The_Laughing_Man

I would definitely buy an "item" pack with lots more base details.

Even release small 200 point "packs" with themes: Nightclub, Sportsbar, Space Station, etc.

+1 for the Tailor NPC though it's not such a huge problem with Trainers now offering the facility. Pricing would have to be careful on this, as it's almost as easy to jump out the base and go to a trainer.

I'd like to see an expansion to the craftable Telepad, with Advanced pads that allow more than one beacon to be attached to a pad. This would help small bases and/or solo/casual SGs.

Not sure how hard it would be, but I'd like to be able to add NPCs too. Maybe a bartender, or a scientist? Even if you had to create the NPC in (for example) MA, the saved NPC file could then be loaded as an "object" in the base. Perhaps there could even be one line dialogues you could write for them too.

How about an MA access workstation? - I know you can get the accolade - would that defeat the object of earning it?

I'd also pay good points for offline invites to SG (maybe by sending a token through email now that we have that functionality?) as well as offline promotions/demotions? too. Thinking about the 1-man SG here. 200 points for 5 invites?

That's my tuppence!

-H

Have also raised a ticket about this. I'm definitely well past my 7 year bill date (24th) and have no "7 year vet" badge.

I'm also hopelessly confused by how many tokens I should have... I wish there was an official word on this.

The website says: 1 for every vet badge, 1 for every year, 1 for the retail box.

Post-live, it's 1 a month, 1 every year, and 1 for every 1200 points. I can't find mention of the "1 for your first purchase".

I was awarded correctly on go-live day. Then I bought a bunch of points, and passed my (7 year) bill date.

So I should have:
- Pre-live (81 months vet badge) = 81/3 = 27
- Pre-live (81 months vet badge) = 81/12 = 6
- Pre-live (retail box) = 1

That's 34 tokens at launch.

Post-launch
I bought 5920 points = 5920/1200 = 4
Within that should be a "first purchase" reward of +1
I also passed my 7 year bill date = +1 for another month, and +1 for another year.

Total tokens should now be 27+6+1+4+1+1+1 which is 41. Is that right? If that's the case, I'm also being diddled out of rewards...

-H

My 7 year anniversary was yesterday. No badge. Though the Vet information that did keep track of your subscription has been removed from the account summary page (due to the replacement with Rewards)

I was waiting for Monday before doing anything as I'm not entirely sure at what time it gets awarded (US time being different to GMT where I am).

Will be interesting to see if others have this issue.

-H

Similar to Starflier.

I have managed to snatch quite a few names I always wanted to have, but failed to get when I started playing.

So I'll be alternating between here & Virtue for the forseeable future.

-H

Really happy to get Marrionette & Lazer. Missed Harlequin (though it would be doubtfully available)

Still surprised to see these free if anyone's stuck...

Pandemica
Chaos Engine
Southern Belle

Really old pages in "Name Watch" threads are a good source if you didn't get exactly what you were after.

-H

Guess VIPs get gold... Or maybe off-yellow

-H

It's no fun pulling long hours. This may be a game to us, but it's work to them.

Well - it was yesterday

Nice one!

-H

I was very surprised by the names I could pick up that were free. Filled all 12 slots + 2 freebies very quickly.

Seraphime, Marrionette, Wallbanger, Padre and Lazer (the Phaser hero!) are all unavailable on Virtue so those names I've been after for 7 years are now playable. Tabletop Champions heroes/villains from my childhood will now be brought back to life.

It's changed what I thought would be a "dabble" server into a likely second home. But then I'm quite picky about toon names.

-H

Just picking up on a couple of points. Take what you will and move on:

- I don't waste storage bins on Salvage. I have one salvage bin with 10 parts each of the required salvage for the Recharge boost from the Empowerment Station. The rest are organised pretty much as SerialBeggar. A CEBR toon can rack up whatever salvage you need in a short space of time. Oh. And don't keep any rubbish in your enhancement bins. If it's worth less than 5 million on the market (crafted) it's not worth keeping.

- No one can walk up to the market cold (i.e. never seen it before) and make millions in minutes. You really need to spend time getting a "feel" for the prices and availability of stuff, and that only comes with time. Don't get too down about it.

- If you don't like spending time playing the market, make it work for you when you're asleep. This is where lowball bids work best - when they have time to fill. Going away for the weekend? On holiday? Stuff your slots with bids. Those "logon surprises" always make me smile.

- On my home server (Virtue) there are always people broadcasting for Tips teams. An hour spent smashing through some tips with a team is fun, has a chance for purples (if you roll at 50), and gets you half way to your next A-Merit.

- I'm always astounded by people's game perception of IO value. Take an attack that does 100 points of damage. One level 50 damage IO will raise this to 142. A level 30 would only raise it to 134. That's 8 points of damage difference. Look at a "triple". acc/dam/rech @50 enhances for 21% (that'd be 121 in an attack). At 30 it's 17.5% (that's 117). 4 points different... Now look at the price differences. (Perhaps 30 is a bad example because of Sirens call PvPers. Check 36/37/38). I could care less if my attack did 15 points less damage (200 instead of 215), or recharged half a second slower, or cost .01 end/sec less. Mids can be a real help working out how much you actually lose by having "less than max" enhancements. It is never that much. Certainly (IMO) not noticeable in game. Like it's been said though, "non max" enhancements aren't as easily obtainable, but leaving bids up at least overnight will make a big difference.

-H

Just some comments from me rather than a complete build change:

Obliteration is a nasty set in disguise. Damage, recharge, defence, accuracy... It looks wonderful until you see the End reduction it puts in your attacks. 18%. For a 6 slotted @50 set, that's pretty terrible. Shield Charge+Headsplitter will use up a quarter of your end (almost) in two clicks.

If you're resigning yourself to Cardiac as an Alpha slot, you'll be ok. If not, I'd be looking at reducing the End cost for Headsplitter, as well as squeezing in a Miracle +Recovery at least. It depends on your attack chain though.

True Grit slotted with Reactive Armour. Again, it gives some nice set bonusses, but the benefits of slotting the power with just +Res aren't that great. Your mileage may very well vary on this though.

I'd also look at moving that Gaussian's set from Build Up into Focussed Accuracy. The Chance for build up IO is not as effective in a click power as it is in a toggle.

The problem (not really a problem as such) with Shield is the relative ease with which you can get to the soft cap. There are so many ways of doing it, no "right" way exists.

For my BS/SD I absolutely wanted Musculature, so I concentrated on getting as much -End/+Recovery into the build as I could. Adding the fact I wanted +Recharge (which compounds end issues) and it was a tricky build.

One (off topic) question about Active Defence. It's sat on auto, and yet when it recharges, it doesn't fire until the effect has worn off, implying that it's unstackable. Is that my imagination?

-H

How do the imps do?

Honestly?

I have no clue. They don't die much if that helps?

Flashfire>Jump in>Fire cages>Fireball>Char/Fireblast>FC>Fireball+Hot Feet murders everything. Next mob I swap Flashfire for Cinders. Then Flashfire is back. The Imps are icing on the cake along with the myriad of other tools available.

I get a lot of use out of Cinders as an AoE mez filler when Flashfire is down. I'd rather leave Smoke out of my build than Cinders any day. It also helps enormously when a team is steamrollering content (due mainly to your awesomeness) and suddenly bites off more than it can chew. Flashfire & Cinders can hold a lot of mobs in a short space of time.

Seriously, my Imps don't contribute much to damage. They are unreliable, neurotic, idiotic, jumping balls of fire that mainly serve to amuse me as I systematically destroy groups of mobs without their help. The only benefit is that they can take some agro off you for a few moments.

If you have hard targets to take down, and the imps clump up on it (rather than running off over the map like maddened Rikti Monkeys), Freezing Rain, with the 30% Def & Res debuff means the Imps will tear it apart in short order. Even better though, is that hard resistive targets are Bantha fodder for Tornado & Lightning Storm too

-H

I did think of writing a Fire/Storm guide, but really, there is no need as there is so much info in here, and it's not that out of date.

I went with Cardiac/Pyro/Clarion/Storm Elementals as well as Reactive for extra burn.

Storm really kicks backsides in Incarnate content as most of the mobs ignore knockback (BAF prisoners especially) and/or there are stationary things that need defeating (Lambda crates). All of a sudden, Tornado, LS, Hurricane & Bonfire get a lot of use. Lining up 3 Lightning Storms on the Prisoner path is fun. Bonfire+FR on the same patch... ho ho ho...

My build is now a mish mash of defence & resist. I honestly don't worry that much about getting hit. If it's not stunned or held by the time I close to melee, then hurricane makes sure they can't hit a thing. Chance to hold procs in my three attacks really helps. Oh, and Clarion is just wonderful. Wonderful.

This build is stupidly expensive though, but it's worth it.


Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Sukie Redflower: Level 50 Magic Controller
Primary Power Set: Fire Control
Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Fire Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Char -- Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(3), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(3), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), Decim-Acc/Dmg(5), Dev'n-Hold%(7)
Level 1: Gale -- Acc-I(A)
Level 2: Fire Cages -- GravAnch-Acc/Immob/Rchg(A), EndRdx-I(9), GravAnch-Immob/Rchg(13), GravAnch-Acc/Rchg(13), GravAnch-Immob/EndRdx(15), GravAnch-Hold%(15)
Level 4: Ring of Fire -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), Dev'n-Hold%(21)
Level 6: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 8: Hot Feet -- Armgdn-Dam%(A), Armgdn-Dmg/EndRdx(21), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(23), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(23), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(25), Erad-%Dam(25)
Level 10: Steamy Mist -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), S'fstPrt-ResKB(11), S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx(11), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(17), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(27), LkGmblr-Rchg+(50)
Level 12: Flashfire -- Amaze-Stun/Rchg(A), Amaze-EndRdx/Stun(27), Amaze-Stun(29), Amaze-Acc/Rchg(29), Amaze-Acc/Stun/Rchg(31)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A)
Level 16: Freezing Rain -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(33)
Level 20: Smoke -- DampS-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(A)
Level 22: Hurricane -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb/Rchg(A), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(33), DarkWD-Rchg/EndRdx(34), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(34)
Level 24: Cinders -- UbrkCons-Hold(A), UbrkCons-Hold/Rchg(34), UbrkCons-Acc/Rchg(36), UbrkCons-Dam%(36), UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(36)
Level 26: Bonfire -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(37)
Level 28: Thunder Clap -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(31), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(31), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(33), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(37)
Level 30: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), EndRdx-I(40)
Level 32: Fire Imps -- ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(37), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(39), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(40)
Level 35: Tornado -- C'Arms-Acc/Rchg(A), C'Arms-Dmg/EndRdx(42), C'Arms-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), C'Arms-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(42)
Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Apoc-Acc/Rchg(A), Apoc-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Apoc-Dam%(39), Apoc-Dmg/Rchg(40), Apoc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43)
Level 41: Fire Ball -- Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(43), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(45), Ragnrk-Knock%(45), EndRdx-I(50)
Level 44: Fire Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Dev'n-Hold%(45), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(46), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(46), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(46), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48)
Level 47: Fire Shield -- TtmC'tng-ResDam(A), TtmC'tng-EndRdx(48), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(48)
Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 50: Cardiac Core Paragon
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(7)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), P'Shift-EndMod(9), P'Shift-End%(50)
Level 1: Containment
Level 4: Ninja Run

Couple of things I did to improve my End costs:

- End redux in Freezing Rain rather than recharge. With a base cost of 18 End, it's a big chunk of your blue bar.
- 5 Ragnaroks in Fireball only gives a 33% end redux. With so much recharge I am using it a LOT, so an extra End redux was required.

The above build has no real issues with End unless I'm running Ninja Run and/or Sprint. Friendly toons with +Rec in their powers though eliminates that.

This is the only toon I have, where I felt the billions I spent justified the end result.

-H

Capped regen (according to Dity of Data) is 3000% for Scrappers.

Base HP (at 50) is 1339. The Cap is 2410.

Not sure about the rest...

-H

My guide to Regeneration here but as it's non AT specific it's not linked anywhere else.

-H

This is not so much a guide as a help feature for those who don't understand regeneration.

For some reason, I understand Recharge. I understand Endurance recovery. But I could never get my head around Regeneration. Stamina, for example, is a good benchmark for Recovery. Pre-innate Fitness, you knew how much of a difference Stamina made when you took it at 20. But I never really "felt" the difference Health made.

Mainly I think that's because "tough" toons are tough. You expect them to be able to withstand damage. Squishy toons are squishy. When they pull a group of mobs, that health bar can go down (mitigation aside) quite fast. Apart from on a /Regen toon, the speed your health comes back is only noticeable when you self-heal, or when you rest.

When you're building a toon, those regeneration bonuses look quite hefty. But how much of a difference do they actually make?

Thanks here to those that replied to my Regen questions thread here and also to Plasmic's Regeneration Guide which set me off down this road. In some ways, this may seem a repost of Plasmic's thread, but I couldn't get my head round some of the things he said and had to work through it at my own pace.

For the tl;dr crowd, download my spreadsheet and play.

For the rest of you...

Regeneration works by healing a portion of your health every x seconds. At its base level (numbers from City of Data) it's 25% of your health every minute. In-game this results in 5% of your Health every 12 seconds.

And this is where it gets confusing. The "real numbers" quote hp/sec regeneration rates, but all this does is give you an idea of your regen rate, because what actually happens, is that (at base) you get NO health back for eleven seconds, then a huge tick of health on the 12th second.

Having recently got the Microprose version of MtG working in Windows 7 (I previously had to run it in a virtual Win97 machine) I am now tempted by one of my over-reaching (and never to be fulfilled if I'm honest) plans to pull the db apart and turn it to CoX!

Nice idea!

-H

Thanks for all the replies. It's helped!

So if I were to publish a guide on this (to show what I've learned), how does this look?

********

Regeneration for the Common (Wo)man

This is not so much a guide as a help feature for those who don't understand regeneration.

For some reason, I understand Recharge. I understand Endurance recovery. But I could never get my head around Regeneration. Stamina, for example, is a good benchmark. Pre-innate Fitness, you knew how much of a difference Stamina made when you took it at 20. But I never really "felt" the difference Health made.

Mainly I think that's because "tough" toons are tough. You expect them to be able to withstand damage. Squishy toons are squishy. When they pull a group of mobs, that health bar can go down (mitigation aside) quite fast. Apart from on a /Regen toon, the speed your health comes back is only noticeable when you self-heal, or when you rest.

When you're building a toon, those regeneration bonuses look quite hefty. But how much of a difference do they actually make?

Thanks here to those that replied to my Regen questions thread here and also to Plasmic's Regeneration Guide which set me off down this road.

For the tl;dr crowd, download my spreadsheet and play.

For the rest of you...

Regeneration works by healing a portion of your health every x seconds. At its base level (numbers from City of Data) it's 25% of your health every minute. In-game this results in 5% of your Health every 12 seconds.

And this is where it gets confusing. The "real numbers" quote hp/sec regeneration rates, but all this does is give you an idea of your regen rate, because what actually happens, is that (at base) you get NO health back for eleven seconds, then a huge tick of health on the 12th second.

Thanks Kitsune.

Does that therefore mean that the hp/sec rate quoted in-game is therefore technically misleading?

If you're looking at (for example) 7 seconds between health ticks you're going to get 0 HP/sec for 6 seconds then a chunk on the seventh? Basically the stats average out your regen on a per-second basis.

-H

I have a question on regen...

In game, your regen rate is quoted in hp/sec.

In a guide I can't locate right now, it stated that you get 5% of your health back every "tick" - where a "tick" is x seconds depending on your regen.

How does it work? Every second, you get X hit points? Or is it every x seconds you get 5% of your hp back?

Reason I ask is that I'm trying to figure out the "real" benefit to +Regen in IO builds. My regen is currently set to tick off every 4.1 seconds. If I drop 30% worth of regen bonusses (i.e. 3 x 2-slotted LOTG) it drops the tick to 4.65 seconds.

Now if the server clock runs (for example) in 1 second increments, there is no real difference. In fact, the granularity of that clock can make quite a difference to your slotting choices when you actually discover what those breakpoints are. In the above example, there would be no difference between 4.1 seconds and 4.99, which would equate to a waste of roughly 45% worth of regen "bonus".

Of course, if your hp are awarded on a hp/sec basis, that's a completely different matter. I'm fairly sure it doesn't work this way though.

Many thanks for any answers to this!

Cheers,

-H

Not saying this is the be-all and end-all of builds, but it plays very well. Only difference between this and live is the fact that I'm now removing Conserve Power (+2 slots) because I don't need it. I've replaced it with Caltrops (though that may change again for Grant Cover for the Def Debuff Resistance). Going to have a play on test with both options before I make a decision. Also have a couple of slots to spare (stored in Brawl at the moment)

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Trella: Level 50 Natural Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Broad Sword
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Weapon Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Hack -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(3), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Mako-Dam%(7)
Level 1: Deflection -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def(7), S'dpty-Def(9), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx(9), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(11)
Level 2: Slice -- M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(13), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(13), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15)
Level 4: True Grit -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), RgnTis-Regen+(15), ResDam-I(17), ResDam-I(17), Heal-I(19), Heal-I(19)
Level 6: Battle Agility -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def(21), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx(21), LkGmblr-Rchg+(23)
Level 8: Parry -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(23), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(25), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(25), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), T'Death-Dam%(27)
Level 10: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(29), LkGmblr-Rchg+(29)
Level 14: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(31), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx(31)
Level 16: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Whirling Sword -- M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(33), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(33), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(33), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34)
Level 20: Kick -- Acc-I(A)
Level 22: Tough -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(34), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(34)
Level 24: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx(36), LkGmblr-Def(36), LkGmblr-Rchg+(36)
Level 26: Disembowel -- T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(A), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), T'Death-Acc/Dmg(37), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(39), T'Death-Dam%(39)
Level 28: Phalanx Fighting -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 30: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(39)
Level 32: Head Splitter -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(40), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg(40), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(40), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg(43), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(43), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43), RechRdx-I(45)
Level 38: One with the Shield -- ResDam-I(A)
Level 41: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(45)
Level 44: Caltrops -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 47: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50)
Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A), Empty(45), Empty(46)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg(46), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(46), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(48), Numna-Heal(48), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(48)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(50), EndMod-I(50)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 4: Ninja Run

Any thoughts/comments/advice would be appreciated. 45% def to all, and no noticeable End issues.

-H

Interesting build.

For me, I didn't want to have to choose Cardiac, so I got rid of the Oblits as they were crippling my End use.

Instead, I went Musculature for more damage.

Just spent 20 minutes comparing your build to mine, and it's depressing how similar they are in terms of end results... I think I get maybe 20% more damage (bonus) across my attacks at the cost of 1 End on most of the attacks and slower recharge. I also have different power choices (didn't really choose an epic as I wanted more melee attacks, as well as Parry for iTrials) - so it's like comparing apples and oranges but ending up with a very similar flavour.

An interesting and absorbing read. Thanks for taking the time to post, and grats on your 50!

I have been stuck in "bad" niches before, with my optimistic high priced stuff not shifting, so I routinely sell stuff 20-40% below the "last 5" rather than gambling on the price going up again. A lot of this is due to my DB/Elec Brute splatting through CEBR and picking up random recipes. I have no clue whether (lots of) random recipes > (not many) cherry picked niche recipes, but ultimately there's no difference (to me) between "more money than you'll ever need" and "lots more money than you'll ever need".

Hopefully this will help others.

-H

Hi there!

I am no scrapper expert. My only Scrapper 50 is BS/SD, but I love it, so I have spent quite a long time in Mids messing around with numbers.

A couple of preamble points:

- Getting Melee/Ranged/AoE Def to the softcap is pretty important.
- It's not essential to have your IO's at 50 and a lot of money can be saved by buying them from level 35 on up. The precentage point difference is really small! As an example, if you open Mids, and "Show Advanced Totals", you can switch IOs from 50 to 30 and see how much of a difference it makes. It's tiny.

With that out of the way...

It's difficult to comment on a build without knowing how much cash you're going to be spending on it. So my view is based on spending money over filling holes with additional powers.

- Parry is really useful to have. It may not seem it at 50, but if you exemp down and start losing Melee set defence bonusses, it brings you back to the soft cap and beyond. It's by no means essential though.

- Grant cover doesn't help you at all - only your team. Do you plan to team a lot? Do you also plan to stick with the tank? If you're solo, or running off catching runners, this power will be less useful. Again though - it depends on your playstyle.

- I'm guessing Flight as a travel pool is something you want. I would seriously consider dropping Flight for SJ, as it a lot easier (for me) to move around on the ground. Your mileage may very well vary though, so ignore this as you see fit.

Other than that, I don't see much wrong with your power choices. Not sure what level you are now, but I don't see Physical Perfection bringing a lot to your build.... UNLESS....

I've found BS/SD to be quite END hungry. But then my major AoE's were six slotted with Obliteration which gives a nice fat Melee defence bonus but has terrible END reduction in the power. And I mean terrible. With Hasten and the ironically large recharge bonus from the set, you end up using it a LOT which drains your blue bar.

I really wanted the Musculature Alpha rather than having to go Cardiac, so I sat with Mids for a long time until I worked out I could slot Multi-Strikes and still soft cap my defences. This saved me a fortune in inf (Multi-Strike is soooo cheap) and a huge amount in END costs. After my latest respec, I'm playing a different character who's blue & green bars rarely shift unless I'm soloing an Acid box/Weapon crate in a Lambda. And I have a huge pile of damage with my T4 Musculature.

By plugging weaknesses in the set with careful slotting, I have found I don't need Conserve Power any more, don't need Physical Perfection, and most importantly, I don't need Cardiac. This really helps for exemping down as well as allowing me to batter 45+ content with ease.

Slot wise, All I can suggest is playing with Mids and see what you get. My build is below. It's obviously 50, and is a dream to play.


Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

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

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Hack -- Mako-Acc/Dmg:38(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx:40(3), Mako-Dmg/Rchg:35(3), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:45(5), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:37(5), Mako-Dam%:41(7)
Level 1: Deflection -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:35(A), LkGmblr-Def:41(7), S'dpty-Def:40(9), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx:38(9), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(11)
Level 2: Slice -- M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg:50(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(11), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx:42(13), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx:36(13), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:47(15)
Level 4: True Grit -- Mrcl-Rcvry+:40(A), RgnTis-Regen+:30(15), ResDam-I:45(17), ResDam-I:35(17), Heal-I:50(19), Heal-I:50(19)
Level 6: Battle Agility -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:35(A), LkGmblr-Def:47(21), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx:40(21), LkGmblr-Rchg+:34(23)
Level 8: Parry -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg:40(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx:40(23), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg:40(25), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:40(25), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:37(27), T'Death-Dam%:40(27)
Level 10: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- Zephyr-Travel:28(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx:39(29), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(29)
Level 14: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def:50(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:40(31), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx:38(31)
Level 16: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 18: Whirling Sword -- M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg:50(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(31), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg:50(33), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx:48(33), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx:50(33), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(34)
Level 20: Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 22: Tough -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx:50(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(34), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx:45(34)
Level 24: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:26(A), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx:38(36), LkGmblr-Def:36(36), LkGmblr-Rchg+:43(36)
Level 26: Disembowel -- T'Death-Dmg/Rchg:40(A), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:40(37), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:40(37), T'Death-Acc/Dmg:36(37), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx:39(39), T'Death-Dam%:40(39)
Level 28: Phalanx Fighting -- LkGmblr-Rchg+:34(A)
Level 30: Build Up -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(39)
Level 32: Head Splitter -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg:35(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx:40(40), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg:23(40), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg:30(40), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:39(42), RechRdx-I:50(42)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg:43(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx:40(42), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg:49(43), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg:40(43), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:35(43), RechRdx-I:50(45)
Level 38: One with the Shield -- ResDam-I:35(A)
Level 41: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel:43(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx:29(45)
Level 44: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(45), RechRdx-I:50(46)
Level 47: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(50)
Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I:40(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I:45(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-EndRdx/Rchg:31(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg:38(46), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:35(46), Numna-Heal/EndRdx:43(48), Numna-Heal:50(48), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:34(48)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod:41(A), P'Shift-End%:41(50), EndMod-I:50(50)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 4: Ninja Run

This is my newly respecced toon, and after running Tips & RV missions at +1/x4 I find I don't need Conserve power so that's coming out with another respec.

45% Def to everything and a low smattering of resists across the board. I eat insps as they drop, so usually have a purple and an orange running to boost them up too. I may elect to drop the Resists in True Grit as they don't add a large amount. One to play with on Test I think.

It's not necessary to have all the LoTG's I have, but I had nothing to spend the money on, so I thought what the heck! I saw little point in perma-Hasten as I already have Active Defence on auto, and I'm terrible at clicking stuff as soon as it recharges. I just save it for when I need to open a large can on something. I generally pick up the Attack Rate temp power from my base before playing (if I'm going to be logged on for a while) which helps.

I rarely use/need At One With The Shield, and often run without Tough (though it's nice to have). For me, the enlightening moment was realising that end redux in toggles is nowhere near as effective as having end redux in my attacks. The big ones (HS, SC, WS, Slice) all cost a lot to use, and I use them a lot. Obliteration was crippling me.

Hope this helps!

-H

Edit: iTrials are another story as that 45% def isn't a cap. Parry helps here driving your Melee def to 60%. I have found that on large leagues I'm getting additional Def from somewhere, be it shields, barriers, fortitude effects or manoevers-style toggles, or I'm getting additional resists from shields. Either way, purple insps really help too.