Quilcene's Guide to a Spine/Regen Scrapper

[theta31]

I found my old guide (I12) from the old forums... Dropping it here for three reasons... 1) I hope to see more guides. 2) Nostalgia. 3) Maybe it will be useful to someone.  Enjoy!

 

Spine/Regen Scrapper Guide

 

Introduction

 

Why am I writing a guide? Mostly because I’m bored, but also because I’ve noticed a lack of guides lately. This is probably due to a combination of Invention Sets making slotting recommendations much more a matter of personal taste or goals; and Real Numbers (both in game and from external sources) being readily available. I believe that there is still a need and a desire for guides out there, so I am throwing this one together for your consideration (without slotting recommendations or numbers because, with Invention Sets and Real Numbers, that is much more a matter of… well, you know).

 

Let me also take a moment to ask that, if you have any knowledge that could or should be put into a guide, please do so. It is always frustrating to me to go to the Guides forum looking to see others opinions on a powerset or combo in which I am interested only to find the information is 6 issues old and rehashing ED and how to slot Hasten without being able to 6 slot; or worse, the combination just isn’t there.

 

So, why THIS guide? Well, Quilcene was my first 50, and I’ve respec’d into and out of all (but one) of the powers in both sets, not that I’m an expert, but they are the sets I know the best. On that note, this is not a guide telling you what you should or shouldn’t do (well, ok, I will make recommendations); it is simply a collection of my opinions and experiences combined with my play style. Also, there hasn’t been a Spine/Regen guide (that I can find) since Issue 7.

 

Your Job

 

Your job as a scrapper is to be the hard target killer. Your job as the spines/regen scrapper is to be the hard target killer who takes out several minions as collateral damage. Your numerous AoE attacks will all do nice damage to your primary target while doing great damage to surrounding squishies. Frequently while soloing, I can charge into a group and focus exclusively on the boss. By the time he is down, so are all the minions and most of the Lieutenants. In a team situation, this effect is only multiplied.

 

In a team, at times, the scrapper is called on to be the substitute tanker. For the Spines scrapper, this is easy. The AoEs make grabbing and holding aggro an easy task. However, for the regen scrapper, taking the alpha strike is more difficult. That initial burst of damage is easy to recover from, but only if you survive it. If your team has someone or something that can take the alpha for you, you can tank (fairly well) the rest of the time. Just remember that you are not, actually, a tank.

 

Spines

 

The Spines primary is the AoE king of scrapper primaries. It has two cone attacks and two PBAoE attacks. It is also has two ranged attacks that can make you feel like a blapper at times without the “squishyness.” And if farming is your thing, you will be able to run with the fire/kin instead of standing by the door with everyone else. While Spines does mostly lethal damage, which is highly resisted in the upper levels, it also does toxic damage which is very rarely resisted. The poison in your spines can also slow foes which can lessen the incoming damage so that your awesome regen rate has no problems overcoming it.

 

Now on to the powers.

 

Barb Swipe- Melee, Minor DMG(Lethal), DoT(Toxic), -SPD, -Recharge

Shred your opponent with several quick Swipes from your Spines. Barb Swipe deals minor damage over time. Spine poison deals additional Toxic damage and Slows affected foes. Damage: Minor(DoT), Recharge: Very Fast

 

Barb Swipe’s damage is too low for my taste. Throw in the Ginsu Knives animation and sound effects, and it is a power I prefer to skip. This is a power you might want in the early levels in order to fill an attack chain, but a respec may be in order.

Rating: 1 out of 5

 

Lunge- Melee, Moderate DMG(Lethal), DoT(Toxic) -SPD, -Recharge

You can lunge forward, stabbing and poisoning a foe with the large Spine on your arm. Lunge deals moderate damage. Spine poison deals additional Toxic damage and Slows affected foes. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Fast

 

Lunge is your vanilla single target attack. It is always there for you doing decent damage. You will probably rely on this one from 1-50. I have never been excited about Lunge, but it is a far better choice than Barb Swipe.

Rating: 3 out of 5

 

Spine Burst- PBAoE Melee, Moderate DMG(Lethal), DoT(Toxic), -SPD, -Recharge You can fling dozens of Spines in all directions. These Spines only travel a short distance, but they can deal moderate damage and poison any target close to you. Spine poison deals additional Toxic damage and Slows affected foes. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Slow

 

Spine Burst is your first AoE and it does a lot of damage when slotted. It is one of the signature powers of the set as Spines is defined by its AoE potential.

 

Unfortunately, this power opens up at level 2 when it is difficult for the new regen to handle the kind of aggro that this power generates. Also unfortunately, if you are only taking Lunge and ignoring Barb Swipe, Spine Burst is your only attack available to choose after level one until level 8. If you have sufficient veteran powers to form an attack chain until 8 or if you take Barb Swipe in addition to Lunge, Spine Burst can be put off for a few levels. Otherwise you will need to get it now to fill your attack chain.

 

The other downside to this power is a fairly long recharge which makes this power mediocre in helping you fill that attack chain anyway.

As you can probably tell, I have a love/hate relationship with this power, but I would never leave it out of my build… just learn to live with it’s downsides.

Rating 4 out of 5

 

Build Up- Self +DMG, +To-hit

Greatly increases the amount of damage you deal for a few seconds, as well as slightly increasing your chance to hit. Recharge: Long

 

Standard Build Up. It is not as needed as it is for a blaster, but it is nice to have since scrappers are all about damage. However, you don’t need it this early. Put it off until later.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

 

Impale- Ranged, High DMG(Lethal), DoT(Toxic), Immobilize, -Recharge, -Fly

You can throw a single large Spine at a targeted foe. This Spine does only moderate damage, but carries a large amount of the Spine toxin. A successful attack can completely Immobilize most foes, as well as Slowing them and dealing Toxic poison damage. Impale can also bring down flying entities. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Moderate

 

I consider this the gem of the set. This is mostly due to my play style, but it is hard not to love a scrapper power that has a 40’ range (used to be 80’, but that was correctly deemed “blaster range”), does very good damage, immobilizes the target, drops it out of flight and slows its recharge. This power may be the reason spines gets nerfed if and when it happens. (Just a reminder to the devs, this power was already nerfed when you cut the range in half… it’s just fine now; these are not the droids you’re looking for…move along). Get it, slot it, love it.

Rating: 5 out of 5

 

Confront- Ranged, Foe Taunt

Challenges a foe to attack you. Useful to pull a villain off an ally who finds themselves in over their head. A To-Hit check required to Taunt enemy players, but is not needed against critter targets. Recharge: Fast

 

This is the one power out of these two sets that I have never taken; and I never will. Useless for 99% of all scrappers out there. As I said earlier, The scrapper’s job is to kill the hard target. He can’t do that if he is focusing on squishy teammates and trying to keep mobs off of them. This is even less useful for a spines scrapper as the AoEs should be holding aggro fairly well on a tankless team. And if you’ve ever had scrapperlock, you know that the team is the last thing on your mind anyway…

Rating: 0 out of 5

 

Quills- Toggle: PBAoE, Minor DoT(Lethal), Foe -Speed, -Recharge

While this power is active, you will constantly fire dozens of Spines in all directions. These Spines do minor damage, but can poison all foes in close range. Spine poison Slows affected foes. Damage: Minor(DoT), Recharge: Slow

 

This is another power about which I have mixed feelings. On the positive side, this is your second AoE attack. The slows stack. It is essentially a taunt aura. And it is a steady source of (minor) damage. On the other hand it is an endurance hog. It is minor damage. The animation is annoying; and the (constant) sound effect is REALLY annoying. Even slotted, I find it personally hard to like this power, but your mileage may vary.

Rating: 2 out of 5

 

Ripper- Melee (Cone), High DMG(Lethal), DoT(Toxic), Knockback, -SPD, -Recharge

You can unleash a spectacular slashing maneuver that attacks all villains in a wide arc in front of you. Ripper deals massive damage and poisons multiple targets. It can even knock foes down. Spine poison Slows affected targets and deals additional Toxic damage. Damage: High, Recharge: Slow

 

This is your highest damaging attack. Although it is a cone (your third AoE), the cone is so shallow that I treat it as a single target attack. If any bad guys happen to be behind the target, it is simply a bonus. If you do want to optimize the cone effect, target the mob in the back, put a mob between yourself and the target, que up Ripper and go towards the target until it fires off. If the other mob blocks you, you are too far away to take advantage of the cone.

 

This power also has a pretty decent knockback which is nice as it gives your regen time to catch up with any extraneous damage you may have taken. I don’t see any downside to this power; take it.

Rating: 5 out of 5

 

Throw Spines- Ranged (Cone), Moderate DMG(Lethal), DoT(Toxic), -SPD, -Recharge

You can throw dozens of Spines in a wide cone in front of you, impaling foes caught within the range. Spine throwing deals moderate damage, and poisons any targets it hits. Spine poison deals additional Toxic damage and Slows affected foes. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Slow

 

This is your final attack, and it is a good one. This power does less damage than Impale, but does it to everyone standing in front of you (very wide cone) out to 30’! This is your second ranged attack, and it is your fourth AoE. Again, no mixed emotions here… get it at 32.

Rating: 5 out of 5

 

Regeneration

 

The Regeneration secondary is one of my favorite sets in the game. Every single power is useful (finally! (more on this later)). I would have all of them if I didn’t have such a tight build.

 

At times, Regeneration has been seen as too strong. There have been calls for nerfs. However, I think the devs took some of the shine off of Regen (intentionally or not) in Issue 12 with the introduction of the Cimeroran Traitors. I swear, I have never been hit so hard by any other faction in the game. The burst damage that they do is exactly the type of damage to which Regens are most susceptible. It is also what led to my latest respec (more on that later). Needless to say, with Cimerora in the game, Regen feels a little less powerful now.

 

On to the powers.

 

Fast Healing- Auto: Self +Regeneration

You heal Hit Points at a faster rate than normal. This power is always on.

 

This is your first power, and you have to take it. Fortunately, it is one you would want anyway. This power is what “regeneration” is all about, getting your hit points back faster than they go away.

Rating: 5 out of 5

 

Reconstruction- Self Heal, Res(Toxic)

Through perfect control of your body, you can concentrate for a few moments and heal yourself. The effects of Reconstruction also leaves you resistant to Toxic damage for a while. Recharge: Long

 

This is your self heal. It provides some resistance to toxic for a brief time, but this is not the reason you click this power. Use this power whenever you get a little low on hit points. It’s recharge time is quite reasonable and can be even quicker if you slot it that way.

Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Quick Recovery- Auto: Self +Recovery

You recover Endurance at a faster rate than normal. This power is always on.

 

Stamina on steroids, and you get it early! With so many click powers and few toggles, you won’t have too many endurance issues for quite a while. It is even quite possible to skip Stamina with this build.

Rating: 5 out of 5

 

Dull Pain- Self +Max HP

Using ancient techniques, you can make yourself more resilient to pain. Thus, you can take more damage before being defeated. When you activate this power you will increase your maximum Hit Points for a couple of minutes. Recharge: Very Long

 

This is a great power. Correspondingly, you don’t get to use it very often. Many people use it as a heal, and click it when it is available. But if you use it wisely, it can be much more. Remember how I said Regens can’t take the alpha strike very well…? Well, what if I gave you more hit points first? That is what Dull Pain can do. Click Dull Pain then take the alpha (or take the alpha then click Dull Pain, it’s up to you). The long recharge means it isn’t up every fight though.

 

Personally, if I use it as a heal, I use it as my panic button. I never use it as a heal unless my health bar is below one-third. Not only will it fill you most of the way up again, it adds those extra hit points that your regen abilities will quickly fill in.

Rating: 5 out of 5

 

Integration- Toggle: Self +Res(Knockback, Disorient, Hold, Sleep, Immobilize), +Regeneration

You can Integrate your mind and body, making you resistant to Knockback, Disorient, Hold, Sleep, and Immobilization effects, as well as increase your regeneration rate, for as long as you can keep this toggle power active. Recharge: Fast

 

Not a lot to say here except TAKE IT! Take it at 16. Turn it on and don’t worry about being seriously mezzed for the rest of the game. Oh yeah, as a bonus, this adds even more to your regeneration rate. This is the “must have” power of the set.

Rating 5 out of 5

 

Resilience- Auto: Self +Res(Disorient, Smash, Lethal, Toxic)

You are more Resilient. This power allows you to build up a resistance to Disorientation effects. You tend not to get Disoriented, and if you do, it wears off quickly. This resistance to Disorientation gets stronger as you go up in level. Resilience also grants some resistance to Smashing, Lethal and Toxic damage. This power is always on.

 

I’m a sucker for “always on” powers… I’ll admit it. However, I don’t think this power is as bad as many people seem to say. Granted, it is not “must have,” but it does give you some nice resistance to Smashing and Lethal, which is a lot of the damage in the game, as well as Toxic. Every hit point you don’t have to regenerate is worth it in my book. The additional disorient resistance coupled with Integration means you won’t be staggering around looking drunk unless you use a wakie.

Rating: 3 out of 5

 

Instant Healing- Click: Self +Regeneration

When you activate this power, you can regenerate your health at an astounding rate. This boost to you Regeneration Rate lasts about a minute and takes a long time to recharge once used. Recharge: Very Long

 

This click power (it used to be a toggle… see devs, we’ve already been nerfed… move along) gives you 90 seconds of god-like regeneration. It will take some amazing sustained burst damage to take you down through this regen rate, but it can happen if you get in to far over your head (darn scrapperlock). The downside is the incredibly long recharge. Basically, I save this for the EB/AV fight at the end of a mission.

Rating: 3 out of 5

 

Revive- Self Rez

Should you fall in battle, you can Revive yourself from the brink of death. You will revive with most of your Hit Points and half your Endurance and be protected from XP Debt for 90 seconds. Recharge: Very Long

 

As a Regen preaching the upside of the Regen secondary, I should probably tell you to skip this power as you won’t ever die. The truth is, those of us with scrapperlock do occasionally get in too deep and kiss the floor. This is a nice power in that it lets you get right back to the fighting. Is it skippable? Yes. Is it useful? Yes.

Rating: 2 out of 5

 

Moment of Glory- Self +Res(All DMG but Psionics, Knock Back, Repel, Stun, Hold, Sleep, Immobilize), +DEF(All DMG but Psionics), +Recovery

When you activate this power, you gain Resistance and Defense to all damage types except Psionics, recover Endurance more quickly, and are highly resistant to Knock Back, Sleep, Disorient, Immobilization, and Hold effects. Recharge: Very Long

 

Ahh…Moment of Glory. Thanks to the recent changes(really they were fixes), I finally tried out this power, and it is nice. Click this, Dull Pain, and Instant Healing and you are a god. No one can touch you when this power is activated, and if they somehow do, you will barely feel it (unless it’s a Psi attack… ouch). Of course there is a downside. This power only lasts for 15 seconds; again, it is good for alpha absorption, but beyond that, the fight better be over quick. The recharge is a few minutes too.

 

I’m not going into all the discussion that has been had on this power in its previous incarnation; do a search for Moment of Glory and enjoy.

Rating: 3 out of 5

[theta31]

Part 2 -These forums don't allow for guide length posts, so I cut it in half... here's the rest of it...

 

Pool Powers

 

Concealment

You are a scrapper; you want to be seen. Besides, attacking suppresses stealth, so you will never be stealthed (is that a word?) anyway.

 

Fighting

Ok, remember how I said that Issue 12 led to my latest respec? Well, this is what I added. Tough and Weave help me better survive in Cimerora. Tough (and Resilience) also lets me hit the scrapper resistance caps to all but Psi when Moment of Glory is on.

 

Fitness

Some say that a Regen doesn’t need Stamina, and they are right. However, I am a firm believer in Stamina for all. The addition of Health on top of your already prodigious regen is also quite nice.

 

Flight

Air Superiority is a nice attack to fill your attack chain early on. And its knockdown is nice for the same reasons as Ripper’s knockback. Flight is the slowest travel power though, and it just doesn’t feel like a scrapper to me.

 

Leadership

Believe it or not, I’ve used this pool in the past, and here is why. Assault adds to your damage! It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t add as much as a Defender or Controller would. It ADDS to your damage. You are a scrapper. This is a good thing. Also, Tactics is great for hitting things more frequently.

 

Leaping

As a matter of personal taste, I find Combat Jumping to be the single most useful pool power in the game. Added vertical movement in combat; added defense; added control in the air; you can “climb” almost vertical walls; and you laugh at immobilize powers. Super Jump is speed capped with just the automatic slots in it and Hurdle (you did take the fitness pool, right?). Acrobatics is nice for squishies, but with Integration, you don’t need it.

 

Medicine

Healing an ally is always nice; healing yourself as a regen is just not needed.

 

Presence

The Fear powers are nice, unfortunately you have to take Taunt powers to get to them… See the Confront power discussion earlier.

 

Speed

Hasten is almost as well loved as Stamina, and you don’t need two other powers to get to it. Who doesn’t like a faster recharge, especially on some of Regeneration’s long recharge powers. Super Speed is a fast way to get around town.

 

Teleportation

I have never tried this pool with my scrappers. It just doesn’t feel scrapperish to me at all (unless scrappers someday get Stone Armor). That said, Teleport Foe is useful for pulling when you aren’t in a scrapperlock mood. Teleport is a fun, if labor intensive, way to get around.

 

 

Ancillary Power Pools

 

I am not very familiar with these. I went with Body Mastery in my build and never respec’d out of it. Specifically, I took Focused Accuracy and Laser Beam Eyes, but these choices had more to do with concept for Quilcene than anything else. Pick what you like, if you have room.

 

A Quick Word on Synergy

 

Most guides go into depth about why this powerset works so well with that powerset. I’ll sum Spines/Regen up really quick. Most of the spines’ powers have a –Recharge component. This means your adversary is attacking you less often. This means your regen rate can keep up with incoming damage. That’s what we call synergy.

 

Conclusion

 

I hope you enjoyed this guide. If not, no skin off my nose (ouch, showing my age with that saying). One last time, I want to encourage everyone out there who has played to 50 to write a guide for their combo; especially if your combo is seldom played. For the sake of all the newbies out there looking for guidance, give ‘em a guide.

[Murcielago]

Solid post

[Gray Scale]

I'm starting a regen scrapper and wanted to ask the community - does this guide still hold up?

 

Going to follow it if so.

[Zepp]

There are some areas that do not (Fitness is now inherent), some of it is personal preference (taking Barb Swipe or Lunge is a matter of preference, Barb Swipe has better DPS, but Lunge hits harder as a single attack), and the comments on quills doesn't quite work because of all the +Endurance you get from Regen.

 

Overall, however, it is a decent guide to start you on the path. I recently put up my current spines/regen build that I am still tinkering with, take a look if you have time, it is not the be-all, end-all Spines/Regen build, but can let you see what is possible.

[Gray Scale]

There are some areas that do not (Fitness is now inherent), some of it is personal preference (taking Barb Swipe or Lunge is a matter of preference, Barb Swipe has better DPS, but Lunge hits harder as a single attack), and the comments on quills doesn't quite work because of all the +Endurance you get from Regen.

 

Overall, however, it is a decent guide to start you on the path. I recently put up my current spines/regen build that I am still tinkering with, take a look if you have time, it is not the be-all, end-all Spines/Regen build, but can let you see what is possible.

 

Thanks - seems as though the regen elements are still up to date. I'm interested in trying Regen across a few primaries.