This is such a great post.
I have 6 def varying pwrs; 4 cont; 1 tank (not too particular on tanks...) 3 scraps.
1 lvl 8 blaster/blap elec/elec because of this post and - I love him. The challenge is excrutiating, exhilarating, wonderful, horrible... i've almost stopped playing my other toons because sometimes, they're just too easy.
Thanks for this post. It changed my gaming experience!
Justice
Everwood
Triumph
The Trust
Love this post and as a "fairly" new Blaster I'm enjoying the challenge of being "squishy". If I have any advice to other new blasters its this...
Do some research on you AT! The only other character I have on COH is a scrapper and I knew, from reading posts here and on GameAmp, that there was no way I was going to be able to play the same way I do with my MA/REGEN Scrapper. I run .. therefore I live! A recent example I can give to this is a cave mission against the Trolls in the Hollows. I team with a good friend of mine from our SG (He's new to Blasters too and his main character is a Tank). I've tried on several occasions to explain to him we can't charge into a host of minions but he'll always be a tanker at heart I think and it gets him killed frequently(LOL). So we're working our way through the cave and down to the last tunnel and last bomb to defuse and he charges into a group of +1 spawns that includes a Lieutenant that is RED to both of us. We both end up up dead and he's lying at the feet of the LT. I volunteer to take the trip back to the hospital and while I am gone I level up and pick up a fresh supply of inspirations.
I take the taxibot (thanks so much you guys for all the rides) back to the door of the cave and arrive to find 2 minions and the LT left. My friend is telling me not to risk it he's called for help from a higher level member of our SG to come and save us. But I go into sniper mode... all three are spaced far enough apart and I fire off an arrow at maximum range getting the first one's attention. Of course he chases me around a bend and I take him out with no problem. I repeat the same tactic with the 2nd and now its just me and the Lieutenant. My buddy is still insisting that I can't win against this guy but after leveling he's down to yellow now and I decide to risk it. I start hitting him from a distance and, of course, after hurling a boulder at me, he charges. My fire arrow takes him down to half HP and by the time he's in close rang he's hurting. I use my Power thrust and send him sprawling against the wall of the cave. Two more arrows and he was gone. Gave my buddy an awake so he could Rez, defused the last bomb and we got a Mission Complete.
I have read up on my new AT and already have her build planned clear through level 50 to make her as good as she'll ever be. This advice is good for any AT do your homework, know your toon and its abilities, and learn to adapt or the game will be a misery not a joy. Nothing has given me greater satisfaction than completing that rescue in that cave with my blaster. Can she be deadly? You bet she can. Can she be a tank? Heck no so I don't try to play her like one.
�We�re always the good guys. In D&D, we�re lawful good. In City of Heroes we�re the heroes. In Grand Theft Auto we pay the prostitutes promptly and never hit them with a bat.� � Leonard
�Those women are prostitutes? You said they were raising money for stem cell research!� � Sheldon
Amen to everything the good man said. I have to say that I've tried Tankers...deleted them after about five minutes. Same with pretty much any other AT I have tried. I just got my Blaster (my first toon) to lvl 32. Having Nova makes me smile. I love it. On my regular team I'm the only Blaster and the Controller (who is our healer) says I'm a healers worst nightmare...guess I'm crazy enough to be a REAL blaster lol.
Good info on the AT here though. Thank you, as I can now be secure about my Debtly ways 
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Captain Emerald:
Level 50 Energy/Ice Blaster.
MikeMarvel:
Level 27 Willpower/Fire Tanker.
Global ID: @MikeyBoy
Main Server: Pinnacle
highly agree with retroduck.
Again I'm going to reference the only other MMORPG I've played and that being EQ2. A blaster is a direct correspondant to the eq2 wizard/warlock in the effect of low HPs but high damage output/nukes. The thing you have to keep in mind about blasters is to play them smart. Blasters are more of an assist class. When in groups I target through the tank and use my hover ability extensively to remain above the mob at a distance and pick foe's off. This is highly effective. I love being the sniper of the group. On top of this you help the tank hold agro and cut the mobs down fast.
And like a mage in EQ2 you want to be very cautous of your AoEs. Using them right off the bat will result in a very quick death. You only want to use them when the mob is cut down to only a few individuals or when the tank has established a good amount of agro.
Another tidbit, I am new to the game but I'm finding that putting a lot of enhancement to reuse time on your nukes/blasts is a good advantage (as it would be for any class and spell). But especially here because if you are going to be at the distance blasting you want the powers to be rolling over quickly.
I started my toon as an Electricity/fire manipulation. I got him to level 11 and deleted him and started him over as Energy/energy. I couldn't be happier with my decision. I find the energy much more of an asset because of the knockbacks and stuns. As i'm blasting from afar if the enemy does come in close I'll utilize my energy punch or torrent and put them on the ground. Having them at that point will allow me to blast them while on the ground and quickly end the encounter.
I also stock up on heal inspirations, and energy inspirations. Since we dont have any buffs those come the closest and come in very handy.
Man oh Man..guess I should have read this before I took my F/F blaster to 50 lol.
Be that as it may, I must say I still enjoy playing my blaster from time to time. The first question I ask a team before joining is do they have a healer...if not...eh who cares...debt is debt.
So true, so very beautifully true.
I started life as an Elec/Elec Blaster, and I have yet to find an AT that can ever hold a candle to the amount of fun I have as a Blaster, no matter how hard I try. Debt? Psh, when am I not in debt? Squishy? Psh, how else is the party going to find the big +3 crowds if I don't run face-first into them?
It's gotten to the point that, no matter which Blaster alt I play, before nearly every mish I can be counted to rally the troops. 'Okay, guys, I have a plan. I'm going to do something incredibly ill-advised. You all cover for me.' Only once, was this plan not carried through to its inevitable debt-laden end, but that one time was ever so glorious. Croatoa, full team. Three purple-con Fir Bolg bosses with accompanying hordes, and it was looking *bad* for the team. The last Lt went down, just before the last teammate, and I decide 'Five Luck, six heal, what the hell?'
And that was the day I discovered, there *is* such a thing as Blasterlock. No other AT could *possibly* pump that much adrenalin in five minutes, and no other AT can ever satisfy me anymore.
I love being a glass cannon.
I've read the first few posts and cringed, because they vividly reminded me of the bad old times.
Uuugh. I left shortly before ED, it was already bad then and it only got worse. I remember being level 25, with tons of debt, and being outclassed by everyone and everything.
Can't say it's bad now though. En/En might be one of the "dog" sets, but it fits the character concept too well to ditch it. I've died a few times, but mostly due to team wipes and blatant stupidity on my part. I haven't yet had to log off with debt.
All in all I think it's much better now, hope it stays that way.
I laughed so hard, cause its all true. I decided my first would be ice/ice blaster and I just thought that TP was the coolest thing so I ditched fly(at first) and found myself tping into bad places...with no end left. I love the way that almost every attack I use chills my enemies to the bone with the slow down from a frozen heck. 
I just re-read this thread today.
It is just as true then as it is now.
I would even dare say, more so now, post ED.
I would like to thank the OP again for these words of wisdom and the tears of joy I weep while laughing this hard.
Centinull