Ice/EM/Ice Blaster build

Can I get some advice on this build? I'm currently lv29 and plan on starting to slot IO's soon. All the sets are at level 30 in Mids, but I'll probably just use whatever is available for a reasonable price on the market at the time when I shop.

I doubt I'll PvP on the toon, so I'm just looking for a solid mix of survivability and damage in PvE with some ability to lock down bosses and blap. In tough situations, I'd be more likely to ignore melee and rely on Power Thrust and movement to stay at range. I wouldn't mind improving my AoE capability in Ice Storm, Frost Breath, and Blizzard, but it isn't my focus (and I don't really see where I could get the slots!).

It isn't too hard to softcap for reasonable prices these days, but am I better off not striving for the cap to get better slotting?

This is only my second blaster. The other is a lv36 Energy/Energy. I have a lot of experience with melee toons, but I'd like to make this my next 50.

Any glaring mistakes that I missed or other advice would be welcome. Thanks folks!

-Bobi

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Li Kao: Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Ice Blast
Secondary Power Set: Energy Manipulation
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Cold Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Ice Bolt

[*] (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage: Level 30[*] (3) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance: Level 30[*] (7) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (11) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (37) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance: Level 30[*] (37) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30[/list]Level 1: Power Thrust
[*] (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage: Level 30[*] (45) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance: Level 30[*] (45) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (46) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30[*] (46) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30[*] (46) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal): Level 30[/list]Level 2: Energy Punch
[*] (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage: Level 30[*] (3) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance: Level 30[*] (7) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (9) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30[*] (37) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30[*] (40) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal): Level 30[/list]Level 4: Ice Blast
[*] (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage: Level 30[*] (5) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance: Level 30[*] (5) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (9) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (42) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance: Level 30[*] (43) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30[/list]Level 6: Swift
[*] (A) Run Speed IO: Level 30[/list]Level 8: Freeze Ray
[*] (A) Lockdown - Accuracy/Hold: Level 30[*] (11) Lockdown - Accuracy/Recharge: Level 30[*] (13) Lockdown - Recharge/Hold: Level 30[*] (13) Lockdown - Endurance/Recharge/Hold: Level 30[*] (36) Lockdown - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold: Level 30[*] (36) Lockdown - Chance for +2 Mag Hold: Level 30[/list]Level 10: Combat Jumping
[*] (A) Defense Buff IO: Level 30[/list]Level 12: Bone Smasher
[*] (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage: Level 30[*] (15) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance: Level 30[*] (15) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (17) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30[*] (43) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30[*] (43) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal): Level 30[/list]Level 14: Build Up
[*] (A) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 30[*] (17) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 30[*] (19) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 30[/list]Level 16: Ice Storm
[*] (A) Air Burst - Damage/Recharge: Level 40[*] (19) Detonation - Damage/Recharge: Level 40[*] (23) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge: Level 40[/list]Level 18: Health
[*] (A) Healing IO: Level 30[/list]Level 20: Stamina
[*] (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End: Level 30[*] (21) Performance Shifter - EndMod: Level 30[*] (21) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Recharge: Level 30[*] (23) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Accuracy: Level 30[/list]Level 22: Frost Breath
[*] (A) Air Burst - Accuracy/Damage: Level 40[*] (27) Detonation - Damage/Endurance: Level 40[*] (50) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage: Level 40[/list]Level 24: Super Jump
[*] (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range: Level 40[*] (25) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance: Level 40[*] (25) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points): Level 40[/list]Level 26: Bitter Ice Blast
[*] (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage: Level 30[*] (27) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance: Level 30[*] (29) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (29) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (31) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance: Level 30[*] (31) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30[/list]Level 28: Bitter Freeze Ray
[*] (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage: Level 30[*] (31) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance: Level 30[*] (33) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (34) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (34) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance: Level 30[*] (36) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30[/list]Level 30: Boxing
[*] (A) Empty[/list]Level 32: Blizzard
[*] (A) Air Burst - Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (33) Detonation - Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (33) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (34) Damage Increase IO: Level 30[/list]Level 35: Tough
[*] (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%: Level 30[*] (50) Steadfast Protection - Knockback Protection: Level 30[/list]Level 38: Total Focus
[*] (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage: Level 30[*] (39) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance: Level 30[*] (39) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge: Level 30[*] (39) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30[*] (40) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30[*] (40) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal): Level 30[/list]Level 41: Weave
[*] (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance: Level 40[*] (42) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance: Level 40[*] (42) Gift of the Ancients - Defense/Endurance: Level 40[/list]Level 44: Snow Storm
[*] (A) Tempered Readiness - Accuracy/Endurance: Level 40[*] (45) Tempered Readiness - Endurance/Recharge/Slow: Level 40[/list]Level 47: Hoarfrost
[*] (A) Harmonized Healing - Heal/Recharge: Level 30[*] (48) Miracle - Heal/Recharge: Level 30[*] (48) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Recharge: Level 30[*] (48) Numina's Convalescence - Heal/Recharge: Level 30[/list]Level 49: Hibernate
[*] (A) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 30[*] (50) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 30[/list]------------
Level 1: Brawl
[*] (A) Empty[/list]Level 1: Sprint
[*] (A) Endurance Reduction IO: Level 30[/list]Level 2: Rest
[*] (A) Empty[/list]Level 1: Defiance
------------
[u]Set Bonus Totals:[u]
[*]15% DamageBuff(Smashing)[*]15% DamageBuff(Lethal)[*]15% DamageBuff(Fire)[*]15% DamageBuff(Cold)[*]15% DamageBuff(Energy)[*]15% DamageBuff(Negative)[*]15% DamageBuff(Toxic)[*]15% DamageBuff(Psionic)[*]3% Defense(Smashing)[*]3% Defense(Lethal)[*]5.81% Defense(Fire)[*]5.81% Defense(Cold)[*]28.9% Defense(Energy)[*]28.9% Defense(Negative)[*]3% Defense(Psionic)[*]3% Defense(Melee)[*]39.9% Defense(Ranged)[*]8.63% Defense(AoE)[*]2.5% Enhancement(Held)[*]28% Enhancement(Accuracy)[*]21% FlySpeed[*]94.9 HP (7.87%) HitPoints[*]21% JumpHeight[*]21% JumpSpeed[*]Knockback (Mag -8)[*]Knockup (Mag -8)[*]MezResist(Held) 15.4%[*]MezResist(Immobilize) 13.2%[*]13.5% (0.23 End/sec) Recovery[*]21% RunSpeed[/list]


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Big thing that I see is that there's rarely a good reason to skip Aim. The heavy selection and slotting of melee attacks seems to be a bit contradictory with a build so strongly choosing set bonuses to build ranged defense. Personally I'd either drop Bitter Freeze Ray, even though it costs you the ability to lock down bosses, or drop one of the blaps--my choice would be Total Focus, but many love it despite the eternal animation.

Thanks, Phos.

I kinda need the melee slotting to get the set bonuses I am looking for. My thinking is that I can still mix it up in melee once I have a tough target locked down to take advantage of high damage melee attacks like Bonesmasher and Total Focus.

Not quite sure how this toon would actually play quite yet, but looking forward to trying it out!

I did notice one small thing I'd change- I'd probably drop that Zephyr KB IO and stick with just a Def or Res -KB. 4 points is plenty for me.

I was considering Aim, but didn't find an obvious place to fit it in. If I skipped Frost Breath I could take it, but I'm not sure I want to hurt my AoE that significantly.

If you do lock down a tough target and hit melee, you'll probably want to do as much damage as you can, as fast as you can. Total Focus is your 4th best attack by those standards, behind Energy Punch, Bone Smasher, and and Bitter Ice Blast.

If you replace the Mako's set there with 6 of Gaussian's, you're still soft-capped, though with a bit less overhead for defense debuffs. Bit more recovery and melee/AoE defense, though.

Just my thoughts, it's a good build as it is but that big damage buff from Aim would be great if you could work it in.

Ice Storm is the other power that's iffy, since without a huge slow or immob behind it it's always prone to scatter. But I love Ice Storm when you do have one of those things.

Hmmm. I'll take a look at that. Thanks again.