What Control Sets Are Made Of

[Replacement]

This feels a bit presumptuous to put in the "Guide" section but I feel it's the best home for the topic.  I have been wanting to put this together for the past year, and I think it's time I finally get down to it.

 

What this is: a schema (or blueprint, or set of "best practice" patterns) for understanding Control sets.  I put this together when I started to feel like I could almost see equivalencies between the Control sets.  It's just not as straightforward as, say, Blast sets.  This is designed to help you find the apples and oranges within sets to compare against each other.
In short, it's my version of "Doe is to Buck as Hen is to Rooster."

 

Who is this for: primarily for people wanting to design new Control sets, but I also feel it is pertinent for balance discussions regarding the existing Control sets.  For example, before laying out this schema, I hadn't realized how much Salt Crystals (aoe sleep) was never expected to compete with the likes of Static Field (recurring Sleep patch), because it's intended to fill the same gap as Smoke (enemy -Perception).

I feel this could function as a great checklist "starting point" for folks like @Tyrannical or even (wishfully) the @Captain Powerhouse.

 

What this is not: LAW.  Rules are made to be broken.  But if you're going to build a better race car engine, you should probably understand how motors work.  Just about every set has a deviation from the patterns I'm going to lay out, but I'm hoping if your brain is wired like mine, this little game of Match will help you understand why they thought they could get away with it.

In analyzing all the existing control sets, I have noticed the more a set deviates from these patterns, the more it tends to come up in conversation as UP/OP, or just hard as hell to balance content against.  I do not think this is a coincidence.

 

The Checklist and TL;DR

The closer your Control set hits these marks, the less balance tuning it should require:

• Core Mez
  • ST+AOE minor mez (immobs usually)
  • ST+AOE major mez (holds)
• 2 Daily Drivers
  • 2 different aoe mez effects with reasonable availability
• 2 oddballs pulled from the following categories
  • a different ST mez
  • an aoe mez with little in-combat benefit (e.g. -Perception bomb or Sleep)
  • A limited duration pet
  • A de/buff
• The pet

 

Starting with the most obvious and working my way towards the more interesting, here are the various components and subcomponents of a standard Control set:

 

A Pet

It's the t9 pet(s).

 

Core Mez
These are intentionally nearly standardized across Control sets.  They are a baseline.  Creativity in this space is mostly limited to secondary effects and targeting types (Dark Control has a Cone immob and a Location aoe Hold, for example).

Core mez types are "Burned up."  If your set swaps the Immobs out for Knocks, you shouldn't have Knocks outside these 2 powers.

 

Standard format:

• ST and AoE Immobilize
  • Can also be viewed as ST and AoE version of the same minor mez.
• ST and AoE Hold
  • Can also be viewed as ST and AoE version of the same major mez.
  • AOE Hold's recharge is intentionally impossible to have ready every fight.

Two Daily Drivers
Each Control set has 2 powers that are, to my estimation, the intended primary methods your chosen set will control fights.

 

These have the following qualities, and every quality is equally important:

• AOE in nature
• Can reasonably be expected to be ready every fight on Single Origin Enhancements (Note: this assumes SO kill times as well)
• Never the same type of mez between the two (e.g. sets would not have 2x aoe disorients at Daily Driver Recharge values)
• Never the same type of mez as the Core Mez

 

These are always "Moderate" mezzes - those with at least some small chance of an affected enemy responding (even if that response is a slow-walk away).  These are things like disorients, fears, and recurring versions of shorter-lived mezzes like Earthquake's constant Knocks.

These also tend to not be "created equal" -- most sets have one with a cooldown around the 40s region and another in the 90s zone.

 

Getting into the weird stuff

This leaves 2 power slots, and each is plucked from the following classifications:

 

Bonus Mez - An additional low cooldown (usually ST) mez, which should be of a type not represented elsewhere in the set.

 

De/Buff - Typically a movepeed debuff, but any debuff or party buff that feels more in-line with a Support power.

 

Party Mez - An ALWAYS AOE (be it party or enemy) "Mez" effect that only works with the party's cooperation.  I also called it a Party Mez because it's essentially forcing your allies into inaction as well.  This is one-and-done Sleeps, -Perception bombs, and team Stealths.  

TL;DR: Powers which do almost nothing while your party is being violent.

 

Limited Pet - A pet power with finite duration.  

 

Balancing the books

It doesn't take a genius to recognize a limited pet is better than most party mez effects like a one-off sleep.  As with all sets for all ATs, the final form obviously needs tuned by looking at the overall picture, including secondary effects.  This means it doesn't make sense to add a strong, CC-using t8 pet in a set that already has incredible mez or double damage on one of its attacks.

 

Replacements (hi)
Some example calculated swaps made in existing sets, for better and for worse:

 

Ice Control - If you consider Arctic Air (25' aura with 30% confuse chance) to be a daily driver, as I do, it works out to a little less mez potential than other sets.  This works out though, because the set's secondary effects (including AA's own slow) provide constant increasing soft-locking.

 

Fire Control - Arguably, Hot Feet is a daily driver and Bonfire is a bonus mez.  Or was, until KB>KD existed.  Regardless, Hot Feet's panic+slow gives the set a strong 2nd layer of defense, but it lacks in what people think of when they imagine a Controller locking a whole spawn.  For Imp and Bonfire reasons, this is on-brand and works well.

 

Mind Control - Is a treasure trove of replacements, and devs going just a little too far off the deep end to create an unmanageable mess.

• Core Mez: Sleeps replace Immobs.  Though sleeps are a bit weaker, this should work as they both essentially require the party to play differently to make the most of them.
• Pet: standard pet replaced with Mass Confusion.  Cool.  I still think the XP penalty needs another rework but this is sound (in theory).
• Bonus Mez: Confuse.  ST Confuse being the same type as the t9 confuse.**
• Daily Driver: Telekinesis has a Hold component, creating a 3rd Hold source.**
• **I believe both of these facts (over-access to mez-duplication) is a large part of why Mind Control was otherwise tuned so low.  They have some of the best mez-stacking in the game, and it bears a large opportunity cost on the rest of the set's design.

 

Illusion Control - This set is off the reservation.  It's almost impossible to match up to the blueprint, and so I find it no coincidence this single set is the most difficult to balance against the rest.

Edited June 14, 2021 by Replacement

[Replacement]

Some example Control Set mappings:

 

Earth Control

Power	Short Description	Classification
Stone Prison	Ranged, Moderate DoT(Smash), Foe Immobilize, -DEF(All), -Fly	Core Mez
Fossilize	Ranged, Moderate DMG(Smash), Foe Hold, -DEF(All)	Core Mez
Stone Cages	Ranged (Targeted AoE), Minor DMG(Smash), Foe Immobilize, -DEF(All), -Fly	Core Mez
Quicksand	Ranged (Location AoE), Foe -DEF(All), -Fly, -Jump, -SPD	De/Buff
Salt Crystals	PBAoE, Foe Sleep, -DEF(All)	Party Mez
Stalagmites	Ranged (Targeted AoE), Minor DMG(Lethal), Foe Disorient, -DEF(All)	Daily Driver
Earthquake	Ranged (Location AoE), Foe Knockdown, –To-Hit, -DEF(All)	Daily Driver
Volcanic Gasses	Ranged (Location AoE), Minor DoT(Fire), Foe Hold, Special	Core Mez
Animate Stone	Summon Golem: Melee, Heavy DMG(Smash)	Pet

 

Ice Control

Power	Short Description	Classification
Chilblain	Ranged, Moderate DoT(Cold), Foe Immobilize, -Recharge, -SPD	Core Mez
Block of Ice	Ranged, Moderate DMG(Cold), Foe Hold, -Recharge, -SPD	Core Mez
Frostbite	Ranged (Targeted AoE), Minor DoT(Cold), Foe Immobilize, -Recharge, -SPD	Core Mez
Arctic Air	Toggle: PBAoE, Foe Confuse(Special), -Stealth, -Recharge, -SPD	Daily Driver, Probably
Shiver	Ranged (Cone), Foe -Recharge, -SPD	De/Buff
Ice Slick	Ranged (Targeted AoE), Foe Knockdown, -SPD	Daily Driver
Flash Freeze	Ranged (Targeted AoE), Minor DMG(Cold/Lethal), Foe Sleep	Party Mez
Glacier	PBAoE, Foe Hold, -Recharge, -SPD	Core Mez
Jack Frost	Summon Jack Frost: Melee, Moderate DMG(Cold)	Pet

 

 

[GraspingVileTerror]

Do you feel there's room for Sets which have a Single Target Stun or Fear as part of their "Core Mez," @Replacement?

[Replacement]

I do, you just have to chase the slots down the line. And you would want an aoe of the same if you can.

 

I mean, you would scale them down or up depending on what you're replacing.  Say you replace the Holds with a Fear and a really strong secondary effect.  Strong enough to justify the aoe having that 4 minute timer. Well now you need to make sure you have 2 different other moderate strength mez powers, such as a recurring sleep patch and a pbaoe Disorient.

 

So it works, but you're kind of tying your hands because those other mez options are so good for the daily drivers, which never see mez redundancy.

 

 

[Gulbasaur]

On 6/12/2021 at 1:23 AM, Replacement said:

Mind Control - Is a treasure trove of replacements, and devs going just a little too far off the deep end to create an unmanageable mess.

I disagree with this judgment - Mind it outstanding solo and in small groups where you aren't all completely overpowered. It plays like a fairly defensive blast set with utility from Confuse.

 

That forcefield generator? Mine now. Ritki guardians with AoE buffs? Yes, I'll have one of those. No healer? I'll grab that surgeon in Cimerora. Longbow wardens bothering you with singularity? Confuse the warden and the pet will turn on them. Tsoo sorcerer? A bit annoying because they teleport away, but they're good at coming back to heal you.

 

The AoE confuse is a complete game-changer, and the XP tax is less of an issue when you consider how easy it is to outlevel content by accident and it allows you do level faster (because enemies are damage each other), with no debt (because nobody is even trying to hit you).

 

Telekinesis is underwhelming because it's much too situationally useful and has a colossal endurance cost, but my only real complaint about Mind is that Fear and Confuse don't trigger Containment. It's my favourite control set by a long way.

 

Nice guide, though!

Edited June 13, 2021 by Gulbasaur

[Killobot5000]

1 hour ago, Gulbasaur said:

I disagree with this judgment - Mind it outstanding solo and in small groups where you aren't all completely overpowered. It plays like a fairly defensive blast set with utility from Confuse.

 

That forcefield generator? Mine now. Ritki guardians with AoE buffs? Yes, I'll have one of those. No healer? I'll grab that surgeon in Cimerora. Longbow wardens bothering you with singularity? Confuse the warden and the pet will turn on them. Tsoo sorcerer? A bit annoying because they teleport away, but they're good at coming back to heal you.

 

The AoE confuse is a complete game-changer, and the XP tax is less of an issue when you consider how easy it is to outlevel content by accident and it allows you do level faster (because enemies are damage each other), with no debt (because nobody is even trying to hit you).

 

Telekinesis is underwhelming because it's much too situationally useful and has a colossal endurance cost, but my only real complaint about Mind is that Fear and Confuse don't trigger Containment. It's my favourite control set by a long way.

 

Nice guide, though!

 

Yup.

 

MC is amazing. Sure, it may not be as easy to see what the MC set is doing in groups as say an Earth or an Ice troller/dom, but they can still make a dramatic effect in whatever missions or TFs you're running.

 

The 3 main single target powers all have a mez of some kind (sleep, knock up, and hold) while doing really good damage for a control set.  The single target confuse is great for soloing or getting an extra free (short term) pet when tou're in a group. The aoes (confuse, sleep, and hold) are all massively useful as well. Team mates rushing in without waiting for the tank/brute to soak the alpha? Fire off that AoE hold and there is no alpha. Fighting one group and a teammate accidently aggros another? AoE sleep them and you can clean up the first group without worry before taking the fight to the guys napping over there. Any group any time for any reason? AoE confuse. Many lolz to be had when the mobs care more about beating up their best friends instead of you and your teammates.

 

TK.... honestly, almost every set has a bad power. Sure a few folks out there find uses for it or like it, buuuut, meh. I've never thought of TK as anything more than a terrible waste of my blue bar. (YMMV though.)

[Replacement]

@Gulbasaur 

 I feel like you may have missed it in the noise - I like that Mind trades immobs for sleeps, and I like Mass Confusion instead of a pet. These are neat replacements and I'd like to see more like them in future sets.

 

Where they went too far, in my estimation, is deciding on a 3rd Hold source and a 2nd Confuse. From a designer standpoint, these duplications probably made the set look stronger than it is, which caused the devs to pull their punches on a lot of the set.  This is my opinion though.

 

 

[oedipus_tex]

Thank you for an excellent write up.

 

Control sets have always been my favorite sets in CoX. I'm often critical of them, but at the same time I can tell a lot of love went into their creation. They set CoX apart from other MMOs.

 

 

Mind Control specifically was designed both pre-ED and pre-Containment. It would be a lot easier to forgive it if Dark Control in general and Seeds of Confusion in particular did not exist. 

 

 

IMO there's still a lot that could be done in a revisit of these sets. Hopefully they will remain divergent and interesting but have some of the sharp corners rounded off. If nothing else, some consistency about how Domination is intended to work with pseudo pets, and figuring out how to normalize Containment.

Edited June 14, 2021 by oedipus_tex

[Wavicle]

You basically said this, but it might need to be clarified:

 

You can swap out the Immobs, but you can't swap out the Holds. All Control sets must have a Single Target Hold and an AoE Hold. Everything else varies, that does not.

[oedipus_tex]

It may be worth noting the chronology of the sets because I think that speaks a lot to their design as well.

 

• Fire, Ice, Mind, Illusion, Earth, Gravity 
• Plant (originally just for Dominators)  
• Electric
• Darkness
• Wind (never released)

 

When you look at those last four sets I think a fairly clear picture emerges in terms of how the developers had evolved in their thinking about Control sets. A lot of the powers seem like answers to powers players had not responded positively to in previous sets. All three of the sets released after the initial batch had a clickable Confuse power; the original ratio was just 2 out of 6. Debuff-as-control wasn't really considered a mainstay of Control sets either until Electric and Darkness appeared. Ice's -Recharge was supposed to be this, but other than Earth's Defense debuff none of the other sets had more than a power or two with significant debuff.

Edited June 14, 2021 by oedipus_tex

[Replacement]

I think it may be better to break up what I called "party mez" and "bonus mez."  At least, it makes sense if Knock is considered minor.

 

As I look at it, it's more like the 4 choices for filling the last 2 powers are:

• Another aoe minor mez (jolting chain, salt crystals)
• Another ST mez (possess)
• De/buff (and move group invisibility here)
• Duration-limited pet

Let me know if you think that makes more sense than what I have in the OP.

 

Edited June 14, 2021 by Replacement