Is it possible to have perma phantom army?

[Mansome]

I have an illusion pain controller and was wondering if it is possible to have the phantom army out permanently? I recently hit 32 and found the Phantasm to be a huge disappointment because he dies so fast in groups. 

[Mr. Vee]

It was possible even prior to incarnates and new sets. It's easier now.

[Carnifax]

Have a look in the ill/dark post further down. 2 perma builds in there, along with my "not perma but 9 seconds off" build with few purple or ATO sets (no sets, just two purples in PA which I got from converted drops).

 

Good sets for Illusion are 4 Expedient Reinforcements in your pets, 4 Basiliks Gaze in holds, 5 Entropic Chaos in spectral, 5 malaises in the confuse and 4 Dark Watchers in Spectral terror.

 

Luck of the Gambler in as many defense powers as possible too obviously, up to 5. One of the Invises is a good spot, then the usual pool picks for the rest. 

 

No idea with Pain on whats available. 

[DSorrow]

Yes. Most end-game Illusion Control builds have perma PA. PA lasts 60 seconds and has a base recharge of 240 seconds so you need 240/60 - 1 = 300% recharge enhancement to make it perma. Just from enhancing PA you can get 95% of that, with Spiritual / Agility Alpha you can add another 25% and get Hasten for 70%. You'll still need 300% - 95% - 25% - 70% = 110% from set bonuses which is a lot, but not impossible. 

 

In your build you can fit in at least the following purple sets:

• Unbreakable Constraint (10%)
• Coercive Confusion (10%)
• Will of the Controller (10%)
• Apocalypse (10%)

Additionally, you'll very likely have an ancillary AoE that can take Ragnarok (10%) and space for a few LoTG +Rech enhancements (+7.5% each) which combined should get you to at least 80% before any other IO sets. Illusion can also slot two 4/6 sets of Expedient Reinforcements for another 12.5% and there's a bunch of room for Doctored Wounds / Panacea / Preventative Medicine in Pain to get some more +Rech so it shouldn't be too hard to break 110%. 

[Coyote]

To complicate this topic:

PA takes 3.3 seconds to cast. So its cycle time is actually 63.3 seconds, not 60.

PA decoys are summoned 1,2, and 3 seconds after casting. So, the last decoy fades 62 seconds after the first appears. Thus, the on-board presence of the decoys is actually 62 seconds.

The main purpose of caring about PA permanence is to keep an AV attacking them permanently... but when the first decoy appears is NOT when the AV is taunted by it. It has to attack the AV first, which takes a random time for it to aggro on the AV, perform the attack, and have the attack's Taunt pull the AV's aggro to the decoy. Which probably takes about 1.5-2 seconds.

 

So... you probably have about 60 seconds of aggro pull from the decoys although they're on the board for 62 seconds. The cycle time is about 63 seconds.

 

And, lastly, just to REALLY toss sand into the engine... even with pure perma-PA, say a 55 second recharge... you may still not have 100% uptime on the aggro, because when you summon a a new set, the old set dies. This releases the AV's aggro, and you still have that 1.5-2 second gap until your first decoy grabs the aggro again. So even with "permanent" PA, there will still be a small gap when the aggro changes hands from the old set to the new set. Note that the AV may not have an attack ready in this period, or may be in the middle of an attack activation on the old set, so just having an aggro gap doesn't actually mean that you'll get attacked.

[swordchucks]

It's possible... but if you team a lot, it's not really necessary.  With just self-buffs, my PA recharge is 1:10 and I don't feel a burning need to get that down to sub 60.  If you're on a team, you probably aren't relying on them to taunt (and as others have outlined, even with it perma, their taunt drops when you resummon them). 

[Extor Prime]

A level 50 Illusion controller without perma-PA should re-evaluate his life choices.

 

It doesn't matter if you use incarnate or not to get there, but if by hook or by crook you don't have perma-PA at 50, you got some work to do.

[TheSpiritFox]

On 9/19/2019 at 10:49 PM, Veelectric Boogaloo said:

It was possible even prior to incarnates and new sets. It's easier now.

Ahh the good old days of 6 slotting hasten on my Illus/emp to get phantom army permanent. I almost miss I4. 

[VV]

On 9/20/2019 at 9:31 AM, Coyote said:

The main purpose of caring about PA permanence is to keep an AV attacking them permanently...

THANK you. I have literally wondered why perma-PA was so exciting since Retail. This finally makes sense.

[Carnifax]

3 hours ago, VV said:

THANK you. I have literally wondered why perma-PA was so exciting since Retail. This finally makes sense.

It is the best power in your toolset so having it up as much is amazing, and its one of the best combat openers going.  But a few secondS gap is fine for anything other than AVs. 

[Zepp]

I was looking at Perma-PA without Hasten for an Ill/Storm Troller... This is what I have: (FF proc should cover the difference)... [work in progress]

 

Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.3
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Illusion Control
Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Teleportation
Ancillary Pool: Psionic Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Blind -- BslGaz-Slow%(A), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(3), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(3), BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(9)
Level 1: Gale -- SuddAcc--KB/+KD(A)
Level 2: Spectral Wounds -- Dcm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Dcm-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(11), Dcm-Dmg/Rchg(11), Dcm-Dmg/EndRdx(13), Dcm-Acc/Dmg(13)
Level 4: Deceive -- CrcPrs-Conf%(A), CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx(5), CrcPrs-Conf(5), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg(7), CrcPrs-Conf/Rchg(7)
Level 6: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(15)
Level 8: Superior Invisibility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(9)
Level 10: Teleport -- Jnt-EndRdx/Rng(A)
Level 12: Teleport Foe -- Jnt-EndRdx/Rng(A)
Level 14: Flash -- BslGaz-Slow%(A), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(40), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(42), BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(42)
Level 16: Freezing Rain -- Rgn-Knock%(A), Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(17), Rgn-Acc/Rchg(17), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), Rgn-Dmg/Rchg(34), Ann-ResDeb%(37)
Level 18: Phantom Army -- ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(A), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(19), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(21), SlbAll-Dmg/Rchg(21), SlbAll-Acc/Rchg(23)
Level 20: Hurricane -- SuddAcc--KB/+KD(A), DarWtcDsp-Slow%(23), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(25), DarWtcDsp-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(25), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb(31), FrcFdb-Rechg%(42)
Level 22: Long Range Teleport -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 24: Snow Storm -- PcnoftheT--Rchg%(A)
Level 26: Spectral Terror -- SprWiloft-Rchg/Dmg%(A), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(27), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(27), SprWiloft-EndRdx/Rchg(29), SprWiloft-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(29), SprOvrPrs-Rchg/Energy Font(31)
Level 28: Thunder Clap -- AbsAmz-ToHitDeb%(A), AbsAmz-EndRdx/Stun(45), AbsAmz-Acc/Rchg(45), AbsAmz-Acc/Stun/Rchg(45), AbsAmz-Stun/Rchg(46)
Level 30: Steamy Mist -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(43), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(48), GldArm-3defTpProc(50)
Level 32: Phantasm -- ExpRnf-+Res(Pets)(A), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(33), CaltoArm-+Def(Pets)(34), SvrRgh-PetResDam(34)
Level 35: Tornado -- ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(A), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(36), ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(36), SlbAll-Build%(37), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(37)
Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Apc-Dam%(A), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Apc-Acc/Rchg(39), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Apc-Dmg/Rchg(40), Dcm-Build%(40)
Level 41: Indomitable Will -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg(43)
Level 44: Mind Over Body -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(46), Ags-Psi/Status(46)
Level 47: Psionic Tornado -- PstBls-Dam%(A), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(48), PstBls-Dmg/Rng(48), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(50), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(50)
Level 49: Group Invisibility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(A), NmnCnv-Heal(15)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(43)
Level 50: Spiritual Core Paragon
------------

 

 

Edited September 26, 2019 by Zepp