Just how effective are multiple Chance for Build-Up procs?

[Story Archer]

I'm talking about both Decimation & Gaussian's procs here.

 

I'm working on my final Claws/Bio Scrapper and I'm looking at trying something which might or might not be very effective and I was hoping to get some thoughts. As I understand it, each of these procs will give you, on average, one 5 sec buff of +40% ToHit and +100% damage every minute. At the moment I have a fast-recharging single-target attack chain of Follow-Up -> Focus -> Strike. I work in Moonbeam when it comes up and Eviscerate whenever there are two or more targets, but I can chain those three attacks very smoothly. In each of those three attacks, I have one enhancement slot that I can do pretty much anything with, and at the moment, that bonus slot looks like this:

 

Follow Up: Superior Critical Strikes +50% Crit. proc

Focus: Force Feedback chance for +Rech proc

Strike: Touch of Death chance for Dmg proc

 

In the interest of maximizing damage, I was considering this configuration instead:

 

Follow Up: Gaussian's Chance for Build-Up proc

Focus: Decimation Chance for Build-Up proc

Strike: Superior Critical Strikes +50% Crit. proc

 

I like the idea of all three attacks in the chain having the chance to significantly boost the other two (and whatever else gets thrown in there), but is this just fool's gold? Will they fire often enough to outweigh the benefits of the slotting I'm already using? I'm specifically thinking of utility against hard targets here, like EB's, AV's & GM's.

 

FWIW, I've selected both the Musculature Core Paragon and Assault Core Embodiment Incarnate abilities, and usually run with the Offensive Adaptation up.

 

 

Edited March 3 by Story Archer

[Uun]

Both the Gaussian's and Decimation procs are 1 PPM. In addition to the PPM value, proc chances are dependent on the base recharge of the power they're slotted in. It gets more complicated for cones and AoEs. Slotted in Follow Up (which has a base recharge of 12s) the chance to fire is 21.4%. Slotted in Focus (which has a base recharge of 6.4s) the chance to fire is 12.6%.  These assume no recharge slotted in the powers - your chances decrease if you slot recharge. In order to get good value from these procs, they need to be slotted in powers with longer recharges. For example, the Gaussian proc has a 100% chance to fire in Build Up (which has a base recharge of 90s).

 

See below for a link to @macskull's PPM calculator spreadsheet. You'll need to save a copy if you want to make changes.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vd4ZZd1jfhOzdZZkGxC9O0NN5G0T1EdWPu_XRrV6s0U

[Story Archer]

1 minute ago, Uun said:

Both the Gaussian's and Decimation procs are 1 PPM. In addition to the PPM value, proc chances are dependent on the base recharge of the power they're slotted in. It gets more complicated for cones and AoEs. Slotted in Follow Up (which has a base recharge of 12s) the chance to fire is 21.4%. Slotted in Focus (which has a base recharge of 6.4s) the chance to fire is 12.6%.  These assume no recharge slotted in the powers - your chances decrease if you slot recharge. In order to get good value from these procs, they need to be slotted in powers with longer recharges. For example, the Gaussian proc has a 100% chance to fire in Build Up (which has a base recharge of 90s).

 

See below for a link to @macskull's PPM calculator spreadsheet. You'll need to save a copy if you want to make changes.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vd4ZZd1jfhOzdZZkGxC9O0NN5G0T1EdWPu_XRrV6s0U

 

I understand how the recharge rates affect procs and (of course) I slotted for recharge in all three of those attacks, meaning that the procs will fire less frequently. I'm just curious which of the two slotting options are more likely to deal the greatest damage over time.

[Black_Assassin]

I mean, you could slot both %BU and run a number of pylon kills and then slot the +rech and damage proc instead and run the test again and see if there is any noticeable difference between the two? Not like any of those IOs are onerously expensive, so wouldn't be difficult to run the experiment. 

 

Maybe run Unai Kemen council empire mission 5 times each way too and see if you notice much time difference in a "real life" setting?

[Uun]

12 minutes ago, Story Archer said:

I understand how the recharge rates affect procs and (of course) I slotted for recharge in all three of those attacks, meaning that the procs will fire less frequently. I'm just curious which of the two slotting options are more likely to deal the greatest damage over time.

Test it out, but I think the first one. You definitely want the Critical Strikes proc in Follow Up. Personally, I would change the FFB proc in Focus to a %dmg proc. 

[macskull]

27 minutes ago, Uun said:

For example, the Gaussian proc has a 100% chance to fire in Build Up (which has a base recharge of 90s).

Minor nitpick, the maximum chance for any proc is 90%. I think the most recent version of the proc calculator you linked correctly handles cases where the calculated number is outside the actual min or max.

 

On the topic of the OP though, not slotting the Critical Strikes proc into Follow Up is kinda a miss.

[Story Archer]

2 minutes ago, Uun said:

Test it out, but I think the first one. You definitely want the Critical Strikes proc in Follow Up. Personally, I would change the FFB proc in Focus to a %dmg proc. 

 

Yeah, I'm considering that too. The only reason I dropped the FF proc in was to help cycle through non-attack abilities a bit faster (Hasten, Ablative Carapace, DNA Siphon, Parasitic Aura). I've got decent +Rech, +155% w/Hasten, but Hasten isn't perma, so I was thinking every little bit would help.

[tidge]

20 minutes ago, Story Archer said:

 

I understand how the recharge rates affect procs and (of course) I slotted for recharge in all three of those attacks, meaning that the procs will fire less frequently. I'm just curious which of the two slotting options are more likely to deal the greatest damage over time.

 

For moi:

 

Almost all of the time the 'best' place for a Gaussian's %Build Up is in an actual "Build Up" (or "Aim") power, as those tend to have 90 second base recharge times, so the %proc rate will be at/near the 90% ceiling even with a full set of Gaussian's (or simply more recharge) slotted in it.

 

There is a small corner case for (a) high-DPS characters that will be (b) surrounded by a lot of pets or allies to add the Gaussian's proc to a leadership toggle, as the more friendlies affected by the toggle the larger the chance for %Build Up. The only AT I would make this blanket recommendation for are Crabberminds, as they have a good damage scale and are likely to be nearby things to trigger the proc (and can trivially get a toggle to do this). I think it is a waste on Masterminds because of their very poor damage scales, even if they could have it trigger frequently.

 

The (proc) effects of %Build Up are short, only 10 seconds IIRC. Of course you also have to HIT with whatever attacks would happen in that time. As for putting a %Build Up in an attack, I'd just use a %damage proc instead. The Proc rates will be 3.5 (or 4.5) better for %damage, and the damage will be applied directly to something you have already targeted and hit.

 

 

AFAIK: The +Critical strikes isn't a blanket +50%, it only increases the chance of the existing Critical strike by 50% of the inherent value. So 2% would go to 3%, not 52%.

[Story Archer]

2 minutes ago, macskull said:

On the topic of the OP though, not slotting the Critical Strikes proc into Follow Up is kinda a miss.

 

That's kind of my standard slotting (what it is now). I was just looking at the possibility of all three attacks giving a potential boost to each other when chained together, and shifting the CS proc to Strike was the only way to pull that off without unravelling the entire enhancement structure I've got going on... but you're right, when I'm in 'AoE mode', my attack chain is Follow Up -> Spin -> Eviscerate, so I'd want it in there regardless.

[Story Archer]

1 minute ago, tidge said:

 

For moi:

 

The (proc) effects of %Build Up are short, only 10 seconds IIRC. Of course you also have to HIT with whatever attacks would happen in that time. As for putting a %Build Up in an attack, I'd just use a %damage proc instead. The Proc rates will be 3.5 (or 4.5) better for %damage, and the damage will be applied directly to something you have already targeted and hit.

 

I actually think they (the buffs) only last for 5 seconds or so...

[Maelwys]

As a general rule of thumb; for a min-maxed build slotting a Damage Proc will usually beat slotting "Chance for Build Up"; especially if you're already getting substantial +damage buffs elsewhere (from Followup/Rage/Fury/Insps/Fulcrum Shift/Assault Core Hybrid/Whatever)
Even in the few edge cases where that doesn't hold true; the difference in DPA is only in the single-digits. And becomes moot as soon as you team with a Kin.

[Camel]

Follow-Up is going to be your friend. The +50% crit chance is INCREDIBLE slotted in this power. It's rare for me that it doesn't go off. I'm not a numbers guy, but it feels like two thirds of the time it goes off for me. The BU proc from Guass... Now that doesn't go off as much but it's still pretty solid in Follow-Up. I also have a Claws/Bio and I just recently respecced. I put two damage procs in Focus as well as the +recharge proc. I used to have Decimation and I do not miss it. The +recharge proc goes off pretty frequently, thus increasing Follow-Ups recharge without messing up the proc rates... Which in turn gives me more crit proc and Guass proc chances. The empty slots in Focus and Shockwave are for the Force Feedback procs.

Below is my build if you want to check it out 😄

-Splice (Claws - Bio Armor).mbd

Edited March 3 by Camel

[Uun]

1 hour ago, tidge said:

AFAIK: The +Critical strikes isn't a blanket +50%, it only increases the chance of the existing Critical strike by 50% of the inherent value. So 2% would go to 3%, not 52%.

Actually, it's exactly that. For most powers, your base chance for a critical hit is 5% for minions and 10% for higher ranked foes. The Scrapper's Strike global increases the chances by an additional 3% for minions and 6% for higher ranked foes to 8% and 16% respectively. The Critical Strikes proc increases the chance for a critical hit by an additional 50% for 3.25s (to 58% and 66% respectively if you've got the global).

 

https://cod.uberguy.net/html/power.html?power=set_bonus.set_bonus.critical_strikes_proc&at=scrapper

[Frosticus]

Eagles claw (w/cs) > ball lightning> dragons tail. Turns martial arts into an aoe powerhouse.

 

Edit: in response to how critical strikes proc works.

Edited March 3 by Frosticus

[SomeGuy]

It's a good idea. I do it with every build I can. My Claws/Bio does this. BU Proc in FU and BU Proc on Snipe (or focus).

 

You can see my pylon kill times for reference. They are in my signature.

 

If someone says it isn't a good idea, then hey. They are entitled to their opinion. No matter how wrong it is.

 

*This assumes you aren't hitting the damage cap for a Scrapper. If so, the procs are useless. So, if solo, or not teamed with significant DMG booster, they are a good idea.

Edited March 6 by SomeGuy

[Story Archer]

14 hours ago, SomeGuy said:

It's a good idea. I do it with every build I can. My Claws/Bio does this. BU Proc in FU and BU Proc on Snipe (or focus).

 

You can see my pylon kill times for reference. They are in my signature.

 

If someone says it isn't a good idea, then hey. They are entitled to their opinion. No matter how wrong it is.

 

*This assumes you aren't hitting the damage cap for a Scrapper. If so, the procs are useless. So, if solo, or not teamed with significant DMG booster, they are a good idea.

 

A Claws/Bio is exactly what I'm working on. Do you feel like the various procs fire off often enough when slotted this way to outweigh the benefit of a FF proc or damage proc in Focus? I'm planning on keeping a full set of Superior Winter's Bite in my snipe...

[SomeGuy]

15 hours ago, Story Archer said:

 

A Claws/Bio is exactly what I'm working on. Do you feel like the various procs fire off often enough when slotted this way to outweigh the benefit of a FF proc or damage proc in Focus? I'm planning on keeping a full set of Superior Winter's Bite in my snipe...

 

 

You talking about your Claws/Bio is the biggest reason I even said something. Some things just trigger me.

 

As for your question, yup. Yes, I do. Obviously if you are hitting the damage cap from other sources the BU procs are a wash, but if you aren't? Different story. I've gotten close MANY times to damage capping myself solo on my DB/BIO with both procs in my build.

 

Something to consider is that the damage buff from the procs only last 5s (you can verify this in game or on CoD) and that the DMG boost also affects your DOT Aura.

 

The PPM sheet @Uun posted is a REALLY good resource btw (PPM List).

 

This is my current build for my claws/bio for example.

 

 

 

|MBD;24458;1661;2216;BASE64;|
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|zKk2fsCYcw9LhZYREWx6Q/5OxCCr2b1TTkKdQ5QnaoGIVBokyUWTp+q35fzZ1iEQ4Ue|
|268RThMhq5zoN86R6A0rJCi/ryQKwq/U4hnC+m9ELWNHxtpxxUlJL+icNp2my0PkENa|
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|/5jY=|
 

 

Edited Friday at 08:59 AM by SomeGuy

[Story Archer]

On 3/7/2025 at 2:48 AM, SomeGuy said:

 

 

You talking about your Claws/Bio is the biggest reason I even said something. Some things just trigger me.

 

As for your question, yup. Yes, I do. Obviously if you are hitting the damage cap from other sources the BU procs are a wash, but if you aren't? Different story. I've gotten close MANY times to damage capping myself solo on my DB/BIO with both procs in my build.

 

Something to consider is that the damage buff from the procs only last 5s (you can verify this in game or on CoD) and that the DMG boost also affects your DOT Aura.

 

The PPM sheet @Uun posted is a REALLY good resource btw (PPM List).

 

This is my current build for my claws/bio for example.

 

  Hide contents

 

 

 

I'd love to see the build, but for some reason I've never been able to make the 'data chunks' work. This is what I'm currently working with, and how I'm currently planning on slotting those attacks:

 

[Ladyshrike II].mbd

 

Edited Monday at 09:31 PM by Story Archer

[SomeGuy]

On 3/7/2025 at 8:01 AM, Story Archer said:

 

I'd love to see the build, but for some reason I've never been able to make the 'data chunks' work. This is what I'm currently working with, and how I'm currently planning on slotting those attacks:

 

[Ladyshrike II].mbd 44.41 kB · 0 downloads

 

 

 

 

Lemme try again:

 

https://api.midsreborn.com/legacy/download?uc=1722&c=778&a=1556&f=HEX&dc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

 

 

Edited Sunday at 05:19 AM by SomeGuy

[Story Archer]

On 3/8/2025 at 11:16 PM, SomeGuy said:

 

 

Lemme try again:

 

 

  Hide contents

 

 

https://api.midsreborn.com/legacy/download?uc=1722&c=778&a=1556&f=HEX&dc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
 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, that's working for me. Thanks.

 

I always find it interesting, the different approaches people take in their builds. Two quick questions - first, how do you feel about the performance you're getting with things set up this way and secondly, do you mind some build-specific questions and comparisons between the one that I posted and this one?

[Camel]

On 3/6/2025 at 10:57 AM, Story Archer said:

 

A Claws/Bio is exactly what I'm working on. Do you feel like the various procs fire off often enough when slotted this way to outweigh the benefit of a FF proc or damage proc in Focus? I'm planning on keeping a full set of Superior Winter's Bite in my snipe...

The Build Up proc that can be slotted into Follow-Up (Guassian's) should always be slotted into Follow-Up. It's that good when slotted in FU. The Decimation proc is not as good but still viable. In regard to a Claws/Bio, I would 100% recommend slotting the Decimation BU proc in your snipe and putting a Force Feedback +recharge proc in Focus. You'll get way, way more bang for your buck this way.

[SomeGuy]

6 hours ago, Story Archer said:

 

Yep, that's working for me. Thanks.

 

I always find it interesting, the different approaches people take in their builds. Two quick questions - first, how do you feel about the performance you're getting with things set up this way and secondly, do you mind some build-specific questions and comparisons between the one that I posted and this one?

 

 

I find the performance really good, then again I'm very biased. Also, please do. Also, what @Camel wrote is something I very much agree with. Granted, I don't have a FF proc in my claws/bio since I don't see the necessity of more recharge with the build, but I definitely do see the logic of having non-attack abilities with a greater up time (Parasitic Aura comes to mind).

[Camel]

2 hours ago, SomeGuy said:

 

 

I find the performance really good, then again I'm very biased. Also, please do. Also, what @Camel wrote is something I very much agree with. Granted, I don't have a FF proc in my claws/bio since I don't see the necessity of more recharge with the build, but I definitely do see the logic of having non-attack abilities with a greater up time (Parasitic Aura comes to mind).

I'm a sucker for recharge lol.. and oftentimes, my builds are averaging 70-80% global recharge so the FF procs are huge for me! I recently respecced my Claws/Bio and have been enjoying having the FF +recharge in Focus quite a bit.

Cheers!

[Story Archer]

21 hours ago, SomeGuy said:

 

 

I find the performance really good, then again I'm very biased. Also, please do. Also, what @Camel wrote is something I very much agree with. Granted, I don't have a FF proc in my claws/bio since I don't see the necessity of more recharge with the build, but I definitely do see the logic of having non-attack abilities with a greater up time (Parasitic Aura comes to mind).

 

18 hours ago, Camel said:

I'm a sucker for recharge lol.. and oftentimes, my builds are averaging 70-80% global recharge so the FF procs are huge for me! I recently respecced my Claws/Bio and have been enjoying having the FF +recharge in Focus quite a bit.

Cheers!

 

Alright, roping you two into this same reply. I'm posting the most updated build I'm currently using below, and I'm going to have some questions specific to the builds you guys are using in comparison to my own - not necessarily saying that one is better than the other, just pointing out my reasoning for what I did so that you can tell what I'm missing, if anything. Note: the two empty IO slots will have FF +Rech procs in them, I just leave them out to keep them from skewing my recharge info.

[Ladyshrike II].mbd

 

So first off, the defensive side of things. I've been accused of chasing defensive numbers on my Scrappers a little too much, and I'm fine with that so long as I'm not sacrificing any obviously greater benefits elsewhere. I notice that my defenses are considerably higher than either of yours, specifically with regards to E/N/F/C (46.2% for me vs. 34.1% for Camel and 31.8% for SomeGuy). We're pretty even everywhere else except for SomeGuy's 50% S/L Res, which Camel and I basically have soft-capped at around 75%. I can't find any other aspects of the build where I'm lagging (like recharge or offensive output), so I'm assuming that's all good? I tend to value defense very highly because of its ability to mitigate debuffs and other secondary effects, but since Bio has no DDR, I don't want to lean too heavily on it. Camel, I noticed that you took the Ageless Incarnate - was that why, or do you just like the additional Recharge?

 

Next, Genetic Contamination. I see that both of you took it, though you did different things with the slotting. I chose to use that power slot and those enhancement slots on Spring Attack instead. My reasoning was that 1) the damage from one Spring attack is the equivalent of about 10-12 ticks from Genetic Contamination (closer to 15 if I make that last slot a damage proc), but I get the benefit all at once, and I get it every 35-40 seconds instead of spread out over 1-2 minutes, and 2) the initial KB helped me avoid the threat of alpha strikes whenever I engaged a new mob which could jumpstart a cascading defensive collapse. I know that GC grants a damage debuff against your foes in addition to its damage - how noticeable is that in terms of your survivability?

 

You both took Maneuvers - was that primarily so that you could slot another LotG +Rech IO? Between Maneuvers and GC, your endurance totals are notably ahead of mine. Are you noticing any issues with that, or does Parasitic Aura perform so well that its not a problem?

 

I think you guys also both took Shockwave. I've kind of avoided that power as I'm pretty happy with my attack chain as it is. For single targets its just FU -> Focus -> Eviscerate and for groups its FU -> Spin -> Eviscerate. Those chains really don't have any gaps, and just throw in Moonbeam whenever it comes up in either instance. I'm guessing that you took and use Shockwave in the same way that I use Spring Attack, as an opener to help mitigate alpha strikes?

 

I can't help but notice the HUGE Psi hole we all have in our defenses. Has that ever actually been an issue for either of you guys?

 

Is there anything obvious in the build that I linked that I may have overlooked or might not properly understand when it comes to slotting?

 

Thanks again for your insights!

 

 

Edited 21 hours ago by Story Archer

[Camel]

2 hours ago, Story Archer said:

 

 

Alright, roping you two into this same reply. I'm posting the most updated build I'm currently using below, and I'm going to have some questions specific to the builds you guys are using in comparison to my own - not necessarily saying that one is better than the other, just pointing out my reasoning for what I did so that you can tell what I'm missing, if anything. Note: the two empty IO slots will have FF +Rech procs in them, I just leave them out to keep them from skewing my recharge info.

[Ladyshrike II].mbd 44.43 kB · 3 downloads

 

So first off, the defensive side of things. I've been accused of chasing defensive numbers on my Scrappers a little too much, and I'm fine with that so long as I'm not sacrificing any obviously greater benefits elsewhere. I notice that my defenses are considerably higher than either of yours, specifically with regards to E/N/F/C (46.2% for me vs. 34.1% for Camel and 31.8% for SomeGuy). We're pretty even everywhere else except for SomeGuy's 50% S/L Res, which Camel and I basically have soft-capped at around 75%. I can't find any other aspects of the build where I'm lagging (like recharge or offensive output), so I'm assuming that's all good? I tend to value defense very highly because of its ability to mitigate debuffs and other secondary effects, but since Bio has no DDR, I don't want to lean too heavily on it. Camel, I noticed that you took the Ageless Incarnate - was that why, or do you just like the additional Recharge?

 

Next, Genetic Contamination. I see that both of you took it, though you did different things with the slotting. I chose to use that power slot and those enhancement slots on Spring Attack instead. My reasoning was that 1) the damage from one Spring attack is the equivalent of about 10-12 ticks from Genetic Contamination (closer to 15 if I make that last slot a damage proc), but I get the benefit all at once, and I get it every 35-40 seconds instead of spread out over 1-2 minutes, and 2) the initial KB helped me avoid the threat of alpha strikes whenever I engaged a new mob which could jumpstart a cascading defensive collapse. I know that GC grants a damage debuff against your foes in addition to its damage - how noticeable is that in terms of your survivability?

 

You both took Maneuvers - was that primarily so that you could slot another LotG +Rech IO? Between Maneuvers and GC, your endurance totals are notably ahead of mine. Are you noticing any issues with that, or does Parasitic Aura perform so well that its not a problem?

 

I think you guys also both took Shockwave. I've kind of avoided that power as I'm pretty happy with my attack chain as it is. For single targets its just FU -> Focus -> Eviscerate and for groups its FU -> Spin -> Eviscerate. Those chains really don't have any gaps, and just throw in Moonbeam whenever it comes up in either instance. I'm guessing that you took and use Shockwave in the same way that I use Spring Attack, as an opener to help mitigate alpha strikes?

 

I can't help but notice the HUGE Psi hole we all have in our defenses. Has that ever actually been an issue for either of you guys?

 

Is there anything obvious in the build that I linked that I may have overlooked or might not properly understand when it comes to slotting?

 

Thanks again for your insights!

 

 

Heyo!

I'll try to touch on some things here as best as I can. I try to lean a bit defensively myself, but I'm more of a 'hybrid' build maker for most of my general content characters. Focusing on HP, damage procs, recharge, defense, etc. I try not to gimp any of those aspects while increasing the others. Specifically with my Claws/Bio Scrapper, I have Force Feedback +recharge procs going off so often that my Shadow Meld only has a 7 or 8 second downtime IIRC. So I rely heavily on cycling Shadow Meld along with all the Bio +absorb/regen goodies. 

As far as our builds are concerned, it looks like @SomeGuy was focusing purely on ST DPS numbers and/or Pylon test times specifically, I don't want to speak for them but the build is heavily catered for pure ST DPS. Mine is a 'hybrid' that focuses on all aspects of the build, not prioritizing any one part of it while also not significantly gimping another part of it.

In regard to Genetic Contamination, it's free damage and does -damage to enemies around you. It's incredible. Never skip it, never skimp on slots. I like putting the Superior Avalanche in there because I like to build for melee defense in a lot of instances, the chance for knockdown proc is handy at times too. I don't really rely on the -damage aspect, I also rarely solo so my experiences may vary from yours. My 'alpha strike' mitigator is Shadow Meld, use it every chance you get before opening on mobs and you will notice it substantially.

 Also, Spring Attack isn't bad, per say, but I would wholeheartedly recommend replacing it with Shockwave. FU -> Spin -> Shockwave, with proper positioning, is absolutely insane. FU - Spin -> Eviscerate isn't bad. But the benefit of replacing Shockwave with Eviscerate is that it; hits more targets, can proc Force Feedback and knocks enemies down. I don't open with it typically but it can be used to help with alpha strikes, no doubt. I've never stuck with Eviscerate long term and I probably never will. I tried respeccing into it once, proc bombing it and trying to time it with the Critical Strikes proc... it just didn't feel nearly as good as it did with Shockwave. Another benefit with shockwave is that it does really respectable damage in ST chains too, especially when it's proc bombed and buffed by Critical Strikes. it's disgustingly good when fighting the computer in the ITF when the mobs from up top are pulled down. Obviously this is all personal preference, but with proper positioning, you will out perform any build with Eviscerate. 

Speaking on attack chains, Slash is great, especially if you can fit the -res Achilles Heel proc in it. Helps soften up targets when cycling through your ST attack chain. Sort of all over the place here lol, but I took Ageless to increase my recovery and for the recharge buff. I haven't looked in Mids, did I take the one that offers debuff resistance? Both are pretty good on Bio, but I meant to take the one that increases recovery. I spam attacks so frequently that sometimes I need the 'infinite' endurance it offers.

I did take Maneuvers for the LoTG +7.5, as well as the teaming aspect. On a full team, I'd say at least 3 of us have the Leadership pool, almost 100% of the time. Those little buffs add up... but I also pretty much follow that same formula on practically every character. Speed, Leaping, Fighting and Leadership pools are standard on 80% of my characters or more, it's just what I'm comfortable with.  

Anything I missed? 😛