Nemu's blaster tips

[Nemu]

Now that we are allowed to post videos again I think it's time I put together some videos highlighting some blaster techniques/tips/tricks, these are not just for blasters though, you can use these for any AT that you play.

 

First up I want to tackle this notion that melee/pbaoe powers means you need to build for a significant amount of S/L or melee defense on a squishy AT like a blaster. I see this mentality a lot - "oh inferno/nova etc requires me to go in melee so I need melee defense!" No you don't.

 

Most players don't understand the power of movement. Rather than me explaining it with words and stuff, this video demonstrates the concept.

 

 

In the video I intentionally turned off scorpion shield to bring my S/L defense down. By using this technique commonly called "jousting" you can minimize your exposure to melee, and thus minimize your exposure to melee retaliation. The absolute wrong way to play a blaster, especially one that's heavily invested in melee attacks, is to stand still. If a mob can't reach you to use their melee powers they are either shooting you or chasing you. And if you happen to have high range defense you can deflect a good deal of ranged retaliation. Use that to your advantage. Generally speaking, mob melee attacks hit harder than their range attacks. Standing still is basically inviting mobs to walk up and slap you around.

 

This can be done by pressing the attack just as you jump away or run past the mob. The momentum will carry you and you will animate the attack away from the point of impact.

 

This technique can also be used by melee ATs for the Battle Maiden fight in Apex TF. When you see the blue patches on the ground, joust away your attack and move out of the patch.

 

One last tip - The celerity/unbound leap stealth procs are cheap and there is no reason not to stick one in sprint for any AT that you play, but especially squishy ATs. The stealth it offers allows you to make your approach without getting shot up before you can get your nuke/attacks off.

[Troo]

Oooo butterflies

[Dark Current]

2 hours ago, Nemu said:

Now that we are allowed to post videos again I think it's time I put together some videos highlighting some blaster techniques/tips/tricks, these are not just for blasters though, you can use these for any AT that you play.

 

First up I want to tackle this notion that melee/pbaoe powers means you need to build for a significant amount of S/L or melee defense on a squishy AT like a blaster. I see this mentality a lot - "oh inferno/nova etc requires me to go in melee so I need melee defense!" No you don't.

 

Most players don't understand the power of movement. Rather than me explaining it with words and stuff, this video demonstrates the concept.

 

 

In the video I intentionally turned off scorpion shield to bring my S/L defense down. By using this technique commonly called "jousting" you can minimize your exposure to melee, and thus minimize your exposure to melee retaliation. The absolute wrong way to play a blaster, especially one that's heavily invested in melee attacks, is to stand still. If a mob can't reach you to use their melee powers they are either shooting you or chasing you. And if you happen to have high range defense you can deflect a good deal of ranged retaliation. Use that to your advantage. Generally speaking, mob melee attacks hit harder than their range attacks. Standing still is basically inviting mobs to walk up and slap you around.

 

This can be done by pressing the attack just as you jump away or run past the mob. The momentum will carry you and you will animate the attack away from the point of impact.

 

This technique can also be used by melee ATs for the Battle Maiden fight in Apex TF. When you see the blue patches on the ground, joust away your attack and move out of the patch.

 

One last tip - The celerity/unbound leap stealth procs are cheap and there is no reason not to stick one in sprint for any AT that you play, but especially squishy ATs. The stealth it offers allows you to make your approach without getting shot up before you can get your nuke/attacks off.

 

I'm calling this the Bunny Hop Maneuver.

 

I like it.

 

Haven't done it in that exact fashion (I typically bounce through the opposite side), but similar.

 

I think true Jousting is SSing straight through with attack cued and allowing your momentum to carry you through the rooting phase.

[Nemu]

In retrospect I probably should have reserved a few posts for subsequent topics. Oh well. Here's the next topic: Pulling.

 

It's a lost art. Teams don't experience the type of overwhelming odds that require tactics/pulling today and most people have no clue to to execute a good pull. So here's a clip highlighting how to pull off single pulls with consistency.

 

 

TL/DW version:

 

Have some form of stealth

Use a low damage attack

Pick mobs at the perimeter of the pack

Move and break line of sight as quickly as possible after the attack, even on a miss. (You can see I applied the concept of jousting - using momentum to carry me past the point of execution, in a few of my pulls)

 

But there is more to this. For this to be effective on teams, each member of the team needs to be out of line of sight. If mobs see any teammates they can and will trigger their aggro alert and that can result in multiple adds. That's why it's important to tell your teammates to stay back and wait. A lot of pulls go bad because of curious observers or overzealous melee trying to "protect" the puller.

[Nemu]

Next topic - AoE radius and positioning.

 

I see a lot of hover blasters use their PbAoEs Nukes like inferno/nova close to the ground right in the center of a dense pack of mobs. Why?  They don't understand that PbAoEs are spherical. Similarly you can tag mobs on different elevation levels with your PbAoEs if you position yourself correctly. Here's a clip that highlights how.

 

 

[KaizenSoze]

3 hours ago, Nemu said:

Have some form of stealth

Use a low damage attack

Pick mobs at the perimeter of the pack

Move and break line of sight as quickly as possible after the attack, even on a miss. (You can see I applied the concept of jousting - using momentum to carry me past the point of execution, in a few of my pulls)

 

But there is more to this. For this to be effective on teams, each member of the team needs to be out of line of sight. If mobs see any teammates they can and will trigger their aggro alert and that can result in multiple adds. That's why it's important to tell your teammates to stay back and wait. A lot of pulls go bad because of curious observers or overzealous melee trying to "protect" the puller.

Yes, pulling is a bit of lost art that only crazy 4x8 soloers remember.

<== Crazy 4x8 soloer.

 

Additional note, devices and tactical arrow has an additional advantage here if they take smoke grenade or flash arrow. Both inflict -90% perception, which helps greatly with pulling.

[Chi]

Nemu** nice videos.
 I use the jousting pull on my MM .  
✨

Edited April 10, 2022 by Chi

[KC4800]

I use pulling on every AT. Mission have mobs too close together for a reason, so that you use pulling. Learn to love your tool set. Not everything is a fire farm. Nice videos, Nemu.

[EnjoyTheJourney]

I find that nuking with inferno while jousting is very useful in the Apex TF when taking down pylons, and also in a variety of other situations. The OP given here by Nemu was the reason I got started on doing that. 

 

This is a great resource for blasters. Thank you for posting this. 

 

 

[Doomguide2005]

And while it sounds odd pulling isn't restricted to just ranged attacks.  Even melee, for example, using tranq darts or throwing knives is ranged but, I would literally pull by just moving slowly closer to a foe at the edge of a spawn until they would 'see' and react to my scrapper.  Soon as the foe reacted I'd move quickly away and often only draw the one foe away.  Essentially the same as using a low damage attack taken to an extreme (i.e. no damage).  And even if more than one foe responded it very rarely resulted in the entire spawn making the whole group easier to deal with divide and conquer style.  Then they went and made it easier by adding origin powers like tranq darts and vet powers like a Nemesis Staff.