How to slot Atomic Blast?

[Xielos]

I just got to lvl 38 on my FF/Rad defender, and I picked up Atomic Blast (duh). Now this is my highest level character, so I have no experience when it comes to slotting a last power. The obvious is 6-slot with damage, but I was wondering if there were any other useful ways to slot it. Recharge? Debuff? Stun? (can I even? o.O)

Anyways, thanks in advance for help.

[Takeda]

I don't have a lot of experience with Atomic Blast, but I do have experience with Blackstar, the dark blast equivalent. I have mine six slotted for damage. Why not recharge, you ask? Simple. It's a finisher. It's an "I don't want to deal with this anymore" button. It's not a blaster nova that's going to wipe full-health spawns off the map. If you've managed to land a few AoEs (and I know that Radiation blast has a few) then you can safely judge when to use it (or maybe if you take the dark epic and get soul drain...). So. It's situational. Useful? Yes. Blasters tend to slot recharge reduction since a lot can get Aim+Buildup both buffing damage. The only thing I'd consider in there besides damage MIGHT be the hold duration. IIRC it seems to have a pretty decent base duration. My advice would be to play with it a bit or search around the defender boards on the official COH site. There are some good rad blast guides although most are geared towards rad/rad defenders. Anyways, I hope I've been somewhat useful. Maybe somebody with actual knowledge of the power in question will come along, rather than me who is just rambling aimlessly.

[Poison]

Well, I've always said that Atomic Blast sucks as a last power. It's pretty weak damage- and stun-wise if compared to, say, a nova, especially if you consider that you lose ALL your endurance and don't recover for 10 seconds.

If you really want to 6-slot it (I think Poison has it 4-slotted), I'd go with an endurance reducer, a recharger, an accuracy (it misses a lot), a stun duration and 2 damage enhancers. That way you have it balanced well. If you want to replace any of those (like the end reducer or accuracy one), go replacing with a stun, then the rest dmg.

[Jade_Dragon]

If it does less damage than Nova, likely it recharges more often, which means more than likely it recharges fast enough as it is. That would be in keeping with the "feel" of Rad Blast in general. So, no real need for Recharge Enhancement.

I haven't gotten to that point, myself, but I will have to try hold duration. As mentioned, you're not going to wipe out your enemies, like a Blaster, so it would be more Defender-like to concentrate on the stun. (It would also fit my concept, since I interpret J.D.'s Def debuff as him holding the foes to keep them from dodging, instead of making them sick)

(I'm also surprised about it missing, since Rad is as a whole is an extremely accurate set. Maybe it's an intentional exception, tho)

[Poison]

I should add that the stun duration is ridiculous, especially when compared to EMPulse. And hold times will be nerfed with I5, too.

[Jade_Dragon]

I should add that the stun duration is ridiculous, especially when compared to EMPulse. And hold times will be nerfed with I5, too.

I wouldn't call that a "hold time", since it is an attack.

Is Tesla Cage's hold time being nerfed? What about Freeze Ray? Or Cosmic Burst? Has anyone checked out their durations in I5? Can anyone confirm this?

Oh, and BTW, I don't get access to EM Pulse. Power Push doesn't have as good an effect as Force Bolt, either, but that doesn't help the Em Blasters that don't take Force Field. :D