New to Blasters: Explain what a 'Blapper' is

Hey all... I'm usually a Brute/Scrapper player, but I keep wanting to try something new. Each time I try out a blaster, I end up dropping it because I'm not enjoying ranged attacks.



So I come to you guys, and ask: Just what IS a blapper, and how do you go about making one?

A blapper is a blaster that makes a point of taking a secondary with good melee attacks and using them as much as possible. As far as making a blapper, basically just choose a melee-oriented secondary (/elec, /nrg, /fire (although that's more melee AoE...)) and go to town. A primary whose AoEs are primarily radial instead of cones helps, since it makes them easier to use in melee.

Now, actually *surviving* said lifestyle takes a mite more finesse... I'll let those a bit more experienced with blappers talk about that.

"Blapper" is a pormanteau of 'Blaster' and 'Scrapper' - ie, a Blaster pretending, as Muon basically said, to be a Scrapper.

Agree with above.

So that being said, what are good blapper primaries and secondaries to try out. For primary, I would go energy as they have some great short range attacks or fire (blaze and fireball). For secondary, I would go energy, electric or fire. I have a fire/fire/fire blaster in which I chose some primary/secondary attacks that are great for blapping (hot feet, blazing aura, fire sword circle, combustion - lots of PBAOE), but she has a lot of IOs for defense. Between the defense and how fast I kill things, I could argue I am an effective blapper. Unlike a "pure blapper", I have snipe for STF and a lots of range attacks as well. I found myself blapping by accident more or less. As a concept tune, I wanted to make my character appear of pure fire, so with costume aura, blazing aura, fire shield, hot feet, I look pretty damn fiery.

If I go on a farm with a fire/kin, the fulcrum shifted version of me tends to upset some fire/kins as I kill the mob before they hit can replenish their end with trans.

Fire/fire or fire/nrg or fire/elec or can give a great blapping experience without feeling limited to only blapping. Want to try a pure blapper, then go nrg/nrg or nrg/elec IMHO.

Cheers

As already mentioned, "Blapper" is a blaster playing as a scrapper. The secondary power sets of some blasters includes really strong melee attacks, mainly /elec and /nrg. The idea is to use these attacks as the heavy hitters, and it is extra fun since you have to be in melee to do it

I would say the elec/elec combo is most tuned to being a blapper. Electric primary does not have as much range dmg as most other blasters, but /elec has huge melee. Electric primary does have endurance drain, which can prevent you enemies from using any attacks against you, or perhaps just their default attack.

So a classic "blapping" session is:
1) hit the mobs with Short Circuit, and then Power Sink
2) mobs are now drained, standing around dumbfounded.
3) you can now wail away on them using melee attacks in comparative safety.

Blapping is going to involve more danger, and requires more movement and quick decisions, than just standing in the back using range attacks.

The other classic "safe" blapper is sonic/energy.

1) sleep group.
2) stun something.
3) blap that something into submission.
4) return to 2 until nothing is left.

If done correctly, you will only get attacked when sleep misses something (or bosses, in which case you can stack stuns to disable them).

Although I will admit I enjoy electric melee blappers more. More style.

Also consider taking Air Superiority. Some enemies are hard to mezz, but may be weaker to knockdown.

I softcap my S/L then stealth into a mob for max drain psyche area, build up+aim+drain psyche, then start spamming irradiate and psychic shockwave as fast as I can.

"With great moustache comes great responsibility" - Zee Captain

Op may want to consider something like a human only form Peacebringer: Shields that don't drop when mezzed, some big melee attacks, some ranged to fill out your chain or for runners, self heals and some controlls.
What's not to like?

Ice / Energy is a good "safe" Blapper build. You get very good single target damage plus two holds and multiple stuns. And remember, just because you're a Blapper doesn't mean you should never use ranged attacks... you just don't focus on them. If you have an insanely high DPA ranged attack like Blaze or Bitter Ice Blast, you darn well want to use it.

/Electric is the highest damage melee secondary, but /Energy is safer and still good damage. Which one to pick depends on what you value more, damage or staying alive. As for primaries, Fire is the highest damage, Ice is the safest, and Electric is great if paired with /Electric for endurance drain. /Fire has great AoE but it's not really a conventional Blapper set as such.

Of course, Fire / Fire Blasters can wipe out whole spawns faster than pretty much anything else in the game (including SS / Shield Brutes)... they just die really easily. It's not so much Blapping as unleashing pure AoE destruction... Build Up + Fire Breath + Fireball + Fire Sword Circle, then follow up with Blaze and Fire Sword on anything left standing. You'll either flatten the whole spawn in seconds or eat pavement. And hey, if you play a Blaster long enough you'll definitely get used to the taste of pavement...

Fire/Fire/Flame Blapper

Solo

So it's time to explain myself.

I've got a concept that I've been wanting to make for a year now, a two-fisted pulp age hero, dual wielding pistols. Well, duh... everyone has an idea for their DP, right?


I'm just lost on how you make a blaster that can survive in melee, thus my questioning on how to make one.

Sadly I won't know more until I preorder GR and get access to it in...what, 2 months or so? That should be enough time to figure out what to do.

*points to the Energy/Energy guide in his sig*

My Blaster i a hybrid of sorts, much more single-target when it comes to blapping and blasting, but that's on purpose. On a team it's hard to be the AoE master with Energy/Energy due to all the knockback. However, knocking a few targets back and Slapping them with your hard-hitting Melee attacks and watching bosses get stunned makes life very tasty. Once you get the boss stunned you can clean up as you see fit, considering the biggest threat now cant fight back. If you wanna try a more single-target brawler than fire/fire, this is the next best step.

Rad/Energy is a decent option for Blapping in this style too. That is, if your not man enough to learn how to control your own knockback.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BackAlleyBrawler you *******!!!!

I'm working on a very weird Ice/Electric blapper at the moment.

It involves Lightning Field, Power Sink, Ice Storm, among other things.

Chance to Heal procs in 4 different attacks (Entropic Chaos in my T1 and T2 blasts, Call of the Sandman in my fast activating blaps, Electric's blaps can slot sleep sets) Maybe a Chance for Placate in Charged Brawl.

Also decent to good defense to smashing/lethal and ranged (which covers the majority of the attacks you will encounter often)

It's going to be a very strange "What were you THINKING?!" build, but it has potential to be very fun.

If I might be so bold as to recommend a Ice/Ice, not for its spectacular Melee (Its melee is only meh) but because between the melee and the sick controls, you get the unique experience of freezing somebody in a block of ice, then waltzing up to them and polishing them off with a big old ice sword.

The lack of AOE is a pain, but hey, Ice Storm gives you the Slow effect, which is really nice.

Though obviously this is not a pure Blapper, it does become both easy and fun to get up close and personal with enemies, or at least I've always found it to be so.

Good against groups, but don't try it against anything that cons higher than you, you'll get nommed.

Blapping with Dual Pistols

im working on a rad/ice right now an i spend a lot of time dead since he is only lvl 20 an i had to get stamina . this is my first try at a "blapper" I dont understand how this works either . Is it the life of the blapper to faceplant atleast 3 times per mish ?