StrykerX

Sorry, I forgot that PBs also got a Dull Pain type power. Do the human form attacks like Incandescent Strike or Solar Flare really help enough to warrant going tri-form? Pretty much all PBs I've seen at higher levels (and that's not many) were Dwarf/Nova dual form...

My Blasters are definitely the characters I faceplant most on teams with, but they also are the characters I do the most damage on. I'd agree that solo they underperform a bit compared to some other classes if you look at fully IOed builds and how high you can crank the difficulty, but they can obliterate spawns on standard difficulty faster than just about anyone (possibly even Scrappers or Brutes due to the fact that they don't have to chase runners) when using SOs and that's what the game is balanced around.

As far as Total Focus goes, it still has uses. Total Focus + Stun = a disabled boss, and Total Focus + Bone Smasher has a decent chance of doing it. That can be handy, especially if you joust with the initial TF and then run up and Stun him. And of course Total Focus hits extremely hard... it may not have the DPA of some other attacks but it's great for clobbering someone while Bone Smasher and your tier 3 blast are recharging.

It's actually least useful on a more Blapper-ish build that takes Energy Punch, especially if it has good recharge. If you have a continuous high DPA attack chain then Total Focus slows down your damage and is really just a hard hitting stun, but if you only have Bone Smasher and your ranged blasts then a third heavy hitter can really crank up your burst damage and let you flatten bosses quicker (especially if you lack global recharge). And if you are going with a ranged build and just grabbing one melee attack for the times someone reaches you... well, why not a really powerful one?

AR is actually better than Fire Blast for AoE if you just look at the primaries, but Fire also has great single target damage while AR lacks in that area. Also, AR's AoE requires a lot of moving around (Full Auto needs to be fired from far back to catch as many mobs as possible, then move up for Flamethrower and Ignite, finish with Buckshot / Grenade). Fire Blast, on the other hand, can hit a spawn with Fire Breath + Fireball + Rain of Fire from one spot, and Fire Ball and Rain can be used from PBAoE range. Add in AR's redraw and long animation times and Fire becomes a lot more friendly for use with /Fire or /Mental's PBAoEs, plus Fire Blast is far better at boss busting than AR so once you've cleared out the weak targets Fire mops up the bosses faster.

On the other hand, a pure ranged AR/Energy build with an epic / patron cone delivers a staggering amount of AoE from long distance... it just plays better as a pure ranged set than trying to mix it with PBAoEs or damage auras.

I still want to be in an 8 Mercs MM team... why settle for eight guns blazing away at the enemy when you can have 56 of them?

Make a Widow and use one build for a Fortunata and another for a night Widow. Fortunata build = ranged, Night Widow build = melee, both are excellent soloists (once you get higher level and some IOs) and also great on teams. Make her a Rogue so she can solo in the Isles and go join teams in Paragon.

There you go, all four requirements in one character, so you can make the rest anything you want.

If you want to use as many elements as possible on a melee character, I'd suggest a Brute with some combination of Stone, Electric, Kinetic, or Fire for the primary and Stone, Fire, or Electric for the secondary. Add in an elemental themed patron / epic and you've got three different elements. My personal pick would be Kinetic Melee because the moves look so much like waterbending (both are based off of Tai Chi), though the actual effects are more like airbending.

Some non-melee options you may want to consider:

Earth/Storm/Fire Controller (all four elements)

Fire/Fire/Flame Blaster (pure Firebender, and a lot of fun to play)

Earth/Fire/Ice Dominator (or Fire/Earth/Ice)

My Fire/Fire Blaster is my new main... it's an insanely fun character. I have two builds on her right now, a high end solo Incarnate build and a team / exemping build. The team build is cheap and easy... basically just moderate recharge and ranged defense plus Rain of Fire, Fire Breath, Nova, and Rise of the Phoenix. It's all about lots of damage from range then jumping in and dealing even more with FSC and Burn, and reviving miself from the inevitable faceplants. At some point I may rebuild it into a high end recharge build if I save up enough inf but right now it's just kind of thrown together and is very squishy.

The solo build (which also teams well, it just lacks some of the ranged AoEs so you have to jump in next to the tank), on the other hand, is a beast. Softcapped S/L defense, high Energy and good Ranged defense, decent recharge (plus the Spiritual alpha), and massive PBAoE damage... it's designed to jump right into the middle of a spawn and blow everything up at once: a PBAoE Blapper build.

The current build I'm running is:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.92
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Prismic Flame: Level 50 Mutation Blaster
Primary Power Set: Fire Blast
Secondary Power Set: Fire Manipulation
Power Pool: Medicine
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Flares -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7)
Level 1: Ring of Fire -- Acc-I(A)
Level 2: Fire Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(9), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11)
Level 4: Fire Ball -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(13), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(13), Posi-Dmg/Rng(15), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15)
Level 6: Fire Sword -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(17), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(17), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19)
Level 8: Combustion -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(21), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(21), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(23), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), Oblit-%Dam(25)
Level 10: Fire Sword Circle -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(25), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(27), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29), Oblit-%Dam(29)
Level 12: Aid Other -- Heal-I(A)
Level 14: Aid Self -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(31), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(31), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Dct'dW-Heal(33)
Level 16: Build Up -- Rec'dRet-ToHit(A), Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg(33), RechRdx-I(46)
Level 18: Blaze -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(34), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(34), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36)
Level 20: Aim -- Rec'dRet-ToHit(A), Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg(33), RechRdx-I(48)
Level 22: Boxing -- Acc-I(A)
Level 24: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
Level 26: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(36), HO:Enzym(37)
Level 28: Consume -- Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(50), Efficacy-Acc/Rchg(50)
Level 30: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(37), HO:Enzym(37)
Level 32: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(39), Ksmt-ToHit+(39), Krma-ResKB(43)
Level 35: Burn -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(39), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(40), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), Oblit-%Dam(42)
Level 38: Hot Feet -- M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(43), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(43), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45)
Level 41: Scorpion Shield -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(42), HO:Enzym(42)
Level 44: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(45)
Level 47: Tactics -- Rec'dRet-ToHit(A), Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg(48), EndRdx-I(48)
Level 49: Acrobatics -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(50)
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(46)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod(45), EndMod-I(46)


Not cheap by any means, but no purples since I also think they aren't worth the inf and they certainly aren't worth losing defense for. I'd considered purpling out Fire Ball but Positron's bonuses are almost as good for a fraction of the cost so I didn't. I could have used Cytoskeleton Hami-Os and still softcapped (and I'll swap to those if the Enzymes are ever fixed to not boost defense buffs) but I already had a couple Enzymes sitting in my base so I figured why not use them?

This is still a Blaster, and she does faceplant from time to time, but she's by far the toughest Blaster I've played. For instance, she managed to survive for over 30 seconds against Battle Maiden and her goons on an Apex TF after a near-wipe left me with lots of aggro and no support... that's not bad for a squishy.

Oh, you do have to go villain to get the patron pools in order to use Scorpion Shield. Ice would work too, but Scorpion also protects against Energy (helps against mezzes and lightning) and doesn't make your Fire user look like a walking ice cube. Besides, you get an extra badge for going full circle from hero to villain and back.

A Kin/Rad Defender or a Fire/Rad Controller would both be very handy on most TFs. The Ill/FF would also be nice but FF just offers protection while Kin or Rad boost kill speed so as long as people aren't dying often most teams would probably prefer to steamroll faster.

As far as the villains go, a Widow is always handy (be sure to take the Leadership pool as well for double buffs). The Stalker may play the same, but he doesn't make everyone around him harder to hit and up their damage like a Widow does.

Er, I meant I had four slots and wanted ED capped damage and endurance... didn't leave room for any slow or much accuracy but I have a ton of global accuracy so no big deal there.

Multi-Strike Dam/End
Cleaving Blow Dam/End
Scirocco's Dam/End
Scirocco's Acc/Dam/End

95% damage and endurance plus a little accuracy (all I need with 57% more from bonuses and +6% to-hit) and a regen bonus. I could swap out a Dam/End for a Dam/Slow but this build is very endurance heavy so I wanted as much endurance reduction as possible. I may test it out though... I can always trade out the Cleaving Blow for a cheap Slow set Dam/Slow IO and then drop in another Cleaving dirt cheap if I don't like it.

That looks like a nice slotting if you have six slots in Hot Feet... I only had four so I went with damage and endurance and ignored slow.

I wouldn't call Blasters substandard. They are the hardest hitting AT in the game in general (a few specific combos outdamage them, but no other AT can match them on average) but they pay for that by being rather squishy. They're really more of a team based AT... get a tank and some debuffs and adding a Blaster will boost a team more than adding just about anything else, not counting all-Corruptor or Defender teams that make anything else look weak. And with a high end build they aren't even that squishy... some Blaster builds can solo on +2/x8 or so which isn't bad at all.

As far as Energy Blast being substandard, it's not. It actually is pretty much the standard... right smack in the middle for AoE damage, ST damage, and mitigation. As long as you can avoid getting too annoying with the KB (don't target through the tank and spam Power Push, for instance ) it's a good all around set, and /Mental is a great set to pair with it since it adds more AoE and also some survivability.

As fas as the builds go, I would not recommend purple sets on Blasters except for in holds and sleeps or such unless you plan to exemp a lot... I'd rather slot Thunderstrike than Apocalypse because ranged defense is better than recharge on a Blaster, unless it's a dedicated teaming build. Likewise, Obliteration or Eradication beat out Armageddon because they offer defense, and Ragnarok is only a tiny bit better than Positron's as far as the bonuses go... certainly not worth the inf. I find that 50-60% global recharge is plenty on most Blasters and you can usually get that from LotGs and non-purple sets. What's really important is decent Ranged defense (most mezzes are ranged) and high S/L defense for an up close type Blaster or very high Ranged and decent AoE (if possible) for a pure ranged build.

Personally, I'd go with something like this:

Blazing Aura is really not worth it. It has a very small radius (8 ft) so it only hits targets that are right next to you. Between your primary set AoEs, Burn and Fire Sword Circle things really won't stay alive long that close. It can help on AVs / EBs if you can manage to keep it going for long periods (Cardiac might help), but in general it probably isn't worth it... I know I skipped it on my Fire/Fire and don't regret it.

Hot Feet is actually decent though. It has a much larger area and it causes mobs to scatter (while slowed), which provides a bit of extra mitigation. The damage isn't fantastic but it can add up pretty fast on large groups, especially on targets that aren't close enough for the other /Fire AoEs to hit. It does cost a ton of endurance but I manage to run Hot Feet, Scorpion Shield, Weave, Maneuvers, Acrobatics, and Combat Jumping (plus Tactics at times) and can generally last long enough for Consume to recharge before running out of endurance. I do have both recovery uniques slotted (total of about 3 end/sec recovered) but it's not a massive recovery build... I mainly worried about softcapping S/L and getting decent recharge.

Just don't slot Obliteration in Hot Feet... that S/L defense is not worth the huge end drain because Obliteration has very little end reduction. I slotted three Dam/End IOs from different sets and an Acc/Dam/End and that works well for me... ED capped damage and endurance reduction and a bit of accuracy (plus a ton more from the inevitable Thunderstrikes in my single target blasts).

The only IOs I consider "must haves" on a Blaster are a -KB IO and as many sets of Thunderstrike as I can slot. Recovery uniques can be handy on Blasters that run several toggles, but are generally overkill if you are just using Hover and a Leadership toggle or two. I also always slot a Kismet 6% to-hit IO at lower levels but some builds have so much accuracy when finished that I respec out of it (on most I keep it though).

Stealth IOs are great for superspeedsters or Stealth users, but otherwise I usually don't bother with them. You can slot Sprint with one for partial stealth, but you can also slot Sprint with a level 50 runspeed IO to use with Ninja Run on a no-travel-power build so I don't always use the stealth.

Of course if you really can't decide between healing and debuff, why not go 3x Heal/End Hami-O, 2x lvl 50 defense debuff, and 1x lvl 50 taunt? ED capped healing, ED capped endurance, almost ED capped to-hit debuff (0.2% off or so, which you will never notice),and some taunt to boot?

Consume does give a recovery bonus, but only for 15 seconds. You won't be able to use it more than once a minute or so (and maybe less, especially if you are softcapping and can't fit in Hasten) and still have good defense so that's 45 seconds or more with no bonus.

Rain of Arrows, definitely. Hail of Bullets is fantastic looking but it takes too long to recharge to ever be able to use it every spawn unless you are fighting purples, while Rain can be up every 20-25 seconds. Going only by awesomeness of animation it's HoB > FA > Rain, but adding in actual ability to "arrest" things (with extreme prejudice ) Rain comes out on top.

LRM rocket is also awesome, but it just takes too long to recharge and requires taking the epic pool with the worst armor. I have it on one character and it's a lot of fun, but he also has Rain of Arrows and there's no question which I like more.

If you want as many badges as possible solo, I'd go with an Ill/Rad Controller, a Rad/Sonic Defender (or maybe a Sonic/Rad Corruptor, though I like the Defender's higher debuff values), or a Bots/Traps Mastermind. The reason is simple... giant monsters give badges, and all three of those can solo most giant monsters with the right build. They also rock against AVs and can handle large spawns, in the event you feel like soloing TFs. Of course only the Bots/Traps can do it without an insanely expensive build, but perma-PA Ill/Rads are effectively unkillable and softcapped high recharge Rad/Sonics are almost as tough and deal a lot of damage (plus they debuff pretty much everything that can be debuffed).

If you don't mind asking for help on GMs and TFs, a Katana/Regen Scrapper is nice. You have to deal with redraw and robots can be annoying, but regen + softcapped melee (thanks to Divine Avalanche) = virtual immortality. And of course SS/Shield Brutes are massive damage monsters, especially with high recharge... having to build Fury is no big deal solo since jumping into a decent sized mob pretty much gives you half a bar just from their attacks.

The thing to remember is that it's 3.5% with nothing at all slotted, and since to-hit debuffs have an ED cap of 60% you end up with about a 2% increase in debuff strength with two level 50 to-hit debuff SOs. Since any enemy a Tank is likely to be concerned about enough for 2% less to-hit to matter is either an AV or +4, that's more like 1% more debuff on average when it counts. 1% more effective defense is pretty much meaningless even near the softcap... you'll need Herostats or such to actually tell the difference.

On an even level AV, which resists 85% of to-hit debuffs, the difference between unslotted and ED capped is around 0.3%, and against +3 normal mobs it's around 1%. Against +3 AVs, like on the Incarnate trials (assuming level shift) it's around 0.15%. If that's worth two slots to you, go for it... it wouldn't be to me.

The to-hit debuff is pretty insignificant... around 5.5% fully slotted vs 3.5% unslotted. 2% more to-hit debuff isn't worth a slot, much less 2-3 of them. The regen is of course very important, but as a Tanker the other thing you'll want to slot it for is Taunt. RttC is by far the worst taunt aura for actually holding aggro, so assuming you plan to actually tank and not just be a really tough, low damage Scrapper (or an unusually calm Brute) you'll want to slot up RttC's taunt and also the Taunt power, because you'll be more reliant on actively taunting than some other tanks.

RttC doesn't take taunt sets, so I'd probably go with a couple of Taunt IOs (highest level you can slot) and maybe three Numina's (for regen and HP bonuses) or Miracle (recovery and HP), like the Heal/End, Heal/End/Rech, and Heal IOs. You could also drop a Dark Watcher's Chance for Recharge Slow proc or a To-Hit Debuff/End IO in the 6th slot if you want but I'd skip it.