Katana or KM / ?

[NemeanLion]

So I'm looking to start up a new character based around a specific concept. Punisher-style vigilante, so I'm wanting to keep away from super flashy powersets and go mostly Natural, possibly minor Mutation.

 

For Primary, I'm mostly looking at Katana (because who doesn't love a little added +Def?) but Kinetic Melee looks neat. Unfortunately, my understanding is that KM is "meh" at best.

 

For Secondaries, I know Willpower is and always has been a very solid set, but it's also very common. I'm tempted to try out Bio Armor and RP it as a mutation allowing him direct control over his endocrine system and enhanced cellular regeneration, but my understanding is that Bio Armor is a bit iffy on Scrappers due to the lower HP pool.

 

Open to suggestions for both, but the main goals here are to keep within the concept, able to effectively solo most content without spending a fortune in IO sets, and not be gasping for End after every mob.

[Sovera]

You could consider Street Justice if you can get behind it. KM is ok without being super amazing and the Stalker version helps it. Katana is darn good as long as you don't plan to exemp too much (one of the big ST attacks comes at 32, the other at 26).

 

If you do go KM the idea is to stick to the first three attacks only.

 

If you do want to go all natural then /WP would be spot on, /Bio is great and works well, but of the two I might lean towards /WP as the less IO intensive of the two

[Heraclea]

Katana has issues with vanishing swords, or at least the tanker version has.  KM depends on how you like the revving noises it makes, or whether you choose to replace them.  Its big PBAoE is quite satisfying.

 

WP and Bio offer great sustain but work very differently.  WP is a solid generalist set, set and forget.  The crash from its t9 is tolerable.  Bio is quite clicky, with three separate trouble buttons.  Parasitic Aura is the best t9 in the game IMO.  Willpower on minimal FX alters your character hardly at all.  Bio on minimal FX will still cloak your character in a fog of dirt like Pig Pen. 

[@Ghost]

Kinetic Melee, at least to me, is pretty far away from "subtle" as long as you're focusing on the thematic angle of the character. Revving noises and waving one's hands around to spew out brightly colored energy doesn't exactly give me hard-boiled vigilante vibes.

 

/WP and /Bio are both incredibly good sets for your listed needs and I don't think either would treat you wrong, but /Bio's visuals (even on the minimal FX settings) are still a bit loud. The Adapation powers will coat you in a very... spore-ish cloud of inky crap, you'll have a damage aura with a ring around you that will pick up every physics object and put it into a personal orbit, and the click powers will still give you that strange exoskeleton.

 

Willpower can be set for 0 visual impact and has a much more "set it and forget it" playstyle, which is up to personal preference if you'd prefer that. It's almost certainly weaker overall, but... just about anything is when you put it up against Bio Armor. Don't let that detract from you enjoying it.

 

So, really, whichever suits your concept better is the real choice, and that's entirely up to you. You're not losing out on playability in any combination.

[SwitchFade]

I'm pretty sure Frank Castle didn't whoop ass by doing the Magical Spirit Hand Waving Cheerleader Dance of Joy 😁 you'll see what I mean when you watch the animation for the T9. Fear me, I'm pretty!

 

Katana.

Edited February 8, 2020 by SwitchFade

[Without_Pause]

StJ just kills KM for me.  Kat/wp would be a great pairing.

Edited February 8, 2020 by Without_Pause

[hejtmane]

19 hours ago, Without_Pause said:

StJ just kills KM for me.  Kat/wp would be a great pairing.

Katna/wp is so good it can be boring and yet do dumb stuff (itf solo cough cough cough before incarnates Iggy was the master)

[BurningDezire]

Main scrapper is Kat/WP. Very good combo.