Martial Arts/Dark Armor: The Dark Dojo of Doom!!!
1. Introduction
2. Martial Arts, Punch-Kick Foo
3. Dark Armor, Deadly Dust Ball
4. Pool Powers and You
5. Thoughts on Character Builds
6. Strategy: Know your enemy, Know yourself.
1. Introduction
You have chosen the path less traveled in selecting to become a student of Martial Arts and Dark Armor schools. Many will see you as odd, eccentric or a freak but pay them no mind for you seek enlightenment on a higher plane. You will not be an AoE maniac like those who use Spines. Martial Arts is a single target set. It is true that your burst damage will not be as large as some but you have other qualities to help you subdue your enemies. You will not seek to avoid the blows of your foes like heroes who use Super Reflex. Dark Armor is a resistance based set. Far beyond that Dark Armor will give you a wide variety of tools that will increase resistance by controlling your personal battle space aka Damage mitigation
I have to say thanks to Sensei Chick who wrote one, if not the only MA/DA guide back in issue 3. Also thanks to the following Dark Sensei; Screwloose, Romance and Kali for pushing the cause of Dark Armor to higher heights. All of your thoughts, testing and number crunching have improved our knowledge base for the better.
Both Martial Arts and Dark Armor have seen a variety of changes since COH first hit the shelves. The animation times of MA in ancient times proved to be a major stumbling block to the sets usefulness. Dark Armor back then had exclusive armors; meaning only a single armor could be active at a time, ouch!!! Picking your poison was not fun. Did I mention the endurance issues? They used to be worse.
Finally, this is a descriptive guide. If you are looking for number crunching then you will be disappointed. My experience comes from creating, owning and operating a MA/DA scrapper since COH was in beta. Running solo and on full teams, joining pick ups or joining/forming an SG, I have learned a lot and had even more fun traveling Paragon City. My intention is not to make the definitive guide. But to share my thoughts that may help those who are thinking about or currently using two great power sets.
This guide is about the present and the future. How can Dark Armor and Martial Arts work together to help you get the most out of your scrapping experience? What does it take to push the envelope for melee combat with these two sets? I will offer suggestions about power selection and slotting. Further, I will describe tactics and mindsets to help you battle evil with your own hero. Lets start by looking at these power sets up close.
2. Martial Arts -- Punch-Kick-Foo
This power set is focused on single target damage. The sound effects of martial arts are classic old school comic book. Smack!! Ka-Pow!! and Bam!! will come to mind as you go through your attack chain. It is not the highest damaging scrapper primary nor is it the least powerful. It has relatively fast recharge times and moderate endurance usage makes it a very efficient way to scrap. Like Ying and Yang martial arts is a true balance between endurance, damage and speed. Further a true martial artist understands thats its not all about how hard you hit. One can use various techniques to render your opponent helpless. So lets take a closer look. Sensei says, Only through long and careful study, can you tap in to the true power that is Punch Kick Foo
Thunder Kick Your basic quick attack with minor damage. Small chance to disorient your target.
Damage -- Minor + 20% Mag 1 Stun
Recharge -- Very Fast
End Use -- Minor
Sensei says --
Thoughts Was a more useful power when its chance to disorient was 100% mag 1. Now since it has had that disorient chance dialed back 20% mag 1, it is a power that is easily skipped.
Storm Kick A spinning back kick with a pretty fast animation and moderate amount of damage.
Damage -- Moderate
Recharge -- Fast
End Use -- Moderate
Sensei says --
Thoughts Once upon a time this was a skipped power due to its agonizingly slow animation time. Now with its fast animation, fast recharge and decent damage it becomes a nice attack chain filler.
Cobra Strike A slow stylized punch that delivers only minor damage but can stun an Lt with one application.
Damage -- Minor + Mag 4 Stun
Recharge -- Slow
End Use -- High
Sensei says --
Thoughts An expensive but useful toy to help you survive battles at lower levels. Becomes increasingly useful at higher levels with SOs and the ability to stack disorients with other powers. Take it early, but dont add slots until higher levels.
Focus Chi The standard build up power but with a cool name. Improves your base damage by 100% and accuracy by 66% for 10 seconds after activation.
Damage -- none
Recharge -- Very Long
End Use -- Moderate
Sensei says --
Thoughts -- At some point in time you have to fit this into your build. You are really limiting your Martial Arts skills with about the ability to focus chi properly. 3 recharge reducer are standard issue plus 2 or 3 to-hit buffs.
Crane Kick -- The bread and butter of the Martial Arts attack chain.
Damage High + chance for knockback
Recharge -- Moderate
End Use -- Moderate
Sensei says --
Thoughts The classic KA-POWW!! sound of Crane Kick becomes a joyful noise to the martial artist. Its high damage per end use and moderate recharge make it part of a nice 1-2 combo with Eagles Claw. Many players and teammates dont like this due to its knockback. I find its knockback usable and an excellent way to thin a mob herd. Apply Crane Kick to a minion hes knocked back and down by the time he gets back up and runs to his buddy. His buddy has tasted defeat. Full Slot this power ASAP.
Warriors ChallengeHey Come Here!! You got a beat down coming
Damage None
Recharge Fast
End Use Low
Sensei says --
Like other scrappers taunts compared to those of tankers this is a single target taunt. If you feel the need to separate groups of baddies in order to be properly dealt with then this is your power. I prefer using Crane Kick to get their attention.
Crippling Axe-Kick You should really get that foot looked at.
Damage Moderate + Status Effect Immoblize, Slow
Recharge Moderate
End Use Moderate
Sensei says --
Once this was probably the most skipped power in the Martial Arts Set.
It can immobilize a foe when it hits at the very least will slow their movement. Since both its recharge and endurance cost have been reduced, many a martial artists have respeccd it back into their attack chain. It has a very unique animation that is either love or hate for most people.]
Dragons Tail Can I have some room to breath please
Damage Moderate (PBAoE) + Knockdown
Recharge Long
End Use ¬ High
Sensei says --
Remember that you are a single target scrapper, well heres your proof. This is your one and only AoE attack. It does a moderate amount of damage to those mobs that have foolishly decided to enter your personal space. Spine scrappers wont be impressed. But this allows you to clear the dance floor for one on one foot to face conversations.
Eagles Claw Bruce Lee taught me this one
Damage -- Superior + 15% crit, + stun
Recharge -- Long
End Cost -- High
Sensei says -- Are you kidding me?
Ok, this is the one youve been waiting for. A spinning back flip finished off with a kick to your opponents noggin. Can it get better than that? Well, yes it also has an increased chance (+15%) to hit for critical damage and a 60% chance to stun. So not only do you hit for a ton of damage but then you can sit back and watch your work as your opponent staggers around helpless.
3. Dark Armor Deadly Dust Ball
Sometimes in order to fight against the darkness you have to use it. That is the concept of dark armor. Your abilities to withstand damage draw from the netherworld. You will layer yourself in aspects of darkness that is some cases may cause your opponents to be stricken with terror or render you invisible to them. These abilities come at a high price to your endurance. So as you gain new dark powers, one must be mindful of the toll it takes on you. Push too hard and you will find yourself without enough energy to defend yourself let alone attack. But you can push very hard and heal yourself almost entirely from the brink of death.
Dark Armor has evolved from an obscure power set chosen by a few dark practitioners or sadist as some might say. That was when armors did not stack and the end use was even higher. Some part of me does miss those good old days, Mua!Ha!Ha! Did I say sadist? Now with stackable armors and more reasonable (but still high) end cost, many have seen the value, flexibility and just plain fun of this set. Dark Sensei says, Draw your powers from the well of darkness but be most careful. Drinking too deeply comes at a very high price
Dark Embrace
Resist Smash, Lethal (Very High),
Resist Negative Energy, Toxic (High)
End Use Moderate, toggle
Dark Sensei says - You gotta start some where.
Thoughts This is your first dark power and you have no choice in the matter. Because this protects you from the most common type of damage (smashing/lethal) you will probably run this armor continuously. Also gives you protection to Toxic damage, which is a nice bonus against the Vahz early on. Fully slot this ASAP!! 3 dam resist and 2 or 3 end reduce as you see fit.
Death Shroud
Damage PBAoE, Minor Negative DOT
End Use High, toggle
Dark Sensei says -
Thoughts Your first of many utility powers in the set. You emit a dark fog from your lower legs that will attack all those in melee range. Damage is negative energy one of the least resisted types in the game. While some shy away from DS due to its end cost at lower levels, I dont. It can serve as a nice tenderizer to those mobs around you. This is the AoE attack that martial arts is missing. Pre-stamina slot for accuracy and end usage reduction then after stamina and SOs come around add slots for damage. But remember to keep your eye on your blue bar.
Murky Cloud
Resist Fire, Cold (Very High)
Resist Energy (High), Negative Energy, Endurance Drain
End Use Moderate, toggle
Dark Sensei says -
Thoughts Your next resistance armor that protects you from elemental, energy and the insidious end drain attacks. You can take it when its first available but you dont have to slot it for a good while. You should have it fully slotted by the early to mid 30s. I actually would not take it until somewhere into the 20s.
Obsidian Shield
Resist Psi (Extreme), Fear (High)
Resist Stun, Sleep, Hold
End Use Moderate, toggle
Dark Sensei says -
Thoughts Ahh, OS feels just like a warm blanket. This armor makes you different from everyone else. It protects you from the Psi damage that brings Invuls to their knees. You should take this when it first comes available. If not you will find yourself, stun, held or slept continuously throughout your teens. Ouch, did I mention all your toggles will be dropping if that happens? There is a catch. OS will not protect you from immobilization, knock back or knock down. See the devs do have a sense of humor.
Dark Regeneration
Damage PBAoE Minor Negative Energy
Heal up to 30% of your hp per mob
End Use Extreme (ouch!!), click
Dark Sensei says -
It cost so much because it does so much
Thoughts To many including myself this is now the set defining power. Yes, it will suck your end bar dry, yes it requires a to-hit check and yes it does take a while to activate. But we are just getting started
.didnt you say something about sadist before? Anyway, all that being said Dark Regen has brought me back from certain death on a number of occasions. Yes, I can jump into a crowd and take their alpha strike best. Hit DR and keeping on scrapping. Refilling that green bar every 30 seconds is a beautiful thing, but at the cost of your blue bar of course. Un-enhanced DR will drain 33.5 from your endurance. Ouch that netherworld is an expensive place. So until you have stamina fully slotted with SOs and you can afford to put 2 or 3 SO end reducers in DR, you and DR will have a rocky love affair. Once properly as in fully slotted, this will be the power you love.
Cloak of Darkness
Self Stealth with out a movement penalty
+ Defense, + Perception + Immobilization resistance
End Use Low, toggle
Dark Sensei says
Thoughts A very nice power, which wraps you in a cloud of dark energy hiding you from the view of your foes. This allows you to get in the first strike in a fight. Even when enemies detect your presence they have a hard time hitting you due to your increased defense while its active. COD also fills one of the status effect holes in dark armor.. It protects you from immobilization. How you slot it depends on what type of dark armor build you have decided upon. I slot with two end use reducers. I use it just for its stealth, +perception and resistance to immobilization.
Cloak of Fear
PBAoE Mag 3 Fear and an Accuracy debuff
End Use High, toggle
Dark Sensei says,
Thoughts Once for a brief moment this was an incredible power. The effects of fear and accuracy debuff were the stuff of legends. You could actually control the area around you mid-battle, not just shape it. Mobs from minions to Lts would quake in fear. Bosses could be debuffed so there blows hit you less often. End use was high but it was worth it. Now with fear based powers getting adjusted. It is hard to justify selecting this power in its present conditions even when fully slotted with SOs. The severely reduced accuracy and the change in the duration of its effects have reduced its over all utility. It is still useful for certain builds just less so. Could be a nice power if combined with other fear based powers.
Oppressive Gloom
PBAoE Mag 2 Stun to minions
End use slight but Self -hp, toggle
Dark Sensei says,
cheap fun is good!
Thoughts Here is the synergy you were looking for with martial arts. A great out of the box power, just got better when paired with your primary. Stacking continuous small stuns of OG with the larger ones from CS and EC allows you to stun Bosses. Thats right, those pesky Bosses will no longer be of much bother. OG becomes a nice inexpensive way to drop the toggles of unsuspecting enemies who get too close. One accuracy SO is all it takes, maybe two if you are really pushing hard in game.
Soul Transfer
PBAoE Self-Rez, Self-Heal, Endurance Bonus, Special Temp Debt protection and Invulnerability
Damage Negative Energy, Moderate, High Mag Stun,
Recharge Long, click
Dark Sensei says,
Thoughts This requires your death and your opponent standing over you gloating in order to use. Once activated all your enemies in melee range take moderate negative energy damage and are stunned. The stun has been reported enough to stun an AV but it doesnt last very long. As with other self-rez powers it grants a temp debt reduction and invulnerability to damage. Nice sneaky power to have in PVP as it catches many players unaware the first time its used. After that they usually know better.
4. Pool Powers
First things first you need Stamina. Your secondary is full of toggles. Some are more expensive than others but together they together take a large toll on your blue bar. Do yourself a favor and plan on getting stamina at lvl 20. Your experience will be much enjoyable with stamina but it wont solve all your endurance issues.
A careful reading of dark armor shows a glaring absence in this resistance set. You have no inherent resistance to the status effects of knockback and knockdown. As you progress through the game you will find an ever-increasing number of foes whose powers have the secondary effect of knocking back/down players. It can become very frustrating to having those status effects delay or stop you from activating, ah
like say Dark Regen when you need it. There are 3 approaches you can take: (1) ignore it and play through (2) select the leaping pool for travel and with the final destination being to select acrobatics giving you knockback/down protection (3) enter the flight pool. Hover has a knock back/down protection. Even though some people dont like the somersault that replaces the knockdown animation, it does give you a quicker turn around instead of having to get off the ground.
The fight pool adds additional resistance to smashing/lethal damage. Tough when slotted up( 2 damage resist SOs) will allow you to maximize your resistance to S/L damage. Further, Boxing one of two initial choices to open this pool has a small disorient that can stack with other powers.
Leadership is always a possible choice. Though you already have a +perception power in COD.
Presence pool is also an option in this case. Being able to apply an additional fear power allows COF to become more useful again, YMMV.
As far as the Epic Scrapper pools go. Body Mastery is designed with the non-Dark Melee, Dark Armor scrapper in mind. Conserve Power by itself makes this the Epic of choice for most DA scrappers. CP ability to grant endurance bar freedom is a beauty beyond compare. I would be remiss to talk about Focused Accuracy. It is another very end hungry toggle. But the benefits of about 1.5 SOs applied to each power allows you to make contact early and often with +3 baddies or even level player characters in PVP.
5. Builds
Instead of giving you a bunch of possible already laid out builds, I will focus on play style and what the concept of your MA/DA scrapper is. No matter what your play style is you are really limiting your ability to scrap effectively without getting Stamina at 20 and fully slotting it!!!! All the following builds assume the Big Three Resistance armors (DE, MC, OS) along with Focus Chi being selected at some point.
Traditional style Your enjoyment comes from being the master of unarmed combat fighting either solo or on small teams. Drawing too much aggro for you doesnt seem like fun. Selecting the Leaping pool earns you CJ and SJ for fast travel. Acrobatics is the missing piece of your status effect protection. The relatively fast recharge time of Martial Arts is something you like. Down time between fights while waiting for your end bar to fill should be minimized. Given those concepts of how you like to play, skipping Death Shroud and slotting every attack with end use reduction is crucial. Death Shroud is a point blank area attack. All mobs who feel its bite will be looking to get back at you. Also DS does have an appetite for your end bar. So for you maybe it doesnt make much sense to draw all that attention and eat your end bar. Skipping Dragons Tail is also a possibility since your focus is likely one on one combat. Cloak of Fear with its end use and a need for many slots could be skipped in favor of Oppressive Gloom. Selecting Cobra Strike and slotting it for accuracy, end reduce and disorient makes it a great way to slow incoming blows. Crippling Axe and Hasten could both become important tools to speed up your own attack chain and slow down that of your opponent. Dark Mastery could be the Epic Pool that fits you best. Negative energy attacks are one of the least resisted in the game, thus making you more dangerous.
Powers considered for selection - ; Thunderkick (attack chain filler), Leaping Pool for Acrobatics, Hasten, Oppressive Gloom, Dark Mastery Epic Pool, COD
Powers to skip - ; Death Shroud, Dragons Tail, Soul Transfer, Cloak of Fear (too expensive)
Slotting Focus - ; Reduction of End Usage into your attacks, Recharge reduction on Crane Kick and Eagles Claw
Scraptroller -- You place threat mitigation as your primary method of surviving tough battles. Maximizing the multiple layers of the dark armors allows you to wade deep into a battlefield. Enemies that come close to you risk being disoriented or so scared they cant attack you. Overlapping COD, COF and OG place a premium on end usage reduction and toggle management. COD allows you to sneak in close to your prey. It will also make you harder to hit if they do see you. OG will reduce minions to drooling staggering bystanders. COF adds that extra layer of security. Adding tohit debuffs and/or fear duration pushes up your survivability by a substantial margin. However you must be ready for the fallout of the havoc you created. Dark Regen to the rescue!! So make sure Dark Regen hits when you activate it. It is possible to enhance your Scraptroller build by opening up the Presence pool. Maybe Warriors challenge could be of some use to your battlefield management powers? Because you are using COF, COD and OG, Conserve Power from Body Mastery Epic pool is a strong consideration.
Powers considered for selection - ; Leaping Pool, Presence Pool, Cloak of Fear, Death Shroud, Crippling Axe Kick, Warriors Challenge
Powers to skip - ; TK, ST
Slotting Focus - ; Overall Accuracy, ToHit Debuff (COF), Slow/Immoblize (CAK), Recharge (Dark Regen)
Hard Charger -- You are a player that likes to push the envelope and get the most out of your characters. Maximizing the chance to disorient an opponent from a martial arts blow happens when you pair that effect with OG. Boxing has a chance to disorient. Choosing it allows you to open the fighting pool and select tough to maximize your smash/lethal resistance. Dragons Tail is your only area attack sad but true. However, an often missed aspect of that power is its ability to knockdown your foe. Knockdown/Knockback and Knock UP can become important tools to do more damage without taking as much. Air Superiority is an excellent pool attack that will cause knock up. AS also opens the flight pool and your access to Hover and Flight. Remember you still need to cover your status effect hole in Dark Armor. Hover is a nice way to do that. Because you are pushing hard either solo or on large teams endurance and accuracy are real issues. Say Hello to Body Mastery. Conserve Power and Focused Accuracy become close intimate friends. Dare I mention poor Soul Transfer? However, Soul Transfer can be a very nice way to get back into a big fight. Imagine that your team is having its lunch handed to it by an AV. All your team needs is a pause to get the upper hand. That AV is putting a hurting on your tanker. What can you do as they battle right beside you or over your body? Well, hit ST and watch the disorient dance begin!! Any toggles that foe had running are dropped. Your team, thanks to you and ST has a widow of opportunity to set things straight.
Power considered for selection - ; Body Mastery Epic, Boxing/Tough, Air Superiority/Hover/Fly, OG, DS, ST
Powers to skip - ; TK, CAK, WC, COF
Slotting Focus- ; Accuracy, End Use Reduction, Damage, Disorient
Your Own Build -- Issue 9 and Inventions have just hit. The opportunity to make a unique character via slotting is exciting. Do some research and find out what works best for your style of play.
6. Know Your Enemy
Dark Armor unlike many power sets in the game requires attention to detail. What type of damage are you receiving? How fast is it coming at me? Because your use of endurance is something that requires management you have to be engaged in scrapping. If you want to play on autopilot with Dark Armor fine, just dont expect much out of your character then. Spend time reading the forums or other websites that give information about damage types based upon your possible opponents. Certain toggles do not have to be nor can they be run all the time. Learn how and when to turn armors off. It will make your enjoyment of your Dark Armored Martial Artist richer and more rewarding. Beyond that experience is the best teacher. Power leveling and learning how to be an effective MA/DA scrapper dont really go together. Get out there and mix it up. Isnt that why you made a scrapper in the first place?
See you in game.
Desert Scorpion
