Smoke 'em if You got 'em...Fire Fire blasting
By
Airman_America,
Posted on: 2006-04-26 17:18 in Player Guides
Interesting... I like this guide because it paints a real picture of playing with a blaster on a team.
Learn to manage aggro with the teams help, no pulling (never a fan of pulling), ect. Good stuff. I've always liked the Fire/Fire blasters. I like this build too...
Pretty good guide, and it reaffirms what I've felt since creating Hellguard in June of 2004. At that time, I didn't know that /fire was supposedly gimp; I was going for full fiery concept. 
A lot of the /fire powers are lackluster, including (for some odd reason) the high end ones, but there are some gems in the set as you pointed out.
I know you're focusing on AOE PvE damage, but the set can be good in PvP as well, although there I'd argue that the single target stuff like Blazing Bolt and Blaze are pretty important. (Suppression is over with by the time BB's animation is finished, so you can get a lot of ATs to half health and then zoom in with SS to try to finish them off before they even know their health bar's in trouble...) And the toggle dropping goodness of both FS and FSC can't be forgotten either.
Only thing I noticed that I might correct in your guide is slotting on Fire Breath. It already has 95% acc vs. even cons (as opposed to the 75% for most other powers), so the acc slot might be skipped or given to another recharge or end. redux unless you're regularly fighting much higher cons. Of course, if you're comfortable on the recharge and end. use then extra accuracy never hurt anyone.
Nice to see another fire/fire blaster enjoying the set and succeeding with it. Keep it up!
I've toyed a bit with slotting out accuracy in firebreath, but I usually play on unyielding or invincible, so I need the accuracy. An extra recharge is nice to have on rugged or below.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
Here is my current build I'm playing.
It is important to note that this is the 5th respec of this toon, so the slotting order may not be appropriate for your play.
---------------------------------------------
Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
---------------------------------------------
Name: Iluminata
Level: 50
Archetype: Blaster
Primary: Fire Blast
Secondary: Fire Manipulation
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Fire Blast==> Acc(1)
01) --> Ring of Fire==> Acc(1)
02) --> Fire Sword==> Acc(2)Dmg(3)Dmg(3)Dmg(9)Rechg(11)Rechg(29)
04) --> Fire Ball==> Acc(4)Dmg(5)Dmg(5)Dmg(7)EndRdx(7)Rechg(9)
06) --> Hurdle==> Jump(6)Jump(40)Jump(42)
08) --> Build Up==> Rechg(8)Rechg(11)
10) --> Fire Breath==> Acc(10)Dmg(13)Dmg(13)Dmg(15)Rechg(15)Rechg(17)
12) --> Hasten==> Rechg(12)Rechg(17)Rechg(19)
14) --> Super Speed==> Run(14)
16) --> Aim==> Rechg(16)Rechg(19)
18) --> Swift==> Run(18)Run(45)Run(46)
20) --> Blaze==> Acc(20)Dmg(21)Dmg(21)Dmg(23)Rechg(29)Rechg(40)
22) --> Stamina==> EndMod(22)EndMod(23)EndMod(27)
24) --> Fire Sword Circle==> Acc(24)Dmg(25)Dmg(25)Dmg(27)Rechg(45)Rechg(45)
26) --> Aid Other==> Rechg(26)
28) --> Combustion==> Acc(28)Dmg(36)Dmg(39)Dmg(39)EndRdx(39)Rechg(46)
30) --> Consume==> Acc(30)Acc(31)Rechg(31)Rechg(31)Rechg(33)EndMod(40)
32) --> Inferno==> Dmg(32)Dmg(33)Dmg(33)Rechg(34)Rechg(34)Rechg(34)
35) --> Aid Self==> Rechg(35)Rechg(36)Heal(36)Heal(37)IntRdx(37)IntRdx(37)
38) --> Combat Jumping==> EndRdx(38)Jump(48)
41) --> Char==> Acc(41)Acc(42)Hold(42)Hold(43)Rechg(43)Rechg(43)
44) --> Bonfire==> Rechg(44)
47) --> Rise of the Phoenix==> DisDur(47)Rechg(48)Rechg(48)
49) --> Fire Shield==> EndRdx(49)EndRdx(50)DmgRes(50)DmgRes(50)
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Sprint==> Empty(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Empty(1)
01) --> Defiance==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Empty(2)
---------------------------------------------
Note that I have 2 slotted aim and build up in this build, and I recommend 3 slotting them in the guide. I decided I'd rather have the slots in hurdle and swift, as I am no longer feeling the 5 second difference in the recharge time of aim and build up are as painful as they used to be.
In this build, no white or yellow conning spawns are a threat unless they have multiple status effecting LT/Bosses (Rikti!), with the exception of the Malta group, as they will often stun me before I can finish the alpha chain if I go in for FSC or Combustion. Usually this applies to Orange spawns as well, depending on the makeup of the spawn. Nemesis without bosses are just fast xp, and I have less trouble with Carnies and KoA than most people seem to, though I'm not sure why.
Aim Build-Up Ball, Breath, Combustion, FSC, Blaze and Fire Sword are my normal routine for opening attacks.
For Inferno, I'll super speed, aim, build up, move in, inferno, use a CaB, consume, and then do whatever needs doing.
On any team that has at least marginal aggro managers, I can usually drop a spawn below +3 before most of the team is getting off their second power. On a team with a fast tank in train missions, very often we will have the team strung out over 50 or so yards as they try to keep up.
(I'm not attempting to toot my own horn, just relaying information.)
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
Great guide. I especially like that you've taken time to discuss the tactics involved with Fire Blasting, something I wish more guides would consider doing.
A small point. Your discussion of pulling -- Fire Blast may not be the best equipped set for pulling, but one doesn't necessarily have to pull with a snipe. Fire Blast (the second single-target power) isn't sufficient damage to kill a white-con, and has a base range around 70-80'. It can be used to great effect to pull.
The other option that I've seen used a great deal lately is using Fire Ball to pull. The benefit of an AoE pull is in drawing the closer of two tightly-spawned mobs, to minimize the risk of chain agg. Also note that in contrast to a single-target pull that happens to grab additional NPCs, a mob pulled by AoE is more likely to arrive in a nice, bunched-up group, rather than a trickle.
I considered including aoe pulls, but felt that might be a bit of an "advanced" tactic for a guide aimed at newish players, or players new to blasting. I figured that as a player learns the ins and outs of a toon they'll pick that kind of stuff up.
Thanks!
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
It seems their is quite a bit of "Blasters shouldn't get into melee" mentality out there. If you feel that is true, you may want to skip the /fire secondary altogether, because all of the powers in it require you to be at melee/pbaoe range with the exception of combustion, which has a diameter as large a fireballs, but doesn't do enough damage ON IT'S OWN to justify taking it for that purpose.
If you want to play /fire, you need to set your mind to "melee is ok", because the reality of gameplay is that you will be in melee, and being in melee doesn't mean you lose.
Some people think that burn still offers status protection. It does not and has not since Issue 3 when the immobilize protection was removed.
Their is a some debate over Rain of Fire. Some people love it, some people hate it. I neither hate nor love it, but find it to be a detriment to AoE blasting. If you play an AoE heavy blaster, you will begin to dislike anything that breaks up your nice neat package of xp into a messy scattered package of debt. I will concede that it can be effective at area denial, but in solo play you won't need it, and in team play you shouldn't need it. If you find yourself needing an area scatter on a team, you are probably on the wrong team.
Teaming:
Any blaster is going to have troubles with Pick Up groups. This is especially true of fire fire blasting, especially prior to single origin enhancements. Take my advice, and quit a bad team. Like immediately. You'll get enough debt on good teams when you're having fun, so you don't need the frustration of getting debt on a bad team.
Debt: As I learned to play (back when mission debt was equal to non-mission debt and the mission bonus was smaller and xp was earned at a slower rate, and their was no exemplar system), I kept quite a bit of debt, especially in the 18-24 and 32-38 level range. Scads of it. Very often at the cap.
If you decide you want to become a good blaster, you must accept the fact that you will be defeated, and you will sometimes get defeated a LOT. It's ok. Really.
Life will NOT get easier for you as a blaster as you progress in the levels. All you have to look forward to is a horde of status effects coming into play as you approach the epic powers. Nothing a blaster gets in game will make blasting any easier. However, as you progress through the journey to 50, you will find yourself becoming defeated less often. Not because of your powers, but because of your skill with your powers. You'll find that when you play other toons, you're better at playing them than quite a few people running around in Paragon. Don't give up because of debt.
A note about my DPS comments:
It has been proved that achieving a high DPS is more efficient for experiance gain than having a high burst damage. On that note, if you want efficient xp gains, you don't want to play a fire/fire blaster anyway.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
I play a lvl 32 fire/fire blaster, and this guide is absolutely spot-on. Great, great stuff. Thank you. Hopefully those who aren't fire/fire will read it and say, "Oh, so that's why that mob all fell down at once when that fire/fire was on my team. Got to invite them back."
Greaaaaat guide man. I'm now thinking of going for this. I'll play around on test a bit. Thanks for the guide.
Thanks for the feedback. If you like, PM me and I'd be more than happy to show off erm, I mean demonstrate.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
You're saying not to get flares or fire blast... we HAVE to pick one of those...
Perhaps I was unclear. I believe the most efficient combination is to take fire sword in lieu of flares. Take blast, but don't slot it.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
One comment I'd like to make about the Fire/Fire combo. Due to the fact that your higher lvl /fire powers suck hard, it opens up the option to grab some pools that you might have normally skipped. Look at all of the skippable powers, Hot Feet, Fiery Aura, Flares, Rain of Fire, Blazing Bolt (optional true), Burn, and others, that leaves a lot of slots, and power choices available to the Blaster. The Pools can be delved into deeply to make up for or help out the things that you feel are lacking in your Fire/Fire.
CoH 50s: Fire/Stone, MA/Regen, Fire/Storm, Stone/Fire, Fire/Rad, Rad/Rad, Kin/Sonic, Fire/Kin, Stone/SS, Stone/Stone, Kin/Rad, Spines/Dark, Inv/Axe
CoV 50s: Fire/Dark Corr
How did you get Build Up so early? The CoH / CoV Character Builder by SherkSilver version 1.7.6.0 (1.0.176 Powers DB) doesn't let me get build up until level 16...
Also, I see Aid Other and Aid Self and Combat Jumping. My character concept is a djinni, so I'd like to throw hover and maybe stealth/invisibility in there some where. Are those three vital to survival, or just part of your character concept?
Snakebit - this is an excellent guide! I was just about to post on the blaster forums a "I know it sounds weird but is there a guide to a heavy duty fire/fire blapper AoE death machine out there?" post but there you were. Love your post.
I have a level 31 fire/fire blaster (Napalm Joe) & have just moved from thinking "my secondaries are gimped! They are all melee!" to a "My secondaries are
interesting - there are LOADS of high damage AoE" so I am planning the respec & spending lots of time on Test. That said, its hard to get real team play on test so I had some of questions.
1. In your build you stated you had respec'd 5 times. Is the build you posted a respec build or is it how you would build a toon from scratch taking all the powers as they become available? Is there an early build vs a midlife build (if that makes sense
.?).
2. With that in mind I note you have Aid Self at lvl 35 meaning its lvl 37 before you can get it fully slotted. Would Aid Self not help a lot in your overall survivability? Is it not worth getting & slotting earlier?
3. Did you experiment with slotting for defense? I know its not great but is adding Tough or slotting Combat Jumping etc. worthwhile? While I think I know the answer, I was wondering about your thoughts here.
4. How do you fimd the endurance usage without consume? It has such a long recharge do you only use it after inferno? Can you put it off until lvl 35 ish?
5. Fire breath - is it really that good? Cant remember the stats but does it not blow your cover etc? I was even thinking about skipping it until I read your post.
6. You chose the Fire epic - how come? I was thinking about the Munitions epic particularly because of LRM's. Any thoughts?
I agree with your comments, especially the last paragraph. My Fire/Fire is a force to be reckoned with. Sadly, he fairs less well in PvP, but in PvE he is a king. It seems that Ice rules PvP. I have a friend in the SG with a Ice/Ice and he does far more damage, drops more toggles, slows, and creates much more havoc than my Fire/Fire. The reverse is true for PvE.
I am Airman America... Super Hero... and I approve this message!
Had a chance to test some builds a bit more last night & came to a key question: How do you survuve the return volley after you launch Fire Breath when solo'ing?
I tested (not comprehensively) by street hunting mobs of 8-10 white/yellows in Creys Folly where I died a lot trying to get through my opening 4 hits: Fire Breath, Fire Ball, Combustion and then maybe Fire Sword Circle. I could get Aim, Buildup & fire breath away but would get knocked back, stunned or mezzed immediately after. Basicly I struggled to get the 2nd or 3 attack off without being sent to the hospital. To be fair I am lvl 31 and all of my enhancements are now -1 (yellow) so I am losing some effectiveness there but this still seems a little too "high risk".
I tried a variation on the build which was to take the leaping pool with CJ, SJ & Acrobatics. Also it helps popping aid self before the battle so you get a disorient resistence. So with Aid Self, CJ & Acrobatics running I had another go at it. I found I could jump into mobs after I used Build Up, launch Fbreath, Ball & FSC & the mob was either dead or running. I slotted Fire Blast & skipped Fire Sword because I could then take down the runners with a fast ranged attack. I died less (still died a bit) but on the whole it was more successful. Of course that is an outdoor area & I don't know how it works in a full team scenario.
I did try a Freakshow mish set on Rugged & that was a bit easier too - but only mobs of 3-4 white/yellows/orange. The build means that it now cant use SS & Stealth which blows but if you need disorient, knockback & immob resistence then something has to give.
[ QUOTE ]
Be patient. Be patient. Be patient. Let the aggro managers do their thing before you start.
There exists no situation where it is a good idea to open with an AOE on a TEAM spawn.
[/ QUOTE ]
That alone makes this guide worth reading.
AE Blasting for the team is all about timing and awareness of aggro.
Having played 37 levels of elec/fire and having spent most of that time face to face with enemies in pbaoe range, I would have to gauge that the playstyles between elec/fire and fire/fire are pretty similar.
I strongly advocate, having taken the pbaoes from the /fire secondary, the jumping pool for CJ and Acro. There is nothing more annoying and dangerous than to get knocked out of the position that you want to launch your attacks from, especially after popping BU and AIM.
Supression sucks. There is no written rule that dictates that once you run into melee range, you have to stay there. IMO an immobile blaster is a dead blaster sooner or later. I find the combination of CJ and Hurdle to be very useful in getting in - getting out of combat. There is a lot to be said for unsuppressed movement, pvp or not.
Speaking of being mobile, you can joust with pbaoes. It requires timing and a delicate control of your movement but it can be done and you spend only the minimal amount of time in the "danger zone." Fighting Nemesis Jaegers is the perfect example of when one would wish to use this technique. As a bonus, since you have (better than average) unsuppressed movement, you don't have to wait that suck-tastic 4 seconds before regaining your movement abilities to position yourself for your next strike.
Another point on being an aoe blaster, well, really in general. Use your inspirations! Since you are killing enemies in droves you are sure to get a few drop from the defeated enemies. There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON for you to horde your insps for that "oh crap" moment. Besides, every time you get into combat is essentially an oh crap moment, so put those pills to use.
Just some things off the top of my head that I would like to contribute to this thread. It's not often that someone discusses playstyles in guides, I hope we get to see more of this in the future.
Sorry I'm so tardy with my replies, I've been AFK for a while due to work constraints.
1. In your build you stated you had respec'd 5 times. Is the build you posted a respec build or is it how you would build a toon from scratch taking all the powers as they become available? Is there an early build vs a midlife build (if that makes sense
.?).
The build I posted is my current build, and if I was to remake a fire fire blaster with the intent of AOE blasting, it's the route I would take.
2. With that in mind I note you have Aid Self at lvl 35 meaning its lvl 37 before you can get it fully slotted. Would Aid Self not help a lot in your overall survivability? Is it not worth getting & slotting earlier?
It would, absolutely, and it is, absolutely. I personally feel it's more critical to pick and slot according to the strength of the primary and secondaries though, which in this case means damage output is more of a priority for blasters.
3. Did you experiment with slotting for defense? I know its not great but is adding Tough or slotting Combat Jumping etc. worthwhile? While I think I know the answer, I was wondering about your thoughts here.
This is an age old question from way back in Issue 1 forward. I am of the opinion that the increased defenses that you can get from the pools don't increase your surviveability enough to make up for what you lose offensively.
4. How do you fimd the endurance usage without consume? It has such a long recharge do you only use it after inferno? Can you put it off until lvl 35 ish?
I don't generally use consume to add to my endurance. I almost exclusively use it to overcome the Inferno cooldown. The recharge is prohibitive. You can certainly put it off til 35ish, but I liked having ready to go prior to gaining Inferno.
5. Fire breath - is it really that good? Cant remember the stats but does it not blow your cover etc? I was even thinking about skipping it until I read your post.
Yes, it is absolutely that good. I'm not sure what you mean by blow your cover, unless you mean breaking you out of stealth, which all attacks do. The damage and cone range of fire breath are simply too good to pass up for an AOE blaster.
6. You chose the Fire epic - how come? I was thinking about the Munitions epic particularly because of LRM's. Any thoughts?
This toon was first I made in the game, and I chose fire fire to match a long ago tabletop RPG character. I chose the /fire epic for the same reason. Char is awesome, bonfire cracks me up, and RoTP is the best looking power in the game. I considered Muntions, but decided to stick with fire.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
[ QUOTE ]
Had a chance to test some builds a bit more last night & came to a key question: How do you survuve the return volley after you launch Fire Breath when solo'ing?
I tested (not comprehensively) by street hunting mobs of 8-10 white/yellows in Creys Folly where I died a lot trying to get through my opening 4 hits: Fire Breath, Fire Ball, Combustion and then maybe Fire Sword Circle. I could get Aim, Buildup & fire breath away but would get knocked back, stunned or mezzed immediately after. Basicly I struggled to get the 2nd or 3 attack off without being sent to the hospital. To be fair I am lvl 31 and all of my enhancements are now -1 (yellow) so I am losing some effectiveness there but this still seems a little too "high risk".
I tried a variation on the build which was to take the leaping pool with CJ, SJ & Acrobatics. Also it helps popping aid self before the battle so you get a disorient resistence. So with Aid Self, CJ & Acrobatics running I had another go at it. I found I could jump into mobs after I used Build Up, launch Fbreath, Ball & FSC & the mob was either dead or running. I slotted Fire Blast & skipped Fire Sword because I could then take down the runners with a fast ranged attack. I died less (still died a bit) but on the whole it was more successful. Of course that is an outdoor area & I don't know how it works in a full team scenario.
I did try a Freakshow mish set on Rugged & that was a bit easier too - but only mobs of 3-4 white/yellows/orange. The build means that it now cant use SS & Stealth which blows but if you need disorient, knockback & immob resistence then something has to give.
[/ QUOTE ]
Hunting in Hazard Zones with an AOE blaster that needs to get to melee for full effect after Enhancement Diversification is a recipe for disaster. You can't do enough damage to clear the spawn, you can't survive the mezzers, and the return alpha's just melt you. Stick to City Zones and missions unless your content to fry greens and the occasional blues.
Acrobatics is a huge boon to any blaster thanks to it's protections, and CJ is definetly worth the end cost to keep out the immobs.
The key for fire breath is the opening. Hitting the entire spawn is pretty important, as you don't usually have enough time to cycle through an additional series of attacks, and you want to use your heavy single shots on the bosses and LT's if possible. You really need to be in a good position to line up the cone to clear out the minions ASAP. 2-3 minions with 1 hit point each mauling you while you try to deal with a boss or LT can be a deal breaker.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
[ QUOTE ]
How did you get Build Up so early? The CoH / CoV Character Builder by SherkSilver version 1.7.6.0 (1.0.176 Powers DB) doesn't let me get build up until level 16...
Also, I see Aid Other and Aid Self and Combat Jumping. My character concept is a djinni, so I'd like to throw hover and maybe stealth/invisibility in there some where. Are those three vital to survival, or just part of your character concept?
[/ QUOTE ]
The build up at level 8 is a nasty little error. It's not available until level 16. Don't know what happened there.
I played with both stealth and hover quite a bit. I took out stealth because it became less important to have when Phase Shift was changed. I took out hover after ED because of the speed hit it took in ED.
Hover still has some playability, especially if you have a speed booster around. Stealth would be a personal preference IMO.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
---------------------------------------------
Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
---------------------------------------------
Name: Iluminata
Level: 50
Archetype: Blaster
Primary: Fire Blast
Secondary: Fire Manipulation
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Fire Blast==> Acc(1)
01) --> Ring of Fire==> Acc(1)
02) --> Fire Sword==> Acc(2)Dmg(3)Dmg(3)Dmg(9)Rechg(11)Rechg(29)
04) --> Fire Ball==> Acc(4)Dmg(5)Dmg(5)Dmg(7)EndRdx(7)Rechg(9)
06) --> Hurdle==> Jump(6)Jump(40)
08) --> Swift==> Run(8)Run(11)Run(27)
10) --> Fire Breath==> Acc(10)Dmg(13)Dmg(13)Dmg(15)Rechg(15)Rechg(17)
12) --> Hasten==> Rechg(12)Rechg(17)Rechg(19)
14) --> Super Speed==> Run(14)Run(46)
16) --> Build Up==> Rechg(16)Rechg(19)
18) --> Aim==> Rechg(18)Rechg(23)
20) --> Blaze==> Acc(20)Dmg(21)Dmg(21)Dmg(23)Rechg(45)Rechg(45)
22) --> Stamina==> EndMod(22)EndMod(42)
24) --> Fire Sword Circle==> Acc(24)Dmg(25)Dmg(25)Dmg(27)EndRdx(29)Rechg(40)
26) --> Aid Other==> Rechg(26)
28) --> Combustion==> Acc(28)Dmg(36)Dmg(39)Dmg(39)EndRdx(39)Rechg(46)
30) --> Consume==> Acc(30)Acc(31)Rechg(31)Rechg(31)Rechg(33)EndMod(40)
32) --> Inferno==> Dmg(32)Dmg(33)Dmg(33)Rechg(34)Rechg(34)Rechg(34)
35) --> Aid Self==> EndRdx(35)Heal(36)Heal(36)IntRdx(37)IntRdx(37)IntRdx(37)
38) --> Combat Jumping==> EndRdx(38)Jump(48)
41) --> Char==> Acc(41)Acc(42)Hold(42)Hold(43)Rechg(43)Rechg(43)
44) --> Bonfire==> Rechg(44)
47) --> Rise of the Phoenix==> DisDur(47)Rechg(48)Rechg(48)
49) --> Fire Shield==> EndRdx(49)EndRdx(50)EndRdx(50)DmgRes(50)
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Sprint==> Empty(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Empty(1)
01) --> Defiance==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Empty(2)
---------------------------------------------
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
Nice guide, Snakebit. Curiously enough, I was toying with the idea of making a Fire/ blaster with SS for travel and -perception (together with Stealth, for accurate placement of alpha strikes) and Hover for vertical clearance. Now that I've read your guide, I suppose I'll have to surrender to my altitis and create one.
Iluminatas Guide to the Issue 6 AOE Fire/Fire Blaster
DID YOU SEE THAT?
NOTE: This guide covers a very specific style of PVE blasting, from a certain point of view.
Everything below is my opinion, with the exception of certain hard data. I have done no empirical testing whatsoever, and rely on the work of others in regards to hard data. The opinions I present below are based on 19 months of play, and a great deal of input from the CoH Blaster forums. Concern, Pilcrow, Fulmens, Hephaestus, Screwloose, Bayani, Flaming1, SnipeFu, Ohms and many others have made the forums an excellent place to visit and have made me a better player.
The fire/fire set is generally speaking an unpopular set due to some inherent weaknesses that exist in the fire secondary with regards to damage mitigation or utility powers that exist in other set, and the higher level powers are the worst choices in the set.
In comparison to the other sets there is no single target killer. There are no status effects other than the occasional scatter style fear (the type that wont cause cower) with the exception of an immobilization and a slow. There is no stealth, no fancy bombs or mines. No recharge debuffs and no accuracy debuff. In fact, a /fire blaster has no damage mitigation whatsoever, with the minimal exception of Burn and Hot Feet, both of which are very lackluster in their performance in the blasting role.
So what the heck are you considering playing a Fire/Fire blaster for anyway?
The answer to this is simple: Area of Effect damage monster. With the /fire secondary, you can become a spawn killing machine. Your only damage mitigation in playing this combination is to kill everything in sight as quickly as possible, and fortunately for you, this set has that, and in spades. It is this philosophy that I will discuss. Any recommended power choices or slotting are based around wiping an entire spawn as quickly as possible. Any other power choices fall by the wayside. Yes, there are tricks and playstyles that can make use of the more lackluster powers (rain, burn, hot feet). I personally am of the opinion that your endurance is better spent by simply using a real power to defeat the mob.
I do not discuss DPS as it is totally irrelevant to this play style. AoE blasting is about defeating mobs immediately, not DPS DPM DPH or DPY.
Im not going to spend much time with numbers, because the numbers I would use are in Sherksilvers planner, available at http://sherksilver.coldfront.net/index.php
If you are really serious about playing City of Heroes, you need to get and be familiar with the use of that excellent program.
The fire Primary-
Flares-Single Target Damage-Long animation and root combined with mediocre damage
Fire Bolt-Single Target Damage-A decent power, but not for us. Rarely used once you start getting your AoE stuff together.
Fire Ball-Ranged AoE-Core power of the set, a must have
Fire Breath-Cone-Another core power, a must have
Rain of Fire-Target AoE- This is NOT a damage power, although it deals damage. It is a get away from me power that causes scatter, and we dont want that.
Aim-This is the self buff for accuracy and damage. You MUST take this.
Blaze-Single Target Damage-This is a huge point blank damage dealer, and is needed to follow up on those few that survive
Blazing Bolt-Snipe- This is the highest damage dealing snipe in CoH. But it doesnt fit our concept, so well leave it out or unslotted.
Inferno-PBAOE- This is what we are all about. Instant spawn wipe.
The fire secondary-
Ring of Fire- Single target immobilize- It can work well against runners, or to keep a nasty melee attack away from you. Have to take it, but dont want to slot it.
Fire Sword- Single target damage- A decent melee attack and a much better choice over flares. We want this power, as it does more damage more quickly than flares, and we WILL be up close and personal to use it.
Combustion-PBAOE-This oft maligned power actually delivers decent damage, albeit over a fairly lengthy time. It has a larger radius than fireball, and has a reasonable recharge. Its a choice to consider late in the build as an alternative to Blazing Bolt.
Fire Sword Circle-PBAOE- A high damage small radius power. It is an excellent follow up to the lead of Fire Ball and Fire Breath, dealing fairly high damage quickly. A core power of our philosophy, so take it and slot it. It does great front end damage.
Build Up-The accuracy and damage self buff.
Blazing Aura-Toggle PBAOE-This power is one of the reasons so many people consider this secondary gimped. It is totally useless.
Consume-PBAOE-This is an excellent utility power for recovering endurance. It does little damage, but will completely recover your endurance with 3 mobs in range. You need this power.
Burn-PBAOE-Another reason why this set falls behind the others, and another power to skip for our concept. All it is good for is area denial, as it causes scatter type fear.
Hot Feet-Toggle PBAOE-This is a control power with no real control, and yet another reason why this set is unpopular. Slows the bad guys, and causes scatter type fear with a marginal DOT. This power is totally sub-par to every other level 38 power in the game.
Putting it together
We want to be able to flash out of existence an entire spawn in as short a time as possible.
Thus the following powers are essential to our philosophy of Kill em All, Right Now. Get these ASAP and slot them:
Aim, Build Up, Fireball, Fire Breath, Fire Sword Circle, Inferno, Consume, Hasten, Stamina.
Powers that support our concept and should be obtained and slotted at your discretion without interfering with our hot picks above:
Blaze, Fire Sword, Super Speed, Combustion, Stealth, Aid Self
Powers that do not assist in fulfilling our concept and should be ignored in terms of picks and slotting:
Fire Blast, Flares, Ring of Fire, Rain of Fire, Blazing Bolt, Burn, Hot Feet, Blazing Aura
Leadership Pool, Presence Pool, Fighting Pool, Teleportation Pool, Jumping Pool, Flight Pool.
What? you say, I cant get super jump, or fly?
Im not saying that. What Im saying is that super speed supports what this build does better than the other travel powers, because it has a built in stealth and it is ALWAYS fast. No need to worry about ceilings blocking a jump, or panning around looking for a way to TP out of the fight. No time for that. Just click and go.
Need some vertical mobility? Fit it in. I use hover myself, 3 slotted. Want super jump? Take it. Want to use the fear powers in the presence pool? Get them.
Slotting our powers to maximize our killing spree:
Concentrate on slotting the Core Powers. Aim, Build-up, and Hasten need 3 recharges. Ball, Breath, Blaze all need 1 acc and 3 damage, and either 1/1 for recharge/endurance, or 2 recharges. I personally slot FSC 2x acc 3xdamage and 1/1, but I slot the accuracy higher because it really NEEDS to hit and its a bit quirky to use. Consume needs 2 acc 3 recharges minimum, feel free to toss in that third accuracy or endmod. INFERNO needs 3 recharges and 3 damages. Fire sword gets regular 1/3/1/1 as available. If you decide to get combustion, it needs an acc and 3 damages as well. If you have combustion, you will likely be hurting for slots, and need to realize that the damage from combustion comes out in a very lengthy damage over time manner, so I recommend putting it low on the slot priority.
If you take stealth, slot it for end redux, not defense. If you take aid other, it will be later on in your build. I dont recommend slotting aid self/stimulant. Slot aid other for 2 interrupt reducers and as many heals and recharges as you can fit.
Playing with fire:
In theory, you should be able to Aim, Build-up, and set off your aoe combos and defeat the spawn.
Now comes the hard part. Playing a fire/fire blaster is NOT easy. You will draw an enormous amount of aggro during your battles, yet you will have no way to mitigate the incoming damage. This is not so apparent in solo play, because you will have spawns that you have the absolute undeniable ability to wipe. In medium to large teams, life starts to become a little crazy. There are generally more/scattered mobs that you cannot eliminate with your opening salvo, and their aggro needs to be dealt with. The easiest way to accomplish this is by WAITING for your competent tanks/controllers to grab the spawn aggro and lock them down.
AFTER (not before) the aggro has been managed, youll want to combo. At this stage, pretty much everything is on its way to meet its maker. Now youll need to step into very close range to the largest number of minions and drop your Firesword Circle. Take a very quick look at the situation, and use your best judgement as to applying blaze and firesword. Are there still half a dozen mobs? If so, hold off on the single target stuff and reapply fireball and fire breath. If you have combustion, now would be a good time to apply it, since you have probably seriously hurt everything near you, and combustion will help bring them down. If all thats left are a boss a few LTs, step back a bit and let the rest of the team deal with them. Your job at this point is to stay alive. Your contribution has been to wipe all the minions. Stay out of harms way so the defenders/controllers can concentrate on the tanks/scrappers. If, after your opening salvo of breath/ball/sword, there are a huge number of minions scattered about but not going down, you are in serious trouble. You are now priority number one for every mob the team is fighting, have probably pulled some aggro off the tank, and the mobs that are held are just waiting to unmezz so they can pound you. You need to assess the situation very quickly, because your health is at this point going away. The defenders are in babysit the blaster mode. The tank is frantically trying to regain aggro. The controller is spamming out controls/buffs. The scrappers are working on the boss and LTs. SO. Will your next single AOE attack finish off the mob? If the answer to that is no, you need to make some breathing room, by either breaking line of sight to the most mobs possible, or move far enough away that the mobs have to reposition to attack you. Once your fireball and fire breath attacks are BOTH up again, get back into the fight and finish it up.
Generally speaking, the entire situation I presented above takes anywhere from 10-15 seconds, maybe 30 seconds if you are looking at red/purple minions. Your blasting power makes fights end very quickly, either in victory or defeat.
Some thoughts:
If someone calls for a pull, they arent talking to you. Forget it. Even if you decide to take Blazing Bolt, dont use it to try to pull. It does very high damage, and has a DoT component that generates more aggro than you want.
Be patient. Be patient. Be patient. Let the aggro managers do their thing before you start.
There exists no situation where it is a good idea to open with an AOE on a TEAM spawn. You will faceplant enough as it stands. Dont increase your defeat count by leading the team attacks. Use everything that you see. Ramps. Corners. Stairs. A bypassed quicksand left over by the earth controller. Another blaster who is only too happy to lead the team attacks with ball lighting. Every possible distraction for the mobs gives you just a hair more survivability.
Dont let debt get you down. You will get defeated. Sometimes it will happen so fast you wont even realize you were attacked. Sometimes you will struggle and dance and dodge and blast and a critical shot will miss, or the defender will be out of endurance, or the tank will be charging off to the next mob. Try not to get frustrated.
Fire/Fire blasting is City of Heroes in hard mode. But once you have made yourself a good Fire/Fire blaster, you will be a force to be reckoned with. Every mob you see is experience not yet collected. Passing by a group of orange conning minions is an act of mercy. You will get tells and comments in team chat along the lines of wow, damn, holy **** quite a bit. Sometimes, you will get on such a roll that other blasters will drop from the team because they cant contribute. Scrappers will envy you. Controllers will love you. Tanks will pass you inspirations as fast as they can fill you up. Youll come to the boards and laugh at the <insert AT> outdamages blasters! threads.
I'll post a few build variations later.
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Thomas Jefferson