Wiggz
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Posts
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Quote:Good advice.Originally Posted by Muon_Neutrino
A lot of the damage actually does come from roots. It might not be obvious just from looking at it, but roots actually does twice as much damage as a 'normal' AoE immob. At 60% of the damage of stuff like strangler, entangle, and air superiority, it's actually deceptively good - keep in mind that it's got a massive 30 foot radius and only an 8 second recharge. Until you get the rest of your damage in creepers, flytrap, and your APP AoE, spamming roots is where it's at.
A few things to keep in mind. First, you're still on DOs at 20. Once you can slot SOs at 22, roots will become a significantly better source of damage (you do want to six slot it and give it plenty of damage slotting). Second, the damage/XP ratio for damage dealt by confused mobs is on a curve. Even if you only do 50% of the damage, you still get 80% of the XP. Roots might not kill fast enough to overwhelm the mob's contribution, but it should still do enough to net you the lion's share of the XP. Finally, a good followup to seeds is to hit the spawn with enervating field before you start spamming roots. The resistance debuff will help you kill them faster with roots, while the accompanying damage debuff will prevent the resistance debuff from increasing the rate at which they kill each other. If you're not doing this already, give it a try.
This is the Plant/Rad build I'm currently working towards (really - is there a better controller?), with just generic SO's for now. Thoughts?
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.707
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Plant Control
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Emission
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Teleportation
Ancillary Pool: Stone Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Strangler -- Acc(A), RechRdx(3), Hold(15), Hold(15), Acc(36), Hold(36)
Level 1: Radiant Aura -- Heal(A), Heal(25), Heal(25)
Level 2: Roots -- Acc(A), Acc(3), Dmg(17), Dmg(17), Dmg(19), EndRdx(19)
Level 4: Accelerate Metabolism -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(5), RechRdx(5)
Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(7), RechRdx(7)
Level 8: Seeds of Confusion -- Acc(A), Acc(9), Conf(9), Conf(11), RechRdx(13), RechRdx(13)
Level 10: Enervating Field -- EndRdx(A), EndRdx(11)
Level 12: Radiation Infection -- EndRdx(A), ToHitDeb(37), ToHitDeb(37)
Level 14: Stealth -- EndRdx(A)
Level 16: Swift -- Run(A)
Level 18: Hurdle -- Jump(A)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod(A), EndMod(21), EndMod(21), P'Shift-End%(40)
Level 22: Lingering Radiation -- Acc(A), Acc(23), RechRdx(23), RechRdx(37)
Level 24: Teleport -- Range(A), Range(43), Range(46)
Level 26: Carrion Creepers -- Acc(A), Acc(27), RechRdx(27), Dmg(34), Dmg(34), Dmg(34)
Level 28: Vines -- Acc(A), Acc(29), Acc(29), Hold(31), Hold(31), RechRdx(31)
Level 30: Mutation -- EndRdx(A)
Level 32: Fly Trap -- Acc(A), Acc(33), Dmg(33), Dmg(33), Dmg(36)
Level 35: Fallout -- Dmg(A)
Level 38: EM Pulse -- Acc(A), Acc(39), Hold(39), Hold(39), RechRdx(40), RechRdx(40)
Level 41: Fissure -- Acc(A), Acc(42), Dmg(42), Dmg(42), RechRdx(43), RechRdx(43)
Level 44: Seismic Smash -- Acc(A), Acc(45), Dmg(45), Dmg(45), Dmg(46), RechRdx(46)
Level 47: Rock Armor -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(48), DefBuff(48), DefBuff(48)
Level 49: Hurl Boulder -- Acc(A), Acc(50), Dmg(50), Dmg(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment
Level 6: Ninja Run -
I'm still going to stick with Sonic/Energy as the most survivable, most versatile build, especially for soloing. Siren's Song is in a realm of its own when it comes to staying alive and all of the stuns in Energy stack nicely with Sonic's Screech.
Sleep the group, Stun the one you want to kill first and then do it. Lather, rinse, repeat. I've literally gone entire missions without getting attacked, much less hit. I can throw out a non-IO'd build for one, or for my favored Fire/Ice if you'd prefer. -
Quote:If you want survivability combined with something that can contribute on a team effectively, I might go with a Sonic/Energy Blapper type build. Its the safest to solo with and Sonic's -Res will go a long way towards making teams kill *ahem* arrest more effectively.Originally Posted by sevenshade
So i hear blasters are walking corpses in a sense they die easier than other classes.
So I'm looking for a blaster class that can dish out pain, but still have a bit of survivability.
ive looked over the primaries and everything looks fun in it's own way.
I'm guessing swapping out travel pools for health and stamina would keep a blaster alive longer? or could i squish in fly with health and stamina? or would that be impossible?
Not everyone likes Sonic, some don't care for the graphics, though I've found it much improved now that we can color our powers to taste. My favorite blaster, on teams or solo is still Fire/Ice. It essentially combines the best offensive power set with the best defensive one and creates a nice thematic combo. Moreover, it encourages staying out of melee range which is always good for survivability.
Any blaster is 'survivable' in a team setting provided you learn a couple of simple things - when to use AoE's and when NOT to and staying mindful about your positioning on a battlefield. Hover is the best defensive power in the game and is especially beneficial to a blaster since it grants absolute 100% defense and resistance against melee attacks
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Please, PLEASE something non-scientific for the medicine pool... any magic type character having to pull out a tricorder to heal wrecks the theme.
More than just that, the idea of being able to change the color of pool powers just like you can your primary and secondaries would bring everything full circle and just be sublime... -
Quote:A good, fair minded response.Originally Posted by DrMike2000
I think the alternate animations system put in for Superstrength and Martial Arts is the beginning of what you're asking for.
Given enough time and resources, the devs could fit Fire Imps or any other power with a number of different animations - the current Y pose, a chest-spawn and so on.
Alternate animations could in theory involve runes and so on for a more "magical" appearance, but even then you're portraying just a single vision of what magic looks like.
This isn't available right now not because of dev arrogance or them underestimating our imagination, but because it takes time to implement.
So yeah, hang in there, I guess. We have more customisation than we used to, and I see that trend continuing
Right now, when it comes to game cosmetics, at the top of the list for me would be the ability to color epic powers to match our primary and secondaries, and maybe to offer a different option for the medicine pool animations. I hate when magical characters in wizards robes need to bust out a tricorder to do some healing ... -
Quote:World-class soloer, likely won't even be noticed on large teams.Originally Posted by thgebull0425
Is this a good combo? Straight and to the point, lol.
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Quote:The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of a defensive debuff resistance component being added to Acrobatics. Considering the endurance cost, it would actually make the power a worthwhile benefit for a lot of different power sets and archetypes, especially considering the availability of Epic level defensive shields.Originally Posted by Timeshadow
Flight:
Leaping: I think Acrobatics is fine as is but I've never had a use for it on any of my toons. The only real issue I can see with the power is that its largely made redundant by other means. Most players who take Acrobatics do so for the Knockback protection. But the same result can be had for a relatively minor expenditure of resources on a KB protection IO. -
A couple things:
When I say 'no one', I don't mean to be speaking in absolutes, I'm speaking relatively. For instance - how many people for instance take Group Fly in relation to how many people take all the pre-requisites necessary for it (i.e. Hover, Fly) and still don't? Almost no one. Obviously I don't have the percentages in hand but I don't think it'd be off to hazard a guess at less than 1%.
Nonetheless, we discussed that and agreed that a fair compromise would be adding an additional upper tier power rather than making a switch. The upper tier that still requires you to get the two pre-req's. So relax. I'm offering up ideas here to help improve the game experience for everyone, not sitting back and acting like some kind of disdainful know-it-all nay-sayer.
Also, the powers becoming available as top tier pool powers in no way invalidates or discourages the purchase of those expansions for the following reasons:
1) There are lots of other reasons to buy the expansions than just that 1 power. I personally do it for the costume options and consider the bonus powers just that - a bonus.
2) You get the benefit of that 1 power immediately and free from power slotting, whereas an additional top-tier pool power requires that you wait until at least level 20 and invest three power choices to get it.
3) You get the benefit of that power on EVERY character you make, not just the ones for whom teleport is appropriate and don't have to use up one of your potential 4 pool power choices to get it. -
Quote:Its survived that way because no one takes it, hence no one complains. Why spend time and money 'fixing' a power that no one uses and no one cares about? If these powers were somehow part of a primary or secondary power set, I'm sure we'd hear a LOT of ******** and moaning about a 'wasted tier'.Originally Posted by ketch
I think the biggest offender is Group Fly because it's a group debuff, knocking 25% off everyone's tohit. I have no idea why this artefact of days gone by has hung on to Group Fly; even if we dropped the tohit debuff, it's so situational (virtually useless indoors) and has such a high endurance cost that I really can't imagine using it anywhere outside of a Hami raid.
Really, I'm surprised it has survived the way it is for so long. -
Quote:That is a conundrum, but I'm sure the powers that be could come up with something appropriate.Originally Posted by DrMike2000
Of course, the question then would be - what do Speed and Leaping get as their new Tier 3s?
How about for super speed, a vibration power that allows one to phase with reality? That concept for a speedster has been around almost as long as the Flash himself. It would be a lot like Phase Shift which would allow two different ways of getting that power, but it makes sense from both a thematic and game-balancing perspective, and its not as if power duplication is unprecendented.
For Super Jump... eh - again, brighter minds than mine can tackle this problem, but perhaps somethign akin to Foot Stomp or Fault where the mighty legs of the character can create a shockwave effect. Nothing as good as those powers necessarily, perhaps an AoE knock-down effect only without a damage component. Again, it would fit thematically and not be unbalancing. -
Quote:Personally, in the case of Flight and Teleport, I think the switch to something useful needs to be made, but I'll admit this is a fair and practical enough compromise. I have to admit to never having seen anyone take or use Group Flight or Team Teleport, apart from the one offered as a vet power and then only because it was there.Originally Posted by DrMike2000
The obvious way to get around the cottage rule (which is a good rule IMO, since people do take these powers) is to add a second Tier 3 power to each travel power pool.
It worked for the epics with the Tier 2's.
And I think thats a really good point Wiggz, about why people take travel powers. I'm more and more just relying on jetpacks and teleport temps to get around, and part of that is that none of the travel powers open up anything really attractive.
What do you think about the other options, from a viability standpoint? A Sonic Flight power similar in function to Quantum Flight and a Mission Teleport similar to the MAC bonus power? I think people would use the hell out of those. -
It'll never happen.
But how great would it be if the tier four powers in those pools were reworked so that they were actually worth getting? With temporary travel powers that you can buy at WW's or earn in bank missions, the ninja run expansion power, all of the various teleport powers available and so on, travel pools in general have really lost their luster.
Consider:
Super Speed - keep this tier 4 power because it actually has its uses and players do take it from time to time. No real need for re-work in my opinion.
Teleport - please oh please GOD make this the 'Mission teleport' currently available with the MAC expansion. Imagine if you could teleport to your mission directly even from other maps. It would make teleport actually FEEL like teleportation. Give it maybe a 12 or even 15 minute timer so that it would theoretically be up for each mission. The code and mechanic is already in place so it would be a simple matter to make the switch.
Super Jump - Acrobatics is nice, but a pain to get to for the benefit it offers. I say add to it a solid defense debuff resistance component. That would fit thematically and make it something useful to a wide variety of builds. Again, would require minimal code changes.
Flight - People complain that Fly is too slow and rightly so. Make the tier 4 power something like 'Sonic Speed Flight', where the character's flight speed is upped to that of Super Speed at least, but at an enduance cost that's difficult to maintain for long and perhaps an 'only affecting others' component as well - something similar to Quantum Flight that the Khelds have.
Really, how often do you see 'Team Teleport' or 'Group Fly' used by anyone? Or even taken? The powers above would be taken, used and enjoyed far more often by players, would fit the flavor of the travel power pools nicely and would do nothing to unbalance the game whatsoever. -
Quote:Unless of course, you're DP/Ice...Originally Posted by ElizabethSpectre
I hear ya.
Though, until I can change the color of my 'bullet streams', I'll be sticking with Cryo for now. The team I roll with dishes out punishing amounts of DPS, so having the couple of extra ticks from Incendiary doesn't matter, and I really prefer the white effects over the green streams that both Incendiary and Chem use.
Just good to know that at least there's a little -rech getting tossed into the mix. -
For the OP and anypone else following the discussion, this is the build I'm currently playing using standard IO's. I'm an endless tweaker, and some of the slotting will probably get changed around a bit, but for the moment this is what it is. She plays as a straight up blaster until level 22 or so - and very effectively I might add - and then once Sirens gets its slots and enhancements begins to follow the types of attack chains I was referring to before.
One of the things I'm torn about is Hover. Its usefulness to a blaster - especially a soloing one - can not be under-stated at early levels. The question becomes whether or not to keep it for versatility's sake once you get higher up. I'm currently thinking I might eventually drop it, moving Boxing into its slot at 6, Moving Energy Punch into the 22 slot and then taking the nuke (Dreadful Wail). Any Blaster with access to Aim AND Build-Up without taking a nuke is probably limiting his potential on a team.
Anyway, here it is.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.707
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Mutation Blaster
Primary Power Set: Sonic Attack
Secondary Power Set: Energy Manipulation
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Cold Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Shriek -- Acc(A), Acc(3), Dmg(5), Dmg(7), Dmg(15), Decim-Build%(34)
Level 1: Power Thrust -- Acc(A)
Level 2: Scream -- Acc(A), Acc(3), Dmg(5), Dmg(7), Dmg(15), RechRdx(17)
Level 4: Build Up -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(13), RechRdx(46)
Level 6: Hover -- EndRdx(A)
Level 8: Shout -- Acc(A), Acc(9), Dmg(9), Dmg(11), Dmg(11), RechRdx(17)
Level 10: Swift -- Run(A)
Level 12: Amplify -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(13), RechRdx(46)
Level 14: Hurdle -- Jump(A)
Level 16: Conserve Power -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(29)
Level 18: Sirens Song -- Acc(A), Acc(19), Acc(19), Sleep(23), Sleep(23), Range(37)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod(A), EndMod(21), EndMod(21), P'Shift-End%(40)
Level 22: Boxing -- Acc(A), Acc(42), Dmg(42), Dmg(42), Dmg(43)
Level 24: Stun -- Acc(A), Acc(25), Dsrnt(25), Dsrnt(37), RechRdx(43), RechRdx(48)
Level 26: Screech -- Acc(A), Acc(27), Dsrnt(27), Dsrnt(37), RechRdx(43), RechRdx(48)
Level 28: Power Boost -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(29)
Level 30: Bone Smasher -- Acc(A), Acc(31), Dmg(31), Dmg(31), Dmg(34), RechRdx(36)
Level 32: Energy Punch -- Acc(A), Acc(33), Dmg(33), Dmg(33), Dmg(34), EndRdx(36)
Level 35: Boost Range -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(36)
Level 38: Total Focus -- Acc(A), Dmg(39), Dmg(39), Dmg(39), RechRdx(40), RechRdx(40)
Level 41: Flash Freeze -- Acc(A), Acc(46)
Level 44: Frozen Armor -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(45), DefBuff(45), DefBuff(45)
Level 47: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), S'fstPrt-ResKB(48)
Level 49: Weave -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(50), DefBuff(50), DefBuff(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 6: Ninja Run
And here's the Hover-less build I'm considering respeccing into around level 25 or so.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.707
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Mutation Blaster
Primary Power Set: Sonic Attack
Secondary Power Set: Energy Manipulation
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Fitness
Ancillary Pool: Cold Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Shriek -- Acc(A), Acc(3), Dmg(5), Dmg(7), Dmg(15), Decim-Build%(43)
Level 1: Power Thrust -- Acc(A), Acc(17)
Level 2: Scream -- Acc(A), Acc(3), Dmg(5), Dmg(7), Dmg(15), RechRdx(17)
Level 4: Build Up -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(13), RechRdx(46)
Level 6: Boxing -- Acc(A)
Level 8: Shout -- Acc(A), Acc(9), Dmg(9), Dmg(11), Dmg(11)
Level 10: Swift -- Run(A)
Level 12: Amplify -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(13), RechRdx(46)
Level 14: Hurdle -- Jump(A)
Level 16: Conserve Power -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(29), RechRdx(46)
Level 18: Sirens Song -- Acc(A), Acc(19), Acc(19), Sleep(37), Sleep(37), Range(37)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod(A), EndMod(21), EndMod(21), P'Shift-End%(40)
Level 22: Energy Punch -- Acc(A), Acc(23), Dmg(23), Dmg(36), Dmg(36)
Level 24: Stun -- Acc(A), Acc(25), Dsrnt(25), Dsrnt(42), RechRdx(43), RechRdx(48)
Level 26: Screech -- Acc(A), Acc(27), Dsrnt(27), Dsrnt(42), RechRdx(43), RechRdx(48)
Level 28: Power Boost -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(29)
Level 30: Bone Smasher -- Acc(A), Acc(31), Dmg(31), Dmg(31), Dmg(34), RechRdx(34)
Level 32: Dreadful Wail -- RechRdx(A), Dmg(33), Dmg(33), Dmg(33), RechRdx(34)
Level 35: Boost Range -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(36)
Level 38: Total Focus -- Acc(A), Dmg(39), Dmg(39), Dmg(39), RechRdx(40), RechRdx(40)
Level 41: Flash Freeze -- Acc(A), Acc(42)
Level 44: Frozen Armor -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(45), DefBuff(45), DefBuff(45)
Level 47: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), S'fstPrt-ResKB(48)
Level 49: Weave -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(50), DefBuff(50), DefBuff(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 6: Ninja Run
Also, please note that I use the Ninja Run, augmented with Swift and Hurdle as my primary means of transportation. Between that, the protect mission temporary travel powers, relatively inexpensive jety packs, the jump pack and other available abilities like mission teleport, WW's teleport, base teleport, Pocket D, base teleportation pads, etc. I haven't really found the need for a travel power. Someone without many of those options may feel differently. -
Quote:That's kind of funny actually. I suppose those controllers are just rotten players, eh? Let's keep in mind that when you're 'bunny-hopping all over the battelfields', that most battefields, especially in missions are actually very small rooms. You do know where the 'apping' part of blapping comes from? It comes from scrapping, and its been a while since I've seen scrappers 'bunny-hopping all over the battefield', jousting and working hard to break line-of-sight.Originally Posted by Nemu_
Funny, I don't consider people that use siren's song and then pick off foes one by one blappers either. Have you seen a real bunny hopping blapper delivering jousting death all over the battlefield? And you don't joust away from the spawn, you joust from one enemy to another so you land next to your next target setting it up for the kill.
Learning how to move, how to position yourself, how to use LOS, how to use inspirations, how to exploit enemy ai does far more for your overall competency as a blapper, and as coh player, than siren's song, I can assure you that. And once the survivability issue is addressed by IOs siren's song and it's kin are nothing but IO mules at best, wastes of time at worst.
We'll just have to agree to disagree. As someone who plays a lot of different characters from every AT, level 50 is often an ending of sorts rather than a beginning for me, and I prefer characters who depend on their powers level 1-50 over characters who don't really come into their own until you can drop hundreds of millions of influence on them late in the game. I don't farm, I don't power-level and by level 25 I like to have an effective, versatile and capable character, not the beginnings of something that might one day be really cool... if I ever get there. -
Quote:Good information.Originally Posted by StrykerX
Electric has a damage aura (not useful if you plan to use Siren's, but it does add up if you can use it safely) and a bit better single target DPS. However, Energy does almost as much DPS while providing significantly more mitigation since every attack has a chance to stun. Based purely on damage, Electric is better but Energy is a bit safer.
Looking at utility powers, Electric gives you Power Sink so endurance is a lot easier to manage, while Energy gives you Conserve Power which helps some but has a far longer recharge. Energy also has Power Boost, which helps with keeping bosses stunned and lets you sleep a group for an insanely long time, and Boost Range for times when you aren't using melee.
Overall I'd consider Sonic/Electric a bit better for a S/L softcapped Blapper build and Sonic/Energy better for a lower defense build. Once you have enough defense to skip Siren's you can run Lightning Field, open up with Howl for the -res, and start smashing things. Non-S/L bosses will be a bit more annoying though since you can't use Power Boost -> Screech -> Total Focus to stun them for half a minute like Energy can.
If you decide to go with Sonic/Energy, I'd suggest a slightly different tact with Bosses (S/L or not):
Power Boost + Aim + Siren's Song to sleep the group, then Screech and Stun on the Boss to lock him down. Then Build Up -> Shriek -> Scream -> Energy Punch -> Bone Crusher ->Total Focus. If that's somehow not enough to kill him, chances are one or more of the three melee attacks have stunned him long enough to cycle through the attacks again. Lather, rinse, repeat, then Siren's the group again before deciding who's going to die next. Particularly in solo situations, AoE attacks can only hurt you.
I recognize that the OP was asking about Blappers rather than Blasters, and the two have very different play-styles. Jousting, running around kiting or trying to constantly break line of sight as another poster suggested is far from a 'blapping' playstyle. There are excellent and potent blasters who don't blap at all, so I'd suggest defnitely figuring out what feels most comfortable - and fun - for you. -
Quote:I don't think its overkill - one power to put everyone to sleep and then another to keep your current target stunned - even if its a boss - while you kill it quickly. Secondary effects of your attack powers that stack with your initial mez rather than giving you more sleep or counter-productive knock-back. Sounds like just the right amount of control to me.Originally Posted by Nemu_
I know about the level of control in sonic/energy.
Depending on what you solo that much control is overkill. I soloed on my fire/elec just fine before level 40 and before I purpled her out. Siren's song is safer but I put much more value on cj+hurdle and some sort of invis to get the first drop on the target.
If I were a sonic/anything I'd probably use siren's song, but I won't miss it if I find myself without it. Jousting and breaking los and all sorts of blaster tricks has done more for my blaster than any control ever will.
For that very reason I advocate going ranged defense over S/L, because you'll never be in melee for more than a split-second if you know what you are doing, and you can always force mobs to shoot you because of your mobility.
Now no selection of powers will ever make up for good play - or lack of it, obviously - but comparing jousting and breaking line of sight to 'any amount of control' seems tenuous at best. If you use combat jumping and some sort of stealth to 'get the drop on the target', whats preventing the other four targets in the group from beating the snot out of you while you kill the first one?
Whatever works for you is great. I think its commendable that you've been resourceful enough to make up whatever lacks your power sets might have through superior play. Me, I'd prefer to pair my superior play with the power sets that most effectively accomplish my goals.
Having said that, I think we can all agree that there aren't really any bad power sets or combinations, just varying levels of play ability... its far more important that you enjoy your character. I think green or blue fire is far cooler for instance than the sonic 'rings', and my favorite blaster thus far has been and likely always will be my Fire/Ice.
But I'll stand by Sonic/Energy as the best, most effective Blapper. The past several years or so have convined me of that. -
Quote:Sonic/Energy is easier to solo 22-40. Serious control.Originally Posted by Nemu_
Electric is better.
More attacks and better end management via power sink, lets you keep going and going and going...
First off, you have Siren's Song to sleep entire groups. It is a wide cone with good range (and that's BEFORE Boost Range), an incredible duration and quick recharge. You can definitely keep entire mobs indefinitely mezzed with this one.
So, once you've put everyone to sleep, all you need to do is decide who you want to die and in what order - obviously you start with Bosses who would still be wide awake. Screech and Stun let you stack disorient on a target quickly, though you don't need both for any less than Boss protection... and once you start hammering on them you have sonic attacks with -Res to make the energy attacks really hit hard, and energy attacks themselves that all seem to stack a stun component on top of what is already there. Oh, and there's even Power Boost to extend durations if you find the need.
I won't argue that Electric is better for large teams where you have someone managing your aggro and someone else doing your mezzing for you so all you need to do is kill-kill-kill... pretty much all that matters then is damage and endurance management, though it must be noted that you don't get Power Sink until 35. Siren's Song, for comparison, becomes available at 18, meaning it can be pretty much fully slotted by the time you reach SO's.
But if you want to be able to solo very effectively as a Blaster long before you have millions of influence to dump into a 40+ build, Sonic/Energy is the way to go. On teams, everyone benefits from your -Res, particularly vs. hard targets granting a greater cumulative damage than Fire or any other primary... there may be better blasters, but for my money, nothing blaps better than Sonic/Energy. -
Quote:I don't have the numbers to crunch in front of me - obviously - but I'd be willing to allow for the sake of argument that, in a vacuum, solo, fire may beat out sonic for dps, if only because of how fast the tier 2 power recharges. I would think that high recharge builds would actually favor Sonic though. Keep in mind that its not Sonic vs. Fire however - its Sonic + Energy vs. Fire + Electric, meaning that you have to compare Electric's attacks at normal damage with Energy's attacks benefitting from -Res. And again, every possible buff, whether its defiance, inspirations, team damage buffs, Build-Up + Aim, etc. all end up benefitting the sonic/energy more than the fire/electric.Originally Posted by Square_One
I still don't think Sonic will overtake Fire. For defenders, sonic's -res is a whopping 20% each time, and if fire were to be ported over to them, sonic would probably be better. But on blasters where the -res is only 14%, I have still always heard that Fire beats out Sonic in terms of DPS - at least when high-recharge builds are taken into account. Fire/Elec will also have that satisfying burst damage - Sonic takes time to build up it's -res.
Yes, the -res does help teams out quite a bit.
/Elec will beat /Energy I'm fairly sure - having a third melee (Shocking Grasp) that does alright is a lot better than the long animating Total Focus. At least in terms of DPS. Maybe someone could compare a Son/Elec with a Fire/Elec.
I really like the way Stun and Screech can stack with all of the inherent disorient in /Energy not to mention the total mob shut-down ability of every spawn with Siren's Song - particularly a Range-Boosted, Power-Boosted Siren's Song. On any kind of team, even duoing, the -Res will result in more damage than Fire/Electricty does and soloing you get far more mitigation. All of Fire/Electric's AoE damage (assuming you use it) puts you in tremendous jeopardy from aggro as a Blapper in my opinion, when you're better off killing things one at a time very, very fast. In my Blapper build I don't have Howl or even Dreadful Wail for that very reason (though I am considering reworking Wail back in as a panic button of sorts - having BU + Aim is just too good not to have an outlet for). -
Quote:Did you factor in all of the -Damage Resistance? People don't realize how incredibly effective -Res is, much, much more so than damage bonuses. -Res stacks with damage buffs, even inspirations AND benefits every other person attacking the foe as well. Also, I have to again pimp the safety provided by your controls - Sleep to take out every group, and enough stun to shut down an Elite Boss when it comes to single-target.Originally Posted by Square_One
A Fire/Elec will bring you the most damage out of a blapping (and pretty much will have the highest single target DPS available anyway for blasters overall). If I redid mine I might go Fire/Ice, less damage potential, but much safer and with the same feel.
Just in case you were still looking for ideas other than Son/Energy.
-Res is huge.
For the record, Fire/Ice is my favorite blaster to team or solo with... favorite thematic combo as well, but I never considered her as a blapper. -
Quote:Both of the ones you mention offer less than a 2% defensive benefit. For my money, that's not worth the slots you use up. Just something to keep in mind - with Kinetic Combat you get twice the benefit in four slots. there's a reason that its much preferred (and admittedly more expensive).Originally Posted by GavinRuneblade
Not true. Both Touch of Death and Smashing Haymaker also give S/L defense. They give less than Kinetic Combat (about half) but KC is NOT the only S/L set out there.
Personally, I like to slot Smashing Haymakers while levelling because they are so plentiful and cheap that I don't have the temptation to respec just to pull them out and sell. I can slot over them freely. If you buy them crafted you might not feel that way, but rolling them on your AE tickets, or buying the recipes is really affordable.
Touch of Death is almost always a bad idea, only worth it if you specifically need the extra accuracy and damage it outputs, since you're spending 6 slots instead of 4 and getting only half as much defense out of the extra investment. Usually you're better off going KC and two from another set with good Accuracy pieces and/or a decent proc if you're already over 95% damage enhancement. -
Quote:Plus, you get to use Luck of the Gambler and Kismet setsOriginally Posted by DSorrow
Fortunata sounds like a best fit to me, but basically anything that relies on defense for survival should work.
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Quote:Hit the datalink.Originally Posted by B SIP
Mind sending me the code for mids for that?
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Quote:Plant/Rad. Starts out strong, great fun on teams with amazing visuals and easy to thematically link (Radiation mutating plants into these fearmore creatures).Originally Posted by B-Baller44
please give me some fun ideas for a troller
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Quote:This is the build I'm currently working towards and it shouldn't cost billions. Apart from Kinetic Combat, its actually pretty inexpensive. Once you get here, then you can start really playing around with the big ticket items (like the Luck of the Gambler or purple sets) to maximize your potential.Originally Posted by B SIP
Well when said I was going with cold mastery I was planning to take hibernate. And with a blapper is it really that necessary to 6 slot brawl?
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.707
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Sonic Attack
Secondary Power Set: Energy Manipulation
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Cold Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Shriek -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(3), Dmg-I(7), Dmg-I(27), Dmg-I(37), Decim-Build%(50)
Level 1: Power Thrust -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(46), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(46)
Level 2: Scream -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(3), Dmg-I(7), Dmg-I(17), Dmg-I(37), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 4: Energy Punch -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(5), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(5), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg(37), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43)
Level 6: Build Up -- AdjTgt-Rchg(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(13)
Level 8: Shout -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(9), Dmg-I(9), Dmg-I(15), Dmg-I(36), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 10: Bone Smasher -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(11), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(11), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg(36), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42)
Level 12: Amplify -- AdjTgt-Rchg(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(13)
Level 14: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 16: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 18: Sirens Song -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(19), Acc-I(19), Sleep-I(23), Sleep-I(23), RechRdx-I(25)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(21), P'Shift-EndMod(21), P'Shift-End%(40)
Level 22: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(43)
Level 24: Stun -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(25), Dsrnt-I(29), Dsrnt-I(34), RechRdx-I(34), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 26: Screech -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(27), Dsrnt-I(29), Dsrnt-I(33), RechRdx-I(33), RechRdx-I(33)
Level 28: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(43)
Level 30: Boxing -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(31), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(31), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 32: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
Level 35: Boost Range -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 38: Total Focus -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(39), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(39), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg(40), F'dSmite-Dmg/Rchg(40)
Level 41: Snow Storm -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 44: Frozen Armor -- EndRdx-I(A), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(45), DefBuff-I(45), DefBuff-I(45), Ksmt-ToHit+(50)
Level 47: Weave -- EndRdx-I(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(48), DefBuff-I(48), DefBuff-I(48)
Level 49: Hibernate -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 6: Ninja Run
Note: No travel power. But your S/L defense is at about 44%, and keep in mind, you'll be using Sirens and Screech/Stun to mitigate most of your incoming damage anyway. This is what Dominators wish they were.
Edit: Updated.