[ QUOTE ]
There are some status effects that can be used at range and that also won't allow Blasters to kill squishies with impunity.
Sleep, Slow (-SPD), Immobilize, even Fear - none of these will let a Blaster kill a squishie at range without the squishie being able to retaliate/act/try to escape.
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You forgot knockback. It is kind of a mini-hold.
[ QUOTE ]
I wouldn't mind seeing a new mez similar to the way PVE disorient works in PVP. It would detoggle and disable your ability to target, but you would be able to do self-targeted powers & chew inspirations all you wanted. And, of course, you could high tail it out of there.
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Excellent idea. I really like how that sounds. Kinda like a "warning shot".
The scrapper/blaster damage debate can't be resolved scientifically without real mission data. Only then could one test the various hypotheses. For example:
When blasters and scrappers are together on a team, how do the average dps of each blaster/scrapper prim/sec compare? Meaning that it might be that in short missions certain blasters might do better than scrappers, but for longer missions perhaps it goes the other way. Defeats certainly enter into the picture when you aggregate data from thousands of missions - more defeats = lower dps. Considering team size and mission level would refine these answers. It wouldn't surprise me that blasters with AOEs do more damage on teams with tanks than scrappers on the same team.
What is the average reward? If blasters are defeated in a mission more frequently than scrappers their xp reward and overall success in a mission is less because of debt. Does the average level of the team matter to these numbers? I would say it does, particularly when mezzing becomes more common.
Real mission data would tell us definitively if damage done by scrappers via criticals is greater than or less than Defiance-enhanced damage. Anyone want to suggest it isn't? This data could tell us how often foes are defeated by critical damage and compare it to how often foes are defeated by Defiance damage.
Time spent mezzed and defeats while mezzed would also be interesting stats to calculate and correlate by AT. This would measure the usefulness of mez protection, particularly when correlated vs mez attempts, meaning misses.
Insp consumption by AT would also be interesting. I would like to know if using x breakfrees during a Rikti mission leads to a smaller chance of defeat - is starting with 5 enough for a blaster to have a 95% chance to make it through a mission without a defeat while mezzed? Compared to how many for a scrapper? If that number is lower then the scrappers can carry and use more damage insps, upping their damage.
There seems to be resigned but general agreement that blasters won't get more status protections or defense than they can get currently. Instead, I suggest we start lobbying for a replacement for Defiance that gives us an automatic instant, non-interruptable self-heal at one or two %HP remaining points and that works when mezzed. This heal could take the form of an automatic insp pop - meaning that if a blaster is not carrying a green it doesn't work. A fairly long recharge timer could limit abuse.
Ohmi on Victory
Level 49 Elec^3
I'm with you, Pilcrow, on a lot of these changes. Already we have the single-target immobilizes (except for Energy Manip - and Power Thrust is worthwhile enough to make up for it), but I don't see AoE immobilizes coming with some of the location-based AoEs that some sets have available. I mean, Ice Storm and Blizzard on enemies that can't run away, after we have them able to be buffed by Build Up and Aim? C'mon.
More "soft" control powers at range? Hell yes. Single-target or AoE, fear/sleep/slow... sign me up. I've been asking for this for a long, long time, actually. We already have quite a few of these spread out - just not very many, and they're almost always limited to melee range. I would count "aggro reducers" as part of this, too; think of the Ninjitsu's "Smoke Bomb". Reverse version of Provoke from the Presence pool.
PBAoEs? I wouldn't get rid of all of them, but some could easily be swapped out without any problems. These would make room for some of those soft control powers we were just talking about...
It's all really about synergy. Right now, there's little synergy between the primary's damage powers being at range compared to most of the secondary's mitigation powers requiring the Blaster to be in melee. The best "synergy" between primaries and secondaries comes from those sets that allow the Blaster to use the powers that supply mitigation - self-buffs in Energy, traps in Devices, placeable control in Ice - at range... and when the Blaster ignores range and goes into melee, using the secondary powerset as their primary and only taking from primary powerset for those powers that can act as secondary, supplemental powers. My best example, and one of the most prominent in the community: Blappers that use Ice Blast for the holds and fast-firing high damage single-target blasts as fillers for their attack chains.
I do agree that seeing more range in all ways in the secondaries would be a very welcome thing. You do not have to remove all melee - that would be a major mistake to do so - but to add range to those abilities that really have no reason to be at melee range...
@Shenalia
Triumph: Ion Force (SG)
Victory: Evil Triumphs (VG)
Proud member of the Triumphant Defenders Coalition.
<<Instead, I suggest we start lobbying for a replacement for Defiance that gives us an automatic instant, non-interruptable self-heal at one or two %HP remaining points and that works when mezzed.>>
The problem with defiance (apart from the fact it exists) is that it's success or usefulness hinges on the weakest part of our AT - lack of defense\low HP. Giving us another ability that depends on us being low on hp, near death and about to die doesn't fix anything. Could you imagine if scrapper crits only applied to ranged attacks? Or controller containment only applied to attacks that do 200 or more damage? Point to me ANY other AT that has an inherent power that hinges on that ATs biggest weakness.
Our lack of defense, especially at higher levels, means we get wailed on so fast and for so much damage that defiance is worthless. If we are in a position to take advantage of defiance, then we are going to die before defiance saves us. I cant tell you how many times my defiance bar has been near full, ive clicked to activate my nuke, and was dead before it was half ready to fire.
Nerf Blaster Controllers!!!!
I kind of enjoy the rather unique ability to service any target in the battle. I can Total Focus a boss, knock a bad guy off the controller keeping me alive from the other side of the melee, then go back to pounding on the boss without having to run around like a scrapper would. That's where the balance between primary and secondary lie for me. Sure, I have glass chin, but the bad guy had best land the first punch or I'm gonna pummel him.
I've never yet taken a hit from a bad guy skidding across the floor on his keister.
~~~__O
~~~_/
~~/ /
Learn the knockback, live the knockback, love the knockback!
[ QUOTE ]
I kind of enjoy the rather unique ability to service any target in the battle. I can Total Focus a boss, knock a bad guy off the controller keeping me alive from the other side of the melee, then go back to pounding on the boss without having to run around like a scrapper would. That's where the balance between primary and secondary lie for me. Sure, I have glass chin, but the bad guy had best land the first punch or I'm gonna pummel him.
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Blappers have that mythic "gunkata" folks were wanting for a Scrapper primary. With my E3 Blaptroller I can punch, shoot, hold, immobilize and sometimes even drain (
), the holy batsnot out of things. I can do it close up. I can do it at range. And with TP Foe, Recall Friend and Medicine, I can 'port friend and foe as well as heal myself and my teammates. I just take take much in the way of a punch and I tend to drunk-walk when someone so much as farts in my general direction.
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Scrappers should in no way even come close to Blaster damage output.
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Here's the thing: on average, they don't. Can a scrapper keep it up for awhile? Yeah, of course. Can a blaster do twice the damage in a quarter the time? Yep.
Oh, and mez protection:
1) My regen actually gets mezzed pretty regularly.
2) Play on a team? 5/8 of defenders and 5/7 of controllers can give you mez protection.
The whole point is that although a solo scrapper>a solo defender, a blaster teamed with a controller, tanker, or defender can do more than a scrapper in that situation. Like you say, your huge damage ability comes at a price. Just try to make up for your weaknesses.
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Our damage comes early. Scrappers see a late blooming to their damage and that i think gives off the appearance of being lower. I started playing just about the same time as my buddy did. I rolled a energy/energy blaster he made a MA/DA scrapper. Up to around level 30ish he was always constantly [censored] about how much i could do in damage, how fast i could kill etc. But keep in mind where every power i had the ability to pick a attack (at the time i didnt take stamina or fitness i was a total newb) he had to split between armors and attacks. That on top of scrapper get many of their best single attacks in the late 20s to early 30s, blasters primaries are often spread out and we are getting decent single targets in the early teens, and in energy's case crappy AOEs in the upper 20s and a once ever 5 minutes all or nothing for the 32. But my point is by the early 40s his survivablility was way over mine, he was dishing out as good if not more sustainable damage, he had protection, etc.
Blasters have always been told that our ability to kill a enemy fast was our defense. (along with range wich is total BS) But basicly we are damage kings, we kill before being killed. Yet oddly enough scrapper damage has been boosted a couple times, along with for 5 issues a higher damage cap then blasters had. So riddle me this...
If the game was such that a AT that actually has defenses required a damage boost to be competitive, then why does the king of damage, no defense AT not also require a boost?
To look at it in perspective, if scrappers needed more damage to kill fast enough to stay alive, and that is running secondary defenses, then why does a AT that is also all about damage, but with no defenses also not need a primary damage boost in order to stay on par with the game? It doesnt make sense when compared that way.
Blasters dont need secondary fixes as much as they do need a more reliable scalling of the damage from level 1-50. Our attacks should be doing more damage, at the same sustainable levels in range as a scrapper has in melee(or there range). We take damage we die, and i know scrappers die also, but they usally stay upright quite a bit longer then a blaster in a simalar setting.
And Ohms is correct, if you have defenses that are capable of keeping you a strong Solo AT, then you have defenses capable of keeping you a strong Team AT as well. The blasters team scrappers solo argument holds no merit.
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Blasters have always been told that our ability to kill a enemy fast was our defense. (along with range wich is total BS) But basicly we are damage kings, we kill before being killed. Yet oddly enough scrapper damage has been boosted a couple times, along with for 5 issues a higher damage cap then blasters had. So riddle me this...
If the game was such that a AT that actually has defenses required a damage boost to be competitive, then why does the king of damage, no defense AT not also require a boost?
[/ QUOTE ]
Do you even listen to yourself?
You got an 18% boost in hit points.
You got a 100% boost in damage cap. Either the 500% happens or it doesn't. You can't claim it counts when Scrappers had it, but not when you got it.
And along with that 12.5% increase in Scrapper damage, we lost somewhere around 85% of our defenses.
How is that a boost for Scrappers, again?
It's a simple question.
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
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Blasters have always been told that our ability to kill a enemy fast was our defense. (along with range wich is total BS) But basicly we are damage kings, we kill before being killed. Yet oddly enough scrapper damage has been boosted a couple times, along with for 5 issues a higher damage cap then blasters had. So riddle me this...
If the game was such that a AT that actually has defenses required a damage boost to be competitive, then why does the king of damage, no defense AT not also require a boost?
[/ QUOTE ]
Do you even listen to yourself?
You got an 18% boost in hit points.
You got a 100% boost in damage cap. Either the 500% happens or it doesn't. You can't claim it counts when Scrappers had it, but not when you got it.
And along with that 12.5% increase in Scrapper damage, we lost somewhere around 85% of our defenses.
How is that a boost for Scrappers, again?
It's a simple question.
[/ QUOTE ]Talking about a change to every AT as if it were a change just to Scrappers is a pretty low blow don't you think?
Every AT lost out in the Defense department. It used to be that a blaster could take a couple of power pools to increase his damage taking ability. Combat Jump and Hover and Stealth and you have some passable defense. So they gave us a (slight) increase in HPs. And gutted aLL of the defense powers we could possibly take. We lost out at the same rate (if not more) than you did as far as defense is concerned.
As a confirmed altaholic, I play every Hero AT (I have CoV issues. Just can't stand the missions) Each one has it's merrits, and adds to a group...except for one.
As a defender I will usually get a group invite within 10 minutes of logging in. As a tank it might be as much as 20. As a Scrapper or Controller, 15 ish minutes.
To get a team invite as a blaster I have to wait for about an hour on a saturday during peak hours to get an invite from someone. During the week, if it weren't from dragging my wife in to play, I would get no teams at all.
Now, I am sure that other people have a different experience than myself, but think of it this way. When was the last time that your blaster actually got a group outside of your SG or Coalition?
(My SG is basically dead but I do not want to loose my comfy little base )
Every time that the blasters are given a bone, Scrappers get an 18 oz sirloin steak.
What is the meaning of life?
To gain more experience/money/magic/runes/red pages/blue pages/coins/gold/whatever?
No!
It is to have fun!
[ QUOTE ]
And along with that 12.5% increase in Scrapper damage, we lost somewhere around 85% of our defenses.
How is that a boost for Scrappers, again?
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Fulmens, ignoring the bit about health because you don't really don't want to go down that road, let me just discuss a misinterpretation.
If you go back and read Quijons rather well written arguement for a buff for blasters he points out that scrappers had their defenses reduced. In conjunction with losing some of their defense, they got a damage boost to compensate.
Blasters also lost defense (to say nothing of damage). They got in return a damage cap that always should have been that high. I don't see that as a positive. They picked up a few more HP. Realize that blasters weren't happy with the way they were to begin with, and suddenly the piss poor health boost they got is a joke. The developers actually thought that haveing more health would allow blasters to stay in the effects of defiance dureing missions and thus it would boost their damage. If that seems stupid to you, then welcome to the party.
Rather than boost range, or damage with blasters, they instead encourage us to fight when we are at low health.
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Every AT lost out in the Defense department. It used to be that a blaster could take a couple of power pools to increase his damage taking ability. Combat Jump and Hover and Stealth and you have some passable defense. So they gave us a (slight) increase in HPs. And gutted aLL of the defense powers we could possibly take. We lost out at the same rate (if not more) than you did as far as defense is concerned.
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That's just nonsense. In the pre-I5 days running the three powers you cite would get a Blaster up to 17.5% defense unslotted. Not bad, but nothing like where Scrappers were.
I can only assume that you were unaware of what Regens, SRs and Invuls could do pre-I5/I6. My Regen at one time regenned 201 HP per SECOND. I used to have a permanent HP total of 2075 (now it's a 2/3 of the time 2333). If I took certain power pools I could add 42% Sm, Le resist to that and if I took all my own powers I could add a little over 50% toxic resist.
And as uber as that was, Invul Scrappers were even better. SRs, despite their whining were just as good. AND remeber that Scrapper could run CJ, Hover and Stealth too.
We got GUTTED for the 12.5% damage boost. The minimal defense blasters lost is not comparable. You can say that we were overpowered. Fair enough, but to suggest that the big defense changes hit Blasters harder is ridiculous.
The City of Heroes Community is a special one and I will always look fondly on my times arguing, discussing and playing with you all. Thanks and thanks to the developers for a special experience.
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That's just nonsense. Even running the three powers you cite that would get a Blaster up to 17.5% defense unslotted. Not bad.
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I'm trying to stay out this arguement but keep reading it at the same time. The above line confused me a little. Are you talking before the defense nerf?
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That's just nonsense. Even running the three powers you cite that would get a Blaster up to 17.5% defense unslotted. Not bad.
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I'm trying to stay out this arguement but keep reading it at the same time. The above line confused me a little. Are you talking before the defense nerf?
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Yes, pre the defense nerf the commonly understood values for Hover and CJ was 5% Me, Rng defense and Stealth was 7.5%. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear.
The City of Heroes Community is a special one and I will always look fondly on my times arguing, discussing and playing with you all. Thanks and thanks to the developers for a special experience.
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That's just nonsense. Even running the three powers you cite that would get a Blaster up to 17.5% defense unslotted. Not bad.
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I'm trying to stay out this arguement but keep reading it at the same time. The above line confused me a little. Are you talking before the defense nerf?
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Yes, pre the defense nerf the commonly understood values for Hover and CJ was 5% Me, Rng defense and Stealth was 7.5%. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear.
[/ QUOTE ]Um, that is what I was talking about as well. Pre-nerf.
Now, all three together give a pitiful ammount to defense.
Sure, We were not at the level that scrappers were. But neither are we now. The point of this is that We may not have lost the raw number ammount you did, but we lost out an equal or greater percentage of our defense. THAT is what I was refering to.
What is the meaning of life?
To gain more experience/money/magic/runes/red pages/blue pages/coins/gold/whatever?
No!
It is to have fun!
[ QUOTE ]
we lost out an equal or greater percentage of our defense. THAT is what I was refering to.
[/ QUOTE ]
Let's look at survivability. Let's use ACTUAL NUMBERS . "Pitiful" is rhetoric, Concern. "You don't want to go down that road" is rhetoric. "Doesn't count" is rhetoric. (A buff that you needed is still a buff. A buff that you deserved is still a buff. You didn't have it and then you did.)
Assuming that "1" is someone with no Defense, no Damage Resistance, no nothing. [A Blaster "1" is lower than a Scrapper "1" but all my ratios are Blaster:Blaster and Scrapper:Scrapper.]
Assume that we're fighting something with 65% chance of hitting.
I4 Blasters, with Hover, Stealth, and perma-Hasten [Note that this is different from CJ/Stealth/Hover- it actually makes your argument better]: 17.5% Defense unslotted, 21% single-slotted, and with four "extra" slots in Stealth, 27% Defense.
So they would go from getting hit 65% of the time to 38% of the time.
So they had survivability of 1.7 against this particular badguy.
I6 blasters now [with the same three powers] have 2.5+2.5 = 5% unslotted, 6% with one slot, and with four extra slots [evenly split] they have 8% Defense.
So that 65% badguy is now hitting 57% of the time. And the new Blaster has 18% more hit points.
The new Blaster survivability is (65/57)* 1.18 or 1.34 .
1.34/1.7 is 79%: the I6 Blaster will live 4/5 as long against those enemies as an I4 Blaster.
Now the Scrapper- I use Invulnerability because I know those numbers best- went from an I4 survivability of about 25 to an I6 number of about 5. [I used to say 18 and 3 but Arcanaville pointed out the effects of Dull Pain.]
A Scrapper now can survive 20% as long as a Scrapper then.
To rephrase: you kept about 80% of your defensive survivability and lost 20%.
We kept 20% and lost 80%.
So, Blastermaster, "lost out an equal or greater percentage of our defense" is just, plain, wrong. Even if my math is off by a lot, it's still wrong.
By the way, feel free to point out any flaws in my math. I'm willing to discuss my numbers and correct any errors. That's why I showed my work.
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
I don't argue with your math. I argue with your interpretation.
Edit: Survivability is linked with damage output as much as defense. Scrappers were boosted in attack. We got less of a loss in defense. You do the math 
What is the meaning of life?
To gain more experience/money/magic/runes/red pages/blue pages/coins/gold/whatever?
No!
It is to have fun!
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
we lost out an equal or greater percentage of our defense. THAT is what I was refering to.
[/ QUOTE ]
Let's look at survivability. Let's use ACTUAL NUMBERS . "Pitiful" is rhetoric, Concern. "You don't want to go down that road" is rhetoric. "Doesn't count" is rhetoric. (A buff that you needed is still a buff. A buff that you deserved is still a buff. You didn't have it and then you did.)
Assuming that "1" is someone with no Defense, no Damage Resistance, no nothing. [A Blaster "1" is lower than a Scrapper "1" but all my ratios are Blaster:Blaster and Scrapper:Scrapper.]
Assume that we're fighting something with 65% chance of hitting.
I4 Blasters, with Hover, Stealth, and perma-Hasten [Note that this is different from CJ/Stealth/Hover- it actually makes your argument better]: 17.5% Defense unslotted, 21% single-slotted, and with four "extra" slots in Stealth, 27% Defense.
So they would go from getting hit 65% of the time to 38% of the time.
So they had survivability of 1.7 against this particular badguy.
I6 blasters now [with the same three powers] have 2.5+2.5 = 5% unslotted, 6% with one slot, and with four extra slots [evenly split] they have 8% Defense.
So that 65% badguy is now hitting 57% of the time. And the new Blaster has 18% more hit points.
The new Blaster survivability is (65/57)* 1.18 or 1.34 .
1.34/1.7 is 79%: the I6 Blaster will live 4/5 as long against those enemies as an I4 Blaster.
Now the Scrapper- I use Invulnerability because I know those numbers best- went from an I4 survivability of about 25 to an I6 number of about 5. [I used to say 18 and 3 but Arcanaville pointed out the effects of Dull Pain.]
A Scrapper now can survive 20% as long as a Scrapper then.
To rephrase: you kept about 80% of your defensive survivability and lost 20%.
We kept 20% and lost 80%.
So, Blastermaster, "lost out an equal or greater percentage of our defense" is just, plain, wrong. Even if my math is off by a lot, it's still wrong.
By the way, feel free to point out any flaws in my math. I'm willing to discuss my numbers and correct any errors. That's why I showed my work.
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Note.. hasten does not provide a +def bonus so why bother listing it? Also I can't tell from your numbers posted but you would be better off ignoring Stealth. Once you attack and it suppresses you loose the +defense bonuses it provides. (you would have to have a stealth power in your secondary to keep your +def bonuses).
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Note.. hasten does not provide a +def bonus so why bother listing it? Also I can't tell from your numbers posted but you would be better off ignoring Stealth. Once you attack and it suppresses you loose the +defense bonuses it provides. (you would have to have a stealth power in your secondary to keep your +def bonuses).
[/ QUOTE ]
Because it used to. This sub-discussion is considering pre and post I5/I6.
The City of Heroes Community is a special one and I will always look fondly on my times arguing, discussing and playing with you all. Thanks and thanks to the developers for a special experience.
[ QUOTE ]
Rather than boost range, or damage with blasters, they instead encourage us to fight when we are at low health.
[/ QUOTE ]
You're saying this wrong. Instead of boosting ranges or damage with blasters, they encourage us to fight at 10% health. And then bump our hit points so 10% health is 118 hp instead of 100, to make us more survivable at that low health.
Fulmens, I think it's rather disingenuous to use a 65% chance to hit -- defense loses effectiveness as enemy level scales up. Run that same 27% chance against, say, evens with a 50% to-hit, and you can calculate the old blaster survivability as 50/23=2.17. Now I5 the numbers (and as was pointed out, stealth supresses), and you see a 4% defense after you attack (which, ironically, is when a stealthed blaster will be taking damage). 50/46=1.09. 1.09/2.17=5.02.
Gosh, that looks like the scrapper number (which used resistance, which scales evenly with level -- resistance and defense are basically balanced against even levels, and defense slides up and down in relative effectiveness according to level.)
[ QUOTE ]
We got GUTTED for the 12.5% damage boost. The minimal defense blasters lost is not comparable. You can say that we were overpowered. Fair enough, but to suggest that the big defense changes hit Blasters harder is ridiculous.
[/ QUOTE ]
While the above is a perfectly valid counter to the line of argument BlasterMaster is taking, I would like to point out that for my Blaster his main lines of Defense before I5/I6 were not Combat Jumping nor Stealth. They were:
[*]A controller's AE holds[*]A tanker's aggro control[*]A defenders shields or debuffs
I think we can all agree that most of those defenses were downgraded just as severly if not MORE severly than the armors in I5/ED (though controllers got a damned nice consolation prize, it does little to help my Blaster).
My Scrapper has personal defenses that make those changes much less relevant to him than it is to my Blaster.
Perhaps a side-point to the main line of argument going on here. But it was a point I felt worthy or being raised nonetheless.
1) I lost track of Stealth- at one point it was lowered, then bumped back up because otherwise, it was useless. BuffyASummers's Scrapper guide lists it [as of 3/1/06] as 2.4% and constant (link)
2) "Fulmens, I think it's rather disingenuous to use a 65% chance to hit "
That's a +2 minion, or an even-con I6 boss, or [roughly] an even-con I4 lieutenant.
Nobody with SO's- not Blasters, not anyone, not in I4 nor in I6- was fighting even-con minions only. 65% seems like a reasonable place to put the line to me. 50% is a best-case condition.
Even if I accepted your 1.09 number (which ignores the 18% more hit points- would you describe that as "disingenuous"?), I fail to follow this math:
[ QUOTE ]
1.09/2.17=5.02.
[/ QUOTE ]
.502, perhaps, as I6/I4 survivability. Still a long way from .2 , I'd say.
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
Numbers make my head bleed. 
Are theses numbers Just defense, defense and resistance?
Is this including mez protection. (including knockback)
Here I was trying to avoid being a part of this argument 
Regardless of extra life, (unless carrying a few break frees, acrobatics or hover as active powers) wouldn't an enemy that could survive a blaster volley and possibly throw a mez/knockback put a blaster on the defensive (and possibly kill) easyer then a scrapper runnign their defenses? Plus have a higher possibilty of hitting the blaster who has no defenses (or next to no) to lower the chance of being hit?
(My blaster AR/Dev was killed by a single Orange boss in I would say five attacks. I had no breakfrees and I could not run because I was held.)
Level 8 Tanker, (fire fire tanker) Lost to a single Lost Boss because it would throw its hold arond the same time the orginal one he put on me quit. Basicly I couldn't fight back till I met my contact on the way back to the mission from the hospital. (Fiery Aura doesn't get mez armor till 12)
Only certian blasters can possibly avoid mezing mobs and situations where their survival goes down quite a bit.
All the scrapper defenses has mez protection and regardless of what damage blasters have, scrappers have a higher natural survival status.
There is more to the factor of balance and survival then just plan on numbers. Atleast, that is what I beleive.
[ QUOTE ]
You got an 18% boost in hit points.
[/ QUOTE ]
And a 50% reduction in the one thing that's our main "defense", our offensive capacity.
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You got a 100% boost in damage cap. Either the 500% happens or it doesn't. You can't claim it counts when Scrappers had it, but not when you got it.
[/ QUOTE ]
Not only should the "Scrappers at 500% while Blasters are at 400%" thing never should've happened in the first place capping Blasters equal to, and not greater than, an AT that has a defensive capacity is still a part of the problem. Blasters paid for their offensive capacity by giving up their defensive capacity. Scrappers gave up squat and cap out at the same level? Yeah, can't see why people have a problem with that.
[ QUOTE ]
And along with that 12.5% increase in Scrapper damage, we lost somewhere around 85% of our defenses.
[/ QUOTE ]
Blasters lost 50% of their offensive output without a base damage increase (something Scrappers were given in trade when their defensive capacity took a hit) to offset it while gutting what little defensive capacity they could scrape together from the pools. But hey, at least we can now get one-and-a-half-shotted instead of one-shotted with that massive 18% HP boost everyone seems to invoke sooner or later in this ongoing debate.
Oh, and we got Defiance too.
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I would love for some of the status abilities in the secondary sets to be ranged rather than PbAoE or Aura toggles. It won't happen though since it would allow blasters to kill squishies with almost no problem and that is something the developers don't want.
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There are some status effects that can be used at range and that also won't allow Blasters to kill squishies with impunity.
Sleep, Slow (-SPD), Immobilize, even Fear - none of these will let a Blaster kill a squishie at range without the squishie being able to retaliate/act/try to escape.
I wouldn't mind seeing a new mez similar to the way PVE disorient works in PVP. It would detoggle and disable your ability to target, but you would be able to do self-targeted powers & chew inspirations all you wanted. And, of course, you could high tail it out of there.