Damage auras generally end up being a significant percentage of total damage on melee characters. If you are going to stay in melee range a lot it's definitely worth getting Lightning Field. However, if you bounce in and out of melee it will be less effective since mobs won't be in it long.
Also, if you are going to go for endurance drain as mitigation you definitely want it. If you can drain a group dry, Lightning Field should reall help keep them there.
Cascade, level 50 Blaster (NRG/NRG since before it was cool)
Mechmeister, level 50 Bots / Traps MM
FAR too many non-50 alts to name
[u]Arcs[u]
The Scavenger Hunt: 187076
The Instant Lair Delivery Service: 206636
[ QUOTE ]
I'm looking for a little advice on my elec/elec blapper...I've had different people giving me different advice, some have told me that Lightning Field just isn't worth having in the build at all and it's just a waste of a power pick...and some have sworn by using it through out their career, I really don't know what to do and was looking to maybe get some more views on this power and it's usefullness.
Thank you for any and all help.
[/ QUOTE ]
Skip. While it does minor damage and can drain some end, basically either they're dead or you're dead before it has any meaningful effect. Damage auras are sometimes pretty nice on scrappers, tanks, brutes but only against hard targets. Against even con foes or worse, the opposition just doesn't stand up long enough for the damage aura to be a measurable part of the offense. It's marginally better against harder targets, but not enough to justify a power pick an a significant drain on your endurance.
I disagree. In 60 seconds of fighting (not necessarily in melee, as the power has a 20ft. radius) you will potentially create 1104 points of damage at an endurance cost of 28.2 assuming 1 acc 3 dmg 2 endrdx.
In that same sixty seconds you could fire shocking grasp with the same slotting hasten up for a potential total of 1191 points at a cost of 66 end.
Total Focus can generate 1292 points of damage at an endurance cost of 44.1
Electric Field does comparable damage over time to a single target as Total Focus at almost half the cost in endurance.
Then you have to account for the AoE aspect. Every time you tick damage to more than 1 mob, you double down on your damage at additional half price of endurance.
I call it a bargain basement power over the lifetime of a melee blaster.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
[ QUOTE ]
I disagree. In 60 seconds of fighting...
[/ QUOTE ]
It's never taken me 60 seconds to beat up an average mob on any of my blasters. Solo, it's over in 15 seconds tops (and that's an AR/Dev throwing non-damaging stuff like web grenade and caltrops). In groups, depending on who's playing with me, it's even faster.
Against AVs or some elite bosses, sure, I can see the argument. Against anything else, it's a non-factor.
Sorry I wasn't clear. I don't mean a 60 second battle. I mean 60 seconds of fighting.
If you take clips of time that involve nothing but fighting and put them together until they add up to a 60 second movie, you see that lighting field is as effective a power as you could want (speaking strictly in terms of damage output and endurance cost, of course).
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
Problem with that is blasters tend to have bigger burst damage and lower mitigation. On a standard melee toon you can afford to stand around and specifically pick your foes to maximize damage over time, but in my experience on a blaster a lot of damage end up as overkill, as you have to kill faster and your hits often hit harder (i.e., if your melee move kills a minion in one shot, Lightning Field ticking 4 times on him before that doesn't do anything good ; if you were to track that specific situation with Hero Stats, it'd look like Lightning Field does good damage when in fact it did nothing useful).
Granted, that could be my playstyle. Someone with a more tactical approach and faster reflexes might be able to keep track of the health of every mob surrounding him and use different damage attacks efficiently so no damage is wasted. The point being : damage auras aren't the no brainer they are on melee types, it depends of your playstyle.
That being said, I'd pick and use the power. Even if some of the damage ends up wasted, it still gives some additional free damage, and endurance is no concern with Power Sink ; it's also great on big teams, provided you've got enough support/insps.
1. Blappers tend to be single target oriented and lacking in mitigation.
2. A Low Damage PBAoE auras are going to bring you lots of very unwelcome aggro from the mobs that you aren't killing right away.
3. Defiance buffing your single target blaps means that once you pick up the aggro very few other toons will be able to take that aggro away from you (high caliber tanks are about it)
So lots of it is play style choice. Are you going to be able to survive Alphas? What are you going to do for mitigation? Sapping? AoE KBs from Lightening Clap and Thunder Strike? Defense Bonuses from set IOs?
Get your mitigation plan in place first, then look at lightening field. In my experience a single damage aura like this won't usually be worth it mainly because of over kill.
But, if after your typical attack chain you have minions with sliver of health left it can then be a good power. This is a case of underkill. In this case running a damage aura will make the difference between defeating a mob early or having to make another attack.
Damage procs in Lightening Field may also make a large difference.
I'm not sure if the stun proc from Energy Manipulator can be slotted into Lightening Field. If it can this may become a nice part of your melee range mitigation. You could stack stuns with Lightening Clap, Thunderstrike, and this proc. The stun proc could be slotted into all of your AoEs and PBAoE attacks giving you the potential to stack massive amounts of stun.
-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
[ QUOTE ]
Problem with that is blasters tend to have bigger burst damage and lower mitigation.
[/ QUOTE ]
On bigger teams, vs large spawns, blasters can (hopefully) end up having quite a bit of mitigation, due to teammates. 
[ QUOTE ]
Even if some of the damage ends up wasted, it still gives some additional free damage, and endurance is no concern with Power Sink ; it's also great on big teams, provided you've got enough support/insps.
[/ QUOTE ]
Like you said.
Lightning Field is especially useful on an Electric/Electric, since it helps with end drain mitigation and stacks decently with Sparky at making stuff dead you didn't even look at.
Why Blasters? Empathy Sucks.
So, you want to be Mental?
What the hell? Let's buff defenders.
Tactics are for those who do not have a big enough hammer. Wisdom is knowing how big your hammer is.
I took it on my Energy/Elec Blapper and never looked back. But I built that toon to be a Blapper; I am almost never fighting at range. As for aggro, I learned to deal with it by proactively using Power Sink and knockback. I also took Aid Self, for the heal as much as the stun protection, and fire that off shortly before heading into a group with several stunners.
It contributes significantly to your DPS; you'll find (especially if you use something like Herostats) it easily contributes a third or more of your overall damage output over time.
I've seen many arguments for and against damage auras on Blasters, so in the end I feel it's largely a question of taste whether you take it or not. Unless you plan on slotting for set bonuses only, and don't bother much with melee, it's probably not worth the bother. But if you plan on being melee most of the time, I think you'll find it a great boon.
@Liz!
sketches on tumblr | finished pieces and resources on dA
Currently most active:
Shining Finger: 40 Elec/Titan][Summer's Son: 38 Fire/Fire/Pyre
Badgers:
Hyperion Tekk][Dark-stream
City of Heroes LiveJournal community.
Friendly, helpful and surprisingly light on the drama.
Save our game Master post.
[ QUOTE ]
easily contributes a third or more of your overall damage output over time.
[/ QUOTE ]
A single power that contributes a third of your overall damage. Smells like win.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
Of particular note to the blaster version of lightning field, the radius is much larger than the brute version (if you've used that before).
Take care when using blapper lightning field on teams, as the size of the field may grab extra aggro from the edges of the fight if you're not careful.
The Bacon Compels You.
i would have to say take it but not at early lvls as most early blasters cant handle the aggro but later lvls it does come in handy....my e3 blaster focuses alot on aoe and melee and it helps with my bl, sc and ts combo
Now the big question is what DON'T you take for Lightning Field?
From the Primary, I take everything but Zapp. Secondary consists of everything but Lightning Field, Charged Brawl and Lightning Clap. I take hasten, hover, fly, and the Fitness trinity from the pool powers, and I take all the elec ancillary powers except EM Pulse.
What should one drop to put this in? Now, I'm sure that running a straight blapper, I could probably drop a couple of my range attacks, but getting rid of the Tier 1 and 2 attacks hurts if I get mezzed, dropping Tesla Cage is bad mojo because of its mitigation, and I certainly can't ditch Sparky. Thunderous Blast could go, but that's just so much goodness, as is Ball Lightning for AoE love.
So what power could/should be sacrificed for Lightning Field?
Victory
Schattenbolt - Blaster Elec/Elec/Elec
Pierce Steele - Blaster Arch/MM/Munitions
Paragons of Victory
As one who thrives in melee and in combination with your Spherical AoEs, I'd probably drop Static Discharge. That way you do not have to concern yourself with moving to line up the cone.
Another option would be to drop Hover and Fly, switch Swift to Hurdle, pick up Combat Jumping and Lightning Field. Combat Jumping + Hurdle is about as fast as Fly (assuming you have 3 slots in fly, you could switch those so Hurdle and Combat Jumping are each two slotted for an excellent travel speed). Most people do not like to give up their travel of preference, but this is probably the more performance oriented route.
Why Blasters? Empathy Sucks.
So, you want to be Mental?
What the hell? Let's buff defenders.
Tactics are for those who do not have a big enough hammer. Wisdom is knowing how big your hammer is.
Short Circuit + Power Sink = Drained enemies.
Short Circuit + Power Sink + Lightning Field = Drained enemies that die from you just standing near them, and they have no endurance to fight back with.
Pretty much sums it up.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison See, it's gems like these that make me check Claws' post history every once in a while to make sure I haven't missed anything good lately. |
My elec/elec doesn't have Power Sink yet, and I find Lightning Field useful. Whether I still will later, I'm not sure, but it is definitely helping now, so my intention is to keep it. I notice a difference, especially in slowing their end gain once Short Circuit wears off.
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
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
<QR>
Take it. It's good DPS, and on big teams you should have the support to survive any additional aggro it generates (Which, to be honest, will hardly be worse than tossing Fireball/Flamethrower/Energy Torrent/etc into the crowd).
Solo, it's good DPS and you don't have to worry about Aggro, since everything is attacking you anyway.
[ QUOTE ]
Now the big question is what DON'T you take for Lightning Field?
From the Primary, I take everything but Zapp. Secondary consists of everything but Lightning Field, Charged Brawl and Lightning Clap. I take hasten, hover, fly, and the Fitness trinity from the pool powers, and I take all the elec ancillary powers except EM Pulse.
What should one drop to put this in? Now, I'm sure that running a straight blapper, I could probably drop a couple of my range attacks, but getting rid of the Tier 1 and 2 attacks hurts if I get mezzed, dropping Tesla Cage is bad mojo because of its mitigation, and I certainly can't ditch Sparky. Thunderous Blast could go, but that's just so much goodness, as is Ball Lightning for AoE love.
So what power could/should be sacrificed for Lightning Field?
[/ QUOTE ]
I don't take VS.
My E3 play style is focused on Sapping and AoE. Lightning Field is much superior to VS for those purposes.
I like it cause its purdy...
"...well I have wrestled with reality for thirty-five years, Doctor and I am happy to state I finally won out over it." Elwood P Dowd (from the movie Harvey)
qr
is the blaster version of blazing aura larger than the melee version like L field?
[ QUOTE ]
qr
is the blaster version of blazing aura larger than the melee version like L field?
[/ QUOTE ]
No. It also does less damage/tick than the AT mod of 1 would seem to indicate (compare it to the armored AT versions).
Why Blasters? Empathy Sucks.
So, you want to be Mental?
What the hell? Let's buff defenders.
Tactics are for those who do not have a big enough hammer. Wisdom is knowing how big your hammer is.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
qr
is the blaster version of blazing aura larger than the melee version like L field?
[/ QUOTE ]
No. It also does less damage/tick than the AT mod of 1 would seem to indicate (compare it to the armored AT versions).
[/ QUOTE ]
That's too bad, I just had good visions of hotfeet+blazing aura doing very good (and large) aoe damage.
I'm sure Castle in his infinite wisdom has his reasons for the way blazing aura is for blasters.
[ QUOTE ]
That's too bad, I just had good visions of hotfeet+blazing aura doing very good (and large) aoe damage.
I'm sure Castle in his infinite wisdom has his reasons for the way blazing aura is for blasters.
[/ QUOTE ]
I have been trying to convince him to change it for awhile now.
I'd like to see its radius increased to 15 or 20 feet, like Lightning Field.
or (if the above is deemed as inappropriate)
Increase its damage so it matches the correct AT mod amount and lower its end cost to the appropriate level.
Why Blasters? Empathy Sucks.
So, you want to be Mental?
What the hell? Let's buff defenders.
Tactics are for those who do not have a big enough hammer. Wisdom is knowing how big your hammer is.
This thread is now about Blazing Aura, GO!!!
Victory
Schattenbolt - Blaster Elec/Elec/Elec
Pierce Steele - Blaster Arch/MM/Munitions
Paragons of Victory
I'm looking for a little advice on my elec/elec blapper...I've had different people giving me different advice, some have told me that Lightning Field just isn't worth having in the build at all and it's just a waste of a power pick...and some have sworn by using it through out their career, I really don't know what to do and was looking to maybe get some more views on this power and it's usefullness.
Thank you for any and all help.