Krouget1
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Posts
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Joined
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Quote:Blue side, and probably my overall favorite, 24th Elder, a fire/em/fire blaster. The irony in her name turned out to be rather amazing, as the 24th issue was supposed to be a big one for blasters. Lucky for me, I did get to round out one of her final builds on beta, and with the new changes, it was absolutely amazing. At the very least, it was nice to see what her potential was, but going to miss this character.Originally Posted by John_Printemps
So, if you walk away from this game, what character do you walk away with the fondest memories of?
Red side, my Mind/Psi Dom, Tabula-rasa, who I've played with since i7. Easily my most versatile character, and I've done everything from solo to teamed PvP, solo'd all types of GMs/AVs, produced countless builds, experimented, etc. She's been my main since the beginning and only recently became my co-main, due to my above character.
Honorable mention goes to Siph Orion, originally a kin/elec defender, remade into an elec/kin troller. In both scenarios she was a sapper with a build made completely for fun and not min/maxing. It's always nice to have that character who isn't the most powerful, but is a blast to play, while not necessarily detracting from teams. -
Quote:You will be rewarded when the floor turns to lava.Originally Posted by StratoNexus
So my jumping across Steel Canyon, using just Combat Jumping and Sprint, without ever touching the ground game is nothing more than a curiosity!
Curses, I thought I'd get bonuses for it.
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Quote:I've killed a few (both) on my Mind/Psi/Ice Dom, and I'm confident a few other variations can, as well.Originally Posted by Gemz
So I've always wanted a toon that can kill GM's - AVs as well.
What are some builds to accomplish this?
Note: I do not like Cold Dom. at all.
Certainly not the fastest at it, though. -
Quote:Though if you think about it, if a person has been blapping long enough and is confident enough to do so in trials, they probably understand how and why they die (if they do). Some type of mez protection will only help relieve one of those reasons.Originally Posted by Comicsluvr
Actually, the new Hybrid Incarnate slot seems to be a good idea for Blappers. One option for it is something that gives Mez protection in close range. However I suspect that once it goes Live and Blappers get it they'll realize that Mez is only one part of the 'Blaster Death' equation.
To a degree, you can apply the marginalization logic to a few other ATs, mainly because they're not all necessary and definitely because they all can deal damage. The difference with my blaster, is that while a debuff or control AT is setting up debuffs or control, I'm outputting damage. Especially on trials, where I'm built, conditioned, and buffed pretty well, damage is pretty much the only focus.Quote:If the Blaster Secondaries were more geared towards melee I'd be more inclined to support it but that would put them at odds with the Primaries which are mostly ranged. I think this is part of the problem...Blasters have a very narrow identity ('We do LOTS of damage!') which is being marginalized by other ATs. This leaves Blasters searching for a niche to fill.
That said, it is narrow, but only slightly more narrow than anyone else running in and firing off a cast or two of AoEs, before we're all cleaning up a boss. That said, I don't think blasters really need a niche, so much as the devs need to stop providing so much more damage to other ATs, while leaving blasters to rely on crutches to output theirs. Make blasters more self-sustainable, so they can focus on damage, the same way a tank/brute will want to focuses on aggro, or a controller will want to offer control/debuffs. -
Quote:Interestingly enough, it was probably somewhere in the devs intentions to one day see posts like these, when they changed domination for Dominators.Originally Posted by Velvet Elvis
What I don't get is why people build for it - because now that I have it, I'm not in the least bit impressed with it. [...] I'm only unclear on why when I read about players building their doms they speak of perma-domination like it's as good as perma eclipse, or perma PA or perma Dull Pain. (and it's not even in the same boat as those
My opinion does contrast yours, though, in that I think its awesome and easily better than the listed powers, especially for an AT which spends a fair amount of time in melee (my blaster would prefer domination, before any of the others listed). Complete mez protection and the endurance refill, alone, would assist with any number of hurdles or even simple build considerations.
To each their own on this one, so long as you're enjoying your Dom. -
Quote:I have two dedicated sappers in a Kin/Elec/Power (or Elec) Defender, and an Electric/Kin/Electric troller. I much prefer the troller, but each contains chance for end drain procs, along with the preemptive core interface (-End/Recovery), agility alpha, and the storm pets for more end drain.Originally Posted by Nitrogen_Star
So what do you think would be a good endurance drainer?
The Defender is the slightly better burst sapper, with power buildup/short circuit, but the troller sapps a lot easier, safer, and I'd say more satisfyingly (subjective, but these builds are mostly exercises/fun). The added bonus with a Kin, is that you can pretty easily buff yourself to the damage-buff cap, and stack quite a bit of +recharge, which always helps-- meaning you get a bit of freedom with your slotting. I'd say with the aid of the pets, the troller kills targets quicker, too.
It's a nice aside from the typical damage oriented build, and a good time if the team isn't steamrolling mobs before you can sap them. Of course, I always try to make it a point to deplete blue bars, before they can deplete the red ones.
Agreed. -Recovery is definitely a bonus, but you can certainly retard incoming damage to trivial amounts, without it.Quote:I think that the importance of guaranteed -Recovery may be overemphasized. It's helpful, but not absolutely critical, particularly on a Elec Controller or Dominator with additional control powers. -
Quote:Not entirely. I've respectfully seen a number of good players on blaster builds with tons of investment. None of that will buy you the power that is Drain Psyche. The overwhelming amount of heavy lifting can be attributed to the -regen in this power, which becomes necessary with this type of challenge. That's not a knock on THB, who I'm sure has invested a lot of time and effort into his build, but it's a more accurate description of what's taking place in the video.Originally Posted by sypher_vendetta
but thats the challenge for everyone isnt it?
I don't think the overall idea is that we should nerf the tools of the accomplishment. If anything, the accomplishment is the exception which reinforces the rule-- which is the idea that blasters, and possibly other sets, need help. Some of that may require a rebalance, both upwards and downwards, respectively, but with a sum-benefit to the entire AT (similar to /Psi changes on Doms or even the Domination changes for non-perma-doms, both of which met resistance).Quote:i think you all are forgetting one thing that if we go about nerfing everything that we see somebody accomplish then whats the point?
The funny thing is, if some changes being advocated in this and other threads go through, you just may...not only on a specific blaster combination, but various others.Quote:I hope to get a blaster up to this level of awesomeness and it may take me a while but hey anythings possible in the world of coh lol. -
I'd love to get on test server with a few of the players on here, and really test a few of these theories and practices. Minus any ego, it would be good to see how other blaters have adapted their play, based on any given situation. For the most part, I think there are a number of nuances in play and playstyles which don't translate very well in text or even paper. Something so small as my two slotted hurdle + cj and ability to jump-cancel (avoiding both movement suppression and some root animations), contributes to an entirely different playstyle, than someone who is hover-blasting between spawns. Something like the extra animation time of FBreath is used to position RoF, which when combined with the fast animation times of Fire, makes it obvious that there is more than one way to effectively command a blaster, effectively. Granted, this is an "ultimate blaster" thread, so if that's the goal, I'd say a set of criteria needs to be established, before anything can be judged (not that it will change much).
In general, THB has a great build, and I'm sure with his playstyle, he can do some nice things with his Archery/MM-- however, my experiences fall more in line with DreadShinobi, who seems to share a more practical/realistic aspect to his play, similar to mine (at least as explained). Above all, a good player will deal with the mez (insp. falls like rain if you're killing fast, especially with the ability to combine), and on teams, gaps are covered. For me, veng. covers most tough team content, and anything where the team isn't in trouble, defense is also not as necessary.
So in general, it's good to read about other blaster experiences, but I'd like to see some in action. -
Quote:The key word used in your quoted paragraph, was "generally". My KM/Regen Scrapper won't burn down everything coming out of the door, and neither will my BS/SD.Originally Posted by rsclark
I've seen FA brutes burn down everything coming out of a door during that stage and be ready for every group that pops, but I have not seen blasters ready to do that with every spawn. Maybe a fire/reactive could have RoF ready for every one, but that would still just put them equal to what brutes and scrappers are able to also do.
My Fire/Em blaster can, however. Her arsenal includes RoF, FBall, FBreath, and more than enough ranged damage to tag anything else at 80+ feet, before any of my melee can. Alternate Aim and BU use, and I'll have more sustained damage, too. And though I do things a bit different, I'd also qualify my DP/Fire Blaster.
In actual team practice, none of this really changes. Something so simple as the Blaster/Emp combo, unlocks a ton of offensive potential. -
Quote:We're also not arguing the supremacy of force multipliers. I don't know why you keep falling back on this, as a counter-point to the fact that blasters can contribute and be useful on teams.Originally Posted by Shubbie
A single blaster will outdamage any single corruptor or defender, almost every time, its possible some real outliers might tie up, but thats not what we are talking about here.
The point of contention, is your insistence that blasters are useless/unnecessary, when nothing you have stated has demonstrated that. The latest attempt was to compare them to a team of fire/rads, which just as well shame other ATs and combos in the game. Replace "blaster" with "dom", "scrapper", etc, and your point would be no less true. We get it.
Which is again why I ask, what you're really advocating? If it's a blaster buff, on what magnitude are you expecting, if your bar for measure starts with 8 fire/rads? It's a nonstarter.
For the range of difficulty most teams are expected to encounter, Blasters perform within a reasonable range of performance (for now). This isn't to say they couldn't use tweaking, but they are far from useless. -
Quote:Exactly. Opposite this-- if we're going to be using a full team of 8 fire/rads as the bar for measure, I'm really curious as to what kind of buff people are advocating, when it comes to blasters. Are we to derive from this, that 8 blasters should rival the power of 8 fire/rads?Originally Posted by Zem
Yeah, I'm not sure that all-corr team (or maybe an all-def team) wouldn't trump ANY other all-AT team at an ITF speed run. I hardly think it's reasonable to expect the devs to balance performance based on how the AT operates in an all-AT Task Force. Stacking buffs break the game (See also: Repeat Offenders) and short of some kind of draconian PvE diminishing returns nerf, I don't see that ever changing.
Frankly, I think it's a selective comparison that doesn't mirror most play, which does nothing to address any actual blaster issues, much less a foundation for any real argument. -
Quote:I already opened and addressed this in post #26 of this thread.Originally Posted by Shubbie
Okie but just before we get to that point.
8 fire/fire blasters IT vs 8 fire/rad ITF
level 50 io's only no sets, no purples to make the comparisons fair.
Who do you think will finish faster and easier....
"The argument that force multipliers are the strongest force in the game, is a given. That fact, however, doesn't render all other non-force multipliers obsolete or superfluous." -
Quote:Again, no offense, but then it may be best to stop making such claims, if they can't be supported.Originally Posted by Shubbie
really no way to put together factual numbers without access to data-mining.
But, as I stated earlier, there is the possibility of copying over to test server and running herostats for the course of an ITF or something, then exporting the data. You'd get a fair idea as to who and which power is contributing what, so far as the damage contribution goes. Set up and agree on the criteria, and move from there. -
Quote:Among other criteria, sure. I notice when they ask for feedback, it's both objective and subjective. Beyond that, I don't claim to understand the extent of their current intentions, unless they specifically state them.Originally Posted by Shubbie
Devs balance on does THIS work
I can assume what I think you're getting at, but I'm not exactly clear. If they are "functional" (which I'll assume to mean they do contribute and meet some level of the devs current intentions), then they're certainly not "superfluous".Quote:Blasters are functional, but I would take any corruptor or any scrapper over a blaster if given a choice.
Its a small difference but an important one.
No offense, but as stated, it's an arbitrary preference, without any specific context.
You've demonstrated a bias towards other ATs...not why Blasters are uniquely unnecessary for much of the games content.Quote:This is why I said superfluous not Blasters arent functional. -
Quote:That's not at all what I stated.Originally Posted by Shubbie
All balance has to be purely off the numbers.
You cant just have the dev's saying, Blasters need to be weaker because they are played by better players.
Based on your above criteria, we can't argue for any specific re-balancing, until someone provides numbers or some form of dev validation. If the devs have decided that blasters should fall into a given range of performance, then who is to say they aren't performing as intended?
Your point counters your position, actually, as the most you've offered is that incarnate abilities have rendered entire ATs useless. Show that you understand the established intent, then show the numbers.
My only point regarding player ability, was that some of these claims being tossed around, such as being "unable function on a team of 3/TF", were overblown exaggerations. For that, we don't necessarily need numbers, though they can be acquired. A jump to test server can put such claims into perspective, rather easily. -
Quote:The advantage isn't gone, it's just shifted or applied differently.Originally Posted by Another_Fan
The burst damage advantage was gone long before judgement. Against all Odds+buildup, Rage+Fury+Fiery Embrace, etc really just wadded it up and tossed in the trash.
When on my shield scrapper, AAO requires time to gather a group, in order to get the max effect. The damage boost from BU is also less frequent than my blaster alternating BU and Aim.
In practice, my blaster is preemptively buffing and delivering damage with quite a bit more reach, and making subtle adjustments for less interruption in DPS, while moving.
In some situations/groups, my fire blaster with quick animations is better equipped for the flow of the team, while in others, my scrappers added durability enables smoother offense. Both do quite a bit of burst damage, but it doesn't render either useless.
In all honesty, I'd love to jump on test with a few players to see just how people are qualifying their claims. If we're talking a super team, then yes, bring the force multipliers. If it's a more casual formation, then its more than likely a measure of the player, as opposed to the AT. -
Quote:To do damage. Some days I just don't feel like playing support/micro-managing, debuffing, recasting pets, or controlling...I just want to lock onto a target and deliver damage at a frantic pace. Case in point being, while others are setting up buffs/debuffs/control, the blaster is spending the same time contributing damage.Originally Posted by Shubbie
It leaves me wondering whats the role of an At that does damage and nothing else?
For the most part, CoX doesn't require any special combination of ATs to overcome most content. If an emp can contribute to a team by taking and using their secondaries, then I'm certainly contributing to a team by making use of any applied buffs/debuffs and using both my primary and secondary.
I wouldn't. If I had to choose (which I'm glad I don't), it would depend on who is available, and/or team composition and players. If I'm specifically constructing a super team, then sure, I'd be more selective.Quote:For me I would take any corruptor, defender or dominator over any blaster any day on any TF Im running.
Overall, these threads are becoming rather shortsighted. The argument that force multipliers are the strongest force in the game, is a given. That fact, however, doesn't render all other non-force multipliers obsolete or superfluous. Playing for fun is my overall objective, and my Blaster contributes to that well enough. -
Quote:To be honest, you probably should rename it. "Pistol defense", like "shield defense" implies that a pistol is the primary tool being used for defense. It's just not the best naming convention, really.Originally Posted by Cheetatron
Are people really so caught up in the name and ignorance of precedence? That they don't even bother to read the proposal?
I'm honestly considering re-posting this as the "Self Defense" defensive set with everything else 100% the same -
Quote:Has a qualification like this ever worked in the history of the internet?Originally Posted by TheStarhawk
You are wrong...I play in Freedom PVP RV everyday. I see, and know what needs nerfing...Psi needs nerf..
Given the frequency of use, I'm sure it has had to work...somewhere, at some point in time... -
Quote:Though it's going off subject, I somewhat disagree with this. Sure, you can play a mechanically imperfect game, with lack of balance, if the purpose of the content is strong enough to draw committed players. However, the reverse can also be true; if the game mechanics are exciting and dynamic enough, players will also be drawn to content, despite having a loose or weaker purpose (hello, Angry Birds).Originally Posted by konrad knox
Those problems are just quirks and bugs with balance. Fixing them is not as necessary as giving PvP a purpose to begin with. Even with balance issues it can be fun if there is a point to it in the first place. Right now there isn't at all a point to PvP.
While assigning a purpose to PvP has long been desirable, a number of players would agree that the current mechanics are just too radical. That's not something that's as easily written off as being a "bug with balance", given they came as a specific change to a system that many players viewed as more fun (though also imperfect).
Current PvP mechanics represent a sad limitation of tools to play with, under even worse rules/conditions. To overlook this would take something with much greater uniqueness or significance. However, that's a rather high expectation, and so realistically, balance is the key. The purpose of PvP should be just as fun as the mechanics behind it, among other things, as they represent the foundation of the interaction. Any purpose or reason we give the player for why these confrontations exist, is really just an attempt at immersiveness for the sake of longevity. -
Santa_Laws,
Though I don't agree at all with your approach, I give you credit for putting your money where your mouth is. Same goes for playing the same set, that many times.
It certainly is different than people posting up dream builds, while still at level 1.
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Quote:Among many others, one key issue with this, is that most people won't PvP because they don't have much more than a casual level of interest. By itself, that may be fine, but the problem grows when they expect more than a casual level of results. With no real gauge to measure or qualify their ability, disinterest sets in fast, and they quit soon after.Originally Posted by Timeshadow
You're bound to get beaten a lot before you start to get the hang of things and rack up victories. That's all well and good but those early strings of loses do make players shy away from the PvP scene.
Even in a balanced game, when playing against other dedicated players, there is still a large learning curve, as you're no longer dealing with predictable AI. The reward or feeling of accomplishment for such effort just isn't worth it to most players, and for whatever reason, both valid and invalid, it leads to lack of participation. You'll only have a limited capacity and/or window of influence to shift these types of ideas through game mechanics, but given some exceptions, it starts with a state of mind. Willingness to dip your feet in the water is different than an honest attempt to swim, as a goal.
The most I can say is, good luck. I have a mountain of patience, but it also doesn't take much to realize where the devs priorities are. At the same time, there are also criticisms the PvP 'community' stands to bear, but at this point, it's just late in the game.Quote:Thanks for any input you guys can provide. I know a lot of people say PvP is dead and that the Devs don't care about it but I really wanna try to do something here. -
Go figure...and here I've always considered Combat Jumping mated to hurdle as being one of the best power combinations in the game, thanks to partially *avoiding* movement suppression and rooting. I can't think of any character in my roster, which wouldn't see some good benefit by the addition of both, if not already.
As others have stated, you may just want to adjust to your new movement potential. With practice it really improves your combat positioning and speed. -
Alternatively, you can use phase shift (or the temp).
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Quote:I wouldn't say it's part of my "attack chain", as I don't make it a habit to die often (PB'd veng means someone else can take the initiative there), but it certainly is an attractive insurance policy.Originally Posted by Aoleleb
YES! My personal version is "Death is part of my attack chain." but I love seeing someone else who has as little self-preservation instinct on a blaster as I do!
It allows me to be bold and reckless, when I'm not being bold and reckless.