/Storm Controller

[StriderIV]

Hi Heroes!

 

I’ve historically been a melee archetype player, but want to try my hand at my first controller!

 

I’ve settled on doing a /Storm controller, but I’m a little torn as to which primary to pair it with.

 

The ones that have caught my eye are Elec/Storm, Earth/Storm or Dark/Storm.

 

Do any one have any recommendations with any of these pairings? Or do any of you have a particularly cool/powerful combo with /Storm that you would like to recommend?

 

Thanks in advance!

[oedipus_tex]

I personally don't like /Storm paired with the primaries that lean on Sleep for utility. Mainly, this is Electric and Mind Control. They're still playable but the conflict between Sleep and Freezing Rain feels like a lost opportunity to me. Mind, in particular, suffers because Sleep is one of the few avenues for AoE Containment. The inability to combo -Resist with Containment really hurts Mind/Storm. There are workarounds (Thunderclap for example to Stun minions) but they aren't always pretty. 

 

On the other hand, Gravity/Storm in particular stands out as complimentary. Gravity provides high single target damage from early on, while Tornado and Lightning Storm add damage later. Both sets can be played mostly at range with a Hover build, covering Storm's hole of relatively weak personal defense and resist. High DPA on Gravity's attack lets you take enemies out faster to generate inspirations to assist with the murder Storm does to your blue bar, and both sets have a lot of opportunities for +100% recharge procs.

 

Other combos with Storm tend to be good but slow starting, because most Control primaries have low damage until you reach the pet. Earth/Storm was once a very popular combo for a "total control through chaos" sort of build.

 

You should, of course, play what you want. 

[StriderIV]

2 hours ago, 5099y_74c05 said:

/Storm is a great Controller secondary. It brings extra control, damage and debuffs to the table, there are no wrong ways to pair it IMO. All of the pairs you mentioned are good for different reasons, you can't go wrong with any of them. On your list Dark/Storm stands out for stacking AoE Stuns and -ToHit (Hurricane). Elec/Storm helps boost +Recovery/End to mitigate /Storm's high end cost. Earth/Storm will offer great zone control and shaping (This was my main on live before switching to Ill/TA).

 

Not on your list but deserving mention are Fire/Storm, Illusion/Storm and Plant/Storm. Fire/Storm will be a challenge to build for as it destroys your End bar as quickly as it destroys enemies. Ill/Storm is pure chaos. Plant/Storm is an AoE buzzsaw (I used to farm with mine before PROCs were nerfed).

 

Nothing wrong with Ice/Storm or Mind/Storm. Ice/Storm can be build around Slows by leveraging Snow Storm and Freezing Rain but can also be hard on endurance. Mind/Storm lends itself to shaping as well where you can run TK and Hurricane to reposition enemies; late game this is not as useful as it is earlier on in levels.

 

Missed Grav/Storm which is great for repositioning enemies and has a fairly good soloing curve

This is a wealth of info, thanks so much man, appreciate it.

[StriderIV]

1 hour ago, oedipus_tex said:

I personally don't like /Storm paired with the primaries that lean on Sleep for utility. Mainly, this is Electric and Mind Control. They're still playable but the conflict between Sleep and Freezing Rain feels like a lost opportunity to me. Mind, in particular, suffers because Sleep is one of the few avenues for AoE Containment. The inability to combo -Resist with Containment really hurts Mind/Storm. There are workarounds (Thunderclap for example to Stun minions) but they aren't always pretty. 

 

On the other hand, Gravity/Storm in particular stands out as complimentary. Gravity provides high single target damage from early on, while Tornado and Lightning Storm add damage later. Both sets can be played mostly at range with a Hover build, covering Storm's hole of relatively weak personal defense and resist. High DPA on Gravity's attack lets you take enemies out faster to generate inspirations to assist with the murder Storm does to your blue bar, and both sets have a lot of opportunities for +100% recharge procs.

 

Other combos with Storm tend to be good but slow starting, because most Control primaries have low damage until you reach the pet. Earth/Storm was once a very popular combo for a "total control through chaos" sort of build.

 

You should, of course, play what you want. 

Grav/Storm is a classic pairing I hear! So many good options. Thanks for the insight man. I’ve heard that about Elec/Storm. Some tell me they just drop the sleep at their feet as a way to mitigate baddies when they run at them, but I agree that you’re kind of pigeon-holing yourself into only using it that one way.

[Tacheyon]

I have to also throw my hat in for Earth/Storm.  It was my main on Live and my 2nd lv 50 (first was Thugs/Traps).  At the beginning it doesn't seem like much, but late game it is a beast.

 

As stated earlier it is matched only with Earth/TA for zone control.  With Freezing Rain and Earthquake you can have mobs flopping all over the place at will.  With Stalagmites and Thunder Clap you can stun bosses fast.  Volcanic Gases is the best AOE hold in the game because of it's pulsing nature (so it sends out a bunch of small holds over the course of 30 secs) so you can in the right circumstances hold a AV on your own (albeit for a short time). And while you are doing that Tornado, Lightning Storm are chewing up the mobs and your Pet is tanking whatever isn't controlled.  Also Quicksand and Stone Cages floors your enemies Def.

Skip Salt Crystals, O2 and maybe Snow Storm.  You can then either go into Ice or Earth Epic's and come out even stronger (Ice get Armour, Hibernate, Ice Storm/ Earth - Fissure, Seismic Strike (another hold plus really good damage and Rock Armour)

[StriderIV]

50 minutes ago, Tacheyon said:

I have to also throw my hat in for Earth/Storm.  It was my main on Live and my 2nd lv 50 (first was Thugs/Traps).  At the beginning it doesn't seem like much, but late game it is a beast.

 

As stated earlier it is matched only with Earth/TA for zone control.  With Freezing Rain and Earthquake you can have mobs flopping all over the place at will.  With Stalagmites and Thunder Clap you can stun bosses fast.  Volcanic Gases is the best AOE hold in the game because of it's pulsing nature (so it sends out a bunch of small holds over the course of 30 secs) so you can in the right circumstances hold a AV on your own (albeit for a short time). And while you are doing that Tornado, Lightning Storm are chewing up the mobs and your Pet is tanking whatever isn't controlled.  Also Quicksand and Stone Cages floors your enemies Def.

Skip Salt Crystals, O2 and maybe Snow Storm.  You can then either go into Ice or Earth Epic's and come out even stronger (Ice get Armour, Hibernate, Ice Storm/ Earth - Fissure, Seismic Strike (another hold plus really good damage and Rock Armour)

This is a pretty good sell man =P I appreciate you writing this up. A Geo Storm type character is a cool concept.

[Coyote]

Gravity is powergaming the best combo for Storm, because Wormhole's ability to bunch mobs up for the small radius attacks for Tornado and Lightning Storm turns those from single-target attacks to small-target-cap AoEs.

 

Otherwise, Electric is good for the +Recovery help, and I like Earth with it since Earth is low on damage and Storm helps with that. Also, Earth's dependeonce on dropped AoE powers like Earthquake and Volcanic Gasses allows you drop a bunch of powers around you with Storm's drops, and then use Fold Space to bring mobs closer in to get hit by all the debuffs.

[Nemeroff]

I like the Storm set. I like Controllers.

 

But I never made a Controller /Storm because it always seemed like a bit of an oxymoron.

(Control marries Chaos).

 

But after reading the above my curiosity wheels are spinning.

[Coyote]

Illusion/Storm, my main.

 

Embrace the Chaos. BE the Chaos. 😉

Nothing is locked down, everything is running around, getting tossed around, attacked by decoys, afraid of Spooky, and knocked around by Phantasm's attacks. Chaos squared.

[Tacheyon]

1 hour ago, Coyote said:

Illusion/Storm, my main.

 

Embrace the Chaos. BE the Chaos. 😉

Nothing is locked down, everything is running around, getting tossed around, attacked by decoys, afraid of Spooky, and knocked around by Phantasm's attacks. Chaos squared.

Sounds like my Ninja/Storm MM for the most part.  Best way to keep them alive is to have everything else on it's back.

[StriderIV]

On 1/15/2021 at 3:17 PM, 5099y_74c05 said:

At the end of the day it really depends on what your expectations are, what role you wish to play on teams (or how much you solo), and how much you are willing to invest into a build.

 

The biggest factor is acknowledging there is a pecking order in the raw control capabilities of the primaries and understanding this order can change with IO investment. I bring this dimension up in importance if you wish to emphasize control on teams. In contrast, if you solo, you may wish to emphasize damage more, which limits you to certain primaries. PROCs can change these rankings as well but at the opportunity cost of set bonuses.

 

Regarding /Storm I personally consider Hurricane as one of the set's unique and defining powers. even if many here will advocate for skipping this power. Using this power effectively requires some degree of skill and spacial awareness to apply the -To Hit and -Range debuff without knocking foes all over the place. Aside from the debuff, "Herdicaning" allows you to cluster enemies together by pushing them into one spot, usually by exploiting game geometry or by using a persistent pulsing AoE effect. It is a tricky power to use effectively and looses utility in most endgame scenarios, mainly on fast killing steamroller teams (you loose set up time unless you jump ahead).

 

It is possible to fix most of /Storm's End issues with IOs and without Incarnates Alpha; EndRedux in a few key areas like AoE Immobs and slot +End Procs and +Recovery PROCs. I say this so you don't feel tethered to Elec/ as primary. Now if you go with Fire/ of Ice/ as a primary it will most likely require commitment of your Alpha to End Redux; it's probably the only way to reach the +2EPS threshold.

 

The critique of Sleep is valid but is also a common issue on teams with heavy DoTs and/or AoEs. You can mitigate this with some coordination or using Sleep on offgroup aggro. Personally I reserve Sleeps for oh $#!+ moments; someone on the team will almost always break it when used in regular rotation (Even Elec/'s pulsing Sleep). Unfortunately Mind/ has less high uptime back up control options than Elec/ IMO which is why on Mind/Storm I typically pick TK, where other builds can skip it. Not a perfect fix but it opens up a stop gap.

 

With all of the above in mind:

AoE Control: Earth, Elec, Dark, Fire

AoE Damage: Fire, Plant

 

There are some synergies around Slow and Sapping (End) but if it is you first go around with /Storm I would reserve these types of builds to when you are more familiar with the sets and their effects. /Storm isn't necessarily the prime candidate for either strategy either. Out of the box you could run Dark/Storm. With the use of Hurricane, you will be throwing around lots of -ToHit debuffs, giving you an early game advantage. You don't have to do anything special in this set up were as in the other configurations you would need to take certain key powers (powers that are normally skipped) and key slotting to emphasize the other secondary effects. The end results would be a weaker synergy on a Slow or Sapping emphasis than it would be for -ToHit.

This is super well thought out and informative. I went with Elec/Storm mostly for them, but now you have me wanting to try more combos out!

[Scarlet Shocker]

I love controllers, and Storm is one of my favourite sets out there for any of the "support" ATs.

 

As others have mentioned some sets go better with it than others but my first ever controller (2006 vintage) was a Mind/Storm and that worked really well. Sure you're a bit of a poltergeist, and throw a lot of stuff around especially with Levitate, Tekekinesis and Hurricane going on, but played well, nothing but the biggest baddest bosses bother you, because nothing gets close.

 

If your heart is set on Storm, then I suggest this as an excellent power combination (the name's already taken though!)

Spoiler

 

 

Also, although I haven't played the combo myself I can fully see why Plant/Storm would work brilliantly together.

 

My concern is that given you're mostly a melee player up until now, you may struggle with the seeming lack of damage of some controllers - so if your heart isn't completely set on /Storm as a set, then I'd suggest something that gives great damage, good control and isn't a Fire/Kin is Fire/TA which is a boatload of fun.

 

One further word about Storm as a set - for years O2 boost was heavily criticised for being crap and a lot of people seemed to skip it - but once you stop thinking of it as a heal but more as a great buff with a minor heal component it comes into its own.

 

Honestly, I'd suggest try them all, see which ones you like. What have you got to lose?

[Armaaz]

I have a plant/storm/stone that I absolutely love. He was my first 50 on homecoming and the first time I really got into playing a controller. The combo of seeds, creepers, tornado and lightning storm means you're a pseudopet mastermind. All the fun of having tons of minions, none of the worries about keeping them alive. As a former MM main that really appealed to me.
I also like playing up close and personal so the stone epic is great as seismic smash really helps up the ST damage while still spamming out control. I only use hurricane situationally with my build. The damage and control this build can dish out is quite impressive. I have a build I'm pretty happy with if anyone is interested.

[Tacheyon]

So all this talk has gotten my altitist going again (thanks for that) and I have gone with a Ill/Storm because I like chaos.  Anyway I got a rough power build going but was wondering if Fold Space would be worth taking for a build like this?  Because pretty much everything will just get blown away moments later anyway.  But at least you can get a group together first before the chaos begins.

[StriderIV]

I just wanted to hop back in this thread and said thanks to everyone for all their insight and advice. I decided to roll an Elec/Storm, mostly for a thematic reasons. Into the 30's now and having a great time! Definitely a combo/archetype I feel will really shine once I get proper sets in it.

 

Hearing from everyone here though has me wanting to roll 5 more controllers 😂

[VV]

Having mained a Grav/Storm for years (also have an Elec/Nrg Dom), just a couple of things. Many people spit on O2 boost, but it is really one of the best heals in the game. It's perfect for when some wayward scrapper gets themselves in more trouble than they can handle and you need to top them off while taking care of the situation for them. If you really dislike healing, skip it, but I find it to be quite a useful emergency tool.

 

Second, many people will recommend converting all your Knockback powers to Knockdown. This is fine, especially when you are first learning, but I have found that having a KB power on hand can come in handy sometimes. Gale is great for scooching more enemies into the tank's aggro field, or if they get too in your face. I also leave the KB in Lightning Storm. Just be sure to set it behind the combat and the knockback won't disperse them much. And many times a rear-guard LS has saved our bacon from a big ambush.

 

For electric, remember that the Sleep pulses. This is more powerful than many people realize. It means that if you wake up the enemy, they will likely go back to sleep quickly. Drop them in a KD patch, and they wakeup, flop, go to sleep, wake up, flop, go to sleep, etc. I like to layer Static Field, Jolting Chain, and Chain Fences, then run in with Conductive Aura running, and within seconds the enemy has no endurance.

 

Elec/Storm should be a powerful combo, good luck!

 

 

[rizlazz]

On 1/18/2021 at 1:06 PM, Armaaz said:

I have a plant/storm/stone that I absolutely love. He was my first 50 on homecoming and the first time I really got into playing a controller. The combo of seeds, creepers, tornado and lightning storm means you're a pseudopet mastermind. All the fun of having tons of minions, none of the worries about keeping them alive. As a former MM main that really appealed to me.
I also like playing up close and personal so the stone epic is great as seismic smash really helps up the ST damage while still spamming out control. I only use hurricane situationally with my build. The damage and control this build can dish out is quite impressive. I have a build I'm pretty happy with if anyone is interested.

I'm interested @Armaaz please, if you wouldn't mind showing your hand, I'd love to see it.

[Armaaz]

2 hours ago, rizlazz said:

I'm interested @Armaaz please, if you wouldn't mind showing your hand, I'd love to see it.

Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.7.2.10
https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Farce of Nature: Level 50 Mutation Controller
Primary Power Set: Plant Control
Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Power Pool: Sorcery
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Stone Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Strangler -- GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(A), GldJvl-Acc/Dmg(3), SprWiloft-Rchg/Dmg%(3), GldJvl-Dam%(5), Lck-%Hold(5), NrnSht-Dam%(7)
Level 1: Gale -- Acc-I(A)
Level 2: Roots -- EnfOpr-Acc/EndRdx(A)
Level 4: Arcane Bolt -- Apc-Dam%(A), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Apc-Dmg/Rchg(13), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), Apc-Acc/Rchg(15)
Level 6: Mystic Flight -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A)
Level 8: Seeds of Confusion -- CrcPrs-Conf%(A), CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx(15), CrcPrs-Conf/Rchg(17), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg(17), CrcPrs-Acc/Rchg(19)
Level 10: Steamy Mist -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(19), UnbGrd-ResDam(21), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(21), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(23)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(23)
Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(25)
Level 16: Freezing Rain -- AchHee-ResDeb%(A)
Level 18: Vines -- SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(A), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(25), SprWiloft-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(27), SprWiloft-EndRdx/Rchg(27), SprWiloft-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(29)
Level 20: Rune of Protection -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(29)
Level 22: Boxing -- Acc-I(A)
Level 24: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(31), UnbGrd-ResDam(31), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(31), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(33), UnbGrd-EndRdx/Rchg(33)
Level 26: Carrion Creepers -- PstBls-Dam%(A), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Rgn-Dmg/Rchg(34), Rgn-Acc/Rchg(34), Rgn-Dmg(34), Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(36)
Level 28: Weave -- Rct-ResDam%(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(36), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(36), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(46)
Level 30: Hurricane -- HO:Enzym(A)
Level 32: Fly Trap -- ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(37), ExpRnf-Dmg/EndRdx(37), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(37)
Level 35: Tornado -- ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(A), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(39), ExpRnf-Dmg/EndRdx(39), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(40), FrcFdb-Rechg%(40)
Level 38: Lightning Storm -- GldJvl-Dam/Rech(A), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(40), Dvs-Dmg/Rchg(42), GldJvl-Dam%(42), ExpStr-Dam%(42), FrcFdb-Rechg%(43)
Level 41: Fissure -- Ann-ResDeb%(A), PstBls-Dam%(43), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(43), PstBls-Acc/Dmg(45), Ann-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), FrcFdb-Rechg%(45)
Level 44: Rock Armor -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), RedFrt-Def(46), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(46)
Level 47: Seismic Smash -- Hct-Dam%(A), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(48), NrnSht-Dam%(48), Hct-Dmg(48), UnbCns-Dam%(50), CrsImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(50)
Level 49: Earth's Embrace -- Prv-Heal/Rchg(A), Prv-Absorb%(50)
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 -- UnbLea-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run 
Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(7), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(9)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(9), EndMod-I(11)
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve 
Level 0: Portal Jockey 
Level 0: Task Force Commander 
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion 
Level 50: Ageless Core Epiphany 
Level 50: Melee Core Embodiment 
Level 50: Reactive Core Flawless Interface 
Level 50: Ion Core Final Judgement 
Level 50: Carnival Radial Superior Ally 
Level 50: Intuition Radial Paragon 
------------

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[Uun]

1 hour ago, 5099y_74c05 said:

@Armaaz I'm not being critical. Curious why you went with Intuition Radial Paragon and if you tried other Alphas before switching?

I can't speak for Armaaz, but Intuition Radial is great for controllers with debuffs. It enhances holds, defense debuffs, range, damage, tohit debuffs and slows.

[Armaaz]

4 hours ago, 5099y_74c05 said:

@Armaaz I'm not being critical. Curious why you went with Intuition Radial Paragon and if you tried other Alphas before switching?

My first build was entirely centered around recharge and used the spiritual core alpha (and had considered agility too). While that worked to pump out the absolute maximum amount of tornadoes and such, I felt like it had a lot of diminishing returns for the build as a whole. I also did not understand procs at that point. So, after getting a few other toons to 50 I revisited this build and decided I wanted to maximize damage and make the best use of procs possible with lots of force feedback procs to make up for having a bit less recharge. Proc builds tend to slot light for damage in some powers so an alpha with +dam helps make up for that and I was able to cap smashing and lethal defence without extra help from the alpha (and rely on the +res from rune of protection and the melee incarnate for whatever gets through). So, that left me with a choice between musculature and intuition. I feel like either way would work well as musculature enhances some of the debuffs too and the extra endmod in the radial musculature could be nice as even with ageless this build drinks the end down. But in the end I decided having the enhancement to my holds (also neglected in slotting due to procs) and slows were a bit better than slightly more damage from the core musculature or some extra endmod from the radial.

[Armaaz]

1 minute ago, 5099y_74c05 said:

More insight and detail than I expected. Thank you very much.

My pleasure!

[Coyote]

8 hours ago, Armaaz said:

My first build was entirely centered around recharge and used the spiritual core alpha (and had considered agility too). While that worked to pump out the absolute maximum amount of tornadoes and such, I felt like it had a lot of diminishing returns for the build as a whole. I also did not understand procs at that point. So, after getting a few other toons to 50 I revisited this build and decided I wanted to maximize damage and make the best use of procs possible with lots of force feedback procs to make up for having a bit less recharge. Proc builds tend to slot light for damage in some powers so an alpha with +dam helps make up for that and I was able to cap smashing and lethal defence without extra help from the alpha (and rely on the +res from rune of protection and the melee incarnate for whatever gets through). So, that left me with a choice between musculature and intuition. I feel like either way would work well as musculature enhances some of the debuffs too and the extra endmod in the radial musculature could be nice as even with ageless this build drinks the end down. But in the end I decided having the enhancement to my holds (also neglected in slotting due to procs) and slows were a bit better than slightly more damage from the core musculature or some extra endmod from the radial.

 

Good analysis, good answer. I'm running Intuition on my Ill/Storm for similar reasons. And the shorter ranges of some of the summons benefit from increased Range, also, as does the cone range of Frost Breath.