EnergyStar_MsK

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How about losing Power Thrust, Stun, and Boost Range from the /Energy powerset and adding things that help more than a few power sets....maybe put some form defenses there. I like Energy Punch/Bonesmasher/Total Focus, but the three I mentioned are situational at best.(yeay yeah, some people use them, but most that I have seen have no use for them besides punching people 200 feet for fun at lvl 50)

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Power Thrust is mainly for defensive purposes to knockback a enemy coming into melee range, so since it and Power Push (from the primary) are our only built-in "defenses" I'd keep it, I think it's more that ppl don't use it as intended (as "defense")

Stun, ya most don't use. Even in other secondary iterations (e.g. "Taser")

Boost Range, ironically it's the one buff that directly address the upper (35+/40+) game issues on being outranged, so it is effective, but somewhat annoying to to click often.

Now if you gave all secondaries boost range as a toggle....

Here's a suggestion: make defense inherent but make it relative (i.e. scale) to range. Let's say you make it easy on the programmers and don't allow it to be enhanced (but maybe even scales with level, like fly speed - kind of like as you progress with more experience, you learn to dodge better).

So the farther away a foe is, the greater defense a blaster has in relation to them.

Edit: also agree that the idea that ranged attacks draw less aggro than melee is a good idea.

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And, of course, there's the complaint that some Secondaries have too many melee attacks - something that the Blaster avoids at all costs.

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Though a lot of us blasters have found a perfect balance between melee and range and love our melee moves. We could use a LOT of love in the post 35 game, but I don't think taking away our melee moves would be that much of an improvement unless you also added some kind of new secondaries that involved ranged damage. Though that seems like a lot of work.

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Yes, but that balance usually requires SS and stealth or things along those lines (like teaming w/ a controller who locks down everyone.

Scrappers and Tanks don't *need* any particular pools except for say Stamina which is pretty much and all-AT issue.

It's been said before, but in the later game Tanks and Scrapper have fully slotted their defense and resistances and can then slot their attacks. Due to many defensive/resist powers being toggles, they can use more powers simultanously.

Blasters get more attacks (including those melee ones) that we and use in lieu of each other (our secondaries give more options on clickable buffs, but these are short-term and not all secondaries have these in number/usefulness). So in effect, blasters are more limited in choice and in the number of powers used at a time. Yes we're damage oriented, but we can't fire off two attacks at a time. Scraps and Tanks can have multiple toggle defense and resist powers while attacking. So the defense and resist abilities of Scraps and Tanks work synergistically, whereas the dmg dealing abilities of blasters are more isolated (yes you can use Build Up with Aim and even boost range with tough and weave, but 10 seconds later (effectively less when you factor the animation times of the second and third buffs) you're back to normal).

So while scraps and tanks can get close enough to a blaster's damage where it's debatable (brawl index (for base dmg), dmg cap, criticals, downtime, herding/AoEs), blasters do not come into resist/defense anywhere near debateable to scraps/tanks.

In part this is due to lower HP, in part to no inherent defense/resist powers, in part to ranged damage being less than melee, in part to blasters getting less benefit from the fighting pool (which is magnified by enhancement having less of an impact), in part from blasters having lower resist caps, and in part to the overall context of how all these relate.

Also, while scraps and tanks are exposed to higher dmg melee attacks, if they get hit with ranged it's less dmg to higher defense/resist/HP (i.e. "win/win"). However if a melee enemy manages to hit a blaster, it's higher dmg to lower defense/resist/HP (i.e. "lose/lose").

Some might argue that this can be mitigated by using say fly/hover. Two issues: 1. If you get mezzed, you drop into melee range, and 2. I understood that it was never intended to steer particular builds (even Hasten and Stamina) for playability.

Wewt!!! Gratz Virginia! Wohoo another 50 in the ranks!

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next floor, men's toys and women's lingerie

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That sounds redundant.

Great guide here DB! I wish I had it when I was taking the pools...but if I did then how could I've tested them...nevermind!

I must admit though, I have a favorite part: [ QUOTE ]
that dude on Test server who kept giving me respites while I was testing RoP

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Awesome.

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PS: I'm not sure why you'd want a 'sell all' button... enhancements sell for more at their relevant stores. I often make several stops when I'm selling stuff, myself. Of course not everyone is as busy scraping together influence as I am.

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Well when you're on Peregrine Island or the Shard there's only one place to sell, so it'd make things easier in those places.

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PS The best recent advice you gave was to take PowerPush. Geez, I don't know how I ever lived w/o that. :P

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For gaming or for fun? Gawd it still brings a smile to my face recalling how far you can PP a L1 Hellion.

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Seriously no build critiques? I would love to hear what you guys think of the build, how I could improve it and what epic pools would work best with my powerset.

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Well since you obviously didn't consider my "6 slotting brawl" to be serious build critique, I'll suggest something else (I have no idea abt the /el powers tho'):

Mainly on slots b/c you might need them for the EPPs...

I know you use ET and ExBlast mid-fight but if you, like me, use(d) them 99% of the time w/ either BU or Aim you can save on the slots used for acc and reposition them for your EPPs. MsK currently has TI and FoN 6 slotted and PFF 3 slotted...for 12 extra slots used/placed.

Similar w/ sniper blast (gasp!)'s slots.

Also, if you don't use them for EPPs you can add them to BU and aim...4 SOs = 30 sec recharge time on each...you can keep up w/ MsK then next time we simultaneously snipe an AV.

Consider this also...when/if you come back for more jello shots...the dual HOs can dramatically affect one's build. I saved a slot in TF by using a dual acc/dmg enh...and saved one in Bonesmasher in anticipation of a (hopefully) future HO. As I'm learning about the different kinds of HOs and successful (open) hammi raids become more common, I'd be able to use an upcoming respec to further maximize slotting.

In them meantime...6-SLOTTED BRAWL 4 THE WIN!

Snipe...for PvP I recommend you go with...um...brawl 6 slotted for endurance reduction...

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What probably happened was that the Nemesis Lts, upon defeat, cast vengance on the others (and it stacks) so it made them much harder to defeat.

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Technically, vengeance is cast a couple seconds after defeat, so it can't protect anyone in a group from any of the waves of a nova-blast. My scrapper can actually defeat one nemesis LT, and turn and attack another one and (one-shot) defeat him before the vengeance buff strikes him.

However, nova 6 LTs and only 5 go down? Well, now you have a problem.

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Ya but I mis-read his post and thought he was referring to a difficult clean-up...which vengance can make fun.

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Do Nemesis have any resistance to Energy? Yes there was an LT or 2 in there (took the bosses out earlier). But the rest of the mob constisted of Fuselier, Carabineir, Chasseur and Lancer. All conned white or yellow, the LT(s) were orange. There were 24 of them in their nice neat formations (counted them before hand just to see). I was positioned right in the middle of them in a deadend passageway using stealth and superspeed. I took the red and yellow just before I ran in, hit the build up and aim once positioned, and as started taking fire popped the Nova. I didn't expect to take the LTs down so was prepared for that. But the 6 others that were still standing were a bit much. I had a similar experience the last time I tired it on some CoT so I was paying pretty close attention on this one. That is also why I took the big red and yellow pills hoping to improve my odds.

So being 33, the 36s are +3 no question there. The 35+s were both two 35s combined together (bought them to make sure). So I should have been well up on the damage CAP. Now the only thing I can't say with 100% certainty that I had them all in radius. Fortunately, I was teamed with my SG and had a fortitude on me before I went in there. They were able to clean up no problem. But this is a risky tactic to try on your own.

So was this just bad luck?

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What probably happened was that the Nemesis Lts, upon defeat, cast vengance on the others (and it stacks) so it made them much harder to defeat.

States said ne thought something was wrong w/ acc and that they're going to look into it...I notice missing more frequently on power burst ...anyone else notice this (on PB)?

Great info here! Bookmarking it.

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Snipe will you post your build ?????

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NEVER ask a lady her age, or her build.

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Who are you calling a lady? I will post my build soon, working on my twins' B-Day party today, no time to look it all up.

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I can attest...Snipe ain't no LADY!

Pre I-3 I had these powers 4 slotted for dmg and used Aim + BU on even con (50) Nemesis minions...yes on slivers of health remaining. I don't think the minor differential (3-4%) to the 400% dmg would've taken them out completely. I'm sure I've used a rage here and there, and I've never completely taken out even-con (white) minions w/ the combo. It's still fun tho', and might be accurate (in completely taking them out) in the lower/mid level game.

Hey Ryker, didn't mean it as ragging (clarification: what I do to Snipe...THAT'S ragging), I just wanted you to have the "max" build you can have based on what you want to do (i.e. not a cookie cutter copy of mine) by avoiding slotting over caps.

Some thoughts: Power Boost effect on Fly speed. It does have an effect but since you're at "the cap" you don't see this. Let me elaborate: Fly speed increases with level...but max fly speed is set by level. E.g. one w/ 6 Fly speeds at L30 will not fly as fast as a L50 w/ only 4 fly speeds. With 4-5 SOs, being at the max fly speed for your level, Power Boost will not appear to have an effect. However it will on Hover (I often "fly" using 6 slotted hover and get a very noticable boost when I hit power boost).

You mentioned using stealth and phase to give you complete invisibility. I respec'd out of phase (miss that power) but I thought they were mutually exclusive powers. I'll have to check my older copy on test. Generally I stacked SS w/ phase (or stealth) for complete invis.

Boost Range...are you running your recharge numbers while hasten is activated? I notice that you have hasten 6-slotted for perma status, but the numbers you posted are more in-line w/ my calcuations w/o Hasten (note, I created my calculations based upon what I knew and read of how recharge red work, then compared the output to various other reported numbers from random posts I came across, tweaked my calc, and then tested/confirmed with live testing).

Boost range has a 30 sec duration and a base 60 second recharge. Without hasten, with 1 SO recharge drops to 45 sec, with 2 down to 6 sec and with 3 to 30 sec. With hasten 70% base factor added to an SO's 33% factor, the 60 sec recharge drops to 30 sec w/ only 1 SO (the equivilant of 3 SOs w/o hasten). With the 30 sec duration it's effectively "perma" available. I tested this several times last night (using hasten) and everytime my Boost Range Icon disappeared I looked down and it was already recharged.

I don't think the servers s/b different, and the last time I checked I wasn't smoking crack (note: is smoking even the way to "do" crack? It's been awhile since I've been a "peer leader" while in school), so let me know if you still get the same results!

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Yeah I guess I just dont want to drop flight thats all.. I Love flight.. Yeah I know its slower than SS but I just LOVE flying... I might do the whole drop in set off Nova.. Fly out.. does that work really well ??? Because I can see myself doing that and screaming DEATH FROM ABOVE !!!!! he he he

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Well...it works better than dropping invis in the middle of the mob but not as well as the jousting method and a far cry from the stealth + ss way.

It takes ALOT of practice, as you have to get an idea how high you are...then time the drop and activation...then you can still be hit briefly when you land. Not perfect, but a different method that, when applied well, would be really really fun.

Hi gang,

I reviewed the past few posts and had some thoughts.

Ryker: Your build's a bit different than mine so I'll assume it's playstyle/how you enjoy your character so I'll just offer a couple of thoughts on slots where one sees little incremental benefit--as you mentioned that you might like to reslot for more damage. As Snipe mentioned, slotting health doesn't do alot for blasters, unless you want the minimal downtime between fights...it won't help really during a fight. Boost Range...with only one SO and 6 slotted hasten you'll have 1 second of downtime before it recharges...so with the 2nd you don't gain a whole lot. Fly: Fly maxes out at 4 SOs..and that 4th is a smaller boost in speed than #3...Snipe says to get rid of a few but I've played w/ 4 slotted fly at 50 and its really fun and I miss it, so my recc is only to remove that 5th slot that's really not value-added (unless you change it to say end rdn). Those two, and maybe the 3 extra in health should give you room to play with. If you're interested my final build is posted some pages back on this thread. Oh one more thing...PFF with stealth pretty much equals phase (not as complete protection and you cannot phase through 5th prisons), so the powers are somewhat redundant (PFF has a 2 sec activation, only 1 sec better than phase). I dropped phase (still miss it tho, just like 4 slotted fly) for more power choices (PFF and 6 slotted hover are fine replacements tho)

AirH: With Invis (from the power pool) and Phase you cannot attack so you can't fire off nova...you can get in position, but you'll have to drop the power in order to fire off nova...with the 3 second activation time it's enough to get stunned...and subsequently defeated. I recc either stealth and SS...or flying/hovering over the mob...deactivating and falling to activate nova....or the "run and jump" aka jousting method.

Dawn: CP acts differently than Stamina...whereas stamina increases the rate of end recovery, CP cuts the cost in half. Here's why the difference is important after nova (esp in a long battle). Nova completely drains your endurance and, assuming no teammate buffs you, you have a penalty whereas you cannot (naturally) end for 10 seconds or so afterwards...this effectively takes stamina out of the equation (for those 10 seconds). You'll have to pop a catch a breath inspiration to get endurance, but if you have several stragglers or, if you use it in a big fight as an "oh <bleep>" power, especially when on a team, you'll want to keep fighting for awhile...a single cab will usu last long enough to pick off stragglers, but you'll have to pause a bit before your next fight...with CP all the powers you use (except nova) will cost 1/2 end...so you'll be able to attack more after you use it.

Actually aim or BU + Expl Blast worked great and has a much faster recharge time.

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The Energy Primary also has some of the sweetest audio and visual effects in the game. It definitely has a very superhero feel to it. This can be evidenced by the fact that I have started yet another energy blaster and so has my cohort and fellow SG leader, MsKnight aka Energy Star, who I would like to thank and give major credit to for the development of this guide.

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/em blush

Thanks Snipey! I learned quite a bit from you also! But who is this "Energy Star"? Now "EnergyStar" is a ruggedly handsome super-powerful heroic-guy.

Also, two questions based on v3 (which looks great btw).
1. Cone range enhancement: does the range (AoE) of damage increase or only the distance ET's cone can hit? The second example is more consistance with how regular, single-target attacks work the range enhancement.

2. Perma-hasten...you might want to note that this can be achieved with only SOs and that 6 slotting before you can buy SOs will now give you "perma" status...so one could wait for the level closest to SOs to devote the last enh slots to hasten to make it "perma."

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It's a creamy rich drink, then the rum starts kicking in......



.... I'm sorry, what was the question? What day is it? Why am I suddenly playing a regen scrapper? OMG, how much did I drink?

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ROTFLMAO!

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you know I've never had eggnog. I think the fact that a drink has egg in the name has just turned me off to it.

What's it taste like anyway?

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Noggy egg....seriously tho' there are different types. I hated Egg Nog until I found a "Lite" version.

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mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm egg nog......

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More nog, hold the egg please.

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Icky egg....nummy nog...