Blasters suck, the movie.

I was thinking again about my dominator again and a few serious questions since again I don't play a blaster.

How much of your survivability is drain pysche and how much is defense? I assume your running capped ranged and or sl.

What I mean is, on my dominator I control, jump in, sleet, drain. It's very safe.

For a blaster I don't imagine you get that benefit and still have a chance of being alpha'ed to death. I guess my point is, have you tried mental without softcapped defenses? Is mental really that good or does it just benefit really well from io's, kind of like fire armor, willpower, dark, etc?


I know one of the things that can frustrate my controller/dominator are spread out pulls. I was just imagining a blaster trying to jump into a pull, waiting for it to gather into dp short range and getting toasted right as it goes off.

Against a single target, Drain Psyche is making up a very minor part of my survivability- Its primary use in a 1v1 GM scenario is regen debuff. I have softcapped s/l defense layered with ~50% s/l resistance (and other stuff that's not relevant to this case as the GM in question is purely smashing damage.) Drain Psyche is only a large credit to survivability when at the target cap, where I'll regenerate 112 Hp per second. Against a ST it helps but not nearly as much as my layered def/res does.
Against more exotic damage the +regen is definitely noticeable. I also play my Blaster purely in melee range, and I am a small purple to the softcap to melee defense- I have ~35% energy resistance also, so that is helping me against the third most common damage type in the game. It's also worth noting that I have mitigation from the AOE stun secondary effect in Psychic Shockwave, the confuse (plus contagious confusion proc) in WoC, which I take full advantage of, and if I want it, the KB from Explosive Arrow (otherwise I lock down my targets with E-Fences to cluster for AOE and negate KB.)

Fences, Drain Psyche, Ion Judgement and my Polar Light Lore pets all do -end or -recovery, not that I use the Lore pets outside of I-Trials, but that's all available to me as a form of mitigation also.

A Hover/Fly and a Hover/Afterburner bind help me out with that a lot of the time, whether for positioning myself appropriately in the spawn at a rapid pace and then reclaiming my hover defense- I have even higher defenses with AB active so I can use that as a pseudotactic (via flying around real quick, pulling enemies to directly below me with AB active, flying up high, and then hovering down for DP once they're sufficiently clustered) or if I *need* to, or more often than not I think it'll be fun, though it doesn't happen often. If spawns aren't aranged properly, a single ranged blast with Explosive Arrow can often push enough together to saturate DP efficiently, or a corner pull usually via Snap Shot will draw enough enemy attention to you that you can manipulate their position via clever pulling to optimize self buffs.

There are many plausible tactics to use, my personal favorite is locating the largest pre-formed cluster in the room, buffing on it, and going to town on everything as quickly as possible. This stems from my Warshade being my main and being very used to optimizing self buffs based on enemies surrounding you- My Warshade is obviously better at surviving the burst damage, but my Blaster melts the spawns so fast that he's just as enjoyable to play.

Well that's not necessarily true. Psychic Shockwave is a great AOE attack, and provides a chance for AOE stun. World of Confusion on top of that means a good chance for very decent soft control against even level enemies. Mind Probe is a fast animating and good damage single target attack. Concentration is a second +tohit and +damage buff to be alternated with a similar power from your primary if you have one, and invaluable tool if you don't. Telekinetic Thrust is noteworthy for soft control during the level up process and a Kinetic Combat mule for end game purposes, plus it can be very useful at points during end game content such as the Minds of Mayhem trial.
And why do you feel that way? It gives Blasters a very logical single power boost to survivability, which is useful to its max potential only under ideal circumstances (similar to Soul Drain, Eclipse, Sunless Mire) so as to avoid overpowering. Conditional limitations are relevant. The -regen debuff serves a purpose of amplifying the single target damage of an AT who inherently sacrifices survivability for damage output via their design- I see nothing overpowered about that.

Like I've mentioned already, giving Devices a couple of Traps powers or a hybrid of two (Triage Beacon, only affecting self, and Acid Trap) already bridges the gap to making Devices competitive with /Mental, plus it already gets a self +Defense power, something /Mental does not have. The lack of mobility on the traps is just as much a balancing limitation as the target cap requirement for full benefit from Drain Psyche. I'm sure there are equally plausible solutions for other sets.
Like I already went over, your initial statement is not true. I picked and use about as many primary powers on my Blaster as I picked and use /Mental powers. I already went over one example in my last paragraph about a possible carry-over for one powerset, but as for fire: I would say that Healing Flames and Fiery Embrace would be fair enough, or at least a step in the right direction. Once again, it'll be situational, but the presence of a self heal plus the right amount of outside damage buffs (Fulcrum Shift for example) and Fiery Embrace on top of it would be a whole WORLD of ridiculously epic Blaster damage. There are ways to balance sets around /Mental's performance standard without replicating the exact effects
What you have to consider is the small radius of Drain Psyche, the fact that it is not inherently anywhere close to permanent, and the fact that it requires a tohit check. It is no more overpowered than Eclipse is on a Warshade- Every GM my Blaster can solo is equal to every wave of 54x8 Psionic or Toxic damge that my Warshade can live to tell about, as a personal example. Balance does not equate being able to do the exact same things. For Drain Psyche to achieve the results I achieve with it requires very careful play, and very high end build planning.
I feel that the nature of Blasters being damage king as per their description dignifies some special treatment in terms of powers that help boost damage output- Melee AT's already have access to some of the best +dmg boosts in the game, and Brutes have a marginally higher damage cap compared to Blasters. I would say the trade is fair overall.
I really don't appreciate your accusations of abuse. I know I haven't been innocent in this thread, I've said some pretty harsh and uncalled for things... But I don't think that justifies your accusations. I feel like you're accusing me of exploiting something that is not WAI, like using a bug to my advantage and calling it a character feat, which is not the case. I have yet to see, hear, or read any Developer statement that Drain Psyche is not WAI. Now, if you personally have a gripe with the power, you're just coming off as spiteful.

It would be one thing if Drain Psyche was a bug that was being exploited, but as far as we know the power is WAI and we have no word from the Devs that it is not. They've had plenty of time to address such a concern if they had one, and they have done no such thing. Even with the Hami-o exploits getting fixed, the Devs stated very far in advance that they were not WAI but they simply didn't have the resources to fix them. That is not the case for Drain Psyche, so please do not use your personal gripes and confuse them with bug exploiting. It's just not fair.

I'm not looking for a fight. Saying that I'm abusing a power that, as far as we know is WAI just doesn't seem fair to me, that's all. I'm trying to be very civil with you... I just feel you are accusing me of abusing something as if I am doing something underhanded, when I am just using a tool that the game provided me with that as far as I know is functioning properly. This goes for anyone who uses Drain Psyche, but as you put, "abuses" it. The negative connotation just isn't justified or appreciated.

Welcome to modern english. It's a bloody mess.

I'm well aware of the dictionary definition of the word 'abuse' ie; the IMPROPER use of something, but modern english, especially in MMOs and competitive games, use Abuse in the way I described.

I am well aware of how powerful my powers are on all of my characters that I care about. I use them all to get the most power out of them that I can. I do not feel that it is abusive to strive for the most from your build and try to use all of your powers to their full potential. The only exception to this would be if something was an exploit, such as Ion Judgement when it first launched. People used a ridiculously OP, damage buffed version of Ion. The devs said it was a bug and not WAI, and so using it was a bug exploit. That is the only type of scenario where I feel there is a valid argument against not getting the most out of a power that is available to you.

The irony in your statement is delicious considering your twist on the word abuse. I'm just saying....LOL Reppu I like your new sig BTW, so be nice.

... I'm not twisting anything personally. I explained the modern, gamer-based definition of the word 'abuse'. I suppose I could have used another term, but I assumed people would be familiar with it. I suppose not. I'll keep that in mind that the gamer-lingo level in City of Heroes is lacking?

And I feel I am being quite nice right now, despite your attempts to provoke me. Kindly cease.


Edit: Specifically, the given definition of Abuse in a modern, if not gaming, scenario: "to use something excessively". Example being; "you are abusing Drain Psyche!" or "You are abusing Blaze!" or "You are abusing that rocket launcher!"

That is too narrow minded a point of view for the devs to adopt otherwise they would have nerfed rad a long time ago.

I don't think you should get all wound up about this one hun and nobody is trying to provoke you. You need to get tougher skin.

Do you not think that Blasters reasonably deserve a self +regen power that is contingent upon a tohit check and x enemies present, and on a long cooldown? Do you really not think that an AT who knowingly sacrifices survivability for damage is not deserving of a power that helps boost their single target damage levels to points that other damage-centric AT's cannot reach, once again contingent upon a tohit check and long cooldown? To me, everything about it seems quite reasonable.

Yeah, as I explained earlier in this thread, my build is AOE centric and not planned around optimizing a single target attack chain. You'll read more about this in other posts throughout the thread, but the main strength of choosing Archery as a primary is the AOE damage output. While something like Fire Blast will see much higher single target damage, leading to much faster kill times against single targets like GM's, I felt that the direction I'd rather go in was settling for the *ability* to solo some of the toughest single enemies in the game, whilst retaining the best AOE output that I am personally aware of existing in the game. Now, nothing about this implies that Drain Psyche is overpowered. Read my last couple of posts if you'd like to see the elaboration on that point, and thanks for watching.

No, I don't feel they need this power. They are not a Defensive Archetype, so I felt Drain Psyche is one of those powers that was something out-of-norm for the Archetype. I'd be happy with it being flatly removed? Yeah, I would be.

And telling me it is reliant on a to-hit check and long cooldown = eh no. You're an IO player. Don't do that, please.

Using the term 'you need to get tougher skin' means you were poking at me, an admittance by your own words. I have zero tolerance for this sort of behavior now, and will point it out when others are doing so, as many had done to be in the past. Again, kindly cease.

NO I meant no need to overreact and think I was in some way attacking you, I wasn't and that is where you need to get the tougher skin as you are taking it too hard/be overly sensitive.

If I am really bothering you that much please just put me on ignore no worries.

Perhaps Psychic Shockwave IS good (and it is!), but we all know the MAIN draw is most definitely the sheer power of Drain Psyche compared to every other power the other secondaries, and Mental, offers. ;P

I am not 'thin skinned' so much as to not be able to take jabbing, I simply just have zero tolerance for it. The difference is that; zero tolerance versus not being able to take it. If I want to improve as a person, I have to stand against what others scorned me for. If we can't be professional in a discussion like this, then what's the point?

Regardless, acknowledged. Apologies for assuming you were being a derp.

And why is that? Do you feel that /Mental Blasters are exceeding the abilities of other archetypes so severely that a nerf is in order? It has been widely agreed upon that the majority of Blasters are underperforming when compared to other Archetypes, mental being the exception due to its ability to compete. Arcanaville has already said that if an AT-wide buff for Blasters happened, the Dev's would not be concerned about nerfing Drain Psyche. I'd also like to hear her opinion on the implied point of contention many have presented, which is that the performance of /Mental is somehow preventing the rest of the AT from getting a buff, and therefore /Mental requires a nerf. My personal opinion is that this is not the case at all.

Not everyone is an IO player though. The vast majority of the player base cannot afford my Blaster's build. It has already been pointed out by just about everyone that my Blaster is an extreme case that is not representative of the state of the AT as a whole, and I'd like to submit the argument that it is, by extension, not representative of the state of /Mental Blasters as a whole. I'm simply showcasing potential. Perma Eclipse, Perma Double Rage, Perma Phantom Army, Perma Chrono Shift, etc. are all examples of stupidly overpowered things that people like me can make permanent. It's not fair to call for nerfs to things on those grounds.

No, non, nyet, rien, jamais, keyu, non, yimba, nese, koa, etc etc etc.
That is just over the top hyperbole. It is also damn ignorant. Its so bad it looks like you are trying to needle THB by worrying his artwork will be destroyed by an ignorant Dev that buys into your thoughtless argument.

There are no secondaries for blasters that rate being called good. The best are tolerable the worst are exceptionally poor.

Most of the sets can only achieve tolerable with a properly paired primary. Mental because it has a cone aoe and a pbaoe and an immob can be tolerable with just about any primary likely its sole advantage.

Sets like /elec /ice /dev really need careful work on what they are paired with to achieve tolerable. The relatively short range immob in ice coupled with a melee range mag 3 hold really demand coupling with another hold from someplace. /Dev needs to be paired with a primary that has a stun to maximize taser.

/mental is more problematic in some ways. First its only reliable hard control power is a fear something that no other blaster set has so the only way to stack it quickly is by taking the relatively undesirable presence pool. Second Drain psyche while it looks very nice, does not achieve its high levels of mitigation without attracting aggro from ten targets in melee range. Even at that high level of regen its not enough by itself to guarantee that the blaster will survive the fight. Without other sources of mitigation or the ability to rapidly disrupt the total amount of incoming damage the blaster dies exceptionally rapidly. Third it isn't even close to permanent without massive amounts of recharge.


An uninterruptible heal that doesn't rely on enemies in melee range has advantages that a constant regen buff can't come close to. Healing flames provides its benefit if there is ten, one or no enemies in melee range. What is more because it provides its healing in a single burst it easily out performs Drain Psyche when you are fighting targets that do large amounts of damage with single hits.


If you can't understand this for yourself think of the following timeline

Would you really like to argue that any blaster with drain psyche is more survivable than a brute, tank or scrapper with will power ?

I am sure you would like to see it nerfed in dominators as well where it is a considerably better power. But in both cases it proves that you have to look at the overall set.