looking for advice please.

[drdeath50]

So like a lot of people I just started playing again. I understand most people will tell me to play what I like etc. I like almost all the scrapper sets but I just want to ask a question that I can't really get an answer to in game.

 

I started a SM/SD scrapper for double tele and I don't see it any where. I am currently lvl 22 is it worth taking to 50? lethal dmg is highly resisted iirc.

Staff/bio...stacking the sets +dmg..is that a decent choice?

Psi/dark? Psi/Rad? I am thinking one of those 3.

just looking for some guidance . I like AoE builds but i hate spines can not get into it. only set i don't like really. Any chance someone can kind of point me in a decent direction?

I don't mind leveling anything i just would hate to level something that kind of feels weak at 50. SM has me worried as i see forums saying the teleport will not do dmg randomly at all.

maybe titan/fire? i hear fire/sd is good? just want some AoE but the chance to dish a decent ST. 

 

Thank you. Sorry for the random dead thread just hard to get answers in game. I appreciate any one who takes the time to read this. Thank you.

[jack_nomind]

Psi/X might not do the kind of damage at end-game you want.  Lethal damage is very often resisted a little (so most S/L sets tend to offer higher damage numbers upfront), but Psi damage is occasionally resisted quite a lot.

[drdeath50]

Thank you! I was not aware Psi had that issue. At low levels it seems strong but I guess most stuff does? so SM or Staff might be a good way to go then. I will play around on the staff/bio to 20ish see if I like it.

I played claws/invul my first go around when the game was fresh I liked it but felt the dmg could be more. I might stick SM out to see what it does at 50 unless someone shoots an awesome build in here.

 

thank you for the reply I appreciate it.

[Gaidin]

maybe titan/fire? i hear fire/sd is good? just want some AoE but the chance to dish a decent ST. 

 

I haven't run a SM/ yet, but the 'port attack is gained at 32.

 

Titan/Fire is excellent AoE and TW/ has high ST DPS possible, though it is resisted frequently; it's what my wife's leveling for farming, but you're going to be squishy against a lot of foes, so unless you're mainly fire farming, I'd go for a different secondary if you like TW.  Bio or WP works well with it while giving you the end to run TW without being too clicky so Momentum isn't interrupted with too many clicks.

 

If you want decent AoE, solid high ST damage output, and also a less-resisted damage type, I'd recommend Fiery Melee.  It has good AoE and can dish out enough ST DPS for AV soloing/Pylon runs regardless of secondary choice.

 

Alternately, Rad Melee has a good balance of ST and AoE ability, including a damage aura, and is part energy damage, though I've not rolled one myself, so that suggestion is more theoretical on my part (but I'm thinking that may be a good project myself).

 

As far as secondary, it really depends on how heavily you're going to IO.  If you can invest enough to soft-cap positional defenses, go FM/SD and Shield Charge will greatly augment your AoE and AAO will up all damage to make you an all-around powerhouse.  If you want to invest a lot less, but still want to be able to solo AVs and pylons, then FM/SR is a viable option I had back on live - and Quickness makes achieving one of the top two ST attack chains much easier.

[drdeath50]

Wow Thank you for all the info.

 

Would /SD be something I should wait on to level until I can afford to max it out? I have around 14mil I know that is not much anymore. Are we talking 100s of millions to get SD good? if that is the case I will do fire/bio or something that might be easier? or SR like you mentioned. I was burning through levels im starting to have a hard time with sm/sd at 25 still using DO's.

 

I will try fire soon and also maybe try staff I don't know why but the set just seems like it has so many tools. The info on character screen shows at 50 the extreme staff attack is at 320ish seems insane!

[iBones]

Wow Thank you for all the info.

 

Would /SD be something I should wait on to level until I can afford to max it out? I have around 14mil I know that is not much anymore. Are we talking 100s of millions to get SD good? if that is the case I will do fire/bio or something that might be easier? or SR like you mentioned. I was burning through levels im starting to have a hard time with sm/sd at 25 still using DO's.

 

I will try fire soon and also maybe try staff I don't know why but the set just seems like it has so many tools. The info on character screen shows at 50 the extreme staff attack is at 320ish seems insane!

Shield Defense feels good even while leveling and with minimal investment. This is obviously relevant to the content you want to do - but generally I find it one of the more enjoyable sets due to shield charge and aao - they are just additive bonuses to every primary, icing if you will. With minimal investment and some planning - you can actually slot it up to a respectable level and enjoy the set. The reason my set bonus seeking illness goes nuts with shield defense is the diversity in options due to the set having a bit of everything. Which is exactly why for general content - it's great.

[Erratic1]

I have a couple of SD characters (Rad/SD scrapper and Psi/SD brute) and an SM/Bio Scrapper. Here are my thoughts...

 

(1) At level 22 you really have a lot of the meat of the two powersets in Against All Odds and Rending Flurry. If that combination isnt feeling good then moving on now may be a good thing. However you have two significant powers yet to pick up which will change your approach--Savage Leap at 32 and Shield Charge at 35. Being able to Savage Leap in, Shield Charge on top of your targets, finish building Blood Frenzy on knocked down targets, then drop Rending Flurry should be quite effective.

 

(2) Compared to the quick animations and cycling of Savage Melee, Radiation Melee is a slow, ponderous thing, like an elephant is compared to a cheetah. While it makes up for that with hard hits, it will be a significant change in pacing. Rad Shield is endurance intensive. This is not necessarily a problem in groups where someone might be buffing your endurance recovery but solo can be an issue until late game or sufficient IOs are slotted to help out. You will also need to leverage the Contaminated mechanism of Rad Melee to see the real power of Rad/SD, but if you do it is pretty sweet (not Elec/SD insta-gib of minions and lieutenants but things melt quickly and on balance that means more damage bonus  from AAO while working on bringing down bosses).

[drdeath50]

I agree SD does feel like it should be amazing for me atm. I think a big part might be my slotting/powers taken since I am still learning. I was a non-stop killing machine with SM/SD the double tele keeps me going I HAVE to try it out or I will feel I missed out on something.

 

I see why fire/SD is popular fire does insane dmg. SM is always on my mind I feel like it is what I wanted Claws to be when I first played. I think im having a hard time due to the slotting/DO's atm.

I used 1 respect and got weave/tough I think it is. Now im having endurance issues =(. Im going to try and tough out this SM/SD and then try Staff/Bio I like the look of staff. Maybe being a scrapper might be part of my issue on SM? just to many good sets. I am trying to change my ways of everything being ??/dark lol how is the Psi/SD? I am really curious about Psi but became afraid of the earlier post about dmg output later. Thank you for your time.

[MunkiLord]

I agree SD does feel like it should be amazing for me atm. I think a big part might be my slotting/powers taken since I am still learning. I was a non-stop killing machine with SM/SD the double tele keeps me going I HAVE to try it out or I will feel I missed out on something.

 

I see why fire/SD is popular fire does insane dmg. SM is always on my mind I feel like it is what I wanted Claws to be when I first played. I think im having a hard time due to the slotting/DO's atm.

I used 1 respect and got weave/tough I think it is. Now im having endurance issues =(. Im going to try and tough out this SM/SD and then try Staff/Bio I like the look of staff. Maybe being a scrapper might be part of my issue on SM? just to many good sets. I am trying to change my ways of everything being ??/dark lol how is the Psi/SD? I am really curious about Psi but became afraid of the earlier post about dmg output later. Thank you for your time.

 

Since you're level 22 I suggest gettins some generic IOs slotted or perhaps some SOs. Either would make an immediate and significant difference.

[drdeath50]

IO's? is that the crafted ones? SOs are single origins iirc?

[Gobbledygook]

Yes, you remember correctly.

Most folks are slotting lvl 25 generic IO's nowadays. They have almost the same effect as SO's, and while slightly more expensive at the beginning, you don't have to reslot every 5 lvls, because they never turn red. They are always the same value. You actually save a lot of Inf in the long run.

[drdeath50]

you just blew my mind and saved me money  :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

 

how does one get these? If I remember I had to have a base to craft them? or can I just buy them off of the auction?

[MunkiLord]

You can buy the enhancements directly off the auction house. Or you can buy the recipes off the auction house or crafting station and then buy salvage to craft them yourself. I think it's probably cheaper to craft them yourself, but I'm not positive about that.

 

In Steel Canyon there is a University right by Wentworth's where you can do an easy and short arc taht will show you how to craft and you'll even got on out of it.

[Saikochoro]

I’m going to also suggest you start slotting up common lvl 25 IOs. Even though the initial investment can be steep if you don’t have a nest egg of influence it pays off really fast. I would also suggest crafting them rather than buying them. Crafting them is almost always going to be cheaper and will count towards memorization badges. Perhaps buy the recipes if you can get the cheaper than just buying them from the workbench.

 

Also, keep track of your invention memorization badges. If you craft both level 25 and 30 IOs of a certain category you will memorize the recipes and no longer need them. I think the influence requirement also decreases. I think it’s usually something like 8 or 9 level 25 one and about the same number of level 30 ones in the same category (healing, damage, etc). Then it memorized both the level 25 and the level 30 recipes. Once you have these memorized it is significantly cheaper and will save you tons in the long run. I asked about common IOs maybe 2-3 weeks ago and only had like 3 million influence to my name. I know have all of the level 25/30 common IOs memorized and can easily slot up my alts for leveling.

 

If you can, choose one character only to craft the common IOs. Then mail them to yourself for alts. It’s kind of a pain to do that, but saves a lot of influence once you get them memorized. I’m pretty sure memorization badges are character bound rather than account bound. I may be mistaken though, so someone correct me if I’m wrong.

 

It’s a great investment for leveling and alts. Level 25 IOs are basically comparable to SOs, but they never become ineffective. Level 30 IOs are slightly better than SOs.

[Gobbledygook]

I’m going to also suggest you start slotting up common lvl 25 IOs. Even though the initial investment can be steep if you don’t have a nest egg of influence it pays off really fast. I would also suggest crafting them rather than buying them. Crafting them is almost always going to be cheaper and will count towards memorization badges. Perhaps buy the recipes if you can get the cheaper than just buying them from the workbench.

 

Also, keep track of your invention memorization badges. If you craft both level 25 and 30 IOs of a certain category you will memorize the recipes and no longer need them. I think the influence requirement also decreases. I think it’s usually something like 8 or 9 level 25 one and about the same number of level 30 ones in the same category (healing, damage, etc). Then it memorized both the level 25 and the level 30 recipes. Once you have these memorized it is significantly cheaper and will save you tons in the long run. I asked about common IOs maybe 2-3 weeks ago and only had like 3 million influence to my name. I know have all of the level 25/30 common IOs memorized and can easily slot up my alts for leveling.

 

If you can, choose one character only to craft the common IOs. Then mail them to yourself for alts. It’s kind of a pain to do that, but saves a lot of influence once you get them memorized. I’m pretty sure memorization badges are character bound rather than account bound. I may be mistaken though, so someone correct me if I’m wrong.

 

It’s a great investment for leveling and alts. Level 25 IOs are basically comparable to SOs, but they never become ineffective. Level 30 IOs are slightly better than SOs.

 

Everything said here is true! I'm working on my memorization badges on my main now so I can cheaply slot my alts.

[Without_Pause]

https://forums.homecomingservers.com/index.php/topic,4565.0.html

 

Worth a read. I post on the memorization badges with a link to what is needed to earn them. There are others in there about using attuned set IOs and converting uncommon IOs to rare. USing SOs is basically dumping influ in the trash.

[drdeath50]

Thank you for all the good stuff!

 

I am up to level 40 I got side tracked with a few alts.

 

Just wondering I keep getting told to get Def up to 45%

 

I am lvl 40 with all lvl 25 IO's and im only at like 27% am I missing something? I have tough and weave also.

[MunkiLord]

You're missing is set bonuses from IOs to get to 45% defense.