Powersets best on a Scrapper!

[UberGuy]

Possibly already covered, as I skimmed the thread, but generally your optimized choice between sets that offer high defense vs high resist is to put high defense on Scrappers or Stalkers and high resist on Brutes. Not to remotely suggest that mixing it up is "wrong" or won't perform well in the vast majority of circumstances, but Brutes get the higher resist cap (90%) while everyone gets the same 90% average mitigation at the "soft cap" for defense. Nothing wrong with softcapped defense on a Brute, of course.

 

The offense sets that go best on a Scrapper are the ones that offer the most +dam, which contributes more to total damage on a Scrapper vs a Brute because Scrappers have high base damage and low (no) inherent +dam, where Brutes have comparatively low base damage and match Scrappers by adding large +dam via Fury. So if total damage is (1 + damBoost) * base, on a Scrapper you're adding a bit of damBoost off of a low or even zero base, where on a Brute you're adding a bit of damBoost to an existing large number.

 

Claws, Dual Blades and Dark Melee are examples of things that give good, sustained +dam. (T4 Assault Core Hybrid is also a good source of this for any build.) As a side benefit, these sets all also provide +toHit which makes epic snipes more damaging.

 

I don't agree with Katana having better ST DPS to DB. DB is a monster, largely because of of the +dam from stacking Blinding Feint, which Katana has no answer to. It also helps a great deal to use Sweeping Strike, which has outstanding DPA, as part of your single-target attack chain. This requires a lot of +Rech and also a lot of endurance/recovery management. It has the side benefit that, if you can face the right way while cutting down bosses or higher, you'll also cut down the stuff next to and behind the main target fairly well.

[Hjarki]

7 minutes ago, UberGuy said:

Claws, Dual Blades and Dark Melee are examples of things that give good, sustained +dam. (T4 Assault Core Hybrid is also a good source of this for any build.) As a side benefit, these sets all also provide +toHit which makes epic snipes more damaging.

Combat Teleport provides a +hit bonus and I'd call it nearly essential for any melee build.

 

In terms of sustained +damage, the question becomes: at what cost? Most sets that offer more than just standard Build Up don't do as much damage, or require you include low damage attacks in your rotation. So you really need to map out the entire rotation to see whether it's beneficial. You also need to take into account the situational nature of some of those damage boosts - for example, Dark Melee is great against large spawns, but almost pointless against a single tough target.

 

The real benefit of these damage bonuses is when your primary isn't the whole story. Consider Fire/Dark for a Tanker. If you're only concerned with AE damage, you'll be running at a high +damage almost constantly and applying those bonuses to your Aura/Burn in primary.

[UberGuy]

There's a situational aspect to Build Up as well, namely the time you take casting it.

 

As far as the rotation-wide view of the +dam powers in Claws and DB, I think there's zero question that they're worth it. (They also provide a good place, IMO to put things like Gaussian's BU proc or, as I tend not to be a fan of the set bonuses for the Critical Strikes set, the proc from that set as a singleton.) Claws is, IMO, the better of the two you are interested in mowing down multiple foes, while DB, while not terrible at AoE, is better if you want single-target DPS.

 

Not mentioned before, optimal DPS use of Dual Blades means largely ignoring its combos. The only combo particularly worth executing is Attack Vitals, which I fall back to when my recharge is too low for the top DPS chain or when I want to keep my target flopping with the knock from Vengeful Slice. Vengeful Slice has a long animation you usually want to avoid, both due to animation lock and because the DPA is not good, but the bonus damage from the Attack Vitals combo ends up meaning BF->VS->Repeat is the set's second best chain (not including snipes) and is achievable with way less recharge.

[Bill Z Bubba]

28 minutes ago, UberGuy said:

Claws is, IMO, the better of the two you are interested in mowing down multiple foes, while DB, while not terrible at AoE, is better if you want single-target DPS.

I do go with the full set AT IO on followup, regardless of AT. But unfortunately, I never found Gaussian's CFBU to benefit my pylon times. Did you compare FU-Focus-Slash vs the best DualBlades ST chain on a pylon and if so, what did you find?

[UberGuy]

7 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

I do go with the full set AT IO on followup, regardless of AT. But unfortunately, I never found Gaussian's CFBU to benefit my pylon times. Did you compare FU-Focus-Slash vs the best DualBlades ST chain on a pylon and if so, what did you find?

I don't have a claws, so no, I haven't tested that. However, I never saw it reported in any of the timing threads post sunset as winning vs things like DB or TW. It's possible that's changed, though I don't think anything about the powersets has changed recently. If anything changed, it's more likely something has changed in people's build "aha's".

 

PS: Gaussian's benefit is extremely sensitive to your next-in-chain power, since it only lasts for 5s, meaning you will only reliably get 1, sometimes two attacks off after it activates. While I wanted it in my DB's build, I didn't have room for both it and the Critical Strikes proc, and that one is far more beneficial, especially when you have other sources of +dam (like FU/BF themselves).

Edited February 10, 2021 by UberGuy

[Bill Z Bubba]

19 minutes ago, UberGuy said:

PS: Gaussian's benefit is extremely sensitive to your next-in-chain power, since it only lasts for 5s, meaning you will only reliably get 1, sometimes two attacks off after it activates. While I wanted it in my DB's build, I didn't have room for both it and the Critical Strikes proc, and that one is far more beneficial, especially when you have other sources of +dam (like FU/BF themselves).

There's something beautiful about the passive +crit coupled with the active +crit on triple stacked FU hitting focus. Utilizing eviscerate there instead with its higher base crit value may be numerically superior, but it ain't NEARLY as sexy.

[nihilii]

Regarding Claws vs DB, Claws/Bio can deal 600+ DPS running procced out Follow Up -> Focus -> Shockwave -> Moonbeam -> Follow Up -> Focus -> Shockwave -> Slash.

 

Can DB match the above? I'm curious.

Contrary to Live days, I've found BF -> Attack Vitals to significantly outperform BF -> AS -> SS -> AS... on my Tanker. But that's a Tanker, where proc damage matters more and BF -> AV allows for no local recharge whatsoever (and maximum proc rate).

 

I wonder what would an optimal Scrapper DB chain look like. I have vaguely toyed with BF -> AS -> SS -> AS where one AS out of 3 is replaced with Moonbeam.

[Rokkeb]

13 hours ago, UberGuy said:

There's a situational aspect to Build Up as well, namely the time you take casting it.

 

Lately I've been skipping Build Up on my high end scrapper builds, its a nuisance that gets in the way of a fluid attack chain. Yeah ok popping build up right before I jump in to attack is fine, but I find myself just never using it cause I just jump from pack to pack and want to keep the dmg rolling nonstop. Stopping to cast a little buff that lasts a couple seconds is no fun. So I've been specing out of it on some builds and just plain not taking it on others. 

 

Quote

Regarding Claws vs DB, Claws/Bio can deal 600+ DPS running procced out Follow Up -> Focus -> Shockwave -> Moonbeam -> Follow Up -> Focus -> Shockwave -> Slash.

I know it's optimal, but I hate taking snipes on my scrappers. 

Edited February 11, 2021 by Rokkeb

[UberGuy]

6 hours ago, nihilii said:

I wonder what would an optimal Scrapper DB chain look like. I have vaguely toyed with BF -> AS -> SS -> AS where one AS out of 3 is replaced with Moonbeam.

The base chain listed there is what I use. I keep an Achilles Heel -res proc in AS and a Fury of the Gladiator in SS, with the Critical Strikes proc in BF. In normal play, I wing the Moonbeam insertion based on situation. (Did I just get a CS proc? Am I at/above the +toHit needed to max out the base damage from the snipe? Is something annoying out of melee range that I can pick off now?) I haven't run an analysis on optimal snipe insertion since fast snipes were updated to their current mechanics, or done a pylon test.

Edited February 11, 2021 by UberGuy

[InvaderStych]

For @StriderIV by request.  A more sensible variant of my Psi/SD.  For the peanut gallery, disregard the level at which TKB is selected - this was an experiment to see what she would be like with that instead of LBE and it was the least effort to just swap them. Accolades on to reflect in-game setup.  Carries both Assault and Melee Hybrid T4s, the latter used to get closer to iCap as needed.

 

Massive credit/thanks to @Werner who's (whom's?) SD/MA tank I shamelessly copied to come up with this.

 

Any comments/suggestions, particularly with iPowers (Ageless experts?) are absolutely welcome.  I don't consider myself all that excellent at mids, lol, I just snag ideas from the boards and mush them up together.

 

 

 

This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.4.7
https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Natural Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Psionic Melee
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Psi Blade -- SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), SprCrtStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), SprCrtStr-Rchg/+50% Crit(40)
Level 1: Deflection -- ShlWal-Def(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(3), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(3), ShlWal-Def/Rchg(5), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(5), HO:Ribo(15)
Level 2: Battle Agility -- ShlWal-Def(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(7), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(7), ShlWal-Def/Rchg(9), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(9), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(45)
Level 4: True Grit -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(11), GldArm-3defTpProc(11), GldArm-ResDam(13), UnbGrd-ResDam(13), UnbGrd-Max HP%(15)
Level 6: Concentration -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(46), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(46), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(48), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(48), GssSynFr--Build%(48)
Level 8: Psi Blade Sweep -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg(A), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Arm-Acc/Rchg(19), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(21), Arm-Dam%(21), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(39)
Level 10: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Combat Teleport -- BlsoftheZ-Travel(A), BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(46)
Level 14: Kick -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A)
Level 16: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(43), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(45), UnbGrd-EndRdx/Rchg(45)
Level 20: Phalanx Fighting -- Rct-ResDam%(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(50), Ksm-ToHit+(50)
Level 22: Weave -- ShlWal-Def(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(23), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(23), ShlWal-EndRdx/Rchg(25), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(25)
Level 24: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 26: Greater Psi Blade -- Hct-Dmg/Rchg(A), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), Hct-Acc/Rchg(27), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Hct-Dam%(29), UnbCns-Dam%(37)
Level 28: Grant Cover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 30: Maneuvers -- ShlWal-Def(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(31), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(31), ShlWal-EndRdx/Rchg(31), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(34)
Level 32: Mass Levitate -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(33), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), FrcFdb-Rechg%(34)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprScrStr-Dmg/Rchg(36), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), SprScrStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), SprScrStr-Rchg/+Crit(37)
Level 38: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 41: Telekinetic Blow -- Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg(A), Mk'Bit-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Mk'Bit-Dmg/Rchg(42), Mk'Bit-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Mk'Bit-Dam%(43)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- PrfShf-End%(A)
Level 47: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A)
Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Prv-Absorb%(17), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(40)
Level 2: Stamina -- PwrTrns-+Heal(A), PrfShf-End%(17), PrfShf-EndMod(50)
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 4: Ninja Run
Level 50: Reactive Radial Flawless Interface
Level 50: Rebirth Radial Epiphany
Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon
Level 50: Mighty Radial Final Judgement
Level 50: Portal Jockey
Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 50: Task Force Commander
Level 50: The Atlas Medallion
Level 50: Robotic Drones Radial Superior Ally
Level 50: Melee Radial Embodiment
------------
------------
Set Bonus Totals:

 


 

 

• 16% DamageBuff(Smashing)
• 16% DamageBuff(Lethal)
• 16% DamageBuff(Fire)
• 16% DamageBuff(Cold)
• 16% DamageBuff(Energy)
• 16% DamageBuff(Negative)
• 16% DamageBuff(Toxic)
• 16% DamageBuff(Psionic)
• 19.13% Defense(Melee)
• 16.31% Defense(Smashing)
• 16.31% Defense(Lethal)
• 9.75% Defense(Fire)
• 9.75% Defense(Cold)
• 9.75% Defense(Energy)
• 9.75% Defense(Negative)
• 6% Defense(Psionic)
• 13.5% Defense(Ranged)
• 13.5% Defense(AoE)
• 45% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 5% Enhancement(Max EnduranceDiscount)
• 67.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 15% SpeedFlying
• GrantPower Preventive Medicine (0% chance, if Scourge)
• 306.2 HP (22.87%) HitPoints
• 15% JumpHeight
• 15% SpeedJumping
• MezResist(Confused) 86.25%
• MezResist(Held) 86.25%
• MezResist(Immobilized) 86.25%
• MezResist(Sleep) 86.25%
• MezResist(Stunned) 86.25%
• MezResist(Terrorized) 86.25%
• MezResist(Teleport) 100% (20% chance)
• 21% (0.35 End/sec) Recovery
• 40% (2.23 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 15% ResEffect(SpeedFlying)
• 15% ResEffect(RechargeTime)
• 15% ResEffect(SpeedRunning)
• 20% Resistance(Smashing)
• 26% Resistance(Fire)
• 26% Resistance(Cold)
• 28.25% Resistance(Energy)
• 28.25% Resistance(Negative)
• 9.5% Resistance(Toxic)
• 9.5% Resistance(Psionic)
• 20% Resistance(Lethal)
• 15% SpeedRunning
• 36% GlobalChanceMod PlayerCrit

 

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On 1/30/2021 at 1:57 PM, WindDemon21 said:

I don’t know what you're talking about. Besides waiting till 32 for your aoe its an insanely good combo. Especially cause you can also get that 5% ranged defense bonus from the purple set off boggle.

 

Oh, make no mistake, I absolutely love mine - the Kat/Rad was intended to be the main, but the Psi/SD got a ton more time, attention, and inf.  And you are totally correct; it is a brutally good combo, but I'm not sure I'd make the case that either PM or SD is "best" on a scrapper.  SD/ tanks are complete beats right now, and with Stalker's crit tricks that might be the sweet spot for PM.

 

Not that it matters in any practical sense; splitting the thinnest of hairs on that comparison, imo.

Edited February 20, 2021 by InvaderStych

[StriderIV]

5 hours ago, InvaderStych said:

For @StriderIV by request.  A more sensible variant of my Psi/SD.  For the peanut gallery, disregard the level at which TKB is selected - this was an experiment to see what she would be like with that instead of LBE and it was the least effort to just swap them. Accolades on to reflect in-game setup.  Carries both Assault and Melee Hybrid T4s, the latter used to get closer to iCap as needed.

 

Massive credit/thanks to @Werner who's (whom's?) SD/MA tank I shamelessly copied to come up with this.

 

Any comments/suggestions, particularly with iPowers (Ageless experts?) are absolutely welcome.  I don't consider myself all that excellent at mids, lol, I just snag ideas from the boards and mush them up together.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.4.7
https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Natural Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Psionic Melee
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Psi Blade -- SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), SprCrtStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), SprCrtStr-Rchg/+50% Crit(40)
Level 1: Deflection -- ShlWal-Def(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(3), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(3), ShlWal-Def/Rchg(5), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(5), HO:Ribo(15)
Level 2: Battle Agility -- ShlWal-Def(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(7), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(7), ShlWal-Def/Rchg(9), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(9), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(45)
Level 4: True Grit -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(11), GldArm-3defTpProc(11), GldArm-ResDam(13), UnbGrd-ResDam(13), UnbGrd-Max HP%(15)
Level 6: Concentration -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(46), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(46), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(48), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(48), GssSynFr--Build%(48)
Level 8: Psi Blade Sweep -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg(A), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Arm-Acc/Rchg(19), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(21), Arm-Dam%(21), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(39)
Level 10: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Combat Teleport -- BlsoftheZ-Travel(A), BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(46)
Level 14: Kick -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A)
Level 16: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(43), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(45), UnbGrd-EndRdx/Rchg(45)
Level 20: Phalanx Fighting -- Rct-ResDam%(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(50), Ksm-ToHit+(50)
Level 22: Weave -- ShlWal-Def(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(23), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(23), ShlWal-EndRdx/Rchg(25), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(25)
Level 24: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 26: Greater Psi Blade -- Hct-Dmg/Rchg(A), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), Hct-Acc/Rchg(27), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Hct-Dam%(29), UnbCns-Dam%(37)
Level 28: Grant Cover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 30: Maneuvers -- ShlWal-Def(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(31), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(31), ShlWal-EndRdx/Rchg(31), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(34)
Level 32: Mass Levitate -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(33), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), FrcFdb-Rechg%(34)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprScrStr-Dmg/Rchg(36), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), SprScrStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), SprScrStr-Rchg/+Crit(37)
Level 38: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 41: Telekinetic Blow -- Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg(A), Mk'Bit-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Mk'Bit-Dmg/Rchg(42), Mk'Bit-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Mk'Bit-Dam%(43)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- PrfShf-End%(A)
Level 47: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A)
Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Prv-Absorb%(17), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(40)
Level 2: Stamina -- PwrTrns-+Heal(A), PrfShf-End%(17), PrfShf-EndMod(50)
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 4: Ninja Run
Level 50: Reactive Radial Flawless Interface
Level 50: Rebirth Radial Epiphany
Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon
Level 50: Mighty Radial Final Judgement
Level 50: Portal Jockey
Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 50: Task Force Commander
Level 50: The Atlas Medallion
Level 50: Robotic Drones Radial Superior Ally
Level 50: Melee Radial Embodiment
------------
------------
Set Bonus Totals:

 


 

 

• 16% DamageBuff(Smashing)
• 16% DamageBuff(Lethal)
• 16% DamageBuff(Fire)
• 16% DamageBuff(Cold)
• 16% DamageBuff(Energy)
• 16% DamageBuff(Negative)
• 16% DamageBuff(Toxic)
• 16% DamageBuff(Psionic)
• 19.13% Defense(Melee)
• 16.31% Defense(Smashing)
• 16.31% Defense(Lethal)
• 9.75% Defense(Fire)
• 9.75% Defense(Cold)
• 9.75% Defense(Energy)
• 9.75% Defense(Negative)
• 6% Defense(Psionic)
• 13.5% Defense(Ranged)
• 13.5% Defense(AoE)
• 45% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 5% Enhancement(Max EnduranceDiscount)
• 67.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 15% SpeedFlying
• GrantPower Preventive Medicine (0% chance, if Scourge)
• 306.2 HP (22.87%) HitPoints
• 15% JumpHeight
• 15% SpeedJumping
• MezResist(Confused) 86.25%
• MezResist(Held) 86.25%
• MezResist(Immobilized) 86.25%
• MezResist(Sleep) 86.25%
• MezResist(Stunned) 86.25%
• MezResist(Terrorized) 86.25%
• MezResist(Teleport) 100% (20% chance)
• 21% (0.35 End/sec) Recovery
• 40% (2.23 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 15% ResEffect(SpeedFlying)
• 15% ResEffect(RechargeTime)
• 15% ResEffect(SpeedRunning)
• 20% Resistance(Smashing)
• 26% Resistance(Fire)
• 26% Resistance(Cold)
• 28.25% Resistance(Energy)
• 28.25% Resistance(Negative)
• 9.5% Resistance(Toxic)
• 9.5% Resistance(Psionic)
• 20% Resistance(Lethal)
• 15% SpeedRunning
• 36% GlobalChanceMod PlayerCrit

 

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Oh, make no mistake, I absolutely love mine - the Kat/Rad was intended to be the main, but the Psi/SD got a ton more time, attention, and inf.  And you are totally correct; it is a brutally good combo, but I'm not sure I'd make the case that either PM or SD is "best" on a scrapper.  SD/ tanks are complete beats right now, and with Stalker's crit tricks that might be the sweet spot for PM.

 

Not that it matters in any practical sense; splitting the thinnest of hairs on that comparison, imo.

This is a really cool pairing, and I love the thought you put into the build! Plus, it just has a “cool” factor =P

[Grindingsucks]

My favorite combo at the present is StJ/SR, but Scrappers are great with many different powersets.  The only powersets I've really had a lot of trouble with is Bioarmor, which is widely regarded as one of the best armor sets in the game.  I think I just have trouble wrapping my brain around how the various modes work and when to activate them, keeping track of all the click powers, and figuring out how to slot.  It's just more complexity than my tired old brain is able to handle.

 

I'd just recommend making up two or three scrappers with different sets and trying them out to see which powersets "click" with you.  You'll find a combo that you love, eventually.

[StriderIV]

22 hours ago, Grindingsucks said:

My favorite combo at the present is StJ/SR, but Scrappers are great with many different powersets.  The only powersets I've really had a lot of trouble with is Bioarmor, which is widely regarded as one of the best armor sets in the game.  I think I just have trouble wrapping my brain around how the various modes work and when to activate them, keeping track of all the click powers, and figuring out how to slot.  It's just more complexity than my tired old brain is able to handle.

 

I'd just recommend making up two or three scrappers with different sets and trying them out to see which powersets "click" with you.  You'll find a combo that you love, eventually.

Appreciate it man! I've rolled ONE /Bio, and it did in fact take some getting used to when I was used to running Invuln on a Tanker 😂

[Rokkeb]

TL;DR: For low to mid level content on a budget without IO sets and such : Claws, Staff, Street Justice are my top 3 for easy to use primaries, Ninjitsu is a clear winner for secondary, maybe invuln and ice as runners up, though as you gain in levels dark armor for me pushes out ice. and then at 50 of course bio/rad/shield/energy are the winners cause boost your damage, recharge times and all that. But honestly for secondary pick w/e you want, you can make them all work. 

 

I've been struggling with lvl 50 boredom, and my my current 50 scrappers are absolute trash when I examp down to anything below 40's. I could obviously build them an exemplar spec, and may still do that, but instead I've been experimenting with different combos, and other than a few uniques that I don't roll without on any toon, such as performance shift , and some sort of end. recovery in health be it miracle or panacea etc. I've been trying to find which scrappers sets are a solid leveling experience. 

 

How I base it: is it fun, am I good in a group, or solo? can I solo on higher than base 0/1 ?  What I've found so far:

 

Street Justice is solid at low levels but end heavy. Take the first 3 attacks and you have a solid attack chain that will get you through solo and group content. take whatever other attacks you like as you level, but with just the 3 attack you've got a solid rotation to work with. 

 

katana and broadsword are about equal to me for leveling. They both depend on parry/da to keep their attack chain full. They both outperform mace and axe at low levels with basic slotting. and then are both outperformed by axe and mace later on with sets and IOs and high recharge, and massive end recovery. BS you'll want some help with endurance recovery for sure. 

 

claws is great, follow up is amazing. You can skip one of the first 2 attacks if you want, or take both so you never have a gap in attack, and if you have the endurance under control spin still works grat as a filler and hits hard even on 1 target. But because its a fast attack you're always spending endurance, so have a secondary that helps with that or invest in some performance shift and panacea. Easiest way to afford them is start running SBB and selling those enhancements. 

 

staff is great fun, and an easy to use set, but it always feels low damage. I've read its amazing on a stalker, and I love it on a tank.  you'll never have problems with staff, but you'll always feel like you're not doing as much dmg as other sets. Has build in endurance managment which makes leveling it easy, and makes it easy to pair with stuff like dark armor. 

 

energy melee is fun and powerful, but you gotta take barrage at low lvls, otherwise you have massive gaps in your attack chain and thats just no fun. 

 

elec melee - garbo set. everything is slow and weak, and you're waiting for your 32 power to feel like you're halfway good. and then to be 3/4 good you have to pair it with shield, which sucks to level with. If you really want elec melee, try stalker so you at least get assassins zapp and have a good single target attack chain. 

 

savage melee - i also just struggle with this set, its mechanics don't seem very well put together. to make the most of it you have to count stacks and make sure you never use a finsiher at 5 stacks and always at 4, or you'll drain end like crazy. On top of that everything is low numbers.. which is not satisfying to watch as a scrapper, if i wanted to spam tons of low numbers i'd play  controller. which is a shame because savage has the best animations IMO. 

 

MA - haven't become very familar with this yet, i've tried quite a few so far, but none felt like what I was going after .. with the character concept/secondary choice so they've been rerolled a lot trying to find something that fits. what I can say is the attacks are fine, and it's decent, but i get overloaded with attacks, there are so many and I feel like i need to figure out which ones are good and which ones can be skipped easily. very easy to make an attack chain though which is nice. 

 

psionic - hits hard, especially at lower end when almost nothing seems to have psi resistance. I expected all the robots to in posi1 but they didn't seem to mitigate it any better than anything else. slow attack chain though, and i just ignore insight, and follow my chain trying to use it "best" just means you aren't attack and waiting on CDs. 

 

dark - i just don't have fun with it, so i abandon it every time. I know some people love it, i'm clearly not one of them. Again, its if I wanted to play a controller I'd play a controller. 

 

fire, ice, kinetic, dual blades - haven't used them at all. 

 

tw - I took a TW scrapper to 45 or so and ended up deleting it - I just dont' enjoy that set. not fun at all for me. 

 

rad melee - i know it has potentional but it seems like mace and axe its a late blooming set, and will get significantly better with high recharge and IO sets. its slow and boring at low levels. 

 

spines - i used to hate spines, i still do, but i used'ta too. spines is good ae set, theres nothing "wrong" with it, but the long attack animations that lock you down, and the ae focus never jived with how I want to play a scrapper. If that's your thing then awesome, go hunt, kill skuls. 

 

 

as for secondaries. 

 

ninjitsu surprised me. its stong, easy to use, has movement bonus when paired with ninja or beast running gives you like 3/4 of super speed and 1/8th of super jump together allowing you to skip travel powers for quite awhile in favor of attacks or armor which is nice. I would say over all ninjitsu wins for me for strong leveling secondary. 

 

rad bio shield and to a lesser extent energy all are late bloomers in my opinion. I feel like they are all weak while leveling, with big holes that get you killed often, until you've kitted them out and then all of a sudden nothing in the game can touch you. Rad is old regen, its just about spamming your abilities nonstop, not a fun playstyle for me, but people who enjoyed old regen may like it. 

 

elec and fire both take a lot of damage, but have a decent heal to make up for it. every once in awhile you come across missions or TF's where your armor set helps negate the enemies damage, elec more than rad. both are viable, but they'll start pretty slow. 

 

willpower, super reflexes, shield, all can work pretty good but get used to bringing greens around with you. WP regen doesn't really keep up till you start getting some set bonus from what I can tell. or pair it with dark for the self heal attack. 

 

ice does pretty well while leveling, the self heal is ok, the ae slow is nice, a little end hungry to start with but they get an end drain to help with that later. 

 

dark is one of my favorite sets, i prefer it on brute or tanker though where you can really push those resists. Skip the AE dmg aura for awhile it will really help your endurance issues to start with, or run it with staff. 

 

invuln pretty strong and reliable, has a self heal/hp buff thing that helps. 

 

regen - people talk so much shit on regen i was surprised how halfway decent it is for a no budget leveling build. I like to pair it with kat, staff, or broadsword to stack defense on yourself while attacking like normal, but it'll work with any primary. bonus is, any of those endurance hog primaries benefit from regen. Get used to running around corners while soloing though to get just an extra tick or two of regen to catch your health up. 

 

Pick any primary match it with any secondary, and at 50 with IO sets and incarnates it's good, so that doesn't matter, but I found exemped or leveling to be a struggle with some of my scrapper combos, and honestly I have more fun running mid lvl TF's than the spam/skip rush style of 50 content you find. 

 

 

[StriderIV]

22 minutes ago, Rokkeb said:

TL;DR: For low to mid level content on a budget without IO sets and such : Claws, Staff, Street Justice are my top 3 for easy to use primaries, Ninjitsu is a clear winner for secondary, maybe invuln and ice as runners up, though as you gain in levels dark armor for me pushes out ice. and then at 50 of course bio/rad/shield/energy are the winners cause boost your damage, recharge times and all that. But honestly for secondary pick w/e you want, you can make them all work. 

 

I've been struggling with lvl 50 boredom, and my my current 50 scrappers are absolute trash when I examp down to anything below 40's. I could obviously build them an exemplar spec, and may still do that, but instead I've been experimenting with different combos, and other than a few uniques that I don't roll without on any toon, such as performance shift , and some sort of end. recovery in health be it miracle or panacea etc. I've been trying to find which scrappers sets are a solid leveling experience. 

 

How I base it: is it fun, am I good in a group, or solo? can I solo on higher than base 0/1 ?  What I've found so far:

 

Street Justice is solid at low levels but end heavy. Take the first 3 attacks and you have a solid attack chain that will get you through solo and group content. take whatever other attacks you like as you level, but with just the 3 attack you've got a solid rotation to work with. 

 

katana and broadsword are about equal to me for leveling. They both depend on parry/da to keep their attack chain full. They both outperform mace and axe at low levels with basic slotting. and then are both outperformed by axe and mace later on with sets and IOs and high recharge, and massive end recovery. BS you'll want some help with endurance recovery for sure. 

 

claws is great, follow up is amazing. You can skip one of the first 2 attacks if you want, or take both so you never have a gap in attack, and if you have the endurance under control spin still works grat as a filler and hits hard even on 1 target. But because its a fast attack you're always spending endurance, so have a secondary that helps with that or invest in some performance shift and panacea. Easiest way to afford them is start running SBB and selling those enhancements. 

 

staff is great fun, and an easy to use set, but it always feels low damage. I've read its amazing on a stalker, and I love it on a tank.  you'll never have problems with staff, but you'll always feel like you're not doing as much dmg as other sets. Has build in endurance managment which makes leveling it easy, and makes it easy to pair with stuff like dark armor. 

 

energy melee is fun and powerful, but you gotta take barrage at low lvls, otherwise you have massive gaps in your attack chain and thats just no fun. 

 

elec melee - garbo set. everything is slow and weak, and you're waiting for your 32 power to feel like you're halfway good. and then to be 3/4 good you have to pair it with shield, which sucks to level with. If you really want elec melee, try stalker so you at least get assassins zapp and have a good single target attack chain. 

 

savage melee - i also just struggle with this set, its mechanics don't seem very well put together. to make the most of it you have to count stacks and make sure you never use a finsiher at 5 stacks and always at 4, or you'll drain end like crazy. On top of that everything is low numbers.. which is not satisfying to watch as a scrapper, if i wanted to spam tons of low numbers i'd play  controller. which is a shame because savage has the best animations IMO. 

 

MA - haven't become very familar with this yet, i've tried quite a few so far, but none felt like what I was going after .. with the character concept/secondary choice so they've been rerolled a lot trying to find something that fits. what I can say is the attacks are fine, and it's decent, but i get overloaded with attacks, there are so many and I feel like i need to figure out which ones are good and which ones can be skipped easily. very easy to make an attack chain though which is nice. 

 

psionic - hits hard, especially at lower end when almost nothing seems to have psi resistance. I expected all the robots to in posi1 but they didn't seem to mitigate it any better than anything else. slow attack chain though, and i just ignore insight, and follow my chain trying to use it "best" just means you aren't attack and waiting on CDs. 

 

dark - i just don't have fun with it, so i abandon it every time. I know some people love it, i'm clearly not one of them. Again, its if I wanted to play a controller I'd play a controller. 

 

fire, ice, kinetic, dual blades - haven't used them at all. 

 

tw - I took a TW scrapper to 45 or so and ended up deleting it - I just dont' enjoy that set. not fun at all for me. 

 

rad melee - i know it has potentional but it seems like mace and axe its a late blooming set, and will get significantly better with high recharge and IO sets. its slow and boring at low levels. 

 

spines - i used to hate spines, i still do, but i used'ta too. spines is good ae set, theres nothing "wrong" with it, but the long attack animations that lock you down, and the ae focus never jived with how I want to play a scrapper. If that's your thing then awesome, go hunt, kill skuls. 

 

 

as for secondaries. 

 

ninjitsu surprised me. its stong, easy to use, has movement bonus when paired with ninja or beast running gives you like 3/4 of super speed and 1/8th of super jump together allowing you to skip travel powers for quite awhile in favor of attacks or armor which is nice. I would say over all ninjitsu wins for me for strong leveling secondary. 

 

rad bio shield and to a lesser extent energy all are late bloomers in my opinion. I feel like they are all weak while leveling, with big holes that get you killed often, until you've kitted them out and then all of a sudden nothing in the game can touch you. Rad is old regen, its just about spamming your abilities nonstop, not a fun playstyle for me, but people who enjoyed old regen may like it. 

 

elec and fire both take a lot of damage, but have a decent heal to make up for it. every once in awhile you come across missions or TF's where your armor set helps negate the enemies damage, elec more than rad. both are viable, but they'll start pretty slow. 

 

willpower, super reflexes, shield, all can work pretty good but get used to bringing greens around with you. WP regen doesn't really keep up till you start getting some set bonus from what I can tell. or pair it with dark for the self heal attack. 

 

ice does pretty well while leveling, the self heal is ok, the ae slow is nice, a little end hungry to start with but they get an end drain to help with that later. 

 

dark is one of my favorite sets, i prefer it on brute or tanker though where you can really push those resists. Skip the AE dmg aura for awhile it will really help your endurance issues to start with, or run it with staff. 

 

invuln pretty strong and reliable, has a self heal/hp buff thing that helps. 

 

regen - people talk so much shit on regen i was surprised how halfway decent it is for a no budget leveling build. I like to pair it with kat, staff, or broadsword to stack defense on yourself while attacking like normal, but it'll work with any primary. bonus is, any of those endurance hog primaries benefit from regen. Get used to running around corners while soloing though to get just an extra tick or two of regen to catch your health up. 

 

Pick any primary match it with any secondary, and at 50 with IO sets and incarnates it's good, so that doesn't matter, but I found exemped or leveling to be a struggle with some of my scrapper combos, and honestly I have more fun running mid lvl TF's than the spam/skip rush style of 50 content you find. 

 

 

Rokkeb, if I could like this multiple times dude... I would. So thankful you took the time to write this all out, it was great to hear about you experience.

Only issue now... You've made me also want to roll a Dark Armor/Staff Tanker 😂 That sounds like a synergistic and cool combo.

[Bill Z Bubba]

6 minutes ago, StriderIV said:

Only issue now... You've made me also want to roll a Dark Armor/Staff Tanker 😂 That sounds like a synergistic and cool combo.

Teams would dig having you around.

[StriderIV]

2 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Teams would dig having you around.

Yeah man, I imagine it's great at holding aggro 😛 I'm all about the team play. I'm not a Werner ITF rules stud like some of you 😂

[Rokkeb]

15 minutes ago, StriderIV said:

Yeah man, I imagine it's great at holding aggro 😛 I'm all about the team play. I'm not a Werner ITF rules stud like some of you 😂

I have a dark staff tanker, and its my favorite tanker by far. the resists you build up are insane so you can start to work on defense through pool powers and set IOS, but even still for group content and TF's while leveling its crazy good. And that self heal is crazy good. 

[StriderIV]

3 minutes ago, Rokkeb said:

I have a dark staff tanker, and its my favorite tanker by far. the resists you build up are insane so you can start to work on defense through pool powers and set IOS, but even still for group content and TF's while leveling its crazy good. And that self heal is crazy good. 

Consider me sold. I assume you run mostly in the stance that provides end reduction? 
 

I could see you staying in that mostly for leveling, and maybe switching to one of the others for endgame content, if you’re able to work out your endurance issues with particular sets/enhancements.

[Rokkeb]

1 minute ago, StriderIV said:

Consider me sold. I assume you run mostly in the stance that provides end reduction? 
 

I could see you staying in that mostly for leveling, and maybe switching to one of the others for endgame content, if you’re able to work out your endurance issues with particular sets/enhancements.

That's all I run at this point on him, he's lvl 35 I think now, and i don't think I've ever left that stance yet. Maybe later when I'm outfitted in IO's and have end coming out my ears, but for now i'll take that end reduction

 

[Erratic1]

1 hour ago, Rokkeb said:

How I base it: is it fun, am I good in a group, or solo? can I solo on higher than base 0/1 ?  What I've found so far:

 

savage melee - i also just struggle with this set, its mechanics don't seem very well put together. to make the most of it you have to count stacks and make sure you never use a finsiher at 5 stacks and always at 4, or you'll drain end like crazy. On top of that everything is low numbers.. which is not satisfying to watch as a scrapper, if i wanted to spam tons of low numbers i'd play  controller. which is a shame because savage has the best animations IMO. 

 

as for secondaries. 

 

rad bio shield and to a lesser extent energy all are late bloomers in my opinion. I feel like they are all weak while leveling, with big holes that get you killed often, until you've kitted them out and then all of a sudden nothing in the game can touch you. Rad is old regen, its just about spamming your abilities nonstop, not a fun playstyle for me, but people who enjoyed old regen may like it. 

 

Pick any primary match it with any secondary, and at 50 with IO sets and incarnates it's good, so that doesn't matter, but I found exemped or leveling to be a struggle with some of my scrapper combos, and honestly I have more fun running mid lvl TF's than the spam/skip rush style of 50 content you find. 

 

One might expect from the above (heavily snipped) that Savage Melee/Energy Aura would be the land of small damage, no endurance, and repeated deaths. With no IOs slotted, at 15 seconds of fighting 4 of 6 opponents are down, two-thirds of endurance remains, and health is almost full.

 

 

Seeing two simultaneous hits for 98 on a target may not be as satisfying as seeing 196 fly by, let alone a stream of 20s coming off target as opposed to the entire thing being summed up for 120. I grant, big numbers versus a sea of smaller numbers is subjective. I could post my WM/SD scrapper one-shotting guys and its a great feel. But its not the only feel I draw joy from.

[WindDemon21]

42 minutes ago, StriderIV said:

Consider me sold. I assume you run mostly in the stance that provides end reduction? 
 

I could see you staying in that mostly for leveling, and maybe switching to one of the others for endgame content, if you’re able to work out your endurance issues with particular sets/enhancements.

Yeah soul mode until you finish the io build. It's definitely one of the best tanker combos. Don't forget how it has a Defense giving power in staff too.

[StriderIV]

11 minutes ago, Erratic1 said:

 

One might expect from the above (heavily snipped) that Savage Melee/Energy Aura would be the land of small damage, no endurance, and repeated deaths. With no IOs slotted, at 15 seconds of fighting 4 of 6 opponents are down, two-thirds of endurance remains, and health is almost full.

 

 

 

Seeing two simultaneous hits for 98 on a target may not be as satisfying as seeing 196 fly by, let alone a stream of 20s coming off target as opposed to the entire thing being summed up for 120. I grant, big numbers versus a sea of smaller numbers is subjective. I could post my WM/SD scrapper one-shotting guys and its a great feel. But its not the only feel I draw joy from.

Some pretty sweet animations there as well 😛

[StriderIV]

2 minutes ago, WindDemon21 said:

Yeah soul mode until you finish the io build. It's definitely one of the best tanker combos. Don't forget how it has a Defense giving power in staff too.

Great point, so it'll pair well with all the resistance DA gives.

Great to know about Form of the Soul as well. Once IO'd out, do you find yourself primarily staying in one of the other stances, either Body or Mind? I could see Form of the Body being preferred, if you could fix endurance issues and get enough recharge once IO'd out.

[Rokkeb]

1 hour ago, Erratic1 said:

 

One might expect from the above (heavily snipped) that Savage Melee/Energy Aura would be the land of small damage, no endurance, and repeated deaths. With no IOs slotted, at 15 seconds of fighting 4 of 6 opponents are down, two-thirds of endurance remains, and health is almost full.

 

 

 

Seeing two simultaneous hits for 98 on a target may not be as satisfying as seeing 196 fly by, let alone a stream of 20s coming off target as opposed to the entire thing being summed up for 120. I grant, big numbers versus a sea of smaller numbers is subjective. I could post my WM/SD scrapper one-shotting guys and its a great feel. But its not the only feel I draw joy from.

I agree that it's all subjective, and my list is based on what I felt, not parsed numbers. For me savage sea of small numbers mixed with having to monitor blood stacks instead of just mindlessly using the combo system with orange circles like Staff or Street or now Energy Melee, along with if I mess it up and finish with 5 stacks I've just tanked my endurance for the next while, it was an unsatisfying way to play. I'm not saying its a bad set, I'm saying its not fun for me to play, and trying to explain why. 

 

what I like in a melee set is a fluid attack chain, it doesn't have to have big combos like street justice or energy melee, but I want to be able to set up my buttons and hit them in a chain, without massive gaps. I rank both katana and broadsword above warmace for a low to mid level build, because warmace will have massive gaps in the chain until you have 5 single target attacks because the cooldowns are so slow, but at 50 IO'd out WM crushes both kat/bs with ease, and goes down to a 3 attack, attack chain. 

 

I have a 50 WM, but it will never do anything but lvl 50 content, cause WM is garbage below that, IMO. 

 

And as for the secondaries I still stand by Shield, Bio, Rad, and Energy is almost there with them, being top end sets, not leveling sets. They are real weak for soloing until you have sets to prop them up. Of course if you run TF's and team oriented stuff 100% of your leveling time, you could any set, and not turn on any of its toggles or use any of its powers, and still probably be fine.