Since the cast time changes and defiant changes I think its daft not to have flares.
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
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Since the cast time changes and defiant changes I think its daft not to have flares.
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/e slap
Low damage = pah. Its good for low levels leveling.
At higher levels 80% of blasters spec it out.
Bad Hidden! No slapping Shannon when she's talking sense.
Given the way Defiance works Flares is very useful in building and keeping a healthy damage buff. It's fast, cheap, and thanks to Defiance it can do near-respectable damage for a tier 1.
For an AT where rate of fire is rewarded Flares isn't a power to ignore.
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Since the cast time changes and defiant changes I think its daft not to have flares.
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/e slap
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LOL
/em CATFIGHT! 
Didnt they change the range on this as well to 80ft?
Sometimes I don't talk sense because I am trying to talk in code. You have to turn what I say on its head. Then at other times I have one thing confused with another. Sometimes it all depends on peoples perspective and intent; but most of the time I have been drinking.
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
Well i still hate it... *walks off in a paddy*
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Since the cast time changes and defiant changes I think its daft not to have flares.
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/e slap
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LOL
/em CATFIGHT!
Didnt they change the range on this as well to 80ft?
Sometimes I don't talk sense because I am trying to talk in code. You have to turn what I say on its head. Then at other times I have one thing confused with another. Sometimes it all depends on peoples perspective and intent; but most of the time I have been drinking.
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I can see why...
@Sweet Chilli
Personally I still don't rate Flares particularly highly. At low levels while you've few attacks? Sure, but at higher levels it gets rarely if ever used. If you've a secondary that has a ranged tier #1 with a damage component (Fire, Elec or Ice) it's better to pair that with Fire Blast than Flares when you're mezzed.
On my own Fire/Ice, when I get mezzed I can spam Fire Blast and Chillblain continuously. When I'm not mezzed I'm laying down multiple fire AoEs of DOOM or unleashing a fairly powerful ST chain. Flares would drop my DPS.
News Flash: Flares does the same damage as Fireblast without Fireblasts 80% chance to do some DoT.
That makes it very nice in my opinion, and a great boon to all who can take it, whatever the AT. The Changes in Animation and Range have greatly improved this power.
Actually Fireblast is more than 10% higher "burst damage" than Flares. And considering the DoT is an 80% chance to inflict the equivilant of a further 50% of Flare's damage, that puts Fire Blast way ahead.
Flares is the worst ST damage-per-activation-time attack in the Fire set (even Fireball beats it). It's not a BAD attack, certainly, but if you were thinking of dropping any attacks, Flares would be number one on the list.
As it is, Flares is considerably weaker than every other attack my Fire/Ice Blaster possesses. Chillblain is better damage and inflicts Immobilisation, plus Slow/Recharge debuffs. Fireblast recharges in less than 1.7 seconds and does far higher damage. Fireball is higher damage than Flares and is a wide radius AoE. Even Char from the Epic pool has higher burst damage than Flares and is a long-duration Hold to boot.
So no thanks, taking Flares on my Fire/Ice would be pointless as (due mostly to the fast base recharge of Fire Blast) there is no conceivable situation where his using Flares would be superior to using another power.
However, if I was a lower level (no access to damaging powers from my Epic pool) and had a different secondary (Say, Devices, whch has no ranged damage attacks) then I could see there being some use for taking Flares- to fill in for a "secondary long range blast" whenever Fire Blast and Fire Ball are both recharging.
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Since the cast time changes and defiant changes I think its daft not to have flares.
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/e slap
[/ QUOTE ]
LOL
/em CATFIGHT!
Didnt they change the range on this as well to 80ft?
Sometimes I don't talk sense because I am trying to talk in code. You have to turn what I say on its head. Then at other times I have one thing confused with another. Sometimes it all depends on peoples perspective and intent; but most of the time I have been drinking.
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I can see why...
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Do tell.
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Flares is the worst ST damage-per-activation-time attack in the Fire set (even Fireball beats it). It's not a BAD attack, certainly, but if you were thinking of dropping any attacks, Flares would be number one on the list.
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Cast times are one thing. Recharge times are another. Economic Damage per Endurance is another. List goes on. Doing the best thing for the situation is why there are nigh almost no attacks that don't have a place somewhere in the game. I find it funny as it seems to me that particular past "must not takes", "they are useless" and so never got looked by knee jerk believers, can be turned into must haves for some situations for which there is no comparison and nah I am not talking about perma frost or temp protection . In dropping powers later however I haven't thought about that one. I'd let experience and intent decide.
Title of the post is "Flares for levelling" but alongside the new cast time, defiance, the -rechg circumstances, then economic damage per end on a single target and range I'd get it and keep it for now until experience and intent decide otherwise.
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
Awwww.....Get a life Maelwys, you must be like many on these forums, less play, more talk and un play like numbers and as you must never take the power and slot it properly, like those who coment on other powersets and powers and have nothing constructive to say about it.
Stop posting, Start playing.....Have fun 
My experiences of forumites are slightly more extensive than these forums.
Some people come here to help people, roleplay, show off their creations, keep the chat about in game stuff and its development.
Some just like to make themselves "known", "gloat", "pass judgement on people" well you get the picture.
So Maelwys is good to know!(here to help people).
I will take it that Maelwys is one of the min/maxxers on the forums in which case Sonic/Sonic defender build pls!
I will be doing the TF race over the easter weekend!! 
Team Solid and Defiant ftw!
Sorry for the derail.
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Awwww.....Get a life Maelwys, you must be like many on these forums, less play, more talk and un play like numbers and as you must never take the power and slot it properly, like those who coment on other powersets and powers and have nothing constructive to say about it.
Stop posting, Start playing.....Have fun
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I do have fun... and part of it's when I'm on the forums!
Not Playing the game?!? The Fire/Ice Blaster I mentioned hit level 49 on Monday night (During a LGTF team, I wasn't online at all last night), was Fully IO'ed when he hit level 47 and will be my ninth level 50 since I started playing in Jan '06 (My first toon was deleted and rerolled in April '06, so technically I've been playing my currently available toons for a little under 2 years, and I don't powerlevel. When levelling I'll solo, PUG and occasionally run on SG/Coalition teams... these days I tend to be exemping down for TFs a lot too).
Don't confuse my like of arguing niggling little numbers with a dislike of playing the game! I've actually been thinking of cutting back on my gaming time lately to give me more RL free time...
Also, when I post after 8am and before 6pm I'm in work and can't play anyway. More's the pity... I'm tied to a desk for a good bit of the day and reading these forums (amongst others) keeps me somewhat sane... 
Oh, and cheers Kokuryu... I try to make a point of not trading insults (although I think I've done my fair share of gloating/bragging from time to time when I've beaten a TF ot two...) but I do have an insatiable urge to correct people when they post wrong figures or misinformation about game mechanics...
I've not got a Sonic/Sonic build handy right at the moment, but I've got a Sonic/Elec one somewhere that I can tweak so I'll put one together when I get into work and have a free minute or two.
[Edit: Have PM'ed you a few sample builds now, I won't stick them here as they're too far Off-Topic]
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Awwww.....Get a life Maelwys, you must be like many on these forums, less play, more talk and un play like numbers
[/ QUOTE ]In case you didn't know, the game is, in it's core, just a lot of numbers
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Awwww.....Get a life Maelwys, you must be like many on these forums, less play, more talk and un play like numbers
[/ QUOTE ]In case you didn't know, the game is, in it's core, just a lot of numbers
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You didn't take the "like many on these forums" bit personally there, did you MaX?
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Awwww.....Get a life Maelwys, you must be like many on these forums, less play, more talk and un play like numbers
[/ QUOTE ]In case you didn't know, the game is, in it's core, just a lot of numbers
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You didn't take the "like many on these forums" bit personally there, did you MaX?
[/ QUOTE ]Just geting a bit tired of the "Stop posting and go play the game" non-argument
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Awwww.....Get a life Maelwys, you must be like many on these forums, less play, more talk and un play like numbers
[/ QUOTE ]In case you didn't know, the game is, in it's core, just a lot of numbers
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You didn't take the "like many on these forums" bit personally there, did you MaX?
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I think he did
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Awwww.....Get a life Maelwys, you must be like many on these forums, less play, more talk and un play like numbers
[/ QUOTE ]In case you didn't know, the game is, in it's core, just a lot of numbers
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You didn't take the "like many on these forums" bit personally there, did you MaX?
[/ QUOTE ]Just geting a bit tired of the "Stop posting and go play the game" non-argument
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Stop posting and studdy for your exams MaX.
That a better one?
"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!"
I almost get tot the point of posting numbers sometimes, not just numbers from web sites but the numbers created from them. Then on proof reading it looks as nerdy as hell. Also holding back information also allows people to have something to discover for themselves, so yes a bad thing and no not a bad thing. I find though no matter how many times you proof read something thinking that someone will understand your meaning they don't. I guess it comes down to peoples perceptions.
I will quote this:
There are two kinds of knowing, the one that's legitimate and the other bastard. The bastard knowledge is concerned with the perception through the senses, therefore it is insufficient and subjective.
Why do I quote that?
Because I think thats why some people Min/Max.
When min/maxxing you can by chance come across things that only become extremely useful in certain situations (no joke) and it could be something your doing or able to do (you won't always do it) that isn't common. This then separates you from everyone else and you like your individuality. The best you can do is hint, try to be cryptic, or take people 80% of the way to your full advice so that other people might achieve it by going the rest of the way themselves just to be sure that it isn't some numb nut.
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
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The Fire/Ice Blaster I mentioned hit level 49 on Monday night (During a LGTF team, I wasn't online at all last night), was Fully IO'ed when he hit level 47 and will be my ninth level 50 since I started playing in Jan '06 (My first toon was deleted and rerolled in April '06, so technically I've been playing my currently available toons for a little under 2 years, and I don't powerlevel.
I've actually been thinking of cutting back on my gaming time lately to give me more RL free time...
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9 Level 50s is two years without PLing. i think it's about high time you DID start paying a little bit of attention to Real Life.
Just so it does not come as a culture shock or so you don't look like a fool when talking to poeple.
Billie Piper is no longer in Dr Who.
There has been a spin off series of Dr Who.
There has been a second Fantastic Four movie (Dire)
There has ben a 3rd Spiderman Movie.(Also dire)
LOST is no in Season 4
and biggest shock of all. Dumbledore was [censored].
There ya go, you are safe to go out in public now.
(Don't worry, this is just a service we provide to the needy )
Well it just tells me he needs to pull his finger out.
Yes I have all the Harry Potters stuff!!
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
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9 Level 50s is two years without PLing. i think it's about high time you DID start paying a little bit of attention to Real Life.
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Let me get this straight, we've gone from "Mael just posts on the forums and never plays the game" to "Mael is a hermit and never leaves the house because he's too busy playing CoH" in the space of half a page??!?
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Just so it does not come as a culture shock or so you don't look like a fool when talking to poeple.
Billie Piper is no longer in Dr Who.
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o.O Good thing she's still got her hubby Chris Evans' shoulder to cry on then...
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There has been a spin off series of Dr Who.
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Come on, even *I* remember the wonderous viewing experiences of "K9"!
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There has been a second Fantastic Four movie (Dire)
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There was a first one? Was it as bad as Hulk or as good as Daredevil? o.O
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There has ben a 3rd Spiderman Movie.(Also dire)
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I stopped watching those after they butchered Doc Oc's character backstory...
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LOST is no in Season 4
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No-one cares. Lost: Season 50: "Still on that bl**dy island."
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and biggest shock of all. Dumbledore was [censored]
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THAT's meant to be a shock in a world of magic, imps and Ginger teenagers? Did that silly writer bint finally kill off Harry Potter yet? I swear he's worse than Wesley Crusher...
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There ya go, you are safe to go out in public now.
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I'm afraid it'll likely take more than that to prepare the general populace for my reintroduction into society. Like fallout shelters. I wonder if Positron has a spare containment suit he can lend me..?
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(Don't worry, this is just a service we provide to the needy )
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Like GG's free wings? 
You FIENDS!
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Well it just tells me he needs to pull his finger out.
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Pull my finger out of WHERE exactly?
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Yes I have all the Harry Potters stuff!!
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Methinks Shannon is the one that "needs to get out more"...
Actually the LOST statement aint true
So, im going to level up a fire/em blaster, im just wondering if its worth to pick up flares when leveling due to the new fast animation. Im thinking something like this when leveling up, comment please
Level 1: Flares, power thrust
Level 2: Fire blast
level 4: Fire ball
Level 6: Build up
Level 8: Hasten
Level 10: Bone smasher
Level 12: Swift
Level 14: super speed
Level 16: Health
Levl 18: Blaze
Level 20: stamina
Level 22: aim
Level 24: Fire breath
Level 26: blazing bolt
this is not all the way to level 50, just wanted comments if i've picked the right powers at the right level etc.