one aspect. I find too many strategic advantages to many of the travel powers. Superspeed for fast positioning and stealth. Fly for getting an overview while out of harms way, which is great for those "find X" in outdoor maps. Even teleport lets me get out of Immobilize and slow areas, and past groups in choke points. And all four travel powers allow for fast escapes.Originally Posted by StratoNexus
Then you should take Recall Friend!
The extra 15-20 seconds it takes me to get to most missions after the first person has never been a problem yet. Occasionally it might take me 30-40 seconds longer on those across IP or Talos missions. You don't have to wait for me if that is too long,
I don't wait either, I like to dive into spawns and if you're busy selling, I'll be busy killing. Somehow, someone else is always dawdling more than me.
One of my high points for any low level character is finally getting his travel power. -
Quote:My problem is that I don't run with PUGs much. I have three buddies that I regularly team with . . . all are very good players and don't die much. So Fallout is mostly a wasted power pick. I still have it on my Earth/Rad, but don't use it all that much.Originally Posted by MaHaBone23
Back to my point about playstyles- I LOOOOOOOVE Fallout. Call it situational, sure, but its a situation that happens frequently, especially on PuGs. A massively debuffing nuke? Yes please!
I'll confess... on more than one occasion, I've been... slower than I should with the Healing aura in the devious, gleeful anticipation of busting a Fallout off a luckless teammate's ***. >:-) -
Been playing a little, but still have a long way to go. First thing I did was to make changes to Area Man, my first 50 and #1 controller. He has a Mardi Gras colored outfit, so PA became Green and Purple . . . maybe not the most attractive, but everyone will know they are mine. Spectral Terror looks really nice in Dark Purple -- much spookier. Same with Phantasm. Most of the other Illusion powers don't really have that much to color. My Rad powers have some nice variety that will be useful . . . each of the three Rad Debuffs now have a different color, so I can see which ones apply.
Still thinking about a */Cold controller. As much as I love Illusion, I already have 3 Illusionists at 50 and another at 40. For Earth, I have my Earth/Rad at 50, an Earth/Storm at 39 and another at 21, plus an Earth/Kin in the 20's. Ice? Of course Ice/Cold go together thematically, but I have an Ice/Storm at 50, and Ice is so low damage that it could only be a team-support character -- my usual group does not seem to want to start up new characters on Guardian lately. Fire/Cold? Nice Dichotomy and Fire has the damage. I find it hard to imagine Fire with anything other than Rad or Kin, or maybe storm, but that may be where I go.
On the Earth control visual changes, I'm finding that I really like the Crystal set for most of the stone sets. I already changed my WP/Stone tank to red crystal and it looks really nice . . . but I have yet to play around with the colorization on Earth Control much. I haven't pulled up my Earth/Storm, Dirt Deveel (fans of Robert Lynn Aspirin will get the reference), but he might be a good one for the Lava effects. -
Quote:Bonfire and Mutation are both situational powers, so I agree that both of them are optional. I have Bonfire, but only have a Recharge in the default slot. I find lots of uses for it, however.Originally Posted by MaHaBone23
I'm very tempted to drop the Fire epic in favor of Psi, just to get that Mez protection. The duration/recharge on it of very disappointing, tho'. And i will miss Consume.
World of Confusion might just seal the deal, however, especially with a fresh new color. Hotfeet + CC + WoC = pretty-colored mayhem!
There seems to a HUGE variety of playstyles, for controllers in general and for Fire/Rad's especially. I've always skipped Bonfire and Mutation, since my Frad is starving for slots AND powers.
I left out Smoke, Ring of Fire, Mutation and Fallout. If I could, I would fit in Mutation, but I would have to give up my level 49 power, Super Speed. While I rarely take two travel powers in most characters, it really seems to help this one. SS+ a stealth IO gives me Invisibility if I need it (so less of a need for Smoke), and the ability to run around quickly to pull the imps into position, or run in and hit Cinders, is so very nice. -
Quote:Hey, if you enjoy the character, that's fine. I find a travel power to be fun . . . and as I indicated, Fire Cages and Choking Cloud are two of my main powers for my standard strategy. Even if Flashfire is recharging, I can still use Fire Cages + Radiation Infection for a quasi-hold -- they can't move and have trouble hitting us. I also have the Grav Anchor "Chance for Hold" proc in my Fire Cages, which I see going off all the time, as well as a damage proc. I pretty much spam Fire Cages while I keep them held with Choking Cloud, so those procs have lots of chances to hit.Originally Posted by StratoNexus
Nah, Fire Puddles is three year old character. I skip travel powers quite frequently and I am almost never the last person to a mission door. I take a travel for concept or if I have room and nothing else fits concept anyway. I can go to the TV reactor with sprint and Hurdle in less than 3 minutes, so its not a bother to skip my travel (AM also helps a lot).
Flashfire + Hot Feet gives me my AoE damage and much of my mitigation. Fire Cages would be a nice addition, but I haven't really had any issues without it. I Flashfire as I jump into the middle, it is rare for enemies to wander out of the Hot Feet while disoriented (although since I have the Stupefy: KB proc in Flashfires (and Fissure) for giggles, I do often scatter them, I will most likely remove them soon, but it still makes me cackle everytime I scatter the heck out of the baddies).
As far as engaging multiple spawns, I find the toggles work fine on adds, as does Fissure and LR if they are recharged. I play on Unyielding, so I mostly fight +1s and +2s, maybe with the new difficulty slider I will feel the lack of extra controls, although I will probably only bump it to +2s and +3s. I will keep in mind the Choking Cloud and Fire Cages recommenadtions in case the higher difficulty with I16 becomes problematic.
My teams move fast, too fast really. We will often run into rooms of doom uncaring and aggro multiple spawns (and generally we are all squishies). This, naturally, causes the occasional insta-death and Vengeance then Fallout are very useful to me. I really wanted to fit in Mutation as well, but Weave was too tempting (we made it this far with just awakens
).
But if you have a substantially different playstyle than mine, then it is hard for me to make many suggestions. One thing I noticed is the Stupify set in Fissure . . . the stun isn't all that reliable, so I prefer to use Posi Blast for the damage. -
Quote:I was on an ITF last night on my BS/Shield scrapper, where an Ill/Storm would occasionally use Gale and a few other stormie tools to knock foes away from me. It only happened occasionally, so I put up with it -- but a couple of times, I had a nice big group, so I popped Build Up in anticipation of using Shield Charge . . . when the group flew apart. Grrrr.Originally Posted by Nuclear_Winter
I like Ill/Storm, well anything Storm. It takes effort to make it good on a team, and most don't. As a tank, I get very annoyed very quickly when one spamming powers just because they are up. Gale, Hurricane, Tornado, and even your pets need a little discretion when teaming. By no means am I saying that I wont group with one, but I will stop taunting the ones (all?) that your screwing up.
Last night I ran with one that I swear was on auto follow with hurricane running and gale on auto fire.
My main controller is Fire/storm and largely focused around knock back, and I love it. It's just hard to put up with people who fling everything everywhere.
Please be considerate of the melee types and don't use your knockback powers on groups near them.