As the title states.
I am just now getting around to using some Kineticists in my game and I noticed the low range of some of the elements blast.
It seems a bit weird to me to have a bit of a feat tax to shoot more than 30ft as say a Metal/Water/Wood Kineticist without having to form a blast into a bow. I guess the fluff is free and it doesn't have to look like a bow and the feat doesn't change the hands needed but I feel like something like the 1E extended range by spending an extra action built into blast and maybe at 9th Doubling the default range would be nice.
But in a game like kingmaker that I am running random encounters can be in bigger open areas so 30ft can be a bit limiting.
Maybe I am just taking umberag with the name "Weapon" infusion because that feels more like the 1e kinetic blade and whip form infusions. Either way let me know if I am missing something or if Weapon Infusion is the only option.
Kineticists are sturdy, so they default to a melee/thrown range as a balancing factor. Note that your early options are mainly close range attacks, defense actions, or movement enhancements
You can also use whatever flavor for your weapon infusions. My shark-themed tanky kineticist will use it to throw anchors, harpoons, giant fish hooks, ice sharks, or just straight up concentrated blasts based on what sounds coolest at the time.
I'm currently playing a kineticist in a game on the boards, and in a so far heavy combat game, the range on Elemental Blast has not hindered me at all.
At higher level, maybe it could, but I'll have a lot more options then for what to do. For a baseline, do it all day, blasty attack, though, I think that the ranges as is are fine.
There's also two element infusion at Level 6.
I don't consider either weapon infusion or two element infusion to be 'feat taxes' because blasts are perfectly serviceable without them. Also, the added flexibility they give seems high enough to warrant them being feats rather than just base abilities.
The feat does a lot more than just add range. Ask a fighter player if they'd take a feat that lets them have one weapon and change it any time they want (no action needed) between ranged 100' volley, ranged 50' propulsive, ranged 20' thrown, damage types B, P, or S, and give it any one of agile, backswing, forceful, reach, or sweep, they're probably going to say heck yeah, that's a good feat.
The fighter argument doesn't work when they are +2 better at hitting and than +4 better for 2 levels before Kineticist gets to expert and feats are fighters class abilities and they do give a lot and minus switching between melee and ranged they can do all that stuff for one action and some gold with a shifting rune.
Swap out the Fighter for any other weapon-using Martial, then. I'm 100% certain many of them would be ecstatic to get such a feat.
Kineticist's blasts already being mixed melee/ranged and having an option to use non-Strength to damage and to do so from within range of a Stride or two is already something that martials would drool over at base.
Not to mention they also get AoE save abilities which means they usually have zero issues with MAP.
But in any case, weapon infusion is the main way to increase Kin's range, and the other way is to open a second gate and grab a longer-range element (and use Two-Element Infusion as Easl said). I can't think of any other ways in-game to do so.