Mind/Force Fields

[Daily]

Hi!  I'd love some build help.

I'm looking to help my husband with his controller - Mind/Force Fields.

I would really like a general PvE build help.  He likes the Arcane Flying pool power.

I'm new with slots/IO stuff (or just can't remember), so those tips would really be great with a build.

[Rocketmandb]

Honestly, Force Field isn't a great match to Mind Control. Force is just an "ok" set overall, and really needs pets to shine (friendlies you can buff with the ally force fields). Mind has no pets, so that potential synergy is lost. Also, one of Force Field's better powers is Repulsion Bomb, but to get the most out of it, you want to have mobs contained so you can get double damage. Mind doesn't have an AoE immob that would easily allow this to happen.

 

With that said, I'll go through each set and what powers are best, slotting options, etc.

 

Mind Control:

 

Mesmerize, Levitate, and Dominate give Mind the best 1-2-3 punch for single target damage. These three allow you to solo small groups with little trouble. Dominate should eventually be 6-slotted, and both the others should be fairly heavily slotted as well.

 

Confuse makes enemies attack each other. This can make a big difference when soloing or in small groups, but is not really worth it in larger teams. However, it does have a very good IO set in Malaise Illusions which, when 6-slotted, gives you solid recovery, defense, damage and recharge bonuses.

 

I usually don't like taking sleeps, but since Mind is primarily a single-target set, Mass Hypno can be a difference maker. You can sleep an entire group for more than 40 seconds, allowing you to take them down one at a time with your 3 single target attacks.

 

Telekinesis is a VERY difficult power to learn how to use effectively. It is a way to set up containment if you can learn to push a bunch of mobs into a corner and hold them there for a bit. The problem is that it is exceedingly expensive in the form of endurance. Save for later.

 

Total Domination is your run of the mill AoE hold. Very long recharge, crappy accuracy.

 

Terrify is a Fear power, meaning that affected mobs will shake in terror and do nothing. It is a form of control, but doesn't yield containment. Good power, but not as good as other similar powers in that it doesn't give -tohit. Because of this, you don't need to slot this up as much.

 

Mass Confusion makes all the mobs in the affected area attack each other. Mind gets this in lieu of a pet. Very good power, but also a very long reload. Normally I skip the AoE holds or take them later since they can't be up every fight. With Mind Control, you get two of these powers so you can almost alter them each fight.

 

 

Force Field

 

Personal Force Field (or PFF) makes you into your own version of Bubble Boy. You pretty much can't be hit (but it is still possible), but you can't do anything that affects anything other than you. You don't need to slot this with anything other than one defense IO.

 

Deflection Shield and Insulation Shield are your ally shields. You can get a large chunk of their effectiveness by two-slotting them with defense IOs, but three maxes them out.

 

Force Bolt - skip it.

 

Detention Field - skip it.

 

Dispersion Bubble is probably the best power in the set. It gives you 7.5% defense unslotted, along with mez resists. It's a little expensive endurance wise, so you can't simply stick 3 defense IOs in it and be done. I'd recommend 4-slotting with combinations of defense set IOs that are Def/End.

 

Repulsion Field - skip it.

 

Repulsion Bomb - excellent power. It's a ranged AoE that stuns minions and knocks everything down. It does decent damage (but you really need containment, and Mind is lacking in AoE containment powers.

 

Force Bubble - I look at this as a Hurricane without the -tohit that has a much larger radius. It takes practice.

 

Since both sets have skippable powers, it gives you some room to take pool powers. This lets you max out on opportunities for defense to stack with Dispersion Bubble.

 

I've become a fan of the Fighting pool for Controllers. I liked it before, but now it has Cross Punch, which is a good damage cone melee attack that gets an extra 15% damage for taking each Boxing and Kick. This power pool also gives you Weave, which gives you defense, so worth it.

 

You can also take the Flight pool. Don't take the Sorcery pool for that flight power. Take Hover and Fly, 3-slot Hover, and use it in combat to get the defense it offers.

 

Combat Jumping is a must for nearly every character I make.

 

If you finish up by taking Maneuvers, you can get up into the 30s for a number of different defense categories. Not Tanker level defense, but it will give you enough when combined with your controls to do well.

 

With all that said, is your husband dead set on this combo? It's a tough road.

 

[Without_Pause]

Controller Guides and FAQs

Scroll down and read the stuff by magicj in the Mind control section.

[EmperorSteele]

Mind/FF isn't all that terrible. True, it doesn't have mechanical synergy, BUT, Mind Control is a very Blastery set. Which means you're always attacking, which means you really don't have time to be casting buffs and debuffs all the time (especially once you get your recharge up with hasten, IO set bonuses, incarnate stuff, and team buffs). FF is very "click and forget", allowing you to attack and control the battlefield with impunity, while only having to take a moment every 4 minutes to re-buff your team.

 

Just some extra food for thought!

[Redlynne]

Honestly, Force Field isn't a great match to Mind Control.

 

Except if you're Sister Psyche ... and even then ...

[Daily]

Thanks.  Don't care if anyone thinks it's a good choice or not. 

Just wanting to help my husband.

We play for fun and to make toons we like, not to appeal to anyone else.

 

 

 

[GuiltTrip]

My first 40 (and first 50, and first Incarnate) was a Mind/FF Controller.  With the advent of IO sets def is not nearly as useful as it could be back in the day but the combo still played great at the time of shutdown.  And as FF is not slot heavy Mind gets to shine.

 

Are you large teaming as much as possible, or are you mostly playing as a pair?

 

If you are playing as a pair,  I would six slot Levitate Mesmerize and Dominate.  The first two for damage and the last for locking down foes.  I don’t know what you are playing but if it is not a Brute and you are mostly single target attacker,  you will safely mow through most missions at +2.

 

Just have them open with Mass Sleep, and just tab and kill through the group.  If fighting Robots Levitate will do most of the damage work for them, but Mesmerize is underrated with containment.

 

 

If you do team, Mind has tons of AoE control and as mentioned with the slot light FF there are slots available to make sure you always have one to use every group.

 

I can give tons of play style advice as I leveled GTG 1-40 three times and 1-50 once.  I can’t remember the sets I went with off the top of my head but certainly can answer any questions about how to play it in any situation.