Advice for someone who's never played a blaster before?

[SirCowdog]

Ok, I mean I played one to around level 8, but that was back during the time of the official servers, so I have zero context for how blasters work now, or how to survive, or even play.

 

I've got a few ideas, or course, but before I really sink the time into one(because they seem like a fun class to play), I have a few questions:

 

First off, how do you stay alive?  A few blaster primary or secondary powers have some minor healing abilities, but I'm guessing they're not really all that reliable in the thick of battle.  Is it really just as simple as "Blow things up before it blows you up"?

 

Second, it looks like Devices or Time Manipulation would be a lot of fun.  Devices especially seems like it's got an answer for everything. Are there any serious pitfalls to watch out for?

 

Third, are there any MUST haves for Blasters in terms of supplementary power pools to get?

[Without_Pause]

I played a hardcore blaster up to 41. That means once it died, the character was done. Understand what types of mitigation there are and how to use them. Yes, even knock back. My blaster was Eng/eng specifically for how much a bane it was to be on team. Hover works wonders in that regard. Using KB to knock mobs into a corner defaults to being super useful. I'm likely one of the fewer players who takes time to position themselves for attacks depending on what I want out of it versus merely hitting the most targets. There were times when near teams wipes happened when I decided to go off and helped preserve the team from further deaths. Understand aggro. A Fire blaster might sound awesome, but it will generate more heat than the blasts themselves.

 

The downside to /devices is set up time. I have seen blasters make for easy fights using devices, but it took time. Soloing would be easier for it. Teams which are blowing through content won't wait, but they won't really be needing it either.

 

Primaries I like. Dark and Ice are likely the most defensive. Ice being single target heavy means you won't draw that much attention to yourself. You get a hold. -speed and -recharge is nice. Dark has the -tohit and a heal. It also has KB. Dark is very DoT heavy, so you won't see huge numbers. Water is just a fun set which has some regen in an attack. Sonic can be good since it has -res in it, is single target focused, and has some controls. Don't underestimate using a sleep to help prevent a bad situation from getting worse, ie when a second mob gets aggroed. I used it on my Plant a bit on my last PUG. Who doesn't want an additional mob of Tsoo and their sorcerers coming into an already started fight?  :)

 

If not /devices, I would double down on /ice and /dark for something to help ease the experience for a first time blaster.

 

I can't think of a must have for pool powers. Hover is nice. Hasten is nice. Med pool is nice, but honestly I would likely just jug greens. I just don't see them as being MUST HAVES.

[Zumberge]

Well, here's what I remember from the olden days, so anyone else can correct me if I'm wrong.

 

* A few primary sets do have heals or other things like stuns or holds, several more have secondary effects like -ACC or knockdown that benefit your survival, and at some unknown point every secondary got something so that the AT isn't completely helpless, whether it be a heal, absorb, or faster regeneration and recovery.  That said, a lot of it is killing them before they kill you.  The reason Blaster secondaries get an immobilize as their first power is that they're "meant" to hold the enemy at range, where generally they deal less damage.  If there's something to take the aggro (e.g. Tankers, Scrappers) then life gets much easier, to the point where you can probably wade in if you've got a secondary with melee attacks provided you wait until everything is distracted.

 

* To that end, if nobody's asking you to pull, wait until the tank goes in first or the control powers drop.

 

* I think Time Manipulation might be a post-Live addition so it might be unbalanced overtuned just a little.  No experience with that, though.

 

* Devices, contrariwise, has always been a pretty go-to pick for people with regards to theme and utility, thanks to Field Operative née Cloaking Device providing stealth (and now +recovery!), Targeting Drone giving you To-Hit (which makes pre-SO and IO levels much easier, plus your snipe goes off instantly if you have more than +22% To-Hit, easily achieved with it) and utility like Caltrops.  In the days of yore you could lay down a huge patch of Trip Mines given time and pull AVs onto them for an alpha strike but things might've changed since then.  Gun Drone is kind of meh but at least it's not stationary like it used to be.  Skip Time Bomb, and arguably Taser and Smoke Grenade.

 

* As far as pool powers go, Leaping used to be (boy, that phrase is coming up a lot) a solid pick thanks to Acrobatics providing knockback resistance because oh boy you have no mez resistance at all and will fall on your ass in the slightest breeze.  If you're willing to lay down some money, though, the Karma IO set(levels 10-30, Defense) has a global knockback bonus IO that you can just shove into Combat Jumping or whatever provides defense and at least stay standing when a Sorcerer teleports into your personal space.

[Adeon Hawkwood]

* Devices, contrariwise, has always been a pretty go-to pick for people with regards to theme and utility, thanks to Field Operative née Cloaking Device providing stealth (and now +recovery!), Targeting Drone giving you To-Hit (which makes pre-SO and IO levels much easier, plus your snipe goes off instantly if you have more than +22% To-Hit, easily achieved with it) and utility like Caltrops.  In the days of yore you could lay down a huge patch of Trip Mines given time and pull AVs onto them for an alpha strike but things might've changed since then.  Gun Drone is kind of meh but at least it's not stationary like it used to be.  Skip Time Bomb, and arguably Taser and Smoke Grenade.

I mostly agree with your assessment, with the exception of Smoke Grenade. A 5% To Hit Debuff may not sound like much but To Hit debuffs essentially stack with Defense so if you build up a bit of ranged defense with IOs then Smoke Grenade can give you the little extra edge. Additionally it's useful for stealthing missions since you can blind a group so that they don't see you getting the glowie (since your stealth becomes less efficient once you interact with a glowie).

 

I'll also add that Caltrops is awesome. Sure you won't need it very often on a team but playing solo it makes it easier to bunch enemies up for AoEs and keep them out of melee range.

[atletikus]

Blaster primary sets tend to pay a heavy price in terms of damage output, if it has notable mitigation or utility outside the norm. Ice/ is an exception to this, if you can deal with lack of decent AoE (unless you pair it with /Mental). Sonic/ offers , but your damage output will suffer. Fire is king for damage and overwhelming damage is a defense on its own.

 

As for secondary sets; /Devices is good for soloing, but lack Build-Up +DMG power and have slow power that hurts the rapid nature of teamplay. Temporal is a solid choice, but offers little mitigation outside the single target tier one slow/-rech. I would advice you to look at by order of defensiveness: /Ice, /Devices, /Tactical, /Martial or even /Mental if you're worried about fragility. Just be aware that in the end game, you can overcome most defensive short-comings by the right IO enhancement builds. My old Fire/Ice was fantastic to level up and had the best of two worlds with great single and AoE damage as well as good mitigation, but when fully pimped out, there were significantly less need for mitigation.

 

As for supplementary power pools: I would recommend Leaping; Combat Jumping, Super Jump and even Athletics (KB+hold protection). Great mobility and a little status effect protection that goes a long way. If you pick a primary set with a snipe, I would recommend Leadership: Tactics, slot this so you have 16% ToHit minimum, then get yourself a Kismet: +6% Accuracy (is really ToHit). When you have +22% ToHit, snipe powers can be cast without the 3 sec interruption animation, making the power much more viable (albeit endurance hungry). 

 

Ultimately I would say, the sets are decently balanced (with Tactical Arrow being overtuned quite a bit IMO), so play something that you fit a character concept rather than focus on being the best meta build if you can.

 

 

 

* I think Time Manipulation might be a post-Live addition so it might be unbalanced overtuned just a little.  No experience with that, though.

I've seen this regurgitated a few times and based on my mid-level experience, /Temporal secondary does little to change an AT that's best know for its amazing face-planting power. The set is nice (except the melee attacks which ties /Ice for worst), but doesn't offer anything other sets can't and is far from OP as you suggest. It has nothing on /Tactical, which really is a bit OP (as far as rather flaccid Blaster secondaries go).

[SuperDan]

When the game was live I never played a blaster past 30. I just never could get into them. I also never played the game past I-16.

 

Now, well over a decade later, I love blasters. My first 50 since CoH came back was a fire/atom blaster. Was one of my favorite toons of all times. I am also leveling an en/en blaster now. I guess tastes change.

 

The powers you take depend heavily on your play style, along with the primaries and secondaries you take. Take en/en for example...There's a couple ways to play this combo. You can either be a blaster that uses the secondary for control, or you can be a blapper that uses the secondary as an offensive juggernaut. If you're a blapper you're definitely going to want to take combat jumping and athletics until you can slot sets for stat pro. But if you're a blaster, you can get away with it depending on how selective you target. This is just a singular example of a far more broad point.

 

IMO, blasters are one of the most flexible AT's in the game. Lots of possibilities and combinations and ways to play them. Good luck!

[Frakk]

Advice for a blaster...

 

Don't let dying discourage you.  It WILL happen.

[jubakumbi]

Advice for a blaster...

 

Don't let dying discourage you.  It WILL happen.

 

I was just going to say "Try not to die..." but enbracing it does work better...

[RichVR]

Advice for a blaster...

 

Don't let dying discourage you.  It WILL happen.

 

Especially in the single digit levels. Glass cannon.

[SirCowdog]

Advice for a blaster...

 

Don't let dying discourage you.  It WILL happen.

 

I mean...that happens to everyone at some point. Im accustomed to playing hardcore mode in diablo 3, and lots of dead cells and dark souls.  I actually think games lile CoH that have a real penalty for defeat are good!

[Novacat]

Blasters survive on two factors: First their damage, and second, their light controls or debuffs (depends on the sets)

That said, when things go wrong, you are the party canary. No one can simultaneously build as much aggro and be as incapable of handling heavy return fire. No one faceplants like blaster. Get used to it. Wear it with pride. Complain occasionally.

 

You've certainly seen this in groups: The tanker JUST jumped into a spawn of oranges when someone does a little self-buff and immediately after gets this big glowing charge up on the tip of his beam rifle - or leaps in right behind the tank and releases a giant dome of flame. Two seconds into the fight and half the minions got one-shot, the Lts ain't looking all that hot and you're not sure but you think they're wandering like stunned, and the boss just changed targets with a vengeance unless it was already taunted properly.

All I described was... Build-Up plus a Nuke. This may soon be you.

 

Soft Control

All blaster sets have some form of debuff or control usually baked into attacks. Get used to them. Pair'em for magnitude like anyone else would. You're no Controller or Dominator, but "not shooting you right now" is second best after "they're dead" and helps you make them the latter. These vary by set, so read'em, and think of what will mix with what nicely.

 

Melee

You've of course noticed some melee powers especially in the secondary. Many hit like a truck and come with a nasty mez or debuff too. Quite a few enemies (not the ones with "Swordsman" in their name obviously) do much less damage if you're in their face, but it's also that these are often powers that can kill a minion on the spot and stun an Lt out of the fight for ten seconds. They can take some getting used to, but don't think they're completely out of the question - things like running up to us more often than we'd like.

 

Those minor heals/drains

They will help, but, like your Sustain (the main +regen or absorb and endurance aid in every set) it's more about not being chipped to death (well, what anyone else calls being chipped you call a quarter of your health bar shearing off). It's 'an edge' not 'an Empathy'. Your sustain is critical: Field Operative for example doesn't just cloak and give you 1.75% defense: It's roughly 4 and a half Healths (half of which is enhanceable), and 2 Staminas. +225% Regen and +50% Recovery.

 

Some pitfalls:

You'll notice that most of your +def and +res options are pathetic compared to damn near anybody else. Field Operative gives you a mighty ... 1.75% defense. Never make the mistake of overslotting for some extra 0.2% Def or Res when those slots could go into your blasts. And if anything's going to be over-ED'd it has to be your damage. Don't ignore your first two blasts and (depending what it is) your first secondary either slotwise: These are literally your mez protection in that while you're mezzed they're still usable. BLASTERS GET MEZZED LIKE NO ONE ELSE. Even if you only take one of the two blasts (maybe because you've got a good starter in the secondary like electric net arrow) don't forget to slot them up.

 

Pools

Consider Fighting. Tough and Weave are pretty much the best source of Defense and Smash/Lethal resist available to a blaster as most things will offer lower numbers still.

Maneuvers gets lower numbers than other ATs but is STILL one of the highest defense% a Blaster can obtain in one power and honestly you MAY have plenty of endurance to spare thanks to your Sustains.

Hover or Combat Jumping are things you can't go wrong picking one of

Choose your Ancillary or Patron pool most carefully in accordance with what you've already had and like using: Many of their offerings can either plug a hole in your ability to control/debuff, or help round out an attack chain (especially if you love cones as it turns out). Or you could get a second (though it slots as targeted AoE) non-instant snipe from Munitions, or Rise of the Phoenix to get back up in murderous blaster style when you faceplant too. Summons are universally handy as well so nothing wrong going that route either.

 

Finally

Never not take your Sustain, your Build-Up if you have one (sometimes they're named a bit different like Chronos or Upshot) and your Nuke. What others call "attrition" battles you call "dead in five seconds". Kill them. Kill everything, and make sure anything that isn't dead will be stunned and blinded on its ass until you get to them. Scorched earth.

[Heraclea]

A lot depends on which ATs you do in fact enjoy.  I didn't really get into a blaster until I made an electric/electric blaster, which is more melee oriented than most others.  Blasters also can be badly endurance bound in the lower levels.  Again, electric/electric helps a little there, more so at higher levels. 

 

I also had an archery/devices  blaster who was my original stealther and the Queen of Halloween.  Laying down mines and traps before knocking on the door meant that the mobs that came out would instantly die. 

[0th Power]

Slot for damage

[Kaliselia]

Slot for damage

 

But save a few slots for Recharge, Endurance Reduction and Accuracy.

[Roughtrade]

Advice for a blaster...

 

Don't let dying discourage you.  It WILL happen.

If you do not face plant at least once an hour, you set your mission difficulty too low. 

 

Blasters are great.  During live I had four of them to 50 and one of those (Nrg/Nrg) well into Incarnate.  Your job is damage.  Get hover, stay near the Tank and go to town.

 

You ARE going to steal agro from the Tank on occasion.  And usually then you will face plant.  No big deal, those Debt Badges need earning too. 

 

Really, the only other thing I could advise is learn how to use the secondary abilities of your powers.  Not the Secondary Powerset.  The sfx powers.  Knockback, Endurance Drain.  And so on.  Used properly, no one will notice.  But used poorly and every wipe will be blamed on you.

 

[Kaliselia]

All I described was... Build-Up plus a Nuke. This may soon be you.

 

Finally

Never not take your Sustain, your Build-Up if you have one (sometimes they're named a bit different like Chronos or Upshot) and your Nuke. What others call "attrition" battles you call "dead in five seconds". Kill them. Kill everything, and make sure anything that isn't dead will be stunned and blinded on its ass until you get to them. Scorched earth.

 

Oh so true, I remember my Electric/Electric Blapper once she got her super nuke she was golden.

 

Drove my Defender buddy crazy since I would find the biggest group of mobs and power up and turn on certain powers and jump right into the middle of them.

 

She died a lot but because she was so good at taking out groups of mobs she never was in perm-debt, because she would burn it off so quickly.

 

We would go run the Werewolf zones and the Tanker would round up several groups and I would sit waiting until he brought them back to us and I would power up and fire off her Nuke.

 

All you could see were numbers as the normal's & Lt's starting dropping and the Bosses would have taken huge damage.

 

But who became their number one target?  My Blapper and she would run around until the Tanker got them on him again.

 

I would heal up and he would go and get another group and every 3+ minutes I would just fire off the Nuke.

 

Oh and since Electric ability was to drain Endurance she became quite good at taking down Bosses single handed since when they have no Endurance they are not using any of their better abilities.

 

Today she is a Electric/Energy these days and is still a Blapper but now she has two Power-Up's (Aim & Build Up), both which make Zapp an instant cast.

 

She is only level 23 and just cannot wait to get her Nuke at 32, because when she does she is going to get it six slotted as fast as possible.

[Novacat]

In terms of slotting, you want to bring your attacks into early ED. If using pines, that's late-green to early yellow - and you'll easily reach and surpass this once you start using IO sets. This way you won't be wasting too much space once the 1/2 (and later 1/3) part of your alpha slot that does count against enhancement limits is added in (you'll still loose some % value technically but that's alright). You are a blaster, so if anything's going to be inefficiently heavily ED'd, it's your attacks that have the most to gain.

 

Technically depending on their level difference, pre-alpha with 3 Damage SOs you're scratching the threshold of high diminishing returns due to ED, so it's even easier to reach once it's all inventions.

 

Beyond this you want some Accuracy (about one SO's worth is more than enough), some Recharge, some Endurance reduction and usually to tack on some special effect booster or at least a proc. Again, with IO sets much of this is already covered.

Regarding Endurance and Recharge, if you can get the reductions in the 50~70% range that's already an ample level of power. No need to break the bank over this, but don't forget the end-redux: the faster you're recharging the more blue juice you're burning through.

[Kaliselia]

So true, nothing is worst than popping your Power Up and Blasting away with one of you heavy hitting powers only to get a miss.

 

This will be an issue early on since you really want to slot for Damage.

 

Oh and a Blaster worst enemy are Mezz'ers so target those mobs first and drop them.

[Novacat]

True but the other aspect of mez is that your three powers available at level 1 (T1/2 blasts and your secondary's starter) all function while mezzed.

This gives you good reason to slot them up. Even a 1-2 punch of Toxic Web Grenade and Snap Shot can keep you in the fight. By all means snipe the sapper before you leap into battle, but don't forget your old Charged Bolts when it inevitably happens.