AoE damage is still lackluster, I believe. There were a lot of animation time adjustments, though I didn't pay much attention to Martial Arts specifically. It's still on the low end of single target damage, but can pump out over 200 DPS with the right build, so isn't exactly hurting (I kill AVs with my mere 175 DPS). Regen is still vulnerable to burst damage, but Moment of Glory was changed to be a 15 second god mode, which allows you to take an alpha strike very well. It's pretty much a must have power now.
It's definitely worth playing for a while and seeing how you like it. At the same time, the more recently introduced sets are very strong. Willpower is pretty much easy mode without giving up top end power, and Shields is less easy (takes more thought, blooms later, no endurance recovery power), but comes with a damage buff, is melee team friendly, and appears to be the new top choice for powergamers with limitless influence.
"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
Regen is good enough to solo... and teamed it really shines with some buffs.
MA is very solid after the changes last year and more fun to play with the faster animations. I didn't realize until recently how much that actually means to me. I started playing some other ATs (forgive me, but a well built blasters can kick [censored], too). For some reason once animations start getting up around 2 seconds or more I like my toon much less. MA has a lot of fast animations now.
If I were starting over from scratch ignoring my previous toons... an MA/Shield scrapper would be high on my list of things I'd want to build.
I gotta make pain. I gotta make things right. I gotta stop what's comin'. 'Least I gotta try.
I got a MA/Regen who does pretty well on its own.
Yes, it does lack in the AoE department. And though its single target damage is not the best, it's still respectable in burst damage. With higher levels of +recharge, it does get better.
Its animations are pretty quick now and flow well with each other. Eagle's Claw is the only one that has a long animation time, but it's still a very viable attack (some say that CAK might also have some animation issues, but that's per opinion).
Regen is still susceptible to burst damage and alpha strikes, but the current MoG offsets that problem (provided it's not psi damage).
At least for me, I still like MA/Regen. it has been reliable for me, and I like the playstyle. Werner did suggest Willpower as an alternative to Regen, though its playstyle is different. Shield Defense is also a new popular secondary, and I'm resisting the urge to make a MA/Shields until I can give enough love to my other current toons.
Hello.
I have been out of CoH land playing WoW for a spell, and am coming back. I have played on and off since Apr 28, 2004, so this part of my cycle I guess =)
I think I left around Issue 10-11. This was definitely before the introduction of WP.
My current main character is a 36 MA/Reg and I recall the "problems" in comparison to other sets were:
<ul type="square"> [*]Lackluster AE damage in an AE heavy game[*]Animation timing problems relative to other sets[*]Regen and the "big hit" weakness[/list]Where do we stand on those?
I am investigating sticking with the MA/Reg, or starting over with one of the more recently introduced sets.
Thanks for any insight!