Mind/???

[Sorrison]

I am making a new character and wanted to make a Mind/??? controller. I am unsure a good thematic combo and a generally good combo that works for all content. I currently am Mind/FF... but I am only level 2.

[Omega Force]

I had a Mind/Time controller, with Time representing ESP or combat precognition.  /Dark, Empathy, Pain, and Storm could also fit a psychic theme, particularly if colored to match.  Time is basically an armor set (like FF, but with holds and heals), and Mind isn't the king of damage, so you might prefer Mind/Storm for more offense.

[Sorrison]

I appreciate the insight! 🙂 Thank you.

[Psyonico]

Mind/FF was my first toon. It's very safe, especially with the change to how sleep powers are now auto-hit in PvE.  ST damage is ok, slot Mesmerize with damage instead of sleep duration and you've got yourself a 3 power rotation early in the game.

 

AOE damage is lacking with just Terrify and repulsion bomb (which some people say to skip).

 

The only problem is it's a slow combo to level solo. If you're on teams you'll do great. If you plan on mainly soloing, I'd look at a different secondary.

[Sorrison]

5 minutes ago, Psyonico said:

Mind/FF was my first toon. It's very safe, especially with the change to how sleep powers are now auto-hit in PvE.  ST damage is ok, slot Mesmerize with damage instead of sleep duration and you've got yourself a 3 power rotation early in the game.

 

AOE damage is lacking with just Terrify and repulsion bomb (which some people say to skip).

 

The only problem is it's a slow combo to level solo. If you're on teams you'll do great. If you plan on mainly soloing, I'd look at a different secondary.

I appreciate the information!! I may stick with it. I typically play a mixture of content. 

 

[Braddack]

I have an Mind / Kinetic Troller, and he is an blast to play, thanks to the Kinetic Buffs , he is fast and deadly.

[roleki]

10 hours ago, Psyonico said:

[...]

AOE damage is lacking with just Terrify and repulsion bomb (which some people say to skip).

 

I wouldn't skip Repulsion Bomb, it's a great opener and CAN be a bit of a proc mule, if you're into that kind of thing.  I like to slot it with Posi A/D/E and Posi Proc, Annihilation A/D/R and Annihilation Proc, FF+Rech and the KB:KD,  but unless you've got room to run 3x FF+Rech in a build you might be better served with a straight attribute enhancement or a proc, there.  Don't skip it though, it's a really nice power.

[Onlyasandwich]

2 hours ago, roleki said:

and the KB:KD

It is natively knockdown these days, requiring no IO for this. Pop in another damage proc!

[roleki]

2 hours ago, Onlyasandwich said:

It is natively knockdown these days, requiring no IO for this. Pop in another damage proc!

 

True, it's only a Mag 0.67 KD, but it seems I was still knocking all the street-level stuff everywhere once I got my level shift so I slotted the KB:KD.  But yeah, if you're doing a lot of ++/team stuff, more proc would be in order; Repulsion Bomb takes quite a few damage and softish control procs... I've never tried it, but it would be interesting to see if the Superior Frozen Blast Mag 3 immob and the Razzle Dazzle Mag 2 Immob procs could somehow work together.  Maybe not useful in Mind Control (I've never had trouble with runners/scatter on Mind/) but on something else /FFish.  

[Psyonico]

6 hours ago, roleki said:

 

I wouldn't skip Repulsion Bomb, it's a great opener and CAN be a bit of a proc mule, if you're into that kind of thing.  I like to slot it with Posi A/D/E and Posi Proc, Annihilation A/D/R and Annihilation Proc, FF+Rech and the KB:KD,  but unless you've got room to run 3x FF+Rech in a build you might be better served with a straight attribute enhancement or a proc, there.  Don't skip it though, it's a really nice power.

Oh I agree, I don't skip Repulsion Bomb, but for some reason I've seen a lot of builds that do skip it.

[oedipus_tex]

Mind Control on Controllers is a set I consider difficult to play. It's got two main things that make it a challenging set:

• For teams, AoE hard control only comes from a pair of powers that each have 240 recharge.
• Solo, Mind lacks easy ways to set up AoE Containment. 

 

Mind Control is a late bloom set. On teams, highly kitted out Mind Controllers usually rotate between Mass Confusion and Total Domination with each spawn. The recharge on each of these will need to be around 70 seconds or faster to do this comfortably (the hard cap on their recharge is 60 seconds.) They also unlock late.

 

Solo, one way I've partially solved for the lack of easy Containment is using Power Boost with Total Domination. You can use sleep powers too, but it's a lot harder.

 

 

The main advantages of Mind Control IMO are that some of the powers can be cast without alerting enemies, which can allow extra time to set up a debuff when solo without alerting enemies. The single target Hold power also casts very quickly and benefits a lot from proccing out for damage.

 

 

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Given all of this, my top recommendations for pairings are:

 

• Time Manipulation. This set provides lots of Recharge that can help get Mind's control powers up more often. The AoE slow will help a lot with keeping stuff from running away. The +ToHit in Farsight assists with making procced out powers hit. Having extra Defense on a Mind Controller is often useful because the set eats a lot of return fire on fast moving teams.
• Trick Arrow. The additional control and direct damage in this set helps fill in Mind's holes in these areas. It is also possible to Sleep or Confuse a mob discretely and set up some of the arrows in safety. 
• Dark Affinity. This is an all around good set that pairs as nicely with Mind Control as anything else. 
• Radiation. An older set that has fallen from S to A tier IMO, but still pretty good overall.
• Poison. I'm not the hugest fan of Poison to be honest, but it's not a terrible pairing if you wish to play it.
• Nature. This is more a "neutral" pairing than a truly strong one IMO, but there is no negative cross-contamination between the sets.
• Electric Affinity. Same as above.
• Kinetics. Putting this at the bottom because I think Mind/Kin is fine, but just fine, not OMGAmazing like Kinetics is with many other sets. Perfectly playable though if you like both sets.

 

Sets I'd avoid (not unplayable, just not what I'd initially lean toward):

• Cold. I used to main a Mind/Cold many years ago. The conflict between trying to get Containment with Sleep and the DoT in Sleet drove me away from the combo. Not terrible, but a real hassle in solo play, and just not worth it to me anymore since /Cold pairs to much more naturally with other sets.

 

If I didn't list the set, it probably falls somewhere into a neutral territory. Empathy/FF/Pain etc all fall into that "if you want to" category. I don't think these sets tend to be any better or worse on a Mind Controller than on a Defender, with all the asterisks placed there about not being able to use your buffs on yourself or a pet.

Edited March 23, 2022 by oedipus_tex

[Area Man]

Mind Control is the Control set that needs the least from its secondary.  Most other crowd control sets have two or three secondaries which have a bunch of synergy.  For example, Fire/Rad has Hot Feet + Choking Cloud, Fire Cages + two toggle AoE debuffs which make the AoE Immob more useful, AM which helps BOTH Recharge and End Recovery, both badly needed on a Fire Controller.  Mind Control CAN operate entirely without using the Secondary.

One thing that is nice to have on ALL controller builds - a self-heal, but that can be achieved in a bunch of ways.

So, what secondaries would help a Mind Controller most?  Well, Recharge would certainly help to get those controls back faster.  With the only exception of Telekinesis, every power in Mind is a "click" power, which needs to recharge before you can use it again.  Rad, Kin and Time all have Recharge self-buffs. 

Another thing Mind lacks is a "defensive" power - a PBAoE hold or other control, or PBAoE toggle which reduces attacks on you.  Other sets have things like Ice's Arctic Air, Illusion's Flash, Earth's Salt Crystals, Fire's Cinders, Dark's Heart of Darkness.  Only a few Secondaries have what might be considered a defensive power: Force Field has PFF and Force Bubble, Storm has Hurricane, Storm, Dark and Cold all have PBAoE stealth fields with a tiny Defense boost, Kinetics has Repel and Rad has Choking Cloud and EM Pulse.

Another consideration:  Mind has OK damage in low levels, but its lack of a pet in upper levels results in a drop off in damage.  Storm has both Tornado and Lightning Storm to add damage in those upper levels.  Trick Arrow has Oil Slick Arrow (as long as you can light it), and Devices has Trip Mine and Time Bomb for damage in upper levels. (Rad has Fallout, but that is highly situational.)

Back on live, I played Mind/FF, Mind/Rad, Mind/Storm, all to 50.  Mind/Storm was my favorite, but that may be because I really like Storm.