A Claws/Invul Scrapper Guide Issue 11
By Gremlen
So you want to make a claws/invul scrapper? Let me start by saying youre probably crazy or uninformed. I can speak from experience because Ive been playing my main character Gremlen as a claws/invul scrapper since Issue 2.
This guide will start by telling you all the reasons you shouldnt be a claws/invul. This way, if you continue reading my guide, youll at least have been forewarned. 
Why not to be a claws/invul:
1. Claws and Invul conflict each other in many ways. Claws is a set that does better over time. As you attack your opponent you are also building up your attacks (follow up) while debuffing your opponent (slash). Also, claws doesnt have any real burst damage so youre only way of defeating someone is to grind them down. Invul does not work well with this concept because invul defense is essentially a resistance set which wears down over time instead of something like Super Reflexes or Regen which are more constant. Claws needs time and time is invuls enemy.
2. Both sets are some of the weakest scrapper sets in game. Its not a secret that invul took a major nerf back around issue 5/6 and has not quiet recovered since. Invul used to be far too over powered and has since then been scaled back, maybe a little too much if you ask around the city. Invul tanks can get by but invul scrappers need some help. Claws is equally as poor. Although claws is low on endurance and has fast recharge, the set does not play out as great as it should. Claws attacks have animations equally as long as other sets and the activation times are nothing to write home about. The supposed speed does not fully compensate for its lack of damage when you add in activation and animation times. Also keep in mind that claws has lethal damage which is a highly resisted set in the game.
3. Claws/Invul cant PvP well at all. Notice a lack of claws or invul scrapper in the arena and pvp zones? Thats no coincidence. Both sets perform rather poorly in PvP, never mind a combination of both. Ive PvPed many many matches with my lvl 50 tricked out claws/invul and hardly can scratch (pun intended?) tankers, brutes, controllers, dominators, and stalkers. Im not saying winning against those ATs cant be done, its just really difficult.
Still interested in making a claws/invul? That must mean one of two things. Like me, you had a concept character in mind and arent as concerned with perfect performance, or you just like a challenge. The next section will contain why I enjoy playing a claws/invul and the benefits of rolling one.
Why be a claws/invul scrapper:
1. Claws and Invul both work well together in at least one aspect. Endurance. An invul scrapper without its toggles going to die very quickly. Claws attacks use very little endurance and in a long battle, youre probably not going to be forced to drop some toggles. When you add in some minimal endurance reducers, stamina, and conserve power, youre pretty much golden for endurance than say
a dark/da scrapper.
2. Both sets are some of the most versatile sets for scrappers. Despite the weak burst damage and broken concept of quicker recharges will make up for it *cough* activation time still slow *cough*. Claws do have a lot going for it. For starters, we have the usual single attacks but many of those come with extra effects such as knockdown (focus) and debuff (slash). The AoEs/Cones (Spin, Shockwave, and Eviscerate) for claws are very decent and are often under-looked because of Spines. Want some ranged damage? Claws easily accommodates with Focus and Shockwave. With the cones, AoEs, ranged attacks, and extra effects, claws is GREAT for taking on very large mobs quickly.
Speaking of large mobs
. Invul has some benefits as well. Invul is at its best when fight large mobs for many reasons. For starters it has a power that specifically gets better when there are more baddies around (invincibility). Secondly, an invul scrapper can take the alpha strike far better than a regen can because a regen might not be given the time to heal with the force that an alpha strike can bring. Thirdly, an invul doesnt have to worry about a string of bad luck hits like a SR scrapper might have to deal with. We already know were going to take a hit and we can live through it to react in an effective way.
3. Claws/Invul is unique, period. Want to role a spines/regen for PvP; you and everyone else. Whether it is in PvE or PvP, youre pretty much guaranteed to be one of a kind on any team. Ive been playing my claws/invul on Triumph regularly since Issue 2 and I can probably count on one hand how many claws/invul scrappers Ive teamed with. We are a rare breed which makes it a fun build and that much more satisfying when you win a PvP match.
In the next section, I will break down each power to the best of my knowledge to help you with your build. My knowledge comes from many, many, many hours of playing a claws/invul, varies respecs/builds, debates on the forums, and other knowledge Ive picked up from various sources. Understand, Im not a number cruncher and my build was created as a concept character meant for PvE that occasionally enters PvP zones and arena matches. With the versatility of inventions, I will not suggest slotting to a large degree; however, I will include which sets I am currently using and later tell you what bonuses I was trying to gain.
Claws primary With fast recharges, you really dont need all of the powers. Luckily, the choices of which powers to skip are pretty obvious once you try the powers. Heres my take on the powers usefulness and how I currently slot them.
Swipe (available at 1): Single target attack. For a long time this attack was considered not worth taking because its animation was too long for the DoT output it had. This attacks animation has since been sped up; however, common practice is still to skip this power. It might be worth taking at first, but I suggest respec-ing out of it later.
Strike (available at 1): Single target attack. THIS is a better choice for your first attack than swipe. It has a quick recharge, quick animation, and does decent dmg. I used this power and slotted it for most of the climb to 50 but I no longer slot this power. Because other powers have secondary effects, I wanted to use my slotting for other powers instead. I only use this power when exemplaring down, when my recharge gets debuffed causing down time, or as an auto-click during PvP fights in case there is ever downtime between attacks.
Slash (available at 2): Single target attack with debuff effect. Once again, this power was considered poor but its animation was changed. Unlike swipe, the change made this power much more effective and I suggest taking it and 6 slotting it. I also use this power to debuff the defense of an enemy in my attack change BEFORE using follow-up because it increases the chances of follow-up hitting (which is important for our DPS). I am currently slotting this with Makos bite as well as Lady Greys chance for negative energy damage.
Spin (available at 6): PBAoE that attacks all mobs in melee range all around you. This power is debatable. On one had you must realize it has a terrible range, mediocre accuracy, and is one of the biggest endurance hogs in the set. On the other had, this power combined with some of the cone powers makes claws great for PvE when handling large groups because you do hit a few enemies when using in the middle of a large group. Like most people, I decided to keep it for its general PvE use but I would not recommend it putting it in your PvP chain. I slot this with Scirocco's Dervish. At minimum, slot this with some accuracy and endurance redux or just an IO set.
Follow Up (available at 8): Quick single target attack/buff. You need this power, period. Claws does not have a build-up power but this is our substitute. This power will give you a to-hit buff if you land your hit. Claws needs the extra buff because claws does not have the damage output like other scrapper sets. I use the Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control IO set for this power. Whatever you do, make sure you slot in some accuracy in one form or another because you need this power to land to get your buff.
Confront (available at 12): Taunt. This is the scrapper single target taunt. Even though Invuls can actually play mini-tankers when a team doesnt have one, I still would never take this power. Its common knowledge to skip scrapper taunt powers.
Focus (available at 18): Ranged single target ranged attack with knockdown. This is the best attack in the set in my opinion. It has so many great things about it. For starters, the basic characteristics of the attack are good: damage, accuracy, recharge, endurance use, animation etc. On top being great single attack, this power has some great range! This power can be used to hit enemies who are running away, enemies you dont want to be close to, and some say they even use it to pull (I assume they slot for additional range). But wait, theres more! Focus provides a knockdown effect on enemies it hits, and while that enemy is getting up (PvE or PvP), you can land in an extra hit or two. This power is a strange concept but with all the benefits, its the best power in the set. I slot this power with a Devastation set.
Eviscerate (available at 26): Cone Targeted AoE that attacks all mobs in front of you within the cone's range. This is a highly debated power within the claws set. I fall on the side of the animation is so long its not worth taking. Some people feel that this power is useful because of its superior damage. I used this power for a long time and realized my attack chain was being severely slowed down. The animation shows a double mid-air flip which takes forever. In my opinion, this power is worth skipping.
Shockwave (available at 32): Wide cone ranged Targeted AoE. This power is a very unique power in that its use is frequently debated. I used this power frequently because of its wide cone arc, decent damage, and amazing range. The reason why this power is debated is because of its knockback. Sometimes this power is hated by your teammates because you can literally, move a huge mob with its knockback. I use this KB to my advanced by knocking mobs into walls, corners, away from squishies, and other times moving a mob because valuable. Unfortunately this power can be counter-productive to your invulnerability because invincibilys plus to defense requires keeping your enemies in close proximity. When used properly and sparingly, this power can be amazing but when used poorly, this power may make your fight more difficult. I slot this power with Positrons Blast.
Invulnerability secondary Unlike claws, there may be some tough choices involved with this set. Some camps say to take the passives while others say you shouldnt. After playing my claws/invul for 3 years, Ill admit that Im still torn on the issue. Heres my take.
Resist Physical Damage (must take at 1) Passive damage resistance to smashing and lethal types of damage ("S/L"). You have to take it. Some say dont slot this power but I 3 slot it with resistance. Its a decent auto-power, not much to say.
Temp Invulnerability (available at 2): Toggle damage resistance to S/L. This power provides great resistance to S/L. Youd be a fool not to take this power. I recommend 3 slotting this power with resistance and add at least 1 slot for endurance redux.
Dull Pain (available at 4): Click heal that also adds to your max hit points. My only regret for this power is not taking it sooner. This power is amazing! This power acts as a much needed heal. This power is useful to prevent you from dying but is actually quiet useful before a fight. The % of your heal is actually greater when you use it with more hit points with the maximum benefit when used at full health. Thats right, using this power at full health will give you more hit points because your maximum hit points is temporally increased. Take it, love it. 6 Slot it. I slot this power with Doctored Wounds.
Resist Elements (available at 10): Passive damage resistance to elemental (fire, ice, toxic) attacks. This passive power is highly debated because its resistance is not strong. Some argue that both resist elements and resist energies are skippable and the medicine power pool would be more useful. I follow under the camp of the more resistance the better, so I take both power and 3 slot them with resistance. If youre going to take this power though, you can hold off till much later in the game.
Unyielding (available at 16): Toggle mez (sleep, hold, knockback, disorient) protection as well as damage resistance to all attack types other than psionic attacks. Gives a penalty to defense, however. This power is needed because every scrapper needs mez protection. I slot this power with Aegis.
Resist Energies (available at 20): See resist elements description.
Invincibility (available at 28): Toggle bonus to defense and accuracy based on the number of mobs that are attacking you (lower bonus if they are at range instead of melee, capped at 14 mobs). This power is great and worth slotting immediately. Only problem is, this power is what makes using Shockwave an issue. I slot this power with luck of the gambler.
Tough Hide (available at 35): Passive defense. I took this power and 3 slotted it. This power is a nice counter balance to the defense penalty you receive for using unyielding.
Unstoppable (available at 38): Click providing great resistance to all damage types other than psionic but drains your health and all endurance when it wears off. This is your standard tier 9 Oh S*** power. The crash is one of the worst crashes in the game so be prepared to use other powers to survive the crash. Using conserve power from the Body Mastery Epic Power Pool, Dull Pain, and the accolade Eye of Magnus can let you survive any crash when well timed. Dont slot this power with more than one resistance enhancements because you reach resistance cap with only one slot. If youre going to add more slots, make them recharge enhancements.
Power Pools/Epic Powers
I would like to give a brief description of my power pool/epic power choices and slotting.
Hasten This power is clutch because this allows a faster recharge are your only heal (Dull Pain) as well as unstoppable. Claws already has fast recharge times but lets face it, it never hurts to have even faster recharge times.
Super Speed- Standard for PvP and getting around fast. I 3 slot this with celerity.
Combat Jumping Invulnerability isnt the strongest scrapper defense set because it is resistance based. Taking something like combat jump adds to your defense which is a nice change instead of just getting hit all the time and taking it. Sometimes you dont want to get it, especially with a debuff. I slot this with Red Fortune.
Super Leap Stand for PvP and getting around fast.
Swift Stand for getting around.
Health Extra regen rate helps for poor defense. I slot this with a couple Numinas Convalesce for an even greater regen boost.
Stamina Although claws does not require much endurance, invul is an end hog. I slot this with a couple performance shifter for that extra endurance boost.
Body Master:
Conserve power Helps you survive Unstoppable crash.
Focused Accuracy I can hit through Granit Armor or Super Reflexes with little difficulty because claws already has naturally great accuracy. When claws accuracy is added with enhancements, set bonuses, and this power, I can hit through almost anything except Elude or Personal Force Field (but sometimes I can get a hit through each). This power is an end hog, so slot accordingly.
Final thoughts on IOs and IO sets
Almost all of my sets were chosen for specific reasons. Make sure your set bonuses give you one of the following: Improved Damage, Improved Psionic Def/Rest, or Improved Regen rate. I believe those 3 bonuses are the key to making up for the weaknesses of both sets (low damage, no psionic resistance, and a defense set which wears down because of the lack of healing power). Slot accordingly.
The End
Thats the end of my guide. I hope it was helpful and feel free to hit me up at anytime with questions on the forums. Im also always found on Triumph, usually playing as Gremlen which is also my global. Id like to thank the following people: Battle_Claw for using his I5 guide as a foundation for my own. Id like to thank Shortman, BillZBubba, and Catwhoorg for their continuous claws support. And finally, Id like to thank Bad Chad for being the only other Lvl 50 claws invul that Ive met in game. It helps to know, Im not alone.
