Story Archer

And Claws gets that increased Crit. chance for its T8, it's highest damage attack capable of hitting multiple foes at once.

Just throwing this out there - while I personally prefer Scrappers to Brutes, I find that Resistance-based armors and sets with heals both generally do better with Brutes due to their higher base Health and higher Res caps. I'm also going to strongly encourage that you grab the Energy Mastery APP and slot Stamina, Superior Conditioning and Physical Perfection all with the Performance Shifter +END proc, because Dark is hell on Endurance. As another option, the Theft of Essence chance for +END proc can also be effective when slotted in either of Dark/Dark's heals. I personally think that damage auras are a bit over-rated most of the time, and Dark Melee isn't as AoE gimped as it once was if you proc out Touch of Fear and side step or back step occasionally when using Shadow Maul - it's wider arc really make a difference. I'm not saying that you shouldn't try it out, but if you don't feel like it's giving you the bang for the buck that you want, don't hesitate to respec out of it. On many characters, I've actually gotten much better mileage out of a proc'ced out Spring Attack because it frontloads the damage and a FF +RECH proc can help get back some of your longer clickies that much faster. Lastly, with no DDR, chasing defense is only going to give you moderate returns, but it can still be an effective strategy - just consider eventually pairing it with the Ageless Radial Epiphany Incarnate to compliment the effort.

I've never played TW, so I wasn't sure. I left MA out because this particular question was Scrapper-centric, but yeah, Storm Kick is a STRONG benefit for the beefier guys. I'd be a lot more tempted to play MA because of it, but for some reason I just hate the T9 animation so much...

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but for newer players considering this thread, offensive power sets that provide additional defense (Katana, Broadsword and Staff) provide particularly good synergy with Resistance-based defensive sets (Bio, Dark, Electric, Fire, Rad, etc.). Dark Melee can also do this, but in a different, less consistent way. If you take the Soul Mastery Epic Power Pool, you gain access to Shadow Meld, who's huge but brief bonus to Defense will give you the chance to get in there and get your +DEF offensive powers up and running.

Just tossing this out there - Ninjitsu also has a nice little +Stealth component which, when combined with something like a +Stealth Celerity IO in Sprint makes you almost undetectable. Very useful for stealthing missions which can be a valuable asset, especially if you solo a lot.

It's funny how different people's play experiences vary. My first 50 was a SR/Dark Tanker and I thought that was the most boring character I'd ever played. The animations for Shadow Punch, Smite and Touch of Fear couldn't be more generic and I felt like I spent literally half the game rooted in the Shadow Maul animation. Meanwhile with Claws I have a ranged attack, a ranged cone attack, a melee AoE attack and a very cool animation heavy hitter in Eviscerate, plus I've been able to make some of the coolest costume options that I could never hope to have made with DM. Different strokes, I guess, but that's one of the things that makes this game so great.

It's 117.5% without Hasten and has the T4 Ageless Incarnate. [Lady Wormwood] alt.mbd

At the moment my final build has +117.5% global recharge, and I generally try to pop the Ageless Incarnate (topped out) whenever it is up. I haven't had any problems maintaining perma-Dom, but that sounds about right, doesn't it? That should be enough to reliably maintain it barring extraordinary circumstances?

I've played about a dozen Scrappers to 50 over the years and my favorite one for most of that time was my Dual Blades/Ninjitsu. I can't say enough about that build and all the things I like about it. However, my aversion to Bio-Armor stemmed from my personal distaste for its visuals and my failure to fully appreciate how Absorb shields worked. Having discovered that there was a 'minimal FX' option for Bio Armor, I finally gave it a shot (Claws/Bio-Armor), and I have to say she's become my favorite Scrapper and one of my top two favorite builds of all time. She is just so, so very lethal. I've got her maxed out now and I just can't stop playing her, so much so that I've made her my 'new' badger just to have a reason to always have her out. Her survivability is great, she's not as 'clicky' on defense as I feared (I don't care for high-maintenance defenses), but I think the thing I like most about her is her efficiency and versatility in combat. Having a fast-recharging ranged attack (with KD to boot) as part of your regular attack chain is such a big deal for melee types. My standard attack chain is incredibly tight, regardless of whether I'm fighting single targets or groups. vs. hard targets: Follow Up -> Eviscerate -> Focus vs. groups: Follow Up -> Eviscerate -> Spin I open with Shockwave on my way in, maybe popping Shadow Meld if I think it's necessary and then it's just lather, rinse repeat, with Genetic Contamination cooking all the while. I had thought to include Cross Punch in my attack chain (it's an incredibly under-appreciated power imo), but there's neither any room nor any need for it. Crits just rain down. Strike and Moonbeam aren't even in my power tray, unless I'm exemping down. See build below, if anyone's curious or wants to comment. [Ladyshrike] alt (1).mbd

New to Sentinels and not sure what pitfalls there are to avoid... TIA. [Killa Hurtz] alt.mbd

It's right there at perma (0.2 seconds off, not counting for casting time), but the Ageless Incarnate more than puts it over the top.

Tossing in another approach, just to give you some different things to consider. Dominator (Plant Control - Fiery Assault) L50 alt.mbd I'm going against the grain a little bit by not taking Hasten, Blazing Bolt or Fly Trap and slotting Strangler for damage. My plan is to use a steady rotation of Strangler, Fire Blast and Blaze for my single-target attacks. Blazing Bolt's recharge is too long and it's endurance cost too high imo. My global +Rech without Hasten is 110% which should be adequate to keep Perma-Dom, with the Ageless Incarnate essentially serving as a stand-in and keeping my Endurance up. I'd like to have my Ranged Defense a little higher (35.6%), since I plan to run with Hover/Evasive Maneuvers, but I feel like I'd have to give up too much in the places where I can do it. This is definitely going to be my most expensive build yet, but hey - it's only influence.

Is there any difference between slotting a 'Slow' damage proc and an 'Immob' damage proc?

This is, of course, discounting the benefits of the Ageless Incarnate. I'll have to experiment with Ageless to see what it would need to be if I wanted to use it in place of Hasten. I'm building a Fire/Plant/Fire, and the version of my post-50 build without Hasten has 117.5% global recharge. Wanting Seeds and Rain of Fire available as often as possible and Creepers perma'ed, the instinct was to go with perma-Hasten, but Ageless does the trick to close those gaps and offers more besides. Presumably between the Endurance bar refilling when Domination pops and the +Recovery from Ageless, I shouldn't have any Endurance issues. On a side note - do you know anything about Fiery Orb? I was thinking about putting it in my sixth Creepers slot, but I'm not sure if the proc fires when I use the ability or if it procs like the other damage procs do, continuously throughout its activation... [Lady Wormwood].mbd This is the build, just to put it out there. It's looking like it'll be my most expensive build ever, with 6 purple sets plus, but hey - it's only influence, right? Note: Build updated 04/17 to reflect actual in-game post-50 build.

If you don't take Hasten, what amount of global recharge do you need to make Domination perma?

Here's a truly bad@ss Fire/Atomic Blaster (the best primary and the best secondary imo). Soft-capped Ranged defense and Hover/Flight ftw! [Starsprite].mbd

These are two pretty confusing powers individually, but in concert? Way past my pay grade. And is Fiery Orb ever a worthwhile consideration? I've never used it and never seen it used. I'm currently slotting Creepers like this (see below) and I'm trying to decide on that final slot. Right now it's between another damage proc (like Ice Mistral's Torment or Explosive Strike) or a wild card like Fiery Orb. Carrion Creepers: Trap of the Hunter (ACC/Rech) Trap of the Hunter (Lethal proc) Javelin Volley (Lethal proc) Bombardment (Fire proc) Positron's Blast (Energy proc) [Empty]

Thank you - the text describing it as granting a damage bonus was one of the things that was confusing me. The ToHit bonus seems like a non-factor with its relatively limited duration, so basically it's the increased duration and magnitude of your mez effects as well as protection from mez effects yourself. Does anyone know its duration/recharge? It seems a little bit confusing, the fact that the bar empties when it does and needs to be refilled, but the power also needs +recharge. From what I can tell, it needs about 100% recharge to stay perma, but you really need Hasten to be perma for that to be consistent - is that right? And if there's nothing to attack/mez, then there's nothing to refill it regardless of whether it's up or not, correct?

Unenhanced Duration & Recharge, Damage bonus, etc.? Mids has it wrong. TIA.

For those enjoying this thread: my updated 'pre-50' Plant/Fire/Fire Dom with perma-dom, featuring NO Hami-O's or purple IO sets. Budget friendly(ish) and ready to rock, he got me through levels 1 - 50 and has held me in good stead while I save up for my suite of purps. Dominator (Plant Control - Fiery Assault) pre-50.mbd

Take a look at this, please, and tell me what you think. [Lady Wormwood].mbd I'm going against the grain a little bit by not taking Hasten or Fly Trap. My global +Rech without Hasten is 117.5% which should be more than enough to keep Perma-Dom, with the Ageless Incarnate essentially serving as a stand-in for Hasten and keeping my Endurance up rather than draining it. I plan to run with Hover & Evasive Maneuvers most of the time, so I figure 38% range defense will hold me in good stead. This is definitely going to be my most expensive build yet, but hey - it's only influence. Note: I updated this build and this post on 4/16.

Rad/Stone was my first L50 Tanker and I still love him. Shield/Stone seems intriguing, I could definitely see myself experimenting with that, especially since my Rad/SS is getting all my Tanker love these days and she doesn't exactly play like a 'traditional' Tanker. I personally prefer Bio on Scrappers & Stalkers, though.

I'm seriously considering a DM/Bio Scrapper. I feel like it could be a real boss...

I'm sorry, I'm just seeing this. If you're still interested, this is an updated version of what a 'no budget' Kin/Sonic Defender would like like if I were building it. There are many knowledgeable and experienced folks on these boards who might offer a different perspective, and I've always learned a lot from them so (if any of you are glancing in) I'd love to hear it! Basically on offense, your primary focus is, of course, FS and even without Hasten this build will have it up for you every 20-25 seconds. After that, you either chain together your three cones at groups or chain together your three single target attacks at the hardest target in the room, applying Transfusion & Transference if or as needed. Between fights you refreshen everyone's Speed Boost and Increase Density. In my opinion, Kin/Sonic is one of the best post-50 builds because so many characters have their defenses and Endurance issues already figured out, and the most welcome assistance you can offer at that point is to speed everything up for everybody. 90% of the time that means keep them fighting at the damage cap and stack -Res debuffs on your enemies while staying alive yourself. Teleport gets you across the board in the fastest way possible and Teleport Target is so damned convenient on teams I really miss it when I don't have it. As for Incarnates: Cardiac Core Paragon increases the Range on your cones which can make a huge difference and helps you smooth out your potential Endurance issues. I like the Pyronic Core Final Judgement because of its fast activation speed and superior damage. As an alternative, the Void Radial Final Judgemenbt is a killer follow-up to Dreadful Wail and a very effective area-wide DeBuff when things get hairy. I find Degenerative Core Flawless Interface to be the most effective Interface option. Longbow Core Superior Ally is a powerful, complimentary Lore option, but if you like smaller Lore pets, I'd probably go with Talons of Vengeance Core Superior Ally. I selected the Barrier Core Epiphany Destiny to do my part on teams that like to try and rotate them. For Hybrid, I like the Assault Radial Core because you get more bang for your buck with it and none of the other Hybrids really benefit you all that much. [K-D1VA].mbd A couple of minor edits: I like to slot the Celerity Stealth IO in either my prestige slide and the Quickfoot Run speed/End Redux IO in the other, so I can toggle back and forth depending on whether I'm currently Stealthing it. Also, since I tend to only use Amplify in conjunction with Dreadful Wail, I've moved that Rech Redux IO from there to Fulcrum Shift to get it up a few seconds faster each time.

...plus having the added benefit of stacking Holds, just in case. It really is an amazing Tanker build. I remember how proud I was for having figured out all of the little synergies... and then I turned around and everybody else had figured out the exact same thing.