Dual Blades?

[Kurmitt]

Way back on live my first 50 was a MA/Regen scrapper, the SR nerf happened in my mid 30's but I kept on and enjoyed playing it.  On Homecoming I have leveled a Staff/SR and gotten fairly far with him (modeled after my DAoC Monk, nostalgia is a wicked mistress).  I also have a Ice/Dark tank approaching 50 and I am trying to find a scrapper to scratch that altitis itch.  I have tried Rad/Read and kind of gave up in my mid 20's I just wasn't enjoying it.  I rolled and deleted a Katana/Bio and I just can't get into the graphics of bio armor.  Maybe not the most reasonable response but it bugs me.  I had a TW I was working on but since the nerf it seems less meaty, I haven't given up but the slow animations are now not paid off by the impressive floaty numbers so that one is parked getting a day job badge or four.  I rolled a DB/Rad and really enjoyed it through about 32, but I feel like the damage has just flattened too much; it takes me a really long time to kill an orange lieutenant, and bosses are a snooze fest (but totally doable).  I can't tell if I am just too used to an IO'd Incarnated brute (I expect the Tanker to be slow so I am pretty accepting of it) or if I need to reroll.  I am looking for a reasonably fast animation reasonable damage set, did I pick the wrong primary? 

[Saikochoro]

I love dual blades. It has good single target and AoE damage. Blinding feint + attack vitals combo is your bread and butter. This attack chain feels fairly fast. If you get high enough recharge you can go for BF>Ablaiting>Sweeping, which is even faster. I only use 1k cuts when I feel like it, but not as part of a normal rotation. 
 

I paired my DB scrapper with energy aura. That is what I would recommend. Not only can it be built super tough, but it has +rech to help tighten your attack chain, and built in endurance management tools, which can help a lot. 

[Slithershot]

Can't speak on dual blades for scrappers. I imagine the AOE is pretty good. 

 

But for stalkers, it's one of the top single target damage options if you don't focus on combos. The difference is that stalkers have the assassins strike, which at least doubles your single target damage (along with the build up refresh ATO which is amazing on its own). I feel like not having that as a scrapper may make the single target feel a bit lackluster, compared to other sets. Which may be what you're feeling. But, again, I'm not super well versed on the scrapper version 🙂

Edited December 3, 2020 by Pizzamurai

[Saikochoro]

7 hours ago, Pizzamurai said:

Can't speak on dual blades for scrappers. I imagine the AOE is pretty good. 

 

But for stalkers, it's one of the top single target damage options if you don't focus on combos. The difference is that stalkers have the assassins strike, which at least doubles your single target damage (along with the build up refresh ATO which is amazing on its own). I feel like not having that as a scrapper may make the single target feel a bit lackluster, compared to other sets. Which may be what you're feeling. But, again, I'm not super well versed on the scrapper version 🙂

Dual blades on scrapper has good single target and AoE damage. Stalkers will always have better single target damage, but when comparing just sets on scrappers I don’t feel that dual blades is lacking at all. 

Edited December 4, 2020 by Saikochoro

[Slithershot]

55 minutes ago, Saikochoro said:

Dual blades on scrapper has good single target and AoE damage. Stalkers will always have better single target damage, but when comparing just sets on scrappers I don’t feel that dual blades is lacking at all. 

Yeah, that's true, but other sets also tend to have an alpha strike power that does the bulk of their damage. Dual blades doesn't really have that without assassins strike. 

[Slithershot]

Rather than drone on and go back and forth, I'll just point you to the scrapper testing thread as kind of an idea of what I'm talking about 🙂

 

https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/10506-scrapper-melee-primary-testing-standard-environment/

[Saikochoro]

Yeah I’ve seen that thread. It is good information for baseline performance, but can’t really be used to draw conclusions for full builds. All sets get better with full builds. However, dual blades gets a ton better as you push the global recharge.  Once you have enough global rech to do BF + attack vitals without gaps and always have two stacks of blinding fient up the damage is really good. Then you can push even further to get to the point that you can just do BF>ablaiting>sweeping.
 

Throw in Achilles and FotG chance for -res and the damage is very good even if you don’t have one single power that’s hitting for 1k+ dmg.  It’s a super fast chain the shreds enemies and happens to work great for both single target and AoE at the same time.

 

I’m not saying that it is the best damaging set or that stalkers won’t do more damage. It’s not, and stalkers generally will always do better damage.  I’m just putting it out there that dual blades on scrappers is not lacking in damage when built right. 

[BrandX]

I was soloing AVs with just BF > Attack Vitals Combo (before Incarnates) and soloed ITF with it (without Incarnates).  Was able to get that gapless without Hasten.

 

No.  Dual Blades is not the best mission set (think it got a D on the Primary test) and not the top ST set, but it works.  Not to mention you get to use Red Cap Daggers!  How I never saw anyone else using them but me, always baffled me 😛

[hejtmane]

I use to run a db/ea on live and I agree the set rocks together

Edited December 5, 2020 by hejtmane

[Shred Monkey]

The attack chain I recommend for that level is blinding feint > attack Vitals combo.   The best thing about this is that the biggest hit is a cone that also applies a DoT, so while you're targeted on that boss, you'll be killing everything else within the cone attack as well.  I also usually have typhoon for additional AoE, but that will decrease your single target DPS, on the bosses, so, it's really not critical to have.  Blinding feint stacks, so with proper recharge you'll have it perma-double-stacked during sustained battles.  It's like having build-up at all times without having to stop your attacks to click it.  

 

On 12/4/2020 at 1:42 AM, BrandX said:

 Not to mention you get to use Red Cap Daggers!  How I never saw anyone else using them but me, always baffled me

<<Points to his Avatar>>... that's a screenshot of my namesake back in the good-ole-days... the upper right you can see the light reflecting off the black colored redcap dagger in his right hand.

[BrandX]

25 minutes ago, Shred Monkey said:

The attack chain I recommend for that level is blinding feint > attack Vitals combo.   The best thing about this is that the biggest hit is a cone that also applies a DoT, so while you're targeted on that boss, you'll be killing everything else within the cone attack as well.  I also usually have typhoon for additional AoE, but that will decrease your single target DPS, on the bosses, so, it's really not critical to have.  Blinding feint stacks, so with proper recharge you'll have it perma-double-stacked during sustained battles.  It's like having build-up at all times without having to stop your attacks to click it.  

 

<<Points to his Avatar>>... that's a screenshot of my namesake back in the good-ole-days... the upper right you can see the light reflecting off the black colored redcap dagger in his right hand.

They're the best option!  

[brasilgringo]

Here's my old DB/EA stalker back on live (2012) when it was one of the best Pylon-test sets.

 

 

PS I think I'm using Recap daggers 😉

Spoiler

Villain Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.7.2.10
https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Technology Stalker
Primary Power Set: Dual Blades
Secondary Power Set: Energy Aura
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Leviathan Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Power Slice -- KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(3), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(3), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(5)
Level 1: Hide -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(5), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(7)
Level 2: Kinetic Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(7), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(9)
Level 4: Ablating Strike -- Hct-Dam%(A), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(13), Hct-Dmg/Rchg(15), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), Hct-Acc/Rchg(17), AchHee-ResDeb%(17)
Level 6: Assassin's Blades -- SprStlGl-Rchg/Hide%(A), SprStlGl-Dmg/Rchg(19), SprStlGl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), SprStlGl-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), SprStlGl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), Mk'Bit-Dam%(23)
Level 8: Build Up -- GssSynFr--Build%(A), GssSynFr--ToHit(23), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(25), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(25), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(27), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(11)
Level 10: Entropy Shield -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Power Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(29), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(29)
Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 16: Kinetic Dampening -- RctArm-ResDam(A), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(31), RctArm-ResDam/Rchg(31)
Level 18: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 20: Boxing -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(33), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(33), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33)
Level 22: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(34), RctArm-ResDam(34), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(34), RctArm-ResDam/Rchg(36), RctArm-EndRdx/Rchg(36)
Level 24: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(36), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(37)
Level 26: Sweeping Strike -- Arm-Dam%(A), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(37), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(37), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Arm-Acc/Rchg(39), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(27)
Level 28: Energy Drain -- EffAdp-EndMod/Rchg(A)
Level 30: Placate -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 32: One Thousand Cuts -- Erd-%Dam(A), Erd-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), Erd-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), ClvBlo-Acc/Dmg(40), ClvBlo-Dmg/EndRdx(42), ClvBlo-Dmg/Rchg(42)
Level 35: Energize -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(42), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(43), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(43), Pnc-Heal(43)
Level 38: Water Spout -- Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Rgn-Dmg(45), Rgn-Dmg/Rchg(45), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Rgn-Acc/Rchg(46), AchHee-ResDeb%(39)
Level 41: Spirit Shark Jaws -- BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(A), BslGaz-Acc/Hold(46), BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(48), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(48)
Level 44: Summon Guardian -- ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(A), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(46), ExpRnf-Dmg/EndRdx(50), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50)
Level 47: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(48), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(50)
Level 49: Overload -- Heal-I(A)
Level 1: Assassination 
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run 
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(9), Pnc-Heal/+End(31)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(11), PrfShf-EndMod/Acc(13)
Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon 
Level 50: Ageless Core Epiphany 
Level 50: Degenerative Radial Flawless Interface 
Level 1: Quick Form 
------------

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 18, 2020 by brasilgringo

[StrikerFox]

1 hour ago, brasilgringo said:

Here's my old DB/EA stalker back on live (2012) when it was one of the best Pylon-test sets.

DB on Stalkers is still pretty solid. Few months ago I got 1:55 pylong times for about 461 dps. Is Granite Agent still in the game? We used to test Stalker builds often.

[brasilgringo]

31 minutes ago, StrikerFox said:

DB on Stalkers is still pretty solid. Few months ago I got 1:55 pylong times for about 461 dps. Is Granite Agent still in the game? We used to test Stalker builds often.

Granite Agent is me, or I am he haha.  Just a new @global (well, a couple new @globals) to go with coming back to Homecoming.  PM me and I'll shoot em over. My only stalker this time is a Savage/Inv because I wanted to try new stuff, and it's amazing - but I am liking playing with other ATs and not focused on ST pylon damage these days.  I did used to have an StJ/Ice stalker that was the bomb, on live.