Ok I think by this point I'm fairly set on a Fire/Fire Blaster, messing around with designs and looking at Mids. I think the sheer number of AOE's, while still having what appears to be pretty damn good single target damage is what sold me on it.
Would I be right in assuming all these AOE's combined can put out some incredible carnage? And am I right in assuming the slow effect from Hot Feet combined with the slow effect from RoF might be enough to keep enemies from running away as I slam them with brutal AOE after brutal AOE? Though I'm drawn to the Hover/Flier style of fighting, I can't deny that I also love being right in the thick of it all, especially knowing I'm capable of dealing that much damage.
Fire/Fire is incredibly carnage. All those AoEs do rock, but you'll probably find that getting 3 out of the 5 (Fire Ball, Combustion, RoF, FSC and Fire Breath) is sufficient.
Hot Feet and RoF might not work as you're hoping, particularly solo. Both make mobs scatter, although this can work as mitigation.
RoF has its detractors because the scatter is wide and you rarely get the full benefit of its 15 second DoT. In solo play, I use it only if I want the mob scattered (breaking up a tough mob) or if I'm convinced that I can kill everything before it scatters out of my AoE range. In teams, the trick is to wait for the tank to pull the mob in tight before using RoF.
But you'll still rarely get the full benefit of its 15s DOT.
In the case of HF, mobs tend to run away out of melee, pause, shoot you, then run a bit more, shoot, and then run right out of HF's range to give you more Ranged and AoE attacks. A Ranged softcapped build might get a lot of mileage out of HF in solo-play.
In team-play, the scatter is negligible as along as you wait for the tank to gather the mob before you jump in, but then it's questionable as to whether or not you'll derive enough benefit from HF's slight damage to make its end cost worthwhile. I find that I'm making that decision from mission to mission (am I making less attacks per mob with HF on?).
I find Fire Breath difficult to use, but most people love it. If you can make sure to hit 3+ targets, then it's an excellent power.
(Don't use hover with Fire Breath; IME, you consistently hit fewer people due to the downward angle even when trying to remain ground-level.)
Combustion is extremely slow and its end cost is too high. Its slowness can be a survival problem as much as a DPS problem. Being tied into a "regular" attack for 3 full seconds can be dangerous.
FSC is excellent. (Just be aware that its radius is half that of Hot Feet.)
Would I be right in assuming all these AOE's combined can put out some incredible carnage? And am I right in assuming the slow effect from Hot Feet combined with the slow effect from RoF might be enough to keep enemies from running away as I slam them with brutal AOE after brutal AOE? Though I'm drawn to the Hover/Flier style of fighting, I can't deny that I also love being right in the thick of it all, especially knowing I'm capable of dealing that much damage.
Hot Feet and RoF might not work as you're hoping, particularly solo. Both make mobs scatter, although this can work as mitigation.
RoF has its detractors because the scatter is wide and you rarely get the full benefit of its 15 second DoT. In solo play, I use it only if I want the mob scattered (breaking up a tough mob) or if I'm convinced that I can kill everything before it scatters out of my AoE range. In teams, the trick is to wait for the tank to pull the mob in tight before using RoF.
But you'll still rarely get the full benefit of its 15s DOT.
In the case of HF, mobs tend to run away out of melee, pause, shoot you, then run a bit more, shoot, and then run right out of HF's range to give you more Ranged and AoE attacks. A Ranged softcapped build might get a lot of mileage out of HF in solo-play.
In team-play, the scatter is negligible as along as you wait for the tank to gather the mob before you jump in, but then it's questionable as to whether or not you'll derive enough benefit from HF's slight damage to make its end cost worthwhile. I find that I'm making that decision from mission to mission (am I making less attacks per mob with HF on?).
I find Fire Breath difficult to use, but most people love it. If you can make sure to hit 3+ targets, then it's an excellent power.
(Don't use hover with Fire Breath; IME, you consistently hit fewer people due to the downward angle even when trying to remain ground-level.)
Combustion is extremely slow and its end cost is too high. Its slowness can be a survival problem as much as a DPS problem. Being tied into a "regular" attack for 3 full seconds can be dangerous.
FSC is excellent. (Just be aware that its radius is half that of Hot Feet.)
Fire Ball is pure love.
Enjoy it!