Toxic_Torch

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So no sets that prefer melee has good AE? Ninja? I hear the tier 3 pets has AE damage.

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For the ranged all their hench get some sort of damage AoE (except the Spec Ops) with either the first or second upgrade. With the melee hench, only the Oni gets AoE damage and then it's limited to Fire Breath and Rain of Fire, RoF takes skill to use effectively (ie. not screw up things). The hench aren't all that skilled.

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By active I mean, debuffing, healing etc all the time. I

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I'd say that Poison may fit you better than Dark, even though Dark is numerically better against large groups.

Bots are heavy AoE, but you'll have to wait until the level 32 upgrade. The same goes for Thugs and Mercs. MMs aren't AoE masters until level 32.

As for activity, it depends on a few more things than powersets. You have to consider your own playstyle, how you specced your character and what you consider activity. Are you constantly giving orders to your bots? Are you using your powers when they are ready and needed? Have you picked powers with long or short activation and recharge times?

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True, but I still keep on finding an excuse not to pick a secondary power that dosen't follow me around (IE: Force field generator). hey, wait a second, this is 100 posts, rock on!

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So you're only going to pick Web Grenade, FFGen, Seeker Drones and possibly Detonator from Traps?

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Moreover, you can fly and snipe some enemies in PvE exterior. That last use is very situational, but still...

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And you'll need to be able to defeat the target with your first snipe. Otherwise you have to either chase or be within range of your non-snipes (ie. within range of return fire).

Don't forget that most mobs beyond the newbie areas have longer base range than Blasters using similar attacks.

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That's all the more reason to use a snipe.
Aim + Build up + enhancements (+other buffs) can turn your snipe into a deadly minion and/or lieutenant killer. Can't expect to down a boss with only that, though it can hurt one quite bad.

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I'd partially agree if snipes a) had a faster base recharge and b) didn't have so long activation.

Once you've fired off your snipe you still need to take care of the remaining opponents. You've just spent a lot of powers and time to take out a single minion (or lt if you've been buffed enough).

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(pull and leave someone else take the first hits )

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If you have someone who can take aggro it is almost always much more useful to have them start with that instead.

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Moreover, you can fly and snipe some enemies in PvE exterior. That last use is very situational, but still...

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And you'll need to be able to defeat the target with your first snipe. Otherwise you have to either chase or be within range of your non-snipes (ie. within range of return fire).

Don't forget that most mobs beyond the newbie areas have longer base range than Blasters using similar attacks.

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If they are doing full monster mash then NO Scorpion.
You could help with Kraken (Perez) and Babbage (Boomtown) and Lusca (Indy Port)
but not with Eochai & Jack in Irons (Croatoa) or Adamastor (Dark Astoria) or Jurassik (Crey's Folly) as you are too low for zones.

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Croatoa is a city zone, no level restriction (I took a level 1 there during the Halloween event).

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Snipe is not about DPS, because it will always suck in that. Rather its about shooting from relatively safe distance. My own blaster doesnt have snipe, but hes been built for pvp a long time ago.

Snipes don't suck as such. Rather its all about
safety <-> damage and effectiveness.

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Snipes are safe until they deal their damage, after that the surviving mobs will advance until they are within their range and start retaliating. A snipe is at most a single free attack, Trip Mine and Time Bomb are at least AoE.

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Get rid of snipe? Nooooooo!

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Snipes suck, especially with ED in the picture.

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Aren't they kind of what being a blaster is about?
A blaster = ranged, high damage dealer.
Snipe = highly ranged, very high damage attack.

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With a crappy activation time, interruptability and slow recharge.

Over time a snipe attack will deal less damage than most other attack powers, it won't fit all that well into an attack chain and it will rarely turn the tide in a battle (as a nuke would). All in all, you're better off picking a secondary attack unless you're going for concept.

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Get rid of snipe? Nooooooo!

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Snipes suck, especially with ED in the picture.

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Neurotoxic Breath
Power i never took, but many say its really nice. It does a massive -recharge/-speed, great to keep mobs slowed and unable to use powers often.
I gues a recharge/range would be best.

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Do not forget to add an Accuracy or two to this if you take it.

It's really nice for slowing the incomming damage, but you have to hit first.

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And if he who moaned loudest got things nerfed, then Stalkers would be wielding nothing more fearsome than a feather duster and be forced to move about zones beneath a giant pink neon sign, flashing "Get It Here."

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Actually, that would be the status of every AT...

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Given the higher base damage as well, and the fact that even without any inspirations we can get close to the Kheldian damage cap, I'm confident Blaster nukes do more damage.

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Kheldian damage cap is 400% (+300%) compared to base Kheldian damage. Not compared to Blaster damage. Damage caps are always compared to the base damage of the AT.

Since human form Kheldian ranged damage has a 0.65 modifier (iirc) that means a capped human form Kheldian will deal damage comparable to a Blaster at 260% (or +160% ~ 3 SO Dam + Aim) damage.

Squid form has a 1.2 modifier and an inherent +45% buff but lacks any attacks above Moderate strength. It is still capped at 400% though, so that compares to a Blaster at 480% (or 20% short of the Blaster cap). A 3 Dam slotted squid only needs ~155% more +Dam to cap, roughly equivalent to 2x 7 hit Mire for a WS.

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That's a preety good team but I don't know how hard the TF is will 6 do? if so, I will have to check but tomorrow (sat) is good for me.

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Personally I find Posi easier with a smaller team (3-4) than a large one (5+). You'll go up against the three most annoying villain groups for your level (Vahz, Clocks and CoT) and fewer numbers of the dangerous types can only help.

Be advised that 6 players will mean +1 level to all mobs for the TF, in addition to whatever difficulty you have set (I recommend Heroic). The TF has no AV (only an EB) so it won't be impossible if you lack -Regen powers.

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Id actually be up for testing this. As Im guessing a Shade at his damage cap would out-nuke a Blaster counterpart using just Aim and BU, but with the AT modifiers, and different caps, its sometimes hard to assume.

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Kheldians cap at 400% (or +300%), so they'll need to be at 85-90% of Blaster damage to compare to a Blaster nuke with 3 Dam SO + BU + Aim. Iirc their human form ranged damage modifier is closer to Defender levels (= 65%), Warshades just have an easier time hitting the damage cap on their own.

Nova form is a different beast, but that doesn't have a nuke available.

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I've never managed to stop her being totally squishy,

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That's part of how Blasters work at higher levels. Though you should be able to survive fairly decently if you combo Power Sink and Short Circuit (both with 3 EndMod slotted). Those two powers are also the only ones (except from Stamina) you should slot with EndMod.

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nor is her damage anything to write home about

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How much damage are you expecting? What kind of damage are you expecting, single target or AoE?

Elec Blast has 2 single target attacks and one AoE. Short Circuit can be slotted for damage, but you'll either have to lose out on Endurance Drain or Accuracy and I'd only recommend that for /Device Blasters (with Targeting Drone).

You'll need some attacks from Elec Manip to get good damage. That means you'll have to be in melee range, which makes SC+PS very useful. The other primary sets can get decent AoE and/or ST damage without using their secondary, Elec Blasters lack this freedom.

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Depends how you're healing. When Doctor T. Tree, a dark defender, heals by stealing the lifeforce of her enemies and redistributes it to herself and any allies within a certain distance, she probably aggravates her enemies quite a bit.

Would that count as healing aggro?

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That's not healing aggro as such, that's aggro from affecting an opponent with a power.

Twilight Grasp and Transfusion both inflict a condition on an opponent as well as heal (if they hit). You get aggro because you hit an opponent with a power, not because you're healing.

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pah, emp tanks ftw! :P

mine gets aggro no matter where i am so.....IR teh exception to teh masses xD

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I think that may have more to do with you than anything else...

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If you move close to them, they can fixate on you instead of the meat shields.

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Aye, either proximity aggro or targeting priorities is what people mistake as healing aggro in most cases. An undamaged, non-taunted mob will go for the nearest unengaged target. Healing causes no aggro but some mobs have different targeting priorities and will, if undamaged/non-taunted, try to target Controllers or Defenders.

I believe the last time the devs spoke on this issue was during I1 or I2, if you want to try and find it yourself (on the US boards, of course).

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My kin/elec is only 22, but here is my planned build. I'm still a bit undecided about VS and the nuke, but might try them and respec out if I'm not happy with them. Any comments/suggestions are more than welcome!

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Probably the smartest course, just remember to have them at least 4-slotted before you make your final decision. It will be hard to see their true potential with only 1 slot.

And if you're going to skip on any enhancements with TB then make it Damage instead of Recharge, you can get lots of +Dam from your Primary/APP powers.

Short Circuit is fairly accurate on its own, and Tactics helps some more. You may find that you don't need the Acc in it or you may find that it helps. It is also nearly as damaging as Ball Lightning, with equal slotting of course, so some Damage enhancements could be an option.

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(I don't have exact numbers on the Defender version, but enough to be worth mentioning, I'm sure someone will have the exact figures)

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The current TR patch notes say 50% now and 55% if/when the patch is released.

Defender sparky apparently does the same damage as the Blaster sparky. Can't buff it with SP/FS though.

Mission dropping allows you to not even have to talk with officer whatshisname. But you didn't have to do any Hollows missions before that either (other than visiting the bugger).

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If you barely have time to lay down a disruption arrow (20% resist debuff) and ice a straggler then team was amazing without you so that's not really indicative of how good the set is.

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Unless the two powers take 8+ seconds to activate

Don't try to use Time Bomb in a team...

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I'm sure I read somewhere that they are adding a small change for the halloween salvage to appear even though the event was closed?

Might be wrong though

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No redname has stated that there would be a chance to get new Halloween salvage after the event ended. Any statement to that effect would be a player rumor based on misunderstanding (or not reading) what has been stated by rednames.

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(and I have an aversion to cone attacks, since you have to be very precise with them).

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Psychic Scream is a wide cone, precise here means targeting in the general direction.

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Loving all your responses guys, and if I could, I'd quote every one of them for truth.

Here's how this all started; I've failed the first respec trial *several* times. I join a group, we breeze through it, and then we hit that door just inside the terra volta reactor. I've got this far without a single faceplant on a team more than once.

And then the +5's and 6's turn up.....

I can't help feeling that there has to be something out there... that can make this possible, and be around for teams when the next unusually tricky bit turns up.

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As others above me have stated already:

Respec Trials should be done with a very narrow level band and at most one person (preferably) should be more than 1 level below the highest level character.

What's needed isn't a specific character or build, but rather knowledge of how the Respec Trials work (read the guide Cobra_Man linked).