Storm Blast: Mental Manipulation or Ninja Training as a Secondary?

[CrusaderPenguin]

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm looking to get into the world of Blasters, and I really like the look of the Storm Blast set. Problem is, I know next to nothing about Blasters and wasn't sure if Mental Manipulation or Ninja Training would be a better secondary. I like to solo as much as I can, and while I realize that's not always possible with Blasters I was wondering if one of those two secondaries is more conducive to that (or is more synergistic in general with Storm). Am I even remotely in the right direction or are these sets completely incompatible? Thanks in advance!

[Nemu]

Depends on your budget. One of the best things about blasters since their revamp (besides no end crash nukes) is their endurance/regen/absorb sustain which most blasters get at level 20. You'll need a significant amount of recharge to get drain psyche close to perma, but the other blaster sustains are either toggles or clicks that are perma more or less out of the box.

 

Drain psyche also requires you to hit a few mobs in melee range in order to work, so if you are not used to the blaster playstyle it may be more dangerous for you to use this power.

 

If those are your only two choices for secondary I would recommend ninja, it has a stealth component and the sustain does not require you getting into the danger zone and connecting with enemies.

 

If you are open to other secondaries I'd recommend one with a toggle sustain so you don't have to constantly manage one more click power.

 

How you play blasters will also factor into which secondary is more beneficial. Most beginning blasters want to keep at range and hover blast. There are a few secondaries better suited for that play style than the more advanced blasters that can deal damage at any range and have the survival tools to handle themselves in close combat. Tactical Arrow is hands down the best secondary to compliment a pure range play style.

[CrusaderPenguin]

16 hours ago, Nemu said:

Depends on your budget. One of the best things about blasters since their revamp (besides no end crash nukes) is their endurance/regen/absorb sustain which most blasters get at level 20. You'll need a significant amount of recharge to get drain psyche close to perma, but the other blaster sustains are either toggles or clicks that are perma more or less out of the box.

 

Drain psyche also requires you to hit a few mobs in melee range in order to work, so if you are not used to the blaster playstyle it may be more dangerous for you to use this power.

 

If those are your only two choices for secondary I would recommend ninja, it has a stealth component and the sustain does not require you getting into the danger zone and connecting with enemies.

 

If you are open to other secondaries I'd recommend one with a toggle sustain so you don't have to constantly manage one more click power.

 

How you play blasters will also factor into which secondary is more beneficial. Most beginning blasters want to keep at range and hover blast. There are a few secondaries better suited for that play style than the more advanced blasters that can deal damage at any range and have the survival tools to handle themselves in close combat. Tactical Arrow is hands down the best secondary to compliment a pure range play style.

Thanks for the response! What other toggle sustains do you like?

[tidge]

I think @Nemu hit the most salient point: Mental Manipulation's lack of a toggle sustain makes it harder (but not impossible) than other secondary choices to build a higher-performing Blaster.

 

The Storm primary can be a little tricky to leverage, but since solo play was emphasized I don't think the common complaints about Storm will turn out to be that big of a deal.

 

My personal advice in this circumstance (new to Blasters) if you aren't trying for a specific concept would be to pick a secondary (with a level 20 toggle sustain) that either:

1. Let's you stay at range, when you prefer, and/or
2. Has powers that you could either skip or play with different choices as you level up

Plant Manipulation is IMO a good secondary that allows for skipping powers. I'd suggest skipping Skewer, Ripper, and Thorn Burst. The remaining enemy-affecting powers are mostly controls/debuffs.

Tactical Arrow is an "all range" secondary that you don't need to take all of the "attacks", but are worth experimenting with.

[arcane]

I vote Ninja. But if you are personally more interested in AoE focus, that’s when you want to look more at Mental.

 

Pros of Ninja:

- Sustain may not be a toggle but at least you can put it on auto. Better sustain against hard single targets.

- Comes with a power that is Char but better. If you’re like me and consider Char to be mandatory, this fact opens up build options.

- Better T9 melee power. Accepts all sorts of procs.

 

Pros of Mental:

- Sustain will be stronger *if* you are paying perfect attention to it and getting Drain Psyches off in larger groups.

- Higher radius PBAoE attack.

 

All of the other pros/cons are just meaningless distractions compared to these points, IMO.

 

Since you’re pairing with Storm/ (stronger S/T performance than AoE performance), I could see the case for Mental, but both would be fun.

Edited Saturday at 04:38 PM by arcane

[Nemu]

4 hours ago, CrusaderPenguin said:

Thanks for the response! What other toggle sustains do you like?

I am a seasoned melee range blaster so my favorite is probably not something you want to subscribe to. For beginning blasters looking for a pure ranged playstyle Tactical Arrow is the best secondary to support it. Most other secondaries have at least 1 power that requires close range and quite a few are quite melee heavy.

 

You could theoretically take any secondary and skip all the melee stuff though. Plenty of melee averse players have done that. Nothing wrong with that but it's not something I endorse. If you want to go that route a sustain toggle that doesn't aggro mobs are the most beginner friendly. The secondaries that have those types of toggles include Temporal Manipulation, Sonic Manipulation, Atomic Manipulation, Devices, and Plant manipulation.

[Frozen Burn]

On 2/21/2025 at 2:44 PM, CrusaderPenguin said:

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm looking to get into the world of Blasters, and I really like the look of the Storm Blast set. Problem is, I know next to nothing about Blasters and wasn't sure if Mental Manipulation or Ninja Training would be a better secondary. I like to solo as much as I can, and while I realize that's not always possible with Blasters I was wondering if one of those two secondaries is more conducive to that (or is more synergistic in general with Storm). Am I even remotely in the right direction or are these sets completely incompatible? Thanks in advance!

 

Welcome to Blasters!  I know I'm late in posting this, so you've probably already made your choices, but here are some some others tips/tricks/advice/answers to your OP.

 

Yes, blasters can solo quite easily.  Some EBs can be challenging, and AVs even more so and you'll need lots of temp powers and inspires, and your wits.  But in general content - you can solo just fine even at increased level and numbers of mobs.  However, there are things you should be aware of too...

 

• Inspirations are your best friend - use them.  They are not a weakness, but instead make you stronger!  They will help keep you alive when you need them - it's what they are there for. 
  • Pop them before going into fights you know will be tough - less time reacting to incoming damage and better to pre-empt it from the start.
  • Keep break-frees with you - again, even use one before you enter combat where you know you will get mezzed so you can just keep on attacking without stopping.
  • Out of purples, oranges, and greens?  Take those reds and yellows and burn things down faster (if you havent' used them already.  lol)!
• On the note of break-frees and being mezzed - Blasters get "Containment" as an AT bonus power.  Your T1 & T2 Primary and T1 Secondary can still be used while mezzed!  
  • Many will drop these T1 powers from their builds, but they can be life savers for when you're out of break-frees.
  • Your T1 immob (or similar for sets that don't have an immob initially) typically does more damage than your T1 primary - so, they can be worth slotting up for damage.
  • I recommend taking all 3 powers, but at least take 2 of them (and remember to use them) for those times you are stuck mezzed with no way out.
• Kite - move, position yourself, don't stand in one place for too long.  Line up your cones, bottleneck a group in a doorway for your AOEs, etc, etc, etc. 
  • If teamed and you have unwanted aggro - move TOWARDS your tank/brute/scrapper and pull the mobs into their taunt radius - or move TOWARDS your defenders/corruptors/controllers/MMs for buffs, heals, and assistance.  I see too many Blasters try to run away from their aggro and end up running away from their teammates too, and then they die alone and out of range of any help they could have received.
• Use your crowd controls - they may do little damage and you think "I'm a blaster and do only damage - bah" and these might be skippable, but no!  They keep you alive when used.  A held/stunned/slept/mezzed foe is dishing out 0 (zero) / nada / nil damage to you.  Even immobilizations can keep the foe only using lower damage ranged attacks instead of heavy hitting melee attacks.  Every bit helps.
• Target selection / awareness - actively switch between high-priority targets.  Keep the one(s) you want mezzed / at bay while burning down another.  Concentrating on one mob at a time can be deadly to you, so be aware of all the mobs, pick your targets to control vs. kill first, and go to it.  Every foe group may give you different priorities.  

 

Regarding your question of Secondary set choices - as mentioned above by others, avoid /Mental for your first blaster.  Take one that has a toggle sustain (highly recommended).  /Ninja can be fine with it's click sustain, just have to put the sustain power on auto-fire.  /Energy with Energize is just the same other than the mechanics of discounting End vs. granting extra End - one is not necessarily better than the other.  

 

Regarding Drain Psyche in /Mental....  it IS a very powerful buff and debuff.  But it's difficult to get perma and you'll still want to slot up Stamina for those times when it's still on cooldown and the buff is gone, or when it misses, or there is only one foe (like an AV/GM).  It's a great -regen power for AVs and GMs, but not very good as a true "sustain" power like all the other secondary sets.  All my /Mentalists slot it for heals/regen/recharge instead of endurance, and then have the Panacea/Numi in Health and 3-slot Stamina old-school-style like any other toon.

 

Additionally, as mentioned above, you have to go into the middle of a mob to use it, and the more foes, the better it works - if you're not comfortable being a naked armorless blaster standing in the middle of 10 -16 foes and pulling their hatred - avoid this set until you're experienced enough and comfortable enough to do so.  /Mental is a great and very strong set that I highly recommend, but perhaps not for a beginning blaster.

 

Regarding Storm Blast - fun set!  But a lot of DoT and not much burst damage.  Soloing will be fine.  I've solo'd mine up to lvl 40 so far and only teamed for TFs.  And I'm currently running at +1x4.  But really, I would not recommend this primary for a first time Blaster as things will not die as fast as other primary sets with lots of burst damage.  

 

Mine is Storm/Temporal and I am beefing up my defenses to play in melee range and to use Fold Space from Teleport pool to pull mobs flung or running away from my nuke.  Or to put them more into my AOEs.  I also have a Storm/Storm Corruptor who plays at range - lots of damage, being dished out, but Storm primary is indeed Slower with all the DoTs.  The quick snipe is my go-to for when I need something to die fast.

 

Good luck!

Edited Sunday at 04:03 PM by Frozen Burn

[JJDrakken]

On 2/21/2025 at 1:44 PM, CrusaderPenguin said:

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm looking to get into the world of Blasters, and I really like the look of the Storm Blast set. Problem is, I know next to nothing about Blasters and wasn't sure if Mental Manipulation or Ninja Training would be a better secondary. I like to solo as much as I can, and while I realize that's not always possible with Blasters I was wondering if one of those two secondaries is more conducive to that (or is more synergistic in general with Storm). Am I even remotely in the right direction or are these sets completely incompatible? Thanks in advance!

 

Here you go.

 

I have one those posted in my build post but here.

 

Blaster (Storm Blast - Mental Manipulation).mbd

[CrusaderPenguin]

On 2/23/2025 at 10:53 AM, Frozen Burn said:

 

Welcome to Blasters!  I know I'm late in posting this, so you've probably already made your choices, but here are some some others tips/tricks/advice/answers to your OP.

 

Yes, blasters can solo quite easily.  Some EBs can be challenging, and AVs even more so and you'll need lots of temp powers and inspires, and your wits.  But in general content - you can solo just fine even at increased level and numbers of mobs.  However, there are things you should be aware of too...

 

• Inspirations are your best friend - use them.  They are not a weakness, but instead make you stronger!  They will help keep you alive when you need them - it's what they are there for. 
  • Pop them before going into fights you know will be tough - less time reacting to incoming damage and better to pre-empt it from the start.
  • Keep break-frees with you - again, even use one before you enter combat where you know you will get mezzed so you can just keep on attacking without stopping.
  • Out of purples, oranges, and greens?  Take those reds and yellows and burn things down faster (if you havent' used them already.  lol)!
• On the note of break-frees and being mezzed - Blasters get "Containment" as an AT bonus power.  Your T1 & T2 Primary and T1 Secondary can still be used while mezzed!  
  • Many will drop these T1 powers from their builds, but they can be life savers for when you're out of break-frees.
  • Your T1 immob (or similar for sets that don't have an immob initially) typically does more damage than your T1 primary - so, they can be worth slotting up for damage.
  • I recommend taking all 3 powers, but at least take 2 of them (and remember to use them) for those times you are stuck mezzed with no way out.
• Kite - move, position yourself, don't stand in one place for too long.  Line up your cones, bottleneck a group in a doorway for your AOEs, etc, etc, etc. 
  • If teamed and you have unwanted aggro - move TOWARDS your tank/brute/scrapper and pull the mobs into their taunt radius - or move TOWARDS your defenders/corruptors/controllers/MMs for buffs, heals, and assistance.  I see too many Blasters try to run away from their aggro and end up running away from their teammates too, and then they die alone and out of range of any help they could have received.
• Use your crowd controls - they may do little damage and you think "I'm a blaster and do only damage - bah" and these might be skippable, but no!  They keep you alive when used.  A held/stunned/slept/mezzed foe is dishing out 0 (zero) / nada / nil damage to you.  Even immobilizations can keep the foe only using lower damage ranged attacks instead of heavy hitting melee attacks.  Every bit helps.
• Target selection / awareness - actively switch between high-priority targets.  Keep the one(s) you want mezzed / at bay while burning down another.  Concentrating on one mob at a time can be deadly to you, so be aware of all the mobs, pick your targets to control vs. kill first, and go to it.  Every foe group may give you different priorities.  

 

Regarding your question of Secondary set choices - as mentioned above by others, avoid /Mental for your first blaster.  Take one that has a toggle sustain (highly recommended).  /Ninja can be fine with it's click sustain, just have to put the sustain power on auto-fire.  /Energy with Energize is just the same other than the mechanics of discounting End vs. granting extra End - one is not necessarily better than the other.  

 

Regarding Drain Psyche in /Mental....  it IS a very powerful buff and debuff.  But it's difficult to get perma and you'll still want to slot up Stamina for those times when it's still on cooldown and the buff is gone, or when it misses, or there is only one foe (like an AV/GM).  It's a great -regen power for AVs and GMs, but not very good as a true "sustain" power like all the other secondary sets.  All my /Mentalists slot it for heals/regen/recharge instead of endurance, and then have the Panacea/Numi in Health and 3-slot Stamina old-school-style like any other toon.

 

Additionally, as mentioned above, you have to go into the middle of a mob to use it, and the more foes, the better it works - if you're not comfortable being a naked armorless blaster standing in the middle of 10 -16 foes and pulling their hatred - avoid this set until you're experienced enough and comfortable enough to do so.  /Mental is a great and very strong set that I highly recommend, but perhaps not for a beginning blaster.

 

Regarding Storm Blast - fun set!  But a lot of DoT and not much burst damage.  Soloing will be fine.  I've solo'd mine up to lvl 40 so far and only teamed for TFs.  And I'm currently running at +1x4.  But really, I would not recommend this primary for a first time Blaster as things will not die as fast as other primary sets with lots of burst damage.  

 

Mine is Storm/Temporal and I am beefing up my defenses to play in melee range and to use Fold Space from Teleport pool to pull mobs flung or running away from my nuke.  Or to put them more into my AOEs.  I also have a Storm/Storm Corruptor who plays at range - lots of damage, being dished out, but Storm primary is indeed Slower with all the DoTs.  The quick snipe is my go-to for when I need something to die fast.

 

Good luck!

Thank you for all the info! Really appreciate it.

[CrusaderPenguin]

2 hours ago, JJDrakken said:

 

Here you go.

 

I have one those posted in my build post but here.

 

Blaster (Storm Blast - Mental Manipulation).mbd 40.89 kB · 0 downloads

Thanks for the build!

[Troo]

/mental will be there when you are ready.. and you will be a godlike death machine