Easiest Patron Power Pool Arc?

[Clave Dark 5]

Hi all, I need to get access to a patron power pool.  Now, as I understand it, it doesn't matter which one you do as when you complete it far enough, you get access to all of them.  Since I'm looking at doing this with a Defender, which one's the easiest?

[Nyghtmaire]

Black Scorpion’s is often considered the most straightforward. All the usual recommendations apply - select lowest difficulty settings, use auto-complete for the singular kill-all, load up on defense skittles for the final EB (depending on your primary). The EB does nothing particularly noteworthy, being more along the lines of big blob of health. 

 

What is is your power set?

[Apparition]

Easiest?  Black Scorpion.  Most satisfying?  Captain Mako.  Nothing like giving Ace McKnight exactly what he has coming to him.

 

No, but seriously, Black Scorpion.  As was already pointed out, he's just a bag of HP.

[Itikar]

Remember also that you need to complete only the first of the arcs from your patron, not all of them, in order to unlock the pools. As for the difficulty, feel free also to ask for help on the LFG if you run into issues, there are many helpful players who will join your cause. 🙂

[Clave Dark 5]

Black Scorpion it is then, thanks!

[Lines]

Folks usually say BS, but there’s an outdoor hunt with arachnoids that can trip me up if I’m not ready for the debuffs.

 

I stormed through Mako’s arc recently, though. I think it will be my new go-to.

[Clave Dark 5]

8 hours ago, Lines said:

Folks usually say BS, but there’s an outdoor hunt with arachnoids that can trip me up if I’m not ready for the debuffs.

I didn't have to go that far to get the badge, so you can avoid that one next time.  Next time for me though, I'll Get Mako and see how that goes.  BS was OK I guess, but facing Malta was annoying.

[Cutter]

Tacking on to this since my google-fu failed me last night... does one have to be trained to 35 to get the arc, or just have dinged to 35? I'd rather not take a power I don't want at 35 and then have to respec, if possible...

[siolfir]

9 hours ago, Lines said:

Folks usually say BS, but there’s an outdoor hunt with arachnoids that can trip me up if I’m not ready for the debuffs.

That's the single kill-all that uses up a mission drop.

 

Or just go after them: it's annoying having to track them down, but it's just Crey and Arachnoids.

[tidge]

56 minutes ago, Cutter said:

Tacking on to this since my google-fu failed me last night... does one have to be trained to 35 to get the arc, or just have dinged to 35? I'd rather not take a power I don't want at 35 and then have to respec, if possible...

You get the contact after training to level 35, and you earn a respec along with the badge (at least the first Patron).

 

I tried Sirocco's arc solo, that felt harder than GW and BS.

[Cutter]

3 hours ago, tidge said:

You get the contact after training to level 35, and you earn a respec along with the badge (at least the first Patron).

 

I tried Sirocco's arc solo, that felt harder than GW and BS.

Thanks much! At least the respec comes free... prolly gonna wait til 37 in that case, so I can slot generic 40s where I don't have set IOs bought yet.

[siolfir]

If someone else is running it, you can get the badge just by being on the last mission, too. I had the badge at level 23 on my first character after the servers came back up - I got on a team that was running all of the arcs right at the end of Scirocco's first arc. That character didn't pick a patron until around veteran level 18.

[Clave Dark 5]

Just now, siolfir said:

If someone else is running it, you can get the badge just by being on the last mission, too. I had the badge at level 23 on my first character after the servers came back up - I got on a team that was running all of the arcs right at the end of Scirocco's first arc. That character didn't pick a patron until around veteran level 18.

I ended up finding a team (redside no less!) to come along and we all got the badge, yeah.  I dunno if you can pick any of the powers sooner, but it was nice to share the heavy load, being a Defender, and we all pretty much had a good time.

[Haijinx]

Ive run this without being trained to 35, but you need to go to the Arachnos contact (not the Patron) directly.

 

GHOST Widow isn't really that much longer than Black Scorpion.  

 

 

Edited October 24, 2019 by Haijinx

[Clave Dark 5]

15 hours ago, siolfir said:

That's the single kill-all that uses up a mission drop.

 

Or just go after them: it's annoying having to track them down, but it's just Crey and Arachnoids.

Oh!  I auto-ed that mish as soon as I saw "kill all" in the description, as had been suggested here.  That was probably a good idea.

[Sakai]

7 hours ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

Oh!  I auto-ed that mish as soon as I saw "kill all" in the description, as had been suggested here.  That was probably a good idea.

I seem to always forget you can autocomplete missions. 😞

[Clave Dark 5]

4 hours ago, Sakai said:

I seem to always forget you can autocomplete missions. 😞

I would have too if not for the helpful people posting above.

[Carnifax]

The only downside to Black Scorpion (which I speed-reran yesterday very quickly) is the last few missions are Malta and Malta come with those wretched debuff and mezzes. So Ninja-running past the majority of missions could be tricky for some (I was a Mace/Rad Brute so I just ignored them) unless you have stealth (my Plant/Stormie had enough to fly past them previously). I did spend 3 minutes running around lost in a big confusing room and unable to Superjump because they kept pinning me to the floor with a jump debuff. 

 

I also accidentally did enter the damn Arachnids mission, then realized my mistake, followed swiftly by realizing there was no obvious way to exit the damn mission (I Ouroed out then autocompleted it).

 

But as a speed run it took 30 mins or so, even with my mistakes. 

 

 

Edited October 25, 2019 by Carnifax

[Clave Dark 5]

Yeah, it's been my experience that either the team I'm with can steamroll Malta just as well as they do everything else, or they run into them like a brick wall and suddenly the joy is not only taken away but replaced with frustration because of the absurdly long stuns, high-powered damage, etc.  Gunslingers are just Tsoo sorcerers with some overkill attacks!

 

The team I was running with already playing on red-side when I wandered over, and so was one of those "all levels welcome" sorts, so we we're exactly prime candidates for steamrolling Malta at 40th level.  I've sworn off playing anything Malta if I have anything to say about it, and so went in with a fair amount of trepidation.  Strangely enough though, I think we actually had more trouble with Arachnos groups.  Still, overall it all worked out well.

[Hedgefund]

Mako has 1 more kill all than BS, otherwise, I'd nominate Mako's arc, since you can configure your settings so the final boss (McKnight) has a Boss rank.  

 

Ghost Widow, on the other hand, is straightforward for missions but the end boss Numina is not exactly "easy mode".

 

Scirocco is for those seeking a challenge.

Edited October 25, 2019 by Hedgefund

[RCU7115]

I always thought Scirocco was the easiest if your able to get past Silver Mantis.

[Hedgefund]

If you think Serafina to be "easy" I tip my hat to you.

[tidge]

On 10/25/2019 at 7:53 PM, Hedgefund said:

If you think Serafina to be "easy" I tip my hat to you.

I didn't think Scirocco was particularly easy, and I was surprised by the exterior parts of the ship mission. I didn't try to enter the ship until I had cleared the outdoors, and my first pass was scary (for a defense-oriented toon) as I was being attacked by all sorts of flying heroes as well as multiple gun turrets.

[Ael]

Black Scorpion, as others have said. I used to autocomplete the kill all, too, but when you're set to the lowest settings it's pretty quick to zip through. I tend to autocomplete the mission you get after speaking to the arbiter again, investigate malta base, something like that. No, I do not want a clear all malta mission with heaps of ambushes. I skip that one every time now. If I'm speeding it, I can get the arc done in under 20 minutes or so.