Earth/(TA)?

[Rumors]

Sooo, I'm not a huge Controller fan.  I rolled a few of them on live, most didn't stick.  Major exception was a Grav/TA Controller which wound up being one of my few 50s, which'll be a bit relavent here in a second.

 

So, I'm feeling the call of Earth Control and I'm debating on whether to make a Controller or Dominator for it.  But the thought of sticking Earth with TA came to mind and in my mind, that is inexperienced with Earth, it sounds like a good, fun combo.  Does anyone have experience with Earth/TA and how well they mesh together?  Or if they mesh poorly, what else goes with Earth well?  I tend to like focusing more on my enemies than my allies when I'm playing a control set, and hence usually roll a Dominator, but I do wanna give 'Trollers a chance.  So would definitely prefer a secondary that's either focused on the enemies or more "fire and forget" in terms for allies.

[Ringo]

Earth/Storm works quite well and assuming you skip 02 Boost is completely teammate oblivious.

 

Earth/TA offers more slows with Glue Arrow to go with your quicksand, two -res arrows to throw on whatever is trapped in quicksand/earthquake, a single target hold, an aoe hold (does EMP arrow still drain the caster?), and of course Oil Slick for burning mobs to ash.

 

Earth/Cold has two shields and a +max hp buff for your teammates, but other than that is completely focused on debuffing enemies

 

Earth/Poison has a heal and a rez but they're skippable and everything else is debuff

 

Earth/Dark has some more PBaoe buffs, but if you consider Howling Twilight to be for stacking Disorient with Stalagmites (they have the same radius, but HT is on double the recharge of Stalagmites) and that it just happens to rez, you'd be debuff and control heavy

[JStacy337]

(This is going back to Live, not sure how one would play now)

 

I did manage a L50+ Earth/TA way back, but it was a long, slow road when I couldn't find a team.

 

Three Holds (4 if you take EMP Arrow, which I normally skip) were great places to 4-slot for Basilisk's

One of those could light your Oil Slick Arrow for some awesome moments (Volcanic Gases and Oil Slick play very nice so long as there are no pets on the board; Pet AI is wonky with the semi-burn patch effect)

Quicksand, Flash Arrow, and Stoney, right out of the box, are great mitigation tools

Acid Arrow and Disruption Arrow, both providing -Res, make your low damaging tools hit slightly harder, but really shine when teamed (the AOE of Acid Arrow is negligible)

I would skip Salt Crystals and take Poison Gas Arrow instead (half the cooldown with a slightly longer base duration, higher accuracy, and without the need to be in melee any more than you have to)

 

You're going to be awesome when you're teamed and teams will notice when you're not there.  Solo...  It's going to be slow until you get all of your kit, but, when you do, you'll have one of the safer build out there

[DarkBeholder]

Currently running a lvl 50 Earth/TA.  Make no mistake you control the battle field. That said, you have a lot of issues killing stuff. You can lock it all day.  My final build has Air Superiority, and Mace Mastery for my patron stuff.  So I have 2 pets, which are cool but they really have no controls and will stand behind you advising you where to place your quicksand all day long if you don't go into melee.  A down side is you will pull aggro, and if your running +4s, they will kill you and you cant fly fast enough even with Afterburner....  :)

 

I'm trying to work my incarnate abilities because I really have no idea where to start and what will be my thing.  I have 4 toggles that eat my END, so I'm leaning on END Redux verse Damage, but really not sure and afraid to make a mistake.

 

I do enjoy playing him, I started a DM/Shield Brute and its kinda boring..smash, turn smash, move smash.  My controller is move shoot, move fly lock em down....

[Scarlet Shocker]

I've never played Earth/TA combined but plenty of experience of Earth and TA as troller sets.

 

I would agree with the general consensus; You'll lock stuff down and make it immobile, but it'll be slow to kill. If you're planning on playing solo, that'll probably be quite painful. If you're on a team, they will love you.

 

If you want to solo, then I'd suggest a more damaging primary, something like Fire/TA or maybe even Plant/TA

 

Either way, enjoy it :D

[Tacheyon]

Having gotten a Earth/TA back in the hold days, I can confirm that you lock stuff down.  Killing stuff on the other hand is a different story, although your pet does do some nice dps this build is more for group play then anything else.

 

Volcanic Gases is one of the best AOE holds in the game due to it's pulsing nature.  Slot it with a Lockdown: chance for +2 Mag Hold you get multiple chance to proc it (where as other AOE holds, you only get one shot at activation).

 

I was able to dig out one of my old builds if you want at least a idea of a build.

 

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.962

http://www.cohplanner.com/

 

Click this DataLink to open the build!

 

Level 50 Magic Controller

Primary Power Set: Earth Control

Secondary Power Set: Trick Arrow

Power Pool: Speed

Power Pool: Leaping

Power Pool: Leadership

Ancillary Pool: Fire Mastery

 

Hero Profile:

Level 1: Fossilize

• (A) Basilisk's Gaze - Recharge/Hold
  
• (3) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Hold
  
• (3) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Recharge
  
• (5) Basilisk's Gaze - Endurance/Recharge/Hold
  
• (5) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
  

Level 1: Entangling Arrow

• (A) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Recharge
  
• (48) Trap of the Hunter - Endurance/Immobilize
  
• (48) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Endurance
  
• (48) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Immobilize/Recharge
  

Level 2: Stone Cages

• (A) Debilitative Action - Disorient Bonus
  
• (7) Trap of the Hunter - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
  
• (7) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Endurance
  
• (9) Trap of the Hunter - Endurance/Immobilize
  
• (9) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Recharge
  
• (42) Trap of the Hunter - Accuracy/Immobilize/Recharge
  

Level 4: Glue Arrow

• (A) Slow IO
  

Level 6: Quicksand

• (A) Slow IO
  

Level 8: Hasten

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
  
• (31) Recharge Reduction IO
  

Level 10: Ice Arrow

• (A) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Hold
  
• (11) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Recharge
  
• (11) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
  
• (17) Basilisk's Gaze - Endurance/Recharge/Hold
  
• (17) Basilisk's Gaze - Recharge/Hold
  

Level 12: Stalagmites

• (A) Stupefy - Accuracy/Recharge
  
• (13) Stupefy - Accuracy/Stun/Recharge
  
• (13) Stupefy - Accuracy/Endurance
  
• (15) Stupefy - Endurance/Stun
  
• (15) Stupefy - Stun/Range
  

Level 14: Super Jump

• (A) Unbounded Leap - +Stealth
  

Level 16: Poison Gas Arrow

• (A) Call of the Sandman - Accuracy/Sleep/Recharge
  
• (46) Call of the Sandman - Accuracy/Endurance
  

Level 18: Earthquake

• (A) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff
  
• (19) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff
  
• (19) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Recharge
  
• (25) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Recharge/Endurance
  
• (40) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Endurance
  
• (40) Dark Watcher's Despair - Recharge/Endurance
  

Level 20: Acid Arrow

• (A) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff
  
• (21) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Defense Debuff
  
• (21) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
  
• (23) Analyze Weakness - Defense Debuff/Endurance/Recharge
  
• (23) Analyze Weakness - Defense Debuff
  

Level 22: Combat Jumping

• (A) Karma - Knockback Protection
  

Level 24: Assault

• (A) Endurance Reduction IO
  
• (25) Endurance Reduction IO
  

Level 26: Volcanic Gasses

• (A) Lockdown - Chance for +2 Mag Hold
  
• (27) Lockdown - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
  
• (27) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
  
• (29) Basilisk's Gaze - Endurance/Recharge/Hold
  
• (29) Basilisk's Gaze - Recharge/Hold
  
• (34) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Recharge
  

Level 28: Disruption Arrow

• (A) Endurance Reduction IO
  
• (37) Recharge Reduction IO
  
• (40) Recharge Reduction IO
  

Level 30: Tactics

• (A) Endurance Reduction IO
  
• (31) To Hit Buff IO
  
• (31) To Hit Buff IO
  

Level 32: Animate Stone

• (A) Expedient Reinforcement - Resist Bonus Aura for Pets
  
• (33) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Damage
  
• (33) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
  
• (33) Sovereign Right - Resistance Bonus
  
• (34) Expedient Reinforcement - Endurance/Damage/Recharge
  
• (34) Sovereign Right - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
  

Level 35: Oil Slick Arrow

• (A) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff
  
• (36) Touch of Lady Grey - Chance for Negative Damage
  
• (36) Impeded Swiftness - Chance of Damage(Smashing)
  
• (36) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
  
• (37) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
  
• (37) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy)
  

Level 38: Fire Ball

• (A) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
  
• (39) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
  
• (39) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy)
  
• (39) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
  
• (42) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
  

Level 41: EMP Arrow

• (A) Lockdown - Chance for +2 Mag Hold
  
• (42) Lockdown - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
  
• (43) Energy Manipulator - Chance to Stun
  
• (43) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
  
• (43) Basilisk's Gaze - Endurance/Recharge/Hold
  
• (46) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Recharge
  

Level 44: Fire Shield

• (A) Impervium Armor - Psionic Resistance
  
• (45) Impervium Armor - Resistance
  
• (45) Impervium Armor - Resistance/Endurance
  
• (45) Impervium Armor - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
  
• (46) Aegis - Psionic/Status Resistance
  

Level 47: Vengeance

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
  
• (50) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Recharge
  
• (50) Miracle - Heal
  
• (50) Miracle - Heal/Recharge
  

Level 49: Rise of the Phoenix

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
  

Level 1: Brawl

• (A) Empty
  

Level 1: Containment

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) Empty
  

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) Empty
  

------------

 

 

Now the Leadership powers are optional, but seeing as how you most likely would be grouping, they do help.  The Fire Mastery Pool is just incase you want to make sure your Oil Slick ignites.

 

If you are looking for something more solo friendly Earth/Storm is quite beastly late game as well.

 

[Area Man]

Back in the "Old Days," I was one of the more vocal Controller supporters -- I wrote an Earth/Rad guide (and several others) on the forums.  You can find it here:

 

http://web.archive.org/web/20120904193426/http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=121712

 

As a secondary, Radiation works well with ALL Controller primaries, it is easy to play with an AoE heal, a single AoE team buff and two of the three Debuff powers are persistent Anchor-based -- apply once and it stays in the Area around that foe until the anchor foe is dead.  Conceptually and practically, it meshes well with Earth, too.  There are lots of synergies between the sets.  For example, combine Stone Cages with Radiation Infection's Accuracy Debuff, and you have foes who can't move around and have trouble hitting you -- almost another AoE control that is available early in the build.

 

Earth/Rad is a fantastic AoE controller.  Earth Control doesn't have a lot of damage, but Rad boosts that damage a little bit.  If you have never played Radiation Secondary, then an Earth/Rad is a great choice.

 

Earth/Storm is another great choice, and was one of my favorite AoE controllers -- Storm has a couple of powers that add a lot of damage.  Good synergy, too; Quicksand's Slow and Defense Debuff makes Freezing Rain more effective.

 

I never tried them but I bet Earth/Time and Earth/Dark are good combos, too.

 

I was never a fan of the buffing-type secondaries like Emp, Sonic, FF, and others.  However, Earth/Sonic is a good paring both by theme (Earthquakes) and synergy (-Defense + -Resistance).

 

As for Trick Arrow, I think the best primary for Trick Arrow is Illusion.  My Ill/TA controller was "Beau Jester" an entertainer and stage magician for the French Foreign Legion.  Phantom Army provided great aggro control so I could use TA's AoE debuffs without drawing a bunch of aggro, and the debuffs made Phantom Army more effective.  Plus, Oil Slick Arrow + Fireball added something that Illusion badly needed -- some AoE damage.

[Guffnat]

*whispers* it's the legend...

 

I was hoping to find you here.

[Dahle]

*whispers* it's the legend...

 

I was hoping to find you here.

 

Thinking the same thing

[Scarlet Shocker]

*whispers* it's the legend...

 

I was hoping to find you here.

 

well known locally...