If you AS a blapper in PvP and you don't kill them, you should be scared, because they are going to rock your world. However, if you immediately run away, it takes too long to find another target before Defiance goes away....and that is even if the target is 12 feet away.
Im with the ignore it camp. Its Ok up to lvl 10 but after that, meh. I never even look at the indicator bar. It aint a power, or any real help for a power. As a comic fan since the 60s Im not sure what it is.
And WokkaWokka, Supermaxs statement is somewhat valid given that the devs have never played a Blaster. They have played with one, but I very seriously doubt they have ever sat down for 2-3 hours at a time like most of us have and created a character and actually played and leveled it up.
They are Gods to the game. When you can enter a game and create any AT you want, at any level you want, with any set of powers you want, slotted any way you want and access any content you want at any point the real issue of debt that we as players have to deal with becomes a mere abstract concept to the Devs. I cant conceive of anyone who actually plays a Blaster in this game ever coming up with something even remotely like defiance.
Sasheem
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PM'd Cuppa w/ this thread. As I said to her, I can live with defiance, but think it needs to be looked at given that some folks seem to get the boost when at 100% health, and some seem to get no boost when at very low hp. Probably way too many irons in the fire right now with I7 prep, but she did tell me that it was sent to QA, so we'll see
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Cause I'm sure ya'll want to know, States indicated as well that "we're looking at it, thanks" I know that will make you all feel better 
I still say Defiance needs to be based on what Blasters are designed to do, attack, not soak damage.
That being said, the Defiance bar should raise everytime a Blaster attacks, just let it build even slower than say, Domination. Once it is full, click the Defiance button, and obtain a +30% accuracy, +250% damage buff to all attacks for its duration. Which should be very short, even shorter than domination.
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And WokkaWokka, Supermaxs statement is somewhat valid given that the devs have never played a Blaster.
Sasheem
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Yep, that's exactly what I meant. I can GUARANTEE that statesman (and his opinion is apparently the only one that matters in the end) has NEVER sat down and played a high level blaster for an extended period of time. I'm not somewhat sure of it....I would bet my life on it.
There is simply no possible way that he could have said some of the things he said over the last year if he had EVER played a blaster. Simply not possible. The ONLY way to be that ignorant is to have never played the game. Period.
I know I might sound bitter and jaded, but the fact is, I've been here since day 1 and I've seen all the absurd claims statesman has made. Most people haven't seen that stuff because they (conveniently) delete all old posts. But some of the stuff they've said and done.....it proved without any shadow of a doubt that they have no idea how their own game is played.
To this day, the ONLY developer that has ever made a post where it was obvious that he had extensively played the game was Castle. This is why you dont see Castle saying things like "to use defiance, simply have the blaster take initial aggro and get really damaged...and then ask the defenders to not heal him, because that would cancel out the defiance." But guess what....statesman has made statements like that for 2 years now.
Forgive me, I haven't read the whole thread but I am running short on time. I just wanted to pipe in that pulling off Defiance is an art form. I have several mid-high level blasters, and absolutely love Defiance.
Combined with a controller or a tank that knows what they are doing. You simply get defiance to a range it is usefull (I usualy end up somewhere around +200%) retreate and let your teamates do what they do best (controll the agro). Once that is good to go, you simply snipe\blast away from a safe distance. Sure you WILL die every once and a while, but you will also be getting XP at an incredable rate as well as finishing missions faster...
I suggest you spend more time at the debt cap practicing.
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but you will also be getting XP at an incredable rate as well as finishing missions faster...
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I find that my blasteer can slaughter the mobs fine on a team when the tank and controllers establish agro control around the same time as I start blasting (no need for me to take damage).
I do not like defiance. I do, however, think it probably adds about the same percentage increase in damage over the course of an evening of play that criticals add for scrappers. If we must keep defiance (and at this point I am resigned that we must), then I would like to see the following changes made:
1. Eliminate the Defiance bar. I already have a bar that tells me when defiance is working. Health bar low, defiance is working.
2. Criticals and Scourge are probably no better than Defiance at adding meaningful damage over the course of an evening of play. Criticals and Scourge are cooler looking and make the team go oooh-aaaah. Why is that? Because when they happen everyone sees the word Scourge or Critical (Domination too) and more numbers. When blasters get Defiance, the target should have the word Defiance fly above his head and the extra damage done should be a seperate number. As goofy as this sounds, I believe this would make Defiance more fun. If an inherent is not overly useful, at least it should be fun.
Why Blasters? Empathy Sucks.
So, you want to be Mental?
What the hell? Let's buff defenders.
Tactics are for those who do not have a big enough hammer. Wisdom is knowing how big your hammer is.
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2. Criticals and Scourge are probably no better than Defiance at adding meaningful damage over the course of an evening of play. Criticals and Scourge are cooler looking and make the team go oooh-aaaah. Why is that? Because when they happen everyone sees the word Scourge or Critical (Domination too) and more numbers. When blasters get Defiance, the target should have the word Defiance fly above his head and the extra damage done should be a seperate number. As goofy as this sounds, I believe this would make Defiance more fun. If an inherent is not overly useful, at least it should be fun.
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Scourge can be, in the right team strategies and whatnot, a powerful damage addition. It's not easy to use reliably (for meaningful damage, as you said), and for many players a good portion of the scourge messages are over-kill damage, but the entire subject is neither here nor there.
I like the idea of displaying defiance damage, if only for the reason that it would reveal how lackluster it is. To be on a team after taking a round of alpha by mistake, or whatnot, and have your teammates go "Wait, dude, your health is at like 10%. And you're only getting 50 bonus damage on your snipe? That's ****ed up" would at least make the problem more visible, and maybe even earn some sympathy.
I think it would be a good idea, if for nothing else, then to see the word DEFIANCE pop up over a stalkers head as I bonesmasher him.
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PM'd Cuppa w/ this thread. As I said to her, I can live with defiance, but think it needs to be looked at given that some folks seem to get the boost when at 100% health, and some seem to get no boost when at very low hp. Probably way too many irons in the fire right now with I7 prep, but she did tell me that it was sent to QA, so we'll see.
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Response from QA....
"Defiance is working fine as far as Ive tested. Compared to 100% health and 1 hp, there is an extremely significant distance. I tested at various amounts of health between there and saw the benefit. I also tested using the exact same mob the OP mentions, and saw the difference. There is a damage cap in percentage, though, so if the player was using enough buffs and enhancements to get near the cap, and then used defiance, there would be less of an effect. Also, red con mobs have a higher resistance than even con mobs. I would question that players testing, considering others chimed in on the thread on how well the power works."
Yep, let's ignore the fact that it only works SOMETIMES, that the effect usually lags several seconds behind the loss of health, and that as soon as you heal even 1 HP, you lose like 50% of the defiance bar.
Hey, we've been ignoring that since defiance came out....might as well keep doing it 
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And WokkaWokka, Supermaxs statement is somewhat valid given that the devs have never played a Blaster.
Sasheem
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Yep, that's exactly what I meant. I can GUARANTEE that statesman (and his opinion is apparently the only one that matters in the end) has NEVER sat down and played a high level blaster for an extended period of time. I'm not somewhat sure of it....I would bet my life on it.
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A while back Statesman posted that he had played a blaster 0 to 50 on Live without a travel power. The thread appears to have entered the void, but I specifically remember this post because of the oddity of someone making do without a travel power.
The devs (and other red names) DO play toons on live, for instance Cuppa has a fire / fire / NRG tank, but they often see their toons' roles and abilities in very different ways than the players do. Just a random example, but States, in one of his I5 tanker posts, mentioned that he had played a tank by taking something like 1/3 or 1/2 of the aggro for the team, letting everyone else spread out the aggro. Most players with tanks aim for 100% of the aggro and base their expectations on this.
My hobbyhorse is the final three knockback / repel powers in FF that don't often see the light of day, even though States told us how wonderful they are.
No, I don't have anything enlightening to add about the blaster inherent, other than the CoV inherents seem to fit their respective ATs much better than the CoH ones do. The CoH inherents were tacked on after development, while the CoV ones were a part of the development process.
I beg your pardon sir! I consider my methods very sound when it comes to "testing" 
Just to let ALL of you know, later that night, I practiced my same opener on other con levels and enemies that were non-Troll and "non-brick" Outcasts).
1.) Fall - 1HP ---> (Everyother "SAME" enemy)
2.) Aim+BU
3.) Snipe
4.) Blast
5.) Bolt
NO DAMAGE INCREASE AT ALL!
Defiance is a brilliant concept for a Blaster but the coding has got to be "De-bugged"
I don't know how others are seeing the positive results of Defiance! 
You think defiance stinks, try vigilance on a defender .
I think it stinks because I NEVER see it!
With Defenders however, I do sympathize for you. If the buffs are kept up and the healing is adequate, Vigilance should never become active (which is quite dumb) .
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I beg your pardon sir! I consider my methods very sound when it comes to "testing"
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Clearly, QA does not consider them sound
That was only one example!!!
I spent THREE (3) hours testing that on many different enemies!
I came to you guys for answers, ideas, and help..not to get [censored] at by YOU on how I test!!!
This post was meant to open discussion on the faultiness of a power, not to INSULT or QUESTION intellegence.
i have a couple of lowbie blasters around your lvl and a lvl 50. Ill see if i can duplicate your test using 4 lucks so i dont likely get hit. Ill use a bunch of different enemy types as well.
Anyone that wants to test my results can bring a level 18 blaster to Skyway City, Boomtown, or Steel Canyon.
-strikertouch03
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A while back Statesman posted that he had played a blaster 0 to 50 on Live without a travel power. The thread appears to have entered the void, but I specifically remember this post because of the oddity of someone making do without a travel power.
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My favorite was when statesman posted his "personal" regen scrapper build on the forums. It was to prove that regen was perfectly fine even after all the nerfs. The funny thing was.....his build could not possibly exist in the game. It was a developer-created build that regular players can't have. But guess what....that was used to "prove" that regen is ok, and the nerfs went live
Why do we keep harping about Defiance?
All of us blasters know that it sucks and should never be consider as a power.
I personally would care less if they keep it as is or get rid of it. Either one would be the same.
A blaster who thinks that playing in the red will provide them more than staying alive is just plain stupid.
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I beg your pardon sir! I consider my methods very sound when it comes to "testing"
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Uh, I didn't question your methods, QA did.
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That was only one example!!!
I spent THREE (3) hours testing that on many different enemies!
I came to you guys for answers, ideas, and help..not to get [censored] at by YOU on how I test!!!
This post was meant to open discussion on the faultiness of a power, not to INSULT or QUESTION intellegence.
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Striker, unsure why this one too was directed at me?
The thread you posted did peak my interest, I think defiance is done broke, and I thought what you posted seemed sound, which I why I PM'd cuppa, who then e-mailed QA and I posted the response that QA sent back to Cuppa which was sent back to me.
I questioned nothing, only stated the obvious from the response from QA, that THEY clearly do not agree that you've tested it correctly.
If you still feel slighted by this thread and feel this is a personal afront to your testing skills, then e-mail a dev and try and continue the discussion.
I was trying to help, but I guess you didn't see it that way.
My sig should state my view of Defiance 
I said it from the beginning, and some have said it in this thread:
Do yourself a favor and forget that defiance even exists. At best it will prolong your life a short time by allowing you to kill one more thing at worst it won't do jack....
I have two blasters that I play periodically and I have no intention on relying on an inherent power that by design [in my opinion, no offense to the devs] should be ignored.
YEah ... in order for the whole thing to work, we don't need a regen rate. Oh wait ... we need a toggle regen rate. =D
Well I've been on the recieving end of a defiance Blasters in PvP it works great for PvP...I was dropped in about 2 hits after ASing a Ice/NRG Blaster in SC...so I now finish off Blasters as fast as I can cause it scares my Stalker when they are low on hps.
However with my Baby Blaster in PvE I've noticed it's not all that great.