1 - Sting of the Wasp - Straight downaward two handed slash. Harder hitting of the two starter attacks, and the one I recommend more. Moderate Damage, Fast Recharge. This will be a staple of your attack chain until at least level 27, if not 33. Slotting: 1-2 Acc, 3 Dam, 1 Rech
1 - Gambler's Cut - Two quick horizontal cuts. Stylish attack, very quick, unfortunately is a little weak on damage. If it criticals, it doubles the damage from the whole attack, not just one strike. Take it at low levels to fill out your attack chain, but respec out of it once you get past 26. Minor Damage, Fast Recharge. Slotting: 1-2 Acc, 3 Dam
2 - Flashing Steel - A horizontal slash from right to left, about waist level. 120 degree arc in front of you (1/3rd of a circle), making it normal to hit 2-3 enemies. Does mid damage between SotW and GC, for SotW's Endurance cost. Excellent when hitting 2 or more, lightly wastefuyl of end against a single target. Moderate Damage, Moderate Recharge. Slotting: 1-2 Acc, 3 Dam
6 - Build Up - Self-buff of stabbing! Gives a 100% bonus to base damage, as well as a 20% Acc buff. This is in addition to slotting, not doubling what you have slotted. Very long 90 second recharge, but well worth it. This gives you either the burst damage for dropping "trouble" mobs, or the extra accuracy needed to break through a high Defense. Long Recharge. Slotting: 3 Rech - PvP add 3 ToHit.
10 - Divine Avalanche - Self-buff of doom! Quite possibly my favorite attack on my main. A quick parry-style attack, it does damage equal to GS, but every time it hits, you get a 15% Defense buff to all melee and lethal typed attacks for 10 seconds. You can double stack this out of the box, giving you 30% unslotted Defense. With alot of recharge buffs, and constantly spamming it, you can mantain a triple stacked buff. There are two camps on the slotting of this power, Defense vs. Damage. I say go with play-style. I wound up using this constantly in my attack chain, to give a constant buff, so I slotted for damage. Others slot it for defense, and only bust it out when the frap hits the can. Minor Damage, Fast Recharge, Major Defense Buff. Slotting: 1-2 Acc, 2-3 Damage, 2-3 DefBuff - optional 1-2 Rech.
12 - Calling the Wolf - Single target taunt power. Auto-Hit on mobs, requires a tohit roll in PvP versus a player. I am not a fan of scrapper taunts, feeling it's much better to grab the target's attention by inserting something pointy and shiny. People do find a use for this, either constant duo's with a squishy friend, or concept. Fast Recharge. Slotting: 1 Taunt - PvP 2-3 Acc, 1-2 Taunt.
18 - The Lotus Drops - Mmmmm, the second AoE! This is a PBAoE attack where you jump into the air, and spin as you drop, hitting all mobs withing 8' of you for damage equal to Flashing Steel. The kicker is your skill makes them bleed, causing 3 ticks of DoT damage. This brings the damage higher than SotW. Since it's a PBAoE, it's not targetted, so you can trigger it anytime it's recharged to look stylish. Moderate Damage, Slow Recharge. Slotting: 1-2 Acc, 3 Dam, 1 Rech.
26 - Soaring Dragon - It's a long haul from 18 to 26 with no new attacks, but it's worth it. SD is an awesome move where you spin around and perform an uppercut with your blade. High chance of Knockup, so an excellent soft control attack for boss fights. Plus it hits HARD! This can easily take 1/3 to 1/2 of an even con minion's health. High Damage, Moderate Recharge. Slotting: 1-2 Acc, 3 Dam, 1 Rech.
32 - Golden Dragonfly - Drooool. "Lesse, I'm gonna jump into the air, bring my sword over my head, then slash down as I drop, cleaving through your head and torso and into the floor... Oh yeah, and it's gonna be so sick that I hit some of your buddies behind you!" Huge damage, cool looking move, plus it has a minor 10 degree arc and penetrates for 10'. It's common to hit 2 at once with this attack, once you learn how to line it up. In addition, this has a +10% chance of critical on any target, and does knockdown about 1/2 the time. This attack is just awesome, and worth the slog to 33 to see it slotted. Extreme Damage, Slow Recharge. Slotting: 1-2 Acc, 3 Dam, 1-2 Rech.
Slotting Glossary:
Acc - Accuracy Enhancement
Dam - Damage Enhancement
DefBuff - Defense Buff Enhancement
Rech - Recharge Reduction Enhancement
ToHit - To Hit Buff Enhancement
Taunt - Taunt Enhancement
All slotting is recommend at Sinlge-Origin, for Dual-Origin, double the Accuracy's and fill in the rest. For Training Origin, slot nothing but Accuracy.
I went from 1-50 using 1 Acc in all my attacks, soloing on Unyielding from Single-Origin's on. If you prefer Invincible, regularly team with higher level toons, or PvP at all, recommend 2 Acc instead.
My own two cents after you've read EvilGeko's Guide though:
Resilience is Worthwhile without Tough, if only taken for the Disorient resist. Take it, Drop a DamRes in there, and forget about it.
Slotting IH for heal is worthless, if it's gonna kill you through 800% regen, it'll kill you through 1000% Regen.
Revive is fun. "But I don't want a power that is only useful if I die." Wah. You will die, you will misjudge, you will get lagged and take spikes of damage. This fun little toy allows you to get right back up and have at least Integration re-toggled by the time the animation is set. It saves a trip from the hospital, giving you more time to kill things.
MoG is crap. Period. Yes, it has the coolest animation in the game, yes it's the "uber" Tier 9 power of regen. It sucks. Any thing MoG can get you through, can be handled as well or better by other powers in Regen.
Okay, so that's more like 4 cents worth of opinions...
Power Pools
Concealment - Works well with any "ninja" idea, useful in game for stealthing missions, or being really annoying in PvP. Phase Shift is great in PvP when your clicks have all run out, since you can still Regen while Phased.
Fighting - Tough is nice, especially stacked with Resilience, and you have the extra endurance to run it. Problem is you need to take Boxing or Kick, which will pro'ly lie unused, since the redraw on your katana after using it will get REAL annoying.
Fitness - You already have 2 out of 4 powers in the pool. However, why not have twice as much as everyone else? You do not need to wedge this into your build by level 20-22, but certainly consider getting it by your late 30's, especially if you plan on PvPing. Extra endurance and regen is good...(FH and QR) more is even better! (Health and Stamina) Slot FH and QR first, since they have larger base buffs.
Flying - Slow, not as bad as it used to be, but still slow. It is the only auto-pilot travel power though. Plus, going up high, then dropping Hover or Fly to pull a "Death from Above!!" with a qeued, Built-Up Golden Dragonfly is hilarious. Same redraw issues as Fighting on Air Superiority, e'en though it is the best pool attack. Group Fly pisses teammates off, unless you are on a Mitos team on a Hami raid.
Leadership - Minor buffs for scrappers, but every extra bit helps and you'll pro'ly have the extra endurance for it. Recommend Assault and Tactics, and possibly Vengeance if you grab from this pool.
Leaping - My favorite travel power pool. Combat jumping and Sprint lets you jump straight onto 2nd floors, no more stairs! Super Jump allows you to play Hopscotch with rooftops. Excellent for both Horizontal and Vertical Travel.
Medicine - Not needed, you have 2 click heals, 1 click regen buff, 1 toggle regen buff, and 1 passive regen buff. However, if you do go and grab Aid Self, you will be one of the most annoying toons to try to kill in PvP. Minimal use for this pool in PvE.
Presence - Another pool that's more useful in PvP, with the ability to stop runners. Generally easier in PvE to just "arrest" mobs.
Speed - Hasten, even without it being perma, it still helps the recharges on everything. Since regen is VERY click heavy, it's a smart power to take. Superspeed is okay for horizontal movement, but the lack of vertical gets very bothersome.
Teleportation - Recall Friend is great to taxi teammates, but I'd rather see it on support toons. TP Foe is getting to be mandatory in PvP, not as useful PvE (just jump into the spawn and attack!). Teleport is the fastest travel power out there, but needs to both be key-bound and slotted to be so. Team Teleport pisses teammates off, period.
Ancillary Power Pools
Body Mastery - Focused Accuarcy is fantastic, but a pig on Endurance. I would slot for 3 Endurance Reductions, even with QR and Stamina. Conserve Power is nice, but not generally needed. Laser-Beam Eyes and Energy Torrent cause that redraw, so lose points there.
Dark Mastery - Wonderful for controlling the Netherworld, however every power is an attack and will cause that oh-so annoying redraw. Still, the single target hold, Petrifying Gaze, and the immobilize, Tenebrous Tentacles, are very useful.
Weapons Mastery - Fun tricks and toys, especially if you went with the "ninja" idea. Best two powers are available at the start, Web Grenade and Caltrops. They are expecially annoying/entertaining combined and used in PvP. Again, all are attacks and will cause redraw. (I really, really, really, really hate redraw.)
Well, that's it. All is my own opinion, drawn from many hours of playtime, and reading of the forums. If you like it, hate it, feel it needs a change, lemme know. My first guide, therefore it was a little rough...
Otherwise have fun... Target_Enemy_Near, Follow, Attack. Repeat ad mortem.
I am the 99%. Occupy the World.
Minister of Infinity's Secret Police, Official Mooch of dUmb and League, Official Purveyor of Free Straws, the Most Interesting Man in the World. http://www.change.org/petitions/ncso...city-of-heroes
Eran Rist's Katana Regen Guide
Katana - Power Rundown
1 - Sting of the Wasp - Straight downaward two handed slash. Harder hitting of the two starter attacks, and the one I recommend more. Moderate Damage, Fast Recharge. This will be a staple of your attack chain until at least level 27, if not 33. Slotting: 1-2 Acc, 3 Dam, 1 Rech
1 - Gambler's Cut - Two quick horizontal cuts. Stylish attack, very quick, unfortunately is a little weak on damage. If it criticals, it doubles the damage from the whole attack, not just one strike. Take it at low levels to fill out your attack chain, but respec out of it once you get past 26. Minor Damage, Fast Recharge. Slotting: 1-2 Acc, 3 Dam
2 - Flashing Steel - A horizontal slash from right to left, about waist level. 120 degree arc in front of you (1/3rd of a circle), making it normal to hit 2-3 enemies. Does mid damage between SotW and GC, for SotW's Endurance cost. Excellent when hitting 2 or more, lightly wastefuyl of end against a single target. Moderate Damage, Moderate Recharge. Slotting: 1-2 Acc, 3 Dam
6 - Build Up - Self-buff of stabbing! Gives a 100% bonus to base damage, as well as a 20% Acc buff. This is in addition to slotting, not doubling what you have slotted. Very long 90 second recharge, but well worth it. This gives you either the burst damage for dropping "trouble" mobs, or the extra accuracy needed to break through a high Defense. Long Recharge. Slotting: 3 Rech - PvP add 3 ToHit.
10 - Divine Avalanche - Self-buff of doom! Quite possibly my favorite attack on my main. A quick parry-style attack, it does damage equal to GS, but every time it hits, you get a 15% Defense buff to all melee and lethal typed attacks for 10 seconds. You can double stack this out of the box, giving you 30% unslotted Defense. With alot of recharge buffs, and constantly spamming it, you can mantain a triple stacked buff. There are two camps on the slotting of this power, Defense vs. Damage. I say go with play-style. I wound up using this constantly in my attack chain, to give a constant buff, so I slotted for damage. Others slot it for defense, and only bust it out when the frap hits the can. Minor Damage, Fast Recharge, Major Defense Buff. Slotting: 1-2 Acc, 2-3 Damage, 2-3 DefBuff - optional 1-2 Rech.
12 - Calling the Wolf - Single target taunt power. Auto-Hit on mobs, requires a tohit roll in PvP versus a player. I am not a fan of scrapper taunts, feeling it's much better to grab the target's attention by inserting something pointy and shiny. People do find a use for this, either constant duo's with a squishy friend, or concept. Fast Recharge. Slotting: 1 Taunt - PvP 2-3 Acc, 1-2 Taunt.
18 - The Lotus Drops - Mmmmm, the second AoE! This is a PBAoE attack where you jump into the air, and spin as you drop, hitting all mobs withing 8' of you for damage equal to Flashing Steel. The kicker is your skill makes them bleed, causing 3 ticks of DoT damage. This brings the damage higher than SotW. Since it's a PBAoE, it's not targetted, so you can trigger it anytime it's recharged to look stylish. Moderate Damage, Slow Recharge. Slotting: 1-2 Acc, 3 Dam, 1 Rech.
26 - Soaring Dragon - It's a long haul from 18 to 26 with no new attacks, but it's worth it. SD is an awesome move where you spin around and perform an uppercut with your blade. High chance of Knockup, so an excellent soft control attack for boss fights. Plus it hits HARD! This can easily take 1/3 to 1/2 of an even con minion's health. High Damage, Moderate Recharge. Slotting: 1-2 Acc, 3 Dam, 1 Rech.
32 - Golden Dragonfly - Drooool. "Lesse, I'm gonna jump into the air, bring my sword over my head, then slash down as I drop, cleaving through your head and torso and into the floor... Oh yeah, and it's gonna be so sick that I hit some of your buddies behind you!" Huge damage, cool looking move, plus it has a minor 10 degree arc and penetrates for 10'. It's common to hit 2 at once with this attack, once you learn how to line it up. In addition, this has a +10% chance of critical on any target, and does knockdown about 1/2 the time. This attack is just awesome, and worth the slog to 33 to see it slotted. Extreme Damage, Slow Recharge. Slotting: 1-2 Acc, 3 Dam, 1-2 Rech.
Slotting Glossary:
Acc - Accuracy Enhancement
Dam - Damage Enhancement
DefBuff - Defense Buff Enhancement
Rech - Recharge Reduction Enhancement
ToHit - To Hit Buff Enhancement
Taunt - Taunt Enhancement
All slotting is recommend at Sinlge-Origin, for Dual-Origin, double the Accuracy's and fill in the rest. For Training Origin, slot nothing but Accuracy.
I went from 1-50 using 1 Acc in all my attacks, soloing on Unyielding from Single-Origin's on. If you prefer Invincible, regularly team with higher level toons, or PvP at all, recommend 2 Acc instead.
Regen - Power rundown
See here for EvilGeko's I7 Regeneration Guide. This man is a saint for all the time he's put into it, and I won't disgrace him by mucking it up.
My own two cents after you've read EvilGeko's Guide though:
Resilience is Worthwhile without Tough, if only taken for the Disorient resist. Take it, Drop a DamRes in there, and forget about it.
Slotting IH for heal is worthless, if it's gonna kill you through 800% regen, it'll kill you through 1000% Regen.
Revive is fun. "But I don't want a power that is only useful if I die." Wah. You will die, you will misjudge, you will get lagged and take spikes of damage. This fun little toy allows you to get right back up and have at least Integration re-toggled by the time the animation is set. It saves a trip from the hospital, giving you more time to kill things.
MoG is crap. Period. Yes, it has the coolest animation in the game, yes it's the "uber" Tier 9 power of regen. It sucks. Any thing MoG can get you through, can be handled as well or better by other powers in Regen.
Okay, so that's more like 4 cents worth of opinions...
Power Pools
Concealment - Works well with any "ninja" idea, useful in game for stealthing missions, or being really annoying in PvP. Phase Shift is great in PvP when your clicks have all run out, since you can still Regen while Phased.
Fighting - Tough is nice, especially stacked with Resilience, and you have the extra endurance to run it. Problem is you need to take Boxing or Kick, which will pro'ly lie unused, since the redraw on your katana after using it will get REAL annoying.
Fitness - You already have 2 out of 4 powers in the pool. However, why not have twice as much as everyone else? You do not need to wedge this into your build by level 20-22, but certainly consider getting it by your late 30's, especially if you plan on PvPing. Extra endurance and regen is good...(FH and QR) more is even better! (Health and Stamina) Slot FH and QR first, since they have larger base buffs.
Flying - Slow, not as bad as it used to be, but still slow. It is the only auto-pilot travel power though. Plus, going up high, then dropping Hover or Fly to pull a "Death from Above!!" with a qeued, Built-Up Golden Dragonfly is hilarious. Same redraw issues as Fighting on Air Superiority, e'en though it is the best pool attack. Group Fly pisses teammates off, unless you are on a Mitos team on a Hami raid.
Leadership - Minor buffs for scrappers, but every extra bit helps and you'll pro'ly have the extra endurance for it. Recommend Assault and Tactics, and possibly Vengeance if you grab from this pool.
Leaping - My favorite travel power pool. Combat jumping and Sprint lets you jump straight onto 2nd floors, no more stairs! Super Jump allows you to play Hopscotch with rooftops. Excellent for both Horizontal and Vertical Travel.
Medicine - Not needed, you have 2 click heals, 1 click regen buff, 1 toggle regen buff, and 1 passive regen buff. However, if you do go and grab Aid Self, you will be one of the most annoying toons to try to kill in PvP. Minimal use for this pool in PvE.
Presence - Another pool that's more useful in PvP, with the ability to stop runners. Generally easier in PvE to just "arrest" mobs.
Speed - Hasten, even without it being perma, it still helps the recharges on everything. Since regen is VERY click heavy, it's a smart power to take. Superspeed is okay for horizontal movement, but the lack of vertical gets very bothersome.
Teleportation - Recall Friend is great to taxi teammates, but I'd rather see it on support toons. TP Foe is getting to be mandatory in PvP, not as useful PvE (just jump into the spawn and attack!). Teleport is the fastest travel power out there, but needs to both be key-bound and slotted to be so. Team Teleport pisses teammates off, period.
Ancillary Power Pools
Body Mastery - Focused Accuarcy is fantastic, but a pig on Endurance. I would slot for 3 Endurance Reductions, even with QR and Stamina. Conserve Power is nice, but not generally needed. Laser-Beam Eyes and Energy Torrent cause that redraw, so lose points there.
Dark Mastery - Wonderful for controlling the Netherworld, however every power is an attack and will cause that oh-so annoying redraw. Still, the single target hold, Petrifying Gaze, and the immobilize, Tenebrous Tentacles, are very useful.
Weapons Mastery - Fun tricks and toys, especially if you went with the "ninja" idea. Best two powers are available at the start, Web Grenade and Caltrops. They are expecially annoying/entertaining combined and used in PvP. Again, all are attacks and will cause redraw. (I really, really, really, really hate redraw.)
Well, that's it. All is my own opinion, drawn from many hours of playtime, and reading of the forums. If you like it, hate it, feel it needs a change, lemme know. My first guide, therefore it was a little rough...
Otherwise have fun... Target_Enemy_Near, Follow, Attack. Repeat ad mortem.
I am the 99%. Occupy the World.
Minister of Infinity's Secret Police, Official Mooch of dUmb and League, Official Purveyor of Free Straws, the Most Interesting Man in the World.
http://www.change.org/petitions/ncso...city-of-heroes