Things I would take over heat blast

[Nanostrike]

1) A bubble proc on shielding or taking damage

 

2) A shock on shielding or taking damage

 

3) A bubble or a self heal

 

4) Damage reduction

 

5) Anything tanky.

 

Edit:

6) Something that adds aggro. (good call)

 

Second Edit (from suggestions posted):

 

- Some form of synergy with Oil Slick

 

- Aoe/aggro/fire damage

 

- Synergy with other talents such a FS, RP, FB...

 

- Shield slam

Edited January 17, 2012 by Nanostrike

[Othed]

Doesn't even add extra aggro.

[Othed]

Double post Edited January 14, 2012 by Othed

[chainsawsamurai]

A "Shield Slam" style higher damage snap threat ability.

[Nanostrike]

7) Blade shield (while bubble is up, shock all incoming attacks)

[Tenacity]

I'd settle for a more interesting animation, though I do think the current heat blast either needs to vent a little more heat (16-20 would be nice), or it should have an added threat boost.

[MorningMusume]

I'll go with being considered a fire damage skill (so it gets +6% extra crit and 6% extra dmg) and a better animation.

 

Also being included in Flame Surge for the extra surge would be cool. Anyway it doesn't need a great buff, but being better than Flame Burst (a pretty bad skill anyway) damage-wise is a must IMHO, and I'm probably the main defender of Heat Blast in these forums.

[QiBao]

I just went Carolina Parakeet and I really miss HB. Our CDs suck for a tank, though.

[blobafat]

I just went Carolina Parakeet and I really miss HB. Our CDs suck for a tank, though.

 

I won't be swapping specs to some stupid bird.

I like my heat blast, without it my rotation feels clunky.

It does however need the fire damage and increased heat dispersion updates.

[Bunny_Bait]

I'll go with being considered a fire damage skill (so it gets +6% extra crit and 6% extra dmg) and a better animation.

 

Also being included in Flame Surge for the extra surge would be cool. Anyway it doesn't need a great buff, but being better than Flame Burst (a pretty bad skill anyway) damage-wise is a must IMHO, and I'm probably the main defender of Heat Blast in these forums.

 

I agree, if heat Blast must stay, it must change. As it is now it's an okay attack, not something screaming "end tree skill". First it needs a new animation to really show we're venting heat, keep the blast and add a "fire splash" when it hits the target.

Second make it embrace the tree with either :

- Make it a fire attack and be included in Combust/Flame Shield/Flame Surge.

+6% damage +36% Crit chance, +30% Crit damage -4% damage, would be much better than the -8 heat weaker flame burst we have now.

- Make it trigger Ion Gas Cylinder 100% of times with Ion Overload

 

I choose Heat Blast because there isn't something better, and that's really bothering me for our end tree skill. We should choose it because it's awesome. We invested 30 points to get it, why after 30 points in the tree I ask myself "Is there anything else I could choose to make a better use of this 1 point ?". It should be a no-brainer not something we have to make tons of calculation to realize it's better.

 

Please upgrade it.

Edited January 14, 2012 by Bunny_Bait

[TeejayMac]

I just use it as a heat dump to keep me able to always hit buttons, whenever I get over 40 heat I hit it. I'd like a different animation and more threat from it sure, but it's not terribly bad for what it's intended for...a way to dump heat.

[Mtiytc]

I have to admit as an end of tree skill it is kind of underwhelming, but it serves a purpose to some extent.

 

The one thing that really supervised me reading this though, was the number of people who don't like the animation. It's probably one of my favourite animations in our arsenal, since i first got the skill i've enjoyed finished mobs with a little quick firing hip fired shot ! Maybe not what it should be used for, but always makes me smile for some reason

[Parthis]

The ability has many problems;

• It's enabled when out of range.
  
• It's damage feels very low, and it's school is wrong.
  
• It doesn't benefit from any of our other key talents to buff fire crit, etc.
  
• The animation is woeful.
  
• It refunds a comparatively small amount of heat that is only situationally useful.
  
• Compared to Assassin (high threat AoE move) and the Jugg (high damage, utility triggering ability that is well integrated with their debuff system) it's really underwhelming.
  

 

The sad thing is there's nothing better. It does serve a purpose, but it's one that sits outside of our tanking; it's a button I push when my heat is too high and I need to keep the threat going. There are some fights where I just don't use it at all. It works, but it's just not very satisfying.

 

When I read the description I imagined this huge firey blast, perhaps even something from the BH's jetpack (like a mid air spin that creates a fire ball at the mobs feet, etc)... and when you first use it you can't help but laugh, quickly followed by the opening of your skill trees to consider a retractable blade build (which just doesn't really work as well mechanically speaking).

 

I'd be happy with;

• Making it a melee range ability, heat blast is superior in the 10m range.
  
• Making it's animation feel fitting for a top tier talent.
  
• Changing it's damage school and introducing some synergy with the rest of the tree.
  
• Lowering it's cooldown or increasing it's refund amount.
  
• Make it proc our active canister for a little threat boost.
  

Edited January 15, 2012 by Parthis

[Toddrick]

Heat Blast was the reason I had to force myself to level 50. The animation, damage and threat are all terrible. The heat reduction is underwhelming and just "cute". I'm a bounty hunter and just used the term "cute" to describe our top tier talented ability...something is wrong here! I shot that kid's father back on Hutta so I know it isn't me!

 

I put my bounty hunter on the shelf for a couple of days and rolled a sorcerer alt and almost considered switching her over to my main but I decided to try out THE hybrid build (no animal references...not into wacky names being given to specs) and have rekindled my love for the bounty hunter.

 

The 21/2/18 build lacks only a slight amount of avoidance/mitigation/damage reduction that a full blown 31/8/2 build has but it makes up for it with better threat and better damage. I'm trying to tweak a PvE version of the build in order to eliminate some of the PvP talents. Enrage timers in Hardmode Flashpoints are a thing of the past and the rotation is a hell of a lot more interesting.

 

I am hoping they make full shieldtech more appealing in the future but until then I will take free Rail Shots that vent 8 heat over that stupid hip shot.

[MorningMusume]

The 21/2/18 build lacks only a slight amount of avoidance/mitigation/damage reduction that a full blown 31/8/2 build has but it makes up for it with better threat and better damage. I'm trying to tweak a PvE version of the build in order to eliminate some of the PvP talents. Enrage timers in Hardmode Flashpoints are a thing of the past and the rotation is a hell of a lot more interesting.

 

Doesn't really make for it, the sustained dps increase is not that great with 21/2/18. With my last estimations around 3.5% extra dps, and you get hit by a 6% extra damage on average.

[Rabbitofdoom]

It should benefit from flame shield, flame surge. It could also have a synergy bonus with oil slick. Something like if target is affected by oil slick, heat blast will put oil burns dot along with a high amount of threat.

[chainsawsamurai]

Oil Slick could use some help too. 20% miss chance is nice on paper, but it needs Targets with a high amount of Ranged/Melee attacks to make it worth while.

 

I really like Oil Slick in theory as it is a tanking cooldown which you can use to protect other people, but just Ranged/Melee miss chance isn't all that impressive in a lot of situations.

[Daecollo]

Meanwhile Immortal Specced Juggernauts get "Crushing Blow" which does almost 5 times more damage and puts 3 stacks of armorbreak on the target.

[Valkenheineken]

I agree that heat blast is really underwhelming for a final ability. Sure, it has a clear cut use, but that doesn't mean it's good necessarily. It's pretty telling IMO that it used to be a tier 5 skill - it doesn't belong at the top without some sort of additional effect.

 

It really doesn't add anything special, and the problem is compounded by the fact that Empowered Tech is a very poor investment - even at ~30% absorb, it's only a 3% damage reduction on average for a whopping 5 talent points, and that reduction only works against melee/ranged attacks rather than force/tech. One or both of Heat Blast and Empowered Tech needs to be improved if the developers want Shield Tech builds to go passed Jet Charge.

 

As an aside, I don't know why people knock oil slick so much. It's very useful for AoE tanking. When you use it on a lot of enemies, the odds that the evasion buff will cause a miss shoot way up. A rotation of Carbonize, flame sweep, oil slick can keep you very healthy and pull a fair amount of aggro through a large amount of moderate mobs.

Edited January 15, 2012 by Valkenheineken

[Umpire]

a punch to the face

[Crazed]

i think the talent should still exist but it doesn't really scream top tier talent, this is maybe tier 4 or 5.

 

A good option would be to switch it out with something else and add a new top tier talent that is more tank like.

[Sivn]

Buff Heat Blasts dmg which will also increase its threat and reduce the cooldown to 9 secs.

 

But the tree as awhole could do with a few better talents overall tbh.

[MorningMusume]

We don't need less cooldown on Heat Blast, our rotation is pretty tight right now, and we can't really add much additional stuff that is efficient. We only have Flame Burst as an spammable skill, and is pretty bad dmg/heat. All the big hitters are on CD, and we can use them without less CD on HB.

 

HB needs doing something cool, are at least a better dmg/threat.

 

Something cool like:

 

-HB get you extra shield chance for 10/15 seconds.

-HB increases the critical chance of all elemental skills by 10% for 10/15 seconds.

-HB increases the damage of your next Flame Burst by 30%.

 

For better dps/threat being considered a fire skill probably is enough (+6% crit, +6% extra dmg). Or a proc

Edited January 16, 2012 by MorningMusume

[chainsawsamurai]

For better dps/threat being considered a fire skill probably is enough (+6% crit, +6% extra dmg). Or a proc

 

I really would be much happier with the skill with just this.

 

And a better animation.

[Gereon]

Give HB an 5m AoE effect with increased aggro generation and i`ll be happy ^^ (and another animation )