Part 9

Explore City of Heroes powersets like Radiation Blast, Psychic Blast, Broad Sword, Claws, Dark Melee, and Katana. Get ratings and tips.

Radiation Blast

Radiation Blast is a powerset with a 4/5 rating. Neutrino Bolt and X-Ray Beam are noted for their defense reduction (-DEF). Irradiate is a strong close-range Area of Effect (AoE) that significantly reduces defense, making it effective against groups. Electron Haze is a cone -DEF attack. Proton Volley is a standard sniper attack but less useful in this powerset due to the abundance of other -DEF attacks. Aim is considered useless as Accuracy (ACC) and Damage (DAM) are not priorities for this powerset. Cosmic Burst is potentially an Extreme Damage attack, the highest in the game, but use at your own risk. Neutron Bomb is an excellent targeted AoE -DEF attack. Atomic Blast is a standard AoE attack that also includes -DEF and a hold effect.

Psychic Blast

Psychic Blast is a powerset with a 3/5 rating, described as varied and standard. It offers various disable effects except for hold. Mental Blast is a notable -RCH attack. Subdue is an immobilize power. Psionic Lance is a standard sniper attack. Psionic Scream is a cone attack with -RCH. Telekinetic Blast is a knockback power, which is not considered very useful. Will Domination is a sleep effect. Psionic Tornado is an AoE knockback. Scramble Thoughts is a single-target disorient power. Psychic Wail is an AoE attack that drains endurance, has -RCH, and can disorient survivors.

Scrapper Primaries

Broad Sword

Broad Sword is a primary Scrapper powerset with a 5/6 rating. It is described as one-dimensional, with most powers focused on damaging the targeted enemy. It is considered the most damaging upfront of the primary powersets. Players can choose either or both AoE abilities and then select other desired powers.

Claws

Claws is a primary Scrapper powerset with a 3/6 rating. It features low damage and low recharges, with long animation times. Swipe is noted for very low damage and long animation. Strike and Slash offer better damage despite their long animations. Spin is a situational PBAoE (Point Blank Area of Effect). Follow Up functions like Build Up but requires a hit to activate and has a lower recharge time. Focus is a ranged attack useful for initiating combat or pursuing fleeing enemies. Eviscerate and Shockwave are cone powers.

Dark Melee

Dark Melee is a primary Scrapper powerset with a 6/6 rating, considered the best by the source. It offers four highly effective abilities that free up slots for secondary and pool powers. Smite and Shadow Maul are a strong combination for early levels, capable of defeating most enemies, with Shadow Maul potentially one-hitting enemies at higher levels with Super Options (SO). Touch of Fear, which causes enemies to flee, is considered useless for a melee character. Siphon Life is ineffective due to low healing and high endurance cost. Dark Consumption is similar to Consume and may be redundant if Stamina or Quick Recovery powers are acquired. Soul Drain is a powerful build-up ability, adding damage and accuracy per enemy, making it highly effective against groups. Midnight Grasp is a damaging attack good against bosses. The source mentions anecdotal evidence of players achieving high AoE damage with Dark Consumption and Soul Drain, though it sounds far-fetched.

Katana

Katana is a primary Scrapper powerset with a 4/6 rating. It is described as similar to Broad Sword but with less damage, reduced endurance cost, and lower recharge times. While Broad Sword is considered more efficient due to upfront damage importance, Katana remains effective.

Tips:

• Radiation Blast's -DEF capabilities are very strong, especially with its targeted AoE.
• Psychic Blast offers a wide variety of disable effects, but its overall effectiveness is rated as just