Current state?

[geldonyetich]

Geldon: drawing aggro is kind of a given when you're a soloer.

True, and this is one of the main limiting factors a Blaster has.  You can only solo a medium to small group of mobs, unless you devastate the majority of them in your initial volley (possible with the lvl 32 power + buildup) or use a lot of inspirations.  A Scrapper, on the other hand, can handle even larger groups once they get their vital defense powers slotted.

[ajax34i]

My take on blaster melee powers was that they're supposed to be used in conjunction with movement, i.e. don't stand still.  If you have knockback or a way to disable your enemy's attacks, use that; knock them back, then follow up with a major damage attack, then move out of range before they're back standing, or use another knockback attack.  It's a lot about combos, rather than standing there and dishing, like scrappers/tankers do.

I might be wrong.

[Kitsune]

Scrappers can't really stand and dish either, at least not indefinitely.  I found fighting as a scrapper to involve lots of juggling of enemies: knock down minion A, knock back minion B, pound on the lieutenant while they're out of the way, hopefully he's dead before they get back to you, then mop them up.  Scrappers can't take the heat for very long before they're in trouble, which is why I was particularly upset at the scrapper defense nerfs with I4.

Oh, I'm sorry, did I say 'dead'?  I meant 'arrested'.  Yes, arrested.  Because that's what my spine scrapper was doing whenever he flung a spear of bone into some poor guy's chest amid a spray of toxic green goo.  He was arresting that man, clearly.  Just like my gun blaster was doing when unloading a rifle into peoples' heads.

[geldonyetich]

If it's the medical recall system that's beaming those "arrested" thugs away, I suppose they could be resuscitated in much the same way as the heroes, who take just as much punishment and more before going down.  I just wish Cryptic put some kind of FX to establish that they were being beamed away, instead of just having them fade into oblivion.

[eldaec]

You can kill them if you want.

Cryptic specifically use the term 'defeated' so that since you are, you know, 'role-playing', you can decide if you are killing or arresting to fit your own backstory.

As regards Scrappers, again, in most normal game situations on the hardest game difficulty I just have to keep half an eye on my health and press DP, Restoration, or IH if it gets too low, plus hasten if I find I'm using two of them in quick succession and want them back up quickly. I find I have to try really hard to die. Of course, you may have a different scrapper, and as above, if you found them unfun before, they won't have changed.

[Llava]

Rrava: the punches were useful to knock stuff back out of melee range, but I don't remember the damage being uber. I was a ranged blaster who was always airborne. I generally only punched flying mobs, and even those I would avoid when possible. But I haven't played Cosmic since way before CoV was out, so who knows.

Blaster melee attacks are some of the most damaging attacks in the game.  Power Thrust, which is more of a soft control power, doesn't do much damage but does knockback.  But in melee, a Blaster can hit-for-hit outdamage a Scrapper easily.  The problem is that melee is risky.  A built-up Bonesmasher will one-shot an even minion and nearly one-shot a +1 minion.

[geldonyetich]

As regards Scrappers, again, in most normal game situations on the hardest game difficulty I just have to keep half an eye on my health and press DP, Restoration, or IH if it gets too low, plus hasten if I find I'm using two of them in quick succession and want them back up quickly. I find I have to try really hard to die.

Same story in regards to my Dark Armor Scrapper.  To an extent, it's a difference of how you slot out your secondary powers and which ones you take.  Also, always kill the bosses first unless it's relatively cost-free to take down a minion along the way.

Of course, you may have a different scrapper, and as above, if you found them unfun before, they won't have changed.

The key point in Archetype choice and City of Heroes itself ;)