Katana/Dark Armor - A Guide by Guardian_Gaz

Why Play as Katana/Dark Armor?
There are probably more reasons to choose another build than there are to choose Katana/Dark Armor. There are two reasons people choose a Katana/Dark Armor build: character concept and complete ignorance. Regardless of your reasons, this is a very flexible, very challenging build. Someone once mentioned that Dark Armor is a "thinking man's powerset". If we accept that description, then Katana/Dark Armor is the build for the efficient "thinking man".

Katana has faster recharge rates than Broadsword, lower endurance costs (per attack), but does less damage per attack (on average). This makes Katana a power of finesse. Because the powers are faster and do less damage, it's possible to use just enough force to drop a foe without much wasted endurance. A token reference should also be given to Katana's very appealing attack animations, but since you'll likely never see them, this will be the only time they are mentioned.

Dark Armor's multifarious power choices mean there's almost always a right power combination for any situation. Dark Armor offers damage mitigation for all but untyped damage, the best status resist of any power, regen, status-affect auras, self-rez, and a damage aura. While this set is very endurance hungry, it is also very flexible. However, because all the powers are clicks or toggles (sorry, no auto powers here), a moment of hestitation or a lucky stun can turn you from a swirling black cloud of death into a glorified pinata fit for beating. If the other secondaries are points on a star, Dark Armor sits in the middle, sharing properties of all, but not equalling any of the others in their respective expertise.

Why Play as Anything Else?
Leveling almost any other build would be easier. Playing Katana/Dark Armor is a lot like always being hungry: you'll always want more than you get. You'll likely never do the damage you'd like to see nor will you be as well defended as you'd like to be. This build is very hard to define in terms of expertise. What does it excel at? Nothing really. But you don't really fail miserably at anything either.

Katana/Dark Armor is a fragile build to play. If you want strong defense, choose Invulnerability. If you want fast healing, choose Regeneration. If you want strong avoidance, choose Super Reflexes. If you want to be an AoE superstar, choose Spines/Dark Armor. If you want to lay down big numbers, choose Broadsword. If you want synergy between your power sets, choose Dark Melee/Dark Armor. If you want to actually see your character, choose a different secondary.

This build is not for the faint of heart or easily frustrated. It is definitely a challenge to play. It requires time, patience, and a knack for assessing a situation and being adaptable. You will likely spend the first 30 levels wishing you had built something else and the last 20 glad that you didn't.

The Powers of Katana
Sting of the Wasp - Single Target Melee - Moderate Dmg(Lethal), Foe -Def
A decent single-target attack, usually the first attack chosen.

Gambler's Cut - Single Target Melee - Minor Dmg(Lethal), Foe -Def
A very fast, minor damage attack with a quick recharge, good for taking off that last sliver of health.

Flashing Steel - Cone Melee - Moderate Dmg(Lethal), Foe -Def
A decent, multi-target attack with a nearly 180-degree arc. A must-have power.

Build Up - Self - +Acc, +Dmg (~10 sec)
Increases accuracy and nearly doubles damage for about 10 seconds, excellent for alpha- and omega-strikes.

Divine Avalanche - Single Target Melee - Minor Dmg(Lethal), Self +Def
Same damage as Gambler's Cut, but provides a defense buff for a short time, long animation time.

Calling the Wolf - Ranged - Foe Taunt
Single target taunt. Most useful before level 30, when your defense isn't mature yet, for single-pulling targets in large groups.

The Lotus Drops - PBAoE Melee - Moderate Dmg+DoT(Lethal), Foe -Def
A must-have power. Uses a lot of endurance so at least one End Rdx enhancement is recommended.
Soaring Dragon - Single Target Melee - Superior Dmg(Lethal), Foe Knockup, -Def
A must-have power. A powerful attack with a high chance to knockup a foe.

Golden Dragonfly - Linear Cone Melee - Extreme Dmg(Lethal), Foe Knockdown (>= -1)/Knockback(<= -2), -Def
A must-have power. Very powerful attack with an increased chance to cause critical damage. With a linear cone AoE, it is possible to hit multiple targets with this attack.

The Powers of Dark Armor
Dark Embrace - Toggle - Self, +Res(Lethal, Negative, Smash)
For the first 25 levels this will be your bread-and-butter armor, though after 30 it will give way to Obsidian Shield.
Death Shroud - Toggle - PBAoE, Minor DoT(Negative)
A very useful power, though its cost is very high for the damage it yields early on. Once slotted is very nice.

Murky Cloud - Toggle - Self, +Res(Cold, Energy, Fire, Negative)
Much more useful since Issue 2, but still rather situational. Since elemental damage is usually lower than smashing/lethal and rarely occurs alone, you'll likely find limited use for this.

Obsidian Shield - Toggle - Self, +Res(Disorient, Psionic, Sleep)
One of the defining powers of the set, provides the best status protection of any power. Chances are the only time you'll not be running this after 30 is when you're in the hospital.

Dark Regeneration - PBAoE - Minor Dmg(Negative), Self Heal
A very useful self-heal for those times when you need one. Unslotted it uses a LOT of endurance. It also has a rather long animation.

Cloak of Darkness - Toggle - Self Stealth, +Def
A nice stealth power without a movement penalty.

Cloak of Fear - Toggle - PBAoE, Foe Fear, -Acc
Very useful AoE Fear, also causes an accuracy debuff to foes.

Oppressive Gloom - Toggle - PBAoE, Foe Disorient, Self Minor Dmg(Special)
Very useful AoE Disorient to minions and underlings. Foes tend to wander out of its area of influence.
Soul Transfer - Close Single Target - Moderate Dmg(Special), Self Rez, +Special
Requires at least one foe nearby to act as a catalyst for the power, which is exactly where you don't want a foe to be when you rez. Most everyone agrees that this is very nearly a useless power. Everyone I've met who took it has dropped it during respec.

Power Pools

Fitness Pool
With the possible exception of Dark Melee, every Dark Armor combination will benefit greatly, if not outright need, Stamina from the Fitness Pool. Because everything in the set is a click or toggle power, that more than one of these will be running at a time, endurance drain will be quite high. Normal endurance recovery is insufficient for any practical amount of fighting after level 30.

There is some debate about the usefulness of Health, though I'm of the opinion that anything that'll help you recover health faster, no matter how trivial that benefit may seem, is worth taking. Since you need at least two other powers from the Fitness set to get Stamina, this power makes sense if for no other reason than it decreases downtime between fights.

The other two powers, swiftness and hurdle, are up to your discretion. Neither of these powers will likely have a large impact on how your hero fights or survives, so either one is fine.

Travel Powers
If you were to choose only one travel power, the two best options are Leaping and Super Speed. Leaping has three very useful powers: Combat Jumping, Super Jump, Acrobatics. Combat Jumping, besides allowing you to jump much higher with excellent control, provides a constant defense buff (~5% base), which stacks with the defense buff of Cloak of Darkness, and resistance to immobilization. Combat Jumping is also useful for chasing down runners. Super Jump is a very fast travel power which requires no further slotting to be useful and gives you some ability to operate in the vertical plane. Acrobatics provides resistance to holds, knockback, knockup, and knockdown.

Speed also provides three very useful powers: Hasten, Super Speed, Whirlwind. Hasten increases the recharge rate of all powers by over 50% and provides a defense buff for 2 minutes, with proper slotting this power can be made nearly permanent. Super Speed is a very fast travel power that also provides stealth abilities. Because Super Speed is ground-based, areas with uneven, broken terrain (e.g. Faultline, Shadow Shard) can cause problems for Super Speeders. Many who choose Super Speed will also choose Leaping or Flight to give them better access to these areas. Whirlwind creates an area-effect around your hero causing foe knockdown to any foes within its area of influence.

Flight can also be a good choice of travel power, though its applications are more situational. Like Combat Jumping and Hasten, Hover provides a defense buff. Although an unslotted Hover is slow and not very practical for most melee fights, it does allow you to fight flying foes who seem reluctant to fight on the ground. It's also a very cool feeling to fight in the air, but that's just my personal opinion. Fly is the slowest of the travel powers, but arguably the most flexible. Fly does impose a harsh accuracy penalty (20%), so fighting with Fly is strongly discouraged. Group Fly is useful for ferrying those members of your team without a vertical travel power (or any travel power at all), though it is slower still than normal Fly and requires more endurance. It also imposes the same accuracy penalty as Fly.

Teleportation offers, far and away, the worst selection of options for the melee fighter. Recall Friend is always useful, if you have an extra power pool option available, and nobody will yell at you for taking this. Teleport Foe is nominally useful, though when it does hit tends to aggro the entire group. Teleportation has an animation sequence, high endurance costs, and not much application when fighting. It is the fastest travel power. Team Teleport is just like Teleport but it will also grab any nearby teammates.

Leaping, Speed, Flight all offer an attack power as their first selection. I consider these powers neither essential nor detrimental. If you'd like an extra attack in your repertoire, these are acceptable choices. It is worth noting that using any attack power from a power pool will cause your Katana to be sheathed, requiring that the drawing animation be played before the next Katana power is used.

Fighting Pool*
The first two powers in this set, Boxing and Kicking, offer small advantages to your inherent Brawl ability. However, since these are power pool abilities, your Katana will be put away whenever they are used, causing the drawing animation to play when your next primary attack is activated.

The last two powers in this set, Tough and Weave, are much more useful. There are three primary reasons for taking Tough: nearly every mob in the game does smashing/lethal damage, nearly every mob after 30 can impose some kind of status affect, Dark Armors shields don't stack. In order to protect against status affects (sleep, disorient, etc.), you'll need to run Obsidian Shield, unfortunately this leaves you open to taking full damage from melee and ranged attacks, not a good situation. Tough offers some protection from smashing/lethal damage and will stack with Obsidian Shield. Weave offers a defense buff, when stacked with Cloak of Darkness and Combat Jumping or Hasten/Super Speed, can make for a hefty defense.

* This pool is generally regarded as only being necessary because Dark Embrace, Obsidian Shield, and Murky Cloud are exclusive powers. The preponderance of smashing/lethal damage in the game combined with the frequency of status effects in the later game have made this pool a fulcrum on which survival as a Dark Armor scrapper is balanced. The devs are ostensibly working on changing this situation, to allow the shields to stack, but no firm timeframe has been given. Until the shields are combinative, Fighting is a necessary power pool selection.

Other Power Pools
The other power pools also offer useful abilities, though none of them are likely to make or break your character. The biggest factor to keep in mind is endurance. Adding another set of toggles or redundent powers could prove regretable and necessitate a respec later.

Playing Your Hero
Most of the rest of what I'll put down here comes from my experiences: the mistakes I've made, the lessons I've learned from them, and observations gleened from countless hours of playing. I don't crunch numbers, so most of the advice I give is very subjective.

The biggest concern playing this build is endurance management. Though certainly not a unique concern amongst builds, nonetheless it is felt acutely for any Dark Armor scrapper (with the possible exception of Dark Melee). In addition to taking the Fitness power pool to get Stamina, the slotting of endurance reduction enhancements will greatly improve your ability to stay in a fight. I recommend putting endurance reduction enhancements in the following powers: Lotus Drops (Whirling Sword) 1x, Death Shroud 1x, Dark Regeneration 3x. You may also wish to put them in other powers too as play-style and discretion warrant.

As a scrapper, you are, more or less, designed to be a viable soloist. Katana/Dark Armor is no exception in this realm, although it may at times require more legerdemain and planning than other builds. Where you will likely shine the brightest, if a blackish cloud can be said to shine, is in playing with small groups. There are two factors you'll want to balance: aggro and health. Particularly in the early game, before level 25, you'll want to team with Controllers, Defenders, Tanks, and other Scrappers. Blasters can be good partners, but early on neither Scrappers nor Blasters have the power or defense to fight the kinds of groups possible with the other ATs. After the mid-20's, just about any AT can make a viable partner. But your main focus is diminishing the aggro on yourself, by either splitting it with another melee hero, stopping it with a Controller, or killing it quickly with a Blaster. However, any AT that can buff or debuff is very useful. Dark Armor is flexible enough that it can play well with just about any other hero.
You may choose to avoid Energy Blasters and, to a lesser degree, Illusion Controllers because of the knockback their powers cause. It's really more annoying than anything and you might need to coordinate your attacks before engaging.

Leveling up a Katana/Dark Armor Scrapper is a balancing act. You don't want to focus too heavily on attacks and neglect your armor, but neglecting your attacks can be just as bad. What you have in your arsenal will always seem like it lags just behind whatever it is you're fighting. Don't despair. Just make sure you keep them in balance with your playstyle (yes, a bit of trial-and-error is involved). Around the late-20's and into the 30's your build will come together and start feeling good. By the time you reach the mid- to late-30's and 40's you should be pretty solid and feeling heroic; there won't be much below an AV that really concerns you.

An Example Build
For those who like concrete demonstrations, illustrations, and examples, I'm posting my build below. The order in which the powers are listed may not necessarily be the order in which I actually took them, since I've respec'd and have no recollection of the original order. Katana/Dark Armor benefits greatly from having respec available to it. Some earlier, less powerful attacks are not necessary later on and other powers become more useful. Also, because of changing mob types and fighting conditions, respec'ing in the mid-30's is a great method for dumping less advantageous powers and picking more useful ones.

The first build may be off with the slotting a bit, but you'll figure it out. The second build is actually my current build at level 50, so the slotting is listed as such.

Before Level 35 Respec
Archetype: Scrapper
Primary Powers - Melee : Katana
Secondary Powers - Defense : Dark Armor

Slot[01] Level 1 (Starting Primary) : Sting of the Wasp /Acc,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
Slot[02] Level 1 (Starting Secondary) : Dark Embrace /DamRes,DamRes,DamRes,DamRes
Slot[03] Level 2 : Flashing Steel /Acc,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
Slot[04] Level 4 : Death Shroud /EndRdx,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
Slot[05] Level 6 : Gambler's Cut /Acc,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
Slot[06] Level 8 : Combat Jumping /DefBuf,DefBuf
Slot[07] Level 10 : Build Up /Rchg,Rchg
Slot[08] Level 12 : Murky Cloud /DamRes
Slot[09] Level 14 : Super Jump /Jump
Slot[10] Level 16 : Hurdle /Jump
Slot[11] Level 18 : The Lotus Drops /Acc,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
Slot[12] Level 20 : Cloak Of Darkness /DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf
Slot[13] Level 22 : Health /Heal,Heal
Slot[14] Level 24 : Dark Regeneration /EndRdx
Slot[15] Level 26 : Stamina /EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRec
Slot[16] Level 28 : Soaring Dragon /Acc,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
Slot[17] Level 30 : Obsidian Shield /DamRes
Slot[18] Level 32 : Golden Dragonfly /Acc,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
Slot[19] Level 35 : Cloak Of Fear /Acc

Slot[25] Level 1 : Brawl /Empty
Slot[26] Level 1 : Sprint-Prestige /Empty
Slot[27] Level 2 : Rest /Empty

After Level 35 Respec
Archetype: Scrapper
Primary Powers - Melee : Katana
Secondary Powers - Defense : Dark Armor

Slot[01] Level 1 (Starting Primary) : Sting of the Wasp /Acc,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,EndRdx
Slot[02] Level 1 (Starting Secondary) : Dark Embrace /DamRes,DamRes,DamRes,DamRes,DamRes
Slot[03] Level 2 : Flashing Steel /Acc,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,EndRdx
Slot[04] Level 4 : Death Shroud /EndRdx,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
Slot[05] Level 6 : Build Up /Rchg,Rchg
Slot[06] Level 8 : Combat Jumping /DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf
Slot[07] Level 10 : Hurdle /Jump
Slot[08] Level 12 : Boxing /Acc
Slot[09] Level 14 : Super Jump /Jump
Slot[10] Level 16 : Dark Regeneration /EndRdx,EndRdx,EndRdx
Slot[11] Level 18 : The Lotus Drops /Acc,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,EndRdx
Slot[12] Level 20 : Health /Heal,Heal,Heal,Heal
Slot[13] Level 22 : Obsidian Shield /DamRes,DamRes,DamRes,DamRes
Slot[14] Level 24 : Tough /DamRes,DamRes,DamRes,DamRes,DamRes,DamRes
Slot[15] Level 26 : Soaring Dragon /Acc,Acc,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,EndRdx
Slot[16] Level 28 : Cloak Of Darkness /DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf
Slot[17] Level 30 : Stamina /EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRec
Slot[18] Level 32 : Golden Dragonfly /Acc,Acc,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,EndRdx
Slot[19] Level 35 : Cloak Of Fear /Acc
Slot[20] Level 38 : Weave /DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf
Slot[21] Level 41 : Murky Cloud /DamRes,DamRes,DamRes,DamRes
Slot[22] Level 44 : Acrobatics /EndRdx
Slot[23] Level 47 : Hover /Fly
Slot[24] Level 49 : Fly /Fly,Fly

Slot[25] Level 1 : Brawl /Acc
Slot[26] Level 1 : Sprint-Prestige /Empty
Slot[27] Level 2 : Rest /Rchg

Even though the second respec actually becomes available at 34, you get a power at 35 so that seemed like a better breaking point.

Addendum
I am intentionally not including information about Epic Power Pools or the tentative fixes to Dark Armor. Until I have time to test these upcoming features properly, I'll pretend they don't exist. Rest assured that as soon as I've had a chance to play with all of them, this guide will be updated accordingly.

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Fantastic guide, Gaz. This is just what I was looking for. Also, thanks for your response in my thread. You've been a huge help.

Thanks.

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One of the things I love about this game is how helpfull everyone is. This is great. Thanks for responding to my call for help.

I was wondering if you had any advice on the order of slotting the powers. i.e., level 3 dmg dmg to sting of the Wasp.

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hey gaz i was wonderin if you could help me with my build and what you would do with it...
Archetype: Scrapper
Primary Powers - Melee : Katana
Secondary Powers - Defense : Dark Armor
Slot[01] Level 1 (Starting Primary) : Gambler's Cut /Empty
Slot[02] Level 1 (Starting Secondary) : Dark Embrace /Empty
Slot[03] Level 2 : Death Shroud /Empty
Slot[04] Level 4 : Flashing Steel /Empty
Slot[05] Level 6 : Build Up /Empty
Slot[06] Level 8 : Murky Cloud /Empty
Slot[07] Level 10 : Divine Avalanche /Empty
Slot[08] Level 12 : Obsidian Shield /Empty
Slot[09] Level 14 : Hurdle /Empty
Slot[10] Level 16 : Dark Regeneration /Empty
Slot[11] Level 18 : The Lotus Drops /Empty
Slot[12] Level 20 : Hasten /Empty
Slot[13] Level 22 : Cloak Of Darkness /Empty
Slot[14] Level 24 : Super Speed /Empty
Slot[15] Level 26 : Soaring Dragon /Empty
Slot[16] Level 28 : Health /Empty
Slot[17] Level 30 : Stamina /Empty
Slot[18] Level 32 : Golden Dragonfly /Empty
Slot[19] Level 35 : Oppressive Gloom /Empty
Slot[20] Level 38 : Cloak Of Fear /Empty
Slot[21] Level 41 : Sting of the Wasp /Empty
Slot[22] Level 44 : Combat Jumping /Empty
Slot[23] Level 47 : Super Jump /Empty
Slot[24] Level 49 : Whirlwind /Empty
Slot[25] Level 1 : Brawl /Empty
Slot[26] Level 1 : Sprint-Prestige /Empty
Slot[27] Level 2 : Rest /Empty
trying to figure out what i should slot now

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Great writeup.

As a lvl 35 Kat/Da, I have a slightly different build than is presented here...one that works well for me and my play style.

After DA stacked and after the free respec, I went with all the DA armors and stacked them with slots somewhat heavily. The only change from my un-respected (pun intended) toon at this point was that I added Murky Cloud/removed Flashing Steel, and shifted my slotting from heavy attack to moderately heavy defense.

Dark Embrace is at 5 slots, OS/MC are at 4, CoF at 2, CoD and OG at 1. Each has one end redux, the rest are enhancements appropriate to the defense.

Note: As I level I plan to increase CoF, CoD, and OG's slots...just can't spare them now.

I have five primary attacks: Golden, Soaring, Divine, Lotus, and Sting. Golden and Soaring are 3 slotted dmg, the others are one slotted with end redux. I have one secondary attack, death shroud, 6-slotted with 1 endredux, 1 acc, and 4 dmg. I also have Build Up, 4-slotted with attack rate increase SOs.

I have only two power pools...fitness (hurdle, health, and stam). Health and Stam are 6-slotted appropriately. Hurdle has one jump SO. Leaping I took combat jumping and super jump, each with one jump SO. This gives me a fast 220 yards per jump.

When heading into battle I run the following toggles:
DS, OS, MC, DE, CoF, CoD, CJ.

I also have Hurdle, Health, and Stamina as auto's.

I use OG when necessary. Often I'll just turn it on for a few seconds until most of the mob is disoriented, then will turn it back off. The -HP isn't that bad with 6-slotted Health. Coupled with CoF its a great crowd pleaser...er...mob controller.

I do not have Hasten...I have never really seen a need for it, as I've got 5 primary attacks and 1 secondary attack (DS). Sometimes I need to wait a few seconds for an attack to be ready, but with DS ticking away at the entire mob I'm still productive...if DS is doing 25 hp / tick, and there are 5 bad guys around you, you have the potential to do 125 HP / tick total. Thats not bad DoT when you can use other attack at the same time (and DS continues to deal dmg even when you are knocked back/ held/ frozen...not really a problem for a DA now that armor stacks, but FYI).

So I haven't found not taking Hasten to be a problem in the least...I tried a few builds on Test with Hasten and didn't find it useful enough to keep as I always had to lose either an attack or an armor...and the three "best" attacks are required for a katana. Plus that littlel END drop at the completion of the hasten cycle caught me with my shorts down once when I had very little END left...it caused 6 out of 8 toggles to drop in front of a few con red Crey protectors =)

Often if I'm burning up END due to a slew of missed hits with my big attacks, I may pause for some time and let the mob swing at me. With all the resitence to dmg + Health I'm not finding it difficult to stand there and take the hits. I also generally keep my inspiration bar with 3 respites, and the rest breaths. Two of those blue pills after each battle keeps me from having any downtime. I also negotiate with teamates to trade what I have for their breaths as they get them...so a blaster may want rage or accuracy, and not need the breaths so much.

Again...great writeup, just wanted to write about some tactics and a setup that is working well for my playstyle.

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Post Respec, Post Stacking armors, my build

Tehr Won Luhs, Lvl 30 Kat/Da, Victory

Archetype: Scrapper
Primary Powers - Melee : Katana
Secondary Powers - Defense : Dark Armor
Slot[01] Level 1 (Starting Primary) : Sting of the Wasp /EndRdx
Slot[02] Level 1 (Starting Secondary) : Dark Embrace /EndRdx,EndRdx,DamRes,DamRes
Slot[03] Level 2 : Flashing Steel /EndRdx,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
Slot[04] Level 4 : Murky Cloud /EndRdx
Slot[05] Level 6 : Build Up /Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,Rchg
Slot[06] Level 8 : Hasten /Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,Rchg
Slot[07] Level 10 : Divine Avalanche /ToHitDebuff,ToHitDebuff,ToHitDebuff
Slot[08] Level 12 : Hurdle /Jump
Slot[09] Level 14 : Super Speed /EndRdx
Slot[10] Level 16 : Health /Heal
Slot[11] Level 18 : The Lotus Drops /Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
Slot[12] Level 20 : Stamina /EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRec
Slot[13] Level 22 : Obsidian Shield /EndRdx
Slot[14] Level 24 : Cloak Of Darkness /EndRdx
Slot[15] Level 26 : Soaring Dragon /Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
Slot[16] Level 28 : Cloak Of Fear /EndRdx,EndRdx
Slot[17] Level 30 : Combat Jumping /Jump
Slot[25] Level 1 : Brawl /Acc
Slot[26] Level 1 : Sprint-Prestige /Jump
Slot[27] Level 1 : Sprint / Jump
Slot[28] Level 2 : Rest /Rchg

My +DEF went from +5 (Hasten only) to burying badguys at 5% to hit, running

Hasten
C.J
CoF
CoD
Parry (stacking)

Life is much better now. I took a Purple CoT mage boss this weekend without getting hit once. Yeah, baby!

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I might suggest putting HASTEN in earlier. I know that you can't use it very often at low levels, due to the long recharge, BUT:
You'll notice that as you respec, you will be forced to stick slots into early powers that you really don't want to slot heavily. (gamblers, etc). By taking HASTEN early, you have a power that you intend to 6-slot and as such, you can put those early slots into HASTEN instead of wasting them in low-level attacks.
How often to you plan to exemplar down to sub-14th level in the future? Its not a great idea to gimp your early build, but if exemplaring isn't a big deal to you, don't feel you need to have a perfectly balanced character at all levels (ie, don't worry about short-slotting your weak attacks, you'll seldom use them)
In my case, on respec, I used HASTEN, BUILDUP and Dark Embrace as places to put my slots early. Otherwise, I would have been forced to put them elsewhere (gamblers, Wasp)
Dark Regen is nice, and I took it originally about the same time you have listed. I found that it
a) is super expensive END wise
b) didn't recharge fast enough
c) took too long to activate, about 2 seconds is TOO LONG
The conundrum of DarkRegen is that usually, by the time you need to fire it off, you don't have enough END to fire it off. If you use it early in the fight to re-fill your health after the LAST battle, you end up with only half your end for the rest of the fight. If you wait until 25% health, to make DarkRegen worth while, you risk being one-shotted while it activates and heals you.
As such, I respec'd out of DarkRegen for the moment, planning to take it late 30's. At that point, I can put Single-Origin End reductions in it, requiring fewer slots to make it useful, and given how many slots you get post-30, it won't take long to get it so I can use it at will, for cheap.
Either slot it up, or don't take it, the case with things like DeathShroud and DarkRegen.

If you put this .txt into HeroPlanner, you can see when I took stuff.
------------------------ (don't put this in the file)
Archetype: Scrapper
Primary Powers - Melee : Katana
Secondary Powers - Defense : Dark Armor
Slot[01] Level 1 (Starting Primary) : Sting of the Wasp /EndRdx
Slot[02] Level 1 (Starting Secondary) : Dark Embrace /EndRdx,EndRdx,DamRes,DamRes
Slot[03] Level 2 : Flashing Steel /EndRdx,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
Slot[04] Level 4 : Murky Cloud /EndRdx
Slot[05] Level 6 : Build Up /Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,Rchg
Slot[06] Level 8 : Hasten /Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,Rchg
Slot[07] Level 10 : Divine Avalanche /DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf
Slot[08] Level 12 : Hurdle /Jump
Slot[09] Level 14 : Super Speed /EndRdx
Slot[10] Level 16 : Health /Heal
Slot[11] Level 18 : The Lotus Drops /Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
Slot[12] Level 20 : Stamina /EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRec
Slot[13] Level 22 : Obsidian Shield /EndRdx
Slot[14] Level 24 : Cloak Of Darkness /EndRdx
Slot[15] Level 26 : Soaring Dragon /Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg
Slot[16] Level 28 : Cloak Of Fear /EndRdx,EndRdx
Slot[17] Level 30 : Combat Jumping /Jump
Slot[25] Level 1 : Brawl /Acc
Slot[26] Level 1 : Sprint-Prestige /Empty
Slot[27] Level 2 : Rest /Rchg
Pools//8,2,1,5
Slots@-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,3,8,3,-1,-1,-2,2,2,9,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,4,4,8,-1,-1,-2,5,5,6,7,7,-2,6,9,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,10,10,12,-1,-1,-2,11,11,12,13,13,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,14,14,15,-1,-1,-2,15,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1
SlotT$EndRdx,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,
Empty,EndRdx,EndRdx,DamRes,DamRes,
Empty,Empty,EndRdx,
Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Empty,Empty,EndRdx,
Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,
Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,Empty,
Empty,Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,Rchg,
Rchg,DefBuf,DefBuf,DefBuf,Empty,Empty,
Empty,Jump,Empty,Empty,Empty,
Empty,Empty,EndRdx,Empty,Empty,Empty,
Empty,Empty,Heal,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,
Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Empty,Empty,EndRec,
EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRec,EndRdx,
Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,EndRdx,
Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,Dmg,
Empty,Empty,EndRdx,EndRdx,Empty,Empty,
Empty,Empty,Jump,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,
Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,
Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,
Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,
Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,
Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,
Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,
Acc,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,
Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty,Rchg,Empty,
Empty,Empty,Empty,Empty
-------------------------------(don't put this line in)
This should give you a list of when I took various slots. No build is perfect. This one could use more END, even with 6-slotted Stamina. My attacks are going to end up 5xDAM 1XEnd, unless I can't hit the broadside of a barn. I typically use BUILDUP all the time, and can coast through the BUILDUP downtime using the stacked "-DEF debuffs" that Katana attacks apply to badguys Once Buildup is ready again, ACC problems go away for 10 seconds.
Feel free to PM me.

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I'd also strongly suggest taking Divine Avalanche to get some melee defense (base 20%), its the best single reason to combine Katana with DA I think.

I took it at lvl 8, and immediately was able to fight about +1 higher con mobs just because of that, even before slotting it heavily, and come out with more hit points (less down time) so it accelerated my whole pace from that point on. I expect it to be even more effective once it has more slots and SOs. See the Divine Avalanche Scrapper Guide for more details on this.

Whats nice is even at higher levels you will still get lots of use out of it, and can cycle it in and out of attack strings based on how tough the foes are and whether you need single or double stacking and such. Smack a minion next to a boss, he's easier to hit, and get the defense against the boss! What could be cooler?

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Don't believe people who say /DA is no good.

Hate to spill the beans...
but my Kat/DA kicks butt! Only mid-30s but already he rules in PvP and PvE - just won another Arena.
In PvP only the odd Stalker can kill me. I can go toe to toe with any Brute and out last them.
With DA on auto and stacking, my defence against melee is awesome and if a hit does get through I resist at least 40% of the damage! I resist ALL states and just shrug off troller and defender powers. With CoD up immobile hardly hits me and if some do I just turn on CJ and stack my immobile defence. With Acro I can't be Knocked either.
My only fear on the battle field is probably caltrops and slows but no one hardly has them and usually I can jump away.
My ranged def is low sure but since states don't work on me I just chase the blaster and they always run away, blasters can't attack and run - ha like to see a blaster go toe to toe with me.
Stalkers can be a problem but less than half of them can take my hit points down to death with their [censored] strikes, usually I can heal quickly enough with DR to survive the [censored] Strikes and then it's on!
And with CoD up I see them half the time when they think they are invisible – ha that is fun.
I plan on getting tactics later too.
The only thing that ever kills me, in PvP, apart from the odd [censored] Strike is when I get gang banged by two or more peeps at once. But who can survive that? And usually I take one down before I run or die.

PvE is just a joke. Until the 30s I was getting exp faster solo than in a group. I can kill +5s. (Not a mob of them but 1 or 2 at a time.) In a good group with buffs and debuffs my Kat/DA cuts through the bad guys like a hot knife to butter.

I don't use CoF or OG because I'd rather just kill the minions than control them. While I attack the boss or Lts, my DS and Kat AOE attacks usually kill the minions standing around me.

One of the secrets to Kat/DA is Divine Avalanche. Put enhancements in the Kat powers (Acc Dam End). With stam 6 slotted and a few end reducers in the end heavy powers and attacks - end is NOT a problem.

Don't let people tell you DA is no good - it is great.
Regen isn't so great as everybody seems to think - still love playing my Spines/Regen but the Kat/DA has been the most fun IMHO.

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Ha, -[censored]- was censored. I meant "A s s" as in assassin .
"A s s S t r i k e"

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Woah. Necro-guide

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I need Guide for ninja with Katana/Dark Armor please send me a email roadrash_@yahoo.com

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Nacht Nova Thunder = Level 50 (Liberty) Dark Blaster/Storm Summoning - Defender
Nova Ninja = Level 50 (Liberty) spines/ Regeneration - Scrapper
CanadianMan = Level 50 (Liberty) Super Strength/Invulnerability - Tanker
LibertyBoy = Level 35 (Liberty) Stone Armor
/Fiery Melee - Tanker