StratoNexus

Since Clear Mind had its animation changed, I have mixed feelings. Naturally I love the shorter cast time, but I'd much prefer something more similar to the old look. Ring of Fire's animation would be perfect as an option, since it looks similar to the old animation, just much faster.

Well, if you were at the blaster cap and then you just added the Apocalypse on top of generic IOs, you should not have received any increase in HPs, you should have stayed at 1606.3.

Are you checking your HPs while exemplared?

Pistols/Fire - melee preferred (my personal preference)

PBAoEs are good. Center of the spawn is good. As you level, you will have to use a lot more judgment about how much and how often you are in melee (once you get into the 40s, center of the spawn should usually be your comfort zone). However, you should stick to close range, so you are always ready to move as needed. Use Incendiary Ammo once you get Swap Ammo.

Early powers are both of the first two attacks from Pistols, Swap Ammo, and Bullet Rain. Ring, Fire Sword, Fire Sword Circle, and Build Up. I strongly recommend Hurdle and Health. After 20 I'd recommend Combat Jumping and then you can start to fill in from your personal preferences. Suppressive Fire is a good control power and I really like Piercing Rounds for its extra punch. I'd avoid Empty Clips, as the cone is not conducive to the middle of the spawn preference.

I prefer to start taking the fighting pool in the twenties but the Speed pool is a good option here as well. You could also fit a travel power in here and Acrobatics is a decent pick as well. Consume will come in handy after you get Hot Feet, so you can take it at 28, but if you are not having end problems, you could put it off until level 35.

Hail of Bullets at 32, of course, and Hot Feet at 38. Slot Hot Feet for Damage, End reduction, Slow (30-50% slow eventually), and Accuracy. It is a great power to Frankenslot with a mix of PBAoE and Slow sets.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.803
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Level 23 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Dual Pistols
Secondary Power Set: Fire Manipulation
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Pistols -- Empty(A), Empty(7), Empty(17)
Level 1: Ring of Fire -- Empty(A), Empty(3)
Level 2: Dual Wield -- Empty(A), Empty(3), Empty(17), Empty(23)
Level 4: Fire Sword -- Empty(A), Empty(5), Empty(5), Empty(7)
Level 6: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 8: Bullet Rain -- Empty(A), Empty(9), Empty(9), Empty(13), Empty(15)
Level 10: Fire Sword Circle -- Empty(A), Empty(11), Empty(11), Empty(13), Empty(15)
Level 12: Swap Ammo
Level 14: Health -- Empty(A)
Level 16: Build Up -- Empty(A)
Level 18: Executioner's Shot -- Empty(A), Empty(19), Empty(19), Empty(21), Empty(23)
Level 20: Stamina -- Empty(A), Empty(21)
Level 22: Combat Jumping -- Empty(A)

Pistols/Fire - range preferred

Staying on the edges or just off the edge of the spawn is desired. You will want to start off lining up your cone and then using it in combination with Bullet Rain. From there you can decide if you want to jump in for Fire Sword Circle (if you even take it). This route can all but eliminate redraw, which bothers some people more than others. Use Incendiary Ammo once you get Swap Ammo.

Early on, other than Ring of Fire and Build Up, you need not take anything from your secondary. You can always choose to take Fire Sword to help eliminate big targets quicker or FSC for more AoE as desired. You will want your cone now, so you can double AoE from range. Hasten comes in handy to close the gap in any attack chains since you skipped the extra attacks in your secondary. Super Speed's stealth can help you line up the cone without aggroing.

Once in the twenties, you can sprinkle in personal preference as desired. I might go the Hover route on a rangery build or mix in Combat Jumping again if I choose to take some of the melee for supplemental attacks. You may find you do not need Consume, although it can still come in handy. I'd definitely skip Hot Feet, I don't find the power is worth it unless you spend most of your time in melee.

On a more rangery build, it should be noted that Hail of Bullets does not need to be fired off in the center of the spawn. The AoE is quite large, so standing on the edge of a spawn and using it is still likely to hit everything. Practice with it to get the range down, but remember you do not have to waste time trying to get into the very middle, especially if you are teaming and someone else has positioned the spawn to the point where it has collapsed some.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.803
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Level 23 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Dual Pistols
Secondary Power Set: Fire Manipulation
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Dual Wield -- Empty(A), Empty(3), Empty(7), Empty(15)
Level 1: Ring of Fire -- Empty(A), Empty(5)
Level 2: Empty Clips -- Empty(A), Empty(3), Empty(7), Empty(11), Empty(13)
Level 4: Pistols -- Empty(A), Empty(5), Empty(15), Empty(17)
Level 6: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 8: Bullet Rain -- Empty(A), Empty(9), Empty(9), Empty(11), Empty(13)
Level 10: Swap Ammo
Level 12: Hasten -- Empty(A), Empty(17), Empty(23)
Level 14: Health -- Empty(A)
Level 16: Build Up -- Empty(A)
Level 18: Executioner's Shot -- Empty(A), Empty(19), Empty(19), Empty(21), Empty(23)
Level 20: Stamina -- Empty(A), Empty(21)
Level 22: Super Speed -- Empty(A)

Would you like to be a primarily a ranger with some melee or melee with good range?

Lord Recluse failed to summon any bosses (until the big summons when he is near dead) in my most recent run even though he did not have a debuff toggle on him for a large portion of the beginning of the fight (mostly because I royally screwed up, but that is a different issue). His pet summoning seems to be broken.