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Unbelievably, Impale is 80' range.
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Well, its no more unbelievable than that focus has twice the range and 14% higher dpa than power burst, the best dpa attack in energy blast (and that's not counting criticals)
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Be nice you.
It's not Castle's fault you didn't go Ice like any reasonable Blaster. 
The City of Heroes Community is a special one and I will always look fondly on my times arguing, discussing and playing with you all. Thanks and thanks to the developers for a special experience.
Focus looks a million times cooler.
I think that's a win.
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Unbelievably, Impale is 80' range.
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Well, its no more unbelievable than that focus has twice the range and 14% higher dpa than power burst, the best dpa attack in energy blast (and that's not counting criticals)
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Well... power burst is energy damage, and stalkers had damn better get higher damaging attacks than a corruper!!! And the comment about criticals is rediculous; that is how stalkers are balanced: low health, fast kills
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Actually, I should have compared the stalker version of focus, and I accidentally used the scrapper number. In fact, the stalker version of focus has only 9% less dpa than the blaster version of power burst, which is substantially higher than the corruptor version.
Funny you should bring up criticals, though. Because you're right: stalkers *are* balanced around the alpha strike potential of criticals. Which makes the fact that focus is good enough that the stalker version even without criticals is more than a match for the nearest blaster analog at least a little eyebrow raising.
[Guide to Defense] [Scrapper Secondaries Comparison] [Archetype Popularity Analysis]
In one little corner of the universe, there's nothing more irritating than a misfile...
(Please support the best webcomic about a cosmic universal realignment by impaired angelic interference resulting in identity crisis angst. Or I release the pigmy water thieves.)
Someone pinch me and tell me that I'm only imagining someone trying to aim the nerfbat at Claws.
Pinch me again and tell me it's not Arcanaville.
Then pinch Arcanaville and remind him that the criticals and higher DPA help Focus achieve just slightly less damage then Corruptor Power Burst on S/L-resistant enemies.
PS: Power Blast has higher DPA than Power Burst.
50 Bots/Traps MM, 50 Thugs/Pain MM, 50 Demons/Thermal MM
*Stuck in a single-AT rut since 2006*
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Focus looks a million times cooler.
I think that's a win.
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Though the power gamer inside me cringes to hear it (I try to only let it out while programming keybind attack sequences, and keep it caged and covered during character generation), I gotta support this viewpoint. I've tried numerous times to build a Spines Scrapper or Stalker, and have never been able to find any sense of satisfaction in playing the result, because the Spines powers (to me at least) just look "wrong". The protruding bones/spines themselves just look so bulky and... imprecise is the word that comes most readily to mind, for whatever that's worth.
I could get really excited about Spines if the melee attacks were a smaller and sharper, I'm thinking kinda like the things on Doomsday 's hands, and something more like a unicorn horn being shot for impale.
Before anybody starts flaming me about how Spines looks great and I'm such a terrible person for expecting such changes... I'm not expecting graphic changes, just saying what I would have liked better.
Unfortunately, there are just some weapons/attack graphics that will just turn me off to a powerset, regardless of how well the powers themselves function. Spines is thus far the best example.
So to the OP: As a few others have suggested, go with what you enjoy most, that'll be more satisfying in the long run.
Dear NCsoft, if you go through with this shutdown you've guaranteed you'll not see another dime from me on any project you put out, ever.
http://xx-starhammer-xx.deviantart.com/
I have played both extensively. I prefer Focus. It animates faster. It recharges faster. It actually does the exact same damage only without the DoT. Some other little-known facts about this debate here...
Focus actually activates significantly faster than Impale, and by activating I mean the time between the click of the power and the damage being assigned. This is very significant as you can use it after an AS as a follow up and actually hit before healing can occur, whereas with Impale you're looking at several seconds of delay before damage is assigned. Anyone who stalks knows what a benefit this can be.
Focus out of the box can be activated, recharge, and activated again within the period of Build-Up. With recharge reductions, it becomes a machinegun.
Focus + Air Superiority is perma-KD on anything non-resistant. While this doesn't mean a great deal in PvP, it means loads in PvE. Effectively, you can juggle mobs, even high-level bosses, to death. This makes leveling a cinch and much faster than with anything Spines. Since I have both and use both, getting a flyer to the ground isn't much of an issue either. Air Sup does the same damage as Strike, but is smashing, so can also help out a lot against things that heavily resist Lethal (robots in particular).
I like Spines, don't get me wrong. But my favorite Stalker lives on the knife edge and every microsecond is precious. Compared to the speed and grace of Claws, Spines seems clunky and slow. It's like the difference between driving a tank and a Porsche. Sure, the tank will do more damage, but the Porsche is much more fun to drive. 
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Unbelievably, Impale is 80' range.
Disclaimer: No, that does not imply an impending range reduction for impale or increase for Focus.
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Can you teach my Katana Scrapper to throw his like Tom Cruse in "The Last Samurai"?
Dominators don't need mitigation from their secondaries. Even if they did, there's ice (slows), psi (-recharge), and fire and elec (death).
-Talen_Lee commenting on Energy Assault's Utility
Impales needs it's range reduced. And its immob. reduced.
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It's like the difference between driving a tank and a Porsche. Sure, the tank will do more damage, but the Porsche is much more fun to drive.
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This bares repeating. Great analogy and I have to agree
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Someone pinch me and tell me that I'm only imagining someone trying to aim the nerfbat at Claws.
Pinch me again and tell me it's not Arcanaville.
Then pinch Arcanaville and remind him that the criticals and higher DPA help Focus achieve just slightly less damage then Corruptor Power Burst on S/L-resistant enemies.
PS: Power Blast has higher DPA than Power Burst.
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Arcana gets a little, how should I say this, "Less than impartial" when talking about the sets in his signature.
The City of Heroes Community is a special one and I will always look fondly on my times arguing, discussing and playing with you all. Thanks and thanks to the developers for a special experience.
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Impales needs it's range reduced. And its immob. reduced.
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It actually needs neither of those things. That set doesn't have a lot of the burst damage of other Scrapper, Stalkers sets (AS excluded).
The City of Heroes Community is a special one and I will always look fondly on my times arguing, discussing and playing with you all. Thanks and thanks to the developers for a special experience.
After watching X-Men 3 yet again I've been wishing that spines looked more like the nameless that Logan fights in the forest.
That point aside :P I have both a claws and a spines scrapper at 50. They really do play relatively the same but the lack of build up is what completely takes the cake for me. They're BOTH lethal damage and closer than people would like to believe in damage potential. Claws is actually one of the few sets I've seen do a raw DPS kill on a standing regen scrapper. (Note: I did say DPS - not a 2 shot from a broadsword)
It's really down to a matter of animations and playstyle. If you're a claw/sr for example you have that uber advantage that none of the other sets have... SPEEEEEEEEEEEEED. Quickness, swift, hurdle and sprint slotted turn you into an unsuppressable beast - couple that with elude and there's almost nothing you can't pace with on a regular basis. The biggest problem with claws is that the dmg is mainly melee DPS and you can't slash/strike repeatedly unless you're in melee range.
This is really a moot argument as a good claws vs. a good spines would be an epic fight, for sure. In a standing battle, assuming the same secondaries and no criticals, the claws would likely win just out of sheer speed. Kiting style, the spiner would prolly win with the higher potential dmg counting DoT's on TS and Impale and the -rech.
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Unbelievably, Impale is 80' range.
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Well, its no more unbelievable than that focus has twice the range and 14% higher dpa than power burst, the best dpa attack in energy blast (and that's not counting criticals)
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Well... power burst is energy damage, and stalkers had damn better get higher damaging attacks than a corruper!!! And the comment about criticals is rediculous; that is how stalkers are balanced: low health, fast kills
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Actually, I should have compared the stalker version of focus, and I accidentally used the scrapper number. In fact, the stalker version of focus has only 9% less dpa than the blaster version of power burst, which is substantially higher than the corruptor version.
Funny you should bring up criticals, though. Because you're right: stalkers *are* balanced around the alpha strike potential of criticals. Which makes the fact that focus is good enough that the stalker version even without criticals is more than a match for the nearest blaster analog at least a little eyebrow raising.
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Comparing single powers across AT's is silly.
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Unbelievably, Impale is 80' range.
Disclaimer: No, that does not imply an impending range reduction for impale or increase for Focus.
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Don't be hesitant to adjust things Castle, something is seriously overpowering about impale. SOMETHING needs to adjusted in the spine set. (Maybe it's something to do with Buildup) There's a reason the majority of pvp'rs play one. The same goes for ice/em and ice/elec blasters. It gets to a point of ridiculousness that some sets haven't been adjusted yet for pvp.
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Unbelievably, Impale is 80' range.
Disclaimer: No, that does not imply an impending range reduction for impale or increase for Focus.
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You know, I think that is actually longer than most of my Kheldian's ranged attacks! 
>.<
Still here, even after all this time!
It is, actually. The Kheldian ranged attacks are 50'. Pretty sure Proton Scatter is even shorter, and I've never had Luminous Detonation. Though in Nova form.. I believe them to be 100'. They certainly seem rather long range.
Doom.
Yep.
This is really doom.
.......................
What's wrong with impale again?
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.......................
What's wrong with impale again?
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1 group: It's fine.
another group: It's far too uber powerful.
another group: It's not good enough, because of the ungodly long animation.
*shrug*
It seems okay to me. But that's just my opinion.
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Unbelievably, Impale is 80' range.
Disclaimer: No, that does not imply an impending range reduction for impale or increase for Focus.
[/ QUOTE ]It SHOULD, and you guys have a lot MORE Explaining to do on this topic...
Example:
Scrapper: Level 32(both attacks slotted DMG) ... Foe: level 15 charger
Impale(High DMG): 435.02 3 slotted (range:85ft + immob, -RCH, -FLY)
Ripper(High DMG): 449.79 3 slotted (KB, -SPD, -RCH)
What the hell's up with that Castle? I thought Ranged/Melee
Modifiers were supposed to be the largest governing factor here?
...The Range Advantage = DPS advantage, plus Impale also recharges FASTER too...
Why does a level 8 power trump a level 26 in DPS and PvP in the same set no less?
Bitter Ice Blast also defies all logic-for-balance to the Nth degree in a similar
fashion. You gotta deal with this issue at some point man.... might as well be now.
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It is, actually. The Kheldian ranged attacks are 50'. Pretty sure Proton Scatter is even shorter, and I've never had Luminous Detonation. Though in Nova form.. I believe them to be 100'. They certainly seem rather long range.
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Here I most definitely agree. Human khelds have painfully short ranged attacks. But then again Nova range is just nuts... in a good way.
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Unbelievably, Impale is 80' range.
Disclaimer: No, that does not imply an impending range reduction for impale or increase for Focus.
[/ QUOTE ]It SHOULD, and you guys have a lot MORE Explaining to do on this topic...
Example:
Scrapper: Level 32(both attacks slotted DMG) ... Foe: level 15 charger
Impale(High DMG): 435.02 3 slotted (range:85ft + immob, -RCH, -FLY)
Ripper(High DMG): 449.79 3 slotted (KB, -SPD, -RCH)
What the hell's up with that Castle? I thought Ranged/Melee
Modifiers were supposed to be the largest governing factor here?
...The Range Advantage = DPS advantage, plus Impale also recharges FASTER too...
Why does a level 8 power trump a level 26 in DPS and PvP in the same set no less?
Bitter Ice Blast also defies all logic-for-balance to the Nth degree in a similar
fashion. You gotta deal with this issue at some point man.... might as well be now.
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*cough* ripper is a cone that can catch 5 people in it. impale is a single target attack. spines is pretty balanced since most of it is lethal damage except for the dot
bitter ice blast is part of ice blast that has no snipe, and two rain powers.
Pretty sure Arcana = her. And she usually knows what she's talking about.
An anecdotal comparison for you.
Regularly, there are several /Device blasters hanging around in the PvP zones on Champion waiting to teleport unwary villians into their pile-o-mines'n'caltrops. Being that I can see them (yay Focused Senses!) I regularly make it a habit to ruin their plans. Landing outside their zone of influence, I pop an orange and trade ranged attacks with them, my Focus vs. their whole primary. Regularly, between the high damage quick recharge nature of Focus, controlled criticals, and their unwillingness to move from their safe zone, I am usually the winner of these blast contests. Granted I have a secondary that lends itself to protection and a smidgen more HP, but something tells me I shouldn't be able to outblast a Blaster, of any sort.
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Bitter Ice Blast also defies all logic-for-balance to the Nth degree in a similar
fashion. You gotta deal with this issue at some point man.... might as well be now.
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No snipe, No targeted AoE, one narrow cone. Plenty of logic there.
The City of Heroes Community is a special one and I will always look fondly on my times arguing, discussing and playing with you all. Thanks and thanks to the developers for a special experience.
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Pretty sure Arcana = her. And she usually knows what she's talking about.
An anecdotal comparison for you.
Regularly, there are several /Device blasters hanging around in the PvP zones on Champion waiting to teleport unwary villians into their pile-o-mines'n'caltrops. Being that I can see them (yay Focused Senses!) I regularly make it a habit to ruin their plans. Landing outside their zone of influence, I pop an orange and trade ranged attacks with them, my Focus vs. their whole primary. Regularly, between the high damage quick recharge nature of Focus, controlled criticals, and their unwillingness to move from their safe zone, I am usually the winner of these blast contests. Granted I have a secondary that lends itself to protection and a smidgen more HP, but something tells me I shouldn't be able to outblast a Blaster, of any sort.
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THEY* actually have higher hit points. And BU - Focus - Placate - Focus - Focus could probably kill a Blaster just like that.
*Edit: Sorry. I'm a complete idiot. I know.
Doom.
Yep.
This is really doom.
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Unbelievably, Impale is 80' range.
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Well, its no more unbelievable than that focus has twice the range and 14% higher dpa than power burst, the best dpa attack in energy blast (and that's not counting criticals)
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Well... power burst is energy damage, and stalkers had damn better get higher damaging attacks than a corruper!!! And the comment about criticals is rediculous; that is how stalkers are balanced: low health, fast kills