Need help with Controller pairing suggestions

[hejtmane]

Ok i need to build a new toon to team up with a buddy I mainly play scrappers like all but one 50 on live and  homecoming  have been scrapper other than  the ill/rad troller I got to 50 which i enjoyed playing.

 

Right now I have Fire/Dark at 47 I love playing him and a ton invested in IO's for him because I enjoy playing him and yes he will get to 50 I just use him with a specific group I play with on Saturdays  which is the only reason he is not 50 already.

 

Any suggestions on a troller to try other than the two listed and I need it to be able to solo an AV if needed. I know I want to play another controller just need some help on narrowing my selection.

 

Thank You

 

 

[mistagoat]

Maybe a Plant/Storm? Really powerful and fun combo. I haven't tried soloing AVs but it beats the snot out of EBs in its sleep. I haven't made an earth/storm yet but it sounds like fun.

 

Ill/dark is a blast but you have an ill/rad already so its pretty similar.

 

Maybe a classic Fire/Kin or Fire/Rad? I just made a Fire/Nature troller thats pretty fun and has the buffs/debuffs to do some work.

 

Nearly any troller should be able to solo 2x8 with bosses or EBs. Even my Ice/Rad can do that with ease and ice my be the lowest damage troller set. Its the soloing AVs part that can get tricky. I'd say try a high damage primary (fire, plant, ill) and pair it with a strong debuffer (rad, dark, cold) and you should have something that can solo easily and handle AVs.

 

[Argentae]

Dark/Dark is amazing for the stacked -ToHit, pets, and single target confuse.

Fire/Storm blooms later, but is a buzzsaw once it gets going.

 

Those are my current favorites. 🙂

[Doomguide2005]

I think most controllers can solo most AVs especially even level AVs.  To my mind and experience solo vs an AV has more to do with surviving the AV than any other single factor.  A strong debuffing or highly offensive output set will tend to do it faster (or of course a pairing combining those elements).  And surviving doesn't have to mean high or capped defense either.  Pre Invention Ill/Rad did it by having PA available 24-7 to tank for them for example.  Any of the pairing mentioned should be able to do so.  Any sets in particular strike your fancy?  Any other requirements such as wanting to handle +4/×8 with AVs?  Or pre Incarnate capability to do so, etc.?

[hejtmane]

I can just use my scrapper to run x4+8 and I am pretty sure my fire/dark controller I have right now probably could. I settled on trying plant/TA  the av questions was sometimes me and my friend duo TF's and we don't always have melee toons to tank the AV.

[Doomguide2005]

Plant/TA should do quite well especially after TAs recent improvements.

[Tacheyon]

You might also try Plant/Traps.

 

Your Scrapper might appreciate a Triage Beacon and Spirit Tree double buff to Regen.  Among other debuffs you can do.

[tidge]

When I wanted a Controller that didn't look like it was really controlling (my opinion, YMMV) as much as it was sowing chaos, I went with Mind/Poison. I went all-in on %damage from procs to beef up the damage output. The Poison debuffs are a help against AVs and GMs. With Mind, it is less obvious (from the graphics) what is happening with enemies (compared to any over Controllers) and you don't have to have anything that looks like a pet chasing you around.

[roleki]

In *most* cases, if you're planning to take down AVs, your best bet is Ill/x just because you handle Alpha and aggro with one click. 

 

That said, your Fire/Dark should be able to duo AVs just fine with a melee character chunking out damage in the foreground.  Dark is tailor-made for narrowing the gap between a difficult target and the team trying to take it down... even the heal is a regen/tohit debuff!

 

While I am a huge fan of Mind/Poison as a solo-type (by the time they figure out you're among them, they're either dead or 3/4 of the way there)  I couldn't recommend it for duo-ing tough targets, only on account the heal is largely poop and half the atttacks/controls Mind uses aren't of much use vs an AV.

 

But like everyone has already stated, almost anything can defeat (or contribute TO the defeat) of an AV. 

 

And while they aren't Controllers, you might want to consider an Ice/Cold or Ice/Time Corruptor.  They chunk out the holds in spades and once the victim is halfway dead you swoop in dealing massive damage.

 

 

[LynxNordique]

It seems Earth control is easily forgotten. Animated Stone is very resilient. It does decent single target damage and has taunt imbeded in its melee attacks. Against AV, It's probably one of the best pet as it helps the controller survivability, as long as you can keep it alive and debuff the regen and resistance of the AV faced. Moreover it rarely misses, as all the other earth control powers debuff defense. 

[Doomguide2005]

3 hours ago, LynxNordique said:

It seems Earth control is easily forgotten. Animated Stone is very resilient. It does decent single target damage and has taunt imbeded in its melee attacks. Against AV, It's probably one of the best pet as it helps the controller survivability, as long as you can keep it alive and debuff the regen and resistance of the AV faced. Moreover it rarely misses, as all the other earth control powers debuff defense. 

Excellent point.  Rocky is and can be made very sturdy and fulfill the same roll as PA in Illusion to tank AVs for the controller.  About the only difference is he's not indestructible and having a Heal of some sort can helpful for the inevitable blows that get through.

[BurningDezire]

Has anyone tried out ill/kin troller? Invis and confuse make it easy to go in middle of mobs and cast FS? Seems like it'd be a good combo, no?

[Chelsea Rorec]

I don't want to harp on but Earth/Storm is fun.

Also Fire/Kin is cool.

[Nightmarer 2]

On 8/15/2021 at 10:35 PM, hejtmane said:

Ok i need to build a new toon to team up with a buddy I mainly play scrappers like all but one 50 on live and  homecoming  have been scrapper other than  the ill/rad troller I got to 50 which i enjoyed playing.

 

Right now I have Fire/Dark at 47 I love playing him and a ton invested in IO's for him because I enjoy playing him and yes he will get to 50 I just use him with a specific group I play with on Saturdays  which is the only reason he is not 50 already.

 

Any suggestions on a troller to try other than the two listed and I need it to be able to solo an AV if needed. I know I want to play another controller just need some help on narrowing my selection.

 

Thank You

 

 

For hard control, Earth is awesome, you can pair it with pretty much anything. I have earth/rad and earth/dark but you already have those secondaries so maybe earth/sonic or earth/time might be fun (or earth/kin and see stoney run). Plant/Storm and Grav/Storm are both real fun, messy and chaotic. Dark/Nature is also fun, I am currently lvling one and it feels  awesome and last but not least, Ice/Poison is fun too. I'd say Fire/Poison but again, you already have a Fire troller so either Ice/Poison or Dark/Poison are fun.

 

And now I want to roll another troller... thank you *grrrrr*

[Carnifax]

21 minutes ago, Nightmarer said:

For hard control, Earth is awesome, you can pair it with pretty much anything. I have earth/rad and earth/dark but you already have those secondaries so maybe earth/sonic or earth/time might be fun (or earth/kin and see stoney run). Plant/Storm and Grav/Storm are both real fun, messy and chaotic. Dark/Nature is also fun, I am currently lvling one and it feels  awesome and last but not least, Ice/Poison is fun too. I'd say Fire/Poison but again, you already have a Fire troller so either Ice/Poison or Dark/Poison are fun.

 

And now I want to roll another troller... thank you *grrrrr*

Elec/Poison/Stone is surprisingly fun as well. Lots of layers of soft-ish control and likes being in close debuffing and draining stuff while you drop Poison Traps and smack them with Seismic / Fissure. 

 

(Plant/Storm is immense fun. My favourite controller)

[Cenozoic]

OP,

 

May I suggest Gravity/Storm for your enjoyment?

 

GRAVITY

• Plenty of ST DPS
• Plenty of Immobilize
• Plenty of -Fly
• Singularity - greatly improved and AMAZING with KB-to-KD proc
• Wormhole stuff into the Singularity

STORM

• Even more DPS!!!
• KD/KU from Tornado and Freezing Rain
• Hurricane - for herding stuff into the scrapper and singularity deathpile
• Snow Storm for flooring recharge and speed (no escape)

 

If you want to team, I have Laughing Gull (Grav/Storm) so let me know if you need a test drive.

 

[WitchofDread]

how about elec/time?

[Scarlet Shocker]

my two favourite solo/all-rounders are Plant/TA which is immense (but remember to ensure you have something to ignite OSA) and my Dark/Poison, which is positively evil and kills unsuspecting PVPers  in RWZ.

 

For teaming and giving your comrades a boost, however I cannot speak highly enough of Earth/Thermal -  plays well with others, massive debuffs and good shields.

 

If you want something more damagy without doing the fire/kin/rad thing, a Fire/TA is also a lot of fun and is very mobile.

 

Honestly, Trollers are the best AT in game - no other game has anything like them* so play them all and rediscover the entire game.

 

 

 

 

*that I have played

[BurningDezire]

On 9/7/2021 at 3:24 PM, Doomguide2005 said:

Excellent point.  Rocky is and can be made very sturdy and fulfill the same roll as PA in Illusion to tank AVs for the controller.  About the only difference is he's not indestructible and having a Heal of some sort can helpful for the inevitable blows that get through.

Recommended slotting to make him very tanky?

[LynxNordique]

Imo, to  maximize Animated stone damages:

 

Sovereing rights Aura + resistance for pets with 5 of the Soulbound allegiance (including the Chance for build up)

 

This setup is good to increase the damage resistance and the damage output of Stoney. If you're fighting AV solo, he is the main source of damages. 

 

If you prefer, the whole Expedient reinforcement set is nice too, since it has a + recharge set bonus and an Aura + resistance for pets

 

 

[Voltak]

Ice/Storm  Controller -- I include a video.  He is one of only 2 or 3 survivors in this ITF run , NO INSPIRATIONS, NO deaths, NO incarnates at all. 
THey are powerful, they can be very safe, and extremely fun and rewarding to play 

Arctic Air with the confuse set and the proc is like perma seeds of confusion, if they get up from Ice Slick, lots of slows

Storm is what makes Controllers play like Dominators only a bit better since Storm is also a phenomenal defense instrument 

Controllers are not the best AT in the game, that award goes to Defenders.  But secondaries such as Storm or Trick Arrow combined with a control primary set is what makes a controller control so much while at the same time dishing out damage in a very fun and significant manner. 

Storm is one of the, if not the best , creation among games of this type, a true masterpiece.  There is nothing like storm created in other games. CoH is the only like that. 
 

 

Edited October 17, 2021 by Voltak

[Doomguide2005]

     One other thing not mentioned is Earth (Stoney) and Illusion (PA and Phant) pets are the only ones whose pets have Taunt built into their attacks.  PA in particular is a long lasting taunt effect, but Stoney is no slouch either.

[Without_Pause]

On 9/18/2021 at 12:00 PM, WitchofDread said:

how about elec/time?

I'm ignorant about how Elec does against AVS as it isn't known for damage, but it with Time or Kin are great pairings. AoE sleep + Fulcrum. Mmm. I also think Mind/time would be quite good despite not really being talked about.

[LynxNordique]

10 hours ago, Doomguide2005 said:

     One other thing not mentioned is Earth (Stoney) and Illusion (PA and Phant) pets are the only ones whose pets have Taunt built into their attacks.  PA in particular is a long lasting taunt effect, but Stoney is no slouch either.

 

True, Stoney's taunt is no joke! The only AV that I got the attention while Stoney was alive, was Ghost Widow, because she phased shift him. Even more, I remember on a Dr Kahn TF final mission , Stoney decided to tank Vanessa Devore. The tank on the team tried to get her attention away from Stoney, but couldn't. Stoney did survive the whole fight. 

 

So, having pocket tanks, like phantom army and Stoney means less worry.