City of Heroes: Choose Your Blaster Powersets

AntMag.NET

This section provides an opinionated guide to choosing your Blaster powersets in City of Heroes. The author emphasizes that all powersets are viable and fun, but this guide focuses on a min/maxer's perspective, comparing powersets against each other.

Note: Ratings are relative to other powersets. A low rating does not mean a powerset is bad, just that it may be less effective than others in its category.

Blaster Primaries

Assault Rifle

A balanced powerset with mostly lethal damage, effective against Vazhilok. Key powers include Burst, Slug, Sniper Rifle, Flamethrower, and Full Auto. Buckshot and M30 Grenade are generally considered weak, and Beanbag is situational.

Rating: 4/5. While strong, Fire Blast is considered slightly better in the late game due to enemy resistances to lethal damage.

Electrical Blast

Considered not very good due to a lack of AoE capabilities and being less effective than single-target powersets. While Short Circuit can be potent with proper slotting, it's generally more efficient to defeat enemies quickly with other powersets.

Rating: 1/5. Significantly less effective than other Blaster powersets.

Energy Blast

A strong powerset focused on single-target damage with good animations. Key powers include Bolt, Blast, Power Burst, and Sniper Blast. Torrent and Explosive Blast offer AoE potential, and Aim provides a damage boost. Push is considered worthless, and Nova is a novelty due to its long recharge time.

Rating: 3/5. Excellent for single-target damage, but AoE blasters are generally more efficient.

Fire Blast

A very viable AoE powerset. Avoid Flares, especially with Perma-Hasten. Fire Blast is useful for picking off targets, but the focus is on AoE with Fire Ball and Fire Breath. Rain of Fire is not recommended. Blaze is excellent for high-health targets and bosses, and Blazing Bolt serves as a standard sniper attack. Inferno is similar to Nova.

Rating: 5/5. Considered one of the best AoE options for Blasters.