Winterminal

Be sure to read it all... the OP does indeed say that the snipe and T3 single target blast changes will be done for ALL ranged power sets across all archetypes.

I believe the actual intention behind it was that popping "Aim" before using your snipe attack eliminates the "aiming" time (interrupt time) on the attack. As someone mentioned, it makes thematic sense since once your character "Aims" they should not have to then aim through the sniper attack.



Not sure how I feel about the sniper change, I have to wait to see it in play.

THRILLED TO NO END about the changes to T3 single target blasts.

THRILLED TO NO END about the faster DP animations (combined with the above, I think I will love playing DP now).

I'm indifferent to the secondary changes, though I know that puts me in the minority.



All in all, this looks like it will benefit Blasters very well. Admittedly, my impulse reaction was to say, "But if the snipe and T3 changes are being done for all Archetypes using ranged sets, do the rest really add enough to put the Blaster noticeably (if not obviously) ahead of the Corruptor for ranged damage?" I don't know and like I said: that is an impulse (i.e. not thought out) reaction. But it is something I want to investigate.

Straight from the speedster's mouth:

So whatever changes are being made to Blasters in i24, it does not involve T9 nukes.

I can't wait to find out, and can only hope for the best.

Heed this man's words!

There's nothing left for me to say. I simply echo the above.

I'm on a Macbook, so that usually is not a problem, but I will check. Can't hurt.

I didn't really consider this, but now that you mention it I do remember seeing at least 5 Masterminds along on the raid the other night. 25+ extra beings to render on that ship... this seems to be a very plausible explanation. I'll keep tabs on the number of Masterminds attending the raid over the next couple weeks, while taking the same other preventative measures, and see if I find any correlation.

Great, now the secret's out: anybody who has a problem with me or how I run the raids is going to bring a MM along just to grief me

THANK YOU!!!


*ahem* I like chainmail and leather armor as well.

This. This right here is refreshing. I think you and I have gone back and forth a number of times already about our views on Blasters, both currently and what they should be in the future, but it has consistently been a discussion, an exchange of ideas, which is great.

Personally, I do not want the melee abilities gone either (despite generally not using them), and quite frankly, I do not think they will be. Getting rid of the melee abilities means the Devs would have to revamp and re-balance seven power sets. Let's be realistic here: between the amount of work that would require, the number of power sets that we know they are currently working on (nevermind what has not been publicized yet), and the fact that the player base is *looks at numerous threads* obviously split on their feelings about Blaster secondaries... that is not going to happen. Maybe if the general consensus was as unanimous as we were when the original draft of the CoT revamp was published, but as it is...

Look back through the years: there have been no archetype modifications to the point that the archetype was redefined, or its power sets were all drastically changed. Most changes have modified an archetype's inherent abilities or stats, and the few changes that have been made to power sets have been universal additions that, I'm sure, required testing, but did not redefine the power set as a whole. (See: Tanker Bruising on their Tier 1 attacks, Blaster's gaining temp. damage buffs on their attacks, and the more recent changes to Stalker's Assassin moves and the building of Assassin's Focus.)

I honestly think further discussion will be more beneficial if we focus on what the Blaster does well (i.e. basically the archetype's definition), how we can make that even better, and what changes can be made to the archetype's inherent abilities/stats to make it better fit that definition.

There is an old saying that has also been mentioned a lot of times before, and a number of times already in this thread: The best defense is a good offense.

Technically, a character who only deals damage has all the defense that character could need, provided it deals ENOUGH damage. And that's what we are discussing here. The Blaster's defense, according to the Devs, is their ability to hit the enemies hard from range. It makes sense: NPC enemies typically have fewer ranged attacks than melee attacks, and those ranged attacks are often less potent than the melee attacks. So if you can kill or at least incapacitate enemies from a distance, they get fewer chances to hurt you. "Fewer chances to hurt you" is a type of defense.

The problem is power creep. Slight buffs to other archetypes in the past have yielded tougher enemies across the game in the present, with stronger attacks and/or more debilitating (mez) attacks. Where Blasters could once wreak havoc from afar, nowadays the enemies are lasting longer, and hitting or incapacitating us harder. Thus, this discussion about how Blasters can be brought back to their former stature, and the problem that we've all run into: What do you give an archetype dedicated to dealing damage other than more damage?

I think those saying "Blasters should blast" are actually saying "Blasters should be better at blasting." Personally, I cannot think of a feasible way to do that. The two ways I see as possible are either increasing their range or increasing their damage, and both of those are problematic. Increasing damage yields to a faster rewards-per-time-invested ratio, meaning faster progress which the Devs probably want to avoid. Increasing the range works in theory, but with most of the instanced maps on this game being indoors, that does little to help most situations.

The problem with that is that Blaster secondaries are rather undefined. They are a hodge-podge of melee, enemy deterrents, and self-buffs, with a ranged attack thrown in here and there. Blasters' "something else" is more damage (albeit a different kind) or tools to help them do more damage. In order for Blasters to "do *something else* with proficiency," the secondaries would have to be totally revamped, which the Devs probably won't touch because there are plenty of players out there happy with their Blasters just the way they are. So let's not even go into possible "Ranged/*blank*" combinations.




I am of the mind that Blasters, in general (there are always exceptions), should be able to noticeably out-damage other archetypes. If I had my way, I would boost the Blaster damage modifiers and be done with it. But I doubt I will get my way because of one simple truth: Damage directly affects your leveling progress.

The faster a character can put down an enemy, the faster they level up. I can go endlessly back and forth with arguments for and against increased blaster damage modifiers (seriously, I just spent 20 minutes doing it before I decided to be short and concise). But I have to think that that fact is at least a part of what has kept Blasters from receiving a buff to their orange numbers.

Yes, yes it is. Funny how that works, isn't it?

I agree with your approach to unlocking Hybrid (it is, after all, why I only have one character who is "keeping up" with the system). I just had to quote and bold that little piece of text there to emphasize the illogical nature of that design choice.

All of the above! Can't wait to see it, Michelle!