The Energy Blast/Devices Blaster Guide
By the Mad Mummy of the Justice Server
This guide is created out of my own experience as a Energy Blast/Devices Blaster, and in no way am I forcing my ideas upon you. This guide may not yet be complete, for the time I write this my Blaster is still a level 38, not yet a level 50, and I am explaining my plans for the future of my character.
Introduction
Hi there! My name is the Mad Mummy, and I can be found on the Justice server if you have any questions about this build. I myself love the Blaster archetype, and find it suitable for me. If you do not find Blasters suitable for you, then you may access another guide I made on the forums for City of Heroes called "The Perfect Hero For You". The Mad Mummy is my first and main character, and I have not regretted my choice of powers.
The combination of the Energy Blast and Devices powers are very effective for dealing the most damage to your enemies, but keeping them a safe distance from you. The choices of pool powers I selected contribute to my control over my character, and make him as fast as possible to react to the surroundings and keep my hero in good shape until reinforcements come or able to escape imminent death. Now then, lets move on to my opinions of the powers.
ENERGY BLAST
1. Power Bolt- Very useful in battle because of how many times you can use the power in a short amount of time. Not my choice as a first power, though, because of how weak it is compared to Power Blast.
2. Power Blast- Much more effective than Power Bolt when it comes to damage, but a bit slower with recharging than the first power. My first choice as a power.
3. Energy Torrent- Very effective, yet slow on the recharge, which can be solved by a few Recharge Time Reduction enhancements. Its also very effective when being used against a group of enemies, because of the knock back and the shared damage amongst the villains. A note of experience: Use both R.T.R. and Range Increase enhancements for this power.
4. Power Burst- Great amount of damage for a short ranged attack, yet not to be trusted for knock back.
5. Sniper Blast- A must-have power for Blasters. This power shows how serious this archetype is, and should be decked out with R.T.R., Range, Damage, Accuracy, Activation Time Reduction, and Endurance Reduction enhancements for optimal power.
6. Aim- I personally abandoned this power, because of a certain power in my Devices set. You may get this power if you do not want to get the Devices replacement, or if you want increased Accuracy. I did not choose this power, so I know little of what it needs for improvement. This power increases your Accuracy and damage output for a short amount of time.
7. Power Push- Best for knock back, not for damage. The exact opposite of Power Burst.
8. Explosive Blast- Best AOE (and ONLY AOE) power in the set. Medium damage, but great for use against multiple targets. Again, needs an R.T.R. enhancement.
9. Nova- Another must-have power for this power set. The last and greatest power of Energy Blast, and if ignored, you shall regret it. A powerful PBAOE (Point Blank Area of Effect) and very deadly for enemies your level and below. But beware, this power has a bite to it; it will drain all your endurance when used, and leave you vulnerable for a few seconds. Recommended use as a last resort or as a regularly used power when backup and heals are available. Forget about putting End. Reduction enhancements on this power; they are completely useless. Focus on Accuracy, Damage, and R.T.R. Have a few endurance inspirations available after use.
All of the powers above will need R.T.R. enhancements as well as accuracy and endurance reduction (except for Nova) enhancements.
DEVICES
1. Web Grenade- A good power for keeping an enemy at bay while you wail on him. The enemy can still hit you with ranged or point blank attacks, though.
2. Caltrops- A good power for slowing and damaging and enemy. Be warned, though; usually theyll find a way to avoid crossing the trap, so make sure you use it in a tight space and have enough damage enhancements on it.
3. Taser- As you may know, Blasters were never meant to survive in close combat, so I did not choose this power for myself. If you want it though, I recommend using Stun enhancements on this power. This is considered a Melee power, so be careful when using it.
4. Targeting Drone- The replacement to the Aim power. This is a toggle power and will stay in use as long as you have enough endurance. I recommend using ToHit Buff, End. Reduction, and R.T.R. enhancements on this power. It is only to be used for Accuracy, though.
5. Smoke Grenade- A great power to have with you. This power decreases the ACC of the enemies at an AOE. Use ToHit Debuff, Accuracy, and R.T.R. enhancements for this power.
6. Cloaking Device- A must-have power for this power set. A great invisibility power, yet you must be careful when you are close to an enemy, for they may see you even with the power on. It also increases your defense and resistance to some powers. Definitely use End. Reduction enhancements on this power.
7. Trip Mine- A fun power to have. Once the mine is set, any enemy that walks across it will activate the mine and explode, damaging any other villains around it. Use Damage, End. Reduction, ACC, and R.T.R. enhancements. Best used with Cloaking Device and topped with Caltrops.
8. Time Bomb- I was always a very impatient hero. I never picked this power because of the limited amount of time you had before the mine would explode, and possibly wasting precious endurance if it wasnt used how you wanted it to.
9. Auto Turret- A great power, if you dont mind waiting longer than your Rest power to recharge. It is nice and powerful, hitting the enemies more than ten times a round, averaging a whopping 10 points of damage each bullet. Recommended enhancements: R.T.R., End. Reduction, and ACC.
The same basic enhancements will be needed for Devices as for Energy Blast.
Pool Powers
The pool power sets mentioned where found to be my most effective and helpful powers. You may choose not to use these powers if you wish.
FLIGHT
1. Hover- My recommended starting power for flight. Best for hovering high above your enemies, just out of range for them, and sniping them. VERY SLOW FLIGHT SPEED. A practical noob exercise: Use Hover to fly across Grendels Gulch in the Hollows.
2. Air Superiority- I never chose this power because, again, its a Melee power. Ive never seen it in use, so I dont know what it does.
3. Fly- A great power for going anywhere fast. Not as fast as Super Speed or Super Jump, but definitely less frustrating than the latter and Teleport in the fact that you never have to touch the ground.
4. Group Fly- A fun party power, usually used only for laughs. Not entirely helpful, though, because you and the heroes around you will fly less fast than regular Fly and will decrease all of the groups ACC.
You will definitely need Flight Speed Increase and End. Reduction enhancements for the flying powers.
SUPER SPEED
1. Flurry- Not recommended for Blasters because it is a Melee attack.
2. Hasten- Recommended for all archetypes. When activated, the power decreases all the Activation Times of all powers, but will tire you out sooner because of increased uses of other powers. You will want R.T.R. enhancements for this power for maximum usage.
3. Super Speed- A speedy power indeed. You may want to put Increased Running Speed enhancements on it for faster travel speed and an End. Reduction enhancement for longer running time. Great as a combo with Fly.
4. Whirlwind- Ive never used this power before, but it seems your character spins rapidly and will toss around any enemies within the heroes range.
You will want End. Reduction enhancements for these powers.
FITNESS
1. Swift- If you have Super Speed, this is a power to have. It slightly increases your running speed, and is great to have even without S.S. Since Increase Running Speed is the only enhancement you can put on it, go ahead and deck it out, especially with Single Origin enhancements; even put 3 enhancement slots on it, all with SO I.R.S. enhancements for maximum speed.
2. Hurdle- Since Im not the type to jump, I didnt choose this power. This power is for increased jumping height, and is not required to have.
3. Health- A great power for any archetype with a weak defense. I even notice a change in my heal rate with this in my arsenal. This power increases the healing rate of your hero, and should always be decked out with Healing enhancements.
4. Stamina- A superb MUST-HAVE power for blasters. Since we blasters are susceptible to endurance drainage, this is the solution to our problems. This power increases the recharge rate of a heros endurance, and is especially effective when the Atlas Medallion accolodate badge is also achieved. I recommend having 4-5 enhancement slots with Endurance Modification SO enhancements on it.
For this set of powers, have SO enhancements for each power and at least 2 filled enhancement slots each.
Epic Pool Powers
I have not yet delved into the Epic Powers just yet. At level 41 and until level 50, I shall use all my available power slots for these Epic Powers. I have 2 sets in mind, and these sets I choose are to support the role-playing part of my gaming experience.
MUNITIONS MASTERY
1. Body Armor- I will definitely get this power, no doubt about it. Any Blaster should take any chance for increased defense to make up for the loss of defense they are born with.
2. Cryo Freeze Ray- It sounds like this power is meant to freeze an enemy in place, which is great for a Blaster.
3. Sleep Grenade- Another hold power. Good idea to get it.
4. LRM Rocket- That sounds fun! I like a good explosion or two. Apparently it takes as long as a sniper shot to use it. No problem.
A few hold powers, a defense power, and an exploding power. This sounds like a fun set!
FORCE MASTERY
1. Personal Force Field- I dont know, I never found bubbles to be that effective
2. Repulsion Field- Im familiar with this one! Activate it, and enemies within melee range will be flung to a safe distance. A fun defensive power.
3. Temporary Invulnerability- Hmm sounds like a Tanker power may be effective in defense.
4. Force of Nature- Wow, resistant to all damage except psionics (what is resistant to psionics?) AND faster end. recharge time. Yet, its like Nova; you are drained of almost all endurance for a short while after use.
Looks like its all defense for this set. May be a Blasters best friend.
Once I do reach level 50, I shall repost a new guide explaining my experiences and recommendations for the Epic Powers. Well, there you have it! My experiences and beliefs of all these powers. So if you do decide to make the rare Energy Blast/Devices Blaster, look to this guide for input on what you can do.
Have fun as a Blaster, and welcome to Paragon City, the City of Heroes!
[ QUOTE ]
Blasters are O-SO fun!!!!
The Mad Mummy (CoH)
Desert Girl (CoH)
The Summon Shade (CoV)
General ShadowRaptor (CoV)
Posted
If you decide you want Force Mastery, you will be wanting Personal Force Field....
The Energy Blast/Devices Blaster Guide
By the Mad Mummy of the Justice Server
This guide is created out of my own experience as a Energy Blast/Devices Blaster, and in no way am I forcing my ideas upon you. This guide may not yet be complete, for the time I write this my Blaster is still a level 38, not yet a level 50, and I am explaining my plans for the future of my character.
Introduction
Hi there! My name is the Mad Mummy, and I can be found on the Justice server if you have any questions about this build. I myself love the Blaster archetype, and find it suitable for me. If you do not find Blasters suitable for you, then you may access another guide I made on the forums for City of Heroes called "The Perfect Hero For You". The Mad Mummy is my first and main character, and I have not regretted my choice of powers.
The combination of the Energy Blast and Devices powers are very effective for dealing the most damage to your enemies, but keeping them a safe distance from you. The choices of pool powers I selected contribute to my control over my character, and make him as fast as possible to react to the surroundings and keep my hero in good shape until reinforcements come or able to escape imminent death. Now then, lets move on to my opinions of the powers.
ENERGY BLAST
1. Power Bolt- Very useful in battle because of how many times you can use the power in a short amount of time. Not my choice as a first power, though, because of how weak it is compared to Power Blast.
2. Power Blast- Much more effective than Power Bolt when it comes to damage, but a bit slower with recharging than the first power. My first choice as a power.
3. Energy Torrent- Very effective, yet slow on the recharge, which can be solved by a few Recharge Time Reduction enhancements. Its also very effective when being used against a group of enemies, because of the knock back and the shared damage amongst the villains. A note of experience: Use both R.T.R. and Range Increase enhancements for this power.
4. Power Burst- Great amount of damage for a short ranged attack, yet not to be trusted for knock back.
5. Sniper Blast- A must-have power for Blasters. This power shows how serious this archetype is, and should be decked out with R.T.R., Range, Damage, Accuracy, Activation Time Reduction, and Endurance Reduction enhancements for optimal power.
6. Aim- I personally abandoned this power, because of a certain power in my Devices set. You may get this power if you do not want to get the Devices replacement, or if you want increased Accuracy. I did not choose this power, so I know little of what it needs for improvement. This power increases your Accuracy and damage output for a short amount of time.
7. Power Push- Best for knock back, not for damage. The exact opposite of Power Burst.
8. Explosive Blast- Best AOE (and ONLY AOE) power in the set. Medium damage, but great for use against multiple targets. Again, needs an R.T.R. enhancement.
9. Nova- Another must-have power for this power set. The last and greatest power of Energy Blast, and if ignored, you shall regret it. A powerful PBAOE (Point Blank Area of Effect) and very deadly for enemies your level and below. But beware, this power has a bite to it; it will drain all your endurance when used, and leave you vulnerable for a few seconds. Recommended use as a last resort or as a regularly used power when backup and heals are available. Forget about putting End. Reduction enhancements on this power; they are completely useless. Focus on Accuracy, Damage, and R.T.R. Have a few endurance inspirations available after use.
All of the powers above will need R.T.R. enhancements as well as accuracy and endurance reduction (except for Nova) enhancements.
DEVICES
1. Web Grenade- A good power for keeping an enemy at bay while you wail on him. The enemy can still hit you with ranged or point blank attacks, though.
2. Caltrops- A good power for slowing and damaging and enemy. Be warned, though; usually theyll find a way to avoid crossing the trap, so make sure you use it in a tight space and have enough damage enhancements on it.
3. Taser- As you may know, Blasters were never meant to survive in close combat, so I did not choose this power for myself. If you want it though, I recommend using Stun enhancements on this power. This is considered a Melee power, so be careful when using it.
4. Targeting Drone- The replacement to the Aim power. This is a toggle power and will stay in use as long as you have enough endurance. I recommend using ToHit Buff, End. Reduction, and R.T.R. enhancements on this power. It is only to be used for Accuracy, though.
5. Smoke Grenade- A great power to have with you. This power decreases the ACC of the enemies at an AOE. Use ToHit Debuff, Accuracy, and R.T.R. enhancements for this power.
6. Cloaking Device- A must-have power for this power set. A great invisibility power, yet you must be careful when you are close to an enemy, for they may see you even with the power on. It also increases your defense and resistance to some powers. Definitely use End. Reduction enhancements on this power.
7. Trip Mine- A fun power to have. Once the mine is set, any enemy that walks across it will activate the mine and explode, damaging any other villains around it. Use Damage, End. Reduction, ACC, and R.T.R. enhancements. Best used with Cloaking Device and topped with Caltrops.
8. Time Bomb- I was always a very impatient hero. I never picked this power because of the limited amount of time you had before the mine would explode, and possibly wasting precious endurance if it wasnt used how you wanted it to.
9. Auto Turret- A great power, if you dont mind waiting longer than your Rest power to recharge. It is nice and powerful, hitting the enemies more than ten times a round, averaging a whopping 10 points of damage each bullet. Recommended enhancements: R.T.R., End. Reduction, and ACC.
The same basic enhancements will be needed for Devices as for Energy Blast.
Pool Powers
The pool power sets mentioned where found to be my most effective and helpful powers. You may choose not to use these powers if you wish.
FLIGHT
1. Hover- My recommended starting power for flight. Best for hovering high above your enemies, just out of range for them, and sniping them. VERY SLOW FLIGHT SPEED. A practical noob exercise: Use Hover to fly across Grendels Gulch in the Hollows.
2. Air Superiority- I never chose this power because, again, its a Melee power. Ive never seen it in use, so I dont know what it does.
3. Fly- A great power for going anywhere fast. Not as fast as Super Speed or Super Jump, but definitely less frustrating than the latter and Teleport in the fact that you never have to touch the ground.
4. Group Fly- A fun party power, usually used only for laughs. Not entirely helpful, though, because you and the heroes around you will fly less fast than regular Fly and will decrease all of the groups ACC.
You will definitely need Flight Speed Increase and End. Reduction enhancements for the flying powers.
SUPER SPEED
1. Flurry- Not recommended for Blasters because it is a Melee attack.
2. Hasten- Recommended for all archetypes. When activated, the power decreases all the Activation Times of all powers, but will tire you out sooner because of increased uses of other powers. You will want R.T.R. enhancements for this power for maximum usage.
3. Super Speed- A speedy power indeed. You may want to put Increased Running Speed enhancements on it for faster travel speed and an End. Reduction enhancement for longer running time. Great as a combo with Fly.
4. Whirlwind- Ive never used this power before, but it seems your character spins rapidly and will toss around any enemies within the heroes range.
You will want End. Reduction enhancements for these powers.
FITNESS
1. Swift- If you have Super Speed, this is a power to have. It slightly increases your running speed, and is great to have even without S.S. Since Increase Running Speed is the only enhancement you can put on it, go ahead and deck it out, especially with Single Origin enhancements; even put 3 enhancement slots on it, all with SO I.R.S. enhancements for maximum speed.
2. Hurdle- Since Im not the type to jump, I didnt choose this power. This power is for increased jumping height, and is not required to have.
3. Health- A great power for any archetype with a weak defense. I even notice a change in my heal rate with this in my arsenal. This power increases the healing rate of your hero, and should always be decked out with Healing enhancements.
4. Stamina- A superb MUST-HAVE power for blasters. Since we blasters are susceptible to endurance drainage, this is the solution to our problems. This power increases the recharge rate of a heros endurance, and is especially effective when the Atlas Medallion accolodate badge is also achieved. I recommend having 4-5 enhancement slots with Endurance Modification SO enhancements on it.
For this set of powers, have SO enhancements for each power and at least 2 filled enhancement slots each.
Epic Pool Powers
I have not yet delved into the Epic Powers just yet. At level 41 and until level 50, I shall use all my available power slots for these Epic Powers. I have 2 sets in mind, and these sets I choose are to support the role-playing part of my gaming experience.
MUNITIONS MASTERY
1. Body Armor- I will definitely get this power, no doubt about it. Any Blaster should take any chance for increased defense to make up for the loss of defense they are born with.
2. Cryo Freeze Ray- It sounds like this power is meant to freeze an enemy in place, which is great for a Blaster.
3. Sleep Grenade- Another hold power. Good idea to get it.
4. LRM Rocket- That sounds fun! I like a good explosion or two. Apparently it takes as long as a sniper shot to use it. No problem.
A few hold powers, a defense power, and an exploding power. This sounds like a fun set!
FORCE MASTERY
1. Personal Force Field- I dont know, I never found bubbles to be that effective
2. Repulsion Field- Im familiar with this one! Activate it, and enemies within melee range will be flung to a safe distance. A fun defensive power.
3. Temporary Invulnerability- Hmm sounds like a Tanker power may be effective in defense.
4. Force of Nature- Wow, resistant to all damage except psionics (what is resistant to psionics?) AND faster end. recharge time. Yet, its like Nova; you are drained of almost all endurance for a short while after use.
Looks like its all defense for this set. May be a Blasters best friend.
Once I do reach level 50, I shall repost a new guide explaining my experiences and recommendations for the Epic Powers. Well, there you have it! My experiences and beliefs of all these powers. So if you do decide to make the rare Energy Blast/Devices Blaster, look to this guide for input on what you can do.
Have fun as a Blaster, and welcome to Paragon City, the City of Heroes!
[ QUOTE ]
Blasters are O-SO fun!!!!
The Mad Mummy (CoH)
Desert Girl (CoH)
The Summon Shade (CoV)
General ShadowRaptor (CoV)