Local_Man

Take a look at Maltese Knight's Axe Guide. It does not incorporate two changes . . . the animation and name of Gash and Beheader were swapped, but not the damage, and now Penduluum does knockdown instead of knockback. It used to be that Gash was the tier 1 power and Beheader was Tier 3, but Gash has a longer animation than Beheader. So, they swapped the position of the two powers, adjusting the damage to match the tier level. (However, to me, it seems like a power called "Beheader" should do more than minimal damage but I understand why it was done.) The knockdown in Penduluum was a very welcome change, especially for those armor sets that need foes near to increase the buff, like Invul, WP and Shield.

On my Invul/Axe, standard slotting for all the axe attacks was 1 Acc, 3 Dam, 1 EndRdx, 1 Rech. With the Ice primary, you may not need as much EndRdx in upper levels, since Energy Absorbtion will refill your blue bar on a regular basis.

I skipped Chop leveling up, and it was slow. At Level 50, I have everything from my Axe set except Chop. You may want to consider taking it in low levels, then dropping it once you can fit Swoop into your build. I have thought about trying to replace Beheader with Chop, but that would mean giving up one more power choice for a slightly better attack, and my build is really tight.

If you really want to get fancy/Complex, you can use an old program called CityBinder.

Unfortunately, it is out of date as it does not include several of the newer power sets and newer emotes, but you can get around that by manually inputting the power names from the new sets. The Author, Monorail, left the game a while ago.

I still use this program for every one of my many characters. It has a lot of complex bind systems built in, including several versions of buffer binds. It has two different systems for buffing teammates and pets. It has the Kheldian form switching binds. It has a wonderful set of binds for Masterminds, allowing you to set Bodyguard mode with one keystroke, and then order the Henchies to attack while still in Bodyguard mode. It has complex binds that allow you to cycle binds so that the same key will do different things. It allows me, in a matter of seconds, to set up a custom bind set-up for each character depending upon the powers of that character, and yet load up a standard set of binds for the things that you want every character to do.

Just a warning: One of the really neat options is the "Speed-On-Demand" binds. That creates a bind system that automatically turns on Sprint every time you press a direction key, then turns it off when you release the key. For Fly, it allows you to do the same thing to switch between Hover and Fly (I love this on my Blasters). It allows you to save a lot of endurance without having to think about switching toggle powers. The problem is that once in a while you get "stuck" in run mode, and you have to hit a simple keystroke (Ctrl-R is the default) to re-set the SoD binds. I find the convenience to be worth the occasional problem, but not everyone will.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hamidon can now kill Phantom Army.

[/ QUOTE ]

? Haven't heard that one since I haven't done a raid in a long time.

[/ QUOTE ]
I believe that capability was added back when they revamped the Hamidon Raids in Issue 9.

[/ QUOTE ]

Some of us who regularly attended Hami Raids as part of the Illusion Drop Team quit at that point. It was a fun social event, hanging out above Hami and dropping our Phants while we chatted. The new Hami ruined all that. I have attended two or three Hami Raids since then but it is just not the same. The old gang left and a few have left the game, in part due to the loss of our fun little weekly get-togethers.

[Begin Rant]And it still really bugs me to have Hamidon be able to destroy PA. It completely breaks the concept. Nothing could destroy PA because they weren't real. It would have been better to have Hami ignore PA, but that may not have been possible with the Game Engine. [End Rant]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
They most definitely do NOT suck! Especially in characters that can summon multiple versions of the same pet that the proc is slotted in.

I have one in my Illusion troller's Phantom Army

[/ QUOTE ]

It's my understanding that the Soulbound proc is worthless in PA because PA are immune to buffs. I would love to be wrong on this.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is not correct. I used Tal_N's slotting for my PA, and the proc works to give spikes to my PA's damage. I think it works because the buff comes from the slotting actually in the power, rather than an external buff. I give the slotting as an option in my Ill/Rad guide. The only major downside to that slotting is that you don't get any global Recharge, which you can get from the Expediant Reinforcement set.

Several of the APP sets got an extra choice: Earth got Seismic Smash, Ice got Frost Breath, Primal got Torrent. No changes to Psi or Fire.

The Pet recharge nerf really affected Fire/Kins, making Speed Boost only affect the run speed of the Imps and not their attack speed. As a result, many of the more selfish Fire/Kins don't even take Speed Boost any more. (Seems silly to me to skip one of the best team buffs in the game.) One of the reasons for the Pet Recharge Nerf was to help Rocky, Jack Frost and Venus Fly Trap (a/k/a Audrey II or "Twoey") have more effective attack chains. Rocky was changed from having Stone Mallet to a limited version of Seismic Smash.

The net effect of the Pet Recharge Nerf and AI changes are that Jack Frost and Twoey are clearly better, and Rocky is MUCH better. Add one or two pet Resistance Procs and Rocky is darn near unkillable.

Controllers have the Thermal set as a secondary choice.

There was a small change to Mind's Confuse to make it animate a little faster. Now Confuse and Illusion's Deceive are the same power.

The key powers in Plant are Strangler, Roots (slotted up for damage), Seeds of Confusion, Carrion Creepers. Each of these should be taken as soon as they are available. Venus Fly Trap is strongly, strongly recommended. Vines is a good idea, but not essential.

Entangle, Spore Burst, Spirit Tree are entirely optional. Spore Burst is the most frequently skipped power, as AoE sleeps have limited benefit on teams or a build that does AoE damage. For an Empathy secondary, Spirit Tree can easily be skipped, or it can become an important additional boost to the Regen Rate for your team. Entangle can be a damage power if you want.

[ QUOTE ]
All pets are now immune to recharge buffs and debuffs, so you can't boost Lightning Storm's strike rate with Hasten anymore.

The biggest change to Gravity I can think of is there are more objects on the list of things Propel can shoot.

[/ QUOTE ]

The change to Pet Recharge goes a little farther than that . . . it used to be that sets with Recharge would boost the recharge rate for Lightning Storm, making it do a LOT more damage . . . but that was nerfed, so that Recharge in any pet, like Lightning Storm, only boosts the recharge time needed to cast another one, and has no effect on the frequency of lightning strikes.

I have duo'ed my Ice/Storm with another Storm . . . Actually, it was Mental Maden's Storm Defender, and it WAS a lot of fun. Unfortunately, my Grav/Storm is over on Protector. But I can see where two Grav/Storms together would be effective, as long as they communicated with each other regarding when and where to use Wormhole.

[ QUOTE ]
It's true that illusion is easier (and that's where its porpularity and legend status come from) but the difference is comparable to an automatic and a manual transmission car; the automatic car is easier to drive, but once you've learned what you're doing the manual shift car will outperform the automatic in potency, speed and traction.

[/ QUOTE ]

And how many people prefer a high performance (looking) automatic transmission car? A lot. They want a car (character) who performs at a high level without having to put in a lot of effort. Ill/Rad is probably the easiest character to play at a high level with less effort and skill -- which is why it is such a powerful build. Put a high level of effort, skill and strategy into it, and it gets even better. It may never be as quick (high damage) as the manual transmission car (Fire/Rad), but it is pretty darn good and good enough for most.

[ QUOTE ]
Been inactive for over a year, but I am sure Grav/Storms still kick hiney.

I have come back to CoH for some lol's and to shamelessly support and defend Grav/Storms again.

[/ QUOTE ]

Your guide is a bit out of date, but still has some nice strategy suggestions.

After years of looking down my nose at Gravity, I finally committed myself to getting one high enough to get to the better powers. I have been playing a Grav/Storm quite a bit lately, almost entirely solo. And I have to say it has become one of my favorite solo characters.

I was critical of Gravity for several reasons:
(1) it has very low AoE control. In low levels, your only AoE control is an immobilize, which I barely consider to be AoE control. Then you get GDF, suffering the usual problem of AoE holds (Accuracy penalty, short duration and looong recharge). I had trouble making it to level 26 to get to Wormhole.

Even Illusion's Phantom Army provides good AoE distraction as an effective form of soft control at 18 . . . and that lasts for 60 Sec. Every other set has some kind of good AoE control by level 18.

(2) Grav is pretty boring, with the exception of three powers, Propel, Wormhole and Singularity. And Propel's long animation makes it mostly worthless on teams. I had teamed with several Grav controllers, and was never impressed with their power sets . . . not like the impressive effects of Ice Slick or the several Earth AoE powers.

(3) All sets have a power or two that are skippable either because the effects are not all that useful (AoE sleeps) or have limited benefits for teams (single target immobilize). But usually even the skippable powers had some easy-to-see benefit. While the Single target immobilize was skippable on most sets, it is an important power for Gravity controllers, indicating how weak the set was. And then there is Dimension Shift, which was widely viewed as a stinker (along with all other Intangibility powers).

(4) Gravity had decent amounts of single target damage, but only the Hold would keep the foe out of the fight. Compare this to Mind, which has single target damage with more powers to keep the foe out of the fight. The AoE damage is virtually non-existant, lower than any other set other than maybe Ice. (Even Earth has Stalagmites.)

But solo, I have found that Grav/Storm is really quite fun . . . not necessarily fast, but fun. The single target damage of GD-Crush-Propel does pretty good damage. It seems to require more strategy than most sets. I have to gage whether the DoT will be enough to finish off a foe, or if I need another attack. I find myself doing a lot of "duck and cover;" Pulling one foe, hiding around a corner to avoid damage from the others while I take the one out. Hurricane, rarely used with other */Storm controllers, has become a key power to hold off others while I take down one foe.

And then there is Wormhole . . . a really fun power that requires some strategy to use well. I have to find a lot of ways to hide from the aggro while it activates, but when it does, it is fun to throw foes up against the wall or ceiling, or even straight up in the air. Then I have to figure out what will keep the foes busy while I take then down one at a time -- Freezing Rain + Crushing Field, or Thunderclap or Hurricane, or even Hold one, Gale the rest so that I can hide around a corner.

At level 29, I'm really looking forward to getting Singy, and then those nice juicy late storm powers. So, I have to say, as a long-time controller, that Grav/Storm has been a lot of fun to play and a bit of a challenge.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Ill/Rad has long been the build that is viewed as the "AV Killer." Fire/Rad is awesome, but doesn't have the same protection of three invulnerable tanks. I'm not doubting that you can do it, but it may be that you are just that good. When lots of folks can do it, that suggests that it is the build that is the cause.

[/ QUOTE ]

ill/rad is only percieved as "better" by the general public, but I've come to the conclusion that it's mostly an Urban Legend of CoH.

When fighting these targets, survivability only matters to a certain extent. Once you're at a point where you can survive, having more survivability is irrelevant, at this point it is the offense that makes the difference between the good and the best. Fire/Rad is superior to ill/rad in this aspect.

I'll make sure to post screenies to back my claims soon enough

[/ QUOTE ]

I think your perspective may be a little different than mine. I suspect that you are talking only about maxed level 50 fully IO'ed out builds. And even then, a "Perma PA build" is pretty easy to put up against an AV, while a Fire/Rad is going to need a bit more work. Against that single powerful target, a Fire/Rad has more limited options.

Ill/Rad gets very good as soon as Phantom Army is available at 18. Every level adds more tools, but PA makes the set special. And that's part of the issue . . . Ill/Rad is great against tough targets while leveling up.

My Fire/Rad didn't really start to shine until I got Choking Cloud slotted up. And then got better with Fire Imps at 32. Sure, my level 50 Fire/Rad is great, but getting there was harder than my Ill/Rads. Fire/Rad is inherently great for AoE damage, but not really inherently great against single targets. (Of course, you can build one more single-target oriented.) Ill/Rad is inherently more suited for a single target focus. So, my point is that it is easier to make a single-target oriented Ill/Rad that anyone can play well. So Ill/Rad deserves its reputation.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the MA and SS vids. But I fail to see what is so exhausting about sitting there talking to people.

[/ QUOTE ]

You've obviously never been to / worked at a convention booth.

Imagine a mile-long hike, through a swamp. A noisy, hot, smelly swamp.

That's one-way through the con building. Now, imagine that around 50 thousand people are also trying to go through that same smelly loud swamp. To get to YOU. To ask you questions. You have to stand there, make sure your booth isn't falling apart, making sure that no one's stealing your equipment, creating nasty words on your screens, badmouthing your product, trying to get company secrets, asking valid questions that require 20+ minutes to answer...

If you have ever worked retail or food during a huge lunch rush? Multiply that by about 60x and you have a brief glimpse of the convention.

Oh yes: they're not sitting. There are a total of 2 chairs at that booth and one of them was Nakayama's. they did have a little back room but "little" being the key word there. They stand 10 hours a day doing this.

Try it some day. Guaranteed that if you spend most of your time behind a computer desk typing? You're not gonna want to stand more than an hour before you get a huge back and foot ache.

[/ QUOTE ]Try my job. I work in factory walking around 8-12 hours a day, sometimes 7 days a week, in steel toed boots on a concrete floor. I work with 300 degree steam heated presses. The temp and humidity are often quite high, and added on top of heavy lifting and manual labor. I do that at least 5 days a week, at least 8 hours a day every week of the year. So give me a break, standing around in a crowded Con for a couple of days is nothing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Chill out . . . sure, since you do that kind of hard work everyday, it might be easy. And no question that what you describe is hard work.

But for those of us who sit on our backsides all day, every day, working at a keyboard, then 10 hour days on one's feet is totally exhausting. I've done it and know how tired I was at the end of the event.


Thanks for posting all this stuff for those of us too far away/poor/time deprived to attend the con.

[ QUOTE ]
Damage is the last stand, the hardest hurdle to overcome that makes some AVs/GMs simply not killable. As always I like to be proven wrong, show me an ill/rad who has killed Diabolique or a DE Monster with no temps/insps (just to mention a couple)

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't say that I have done it, but there have been many, many claims on these boards by players who have had their Ill/Rads solo every AV and Monster in the game (other than Hamidon). I recall a long thread by a guy who had video of when he beat Lusca solo, and I believe he had beaten every AV.

Ill/Rad has long been the build that is viewed as the "AV Killer." Fire/Rad is awesome, but doesn't have the same protection of three invulnerable tanks. I'm not doubting that you can do it, but it may be that you are just that good. When lots of folks can do it, that suggests that it is the build that is the cause.

Well, not really. But I have to admit that I haven't tried it. I played around with Salt Crystals some and found it to be lacking even though it looks cool.

Salt Crystals (at City of Data) is a mag 3 Sleep with a 50% chance of Mag 4 for a shorter time (18 Sec for the mag 3, 13 sec for added one mag.) That means you only have a 50% chance of getting a boss, and then it won't last very long. You still need a higher Mag amount on AVs, but you can't stack mag unless you have a Sleep that won't disturb sleep. Plus, you would need to a fair amount of Recharge (not impossible) to make its Recharge be fast enough to match its duration, even slotted up.)

Most importantly, Salt Crystals is a PB AoE sleep -- meaning you have to get "up close and personal" to use it. So you have to avoid aggro when using it, hope it hits and then try to avoid aggro when it misses.

Mind Controllers have much better options to stack Mag on an AV, with good AoE and single target Sleep powers. The AoE doesn't draw aggro, so it is perfect for stacking Mag. Earth doesn't have those options.

[ QUOTE ]
Good Evening,

I came back from a CoH hiatus to my 23 Fire/Kin. Introduced to AE, I am now 37, on the cusp of hitting 38 and getting FS.

When I played this in the oldy moldy days, I built him with soloing large spawns in outdoor zones in mind. I had gotten to be ok at it, but that's kind of a days of yore mode. Nowadays, I find myself on teams, particularly AE and I have some questions to make sure I am on the right track. I have been scribbling these down as a I play, so I apologize if it's long-ish.

[/ QUOTE ]

Welcome back! Don't limit yourself to AE missions . . . There's a lot of fun stuff outside of the AE building. I prefer to run TFs and story arcs for the Merits, and I find the players to be more fun outside of AE. Croatoa, Rikti War Zone and Cimmeroa have good stuff.

[ QUOTE ]
1) Should I be running Hotfeet on teams? I had it slotted up, due to its important damage role solo, but I am worried that on teams, its getting me unneeded aggro for relatively little return.


[/ QUOTE ]

I generally run Hot Feet most of the time . . . but my playstyle is such that I let others do their jobs, like letting the Tank grab aggro or the Scrappers run into melee first. I mainly turn off HF when trying to Stealth/Run Through an area quickly, or if I need to save endurance. Other than that, it is on most of the time.

[ QUOTE ]
2) Should I popTransference every time it comes up for the debuff aspect, even if everyone on the team is max-ish endurance?

[/ QUOTE ]

Endurance Drain has much less value than it used to. Unless you have a teammate with -Recovery, it only provides limited benefit. Save Transference for when you need it to refill blue bars.

[ QUOTE ]
3) Is there an optimal order to interweaving Fire Cages and Flashfire? I am worried that the disorient might be messed with by the immob, somehow. On "boss" style mishes, FF doesn't appear to be doing the disorient, and I assume that's from them being bosses resistant to the status change, but wanted to check.

[/ QUOTE ]

Flashfire (as described at City of Data) , like most AoE controls, is Mag 3 with a 20% chance of one more mag for a shortened time. That means that it will only stun bosses 20% of the them IF IT HITS, so the actual chance is lower depending upon the comparable level of the foes. So, your odds of stunning a Boss-level foe are not good. However, if you or a teammate have another Stun power, the mag can be stacked to stun bosses.

So check with your teammates. If someone else has a Stun, you may want to coordinate together. Otherwise, Flashfire may not be worth using on those AE Boss Only farm missions. On Regular missions with lots of Minions and Lts, Flashfire+Fire Cages is an essential strategy for any Fire Controller.

[ QUOTE ]
4) Is there a good way to see if SB is on people other than the teeny, baby, tiny, lolz icons that grow to the right of the team screen? I have a 22" monitor and I cant hardly see those teeny icons to tell a boot from a what-have-you.

[/ QUOTE ]

As stated above, HeroStats can help. It is best just to buff your teammates on a regular basis, and a good set of binds really helps. I always bind selecting each teammate and giving Speed Boost to the number keys on my Keypad, allowing me to hit each teammate with one touch of a key. Then I have ID bound to "0" if I want to bother with it.

[ QUOTE ]
5) When should I switch to IO's? This totally confuses me. I am getting SO's from tickets, but I am not sure when to get IO's. Do I wait to 50? I have 250-300 million from my last COH hurrah, and I want to save that for the big permanent IO's I get for the long haul.

[/ QUOTE ]

There are different beliefs on this. It is important to remember that IOs never expire, even though they increase in effectiveness as they go up in level. Slotting IOs keep you from having to buy a new set of SOs every 5 levels. Some people begin slotting IOs at 25, then upgrade at 35 or 40, and then go for a final build at 50. Level 35 is a great time to slot up with IOs before a final build at 50.

I generally use kind of a haphazzard way of doing it. If a recipe drops or I have a made IO in my base, I use it if it is better than the enhancement I have already in the power. I'm usually mostly full by 30, but I always make sure I am fully IO'ed out by 35. Because of ED, three level 25 IOs are almost as good as three level 35 IOs, but a lot cheaper in the long run (since you didn't have to buy two previous sets of SOs).

I usually start looking towards my final build at 35. Some desireable IO sets cap out at 35 or 40, and I try to get those as soon as I can. Some wait until level 50 and a final Respec.

[ QUOTE ]
6) General Slotting... with FS, should I back off damage? Should I have damage on everything like char too? Is the ultimate goal to get recharge way down? I dont have hasten ATM, but I am going to respec into it. I know there is not a simple answer here, I guess my best way to say this is, what should be my guiding principle for slotting?


[/ QUOTE ]

I don't reduce my damage slotting because of Fulcrum Shift, because too often, I don't get full capped FS benefits. Not every spawn is a big group, especially if you want to solo at all. Sometimes I just use Siphon Power on single foes or small groups, saving FS for the next big group.

[ QUOTE ]
7) Is there any way in the chaos to see if you have the full 3 imps out? I see an imps icon on my buffs, and sometimes it says 2, which I don't get, as I cant have it out twice.

[/ QUOTE ]

You have to enable the Pet window, which is set to disable by default. Why? I have no idea. Go to options, and look in the second grouping of options for the Pet Window option. Enable it. The go to your team listing tab, and on the upper left edge of the window, it should let you pull out the Pets window. I keep that out at all times.

Take a look at my Earth/Rad guide, link in the sig. More info on an Earth/Rad than you can imagine.

I mention a few of them in my Ill/Rad guide, in the long section on Deceive strategy. I love using Deceive on BP Shamen, both Storm and Avalanche.

SAPPERS!

I have been successful at Deceiving AVs a few times . . . it takes stacking it a lot just when the purple triangles drop. Then they turn around and use their Alpha Strike to wipe out their minions all around them.

Anytime I'm standing around, waiting for the rest of the team to show up, I like to see what I can stack Deceive on. I like to put it on two Lts near each other, then take bets on which one will win.

You, sir, are a cruel, cruel man . . .

[ QUOTE ]
Congrats! Enjoy your character. Remember, there is no harm in trying out ALL the powers. In fact when one or more power sets are new to you, it is a good idea. Later, say in the late 20s or early 30s, you can respec and drop the ones you didn't like.

Have fun!

Lewis

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree . . . kind of. Think twice about trying out Dimension Shift . . .

My Thugs/Dark MM just, on a whim because I hadn't tried it or any other Intangibility power before, took Black Hole at 35. I have a Dark/Elec defender, but had never tried Black Hole because I heard that it stinks. I tried it, and it does. Stink, I mean -- big time. I can see a rare situation or two where it might be useful if I remember that I have it and use it, but frankly, I'd rather take the debt. That power is going bye-bye the moment I get around to using a Respec. Ugh.

[ QUOTE ]
Ok, so I'm about to roll a grav/kin troller after rerolling him as a million different things. I've read basically all the kin guides on the controller and defender forums, and there are still a few things that I wanted a bit wider of an opinion on, so here they are:

1. Is siphon power skippable after getting FS at 38? Is there a damage cap, and if so, does FS already meet that when used on it's max of 10 enemies?


[/ QUOTE ]

I prefer to have Siphon Power, mainly for when you are going against single targets, but it is not necessary. On one of my Kin Defenders I skipped it to keep Repel, just for fun, but I will add it back in on his second build. I have Siphon Power on all my other Kins.

[ QUOTE ]
2. Does Increased Density get less use out of a controller? How skippable would you rate ID as a controller? Would people be less likely to team with a /kin that doesnt pick up ID?

[/ QUOTE ]

This is another power that I much prefer to keep, mostly for teaming but it is nice on my Fire/Kin (No PLing or AE for me!) to keep my Imps from getting knocked back. On teams, it is handy for teammates who get mezzed or who just used a wakie, or someone who keeps getting knocked back. It also adds some nice resistance. On a Grav/Kin, it is nice to have for your teammates, but if you expect to solo mostly, I'd skip it since it will do virtually nothing for your Singy.

[ QUOTE ]
3. With Transference and Conserve Power from the Primal Forces Ancillary, would Stamina still be needed?


[/ QUOTE ]

My Kin/Elec Defender skipped Stamina, and I often regret it. At the end of a battle, when everything is dead, you have to wait a long time to get back that endurance. OR, if Transference misses, you are in deep trouble. For a Controller and depending upon your playstyle, you may spend more of your time focusing on control powers and may not be focused on being in the right place at the right time to get that boost from Transference. I would suggest you take Stamina, and you can skip Conserve Power instead.

Great summaries by Lewis and hilker. I personally build most of my Stormies with Super Speed. Steamy Mist + Super Speed = full invisibility, plus that mobility with SS really helps getting in position for using powers like Hurricane, Gale and Lightning Storm for maximum effectiveness.

I have an Ice/Storm and Ill/Storm up to 50, and I'm working on a Grav/Storm, Plant/Storm and Earth/Storm. All of them are very different.

I find the Grav/Storm is a great solo character, but lacks a bit on teams due to the lack of AoE controls. Plus, some teams have no patience for you when you want to set up Wormhole for extra fun. I can take my time solo, try to use the Storm powers, especially Hurricane, to act as defense, while I use my hard-hitting single target damage powers to take down the foes.

For a team-oriented control-oriented character, consider an Earth/Storm or Ice/Storm. Earth has lots of ranged AoE controls, while Ice/Storm can be up front in Melee with the Tanks and Scrappers. Neither one has much damage from the primaries, though, so they are not good solo characters.

Ill/Storm is very flexible. Great on teams and solo, but on teams you have to limit your use of some of your more chaotic powers. Tal_N has a great Ill/Storm guide.

Plant/Storm and Fire/Storm are more focused on AoE damage. I have one of each, but neither is high enough for me to say much about them from experience.

While each has the same Storm secondary, the playstyle is different with each primary. What do you want your character to do? If you want more of a team character, you may want to consider a primary other than Gravity. But I am finding my Grav/Storm to probably be my favorite controller for pure solo play.

I think Fire Imps would be more accuratly described as one to three single target damages, and not as a single target damage . . . much the same as Phantom Army. Also, does Twoey (Audrey II a/k/a Fly Trap) have a cone attack? or is the "throw spines" power just single target? I need to look that up.

You might want to consider a section on the strategic effect of travel power choices. On my Plant/Storm, I have Super Speed, which combined with Steamy Mist, gives full invisibility. This allows me to get in just the right position to maximize the range of Seeds + Roots. I find the ability to move around quickly and unseen in missions is a key part of my strategy. Plus, that gives me Hasten early in the build, which is, of course, very important to the build.

Another possible consideration is Combat Jumping for the Immobilization protection, or Hover/Fly allows for attacks from overhead.

[ QUOTE ]
Another thing too, if no one mentioned it, when you do get PA to perma, upon recast, the PA currently out will disappear, so for about a second there is no PA at all. Sooooo, from experience, if your PA are taking a considerable amount of agro, then until the new PA hits the enemy, then all agro is focused back on you.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unless Phantasm has been good enough to send out his Decoy, which happens quite often. Phantasm's Decoy makes it very possible to have even a small gap away from "Perma PA" and still be effective, especially against single targets like AVs and EBs.

A couple of points . . . Flashfire is a key power for most Fire Controllers. It is your main Ranged control power. Flashfire quickly followed by Fire Cages has the effect of a full hold, since stunned foes who can't move are effectively held. Standard Strategy is to lead off with Flashfire, Fire Cages, then run in with Hot Feet on to do damage to the foes while they can't fight back. The Fire Imps will take down some of the foes before the Stun wears off. Flashfire should be fully slotted immediately, as it is your main offensive weapon.

To me, the essential powers from the Fire Control set are Char, Fire Cages, Hot Feet, Flashfire and Fire Imps. Cinders is a good idea, but not essential. Ring of Fire, Smoke and Bonfire are all quite skippable depending upon your playstyle. I like Bonfire over the other two, but lots of folks skip Bonfire, and love either RoF or Smoke.

You may want to take a look at my Ill/Rad and/or Earth/Rad guides. There is a lot of information on using the Rad secondary, including some strategy tips. The strategy suggested by Lewis is available to any */Rad controller with an AoE immobilize, and is discussed in my Earth/Rad guide.

Radiation Emission is a great secondary with ANY primary. Gravity has good single target damage, but is lacking in AoE control. I have been working on a Grav/Storm lately, almost entirely solo, and it has been working on changing my attitude towards the Grav primary. As long as you have something to keep the foes from clobbering you while you take them down one by one, Grav is a very good solo set for a controller.

If you feel your build is effective, feel free to add it to the comments to my Ill/Rad guide, linked in my sig. I have asked for folks to post their ideas for perma-PA builds there.

You might want to take a look at my options for slotting Phantom Army, as the options I have listed include capped recharge AND Damage.