This is what I would like to see happen to blasters.
1. Impliment PvP damage resist bypass in PvE.
2. Increase the range of all primary powers to be greater than the Diameter of Foot Stomp. Greater.
3. Take all PbAoE status effects and toggles in Blaster Secondaries and make them summonable drops or target toggles. Other than cloaking device of course.
4. Make all current melee attacks have a range of 20 feet, either by changing the animations or just letting them have the range. Increase the damage on Melee AoE attack powers again.
5. (stolen idea) Give each single target attack a -10% res that lasts 5 seconds. This not only helps boost the blasters damage a minute amount but also allows the blaster to help a team. Thus encouraging teaming.
6. Swap the damage caps of blasters and scrappers.
7. Remove the rooting effect from blaster attacks.
8. Faster activation times on powers for blasters.
9. Making level 32 nukes into more useable AoE powers like Head Splitter or Full-Auto and less situational all end consuming powers.
Just my thoughts on where I would like blasters to go.
Actually I don't mind the melee attacks. The defenses that are offered by the secondaries are melee in nature and that is the main problem with them. I have no problem taking melee to add to my damage but having things like Hot Feet and chilling embrace seem to be working against the grain.
With all do respect Statesman, the last time you posted about looking at Blasters, you said Controllers were in front of us - that's fine. However, now you're saying that Scrappers and Tankers are in front also? When exactly are the Devs going to actually take a look at Blasters? It seems we've had issues for quite some time, yet are being pushed to the back of the line in (terms of fixes) constantly.
I'm huge supporter of the Devs in most cases, but this and you're previous statements in the "Ask Statesman" thread are rather disturbing.
Here's my thoughts on Blasters in their current state.
Updated thoughts on the Blaster AT
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I did forget to add that the ranged attacks of mobs deal less damage (typically) than melee attacks - and the Blaster is generally the target of raned attacks.
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However since a blaster cannot stay at range indefinately due to the rooting nature of his attacks you cannot assume that blasters will not be in the same position that scrappers are.
In gameplay blasters are frequently in melee, in the later portions of the game they cannot avoid it as they are mezzed.
So your reasoning behind the blaster and scrapper damage cap seems ludicrous.
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With all do respect Statesman, the last time you posted about looking at Blasters, you said Controllers were in front of us - that's fine. However, now you're saying that Scrappers and Tankers are in front also? When exactly are the Devs going to actually take a look at Blasters? It seems we've had issues for quite some time, yet are being pushed to the back of the line in (terms of fixes) constantly.
I'm huge supporter of the Devs in most cases, but this and you're previous statements in the "Ask Statesman" thread are rather disturbing.
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I believe scrappers and tankers are getting looked at yet again for issue 4, at least that was the sense his post gave in the regen thread. It may very well do more harm than good to balance blasters on how the game plays now and then rebalance scrappers and tankers on how they want those to play.
Frankly, I have no optimism at all that things will turn out well.
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At the moment, Scrappers, and to a lesser degree, Tankers, are being analyzed. Once we establish a baseline, then we'll be in a better position to look at Blasters.
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Does this mean you are making a new baseline? Last I checked the base line was three white minions. Is this changeing?
Taken from the response to your post in Ask Statesman.
What I find funny here is that if the blaster picks and chooses his targets from range he is no longer the damage king. If the blaster wants to deal more damage than the scrapper he is going to close to melee range and suddenly Statesman's arguement seems rather silly. Especially considering the amount of melee that is in the secondaries.
Blasters are all about range Statesman? Since when? Was that before or after you put the melee in our secondaries? Do you recall when the blaster secondaries were actually melee secondaries. Sorry but Statesman's arguement does not hold up. Blasters were always seen as being in melee and at range, so giving the scrappers a higher cap because they were in melee but not giving the blasters a higher cap because they are also involved in melee is simply ludicrous.
Notice Statesman did not say that scrappers were in melee more than blasters. He simply stated that they were involved in melee and thus were in a riskier situation more often. Of course this is in terms of a blaster that is sometimes in a risky situation at range. Only a blaster does get into melee, which thus puts him in the risky situation.
Man what a poor excuse, just get rid of the mistake already and either give blasters the higher damage cap or remove it from scrappers. It is an insult to call an AT the damage king but then clearly giving a different AT the tools to be a better damage dealer. Ridiculous.
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However since a blaster cannot stay at range indefinately due to the rooting nature of his attacks you cannot assume that blasters will not be in the same position that scrappers are.
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Then is this a partial solution for Blasters? Remove the need to be stationary from their ranged powers?
Under construction
Also Statesman,
While Ranged attacks do less damage(maybe a little), there is also the range(as far as my snipe can reach) chain-mezzing that will hold blasters allowing the villians to close to melee range and then lay the smack down with higer melee damage and with blasters having no chance of escape.
I completely understand the high risk/high reward and no risk/no reward.. but the blasters as they currently are have the highest risk/no reward (because we are in the hospital).
Think he said that a higher level hero(with full so's)=3 red minions
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Then is this a partial solution for Blasters? Remove the need to be stationary from their ranged powers?
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That was a suggestion I made long ago. Just added it to my list of things I want to see happen to blasters.
Here is the problem states.
The ONLY way a blaster can outdamage a scrapper is if the blaster uses his melee attacks. The primary blaster attacks are a joke compared to the secondary. The melee attacks are several times stronger. This forces blasters to go into melee. This is especially true in PvP.
This goes completely against what you're saying, by claiming that range is a blaster's best defense. It's not. What good is range when the only way a blaster can actually hurt someone is by going into melee?
And that's especially true in some builds (Usually AoE builds like fire and AR). AoE attacks are simply useless in PvP. They don't do anywhere close to enough damage to even scratch anybody. So for a fire blaster, that leaves flares (a minor damage attack....useless) and fireblast (a moderate damage attack that barely does anything). Unless you consider Blaze a ranged attack (its range is like 10 feet), that's a total of 2 ranged attacks in the entire set, both far too weak to accomplish anything.
So what do I do? What every blaster does in PvP. I go into melee. Something that you seem to be against, but something that no blaster can possibly avoid.
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And, of course, there's the complaint that some Secondaries have too many melee attacks - something that the Blaster avoids at all costs.
[/ QUOTE ]Says who? It's not something that this blaster avoids. The melee attacks easily offer enough reward (in enormous damage) to outweigh their risk (which can be zero even against Monsters) of short range. The entire risk/reward scheme of short-ranged controls and attack powers is what makes my blasters interesting for me to play in the first place.
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At the moment, Scrappers, and to a lesser degree, Tankers, are being analyzed. Once we establish a baseline, then we'll be in a better position to look at Blasters.
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Does this mean you are making a new baseline? Last I checked the base line was three white minions. Is this changeing?
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Statesman said in the balance thread that a fight against +3 level (red) minions should be a fun fight in the later game. That is, that you can progressively fight tougher (level-wise, compared to you) enemies.
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I finally managed to answer one of these posts first! Man, I can die happy now. At least he actually has a chance to see what I would like done.
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Scrapper is involved in melee and thus in a riskier situation far more often.
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L1 - L20 This is true.
L21 - L35 This is questionable.
L36 - L50 This is dead wrong.
I like the idea of Blasters as an AT with little or no protection, but able to dish out major hurt. Devs just need to come through on the second part. I would like to see our damage output bumped, not defenses added. Maybe start scaling Blaster damage in the 20s faster than the other ATs. So as bad guys are getting higher damage, higher ranged damage, and more mezzes we are able to deal with them quicker.
Risk vs Reward - Blasters need help.
s.
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Hard Wired - L50 Elec/Elec Blaster
The Grump - L42 DM/Regen Scrapper
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I did forget to add that the ranged attacks of mobs deal less damage (typically) than melee attacks - and the Blaster is generally the target of raned attacks.
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However since a blaster cannot stay at range indefinately due to the rooting nature of his attacks you cannot assume that blasters will not be in the same position that scrappers are.
In gameplay blasters are frequently in melee, in the later portions of the game they cannot avoid it as they are mezzed.
So your reasoning behind the blaster and scrapper damage cap seems ludicrous.
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I've gotta agree here. Even if you ignore the fact that I'm standing still while firing and that many mob types are trying to get closer to me, due to the various ranges on my powers I'm forced to get closer to them in order to maintain full offense (my only reliable defense=dead mobs, real quick). There's roughly 3 different ranges in my primary, and nothing but melee in the secondary (except for ring of fire.)
Except for the start of a fight, I'm in melee or steps away from it all the time. Saying range justifies a lower cap really doesn't wash.
States, we're really hurtin over here, and have been for a long time.
Furio--Lvl 50+3 Fire/Fire/Fire Blaster, Virtue
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Veriandros--Lvl 50+3 Crab Soldier, Virtue
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I agree that this would help things some!
But we also need longer range (being outranged by something throwing a rock at me when I am standing there with a sniper rifle is ridiculous)
At least a little mez protection(perhaps it takes 2 shots to hold me?)
the 30% unresistable damage that is in PVP now should be in PVE as well.
Perhaps we can get a 10 second or so defense boost when sniping or using a nuke to alleviate the immediate return fire of all villians?
Aggro needs to be less when firing from range.
The higher level villians all seem to have a great deal of smash/lethal resistance, as an AR/Dev blaster, this limits my ability to be the damage king.
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And, of course, there's the complaint that some Secondaries have too many melee attacks - something that the Blaster avoids at all costs.
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Though a lot of us blasters have found a perfect balance between melee and range and love our melee moves. We could use a LOT of love in the post 35 game, but I don't think taking away our melee moves would be that much of an improvement unless you also added some kind of new secondaries that involved ranged damage. Though that seems like a lot of work.
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Statesman said in the balance thread that a fight against +3 level (red) minions should be a fun fight in the later game. That is, that you can progressively fight tougher (level-wise, compared to you) enemies.
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Well, he says that they are looking for a baseline so I am curious to see what the new one is going to be.
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1. Implement PvP damage resist bypass in PvE.
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Translated, more damage. It seems that the king of damage is not king. Blasters already have low hit points, no status protection (not counting pools), and draw aggro like mad. We only have one way to beat these weaknesses, and that is to kill whatever is training on us. (Yes, there is the option of tank and aggro management, but even that is no guarantee)
Which is the last point, aggro. I start to wonder if Blasters are unfairly favored aggro magnets. An example, a defender shoots his electric AOE out and hits about 7 Tsoo. I throw out a single target fire blast on one of the minions to try to kill him. What happens is that EVERYONE comes running to smack me and runs past the defender (who is still shooting them).
I have seen other posts with similar stories of strange aggro attraction. If possible, can this get tweaked in I4 a little?
red minions seem a bit much to me, what I mean is they where to dangerous to my fire/energy blaster when levelling up, at any level. oranges i could handle, reds meant death, even with my melee powers. There just might be a chance we're underpowered.
Would anyone be up to giving up melee powers for status protection. Maybe nothing as huge as the Melee protection, but something to prevent the occasional mez attack.
I would not mind it, but I know some people love the melee attacks.
Thought I'd post a further explanation about the Blaster damage explanation in "Ask Statesman."
That was - and is - the reason why Blaster damage is capped lower than Scrappers. I did forget to add that the ranged attacks of mobs deal less damage (typically) than melee attacks - and the Blaster is generally the target of raned attacks.
But many issues have come up - most notably, the perception that Blasters are too fragile at levels 35+. Their damage potential does not compensate for their low hit points.
And, of course, there's the complaint that some Secondaries have too many melee attacks - something that the Blaster avoids at all costs.
At the moment, Scrappers, and to a lesser degree, Tankers, are being analyzed. Once we establish a baseline, then we'll be in a better position to look at Blasters.