Resolve

I'd suggest monitoring smashing resistance and regen when you get into sticky situations to get a feel for the dynamic of it. The numbers bit isn't hugely complex, but I think getting a feel for it is more important. How big a mess can you handle when you're at blinky red?

I've had pretty much nothing but fun on my Claws/SR in trials. Yes, I get the occasional RNG hate, getting timefreezed just as Antimatter decides to be a d*ck, that sort of thing. But generally it's just good clean fun.

I went with Spiritual in a mad quest for seamless Followup/Focus/Slash but Musculature seems equally valid [1]; if you don't use Body Mastery Cardiac might be necessary.

Void is nice for alpha mitigation but basically all is good as long as there isn't mad knockback involved. I recommend going with the "best" [1] Lore pets that are consistent with theme. If you're on top of endurance Rebirth is the stuff, later with a side order of Clarion or whatever else you fancy as team buffs. As for attack procs, damage damage damage [1]. And when you have as much damage as you can, stick in a bit of -res if you can be bothered.

[1] You're a scrapper. Damage, damage, damage. If you get something else like +rech or +recov, it's in order to do more damage. Damage. Damage.

Stupid Question Time:

Does Burnout recharge incarnate powers?

At this moment my StJ/SR scrapper is at 42 with 88% and change global recharge. I started out taking all powers but taunt, then at 38 respecced to take out Heavy Blow and Sweeping Cross.

I haven't done the math for just how much DPS I lose to this, but I gain two things,

First, a smooth attack chain where Initial Strike is always up after any other attack. I expect that when I get enough recharge I'll swap out IS for HB. This may call for a separate low-level exemping build.

Second, the ability to fit in Spring Attack, and Assault.

Those are personal preferences. I like having a smooth attack chain as soon as possible, I like the look of Spring Attack, I like lots of Assault on teams.

Rib Cracker to get them to bend over a bit, Crushing Uppercut to the face, pause, Shin Breaker?

No cause for guilt, none at all. :-)

Basilisk's Gaze is just lovely I think - especially on toons that typically get 5% recharge bonuses. But those 3 slots have to come from somewhere so I've no idea if it'll fit in OP's build. But if it does they'll get a good power with good bonuses instead of just taking a power they won't use. (at least that's the impression I get from OP)

And giant WHOOOMPslosions instead of boring Mu zaps.

I may be missing something, but would you gain from taking Char with four Basilisk's Gaze?

A bit of a ramble about my StJ/SR experience. First the tl;dr: I cannot stress enough how right EricHough is. A bit of frankenslotting makes an enormous difference. Also, burning some alignment merits on endurance tools like Miracle regen, Numina regen/recov and the Performance Shifter proc will make a huge difference.

Anyways. My StJ in Beta was a Super Reflex brute, and I got really spoiled with being able to put a lot of of Endurance slotting in. Being a brute was quite defensible from a RP point of view. Then comes live StJ, I'm making my second proper toon on Exalted, and I just can't get past character creation with Brute selected...

Clicketyclick, and I'm eating blues as a StJ/SR scrapper in a stylish outfit. Because scrappers are awesome.

I'm pretty sure that StJ does not eat a disproportionate amount of blue for the amount of *** you kick. However, you get to kick a disproportionate amount of ***. Fast animations, big damage, have you looked at Crushing Uppercut and Spinning Strike? As scrapper players, you surely have.

I've always been a proponent of mainly slotting for sufficient acc, then damage, then a balance of end and rech. As long as you're endurance efficient, you can just hold off a bit on the attacking, take a little break to recover, oh and make sure you have a bind to easily toggle sprint.

Then I get to Faultline, rescue Mr Yin, get my Ogre's Mights and go acc DO/3 dam "SO" and I'm chewing blue bubblegum but damn I'm beating people down even with getting all the attacks and settling for 4 slots. This may not be the optimal way to play StJ/SR but I'm laughing and it's all good.

Now, the joys of altitis. I can fairly easily marshal up some stuff when I get passionate about a toon. Some a-merits, a bunch of inf and a round of emails later (I haven't got mids here but this should have been around 22) and our basic average girl is at 62.5 global with Numina, Miracle and Perfshift slotted, plus some very nice regen and acc bonuses.

I haven't respecced yet because it was only last night that I got Posi 2 done and no Sweeping Cross and only one of Initial and Heavy my Posi experience is gonna be less than amazing. (I may do a dedicated lowbie build) And I've done light frankenslotting.

And I'm no longer sucking wind. This is somewhat important; at 22 I'm close to end stable.

Then I get the final attacks, and some more toggles, do some more twinking, and at 36 my ad-hoc leveling build is at defenses around 40, still at 62.5 global, holding off on Hasten until post Perfection and about ready to take out Sweeping and one starting attack. And put in CJ, and make some new cossies... and put in some proper sets (Crushing Impacts for now I guess) because now I'm eating blues again.

It's not at all unmanageable but yes, StJ is indeed too much fun for a non-blinged toon to handle. As for how much blinging is needed, I recommend burning those few a-merits to get your recovery up. (I recommend keeping some end tools around in any case, put them in lowbie toons and pull them if they weren't fun enough) Do some frankenslotting as per the excellent posts in this thread, and enjoy.

Now to reroll my not very fun because I have a zillion SR scrappers FM/SR as StJ/WP/Fire with bright flamey StJ attacks.

I've done a ripoff SJ/SR on Exalted and she's awesome at level in spite of my being bad (haven't used melee cones since forever) and CoH being freezy. I think I'll do a SJ/SD original on Union but War Mace is also tempting.

Of course WM/EA is FotM...

Gender deformation?

Not sure if want.

I did notice one effect of level shifting - when fighting 54s Claws' Shockwave attack now knocks stuff back instead of down. I find the increased HP debuffs to be an adequate compensation, though.

I confuse whenever I can.

I try to start punching faces the second I'm confident the players on mission map can handle it. I prefer not to wait for anyone ever unless it's the final fight in a TF. If I'm not in mission I hope the team do the same - I'm not getting XP when I'm en route or getting a sandwich anyway, and this way I'll get the completion bonus early. And eventually the merits early.

I'm trading money and time for Monopoly money and having a great time. Confuse and starting early both give me (and everyone on my team) more Monopoly money per unit of real time.

There may be RP reasons not to do these things, but I contend there's no valid rewards optimization reason.

These days, as long as you save the costume and power customizations your toon is never truly deleted. Well, as long as you keep the files safe at least.

Not at a PC right now so I can't use Mids, but generally I'd argue that what makes a Claws pylon soloer also makes a good claws generalist. This assumes you get at least some AoE, I went with Spin and Shockwave myself.

So yes, running FU-Focus-Slash is very, very nice. In general use, you may get more mileage out of FU-Focus-Spin, though.

I'd go with a Trick Arrow/Archery defender or (cue insane laugh) another Fire/Shield scrapper.

Since we're scrapping, I want energy melee. I want an energy melee with as obscenely powerful an ET as is appropriate given the hit to survivability from the self damage. I want EM to have the single most powerful ST attack chain in the game with high recharge, and I want that chain to be very difficult to sustain.

The part about the per-server character limit not going up was really disappointing to me. I do agree with Evilanna that 36 slots is a lot, but there' something about CoH that really encourages (just mine? hope not) altitis and so while 36 slots is nice more would be better.

Much, much better. Enough that I'd pay for it, as a matter of fact.

Just a QR - I already have a fire/reflex toon with a concept I enjoy. (may reroll as fire/will with an eye toward blaze but that's either here nor there) If I didn't, I'd be rolling a magical samurai guy with all three fire sword strikes planned in right this minute.

Maybe not your cup of tea O swift-foot, but certainly a valid concept.

I'm pretty sure it was Mr. Grub who misspelled Skuls.

Must me an intern with the Megalomaniac badge.