DP/Regen/Nin - standouts and skips?

[Onlyasandwich]

@Two5boy shared a topic recently in the Scrapper forums looking for inspiration to create a Deadpool themed character, and someone suggested DP/Regen/Nin.

 

While I'm not looking to duplicate the precise themes at play in that particular character, something about this particular combo spoke to me! I always enjoy re-exploring a ranged primary from the slightly skewed sentinel perspective, and have always been keen to experience the special flavor of Sent regen.

 

I put together a build with a few areas of focus in mind:

• Slow resist (regen relies a lot on clickies).
• Leveraging Sentinel aoe as much as possible without cones. Here all three aoes are easy to pop, and have a 10 target cap.
• Proc optimization.
• Maximize S/L resist as much as possible without sacrificing the above.
• Max hit chance against +3's.

 

I think there are more optimal primaries and epics, but theme here is important. Although I'd definitely love any broader feedback on the build or slotting optimizations, I'm especially interested in your view on a few specific powers:

• Second Wind. How good is this really, and do you take it yourself? Is it wrong to not to give it slot love? I'm a bit squeezed for space fitting in enough global acc and feeding the proc beast. I figure the base heal is solid, and recharge can be made up by global/hasten.
• Dismiss Pain. This seems pretty impactful, but some part of me is tempted to swap for a travel power, which would also save me a flex slot (Winter's Gift would mule here).
• Moment of Glory. A lynchpin power for sure. Both here and on my regen brute, it seems pretty pointless to bother slotting this for increased res/def. Do you agree, or do you find the excess pad to be useful if enhancing these aspects?
• Piercing Rounds. I skipped it. I don't much care for this on other DP characters I've rolled (Blaster, Defender). The -res is pretty weak on Sents, and the 3 target cap with a thin cone seems rather uninspiring. Is this misguided? Do you love it?
• Lotus Drops. This is my katana thematic power of choice. I'm a little put off by the small size of the aoe, but the proccability and healthy target cap are appealing. Do you use this power, and do you find it very difficult to leverage the tiny 8 ft radius? 
• Kemuridama. I'm liking the idea of this power! It looks like a mag 4 effect, so should placate bosses. Is this correct in your experience, and how do you enjoy the power overall? It basically looks like Darkest Night on wheels with a bonus effect and lower uptime ratio, which is pretty strong.

 

I've also left out the opportunity strikes proc, which I leverage on my other sents. Do you feel this is a big miss, or easy to ignore if sets don't align?

 

Sentinel (Dual Pistols - Regeneration).mbd

 

Text version:

Spoiler

Selected Powers

Level 1: Pistols

• Slot Level 1: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 31: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Damage/RechargeTime
• Slot Level 37: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime
• Slot Level 37: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 40: Superior Sentinel's Ward: RechargeTime/Chance for +Absorb
• Slot Level 40: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime

Level 1: Fast Healing

• Slot Level 1: Invention: Healing

Level 2: Reconstruction

• Slot Level 2: Panacea: Heal/Endurance
• Slot Level 3: Panacea: Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 3: Panacea: Heal/Recharge
• Slot Level 5: Panacea: Heal/Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 5: Panacea: Heal

Level 4: Quick Recovery

• Slot Level 4: Performance Shifter: EndMod

Level 6: Suppressive Fire

• Slot Level 6: Apocalypse: Damage
• Slot Level 9: Apocalypse: Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 15: Apocalypse: Chance of Damage(Negative)
• Slot Level 33: Gladiator's Javelin: Chance of Damage(Toxic)
• Slot Level 33: Neuronic Shutdown: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
• Slot Level 39: Ghost Widow's Embrace: Chance of Damage(Psionic)

Level 10: Instant Regeneration

• Slot Level 10: Preventive Medicine: Heal
• Slot Level 7: Preventive Medicine: Heal/Endurance
• Slot Level 7: Preventive Medicine: Endurance/RechargeTime
• Slot Level 50: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime
• Slot Level 50: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime/Endurance
• Slot Level 50: Preventive Medicine: Chance for +Absorb

Level 12: Bullet Rain

• Slot Level 12: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 9: Superior Frozen Blast: Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 11: Positron's Blast: Chance of Damage(Energy)
• Slot Level 11: Bombardment: Chance for Fire Damage
• Slot Level 13: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage
• Slot Level 13: Impeded Swiftness: Chance of Damage(Smashing)

Level 14: Combat Jumping

• Slot Level 14: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• Slot Level 15: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage
• Slot Level 17: Kismet: Accuracy +6%
• Slot Level 43: Winter's Gift: Slow Resistance (20%)

Level 16: Dismiss Pain

• Slot Level 16: Preventive Medicine: Heal
• Slot Level 17: Preventive Medicine: Heal/Endurance

Level 18: Executioner's Shot

• Slot Level 18: Superior Winter's Bite: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 19: Superior Winter's Bite: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 19: Superior Winter's Bite: Damage/Endurance/Accuracy/RechargeTime
• Slot Level 42: Touch of Lady Grey: Chance for Negative Damage
• Slot Level 43: Impeded Swiftness: Chance of Damage(Smashing)
• Slot Level 43: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage

Level 20: Integration

• Slot Level 20: Panacea: Heal/Endurance
• Slot Level 21: Panacea: Heal/Recharge
• Slot Level 21: Panacea: Heal/Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 23: Panacea: Heal
• Slot Level 40: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance

Level 22: Hasten

• Slot Level 22: Invention: Recharge Reduction
• Slot Level 23: Invention: Recharge Reduction

Level 24: Resilience

• Slot Level 24: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3%
• Slot Level 25: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All)
• Slot Level 25: Gladiator's Armor: Resistance

Level 26: Hail of Bullets

• Slot Level 26: Armageddon: Damage/Recharge
• Slot Level 27: Armageddon: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
• Slot Level 27: Armageddon: Recharge/Accuracy
• Slot Level 34: Armageddon: Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 34: Armageddon: Chance for Fire Damage
• Slot Level 37: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage

Level 28: Second Wind

• Slot Level 28: Invention: Healing

Level 30: Moment of Glory

• Slot Level 30: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• Slot Level 29: Invention: Recharge Reduction
• Slot Level 31: Invention: Recharge Reduction

Level 35: Tough

• Slot Level 35: Aegis: Resistance/Endurance
• Slot Level 36: Aegis: Resistance
• Slot Level 33: Aegis: Resistance/Recharge
• Slot Level 34: Aegis: Psionic/Status Resistance

Level 38: Tashibishi

• Slot Level 38: Ragnarok: Damage/Recharge
• Slot Level 31: Ragnarok: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
• Slot Level 36: Ragnarok: Recharge/Accuracy
• Slot Level 36: Ragnarok: Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 42: Ragnarok: Chance for Knockdown

Level 41: Weave

• Slot Level 41: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• Slot Level 39: Shield Wall: Defense
• Slot Level 39: Shield Wall: +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All)

Level 44: The Lotus Drops

• Slot Level 44: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 42: Superior Avalanche: Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 45: Eradication: Chance for Energy Damage
• Slot Level 46: Obliteration: Chance for Smashing Damage
• Slot Level 46: Scirocco's Dervish: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
• Slot Level 46: Touch of Lady Grey: Chance for Negative Damage

Level 47: Paralyzing Dart

• Slot Level 47: Gladiator's Javelin: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 45: Gladiator's Javelin: Chance of Damage(Toxic)
• Slot Level 45: Ghost Widow's Embrace: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
• Slot Level 48: Neuronic Shutdown: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
• Slot Level 48: Gladiator's Net: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
• Slot Level 48: Unbreakable Constraint: Chance for Smashing Damage

Level 49: Kemuridama

• Slot Level 49: Invention: Recharge Reduction

 

Inherent Powers

Brawl:

• Slot Level 1: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 29: Superior Blistering Cold: Damage/Endurance

Health:

• Slot Level 1: Miracle: +Recovery

Stamina:

• Slot Level 1: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End

 

Incarnate Abilities

Musculature Radial Paragon (Alpha)

 

 

 

 

[FupDup]

On Regen you'll probably want the full kit. Second Wind is useful for capping your HP (very important for Regen) or helping you get up if/when you die (and if you wanna be Deadpool that fits the theme). Dismiss Pain is useful for the same HP reason, and it can carry one of the various global procs that normally go in Health if you want. On Moment of Glory, as long as it gets you to the res and def caps you can focus its slotting on recharge for max uptime (and stick stuff like LOTG in there). 

 

Piercing Rounds is safe to skip because the animation is pretty long. The damage it does in one hit is actually fairly hard but it's an opportunity cost that locks you from doing other stuff while you watch the fancy animation. It's not useless but it's kinda superfluous, especially if you're already kinda low on slots to begin with. 

 

For Lotus, 8ft PBAOE is the same radius that most melee AT's get on their PBAOE attacks (including this same power). It's not huge but if you're in the middle of a mob you'll hit enough of them to justify it. 

 

I can't speak for the fancy sounding smoke bomb power. The damage and to-hit debuffs could help your survival a bit, especially if you want to be in the thick of melee. Your call on this one. 

 

The Opportunity Strikes proc is kinda weak, it just helps your inherent debuff have a bit more uptime. The real reason to pick the set is for the set bonuses, which are pretty nice. On a set like Regen you can get away with just 5 slots since the extra defense bonus at 6 slots won't apply here much (do whatever you want with that last slot, if you choose to take it). 

[Two5boy]

I been sadly thinking about it all night what AT would be best for my deadpool themed character. Sentinel was one of them other was DP/Ninj blaster but no regen really bothered me. 

[BazookaTwo]

One of the ATO sets for sent can be split three ways adding a triple range bonus. Add a two set from Bombardment where you can for even more. No snipe in DP so you can't leverage Experienced Marksman 2 slot range bonus. But... Cryo ammo also adds range. 

 

It's fun being able to cone and aoe from the back of the room, or run into melee. 

[Grimm2]

I recommended this combo, and have been on a bit of a sentinel kick lately. I haven't done regen on anything before, but I bet aiming for slow resistance and bursting what you can down in the MoG window so that your absorb and regen handles the rest of the incoming damage is the way to go. Your accolades and set bonuses can give to a lot of HP, so you might be able to save some slots on your max-HP powers. 

 

I've been enjoying the heck out of a dp/sr/psy sentinel, and highly recommend pistols/supressive/executioners slotted with 3 thunderstrikes (acc/dmg, dmg/end, acc/dmg/end) and 3 procs each. With good global recharge, every shot is a good chunk of damage. 

I spend most of my time using cryo ammo for the range buff and mag 4 boss-stopping hold in suppressive. I love that hold. Detoggling chill of the night, preventing a phase shift, or just stopping a boss from becoming a track star. So good. 

[Onlyasandwich]

10 minutes ago, Grimm2 said:

mag 4 boss-stopping hold in suppressive

Oh nice! I didn't notice that Cyro also bumps the hold to mag 4. That's really nice.

 

I can definitely see myself using Cyro way more often than on non sentinels here.

[Onlyasandwich]

I've been playing this character and having a blast!

 

However, the theme has evolved away from Ninja, so keeping that epic is no longer necessary. I definitely want to swap it for a different epic.

 

I'm trying to decide between Psi and Dark. Both have some excellent advantages.

 

Psi pros:

• Mind probe is a better ST proc bomb. Smite isn't far behind though!
• Link Minds is a little more flexible a defensive benefit than the -tohit from Dark, as it is a buff. The extra tohit also gives me a bit of extra proc slotting room on Suppressive fire. Psi resist is pretty appreciated on regen as well. With FFback procs, should be close enough to perma. One question - is this power properly enhanced for recharge by HO's, or do I need to use an IO with recharge elements to get it down? I know the version from Fortunatas is picky about this.
• Mass Hypnosis is probably better utility than tentacles. I don't see myself using tentacles in my normal rotation, though the immob is by no measure useless. Mass Hyp is good for shutting down adds and solo setup/approach.
• Cutting through mob Tier 9 defensives like Mog.

Sentinel (Dual Pistols - Regeneration) psi version.mbd (note that procs are disabled in suppressive here to keep build up proc for skewing other #'s).

 

Dark pros:

• Engulfing darkness is a better aoe proc bomb than Psychic shockwave. This is a bit more distinct than the ST advantage of Psi.
• The overall defensive benefit of stacked -tohit in the attacks and Darkest Night is more powerful than Link minds once setup. Darkest Night is still a pretty long cast, so may not be using it except when really dug in, or perhaps for corner pulls.
• NE damage is superior on average than Psi, though doesn't cut T9's. Psi damage is heavily resisted against one of Lethal's biggest foes as well - robots. NE is more universal.
• Tentacles can layer even more -tohit, and the KD proc can do some mitigation work as well. Immobs can be handy on sents, as you don't have taunts or hard controls keeping mobs in place.

Sentinel (Dual Pistols - Regeneration).mbd

 

In both cases, I decided to go with the melee attack over the hold. I've found myself using Cryo ammo more often than not recently, so bosses are held in 1 shot anyhow with suppressive. The range bonus on Cryo is amazing! In actual play, I may end up preferring the ease of pure ranged power, but mixing it up in melee is fun. Both of the epic aoes here are so much better than Lotus Drops it's not even funny.

 

Note that I have procs disabled in both FFback powers to prevent # skewing. 

 

So far I'm in my early 30's, having just slotted up MoG. I'm really happy with the aoe power so far, and think it was the right choice to skip empty clips.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2023 by Onlyasandwich

[Onlyasandwich]

I think I've settled on the final build, and have chosen Dark Mastery after all.

 

The better damage type, along with superior proc powers clinches it. Even Smite comes out to superior DPA. Although Engulfing Darkness likely won't be rotating multiple times most fights like Psi wave, its DPA and sheer alpha power is much stronger, and one aoe rotation should leave me cleaning up single target in most cases anyhow.

 

Darkest Night and all the stacked to-hit also provides a significantly stronger overall survival package. I tried reworking the Psi Mastery version, but the +tohit in Link Minds doesn't allow me to drop a global acc bonus and maintain max chance against +3's, so that's one less element in its favor. With all the FFback, I won't terribly miss the extra lotg either.

 

In my final build, I settled on a few evolutions:

• Incorporated the Sent ATO absorb proc into a rotation power (executioner's shot) Edit - swapped this for Entomb proc in Suppressive. It's sort of disappointing how much better this is than the ATO! (100 more absorb, 3 PPM vs 2). A relatively small hit to potential damage, but a strong survival benefit.
• Squeezed Decimation proc into my rotation. With a ~19% proc rate, I think this will be an overall superior benefit to another damage proc, especially if I leverage it with an aoe.
• Layered extra Psi resist throughout the build, as this is otherwise a weakness for Regen. If you see a more efficient path than I have chosen here, or a better use for these 3 slots, I'd value the input! Given that I'm not stacking defense here, I didn't find it a big loss to lose a slot in weave, as it only cost me ~1% defense.
• Juiced some extra end support both for general padding and to allow more casual usage of Darkest Night.

 

Mids keeps doing weird things with the damage #'s in Hail of bullets, so I'm not actually sure how much its doing right now. My several iterations of the build here have vastly different #'s, despite the same damage bonuses, procs, and chosen ammo type.

 

If you see a way to squeeze more juice, I'd love to find the following without making a real sacrifice:

• More slow resist.
• More psi resist.
• Maybe some proccing for Pistols.
• F/C/E/N resist.

 

There is definitely some low hanging fruit for all of the above, but at the expense of sacrificing something useful. Fresh eyes may catch something interesting!

 

 

Sentinel (Dual Pistols - Regeneration).mbd

Text version:

Spoiler

Selected Powers

Level 1: Pistols

• Slot Level 1: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime
• Slot Level 37: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Damage/RechargeTime
• Slot Level 45: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime

Level 1: Fast Healing

• Slot Level 1: Invention: Healing

Level 2: Reconstruction

• Slot Level 2: Panacea: Heal/Endurance
• Slot Level 3: Panacea: Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 3: Panacea: Heal/Recharge
• Slot Level 5: Panacea: Heal/Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 5: Panacea: Heal
• Slot Level 40: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance

Level 4: Quick Recovery

• Slot Level 4: Synapse's Shock: EndMod
• Slot Level 31: Synapse's Shock: EndMod/Increased Run Speed

Level 6: Suppressive Fire

• Slot Level 6: Apocalypse: Damage
• Slot Level 9: Apocalypse: Chance of Damage(Negative)
• Slot Level 15: Superior Entomb: Recharge/Chance for +Absorb
• Slot Level 33: Unbreakable Constraint: Chance for Smashing Damage
• Slot Level 33: Neuronic Shutdown: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
• Slot Level 39: Ghost Widow's Embrace: Chance of Damage(Psionic)

Level 10: Instant Regeneration

• Slot Level 10: Preventive Medicine: Heal
• Slot Level 7: Preventive Medicine: Heal/Endurance
• Slot Level 7: Preventive Medicine: Endurance/RechargeTime
• Slot Level 50: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime
• Slot Level 50: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime/Endurance
• Slot Level 50: Preventive Medicine: Chance for +Absorb

Level 12: Bullet Rain

• Slot Level 12: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 9: Superior Frozen Blast: Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 11: Positron's Blast: Chance of Damage(Energy)
• Slot Level 11: Bombardment: Chance for Fire Damage
• Slot Level 13: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage
• Slot Level 13: Force Feedback: Chance for +Recharge

Level 14: Combat Jumping

• Slot Level 14: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• Slot Level 15: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage
• Slot Level 17: Shield Wall: +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All)
• Slot Level 43: Kismet: Accuracy +6%
• Slot Level 45: Winter's Gift: Slow Resistance (20%)

Level 16: Dismiss Pain

• Slot Level 16: Preventive Medicine: Heal
• Slot Level 17: Preventive Medicine: Heal/Endurance

Level 18: Executioner's Shot

• Slot Level 18: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 19: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 19: Decimation: Chance of Build Up
• Slot Level 42: Touch of Lady Grey: Chance for Negative Damage
• Slot Level 43: Impeded Swiftness: Chance of Damage(Smashing)
• Slot Level 43: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage

Level 20: Integration

• Slot Level 20: Panacea: Heal/Endurance
• Slot Level 21: Panacea: Heal/Recharge
• Slot Level 21: Panacea: Heal/Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 23: Panacea: Heal
• Slot Level 40: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance

Level 22: Hasten

• Slot Level 22: Invention: Recharge Reduction
• Slot Level 23: Invention: Recharge Reduction

Level 24: Resilience

• Slot Level 24: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3%
• Slot Level 25: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All)
• Slot Level 25: Gladiator's Armor: Resistance
• Slot Level 29: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance

Level 26: Hail of Bullets

• Slot Level 26: Armageddon: Damage/Recharge
• Slot Level 27: Armageddon: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
• Slot Level 27: Armageddon: Recharge/Accuracy
• Slot Level 34: Armageddon: Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 34: Armageddon: Damage
• Slot Level 37: Force Feedback: Chance for +Recharge

Level 28: Second Wind

• Slot Level 28: Invention: Healing

Level 30: Moment of Glory

• Slot Level 30: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• Slot Level 29: Invention: Recharge Reduction
• Slot Level 31: Invention: Recharge Reduction

Level 35: Netherworld Tentacles

• Slot Level 35: Ragnarok: Damage
• Slot Level 31: Ragnarok: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
• Slot Level 33: Ragnarok: Recharge/Accuracy
• Slot Level 34: Ragnarok: Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 37: Ragnarok: Damage/Recharge
• Slot Level 42: Ragnarok: Chance for Knockdown

Level 38: Tough

• Slot Level 38: Aegis: Resistance/Endurance
• Slot Level 36: Aegis: Resistance
• Slot Level 36: Aegis: Resistance/Recharge
• Slot Level 36: Aegis: Psionic/Status Resistance

Level 41: Engulfing Darkness

• Slot Level 41: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 39: Superior Avalanche: Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 39: Eradication: Chance for Energy Damage
• Slot Level 48: Obliteration: Chance for Smashing Damage
• Slot Level 48: Armageddon: Chance for Fire Damage
• Slot Level 48: Cloud Senses: Chance for Negative Energy Damage

Level 44: Darkest Night

• Slot Level 44: Invention: Endurance Reduction

Level 47: Smite

• Slot Level 47: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 42: Superior Blistering Cold: Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 45: Gladiator's Strike: Chance for Smashing Damage
• Slot Level 46: Touch of Death: Chance of Damage(Negative)
• Slot Level 46: Hecatomb: Chance of Damage(Negative)
• Slot Level 46: Cloud Senses: Chance for Negative Energy Damage

Level 49: Weave

• Slot Level 49: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed

 

Inherent Powers

Brawl:

• Slot Level 1: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 40: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge

Health:

• Slot Level 1: Miracle: +Recovery

Stamina:

• Slot Level 1: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End

 

Incarnate Abilities

Musculature Radial Paragon (Alpha)

 

Edited December 31, 2023 by Onlyasandwich

[Thrax]

Here is my regen sent just fyi.  I'd get the two power transfer +heal procs going though.  They are really good.  

 

Shocker Thrax redo after notes.mxd