Neogumbercules

I'm glad I held out on the bootleg patch and made all of my i19 builds with floating slots left over.

I was thinking about a buy-in lotto too. I couldn't figure out what would be a good price for it though. There would have to be a limit on the number of tickets any global account could buy. I would say 1 ticket per global account and a sliding scale for how much the ticket costs with a bonus multiplier applied for every extra X million you put in to it. At the end of the week or month or whatever, ALL of that money gets split up into 100m slices and handed out to however many people that divides into.

They could even do what the real lotto does in my state and keep a billboard somewhere with a real-time number of the current jackpot.

I haven't gone through the whole topic but here's my thoughts on the matter. A regular weapon user could still technically have incarnate abilities. From what I understand from Ramiel's arc, the well of furies is a somewhat enigmatic entity that channels it's energy to the chosen person. The form that it takes can be different from person to person. For example, an assault rifle can be totally normal until held in the hand of a person chosen by the well of the furies and it suddenly becomes immensely powerful beyond any normal physical capability. The well channels your incarnate abilities through your body and into the weapon.

As far as incarnates go and roleplaying natural characters, I think people are just going to have to accept that they are going to be strengthened by a super natural force. If they don't like it then they don't have to participate in the incarnate content.

As we all (maybe) know, whenever a transaction is made on the market the game eats a small percentage of it in auction house fees. Now... I'm not sure -why- the devs implemented this. As a way of taking some money out of the economy it seems pointless. The sheer rate of income a single person can generate in a short period of time in this game is bonkers.

That's besides the point, though. As I'm sitting around waiting for i19 to drop it dawned on me "why don't we do something with all of that phat loot?" These market fees simply vanish into infinity.

How about every week all of the market fees that are paid get sent into a global fund and then at the end of every week the fund gets split up into 50 million inf slices and then gets handed out randomly to that number of globals?

I think that could be pretty fun!

Ah. I hadn't really considered swapping. Since I'm not using CoF and I'm not particularly building around any specific Alpha Boost I'm sure I'll end up with all of them eventually. With Stamina, Physical Perfection, 2 Perf. Shifter, Miracle and Numina I don't think I'll have very big end issues anyway.

Thanks for the advice. I used your suggestion for Eradications and got my energy defense up higher without sacrificing much. I'm a little torn over what Alpha Boost to go for. The Cardiac one is tempting but I really don't think the extra damage resistance is gonna help much.

It's a toss up between Musculature and Spiritual. Extra recharge is always awesome but the secondary boosts aren't terribly useful for a /DA. Musculature seems to offer the most. Extra damage and boosting my endurance mod powers seems the best balance.

You can't balance a power around impossible variables like teammates you may or may not have and the ATs they may or may not be (that would effect what 50% regen means for them in terms of hp/s).

And as long as we're mentioning precedents there are plenty of team buff aura powers in the game that are stackable and far more game breaking than a regen toggle.

25% regen 10% recovery would probably be decent enough to be worth taking and low enough to not turn your team into god-mode when you stack it.

A power like that would be perfect for VEATs.

Fire/Kin trollers really are amazing. I know there are an army of them out there, but once you get one to level 38 you'll see why. Total lockdown and amazing damage. Few things, even when IO'd out, can come close to doing as much damage with as much safety as an F/K 'troller can do on nothing but SOs or common IOs.

I'm holding off on using unofficial patch. Call it a mental block :P Thanks for the tips, I'll try it out and see how it goes. And yes, I'm sitting on a few slots for inherent stamina. One reason I wasn't terribly concerned with pushing up more E defense is that I assume a large amount of the energy based attacks thrown at me are going to have a smashing component. In that case my smashing defense will take over anyway. Almost all of the energy melee and energy blast attacks will fit that criteria. Lightning shooting enemies may be a different story. I'll play around more in Mids with your suggestions and see how it turns out for me. Thanks again for all the helpful advice.

Thanks for the Math-Fu Rush and Sam!

I think it would be fine to proliferate as long as certain Stalker specific powers were altered or replaced.

Ninja Reflexes -boosted slightly to make up for loss of Hide's defense

Danger Sense -^same

Kuji-in Rin -add some defense debuff protection

Counter Attack -puts you into a stance where you automatically dodge and deal a high damage counter attack to the first enemy that tries to attack you with a melee attack. In this stance if you move or use another power you break the effect but it doesn't go into cool down mode. Very much like AS. This would be great for fighting really tough enemies and using it to dodge their big hitters. It's a great way to add to your survivability but probably at the cost of sustained DPS in exchange for a powerful damage spike and the ability to control the battle.

Kuji-in Sha

Smoke Flash -Change it to a pbaoe "choking cloud" type effect only less powerful. Leaves enemies choking for a few seconds.

Blinding Powder -Maybe just make it a -to hit/perception/range debuff?

Ninja Agility - +20% recharge

Kuji-in Retsu -This can stay the same

On paper it's got... good defense, great heal, pbaoe control, to-hit debuff, inherent recharge boost, and the ability to automatically dodge attacks. Sounds pretty fun! (and OP )

Thanks for the advice everyone. Whether or not Cloak of Darkness suppressed during combat was one question I forgot to ask. Thanks for the heads up. I'll try applying some of those suggestions into a new build, see how it goes. I -never- exemp, so the placement of Follow Up is fine for me. I used the Erad quad indtead of the dam/rech for Dark Regen. The difference in recharge ends up being less than a second but I get better end boost. Might cost me a lot more to buy on the market, but I'm willing to do it.

Edit: Ok I've got a build. Using the advice from the other posters I think I've put together something I like a lot. I managed to get even higher defense without sacrificing much recharge.



121% recharge with Hasten up. And as always, 3 slots left over to put into inherent stamina.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.81
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 43 Magic Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Claws
Secondary Power Set: Dark Armor
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Strike -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(11), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34)
Level 1: Dark Embrace -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam(5), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(15), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 2: Slash -- KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(11), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(13), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34)
Level 4: Murky Cloud -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam(5), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(15), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 6: Spin -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(7), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(7), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(21), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Oblit-%Dam(43)
Level 8: Death Shroud -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(9), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(9), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(25), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Oblit-%Dam(48)
Level 10: Obsidian Shield -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam(37), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(40), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), Krma-ResKB(37)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Empty(A)
Level 16: Dark Regeneration -- Erad-Acc/Rchg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(31), Theft-+End%(46)
Level 18: Focus -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(19), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(21)
Level 20: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 22: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam(23), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(23), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(40), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(46)
Level 24: Cloak of Darkness -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(46), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(48)
Level 26: Eviscerate -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(27), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(27), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Oblit-%Dam(42)
Level 28: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(29), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(29)
Level 30: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(31), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(31)
Level 32: Shockwave -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(33), Posi-Dmg/Rng(33), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37)
Level 35: Oppressive Gloom -- RzDz-Immob%(A)
Level 38: Follow Up -- KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(A), KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(39), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(39), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43)
Level 41: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(45), P'Shift-End%(45), Mrcl-Rcvry+(45)
Level 47: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 49: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50), RechRdx-I(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 4: Ninja Run

So my first ever character was a claws/dark scrapper. Of all of my characters, this one is one I've managed to avoid IO'ing simply because I have no idea what direction to take him. With all of this Alpha Slot business I've decided it's time to take him out of retirement and get him a build to kick *** and take names. Problem is I'm still stuck on what I should be doing.

This build I just threw together mixes 30ish S/L/M defense and gets 50% recharge without Hasten running. I went with Body Mastery APP simply because I feel as though I have enough attacks in my primary. No doubt adding more from the APP would be a good way to boost my ***-kicking potential but I've got other characters that fill that role handily. Physical Perfection + inherent Stamina/Health should be all the endurance I need. Conserve Power is just a forced pick, but it's better than the alternative.

The aim I have for this character is to build a very solid all-rounder with few downsides and is sturdy enough to handle anything the game may throw at me without running out of blue.

Looking at the totals chart it seems I have great protection overall. S/L damage is highly resisted and the huge defense buffer should help me eat alpha strikes. Psy is laughable to me. If it doesn't miss I still have about 60% resistance to it. The hole, as always with DA, is Energy damage.

I'm not sure how to slot Dark Regen. Right now it's just frankenslotted for good enhancement value.

As far as my attacks go, I should be pretty strong in the AoE department. ST damage is something I don't necessarily focus on. I intend to play this character either on big teams, or when solo, at -1x8 to maximize my drops. Having a superb ST chain isn't a very big priority for me.

Anyway, here's the build. The 3 slots I've got reserved are for inherent Stamina.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.81
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 48 Magic Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Claws
Secondary Power Set: Dark Armor
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Strike -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(11), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34)
Level 1: Dark Embrace -- ImpArm-ResDam(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(5), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(15), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg(42)
Level 2: Slash -- KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(11), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(13), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34)
Level 4: Murky Cloud -- ImpArm-ResDam(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(5), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(15), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg(40)
Level 6: Spin -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(7), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(7), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(21), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Oblit-%Dam(43)
Level 8: Death Shroud -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(9), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(9), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(25), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), EndRdx-I(48)
Level 10: Obsidian Shield -- ImpArm-ResDam(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(37), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(40), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg(42)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), Krma-ResKB(43)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Empty(A)
Level 16: Dark Regeneration -- Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg(17), Theft-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(31), Theft-Acc/Heal(46)
Level 18: Focus -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(19), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(21), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37)
Level 20: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 22: Tough -- ImpArm-ResDam(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(23), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(23), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg(40), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(46)
Level 24: Cloak of Darkness -- Krma-ResKB(A)
Level 26: Eviscerate -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(27), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(27), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Oblit-%Dam(42)
Level 28: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(29), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(29)
Level 30: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(31), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(31)
Level 32: Shockwave -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(33), Posi-Dmg/Rng(33), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), RechRdx-I(46)
Level 35: Oppressive Gloom -- RzDz-Immob%(A)
Level 38: Follow Up -- KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(A), KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(39), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(39), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43)
Level 41: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(45), P'Shift-End%(45), Mrcl-Rcvry+(45)
Level 47: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 49: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50), RechRdx-I(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 4: Ninja Run

I'm really excited for some truly challenging content and not challenging in the sense that you need to do X,Y,Z before the enemy is vulnerable. I want stuff that turns into a truly epic knockdown, drag out, battle royale!

*edited for accuracy, or a complete lack thereof*


That said, while the ED limitations being imposed are kind of a bummer to me, I see why they did it. Is anyone out there able to pull some math-fu and tell us how the top tier Alpha Enhancment would effect powers with 3-SOs worth of enhancement in them already?

So just for example how much damage would Scrapper Smite do with 3 SOs plus the Musculature top tier damage enhancement? How much defense would Ninja Reflexes provide with 3 SOs for defense and the top tier defense one? You have to add in the standard enhanced values then the brute force enhancement from the alpha slot and then add in the little bit extra that get diminished. I don't want to attempt that.

This also kind of kills the argument that inherent Stamina gives you 3 extra powers you can't slot. This Alpha Slot update allows players to save a TON of slots if they wanted to use it like that.

What I'd really like to see is how much of that 5 million dollars is being split up. How much is reinvestment, payroll, maintenance, bandwidth, profit, etc... not with any preconceptions of course. It'd just be cool to see where all that money goes. Of course unless I become an NCsoft exec, I doubt I'll ever know :P

I was one of those Dark Armor suckers, so the "good ol days" weren't that good to me. Other than watching other people do all the crazy stuff people talk about.

I'd have to say emp. +dam, +regen, +recovery, +recharge, +def... the single target buffing and auras available to emp are heaven to a scrapper. Stacked with leadership from both of you and you're looking at tooons of extra damage and survivability. Have the emp take the sonic secondary for some awesome -res to hurt the enemies even more. Sounds like it would be an awesome combo.

Don't let the emp take absorb pain or heal other. You won't need the healing outside of the occasional healing aura maybe. That'll clear up slots to get more powers to help out the duo in a meaningful way.

An emp with ED slotted Maneuvers and Fortitude would be providing you with 30% defense at all times and that's before you even factor in the extra powers you'll be taking to bolster your own.

With Assault and Fortitude, you'll be getting +50% damage.

Emp will provide you with a ton of extra defense to stack on top of your resistance AND give you a whole slew of extra beneficial effects. No other duo buddy will provide you with as much as an Emp.

double post... gah!

All of my i19 builds have 4 slots in reserve for health and stamina. If I did a respec now I'd have to put those slots somewhere then respec again.

I've heard tell that EM/Fire is a craptastic set, but FA recently got buffed, so that may have helped it a little bit. Maybe EM/EA really is the king of crap these days.