Thanks for all the effort that you have obviously put into this guide.
It might be a good idea to double check some of the information with City of Data. For instance, CoD indicates that Dispersion Bubble is .26 endurance per 0.5 second pulse. Also it shows Force Bubble to be a mag 10 repel, with only a 1% chance of a 0.1 knockback.
So those are just minor adjustments.
What I strenuously object to is this advice:
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As for our secondary blasting powers however, our role as stated before is to DEFEND. There are many FF defenders out there that see themselves as a blaster that can buff. I see this as the biggest mistake an FF defender can possibly make, since they only do about 2/3rds of the damage of a blaster with the same damage slotted (estimated). While you are out there adding your minuscule damage to the team's effort, some of your teammates may be dying by your side. While you may have offensive powers, these can and should be used in a DEFENSIVE way whenever possible rather than an offensive way. If you have all of your allies shielded up and they don't seem to need any other type of defense, then go ahead and blast away all you want, but be ready to switch into defensive mode at a moment's notice.
Repeat my mantra over and over again:
My primary powers should be PRIMARY, my secondary powers should be SECONDARY.
If you want to play a blaster, PLAY A BLASTER.
But hey, it's your $15, do what you want. I'm just trying to help you be the most effective Defender you can be. And a dead enemy is not attacking your team, so there is something to say about slotting some extra damage in a couple of powers...
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Repeat Offenders has demonstrated time and time again that there is no reason to limit yourself to being a buff bot. The nice thing with forcefields is that the team mate bubbles last 4 minutes! So, you have far more leisure time to enjoy dealing destruction compared to several of the other defender powersets.
Hell, if there isn't a tank on the team, turn on PFF, eat a breakfree and jump in the middle of that mob. You do need the team to follow you in, but PFF will allow you to survive that initial alpha attack from every foe. Something that even some tanks have difficulty with on an 8 man team.
As Simply_Sam points out, the Sonic Blast set allows you to help your entire team do more damage per attack. Defeating foes faster is another way of reducing the damage that your team takes.
Shield-Maiden, my own FF defender uses Dark Blast. Spamming Tenebrous Tentacles and Night Fall results in accuracy debuffs of at least 18%. Much more if you slot some Recharge Reduction and ToHit Debuff enh's.
FF defense + accuracy debuff = foes missing repeatedly.
I did have to take Stamina to be able to sustain the aoe attacks on teams where there isn't any Speed Boost or Recovery Aura available.
Starfox is also correct that a ForceField defender can make a team significantly safer, to the point of being too easy
These days I am finding that even PuGs that my FF/Dark joins will raise the difficulty level after the first mission or two.
It is worth noting that since you can't put Deflection or Insulation Shield on yourself, you usually have the lowest defense of anyone on your team. So, it is important to think about what is locked down (by hard or soft controls) and who is holding aggro, before you let loose with aoes. However this is exactly the same consideration needed by any blaster with aoe attacks. It is a matter of tactics, not a reason to hold back and say "I can't attack. I'm just here to 'Defend' you."
Teams of Defenders are the TankMages of CoH.
