Erratic

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  1. [ QUOTE ]
    Perhaps I just don't see the problem, perhaps there is no problem?

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    No doubt they'll claim you aren't really a Blaster.
  2. [ QUOTE ]
    Well Erratic. The problem is that it is *you* who come off as arrogant when you come to Blaster boards and try to tell lvl 50 Blasters that they are incompetent and dont know what they are talking about when you yourself dont even have a high level Blaster.

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    You're the one making claims about what you experience that are strictly at odds with the existence of other ATs doing their jobs as I and thousands of others playing the game experience. You can have a Ph.D. in physics and the moment you start to claim that things fall to the ground because the Earth loves them and hugs them close your judgment is suspect.

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    You replied that this is a contradiction but actually you totally missed the point. The point is that as long as everything goes right, everyone is fine but if ONE thing goes wrong, its the Blaster that pays the price 99% of the time. Blaster survival has a VERY low tolerance for error whether solo or grouped but especially when grouped becuase of the higher con opponents.

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    And you speak in contradictions yet again, supporting Moridin_'s assertion about how he is safe 99% of the time and then saying there is a low tolerance for error. Clearly 99% of the time there is no error and so trying to hold up that Blasters are at some sort of great risk is wrong. You can't have it both ways. Either he is safe most time and the entire crusade about how much danger Blasters are in is a bunch of bollocks or Moridin_ is lying about how safe he is. You choose.

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    Since the work on a team is to kill the enemy and keep yourself alive, you might now begin to see how from a Blaster's perspective he is doing most of the work.

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    I already understood the presumption that the Blaster was doing the lion's share of the work and apparently everyone else was leeching on his hard work, incapable of doing anything on their own to advance and so they should be thankful that the Blaster, like an Olympian god, has descended from on high to take a hand in their triffling affairs (amazingly you want to label someone else arrogant), but its the reality of the matter that is at issue, not the egocentric notions of some Blasters.
  3. We may need to examine the assumption that the Blaster hits the defense cap.

    The SR scrapper pretty obviously is going to get there largely on his own if not all the way. The Blaster, at least as typically built it seems, doesn't bring any powers that raise his defense value or lowers the target's accuracy. As goes having a Defender raise his defense value, the choices are limited and within those choices there are limitations on tactics that come up. For overall protection Dark Miasma (just fixed in Update 2)and Force Field are the strongest. . .but how often do you find one of those to group with? Kinectics, Radiation Emission, and Storm Summoning come next, but each with significant limitations on how you have to operate to enjoy their benefits or with limited benefits (say Kinetics doing nothing versus ranged attacks and only doing something against melee attacks so long as the Kinetic Defender stands to block access to the Blaster via Repel). For a number of reasons best skipped over you're not likely to find a wealth of Defenders currently and not a wealth of them designed to buff Defense.

    If you get one, you're golden, but outside of a fixed group of people who regularly play together it will be more of a lucky break when you get one.
  4. [ QUOTE ]
    Ha that’s a laugh. I was one of the first blasters to hit 50 on my server and I have teamed with most of the top players on my server at one time or another. Perhaps I should go tell them you think they are incompetent.

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    They are if you have to worry about dying to the extent that you're portraying. So which is it, are they incompetent or are you exaggerating?

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    Sorry to break this to you but if you played a blaster the way you are outlining how you “think” it should be done you would be kicked from any good team for being a leach.

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    We haven't kicked any of our Blasters from team or group.

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    Frankly it doesn’t matter who leads off.
    .
    .
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    I am also perfectly safe leading off with an AoE because I know that by the time they pick themselves up off the ground they will be provoked and held, and if they miss I will get the heals I need.

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    Which is it going to be Moridin_, that it is utterly unsafe and you're risking death as the Blaster or that you are perfectly safe? Allow me to remind you of your own words:

    "90% of that comes down on the blasters in the group, and when it does they often die even before a heal can be activated."

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    As I indicated above your grasp of teamwork is, shall we say, incomplete.

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    Seems you're being contradictory.

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    It is becoming readily apparent what your problem is though. You think it is the job of other to watch with appreciation the wondrousness that is you, and praise you for making all things possible.

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    Make something up for a personal attack when you haven't got a solid position to stand on eh?


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    Perhaps I should acquaint you with an old adage, “there is no I in team”.

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    Seems you and Punisher2020 need to learn that because the portrayal you give is of you doing all the work. Sorry, don't cast your ego driven fantasies on me.

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    Clearly never played with Force Field Defenders ramping defense so high that being touched requires an act of Congress.


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    Clearly you are not familiar with the concept of streak breakers…

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    Clearly you're grasping at straws.

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    Again, interesting mythology.

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    “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

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    Main Entry: my·thol·o·gy
    Pronunciation: mi-'thä-l&-jE
    Function: noun
    Inflected Form(s): plural -gies
    Etymology: French or Late Latin; French mythologie, from Late Latin mythologia interpretation of myths, from Greek, legend, myth, from mythologein to relate myths, from mythos + logos speech -- more at LEGEND
    1 : an allegorical narrative
    2 : a body of myths : as a : the myths dealing with the gods, demigods, and legendary heroes of a particular people b : MYTHOS 2 <cold war mythology>
    3 : a branch of knowledge that deals with myth
    4 : a popular belief or assumption that has grown up around someone or something <defective mythologies that ignore masculine depth of feeling -- Robert Bly>

    See 2 and 4.
  5. [ QUOTE ]
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    Interesting mythology. Dies faster than help can arrive? Most of the Defender primaries are designed to provide help before the first shot is fired. And Controllers are designed to prevent the mob from even getting a chance to strike back. This is group dynamic here and yet you continue to paint the matter as if the Blaster is the only one using his abilities. Let me suggest that you find better groups to join.


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    Lol play a blaster to a meaningful level before you comment.

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    LOL, try playing with competent people and not grabbing aggro by having to get in the first shot.

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    If the tank is slow with a provoke, a controller misses a hold, a scrapper draws more aggro then they want and have to unload it, a defender uses a targeted debuff on something that isn&#8217;t held by a controller and the aggro is going to go somewhere it shouldn&#8217;t be.

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    Please. A goodly chunk of the time I lead off the attacks on my Defender because it is the safe thing to do and the Blasters in the group are more than happy that the mobs, who are finding themselves Accuracy debuffed (Radiation Infection), are pissed at me and not them (and working at full accuracy). Follow with a 1s activation Slow (Lingering Radiation) and it becomes pretty safe to grab aggro whoever you are as on top of trouble hitting the mobs are taking quite a bit of extra time between attempts. 1 second later Enervating Field is applied and now even when they do hit they hit for 30% less damage. Not bad for 5s work where the first 3 don't count because aggro isn't had until then. As a controller the routine might be Radiation Infection followed by Gravity Distortion Field. . .complete safety to nuke away as only Bosses are certain to be free at that point and with Crushing Field coming they won't be free long.

    But if a moronic Blaster would prefer to toss a Fireball, no wonder he dies.

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    90% of that comes down on the blasters in the group, and when it does they often die even before a heal can be activated.

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    Clearly never played with Force Field Defenders ramping defense so high that being touched requires an act of Congress.

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    The bottom line is that aggro management on a good team is everyone&#8217;s responsibility, but the blasters are always the first to pay the price when it goes wrong.

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    Again, interesting mythology.
  6. [ QUOTE ]
    I use my AoE all the time in groups and the only time I get in trouble is when I use it at the wrong time. That is a mental mistake, not an issue with the AT.


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    When I say it, some people want to crawl up my butt for doing it with another AT or not being particularly high level on my blaster, but what are you going to do when a level 50 blaster says the same thing?

    No doubt more statements about how "logic" doesn't apply. . .which when you get down to it seems to be true.
  7. [ QUOTE ]
    You talk about your experiences a lot. What precisely is your experience with the Blaster AT?

    All im saying is this.

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    Its what your insinuating as opposed to directly saying. Mob behavior doesn't change because its a Blaster that drops a Ball Lightning on a spawn as opposed to a Defender.

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    I have told you why but i can see that your set in your way of thinking.

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    Same can be said in reverse.

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    So all i have to say is i encourage you to play a blaster and see for yourself.

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    Been doing so and will continue to be doing so for at least the near future.
  8. [ QUOTE ]
    I think your position at this point is issuing from your hind regions unfortunately. Not the absolute highest maybe, but like i said, no more then 2 levels under the highest member.

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    You can do better than the above.

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    Im sorry but i dont care what "the claim was

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    Then feel free to not sidetrack with something else.

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    In terms of single target blasters ile grant you that agro is much more easily controlled as a single target blaster. On the otherhand a single target blaster's contribution in potential killing power from the outset is that much lower.

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    Headway here at least. Now feel free to classify the Blaster primaries as supporting AE or not supportinig and we'll discuss then the appropriateness of looking at the matter solely through the lens of AE impact.

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    As to monsters being "distracted by the gobs of damage that higher levels are putting out", this is really quite false. Monsters show a great propensity for sensing lower heroes enemies. All it takes is 1 or 2 of them to go for that lower level blaster and he is often dead before anybody even realizes what is just happened.

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    Not from my experiences and I've been low man at least as often as I've been high man.

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    At the same time you said yourself that even a high level defender is not kicking out as much damage as a lower level blaster and also you have defences. A defender does not fall over dead if 1 enemy looks his way.

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    Neither should a Blaster in a group. The same defense that the Defender is using is open to his group for the most part. If I'm using Radiation Infection to keep from being hit, everyone in the group enjoys that protection. Same with Force Fields, or Dark Miasma, or Storm Summoning powers. That is the entire purpose of the AT and why they are called "Defender" in the first place.

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    I dont know what city your living in but in Paragon City, a Blaster in a group DOES shoulder the burden for dealing the majority of the damage just like the Tanker shoulders the burden for absorbing the majority of the damage and maybe you have been blind to this or havent played a blaster high enough to know this, but at the end of the day the Blaster alone is responsible for keeping himself alive. Why. He dies faster then help can arrive. That is the plain truth of it.

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    Interesting mythology. Dies faster than help can arrive? Most of the Defender primaries are designed to provide help before the first shot is fired. And Controllers are designed to prevent the mob from even getting a chance to strike back. This is group dynamic here and yet you continue to paint the matter as if the Blaster is the only one using his abilities. Let me suggest that you find better groups to join.
  9. [ QUOTE ]
    However as an experienced player of Blaster i will tell you Erratic that despite the your onpaper logic, you are wrong.

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    And I'll tell you that experience says otherwise. Your position is that it HAS TO BE YOUR WAY and I'm telling you I join teams where the Blaster isn't the highest level. That fact alone denies your position of what MUST occur. It doesn't. Period.

    [ QUOTE ]
    #1 Is survival. AoE generates a lot of Agro. Being at or near the level of the opponents both increases the speed at which the blaster can kill the enemies in his blast area thus increasing his survivability, and reduces the damage they can deal in return thus further increasing his survivability. A lower level blaster facing a crowd of purples will often not use his AoEs at all becuase even 1 of those enemies were agro to break (and it does quite often despite any number of crowd control on the part of his teammates)
    would kill the blaster very very quickly. Likely more quickly then the Blaster's teammates could react. Often even 1 rogue minion is enough to produce a running blaster or a dead one.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    First off, not every Blaster is wallowing in a sea of AoE attacks. Sorry, we can't all be Fire blasters (well, we could, but we aren't).

    Second, the claim was that a Blaster has to more often be at the top of the level structure to be useful to his group. Not to one-shot kill the targets he's dealing with. Yes, things that are orange, red, purple aren't going to fall to your AE. They also aren't going to take as much damage from you and hence will be more easily distracted by the larger amounts of damage that the higher levels in the group are putting out. The fact is borne out by the reckless abandon with which I've always tossed Ball Lightnings in groups as a Defender--I do less damage than the Blasters do the mobs that are agrgro'd don't turn my way. Sure, I have to worry about things that didn't have aggro, but that brings me to my next point. . . .

    Third, you are in a group. That means that you have group members to support your staying alive through buffs, debuffs, healing, holds, etc. The picture you and Moridin_ are painting is of the lone Blaster even within a group who shoulders the burden of dealing all the damage AND trying to stay alive while the others apparently twiddle their thumbs and pick their butts. One idly wonders why their apparent lack of contribution is acceptable while the Blaster being lower level and contributing nothing (according to Moridin_) isn't, but let's not unrail things with logic, as clearly logic is the tool of the devil and going by emotion apparently is all that works in this forum.

    I've been on the team facing purples before as the lower level person and that didn't stop me from making whatever attacks seemed necessary at the time. I may have delayed so that someone else could get aggro, but then as the higher level that was something they were better suited to take.

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    #2 Is Performance. The Blaster is an offensive AT moreso then any other AT. That means the greater the level difference, the lower his damage and accuracy becomes. Once you get up into the +4 range that Blaster is going to be practically useless. Conversely if the blaster's enemies are only even con or +1 the Blaster is going to be very effective. Teammates know this. They are going to demand that a lower level Blaster be sidekicked up as close to the highest level member of the party as possible. Trust me i have been there. When the sidekicking goes down Blasters get top priority.

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    One wonders what the Scrappers are out there to make them less offensive as an AT than a Blaster. Yes, I'm full aware of the impact of relative levels between character and foes in the game. You bring up +4 range making a Blaster practically useless, but let's look at the numbers shall we?

    At +4 levels you're looking at a 48% chance to hit and 48% effectiveness on powers, base. That's before Accuracy enhancements and buffs that that fool with your accuracy and the target's defense. You're on a team. I suppose the team is just sitting there while the Blaster does all the work? I can point you to a demo file showing a Rad/Dark taking on a group of Reds. So with less damage base than a Blaster he's dealing sufficient damage often enough despite the level difference to succeed ON HIS OWN. Now magnify by a team where Tankers are holding aggro, Controllers are plain holding, and Defenders are buffing/debuffing. One more measely level is not breaking the Blaster. Again, you may not like not seeing the big tripple digit number floating off your target, but that's a personal matter not one of your not contributing.

    This isn't to say that sidekicking shouldn't be done. You do what you have to as a group to get by, and at 4 levels of difference I'm personally going to want to be sidekicked whatever AT I am. But if the higher levels aren't there in sufficient numbers to take care of everyone, I'm not running away due to 4 levels of difference and that's regardless of what AT I'm playing.

    And to put my money where my mouth is, I've never turned away any AT solely because of what it is nor, within a moderate range of levels, have I ever turned away any player who wanted to join me in a group. If I'm out there with my 40 Defender and a 36 Blaster wants to join, I'll probably seek white to yellow targets from my perspective, and scale up as his level approaches mine. I will offer the SK to be sure, but only so that he isn't worried about how much he is contributing. I'm certainly not going to demand it.
  10. [ QUOTE ]
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    Now here is an complete idiot in his natural habitat

    Erratic

    Congrats Erratic, you win the complete Noob award for a complete stupid comment that basically says.. "change your tactics"

    Good for you.. Hey next time tell them to go after mobs of 1 to 3 .. (even though you may run around and hour to find one)

    Or better yet (giggle) tell them to team..

    HA..

    your an AOE Blaster.. instead of running up and using AOEs.. you should use.. .. uh....wait.. uh.. brawl?

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    People will leap on me for what I write, but at least what I write has some bearing to the topic.

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    No, people will leap on you for the {condescending, smarmy} (your choice) way in which you made your first two posts in this thread. you may think of your chosen posting method as "efficient", but if you didn't think of them as needlessly and purposfully annoying in the tone they conveyed, then I believe you are in the minority.

    neye

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    Being in the minority is a position I've been in all my life. . .go figure I don't crave majority blessings for who I am and how I handle myself.
  11. [ QUOTE ]
    Actually the normal for Nova is 2-3 recharge enhancers. Not 1.

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    Strikes me a wasteful, but YMMV. With perma-Hasten and an SO you've cut the time for recycle by half, from 360s to 152s. The next SO cuts that to 133s and the one after that to 119s. So you're looking at cutting recycle time from two and a half minutes to 2 minutes. 30 seconds of gain seems wasteful to me, but then I'm used to looking at the matter without benefit of Build Up.

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    This is becuase with 3 dmg SOs + buildup and Aim dmg is near cap. With 4 it is capped. I could name a few other downsides most definitely but i would need more information on the powersets you wish to take.

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    As a Defender I work with Thunderous Blast, but my views are colored by not having Build Up. Someday in the far future I'm hoping to work with Nova and Build Up (but alas, no Aim).

    In any event, conserving Aim or Build Up by having more heavily slotted damage has it merits. . .whichever you don't use is available immediately thereafter. Looks to be 30s of recycle time versus 5s more use of whichever one you don't use with the 32 power.

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    Overall failing to take Hasten is just not a very smart move.

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    I'll just refer you to the official Hasten thread. Again, without the three criteria I gave earlier holding, you're not losing much. While you can build towards those criteria, you can also choose not to.
  12. [ QUOTE ]
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    You presume the Blasters are doing the lion's share of the killing


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    Of course I am. This is the only contribution a blaster can make to a team, and if they don&#8217;t, then they are simply leaching.

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    No, there is a difference between contributing and doing the lion's share of the work. Consider a team with 2 Scrappers, 2 Tankers, a Controller, a Defender, and 2 Blasters. If the Blasters are contributing 33% of the damage of the group they are pulling their weight and you're not going to kick them to the curb.

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    In point of fact a Blaster could be 2 levels lower than a Defender in a group and provide the same DPS (Defender deals 66.66% the damage of a Blaster and hits even cons 75% of the time for combined damage of 66.66%*75% = 50%, a Blaster hits a target at +2 level 61% of the time for 80% of normal yielding 61% * 80% = 48.8%)


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    And how does that picture look if the team wants to take on red minions, that are at purple wall to a -2 level blaster?

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    If the minions are red to the Defender then he is hitting 55% of the time for 65% of the 66% of Blaster damage he does, or 55%*65%*66%=23.60% output. The Blaster is hitting 41% of the time for 30% damage or 12.3% output. So at 2 levels behind the Defender he is providing still half the damage in raw terms and again this presumes the Defender spends all his time blasting, something that remains unlikely. And if he sidekicks he ends up fighting at a lower level than the Defender and probably not only makes up ground but surpasses the Defender's damage output while earning more relative xp.

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    I also note you conveniently ignore the fact that the defender has access to powers like accelerate metabolism that allow them to attack more often then the blaster.

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    Is there a reason why the Defender in the team would be hogging the benefits of Accelerate Metabolism to just himself and not hitting every member on the team with it? I know that before I activate it I use a macro to announce to the team, "Gather round for Accelerate Metabolism". Everyone on teams I'm on is working with AM when I am. Perhaps you deal with less social Radiation Defenders?

    No, I wouldn't say I conveniently left anything out, I merely assumed sanity on the part of the Defender.

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    So even in your own example the blaster is considerably less effective at the only thing they bring to the team.

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    Anyone at lower level than the team average is less effective, that's the nature of the beast. If you take members of one AT, there is little reason not to take members of any other AT.

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    Sorry, but most people will not consider this a positive contribution to the team and will request the blaster take a higher sk if one is available.

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    I don't think you can speak for most people when advancing a broken consideration. When I'm on a team I'm happy to be there and put forth everything I can. Perhaps you have to have the largest numbers coming when you hit to feel validated, but I don't think most people work that way.

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    in reality the Defender, even an offensively oriented one, is not likely to be as heavily spec'd for dealing damage until late game


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    Any damage dealer has about 3 primary attacks give or take they use a lot and the rest are situational. If you are suggesting that a defender can&#8217;t spare enough slots to do this until late in the game I disagree.

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    I suggest that unlike Blasters, for whom damage dealing is their primary function, Defenders have damage dealing as their secondary function and most don't focus on it to the extent that Blaster do early on. And in that a Defender does focus on his damage, by needs his primary powers don't get slotted as heavily. Feel free to look at my slotting (at least as of level 39) in my sig. See how well my heal power is slotted? And while Radiation Infection is fully slotted, it only started getting slotted in the character's late 20s.

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    ignoring the Defeender's lack of access to Build Up (and possibly Aim).


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    and also conveniently ignoring their buffs/debuffs that are in fact superior to these.

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    Please. . .Build Up adds 100% of base damage, Aim 62.5%. Enervating Field adds 42% while reducing incoming damage from affected foes by 30% and can't be slotted to change those numbers. In my book 42% <62.5% < 100%. Admittedly I grew up in the era of the New Math, but I think I've got the relation correct.

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    In a typical group of character of mixed ranges, there is little reason for the Blaster to be the top


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    Most people consider making a contribution to the team a reason. Blasters can&#8217;t do this unless the team is attacking easy targets or they are the highest level characters.

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    So how do other ATs contribute without being top dog? With this line of thinking run rampant apparently all groups are composed of equal level team members. But if that were so there'd be no complaints about the Purple Patch. . .so that isn't it, and besides most teams I've been on have not been comprised of characters of exactly the same level. No, it doesn't require being the top level to contribute meaningfully.
  13. [ QUOTE ]
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    Hasten is frankly overrated by many

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    You had me until you said that. Just wow.

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    Watch me as I build without it (actually better not, that'd be boring. . .just take me at my word, I'm working on two characters which have no plans to get it).

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    And they are blasters? Well, let me know how it goes.

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    One is. One is a Defender and now that I think about it, got a Tanker I'm also doing who doesn't take it.

    Getting back to the Blaster, she doesn't have it. I admit it will hurt her use of Nova as to get it down to reasonable cycling she'll have to use 3 slots for Recharge enhancers as opposed to a more normal 1 slot. Aside from that, I can't think of any other obvious downside. So in essence taking Hasten would benefit one power.
  14. [ QUOTE ]
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    Hasten is frankly overrated by many

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    You had me until you said that. Just wow.

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    Watch me as I build without it (actually better not, that'd be boring. . .just take me at my word, I'm working on three characters which have no plans to get it).
  15. [ QUOTE ]
    That build being?

    the same build i have been talking about since my first post in this thread AR/DEV.

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    I meant your specific powers and slotting. You listed your powers once but not the slotting.

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    You don't seem to be listening. . . .

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    Well enough to catch the insult implicit there.
  16. [ QUOTE ]
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    It is a fine option to deal with what currently is ailing anyone due to Update 2. What the future brings in terms of changes should be gauged in the context of how long SG went without fixing. . .until respecs were in. The developers have been very careful not to downgrade/fix things that weren't absolutely game busting and have provided an avenue for handling changes that seriously impact your character. Worrying about running out of respecs is not really dealing practically at this point so far as I can see and the other doom and gloom predictions are massively overblown.

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    when dev's say they are probably going to increase the number of hit points mobs have, and AR/DEV blasters are kinda in a bad way now.

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    Pardon me, but when did this become an AR/Dev thread? Looking back at the initial post that poster lists his characters and not a single AR/Dev amongst them.

    Various individual primaries and secondaries can have issue that need to be addressed, witness Dark Miasma which until Update 2 was hands down the absolutely most broken and useless primary in the game. That doesnt' mean you don't change and balance the game. If AR/Dev has a problem, start a thread about it, but don't go leaping on the thread of "Woe is Blasters. We are despised above all things by the developers."

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    wouldn't you think that an increase in hit points would severely affect gameplay for blasters and any other AT.

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    Statesman has flatly stated that if hps go up that xp will as well as making assurances to various ATs that their damage would increase. Ignoring xp for the moment, that suggests that the relative balance between other AT's damage and Blasters may change and that no, I am not concerned about a severe change in how the other ATs operate. So we're back to looking at Blasters.

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    And when devs aren't saying what else will change, well for a game we all pay for to radically change seems a bit extreme don't you think.

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    Since when have the developers of any game had the obligation to tell you well in advance of everything they were thinking? No, it is not extreme. In fact the CoH developers have been quite communicative about what they are planning, the liklihood of it going through, and when. Much of Update 2 was promised a long time ago.

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    Also remember this a solo/and party game, so until i see the dev's say how they are going to address the differences, things can go worse or better. For me I have only seen worse for my main build, which I love the concept and design for.

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    That build being?
  17. [ QUOTE ]
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    While teamed everyone advances at the same rate, you all share the same incoming xp


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    When you team, the higher levels advance more slowly in comparison to lower levels. Since the level of mobs the team can go after is the level of mobs the blasters can kill effectively, either the blasters are the highest levels on the team, sk&#8217;d to the highest level possible, of the team is of the lower xp variety. Unless you team with exactly the same characters every time this leads to blasters advancing more slowly then other AT&#8217;s when teamed.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    You presume the Blasters are doing the lion's share of the killing and that in order to do so he must be near the top level in a group that apparently is spread out in levels so much that sk'ing is necessary. In point of fact a Blaster could be 2 levels lower than a Defender in a group and provide the same DPS (Defender deals 66.66% the damage of a Blaster and hits even cons 75% of the time for combined damage of 66.66%*75% = 50%, a Blaster hits a target at +2 level 61% of the time for 80% of normal yielding 61% * 80% = 48.8%) to his group assuming the Defender does nothing but Blast, when in reality the Defender, even an offensively oriented one, is not likely to be as heavily spec'd for dealing damage until late game and in any event has other obligations on his time like debuffing, buffing, healing, etc. and ignoring the Defeender's lack of access to Build Up (and possibly Aim). In a typical group of character of mixed ranges, there is little reason for the Blaster to be the top end hence the premise that Blasters are missing out on the tiny differential (and it is indeed tiny) due to being a level or two higher in your scenarior is of questionable value.

    [ QUOTE ]
    [ QUOTE ]

    You're suggesting a Defender can fill the shoes of a Blaster?

    When I started my offensively built Defender (and it is one of the more offensive builds out there) I was flatly told I was insane by other Defenders and Blasters giggled.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    Unless you can find a post where I did that, it&#8217;s hardly relevant information.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Its relevant to the point of nobody else playing the game seeing it that way. Now while the world may be wrong and the man may be right, the lopsided nature of the divide betting otherwise.

    [ QUOTE ]
    Simple question, who is going to do more damage, 3 blasters or 2 rad/* defenders and a kin/* defender.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Makes no difference as you had to couch your comparison in terms of very specific builds for Defenders when in fact there are 4 other types of Defender (Dark Miasma, Empathy, Force Field, and Storm Summoning) running about. Is your argument going to be that Blasters as a whole are going to suffer due to the number of Radiation and Kinetics Defenders running about? That the typical team consists of multiples of any of those? In 40 levels I can count the number of times I was in a group with two other Radiation types (one being a Controller) on the fingers of one hand, and being on a team with one other doesn't bring in the use of my other hand. And yet supposedly there are so many Radiation and Kinetics Defenders floating around that Blasters are at threat for their positions on teams? Absurd, but just to show how absurd it is, let's go ahead and accept the threat so that we can consider the question of how a Blaster fairs when added to this double Radiation plus Kinetic combo. . .hmmm, he will still put out more damage than any of them do individually as he gets the benefits of their buffs, so there is a reason still to add a Blaster.

    [ QUOTE ]
    Let me see&#8230; 2 stacked enervating fields causing all damage to more then double,

    [/ QUOTE ]

    No, the increase is linear. Each stacks on the same 42%. You're not even at doubling.

    [ QUOTE ]
    2 X RI each giving a 90% defense debuff, nearly 100% bonus on end recovery, recharge reduction greater then hasten that stacks with hasten, no requirement to slot for acc even against deep purple mobs, and even damage only needs to be slotted for convenience.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    No requirement to slot for accuracy? Well if you're always going to be going around as a group and all your targets will always be in the confines of stacked Radiation Infections. Good luck with that. And in the general case of pick up grouping, you're going to need more than good luck, you're going to need phenomenal luck.

    [ QUOTE ]
    The three defenders would be at the damage cap 100% of the time and then having their damage doubled on top of that. . . .

    [/ QUOTE ]

    See above, your calculation is off.

    [ QUOTE ]
    . . .attacking at a much higher rate, Thats not even mentioning their end advantage or stacked anti status effects. Sorry, the defenders in this scenario are going to be doing vastly more damage then 3 similar blasters ever could.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    There are indeed reasons why all Defender SGs exist, but at no point is one served better by adding the next Defender than by adding a Blaster, scare tactics notwithstanding.

    [ QUOTE ]
    [ QUOTE ]

    It was repored by the Devs to be 100%


    [/ QUOTE ]

    It was reported as &#8220;could be 100%&#8221; with enh it could be 100% with a base as low as 35%. There was more then sufficient test result to show that it was not 100% with 1 SO because anything above a minion still hit more often then 5% of the time. IOW it could not have been a 100% base.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Fine, but that it could be stacked was widely assumed and certainly fits with reports that "Dr. Vahzilok could not touch me" that made the rounds. And personally I witnessed an equal level Blasters using SG to take on mobs and not get touched by any of them in ways that don't happen with Radiation Infection.

    [ QUOTE ]
    [ QUOTE ]

    That isn't status protection in the sense you're likely thinking about.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    Your main character is only a couple levels above my fire/rad alt. I think I have a fairly good idea what the rad set can do.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Then you should know that it doesn't keep you from being effected by status effects.
  18. [ QUOTE ]
    [ QUOTE ]
    Erratic thinks that having to scrap a build you worked on for hours over months is a fair and equitible solution. When every other AT get's fixes to round out their AT's.



    [/ QUOTE ]

    No. It's pretty obvious he thinks that if you want to stick with your character, there are respects in the game. Which is a fine option till the devs fix something that lacks parity.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    It is a fine option to deal with what currently is ailing anyone due to Update 2. What the future brings in terms of changes should be gauged in the context of how long SG went without fixing. . .until respecs were in. The developers have been very careful not to downgrade/fix things that weren't absolutely game busting and have provided an avenue for handling changes that seriously impact your character. Worrying about running out of respecs is not really dealing practically at this point so far as I can see and the other doom and gloom predictions are massively overblown.
  19. [ QUOTE ]
    [ QUOTE ]
    Hmmm. . . Punisher.

    RI is a 30% To-Hit debuff from what I hear. Each SO brings that up by 10% (33% of 30 is 10%), so I run at either 60% or 70% typically depending on how I've most recently slotted it. My Defender has no other +Def abilities. At 2 levels above me the power should be 80% effective, or a 48-56% To-Hit Debuff. From geko's comments on SG that means it is cutting their basic chance to hit in half.

    Gotta be forgetting something as that isn't enough to allow anyone to stand in front of a Tank Smasher, let alone a Paragon Protectore, and I've done that too at +2 levels.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    SG was reported as a 50% acc debuff prior to the fix. Since most blasters didn&#8217;t slot it heavily your RI is providing you more defense then SG blasters were getting.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    (1) It was repored by the Devs to be 100%

    (2) Apparently it was stackable and most Blasters believed it was as they'd lob a few then solo things like Dr. Vahzilok, something no Defender has ever done at levels appropriate for taking the mission. It is disingenuous to compare RI, which can't be stacked and which in any case provided less debuff, to SG in its broken state--SG was completely superior.

    [ QUOTE ]
    On top of this you probably have an always on status protection from accelerate metabolism, have higher damage attacks then most single target blasters, and the elec recharge times are also nicely countered by AM as is the higher end requirements.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    That isn't status protection in the sense you're likely thinking about. It doesn't make the effect any less likely to take hold, it reduces the duration, but even a second of duration turns off toggles and I can promise you its never reduced a hold or sleep to a second. Sorry, the difference between my Defender (and mind you that is just Radiation Emissions--not all Defenders get Accelerate Metabolism) and a Blaster of any stripe is how long I'll be under the status effect assuming I live. That's not a really significant difference and doesn't compare to, say. . .they damage difference between the two ATs.

    Of course you don&#8217;t see a problem with status effects, you are more resistant to them then blasters ever were and all you had to sacrifice for them was a little bit of damage output, and maybe not even that

    [/ QUOTE ]
  20. [ QUOTE ]
    But erratic I thought the point of this game was to make a build and not be useless, also respec doesn't let you change AT's or your primary or secondary power.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    The point of the game is up to each player to determine for himself. For me its to have fun between rounds of sleeping and going to work.

    [ QUOTE ]
    [ QUOTE ]
    I shouldn't have to get up in the morning and go to a thankless job. I do, I like eating.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    that is work..this is a game, that you are a super hero in see the difference.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Misses the point that "should" is rather meaningless in life, and the game exists within that same, unfair things called life. Sorry Crypic and NCSoft can't just cater to you. . .in a perfect world we'd each have the game we personally want. But this world ain't the perfect one. So notions of 'should' are out the window.
  21. [ QUOTE ]
    [ QUOTE ]


    Fact is that Statesman has stated he believes all ATs should be able to solo, even if they do not solo equally as well. It is hard to imagine that translates to Blasters being at the end of the list let alone unable to do so.

    As to fairness, it is wholely fair to balance the game for the enjoyment of all over allowing some to have a cakewalk, and there is no way around that.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    The problem is that if blasters are not near the top of the list for solo play the AT is hurting badly because blasters are at the bottom of the list for the rate at which they advance while teamed.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    While teamed everyone advances at the same rate, you all share the same incoming xp.

    [ QUOTE ]
    It does not help to have people &#8220;want to team&#8221; with you if you do not gain the same benefits as they do from the relationship. &#8220;Team friendly&#8221; can&#8217;t just mean everyone benefits but you.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    What benefits are Blasters losing out on in a team?


    [ QUOTE ]
    On top of that offensively built defenders can fill a blasters team role better then a blaster, the only advantage a blaster has is that the team knows what they are getting when the sign up a blaster while a defender is somewhat of a question mark.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    *FAINT*

    You're suggesting a Defender can fill the shoes of a Blaster?

    When I started my offensively built Defender (and it is one of the more offensive builds out there) I was flatly told I was insane by other Defenders and Blasters giggled. In point of fact, while I deal nice damage I'm not delusional about which AT deals more and I doubt anyone else is confused on the matter. If every other aspect necessary for a team is taken care of and the choice comes down to a Defender or Blaster solely for damage, you'd be insane not to take the Blaster. Of course, thankfully it rarely comes down that narrowly and there are generally reasons to take either.

    [ QUOTE ]
    If blasters are not the best choice for their role on a team, typically receive fewer benefits then everyone else on said team and don&#8217;t solo well what is the point in playing one?

    [/ QUOTE ]

    You're going to have to explain your "receive fewer benefits" bit.
  22. [ QUOTE ]
    You know it is just pointless in trying to explain something to someone who doesn't understand.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Which is why I considered not replying to you. But hope springs eternal.

    [ QUOTE ]
    So your methos is I need to start a new blaster build...no thanks I shouldn't have to.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    I shouldn't have to get up in the morning and go to a thankless job. I do, I like eating.

    As to starting a new Blaster build, you do realize they put in respec trials in the Update? I've got several SG members who've already done one, and my Controller is going to get a touch up once I get him to 24th.

    [ QUOTE ]
    there is not a single power there I do not use in every single battle. Still I get face planted by blues and whites, why you ask?

    [/ QUOTE ]

    No, I didn't. So you use every power. . .and? If you're getting pasted then those powers aren't doing the trick, are they? Perhaps you should be using other powers, huh?

    [ QUOTE ]
    I play an hour a night, most of that time is solo in a mission and even there my effectiveness kinda suck, I refuse to build another character as my main because well, i shouldn't have to.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    *Shrug* Adapt or be miserable, that is your choice.
  23. [ QUOTE ]
    It appears that you understand fairly well that blasters mitigate their loss of HP by "downing" as many opponents as possible with alpha strikes. This is seen across the board with ALL blaster builds.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    I understand this has been the norm, and you'd have to have been asleep to have missed it within the game. Do you understand that it is not desirable from the standpoint of balancing the game between Blasters and the other ATs in a group dynamic and that the days of the prevalence of such an approach are at an end? The game has been commented on by several as being too easy. In truth, depending on what you were playing, it wasn't too easy, but it was too easy for for too many and that is a bad thing from the standpoint of a business trying to continue to exist. Players don't stick with things that are trivial. They run themselves up to 50, see no reason to do so again, and quit. And in a game where various ATs have very heavy incentive to group, being along for a ride where they literally get to do nothing because one other AT gets to one-strike everything to death is boring and something that leads to those people quitting the game too. So the one-shot is bad for the game both on the player side and on the business side. And arguing that it should be preserved because someone got used to it is silly. If the decision comes down to losing people either way the smart thing to do is go with the way that while losing people results in the best long term interests of the game. Guess what? That isn't the one-shot. So that means the choice facing people playing Blasters is to adapt to the change or leave. Its that simple. And while I'm not inviting anyone to leave, it would be far less stressful on them to cut to brass tacks, assess the situation as described, and figure out which course they want to take.

    [ QUOTE ]
    [ QUOTE ]
    Taking it off the table for now, what remains? Knockback/Knockdown, Disorient, Slow, Immobilize, and Hold at least. Mitigation takes the form of resistance, +Defense, -Accuracy/To-Hit Debuffs, healing, damage reduction (not open to Blasters)

    [/ QUOTE ]

    With the exception of the Knockback/Knockdown (Energy/AR) and Slow (Ice), none of the others will apply to the Blaster outside of the power pools.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    And what is the problem with this? Scrappers and Tankers at the very least regularly make heavy use of the power pool powers to flesh out their builds. Somehow they manage to fulfill their function in game doing so. There should be incentive in a game for you to want more powers than you can take. That's what drives variety and keeps the game from devolving into a handful of optimized builds--that you can't have it all. And if there is pressure for Blasters to go to the power pools, you can rest assured there is pressure on Controllers and Defenders to go there to (Scrappers and Tankers already making visits there on a regular basis). Indeed, there is a thread in the Defender forum talking about respecing to bring up defenses via the power pool on an AT that supposedly has among the best defenses (it is named 'Defender' after all) in the game. Stop and think about that, no gnashing of teeth on their end, endless wailing here. Again, the game is changing and while there should be an eye kept towards making sure the changes aren't overly burdensome, what changes there have been don't rise to that level in the estimation of far more people than are complaining.

    [ QUOTE ]
    If you count that the Energy blaster can disorient with the punches, then we have to start arguing for the blaster to become a melee-oriented AT, and also a boost to those methods should definitely be enhanced on the characters. Also, immediately following implementation of a HP increase for minions, will be the proliferation of Energy/Energy blasters and possibly Ice/Ice.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Gee, we Energy/Ice people get so little billing.
    (And probably should consider the Ice/Energy folk too.)

    [ QUOTE ]
    The AR and Fire builds will both be forgotten because the AR will never produce a viable character without enhancing the M30 and Buckshot powers, which are sorely lacking presently. The Fire will be forgotten entirely, because no one wants to go through "life" only half-way doing damage. In a solo fight, the development would be stifled prior to Hasten 6-slotted w/ SOs, since your alpha attack would result in all of the enemies returning fire on you, and your single-target attacks are fairly weak.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    As I noted earlier, Statesman's words on the matter are that he believes every AT should have the capablity of soloing. Predictions of Blaster nonviability are premature.

    I'm curious where all the concern was for Ice and Electrical types in the days of the dominance of Fire and AR. I do not recall this board have the pages of venom that Update 2 has spawned in their regard when RSRobinson could post his screed about optimal power gaming and how you should avoid those types of blasters. Oh well, issues of the inherent fairness of the wheel turning, karma, and hypocrisy (not by you, but in general) aside, Fire and AR will retain their superior offensive abilities at the expense of not having superior defensive ones. That is called balance. But that they will not be able to solo is far from established. Again, instead of loading up on every primary and secondary power and fleshing out with Stamina and Hasten it will require either superior play, taking a chunk of power pool selections, or a combination of both to get by.

    [ QUOTE ]
    Again, it is my opinion that blaster should be left alone, and I play defenders primarily, if you're asking.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Blasters by and large have been left alone. An obviously broken power was fixed that affected a fraction of the Blaster population (unless you're going to claim that all Blasters were Devices Blasters). What is changing is the play environment. It is hard to imagine you primarily play Defenders and can't see the changes as generally being a benefit.

    [ QUOTE ]
    Let me ask a couple of questions;

    1. Is CoH a competition to see who can get to 50th level the fastest?
    2. Is CoH a PvP system (presently, Hero vs. Hero)?
    3. Does the blaster's exp/min rate affect other heroes?
    4. Do blasters ONLY solo, leaving teams scrounging for damage dealers for TFs?
    5. If the minion HP were raised, thereby reducing the effects of the blaster, would you prefer to have two scrappers or two blasters on your team for a TF? Consider the amount of defense and healing required to keep a 1/2 effective teamate alive, when they bring NOTHING else to the table besides the 1/2 damage they deal, and are constantly in need of attention/buffing/healing thereby hurting the rest of the team....I know, every blaster gets a pet medic
    6. Would you be happier if we just eliminated the blaster AT?
    7. If/When you play a blaster, would you be frustrated if every fight you had resulted in you being down to 0 endurance and 1/2 HP? Or, would you consider it a challange and run off to see if you could brawl the next mob into submission while you recover end/hp?

    [/ QUOTE ]

    (1) Depends on who you ask. I'm not playing to see how fast I can get to 50, others are. Regardless, if it isn't a competition, then why complain about changes to how long it takes for any AT to get there?

    (2) Again, in the minds of some it is even if you can't zot another player. It doesn't require being able to negatively impact someone else for something to be a competition. A spelling bee is a competition after all.

    (3) Directly? No. But what drives that xp/min has impacts on the game dynamic. Sorry, but despite your focus on portraying the issue as a bunch of soloing, grouping exists and there is the group dynamic to consider. Pairing Superman with Powerman and Iron Fist isn't going to result in Powerman and Iron Fist doing much or having much fun and making it so that all members of a group get to contribute IS important. Given that Blaster can continue to solo it is more important than enshrining being able to breeze through multiple high level foes.

    (4) I can't imagine that Blasters only solo, and as noted above that brings into play the group dynamic. If you think that things would be better if Blasters only soloed so that group dynamics didn't enter play, that would be a one-sided consideration as then the group dynamic that presumes their pressence would also falter.

    (5) My primary is a Defender, an AT whose primary abilities (excepting Dark Miasma) are shared with Controllers and whose secondary ability function is trumped by Blasters. Talk about "why would a group take" aren't going to fly with me because since the game has been released I've been in that position and still managed to find groups and level. To answer the question, what I want on a TF is competent players. I'll make do otherwise and you can take as evidence having worked halfway through a TF in a group that had come down to 2 Defenders and a Scrappper (me). A Blaster will generally operate very differently from a Scrapper (Blappers aside) and if that is the tool that is available I'll certainly try to make it work. But where the assertion comes from that Blasters on a TF would be 1/2 effective in the event of increased mob hps came from I don't know. The entire focus of complaint in this thread is on how Blasters solo. In a group with others to heal them, provide defenses, etc., what changes there have been in the game are a waterdrop in the ocean. And if mob hps go up, then fights will last longer and other ATs will get to do their jobs, as opposed to saying, "Run in there and bomb those for us again."

    (6) Why would I want the Blaster AT eliminated? Given the time I've recently spent on (and all the countless hours spent on previous tries at) a Blaster, I'd be rather pissed.

    (7) I have been playing up a Blaster on the recently meaner streets of Paragon and having a grand time of it. Yes, she's low level, but these are not the streets you remember from the first week of release. Mobs are considerably nastier than anything I faced with any of my early characters. Still, I'm working my way through them at what I consider to be a reasonable pace. And as to having every fight bring me down to zero endurance and half hp. . .been there, done that, survived it. . .remember that Defender I spoke of playing? Fact of the matter is that for as nasty as the streets of Steel Canyon are my Blaster is still mowing through them faster than my Defender did at the same level. Sorry, I have a hard time finding pity that things aren't even easier.

    [ QUOTE ]
    [ QUOTE ]
    I would focus on taking as much of those as you can get

    [/ QUOTE ]

    1. 24 powers; take into account travel and fitness (that's 5 minimum). 19 powers; We now have two pools to use, Stealth & Leadership.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Stealth and Leadership being your choice. Fighting brings defenses at the cost of an extra power of quetionable merit, but at the benefit of Tough and Weave--probably no worse a selection than Stamina which forced you to take 2 powers that you probably would have lived without otherwise.

    [ QUOTE ]
    Blasters receive the lowest bonus (does that mean its a penalty?) for Leadership...so, let's avoid that.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Why? Because someone else has a bigger bonus? Is this where I get to ask like you did above how someone having more means that what you have isn't sufficient for you? Whoopee, Defenders might get 7.8% from it as opposed to 6.5% for a Blaster. Are you telling me not getting the extra 1.3% makes Manuevers a bad choice?

    [ QUOTE ]
    Take CJ/SJ/Acrobatics instead....every blaster MUST become a super jumper to persue Acrobatics (Hover offers same def bonus 5-11% as CJ, but Acrobatics makes Jump line worth more).

    [/ QUOTE ]

    I'm not sure what you think the import of using the words 'every' and 'MUST' (capitalized) are, but the only Blasters that 'MUST' take Jumping are those that want Acrobatics. It is a choice. So 'every' is overstatement and the 'MUST' applies to anyone who wants the power. Is it a good path to go down? It certainly has its merits. Oh, and taking Combat Jumping hardly requires you to continue on to Super Jump, so your assertion that every Blaster would be a super jumper is not well founded.

    [ QUOTE ]
    Four more powers for those? Leaves 14 powers. Should be plenty, right? Why not just make a Power Pool AT? EVERY blaster will be REQUIRED to use 10 power pool selections just to be viable for developing, and most of those will not be able to take early in the game to even develop. So, lets all go out and make Super-Jumper blasters that can't run down the street at 10th level without dying.....


    [/ QUOTE ]

    Is this some sort of slippery slope argument or an attempt at reductio ad absurdum, or some ******* child of both? You leap from a thinly established need to take 10 powers for defense to suddenly every power choice being required in the power pool. If you are going to go unhinged it strikes me as a shame as otherwise you seemed faily reasonable until that point.

    [ QUOTE ]
    2. Blasters focusing on defense......hmmm, seems a curious way to build.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Focusing? Try the word 'Incorporating' instead.

    Accepting for the moment that Stamina is more beneficial to have than anything you could replace it and the Fitness pool with, that is one power pool choice made and 3 powers spent. Hasten is frankly overrated by many, but rather than rehash that argument let's consider why you'd take it. The reasons that I'm aware of are having (a) few attacks, (b) long recycle time powers, and/or (c) powers of sufficiently long recycle time that lowering that time is desirable but for which slotting other attributes is preferable all in sufficient quanitity as to warrant expending a power slot and typically 6 enhancement slots. Short of going whole hog on power pool powers it is hard to see how (a) would ever apply. As to (c) there are the level 32 powers and that is about it. Category (b) seems a bit vacant. A different Fire Blaster in my SG than the one I mentioned before doesn't have Hasten and she (both are female characters, one played by a woman) does quite fine without it. So Hasten isn't automatically on the table. Is that to say you shouldn't take it? No. Do what floats your boat, just understand the trade offs--you can go for more offense or defense or a mix of both, or a lack of either. Don't want to jump but fly instead? Hover offers as much +Def as Combat Jumping and you were obviously going to take it over Air Superiority in getting to Flight. So Super Speed, Flight, and Super Jump are all on the table. Teleport is a weak choice in terms of defense, but that's not so bad given it can take you right out of combat in the blink of an eye without the mob being in range to even attempt ranged attacks as you flee.

    Taking just Stealth and Hover and fully slotting them provides +27.5% Def. Or you could go with Stealth and Combat Jumping for the same, optimize your selection for travel as Super Jump and as a benefit only have to take one more power to pick up Acrobatics (though frankly I find the power to be lackluster). Going up Leaderhip has its benefits too, especially depending on what type of Blaster you are. Manuevers + Stealth is +30.25% Def and puts you one step to Tactics. Fully slotted Tactics is a +21% chance to hit. Suppose you are an Assault Rifle Blaster. Your first five powers have +5% Accuracy inherently. So you're at 26%. So in echange for 7% accuracy versus where any other Blaster would be with one Accuracy SO applied, you can add 33% base damage be replaching that with a Damage SO, and still trump them in accuracy and damage with the last three power choices (but boy, you'd better take Stamina). Toss in the impact of Burst lowering Defense and you might make back all your ground for having dropped the Accuracy SO if you lead with Burst on a target. Combine with Aim and Build Up and the potential accuracy hit practically disappears into the ether. While AR/Dev is rather obvious, consider an AR/Ice combo through 40th level:

    Archetype: Blaster
    Primary Powers - Ranged : Assault Rifle
    Secondary Powers - Support : Ice Manipulation
    Slot[01] Level 1 (Starting Primary) : Burst /Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
    Slot[02] Level 1 (Starting Secondary) : Chilblain /Acc
    Slot[03] Level 2 : Slug /Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
    Slot[04] Level 4 : Buckshot /Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
    Slot[05] Level 6 : Stealth /DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf
    Slot[06] Level 8 : Hasten /Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,Rchg
    Slot[07] Level 10 : Chilling Embrace /EndRdx
    Slot[08] Level 12 : Sniper Rifle /Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
    Slot[09] Level 14 : Swift /Run
    Slot[10] Level 16 : Super Speed /Run
    Slot[11] Level 18 : Health /Heal
    Slot[12] Level 20 : Stamina /EndRec,EndRec,EndRec
    Slot[13] Level 22 : Build Up /HitBuf
    Slot[14] Level 24 : Flamethrower /Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
    Slot[15] Level 26 : Ice Patch /Rchg
    Slot[16] Level 28 : Shiver /Slow
    Slot[17] Level 30 : Ignite /Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
    Slot[18] Level 32 : Full Auto /Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
    Slot[19] Level 35 : Maneuvers /DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf
    Slot[20] Level 38 : Tactics /HitBuf,HitBuf,HitBuf,HitBuf,HitBuf,HitBuf

    Defensive Capabilities: Knockback, Knockdown, Slow, Stealth, +29% Defensive Modifier.

    Travel: Superspeed

    Hasten: Check

    Stamina: Check

    Powers Consumed Outside Primary/Secondary: 8

    That's a quite one-off that hasnt' had any real thought put into it and there may be arguments for taking powers at different levels or taking other choices, but the principle is there: Defense has been considered and worked in as opposed to being left out. Slow opponents who fall down when they get close are a good thing. Every wasted second as they creep along and struggle to stand up benefits you. And on top of that you've also worked down how often they actually do hit you.

    [ QUOTE ]
    /me goes back to playing my defender again.....but starts eyeing that fire Tank.....

    [/ QUOTE ]

    A choice, but Blasters have become interesting to me.

    Since you editted your post, I'll add the following:

    [ QUOTE ]
    This would assume that you had both defensive AND offensive powers. The blaster doesn't. If the blaster HAS TO HAVE defensive powers to stay alive, then it needs to be in the secondary....that is all I have to say.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Scrappers often go outside their defensive sets for defensive powers. Certainly Defenders are talking about it. Heck, there is already an established history of Blasters doing so. But as to having to, think of it more as their primary and secondary powers being given over to defining powers than is the case for other ATs. See, a benefit that only Blasters have.
  24. Many people have become hysterical and agreed to all sorts of things in the past, so having whatever number of people agree with you on something that hasn't happened yet is rather meaningless.

    Fact is that Statesman has stated he believes all ATs should be able to solo, even if they do not solo equally as well. It is hard to imagine that translates to Blasters being at the end of the list let alone unable to do so.

    As to fairness, it is wholely fair to balance the game for the enjoyment of all over allowing some to have a cakewalk, and there is no way around that.