Need a Congressional Hearing (Advise and Consent) on the Incarnate suite for my gal...

[Story Archer]

Alright, so I've exhaustively researched more threads than I care to admit on the various Incarnate topics, but so much of it is from different time periods and many have conflicting information. I'm going to link the build at the bottom of this post, but I'm trying to nail down how I'm going to use these final couple hundred Empyrean Merits and I'm hoping this discussion will help to solidify my (and hopefully others) understanding of the actual benefits of various Incarnates, particularly for Scrappers.

 

The build is Dual Blades/Ninjitsu, but the discussion will probably apply to most primaries and at least the defense-based secondaries. I tend to play her 80-90% solo, but she's my badger and, as I begin to really top out, I think I'm going to end up engaging in more and more group play, if only to mentor others a bit. Won't ever be more than 50/50 though.

 

These are the base defensive stats after IO's but before any Incarnates or temporary buffs:

 

 

Alpha:

I can't imagine why I'd go with anything other than Musculature Core Paragon for the +45% damage buff. If anyone has a case why I should consider something else I'd love to hear it.

 

Judgement:

I know that the Ion Core is very popular and I have that on most of my other 50's, but I went Void here because the Negative Energy better fits the character concept and the PBAoE better fits the playstyle. I went Void Core Final Judgement because I'm pretty happy with where my defenses are going to be at. Again, I'm open to any alternate thoughts if someone has them to offer.

 

Interface:

Okay, easy stuff over with. The way I'm looking at this Incarnate is pretty much that it only really matters when I'm going up against hard targets like EB's, AV's, GM's, etc. With that in mind I boiled down to either the -HP de-buff from Degenerative, the -Regen de-buff from Diamagnetic or the -Res de-buff from Reactive. I'm still not 100% how strong the actual effect of the various debuffs are (a lot of confusing or contradictory stuff has been posted on them) but as far as I know, the big guys frequently resist -Regen and -Res debuffs, but I don't know that they resist -HP, so I have settled on Degenerative Core Flawless Interface. I would LOVE to hear any opinions on why this wasn't the right call, though.

 

Lore:

I don't taunt and I don't have any support abilities, so I can't do anything to keep my Lore pets alive apart from other Incarnate abilities, and I don't want that to play a role in deciding which Incarnates I take. I also don't think I need any particular buffs though I'm certainly open to them. Similar to Interface, I really only pop these guys before fights against hard targets, though I could see calling them if I'm expecting an excessively large numbers of foes as well (which, again, tends to draw more peripheral aggro on them than they can handle). What I think I'm looking for are either pets that all deal ranged damage, hopefully keeping them out of the line of fire or a pair that features an unkillable buffer who grants a buff that might really make a difference.  I've played around with Knives/Talons of Vengeance solely due to character concept, but I'm open to any suggestions that might meet the criteria listed above.

 

Destiny:

With high defenses and resistances (which look to only get higher), it seemed to make sense to round her out with healing & regeneration by going the rebirth route, specifically the Rebirth Radial Epiphany. I don't fully understand the differences in effectiveness between +HP vs. +healing/regen (are the additional HP ablative, or do you drop HP when the power reduces?). This is another one which, considering the other choices made here, I'm very open to considering other options. I know Barrier is the most popular, and I understand why, but I just don't think I'll get as much out of that as others might.

 

Hybrid:

Saved the best/hardest choice for last. I originally defaulted to Assault Radial Embodiment because it seemed like the simplest, most straightforward option, but I've seen a lot of debate over whether Core or Radial is the better choice for Scrappers. I was going back and forth on it for a while before I decided to look into Melee as another option. While I might not be completely optimized for damage, I'm pretty happy with the damage I put out and I love my attack chain so maybe I should round out my defenses instead, really make solo'ing at the highest level viable? With that in mind, I'm currently leaning most strongly towards Melee Core Embodiment to bump most of my resistances up to the hard cap (complimenting my defenses already past the soft cap) and kicking my regeneration up a notch as well. I don't really know how much you get at base or per additional foe, but it collectively seems like more than enough to get me where I want to be, especially when rotating with Rebirth Radial Epiphany from Destiny and Rune of Protection. If someone sees any flaw with that logic please let me know.

 

Anyway, those are my thoughts. While I suffer from horrible bouts of altitis, this chica is definitely what I'd consider my main and I'd really like to get her as well off as she can possibly be. ANY advice, recommendations or additional explanation of the way various abilities work will be very much appreciated. Questions about the build itself are also welcome.

 

Build:

[Veil of Blades] Current.mbd

 

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 12:40 AM by Story Archer

[Championess]

Alpha: More damage is always welcome.  On defense based characters I will consider something like Nerve Core for the Acc/Def.  This lets you short slot some defenses with just LotGs and fills in for some good accuracy which can be harder to get from sets than damage.

 

Judgement: Typically this one is more preference and theme, the cores tend to be similar with a few obviously stronger than the others.

 

Interface: Typically I like Degen Radial for the extra dots, or yeah Reactive then Diamag are fallbacks.

 

Lore: This is a lot of pick your flavor, if you dont need the buff pet then yeah I prefer those Knives Core you have, they do fantastic damage without taking up the whole room.

 

Destiny: Nowadays its good to have one of each.  Core Barrier is always good.  I find I like Ageless Radial on my Staff/ Nin stalker for the extra recharge, endurance fix, and DDR.

 

Hybrid:  Its either Assault Core or Radial depending how often you see yourself approaching the damage cap.  Solo without Kins its probably best to go Core.

Edited Tuesday at 11:29 PM by Championess

[Krazix]

-res or -hp interface, -hp if you plan to solo hard targets a lot. The -regen is basically trash. Grab envenom daggers off start to help with -Regen.

 

Ageless radial so you don't have to crutch the t9 for DDR. Plus recharge and a faster casting end refill.  Barrier core if you want to ever do 4* groups , it will be expected that you have it.

 

Demons radial for a massive -to hit debuff and minor -regen debuff. Otherwise your choice is fine for DPS.

 

You did not take confront , so you may want to pick up melee radial for it's taunt aura for tough solos, where you may need some taunt. But other than that assault core or radial either is fine. The parses for "best" aren't that far apart, but one can be made irrelevant with team buffs, the other can't.

 

I take the PBAoE judgement on most characters, cause it's fun and I like fun. I have never felt "dang I wish I had ion instead"

 

My latest scrapper has both vigor and musculature. Mainly cause I had emps to spare and I thought I'd see how that extra accuracy worked out. I like it , but I probably won't take it again on a scrapper. Good in brutes though.

 

[Frozen Burn]

@Story Archer Incarnate Choices are personal.  It's what YOU want and are feeling for your toon.  Many will pick the same incarnate powers for every toon because they are supposedly "the best" - but while some are better than others, they all do well and serve a purpose.  I tend to mix it up from toon to toon and stick with the theme of the toon.

 

Since you have a DB/Ninja Scrapper.... I would suggest these to go along with the theme:

 

Alpha - While Musculature Core's top damage buff is nice, it typically is the only attribute from it that does anything for me - so, I have yet to actually take it on any toon.  I typically prefer to choose an alpha that has many attributes that I can use to help fill in holes that sets/slotting can't fill.  My picks for you would be:  

• Agility Core (end mod, def, rech) or Radial (adds in movement speed) - you seem low on recovery, so either might be good for you.  It will also boost your overall Def too and get you close, if not at the incarnate soft cap.  And one can always use more recharge.  
• Musculature Radial - Endmod, Damage, Run, Def Debuff, and To Hit Debuff would all be useful for you as well. 

Judgement

• With your ninja/martial arts theme, I would highly recommend Vorpal Radial - the T4 has a wide 120 degree arc and can hit up to 40 foes like Ion can + you get 10% defense to all to counter the hate you generate.  I LOVE this judgement and take it on many of my toons.

Interface - so many options here and you really can't go wrong.

• Diamagnetic Core with the 100% chance for To Hit Debuff is perfect for defense based toons - it just makes you that much stronger and survivable.
• Reactive is always good for the Resist debuff and fire proc
• Degenerative is good for the Toxic damage and -Max HP

Lore - whichever damage or buff/debuffs you want.  Not knowing your specific theme for your character, I would think any of the below could match somewhat.  

• Tsoo
• Knives of Vengeance
• Talons of Vengeance
• IDF
• Longbow
• Warworks

Destiny - Again, really your choice here.  What do you need most here to supplement your build?  

• You have great defenses and Rune of Protection, so Barrier isn't really needed unless you plan to run 4* hardmodes, then perhaps Barrier Core
• I probably would go with Rebirth Radial for the extra heal and regen.  The Core side with more HPs is nice and allows you to take extra hits, but the HPs do wane as the power fades and you return to your normal max HP.  Core can be good for resistance toons and squishies with lower HPs.  But since you have high defenses, the attacks that do land will be less frequent and the regen will heal between those landing attacks.
• (Actually, I'd craft both and switch between the 2 depending on the content I do.)

Hybrid - again, can go either way.  I choose either:

• Assault Radial - you're a scrapper and already are high on the damage scale so the Core side is "meh" imo.  I'd rather have the double hit of energy damage from Radial side.  When it stacks with your crit - it's awesome! 
• Melee Core or Radial is also an option - if you want a taunt aura, go Radial and pick up more def too.  But Core side can also really help for when things get through your defenses. 
• (Personally, I'd craft Assault Radial first since you have Rune Of Protection.  Then, if you want, craft Melee Core to switch into depending on content, teaming, etc.)

With Your existing Defense stats and Vorpal Radial Judgement and the +10% Def, and the 100% chance of To Hit Debuff from Diamagnetic Interface, you are practically invincible.  If you layer on your Rune of Protection or Melee Core Hybrid after the alpha strike 10% Def buff wears off, you'll still be near unkillable.  And then you have Rebirth Radial as an extra heal, if needed.  OR... you could go Assault Radial Hybrid for more damage power and use Barrier Core for those times when attacks get through your defenses and Kuji-In Sha is on cool down.  ...either path is great.

 

As for your build.... You don't really need Teleport since Mystic Flight gives you a teleport power inherently.  That would allow you to pick up an extra attack.  Additionally, you don't need those 6th slots on your purple sets (except the confuse set) - tox/psi resist is not that needed (plus you get Tox resist with your heal) and you could use those slots to slot up your attack that you get replacing Teleport.  You could slot a set of Blistering Colds for more defense and recovery too.  Or you could slot up one of your ranged attacks for the similar bonuses if you just have to keep Teleport.

[Uun]

Not going to restate what's been said above, so just a few added points:

 

Interface: This is largely a choice between debuffs or added damage. Degenerative Core and Reactive Core are widely considered to be the best debuffs. The -regen from Diamagnetic is pretty weak (10% per stack) and is heavily resisted by AVs. The thing to keep in mind is that the debuffs can only stack 4x. This doesn't matter if you're solo, but can come into play on teams if others have the same Interface. If you go the added damage route (which can stack 8x), there are three that do more damage than the others: Reactive Radial (Fi), Preemptive Radial (En) and Spectral Radial (Ne).

 

Destiny: One of Ninjitsu's weaknesses is low DDR. Ageless Radial provides significant debuff resistance. Since you already have a self heal, I would go this route instead of Rebirth.

 

Hybrid: Monitor your damage buffs using the Combat Monitor. Unless you're teaming with Kins or other buffers and frequently hitting the damage cap, Assault Core will provide a bigger damage buff than Radial. Load your character on the test server and try the different options against one of the pylons at the RWZ base. 

[Maelwys]

Alpha = Musculature Core for Max Dmg; Intuition Radial if you have noteworthy Ranged Attacks and/or ToHit Debuffs. and/or Slow Movement effects.
Judgement = 100% Void Radial. The -Damage debuff effect is excellent on-demand mitigation and the additional spike damage from going Core is negligible.
Interface = Degenerative Core for fighting AVs/GMs, Reactive Radial for everything else. Typically Radial > Core if you're teaming and folk have multiple copies.
Lore = Either Carnies/Seers Radial (buffs your damage + some healing), Banished Pantheon Radial (Mix of Raw Damage + AoE Buffs) or Talons Radial (team buffs).
Destiny = Ageless Radial; for Defense Debuff Resistance and Endurance Recovery. But pick up Barrier Core too for teaming.
Hybrid = Assault for Scrappers; and typically Core if you're soloing because Crits. But Teammate buffs and Build Up + Gaussian Proc can make Radial better.
 

Edited Wednesday at 05:14 PM by Maelwys

[Riverdusk]

As to conflicting info, I tend to trust the wiki (rarely seen any mistakes there).  The page on incarnate abilities:

 

https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Incarnate_System#Ability_List

 

Click on the "Abilities" link there for the specific one.

 

On interface in particular: https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Interface_Slot_Abilities

 

As you can see on Diagmagnetic: "The -ToHit is standardized at -5%, and the -Regen is standardized at -15%. A single target can be hit up to 4 times of the same type of proc."

 

So, for -regen it maxes at -60%, which against a level 50 AV that resists 85% of it you get a whopping 9% regen debuff.  As others have said, complete trash.  A simple envenomed dagger does -250% and is stackable.  You only take Diagmagnetic for the -tohit part, which is decent, not for the -regen.  They'd have to do something like at least TRIPLE the amount of -regen it gives to even be competitive, or make it non-resistible (but that much non-resistible would probably be a bit too much).  

 

As the wiki also says, Degenerative gives -1000hp debuff to AV's per stack, up to 4 times.  Much better.  Not to even mention it also has a damage dot, even better.

 

Reactive also isn't bad.  Someone posted once on here quite a while ago an analysis that degen's -hp is still better than reactive's -resistance, even on non-AV's, but can't vouch for it personally and I didn't save a copy or link of it.

 

TLDR, Degen is definitely the goto (by quite a bit) if you are trying to solo AV's.

 

Others have covered the other choices well.

[Uun]

1 hour ago, Riverdusk said:

As you can see on Diagmagnetic: "The -ToHit is standardized at -5%, and the -Regen is standardized at -15%. A single target can be hit up to 4 times of the same type of proc."

CoD says -regen is -10%.

https://cod.uberguy.net/html/power.html?power=incarnate.interface_silent.regen_debuff&at=scrapper

[Yomo Kimyata]

Dual Blades and Ninjitsu are two of my least favorite sets -- I tend to go with "interesting" secondaries like Bio or Radiation and thus I'm focusing more on solo survival.

 

Alpha:  I usually go with with Musculature Radial Paragon, since blue bar = life, but I'd go core if you have no problems with endurance.  ninjitsu has a relatively sucky endurance power, but if you're good, Core is great.  Sometimes I go with Intuition Radial if I'm running something with a lot of slow powers.

 

Judgement:  As you wish, but I also usually go with Void Radial.  fits my play style and less damage inflicted is good.

 

Interface:  I generally go with Reactive Radial at this point in time.  I feel it's better overall bang for the buck than Degenerative Radial.

 

Lore:  I rarely take it, but when I do it's about theme.  Up to you.

 

Destiny:  As mentioned above, it's worthwhile having more than one.  I like Ageless because of aforementioned blue bar issues but the debuff resistance is really nice when I'm playing a character without any DDR and when my defense gets nuked into the red, it's a lifesaver.

 

Hybrid:  Assault Core is my goto, but if you are playing a defense-based secondary, Melee Core serves as a bit of an "oh no!" button.