BlasterMaster

Until Blasters get fixed, it is going to be nothing but retreads. I get what you're saying, and appreciate the sentiment, but we need this seen to, and until the devs actually fix the core issue with the blasters, we have to keep on them about it.

I am not in any way saying that the devs don't listen. All I am saying is that it is time for them to take a real deep look at their philosophy for blasters going forward.

It is either time to retire the old concept of Blasters do damage, or it is time to make it true again. They can't keep us where we are anymore without killing off the AT.

As my name suggests, I am, or at least have been, a blaster fanatic. My first 50 was a blaster. I have created more blasters than any other archetype. The problem is, I never play my blasters anymore because I feel so...weak compared to other classes.

Other people seem to have the same issues, as there have been numerous people who have stated that they think there is a problem, but here everyone's opinion on the fix differs.

The main reason I think this opinion differs is that traditionally, any time that Blasters have gotten more damage, people have complained about the bad old days of City of Blasters...something that has taken on mythical stature beyond the actual reality of the time.

Here is the thing, Blasters have never been given any defense or mitigation to counter the greater capability of enemies to make you dead over the years. Don't get me wrong, surviving when you were down to one hit-point is a rush...rushing back to that group of mobs over and over again is not.

This is mostly going to be about solo play, as I have played in groups with my blaster where I could...blast...to my heart's content. I even had one semi-permanent group in which I had a Controller and a Defender running for all they were worth to keep up with me as I blasted the enemies into unconsciousness.

Here is the thing about that...A class that can not stand alone is a drag on the team dynamic. I was the only one doing damage in that aforementioned team. There weren't even many holds going out as they tried to keep me in buffs and alive.

I am not here to complain. Mostly I am here to educate and suggest. We need to agree on what "the problem with blasters" is before we can solve it.

Do explain this, I will be explaining what other Archetypes do, in my opinion.

BRUTES
Brutes are damaging power houses. They use their defensive set to get them to the point where their damage makes their defense pointless, because they are one-shot'ting Lts and making bosses cry for mercy.

This is from personal experience. I leveled a TW/Fire brute. I was rarely at 0x0. Often I would be against a group that I could go 4x8 solo. Yes, he is level 50.

To summarize: Brutes use armor to allow them to do damage.

SCRAPPERS
Scrappers are simple, and shouldn't need that big of a description here, but I will try to do so anyway. These are actually my least favorite archetype. Much like the brutes, they are using their armor to allow them to do more damage, where here it is in the form of their crit. The longer they stay alive, the more damage they do, on average, as they chain more attacks together. They never get the one hit kills of the brute, but then they tend to survive a bit longer too.

Summary: Scrappers use armor to allow them to do damage.

Yes, there is a pattern here.

TANKS:
They do a lot less damage, but with their higher initial armor numbers, and caps that only a Brute can match, they are a lot more survivable. They may take forever to kill something, but they have forever to do so.

Summary: Tanks use armor to allow them to do damage.

DEFENDERS:
Defenders are the first of our support classes that I have mentioned in here. They have buff values that other classes drool over. On top of this, they get ranged damage.

Summary: Defenders use buffs/debuffs to allow them to do damage.

CONTROLLERS:
These are by far the safest class in the game to play. They have a mixture of control and buff/debuff that simply makes it so that they own the situation. It takes more patience to play this class as well, since killing takes even longer than the tank or defender

Summary: Controllers use buffs/debuffs/crowd control to stay alive and do some damage.

You are starting to get the picture, so I will summarize the others:

CORRUPTERS: Use buff/debuff to allow them to do damage.
MASTER MINDS: use pets to do damage and allow them to do damage.
DOMINATORS: Use crowd control to allow them to do damage
STALKERS: use stealth/armor/minor crowd control to allow them to do damage

BLASTERS:
So, now we get to the heart of the issue. Blasters. They have no tricks to bring to the table. This is not talking about one or two sets. Sure, there are those powers in some sets that mean a little difference between dead and alive.

The thing is, all of the other archetypes that I mentioned above have these abilities in ALL of their sets. Some are better at it than others, I won't disagree with that, but they are ALL BETTER AT IT THAN BLASTERS.

Sure, you can use Epic pools, IO sets, and other like abilities to alkter this, but then you get a summary like the following:
Blasters use IOs/Epic Pools/Temporary Powers/and a lot of player skill to allow them to do damage.

Notice how this differs from the above summaries? Even if you take out my snarky comment, you still run into the fact that blasters simply have no mechanic in place that helps them to do damage and/or stay alive.

I'm not talking numbers here. All I'm pointing out is that there is something missing from the blaster design equation.

The original design concept was: Blasters do damage.

If that had been upheld, I don't think there would be a problem, but it wasn't. If there is someone who has a "uses X to allow them to do damage" who does more damage than a blaster, then that is a problem. Period.

I don't care about spikes and overall. A blaster following this summary has to do more damage on average. It is not 'should', it is a requirement.

The problem is, then there is the fear that no one will want to play anything else.

Is this a better fear than no one will want to play a blaster? Since that is the direction it is moving. You will end up with nothing but Elitists and Noobs willing to play the class.

So, here we are. We have a summary that has a hole in it that the devs are unwilling to fill because it would get away from the core of what a blaster is.

Here is my first proposition: Make the blaster base damage equal to a brute at 60%-80% Fury. Out enhancements and other people's powers would of course enhance this ability. As threat is based upon range and damage that would mean that a blaster going full out in a team has to worry about pulling agro, especially against a "soft agro"d mob.

Blasters will still die. It will happen. The thing is, unless you re-work the summary and give them some X to allow them to do damage that is going to happen period.

Here is my second proposition: Make the blaster inherent be their X. There are armor powers that work like this currently, so the mechanic is there. The more damage they take, the more resistance they have. You can leave them at their current cap, that's fine. Just then they will have some X that makes it so that they can do damage.

They're still going to die, and there will still be that chest pounding excitement of pushing the envelope just a little further. They will just not die as fast. Unless it is against EBs GMs or AVs, but then everyone dies on those once in a while.

Here is my third proposition: Something similar to my second, but a little more straight forward. Give them a lot of HPs. I mean more than a tank...maybe even twice as many.

Anyway, I figure this is enough for now. I hope I was able to accurately define what I feel is wrong with blasters, and hope that someone out there agrees with me. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.

Well, I get to take part in the Costume Contest at least, and see the new trial.

The only choices it gave me were Test Server and Going Rogue Test Server. Yes, I picked the second on a guess, but it should be more clear than that IMHO.

Ok, so I'm planning on joining in to the Keys reactor event tonight, and want to bring in my Robo/FF character to try out the new trial, as well as the changes in how my buffs will function (AoE, Yay).

So, the question is, how do I copy my character to the beta server. No, I am not being blonde, and I see the Character Transfer Tool, but all of the information there says that it is for the Test server, which is a completely different animal.

I just need a little help.

Renamed Gravity Well as Warp Space, changed it for a teleport, as suggested, and changed the effects to be more in line with similar powers.

Here is a thought for a Tank/Scrapper/Brute armor. Out of Phase could be altered slightly to become a Stalker stealth, possibly removing Dopleganger for a placate.

So, I know the devs probably aren't up for creating a new power set right now, but this one seemed fun to me. Hope everyone else likes it as well.

1) Massive Density: (Increases your physical density protecting you well against smashing and lethal damage, and providing a minor resistance from all other damage types except psionic. It slows your run speed and reduces your jump height.) Toggle: +res (all but psionic) -spd -jump
res(S/L) 40%
res(E/NE/F/C/T) 5%
Self: Spd -10%
Self: Jump -20%

2) Time Loop: (You loop yourself back in your own time line healing some of your damage, and improving your regen for a short period. Your knowledge of coming events also makes it harder for enemies to hit you.) +Health +Regen +def(melee)
Heal: 20%
Regen: 100%
Def(Melee): 5%
Duration: 40s
Recharge: 90s

3) Heat Sump: (You have connected yourself to another dimension using it to regulate your temperature. It gives a large resistance to fire and cold based attacks. It also provides some protection from slow effects.) Toggle: +res (Fire/Cold) +res(slow)
res(F/C) 30%
res(slow) 40%

4) Antipode: (You link yourself to a dimension in winch all energy is polar opposite to this one resulting in the charges canceling each other out. Remaining energy is converted into endurance.) Toggle: +res(energy/negenergy) +Special
res(E/NE) 30%
OnDamage +1 End

5) Out of Phase: (You move yourself partially out of phase with reality protecting you from most status effects, as well as making you harder to hit with area and ranged attacks.) Click +def(AoE) +res(Hold, Sleep, Disorient, Immobilize, KB, Repel, Phase)
def(AoE) 5%
def(Range): 5%
Hold Mag 12.98
Sleep Mag 12.98
Disorient Mag 12.98
Immobilize Mag 12.98
KB Mag 6.98
Repel Mag 10
Res(Phasing) 50%
Duration: 120s
Recharge: 200s

6) Time Warp: (You greatly increase the recharge rate of your powers for a short period, but reduce your recovery for the same period of time.) Click: Self -recovery +rchg
Recharge Rate: +100%
Recovery: -20%
Duration: 30s
Recharge: 360s

7) Warp Space: (Foes within 40 yards can be teleported to your location. This teleportation leaves them disoriented and unable to fight for a short duration. Ripping them through space also reduces their resistance to damage.) Toggle: PBAoE(melee) Foe +Special +disorient -resistance
Effects apply every 5 seconds:
--Teleport foe to player
--Foe: Disorient Mag 3: Duration 2s
--Damage Resist: -20%

8) Doppleganger (Your ability to loop time has gotten to the point where you can make a copy of yourself. Your copy is short lived and draws away attacks meant to hit you. It can be targeted, but does no damage and can't be killed.) Click: +Special
Duration: 40s
Recharge: 180s

9) Warp Reality (You warp time and space making you able to dodge more easily and making your powers come back faster. The stress of warping reality tires you and costs all your endurance after the effect fades.) Click: +def(ALL) +Rchg +Special
Def(Melee/AoE/Range/et. all) 50%
recharge rate: 40%
After delay of 180s: End -100%
Duration: 180s
Recharge: 1000s

I've made the changes suggested, and I'm tossing it over in suggestions

Sitting around and playing a low level mastermind, I began to wonder what exactly would go into a gravity armor set. This grew into expanding the concept a little into something unique. I plan on putting this in the suggestions forum, but I'd like to first see how much interest there would be in something like this, and second to refine it a bit before it goes up there.

Anyway, enjoy.

1) Massive Density: (Increases your physical density protecting you well against smashing and lethal damage, and providing a minor resistance from all other damage types except psionic. It slows your run speed and reduces your jump height.) Toggle: +res (all but psionic) -spd -jump
res(S/L) 40%
res(E/NE/F/C/T) 5%
Self: Spd -10%
Self: Jump -20%

2) Time Loop: (You loop yourself back in your own time line healing some of your damage, and improving your regen for a short period. Your knowledge of coming events also makes it harder for enemies to hit you.) +Health +Regen +def(melee)
Heal: 20%
Regen: 100%
Def(Melee): 5%
Duration: 40s
Recharge: 90s

3) Heat Sump: (You have connected yourself to another dimension using it to regulate your temperature. It gives a large resistance to fire and cold based attacks. It also provides some protection from slow effects.) Toggle: +res (Fire/Cold) +res(slow)
res(f/c) 30%
res(slow) 40%

4) Antipode: (You link yourself to a dimension in winch all energy is polar opposite to this one resulting in the charges canceling each other out. Remaining energy is converted into endurance.) Toggle: +res(energy/negenergy) +Special
res(E/NE) 30%
OnDamage +1 End

5) Out of Phase: (You move yourself partially out of phase with reality protecting you from most status effects, as well as making you harder to hit with area and ranged attacks.) Click +def(AoE) +res(Hold, Sleep, Disorient, Immobilize, KB, Repel, Phase)
def(AoE) 5%
def(Range): 5%
Hold Mag 12.98
Sleep Mag 12.98
Disorient Mag 12.98
Immobilize Mag 12.98
KB Mag 6.98
Repel Mag 10
Res(Phasing) 50%
Duration: 120s
Recharge: 200s

6) Time Warp: (You greatly increase the recovery rate of your powers for a short period, but reduce your recovery for the same period of time.) Click: Self -recovery +rchg
Recharge Rate: +100%
Recovery: -20%
Duration: 30s
Recharge: 360s

7) Gravity Well (You increase the gravity of your body drawing enemies to you and reducing their run speed and attack speed. The power of the gravity well is enough that it also increases damage done to affected foes) Toggle: PBAoE(melee) Foe +Special -spd -rchg -resistance
Attract (Repel mechanic with a vector toward the player instead of away) 20
Foe: Spd: -10%
Recharge Rate: -20%
Damage Resist: -20%

8) Doppleganger (Your ability to loop time has gotten to the point where you can make a copy of yourself. Your copy is short lived and confuses enemies at range increasing your defense to those types of attacks. It can be targeted, but does no damage and can't be killed.) Click: +Special
Duration: 40s
Recharge: 180s

9) Warp Reality (You warp time and space making you able to dodge more easily and making your powers come back faster. The stress of warping reality tires you and costs all your endurance after the effect fades.) Click: +def(ALL) +Rchg +Special
Def(Melee/AoE/Range/et. all) 50%
recharge rate: 40%
After delay of 180s: End -100%
Duration: 180s
Recharge: 1000s

Never mind. Just realized that for some reason my desktop resolution had a refresh of 25 (interlaced, gotta love it :/ ) and not my usual 30. CoH apparently wont run at 25 refresh. Upped it to 30 and it works again.

Before the release of Champions Online (I know big mistake going there at all) I ran at the resolution of 1762x992, which is the highest resolution my HDTV supports while still displaying everything on the screen (through my DVI connection it will display off the screen at 1080i/p). I can get into the game at 1080i, but with the problem that some of the game is offscreen. When I run at 1762x992, it all runs beautifully. I run most games at this resolution, and in the past, CoH didn't complain about it.

Now it tells me that this is not a supported format and reverts to 1024x768

I can run it it windowed mode, but my framerate is continually dropping below 5. Any thoughts on forcing CoH to accept a perfectly reasonable resolution?

---System information gathered by CoH Helper version 0.1.1.8---

DxDiag gathered at March 7, 2010 09:47 (-07:00)
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D Drive: (JP8250W IDA576D SCSI CdRom Device) zero-size drive
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BIOS Manufacturer: American Megatrends Inc.
BIOS Name: Default System BIOS
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[ QUOTE ]
As for blasters being ineffective and being in constant debt yadda yadda yadda. Look at your build. Respec. I'm level 47 now, and I havn't had more than 100k in debt since dinging 40. I only die when aggro mismangement goes bad. I never die soloing because I don't try to do more than I can handle.

Do blaster secondaries need evaluation? Yes.

Has it been a long time? Yes.

Are the problems this AT faces any more dire than any other issue the game faces right now? No.

Relax. The only argument in this thread with any relevance is the one that I'd like to see what the development team is thinking reguarding blasters etc.

[/ QUOTE ]This AT does not do its stated job, and therefoe yes the issues are more important than others in the game. The problem is that they are not "Game Breaking Issues" and therefore will not get any attention.

Now, you may say that if they are not GBI's then how can they be more important than another. It is only because there are very few GBI's ever IN the game.

It is very simple: We are going toware a "City of No Blasters" just as quickly as any fix to blasters might create the oposite. As the other ATs get perfected, the Blaster will just fade away, and it will be none but the most dedicated that play them until you start getting statements like "A Blast-what? Oh, you mean the fifth archetype. Didn't the devs remove them?"

I hear what you are saying, and disagree. Just because you have done something different than I have neither invalidates your opinion, nor mine. It just makes them different.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Are you on the Freedom server? Because I am tired of my blaster being level 31, and would like to actually gain some levels.

[/ QUOTE ]
Please tell me you have another blaster somewhere that is 40+.

[/ QUOTE ]Why should I do that? Why do I have to have achieved a higher level than 30 to be able to have an opinion? What possible reason do you give that justifies your snobbery. This is My Account minus the 8 characters I have native to the test server (average level 15). I play a lot of alts. Too many some would say.

I play for enjoyment, and sometimes I even min/max but usually I play only story builds. Meaning I come up with a story and build my character based upon that story. Costume and name have to match. I do not get certain powers because they do not fit, and get others because they fit better.

I have soloed (almost) Arachnos missions on Unyeilding. Only had problems with the boss. Could not beat the boss no matter what I tried, but those are my stupid solo woes. Can easily take missions on heroic...it just takes forever. And I can not just run in. So my solo experience gain rate is abysmal.

Basically I have more fun going to another character than playing solo on my blaster.

And you are telling me that you would not kick a blaster in favor of a Controller (happened to me) or a Controller (happens ALL the time). That you would not invite a Blaster to a team, and tell them to meet somewhere for invite, and then invite a Tanker (happened).

You are telling me that you would actively seek out a blaster. Especially one that has LFT on and has a message about looking for a group for search?

Are you on the Freedom server? Because I am tired of my blaster being level 31, and would like to actually gain some levels.

Sure, I am Fire/Fire, but what does THAt have to do with anything. I am basically incapable of soloing at this point (unless I have time to take 30+ minutes per mission, and then have the possibility of getting more debt than experience for a session) But I play the game to have fun, not to examine the carpeting.

I don't argue with your math. I argue with your interpretation.

Edit: Survivability is linked with damage output as much as defense. Scrappers were boosted in attack. We got less of a loss in defense. You do the math

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
That's just nonsense. Even running the three powers you cite that would get a Blaster up to 17.5% defense unslotted. Not bad.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm trying to stay out this arguement but keep reading it at the same time. The above line confused me a little. Are you talking before the defense nerf?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, pre the defense nerf the commonly understood values for Hover and CJ was 5% Me, Rng defense and Stealth was 7.5%. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear.

[/ QUOTE ]Um, that is what I was talking about as well. Pre-nerf.

Now, all three together give a pitiful ammount to defense.

Sure, We were not at the level that scrappers were. But neither are we now. The point of this is that We may not have lost the raw number ammount you did, but we lost out an equal or greater percentage of our defense. THAT is what I was refering to.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Blasters have always been told that our ability to kill a enemy fast was our defense. (along with range wich is total BS) But basicly we are damage kings, we kill before being killed. Yet oddly enough scrapper damage has been boosted a couple times, along with for 5 issues a higher damage cap then blasters had. So riddle me this...

If the game was such that a AT that actually has defenses required a damage boost to be competitive, then why does the king of damage, no defense AT not also require a boost?


[/ QUOTE ]

Do you even listen to yourself?

You got an 18% boost in hit points.

You got a 100% boost in damage cap. Either the 500% happens or it doesn't. You can't claim it counts when Scrappers had it, but not when you got it.

And along with that 12.5% increase in Scrapper damage, we lost somewhere around 85% of our defenses.

How is that a boost for Scrappers, again?

It's a simple question.

[/ QUOTE ]Talking about a change to every AT as if it were a change just to Scrappers is a pretty low blow don't you think?

Every AT lost out in the Defense department. It used to be that a blaster could take a couple of power pools to increase his damage taking ability. Combat Jump and Hover and Stealth and you have some passable defense. So they gave us a (slight) increase in HPs. And gutted aLL of the defense powers we could possibly take. We lost out at the same rate (if not more) than you did as far as defense is concerned.

As a confirmed altaholic, I play every Hero AT (I have CoV issues. Just can't stand the missions) Each one has it's merrits, and adds to a group...except for one.

As a defender I will usually get a group invite within 10 minutes of logging in. As a tank it might be as much as 20. As a Scrapper or Controller, 15 ish minutes.

To get a team invite as a blaster I have to wait for about an hour on a saturday during peak hours to get an invite from someone. During the week, if it weren't from dragging my wife in to play, I would get no teams at all.

Now, I am sure that other people have a different experience than myself, but think of it this way. When was the last time that your blaster actually got a group outside of your SG or Coalition?

(My SG is basically dead but I do not want to loose my comfy little base )

Every time that the blasters are given a bone, Scrappers get an 18 oz sirloin steak.

I may not have been in beta before ATs...but I was in beta.

The only conditioning I have been through is that of way too much experience of my own with the morphing of the AT.

Sure, my reg date is recent, but that is only because I had my forum account deleted 4 times for no apparent reason (the Customer Service department said that I was imagining things)

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Inherent ability: Point Blank. The concept being that as we get closer to our enemies, our accuracy, as well as our damage increases. Melee powers are not affected. Other powers are affected as a percentage of their base range. Range boost enhancements do not adjust this at all, and shots outside of the base range are completely unaffected by the inherent. A shot from melee range would get the maximum boost to damage and accuracy (probably a 100% boost to base damage, and similar accuracy boost). This is to reflect that we are in MUCH more danger at that range.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've always liked this concept, but how 'bout this?

Migrate the PVP inherent (irresistable damage) to PVE


[/ QUOTE ] That is something that I could agree to as well. Would make a nice change to how we fare against those pesky foes with resistances to damages (say ALL of them)

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
We were told that our role was ranged damage...

[/ QUOTE ]

Wrong. We are being told that our role is ranged damage. What we were told was dealing damage. And that's what the AT is. Damage Dealers. We can't take much in the way of a punch but boy can we dish it out. At least, in theory.

[/ QUOTE ]States started this thread off saying that we were Ranged Damage as our role. This thread has been around for about a year. 1 year applies in my mind as a WERE more than an ARE. Now I agree that this is semantics, but heck, your entire objection to what I said is based upon semantics.

Gotta love it. Why do you think we will never actually get some lovin'? I mean. Here I post a tome, and all I get is a response to a single line.

If there is one thing wrong with blasters that I am sure we as players can agree on, is that we can not agree on what is wrong with blasters.

We were told that our role was ranged damage, and in fact when it comes to ranged damage, we are by and far, better at it than any other AT.

Then we get into the "so what" mode of thinking. That is where the problem lies my friends. It is not that there is a specific problem that can be quantified and laid out on the table, it is that we were given a role that is mediocre at best, and downright uneeded at worst.

And that is the thing. When you design a game that is based almost entirely upon melee combat (there are powersets without ranged, but there are no powersets without melee) then anything that is too good at Ranged combat is too powerful.

This is the reason that they are making us keep the Melee powers in the secondary. NOT because they want to kill us, but because they can not in good conscience allow us to actually excell at the one place they say is our role.

It would break the game if they did. That is the long and short of it, my fellow blasters. If they gave us what we think we need, more specifically what we want, then it would break their game. I mean come on. Can you imagine the outcry that would come from the Scrappers if we could 1 shot Lts, or heaven forbid, even Bosses.

Not saying of course that any change in our base damage would result in either happening (but wouldn't it be nice....oh well, a blaster can dream can't he), but that is the direction things would head if we kept a war up between Scrappers and Blasters.

Now, I am sure that we will never agree on this, but I have some real ideas as to how we could actually improve blasters, and make them more viable as an At across the board. Just so that any devs who might still be trolling know, I will play Blasters no matter what happens to them. I would just like to see some of these changes.

Leave the base damage the same. It may not be perfect, but I think we can live with it.

Primary sets. Increase the range across the board. I want to be hitting from real range. Ok, this is mainly a wish list item, as I can not see this happening anytime soon.

Secondary sets. Revamp the sets please. A complete testing cycle devoted to the secondaries, and ONLY the secondaries would be appreciated. Not only does the end game need to be considered (IE level 38 and above when all powers are available) but the mid and low game, and the effect that these powers have upon it. I say keep the melee as it currently is, and I will say why in a moment. Just make sure that each set is "oercieved" as viable. I know the numbers say they are right now, but a little tweeking of animation times would likely be enough to help us out in the long run.

Inherent ability: I have only ever found it useful once or twice to actually prevent dying, and yes that is both in the low game and high game. I think our inherent as it stands NEEDS to be changed. We have the second most useless inherent in the game. Only the defenders got a shorter stick than we did. I propose one of a couple of changes (which I KNOW will not happen, but again, I can dream can't I)

1) Make defiance activate sooner. A blaster has no defense powers, and as such is going to take a lot of damage and always be in trouble of dying. Solo, I am often at just above 50% health for long stretches at a time. I would like to se AT LEAST 25% of my defiance bar full at 50% health. Sure, keep it so that it does not completely fill til the same point. Just make it start filling sooner.

2) Change the inherent completely (in two flavors):
a) If our role is ranged damage, then give us an inherent that reflects this. Personally I suggest an inherent called Point Blank. The concept being that as we get closer to our enemies, our accuracy, as well as our damage increases. Melee powers are not affected. Other powers are affected as a percentage of their base range. Range boost enhancements do not adjust this at all, and shots outside of the base range are completely unaffected by the inherent. A shot from melee range would get the maximum boost to damage and accuracy (probably a 100% boost to base damage, and similar accuracy boost). This is to reflect that we are in MUCH more danger at that range. We could have the HPs of a fully buffed tank, and we would STILL die impossibly fast at that range.

b) Give us a power similar to the dominator, but with a much different purpose. As we take damage, the bar would fill. A strike taking us to 1 hp (basically 99% damage) would be enough to fill the bar from 0 to say 30%. If there is ANY ammount in the bar, then our ability is available to be used. The refresh timer on this ability could be 8 ot even 10 minutes. When we use the ability, we die dealing damage to all mobs in a good size area. We still take debt, but hey, if we are going to die ANYWAY why can't we take some of the enemies with us. Damage would be a percentage of the health of an even level boss. Loss of this bar would occur at a rate equal to that of the domination bar.

Now, before everyone starts flaming me, stop for a moment and think. Here we are. We are the LEAST unified community in CoH. Every single one of us has a different concept of what should be done to "fix" blasters. What I have proposed is just what I think will make the most number of us happy.

Sure, this might not be the case, but at least read and think about it before you tear it to pieces.