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For moi: Almost all of the time the 'best' place for a Gaussian's %Build Up is in an actual "Build Up" (or "Aim") power, as those tend to have 90 second base recharge times, so the %proc rate will be at/near the 90% ceiling even with a full set of Gaussian's (or simply more recharge) slotted in it. There is a small corner case for (a) high-DPS characters that will be (b) surrounded by a lot of pets or allies to add the Gaussian's proc to a leadership toggle, as the more friendlies affected by the toggle the larger the chance for %Build Up. The only AT I would make this blanket recommendation for are Crabberminds, as they have a good damage scale and are likely to be nearby things to trigger the proc (and can trivially get a toggle to do this). I think it is a waste on Masterminds because of their very poor damage scales, even if they could have it trigger frequently. The (proc) effects of %Build Up are short, only 10 seconds IIRC. Of course you also have to HIT with whatever attacks would happen in that time. As for putting a %Build Up in an attack, I'd just use a %damage proc instead. The Proc rates will be 3.5 (or 4.5) better for %damage, and the damage will be applied directly to something you have already targeted and hit. AFAIK: The +Critical strikes isn't a blanket +50%, it only increases the chance of the existing Critical strike by 50% of the inherent value. So 2% would go to 3%, not 52%.

I don't mind the critter AI that makes them flee... but it is rather common to have a single critter (including minions!) run enormous distances for a long period of time... which I can almost tolerate, except that this happens on 'defeat all' and on certain maps there is no guarantee that they'll make it back to their spawn location in a time frame shorter than the cooling of the Earth's core. The two 'changes' I'd like to see (although I don't know how to implement either): #1 An enemy which has 'run' ought to have a second (delayed?) timer that has them 'run' back to their spawn location, rather than the leisurely stroll they often take. #2 Flying enemies should have travel suppression, or some other mechanic, that keeps them from rocketing great distances. For an open-world example of just how far fliers can get, and sometimes become 'lost': The Grim Vale event demonstrates that the Cabal can (a) end up just about anywhere, even when NOT pursuing players (b) is a contributing factor as to why there is an asymmetry in outcomes favoring team pumpkin when no players are involved... since the witches will scatter wide making it easier for team punpkin's AoEs to wipe out team irons.

Here is my general impression on self-heals for ATs with 'armor' sets (melee, Sentinels): #1 By the time you need a self-heal, it is probably too late to make a difference. If a player thinks they are going to need self-healing, there are two pieces that absolutely should be added to the build first. The Preventive Medicine %Absorb and the Reactive Defenses %Scaling Damage Resistance. Those uniques will kick in once a character starts taking damage, and will generally buy a player more time to consider the next step. #2 There is an opportunity cost for pursuing a self-heal just to have a self-heal. The best "power pool self-heals" IMO are those in power pools that include powers that will be both useful and likely to be used. My clear favorite is Force of Will: it has a solid travel power (that requires no extra slots) and a nice debuff (that also requires no extra slots). The single-target ranged attack is IMO meh, but the AoE cone is also excellent. Experimentation isn't bad, but I don't like the travel power. Presence probably offers the most useful of the 'self heals', as it doubles as a damage boost and self-rez, but the choices to unlock it are mediocre (at best). I have used the Medicine pool, but pretty much only for very limited periods of time (e.g. low-level Masterminds running xN content) or as a mule for the %Absorb piece. It's quite a miserable choice otherwise IMO. As for Epics? We're somewhat at the mercy of the ATs. The ATs with access to Rise of the Phoenix have it best IMO. It's not a self-heal, but for as often as I've seen self-heals choke/not prevent defeat it may as well be one.

Just a short comment on Parry. I'd slot the Kismet +ToHit piece (possibly along with 5x Scrapper Strike) here before using the power as a mule for LotG Def/+Recharge. The LotG isn't a bad choice, and the Kismet could go into something like Combat Jumping at an early level, but so could LotG! You need to make at least one Parry attack every 2 minutes to get the Kismet bonus. My personal preference for Scrappers is to have 3 primary attacks for content like Positron TFs (i.e. before level 15) and getting the extra ToHit is almost always valuable. If a player is exclusively focused on an attack chain (at all levels) without Parry, obviously the Kismet piece won't be a good choice. Short comments on Soul Mastery. This is an easy choice of epic/patron pool for me. I use it often (but not exclusively) Moonbeam is an easy choice of ranged attack. It offers an off-brand damage type to most Scrapper offense. If saves me the trouble of moving to engage something otherwise out-of-range. Since it is a choice in the 30s, it has a wide range of enhancement set choices with an equally wide range of potential set bonuses. I always 5-slot it, sometimes 6. Shadow Meld is a fine addition to Scrappers that don't have a focus on Defense. I tend not to rely on it, its just a bonus. Also, it can mule the LotG piece! (among others) I find it doesn't need more than 2 slots to work for me.

Keep in mind... And that Nova Form is available really early, giving Kheldians access to more ranged attacks at a level sooner than any other AT (originally, before prestige attacks)... and that Knockback is a mitigation for the terrible defenses of Nova Form. Nova Form makes Kheldians OP, but only for a very limited level range of content, and those are levels that many players breeze right past! @Jason0162 point is a good one. On the days of Live, Kheldians were really quite good using the non-human forms at the levels those forms are available... since Live (on HC) players can get access to their higher tier powers earlier in the build (all ATs) so it isn't like a Dwarf form with all its tricks at level 20 is going to seem all that impressive when a Tanker/Brute/Scrapper isn't going to have to wait much longer (in terms of levels) to get an even more impressive choice of powers. I find it disappointing, but the price Kheldians pay for getting a suite of powers with one form pick is that those powers never get any better, except with slots.

Every time I've ever had an issue doing a respec inside a SG base it was because I had some sort of other window (e.g. base storage) open when I tried the respec. I'm convinced that the advice to "leave the base" is ultimately just removing the temptation/opportunity to have such other windows open.

Writing only for myself (and definitely not @Nemu ) players can pursue whatever set bonuses they want. I don't think players who pursue +3.75% S/L bonuses are getting it 'wrong', as it is clear they want those bonuses. My personal opinion is that putting 2+ more slots into a power (that may or may not be used, except as a mule) is often a poor return-on-investment for 'surviving' or quality-of-life considerations. The Defense/Resistance discussion is complicated, in my perception, often these types of builds look like (to me) they are not just from the days of Live, but from the days of Live when folks still hadn't completely embraced Enhancement Diversification. It is also very hard to have a conversation about "surviving" content because there is such a wide variety of it at all levels. Folks can look at a my build suggestions and point out what they see as inefficient or poorly considered, and they do! That isn't going to stop me from boosting Damage pieces in a 5-or-6-slotted Purple set just to get the tiniest more DPA, or continue to pursue/achieve perma-Domination without Hasten, or argue against folks recommending single-target %damage attacks on Masterminds with a full suite of Henchmen, or whatever.

If you are using a "DPS TOOL", I am having trouble imagining that it is more valuable to be using it in the open world instead of on an instanced map. I also am having trouble believing that this is such a big deal (i.e. THE DATA IS SO IMPORTANT) that rando buffs from teh open world are more impor5tant than going through the temp powers list to make sure only the powers you want tested apply. Is the DPS TOOLS data vitally important at the Atlas Park Levels? Back Alley Brawler is also available in Atlas Park of course.

This takeaway confuses me, was the message received that it should be easier to get more resistance and defense bonuses for less effort?

I don't nit-pick posted builds' defense/resistance slotting, but I silently shake my head in disbelief at 5-slotting Luck of the Gambler, which is common enough (in posts) that I've seen some builds that make that choice more than once in the same build. I find this to be somewhat shocking on Tankers/Brutes that do that instead of adding one (or more!) Power Transfer %Heal to the build. It also seems weird (to me) that a build that adds extra slots to get one (or more) +3.75 S/L resistance bonus could usually get more Toxic/Psi (or Slow) resistance instead by making alternate choices with those slots. While I never chased uber-values of S/L resistance on any character, the original argument for doing this was IMO made significantly weaker when homecoming changed the way damage types/defenses worked.

From my own recollection, when using a second build on a VEAT (at or above level 24) is that the first time you work the build (which is NOT a respec) you start without having access to the different career paths until you get to level 24, at which point the game forces you to respec that build. It is annoying, but I've never had an issue with it. If for some reason you cannot do the (on the second build) respec, I suggest filling up your power picks and slots all the way to level 50 (on the new build) and then try the respec. This is a common mistake that I have made.

I haven't found /Traps to be a particularly slow secondary, at least not with level 50 build values of global recharge. My power choices are somewhat minimal: Caltrops is a reliable %damage power on cast, but not as a patch. Acid Mortar has an excellent range; I have the %-Res in it because that same piece is peppered in other attacks and when kept up is a reliable force multiplier FFG is a no-brainer. More HP for a MM is nice, but I prefered the straight-up +Defense boost. Poison Trap is a reliable %proc power, but it is too slow to cast IMO to add more %damage to it. I skip: Web Grenade (since the change to allowable starting secondary choices), as a single-target immobilize I find it to be too niche. Triage Beacon is also somewhat niche use. I find it useful when leveling up (for lower level content that is "turned up", or any "stand in place and fight" content) but not very useful over all because of base recharge time. Seeker Drones are cute, but pretty unreliable IMO. Trip Mine is a power I always skip. Primarily: I don't have slots for it! I dislike the need to drop them in place. It isn't a bad power at all, I just think it reinforces a slower-style of play even though its recharge time is very reasonable. I'm comfortable taking my "softcap defense" MM into melee contact, yet I still would worry about the interrupt/ Detonator is by all accounts, since the rework, a pretty good potential source of extra damage for MMs. I haven't used it for reasons. I'm pretty active with my MMs yet I don't think I have the mental bandwidth to keep an eye on the timer, and the henchmen, to select the most appropriate one to "detonate". My preferred enemies seem to fall into two categories: ones that I don't need the extra AoE to defeat, and ones that I'd probably prefer to have the henchmen lobbing damage at (and/or providing Bodyguard support).

For low level content (e.g. Positron TF), I find that it often isn't necessary to toggle on auras... and if they do help (Dark Embrace with Toxic damage, Murky Cloud for Energy) just have them slotted for Endurance reduction and slow down making your attacks while otherwise 'being a tank'. If you have any Inf, it isn't that costly to buy 8 hours of a Survival Amplifier at low levels.

There are powers that do take both Defense and Resistance pieces, and since Energy Aura powers offer Defense Debuff Resistance, I thought there was a good chance that the "low effort" suggestion was wrong. I agree with @Frosticus that Psi Meelee is more appealing (to me) on a Stalker; I think it leverages the Stalker ATO better than the Scrapper ATOs too. Energy Aura on Stalkers may be slightly less (build) efficient as I believe (because of Hide) it ends up swapping a Resistance auto power for a (IMO, meh) low magnitude, short duration Stun toggle. There are a few other slight differences, but nothing that couldn't be accounted for.

Psi-Melee is more-or-less slotting of sets, with the possible exception of Mass Levitate, which I usually franken-slot with %damage and some boosted Accuracy/Damage/Endurance, If you aren't reaching into a power pool for another AoE attack to use %damage in, I suppose Psi Blade Sweep could do this, but it has a small area of effect and an 8-second base recharge time so it is "bad for %procs". The animation times for Psi-Melee aren't (AFAIK) really conducive to the Critical Strike's proc... I'd include it but it would probably just be used as a rather complete set. I'm not a huge fan of Energy Aura on Scrappers(*1). It is a good set, but my experience is that solo against +Nx8 at end game it can fold fast. This could be the driver taking it through a lot of different content, but it is my experience. It is a layered set, and you will need to take each power. I suppose Energy Drain could be skipped, but it helps mitigate the use of other powers. The secondary will be a mix of Franken-slotting with sets. Note: AFAIK, None of the powers take both Resistance and Defense pieces.For me, this means slipping in useful globals where possible. I like the LotG global for +Recharge, so I've slotted 3xLotG for the +MaxHP bonus. I would recommend trying to work in some sort of self-heal (or self-Rez)... you will end up using Overload, and there will be times when you get overwhelmed if you turn things up. (*1) I find it works great on Sentinels, because Sentinels can start a combat from range. It would probably work just fine on Brutes, because of the larger base HP.

Only rarely have I ever seen the person starting the Nemesis version get into trouble. The MM kamikaze I was referring to was from a character asked to stand in the back, and it happened AFTER the talker had already returned to the back of the map. As noted above, pulling small groups is not a problem.

The wedding event is trivially to start, and not at all difficult to finish... I'm surprised that this is that big of a deal. I've been on teams where people didn't know what they were doing, and things didn't go the way they expected,,, but if *I* missed something on some character, it is pretty easy to solo everything but the Nemesis option. We recently had a couple of negative Nemesis spins, but ultimately those just became a waste of time. The misfires seem to com in two flavors: The team lacks DPS, or certain team-members just aren't engaged with combat (lazy multi-boxers? who can say) The team lolly gags and doesn't engage all the necessary enemies with enough time to defeat them. I wasn't happy that we failed, but I didn't think it was a personal insult or griefing... just players being human. In the cases I'm thinking of, we did warn folks what to expect, a best order of attack, and not to lay around dead when the hospital is a short hop from the mission door. We had one mission where someone summoned Lores, and put them on passive! We had another where a MM kamikazed the lower-ranked attendees, took a 4 minute dirt nap, finally zoned, and came back in and did not resummon henchmen. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

LOL yes!

The low PPM, short duration and low magnitude make the Cupid's Crush %proc an inferior choice (by itself). There may be corner cases for powers/henchmen/pets/pseudopets where it makes sense, but I think I'd always opt for Damage/KB-KD/%KD over Damage/%Confuse. As @Onlyasandwich notes, slots in the henchmen are at a premium! I certainly wouldn't sacrifice the Soulbound Allegiance %BuildUp piece for it.

Yes! Those work just fine. (Edit: as long as the exemplared level is not below the level where the set bonus would be lost) Some common "mistakes" I would see in the past were things like putting pieces like Power Transfer %Heal in a self-rez power (it only works for 2 minutes after the rez) or Kismet in a level 49 toggle (only works if the toggle is active (or 2 mins after it was last active).

Here is a graphic mock-up (sorry no Mids) of what I'd suggest as a starting point for a Dardevil Homage using Street Justice/Willpower: This would not be the "leveling up" build, but it would be similar... I would slip in the globals earlier. I delayed some powers to have Unleash Potential at level 20, and I feel like I should comment on this choice. The build has 'enough' attacks that the character won't be waiting around doing nothing. Some folks may not want to delay Crushing Uppercut. Depending on Endurance burn, I find that powers like Quick Recovery can often be delayed. Mileage may vary. This build will have perma-Hasten, which I know appeals to many players. I'm not crazy about the slotting of Rise to the Challenge, but that set bonus was needed for perma-Hasten (without relying on %+recharge) and the %Absorb piece had to go somewhere. I shifted the slotting of Maneuvers and Weave, for exemplaring. Daredevil homages may want the Concealment pool instead of Leadership.

I've exported my Scrapper build for you to take a look at. It is a pretty straightforward build IMO, it may have slightly too many attacks for pure efficiency, but it plays well across all content. build-StJWP-Scrap.txt For the Daredevil homage, I don't think there is a particularly good choice of Epic/Patron. Weapon Mastery hits the 'ninja' notes, Energy Mastery is a fine neutral choice with Focused Accuracy and Physical Perfection; neither of those requires many slots. If I was going to rework *this* build into a Daredevil homage, I'd probably drop the Sorcery pool and Soul Mastery to instead work in Force of Will: Mighty Leap as the travel power <- I like the slow resistance, but more slots might be available when dropping Soul Mastery for more choices. Weaken Resolve as the 'radar sense' to find weaknesses (this is a one-slot wonder IMO, with just Accuracy/Debuff or Accuracy/Recharge) Unleash Potential, franken-slotted with LotG (+recharge) ,3x Shield Wall (+res, boosted defense, boosted defense/recharge), and a boosted (or HO) Heal/Recharge If a couple more slots are available, I like 4x Unbreakable Guard for more Melee Defense (Tough currently has 2 slots) Perma-Hasten is nice, but not entirely necessary.

@Ironblade and @Andreah have explained best and made the best suggestion. For drops, x8 is best. The level adjustment is probably best at +0 or -1 (for speed). The main reason to not turn down difficulty is this: attacks which do knockdown against +0 enemies can turn into knockback against lower-con enemies. This may or may not slow down map clearing. Higher con enemies yield more XP/inf upon defeat, but the drop rates are unchanged. My personal experience with RNG at level 50 is that running something like a 4-part arc at +0x8 (solo) and defeating every enemy on "large-ish" maps has something close to a 50% chance of dropping a Very Rare or level 50 PVP recipe.