Yes, but the only way I can find without using a PVP 3% defense IO is by slotting stupefy into energy punch.
Here's How to do it:
6 Slotted with Mako's Bit [3.75% Ranged] :
Power Thrust, Bone Smasher, Total Focus
6 Slotted with Thunderstrike [1.25% + 2.5% Ranged] :
Charged Bolts, Lightning Bolt
6 Slotted with Stupefy [3.13% Ranged] :
Energy Punch
6 Slotted with Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control [ 2.5% Ranged] :
Aim
3 Slotted with Eradication [1.56% Ranged] :
Short Circuit
6 Slotted with Lockdown [3.75% Ranged] :
Tesla Cage, Shocking Bolt
2 Slotted with Blessing of the Zephyr [3.13% Ranged Defense] :
Combat Jumping, Super Jump
3% Steadfast Protection Unique and 3 Slotted with Reactive Armor [0.63% Ranged Defense] :
Charged Armor
Total: 45.1% Ranged Defense
Leaving 13 slots to use wherever you want..
[ QUOTE ]
Total: 45.1% Ranged Defense
[/ QUOTE ]
Do-de-d-wait...
[ QUOTE ]
45.1% Ranged Defense
[/ QUOTE ]
Whaaaaaaaaat?
[ QUOTE ]
Blaster Forum
[/ QUOTE ]
omg squee! 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Total: 45.1% Ranged Defense
[/ QUOTE ]
Do-de-d-wait...
[ QUOTE ]
45.1% Ranged Defense
[/ QUOTE ]
Whaaaaaaaaat?
[ QUOTE ]
Blaster Forum
[/ QUOTE ]
omg squee!
[/ QUOTE ]
Did I miss something?
I'm confused and perplexed by that response.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Total: 45.1% Ranged Defense
[/ QUOTE ]
Do-de-d-wait...
[ QUOTE ]
45.1% Ranged Defense
[/ QUOTE ]
Whaaaaaaaaat?
[ QUOTE ]
Blaster Forum
[/ QUOTE ]
omg squee!
[/ QUOTE ]
Did I miss something?
I'm confused and perplexed by that response.
[/ QUOTE ]
Me too 
Not sure if shes excited by your numbers or is having a "moment" 
Thunderous blast set... blessing of the zypher set... mako's bite (better then the stupify set mentioned earlier which overlaps with the zypher set when calculating rule of 5s)...
red fortune set is also good.
These are good sets for other bonuses as well.
Weave, combat jumping, hover, maneuvers... all these things are your friends.
Note: The teleport pool can hold 4 sets of zephyr. The flying pool can hold 3 sets.... it's pretty easy to get 5 sets in a build if you get 2 travel pools.
I gotta make pain. I gotta make things right. I gotta stop what's comin'. 'Least I gotta try.
Cool, good info. There are a few sacrifices I'll have to make, but seeing as how there are two Holds in the build, that should be OK. Two questions:
1. No one mentioned that new Hold set (can't remember the name off-hand), but it grants 3.75% Ranged Defense. One of those sets in Tesla Cage and Shocking Bolt each sounds like it'll help a ton.
2. Thunderstrike confuses me. At the 3rd (I think) slot it offers a small amount of Ranged Defense (1.5, I think), and then at the 6th slot it offers a slightly larger amount (2.25, I think). Are those amounts additive, or does the larger one simply replace the smaller one?
[ QUOTE ]
2. Thunderstrike confuses me. At the 3rd (I think) slot it offers a small amount of Ranged Defense (1.5, I think), and then at the 6th slot it offers a slightly larger amount (2.25, I think). Are those amounts additive, or does the larger one simply replace the smaller one?
[/ QUOTE ]
Those two percentages stack, so each full set of TS gives you a 3.75% bonus.
(the first 3 give you 1.25% and the next 3 give you 2.5%)
1 <3 my Thunderstikes for ranged defence builds
@Catwhoorg "Rule of Three - Finale" Arc# 1984
@Mr Falkland Islands"A Nation Goes Rogue" Arc# 2369 "Toasters and Pop Tarts" Arc#116617
Re: Thunderstrike. Since the bonuses add up to 3.75, does that count towards the Rule of 5 for 3.75? If so, then 2 Thunderstrikes, 3 Mako's, and 2 Lockdowns are 2 too many.
[ QUOTE ]
Re: Thunderstrike. Since the bonuses add up to 3.75, does that count towards the Rule of 5 for 3.75? If so, then 2 Thunderstrikes, 3 Mako's, and 2 Lockdowns are 2 too many.
[/ QUOTE ]
rule of 5 for 3.75? I haven't heard of this rule....
Same rule that applies to any Set Bonus; i.e., you can only have 5 of any one given bonus. Thunderstrike is weird because it grants a bonus 2x, for 2 different values (and it's listed in CoD as only giving the 2.5), so I'm not sure how it works.
you don't add the bonus together before calculating the rule of 5. so in your case 5 Thunder set would give you 5x 1.25% and 5x 2.5%. so you can add any set of 3.75% 5 times also without problem
you might wanna check out This
And this. That was when I was just starting to make def-capped builds so mine's not all that great (no BotZs), but Quartermain & Sanctorian have some good builds in there.
An Offensive Guide to Ice Melee
[ QUOTE ]
Re: Thunderstrike. Since the bonuses add up to 3.75, does that count towards the Rule of 5 for 3.75? If so, then 2 Thunderstrikes, 3 Mako's, and 2 Lockdowns are 2 too many.
[/ QUOTE ]
I don't believe so. I'm pretty sure Mids has a check in place to ignore beyond the rule of 5. I totally ignored the 1.25% from Tstrike as well. My original post has been fixed to include it.
Mids' indeed does. A good way of telling if your set's bonus is being counted is to shift+left click on a set to flip between a proposed set and an empty set while checking out your totals window. If your bonuses (say for defenses) aren't moving, your set's not doing you any good.
An Offensive Guide to Ice Melee
why not just click on " view active set" and see if any of them are in red? Mids tells you if it's capped in 2 ways. 1 in the Effect breakdown at the top with the word" Capped" in red ( meaning one or more of your set bonus are over the limit of 5)... and then lower down in the breakdown to see which bonus is actually capped by marking it in red and italic.
[ QUOTE ]
Yes, but the only way I can find without using a PVP 3% defense IO is by slotting stupefy into energy punch.
[/ QUOTE ]
Forget about Stupefy. (-3.13%) Move Mako from Power Thrust to EP. Slot Power Thrust with 3 Explosive Strike (+1.88%). Move 3 slots from Thrust over to Short Circuit, slot Cleaving Blow (+0.63%). Add 2 slots to Combat Jumping, slot 2 lvl 50 +def IO (+0.87%).
This hits the softcap. It uses 2 more slots total, but Short Circuit needed 3 more slots anyway, so in effect you're saving 1 slot. Thrust still does what it's designed to do (and does it better), and the highest DPA attack in the entire build is now slotted as an attack.
Seems better to me.
It just occurred to me, however, that this is pretty obviously a blapper build with as many melee and PBAoE attacks as ranged attacks, and as such, will get a lot less mileage out of softcapped ranged defense than purely ranged blaster builds.
It depends how much jousting you do. Many combatjuming/hurdle blappers never spend more than a split-second in melee, attacking mid-air as they pass by. If you time your blap drive-bys while your target is in the middle of a ranged attack, they won't have a chance to melee you because they are stuck animating the ranged attack.
The Bacon Compels You.
Zomg I love ranged defense. I'm currently away from my computer till Saturday but do it! You will be amazed at how survivable you will become. Thunder strikes are cheap and easy to get, bronze roll ftw!!!, so make go use of them and they don't add to you rule of 5. Also excuse my horrible grammar I'm on my iPod LOL
Virtue: @Santorican
Dark/Shield Build Thread
[ QUOTE ]
It just occurred to me, however, that this is pretty obviously a blapper build with as many melee and PBAoE attacks as ranged attacks, and as such, will get a lot less mileage out of softcapped ranged defense than purely ranged blaster builds.
[/ QUOTE ]
Not as such, actually. For one, I've not got Short Circuit.
Thanks to everyone for all the feedback; that Thunderstrike question was the only thing keeping me from figuring it all out. Now that you've all sorted that for me, I know the changes I'm going to make. They actually aren't any of the ones specifically mentioned, but I think I'll be able to hit the cap and still not deviate from concept or efficiency.
Thanks all!
(btw, since this Thread title is somewhat misleading--general title, specific character/power combo questions--passerby can absolutely feel free to solicit their own advice and such; I've got what I came for, so have no fear of threadjacking!)
Sorry, easily excited. I enjoy seeing fun builds and ideas :P
OK, I think I have it figured out for my build, but again, I've not got Mids, so if someone could take a look at this and let me know what the Ranged Def bonuses total, I'd be very grateful.
Charged Bolts, Lightning bolt: 6 Thunderstrikes each
Energy Punch, Bone Smasher, Total Focus: 6 Makos each
Tesla Cage, Shocking Bolt: 6 Lockdowns each
Combat Jumping, Super Jump: 2 Zephyrs each
Aim: 6 Gaussains
Tough: 1 Steadfast Unique
If I haven't made any mistakes, that looks to me like 43.26, including the base values for Combat Jumping and Weave (1.75 and 3.5, respectively). Can you get the last 1.74 by just throwing a couple of Defense IOs in Weave?
So, I've heard that it's possible to reach the Ranged Soft Cap with Blasters. I'm looking at my Elec/Energy/Elec, and wondering how the heck he can do that.
I don't have Mids, but I figure listing his powers would be helpful. I figure my big drawback is no Weave.
Elec:
Charged Bolts; Lightning Bolts; Ball Lightning; Short Circuit; Aim; Tesla Cage; Thunderous Blast
Energy:
Power Thrust; Energy Punch; Build Up; Bone Smasher; Power Boost; Total Focus
Pools:
Combat Jumping; Super Jump; Hurdle; Health; Stamina; Aid Other; Aid Self; Hasten
Epic:
Shocking Bolt; Static Discharge; Charged Armor
So, is it possible to Soft Cap with those powers?
Thanks in advance, I want to love my Blaster, but he sure don't make it easy.