Divine Avalanche Scrapper Guide, Version 1.0
By
Akrapovic,
Posted on: 2004-12-10 01:08 in Player Guides
I thought Parry (both versions) gave +10% defense against melee attacks.
There's a pretty strong consensus around the scrapper boards that it's 20%. It's the only number I've ever seen and I have no good reason to doubt it.
I can confirm that it's definitely more than 10%. With it double-stacked, I'm definitely capped against even-level bosses; they hit me about 5% of the time. Right now, I'm running one-slotted Combat Jumping and Hasten with double parry, so I'm getting 83% defence. If it were only 10%, I'd just have 47% and would be hit about 30% of the time (since they have a 75% base to hit). I'm simply not. They whiff almost every time and I can stand against an even-level boss all day.
Wrath smash good.
Wow, good to know. Guess I should get around to playing with the new Katana, huh?
-Jag
Balance is not about making everybody the same. Balance is about making your strengths worth all of your weaknesses.
Great guide for Divine Avalanche, PD. Thanks for posting the numbers on it. My Kat/DA scrapper is only lv 17, but I already have this power 4-slotted. Though I probably won't be using it every other attack as you prescribe, I agree with you that it's a great power that shouldn't be underestimated simply because of its low damage output.
Once again, great post. Thanks.
Great Guide, thanks!
This post is -* 100% *- on the money!
From my Katana / Regen Scrapper guide post on December 7th, I say:
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REMEMBER that ... any time you see yourself taking significant damage, start spamming the hell out of Divine Avalanche. You should be able to get it to double stack, giving you some REALLY good defense.
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And also:
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When things get real bad, its nice to know that Build Up + Divine Avalanche will almost ALWAYS hit and therefore almost ALWAYS provide you with a defense buff. This actually replaced Reconstruction for me after my respec. It is very disconcerting at first, but once you have Instant Healing, you can actually think of Divine Avalanche as a "heal" in many cases. The defense buff from Divine Avalanche can keep you from getting hit long enough for your inherent healing to "catch up", and Build Up can (in an emergency) make CERTAIN that Divine Avalanche will hit.
It took some real "control" if you will for me to force myself to stand my ground, hit Build Up and then Divine Avalanche in those situations when I thought I should run. Almost without fail, this was enough to keep me alive and get me rapidly to full health.
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Yes, with Regen, I consider Divine Avalanche to be an actual HEAL. It works that way. Any time I see my health dropping, I just hit the number 2 (what I have Divine Avalanche mapped to), and boom, my health goes right back up. It might as well BE an actual heal in my build, and I treat it that way. It virtually NEVER lets me down.
One final note - I found out the hard way that even with double stacked Dull Pain, six slotted Weave, Combat Jumping, Perma Hasten, and Divine Avalanche, Babbage nailed me for FAR more damage than I have health. So, for truly the first time on my Level 46 scrapper, I found an opponent that Divine Avalanche didn't really help me on. 
I just did a respec to my (long-stalled) 22 katana/regen scrapper last week. This was built - and mostly played - preUpdate 1... long ago, in the before-time. When katana and broadsword had the same animations (yech).
Live build (early build, pre-hero planner):
Slash, Fast Healing
Hack
Quick Recovery
Reconstruction
Slice
Combat Jumping
Buildup
SuperJump
Integration
Whirling Sword
20 - Resilience
22 - Hasten
The consensus at the time was "don't bother with Parry, parry sucks". Remember that this was pre-Update2, so I've used the old names for old times sake.
(I don't remember the slotting here at work, but it's mostly attacks, 6-slotted QR, and I think 6-slotted Reconstruction (3 heal 3 recharge).
Okay - it's not a completely terrible build, in teams, I do good damage ... but I can solo even cons. And that's about it. And it hurts, and I use a ton of inspirations. +2s I need to go insp shopping - 3 damage 3 luck and I'm fine...
So I put together the following build on test:
Current test version:
1 Gambler's Cut (1 acc), Fast Healing (heal)
2 Flashing Steel (1 acc 5 dam)
4 QR (6 recovery)
6 Buildup (2 recharge)
8 Divine Avalanche (1 acc)
10 Reconstruction (3 heal)
12 Combat Jumping (jump or def)
14 SuperJump (jump)
16 Integration (1 end reducer, 2 heal)
18 The Lotus Drops (1 acc 5 dam)
20 Resilience (1 damres)
22 Dull Pain (1 recharge)
- this is at 23.
The build is *amazingly* more powerful ... that is... the things it can kill and survive are much harder - even though the single-target damage isn't that great (DA/GC/FS). It doesn't have Stamina (which isn't needed at all with no Hasten and no IH I found). It doesn't have Hasten.
I can outlast and defeat +3 Tsoo named bosses. Note: outlast *and* defeat. I can fight hordes of even-cons, and kill them in 1 combo of The Lotus Drops and Flashing Steel - without buildup if I get them lined up correctly. With buildup, I can take +1 minions no problem.
(Of course, sky raider captains in TV destroyed me.)
The single-target damage is a problem, but I can outlast any boss - sure, it takes a while, but if I'm soloing - if I want max xp I'll kill hordes of minions - if I want an interesting challenge, I can take on a +3 boss - something I'd never do on live. For single-target I plan on both Soaring Dragon and Golden Dragonfly.
Two main things are making this possible, I believe: the heal change to Integration (huge!), and Divine Avalanche (bigger!).
I've read Verxion's non-typical kat/regen guide, and liked a lot of what I saw.
OTOH - my test build doesn't have either stamina or hasten. Personally, I think with DA/GC/FS/TLD/Soaring Dragon and Golden Dragonfly - I won't "need" hasten to get a good attack chain going. However, the briefly-double-stacking Dull Pain and the multiple stacking of DA ideas are making me rethink doing without Hasten.
I figured without Hasten, I might be able to do without Stamina - but that idea has been quickly shot down. I realize that without Hasten and Stamina, I won't be as efficient as possible... and IH may still be impossible to deal with without Stamina.
Anyway - I've figured out how to work them into my build, even though I think it might be possible to do without both... of course, at the cost of some efficiencies.
Point being - Divine Avalanche is *awesome*. Completely freaking awesome.
Currently: 50s (5), 40s (3), 30s (5)
Red and blue side, mostly Infinity, Virtue, and Freedom.
I would assume this also works for BS?
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I would assume this also works for BS?
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I'm planning on using it, but many don't seem to. The reason is that the animation foor parry appears to be bugged. At the completion of the animation there is a period (maybe a second) where you can move but not attack.
Then again, I'm working on a weird build with no hasten and no stamina (BS/Regen).
[url="http://tinyurl.com/4ylgy"]The Wanderers[/url] of Virtue
We farm fun!
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I would assume this also works for BS?
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The problem with Broadsword's Parry isn't the recharge time (it's 4 or 2.35 seconds as well), but the activation time. The activation time is four seconds (because of the delay after the animation), just like Katana's used to be. This means that you'll only be able to use Parry every 6.35 seconds, and it will gut your offence, since you'll be spending most of your time parrying. So, you won't be able to constantly double stack it, and you'll do much less damage.
If you were going to try it with Broadsword, I'd suggest doing two attacks between each Parry. That will enable you to keep your DPS to a respectable level, and still keep Parry up constantly. Unfortunately, Broadsword parry can never reach the 100% defence and beyond that you get from Katana.
Wrath smash good.
You know, back before I respecced my kat/inv scrapper to be a tele-tank, I used to have parry and it served me well. Perhaps it is time to return to those days. I've got it on my test build, but I slotted with damage not defense.
Eeek, no - don't slot Divine Avalanche for damage - it'll never be a good attack for damage - but as a defensive power it's awesome.
My 1st sword scrapper (BS/Regen) I'd never picked up Parry - because it was a low damage power, and I was all about the damage - now on my Kat scrapper I usually keep Divine Avalanche set as my "auto" power, it's that good.
I'm wondering, what secondary would work best with the Divine Avalanche scrapper?
I'm guessing SR would be poorest. Since the set can max out your Def, you don't need the extra bonus from Avalanche.
Invuln would benefit now that ranged Def is out.
Regen benefits from any damage mitigation I guess, allthough Res is probably better for regen when you get up in levels. Dunno, never played a Regen scrapper.
Dark Armour is what I'm trying out now. This might work very well. You get Resists from DA, but they are lacking compared to the other sets. To "make up" for this they have AoEs. If you combine this with Avalanche, you should have good defenses and AoE powers.
Am I way off?
Great Guide, thanks for putting this together.
On Friday I'd worked out what was going to be my respec, when the free respec finally goes out, it was the 7th version I done hehe, but I'd left DA out.
Over the weekend I've come to realise that leaving DA out probably isn't a good idea, and reading this Guide has compunded those feelings, so after I go grab myself a cup of tea and wake up a bit more (I just got up), I shall be working on version 8 of my respec, that will include DA!
I am half a level from 35, so that will make life a bit easier, as it gives me more levels to play around with in the respec plan.
If I'm not mistaken, Divine Avalanche only buffs defense vs. Melee, so taking it with Invul would not help your ranged defense at all.
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If I'm not mistaken, Divine Avalanche only buffs defense vs. Melee, so taking it with Invul would not help your ranged defense at all.
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Right, so using it when you have Invincibility would be almost redundant. You COULD, however, use it less often (just once every 10 seconds I suppose) and more easily keep yourself at the Def vs Melee cap while providing room for a more damaging attack in your cycle. Further, it would still be very useful for Inv scrappers before they get Invincibility, then if they wanted they could just respec out of it later.
Dwimble
Mmm. Divine Avalanche.
Divine Avalanche is part of an experimental character build I have been testing for the past couple of weeks; the paired defense set being Dark Armor.
This is an attempt to come up with a viable Dark Armor build that solos effectively in the post 30s without stacking armor; given that Dark Armor provides decent Defense bonuses via CoD and CoF, Divine Avalanche combines with it nicely to make a semi-SR scrapper without the SR, but with all of DA's nice extras. (Crowd control, resistances, and a full heal.)
So far, the build has soloed from 1 to 30 in a little over a week, without much trouble, and without using Tough, Weave, or even Dark Embrace. No resistance, just defense--six-slotted Divine Avalanche and six-slotted Cloak of Darkness.
Finding this much more interesting than playing my Kheldian.
Will post a guide to this once the character is tweaked to my satisfaction.
YMWV.
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If I'm not mistaken, Divine Avalanche only buffs defense vs. Melee, so taking it with Invul would not help your ranged defense at all.
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Right, so using it when you have Invincibility would be almost redundant. You COULD, however, use it less often (just once every 10 seconds I suppose) and more easily keep yourself at the Def vs Melee cap while providing room for a more damaging attack in your cycle. Further, it would still be very useful for Inv scrappers before they get Invincibility, then if they wanted they could just respec out of it later.
.
Dwimble
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Also, many people will now slot Invinc with DefBuf SO's since its bonus is lower now; if you supplement your +Def with Divine Avalanche, you could save those precious slots for ToHit -- then you wouldn't even need an Acc in DA & you could slot it for Rchg or EndRdx or DefBuf... sweet.
Although even an Invinc without DefBuf slotted will probably provide higher melee +Def after a certain point, but it would depend on how often you end up fighting in those circumstances.
I also have parry for broadsword... I hope that fix in the bug will improve it significantly... as it's pretty much useless for now.
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I also have parry for broadsword... I hope that fix in the bug will improve it significantly... as it's pretty much useless for now.
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Is there a fix planned for the broadsword parry? I hadn't heard anything about it, but I would add it to my guide if it were true (I also have a 37 BS/Inv scrapper to play with).
Wrath smash good.
Someone PM'd me and told me the activation time for the Broadsword Parry is actually 2.9 seconds instead of 4. He got it from the Prima Guide that got its numbers right from Cryptic Studios. So, I was wrong about this.
This is good news, since it means the strategy can still basically work for Broadsword. You won't be able to keep double parry up constantly, but the gap will be less than a second. With the higher damage of Broadsword, it will basically balance out. So, it looks like "Parry Scrappers" are also a possibility .
P.S. If you like my guide, please don't forget to give me stars . I've been two stars forever. Some people must really hate me 
.
Wrath smash good.
Errata:
1. "With perma-hasten, it has a 2.35 second recharge time."
should be:
"With perma-hasten, it has a 1.76 second recharge time."
2. "if you enjoy slowing taking while parrying their every attack"
should be:
"if you enjoy slowing taking enemies apart while parrying their every attack"
I wonder how many errata = version 2.0 .
Wrath smash good.
I'm trying Divine Avalanche on my scrapper and I noticed that the DEF bonus doesn't seem to co-incide directly with a successful DA hit. It seems to click in a little bit afterwards, if at all. Often I will hit with the DA, and no DEF icon shows up in my buff list.
I know I can strike 3 times at least with DA, before the +DEF icon disappears (if it appears properly in the first place) I'll only ever be able to get 2 to appear. Sometimes both icons appear at the same time.
Is this a graphics glitch only? What is with the erratic appearance of the DA +DEF buff?
Great guide by the way, it's just too bad I'm trying to tank an AOE Archvillain right now. 8)
Upsen.
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I'm trying Divine Avalanche on my scrapper and I noticed that the DEF bonus doesn't seem to co-incide directly with a successful DA hit. It seems to click in a little bit afterwards, if at all. Often I will hit with the DA, and no DEF icon shows up in my buff list.
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I've noticed this as well.
Divine Avalanche Scrapper Guide, Version 1.0
With the recent changes to Katana, an entirely new archetype has come into existence - the Divine Avalanche scrapper. A new archetype? Yes, I would go that far. Divine Avalanche allows you to play an entirely different strategy as a scrapper, acting almost as a tank, combining the best of your defensive power set with the defences of a super reflexes scrapper. Your damage goes down, it is true, but you'll be able to face enemies you never thought possible.
The Divine Avalanche Scrapper has a mindset all his or her own. We do not rely on tearing through enemies before they manage to take us down. We are like a fencer, slowly, methodically taking apart the enemies as they futilely try to hurt us.
What is Divine Avalanche? It used to be known as "Parry", but then it was changed and became a completely different power. With the new activation time, we can use it between every attack without gutting our offence. It is a melee attack that, if it hits, gives us a 20% defence bonus to melee attacks for ten seconds. It has a four second recharge time, and about a 2.3 second activation time. With perma-hasten, it has a 2.35 second recharge time.
Here is why it is incredible. Properly slotted and used, it can make you virtually invulnerable. I slot it with two accuracy and four defence. The accuracy ensures it rarely misses. The defence boosts it to a 36% bonus.
36% is good, but Divine Avalanche does something better - it stacks! If you use it between every attack and have perma-hasten, you can keep it doubly stacked constantly. That is a 72% bonus, constantly! Add to that the 5% you'll get from Hasten plus any other bonuses you use (Weave is nice, but I personally use Combat Jumping), and you can get 100% or better.
The trick is to find the right chain. Versus a single target, the following chain works very well:
Divine Avalanche
Golden Dragonfly
Divine Avalanche
Soaring Dragon
Divine Avalanche
Sting of the Wasp...
This enable you to keep a nasty enemy on the ground for most of the fight, and be nearly invulnerable during the few seconds it can actually fight back. Against groups, the following works nicely:
Divine Avalanche
Lotus Drops
Divine Avalanche
Flashing Steel
Divine Avalanche
Golden Dragonfly...
Substitute Soaring Dragon for Flashing Steel if you have a nasty boss you want dead, now.
Of course, if you aren't tanking or soloing, you can revert to a standard attack sequence that doesn't involve Divine Avalanche, and do massive damage as a classic Katana scrapper.
What secondary archetype is best with a Divine Avalanche Scrapper? They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Regen is best, since it's +defence is fairly weak, and Divine Avalanche gives your regeneration powers time to work. Dark Armour is also nicely complimented since it has low +def, and it gives you time for Death Shroud to pick away at the enemies. With Invulnerability and Super Reflexes, it's a little redundant, since it improves already good +def powers. However, that redundancy means that you'll almost always have defence capped, and it works well against single enemies (Inv's problem), and helps Super Reflexes scrappers get out of the perma-elude trap (why waste all your endurance very two minutes if you don't have to?).
So, if you're tired of trying to beat them down before they beat you down, if you enjoy slowing taking while parrying their every attack, if you enjoy feeling like a real swashbuckler and fencer, the Divine Avalanche scrapper may be for you.
Wrath smash good.