Spines/Bio or Spines/Regen?

[City_of_Jedi]

Hey guys,

 

Back in the day, like some of you, I had an old-school Spines/Regen.  It was one of the more fun play-styles I've encountered. 

 

Spines does well in a "target-rich environment" to use a term, and the updated Moment of Glory allowed you to survive the Alpha Strike so you could be the first one in and launch an AoE alpha of your own. 

 

As much as fun as that was, I think I want to try Bio Armor because it also fits the character concept.  The thing that always kept me coming back to the game was the ability [and inclination] to try new things.  This is an opportunity to do that, to re-imagine the character as a sort of "genetic monstrosity".  However, I don't know how it will play in comparison to /regen.  It seems to have a lot of "enemy dependence" which reminds me of Umbral Aura or Dark Armor a bit. 

 

I have a few questions about Bio Armor.  Pines doesn't say what the accuracy of Genetic Contamination is.  Could it be auto-hit?  I doubt that.  The program allows accuracy to be slotted into it, so I assumed it has base 75% accuracy per usual.  I do not know if that is right.  Paragon wiki doesn't get too deep into the woods regarding that kind of thing.

 

Also, I didn't slot Stamina because it seems like both DNA Siphon and Parasitic Aura boost recovery, provided you can hit things with them, of course.  Inexhaustible has auto recovery as well.  Am I overestimating the effectiveness of these in terms of mitigating Endurance woes?  If so, where and when do I pull the slots?

 

 

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.962

http://www.cohplanner.com/

 

Click this DataLink to open the build!

 

Spines-Bio: Level 50 Science Scrapper

Primary Power Set: Spines

Secondary Power Set: Bio Armor

Power Pool: Leaping

Power Pool: Speed

Power Pool: Fighting

Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

 

Hero Profile:

Level 1: Lunge -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(3), Dmg-I(5), Dmg-I(7), Dmg-I(21), RechRdx-I(43)

Level 1: Hardened Carapace -- ResDam-I(A), ResDam-I(13), ResDam-I(37)

Level 2: Spine Burst -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(3), Dmg-I(5), Dmg-I(7), Dmg-I(15), Avl-Rchg/KDProc(42)

Level 4: Inexhaustible -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(19), Heal-I(21)

Level 6: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(11), RechRdx-I(36)

Level 8: Impale -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(9), Dmg-I(9), Dmg-I(11), Dmg-I(15), Dcm-Build%(43)

Level 10: Environmental Modification -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(13), DefBuff-I(37)

Level 12: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A)

Level 14: Adaptation

Level 16: Ablative Carapace -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17), RechRdx-I(17), Heal-I(25), Heal-I(25), Heal-I(40)

Level 18: Quills -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(19), EndRdx-I(37), EndRdx-I(45), Dmg-I(46), Dmg-I(46)

Level 20: Evolving Armor -- EndRdx-I(A)

Level 22: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(23), RechRdx-I(23)

Level 24: Boxing -- Empty(A)

Level 26: Ripper -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(27), Dmg-I(27), Dmg-I(29), Dmg-I(29), EndRdx-I(43)

Level 28: DNA Siphon -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(31), Heal-I(31), Heal-I(31), RechRdx-I(34), RechRdx-I(34)

Level 30: Tough -- ResDam-I(A), ResDam-I(42), ResDam-I(45)

Level 32: Throw Spines -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(33), Dmg-I(33), Dmg-I(33), Dmg-I(34), RechRdx-I(42)

Level 35: Genetic Contamination -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(36), EndRdx-I(36), EndRdx-I(45), Dmg-I(46), Dmg-I(50)

Level 38: Parasitic Aura -- ThfofEss-Acc/Heal(A), RechRdx-I(39), RechRdx-I(39), RechRdx-I(39), ThfofEss-Heal(40), Heal-I(40)

Level 41: Focused Accuracy -- EndRdx-I(A)

Level 44: Physical Perfection -- Heal-I(A)

Level 47: Laser Beam Eyes -- Acc-I(A), Acc-I(48), Dmg-I(48), Dmg-I(48), Dmg-I(50), AchHee-ResDeb%(50)

Level 49: Weave -- LucoftheG-Rchg+(A)

 

Level 1: Sprint -- UnbLea-Stlth(A)

 

Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)

Level 2: Health -- RgnTss-Regen+(A)

Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)

Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A)

 

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Slotted mostly basic IO's for clarity and to get the slotting right.  Attacks are 6 slotted for eventual Invention Sets.  I regret not being able to slot up things like Health and Physical Perfection just to try to maximize regen.  (Seems like it would be worthwhile for Health, at least.)

 

What do you think?

 

 

[Snakebit]

You should use Pines, in my opinion. I believe the numbers are more accurate and their are a lot of different ways to look at them.

 

 

I'm by no means an expert, highest scrapper ever was a high 40's spine/dark and I played a dark/regen for about 30 levels all before IO's so...

 

I have a spine/bio that's only like 14 right now but I kind of like it so I spent some time in Pines. Using just SO's as the baseline and probably without optimal slotting it looks to me like /Bio is the winner by quite a bit. I can't get a feel for what the end is going to look like late but I'm thinking it's going to be a struggle through the 30 and then turn into a pretty freaking amazing death machine.

 

I only built with 1 slot in stamina as well.

[marcussmythe]

It is a struggle in the 30s.  Then you hit 38, and get your Bioarmor Capstone, and it gets a little bit nuts.

[City_of_Jedi]

You should use Pines, in my opinion.

 

It is Pines.  It's [ostensibly] updated for Issue 25 as of May 16, 2019.  (I know it says Mids'.  Pines is an updated version of Mids'.)

 

I thought about it a bit more...since Genetic Contamination deals damage, there's no way it can be auto-hit.  And I'm not aware of any "damage auras" that have less than base accuracy (Hot Feet, Mud Pots, Blazing Aura, Lightning Field, and Death Shroud all are base accuracy). 

 

It is a struggle in the 30s.  Then you hit 38, and get your Bioarmor Capstone, and it gets a little bit nuts.

 

Do you mean survival is a struggle?  I'm hoping team-mates and taking Tough will help with that.  I'm used to squishy support-type characters, so right now I'm honestly more concerned with endurance management than I am with survival since I've barely tried to address that.  I did exchange a slot each between Tough and Quills to get Tough a second slot sooner. 

 

It's always a bit of a moving goalpost.  I've made so many builds, but operational realities tend to override even the most well-thought-out plans. 

 

 

[marcussmythe]

The set is solid without your capstone - though I ran a storm of toggles, which drained it some.  Once 38 hits, the capstone out of Bioarmor can raise your END recovery to the maximum the game alloqs, on a large group - so as lonf as you slot it up, END basically goes aaay as a concern, and if it comes up anhway, you have efficient adapatation.

[Zepp]

Spines / Regen was one of my favorite combos before Homecoming (remade that character), but that was before Bio. I can see bio as being interesting, but it is more of a balancing act while Regen is more focused. I have a toon running Bio, and have played with it on Pines, but as with most decisions, it is a matter of choosing your concept and playing into it rather than trying to force a set to do something its not good at.