Solo Scrapper build need help

[kelmein]

Hi everyone! Returning player here and just saw the updates to the game in June. I've got the itch to play again, but wanted to redo my scrapper! I mainly would be playing solo with friends joining occasionally, so I'm looking for something that functions as a soloer. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

I'm leaning towards either Staff, Katana or MA for primary. MA and Katana have been my favorite since launch of live, mixed with Regen. With Psi as a new armorset, was wanting to weigh all my options too. Leaning around Dark armor, regen, SR or even the new Psionic set!

 

Thank you in advance for the advice!

[BrandX]

6 hours ago, kelmein said:

Hi everyone! Returning player here and just saw the updates to the game in June. I've got the itch to play again, but wanted to redo my scrapper! I mainly would be playing solo with friends joining occasionally, so I'm looking for something that functions as a soloer. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

I'm leaning towards either Staff, Katana or MA for primary. MA and Katana have been my favorite since launch of live, mixed with Regen. With Psi as a new armorset, was wanting to weigh all my options too. Leaning around Dark armor, regen, SR or even the new Psionic set!

 

Thank you in advance for the advice!

 

Loving Psionic Armor myself.  Vet level 99 and 1296 badges so far.  So, yes, have to say, I like it enough to have rerolled my main into it.  And it's versatile enough to really go for a lot of concepts besides Psychic powers.

 

Regen just got buffed and so did Dark Armor.

 

As a Scrapper you really can't go wrong with most armor sets.

 

As for Primary, Staff just got buffed to help it's ST DPS, but I do believe it's still lacking for some people, but it'll still get the job done and be able to solo AVs.  That said, most would still agree Staff is best on Stalkers.

 

Pick for concept on Primary just as one would on Secondary and the only thing that may really go wrong with for you is "Do I want all these powers now?!  But I want some more pool powers! Aaaaaahhhhh!"

[kelmein]

Thank you for the input! I was leaning towards MA/Psionics, so I might give that a shot! Any build recommendations for it? I’m absolutely atrocious with builds

[Story Archer]

On 7/22/2025 at 6:03 AM, kelmein said:

Thank you for the input! I was leaning towards MA/Psionics, so I might give that a shot! Any build recommendations for it? I’m absolutely atrocious with builds

 

Just one thing that I want to toss out there - I much prefer Scrappers to Brutes personally, but the Brute does have a higher Resistance cap (90% vs. 75%) and Storm Kick from the Martial Arts set gives it a 10% defensive bonus when it's used. Scrappers don't get that benefit. In this specific case you might want to consider a Brute as an option.

[kelmein]

Hmm, that is a nice thought. Might give that a shot and see how it goes. Thanks!

[kelmein]

I do see a lot of people complaining about brute vs scrapper survivability & damage. Is there something I’m missing? My understanding is that scrappers will deal more damage but the brute should be tankier no?

[Story Archer]

26 minutes ago, kelmein said:

I do see a lot of people complaining about brute vs scrapper survivability & damage. Is there something I’m missing? My understanding is that scrappers will deal more damage but the brute should be tankier no?

 

I play Scrappers and Tankers almost exclusively and my builds never feel like they're hurting for survivability. The only difference between the two is that I occasionally look at my Scrapper's health bar. Of course, that's mostly 40-50 play once they've been IO'ed out, but still. I don't love chasing the Fury bar, but in this particular case with this specific power combo, the Brute might be the best of both worlds. 

 

But yes, generally speaking, Scrappers deal a good bit more damage, while Brutes are a bit more survivable, at least when talking about Resistance-based sets.

 

Honestly, I've been looking for some Brute-ish inspiration, to find a build I like and give it a fair chance, and this might be it... the only problem is I've gotten so addicted to Claws, I might not be able to go back to Katana or Dual Blades (my previous weapons of choice).

 

Edited July 24 by Story Archer

[twozerofoxtrot]

3 hours ago, Story Archer said:

Storm Kick from the Martial Arts set gives it a 10% defensive bonus when it's used.

 

It's 7.5% on Brutes, 10% on Tankers.

 

But you're right, 0% on Scrappers (and Stalkers). This alone has stopped me from rolling MA on these ATs because I feel I'm losing out on the set's utility. 

[twozerofoxtrot]

1 hour ago, kelmein said:

I do see a lot of people complaining about brute vs scrapper survivability & damage. Is there something I’m missing? My understanding is that scrappers will deal more damage but the brute should be tankier no?

 

Because of how customizable difficulty is for the player in this game, there's a ton of wiggle room on the "truth" of this statement.

 

Are you teaming with someone who buffs your Res to the caps? Undoubtedly the Brute is tankier, then.

 

Soloing with a secondary that self softcaps Def? The Scrap is protected enough to make the extra damage worth it.

 

Really poor and not able to afford expensive sets or the specific Archetype Origin Enhancements (ATO) that unlock a Scapper's killing potential? That organic Fury buff from Brutes will really help smooth out the leveling ride to 50 with only end and accuracy SO/IOs slotted.

 

I could go on and on. It really just depends on how you envision your experience. In the end though, if you're running iTrials and Task Forces in teams and leagues, the individual differences don't matter at all. Whatever you choose will work.

 

[kelmein]

14 minutes ago, twozerofoxtrot said:

 

Because of how customizable difficulty is for the player in this game, there's a ton of wiggle room on the "truth" of this statement.

 

Are you teaming with someone who buffs your Res to the caps? Undoubtedly the Brute is tankier, then.

 

Soloing with a secondary that self softcaps Def? The Scrap is protected enough to make the extra damage worth it.

 

Really poor and not able to afford expensive sets or the specific Archetype Origin Enhancements (ATO) that unlock a Scapper's killing potential? That organic Fury buff from Brutes will really help smooth out the leveling ride to 50 with only end and accuracy SO/IOs slotted.

 

I could go on and on. It really just depends on how you envision your experience. In the end though, if you're running iTrials and Task Forces in teams and leagues, the individual differences don't matter at all. Whatever you choose will work.

 

So I'm more looking for a build that can work with any group member and not have to worry too much on what they bring.

Secondary-wise, the choices are Psi, Regen or Dark Armor. I personally like Dark armor the best aesthetically, but if either of the other two work better for a solo scrapper then I have wiggle room there. Ideally looking to be able to solo +4/8x missions whether the friends are there or not

 

I dont mind the inf grind, so not too worried about ATO cost in the end. Grinding INF for the ATOs gives me another goal on the toon!

[twozerofoxtrot]

6 hours ago, kelmein said:

Secondary-wise, the choices are Psi, Regen or Dark Armor. I personally like Dark armor the best aesthetically, but if either of the other two work better for a solo scrapper then I have wiggle room there.

 

Pick any and enjoy!

 

I will say what Dark offers (and Psi) is a stealth toggle which will help you speed past and stealth things a lot easier than Regen.

 

Hard to capture the efficacy of this utility until you've played the game a bunch and realize just when the team will appreciate when you offer "stealth to end and TP?"

[kelmein]

Any tips for a MA/Dark or MA/Psi build? I tried making one in Mid’s just did not go well lol

[kelmein]

I ended up finding a tanker Dark/MA build, but was looking to rework it into a scrapper or brute. Any suggestions?

Tanker (Dark Armor - Martial Arts).mbd