If I wanted to make the most "Badass / Can Run Solo Without a Team," Scrapper, I would make...?

[Obsinious]

1 hour ago, DarknessEternal said:

Only if you're fighting more than 16 enemies, or they get out of range of your taunt aura.  Note, the latter happens very often.

 

This reflects the experience on my claws/rad scrapper exactly, I just don't see runners unless they get moved away.  Meanwhile, I'm constantly chasing on my stalkers.

[BrandX]

4 hours ago, DarknessEternal said:

Only if you're fighting more than 16 enemies, or they get out of range of your taunt aura.  Note, the latter happens very often.

 

In melee range with just one enemy and they run.  So don't know what to say.  Now, I didn't slot for additional taunt on my StJ/EA.  Just has an ENDRED in the power.

[Uun]

15 hours ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

Negative.

 

https://cod.uberguy.net./html/power.html?power=scrapper_defense.energy_aura.entropy_shield&at=scrapper

 

It's got the same redirect to the standardized 13.6 second mag 4 taunt as the rest.

 

https://cod.uberguy.net./html/power.html?power=redirects.inherents.fury_proc_aura&at=brute

 

Edit: Theory pulled directly from my posterior... I suspect that all these extra entries and redirects added when they normalized taunt auras are playing a roll in things taunt related going wonky.

I'm confused. I see the redirect to the 13.6 second mag 4 taunt (which is named Fury), but I also see a 2.25 second mag 3 taunt (which the brute also has). Most scrappers with taunt auras (Bio, Invul, Rad, Shield) have 13.6 second mag 3 taunt. Is it possible that the mag 4 taunt doesn't work for scrappers?

[Bill Z Bubba]

1 hour ago, Uun said:

I'm confused. I see the redirect to the 13.6 second mag 4 taunt (which is named Fury), but I also see a 2.25 second mag 3 taunt (which the brute also has). Most scrappers with taunt auras (Bio, Invul, Rad, Shield) have 13.6 second mag 3 taunt. Is it possible that the mag 4 taunt doesn't work for scrappers?

 

Or that that particular redirect just plain doesn't work because it's actually flagged for brutes? I honestly don't know. Checking something. Will edit shortly.

 

Took my db/nrg scrap to Atlas, turned off the cloak, and went running around. Gathered up a sizable group and they're following me around like good little enemies. Every now and then, one goes running off randomly but then comes back.

 

Turn off entropic aura, and after a bit, they just give up and wander off back to their spawn points.

 

So the taunt IS functioning. Leave entropic off, I can stand next to them and they completely ignore me, as they should since I'm +48 to them.

Edited December 31, 2021 by Bill Z Bubba

[BrandX]

4 hours ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

Or that that particular redirect just plain doesn't work because it's actually flagged for brutes? I honestly don't know. Checking something. Will edit shortly.

 

Took my db/nrg scrap to Atlas, turned off the cloak, and went running around. Gathered up a sizable group and they're following me around like good little enemies. Every now and then, one goes running off randomly but then comes back.

 

Turn off entropic aura, and after a bit, they just give up and wander off back to their spawn points.

 

So the taunt IS functioning. Leave entropic off, I can stand next to them and they completely ignore me, as they should since I'm +48 to them.

 

Is the cloak, while attacking, interfering with the taunt?  Cloak shouldn't be a factor, if you're attacking.  Because with the cloak on and the mez protection (taunt aura) on, they spot me in an invisible state (stealth IO)

[Bill Z Bubba]

21 minutes ago, BrandX said:

Is the cloak, while attacking, interfering with the taunt?  Cloak shouldn't be a factor, if you're attacking.  Because with the cloak on and the mez protection (taunt aura) on, they spot me in an invisible state (stealth IO)

 

Not that I'm aware of in any way.

 

I just turned it off ... well, honestly, no clue why I did that. Something to test further, I guess.

 

I'm not saying that shit ain't wonky. We have AVs running away from taunting tanks for fark's sake, but from what I can tell, at least Nrg Aura's taunt on scrappers functions.

[BrandX]

10 hours ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

Not that I'm aware of in any way.

 

I just turned it off ... well, honestly, no clue why I did that. Something to test further, I guess.

 

I'm not saying that shit ain't wonky. We have AVs running away from taunting tanks for fark's sake, but from what I can tell, at least Nrg Aura's taunt on scrappers functions.

 

I was going to mention my Tank, but I could only think of Director 11 and couldn't remember any others.

[Bill Z Bubba]

19 minutes ago, BrandX said:

I was going to mention my Tank, but I could only think of Director 11 and couldn't remember any others.

 

I've seen Rom and Req both rabbit quite often even when I'm on a tank and punching them in the face.

[DarknessEternal]

Things always run, that's just CoH.  Taunt auras just make it very much less frequent.

 

I know I was a bit harsh on why things run earlier, but there are a few other reasons things can run besides what I mentioned.  For example, don't know if this issues end changes changed anything, but things that couldn't make an attack when they tried would run.  Another thing is that if something misses so many attacks in a row, they will try to run, but usually a taunt aura will keep them around.  The latter is usually what makes things run when you get them out of range of the taunt aura and they're less than 16 guys.

 

That all being said, things run in CoH.  As soon as you make one attack, if you haven't hit them with a taunt, there's a chance they run.  That's how it's always been and it kinda sucks.  For example, if you're on x8 with a blaster and just throw a single fireball, a decent chunk of the pack will run.

 

You'd need someone with the code to explain it.

[Parabola]

It feels like mobs are running more these days but then again I could accept that could be just a perception thing. The ai behaviour is such a hard thing to measure after all. I'm running an ea scrapper currently and while I'm fairly sure the taunt aura does something, I'm still experiencing plenty of runners. Shockwave and focus are a great help in that regard though.

[Uun]

7 hours ago, BrandX said:

I was going to mention my Tank, but I could only think of Director 11 and couldn't remember any others.

Director 11 has a "run away" power. It also includes -30 mag immobilization protection, which is why he ignores immobilizes. Can't tell what sets it off.

 

https://cod.uberguy.net/html/power.html?power=incarnate_alphastrike.malta_ops_av.tactical_retreat&at=boss_praetorianarchvillain

 

https://cod.uberguy.net/html/entity.html?entity=malta_tactical_ops_alphastrike_av

[DreadShinobi]

On 12/30/2021 at 3:40 PM, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

Negative.

 

https://cod.uberguy.net./html/power.html?power=scrapper_defense.energy_aura.entropy_shield&at=scrapper

 

It's got the same redirect to the standardized 13.6 second mag 4 taunt as the rest.

 

https://cod.uberguy.net./html/power.html?power=redirects.inherents.fury_proc_aura&at=brute

 

Edit: Theory pulled directly from my posterior... I suspect that all these extra entries and redirects added when they normalized taunt auras are playing a roll in things taunt related going wonky.

 

Energy Aura Entropic Aura is a 2.25s taunt, not 13.6s sec, if you move away from the target or the target moves away from you the taunt will wear off quickly.

 

I believe taunt duration is also affected by the purple patch, but that is me guessing.

 

edit: did not see further replies that @Uun also commented on 2.25s duration

Edited January 1, 2022 by DreadShinobi

[Bill Z Bubba]

48 minutes ago, DreadShinobi said:

Energy Aura Entropic Aura is a 2.25s taunt, not 13.6s sec, if you move away from the target or the target moves away from you the taunt will wear off quickly.

 

I believe taunt duration is also affected by the purple patch, but that is me guessing.

 

edit: did not see further replies that @Uun also commented on 2.25s duration

 

That was the other thing we determined. The older taunt settings are still in the power but if the redirect is listed, it overrides and uses the redirect. Or at least, that's *supposed* to be what happened.

 

Yes, it's partly why I started a thread on the topic. All that stuff really needs to be cleaned up. I'm happy to do it if someone wants to grant me DB access but the danger there is that I'll give all scrappers taunt auras to make things balanced.

 

 

The circled overrides the 2.25 mag 3 and becomes

 

But it gets more wrong already.... most scrapper auras look like this:

 

 

Which is what Scrapper Entropic Aura *SHOULD* be. Which implies that Scrapper EA was given the wrong taunt aura and it's actually *stronger* by 1 mag than it should be.

Edited January 1, 2022 by Bill Z Bubba

[DreadShinobi]

@Bill Z Bubba thanks for the clarification. Haha and I would love to see a version of CoH where you had the powuh.

 

Do you know if taunt duration is included in the purple patch?

[Sovera]

We wouldn't all need taunt auras if only there was not that anchor dragging everyone down because 'that's how it's always been'. Across reference with 5% chance to miss.

 

The flee code is horrible and adds nothing other than wanting to have a character with a taunt aura in the team. That's it.

 

How it -should- be is that squishies fear for drawing agro since the enemies would turn on them and not much someone else in the team can do other than the regular healing, buffing, or trying to draw agro by going for damage first. If a character has a taunt aura then the mobs will ignore the rest of the team and wail on them.

 

What we -have- is that any mob, all mobs, from elementals to undead to robots to humans, takes a few hits and decides to go visit their cousin in the africas, and then a minute or two later returns at a lazy pace. Horrible gameplay.

 

Might make sense in WoW like games where quests are about killing one enemy at a time and a spawn might be three enemies, where at 20% HP they start fleeing. But this is CoH where enemies come in packs of ten or twelve. Oh hello, either burst them once at 30% or be prepared to see a gnu herd scattering in the savannah once the 20% threshold is crossed. And that's when they don't start fleeing if most of their buddies were downed.

 

Bonus points if it's a kill all mission.

 

 

But Sov, someone will point out, is it not realistic that the enemies will run if they are taking damage?

 

And a taunt aura magically makes the enemies -not- flee if they are taking damage... why? It does not fuss me because I only play Fire Armor with Brutes or Tankers, but why is this 'realistic' view not applied when mobs will stand on my napalm patch because... what? I'm not even calling their mom names since I'm not using Taunt. I'm just existing, and they decide it is fine to stay on the napalm patch wailing on the panzer.

 

 

Get rid of the flee code and not having a taunt aura will not nearly matter as much except for the literal tanking characters who want all the enemies focused on them.

[Bill Z Bubba]

6 minutes ago, DreadShinobi said:

Do you know if taunt duration is included in the purple patch?

 

I don't know. Since taunt resistance exists in the game, I'd guess yes but I wouldn't put any money on that bet.

[StriderIV]

16 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

I don't know. Since taunt resistance exists in the game, I'd guess yes but I wouldn't put any money on that bet.

Sorry @00Troy00, this has now become a Taunt thead! You ever settle on a powerset combo?

[Bill Z Bubba]

7 minutes ago, StriderIV said:

Sorry @00Troy00, this has now become a Taunt thead! You ever settle on a powerset combo?

 

It's still sort of topic. Those with taunt auras are more badass than those without and shield should be nerfed. 🙂

 

And not sure what you mean. I have several new alts and need to purge a few others. The dark/stone scrapper is still trucking along, I have a new inv/nrg tank that will never take total focus or energy transfer, and I haven't deleted the new seismic/kin corruptor but I haven't played her her much either, so that doesn't bode well.

[StriderIV]

32 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

It's still sort of topic. Those with taunt auras are more badass than those without and shield should be nerfed. 🙂

 

And not sure what you mean. I have several new alts and need to purge a few others. The dark/stone scrapper is still trucking along, I have a new inv/nrg tank that will never take total focus or energy transfer, and I haven't deleted the new seismic/kin corruptor but I haven't played her her much either, so that doesn't bode well.

Haha no not Shield, I love it too much!!! 😂

 

Interested in your thoughts on the Dark/Stone scrapper! I’ll stay tuned.

[Bill Z Bubba]

9 minutes ago, StriderIV said:

Haha no not Shield, I love it too much!!! 😂

 

Interested in your thoughts on the Dark/Stone scrapper! I’ll stay tuned.

 

Posted them earlier in this very thread:

 

[StriderIV]

41 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

Posted them earlier in this very thread:

 

Haha sorry if I missed it! Looks promising. I’m sure it’ll be a beast at 50.

[Linea]

  

On 12/29/2021 at 5:44 PM, Resuna said:

Would you mind sharing your EnM/EnA build?

Pretty sure D is the current version, and 2L is the version I'm going to respec into later. C is an older version, and 2J is another alternative, but I'm not planning on going that far down that path.  J is more of a general purpose path, and I prefer the 801/SoloASF path.  I'm going to ease up just a tad on the 801/ASF armor to add a little more Psionics armor.  But Only a little, as even a few points of SLE armor means massive increases in incoming damage at the higher to-hit numbers of Incarnate/801/ASF Hardmode settings.  (and any or all of these builds may be scrambled a bit, as they are my personal working copies)

 

RE: Taunt Aura

EnA Taunt aura is in my experience just barely enough to hold AVs (and other targets) most of the time.  It's also a very tight area, if you let small stuff slip even a foot or two away, they can escape.  Stuff WILL escape and run sometimes, and some AVs will run even when triple tank taunted.  Nothing's foolproof.

 

EnM Ena ShadowMeld Scrapper - 801 - Recharge-T9 ver 2L - [i25].mxd EnM Ena ShadowMeld Scrapper - 801 - Recharge-T9 ver 1d - [i25].mxd EnM Ena ShadowMeld Scrapper - 801 - Recharge-T9 ver 1c - [i25].mxd EnM Ena ShadowMeld Scrapper - 801 - Recharge-T9 ver 2J - [i25].mxd

Edited January 3, 2022 by Linea

[dzyp2]

On 12/18/2021 at 11:08 PM, 00Troy00 said:

I only have enough cash to make one!

 

Any/all ideas are welcome!

 

Generally speaking, CoH is a pretty easy game so you can make almost anything feel badass.

There have been a lot of good combo recommendations, but in any case I've found that getting the CS ATO proc correct is incredibly important if you want to feel your best. You want that sucker firing as often as possible and you want it to fire before your heavy hitter. So no matter what you choose, make sure you make a wise selection there.

I've got quite a few s-tier combo builds including wm/bio, claws/ena, and dm/shield which have been mentioned in this thread. That's not as many as a lot here but this is my opinion of them:
In descending order of max ST dmg:
wm/dm, claws

In descending order of max aoe dmg:
claws/dm, wm

In descending order of survivability:
ena/shield, bio

Now, at first this will look confusing because dm is frankly not known for either st or aoe dmg. Most of the time that's absolutely true. But once you pair it with shield and assuming you're running at x8 you're going to be swimming in +dmg. It will come last in ST dmg amongst those 3 on a pylon, sure, but standing in a mob taking down a boss and it crushes because of how boosted your dmg will be. 

Overall, in terms of overall strength and survivability, it's really quite close but I would rank those combos as follows:
dm/shield, claws/ena, wm/bio. 

WM/bio is not weak by any means and in some scenarios it's going to perform the best (it would, for instance, have the best pylon times between the 3). But if you were to throw me in a random mission and ask which of those I'd take it's the dm/shield. 

As stated previously, however, you want to get your procs right. I was really disappointed in dm until I rebuilt to maximize procs and somewhat disappointed in claws for the same reason. But then:
DM: put your CS proc in siphon life with 3 dmg procs. Have 4 dmg procs in midnight grasp. Start all engagements with siphon life and once you see "Critical Strikes" unleash hell. ST is siphon life -> smite -> midnight grasp -> smite. That critical strikes makes such a huge difference and proc'ing siphon life and midnight grasp is night and day. And this isn't too recharge intensive (I'm ok if soul drain is down for a second or two) and shield has enough survivability that you can sacrifice some set bonuses.
Claws: I cannot describe the joy of "Critical Strikes" followed by spin and shockwave. Especially the visual of shockwave which is literally just a wave of "critical" above the enemy and you can watch the power propagate through the baddies. You'll want to add your CS proc to follow up as well as the build up proc and 3 dmg procs. I usually have a single dmg or -res proc in the others. I think this combo is a little less forgiving on recharge so that makes it tougher to proc bomb more powers IMO. I did try adding more procs to shockwave but now I just have 5 superior scrappers strike in there plus a kb -> kd; didn't see much difference in pylon times. A lot of folks will run follow up -> focus -> slash -> shockwave. I run follow up -> focus -> slash -> shockwave -> follow up -> focus -> slash -> fireball with a -res in fireball but that's very much to taste and the performance is close. Just be sure to start your engagements with follow up.
Wm: For the gapless jawbreaker -> clobber -> shatter chain you will need enough recharge that makes it tough to proc bomb multiple attacks (and bio doesn't have the same survivability margin as ena or shield which means I tend to chase more bonuses with it). I have the CS proc in jawbreaker along with 3 dmg procs. I think shatter would technically proc more often but jawbreaker is quicker to animate so I like using it more before going into aoe and the proc rates are only a few % different anyway. ST is going to hit like a freaking truck and if you were going AV hunting and couldn't count on fighting in a group of baddies this build is going to win as long as you can survive.

But this is all pretty pedantic, any of these builds is going to make you feel godly. These are all like choosing between a Lambo and Ferrari.

Edited January 7, 2022 by dzyp2

[Hyperstrike]

Will just drop this here.

This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.6.0
https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Savage Melee
Secondary Power Set: Invulnerability
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Blaze Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Savage Strike -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(3), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(3), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(5), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(7)
Level 1: Resist Physical Damage -- RctArm-ResDam(A), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(7), RctArm-ResDam/Rchg(9), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(9), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(11), GldArm-3defTpProc(11)
Level 2: Shred -- Erd-Acc/Rchg(A), Erd-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), Erd-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), ClvBlo-Acc/Dmg(17), ClvBlo-Dmg/EndRdx(19), ClvBlo-Dmg/Rchg(19)
Level 4: Temp Invulnerability -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(21), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(21), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(23)
Level 6: Blood Thirst -- GssSynFr--Build%(A)
Level 8: Dull Pain -- Prv-Absorb%(A), Prv-Heal/Rchg(23)
Level 10: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Resist Elements -- RctArm-ResDam(A), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(25), RctArm-ResDam/Rchg(25), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(27)
Level 14: Kick -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A)
Level 16: Unyielding -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(27), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(29), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(29)
Level 18: Rending Flurry -- SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprCrtStr-Dmg/Rchg(31), SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), SprCrtStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), SprCrtStr-Rchg/+50% Crit(33)
Level 20: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(33), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(34), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(34)
Level 22: Resist Energies -- RctArm-ResDam(A), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(34), RctArm-ResDam/Rchg(36), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(36)
Level 24: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(36), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(37), Rct-ResDam%(37)
Level 26: Hemorrhage -- SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprScrStr-Dmg/Rchg(37), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), SprScrStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), SprScrStr-Rchg/+Crit(40)
Level 28: Invincibility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(40)
Level 30: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(40)
Level 32: Savage Leap -- Erd-Acc/Rchg(A), Erd-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Erd-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42), ClvBlo-Acc/Dmg(42), ClvBlo-Dmg/EndRdx(43), ClvBlo-Dmg/Rchg(43)
Level 35: Tough Hide -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(43)
Level 38: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(45)
Level 41: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(45)
Level 44: Char -- SprEnt-Acc/Hold(A), SprEnt-Hold/Rchg(45), SprEnt-End/Rchg(46), SprEnt-Acc/Hold/End(46), SprEnt-Acc/Hold/End/Rchg(46), SprEnt-Rchg/AbsorbProc(48)
Level 47: Fire Blast -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Dmg/Rchg(48), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(48), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(50), SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(50)
Level 49: Super Jump -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(13), Mrc-Rcvry+(13)
Level 1: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(15)
Level 1: Blood Frenzy
Level 50: Agility Core Paragon
Level 49: Double Jump
------------

 

| Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|MxDz;1377;652;1304;HEX;|
|78DA6593CB6F125114C62F3088A53C84B6400B94572B4FB175EBBB568D5A9226246|
|EEB14AE74929112C0C6BA73E15EABC6BD26C6FA5A697CAC7CD48DCF7FC0BF40454D|
|D468DCE061CE57307602FC98FB9D73BF73EE9C299C9976DC3B7C6EAF30B90EE86AA|
|331572CD5D55A4DD6AD05B5A29544E7B2D137B8BE3E5790BA94F9A2BAA45624DF44|
|BBDAB43C29AB0D993F525D3AAD57655D9DD774ADB92CDCB38B8B7A7E46AA65596F2|
|C6835A7717F48AB2C34B56AC5B1AED6E8C66EDC146B5296BD076B5A293FA5AB67C9|
|486D34657D3940A5C4E97B3F453FA64E716DABB8A00831A908F3457085A95C022F3|
|3375D61EEB4FD931BA73F49D246999B23608C69F713C3C41D1623F7410AA9946BFA|
|683634D767E69616A80B23D67B0AAC327791AF857D2D961FBCDFE04FF017D3F79BF|
|9887CAC1C2BACAB66636D37E5DB78CD646B21FE13D34B5A1FE2FB62ECB787D6FAE1|
|D78F3E03E833803E47D0A799629DC8779E67BF1B6921DCC877A3DE11D41B42BD21D|
|4FB90EAF5E04C3D27F89C4755701E2C31A36550322DE43D009F01F844E113834F0C|
|3EFB287608B143E829869E12E829819E148AF523D6DF49A2FCC42073EC18EF37F69|
|DF998EA1F46FDC3AFA0BD666E7D03BE05DF3193EF99FBC92788E712844F123E3ED2|
|C2D0C2FF694FC83382598A6096D298A53466298D59CA60963298A529DA378E7DE3D|
|837837D3DA48D431B87968316272D052D95E5BD72E035A710599C41F6293F9BDC33|
|E6B6E7E00B708DB9FD25F33AE5E6919BBF096D15BCC59CBC0DDE01EF32FD54D3049|
|F8398F8C0B3175204AE367DE81211A5FBD6B66736A8B34AF7BD142663A565EFC623|
|E66B6FC52C62FCEC1CC7F95C1C477966BE6CC8FAD65B3189AB5C9D6B852993BD9AF|
|EF86809FFD732DD8EDA7F0192E8D854|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

[Sovera]

1 hour ago, dzyp2 said:

 

Generally speaking, CoH is a pretty easy game so you can make almost anything feel badass.

There have been a lot of good combo recommendations, but in any case I've found that getting the CS ATO proc correct is incredibly important if you want to feel your best. You want that sucker firing as often as possible and you want it to fire before your heavy hitter. So no matter what you choose, make sure you make a wise selection there.

I've got quite a few s-tier combo builds including wm/bio, claws/ena, and dm/shield which have been mentioned in this thread. That's not as many as a lot here but this is my opinion of them:
In descending order of max ST dmg:
wm/dm, claws

In descending order of max aoe dmg:
claws/dm, wm

In descending order of survivability:
ena/shield, bio

Now, at first this will look confusing because dm is frankly not known for either st or aoe dmg. Most of the time that's absolutely true. But once you pair it with shield and assuming you're running at x8 you're going to be swimming in +dmg. It will come last in ST dmg amongst those 3 on a pylon, sure, but standing in a mob taking down a boss and it crushes because of how boosted your dmg will be. 

Overall, in terms of overall strength and survivability, it's really quite close but I would rank those combos as follows:
dm/shield, claws/ena, wm/bio. 

WM/bio is not weak by any means and in some scenarios it's going to perform the best (it would, for instance, have the best pylon times between the 3). But if you were to throw me in a random mission and ask which of those I'd take it's the dm/shield. 

As stated previously, however, you want to get your procs right. I was really disappointed in dm until I rebuilt to maximize procs and somewhat disappointed in claws for the same reason. But then:
DM: put your CS proc in siphon life with 3 dmg procs. Have 4 dmg procs in midnight grasp. Start all engagements with siphon life and once you see "Critical Strikes" unleash hell. ST is siphon life -> smite -> midnight grasp -> smite. That critical strikes makes such a huge difference and proc'ing siphon life and midnight grasp is night and day. And this isn't too recharge intensive (I'm ok if soul drain is down for a second or two) and shield has enough survivability that you can sacrifice some set bonuses.
Claws: I cannot describe the joy of "Critical Strikes" followed by spin and shockwave. Especially the visual of shockwave which is literally just a wave of "critical" above the enemy and you can watch the power propagate through the baddies. You'll want to add your CS proc to follow up as well as the build up proc and 3 dmg procs. I usually have a single dmg or -res proc in the others. I think this combo is a little less forgiving on recharge so that makes it tougher to proc bomb more powers IMO. I did try adding more procs to shockwave but now I just have 5 superior scrappers strike in there plus a kb -> kd; didn't see much difference in pylon times. A lot of folks will run follow up -> focus -> slash -> shockwave. I run follow up -> focus -> slash -> shockwave -> follow up -> focus -> slash -> fireball with a -res in fireball but that's very much to taste and the performance is close. Just be sure to start your engagements with follow up.
Wm: For the gapless jawbreaker -> clobber -> shatter chain you will need enough recharge that makes it tough to proc bomb multiple attacks (and bio doesn't have the same survivability margin as ena or shield which means I tend to chase more bonuses with it). I have the CS proc in jawbreaker along with 3 dmg procs. I think shatter would technically proc more often but jawbreaker is quicker to animate so I like using it more before going into aoe and the proc rates are only a few % different anyway. ST is going to hit like a freaking truck and if you were going AV hunting and couldn't count on fighting in a group of baddies this build is going to win as long as you can survive.

But this is all pretty pedantic, any of these builds is going to make you feel godly. These are all like choosing between a Lambo and Ferrari.

 

I'm not 100% sold on proc bombing being the right approach for Scrappers. This is opinion and not backed by math. But, the strength of the Scrapper is the critical chance. Procs don't crit. So maximizing damage so that it amplifies crits seems smarter.

 

And that's without mentioning all the problems that proc bombing has like stealing recharge and endurance reduction, furthermore when coupled with Shield that has no means to recover it.