Electrical Affinity/Electrical Blast - Zap a Friend and an Enemy

[laudwic]

With all of the recent updates to Electrical Blast, I decided to make a EA/EB defender and had a great time.  Since there isn't any information on Electrical Affinity in the "I need Healing" Defenders Guide, I thought I would post some of my thoughts here now that I leveled my EA/EB defender to 50.

 

Electrical Affinity:

 

A quick note about Static.  You build static through the use of your powers, and it dissipates over time.  The more static you have, the more targets chain off with your buffing powers.  The initial target gets the most benefit and it reduces from there.  When your working in a group, you'll have plenty of static within the first minute of the mission.  Heck, you can shoot your teammates before you go in to build some up.  Big thing to remember is that you are healing/buffing via chain lighting.  If they aren't in the general area of the initial target, they are out of luck.

 

Shock:  Great little power that needs no additional slots.  Put an Acc IO in it and your done.  It is a nice little single target debuff, - DMG, drains some End, and hurts recovery.  When soloing bosses or EBs, I would cycle this in whenever I was waiting for other powers to recharge.  Harming their recovery makes your life easier.  This is the only character I've never felt the need to pick up Envenomed Daggers to take down EBs solo while leveling up.  Plus, it builds static if you need it.

 

Rejuvenating Circuit: This is your shoot your friends to heal them power.  Good amount of healing, good recharge time.  When in a group, if you see health go down, shoot them.

 

Galvanic Sentinel: A great little power with my only complaint is that it's duration is too short.  While soloing, you can summon this little guy to debuff your enemies (think shock but an AoE), it is targetable so if an enemy is shooting it, they are not shooting you, and you can target it for your healing/buffs.  When you target it, you can bounce your heals and buffs to heal and buff yourself.   Also, for even more fun, put the proc in from the Energy Manipulator set to give your Sentinel a chance to stun enemies for you.  Remember, stunned enemies don't shoot back.

 

Energizing Circuit:  Everyone uses too much End, this one gives you a way to give a boost to your friend, and to yourself if bouncing off a friend or the Sentinel.  I wish it gave a little more, and it is a little annoying that you have to have End to give End, but minor complaints.

 

Faraday Cage:  This power is just wonderful.  For this power alone you are a great asset to any team, not that they will realize what you just saved them from, but man its good.  Ok, you create a dome of lighting around you, looks spiffy, lasts until you cast it again.  It gives a nice amount of resistance to everything except toxic, but, here is the kicker, protects against status effects, knockback, minus recharge, recovery, and end.  Your team isn't going to realize the pain your saving them, until they step out of the dome and are held.  Great power.  

 

Empowering Circuit: Everybody likes a damage buff, so give them one.  This one buffs damage and to hit.  Doesn't last long, but recharges quick.  

 

Defibrillate:  Didn't take it.  Melee Targeted AoE Ally Rez.  Hear it is great if you like this sort of power, to me too situational and bounce backs are readily available.  If folks are staying in range of your absorb and heals, you really won't need this much.  Sure, you may save a Mothership Raid that is going south, but it wasn't worth the power slot to me when I can get something else like a leadership power.

 

Insolating Circuit: Another great power because this time your giving your teammates (and yourself if you bounce it) Absorption.  That is free extra hit points.  While it doesn't last long, the recharge isn't long.  You can spam this to your hearts content, and its a great way to know if someone is out of range for healing.  When soloing, I would bounce Insulating Circuit, Empowering Circuit, and then Energizing Circuit (to recover all End) before a boss or EB fight.  

 

Amp Up: Didn't take it, sure, great buff on someone else to double the effects of secondary effects of their powers, but haven't you given them enough benefit?  Personally, take the Power Mastery Epic Power pool and grab Power Build Up.  All the benefits of Amp Up but this time to you.  

 

Electrical Blast

 

Charged Bolts: If your going to solo, your going to need attack powers.  This one does damage and drains end, a great combination.

 

Lightning Bolt: Same as a above but a little more damage with a little slower recharge time.

 

Ball Lighting: Targetable AoE.  Damage isn't great but the end drain helps.

 

Short Circuit: PBAoE with moderate damage over time, but drains a ton of endurance and really hurts their recovery.  My normal tactic while soloing was throw in ball lighting as you are running up, then hit Short Circuit.  At that point, your enemy is almost completely drained.  One shot of charged bolt or lightning bolt will drain the rest.  An enemy without endurance can't do much.  Anything below EB can't do anything, watching False Nemesis try to activate their defenses and fail is hilarious or enemies with scripted sayings monolog is great, EBs can do a minor attack while drained.  An EB minor attack is far more manageable then the rest of their arsenal.  I soloed my way to the Portal Jockey Accolade by this tactic without any real difficulties or using Envenomed Daggers.

 

Aim: great build up power, it also helps drain end. 

 

Zap: fun sniper power, drains endurance well, especially when coupled with Aim.   Consider the Executioner's Contract IO set because of its Chance for Stun proc.

 

Tesla Cage: Decent single target hold that will do minor damage based on how much static you have.  The additional effect is a little disappointing, but still nice to have.  I found I really didn't use this power a lot compared to how often I normally use single target holds, its just that with  Faraday Cage up, I really didn't worry about enemies holding me.  Plus, I generally had them drained of End pretty quickly so most were not  a danger to justify this over an actual damage dealing power.

 

Voltatic Sentinel:  A toggle that creates a ball of energy to follow you around and do some damage to your enemies.  Nice to have, fun to put in another proc from Energy Manipulator to have even more stunned enemies.  Its a toggle so you lose it if you are stunned or held.  

 

Thunderous Blast: Targeted AoE nuke.  Love it.  Against EBs, I would bounce my buffs off my Galvanic Sentinel, hit  Power Build Up (epic power pool) and shoot this while running in after it.  Once there, I would hit Short Circuit.  At that point, every EB I've faught, with the exception of the clockwork king, was out of endurance.  Then I just used Charged Bold, Lightning Bolt, Zapp to take them down.  Occasionally throwing in another Short Circuit and Shock to hurt their recovery.  The Galvanic Sentinel should also be hitting their recover too at this point.

 

Other notes on tactics:  When I group, I mostly just heal/buff.  I follow the person who is running head first into groups, throw up a cage, and just keep healing and buffing.  As long as everyone stays in the general area, everyone will be ok.  Problems happen when someone runs off and you can't immediately target them for heal/buffs.  I don't worry about attacks as much as others do more damage and things are generally defeated so fast that trying to drain the blue bar faster than the red is kinda pointless.  That being said, I did do three encounters with Winter Lords, and I would buff my team before we went in, and then drain the Winter Lord's endurance.  I could drain them completely of endurance, and while they would do the occasional minor attack, it was never one that would threaten anyone else in the group.

 

This build solos well.  I haven't set it up to do the insane +4/8 content, but I had no problem with the regular game content, and never had to resort to Envenomed Daggers or other tricks to defeat an enemy.

 

 

 

 

[StriderIV]

40 minutes ago, laudwic said:

With all of the recent updates to Electrical Blast, I decided to make a EA/EB defender and had a great time.  Since there isn't any information on Electrical Affinity in the "I need Healing" Defenders Guide, I thought I would post some of my thoughts here now that I leveled my EA/EB defender to 50.

 

Electrical Affinity:

 

A quick note about Static.  You build static through the use of your powers, and it dissipates over time.  The more static you have, the more targets chain off with your buffing powers.  The initial target gets the most benefit and it reduces from there.  When your working in a group, you'll have plenty of static within the first minute of the mission.  Heck, you can shoot your teammates before you go in to build some up.  Big thing to remember is that you are healing/buffing via chain lighting.  If they aren't in the general area of the initial target, they are out of luck.

 

Shock:  Great little power that needs no additional slots.  Put an Acc IO in it and your done.  It is a nice little single target debuff, - DMG, drains some End, and hurts recovery.  When soloing bosses or EBs, I would cycle this in whenever I was waiting for other powers to recharge.  Harming their recovery makes your life easier.  This is the only character I've never felt the need to pick up Envenomed Daggers to take down EBs solo while leveling up.  Plus, it builds static if you need it.

 

Rejuvenating Circuit: This is your shoot your friends to heal them power.  Good amount of healing, good recharge time.  When in a group, if you see health go down, shoot them.

 

Galvanic Sentinel: A great little power with my only complaint is that it's duration is too short.  While soloing, you can summon this little guy to debuff your enemies (think shock but an AoE), it is targetable so if an enemy is shooting it, they are not shooting you, and you can target it for your healing/buffs.  When you target it, you can bounce your heals and buffs to heal and buff yourself.   Also, for even more fun, put the proc in from the Energy Manipulator set to give your Sentinel a chance to stun enemies for you.  Remember, stunned enemies don't shoot back.

 

Energizing Circuit:  Everyone uses too much End, this one gives you a way to give a boost to your friend, and to yourself if bouncing off a friend or the Sentinel.  I wish it gave a little more, and it is a little annoying that you have to have End to give End, but minor complaints.

 

Faraday Cage:  This power is just wonderful.  For this power alone you are a great asset to any team, not that they will realize what you just saved them from, but man its good.  Ok, you create a dome of lighting around you, looks spiffy, lasts until you cast it again.  It gives a nice amount of resistance to everything except toxic, but, here is the kicker, protects against status effects, knockback, minus recharge, recovery, and end.  Your team isn't going to realize the pain your saving them, until they step out of the dome and are held.  Great power.  

 

Empowering Circuit: Everybody likes a damage buff, so give them one.  This one buffs damage and to hit.  Doesn't last long, but recharges quick.  

 

Defibrillate:  Didn't take it.  Melee Targeted AoE Ally Rez.  Hear it is great if you like this sort of power, to me too situational and bounce backs are readily available.  If folks are staying in range of your absorb and heals, you really won't need this much.  Sure, you may save a Mothership Raid that is going south, but it wasn't worth the power slot to me when I can get something else like a leadership power.

 

Insolating Circuit: Another great power because this time your giving your teammates (and yourself if you bounce it) Absorption.  That is free extra hit points.  While it doesn't last long, the recharge isn't long.  You can spam this to your hearts content, and its a great way to know if someone is out of range for healing.  When soloing, I would bounce Insulating Circuit, Empowering Circuit, and then Energizing Circuit (to recover all End) before a boss or EB fight.  

 

Amp Up: Didn't take it, sure, great buff on someone else to double the effects of secondary effects of their powers, but haven't you given them enough benefit?  Personally, take the Power Mastery Epic Power pool and grab Power Build Up.  All the benefits of Amp Up but this time to you.  

 

Electrical Blast

 

Charged Bolts: If your going to solo, your going to need attack powers.  This one does damage and drains end, a great combination.

 

Lightning Bolt: Same as a above but a little more damage with a little slower recharge time.

 

Ball Lighting: Targetable AoE.  Damage isn't great but the end drain helps.

 

Short Circuit: PBAoE with moderate damage over time, but drains a ton of endurance and really hurts their recovery.  My normal tactic while soloing was throw in ball lighting as you are running up, then hit Short Circuit.  At that point, your enemy is almost completely drained.  One shot of charged bolt or lightning bolt will drain the rest.  An enemy without endurance can't do much.  Anything below EB can't do anything, watching False Nemesis try to activate their defenses and fail is hilarious or enemies with scripted sayings monolog is great, EBs can do a minor attack while drained.  An EB minor attack is far more manageable then the rest of their arsenal.  I soloed my way to the Portal Jockey Accolade by this tactic without any real difficulties or using Envenomed Daggers.

 

Aim: great build up power, it also helps drain end. 

 

Zap: fun sniper power, drains endurance well, especially when coupled with Aim.   Consider the Executioner's Contract IO set because of its Chance for Stun proc.

 

Tesla Cage: Decent single target hold that will do minor damage based on how much static you have.  The additional effect is a little disappointing, but still nice to have.  I found I really didn't use this power a lot compared to how often I normally use single target holds, its just that with  Faraday Cage up, I really didn't worry about enemies holding me.  Plus, I generally had them drained of End pretty quickly so most were not  a danger to justify this over an actual damage dealing power.

 

Voltatic Sentinel:  A toggle that creates a ball of energy to follow you around and do some damage to your enemies.  Nice to have, fun to put in another proc from Energy Manipulator to have even more stunned enemies.  Its a toggle so you lose it if you are stunned or held.  

 

Thunderous Blast: Targeted AoE nuke.  Love it.  Against EBs, I would bounce my buffs off my Galvanic Sentinel, hit  Power Build Up (epic power pool) and shoot this while running in after it.  Once there, I would hit Short Circuit.  At that point, every EB I've faught, with the exception of the clockwork king, was out of endurance.  Then I just used Charged Bold, Lightning Bolt, Zapp to take them down.  Occasionally throwing in another Short Circuit and Shock to hurt their recovery.  The Galvanic Sentinel should also be hitting their recover too at this point.

 

Other notes on tactics:  When I group, I mostly just heal/buff.  I follow the person who is running head first into groups, throw up a cage, and just keep healing and buffing.  As long as everyone stays in the general area, everyone will be ok.  Problems happen when someone runs off and you can't immediately target them for heal/buffs.  I don't worry about attacks as much as others do more damage and things are generally defeated so fast that trying to drain the blue bar faster than the red is kinda pointless.  That being said, I did do three encounters with Winter Lords, and I would buff my team before we went in, and then drain the Winter Lord's endurance.  I could drain them completely of endurance, and while they would do the occasional minor attack, it was never one that would threaten anyone else in the group.

 

This build solos well.  I haven't set it up to do the insane +4/8 content, but I had no problem with the regular game content, and never had to resort to Envenomed Daggers or other tricks to defeat an enemy.

 

 

 

 

Appreciate this write up! I’ve been interested in EA as a set, since it is newer and I never had the chance to play it on live, and I don’t see TOO many of them walking around. Seems like it’s fun to level and a great pairing with revamped Elec Blast.

[Ankhammon]

There are a couple of things you can do if you feel a little weak solo (helps on teams some too) in the form of a couple procs. Throw in a performance shifter +end proc into short circuit helps a lot with the end cost of running it. Also a few Energy Manipulator stun procs will really help your survivability as this short stun time allows you time to set up your end drains

[Psylenz0511]

First power to activate is always faraday cage. I never regret casting it first. I have regret many times when I slipped up and did not. Faraday Cage also helps build static faster than trying to build static without or outside the cage.

Edited January 1, 2022 by Psylenz0511

[Diantane]

My EA/EB is 44 and have used it doing "arcs" (pun intended). I trained Defib and used it to rez a few souls, but I mostly died. This is a melee attack and I'm a defender. It should have been a ranged attack. Currently doing a respec and this will be coming off. Its kind of interesting being a defender and having two pets. I usually train the leaping pool to get acrobatics, but with the Faraday Cage, it isn't needed. Thought it was pretty cool naming the Cage after the father of electricity. He found that by rotating magnets around a copper coil, electricity is produced. This is how a power plant creates it. Btw: I was an Electrician's Mate for 6.5 years in the US Navy and an industrial electrician outside.

[laudwic]

On 1/1/2022 at 3:24 PM, Psylenz0511 said:

First power to activate is always faraday cage. I never regret casting it first. I have regret many times when I slipped up and did not. Faraday Cage also helps build static faster than trying to build static without or outside the cage.

 

When I'm grouping, it is generally the second power I put up.  When grouping, I'm finding that the best way for me to be of assistance is follow the insane tank or scrapper into the main melee, as they take the initial aggro, I fire off Short Circuit and then Faraday cage.  Short Circuit nukes the blue bar of most things completely.  If they can't do much, there isn't much of a need for resistance.  Once I do that, I recharge Insolating Circuit to recharge the Absorb they lost and it is better to give absorb than healing in my experience as you can't heal over max, but you can add absorb to max.  Then throw in empowering circuit to give a damage buff before hitting Short Circuit again.   Add in healing and endurance adds as needed.  After battle, make sure the insane tank or scrapper is maxed for absorb as they run into the next group. 

 

In some ways, you really should think of the improved sapping ability as a control power.  If the enemy doesn't have endurance, they can't do much.  Even if the EB or AV can do a basic attacks they are not doing the main attack.  

 

Also, pay attention to the powers with -Rec, such as shock, Galvanic Sentinel's powers, and Short Circuit.  Those can replace the P2W crutch of Envenomed Daggers.  

[Psylenz0511]

Laudwic your point is valid but you can drop pretty fast yourself following that crazy tank or especially that crazy scranker. For your survival, Faraday goes first.

[laudwic]

13 hours ago, Psylenz0511 said:

Laudwic your point is valid but you can drop pretty fast yourself following that crazy tank or especially that crazy scranker. For your survival, Faraday goes first.

 

Appreciate it, but I haven't had any problems.  One thing that probably helps me that I didn't mention is that I shove the Stealth IO from the Celerity set into sprint, the other player is also grabbing the initial aggro.  Your right in that if you do not kill the enemies end, you can easily be in a world of hurt.   That is one of the reasons I keep using Insulating Circuit to get free absorb points.

 

When I solo, which is what I primarily do - I find it relaxing and it helps destress from my day- I generally throw in ball lightning, I follow it as it is going it, and then hit them with shock.  At that point, I really only bother with the cage if there is something that might stun or hold me because the enemy doesn't have the endurance to be a threat.  I have to say, I really love draining all the endurance from the main bosses in missions.  They will continue to give you their programed phrases as you attack them.  It is kinda like they are monologing as you beat them down.    

[Psylenz0511]

Again, you have a point, if your insulation absorb is maxxed before hitting the spawn, it's very much like stealthing in and putting up the cage because with either absorb or damage resist your health bar should  look good, not so good if you draw aggro with an AoE without either the absorb shield or Faraday Cage. I appreciate the variety in successful tactics that CoH allows experienced players. 

[Borias]

I made one of these defenders before electric blast got buffed, I’ve recently came back to her and I’m having a much more enjoyable time since her respec. She is L45 now and previously I took all the EA powers and none of the blasting. Had fighting and leadership. 
 

it was okay, keeping everyone’s blue bars filled up. I’ve had some more experience since then and now with her respec I took out amp up and the fighting pool for more blast powers. I found I didn’t need the defensives….

 

I use charge up and run in with cage, then short circuit, ball lightning, defibrillate, and thunderous blast. Everything is sapped and my sentinels throws some sparks. After that is done I’ll throw buffs and be ready for the next group of mobs. 
 

it’s much more engaging now and I feel very safe without the additional toggles.