Hopeling

BS/Inv, a combo near and dear to my heart! My first 50 and the one I've put the most time and effort into.

Focused Accuracy isn't great as a full-time toggle - it drains a lot of endurance for relatively little benefit. As /Inv, I've never really needed extra accuracy anyway thanks to the +tohit from Invincibility. The main usefulness I found for FA when I had it for a while was resisting tohit or perception debuffs, but that's only against a few enemy groups, and just as easily mitigated by a few yellow inspirations.
If you're finding yourself drained of endurance a lot, you should try replacing Focused Accuracy with Conserve Power. It's has a pretty long recharge without slots and/or global recharge bonuses, but during its 90 second duration you can regen your entire bar even while fighting. Also, move a slot from Physical Perfection to Stamina - a 3rd enhancement in Stamina is worth more than a 2nd in PP.
That should improve your endurance situation. I'd recommend picking up the Fighting pool - Tough and Weave add very nicely to /Inv's defenses and let you handle even nastier things. Invulnerability is tough right out of the box, but with some bolstering it goes beyond tough to borderline immortal. On teams, it's not uncommon for me to end up tanking AVs with Invincibility's strong taunt aura - and against most AVs I can survive that without support.

Hasten can be perma'ed, but usually not without considerable IO investment. With 3 basic recharge enhancements and no set bonuses or outside buffs, it has about 2/3 uptime.

Do you have Going Rogue? If so, tip missions are good for leveling, and allow you to gather Alignment Merits which can be used to get some really top-shelf IOs without spending hundreds of millions on the market (or alternately, get things and sell them for hundreds of millions on the market and buy a bunch of other things that you want). I don't know how familiar you are with IOs, but mixing cheap sets like Smashing Haymaker, Focused Smite, Cleaving Blow, and Multi-Strike into your attacks, even without going for set bonuses, lets you get much better endurance reduction, accuracy, and recharge without giving up any damage.

What kind of slotting are you running? If you can post a Mids' build I could give more specific advice.

Battle Agility is enhanceable, my /shield has ~90% DDR.

So I finally figured out a build for my BS/SD that accomplished all my goals:
-Softcapped
-Enough recharge to run a decent single-target chain: Headsplitter-Hack-Disembowel-(short pause)-Hack
-Roughly sustainable endurance (lasts long enough to make it through Conserve Power's downtime) so I can use Musculature
-High DDR
-Capped HP during OwtS

Overall I'm extremely pleased with the results, except that the amount of trouble I had putting it together leads me to fear that I've missed some obvious flaw somewhere. Can someone look over this and see if there are any gaping holes, or improvements to be made? I know there's no travel power, but with 60mph Ninja Run I get around fine. Purples and PvP IOs are out of reach for now, but I'm open to working towards them in the future.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.92
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Naeron: Level 50 Technology Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Broad Sword
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Hack -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(3), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), UndDef-Rchg/EndRdx(7)
Level 1: Deflection -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def(11), LkGmblr-Rchg+(17), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(23), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(23), Aegis-ResDam(46)
Level 2: Slice -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg(9), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(9), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(50)
Level 4: Battle Agility -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(15), LkGmblr-Def(15), LkGmblr-Rchg+(17)
Level 6: True Grit -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx(A), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(25), Numna-Heal/Rchg(25), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Numna-Heal(48), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(50)
Level 8: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(31)
Level 10: Active Defense -- HO:Membr(A), HO:Membr(36), HO:Membr(48)
Level 12: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 14: Tough -- TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(A), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(37), TtmC'tng-ResDam(37), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(37)
Level 16: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Whirling Sword -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg(19), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(21), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(21)
Level 20: Phalanx Fighting -- Ksmt-ToHit+(A)
Level 22: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def(45), LkGmblr-Rchg+(46)
Level 24: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(43), RechRdx-I(45)
Level 26: Disembowel -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(27), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(29), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29), Achilles-ResDeb%(46)
Level 28: Maneuvers -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(31), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(31), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(34), RedFtn-Def(36), RedFtn-EndRdx(50)
Level 30: Build Up -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(39), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(39), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(40), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(40), GSFC-Build%(40)
Level 32: Head Splitter -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(33), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(33), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Oblit-%Dam(34)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(42), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(42), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Oblit-%Dam(43)
Level 38: One with the Shield -- Heal-I(A), ResDam-I(39), ResDam-I(45)
Level 41: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- P'Shift-End%(A)
Level 47: Grant Cover -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 50: Musculature Total Core Revamp
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(11), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(13), P'Shift-End%(13)

Damage procs are simple to calculate: multiply the proc chance by the proc's damage to get the average damage added to each hit. (Mids' does this automatically.) Then you can recalculate your DPS with the higher damage per hit.

BU procs are a little trickier. First, you need to know what your attack chain is so that you know how many/which attacks the proc will last for when it goes off*. Then, multiply the proc chance (.05) by the proc damage bonus (100%) to get the average damage bonus per activation (5%). Finally, recalculate your attack chain's DPS with that damage bonus applied to the attacks that the proc will affect.

-Res procs are kind of complicated because they don't stack multiple times. (The two different ones stack with each other, but for example you can't have two Achilles' Heel debuffs on the target at the same time.) This means that if you have an attack chain shorter than the 10s duration of the debuff, you have a chance to reapply and overwrite the previous application of the debuff, wasting whatever was left of its duration. I'm not exactly sure how to do the math for that one. If your attack chain has 10 seconds or more between activating the -res proc attack, the nonstacking problem goes away and it simplifies to a 4% damage increase (.2 chance * .2 debuff) for 10 seconds, so you can count it as dealing 4% of 10 seconds of whatever DPS your chain does not counting the proc.

*I know the BU procs last 5 seconds, I'm not exactly sure when in the power's activation it goes off. If it's early, then part of the proc would be 'wasted' during the power's animation without providing a bonus to that attack since damage bonuses are calculated when the attack begins, before the proc would go off.

Somebody more knowledgeable may come along and correct me, but this is my understanding of how it works.

I don't like how underslotted the pets are, personally. You've used a lot of slots and influence on recharge, then didn't properly slot the two powers that best take advantage of that recharge.

With as much recharge as you have, do you actually use Mace Beam or Mace Blast or are they just carrying sets? They're such inferior attacks in terms of DPA.

You can reduce your consumption slightly if you pull one of those endurance reducers from Tactical Training: Assault and put it in pool Maneuvers.

By the way, my Mids is showing you at 34% defense with stealth suppressed, not 37%. With SoA's being so vulnerable to debuffs, I much prefer to be softcapped under my own power and let team buffs act as padding. This also lets you be more self-sufficient in the event that you get split up, the defender dies, you end up with a team that doesn't have defense buffs, or you want to solo something. Still, it's your character, so whatever works for you.

Half the attacks are badly underslotted, which will just not get good results. Endurance will be a severe problem with little or no cost reduction in any attack except Focus. A Cardiac alpha might mitigate it, but that would mean taking up your alpha slot to patch a problem that's pretty easy to fix directly.
Ranged defense is too high, and AoE defense too low. 45% is the goal.

Before you get into smaller optimization changes, these larger issues should be fixed to make the build functional.

How attached are you to the Fire epic pool? If it's for theme that's one thing, but mechanically it's pretty useless (at least, it is the way you have it set up; with redraw, Fireball is the only power in the set that's worth using and you didn't take it). You could trade it for Body Mastery to mitigate those endurance problems. Also, what kind of budget are you looking at for this character?

I don't know the math offhand, but you might end up doing more DPS by trading some of those damage set bonuses for recharge for a good attack chain. The build you have probably has to use Parry a lot, and Parry is a much weaker attack than Hack, Disembowel, or Headsplitter. I also can't stand playing melee without having strong defenses, which for /shield means the softcap. After all, death is a pretty big hit to your DPS. Without defenses you have to rely heavily on the tank to keep you alive; with them, you're able to fend for yourself and become an independent killing machine.

Health and True Grit are both good choices. You're more likely to have a spare slot in Health, but in True Grit you could slot a full Numina's set for some ranged defense (technically you could do the same thing in Health, but it would be kinda wasted).

Edit: Although then you can't put any resists in True Grit.

I wish I had time to read this entire thread before leaving for work in two minutes, but I want to add one minor point.

Repeatedly in this thread it has been stated that defense provides exponentially increasing returns. This isn't true, because it's a misuse of the word exponential.

Defense would provide exponential returns if the formula were something like:

final tohit = k * 10^(-a*defense)

where k and a are coefficients (since this is an example it doesn't matter what their values might be). Then, if adding X defense cut average incoming damage in half, adding X more would cut damage in half again. Under the in-game system, you need 25% defense to cut incoming damage in half from 0% defense, and then 12.5% to cut it in half again, so it's not exponential. What you should be saying is that defense simply has increasing returns.

Mostly semantics, but it's something that always bugs me.

Mids doesn't have the option to double-stack Active Defense, but you can do so in-game for twice the DDR.

I thought brute and scrapper /shield can only get ~90% DDR now that the portion from Grant Cover isn't enhanceable, though?
Battle Agility: 22%
Grant Cover: 14% (unenhanceable)
Active Defense w/3 Membranes: 27%, double stacked: 54%
22 + 14 + 54 = 90%

The phrase "God with a Gun" makes me think of one scene from the Ultron book in Mighty Avengers. Ultron is controlling all of the suits Iron Man has ever built, and fighting the Avengers with them. Ares leaps into the fray, with his usual armament, and starts destroying them. Wait, aren't Iron Man suits supposed to be pretty tough to destroy?

For the melee weapons you could point to his godly strength. But in one panel he uses what is clearly a normal rifle to blow apart several Iron Man suits. There are no rifles that can blow apart Iron Man like that. So how does it happen?

He's the God of War. In his hands, any weapon is an instrument of divine power. Yes, he's also extremely skilled, and accurate, and strong, and fast, but part of his power also seems to be that his weapons become more powerful.

That's my view on how a divine being with a mundane weapon might work. The power isn't in the weapon.

I've always called it "badge protection", personally.

You're 1.5% shy of the softcap for melee and aoe now. Half (5.88% for the build you just posted) of Cloaking Device suppresses in combat. Don't panic, though: pulling one slot from somewhere (TT:A or Bane Armor would be my choice) and putting it in TT:L will let you swap the Adjusted Targetting for a Gaussian's set, giving you the defense you need while leaving the rest of your build the same.

The Impervium Armor in Bane Spider Armor Upgrade is a pretty expensive piece for a straight downgrade from a 50 generic IO

Is this the order you'd take the powers in-game? I'd change a lot of that (waiting until 32 for frag grenade, and 44 to be able to control the KB therefrom?).

Why all the auras in Call Reinforcements?

Fulcrum Shift will swing things dramatically in the Scrapper's favor, actually. With TWO saturated Fulcrum Shifts, the Brute will almost catch up thanks to their higher damage % cap.

Looks like Pain has the biggest area, it must be overpowered!

Brutes have about 10% more health and a higher resist cap, but their actual resistance and defense values are the same as Scrappers. They can get more out of t9 defense powers thanks to that higher cap, though.

Assuming the same powersets and the same slotting, a Brute needs ~60 fury just to break even with a Scrapper on damage, and since i18 it's challenging to get much above that, so at best a Brute will only ever have a small lead in damage. However, scrappers benefit a lot more from damage buffs like Build Up, Against All Odds, red inspirations, and team buffs, thanks to their higher base damage.

Scrapper mini-nukes (Lightning Rod and Shield Charge) do more damage than their Brute equivalents, because the pseudo-pet has a 400% damage cap and thus does not benefit fully from a brute's Fury and the Build Up that's normally used in conjunction with the power. 400% of a Brute's base damage is less than 295% (more with AAO) of a Scrapper's.

A brute needs a full Fulcrum Shift or more to one-shot a lieutenant, a Scrapper just needs Build Up and a crit from the right power. Even a chance to kill that Guardian before it can drop its Quartz is better than no chance at all.

Ultimately though the two are pretty well-matched. Brutes are a little tougher and in most circumstances do a little less damage. The main differences are in playstyle, and in which AT gets access to which sets.