Ways to Fix the Controller Role Proposals

This has been on people's mind for a while now. And though we wont see any changes to this role anytime soon. Its a good idea for us to get ideas out there to the devs to re-define the role itself to what it was initially meant to be.

My understanding was the controller role controls the battlefield and in a way is considered the strategist in the group. And the minor part of that role is supplying power to teammates while the major part is disabling the enemies.

However that has changed recently and with the recent WM, AM, and low cost powersets such as atomic, nature(bug form). The controller has taken a backseat to everything.

My proposal is quite simple. For those who do reply to this thread I ask you give devs your proposal to fix the role or you can build off my proposal.

My proposal can be broken down into 3 parts.

1. Debuffing & chain debuffing
2. Group Buffing and Chaining results
3. Power distribution

But before I go into those 3 parts the average controller has this loadout:
PoT, Defence debuff, group shield supercharge, insta power(ex. recharge), with the last 2 slots being ( self shield, teleport, additional debuffs, etc)

With this in mind here is my proposal:

1. Debuffing & chain Debuffing

My proposal regards in changing the entire debuff system. Simply buffing the current debuff system is not enough so it goes without saying to enhance the mechanic behind controllers debuffs. So I decided a chaining Debuff system would enhance or make the controller role more colorful by giving it a mechanic that obviously looks different depending on the controller power.

What is chain debuffing?

Chain debuffing- casting any 2 debuffs immediately in succession within a 10s window with 3-6 chains ending the successfull chain bonus granting a temporary group buff or detrimental effect to the enemy or enemies depending on the chain. (chaining is disabled in pvp arenas)

Ex. HL controller uses Grasping Hand followed by entrap which would trigger a chain debuff.

3 debuffs: Damage Debuff( aka precision debuff), Defence Debuff, Healing Debuff


There are 5 types of chains established in this system formed from the various debuff chains in these following orders

Defence Debuff + Damage Debuff= Endo-Chain
Defence Debuff + Healing Debuff = Exo-Chain
Damage Debuff + Defence Debuff= Meso-Chain
Damage Debuff + Healing Debuff= Endo-Chain
Healing Debuff + Damage Debuff= Exo-Chain
Healing Debuff + Defence Debuff = Meso-Chain

Any Debuff + Any Debuff + Any Debuff = Omni-Chain
Omni-Chain + Omni-Chain= Ruination (12s window)

2. Group Buffing and Chaining Results

The 5 types of chains can be described as below

Endo-Chain: Increases the debuff potency from the Damage Debuff from 7% to 12% while increasing up to 3 other group members damage by 12%. Duration = 8s. Effect immediately ends upon Omni-Chain status.

Meso-Chain: Increases the debuff potency from the Defence Debuff from 7% to 12% while increasing up to 3 other group members defence by 12%. Duration = 8s. Effect immediately ends upon Omni-Chain status

Exo-Chain: Increases the debuff potency from the healing Debuff from 7% to 12% while increasing up to 3 other group members healing in by 12%. The healing in bonus stacks with the quick healing white mod. Duration = 8s. Effect immediately ends upon Omni- Chain status.



Omni-Chain: Extends the current debuffs in place by 6s while increasing self power regen for you at twice the rate and a 15% chance to gain 250 supercharge. Duration 8s. Effect immediately ends upon Ruination

Ruination: Increases the debuff potency from all 3 debuffs to 12%while granting a 360% damage crit for you and up to 7 group members for the next 3 attacks while replenishing power to 3 most fatigued group members equal to 125% of your vitalization for 3 ticks. At the end of 8s your debuffs will be removed launching a devastating attack based off your powers PI. If used in succession with another controller the debuff effect is increased to 25% and the vitalization tick is increased to 200% and the ending attack damage is doubled. Effect immediately ends upon the start of a new chain. Duration 8s. ( Internal cooldown 60s)


3. Power distribution

My proposal for power distribution is simple. Leave it exactly where it is at. Power is fine and nerfing of vitalization or the potency would not help.






These are my proposals for the change to the controller role. Please comment your ideas, suggestions etc, and remember to stay constructive. And if you think there is nothing wrong with the controller role, that too is a valid response.

I like to see
power interactions boost damage.
Encasements and encasement breakers to matter
Double debuffs like gcpd had in dox. (Flashing red shield allowing extra damage to be done)
Trollers abke to stun adds more, maybe bosses to an extent.


Most important the community needs a philosophy change. BD, BN and other instances have tons of adds. If 2 trolls were common vs solo trolling some trolls could be heavy dom speced and slow down all these adds. As is its simply yell at the tank and perform pick ups.
Lets not forget the healer and tank needs to compermise their play style with a solo troll. Show me a fire tank able to juggle tank on a solo troll setup. Possible sure but probable? Lol nope.

Basically drop healers resto, add significant damage reduction when bosses has a green shield, and actually make content requir a tad of skill and team work and trolling as is is just fine. In dcuo jr division well we see whatmwe got

Chain debuffing sounds intriguing... Question about it though... Would we be able to chain off of another players debuff?

My main suggestion would be to remove the instant power transfer skills (recharge, defib etc) and replace them with a group wide buff that restores power to a player based on how much damage they put out (obviously they'd need to tweak the regen rations to account for the output of damage & non-damage roles), I'd suggest it have a 9 sec duration with a 12 sec cooldown and don't allow them to stack.

Each power set in Damage role has Advanced Mechanics to regenerate power. It is non-damage roles that need power provided by a Controller. Power return based on damage out does not benefit non-damage roles. Some Healer powers needed to keep the group alive produce no damage.

I think the effectiveness of Controller Debuffs should be increased.

Here's an idea:

Remove AM, remove WM.

Pre-T5 Masterrace.

Then by all means remove/reduce the AM's power regen. Folks are complaining about the current trend of single-rolling content so instead of making it easier to DPS do something to make non-damage roles (dislike the "support" moniker) needed/required.

Take the same buffs Jared and Jesse get in the DC alert, apply them to everything else in the game. Watch bosses get hit for 100s or a boss lunging the tank for 40k, and see how many people cry out for trolls and debuffs.

Now only if the Developers will stop with the DPS update Extravaganza.

An seriously give some attention to the other 3 Roles in the game; with Controlling being the main out of the 3 that is in dying need for a Update.



............. However something tells me they won't stop. After these Mid Range Updates who knows what they'll pull out of there a55 to continuing updating DPS. They wen't from Weapon Mastery, to Advance Mechanics, to Mid-Range AM Mechanics, next maybe being Weapon Mastery / Weapon Revamp.

Who knows when they"ll end. (Mid Range Weapon Mastery Mechanic, Iconic Power Mechanic, Complex Mechanic, Clip Mechanic, NeverStopUpdating DPS Mechanic....)



Just saying I dont see Control Role or any other Support getting updates for a very long time. I like this thread and have seen many others related, but the DPS Update Train is still running full speed. They're updating Weapons. Then Nature & Electric which they said is the hardest; & making Water power. Then who knows what tweaks will need attention afterwards. Until I see a announcement or post by a developer that Support Roles will get updates after 3 years of DPS's; I have no faith in Controlling or any other Role getting revamped.

My HL 154 CR troll has 3860 Dominance and I can't affect a damn thing in a boss room to any significant extent. Precisely what am I Controlling? I'm not saying we should be able to hard stun or pull every boss every time but once or twice over an extended fight is not asking too much. The bosses minions should be around 25% and scale somehow with Dominance.

I am way over the minimum for every instance and do not choose Dominance for itself but because of a crit attached to it. I don't mod for Dominance at all. Much of this applies to tanking as well. Ra's and Grodd are almost entirely scripted moves. I get not wanting tank and spank but Sorcery's Guardian holds aggro better than most tanks (OK I'm exaggerating a bit but not much. Try pulling an add away from Guardian sometime, double dog dare ya).

Does someone have a chart of NPC rankings and how control effects specifically work? Maybe I'm using the same ones too often and granting immunity.

Derio, very intrigued by the detailed plan you have laid out especially since it seems to encouraging more debuffing and at the same time granting power recharges. Right now it seems I can Battery or Debuff but doing both at the same time for an extended period will eventually drain my resources and I'm stuck making sure the tank and healer has power.

Trying to resurrect the troller mafia from year 1?

People still don't understand WM and AM was made to alleviate a controller from being a battery.I really don't think anything else should be done to help or buff the role anymore,sorry.

Pretty cool idea I would play my troll alot more if it was like this. I fall asleep the way troll is right now. lol

Off the top of my head I'd balance the STUNS of the different Controller powers.

Quantum's stuns seem to override every other Troller stun's powers.

Its a very good idea. I hope they look into this and take some notes...
To make it work with ...

this!!!

I heard debuffs were lowered to 5%

Just because they put bubble wrap on everything else in the game with powerback mechanics and npc buffs being next to none, doesn't mean the controller role needs "fixing".

I believe so too.

I think PVP was the reason. Not 100% sure.

GU47 was the reason

An reasoning for many other tragic game changing aspects.

I thought about that idea, being able to chain off another controller for the small chains. But I think for complexity it should be only chainable after 3 debuffs.

The goal is to make the controller role more fun and diverse to play while encouraging 2 trollers to help maximize the groups dps and overall survivability.

To where 1 troller throwing pot and helping chain debuffs, while the other controller on pure debuffing and constant chaining.

I think breaking the trend of doing the same controller rotation needs to change. And chaining debuffs gives a controller different buffs and debuff bonuses for different situations.