Illusion/storm questions

[Rebel230]

Hello,

 

I was wondering a few things about illusion and storm.

 

For illusion, how do you go about getting perma phantom army?

 

For storm, which powers are considered essential and which powers should have the high KB and should I slot a KB to KD? Although funny solo I find it a headache in groups and before I give up and reroll I'll/rad I'd like to try using the KB to KD iOS

 

Thank you

[Hjarki]

In terms of perma-Phantom Army, it's mostly a matter of piling on recharge bonuses from IO sets, Hasten and (for Storm Summoning) very likely Alpha slot recharge. You can also get some recharge from Force Feedback procs.

 

In terms of Storm, I'd call Steamy Mists, Freezing Rain, Hurricane, Tornado and Lightning Storm the 'essentials'. The heal is 'optional' in the sense that it's a team-only power, but I'd highly recommend taking it.

 

The only power which really needs KB -> KD slotting is Tornado. Hurricane's knockback doesn't occur all that often and it doesn't disrupt the melee in your group because you shouldn't be standing anywhere near what they're fighting with Hurricane running (with the exception of enemies like AV/GM who can't be knocked back anyway). Lightning Storm's knockback is relatively minor, so it only knocks down enemies who don't have a susceptibility to knockback (or lower level).

 

As an Illusion/Storm, you're forced to take Gale and may want to slot it up. Unlike Tornado, Hurricane or Lightning Storm, the entire purpose of Gale is knockback. While it can be used as a pseudo-Earthquake with KB->KD slotted, an equally valid use is to re-arrange the battlefield with a bit more precision than Hurricane allows (Hurricane tends to cause enemies to slide around the sides rather than fly straight back where you want them to go).

[Coyote]

Another option for Gale is to put the KB to KD in it, a Force Feedback proc IO, and spam it for frequent knockdowns and to try to get +Recharge.

 

For perma-PA, I question its use... I mean, it's great to have, but shaving a few seconds off the PA gap at the cost of major sacrifices in the build is probably not worth it. You can solo AVs and take a bit of aggro from them... My level 22 Ill/Storm has about 20% Defense already, and with about a 12% debuff on AVs from Hurricane (at this level... at higher levels it drops to about 6%, but you also get more defensive bonuses), she's one Luck away from being capped. You should be able to survive aggro for a few seconds using a single Luck, so trying to really twist the build to force in a perma-PA is not worth it, IMO.

 

I really like Thunderclap, it's your only AoE Containment setup for Epic AoE powers if you use them, and with the Controller ATO and Stun from Tornado (and possibly Fissure if you go with that Epic), you have a reasonable chance to get mezzing on Lts/Bosses. Plus, Illusion has good single-target Controls, so Blind/Deceive the LTs/Bosses, and use Thunderclap for the minions.

 

For Tornado, if you can afford it, the Overwhelming Force KB to KD IO is preferred since it adds Damage enhancement to it.