Nicely done. 
I'd like to add a comment about bonfire from the blaster Flame Mastery epic.
This is a pulsing low damage high KB placeable click with a fairly large diameter, and is an outstanding area denial tool and can occasionally be used as a control tool, especially in tight quarters where the walls are closer than the KB range.
It provides a very nice backstop for defenders and controllers to keep out of melee, and can be used to defend a tank or scrapper that are in over their head.
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
Well worded. I'd like to hear more tips for KB control for us melee types, since I have a shiny new MA scrapper and (despite my best intentions) I am forever kicking mobs in the wrong direction. 
Above tips are helpful (Taking the backboard advice to heart, don't think I'll be fitting Hover into my build, though - not in concept) but I wonder if anyone else has more close-range advice.
Does KB cook off every time? It seems like sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't.
[ QUOTE ]
Melee players. All Im going to say about this is that, with a very few exceptions, a tank or scrapper cant hit someone outside of arms reach. Think on this when shooting a target in melee range of a melee toon and consider whether your shot is going to make your team more or less effective. Simple as that.
[/ QUOTE ]
I have a couple of different perspectives on knockback/knockdown. My Ill/Rad has Phantasm, the Pet king of knockback. More often than not, Phant's knockback is a benefit . . . He floats behind me and knocks back bad guys who are coming up to me to deliver a smackdown, and they go flying back. Nice damage protection. The knockback also reduces damage from the bad guys over all, since they don't hit while getting up. On occasion, Phant frustrates me. I run in, fire off Flash or EM Pulse in the middle of a neat group of baddies to set up some nice, juicy containment for Fireball, and suddenly the group goes flying when Phant throws in a Torrent. Oh, well. That's the price I have to pay sometimes for having a pet/bodyguard.
On the other hand, I have an Invul/Axe Tank. Knockback/down is the secondary effect of Battle Axe. Before I-5/I-6, before the defense nerfs and ED, Knockback was an annoyance. Now, it is my friend. With every hit, I taunt, thanks to Gauntlet. That means that if I knock back the baddie with my trusty Axe, it is likely that he will come running back for some more punishment. While he is on his backside, he is not hitting me, and I can focus my damage on another. Whirling Axe has become one of my best damage mitigation powers. The damage is fairly minor, but the power knocks down/back the guys all around me, reducing the damage I receive, while taunting them to come back and keep their aggro focused on me. I can then use my single target attacks to take down one guy, and then turn to the next, fire off WA again, and take down the next.
In light of the reduction of defense, knockback has become far more valuable as a way to reduce damage.
And it is fun, too.
LOCAL MAN! The most famous hero of all. There are more newspaper stories about me than anyone else. "Local Man wins Medal of Honor." "Local Man opens Animal Shelter." "Local Man Charged with..." (Um, forget about that one.)
Guide Links: Earth/Rad Guide, Illusion/Rad Guide, Electric Control
As the player of a Katana/Regen scrapper on a team of warshades, I must implore all heroes with knockback powers to use them responsibly 
Several times I wished I could attack my temmates because they blew an entire group of enemies across the room.
It gets old. Fast.
But it does have it's place. Good guide.
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Energy Blast. This is the only power in which the knockback is not away from you. You target one goon, and the blast knocks surrounding mobs on a radial away from him, not you. This is key in that one of the three factors, namely your location, isnt as big a deal as the other two. This has two implications. 1) If you want to knockback the group in a particular direction, target one on the side of the group away from where you want them to go. 2) Even if youre above the target, theyll all still be knocked back from your target. Hover does not turn knockback into knockdown with this power.
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You're refering to Explosive Blast.
I think a good idea maybe to categorize the KB powers
Cone Style KB (Powers which have a high % to do KB in cone shaped AoE away from you)
Energy Torrent (from Energy Blast)
Torrent (from Dark Blast)
Shockwave (from Sonic Blast)
Buckshot (from Assault Rifle)
Single Target KB
Power Push (from Energy Blast)
Power Thrust (from Energy manipulation)
Radial KB (these attacks cause KB in a Radial type pattern)
Explosive Blast (Energy Blast)
M30 Grenade (Assault Rifle)
*I know there are more just dropping in some examples
@Deadboy
I'm an energy/energy blaster and i love KB. KB can be a blessing or a curse. Some tanks/scraps will hate you if you use a KB attack. When soloing it really helps though. When i would fight +3 or 4 Freakshow Tanks alone, i could keep the metal freak in the air for the most part and he couldn't attack for a while. Also, it can help if a hero that is about to die is getting chased. I have done this a few times. So basically, use KB responsibly.
Knockback can be a bit of a pain with melee users. On my stone tanker, I got extremely annoyed having rooted on, especially when playing with an energy blaster. Now I seem to be getting against energy blasters more and more, and now Im for it after seeing some of the powers. It does seem to be very controvercial. The KB is quite annoying, but its nice to have. Well, im confusing myself. Bye =P
I've been espousing the benefits of knockback for YEARS, hopefully your excellent guide will help more people understand that knockback when used wisely is one of the greatest tools for damage mitigation.
Enemies can't attack when they are flying through the air or getting up, and melee damage from enemies is almost always more than ranged damage from enemies. These facts all support knockback as being much more valuable than most people give it credit for.
Midnight_Flux, this 30 month bubbler would like to say thank you for this guide, and to plug my FF Defender Guide once more. Keep up the good work! 
Ruin_of_Irony - Can I just add that PhiloticKnight's Combat Handbook has some great tips for working with KB as a melee toon. He's being modest by not saying how amazingly helpful his Handbook is. I read it early as I started my MA/Regen scrapper and it changed the entire way I played him all the way to 50.
Biggest tip for KB when you're a melee toon (IMHO): Remember CTRL+TAB (or make a keybind) so that you can easily switch to the nearest target instead of the "next" one. I actually change my target cycle key to T and use Tab for target_enemy_near.
Very nice guide, Midnight_Flux! This has recently become a big issue with some regular teammates, and we constantly bicker about KB. Thanks for bringing up some important issues!
Thanks for the free advertising SunSon. Speaking of which, there is a new version of the guide under my signature, which I've simply renamed The Combat Handbook v2.0. I don't really consider it just mine anymore since so many other heroes have added to it. Good luck in your heroics!
Dude thnks! 
Been playing alot of MMO's for years ( FF WoW GW AO EVE DD SWR ... but for some reason I didnt get to this game untill now!.. I know I know all those MMOs and Ididnt get a super heroe game?
OK whatever lol.
But this blaster guid helped me make my first char
nicly writen !.
Thnks player playa for the help.
And Playa -PLAY ON!
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First off, Im not writing this guide to tell anyone play your toon this way or youre a moron. I just wanted to pass on some discussion about the effects of knockback and ideas you can try to 1) use it for your own benefit, and 2) make it an effect that helps out a team instead of one the team has to work around. Knockback can be a very effective soft control tool when used with purpose. Plus, its pretty friggin cool, nailing a bad guy and watching them fly through the air away from you.
Most of the energy blast powerset attacks have a chance for knockback, ranging from slim to 100%. Additionally, most wind powers (gale, hurricane) and just about anything starting with rep (repel, repulsion field, etc) have knockback as either their primary or secondary effect. That being said, knockback types, and energy/ blasters in particular, have a bad rep for screwing up team synergy. Thats what were going to work towards remedying today.
Lets start off with generalities, and then Ill discuss synergy with teammates and finish with a few powers in detail. One caveats I havent played COV outside of beta, so I cant really talk to villain archetype specifics. Hopefully, the general discussions will still be helpful.
Knockback is actually quite similar to real estate. The three most important factors to consider when dealing with either are:
1) Location
2) Location, and (wait for it
)
3) Location
These are the factors I consider when shooting a target Im not certain Im going to kill with that shot. If Im using power burst on an even level minion with less than half a health bar, Im not going to worry about it as much.
1) Location, The Target's. Where is the target in the environment? If I want to keep the target available, Id like him near a wall (good), in a corner (better) or in as small a cul-de-sac as I can find best). This way, if he is knocked away, he bounces off the wall and lands where I want him and in position for the next hit, whether Im dealing the hit or a team mate is.
On the other hand, if I and/or my team are to get overrun, having the target near a ledge might be handy. I can knock him off the ledge, hopefully imparting some falling damage in the process, and finish off his friends while hes climbing stairs.
2) Location, Your. Where are you in relation to your target? If hes standing next to a wall, and youre standing next to the same wall, hes not going to bounce off the wall; hell just be farther down the wall. Knockback is always away from you, so if you want to bounce a bad guy off a particular wall, you have to first position yourself so that the target is between you and whatever you want the target to hit. Obvious statements, I know, but someone had to say it.
HOweVER, if you happen to be reasonably close to directly above a target, either with a flight power or by shooting off a balcony or ledge, then knockback becomes knockdown, and the target ends up laid out where it had been standing. Ive used this tactic a lot when teaming with melee types, and it seems to be pretty popular.
3) Location, Your Teammates. Where are your teammates, and what are they doing. Is the scrapper or tanker handling a particular target? If so, then shooting that target without confidence that you going to kill it with that shot, generally wont make you popular, as it just means the melee type is going to have to chase that guy down. On the other hand, if a teammate without significant melee attacks (controllers, defenders, */device blasters) is being pestered by a badguy at melee range, they will probably appreciate seeing that particular bad guy be knocked away from them.
Synergies. This part is strictly for teaming purposes. Knockback can be a powerful tool in making some of your teammatess powers either much more or much less effective.
Area powers. Any AoE power has a focus point. This can be a player, a bad guy, or a spot on the ground, but its going to be one of the three, and I try to make a point of knowing which. If you can knock a target onto an ice slick, onto caltrops, into a radiation field - i.e., think about aiming your knockback toward the focus point - youll be much more popular than if you knock a target out of those same areas. Either is just as likely, you just have to play with the three factors above in mind.
If the target is in or near an area you would like them to inhabit, you have an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. If they are on an ice slick and not a concern for the time being, you might want to concentrate on a target that is currently a threat. OR, if the ice slick, etc. is near a backboard, you can position yourself appropriately, bounce them off said backboard, and keep them on said ice slick.
Also, if you shoot the target serving as the anchor for a radiation field and knock it out of the crowd, that crowd is now more dangerous.
Melee players. All Im going to say about this is that, with a very few exceptions, a tank or scrapper cant hit someone outside of arms reach. Think on this when shooting a target in melee range of a melee toon and consider whether your shot is going to make your team more or less effective. Simple as that.
Powers. Im just going to discuss two powers at the root of most knockback complaints, and one that I have found to be both fun and useful.
Energy Torrent. A cone attack with a good chance for knockback, it is easy to fire off, but not often used as effectively as it could be. My absolute favorite trick with ET is to hover in position above the tank or scrapper. Target a goon as close to directly below you as possible, and let fly. With a little luck, everyone around your teammate is now laying comfortably on the floor, in prime position for kicking. Remember, this is a cone attack, so by hovering from close to max range, youll cover a wider area.
Energy Blast. This is the only power in which the knockback is not away from you. You target one goon, and the blast knocks surrounding mobs on a radial away from him, not you. This is key in that one of the three factors, namely your location, isnt as big a deal as the other two. This has two implications. 1) If you want to knockback the group in a particular direction, target one on the side of the group away from where you want them to go. 2) Even if youre above the target, theyll all still be knocked back from your target. Hover does not turn knockback into knockdown with this power.
Repel. I just happen to like this power, and not only because its a cool-looking effect.
If you stand in a doorway, no mobs can get past you. They may be able to get in a shot in before getting knocked away, so be careful there.
You can use it as a control if you pin a target in a corner. Theyll keep getting knocked into the corner and bouncing back on to you, only to get knocked into the corner again. Be careful with your endurance with this tactic, though, cause its going to burn fast.
Okay, the post is now open for discussion. Please post comments in regards to any particular powers, if you feel the need. If you feel I misstated or missed something, post a comment and Ill update this guide. Thanks for your time, and please support your local energy blaster.
[/ QUOTE ]
There needs to be a system auto-generated email that goes to anyone who makes a character with any sort of KB power saying everything you just said 
. Good job, and spread the knowledge. KB is the 1 thing I can't stand about this game, mainly because of bad pugs experience. I have a storm/elec defender and it only took me 1 day of playing and reading the forums to understand that I had to control my KB carefully or it would be a problem when grouping. I wish more people would read stuff like this and learn form it.
Explosive Blast and other similar powers do NOT cause Knockback in a Radial pattern.
They Knockback away from the caster just like all other Knockback powers.
If you're standing in Melee range when you use it and there are mobs behind and to the side of you, then they can get knocked AWAY from you, in a Radial pattern because you're standing in the middle of them.
If you use this and similar powers (M30 Grenade, Explosive Arrow, Luminous Detonation, etc) from Range, you will Only Ever knock the foes Away from you in the direction that you fired, regardless of which mob in a spawn is your target. Try it and see.
If a teammate uses another knockback power from a different angle though, things can get funky.
Wavicle, Energy/Energy Blaster, dinged 50 in Issue 4, summer of 2005.
@Wavicle, mostly on the Justice server.
Good catch, here and in the other post. Version 2.0 of this guide has a better description.
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!
First off, Im not writing this guide to tell anyone play your toon this way or youre a moron. I just wanted to pass on some discussion about the effects of knockback and ideas you can try to 1) use it for your own benefit, and 2) make it an effect that helps out a team instead of one the team has to work around. Knockback can be a very effective soft control tool when used with purpose. Plus, its pretty friggin cool, nailing a bad guy and watching them fly through the air away from you.
Most of the energy blast powerset attacks have a chance for knockback, ranging from slim to 100%. Additionally, most wind powers (gale, hurricane) and just about anything starting with rep (repel, repulsion field, etc) have knockback as either their primary or secondary effect. That being said, knockback types, and energy/ blasters in particular, have a bad rep for screwing up team synergy. Thats what were going to work towards remedying today.
Lets start off with generalities, and then Ill discuss synergy with teammates and finish with a few powers in detail. One caveats I havent played COV outside of beta, so I cant really talk to villain archetype specifics. Hopefully, the general discussions will still be helpful.
Knockback is actually quite similar to real estate. The three most important factors to consider when dealing with either are:
1) Location
2) Location, and (wait for it )
3) Location
These are the factors I consider when shooting a target Im not certain Im going to kill with that shot. If Im using power burst on an even level minion with less than half a health bar, Im not going to worry about it as much.
1) Location, The Target's. Where is the target in the environment? If I want to keep the target available, Id like him near a wall (good), in a corner (better) or in as small a cul-de-sac as I can find best). This way, if he is knocked away, he bounces off the wall and lands where I want him and in position for the next hit, whether Im dealing the hit or a team mate is.
On the other hand, if I and/or my team are to get overrun, having the target near a ledge might be handy. I can knock him off the ledge, hopefully imparting some falling damage in the process, and finish off his friends while hes climbing stairs.
2) Location, Your. Where are you in relation to your target? If hes standing next to a wall, and youre standing next to the same wall, hes not going to bounce off the wall; hell just be farther down the wall. Knockback is always away from you, so if you want to bounce a bad guy off a particular wall, you have to first position yourself so that the target is between you and whatever you want the target to hit. Obvious statements, I know, but someone had to say it.
HOweVER, if you happen to be reasonably close to directly above a target, either with a flight power or by shooting off a balcony or ledge, then knockback becomes knockdown, and the target ends up laid out where it had been standing. Ive used this tactic a lot when teaming with melee types, and it seems to be pretty popular.
3) Location, Your Teammates. Where are your teammates, and what are they doing. Is the scrapper or tanker handling a particular target? If so, then shooting that target without confidence that you going to kill it with that shot, generally wont make you popular, as it just means the melee type is going to have to chase that guy down. On the other hand, if a teammate without significant melee attacks (controllers, defenders, */device blasters) is being pestered by a badguy at melee range, they will probably appreciate seeing that particular bad guy be knocked away from them.
Synergies. This part is strictly for teaming purposes. Knockback can be a powerful tool in making some of your teammatess powers either much more or much less effective.
Area powers. Any AoE power has a focus point. This can be a player, a bad guy, or a spot on the ground, but its going to be one of the three, and I try to make a point of knowing which. If you can knock a target onto an ice slick, onto caltrops, into a radiation field - i.e., think about aiming your knockback toward the focus point - youll be much more popular than if you knock a target out of those same areas. Either is just as likely, you just have to play with the three factors above in mind.
If the target is in or near an area you would like them to inhabit, you have an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. If they are on an ice slick and not a concern for the time being, you might want to concentrate on a target that is currently a threat. OR, if the ice slick, etc. is near a backboard, you can position yourself appropriately, bounce them off said backboard, and keep them on said ice slick.
Also, if you shoot the target serving as the anchor for a radiation field and knock it out of the crowd, that crowd is now more dangerous.
Melee players. All Im going to say about this is that, with a very few exceptions, a tank or scrapper cant hit someone outside of arms reach. Think on this when shooting a target in melee range of a melee toon and consider whether your shot is going to make your team more or less effective. Simple as that.
Powers. Im just going to discuss two powers at the root of most knockback complaints, and one that I have found to be both fun and useful.
Energy Torrent. A cone attack with a good chance for knockback, it is easy to fire off, but not often used as effectively as it could be. My absolute favorite trick with ET is to hover in position above the tank or scrapper. Target a goon as close to directly below you as possible, and let fly. With a little luck, everyone around your teammate is now laying comfortably on the floor, in prime position for kicking. Remember, this is a cone attack, so by hovering from close to max range, youll cover a wider area.
Energy Blast. This is the only power in which the knockback is not away from you. You target one goon, and the blast knocks surrounding mobs on a radial away from him, not you. This is key in that one of the three factors, namely your location, isnt as big a deal as the other two. This has two implications. 1) If you want to knockback the group in a particular direction, target one on the side of the group away from where you want them to go. 2) Even if youre above the target, theyll all still be knocked back from your target. Hover does not turn knockback into knockdown with this power.
Repel. I just happen to like this power, and not only because its a cool-looking effect.
If you stand in a doorway, no mobs can get past you. They may be able to get in a shot in before getting knocked away, so be careful there.
You can use it as a control if you pin a target in a corner. Theyll keep getting knocked into the corner and bouncing back on to you, only to get knocked into the corner again. Be careful with your endurance with this tactic, though, cause its going to burn fast.
Okay, the post is now open for discussion. Please post comments in regards to any particular powers, if you feel the need. If you feel I misstated or missed something, post a comment and Ill update this guide. Thanks for your time, and please support your local energy blaster.
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!