Ice/Ice...Ice/dev or Water/ instead?

[HERO3]

Hey my title rhymed! That is neat.

 

A quick history:

I played CoH back in the day but never to high end, never played with IO sets etc.

I have a farmer on Homecoming but he is just 50 and chillen with the regular IO's meaning I have about 150mil to play with.

I have yet to figure out what character to really sink my cash into. (probably the brute, but man is farming boring)

On live I played controllers and homecoming I have quite a few but I am looking for some pew! Some defenders, some corruptors, but I always lean back to controller for support. I have heard controllers are not as cool these days due to AT power at high end.

I prefer to team, and I often start my own. I may solo some in the future.

 

I figure it is time for some damage. I will not plvl the character so honestly leveling matters just as much to me as end game. From browsing the powers, Ice/Ice and Water/Ice look to give some good damage and control with good mitigation, but what about devices? I like the looks of devices for the targeting drone and field opp. I am also looking to probably play this first blaster at range.

 

(Just after posting this I started looking at Temporal Manipulation...the target AOEs look to synergize well with the Ice range AOEs....) ugg

 

Any advice you can all give on this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Edited November 1, 2021 by HERO3

[Nemu]

Water/Ice if you want a good balance of single target, aoe and control. You never have to worry about endurance starting at level 10 when you pick up frigid protection (and you should absolutely pick that up at level 10, no delays). Not only that but the slow aura it provides does wonders against enemy AI, slow auras are very underrated but they are very effective. If you want to get the most out of blasters don't be shy about getting into melee and ice manipulation has tools to help you survive melee range.

 

Temp manipulation doesn't have ranged AoE attacks, just a weak Targetted AoE control power.

 

All builds can get stealth via super speed + stealth IO so field operative from devices isn't a differentiator, targeting drone is though, it basically means you can worry a bit less about missing. Most people I see build /dev blasters to be pure ranged hover blasters but trip mine was recently reworked to allow more agile, non-interruptible toe bombing during combat. 

 

I still recommend water/ice. It's a good combo to start your blaster journey with.

[HERO3]

Nemu, thank you for the reply. I can see this working both thematically and synergistically. I made a ice/dev when I got home from work...lvl 10 and I hate him....time to make a Water/Ice

  

[Without_Pause]

I loved my Water/ice and got in the 20-30 range. I think 30+, but once I rolled Water/temp, that's what hit 50.

[Force Redux]

Both are great combos.... My ice/ice is a bit less AoE damage than water/ but it's she great extra control. Actually, my ice/ice is over of my favorite characters, coming from a guy who was not a huge blaster fan before HC 

[Nemu]

Since you are working with a limited budget. here are a few must have low level attuned IOs to make your leveling journey easier:

 

Kismet unique, slot this asap in a def power, you can do so as early as level 7, you have to have the defensive power active in order to get the to-hit bonus, for that reason I don't recommend slotting it in powers like stealth which you may have to turn off from time to time for escort/hostage missions.

Either the unbound leap or celerity stealth IO, you can slot that in sprint as early as level 12, combine that with super speed or stealth for full invis so you can ghost missions that you don't want to take the time to kill through.

A blessing of the zephyr kb protection IO in a travel power.

A force feedback proc in water burst, you can slot that as early as level 18 I believe.

LOTG 7.5% - these are expensive but best bang for the buck for recharge. You can start slotting the attuned versions at level 22 and they provide a good instant boost to your global recharge.

 

Nice to have IOs but you don't need to get them until you have more disposable budget or slots to spare.

Both the annihilation and the achiles heel -res procs.

Both +def uniques, you'll want these when you start your real build planning and if your build planning involves building up defense. During leveling, they are luxury items early game and not worth going out of your way to get tough early to slot them, start taking a look at these when you have attacks slotted decently.

[HERO3]

Wow! Great info here that I was not aware of. I had no idea you could use these types of enhancements pre-50.

 

@Without_Pause ....Curious the differences for you in playstyle from water/ice to water/temp?

 

[Without_Pause]

Not much really. I think I liked Time's End of Time and Time Lord better than what was being offered in /ice. While I accept Ice Patch being a good power and another way for KU, but you have to be in melee and the patch size is on the small side, IIRC. It is certainly better if you solo more. I really do like /ice though.

[Elia87]

18 hours ago, Without_Pause said:

I loved my Water/ice and got in the 20-30 range. I think 30+, but once I rolled Water/temp, that's what hit 50.

Any builds you could shade for that water/temp?? I have one that needs a build to compare..if you are ok with sharing

[HERO3]

I think at this point I will make both a water/ice and water/temp and see how I like them. I am going to follow Nemu's advice and see how it goes =). I like how /ice offers some fun looking blapper time.

[KaoticKarl]

If I'm not sure how I'll like a powerset pairing on different ATs, or want to compare the differences between sets on the same AT, I always make a character on the Brainstorm test server. You can crank it up to 50 and just slot IO freebies, and run it around PI/Grandville or take on a radio mission to see how a set feels to play at 50 versus just looking at the powers in Mids or the creation tool.

 

Link to how to download the needed launcher and what you can do there:

 

I've scrapped quite a few concepts I've had, even though I thought they would work together, because I absolutely hated the powers when I played them myself, after having read about how fun and great they were for others. I suggest going there before bothering with starting anything up, just to possibly save yourself some anguish later on.

 

 

[HERO3]

Thanks Karl, I will install and give this a shot...good call.

[Carnifax]

1 hour ago, HERO3 said:

Thanks Karl, I will install and give this a shot...good call.

It's great advice. I've used it for various potential combos.

 

And don't forget you can build the char in Mids then export a popmenu to beta which gives you all the IOs in the build (in order). You still have to level etc but it makes slotting up your beta char a breeze.

 

Import / Export > Export build to beta server is the option in Mids

[HERO3]

4 minutes ago, Carnifax said:

It's great advice. I've used it for various potential combos.

 

And don't forget you can build the char in Mids then export a popmenu to beta which gives you all the IOs in the build (in order). You still have to level etc but it makes slotting up your beta char a breeze.

 

Import / Export > Export build to beta server is the option in Mids

Mind Blown....

 

I logged in to Beta after work, Made a Energy Blast/Devices...picked what i thought was good, then did the Auto enhancement. I read the forums and put in some KB to KD and wow, so good even with the random slotting ( keep in mind my experiment was with PI street sweeping)

 

I saw the import feature and wow...so many opportunities now....I see how people get so in to this, what a huge benefit.

 

I appreciate all of your input on this post...now someone just send me a pm with every good build and that would be great..... =))

 

cheers to all!

[Without_Pause]

On 11/2/2021 at 1:11 PM, Elia87 said:

Any builds you could shade for that water/temp?? I have one that needs a build to compare..if you are ok with sharing

Currently no. My Water/temp is the next up for a end game build, but I don't know when that will be. I tend to do a search for one and go from there. I have yet to really do one from the ground up, but I keep learning and taking notes as I go, so I think I might be able to make a decent one if I tried. End isn't much of an issue so it will mostly be getting capped ranged def and going from there. 

[HERO3]

29 minutes ago, Without_Pause said:

Currently no. My Water/temp is the next up for a end game build, but I don't know when that will be. I tend to do a search for one and go from there. I have yet to really do one from the ground up, but I keep learning and taking notes as I go, so I think I might be able to make a decent one if I tried. End isn't much of an issue so it will mostly be getting capped ranged def and going from there. 

I like this approach. When I first started homecoming Sentinel looked so great because of the sustain. But in practice, Blaster sustain is beautiful because you can kill stuff so quick!

 

The Energy/Dev blaster I made on beta is great fun. Go in to middle of pack, hit nuke, throw down bonfire and blow whatever is left standing up while hanging out in bonfire protection zone. Blaster is looking super promising and changing the way I play currently in contrast to my oldschool mentality.

Edited November 3, 2021 by HERO3

[Carnifax]

Here's my (reasonably cheap) Water/Temp. Great at floating at range and making groups explode. Not great single target damage but tankier than it looks thanks to the Absorb shield, Hoarfrost and Dehydrate topping you up constantly. I reckon you could move things about and go for things like Forced Feedback in Water Burst. 

 

Spoiler

This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.5.9
https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Temporas: Level 50 Mutation Blaster
Primary Power Set: Water Blast
Secondary Power Set: Temporal Manipulation
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Concealment
Ancillary Pool: Cold Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Aqua Bolt -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(13), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(17)
Level 1: Time Wall -- Acc-I(A)
Level 2: Water Burst -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(5), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(13), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(37)
Level 4: Time Stop -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(7), BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(7), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(25)
Level 6: Whirlpool -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(9), Artl-Dam/Rech(9), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(15), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(25), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(27)
Level 8: Tidal Forces -- RctRtc-ToHit/Rchg(A), RctRtc-Pcptn(50)
Level 10: Chronos -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(11), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(11), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(33), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(34), GssSynFr--Build%(34)
Level 12: Dehydrate -- Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Thn-Acc/Dmg(34), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), AchHee-ResDeb%(36), Dvs-Acc/Dmg(36), GldJvl-Dam%(37)
Level 14: Fly -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A), BlsoftheZ-Travel(50)
Level 16: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17)
Level 18: Water Jet -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Apc-Dam%(31), GldJvl-Dam%(33), Dvs-Acc/Dmg(33)
Level 20: Temporal Healing -- DctWnd-Heal/EndRdx(A), DctWnd-EndRdx/Rchg(21), DctWnd-Heal/Rchg(21), DctWnd-Heal(23), DctWnd-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 22: Kick -- Acc-I(A)
Level 24: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(39), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(39)
Level 26: Steam Spray -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(27), Artl-Dam/Rech(29), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(29), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(31), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(31)
Level 28: End of Time -- Erd-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Erd-Dmg(40), Erd-%Dam(40), Obl-Dmg(40), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Obl-%Dam(42)
Level 30: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), DefBuff-I(48), LucoftheG-Def(50)
Level 32: Geyser -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(42), Artl-Dam/End(43), Artl-Dam/Rech(46), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(46), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(48)
Level 35: Snow Storm -- PcnoftheT-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(A)
Level 38: Time Lord -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A)
Level 41: Frozen Armor -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(43), DefBuff-I(43)
Level 44: Hoarfrost -- NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx(A), NmnCnv-EndRdx/Rchg(45), NmnCnv-Heal/Rchg(45), NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(45), NmnCnv-Heal(46), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(48)
Level 47: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 49: Stealth -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 1: Defiance 
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Prv-Absorb%(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(39)
Level 1: Combo Level 1 
Level 1: Combo Level 2 
Level 1: Combo Level 3 
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 4: Ninja Run 
Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon 
Level 50: Barrier Core Epiphany 
Level 50: Void Partial Radial Judgement 
Level 14: Afterburner 
------------

 

Edited November 3, 2021 by Carnifax

[FUBARczar]

Water/Dev or water/martial

[madatlis16]

have a build for water/device?