Electric-Knight

I think you're being a little misunderstood, in the heat of this thread/topic... partly because of the way you worded a few of your comments, but mostly because I think you are mainly responding/reacting to some of the extreme (even over the top) suggestions that people who are not enjoying the current Blaster have offered.
And I think you made it clear that you were responding to the extremes... and extreme overhaul of how and what the Blaster is today is obviously unattractive to those of us who do enjoy the Blaster today.

An overhaul of the likes of completely altering their Secondaries concerns those of us who enjoy them today.
Many of us, who love Blasters, are here, agreeing and helping and contributing to the discussion of how to improve Blasters.
So, we have respect for those who aren't enjoying them. Have some respect for us and don't suggest that they scrap what we love so that you can love it.
Plenty of reasonable suggestions are being offered to keep Blasters what they are and improve them for more people to love them.

Anyway, I get what you were saying, Alekhine, and I feel the same way.

I'm not the only one who has been saying that a number of things including increased damage modifiers, improved damage for chains through Snipe and Nuke changes and possibly some more power alterations (just to provide a bit more damage from them, nothing that'll change them drastically), maybe some mez effects added in where can be and then add in some further survivability as needed to balance it out nicely (and how to accomplish that is the main question, really).
Anyway, Arcanaville is on the same page... as are many people who are otherwise disagreeing with each other, hehe.

As someone who does enjoy Blasters and loves the playstyle they have today... I do also believe they can be improved.
I'm a little more convinced of that since upping my difficulty, to see what it was like, as well.
I usually play at +0 x1 or 2... And I enjoy that very much (so, no, I'm not really some uber gamer that enjoys playing the "gimp").
mini-ramble:
People putting their difficulty up and soloing as Blaster and complaining about how much they die... Look, I get it that they should be able to handle the same group sizes as other ATs. I agree with that. However, I just take issue when people say the Blaster is a complete joke and CANNOT be played successfully. Only if you insist on upping the difficulty beyond what they (with you controlling them) can currently handle. While I agree that balance should exist (on an easier playing scale), that's not going to change by making your difficulty as high as your Scrappers can handle when you solo your Blaster.
I mean, it's just a bit thick, to me, to continue to keep your difficulty higher than you can handle, just because they SHOULD be able to handle it.
I have no problem with asking the Devs to improve them, but until they do, keep your difficulty at a setting that won't get you defeated and make you throw your arms up and proclaim that Blasters are useless.

See, this is the thing... we love this playstyle that only the Blaster gives us in this game. And there is truth to this side of things.
It is just a matter of finding the design balance to keep this and make the AT attractive to those that aren't quite as interested in this playstyle.

I mean, they could drastically alter the Blaster so that we no longer have that same feel... I seriously hope not and I will test and give whatever feedback I can to help avoid that while making it fun for more people at the same time.
I'm all for more people enjoying the Blaster, but I certainly hope it doesn't come at the cost of the AT and playstyle that led me to stick with this game for all these years. I honestly do not think it will come to that. The designers are not going to have the same attitude as some of the extreme Blaster bashing forum posters.

However, I do hope that those same posters enjoy the improved Blaster if/when it comes.

++

My tailor told me I can't be friends with you any more.

Although, if a higher than average rate of death while not in a mez'd state is also true, the distinction of mez'd or not mez'd may be a non (or secondary) issue.

I'm not convinced that mez is the major key to Blaster's survivability problems. I'm not saying it absolutely isn't, but I'm not convinced that it is.

No worries, and thanks, Zwilly Zwill Zwill!

Now, when you get us the information on the new/alternate ways we can acquire the Celestial costumes pieces and the Elemental pieces (and the black wolf!)... I will have nothing to complain about (other than my sinuses, but I can't prove that this is the game's fault!).

Psst... someone is behind you!

I hate that.




In fact, with Talos... every time I fly home from Peregrine Isle, I end up in some of that inaccessible territory!

I think it was a Crow reference though!

The sky is always smoggy/cloudy there. I'll grant you that.
I could go for it raining with every nightfall. Maybe the chemical smog cools down when the sun goes down and drops as rainfall.

I'd just hate to see Kings Row turned into something too unreal and gimmicky.

No. No, it really doesn't need that at all.

Keep Kings Row in the Paragon City real world and please don't make it the darkity dark we're going to copy DC's Gotham now with this part of the city.
Keep true to the legacy we have here. It's a friggin' good legacy.
Many of us love Kings Row as it is. I often see it cited as a player's favorite and their character's home patrol city. That's not because they wish it was always night and/or raining.
It's mostly because it represents a realistic tougher section of the city. It's not just for bad guys... it's a place my old grandma still lives and refuses to ever leave, no matter how bad the neighborhood gets. There are still good people there. It's not a fantasy setting for orcs and darkity dark rainy world.
It's Brooklyn or Queens.
It's the Row... not Gotham.

What a ridiculous guess!!

Hyperbolic lack of reason, Nether. I expect better from you.
The only thing I'll add is that the suggestions and observations I mentioned are a far far cry from LRN 2 Play.

Whether you are insane or trolling, I'm not going to concern myself with it.

And this is not true.
They do upgrade and help!!
How does knockback, holds, drains, sleeps, enhanced range, increased secondary effects do nothing to help a fragile AT?
So, what do you want... to make the fragile AT not fragile? I guess that'd "help"...

This doesn't add up to meaning that the Blaster Secondaries are the culprit...

In fact, I'd say the Primaries are more to blame, as has been talked about before.

The attack progression of the Blaster Primaries doesn't really build to make a Blaster more damaging as they level. The Tier 1 and 2 powers, while great, pretty much continue to be their bread and butter without adding in some heavy top tier hitters as regular attacks. And/or if you do use higher tier attacks, I don't think it quite adds up (besides the obvious AoE benefit... such as using Ball Of Lightning and Short Circuit).

The Secondaries aren't supposed to be what you want them to be.

However, as you said, Blasters used to be better! And that wasn't because the Secondaries used to be more supportive!
Let's see if the developers can bring Blasters back to a more mainstream AT by helping it do better damage, more consistently.

And... that is what the Secondaries can help with so much. Both by self-buffing and damaging while inflicting some soft control (and sometimes hard control) as well.

Hey... if Blasters ever become easily survivable and hard hitting blasting and punching forces... I very well might love that too... But a simple slip on the scales of balance does not mean that this is what they NEED to become.

The aim of the thread is not about revamping the Blaster Secondaries.

The current secondaries were not designed to do what you want them to do.
You can cite that as it meaning that they're no good, but it doesn't make you correct and you likely would be best to not tout it as fact.

One of the biggest problems people have with Blaster Secondaries is... they don't use them. Usually because they want to stay at range. And they claim something is wrong with Blasters because either a) they're not benefiting from their secondaries or b) their secondaries force them into range (and they don't seem to be able to handle being in and out of range).

If we listen to players like you, since you like to generalize (and usually in attempts to belittle people's positions), Blasters are nothing but a mess that can only be played by the uber die-hard fanboys who will defend its amazing-ness to no end.

While there is more wrong with your stance than just this, it'll do... It's funny how a bunch of us Blaster-lovers are here on these forums, acknowledging problems and offering constructive ideas and solutions.

Back off the know-it-all-ness, Nether. We're not all Another-Shmuck to be undone by your snark.

How are they not good?
The damage in Electric and Energy Manipulation are great.
/Elec has a mag 3 hold that does a ton of damage.
It also can drain enemies dry of endurance.
The damage aura extends in a large radius and can actually be quite a boost.
Of course, the Tier 1 immob works wonderfully at low levels.
It has knocking mitigation. It also has a bit of random sleep, which can be helpful in tough spots.

Thunderous Blast is a great nuke - Ranged, leaves your enemies bewildered and futile... And, in conjunction with one blue inspiration and Power Sink... crash what crash?

Here's a tip... people often don't enjoy things that are very good.
This just might be the case for you and Blaster secondaries.

What, do they not have enough support/control?
Yeah, and Will Power does not have enough attacks!

Yeah, I honestly don't understand how anyone can say that those Secondaries are a problem.
/Devices sure is a different breed... I actually enjoy it a lot, but it is different and definitely could use a few adjustments.

I don't see anything wrong with Electric Manipulation (and see a lot great about it).
People do insane things with Mental Manipulation (the blaster secondary powerset... ) and Energy Manipulation can be used in a few different ways to create very opportunistic builds/characters.

I've yet to play a /Fire Blaster at all though.