Irradiate doesn't do that much damage, still it's an area of effect attack that hits rather often and has the best defense debuff of the radiation attacks so it's definatly worth it (much better than some useless snipe).
Maybe its just me but defense debuffs don't seem to make much difference during a battle. Most minions go down quite quickly, especially in a team, very few attacks miss anyway as we all slot for acc these day (post ED), so if we are all hitting them anyway, they don't need def debuffing, increasing dmg would help more.
Def debuffing lieuts, bosses and AV's is great but you have to get within melee range to hit them with irradiate and you generally get a few slaps for your trouble. More useful to me would be damage resistance debuffing, but hey, just thinking aloud here.
Useless snipe? I suppose it depends on your style of play - works for me 
Oh well I don't know if it's overrated but really any area of effect attack is worth getting (especially since villains overall don't seem to have as many of them as heroes). The irradiate extra effects are just a way to save slots in a way then if you look at it like this... not the best attack around but definatly solid.
Now snipes... used to have one but overall I don't see the point anymore... less damage per time, more endurance, can be interrupted and pulling and stuff is just as easy with any other attack.
While what you say about snipes is more or less true, damage over time is not much of an issue, since they aren't really meant for use mid-combat. As you say pulling can be done with any ranged power, but snipe is safer with its extra range. And the higher damage is good, it's always nice to open up a fight with one opponent half-dead, if not more.
A little trick for sniping mid-combat in 1-vs-1: Pick up Air Superiority, the time the enemy spends on his back is just enough to get a snipe off.
Icelock - Ice/Storm Controller
Command Bot 1 - Bot/Traps MM
I made a rad corruptor because it looked like the one with most AoE's which I would think could be good for scourge in teams. So I chose most rad attacks.
Hmm... the snipes aren't really that much safer as you have to
stand still or they are interrupted unlike other powers where you can shoot and immidiatly hide behind some obstacle - which is way better in my opinion.
In PvP sniper attacks can be useful but isn't the radiatioon snipe rather short range for a snipe? And still... while you are waiting to get the snipe of at close range (after a knockback/down, which really is the best time to use it) you could get off a few other attacks
All in all radiation has quite some nice powers in it. The only thing it lacks really is range should you need it (now that can be problem of irradiate)
I like the Rad snipe. Cool effects and it melts things. With regard to when you would use it... Well for the time it takes to activate it does proportionately much higher damage than Neutrino Bolt and X-Ray Beam gets skipped for being crapper than Neutrino Bolt. After that you just have Electron Haze and Irradiate, which are AEs and not always the most efficient. Yes you can get Cosmic Burst at 18 but that's well... at 18 and I think without the snipe I'd be sorely lacking single target damage prior to that. Even after that there's still going to be slots in the attack chain. I use it mid-battle all the time. Snipes that scourge on Bosses and LTs are just lovely. Each to their own and all that.
I think defence debuffs do make a difference. And irradiates 30% debuff for 15 seconds im sure will increase in usefulness the higher lvl you get. It also has a quick activation time (unlike electron haze).
But i agree that damage resistance debuffs are important too. Thats why i got enervating field. Although its an end hog until i get stamina, i can see better damage numbers appearing when its active.
My standard attack mode for my corruptor now at lvl 21 is to drop rad inf and enverating field, proton volley another minion next to anchor, and then depending on numbers jump in with irradiate, step back and x-ray beam and electron haze everything else.All this hopefully before my end runs out.
For bosses on their own i tend to proton volley from a distance, then activate rad inf, wait while the boss comes in range for it to fire, then drop enervating field, fire off irradiate and hit him till he drops.
proton volley can be used effectively if you drop rad inf, because even a boss cant hit you so youre not interuppted.
In my experience some powers do not really get going until they are fully slotted with DO's / SO's. I definitely saw a difference moving from TO's to DO's.
So a bit of advice - GET SOME D.O.'s YOU TIGHT BUGGER !!! 
*breaks open piggy bank*
ok, ok, I hear ya
Pre ED I had it 5 slotted for defdebuff and it was a wonderful tool, post ED I've dropped it for invisibility, its just unwanted agro for my defender now. It might be worth it damage wise for a corruptor, but for a defender its minimal, if fully slotted for damage it was worth while, and fully slotted for def debuff it was worth while, half in each is fairly pointless
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"
If I understand correctly, defdebuffing decreases the mobs ability to dodge your attacks?
My point is, I hardly ever seem to miss anyway, we are all slotting at least 1 accuracy in our attacks these days, post ED. More damage just seems more useful to me, and Irradiate's dmg is paltry.
Yes its AoE which is great, but I'm not sure if its worth the slaps I receive to get in position to fire it off when it hardly moves their health bars and it reduces the defense of a mob I have no problems hitting anyway.
Where I see a use for defdebuff is on enemies who have high def like lieuts, bosses and AV's, but these guys HURT when you move into melee range, so its safer to hit 'em with ranged attacks.
So, for me, its not worth it, I plan to respec out of it and take enervating field instead.
How could I not post in this thread? 
Irradiate factiods!
It does the most AoE damage of the set, outside of Atomic Blast. Pehaps the DoT nature conceals this.
It has the biggest def debuff of the set, and it lasts for a good long time too.
It also has an accuracy bonus (I think).
On the issue of the def debuff, sure, most of the time you don't need it, but sometimes you get those annoying enemies, like Longbow Spec Ops, or Rikti drones. It really helps against those. Also, using Irradiate first in a fight might mean you can get away with less acc. enhancers in your powers.
IN MEMORIUM OF GAYBABY
CRUELY TAKEN FROM THIS WORLD WHILE SO YOUNG
Hmm, ok, since I'm breaking open the piggy bank anyway, I'll 3 slot it with damage DO's and try it till lvl 24.
Enough of you have posted good things about it to convince me I'm being hasty.
Thanks for the advice/feedback/factoids
PS, I change my mind more often than my underwear
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I change my mind more often than my underwear
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TMI !!!!!
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It does the most AoE damage of the set, outside of Atomic Blast. Pehaps the DoT nature conceals this.
[/ QUOTE ]The BI database gives Irradiate 0.2778 * 10, and Electron Haze 3.7500
Plus scourge works with DoT so you can reall kick out those numbers on a mob thats been getting a smacking.
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How could I not post in this thread?
Irradiate factiods!
It does the most AoE damage of the set, outside of Atomic Blast. Pehaps the DoT nature conceals this.
It has the biggest def debuff of the set, and it lasts for a good long time too.
It also has an accuracy bonus (I think).
On the issue of the def debuff, sure, most of the time you don't need it, but sometimes you get those annoying enemies, like Longbow Spec Ops, or Rikti drones. It really helps against those. Also, using Irradiate first in a fight might mean you can get away with less acc. enhancers in your powers.
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I'm never overyl sure whether to take it or not I had a rad/rad in CoH and never took it but i intend playing this toon the distance. REading the above post kinda makes sence Irradiate is one of those that seems overlooked rather than over rrated.
Any thoughts tho on a PvP build? any opinion on its use there?
Ooops, yep Maximillion is right, it's the second most damaging AoE outside of Atomic Blast. Mind you, electron haze has an activation time of 3s, making the cone much harder to use.
Irradiate in PvP is onlt worth it for the def debuff - I don't think I'd bother with any of the AoE attacks in the rad set if I was going pure PvP, unless you've got nothing else to take.
IN MEMORIUM OF GAYBABY
CRUELY TAKEN FROM THIS WORLD WHILE SO YOUNG
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Ooops, yep Maximillion is right, it's the second most damaging AoE outside of Atomic Blast. Mind you, electron haze has an activation time of 3s, making the cone much harder to use.
Irradiate in PvP is onlt worth it for the def debuff - I don't think I'd bother with any of the AoE attacks in the rad set if I was going pure PvP, unless you've got nothing else to take.
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From what you and Max have said i think am gonna take it, perhaps i'd underrated it.I have electron haze as it is and enjoy CoT bowling with it but from what i see i think irradiate is better. She will be mainly PvP tho, i have a dark/dark to lvl and a cpl of others. I tried radiation before on CoH but never took to it like i have now.
My eyes are open to teh power of fusion lol
I read in various guides that this was a 'must have' power for rad/rad, so I took it, and 3 slotted it for damage, and waited to be impressed......still waiting
Now admittedly, I have only slotted TO's ('cos I'm stingy with my infamy 
but how rubbish is this power?!