Another silly Energy Blast idea.

[Wavicle]

I had an idea for Energy Blast...

 

First off, Power Push on Blasters, Defenders, and Corruptors should do damage like the Sentinel version, but besides that...

Change Energy Blast>Aim into Power Vacuum.

Power Vacuum gives you +ToHit and +Damage (and +Range if you're a Sentinel) and the first attack you use after activating Power Vacuum creates a location based Inverse Repel effect for a few seconds at the location of its primary target, or at your location if you hit Nova first.

 

The idea is the force of your attacks is so great it not only knocks enemies back, it actually blows the air apart causing a suction effect in the aftermath.

 

Mechanically, you would still have to be somewhat strategic about not knocking things back chaotically, and there would still be plenty of advantage to KB2KD IOs, but the set would have a built in way of keeping things collected, at least somewhat.

[biostem]

Honestly, I would rather we get something like a "gravitic blast" set, which wholly utilizes the reverse-repel or knock-toward effect...

[Yaliw]

I just want the random knockback of the entire powerset looked at. Knockback is fun. Random knockback is not.

[Rudra]

Knockback isn't random. It is always away from your character.

[Wavicle]

4 hours ago, Rudra said:

Knockback isn't random. It is always away from your character.

i think they meant random chance, not random direction.

[Greycat]

So, you want people to skip Aim then.

[Wavicle]

4 hours ago, Greycat said:

So, you want people to skip Aim then.

Foolish people can do whatever they like.

[Rudra]

I very rarely take Aim or Build Up. So nice to know that makes me fool.

[A.I.D.A.]

On 4/9/2023 at 3:20 PM, Rudra said:

I very rarely take Aim or Build Up. So nice to know that makes me fool.

 

Yes, it's explicitly a foolish decision to skip Aim or Build-Up. Aim and Build-Up are essential parts of the damage output of sets in which they appear.

 

Edited April 11 by A.I.D.A.

[Rudra]

4 hours ago, A.I.D.A. said:

 

Yes, it's explicitly a foolish decision to skip Aim or Build-Up. Aim and Build-Up are essential parts of the damage output of sets in which they appear.

 

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or serious.

[A.I.D.A.]

I'm being serious. It's a foolish decision. Some powers are skippable, others really, really aren't. XD

[Rudra]

3 minutes ago, A.I.D.A. said:

I'm being serious. It's a foolish decision. Some powers are skippable, others really, really aren't. XD

Then you are wrong. Aim and Build Up are options. Just like basically every other power in the game. If you want to use them for burst damage? Great. Good on you. I use it for my Stalkers for their initial AS. If you don't want to use them for burst damage? Great. You can stick with sustain damage and grab other options for that power slot. I don't use them for any of my non-Stalker characters unless I run out of powers I am looking to fit into the build. They are not essential for anything.

Edited April 11 by Rudra

[Saiyajinzoningen]

some sets dont even have aim or buildup as an option so it's definitely not necessary. In a blatant attempt to pull this thread back on course I feel like Energy blast should have like a laser beam power of some kind. Rad has one Fire has one. Not trying to make it zero sum just want some energy beam love XD

[biostem]

I could see some more alternate animation options for energy blast, but beyond that, I think any drastic departures from how the set fundamentally functions would be better left to some other energy-based blast set...

[A.I.D.A.]

5 hours ago, Rudra said:

Then you are wrong. Aim and Build Up are options. Just like basically every other power in the game. If you want to use them for burst damage? Great. Good on you. I use it for my Stalkers for their initial AS. If you don't want to use them for burst damage? Great. You can stick with sustain damage and grab other options for that power slot. I don't use them for any of my non-Stalker characters unless I run out of powers I am looking to fit into the build. They are not essential for anything.

 

If you say so. You're only hurting yourself by skipping them. XD

[Rudra]

3 minutes ago, A.I.D.A. said:

 

If you say so. You're only hurting yourself by skipping them. XD

I'm not hurting anyone by skipping them. Not even myself. You know how many mobs I haven't been able to beat because I skipped them? None. You know how many missions I couldn't clear because I skipped them? None. You know how much time I saved on my older characters that had them as compared to my current characters that don't? Pretty much none. Use them. They are there to be used. Do not presume to tell me or anyone else that they are essential. Do not presume to tell me or anyone else how to play, unless we specifically ask for it. We all ahve our playstyles. Yours uses Aim and Build Up. Mine does not. That does not mean I am hurting myself by skipping it or that I am a fool for having skipped it. Get over yourself.

 

To the author and others. I apologize for this derailment.

[A.I.D.A.]

I'm not presuming anything. You can play however you want, but you are lacking in damage output if you skip Aim / Build Up. Whatever you might think. Don't draw false equivalencies between "that's a bad choice" and "you're not allowed to make bad choices."

 

Edited April 11 by A.I.D.A.

[Saiyajinzoningen]

 

 

11 hours ago, Rudra said:

I'm not hurting anyone by skipping them. Not even myself. You know how many mobs I haven't been able to beat because I skipped them? None. You know how many missions I couldn't clear because I skipped them? None. You know how much time I saved on my older characters that had them as compared to my current characters that don't? Pretty much none. Use them. They are there to be used. Do not presume to tell me or anyone else that they are essential. Do not presume to tell me or anyone else how to play, unless we specifically ask for it. We all ahve our playstyles. Yours uses Aim and Build Up. Mine does not. That does not mean I am hurting myself by skipping it or that I am a fool for having skipped it. Get over yourself.

 

To the author and others. I apologize for this derailment.

 

 

11 hours ago, A.I.D.A. said:

I'm not presuming anything. You can play however you want, but you are lacking in damage output if you skip Aim / Build Up. Whatever you might think. Don't draw false equivalencies between "that's a bad choice" and "you're not allowed to make bad choices."

 

 

Dual Pistols / Assault Rifle / Devices / Martial Combat / Ninja Training do not have Aim/Buildup and they play perfectly fine. In the olden days people claimed the same thing about hasten to maximize DPS but hasten isn't necessary either (Even for dominators). This isn't about false equivalencies. At the end of the day we play what feels right. Even if that's a petless mastermind. This is the wrong forum to denounce someone's choice of powers, rotation, or AT. There is no bad choice only their choice. 

Edited April 12 by Saiyajinzoningen

[A.I.D.A.]

Dual Pistols does suffer in the DPS department from lacking it, though less so than some other sets -- Swap Ammo is not a sufficient replacement, it only covers for a part of what's missing.

 

Assault Rifle suffers so much from missing Aim that it's up for a massive buff rework in the upcoming page.

 

Ninja Training has only a damage buff on the single, opening power you use in a given fight, and yes, it suffers too. It may "play perfectly fine" in an overall sense, doing other things, but its damage is lacking.

 

Same with Martial Combat and its weird proccing replacement -- but it does other things, with a lot of knockdown and mobility.

 

But skipping Aim / Build Up on sets that can take it, and were thus meant to use it? That is objectively a bad choice. No amount of 'play however you want' platitudes will change that reality. You're obviously allowed to make bad choices. Most content in this game might even be doable with a certain amount of bad choices! But you will be less effective than you could have been if you'd taken Aim / Build Up, and in content like 4-star TFs, that will matter.

 

Edited April 12 by A.I.D.A.

[Saiyajinzoningen]

 

anyway.......................................................

 

15 hours ago, biostem said:

I could see some more alternate animation options for energy blast, but beyond that, I think any drastic departures from how the set fundamentally functions would be better left to some other energy-based blast set...

 

this i could totally get behind! the snipe animation from the fire set would be exactly what energy blast is missing imo.

[BronzeKnight]

As always when this topic comes up to fix the KB in energy blast it has hardliners on both sides. Many feel that the KB and scattering of mobs around the map is not fun and needlessly makes missions longer and removes mobs from other players AOE powers. Other players like the KB and ragdoll effects and use it to tank or soft control mobs. 

 

Usually what this comes down to is very simple. If you remove the KB outright players are mad that their powerset changed to make others happy. If you add anything that makes KB to KD then you get players that demand you use it or don't play Power Blast in their team. Now I have yet to see that kind of sentiment on HC but I know its out there. 

 

The issue I see with the OP's idea is that if aim was changed to that (aside from the DPS loss) then you would basically have to use it with Nova, every time. and then you'll get people that complain if you forget to use it with Nova or if it was on cool down. I'd rather see Power Push changed to what the OP proposes but even that is unnecessary. (tho power push could use something, so could the snipe tbh) 

 

On HC with the player base it has Power Blast only needs 2 KB to KD IO's at most.  Explosive Blast and Nova. They are the only problematic powers, and they are only problematic because you want to use one then the other but nova will send them flying. So you either put a KB to KD IO in Explosive Blast and use it first then Nova or you put it in Nova and then use Explosive blast.  Most teams in 50+ content will have the mob groups dead by the time you have cast both of those powers. everything below 50 is also fine because there are so many ways to lvl up your character you can avoid those that KB is problematic in. and with SBB always aviable now getting a KB to KD IO early is easy.  

[FutureTails21]

I honestly think the Energy Storage mechanic would help Energy Blast just like how it is with Energy Melee and Energy Assault. Except maybe every attack except Power Burst has a chance to store energy then release stored energy with Power Burst. And Power Push should do more damage for Blasters, Defenders, and Corruptors

Edited April 21 by FutureTails21

[0th Power]

Please no gimmick for energy blast