Unfortunately...

[FFTMime]

I think I am now a blaster main. Horrible, I know.

But while I like the IDEA of other ATs, the issue comes to gameplay. Blasters requires the active participation in what's going on I need at this point. 

...Ice/ice is fun. 

[Frozen Burn]

Welcome to the club.  Blasters are blasterifric and blastabulous.  😄  

[Hatchet_Manners]

  On 4/5/2025 at 7:21 PM, FFTMime said:

I think I am now a blaster main. Horrible, I know.

But while I like the IDEA of other ATs, the issue comes to gameplay. Blasters requires the active participation in what's going on I need at this point. 

...Ice/ice is fun. 

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Especially melee classes lack that exhilaration you can get with blasters. 

[FFTMime]

While I do not require a full build yet, I am curious.

What methodologies/playstyles are open to focus on? I'm sort of taking everything right now and saving respecs for later. 

[Hatchet_Manners]

  On 4/7/2025 at 11:49 AM, FFTMime said:

While I do not require a full build yet, I am curious.

What methodologies/playstyles are open to focus on? I'm sort of taking everything right now and saving respecs for later. 

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People often focus on the melee vs range topic, and especially people who like melee blasters tend to disparage the range-only blasters. Both approaches are perfectly viable and useful.

 

The thing I shake my head at the most is people who think it's a good idea to focus their blaster on single target OR AoE. This is a big mistake. Every combination of primary/secondary should be capable of being good at both ST and AoE. It might require an epic pool cone attack or hold. For me, that is the defining trait of blasters - they are great at both ST and AoE damage. 

[mistagoat]

I prefer a Blapper style blaster, the melee attacks are very strong and really increase your damage. However you're still a Blaster with Blaster HP so if you jump in and you happen to get hit by a boss and a lt in quick succession, you die. The classic Fire/Fire makes a great Blapper.

 

Fully range Blaster are way safer but give up some measure of damage potential for survivability (or in some cases, a power combo just has no need to enter melee). Both are entirely viable and just a matter of preference. Assault Rifle/Tac Arrow make a great fully ranged Blaster.

 

Try em both, they're both fun!

[The Trouble]

  On 4/7/2025 at 11:49 AM, FFTMime said:

While I do not require a full build yet, I am curious.

What methodologies/playstyles are open to focus on? I'm sort of taking everything right now and saving respecs for later. 

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Your current method is just fine for now because each Primary/Secondary combination will change the flavor of your tactics considerably.  I've always seen Blasters as being a very reactive archetype - especially to the environment.  Corners, bottlenecks, distance... all of these things matter just a tad more for the glass cannon.  Situational awareness is what will make your Blaster shine.  If you've ever played a Controller, then adopt a similar mentality.  You're a "Diet Controller" that can also punch holes through solid impervium.

 

Also, @Hatchet_Manners has given solid advice that shouldn't be ignored!

[FFTMime]

I meant to ask specifically about ice/ice. 

but in my short time trying a few, melee seems largely not worth it to devote yourself to. It may be something you can't really do till the character is fully matured. Ice/Ice itself seems forgiving of doing.. anything it has available. Have an elec/elec I got to about 20 too? I felt I'd need to do a lot better leaning in to it's form of soft control to actually do well as a character. While Ice simply does it. Energy blaster, of course, was simple from the start. Knockback is knockback. It just works. Though blapping is a tricker option. Works better with super speed, I found. Though on that note, one might want to spec passive speed somehow for more consistent jousting.

But regardless, Ice/Ice feels like I have multiple things I could lean in to. Though strong just taking everything and using them all too. The other blaster types felt like they needed to lean harder in to their proper methods of doing things. I can say I don't see the point in shiver on top of everything else, though. On the whole, just putting down rain and chaining my ranged blasts works fine to take down targets before they can do much. Maybe ice patch for safety. This is quite a high damage set for something so incredibly safe. I've been able to handle multiple groups at once with some care. 

Edit: I feel like I could drop frost breath and shiver and not really be missing anything. AOE doesn't seem especially helpful beyond the control element. Which is more simply provided for by other stuff. 

Edited Monday at 04:15 PM by FFTMime

[Black_Assassin]

  On 4/7/2025 at 4:12 PM, FFTMime said:

I meant to ask specifically about ice/ice. 

but in my short time trying a few, melee seems largely not worth it to devote yourself to. It may be something you can't really do till the character is fully matured. Ice/Ice itself seems forgiving of doing.. anything it has available. Have an elec/elec I got to about 20 too? I felt I'd need to do a lot better leaning in to it's form of soft control to actually do well as a character. While Ice simply does it. Energy blaster, of course, was simple from the start. Knockback is knockback. It just works. Though blapping is a tricker option. Works better with super speed, I found. Though on that note, one might want to spec passive speed somehow for more consistent jousting.

But regardless, Ice/Ice feels like I have multiple things I could lean in to. Though strong just taking everything and using them all too. The other blaster types felt like they needed to lean harder in to their proper methods of doing things. I can say I don't see the point in shiver on top of everything else, though. On the whole, just putting down rain and chaining my ranged blasts works fine to take down targets before they can do much. Maybe ice patch for safety. This is quite a high damage set for something so incredibly safe. I've been able to handle multiple groups at once with some care. 

Edit: I feel like I could drop frost breath and shiver and not really be missing anything. AOE doesn't seem especially helpful beyond the control element. Which is more simply provided for by other stuff. 

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You got combat jumping? Thats a game changing power for kiting targets and jousting 

[mistagoat]

I don't have an Ice secondary blaster so not sure on Shiver but Frost Breath is skippable. Bitter Freeze Ray could go either way, its fine but has a long activation time.

[FFTMime]

  On 4/7/2025 at 6:05 PM, mistagoat said:

I don't have an Ice secondary blaster so not sure on Shiver but Frost Breath is skippable. Bitter Freeze Ray could go either way, its fine but has a long activation time.

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But.. all that damage for comboing it!

Shiver does no damage. It's purely a control power. That said, the cone on it is INSANE. I could at least see it in group play where quickly getting your slows out is hard. In solo it's often just not needed or helpful. Ice manip on the whole is odd. Not bad. Just odd? Something like fridgid protection is incredibly pro, and you have a lot of reasons to play in melee range because of your auras and something like ice patch. They also make it very safe to be here, or at least a lot safer than usual for blasters. At the same time, I would not call ice a power house blapper set. You're just going to use your primary attacks in melee range instead?

Ice/Ice kills a bit slower (for a blaster), but it's also incredibly safe on the whole. Just don't get TOO cocky. Sometimes range is still your best defense. 

[FFTMime]

..Noting I am very far from 50. But at this point there's nothing that's going to change this equation unless someone knows something I don't. Overall ICE ICE BABY is a strong blaster no matter what you pick. It feels really difficult to screw up. Just slot for mundane things like damage, accuracy, and recharge on longer CDs. All your powers are great. No real stinkers. You're always relevant in a group. Pretty easy to solo compared to some other nasty things I've tried. Still requires some care for being a blaster. Don't get silly out there. 

[Championess]

Be sure to proc your two best ST ice blasts well.  The draw to the set is how many procs you can fit into Freeze Ray and Bitter Ice Blast to add onto the already high damage it can pump out.  Ice is light on aoe damage with Blizzard being your only main viable one so Ice tends to focus ST damage.  If you want the best of all worlds make a fire blaster.  

 

I've got an Ice/Ninja she does sooo much ST damage thanks to allowing those Ice blasts to sometimes crit along with the procs slotted.  Plus a few of those Ninja attacks hit stupid hard too.  

 

Blasters are just fun in general.  Its good to give most of them a try.  I think I have one of almost every blast set, typically paired with a select few secondaries I prefer.  If you learn to survive well on a blaster they can be demigods.

[FFTMime]

Yeah, I noticed that ICE is actually a single target ice sentinel pretending to be a an AOE blaster. Granted, again, all those hindering parts of it's AOE kit do really well for it. You really don't NEED damage. Unless you really want to forgo such tools and blast. Yet I feel there's better sets for that? Has to be. 

[FFTMime]

So..

I'm not entirely sure of the point of blaster nukes. Though BIG DAMAGE is fun. Not up often enough to depend on for raising difficulty. Too strong for general use. 

[mistagoat]

  On 4/8/2025 at 2:01 PM, FFTMime said:

So..

I'm not entirely sure of the point of blaster nukes. Though BIG DAMAGE is fun. Not up often enough to depend on for raising difficulty. Too strong for general use. 

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You can get the nuke recharge down to a point that lets you use it every other spawn to eliminate everything except bosses and a couple near death Lts. Admittedly that means you have to keep a non-nuke strategy in your pocket for every other spawn but then you get to vaporize the spawn after that again. Alternatively, run with a Blaster buddy and alternate nukes to utterly demolish anything in your way!

[Nemu]

Someone long time ago did the math and blaster nukes accounted for over 60% of a blasters lifetime damage contribution.

 

The blaster mantra is "kill them before they kill you." And the nukes are the epitome of that mantra.

 

Use it on big spawns whenever it charges up, euphoria ensues.

[Maelwys]

  On 4/8/2025 at 3:17 PM, mistagoat said:

You can get the nuke recharge down to a point that lets you use it every other spawn

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This.

FWIW, the recharge time on my Fire Blaster's Inferno is ~42s; and the Incarnate Pyro Judgement Nuke is every ~90s.
And Rise of the Phoenix (slotted for Dmg and Rech and with a KB>KD IO!) also recharges in ~90s.
That's roughly one "Nuke" every ~20-25 seconds; providing the rest of the team actually let me faceplant whenever i want to... 😁

[biostem]

  On 4/8/2025 at 2:01 PM, FFTMime said:

Too strong for general use.

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I don't typically play blasters, when when I do, I try to take on groups with the advantage of surprise, (I almost always take some stealth power), and with an overwhelming opening salvo - The nuke is one way to achieve this, and with the right build/set bonuses it can be made available quite often. 

[Vermithrix]

For when you do need a build, this is where you start. Don't get sucked into Fire Fire Fire blerg. Why go into melee to nuke when you have Thunderous Blast. You want stuns across both your power sets? You want massive endurance drain so anything under an AV is left running around in circles? You want AOE RANGED stuns that leave mobs staggering around for ages. Devastating ranged attacks. Melee attacks that knock down consistently and one that will put an AV in an Ice Block every time, but ALSO, hit as hard as any melee class? You want numbers, more numbers that you have seen, streaming up your screen in glorious ribbons. 

I leave this for your consideration. 

 

Source: Trust me bro.

Blaster (Electrical Blast - Earth Manipulation).mbdFetching info...

[Jacke]

  On 4/5/2025 at 7:21 PM, FFTMime said:

I think I am now a blaster main. Horrible, I know.

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Welcome!  I've had my main as a Blaster since late 2005/early 2006.  Assault Rifle/Devices.  Which nowadays brings its own Tanker in the form of /Devices' Gun Drone.  😺

[Snarky]

  On 4/5/2025 at 7:21 PM, FFTMime said:

I think I am now a blaster main. Horrible, I know.

But while I like the IDEA of other ATs, the issue comes to gameplay. Blasters requires the active participation in what's going on I need at this point. 

...Ice/ice is fun. 

Expand  

Started on Brutes, then … slid into Blasters.  Like yourself.  And many many others.  But i main Dark Dark for theme.  Which is… meh on Blasters.  However, it is exactly what i want on Corruptors.  Okay, not exactly, but very close.  
 

I am not a buffer or a dedicated healer.  But Dark^3 Corruption is more like a chess game.  Rarely am I trying to heal a team out of the hole they dug.  
 

Corruptors are the ONLY “S” class Archetype in CoH/V. Every single Corruptor adds massive value at any level including Incarnate, 50+4, and starred TF/SF/Trials.  
 

So, when you are done smacking people in the nose with a nuke, worth a look a t the folks that steal the game while just mad dog staring at the enemy 

[FFTMime]

  On 4/8/2025 at 9:30 PM, biostem said:

I don't typically play blasters, when when I do, I try to take on groups with the advantage of surprise, (I almost always take some stealth power), and with an overwhelming opening salvo - The nuke is one way to achieve this, and with the right build/set bonuses it can be made available quite often. 

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I'll be honest, I took stealth with some idea, but it feels like it doesn't really uh.. work? 

[Snarky]

  18 hours ago, FFTMime said:

I'll be honest, I took stealth with some idea, but it feels like it doesn't really uh.. work? 

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Monitor your stealth with combat attributes. It takes it a couple seconds to go into stealth if you attack, are attacked, or click a glowie.  (Hide behind ANYTHING when clicking glowies….  The time to reset stealth is very similar to the time for fast snipe to go back to regular snipe out of combat.

[biostem]

  18 hours ago, FFTMime said:

I'll be honest, I took stealth with some idea, but it feels like it doesn't really uh.. work? 

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The base stealth power won't allow you to get up to melee range for most enemies, but it will allow you to get closer.  Stack it with a stealth IO to widen that margin.  It's an edge to allow better positioning, but not the level of invisibility that stalkers, for instance, can get with their hide power...