You'll notice a significant improvement to survivability at 22, just like everyone else. Pre-SOs, everyone is pretty squishy.
I've got a couple questions though:
How are your */regen powers slotted? Did you slot up Fast Healing more than Recon thinking it would help more?
Keep in mind that */regen is much more reactive than it was way back when. If you're still under the assumption the you can stand there and be fine, that might be your problem. At low levels, everyone takes it to the face. Regen just tends to bounce back faster.
You probably should post your build so we can really see what you are doing (attacks matter as well!) with other power picks and slotting. My MA/Regen was on easy street until he started encountering some hard hitting mobs like the Warriors and Tuatha, so I picked up Tough to give me a bit more time to heal and Regen.
For your Power Pool/Travel powers, I'd recommend either Leaping or Flight. Pick up Air Superiority or Jump Kick (I'd say Air Superiority is better, but Jump Kick can be fun), as both can help knock down your opposing mob and make them hit you less. I have Air Superiority on mine, and it was great for taking out a hard-hitting lieutenant for a bit (or for me to defeat him while he was down, heh). Combat Jumping can also be used to start you out with some defense (I eventually picked up Weave and a bunch of defense from IO sets, which make him quite robust), though I'd grab it after Air Superiority or Jump Kick.
Also, learn to know when you are taking a lot of damage: for tough fights, you can use Dull Pain after the first hit to heal back some damage, or you can pop it before the fight to give you added survivability. There are other tricks, but those can help as well.
Guide: Tanking, Wall of Fire Style (Updated for I19!), and the Four Rules of Tanking
Story Arc: Belated Justice, #88003
Synopsis: Explore the fine line between justice and vengeance as you help a hero of Talos Island bring his friend's murderer to justice.
Grey Pilgrim: Fire/Fire Tanker (50), Victory
Just what are you trying to fight? Just about every regen character I ever had was powerful right out of the box. Taking quick recovery at level 4 means you can load up on reds/purples with some greens and make everything a cakewalk.
Also, MA has some mitigation in it in the form of stuns, knockdowns and knockbacks.
I think you faceplant a lot more at higher levels than lower levels where you face things like AVs and run TFs, epecially if you're a hair slow with that last click. At low levels, just having stamina like endurance makes you powerful...I'm assuming you *did* take quick recovery at level 4.
QR
Ah, I just thought of Cobra Strike as well... you may want to consider taking that, as it can take a tough lieutenant or minion out of the fight for awhile as well. Quite useful when you need to heal or regen a lot.
Guide: Tanking, Wall of Fire Style (Updated for I19!), and the Four Rules of Tanking
Story Arc: Belated Justice, #88003
Synopsis: Explore the fine line between justice and vengeance as you help a hero of Talos Island bring his friend's murderer to justice.
Grey Pilgrim: Fire/Fire Tanker (50), Victory
Thanks guys,
I'm not sure what i'm doing wrong. I'm not really sure how to link builds and such or I would do that. I have integration 3 slotted with heals, dull pain is just 2 slotted right now with rchg reduction, and reconstruction only has 3 healing in it. I guess reconstruction will be alot more useful once i get more recharge reductions in it so i can use it more than once a minute.
I've also found out that alot of my issue was doing some of the AE missions. It seems some of those mobs hit aloot harder than normal mission mobs. I'm doing normal missions now, and while still faceplanting some, it's not nearly as bad.
On the MA side I only have thunder kick, storm kick, and krane kick. I never picked up cobra strike.
Thanks again for all the replies.
I recommend replacing a heal in Reconstruction for a recharge. Other than that I can't help you much, you shouldn't be having much problems with that build. /Regen is the strongest secondary at low levels. Maybe the game is just harder than it was when you last played and you're just weak compared to what you was, not compared to other characters now.
Almost all scrappers are squishy through the teens. I was chain dying on my Claws/Super Reflexes against boring enemies. Don't worry about it. Get to level 22 and get some SOs. Just keep going. It'll get better. A lot better.
Here's my basic boilerplate for the Regen secondary:
There are definitely other approaches, but here's what I'd consider a basic plan for the Regeneration secondary using SOs or common IOs:
- Fast Healing at 1, 3 heals
- Reconstruction nice and early, 3 heals, 3 recharges
- Quick Recovery nice and early, 1 endurance modifier at first, add 1 or 2 more as necessary
- Dull Pain when or shortly after when available, as there is a lot to squeeze in at that level, 3 heals, 3 recharges
- Integration [u]at 16[u], 3 heals, possibly 1 endurance reducer
- Resilience when and if you can work it in, 1 resist
- Instant Healing when or shortly after when available, 1-3 recharges, no heals unless you're swimming in slots
- Skip Revive
- Moment of Glory when or shortly after when available, 1-3 recharges
- Hasten when convenient, 3 recharges
- Health when convenient, 3 heals
- Tough when convenient, 3 resists, 1 endurance reducer
- Stamina if and when you start having endurance trouble, which may not be until 30 or later, 1 endurance modifier at first, add 1 or 2 more as necessary
If it were me, I'd also try to get some basic defense, but it will use up even more power and pool choices. Combat Jumping or Hover, but don't worry about slotting for defense. Weave with 3 defense. Maneuvers with 3 defense. The Steadfast Protection unique in Resilience or Tough. With even-level SOs, that will give you 14.3% defense to all. Not great, but not bad.
The astute observer will notice that I've now recommended 5 power pools Leaping or Flight, Fitness, Fighting, Leadership and Speed. You can't have everything, so you'll need to make some choices. I dropped Speed, using IO set bonuses and my primary (Katana) to drastically improve my defense. Most people should probably drop Leadership instead. You'll probably find Hasten more useful than Maneuvers.
"That's because Werner can't do maths." - BunnyAnomaly
"Four hours in, and I was no longer making mistakes, no longer detoggling. I was a machine." - Werner
Videos of Other Stupid Scrapper Tricks
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I've also found out that alot of my issue was doing some of the AE missions. It seems some of those mobs hit aloot harder than normal mission mobs. I'm doing normal missions now, and while still faceplanting some, it's not nearly as bad.
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Exactly. I don't know how it is in the higher levels, but in the lower levels you should avoid any AE arc that has "Custom Group" for the mobs.. Look for something you know is okay for you and your level range.
Or just as you're doing, just do normal content. I've found some of the Custom mobs in AE to be *very* powerful, especially to lower levels, like me.
I just wanted to pipe in and confirm what you already said.
I love /regen. I love how interactive it is. I think my love for regeneration in general goes back to the fungi tunic in everquest. 
I'm just a lowbie, but i read the forums constantly. I'd listen to Werner and take his advice to heart.
Good luck,
Acidon
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fungi tunic in everquest.
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FTW!!
single best thing i did for my Regen was pick up tough.
Being able to heal a 1000HP in the next 30seconds is no good if an alpha hits you for a 1001 Dmg. Tough will reduce the amount you need to heal, pure and simple.
(And then wait till you get MoG, wait for tank? Bwahahahaha)
Hasten works great for /regen as it has many click powers on long recharges. Having those ready faster will greatly increase your survivability.
Air Superiority is a great attack that deals very good damage, recharges quickly, and offers incredible mitigation. An enemy that is constantly on his butt isn't hitting you. Pair it up with Dragon's Tail, which you get later, and you'll be playing dominoes with everything.
Tough is very good in helping you sustain more of a beating, and stacks very well with Resilience to get you very competent smashing/lethal resistance. Boxing isn't a bad attack either, and can easily be made a part of your attack chain.
I've never felt Cobra Strike offered enough for mitigation at low levels. It doesn't last very long, does next to no damage, and is on a very long recharge of twenty seconds. God forbide you miss with it. Furthermore, it's another power that's cutting into your attack chain, and the best mitigation a scrapper has is killing his enemy. At early levels, Air Superiority simply beats it in every way imaginable, with actual damage and a reliable knock-down. It becomes better when SO's are available to fix many of it's problems and turn it into a competent stun, but it simply does not fit in the earlier game.
Your reconstruction needs help, but I don't suggest six slotting it exactly. Four slots, 2 recharge, and 2 heals, is plenty enough for a very large portion of the game. The third heal is only healing about 5% more health, and the third recharge is only reducing recast by a little under 3 seconds. 2 heals, 2 recharge will heal about 46% of your HP, and recharge in 33 seconds, which is more than adequate.
Other than that, hold out until SO's. SO's make the world go 'round.
I've found that if I'm willing to wait, I can pick up level 20/25 IOs for cheaper than SOs. I'd recommend throwing out a few bids for around 20-30k and see if any bite. They provide a significant boost over DOs and will last much longer than SOs. I've actually had a few toons reach level 50 before swapping out a few level 25 IOs.
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I've found that if I'm willing to wait, I can pick up level 20/25 IOs for cheaper than SOs. I'd recommend throwing out a few bids for around 20-30k and see if any bite. They provide a significant boost over DOs and will last much longer than SOs. I've actually had a few toons reach level 50 before swapping out a few level 25 IOs.
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Or just run a couple of arcitect missions every level, and have enough tickets to buy +3 DO's/SO's whenever you need em. Not as good as IO's, as mentioned, but very cheap.
I use air superiority on almost every toon I have (scrappers or non-scrappers) up until they can survive solidly without it. Slot it with about 50% recharge and use it whenever it's up... you can keep a target permanently knocked down.
I gotta make pain. I gotta make things right. I gotta stop what's comin'. 'Least I gotta try.
I'm thinking they must of nerfed regen a couple of times since I last played my ma/regen because I rolled another regen and it wasn't nearly as powerful as my last regen. I logged onto my old character and it was the same way. They just seem to squishy now.
Friends don't let friends buy an ncsoft controlled project.
Yes, /regen has been brought down a few notches over the years. It's less about toggles and more about reactive healing and defense now. Can't say I'm as thrilled with the secondary as I once was, but it's not so bad that I'd reroll out of it. It just takes some getting used to.
I've just come back to City of Heroes after a long break, and decided to pick up my MA/Regen scrapper who was level 17. My character has integration, reconstruction, dull pain, and of course fast healing decently slotted with DO's at this point, but I have to say, I'm incredibly dissapointed with my survivability.
I pull a group with one lieutenant and 2 minions, and mr. melee focused lieutenant comes up, hits me with his bat or axe, and boom, i'm down to half life...ok, reconstruction. Back up to 75% Until the next wave of attacks and I'm down below 50%
The regen from integration is just not even close to enough to keep me alive against small solo mission groups unless i get really lucky and dodge alot of attacks.
Will I notice a marked improvement at 22 when i can slot SO's? I worry because I look at the rest of regen's abilities and while they look very nice, it seems that 75% of the time I'm gonna be using just the abilities I have now, because of the incredibly high cooldowns of the higher abilities.
I love MA and I love the idea of regeneration but right now, i'm just really not enjoying dying 5 and 6 times during each mission.
Sorry for the rant. I'm just looking for a little hope that i can stick with this build and do well. Thanks.