Crysys

I'd be happy to post my build but don't know how to do that.....is there an easy way to export it from the game?

OK, I should have clarified my statement.

Once I achieved perma-dom, the need to slot for holds using just SO's wasn't as important. I didn't start slotting IO's (other than a few LOTG's) until about lvl 40. And once I did start slotting IO's, your recommendations match my slotting exactly. And once you are around 45 or so, your opener is Seeds of Confusion (under Perma-Dom), Roots and Rain of Fire. Slotting anything for heavy holds is rather wasteful at that point as your damage output is so extreme that nothing survives long enough for your hold/immob durations to expire. Its just that powerful.

Throw in T4 Interface Reactive at 50 and I'm floored how fast I can kill +4/x8 spawns solo. I can't really handle ambush farms, but farming a map like I would with a Fire/Kin build is insanely fast and safe.

I was around early enough to be the "Hami Taunter" when Regens were so bloody imbalanced that we could Tank the big jello guy solo, without healer backups. Heck, back then, you could pretty much just play a Perma-MOG build and ignore ALL other Regen powers and still be top dog. So I understand the concerns about giving Regen any buffs because they would be TOO good then. I actually think that the reason Regen has become such an "active playstyle" set was to put some holes into the build....you forget to hit one of your regen powers at the right time, or panic and hit them all, and you'll end up with a faceplanted Regen scrapper in tough situations.

All I know is that I don't die on iTrials. All of the iTrials are a breeze to me and have been since I was 50+1. I solo AV's (not all, but got Dimensional Warder solo BEFORE I tricked out with IO's) and this is without using incarnate powers (they weren't there when I did). For grins I've been soloing AV's and GM's again now that I AM all IO'd out. Even unslotting my Alpha and Interface so I'm not so uber, I do just fine. I do the Pylons. My DPS (primary is Broadsword) may suffer a bit because I'm clicking other powers besides my primary, but I've become accustomed to that kind of playstyle for this character.

Honestly, my other scrappers are kinda boring by comparison.

Built properly, I don't see the problem with the set. I welcome a buff here and there, but having been on the other side of the occasion (where Regen = stupid easy mode) I'm glad they made it a bit more challenging than it once was. And by "built properly" I don't mean top-end, double-digit-billion-inf build. I don't have a single purple. I'm not softcapped for defense....about 25% in Ranged/AOE/Energy/NegEnergy and Melee. Melee, with Parry, is easy to cap and since thats where I spend most of my time, its the right approach. S/L defense is below 20% each. 140% recharge (with Hasten). About 30% S/L resistance as well (Resilience/Tough). Capped HP and END from having all accolades. MOG and Shadowmeld are both there but the only time I'm cycling them is soloing AV's, GM's and the LAM chambers/crates. Otherwise, its one or the other as Alpha soakers as needed, not an every-fight sort of "ZOMG IM REGIN AND DYING CLICK CLICK CLICKETY CLICK I WISH I WAS A REAL SCRAPPAH!". Maybe I've built a "best practices" build by reading forum posts, but certainly not a min/max build or doing any kind of bizzare IO slotting/weird power choices.

Everyone's mileage varies. You can tell me I'm not surviving because of Regen and frankly, I don't understand where that comes from. If I turn off all my Regen powers, I guarantee you I'm dying. Its the backbone. It may not be "as survivable" as my /SD or /SR builds but in my experience, it definitely is and frankly...what the hell else am I supposed to be taking on solo or teamed that I can't handle? Thus far, I've handled everything the game can throw at me. Not that tough with any build, Regen isn't any different in that respect.

Sure its a huge boost....except when something hits through either one, my Regen powers take care of it. Or when they both down and I have to rely on Parry alone. Layered defenses...some of it pure defense, most of it healing and resistance. On my /SD and /SR toons, once I'm hit, I need a heal. On my /Regen, if I get hit through my defenses, I just Recon and keep moving. Although with IH and Dull Pain, I seldom notice when I get hit....I'm just regenning whatever gets through.

I can't tell you the number of times I've been the last man standing, long past when my total defense brethren are faceplanted. Maybe its just how I play, maybe its how they play, maybe its just what I'm fighting, I don't know. All I know is I was away from the game for years and after reading around here, doing a total toon respec and spending the time to outfit myself with all IO's, this is my primary go-to guy now for just about anything. Not sure where all the hate comes from....I've got a BS/SD with capped DEF (past capped for Melee thanks to Parry) and a DM/SR also, both with full IO builds. They really have issues against Longbow and Arachnos at +4/x8 and while very good at iTrials, still get into situations where they just get turned into swiss cheese and I need external support for help. My BS/Regen guy....no sweat.

I will say this. I have to pay more attention to which powers I activate and which ones to hold in reserve with my /Regen than I do my others. In other words, playing a pure +DEF character is pretty much an autopilot playstyle and recommended for simpler button mashing sessions. But when I want to feel a bit more sense of 'whew!' my /Regen is where the action is.

Funny, I had the _EXACT_ same issue that prevented me from going "dark side" for a loooong time (I play an Avenging Knight kind of character). But I finally found a way to work it into my bio and am ever so happy I did.

My character grabbed hold of a cursed relic to destroy it and it temporarily possessed him. He now spends his time trying to atone for that transgression yada yada yada. And while he can't rid himself of the dark power inside him, he has mastered it making it do his bidding and forcing it to help do good, thereby trying to redeem the evil as well as himself.

Great, great power. Highly recommended. The dark blast pre-req, even with just a single slot, is actually pretty decent thanks to T4 Interface Reactive (that DOT kicks off all the time and is decent damage). I use it for pulling or to tag runners I didn't quite kill. For taking only two powers in the PP, I'm very happy. Gave me more slots to throw into primary/secondary as well.

Don't know what you are talking about. I'm now fully IO'd (no purps) and T4'd out on all Incarnate powers and between alternating MOG, Shadowmeld and Barrier, I'm a god on iTrials. I solo chambers and boxes in Lams, pull Seige and Nightie in BAF's and run around like an idget in Keyes. I have decent (not capped) defenses on top of all this thanks to IO set bonuses and Parry from my primary.

Why? The reward for playing a "real" arc is the story, right? Keep all AE missions the same, just segregated. Separate but equal.

Mostly in agreement, yes. Although I don't see the Search engine as representative of a "competition" between the farms and 'genuine' story arcs at all. Farmers don't care about the story arcs. Story Arc'ers obviously do care about being lumped in with the 'riff-raff' that is farms.

I think its just a feeling on the part of those who write and enjoy reading others' writing that the AE farms are more popular than their own 'legitimate' efforts. And thats a swipe to ego no matter how its sliced and diced. If I were Hemmingway and the AE was the only outlet for publishing my works, I'd likely be pretty upset if my stuff was cluttered up with a bunch of comic books.

Hello? You been under a rock for the past decade? This is almost the entire premise of dating sites.

Reading a story is not a group activity. Its a personal pursuit, unless we are talking about reading a bedtime story to a child. Again, I think you miss the point of what makes the game fun and exciting for a (overwhelmingly?) large percentage of the playerbase. Its an action video game. Nobody likes to wait at the mission door for extensive periods of time while someone reads the next chapter pre-amble. The Dev's understand this...this is why TF's have fairly short textual updates between missions in the arc.

In this manner, most of the AE mission arcs I've run are slanted mostly towards solo players who are willing to take the time to read everything...nobody else waiting on this. Waiting while someone else reads stuff isn't fun for me. Maybe for you?

Huge numbers of threads in Brute forums describing the how-tos of farming. Yes, macros help as described above. Combine insps for damage and sometimes lucks for defense. A SS/FA has everything else they need otherwise.

I can remember my excitement at FINALLY being invited to a team in the early days of COH only to be told "don't zone, just need u 2 anchor." Farms removed these kinds of players from infecting the masses.

I'm playing a VIDEO game, not reading a book on my Kindle. The reading should be supplemental to the battles and action. Just like many of the posters here, there's waaaaay too much talk and not enough substance in the mission itself.

This is one reason I like farms. The emphasis is on action and lots of it. If I want to read a book I'll go do that. I play COH for action, not as a fancy chat client.

All my AE farms are designed to make a /FA brute feel like an amazingly powerful and virtually unkillable superhero. Almost god-like in fact.

Mission accomplished I'd say!

X8 has been around since launch. You just no longer need anchors.