Hello! There have been lots and lots and lots of calls for Fire/Energy builds in the blaster forum of City of Heroes, so I am going to present a build that has worked very well for me, from 1 to 50. In a nutshell, this is a “close-quarters specialist” (to quote Matches Malone) armed with powerful melee and area damage, but weak long range punch and little defense of note.
The Fire/Eng mentality!
Dropping foes quickly is your best defense. An arrested felon is 100% debuffed and poses no risk. If you cannot drop your foes quickly enough, do as much damage possible and run away. Fear not melee, become aware of the battleground. Speed and mobility are your allies, take advantage of jousting, stealth, teammates, and inspirations. Praise the empaths, who will make you a walking god. Also praise the tankers, who will empower your area attacks and take injury for you. Do not fear debt, but learn from it and your limits. Always carry one appropriate ‘breakout’ inspiration, or a pink, for they are cheap and you are squishy.
Level 1: Fireblast/Power Thrust
At this point your choices are between Fireblast, and Flares. Flares will offer minor damage with a quick recharge, but most people don't think it's worth the long activation time for an otherwise fast set, and I agree. It does take very little end, so a low level hero may want CoH Influence just for some extra damage before tools like haste open up.
Fireblast on the other hand offers fast, moderate ranged damage at good range. This is what most fire blasters would recommend the beginner take. It recharges quickly and doesn't take much end. Personally I didn't slot this attack up, but it wouldn't be a poor investment as it's useful in most any situation.
Tip: Fireblast is your pulling power. High level teams sometimes forget they can do this! It’s handy when soloing and City of Heroes influence is surrounded by baddies. For best results, hit fireblast while hopping to the side - and landing behind cover. You’re much less likely to draw extra attention from his friends this way.
Power Thrust you don't get a choice about. Luckily it's a pretty good power. At low level it'll serve as another attack, but will quickly lose its potency. More important is its ability to hit things away from you, which will be handy as you rise in level. With some tactics you can thrust opponents into groups you can then fireball, or hit troublesome foes off rooftops, or knock a boss on its butt for a few seconds. This was how I dealt with bosses until 38; few creatures are immune to it. Slot accuracy and never look back.
