Best Well Rounded Blaster?

[biostem]

5 minutes ago, Frostweaver said:

see, I am trying to figure out what works best with /ta that is NOT archery.

 

I figure it's pure range, so maybe all the cones from /AR? does it have the defense to keep fire alive? Is fire even a good choice with it's PBAOE? would it do better with all the aoe from dp?

Understood.  Consider beam rifle, sonic attack, or dual pistols.  Sonic attack has some great additional control in siren's song and screech.  Dual pistols is a mixed bag, IMO - it's a decently solid set, but I find some of the animations to be too "showie" for my tastes, though I do like the ability to change ammo types to suit my needs.  Beam rifle is a solid choice, but so much relies upon disintegrate that I feel it shoehorns you into that power.  Even ice blast and dark blast bring something substantial to the table, (slows & holds, tohit debuffs and fear/hold, respectively).

[Frostweaver]

Cannot tolerate Sonic's noises, plus it's nuke is a pbaoe. Already have 3 DP's. BR though.... It's not got a lot of Aoe (comparitively) but since I am really very used to cones as a primary... I guess I could 5 slot the purple set and then use the 6th slot for range to improve the radius.

Thanks for the advice, I will give br/ta a shot (maybe a sci fi Topper Harley)

[biostem]

6 minutes ago, Frostweaver said:

Cannot tolerate Sonic's noises, plus it's nuke is a pbaoe. Already have 3 DP's. BR though.... It's not got a lot of Aoe (comparitively) but since I am really very used to cones as a primary... I guess I could 5 slot the purple set and then use the 6th slot for range to improve the radius.

Thanks for the advice, I will give br/ta a shot (maybe a sci fi Topper Harley)

Awesome!  One thing I recommend against is to not use any of the rikti rifle models - I find the pulsing animation to be a bit uncomfortable during longer play sessions.  Some other ones have glowing bits that can look a bit off.  Some also don't quite scale in size with your character.  Still, it is a very good set.  Just take care to keep the recharge time of disintegrate into account, when it comes to creating an attack chain.

[Frostweaver]

I was figuring on using the one that looks more like a real rifle 🙂

sounds like a potentially well-rounded range-only blaster, though. Will I be cutting my own throat by minimizing the powers that require me to actually draw the bow?

Edited September 7, 2019 by Frostweaver

[biostem]

26 minutes ago, Frostweaver said:

I was figuring on using the one that looks more like a real rifle 🙂

sounds like a potentially well-rounded range-only blaster, though. Will I be cutting my own throat by minimizing the powers that require me to actually draw the bow?

Just set it to 'no redraw' and it shouldn't be a problem.  I suppose you could mainly focus on the eagle eye and gymnastics toggle, but it seems like you'd be doing yourself a disservice.  The flash arrow/blinding arrow is great for being able to setup the perfect alpha strike or skip enemy groups you don't want to deal with, ice arrow is a mag 3 hold that can be super useful, glue patch is a nice way to keep groups of enemies at bay, and so on.  You should gain access to an alternate build at level 10, so maybe try a secondary heavy and secondary light build?  Cheers!

[Frostweaver]

Very good points, thanks.  Flash arrow also means I am more likely to use concealment as an LOTG mule than Maneuvers 😎

gotta be careful slotting it though... I am used to dumping procs in everything I can, and adding a chance to 'whatever' to flash arrow seems like it would sort of defeat the porpoise. Unless the entire purpose was using it as a proc mule.

Edited September 7, 2019 by Frostweaver

[Rathulfr]

On 9/6/2019 at 6:32 PM, Frostweaver said:

see, I am trying to figure out what works best with /ta that is NOT archery.

I play my Archery/Tactical Arrow Blaster without any of the other arrow attacks except for the T1 single-target immobilize (because it's unavoidable).  The toggle/auto powers in Tactical Arrow are second to none (except for those in Temporal Manipulation, which are roughly equivalent).  If you skip the arrow powers altogether, you never need deal with them at all, conceptually or thematically.

• Upshot = Build Up plus +Recharge
• Eagle Eye = +50% +Recovery, +100% Regen, +20% Accuracy
• Agility = +Recharge and +Movement Speed
• Gymnastics = basically Combat Jumping + Acrobatics in a single power

Basically, if you're a min-max Blaster (not Blapper) who wants to play ranged and soft-cap defense, you'd be hard-pressed to choose any other secondary  besides Tactical Arrow or Temporal Manipulation.

 

[Rathulfr]

On 9/6/2019 at 9:46 PM, Frostweaver said:

I was figuring on using the one that looks more like a real rifle 🙂

sounds like a potentially well-rounded range-only blaster, though. Will I be cutting my own throat by minimizing the powers that require me to actually draw the bow?

See my post about skipping the archery powers in Tactical Arrow, above.  Or go Temporal Manipulation.

[Radiaria]

On 9/6/2019 at 7:32 PM, Frostweaver said:

see, I am trying to figure out what works best with /ta that is NOT archery.

 

I figure it's pure range, so maybe all the cones from /AR? does it have the defense to keep fire alive? Is fire even a good choice with it's PBAOE? would it do better with all the aoe from dp?

One that works extremely well is Water Blast. Because all of its powers are ranged-based or targeted, you will get absolute maximum benefit out of TA. Ice blast as well!!!

[TungstenShark]

9 hours ago, Rathulfr said:

I play my Archery/Tactical Arrow Blaster without any of the other arrow attacks

Now that is an interesting (and clever) approach. What other powers/pools do you use to replace the other secondary powers (since you have so many additional slots)? 

[Frostweaver]

Br/ta is already working out quite nicely, thanks. I went ahead and took flash arrow, but then avoided the 3 other arrow-shooting powers. it is NOT a 'lot of additional slots'. At 33, it seems to be working quite effectively allowing me to maximize LOTG mules. I am tempted to get ESD though, if only as an Unbreakable constraint or entomb mule... even though, so far, the 'extra controls' seem to be completely irrelevant on a team, if not actually counter-productive. Probably won't bother using it though, as the mag is sorta pathetic, even if you add a lockdown proc you are unlikely to get more than 10 seconds of minion-level hold on it against 54+

On the other hand, ESD arrow only does damage to mechanicals, right? considering the dearth of AOE options in BR, glue and ESD start to look more attractive, but if those damage numbers only apply to robotic enemies, I'd rather just go with glue.

[schrodingercat]

10 minutes ago, Frostweaver said:

Br/ta is already working out quite nicely, thanks. I went ahead and took flash arrow, but then avoided the 3 other arrow-shooting powers. it is NOT a 'lot of additional slots'. At 33, it seems to be working quite effectively allowing me to maximize LOTG mules. I am tempted to get ESD though, if only as an Unbreakable constraint or entomb mule... even though, so far, the 'extra controls' seem to be completely irrelevant on a team, if not actually counter-productive. Probably won't bother using it though, as the mag is sorta pathetic, even if you add a lockdown proc you are unlikely to get more than 10 seconds of minion-level hold on it against 54+

On the other hand, ESD arrow only does damage to mechanicals, right? considering the dearth of AOE options in BR, glue and ESD start to look more attractive, but if those damage numbers only apply to robotic enemies, I'd rather just go with glue.

Ice arrow does decent damage. Glue does damage as a pet, and it does it over it's life span, so don't let the numbers in pines fool you.

[Frostweaver]

right. got it. But what about ESD?

Edited September 8, 2019 by Frostweaver

[Sovera]

2 hours ago, Frostweaver said:

right. got it. But what about ESD?

 

I think you make yourself a disservice by not taking it. A mass AoE CC that recharges in 25 seconds makes most Controllers green with envy. It was less needed with my Radiation/Atomic since Radiation's T9 also had a Hold, but with the Fire/Atomic I still use Inferno without BU + Aim on one spawn, then the next spawn while inferno is recharging I Radioactive Cloud first, then lazily hit Aim and BU while in the middle of the spawn, then Fireball + Rain of Fire + Atom Smasher, and it's only once all that damage has gone in that the mobs wake to start hitting me.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Sovera

[Rathulfr]

9 hours ago, TungstenShark said:

Now that is an interesting (and clever) approach. What other powers/pools do you use to replace the other secondary powers (since you have so many additional slots)? 

Pool powers:

• Flight:  Hover, Fly, Afterburner
• Concealment:  Stealth, Invisibility
• Fighting:  Kick, Tough, Weave
• Leadership:  Maneuvers, Assault, Tactics

With both Eagle Eye and Stamina, I've got more than enough endurance to run ten (10!) toggles in combat.

[modest]

I would vote for Fire Blast/ or Ice Blast/ primaries with /Temporal or /Tactical Arrow secondaries.

 

In my opinion, the secondaries /Atomic Manipulation, /Plant Manipulation, and /Mental Manipulation are one step below but equally fun. That being said, I find all of these sets fun to play.

[yoshidon]

I have an ice/atomic blaster that I've been leveling up and it's been very safe. It has tons of control (I run a bunch of controller alts too). Two ranged ST holds really early (1 in primary, 1 in secondary) for relatively safe solo hunting from the get go. You get another ranged ST hold in your primary later (but with slow animation so mostly an opener but it hits pretty hard). Then you get a nice pbaoe hold in your secondary at 35. You can get a 4th ranged ST hold in some of the ancillary sets. I'm level 39 with this one and it's my highest level character playing through the content so I don't have a bunch of sets slotted (solo, teams and TFs though and feel productive). Not as AoE heavy as some sets but it's forgiving and it allows you to mez many targets before they can mez you (and lock down troublesome things like paragon protectors before they hit their T9 buff). The atomic ST melee attacks hit pretty hard too - especially against frozen statues. The sustain power has nice regen, end recovery and recharge boost effect.

 

One thing I'd say is don't over slot your primary blast holds for the hold effect - they have nice damage - one hold IO is enough to keep things held until defeated or stacked for easy control of a boss - pump up the damage. The holds in the secondary I treat more like controller holds for slotting or maybe slot for procs later.
 

Can't say how it will stand up to end game / post 50 content but it's been a fun build so far.

[Mercurias]

Man, I get where the OP is coming from, but calling any Blaster “well-rounded” almost seems like a misnomer. As an AT, they’re super lopsided towards offense. It’s why they’re so fun!

 

I would say that the strongest “well-rounded ranged blaster” combo is probably Fire/TA. It’s kind of an oddball, but you get strong ST and AoE damage, powers to help keep enemies away from your soft body, and enough buffs to help you effectively move and kite.

[Frostweaver]

remember that 'well rounded' for a blaster just means "Staying alive long enough to lay waste to everything in sight in the most efficient possible manner'

[DarknessEternal]

On 9/7/2019 at 10:51 PM, Rathulfr said:

See my post about skipping the archery powers in Tactical Arrow, above.  Or go Temporal Manipulation.

What do you like about Temporal specifically?

[Rathulfr]

4 hours ago, DarknessEternal said:

What do you like about Temporal specifically?

See my post on the first page, above.

 

[DarknessEternal]

On 9/5/2019 at 11:02 AM, Rathulfr said:

My new main at 50+3 is Energy/Temporal.  I won't belabor Energy, as it's pretty well described in the Wiki and elsewhere.  But Temporal Manipulation stood out to me for these reasons:

 

• Time Wall: -25% foe regen + Time Stop: -50% foe regen = -75% foe regen stack.  Very useful for AV fights.
• Temporal Healing: +50% recovery (!) and repeatedly refreshing +absorb.
• Time Shift: a decent targeted AoE stun.
• Time Lord: free resistance slots for +3% defense Gladiator's Armor, +3% defense Steadfast Protection, and Impervious Skin status resistance globals.

With my IO sets, I'm soft-capped at 45.5% ranged defense, 33% melee defense, and 27.5% AoE defense, which makes me pretty durable for a Blaster.  My weakness is still a lack of mezz protection, but my mezz resistances are pretty good, so I'm not mezzed for long. 

 

What sets are you using to achieve that ranged defense?

[Rathulfr]

18 minutes ago, DarknessEternal said:

What sets are you using to achieve that ranged defense?

• Hover
• Stealth
• Maneuvers
• Weave
• Scorpion Shield

 

Spoiler

Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.1
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Rathstar: Level 50 Science Blaster
Primary Power Set: Energy Blast
Secondary Power Set: Temporal Manipulation
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Power Bolt -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A)
Level 1: Time Wall -- GrvAnc-Hold%(A)
Level 2: Power Blast -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(7)
Level 4: Time Stop -- UnbCns-Hold(A), UnbCns-Hold/Rchg(11), UnbCns-Acc/Hold/Rchg(13), UnbCns-Acc/Rchg(13), UnbCns-EndRdx/Hold(15)
Level 6: Power Burst -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(15), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(19)
Level 8: Sniper Blast -- ExcCnt-Acc/Dmg(A), ExcCnt-Dmg/EndRdx(21), ExcCnt-Dmg/ActRdx(21), ExcCnt-Dmg/Rng(23), ExcCnt-Dmg/Rchg(23), ExcCnt-Stun%(25)
Level 10: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(25), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(27), Ksm-ToHit+(27)
Level 12: Stealth -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(29), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(29)
Level 14: Fly -- Flight-I(A)
Level 16: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(31), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(31)
Level 18: Tactics -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(31), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(33), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(33), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(33), GssSynFr--Build%(34)
Level 20: Temporal Healing -- NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx(A), NmnCnv-EndRdx/Rchg(34), NmnCnv-Heal/Rchg(34), NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(36), NmnCnv-Heal(36), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(36)
Level 22: Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 24: Tough -- UnbGrd-Max HP%(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(37), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(37), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 26: Explosive Blast -- OvrFrc-Acc/Dmg(A), OvrFrc-End/Rech(39), OvrFrc-Acc/Dmg/End(39), OvrFrc-Dmg/End/Rech(39), OvrFrc-Acc/Dmg/End/Rech(40), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(40)
Level 28: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(40), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(42)
Level 30: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 32: Nova -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(42), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), SuddAcc--KB/+KD(43)
Level 35: Scorpion Shield -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(45), Rct-EndRdx/Rchg(45), Rct-Def/Rchg(45), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(46), Rct-ResDam%(46)
Level 38: Time Shift -- CldSns-ToHitDeb(A), CldSns-Acc/ToHitDeb(46), CldSns-Acc/Rchg(48), CldSns-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(48), CldSns-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(48), CldSns-%Dam(50)
Level 41: Time Lord -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), ImpSki-Status(50), GldArm-3defTpProc(50)
Level 44: Chronos -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 47: Afterburner -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 49: Invisibility -- ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance 
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- EndMod-I(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run 
Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A), Pnc-Heal/+End(7), Prv-Absorb%(9)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(9), PrfShf-EndMod/Acc(11)
------------

 

Edited September 16, 2019 by Rathulfr
Added build.

[DarknessEternal]

I would never have considered so little recharge.

[Rathulfr]

32 minutes ago, DarknessEternal said:

I would never have considered so little recharge.

So little?  I'm at +102%.  My primary rotation (first 4 single-target attacks) recharges in under 6 seconds: Sniper Blast, Power Burst, Power Blast, Power Bolt.  And the primary purpose of Power Bolt is Force Feedback: 33% Chance for +Recharge, which procs fairly reliably, adding another +100% recharge for 5 seconds.  I rarely wait for any attack to recharge, except Nova.

 

In order to take Hasten, I'd have to drop the Concealment pool, which would cost me a little defense, regen, and a few HP.  Definitely worth considering if I felt slow, but I don't really feel that way.

Edited September 16, 2019 by Rathulfr