Candystriper

Repulse, icicles, and burn. Those 3 powers are pretty much anti-AS powers. I know repulse needs a to-hit, but it goes off so fast that you get 2 chances to hit, and there goes AS. Burn I think has no to hit, and icicles just stops AS cold.

And as to how do I survive today? Lol, not very well! I need to spam my heal aura even with my gimp epic armors to fight as is. That's all I have for defense, if I get stunned, chain knocked around (or even just once with a blaster), or slowed I know I'm dead. Simple as that.

I have a 43ish regen scrapper, I for one would jump at pff, what a great 'uhoh' power that would be! Repel field is great for non-invincibles out there who want to play knockback games or just as a 'get offa me for a second' button. The running away fear would be pretty useless to non-ranged heroes though.

By the way, 90% of my thoughts are based on how PvP changes, and 10% from occasional falls from my bike as a kid, so I'm wrong a lot.

So, what would happen if blasters got 1 extra power to choose from? Every other AT would cry and demand it about 1 minute later. Not going to happen, even though I'd like to see a few more powers added in; kinda like a khel, you just can't have all those powers, need to pick a few and go from there.

And why wouldn't defenders get access to these extra powers, if by some magic this did happen? Our damage is garbage (ok, rads and the occasional kinetic aside), we've had a nerf already just to make sure we can't come near a blaster on our best day( envenerating field..). Our controls got lessened (too controllery), and basically to be a damage causing toon that can look at a small group of even level minions and win we need to be rad,kin or have rad as a secondary.

Also, a lot of those changes would be seen as too much for the stalker community, as there goes the AS in a lot of them. Flavor of the month anyone?

I'm sorry, I just don't see blasters needing any more defense. That's the whole point of being a blaster, you blast. High damage, no defense. Add in defense, and make the scrappers ask for more. Then the tanks want more. Then etc etc, we all get the same 18 powers eventually, and what fun is that?

And defiance isn't horrible; it doesn't work out as well pve side since the whole 1-2 shotting thing, but pvp it makes you crazy tough buggers for a lot of us other toons. At least it works solo or teamed, I can't see them changing it any time soon without redoing a lot of innate powers.

Good God no way should a blaster have any mez protection! What's the reasoning behind that other than to overpower them? Defenders don't get it (ok, bubble buddies and Sonics get it, but really, they get the least of all the def sets for self protection), some controllers can take it with epics (which I strongly disagree with), and blasters don't get it either. Carry breakfrees, I have to.

Fixing some weaker powers would be great, adding new toys that no one else can get isn't imho. I think ED was also partly to make sure we teamed a bit more with various AT's to overcome our own shortcomings. Kind of a 'Hey Superman, let me get that kryptonite for you, you go smash that guy there ok?' sort of deal.

My 2 inf; I haven't played blasters much (and when I do I blap baby! ), and I see the risk as fun, not as a bad thing. Gotta keep those defenders on their toes or they get lazy...

Wow, very informative stuff in here. I feel this sudden urge to dig up Hitler and kick his God-damned [censored] again for the Gipper! (yeah yeah, never found his body, I know, but still...)

Thanks Castle I know how short a luch hour can seem, it's very nice of you to do this on what amounts to your own time.

Well, as an emp defender with the new i5 coming, i can see hitting the 1 billion healed mark someday. As is, after lvl 40ish, im more of a buffer. With the tanks needing some empy love, at 800+ a heal... 1 Billion? That is a high mark to shoot for, but not out of reach for emps (sorry to those medicine-pool types, what can i say?). Might have to stop the drive by heals and run some missions.