What powers/enhancement IOs to use to toughen up a blaster?

[Psilencer]

I have a few blasters that need to be able to take a hit or two more than they do now.  I have a Fire/Fire and a Fire/Temp.  If the Fire/Fire can't kill fast enough and the Fire/Temp's controls don't lock enough mobs down, they need to be able to take a hit or two.  What powers (I assume tough and weave) and IO sets have the best bang for the buck?

 

Ty!

[Flat Line]

Going for positional defence IOs is an easy one. I personally went for ranged. But Smashing/Lethal might work better for your build/play style.

 

I personally also like using a Smashing/Lethal resistance  shield from the epics for the few attacks that hit.

A lot of people prefer Scorpion Shield if they are going for Smashing/Lethal defence.

 

As for standard defence powers that I try to fit into every build:

 

Hover and or Combat Jumping

 

If you go flight, afterburner is a good panic button.

 

Tough and Weave

 

And Maneuvers.

[ZorkNemesis]

My latest Blaster project has set up a lot of defense and modest resistances (Archery/Plant/Soul).  At level 42, my current build has around 32% R/E/N defense, about 16% to all others, about 45% S/L/T resistance, 20% N and 10% everything else.  Here's the kind of stuff i'm running.

 

- Plant offers a small Absorb barrier with some Toxic resistance and modest crowd control with Vines.  If mobs survive the Rain of Arrows, usually the group is immediately locked down with a follow up Vines to give me some room to pick off stragglers and soften the bosses.  As Wild Fortress is enhancable with Resists, it's a good place for Steadfast Protection and Gladiator's Armor.  These are also muleable in Tough or an epic armor, but having them in Wild Fortress is convienent due to not needing Toxic resist that often as well as not having to slot the power for EndRedux.

 

- Strangler and Soul Storm (upcoming) let me further lock down single targets, and Basilik's Gaze offers more Ranged defense.  Soul Tentacles (also upcoming) will offer some extra immobilize to ensure nothing reaches me when Vines fails to do its job.

 

- Combat Jumping, Stealth, and Weave add some decent levels of defense.  Combat Jumping is a good mule for Reactive Defenses and Shield Wall for extra resistance to everything.  I don't have them, but Scorpion Shield from Mace Mastery offers a good bit of S/L/E defense if you want that.  Cold Mastery also gives Frozen Armor for S/L defense as well, plus some Cold resist.

 

- Tough and Dark Embrace give me good resistance to Smashing/Lethal as well as a little extra Negative and Toxic.  My Unbreakable Guard 7.5% HP is here so I can get the endurance discount bonus in tandem with a Res/End.  All epic shields that don't increase defense will give you S/L resists.  Body Armor from Munitions gives the least due to being an auto power, however that means it's an excellent mule for Steadfast/Gladiator's/UBG.

 

- Blaster ATO offers a lot of Ranged defense when 6-slotted.  5% combined between the two sets, and 7.5% when made purples at 50.

 

- Furthering Ranged defense, as that's one of the most common available for most Blaster powers, Thunderstike is great for a spot of R/E/N defense in ST powers.  3 slots gets you 1.25% and full 6 slots gets another 2.5% added for a 3.75% total.  Additionally if you're not slotting for Recharge in your AoEs, Artillery offers defense on those, with 0.9% at 3 and a hefty 3.1% at 6.  For Holds, Basilik's Gaze gives 1.25% Range with just 2 slots (and a 7.5% Recharge at 4, so good).  For a Sniper power (Blazing Bolt or Ranged Shot), Sting of the Manticore offers 2.5% Range defense at 3 slots (and another 7.5% recharge at 5).

 

Edited April 18, 2021 by ZorkNemesis

[DreadShinobi]

Rune of Protection and charged armor are my preference for a beefy blaster. Scorpion Shield and ice armor are convenient for softcaps but tend to put your blaster into a spot where their defenses are more likely to fail and have a lower maximum potential. Tough and weave are nice but not required. Get the steadfast, glad armor, reactive defense, and shield wall uniques. Combat jumping and maneuvers are good defense pads that don't require prerequisites. Build to 20-32.5% defense and use purple insps 1-2 at a time when RoP/nuke is on cooldown. Build in defense that comes comfortably, rather than going overboard to achieve softcap on a blaster that may come with offensive trade-offs has been my mode of operation that has worked well for me.

Edited April 18, 2021 by DreadShinobi

[Snarky]

I play randomly with Blasters.  I just reworked a parked Dark/Dark Incarnated Blaster.  Soft-Capped Ranged, Energy/Negative Defense.  I really enhanced core powers and then took a lot of non enhancved flight, hasten, teleport stuff, stealth.  Since I normally run a Brute I got cocky on a +4 ITF.  Dead.  (a couple times....)  Rez. Breakfree, sm Blue, ....and PHASE SHIFT.  There is a panic button worth its weight in gold.  need to get better at Combat TP and using Shift before I drop.  But running a Blaster takes practice.  Invisibility (which he also has) is without a word very useful.  Why struggle to get into position?  Just stealth to it with dignity.

 

I think I may have found the unicorn.  Of all the Squishies I have played this Dark/Dark checks off all the boxes.  Very good at Task, has a lot of intricacy, and a lot of utility.  I even slapped two hold powers on him  (and put a Grav Anchor hold proc in Pen Grasp) so that I can be of some use on Hami hold teams after Ranged is done...

Edited April 19, 2021 by Snarky

[Six-Six]

on all of my toons, I make it a point to pick up Tactics and six slot it with Gaussian. awesome 6-piece set bonus.

On blasters, I try to build for ranged res/def even when I'm blapping, just to minimise mez on me. some of them are good enough that I don't need to pick up Rune of Protection. ya, I get mezzed, but it only lasts a second or two and I can still attack with T1 and T2 so it's no big. Numi's 6 piece is also a nice one (if not that, I usually 6 slot Prev Med). speaking of blapping, picking up those melee powers open up slotting choices even if you dont use them. Mako's or Touch of Death are good ones.

[nebber]

My tankiest end-game blaster is my fire/nrg.  Fighting pool, built to 40% S/L/Ranged def, and took barrier destiny.  T4 barrier is +5% def min so I'm always at softcap for S/L/R when it's on, and the huge inital +DEF and +RES boost when it's just activated lets me jump into a +4/8 spawn and eat the alpha easily. 

 

I do quite well without clarion, I cover mez protection by leaping pool (CJ for immob, acro for holds) and tactics for fear resistance.  I have the Defiant Barrage +status protection proc slotted in fireball, and I always open with fireball -- if it hits multiple targets it has a high chance of granting the extra mez protection.  Also, the capped ranged defence helps dodge a lot of status effect attacks in the first place.  Energize from /nrg secondary gives stun protection, so without that, you might get stunned every now and again, but then keep defiance-blasting away anyway.

 

[MTeague]

On 4/19/2021 at 8:08 AM, Six-Six said:

on all of my toons, I make it a point to pick up Tactics and six slot it with Gaussian. awesome 6-piece set bonus.

On blasters, I try to build for ranged res/def even when I'm blapping, just to minimise mez on me. some of them are good enough that I don't need to pick up Rune of Protection. ya, I get mezzed, but it only lasts a second or two and I can still attack with T1 and T2 so it's no big. Numi's 6 piece is also a nice one (if not that, I usually 6 slot Prev Med). speaking of blapping, picking up those melee powers open up slotting choices even if you dont use them. Mako's or Touch of Death are good ones.

6 piece Gaussian *is* quite nice. 

But on a blaster specifically, it'd be hard not to slot proc for Build-Up into Aim.

 

If you get Aim, of course.  My AR/Martial Blaster just shrugs and presses on with just a 100% unslottable ReachForTheLimit, so she might grab tactics and 6 slot it.

[Adelore]

@Psilencer, you chose well on fire/temp but the controls are not your source of survivability. check my thread with the attach build. cap your s/l/e/n/r defs with blastercap hp with a 400 point shield that regens every few sec. Also fire deletes most things anyway. You do need melee hybrid for the status protection and to get mobs to cooperate with being aoed

 

the above mention rune of protection but it is very disappointing per per points spent unless you care to take a nap between each threatening pull. I saw a rez mentioned above but theres a temporary power that does the same on a 10ish min cd. you can of course still die (disrespecting arachnos +4x8, not playing well vs +4x8 AVs or going to AE 801 to play the game properly can still kill you if your dumb) but suiciding is your fault not the characters

Amentii.mxd