Opening
I have played CoX ever since CoH Beta and one of my favorite characters of all time is the Energy/Energy Blaster. After playing several scrappers, blasters, and corruptors, nothing can quite match the fun I have experienced while playing this specific type of Blaster!
Why Be An Energy Blaster?
When playing an Energy Blaster, the one thing that truly seperates you from the other primaries is the prescence of knockback. Although knockback can really annoy some melee toons, the ability to COMPLETELY blow a mob away can really up your survival in a pinch!
Not only does knockback really help, the visuals of the Energy Blast primary are VERY impressive. In my experience, nothing can quite compare to seeing a minion being utterly destroyed by a well placed Power Burst. Don't even get me started on Nova, which allows you to explode like a freaking bomb and destroy anything in a PBAOE around you.
Although some of the energy primary attacks do have a long animation ranging in the neighborhood of 2 seconds, I believe it makes very little difference. When you have a chance to knock the enemy hurting you on its [censored], the activations mean very littlle indeed.
Why /Energy Secondary?
I believe the /Energy powerset for Blasters matches up very well with the Energy Blast primary. Not only do you gain some very formidable moves such as Total Focus ,
but you gain formidable self-buffs as well. For example, combining Power Boost and Boost Range can allow you to snipe something you can barely even see! Power Boost can also make your defense moves more powerful, your knockbacks to hit farther, and even allow you to fly faster. What's not to like?
My thoughts on an Energy/Energy Blaster
In order to use an Energy/Energy Blaster to its MAXIMUM effectiveness, I don't think anyone should pigeon-hole themselves into either set. I've seen many blasters choose only to remain at ranged only to have lackluster damage. I've also seen blasters choose only to focus on their secondary, removing the hefty advantage that some ranged powers can offer.
I believe by having the best of both worlds, you end up having a lot more use in both teams and in solo than just focusing on one or the other. In my opinion, A blaster is most effective when all of the available tools are used and in the right situations. Coincidentally, an Energy/Energy Blaster not only has respectable long range damage, monsterous close range damage, potent self-buffs, but the knockback and mezzes that allow for easy transition between melee and ranged! Sounds like synergy, doesn't it?
Energy Blast : The Powers
(All Numbers taken from the CoH/CoV Character Builder)
Power Bolt - The standard quick recharge, low end cost, and low damage power. BI: 2.778
A staple move of the primary, this power can be used in order to pull mobs due to to its low damage and decent range. This power can be used to fill in your attack cycle and it always gives you an attack to use when dealing with foes from a range.
Recommended slotting: 1(2) Acc/3 Damage/1 Recharge/1 End Reduction
Power Blast - The second power in the Energy Blast primary. It does more damage than Power Bolt, but costs more endurance and has a longer recharge. BI: 4.5556
Another staple move of the Energy Primary, I don't really see a reason why anyone would skip this other than focusing on blapping. It does very nice damage and at a fairly long range.
Recommended slotting: Same as Power Bolt, 1(2) Acc/3 Damage/1 Recharge/1 End.
Energy Torrent - A cone power that shoots out a "wave" of energy that damages anyone it comes in contact with. BI: 2.7778
Energy Torrent is a very decent power, IMO. It has the ability to knockback several people due to its cone nature. Coupled with Aim/Build Up, this power can really put the hurt into a large group of enemies.
Recommended slotting: 2 Acc(due to its aoe nature)/3 damage/Recharge and End Redux depending on preference.
Power Burst - This power has a very short range which is offset by its high damage and greater chance to knockback than the other 2 staple single target blasts in the Energy Primary.(60% as opposed to 30%) BI: 5.2221
This power has a very impressive visual of your character shooting out a couple of massive energy blasts which have a great chance of knocking back your foe. This power can both save your life and kick some major butt. If the short range bothers you, the /Energy secondary's Boost Range/Power Boost can alleviate that.
Recommended slotting: 1(2) Acc/3 Damage/1(2) Recharge. You really want this baby up! You may change 1 recharge to either acc or end redux depending on preference.
Sniper Blast - A long range blast that does much more damage than a regular blast. It has an interrupt time while firing, meaning it can be cancelled. This power also has very long range when compared to the other blasts. Like Power Burst, it has an increased chance to knockback your targets. BI: 7.6667
This power is very situational. Due to the many situations I found it to be useful, I think it is a very powerful move to utilize correctly. This move, when coupled with your secondary, can almost always pull enemies outside their aggro range.
This move can also be used in conjunction with the knockback caused by your other powers to fire it off safely. Sometimes I use Power Thrust to knock them down and snipe them while they are laying down on the floor.
Although this move has quite a lengthy animation, I believe its pro's outnumber the cons.
Recommended slotting: 1 Acc/3 Damage/2 Interrupt Redux.
Aim - This power boosts your accuracy by 100% and your damage by 62.5%
This move is a staple for almost all the blasters. As the old saying goes, Get It. Slot It. Love It.
Recommended slotting: 1-3 Recharges as available.
Power Push - This power has an inherent accuracy bonus of 40%, meaning it will hardly miss. It also has a 100% chance to knockback and has only slightly less range than Power Bolt/Blast. BI: 1.1112
Power Push is as good as you make it. This move, when used properly, can keep a boss on his butt for the entire fight as you pummel him with your potent attacks. Coupled with the chance it hardly misses, this power is very good. Due to the fact that your primary and secondary are littered with disorients/knockbacks, this move is very skippable.
Recommended slotting: 1 Acc(if you really REALLY don't want it to miss)/As many recharges as you see fit. I don't really see a point in slotting for knockback since the base knockback is pretty hefty.
Explosive Blast - This power fires off a blast that has a great chance to knockback targets in an AOE. The power doesn't knock the targets away from the center, but away from the caster of the power. BI: 2.5
Explosive Blast can be very underwhelming. It does less damage than Energy Torrent and doesn't knock back as well as Power Push. The main use for this power is a follow-up after BU/Aim + Energy Torrent in order to maximize damage. It can be very effective when used as such. If/when you use it, be careful how you aim it in teams. This power is known to make certain melee types very irritated.
Recommended slotting: 1(2) Acc/3 Damage/Recharges and End Redux as needed.
NOVA - "You explode in a tremendous blast of energy, sending nearby foes flying." This power has a very high chance to knockback targets(80%) coupled with an inherent 40% bonus to accuracy. This power is also the most damaging of the Energy Primary. It drains all of your endurance and prevents end recovery for a short while. The damage on this power does vary. BI: 5.5556, 2.7778, 4.1167.
This power is utterly devastating. It can do a great amount of damage to everyone around you. Coupled with BU/Aim, this thing is a monster. Not only does it do a lot of damage, it sends pretty much everything flying. The downside is that you have no endurance after its use and you tend to be a sitting duck. Good thing they are knocked away so far, it gives you plenty of time to run if things go bad!
The reason why the damage varies is because when the power is used, there is a percentage to do more and more damage. 85% for the first wave of damage, 65% for the second, and 35% for the third.
This is a truly amazing power to behold, I've often had teams gape at the destruction caused by this power. Although I can see why some would not take it due to preference, I really love the "WOW" factor associated with Nova.
Recommended slotting: 3 Recharge/3 Damage. It has an inherent 40% accuracy and you use it mostly with BU/Aim anyways.
Energy Manipulation: The Powers
(All numbers taken from the CoH/CoV Character Builder)
Power Thrust - This power is a melee-ranged punch with a 100% chance to knockback. BI: 2.2222
Power Thrust is a WONDERFUL power for the first power in a Blaster secondary. Most blaster secondaries are stuck with an Immobilize that most don't use later in their career. This baby is useful all the way. I've often used this in conjunction with Sniper Blaster, knocked Freakshow Tanks out of my face in a pinch, and even used it against Hellions in Atlas to see them fly! You are forced to take it, but I'd probably take it anyways.
Recommended slotting: 1 Acc/(3 Damages if you wish to use it as such) The knockback on it is pretty hefty by itself and it is currently bugged so knockback enhancers do not affect the power.
Energy Punch - This power is a focused punch for a high amount of damage. It recharges slower than Power Thrust, but packs more of a "punch." BI: 5.4445
Energy Punch is an under-used power by most Blasters, but I love it. It is a quick, low activation, relatively fast recharging attack you can regularly use. Unlike most other quick and cheap attacks, this move packs more of a punch than Power Burst.
Recommended slotting: 1(2) Acc/3 Damage/1(2) Recharge.
Build Up - This power boosts your accuracy by 62.5% and your damage by 100%
This power, like Aim, is wonderful and very important for a majority of blasters. Get It. Slot It. Love It.
Recommended slotting: 1-3 Recharges as available.
Bone Smasher - This power is a high damage two-handed "punch" with a great chance to disorient. Recharges slower and costs more endurance than Energy Punch, but deals more damage. BI: 7.2222
This power will be one of your most damaging attacks for the rest of your career if you choose to take it. It deals quite a chunk more damage than Energy Punch, and animates very quickly as well. A quick hitting, heavy hitting, juggernaut of damage. I've often one-shotted minions throughout my career with this move coupled with Aim/BU and put a big dent in many bosses. This is a very useful power to have.
Recommended slotting: 1(2) Acc/3 Damage/1(2) Recharge or End Redux.
Conserve Power - This power cuts all endurance use in half while it is active.
This power is very useful in the later levels. When fighting AV's or the like, this power will keep you going while other run dry. It is useful to use after Nova and popping a blue to keep your damage flowing even after a nuke. Any time you run low on endurance, this power can be a great asset.
Recommended slotting: 3 Recharge.
Stun - This power has a 100% chance to disorient a target while dealing minimal damage. BI: .6945
Stun is a fairly decent power by itself, but not as useful for Energy/Energy Blasters as it may seem. Total Focus can be used for the same purposes as stun coupled with MASSIVE single target damage. It can be used well, however.
Recommended slotting: If you take it, 1 Acc/3 Disorients/Recharges as needed.
Power Boost - This power boosts all secondary effects from powers by 100%, which means that it boosts anything but damage.
Power Boost is a unique power that it is also very useful when applied correctly. Coupled with Energy Blast, you can knock enemies away farther. When used with Aid Self, you heal yourself for double the amount. When used with Force of Nature or Temporary Invulerability, your resistances shoot up even higher. A truly great power when used correctly.
Recommended slotting: 3 Recharges.
Boost Range - This power boosts the range of any non-melee power by 75%.
This power, when used in conjunction with Power Boost, can make you fire at things you can barely even see! When you use this power to create distance between you and a target, that target won't know what hit 'em. This power can be made permanent with the right amount of recharges and Hasten. Useful power, but it can be skipped if you want to make room for other things.
Recommended slotting: 1-3 Recharges.
Total Focus - This power is a massive two-handed overhead punch. This power has a 100% chance for a Mag 3 Disorient and a 80% chance to have an extra Mag 1 of disorient to push it to Mag 4. BI: 9.8889
This power is the heaviest hitting of any of the Blaster secondaries. This thing hits like a truck and it looks damn cool to use. This power, when it is Mag 4, has the chance to disorient most bosses right off the bat. The potent disorient and the very hard hitting nature of the power make it one of the most deadly moves to utilize in the entire game.
Recommended slotting: 1(2) Acc/3 Damage/1(2) Recharge or End redux as needed.
Power Pools
Speed - Very useful for an Energy/Energy Blaster. It can give you a means to sneak up on a target with Super Speed's stealth and a way to boost your recharges via Hasten.
Leaping - Gives you Immob, Hold, and Knockback protection from Acrobatics/Combat Jumping. Very useful to keep freedom of movement and giving you a decent travel power to boot.
Flight - Hover can be used to stay out of melee range in hairy situations. Air Superiority can be used to keep mobs on their butts any time it is needed. Both very useful. Power Boost can also overcome Hover's slow pace to keep aerial combat quick and keep yourself from getting smacked down by that nasty Freak Tank.
Fitness - Useful for almost all hero types, and the same holds true for Energy/Energy Blasters. The movement buffs allow you to keep going in and out of melee as you see fit and Health and Stamina allow you to keep going.
Concealment - Stealth can be very useful for those wanting to sneak up on the enemy. Grant Invis is a great team buff as well. Invis can be a bit limiting due to the fact you can't attack while being invisible. Phase Shift can be used to get out of bad spots too.
Medicine - Aid Other can be used to help out an ally in distress. Aid Self is invaluable in solo and team play. Resuscitate can also rez a tank or a defender when the going gets rough.
Leadership - Very good for PvP due to its resistances to Taunt/Placate, and accuracy buffs. Although the numbers are a bit low on blasters, it can still be used effectively.
Fighting - The fighting pool is a bit lost on a Blaster, I do not believe they truly benefit a blaster enough that they would warrant used power slots.
Prescence - The same as Fighting, I believe there is not much gain for a Blaster. Although the fear powers might be useful, I feel that wasting powers on Challenge/Provoke is not important enough to waste power slots.
Teleportation - Recall Friend can be used to help teams during stealthing and helping them find their way to a mission. Teleport Foe can also be used effectively by pulling targets to the group or yourself. Teleport is also a solid travel power, although too end hungry for my tastes.
Conclusion
I hope you found this guide informative and helpful in any way. I also hope this guide inspires you to make an Energy/Energy Blaster of your own! You can hit me up on my own Energy Blaster on Pinnacle named Azure Ignition.
Happy Blasting!
