Good Blapping secondary to go with Radiation Blast?

So I noticed Radiation Blast has some pretty nifty animations and a PBAoE in it; the only other set to have a non-nuke PBAoE that I can think of that isn't Electricity Blast.

What would be a good secondary to pair with it for a melee-heavy/blapper playstyle?

Fire Manipulation for the raw damage and loads and loads of PBAoE?
Or Mental Manipulation for higher personal survivability from Drain Psyche, so I don't get instagibbed while I'm blapping away?
Something else entirely? Eager to hear recommendations from those of you more familiar with Blasters. I've barely ever touched blueside and I simply figured it's about time to try out another hero.



[Edit]: Also, how well would either combination (or a different one) solo?

[Edit2]: Neutrino Bolt or X-Ray Beam? Or do I grab both?

I went with Rad/Fire and couldn't be any happier. Mobs simply melt and most die too fast to be able to retaliate in any way, especially if there's a tank/scrapper on the team taking the initial alpha. However, there is a learning curve in figuring out when you need to duck out of the mob (because they're about to deal killing blows). You'll probably die a lot pre-mid 20s (what blaster doesn't), but once you're slotted with the good stuff, you'll own everything. Here's a video of one in action kicking freak-butt.

http://www.wegame.com/watch/Radiatio..._Manipulation/

Grab both Neutrino Bolt and X-Ray Beam, you will get mezzed and you want attacks that will work while mezzed.

A nice thing about Mental is the range on that immobilize you have to take. It has an 80ft range which is twice the distance of of all the other blaster immobs (which I feel is unfair) you also get an extra cone.

Don't count this as a vote for mental I'm just pointing out a couple nice benefits that mental has.

I love my Rad/Fire. You'll want some defense bonuses from IO sets though.

Fire and/or Mental may be more efficient, I am not a numbers guy... But I have mention that Electrical manipulation is a damn fine blapping secondary.
I only have experience with it as an Elec/Elec. And the symmetry between those two sets may be the difference, but I do know that the melee attacks in Electric are super on their own. Charged Brawl, Havoc Punch and Thunder Strike are quite enjoyable and efficient. Shocking Grasp is a nice damage plus hold at 35.
I'm used to having the Electric Primary's Short Circuit to combine with Power Sink... and Tesla Cage as further aiding my blap-trolling...
But yeah, I'm pretty sure people beyond us Elec/Elec fan boys think of the Electrical Secondary as a great blapping power set.

I don't think you can go wrong with any three of those choices though.

I'm always a concept sort of creator though. So, my main suggestion is going with which one you can picture

Oh, and yes... Blasters can fire the first two attacks in their Primary while held, so it can be a very good thing to have both. Short of that benefit and if you really only want to choose one, again, I'd say go with concept/coolness-factor. Do you want them to shoot from their eyes or hands? The recharge/damage/end ratio is basically the same (I think). So, go with what style suits you. Again, though, both is a very good answer!


Best of luck!

When Rad was ported over I rolled up a
Rad/Fire and tinted the fire powers the same green, so it was a concept of radiation causing plasma flames.

Feel in love with the concept but...

Just couldn't get into the feel of the combo.
Made it to 23 before moving on to my newest love.
I'm sure I'll come back to him from time to time, eventually stumbling on a great chain that makes me stick with him.

Still.
If I was redoing it, I'd probably go with Rad/MM.

If you want to blap, nothing beats out */Elec. Lightning Field gives you extra damage in a remarkably large radius and Power Sink offsets endurance cost woes (Lightning Field does slightly less damage than Blazing Aura but has a larger area than BA and doesn't scatter mobs like Hot Feet). You've also got Charged Brawl and Havoc Punch, which are the best melee attacks Blasters get. You're not going to get as much AoE as you would with */Fire, but, you really don't need it considering the 3 substantial AoEs that Rad is packing.

Conversely, you could always go with the "standard" blapper set: */Nrg. Power Boost isn't going to do you much, but Boost Range is going to make Electron Haze more effective and you still get 2 very heavy melee attacks. Another nice aspect is that you get more stuns to stack with Cosmic Burst for when you're soloing and fighting a boss. The biggest problem with this is that you're going to lose out on AoE damage.

I was actually considering skipping Electron Haze. I read somewhere on the boards that a Blaster with a melee-heavy playstyle doesn't really need it, plus I hate knockback if it's a % chance and not guaranteed.
Well, okay, that's a lie - I hate knockback in general.

It's a playstyle factor, but I like to put enemies in the slow cooker. Winning is nice but ego tripping is nicer. Rad/Ice would be my pairing.