Compare & Contrast Katana and Broad Sword

I have never played a hero past level 16, and no scrapper past 8.

I am a dark sider, but I have a concept that is heroic and could fit either Katana or Broad Sword, would most likely combine it with regen/SR/or WP in that order.

I am familiar with the secondaries due to playing brutes, but katana and broad sword are only available on stalkers and well they are a different beast altogether from scrappers. So I just would like to know how the two sets play, what are the strengths and weaknesses, and how would the synergize with the secondaries I have selected.

Thanks in advance for any input. Oh not looking to pvp just pve.

The two sets are very similar with relatively minor differences. Without trying to pull up the numbers from somewhere the main differences are:

Fighting stance
Broadsword is wielded as a 1 handed weapon
Katana is wielded in both hands

Animations
Broadsword has longer clunkier animations that portray a sense of power.
Katana has smooth, fluid, animations that display that portray a sense of grace.

Recharge times
Broadsword has longer recharge times generally.
Katana has shorter recharge times.

Endurance costs
Broadsword has a higher endurance cost per attack.
Katana has a lower endurance cost per attack.

Damage
Broadsword has higher burst damage than Katana but lower Damage Per Second. When recharge is added into the equation broadsword pulls ahead in middling recharge levels but katana takes the lead once again in higher recharge levels for DPS.

Both have average AOE damage capability and good single target damage. Both posses a low level damage mitigation tool in the form of Parry for Broadsword or Divine Avalanche for Katana. (I personally prefer Parry but that is because I hate the animation on Divine Avalanche) Both of these mitigation tools can with enough recharge be stacked to soft-cap lethal and melee defense.

Weapon Skins
Broadsword has a lot of really cool looking weapon skins available at all levels of the game including the tech sword, Talsorian broadsword, Rulaaru broadsword, Sword of Romulas and Nictus sword.

Katana has a few really aesthetically pleasing weapon skins such as the impervium katana, Rulaaru katana, and Talsorian Katana

Both sets have a plethora of low tech options available as costume parts but I really don't think they look that good.

WMG

The two sets are extremely similar, with the most noticeable difference being feel. To me, Katana feels quick and precise, while Broad Sword feels slow but brutal.

To oversimplify, I'd say that Katana is slightly better in every way in PvE. You can do higher DPS, better AoE, stack Divine Avalanche faster and higher than you can stack Parry, get more knockups/knockdowns faster. If combining with Regen, the shorter attacks will let you click that heal a tiny bit sooner. Recharge requirements for top chains are lower.

That said, I'd recommend leveling one of each into, say, the teens. Stick with whichever you're enjoying more. The differences aren't so big as to trump fun or concept unless you have something very specific that you're building towards.

You can't use a Katana with Shield Defense, but you can use a Broadsword with a shield!

With regard to synergies, I recommend pairing BS with either Regen or WP. I tried BS with both shield and SR and found the endurance drain very frustrating. Waiting to recover endurance really slowed down the pace of game play for me and I deleted both scrappers. After pairing BS with regen, however, I immediately noticed the difference and it just felt right.

Both regen and WP offer Quick Recovery, although at different levels. This is slightly better than Stamina and will allow you to substitute other powers for the Fitness pool if you're so inclined. Regen offers better healing capability while WP offers greater protection.

Can't really say much about the Katana since I never took a Katana scrapper beyond the teens. My own experience is consistent with what others have said, however.

Bottom line is to figure out which power set is more compatible with your character concept and play style and proceed from there.

I have a BS at level 32, and a Katana at 50.

BS you're going to see bigger chunks of life taken out of the enemies.

Katana will flow better.

If you're not trying to IO out the build. Go with what feels better to you. Slower but bigger hits. Faster but weaker (compared to BS) hits.

If you're planning to IO out the toon. Well, that really depends on what you plan to IO for. :P

That said. Rulaaru BS is pretty sweet looking

Yeah, but that 'lightsabre' is a nice look too! (Talsorian BS)

As for synergies, while sets with QR certainly ease the pressure on your blue-bar at a lower level, you'll still want to slot for EndRed. Doing so at a lower level will help tide you over until Stamina and SOs - regardless of your secondary. Invulnerability, Fiery Aura, or whatever floats your boat.

I slot for Damage LAST, after everything else is taken care of. More damage is irrelevant if you can't hit what you aim at, can't keep swinging without a time-out every few minutes, or can't manage to swing fast enough to make your attacks smooth. Even so, pulling back to rest occasionally is just a fact of life, whether you're charging your green-bar, blue-bar, or both.
And let's face it, Scrappers, on a Team, it my be the Defender or the Blaster that you're waiting for - or it could be You, after your latest crazy charge of destruction + faceplant.

Go forth and have Fun!

Be Well!
Fireheart

If you happen to go bs/regeneration it will allow you to have more flexibility in that you can play PvE and PvP well.

So I went with katana/regen. Now my question after leveling to level 9. Is regen really this squishy. I can't tell you how many times I was faceplanting against 3 +1 minions and sometimes against 3 even con minions. I could understand it if it were a lt. and minions or a boss, but really 3 even con minions. Tell me it will get better and soon.

Sorry just not used to it, when playing brutes I don't often experience any issues til level 16, and then it is just endurance issues til getting stamina or QR on a willpower brute. I have not played much blue side, almost exclusively a villian. The AT's on the blue side are just foreign to me. I have no troubles in the pre teen levels with any AT red side, save for dominators that aren't mind primaries. And I have a faceplanting problem every time I play blue side. Part of the issue is I solo alot and team very little, and it appears to me that the red side AT's are better suited to soloing than the blue side.

Most scrappers are just another squishy until the mid levels. And so you're warned, I usually find the teens to be much worse than the earliest levels, so it'll probably get worse before it gets better. But once you hit the low to mid twenties, it should start getting better. By the time you're in your 30s you should be solid.

I do think that red side ATs were designed for soloing more than blue side. And Brutes will always have a survivability advantage over scrappers. But you'll be fine once you get past the ugly early levels. In your case, lean hard on Divine Avalanche. That should get you through most things.

I've generally found that Regen is decent out the gate and becomes pretty good at 16 and really good in the 20's. In the end game Regen can struggle a bit; it's certainly much squishier than the defense sets (Shield, SR).

To contrast that the defense sets are really squishy until they've gotten their defenses above 25-30%... something that usually takes until the 30's to accomplish. Once they approach the 45% soft cap however they become godly.

Having played both BS/Regen and BS/Shield to 50 I'll say the Regen is considerably better in the early to mid game while the Shield absolutely takes the Regen's lunch money in the end game after it's soft capped. I have come up with a very nice build for the BS/Regen that pushes it's defense up into the mid-20% in Range/AOE with soft capped Melee... that helps considerably. Unfortunately the Regen won't ever match the raw damage output of the Shield... it lacks the damage buff of Against All Odds and the sheer awesomeness of Shield Charge. It takes a while for a Shield to become good though, Regen blows it away pre-25 or so.

Your Kat/Regen will be quite capable in the early/mid game however... considerably more so than a Shield. You just won't reach the same level of power in the end game but you'll have an easier time of the first 30 some levels.

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Oh, and don't forget that one of your most potent survival tools is Divine Avalanche... on my BS/Regen I get Parry (same power) at 8 and set it on autofire; that way it will fire off in any gaps of my attack chain without me having to remember it and watch for it to recharge.