Fire Blast vs Flares

After having an Archery/Devices L50 blaster for almost 2 years by now, I decided it's time to jump into the FOTM end of things and finally create a Fire blaster.

While doing a bit of reading up on the Fire primary, something struck me as odd. Every guide I read seems to suggest that between Flares and Fire Blast, Fire Blast is always preferable over Flares. And to me, that is a little suspect. Let me explain.

Using the Archery model, it is straight forward between Aimed Shot and Snap Shot. (All data here scaled for level 50)

Aimed Shot
Activation time: 1.67s
Recharge: 6s
Endurance: 5.2
82.58 unenhanced (49.45 dps)
161.03 at 95% enhancement (96.43 dps)

Snap Shot
Activation time: 1s
Recharge time: 2s
Endurance cost: 3.536
52.55 unenhanced (52.55 dps)
102.47 enhanced at 95% (102.47 dps)

So with the archery model, it's simple. You had a quicker and higher DPS with the quicker attack, but a heftier punch with the slower attack.

Fire Blast vs Flares? This is where I went huh?

Fire Blast
Activation time: 1.67s
Recharge time: 4s
Endurance cost: 5.2
62.56 unenhanced, no DoT component (37.46dps)
92.576 unenhanced, taking 80% average (55.43 dps)
100.08 unenhanced, assuming DoT always (59.93 dps)
121.99 enhanced at 95%, no DoT (73.05)
180.52 enhanced at 95%, 80% average(108.1 dps)
195.16 enhanced at 95%, DoT always (116.86)

Flares
Activation time: 1s
Recharge time: 2.18s
Endurance cost: 3.692
63.19 unenhanced (63.19 dps)
123.22 enhanced at 95% (123.22 dps)


So apart from the dammit, why is Archery's DPS lower moment, the realization to me was the very high DPS of Flares. Simply put, in an attack chain, Flares should give a much better DPS chain than Fire Blast can.

Am I missing something from Fire Blast? Are the guides just wrong or outdated? Someone enlighten me?

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You are spot on. Flares is absolutely fantastic in fire

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Might be outdated. They balanced the damage per activation a while back, but before that, Flares was a dog. Took forever to animate. I think for that one they mostly just cut the activation time down a fair bit. But, it's in line with the other powers now, and with the fact that you can fire it off while mezzed, I tend to want both. Also, if you're the sort that likes to slot single target attacks with procs, Flares is a good candidate because it recharges quickly.

I think in general, tier 1 blast vs tier 2 blast vs both tends to be a question now of tuning your attack chain more than avoiding weak powers.

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Virtue
Angel Witch II - Chord of Souls - Storm Witch II - Princess of the Dawn - Standing Horse - Witch of Xymox
Silent Scream - Shadow Witch II - Liquid Serenade - Nebulous Dawn - Ghost Witch II -Xiberia

Fireblast used to have a 1.2 sec cast (still does for everyone but blasters). Part of the normalization process necessary for defiance meant putting all the tier 2 attacks at 1.67 seconds.

With the faster animation it did better dps than flares (ie still does for corrs). But the cast was increased and the damage unchanged.

Because only 2 powers needed to be slowed down to fit that model it was easier than speeding up the other tier 2's to be more akin to old fireblast, or old iceblast.

It is less work to add more root time to a power than it is to rework the animation so it is faster. Less work is usually the path of least resistance and is usually the one taken.

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Many of the guides you may be looking at are outdated.

Flares used to have a 3.3 second animation time AND less than 80 feet range. Aside from snap shot damage from pre-archery update and pre-defiance 2.0 there was no worse tier 1 blaster power in the game.

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-Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein.
-I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. - Galileo Galilei
-When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty. - Thomas Jefferson

Take both, you will love them when you're mesmerized.

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Virtue: @Santorican

Dark/Shield Build Thread

it all depends on ur atk chain if your going to be using more aoes and have no melle atks sure its good...mmy eng blaster dosnt even relize hes mez he just keeps using 1and 2 slot powers and kills while sleeping...my fire blaster don have it atm but thiers a respec coming and he might

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Thanks for all the responses.

Now to wonder what was in the dev's head with Blaze's DPA.

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I have no idea, even Castle stated he was puzzled with Blaze and Bitter Ice Blast's animations.

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Virtue: @Santorican

Dark/Shield Build Thread

[ QUOTE ]
Take both, you will love them when you're mesmerized.

[/ QUOTE ]

This. Due to the multitude of damaging powers in Fire/, not taking one of them probably wouldn't hinder you too much (with the exception of, maybe, the early levels). But like it has been said, it is the perfect attack chain filler, has some really good DPS, and can be used while held, etc. I always take the Tier 1 & 2 blasts on blasters, simply because you can use them all the time.

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@Winter. Because I'm Winter. Period.
I am a blaster first, and an alt-oholic second.

but it depends on your concept my fire dont have it simpliy cuz he has so many other atks he simply dosnt have time to do them all uses aoes to kill mobs then a few blast and a punch to get the runers and then aoe the next mob

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Flares is really weird in that it's the only T1 blast that has a higher DPA than the T2. If you're only going to pick one or the other, pick Flares. It also recharges considerably faster, and since it animates faster (thus the higher DPA), so its overall drag on your sustained DPS is lower too (assuming Flares is your filler for some other chain).

The only thing Fire Blast has over Flares is slightly higher DPE, but it's hardly worthwhile. Of course, I'm still firmly in the camp of taking both blasts, but if you blap a lot or don't mind a bit of a gap in your chain, I can definitely see skipping Fire Blast.

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An Offensive Guide to Ice Melee

Before Defiance 2.0 Flares blew chunks.

Now it is one of the best tier 1 blaster attacks available (second only to Shriek from Sonic in my book)

Take em both, and love the fact that your damage output hardly even drops when you're mezzed in the early levels.

(I'm one of the weirdos that slots Ring of Fire for damage too)

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if ur a single target blaster bothare good to take specialy since us blaster sleep on the job alot

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[ QUOTE ]
Take both, you will love them when you're mesmerized.

[/ QUOTE ]

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[ QUOTE ]
(I'm one of the weirdos that slots Ring of Fire for damage too)

[/ QUOTE ]

Nothing weird at all. RoF has a great DPA!

Too bad it causes a redraw on my Arch/Fire...

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An Offensive Guide to Ice Melee