oedipus_tex

Don't bother with Fly unless you are super self conscious about power animations. Buy flight packs from the P2W vendor. They come in various designs. I like the Small Longbow Jetpack personally.

Very cool build. That said, I'd like to present an argument for why I'd still recommend Hasten. The reason is that Recharge works both ways. There are -Recharge powers in the game, usually associated with Psi and Ice powers. While +Recharge tends to require you to obtain tons of it to move your recharge rates down, the opposite is true of -Recharge. Getting hit with a -Recharge power when you already have low overall global Recharge is game wrecking. The formula for Recharge is described on Paragonwiki like this: RechargeTime = BaseRechargeTime / ( 1 + Enhancement ) Now, I can't see how much Recharge your build has, but looking at it I'm guessing it's around +90%. If you get hit by a -Recharge power and that drops by 20%, you'll experience far worse issues than a character who has 90 + 70 (from Hasten) recharge. Hasten thus does 2 things. 1) It increases your Recharge rate. 2) It provides a huge, significant buffer that renders -Recharge powers from enemies almost irrelevant, unless they hit you with boatloads of it.

Another suggestion, which may strike you as weird at first, is to try a Blaster. Blasters have improved dramatically since the days of the live game. The new Sustain ability plus crashless nukes have produced a class with close to bottomless endurance that can deliver huge damage and varies significantly in playstyle based on which sets you take. I just got a Rad/Fire to 50 (PBAoE specialist) and it was wild. I always disliked Blasters and favored Dominators/Controllers but my recent Blaster builds have been monsters.

Both Force Field and Illusion are extremely passive sets. Let me take that back... Force Field is an extremely passive set because its actionable powers are weak. Force Field is the set I always pray I will pick up when forming radio teams from levels 1-50. Force Field can transform any team into an unstoppable wall. But then in the late game, much of the team has figured out its defense strategy. Force Field falls off rapidly in that scenario. All of that said: Force Field is still one of the best sets to bring to iTrials. It has AoE mezz protection and a huge defense buff for the team. Controllers can take Power Boost and out perform Defender shields. Force Field (or Sonic or Traps) makes or breaks a Rikti Raid. Without at least one FF character all the mezz being thrown around can wreck the team. So its not all bad. But yes FF has a very specific niche. FWIW in the late stages of the live game, an attempt was made to make FF better. It didn't really succeed tho IMO. There is still, for some reason, a belief that low damage knockback powers like Force Bolt are useful ("you can control bosses" the saying goes.) A revised FF would include: - Some kind of absorb mechanic (absorb was added in i24 and therefor never seen on live) - Legit damage in Force Bolt to justify casting it. it should be a tier 1.5 or 2 attack - Legit damage or lower cast time for Repulsion Bomb or make the stun reliable In the past I've also suggested that Force Bolt could apply reverse mezz protection (-2 to Confuse, Hold, Immobilize and Stun protection). "Stripping mezz protection" if you will. This would be totally unique to FF.

I've actually updated the build since I last posted. Newer version below. Bonfire is slotted with knockback to knockdown proc, so it turns into a version of Ice Slick (actually, better than Ice Slick since it lasts longer). Frankly, its overpowered. But I'll take advantage of it as long as it remains in the game. Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.962 http://www.cohplanner.com/ Click this DataLink to open the build! Meal Deal: Level 50 Magic Blaster Primary Power Set: Radiation Blast Secondary Power Set: Fire Manipulation Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Leaping Ancillary Pool: Flame Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: X-Ray Beam (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage (3) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance (3) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge (5) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (5) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (7) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge Level 1: Ring of Fire (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage (7) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance (9) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (9) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge (11) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge (11) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge Level 2: Irradiate (A) Obliteration - Damage (13) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge (13) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge (15) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (15) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (17) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage Level 4: Hasten (A) Recharge Reduction IO (17) Recharge Reduction IO Level 6: Super Speed (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance (19) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points) Level 8: Aim (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff (19) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge (21) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance (21) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance (23) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up (23) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance Level 10: Fire Sword Circle (A) Eradication - Accuracy/Recharge (25) Eradication - Damage (25) Eradication - Damage/Recharge Level 12: Proton Volley (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage (27) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (27) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge (29) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance (29) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge (31) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge Level 14: Boxing (A) Empty Level 16: Build Up (A) Recharge Reduction IO (31) Recharge Reduction IO Level 18: Cosmic Burst (A) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Accuracy/Damage (31) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Damage/Recharge (33) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (33) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (33) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (34) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Recharge/Chance for Fire Damage Level 20: Cauterizing Aura (A) HamiO:Golgi Exposure (34) HamiO:Golgi Exposure (34) HamiO:Golgi Exposure Level 22: Tough (A) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All) (36) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3% Level 24: Weave (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance (36) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge (36) Red Fortune - Endurance (37) Red Fortune - Defense (37) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge (37) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge Level 26: Maneuvers (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed (39) Luck of the Gambler - Defense (39) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance Level 28: Consume (A) Accuracy IO Level 30: Combat Jumping (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance (39) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points) Level 32: Atomic Blast (A) Obliteration - Damage (40) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge (40) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge (40) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (42) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (42) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage Level 35: Tactics (A) To Hit Buff IO Level 38: Bonfire (A) Empty (42) Recharge Reduction IO Level 41: Burn (A) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (43) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage (43) Obliteration - Damage (43) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge (45) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge (45) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge Level 44: Fire Shield (A) Titanium Coating - Resistance/Endurance (45) Titanium Coating - Resistance/Recharge (46) Titanium Coating - Endurance/Recharge (46) Titanium Coating - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge (46) Titanium Coating - Resistance (50) Titanium Coating - Endurance Level 47: Hot Feet (A) Eradication - Damage (48) Cleaving Blow - Accuracy/Damage (48) Cleaving Blow - Damage/Endurance (48) Eradication - Accuracy/Recharge (50) Eradication - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (50) Cleaving Blow - Damage/Recharge Level 49: Rise of the Phoenix (A) Recharge Reduction IO Level 1: Brawl (A) Empty Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Prestige Power Dash (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Slide (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Quick (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Rush (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Surge (A) Empty Level 1: Sprint (A) Celerity - +Stealth Level 2: Rest (A) Empty Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift (A) Empty Level 2: Health (A) Empty Level 2: Hurdle (A) Empty Level 2: Stamina (A) Endurance Modification IO Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon ------------ ------------ Set Bonus Totals: 17.5% DamageBuff(Smashing) 17.5% DamageBuff(Lethal) 17.5% DamageBuff(Fire) 17.5% DamageBuff(Cold) 17.5% DamageBuff(Energy) 17.5% DamageBuff(Negative) 17.5% DamageBuff(Toxic) 17.5% DamageBuff(Psionic) 14.13% Defense(Smashing) 14.13% Defense(Lethal) 7.25% Defense(Fire) 7.25% Defense(Cold) 31% Defense(Energy) 31% Defense(Negative) 6% Defense(Psionic) 22.25% Defense(Melee) 33.5% Defense(Ranged) 8.5% Defense(AoE) 3.6% Max End 37.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime) 10% Enhancement(Range) 63% Enhancement(Accuracy) 25.5% SpeedFlying 54.21 HP (4.5%) HitPoints 25.5% JumpHeight 25.5% SpeedJumping Knockback (Mag -8) Knockup (Mag -8) MezResist(Confused) 23.75% MezResist(Held) 23.75% MezResist(Immobilized) 23.75% MezResist(Sleep) 23.75% MezResist(Stunned) 23.75% MezResist(Terrorized) 23.75% 9.5% (0.16 End/sec) Recovery 20% (1 HP/sec) Regeneration 11.25% Resistance(Smashing) 11.25% Resistance(Lethal) 1.5% Resistance(Fire) 1.5% Resistance(Cold) 1.5% Resistance(Energy) 1.5% Resistance(Negative) 25.5% SpeedRunning | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1463;661;1322;HEX;| |78DA65945D53126114C79F85450441504414010153E46D11EBA2BB66CAE8229971F| |4AEA6981DD9C19D41D8016CB2B799BE46A55653995DF485EA0BF4DE7DE57676CF5F| |73DA1DD81F7BCE73CE79CEFF394BFDEE4AE0FDB5C7978414BCD256FBFDC665BA0FB| |49EA7AEB6F44D4197AFAEA9EDF40ADDBCF49482BFB1AE765A5A5359579BBA3AD0BB| |1D0ECC9CB837760CA3DB1B2835BDA735EA6A473776DAF63AE15FEB76DBCA86A169C| |DA0FDB3A6B7B6067AA715B29F5635B5A9F5FA5BBA11387936C8397ED5D037955A5B| |DDB6D2592576A7683B0BF4BD1114B84C8FD8235465E1DA070F98F273F00573E825F| |38E70C60E2176186B87B1D68F5C7EE4BA497525C44ABF5CB62DF01BFCC31C3D064D| |6658B86D66494BB71D6C4AEE22E70B8373E4F3705EC9F381E3C63F326F514D2F6A7| |A5FC1F79A397108BE654E1E816F98BBD66172ACCBF7996C49594C7D02BF306F53FE| |11E41F811E71E810870E09E893B0F4A09814F49068637C14A6089A74897BF43B844| |E42E82E053668E9182A8D3D6155524F99E967E01EB8CFCC1C30EF535484D573452E| |1264B7C8FC4737ED260A85A3CB1C371793EC1DCBE48BB1CF13F34BEC1B0143CC73A| |360000C32C728761AB5A7A36C5B9800C3CC07E49DB167C3143371EE7792E292D84F| |12A7BA805355498B5968318B49CA61927298A41C26298F49CA6392229437CB79457| |6996B1D926B1EBACFDB279187EA0F098BA8B4884C05642AA07201954BA85C42E523| |5A56846AC5022B592A32CB25EEBC5C061566B5C27C44510A6215CC5CA5CD7BAA6C8| |398C9EA57B0C3F67754770973B5843E12F2E97B4B1FABC38C65E10A66C1E15D7258| |AA0ECB7987E582C3B2FAAF0ABD4CACCB9A7CFA3F20247B952F2C2C4DEDBD7CF3935| |73AEBFDE1B07C77587E9EB5A4B9E7EB11023AFC0BCF41F6CD| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|

If you like /Storm Controllers, you would probably like Dominators a lot.

The argument that used to erupt on the Controller boards any time we spoke of changing Shiver is there are a fair number of Ice players who skip Arctic Air and take Shiver instead as their main control power. That's heresy to me, but they exist. There was always a lot of pushback anytime someone mentioned making Shiver work better with the rest of the set. RE: Bonfire, keep in mind we are talking about a power available to Blasters. I recently semi-retired an Ice Dominator because his main control other than AA (which is good but not amazing) was Ice Slick, and my Rad/Fire/Fire Blaster can outperform his knock patch with Bonfire while dealing astronomically more damage. Bonfire's knockdown does fire at a slower rate than un-IO'ed Bonfire, but still ticks faster than Ice Slick, and provides more out-the-box control. Building on that, perhaps the fix to Ice Control is to change the duration/recharge ratio of Ice Slick to match Controller Bonfire (45 second duration, 60 second recharge) so at least it doesn't take a heavily IO'ed build to match Bonfire's coverage. I have mixed feelings about whether Earth Control's Earthquake should get a similar change.

The issue that has long has faced Ice Control is not low damage (Earth, after all has low damage) but whether that low damage is justified by the degree of control the set offers. Ice has always been a low damage set that also offers very limited hard mezz control. The theory, I suppose was that -Recharge was enough to make up that gap. The sets that have often put pressure on Ice Control are Fire and Plant, both of which do great damage and offer fantastic controls. Ice Control's Fire/Plant rivalry was partly cemented by the fact that classically when a Fire or Plant troller joined the party they didn't just contribute more to you, their powers actually shut down your main contribution (Ice Slick). That's since been addressed. Funnily enough though, along with the fix is an alteration that makes Fire Control's knockdown patch significantly better than one Ice has. Here are the stats for Ice Slick versus Bonfire slotted with kb to kd: Bonfire - Recharges in 60 seconds, 45 second duration. 100% chance to knockdown per tick Ice Slick - Recharges in 90 seconds, 30 second duration. 8% chance to knockdown per tick (note: it does tick faster than Bonfire but not fast enough to catch up to the 100% knockdown chance) Ice Slick is possible to perma on a high end perma Hasten build. Bonfire can be perma'd with a single ISO. In short, Bonfire was built on the assumption it wasn't a knock patch that competes with Ice Slick. In the meta of the game, though, it totally outclasses by such a huge margin that I think the old "we don't consider set bonuses in balance equations" rule should be reconsidered. It IS true the kb to kd proc is needed for Fire Control to get the full effect. However I don't consider this proc rare at all. I have two of the already. I am currently rolling a Fire/Storm pretty much exclusively because this proc destroys what Ice has to offer. I have some additional ideas for things Ice Control could do: - Add -Range to Shiver similar to a Tanker taunt - Make AA merely suppress and not completely detoggle when you are mezzed (I would cry real tears of joy if they did this. note that this is how Blaster sustains work in the i24 rules.) - Give Jack Frost meaningful controls that stack with Ice's controls. At this point, I'd even be fine with giving him the full size Ice Slick power. Ice Slicks stack on each other and this would at least Ice Control's patches compete with Fire's, assuming Fire is allowed to keep its crazy good patch Note however that I'm unconvinced Bonfire should be anywhere near as good as it is. I mentioned previously it is available to Blasters. My Rad/Fire/Fire Blaster has knockdown patch that outperforms my Ice Controllers and Dominators. I don't think any IO or set bonus should make that huge a change in a power. if nothing else, the knockdown rate in Bonfire should not be as strong as it is. I know we are meant to have powerful characters but that particular example is so extreme it grabs my attention right away.

Just glancing at the build, it's not clear to me what you're trying to achieve. Better defense? Better recharge? Something else? Maybe I'm missing your intent, but I can't get a clear understanding, and the cost is substantial. Powers I would for sure drop: - Assault - Just not any bang for your buck here and you're spending a lot of endurance to maintain it. - Power Push - Ugh. So I get the theory on this power but in practice I don't find the handful of times devoting animation time to a single target knockback worth an entire powerslot. Your other blasts do knockback anyway. Aim + Nemesis Staff achieves the same thing. Clear this space to make room for a pool power. Powers I would for sure pick up: - Energize - This is practically a required power with the Blaster i24 changes. It greatly reduces endurance costs, adds some Regen, and is easy to perma. Take this power and you can probably cut Stamina down to 1 slot. - Aim - To fire before key powers. Powers I would NOT drop: - Hasten - Hasten is +70% Recharge. That's insane. It brings your nuke, Build Up, and Aim back faster. It also provides a 70 point buffer against -Recharge effects from enemies with Ice and Psi powers. It's frankly overpowered, which is why it appears in 90% of builds. For a cycle when Hasten is in effect, Nova drops from 56 to 43 second recharge. Other comments: - Punch/Tough/Weave are fine to take, as added Defense actually goes a long way for a Blaster. However, the defense values you're getting on this very expensive build are closer to what you could get cheaply. Are you building for Ranged defense (I'd recommend that)? Or slash/lethal? - In a lot of places you're slotting complete sets and acquiring bonuses that aren't substantial. Example: 6 slotted Armageddon in Nova. You'd do better with 5 slots. I'd also consider whether a Purple set is really what you want here. The only substantial bonus you're getting is the 10% Recharge time, which is nice, but you're paying a millions for it - Unless you have millions in cash laying around, I'd change most of the single target blasts from the current slotting to 6-slotted Thunderstrike. Thunderstrike is cheap and will net you a lot more Ranged defense than you currently have. Hitting 33 or so Ranged defense so that eating 1 Purple enhancement softcaps you will bring a big increase in survivability, even if you don't push all the way to 45% perma soft capped. - Build Up is way underslotted. You want this power to recharge as fast as possible.

The Assault set I was super unimpressed with in terms of playstyle was /Icy. There just isn't a lot going on there. An interesting addition to that set would be a chance to create an Ice Patch (similar to the melee ability, not the giant Controller Ice Slick) when using certain powers. Or this could be a secondary effect of using Icy's Power Boost. Sidenote: I've long thought Jack Frost, easily the the worst Controller pet, should have Ice Patch as a power, altho maybe it would conflict with his Hold.

I've never built a Blaster before. I've been enjoying my Rad/Fire/Fire Blaster and put this build together. Main goal was to soft cap Ranged defense while obtaining decent Melee defense, and some Resistance to Slash/Lethal. This is a PBAoE Blaster so survivability will always be a small issue. I believe this build is soft capped to Melee after eating one Purple. I'm very unsure about how people usually slot powers like Build Up or Tactics so may have passed up major opportunities there. Also, my slotting in the snipe may be totally off base (I took Tactics thinking thats the direction things are going, but am unsure it is actually wise). Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.962 http://www.cohplanner.com/ Click this DataLink to open the build! Meal Deal: Level 50 Magic Blaster Primary Power Set: Radiation Blast Secondary Power Set: Fire Manipulation Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Leaping Ancillary Pool: Flame Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: X-Ray Beam (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage (3) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance (3) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge (5) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (5) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (7) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge Level 1: Ring of Fire (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage (7) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance (9) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (9) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge (11) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge (11) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge Level 2: Irradiate (A) Obliteration - Damage (13) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge (13) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge (15) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (15) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (17) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage Level 4: Hasten (A) Recharge Reduction IO (17) Recharge Reduction IO Level 6: Super Speed (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance (19) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points) Level 8: Aim (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff (19) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge (21) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance (21) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance (23) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up (23) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance Level 10: Fire Sword Circle (A) Eradication - Accuracy/Recharge (25) Eradication - Damage (25) Eradication - Damage/Recharge Level 12: Proton Volley (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage (27) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (27) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge (29) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance (29) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge (31) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge Level 14: Boxing (A) Empty Level 16: Build Up (A) Recharge Reduction IO (31) Recharge Reduction IO Level 18: Cosmic Burst (A) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Accuracy/Damage (31) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Damage/Recharge (33) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (33) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (33) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (34) Superior Blaster's Wrath - Recharge/Chance for Fire Damage Level 20: Cauterizing Aura (A) HamiO:Golgi Exposure (34) HamiO:Golgi Exposure (34) HamiO:Golgi Exposure Level 22: Tough (A) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All) (36) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3% Level 24: Weave (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance (36) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge (36) Red Fortune - Endurance (37) Red Fortune - Defense (37) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge (37) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge Level 26: Maneuvers (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed (39) Luck of the Gambler - Defense (39) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance Level 28: Consume (A) Accuracy IO Level 30: Combat Jumping (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance (39) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points) Level 32: Atomic Blast (A) Obliteration - Damage (40) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge (40) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge (40) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (42) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (42) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage Level 35: Tactics (A) To Hit Buff IO Level 38: Bonfire (A) Empty (42) Recharge Reduction IO Level 41: Burn (A) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (43) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage (43) Obliteration - Damage (43) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge (45) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge (45) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge Level 44: Fire Shield (A) Titanium Coating - Resistance/Endurance (45) Titanium Coating - Resistance/Recharge (46) Titanium Coating - Endurance/Recharge (46) Titanium Coating - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge (46) Titanium Coating - Resistance (50) Titanium Coating - Endurance Level 47: Hot Feet (A) Eradication - Damage (48) Cleaving Blow - Accuracy/Damage (48) Cleaving Blow - Damage/Endurance (48) Eradication - Accuracy/Recharge (50) Eradication - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (50) Cleaving Blow - Damage/Recharge Level 49: Rise of the Phoenix (A) Recharge Reduction IO Level 1: Brawl (A) Empty Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Prestige Power Dash (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Slide (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Quick (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Rush (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Surge (A) Empty Level 1: Sprint (A) Celerity - +Stealth Level 2: Rest (A) Empty Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift (A) Empty Level 2: Health (A) Empty Level 2: Hurdle (A) Empty Level 2: Stamina (A) Endurance Modification IO Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1463;661;1322;HEX;| |78DA65945D53126114C79F85450441504414010153E46D11EBA2BB66CAE8229971F| |4AEA6981DD9C19D41D8016CB2B799BE46A55653995DF485EA0BF4DE7DE57676CF5F| |73DA1DD81F7BCE73CE79CEFF394BFDEE4AE0FDB5C7978414BCD256FBFDC665BA0FB| |49EA7AEB6F44D4197AFAEA9EDF40ADDBCF49482BFB1AE765A5A5359579BBA3AD0BB| |1D0ECC9CB837760CA3DB1B2835BDA735EA6A473776DAF63AE15FEB76DBCA86A169C| |DA0FDB3A6B7B6067AA715B29F5635B5A9F5FA5BBA11387936C8397ED5D037955A5B| |DDB6D2592576A7683B0BF4BD1114B84C8FD8235465E1DA070F98F273F00573E825F| |38E70C60E2176186B87B1D68F5C7EE4BA497525C44ABF5CB62DF01BFCC31C3D064D| |6658B86D66494BB71D6C4AEE22E70B8373E4F3705EC9F381E3C63F326F514D2F6A7| |A5FC1F79A397108BE654E1E816F98BBD66172ACCBF7996C49594C7D02BF306F53FE| |11E41F811E71E810870E09E893B0F4A09814F49068637C14A6089A74897BF43B844| |E42E82E053668E9182A8D3D6155524F99E967E01EB8CFCC1C30EF535484D573452E| |1264B7C8FC4737ED260A85A3CB1C371793EC1DCBE48BB1CF13F34BEC1B0143CC73A| |360000C32C728761AB5A7A36C5B9800C3CC07E49DB167C3143371EE7792E292D84F| |12A7BA805355498B5968318B49CA61927298A41C26298F49CA6392229437CB79457| |6996B1D926B1EBACFDB279187EA0F098BA8B4884C05642AA07201954BA85C42E523| |5A56846AC5022B592A32CB25EEBC5C061566B5C27C44510A6215CC5CA5CD7BAA6C8| |398C9EA57B0C3F67754770973B5843E12F2E97B4B1FABC38C65E10A66C1E15D7258| |AA0ECB7987E582C3B2FAAF0ABD4CACCB9A7CFA3F20247B952F2C2C4DEDBD7CF3935| |73AEBFDE1B07C77587E9EB5A4B9E7EB11023AFC0BCF41F6CD| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|

Try a Radiation Blaster and talk to me about this again. :D

Interesting that they removed the ground requirements on those powers. They always annoyed me on live. Taking another look at Ice Control a few days after my last post and having more time to experience the live game, I'm now beginning to think I was wrong in my original assessment. Ice Slick was designed as the premier "knockdown patch" control power. Right now it's being outperformed by Bonfire... on my Blaster. Ice Slick meanwhile can't be improved beyond the base power. So either something in Ice Control should justify its extremely low damage, or Bonfire should get nerfed. I honestly think the latter. The kb to kd proc is easy to get (I already have 2) and makes Bonfire a longer lasting Ice Slick on a short cooldown with longer duration. And also, Bonfire is available to Blasters, of all things. if they decide to just buff Ice Control to compensate, doubling the Confuse duration of Arctic Air would be a very interesting way to do it.

Jolting Chain is a power I usually take on the way up to 50 and then respect out of later. It's not terrible, but the damage is low. The biggest issue, though, is the amount of animation time devoted to knocking a pack of enemies over one time. At higher levels your pets have this power and will occasionally knock down the pack, costing you no animation time for doing other things. Conductive Aura is a very effective sapping tool. The main issue with it is it detoggles if you get mezzed. If you enjoy the sapping game, consider pairing Electric with Kinetics and/or taking a power pool that has Power Sink (I think the Controller Mu Villain Patron Pool provides this--I know it does for Dominators). With Power Sink, Conductive Aura, and Electric Cages my Dominator can floor the endurance of Elite Bosses. Static Field is a pseudo pet that continually recasts Sleep. The outstanding thing about this power is it doesn't require any real slotting to be effective. The Recharge time is very quick. I usually slot 1 Accuracy here and move on. Note that this power tends to be more effective when soloing versus teaming, and Elec Control is very low damage on a Controller. On a Dominator this is a signature power. You'll want to avoid damage over time effects to get the most out of it.

Pretty much this. I wouldn't say it "doesn't matter," but Earth is a fantastic control set. Its only liability is low damage.

I wish Energy Blast just got a toggle like Dual Pistols that turned the KB off and on at will. You are, after all, the master of Energy and should control (IMO) when it blows something backward.

Just throwing x6 Thunderstrikes into your single target blasts (you probably have 3-4 of these) is a decent start. Thunderstrike is usually affordable and provides very good Ranged defense for the price. You get +3.75% Ranged defense for each 6-slotted Thunderstrike, max 4, which will bring you to 12-15 Defense to start out. Other good, sources of Ranged defense are the Hold sets (esp Basilisk's Gaze altho that can be expensive). If you can manage to hit around 20% Ranged defense you should notice a HUGE increase in survivability. This number gets (significantly) better as you add even more. How far to take it depends on how much you want to spend. Soft cap is definitely obtainable with the right investment.

Traps is one of the few times I genuinely want to see the developers nerf a set. It's just too good on a Controller. I'd consider dropping Force Field Generator for Cloaking Device from Blaster Devices and leave the rest alone. Don't get me wrong, I love Force Field Generator, but it's way too good paired with the rest of this set. You could still pull some ridiculous stunts with this set but at least not while soft capped to all positions and protected vs most mezz.

Sadly IMO Electric pairs fairly poorly with /Storm. It's a serious shame since thematically they go together perfectly. It's mainly due to Electric Fences not preventing knockback from Lightning Storm, etc. Electric is a set that really, really benefits from mobs swarming together. Other sets that lack a -kb (Mind, Illusion, Gravity) don't depend quite so much on enemies staying close together. For Electric, scattered mobs is a worst case scenario to be avoided. It doesn't help that the minor damage in Freezing Rain cancels the sleep in the Electric sleep patch, and you want both on every enemy you can hit with it.

Because both the Control and Buff powerset groups feature lots of long Recharge powers, Hasten is practically a required power for Controllers (not quite as essential as for Dominators, but close). It is honestly difficult for me to think of a single Controller build that is better off for skipping Hasten, even if you don't plan to IO. +70% Recharge is just too insanely good. The only set that might, maybe (maaaaaaybe) not benefit much would be some kind of /Force Field Controller that didn't care too much when the FF powers recharged, but even that Controller would still have a primary set with several long recharge powers. I don't know if there's another pool power everyone takes. With IOs, though, Punch/Tough/Weave are very common. I personally rarely take the Leadership pool. I do try to squeeze in Heal Self on Controllers who lack a self heal.

If we're talking in terms of pure power, skip both and go with Ill/Traps. Ill/Traps was never allowed on live because it is outrageously overpowered, at least if soloing AVs and GMs is your measurement. All 3 sets are still good, mind you. It's just that Traps will provide you: +14 defense to all except Psi Protection from Hold, Immob, and Stun Most of the stuff other sets give you, with the exception of an instant Heal (you get a mediocre Regen instead) Easily obtainable single target Containment for double damage This is not to say that these other sets aren't still great in various ways. Cold, with IOs, is basically bottomless Endurance. Dark is just a great set overall.

Electric Control was one of the newer sets before the game shut down, which is why there is so little info about it. Overall, it's a very low damage set, similar to Ice or Earth. It was designed in many ways as a sister set to Ice Control. On a Controller, the low damage means this is a set that is not ideal for soloing. (Comparably, on a Dominator, it's pretty incredible at soloing). Jolting Chain is IMO the most skippable power. I'd still take while I was leveling up, and only drop it later. In fairness, though, the power is significantly better now that other Controller's immobs wont stop the knockdown effect of this power. The pets are similar to Fire Imps in some respects, but their punches do endurance drain, why is often very useful for keeping enemies totally drained. Synaptic Overload is one the best powers in the game. The only thing keeping it from being THE best power in the game is if your first attack roll misses, the power doesn't spread to other enemies. For that reason you want it heavily slotted for Accuracy. Even still, there is a 5% chance this power will miss even in the best of circumstances. (On other hand, since SO doesn't alert enemies, if you miss while soloing all it means is you lose a little time. This goes back to how effectively Electric plays on Dominators). FYI like any set that heavily features a PBAOE toggle, you will want to think long term about obtaining mezz protection and some kind of defense (likely Ranged defense). Getting detoggled is probably the biggest risk to this character. One last note: Electric Control pairs ridiculously well with the incarnate Alpha slot that adds Endurance Modification, Recharge, and Defense. After slotting one of those my Electric characters make a huge jump in their ability to sap. My Electric/psi Dominator (who, in fairness, also has Power Sink from the Mu pool) frequently saps all energy from the Elite Bosses featured in the ITF so that they can't do anything. Being a /Kin, you should be able to do this to even some Arch Villains.

The only things I would change about Ice Control are: - Lower endurance cost of Arctic Air from 1/sec to 0.5/sec. The current cost is too high and makes this set very hard to play with certain secondaries, particularly Sonic Resonance. - Give Jack Frost the Ice Patch power so he contributes meaningfully to controls (he is one of the worst pets as it stands) Arguables: - Remove requirement that Glacier be cast on the ground. This is sometimes disruptive when you need to leap into a pile of enemies. - Make AA a non-notify power like almost all other Confusions. True this one also has a Slow, but as it stands it sometimes drags aggro toward the user that can make using this power without Defense IOs too deadly Flash Freeze is not a great power but if you decide to solo (mainly on a Dominator) it's not a terrible way to open. You can also use it to detoggle enemies who cast Dispersion Bubbles. I could see maybe making this a non-notify power like Mind Control's sleep power, but that might be encroaching on Mind's territory too much. Shiver is a terrible power on this set (IMO) but I don't know that I'd change it. It's a duplicate of a Blaster secondary power and not unique to this set. The recent change to Immobilizes buffed Ice Slick tremendously and I definitely don't see a need for further improvements there.

I have a ton of experience playing Ice Control as both a Controller and Dominator, altho not Ice/Storm specifically. I think the big question mark in Ice Control is Arctic Air. It's a key power for a couple of reasons, although a weird one in that it has certain holes in usefulness. From level 8-35 you generally won't encounter that many enemies with mezzes. You can run AA without it getting detoggled. There's a very uncomfortable zone for Ice Control between levels 35-50 where melee range becomes far more dangerous and the risk of detoggles very high. If you never IO your character out, AA may not be the most attractive power during this segment. This is the range where a lot of people decide AA isn't tat great. However, if you start adding IOs, this equation changes drastically. AA is a Confusion power that screams out for the Coercive Persuasion set and the massive bonuses it provides. It also becomes an exponentially better power once you add some Defense. Specifically, I would IO for Ranged defense (which Coercive Persuasion provides tons of, so there's built in synergy). Against most enemies you can make an Ice Controller very very very very survivable against enemies caught in your AA radius with an Ice Slick underfoot. AA is unique in that it is always up, can't miss, ignores Accuracy entirely. It's worth noting that the relative positioning of Ice Control has changed. With the recent change to Immobilize powers, Ice Slick has gone from being situational to being one of the best powers in the game. Back in the old days, Ice Control could easily find itself shut out from providing meaningful contributions to the team. The technique I used to use for Ice Control was to leap into a group with AA running, immobilize them, Ice Slick, wait for the -kd in immobilize to wear off and them to be rooted while they fell over. Now you don't even have to wait. Slotted for Ranged Defense you are darn near unhittable. It's glorious. IMO Tactics/Manuevers are too endurance expensive on an already endurance-pressed build. If I was going to expend that endurance somewhere it would be on AA. You will probably still need a Cardiac Alpha or other incarnate ability to manage endurance.

In terms of pure power, Psi. Elec is not a great set IMO unless paired with /Elec (and even then, Psi still beats it out IMO).