Rising to the Challenge: Spines/Willpower

Rising to the Challenge: An Issue 12 Guide to Spines/Willpower Scrappers

Hello all! This is my second guide for all you Scrapper lovers out there. This time, my focus will be on probably my most enjoyable character of all time: Spines/Willpower Scrapper. I've clocked nearly 900 hours on him and I see no end in sight. I've soloed all of the Freedom Phalanx task forces with him (Psyche 3 times, actually) with no need for Shivians or nukes. I've soloed Maria Jenkins' 'A Hero's Hero' arc twice with him on Invincible so all main enemies are AVs. I've done my fair share of both arena and zone PvP with great success. I've put some Stone Armor Tankers to shame and shown a few Fire/Kinetics Controllers what it means to clear a Demon/BM/Family farm. Because I love this character so much, I felt it would be nice to write a guide to recount the joy I've had playing him and tell you folks the joys of being a Spines/Willpower Scrapper. In this guide, I will cover:

I. Introduction to Spines

II. Spines Power Choices

III. Introduction to Willpower

IV. Willpower Power Choices

V. Pool Powers/Ancillary Pools

VI. Sample Builds

VII. Conclusion

All power slots are based of generic IO slotting. I will be covering set IOs later for those who are interested. All numbers will be courtesy of Red Tomax's Guide to City of Heroes. And now, we begin!

I. Introduction to Spines
Spines is the Area of Effect (AoE) monster of all the Scrapper primaries. While some sets, like Dark Melee, can deal tremendous damage to Single Targets (ST), Spines thrives on being the middle of a large spawn and tearing them to pieces. With 2 PBAoE powers (1 click and 1 toggle) and 2 cone attacks (1 melee and 1 ranged), Spines can destroy spawns in no time. Another fun thing about the set is that it has 2 ranged powers, Impale and Throw Spines. This breaks away from the standard melee mode, giving you the chance to hit targets without chasing them down. All Spines powers (excluding Build Up and Confront) have –Recharge and –Speed debuffs that stack with each other; a nice way to mitigate incoming damage. However, this AoE prowess comes with a weakness. Spines a pretty Endurance consuming set; without Stamina/Quick Recovery/buffs, you may find yourself gasping for breath. It is also lacking the in the ST department. You will mow down minions and lieutenants but those remaining bosses or other stragglers will be time consuming to bring down. This doesn't mean Spines can't do decent ST damage but compared to a ST focused set like Dark Melee, you won't bring them down as quickly.


II. Spines Power Choices
The grading system I will be using for the powers are as follows:

= Terrible, skip it and don't look back
= Pretty lackluster, strongly recommend you skip it
= Respectable, take it if you'd like or skip it
= Pretty good, strongly recommend you take it
= Amazing power, take it or I will hunt you down

Now for the powers:

Barb Swipe
Available: Level 1
Endurance Cost: 3.5
Recharge: 3.5 seconds
Rating:
Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage

-A terrible, terrible power. Not only does it have a disgusting animation, the damage is pitiful. If I had to peg the worst power in the Spines set, it would probably be this one. I'd take it in the low levels to fill out your attack chain but immediately respec out of when you have the opportunity.

Lunge
Available: Level 1
Endurance Cost: 5.2
Recharge: 4 seconds
Rating:
Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage

-It's a choice between this or Barb Swipe, and I strongly recommend you take this. It does decent damage, fairly low End cost, and has a relatively quick Recharge. A solid power that you’ll use from 1 to 50.

Spine Burst
Available: Level 2
Endurance Cost: 15.2
Recharge: 16 seconds
Rating:
Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Recharge or 1 End Reduction

-This is your first Player Based Area of Effect (PBAoE) attack. This attack can hit up to 10 targets in a 15 foot radius. This attack should never be used against 1 or 2 foes. The Endurance cost is relatively high and should be used only when there are multiple targets (5 of more is what I set the bar at). It also has a lengthy Recharge, so slot it for both End Reduction and Recharge when possible.

Build Up
Available: Level 2
Endurance Cost: 5.2
Recharge: 90 seconds
Duration: 10 seconds
Buff: +100% Damage, +20% To Hit
Rating:
Slotting: 3 Recharge, 0-3 To Hit Buff

-This power is a click buff, granting you a large bonus to Damage and To Hit. Now, some folks may be put off by the duration and recharge but I strongly recommend you pick this up. Having it at the low levels gives you an easier time hitting foes as well as hitting them harder. Even once you’re SOed/IOed out, it is still a nice power to start off with a big alpha or deal significant damage fast.

Impale
Available: Level 8
Endurance Cost: 5.2
Recharge: 8 seconds
Range: 40 feet
Rating:
Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Recharge

-This is an amazing power. This is the first of the 2 ranged options offered by Spines. This power, in addition to a -Recharge and -Speed debuff, also has a Mag3 Immobilize and -Fly attached to it. This pulls fliers back down to Earth and, for foes without Immobilize protection, insures that they aren't going anywhere. On top of that, it does fantastic damage. This is a power that you should not and cannot pass up.

Confront
Available: Level 12
Recharge: 3 seconds
Range: 70 feet
Rating:
Slotting: 1 Taunt, 0-1 Accuracy

-A pretty useless power. You are not a Tanker, managing aggro is not your role. Your role is to make sure that aggro falls before your might. If you find yourself playing Tank more than 90% of the time, then perhaps you should take it. In general, skip it and take something more important.

Quills
Available: Level 18
Endurance Cost: 1.04 End/sec
Recharge: 15 seconds
Range: 8 foot radius
Rating:
Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 2 Damage, 2 End Reduction

-This is another PBAoE power, although this is a toggle power instead of a click. Quills is a rather expensive toggle too, so putting End Reduction into it is imperative. When surrounded by enemies, this power greatly increases your damage output. There was a post long ago showing how much damage damage aura toggles actually put out compared to your click attacks, which was quite significant. Until you get some End Reduction in, I wouldn't use it full time but it is definitely a power to pick up.

Ripper
Available: Level 26
Endurance Cost: 11
Recharge: 11 seconds
Range: 90 degree cone
Rating:
Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Recharge

-This is another fanstastic power. This is a melee attack that has a huge cone, allowing you easily hit 3-4 targets, the maximum being 5. Ripper also has a chance to knockdown your targets, giving you some breathing room if you find yourself over your head. This power should get 6 slots right away, first accuracy then damage/recharge. Take Ripper at 26, no later.

Throw Spines
Available: Level 32
Endurance Cost: 13
Recharge: 12 seconds
Range: 30 feet distance, 90 degree cone
Rating:
Slotting: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Recharge

-This attack is similar to Energy Blast’s Energy Torrent, a ranged cone. Like Impale, this is a ranged attack, allowing you hit targets from a distance. The fantastic thing about this power, compared to Impale, is that you can hit multiple targets from range, up to 10. Like all other Spines powers, Throw Spines will inflict a minor –Recharge and –Speed which stacks from all other powers. This, like Ripper and Impale, are powers not to skip and should be learned right at 32.

III. Introduction to Willpower
Willpower is one of the newest sets to come into the CoX universe. The set is really the only “natural” set in the game. You’re not invincible. If you get cut, you’ll bleed. But, you’re tough and strong willed. The set is a mix of resistance, defense, and regeneration. Willpower’s resistances to Smashing/Lethal are about Fiery Aura/Dark Armor level but its resistances to everything else are very, very low. On the other hand, its defenses to Smashing/Lethal are low but its defenses to the rest are quite good. Some people argue that Willpower cannot take an alpha strike. I beg to differ: I find Willpower, along with Invulnerability and Dark Armor, to be the best at taking in an alpha. It is also a very easy set to manage: 4 toggles, 3 passives, and 2 clicks. One of the passives is considered to be one of the best powers in game: Quick Recovery. A weakness of the set is the lack of a healing power, forcing you to rely on teammates for healing or invest in the Medicine pool. Properly played, Willpower can be a true beast and that it why it is probably my favorite defensive set.

IV.Willpower Power Choices

High Pain Tolerance
Available: Level 1
Endurance Cost: 0 (Passive)
Effect: +20% HP, 5.62% Resistance to All
Rating:
Slotting: 3 Healing, 0-3 Resistance

-Of all Tier 1 defensive powers, this is in my opinion the absolute best. Right off the bat, it gives you a bonus to HP, allowing you to stay in the fight longer. Also, it gives you resistance to all damage types. While not particularly high, it still is a nice perk. Slotting it with Healing will increase the +HP bonus, so it is imperative to at least 3 slot it. If you do have extra slots or choose to do so, put another 3 in there for Resistance.

Mind Over Body
Available: Level 2
Endurance Cost: 0.10 End/sec
Effect: +16.9% Resistance (Smashing/Lethal), 15% Resistance (Psionic)
Rating:
Slotting: 3 Resistance, 1 End Reduction

-The first of 4 toggles in Willpower, and this one is pretty good. Like most other early tier shields, it provides a modest Smashing/Lethal resistance bonus. Unlike other shields (or even sets), Mind Over Body provides resistance to Psionic damage. Psionic damage appears quite early in the game (Circle of Thorns, Arachnos) and very much so in the late game (Carnies, Praetorians, Arachnos, Circle of Thorns). You’ll be glad to have those resistances, take this power and slot it up.

Fast Healing
Available: Level 4
Endurance Cost: 0 (Passive)
Effect: +75% Regeneration, 26% Regeneration debuff protection
Rating:
Slotting: 3 Healing
For a set that is a mix of resistance, defense, and regeneration it’d be crazy to neglect 1/3 of your protection. This power stacks nicely with the other regeneration buffs in the set and reduces downtime.

Indomitable Will
Available: Level 10
Endurance Cost: 0.10 End/sec
Effect: +7.5% Defense (Psionic), Mez Protection (KnockBack/Up/Down, Hold, Sleep, Immobilize, Stun, Fear, Confuse, Repel)
Rating:
Slotting: 0-3 Defense, 1 End Reduction

-Arguably, the best mez protection in the game. It pretty much covers everything: holds, sleeps, knock backs, stuns…all at level 10. It even has protection against more exotic mezzes like repel, confuse, and fear. It also offers some Psionic defenses, certainly nothing to shrug your shoulders at. The only things that it is missing are End drain protection, enemy teleportation protection, and slow protection. I shouldn’t have to say it but I will anyway: take it at level 10 and say goodbye to mez.

Rise to the Challenge
Available: Level 16
Endurance Cost: 0.21 End/sec
Effect: +Regeneration for every foe within 8 feet (Max 10), 3.75% To Hit Debuff to all targets within 8 feet (Max 10)
Rating:
Slotting: 3 Healing, 1 End Reduction

-Probably the best power in the Willpower set. Those who are familiar with the Invulnerability set will see a resemblance between Rise to the Challenge (RttC) and Invincibility. With 1 target in RttC’s range, it will grant you a 125% regeneration bonus. For every target thereafter (up to 10), you will get another 25%. 125% + 25(9) = 350% regeneration bonus. When slotted and with 10 targets, RttC can reach Instant Healing levels of regeneration! It also inflicts a minor To Hit Debuff on your enemies; it isn’t significant but any little bit helps. Take this power at 16, slot it up, and thrive off the enemies who surround you. Note: this power’s animation will root you.

Quick Recovery
Available: Level 20
Endurance Cost: 0 (Passive)
Effect: +30% Recovery
Rating:
Slotting: 3 End Modification

-This power is pretty much like Stamina from the Fitness set. It is actually stronger than Stamina, even though they are both available at the same level. Most players cannot go without Fitness/Stamina, and you get this power without a 2 power prerequisite. 3 slot this for Endurance Modification and say goodbye to End troubles.

Heightened Senses
Available: Level 28
Endurance Cost: 0.10 End/sec
Effect: +2.5% Defense (Smashing/Lethal), +9.8% Defense (Fire/Cold/Energy/Negative Energy), +60% Perception, +17.3% Defense debuff protection
Rating:
Slotting: 3 Defense, 1 End Reduction

-This power helps with your non-Smashing/Lethal defenses. Not only that, it gives you Defense debuff protection, and increases your Perception. Perception allows you to see stealthy foes, like Arachnos Night Widows. This also helpful in PvP to spot Stalkers. Slot this up for Defenses, and grab it at 28.

Resurgence
Available: Level 35
Duration: 90 seconds
Effect: Self rez (80% HP, 50% End), grants a bonus to Recovery, Damage, To Hit, Recharge
Rating:
Slotting: 1-3 Recharge

-Self rez powers are generally looked upon with no value but Resurgence is somewhat different. When you rise, you are granted a Recovery, Damage, +100% Recharge, and a To Hit bonus for 90 seconds. When those 90 seconds expire, your Damage and To Hit will be debuffed. It’s nice to never have to worry about having an Awaken when you have this power but you shouldn’t be dying in the first place.

Strength of Will
Available: Level 38
Duration: 120 seconds
Recharge: 300 seconds
Effect: +18.8% Resistance (Smashing/Lethal), +9.38% Resistance (Fire/Cold/Energy/Negative Energy, Toxic/Psionic), +30% Recovery, Break Free effect/Mez Protection
Rating:
Slotting: 3 Resistance

-When you look at the numbers, you may be a bit under whelmed. Strength of Will isn’t like traditional tier 9s, which give you 3 minutes of God mode. It is meant to be used pre-emptively before a bad alpha strike. It can be used when you’re low on HP but the relatively low bonuses may or may not save you if you’re too low. What is nice about this power is that you can use it when you are held, slept, stunned, or any other mez. When you do, it acts as a Break Free, improving your mez protection. It has a recharge of 300 seconds that cannot be modified in anyway, either debuffing or buffing. Some may choose to skip it but I recommend you take it. With the Fighting pool, it is possible to cap your Smashing/Lethal resists when this is active.

V. Pool Powers/Ancillary Pools
I’ll give a brief summary of the pools I recommend:

Leaping
My preferred movement power. Jump Kick is terrible attack but it can be somewhat useful in the low levels. Combat Jumping adds to your defenses and boosts your jump height. Super Jump is probably the most versatile movement power; you don’t have Super Speed’s speed but you do have the ability to avoid obstacles like Flight. Acrobatics is a nice toggle for squishies but since you have both Knockback and Hold protection, it is pretty worthless.

Fitness
“Why should I learn Fitness? I got Fast Healing and Quick Recovery!” A valid point but often times Quick Recovery isn’t enough. Having Stamina on top of QR pretty much ensures you won’t run out of Endurance. My Spines/Willpower runs 10 toggles and, even with a gapless attack chain, I don’t run out of Endurance. Health adds even more regeneration of top of what you have, something that shouldn’t be passed up. Swift and Hurdle are personal preferences; I take Swift since my primary movement is leaping and, in some maps like caves, running faster is often easier than bunny hopping.

Medicine
As mentioned earlier, the lack of a self heal is Willpower’s biggest weakness. This pool allows you to fill that gap. Aid Other and Stimulant are powers that affect your allies, the first being a heal and the latter being a mez protection/resistance buff. Stimulant will also free an ally if they are already mezzed. Aid Self is the jewel of the set; slotted up, it is roughly a 40-45% heal. Resuscitate is a fun power; it allows you to rez a fallen teammate. You’re job is to kill the enemies, not rez teammates so I recommend you skip it. Note: all powers can be interrupted, consider putting some Interrupt Reduction SOs/IOs so that not only fire off faster but can fire off if you are being with Damage over Time (DoT).

Fighting
The first 2 powers, Boxing and Kick, are pretty worthless. It doesn’t matter which you pick but do not invest any slots into them. Tough adds to your Smashing/Lethal resistances; with this, Mind Over Body, and Strength of Will you can cap your resists to Smash/Lethal. Weave grants a defense buff to all damage types and all positions. This stacks nicely with your existing defenses. The 2 toggles are rather expensive so put some End Reductions in.

Speed
Flurry and Whirlind are terrible, terrible powers; don’t bother taking them. Hasten gives you a +70% Recharge boost on all your powers. With proper slotting, you’ll find that you attacks will come up quick enough without Hasten. Super Speed is a very, very fast movement power but has no way of clearing vertical obstacles. Consider pairing it with Super Jump or Fly to get over walls, pits, etc.

Body Mastery
This is the pool of choice for PvP. Conserve Power reduces the cost of all powers by 50%. Fortunately, you have Quick Recovery (and possibly Stamina) so there really is no need for it. Focused Accuracy provides a large To Hit buff, increases your Perception, and gives you protection against To Hit Debuffs. It is a very, very expensive toggle so put at least 2 or 3 End Reductions into it. Laser Beam Eyes and Energy Torrent give you 2 ranged options. LBE is a single target, all Energy damage blast that inflicts –Defense. Energy torrent is a ranged cone (like Throw Spines) that does Energy/Smashing damage and can knock foes down. Lower level foes will be knocked back.

Darkness Mastery
Torrent is a low damage, knockback power. If there is a power to skip, I’d definitely say this one. Petrifying Gaze is a single target Hold; this is useful for enemies like Sappers or other foes that can cause problems. It is a Mag3 Hold, meaning it will hold minions and lieutenants in 1 cast but 2 are needed for bosses. The recharge is long and the hold duration is short so slots are necessary for it to be effective. Tenebrous Tentacles is a cone Immobilize power. While it doesn’t do very much damage, it prevents some enemies from running away so they stay clustered for you’re AoE attacks.

VI. Sample Builds
The first build I will show you is a 1-26 model:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.4006
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Amaan 1-26: Level 25 Magic Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Spines
Secondary Power Set: Willpower
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Barb Swipe -- Empty(A)
Level 1: High Pain Tolerance -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Lunge -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Mind Over Body -- Empty(A)
Level 6: Build Up -- Empty(A)
Level 8: Impale -- Empty(A)
Level 10: Indomitable Will -- Empty(A)
Level 12: Jump Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Empty(A)
Level 16: Rise to the Challenge -- Empty(A)
Level 18: Fast Healing -- Empty(A)
Level 20: Quick Recovery -- Empty(A)
Level 22: Spine Burst -- Empty(A)
Level 24: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 26: Ripper -- Empty(A)
Level 28: [Empty]
Level 30: [Empty]
Level 32: [Empty]
Level 35: [Empty]
Level 38: [Empty]
Level 41: [Empty]
Level 44: [Empty]
Level 47: [Empty]
Level 49: [Empty]
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit

-You’ll probably notice that this build has powers that I strongly advised against. In the early levels, having multiple attacks will help take out foes quicker. Since your accuracy will be so poor, having extra attacks to fall back on when some miss is great. At 26, you’ll get Ripper which will help will single target damage. It is very, very painful to level up with Lunge, Spine Burst, and Impale so I took Jump Kick to give me another attack early on. You can take Combat Jumping instead if you have the veteran attack powers (Sands of Mu, Ghost Slaying Axe, Nemesis Staff, and/or Blackwand).

This is the build I am currently using, all IOed.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.4006
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Amaan: Level 50 Magic Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Spines
Secondary Power Set: Willpower
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Lunge -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg:50(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg:50(3), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(3), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(5), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(5)
Level 1: High Pain Tolerance -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx:30(A), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(7), S'fstPrt-ResKB:30(7), Numna-Heal/EndRdx:50(9), Numna-Heal/Rchg:50(9), Numna-Heal:50(11)
Level 2: Spine Burst -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx:50(11), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg:50(13), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg:50(13), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(15), Sciroc-Dam%:50(15)
Level 4: Mind Over Body -- ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(17), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(17), ImpArm-ResDam:40(19)
Level 6: Build Up -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(19), Rec'dRet-Pcptn:20(21)
Level 8: Impale -- Dev'n-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Dev'n-Dmg/EndRdx:50(21), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg:50(23), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(23), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(25), Dev'n-Hold%:50(25)
Level 10: Indomitable Will -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(A), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg:50(27), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(27), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(29)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(A)
Level 14: Super Jump -- SprngFt-Jump:50(A)
Level 16: Rise to the Challenge -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx:50(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg:50(29), Numna-Heal:50(31)
Level 18: Fast Healing -- Mrcl-Rcvry+:40(A), Numna-Heal:50(31), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:50(31)
Level 20: Quick Recovery -- P'Shift-EndMod:50(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg:50(33), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc:50(33), P'Shift-End%:50(33)
Level 22: Quills -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx:50(34), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg:50(34), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg:50(34), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(36), Sciroc-Dam%:50(36)
Level 24: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 26: Ripper -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx:50(36), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg:50(37), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg:50(37), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(37), Sciroc-Dam%:50(39)
Level 28: Heightened Senses -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(A), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg:50(39), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(39), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(40)
Level 30: Health -- RgnTis-Regen+:30(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx:50(40), Numna-Heal:50(40)
Level 32: Throw Spines -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:50(42), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(42), Posi-Dmg/Rng:50(42), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(43), Posi-Dam%:50(43)
Level 35: Stamina -- Efficacy-EndMod:50(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg:50(43), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc:50(45)
Level 38: Strength of Will -- ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(45), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(45), ImpArm-ResDam:40(46)
Level 41: Focused Accuracy -- GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx:50(A), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx:50(46), GSFC-Build%:50(46)
Level 44: Kick -- FrcFbk-Rechg%:50(A)
Level 47: Tough -- ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(48), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(48), ImpArm-ResDam:40(48)
Level 49: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(A), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg:50(50), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(50), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- P'ngS'Fest-Stun%:30(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth:50(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Heal-I:50(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
------------
[u]Set Bonus Totals:[u]<ul type="square">[*]3% DamageBuff(Smashing)[*]3% DamageBuff(Lethal)[*]3% DamageBuff(Fire)[*]3% DamageBuff(Cold)[*]3% DamageBuff(Energy)[*]3% DamageBuff(Negative)[*]3% DamageBuff(Toxic)[*]3% DamageBuff(Psionic)[*]3% Defense(Smashing)[*]3% Defense(Lethal)[*]3% Defense(Fire)[*]3% Defense(Cold)[*]3% Defense(Energy)[*]3% Defense(Negative)[*]21.8% Defense(Psionic)[*]3% Defense(Melee)[*]3% Defense(Ranged)[*]12.4% Defense(AoE)[*]6.75% Max End[*]41.3% Enhancement(RechargeTime)[*]52% Enhancement(Accuracy)[*]10% FlySpeed[*]225.9 HP (16.9%) HitPoints[*]10% JumpHeight[*]10% JumpSpeed[*]Knockback (Mag -4)[*]Knockup (Mag -4)[*]MezResist(Held) 3.3%[*]MezResist(Immobilize) 2.2%[*]20% Perception[*]15.5% (0.26 End/sec) Recovery[*]110% (6.15 HP/sec) Regeneration[*]1.58% Resistance(Fire)[*]1.58% Resistance(Cold)[*]9.38% Resistance(Negative)[*]3.13% Resistance(Toxic)[*]10% RunSpeed[/list]


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|-------------------------------------------------------------------|</pre><hr />

-I chose not to invest in any purple IO sets. Why? Because, to me, the cost does not justify the bonus. True, having the bonus across any level is nice but I rarely exemplar so it is of no real use to me. My main focus on this build was +HP and +Regneration. Recharge is of low priority; I only invested in the Luck of the Gambler: 7.5%s so I can have a fluid attack chain. Titanium Coating sets in Mind Over Body, Tough, and Strength of Will would give you more HP but I chose to focus more on Recovery. This is so I don’t ever have to worry about Endurance. Some people would choose to take Medicine over the Fighting pool. Some people choose to take both if possible. I’ve tried both of these configurations and I found having Fighting was a better choice. Taking less damage and avoiding more damage was more useful than taking time to fire off a heal. Plus, with Rise to the Challenge, you will be able to Regenerate the damage that comes in. True, if a major hit, say from an AV hits, its nice to be able to get all that lost HP back but I find that a small of medium green is more than sufficient.

VI. Conclusion
I hope you folks found this guide to be useful and, hopefully, I convinced you to roll a Spines/Willpower Scrapper. I love to play quick and aggressively, and this build suits that perfectly. Dealing massive AoE damage, clearing out the group, and move onto the next is the way I like to play and this build does exactly that. Fire/Kinetics Controllers currently dominate the farming world but this build can contend with their speed and killing power; often times, I find myself passing them by. The build starts off slow but soon, the only thing that will stop you is the ‘Invalid Target’ message!

If you wish to contact me:
-Send me a PM
-Send me a global tell (handle is in my bio)
-Look for me in game (I play only on Freedom and Triumph)

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. Please leave comments; whether you liked it or loathed it, your feedback will help improve my later guides.

In the IV.Willpower Power Choices section, you have Resurgence twice. Edit it to have the second be Strength of Will.

Whoops

Thanks for catching that..

Since my Fiery Scrapper is in the upper levels, I've been looking to get another Hero in my lineup. Scrappers are far and away my favorite Arch blueside (in fact, they are just about the only Arch blueside I can stomach) and Spines seems to offer a very different kind of Scrapper experience from any other set. That it PvPs well (for a Scrapper lol) is a side benefit.

Based on this fine guide, I'm going to roll Spines/WP and follow this build exactly (using the 26 and below build, then respeccing at 28 into your final build) and then probably put my own spin on it at 50 (should I find it necessary; I probably won't).

I'm usually an opponent of putting both Stamina and Quick Recovery onto a character, but given the AOE nature of Spines I think it's warranted (AOE is so very Endurance heavy; one reason I shy away from it usually. I'm a big fan of single target.)

P.S. I believe Resurgence has a +100% Recharge bonus as well. I'm a fan of self-rezes, so I may switch up a bit and take it, but I'll try the build as shown first.

WARNING: I bold names.

[ QUOTE ]
P.S. I believe Resurgence has a +100% Recharge bonus as well. I'm a fan of self-rezes, so I may switch up a bit and take it, but I'll try the build as shown first.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're correct, I forgot about that

And I'm glad I got someone to make a Spines/WP Scrapper!

just a question, have u posted any youtube vids of your AV/TF soloing?

[ QUOTE ]
just a question, have u posted any youtube vids of your AV/TF soloing?

[/ QUOTE ]

I've been meaning to do so but I haven't been able to find the time.

I plan to do so probably after Double XP Weekend; I'll be focusing on lowbies during that time so I won't sign on as my Scrapper until it is over.

Issue 13 Update!

Issue 13 has finally launched, bringing forth many new changed to the 'City of' universe. To see a full list of the changes, please go here.

Issue 13 also brings a few changes to the Spines/Willpower build. There were no major changes nor were there any changes specific to Willpower or Spines but I felt it prudent to explain how some of these changes affect this combo.

Day Jobs

If you log out in certain areas, you will gain credit towards a Day Job. Example: logging out in a PvP zone will give credit towards the Predator day job. These jobs grant a bonus the longer you are logged out at that location. In the example with the Predator day job, if you log out in a zone for a set amount of time, you will gain a 7.5% Recharge bonus. While Recharge isn't a big deal for Willpower, it is quite nice for Spines; faster recharge on attacks is a god send for a Scrapper.

Some people won't be too interested in Day Jobs but some Jobs provide nice bonuses that increase the power of Spines/Willpower, such as:

Caregiver - grants a +Regeneration bonus. Unfortunately, it is out of combat. It still is quite nice boost your Regen for a period and top off yourHP before you move into another mob. Log out as hospitals to earn this badge

Predator - grants a 7.5% Recharge bonus. Not important for Willpower but does give some of lengthy Spines powers to come back quicker like Spine Burst, Ripper, and Throw Spines. Log out in PvP zones to earn this badge

Commuter - grants a +Speed bonus. Well, its not game-breaking but moving faster is definitely not a minus. This is especially helpful for me when I'm farming since I chose not to learn Super Speed and bunny-hopping with Combat Jumping only goes so far.

Toggle Power Changes

Toggle powers have been changed a bit. Normally, if you were held, slept, or disoriented, your toggles would drop. This would force you to retoggle your powers in order to get back into the fight. Thankfully, it has been changed. Now, if you are affected by those status effects, your toggles will not detoggle. Instead, they will suppress, meaning they will not provide any benefit while under the effect. The only exception to this is mez protection toggles (in our case, Indomitable Will). It will still grant protection to other mezzes.

Aside from mez toggles, there is another exception. Offensive toggle powers will detoggle when you are held, slept, or disoriented. By 'offensive toggle', I mean any toggle power that affects a target in any way (either a debuff or damage) This is important to know for this build since two powers will be affected by this: Quills and Rise to the Challenge. Chances are you probably won't be mezzed in PvE but it will happen in PvP which brings me to my next topic:

PvP 'Revamped'

Issue 13 brings new changed to the PvP environment, some for the better and some for the worst. I will not go into my opinions on that matter; you can view them on the link above and make your own judgements.

-One of more significant changes is how attacks function now. Their damage depends on how long the animation is. A quick attack deals less damage but a slower one deals more damage. Due to some of the rather length animations on some Spines attacks (Impale and Ripper the two major culprits), those attacks gain a slight damage boost.

If you'd like to see the new numbers, click here, select a power, and read where it says 'If target = Player'.

-Another change is diminishing returns. What this means is stacking a certain type of buff (resistances, defenses) start to give a lesser and lesser value in PvP. The caps for said traits are also lowered in PvP. Healing powers are also affected by this change. It isn't major for Willpower due to the fact it is a self heal but if you PvP regularly with someone who does heal, this does play a factor. Essentially, the more times you are healed in a 7.5 second period, the less and less the healing power affects you.

-Movement suppression has also been altered. If you are the target of an attack (or you fire off an attack), your (and the target's) movement speeds will be reduced to base levels. So, if you are running Super Speed as well as Super Jump and you fire off Impale at a target who has the same movement powers, your movement (as well as his/hers) will be reduced to that without SJ and SS on.

-Mez powers work in a different fashion now. There are actually two systems when it comes to mez effects: Status Protection and Status Resistance. Status Protection gives you a set protection to, say, holds. Every hold that hits you will decrease that protection until you are held. Example: Indomitable Will at level 50 provides 10.4 hold protection. You get hit a Controller's hold (which is Mag4). You are now down to 6.4 hold protection.

Status Resistance, on the other hand, reduced the duration of a hold. Example: You have 25% hold resistance and a Controller hits with you a hold. You will still be held but the duration of that hold will last 25% shorter. This is the new system in PvP: Status Resistance. Now don't worry, Dominators in Domination won't be able to perma-mez you. The overall duration of all mez powers has been drastically decreased. You also gain a 10-15 second suppression from these effects after the first mez power wears off.

General Power Changes

-Focused Accuracy: The To Hit Buff has been slashed and replaced with an Accuracy buff. In PvE, the change isn't noticable but it does affect PvP. This gives defense sets a chance against overwhelming amounts of To Hit.

-Tough, which provides Smashing and Lethal resistance, will now provide resistances to all damage in PvP.

-Taunt powers also gain a new benefit in PvP. If you taunt an attacker, he/she will suffer a 75% Range debuff. This will help not only Scrappers but all meleers close in and attack.

-Ripper's range and radius has been increased to 7 feet. Always nice so you can hit more baddies

-Build Up. The +Damage offered by it was being reduced by the player's resistances. This has been corrected. More damage? Yay!

Well, that covers most of the I13 and post I13 changes that affect Spines/Willpower. I encourage all of you to leave comments, regardless if they are positive and negative. Every 'OMG I HATE THIS GUIDE!!' comment will help me improve future guides :P.

Again, if you have and questions/comments, post them here or send me a PM and I will try to answer them quickly and completely.


Regards,
A_K

I recently came back to CoH after a long hiatus, and after some research, I decided to make a Spines/WP Scrapper.

The information you have provided has been very helpful and I am happy to report that I am in love with my new Scrapper. I am at level 35 currently and this build is amazing.

Thanks for all of your hard work and effort =)

Welcome back to the game! I hope you enjoy your Spines/Willpower as much as I enjoyed mine .

I finally completed my quest to 50.

I used the same IO slotting that you did, and although the total cost was around 1.7 billion influence, the build performs at an amazing level. Major kudos to you, good sir!

My only question is: After playing such an incredibly powerful AOE powerhouse, where do I go from here? Spines / Fire?

I have both a Kat / WP and a BS / Regen and they both seem very lackluster compared to what I just experienced. Does anything else compare to the non-stop killing speed of this build?

Honestly, I have yet to find a character that I can or have enjoyed as much as my Spines/Willpower. I can do things with him that I know my Invuln, Dark, or SR* could never dream of.

Pray for Spines/Willpower Brutes


(* = I am comparing WP to SR not at the soft-cap)

I'm working on my Spines/WP for a while and he is at lvl 43. Ive been following ur same build before i even read it. How come you choose to use the last 2 skills in the fighting pool.

I got Stealth instead of Weave and they both do the same but Stealth looks cooler. I got Hasten cause it helps with Recharge Debuff like ice attacks. And i got Resurgance for the hell of it. Other then that urs and mine are exactly the same.

[ QUOTE ]
I got Hasten cause it helps with Recharge Debuff like ice attacks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hasten only buffs the recharge rate of your powers. It doesn't act as a debuff at all.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I got Hasten cause it helps with Recharge Debuff like ice attacks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hasten only buffs the recharge rate of your powers. It doesn't act as a debuff at all.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think what they mean is when you get dramatically debuffed by ice powers, it's not as bad if you have Hasten, which will offset it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PRAF68_EU Dispari has more than enough credability, and certainly doesn't need to borrow any from you.

I disagree with skipping taunt.
Scrapper players that don't take their taunt are the reason blasters quit teams.
Non-taunting scrappers are a waste.

[ QUOTE ]
How come you choose to use the last 2 skills in the fighting pool.

[/ QUOTE ]

I took Tough to stack with my existing Smashing/Lethal resistances from Mind Over Body. With that, MoB, and SoW, I can cap my resists to Smash/Lethal.

Weave stacks very well with Willpower's existing defense. Short of soft-capping, I tend to aim for about 30-35% to all types. Smash/Lethal defense will be less but it is offset by a decent Smash/Lethal resist.

[ QUOTE ]
I got Stealth instead of Weave and they both do the same but Stealth looks cooler.

[/ QUOTE ]

I find stealth on a melee, DPS AT to be wasteful but that's just me. I hope you are aware that Stealth suppresses in a fight; the defense bonus will drop significantly. Plus, I don't really like Stealth's -Speed debuff.

[ QUOTE ]
I disagree with skipping taunt.
Scrapper players that don't take their taunt are the reason blasters quit teams.
Non-taunting scrappers are a waste.


[/ QUOTE ]

By that rationale, 98% of the Scrappers I've seen are a "waste." I haven't taken Taunt on any of my Scrappers...no Blaster (or any squishy) has quit my team on the basis that I didn't take Taunt. The reason why I don't recommend Taunt is that the Scrapper version is single target, the Tanker version has a cap of 5 targets. It is much more viable for them to learn it as opposed to Scrappers. Now, you can say "Why don't you learn Provoke from the Presence pool?" You could, but I don't want to slot for Accuracy in a power that is a shorter Taunt duration. I don't want to dedicate slots to a power when I have 2 powers that can accomplish the same thing, essentially...

...Which brings me to that aggro options that Spines/WP has. Rise to the Challenge is a Taunt aura, though I'll admit, a rather weak one. But, you do have Quills (should you choose to learn it) to get enemies to attack you. From my experience with these 2 powers, I had 0 trouble holding aggro.

Agreed with the taunt thing. It isent a scrappers problem thats what tanks are for.

I didnt know about the Stealth thing. Im fairly new to the game.

What percentage is cap?

[ QUOTE ]

I didnt know about the Stealth thing. Im fairly new to the game.

What percentage is cap?

[/ QUOTE ]

Stealth functions best in PvP environments, though for Stalkers and VEATs mostly, due to their higher stealth caps. In PvE, if any enemy, like Rikti Drones, Knives of Artemies, and others, has some form of +Perception, they will see through any layer of stealth you have engaged.

In PvP, Scrapper's stealth caps at 571.5 feet at level 50. In PvE, the cap is 200 feet from level 32 onward.

Just a reminder, the +Perception cap is 1153 feet. Stalkers can achieve a max stealth (or -Perception) of 1143 feet. This means that a Stalker with that much stealth can only be seen within 10 feet.