City of Heroes Coldfront (CoH, CoV)

Welcome to my guide on the effectiveness of the Energy/Energy BLAPPER, a.k.a. "How To Make Your Team Go 'Daaaaaaaaaamn'".

First and foremost, this guide was written by me simply because I didn't see a single "How To Be A Blapper" Guide in the list. I may have overlooked it, but I may not have. This guide was also written with Issue 6 in mind, and the effect Enhancement Diversification will have on most powers. Regardless, here goes.

You may be asking yourself right now, "What -is- a Blapper?" The Blapper is a shy, unassuming marsupial, who forages for food on a nocturnal schedule, and is often mistaken for an opossum. Wait, my mistake. The Blapper is quite simply, a Blaster who acts like a Scrapper. Blaster + Scrapper = You get the idea.

There are a few benefits to making a Blapper over the Scrapper, and that is you get Scrapper Damage in melee, with the bonus of at least one ranged attack, which most Scrappers secretly wish they had. You also have the option to pick up the "Nuke" power that blasters have in the high levels, which can be a lot of fun. You also get access to those three special Blaster Powers, "The Faceplant", "The Run For Your Life", and "The Hero Takes A Knee". All three powers will get much use in your Blapper play.

There are a few penalties to making a Blapper instead of the Scrapper as well. You have far less hit points, and you have none of the defenses that a Scrapper gets. You also get people looking for a Blaster for their teams, and inviting you, surprised to find you in the thick of combat, and unfamiliar with terms like "Pull", "Snipe", and "Wait".

By now you are probably even wondering -why- in the world you would want to handicap yourself like this, throwing a low hit point Blaster into the middle of the carnage, without even some nerfed defense to count on?

Because it is such a rush. The -thrill- you get out of a well played Blapper is unbelievable. Living on the edge of life for most of the fight, wondering if Defiance will kick in in time (it wont), Two Hitting Orange Lt's, One Shotting Yellow Lt's. The surge of excitement and fun you get playing a Blapper cannot be properly explained. You have to experience it yourself to understand.

And that's where this Guide comes in. I decided to build my Blapper as Energy/Energy. I'm hoping that this guide will help you decide if being a Blapper is the path for you. If not, no hard feelings, it's not for everyone. If so, I hope you enjoy the trip.

*****Secondary Powers: Energy Manipulation*****

I am covering your Secondary Powers first, because as a Blapper, this -is- your primary. Out of the nine powers, -eight- of them are highly useful to you. Well, maybe only 7, the vote is split on Boost Power, but I'll get to that later.

Power Thrust
Available at level 1, you have to take this power, and frankly, I would take it anyways. You throw a quick punch, your fists encased in glowing red spheres, and you hit for minor damage. You also send your foe -flying- at the end of the punch, since this power has knockback built into it. This power rocks if you can pull it off as the killing blow, since it launches a body out of the mass of enemies around you.

It has a base Brawl Index (BI) of 2.22 according to the numbers I find, which isn't much, but with three even level Damage SO's, that goes up to 4.34. If you get a Build Up and an Aim off, that goes up to 7.96. Not too shabby.

Recommended slotting would be an Accuracy at the start, then hold off until later levels (15-25) before slotting it any further.

Energy Punch
Available at level 2, this power will be your Blapper bread and butter until level 10. With a quicker recharge AND a lower endurance cost than Power Thrust, Energy Punch also gives you the benefit of adding Disorient to the attack, PLUS a base Brawl Index of 5.44. Grab this power at level 2, and never regret it.

With Enhancement Diversification coming into play with Issue 6, I suggest slotting this up with an Accuracy to start, and three Damage enhancements as soon as possible, then round it out with either two Endurance Reductions, or Recharge Reductions, or one of each. Your mileage may vary, but the last two slots can hold off until the 20's.

Build Up
Available at level 4, once you get this power, you will feel sorry for every other Blaster set, most of whom don't get this power until -16-. This click power boosts your accuracy and your damage for -10- seconds, and takes 90 seconds to recharge. When I first read the power description, I was thinking that ten seconds wasn't that much, and surely another power would be better to get. Then I tried it, and I preach the glory of Build Up forever more. For ten seconds, or about enough time to get off 2-4 attacks, you do about 160% damage. And once you start getting slots into your attacks, that counts up real quick. It's not unusual to get triple digit damage before level 10 with this power, with the right slotting.

Recommended slotting is one ToHit Buff, and leave it at that, unless you somehow have slots to spare, in which case I would start dropping in Recharge Reduction enhancements.

Bone Smasher
Available at level 10, this punch, combined with Energy Punch, will constitute the bulk of your blapping. With a BI of 7.22, this monster attack can drop white minions in one hit, -without- Build Up. With the right enhancements, and Build Up with Aim, you'll start one shotting Yellow and Orange -lieutenants-. Grab this at level 10, and start having fun as a Blapper.

Again, my recommended slotting is one accuracy at the start, then three Damage right away. Hold off on the last two slots until you have them to spare, then choose either Endurance Reduction or Recharge Reduction.

Conserve Power
Available at level 16, this power is a no brainer. For 90 seconds after activating this click power, EVERY THING you do costs 50% less Endurance. And by now you've learned that Endurance is the important thing in this game, not health. Without endurance, you're doing nothing. With it, you're kicking butt and taking names.

Three slot this with Recharge Reductions as soon as possible, then in later levels where you have slots to spare, get it up to six, just to make it come back that much quicker.

Stun
Available at level 20, this is actually the first power I would suggest holding off on. I myself don't have it in my build until level 30. In true Blapper fashion, you wind up and lay out a HUGE haymaker at the poor fool in your way, doing -minor- damage (a BI of only .69). It does however have a -100%- disorient effect on it. Which means unless it's a Boss or higher, if you hit them, they are stunned. Useful for those [CENSORED] Sorcerers that teleport away on you. A useful power, but one that can wait until later levels.

Suggested slotting is the one accuracy, ensuring that if you do need to hit someone with it, it does hit. Don't even bother slotting damage, that's a waste, but you could slot it with Disorient Duration enhancements, and leave that poor fool stunned for even longer.

Power Boost
Available at level 28, this power is unusual. It doubles the effects of all -secondary- effects on your powers. It has absolutely no effect on damage, or accuracy, or endurance. It does double the effect of your disorients, your knockbacks, your run speed, your fly speed, your holds, your immobilizes. Cool, but not a power you need right away, or even ever. It's my level 49 power in my build, for example.

Boost Range
Available at level 35, this power is -wasted- on a Blapper. Don't even consider taking it. It does double the range of any move with range on it, so unless you are playing a teleporting Blapper, or a Half-Breed Blapper who still has a lot of Beam attacks, it really is a waste of a power.

Total Focus
Available at level 38, this will almost certainly be your last attack you get. And frankly, it is the last one you need. Ladies and Gentlemen, the numbers.

Base Brawl Index of 9.88. With three Damage SO's, a BI of 19.33. With three Damage SO's, Build Up and Aim, a BI of -35.40-.

Get it. Slot it. Love it.

*****Primary Powers: Energy Blast*****

Now for the "primary" powers of this set. *snorts* Now before I go any further, I must state again that to me, the main benefit of playing a Blapper over a true Blaster is that as long as I play smart, I only agro one bad guy at a time on a team. If you start choosing a lot of the powers from here, that will no longer be true. You have been warned. If I had my choice, I would not have taken either of the two powers available at the start. But, I don't have a choice. Slotting here is up to you, but my recommendation for no matter what powers you choose will always be one accuracy to start.

Power Bolt
Available at level 1, this power fires off "three" quick columns of energy, and doing slightly more damage than Power Thrust (2.77 vs. 2.22). It also has knockback on it, and decent range. A very useful power to the Blapper that wants to nail the runner, or to finish off the minion that he launched away with Power Thrust.

This was the power I chose, for character concept reasons, since it's not as "flashy" as Power Blast. It also recharges quicker than Power Blast, making it more useful to me, and possibly you.

Power Blast
Also available at level 1, this power emits a much larger beam of energy, and doing a bit more damage than Power Bolt. The downside is it takes twice as long to recharge. Also with the knockback, it really is a coin toss which of these two powers you want to grab at the start. Less damage, less recharge, versus more damage, more recharge.

Energy Torrent
Available at level 2, this cone attack does knockback, and a little less damage than Power Bolt (a BI of 2.66). This power is also an agro magnet. Looks great, but kills you quick. If you are planning on playing a Blapper, stay away from this power like the plague. You are already in melee range, you don't want to give even -more- bad guys a reason to beat on you.

Power Burst
Available at level 6, this power fires off a -short- range ball of energy death. With a BI of 5.22, it's a little weaker than Energy Punch, but is actually the first "primary" power that -might- be of use to a Blapper. With a range of 20 feet, it's just a quick step closer to melee range, and it has a decent kick to it, with about a 60% chance of knocking back your enemy. The downside is it sucks up 10 endurance a pop, out of your 100 total. The choice is yours, but if you are set on getting a power from this set, it's not a bad choice. Not a great one, but not a bad one.

Sniper Blast
Available at level 8. If you are playing a Blapper, just stop reading now, and skip to the next power. I mean, seriously. By the time this power gets off, you can already be in melee range, dropping 2-3 bad guys.

Aim
Available at level 12, this is the first "Must Have" power from the set. Like Build Up, this click power lasts 10 seconds, and takes 90 to recharge. For ten seconds, or about enough time to get off 2-4 attacks, you do about 135% damage. With Build Up and Aim at the same time, you get 2-3 attacks off, and do about 195% damage.

For slotting, go with the base slot, and a ToHit Buff. If you have the slots to spare, start dropping Recharge Reductions in here, but I recommend keeping Aim and Build Up at the same recharge time, if only to get the most bang for your buck.

Power Push
Available at level 18, this is a ranged version of Power Thrust, except with even less damage. And longer recharge. And greater endurance cost. Yeah. Next?

Explosive Blast
Available at level 26, this move is a Power Bolt that hits a group. A ball of energy flies out, and where it impacts, it explodes out in a wave of knockback, about a 50% chance of sending the bad guy flying. From reports, the direction of knockback is away from the Blaster, not from the center of the blast. Again, not a power that is very useful to a Blapper, but hey, if you want it, it's yours.

Nova
Available at level 32, this is your "Nuke" power. Your "Holy crap, this is going bad, GET AWAY" power. In laymen’s terms, you explode in a ball of energy energyness. Nearly everyone around you goes flying away from the knockback. The damage to each bad guy -does- vary. From a BI of 8 to some, 12 to most, and 16 to the rest. Remember what I said about the best part of being a Blapper was drawing agro from only one person at a time? This power goes against the rule, but dammit, it's just too much fun.

When this goes off, it takes about 10 endurance to activate. Then, no mater how much endurance you have left, it takes ALL of it. Leaving you with none. Yeah, none. And you can't recover endurance for short time. On the plus side, not much will have lived through the blast, and if you are with a team, they can clear the rest up without breaking a sweat.

Suggested slotting is as always, one Accuracy, three Damage, and two Recharge Reductions, just to make it comeback that much quicker.

*****Power Pools: Your True Secondary*****

Your Power Pools will be where you truly flesh out your Blapper, and make him yours. My only recommendation is taking Flight, Leaping, or Speed as your Travel Power Pool. The reason for this is that you get access to Air Superiority, Jump Kick, or Flurry as a much needed melee attack in the lower levels. With the right build, at level 10, you would have 4 Melee attacks to cycle through, and that is pretty much all you need for the early game. Three melee attacks isn't quite enough, 4 is just right. Your mileage may vary. And now, the Power Pools.

Concealment
Very useful for the solo Blapper, the Concealment pool allows you to move around relatively unseen.

Fighting
While it might seem like a good idea to give your Blapper even more attacks, both Boxing and Kick do about the same damage as Power Thrust, your level one power. On top of that, Tough and Weave will never be very useful to a Blapper thanks to Enhancement Diversification. Your Power slots would be better spent elsewhere.

Fitness
Ah, the old tried and true. Even with ED, more health and more endurance is still more health and more endurance. The choice is yours, but it won't make you any weaker to take Fitness.

Flight
Hover, the great early level "I need to get up -there-" power. Air Superiority, a great melee power, with the added bonus of knockdown. Fly, the whole reason most of us got this game. To FLY! A great choice for a Blapper Power Pool.

Leadership
If you've got the endurance to spare, this might be a good choice for a power pool, but I myself stay away from it.

Leaping
Combat Jumping, the other great early travel power. Jump Kick, a so-so melee power, but it's better than the Fighting Powers. Super Jumping, -the- best travel power in the game. Acrobatics, a defense against knockback and holds. A great choice for a Blapper Power Pool.

Medicine
Also useful to a Blapper, I'd put it on the same level as Concealment. Plus you can raise your fallen comrades after you get finished mopping up the bad guys with your Blapper skills.

Presence
Um. Yeah. The later stages of the pool are nice, but the whole point of a Blapper is to get in close, and beat them down. Hard to do if they are running away. Even worse is when you purposefully call them over to beat on -you-. I put this at the same level as Fighting. If you want it, it's yours, but it has it's serious downsides.

Speed
Hasten, bringing your powers back twice as quick, even if you can't Perma-Hasten any more. Flurry, the cool looking melee attack, with disorient. Super Speed, a great way to travel. Even if Whirlwind isn't the best power in the pool, it's still not bad, making anyone close to you KnockUP, great if you need to get yourself some breathing room. It also makes an excellent costume change power. A great choice for a Blapper Power Pool.

Teleportation
The last travel power pool. Not a fan of it myself, but it's a unique way to get around. The downside is that there is no "attack" in it. The choice is yours.

***************

Well, that's my guide. I hope I didn't do too badly for my first one, and I also hope this helps any aspiring Blappers out there make some informed choices. Comments are appreciated, especially if you notice huge errors in my commentary.

Blap on, Blap off. The Blapper.