Character Advice

Swiiter · Post by **Swiiter** » May 18, 2004, 6:17 pm

I just picked up this game last weekend. My friend plays a fire/energy blaster and I'm pretty much going to be duoing with him most of the time and soloing once in a while. I created a fire/rad controller, but I'm not sure if I like her too much. What do you guys think of illusion/storm? Or would a defender be a better partner?

masteen · Post by **masteen** » May 18, 2004, 6:22 pm

Just make an AR/Devices blaster and join the ever swelling ranks of 1337 exproiters. Caltrops is yer friend.

noel · Post by **noel** » May 18, 2004, 6:36 pm

Swiiter, I haven't played those types of characters past level 2 or so, so I'm reluctant to comment. I will say that it took me a while of starting out characters to find a build I enjoyed playing.

Masteen, from personal experience, caltrops != exproit. At least not for me, heh. Seems like most of the time when I lead off with Caltrops, Fire Rain, and Fireball, I go from being 'Cobalt Fire' to 'Cobalt Paste'

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » May 18, 2004, 7:33 pm

there's nothing broken about caltrops. mobs still stop to attack, they just run around funny.

the reason devices is so popular is that there is more utility than in other secondary power sets like fire or energy. there's already enough attacks in the game that you don't really need attacks in the secondary pool, so utility is a lot handier.

AR/devices is mostly popular because so many other people take it. honestly I think fire blasters overall do more damage than I do, but their attacks are almost pure damage where I have a little utility with knockdowns and dazes.

If I were to make a controller to duo with a blaster I would probably do mind control and empathy. with a blaster taking most of the damage you will want guaranteed heals coming in instead of trying to rely on transfusions or lifetaps that need to hit before they heal. fire control is also a really nice option for a controller duoing because a blaster can use their range attack to pull mobs single out of a group while they are blinded with smoke.

Drem · Post by **Drem** » May 18, 2004, 9:01 pm

Its tough to say caltrops isnt broken when it does a better job of controling crowds than some controllers. 6 slot caltrops with SO slows, what do you have? Instant AE root that cant be resisted and does unresistable minimal dmg that lasts 45 seconds on any mob that is 5+ levels higher than you.

The reason AR/device is so popular is because thats the character build that hit level 40 first. Having the ability to outsolo every other class and getting massive xp with minimal risk is a no brainer for most people.

Heres how i see it, if you want to be a solo machine and still be more useful than half of your group, make an AR/device. If you want to just be pure ownage in a group, make a fire/device.

So why is it that i dont have an AR/device character? Well i already do and he is level 26. Do i have fun with it? Yes, but i cant group with anyone else cause im too high. Will i continue to play it when everyone reaches that level? Probably not, cause by then everyone and their mom will have one or a blaster of some sort.

Welcome to City of Blasters.

noel · Post by **noel** » May 18, 2004, 9:09 pm

I've debated several times starting up a new main so that I'm not playing the 1337 template of the day, but I just don't have much playtime anymore, and the thought of going from zero to 21 again would annoy me, and prevent me from hanging out with my friends. Perhaps I will anyway. Been toying with a Captain America-like scrapper.

Kilmoll the Sexy · Post by **Kilmoll the Sexy** » May 18, 2004, 11:30 pm

An Invulnerability Tanker is the one type everyone is missing. Salis makes an immense AE puller for missions. Pull everything on a level and have the blasters AE the shit out of the place.

Fire/Fire is my setup as a blaster. I am virtually an AE machine and can solo decent. Soloing is just boring though. AE is where the most fun is......although I don't think you will be able to do it much once you get middle 20's.

Letania · Post by **Letania** » May 18, 2004, 11:38 pm

Do NOT go empathy to support a Blaster. To keep a blaster up later in a duo you will be unloading heals into them.. may as well make a defender if you want to do that.

Storm is probably the best option for duo with a blaster. Basically - you Snow storm + Freezing rain = Damage magnification and an immensely strong, 100% hit rate slow. You can have that combo by 16 with Storm as secondary. Couple this with your controller Defensive option (group invis - smoke - arctic air) and Steamy mist and you have some powerful damage mitigation and crowd control. O2 boost patches you where needed.

I play illusion/storm. I'm low level still, but if you've EVER stacked 2-3 slows you know the raw power of them. I was duoing Dr. Vahz (lvl 15) with a lvl 16 Blaster - I was level 12 and unsidekicked. Thanks slow.

Ok Illusion... It's not the best at CC. Mind Control has the best mezzes - but they're breakable, not great if you want to AE. Fire has damn good holds and stuns, and... Fire Imps. Gravity is weak atm, singularity fires off dimension shift which is more annoying than anything. I like gravity though - it is a fun set. Illusion pets are pretty good (they get 2 kinds, one at 18 one at 32), with haste you can have the level 18 one up a lot, big help. Illusion also gives you a nice nuke if you enhance it properly.

As to AR/Devices. Devices is overpowered because of Trip Mine. It's ridiculous. Does anyone here HAVE an enhanced Trip Mine yet? Until you've seen one properly used you CANNOT comment on Devices' level of power - it's a game changing skill. Caltrops is an AE root, with some range enhancements and proper mob selection you won't take flak from them. Cloak and Smoke lets you get close to packs to drop the trops too. Drone frees up your 2 Slots for Range instead of Accuracy.. basically the entire set interacts with eachother to become absolutely ridiculous late game - and Blasters by their nature are immense early game.

If I'm playing my Scrapper I hate Blasters. They overshadow everything that archtype can do. If I'm on my Controller I love Blasters because they're dps machines while I protect them. I'm not really screaming for Blaster nerfs either; they just need to tone down Trip Mine, and buff Scrappers.

Salis · Post by **Salis** » May 19, 2004, 1:24 am

masteen wrote:Just make an AR/Devices blaster and join the ever swelling ranks of 1337 exproiters. Caltrops is yer friend.

Either that or get trip mine, find 5 spawns and run around dropping 50 mines in a 1/2 mile circle and watch the mushroom clouds of xp!! np d00dz!!

Drem · Post by **Drem** » May 19, 2004, 2:15 am

illusion/storm is the flavor of the month, just like AR/device, expect a huge nerf on slows

Letania · Post by **Letania** » May 19, 2004, 2:59 am

Yea I welcome them. They need to cap that shit pronto.

I don't think you can have any 'flavor of the month' controllers, at least not relative to Blasters. But, yea I noticed a shitload of threads on the controller forums after I rolled her, 2 days after actually. Funny how that works...

Hope it doesn't get TOO popular. The kids need to stick with fire!

Swiiter · Post by **Swiiter** » May 19, 2004, 10:12 am

Thanks a bunch for all the advice. I decided I might as well stick with this character. I just saw all the threads on the controller boards and thought illusion/storm or even grav might be fun, but I just got AM and I love it so much that I think I am I am gonna stick Fire/Rad. Can't wait till I get smoke.

Thanks Again!

Vailex Darkfury · Post by **Vailex Darkfury** » May 19, 2004, 10:40 am

Fire/Devices is what I took. Honestly its not over powered. Mobs can jump out of the caltrops and lieutentants+ run faster than minions through it. I find myself laying caltrops and then tossing a web grenade immediately after to catch the boss about to lay the smack down on my ass.

All it takes is for one freakshow slicer to walk up to me and my health is at 20% if not dead. You just need to be nimble and have stamina to survive as a blaster with Fire/Devices.

I havent seen Trip mine in action yet but I also hear that Auto Turret sucks. In summary, I wouldnt say nerf blasters. Id say make scrappers, tankers, and defenders a bit better. I never chose Fire/Devices because it was the flavor of the week. In beta I had Energy/Ice. Energy knockdowns were annoying the shit out of the scrappers so I chose fire. I chose devices because I knew the potential in utility it had. Ice secondary powers suck.

vn_Tanc · Post by **vn_Tanc** » May 19, 2004, 11:25 am

Honestly its not over powered

I always read this as "it's overpowered but please don't nerf me"

Letania · Post by **Letania** » May 19, 2004, 11:34 am

Fire is an endurance hog, true, but a mob shouldn't hit a floating blaster in melee. As to trops, if it's enhanced properly it gets ridiculous. It's basically a cliche spiderweb, if anything touches it, they're held fast for the duration; it's not an issue of mobs running through it. Once you get some SOs in that thing you'll be stopping Purple bosses. And they can't even resist it. 6 Training = permaroot white con minions. 6 SOs = permaroot bosses 5 levels over you...

But caltrops -will not- be an issue in a few patches, nor will slows in general. They're capping at least the move speed portion of them. So if you just read my post and went "wow that's fucking awesome time to enhance that bitch!" - don't =p.

Auto Turret sucks... So does Voltaic. I've never seen Turret get used but after seeing Voltaic I have no problem believing what people say about turret. Static pets need an overhaul in general, and all pets need a movement buff.

Zamtuk · Post by **Zamtuk** » May 19, 2004, 12:49 pm

jesus told me empathy and electricty defender is a good choice.

and jesus saves

Vailex Darkfury · Post by **Vailex Darkfury** » May 19, 2004, 1:10 pm

vn_Tanc wrote:
Honestly its not over powered
I always read this as "it's overpowered but please don't nerf me"

Well Ive noticed in the 20's now that caltrops are starting to lose their effectiveness. I have 3 slow enhancements slots on it right now. Now I will say that when Drem and I are teamed up and our trops are stacking that it is a bit ridiculous. If they cap the slow on mobs across all effects thats fine. But nerfing caltrops or blasters alone wont solve the problem.

Keep in mind also that mobs can JUMP out of the caltrops area as well as fly over the shit. If you know how to manipulate their pathing you can lock them into crossing over the caltrops in small areas. Regardless I have a feeling that in the end game blasters die quite often and Ive been using my AE powers less these past few days to avoid debt. A healer cant do much when something slices your ass for 350+ damage.

Drolgin Steingrinder · Post by **Drolgin Steingrinder** » May 19, 2004, 1:21 pm

Caltrops
a) shouldn't stack with other caltrops and
b) should have a fairly low cap on slow% enhancement.

noel · Post by **noel** » May 19, 2004, 1:30 pm

Maybe slows shouldn't stack, but I think damage should...

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » May 19, 2004, 4:03 pm

You people are not even realizing that at least two and maybe three other blaster subsets have AE snare powers that are as good or better than caltrops. just no one ever takes them because they would rather just take device and whine about it.

the majority of the game will be played at high levels so what is the big deal. do you think everyone will be whining about caltrops when fire and ice blasters are using their snares that do more damage (fire) or cover a wider area (ice) that caltrops?

I can't think of anything more ridiculous than saying caltrops is better crowd control than some controllers.

Letania · Post by **Letania** » May 19, 2004, 4:48 pm

Ice patch is good; Hot Feet isn't. You must mean Hot Feet cause I can't find anything else in either fire set that is a slow. Hot Feet is pbae anyways, worthless for a level 38 blaster (doesn't open till 38). Shiver is pretty good too, though I think it can miss. Chilling Embrace owns ass when you get it - it really does - but it falls off at higher levels when being in melee range will get you 1-hit-KO'd.

No Blaster secondary compares with devices. None of them. Devices just gets better and better and better up until 28 where it becomes king of the world with trip mine.

I can't think of anything more ridiculous than saying caltrops is better crowd control than some controllers.

I agree

masteen · Post by **masteen** » May 19, 2004, 6:01 pm

Well, nerfing caltrops will be unnecessary if they cap the movement debuff on slows, and trip mine is powerful, but it is a late level ability, which IMO should be powerful.

Salis · Post by **Salis** » May 22, 2004, 6:35 pm

Fire/Devs blaster - caltrops/RoF sploiting, level 11 - 4 hours thx!! Argument is about how devs compares to other power sets. It's ridiculous in a 'why the fuck play anything else' way. As I'd argue Inv is for tanks in a purist tank way. And various slow sets are on the controller front. I just see afuckinglot of blasters trying to defend devs. I could possibly stand for the set if it didn't include targ drone (thx bl4st0r owns 2 fux) + trip mine (aaaahahahahahahahahaha). Nice stack of omfg.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » May 23, 2004, 3:26 am

salis is posting drunk again!

Salis · Post by **Salis** » May 23, 2004, 3:56 am

stop avoiding the issue!!