Dotori's updated guide to Archery/Devices Blaster
By
Alannon,
Posted on: 2006-12-20 23:42 in Player Guides
Just a minor update: _Castle_ has changed Smoke Grenade to make it autohit in PvE. Also, there are reports that Cloaking Device stealth either does not suppress or suppresses a very short time when you activate SG, making the combination of the two more effective.
Ideally, the tank will die precisely as everyone else starts fighting, allowing aggro to be spread evenly among the blaster. -seebs, "How to Suck at CoH/CoV" Guide
Great guide although I do have a question. Why do you keep saying "Use Ranged Shot after Blazing Arrow"? From playing a couple different Blasters before, doesn't Ranger Shot, like other sniping powers, can be interruptable? If so, why use it AFTER Blazing Arrow and not before? I would think it's safer that way since Blazing Arrow can't be interrupted and it's very likely that you'd be hit after the first attack.
This is much improved from your previous guide which I felt was lacking in many areas.
One misconception: taser. Taser stacks with stunning shot. Two applications stuns a boss and with enough duration / recharge can keep him stunned. It's far from useless.
Smoke grenade is still the most awful power in the devices line. A whopping 3.5% debuff...almost unnoticeable. I disagree with your rating for it. It should be 1/5.
[ QUOTE ]
Targetting Drone
Recharge: Moderate
Ah the Targetting Drone! Some consider this as the gem of the Devices secondary, I myself agree with them This power is great! Even unenhanced, you get roughly about a 25% ToHit bonus from it, which is almost as good as having a single Accuracy SO. The endurance drain is also minimal so you don't have to worry about this thing being an endurance hog like its cousin Focused Accuracy.
Personal Power Rating: 5/5
[/ QUOTE ]
Umm TD's base to Hit is 13.875% and with 3 Even level SO's that's 21.645%.
[ QUOTE ]
Personal Force Field: PFF provides a base 25% resistance to all damage, minus the psi and toxic, as well as base 45% defense against all damage types, including psi, but not toxic. The downside, of course, is that while you're running PFF, you can only use powers that affect yourself. This is actually a very decent panic button from my experience. Just turn it on and start running and 9 times out of 10, you'll make it out alive.
Personal Power Rating: 3/5
Recommended Slotting: 3 DefBuff, 1 End Rdx, 2 DmgRes (optional)
[/ QUOTE ]
Umm, you cant put DMG RES enhancers in PFF. Put 1-2 Recharge in there. The End Rdx isnt really necessary unless you're gonna run around the zone in PFF.
@Deadboy
I was thinking about time bomb... combined with the old SS/CD toe bomb tactic wouldnt a well timed rain of arrows just before detonation be a bit of fun?
Granted the patience of player/party issues come up but I always had a dire enjoyment of things that go boom, like laying a large circle of trip mines around a spawn then dropping the time bomb right in dead center.
Just so you know, Force of Nature is NOT like Unstoppable. When you use it, the crash ONLY effect endurance, not your health. Also, it doesn't have any resistance with it (only the defense buff).
The endurance also is able to be recharged the moment the crash happens. In other words, it's more like Moment of Glory instead of Unstoppable.
ATs to 50 - TA/A Def, Nrg/Nrg Blaster, EM/EA Brute, WS,ELM/ELA Stalker
[ QUOTE ]
Also, it doesn't have any resistance with it (only the defense buff).
[/ QUOTE ]
City of Data shows it as resistance (35% base), not defense.
My Guide to the Hero-side Venomous badge
(622 Badges on my badge-guy)
number of lvl 50's: 24
number in the 40's: 3
[u]Galleryview[u]
With the coming of Issue 8 and the free respecs that were given soon after, I was able to respec my Archery/Devices Blaster and make a few changes to the choice of powers I had before. After the respec, I am much happier with my Blaster now than I was before. The end usage has become slightly higher, but nothing I can't manage, and my damage output has definitely gone up after doing so. Without further ado, here's the revised version of my old guide with more thoughts on the powers of the primary and secondary set, as well as the pool powers and Ancillary Power Pools.
That's never a good thing, right?
[u]Dotori's Issue 8 Guide to Archery/Devices Blaster[u]
Sections
I. Why Archery?
II. Devices?! Are you mad?!
III. Archery Powers
IV. Devices Powers
V. Pool Powers
VI. Ancillary Power Pools
VII. View on soloing and teaming
VIII. After Thoughts
Section I: Why Archery?
This is a question I've been asked by many. Why would one pick Archery over other more powerful Primaries? Simple answer on my part? I picked Archery for concept. With that said, let's look at some pros and (sadly) cons of Archery.
Pros:
-Not very heavy on endurance
-Recharge is quick for most powers
-Blazing Arrow->Ranged Shot makes a very potent one-two combination
-Attack chains are very smooth thanks to the animations
-The "nuke" power does not drain the whole end bar and recharges very quick.
Cons:
-Mostly Lethal damage, which is one of the most heavily resisted damage type.
-The "nuke" does not pack the same kind of punch that other powersets do. Is more of a massive area attack than a nuke.
-Painfully long animation on some powers, rather low damage output compared to other sets due to this.
So as you can see, Archery isn't all bad, but it sure isn't a competitor for the Ice Blast powerset. But as stated it does boast a very good one-two punch in the form of Blazing Arrow and Ranged Shot. However, at the higher end of the game, Archery suffers due to the fact many higher level factions resist Lethal damage like there's no tomorrow. You will find yourself constantly pumping out arrows while watching those Ice/EM Blasters shred through one enemy after another with their powerful combination of primary and secondary attacks. If you're looking for incredible amounts of burst damage, this set is not for you.
Section II: Devices?! Are you mad?!
Ah yes, the hated child of the Blaster secondaries... Devices truly is the most underpowered secondary set, however it is a good synergy for Archery in my point of view due to its non-aggressive nature, what I mean by this is simple. The Devices set does not offer any direct damage attacks as all the other Blaster secondaries do, in turn it has powers that provide status effects on enemy mobs which will decrease the damage coming in toward your Blaster. I personally chose the Devices secondary, again for concept's sake. However, I've seen that Devices CAN be effective if the player can show a little patience and think ahead. But sadly, Devices isn't a very team oriented power, on the other hand, it will serve you well if you prefer to solo.
Section III: Archery Powers
Snap Shot
Damage: Minor
Recharge: Very Fast
Range: 80 feet
Snap Shot is your tier 1 blast power. As with all other primaries, this is the quick and less damaging choice you can start off with. Many others who play Archery tend to skip the Snap Shot and never look back. I personally took Snap Shot and have used it heavily up until my recent respec. The power is a very decent choice if you wish to have an attack chain at even lower levels and is a very good pulling power once slotted with a single Range SO.
Personal Power Rating: 3/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Dmg, 1 Rch, 1 Rng
Aimed Shot
Damage: Moderate
Recharge: Fast
Range: 80 feet
The other choice available at Level 1. I personally took this power at Level 2 after getting out of the tutorial zone, but respeced it to level 1 post Issue 8. The damage is decent, the activation time is slightly longer than Snap Shot, but it is still good. The recharge is also rather short on this one. This power will be a staple in your attack chain and you'll find yourself using this power until you hit Lv50.
Personal Power Rating: 4/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Dmg, 1 Rch, 1 Rng
Fistful of Arrows
Damage: Moderate
Recharge: Moderate
Range: 40 feet (40 degree cone in front of the Blaster)
Back in the old guide, I stated I didn't like this power much. I still don't, but I took it anyways. Here are the reasons I didn't like it. The range is at 40 feet, which is roughly about half the range of most Archery attacks, it's a cone area attack, which means you hit more enemies and generate more aggro, as well as having to move in closer to make the best use of it. I would not use this when running solo, HOWEVER in a team situation where you're safely behind the frontlines, this power becomes very useful for taking down those enemies with a sliver of life on them after your Rain of Arrows->Exploding Arrow combo.
Personal Power Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Dmg, 1 Rng, 1 Rch
Blazing Arrow
Damage: High
Recharge: Moderate
Range: 80 feet
This is your first big damage power with Archery. Blazing Arrow has a painfully long animation, however it does sort of make up for that with its high damage. The initial impact causes heavy Lethal damage, followed by ticks of Fire damage. I personally use this power to start off my attack chain.
Personal Power Rating: 4/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Dmg, 1 Rch, 1 Rng
Aim
Recharge: Long
Aim is a great power for a Blaster to have. It boosts your accuracy greatly and even adds some damage. The recharge itself isn't so bad either. With 3 Recharge SO's you will have Aim up before every battle. This power, in my personal opinion is a must, in order to complement Archery's low damage output.
Recommended Slotting: 3 Rch
Explosive Arrow
Damage: Moderate
Recharge: Long
Range: 80 feet (Target PBAoE, 15 feet around target)
Ah, the explosive arrow. This too has a long starting animation. Your Archer will fire off a heavy looking arrow which will explode upon impact. This thing has a 30% chance of knocking back your enemies and deals Smashing and Lethal damage. By itself, the power doesn't seem all that great, however this makes a great follow up attack for your Lv32 Power, Rain of Arrows.
Personal Power Rating: 3/5
Recommended slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Dmg, 1 Rch, 1 Rng
Ranged Shot
Damage: Extreme
Recharge: Long
Range: 120 feet
Ranged Shot is your standard Snipe attack. Nothing too different here, use this power after Blazing Arrow for some serious damage on your enemies.
Personal Pwer Rating: 3/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Dmg, 1 Interrupt Reduce, 1 Rch
Stunning Shot
Damage: Minor
Recharge: Slow
Range: 70 feet
Stunning Shot is, as the name suggests, a stun power. Your character will load up an arrow with a blunt object as the tip. Upon impact, this power deals a Magnitude 3 Stun to the target, which is enough to stun a minion or an Lt. This power can be very helpful if you want to take out a particularly annoying enemy out of the fight, such as a Malta Sapper.
Personal Power Rating: 4/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Disorient Duration, 2 Rch
Rain of Arrows
Damage: Extreme
Recharge: Long
Range: 60 feet (20 feet around the targeted center area)
Ah yes, Rain of Arrows. The Lv32 Power many Blasters look forward to. First and foremost, do not consider this power as a heavy nuke, because it isn't. However, it does pack a mean punch and can drop a mob of minions and Lt's in a blink if you've positioned it correctly. Also, the moment your character releases the arrows, the mob will notice you and run toward you, however the damage does not come until after a couple of seconds, so if the mob leaves the area before the arrows fall, the attack will either not affect the mob or only deal a portion of the total damage. However, you do NOT need a Line of Sight for this power, meaning you can stay out of your enemies' range of vision via the use of corners or obstacles, in which case they enemy will run toward you AFTER the arrows fall to the target area.
Personal Power Rating: 5/5
Recommended slotting: 3 Dmg, 2 Rch, 1 Rng
Well there you have it, the Archery Powerset. Now then, onto its partner in justice!
Section IV: Devices?! Are you mad?!
Note that all click powers will cause your character to put away their weapon, the weapon has to be redrawn after each click power.
Web Grenade
Range: 60 feet
Recharge: Fast
Web Grenade is your first Devices power, and it will serve you well for many levels. Your character will toss a grenade at the enemy, immobilizing them. This power also brings down flying foes and deals a rather nasty -recharge component to your enemy.
Personal Power Rating: 3/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc
Caltrops
Damage: Minor (DoT)
Range: 5-10 feet (20 feet area of caltrops around the designated target area)
Recharge: Long
Caltrops! This power will help you out in many battles. Once activated, your character will throw a handful of these spiky little devils to the floors. Any enemy that steps into it will have their movement slowed and suffer ticks of lethal damage. It also has a built in fear, which will case the enemy to run away from the area of the Caltrops. A good use of this power will be to use it around a corner then pulling your enemy.
Personal Power Rating: 4/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Slow
Taser
Damage: Minor
Range: 20 feet (old Power Burst range)
Recharge: Long
I personally never took this power and I do not regret it one bit. First off, just to inflict stun on an enemy you HAVE to go into melee range. After Issue 8, the range was boosted to 20 feet, but it's STILL much too close for my taste. Not only that the recharge is also rather long, so you can't even stack it into itself to stun a boss. As stated earlier you do NOT want to go into close quarter combat, and a power that forces you to do that is just not worth it in my opinion.
Personal power rating: 2/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Disorient Duration (If you HAVE to take it)
Targetting Drone
Recharge: Moderate
Ah the Targetting Drone! Some consider this as the gem of the Devices secondary, I myself agree with them This power is great! Even unenhanced, you get roughly about a 25% ToHit bonus from it, which is almost as good as having a single Accuracy SO. The endurance drain is also minimal so you don't have to worry about this thing being an endurance hog like its cousin Focused Accuracy.
Personal Power Rating: 5/5
Recommended Slotting: 3 ToHitBuff
Smoke Grenade
Range: 70 feet (Target PBAoE 35 feet around the target)
Recharge: Moderate
I had this power in my Issue 7 build and I personally loved it. I still miss it from time to time in my Post Respec build, but the pool powers I took seem to outweigh the sacrifice I made. Upon activation, your character will throw a grenade at the target, which will explode into a cloud of smoke, covering a rather wide area. It debuffs your enemies' perception and also causes ToHitDebuff on all who are affected by it. One thing to note is that this power indeed DOES have a ToHit check upon detonation, which means the debuffs can miss a few in the group. Also, the ToHitDebuff, while helpful, is not as amazing as I had once thought it to be.
Personal Power Rating: 3/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 ToHitDebuff, 1 Rch
Cloaking Device
Recharge: Long
The Cloaking Device power grants you self stealth, which is not invisibility, but it allows you to bypass some enemies without having them notice you. The endurance drain isn't very bad on it either and it provides a small defense bonus to all melee attacks. I personally took it for the stealth factor.
Personal Power Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 EndRdx
Trip Mine
Damage: Extreme
Recharge: Long
Range: PBAoE (20 feet from the mine itself)
I personally view the Trip Mine as a love it or hate it power. Some people swear by it, others swear at it. Once activated, your character will kneel down and set down a mine on the floor, it will begin beeping and stay beeping for a very long time. Any enemy that gets too close to the mine will cause it to detonate, at which point it will deal a very high amount of Lethal and Fire damage to all enemies within range. Only bad thing about this power is its INCREDIBLY long activation animation. That and the fact the mines are stationary.
Personal power rating: 3/5
Recommended slotting: 2 Acc, 3 Dmg, 1 Rch
Time Bomb
Damage: Extreme
Range: PbAoE (15 feet around the bomb)
Recharge: Very Long
This power is basically like Trip Mine, however, instead of detonating when an enemy gets too close, it'll go off after 15 seconds, dealing Lethal and Fire damage. I personally chose not to take this power, considering its rather situational use.
Personal power Rating: 2/5
Recommended Slotting: 2 Acc, 3 Dmg, 1 Rch
Auto Turret
Damage: Minor (DoT)
Range: 60 feet (Someone correct me if I'm wrong)
Recharge: Very Long
The long awaited Lv38 Power. Auto Turret may seem great at first, however as you progress through the game, you'll find this thing seeing less and less action. This power is just horrible in my opinion. The long activation, the below mediocre damage and the short duration coupled with incredibly long recharge time makes this power something to stay away from. I personally only use it when fighting Giant Monsters of Arch Villains in teams and even then it's not much help.
Personal Power Rating: 1/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Dmg, 2 Rch
Section V: Pool Powers
Everyone needs to take at least one Pool Power set throughout their entire heroic career, the Pool Powers provide many great additions to help your hero, ranging from travel powers to the fitness pool, all the way to the ability to heal your teammates and yourself and more. The best part of the Archery/Devices build is the fact it's a very loose build, allowing you to take more pool powers than one would normally be able to. Let's take a look at some of the pools.
Leaping
The Leaping Pool, in my opinion is one of the most useful powersets in the game. It comes with Combat Jumping, Jump Kick, Super Jump and Acrobatics. With the exception of Jump Kick, all the powers in this set are very good to have, especially Acrobatics, which provides minor Mez protection and almost complete protection from Knockbacks.
Personal Power Pool Rating: 4/5
Flight
The flight pool. Another very solid pool with a combat defense power, a travel power and a very solid melee attack. While slightly behind the Leaping Pool in terms of usage in my opinion, it's still a very solid set. Hover provides minimal defense as well as Knockback protection, Flight is a very safe travel power and Air Superiority is the king of Pool Attacks with an almost guaranteed knockdown on your enemy. The final power in this pool, Group Flight will see very seldom use and even when using it, it'll most likely end up with a negative reaction.
Personal Power Pool Rating: 3.5/5
Speed
The Speed Pool comes with an attack, a self +recharge click power, a travel power and a PBAoE knockback/knockup toggle. Flurry, the set's attack power, is a very poor choice for a Blaster. The animation is very long and it roots you in place, during which you're unable to do anything. Hasten, on the other hand is a very useful power, allowing your powers to recharge faster during its duration. The travel power, Super Speed is very decent. It provides minor stealth in PvE and is the second fastest power in the game, next to teleport. Whirlwind, which is the PBAoE Knockback/Knockup toggle isn't recommended. The end drain is heavy and as an Archery/Devices Blaster, you shouldn't normally be in range of your enemies to be able to make good use of this power.
Personal Power Pool Rating: 3/5
Teleportation
The teleport pool is interesting. It has Recall Friend, which is highly valued in teams, TP Foe, which is one of the safest pulling powers there is, Teleport, the actual travel power, and Group Teleport, which is the same thing as Teleport, but with the teammates around you. As a Blaster, Recall Friend is completely optional. TP Foe on the other hand can be very useful depending on your playstyle. A popular tactic I've withnessed from some /Dev Blasters is using TP Foe on an opponent and landing them straight onto a Caltrop Patch laced with Trip Mines, resulting in a near instant kill. Teleport, the travel power, is a bit tricky to master and is usually best used when accompanied by Hover.
Personal Power Pool Rating: 3/5
Leadership
The Leadership Pool comes with toggles that can boost your defense, offense and accuracy, as well as the click power Vengence, which grants all your teammates in range a Fortitude-like buff once someone on your team falls. Assault and Tactics, which are the offense and accuracy boosting toggles, are a very good complementary choice, because it boosts Archery's slightly lower damage output as well as making your already accurate attacks even more accurate with a perception boost added. Manuevers, the defensive toggle power doesn't seem too useful for a Blaster, and Vengence isn't very solo friendly.
Personal Power Pool Rating: 4/5
Medicine
The medicine pool comes with an ally heal, self heal, ally mez resistance buff and an ally ressurect. I've seen many players take Aid Other and Aid Self, which, I must add, is a very solid choice. A Blaster's lack of defense means his or her HP will drop faster than those with, and nothing's better than the ability to heal one's self. Plus, it can never hurt to be able to heal/res or protect your allies from mez powers.
Personal power Pool Rating: 3.5/5
Section VI: Ancillary Pool Powers
Ah, the Ancillary, or Epic Pool powers, you gain access to them post Lv41 and they definitely help your Blaster become even more powerful. There are 5 choices for Blasters, and I will briefly explain and rate the powers from my personal experience.
[u]Cold Mastery[u]
Snow Storm: A target AoE slow, -recharge debuff toggle. It's the same as the controller version and makes your enemies move slower and attack less. However, they WILL be mad at you for keeping them in the bitter cold, and as an Archer, large amounts of aggro is the last thing you'll need. In a team situation, however, this power CAN be very helpful in mitigating damage for your teammates.
Personal Power Rating: 3/5
Recommended Slotting: 2 Slow, 2 EndRdx
Flash Freeze: A target PBAoE sleep power. As an Archery Blaster, you will most likely find this power pretty useless unless you feel the need to put them to sleep before firing off your Rain of Arrows. The problem with Sleep powers is that any kind damage will wake up the mobs and as a Blaster, you're chocked full of AoE's. In my opinion, it's not a very good choice.
Personal Power Rating: 2/5
Recommended Slotting: 2 Acc, 2 Rch
Frozen Armor: Provides you with 10.5% base defense to Smashing and Lethal damage. With many of the elemental/energy attacks having a Smash/Lethal component to it makes this armor VERY worthwhile. It's a great power that can definitely boost up your survival rate.
Personal Power Rating: 4/5
Recommended Slotting: 3 DefBuff, 1 EndRdx
Hibernate: This is your panic button. Once activated, your toon with encase him/herself in a block of Ice and regenerate health and endurance at a very fast pace. The power lasts for 30 seconds, during which you cannot attack nor be attacked. A very solid panic power in my view and there will be times where it will save your life.
Personal Power Rating: 4/5
Recommended Slotting: 3 RecRed, 1 EndRed, 2 slots for either EndMod or Heals
[u]Electric Mastery[u]
Static Discharge: A cone attack with decent damage and a small end drain factor. It's a decent power if you have a sapper build like an Elec/Elec or Elec/Devices Blaster, but as an Archery/Dev, this won't help you much.
Personal Power Rating: 2.5/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Dmg, 1 Rch, 1 Rng
Shocking Bolt: A single target hold. Always good to have in case that Lt is causing you trouble or if your Controller friend is having a hard time locking down a boss. It's a solid power but isn't anything too spectacular.
Personal Power Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Hold, 2 Rch
Charged Armor: The shield toggle that provides 19.5% base resistance to Smash/Lethal/Energy. It's a great shield toggle because it not only protects you from Smash/Lethal damage but energy as well. A very solid resistance shield toggle, will definitely help your Blaster stay alive longer.
Personal Power Rating: 4/5
Recommended Slotting: 3 DmgRes, 1 EndRdx
EMP pulse: I haven't had the chance to mess with this power, nor have I seen someone use it. Please, if you have any experience with this power, feel free to tell me what it's like.
[u]Flame Mastery[u]
Bonfire: A target location AoE that does DoT with a very good chance of knockback. This power has its uses, but I've yet to see it used more than once per mission. The built in knockback seems to be the major turnoff for most players and I really can't blame them. The damage itself isn't all that spectacular either, but it is fun trapping a mob in the corner and keep them perpetually bouncing from the Bonfire patch.
Personal Power Rating: 2/5
Recommended Slotting: 3 Dmg, 2 Rch, 1 EndRdx
Char: A standard hold power. Read Shocking Volt on the Electric Mastery section.
Personal Power Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Hold, 2 Rch
Fire Shield: The Fire Shield provides the base of 19.25% resistance to Smash/Lethal, 14% to Fire and 7% to Cold damage. It's a very decent shield toggle.
Personal Power Rating: 4/5
Recommended Slotting: 3 DmgRes, 1 EndRdx
Rise of the Phoenix: You know the tier 9 power that half the Fire Tankers skip? This is it. RotP is a self res that deals minor damage to enemies around you, disorients them and even knocks them back. Also, for the next few seconds, you're completely invincible to any attacks. The down side? You have to be dead to use it
Personal Power Rating: 2.5/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Rch
[u]Force Mastery[u]
Personal Force Field: PFF provides a base 25% resistance to all damage, minus the psi and toxic, as well as base 45% defense against all damage types, including psi, but not toxic. The downside, of course, is that while you're running PFF, you can only use powers that affect yourself. This is actually a very decent panic button from my experience. Just turn it on and start running and 9 times out of 10, you'll make it out alive.
Personal Power Rating: 3/5
Recommended Slotting: 3 DefBuff, 1 End Rdx, 2 DmgRes (optional)
Repulsion Field: Pretty self explanatory, anything that gets too close to you will be knocked back and it will cost you some endurance. This power can be used effectively with some practice but it's not very practical, considering it's basically a melee shield that knocks enemies back from you.
Personal Power Rating: 2/5
Recommended Slotting: 3 End Rdx, 1 Knockback
Temporary Invulnerability: A very powerful shield toggle. TI provides 21% base resistance to Smash/Lethal damage. The cost isn't too heavy and again, it helps boost your chance of survival. Take it, slot it, turn it on and watch those numbers become smaller.
Personal Power Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended Slotting: 3 DmgRes, 1 EndRdx
Force of Nature: This is basically the Tanker's Unstoppable power with half the resistances and the same horrid crash. This is basically your second panic button when things start going wrong.
Personal Power Rating: 3/5
Recommended Slotting: 3 Rch, 1 EndMod
[u]Munitions Mastery[u]
Body Armor: A passive shield that provides the base of 8.75% resistance to Smash/Lethal. While the resistance seems rather piddly but remember, this is a passive, meaning even if you get mezzed, the resistance is still there.
Personal Power Rating: 3/5
Recommended Slotting: 3 DmgRes
Cryo Freeze Ray: A standard hold power like Char and Shocking Bolt, Cryo Freeze Ray has the downside of needing a weapon drawn out. The assault rifle from the Assault Rifle powerset to be exact. The draw animation isn't too bad, but it's definitely there.
Personal Power Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Hold, 2 Rch
Sleep Grenade: An AoE sleep power. See Flash Freeze. This power also needs the rifle to be drawn if your toon's not already holding it.
Personal power Rating: 2/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 2 Sleep, 3 Rch
LRM Rocket: The most fun power in the entire munitions set. Once activated, your toon will take the sniper stance and launch a missle from the barrel of the rifle. Upon contact, it explodes, dealing Smashing and Lethal damage as well as knocking back your enemies. The LRM Rocket is essentially a Sniper Range nuke power with a rather long recharge but it's definitely worth it.
Personal Power Rating: 4/5
Recommended Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Dmg, 2 Rch
Section VII: View on Soloing and Teaming
As an Archery/Devices Blaster, you'll find it slightly easier to run solo than on a team. What I mean by that is the simple fact that an Archery/Devices Blaster needs to set his/her own pace of battle. In the case of teams, this becomes very hard or almost impossible unless you find a team of very mature players who will work with you for the common goal. However, even in that case Archery/Devices works slower than most other Archtypes and powersets. Thus, this somewhat encourages an Archery/Devices Blaster to run solo and in most cases they will be successful runs. As you go into the higher end of the game, this will prove especially true. With such tools as Trip Mine, Smoke Grenade and Caltrops, the Archery/Device Blaster needs to have patience and must be able to plan ahead with at least two back up tactics in case things go wrong. However, the rewards for a well executed plan will always be sweet. I personally have mostly solo'd well into the higher end of the 40's. And from experience I can safely say that running solo guarantees a much higher chance of survival for the Archery/Devices Blaster. If you're on a team, try not to set your own pace of battle. Refrain from using long activation time powers such as Trip Mine and Auto Turret. Rain of Arrows will truly shine in a team where a good Tanker is present, who can hold all the aggro within the area. Trip Mine also can be used as an alternative for Rain of Arrows by having the Blaster jump in after the Tanker and setting it down.
Also, in teams it's best that you volunteer yourself to be the puller if the need arises. Archery, as stated, generates less aggro compared to other blast sets and will have a better chance of getting a safe pull.
Section VIII: Afterthoughts
When I first wrote the Issue 7 guide, I had much positive feedback from the community and I am very thankful for that. Also, my views on soloing and teaming stand stand where they were despite my new choice of powers. However, post respec, I do find myself very effective in a team situation as well as running solo.
Being an Archery/Devices Blaster is definitely fun. There will be times when you will be frustrated at your low damage output, however as your character matures and gains more powers along the way, you will see that the synergy between the two sets definitely makes it a very worthwhile toon to play. I hope that this guide has provided some insight on the two powersets as well as answering some questions regarding them.
Once again, thanks to the community on its very positive feedback on the first guide, which has led me to revise it to be up to date with Issue 8, I hope reading this guide will perhaps inspire you to create your own Archery/Devices Blaster.
Cheers!
-Dotori
-Kalthos, Lv50 Archery/Devices/Munitions Blaster, Champion