Yay! Another Son/EM!
1. I'd say it's pretty possible too leave out Power Boost till 35. Although it is nice to have it in Sirens for the Aid Self, I personally love having it for the PB+Aim+Bu+ Attack, which means you are pretty much going to be able to hit anything. (Elude, LR, PFF and the such)
2. Aid Self is quite situational for me, with 2 IntReds, I believe it can resist most DoT's (correct me if i'm wrong?). It can be quite hard to use during combat, but with a little practice it's very good at saving your skin, I wouldn't recommend taking this out personally.
3. I havn't had that much end problems with my Son/EM in PvP since Stamina, the only real time I notice end running out is when I leave SJ/SS on while dueling a non-squishy in WB. I don't have any EndReds in my attacks. If you are finding you are having trouble with End still, might be worth getting Conserve Power and then respeccing it out later on?
4. I don't think you'll have much problem with chaining attacks without Hasten (although I can't live without it!), especially since Shriek/Scream (yummy) both have quick recharges/long animations.
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P.S. Please no flames about my lack of PvP knowledge regarding blasters, it is purely based on observation as i never PvPed my fire/fire. I'd like advice without this turning into a topic about how i'm such a n00b for not knowing that someones blaster can single handedly tank for a full team in PvP, ta.
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Don't be silly! Everyone starts off somewhere! If anyone flames your for lacking a lil knowledge then they are a fool!
Mmmm, I do love my Sonic 
LOL Jum, i thought you'd reply to a sonic post but i didn't expect it so fast. Do you troll the boards waiting for one or do you have a special alarm that goes off? 
You've pretty much said what i was thinking. Aid self is handy in PvE anyway. Some mobs/players have very fast DoT ticks though (i.e. council) and repeated clicking on aid self tends to drain endurance pretty fast.
I hear what your saying about powerboost and the AIM/BU buffs but i'm going to be running 2 accs and 2 tohit in both, surely this would be enough? Plus, i PvP pretty exclusively in Sirens, where villains dont get thier tier 9 powers like elude so i should be ok for that?
I shall leave hasten out for the time being, i dont like it for my concept anyway (fiery hands on a sonic??). It was only there to help boost the recharge of conserve when i had it in my build and the nuke, but i shall mostly settle on the ST attacking so i wont need them up all the time.
Another question; shreik or energy punch? energy punch does about twice the damage but i can get in 3 shreiks in the same recharge, with a -res (and of course it's ranged). Thoughts on this?
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;
The old snows melt from every mountain-side,
And last year's leaves are smoke in every lane;
But last year's bitter loving must remain
~Edna St. Vincent Millay
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LOL Jum, i thought you'd reply to a sonic post but i didn't expect it so fast. Do you troll the boards waiting for one or do you have a special alarm that goes off?
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My Sonic sense tingles!
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I hear what your saying about powerboost and the AIM/BU buffs but i'm going to be running 2 accs and 2 tohit in both, surely this would be enough? Plus, i PvP pretty exclusively in Sirens, where villains dont get thier tier 9 powers like elude so i should be ok for that?
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Aye, I see what your saying, I PvP mainly in WB so i'm not used to them not having that. I suppose it's not really worth taking just for those off occasions where you wipe the smile of a MM's face in PFF.
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Another question; shreik or energy punch? energy punch does about twice the damage but i can get in 3 shreiks in the same recharge, with a -res (and of course it's ranged). Thoughts on this?
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Afaik, -Res only stacks when from different powers, so constantly using Shriek 3 times wouldn't work, whereas using Shout, Scream, then Shriek would work with 3x - Res. Also, Shriek has a very short duration for -Res. I personally went for EP, only because I dislike the long animations as well. (Damn you Devs! Give Sonic it's loving!)
Here be your sexy -Res durations.
Shriek = 5 seconds
Scream = 7 seconds
Howl = 8 seconds
Shout = 10 seconds
Screech= 12 seconds
Wail = 20 seconds
So Screech is quite nicely used as an opener, even with the opponent having Mez Protection, because of the stacking -Res and quick animation.
I'm so sorry to drone, but I do like my Sonic >.>
I like the quick nature of nrg punch too. Would it leave holes in my attack chain though slotting for one recharge and no hasten?
And i want rambling on, it all gives me ideas. I never would have guessed you were a sonic fan
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;
The old snows melt from every mountain-side,
And last year's leaves are smoke in every lane;
But last year's bitter loving must remain
~Edna St. Vincent Millay
I have a level 50 Rad/Sonic Defender as well
I find myself fine, slotted for the one recharge in each attack without Hasten, Scream is up regulary to fill in any downtime, and i'm quite sure you won't be waiting on Melee attacks to come back up. What Server are you on for that toon?
union. just taking her at an easy pace atm. she plays very different from my fire blaster so i'm still getting used to it.
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;
The old snows melt from every mountain-side,
And last year's leaves are smoke in every lane;
But last year's bitter loving must remain
~Edna St. Vincent Millay
Give me a shout @Jum , I'll always be willing to help out, no doubt have a toon in the right range.
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Give me a shout @Jum , I'll always be willing to help out, no doubt have a toon in the right range.
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Pah you never online
**Acceptable "support" responses**
Its your fault
Its your computers fault
Its your ISPs fault
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Give me a shout @Jum , I'll always be willing to help out, no doubt have a toon in the right range.
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Pah you never online
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QFT
I can't maintain speedo goodness on union on my own jummy
"god, how many devs did hami have to sleep with to get ED?"
Total Cat @Stagefright
God damn you WoW!
*shakes fist at WoW*
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God damn you WoW!
*shakes fist at WoW*
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BLASPHEMER!
quick! this boy needs salvation! ...or excorcism rather
"god, how many devs did hami have to sleep with to get ED?"
Total Cat @Stagefright
Hmmmm, your build looks disturbingly like mine except I took the concealment pool rather than medicine. I tried using Aid Self but I just found I was getting interrupted all the time. Plus, due to having Aid Other, I used to get distracted looking at the team box to see who needed healing rather than knocking the snot out of the guy in front of me. I get greater utility out of Invis/Stealth for positioning before sleeping the entire spawn.
As for Shriek/Energy Punch, a lot of the sonic powers have a painfully short range so even though I'm not one for keeping the tier 1 blaster powers, I have with mine as Shriek and Scream are the only ones with a decent range on them, handy for getting runners or knocking off those last few ticks of HP. That said, as you're going for a blapper build, Scream should do that job for you nicely. 
@Dante EU - Union Roleplayer and Altisis Victim
The Militia: Union RP Supergroup - www.themilitia.org.uk
True, but Shout now has some decent range too. I'm undecided about the medicine pool atm, if i dont take it i can get hasten in and powerboost earlier, and it leaves me a free slot. I'll see how i go, i'll likely leave medicine to start with and spec into it if need be.
I am worried about gimping my ranged attack chain by skipping shriek but i want to see what my chain is like with a few more slots and SOs first.
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;
The old snows melt from every mountain-side,
And last year's leaves are smoke in every lane;
But last year's bitter loving must remain
~Edna St. Vincent Millay
Ok heres an alternative build, one a bit more for teamplay and lvling up prior to a pvp build. I miss not having AoEs, even if Howl isn't great. According to my planner it does better damage, recharges faster and uses less end than energy torrent, not to mention without the knockback and with a handy -res. My teammate has freezing rain so this combined with AIM & BU should help to drop mobs faster.
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Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
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Name: Sonic Widow
Level: 50
Archetype: Blaster
Primary: Sonic Blast
Secondary: Energy Manipulation
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01) --> Scream==> Acc(1)Acc(3)Dmg(3)Dmg(5)Dmg(5)Rechg(7)
01) --> Power Thrust==> Acc(1)Acc(7)
02) --> Shriek==> Acc(2)Acc(9)Dmg(9)Dmg(11)Dmg(11)Rechg(13)
04) --> Build Up==> Rechg(4)Rechg(13)Rechg(15)TH_Buf(43)
06) --> Combat Jumping==> Jump(6)
08) --> Shout==> Acc(8)Acc(15)Dmg(17)Dmg(17)Dmg(19)Rechg(19)
10) --> Bone Smasher==> Acc(10)Acc(21)Dmg(21)Dmg(23)Dmg(23)Rechg(25)
12) --> Amplify==> Rechg(12)Rechg(25)Rechg(27)TH_Buf(42)
14) --> Super Jump==> Jump(14)
16) --> Swift==> Run(16)
18) --> Hurdle==> Jump(18)
20) --> Stamina==> EndMod(20)EndMod(27)EndMod(29)
22) --> Siren's Song==> Acc(22)Acc(29)EndRdx(31)Rechg(50)
24) --> Howl==> Acc(24)Acc(34)Dmg(34)Dmg(37)Dmg(37)Rechg(46)
26) --> Screech==> Acc(26)Acc(31)DisDur(31)DisDur(33)Rechg(33)Rechg(33)
28) --> Power Boost==> Rechg(28)Rechg(46)Rechg(46)
30) --> Acrobatics==> EndRdx(30)EndRdx(40)
32) --> Dreadful Wail==> Dmg(32)Dmg(34)Dmg(36)Rechg(36)Rechg(36)Rechg(37)
35) --> Hasten==> Rechg(35)Rechg(43)Rechg(43)
38) --> Total Focus==> Acc(38)Acc(39)Dmg(39)Dmg(39)Dmg(40)Rechg(40)
41) --> Personal Force Field==> DefBuf(41)DefBuf(42)DefBuf(42)
44) --> Temp Invulnerability==> EndRdx(44)DmgRes(45)DmgRes(45)DmgRes(45)
47) --> Force of Nature==> Rechg(47)Rechg(48)Rechg(48)DmgRes(48)DmgRes(50)DmgRes(50)
49) --> Super Speed==> Run(49)
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01) --> Sprint==> Empty(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Empty(2)
01) --> Defiance==> Empty(1)
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I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;
The old snows melt from every mountain-side,
And last year's leaves are smoke in every lane;
But last year's bitter loving must remain
~Edna St. Vincent Millay
Pretty much my build, apart from I have Stimulant(much more appreciated by fellow squishies I feel)/Aid Self instead of Sirens Song/Howl. But mine is a pure PvP build.
And "oooooo" yeah, I've really noticed the difference of Shout since the range has increased. Very handy.
Ok guys plenty of stuff around about this combo but i thought i'd ask for some specific advice anyway. I just started one currently residing at lvl 11 and am having trouble fitting what i want into my build. I'd like to PvP with her at some point, most likely in the 30s when everything is nicely slotted and exemping into Sirens (only zone i PvP in really). Not looking for a pure PvP build at the moment, more of a PvE toon that can perform adequately in PvP when the mood takes me.
Planned build;
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Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
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Name: Sonic Widow
Level: 50
Archetype: Blaster
Primary: Sonic Blast
Secondary: Energy Manipulation
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Scream==> Acc(1)Acc(3)Dmg(3)Dmg(5)Dmg(5)Rechg(7)
01) --> Power Thrust==> Acc(1)Acc(7)
02) --> Shriek==> Acc(2)Acc(9)Dmg(9)Dmg(11)Dmg(11)Rechg(13)
04) --> Build Up==> Rechg(4)Rechg(13)Rechg(15)TH_Buf(43)TH_Buf(43)
06) --> Combat Jumping==> Jump(6)
08) --> Shout==> Acc(8)Acc(15)Dmg(17)Dmg(17)Dmg(19)Rechg(19)
10) --> Bone Smasher==> Acc(10)Acc(21)Dmg(21)Dmg(23)Dmg(23)Rechg(25)
12) --> Amplify==> Rechg(12)Rechg(25)Rechg(27)TH_Buf(42)TH_Buf(43)
14) --> Super Jump==> Jump(14)
16) --> Swift==> Run(16)
18) --> Hurdle==> Jump(18)
20) --> Stamina==> EndMod(20)EndMod(27)EndMod(29)
22) --> Siren's Song==> Acc(22)Acc(29)EndRdx(31)Rechg(50)
24) --> Aid Other==> Heal(24)
26) --> Screech==> Acc(26)Acc(31)DisDur(31)DisDur(33)Rechg(33)Rechg(33)
28) --> Aid Self==> Heal(28)Heal(34)IntRdx(34)IntRdx(37)Rechg(37)EndRdx(46)
30) --> Acrobatics==> EndRdx(30)EndRdx(40)
32) --> Dreadful Wail==> Dmg(32)Dmg(34)Dmg(36)Rechg(36)Rechg(36)Rechg(37)
35) --> Power Boost==> Rechg(35)Rechg(46)Rechg(46)
38) --> Total Focus==> Acc(38)Acc(39)Dmg(39)Dmg(39)Dmg(40)Rechg(40)
41) --> Personal Force Field==> DefBuf(41)DefBuf(42)DefBuf(42)
44) --> Temp Invulnerability==> EndRdx(44)DmgRes(45)DmgRes(45)DmgRes(45)
47) --> Force of Nature==> Rechg(47)Rechg(48)Rechg(48)DmgRes(48)DmgRes(50)DmgRes(50)
49) --> Resuscitate==> EndRdx(49)
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01) --> Sprint==> Empty(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Empty(2)
01) --> Defiance==> Empty(1)
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Right, a few questions;
1) Is 35 too late to leave powerboost? If i get it at 28 i would have to lose aid self or sirens (which i would see as essential to soloing effectively). The only thing i can see it being useful for in PvP would be screech, but then surely i wouldn't have to stun someone for long as i'd be wanting to drop them pretty fast after (plus all the stuns stacking)
2) how useful is aid self to a blaster in PvP considering even slotted well many things can still interrupt it? From what i've seen if someone gets the drop on a blaster they are pretty much finished aside from running away. They seem to rely more on picking out a single target, dropping them fast then getting out, not "scrapping" and trying to heal themselves.
3) ATM she has TERRIBLE end problems, moreso than any toon i can remember playing in a long time (though memorys of my fire/fire blaster at that lvl are distant). Will stamina solve this right off or is slotting for end in attacks essential?
4) I had to leave out hasten to get both aid self and powerboost in. Slotting for recharge in attacks and having quite a few of them i should have no problem chaining attacks. Thoughts?
Thanks in advance,
Kitty
P.S. Please no flames about my lack of PvP knowledge regarding blasters, it is purely based on observation as i never PvPed my fire/fire. I'd like advice without this turning into a topic about how i'm such a n00b for not knowing that someones blaster can single handedly tank for a full team in PvP, ta.
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;
The old snows melt from every mountain-side,
And last year's leaves are smoke in every lane;
But last year's bitter loving must remain
~Edna St. Vincent Millay