SwagVault MMO Blog

Level 1

Type of power: Ranged Attack (Click)

Description: Target takes illusionary damage. If the victim survives, the illusion fades and some of the wounds heal.

Editorial: Heavy Damage, quick recharge and low end usage. This is one of 2 powers available heading into the Outbreak. This is especially nice if you farm for the badge in Outbreak as it has a bit more damage than Blind. It is also you bread and butter damage attack from 1-50 (first of 2).

Recommendation: Must Have

Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Endurance Reduction or Recharge Duration.

Blind

Level 1

Type of power: Ranged Hold/Attack (Click)

Description: Target is Held and takes damage. Other nearby foes may also be Blinded, but escape if attacked.

Editorial: Nice Damage, quick recharge and low end usage. This is your second (and last) bread and butter damage attack from 1-50. This is the cornerstone of your one-two punch. Blind…Spectral Wounds…Rinse and Repeat

Recommendation: Must Have

Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Endurance Reduction or Recharge Duration.

Deceive

Level 2

Type of power: Ranged Attack (no damage) (Click)

Target attacks his allies. If executed before you are seen, you remain unnoticed. No experience for target’s victims.

This is touted a lot as a Swiss Army Knife power. I dropped it on 2 or my builds (/Rad and /Kin) as they kill too fast to even bother. However, while I did have it, I used it not on combatants, but on the support enemies. Tsoo Sorcerers, Banished Storm Shamans, Sky Raider FF Generators, Rikti Guardians and Crey Radiologists are favorites. Their buffs now work for you. This is also a power that causes no aggro and thus will allow you to get the buffs running before the fight.

Slotting: 1 Accuracy

Flash

Level 6

Type of power: AoE Hold (no damage) (Click)

Blinds nearby foes. Flashed foes are rendered help-less and unable to defend themselves.

Another power that I can live without, although it does come in handy as an “Oh, [censored]” power. Doesn’t have the duration or the recharge to be a mainstay of an Ill/ build. This is also our shortcoming as an AT, a so-so AoE hold and no AoE damage. So if you take it, use it for protection situations, but you could live without it.

Slotting: 2 Accuracy (2 Hold, 2 Recharge for added usage)

Superior Invisibility

Level 8

Type of power: Self Stealth (Toggle)

You’re impossible to detect, with a high Defense bonus. You can only execute powers that affect yourself.

I love this power. 99% of stuff in the game will never see you. I stand next to AVs and dance all the time. The 1% of stuff that can see you, Rikti Drones. They will see right through you.

Slotting: 3 Endurance Reduction (3 Defense Buff if you can afford the slots)

Group Invisibility

Level 12

Type of power: AoE Stealth (Click)

You and nearby teammates are very hard to detect. Less powerful than Superior Invisibility, but affects group.

I have recently changed my mind on this power. I was running Superior Invisibility 24/7 and realized I didn’t need to. With Group Invisibility you can Invis the whole team and allow them to position themselves for quick mob exploitation. Also great for stealthing missions. The BIG misconception about this power is that it takes away a Tankers aggro keeping power. NOT TRUE. As a matter of fact if you Invis an Invuln Tank with this and he has all his toggles running the inherent Taunt will get them the aggro just like normal. The added Defense is a nice bonus too.

Slotting: 2 Recharge, 3 Defense Buff

Phantom Army

Level 18

Type of power: Targeted Pet Summon (Click)

3 Phantoms attack target. They aren’t real and cannot be destroyed; their damage is like Spectral Wounds.

This is the reason to make a Ill/ controller. Pets at level 18. These chaps (and ladies) are awesome. The Tank, the Blast, and they hold aggro. Turn your mission difficulty to Invincible and solo to your hearts content. They last about a minute and with 3 Recharge SOs they are down for about 20-30 seconds.

Slotting: 3 Recharge, 1 Accuracy, 2 Damage

Spectral Terror

Level 26

Type of power: Targeted AoE Fear Pet (Click)

All foes run away from illusionary spectre in Fear, and will not return until the illusion is gone.

Although Spectral Terror doesn’t set up Containment, it is available 100% of the time with an overlap and no Recharge Enhancements. Great for damage mitigation. Great accompaniment for Phantom Army.

Slotting: 2 Accuracy (1 Fear)

Phantasm

Level 32

Type of power: Targeted Pet Summon (Click)

Powerful Phantasm is real, and can be healed and buffed. The Phantasm can summon illusionary duplicates.

One of the best pets in the game. He is invisible and won’t drag aggro when moving with him out. His attacks are Energy Blaster types (Energy Bolt, Energy Blast and Energy Torrent). Excellent damage and very resilient.

Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage

SECONDARY POOL

How I rated Potential:

Basically any of the Secondaries can make an Illusion Controller awesome in the right player’s hands. How I determined the Potential was I first looked at the Protection, Recovery (both Health and Endurance), Buffs/De-Buffs, versatility and ease of use of the set for an average player. I then looked at this usage when teamed (assuming a well rounded team) and solo. And last, the ability for a first time Controller to use the set without much trial and error. Remember, these are Secondaries and not Primaries like a Defender. They should enhance our Primary and not become the Primary themselves.

Empathy

Potential: Superior Teaming and Medium Solo

Discussion: Buffs for yourself and pets when solo and teamed. With Illusion as a Primary, don’t get caught up in the Secondary. Stick to the things you can use when solo and slot your Primary first. If you want to be a “Healer”, roll a defender. The green numbers are better and you won’t be wasting a great Primary. Although it is a solid Secondary, it won’t make you UBER.

Force Field

Potential: Superior Teaming and Medium Solo

Discussion: Your typical protection set, or is it? Bubbles for your Phantasm and Mez Protection for you and your team. This set is a good way to go if you go the scrap-troller route. With the Defense bonus from Dispersion Bubble, Superior Invisibility and Group Invisibility, you will have about the Defense a Luck Inspiration at all times. Not bad these days post Defense nerf.

Kinetics

Potential: Superior Teaming and Superior Solo

Discussion: This is one of two UBER Secondaries (IMO) for any controller. Really only 1 power (Repel) that doesn’t have a use. Here in one package you have health and endurance recovery, individual and team buffs from increased damage to Travel Power alternatives. The de-buff from Kinetics is OK, but it’s the buffs that make your damage shine. Containment for APP no longer works, but who needs it when you can Fulcrum Shift and entire mob and cap your damage output.

Radiation Emission

Potential: Superior Teaming and Superior Solo

Discussion: This is the second of the 2 UBER Secondaries (opinion again). This time instead of increasing our damage, we de-buff the enemy. Rad is not a necessity for AVs or GWs but it sure makes the fight a lot easier and quicker. Also this gives you the ability to solo AVs; yes I said it out loud. I requires a Shivian Temp Pet in addition, but you can do the Praetorian AVs solo.

Storm Summoning

Potential: Medium Teaming and Superior Solo

Discussion: I am sure I will get a lot of flaming over this, but I find Storm to be a bit anti-team. Everyone on the team has to know the effects and the /Storm controller has to be able to read the team. The de-buffs are great, don’t get me wrong, this just isn’t a Secondary that everyone can master.

Sonic Resonance

Potential: Superior Teaming and Medium Solo

Discussion: Ah, Rings… This set is also a good way to go if you go the scrap-troller route. Similar to Force Field, this time Damage Resistance instead of Defense. This actually is a better route with an Illusion Controller than Force Field due to the Defense bonus from Superior Invisibility and Group Invisibility. Now add a fair amount of Damage Resistance on top of that, so now you get hit less and take less damage. Throw in a targeted friend AoE Resistance de-buff and an AoE Hold/Knockdown with damage and now you have AoE Containment and AoE damage.

Trick Arrow

Potential: Medium Team and Medium Solo

Another potential for my guide to get flamed. This is the Swiss Army Knife secondary. You can do just about anything with this Secondary. Additional holds, AoE de-buffs, Oil Slick with the Fire APP gives you a great AoE damage tool. To me though, this is a very “busy” secondary, and would require a bit of effort to master fully.

POOL POWERS

Concealment

Our powers are way better and are in our Primary. Why waste a Pool on something you already have?

Fighting

If you go the scrap-troller route, you might want boxing, but the benefits of Tough and Weave really don’t pay for the use of a Pool and the amount of slots.

Fitness

Yes…Most defiantly…Without a doubt…You were considering NOT taking??? Swift or Hurdle, Health and Stamina are a must for almost EVERY Hero out there. Regen not withstanding.

Flight

Option one for travel power. Air Superiority gives you a nice “soft control” (knockdown) power with very respectable damage. Makes scrap-trollering a lot of fun and very survivable. Flight plus Swift gives you good speed and mobility indoors and out. It also meshes nice with the your Phantasm as he flys.

Leadership

Hmmm…Fire/Kin Controller YES…Illusion Controller, not too sure. Tactics for PvP specialization or some other build specific purpose, but overall it doesn’t add enough benefit in my opinion.

Leaping

Second travel power option. Really great possibilities when paired with FF or Sonic. Combat Jumping and Acrobatics in addition to the “Big Bubble/Ring”. Now you are really a solid scrap-troller. Just watch out for Stuns.

Medicine

Another fine addition to the 4 Secondaries with no self heal. And you get a team buff in addition to a self heal. Note: Slotting Aid Self with 2 Interrupt Reductions will let you heal even while affected by most DoTs.

Presence

Don’t even consider this. You aren’t resilient enough to Taunt, and our Fear Power is much better. /ignore

Speed

Third option for a travel power. Actually a good choice. I recommend Hasten for ALL Illusion Controllers. In addition, you can pick up Flurry (nice DoT damage and chance to disorient). This is a very viable option if you are Kinetics.

Teleportation

Fourth option for a travel power. This is also a viable choice as Recall Friend allows you to stealth a mission and bring the team to you.

CONCLUSION

Just some parting thoughts:

Stamina and Hasten are almost required to be effective.

Air Superiority, Boxing or Flurry add another attack to your chain and if you don’t have a Veteran Reward Power you might want 2 or all 3 to fill out an attack chain. All Pool Power attacks also take Containment double damage bonus.

Initiating with PA will 99% of the time give you a successful defeat of a mob.

Don’t feel like you need to take all the Primary Powers. Flash and Deceive are easily by-passed if you are building to a specific end state as well as one of the Invisibilities.

I hope my insights help new players and enlighten old players. There are many ways to go with an Illusion Controller and they are all viable options.

Cheers…