Stone Armor Scrapper: Katana or Dual Blades

[StriderIV]

Someone’s recent thread on Stone Armor for Scrappers has gotten me jazzed to give it a shot. I never really had a concept for it, but now I do. Kind of an “Obsidian Blade” or Shadow Blade theme.

 

My conundrum: should I pair Stone Armor with Katana or Dual Blades?

 

Katana should require less recharge for the optimal attack chain. It has a really nice “crunch” to it. It provides +Def as well. Admittedly, that is not as big of a boon for Stone Armor, since it already has strong defenses. Should be good for Lv 54 ITF runs though.

 

Dual Blades has some sweet animations (other than the ballet spin on Typhoon’s Edge 😂). I also hear DB has a nice attack chain that does good ST and some AOE to help with Stone’s minimal AOE. Stone Armor also provides some native recharge, which DB will probably like.

 

Anyone out there have any experience with either combo? Would like to throw in their 2 inf? Thoughts and opinions are welcomed! 

Edited April 12, 2022 by StriderIV

[Arcadian-Prime]

Probably my thread you're talking about. I'm torn on this combo as well. Claws also as an option.

 

DB had updates for the combo in Nov that I'm sure make it feel cleaner. Kat seems like it's never a bad choice.

[StriderIV]

6 hours ago, Arcadian-Prime said:

Probably my thread you're talking about. I'm torn on this combo as well. Claws also as an option.

 

DB had updates for the combo in Nov that I'm sure make it feel cleaner. Kat seems like it's never a bad choice.

Yeah, I think I’m leaning Kat. I kind of just like the “feedback” of the moves. Probably would grab DA and just throw a LOTG in it and used as needed.

 

Claws would definitely be great as well. I have a Claws/Elec Brute, so want to switch it up a bit.

[Without_Pause]

I have no definitive answer. Kat has such clean animations. DB gets to put the +50% Proc in BF. At some point I need to roll a Kat on a Def based build so I can see how much if at all DA is needed. I had a Kat/sr on live but that was ages ago, and I didn't really do IO builds back then so DA was helpful.

[BrandX]

Hasten isn't generally needed for BF > Attack Vitals, so that may give it an edge in DPS.

[StriderIV]

Shot in the dark, but does anyone have a Kat/Stone scrapper build? Would love to use one as a base.

[SomeGuy]

1 hour ago, StriderIV said:

Shot in the dark, but does anyone have a Kat/Stone scrapper build? Would love to use one as a base.

 

lol, I have a db, claws, and rad melee stone armor build, but not a kat 😛 @Without_Pause I've got a Kat/SR I'm incarnating right now and I definitely am not taking DA for that reason. If I did kat/stone I wouldn't take it either since you can go well past soft cap defense SL anyways. Like @StriderIV I'd only take it as a LOTG mule, but at least then you'd have it for some weird reason you needed the defense. You'd prolly get more use out of Vengeance and slotting a LOTG there instead.

[StriderIV]

18 minutes ago, SomeGuy said:

 

lol, I have a db, claws, and rad melee stone armor build, but not a kat 😛 @Without_Pause I've got a Kat/SR I'm incarnating right now and I definitely am not taking DA for that reason. If I did kat/stone I wouldn't take it either since you can go well past soft cap defense SL anyways. Like @StriderIV I'd only take it as a LOTG mule, but at least then you'd have it for some weird reason you needed the defense. You'd prolly get more use out of Vengeance and slotting a LOTG there instead.

Really solid points. If I’m purely soloing, DA would probably be the way to go. Teaming, Vengeance is probably the better pick up in 90% of scenarios lol. Great call out.

[InvaderStych]

Hmm.

 

With /Stone being typed defense and having many places for LotGs I'd probably skip DA for a Kat/Stone.

 

DA boosts Melee and Lethal, but no Smashing.  Unless the build caps melee as well as the typed defense it provides, there would be a Smashing Hole ( ...  lol ... ) when trying to use it to either fight debuffs or reach the iCap when needed. Lots of incoming attacks are Smashing+(fire, cold, nrg, etc) which is what makes S/L capped builds work so well, even when E/N defense is slightly lower.

 

Fortunately many def debuffs are coupled with incoming lethal as in the ITF, for example, so perhaps there's a case to be made there.  Of course something like the ASF is very heavy on the Smashing (and Energy and some Fire, but only some of that comes in a pure form without a Smashing component).

 

Victory Rush might be another interesting choice for /Stone, which is fairly endurance heavy (even if Kat is somewhat easy on endo), leaving room for Soul or Mu in the build.  Just have to remember to only trigger it on Bosses or above otherwise the return is fairly low.  IIRC your team also gets the endo from the power if they are in range?

 

Fully admitting I'm probably over-thinking this one, but I needed a break from the wall of work against which I've been banging my head lately. 😛

Edited April 14, 2022 by InvaderStych

[StriderIV]

2 hours ago, InvaderStych said:

Hmm.

 

With /Stone being typed defense and having many places for LotGs I'd probably skip DA for a Kat/Stone.

 

DA boosts Melee and Lethal, but no Smashing.  Unless the build caps melee as well as the typed defense it provides, there would be a Smashing Hole ( ...  lol ... ) when trying to use it to either fight debuffs or reach the iCap when needed. Lots of incoming attacks are Smashing+(fire, cold, nrg, etc) which is what makes S/L capped builds work so well, even when E/N defense is slightly lower.

 

Fortunately many def debuffs are coupled with incoming lethal as in the ITF, for example, so perhaps there's a case to be made there.  Of course something like the ASF is very heavy on the Smashing (and Energy and some Fire, but only some of that comes in a pure form without a Smashing component).

 

Victory Rush might be another interesting choice for /Stone, which is fairly endurance heavy (even if Kat is somewhat easy on endo), leaving room for Soul or Mu in the build.  Just have to remember to only trigger it on Bosses or above otherwise the return is fairly low.  IIRC your team also gets the endo from the power if they are in range?

 

Fully admitting I'm probably over-thinking this one, but I needed a break from the wall of work against which I've been banging my head lately. 😛

All good call outs. I’m gonna have to play with the build a lot haha. I don’t have Mids right now, so it’s a lot of trial and error.

[StriderIV]

I think I have a good idea of how I want to slot Katana. Anyone have a sample of how they slot Stone Armor? My goal is to get as much close to softcap as possible. I know you can’t really with F/C, but for that I can hit 75% resist.

[BrandX]

14 hours ago, StriderIV said:

I think I have a good idea of how I want to slot Katana. Anyone have a sample of how they slot Stone Armor? My goal is to get as much close to softcap as possible. I know you can’t really with F/C, but for that I can hit 75% resist.

 

This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5
https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Sandslash: Level 50 Mutation Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Claws
Secondary Power Set: Stone Armor
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Blaze Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Strike -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Rock Armor -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(7), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(7), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(9)
Level 2: Slash -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Hct-Acc/Rchg(11), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Hct-Dam%(13), AchHee-ResDeb%(13)
Level 4: Stone Skin -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-ResDam(15), GldArm-3defTpProc(15), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(48)
Level 6: Spin -- SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprScrStr-Dmg/Rchg(17), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), SprScrStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), SprScrStr-Rchg/+Crit(21)
Level 8: Follow Up -- SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprCrtStr-Dmg/Rchg(21), SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(23), SprCrtStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(25), SprCrtStr-Rchg/+50% Crit(25)
Level 10: Earth's Embrace -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(27), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(27), Prv-Heal/Rchg(29), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(29), Prv-Absorb%(31)
Level 12: Mud Pots -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(31), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33)
Level 14: Fly -- WntGif-ResSlow(A)
Level 16: Rooted -- NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx(A), NmnCnv-EndRdx/Rchg(33), NmnCnv-Heal/Rchg(34), NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(34), NmnCnv-Heal(34), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(36)
Level 18: Focus -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Dmg/Rchg(36), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(37), Apc-Dam%(37)
Level 20: Crystal Armor -- ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(39), ShlWal-Def(39), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(43)
Level 22: Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 24: Tough -- TtnCtn-ResDam/EndRdx(A), TtnCtn-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(39), TtnCtn-ResDam(40), TtnCtn-EndRdx(40)
Level 26: Eviscerate -- Arm-Dmg(A), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), Arm-Acc/Rchg(42), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Arm-Dam%(42), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(43)
Level 28: Minerals -- Rct-Def/EndRdx(A), Rct-ResDam%(43), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(50)
Level 30: Weave -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFrt-Def(45), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(45)
Level 32: Shockwave -- OvrFrc-Acc/Dmg(A), OvrFrc-Acc/Dmg/End(45), OvrFrc-Dmg/End/Rech(46), OvrFrc-Acc/Dmg/End/Rech(46), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(46)
Level 35: Brimstone Armor -- TtnCtn-ResDam/EndRdx(A), TtnCtn-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(48), TtnCtn-ResDam(48), TtnCtn-EndRdx(50)
Level 38: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 41: Maneuvers -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFrt-Def(50)
Level 44: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 47: Geode -- SynSck-EndMod/+RunSpeed(A)
Level 49: Char -- Lck-%Hold(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit 
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(5)
Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(3), PwrTrns-EndMod(3), PwrTrns-+Heal(5)
Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve 
Level 50: Portal Jockey 
Level 50: Task Force Commander 
Level 50: The Atlas Medallion 
Level 14: Afterburner 
------------

 

Here's my build for a Claws/Stone that softcaps S/L/E/N/P Defense and basically caps F/C Resist