Your post has been really helpful. Thank you. I am new to the forums and have been having trouble finding answers to my questions. You have answered most of them. If you know where i can find info about debt, how its gotten & gotten rid of, I would be grateful.
Thanks again,
Provost
Nice guide.
Old Fantasy Nukers Rule; It is not your job to do the first 20% of the mobs HP early, but to do the last 60% of the mobs HP quickly.
regards, Screwloose.
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These are really helpful. Just started a AR/NRG last nite. REALLY fun two-shotting white minions. So I'm glad for the tips.
The 'waiting' for aggro part I am very aware of. I usually play a Tanker. I KNOW the Blasters would be better off holding up just a few secs. But I often see Blasters who just cannot wait. (And that stereotype takes a lot of s__t in the tank forums....)
Thanks for the advice! I usually play a controller, so I wasn't used to all the aggro I was getting in teams as a fire blaster. I was doing all the things you state NOT to do: attacking early, running away to avoid being aggro'd upon (and hence running away from team healers in the process), etc. I'll definitely take your advice, and hopefully I won't incur so much debt now.
One thing: One time most of my team ended up dead on the floor, and this one tanker said to me thru team chat "hey, howcome your end is full? Cuz you f**kin ran!" I told him my end fills up quickly, and I was trying to time my attacks well. I ended up dead just like him, didn't I? I was pretty miffed that he implied I wasn't putting my fair share into the battle.
Okay, vent over. Thank you again 
Blacksky,
I would like to offer some additions to your guide. if you like them, please edit them into your post. If not then no big deal.
#1 Target a scrapper. I play with a lot of scrappers who tend to hold single enemy aggro pretty well. Instead of auto-targeting (clicking an attack and letting iot go to the next available target) target your scrapper buddy (with his permission). Hw needs to hit 1st and then you fire afterward until the 2 of you kill it. Paired up, you can really crush LTs and Bosses.
#2 Use Knockback wisdom.
A) He who knocks the Tanks herd back with AoE will not only aggro a quick death, but will aggro a nasty comment from the tank. Instead, use your Energy Nova or other AoE Knockback when they are down to 50% health (thus killing them).
B) Also, be sure to start from the outside stragglers and work inward with single target knockback. The ones around the tank should be the last ones you concern yourself with. They are being managed (in spite of the tank being flooded by them). Shoot stragglers who are looking for a defender or controller to smack.
C) Use knockback to push stragglers into the tanks aggro radius instead of knocking them out of it. Sure it takes more time and is tricky, but a happy tank is a tank surrounded by every possible minion in the area.
D) Only use Knockback to push a villian over the cliff or building roof to save yourself. No one wants to chase that guy down later (especially in a Kill All mish).
E) When in doubt Hover Blast above the mob, which turns knockback into Knockdown. Everyone loves Knockdown!
#3 Ask the team how you can best assist them BEFORE unleashing your powers. This will let them know to be ready for your attack as well as prepare them to save you if it goes bad. This holds true for all the rain AoE powers which scatters the herd and all NOVA oriented powers which trump the aggro managers and sleep powers and various hold/slow powers that are keeping you alive.
Lastly, realize that almost all ATs have some sort of super cool AoE. If you can coordinate yours with theirs the fireworks are spectacular and the TEAM profits instead of you being a showoff and the team having to save you from the highly pissed of mob that you almost killed.
TuTANKHaman lvl41 fire/fire tank-victory
Battle Reaver lvl 30 NRG/NRG balster-victory
[ QUOTE ]
Lastly, realize that almost all ATs have some sort of super cool AoE. If you can coordinate yours with theirs the fireworks are spectacular and the TEAM profits instead of you being a showoff and the team having to save you from the highly pissed of mob that you almost killed.
[/ QUOTE ]
Quoted for Complete Truth. My extension of Blaster tips (advice from Star Scout MK-4, Energy/Energy/Force Blaster on Infinity):
1) Nukes are fun, BUT: Note that until your Nuke is slotted with three damage SOs...it's actually not that impressive, even with Aim and Buildup. However, once it has those three damages, you can use it to one shot even +2 spawns (minions and leuts only) pretty reliably IF YOU USE BOTH AIM AND BUILDUP. Unless the mob is very damage and you're closing the deal, do not open a fight with a Nuke without using Aim and Buildup. Your team will appreciate watching their xp bar move because you defeated 16 minions from full health and sped up the mission. They will not appreciate an entire angry 8-man spawn with a dead Blaster. For AR and Archery, this is a little different: find the best cluster of wounded mobs, buff yourself, and then use FA or Hail of Arrows to finish them off (say it with me: "Do the last 60% quickly, not the first 60% early"). Never forget: your Nuke (and other AoEs) work best when debuffs and other AoEs are applied. If you co-ordinate your Nuke with a team, you can destroy the entire spawn without anyone taking even 1 point of damage. If you co-ordinate your Nuke with controls from a team, you can have the same effect.
2) Rains and AoEs are a soloer's friend, BUT: When you have KB of any kind (or rain powers that make mobs run), co-ordinate with your team. Using Rain or Fire is great over the mobs attacking the Tank...until they scatter as if you had hit them all with Explosive Blast. Use positional powers to set up a killing field or finish wounded enemies, don't open with it unless you've got others doing the same and the Tank doesn't mind. The exception to this is a setup like: Tank herds, Caltrops drop, Rain goes off (this is also great for cones like Ice Breath). That way, you're knocking down effectively controlled mobs and not scattering aggro.
3) Manage your soft controls!!! If you have Knockback, Slows, or Disorients you need to learn to manage them. Also know when to use your Immobilize on a runner, or combine immobilizes with teammates to keep bosses in one place. Slows are relatively easy, because they are additional soft control on attacked spawns. Don't rely on them: stack them. Disorients are also your bestest friend, but you need to learn how you can stack them (alone or with your team) for best effect. It's better to have two leuts drunk than fail to disorient the entire spawn, or have two leuts drunk instead of over-stacking on one. Knockback is the trickiest, but also the most easily solved. Single target Knockback is great aggro mitiagation: it keeps the mob you attacked from attacking you. But AoE Knockback WILL make the Tank angry at you unless you learn the tricks. Hover is the easiest way to turn KB into KD. Walls are your friends too, so get the tank to herd to a corner, so that when you KB the spawn into the corner, you get mitigation without scattering. The same applies to Rains: Rain to make mobs run TO a corner, not FROM a corner. If you can master jousting, you can also position great KB even when originally in a bad position, or reliably turn KB into KD.
4) I got my APP, now I'm a TankMage(tm)!! *BZZZZZT!* Wrong, Timmy. Sit back down. If you took Fire, Cold, Electricity, or Munitions, you have extra tools to lay down the law, but one toggle shield or an auto-resist is a far cry from being a Tank. Co-ordinate your APP controls with your team and your APP attacks like you would your other attacks. If you've got Fire and DO die, get your team to bring mobs to you (or you to them) so that when you rez yourself with Rise of the Phoenix, you can stun the spawn for cleanup.
What about us Force users? Shush, I haven't forgotten you. The same rule applies: you got utility, not TankMage(tm). Your armor is good, but nothing to rely on. PFF is like Phase Shift, and is only for running away, it has few uses on teams other than "stealthing" missions or getting into place safely and waiting for the signal. Repulsion Field will keep enemies away from you, but is like a constant Rain power around you: co-ordinate use with teammates for the best effect, or prepare to be kicked. But Force of Nature makes me UBER? *BZZZT!* again, Timmy! Force of Nature lets you take damage well for two minutes. This power is best saved as a panic button for "Oh no3s, the tank and the h34lz0rs are down!" moments, where the team is facing a team-wipe and needs a savior. Your team will NOT appreciate you using FoN every time its up (and crashing End) with extra setup time and baby-sitting. They WILL (very, very much) appreciate you allowing the Defender and Tank to get back on their feet safely and get the spawn back under control, preventing a team-wipe.
That's my advice to you young-uns, now listen to the others here and you may learn a lot.
*clap clap clap* Wonderful guide.
So thats what I am doing wrong!!!! 
Good advice... my blaster turns out to make a bad tanker.... and vice versa!
Blasters should target foes strategically. Know what foes you are facing and who potentially is the most dangerous. If you are fighting BP maybe you want to take out that Avalanche Shaman or Storm Shaman before a boss.. Maybe you should take out that Tsoo Sorcerer cause they keep healing everyone else.
I agree 100% about aggro. Most blasters I have seen throw a fireball the moment the tank runs in, they dont even wait for the tank to actually establish the aggro first or the controllers to control or the defenders to debuff. Your aggro is YOUR responsibility...
Also I think Blasters should protect other squishies.. watch out for that defender who is giving you speed boost and bubbles.. They cant defeat a foe as fast as you can. Often times they are so buff/debuff focused they wont protect themselves..
Knockback is a great control too but learn HOW to use it.. dont just click Energy Torrent because its recharged on your tray. Learn to hover above foes and turn knockback into knockDOWN which is a good thing...
The hard things I can do--- The impossible just take a little bit longer.
If numbers are so much more important than a teammate who is fun to play with, forget about the game altogether and go play with a calculator instead. -Claws and Effect-
Great guide Black now if all the whining [about dying] blasters that cause their own problems would read it, I wouldn't get all those complaints when I am tanking.
<QR>
Only addition I have: All that goes out the window when you have a regular team. As you learn the team's style, you'll be able to complement them.
It is said by blasters, that "when anyone makes a mistake, it's the blaster that pays for it".
Here is a guide that will hopefully suggest to you how to avoid dying from your OWN mistakes.
ROLE: Your role in a team is to put up big orange numbers over the enemy's head. And to keep on doing so. Not shooting is bad. Dying is worse. Unfortunately, shooting draws aggro, which tends to cause death. So in many ways, your role in the quest to be the perfect blaster, is to balance aggro and damage.
MANAGE YOUR PROBLEMS: A blaster that shoots and complains about aggro is a blaster that needs help. Remember this mantra: you are responsible for the aggro that you draw. If you cannot survive it, don't draw it.
If you defeat an enemy by shooting at them, the aggro is managed.
If you shoot an enemy that cannot fire back (Held, etc), or that is debuffed so that they won't do much, the aggro is managed.
If you shoot an enemy that will not fire back (aggro is held by a tank or someone else), then the aggro is managed.
But if you shoot at a target, and will not kill the target with that or with subsequent shots, and that target is active, and that target will turn around to shoot at you... then you're going to face its aggro, and you need to make sure that you survive it. If you won't survive, don't shoot. Shoot someone else, wait for a hold, wait for a debuff, whatever.
PATIENCE: A blaster benefits tremendously from crowd control, debuffing, and aggro management by the rest of the team. But a blaster who fires before the enemy is properly grouped, controlled, or taunted, is not getting the benefit. And may be breaking the plans of the other teammates.
Know what your teammates will do with regards to debuffing, aggro management, and crowd control. Then, WAIT for them to do it. Then, go in and make scrappers jealous with the damage. Firing too early can lead to death. But, less obviously, you will hit fewer people if the tank hasn't properly grouped everyone (less damage!)... you will do less damage if you didn't wait for Freezing Rain, or Enervating Field, or Fulcrum Shift, or even Siphon Power. Waiting 5 seconds can give you a 30% damage bonus... why not wait?
OVERWHELM: This is part of managing your aggro. When you fire, make sure that you have your full attack cycle either all recharged, or you know that recharging powers will be ready by the time it's their turn. Also, make sure that you have the Endurance to fire everything. Firing all of your AoE attacks into a group, plus buffs like Build-Up, in short sequence, will often wipe that group out, or at least the minions. Plus, it gives only a short period of time during which you NEED the crowd control or the aggro management. Whereas firing them slowly, with a pause in between for endurance or recharge, will lead to a longer period in which you're drawing aggro from your targets.
CONTROL YOUR TARGETS: This can apply to pre-shooting control by laying down a caltrop field, or a trip mine, or even a Rain of Fire, in front of your position (not on the enemies). That way, anyone whose aggro you draw that comes to melee you, will be slowed or turned back. If you're about to open up with a single-target sequence on a lieutenant, open up with any CC power (Beanbag, Freeze Ray, Tesla Cage) first, then proceed to the damage.
SINGLE-TARGET AWARENESS: There are times when your AoE is not recharged, or you're not willing to fire it. Then pick a single target that you can defeat (again, part of the managing your aggro), and defeat it. Remember that a wounded minion is hitting the tank for as much as an undamaged one, but is much safer for you to annoy. So shoot at the wounded, shoot at the controlled, shoot at everyone that will not fire back.
SHOOT AT THE TANK: Always shoot near the tank. The tank can't avoid drawing aggro nearby, even if they don't use Taunt. But their auras and their attacks all draw nearby aggro, and will usually draw it strongly enough to keep mobs aggroed on them. So shooting near the tank will very rarely draw attention. Note that you don't want to shoot the tank's target if you can help it. The tank will often be aiming at the boss, and you want to kill the minions around (unless it's an Invincible Tank). If you do draw someone's attention, you're happier if it's a minion, not a boss.
WATCH YOUR GROUP: It's a reflex to back up when the mobs approach. Be careful doing that. You are often safer near a defender or a controller. It's hard to save the blaster who is running away, it's not that hard to save the blaster who is yelling for help 20 feet away. So stay close.
Do NOT stay close to the tank. If I have to tell you why, you've never been in the Sky Raider respec trial. Tanks kind of draw shots at them... when those shots are AoE, nearby squishies (you) tend to take lots of damage (so what else is new?).
TIMING IS EVERYTHING: Many of the ideas above come down, really, to timing.
Know when to delay. Firing powers soon as they're recharged will often not help much. Wait for the #2 power of a 1-2 punch to be ready, before firing off the #1 power.
Know when to shoot. Shooting in a full alpha strike, launching everything you have, is more effective than shooting, waiting, shooting, waiting, etc. The less time that you're drawing aggro, the safer you are.
Know when to wait. Do not shoot before the conditions are ripe. Wait for aggro management, wait for debuffs, wait for control. Frankly, in almost any team, initiating any fight (other than a snipe pull), the blasters should be the LAST to begin their attack sequence into the enemy crowd.
Watch your inspirations. They're how a blaster saves the day, especially Luck inspirations.