How good is Blapping, really ?

[Seigmoraig]

I usually play melee characters, the only ranged, non Mastermind, character that I have had the will to get to the end is a Crab Soldier.

That being said, I'm looking for something a little different but I have a few concerns...

 

I get that with IO, Tough, Weave, Combat Jumping and such you can relatively easily get def cap but, other than Rune of Protection every once in a while, how do you get by with not having any status protection when mostly playing in melee ?

 

Also what are some popular Blapping powerset combinations ? and possibly builds if you have them handy !

[Mr. Vee]

I know i say this in every other thread but defensive amplifier. 

[Generator]

17 minutes ago, Seigmoraig said:

I get that with IO, Tough, Weave, Combat Jumping and such you can relatively easily get def cap but, other than Rune of Protection every once in a while, how do you get by with not having any status protection when mostly playing in melee ?

Even without being IO'ed to the gills, most Blaster sets have some kind of mez attack.  Do unto others first!  (I say this having played an Elec^3 blaster all the way back to original launch, having two holds available for proactive mitigation was extremely useful.)

[Zeraphia]

24 minutes ago, Seigmoraig said:

I usually play melee characters, the only ranged, non Mastermind, character that I have had the will to get to the end is a Crab Soldier.

That being said, I'm looking for something a little different but I have a few concerns...

 

I get that with IO, Tough, Weave, Combat Jumping and such you can relatively easily get def cap but, other than Rune of Protection every once in a while, how do you get by with not having any status protection when mostly playing in melee ?

 

Also what are some popular Blapping powerset combinations ? and possibly builds if you have them handy !

Incarnate barrier core helps with survivability a *TON*
There's typically a regen/recovery aura/toggle/etc. that gives usually 17-34 HP/sec when IO'd out which usually turns out to being 44 hp/sec (pretty good regen)
You can take lots of WinterO's and get tons of defense bonuses

Swallow some Purples before the start of a battle and stock them up

 

These are all the ways blasters become "neigh-unkillable" they still tend to faceplant every once in awhile.

[Nemu]

IOs and defense shields help a lot. The most important skill however is movement and recognizing opportunities to go in and punch face. You will be weaving in and out of combat as you have the luxury to attack from up close and from afar. Constantly moving also allows you to kite mobs so they don't attack you as often and makes them waste time between switching from melee to ranged AI and vice versa. The mez hole isn't terrible when you have high defenses and even less so if you come prepared with breakfrees and clarion, and insp combine for breakfrees is a skill set that one would pick up as a blaster anyways. Even if a mez does land on you the IO bonuses for defense is enough to buy you a few seconds to eat a breakfree and worst case scenario you can still fire off your tier 1/2s.

 

I maintain that /elec is the best secondary suited for this playstyle. It has great quick recharging soft controls that are great Force Feedback proc mules as well to keep you in melee range and for the most part has high DPA attacks that feel crunchy and satisfying.

 

 

Once you get a taste of this you will never go back to mediocrity, which is every other AT and playstyle in this game.

 

 

[Seigmoraig]

8 minutes ago, Nemu said:

worst case scenario you can still fire off your tier 1/2s.

wait you can fire off T1/T2 while mezed ?

 

Thanks for the link, I will check out those videos you included to give me an idea as to how it is even played XD

Edited February 18, 2020 by Seigmoraig

[Generator]

20 minutes ago, Seigmoraig said:

wait you can fire off T1/T2 while mezed ?

 

Thanks for the link, I will check out those videos you included to give me an idea as to how it is even played XD

Yes, the T1/T2 of the primary and the T1 of the secondary can all be used while under mez.

[Heraclea]

My electric/electric is a blapper.  That combo almost has to be.  Your sustain power is a PBAoE that also stuns enemies.  Many other bread and butter powers are also PBAoE.  And it's easy to drain mobs completely of endurance.  I think of the character more of a blaster/defender or blaster/controller spamming a specific debuff.  The player version of a Sapper. 

 

When I want a pure DPS character I turn to an archery/devkes blaster.  This one is for team utility. 

[Novacat]

2 hours ago, Seigmoraig said:

I get that with IO, Tough, Weave, Combat Jumping and such you can relatively easily get def cap but, other than Rune of Protection every once in a while, how do you get by with not having any status protection when mostly playing in melee ?

Also what are some popular Blapping powerset combinations ? and possibly builds if you have them handy !

Def cap is certainly nice, but not strictly necessary for a Blaster. For one thing you get less out of even the pool powers than melees (1.75 instead of 1.88, 3.5 on Weave instead of 3.75 that stalkers/scrappers get.. it adds up).

Getting to 32-36% (depending on your epic pool and secondary set) Ranged and 1-2 other other types is easily done with IOs, but crossing into the 45% realm on just your autos and toggles (obviously we're not talking about inspirations or barrier here) can put a hole in your offense and utility slotting, and it's all gone to waste if you'd be teaming.

Blapping in general is a simple thing: Most sets have 1-2 solid melee attacks (and may have 1-2 duds you won't bother with). There's no real secret, it's simply that they hit damn hard and usually activate fairly quick while packing a status too. These attacks supplement your ranged set. So a good joust will get you in and out of range for no longer than you needed to be.

 

This works in as part of the whole "how to deal with mez" issue. Blasters have two ways around it.

-First is Defiance. Your first two Primary and starting Secondary power work even if you're otherwise offline from statuses. So slot at least one (I strongly one primary and the secondary starter if it's in any way useful to you) of those up properly. They may not be your best attacks but they're infinitely better than nothing.

-Second... Can someone whose head was blown off by a slow-snipe stun you? Can a bunch of idiots with sleep grenades do anything when you've alpha-nuked the lot of them? Dead things can't hurt you. Dead things can't mez you.

And that's part of where blapping comes in. A minion that just ate a well slotted Bone Smasher is not a healthy minion and if still alive is wandering around like an idiot doing a swaying animation. A boss on the floor, health deep in the red, trying to get back up from your KB needs a few more seconds before he can be a threat. Still, carry 1-2 breakfrees and never forget a few purples just to be sure.

 

One rather blapping-friendly combo I enjoy is Water/Martial Arts

Your AoE options include Water Burst (knocks down), Whirlpool(location targeting: looks neat for a dot rain, also -def, -spd), Steam Spray (hard-hitting decently wide cone), Geyser(ranged Nuke with knockup and stun), Burst of Speed (has 3 charges, doubles as a melee-PBAoE teleport), Dragon's Tail (melee PBAoE with knockdown chance), and you'll have Reaction Time up at all times for a 30ft -40 recharge aura around you to keep them in. Ki Push is kinda handy (and funny to watch) as well, not like KB's a problem since you're a Blaster.

Storm Kick's pretty good single target for its cast time, and you'll probably want Eagle's Claw for a heavy hitter though it's not the greatest of the lot. Enjoy your juggling.

[s3ri0us]

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[Intrinsic]

7 hours ago, Seigmoraig said:

how do you get by with not having any status protection when mostly playing in melee ?

Having high or capped defense helps a lot, since most status attacks need to hit you in order to have an effect.

 

All of my incarnate blasters use Clarion in the Destiny slot.  It can be used while mezzed, so you don't need to keep it up all the time.

 

The early levels can be rough.  Keep some break frees handy, and try to kill them before they kill you (the blapper creed).

7 hours ago, Seigmoraig said:

Also what are some popular Blapping powerset combinations ? and possibly builds if you have them handy !

Don't have access to my builds at the moment, but fire/electric is my current favorite.  Very high single-target DPS, and excellent AoE damage to boot.

[Nemu]

10 minutes ago, Intrinsic said:

fire/electric is my current favorite.

I applaud you for your excellent taste sir or madam. I don't see a lot or any fire/elec blasters and I think it's time it got some deserved attention.

[Seigmoraig]

Thanks for the info guys, i<m going to roll it Fire/Elec !

[Nemu]

A fine choice sir or madam. If you have any questions about it feel free to pm me or if you roll one on excelsior or torch I can show you a few things. Pre-IO play is going to be different than post IO play and also you will have end issues depending how frantic you are on the battlefield until you get powersink. But you will get better with each level and the progression will feel rewarding at all times up to incarnate levels when you get clarion and up to your hybrid choice.

 

The build I posted in that thread accounts for exemplaring and you will have a speed TF running tank mage when you exemp at level 33 and above.

 

It's my absolute favorite character in CoH and I hope you can experience the joy and exhilaration of punching something in the face, nuking stuff to oblivion, and making things around you flop while tanking +4 mobs as a blaster.

[SeraphimKensai]

Back in the day before blaster sustains there were three tiers of blaster

/EM Blappers

TP Foe Device Blasters

And everyone else

 

There's a lot more flexibility now a days.

[HelenCarnate]

Outside of Fire, Ice, and snipes, the highest DPA attacks are in melee or short range (Mostly in Energy and Electric).  You can still destroy near everything without ever getting in melee range, but if you want to do the max possible damage in the shortest period of time, you will need to be in melee range.   The down side of that play style is that the rules are the same for mobs.  They also hit harder in melee range and also have more attacks available so if you want to play that way, it requires a more sturdy build or others on your team to keep the aggro off of you.

[Shred Monkey]

I don't see a lot of blappers, which is one of the reasons I like to play one.  My main right now is fire/energy.   Fire being obvious for high DPS short animation attacks (blaze and snipe) to mix in with the big 2 melee attacks from /energy.  I debated between /energy and /electric.  They both have essentially identical melee attack options.  I went with energy because I really like energize as my sustain power.  I was a little worried about how well I could balance energy in/out and energize easily handled my concerns.

 

I think the thing that I really enjoy this toon is the animation times.  I fire off 6 attacks per rotation in a little over 7 seconds.  Because of this, I'm hardly ever corpse-blasting unlike a set with attacks in the 1.8-2.5 second range.  Also, having a PBAoE nuke just fits perfect since i'm generally in the middle of a spawn anyway.  And the fact that blaze and snipe are actually ranged, is quite handy when you get a runner or a flyer, or maybe the last guy standing is on the other size of the spawn from you.   Your blast often gets to the last enemy before the other damage dealers because they have to run to melee before starting their attack.  

 

For status protection I use clarion core slotted in my destiny incarnate power.  For below level 50 content, I find just having good defense goes a long way.  You can't get held if you don't get hit.  I do have the blaster ATO status protection proc slotted... i assume it is doing something, but it's hard to know how much it does.  I also carry break frees (along with greens, purples, and reds) but they don't get used very often.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2020 by Shred Monkey

[Doomguide2005]

On 2/18/2020 at 11:59 AM, Veelectric Boogaloo said:

I know i say this in every other thread but defensive amplifier. 

There's a  base empowerment as well.

[Kaballah]

Post 50 you just get Clarion and stop worrying about CC.  There is also the Hybrid toggle but Clarion can have 100% uptime and even if you are already CCd you can still fire it.

[Haijinx]

44 minutes ago, Kaballah said:

Post 50 you just get Clarion and stop worrying about CC.  There is also the Hybrid toggle but Clarion can have 100% uptime and even if you are already CCd you can still fire it.

Also the one Blaster ATO helps with status protection. 

 

 

[Intrinsic]

7 hours ago, Shred Monkey said:

I debated between /energy and /electric.  They both have essentially identical melee attack options.  I went with energy because I really like energize as my sustain power.  I was a little worried about how well I could balance energy in/out and energize easily handled my concerns.

Energize is really nice.  The stun effects on the melee attacks complement each other well too, especially if your primary set includes a stun power.  I ran an archery/energy blaster for a long time in retail, not really a traditional blapper combo but it was very effective.

 

Main reasons I went with /electricity were for the damage aura, which is not a game-changer but but still nice passive damage, and Force of Thunder since I realized it could take the KB->KD proc from the new Sudden Acceleration set.  The AoE knockback in the old Lightning Clap power was incredibly annoying, but AoE knockdown?  It's awesome.

Edited February 20, 2020 by Intrinsic

[Doomguide2005]

Took me while to find a blaster I liked well enough to see to 50.  Fire/Energy was it.  Closing on the mob with Fire, ending the charge in the bosses face with Energy's melee attacks. One of my last blasters was a blapper with a ton of aoe - Elec/Fire. The new sustain power has made it very doable whereas on live the build was and promised to be an endurance nightmare until well IO'd

[HornyBeast]

My blapper is ice/fire/fire. It's very versatile, solos fine and is great on a team with a tank that can hold aggro. I have 2 holds to deal with troublesome stuff and then just go to work with bonfire (with a KB-KD), FSC, combustion, fire sword, burn, ice storm, blizzard in some combination. I use hot feet on teams, but often turn it off solo as stuff runs.

[reib]

My Blapper was Ice/NRG and was the best combo ever. Good for pve and Amazing for Pvp. Missing "Boiling Ice" a lot...

[NEW DAWN]

I think Blapping is a thing, it is a need to be done thing, lets face it other characters you can properly IOset out for their roles, but blapping is unintended, playing outside of game design intent and so out of a comfort zone. Pure blap is like another AT.