Erratic1

The OP does ask why one finds a particular combo to be "worst" and fairly you and others have pointed to Sonic's damage as being an issue. I am not sure if the OP was being deeply insightful in asking for the why or not since I think some chunk of the opposition to Sonic and possibly some builds mentioned here come from failure to meet expectation. I have long struggled to find Blaster builds I like. I have started a lot of blasters but only taken two to 50, with the second one making it there this past weekend as a Sonic/Tactical Arrow. What turns me off to blasters is not their supposed fragility but rather dealing damage at range, unless solo, feels like watching paint dry--I push a sequence of buttons against something which for the most part is distracted by others or is going to die before it gets much of a chance to do much back to me. Its a window dressing complaint because I enjoy melee and yet let's be realistic...most times the things you're fighting at as a melee AT do not have much chance either. But on a melee there is the up close interaction. Blaster feels like shooting fish in a barrel for me and so I tend to get bored of them in their 30s and move on. I knew going in Sonic was supposedly* lower damage. But my goal with Sonic/TA was to be more Corruptor lite--I debuff targets I am hitting and have secondary tools which add control without the added duty of either buffing or healing others. So while other dislike Sonic because it does not meet their damage expectations, I am getting what I expected out of it. * Not sure Sonic is quite as craptastic as all that given the following video composite of two different characters--one Fire, one Sonic--on the test server taking on one yellow and one white opponents of the same level and starting and finishing the damage dealing process at the same time: https://imgur.com/jvjBu5A. But that is a discussion best held elsewhere.

Oddly, I am inexplicably pulled to my Elec/Rad Tanker. But I don't use the glacially slow Devastating Blow, taking Cross Punch instead. And yeah, endurance was an issue until I got Energize to the point where its up every 45s (which as an upside means healing every 45s as well). It is a subjective thing, but I would not call the combo the worst ever or even a contender for it. That Assault Rifle/Poison corruptor I had on live however..... He was "fun" to play in the sense of, "What can I manage to work my way through with him which other players would breeze through?"

No Snarky Spice?

For most of my characters the situation is more like getting to know someone and then making the decision if we are going to stick together for the long term or not. But that character that does not perform exactly to expectations or to the level you want, but which still occupies your thoughts and makes you want to play them? That character chose you.

In practical terms, the Blaster. In more abstract, theoretical terms.... A Blaster is ranged damage scale 112.5%, so right there out ahead of either the Corruptor or Defender when simply looking at raw blasting. But both the Defender and Corruptor can debuff target's damage resistance via Tar Patch--the Corruptor by 22.5% (Mid's incorrectly says 30%) and the Defender by 30%. So in theory, with Scourge, the Corruptor is looking at 97.5*1.225=119.44%. However dropping Tar Patch takes time, foes do not have to stay in it, and it has a 90s base recharge. Moreover a Corruptor also tends to find other things to occupy their time in group play than strictly blasting. And its not like Blasters do not have secondary sets, some of which would up their damage too. I have a Water/Darkness Blaster and Soul Drain gives you a nice 30s damage boost, even though getting it is generally more risky than using Tar Patch.

Thanks (though I had already converted it). 🙂 Yeah, I sometimes forget to turn off Super Jump and then notice my endurance is declining while fighting (if the fight is long enough) and have to shut it off .

I like the Regen and To-Hit you have achieved, as well as perma-Hasten. Given the offset of 19% Endurance Cost Reduction and being in Efficient, do you still have no endurance issues in Efficient?

In no particular order: Footstomp Knockout Blow Shadow Maul Geyser Tombstone (snipe for the new Seismic Blast powerset) Upthrust (aoe attack for new Seismic Blast powerset) Atom Smasher

A Defender (damage scale 65%) with a 30% damage buff is effectively at 1.3*0.65=84.5% damage scale A Corruptor (damage scale 75%) effectively gets 30% more damage from Scourge, putting them at 1.3*75%=97.5% The solo Corruptor will still deal more damage (ignoring buffs/debuff) just not as much more as when looking at group play. To the OP, Water Blast is a very fun set to use. I'd lean Corruptor (I have a Water/Kinetics corruptor). The fun of it will make you want to blast things, especially once you get Geyser.

I enjoy Shadow Maul to give it up. Helps a lot to center target then take a step back before you activate it. If you can train yourself to do that seamlessly, keep Shadow Maul.

Got an Elec/Rad tank and on Rad Melee I do not take Devastating Blow. I replace it with Cross Punch.

If the Brute can maintain 88% Fury continuously, sure. In practice that is difficult even assuming not stop fighting. I took some screenshots for a post I ended up not making in another thread during the Trick or Treat event (so easy to stay in a continuous fight because working the motel in Peregrine when other people were around meant plenty of targets) and while I did grab pics of Fury reaching the 90s there were quite a bit around 85 too. Soloing, you spend time moving through the mission. In a group you cannot guarantee you will be getting all the incoming attacks on top of the decay spent moving between spawns and missions. By contrast a Scrapper does not ever need to build Fury. Their damage output varies only between them getting a critical hit and not, which is to say its spikey but generally the same thing: ____-_______-__-________-_____-_________

Neither Oil Slick nor Glue arrow require such. But like I said, TA is a bit different. Hmmm...Atomic Manipulation has a PBAoE, but no other area attack. Devices has Trip Mine and Time Bomb, both of which are non-cone area damage. Electric Manipulation has Thunder Strike as a melee AoE.....

Fair enough. People are laying out some combos which just also happen to be really good at damage.

Hast "strong" been defined here? You talking damage, survivability, or both?

Brutes have a higher cap on Resistances (which is what Electric Armor is going to provide) but they do not get higher values from the Electric Armor powers. Brutes are set to do less damage than Scrapper but be more survivable, so if doing the highest damage you can do between the two ATs is your goal, go Scrapper. If so, I'd say go Katana/EA, since Scrapper resistances cap at 75%. If you decide Brute damage is livable then either EA or Elec can be made to work.

The build which sold me on Brute back on live was a cousin, DM/Elec. No Invincibility but stronger double dipping ala Siphon Life/Energize and Dark Consumption/Power Sink. Likewise it came into its own with high global recharge.

I don't waste my time. Young people are going to be exactly what they are...young.

I will admit its wasteful, but nothing keeps you from using the AoEs you have.

Or that Gen X is mostly identified by its younger cohort than its older, leaving people like me not even considered a part of the generation. Was it here? I would have to dig back and look, but I encountered someone online who felt that "boomer" referred to anyone older than about 30. Yeah, I know terms shift in meaning and so I do not argue "roll a character" (wtf is rolling?), "power gamer" (as opposed to twink) or a whole host of other terms whose meanings have drifted from their original (do not get me started on "pay to win"). But "Boomer"...no, just not going to tolerate being lumped in with a generation whose definition is being the cohort born post WWII to returning servicemen, particularly when my parents were children (my mother was not even a year old) when the US entered WWII and would have more in common with Boomer than I would.

There is a connection but I expect a blast to go from me to them, not suck from them to me. That other power sets have zones is in line with being a "blast"er but its not really blasty--something radiating away from a fixed point or smaller volume. Of course its subjective and so nobody has to be wrong. 🙂

Geyser, Burst, Whirlpool, and Dehydrate...nearly half the powers in the set. Edit: Steam Spray is arguable but you are emitting something towards them so I will let it slide.

Gotcha. Sorta like how Water Blast eh?

??? I took out a group of 6-7 oranges while staying about 80% health. That seems quite blasty to me.

*Glances at Tactical Arrow and notes both Glue Arrow and Oil slick are Ranged (Location) AoE, not cones...and that the set comes with no melee attacks*