Advice on new effective controllery build

[Doc Ranger]

So I am looking to try a new build with a few caveats. It must be controllery and it must be good in a team environment in a noticeable way.

 

What I mean by that is my Dk/Dk is very defensive and it's noticeable. I can walk into a +4/+8 group and lock it down and not get hit. I love that feeling and I love protecting the group from dmg.

 

I have played and, for various reasons, do not like Illusion, Gravity and Ice. I have a 50 Fire/Dk which is fun so Fire is out. Earth's animations are a little too intrusive for me as well.

 

That leaves me with Dark, Plant, Elec and Mind as a primary. I don't mind trying a different combo of Dark/?. 

 

For secondary sets I am intrigued by and/or haven't tried: Thermal (never tried but interested), Time (tried Grav/Time but got bored at 46), Storm (I had an Ice/Storm but got bored at mid 40's),  Cold (tried Ill/Cold but Illusion isn't controller at all), and never tried Nature, Sonic or Traps. 

 

I would even like to try a Defender with some controller properties but noticeable debuffs for team helping. 

 

I'm picky but I really want to like something new 😉

[blazingcoconut]

No offense but with those restrictions, pick a pair and go for it.

 

You have so many caveats that you'll need to find a pairing that works for you.

[Doc Ranger]

I was afraid of that...I’m too picky. I need to try to enjoy the set for what it is, not what I want it to be.

 

 

Edited October 27, 2019 by Ice_Warden

[Gulbasaur]

I had a mind/storm controller on live and on HC and I've always enjoyed the combination.

 

It's very hands-on, with strong hard and soft control, although mind/ really, really benefits from recharge as the AoE hold has a recharge time of ten million years. The fear cone is outstanding and confuse is something you love or hate - it's a total game-changer when you learn to spot the mobs that confuse well as many will buff or heal your team. It's also quite proc-friendly, so you can turn control AoEs into damage ones.

 

I find debuff sets work well on controllers as you can be very combat focused. Storm is very "embrace the chaos", but it's very powerful in good hands.

Edited October 27, 2019 by Gulbasaur

[Doc Ranger]

Honestly I just kind of listed some bare bones guidelines. I'd be happy to hear any suggestions outside my parameters. But I dig actual control 😉

 

I like Kin and have played it before but I have heard from many here that it doesn't particularly bring a lot to the table in the end game which is why I didn't mention it. I have never played poison but I'd be interested in hearing its synergies with other sets.

 

I have never played Mind or TA...but not many sing the praises of TA around here.

Edited October 27, 2019 by Ice_Warden

[MTeague]

Mind/Kin is a nice combo but it can be will be slow to start. 

• It works best if you're fully willing to use Confuses to protect yourself and your team.   
• Levitate is some team-friendly knockup damage mitigation (boss ain't attacking while flung into the air or getting back up)
• Terrify (the Cone-Fear) is really more of a personal damage vehicle than much else. But it is nice to apply damage to a crowd after Mass Confuse to ensure exp will be had by all. 
• Transfusion
• Siphon Speed is easy to stack and the +20% recharge you get from it stacks.  Very nice for unleashing lots of mags of hold for EB's / AV's.
• Increase Density will give hold/stun/knockback protection to everyone else and smashing/energy resist.  But it's not nearly as "noticeable" as the rest of the /Kin powers.
• Speed Boost / Fulcrum Shift  <mic drop>

[Doc Ranger]

So I think I want to try Elec/

 

What synergizes well with Electricity? 

[Mercurias]

1 hour ago, Ice_Warden said:

So I think I want to try Elec/

 

What synergizes well with Electricity? 

I like Electricity with Kinetics for sapping enemies. Elec/Dark is great for debuffing. Elec/Time is the safest controller I’ve ever played. 

Edited October 29, 2019 by Mercurias

[Coyote]

Elec/Storm, since Elec's endurance recovery works well to support the End problems that Storm usually suffers from.

Elec/Time for safety in PBAoE.

[Doc Ranger]

I like safety. My main is Dk/Dk so safety is my middle name.

 

 

[Erydanus]

The statement "Earth's animations are a little too intrusive for me" is very perplexing to me and I'd enjoy hearing exactly what the problem with them is and also to know if you went into the power customization section at chargen and did anything to change the appearance and colors. 

[oedipus_tex]

Based on what you listed and your desires, for a total game changer that will transform teams I'd roll Plant/Kinetics. 

Edited October 29, 2019 by oedipus_tex

[Doc Ranger]

5 hours ago, Erydanus said:

The statement "Earth's animations are a little too intrusive for me" is very perplexing to me and I'd enjoy hearing exactly what the problem with them is and also to know if you went into the power customization section at chargen and did anything to change the appearance and colors. 

Is there something new from back on live? I just remember the huge stalagmites etc which drove me crazy. Did they make it so you can eliminate some of that stuff?

I hear so much about time but those damn swirly effects get on my nerves as well. Can you change those too?

 

Edited October 29, 2019 by Ice_Warden

[Doc Ranger]

Yeah I just went on and checked it. Same overly done graphics. 

[Coyote]

I always said that if you want to melt graphics cards, roll an Earth/Storm, run Hurricane 24/7, and spam Stone Cages 😛

[Doomguide2005]

1 hour ago, Coyote said:

I always said that if you want to melt graphics cards, roll an Earth/Storm, run Hurricane 24/7, and spam Stone Cages 😛

This 

 

And I am so going to quote this

[Coyote]

And ironically, today's patch does something to fix this:

" Fixed an issue with the particles generated by certain powers taking much more processing power than they should. Stone Cages was the worst offender. "

[Doc Ranger]

Might try to find a Elec/Time, Dark and Storm build to see what I’m looking at.

[bartwart]

Consider mind/time.  Personally, mind is easily my favorite controller or dom primary just because I love confusion and terrify so much.  Time is a great compliment and very controllery with slows and holds of its own (time slow + time stop will instantly hold a boss).  Mind has a great single target attack chain with the mesmerize, levitate, and dominate.  Oedipus tex has a great post about a Mind/time build you should check out.  It's a beast solo or in groups.

[SmalltalkJava]

Kin actually pairs well with electric and plant.    You can proc out electric for proc damage. You basically confuse the enemies and while they are fighting roll in and fulcrum shift you and your pets.   You’ll have lots of proc damage and maxed out fulcrum damage.  Then roll to the next group.   Electric set up for procs like in the controller proc monster thread is as close to cheating as you can get.  I run the electric/dark/(psi?) proc build and its super easy.  Big proc damage, big control.  
 

 

[Yomo Kimyata]

Mind/ is great, but I don't think of it as a team controllery build.  Lots of sleep and confuse, which doesn't often go hand in hand with the steamroll zerg nature of teams nowadays.

[oedipus_tex]

I think Dark Control is basically a better version of Mind Control. Mind Control has potential but its cooldowns are too long for what it is intended to do, and the set never makes up for the loss of a pet. Mass Confuse should be on a much shorter cooldown considering the set gives up a pet to obtain it. It was originally the only AoE confuse in the game (other than Arctic Air) and was designed with a different meta in mind than Plant and Electric, which came later.

Edited October 31, 2019 by oedipus_tex

[Stromaeyl]

Well time has probably passed it by, but I would suggest one of the original 'splatroller' builds: plant/rad.  It comes online very quickly.  You will very quickly have roots, seeds of confusion, a pbaoe team heal, the ability to negate damage a la  Dark, etc.  If you are soloing you have the most damaging aoe immobilize of all the controller sets in roots.   You eventually gain the Fly Trap pet but before that you can also get carrion crawlers which is another nasty aoe.  Rad gives you a pbaoe stun, a pile of debuffs and additional safety.  The only reason 'splatrollers' disappeared is when NCSoft reduced the number of mobs in an aoe to 10.  But it is still quite effective.

[ambpup]

I had a Elec/FF controller back in the day, while fun (and pretty safe overall) she didn't do great in end game. Around 37 lvl I just stuck her in the Rikti zone to do ship raids. But saying that, a elec/storm could be interesting with some good slotting to counter the endurance drain of storm. And I still love watching tesla cage getting the baddies, and lightning storm does fit in well with Elec.

[Doc Ranger]

Anyone have a Elec/Time, Elec/Dark or Elec/Kin build floating around I could examine?