Decent guide, but I think your overslotting your toggles for endurance reduction....I would only slot 1endred in the main armors, 1 in CoD, 2 in death shroud, and 2-3 in CoF.
Your measure of death shroud probably results from the fact you have no damages slotted in it. 2acc/2dmg/2endred will give you an aoe that out performs lotus drops damage while costing you half the endurance.
Overall you hit the key points of the set....though I think you underestimate cloak of fear.....not a big fan myself but I don't think its that bad of a power.
Good job, Fetch! My Katana/Dark is level 36 or so and I've found her to be a heap of fun.
Some comments...
1) This is a very End-heavy toon. Between the expensive toggles and the fast recharging attacks, I burn through Endurance faster than Health in the majority of fights, even with liberal EndRed slotting and three-slotted Stamina. Managing which toggles to run and which to shut off depending on what you fight is very beneficial.
2) I'm somewhat squishy compared to the other Scrappers I play with. Dark Armor is a much more utilitarian set than SR, Inv, or Regen, and sometimes we pay for that in debt. Matching DA with Katana has the huge benefit of Divine Avalanche, which can make a big difference if used often. I would recommend slotting Divine with 1 or 2 Acc/3 Def/1 EndRed/1 Recharge. Stacking it is important to get the most out of the power, and the damage it deals is less beneficial in the long run to me than the Defense bonus. I know there are arguments out there that is is an attack with a Def bonus, but with so many other tools at my disposal to kill stuff, I'd prefer a little extra Defense.
3) With Divine Avalanche on Auto, Golden Dragonfly and Soaring Dragon going as often as available, and a Lotus Drops when facing multiple opponents, I find Flashing Steel is often a better filler than Sting of the Wasp. Generally I'll target the toughest target in a mob, hit Build Up>Golden>Soaring>Divine>Lotus>Flas hing and rely on a combination of Oppresive Gloom, Lotus Drops, Death Shroud, and Flashing Steel to take out the majority of the minions without ever having to target one. Golden and Soaring (backed up with the negligible damage from Divine) are good enough single-target attacks with fast recharge. I rarely use Sting at this point, though it was key in my earlier levels.
4) That brings us to Death Shroud, perhaps my favorite power in the set! I slot it like other attacks (1 Acc/3 Dam/1 EndRed) and it deals as much damage as each other power over the course of a fight until you get Soaring and Golden. There is nothing better than being able to stand amidst a good-sized group of baddies, focus on the boss, and finish the fight to find all the guys who were surrounding him dead. Plus, if I find myself low on Endurance, I can stand in a mob, pick an easy target to hit with Divine Avalanche, and ignore my other attacks for a bit while still whittling down the bad guys. After a bit of downtime, I can hit Lotus and take out the last bit of Health left on the minions, then go back into my normal attack chain with a newly replenished half bar of Endurance. Divine Avalanche and the toggles will keep you pretty safe against a mob with yellow minions or even some oranges, and Death Shroud hits pretty well with only one Acc vs. most +1 minions.
5) Dark Regeneration is perhaps the best self-heal in the game (of course, this is coming from a guy who's highest Regen scrapper is level 6 
). I have it slotted with 2 Acc/2 Heal/2 EndRed and rarely find the power lacking. One big giant slurp and I can get back a full bar of Health from a couple minions. I find I use it much less than I expected to, mostly because I am normally lower on End than Health, but in the moments I need it the power is very powerful and valuable.
I really enjoyed most of your comments! This is a great guide to my favorite kind of scrapper.
You have grossly underestimated the significance of both Mighty Death Shroud and Dark Regeneration. These two powers make Dark Armor a force to be reckoned with--add the Unbelievable Oppressive Gloom to the mix and you have the recipe for something that can change a player's religious views.
My Katana/DA scrapper was the first hero I created 33 months ago, so I've stuck with him even back when you couldn't run many of the armor toggles at the same time.
A few notes from a veteran:
1) I'm not a big fan of Divine Avalanche. I've tried working it into my build on more than one occassion, but I always find myself disappointed. To me, the def bonus doesn't overcome the pitiful damage and the longer-than-necessary animation. Just a personal preferance. Instead of using Div Av to increase my def, I keep Combat Jumping running during combat. No, the def bonus for CJ does not = Div Av. But Div Av has to hit to get the def bonus, and you can only stack it 2-3 times before it wears off, and just to get it stacked that much you gotta keep spamming the attack, which is just doing minor damage. During combat, while the Div Av scrapper is spamming the attack to increase his def, I've been using stronger attacks and will take the bad guy down a heckava lot faster.
2) I'm also not a fan of either Oppressive Gloom or Cloak of Fear. With all the other toggles that this scrapper has to run to be effective, I just can't justify the use of these crowd controls. My personal opinion is that this katana/DA set is for damage and dmg resist, and if you focus on these two aspects you can have a really awesome scrapper. But when you add things like OG and CoF that neither help with damage or add to resist, you're overstepping your usefulness. It's more effective for my playstyle to focus my enhancement slots in my attacks and resist armors to maximize these abilities than spending slots for powers that should be left to other ATs. I've solo'd this scrapper for 85-90% of his life and never missed either power.
3) The OP didn't mention APPs much, but I want to put a word in for the Body Mastery pool. By taking Focused Accuracy, I was able to drop my attacks to just 1 +acc enhancement, enabling me to put another recharge enh in often-used attacks like Sting of Wasp, and Soaring Dragon, and an extra end redux in end-hog attacks like Golden Dragonfly and Lotus Drop. This allows my attacks to have about the same accuracy as if they were 2-slotted with +acc enh's, while letting me attack more often and use less end. Add the Conserve Power click (also from the Body Mastery APP) and your end loss is even less.
My build: (not sure lvls acquired...I've respec'ed so many times that I cannot even remember).
Katana:
Sting of Wasp (dmg x3)(acc x1)(rechrg x2)
Flashing Steel (dmg x3)(acc x1)(rechrg x1)(end redux x1)
Lotus Drops (dmg x3)(acc x1)(rechrg x1)(end redux x1)
Soaring Dragon (dmg x3)(acc x1)(rechrg x2)
Golden Dragonfly (dmg x3)(acc x1)(rechrg x1)(end redux x1)
Build Up (rechrg x3)
Dark Armor
Dark Embrace (end redux x2)(dmg resist x3)
Murky Cloud (end redux x2)(dmg resist x3)
Death Shroud (end redux x2)(acc x1)(dmg x3)
Obsidian Shield (end redux x2)(dmg resist x2)
Dark Regen (end redux x2)(acc x1)(rechrg x2)(heal x1)
Cloak of Darkness (def buff x1)
Soul Transfer (disorient x1)
Fitness
Swift (run x1)
Health (heal x3)
Stamina (end mod x4)
Leaping
Combat Jumping (end redux x1)(def x2)
Super Jump (jump x1)
Acrobatics (end redux x2)
Medicine
Aid Other (rechrg x1)
Aid Self (rechrg x2)(heal x3)(interupt x1)
Resuscitate (rechrg x1)
Body Mastery
Conserve Power (rechrg x3)
Focused Accuracy (end redux x3)(tohit buff x2)
***
"If you can't beat them, join them, then beat them."
Have to agree with Bobitron on several of his points. I first tried Death Shroud on Test, and ran into a group of 3 white minions with it with no enhancements (back before you copied across with Inf) at about lvl 10. I stood there making no attacks to see what would happen.
Two mobs dropped and one ran with a sliver of health. I still had about 1/3 of my hit points.
What that tells me is that with this slotted up I can jump into a decent sized group and focus on lts and bosses, and most of the minions will drop without me ever having to use an attack on them. This is a *big* End and time saver. I've been on teams of 4-5 where this power alone probably contributed 30% of the team damage. And its worth taking at low levels, even with the End drain, because its so efficient over time. I fought alongside a tank in the low teens in an 8-man Atta mission in the Hollows, and we kept each other alive; he didn't have the shields yet to survive the spawns for as long as it took for them to be defeated, and his damage output was too low to save him that way. But I could take the mobs down while his shields kept him alive and his taunting kept enough damage off me despite the Aura for me to survive. It was an interesting synergy, if either of us dropped the other followed fairly quickly.
I also agree that Dark Regen is the best scrapper heal in the game, because its most effective in those early stages of a fight while theres still lots of mobs around you. I think it was Arcanaville who did a really thorough analysis of damage mitigation of the different scrapper secondaries, and by even vaguely well timed use of this /DA has the best damage mitigation of any secondary. It makes it very possible to do a decent job tanking because you don't need a lot of support to withstand alphas. You just have to learn how to pack the enemies tightly, but you want to do that anyway for Death Shroud and Flashing Steel.
One other note if you are having End troubles with kat/DA. Flashing Steel is a 180 degree arc that uses about half the End of Lotus Drops, recharges in half the time and does the same damage. If you can maneuver to get the majority of the foes on one side of you by sidestepping, it is a more efficient way to take them down then Lotus Drops. I routinely get 2-3 baddies in it, and sometimes as many as 5 with team spawns.
Thanks for the guide man. Mostly confirmed what I had already done with my toon.
I did team with someone once who used a combination of Death Shroud and Cloak of Fear to turn himself into a quasi-tank. That was kind of cool.
Yes, Death Shroud is an awesome power, but really needs to be slotted up to get the best results. I put my 2 EndRed first, then 2 Acc, then 2 Dmg.
Last week, I was leaping through Skyway City when I saw a huge number of SupaTrolls congregating near a warehouse door. They were grey to me at this point. I jumped into the middle of them and turned on DS. It was hilarious! They dropped like flies. After a few minutes, I was awarded a Badge for killing 100 SupaTrolls. As it turned out, I was only halfway through with the group!! lol
It's a good power and very useful in a lot of situations.
Please try my arcs:
Arc# 63910 "Why Do Bad Girls Like Bad Boys?" (length=Long, levels 40+)
Arc# 401500 "How to Be a Successful Professional Criminal" (length=Very Long, levels 1-10)
hmmmm, if may make a conjecture. i think gambler's cut is decent, because it gives you 2x the chance for critical, with a single low endurance power. maybe im wrong though? 
You are incorrect. Critical Chance is determined per Attack and if it is on an attack with Damage split into several pulses, like Gamblers Cut or Shadow Maul, then it is still only one chance and does extra damage equal to the total of the Pulses.
For a while Shadow Maul checked Crits on each pulse and only gave additional damage equal to a single pulse, but after community and dev discussion it was changed to be the same as all the other powers.
Regards, Screwloose.
"I am not young enough to know everything."
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Hey Screwloose, what about the procs from IO Sets? Do they trigger in the same way as criticals (i.e. one chance per attack, no matter how many tics of damage there are?)
Same question goes for procs used in PBAoE Damage Shields like Death Shroud...
With regards to Procs in Damage Auras, and other long duration DoT attacks, they only check for Proc every 10 seconds not every tick. It had been every tick when they were first released in the Testing Beta, until people started slotting them in "Rain" powers which tick twice a second.
I would have thought that attacks like Shadow Maul and Flame Thrower that are all DoT would only check once, if they didn't someone would have mentioned it by now (% . Perhaps they check once every 10 seconds, but since none I can think of run for 10 seconds you aren't going to get a second Proc check.
regards, Screwloose.
"I am not young enough to know everything."
How to Look Stuff Up Yourself - It's Fun and Easy
Looking for Powers Numbers try City of Data.
For Fraks sake read the Guides and FAQs
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Contents:
01: Introduction
02: In This Guide
03: Pros/Cons
04: Katana Powers
05: Dark Armor Powers
06: Power Pools
07: Suggestions
08: Build
09: Additional Information/Links
01: Introduction
Whenever trying out a new powerset, I always check the official forums for guides and builds. I like knowing what Im getting into first, and I also like being able to follow a build (at least for a while) written by someone who has had some experience with the build Im talking about.
Ive been playing CoH for over two years now, and (since I only recently was able to get over a horrible addiction to altism) this is a guide based on my first level 50. Before playing my Katana/Dark Armor scrapper, I had only ever played one melee based toon before. I didnt really like the idea of being up close and personal in a fight, or not having much time to run if the need should arise. What I found with this build, though, was: (a) I wasnt often put into a situation when I needed to run, (b) even when I was, getting into the real scrapper mentality kept me from wanting to, and (c) this build made it really fun to get up in the enemys face.
I really enjoyed playing this toon, so I figured Id share it on the forums. As far as I know, theres only one other guide for this power combination. Since it seems to have not been updated in a while (and is difficult to read, in my opinion), I thought some people might want to see this guide. I will mention that the other guide Im talking about is something I used as a reference when I first started this toon, so you may want to check it out.
02: In This Guide
Im not the kind of player that does any number crunching, so I apologize to anyone who prefers seeing the raw information to a powerset before playing it. All of the information here is based on my personal experience from level 1 to level 50 playing this build. I dont power level, farm, or take advantage of game exploits, so all of the experience I gained while playing this toon was done playing it. What youll find here is the descriptions of each power to both powersets, my rating for them, how I slotted them, and my choices/opinions on power pools. I only respecd once (due to enhancement diversification), and a loose approximation of my build is included but I unfortunately did not keep track of exactly when I made my power and slotting decisions.
03: Pros/Cons
There are pros and cons to every powerset and every combination of powersets conceivable. This is what Ive found with the Kat/DA Scrapper:
Pros:<ul type="square">[*]Katana is one of the hand-held weapon sets, so it has a bonus to Accuracy[*]Katana powers generally reduce an enemys Defense[*]Katana is a quicker set than Broad Sword[*]Dark Armor is one of the only defensive sets offering protection to Psychic attacks[*]Dark Armor has a stealth power, saving a slot for people wanting to take the Concealment power pool[*]Dark Armor offers its own crowd control[*]Dark Armor offers protection against Endurance Drain[/list]Cons:<ul type="square">[*]Katana is hand-held, so youll need to draw your weapon before attacking[*]Katana offers less damage than Broad Sword, and perhaps other Scrapper powersets[*]Dark Armor toggles obscure your toon, making it hard to see through your powers. This is less than ideal for people who spend a lot of time in Icon or experience a lot of lag.[*]Dark Armor offers no defense against Knockback/Knockdown[*]Dark Armor, apparently, has weak defense against Energy attacks[*]Dark Armor has no inherent powers, so paying attention to your Endurance will be important with this build[/list]To summarize, Katana is a quicker powerset but not the best choice for someone who pays attention to who is doing the most damage in their party. Having to draw your weapon may influence your choice in powers, but this minor annoyance is balanced by the (also minor) benefit of enjoying increased Accuracy and reducing your opponents Defense. Dark Armors best feature is its defense against Psionic attacks (Ill admit to getting a little full of myself when Tanks I team with complain about Psychic enemies). In issue 8, it was given defense to Endurance Drain but its not overly noticeable, so already having Endurance problems makes being told this a huge let down. Endurance is a problem, but as time goes on slotting and familiarity with your powers makes it something youll be able to deal with.
04: Katana Powers
There arent too many tough choices when it comes to picking and choosing the powers youll be taking from your primary Powerset. In my own opinion, theres only one thats negligible (though some may argue that there are two). Ive provided descriptions of each of the powers and my thoughts on them, but when it comes down to Divine Avalanche (the power typically up for debate) youll really need to try it for yourself to see whether or not you like it.
Sting of the Wasp
Damage: Moderate (Lethal)
Recharge: Fast
Minimum Level: 1
Effects: Melee, Foe -Defense
Description: You perform a standard attack with your katana. This attack is slower than Gamblers Cut, but deals more damage. Sting of the Wasp can reduce a target's defense, making him easier to hit.
This is one of the two powers you have to choose from during character creation, and is the one Id personally take. It does a pretty good amount of damage, and even at level 50 I use it as one of the filler attacks in my attack chain. Itll be a bread and butter attack for a while, but things will of course get better. In slotting, I suggest two Accuracy enhancements because its important with Katana that you land as many attacks as possible. During early levels, though, you might do well with an Enhance Recharge Speed instead of one of them. Since you have Dark Armor, I wouldnt suggest dropping the Reduce Endurance Cost.
Personal Rating: 3/5
Personal Slotting: Enhance Damage (3), Enhance Accuracy (2), Reduce Endurance Cost (1)
Gamblers Cut
Damage: Minor (Lethal)
Recharge: Fast
Minimum Level: 1
Effects: Melee, Foe -Defense
Description: You perform a quick slash with your katana. This attack is very fast but deals only minor damage. This attack can reduce a target's defense, making him easier to hit.
The other option as your first power in the Katana power set. I didnt take it because Sting of the Wasp has a pretty good recharge speed, and I dont feel like youll be benefiting much from having one more attack in the early levels. If you want to take it then respec out of it later, thats youre prerogative. In my opinion though, its just going to slow you down from getting other powers.
Personal Rating: 1/5
Personal Slotting: Enhance Damage (3), Enhance Accuracy (2)
Flashing Steel
Damage: Moderate (Lethal)
Recharge: Moderate
Minimum Level: 2
Effects: Melee, -Foe Defense
Description: You swing your katana in a wide arc in front of you, slicing multiple foes. This attack can reduce a target's defense, making him easier to hit.
This is a really handy power early on, though in later levels you may choose to respec out of it. It definitely helps you take down small groups more quickly, and as you get used to positioning yourself in melee youll get a lot of use out of it.
Personal Rating: 3/5
Personal Slotting: Enhance Damage (3), Enhance Accuracy (2), Reduce Endurance Cost (1)
Build Up
Recharge: Long
Minimum Level: 6
Effects: Self +Damage, Self +Accuracy, Self +Defense (Melee, Lethal)
Description: Greatly increases the amount of damage you deal for a few seconds, as well as slightly increasing your accuracy.
What Scrapper wouldnt want some added Accuracy and Damage (thats a rhetorical question by the way)? Like I said before, hitting as often as possible is important with Katana and with this power you temporarily get some help with that and some added punch as well. Fire it off right before cutting into your first enemy, is a good way to start a tough fight.
Personal Rating: 5/5
Personal Slotting: Enhance Recharge Speed (3)
Diving Avalanche
Damage: Minor (Lethal)
Recharge: Fast
Minimum Level: 8
Effects: Melee, Self +Defense (Melee, Lethal)
Description: You can use your katana to parry incoming melee attacks, and then quickly return the favor. Divine Avalanche does minor damage, but every successful hit will increase your defense against melee and lethal attacks for a short while.
Im personally a proponent of Divine Avalanche. More Defense is a good thing, and the buff that this power gives you stacks on top of itself. Since it has a good recharge speed, you can make good use of that by recycling it regularly in your attack chain. If nothing else, you can fire it off to get rid of the last couple Hit Points left on your enemy. Plus, for all those people that wanted the wimpy, low damaged power at level one here it is!
Personal Rating: 3/5
Personal Slotting: Enhance Damage (2), Enhance Accuracy (2), Enhance Defense (2)
Calling the Wolf
Recharge: Fast
Minimum Level: 12
Effects: Ranged, Foe Taunt
Description: Challenges a foe to attack you. Useful to pull a villain off an ally who finds himself in over his head.
I will admit that while teaming without a Tank or Controller, there have been situations where I wished I could pull some attention off of a teammate. However, Scrappers arent a support Archetype and you should really be choosing the powers that are going to benefit you as a solo hero (unless youd rather not play at all than play without a team). Besides, more often than not, Defenders and Blasters will have something up their sleeve (and if not, then theyve probably gotten good at running away).
Personal Rating: 1/5
Personal Slotting: Enhance Range (1)
The Lotus Drops
Damage: Moderate (Lethal), Moderate Damage Over Time (Lethal)
Recharge: Slow
Minimum Level: 18
Effects: Point Blank Area of Effect Melee, Foe -Defense
Description: You perform The Lotus Drops maneuver, attacking all foes in melee range. This attack wounds your opponents, causing them to take moderate damage over time and reduces their defense.
Heres when things start heating up in the Katana set. Like Flashing Steel, this is going to help you with groups of enemies a lot. Using it well, of course, involves positioning yourself correctly and knowing what kinds of enemies you can take on because unless youre hiding behind a Tank theyll all be on you after you fire this off.
Personal Rating: 4/5
Personal Slotting: Enhance Damage (3), Enhance Accuracy (2), Reduce Endurance Cost (1)
Soaring Dragon
Damage: High (Lethal)
Recharge: Moderate
Minimum Level: 26
Effects: Melee, Foe Knockup, Foe -Defense
Description: You perform a powerful Soaring Dragon maneuver that deals a great deal of damage, and can knock a target up into the air. This attack can reduce a target's defense, making him easier to hit.
Once youre in the higher levels, this is going to be one of the two powers that becomes your new bread and butter. The Knockup effect is going to let you sometimes take down enemies you shouldnt be able to take down on your own, because if theyre always on their back theyre never hitting you.
Personal Rating: 5/5
Personal Slotting: Enhance Damage (3), Enhance Accuracy (2), Reduce Endurance Cost (1)
Golden Dragonfly
Damage: Extreme (Lethal)
Recharge: Slow
Minimum Level: 32
Effects: Melee, Foe Knockback, Foe -Defense
Description: You perform a devastating Golden Dragonfly attack that deals a massive amount of damage and can even knock a foe down to the ground and reduce it's defense. This attack has an exceptionally good critical hit capability, better than other Katana attacks that can sometimes deal double damage. The power of this attack can actually extend a short distance through multiple foes.
The last and perhaps best power in the Katana set is the second new bread and butter attack I just mentioned. Like the description says, youll often hit Critical with this attack (which will make it any Katana Scrappers best friend). It also mentions you knocking your opponent backward, which doesnt sound like a great thing for someone who wants to keep their enemy nice and close. However, I very rarely knock any enemies backward (it usually only happens if a Blaster is targeting through me and their attack lands at about the same time). Far more often, the enemy is just knocked down, which is much more useful.
Personal Rating: 5/5
Personal Slotting: Enhance Damage (3), Enhance Accuracy (2), Reduce Endurance Cost (1)
05: Dark Armor Powers
If youre the kind of person who actually reads the content of a guide, this is probably the portion you have the most interest in. Unfortunately, I should point out that when it comes to this set your choices will have a lot to do with what your play style is like. Slotting as well seems to be up to personal opinion. I will say that in my experience (since endurance management should always be in the back of your mind with Dark Armor) that putting adequate Reduce Endurance Cost slots into your powers is important. Some may argue otherwise, but I think that one thing that may deter most people from this set is its renowned problem with End Cost. Even after the slight fix this set received in i6 and after taking Stamina, slotting these powers for Endurance will make your Scrapper much more enjoyable to play in my opinion.
Dark Embrace
Recharge: Fast
Minimum Level: 1
Effects: Toggle: Self, +Resistance (Smash, Lethal, Negative, Toxic)
Description: You tap into the energy of the Netherworld to protect yourself from damage. This Dark Embrace shrouds you and grants resistance to lethal, smashing, negative energy and toxic damage.
Your first layer of armor, and a power youre forced to take. Since it covers all the low-level basic damage types (plus Negative and Toxic), why bother complaining? I put it on a lot without thinking of it, but in later levels you could definitely get away with not having it on if you know enough about the types of damage youre going to be encountering.
Personal Rating: 4/5
Personal Slotting: Reduce Endurance Cost (3), Enhance Damage Resistance (3)
Death Shroud
Damage: Minor Damage over Time (Negative)
Recharge: Fast
Minimum Level: 2
Effects: Toggle: Point Blank Area of Effect
Description: You become a focus point for the Netherworld, allowing its negative energy to seep from your body. This will continuously damage all foes in melee range.
This is a quirky little power. On the plus side, the small amount of damage it puts out is great for getting rid of small slivers of health left on enemies. On the down side, its an AOE and attracts the attention of everything immediately around you. I have it and use it, but its not something you need to take as soon as possible.
Personal Rating: 3/5
Personal Slotting: Reduce Endurance Cost (3), Enhance Accuracy (2)
Murky Cloud
Recharge: Fast
Minimum Level: 2
Effects: Toggle: Self, +Resistance (Fire, Cold, Energy, Negative, Endurance Drain)
Description: You create a Murky Cloud enshrouding you. This cloud can absorb all forms of energy, making you more resistant to fire, cold, energy, and negative energy attacks, as well as endurance drain effects.
This power is the next layer of armor protecting you from damage in a firefight. It protects you from more advanced forms of damage than Dark Embrace, including Endurance Drain. Dont get too excited over that, because therell still be occasions when youll be mauling Malta and thinking to yourself: Man! I never remember to check if theres a Sapper first!.
Personal Rating: 4/5
Personal Slotting: Reduce Endurance Cost (3), Enhance Damage Resistance (3)
Obsidian Shield
Recharge: Fast
Minimum Level: 10
Effects: Toggle: Self, +Resistance (Psionic, Sleep, Hold, Disorient, Fear)
Description: You can create a special Obsidian Shield that grants good resistance to psionic damage. With your mind enshrouded in darkness you are protected from sleep, fear, hold and disorient attacks.
This power is the icing on the cake and your last layer of damage protection. Its a great addition considering how it protects you from Sleep, Hold, Disorient, and Fear (which are buzz kills for anyone running a number of toggles). Then on top of all that, it even gives you protection to Psionic attacks, which is one of the perks to the Dark Armor set. When this power becomes available, youre only just beginning to encounter these types of damages. However, Id still take it as soon as possible so that you can begin slotting it and optimizing its use.
Personal Rating: 5/5
Personal Slotting: Reduce Endurance Cost (3), Enhance Damage Resistance (3)
Dark Regeneration
Damage: Minor Damage (Negative)
Recharge: Slow
Minimum Level: 16
Effects: Point Blank Area of Effect, Self: Health
Description: You can tap the dark essence of the Netherworld to drain a small amount of life from all enemies nearby, thus healing yourself. The more foes affected, the more you will be healed.
If Scrapper secondary Powersets were members of the Brady Bunch, this power makes Dark Armor look like Jan to Regenerations Marcia. It sounds like a fun idea, but its really not all that its cracked up to be. Firstly, to use it you need to be in immediate proximity to enemies (which is a pain if someone decides to move at the last second). Second, it chows on your endurance, which is a total turn off. Then finally, this power does not hit all the time. Yes you can miss, which means you dont get healed. I eventually took it, and I do use it. However, if you have something else you need to get then dont lose sleep over putting this on the back burner.
Personal Rating: 3/5
Personal Slotting: Enhance Accuracy (2), Reduce Endurance Cost (2), Increase Attack Rate (2)
Cloak of Darkness
Recharge: Slow
Minimum Level: 20
Effects: Toggle: Self Stealth, +Defense, +Perception, +Resistance (Immobilize)
Description: A shroud of Netherworld darkness envelops you, making you difficult to spot at a distance. You can be seen only at close range, or if you attack a target. Even if seen, the Cloak of Darkness grants you a bonus to defense to all attacks attacks and some protection from immobilization. This Netherworld Cloak also allows you to see things in a new light, allowing you to better see stealthy foes. Unlike some stealth powers, Cloak of Darkness has no movement penalty. Cloak of Darkness will not work with any other form of concealment power such as shadow fall or steamy mist.
So maybe Im a little more excited for this power than other people are, but it really suits my play style. Sometimes Im kind of clumsy, so having a Stealth power keeps me from stumbling into enemies that are right around the corner. Using it in battle also reduces the amount of attention you attract, which is pretty handy (much to the chagrin of any silly squishies that intended on using you like a Tank which you are not). Then it gives you protection from Immobilization, which is one of the status effects that Obsidian Shield doesnt cover. If you want my advice: take it, use it, love it.
Personal Rating: 5/5
Personal Slotting: Reduce Endurance Cost (3), Enhance Defense Buff (2)
Cloak of Fear
Recharge: Fast
Minimum Level: 28
Effects: Toggle: Point Blank Area of Effect, Foe: Fear, -Accuracy
Description: You can wrap yourself in a nightmarish Cloak of Fear. Foes close to you are treated to visions most horrific, forcing them to tremble in terror, only attacking if attacked, and even then, at reduced accuracy.
As I said before, some of the powers in this set are a matter of personal taste. Cloak of Fear is one of the premiere abilities that's placed under that heading. If youre asking me (which you should be if youre reading the guide I wrote), Im decidedly anti-Cloak of Fear. This may suit some Scrappers conceptually, however in reality you should be considering it as a form of damage mitigation. To satisfy that purpose, Dark Armor provides two options to choose from and this one (from what I understand) may send some of your enemies running. Since you dont have any ranged attacks until (possibly) your early 40s, thats really not that hot. Additionally, enemies that are suffering from Fear can still attack. To summarize, move on and dont look back.
Personal Rating: 1/5
Personal Slotting: Enhance Accuracy (2), Reduce Endurance Cost (2), Enhance ToHit Debuff (2)
Oppressive Gloom
Recharge: Moderate
Minimum Level: 35
Effects: Toggle: Point Blank Area of Effect, Foe: Disorient, Self: -Health
Description: The Netherworld has many mutable properties, such as the Oppressive Gloom. This power allows you to use your own hit points to keep enemies near you disoriented and unable to use any powers. Endurance cost for this is minimal, but the power can be dangerous to use.
Heres the second option for damage mitigation that I just mentioned in the description to Cloak of Fear. I prefer this power because Disorient will keep minions from attacking you completely as long as you dont let them waddle out of range. Yes, of course, this power does cost Health. In reality, the damage it deals your Scrapper is ignorable and the description of the power is really over dramatic. Besides, you can turn it off when youre not dealing with minions and its End cost is practically non-existent.
Personal Rating: 4/5
Personal Slotting: Enhance Accuracy (2)
Soul Transfer
Damage: Moderate
Recharge: Very Long
Minimum Level: 38
Effects: Self Rez, Special
Description: Should you fall in battle, you can perform a Soul Transfer, sucking the life force of all foes around you to bring yourself back from the brink of death. The more foes nearby, the more life is restored to you. Drained foes are left disoriented. The dark effects of this Soul Transfer will actually leave you invulnerable for a brief time, and protected from XP Debt for 20 seconds. There must be at least one foe nearby to fuel the transfer and revive yourself.
This power is kind of handy, but its so situational that Id put it off until late in the game (making sure youve taken everything else thats going to immediately help you in a fight). The reason I say this is that there have been times when the Disorient effect it has on enemies hasnt protected me long enough to get all of my armors back on (which can be a cumbersome process depending on what youre fighting). You could of course slot this powers Disorient duration, but why waste the enhancements when they should be put into powers that are going to prevent you from dying in the first place? The reality of Soul Transfer is that its another Marcia, Marcia, Marcia ability and there are temp powers that do something similar and also (sadly) happen to do it better.
Personal Rating: 2/5
Personal Slotting: Enhance Heal
06: Power Pools
What you take for Power Pools (like, pretty much, everything else) has to do with the way you play your character. Maybe youre tired of hearing me say that, but there are some pools that are definite winners and definite losers when it comes to this build. Here, Ill point out what my picks were and give some advice when it comes to making your own decisions. That being said, the overviews and ratings I give these pools are only in reference to Katana/Dark Armor Scrappers and dont reflect their use for other Powerset combinations or Archetypes.
Concealment
Powers: Stealth, Invisibility, Grant Invisibility, Phase Shift
Overview: Im a fan of this Power Pool, but in regards to this build theres no point in taking it. Cloak of Darkness is the same as Stealth; only it wont slow your movement and also protects you from being Immobilized. Phase Shift would be handy as a panic button power, but the idea of wasting another power choice to get that far when Invisibility and Grant Invisibility are so totally useless. Invisibility keeps you from attacking, and Grant Invisibility isnt a power I think a Scrapper should be taking
Rating: 1/5
Fighting:
Powers: Boxing, Kick, Tough, Weave
Overview: Other Powersets and Archetypes might consider this pool, but its pretty much useless here. You wont need the additional attacks (especially since I think Boxing and Kick will make you put away your Katana), and you definitely dont need more toggles when your armor covers the kinds of defense Tough and Weave provide.
Rating: 1/5
Fitness:
Powers: Swift, Hurdle, Health, Stamina
Overview: Ive read things written by players who feel as though you dont need to invest in this Power Pool, but Ill admit to taking it every single time. Even so, with Dark Armor its not something you want to pass up. Im never satisfied with Sprint; so Swift is something I usually take (and for people interested in Fly, it can be slotted to help your Flight Speed). Hurdle is another handy little power that makes moving around easier, and will lend a little vertical movement to people using Super Speed. Regaining Health more quickly is obviously helpful, but Stamina (which youll want to slot with three Enhance Endurance Modifications) is what makes Fitness a must have.
Rating: 5/5
Flight
Powers: Hover, Air Superiority, Fly, Group Fly
Overview: The luxury vehicle of travel powers, I often invest in this pool myself. Conceptually, though, it doesnt really match a hero whos wielding a Katana. Hover would be handy for fighting in air, and Fly of course gives superior maneuverability to any other travel power (in my opinion). Air Superiority will force you to redraw your weapon, and Group Fly isnt for Scrappers.
Rating: 3/5
Leadership
Powers: Maneuvers, Assault, Tactics, Vengeance
Overview: All of these powers are Toggles, which you already have in abundance. Not only that, but I cant stress enough that: you are a Scrapper. As a Scrapper, your job on a team is to put out damage and (possibly) help protect the squishier members of your team. Scrappers have a lot of solo appeal, which is why many people choose to play this Archetype. However, for those who want to make power choices that benefit their team, the best way to do that is to choose powers that are only going to benefit you as a solo hero.
Rating: 1/5
Leaping
Powers: Jump Kick, Combat Jumping, Super Jump, Acrobatics
Overview: This is one of the Power Pools that I chose for my toon. Jump Kick is something Id pass You dont need this attack, it has a long activation, and it might put away your blade. Combat Jumping has its own downsides: its a new toggle and Immobilize protection is given to you from Cloak of Darkness. I took it, though, as a partner for Swift (so I could take Health) and for a little more Defense. Super Jump is a solid travel power thats not hard to use, is efficient, has good maneuverability, and was my choice for concept reasons (a la Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon). Acrobatics, if nothing else, is something to work toward. Yes its a toggle, but none of Dark Armors powers provide protection to Knockdown or Knockback. Acrobatics can save you from a lot of aggravation, and sometimes save you from a face plant.
Rating: 4/5
Medicine
Powers: Aid Other, Stimulant, Aid Self, Resuscitate
Overview: For Badge Collectors, Aid Other is something that may be appealing. Itll let you work towards the Healing Badges, but its definitely not something you should ever use in a fight. Aid Self would be great if it couldnt be interrupted and didnt make you put away your Katana. Then, of course, Stimulant and Resuscitate are not powers you should be investing in. Because youre a what? A Scrapper! Thats right!
Rating: 2/5
Presence
Powers: Challenge, Provoke, Intimidate, Invoke Panic
Overview: Challenge isnt as effective as Call of the Wolf, so well pass. Provoke is for those who want to pretend theyre a Tanker, but why not attack them instead? Yeah, you can use it to pull a group but youll figure out better ways of keeping too many enemies from getting in your hair. Intimidate might keep something from running a little bit, but well pass. Then Invoke Panic is for those who want to pretend theyre a Controller. For those, Id suggest taking Cloak of Fear, Oppressive Gloom, or playing a Controller.
Rating: 1/5
Speed
Powers: Flurry, Hasten, Super Speed, Whirlwind
Overview: I wanna go fast! Once upon a time, I remember running into a Super Jump versus Super Speed debate every five seconds. Since i6, you dont see them as often but this is still a pretty good pool. Flurry is a complete joke, lets move on. Hasten used to be for a Hero what Superadine is for Trolls. Since you cant achieve Perma-Hasten anymore, its not as great but will still temporarily increase your Recharge times greatly enough to make it worth taking for some. Super Speed (though lacking in vertical movement) is an efficient travel power once you become familiar with the layouts of the maps you face. Its more helpful, I think, if you run away when things get tough or if youd like to cut down on the time you spend inside a mission. Whirlwind is not only a power I feel shouldnt be taken by Scrappers but also a power I think shouldnt be taken by anyone based on annoyance level alone. Spinning around real fast does not make you look cool it makes you look like a child who enjoys making themselves dizzy by twirling around on the linoleum floor in their kitchen.
Rating: 3/5
Teleportation
Powers: Recall Friend, Teleport Foe, Teleport, Team Teleport
Overview: I feel bad for this Power Pool, because its coolness factor ranks just as high as Flight but it takes so much more work to make it worth your while. Recall Friend isnt for Scrappers, but I see no fault in taking it for the early levels to make it easier for your teammates to get to the door of a mission then using a Power Respecification to take Teleport Foe instead. Teleport Foe could be pretty handy for yanking runners back into melee, and though it could be used for pulling it seems pretty sloppy when used for that purpose. I honestly do like Teleport, but to make the best use out of it you need to slot it for Endurance, maybe slot it for range, take Hover from the Flight pool to keep from falling, and make a nice little keybind for it. I still love it, but all that is a deterrent for most people. Then finally, Team Teleport, Team Shmeleport is all I need to say for the last power of this pool.
Rating: 2/5
07: My Suggestions
<ul type="square">[*]Regularly recycling Divine Avalanche into your attack chain will stack its Defense Buff and help a little bit with taking damage.[*]Though the temptation to begin your attack chain with Golden Dragonfly and immediately using Soaring Dragon afterward is great, I suggest spreading those two attacks out. Theyll both knock down your enemy, which is a great way of avoiding damage. Instead, try using something like: Soaring Dragon, Divine Avalanche, Flashing Steel, Golden Dragonfly, Divine Avalanche, etc.[*]While choosing your powers: make choices that benefit you as a solo hero, slot your attacks as quickly as possible, take your damage reducing armors when they become available, set up your early power choices while keeping your eye on Stamina, and slot for Endurance.[*]Play smart, but dont be afraid of Debt. Somewhere theres a great Scrapper guide that details why a Scrapper should come to love his/her debt. The sooner you can get over being afraid of it, learn not to get mad or point fingers when you get it (even a lot of it repetitively), the better youll do at avoiding it at all. Not only that, but its a game. Have fun. Besides, there are six debt badges to collect ladies and gentlemen. Whether or not you want to let people know you have all six is your business, but a badge is a badge in my book.[*]Obsidian Shield is a must have. Psionic Damage aside, you need this to make sure your armor never falls off.[*]If you slot your armors well, youll be efficient enough at taking damage to solo like woah. Nevertheless, be wary of the PUG that greets you by saying: Come to mish, Tank![/list]
08: Build
This is a rough estimate of the build that I used. Unfortunately, as I said before, I didn't keep track of exactly when I picked up the powers I chose or when I put 'x' slot into 'y' power. This is included so you can get an idea of what I did, and use as a reference while you form your own build. That being said, feel free to diverge from it. If you think you need more defense, damage, or endurance, slot your powers accordingly at those times.
Name: Black Magnolia
Level: 50
Archetype: Scrapper
Primary: Katana
Secondary: Dark Armor
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Sting of the Wasp==> Acc(1) Dmg(3) Dmg(3) Dmg(5) Acc(5) EndRdx(7)
01) --> Dark Embrace==> DmgRes(1) DmgRes(7) DmgRes(15) EndRdx(31) EndRdx(37) EndRdx(39)
02) --> Flashing Steel==> Acc(2) Acc(9) Dmg(9) Dmg(11) Dmg(11) EndRdx(13)
04) --> Murky Cloud==> DmgRes(4) DmgRes(13) DmgRes(19) EndRdx(34) EndRdx(37) EndRdx(39)
06) --> Swift==> Run(6)
08) --> Build Up==> Rechg(8) Rechg(17) Rechg(45)
10) --> Combat Jumping==> EndRdx(10)
12) --> Obsidian Shield==> DmgRes(12) DmgRes(15) DmgRes(19) EndRdx(36) EndRdx(37) EndRdx(39)
14) --> Super Jump==> Jump(14)
16) --> Divine Avalanche==> Acc(16) Acc(17) DefBuf(36) DefBuf(36) Dmg(45) Dmg(50)
18) --> Health==> Heal(18)
20) --> Stamina==> EndMod(20) EndMod(21) EndMod(21)
22) --> The Lotus Drops==> Acc(22) Acc(23) Dmg(23) Dmg(25) Dmg(25) EndRdx(27)
24) --> Cloak Of Darkness==> EndRdx(24) EndRdx(40) EndRdx(40) DefBuf(40) DefBuf(42)
26) --> Soaring Dragon==> Acc(26) Dmg(27) Dmg(29) Dmg(29) Acc(31) EndRdx(31)
28) --> Acrobatics==> EndRdx(28) EndRdx(45) EndRdx(46)
30) --> Dark Regeneration==> Acc(30) EndRdx(48) EndRdx(48) EndRdx(50)
32) --> Golden Dragonfly==> Acc(32) Dmg(33) Dmg(33) Dmg(33) Acc(34) EndRdx(34)
35) --> Oppressive Gloom==> Acc(35) Acc(42)
38) --> Death Shroud==> EndRdx(38) EndRdx(42) EndRdx(43) Acc(43) Acc(43)
41) --> Petrifying Gaze==> Hold(41) EndRdx(46)
44) --> Dark Blast==> Acc(44) EndRdx(46)
47) --> Tenebrous Tentacles==> Acc(47) EndRdx(48) Acc(50)
49) --> Soul Transfer==> Heal(49)
09: Additional Information/Links
Katana/Dark Armor-A Guide by Guardian_Gaz
This is one of the guides I used as a reference while playing Black Magnolia. The information contained in my guide differs in a number of places from this one. It's also worth mentioning that the frames of the thread are very wide (making it somewhat annoying to read).
Scrapper Slotting Basics
This is a guide on how to slot Scrapper primary and secondary Powersets. My slotting is typically different when it comes to Dark Armor, but this was another source of information that I referred to later in the game.