Silent Method's Guide to Ranged Fire/Fire Blasters

1) Discussion of all powers in fire blast and fire manipulation, especially with respect to building a "pure" ranged blaster.

2) Brief discussion of power pools with respect to fire/fire blasters.

3) Discussion of ancillary (epic) power pools with respect to fire/fire blasters.

4) Possibilities and effectiveness of slotting normal Enhancements and Hamidon Origin Enhancements.

5) Presentation of my own build for Captain Dna, a level 50 fire/fire/elec ranged blaster, with and without Hamidon Origins.

Please bear in mind that I'm not going by what anyone else says, mostly because I've yet to hear people's in-depth commentary on fire/fire blasters. I'm simply going from my own experience. Realize that my playing style may not suit yours.

1) Fire Blast and Fire Manipulation Explored for Ranged Blasters

Fire Blast:

Flares - With relatively low damage and a medium animation time (which is long, compared to Fire Blast and Fire Ball), Flares is sometimes skipped over. However, it seems to be a bit underrated. With Hasten, fire blasters can spam - at low levels, this is very effective - Fire Blast and Flares almost consecutively. Flares is a good "filler" move - not part of the initial attack chain, but it's nice to use while waiting for the stronger attacks to recharge.

Fire Blast - One of the staples of the "Fire Blast" set, for obvious reasons. Decent damage, a nearly non-existent activation time, and a fast recharge make Fire Blast a must-have power; definitely choose this over Flares to begin with. Fire Blast also has slightly more range than Flares.

Fire Ball - Another must-have for any ranged fire blaster. It truly shines in PvE on large teams - because it doesn't scatter mobs like Energy Blast, Fire Blast is often considered the "AoE champ" of blaster primaries - but it's also effective against single targets. The problem, early game, is recharge and endurance cost. With a single endurance and recharge SO, Fire Ball solves infinitely more problems than it creates. However, it sucks a good deal of endurance for low-level blasters. In general, though, it deals good AoE damage (with damage over time, like most fire attacks) and has a very short activation time.

Rain of Fire - In my latest Issue 7 build, this is the only Fire Blast power I skipped. I've yet to test its effectiveness with the new change that allows powers like Rain of Fire to be boosted with Build Up. It's really a matter of preference. Rain of Fire causes PvE enemies to scatter, thus shooting fire blasters in the foot because more spread means less effectiveness for AoE attacks. Its damage is decent, over time, but I've yet to see it put to effective use - and as someone who took it at a low level the first time through, believe me, I've tried.

Fire Breath - An absolutely amazing attack, available at level 8. Fire Breath deals 3 ticks of fairly high damage in a cone; as such, it outdamages Fire Ball and Fire Blast once its 3 ticks have passed. I would term this power another must-have for all ranged fire blasters, especially high level ones, who can (as I'll discuss later) implement Centrioles (Damage/Range) to further augment the already impressive range of this attack.

Aim - Ah yes, Aim. While most would probably agree that Build Up (last I heard, 80% damage and 50% ToHit boost for Build Up) is indispensable for damage-seeking blasters, I've never taken Aim until now. Aim (again, last I heard) boosts ToHit by 80% and damage by 50%; it couples nicely with Build Up. The problem is, Aim is relatively superfluous on the PvE front. With Build Up and even just a single Accuracy SO in each attack, fire blasters scarcely leave much alive - let alone miss anything - in their opening salvo of attacks. However, Aim is "nice to have" if you have the room for it, which I do as of issue 7. Most PvPers will probably tell you Aim is a must-have, and I'd agree, at least for the PvP aspect of it.

Blaze - As it's described in-game, it's a short-range but devastating attack. Blaze is indeed almost melee range; however, it too is a must-have for ranged fire blasters ('cause let's face it, "almost-melee" is still better than melee for ranged attackers). Its damage is only surpassed by Blazing Bolt (a snipe, which takes a long time to activate) and, obviously, Inferno. Blaze's activation time, like most Fire Blast attacks, is very short, and it isn't too hard on endurance and recharge time.

Blazing Bolt - While many hold an aversion to all snipes ("It lowers damage per second by a lot!"), I still see Blazing Bolt as a necessity to all ranged fire blasters. It still fits into an attack chain fairly well, especially against single foes like Bosses and AVs. It's also amazing in PvP for its extreme amounts of damage. With a bit of Defiance and perhaps Build Up, Blazing Bolt can one-shot squishier foes (well, issue 7 prevents one-shots from full HP, but the damage over time will undoubtedly do them in).

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