Nemu

That set bonus is the strongest reason to take and slot WOC. You will be hard pressed to find a more economic use of slots for those bonuses elsewhere aside from superior blasters wrath. When I build characters with a ranged defense focus, confuse powers are an autopick for that reason.

3 travel powers pools just for the ranged bonus seems excessive. Energize which is your sustain at 41? How's your endurance management prior to that pick? 2/5 stars on account of Perma no inferno. You understand how to stack set bonuses and focus on the bonuses you want which is good, but a fire blaster without Inferno is like kinetics without fulcrum shift.

I made a thread on Axe/Ninjitsu Scrapper which is a lot of fun. Axe lives in the shadow of mace but it's not half bad, everything does knock down/up so you can make liberal use of force feedback procs. It has a better feel imo than mace because knockup/down is FUN and visceral and of course the FF procs triggering adds to that feeling of fun when you see it happen. Scrapper criticals helps with the lethal damage and you won't feel lacking in your contributions. Tanker AoE changes doesn't really benefit Axe much, so it plays better on a scrapper.

Probably what I'd run with based off your build template. Benefits: More slow resist Higher defenses More recharge if you account for the multiple FF procs which should trigger more consistently compared to your build Procs that matter in powers that are best fit. Better net endurance recovery, though I suspect you probably still need help from incarnates to solve for the end issue. I think you will just have to accept the Psi hole and fall back to Shadow Meld or inspirations/incarnates. I feel you made a lot of slotting sacrifices in the attempt to shore up your psi resist. Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.7.2.10 https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Mutation Scrapper Primary Power Set: War Mace Secondary Power Set: Invulnerability Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Fighting Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Pulverize -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(3), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(3), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(5), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(5) Level 1: Resist Physical Damage -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A) Level 2: Jawbreaker -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), Hct-Dmg(17), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Hct-Acc/Rchg(23), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(27), Hct-Dam%(29) Level 4: Dull Pain -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(40), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(40), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(42), Pnc-Heal(42) Level 6: Build Up -- RctRtc-ToHit/Rchg(A), RctRtc-ToHit(7), GssSynFr--Build%(7) Level 8: Clobber -- SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprCrtStr-Dmg/Rchg(9), SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), SprCrtStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), SprCrtStr-Rchg/+50% Crit(13) Level 10: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(11) Level 12: Resist Elements -- ResDam-I(A) Level 14: Temp Invulnerability -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(15), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(15), UnbGrd-Max HP%(17) Level 16: Unyielding -- HO:Ribo(A) Level 18: Whirling Mace -- SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), SprScrStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), SprScrStr-Rchg/+Crit(23) Level 20: Resist Energies -- TtnCtn-ResDam(A), TtnCtn-ResDam/EndRdx(43) Level 22: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 24: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(25), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(25), RctArm-ResDam(27) Level 26: Shatter -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), Arm-Dmg(29), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Arm-Acc/Rchg(37), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(37), Arm-Dam%(37) Level 28: Invincibility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), HO:Cyto(43), RctRtc-ToHit(46), RctRtc-Pcptn(50) Level 30: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(31), ShlWal-Def(31), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(31) Level 32: Crowd Control -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(33), Erd-Dmg(33), Erd-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Erd-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Mlt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34) Level 35: Tough Hide -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def(36), Rct-Def/EndRdx(36), Rct-ResDam%(36) Level 38: Moonbeam -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Apc-Acc/Rchg(39), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Apc-Dam%(40) Level 41: Shadow Meld -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), HO:Membr(42), RechRdx-I(43) Level 44: Dark Blast -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(46), SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(46) Level 47: Soul Storm -- SprEnt-Acc/Hold(A), SprEnt-Acc/Hold/End(48), SprEnt-Hold/Rchg(48), SprEnt-Acc/Hold/End/Rchg(50), SprEnt-Rchg/AbsorbProc(50) Level 49: Super Jump -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Critical Hit Level 1: Quick Form Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(45) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(48) ------------ If you want to get a travel earlier you can put off temp invuln or build up as a later pick. I'm sure you will do fine with 40% s/l resist with a build like that for mid level exemplar content if you defer temp invuln.

Start here to learn about poison power and slotting slotting suggestions. The combination of poison and dual pistols wants you to play right next to mobs once you get Venomous Gas. You will want to be prepared to play in melee range, you will need sufficient defenses on top of your debuffs to survive. Range defense is the most important, that helps against nasty attacks outside of your debuff zone that can mez you. Melee defense is less important because you have debuffs from Venomous Gas and possibly Envenom and Weaken working for you in melee range. If you want to stack -dmg then you will be using chemical rounds, and when you use chem rounds your attacks change properties, all the attacks lose knockback (but can still be slotted with knockback IOs like force feedback and they still trigger the proc), Suppressive Fire turns into a hold, and Piercing Rounds loses the -RES debuff. This makes suppressive fire a good proc monster (but hold that thought) candidate but I find little value in piercing rounds due to it's animation speed. If you want to learn about proc monsters and what that means start here, I would note that you shouldn't apply this practice to every power you try to slot. You need to balance survival and offense and sustain. Typically in a build there is one or 2 powers that you can heavily proc as proc monsters, beyond that you start sacrificing other aspects of your build in most cases. Back onto power selection, for this particular playstyle I find cone powers to be cumbersome, empty clips and neurotoxic breath all require repositioning in some matter in the heat of combat, and I don't think the effects/benefits they offer are worth keeping them and going through the motions for. I don't like piercing rounds due to it's longish animation, and since it loses the -RES effect using chemical rounds it loses even more appeal. The only reason you'd want to keep it is as a mule for set bonuses. You have access to two holds between poison and dual pistols, Suppressive fire makes a better proc monster due to recharge. If you wanted to stack holds to hold bosses that might be a reason to take both, but hold that thought for now because there are holds in epic pools too. Which brings me to epic pools. You have a few choices, Scorpion shield for added defense, it's a common pick. Dark mastery for perma-soul drain, that's another common pick for damage oriented builds. I went mind mastery. Dominate is a hold that does damage and is a very good proc monster candidate, it has a resist shield to let you take a few hits assuming you built for defense, and world of confusion takes the confuse purple set which provides very useful set bonuses. Because Dominate is a hold proc monster that hits hard it can replace the holds in DP and poison. The damage ceiling going with mind mastery is not as high as going with dark mastery and getting perma-soul drain, but I feel it's more consistent damage compared to those times when you can't pull off fully saturated soul drains like for example against hard single targets like AVs or GMs.

I see it as mitigation that does damage. Screwing with mob AI via slows/fear is a powerful way to keep yourself alive. Slotting it with slow helps, also try the winter immob proc.

I don't like hotfeet, cost too much end and unlike reaction time and frigid protection, shuts off and needs to be re-toggled when you get mezzed. People will say it's free damage but are you going to wait for a few ticks of free damage over a couple of seconds to finish off that +4 freakshow boss that can cut your HP in half with one swipe or are you just going to toss another blast into it's face to finish it now? People will say it's free aoe damage, are you going to wait for a few ticks of free damage over a few seconds to kill the 5-8 mobs surrounding you plucking at your HP or are you going to toss a water burst at them and stop the bleeding now? Controllers need hotfeet for damage, blasters use hotfeet for mitigation. If you are going to use it for damage, there are better options.

DP goes pretty well with everything. On theme DP/MC is screams the matrix and it works well too. Don't under-estimate reaction time, slows like that screw with enemy AI and are very effective at slowing down incoming damage. Inner will can be life saver at clutch moments and it's ability to break mez is unique among blaster secondaries. If you want to try your hand at melee blasting this is a good entry point. Poison/DP defenders work really well too for stacking -dmg. You can really neuter mob damage with that combo and defenders can benefit a lot from damage procs to keep their damage competitive enough for both solo and team content. This will play a lot like DP/MC blasters, the combo wants you to be next to foes to neuter them. Those two would be my recommendations. If you can play a squishy AT in melee you can play anything in this game.

I have a few ideas, not all of them on theme but here they are: I can't help but think about those martial arts movies with the exploding palm strike or 5 finger death strike when I think about concentrated strike. It could be a different type of T9 where the initial damage is average, but half a second later it delivers a HUGE tick of damage to simulate internal organs rupturing/DEATH! I think we can change the animation to cobra strike so it's faster, and psychologically players will feel better about at least hitting something even if it's not a lot of damage (initially), than sit through 3 seconds of flailing arms only to hit a corpse. Siphon power, the mini game of building stacks is nothing new but the 2 second animation and no immediate payoff makes this lag behind compared to blood thirst/combat readiness from savage melee and street justice, respectively. Just making it so that it grants 5 stacks of the buff upon activation would be a big improvement in the power. The gimmick with CS recharging SP is something that no one ever builds for because both powers take so long to animate and doing so often significantly lowers damage output. I'd get rid of that gimmick and introduce a new synergy between SP and CS where while SP is active, CS has a chance to do something like: instantly recharge after it's used with max stacks of the buff, like water jet crit , and the crit rate/damage increases with stacks of the buff, the upfront damage portion will receive the full benefit of the crit, the delayed damage portion will receive reduced benefit. Create a shockwave and do a mag 2 stun and splash damage to nearby enemies in a 20 degree cone that extends 7 feet (This effect doesn't care about stacks of the buff) Any other effect that doesn't care about the buff. Whereas the live set places the incentive on using CS to recharge SP which no one really took the bait for, this revision places the incentive on using Siphon power to make CS and everything else better. You can take the synergy 2 ways, either make it still care about buff stacks or just make is a constant effect while SP is active. I'd give the same treatment of the way CS and SP works to stalkers and how CS and Build up works. Under the effect of build up CS does something more.

Buff hami so that it spawns on the tools that think everything is a speed run and do so without asking the rest of the team. Run ahead will you, hami spawns 36 mitos on you and they follow you and only you for 12 hours, even after you rez.

The overwhelming force proc still allows mobs to be knocked back from time to time when slotted in TS. I had it in one of my very early builds and quickly swapped it out after I saw the result. 40% S/L defense is plenty defense against a lot of content but I wouldn't drop it any lower. a mystic buff or a mutation can also help get closer to S/L softcap. Range defense is the more important of the two and so that stays near softcap. The path to success lies with the knockdowns and also knowing when to hop out of melee. If you stand your ground and stay in melee you increase your risk that RNG will fail you. Exploiting mob AI by moving will go a long way towards keeping you from the hospital.

It's not a very synergistic paring. Both sets have powers with long animations but one set wants to be ranged and the other one wants to be in melee. These long animations that root you will kill you. To get the most out of this pairing I feel you need to master movement, jousting in and out of range for your pbaoes and constantly kiting. Sonic blast is just a terrible set for blasters, shout makes me wanna die every time I use it and the cones are not that much better. I would not take shout at all. Instead I'd take a hold from the epic and proc monster it to fill in for that third ST ranged attack. I feel most of your AoE are going to be ranged, rotating between howl and shockwave. The latter can create opportunities to hop into melee range and joust a PbAOE, whether that's combustion or fire sword circle. Neither combustion or FSC are that great due to animation and root times but take your pick. If I had to choose I'd go combustion for the bigger radius, you are already going to be rooted for an eternity anyway and if you learn how to joust pbaoes it's not as big of a deal. Siren's song is of marginal use when you have softcapped defenses. You can make the argument that you can use siren's song to sleep adds or sleep groups solo and pick them off one by one but on teams 1-shot sleeps are useless. Shockwave is magnitudes more useful than song because it does damage, provides consistent knockdown and can trigger the FF proc. I also wouldn't run your attack sequence of combustion-fsc-wail, I'd do it in the exact reverse sequence. Wail is fast and stuns, which gives you breathing room to fire the other two assuming things are still alive after wail. Of the defenses blasters should build for ranged defense is the most important. You can create opportunities to go into melee range with knockdowns and holds and stuns so that melee defense is less a priority, but the ranged stuff is what kills you and stop a fight before it starts. This is what I envision for this pairing. Note the low S/L melee defenses. You need to watch for and/or create opportunities to go into melee or get buffs from teammates. Mastering the art of movement is going to be the key to success with this build. Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.7.2.10 https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Blaster Primary Power Set: Sonic Attack Secondary Power Set: Fire Manipulation Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Flame Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Shriek -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(17), SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(17) Level 1: Ring of Fire -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45) Level 2: Scream -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(3), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(13), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13) Level 4: Howl -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(5), Artl-Dam/Rech(5), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(7), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(7), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(9) Level 6: Super Speed -- BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(A), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(33) Level 8: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(9), WntGif-ResSlow(34) Level 10: Shockwave -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(11), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(34), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx(34), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36) Level 12: Amplify -- GssSynFr--Build%(A) Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(33) Level 16: Fire Sword -- Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg(A), Mk'Bit-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Mk'Bit-Dmg/Rchg(19), Mk'Bit-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), Mk'Bit-Dam%(27) Level 18: Combustion -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(36), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(37) Level 20: Cauterizing Aura -- PreOptmz-Acc/Rech(A), PreOptmz-EndMod/End(21), PreOptmz-EndMod/Rech(21), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/End(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/Rech(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/End/Rech(25) Level 22: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 24: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A) Level 26: Screech -- AbsAmz-Stun(A), AbsAmz-Acc/Stun/Rchg(43), AbsAmz-Acc/Rchg(43), AbsAmz-EndRdx/Stun(43), AbsAmz-ToHitDeb%(45) Level 28: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(29), ShlWal-Def(29), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(33) Level 30: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def(31), Rct-Def/EndRdx(31), Rct-ResDam%(31) Level 32: Dreadful Wail -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(39), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(40) Level 35: Bonfire -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(46) Level 38: Burn -- Arm-Dmg(A), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(42), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Arm-Dam%(42) Level 41: Build Up -- HO:Membr(A) Level 44: Fire Shield -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(46), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(46), RctArm-ResDam(50) Level 47: Char -- Apc-Dam%(A), UnbCns-Dam%(48), NrnSht-Dam%(48), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(48), GldJvl-Dam%(50), HO:Nucle(50) Level 49: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Quick Form Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 10: Shadow Recall -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 2: Health -- Empty(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 2: Stamina -- Empty(A) ------------

From what I understand the two phases of oil slick have separate procs that can trigger during that phase. If I were to proc Oil Slick I'd throw procs for the first phase in to get that initial procsplosion and slot the rest for damage/recharge so that the lit phase does damage and the power recharges faster. Not that this matters for blaster oil slick arrow. In game it only allows for the Ranged AoE and slow procs, the power does not allow defense set procs like lady greys and achilles. So it gets plain old artillery until that gets changed.

I tweaked the build a little more to squeeze more procs in and this is where I'm at now. I sacrificed some s/l defense to get there but it should not be a huge problem since the build can cycle knockdowns to minimize melee retaliation, ranged defense is far more important and I kept that as close to soft cap as possible. Endurance management is better with dynamo slotted for end recovery, and I get a bit extra global recharge out of that too. Damage on Thunder Strike and Shocking Grasp is much better. Since end management is better early game one could move power sink to a late game pick and move rain of fire up for more AoE early - mid game. Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.7.2.10 https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Jezebel Delias: Level 50 Mutation Blaster Primary Power Set: Fire Blast Secondary Power Set: Electricity Manipulation Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Flares -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(7) Level 1: Electric Fence -- HO:Endo(A) Level 2: Fire Ball -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(7), Artl-Dam/Rech(9), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(9), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(11), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(13) Level 4: Charged Brawl -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(13), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(15), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(17) Level 6: Super Speed -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A) Level 8: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(17), WntGif-ResSlow(34) Level 10: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(11) Level 12: Aim -- GssSynFr--Build%(A) Level 14: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 16: Thunder Strike -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(34), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Arm-Dam%(37), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(37), FrcFdb-Rechg%(37) Level 18: Blaze -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(33), SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(33) Level 20: Dynamo -- PreOptmz-Acc/Rech(A), PreOptmz-EndMod/End(21), PreOptmz-EndMod/Rech(21), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/End(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/Rech(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/End/Rech(27) Level 22: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(46) Level 24: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(25), ShlWal-Def(25), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(27) Level 26: Blazing Bolt -- StnoftheM-Acc/Dmg(A), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx(45), StnoftheM-Acc/ActRdx/Rng(45), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), StnoftheM-Dam%(46) Level 28: Power Sink -- PreOptmz-Acc/Rech(A), PreOptmz-EndMod/End(29), PreOptmz-EndMod/Rech(29), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/End(31), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/Rech(31), PreOptmz-EndMod/End/Rech(33) Level 30: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), HO:Cyto(31) Level 32: Inferno -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(40), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(45) Level 35: Scorpion Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def(36), Rct-Def/EndRdx(36), Rct-ResDam%(36) Level 38: Force of Thunder -- AbsAmz-EndRdx/Stun(A), AbsAmz-Acc/Rchg(39), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(39), FrcFdb-Rechg%(39) Level 41: Shocking Grasp -- GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(A), NrnSht-Dam%(42), UnbCns-Dam%(42), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(43), Hct-Dam%(43) Level 44: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A) Level 47: Rain of Fire -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(48), Artl-Dam/Rech(48), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(48), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(50), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(50) Level 49: Build Up -- RctRtc-ToHit/Rchg(A), RctRtc-ToHit(50) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Quick Form Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 10: Shadow Recall -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 2: Health -- Empty(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 2: Stamina -- Empty(A) ------------

Full Auto needs this animation, the one where he one hands it and has his arms out.

Gymnasts are buff! Have you seen Rambo's GUNS!? He can probably do handstands with his pinky! You know how? Gymnastics training!

There was an old Rambo build thread that talked about Assault Rifle and Tactical Arrow here The changes to tactical arrow, specifically oil slick arrow, has finally pushed me to make a /TA blaster. The other Rambo builds settled on bonfire or scorpion shield for epics with is just not Rambo enough (posers am I rite!). A real Rambo has all the guns and bows and shoots all the bullets and arrows, which means only one epic pool is Rambo enough for a real Rambo, and that epic is munitions mastery. And if you didn't take LRM, you are a phony poser! What /TA lacks in melee damage it makes up for it with proc monster build potential. The accuracy, recharge and defense bonuses built into the secondary makes it a bit easier to focus on the core elements of proc monster builds - procs, damage and recharge enhancement values. If you are tempted by the idea of having 3 "nukes" then this is a fun concept to try out. After playing with it a while I noted a few things: 1 - Glue arrow auto hits, and that makes it useful against super venged up nemesis. I would take this instead of the typical T3 cone from a lot of blaster primaries. For the same investment in slots Glue Arrow is a lot more bang for the buck when loaded up with procs. 2 - The frozen blast immob proc in ignite won't proc all the time but it's nice when it does, highly recommend it. Treat it as a single target power, immob a boss/AV and then let it burn. 3 - Full auto NEEDS a bigger cone. Also if it's gonna root me for 4 seconds I want my pose to be like Ben Stiller's pose in Tropic Thunder when he one hands the AK and shoots at the jungle. 4 - LRM isn't as bad as people say it is with some procs and it recharges in 74 seconds which isn't terrible. However I lament the fact that there is no rocket launcher model used to shoot it. 5 - Cryo freeze ray is a much better proc power than ice arrow. It has a slightly longer recharge and it also uses the gun to shoot it. 6 - Oil slick could be procced but I read there are two components to the power and each component has it's own procs during their respective states, so I played it safe and slotted it with plain artillery for the ranged set bonuses. 7 - Take Tactics before level 35 which is when you pick up Cryo freeze ray. 8 - This build has a lot of AoE, but it takes time to get there. Don't feel too bad on teams doing +0 content and the derpy melee ATs are playing solo on a team trying to demonstrate how badass they are. Those are teams for scrubs run by scrubs and the last time I checked Rambo ain't a scrub. The AoEs will feel good against harder settings where mobs don't all fall over when you blow air at them. Now the build - All Natural, All RAMBO! Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.7.2.10 https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! War Panda: Level 50 Natural Blaster Primary Power Set: Assault Rifle Secondary Power Set: Tactical Arrow Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Fighting Ancillary Pool: Munitions Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Burst -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(33) Level 1: Electrified Net Arrow -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(9), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(27), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(29), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(29), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33) Level 2: Glue Arrow -- Ann-ResDeb%(A), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(9), PstBls-Dam%(11), JvlVll-Dam%(25), ImpSwf-Dam%(27) Level 4: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(5), WntGif-ResSlow(11) Level 6: M30 Grenade -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(7), Artl-Acc/Dam(33), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(34), Artl-Dam/End(34) Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(19) Level 10: Upshot -- GssSynFr--Build%(A) Level 12: Sniper Rifle -- StnoftheM-Acc/Dmg(A), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx(13), StnoftheM-Acc/ActRdx/Rng(13), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), StnoftheM-Dam%(19) Level 14: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def(15), Rct-Def/EndRdx(15), Rct-ResDam%(17) Level 16: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A) Level 18: Flamethrower -- PstBls-Dam%(A), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(36), Artl-Acc/Dam(36), Artl-Dam/End(36), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(37), JvlVll-Dam%(37) Level 20: Eagle Eye -- PreOptmz-Acc/Rech(A), PreOptmz-EndMod/End(21), PreOptmz-EndMod/Rech(21), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/End(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/Rech(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/End/Rech(25) Level 22: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 24: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), StdPrt-ResKB(50) Level 26: Ignite -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(34), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(37), PstBls-Dam%(39), SprFrzBls-Rchg/ImmobProc(39), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(39) Level 28: Gymnastics -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 30: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(31), ShlWal-Def(31), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(31) Level 32: Full Auto -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(40), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(42) Level 35: Cryo Freeze Ray -- Apc-Dam%(A), GldJvl-Dam%(45), NrnSht-Dam%(45), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(46), UnbCns-Dam%(46), GldNet-Dam%(50) Level 38: Oil Slick Arrow -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(42), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(43), Artl-Dam/Rech(43), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(43), Artl-Dam/End(45) Level 41: Body Armor -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A) Level 44: LRM Rocket -- PstBls-Dam%(A), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(46), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(48), ExpStr-Dam%(48), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), Rgn-Dmg/Rchg(50) Level 47: Flash Arrow -- SphIns-%ToHit(A) Level 49: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Quick Form Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 10: Shadow Recall -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve Level 0: Portal Jockey Level 0: Task Force Commander Level 0: The Atlas Medallion Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon ------------ Also if you take hover you are a poser. Man up and ditch your safety net and play like a real Rambo!

I can teach you. Battlefield awareness, Single pulls, Line Of Sight, movement/jousting/kiting, inspiration priorities, target priorities, timing, etc... Max out all the p2w amplifiers powers at level 1 and those will last you until mid teens to level 20s depending on whether you have experience buffs or not. There are powers within your toolkit that helps with survival but the real edge comes from learning those things I listed. Global is @Nemu, hit me up if you are interested.

Agility counts as having recharge enhancements in your powers and will affect your proc chances if I remember correctly, which is why I went muscular. 1 - I like short circuit because it has a large radius. The animation doesn't bother me. Inferno has a long animation too. If you think you are going to be stuck in a bad situation during the animation then joust it. Ball Lightning and Short Circuit both trigger the shock animation on mobs where they stand and writhe for a moment after getting hit (until they get hit again), that's also pseudo mitigation. Third, Short Circuit drains a lot of end and is useful for harder targets (not singular, plural) on prolonged fights. Radius and long term mitigation potential, that's why I like SC. 2 - Tesla is an optional pick, I toyed with a build that had it and also with the one that I posted, The one with Tesla cage has slightly less ranged def but the build will work fine. 5 - Zapp is going to be a staple of your ST attack chain along with lightning bolt and chocking powder. The decimation proc won't be reliable in it especially if you stick with Agility. If I had slots for procs I'd stick an apocalypse proc in there but slots are precious and I had priorities elsewhere. The dot portion of chocking powder doesn't matter, it's the upfront proc damage that will tear chunks out of the HP bar. Regarding build up, think of it this way: you don't have to worry about clicking it and having that eat into your attack chain.

The purpose of my comments is to get you to think about why you are doing what you are doing when you make a build and weigh in the benefits of each slot and whether the set bonus you get from adding that additional slot aligns with your goals. You'll get more comfortable with it over time. I played around your general build requirements a little and came up with some sample builds. This one has lower S/L defense but more recharge and more ranged defense than your build. No wasted slots that don't contribute to my goals of building for S/L/R defense and recharge. With power boost you get 15 seconds of almost softcap S/L/R defense and a few seconds of downtime in between refresh. Pop it before you engage a spawn and you'll be able to avoid most retaliation. Shocking bolt is slotted with procs to make it a high damage power that you can actually include in your attack chain. And you'll enjoy a smoother attack chain when you exemp down as well. Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.7.2.10 https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Blaster Primary Power Set: Electrical Blast Secondary Power Set: Energy Manipulation Power Pool: Flight Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Electrical Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Lightning Bolt -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(13) Level 1: Power Thrust -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(29), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(46) Level 2: Ball Lightning -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(7), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(11) Level 4: Fly -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 6: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(15), BlsoftheZ-Travel(29), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(43) Level 8: Aim -- RctRtc-ToHit(A), RctRtc-ToHit/Rchg(19), GssSynFr--Build%(19) Level 10: Charged Bolts -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(33), SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(34) Level 12: Zapp -- StnoftheM-Acc/Dmg(A), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx(13), StnoftheM-Acc/ActRdx/Rng(15), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), StnoftheM-Dam%(17) Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48) Level 16: Energize -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(21), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(23), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(23), Pnc-Heal(27) Level 18: Build Up -- RctRtc-ToHit(A), RctRtc-ToHit/Rchg(21) Level 20: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 22: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(37) Level 24: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(25), ShlWal-Def(25), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(27) Level 26: Bone Smasher -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(37), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), KntCmb-Knock%(40), HO:Nucle(40) Level 28: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48) Level 30: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def(31), Rct-Def/EndRdx(31), Rct-ResDam%(31) Level 32: Thunderous Blast -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(34), Artl-Dam/Rech(34), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(36), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(36), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(36) Level 35: Shocking Bolt -- HO:Nucle(A), Apc-Dam%(43), UnbCns-Dam%(43), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(46), GldJvl-Dam%(46), GldNet-Dam%(48) Level 38: Total Focus -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(39), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(39), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(40) Level 41: Charged Armor -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(42), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(42), UnbGrd-Max HP%(42) Level 44: Tesla Cage -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(45), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(45), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(45) Level 47: Tactics -- RctRtc-ToHit(A), RctRtc-ToHit/Rchg(50) Level 49: Afterburner -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(50), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(50) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Quick Form Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 10: Shadow Recall -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve Level 0: Portal Jockey Level 0: Task Force Commander Level 0: The Atlas Medallion Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon ------------

It's my next blaster and it has a lot of potential. I just finished a sonic/ninja and while I loved the character concept I hated how clunky it played. Cones + slow AF animations mixed with the need to constantly reposition made me a sad panda. I don't have to deal with the tiresome positioning with electric blast, and ninja is really good now and feels smooth. I've been on a KO blow kick lately but for this one I think I'll go back to Scorpion Shield. I'd put the PvP -res proc in golden dragonfly, which also gets a FF proc. You are more likely to use GD on hard targets than any of the other attacks that takes pbaoe sets. Regarding crits, shinobi allows everything to crit including pool powers and I've gotten KO blow crits before. I'm not as enamored with lotus drops because the radius is so tiny. The only reason I take pbaoe attacks like that on blasters is for avalanche. I care more about radius than damage on AoE attacks, and have fiddled with a few variations on the build without the lotus drops. The result - I gain a bit more recharge by replacing lotus with tesla cage, but I lose proc potential on a few powers. This is what I'm settling on. As always powers picked to give maximum exemplar effectiveness. Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.7.2.10 https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Lin Kuei Panda: Level 50 Technology Blaster Primary Power Set: Electrical Blast Secondary Power Set: Ninja Training Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Lightning Bolt -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(3), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(11), SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(11) Level 1: Immobilizing Dart -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(23), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31) Level 2: Ball Lightning -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(17), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(19), Ann-ResDeb%(19), Ann-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(21) Level 4: Choking Powder -- Apc-Dam%(A), UnbCns-Dam%(5), NrnSht-Dam%(5), GldNet-Dam%(7), GldJvl-Dam%(7), HO:Nucle(9) Level 6: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(9), BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(21), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(42), WntGif-ResSlow(46) Level 8: Aim -- GssSynFr--Build%(A), RctRtc-ToHit(37), RctRtc-ToHit/Rchg(48) Level 10: Shinobi -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 12: Zapp -- StnoftheM-Acc/Dmg(A), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx(13), StnoftheM-Acc/ActRdx/Rng(13), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), StnoftheM-Dam%(15) Level 14: Short Circuit -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(17), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(43) Level 16: Super Speed -- BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(A), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(37) Level 18: Sting of the Wasp -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(23), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(25), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(25), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(27) Level 20: Kuji-In Toh -- EndMod-I(A) Level 22: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(34) Level 24: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 26: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(34) Level 28: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(29), ShlWal-Def(29), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(31) Level 30: Maneuvers -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFrt-Def/Rchg(31), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg(36), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(42), RedFrt-Def(43), RedFrt-EndRdx(43) Level 32: Thunderous Blast -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(33), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(40) Level 35: Scorpion Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-ResDam%(37), Rct-Def(42), Rct-Def/EndRdx(48) Level 38: Golden Dragonfly -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(39), Erd-Dmg(39), Erd-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Erd-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), Mlt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40) Level 41: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A) Level 44: Blinding Powder -- CrcPrs-Conf(A), CrcPrs-Conf/Rchg(45), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg(45), CrcPrs-Acc/Rchg(45), CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx(46), CrcPrs-Conf%(46) Level 47: The Lotus Drops -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(48), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(50), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50), SprAvl-Rchg/KDProc(50) Level 49: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Quick Form Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 10: Shadow Recall -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve Level 0: Portal Jockey Level 0: Task Force Commander Level 0: The Atlas Medallion Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon Level 50: Clarion Radial Epiphany ------------

It's a start. Let's talk about slot efficiency and focus. You want to use your melee attacks so you stated that your goals are to ramp up defense and minimize sacrificing damage to get there. I noted that S/L defense and ranged defense are pretty important for melee blasters. So our goals are then S/L and maybe ranged defense where we can squeeze them in and then recharge while making sure our attacks are fairly enhanced for damage. Level 1: Lightning Bolt (A) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure This is one of 2 single target ranged attacks you have, the other being the snipe. Shocking bolt is a hold, I don't consider that a ranged attack though you could proc it out and make it a proc monster which can do a lot of damage. This is going to be a bread and butter attack and should be slotted as such. I noticed that you didn't use any of the blaster AT sets, is there a reason why? Both give recharge and ranged defense bonuses and lightning bolt maybe a good candidate to put one of those sets in. Level 2: Ball Lightning (A) Annihilation - Accuracy/Damage (5) Annihilation - Damage/RechargeTime (7) Annihilation - Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime (7) Annihilation - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (9) Annihilation - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime (9) Annihilation - Chance for Res Debuff Our goals are S/L defense, ranged defense, recharge. What is this set doing for you? What's your rationale for picking annihilation over say positron's blast or bombardment which offer recharge, or artillery which offers ranged defense? (A) Sting of the Manticore - Accuracy/Damage (15) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Endurance (15) Sting of the Manticore - Accuracy/Interrupt/Range (17) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Interrupt/Recharge (17) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Endurance/Recharge (19) Sting of the Manticore - Chance of Damage(Toxic) There are a few instances where you slot a power with a complete set. Sometimes it's the right thing to do, sometimes it's not. What's that 6 slot doing for your goals? Level 16: Energize (A) Preventive Medicine - Heal (19) Preventive Medicine - Heal/Endurance (21) Preventive Medicine - Endurance/RechargeTime (21) Preventive Medicine - Heal/RechargeTime (23) Preventive Medicine - Heal/RechargeTime/Endurance The absorb proc is always on, if you took that out of health and added a slot here you can get another 8.75% global recharge. Level 35: Thunderous Blast (A) Ragnarok - Damage (36) Ragnarok - Damage/Recharge (36) Ragnarok - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (36) Ragnarok - Accuracy/Recharge (37) Ragnarok - Damage/Endurance (37) Ragnarok - Chance for Knockdown What's the 6th slot doing for you bonus wise? Level 38: Total Focus (A) Kinetic Combat - Accuracy/Damage (43) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Endurance (46) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Recharge (46) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Endurance/Recharge Look at the enhancement values, 22% acc and 85% damage. unlike boxing or power thrust this is a power you actually want to do damage and not miss. Level 41: Shocking Bolt (A) Apocalypse - Damage (42) Apocalypse - Damage/Recharge (42) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (42) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Recharge (43) Apocalypse - Damage/Endurance (43) Apocalypse - Chance of Damage(Negative) Shocking bolt is a hold, not a range attack, it does less damage than charged bolts, slotting it for damage has less ROI than if you actually slotted an attack. However it is a good proc monster power because it can take damage procs from hold and ranged attack sets. And those procs added together can as hard as the snipe. Just make sure you have enough Acc slotted to that it actually hits. Level 44: Charged Armor (A) Reactive Armor - Resistance/Endurance (45) Reactive Armor - Resistance (45) Reactive Armor - Resistance/Recharge (45) Reactive Armor - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge (46) Reactive Armor - Endurance What is the 5th slot doing for you bonus wise? Reactive armor offers decent S/L defense and tiny bit of ranged defense but also consider unbreakable guard which actually gives more S/L defense at 4 slots. Level 47: EM Pulse (A) Razzle Dazzle - Accuracy/Recharge (48) Razzle Dazzle - Accuracy/Stun/Recharge (48) Razzle Dazzle - Accuracy/Endurance (48) Razzle Dazzle - Endurance/Stun (50) Razzle Dazzle - Stun/Range Look at the recharge on this power, 420 seconds is 7 minutes, 7 Minutes. 4 slotting brawl with kinetic combat yields better returns and is more slot efficient than going 5 slots deep into this for less S/L defense. Finally Level 20: Tough (A) Aegis - Psionic/Status Resistance (33) Impervium Armor - Psionic Resistance (34) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All) (34) Impervious Skin - Status Resistance (34) Steadfast Protection - Knockback Protection (37) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3% There are a lot of procs here. The defense procs are necessary to bump your defenses up. If you want KB protection 2 piece blessing of the zephyr in hover/fly will do that an also give you ranged defense. The psi resist and the status resist procs are nice to haves, but won't stop mezzes from landing, only shorten shorten their duration, and bump your psi resist from pitiful to less pitiful. All in all with the other psi/toxic set bonuses you are at about 30% psi/toxic resist with no defenses. How long do you think you are going to last with 30% psi/toxic resist with blaster level HP when you are in deep doo doo compared to if you had no psi/toxic resist? I don't think those other procs are a good investment and you can move 4 of them into the travel powers and gain 2.5% ranged defense and keep your kb protection. I played around your build requirements and came up with a few builds with decent defense and resists vs recharge. Take in what I said and weigh in each slot and how they fit into your goal, give it another show and then I can show you what I came up with.

I see, like I said ranged defense is still important for melee blasters. But now you will want to consider adding some Smashing/Lethal defense into the mix as well. S/L will account for the majority of attacks that have a melee tag so S/L and Ranged defense together will cover you against a good deal of attacks. Depending on your budget the melee and Pbaoe winter sets offer a good deal of S/L defense at 5 slots. If you are budget conscious then Kinetic Combats in your melee attacks are a good place to start. 2 piece rectified reticle in build up and aim are also a nice and cheap way to get S/L defense. Balancing S/L and ranged defense is the tricky and fun part. If you want the easy way out take scorpion shield, but you can also get your defenses reasonably high even with a resist shield. Power boost can then offer you defense softcap 10 seconds at a time. On playstyle, mobility is pretty important on melee blasters, you need to recognize when to move OUT of melee range and you want to do it fast. Combat jumping is much more reliable than hover in that respect.

If you want to try your hand at building something in mids for review I can give you some tips. If you just want I build I can do that too. There are different build approaches for different playstyles. Ranged only blasters prioritize ranged defense and recharge, melee blasters prioritize ranged defense, S/L defense, and recharge and are typically more mobile. Glass cannon blasters focus on recharge at the expense of everything else. If you are going to go with a defense approach, ranged defense is the most important because that vector is where a lot of the nasty stuff that shut you down or cause cascade failures come from. Enemy ranged attacks can stop you and end a fight before you even get a chance to start it. Even though ranged blasters don't use melee attacks, melee attacks are excellent sources of ranged defense and max HP set bonuses with a full set of Mako's Bite. I don't recommend slotting that in power thrust however, a high dpa attack that can actually kill things when they get up in your face like bonesmasher is a much more deserving candidate. The ranged attacks themselves can be slotted with a full set of thunderstrike for the ranged defense bonus and Zapp is better off with 5 piece sting of the manticore for the ranged defense and recharge bonus. When you evaluate sets for set bonuses, the ones that offer multiple useful bonuses such as defense and recharge are always worth considering even if their values are lower. There is one set that stands above the rest for ranged defense for targetted AoEs, I'll let you figure out which one that is. You most likely have to take tough and weave, and maybe even maneuvers to help you close the gap to the ranged softcap. don't forget the travel powers, 2 piece blessing of the zephyr goes a long way and is a cheap place to get ranged defense. When you start building, single mindedly slot every power that you pick with sets that offer the best ranged defense, you will most likely go over the 45% range defense softcap after you go through the build like that, then start making cuts and look at alternate sets that have multiple useful bonuses. If you want to take a crack at it and come back with a first draft I can help you refine it. Or you can ask for a build, and I'll do that once.

It might be better to lead with ET as you hop in and Nova as mobs are trying to get back up. I'm not a fan of melee blasting with hover, preferring combat jumping for the immob protection and the mobility. Melee blasting is not about staying in melee range all the time and there are plenty of powers that do -fly and immob, but if you can make it work with hover more power to you. As for the build itself it's fine. There are some tweaks you can do here and there to get to the softcap at the expense of recharge but the build shows focus and I don't see anything glaring that needs attention.