What plant manipulation and what primary to go with it?

[KaizenSoze]

I am working my way through the lesser used secondaries.

 

What is the main strength of plant manipulation? Control? Debuff?

 

What primary would you pair with it?

[TygerDarkstorm]

It's been a while, but I think someone pointed out that it pairs well with beam rifle to make an effective single target AV killer.

[Crystal Dragon]

Depending on AT but I quite favor my Plant Manip/Kinetics controller, Quilynn Jen. I have a build that you are welcome to play around if you like, courtesy of @AustinSmith and another friend for the slotting choices. 

Viagra_Fertilizer_-_Controller_Plant_Controller.mxd

Edited April 25, 2022 by CrystalDragon

[TygerDarkstorm]

1 hour ago, CrystalDragon said:

Depending on AT but I quite favor my Plant Manip/Kinetics controller, Quilynn Jen. I have a build that you are welcome to play around if you like, courtesy of @AustinSmith and another friend for the slotting choices. 

Viagra_Fertilizer_-_Controller_Plant_Controller.mxd 5.23 kB · 0 downloads

We're in the blaster forums, mate, pretty sure they're looking for a primary to go with the plant blaster secondary. 😜

[Crystal Dragon]

Oooh MY BAD! XD

[KaizenSoze]

10 hours ago, CrystalDragon said:

Oooh MY BAD! XD

It's all good. Most of us have done this at least once.

[EnjoyTheJourney]

Ice blast pairs nicely with plant manipulation for a (mostly) ranged blastroller / debuffer with particularly strong single target damage. 

 

For AOE there are synergies as well. Vines holds mobs in place for blizzard and ice storm. If a boss tries to leave the blizzard area after vines has been cast on him then just hit him with freezing ray to (literally) freeze him in his tracks.

 

Spore cloud provides a noticeable debuff for most mobs (-7.88% damage debuff, -5.25% to hit debuff, -90.83% regen debuff), which stacks with the slows in ice blast (20%+ for multiple powers) and the -to hit in blizzard (-15% to hit debuff) to make mobs attack less often, hit less often, and hit less hard. If you take intuition radial alpha, then damage is increased and the slows and to hit debuffs are made even stronger.

 

Since these different debuffs are multiplicative in their effect the degree to which they can slow down incoming damage is easy to underestimate. 

 

Edit & PS: If you take fire mastery then you can cycle vines and bonfire with a "KB to KD" IO in it (and a forceback +recharge proc), which together with the hold in freezing ray and the debuffs bring your character very close to functioning like a controller, but with very high damage. 

Edited April 26, 2022 by EnjoyTheJourney

[Meknomancer]

I second ice, procced out freeze ray and choking powder is great and if you throw in fire epic you can do the same with char. I run a dark/plant too thats alot of fun, doesnt need massive defence with all the - to hit and has a hold to stack with choking. Spore cloud is nice for old skool herding. I think i drpped vines from both builds and ended up taking soul mastery with an immob and extra cone attack and because i just find the patron shield that much better than all the others. Can't say much for plants melee attacks i don't rate them and they are the first things to go, maybe its the animations but they feel lacklustre compared to other blaster secondaries.

 

Spore cloud is pretty much the only reason to play /plant that little extra - to hit and - regen, if i want a controlling blaster then TA is miles out in front of the rest with glue/esd/oil slick. Glue arrow maybe one of my all time favourite attacks now it fits in all those goodies. I don't love secondaries like /plant that provide an absorb>recovery but i think i've been spoilt by /energy's Energize.