A powerleveler's guide to blasters (very long)
By
45th_Parallel,
Posted on: 2004-06-14 07:36 in Player Guides
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Now this doesn't include rains - because rains are 60 sec base recharge (way too high to use every battle - let alone have a 9.4 recycle time with perma hasten). Further, they take too long (20 sec) to do their full damage.
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Just a bit of clarification. Std rain is 10 sec, lvl 32 blizzard is 20 (wihout the last 15 sec of animation).
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Quote:
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Now this doesn't include rains - because rains are 60 sec base recharge (way too high to use every battle - let alone have a 9.4 recycle time with perma hasten). Further, they take too long (20 sec) to do their full damage.
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Just a bit of clarification. Std rain is 10 sec, lvl 32 blizzard is 20 (wihout the last 15 sec of animation).
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I always thought rain of fire was 10 sec animation with 20 sec of damage - but just timed it verify. Rain of fire's animation only lasts 7-8 seconds, but its damage continues for a total of 16-17 seconds. So less than the 20 seconds I originally thought.
Have you timed the animation and damage on ice storm? If it does its full damage in 10 seconds, than I stand corrected.
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I think it's funny... People can't have their own experience anymore. They have to find the perfect build so they can rule the world.
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you seem to be having "your own experience" thereby invalidating this statement.
there are people in this world that enjoy efficiency. try to respect that. if you don't want to add to this thread in a positive way, don't. you aren't required to. but please don't insult us for doing what we find fun. 
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let me clarifizzle my nizzles
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Aha. From that phrase alone, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are utterly worthless.
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I was able to get to level 13 in 7 hours . . . and now i can get my travel power in one day, i have a good 4 chars i leveled to 14 in a week. I think ive got my game down pretty solid.
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How do you figure? The game is a cake walk for the first 20 levels. They could let stroke victims in a retirement home play this game from 1 to 15, if not 1-20.
When you crack 30 or so, come back. Actually, considering your opening phrase, don't bother.
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I think it's funny... People can't have their own experience anymore. They have to find the perfect build so they can rule the world. Wheres the fun in taking out a mob in one or two hits? Wheres the challenge? Wheres the blood pumping excitement? I gots a Enrg/Enrg Blaster that most of you would probably laugh at, but I bet I have more fun gettin into trouble and surviving by the skin of my teeth while lvling at a comfortable rate. Is there some prize for hitting the lvl cap quick? Do they give you a Super Cookie or something?
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Ditto. I went through three En/En Blasters before I found the build I liked. Sure I come here to ask questions on certain powers (after searching) but I've never (I don't think) posted by entire build and said "rate this" or "fix me." 
I'm really sick of all the "what do you think of this build" posts and the same freaking questions showing up 10 times a week. It's really bad. How many times do we have to say what the fastest levelling Blaster is? How many times do we have to talk about Stamina and Hasten? How many times are we gonna have to keep repeating that Fire is the AoE king and Devices roxxors your house? 
Sorry. In a ranting mood today I guess.
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I'm really sick of all the "what do you think of this build" posts and the same freaking questions showing up 10 times a week. It's really bad. How many times do we have to say what the fastest levelling Blaster is? How many times do we have to talk about Stamina and Hasten? How many times are we gonna have to keep repeating that Fire is the AoE king and Devices roxxors your house?
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Always nice to see 3 of the same thread on the front page at the same time.
Is Ignite worth it?
What do high-lvl blasters think of Ignite?
Should I get Ignite?
So yeah, I know what you mean, duder. 
Ive followed RSRobinsons guide. On July 1st I created a new Fire/Devices blaster. I didnt completely follow the guide Ive grouped and gone on a considerable number of missions, including three TFs. In four days I went from 1st to 22nd level. Throw in a few random hours over the last week and Im at 26. Whats really slowing me down is I uaually only manage to squeeze an hour or maybe 2 in at a time. To me it really helps if I can play for extended periods.
A couple of things Ive found out so far.
Take caltrops. I took flares instead and have regretted it. Sure flares is a nice little attack but the animation on it is too long for the minor damage done. Caltrops is also multi use. You can use it as a defense in missions and slow mobs down at natural bottlenecks or you can run up to a large mob and caltrop them to keep them together for your AoEs. (Ill definitely switch if we ever get the chance.)
Get stamina at lvl 20 slot it up fast.
At level 22 I took cloaking device. With only one defense buff enhancement in it you can tell a difference, however having it, targeting drone and super speed up at the same time means you loose end, slowly. If you place a endurance reduction on it you gain end back at a miniscule rate. If youre desperate about end wait till level 24, after youve had a chance to slot stamina a bit, to pick up cloaking device.
Slot blaze. With only 1 SO in blaze it does almost as much as firebreath with 5 DOs. Yes its only 1 target but its a great boss killer (or at least a major hurting).
Grouping is good. Now let me add some qualifiers. Small groups are good. Alone Ill take out a group of yellows in DA no problem. Yellows with 1 or 2 orange LTs is also manageable. But grouped with another fire we take out groups of oranges backed with red LTs easily. Throw in a tank for agro control or a defender and we take out reds or even purples. With 4 people in the group you should be going after groups of reds and purples. However if you have 5 or more people in the group you have to go after purples to keep the XP rolling in and you have a good chance of dying unless youve go at least one dedicated healer.
Question time now.
Ive got targeting drone (currently only 4 slotted). Is Aim worth while or a complete waste? Im planning on going for acrobatics later (after picking up trip mine and the snipe) and I was wondering if Aim should be included before / after or at all?
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I?ve got targeting drone (currently only 4 slotted). Is Aim worth while or a complete waste? I?m planning on going for acrobatics later (after picking up trip mine and the snipe) and I was wondering if Aim should be included before / after or at all?
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I picked up aim at 35. I could have lived without it. Extra accuracy works fine for purps. Extra dmg is negligible since it's basically like popping a big dmg insp. If you are having a problem with leaving slivers of health (< 20%) on some AOE attacks, you should definately grab it.
Could I have done without it, yes. Was it worth picking up, maybe. Was there any other options for me at 35, not really. If you got a free power slot coming that you don't have a big desire to grab something else, grab aim.
Another good point on aim is the fact that you don't need to slot it up if you have haste, unless you want an additional recharge in it. That means the following level gives you 2 slots to put in other things you have been waiting on... like stamina, smoke, whatever.
I'd get sniper first, so you can slot first. Aim next, so you can continue to slot sniper. Lastly, pick up the tripmine in your 30s, you'll be able to slot it up completely between power levels anyways.
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let me clarifizzle my nizzles
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you cant effectivlizzle powerlizzle
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Big pimpin in a video game! I have truly seen it all now. Is it actually possible to read those posts with a straight face?
What I believe we have here, is the one and only Crispy New Freestyle! (warning: Mad pimpin' bad language, not work/kid safe)
I like reading threads like these because I like to see the bounds of the game (in it's current form). I don't mind, rather enjoy, that some people can perform some amazing stuff with certain builds.
That said, out of sheer curiosity (and why I really wouldn't do something similar myself), if it only takes you something like 2 or 3 weeks to hit max level, what will you do then? It's not like this game has been out long enough to have lots to do at L50. The alternative would be to make alts. However, beyond the 2 or 3 builds that can level as fast, you run into slow(er) leveling builds - will you be able to stand the "agony"?
Is there a part of this guide that details (by using your AR/DV build of course) What should be hunted at what level and where? Thanks!
I have a question about enhancing powers that I've yet to see anyone answer...
You went over that I should six slot all attack powers (IE, for my eng/eng: power burst, power blast, sniper blast, power bolt). You also said to five or six slot hasten, possibly two slot build up, and since I'm going with fly, I should four slot fly.
The only thing you didn't mention was exactly how to go about adding enhancement slots. Is it better to just six slot your attack powers one by one, or start by 3-slotting one attack power, then start 3-slotting the next, and work your way back around until they're all 6 slotted? Cause that's the problem I'm having planning my character. I don't know if I should slowly slot my attack powers up together, or just focus on one at a time.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
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The only thing you didn't mention was exactly how to go about adding enhancement slots. Is it better to just six slot your attack powers one by one, or start by 3-slotting one attack power, then start 3-slotting the next, and work your way back around until they're all 6 slotted? Cause that's the problem I'm having planning my character. I don't know if I should slowly slot my attack powers up together, or just focus on one at a time.
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In my opinion, it is wise to get your best of frequently used attack powers 6 slotted first.
For example:
If you are relying on your AoEs to kill (fireball, firebreath, frost breath, energy torrent, whatever) then get your main AE 6 slotted asap.
If you are one of the blasters that starts off with 2 single target damage attacks, 6 slot the slower one first because you get more bang for your buck out of those enhancements. One your main attack is 6 slotted you'll notice you can almost always 2 shot mobs.
For a Fire/Dev build, this is how I would start out;
1-2nd lvl - Fire Blast, Fire Ball, Web:
3rd lvl - add 2 slots to Fire Ball (most damage per shot)
4th lvl - Caltrops:
5th lvl - add 2 slots to Fire Ball (now you should have 5 slotted dmg Fire Ball)
6th lvl - Hasten:
7th lvl - 1 slot Fire Ball, 1 Slot Fire Blast (or Hasten)
8th lvl - Fire Breath:
9th lvl - 2 slots to Fire Breath
10th lvl - Targeting Drone:
11th lvl - 2 slots to Fire Breath
12th lvl - Swift/Hurdle (your choice)
13th lvl - 1 slot to Fire Breath, 1 slot to Fire Blast
14th lvl - Super Speed
15th lvl - 2 slots to Hasten
You want to concentrate on getting Smoke Grenade, Blaze and Stamina next. Targeting Drone, Hasten, & Smoke Grenade can split the slots until you get Stamina, then get Stamina to 6 slots ASAP.
Here are your big slot hogs:
Fire Blast - 6 slots
Fire Ball - 6 slots
Fire Breath - 6 slots
Hasten - 5 to 6 slots
Stamina - 6 slots
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One thing I'd like to find out is, what are the benefits/tradeoffs of slotting the "auto" powers Swift/Hurdle vs. slotting Super Speed/Super Jump?
-= Edited per Cambios suggestion =-
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Health - 5 to 6 slots
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Definitely not.
Health is absolutely worthless. If you start taking consistent damage as a blaster, you're dead. Blaster health is pretty much an all or nothing proposition. Either you are barely taking damage, or you're getting wtfbbqttfnpwned.
The regen from health is pathetic in battle and of only marginal benefit for downtime. You'll get plenty health inspirations to handle your downtime.
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Health - 5 to 6 slots
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Definitely not.
*snip*
The regen from health is pathetic in battle and of only marginal benefit for downtime. You'll get plenty health inspirations to handle your downtime.
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I would agree, until you get SOs. If you can afford a slot once and a while (i.e. NO attacks/holds/stamina have under 6), putting 2-3 in health actually works quite well.
I can take 450+ dmg from a melee attack, it won't kill me. Now, the incoming ranged attacks can add onto that pretty quick... and usually don't come all at once (at least for me). In between these attacks on me, my health can drop to 1/2... which is dangerously close to a melee hit death. Having health will regen some of those ranged attacks as you go.
I don't want to use numbers, because the number police will come argue decimal points, but if you throw in some Heal SOs (when you are flowing with influence in the late 20s/30s), it does make a sizable difference. It works just like stamina. 2-3 slots will make a sizable "0 -> full" recharge rate increase.
But, it's all a matter of choice. Some people use it, some don't. It really doesn't "suck". It just isn't as cool as other stuff.
I just wanted to comment on the original poster's guide. I started a fire/devices blaster the other night, and only had an hour to play. I tried the street sweeping thing, but at these early levels it is just too hard to find lvl appropriate mobs, many of the mobs in AP are 5-6. I'm thinking that missions are probably a good way to go until 5 or so.
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Health is absolutely worthless. If you start taking consistent damage as a blaster, you're dead. Blaster health is pretty much an all or nothing proposition. Either you are barely taking damage, or you're getting wtfbbqttfnpwned.
The regen from health is pathetic in battle and of only marginal benefit for downtime. You'll get plenty health inspirations to handle your downtime.
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From the experience I've had playing an AR/En blaster up to 39 (currently; expect to tip over 40 tonight), I have to say you're wrong. From the point at which I six-slotted Full Auto up to the point where I outlevelled the 5th Column mobs on the southeast side of Brickstown, having Health made the difference between being able to hang down there whacking mobs and selling TO/DO enhancements to Bill Nye (in-joke; Holsten Armitage, the 30-40 Science 'store' -- "Bill Nye, the Science Guy") until I'd built up a full rack of non-Science SOs to sell in TI, and having to run off every ten or fifteen minutes to buy more Respites. With Full Auto and Build Up, I could hover over one of the groups of 6-12 5th Column, from white to orange minions, and put them all down with one attack -- but the return grenade fire before they went down would average dropping me to 50% health. With Health two-slotted with SOs, by the time I'd found another group big enough to use FA on (instead of sniping small groups out), I'd be back to full health without having to use any inspirations. I'd burn some Luck against yellow and orange groups to cut the damage I was taking, and Respites when I got hit hard and went down to 25%, but for the most part I could fly around attacking for several hours without using more than a quarter of my inspiration tray.
"But in our enthusiasm, we could not resist a radical overhaul of the system, in which all of its major weaknesses have been exposed, analyzed, and replaced with new weaknesses."
-- Bruce Leverett, Register Allocation in Optimizing Compilers
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I picked up aim at 35. I could have lived without it. Extra accuracy works fine for purps. Extra dmg is negligible since it's basically like popping a big dmg insp. If you are having a problem with leaving slivers of health (< 20%) on some AOE attacks, you should definately grab it.
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However, consider that, like Build Up, Aim is a continually-refreshing source of short-life inspirations. No matter how heavily you burn through your inspiration tray, and how bad the drops have been, Aim and Build Up will just recharge and give you more automatically. Unless you're chronically popping Insight and Rage, it to a great degree frees you from your dependency on those inspirations.
"But in our enthusiasm, we could not resist a radical overhaul of the system, in which all of its major weaknesses have been exposed, analyzed, and replaced with new weaknesses."
-- Bruce Leverett, Register Allocation in Optimizing Compilers
I can assure you that Electricity does not stun..at all. Their "shaking" animation can be interuptted to attack. As long as they have nothing that they can do(used all of their attacks and are waiting for them to re-pop) they will shake. It looks like bosses and Lts shake off the "stun" faster because their recharge is faster.
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I could hover over one of the groups of 6-12 5th Column, from white to orange minions
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Aha. No wonder you need health.
Hover blasters suck. I know that early on everyone thought blasters needed hover.
A few months into the game, it is obvious that hover/fly are absolute garbage. They are slow as crap and there are far better ways to stay out of melee range (and sometimes even out of ranged weapon range).
I copied my character over to the test server to go from health with a red training enhancement in it to 4 health SOs.
I really couldn't even notice a difference.
Health blows. Slot it at your own risk.
There are people out there who make a mistake and then want to convince themselves that it wasn't a mistake by getting other people to do the same thing.
Don't listen to them.
very informative, was doing most of this naturally w/o a clue of this kind of scheme w/ a fire/fire blaster. going def now. thx!
great post! it's really helped me 'fix' my otherwise f'd up energy/energy blaster! i have a quick question tho....i'm still in teh process of 'fixin' my guy. i'm about to get to lev 21 and i was wondering what power you suggest when i get to 22. here are the powers i don't have that you suggest in your guide:
Build Up
Stealth
Stamina
Super Speed
Hasten
i'm tempted to take Build Up so i can do more damage, but having more endo would be nice (stamina) and so would being hit less (stealth ).
my damage right now isn't too bad as i've 6 slotted snipe, power blast and power burst. i only recently got power bolt ( one of my screw ups ) and will be slotting that one out more soon. so out of those powers, which do you think i should get next?
also, the guide never mentioned how many slots i should put into combat jump and/or stealth. right now i have combat jump 2 slotted w/defense.
one last thing....how many slots should i put into Aim or Build Up ( when i get it )? i've heard to hit and dam buffs are useless and that i should slot rechg reduc...the question is, how many? i would assume at least 3, but i'm not sure.
this thread's pretty old...i hope people are still reading it. if not, i'll repost this question in the forum's as it's own thread. thanks in advance to everyone!
-chan.
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I copied my character over to the test server to go from health with a red training enhancement in it to 4 health SOs.
I really couldn't even notice a difference.
Health blows. Slot it at your own risk.
There are people out there who make a mistake and then want to convince themselves that it wasn't a mistake by getting other people to do the same thing.
Don't listen to them.
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Your assessment is based on copying to test server, slotting up to 4 SO's, and "not really noticing a difference", so your opinion is better? srmalloy posted his experience with Health and found it useful but your "test" is better proof and people shouldn't listen to him but they should listen to you?
Why not just post facts and let people decide if health is for them? In this thread there is a discussion about the Fitness Pool and in one of the posts, someone links to a spreadsheet that gives you an idea of how Health, Stamina, Fast Healing and Quick Recovery perform with and without enhancements. Assuming the values are correct, it shows that 6 slotting Health reduces time required to heal to full to around 52.63% of normal or in other words, gives you 0.791666667% Health Per Second as opposed to 0.416666667% Health per second.
Is that useful? You decide for yourself.
Not sure if its been posted - but I did a test a while back with frost breath, fire breath, and fire ball.
My numbers may be a little off - but from what I can remember for a 20th level fire and ice blaster against non-resistant / non-vulnerable 20th level minions these are their approximate non-enhanced (i.e. base) damages:
Frost Breath: 20 x 2 (~40)
Fire Breath: 17 x 3 (~50)
Fire Ball: 20 + 5 (plus 3 dmg x 4 ticks max for burn) (~30 assuming burn lasts 2 ticks)
So just between frost breath (16 sec recharge) versus fire breath + fire ball (each with 16 sec recharge) a fire blaster will double the damage output of an ice blaster in AoE.
Now this doesn't include rains - because rains are 60 sec base recharge (way too high to use every battle - let alone have a 9.4 recycle time with perma hasten). Further, they take too long (20 sec) to do their full damage.
I'd be interested in seeing frost breath, fire breath and fire balls unenhanced damage at 30, 40 and even 50 - if anyone has done any tests.
BTW, I enjoy my ice blaster - and don't feel he is 'gimped' - he's just not in the same league as my fire blasters when it comes to AoE damage.