Sentinel Energy Blast is absolutely atrocious.

[Six-Six]

Just hit lvl 43 and I've discovered a new love for KB. Two words: Snappers. Made a special attach chain just for them. =)

 

[Sunsette]

Short comments:

 

1: KB IS a plus on a set. You can say that it's less useful than a self-heal or -ToHit debuffs, but when you take a real counterpoint and just completely dismiss it or pretend that it's a negative (Energy Torrent knocks mobs back... and this is a negative? Use a KB to KD IO, it's now a positive... add in a Force Feedback proc in there and in Explosive Blast, and you have a set that has a very high chance to keep activating periods of +100% Recharge). Whether it's as useful as other tools is debatable... that it's a positive really can't be debated.

 

1) Knockback isn't a status that is inherently good. When you can use it constructively shape a battlefield to your advantage, it is good; when it is used in a way that is actively harmful in your damage output vs. damage taken ratio, it is bad. It's not a simple binary on/off category the way virtually every other debuff is. This is because there are three components to a knockback: the ragdoll animation (unquestionably good), the repositioning factor (frequently scorned), and the brief immunity to further repositions (good if you can plan around it, bad if you weren't expecting to knock and followed it up with Power Push, which is the only fast surefire knock in the set.) I am not going to debate a point that is fairly evident.

2) I did not say 'knockback is bad'. I said that >constant random< knockback is bad, and doesn't synergize with the set's larger design or the archetype's. I stand by this point.

3) To elaborate, the problem with Energy Torrent is not that it knocks back. It's that it only knocks back about half of the time on a per-target basis after the forced 5% minimum miss chance, meaning it spreads targets badly, and the damage is nothing to write home about. This is in addition to it being a 6-target cone on Sentinels and the fact that Sentinels have low range and cones already demand positioning and the best attack in the set is a PBAoE. Energy Torrent is literally the reason I chose this AT as I fell in love with the visuals of Energy Torrent on my Scrapper, and I had to come to the hard truth after a lot of optimizing and trial and error that it is actually counterproductive to the set. I did not drop it lightly and spent a lot of money trying new configurations to make it work as I'm not actually fond of Nova visually.

 

I am snipping the rest of my comment for now -- I will briefly note that Force Feedback is generally not as great of a pick as it seems at casual glance and I can go into this in more detail if you'd like -- for the sake of not looking like an argumentative jerk as we mostly agree, but I am getting very frustrated at this point in this thread with people suggesting I've made more arguments with much more absoluteness than I have.

[Six-Six]

I for one follow most of your posts, Sunsette. I find them very helpful and very detailed. I even rolled out an EB/Rad because of that one post you had. I may be a minority, but I don't strive to be the most powerful (cough Spines/Fire) toon out there. I like how no one AT nor one primary is superior to the other especially when paired with the chosen secondary. It goes back to what a classic hero is: one that is naturally flawed, but rises above to become his/her best. Notwithstanding, I am having a major blast (no pun intended) with the EB/Rad toon I created based on your guide. Can't afford all the IOs you listed, but it's fun trying to find cheaper alternatives to further tweak the character. =)

 

[Sunsette]

I am glad you're enjoying your character, and I am very, very glad that my guide has been helpful. :)

 

I've remade my main character as a different powerset, but I miss the oh-so satisfying CRACK that accompanies Energy Blast attacks hitting multiple targets. As far as look and feel goes, Energy Blast is an amazing set, and that counts for a lot. I don't necessarily want to be the best (though I'd hardly mind) but in endgame I frequently found myself in situations feeling like there was no situation where I shined -- I couldn't ever turn the tide of a battle gone bad, I just pulled my own weight at all times, and I pulled that weight by basically being super on top of my game. It's a little disheartening for me to see my character as polished as can be and fighting to contribute half as much as a relatively fresh 50+1 with a better powerset combo. Likewise when people are dying around me and I'm absolutely not dying, but I can't kill fast enough or knockback hard enough to save them.

 

Everyone draws the line for their own enjoyment in a different place, and that's okay -- it's more than okay, it's good and it's healthy.

[Llewellyn Blackwell]

Argue against KB if you want to, but it is a +defense set (enemies on their backs are not attacking you, and enemies with powerful close attacks aren't able to land those if you have knocked them away)

 

Opening salvo against an enemy with Energy Blast at 60 ft. range: 20 to 50% chance they land on their ass and go outside of my range, requiring me to move to keep up pressure on them, and you rarely get single pulls, so, interrupted DPS. You close much more than that and you also make it easier for them to reach you.

 

This is not +defense. The AoEs aren't really any better. I experimented a lot with various set-ups and invariably I found I killed faster and died less if I actually put up a KB-blocking AoE immob and then just cut loose immediately, a beneficial quirk of the interaction between Sentinel immobs only being Mag 3 (that is, not enough to trap a boss, who tend to be the most dangerous and yet also poor immediate kill targets for Energy's atrocious ST damage -- better to kill all of the support first instead) and knockback.

 

I'm going through the exact same leveling content with a reroll of the exact same character, only changing Energy Blast to Beam Rifle, and I die far less and fight far more effectively. (All Praetoria content. If it ain't gold, it ain't bold.) There was a mission my EB/EA died to four times straight up that was instead an exhilarating, intense, but reasonable challenge on BR/EA. And I've made a point of not getting anything I didn't get on my Energy Blast version of the character -- no money handouts from my main or handmedown IOs.

 

Water Blast shows what 'throwing people around' can do when it's done right. Energy Blast... doesn't. Solo or on teams. Not for Sentinel.

 

Single Pulls? on a sentinal? your a literal mage tank. what is your 2ndary? Ive a dark regen sentinal and def see why folks call the entire AT brokenly OP. I personally feel they have made PBs unique niche obsolete. And you shouldnt be cowering likea  blaster, you want to rush in close the distance I personally prefer mighty judgment with an energy primary. So I like to get in close and knock the whole group on their ass before using other aoes then going single target on any bosses who are starting to get up. Rapidly switch targets if multiple bosses and knock them back as much as possible hover is on so if by chance I am overwhelmed zip up in the air. my hover is about 46 mph so  am actually quite fast and have no travel speed supression.

 

It sounds like your treating your sent as a blaster, and a bad blaster at that. Because yes you do need to try all the sets as much as that one to really know. And theya re not meant to be full on blaster dmg and next to dmg 10 ATs all DPS feels trashy to be honest. Thats why I have a tendency to play all sorts of mixes on certain ATs. I knew instantly a dark regen sentinal would be a monster as ofcourse everyone knows how good dark regen scrappers are. Its raw dps isnt on par with something like fire melee, but because you are pretty much an unkillable monster with to hit debuffing making regen have so much breathing room no one is killing you.

 

If energy just isnt working for you fucking re roll already, I mean it takes 3 weeks tops to max lvl a toon now and thats playing casually. alts are already easier  because you can twink em out while lvling.  If you want more DPS take a max dps AT, I mean its clear you only care about the biggest numbers.

[Sunsette]

Single Pulls? on a sentinal? your a literal mage tank. what is your 2ndary? Ive a dark regen sentinal and def see why folks call the entire AT brokenly OP.

 

Congratulations on picking one of the generally agreed-to-be-quite-strong primaries that has as its entire schtick 'being psuedo-tanky'.

 

At no point did I say a single pull, and in fact once I had been at level cap for a while, my preferred strategy with the extremely tanky Energy Aura was to run in, AoE immob, Nova, and facetank, except I did so little damage that I didn't really keep much aggro past a few seconds on the alpha generally speaking, barring a weak group. However, this strategy doesn't really work in content that's actually dangerous enough to you that you want the knockback as damage mitigation when you're leveling, which is the entire point. If your secondary is so well developed that you or your team don't need the knockback as damage mitigation, it's really not helping you at all. On my reroll, I've already been running into +3x8 groups and taking them down with some effort; it's not a Brute, but it does feel pretty close to a scrapper.

 

I don't just care about the numbers, I have already rerolled, the reroll is already almost to 50, and I didn't reroll fire (the highest damage Sent primary) or bio (the single best Sent secondary) because I actually care about concept quite a lot, thanks, and neither fit concept.

[Coyote]

Sunsette, I really don't understand something about your entire argument, and your character, and your playstyle, and you re-rolling....

 

I agree that the random mixed Knockback in Energy Torrent is bad. I think that random knockback in single-target attacks is fine. But in an AoE power, it's occasionally good for repositioning, but mostly bad.

 

And you wanted to play the character for Energy Torrent, which can be a great power... and it takes one IO to turn it into a KnockDOWN power, which has practically no downside. For want of one (cheap) IO, you gave up on a character and say that the set is bad? Seriously, the difference between running AoE KB powers vs the same powers converted to KD is huge. It is hard to buy arguments that a set is bad because it scatters opponents.. when one IO fixes that.

 

Arguing that the set should have higher stats because it pays an IO "tax" to make its secondary effect useful is a good argument. Arguing that a set is bad because you CAN'T make the secondary effect useful is not a good argument.

 

Also, for FF... the proc has to affect you once, but checks on every target hit. If it triggers twice a minute, it's about equivalent to a 16.67% Recharge buff... granted, it takes a slot in an already slot-starved power, but it's still a very useful pick in an AoE that you will fire regularly. Especially since it's likely to trigger 4+ times a minute, not just twice.

[Sunsette]

Sunsette, I really don't understand something about your entire argument, and your character, and your playstyle, and you re-rolling....

 

I agree that the random mixed Knockback in Energy Torrent is bad. I think that random knockback in single-target attacks is fine. But in an AoE power, it's occasionally good for repositioning, but mostly bad.

 

And you wanted to play the character for Energy Torrent, which can be a great power... and it takes one IO to turn it into a KnockDOWN power, which has practically no downside. For want of one (cheap) IO, you gave up on a character and say that the set is bad? Seriously, the difference between running AoE KB powers vs the same powers converted to KD is huge. It is hard to buy arguments that a set is bad because it scatters opponents.. when one IO fixes that.

 

Arguing that the set should have higher stats because it pays an IO "tax" to make its secondary effect useful is a good argument. Arguing that a set is bad because you CAN'T make the secondary effect useful is not a good argument.

 

Also, for FF... the proc has to affect you once, but checks on every target hit. If it triggers twice a minute, it's about equivalent to a 16.67% Recharge buff... granted, it takes a slot in an already slot-starved power, but it's still a very useful pick in an AoE that you will fire regularly. Especially since it's likely to trigger 4+ times a minute, not just twice.

 

Look at my signature, the thing linked there. Do you think that I wrote all... 27,000 or whatever words over about 40 hours, and that I'd never tried Sudden Acceleration or Overwhelming Force?

 

I did not give up on the character because Energy Torrent is bad. I gave up on Energy Torrent because Energy Torrent is bad; I gave up on the character because the entirety of Energy Blast, as a Sentinel set, is bad except for Nova and Power Push. Look, there's two prongs to this analysis, what makes Energy Torrent a mediocre power for leveling, and what makes Energy Torrent a bad power at 50.

 

For leveling:

- The IO tax is -really- hefty here considering Energy Torrent is a level 6 power and your first few slots pretty much have to go into damage, accuracy, and endurance almost immediately, in roughly that order.

- It's not the easiest power to aim at its native 40' 40° without an AoE immob, which you don't get access to for a while.

 

At 50:

- It's not worth the repositioning time. Nova is the best attack in the set and I have it up roughly every 20 seconds, while Explosive Blast is agnostic to my positioning. Because Nova is basically guaranteed to give -res or recharge, it's your best opening attack (following an AoE immob if necessary) and  most Sent secondaries can survive the alpha if properly built.

- If you don't have a source of AoE immob, aiming a cone can still be a crapshoot.

- If you do have a source of AoE immob, you start running into power selection problems, because you can only take so many powers.

- The AoE immob lets you get away with five-slotting Nova with a set and giving it a good proc in its sixth slot rather than KB to KD.

- When you absolutely need actual knockback in a beneficial way (like juggling a boss mob),  most of the dangerous mobs not called sappers are bosses, meaning the AoE immob doesn't make them KB immune, and knocking back a single foe at 50 isn't a problem anymore because your range is about 76 feet or better usually thanks to ATOs.

- But then your build is half about negating your powerset's entire theme, and yet, I'm very effective as Energy Sents go, which says that the knockback doesn't actually add that much on most enemies.

 

Yes, you can pay an IO tax to make your knockbacks less destructive, but since only Power Push and Nova are guaranteed KBs, you're not actually going to be reliably knocking anyone down outside of those. There is no IO to make the KBs happen more often. It is hilarious the number of times I've just needed ONE of my ST attacks that was not Power Push to also land a KB to prevent us from dealing with double moments of glory Paragon Protectors or Fake Nems, and yet they do not. Then they go and knockback someone I didn't care about. Thanks!

 

I actually use and have used FF Chance for Recharge in my builds, as I've alluded earlier in this thread. But it's competing with vital six slots for defense bonuses, five slots for recharge bonuses, and it's really not that hard to get extremely high global recharge such that it's not adding much to my AoE rotation. The only thing I've found it beneficial for past early 50 is making it easier to get my frankenslotted ST attack into rotation more often Which isn't for nothing! It's about a 5 DPS increase on its own in ST. But it virtually does nothing for my AoE DPS as recharge is already so high, and Sent doesn't have a lot of ultra long cooldowns which really appreciate the extra time savings. Last I checked, in practice FF only cuts off about 1 or 2 seconds on my up-time of Aim/Nova, which I've calculated to be about a 3 or 4% damage increase, which is marginal against the damage increases offered by Annihilation or Fury of the Gladiator competing for a sixth slot, and not worth breaking the security of having an always on +10% rech from set bonuses, preventing me from breaking a five-set bonus. If you've got low S/L D from your secondary, it's going to be difficult (though not impossible) to resist putting six-slotted obliteration in Nova, and if you're patching a Psi hole, Scirocco's. (Fortunately, there's really not a lot you want a six-slot bonus for in Targeted AoEs, so if you can afford to get both EB and ET, then it can make sense there, though I have to say I wasn't impressed the times I did try EB/ET/Nova as a build.)

 

In summary, it is not that Energy Blast scatters opponents, therefore it is bad; it is that Energy Blast at its worst scatters opponents (which is bad) and at its best, you're taxing yourself with IOs and powers to reduce the majority of set's rider effects, while the set's actual damage in all respects is bad. It's a disadvantage or heavily muted mild advantage in very specific situations, while other sets have a niche that they rock comfortably. I point out the scattering not because I'm incapable of thinking of a way to mitigate it, but because we must include both these forms of mitigation and the fact that they are required in the analysis.

[Coyote]

Eh. Your arguing from a specific point but arguing as if it's general. I understand that for a Level 50 Incarnate character with huge global recharge and high Defense bonuses, the knockdown from Energy Torrent is less valuable... the slots are more valuable to squeeze out the last percentage points to soft-capping defenses... and the FF proc is less valuable since you're already loaded with high Recharge. And AoE cones are also far less useful in a gameplay where you're firing Nova every spawn.

 

But if you wish to argue that Energy Blast is a weak set and needs fixing, you can't just say "It's weak at level 6 when you don't have enough slots, and it's weak at Incarnate levels when the knockback is not useful", and ignore that in levels 20-50 (or maybe 20-45) the FF proc is actually very useful, and you start having enough slots to put it in a couple of attacks.

 

In short: You're right, in the niche of Level 50 Incarnates, Energy Blast really sucks because... who cares if it has knockback? Force Feedback is less useful? Damage is king, and it's weak there... and with all of the AoE in those teams, mixed knockback is just terrible. You're absolutely right, but you're also absolutely right in a specific and narrow niche. For the leveling process, Energy Blast is poor and needs improvement... but not nearly that badly, and certainly not because Energy Torrent has mixed knockback.

[Sunsette]

Eh. Your arguing from a specific point but arguing as if it's general. I understand that for a Level 50 Incarnate character with huge global recharge and high Defense bonuses, the knockdown from Energy Torrent is less valuable... the slots are more valuable to squeeze out the last percentage points to soft-capping defenses... and the FF proc is less valuable since you're already loaded with high Recharge. And AoE cones are also far less useful in a gameplay where you're firing Nova every spawn.

 

But if you wish to argue that Energy Blast is a weak set and needs fixing, you can't just say "It's weak at level 6 when you don't have enough slots, and it's weak at Incarnate levels when the knockback is not useful", and ignore that in levels 20-50 (or maybe 20-45) the FF proc is actually very useful, and you start having enough slots to put it in a couple of attacks.

 

In short: You're right, in the niche of Level 50 Incarnates, Energy Blast really sucks because... who cares if it has knockback? Force Feedback is less useful? Damage is king, and it's weak there... and with all of the AoE in those teams, mixed knockback is just terrible. You're absolutely right, but you're also absolutely right in a specific and narrow niche. For the leveling process, Energy Blast is poor and needs improvement... but not nearly that badly, and certainly not because Energy Torrent has mixed knockback.

 

What you call a narrow focus on levels 6 and 50 I would say accurately describes more like levels 6 to mid-30s or 40s and then again at 50. I don't really think feel comfortable, personally speaking, assuming IOs with weird effects before then. People have to go diving to find out things like that exist, they have to make sure that they have everything else they want first out of the way, they have to either understand the mechanics or be willing to make a leap of faith purchase, and they have to be willing to part with 2 to 4 million influence in order to make it work. The last few times I've seen Chance for Recharge as a proc show up on reddit for discussion, a lot of people discounted it as meh even while they were leveling. My EB character was my first character on HC, I found out about the proc around level 20, but it wasn't until the 40s I could afford it.

 

IO taxes are not simply an optimization cost, they're a barrier to gameplay for new or casual players, and while I have Stockholm Syndrome with the game of optimization, I think selling a power set's strengths on two IOs that are not dirt cheap is a tacit admission that the set has very serious problems. It's especially odd to include them in a look at leveling as a result imo. If there is any time that the effects of an IO on gameplay should be considered primarily a happy accident, I would think it is the stage when people have the least capital to spend on IOs and their slots and powers are most transient, discouraging heavy optimization considerations.

 

I went through a lot of content with this EB character and basically everything newer than Croatoa that I did rocked me pretty hard in a way my other characters doing the same content didn't. I freely admit I have a bias in that I strongly prefer to level up on Gold-side, which is very good at exposing player and powerset flaws, but I still felt it in my 40s and not long after reaching 50.

 

But now we're arguing a matter of degree and I'm quite tired; I appreciate that you were willing to let me explain myself. Thank you.

[johua]

Knockback is the entire reason energy blast is fun, so I'm 100% against any change that implements KB->KD into the set proper. I'd permanently shelve my EB/EA sentinel if this became reality.

[Bossk_Hogg]

Knockback is the entire reason energy blast is fun, so I'm 100% against any change that implements KB->KD into the set proper. I'd permanently shelve my EB/EA sentinel if this became reality.

 

At this point it should simply become a Null the Gull setting rather than forcing an already sub par set to devote a slot in many powers.

[johua]

Knockback is the entire reason energy blast is fun, so I'm 100% against any change that implements KB->KD into the set proper. I'd permanently shelve my EB/EA sentinel if this became reality.

 

At this point it should simply become a Null the Gull setting rather than forcing an already sub par set to devote a slot in many powers.

 

I just don't use them. Like I said, knockback is the whole reason I find the set fun. Not a one of my EB sentinel's powers has KB to KD slotted. IMO knockback makes energy blast one of the most entertaining sets in the game.

 

But I wouldn't be opposed to a null the gull toggle option for people who don't want to do knockback.

[Sunsette]

Frankly, I don't give a damn if every attack in the set becomes 100% knockback as long as the randomness is addressed, damage is addressed, and the sameyness of all the attacks is addressed. Whatever form that solution takes is OK with me. I can live with knockback or knockdown as long as I can count on it happening and plan accordingly. I don't think it'd be the best solution because that would essentially make EB Sents anathema for many leveling groups, but it'd be an improvement on the whole to soloing and high level groups.

 

Probably a better solution is for some attacks to be high KB and some to be KD or some other mixture, but I was trying to keep the offered solutions simple.

[Golden Azrael]

I've tried reading  words in Sunsette's posts.  A bit hard going.  Any chance of a concise read?

Eg.  Knock back sucks.  Because it's erratic. or...

Eg2.  Knock back sucks.  Because melee characters are intolerant of it because it doesn't knockdown.

Or.  Sentinel sucks because energy does mediocre damage.  (We know that?)

or.  Sentinel sucks because energy range is nerfed.  (Try a blaster instead...)

or...  Sentinel sucks because the blast powers are very samey.  (Try a blaster, at least the melee attacks break it up.)

 

Azrael.

[Golden Azrael]

My take on a Sentinel.

When I first started COH I played an en/en blaster without blaps.  I never felt the blasts were samey.  Of more interest to me was why was a blaster's defences so weak?  Why couldn't I have a scrapper's defences to go with my blasts?  

(*Fast forward to today.)

1. If you'd have offered me my En/En blaster as 'most of the scrapper defences' with 'most of a blaster's damage' I would have taken it.

2. I've blasted my way to L41.  Had a great time.  A junior tank (with taunt I may add)  I've enjoyed it more than my pure blast en/en blaster or my Blap en/en 'blaster'.   I don't fall over, get mezzed and can take a kicking.

3. Fun.  I found it a revelation.  Sure the single en attacks are mediocre.  Sure the AoE dam is mediocre.  (But I've had a buff water/healer defender Raging my head.  So I can't complain, eh?)  I've been dynamite.

But it's terrific fun to play.  The most fun I've had so far.  

 

Azrael.

[Golden Azrael]

Solution?

Make knock back mandatory on all blasts for en.  Either it does knock back or it doesn't.  All this 'chance to' on your only means of mitigation makes it very erratic.

1.  Torrent.  100% chance to knock back. (To compensate for weak AoE damage.  Wide the cone to 'steam' water set levels.)

2. Exploding Blast.  100% chance to knock back.  (Makes it a terrace melee power.  In your face.)

3. All the single blasts do knock back.  The range of knock back corresponds with the damage it does.  Ergo, a nova puts the mob into the wall.  And probably leaves them stuck on it.  

There.  Fixed.  Angst over.  (Put in power description.  Knock back haters need not apply.  I don't want to be on your team.  I'm a solo egotist who loves my own rock and roll company.)

Azrael.

[Golden Azrael]

"Sentinel Energy Blast is absolutely atrocious. "

Truth depends greatly upon our point of view.

So, I don't share this 'hysterical' and absurd (begins with an 'a') headline.  I don't recognise that as a general headline with what I've played.  Don't like it?  Play something else.  Don't expect a fish to climb a tree.

Try a defender's Arrow Set for damage for a comparison.  Or solo a human only war shade without Nova form.

En is fun to play.  So it can't be absolutely atrocious.  (Try Beam Rife.)

Yeah.  It's knock back is erratic and damage is mediocre.  Put that in your headline instead.

Azrael.

[Bossk_Hogg]

I still vote to make Power Burst a disorient. The set could use at least one hard control, and the power has basically no reason to exist in it's current state as you can have a full attack chain without it and it is about the same DPA as everything else in the set. 

Also a null the gull setting. I shouldn't have to sacrifice a slot to remove a supposed "bonus". That just puts an already weak set even lower. 

[Bossk_Hogg]

5 minutes ago, Golden Azrael said:

"Sentinel Energy Blast is absolutely atrocious. "

Truth depends greatly upon our point of view.

So, I don't share this 'hysterical' and absurd (begins with an 'a') headline.  I don't recognise that as a general headline with what I've played.  Don't like it?  Play something else.  Don't expect a fish to climb a tree.

Try a defender's Arrow Set for damage for a comparison.  Or solo a human only war shade without Nova form.

En is fun to play.  So it can't be absolutely atrocious.  (Try Beam Rife.)

Yeah.  It's knock back is erratic and damage is mediocre.  Put that in your headline instead.

Azrael.

I don't want to play something else. I want energy blast to actually be on par with other sets. If dealing decent damage offends you so much, use TO's after the set is buffed to bring it in line.

Its DPA is poor compared to other sets that have hard control. Moreover, sentinels dont NEED the knockback with their scrapper level defenses. 

Edited July 24, 2019 by Bossk_Hogg

[Golden Azrael]

Power Burst does have a reason to exist as a kick az power which does high damage and pretty much knock backs.

My favourite energy blast power.  Bombastic.  In fact, the only thing I didn't like about it originally?  The short range.  They fixed that.  It seems as long as snipe now!  Perfect.

You can have a full attack chain by taking out 'any' power.  What of it?  Taking out Power Burst would make it gimped like the elec blast set.  Your 4th power there is Short Circuit.  Talk about a misstep.

Power Burst rules!  It's staying.

Azrael.

Edited July 24, 2019 by Golden Azrael

[Golden Azrael]

1 minute ago, Bossk_Hogg said:

I don't want to play something else. I want energy blast to actually be on par with other sets. If dealing decent damage offends you so much, use TO's after the set is buffed to bring it in line.

 

You simply cannot argue that its DPA is poor compared to other sets that have hard control. Moreover, sentinels dont NEED the knockback with their scrapper level defenses. 

'Damage offends.'  Since when?

Knock back is erratic.  Plain to see.  100% it.  And it becomes more like a 'hard' control.  Oh baby.

Knock back IS needed.  It's fun.

Azrael.

[Bossk_Hogg]

10 minutes ago, Golden Azrael said:

Power Burst does have a reason to exist as a kick az power which does high damage and pretty much knock backs.

My favourite energy blast power.  Bombastic.

You can have a full attack chain by taking out 'any' power.  What of it?  Taking out Power Burst would make it gimped like the elec blast set.  Your 4th power there is Short Circuit.  Talk about a misstep.

Power Burst rules!  It's staying.

Azrael.

What? Power Burst does moderate damage, slightly more than Power Blast. It has the same crap chance for KB. It has a poor DPA, so should get a raise somewhere. Chance for KB is piss poor control and a disorient added would help a fair amount.

Try arguing numbers rather than "feels". Energy Blast has no decent DPA attack other than Power Push. 

You also clearly have no idea what you're talking about. Elec blast on sentinels is actually BETTER than elec blast on blasters/other AT's. Tesla Cage deals good damage now, and zapping bolt hits harder and faster than anything in EB. 

I would LOVE for energy blast to be as "gimped" as elec.

Edited July 24, 2019 by Bossk_Hogg

[Bossk_Hogg]

10 minutes ago, Golden Azrael said:

'Damage offends.'  Since when?

Knock back is erratic.  Plain to see.  100% it.  And it becomes more like a 'hard' control.  Oh baby.

Knock back IS needed.  It's fun.

Azrael.

Since I need to break it down to a child's level, if you can't have fun with Energy Blast doing damage on par with other sets (it demonstrably doesnt now), you can use TO's to maintain your current mediocre damage status. 

 

You seem to be arguing pretty hard against buffing EB's numbers to where they should be. 

[Golden Azrael]

1 minute ago, Bossk_Hogg said:

What? Power Burst does moderate damage, slightly more than Power Blast. It has the same crap chance for KB. It has a poor DPA, so should get a raise somewhere. Chance for KB is piss poor control and a disorient added would help a fair amount.

Try arguing numbers rather than "feels". Energy Blast has no decent DPA attack other than Power Push. 

You also clearly have no idea what you're talking about. Elec blast on sentinels is actually BETTER than elec blast on blasters/other AT's. Tesla Cage deals good damage now, and zapping bolt hits harder and faster than anything in EB. 

I would LOVE for energy blast to be as "gimped" as elec.

You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. 😛

Try arguing feel rather than numbers.

Try not swearing in a post.  It's bad manners. 😄

I don't remember talking about Elec blast on Sentinels.  I've rolled one though.  Seems decent.  Got a good 'feel.'

Azrael.