GGG247

Yes, the DE have moderate resistance to Smashing attacks, but that's common among villains at that level of the game. The thing to look out for, though, is when the DE spawn Cairn, Tree of Life, Quartz, and Fungi. These make all DE in the surrounding area suddenly much tougher to kill (higher acc, more regen, more resist, etc.). When you see any of these appear, switch your target to take them out first, then return to the DE. They're much easier to kill this way.

The "MA Advantage" is the number of powers that will keep the DE from attacking you. Stuns, KD, and KB will keep them flopping around for much of the battle, unable to attack back very often.

Here's my MA/SR Guide, based on my first level 50:

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showf...52#Post9241852

The Run To 50

So, with the preliminaries out of the way, the question of how to play an MA/SR Scrapper remains. I wanted to take you through my experiences so that you have a basis for deciding for yourself how you’d like to design your own MA/SR Scrapper.

First of all, I played Refuge E for 2 years before getting him to level 50! I like playing a lot of alts, and I also wanted to avoid “the grind” that you hear so much about in MMO games. I really didn’t want to hit 50 and find myself completely fed up with my character and CoH in general. I primarily solo, and I did practically every story arc available in CoH with Refuge E. I missed a couple of early ones because I wasn’t familiar with how story arcs are assigned. I’ve played them all on other characters, though.

I really recommend story arcs for players, as I think that most are well-written, fun, and give excellent XP. When I started playing CoH, street-sweeping was all the rage. Believe me, I wouldn’t still be here after 3 years if that hadn’t changed! Radio missions have been a much needed and enjoyable addition, as well, and can fill in gaps in the game when you run out of story arcs or are just looking for some short-term missions to run.


Levels 1 – 10

One of the disadvantages or an MA/SR Scrapper is the high endurance cost associated with it. In the early levels, this is most acute, as you’ll find your character huffing and puffing between each fight with even-level mobs. Therefore, be sure to load up on endurance reduction (EndRed TOs) Training Origin enhancements early on. In fact, slotting with just acc and endred in your attack powers makes a lot of sense. A single damage enhancement TO won’t do much for your damage output, but a single endred TO can make life much easier.

From levels 1-10, you’ll have access to 7 powers. You’ll want at least 3 (possibly 4) attack powers (not including Brawl or any Veteran rewards) by level 10 in order to make your way through the game. Your choices are Thunder Kick, Storm Kick, Crane Kick, and Cobra Strike from MA. You can also choose Boxing or Kick from the Fighting Pool, Air Superiority from the Flight Pool, Jump Kick from the Leaping Pool, or Flurry from the Speed Pool.

I think Storm Kick and Crane Kick are a given, and I can’t imagine NOT taking these two. Of the remaining, AS is a great choice. Thunder Kick is very helpful early on. If you want to use your fists as well as your feet, you could go with Boxing. The other choices are much weaker picks.

For the SR side, you have to take Focused Fighting at level 1, but this is a great power anyway. One thing you’ll notice is that the SR defenses are pretty weak until you can get SO enhancement slotted in them. Since every little bit helps, though, you definitely want to start picking up your defenses now and improving them later, when you can.

Your mission choices, after the first few levels, are to do missions in King’s Row, the Hollows, or join a sewer team. Sewer teams are a fast way of leveling up, as you and several other new characters go looking for trouble in the sewers near Atlas Park. Dying prior to level 10 is debt-free, so this is a great opportunity to really dive in with your new powers and learn what they can (and can’t) do. With just a half decent team, you can level up from 2 to 7 in just an hour or two. King’s Row and the Hollows are also great places to learn your powers. The Hollows gets a bad rep due to the difficulty of traveling around, but the missions can be fun. I enjoy fighting Frostfire, the first “boss-type” character you encounter.


Levels 10-20

Your power picks from 10 to 19 are usually not very “fun”, as most people get their travel powers and the Fitness Pool. I highly recommend the Fitness line, as Stamina will be imperative. I know some people forego Stamina, but I’ve found that it makes the game less of an ordeal for me. Thanks to Safegaurd missions and the temporary travel powers they give, it’s now possible to put off a permanent travel power until later.

By the time you reach level 20, you’ll want 3 powers from the Fitness Pool (Stamina and 2 others), possibly 2 of your travel pool powers, and Practiced Brawler. Don’t start the 20’s without your mez protection! You’ll also have access to Crippling Axe Kick if you want that as an additional attack power.

As you finish your teens, you should have your attack powers fairly well slotted up, and your SR toggles slotted as well. Once you get Stamina, you can start replacing some of those endred enhancements in your attack powers with damage enhancements. By level 12, you should have also started to replace your TO enhancements with DO enhancements.

You’ll have access to 3 story arcs for levels 10-15, featuring the Clockwork, Skulls, and Vahzilok. Levels 15-20 give you 3 more story arcs (Vahzilok, Clockwork, and Tsoo). The Vahzilok story gives you the “wasting disease” near the end of the arc, which basically doubles your endurance costs for everything for the final mission (You also attract flies, buzzing around your head!). Endurance becomes even MORE precious.

Also, at level 15, you can start the Faultline story arc. This is really fun and gives you a chance to face some Elite Bosses. I highly recommend this one.

Levels 20-25

This starts “the golden age” for CoH as far as I’m concerned. The 20s and 40s are the most fun in CoH, with lots to do and the ability to really “feel” like a hero. In this range, you have access to 5 story arcs (all good ones), the finale of the Faultline arc, and the start of the Striga Island arc. So much to do, so little time!

This is a good time to pick up some powers that you couldn’t fit in earlier or even dip into some of the other Pools (the Medicine Pool is great for an MA/SR Scrapper).

At 22, you’ll (finally) have access to SO enhancements, and everything will suddenly change for the better. Your SR defenses will now actually work in a noticeable way! You’ll be able to kill (arrest) villains easier. You won’t be staring at the blue endurance bar during the entire fight. It’s all very liberating.

You’ll also face the Banished Pantheon for the first time. SR is great for dealing with the BP. In fact, you’ll be able to fight these guys with very little problem at all, something most other Scrappers wish they could do. Dark Astoria will be a great place for you to pick up lots of magic salvage and sell for extremely high prices at the auction house. Here’s a tip: the BP Totems look tough, but they seem to fall to Air Superiority every time! Later, you’ll find that SR is also great for dealing with the Devouring Earth and the Carnies. These three groups give most heroes ulcers, but SR Scrappers have no problems with them at all! With Devouring Earth, you’ll want to take out any Quartz or Cairns that are summoned, as these give the DE a LOT if resistance to your attacks. With Carnies, take out Strongmen first, as they also develop high resistance.

Striga Island is a zone-centric story arc like Faultline and has 4 contacts that you deal with (again, like Faultline). Stephanie Peebles, your first contact, gives you a series of missions set in cargo ships (I think it’s 5 in a row!). This gets boring, but when you finish her missions, she gives you the Wedding Band, the best temporary power in the game. It gives you added defense from all types of damage. When you need just a little added defense, you’ve got it available. Long Jack, the next contact, gives several outdoor missions, including the infamous “Defeat 15 Council & 15 BP in the Bog”. There are A LOT of Council and BP in the Bog, and they’re usually much higher level than you. It’s a tough one.

You can also do missions in Terra Volta during this section of the game. At that point, Refuge E had SS as his travel power. It was miserable! If you go with SS, be sure to have a temp travel power as well. Terra Volta is still my least favorite zone in CoH because of my time there!


Levels 25-30

More fun for the MA/SR Scrapper. You’ll have access to 5 more story arcs (including one of my favorites, the Freak-Olympics), the final half of Striga Island, and the first half of Croatoa. You’ll also start dealing with the Devouring Earth a lot more. Again, for a SR Scrapper, these guys are no problem.

In Striga, you’ll do missions for Tobias Hanson, most of which involve Council vampires and werewolves. Then, his brother, Lars, will give you a series of really cool missions, striking at the heart of the giant Council Base. You’ll have to infiltrate various parts of the Base. Try doing these without using your travel power. It forces you to sneak around the heavily-guarded Base, ducking behind walls and using guerilla-style tactics to get around. It’s like being in a WWII espionage movie. I really enjoyed these, and wished they’d had a few more missions of this type.

Croatoa is another zone-centric arc that involves all magical villains. This is a great place to pick up lots or rare and expensive salvage. Plus, the missions are fun, too.

Be sure to pick up Dragon’s Tail at level 28. It’s your only AoE attack power and it will come in very handy throughout the life of your character.


Levels 30-40

Well, the fun had to end sometime. In my opinion, the 30s are the toughest section of CoH to complete. The XP requirements for leveling really get high, the missions are a little less entertaining (and involve A LOT of running from zone to zone for dubious reasons), and you’re once again finding your character a little under-powered compared to the enemies you face. You’ll definitely need to increase your attack abilities and defenses, so get Eagle’s Claw, Evasion, and Elude when you can.

There are 5 story arcs from level 30 to 35, including “The Library of Souls”, starring the Circle of Thorns. You’ll spend a lot time in their underground city of Orenbega if you choose this one. It does give you a lot of magic salvage, though. You’ll also complete the Croatoa story arc, primarily with missions involving the Redcaps and the Cabal. Redcaps are tough, mean little critters. The Cabal use a lot of mez attacks, so be sure Practiced Brawler is always up. At this point, you should have it made “perma” (2 SO rechgs). You can create a bind that will have it automatically click whenever it’s up.

From levels 35-40, you’ll get 5 more story arcs. One of those, the “Envoy of the Shadow”, is really tough. It again involves the Circle of Thorns, and it seems to go on forever. By the end, I didn’t care about the Envoy’s real name, I just wanted to get out of Orenbega for good! If you have Elude, though, it’s possible to solo the Envoy. I managed it, and it was the one time in this game where I actually jumped out of my chair and cheered.

New enemies of note are Nemesis, which is very tough for everyone, and Crey. Crey are unique in that, unlike most enemy groups, it’s sometimes best to take out Crey minions before Lts. and Bosses! Be on the look-out for Medics (they heal other Crey) and Radiologists (they debuff your SR defenses, making you much easier to hit). Take these out first.

Refuge E kind of hit a wall at level 34 and I had a tough time getting him past this section of the game. I ran out of story arcs at around level 38, so I relied on radio missions and 2 Double Experience Weekends to get me through.

When I was at this level, the Rikti War Zone wasn’t yet available. Now that it is, there should be enough content to get you up to level 40 a little easier. Also, Steve Sheridan is an additional resource for a story arc.


Levels 40-50

The game once again opens up at 40 and you start to feel like a real hero. Missions are no longer about fighting thieves and kidnappers. Now, you’re saving the world! You’ll have 5 story arcs from 40-45 (including the “Evil Countess Crey”, my other favorite arc) and 3 story arcs from 45 to 50. In addition, 2 other contacts will give you another story arc each to fill in any gaps. Also, you can enter the Shadow Shard and get a whole series of missions (and a few Task Forces). The Shadow Shard is beautiful to look at and I would encourage at least a visit. Be aware, however, that the Rularuu, which inhabit portions of the Shadow Shard, are the WORST villains for SR Scrappers. They get past our defenses easier than any other group.

You’ll also complete the Rikti War Zone arc. Be aware that Gaussian will give you a story arc involving rogue Vanguard agents. The Vanguard cut through SR defenses like a hot knife through butter!

Other new enemies are the Carnival (no problem for SR) and Malta. The Malta Group is famous their Sappers (which drain all you endurance if they hit) and Gunslingers, who do major damage. With SR, you’re less likely to succumb to Sappers, but when they hit, you’re in some trouble! Be sure to always take them out first.

Unai Kemen will give you a story arc that sends you out to fight a “best of CoH” collection of villains, all on outdoor maps. These are big, fun, and full of good XP. There are 23 missions in this arc!


In Conclusion…

There are also plenty of Task Forces throughout the game that you can play. I’ve only done a couple of these, but they can be a lot of fun-with the right team. I’m definitely not an expert on these, but be sure to give them a try. Good Scrappers are always in demand.

I recommend taking all 9 SR powers, as they all do important jobs in keeping you alive. I eventually settled on the Flight Pool for my travel power, as Air Superiority was too good to pass up. I also took Fitness, Medicine, and Body Mastery in the 40’s (I wanted Laser Beam Eyes!). I didn’t think that the Concealment, Presence, or Leadership Pools really added anything for my Scrapper, so I skipped these.

Damage is very important for any Scrapper, but MA Scrappers also have a lot of damage mitigation. Eagle’s Claw can reliably stun foes, AS and Dragon’s Tail use knockdown effectively, and Crane Kick uses KB as a great finishing move. There are times when you can kill a +3 Lt. without him ever taking a shot at you!

Refuge E was level 40 when Inventions came out, but I found that these really helped out a lot. I decided that the biggest problem with an MA/SR is what happens when the defenses fail. I decided to use IOs to turn him into an MA/SR/Regen Scrapper. There are plenty of ways to boost regen without sacrificing damage or accuracy. Although he’s still not completely IO’ed out, he’s definitely getting there (those lousy expensive Luck of the Gamblers!).


Below is my final build for Refuge E. This isn’t the only way to build an MA/SR, or even the best way to build one. It’s just what I came up with over time. If I started it today, I’d move the Medicine Pool up earlier).


1. Thunder Kick: 1 acc, 3 dmg, 1 rechg, 1 endred
1. Focused Fighting: 3 defbuf, 1 endred
2. Storm Kick: 1 acc, 3 dmg, 1 rechg, 1 endred
4. Focused Senses: 3 defbuf, 1 endred
6. Agile: 3 defbuf
8. Crane Kick: 1 acc, 3 dmg, 1 rechg, 1 endred
10. Air Superiority: 1 acc, 3 dmg
12. Hurdle: 1 jump
14. Fly: 1 endred, 3 fly (I did this for IO’s late in the game)
16. Practiced Brawler: 2 rechg
18. Health: 3 heal
20. Stamina: 3 endmod
22. Dodge: 3 defbuf
24. Quickness: 1 run
26. Focus Chi: 3 rechg, 2 th_buf
28. Dragon’s Tail: 1 acc, 3 dmg, 1 rechg, 1 endred
30. Lucky: 3 defbuf
32. Eagle’s Claw: 2 acc, 3 dmg, 1 endred
35. Evasion: 3 defbuf, 1 endred
38. Elude: 3 rechg, 2 defbuf
41.Aid Other: 1 heal
44. Aid Self: 3 heal, 2 interupt
47. Conserve Power: 2 rechg
49. Laser Beam Eyes: 1 acc, 3 dmg


I hope this Guide is of some help. MA/SR Scrappers are fun to play, solo or on teams. Although considered a “tight” build because of the need for so many SR powers, it can be a very rewarding combination to play.

Martial Arts/Super Reflexes is a combination that’s used by a lot of players looking to create a “natural” character in CoH. This set doesn’t rely on typical “super-hero type” powers, just the ability to kick people hard and dodge really fast. Because “street fighting” isn’t an option in the game (yet), Martial Arts fills in as an all-purpose melee primary set. Many players object to the practically all-kicking action the set provides, but there are ways to mitigate this somewhat with a build.

My first 50 was Refuge E, an MA/SR Scrapper who I created a couple of years ago as a CoH version of “Kamandi”, my favorite comic book character when I was a kid. Basically, he’s a young man who beats the living daylights out of much bigger and much stronger opponents. What’s not to like?

Martial Arts is a single target set, with only one power (Dragon’s Tail) doing any kind of AoE damage. That said, the burst damage from these single target attacks is really good. Some people will say, “But Broadsword has better burst damage!”. I respond, “But what if you don’t feel like swinging a sword? ” My point is, when you want to use a weapon, go with BS, if you just want to fight, go with MA. They’re both good. Actually, I have at least one of each of the 6 current Scrapper primaries, and I like them all. Sometimes you want to swing a sword, or kick someone in the face, or slash with claws-for-hands, or shoot quills out of your orifices. They’re all available to you. MA isn’t “better” than any of the others, or worse than any of the others. It can be really fun to play and, if you feel like you may enjoy it, by all means give it a try.

My goal in writing this is to take you through the life of an MA/SR Scrapper, give you my thoughts and experiences along the way, and maybe help you with the development of your very own MA/SR. Section 1 of this Guide gives you a rundown of all the MA/SR powers. Section 2 gives my impressions while leveling from 1-50. This isn’t a “max” build; it’s just the build I came up with over time.

One other note: Refuge E was designed for PvE. I have limited experience with PvP, so I won’t pretend to be an expert on how this combination works in that area of the game.


Pro’s of the MA/SR Scrapper:

--Good burst damage
--Crane Kick, one of your best powers, is available at level 8
--SR keeps you from getting hit (sometimes you’ll take NO damage at all!)
--MA has fast recharging attacks
--All MA attacks have an inherent accuracy bonus
--Quickness makes your powers recharge even faster than normal
--Practiced Brawler is the best mez protection in the game
--Very few toggle to manage
--Tier 9 power (Elude) is fantastic!

Con’s of the MA/SR Scrapper:

--SR almost REQUIRES taking all 9 powers
-- Most MA powers are single target only
-- This is an endurance-heavy combination!
--If something slips through SR, you get hit HARD
--SR is all defense based

Below is a quick summary of the powers. Numbers come from City of Data, although I got the Brawl Index numbers from a CoH Build planner.

Martial Arts Primary:

THUNDER KICK – available at level 1;
Acc. 1.05
Recharge 3s
Damage 0.945
BI 2.3
END Cost 4.4

Thunder Kick is an attack that is very useful early on, but its low damage output may make it a candidate for replacement later on. I kept it from 1-50, but I found that I used it very seldom in the later game. It has a chance to stun enemies, but it’s not very noticeable.


STORM KICK – available at level 1;
Acc. 1.05
Recharge 6s
Damage 1.485
BI 3.7
END Cost 7.0

Storm Kick is a great power that is just as effective at level 50 as it is at level 1. I constantly use this power, usually as my “second” attack on an enemy, although you could use it to lead off an attack as well. I can’t imagine skipping this power.


COBRA STRIKE – available at level 2
Acc 1.05
Recharge 20s
Damage 0.281
BI 0.7
END Cost 10.1

Cobra Strike is your stun attack which does very little damage. My understanding is that this power works well in PvP. I never found a lot of use for it in PvE, as the other MA powers are so good at killing enemies. As you’ll see later, there are a lot of other damage mitigation powers available for the MA/SR Scrapper. I skipped this power.


FOCUS CHI – available at level 6;
Acc 1.00
Recharge 90s
END Cost 5.2

This is the MA version of Build Up and is very helpful in boosting damage from your various attacks. The question isn’t whether you should get Focus Chi, it’s WHEN in the build you should get it. Generally, this is a power you can put off for later.


CRANE KICK – available at level 8;
Acc 1.05
Recharge 10s
Damage 2.205
BI 5.4
END Cost 10.2

Crane Kick is the cornerstone of the MA set. This power is great for doing damage as well as for mitigating damage. It does knockback, giving you time to get off a couple of “free” shots at your foe before he gets off the ground. KB can be problematic on teams, so you may find yourself using this power less than you normally would want, but I can’t imagine not taking this. Plus, it’s a great finishing move on an enemy; kicking his dead carcass across the room is a final act of disrespect!


WARRIOR’S CHALLENGE – available at level 12;
Acc 1.05
Recharge 3s

This is Taunt for Scrappers. You can skip this one.


CRIPPLING AXE KICK – available at level 18;
Acc 1.05
Recharge 8s
Damage 1.945
BI 4.6
END Cost 8.5

When I first started Refuge E, CAK was known for mediocre damage and an overly long activation time, so I skipped this power. Since then, the damage has been increased to a pretty good number. However, the activation time is still high (2.17s). This is lower than Eagle’s Claw, but then so is the damage. I may take this on my next MA Scrapper, but I didn’t on this one.


DRAGON’S TAIL – available at level 26;
Acc 1.05
Recharge 12s
Damage 1.125
BI 2.8
END Cost 13.0
(can hit up to 10 enemies at once)

DT is your one and only AoE attack, so it’s worth getting for that reason alone. This power does knockdown, too, so you have yet another means of damage mitigation.


EAGLE’S CLAW – available at level 32;
Acc 1.05
Recharge 12s
Damage 2.565
BI 6.3
END Cost 11.9

This is your “big hitter” and is well worth the wait. EC does terrific damage and has an excellent chance to stun your opponent, yet another means of damage mitigation. The chief complaint about EC is the LONG activation time (3s). When you click this power, your character leaps in the air, freezes, then kicks the enemy in the face. Picture Cameron Diaz in “Charlie’s Angels” (but with a LOT more damage capabilities!).


Super Reflexes Secondary:


FOCUSED FIGHTING – available at level 1;
END Cost 0.13/second

FF is your toggle power defense against melee attacks.


FOCUSED SENSES - available at level 2
END Cost 0.13/second

FS is your toggle power against ranged attacks. Early on, when endurance is at a premium, you may need to turn this toggle off between (or even during) fights. If it comes down to it, always leave FF on and turn FS on/off as needed.


AGILE – available at level 4

This is your first of 3 auto defenses, meaning that it’s always on and costing you nothing! The power isn’t that strong, but when combined with Dodge and Lucky (the other 2 autos), you get some scaling defense when your health bar gets low. The three auto defenses can be picked up later in the build and can also be slotted only when other powers have been taken care of.


PRACTICED BRAWLER - available at level 10;
END Cost 10.4

PB is a click power and protects you from disorient, hold, knockback, sleep, and immobilization. Since it’s a click power, it can’t be accidently turned off during a battle. The great thing about this power is that it can be made permanent with just 2 SO Recharge enhancements. Be sure to take this power prior to level 20.


DODGE – available at level 16;

The second of your 3 auto defense powers, Dodge protects you from melee attacks.


QUICKNESS – available at level 20;

Quickness is another auto power. This one increases your run speed, recharge speed, and gives some resistance to Slows. Some people elect to skip Quickness, but I recommend taking it. It really makes for some fast battles.


LUCKY – available at level 28;

This is the third of your 3 auto defense powers and protests you from AoE and cone attacks.


EVASION – available at level 35;
END Cost 0.13/second

Evasion is the third of your toggle defenses, and protects against AoE attacks.


ELUDE
END Cost 2.6

Elude is a terrific Tier 9 power. When you click on Elude, you have 3 minutes of vastly increased defenses. Defense against melee, ranged, and AoE attacks shoot up, run speed is higher, and jump height is higher. This is your panic button when fighting Elite Bosses or when you find yourself in over your head. After 3 minutes, though, you lose all endurance and can’t recover any for about 10 seconds. All of your toggles will drop as well, so be sure to get the fight finished, or bug out!

To Be Continued......

Great Guide! My MA/SR is now level 45. I've been playing him for quite awhile now, but have only recently started slotting him with IOs. I've managed to make him more of an MA/SR/Regen!

My question is this: I'd like to boost Recovery time so that my End bar moves up as fast as my Health bar does now. Since the 3 SR passives don't really add much defense on their own, I'm considering slotting them each with a couple of Gifts of the Ancients (Defense and one other), plus the usual generic Defense IO. This will lower my defense in each a little, but will give me +2% recovery in each from the set bonuses.

Do you think this trade-off would be worth it, or will I be sacrificing too much defense for too little End recovery?

Thanks.

Just to update my Guide, I listed Shockwave as being categorized as Ranged Damage. Actually, it's set as Targeted AoE. In this case, Positron's Blast, as expensive as it is, would be the best for Set bonuses.

I won't answer for tpull (his Guide here is excellent), but in the case of my level 44 MA/SR, I've had no problems moving from group to group with very little downtime, ONCE I got Stamina and SOs. Before then, it was a chore. I leave my 3 toggle shields on all the time now (and have since level 22), and have Practiced Brawler set on Auto. Occasionally, if I'm ganged up on by multiple villains, I start to fight a little too quickly and notice that my End bar is dropping a bit. Otherwise, no problem.

Since I9, I've been playing with inventions and have picked up some nice recovery and regen bonuses from sets.

Quickness allows me to ignore the Sprint button (I always forgot to turn this off before a battle and it would greatly affect my End usage), so the blue bar appreciates that.

All in all, MA/SR is a fun combination. I hope this will be my first level 50 alt (if I can just put my many, many other alts to the side long enough!).

Click on the link for my Guide for Claws/Dark Armor Scrappers.

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showf...01#Post8680701

I just posted my Claws/Dark Armor Guide for Scrappers.

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showf...01#Post8680701

Ancillary Powers:

At level 35, I haven’t gotten to the Ancillary Power Pools yet. I plan on taking Darkness Mastery, as it blends well with Claws/Dark.


Inventions:

The addition of inventions (IOs) in Issue 9 was, in my opinion, a very fun and exciting event for CoH/CoV. It really allows for a lot of creativity in fleshing out existing powerset combinations. Below is a breakdown of the Claws/Dark powers by Set Enhancement groups, along with some suggestions for sets you may want to use for your character. Because of incredibly high prices for some recipes and/or salvage, Iguana Eggplant has a long way to go before getting fully slotted up. The sets listed below are just my own suggestions. Part of the fun is playing around with the numbers and trying to come up with the best sets for your particular character.

Damage-Melee: Strike, Swipe, Slash, Follow-Up

Mako’s Bite (30-53) is the “big” set here, but the prices are currently very high. Touch of Death (25-40), which isn’t as high level as Mako, nevertheless also gives some good set bonuses (increased damage, increased health) and is somewhat cheaper at WW. I like Crushing Impact (30-53) for Follow-Up, as you can use all 6 pieces in it to good effect.

Damage-Ranged: Focus, Shockwave

Devastation (20-53) is a great choice, as it has 12% improved regeneration and increased health and damage. Thunderstrike (30-53) doesn’t have as good bonuses. I also like Entropic Chaos (20-35) for its 10% increased regeneration, and Far Strike (10-25) for its Dmg/Range enhancement.

Damage-PBAoE: Death Shroud, Dark Regeneration, Eviscerate, Oppressive Gloom, Spin

Scirocco’s Dervish (20-53) is expensive, but one of your only choices for PBAoE damage. Cleaving Blow (10-53) has the advantage of low level enhancements available, as well as okay (if minimal) increased recovery and damage. Multi-Strike (20-53) provides little in the way of set bonuses.

Note that Dark Regeneration also takes Heal Sets. I would recommend you concentrate on heals for DR (see below).

Resistance: Dark Embrace, Murky Cloud, Obsidian Shield

If possible, get these sets first on your character, as damage resistance is going to be key in your survivability (and fun). Steadfast Protection (10-30) provides a Knockback Protection as well as a Unique (Def/Resistance). It also has 1.5% improved recovery and increased health. Aegis (25-53) allows for increased run speed (which I took). Impervium Armor (15-40) is really a good (but expensive) choice, with its 2.5% recovery bonus and increased endurance. The others give set bonuses that aren’t very impressive.

Heal: Dark Regeneration, Health (if you took the Fitness pool)

You can’t really go wrong with the heal sets. I currently have Harmonized Healing (20-40) in DR (the others were too expensive for me right now). Miracle (20-40) or Numina’s Convalesence (30-53) have better set bonuses (recovery, health, increased heal, etc.) but are hard to get on a budget!

As with anything in CoH/CoV, work with what you have and have fun. I bought cheaper sets early and am enjoying the benefits of the set bonuses now. Later, I can “trade up” to the somewhat better sets.


My Current Build


Below is my build for Iguana Eggplant. I try to plan my builds out in advance, and only use respecs when I goof something up. Again, I’m now at level 35, but here’s my plan through 50.

AT: Scrapper
Origin: Magic
Primary: Claws
Secondary: Dark Armor
Name: Iguana Eggplant

1. Strike: acc (1), dmg (3), dmg (5), dmg (7)
1. Dark Embrace: endred (1), dmgres (9), dmgres (11), dmgres (11)
2. Slash: acc (2), dmg (3), dmg (5), dmg (7)
4. Death Shroud: endred (4), endred (13), acc (15), dmg (17), dmg (31), acc (34)
6. Combat Jumping: defbuf (6)
8. Follow-Up: acc (8), acc (9), dmg (13), rechg (15), rechg (17), dmg (37)
10. Obsidian Shield: endred (10), dmgres (40), dmgres (43)
12. Hurdle: jump (12)
14. Super Jump: jump (14)
16. Health: heal (19), heal (34), heal (43)
18. Focus: acc (18), dmg (19), dmg (19), dmg (21), acc (37)
20. Stamina: endmod (20), endmod (21), endmod (23)
22. Dark Regeneration: acc (22), endred (23), endred (25), acc (25), heal (37), heal (39)
24. Murky Cloud: endred (24), dmgres (29), dmgres (34), dmgres (40)
26. Eviscerate: acc (26), dmg (27), dmg (27), dmg (29), acc (39)
28. Cloak of Darkness: endred (28)
30. Spin: acc (30), dmg (31), dmg (31), dmg (39), endred (40), rechg (46)
32. Shockwave: acc (32), dmg (33), dmg (33), dmg (33), acc (36), endred (43)
35. Oppressive Gloom: acc (35), acc (36), disdur (36)
38. Swift: run (38)
41. Petrifying Gaze: acc (41), rechg (42), rechg (42), hold (42), hold (46)
44. Dark Blast: acc (44), dmg (45), dmg (45), dmg (45), th_debuf (46), acc (50)
47. Tenebrous Tentacles: acc (47), dmg (48), dmg (48), endred (48), th_debuf (50), immob (50)
49. Soul Transfer: endmod (49)


At level 38, I’ve planned on taking Swift in order to move a little quicker during missions (especially those huge lab missions). I try not to use Sprint during missions because I have so many other toggles running (Dark Embrace, Murky Cloud, Obsidian Shield, Combat Jump, Death Shroud) and I’d like to minimize this as much as possible.

Another choice for level 38 is Acrobatics. I have a KB Protection IO, but Acrobatics is much more powerful. Again, it means yet another toggle running. I may also take Jump Kick here. I certainly don’t NEED another attack power (especially a low damage one), but it seems right that a werewolf would use all four paws in a fight, and Jump Kick would allow him to unleash the dreaded “toenail claws” attack.

The only rough patch I’ve had so far was around levels 11-13. At that point in the game, Iguana Eggplant was first entering SC and Skyway without his attacks fully slotted up. After he got a few Dos, he really took off.

I hope this Guide helps show that a Claws/Dark Scrapper is not only a viable build, it’s also an extremely fun one to play. But remember, the names “Wolf-erine”, “Wool Vereen”, and “CatGirl38DD” have probably already been taken! lol

Dark Armor Powers:

Dark Embrace – “You tap into the energy of the Netherworld to protect yourself from damage. This Dark Embrace shrouds you and grants resistance to Lethal, Smashing, and Negative Energy damage.”

Dark Embrace is your primary armor (Murky Cloud is your other one). When the toggle is on, it makes you look like PigPen from Charlie Brown, with smoky dirt wafting around. Be sure to slot this up. In early levels, the damage resistance doesn’t seem too good, but once it’s slotted, it’s great. Be sure to use 3 dmg res and 1 endred.

Death Shroud – You become a focus point for the Netherworld, allowing its negative energy to seep from your body. This will continuously damage all foes in melee range.”

This is a terrific, but highly endurance heavy, power. Anyone within range will steadily lose HP as you just stand there. Early on, you’ll need to turn this power off between fights. Even then, you may find the endurance cost extremely restrictive. I slot this with 2 endred (slot these FIRST!), 2 acc (you need this to hit, as it’s costing you a lot), and 2 dmg.

Do you want this as an early power (it’s available at level 4) or a late power? I’ve tried taking DS at both points, and I have to say that, for Claws/Dark, I prefer taking it early. That way, I can get the endred and acc slotted in it early on, and with Follow-Up, I get a decent damage boost from it even before slotting for damage.

This is a great power to killing those foes who have just a sliver of life left and you don’t want to waste a click power to finish them off. Also, while you’re busy fighting a boss, DS is whittling down all minions for you, so they’ll be at half-life (or less) once you turn your attention to them. Finally, I took DS early because, aside from Dark Embrace and Obsidian Shield, all of my DA powers were being put off until the 20s. I thought that, for conceptual reasons, I should have another Dark power early.

Here’s another advantage to DS. I was about level 20 at the time, and traveling through Skyway City for a mission. I saw a bunch of Supa-Trolls in front of a warehouse, with a huge number of even MORE Supa-Trolls strolling over to join them. They were conning grey to me at the time, so I turned on DS and jumped into the middle of the group. This drove them crazy, as the entire mob attacked at once. The sky was filled with orange numbers, as the Supa-Trolls quickly succumbed to DS as I just stood there. After about 5-6 minutes, I apparently earned a badge for killing 100 of them!

Murky Cloud – “You create a Murky Cloud enshrouding you. This cloud can absorb all forms of energy, making you more resistant to Fire, Cold, Energy, and Negative Energy attacks, as well as Endurance Drains affects.”

This is you other DA shield, and is not really needed until somewhat later in the game. I originally was going to push this back to level 28, but I ran into some serious problems with the Banished Pantheon around level 21, so I bumped this one up. Again, I would slot this with 3 dmg res and 1 endred.

Obsidian Shield – “You can create a special Obsidian Shield that grants good resistance to Psionic damage. With your mind enshrouded in darkness you are protected from Sleep, Fear, Hold, and Disorient attacks.”

This is your mez protection, so you want to take this early. I slot Obsidian Shield with 1 endred and (later, when slots are available) 2 dmg res.

As you can see, knockback is NOT included in Obsidian Shield. DA is missing any kind of KB protection. In the past, this forced you to take Acrobatics from the Leaping pool or Hover from the Flight pool. With IOs, though, you can by-pass these powers and slot for KB protection. While the KB protection from Inventions isn’t nearly as powerful as Acrobatics or Hover, it definitely helps, and at least gives you the option of freeing up some slots.

Dark Regeneration – “You can tap the dark essence of the Netherworld to drain a small amount of life from all enemies nearby, thus healing yourself. The more foes affected, the more you will be healed.”

This is your DA version of the Medicine pool. Just click on DR when surrounded by enemies and watch your health bar fill up. 3 or more enemies is enough to fill you up completely, while 2 will get you most of the way there. This power has an incredibly high cost in endurance, however, and it also requires a to-hit check in order to work, so be sure to have plenty of endred and acc in this baby. I can’t tell you how many fights I’ve survived because of DR. It’s really one of the set-defining powers in DA. I slot this 2 acc, 2 endred and 2 heal. There is a slight damage component in DR, but it’s really not worth wasting a slot on it.

Cloak of Darkness – “A shroud of Netherworld darkness envelopes you, making you difficult to spot at a distance. You can only be seen at close range or if you attack a target. Even if seen, the Cloak of Darkness grants you a bonus to defense to all attacks and some protection from Immobilization. This Netherworld Cloak also allows you to see things in a new light, allowing you to better see stealthy foes. Unlike some stealth powers, CoD has no movement penalty. CoD will not work with any other form of Concealment power such as Shadow Fall or Steamy Mist.”

CoD is useful in PvP for the +perception. The main problem with this power is that it turns you into a fuzzy dust bunny, obscuring that fancy costume you spent hours making in the Character Creator. This is a situational power and is very handy when trying to avoid conflicts from high level enemies (or huge numbers of any level enemies). I turn this on whenever the Circle of Thorns are around. Those guys just can’t take a hint! 1 endred in this is fine.

Cloak of Fear – “You can wrap yourself in a nightmarish Cloak of Fear. Foes close to you are treated to visions most horrific, forcing them to tremble in terror, only attacking if attacked and even then, at reduced accuracy.”

I’ve never taken this power, so I can’t comment about its effectiveness. My understanding is that this was once THE DA power to have, but nerfs have rendered it a shadow of its former self. I believe that fully slotting this up is almost required for it to be worthwhile. Again, I don’t have any firsthand knowledge on this one. I would recommend testing it out on the Test Server before taking it for real.

Oppressive Gloom – “The Netherworld has many mutable properties, such as the Oppressive Gloom. This power allows you to use your own Hit Points to keep enemies near you disoriented and unable to use any powers. Endurance cost for this is minimal but the power can be dangerous to use.”

OG will greatly add to your survivability. When toggled on, any Minions in the immediate area will become disoriented and stagger around, not hitting you. When they stagger out of the area of effect, though, they go back on the attack. I’m slotting 2 acc and 1 disdur.

Soul Transfer – “Should you fall in battle, you can perform a Soul Transfer, sucking the life force of all foes around you to bring yourself back from the brink of death. The more foes nearby, the more life is restored to you. Drained foes are left disoriented. The dark effects of this Soul Transfer will actually leave you invulnerable for a brief time and protected from XP Debt for 20 seconds. There must be at least one foe nearby to fuel the Transfer and revive you.”

This is your revive power. Hopefully, as a Claws/Dark Scrapper, this power will be used seldom if at all. This is a power you can slot late in your build, and can slot with a variety of enhancements, including rechg and endmod. I slot it for 1 endmod and call it a day.


Power Pools:

As with any character, a Claws/Dark Scrapper benefits from a variety of power pools.

Fitness – I always use the Fitness pool on my characters, primarily for Health and Stamina. I know a lot of people prefer to go Stamina-less. I admire that. I don’t understand it, but I can admire it. I just think it makes the game less fun for me. For Iguana Eggplant, I took Hurdle rather than Swift as I wanted a werewolf with great leaping abilities.

Concealment – With CoD, you should be able to skip the Concealment pool unless you have a need for invisibility for concept reasons.

Flight, Leaping, Superspeed, Teleport – I took Leaping, but any of these will work for you. I’ve never been a fan of TP, personally, but I know some people swear by it.

Medicine – Dark Regeneration is a powerful Heal, so you could skip the Medicine pool and save those slots for something else.

Leadership – I’ve taken this on a Thugs/Dark MM, but never on a Scrapper. The benefits to Scrappers are low, compared to the endurance costs and the use of slots.

Presence – This may be a good match with Claws/Dark for concept, as you could use Intimidate and Invoke Panic to good effect.

Fighting – There are so many good, fast-recharging attacks in Claws, you don’t need the Fighting pool for Boxing or Kick. Likewise, DA gives excellent resistance, so Tough and Weave aren’t that needed.

Of all the ATs in CoH/CoV, Scrappers are my favorite. I love jumping into the middle of a fight and just whaling away on some unsuspecting mobs. One night, I had the idea of creating a hippie werewolf as my next Scrapper. Unfortunately, tie-died shirts aren’t available in the costume creator (yet!), so my new werewolf had a more traditional “wolfman” look to him. It seemed natural that his powers would be Claws and Dark, and that Magic would work as his origin.

As it turns out, Iguana Eggplant (don’t ask) is the character that I have the most fun playing. The combination of fast, cheap attacks and dark control-type powers allows him to fight at a practically constant pace. So far, I have him up to level 35. This Guide is meant as a discussion of the various fantastic powers available for a Claws/Dark Scrapper.

I’m not a min/max’er, so many of my choices were made for fun and/or for concept reasons. There are many Claws Guides and Dark Armor Guides that can give you the underlying numbers of each power choice. I want to avoid that as much as possible here. This Guide is also PvE based. I’ve found out the hard way that I’m too old and/or too slow to do much damage in PvP, no matter what powerset combinations I play!

Pro’s of Claws/Dark:

1. Claws is a fast attack, low endurance set.
2. Dark Armor gives good protection while also having a number of “control-type” powers for handling large mobs safely.
3. Once slotted up, this combination is incredibly quick, allowing you to leap from enemy group to enemy group with little (or no) down-time.
4. Dark Armor has Dark Regeneration (a powerful self-heal) and Cloak of Darkness (personal stealth).
5. Follow-Up makes Death Shroud an even better power than normal.
6. Claws/Dark offers 4 melee, 2 ranged, and 5 AoE damage powers from which to choose!

Con’s of Claws/Dark:

1. Claws is a lower damage set (although its speed somewhat offsets that)
2. Dark Armor has a few key powers that are very endurance-heavy.
3. Dark Armor is toggle-heavy.
4. Claws is primarily Lethal damage, which is heavily resisted by many mobs. (Zenith Mech Men don’t seem too scared of claws-for-hands.)
5. Claws has a bad reputation for all the Wolverine clones and cat-girls out there (just kidding!).

Just a note: I would have never attempted this build without the fantastic “DM/DA Bible” by The_Gamemaster. Be sure to read this if you have any questions about the Dark powers available for Scrappers.

Below are a summary of the powers for Claws and Dark Armor, with my own opinions on each.

Claws Powers:

Swipe – “A series of quick swipes with your claws. Does minor damage, but has a very quick recharge time”.

Swipe is the first Claws attack available and is popular with a lot of players because of its cool animation. However, the Minor damage output is a little below par, and certainly less than Strike, which is also available at level 1. You definitely want one of these two powers, but not both.

Strike – “You perform a strike with your claws. This is a basic attack that deals a moderate amount of damage.”

I prefer Strike to Swipe, as its damage is somewhat higher, giving you a jump-start at “arresting” in the early levels. The animation is basically a stab to the gut. Endurance cost of both powers is very low. Either way, I would slot 1 acc and 3 dmg.

Its interesting to note that although Claws has no inherent accuracy bonus, I’ve found that 1 accuracy enhancement works fine in several of the powers. Most of my other alts get 2 accuracies in every attack as a matter of course. This has really helped free up some slots for other powers. (It may be that the lower damage and fast recharge of Claws makes missing not SEEM as bad, but I’m just guessing here.)

Slash – “You perform a slash with your claws, dealing a good amount of damage, but with a longer recharge than Swipe of Strike.”

Slash is a really good power and will be one of your bread-and-butter attacks throughout your career. Again, it has low endurance cost and a not-bad recharge rate. This is definitely a power to take as soon as possible (level 2). Again, I slot it with 1 acc and 3 dmg.

Spin – “You spin around in a circle, attacking everyone within melee range with a Strike attack.”

Spin is your first AoE attack and does the same damage as Strike, but to up to 10 mobs. The downside is a higher endurance cost and a somewhat slower activation time. I really like this power, but its debatable when you need to take this. In early levels, you really need a “third” power (fourth, if you count Brawl). I took Spin at level 6 on my Claws/SR Scrapper. However, this was before I had access to my Veteran Reward of Sands of Mu. With Iguana Eggplant, I had SoM, so I pushed Spin back to much later in my build. I also had a bad habit of using Spin whenever it was up during a fight, even if I was fighting just one enemy. This is a waste of endurance, especially early on. My slotting for Spin is 1 acc, 3 dmg, 1 endred, 1 rechg.

Anyway, my advice is this: if you don’t have SoM (or Undead Slaying Ax), then take Spin early. If you do have your Veteran Reward, push Spin back and free that slot up for something else (i.e.- Death Shroud).

Follow-Up – “You perform a feint attack that deals moderate damage. After the attack hits, it gives you a large bonus to Accuracy and Damage for a brief time.”

This is an invaluable power and acts like a mini-Build Up with it’s own damage component! The damage from Follow-Up itself isn’t great, but the boost you get for several seconds afterwards is fantastic. Use this whenever it’s up and follow it with your most devastating attacks. You definitely want this one to hit, and hit often, so I use 2 acc, 2 dmg, and 2 rechg here.

Confront – “Challenges a foe to attack you. Useful for pulling a villain off an ally who finds himself in over his head.”

“Taunt” for Scrappers, I guess. I find that attacking an enemy with giant claws for hands usually “challenges a foe to attack” me just fine. I skipped this one.

Focus – “Projects a burst of Focused power that you can project a short distance.”

This is it! This is the Claws power you’ve been waiting for! It’s a ranged attack, meaning that you can shoot your enemies from a distance. In addition, it’s High Damage, AND it almost always knocks the enemy onto their backside! Let’s see: a ranged attack for a Scrapper, high damage, and good damage mitigation. What more can you ask for???

I stupidly waited until level 22 to take this on my first Claws/SR Scrapper. Once I saw what a terrific power this was, I couldn’t believe I had wasted 4 levels without it! Take this at level 18! DO NOT PUT THIS OFF!! I slot this with 2 acc and 3 dmg. You don’t want to miss with Focus.

Here’s a tip. Target a mob, standing around with a couple of his buddies. Jump over to them (I use Hurdle and Combat Jump), clicking on Focus while in mid-air. You’ll land right next to this guy and Focus will hit him. There will be about a 1 second pause, as the CPU in your computer goes, “What the—wow, this guy is fast!” It will then knock the enemy into the air and happily remove many, many HP from him. Meanwhile, your target’s 2 friends are just standing there looking at you like a couple of slack-jawed yokels. It’s THAT fast!

Eviscerate – “You spin and slash violently, eviscerating all foes in a wide arc in front of you. This attack has an exceptionally good critical hit capability, better than other claws attacks, that can sometimes deal double damage.”

Some people like Eviscerate, some don’t. I like it for the damage. The bone of contention is the long activation time that this power has. When you click it, your character does kind of a high-dive double spin in the air, lands, and sweeps both arms out, slicing everyone within a cone. This takes some time (but it IS cool looking). Lining up the cone can be tough sometimes, too. Pro or Con, it’s the hardest-hitting attack in the Claws line-up, so I recommend it. I slot it with 2 acc and 3 dmg.

Shockwave – “Projects a shockwave of focused power that can travel a short distance. Shockwave travels in a wide arc in front of you, dealing moderate damage and possibly knocking back foes.”

Like Focus, Shockwave is a ranged attack, but it also hits everyone in a wide cone. The damage is equivalent to Strike. The other great thing about this power is that it knocks everyone back, giving you a little breathing room in a tough fight. In teams, KB is not popular, but it can be used to good advantage on teams if used carefully. Solo, I love to lay waste to whole groups of mobs.

Prior to getting Shockwave, I would usually lead-off with Focus, then Follow-Up, then any other attacks I may need. The advantage was that Focus knocked the “main” enemy down immediately, giving me some free shots at him. The disadvantage was that I was using Focus without getting the damage boost from Follow-Up.

With Shockwave, I can knock the entire group back, then hit Follow-Up, then Focus. This combination really ups my damage and saves my Health, as mobs on their backs are less likely to shoot/hit/blast me. I slot Shockwave with 1 acc, 3 dmg, 1 endred, 1 rechg.

Yes, Death Shroud is an awesome power, but really needs to be slotted up to get the best results. I put my 2 EndRed first, then 2 Acc, then 2 Dmg.

Last week, I was leaping through Skyway City when I saw a huge number of SupaTrolls congregating near a warehouse door. They were grey to me at this point. I jumped into the middle of them and turned on DS. It was hilarious! They dropped like flies. After a few minutes, I was awarded a Badge for killing 100 SupaTrolls. As it turned out, I was only halfway through with the group!! lol

It's a good power and very useful in a lot of situations.

I also took Dual Wield on my Thugs/Dark and enjoyed it immensely in the early levels. I found that my Thug (or Thugs) needed my help. Plus, my MM looked cool blasting the bad guys. However, as I've moved up (I'm level 28 now), I've found less and less reason to use Dual Weild. My team is out-blasting me by far, and they need my help with buffs, debuffs, etc.; basically things they can't do on their own. It was really strange the first few battles (in the mid-teens) where I never even fired a shot (I usually play Scrappers). I'm now actually thinking of respeccing out and adding another Dark power instead.

Anyway, the personal offensive weapons are great early on, but not really needed later, as far as I've been able to tell. I say take them early, replace them later.

Great guide, and I think this will help with my build immensely. What are your thoughts on a chain of attack? Do you use KO Blow as part of it, or is that situational? I've been running Jab-Punch-Haymaker, with the occasional KO Blow for good measure. Has taking Jab so late hurt your constant SMASHing?

I'm at lvl 25 now and was planning on taking Hurl and Hand Clap at 26 and 30. Again, these would be situational to compliment my regular attack chain. Is this overkill? I hadn't thought about Aid Self, but it's not a bad idea.

Again, great guide!