What's The Optimal Solo Scrapper?

[hejtmane]

58 minutes ago, Zhym said:

Why no mention of Martial Arts?  Not enough AoE, or too reliant on S/L damage?  I have an MA/SR scrapper that was grand fun to level to 50 solo, though -def debuffs can take him down.  I haven't played him that often lately, having since discovered the joys of the DP/MC blapper, but I still think MA/SR is a good set that doesn't require too much key-clicking other than the attacks.

/sr should have no issues with -def it has the highest DDR should be at 95% if properly slotted. SR should only be struggling with attacks that are type only and no positional defense  cough cough PSI and I think a few toxic attacks have the same thing

[Zhym]

3 minutes ago, hejtmane said:

/sr should have no issues with -def it has the highest DDR should be at 95% if properly slotted. SR should only be struggling with attacks that are type only and no positional defense  cough cough PSI and I think a few toxic attacks have the same thing

Okay, so maybe I didn't max my MA/SR's defenses enough—silly me, I thought the softcap would be a reasonable target. And usually it is, until I go up against ruularu.  Then...not so much, no.  

[hejtmane]

Just now, Zhym said:

Okay, so maybe I didn't max my MA/SR's defenses enough—silly me, I thought the softcap would be a reasonable target. And usually it is, until I go up against ruularu.  Then...not so much, no.  

Make sure you passives and your main are properly slotted first. You do not need to 3 slot your passives by any means but they need some slotting.

[PLVRIZR]

On 8/18/2021 at 8:11 AM, Bill Z Bubba said:

If you just want cruise control for a relaxing ride from 1 to 50+, my vote goes to claws/willpower. It's not the best at single target damage, it's not the best at aoe damage, it's not the best mitigation, but what it IS is amazingly balanced for the whole ride. Plenty of end, regen, damage resistance, defense and extra HP, a full attack chain with just claws from very early in the game and one of the best aoes in the game with Spin, also available very early.

 

My mains may be claws/sr, but I have a claws/wp that I refuse to powerlevel and she only solos. I bring her out when it's time for pure scrapper-meditation.

 

I agree...but I'm remaking my Dual Blades/Willpower scrap from live, first.  My claws scrap was also Claws/SR (guilty as charged as one of the millions of Wolverine clones) which I made after my Claws/Regen experiment (thought that was more Wolverine-y, at first) went completely sideways by about lvl 35 and was shelved and never played, again.

[Bill Z Bubba]

18 hours ago, PLVRIZR said:

I agree...but I'm remaking my Dual Blades/Willpower scrap from live, first.  My claws scrap was also Claws/SR (guilty as charged as one of the millions of Wolverine clones) which I made after my Claws/Regen experiment (thought that was more Wolverine-y, at first) went completely sideways by about lvl 35 and was shelved and never played, again.

 

There's a reason Bill Z Bubba has never been seen without his cigar.

 

Were I to do another Wolvie clone, I'd definitely go claws/wp since regen is still the worst scrapper secondary.

[Doomguide2005]

On 9/1/2021 at 4:46 PM, Zhym said:

Okay, so maybe I didn't max my MA/SR's defenses enough—silly me, I thought the softcap would be a reasonable target. And usually it is, until I go up against ruularu.  Then...not so much, no.  

      Yeah cheaty Rularuu with their +100% To Hit buff kind of make the idea of defense irrelevant.  But yes SR's DDR is what allows you to wade into mobs of +4 Cimerorans and know that getting debuffed is not what kills you so don't neglect it.

[Max Firepower]

My most solo capable scrappers tend to be defense based (for the many reasons given above).  Ones that are durable and capable usually have been running claws, katana, electric melee (I skipped the ponderously slow corpse killer, tbh), and war mace.

 

I am a big fan of energy aura, super reflexes, and I like radiation armor and electric armor for resists.  For a solo scrapper, they have enough resists to last longer than your foes.  If you are running at 4/8, it may take some work, though. 😉

[Haijinx]

On 9/2/2021 at 4:00 PM, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

There's a reason Bill Z Bubba has never been seen without his cigar.

 

Were I to do another Wolvie clone, I'd definitely go claws/wp since regen is still the worst scrapper secondary.

 

Nerf Regen

[BigKahuna337]

Rad/Rad is hard to beat. Downside is no DDR, upside is max 75% Res to S/L/E/N/F/C. If influence is no object can get Fire def to +45 and S/L/E around 35%. Basically has 2 heals (one an absorb shield, but same/same. 

[venetiasilver]

On 8/18/2021 at 1:11 AM, 00Troy00 said:

I'm looking to make a scrqpper that I can jump on and have a good time when teams aren't to be found. In your opinion, what is the most solo-friendly scrapper?

If you're still around, have you found the answer yet?

[00Troy00]

On 11/3/2024 at 6:36 AM, venetiasilver said:

have

 

On 11/3/2024 at 6:36 AM, venetiasilver said:

If you're still around, have you found the answer yet?

I haven't yet, but have enjoyed my Claws/SR

[Maelwys]

The optimal Scrapper is whatever one you happen to be playing today.
They're mostly* all hold-my-beer insane rampaging engines of destruction; they merely come in slightly different flavours.

(*Except KinMelee/Regen. Because something has to be the lining the very bottom of the 200%-proof barrel of psychoactive moonshine...)
 

Edited November 5 by Maelwys

[dtaxtman86]

I would suggest mention of a secondary set that has a heal. I think a good consistent set with synergy is MA/Ninjitsu. With Kuji-In rin and sha, your psi and toxic res are really good, plus you get positional defenses and retsu can be your survival button, but again depends on what content you are wanting to play.

Edited November 9 by dtaxtman86

[StriderIV]

On 11/9/2024 at 2:31 AM, dtaxtman86 said:

I would suggest mention of a secondary set that has a heal. I think a good consistent set with synergy is MA/Ninjitsu. With Kuji-In rin and sha, your psi and toxic res are really good, plus you get positional defenses and retsu can be your survival button, but again depends on what content you are wanting to play.

I’m toying around with a build myself (inspired by @Spaghetti Betty) which uses burnout and cycles Nin’s T9 and Unleash Potential. Should be pretty sweet. Great combo call out!

[Thraxen]

Katana/wp. Crazy regen and added defense from kat. 

[TheMoncrief]

My favorite Scrapper that is currently possible is my Claws/Energy Aura. Claws is just smooth, and Energy Aura has pretty much all the tools you might need to keep you alive.

 

I'd enjoy having my Katana/SR Scrapper from live, but last time I played that character, perma-Elude was a thing. Which is why I loved it so much. And is insanely broken. Yeah, that's never coming back. You're supposed to need incarnates to get that strong.

[Sancerre]

On 11/18/2024 at 10:36 PM, TheMoncrief said:

My favorite Scrapper that is currently possible is my Claws/Energy Aura. Claws is just smooth, and Energy Aura has pretty much all the tools you might need to keep you alive.

 

I'd enjoy having my Katana/SR Scrapper from live, but last time I played that character, perma-Elude was a thing. Which is why I loved it so much. And is insanely broken. Yeah, that's never coming back. You're supposed to need incarnates to get that strong.

 

you can craft super optimized builds to cycle t9 defense clicky and Unleash Potential (Force of Will power pool) for... 'mostly'... perma overcapped defenses with extremely high DDR at all times as well (ageless radial).  works with energy aura, super reflexes, and ninjutsu.  you need to be fairly aggressively slotted towards recharge on the t9 but it works.  it is a bit frustrating dealing with the crash every 4 minutes as that is the window that you are not within the 'mostly' umbrella... but if you time the ageless perfectly, you never actually drop your toggles.  also locks you into taking the force of will power pool which can be inconvenient to squish in.  very strong but requires far more attention than basically anything else in the game and there are no great ways to track the actual crash timing in game with hard numbers so it becomes a bit of an unwieldy guessing game (would need something similar to world of warcraft's WeakAuras)

 

in practice, this is really only useful in solo play if you plan to do that sort of challenge.  in party play, the common /cold corruptor bubbles you up with insane defenses anyways and all of this is just unnecessary.  incidentally, a side benefit is that your endurance recovery is absolutely bonkers the entire time (both unleash potential and the t9 clicky do major work here).

[Zect]

Strictly speaking, you can live without weakauras - with time you develop an internal clock and know instinctively when it's about to crash, glance at the status bar to check if it's blinking, and take action accordingly. Getting to that point definitely still counts as unusually high effort for most of this playerbase, enough that the majority still considers the hard crashing T9's "useless".

 

However, this does reveal the nuance in the OP's original query: optimal in turn raises the question of what parameter we are optimizing for. There is optimizing for least effort spent, and also for most efficient clear times, and also for the widest breath of soloable content, among other possible variables that might be personally important to you. Multivariable calculus anyone?

[xaix1999]

Street Justice / Energy Aura

 

I'm currently leveling one and once you get energy drain and slot it for endurance, you can get -75% end on all mobs around you. Your defense will go much farther if they can't attack constantly.

Street Justice also has good aoe and great single target. It's a combo that I kinda fell on to by accident. All of my typed defense except negative is close or over 45%. Can easily do +2/8 arcs in your 30s. The heal also has endurance discount so it's not just for your hp bar. If teaming like me, you can super focus on slotting your attacks and worry about defense after 30, teams usually don't mind more damage.

 

Whatever you do pick, I hope it's fun.

[Frosticus]

I've done 3 different combos that all live in the t9 armor and have enough recharge to cycle t9>unleash>t9>unleash.

em/ea stalk, stone/ea stalk, and stone/nin scrap.

the stone/ea makes almost no compromises compared to a traditional ea build because the high uptime of ffback still allowed me to proc out every attack, and take musculature.

the stone/nin did require agility, but the 0 end recovery power and click mez in /nin are perfect for pushing through the t9 crash. I was even able to take clarion radial (powerboost) for overall higher runspeed/def from retsu, which is like being perma speedboosted as you zip around.

 

They do require a bit more management of course, but the crash of the defensive t9s is not that hard to get through without inspirations, let alone with. Its an addicting playstyle when you see what you can throw them into.

[Without_Pause]

On 11/29/2024 at 5:11 PM, xaix1999 said:

I'm currently leveling one and once you get energy drain and slot it for endurance, you can get -75% end on all mobs around you. Your defense will go much farther if they can't attack constantly.

-75% End really isn't something to right home about, and I say that as someone who had a Kin/Elec as a main on Live. Credible End drain starts with -Recovery. 

[Lazarillo]

I'm going to echo a sentiment already posted a few times, but I've been playing my main a fair bit today, a Claws/Willpower Scrapper and it's, like, almost frustrating that nothing seems to compare in terms of sheer unstoppable steamrolliness (and not just on Scrappers, but any AT, that I can think of).  A few solid-but-distant second place options spring to mind (Energy/Willpower comes to mind on the Scrapper front...though again, still /Willpower), but it's a build that covers so many bases so well.  It just feels like there's no content (or, at least, no content I'd want to do) that it doesn't do well at, and while it does have a couple shortcomings, what it would sacrifice to play a set that might excel at those shortcomings, is too steep.

Edited December 1 by Lazarillo

[Without_Pause]

18 hours ago, Lazarillo said:

I'm going to echo a sentiment already posted a few times, but I've been playing my main a fair bit today, a Claws/Willpower Scrapper and it's, like, almost frustrating that nothing seems to compare in terms of sheer unstoppable steamrolliness (and not just on Scrappers, but any AT, that I can think of).  A few solid-but-distant second place options spring to mind (Energy/Willpower comes to mind on the Scrapper front...though again, still /Willpower), but it's a build that covers so many bases so well.  It just feels like there's no content (or, at least, no content I'd want to do) that it doesn't do well at, and while it does have a couple shortcomings, what it would sacrifice to play a set that might excel at those shortcomings, is too steep.

Crank the diff up to x8 and start taking on mobs with debuffs. WP is a lower tier armor and more so on a Scrapper. I've done WP on Brute, and it is really great until it is so very not.

[lemming]

38 minutes ago, Without_Pause said:

Crank the diff up to x8 and start taking on mobs with debuffs. WP is a lower tier armor and more so on a Scrapper. I've done WP on Brute, and it is really great until it is so very not.

At incarnate levels, Ageless is what really plugs that gap very well.    My badger is DB/WP and when I'm not being stupid, it tears thru stuff.   That said, I do have to pause to continue that chain.  At least solo.  On teams with support, no issues.  (which applied to everything really)

 

Scrappers I've kept even after my string of culls:

Katana	Ninjitsu	Been really enjoying this one after it was parked for a long time.  Fairly solid and versatile
Claws	EA	Mostly unstoppable and claws is a fun set
Energy	EA	Energy hits like a truck on single targets and does enough AOE
MA	Ninjitsu	Another fun combo
Broadsword	Shield	Classic Combo and does pretty well.
Psychic	Regen	Not the toughest grouping, but zero end issues. 😄  Just watch out for speed and regen debuffs.  Back off as needed
Claws	WP	the EA version works a bit better IMO, but easy to play
DB	WP	Ageless saves it, but like I said, it's my badger and has gone thru all the content
Battle Ax	SR	Battle Ax is just a fun set that pairs well with most
Street Justice	Bio	Current a placeholder, but went from 1-50 in a day of marathon TFs.

 

[Lazarillo]

4 hours ago, Without_Pause said:

Crank the diff up to x8 and start taking on mobs with debuffs. WP is a lower tier armor and more so on a Scrapper. I've done WP on Brute, and it is really great until it is so very not.

The thing is, while those debuffs can hurt, first, as lemming mentioned, Ageless fills the gap a fair percentage of the time.  Second is this last point:

 

23 hours ago, Lazarillo said:

while it does have a couple shortcomings, what it would sacrifice to play a set that might excel at those shortcomings, is too steep.

Let's say I try to pick a set that can handle debuffs better.  /SR, maybe, because nothing I can think of off the top of my head really handles "all" debuffs well, rather, certain sets have certain schticks they excel at in this front, and with /SR it's basically immune to defense debuffs, which, with a couple lucky rolls, can really start to hurt.  /SR's gonna suffer on x8, especially, because it has no way to keep enemies from scattering on a Scrapper.  It also has holes in status protection like Terrorize, which in my experience, usually comes from non-vectored sources (Psychic defense only, meaning /SR gets no major way of diminishing it), and without being able to stack different types of mitigation, is still vulnerable to some occasional oopsies.

 

An effective compromise might look at /Shield, which doesn't have /SR-levels of resistance to defense debuffs, but does fill both the specific holes in SR I mentioned above.  But that one, well, can't use Claws/ which is also part of that excellent combo.  Energy instead?  Okay, I'm having a hard time coming up with crunchy issues for that one.  But also, /Shield locks you into the silly shield stance, and looking good is 80% of being good in this game, and so that's way too big of a penalty, too (okay, I'm being a little tongue-in-cheek here.  But only a little).