Blaster vs Corruptor

[Diantane]

I've read and been told that the Blaster does an enormous amount of damage. But after playing them a few times, I wanted to look at other ways to play the game. So I checked out the Corruptors. I mean, I really checked them out and then compared them to the Blasters (damage wise). Say what you want, but according to MIDS, the Corruptor does more damage. Lets look at the base damage numbers:

 

Blaster  - Blaze 170.5    Blazing Bolt 314.8   Inferno 410.9 - adding all the attack powers (base numbers) Total 1,353.63

Corruptor - Blaze 202.1   Blazing Bolt 397.5   Inferno 357.4  Total 1,527.92

 

Radiation

Blaster - Photon Valley 281.5   Cosmic Burst 132.6   Atomic Blast 250.2   Total 1,032.79

Corruptor - Photon Valley 375.4   Cosmic Burst 176.8   Atomic Blast 250.2   Total 1,209.96

 

Say what you want, but when you add in that a corruptor can cast Fulcrum Shift on top of all this, its a whole new ball game. A corruptor can also get certain defense buffs and the epic powers are the same as a blaster. Sure, a blaster can get a few melee attacks, but those are from secondary powers and if you are casting them, you aren't casting the stronger primary attacks.

[MoonSheep]

mids applies the scourge damage by default. half those numbers and you’ll see the real world damage

 

corrupters are just defender’s uglier, smellier cousin

[Verfall]

Um....I'm confused. How are blaster numbers lower than corrupters? Are you sure you got those numbers right?

 

And blaster secondary attacks are not weaker than their primaries in most cases. Often the melee attacks are the strongest attacks in a blasters arsenal.

[Psyonico]

What MoonSheep said.  Turn off scourge and you'll see the true values that Corruptors get.

[Parabola]

Scourge in mids; world beating. Scourge in game; largely disappointing.

[Nemu]

The numbers don't lie!

 

Buff Blasters!

[Riverdusk]

To be fair, it isn't only MIDS.  The in-game numbers summary includes scourge as well.  Can be very confusing and personally I wish they'd display the top summary numbers without scourge (and still list scourge in the details further down of course).  I always have to back it out manually to find the "real" damage for corruptor attacks.

 

 

[Without_Pause]

1. Make a Blaster and a Corr.
2. Have both of them pick the same primary. In this case, I picked Fire.
3. Pick the same starting attack. I picked Flares.
4. Now, after character creation, click on Powers.
5. Right click on Flares and then click on Info.
6. Click on the Detailed Info tab. Ignore the initial numbers as Scourge is overly factored in there.
7. Go to the bottom where you will see three sets of data. It is the initial damage, the DoT, and AT related bonus, see Scourge.
8. Now, do the same for the other character and look at just the initial damage and DoT damage at the bottom.

 

I scaled the numbers for being level 50.

Corr: Initial Damage is 29.62 and a DoT of 12.51.

Blaster: Initial Damage is 44.42 and a DoT of 18.77.

 

So yes, when Scourge happens a Corr can start to out damage a Blaster. More so when a Corr can add in buffs and debuffs. However, Blasters can get two ways to boost their damage via primary and secondary. They also don't need to wait for the debuffs to be in place or for Scourge to happen to get higher numbers. FYI, even with a 30% -Res debuff, a Blaster is still doing more damage. The advantage to a Corr is support and team damage. 

[Six-Six]

I've always held that the game is more than just numbers. Sure the stats are saying something, but they're not telling the whole story. A bloke with some skill and a good build could tip the argument either way. Heck, some of my Sentinels can out-damage SOME of MY blasters because of the way they're built, the way they're played, and the way their concept allows.

Blasters' deal damage with their primaries AND their secondaries. You have more options to deal some serious hurt whether it's ranged or melee (even their CC's can hurt).
Corrs, while I enjoy them as well, do have damage dealing primaries but most of their secondaries fulfil a different role. Some buff, heal, debuff, etc. Some are only for your allies. If I planning to bring the hurt, then I'd much rather suit up in a blaster with 12 or so pain-inflicting powers than just 6 or 8. 

But in the grand scheme of things, do what floats your goat. No one's saying you're wrong for thinking that way, it's just that it's not the only way of thinking about it. If you feel that Corrs do it for you, then go forth and Scourge to your heart's desire. The important thing is for you to have your fun while not preventing others to have theirs.

[High_Beam]

I love my Blasters, all 11 of them but regardless of the damage numbers on a Corruptor, you have to admit that seeing "SCOURGE" flashing in the air over and over again does feel kind of seksi.

[Bill Z Bubba]

Get actual numbers from https://cod.uberguy.net/

Figure out attack chain damage for blasters vs corruptors but add 40% to base corruptor damage for the average scourge adds.

Edit: Calculate whatever damage buff averages out to for blasters from their inherent. There still is a damage buff for attacking, yes?

Calculate in buffs from aim/buildup/etc based on recharge up time for chain.

There is no profit. This is for informational purposes only.

Edited September 20, 2022 by Bill Z Bubba

[Snarky]

an ice/cold corruptor is one of the most damaging and most useful members of a large dps squad.  no bull.  i have one, rarely play it.  ice ain't my thing.  if the dark/dark corr or blaster were near as perfect you would never get me off of them.

[Omega-202]

Is this a troll thread?  I swear Diantane has posted this exact same thing in the past and it got locked and purged.  

 

Same issue as last time: Mids and in game show the values with Scourge.  

 

Anyone else distinctly remember the old thread with the exact same topic?  I know I'm not going nuts.  This has to be a troll post.

[Astralock]

25 minutes ago, Omega-202 said:

Is this a troll thread?  I swear Diantane has posted this exact same thing in the past and it got locked and purged.  

 

Same issue as last time: Mids and in game show the values with Scourge.  

 

Anyone else distinctly remember the old thread with the exact same topic?  I know I'm not going nuts.  This has to be a troll post.

There have been a few threads over the years by a couple of different people, but not by Diantane.

[Glacier Peak]

Always a treat to read posts from the OP! 😆 

[PeregrineFalcon]

Also, Blasters get Defiance. Which, among other things, adds a stacking damage buff after every attack. Unlike Scourge, this damage bonus is not reflected in the numbers shown in the in game powers window.

 

So I understand why it can be confusing, but no. Corruptors do not out damage Blasters.

[MistressOhm]

Scourge is basically the Corruptor's Critical, and it only starts to kick in when the mob is at half health or less (chances of Scourge proc go up as target health approaches nil). 

 

Blasters get Defiance, which scales damage to the Blaster's previous attacks (it used to be Blaster health, but apparently someone decided this was exploitable).

 

Of the two, the Corruptor can 'count on' their bonus damage as the battle progresses, as does the blaster.   Plus, they can apply buffs or debuffs to either increase the damage or increase the chances to hit, OR heal themselves if the battle turns nasty.  

 

The Blaster is the artillery.  It comes out hitting hard, but it's fragile and should avoid being downrange as much as possible.  The Corruptor is the IFV.  It doesn't crank out nearly as much destructive power, but it is a force multiplier to others and once the enemy is on the ropes, it's easy for the Corr to finish them off.

Edited September 21, 2022 by MistressOhm

[Frostbiter]

11 minutes ago, MistressOhm said:

Scourge is basically the Corruptor's Critical, and it only starts to kick in when the mob is at half health or less (chances of Scourge proc go up as target health approaches nil). 

 

Blasters get Defiance, which scales damage to the Blaster's previous attacks (it used to be Blaster health, but apparently someone decided this was exploitable).

 

Of the two, the Corruptor can 'count on' their bonus damage as the battle progresses, as does the blaster.   Plus, they can apply buffs or debuffs to either increase the damage or increase the chances to hit, OR heal themselves if the battle turns nasty.  

 

The Blaster is the artillery.  It comes out hitting hard, but it's fragile and should avoid being downrange as much as possible.  The Corruptor is the IFV.  It doesn't crank out nearly as much destructive power, but it is a force multiplier to others and once the enemy is on the ropes, it's easy for the Corr to finish them off.

 

That's not quite how Defiance 2.0 works. It allows a Blaster to use their 1st two Primary Powers and the first Secondary Power while mezzed and grants a stacking but short duration damage buff. The bonus granted is an individual buff per power with higher damage powers giving a higher bonus per buff that is all added together.  It's like a mini Fury that lets Blasters work through mezz effects.

[roleki]

7 hours ago, MoonSheep said:

corrupters are just defender’s uglier, smellier cousin

Yeah well, when you need the Bomb Specialist badge, THEN you'll want a Corruptor on your team!

[Ukase]

I have a fire/fire blaster and a fire/rad corruptor (as well as many other fire/* corruptors. There is no question that the fire/fire blaster does more dps. But, with careful slotting, over time, the corruptor's secondary & scourge can close the gap some. Often, I can't really tell the difference, but really - I'm not looking for a difference. When soloing, the fire/rad will often fare better in harder content because of the debuffs. But, I've slotted for that. That's why you play a */rad. The debuffs are noticeable. 

 

[Gulbasaur]

On 9/20/2022 at 6:51 PM, Diantane said:

Say what you want, but according to MIDS,

MIDS isn't 100% accurate and likes to apply certain bonuses by default and then not apply others. Anything situational (like both the Corruptor and Blaster inherent powers) has to be set up correctly by the user or you get results like you did. It's generally excellent, but it gets quirky when powers get quirky. 

 

Those numbers are with Scourge applied all the time and without Blasters' inherent giving additional damage buffs. 

 

Personally, I think blasters are one of the weaker archetypes and their main contribution is often that you can cast Vengeance on them while they hold floor aggro, but they're not that bad. 

Edited September 22, 2022 by Gulbasaur

[Sovera]

Scourge is nice, but if I recall correctly it's a chance (not 100%) to do double damage once mobs are at 30% 50% HP or lower. What this means is while it looks good in practice most mobs don't have much HP for this to have as much impact as it may look (it's still only a chance at 50% as per https://archive.paragonwiki.com/wiki/Scourge  'Scourge is the Corruptor's Inherent Power. It is a random chance for bonus damage per attack, defined as granting a 2.5% chance for every 1% of an enemy's Hit Points below 50%. That is to say, if an enemy has 50% or more HP, Scourge will never trigger. But the lower the enemy's HP gets under 50%, the higher the chance of Scourge becomes until 10% HP, at which point and below Scourge is guaranteed to go off').

 

Corruptors damage may have a chance to shine more in hardmodes where mobs last longer. But Blasters' raw damage will not be matched.

[roleki]

I'm partial to Corruptors because, even though they only approach Blaster damage under certain conditions, the whole time they are making everyone else on the team more effective via buffs/debuffs and therefore "bring" more DPS, albeit in a roundabout way.

 

In other words, the ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force (multiplier).

[Without_Pause]

1 hour ago, Gulbasaur said:

Personally, I think blasters are one of the weaker archetypes and their main contribution is often that you can cast Vengeance on them while they hold floor aggro, but they're not that bad. 

A well built blaster is a sight to behold. I've been on teams where blasters basically took everybody else along for the ride.

[Pyriold]

It's not hard to make a decently tanky blaster if you do a ranged one. Take hover, get close to soft cap on ranged defense... and you are mostly covered. There will be circumstances where you will still splat easily (basically where you can not hover away), but overall you wont die much.

 

Melee blasters have a much harder time to become somewhat tanky. I do have one, but that takes a lot more effort.