blaster Tankiest Blaster Epic

[ivioin]

Hey, which villain/hero epic pool, would people suggest for a Dp/Device blaster looking to be as tanky as possible? 

[Krazie Ivan]

imo, Mu.

you can build up SLENFC +Def into the 40's (or positional into the upper 30's), through powers/IOs/bonuses. loads of SL +Res bonuses avail, & Winter/Purples add FC +Res easily. but Energy Res is harder to build up & hugely important in L40+ content, becoming saturated in much of the newer & crossover content. 

...although most will swear by Scorp.Shield (which is great for certain playstyles & builds too).

[ivioin]

1 hour ago, Krazie Ivan said:

imo, Mu.

you can build up SLENFC +Def into the 40's (or positional into the upper 30's), through powers/IOs/bonuses. loads of SL +Res bonuses avail, & Winter/Purples add FC +Res easily. but Energy Res is harder to build up & hugely important in L40+ content, becoming saturated in much of the newer & crossover content. 

...although most will swear by Scorp.Shield (which is great for certain playstyles & builds too).

Thanks… i’ll have to look into mu…

[Parabola]

Cold has to get a mention too. A s/l shield that also slots the Res uniques (in case you aren't taking fighting), a heal/max hp buff, a panic button emergency power and some utility powers. I've even found the sleep to be useful as a cheap way of breaking up alphas if my primary and secondary don't have something better.

[Chelsea Rorec]

I typically take munitions mastery on my weapon toons and use body armour as a Res/+Def mule for that sweet sweet range def.

And also because i am one of the few lunatics that likes LRM, more large AOE's whats not to like 🤷‍♀️

And Cyrofreeze ray and Surveillance is super handy for Devices.

 

[ivioin]

4 hours ago, Parabola said:

Cold has to get a mention too. A s/l shield that also slots the Res uniques (in case you aren't taking fighting), a heal/max hp buff, a panic button emergency power and some utility powers. I've even found the sleep to be useful as a cheap way of breaking up alphas if my primary and secondary don't have something better.

Thanks, you guys are making this tough, but what about the invulnerability one?

[ivioin]

51 minutes ago, Chelsea Rorec said:

I typically take munitions mastery on my weapon toons and use body armour as a Res/+Def mule for that sweet sweet range def.

And also because i am one of the few lunatics that likes LRM, more large AOE's whats not to like 🤷‍♀️

And Cyrofreeze ray and Surveillance is super handy for Devices.

 

Man, i was looking into that too... it just fits thematically...

[Uun]

13 hours ago, ivioin said:

Thanks… i’ll have to look into mu…

You can also get the same Charged Armor in Electrical Mastery, with differences in the other powers.

3 hours ago, ivioin said:

Thanks, you guys are making this tough, but what about the invulnerability one?

You lose the En resistance for an extra 1.75% S/L resistance. The other powers in the set are meh.

[ivioin]

5 hours ago, Uun said:

You can also get the same Charged Armor in Electrical Mastery, with differences in the other powers.

You lose the En resistance for an extra 1.75% S/L resistance. The other powers in the set are meh.

Yea, i seen that thanks and the last power in the set would be good but i think it causes a crash.

[Uun]

6 minutes ago, ivioin said:

Yea, i seen that thanks and the last power in the set would be good but i think it causes a crash.

Force of Nature (Force Mastery) and Surge of Power (Electrical Mastery) have an endurance crash, but no health crash.

[Frozen Burn]

10 hours ago, ivioin said:

Yea, i seen that thanks and the last power in the set would be good but i think it causes a crash.

 

10 hours ago, Uun said:

Force of Nature (Force Mastery) and Surge of Power (Electrical Mastery) have an endurance crash, but no health crash.

 

Correct about the crashes.  to add in... your Field Operative / endurance-sustain power in whatever secondary you choose should also be enough to keep you from completely detoggling from the crash (at least it is so on my /Tactical Arrow Blaster with "Eagle Eye").... so the end crash of Force of Nature should not be a deterrent.  I generally do not even know the crash happened. 

 

I think one time Hasten and Force of Nature crashed simultaneously and it detoggled everything but Eagle Eye.  (lived through it with no issues.)  But that rare occurrence has only happened once. 

 

So again, no need to be scared of the crash, just be aware of it. 

 

Also, don't forget to build for +Max HP in addition to your defenses and resists.  Extra HPs for a blaster (anyone, really) can go a LONG way for your survivability.  

[DreadShinobi]

21 hours ago, Chelsea Rorec said:

I typically take munitions mastery on my weapon toons and use body armour as a Res/+Def mule for that sweet sweet range def.

And also because i am one of the few lunatics that likes LRM, more large AOE's whats not to like 🤷‍♀️

And Cyrofreeze ray and Surveillance is super handy for Devices.

 

 

 Munitions mastery is a strong ancillary because of surveillance and Achilles heel access to any primary/secondary combination that otherwise can't slot it, however it is absolutely contrary to what the OP asked for. Munitions has the weakest built in survivability quotient. You can certainly work around being squishier while playing a munitions blaster, and there are significant payoffs depending on your playstyle for doing so, however the OP is looking for options to make for a tankier blaster and suggesting munitions is quite literally sending the OP in the opposite direction.

[ivioin]

6 hours ago, Frozen Burn said:

 

 

Correct about the crashes.  to add in... your Field Operative / endurance-sustain power in whatever secondary you choose should also be enough to keep you from completely detoggling from the crash (at least it is so on my /Tactical Arrow Blaster with "Eagle Eye").... so the end crash of Force of Nature should not be a deterrent.  I generally do not even know the crash happened. 

 

I think one time Hasten and Force of Nature crashed simultaneously and it detoggled everything but Eagle Eye.  (lived through it with no issues.)  But that rare occurrence has only happened once. 

 

So again, no need to be scared of the crash, just be aware of it. 

 

Also, don't forget to build for +Max HP in addition to your defenses and resists.  Extra HPs for a blaster (anyone, really) can go a LONG way for your survivability.  

Nice information, how do you go about with IO’s for HP?

[ivioin]

On 12/26/2021 at 7:12 PM, Krazie Ivan said:

imo, Mu.

you can build up SLENFC +Def into the 40's (or positional into the upper 30's), through powers/IOs/bonuses. loads of SL +Res bonuses avail, & Winter/Purples add FC +Res easily. but Energy Res is harder to build up & hugely important in L40+ content, becoming saturated in much of the newer & crossover content. 

...although most will swear by Scorp.Shield (which is great for certain playstyles & builds too).

So as of lvl 38, I have the mu armor and have like 58 s/l res. 42 energy, 20+ defenses in melee/ranged/energy. I don’t know if i’m doing this correctly though lol

[Uun]

1 hour ago, ivioin said:

Nice information, how do you go about with IO’s for HP?

Best sources for +hp are the Freedom Phalanx Reserve, Portal Jockey and Task Force Commander accolades (Born in Battle, High Pain Threshold and Invader if you're a villain). Unbreakable Guard has a unique IO that grants 7.5% +hp. Other than that, many sets provide +hp bonuses - see link below.

 

https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Category:Sets_that_improve_Health

[ivioin]

24 minutes ago, Uun said:

Best sources for +hp are the Freedom Phalanx Reserve, Portal Jockey and Task Force Commander accolades (Born in Battle, High Pain Threshold and Invader if you're a villain). Unbreakable Guard has a unique IO that grants 7.5% +hp. Other than that, many sets provide +hp bonuses - see link below.

 

https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Category:Sets_that_improve_Health

Thanks… it looks like i have my work cut out for me.

[Haijinx]

I prefer Scorpion Shield for a few reasons 

-it only takes one power pick

-it is defense based, but looks better than Ice Armor 

-it looks good with Stealth Powers, Stealth Powers adding good survivibility to Blasters 

 

I prefer Defense since Blasters' have a weakness with Status Protection, thus you can avoid some status effects easier. 

 

You can build up Defense on something like Temp Invulnerbility or Electric Armor sure, but you are then going to have to slot for a LOT of defense.   And as a Blaster the main job is Blasting stuff, which I am loathe to weaken in order to build for a lot of defense.  At some point your build is giving up enough you'd have been better off going Scraper or Sentinel.   

 

So my usual go to is .. Scorpion Shield, Combat Jumping, Tough, Weave, Stealth then build for 45% S/L defense with IO sets.  If I have room I add in some Ranged Defense Set Bonus. 

[Frozen Burn]

On 12/26/2021 at 6:11 PM, ivioin said:

Hey, which villain/hero epic pool, would people suggest for a Dp/Device blaster looking to be as tanky as possible? 

 

To further the discussion.... in addition to all the above suggestions for epics and their pros/cons (as you requested)....

 

To be "tanky" with a Blaster goes beyond "sturdiness."  It also takes into account your playstyle, power choices, and your attack chain -- including leveraging your crowd control powers (stuns, holds, sleeps, etc -- especially AOE ones) -- all to help mitigate the incoming damage and increase your survivability.  Unfortunately, /Devices doesn't get much in the way of these types of hard "control" powers.  So for DP/Devices, here are some suggestions to help supplement whatever Epic you choose: 

• Caltops:  use these often to help make them turn away from you and run (slowly) -- a Ragnarok (or possibly other) Chance for KD proc in it is great!  They won't fall over like Ice Slick, but generally can get several to fall over upon casting and/or a couple later while they are trying to run out of it.  i LOVE my Caltrops of Tripping!  😄
• Taser:  with the recent changes in /Devices, this is best slotted for damage.  However, it's base stun duration is good enough to keep pesky lieutenants at bay for 6s, if you don't outright finish off killing it.
  • Unfortunately, if you have Incendiary, Cryo, or Toxic Ammo toggled, it will not stack with Suppressive Fire (if you have it) as they turn SF into a hold.  But if you pick up a hold in your Epic, it along with Suppressive Fire will then stack to hold pesky bosses.  
  • Alternatively, and if you do not have an extra hold power, you could turn off your Swapped Ammo to stack with Taser to Stun a boss -- I don't really recommend turning off your Swapped Ammo as you want the extra damage they provide, but I state here for "OH CRAP" situations where you're out of options and there is just a boss left and it's at nearly full health and you're out of inspires, low on health, and you have to get it to stop wailing on you.  🙂  
• Smoke Grenade:  I think most skip this power (I generally have a hard time fitting it into my build), but it is really good, especially if you can add a few slots for even more -To Hit.  Not only is the -perception good, the -To Hit debuff helps make your Defense even better.  Even if you are not soft-capped at Defense, the -To Hit debuff on the mobs "acts like" extra defense for you.... So it is something to consider putting into your build.

[Snarky]

Force Mastery has two powers that make you very very tough to put down.  Force of Nature and Personal Force Field.  i combine these with Stealth Phase Shift for 3 in my Elec/temp/Force Blaster who is fully ranged and rocking 50+% ranged def.  Only in caves and small maps do i ever need one of those short term fix everything powers, and I have three.....

[Shred Monkey]

8 hours ago, Haijinx said:

I prefer Scorpion Shield for a few reasons 

-it only takes one power pick

-it is defense based, but looks better than Ice Armor 

-it looks good with Stealth Powers, Stealth Powers adding good survivibility to Blasters 

 

I prefer Defense since Blasters' have a weakness with Status Protection, thus you can avoid some status effects easier. 

 

You can build up Defense on something like Temp Invulnerbility or Electric Armor sure, but you are then going to have to slot for a LOT of defense.   And as a Blaster the main job is Blasting stuff, which I am loathe to weaken in order to build for a lot of defense.  At some point your build is giving up enough you'd have been better off going Scraper or Sentinel.   

 

So my usual go to is .. Scorpion Shield, Combat Jumping, Tough, Weave, Stealth then build for 45% S/L defense with IO sets.  If I have room I add in some Ranged Defense Set Bonus. 

 

 

Yeah.. scorpion shield was going to be my answer (from mace epic).  I was surprised that I had to scroll down this far to find it.

 

Generally my blasters go for 45 ranged defense and 45 Smash/Lethal... and I usually end up with 45 energy because scorpion shield and ranged IOs add to that.

 

I've considered using the Ice shield instead of mace shield, but I don't like the graphic, and energy is actually pretty common.

 

If you really want ultimate survivability in a blaster, hover out of melee with the above mentioned defenses.  It's not really a great option for Dual Pistols, but for survivability, it's ridiculous.   A few years ago I used this setup to solo LRSF and MsLTF and many other stupid things on a beam/devices blaster.   

 

 

[Krazie Ivan]

11 hours ago, Haijinx said:

At some point your build is giving up enough you'd have been better off going Scraper or Sentinel.

even if i agreed with this, the sense of accomplishment from achieving things with chars that shouldn't, is just too much draw. it's almost like if one could beat a puzzle, not just solve it. absolutely my fav part of this game.
;D

[ivioin]

10 hours ago, Frozen Burn said:

 

To further the discussion.... in addition to all the above suggestions for epics and their pros/cons (as you requested)....

 

To be "tanky" with a Blaster goes beyond "sturdiness."  It also takes into account your playstyle, power choices, and your attack chain -- including leveraging your crowd control powers (stuns, holds, sleeps, etc -- especially AOE ones) -- all to help mitigate the incoming damage and increase your survivability.  Unfortunately, /Devices doesn't get much in the way of these types of hard "control" powers.  So for DP/Devices, here are some suggestions to help supplement whatever Epic you choose: 

• Caltops:  use these often to help make them turn away from you and run (slowly) -- a Ragnarok (or possibly other) Chance for KD proc in it is great!  They won't fall over like Ice Slick, but generally can get several to fall over upon casting and/or a couple later while they are trying to run out of it.  i LOVE my Caltrops of Tripping!  😄
• Taser:  with the recent changes in /Devices, this is best slotted for damage.  However, it's base stun duration is good enough to keep pesky lieutenants at bay for 6s, if you don't outright finish off killing it.
  • Unfortunately, if you have Incendiary, Cryo, or Toxic Ammo toggled, it will not stack with Suppressive Fire (if you have it) as they turn SF into a hold.  But if you pick up a hold in your Epic, it along with Suppressive Fire will then stack to hold pesky bosses.  
  • Alternatively, and if you do not have an extra hold power, you could turn off your Swapped Ammo to stack with Taser to Stun a boss -- I don't really recommend turning off your Swapped Ammo as you want the extra damage they provide, but I state here for "OH CRAP" situations where you're out of options and there is just a boss left and it's at nearly full health and you're out of inspires, low on health, and you have to get it to stop wailing on you.  🙂  
• Smoke Grenade:  I think most skip this power (I generally have a hard time fitting it into my build), but it is really good, especially if you can add a few slots for even more -To Hit.  Not only is the -perception good, the -To Hit debuff helps make your Defense even better.  Even if you are not soft-capped at Defense, the -To Hit debuff on the mobs "acts like" extra defense for you.... So it is something to consider putting into your build.

I have all 3 lol.. I play him like a saboteur.  

[ivioin]

7 hours ago, Snarky said:

Force Mastery has two powers that make you very very tough to put down.  Force of Nature and Personal Force Field.  i combine these with Stealth Phase Shift for 3 in my Elec/temp/Force Blaster who is fully ranged and rocking 50+% ranged def.  Only in caves and small maps do i ever need one of those short term fix everything powers, and I have three.....

I know… I might use this one on my non mines build

[ivioin]

2 hours ago, Shred Monkey said:

 

 

Yeah.. scorpion shield was going to be my answer (from mace epic).  I was surprised that I had to scroll down this far to find it.

 

Generally my blasters go for 45 ranged defense and 45 Smash/Lethal... and I usually end up with 45 energy because scorpion shield and ranged IOs add to that.

 

I've considered using the Ice shield instead of mace shield, but I don't like the graphic, and energy is actually pretty common.

 

If you really want ultimate survivability in a blaster, hover out of melee with the above mentioned defenses.  It's not really a great option for Dual Pistols, but for survivability, it's ridiculous.   A few years ago I used this setup to solo LRSF and MsLTF and many other stupid things on a beam/devices blaster.   

 

 

I just can’t seem to find a lot of smash/lethal i’ll have to look again, but i kind of out of nowhere had melee high.

[ivioin]

11 hours ago, Haijinx said:

I prefer Scorpion Shield for a few reasons 

-it only takes one power pick

-it is defense based, but looks better than Ice Armor 

-it looks good with Stealth Powers, Stealth Powers adding good survivibility to Blasters 

 

I prefer Defense since Blasters' have a weakness with Status Protection, thus you can avoid some status effects easier. 

 

You can build up Defense on something like Temp Invulnerbility or Electric Armor sure, but you are then going to have to slot for a LOT of defense.   And as a Blaster the main job is Blasting stuff, which I am loathe to weaken in order to build for a lot of defense.  At some point your build is giving up enough you'd have been better off going Scraper or Sentinel.   

 

So my usual go to is .. Scorpion Shield, Combat Jumping, Tough, Weave, Stealth then build for 45% S/L defense with IO sets.  If I have room I add in some Ranged Defense Set Bonus. 

Why the hell did i not think of stealth for my stealth build….??? I think it’s because i hate the travel power and just blocked out the whole set.