dugfromthearth

well defenders underperformed soloing and the solution was a damage buff that only works solo or in small teams

I don't see any real reason to think that one solution will fix blasters in teams and solo.

I would think that a defender style solution with a buff solo which fades on teams and a buff that you get on teams would be more likely

"Another way to look at it that also illustrates the point, is rate blaster survivability on a scale of 1-10, rate their damage output, multiply the two numbers."

If you do that, then those with high damage have to come out much lower.
Imagine a character has damage 1, survival 10.
Another character had damage 2, survival 5.

The first character will take twice as long to defeat foes. Soloing you could not say those 2 were balanced. No one would play the low damage character.

The problem is that blasters want a bottom to their survival (which is reasonable) which makes the extra survival kind of superfluous. But they want lots of damage which is not superfluous.

A tanker has really no greater survivability vs a +0/x3 spawn than a brute or scrapper. They will all survive it just fine. But the brute and scrapper do more damage and finish the fight faster.

I think the reason blasters spend more time mezzed and defeated in teams is because they spend more time attacking their foes without preventing a counter attack, simple as that.

controllers/dominators can spend their time mezzing foes
defenders can be buffing allies or healing

blasters just attack. Which means if they are doing anything useful in a fight they are running the risk of getting aggro back.

I had an ice/emp controller. In a team he dropped ice slick, turned on arctic air, and then did block of ice or heal other. He contributed massively but every foe he attacked was held. He could draw aggro but it was rare.

A possible fix for this would be reduced aggro for blaster damage. Say they only get half aggro for the damage they do. They can still draw aggro, but it would be easier to unleash their attacks without getting attacked.

I would think that the AT for this would have to be either a kheld or SOA just given the vast differences in how you can build them.

but what does underperforming mean?

how do you underperform in a team?
you earn less xp?
you do less damage?
you die more?
teams with blasters earned less xp than teams without blasters?

I fully believe that blasters are a poor AT, especially having played a Crab with amazing AoE, mezz protection, defense, and team buffs and debuffs.

I agree with what Teeto posted. I find a corr much better than a blaster because with a self heal a corr can recover when a blaster can't. And a corr can do something about the tough fights that the blaster can't. Likewise a corr adds a lot to a team that a blaster does not.

Atlas Park got new flowers

I see a lot of threads about specific weaknesses or perceived weaknesses in blasters. But ATs are not balanced, you cannot look at each point and make it balanced with everyone else. You have to look overall. Under performing cannot be "not enough damage", it has to be "hard to solo".

Here are a list of areas of performance. If blasters are under performing in them please say so and without writing an essay try to indicate their actual level of performance. I.E. solo +0/x1 easy, solo +2/x4 is hard, solo+4/x8 is impossible. You might also say if some sets/combos vary wildly. I.E. only sonic/ can solo easily. (Note I am just making up these examples)

And feel free to make up any other areas where they might be under performing.

Leveling Solo (1-49)
Lvl 50 Solo
Leveling teams (1-49)
Lvl 50 teams
Incarnate Trials
AV's and GM's
PvP

I find snipes useful on defenders and corrs because they are an extra attack. Getting that high damage extra attack at the start of a fight makes it much easier to finish the fight with a few cycles of the attack chain.

However, blasters have plenty of attacks so an extra attack is meaningless. A snipe therefore must have at least one of 3 effects: massive damage, a buff/debuff it triggers, or not aggro.

Massive damage is nice, take out an lt with one hit kind of damage. DPA does not matter if that is your opener. It is not good for extended fights but is nice for opening fights solo. Situational but useful.

Not aggroing has too many issues. You would need a long recharge so you can't just defeat a spawn with your non-aggroing attack. If it does not do a massive amount of damage as well, it is just a bit of extra damage to start a fight. It will still be skipped.

Buff/debuff can be almost anything so it is almost certainly the best option.
* use for range finding, gives a buff to range so you can follow up with other attacks at range
* use for 'marking' a foe so you get a bonus to hit and damage against that target. Makes it nice for taking out bosses potentially
* confuse effect since they don't know where the attack is coming from. Does not seem to fit thematically really
* massive damage buff ala the existing blaster buff per attack. Make it a mini-build up post attack

thanks, that's what I'm looking for

I'm actually doing electric/rad.
I'm assuming with the -def in radiation infection I can live with a lower accuracy

I don't see one. Now that there are 9 there is a lot to look through to choose a controller primary. I have not played all, but played many and read several guides. So I am no expert, below is just my take on the primaries more to have a basis for discussion.

Selecting a Controller Primary

Safe Solo: Electric, Mind, Plant
Single Target Damage: Darkness, Gravity, Illusion
AoE Control: Earth, Ice
AoE Damage: Fire

Safe Solo means a control power that prevents enemies from striking back (including preventing an alpha) that can be up for every fight. Usually AoE, could be a non-aggroing single target that can be used repeatedly quickly.

Darkness – good single target damage, good single target control, -to hit in powers, few AoE hard controls
Earth – AoE control of all types, damage is low, minimal AoE damage, hard to get AoE containment
Electric – alpha preventing sleep or confuse, END drain, no END issues, minimal AoE damage, problematic AoE control, unique
Fire – few effective controls, moderate damage, good AoE damage, easy to get AoE containment
Gravity – high single target damage, limited and late AoE controls
Ice – very powerful constant control, limited AoE hard control, hard to get AoE containment
Illusion – high single target damage, invisibility, phantom army, hard to get AoE containment, unique
Mind – safe solo, lots of single target control, lack of AoE hard control sleep, fear, confuse
Plant – safe solo, minimal healing, moderate AoE damage Carrion Creepers, kind of a one trick pony with Seeds of Confusion but a very good trick

for leveling and just having a basic clue with Electric Control. I've never used an electric set and tried to drain END (I have tried an elec/elec tanker)

I'm not sure what is worth slotting for in the powers. Which ones have end draining worth slotting for, etc.

I am putting something just to have something to argue about

Electric Fence - Acc, 3 Dmg, used for single target damage

Tesla Cage - Acc, 3 recharge, 2 Holds, for use as often as possible with stacking duration

Chain Fences - Acc, I'm skipping this one so far, but I see it as just for immob and containment, recharges fast enough, dmg is trivial

Jolting Chain - Acc, recharges fast enough, dmg is trivial, slotting for knockback would turn knockdown into knockback

Conductive Aura - Accuracy, End Mod (to drain them and recharge you), Heal (to heal you), damage is trivial. Energy Manipulator chance for disorient.

Static Field - Accuray, End Mod to drain them, 3 recharge, (does not take Energy Manipulator chance for disorient)

Paralyzing Blast - Accuracy, 3 recharge, 2 holds, for use as often as possible

Synaptic Overload - Accuracy, 3 recharge, 2 confuse duration

Gremlins - Accuracy, 3 damage

I assume the standard solo tactic is run conductive aura constantly, drop static field to sleep foes. Use Tesla Cage and Electric Fence to take them out one at a time.

For teams I assume the standard tactic is to run conductive aura constantly, drop static field to sleep foes, hit them with Synaptic Overload to prevent recovery and confuse them

Jolting Chain and Paralytic Blast strike me as use when needed (which should be rarely) powers

you can't handle the truth

almost no damage, not really all that effective
but opening up by knocking down your foes in a chain is pure fun

what power do you think is the most fun to use?

(and funnest is a perfectly cromulant word)

all true loyalists know the easter egg

it's casual

it gets you into all of the no sleeves, no shoes, no service places

the other ways to ask this are:

1. do you want more non-combat activities that are rewarded in some way?
2. or do you want the non-combat activities you do to be rewarded in some way?

1 would be new things like minigames or such

2 would be things like hanging out in Pocket D roleplaying earns you something

how about adding a sleep to shiver?

it may not last long in a normal fight, but a cone sleep is pretty handy for soloing and it would make shiver distinct from AA