Biospark
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Quote:I am not so sure about this one. My energy blaster's KB mitigation may be LESS important, but is still quite useful on a team.Originally Posted by PrincessDarkstar
The problem is that mitigation stops mattering the minute you team with a buffing defender/corruptor or a controller/dom, or even a tank/tanky brute/tanky scrapper. It isn't an uncommon situation unless you are talking about solo, and even then if you know eventually you won't need the mitigation you are better off toughing it out to get the rewards at the end in most cases.
Edit: If mitigation only matters when solo or low level then it shouldn't be weighted so heavily on the -damage scale, so 10% less damage than fire might be the right place to aim for.
For example, on a recent team, I recall using my Knockback against targeted enemies. If a mob peeled off to attack my teams Defender, BAM, said mob is flying across the room. After years of practice watching party health bars, I cannot help but notice when a teammate is in trouble. When that happens, Knockback is that persons best friend. I will not get a thank you for the heals, or even credit for the save, but that's fine because in the end, our team won. That is all that matters. -
Keep thinking about the snipe changes while waiting for the Beta test to start.
Hurry up Devs !
While doing so, I thought of another way to balance the snipes that could be interesting.
What if the snipe were changed into regular attacks, in much the same manner that StratoNexus has suggested.
Normalize the animations between 1.67 to 1.87 secs.
Then, instead of an Interrupt OR a magic number, have the Damage scale up with +toHit.
So your character can increase the attack damage two ways. The normal ways thru +Dmg enhancement or powers, but ALSO thru boosting +ToHit. In this way you get benefit from all levels of +ToHit, whether its Tactics, Kismet, Aim, Buildup or whatever. No magic number.
Popping Aim right before shooting the snipe would add something regardless of other build decisions AND would be the the single highest source of extra damage. Yes, Defenders and Corruptors could get more overall +toHit, but due to their base dmg mods, would be less total damage than a blaster. And even if that somehow is not balanced, the devs can still boost the Blaster versions of Aim and Buildup to ensure that their Snipes are the best in every way.
Sorry for the long post -
Quote:I will be the second person to quote this, so that you can hear another side of the "dilemna".Originally Posted by Lothic
I have nothing against powersets being "improved". On the other hand if you can have over 7 years of genuine good fun with something like this (as I have) then I would have to argue that your definition of "under-performance" or being "punished" for a selection is very subjective at best.
Sometimes it is not just about power, its personal tastes. I LOVE the way Electric Blasts look, sound and animate. There are other sets that I feel just as strongly about like Martial Arts and Energy Blast. It would not matter if they were the absolute worst sets, which in the case of Electric Blast could be argued by some, I would still play them. But...
As a new player, I formed these attractions. But as a veteran, I can see how they stack up against other sets after trying OTHER sets. You see, If I only ever played Electric blast and never played other powersets, I would not have a frame of reference.
So then ask yourself, if your Favorite powerset (the one you loved everything about playing), was also deficient in some way which you have personally experienced while exploring other powersets, wouldnt you be asking for improvements ?
Just my 2 inf -
Quote:Fair enough. All these points are plausable, and since the only thing that I have ever heard "officially" is that the developers are Happy with Defenders, which pretty much spells *doom* for any hopes that they will actually re-visit Defender "parity".Originally Posted by BurningChick
On the other hand, the devs' have many years' worth of datamining defender performance. It's entirely possible that the inadequacies that we the players see in individual sets don't translate into actual performance differences from 1 - 50 + incarnates.
Or, at least, the differences show up in specific cases (i.e., the insta-gibs and confuses in the incarnate trials marginalise FF). But if you gave FF *shiver* a heal or massive -regen to compensate for lacklustre performance in the trials, would you bork up FF's SO performance?
FWIW, the devs still seem to be sticking to the party line that the game is balanced around SOs, and FF is absurdly effective in the vanilla game. We assumed that "the game is balanced around SOs" meant "no nerfs," but it's possible that the devs meant "no nerfs AND no buffs."
Edit: it's also possible that the devs don't any particular sets as "underperformers" -- rather, they may view some as "overachievers" and don't wish to embark on a wide-ranging series of nerfs.
I dont, however, like the thought that Defender parity could EVER be examined with "Incarnate Powers" as part of the equation. In fact, I seem to remember having quite an animated exchange during closed beta when Incarnates first came out about how "they" (meaning Incarnates), would smooth over the imbalances in solo performance for certain less fortunate primaries (like Empathy, Sonic and Forcefields). I still feel today the way I felt then ; It would be absolutely ludicrous and sad if the devs actually considered that as the "patch-work fix" to slap over defender "parity" in regards to solo-ing. Even more-so, I'd consider it cowardice.
The approach appears to be that they attack the "low-hanging" fruit of other ATs with less sweeping or important balance concerns. But actually trying to fix the disparity between "Buffing" and "Debuffing" sets WILL NEVER HAPPEN. Instead, we will just say the problem does not exist and keep churning out "hybridized" new sets like Time Manipulation and hope that the complaints will die away when everyone moves on to the "better designed" sets.
Fat Chance. I have invested alot in my oldest characters, and until I quit CoH and move on to some other game, the issue exists. Is that really how they want it to end ? Who knows ? Am I bitter ? Not really, just annoyed. I still love the game, but would love it more if my personal favorite (Legacy) powersets could get a look see. -
Quote:Yes, they absolutely will. And unless they modify the current proposal, many will also be VERY disappointed.Originally Posted by Infernus_Hades
For One single target power you think people will change their builds?
See, She gets itQuote:Originally Posted by PrincessDarkstar
Yes.
I think people will roll whole new toons to take advantage of this.
Thanks for making my point about what perma-snipes can bring to a powerset.Quote:Originally Posted by Infernus_Hades
I have Blaze and only use it to finish a boss....
To clarify, what does a player DO against a Boss when they DO NOT have a power like Blaze.
Can you point me to a T3 pool power option ?
Please play an Electric Blaster and tell me you don't miss Blaze. -
I am amazed at some things that are being stated. Glad that we have this opportunity though to hash it out for all to see.
Many of the "opponents" of perma-fast snipes are also saying that it will not be that great of an improvement. Ok then, why would you be opposed to a more sensible system that is fair across all ATs. Tied to +ToHit like it seems to be, is flat out favoring certain builds and AT/powersets.
And IF, this is not that great of a boost (which, I am sorry, IT IS), why does it surprise anyone that people will build for it. They will. The problem is that whatever system is used should be just as "Achievable" for any snipe-using Powerset AND any Snipe-using AT. The current porposal IS NOT EQUITABLE.
The more I think on this, the more I am in-line with Arcanaville. If you currently have no aggro, then the attack should do Double Damage to its target AND have the interrupt. IF you have some aggro, then it becomes a standard, non-interruptable attack with some value around its current one, perhaps slightly lowered because of activation rules. THEN, people could take the attack and use it either way, but it would only be stellar dmg AS A SNIPE. -
Quote:To be Honest, the reason I like tactics on my characters (especially the squishy ones) is being blinded by those damn Arachnos. You could say ; then dont fight them. Sadly, they are an ever-present part of my characters regular game experience while solo. I don't always get to choose WHO is the villain in the story.Originally Posted by Another_Fan
Tactics is hardly needed to be certain of hitting until you start talking about better than +4 enemies. Its very easy to build so you are hitting 95% of the time against +4s worst case you take a kismet.
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Quote:Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
It's really not necessary to yell at me. I appreciate that emotions are running high, but this isn't personal.
My apologies if I've offended you somehow. I feel like I'm working overtime to be polite, and would appreciate if you could do the same.
Well Said Tex.
Many people are falling into two camps on this one, which is not unexpected, but there is no reason for anyone to get over-emotional.
The devs get to decide how to improve Blasters, and I for one, applaud their effort and ideas.
These proposed changes are a great, AND FREE, improvement.
Folks like Tex and myself that are opposed to the snipe proposal as it currently stands, are simply advocating that there should be more thought placed in this ONE fix.
We are not saying that it is not an improvement over the existing powers, just that it is not enough, and not fairly distributed amongst Powersets OR Archetypes. Certainly, this alone should make the Devs take another look at it.
Sound fair ? -
I dont know Tex, just made 50 on My Illusion-Dark and only have a few IO sets so far and can run at +1/x6 without any trouble. And the damage is stellar. Phantom Army, Tar Patch, Fluffy's AoE Immobilize + Fireball just melts spawns. I suppose if there were no Dark Servant around helping me set up containment, it would be slower DPS, but not that much.
I do think Mind and Ice are at the bottom of the pile. Go figure, besides Fire control, those are the sets I have the most experience with.
::news flash:: If you ever play a new game and want to know what the weakest powers to choose are, just ask me. I am great at picking the underdogs.
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Quote:I did not know that about Mace mastery. Will have to experiment with my third build then. Currently that build has Mace mastery, but messing around with it will not effect my current team or solo builds. Thanks Adeon for the tip.Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
It is going to be current To Hit, else things like Aim and such wouldn't impact it.
As for perming snipe on Defenders I have two bits of advice. First try and build in some margin for debuffs. It's pretty easy for a Defender to get to 25% To Hit with Tactics and Kismet but having Aim to get you past Debuffs is not a bad idea if you can swing it in your build. Secondly consider using Mace Mastery for your Epic Pool. I realize it's not a good choice for all Defenders but it has Focused Accuracy which in addition to a small To Hit buff gives you a huge benefit for FastSnipe: 55.36% To Hit Debuff Resistance. As far as I'm aware the only powers in the game with To Hit Debuff Resistance are the various versions of Focused Accuracy and Targeting Drone. -
Quote:I could be wrong, but it seems to be Base DPS (unadjusted recharge, dmg or defiance) for the first value. Second value includes the adjusted values that are static like Enhancement, Recharge, Alpha etc.... And finally, the third value included maximum Defiance.Originally Posted by Garent
I'm having trouble parsing the data. Can you explain the difference between these three values, please?
Again, that is how I read it.
Most of us will actually fall between the first and second values during normal play. -
Quote:Everything you have said here makes good sense. I can even agree with it from a purely logical perspective. Unfortunately for me, this one change is more elemental. Especially after the absolute WIN that they performed on Stalkers Assassin Strike.Originally Posted by StratoNexus
There are a lot of reasons to make it work as Hawk has designed it. For example:
It does apply a limit, this way it will not be perma for all.
It allowed Hawk to give a modest bonus to a set that could use it.
It gives players something to build for. The build meta-game is actually a very important aspect of playing (and designing) MMOs.
In that build meta-game it provides reasonable competing choices.
The fact that to-hit debuffs exist is a feature. I know some have complained, but I LOVE that I could craft a build to have perma-snipe but a spawn could negate that. This is the perfect type of non-binary negative that should be targeted in design. Rather than being held or totally shut down, we just lose access to a damage increase. We can even still use the snipe if we want, it will just be slow.
It is thematically appropriate. This is very important and an oft overlooked commitment CoH devs have made (and one that I have occasionally criticized when I think gameplay concerns are more important (crashing nukes is a solid example), but I love them for this commitment despite my occasional disagreement).
I am very let-down by this attempt. Because you see, I PLAY Blaster-types, but do not play Stalker types.
Yes, Yes, It is a case of "I wants sum too". Cannot help it.
Besides, Hawk practically, almost, somewhat admitted that he chose 22% out of pure "evil-ness".
If I could reach my hand thru my computer, I would "b^ch-S_ap" that boy and ask him how it felt. They should lower that number to 15%, then I would be more appeased. You could "build" for it, or decide not to, but the sacrifice to "build for it" would not be so ridiculous.
I spent hours on MIDS after the Twitch broadcast before arriving at my opinion too. It is not a "purely emotional" position.
P.S. Nothing like a Blaster set of changes to bring out the StratoNexus in you
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Yes, I apologize for being part of the thread de-rail.
So, here is a quick question. Do villains in game that lower your accuracy actually lower your ACC or your ToHit ?
Next question, which will probably remain unanswered till we can beta-test, is ; Does the Fast-snipe trigger off "current" To-Hit or "Potential / Maximum" To-Hit.
I bet 100 bucks it will be "current" ToHit. And, if that is the case, many of us will be VERY disappointed in the Snipe attacks, especially if you learn this the hard way after respeccing your character to make Snipe "perma".
Lets wait and see. -
Quote:My feeling is that it varies by primary. For a set like Fire Blast, this is very likely true. For Electric Blast, my gut feeling is that a perma-snipe would be a very noticeable increase in ST target damage. In the end, it would balance out too, because everyone would have to trade a power to get snipes into their build. Well, unless they already have it in their build. But that is probably the exception, rather than the rule.Originally Posted by StratoNexus
The damage output difference between a perma-fast snipe build and one that only fast snipes occasionally is not that large when measured over the course of a mission. The variance in kill speed and time through a mission just isn't gonna be a lot.
Yep ! For me, this is absolutely the sticking point.Quote:Originally Posted by StratoNexus
I don't think this is part of the issue, I think this is the crux of your issue. If A can make it perma easy, B, C, D, and E should be able to as well. That is not an entirely unreasonable position, but I also do not think it needs to be true.
I like how you think. Perma-snipe for all !! No ?Quote:Originally Posted by StratoNexus
Almost every idea I see along that vein is ending up at the point of just having perma-fast snipes for all. At which point you should get rid of the mechanic and just make the snipes fast. Getting enough +to-hit to be perma is not supposed to be universally accessible and balanced between the sets and I don't think it needs to be.
Seriously though, Strat, you have said yourself that the increase would not be that great between perma-snipe and situational snipe. Why not just make it more accessible ? Those that need it (Electric / AR ) make out better than those that dont (Fire / Energy ). Sounds fine to me. -
Quote:Yes, I would like to emphasize my original comment mentioned "getting over the hurdle" of being in the middle of a spawn. Its not one of those "low" hurdles either.Originally Posted by Garent
In my opinion, it's not. Short circuit's animation time and the DoT nature of its area attacks make it poor at quickly taking down targets before they can counter, which is an integral strategy for many blasters. Then again, the upcoming boost to blaster survivability will hopefully make blasters less reliant on the burst AoE strategy.
However, IF your intent is to drain a spawn, then you need to fire SC twice in succession, or one of two other ways to drain quickly. That doesn't present too much of a problem unless your difficulty is a bit higher than your defenses can handle, which also means you are not draining that mob anyway.
In the end though, I am with StratoNexus on this one. SC animation time should be shortened considerably. It is not really a "low-end" strategy to be a "sapper". It takes some work to make it happen. With the changes to survival and a tweak to short circuit, "sapping" could be usable much earlier in a characters' career, and even possible for non Electric secondaries. The tactic works. Just not as well "out-of-the-box". -
There are three (with a 4th possible) powersets that need looking into.
SONIC : IMO the worst Defender primary to solo with. Does OK on a team, but needs more versatility and less gimmick. My votes :
Sonic Siphon : Should do more. Every other power of similar nature debuffs 2 things. Or, in the case of Kinetics, does a debuff and a caster buff. How about if this power lowered the targets' resistance AND damage.
Sonic Dispersion : Needs to protect against sleep and needs the Resistance value increased.
Clarity : Needs to add Psionic Resistance to the target
Liquefy : Needs the recharge reduced
EMPATHY : Un-doubtably a serviceable powerset, but is a good example of what "not to do" when designing a powerset. Only 3 powers usable while solo. They are good powers, but just not in a very active way (solo).
Healing Aura : As the "Healer" set, this power could use an increase in effect. Setting above other sets like Radiation which have a "less-heal focused" concept. A 30% increase is my thought.
Either one of the following changes, but not both ;
A) Change Fortitude to a PBAoE buff that effects the caster, while reducing the effects by 25% and increasing the recharge to 180-210 sec.
B) Reduce the recharge on Both Auras so that they are perma with around 200% total recharge. Make these non-stacking from the same caster (if they aren't already)
FORCEFIELDS : This set if very functional solo and on teams, but doesnt stand the test of time. It needs more tricks to appeal to teams and something to help solo.
My favorite choice is to add some kind of debuff into some of the powers, but nothing that would step on other powersets. Also, make Repulsion Bomb better. Look at changing it to knockdown and a higher stun chance. Or more damage even.
The fourth set would be Trick Arrow, possibly, but I don't have enough experience with it to offer anything. -
Quote:Electric seems pretty decent to me from an AoE perspective, but requires you build and practice living in the middle of the spawn. Once you get over that hurdle, it is quite fun.Originally Posted by Arcanaville
If electric lags Fire by 20%, and I'm not saying I've done calculations to show that, but if electric lags fire by 20%, it would not be because electric was nerfed relative to fire, but because fire was buffed relative to all other sets. The DoT fire gets in most attacks in lieu of any other secondary effect is about 40% more damage. Its that high because damage over time is not valued as highly as damage now, but when people calculate fire damage they usually include all the DoT in its numbers as if the damage happens immediately.
If electric lagged fire by only 20%, when Fire is given about 40% more damage than normal due to DoT, that would imply that intrinsically, Electric is actually the better offensive set unless you believe DoT is better than other secondary effects. If you do, then you should tend to pick Fire, no differently than if you think end drain is the best effect, you should pick electric, or if you think slows are the best effect you should pick Ice.
Where Electric falls on its face is Hard targets, especially solo. Voltaic can only focus on one target IF there is ONLY one target, so does not replace a hard-hitting single target attack in most situations. Plus, as many have pointed out, summoning him every 60 seconds is rather annoying (to me).
hmmm... What if VS got the Haunt treatment. That could be workable. -
Quote:Originally Posted by Electric-Knight
Also, I just wanted to say that I'm very encouraged by Arbiter Hawk's comments about he and Synapse intending to make sure that Electric Blast (and some others) are up to snuff under the new Blaster paradigm, as he said.
He's acknowledged that the lack of a true 3rd ST blast, VS's behavior and numbers and the Endurance Drain secondary effect all have made the set under perform.
So... all those things acknowledged and a commitment to making sure they're in a good place after the changes should mean good things for us Electric Blast lovers.
When was this said ? Can you elaborate for me, because I would like to watch/read this for myself.
Thanks
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Quote:Yep, we have covered this ground many times. There is hope that the devs will eventually do something for Electric Blast. Any, or all of the following have been suggested by myself and others. All would be welcome.Originally Posted by Garent
This has occured to a few people. I'm one of the people who thinks it's a cool idea. Jumping to only one target wouldn't do much to increase area damage in the grand scheme of things, but it would do a LOT to make the set feel cooler. And yeah, adding -recovery to the set's attacks would be nice.
1) Add -recovery to very attack, not just Tesla and Short Circuit.
2) Add damage to Tesla similar to Lightning Bolt
3) Add a chance to sleep targets to Short Circuit
4) Increase Duration of Voltaic to 4 min (similar to Dark Servant), perhaps even adding more powers like, oh Short Circuit maybe.
On, and On, and On....
stay tuned, it only took 8 years for Gravity to get fixed...
uhm, OK, maybe not a good example. -
Quote:Not sure where you feel this is true, but everyone is entitled to their belief.Originally Posted by Zul_Vakirol
Yeah, I more or less said the same thing over on the defender boards already. I mean I love defenders and corrs, but those ATs are a couple of the ATs that need the least, if any buffing right now.
My experience varies considerably from yours though. This is coming from a player that mostly plays Defenders, Controllers and Tankers. Of those three, Defenders need the MOST help. Sure, you have examples of Defenders like Rad/Sonic, Time/Fire, Dark/anything but you also have things like Emp/Electric, FF/Psi, Sonic/Rad etc...
I can honestly say that the Variance of performance of Defenders combinations is so much greater than any other AT, with Controllers, Corruptors and MMs right behind them that Support sets are WAY overdue for review. I can also say that the DEVs will not do this because THEY ARE UNABLE to fix the disparities at this point in time. They are afraid to turn over the apple-cart. But hey, good news for you Tankers out there, the Un-killable AT is getting YET ANOTHER look over. ::clap::clap:: -
What if they just tied it to Accuracy on intended target of 90%-95%. This way it will only have the orange circle if your target is "easy" to hit. Building for Accuracy is so much more generic to ALL builds. Heck, against even cons, you don't need ANY additional help to hit this value. The BIG problem that some may not see is that enemies that "debuff" your accuracy are going to seriously "screw" over a build that tries to advantage "sniper" attacks in regular combat.
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Quote:This pretty much sums up the issue with Snipes and the current proposal.Originally Posted by Grey Pilgrim
I'm not debating whether a limiter is needed, because one is needed for any attack power (recharge, damage scale, etc.). What I am quibbling is the to hit limiter, since that hurdle is more or less easy for different sets to hit, rather than being consistent across the board. Yes, Devices needs help, but this seems like a weird sidestep, rather than an attempt to actually fix the problems in the set itself.
In other words, a Snipe change should be equally accessible regardless of your secondary.
The accessibility comments are more a complaint that this drives people more toward slotting Kismet and taking tactics as well, and the inspiration usage approach is a problem well hashed over with the "give blasters mez protection/just use an insp" debate.
I'm not asking for something just like Stalkers got, but their guaranteed crit for AS is a lot more accessible for every powerset than the proposed snipe change is for sets that have snipes. I'm arguing for equal accessibility.
I keep saying proposal, because we really need to push on the Devs to make the snipes, and yes I DO mean fast-snipes, more universally usable without huge "build-tweaks". You could go and say that "AIM" is the universal balancer for fast Snipes, but AIM has found its way "IN" and "OUT" of my builds more times than I care to admit. It is a great power, but sometimes you just want to reduce how many clickies are on the tray. What If... AIM is not in your build either, so now to use a Snipe, you need to respec and trade two powers just for the "common baseline" of fast-snipe use.
Take my Electric Blaster (Defender really), I would trade Voltaic for a Snipe. Lets face it, stupid.. right ? But its a playstlye preference. I would rather have a T3 blast. The DEVs need to understand that these changes they propose WILL REQUIRE trading powers currently IN THE BUILD in order to realize their potential. Those lucky few who already possess all the powers will be happy, but most will need to respec. As Arcana aptly pointed out, this is a REAL cost to acquire these new toys and perhaps the cost will BARELY be covered by the improvements. For me, the Snipes DO NOT cover their cost to add into a build UNLESS they can be used MOSTLY as fast-snipes.
btw Pilgrim, this post is not aimed at you, just elaborating on the topic of snipes
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Quote:I am happy and exited about these changes.Originally Posted by ClawsandEffect
Am I the only person that is actually HAPPY about these changes?
My Energy/Energy/Power Blaster just had to clean out his powered body armor.
He doesn't use (or need) a snipe, will LOVE the extra range on Power Burst and just has to make a small build concession to fit Conserve Power... oh wait, there is that Repulsion Bomb power that I was thinking of respeccing out of... BAM ! Better blaster without breaking a sweat.
My EMP/Electric Defender on the other hand is a sad Panda. His team build includes all of the leadership powers AND the snipe, so that will be fine, but.... I have spent the last year sinking Billions into a Purpled-out Solo build that has over 30% defense to all damage types and some super mitigation effects to back it up. He went from solo-ing +1/x3 (previous solo strategy) to +2/x6 with this build. The ONLY thing he needs is a Hard-hitting ST attack to help take down Bosses faster to feel "complete" and adding a perma-fast Snipe would absolutely "GUT" his solo build.
So.. Yes very happy for Blasters, the Range and Survival changes are very nice, but totally disappointed with the snipe proposal. Work on that one some more Devs. Please ??! -
Quote:Yeah, I thought of that little problem too. Which is why I suggested the two forms base off the defiance stacks. Close enough right ? The real problem becomes loss of "stack" mid-combat. ewwww, is there a Blaster-Viagra for that condition ?Originally Posted by Arcanaville
To be frank, if it was me I would have made all blaster sniper attacks interruptible but critical hit when the blaster was unaggroed (i.e. the alpha at the start of a fight) and uninterruptible and fast-firing when the blaster was on any critter's aggro list (i.e. basically in combat). But that might have required more tech than Arbiter Hawk's change, and it wouldn't address the problem of sniper blasts being sucky for anyone else.
But I'm not Arbiter Hawk and I'm not in charge and I can see where Arbiter Hawk is going with this, so I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and see how it plays out on beta.
Also, as you pointed out, this does nothing for non-blasters. -
Quote:Yes, It is definitely a wait and see at this point.Originally Posted by Arcanaville
One thing I mentioned to Arbiter Hawk was that by giving more offensive options with one hand, and adding survivability with the other, the net result overall won't be an increase in offense and defense identical to the strength of those effects in isolation, because its almost certainly true that blasters will have to give back something else to get them to fit into their builds. Those things might even be inferior to what we're getting new, but it would still reduce the net incremental benefit of those things. I'm jettisoning tough and weave also, and getting energize. That's a net plus assuming blaster energize isn't nerfed into oblivion. But my survival won't be me + energize, it will be me + energize - tough/weave. Ditto for offense.
Its something to watch carefully as the changes are tested when they are released for beta. There's no question its a net benefit, but how much it will displace to provide that benefit is something that I think can't really be fully answered in a short period of time, except anecdotally in very limited circumstances.
There's a couple of things I'm thinking about to improve upon what Arbiter Hawk has presented so far, and I don't think Arbiter Hawk has shown his entire I24 hand yet. There's room for improvement, but I also think we don't yet know what the full context of these changes are yet. I have a suspicion on top of the options that snipes and secondary sustain powers offer, there will be a couple more tossed our way that will complicate these decisions further, perhaps not specific to blasters but still.
That sorcery power pool is still lurking out there, for example.
Your example of energize is a perfect example for what I am feeling on this whole snipe thing. If they want to MAKE Snipe attacks better, they should stand on their own without ANY other powers required. This makes more sense for the AT and for builds.
As it stands now, and if the changes went live as is, I would NOT respec and add snipe regardless of how badly I want a third attack in my standard chain. That may not be the intent of this change to snipes, but it WOULD fulfill one of electric blasts weaknesses if it were MADE to.