Blaster Issues - Sniping

Regarding Sniper fixes, I hope it goes to all ATs who have a snipe and not just Blasters. You haven't sniped until you've experienced a Stalker using a snipe

Snipers for Stalkers:
Mace Beam - 8sec cast
Zapp - 7.33sec cast
Moonbeam - 7.33sec cast

At the very least for Stalkers and Scrappers, please half the animation time so it's on par with other Sniper attacks, haha.

Ok for me this is an easy one:

1) Increase the base damage to the point where, with 3 Damage SOs and either Aim or Build Up you can 1-shot a Lt. I say aim or build up since sone sets don't have one of these and I wouldn't want those sets shut out.

2) Increase the base recharge time to something insane like 45 seconds or something. Enough to prevent sniping your way to 50 easily but not so much that you can't hit every other spawn or every spawn with good slotting.

3) Increase the base range for PCs only so that they at least equal enemy snipers. I once had a Snipe with a range IO in it and the Crey snipers STILL had more range than me. Plain wrong...

In a team Blasters would do what they do now: Damage. Solo they would use their niche, which is Damage, to counter Mezzing by taking out the enemies with a pre-emptive strike. Mezzing Bosses would still be a challenge as they should be.

I personally don't take snipes as they are now. Anyone who BU/AIMs before using a snipe is indeed wasting too much time of those buffs, compared to what could be accomplished with AoEs and a single target attack chain. Anyone who actually uses a snipe after combat has started is seriously wasting time. I like to think of things in tiers. There't the tier1, and tier2 blasts, usually at level1 and level2. Then most sets have a specific tier3 blast, with some sets like Dark Blast and Elec Blast being kindof oddball. The sniper SHOULD BECOME something we can all agree is the tier4 blast. Absolutely devastating and has the bonus of being much longer range, a power you WANT to use every time it's up like Blaze. But it should still be interruptable and have a recharge befitting of a similar brutal attack, like Seismic Smash. I think 30 seconds would be a good number, so that even godlike Min/Max builds with Ageless wouldn't be able to really make it part of their regular attack chain.

I wanted to like snipes when I started playing. So I used them in play and realized how godawful they really are. Now I am happy to have powers in sets that I can skip without thinking about it because there are pool powers I want to help with survivability. I wouldn't mind if snipes stopped being the instant skip powers that they are now, but I can't say I know what would get me to rethink the position. The only set I've settled on taking them is Beam Rifle because of the guarunteed spread effect, but even then the power sits unused a lot. The interupt is what ruins snipes for me, I think (I avoid the medicine pool for the same reason). I realize that's intrinsic to the role of a snipe but as long as that exists I can't see using the power in combat and as an opener/puller, I'll just use a single target attack that I can immediately follow up with something else instead of being rooted for 8 seconds.

I'd love the second to be true, but I think we can all agree the part about them misunderstanding how we utilize the power is far more likely

I find snipes useful on defenders and corrs because they are an extra attack. Getting that high damage extra attack at the start of a fight makes it much easier to finish the fight with a few cycles of the attack chain.

However, blasters have plenty of attacks so an extra attack is meaningless. A snipe therefore must have at least one of 3 effects: massive damage, a buff/debuff it triggers, or not aggro.

Massive damage is nice, take out an lt with one hit kind of damage. DPA does not matter if that is your opener. It is not good for extended fights but is nice for opening fights solo. Situational but useful.

Not aggroing has too many issues. You would need a long recharge so you can't just defeat a spawn with your non-aggroing attack. If it does not do a massive amount of damage as well, it is just a bit of extra damage to start a fight. It will still be skipped.

Buff/debuff can be almost anything so it is almost certainly the best option.
* use for range finding, gives a buff to range so you can follow up with other attacks at range
* use for 'marking' a foe so you get a bonus to hit and damage against that target. Makes it nice for taking out bosses potentially
* confuse effect since they don't know where the attack is coming from. Does not seem to fit thematically really
* massive damage buff ala the existing blaster buff per attack. Make it a mini-build up post attack

I've had a few ideas.

-AoE slow as the mob is "suppressed". Adds to the survivability and it keeps the idea that for a blaster, range is defence.
-Chance for instant defeat on mobs lt and lower. Use it for picking out the annoying enemies such as sappers etc.
-I like the idea of marking an enemy, especially if it could get one of those giant target signs over their head from TPN so others can focus fire.

I absolutely love Eldagores idea for snipes. Im going to add a few others into the mix and my own:

Four stage fix for snipes:
A: A damage buff to enable a basic SO slotted snipe to eradicate a minion or bring a lieut to 20-30%.
B: A range buff to the few attacks following after the snipe.
C: A secondary effect that usually generates no agro (the snipe itself still generates agro) (more on this below)
D: A weak AoE fear effect if the target is reduced to 0 Hp. (50% chance fear for even minions)

C cont:
This would be, as specified by Eldagore, unique to each set, my own ideas include:
Archery: Disorient. "Gotta pull the arrowhead out"
Assault rifle: 150% kb. (thus reliably KB bosses too) "Sniper! keep your head down!"
Dark blast: Extra strong fear effect. "It came from the darkness!!"
Electric: Static cage effect. "Zap!"
Energy: Extra damage to all within 6ft + knockdown. "Bkboom!"
Fire: Superior to the other sniper powers, but DoT. "Ow-Ow-Ow-Ow---dead"
Psionic lance v1: Less damage, better recharge, no interrupt, extra cast time, yes it wouldnt be a snipe anymore, just a semi-snipe.
or
Psionic lance v2: Mezmerize. "Zap! ZzzZZZzzzz"
Radiation blast: Make each bolt in the volley do incrementally more damage. "zap-Zap-ZAP"

For some types and situations 100% downing a minion would be the most beneficial, fx for the fear effect.
Others would prefer hitting a lieut, to cause a Mezz or to make him killable in a second attack, wasting buildup would actually become worth it to make the lieut one-shottable (thanks to the AoE fear effect accompanying a sniper-kill).
And yet others would prefer hitting the boss to layer on additional mezz and/or damage.

In effect this would enable each blaster powerset a new use for their snipe beyond just damage and make snipes a notable selling point for people to take Blasters. It is in my mind important that a snipe does not become a blaster version of Assassin strikes, the damage could be comparable, but it should never exceed the assassin strike.

Finally, it is my personal opinion that Snipes be removed from corruptor and defender powersets, in my mind it makes litle sense for combat-(support) and (near)total-support heroes to be given powers that require that they distance themselves from where they can do the most good. It would be cool to see them with Mezz's or build up's that improve heals/buffs instead.


My own opinion is that the Blaster archetype itself is not underperforming, but a number powers within the archetype that are. When i browse the powersets available to them I see a definite lack of the all-consuming/all-tanking/all-buffing powers that are made available to other archetypes, usually within their secondary sets.

If we compare some secondary Blaster sets to the sets Corruptors gain access to or Scrappers I see a strange effect happen:

Early blaster secondaries invariably include melee attacks and single target immobilises which are rarely useful later and never absolutely neccessary.
As opposed to early scrapper tank powers and Corruptor heals/debuffs which usually remain core powers throughout the game.
Many blasters see lots of skipped powers in this area.

Mid level blaster secondaries include lots of actually beneficiary powers. Build up, Targeting drone and Ice patch come to mind. Powers that help the primary damage dealer in the game actually deal damage and/or escape reprisal.

Late level blasters have lots of secondary powers that are simply ignored, even the penultimate and ultimate powers within sets are quite often only "arguably useful"
Power such as Time bomb & Gun drone, Power boost & Range Boost, Hot feet and more.
Even the powers which ARE useful at this stage pale in comparison to a corruptor's, Fallout, Fulcrum shift or a Chrono shift. I'd take a character with speedboost over a character with Gun drone anytime!

In other words, many secondary blaster powersets have a bad transition from earlygame to lategame, and many lategame secondary powers deliver disappointing results.

Not to mention that Blasters could use a slight (4-8%) increase in overall damage.

p.s

I am aware that many dont agree with my point on early melee blaster powers and immobilises becoming useless, but the way I think of it:
Many have fond memories of targetted immobilises saving their *** in pre-20 solo combat, but after that most enemy groups tend to mount fearsome ranged firepower of their own, and at later levels time is better spent casting something that does more damage. Not to mention that it is really difficult to properly deal out immobilises in full teamfights+proper trollers do it MUCH better.
The melee powers add a litle damage to your build, but isnt melee a really really bad place for a squishy character like a blaster to stay for long? Especially lategame where you're bound to take lots of AoE damage no matter how good your tank is, many TF AV's two-shot Blaster types with just their AoE bursts. Aside from the downsides im just as big a fan of Ice/Fire swords as anyone!