Plant/Storm Epic/Patron?

[JnEricsonx]

Ok, I'm stuck between Fire, Stone, and Ice when it comes to Epic options.  Fire gives more damage, Stone has some damage and a nice control(Fissure shows chance to have a Mag 2 and Mag 1 stun-does that mean they stack?).  Ice has ST damage, also defensive, a end/regen power, and Ice Storm.   Any thoughts?   Also, Mu is interesting too, since your +end recovery power with enough recharge is less than a minute a pop.

[JnEricsonx]

Any thoughts, suggestions, please?

[Coyote]

Forget single-target damage from Ice, you get as much from slotting up the Immobilize from Plant (albeit as DoT). Ice's real strength is AoE with Frost Breath. Because of its size, shape, and recharge, if you don't slot it up for Recharge you can get about 400 damage out of it, and do it at a good range for Plant (mid-range cone like Seeds of Confusion). While Stone is great, its AoE and ST damage are melee range, while otherwise with Plant/Storm you don't really have to go into melee range. Note, if you use Thunderclap a lot, then stacking Stuns from it with Stuns from Fissure IS nice. And, getting +Recharge from a Force Feedback proc in Fissure is great for a Stormy.

 

My slotting for Frost Breath (empty slot is for Bombardment, since Mids doesn't calculate the damage from that proc properly):

Resulting stats (add another 64 damage from Bombardment):

 

IMO, that's way better for damage than Fire, and that's without Ice Storm even added in. So if you're looking for damage, the way to go is Ice, not Fire.

 

The real question is: more direct damage from Ice, or more +Recharge from Stone? If you're planning to be in melee range all the time anyway (which usually means NOT using Hurricane, but using Thunderclap), then Stone fits that playstyle. If you're planning to stay a bit out of melee range (which means NOT using Thunderclap but maybe using Hurricane), then Ice fits that range better, IMO.

[Corythia]

I have Ice, and Frost Breath deals a LOT more damage then either fireball or the earth aoe.  The rain power in addition makes Ice much better if you are just looking for dps.  The ice armor is great, but it really messes with your costume.  Hibernate is great since you can get everything rolling then hibernate if you are taking too much heat.  Honestly with Plant/Storm Ice also has the best synergy since you are starting with a big cone attack, then debuffs, I tend to stay where I started till the minions are cleared and I move in to concentrate on bosses.  That makes the frost breath cone and the rain easy to use.

 

Plant/Storm was my first 50 on Homecoming, and I still play her a LOT.  Ice is the way to go.

 

[Doomguide2005]

Mine is Earth/Storm/Stone.  She lives in melee, usually surrounded by stunned mobs.  Stalagmites, Thunderclap and Fissure.  Anything not stunned earns itself a slap upside the head with Seismic Smash.  No Hurricane atm ... but both of mine on Live had it though rarely used.  Hard to go wrong really Plant/Storm is a very strong pairing to add to.  Try them both.

[r0y]

Mine is Plant/Storm/Mace because I don't like getting hit, and I often tank (Scorpion Shield).  Things usually die so fast, I don't know if I'd have time to set up a frostbreath, though I am a fan of proc-monster powers, and frost breath is one.

 

You proc out carrion creepers and build for recharge.  I never felt a need to dip in to more damage sources via epic or patron pools with my Plant/Storm.  It's already a very active and busy build, I usually have 2-3 tornadoes and lightning storms going, not to mention dropping Freezing rain every 15-20 seconds, in between seeds (damage proc'd), roots, and strangler (5 damage procs).  Any "free time" I may have from locking things down and destroying them, usually involve throwing out an O2 boost to a team mate, or chuckling as Gale (slot w/ KB-KD) is such an effective soft-control.

 

By far, Plant/Storm is my favorite control combo.  It's nasty-silly, and I don't know if I'd give up my softcap S/L/E for some extra damage.  I probably would if I was more timid and did not rush in to attack before the rest of the team 9 times out of 10.

 

[Dahle]

I am a fan of Stone 100%. But it really shines most in a Melee situation.  If you don't plan on melee then don't bother.  

[Doomguide2005]

And reading through the thread again ... 

 

Yes I believe the stuns in Fissure are cumulative.  Can't confirm right now but iirc they have independent % chances to occur and if they both occur they will stack.  And they wear off separately ... unsure if their durations are different or not.  It's been a while (like 8+ years 😁) since I had my head wrapped around the mechanics of how mag wears off over time etc..

[oedipus_tex]

You didn't list them, but for /Storm I usually prefer the Psi or Primal APPs.

 

Psi provides Indomitable Will, which with enough recharge confers perma mezz protection and capped Psi defense. Psi Tornado has lower DPA than Fireball but has a higher target cap than cone powers (16 vs 10), 50% chance for knockup excellent range (100ft) and another place to put a Chance for 100% Recharge proc. Psi also gives you a Resistance armor while still providing a Defense slot for Luck of the Gambler, worth +7.5% global recharge.

 

Primal provides Conserve Power, a game changer on high recharge builds. Tho it can't be made truly perma, it still provides good uptime. On a Endurance hungry set like Storm it makes a big difference in sustainability. Primal also provides Power Boost, which is less useful for Plant/Storm than some other builds, but never useless.

 

In general I favor the S/L Resistance armor sets over the S/L Defense armor sets. I find that capped S/L Defense on a low HP character like a Controller doesn't convey as much survivability as a mix of Defense with some Resistance. 

Edited July 19, 2020 by oedipus_tex

[Doomguide2005]

My wife on Live had a Plant/Storm/Psi and had the recharge for perma-Indomitable Will.  Beastly indeed.