So about a year ago, I went full math-mode-hyperfocus on trying to find a way to improve /Regen without running into the pitfalls of either overhauling the entire set or simply throwing bigger numbers at the existing powers. This lead me on an overnight spreadsheet-creating bender so I could tweak numbers of the powers in different situations and to try modify or create powers so they could lend the set to more varied play styles. I wanted to create the opportunity for tailoring a character to either consistent healing that couldn't react quickly or for burst healing that required attention, or a mix of the two.
And after sinking hours upon hours into it... I had that moment of "everything I've come up with here is terrible and I suck" and shelved it... until today. So I present my original write up without much editing, since honestly I can't even remember half of the formulas I used to create the maths I refer to in it. Also available is the output numbers only version of the spreadsheet used, since it doesn't import properly into Google Sheets.
Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1twCZbPsAtPrWfLY15Xd13XBSG2dBl14rzo1K8VjmQAY/edit?usp=sharing
Original Write-up:
I read through all the different /Regen posts in this section, (reminder; original text is from a year ago) mostly to get a feel for ideas and the responses to them and to spend a little bit of time trying to crunch numbers and compare it against existing sets. The big thing I think that /Regen needs is options, because wholesale changing existing powers is going to upset as many people as it appeases. The addition of Practiced/Master Brawler in the Sentinel version of Super Reflexes was a good design choice for that set and would love to see more of these kinds of alternatives in other sets.
I've tried to keep my suggestions in line with that core thematic of Regeneration, recovering faster than anyone else. Many folks will point out that on Live, this meant they had little downtime in early issues, but as the game progressed and Endurance became less of a mechanic and more of a minor nuisance, /Regen lost a lot of it's identity.
With that concept in mind, I have added a fair bit of debuff resistance across the powers to keep this theme of recovering from damage and debilitation faster. In addition to this I've tried to take into consideration the experience of actual leveling up and playing with the set from level 1, not just what it will be able to do at incarnate levels with fully spec'd out IO builds.
Any scaling resistance numbers below are assumed at level 50 and any actual changes from current stats will be highlighted. These were all done with respect to Scrapper health values, they'll obviously result in a bit higher/lower actual HP per second for Brutes and Stalkers. Most resistance numbers have been taken from existing powers in other sets and modified to be lower so as not encroach on their niches too much.
Tier 1 - Fast Healing
Auto - Self
+75% Regeneration
+38.93% Res (-Regen) - Up from 26% (Level Scales)
+50% Regen (Scales from +0% at 100% health to max at 50% health) (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements)
It's a tier 1 auto power, so Fast Healing was never meant to blow anything out of the water but I do feel that since the analogues in the more recent sets are just objectively more interesting, it needs just a bit of polish to make it stand out from the crowd. Is it numerically better than them? Absolutely, but the majority of the bonus added is conditional and not enhanceable, which will help in low level play but won't factor as much into later levels.
Tier 2 - Reconstruction
Click - Self - 1m Recharge
10.40 End
+15% Absorption - Replaces the 25% heal
+100% Regeneration for 10 seconds
+200% Regeneration for 10 seconds (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements)
+15% Res(Toxic) for 1m
Good ol' Reconstruction is the bread and butter of /Regen, and while anyone should be loath to change it too much this is one of the only powers I have actually made large mechanical changes to, but for good reason. One of my own personal problems with Reconstruction is how often in team play, you end up hitting it only to see a support archetype heal you up anyway, wasting it and potentially having it on cooldown when you need it later.
While this is not frequently a big issue, it just feels bad and these changes would mean that you can't waste it by over healing and you have a short buff to help with any further damage which scales with +HP buffs. It moves the power away from just being a panic button to something you might even use on cooldown in some situations for the Toxic resistance.
I also think it fits the name better, because when I hear "Reconstruction" I think of something being put back together piece by piece, so over time specifically. I did consider making it a heal-over-time instead of +Regen buff, but I feel focusing on the regeneration aspect of the set made more sense.
Tier 3 - Quick Recover
Auto - Self
+30% Recovery Rate
+34.6% Res (-End, -Recovery) (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements)
I know some people like to just merge this into Fast Healing, but I feel it's still reasonable for what it is and only needed a little boost in line with my earlier design philosophy to improve the actual utility of the power by providing similar resistances to what exists in other early auto powers. These changes would be worth propagating to the other versions of this power as well in my opinion.
Tier 4 - Integration - Swapped with Dull Pain
Toggle - Self - 10s Recharge
0.26/s End
+10000.00% Res (Knockup, Knock)
10.00 Protection (Knockup, Knock)
10.38 Protection (Hold, Immobilize, Stun, Sleep)
+35% Res (Confuse, Terrorize) (Level Scales)
+100% Regeneration (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements)
+150% Regeneration
I've swapped around Dull Pain and Integration to bring /Regen in line with other sets that have their mez protection at Tier 4 and because pound for pound, it gives better overall HP/s than Dull Pain does at this level (without enhancement, Hasten, etc). It's here I should probably state my bias in that I absolutely loathed the meta reliance on Hasten on Live and just as much now, so that also fueled this choice.
As for actual numbers, I've tried to bring Integration up towards the levels that Willpower's Rise to the Challenge has, but not quite what that one gets at maximum targets. I'd considered copying the per-target mechanic here, but that would be adding just a bit too much function to this toggle for the cost.
Tier 5 - Dull Pain - Swapped with Integration
Click - Self - 6m Recharge
10.40 End
+20% Hit Points for 2m (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements)
+20% Hit Points for 2m
+15% Absorption - Replaces 20% Heal
+25.95% Res (-Regen) (Level Scales)
Dull Pain is a power that when active effectively provides a roughly 40% (or more) increase to healing provided by all other +Regen buffs, making it practically a required choice if you want any real survivability. Because most people will use it on cooldown the heal is often wasted, so changing it out for an Absorption buff will improve the utility it has as damage mitigation and is a bit more appropriate for the name. This buff is slightly less than the heal because (theoretically) while it's up, you've got time for your actual regeneration to make up the difference.
I'd considered changing the recharge rate, but so that it wouldn't effect existing builds too much (either positively or negatively) I decided against this despite my previously mentioned bias. I wouldn't want to disadvantage folks who have already built around having it near-or-fully perma just because I don't like to play that way.
The added debuff resistance is to maintain parity with the mutually exclusive alternative Tier 5 below.
Tier 5 MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE ALTERNATIVE - Steeled Resolve
Toggle - Self - 10s Recharge
AoE - 8 ft Radius - 10 targets
0.26/s End
+22.5% Hit Points
+25.95% Res (-Regen) (Level Scales)
+4.69% Res (All Damage)
+0.938% Res (All Damage, per target)
+300% Taunt on targets
This one is designed more with Brutes in mind to help them control groups, but it's just as important for Scrappers when they have to fill that role of the frontline fighter in parties without someone to tank. The resistance numbers are equivalent to Resilience at max targets and overall it provides a bit less mitigation than Dull Pain, but it is more consistent by being a toggle. Having +Res and +Hit Points on the same power does put it in a bit of awkward place in regards to slotting with IOs, but I think that wouldn't detract from the usefulness.
In higher level play where your defenses may be capped fairly often by outside buffs it falls off in comparison, but it removes the reliance on a large amount of global cooldown to keep Dull Pain active. Even for people who prefer Dull Pain, it might be worth taking while leveling and respec'ing over afterwards.
Tier 6 - Resilience
Auto - Self
+173% Res (Stun) (Level Scales)
5.19 Protection (Stun) - Removed
+9,38% Res (All Damage)
+25.95% Res (-Regen) (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements) (Scales from +0% at 100% health to max at 50% health) (Level Scales)
+19.6% Res (-Perception, -Def, -Speed, -Recharge, -End, - Recovery) (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements) (Scales from +0% at 100% health to max at 50% health) (Level Scales)
Resilience is a love-it-or-leave-it power for a lot of people, especially considering the previously mentioned defense/resistance capping at high level. The stun protection removal is because I feel like it's a hold over from when toggles used to drop instead of suppress during mezzes and just isn't required anymore, the mez resistance is enough. The extra added debuff resistances are there to fit the name of the power, being resilient to all forms of attack.
You might have noticed I'm a fan of buffs that scale off Hit Points, that's because I think it adds an interesting dynamic to the use of the set in that being at maximum HP is no longer "optimal" and encourages you to think if popping a green insp is worth doing against an enemy that is using a lot of debuffs.
Tier 7 - Instant Healing
Click - Self - 10m 50s Recharge
10.40 End
+600% Regeneration - 1m 30s (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements)
+200% Regeneration - 1m 30s
+25.95% Res (-Regen) - 1m 30s (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements) (Level Scales)
15% Heal
And now we come to the big ticket item that everyone has an opinion about. I like Instant Healing as a panic button style of power, but it doesn't live up to that namesake of being Instant Healing, so adding some up-front healing to it helps in those few situations where you end up face-planting immediately after activating it. I had considered reducing the recharge time, but doing so brings it far too close to turning into a perma-buff for my liking.
I haven't entirely sold myself on adding even more -Regen resistance to the set, so that is absolutely up for scrutiny.
Tier 7 MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE ALTERNATIVE - Dynamic Healing
Auto - Self
-30% Recovery (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements) (Scales from +0% at 100% health to max at 50% health)
+100% Regeneration (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements) (Scales from +0% at 100% health to max at 50% health)
+150% Regeneration (Scales from +0% at 100% health to max at 50% health)
+25.95%% Res (-Regen) (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements) (Scales from +0% at 100% health to max at 50% health) (Level Scales)
To quote Ralph Wiggum, this is the passive "Haha, I'm in danger" alternative to Instant Healing's "OH GOD NO" vibe. I had considered making this a toggle, but I feel the -Recovery kicking in as the power scales up has the feeling of the super's power responding to the situation. This was ultimately the power I had in mind while adding the scaling stats to the other powers, so it has synergy with them to enhance that "flirting with danger" play style that I feel /Regen already has with the current powers.
It's also designed with the people who hate click powers in mind, which is why I've tried to keep it balanced around Instant Healing based on the recharge, but it's a tricky thing to think about when you add in the health scaling. At maximum buff it does outdo Instant Healing a little, but that's also without taking +Recharge global buffs into consideration.
Tier 8 - Revive
Click - Self - 5m Recharge
0 End
50% Heal
25% Absorption
50 Endurance
10 mag Untouchable - 15s (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements)
50 mag Immobolise - 4s (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements)
I personally find no real use for Revive outside of the obvious times you get yourself downed and niche scenarios of running ahead to take an alpha strike, then reviving to keep focus for a further 15 seconds. The changes I've made are just to benefit any +Healing/Absorb enhancements that someone might decide to chuck in the power so it doesn't cap out the actual Heal part with a single SO.
Tier 8 MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE ALTERNATIVE - Burst of Vitality
Toggle - Self - 10m 50s Recharge
0.78/s End
-10.40 Endurance (Activates at 15% Hit Points)
15% Heal (Activates at 15% Hit Points)
2% Heal - 8s (tic rate every 2s, 10% total) (Ignores Buffs/Enhancements) (Activates at 15% Hit Points)
Power goes on cooldown after activation
I designed this one to be a mixture of proactive and reactive play, giving you the option to activate it early if you think you're in danger or hit it at the most opportune moment to avoid the high endurance drain. It also has an equivalent recharge rate to Instant Healing, adding another panic button to the deck for those that enjoy that kind of thing. Either way, it retains the situational usefulness that Revive provides in this tier.
It won't save you if you're sorely outmatched, but it might be enough to give you time to activate your other powers to pull yourself back from the brink.
Tier 9 - Moment of Glory
Click - Self - 4m Recharge
100 Protection (Knockup, Knock, Repel) -15s
1000% Res (Knockup, Knock, Repel) - 15s
+100% Recovery - 15s
+71.25% Defense - 15s (All but Psionic, Toxic)
+71.25% Res (All but Psionic) - 15s
+23.75% Res (Psionic) - 15s
17.30 Protection (Hold, Stun, Sleep) -15s
20.76 Protection (Immobilize) - 15s
MoG is perfectly fine as a Tier 9 power and is unique enough that I don't believe it needs any substantial changes or an alternative. The addition of a little bit of Psionic resistance (a third of the others) is pure preference to give it a little more coverage, but really it doesn't need it to improve /Regen overall.
The Incredible Janky Table of Maths (Hopefully)
Notes:
"Enhanced" numbers assume a 90% boost to relevant numbers as a rough estimate (for simplicity sake)
The mitigation provided by the damage resistance in Steeled Resolve is not represented in these tables, but it is very roughly an improvement of 10% to effective HP
The Auto part of "Auto+Integration" refers to the existing auto powers such as Fast Healing and Reslience and the columns after include those values their stats
As stated earlier, Max Health numbers are taken from Scrapper AT
Regeneration and Max Health benefits provided by click powers are expressed as their output when active, not as an average stretched out over their active and inactive durations
I am trusting my past self has mathed out everything correctly, so while the toggle/auto alternatives of existing powers may appear to have lower HP/s in these tables, they are on par with the benefits provided by existing powers when looked at over a longer time period and vice-versa (factoring in recharge rates makes it all very wibbly wobbly)
Current Live Build Stats
Instant Healing + Dull Pain
Unenhanced
Enhanced
Auto+Integration
Instant Healing
Dull Pain
IH+DP
Auto+Integration
Instant Healing
Dull Pain
IH+DP
Max Health
1338.6
1874.04
1874.04
1338.6
2114.99
2114.99
Regeneration
225.00%
1025.00%
1025.00%
382.50%
1362.50%
1362.50%
HP/s
18.13
62.75
25.38
87.85
26.91
81.57
42.52
128.88
Changes
Instant Healing + Dull Pain
Unenhanced
Enhanced
Auto+Integration
Instant Healing
Dull Pain
IH+DP
Auto+Integration
Instant Healing
Dull Pain
IH+DP
Max Health
1338.6
1874.04
1874.04
1338.6
2114.99
2114.99
Regeneration
375.00%
1175.00%
1175.00%
577.50%
1557.50%
1557.50%
HP/s
26.49
71.11
37.09
99.56
37.79
92.45
59.7
146.07
Dynamic Healing + Steeled Resolve
Unenhanced
Enhanced
Auto+Integration
Dynamic Healing
Steeled Resolve
DH+SR
Auto+Integration
Dynamic Healing
Steeled Resolve
DH+SR
Max Health
1338.6
1639.79
1639.79
1338.6
1910.85
1910.85
Regeneration
375.00%
425.00%
425.00%
577.50%
650.00%
770.00%
HP/s
26.49
29.28
32.45
35.87
37.79
51.24
53.94
69.27
