Deuce Spade

If we ever do get Super Strength on a scrapper, I am going to go nuts making new toons. I mean, more than I regularly do.

I don't like damage auras on any secondary without a taunt aura. My regular attacks do more damage, so the mobs are likely to stay within range until I kill them. Particularly on a primary without great AOE, the aura will knock a few into flee range before you get to them, and I hate chasing runners. The exception is Ice Armor, as the slow and knockdown (from Ice Melee, if applicable) can make its damage aura work nicely.

I've wished for an Issue 1-3ish version of the game for a while, but the fun I remember probably couldn't be replicated. Most of the excitement had less to do with game systems and more to do with OMFG I get to play a superhero. That first time I logged into the game I was sold. I left after ED and went to WoW. I didn't come back until IOs were a thing, and really, the game is better now in the sense that you have something to strive for when kitting out a build.

I forgot to turn off the incarnate powers, so you'll want to do that to get an idea of your real defensive numbers.

See if this helps. I haven't run a WP toon since live, so there are plenty of people more qualified than me, but this should get you started. This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.5.6 https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Example Man: Level 50 Science Scrapper Primary Power Set: Kinetic Melee Secondary Power Set: Willpower Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Quick Strike (A) Superior Scrapper's Strike - Accuracy/Damage (3) Superior Scrapper's Strike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (3) Superior Scrapper's Strike - Damage/Recharge (5) Superior Scrapper's Strike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge (5) Superior Scrapper's Strike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (7) Superior Scrapper's Strike - Recharge/Critical Hit Bonus Level 1: High Pain Tolerance (A) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance (25) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance (25) Unbreakable Guard - RechargeTime/Resistance (27) Unbreakable Guard - +Max HP (27) Preventive Medicine - Heal (29) Preventive Medicine - Heal/RechargeTime Level 2: Body Blow (A) Kinetic Combat - Accuracy/Damage (7) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Endurance (9) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Recharge (9) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Endurance/Recharge (11) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (11) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative) Level 4: Smashing Blow (A) Hecatomb - Damage/Recharge (13) Hecatomb - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (13) Hecatomb - Accuracy/Recharge (15) Hecatomb - Damage/Endurance (17) Hecatomb - Chance of Damage(Negative) (17) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative) Level 6: Power Siphon (A) Recharge Reduction IO (19) Recharge Reduction IO Level 8: Mind Over Body (A) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance (36) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance (36) Unbreakable Guard - RechargeTime/Resistance (36) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime Level 10: Fast Healing (A) Numina's Convalesence - +Regeneration/+Recovery Level 12: Indomitable Will (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed (40) Red Fortune - Defense (43) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance Level 14: Hasten (A) Recharge Reduction IO (15) Recharge Reduction IO Level 16: Rise to the Challenge (A) Preventive Medicine - Heal (33) Preventive Medicine - Heal/Endurance (33) Preventive Medicine - Endurance/RechargeTime (34) Preventive Medicine - Heal/RechargeTime (34) Preventive Medicine - Heal/RechargeTime/Endurance (34) Preventive Medicine - Chance for +Absorb Level 18: Burst (A) Superior Critical Strikes - Accuracy/Damage (19) Superior Critical Strikes - Damage/RechargeTime (21) Superior Critical Strikes - Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime (21) Superior Critical Strikes - Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime (23) Superior Critical Strikes - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime (23) Superior Critical Strikes - RechargeTime/+50% Crit Proc Level 20: Quick Recovery (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End (46) Power Transfer - Chance to Heal Self Level 22: Kick (A) Empty Level 24: Tough (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3% (29) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All) (31) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance (31) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance (31) Unbreakable Guard - RechargeTime/Resistance (33) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime Level 26: Weave (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed (37) Reactive Defenses - Scaling Resist Damage (40) Reactive Defenses - Defense (40) Reactive Defenses - Defense/Endurance Level 28: Heightened Senses (A) Shield Wall - +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All) (37) Shield Wall - Defense (39) Shield Wall - Defense/Endurance (39) Shield Wall - Defense/Recharge Level 30: Super Jump (A) Jumping IO Level 32: Combat Jumping (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed Level 35: Maneuvers (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed (37) Red Fortune - Defense (39) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance Level 38: Strength of Will (A) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance (45) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance (45) Unbreakable Guard - RechargeTime/Resistance (45) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime Level 41: Tactics (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff (42) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge (42) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance (42) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance (43) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance (43) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up Level 44: Vengeance (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed Level 47: Moonbeam (A) Apocalypse - Damage (47) Apocalypse - Damage/Recharge (47) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (48) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Recharge (48) Apocalypse - Damage/Endurance (48) Apocalypse - Chance of Damage(Negative) Level 49: Shadow Meld (A) Shield Wall - Defense (49) Shield Wall - Defense/Endurance (49) Shield Wall - Defense/Recharge (50) Shield Wall - Defense/Endurance/Recharge Level 1: Brawl (A) Empty Level 1: Critical Hit Level 1: Sprint | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1445;684;1368;HEX;| |78DA4D93D95213511086CF240331210442C0B01896B0246419125FC0B264290DA94| |25305084A1C87234C312653492CF1D2A7F0D60B17BCF129BC727D0D37C02A37BC8A| |9DE93FCB14D477A697D3DD7F67F2878BFED72B8F2F092570C5D2ABD562C1A8E8B62| |D2B9E8261CA9221053D3D4B87FA7DDB929379BDE4A1F74833A8989796945ACE2CC9| |9A69142FD76ABA7130DAF22ECA7BB25495DA86695976F9A1AC08DF5AB96C69055BC| |ADD5EE7B86CEEEDD7CCD29EDF795B95BA4D2F7DCD975D59A9EE9BF6C8926D1A5AA1| |A65B07746BA1FCC02AE6F56A4D561E0D533773F4BF191478EA5DE2AD5B88AC2A5CE| |FC1774CF503F891D9FD89B9DE184941EE2FB60DFF06FF3247FF819F9917BE316F52| |5D05B9CA1A21EA15DDD799E76E8005A6EF3631A60A5F91B945B96EE4BA632EBACF2| |BFC71709E194830FB932EA75E3F72B729B78BE755BA92C289190037681E0FDFEBF6| |609E69CC338D79A6CF989B14EBE558E15D577826B2F5B0CDD533C4B6588099F031A| |314D3CB314A2FEA06C02DF2F5293E67AE3EE835F905FCCA9C827E53DFC163E60ECD| |158426C13BAA631BD09983774183797E1794CC6DAA1B424FA127AC57FA0FFB5CE41| |B62BDC4509D1EE1264B1895C28D4384B67A91BB18876AE3506D1CAA4D4235957247| |A0F008149AF9C9BED80978CABC45B163881DCBB16DE61A736E195C61862936822E2| |371C1D3916D021B9A40AD20D9A2D850B4591F1B9AC38676286696EF72CF629E14E6| |49619E14E609516C1C5AC49FB172F3CFC117E04B66E2087CC51CA4DC247A4EA297C| |6D235DCA7A5384E4B831A736101CC8059E6995F880CFACE40A70C74CA40A7EC557C| |856AEBABA7BFC65627D4D6B75C5FEDF4A659CD35156EB2294EC6B1AF95D18A3AEDB| |44D71AD934E1B76F3A3D3865FDC9B446B87F51C9D33E826172237CED1C1F67939DC| |3E3FED88398AB6CFFF01073ADEF4| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|

I had a Kin/Elec defender that soloed to 50, and once I had FS I had six end mod in each attack power. He was maybe the most fun I ever had leveling a character. It was issue 3, I think. FS, SC, BL, cleanup. First attack from stealth, and then complete safety because they were all drained. He was definitely an outlier though. I mainly played scrappers and tanks, and they all had 5 dam 1 acc in their attacks. Hasten was 6 slotted rchg, and that made it perma back then. Issue 1-2, I remember thinking what a big deal my Inv/Axe tank was. He was herding the Shadowhunter map and PLing SG mates. Then I watched an Inv/EM abuse mob stacking on the family farm and wipe out several spawns with one Total Focus? (was it the final attack back then? Don't remember), and sad trombones played in my head every wolf map thereafter. I guess they implemented ED to "fix" those kinds of things, but I never felt more superpowered, and still haven't.

Fair enough. I don't team, so these scenarios don't even occur to me. Solo farming, I hit the damage cap every run combining insps. I also use combine macros while running normal content, though in a regular mission you're unlikely to hit the cap. Still, it happens now and then. I personally think the cap is fine as is, but there seems to be a lot of brute angst since it was lowered, thus my suggestion to raise it again.

I just leveled my Rad/Elec brute to 50 on test and took her for a spin, and she does things a scrapper couldn't dream of. She has capped (or almost capped, with the exception of toxic) resists and does plenty of AOE damage. Single target is better than a tank, but not as good as a scrapper. She plays well enough that I'll finish her version on live. In general, I think brutes are in an OK but not awesome place. Scrappers had years as the honorable mention melee AT, and I know it sucks, but at least brutes still have areas where they clearly outperform scrappers, even now. I think if I was running design I'd bump the damage cap back up and call it done.

Mobs re: rad/bio scrapper - "He emits toxins and radiation so deadly we'll die just standing next to him" "Great! Everybody dogpile the harbinger of doom!" Mobs re: km/sr scrapper - "His blows are so weak he's a laughingstock in the super community, but he can dodge." "Run for the hills! He'll eat all our babies!"

I'm kinda glad /bio is weak to something, otherwise I'd just make it an auto pick when rolling new characters. The damage is so tasty. /SR is my favorite secondary of all time, except for the pointless, soul crushing chase after weak runners.

You're right, though /bio is weak to debuffs in general. You can use Ageless Radial to plug the hole, though the resistance becomes pretty weak the longer the power runs, or some people prefer Barrier. There is Shadowmeld too. I love /bio, but if the idea is to "do it all", /bio would be near the bottom of my list of secondaries. /Shield and /SR would be my choices. Of course, this is all assuming solo play. If you're teaming, roll what you like, it won't matter.

What is your budget?

It depends. A solid defensive secondary can free you from the low damage boat anchor that is Divine Avalanche. It's the same damage as your tier 1 with a slightly longer animation. Some will say there is no point taking a mid-tier damage set like katana if you don't utilize the +def, but kat/sr or kat/nin are both stylish. /WP has a taunt aura and your leveling will be less painful. Play what you like. From a purely minmax perspective, probably /bio would be my choice. Take Divine Avalanche, build for ~35 melee def, and enjoy the extra dps. Color the /bio effects as neutral as you can on minimal FX if they bother you.

Absolutely. It's weird, but I find that costume and concept have more to do with being able to have fun playing than build, at least after a certain level of competence has been reached. I still have a hard time playing scrappers without a taunt aura, regardless of concept/costume, precisely because the PITA factor knocks me out of immersion. Shelved my EM/SR scrapper for a second time this week, even though I love his look.

Just to clarify, the pseudopet portion of burn has a base damage of 3.34 per tick, but the initial hit of burn varies between ATs. It's a small quibble, but there you go.

The only animation that needs adjustment on KM, in my opinion, is Power Siphon. The cast time really is a negative, and makes the refresh from Concentrated Strike almost counterproductive, at least in feel. I stick with the first three attacks and throw 3 recharge in Power Siphon and it works fine. Single target damage isn't nearly as bad as has been reported, though AOE definitely could use a boost. I find the single target rotation fast, effective, and very satisfying once PS is done.

I have a mace/bio that is nice, and feels very satisfying while farming s&l. My rad/bio is a complete beast, and that's what I'd recommend. The single target attacks don't feel as good because they're slow, but they are very powerful, and the AOE of rad/bio, assuming you proc out irradiated ground, isn't something I've managed to top. +4/8 melts, as long as they aren't a threat to begin with, which suits farming just fine. If you grab ageless radial you can handle some rougher +4/8 spawns like carnies and such, though it requires more attentive play.

Mine performed gloriously until the early-mid 40s, when the single target damage started to feel noticeably inferior to other melee toons. I think I quit him at 47. They sure do look good though, and the AOE is quite nice. It's also noticeably more sturdy than a /bio brute. I ran a sav/bio brute to 50 in 2019, and played him a bit after. /bio helps the single target damage, but I still think sav/ is best on a stalker, even with the hemo fix. I have a dark/sav tank in the low 40s. and the single target damage was demoralizing.

@Elia87 I don't feel like it is, but I have decent global recharge on my build. Siphon Life recharges in 2.66 secs, so it's a perfect "top you off while doing damage" skill for me.

Unenhanced for heal, Mids says it's 10%. In game, my lvl 50 DM/Rad hits for 133.86 heal with SL, the exact same amount that Portal Jockey raises my HP total by, so 10% seems accurate.

Yeah, that music hooked me when I first loaded into the game. It's just about perfect.

When CoH was dead, I would search every few months for a link to the music for The Crescent in Brickstown, not because of any fond memories in the location, but rather because I just like the tune. While leveling, I still make a mini-game out of cutting the corner between Mashu Bridge and the Crescent when leaving the tram to try to make the neighborhood music play. Does anyone else have a favorite? P.S. the one that used to bug me most was the Hendrix-inspired riff for Blyde Square in Steel Canyon. The timing of the bass line is off enough I think the artist may have used the wrong setting on quantize.

I don't recommend anyone watch it for educational reasons, but you should watch the Wire because it's one of the best TV shows ever created.

Deuce Spade is one of my favorite characters, and on Homecoming he is a Bio/DM tank. Easily my most offensively powerful tank, and sturdy enough in Offensive Adaptation to handle most things solo, especially once you get debuff protection from Ageless Radial. Most of his defense is how fast he kills with AOE though, the tanker version of Shadow Maul and Touch of Fear will likely ruin the scrapper versions for you. He can solo +4/8 Carnies with careful play, You might try that combo if you feel the scrapper is too squishy for your taste.

I feel the same about the scrapper taunt auras, but that's one reason I was excited about ice armor. I never used it because of the dumb graphics, but now you can mostly get rid of those. The best thing about it while leveling my brute was Chilling Embrace. The slow aura worked so well that I rerolled as a scrapper to test it. It does indeed function as a ghetto taunt aura. They will run after enough damage, but it doesn't really matter, because you can still hit them. It wouldn't help much against Council wolves later on, and that would be an issue, but everything else is hosed, doing -dam and attacking less as they try to flee. I guess if you're going ice/ice, the ice patch would help with wolves.