What do I need to know about Regen?

[Scarlet Shocker]

I started playing a Claws/Regen Brute; Barbizilla (you can check her origin elsewhere in the forums if you're that interested) - basically a concept character that I built and let languish but then suddenly realised I was enjoying playing.

 

However, I rarely ever play melee characters and I have never to my recollection ever played a Regen character. It's fun (she's around 34 I think) but it's a lot more work than most toons I've played, even some of the more finicky Controllers/Dominators

 

I've been reading some of @Spaghetti Betty's wise words here but I have seen a lot of stuff for the more advanced/experienced Regen brute, not the novice.

 

The Claws element seems pretty straight-forward - punch something hard enough and stab/slash it at the same time. But Regen needs more input so where do I go with that?

 

Also what APP/PPP works well? If you hadn't already guessed this is a "magical" blend of Barbie and Godzilla, two plastic kids toys smooshed into a living superbeing made of self-repairing polymer. I had thought Fire as an APP for thematic reasons but sadly I don't think fire breath is available.

 

What pools are mandatory, advisable, preferred?

 

Thanks in advance for input.

[Maelwys]

Regen's main shtick is getting Health back fast after you've already been hit.

Aside from the tweaked version of the set that Sentinels get; it's the same set that has been around for decades with minimal tweaks - so it has plenty of +MaxHP (in Dull Pain) but no +Absorb. It also recovers Endurance very quickly (Quick Recovery) and it has a short duration GodMode power in Moment of Glory. There is one passive power (Resilience) that contains a smidge of damage resistance; but it is a very click heavy powerset (Dull Pain, Reconstruction, Instant Healing; Moment of Glory) and most of those clicky powers are reactionary - assuming you have "Perma Dull Pain" the only click that will help you BEFORE you start taking damage is Moment of Glory.

IMO taking Hasten and building for lots of Global Recharge is practically a must to get Perma Dull Pain and both IH and MoG up sooner; and getting some Defence or Resistance on top of all that +MaxHP and Regeneration/Healing is extremely effective - whilst you can look at Tough/Weave, set bonuses and things like Rune of Protection... on Scrappers and Stalkers IMO an easy way to go is to lean into Shadow Meld from the Soul Mastery Patron pool; or pick a primary with a stacking +Def boost like Katana or SR.

Personally I'd take Tough + slot Resilience and aim for ~65% S/L damage resistance with set bonuses + Incarnates; then lean into Rune of Protection to get me to the hardcap. That'd give me a decent survivability baseline plus some additional situational buffage with minimal build tradeoffs (leaving plenty of wiggle room to push for "moar damage"!)

Disclaimer: I mained a Katana/Regen Scrapper on live; but it's never been top of my list to remake on HC. IMO the powerset just lags too far behind stuff like Bio or Rad.
 

Edited Tuesday at 01:26 PM by Maelwys

[Uun]

In addition to the above, it's important to realize that Regen has virtually no protection against debuffs. I recommend including as much slow resist as you can since recharge debuffs will kill you if you can't use your heals. Also, while it has +recovery, Regen has no protection against end drain. Foes like Malta and Arachnos will drain you and drop your toggles. Be aware of which foes have -regen. There's not much you can do once you've been hit, but it can help to pop purples proactively.

[Troo]

Hi @Scarlet Shocker, welcome to enjoying a little different way of playing.

 

Hopefully as you've leveled some of the timing is making sense and you are enjoying the "comeback" feeling of taking hits and shaking them off.

 

 

Claws is a good pairing as you really only need 3 or 4 attacks. Some active mitigation like knock up or stuns wouldn't hurt on a Brute but it is what it is.

 

Basic Tips:

Dull Pain - Figure out 'when', as it changes over the life of the character.

"Maybe it's best to take a couple hits before popping it. (big heal early in career)"

"Auto perma. (+MaxHP later in career)"

Moment of Glory - Use it.

You are going to get hit. Lean into this. Have a plan. (Have a plan going in and a plan for if things go sideways.. "this is the way")

Prioritizing targets can be a new concept for today's game. Know thy enemy.

For Regeneration, Resistance > Defense

 

 

Powers:

I would not recommend skipping any of these during leveling. I would definitely prioritize them over pool powers.

1 Fast Healing | Auto: Self +Regeneration

1 Reconstruction | Self Heal, Res(Toxic)

4 Quick Recovery | Auto: Self +Recovery

10 Dull Pain | Self +Max HP

16 Integration | Toggle: Self +Res(Knockback, Disorient, Hold, Sleep, Immobilize), +Regeneration, Taunt

20 Resilience | Auto: Self +Res(Disorient, All DMG)

24 Instant Healing | Click: Self +Regeneration

28 Revive | Self Rez

30 Moment of Glory | Self +Res(All DMG but Psionics, Knock Back, Repel, Stun, Hold, Sleep, Immobilize), +DEF(All DMG but Psionics), +Recovery

 

As an older set the more classic pool powers do well. Tough, Hasten, Combat Jumping, Rune of Protection

 

Pst: Accolades are nice too. Don't sleep on Demonic Aura.

Spoiler

Stringing together Instant Healing, Moment of Glory, Rune of Protection, Demonic Aura, etc is where the same 'ole godmode can be found

 

Edited Tuesday at 04:58 PM by Troo

[Uun]

1 hour ago, Troo said:

Pst: Accolades are nice too. Don't sleep on Demonic Aura.

Agreed. This is MUCH easier to get red side than blue side (Archmage).

[biostem]

7 hours ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

what APP/PPP works well?

I'd suggest Soul Mastery - Gloom is a solid ranged attack, but the real star is Darkest Night, which will debuff an enemy's damage and tohit - 2 things that will give your regen brute time to heal up or avoid attacks altogether...

[Troo]

16 minutes ago, biostem said:

I'd suggest Soul Mastery - Gloom is a solid ranged attack, but the real star is Darkest Night

 

+1

[Scarlet Shocker]

Thanks guys, some excellent info here.

 

I'm slowly slowly beginning to enjoy melee in this game! 🤣

 

This is a build I've experimented with - just a rough thing I knocked up before work this morning. I'd opriginally gone for Energy Mastery - partly because of the eye beams, which appeal thematically. I'd also thought of Leviathan because I just love Bile Spray. but I've gone with Gloom-heavy SM and it seems pretty good for a beginning effort. MoG seems to be achievable just under 25% of the time so a brief pause between rucks and I might get some leverage.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again - although it works thematically on a Brute I hate the Fighting pool. I could be persuaded otherwise but this seems like an interestingly good start.

 

 

 

 

[Scarlet Shocker]

https://api.midsreborn.com/legacy/download?uc=1721&c=754&a=1508&f=HEX&dc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

[Troo]

It looks like you may be chasing defense some. (which is okay if that's your preference)

 

Claws classic chainsaw attack chain could look like Follow Up > Slash > Focus > Repeat and swap Moon Beam for Slash as needed. The rest can be skipped if you so choose.

 

Edited Tuesday at 08:52 PM by Troo

[Scarlet Shocker]

ok so it sounds like you're saying I can drop some of the claws attacks. Again, limited experience gives me limited data

 

Maybe I should ask what are the must haves and can drop powers in claws to inform my build further

[Troo]

That attack chain is a good goal but will take time to get enough recharge. As the character grows adjustments will happen.

 

Below are the stats for a tough Stone/Regen we did testing on. When teaming.. defense sort piles up so the need to chase it drops.
 

Spoiler

The Defense is sort incidental or low hanging fruit. We looked for getting Recharge, Regen, Damage, Slo Resist, and Resistance as priorities.

 

Trying to guide/point in good direction -vs 'play this way'

 

Having fun is priority one. I believe Regeneration is not easymode but folks will learn a lot of nuances and different aspects of the game. It is a great way to learn limitations and strategy rather than just a blur of steamrolling. Cheers!

Edited Tuesday at 09:11 PM by Troo

[Spaghetti Betty]

Hullo!

I'm a bit late. @Troo and @Maelwys did a fantastic job covering the basics! I think the one big overview I'd like to add is to treat your baby Regenner as a Blaster with some extra spot healing! Your primary mitigation as you level is going to be Inspirations, and there's no shame in hitting a Nurse/Combat Medic to stock before a mission!

 

I'd suggest training your damage first and foremost. Your Regen clickies will serve just fine with recharge IOs in them first! The name of the game with Regen is uptime!

[biostem]

On 4/8/2025 at 4:54 PM, Scarlet Shocker said:

ok so it sounds like you're saying I can drop some of the claws attacks. Again, limited experience gives me limited data

Claws tend to have fast recharges on the powers, and you generally only need like 3-4 attacks to have a solid attack chain, so skipping the fastest T1 attack isn't a bad move to make, especially if there are other options that would serve you better down the line...

[Thraxen]

I’d plan on dying a lot. Regen sucks balls on a brute. It’s ok on a sentinel cause you’re usually not getting all the aggro. Half the brutes around here refuse to play like a tank class anyway. Hopefully it gets buffed sometime soon. Until then I’d play as sentinel or maybe scrapper if you’re in love with regen. I have a wp brute and he is fun.  But he dies to -regen debuffs too.  Saying regen is best on sentinel is true but it still ain’t great. 
 

I could make a blaster and juggle 13 different cooldowns and take provoke and probably do better than regen brute.  Stuff would die quicker. 
 

if it’s fun though have at it. Just realize you’re swimming upstream with one arm amputated. 

[WuTang]

14 hours ago, Thraxen said:

I’d plan on dying a lot. Regen sucks balls on a brute. It’s ok on a sentinel cause you’re usually not getting all the aggro. Half the brutes around here refuse to play like a tank class anyway. Hopefully it gets buffed sometime soon. Until then I’d play as sentinel or maybe scrapper if you’re in love with regen. I have a wp brute and he is fun.  But he dies to -regen debuffs too.  Saying regen is best on sentinel is true but it still ain’t great. 
 

I could make a blaster and juggle 13 different cooldowns and take provoke and probably do better than regen brute.  Stuff would die quicker. 
 

if it’s fun though have at it. Just realize you’re swimming upstream with one arm amputated. 

 

Now I gotta make one....

[Thraxen]

6 hours ago, WuTang said:

 

Now I gotta make one....

 

A regen brute or a blaster with 13 cool downs lol?  I had a claws/regen myself.  Fully IO'd, t4'd, accoladed.  Has sense been deleted.  SS/Regen might be fun though.  Or something like Katana with some +defense maybe?

 

[lemming]

I'm pretty happy with my MA/Regen Brute.   Not the toughest, but bounces back very quickly and lots of fun.

[WuTang]

16 hours ago, Thraxen said:

 

A regen brute or a blaster with 13 cool downs lol?  I had a claws/regen myself.  Fully IO'd, t4'd, accoladed.  Has sense been deleted.  SS/Regen might be fun though.  Or something like Katana with some +defense maybe?

 

Regen Brute... I have a couple Blasters but have a hard time getting into them.

[VoidSpawn]

Know this: 

 

 

[Skyhawke]

I'm running an Ice/Regen Brute lately and loving it. Granted, I just run solo at normal levels (not the +anything/anything type) and I've gone through Atlas, KR, Faultline, the War Hero storyline in Steel and am now in Striga. Other than an EB, not a lot's giving me pause and the lack of downtime between fights is wild! Ice Patch also makes for great mitigation. Two SO recharges and any fight that might have a chance of being overwhelming becomes the worlds worst ice capades.

[FFTMime]

Funny, I was running an Ice/Ice scrapper when Ice armor felt a bit... funky. Then decided to try Ice/Regen. Ice patch exclusively carries it. No mistake. Regen is as terrible as I remember it being from live. Funny how it never overcame that rapid fire series of year 1 nerfs. Such a shame too 'cause it's a fun power set to use, but it can't live up to content. I've seen old threads claiming you can do funny stuff with procs and IO's to prop it up, but I wonder why bother at that point.

I say this as someone who has had a long love affair with regen on live. I love it too, but many times I sit around wondering what I'm doing with my time. 

[Captain Fabulous]

Not to play one. That's all you need to know.

[Troo]

2 hours ago, FFTMime said:

I love it too, but many times I sit around wondering what I'm doing with my time. 

 

pst, that's not love.

 

I do get it. Not every set or even every archetype is for everyone and that's okay.

[Snarky]

i heard a rumor that this set will be tweaked in the future.  with a slight benefit.  they are not nerfing regen?  hard to believe.

 

it is a rumor.

i think it will benefit tanks most (which is the best AT if you stick yourself with regen anyways)

ymmv