GuyPerfect

That upper 50% of enemy HP is the key for differentiating Blaster damage and Corruptor damage. For low-HP enemies, the Blaster will win out because on average each attack will eliminate a greater proportion of the enemy's HP. By the time Scourge kicks in, it's usually overkill. The majority of gameplay takes place under such circumstances, so most of the time, Blasters will out-damage Corruptors by a not-insignificant amount.

Against enemies with high HP or high resistances, the Corruptor will win out on average because Scourge is effectively a 100% damage buff when it takes effect. So while the first 50% of the fight will be some 2/3 as fast as Blaster, the lower half will creep up to being 4/3 as fast as Blaster. In extreme situations like arch-villains or bigger, the Corruptor will do more damage over time than the Blaster, to the point that it can turn the tables in a The Really Hard Way run.

Corruptors tend to get better damage mods than Blasters, too. Where Blasters get moderate self-buffs from Defiance, Corruptors can significantly increase their own damage or reduce the resistance of the enemies. It's situation-dependent, but when Scourge factors in, Corruptors have potential for more damage than pretty much anything else. In fact, last I heard, a Corruptor Blizzard that hits every tick and Scourges every hit while at the damage cap is the #1 most damaging player attack possible.

Still, that majority-of-gameplay consideration remains. In most situations, the Blaster will be doing more damage than the Corruptor.

Sure, I won't get picky over which attacks people take. I don't care for the rifle attacks in general, but they're certainly more ranged-friendly than the mace is. There are totally good reasons to take them depending on the circumstances. It's only smart to use the tools available.

Buuuut, a Bane that takes the rifle powers is still a Bane. You could go with the Crab branch and make a "Huntsman" with Fortification and Serum... and a backpack... but it's still a Crab. To be a Huntsman--at least so far as to adhere to the NPC the build was named for--would require using only Wolf powers. Wolf Spider Huntsman.

I never said anything was wrong with Huntsmen, Blappers or petless Masterminds. Just look at my avatar! (-:

And knowing how petless Masterminds go, I know what they can do. They can do +1x8. I don't think they can do +4x8. Not unless they run around picking off individual targets with ranged attacks over the course of three months per mission, at least.

The analogy I was making is that, much like Blappers and petless Masterminds, Huntsmen are unnecessarily avoiding powers for the sake of lulz. "Here's a useful power. Want it?" "No. Need lulz."

No matter how you slice it, Huntsman is intentionally gimping a character. It's not bad, don't get me wrong, since I loves me some petless Masterminds. But if anyone tries to say "this Soldier would not be better with Crab or Bane powers," we're gonna have words.

In addition to -Dmg -ToHit, Weaken is also everything Power Boost is, but backwards. -Mez Duration, -Heal, -Defense mods, etc.

Not many people know that.

+4x8 petless Mastermind, eh? Purple minions? Being +3 in Dark Astoria against "+4s" will be yellow minions, which yeah, I can believe that, but that's really just +1.

As soon as we get Radiation Emission or Cold Domination Masterminds, I'm gonna go to town on Giant Monsters.

I would argue that completing Maria Jenkins's arc is shorter and faster than unlocking the Lord Recluse Strike Force.

You can also get them by collecting Invader and switching sides. That's a heck of a lot better than six Task Forces.

I figure Singularity ought to be a fun one to try it out on. Bring Recall Friend with so you can move it.

Unfortunately, that only applies to the latest post.

Thanks for tuning in for this episode of The Bottom 5! I'm your host, Guy Perfect!

5. Electrical Blast - With its focus on utility and Endurance Drain, Electric Blast lags behind for damage like a witty comeback three months later.

4. Trick Arrow - Nothing says "we can beat Tar Patch" quite like drawing a weapon and using three different powers.

3. Ice Control - Question: What do you call a debuff set disguised as a control set that focuses on aspects that won't do much to lock enemies down? Answer: Better than Ice Control!

2. Charge Mastery - Is your Mastermind looking for a lack of protection, an unreasonably weak hold and the ability to utterly exhaust himself with a single click? Look no further!

1. Mercenaries - So derpy and ineffective that an upgrade power has to explicitly revoke a power from one of the henchmen, this set takes the crown for the most terrible of them all!
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Soooo.... I guess what I'm trying to say here is, if you want the worst character imaginable, roll a Mercenaries/Trick Arrow/Charge Mastery Mastermind.

Civilizations are collapsing because of this. Fix it quick for the good of tomorrow!

I have a character who herds big rooms of 52s around made possible in part by the glorious resistance of Shark Skin.

You have to level up to 35 to get Task Force Commander, and you have to level up to get your Mayhem Missions. While the Mayhems can be easy to miss in the lower levels due to rapid leveling, they're certainly easy to access for those characters interested in Invader. Just be sure to take a brief detour to run some newspapers and you'll have it.

Plus, if friends' characters have some Mayhems as well, you can get the badges without ever talking them out of your broker. To me, that's worth a lot more than suffering another Synapse ever again.

There was a time when a villain would pick a patron, and that would be his epic set, end of story. Eventually they earned the ability to respec into any of the four, and now they even get other non-patron sets just for being a high enough level.

At present, the patron sets are simply unlockable powers. The fact that you have to be a villain to unlock them is legacy, but I don't see any problem with it. That some people insist on getting them AND having their characters be full Hero, well, that's their choice. Under no circumstances would I consider it appropriate to call it an inconvenience.

Be sure to attend my next seminar for the full rant!

Reasons to play redside:

• Easy access to Invader, sidestepping Task Force Commander entirely.
• Mortimer Kal, which grants you a voucher for a Notice of the Well once you hit 50.
• Much smaller volumes of zone traveling, street sweeping and defeat-alls.
• Legacy story content is (subjectively speaking) much more captivating and satisfying to play.
• The Patron sets are accessible without changing Alignment.

Reasons to play blueside:

• The Atlas Medallion is accessible without changing Alignment.

Please don't quote full posts of pictures, especially immediately after those posts. )-: