Local_Man

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I'm picking up my Earth/Rad again (lvl22) and I happened to run accross this guide. Our builds are almost identical, except thawt I was planning on Earth Mastery also, both for concept, and because I agree with a previous poster, fissure has decent damage + disorrient.

Have you tried IOs in your build yet?
I am just starting to work on an IO plan for mine, and it looks like I can make this guy very hard to hit at range, jsut like I did for my Fire/Storm controller. Ranged defense added to the debuffs from Rad should make it very hard to mezz or hurt me.
another reason to go with Ice or Earth Epic: they have defense based armors.

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Thanks for the nice comments. While I have a few IOs in my build, I have not fully IO'd him out to the max. It would take some serious farming to work up enough influence, and I have been working on other characters on other servers lately. I have a sprinkling of HOs currently, left over from old Hami Raids and more recent STF runs. Still, there's a lot I could do with Brown Dirt if I took the time to work up a serious IO build.

Of what I can recall off the top of my head, I have 5 of the Stupify set in Stalagmites, plus a recharge instead of the knockback proc. I know that I have the Essence of Curare set in EM Pulse, but that is one of the first things I will change if I do a full respec to slot IOs. I have a combination of Blood Mandate and Brilliant Accuracy in Rocky, plus the Sovereign Right +Resistance Proc. Fossilize is loaded with HOs to add damage -- 1 Acc/Dam, 2 Dam/Mez, 1 Acc/Mez HOs, and two Recharge IOs. I like that better than trying to fit in a damage proc.

(I used the Essence of Curare set in EM Pulse because I had several of the recipes drop -- and it was the very first IO set that I made for any of my characters. It certainly was not the result of careful planning.)

I would like to get 3 Enzyme HOs for Radiation Infection -- maximum slotting and you get 3 slots back to put elsewhere. I would like to get 4-5 Trap of the Hunter into Stone Cages with at least 2 damage procs. I would like to get 4 Performance Shifters into AM with two standard Recharge IOs, and a set of Doctored Wounds in Radiant Aura, and of course, the nice Numina's and Miracle procs for Health, plus an extra Numina's Health IO for the regen bonus. I'm sure that there are lots of good IO builds, but I have not worked one up that I have tried.

However, until my Altitis lets up, I'm not expecting to do all that. I added a few IOs after I hit 50, but I have not carefully planned, gathered, crafted and respec'ed into an ideal build. (This is why I did not try to suggest an IO build in the guide, since I haven't done it myself.) I generally like to move on to new characters, and only pull out my 50s for special events.

(I'm currently working on my Invul/Axe tank, my Ice/Ice Blaster, my Ice/Storm controller, my two warshades, my WillPower/Stone tank, my Ill/TA controller, Broadsword/Regen scrapper, a Dark/Dark scrapper, a Kin/Elec Defender, and I've been playing on the Ill/Rad superteam -- and that is just a partial list of my alts on one account. You see why I don't take the time to maximize my 50s?)

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Just FYI, I built the fire axe specifically with you in mind.

"I think players would like a fire axe as a custom weapon...especially that Maltese Knight guy. I bet he'll giggle like a school girl when he sees this."

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Oh, man, that is simply awesome, BAB! It was a great addition to the options, in part due to the respect we owe to our firefighters. My Axer uses both the Fire Axe and the Shovel, but I use the shovel most. (I even have a macro quoting the line from Demolition Man, "Take this job, and shovel it!"

But MK has been one of the staunchest proponants of Axe for a long time, so to do that is, I feel absolutely great.

MK, you HAVE to add that quote to the guide!!!!

Very nice overall. One small suggestion on formatting: The "Alarms" after the power has one line skipped, and then you skip only one line when going into the next power. At first, I wasn't sure whether the rating applied to the power above or the power below.

On Pendulum, I think it depends on whether you want it for damage or damage mitigation/crowd control. I think it would be fair to list it as a 4/5. And in most cases, doesn't Gauntlet make those knocked-back foes get up and come right back to you?

You state that you kept Chop as a replacement for Gash, and used Gash only as a brawl replacement. How did you fit that into your build? In a respec, I went with Hasten/Super Speed for travel just so I could fit in one more power choice. I have to leave out Chop just to fit everything in. Granted, I have Taunt . . . but I have to keep it. I now have about 53 taunt insult binds, and I can't pass up the chance to use them.

I think some basic discussion about slotting would be a good idea, even though you indicate that you'll cover it in a later guide. Maybe just discuss SO or common IO slotting. (I have 1 Acc, 3 Dam, 1 EndRdx, 1 Rech in almost all my Axe powers -- I left the Recharge out of Gash.)

Another suggestion? Add some discussion on Strategy. I have gotten lots of positive comments on my guide due to the section I included on the strategy of using the powersets.

(By the way, despite chronic altitis, Guido is now up to level 44. He'll get there eventually.)

I am delighted to see this back on a limited basis. I thought the event was fun, but it did get a little tiring after a while. But when it came back for occasional days, I thought it was great.

Thank you, Devs, for listening and keeping things fun. And just ignore the old party poopers who may be complaining.

Oh Shoot! I just realized that my number for the -Defense in Quicksand is incorrect. It should be listed as -25%, not -20%.

Thanks for the insight. I have actually used all of the APP powersets on various controllers EXCEPT Earth -- which is why my next controller who gets high enough will use the Earth set. That should be my Ice/Storm, who is level 40 at the moment -- even though the Ice set would probably match better with his theme and playstyle. I can see where the self-heal and +HP of Earth's Embrace will do him a lot of good.

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback! To rate this up with those other excellent guides is pretty nice praise!

This is a great guide -- and it has given me lots of ideas. My WS just hit 20 a few days ago, and I'm having a great time learning to use dwarf form. Your guide has me planning a respec at 22, and changing my mind on some of the powers I was going to take.

I have an 8-button mouse, which is great for my form-switching binds. One button each for Human, Nova and Dwarf. I use the CityBinder program to set up my binds, which has great Kheld binds built in, and it makes it easy to make changes.

Lots of fun! Will the Valentine's event be active then, or afterwards?

Devs --

Thank you for a great year. We have had significant changes to this game, just about all of which have made it better and kept me lovin' it. My entertainment budget goes to CoH over everything else.

The upcoming stuff looks pretty darn nice, too.

Luminara --

This is an outstanding guide, one of the best on the Boards. It gives lots of information to people new to the powersets, and you identify your personal opinions compared to the "common wisdom." Well done and 5 stars. I can't imagine why anyone would give less.

And, your old guide helped me choose to do an Ill/TA, who is now up to 33. I loved my Ill/Rad, but wanted to try out the TA set, and I thought it would work very well with Illusion. It does, and if it weren't for altitis, Beau Jester would probably already be up to 50.

The instructions were a little vague, and I wasn't sure if we should post links to our AT specific guides both here and in the AT specific thread, or just in the AT specific thread.

So, to be safe, the link in my sig is my "Local Guide to the Earth/Radiation Controller."

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Nice bind list, but I saved myself the headache and bought me a G15 keyboard.

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Yep! With my G15 keyboard, I should be able to set up the entire series of attacks as a macro on one G-key. Of couse, if there is a miss, I'll be stuck in the animation until all three execute.

Still, nicely done, OP. Good info!

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Yup it's true, already got mine...

I do feel bad, though, because some folks already booted their extras. They'll still get some, but not twice like others. Ah well, it's a silly oops of a gift, I don't see why anyone'd complain about a second freebie. (hopes. I hopes.)

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Thanks! Yeah, someone will always complain, even though there is absolutely nothing to complain about here. An unexpected freebie!

Thanks, Devs! A nice little suprise gift! This will let me outfit my new base on Protector!

Lighthouse said in today's post:

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In the words of Oliver Twist, "Please, Sir, can I have some more?"

With this morning's maintenance, we had intended to run the prestige grant and debt wipe on the Training Room Test Servers. However, it looks like some villains snuck in and crossed a few wires and it was applied to all the live servers.

Oh well! We hope you all enjoy the added bonus!


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I'm assuming that we get a [u]second[u] Prestige grant and debt wipe? Is this correct?

I don't care too much about the debt wipe, but a double Prestige grant? If this is true, then that is sweet!

I was building a new base last night and ran out of prestige, still lacking a lot of the stuff I wanted.

I agree, Bonfire is a situational power, but wonderful at the right time. I would take Bonfire over Recall Friend in your sample build. Bonfire is very effective with just one recharge

At level 50, I often use it going up against AV's -- throw it at the feet of an AV, and he takes damage while keeping away all lower-level baddies, leaving you and your team free to pound on the AV. This is really nice to use against Dr. Aeon in the STF, as it keeps his spawned EB's away.

If your squishier teammates need protection from melee, throw down Bonfire. It works as a barrier -- baddies on one side, ranged teammates on the other.

Bad guys in a room? Throw down Bonfire in the door, and cast Fire Imps in the room. If any baddies try to run out, they get flung back in while the fire imps go crazy!

There are a number of "keep away" missions througout the game -- like the respec TF. Bonfire can protect one entire side of the Reactor by itself. It works great in the STF to keep the repairmen away from the towers.

Properly placed, Bonfire + corner is a knockdown like Earthquake -- but does damage, too, while it bunches the baddies up.

Bonfire is a nice protection against ambushes from behind. You can use it if another group has aggroed, to keep them away until you are finished with this group.

Lots of other uses, if you just look for them.

I agree with some of the criticism of this guide. I can't agree with a lot of the slotting. Take a look in my guide to see my alternative slotting for Earth powers. For example, slotting Fossilize for 3 Acc is excessive. Fossilize already has a bonus to accuracy, and when you add the fact that you are often using Fossilize on targets who already have the defense debuffed, most of that accuracy buff is wasted in the 95% accuracy cap. Two is plenty, and even that may not be badly needed.

I have to disagree with the previous poster though, when he says:

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I have to disagree with hover. You can't use a lot of your powers in the air...some very important powers too. I sometimes die because I was trying to jump over a conveyor belt in the factory layout missions and couldn't activate stalagmites. Earth/ belongs on the ground.


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The ONLY power in the Earth set that must be set off while on the ground is Stalagmites. Every other power can be blasted from the air. I had my Earth/Rad take Air Superiority and Fly, and thought it worked great. I pretty much stayed on the ground for fights unless there was a lot of knockback . . . and then I would fire off Stalagmites before launching into the air.

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Leaping: Combat Jumping is awesome for a mini-travel power combined with Hurdle. To boot, it covers the Immobilization weakness in Willpower, and provides a further defense, however minor, to all attacks. Super Leaping can be taken later to cover your lack of aerial travel with Super Speed, if you follow my build.


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Didn't a recent patch add protection from Immobilization into Indomidable Will? I think Willpower no longer has that hole. That means that there is no longer pressure to add Combat Jumping to a Willpower build.

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I cant believe there is no Earth/Kin guide. Someone hurry up and get one to 50, or PL mine to 50. He's only 26 or 27 right now

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My new guide is half way there!

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I'm cheering you on, Local!

I've never really played an Earth controller to fruition and thought I'd like to try an Earth/Kin... I'm quite surprised nobody has made one to date.

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I tried an Earth/Kin before I tried the Earth/Rad . . . I liked the Earth/Rad better. I have played a Kin Defender into the 40's so I know the set. The problem I had with Earth/Kin is that Kin forces you to be in melee . . . . while the Earth Control set is all ranged (except for Salt Crystals, which most people skip). Sure, you can use your AoE controls in melee, but it draws a lot of aggro, and the range helps reduce damage (of course, so does RI). When you draw all that aggro, Kin has almost no defensive powers to protect you . . . all you can do is go into melee and heal.

Ironically enough, my character was named. "Dirt Napper," and he spent a lot of time doing just that. However, if you can last out those low levels, a speed boosted Rocky is pretty effective.

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My question is..

Since we only have up to 75 members up till the release of Issue 11, then once it goes live, we can get up to 75 more members.. how much time will there be between going from 75 to 150 members before the Dec 10 prestige increase?

I ask because many groups, mine included, aren't just going to take on 75 more people in a very short amount of time. Some of us run very structured groups that many will not get the full benefits because we just don't take any and all comers. So, it seems that the only people that will benefit this prestige increase will be the prestige farming groups, rather than the RP groups..

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I'm just trying to figure out how to fill an RP only groups roster to 150 before the prestige grant.

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It would be somewhat underhanded, but you could do massive invites just before Dec. 10, and then kick them once you get the prestige . . .

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I cant believe there is no Earth/Kin guide. Someone hurry up and get one to 50, or PL mine to 50. He's only 26 or 27 right now

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My new guide is half way there!

Please add my newly posted Guide, A Local Guide to the Earth/Rad Controller to the Controller section.

Strategies:


General Strategy. In most team situations where the team has a tank (or a scrapper who is tanking, or maybe Phantom Army if you have an Illusionist), you should wait for the tank to enter melee and draw aggro. You will then cast your opening AoE controls (Stalagmites+Stone Cages, Earthquake or Volcanic Gasses), cast Quicksand underneath, and then throw on your Rad debuffs. The order for the debuffs can vary depending upon the situation, but cast RI before LR if possible so LR gets to take advantage of the –Defense in RI. In some cases, like when a Tank is able to gather the aggro, you can choose to fire off RI and even Quicksand before casting the other debuffs to reduce defense and improve your ToHit odds. Once you have laid out your AoE attack and debuffs, survey the battle to determine where your single target hold may do the most good. If nothing else, you can Fossilize the nearest baddie, and go into melee to beat on him with Air Superiority and any Vet attack powers you have (like Sands of Mu) or any temp powers you may have. On some fast moving teams, the bad guys will not last long enough for you to even bother casting your debuffs. If you are on that kind of team, use EF first and then LR, and then only use RI when up against something that will last long enough to merit the effort.

Stone Cages, Earthquake, Volcanic Gasses and Quicksand can draw aggro to you if you open with them. If you don't have a tank on the team, then Stalagmites is usually your best opener. However, Stalagmites has the typical 20% accuracy penalty, so you may miss a few. That's why I like to follow Stalagmites with Stone Cages and Quicksand. If you have good teammates, they will aim for the foes who were not stunned first.

In some cases, you may need to chain your AoE controls . . . it is best to use the fast recharging ones, Earthquake or Stalagmites, in most cases. If you started with Stalagmites + Stone Cages, you can cast Earthquake just before the stun wears off. Since the –knockback from Stone Cages only lasts 12 seconds, the bad guys should start bouncing away for another 30 seconds. Remember that Stalagmites does not interfere with Earthquake or VG. You may be able to “get by” using your early AoE control, RI + Quicksand + Stone Cages, and save the others for the next group.

Although Quicksand and Lingering Radiation are both slow powers, the mechanics of how they work make them very different. Quicksand is ground-based, so it acts more as a barrier. LR is foe-targetted, so it acts more like a debuff. One is not usually a substitute for the other.


When should you use Stone Cages?



In upper levels, you have lots of AoE control to handle most situations. However, in lower levels, learning some strategies for using Stone Cages effectively will make a huge difference.

• Radiation Infection can substantially reduce the enemies’ ToHit in an area around your anchor. Stone Cages keeps the baddies in the area of effect and adds Containment. Baddies caught in Stone Cages and debuffed by RI can’t move, and can’t hit you most of the time. Add in Quicksand to reduce the movement of any foes who might have been missed by SC and for more –Defense. The combination of RI + Quicksand + Stone Cages is almost a hold, and it is available at Level Six! If possible, you can lay down Quicksand and you or a teammate can pull the baddies into the area. Then hit them with RI, and then SC once they are all in the area of RI to lock them into place. Your teammates can then pick them off, hopefully avoiding the anchor for RI, while you keep casting SC and Quicksand as needed.

• Fire off Stone Cages, and then hide behind a corner – a few baddies will initially get to shoot you through the wall (kinda seems unfair!), but once you are out of line-of-sight, you will be safe while the baddies are caught in your cages.

• Because SC may miss one or two, hiding around a corner can work as a pulling technique – the few baddies who were not immobilized will come after you around the corner. If you cast Quicksand at the corner beforehand, then your team will have easy pickings. This is sometimes called the “corner pull.”

• After level 12, you get access to Stalagmites, a targeted AoE Stun. When you cast Stalagmites, the bad guys hit with the power can only wander around, looking kind of drunk for a while. Add Stone Cages, which keeps them from wandering around, and you have a combination that has the same effect as a full hold, but it is available much more frequently than the usual controller AoE holds. This combo is one of the staple AoE hold powers for an Earth Controller, and the first one you get. It is important to note that the Stun does not last as long as the Immobilize, so there will be a short while when the baddies are immobilized but not stunned. You can re-apply Stone Cages before the Immobilize expires, but the recharge on Stalagmites is too long – once it expires, the remaining bad guys are only immobilized. (Cast RI before the stun runs out!)

• On a team with lots of AoE powers, Stone Cages can keep the baddies in place for your teammates’ blasts of doom. Generally, a Fire Blaster’s Rain of Fire is considered to be not very effective because it causes the baddies to scatter. With an AoE Immobilize like Stone Cages, suddenly Rain of Fire (or an Ice Blaster’s Ice Storm) becomes very effective damage.

• In upper levels, you can use Stone Cages to lock down AV’s and EB’s. Although Stone Prison is actually better for single target use, I find that Stone Cages does well enough to lock down most AV’s, and has far more other uses.

Choosing your Anchor.



Choosing an anchor and choosing when to cast RI, EF and LR is an important part of the strategy of Radiation. Know your team, and figure out which foes are likely to be the last to be defeated and where the debuff will do you and you team the most good.

• Many people complain about Radiation’s anchor-based debuffs because of the problem of teammates killing the “anchor.” The Rad debuffs add a green glow to the target that seems to subliminally say, “Hey guys! Kill me first!” You need to understand right up front – your team WILL kill off your “anchor,” and usually before you want them to. It may be frustrating – get over it, and just re-cast the debuffs on the next soon-to-be-corpse. Some people recommend setting up a bind to identify the anchor, hoping that the team will pay attention. I have done that in the past, and don’t bother anymore. Just re-cast.

• Scrappers will often go for the bosses first. Blasters with lots of AoE powers will often wipe out the minions quickly. Often the best choice for your anchor is a lieutenant-level foe, and one near the back of the group. Of course, remember that the debuffs will then aggro him and all the foes around him, causing him to run up to the front and bring friends.

• Your anchor will be free to run around, debuffing other baddies while drawing aggro, unless you restrict his movement with some kind of mez or slow power. Therefore, you may want to plan to use Fossilize, Stone Prison, Stone Cages or some other way to restrict the movement of your anchor(s). If you don’t, your anchor may run off. This is BAD. Not only do you lose the debuff, but as he runs away past other groups, he will aggro them to you. If this happens, turn off RI and EF, and find another anchor. In rare situations, you may leave it on if you need to use the green glow to mark or track the baddie, mainly if this was the guy you needed to kill to free a hostage or some similar situation.

• If you want to use the Stone Cages + RI combo as a long-term quasi-hold, then choose a foe near the back and middle -- whichever foe is likely to be killed last by your over-zealous teammates.

• If the boss is a tough one, I usually cast the debuffs on the boss, and don’t worry if he gets killed off. A dead boss is worth having to recast.

• One interesting choice to try is to cast the debuffs on a foe who has been Deceived or Confused. He will move around to attack his friends, carrying the debuffs with him.

• I suggest you NOT choose a teleporting foe, like a Tsoo Sorcerer or Sky Raider Porter, as an anchor, as that bad guy will teleport away. You will lose your debuffs on the baddies nearby, and he will aggro more baddies to attack you.

• One option is to use different foes as your anchor for each of your three debuff powers. I mainly see this as aggroing more baddies. If any bad guys are aggroed, I would prefer that RI be in effect to keep them from hitting me. However, since LR has to be re-cast every 40 seconds or so, it is easy to change anchors for LR.

• Sometimes, especially in lower levels, RI and/or EF can be used to pull part of a group, who will then come to attack you while being debuffed. This works best on foes who prefer melee attacks. This is a great way to do a “corner pull,” using Quicksand at the corner.

• If there is a foe with annoying mez powers, he is often a good choice for RI, to reduce his chance of hitting his mez – but of course, he will probably be attacking YOU first with that mez.

AOE Controls:

By the time you hit level 26, an Earth/Rad has three opening AoE controls that can be used from range: (1) Stalagmites + Stone Cages, (2) Earthquake, and (3) Volcanic Gasses. All three can benefit by having Quicksand added. The standard strategy is to cast your AoE control of choice, add Quicksand, then add your Rad debuffs, and then use Fossilize and any damage powers to contribute to destroying the enemy. I like to spread my Fossilize around, holding as many as possible. Which of the AoE controls you use, and when you use them, often depends upon your team and the foes you are up against. A key is whether your team has a decent tank, or an Illusion controller who knows how to use Phantom Army.

(1) Stalagmites + Stone Cages is a great opening attack that will stop the alpha attack by the enemy, but both powers require a “ToHit,” so some bad guys will be missed, and if the bad guys are substantially higher level, a lot will be missed. Also, the stun from Stalagmites doesn’t last very long, so unless your team wipes them out fast, the remaining bad guys will start shooting at you – you can help reduce this by using RI. You can keep them immobilized with Stone Cages, but Stalagmites will not be recharged for a while. This looks like a good time to use a corner hiding place. The other downside of (1) is that it is a “one-shot” attack – it will not catch other baddies who come to see what all the fuss is about. However, both Stalagmites and Stone Cages will set up Containment to double damage from you and other controllers, and you get stacked –Defense, too. If you do not have a tank on your team, this is often the best opening attack, as it takes effect immediately, while the other two AoE controls may take a few seconds for the full effect.

(2) Earthquake is a great opening attack when you have foes who are not knockdown resistant. This is often the best opener if the foes are much higher level than you – it does not require a “ToHit.” However, the bad guys will often have an opportunity to take a shot or two at you before they begin bouncing on the ground. If you don’t have a Tank or Rocky grabbing the aggro, you can use your friendly neighborhood corner or other cover. A nice thing about Earthquake, especially combined with Quicksand, is that it makes a great barrier as well as an AoE control power – any baddies who enter the area after it has been cast will get caught in its effect. Earthquake recharges fast enough to be available every fight, but it does not set up Containment. Also, take note of which foes are resistant to knockdown, like those annoying Nemesis Jaegers. Another good time to use Earthquake is just as the stun of Stalagmites is running out (see below).

(3) Volcanic Gasses is an amazing, long lasting hold, but it has a long recharge. Like Earthquake, it continues to work against bad guys who enter the area after the power has been cast. Like Earthquake, it may take a few seconds to catch all baddies in the area, and therefore will benefit from having Quicksand added. Like Earthquake, it also works as a barrier and will continue to catch any baddie who enters the area. VG can be cast around corners and through doorways. One nice advantage of VG is that it sets up Containment for you and your controller brethren, letting you get double damage on some of your attacks. Another advantage is that it builds hold mag for holding bosses and even AV’s and EB’s.

(4) Your fourth AoE hold, EM Pulse, can be saved for “panic button” moments, long battles, AV’s (for the –Regeg) and when you are up against Robots. I find that I rarely NEED EM Pulse, but like to use it every now and then because it is pretty cool to use.


Using your Pet.

Once you get Rocky at 32, you need to learn how to get him into battle. To get him where you want, you either have to cast him there, use Recall Friend, or lead him. Most of the time, I just use my own movement and position to try to get Rocky into the fray. Rocky is a tank, but not a bright one. I recommend getting some kind of stealth. Using Stealth, you can lead him into trouble. I added one of the Stealth IO’s to one of my Prestige sprints, letting me easily turn it on or off. Using a Prestige Sprint for a Stealth IO is the best uses of those extra sprints I have seen. You can use either the Celerity or Unbounded Leap Stealth IOs. Since it works for two minutes after the power is turned off, I can turn it on for just a second, and then move around with Stealth to try to get Rocky in position to take the alpha strike from the bad guys without using endurance. Consider taking Hurdle over Swift, unless you have fly, so you can easily leap over groups of bad guys to lead Rocky into the group.

For smaller groups that are spread out, you can stay back from the group of baddies, turn on your Stealth/Sprint, run around or jump over the group to lead Rocky in, and then go back to a safe spot, as long as it is not too far away. Then you can begin using your AoE controls. If you go too far away, Rocky will disengage to follow you, often bring some of his newfound “friends.” For larger groups, you may just want to sneak up close enough to get Rocky to throw a rock, and then back off to fire off your AoE controls.

If we have a team tank, I generally don’t worry much about positioning Rocky, though. I just move to where Rocky will attack some foe, and then don’t worry about him much, other than keeping an eye on his position and his health. Rocky seems quite well behaved, especially after the AI change in I-10 and compared to Fire Imps. I find Rocky is especially helpful on small teams, where he can tank and is also good at finding bad guys who may be trying to hide.

There are times that you do not want Rocky to be following you, such as if you are stealthing a mission, or being teleported to another part of the map. You can dismiss Rocky by right-clicking him and choose Dismiss, or right-click his name in the Pet Window. You can also use a macro for this:
/macro Pet release_pets


Fighting Arch-Villains.

Here is one place that Rocky really shines, especially against AV’s and EB’s with Psi attacks. (Against the Clockwork King, most Tanks will be happy to let Rocky do the job.) Cast Rocky near the AV, then cast RI, Quicksand, LR and EF. If the PToD are not up, cast Volcanic Gasses and start hitting Fossilize. Otherwise, try Earthquake – this will provide an additional debuff and keep other foes away from attacking your back while your team goes after the AV. If the AV is distracted, run in and fire off EM Pulse for the –Regen and chance to stack the hold. Use Stone Cages, or if you have it, Stone Prison to keep the AV in the Quicksand, and re-cast Quicksand to keep it always on. Recast LR and EM Pulse whenever they are up. Constantly fire off Fossilize to add a little bit of damage and a chance for a hold.

I have really had a lot of fun using my Earth/Rad on smaller teams, although he is good enough to be the only controller on full 8-man teams, too. Large teams tend to wipe out the opposition quickly, so your fast debuffs have more impact – lead off with Stalagmites and EF, then Quicksand. But on small teams, the bad guys tend to last longer and your AoE controls have more of an impact on the overall gameplay. Get a couple of teammates who can put out decent damage, and you will be wiping out the bad guys in no time. An Earth/Rad matches really well with teammates who can put out a lot of AoE damage, like Spines Scrappers, Fire Blasters or */Fire tanks. If you are looking for a 2 or 3 man team, look for these guys.

There you have it – my suggestions on an Earth/Rad controller. I hope it was helpful.

A Suggested Build (in Three Acts) and an Epilogue

Please note that this is a "suggested" build -- no absolutes. You should build your controller the way you choose. The objective of this build is to develop area control for a team-oriented build. This not intended to be a solo build – because Earth/Rad is not a good solo powerset. Can you solo with it? Yes, by taking Stone Prison early and slotting it up for damage, and then possibly taking another pool power attacks like Air Superiority and Boxing. If you add in Veteran Reward powers, Sands of Mu and either of the staff powers, you can solo. Not very fast, but you can solo.

However, my objective here is to help you build an awesome AoE controller for a team, so we are not overly concerned with damage. We’ll discuss the power choices and a few strategies. First, we’ll start with the first 11 levels, before Dual Origin Enhancements become available. With Training Origin enhancements, your main goal will be slotting up Accuracy in any power that can take it.

Brown Dirt Cowboy: Level 11 Mutation Controller
Primary Power Set: Earth Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Flight

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Fossilize -- Acc(A), Acc(3), RechRdx(5), Hold(11)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Heal(A)
Level 2: Stone Cages -- Acc(A), Acc(3), Acc(7)
Level 4: Radiation Infection -- ToHitDeb(A), ToHitDeb(5)
Level 6: Quicksand -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(7)
Level 8: Accelerate Metabolism -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(9), RechRdx(9)
Level 10: Air Superiority -- Acc(A), Acc(11)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment


The goal here is to maximize your ability to control early. Here, by level 6 you can already handle some decent AoE control. Start with RI, then cast Quicksand, and then Stone Cages. RI and Quicksand drop the foes’ defense so much that Stone Cages is likely to his most or all of the baddies, even with your 80% accuracy and slotted only with TO’s. At level 6 – yes, LEVEL 6! – you already have pretty good AoE control with RI + Quicksand + Stone Cages, and this combination recharges quickly.

It is important to learn early the fact that you will be an aggro magnet. AoE controls tend to draw a lot of attention. When you cast AoE controls, all the baddies affected will focus on you unless they are otherwise distracted. For this reason, Tanks will be your best friend. In the majority of situations, remember the TGIF rule – Tanks Go In First. After the Tank has drawn the attention of the bad guys, then start casting your AoE controls.

If you don’t have a tank, cast RI first, to both reduce the accuracy of the bad guys and their defense. Then cast Quicksand to keep them in the area and further reduce their defense. Then cast SC to keep them in place, in the area of both RI and Quicksand – AND then hide to reduce the attacks on you. Meanwhile, your team gets to beat up on bad guys who are surprisingly easy to hit, even with powers that only have TO’s for enhancements. If you have players that you team with on a regular basis, they may even want to consider slotting for damage instead of accuracy TO’s.

Using corners. Whenever possible, and especially if you don’t have a Tank on your team, use the environment to protect yourself. The AoE powers can usually be cast around corners, reducing the amount that the bad guys can shoot at you. Especially after using SC, you may want to get out of line-of-sight by hiding around a corner or behind something nearby. Then use Fossilize to hold any foes shooting at you. There’s no shame in casting and hiding! This also takes some practice. You may need to adjust your camera view to get a better view around the corner. The main purpose of the corner trick is to (a) break the line of sight, and (b) let them focus their aggro on someone else more fitting (and less squishy) than you. Once the baddies have changed their focus onto someone else, you can come out from hiding and start using your single target hold and any damage powers you have.

This is one reason why I like to have Air Superiority on controllers. When I come out of my hiding space, I like to contribute what I can to take the baddies down. Spread around Fossilize, keeping as many baddies held as possible. You should be able to keep about three baddies held while you beat on one. Pick one that you can keep held, and beat on him with Air Sup, vet attacks, your origin power and brawl, if that is what you have. Also, Air Superiority acts as a control power, too, if Fossilize is recharging. Knock ‘em down, and then hit ‘em with Fossilize by the time that bad guy gets up. Of course, Air Sup also knocks down flying enemies, as well.

One way to somewhat reduce some of that aggro is to pull onto Quicksand. Lay down the Quicksand between you and the group of baddies first, and then have your friendly neighborhood blaster shoot a bad guy – or if you have it, use a temp power or the veteran’s Nemesis Staff or Blackwand. Whoever shot the baddie will get the aggro, but the target and any friends he brings will get snared in the Quicksand, where their defense will be dropped. At that point, you can hit them with RI. Once the entire group is in the Quicksand, then hit them with Stone Cages to keep them from running out of the slow and debuff (and give them even more defense debuff). At this point, you can hide around your corner and your team can wipe them out.










In your first twelve levels, you have to choose your travel power pre-requisite if you plan to take a travel power by level 14. (Of course, with the temp travel powers that from the Atlas and King’s Row Safeguard missions, it is possible to skip travel until later.) Let’s take a quick look at the travel powers, as each has its advantages and disadvantages. Each travel power also has secondary factors that you can consider when choosing one. This is one area where different play styles really becomes important.

• Fly: I chose Air Superiority/Fly for my Earth/Rad. Air Sup is the best attack of the pool powers, in that it not only does decent damage but also knocks down your opponent most of the time. In my build, Air Sup and Fossilize, plus my veteran attacks, do the majority of the damage until Rocky at level 32. Some people prefer Hover as a way to fight while staying out of melee. Fly is the best, most flexible travel power, but it is slow. Also, Fly provides knockback protection when you really, really need it, but at a cost. When Flying, you can’t use Stalagmites – Stalagmites has to be cast while you are on the ground. Some people feel that Fly should not be used for this reason. In my experience, I rarely used fly during combat unless knockback was a huge problem. Then, I used Stalagmites generally as an opener, and would launch into Fly afterwards to prevent knockback. I like fly for its versatility – it can get you anywhere, and can often be used as an effective escape. Fly can get you across zones with lots of hazards. Fly is great for those open-air “Search for XXX” missions. I mainly recommend Air Superiority/Fly for this build, but other travel powers are a viable choice.
• Speed: Hasten is recommended for this build eventually, so by going with Hasten/Super Speed, you can save one power choice and a power pool. (You could choose Flurry instead of Hasten, as your pool power attack, but I would strongly recommend Hasten.) Super Speed has one large disadvantage, which is not too difficult to overcome, and some really nice advantages. The clear complaint about Super Speed is the lack of vertical movement – but getting the Jump Pack from the “Good vs. Evil Edition,” combined with the Raptor Pack and the Zero-G pack from the Safeguard missions, will allow you to get that little vertical boost when you need it. If you always use the Jump Jet first, and are really stingy with those temp powers, they can last you to level 50. Super Speed gives you stealth and the best way to move around in missions, other than those annoying Orenbega-type caves with lots of levels and walkways where Fly is better. The Stealth comes in very, very handy, especially if you can get one of the Stealth IO’s to give you full invisibility without costing you one or two power choices. (If you choose Super Speed, take Hurdle over Swift to help you jump over things.)
• Teleport: Recall Friend is one of the handiest, team-friendly pre-requisite powers out there. Recall Friend lets you move Rocky around to where you might need him – very useful if you expect him to be your primary tank. Teleport Foe also could have some nice strategic uses especially solo, like grabbing one guy, hitting him with Fossilize, defeating him and then going on to the next. If you aggro the entire group, you will have cast Quicksand for them to run into. Teleport allows you to move into position without moving through the intervening space, which can give some strategic advantages. Teleport is the most difficult travel power to use, and unless you take Hover, it is difficult to use for those “Search for” missions. However, it is the only travel power that lets you move even when Immobilized or slowed.
• Jump: Combat Jumping gives you protection against Immobilization, some combat maneuverability and a small amount of defense. (This is the least helpful of the pre-requisites, in my opinion, but still helpful. However, I don’t recommend Jump Kick, even if you need the damage – if you need damage, go with Air Sup/Fly.) Super Jump is a fun travel power, but does not give you any secondary benefits. However, it also doesn’t have much of a downside either, and SJ gives you access to Acrobatics, if you are concerned about knockback. Personally, I felt that knockback was rarely a significant problem since Earth/Rad controls from range, and the control usually took over before the bad guys could shoot knockback powers at me. The rare knockback problem was solved by using Fly, or later obtaining one of those nice –knockback IO’s.

OK, now you have reached Level 12, and can start using DO level enhancements (or IO’s). Here is where I suggest you go from Levels 12-21:

Brown Dirt Cowboy: Level 21 Mutation Controller
Primary Power Set: Earth Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Fossilize -- Acc(A), RechRdx(3), Hold(5), Acc(11), RechRdx(17)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Heal(A), Heal(15)
Level 2: Stone Cages -- Acc(A), Acc(3), EndRdx(7)
Level 4: Radiation Infection -- ToHitDeb(A), ToHitDeb(5), ToHitDeb(21)
Level 6: Quicksand -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(7)
Level 8: Accelerate Metabolism -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(9), RechRdx(9)
Level 10: Air Superiority -- Acc(A), Acc(11)
Level 12: Stalagmites -- Acc(A), Acc(13), Acc(13), RechRdx(17), RechRdx(21)
Level 14: Fly -- Flight(A), Flight(15)
Level 16: Swift -- Run(A)
Level 18: Earthquake -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(19), RechRdx(19)
Level 20: Health -- Heal(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment


At level 12, you take one of your most important powers, Stalagmites. You want to 6-slot it up pretty quickly. Other than that, you get your travel power, Fitness Pool and Earthquake. For Fitness, I generally take Hurdle unless my travel power is Fly – Hurdle is better for Super Speed and Super Jump, and Hurdle can let you maneuver better, jumping over the bad guys to lead Rocky into battle. Since you have a self heal, you could skip Health and take both Swift and Hurdle – but if you hope to get one of those nice +Regen unique IO’s, you need Health. If you really, really want Stamina by 20 rather than waiting for 22, you could postpone Earthquake 4 levels, but with AM, you can wait on Stamina until 22 much more easily than most other builds. Notice that Fossilize and Stalagmites are almost fully slotted by the time you hit level 22.

When using Stalagmites + Stone Cages, I suggest using Radiation Infection and Quicksand, too. Stalagmites doesn’t last very long, especially before you get SO level enhancements, and RI makes it less likely that those bad guys who just came out of being stunned will be able to hit you. So, cast Stalagmites, Stone Cages, Quicksand and RI. If you have a tank or something else to distract the bad guys initially, casting Quicksand or RI first will make it easier for your Stalagmite + Stone cages to hit.

By level 21, you have two of your three main AoE control powers. Stalagmites is a great opening attack, as long as the bad guys’ level is low enough to hit. Earthquake is up more often, and should be stacked with Quicksand for that –Defense. You should also be using your old stand-by, RI + Quicksand + Stone Cages and hiding behind a corner.

Now comes the final SO level build:

Brown Dirt Cowboy: Level 50 Mutation Controller
Primary Power Set: Earth Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Ice Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Fossilize -- Acc-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(3), Hold-I:50(5), Acc-I:50(11), RechRdx-I:50(17), Hold-I:50(31)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Heal-I:50(A), Heal-I:50(15), RechRdx-I:50(34), Heal-I:50(40)
Level 2: Stone Cages -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(3), EndRdx-I:50(7)
Level 4: Radiation Infection -- ToHitDeb-I:50(A), ToHitDeb-I:50(5), ToHitDeb-I:50(21), EndRdx-I:50(46)
Level 6: Quicksand -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(7), RechRdx-I:50(31)
Level 8: Accelerate Metabolism -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(9), RechRdx-I:50(9), EndMod-I:50(36), EndMod-I:50(42), EndMod-I:50(42)
Level 10: Air Superiority -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(11), Dmg-I:50(40), Dmg-I:50(43), Dmg-I:50(46)
Level 12: Stalagmites -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(13), RechRdx-I:50(13), RechRdx-I:50(17), Dsrnt-I:50(21), Dsrnt-I:50(25)
Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I:50(A), Flight-I:50(15), Flight-I:50(42)
Level 16: Swift -- Run-I:50(A)
Level 18: Earthquake -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(19), RechRdx-I:50(19)
Level 20: Health -- Heal-I:50(A)
Level 22: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(23), EndMod-I:50(23)
Level 24: Enervating Field -- EndRdx-I:50(A), EndRdx-I:50(25), EndRdx-I:50(43)
Level 26: Volcanic Gasses -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(27), Hold-I:50(27), RechRdx-I:50(31), Hold-I:50(34), Hold-I:50(36)
Level 28: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(29), RechRdx-I:50(29)
Level 30: Lingering Radiation -- Acc-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(36), RechRdx-I:50(37), RechRdx-I:50(37), Acc-I:50(37)
Level 32: Animate Stone -- Acc-I:50(A), Dmg-I:50(33), Dmg-I:50(33), Dmg-I:50(33), Acc-I:50(34)
Level 35: Mutation -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(43)
Level 38: EM Pulse -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(39), RechRdx-I:50(39), RechRdx-I:50(39), Hold-I:50(40)
Level 41: Hibernate -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(46)
Level 44: Frozen Armor -- DefBuff-I:50(A), DefBuff-I:50(45), DefBuff-I:50(45), EndRdx-I:50(45)
Level 47: Ice Storm -- Dmg-I:50(A), Dmg-I:50(48), Dmg-I:50(48), RechRdx-I:50(48)
Level 49: Stone Prizon -- Acc-I:50(A), Dmg-I:50(50), Dmg-I:50(50), Acc-I:50(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 1: Containment


There is some flexibility on powers here – the almost mandatory power choices at level are Stamina by 22, Volcanic Gasses at 26, and Animate Stone at 32. Hasten, EF and LR should be taken, but can be moved to any of the open power choices. EM Pulse isn’t really mandatory; you already have so much control by 38, you should rarely need it – but it is such a good power that I recommend it. Mutation is optional – you certainly could take something else, like Super Speed. Also, the level 49 choice is optional. I put Stone Prison because it is nice for Immobilizing AV’s, but you could put almost anything there, including the single target blast from your Epic set or Super Speed if you don’t have it yet. (On my current build, I have Fallout there, but that may go bye-bye in the next respec.) If you really want Leadership, you can drop Mutation and Stone Prison, but with all your –Defense, you really don’t need Tactics.

I chose the Ice Epic Power set for my Earth/Rad because I felt he had the AoE controls to make Ice Storm very effective, and Hibernate would give him a great “panic button” power. The Ice Armor is defense based, and helps reduce damage I might take from aggro due to my AoE controls (before I bravely hide behind a corner). By level 50, the AoE controls followed by Ice Storm do substantial damage. Add in EF to increase the damage, and you can usually take out all the minions.

Other guides have detailed discussions on the Epic powers, so I will not go into them here. I think that Psi is, the best overall of the APP sets due to the mez protection in Indomitable Will, Psi protection in the armor and a decent AoE attack. However, the Ice set works very well with Earth due to Earth’s AoE control and Ice’s AoE damage. The Primal set’s Power Boost will make your controls last seemingly forever, but has no AoE attack. The Fire set works well for Damage and Endurance recovery with Consume. I haven’t tried the Earth set, but the jewel is the heal in Earth’s Embrace. The problem I see there, is that you already have a heal, so the Earth APP set is not very appealing to me, other than thematically.

Epilogue: Since I wrote this guide initially, I have learned a lot more about IO sets. I have had a few requests on recommendations for IO sets, especially looking for a perma-AM and Perma-Hasten build. So, if you want to build for maximum Recharge, here is a build for you to look at and work from. However, it is expensive, with four purple sets:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Earth-Rad Ideal: Level 50 Mutation Controller
Primary Power Set: Earth Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Ice Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Fossilize -- HO:Nucle(A), HO:Endo(3), HO:Perox(7), HO:Perox(17), RechRdx-I(34), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Numna-Heal(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(21), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Numna-Heal/Rchg(42)
Level 2: Stone Cages -- GravAnch-Acc/Rchg(A), GravAnch-Acc/Immob/Rchg(3), GravAnch-Immob/EndRdx(7), GravAnch-Immob/Rchg(37), GravAnch-Hold%(37), Posi-Dam%(40)
Level 4: Radiation Infection -- HO:Enzym(A), HO:Enzym(5), HO:Enzym(5)
Level 6: Quicksand -- RechRdx-I(A), TmpRdns-Rng/Slow(11)
Level 8: Accelerate Metabolism -- Efficacy-EndMod(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(9), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(9), Efficacy-Acc/Rchg(25), Efficacy-EndMod/EndRdx(36), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(37)
Level 10: Air Superiority -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(11), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46)
Level 12: Stalagmites -- Amaze-Stun(A), Amaze-Stun/Rchg(13), Amaze-Acc/Stun/Rchg(13), Amaze-Acc/Rchg(15), Amaze-EndRdx/Stun(17), Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(21)
Level 14: Fly -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(15), Zephyr-ResKB(42)
Level 16: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 18: Earthquake -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb/Rchg(A), DarkWD-Slow%(19), DarkWD-Rchg/EndRdx(19), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(40), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(43)
Level 20: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A)
Level 22: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(23), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(23), P'Shift-End%(43)
Level 24: Enervating Field -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(25)
Level 26: Volcanic Gasses -- UbrkCons-Hold(A), UbrkCons-Hold/Rchg(27), UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(27), UbrkCons-Acc/Rchg(29), Lock-%Hold(31), UbrkCons-Dam%(40)
Level 28: Lingering Radiation -- TmpRdns-Acc/Slow(A), TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(29), Acc-I(36), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 30: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(31), RechRdx-I(31)
Level 32: Animate Stone -- ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(33), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(33), ExRmnt-+Res(Pets)(34), SvgnRt-PetResDam(43)
Level 35: Mutation -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 38: EM Pulse -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(39), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(39), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(39)
Level 41: Hibernate -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 44: Frost Breath -- Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(A), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(45), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Ragnrk-Knock%(46)
Level 47: Ice Storm -- Posi-Dmg/Rchg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Posi-Dmg/Rng(48), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(48), Posi-Dam%(50)
Level 49: Frozen Armor -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def(50), LkGmblr-Rchg+(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Containment