What makes ma/regen a better build than bs/regen?
By
CaptainLupis,
Posted on: 2006-03-02 22:10 in Scrappers
There isn't much difference between the MA activations and the BS animations, and Parry makes BS waaaaay more survivable if needs be. Plus I don't think that a boss stunned and taken down slowly is better than a boss killed quickly. A Scrapper can take the punishment from most bosses without breaking a sweat.
But if you were refering to MA being more survivable than Spines I couldn't agree more... More aggro and long long animation times.
World of Jackcraft.
Nah I was querying Nightbringer's assertion that MA is more survivable, I don't think its true, except possibly in the end game lvl45+ etc. But as I haven't got an MA above 13/14 I have no way of knowing. Give me a big metal stick and I'll beat anything into submission. 
One consideration is that MA does smashing damage which is opponents tend to have high resists to. The same could be argued for BS but lethal resists are generally not quite as high.
Overall though speed is the key and BS will dish out far more damage resulting in a quicker "kill". Combine with the knockdown effects of Disembowel and Headsplitter (and a little help from Air superiority) you can pretty much keep your opponent on the floor. If MA has one real advantage over BS it's the cheaper end costs. Even with Stamina and quick recovery a BS scrapper can drain his/her end in relatively short order.
I always thought DM/Regen was a better choice for survival, what with all the hitpoint and endurance buff/recharge effects and a nice dinky def-buff.
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One consideration is that MA does smashing damage which is opponents tend to have high resists to. The same could be argued for BS but lethal resists are generally not quite as high.
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BUT
much fewer enemies resist Smashing than Lethal.
All those robos - from Clocks to Praetorians - resist Lethal (and are weak to Smashing). And only some Gaias come to my mind now wich habe Smash resist but no Lethal.
Creys and those who have resistance to both types usually resist the same amout of both.
They do?
I stand corrected!
Still four to five hits from a broadsword will destroy a zenith mechman lieutenant so I'm not complaining.
even though a lot of poeple are gonna disagree with me i think Martial Arts/Regen is the best. The only reason i think this is because of personal standards so really theres no "BEST"...... 
Yes, you seem to be quite the fan of MA/regen... 
Ok, so you've played MA/Regen, have you played a BS Scrapper of any type to a decent level? (mid 30's at least)
Defiant 50's
Many and varied!
@Miss Chief
Eagles Claw, damn that is one cool power.
Seriously though, as much as broadsword may hit hard. MA has the control, aswell as having the better build up. I'd always go with a little scraptrol, rather than full out damage. With focus Chi and Eagles Claw critical, Nightbringer can almost 1 shot me, aswell as having his stacking stuns.
The extra accuracy on MA is very nice to.
Martial Arts all teh way
Actually if you want control nothing beats DM.
Claws has knockdown, that can also be a useful control! (please don't forget about claws!)
Da_Man has a point, alot of this is down to personal preference.
Each primary has it's own niche there isn't really a "best" one.
If you like big orange numbers and want to mash your opponent in the shortest order then Broadsword may be for you.
If you'd rather have a your opponents seeing stars while you beat them down then Martial Arts is probably more your thing.
One of my guildmates swears by Dark Melee. For me there's nothing better than the resounding crunch of Headsplitter landing. Go with what's "best" for you.
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Claws has knockdown, that can also be a useful control!
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Broadsword and katana have control. Disembowl and Headsplitter (and the katana equivalents) do serious amounts of knock-up and knockback, respectively. It's quite possible to have a Boss unable to hit you for the simple reason that he's never on his feet long enough.
Now add in 60-70% DEF from Parry/DA... though you may not need that if the idiots can't stand up to try and hit you.
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
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Broadsword and katana have control. Disembowl and Headsplitter (and the katana equivalents) do serious amounts of knock-up and knockback, respectively. It's quite possible to have a Boss unable to hit you for the simple reason that he's never on his feet long enough.
Now add in 60-70% DEF from Parry/DA... though you may not need that if the idiots can't stand up to try and hit you.
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With Broadsword there is a small window for opponents to get up (even with recharge enhancements, haste and air superiority added to your arsenal). Not that I'm complaining, I've rarely found an opponent (elite bosses, AVs and monsters aside) that hits hard enough to worry me about the odd blow landing 
Broadsword is for winners.
Spines are for nimmers.
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The extra accuracy on MA is very nice to.
Martial Arts all teh way
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Actually, according to Castle on the US forums, MA and BS have the same accuracy.
Originally Posted by _Castle_
To end debate:
base accuracy (for most powers, there is variation within the set)
Broadsword 1.05
Claws 1.00
Dark Melee 1.00
Katana 1.05
Martial Arts 1.05
Spines 1.00
Edit: Thought I better put in the link.
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showf...v=#Post5020288
Does the happy dance
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I would feel safer having disorientated him, slowed him, generally >censored< him before I took him on. Oh and focus chi-Eagles Claw, not only awsome damage, he's disorientated too!
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If he's dead then he doesn't need disorientating.
I'm not sure why MA is more survivable, and I haven't noticed this yet, though my highest MA would have been about 13/14. So it could be end game stuff. However having played with several lvl50 BS and seeing the sick amounts of damage they can do, I am inclined to think that both have their place.