Should I be horribly regretting this?

I have an energy/devices blaster. I've been having fun, but sometimes people tell me devices is suboptimal. Is there something else I should have taken instead that would have had way better synergy?

Play what you enjoy.

If other people think it's "subpar", tell 'em to sod off.

The main reason people say Devices is suboptimal is that it is very much an odd man out among blaster secondaries.

Most blaster secondaries get a mix of ways to actively defend their squishy internal organs, potent click self-buffs, and ways to murder mobs' faces off.

Devices gets a bunch of quirky utility powers, the benefits of some of which can be replicated or near-replicated by other means.

Many people also find Gun Drone lackluster and while you can create uses for Time Bomb as a whole it is frankly horrible compared to...almost anything else.

As for regret: that's your call, not theirs.

It's a game.
If the character you're playing is fun for you, then - you're doing it right.

Additionally, "suboptimal" is a slippery slope word, because ALL toons qualify,
in some area (PvP, Control, ST damage, AoE damage, AV/GM hunting, etc.)
and different players will disagree on it - hence all the "build advice" threads
that abound on the boards.

No character does it ALL. Few players agree on what Optimal even is.

Compounding that, is player interest, playstyle and skill... In that case, even
an "optimized" toon can under-perform in the hands of a player who's not
interested in the tasks the toon was built-for... An obvious example might
be: Give an optimized PvP toon to a non-pvp'er and I'm pretty sure they
will still do poorly in that area.

To re-iterate: Play what you enjoy.


Regards,
4

My experience with Devices is that it is good as a soloing secondary but once you start grouping looses its viability due to how fast groups do missions/TFs. Soloing it is the perfet trap/ambush secondary, particularly with a pool power like teleport. Drop a bunch of Trip Mines in a tight cluster with a Caltrap on top then teleport your target right on top of it and watch him go boom. If you try to port a boss and he resists (you used to have a chance to teleport bosses not sure if you still do), it is likely that he will reach the trap due to initial aggro first anyways so you get to alpha strike the boss anyways. The thing is the Trip Mine trap takes time and most teams will never give you the time to lay the whole trap out. Other than that Cloaking Device along with SS allows you to stealth your way through missions, which is nice when you just want to get to the objective and be done with it.

Target Drone seems to only have pvp uses now as it adds to your perception and allows you to spot stealthed targets easier. Not sure if it still applies but stacking Target Drone and Tactics used to allow you to see Stalkers pretty easily, but it has been awhile since I played the game (just got back into it), and not sure if it still does.

My Device blaster is Ice which may be a better mix with Dev in that you get really good single target damage and cc in the primary already, so the secondary is just icing on the cake. I deleted the energy blaster I had made so not sure the synergy between the two sets. I do know that energy is probably the least group friendly primary due to the knockback (tanks will hate you unless you hover blast mobs). So in general you probably have a good soloing toon if you like to take things a bit slower but it wont be group friendly.

Actually, Targeting Drone has such a substantial +ToHit bonus, */Devices Blasters can get away with slotting less Accuracy than other Blasters, freeing up a slot for something else, like Recharge or Endurance Reduction. It's not a "Wow!" like Build-Up, but it's a constant advantage.

Caltrops, Taser, Gun Drone, and even Smoke Grenade have uses on groups.

I may just stick with it then. I do love caltrops, and the tohit buff from targeting drone is pretty noticeable also.

Being suboptimal in terms of something is something all characters have to endure.

In general I'd say go with what is fun. However, you won't be very popular on teams with that combination. The sets have the least synergy of any combination, your knockbacks will likely annoying your team mates especially since you will also lack killing power with that combo.

As far as "popular on teams": I was on three TFs today [ran two, participated in one that someone else ran].

Two were "whoever wants to come is welcome" and they did GREAT. The other one was all about carefully picking powersets and ... it was fast, which was their goal. There was an impressive and totally unnecessary player body count, though. I was a FORCE FIELDER, and people were dying.

People who pick their teammates' power sets very carefully probably don't play very well.

I can give you reasons why I don't like Devices and why I prefer anything else. But that's getting really close to being the "Stop having fun!"
guy.

I agree with everyone, play with what you like.

I have spent so much time trying out, and wanting to like sets that are more efficient than my Energy/Energy blaster. In the end, even though he is not really optimal in any situation, he is who I play, because I like him the best.

I have a 50 Arch/Dev. I like him ok, though its the Archery I tend to like least about it. Devices is nice for soloing and is a deliberate play style. If its for you, dont worry about what others say. On a team most wont even notice what secondary you have as a blaster. They will be cussing your KB. Just kidding, kinda.

Good luck with it.

There's a bit of a misconception that blasters are meant to be only about damage whereas there are degrees of damage, control, and even an element of melee involved. A blaster is arguably the closest thing you'll get to "jack of all trades" in this game - so it really depends on how you like /dev.

I've never worried about what other people think is "optimum." I often enjoy quirky builds so if it's good for you and it's fun to play then great. If you feel it's lacking, roll something else. I've only limited experience of Devices but it seemed to me it had a lot of value especially if you like soloing and can give you a big edge when taking down big groups and winnowing the wheat from the chaff so to speak.

"You got to dig it to dig it, you dig?"
Thelonious Monk

My favorite guy, my main, my first 50... is an Energy/Devices Blaster. The (former) friend who introduced me to the game warned me that I chose a "broken" build.

I punch holes in AV's without a problem. I solo'ed an EB level Lord Nemesis (No IO's at the time). When I'm in a team, I'm a some sort of "support Blaster", as my controller-y secondary powers tend to make a real difference when tactfully applied.

I don't do the most damage, but I always hit my target. I knock stragglers back into the main cluster of baddies, and AoE debuffs. When I solo, hard-hitters have to run a horrible gauntlet of caltrops, bombs, and gunfire before they finally get to me. Then I just knock them back into my keenly prepared Corridor of Ordeals, and they have to make that terrible journey once again.

Embrace your Energy/Devices.

If you've played a few different sets and decided that you like Devices, that's awesome go for it. However, if you haven't tried other things, you'll want to give them a shot. Liking Devices isn't a bad thing, it's just weird.

Meh, like others I will echo the sentiment that the meaning of "optimal" is more about what is fun for you, as a player, and not what's gonna get you the best numbers. There are way too many variables in what is or is not optimal. A lot of it depends on your play style--not only as a player, but how you intend to use that character.

For example, I am really bad at knockback management. For that reason, if I am creating a character that I intend to use primarily in teams, I will avoid powers which do knockback (take Blackwand instead of Nemesis Staff, avoid energy blasters and bot MMs, etc). For any of the various melee ATs, me playing ANY Energy Blaster is definitely sub-optimal when they team with me. Other folks are great at making sure their knockback helps rather than hinders the team by carefully positioning themselves in relation to their target to ensure they don't knock them into another group of foes or knock the Tank's target away from him/her.

On the other hand, if I am creating a character to solo with, gimme that Bots MM with a secondary that includes some sort of AoE heal so I can keep both my pets and myself alive. In that case, as long as the bots' knockback is keeping stuff away from my squishy self, then I am happy and it is an optimal experience.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frosty_Femme I said "ur" which is not a word. It's a sound dumb people make when you ask them to spell out "you are".