Guide to Blaptrolling with Electricity
Ah, with Issue 5 finally comes the updated version of this guide
As a comparative reference, if it interests you, you can locate my former guide for Issue 4 Here.
Whats new in the guide?
-Added Electric Mastery EPP.
-Updated tactics.
-Revised power reviews (including number rating).
-Corrected figures (Brawl index, endurance cost, etc.) for multiple powers.
Table of Contents:
1). Intro
2). Quick endurance drain explanation
3). Electric Blast-Primary
4). Electric/Secondary Combinations
5). Electric Manipulation-Secondary
6). Pool Powers
7). Epic Pool Powers- Cold Mastery
8). Flame Mastery
9). Munitions Mastery
10). Force Mastery
11). Electric Mastery
12). Sample builds
13). Play strategy, tactics
14). Demos
15). Other blaptrollers?
16). END
1). As a quick and dirty introduction:
The electric blaptroller thrives on a three-pronged strategy: 1). Controlling with endurance drain and holds. 2). Scrapping with the very powerful melee secondary attacks. 3). Versatility of blasting from a distance. Why? In my opinion, the combination just lends itself to this type of play style. Not embracing the control aspects of the Electric primary will leave you quite dissatisfied and feeling not up to par with other blasters. In this game, there are many hybrids across the ATsFire tankers meld damage with tanking, Spine scrappers and Illusion controllers play very similar to blasters, etc. This is the case of the Electric primary powerset. It is an amalgam of control + blasting. The secondary sets for blasters are, for the most part, a mix of utility+melee, similar to scrappers. Ignoring this is like ignoring the fact that Illusion controllers are capable of great ranged damage, that Fire tankers sacrifice some defense for damage, etc. Hence, the concept of Blaptrolling.
Why choose this type of play style over other Blaster primaries? Well, the Electric primary is the jack of all trades, master of none as far as the Blaster sets go. It can put up decent AoE damage, especially in the late game, but it wont match Fire or Assault Rifle in terms of group destruction. Its single target damage isnt as impressive as Ice, but combined with the secondary, it can take out targets one-by-one very quickly. In terms of controlling ability, the only blaster type Id even consider giving it a run for its money is Ice/Ice, with enough single target holds, slows, knockdown, and other forms of soft-lockdown to match the brutal efficiency that is the Electric primary. As such, the build lends itself quite well to soloing, where single target attacks are much more important than AoE for the most part. Your controls keep you safe while you skate through missions quite quickly. But, it also has a great role in teams, though different than that of other blasters. In making up teams with my Electric blaster, Im able to fill in holes the team make-up is lacking. Need a controller? Fine, Ill fit that role. A scrapper to quickly dispose of Voids for the Kheld on the team? Check. Ranged Nuke and decent AoE damage to dramatically increase team damage output? Me, me! Electric blasters are an absolute toolbox with answers to most everything; if thats the type of play style you think youd enjoy, read on
!
2). .:ENDURANCE DRAIN:.
This is the crux of the build, and it wouldnt work without it. Basically, Electric/x blasters are able to completely drain groups of bad guys 100% of endurance in 1-2 shots, and keep them there until theyre arrested. What does this mean? Well, can you do anything when you have no Endurance?
Its an extremely efficient form of soft control, AoE at that, available every battle. This is also the catalyst for melee fighting. The bad guys cant hit you with anything other than the occasional Brawl, so whats the risk of Havoc Punching them in the face?
3). .:ELECTRICAL BLAST:.
Before going over the set, a quick breakdown of the rating system:
5- A defining power of the set. Get this power, or pick a different powerset
4- Bread and butter. Youll use this often, and youll like it.
3- Useful. Sometimes situational, but itll probably work its way in to your build
2- Situational. There are a few times when youll absolutely love having this, but for the most part, itll set in your power tray still waiting to get some mouse clicks.
1- Very situational. You can skip over this, and be glad you did.
Charged Bolts- Single target ranged, low endurance drain
Accuracy: 75
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: 4 seconds
Endurance cost: 6
Range: 70
Brawl Index: 2.7778 (Energy)
Charged Bolts is the standard tier 1 blast of a Blaster set. However, its range is 10 shorter than most, though thats not too much of an issue. It has an average activation time, and average damage. Its definitely not as impressive as your potential melee options. You might notice Ive changed my opinions quite a bit on this powerI still dont like it, but youll need it if you want a constant attack chain (which isnt as pivotal as you may think to a build like this). I like it for picking out runners, and I am really enjoying the added single target damage to my new build. Id pick it up some point in your career, unless you have another melee attack you can slot up and stick in its place.
Rating: 3/5
Recommended slotting: 1 acc/5 damage
Lightning Bolt- Single target ranged, low endurance drain
Accuracy: 75
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: 8 seconds
Endurance cost: 10
Range: 80
Brawl Index: 4.5556 (Energy)
Mmm, Lightning Bolt. Now this is an attack
. Its brawl index is great, it has better range than Charged Bolts (which, although youre not a ranged specialist, comes in much more handy for picking off those pansy runners that are fleeing from your wave of destruction). It will also be regularly used in your attack chains when in melee because of its decent damage. Pick this up at level 1.
Rating: 4/5
Recommended slotting: 1 Accuracy, 5 Damage.
Ball Lightning- AoE ranged, low endurance drain
Accuracy: 75
Activation time: 1 second
Recharge time: 16 seconds
Endurance cost: 17.5
Range: 80
Brawl Index: 2.8333 (Energy)
Ball Lightning is your staple AoE attack. It will be your most key power in quickly dropping minions in multiples. It has a decent brawl index considering it hits multiple targets (better than Charged Bolts!), but its damage is also done over time
this means it wont have the initial OOMPH you may want it to have, but the fact that it is DoT isnt too much of a hindrance. And enemy regeneration rate hardly comes into play concerning DoT, so dont worry about it dealing less than the listed brawl index
just expect it to do so over the course of its initial impact and then a consequential 4 ticks of more damage. Key things to remember about this attack, although it will be used A LOT, it has a high endurance cost; for it to be cost effective, dont use it in silly situations such as on one enemy. Its meant to hit many at once
. Also take note of its long recharge time. Since its your main and highest damaging AoE attack, youll need multiple applications for it to drop minions while you bash lieutenant and boss faces. (But thats not too big of a problem when the enemies cant hit you
)
Rating: 4/5
Recommended slotting: 1 accuracy, 5 damage
Short Circuit- PBAoE high endurance drain
Accuracy: 95
Activation time: 3 seconds
Recharge time: 20 seconds
Endurance cost: 18
Range: 5
Brawl index: 2.5 (Energy)
This is why you became an electric blaster. If its not, go role a different type, because this is the key to making use of your secondary effects and distinguishing you from the mundane builds that are represented by all the other blaster archetypes. This power requires single-origins to be effective, but thats not an issue. This single-origin need presents itself in many other powers from many other archetypes, but Ill try not to digress. Once properly slotted, Short Circuit will be your AoE hold of sorts. Youll have to run into the middle of a group of baddies to activate it, but following its activation, the baddies it hits will be able to do nothing but brawl you, if that. Majority of the time, the effected baddies will be sitting there staring at you, waiting in line for a Havoc Punch to the head or Ball Lightning to finish them off. This is also the reason I consider electric blasters to be the best blappers. Combined with devastating melee attacks in the secondary, 2 holds, and an effective AoE hold, Elec/Elec gives Ice/Energy a HUGE run for its money as being the most efficient blapper build. And it easily beats Ice/Energy for best blaptroller build
.
An effective strategy if you dont want to take Short Circuit later in the build, or want to have its draining capabilities immediately upon reaching SOs, is to 6 slot it for damage
in early levels, particularly if teaming, this will be a safe operation to conduct, and since it has a decent brawl index, slotting it for damage yields pretty satisfying returns. The combination with Ball Lighting helps in lower levels when baddies arent nearly as threatening, i.e. you own Perez Park :P.
Also take note of Short Circuits states. It has an innate accuracy bonus, meaning that with in conjunction with Aim + Buildup, you wont be missing anything within its decent range. It has a long activation time and a long recharge time, but other powers that will later be discussed in this build will negate these side-effects. It also has a good brawl index for an AoEalthough youll be slotting it with endurance drains, the damage it deals will add up when youre in the middle of a crowd and activating it multiple times, in addition to Ball Lightning.
Rating: 5/5
Recommended Slotting: 6 endurance drain (this will allow you to completely drain same level minions, reduce +1 minions to brawl level, and in conjunction with Ball Lightning/Power Sink, higher)
Aim- Self- tohit buff
Activation Time: 1 second
Recharge time: 90 seconds
Duration: 10 seconds
Endurance cost: 6
Aim is an effective power in any blaster build, and the elec/elec blaptroller is no exception. Aim boosts your damage (extremely helpful for the AoE damage of Short Circuit, Ball Lightning, Thunderous Blast) but also significantly improves accuracy. Its a 62.5% increase to damage and a 100% increase to accuracy, significantly buffing your attacks and allowing you to take down groups of baddies much quicker. It should be picked up some time in the build, but its not highest priority.
Rating: 4/5
Recommended Slotting: 1-3 recharge reductions
Zapp- Single target long range, high endurance drain
Accuracy: 95
Activation time: 6 seconds
Recharge time: 12 seconds
Endurance cost: 16.5
Range: 150
Brawl index: 7.667 (Energy)
Electricitys snipe. As far as snipes go, its excellent. It does what it was intended to do. But as far as its compatibility with the rest of the build, Zapp doesnt fit particularly well. Most sniping blasters lead off battles with their snipe, effectively allowing them to reduce the enemy count by one by initially one-shotting and taking out an enemy. If youre hit while in the middle of activating this power, it will be unqueued and your time and endurance will have been wasted. But this isnt how the elec/elec blaptroller plays. The last thing you want to do is draw intention to yourself before hopping in to a mob and activating Short Circuit. After mobs are drained of endurance, it IS safe to execute a Zapp, but its far more effective damage per second to continue a chain of your AoEs and excellent single target melee damage + Lightning Bolt. Zapp just doesnt fit in an unorthodox blaster build. If you solo far more often than you team, I can see this fitting in to the build, when youre only facing 3ish enemies per spawn. However, the build contributes quite a bit to teams, and is able to solo large groups of mobs (think hazard zone spawns) very well, and very quickly, and this power requires too much devotion.
Rating: 2/5
Recommended Slotting: 0-1 interrupt reducers, 5-6 damage if you take thisif you ever team, you probably shouldnt, and if you dont exclusively solo missions, dont take it. (its a bit of a bind to find the slots, too
.)
Tesla Cage- Ranged single target hold, low endurance drain
Accuracy: 75
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: 10 seconds
Duration: 15 seconds
Endurance cost: 8
Range: 60
Brawl index: .4167 (Energy)
Foe holds are crucial for any blapper build to be effective, and in conjunction with mass-villain controlling capabilities, they are what have deemed this build the blaptroller. Tesla Cage is excellent for holding threats when you dont want to see what may happen when they regain a bit of endurance. It is also crucial for those ~RARE~ occasions in which you may miss a baddy when Short Circuiting either due to bad luck or being out of range. In conjunction with Holds from the secondary power set, Tesla Cage will be able to stack to hold bosses, and holds most lieutenants and minions by itself right off of the bat. This power will be crucial to your leveling and safety when in melee; ice blappers revolve around the concept of being able to hold enemies and then smash their faces in, its what makes them so effective. What makes this build more effective is the ability to group hold with Short Circuit and isolate other threats with 2-3 single target holds that match the two holds of the Ice blaster primary (gaining more hold options from the secondary and epics.)
Rating: 4/5
Recommended slotting: 1 accuracy, 1-3 hold durations
Voltaic Sentinel- Summoned pet, low endurance drain per bolt
Accuracy: 175
Activation time: 3 seconds
Recharge time: 120 seconds
Duration: ??? seconds or until 10 shots are fired
Endurance cost: 30
Range: 60
Brawl index: 2.2222 per bolt fired; up to 10 bolts total fired (Energy)
Many people see Voltaic Sentinel in the electric primary and get excited by its pet-like qualities; it makes the electric sets seem even more controllerish. However, unlike the superior controller and dark defender pets, Voltaic Sentinel is unbuffable and cannot take any damage. As a result, all damage it deals leads to the agro it inspires being drawn to your sweet, breakable body. But Voltaic Sentinel IS extremely cost-efficient and helpful in taking down enemies more quickly. VS CAN be used effectively in the blaptroller build; it can be one of the most efficient forms of damage offered to either the electric primary or secondary. The reason why I didnt like it and advise against taking it is its lack of congruency within the build. Getting in the middle of mobs to set up is harder when your Sentinel begins firing as soon as its in range, effectively blowing your cover. This can be avoided by summoning the sentinel after neutralizing the enemies, but because I like to maintain a constant stream of fighting, I would be ready to fight the next group of enemies before Voltaic Sentinel had expired
meaning I would have to wait for it to disappear before I was able to safely engage the next group of enemies. I can see those of you that are more patient than I working Voltaic Sentinel into this build if you dont mind a bit of downtime in between groups; but between Thunderous Blasting one group, and Short Circuiting + Ball Lightning + Meleeing the next, I found Sparky to be more of a nuisance than an assistance in actual fighting. If you prefer a more chaotic, rushing approach, you could make Voltaic Sentinel cost-effective damage by quickly Super Speeding in to the next group, before he gets there, queuing Short Circuit, and Sparky should be arriving to fire by the time the group is drained.
Rating: 2/5
Recommended Slotting: If you find this power to be useful on the build (try it on test server first), slot it with 6 damage. Its inherent accuracy bonus is more than enough for it to reliably hit baddies much levels higher than you.
Thunderous Blast- Ranged AoE nuke, high endurance drain
Accuracy: 105
Activation time: 4 seconds
Recharge time: 360 seconds
Endurance: 11 (but will drain you completely if used on a large number of enemies)
Range: 60
Brawl index: 13.889 (Energy)
Ahh, the Holy Grail of the electric blaster set? Close to it, although Short Circuit may edge it out in my mind. TB is an excellent nuke
ranged (as if it were a problem to enter melee with this build), high endurance drain, excellent damage, and leaves the baddies riveting for a few seconds. This power is key to effectively soloing large groups, and an absolute godsend in teams. It allows you to decimate a group of baddies of your choice before popping a few blues and moving on to the next batch for a slightly slower but just as painful death to another group by Short Circuit + ensuing beating. With the endurance recovery being fixed in issue 5, youll likely need to use a blue and your secondary endurance recovery power, if you have one, before moving on. This power will be CRUCIAL in your playing from level 32 onwards, and its obviously a must-have, even with the new target limits. Leveling with TB is faster than without. Always use Aim + Buildup before utilizing this power.
Rating: 5/5
Recommended slotting: 4 damage, 2 recharge reductions (While youll no longer be able to reach the damage cap with this slotting, youll still deal great damage. All you need to do is eat a few red inspirations or team with damage buffers, and youll be there. In my opinion, the 2 rechargers contribute a lot more than the damage).
4). Electric/secondary combinations
Which secondary power set is best for your Electric primary? Well, it depends on what you want to do.
Electric/Electric: This power combination, along with Elec/Energy, is what I recommend most. It combines great utility, holds, beastly melee attacks, and more endurance drain in to one neat little package. If this is your first Electric blaster, Elec/elec is easy to develop a concept for, easy to play, and is a very powerful combination. It compliments the primary extremely well.
Rank in terms of power: 1st, tied with Electric/Energy
Electric/Energy: Another very strong combination. Its nearly identical to Elec/elec in terms of play style, powers, strength, etc. with subtle differences. Both are great toolbox compliments to an already diverse primary. Ultimately, it has stronger melee than elec/elec, and blooms a bit earlier too.
Rank in terms of power: 1st, tied with Electric/Electric
Electric/Dev: Another very powerful combination. It does very little in terms of increasing your control or scrapping components. It does, however, help fill the small hole of little AoE damage, with Trip Mine letting you deal much more mass damage. Its also a nice toolbox assortment of powers that let you cater situations to your needs. This build is much more Blastroller, or even plain old regular Blaster than it is Blaptroller. Its not far behind the first two.
Rank in terms of power: 3rd, tied with Electric/Fire
Electric/Fire: Surprisingly, the electric primary is likely the best way to make use of the Fire secondary. How? The drain from the primary lets you safely execute the AoE destruction from the secondary. With Short Circuit and Ball Lighting slotted for drain, the combination of Aim + BU + Short Circuit + Ball Lightning + Combustion + Fire Sword Circle is enough to drop groups of yellows, and, (extrapolating on Ball Lightning's endurance drain here... need to find time to test at some point) oranges in 100% safety, once you have them all slotted with SOs.
Rank in terms of power: 3rd, tied with Electric/Devices
Electric/Ice: This power combination is a bit weak. The gap from 3rd to 5th is a very large one. It has very little in terms of damage, with the melee attacks being less effective than /Electric and /Energy, sacrificing this damage for a LOT of control. The problem, though, is that the controls arent complimentarythe Electric primary focus on endurance drain, while the Ice secondary focusing on slows and knockdown. The only ground for overlap is holds, but that can be accomplished through stronger power combinations, such as Elec/Elec.
Rank in terms of power: 5th, dead-stinking last
5). .:ELECTRICITY MANIPULATION:.
Electric Fence- Ranged single target immobilize, endurance drain over time
Accuracy: 75
Activation time: 1 second
Recharge time: 4 seconds
Duration: ? seconds
Endurance cost: 9
Range: 50
Brawl index: 2.7778 (Energy), over 5 ticks of damage
Electric Fence is a nice power, considering its required to take from the electric secondary. It has a decent brawl index for an immobilization power (the same as Charged Bolts), albeit DoT, and a decent amount of endurance drain as well. This power is useful in lower levels for isolating a baddy temporarily while doing decent damage. I found it effective in lower levels to Fence a baddy that had begun engaging me in melee and then back-up
at that point, its like an effective hold for you to take on the rest of the group with more breathing room. It fills the gap nicely in lower level attack chains and I find it nice to finish those left with a sliver of health. However, it wont be used much later in the build upon obtaining better attacks and better methods of control.
Recommended slotting: Default slot with one accuracy
Charged Brawl- Single target melee, endurance drain, sleep
Accuracy: 75
Activation time: 1 second
Recharge time: 8 seconds
Endurance cost: 12
Range: 5
Brawl index: 5.4445 (Energy/Smashing)
Wow!! What a powerful second level attack. Charged Brawl has a greater brawl index than Lightning Bolt from the electric primary set. Charged Brawl will likely be your most heavily used attack, and it will serve you well. Quick activation time, short recharge, excellent damage, and its disadvantage is having to enter melee, something the blaptroller takes care of quite well
. Note its very large endurance cost, however.
(A minor note: Charged Brawl has a minute chance to sleep the target youve brawled.)
Rating: 4/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 accuracy, 5 damage
Lightning Field- PBAoE toggle, endurance drain
Accuracy: 75
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: 10 seconds
Endurance per second: 1.5
Brawl index: .4722 (Energy)
This power is often dismissed as being the most useless from the electric secondary; however, in an endurance-draining build, Lightning Field has its uses. After Short Circuiting, Lightning Field can be utilized to keep villains completely drained of endurance following a Short Circuit or Power Sink, all the while dealing a bit of AoE damage. This would allow you to maintain constant attacks after one application of full-on endurance drain, but at the cost of a power slot; because this build is EXTREMELY tight as is, in addition to slightly toggle heavy anyways, I find it to be nearly as effective to just reuse Short Circuit or Power Sink when theyre available to assure a groups complete draining. If you find room in the build to spare the power slot, Lightning Field is worth it; if not, dont be worried about it, you can keep enemies completely drained regardless, even if it does mean taking down enemies more slowly.
Rating: 2/5
Recommended slotting: If you do get this power, its fine with just the default slot with an accuracy, maybe a few endurance drains. If youre patient, you could add damage and use it as an efficient source of AoE DoT.
Havoc Punch- Single target melee, endurance drain, sleep, knockback
Accuracy: 75
Activation time: 1 second
Recharge time: 12 seconds
Endurance cost: 16
Range: 5
Brawl index: 7.2223 (Energy/Smashing)
HOLY!! This power is AMAZING. It will be doing roughly the damage of the electric primary snipe, Zapp, with 1/6 of the animation time and a much quicker recharge time. This will be your most effective means at taking down enemies, Ball Lightnings AoE damage aside. You will be a Boss-killing, Lieutenant-hating, minion-crushing machine with this power. Because enemies will be completely drained of endurance or held, its perfectly reasonable for you to smash the bigger threats with Havoc Punch, Charged Brawl, and your Bolts while allowing Ball Lightning + Short Circuit to whittle away at the minions. Pick this power up immediately upon its availability, and Im sure its 6-slot necessity goes with out saying.
(A minor note: Havoc Punch has a minute chance to sleep the target youve punched.)
Rating: 5/5
Recommended slotting: 1 accuracy, 5 damage, pick it up as soon as its available
Build Up- Self buff
Activation time: 1 second
Recharge time: 90 seconds
Duration: 10 seconds
Endurance cost: 6
Increases your accuracy by 62.5% and damage by 100%. Yes, you need to have it. Once you have perma-hasten and all of your attacks/holds, you will be doing something consistently
at that point, you dont need more attacks, but beefing up your current attacks helps IMMENSELY, especially AoEs and the hard-hitting melee attacks. Typically when waltzing into mobs, I hit Aim + Build Up -> Short Circuit, Ball Lightning, melee attacks, hold if necessary
and the damage is beautiful. Aim and Build Up together actually allow for both Short Circuit and Ball Lightning to deal excellent AoE damage, even though the former isnt slotted one bit for damage. Build Up is also crucial for the most effective use of Thunderous Blast
Aim + Build Up should ALWAYS be used before Thunderous Blasting, as this will bring you close to the damage cap as well as give you more than enough accuracy to slaughter everything within range. Anyway you look at it, Build Up is godly.
Rating: 5/5
Recommended slotting: 1-3 recharge reductions
Lightning Clap- PBAoE disorient
Accuracy: 75
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: 30 seconds
Duration: ?? seconds
Endurance cost: 15
With regards to the blaptroller theme, Lightning Clap is a seemingly helpful power on the surface. Im going to be in melee anyways, right? So disorienting the group will be perfect! Not exactly. Disoriented enemies have the liberty to walk away from you
in this time they can regenerate a healthy amount of endurance, and can wander out of range of your Ball Lightnings, Short Circuits, and melee attacks. Once in a group of enemies, its best to keep them focused on you then giving them free will, as it will ultimately keep you safer by allowing you to more accessibly drain and scrap. If you want a get-away from me power, get Thunder Strike, which has only 1 second longer of an animation, and seems to have near identical changes to knockback/disorient, in addition to dealing a lot of damage.
Rating: 1/5
Recommended slotting: Skip this power.
Thunder Strike- Melee AoE, Knockback, disorient
Accuracy: 75
Activation time: 3 seconds
Recharge time: 20 seconds
Endurance cost: 21.5
Range: 5
Brawl index: 8.2223 (now slightly greater than Havoc Punch) (Energy/Smashing)
Dont mistake this power for the sheer monstrosity that is Total Focus. Thunder Strike has received recent improvements, but its definitely not up to par. Thunder Strike COULD have room in this type of build, but I found it superfluous due to Charged Brawl and Havoc Punch simply outclassing it. Its wind up time is horrendous, its single target damage is hardly better than that of Havoc Punch (its smashing component is greater, meaning its likely to be more resisted than Havoc Punch), the AoE damage isnt significant enough to warrant its inclusion in the build (dealing 1.1111 energy damage), the knockback isnt particularly useful (though more useful than Lightning Clap; but knockback can in some ways be hazardous to this build. You want baddies nice and tight around you so that you can keep them drained), and the chance to disorient is almost non-existent. With all this being said, if you find yourself lacking in oomph or attacks, Thunder Strike is a viable option, and I could potentially see it replacing Charged Bolts in the build.
Rating: 3/5
Recommended slotting: 1 accuracy, 4-5 damage, 0-1 endurance reduction
Power Sink- PBAoE high endurance drain, endurance recovery
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: 60 seconds
Endurance cost: 15
This is a tool no elec/elec blaster of any kind should be caught without regardless of build. Power Sink is an auto-hit endurance drain effect that relies on nearby foes (hard to accommodate with this build, right?
) that recovers endurance similarly to effects such as Consume. This, in conjunction with Short Circuit, will allow you to completely drain higher level mobs of endurance, and in intermittent use with Short Circuit, the two powers will make certain that the enemies around you are completely sucked dry of endurance. Theres nothing like completely neutralizing your foes while regenerating your own endurance bar to full capacity
. This power will make soloing immensely more viable for you, as if it werent enough, solving your endurance problems and increasing safety when duking it out with baddies. This power doesnt require any endurance recovery enhancements to be effective; youll find yourself completely regenerating endurance with 2-3 foes around. Slot it out for drains and recharges as you deem useful. With 6 endurance drains, in tandem with Short Circuit, you can drain purple baddies (+3s) completely. Slot to your tastes according to the level of bad guys youre used to fighting; +3s, go with 6 drain; +2s, go with 4 drain, 2 recharge. Anything less, Short Circuit takes care of on its own.
Rating: 5/5
Recommended slotting: 3-6 Endurance drain, 0-3 recharge reduction
Shocking Grasp: Melee hold, endurance drain, damage over time
Accuracy: 75
Activation time: 1 second
Recharge time: 15 seconds
Duration: ?? seconds
Endurance cost: 21
Range: 5
Brawl index: 4.9998 (6 ticks of damage) (Energy)
Now THIS power is comparable to energys Total Focus; fitting, as theyre both 9th level powers. In conjunction with Tesla Cage, this combination will allow you to one-two hold bosses, hold multiple lieutenants, and all around make certain you have control of everything around you. Although it has a high endurance cost, this is justified by a strong hold in addition to excellent damage, albeit over time. This power is worth slotting for both hold durations and damagethink of it as the melee attack Thunder Strike should have been. You can use it in regular attack chains as an attack (slotting it 1 acc/5 damage could replace the need for Charged Bolts), or more dire situations to keep a troublesome foe off of your back. However you use it, Shocking Grasp is a welcome addition to any blaptrollers tool box
. Take note, though, that its damage is done over time.
Rating: 4/5
Recommended slotting: 1 accuracy, 2-3 hold, 0-5 damage, 0-1 endurance reduction
6). .:POOL POWERS:.
Although this build isnt as cookie-cutter as say a Fire tanker, there are still a few pools I would strongly recommend over others:
Fitness-
Stamina: Auto self +endurance recovery
+.42 endurance/second (+1.38 endurance/second 6 slotted)
Stamina is necessary for virtually every AT, every build, and this one is no exception. This is a relatively toggle-heavy build for a blaster, which youll see upon perusing the other pool power suggestions, and blaster attacks are always heavy on endurance. This should really go without any explanation, but some blasters think that they can get away with Power Sink alonethe two combined are what is necessary for smooth, non-stop battling, AKA fun
!
With regards to the prerequisites to obtaining stamina, youll want either hurdle/swift and then health. Either hurdle or swift is fine because this build ends up with both Super Jump and Super Speed
I personally prefer hurdle because Super Speed is often left on in battle, and Combat Jumping + Hurdle is good vertical mobility while Super Speed satisfies my horizontal and semi-stealth needs. If you go the Hover route, pick up Swift instead of Hurdle. Health obviously assists in decreasing down time to a small degree.
Rating: 5/5
Suggested slotting: 6 endurance recovery
Other prerequisites, leave with base slotting.
Concealment-
Stealth: Toggle self +stealth, +defense
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: 20 seconds
Endurance cost: .38/s
While far less useful than it once was, Stealth can still help out quite a bit. The invisibility offered by Super Speed + Stealth stacking is remarkably useful even with suppression. You can still use the combination to sneak into a group of bad guys undetected to plan a Short Circuit, but beware of suppression: if you just attacked not too long ago, wait again for the stealth from both powers to kick in. The combination is always handy for invising through missions.
Stealths defense is now not only lowered in I5, but some of it suppresses when you attack. If you take Stealth, take it for its concealment aspect, and consider its actual defense negligible. I wouldnt recommend any other powers from this pool, you have better options to pick.
Rating: 3/5
Suggested Slotting: 1 endurance reducer
Speed-
Hasten: Click self + recharge
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: 368 seconds (permanent with 6 slots)
Duration: 120 seconds
Endurance cost: 20 drop when it expires
.7 recharge multiplier
Two powers are needed from this pool, Hasten and Super Speed. Hasten takes precedence over Flurry for many a reason that I hope I do not need to expound upon within this guide. In a nutshell, heroes with Hasten are more effective than those withoutits key to reducing downtime on long-recharge powers like Build Up and Thunderous Blast as well as to quickly recycling your more used attack powers, suck as Charged Brawl and Havoc Punch. It also ices on a little boost to defense, 5%, which adds up with your other pool powers.
Rating: 5/5
Suggested slotting: 6 recharge reducers.
Super Speed: Toggle self +speed, +stealth
Endurance cost: .54/s
With your prerequisite out of the way, Super Speed becomes available, and is necessary to be combined with Stealth for complete invisibility. However, take note of recent changes to travel powers; upon attacking, suppression occurs and your Super Speed Stealth will drop at this time. This doesnt prevent you from still getting the first say, however, and entering in to a fray still undetected to pull off a Short Circuit. With this suppression, however, mobs have seemed to have a higher tendency of attacking while Short Circuit is executing. All this means, however, is a minor need to take lucks or respites with you when adventuring (which you should always be doing, just in case
). his problem is also mitigated upon epic power pools, as resistances will allow you to survive alpha strikes by enemies much more effectively. It also lets you make a slight use of defiance (snort). Super Speed will likely be used as your main mode of transportation as well as a priceless combat tool.
Rating: 5/5
Suggested Slotting: 1 speed enhancement if you remember to turn it off after executing Short Circuit (anyone like to come up with a bind for that?
); 1 endurance reducer if you tend to leave it on in battle (I personally have a travel HO in it so I get to cheat a bit
)
Leaping-
If there was any pool power that is removable from this build, it would be this one; you could replace it with Flight, maybe Medicine, etc. In reaching the end game, mezzing effects become more and more prominent, and while Short Circuit and your holds work wonders, one untimely hold can mean insta-face plant. This pool is the remedy to this problem, as well as offering a helpful vertical component in regards to traveling that the speed pool lacks.
There are three powers that youll find useful from this pool: Combat Jumping, Super Jump, and Acrobatics.
Combat Jumping: Toggle self +jump, +def, resist immobilization
Endurance cost: .08/s
Combat Jumping provides useful unsuppressable combat mobility and immobilization resistance, both of which are extremely helpful to this build. It also provides a negligible amount of defense thanks to I5. Its immobilization protection builds with level.
Rating: 3/5
Suggested slotting: 1 jump enhancement, for better combat movement
Super Jump: Toggle self +jump
Endurance cost: .54/s
Super Jump, again, fills the gaps left in traveling by Super Speed, giving you a stronger vertical means of movement as well as being a more useful power than Jump Kick to get to Acrobatics.
Rating: 3/5
Suggested slotting: 1 jump enhancement
Acrobatics: self + resistance to knockback, holds
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: 10 seconds
Endurance cost: .32/s
Acrobatics is the most useful power in this pool, providing both knockback and hold resistance. This is immeasurably helpful in fighting foes wielding either status ailmentswe all know what its like to be chain-knocked down or held and slaughtered
. Acrobatics only offers 1 mag hold protectionmeaning if two get stacked on you, youre goneand offers no resistance to disorients or sleeps, so keep that in mind. Youll still need to carry breakfrees around with you, just in case. Its knockback protection, however, is rarely overcome.
Rating: 4/5
Suggested slotting: 1 endurance reducer
Flight-
Hover: Self +fly, +defense
Knockback/knockdown animation becomes a backflip in air, avoiding getting knocked down
Endurance cost: .22/s
This pool can offer you better combat maneuverability than Leaping can, as well as knockback protection in the power Hover. In doing so, it sacrifices the hold protection offered by Acrobatics, but it can be a fair trade, because the Leaping pool requires 3 powers, and Flight requires 1. If youre debating between picking these two pools, decide what you have more an abundance of: slots or powers. If you can devote 4-5 additional slots to making Hover a sane movement pace, pick up Flight. If youre at a loss of slots but can spare a few powers, go Leaping, which none of the powers require slot devotion. I find a 6 slotted Hover to be extremely fun, allowing for very superheroish movement in battle, as well as giving tactical advantage with unsupressed movement and cone set up. Hover also provides a small amount of defense. You might also consider Air Superiority as another melee attack from this poolwith its almost guranteed knockup and brawl index identical to Charged Bolts, you can easily fit it in to the build and more than warrant its inclusion.
Rating: 4/5
Suggested slotting: 5-6 flight speed
Medicine-
Aid Self:
17% base heal, self +resist disorientation
Activation time: 3 seconds
Recharge time: 20 seconds
Endurance cost: 15
The real point of this power pool is obviously to pick up Aid Self. With the disorient protection the power now offers in I5, Medicine is as viable as Flight and Leaping in my mind now. Now that you must take the alpha strike when using Short Circuit due to suppression, youll take a lot more hits than youre used toand a yellow or lower health bar can be a very uncomfortable feeling for a blaster. This power solves that, allowing you to safely activate it uninterrupted after all bad guys have been drained, and shoot back up to full health, all the while gaining some Disorient protection. Very handy. (Keep in mind the power looks very technologicalif your origin is magic or some such, you probably wont want it
)
Rating: 4/5
Suggested Slotting: 1 interrupt reducer, 1-3 heals
.:EPIC POOL POWERS:.
There are now five epic power pools to choose from, as you all may know: cold, munitions, force, flame, and the newest addition, electricity.
With regards to this build, I feel that Electricity is the hands down best addition, but the other sets can offer a lot, too. Keep in mind that all ratings are with regards to the Elec/Elec blaptroller build. (For more information on Epics outside of this guide, head here-
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showf...=#Post2346864)
7). .:COLD MASTERY:.
Snow Storm: Ranged AoE toggle, foe speed, -recharge
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: 10 seconds
Endurance cost: 1.0/s
Range: 80
This power is a decent means of control, especially versus things like AVs that your other control options dont work against. However, in normal settings, its overkill that you likely dont need. It also doesnt synergize with any of your other powers. That being said, its one of the better options from this power pool.
Rating: 2/5
Suggested slotting: 2 endurance reducers
Flash Freeze: Ranged AoE foe sleep, minor cold/lethal damage
Accuracy: 55
Activation time: 3 seconds
Recharge time: 45 seconds
Duration: 20 seconds
Endurance cost: 22.5
Range: 60
A marginal control power that doesnt compliment you very well. Draining all the enemies of endurance is safer than sleep, and allows you to apply your AoE damage without fear of retaliation. This is, again, control overkill you dont need that doesnt supplement the build in any way. I was under the impression that sleeping a mob would allow you to enter in to Short Circuit completely safelynot the case thanks to the damage component of this power. Just skip the power if you go for this epic.
Rating: 1/5
Suggested Slotting: Dont get this.
Frozen Armor: Toggle self + defense (smashing/lethal) + resistance (fire/cold)
Activation time: 1 second
Recharge time: 2 seconds
Endurance cost: ?/s
The best power from this epic, which really isnt saying muchyoud prefer basically any other epic armor over this, since theyre +resistance, not +defense. The resistance offered from this shield isnt anywhere near as valuable as that from others, and the defense isnt as good as straight up resistance to smashing/lethal. But, if youve gone this route, take it and 6 slot it.
Rating: 3/5
Suggested Slotting: 6 defense enhancements
Hibernate: Click self + regeneration, invulnerable
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: ??
This power will automatically shut off after being in it for too long, and it has a pretty hefty recharge time. This obviously delegates it to being a panic button, in which you click it and shell up, recover to full, and pop back out. Its not a bad panic button, but you wont be able to move after you chill up, which can be a problem. If you pick up this power pool, Id get this power because it will see use, and it just looks sweet
.
Rating: 2/5
Suggested slotting: 1 recharge reducer
Overall Cold Mastery Rating: 1/5; The cold power pool is worst in conjunction with this build, as it just has too little synergy.
8). .:FLAME MASTERY:.
Bonfire: Ranged location AoE, minor fire damage, knockback
(Check the previous link given for numbers; CoH planner doesnt have any).
A useful although admittedly situational power, Bonfire can work as a nice pseudo-hold versus multiple villains if you can pin them between it and a hard place. Theyll be knocked back again and again from the Bonfire into a wall, crate, or what have you, unable to do much while you have your way with them. Its great for blocking doorways. Its very situational, but you might have fun with it and put it to good use as backup control that can be used in a retreating situation.
Rating: 2/5
Suggested slotting: 1 recharge reducer
Char: Foe hold
Accuracy: 95
Activation time: 1 second
Recharge time: 8 seconds
Duration: ?? seconds
Endurance cost: 12.5
Range: 80
Brawl index: ??? (ticks of Fire damage)
A very handy tool, Char can offer you a third hold in your arsenal. While this may be considered overkill, this allows you to do a few things: 1). Have two ranged holds, which comes in handy when you really, really dont want to risk entering melee versus something and 2). Gives you three holds to cycle and spam when the need arises, providing supreme safety if one misses, while simultaneously saving you the need to slot them for duration excessively. I would pick this up, and then ease back a bit on the slotting of your other holds if youve slotted them heftily.
Rating: 4/5
Suggested Slotting: 1 accuracy, 1-3 hold durations
Fire Shield: Toggle Self +resistance to smashing, lethal, cold, and fire
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: 2 seconds
Endurance cost: .?/s
One of the best epic shields, providing a substantial amount of resistance to three damage types (smashing, lethal, and fire) and a small amount to a fourth type (cold). This, like the other armors, will substantially increase your survivability and your ability to take alpha strikes. Get it and 6 slot it.
Rating: 5/5
Suggested slotting: 6 resistance enhancements
Rise of the Phoenix: self rez, foe disorient, knockback
Activation time: 5 seconds (very pretty
)
Recharge time: 300 seconds
One of the graphically best powers in the game, pick this if you like to dye a lot yet maintain some dignity and vanity. I normally dont recommend powers that require a dead hero to work, though, choosing powers that prevent the death from occurring in the first place. But, if at level 49, you have nothing better to take, I can understand your desire to take it .
Rating: 2/5
Suggested slotting: 1 recharge reducer
Overall Flame Mastery Rating: 3/5
9). .:MUNITIONS MASTERY:.
Body Armor: Auto self +resistance to smashing/lethal
While having a resistance power thats on all the time, including when youre mezzed, Id prefer a toggle with a higher base valueBody Armors is much smaller than any of the other epic shields. Usually, youll need an armor with a higher base value to more easily survive alpha strikes, and once youve drained everything, theres no worry of mez, and that is worth a toggles constant endurance cost. The benefitis of having Body Armor being an auto power just dont outweigh the benefits of having a toggle armor in my opinion. But, if you do go munitions, which is very viable, youll still appreciate this power. Just note that you should be taking this pool for the hold and LRM Missilel; Body Armor is just icing.
Rating: 3/5
Suggested Slotting: 6 resistance enhancements
Cryo Freeze Ray: Foe hold, minor cold damage
(Check previously listed link for better numbers)
Another hold option, Cryo Freeze Ray has all the benefits previously listed of Char, with a slightly longer animation time, since you need to whip out a gun to fire it.
Rating: 4/5
Suggested slotting: 1 accuracy, 1-3 hold durations
Sleep Grenade: Ranged AoE foe sleep, minor smashing damage
Accuracy: 75
Range: 60
(Check previously listed link for better numbers)
The information offered on Flash Freeze applies to Sleep Grenade, too.
Rating: 1/5
Suggested Slotting: Dont get this power.
LRM Missile: Ranged AoE
Accuracy: 75
Range: 150
(Check previously listed link for better numbers)
This is a great supplemental power to a combination severely lacking in AoEs. Although there is a huge recharge timer on this power, it can help fill in the holes of this build very, very nicely. Although it has a sniper animation time, you can use it in the middle of battle if you Short Circuit everything first; which can be nice, ascertaining that there will be no return fire if the missile doesnt kill everything. And, thanks to the Missiles snipe range, you can fire it from farther away if the case doesnt warrant Short Circuiting first. Its not as effective as it used to be, since the consistency of Electric Masterys Static Discharge tends to be more useful, but this power is still a major motivation for taking this powerset.
Rating: 4/5
Suggested Slotting: 4-6 damage, 0-2 recharge, depending on if you want it to deal great damage, or be up more often than not (its not nuke damage, so slotting it all for damage might be beneficial. Use Aim + BU beforehand.)
Overall Munitions Mastery Rating: 3/5
10). .:FORCE MASTERY:.
Personal Force Field: Toggle self+defense, +resistance, cant attack
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: 15 seconds
Endurance cost: .5/s
If youre accustomed to having a panic button, such as Phase Shift, this is your new solace. Ive always recommend PFF as a panic button over Phase Shift, but with PSs new recharge time and shortened duration, PFF outclasses it in every way possible. It has a quicker activation time, huge base defense and base resistance than nearly make you intangible, and is still a toggle. Definitely a very useful power, pick it up.
Rating: 4/5 (although you wont use it often, youll feel like its rating is this high when you need it
)
Recommended slotting: 1 defense enhancement
Repulsion Field: Toggle PBAoE knockback
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: 20 seconds
Endurance cost: 1.5/s, each foe repulsed costs additional endurance
While this power can be fun and useful in the same manner as Bonfire, Id consider Bonfire to be an all around more useful power, and the endurance costs of this power to be too inhibiting. Youre better off skipping it and relying on your regular means of control + defense to survive. PFF is a MUCH more useful prerequisite towards the higher end Force Mastery powers.
Rating: 1/5
Recommended slotting: Dont get this power.
Temporary Invulnerability: Toggle self +resistance smashing/lethal
Activation time: 2 seconds
Recharge time: 2 seconds
Endurance cost: ?/s
A very effective armor, it provides the highest base of resistance vs. smashing/lethal of any of the armors in the Blaster epic sets. However, Fire Shield and Charged Armor arent far behind it, and the resistance they offer versus other damage types is usually more useful. TI is still a great power, however, and should not be neglected when picking up the Force Mastery set.
Rating: 4/5
Recommended slotting: 6 resistance enhancements
Force of Nature: Click self +resistance all except psionics, +recovery
Activation time: 3 seconds
Recharge time: Very very long.
Duration: 120 seconds
Endurance cost: 7.5
A very, very impressive power, Force of Nature will literally allow you to feel like a Tank or Scrapper during its duration. It has very high base resistance to all damage types other than psionics, and with TI up, youll almost ignore Smashing/Lethal damage. Also take note if its +recovery componentits a nice boost. It has an endurance drop when its duration ends, however, so be prepared for it. You should be carrying around catch a breaths anyways for using Thunderous Blast, so use one when Force of Nature crashes and then Power Sink to recover. Because of its long recharge time and already impressive base values, I recommend slotting FoN heavily with recharge reducers over resistance enhancements in order to use the power much more regularly; if you use it sparingly, then slot Resistance instead.
Rating: 5/5
Recommended Slotting: 6 recharge reduction, or a combination of recharge/resistance
Overall Force Mastery Rating: 4/5
11). .:ELECTRIC MASTERY:.
Finally, electric blasters rejoice, a conceptually fitting epicand a powerful one at that!
Static Discharge: Ranged Cone
Accuracy: 75
Recharge time: 14 seconds
Endurance cost: 18
Range: 20
Brawl index: 2.53333 (Energy)
Arguably the best power of the set, Static Discharge is exactly what the doctor ordered towards filling in the holes for Electric blasters. Never mind that its dramatically inferior to other Blaster cone attacks, combined with Ball Lightning, you now have efficient AoE damage. Combine that with your superior single target damage, and you start to feel like you have no drawbacks. Get this power and 6 slot itif you have access to damage/range HOs, stick them in here. They allow for both an increase in cone range, allowing you to hit more bad guys with it from a greater distance, while not sacrificing any damage potential.
Rating: 5/5
Recommended slotting: 1 accuracy, 5 damage
Shocking Bolt: Ranged foe hold
Accuracy: ?
Recharge time: 18 seconds
Duration: 15 seconds
Endurance: 13
Range: 80
Brawl index: 1.389 (Energy)
Same commentary from Char and Cryo Freeze Ray apply.
Rating: 4/5
Recommended slotting: 1 accuracy, 1-3 hold duration
Charged Armor: Toggle self +resistance to Smashing, Lethal, Energy
Activation time: 1 second
Recharge time: 2 seconds
Endurance cost: ?/s
Arguably the best epic armor, Charged Armor offers great resistance versus the three most common end-game damage types, with its smashing/lethal being just a touch under Temporary Invulnerability. Get it, slot it, love it.
Rating: 5/5
Recommended slotting: 6 resistance
EMP Pulse: PBAoE foe disorient, energy damage, self recovery
Accuracy: 75
Recharge time: 800 seconds
Duration: 20 seconds
Endurance cost:??
EMP Pulse for defenders and controllers is the best AoE hold in the game. For blasters, its a much less effective AoE disorient without near as much power. When the Epic set first came out, I was ridiculously excited about this power, but now, its not as useful as I had imagined. It can be quite an effective panic button, and it is very nice AoE control for a Blaster, but in most situations, endurance drain is just more reliable, effective, obviously quicker to recharge, etc. If you take EMP Pulse, consider it an extremely situational panic button, not an archetypal control power as it is for defenders and controllers. Use it when the going gets tough, and your endurance drain wont quite reach everyone, or your drain is recharging, or youre going to bite it anyways and want to help the team out.
Rating: 2/5
Recommended slotting: 1 accuracy; you could slot some disorient duration and recharge reduction, but why bother when your endurance drain is such a more effective means of control? Spend those slots elsewhere, and use this only in dire situations.
Overall Electric Mastery Rating: 5/5
The absolute best EPP for an Elec/Elec blaster; arguably the best epic armor, fills in the need for AoE damage, and supplements the build with more complimentary control.
