Neiska

Okay, here is attempt #2 at my Electric melee/Bio. (Thanks to @Sovera for the superior ENH slotting suggestions and pointing out the things i missed.) Looking at the sheet numbers, I think it will be a bit on the tougher side for a stalker, which is more or less what I am going for. I swapped a few powers around, and still stuck with the powers that I liked (Shadow Meld and Parasite Aura.) It sneds up with 45ish % defense to most, 78% to AoE. Still ends up with 66.5% resistance to S/L, but still has the energy/negative/psi holes, but I dont think thats a suprise to anybody. With Shadow Meld on the defense jumps way up to 76% defense vs most, and 109%(wtf) defense. Pretty sure that goes way past cap though, but its still nice to see on a sheet. And this is without taking things like barrier/incarnate stuff into account. Plus with Sovera's suggestions I think this stalker will still hit pretty hard. Not sure how to test that by looking at it, but, feeling pretty good about this one. Anyway, comments and critiques are always welcome! (sorry Sovera, I dont know how to do the spoiler tag bit. But I think this data link works? If not let me know.) Thanks bunches in advance! http://www.cohplanner.com/mids/download.php?uc=1512&c=712&a=1424&f=HEX&dc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

Hehe, sorry, still learning acyronyms, meant Luck of the Gambler - global recharge. I was asking you need haste, with a reduction IO, plus 5 Gamblers to max your cooldown. I havent really done many Task Forces. Most of playtime has been playing normal missions on +3 or 4/8 difficulty. And as far as my goals? Not looking to solo AVs and whatnot (though that would be pretty neat). Mostly just hoping to be able to play on max difficulty, at least radio/normal missions, finish ouros, badge hunting, max my incarnates. Anything after that is a bonus. And I havent gotten to really join up with the big missions like ITFs or Mothership (whatever that is. keep hearing it mentioned.)

One thing I think worth mentioning is one part of the game that I don't think has really been discussed yet, but I think its linked to the whole PL thing. Some people get great enjoyment in pushing builds, redlining the engine, going as far as they can. I haven't done this in CoH myself yet, as I am still learning powersets and whatnot, but I have done it in other games. To some players, its this part of the game that they get the greatest pleasure from. However, there really isnt a way to test them (at least as far as I am aware. I heard mutterings of test servers but I have never seen links or directions to one.). So for people like me that enjoy the math and game mechanics behind build philisophey and how it all comes together, leveling a character the old way could take weeks of time, not counting the farming for enchancements, badges, accolades and everything else. Only just to get to the end and find out "well, that didnt work." You could be talking weeks if not months of lost time. And if it took this much time to "try" ideas or new play styles "each" time, then people might very quickly get burned out, which would could lead to a massive drop in community numbers. And that is something I think we all agree is bad, no matter what side of the PL fence we are on. I am not defending either side here, or saying one way is better than another. I am only saying that if a tool or playing option wasn't meant to be allowed, then it wouldn't be in the game, or they would remove it. Homecoming has been out for a bit now, and I think the AE is here to stay for the time being. So if you like it, then use it. If you don't, then don't. I still stand by the "live and let live" angle. If person A wants to give person B infamy for a powerlevle, thats between them. Or even if its a powerlevel between friends just to help them catch up, or just to spend time playing together. And while I appreciate the passion and angle of the "get rid of ways to PL" opinion some people have, its a valid option for those that want to utalize it. No one is forcing them or you to use it, or not use it. Its all personal choice. If they want to powerlevel quckly to get to the endgame, then thats their choice. If you or them also want to go "hardcore" and use solely story missions to grind up the levels, thats fine too. Honestly I wish there was a roleplay reward system in place. Some games have such systems, where you could actually level up by hanging out and roleplaying or performing more mundane jobs like bartending or whatever. Just saying, as a newish player, I still think more options are better for the overall enjoyment and longevity of the community as a whole. Not everyone will like, agree, or support each option or style of play. But thats okay! To be expected in fact. But I think splitting hairs about which is "right" and which is "wrong" only ends up dividing an already aged community, when in a game this old we should stick to our guns. I mean the game only just came back. Do we really want to see a mass exedous of players because some people didnt like X way to play? Just my 2 cents!

Okay, then some further questions then, and thank you for being patient and helpful to a new player. 1. - I actually like the idea of perming shadow meld. I assume this takes 5 Rog's with the global reduction and perma haste? (not sure on how the math works on that). 2. - When I messed with tanker and scrapper, genetic and parasitic were the great abilities to have, its what let my TW/Bio scrapper clear everything ive attempted on 4/8. But if genetic and parasitic are "meh" on a stalker, or situational, why do people say Bio is one of the top defensive sets for stalkers? My limited experience so far with /bio was its the combination of regen, recovery, and absorbtion that made it so good. It was like an extra layer of defense that other sets dont get, IE - an "outside the box" layer of defense. So the set isnt so much about front loading defense/resistances, though those of course help. Anyway, point is if you arent relying on the regen/absorb from /bio, why take it on a stalker? Just for the offensive stance for more damage? I mean, there are other sets you could take that might offer better surviveability. Again, new player, so just going off what i have read/heard, not personal experience. 3. So far I have heard two things about bio stalkers, that they are tough nuts to crack like scrappers/brutes, but some here said you still have to be careful and not get swarmed. So which is it? It cant really be both, or does it come down to playstyle and preferance? @Sovera- I do appreciate the advice! I am looking to combine my power selections with some minor tweaks, but with your superior enchancement selections and spacing. (my biggest picks are swapping out the flying pool for soul mastery and parasite aura.) - Shadow Meld looks too good to pass up as an extra emergency button (would be better if you could perma it!) on top of Barrier, and I still would like parasite aura, as I am simply too used to having it when playing a /bio than not having it. Would like to say that threads like this is one thing that makes the community awesome, older players helping newer ones. Sure people dont always agree but thats okay! (and i think a good thing.) But thats far cry better than some games where the reply always is "suck it up" or "git gud" etc. Thanks bunches again! Will be tweaking my planned build again when I get home.

Splitting hairs at this point in the conversation. 😄

Thank you for the feedback Sovera, i definately missed some things. Your loadout does look better than mine for sure. My single complaint is its missing parasite aura, isnt that a big one to have from Bio armor? I mean thats the other absorb/super recovery tool there, and ive always had it. Unless it sucks on stalkers?

Hello again everyone, Well I made her first sort of mock up for the number crunch. I wouldn't mind any critiques or input, or if any veteran stalkers want to point out any misteps I made. (shes my first one). I sort of made her with defenses in mind, she ends up with 32ish defenses vs most things, and 70% S/L res. It has low energy and negative res though. But she does have a shadow shield she can push to go super turtle mode when things get hairy. Would welcome any input! (hope this is linked right) http://www.cohplanner.com/mids/download.php?uc=1507&c=704&a=1408&f=HEX&dc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

- what i meant by this is that they are in no way the "top most kiss elbow bestest most enhanced that's mathematically possible", what i meant was that they are 50, they have the enhancements that i personally want for them, and thus i consider them "finished". Could they be better? Sure! But as me their creator I am satisfied with where they are at and what I have done with them, and have moved onto new characters. Sorry for not being clear, like i said, new player.

Newish player here, so take that how you see fit. Personally, I go by the live and let live. If person A wants to pay person B for a power level, I'd say that's between them. It doesnt really affect my personal gameplay or enjoyment. Have I been power leveled? Sure, I've tagged along with friends on AE's and Radio missions. I'm not usually much help if I am lower level, so I try to make it entertaining at least with jokes or commentary, or even roleplay. Have I paid a stranger for a power level? No, and I really don't think I would. Based on my limited experience with the game, this seems very much a "story of the journey" sort of game. I only have 2 50's who are properly slotted out, and there seems to be a lack of endgame content. After you hit 50, grind out your incarnates, and get your enchancements, whats after that? Far as I know its badge hunting or playing missions for completition. I am sure theres more content than that, but I haven't gotten to try it yet. Anyway, just as a new player, if people want to speed to the end, I say let them. If others want to take their time and whatnot, thats fine too. I don't think theres a "wrong" way to play, and I think thats a big part of why the game is still active and has such a decidated community after all this time. The freedom to do as you like, play what you like, explore as you like, and play with whom you like. Take that away and well, I personally think the game would loose much of its shine. Just my two cents as a newish player!

Hello everyone, Thank you all for the imput! I decided to go electric melee/bio. Staff looked interesting but it wouldn't have really suited the character. Strangely there doesnt seem to be as many referance builds for stalkers, or at least as many as other AT's. I assume this is because during live the AT was percived as being "weak"? (just guessing on my part). Anyway, thanks bunches for the replies. It is appreciated! And I am still learning stuff about the game. Powers I understand, its power slotting that gets confusing. Game seems a bit complicated to min/max. But its something to shoot for!

isnt ice for tankers though? its not listed on the wiki as a stalker power

Hello everyone, I just wanted some imput on stalkers. I am planning on trying out a stalker with the bio secondary, (mostly because its my favorite powerset). Is there any primary stalker that pairs well with bio? Or is it pretty much anything? I was thinking maybe broadsword or savage, but I have zero experience with most of the stalker powersets. Ususally play a crabber or tankermind. Case its important, my goals for her will mainly be solo play, and would like to be able to do as much of the content as possible, including incarnate stuff. Thanks bunches in advance!

not sure why my link isnt working, i only installed mids less than a month ago?

Hello everyone, Looking for some feedback on a build I am tinkering with. She isnt 50 yet, but shes moving up there. I have played robots/time before, but I wanted to give Necro/Dark a try too. But I don't have a end build planned yet, so any imput/guidance would be appreciated! The build - http://www.cohplanner.com/mids/download.php?uc=1439&c=674&a=1348&f=HEX&dc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hecklist/goals - - All 4 defensive aura IOs - Chance for build up on tactics - Decent defense/ -to hit debuffs Notes - Not really sure which pet slotting would be best for necro/dark. Ideally I am focusing on debuffs like speed and -to hit with healing to make the undead pets decent enough for 4/8 endgame. Incarnates - Alpha - Musculature (For pet damage and improved debuffs) Judgement - Ion Interface - Diamagnetic (more to hit and regen debuff) Lore - Some sort of undead (if possible) Destiny - Barrier (pet support) Hybrid - Support Core (improved bonus for pets) Thanks bunches in advance for anyones time looking over my build and any advice or guidance! P.S. - In case this is a "bad" build, and people need to know what my goals are, they are - 1. Durable/effective pets. 2. Strong debuffs and CC (fear/gaze/tarpatch) presence 3. I am hoping that combined this will let her be able to complete +4/8 endgame content.

Hello everyone, Just wanted to post an update! First off, I made the following changes - I swapped my Hybrid Incarnate from Assualt to Support - It seems the support hybrid really is overall best, as not only do the pets benifit from the double effect itself, but it also increases your leadership and tacitcs toggles, for an overall higher net gain. (it feels like doubble dipping the chip). Next, I tried both t3 powers of Rebirth and Barrier. Both seemed good, but Barrier seems overall more effective. The rebirth heal is nice, but if you want to full on stop your pets from getting thrashed, then barrier was working better for me. Lastly, I did try to run this with various alpha slots - Agility, Musclature, and Cardio. Agility felt the the best overall, when mixed with both support hybrid and barrier destiny. I would post my pets numbers but I dont have access to that right now. But what I will say is support alone made a huge difference, to the point where I can actually use pets in +4/8 missions, both in AE as well as normal missions. Sure, they still take damage and die now and then, but they dont immediately die either. Most of the time they are still up when the powers come off cooldown. The only time my pets seem to have difficulty now is if I end up engaging 2-3 groups at once on an AE mission, but in a normal mission they do just fine. So thanks for the advice and guidance! I am still fine-tuning and tweaking, but its been a vast improvement.

Thank you both for your imput and advice, So for pet improvements I will try out - Swapping Hybrid from Assualt core to Support core (For pet bonus effects), Swapping Destiny from Ageless to Rebirth or Barrier - (im leaning toward barrier, as i have zero way to heal pets at the moment.) I will have to swap my Alpha from Muscle to Cardio though, as i was using ageless mainly for the END recovery. For damage improvements I will - Add in proc onhit effects, frankenslotting them where necessary. My current attack rotation is - Electric Fences - Venom Grenade - Suppression - Ball Lightning, repeat. For single targets i focus on Channelgun, usually using it every other attack as it recharges very quickly, and hits the hardest for my single hitting power. Will contemplate a rebuild adding in Omega Maneuvers for the taunt, possible taunt aura, and freg grenade (For the KD) Did i miss anything else? Thanks again!

@OP -I am a new player as well and I can say is that I have had an overwhelmingly positive experience. Yes, I have had a few bumps with other players, but I consider those to be rare. 99% of the time, players have been friendly, helpful, and eager to have fun as well. 1. The forums and wiki has both been very helpful. The scope of the game can be intimidating at first, as well as a lot of the gameplay or mechanics just aren't common knowledge such as caps and things. But with a little research you can look things up, and people both ingame and on the forums have been helpful with questions and explaining things. I usually try to find the answers myself before posting or asking the help channel, but when I do I've pretty much always gotten an answer. The game is old, but thats in no way a bad thing. I am still finding out something new pretty much every day even after a month of playing. 2. One thing I have learned is this game is pretty open to "play your way", which can be both good and bad, depending on the sort of player. This much freedom might be new to some players. And some people like having the freedom to do whatever they like, and others like having a roadmap/step by step process to high levels. Both ways are fine! Some players like having an endgame goal to strive for, and thats fine too! Personally I do my own thing, and let other people do theirs. 3. Players here can be both passionate and opinionated, which I see as a good thing because it means they care about the game itself. Sure some peoples messages could be presented better, but most of communication is actually nonverbal - tone of voice, body posture, so on. Online you miss those cues. So its hard to tell if people are using passive voice, being snarky, or just messing around. Or if they really are just being mean. Myself I take most things with a grain of salt, because unless I desire someones opinion on something then good or bad it really doesnt affect me either way. But thats just what works for me. 4. You are going to find rude people everywhere, both online and in real life. Its pretty much unavoidable. But I do think our community is far better than some others out there, such as Wow, Diablo, CT, and so on. I haven't really seen much ingame trolling and that sort of thing in 2 months of playing. Sure there has been a few bumps, but thats only to be expected. But the positive experiences vastly outnumber the bad ones, and thats what keeps me logging in every day after work. I just pretty much do my own thing and play the game my way. I may do missions, or farms, or whatever. Whatever I am in the mood for. Fun and enjoyment is my main motovator, moreso than having the most mathmatically effecient build, or the most statistically strong character. Some people like the number crunch game, I get it. And thats great! Because its usually those folks who are on the cutting edge of game mechanics, knowledge and even undocumented effects and so on. Just my thoughts on things as a fairly new player! Thanks for reading!

Hello everyone, First off I am loving my Crabber. She can handle +4/8 very reliably! She doesn't really die or take much damage for the most part. I usually farm AE's on +3 or 4/8 difficulty. Overall I really like her, I love her AoE damage and debuffs, her team buffs, and her overall durability. But there are 2 things that she stuggles with, so I would like some imput on that please. For referance, my Incarnates are Musclature Alpha (teir 3), Ion Judgement (teir 1), Warbot Lore (teir 3), Ageless Destiny (Teir 3), and Assualt Hybrid (Teir 3). Issue #1 - Pets Her pets just don't hold up at all. The only way I can really use them is by spawning all of them en masse when I am down to the last 4 or 5 mobs (usually boss mobs) to help me mop up. But if they are up at the start of a fight, they go down very fast. As in getting one attack or so off. I have tried using electric fences to keep enemies at range away from pets, but they always run into melee and end up getting creamed. I do use all the defensive pet IOs - CtA Defense Aura, Soverign Right REsistance, Expedient Resist Aura, and Edict of the Master Defense bonus. And yes, I have my +3 Incarnate level shifts. Even with my toggles up, my pets have lackluster defenses - Spiderlings - 40% smashing/lethal resistance, 31.27% Ranged, Melee, AOE, Smashing, Lethal Defense. Disruptors - 30% Smashing/Lethal resistance, 31.27% Ranged, Melee, AOE, Smashing, Lethal Defense. Mu Striker - 20% Smashing/Lethal resistance, 31.27% Ranged, Melee, AOE, Smashing, Lethal Defense. Their damage is fairly good, and is nice when they are up, but they just go down so fast it's debatable if its worth keeping them up. But on +3/4 maps they just dont stand up at all. Options I have thought of - 1a - I have thought about dropping the pets completely, and swapping them out for more single target/higher base value damage attacks, or possibly taking Aim and so on. 1b. - Possibly picking up a taunt ability, to try and tank for the pets and keep them up longer? I have never used taunt so I am unsure how effective this tactic would be. 1c - Am I possibly missing some more defensive options to make my pets tougher? As far as I can tell this is as strong as I can make them myself. Issue #2 - Single target damage - It really feels no different between fighting 1 Boss mob and 4 Boss mobs, as they all seem to die around the same time. Unless my pets are there helping focus one down (they usually aren't), then killing boss level mobs can be quite tedious. I am stacking -res debuff from acheles heel and annihilation, and I use venom grenade as well as a part of my regular rotation. I dont have an interface incarnate yet but I am planning on getting more -res debuff there. As mentioned in another thread I am also using Gaussians chance for build up in my tactical training buff, (specifically leadership). Options - 2a - As mentioned above, mabye dropping the pets and picking up attacks with higher damages to their base value, such as Frenzy, Arm lash, possibly Omega Maneuver or Aim as well. Other than swapping pets for attacks better at killing bosses, I'm not sure what else I can do about my single target damage. I have spoken to people and I been told thats sort of an AT feature - it has no real single target/boss killer moves. But even so I would at least like to make it better than chewing threw them at 30 damage per attack. And thats it. I would love to somehow make my pets tough enough for +3/4, and increase my boss/single target DPS somehow. If I missed something by all means feel free to point it out. Thoughts/options anyone? Thanks bunches in advance!

Hello again! Well, I've had pretty good luck with my Crabber, but I seem to have hit a bit of a wall. I can run +2/8 but when bosses start to spawn, they always seem to over whelm me. Here is the current build I am running. I tried to make it Tanky with Perma-pets and focused on the ranged crab-pack attacks. http://www.cohplanner.com/mids/download.php?uc=1488&c=675&a=1350&f=HEX&dc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have all the IOs here except the super expensive ones, which I am currently saving up for. So ignore Ragnarok, Soulbound Allegiance, and Apolocypse. I DO have the superior AT ones though, the Superior Spider Bite and Superior Domination of Arachnos. Started working on Incarnates too. Right now I run cardio or muscleature, swapping between them sometimes. I also have Ageless and Warbot. All of them are Rank 1. Anyway, I pretty much breeze though anything but the bosses. They seem to just thrash me every time. Can anyone give any insight how to get over this wall? Because I dont think its a damage issue. I just go from pretty much full health to SPLAT, and I'll be darned to figure out why. Thanks bunches

Bit late, but after reading the thread I was inspired to try out the build Crysis put up. And I hate to say it, but the results are... disappointing. Shes more or less a fresh 50, with most of the IO's listed. All but the 25m/slot ones. Her defense is around 55%. But its not her defense thats the issue, or the support. Its her damage. Her damage is so low that she struggles on +1/8, and I am struggling to figure out how to get past this point. I have all the IOs for support and defenses, and I am working on the ones for my assault bot at the moment. Playstyle - I usually leave my pets on BG mode, unless I see priority targets then I put command the assualt and battle bots to focus them down. I keep Powered Farsight up, haste, chrono shift. I also keep down distortion fields and slowed responses, and use Chrono Shift as necessary. But I think I have the style down, but is this just not a solo friendly setup? Because Ive left to make a cup of coffee before and returned, and my bots are still fighting the same group of mobs. Ive had farsight and so on come off cooldown. Anyway, any insight to this please? Suggested Incarnates? Is this more or less a group only build or will it be able to solo harder content later on? I am just concerned about sinking any more infamy into this build without confirmation that it will be able to run with the big boys later on. Thanks bunches.

Yes. to all. I ran bots/ff for a bit, and you only need to cast them once to affect them all now which is great. You still need to reapply the upgrade and force field to each one, and repair still only affects one pet. I am not sure what else works this way though, but the upgrade powers and force fields work that way.

Hello everyone! I've been playing around with this AT, and have a few questions for the people in the know please. My Soldier is only 12 or so, but shes moving along! 1. Perma-pets - I've read on other posts here that its possible with the right IO's, but how effective are they? Can they fight effectively at higher difficulties or are they basically speed bumps? 2. Toughy-crabby - I perfer tougher characters in games (I hate being glass cannon), so how durable can this AT be made to be? Is it similar to Brute level toughness or is it more like scrapper or stalker? 3. Crabby-role - I am trying to understand the Crabber's "role" in team play. It looks like it has some yummy group buffs, but what else does it bring to the table? Does it fulfill a niche? 4. Crabby damage - How much oomph does a decent crabber have? Is it a hammer or is it a limp noodle? 5. Crabby-cosmetic - is the Crab-pack "required", or can you remove it and still use powers later? 6. Melee or Guns - is there a superior way to build? Energy guns or Spiderleg stabbing? What I am sort of hoping for is to make a Crabber who is tough, has permapets (if thats worthwhile!), with buffs for its pets and team mates but specializes in the ranged attacks/guns, or the melee, depending which is better. Thank you in advance Crabbers! I had more questions but most of them have already been answered in other posts. Happy hunting!

i just made one of these (sword and shield) and im loving the style. it feels sort of tanky, though im only level 40 so far. still unsure what incarnates to go with, and i do wish i could sneak flight into the final setup just for convince. i just wish it had a bit of AoE. even just one or two besides that baby one from Broadsword. She is my first stalker though, and more often than not my placate fails. it doesnt rehide me, mabye i have it slotted wrong? its mostly for +hit i think.

Hello out there! I am just hoping to get some feedback for a build I am working on. She is a Radiation/Bio armor scrapper. She is currently 43 and things are going well! But I am not sure if I have any "holes" in my defenses or if I missed something would be a big help. So please feel free to point those out if i missed something! This is in no way final. Here's her powerset picks - Level 50 Tech Scrapper Primary Power Set: Radiation Melee Secondary Power Set: Bio Armor Power Pool: Flight (1 power) Power Pool: Fighting (3 powers) Power Pool: Speed (1 power) Power Pool: Leadership (1 power) Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery (2 powers) Hero Profile: Level 1: Contaminated Strike Level 1: Hardened Carapace Level 2: Radioactive Smash Level 4: Inexhaustible Level 6: Fusion Level 8: Radiation Siphon Level 10: Environmental Modification Level 12: Evolving Armor Level 14: Flight Level 16: Ablative Carapace Level 18: Irradiated Ground Level 20: Adaptation Level 22: Boxing Level 24: Tough Level 26: Devastating Blow Level 28: DNA Siphon Level 30: Weave Level 32: Atom Smasher Level 35: Genetic Contamination Level 38: Parasitic Aura Level 41: Haste Level 44: Focused Accuracy Level 47: Physical Perfection Level 49: Assault Level 1: Brawl -- Level 1: Critical Hit Level 1: Prestige Power Dash Level 1: Prestige Power Slide Level 1: Prestige Power Quick Level 1: Prestige Power Rush Level 1: Prestige Power Surge Level 1: Sprint Level 2: Rest Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift Level 2: Health Level 2: Hurdle Level 2: Stamina Level 50: (undecided!) Notes- 1. I do have the hero builder program, but I am posting this from a work computer and so I don't have access to it right now. 2. Still figuring out enhancements, as far as what needs to go where. I also have zero experience with IO sets and so on. She is currently using a full set of 35 IOs that scale so I can save money for high level stuff. And there are so many sets that I am a bit overwhelmed by them. I plan on having a sit down with friends and figuring out which sets I need to shoot for. But right now she doesn't have any. 3. 50 alpha slot - No idea what would be good here. And I've never unlocked it so I'm not sure what would be good. Questions- 1. Are there too many toggle powers? By my count this has 9 toggle powers. I am not sure if that is "too many" or if that would be fine with the right enhancements. 2. Is this balanced? I tried to keep a good balance of offense vs defense. I wanted to have both "enough" offense and defense if possible, but I am willing to swap things out like Assault if something is missing. And would this have enough offense and defense, or would it be squishy or does it a hole somewhere that I am overlooking? 3. Am I missing anything important? Feel free to point it out and maybe we can squeeze it in! One thing I love is how helpful the community is with the veterans giving guidance to new people like me. I am really looking forward to unlocking incarnates and running with the big heroes with this one! Thanks bunches in advance!

Hello everyone, I am hoping for some advice/imput on my planned Claws/Bio Armor build. This is my first time doing this, so I'm still sort of learning here. Also I don't have enhancements planned out yet either, because I have no idea what the end sets are for this sort of setup or what all is even possible. More or less I just want to make sure my primary powers check out before figuring out where to go from there. Advice from there is welcome! This will be a rebuild, but she is level 41 right now. I also have zero experience with Ancilliary Pools and Patron powers yet. But I do have some spare slots and things I can change out if there is something thats "should have" that I am missing. My goals are - To be able to do Decent damage, but I do sort of want to be a bit on the tougher side of brutes, able to offtank if necessary or even run point on teams. But i do definately want to be able to take some hits if push comes to shove. It doesnt have to be able to speed run or AOE farm or anything like that. More or less be able to roll with the hits on team content if need be. Anyway, please let me know how this looks and if there are any glaring things I missed or what could be changed. I also have a few spare power slots that I'm not sure what to do with, and I'm not sure which I should take on the Slash/Taunt level. Thanks bunches in advance, and I am sorry its incomplete. Its all new to me. Level 50 Tech Brute Primary Power Set: Claws Secondary Power Set: Bio Armor Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Flight Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: ??? Villain Profile: Level 1: Swipe Level 1: Hardened Carapace Level 2: Inexhaustible Level 4: Environmental Modification Level 6: Spin Level 8: Follow Up Level 10: Evolving Armor Level 12: Hasten Level 14: Boxing Level 16: Tough Level 18: Weave Level 20: Adaptation Level 22: Flight Level 24: Slash (or Taunt?) Level 26: Eviscerate Level 28: DNA siphon Level 30: Maneuvers Level 32: Shockwave Level 35: Genetic Contamination Level 38: Parasitic Aura Level 41: Tactics Level 44: ??? Level 47: ??? Level 49: ???