Warmace/ StoneArmor vs Shield

[urukai]

Hi

 

I'm playing either solo or with a friend, and I want the typical "Attack first -> think later" kind of Hero.

 

I want:

- a mix of simplicity (no combo/stacks...)

- effectiveness in both offense (Single and AOE) and defense/resist

- Controls almost each time I attack. That's why I chose Warmace.

 

QUESTION:

My problem is I hesitate between Stone armor and Shield, both being simple, effective in both defense and offense, but which one would give the most out of this build.

 

This char is for leveling for now, starting from level 1, and i can equip a few classic Quality of life IOs (panacea and stuff).

[SomeGuy]

If you go Stone you are going to have some incredibly nasty amount of running away from you. Stone can crank out more ST and AOE DPS but you WILL have to deal with a lot of runners, so that statement really only applies if the mob is standing there.

 

SD has a taunt aura. Stone does not. SD has Shield Charge.

[Bill Z Bubba]

Having spent two days soloing up a new claws/stone scrapper, I gotta second what SomeGuy has stated. Runners suck and Stone's Mud Pots does precisely nothing to even slow their retreat. Even WITH provoke in play, it's more nuisance than its worth.

[Gobbledigook]

Energy aura is pretty good on a Scrapper also if you hadn't considered that secondary.

[TungstenShark]

1 hour ago, Gobbledegook said:

Energy aura is pretty good on a Scrapper also if you hadn't considered that secondary.

Energy Aura also has additional Recharge which War Mace loves to get those simple attack chains (though I believe Stone Armor does as well? Not sure without looking).

[SomeGuy]

2 hours ago, Gobbledegook said:

Energy aura is pretty good on a Scrapper also if you hadn't considered that secondary.

 

EA is pretty amazing TBH. And it has a taunt aura. If you aren't considering it I definitely would.

[ZeeHero]

Shield is very fun and has its own aoe attack, only downside is if a defense focused build isn't what you want, that's kinda shield's thing.

[TungstenShark]

1 hour ago, ZeeHero said:

only downside is if a defense focused build isn't what you want, that's kinda shield's thing.

With Scrapper's lower inherent resist caps (than a Tanker or Brute), the popular thinking is Def-based secondaries are excellent on Scrappers. Which also means Stone and EA are great as well. 🙂

[ZeeHero]

Resist works, but yes defense is more popular when resist caps are lower.

[urukai]

I prefer defense to resist if I must choose.

 

But I'd like a secondary that gives damage also, and I really can't figure out which one would be best.

 

Stone Armor:

- +100% Regen life

- 15% global recharge

- +20% fire damage

- Aura fire damage

- 20% endurance recovery

 

Shield:

- a bit more defense

- a bit more resist

- bonus damage per enemy around

- an AOE attack that controls

- Taunt

- Less endurance needed overhaul

 

Really don't know which one is better for a warmace scapper ?

Edited May 10, 2022 by urukai

[SomeGuy]

26 minutes ago, urukai said:

 

Really don't know which one is better for a warmace scapper ?

 

 

This answer always depends on what you value more.

 

Stone is definitely better damage IF the target just stays there and takes it. If you spend 10s running it down though, ANYTHING comes out ahead. Stone has a runner problem. ALL armors without a taunt aura do. I personally HATE HATE HATE runners and I solo a lot, so the lack of a taunt aura would make it an easy call for me. I abandoned a fully T4 incarnated RM/STN because of runners. I've given Stone a fair amount of play time and I've given Shield a LOT. Personal opinion? The difference in damage is only noticed when measured (Shield is known for it's good damage output too) BUT you will noticed the lack of damage when you literally can't attack that Eclipse Werewolf cause it took off like Usain Bolt and is a  quarter mile down the office. I think you'll like Shield more.

 

Both sets boost damage, Stone boosts it more.

 

Aesthetically, you can't get rid of Stone shoulders and Shin Guards even with minimal settings. Shield has...a shield. Comes down to taste in the looks department. Mace and a shield look awesome to me.

[Bill Z Bubba]

Mace and shield (guessin axe and broadsword also?) has one of the best taunt animations in the game, too.

 

 

[StriderIV]

46 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Mace and shield (guessin axe and broadsword also?) has one of the best taunt animations in the game, too.

 

 

Haven’t noticed this. Do they like bang the weapon against the shield or something?

[Bill Z Bubba]

7 minutes ago, StriderIV said:

Haven’t noticed this. Do they like bang the weapon against the shield or something?

 

Yup. Always reminds me of goin sword and board in Dragon Age: Origins.

Edited May 11, 2022 by Bill Z Bubba

[Without_Pause]

Runners will also depend on what the other player is using. I might lean Stone just for the added recharge.

[InvaderStych]

Rock beats Scissors.

Paper beats Rock.

Combat Teleport beats Runners.¹

 

I like to imagine the surprise on a Gunslinger's face when they port away and I port right next to them and continue bashing said face. 😉

 

 

 

1 - Mostly.  If they are still in motion when CT is activated you'll land where they were at the time of activation.  If that happens then a Double-Tap gets you to where they've stopped to check their phone or whatever-the-ever-loving-cluck it is they're off to do in such a hurry.  Agree completely that runners have become more frequent and run much farther than when I started HC in 2020, and 100% more-so than they ever were on Live.  We have more tools to deal with them now though, so it mostly didn't bother me that much until a while back.  Can't pin-point when, too much real life aggro lately.

 

I will concede that something is amiss though as chasing them across an entire map is absolutely a thing that is happening and shouldn't be.  Tweak to flee code or whatever could use an attitude adjustment.  I don't mind them getting some range and turning to fire, that's logical if they're getting their proverbial handed to them by the scrapperlocked death-machine in melee range - but the distances they'll go and random direction changes are quite bonkers lately.

Edited May 11, 2022 by InvaderStych

[urukai]

Sadly after a lot of discussion it seems that the lack of TAUNT is a big problem for scrappers, so now the question is:

 

Shield vs Energy aura ?

I created a new topic for it, here's the link: