I recently tried to find a guide to Psychic Blast for Blasters. There was none. I saw several people asking about a guide but still no guide was written. So why not write one myself? So here it is. This is my first guide, so be gentle.
In writing this guide, I tried to read every post on the forums I could find on Psychic Blast. Many forums goers said this set does this better or this set is more fun than Psychic Blast. Maybe they are, I wanted to play Psychic Blast. So I made one. I am having fun with it. So my advice is make a Psychic Blaster. If you have fun, keep playing it. If not, delete it. But in the end find out for yourself, if you think Psychic Blast is fun.
This guide only addresses Psychic Blast and not coupling it with specific Secondary. I did that on purpose. In my research of Psychic Blast, I found several people asking for a guide but no guide appearing. So I thought it appropriate to make this guide more general as how Psychic Blast works and what's good and bad. Thus easier to apply to any particular Secondary. I discuss the potential Secondaries at the end. I try to mention the highlight powers from each Secondary.
Let me briefly talk about playstyle. I made my Psychic Blaster to duo with my wife's tank. Therefore, most of my play has been with a tank. But to prepare for this guide, I spent several days by myself evaluating how this set plays solo. I will endeavor to let you know what works solo and what works with a team. My wife and I are not into PvP, so you will have to look elsewhere for PvP advice.
1. Psionic damage. Lots of mobs have little or no defense against psionic damage. Psionic damage also has a -Rech component.
2. A plethora of single target attacks.
1. Psionic Damage. When mobs have psionic resists, it is high. Reducing damage output.
2. Only two AoEs. One of which is a nuke. The other is best described as "meh."
3. Most of the powers have a very slow recharge. Slot for recharge.
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An attack upon the mind. Characterized by the typical weakness of the attack, but the almost complete absence of defenses against it, as well as with slowing of attack.
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As mentioned in the Pros and Cons, when Psionic damage works it works very well. When it fails, it FAILS! I think
JD_Gumby summed it up well in this
post quoted here:
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The main problem tends to be that things that resist Psi damage tend to do so quite heavily. ... Just pick and choose your enemies and avoid ones with too many machines or psychics (Council/5th Column, Malta, high end Arachnos, and the Carnies, mostly; Freakshow count as human and Clockwork are actually vulnerable to Psi damage).
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So choose your targets wisely, especially if you are solo. You may even want to skip some contacts completely. Or you can find a team that will help you offset this draw back.
Psionic damage also has a negative recharge component. Five of the nine Psychic Blast powers have a chance of -rech on a foe for 6 -10s depending on the power. By slowing your foe's recharge, you will have more time to defeat your foe while not taking damage yourself. That sounds like a win for me. See the individual power descriptions for exact chance of -rech and duration.
Defiance
Originally, Blasters did not have defiance or any inherent power like tankers or scrappers started with. Defiance 1.0 was introduced in Issue 5. It was full of faceplant. I will speak of it no more. Defiance 2.0 was introduced in December 2007. Paragonwiki provides this description of
Defiance:
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Blasters' earliest abilities come so naturally to them, that they are accessible even in states that normally prevent them from using powers, such as being Held, Slept or Stunned. Additionally, each time the Blaster attacks with a primary or secondary power, they gain a stacking damage bonus for the next several seconds. The amount of the damage bonus and its duration is dependent on the exact power used, with single target abilities generally giving the largest bonus.
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What this means is a Blaster can use the first two powers from the Primary set and the first power from the Secondary set when held, asleep, or stunned. In this case, this means Psionic Dart, Mental Blast, and the first power from whatever Secondary you chose. I love dropping the Rikti Mentalist while held. I catch myself talking to the monitor: "That's what up, Fool!"
The second half of defiance boils down to the more you attack the more damage you do. Defiance 2.0. To quote Yoda "Win. Full of, it is."
This guide is simply a guide to Psychic Blast. At the end, I will briefly look at the Pool Powers and Secondary sets suggesting what I like and think works well in each.
Without further adieu, let's look at the quick and easy summary from Paragonwiki.
Overview Of Psychic Blast From Paragon Wiki
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Psionic Dart 1 Ranged, Moderate DMG(Psionic), Foe -Recharge
Mental Blast 1 Ranged, High DMG(Psionic), Foe -Recharge
Telekinetic Blast 2 Ranged, Moderate DMG(Smash/Psionic), Foe Knockback
Psychic Focus 6 Self +To-Hit, +DMG
Will Domination 8 Ranged, Moderate DMG(Psionic), Foe Sleep
Psionic Lance 12 Sniper, Extreme DMG(Psionic), Foe -Recharge
Psionic Tornado 18 Ranged (Targeted AoE), Moderate DoT(Psionic), Foe KnockbacK
Scramble Thoughts 26 Ranged, Minor DMG(Psionic), Foe Disorient
Psychic Wail 32 PBAoE, Extreme DMG(Psionic), Foe Disorient, -Recharge, Self -Recovery
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Before we can discuss the individual powers, it would be a good idea to acquaint ourselves with the definitions of Damage per Activation and Damage per Cast Cycle. Both these statistics can be found in-game by clicking the "Details" button on either the Power Choice screen or the Enhancement Screen.
Damage per Activation (DPA):
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The amount of damage done by an attack, divided by the length of time for the attack animation to display on screen (aka the "activation" or "casting" time).
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For example, let's look at Mental Blast. It has an unenhanced average damage of 93.31 and an activation time of 1.67s. So
DPA = 93.31/1.67s = 56.24
This means that Mental Blast does an average of 56.24 damage per second of Activation Time. In general, the bigger the DPA, the better. You can increase your DPA by adding damage enhancements or if you can convince the Devs to reduce a given power's activation time.
Damage per Cast Cycle. At this time there is not a Paragonwiki article on this, so I will attempt define it myself. Ok, so here goes:
Damage per Cast Cycle (DPCC) is the average amount of damage done by an attack divided by the sum of the Activation Time and the Recharge time.
So let's look at Mental Blast for an example again. We know it's unenhanced average damage is 93.31, the activation time is 1.67s, and it has the standard T2 blast recharge of 8s.
DPCC = 93.31/(1.67s + 8s) = 93.31/9.67s = 9.65
This means that Mental Blast does an average of 9.65 damage per second from its initial activation through its recharge up to the next time it's ready to be activated. Just like DPA, bigger is better. You can increase your DPCC by adding damage enhancements, recharge enhancements, or both.
Ok, let's discuss this power by power. Briefly, let me mention my sources. I got much of my info from the game itself,
Paragonwiki, and
City of Data.
Psychic Blast
Psionic Dart 1 Ranged, Moderate DMG(Psionic), Foe -Recharge
Average Level 50 Damage (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 62.56/121.99
Damage per Activation (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 62.56/121.99
Damage per Cast Cycle (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 12.51/24.40
Activation Time: 1s
Recharge: 4s
Endurance Cost: 5.20
Range: 80 ft
Type: Single Target
Damage Type: ranged, psionic
Allowed Sets: Ranged Damage
-30% Rech for 6s
Most dominators guides for Psionic Assault refer to Psioinic Dart as a throwaway power. Well, you're a blaster. Take it for Defiance's sake if nothing else. Psionic Dart is the first in the set's four single target blasts that include Psionic Dart, Mental Blast, Telekinetic Blast, and Will Domination. This is the sets least damaging ST power, excluding Scramble Thoughts. But it is also Psychic Blast's winner for highest DPA and DPCC due to its short Activation Time and Recharge. So it has the best damage over time, while other powers have better initial bursts of damage.
Suggested Enhancements: 1 Acc, 1 rech, 2-3 dam. I would slot recharge over damage. At least, you do damage more often. It might not be as high each individual hit, but it will be more damage over time.
Mental Blast 1 Ranged, High DMG(Psionic), Foe -Recharge
Average Level 50 Damage (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 93.31/183.13
Damage per Activation (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 56.24/109.66
Damage per Cast Cycle (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 9.65/18.94
Activation Time: 1.67s
Recharge: 8s
Endurance Cost: 8.53
Range: 80 ft
Type: Single Target
Damage Type: ranged, psionic
Allowed Sets: Ranged Damage
-30% Rech for 6s
Mental Blast is Psychic Blast's second most powerful ST blasts behind Telekinetic Blast. It activates fairly fast. But you have time to get some tacos while waiting for the 8s recharge time to pass. Sadly this is fairly quick compared to some other powers in this set. Regardless of its recharge time, it is a T2 blast, which means take it for defiance. It is also one of your main blasts. You should take this.
Suggested Enhancements: 1 Acc, 1 rech, 2-3 dam. I would slot recharge over damage. At least, you do damage more often. It might not be as high each individual hit, but it will be more damage over time.
Telekinetic Blast 2 Ranged, Moderate DMG(Smash/Psionic), Foe Knockback
Average Level 50 Damage (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 122.6/239
Damage per Activation (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 122.6/239
Damage per Cast Cycle (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 11.15/21.72
Activation Time: 1s
Recharge: 10s
Endurance Cost: 10.19
Range: 80 ft
Type: Single Target
Damage Type: ranged, psionic, smashing
Allowed Sets: Ranged Damage, Knockback
60% chance of a 6.65 mag Knockback
This is it! The pinnacle of Psychic Blast's ST blasts with a whopping 122.6 damage per hit and it knocks most things on their butt! It's DPA and DPCC are lower but still comparable to Psionic Dart. Take it! You won't regret. Further, since half of the damage is from psionic and the other from smashing. This makes it one your most effective powers against enemies with high psionic resistance. With the 20s recharge, you definitely want one or two recharge enhancement slotted.
Suggested Enhancements: 1 Acc, 1 rech, 2-3 dam. If you slot this with 4 Kinetic Crash IO's, you will get 4 points of knockback protection.
Psychic Focus 6 Self +To-Hit, +DMG
Activation Time: 1.17s
Recharge: 1m 30s
Endurance Cost: 5.20s
Allowed Sets: To Hit Buffs
+37.5% Tohit for 10s
+62.5% Damage buff for 10s
Psychic Focus, aka Aim, helps you hit more and do more damage for 10s. Take it, slot it for recharge, and use it. Use it often.
Suggested Enhancements: 3 rech.
Will Domination 8 Ranged, Moderate DMG(Psionic), Foe Sleep
Average Level 50 Damage (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 77.6/151.2
Damage per Activation (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 70.55/137.45
Damage per Cast Cycle (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 3.68/6.51
Activation Time: 1.10s
Recharge: 20s
Endurance Cost: 10.19
Range: 80 ft
Type: Single Target
Damage Type: ranged, psionic
Allowed Sets: Ranged Damage, Sleep
3 mag Sleep for 19.1s
The last of the Psychic Blast's main four ST blasts. It is also the second weakest, but it has a mag 3 sleep component. Well, you're a blaster. Odds are most things just can't get a decent 19.1s snooze around you at all. But if you need another single damage attack, here it is. This blast has horrible DPA and DPPC, since I've seen sleeping cats move faster than this power's recharge of 20s. If you plan on even making this a viable power, you will need 1 recharge enhancement. It will probably be better if you had 2 recharge enhancements.
Another strategy for this power and Scramble Thoughts(stun power) is to sleep (stun) a foe, then take out a different foe safely. You can rinse and repeat until it safe to take out Sleeping Beauty.
Suggested Enhancements: 1 Acc, 1-2 rech, 2-3 dam for high, well sort of high damage output. You could slot this for sleep enhancements, but 19.1s is pretty long time to live around a blaster, so that would probably be a waste. If you are more interested in sleep or conserving slots, I'd slot 1 Acc, 1 rech, and maybe if I could spare the slot 1 sleep enhancement,
Psionic Lance 12 Sniper, Extreme DMG(Psionic), Foe -Recharge
Average Level 50 Damage (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 172.7/336.6
Damage per Activation (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 43.18/84.15
Damage per Cast Cycle (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 10.79/21.0
Activation Time: 4s
Interrupt Time: 3s
Recharge: 12s
Endurance Cost: 14.35
Range: 150 ft
Type: Single Target
Damage Type: ranged, psionic
Allowed Sets: Ranged Damage, Sniper,
-15% rech for 10s
Snipes are always a good thing to take out those pesky Sappers and Snipers. Some people choose to use it to pull single mobs away and defeat them safely. Some people swear by snipes; while other just leave them out. This is good power high DPA and DPPC. Take it, if it matches your playstyle.
Another strategy is to use Will Domination, Telekinetic Blast, or Scramble Thoughts to sleep/knockback/stun your target, then snipe them while they can't do anything. This works great if you only have one foe's aggro, if you have two or more they may interrupt your snipe. You may consider 1-2 Interrupt Reduction enhancements. One Interrupt Reduction reduces the Interrupt Time to 2.14s, while 2 reduces the Interrupt Time to 1.67s. This should make it easier to get Psionic Lance off in a large melee situation and you may start sniping in melee situations just because you can.
Suggested Enhancements: 1 Acc, 1 rech, 2-3 dam, 0-2 Interrupt Reductions. Some people just slot their snipe with a single accuracy so they can place slots in powers deemed more important to them. This may be an option for you based on your build philosophy.
Psionic Tornado 18 Ranged (Targeted AoE), Moderate DoT(Psionic), Foe Knockback
Average Level 50 Damage (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 55.7/108.5
Damage per Activation (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 23.5/45.78
Damage per Cast Cycle (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 2.49/4.85
Activation Time: 2.37s
Recharge: 20s
Endurance Cost: 18.51
Range: 80 ft
Type: AoE (16 targets max)
Damage Type: AoE, psionic
Allowed Sets: Targeted AoE damage
50% chance of 1.4 mag Knockup
-30% Rech for 10s
This is your only AoE in this set, other than your nuke, Psychic Wail. It's probably safe to say this is one of, if not the worst targeted AoE's in terms of activation time and recharge time. It takes forever to go off with a 2.37 second activation time. Worse than the 2.37 activation time is you are rooted for the whole activation time. A nice squishy target. Then there is the horrendous Endurance Cost and the truly snail paced recharge of 20s. Overall, this makes the DPA and DPCC pathetic. It does have a fairly decent chance to knockup enemies, mainly minions given the 1.4 mag. Still, this can give you a tiny breather when you need it.
Some players just skip this power. The choice you have to make is are you mainly a ST Blaster or do you want Psionic Tornado. In either case, you should choose a Secondary that can make up for the Psychic Blast's mediocre AOE. I usually take this power. I like to open with it, then while most of the mobs are flopping around run in and use an AoE like Fire Sword Circle.
Remember, take this power if you have fun with it. Otherwise, you don't take it.
Suggested Enhancements: 1 Acc, 1-2 rech, 2-3 dam.
Scramble Thoughts 26 Ranged, Minor DMG(Psionic), Foe Disorient
Average Level 50 Damage (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 15.6/31.3
Damage per Activation (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 5.2/10.43
Damage per Cast Cycle (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 0.68/1.32
Activation Time: 3s
Recharge: 20s
Endurance Cost: 10.4
Range: 80 ft
Type: Single Target
Damage Type: ranged, psionic
Allowed Sets: Ranged Damage, Stuns
3 mag Stun for 11.92s
Scramble Thoughts is Psychic Blast's second control power. It does damage, but it's so little might as well not do any. In fact, when it is slotted with 3 damage SO's, it only does 31.3 points of damage. So forget about damage. It does have a mag 3 stun, which should effect Lieutenant or lower critters. This is a good way to lock down a pesky foe while you deal with someone else. It's a good power to have.
Suggested Enhancements: 1 Acc, 1 rech. I'd just use two slots on this power. I might, if I had slots to spare, drop 1-2 Stun enhancements, probably not though.
Psychic Wail 32 PBAoE, Extreme DMG(Psionic), Foe Disorient, -Recharge, Self -Recovery
Average Level 50 Damage (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 305/594.5
Damage per Activation (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 154.82/301.78
Damage per Cast Cycle (Not Enhanced/3 Dam SO): 0.84/1.64
Activation Time: 1.97s
Recharge: 6m
Endurance Cost: 20.80
Type: PBAoE (16 Targets)
Damage Type: AoE, Psionic
Allowed Sets: PBAoE Damage, Stuns
3 mag Stun for 11.92s
-70% Rech for 20s
Here it is! Your 16 target mind ****** AoE! If you can fit this in your build, there is nothing like watching a whole group critter melt away. If they happen to survive, it's likely they will have a mag 3 stun and be harmless for 11.92 s. This will give you a chance to run away as Psychic Wail drains all your Endurance and stops your recovery for 20s.
Take this power if you want to see whole groups fall to your to the power of your Brain.
Suggested Enhancements: 1 Acc, 1-3 rech, 2-3 dam for optimal damage and recharge. Some people, just drop an ACC or Rech in here, and save the slots for somewhere else in the build.
There are a lot of good powers in Psychic Blast. If I had to narrow down the top five powers, it would be
1. Mental Blast (just because of the shorter recharge and for Defiance)
2. Telekinetic Blast (high damage and it does smashing also)
3. Psychic Focus (who doesn't love Aim)
4. Psionic Dart (It's quick and for Defiance)
5. Psionic Lance (The only reason it's not #4 is Defiance)
If I had to choose between Will Domination or Scramble Thoughts, Scramble Thoughts would win. I like Scramble Thoughts better because Stun is not interrupted by damage like Sleep effects are. I like to attack in safety, so the winner is Scramble Thoughts.
Secondaries
Now that we have finished reviewing Psychic Blast, it's time to look a little at the possible Secondary choices. Remember, try to choose a Secondary that compliments Psychic Blast's weaknesses and one that you will have fun with.
Devices
Devices has several powers that would work well and help bolster up Psychic Blast. Caltrops refocuses the mobs attention on getting away, so you can use your ST blasts to drop them one at a time. Smoke Grenade reduces most mobs attack range to melee, so blast away from a distance. Cloaking Device provides stealth and defense which is a boon for any blaster. Cloaking Device is a good place to drop a Karma Knockback Protection IO LotG +recharge IO. Gun Drone and Trip Mine offer additional damage to drop mobs quicker.
Energy Manipulation
If you want your Psychic Blaster to be a blapper, Energy Manipulation offers several very nice melee attacks, Energy Punch, Bone Smasher, and Total Focus. Build up for more damage and Conserve Power for Endurance discounts.
Electricity Manipulation
Another good blapping secondary, Electricity Manipulation has Charged brawl, Havoc Punch, Thunder Strike, and Shocking Grasp (also a hold) for a good solid damage output and melee feel. This set definitely will increase your damage output. It also has a damage buff in Build Up and steal some end from your foes with Power Sink. Electricity Manipulation powers also drain foe endurance.
Fire Manipulation
The highlights of Fire Manipulation are Fire Sword, Fire Sword Circle, Build Up, Consume(end recovery power), and Burn. Fire Sword is an awesome ST melee attack. Fire Sword Circle and Burn are great PBAoE's. Burn also removes immobilize effects from you.
Ice Manipulation
Ice Manipulation adds more control aspects to your blaster giving you more time take your foes out. Ice inherently Slows opponents. This secondary has 2 melee powers, Frozen Fists and Ice Sword; Build Up as damage Buff. The rest of the powers range from an Immobilize, a hold, 2 AoE power that that reduce recharge and speed, and Ice Patch that knocks your foes down. This set will give you the control and time you need to blast away.
Mental Manipulation
Mental Manipulation may be the most thematically compatible set with Psychic Blast but it also has one of its drawbacks. Most of the damage done by this set is psionic, which means you have even less ways of dealing with psionic resistant foes. Mind Probe is basically the melee version of Mental Blast. Psychic Scream and Psychic Shockwave are two nice AoE powers. Concentration is another name for Build Up. Drain Psyche is an awesome power that reduce the regeneration and recovery of your foes while increasing yours. If you hit enough foes with Drain Psyche, you can blast away for 30s without a worry of endurance. Mental Manipulation has a single target fear power and a PBAoE toggle confuse power in World of Confusion.
Power Pools
When making a blaster you should consider what power pools you want. These powers help flesh out your blaster, either in a thematic sense or make your blaster more effective. Hopefully, they will do both.
Fighting
Tough and weave can provide extra resistance and defense. These powers would also be good places to drop Resistance and Defense IO set procs, such as Steadfast Protection: Res/Def.
Fitness
Fitness is the must take power pool for blasters for one power, Stamina. Stamina increases your endurance recovery, which all blasters sorely need. You want to get Stamina as soon as you can (i.e. levle 20) and slot it with 3 Endurance Mod SO's.
When Issue 19 is released, the four powers of the Fitness pool (Swift, Hurdle, Health , and Stamina) will become inherent powers similar to Brawl, Sprint and Rest. This will free up 3 power choices in your build. Be sure to set aside 3 slots for Stamina by level 22 to drop 3 shiny End Mod SO's into.
Flight
The flight pool provides a decent melee attack in Air Superiority. Hover is a good power to get out of the way of melee attacks and rain down fire..err, psionic power, from above. Flight is a safe travel power to have. You don't have worry about landing in mobs or running through them. It is also the slowest travel power to have.
Concealment
If you like being sneaky, this set is for you. Stealth and Invisibility provide defense and sneakyness for you. The first three power, Stealth, Grant Invisibility, and Invisibility are also great places to drop the Luck of the Gambler +Recharge IO.
Leadership
The Leadership pool powers buff the teams defense, To hit, and damage. Always good but more toggles will tax your already strained endurance bar. Also, the size of the buff depends on your AT and blaster are in the worst buff category. So you will not get as much bang for your buck as a defender or corruptor would.
Leaping
Leaping is a fast versatile way to get around. It's faster than fly and not vertically challenged like Super Speed. Combat Jumping provides good combat maneuverability and some defense. Combat Jumping is another great place for a Knockback proc or a LoTG Recharge IO. Acrobatics provides a small hold protection and a fairly large Knockback protection (mag 9).
Presence
You're a blaster. You get enough aggro blasting, so why take powers that draw more attention to yourself.
Medicine
Aid self is great power to have, especially when solo. When I finish a group off solo, my health usually between 25-50%. If rest is up, I'll rest. Otherwise, I'll just hop into the next group with low health and hope I survive. But with Aid Self, you can heal up between mobs without waiting on rest. Some people even drop Interrupt Reduction enhancements in Aid Self and use it during combat. Be wary of this strategy. Aid Self has a 4.33s Activation time, an eternity when a blaster has the aggro.
Speed
Speed, in my opinion, only has two powers of note: Hasten and Super Speed. Hasten increases you recharge speed, which, in turn, means more blasting and more damage. You know that is full of win! Super Speed is the fastest travel power out of Fly, Super Jump, and Super Speed. Super Speed also gives you a small measure of stealth.
Teleportation
Teleport as a travel power is pretty tricky, unless you set up some binds. It also chews through endurance like a rabid beaver. I'd only take this power for theme purposes. Teleport Foe allows you to thin the ranks before you rush in. If that sounds good, it may be a power for you. Recall Friend does have some utility, but may be better used with a healer or some who has stealth.
Conclusion
I hope this guide has given you some ideas on what to expect and how to build a Psychic Blaster. Remember this is a game. So choose and make your blaster so you are having fun. It is my humble hope that I have helped you with this in some small way.
See ya in the City,
Shocklust
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