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You can only buy SO To hit buffs and Debuffs when you reach level 30 startng in Brickston and Founder Falls.
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I've you've maxed out the correct contact (relative to your origin) you can start buying non-power-10 level 25 SOs while still in Talos Island and Independance Port.
This was added in update 2.
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You pay a premium for doing so, however; the prices for SOs from your contacts are twice the price of the same enhancement from a store (based on the enhancements sold by higher-level contacts, and the selling price for level 25 SOs in the appropriate stores). Fortunately, the non-power-10 SOs tend to have a lower base price than the pricier power-10 enhancements like Damage, Accuracy, and Healing.
"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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You pay a premium for doing so, however; the prices for SOs from your contacts are twice the price of the same enhancement from a store...
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And price is a problem how?
I haven't had influence problems since my teens and maybe my late 20's. Spending the influence to get those SO's lets you level easier which = more influence (as you fight more mobs that drop SO's).
I have more influence than I know what to do with and I support 3-4 of my son's alts too (granted it's been mostly DO's but I've gotten SO's for him too). 
Just make sure to always sell to the right stores and know which enhancements sell for the most (so you optimize each load) and it shouldn't be a problem.
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As for defense with a blaster...
This sure could be worth testing out a build or two. Nothing annoys me more than one shot deaths.
Phenominal cosmic damge!!!
Itty bitty hit points... 
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Arg. While the idea behind this post is great, some of the comments are mind numbing. Are you people actually playing the game, or simply reading about the next FotM on the forums and day dreaming?
Also, if you're a blaster and your main concern is defence/resist, may I recommend you A) Don't play a blaster or B) Get Phase shift and learn to use it.
The END costs and powers/slots used for defence are both a huge hinderence to your ability to do damage, and not actually enough to really help you survive.
Whats the difference between a blaster with 0 defence and a blaster with the maxium defence his or her build would allow?
Not much; maybe a hospital trip werth of death, but thats about it. I wouldn't count that as a difference though, seeing as the defence heavy blaster is only 1 hit waway from the same fate.
Hey, look at it this way, early to the hospital, early getting back to the battle. =]
[The views expressed here are mine and mine alone, your milage may vary, void where prohibited by law, exept Ohio.]
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Wow... I don't even know where to start with this post... First you're saying that we don't play the game when you are obviously here NOT playing the game... Two, not everyone wants to run away with phase shift because not everyone is a coward and running could sometimes hurt your team... Three, you are a total n00b if you haven't heard the term "Blapper." Especially since they've gotten unusually popular. Finally... it's defense... not defence... Spell check?
Is that the starting defense given by the stealth powers? Their defense boost is decreased once you attack. So if so, would anyone know how the defense buff is affected after you attack an enemy? Is it reduced drastically?
umm doesn't ED eliminate the 6slotting defense option? Am I missing something here?
Also, I've heard conflicting reports about -ACC. Is it multiplicative or additive? ie does it subtract from an enemies % to hit or does take a % of his/her % to hit away?
Wow, way to bring a thread back from the grave.
3/1/06 minus 7/29/05 = 7 months dead.
This guide dates from before ED . . .before I5 going live. . .it's old info.
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
So how does this guide measure up to I7/I8?
Is Tough at 7.5% base absorb still worth getting?
Does anyone bother anymore with Weave / Maneuvers at an amazing 2.5% base defense?
After I've dumped my first AE attack, is Stealth at 2.5% base defense really going to make a lot of difference?
Or is that about the time I should hit Phase Shift, with a 3 second activation time?
I'm not looking for Uberness here, just looking to avoid 1-hit deaths.
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So how does this guide measure up to I7/I8?
Is Tough at 7.5% base absorb still worth getting?
Does anyone bother anymore with Weave / Maneuvers at an amazing 2.5% base defense?
After I've dumped my first AE attack, is Stealth at 2.5% base defense really going to make a lot of difference?
Or is that about the time I should hit Phase Shift, with a 3 second activation time?
I'm not looking for Uberness here, just looking to avoid 1-hit deaths.
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Simply put, a blaster's best defense is his powers, control abilities, and their brain. Any blaster defenses (outside of APPS) offer so little defense, it's not worth putting slots into unless you actually have slots to spare; at which point, it will still be very little.
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So how does this guide measure up to I7/I8?
Is Tough at 7.5% base absorb still worth getting?
Does anyone bother anymore with Weave / Maneuvers at an amazing 2.5% base defense?
After I've dumped my first AE attack, is Stealth at 2.5% base defense really going to make a lot of difference?
Or is that about the time I should hit Phase Shift, with a 3 second activation time?
I'm not looking for Uberness here, just looking to avoid 1-hit deaths.
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Simply put, a blaster's best defense is his powers, control abilities, and their brain. Any blaster defenses (outside of APPS) offer so little defense, it's not worth putting slots into unless you actually have slots to spare; at which point, it will still be very little.
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This is true imho, but once you have Epic Force Mastery Defence, you have some of the strongest defences in the game.
I have a Blaster that can hang with any PVP Tank,Scrapper,Stalker,Brute..
I can take any amount of damage or hits and live.I do not run away either.
Get swift,health,stamina,tough,weave,hover,fly,stealth ,invis,phaseshift,PFF,temp invuln,force of nature..
You can take more damage than a tank with some of these defense powers stacked and if you have hover maxxed out with defense enhancements you can take alot of damage when outside of the pff bubble but you must have tough and weave, and stealth on.Also, temp invuln helps.I can withstand the most vicious assault strike from any stalker when in this mode outside the pff bubble.
learning to use PFF is the real trick.If you have all of these powers on with PFF absolutely nothing can stop you...But you must turn off PFF when attacking so just have phase shift ready and ignite it once you dealt a good round of damage while in hover.By the time phase shift is done PFF is ready again so deal damage again and then back in pff when they try and strike you back.Repeat this method and get good at it and you will kill any Stalker or Brute...anyone that takes you on.
I also found that if you move around a bit while in hover, and are at a height just out of a Stalkers attack range you can zap away.You are even tougher and can deal more damage with force of nature on but save that as a ace in the hole.Only use it if you need it because once its over it drains your end.
So have all of your tough and weave and temp invulnarability on.Have stamina maxxed to ther hilt with slots and enhancements and have all defense selections max slotted.
Use PFF and Phase shift to back each other up.
another trick is
A pet power like Voltanic sentinel helps to have when in Pff you can still be striking at your enemy and just sitting in PFF.
If you have something like voltanic sentinel max slot it to do as much damage as possible.
I will back up my claims and fight anyone in the Arena and or RV.
Chuck
I have found that the best defense that my blaster can have is playing smart. Add range to stay out of melee range. NO aoe's unless the tank or troller has agro. Then single target to take down individuals. Any time you can lessen personal agro you will live longer.
Nice guide! I can't resist adding my comments on the pool powers:
Hasten, hover, stealth, and combat jumping all worthwhile defensive toggles for blasters. Granted, power pool limitations prevent any Stamina build from taking all four, but any you can take will stack.
Hasten (5%) of course has a wonderful secondary effect. There's no defense like a good offense.
Same goes for Hover (5%), and the Defensive Maneuverability Benefit of a few extra speed enhancements here is enormous.
Stealth's cost makes it worth an end-reducer, and the reduction in aggro you'll draw (solo and teamed) makes this one worthwhile even if the def bonus was 0%. If you've got spare slots in your build, slotting the 7.5% def up to 15.4% (1 end, 5 def) is not a complete waste, either.
The endurance cost of Combat Jumping is so low (less than 5 end/min) it's like getting 6.6% defense for nothing. The excellent immobilize protection is also a life saver versus certain foes. Pre-SJ, Speeders will want to stay at 5% def and put a Jump enhancement in here.