Looking for help finding the right AT/Build

[Cloudy]

Hello. I played some back on live and I am just coming back to CoH. I would like to play a techy pew pew sort of character with guns. I am on the fence between going with a blaster or a sentinel and I either want to go with Dual Pistols or Assault Rifle. 

 

My question is would I be better going with a sentinel or blaster for solo end game content? and depending on which one what would be a good secondary to complement dp or ar? 

 

I don't mind if I die a lot getting used to the blaster play, I know it's a glass cannon. I just didn't want to level up and be gimped when I hit end game.

[Championess]

Dual Pistols is a very cool looking set.  Damage-wise its okay, the aoe damage is fine, single target can be lacking though if you know the invention system and slot damage procs in certain powers it can be fine to play.  

 

Blaster survivability has increased greatly since live, I'd just blast and kill things faster than they can you.

 

I have a Dual Pistols/Ninja/Arsenal Mastery blaster.  Very cool looking holstering the pistols, katana and rifle.  I also bought a cosmetic item the targetting drone to finish off the look.  It can be made to look very techy and looks super sweet in general on top of being an effective fighter.

Edited April 1 by Championess

[Clave Dark 5]

I only have a couple, but generally I've found sentinels to be tough to kill as roaches, so that might be a safer way to get back into the game ha ha.  Blasters are better these days, but can still get squished.

 

AR has been improved as well since Live, but I haven't tried the new version.  Pistols is pretty nice just for the cool factor, although some thing it gets too theatrical.

[Lusiphur Malache]

The only prerequisite for endgame is just getting to it. Blasters aren't such glass cannons anymore, some like my dark/martial/soul blaster loves blapping and showing the tank how its done. Sentinels got a rework couple years ago and do better as dps, but pale in comparison to blasters.

 

Make both and see which one you like more is the only real way.

[Cloudy]

Appreciate the replies

[Frozen Burn]

  On 4/1/2025 at 7:08 PM, Cloudy said:

Hello. I played some back on live and I am just coming back to CoH. I would like to play a techy pew pew sort of character with guns. I am on the fence between going with a blaster or a sentinel and I either want to go with Dual Pistols or Assault Rifle. 

 

My question is would I be better going with a sentinel or blaster for solo end game content? and depending on which one what would be a good secondary to complement dp or ar? 

 

I don't mind if I die a lot getting used to the blaster play, I know it's a glass cannon. I just didn't want to level up and be gimped when I hit end game.

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Welcome back to the game!!

 

Despite the Blaster vs Sentinel decision, there are things to consider when deciding between Dual Pistols or AR....  AR is cone heavy and lends itself better to staying at range while DP is more PBAOE / mixed playstyle.  So, depending on your playstyle preference that will impact your choice there.  Both are viable and can be successful either as a Blaster or Sent in end game.  

 

Given AR lends itself better to staying at range - it does have M30 grenade, Buckshot, and Slug that KB which can be useful.  However, they won't entirely help with being swarmed as you sometimes can get with certain mob types.  

• Blaster secondaries have a wide variety of tools, controls, and damage powers to deal with swarming mobs, but you'll have to be comfortable with being armorless until you get up in levels and get your epic shield and/or Fighting, Leadership, or other pools for more defenses - as well as slots for getting those Def/Resist set bonuses.  Blasters can be built to be very survivable which is why I hate the term "glass cannon" - they are not as fragile as they used to be back in the day.  Blaster deaths are usually by player error / misjudgment.  So, I prefer to think of them as "living on the edge of a cliff" - you're fine doing your thing as long as you don't mess up and walk off that cliff plummeting you to your death.  😄 
  • AR/Devices Blaster is a classic combo and can be devastating to pull mobs into your ambush of trip mines and gun drones - so much fun!  ...but can be slower gameplay.
  • AR/Energy is also classic and has great melee tools and stuns for those pesky swarmers, and boost range really helps the cones.
• Sentinel secondaries (armors) can help you stay alive, and some might have some PBAOE powers to help (like Bio, Rad, etc), but you're still faced with attacking foes at point blank range with cones and blasts.  That's not a big deal, but for some, it may be.

Dual Pistols lends itself to being up close to mobs due to the nuke being PBAOE.  Then targeting a foe near you with Bullet Rain, it's like another PBAOE despite it being a Targeted AOE.  (And Executioner's Shot (ST) just looks awesome at point blank range - especially when it really is the kill shot.  😄)

• Pretty much all Blaster Secondaries can greatly enhance the Melee / PBAOE playstyle of DP.  I would stay away from /Devices as it lends itself to being at range and ambushing. 
• Sentinel Secondaries will of course offer you your shields with things for being up close and personal with mobs.

Some things to note about Sentinel vs. Blaster when choosing....

• Sentinels are considered (by the Devs) as "ranged scrappers" and they are based off that model.  So, given that... 
• Sentinels, while they have vastly improved in recent years, still have a lower damage modifier versus a Blaster.
• Sentinels have a lower target cap than Blasters.
• Sentinels have a shorter range on their attacks than Blasters.
• ....the shields / armors are the trade-off.

Personally, for me... I have a Beam Rifle/Rad Sentinel.  It's a beast and I took Provoke for taunting so i can tank - and i do.  It's that sturdy and good.  But I still prefer my Blasters.  🙂  I kill faster and AOE more mobs, and I am just as survivable (even though you're living on the edge of cliff).  I tend to blap with my Blasters, so the shorter range of the Sent is not an issue for me.  But I have friends who play nothing but Sents and love them to death.  

 

So, hopefully all this will help you with narrowing down your choices.  here are some of my DP builds that I Blap with:

• DP/Mental - a PBAOE juggernaut
• DR/Ninjitsu - a Melee kill machine
• DP/Sonic - complete with Fold Space to bring more into PBAOE range!

 

Kiska Nikolaevna - Blaster (Dual Pistols).mbdFetching info...   Phantom's Sting - Blaster (Dual Pistols).mbdFetching info...  

Johnnie Hertz - Blaster (DP-Sonic).mbdFetching info...

[mistagoat]

Other folks have offered some great info! I'll just say that I got my first AR blaster to 50 not too long ago and I was shocked at how awesome it was! I went AR/Tac Arrow, you can stay at range 100% of the time. Build in a little ranged defense and hoverblast and you should be good to go. I also have a DP blaster and it's just kinda fine, not bad by any means but it doesn't really stand out either. I found the AR to be more effective, ymmv.

 

Sentinels, I've recently discovered, are so badass! However, I think it may be an error to compare them to blasters. They are far more comparable to scrappers that just happen to have ranged attacks. I tried playing a sent like a blaster and I was super underwhelmed and abandoned the AT for a couple years but I got some great advice and started building and playing them like a scrapper and it all snapped into focus and they became insane fun and super effective! Currently leveling a Fire/SR that is very hard to kill and has a Nuke up every 24 seconds!

 

Try both, they play very differently!

 

 

[Octogoat]

  9 hours ago, mistagoat said:

Other folks have offered some great info! I'll just say that I got my first AR blaster to 50 not too long ago and I was shocked at how awesome it was! I went AR/Tac Arrow, you can stay at range 100% of the time. Build in a little ranged defense and hoverblast and you should be good to go. I also have a DP blaster and it's just kinda fine, not bad by any means but it doesn't really stand out either. I found the AR to be more effective, ymmv.

 

Sentinels, I've recently discovered, are so badass! However, I think it may be an error to compare them to blasters. They are far more comparable to scrappers that just happen to have ranged attacks. I tried playing a sent like a blaster and I was super underwhelmed and abandoned the AT for a couple years but I got some great advice and started building and playing them like a scrapper and it all snapped into focus and they became insane fun and super effective! Currently leveling a Fire/SR that is very hard to kill and has a Nuke up every 24 seconds!

 

Try both, they play very differently!

 

 

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Definitely ranged scrapper I've been playing my beam/fire firefly homage like a dk from world of Warcraft 

[tidge]

For Blasters, I'd rank: Assault Rifle > Dual Pistols > Beam Rifle.

 

For Sentinels, Beam Rifle is preeeettty good.

 

For shooty-shooty, try a Huntsman!

[Octogoat]

  8 hours ago, tidge said:

 

 

For shooty-shooty, try a Huntsman!

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Not until I can use arachnos shotgun for all attacks.

[BZRKR]

  7 hours ago, Octogoat said:

Not until I can use arachnos shotgun for all attacks.

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What attacks can you not? I'm at work and so cannot look at my Hunstman, but I think  ... do you mean like when you take build up from the Bane list and you pull out a mace?

[BZRKR]

On topic, add my endorsement to the Assault Rifle/ Tactical Arrow build. I love mine, and with the addition of sheathed weapon costume options, you can get a real "packrat" sort of look.

 

I'll also add (since I don't see it upthread) Welcome to Homecoming, you have 1000 character slots per server! You can make all of the characters you're considering!

[tidge]

  7 hours ago, BZRKR said:

What attacks can you not? I'm at work and so cannot look at my Hunstman, but I think  ... do you mean like when you take build up from the Bane list and you pull out a mace?

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Having to use a Mace for BuildUp bothers me as well!

[Octogoat]

  5 hours ago, tidge said:

 

Having to use a Mace for BuildUp bothers me as well!

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Exactly!