Sonic/Energy Blapper

[BlueBard]

Okay, here's another one where I'm trying to decide what power to take next.

Vibro-Man is a Sonic/Energy Blapper.  His powers thus far:

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Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder - (http://sherksilver.coldfront.net/index.php)
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Name: Vibro-Man
Level: 16
Archetype: Blaster
Primary: Sonic Blast
Secondary: Energy Manipulation
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01) --> Shriek==> Empty(1)Empty(3)  Empty(11)  Empty(15)
01) --> Power Thrust==> Empty(1)Empty(3)  Empty(7)  Empty(15)
02) --> Energy Punch==> Empty(2)Empty(5)  Empty(7)  Empty(13)
04) --> Scream==> Empty(4)Empty(5)  Empty(9)  Empty(13)
06) --> Hasten==> Empty(6)
08) --> Shockwave==> Empty(8)Empty(9)  Empty(11)
10) --> Build Up==> Empty(10)
12) --> Swift==> Empty(12)
14) --> Super Speed==> Empty(14)

Pay no attention to the slotting; I guessed at it and didn't bother populating them in the hero file.

So here's my dilemma.  I need to choose one power for level 16 from the following options:

Howl (for multiple targets)
Shout (nah.  Tried it, didn't like it)
Amplify (meh, but open to convincing)
Bone Smasher (like the damage and the disorient, but I think I'll start having end problems)
Conserve Power (now or later)
Health (for fast healing)
Combat Jumping (for defense and jumping)

And I can't decide which to take.  I'm not sure how much benefit I'll get from Health or Combat Jumping as opposed to the raw damage potential of Howl or Bone Smasher.  Bone Smasher probably fits the character better, but I'm worried I'll start running into end shortages and Health gets me closer to solving that.  Plus, as he is as much blapper as blaster, I'm worried about being relatively squishy in melee range... which Health or Combat Jumping might help alleviate.

Part of my strategy with this character is to snipe at range to pull them in, hit as hard as I can, then use Shockwave/Power Thrust to knock them back out of melee range while I regen.  Rinse, repeat.  Run like a bunny if necessary.  It's been fairly successful so far, though multiple enemies are harder to tackle while soloing.

Comments?

[Midnight]

FP would have more apt advise, cause he ran up an actual Sonic/Energy to 50, but I can comment on sonics;

If you were to skip absolutely any attack in the sonic set (and I have every single one), I'd skip Shriek. All things equal, it's damage is on par with howl. Except howl can hit up to 15 targets in a cone and Shriek is a single target.

On the flipside, Shout is the highest damage single target attack in the Sonic set. I'm not going to say you're hamstringing yourself if you don't take it, but once you have an accuracy or two in it, it's murder on toast.

[BlueBard]

The problem I had with Shout, and why I specced out of it before, is the very poor range.  If I'm going to get that up close and personal, I can hit more often with Energy Punch and the disorient helps some.  I'd probably pick Shout up again later on, but early on it was more liability than help.  There was something else... I think it rooted or slowed me down in some way, but I can't remember now.  Maybe now, slotted with 2 accuracy and some range, might work better than it did then.

(I have Swift now, so I'm not as worried about being slowed down too much when I'm charging)

You've got a point about Shriek vs Howl... my only thought there is about controlling aggro.  Solo, it doesn't matter... If I aggroed a mob I'm going to get the whole mob anyway.  Can't snipe with Howl, though.  I'll have to give that some thought.  I have a respec available.

[Midnight]

Erm.... you do realize that you're supposed to be in melee range as a blapper right?

[Funeral-Pyre]

My lvl 50 sonic/energy toon doesn't have Shriek.  As Middy pointed out, the damage output of Shriek is just not worth it.  As a blaster, it's all about aoe, and Howl is the aoe power for the sonic set.  With that said, Howl will definitely snag you aggro.  Because, well, it's an aoe and the baddies don't like being hurt.  The whimps!

As for Shout, it is the best single target damage power in the sonic set.  Not taking it is really going to impare your damage output, so I hope you take it at some point.  I took it as soon as it became available.

Aim is simply a must have for a blaster imo.  Aim + Build up + Shout + Bone Smasher is devastating.  I could usually take down reds in a few seconds.  Then, I usually followed the attack chain up with Howl (making sure I had a good cone going) + Scream.

Any of the powers you are thinking of taking will be helpful to you.  I never took Combat Jumping.  Hasten and SS were all I needed.  I do recommend you respec out of Shriek.  Getting Scream instead at lvl 1 will increase the number of slots for that power sooner, and it does a hell of a lot more damage than Shriek.

But, those are just my thoughts.

[BlueBard]

Erm.... you do realize that you're supposed to be in melee range as a blapper right?

Yes.  My problem with Shout was that by the time it fires, the badguy is already on top of me.  Earlier in Vibro-Man's career, that was a problem.  I didn't have a good attack sequence running and the recharge time on Shout was dreadful. 

Also, at the time I didn't realize Howl was a cone attack.  I blame the power description for that.

Respeccing back into it now, though, might make some sense.  I'm still playing around with the build in Hero Builder.

Thanks for the advice Middy and FP!

[MJB]

*slowly raises hand*

Pardon my n00bness but what is a "blapper"?

-MJB

[captainspud]

Blaster + Scrapper = Blapper

It's a Blaster who takes advantage of the rather enormous damage output of certain Manipulation pools (most notably Energy Manipulation) by spending most of their time wading through bad guys in melee, Scrapper-style. It's a high risk/high reward character setup.

[BlueBard]

Blapping... More fun than a barrel of Rikti Monkeys!

I just love Power Thrust for the coup de grace when I can get away with it... :D

BTW... I did respec, and so far so good.  I dropped Shriek and Build Up and took Bone Smasher and Shout.  As expected, I have end issues... but as my enemies are usually toast by that point, it's all good.  I'll take care of the end issues in the next 4 levels or so (Read: Health, Stamina, and a couple slots of end reducers).

[Raptor]

My favorite is the Blaptroller.  Blaster + Scrapper + Controller.  This is generally the Elec/Elec blaster.  Decent blaster damage, excellent melee damage and very good control abilities with endurance drain and a couple of different hold methods with Tesla Cage, Shocking Grasp and, with the Electric Mastery pool, Shocking Bolt.

[GhostMachine]

I have one dirty trick that I use as Electric\Devices that could *maybe* be considered Blapping, but since I'm not at any risk when I do it....

I like to toss Tesla Cage onto an opponent, then while he's helpless I walk up and drop a Trip Mine at his feet. Mine goes off, helpless victim goes flying.  :thumbup: I could just Teleport Foe\Trip Mine, but holding them and dropping a mine at their feet is more satisfying.

(I have Munitions Mastery so sometimes I use the Cryo Freeze Ray for the hold instead of Tesla Cage; on bosses, I usually use both)

My other Blaster (Captain SWAT) gets mistaken for a Blapper sometimes, because he's AR\Energy, but he isn't. He only has Power Thrust, Build Up and Conserve Power, and the only other Energy power I plan on taking on him is Boost Range. I do run up and hit opponents with Power Thrust from time to time, but I mainly use if I turn a corner and run right into a mob.