StrykerX

I disagree on Ranged Shot. Two level 50 damage IOs give over 80% enhancement, which isn't that bad. I'd personally go with an Acc/Dam Hami-O instead of an Accuracy IO to ED cap the damage, but then I'd also go with two Dam/Range HOs instead of the Damage IOs just to be able to shoot things I could barely see.

My only real complaint is that the build doesn't seem to have any particular goal. You have a little defense, but not enough to make much difference. You have some global recharge but again, not really enough to matter much. If it's a matter of slotting what you can afford then the build looks decent and does offer better bonuses than just frankenslotting would, but if you have a decent amount of inf (like 100+ mil) you could probably do better focusing on a couple of things.

Personally, I'd go with Thunderstrike in all the single target blasts and 5 Positron's in all the targeted AoEs. My goal would be 50% or so global recharge and as much Ranged defense as possible (since most mezzes are ranged). To give you an idea this is my current Archery / Energy build:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.90
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Arrowforce: Level 50 Natural Blaster
Primary Power Set: Archery
Secondary Power Set: Energy Manipulation
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Medicine
Power Pool: Teleportation
Ancillary Pool: Munitions Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Snap Shot -- 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: Power Thrust -- KinCrsh-Dmg/KB(A), KinCrsh-Acc/KB(7), KinCrsh-Rchg/KB(9), KinCrsh-Rechg/EndRdx(9), KinCrsh-Dmg/EndRdx/KB(11), KinCrsh-Acc/Dmg/KB(11)
Level 2: Aimed Shot -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(13), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(13), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17)
Level 4: Fistful of Arrows -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(17), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(19), Posi-Dmg/Rng(19), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(21)
Level 6: Blazing Arrow -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(21), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(23), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(23), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(25), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(25)
Level 8: Build Up -- AdjTgt-ToHit(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(27), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(27), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg(29), AdjTgt-Rchg(29)
Level 10: Hover -- Flight-I(A), Zephyr-Travel(31), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(31), Ksmt-ToHit+(31)
Level 12: Explosive Arrow -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(33), Posi-Dmg/Rng(33), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34)
Level 14: Fly -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(34)
Level 16: Aim -- AdjTgt-Rchg(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(34)
Level 18: Aid Other -- Heal-I(A)
Level 20: Aid Self -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(36), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(36), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Dct'dW-Heal(37)
Level 22: Stun -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(37), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(37), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(39), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(39), Stpfy-KB%(39)
Level 24: Ranged Shot -- HO:Centri(A), HO:Centri(50), HO:Centri(50)
Level 26: Stunning Shot -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(43), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(46), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(46), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(46), Stpfy-KB%(50)
Level 28: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 30: Recall Friend -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 32: Rain of Arrows -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(40), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(40), Posi-Dmg/Rng(40), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 35: Boost Range -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 38: Teleport -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 41: Body Armor -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
Level 44: Cryo Freeze Ray -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(45), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(45), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(45)
Level 47: LRM Rocket -- AirB'st-Dmg/Rchg(A), Det'tn-Dmg/Rchg(48), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(48), Det'tn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(48)
Level 49: Surveillance -- Acc-I(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(43), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(43)

For yours I'd slot the Archery attacks about the same and focus on getting recharge and ranged defense in the /Mental attacks, but only after making them useful. For instance, I'd drop Mind Probe because it's not doing much with 2 slots, and either drop Subdual down to one slot and use it for an immobilize only or add a couple and slot it well (I'd recommend just the default, you don't need it for damage). The reason I recommend more recharge is that you get a smooth attack chain of Snap -> Aimed -> Snap -> Blazing at around 50% global recharge if they are 6-slotted with Thunderstrike (which most single target Blaster attacks should be), give or take a few percent depending on what level Thunderstrikes you use. Once you have that you don't need any other single target attacks for damage, just holds or stuns or whatever and AoEs. That means no need to try to slot a redraw-inducing secondary attack as a filler.

I'd probably go for something like this:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.90
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Energy Blast
Secondary Power Set: Energy Manipulation
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Medicine
Ancillary Pool: Force Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Power Bolt

• (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
• (3) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
• (3) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
• (5) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (5) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (33) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge

Level 1: Power Thrust

• (A) Accuracy IO

Level 2: Power Blast

• (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
• (7) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
• (7) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
• (9) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (9) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (33) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge

Level 4: Energy Torrent

• (A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
• (11) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
• (11) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
• (13) Positron's Blast - Damage/Range
• (13) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance

Level 6: Power Burst

• (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
• (15) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
• (15) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
• (17) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (17) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (33) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge

Level 8: Build Up

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (43) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 10: Bone Smasher

• (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
• (19) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
• (19) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
• (21) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
• (21) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (40) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)

Level 12: Hover

• (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range
• (42) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance
• (43) Kismet - Accuracy +6%
• (48) Karma - Knockback Protection

Level 14: Fly

• (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range
• (50) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance

Level 16: Aim

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (46) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 18: Sniper Blast

• (A) Sting of the Manticore - Accuracy/Damage
• (23) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Endurance
• (23) Sting of the Manticore - Accuracy/Interrupt/Range
• (25) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Interrupt/Recharge
• (25) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Endurance/Recharge

Level 20: Hasten

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (34) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 22: Aid Other

• (A) Healing IO

Level 24: Aid Self

• (A) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Endurance
• (34) Doctored Wounds - Endurance/Recharge
• (34) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Recharge
• (36) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Endurance/Recharge
• (36) Doctored Wounds - Heal

Level 26: Explosive Blast

• (A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
• (27) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
• (27) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
• (29) Positron's Blast - Damage/Range
• (29) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance

Level 28: Stun

• (A) Stupefy - Accuracy/Recharge
• (31) Stupefy - Endurance/Stun
• (31) Stupefy - Accuracy/Endurance
• (31) Stupefy - Stun/Range
• (42) Stupefy - Accuracy/Stun/Recharge
• (42) Stupefy - Chance of Knockback

Level 30: Power Boost

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 32: Nova

• (A) Obliteration - Damage
• (36) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge
• (37) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
• (37) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (37) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge

Level 35: Boost Range

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (46) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 38: Total Focus

• (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
• (39) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
• (39) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
• (39) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
• (40) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (40) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)

Level 41: Personal Force Field

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 44: Repulsion Bomb

• (A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
• (45) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
• (45) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
• (45) Positron's Blast - Damage/Range
• (46) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance

Level 47: Temp Invulnerability

• (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
• (48) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/Endurance
• (48) Reactive Armor - Resistance/Endurance

Level 49: Force of Nature

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (50) Recharge Reduction IO
• (50) Recharge Reduction IO

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Level 1: Brawl

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Sprint

• (A) Empty

Level 2: Rest

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Defiance
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift

• (A) Empty

Level 2: Hurdle

• (A) Empty

Level 2: Health

• (A) Empty

Level 2: Stamina

• (A) Endurance Modification IO
• (43) Endurance Modification IO

Tough isn't very useful to a Blaster. You get one of the lowest resist strengths out of it of any AT (around 16% slotted) and it only covers S/L damage. Weave is also weak on Blasters but if you are going for softcapped defense it can help, and Tough can hold a Steadfast 3% defense IO (I'd suggest slotting only that and not actually turning Tough on unless you have excess endurance). Slotted Weave plus a 3% def IO in Tough gives you around 8% defense to all, or 11% if you can afford the PvP 3% defense IO... that can make a big difference if softcapping but isn't going to do much for you by itself.

If you are going with a defense based APP/Patron shield (Ice or Mace) then Weave might well be worth it since it makes it a lot easier to softcap S/L defense. But if you aren't going to be adding S/L defense from IOs you may want to go with something that boosts your offense instead, since dead enemies don't do much damage.

As for endurance, it depends on your slotting and power sets. If you use set IOs and have pretty good end reduction in most powers then Weave won't be a problem unless you have a high recharge AoE build (though if you can afford lots of recharge you probably have a Miracle and Numina's unique in Health to help out). In general I find Blasters very light on endurance due to running few toggles, but if you are tossing fireballs and fire breaths every few seconds that's a different story.

If the Neutropolis event is like the Imperial City one where you have to complete one section before being able to proceed into the next, people may have found a way to teleport past the door and get a head start on the next section. There's a long history of Teleport being able to get to places people aren's supposed to go in this game, like the Eden trial...

Speaking of which, can we PLEASE have the Eden trial's merit reward raised back to a reasonable amount now that TPing past the walls is no longer possible?

Softcapping Ranged defense really isn't worth it on Blasters. You have to make huge compromises that lower your damage a lot. What is worth it is getting around 33% Ranged defense... it protects you quite well as is, and in tough situations one Luck softcaps you. And you can still have good damage and recharge at 33%.

Plant/Storm Controllers are a ton of fun to play. They solo very well and also group well, since you have so much -KB in Plant that it's easy to prevent scatter when you choose. You can knock things all over the place if you want, or have multiple Tornadoes and Lightning Storms out and have nothing move an inch. And of course Seeds of Confusion is pretty much the best every-spawn control power in the game, as well as the most fun.

Another somewhat rare combination I've had a lot of fun with is a DB/SR Brute. He's an evil swashbuckler... fast, graceful, and pretty much the complete opposite of the standard Brute. He's also quite effective... maybe not SS/Shield level but plenty good enough.

S/L defense is handy if you use a lot of melee or PBAoE attacks and therefore spend a lot of time up close and personal with enemies. Ranged defense is better in most cases though simply because most of the annoying effects like holds, end drain, and such are ranged. If you mainly burn things from range and use the /Energy melee attacks to deal with the occasional target that gets to you then go Ranged defense, but if you jump in punching and just use Fire for the occasional Blaze or Fireball go with S/L.

I don't remember the exact command but there is one that lets you use a specific inspiration. You may want to check the guides to binds in the Player Help section.

As for mailing yourself multiple inspirations, you can indeed. You could keep several Break Frees in email just in case you run out if you want.

Personally I find Ranged defense the best protection from mez unless you are a pure Blapper. Stuns are often melee (except those stupid Malta grenades) but stuns are usually less dangerous because they wear off quick (again, except for Malta) and ideally you won't be meleeing many enemies. Holds and Sleeps are generally ranged, and even if you are using PBAoEs and melee attacks the majority of enemies will be using ranged attacks on you. Well, unless you are a /Fire AoE Blapper... in which case all I can suggest is be sure to take the Fire APP and slot Rise of the Phoenix heavily for recharge.

It's kind of hard to figure how much Aim and Build Up really help though. If you have enough recharge to alternate between them every fight and adding a Spiritual Incarnate boost doesn't bump you up to being able to use both every fight then you really haven't gained much... you'll still be using Aim to start one fight and Build Up the next because hitting them before your initial AoEs is a lot more efficient than hitting them every time they're up even if you're down to two enemies and having them wear off before you open up on the next spawn.

Obviously there are situations where you do want to use them as often as possible, like AVs, but in general you need to boost their recharge by quite a bit to actually end up using them more often, at least on a decent recharge build. Lower recharge builds, on the other hand, might well benefit from Spiritual to get Aim and Build Up to the "one or the other available each spawn" stage.

Even better is having one or more characters with all the good level 25 IOs memorized that you can use as shopkeepers. Whenever you are looking for a little extra inf you can just craft and sell for a while and then mail the inf to your current character, and as a bonus you get to make all the level 25 IOs you need for your various builds cheap... especially things like Endmod, Recharge, and Endurance that you tend to still use a few of even after frankenslotting. Using an alt to make, sell, and mail the IOs is handy because it means you aren't tying up a bunch of slots on your active character.

Tough rarely matters much except on resistance-based melee ATs. Weave, on the other hand, can be useful for stacking defense on top of set bonuses. Unfortunately, in the 14-30 range you aren't likely to have much in the way of defense set bonuses so it won't do much for you yet (or ever if you go with a max recharge build instead of S/L or Ranged defense).

The key to surviving on a low level Controller is, well, controls. You want your single target hold to be 6-slotted ASAP and enhanced for accuracy, hold, recharge, and endurance. You also probably want your single target immobilize slotted for accuracy, damage, and endurance. On Controllers in that level range I generally lead off with my AoE immobilize, hold the most dangerous enemy (I always run on No Bosses so one hold usually works), then use my immobilize as my main damage source while keeping two targets held and the third (if there is one) immobilized. It's slow but it works... you just have to be very careful to avoid additional aggro because without AoE controls or debuffs you just can't handle numbers. Air Superiority would be handy since it not only adds damage, it also lets you keep another enemy (mostly) incapacitated.

Of course my favorite tactic with a Controller is to team with someone that actually does decent damage. It's a lot easier to just hold or immobilize stuff and keep your teammates speed boosted and healed than it is to actually kill things pre-Imps.

I have an Archery/Energy Blaster and I really like the combination. I play him as a pure ranged hover Blaster... he's natural origin and I play him as basically just being really good with a bow and having a few gadgets: rocket boots (the costume piece) for flight, gloves with force emitters to swat people away from him or stun them, and a couple of oddball guns (munitions mastery epic with Cryo Freeze Ray and LRM). It's a really fun character and I love the huge range I get... 120 foot normal shots, an 80 foot cone, and a 140+ foot Rain of Arrows. Oh, and a 320 foot snipe (three Damage/Range Hami-Os) just because I could.

The OP was Thugs/Poison, which doesn't have a lot of mass debuffing power. It can totally cripple one hard target or spread a few single target debuffs around, but /Dark has powerful AoE debuffs so you probably got a lot more credit for debuffing than he did.

I also don't recall under-20 MMs getting Night Fall or Soul Tentacles... the OP was apparently leveling a new MM in Praetoria and doing the zone events at their normal level rather than bringing in a high level MM from Primal Earth. That means he likely has no real damage to contribute.

On my Archery Blaster I was able to grab Recall Friend and Teleport, which is very handy for fast travel since he's a flier (especially with Boost Range) and grab my snipe just for fun. I only needed two slots total (I slotted the snipe with three Dam/Range HOs just for fun), which weren't too hard to free up (thank you Fly speed boost) and now I am able to travel extremely fast, bring slower teammates to the objective, and I have a snipe that is so long range I need to target through a spotter just for laughs
(If it were a more serious build, I'd have gone with Stealth for a LotG and the ability to stealth missions, but since this character is all about long range a 240+ foot snipe was too funny to pass up).

How's your slotting? Alpha slot enhancements don't help much if you are already at the ED cap (at least the current ones don't)... you only get 11% that ignores ED so maybe 15% total if you're already at 90%+ from slotting (assuming an uncommon alpha slot enhancement). And that bonus only affects powers that can be slotted for the effect in question, so things like Domination aren't affected at all. I'd suggest picking whatever one you are least slotted for from your enhancements (assuming it's useful to you).

Endurance: Probably a good choice since almost nobody ED caps endurance reduction. You're likely to get the full benefit from it on a lot of powers.

Accuracy: Do you miss anything you regularly fight more than 5% of the time? If so, you might want to slot an accuracy boost since that's also something that's rarely ED capped.

Damage: Unless you had to sacrifice damage slotting to get perma-dom I'm assuming you're close to capped on damage already, so it's only worth slotting if you don't need the others.

Recharge: Do you have a lot of powers that aren't ED capped on recharge due to having to slot for global recharge bonuses? If so, this is probably your best bet unless your blue bar is hurting already. But if most of your powers are already well slotted for recharge it's another one that won't give good returns. At least until the rarer slots are released that provide a lot more ED-free recharge...

The most versatile ATs in the game are Kheldians. Warshades are generally considered more effective but Peacebringers are also quite useful and are (in my opinion) a lot flashier. About the only other characters who can fill as many roles as a Kheldian are some Masterminds and Controllers (like Bots/Traps or Ill/Rad) or a few ultra-high end Brute / Scrapper builds... after all, characters who can solo nearly anything in the game (including TFs) can pretty much fill any hole in a team simply by ignoring the team and just killing everything themselves.

What about a Stone/Dark Brute? Lots of mitigation, solid AoE damage, and generally very hard to kill once IOed out. You can go either Spiritual for more recharge or Cardiac for more endurance, depending on what you need.

Another possibility would be a Fire/Traps Corruptor. Build for softcapped ranged defense and grab some extra recharge from your Incarnate slot, which will particularly benefit your AoEs since a lot of the good sets for those don't cap recharge. Multiple Acid Mortars and perma-Poison Trap debuff really do a number on hard targets, and nothing beats Fire for burning down hordes of minions.

Though if you want something that would really benefit from the Incarnate slot, what about a tri-form Warshade? Those tend to be tight builds so you could use your Incarnate slot to make up for under-slotting damage or recharge.