DM/Shield: A discount build with bad numbers....?

So here's a guy I've been working on and off with for the past couple of weeks.

Right now he's about level 29. I really enjoy him but my last 50 seemed a lot stronger all the way through to 50 (Dual Blades/ Willpower).

I don't really have a lot of influence so this is a 'discount' build. I simply can't go out and buy the stuff that some of the posts I've read are capable of buying. That being said even at a discount I don't like the numbers for this guy:

Smashing/Lethal Defense: 7.5% !!!!

Resistance (without One with the Shield): 33.7% Smashing/Lethal.

MUCH lower than my 'discount' Dual Blades/Willpower guy.

So here's the build at 40:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 40 Natural Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Dark Melee
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Smite -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(3), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(17)
Level 1: Deflection -- EndRdx-I(A), DefBuff-I(3), ResDam-I(7), DefBuff-I(15), ResDam-I(15)
Level 2: Shadow Maul -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(5), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(25), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(31), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(31)
Level 4: True Grit -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(5)
Level 6: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 8: Siphon Life -- Theft-Heal(A), Theft-Acc/EndRdx/Heal(9), Theft-Acc/Heal(9), P'ngS'Fest-Acc/Dmg(11), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/Rchg(17), Dmg-I(29)
Level 10: Battle Agility -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def(11)
Level 12: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(13)
Level 14: Health -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(29)
Level 16: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Dark Consumption -- P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(A), P'Shift-EndMod(19), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Erad-Dmg(21)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(21)
Level 22: Boxing -- Rope-Acc/Stun(A), Rope-Acc/Stun/Rchg(23), Dmg-I(23)
Level 24: Tough -- EndRdx-I(A), ResDam-I(25), ResDam-I(34)
Level 26: Soul Drain -- Erad-Acc/Rchg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27)
Level 28: Phalanx Fighting -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 30: Weave -- EndRdx-I(A), DefBuff-I(31)
Level 32: Midnight Grasp -- Cloud-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Cloud-Acc/Rchg(33), Dmg-I(33), Dmg-I(33), Cloud-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Cloud-Acc/ToHitDeb(34)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- FrcFbk-Rchg/KB(A), FrcFbk-Dmg/EndRdx/KB(36), Dmg-I(36), FrcFbk-Rchg/EndRdx(36), FrcFbk-Dmg/KB(37), C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(37)
Level 38: One with the Shield -- ResDam-I(A)
Level 41: [Empty] -- Empty(A)
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



Just a few things of note... I've made probably a dozen toons with Dark Melee, and I like playing around with it. I swap powers once in a while with all my Vet Respecs. Right now, for fun I like "Shadow Maul" for instance, but I know it isn't favoured among the min/max builds right now, but that's not really what I'm asking.

I'm wondering if you guys see something obvious here that I'm missing for defense boosting? I did leave out combat jumping... not sure how I could squeeze it in. But I'm open to advice on why the numbers are so.... mediocre on this guy.

Thanks.

One of the reasons the defense on SD seems low is that the set is also used by Tankers. If the defense was higher for Scrappers and Brutes it would be overly unbalanced on Tankers. Anyways, instead of focusing on the S/L defense look at the Melee/Ranged/AoE defense. That is considerably higher. Those are also easier to improve.

this is an older build from when i was first thinking about the combo.

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QR: Smash/Lethal defense is totally irrelevant for a /SD character because no powers with an S/L component exist that have no positional vector.

Also Resistance stats are pretty much irrelevant. They're nice to have, but what a /SD should aim for is as high Defense as possible (though exceeding 45% is not of much use).

ok... fair enough, and I appreciate the numbers, but I do enjoy resistance benefits while I have such... lethargic Defense!

It seems fairly easy to come by on the way to grabbing Weave (Tough). So I did grab both eventually.

JAXMAN:

Your numbers are way better than mine. I'm getting 28% Melee and 26 % Ranged Defense.

Yours is more like: 45% and 41% respectively.

I'm just trying to figure out if mine is a result of 'low income' slotting, or poor choices.

For instance, I spent a few weeks trying to get enough decent level Kinetic Combats I/O's... I couldn't do it. So I'm selling the 2 Kinetic I/O's I was fortunate enough to make.

I'm trying to see what I can do on a budget. I do like your build though it is similar to mine in that you skipped some travel to fit some 'fun' into it.

I just think unless I can afford Mako's and Kinetic's I'm not sure I can get close to 45%. We'll see.....

Kinetic Combat's are a no-no if you're on a budget. A double no-no if you're planning on a budget build with positional defenses. The 3.75% S/L defense translates to only 1.88% Melee defense and it's melee Defense you want. You can grab a full set of Touch of Death for less influence than it costs to buy four pieces of Kinetic Combat. A set of ToD will get you 3.75% Melee Def instead of 1.88% so it's a win-win situation.

Thanks for that tidbit of info DSorrow.

I've remade the build to level 40 basically. The biggest change is slotting. I hesitated to add too much more cost to the build, but I had to or else my Defense was just going to suffer too much. So Touch of Death is in (even though it might not happen till I'm closer to 50 for influence reasons), and I added more Multistrikes, while trying to remain budget minded:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 40 Natural Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Dark Melee
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Smite -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), T'Death-Acc/Dmg(3), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(13), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(17), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), T'Death-Dam%(40)
Level 1: Deflection -- EndRdx-I(A), DefBuff-I(3), ResDam-I(7), DefBuff-I(15), ResDam-I(15)
Level 2: Shadow Maul -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(5), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(25), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(31), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(31)
Level 4: True Grit -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(5)
Level 6: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 8: Siphon Life -- Theft-Heal(A), Theft-Acc/EndRdx/Heal(9), Theft-Acc/Heal(9), P'ngS'Fest-Acc/Dmg(11), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/Rchg(17), Dmg-I(29)
Level 10: Battle Agility -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(11)
Level 12: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(13)
Level 14: Health -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(29)
Level 16: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Dark Consumption -- P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(A), P'Shift-EndMod(19), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Erad-Dmg(21), Erad-Acc/Rchg(39)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(21)
Level 22: Boxing -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(23), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(23), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), T'Death-Dam%(40)
Level 24: Tough -- EndRdx-I(A), ResDam-I(25), ResDam-I(34)
Level 26: Soul Drain -- Erad-Acc/Rchg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27)
Level 28: Phalanx Fighting -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 30: Weave -- EndRdx-I(A), DefBuff-I(31), DefBuff-I(37)
Level 32: Midnight Grasp -- Cloud-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Cloud-Acc/Rchg(33), Dmg-I(33), Dmg-I(33), Cloud-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Cloud-Acc/ToHitDeb(34)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(36), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(36), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(37), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(37)
Level 38: One with the Shield -- ResDam-I(A)
Level 41: Focused Accuracy -- Empty(A)
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
------------
Set Bonus Totals:

• 5% DamageBuff(Smashing)
• 5% DamageBuff(Lethal)
• 5% DamageBuff(Fire)
• 5% DamageBuff(Cold)
• 5% DamageBuff(Energy)
• 5% DamageBuff(Negative)
• 5% DamageBuff(Toxic)
• 5% DamageBuff(Psionic)
• 5.63% Defense(Smashing)
• 5.63% Defense(Lethal)
• 1.88% Defense(Fire)
• 1.88% Defense(Cold)
• 6.25% Defense(Energy)
• 6.25% Defense(Negative)
• 11.3% Defense(Melee)
• 3.13% Defense(Ranged)
• 3.75% Defense(AoE)
• 7.65% Max End
• 6.25% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 5% FlySpeed
• 40.2 HP (3%) HitPoints
• 5% JumpHeight
• 5% JumpSpeed
• MezResist(Confused) 2.5%
• MezResist(Held) 8%
• MezResist(Immobilize) 8%
• MezResist(Sleep) 5.8%
• MezResist(Stun) 5.8%
• MezResist(Terrorized) 2.5%
• 18% (1.01 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 1.89% Resistance(Fire)
• 1.89% Resistance(Cold)
• 5% RunSpeed

Why not just you know save up and work the market to get the influence?

I have a set of Kin Combat mostly as I like the stats better than just using ToD to get my Melee def up, it was a tad pricey but it was a while ago and prices were a lot lower. My Ranged def is higher, Mids isn't showing the 3.75 def from Phalanx Fighting for ranged only melee and aoe.

Red Fortunes were cheaper and the Blessing of the Zephyrs can be pricey. You really don't need to be at 45% to be efective it's just how high I went. My build isn't optimal it's mostly a compromise between cost and performance, where my acceptable minimal performance was base lined by the softcap. I used a lot of multistrike sets as they were dirt cheap and available at the time.

33% positional def to melee/ranged/aoe is where you will really start to feel strong. At that point 1 small luck will get you to the 45% mark and soloing or most average teams enough candy should drop for the tough fights.

Edit

I do have a travel power, I just used the temp powers while leveling. I respec'd into a similar build at 50, I just looked at the toon at lunch and I have CJ slotted with 2 level 45 def IOs so I never finished getting to my original plan. I am at 46.5% melee 45.5% ranged and 46% aoe def though. Lots of things could be better but with alts to play it's good enough for when I bring him out. And when I exemp I have a jet pack to get around with.

Steadfast Proc. Relatively Cheap. GET ONE :P

You're under slotting on Endurance Redux so instead of fixing that I see you're going the Physical Perfection route. I'd suggest otherwise.

One with the Shield. Shnazzy sometimes, but you can do without. Defense is your money maker for this combo.


Now i didn't go over and make an bunch of changes here, i made 3 simple ones and raised your defense to everything by about 8% and softcaped your melee defense. All I did was drop Focused Accuracy, One with the Shield and picked up Combat Jumping and Maneuvers. As well as added a Steadfast proc in your True Grit. Now I don't recommend doing it the way I made the changes, but it's just an example of how easily you can up your defense and not hurt yourself. Don't want to go hog wild with IO Sets? Well then don't, just use the tools that are already at your disposal. Pool power choices that increase defense. Amazing I know.


So here ya go, VERY minor changes.

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Watchfire,

You've definitely given me something to think about here. I appreciate the tweaks. I checked out the minor changes and I think I'm going to go that route.

As you said there are some minor changes that result in some really nice buffs.

Last night I dumped all my Kinetic Combats at 'market price' and they were bought up pretty quick. I started to remake my I/O's for this build and was still kind of surprised at how expensive everything seems to be now.

For instance, on my old Dual Blade/Willpower guy I had no trouble getting most of the Touch of Death sets. I remember back then when you found (several) recipes that included very rare items, people tended to avoid the recipe, or dump them. I was spending millions last night....

I think I dumped over 10 mil last night leaving me near broke. I still couldn't get the Steadfast as just the recipe at a lower level is going for 14 mil. But in time I suppose I'll revisit the idea. This is why I wanted to say I'm doing this on a 'budget'.

And by budget I mean under 30 million. Which I've probably hit... about 20+ mil in expenses on him and that's 'budget'. This toon has been VERY lucky with drops so many ultra rare items I've had on hand... Deific weapons, Impervium, etc. He's only been unlucky with recipes... never gets anything good... but good salvage luck!

So I figure with that build even if I don't go the Maneuvers route (still thinking about it) I end up with a very respectable:

Defense:
Melee: 42.8%
Ranged: 30.9%
AOE: 35.3%

That's with 10 levels to go til end game. So that's on a 'budget'. The most expensive item will be that Steadfast if I get enough coin for it.

Thanks for the help everyone. There's a little piece of everyone's advice in this build and I really appreciate it.

An easy way to make influence is to run AE arcs and then do bronze rolls in the 10-14 (correct me on this one if I'm wrong, never used this method myself). There aren't very many recipes in that category, so you have quite a nice chance of scoring a -KB IO or the Steadfast 3% Def. I'm not sure what other more expensive stuff fall into the 10-14 range.

Ok guys, great advice, and I think I reached a nearly finished build.

There are some great last minute tweaks offered and I took them all to heart. So relatively speaking this is my 'Discount' Dark Melee/Shield build:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Srixxon: Level 43 Natural Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Dark Melee
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Smite -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), T'Death-Acc/Dmg(3), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(13), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(17), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), T'Death-Dam%(40)
Level 1: Deflection -- EndRdx-I(A), DefBuff-I(3), ResDam-I(7), DefBuff-I(15), ResDam-I(15)
Level 2: Shadow Maul -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(5), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(25), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(31), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(31)
Level 4: True Grit -- Heal-I(A), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(5), Heal-I(37)
Level 6: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 8: Siphon Life -- Theft-Heal(A), Theft-Acc/EndRdx/Heal(9), Theft-Acc/Heal(9), P'ngS'Fest-Acc/Dmg(11), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/Rchg(17), Dmg-I(29)
Level 10: Battle Agility -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(11)
Level 12: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(13)
Level 14: Health -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(29)
Level 16: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Dark Consumption -- P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(A), P'Shift-EndMod(19), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Erad-Dmg(21), Erad-Acc/Rchg(39)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(21)
Level 22: Boxing -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(23), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(23), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), T'Death-Dam%(40)
Level 24: Tough -- EndRdx-I(A), ResDam-I(25), ResDam-I(34)
Level 26: Soul Drain -- Erad-Acc/Rchg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27)
Level 28: Phalanx Fighting -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 30: Weave -- EndRdx-I(A), DefBuff-I(31), DefBuff-I(43)
Level 32: Midnight Grasp -- Cloud-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Cloud-Acc/Rchg(33), Dmg-I(33), Dmg-I(33), Cloud-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Cloud-Acc/ToHitDeb(34)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(36), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(36), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(37), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(37)
Level 38: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(42), Zephyr-Travel(42)
Level 41: Maneuvers -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(42)
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
------------
Set Bonus Totals:

• 5% DamageBuff(Smashing)
• 5% DamageBuff(Lethal)
• 5% DamageBuff(Fire)
• 5% DamageBuff(Cold)
• 5% DamageBuff(Energy)
• 5% DamageBuff(Negative)
• 5% DamageBuff(Toxic)
• 5% DamageBuff(Psionic)
• 8.63% Defense(Smashing)
• 8.63% Defense(Lethal)
• 4.88% Defense(Fire)
• 4.88% Defense(Cold)
• 10.8% Defense(Energy)
• 10.8% Defense(Negative)
• 3% Defense(Psionic)
• 14.3% Defense(Melee)
• 9.25% Defense(Ranged)
• 6.75% Defense(AoE)
• 7.65% Max End
• 6.25% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 5% FlySpeed
• 40.2 HP (3%) HitPoints
• 5% JumpHeight
• 5% JumpSpeed
• MezResist(Confused) 2.5%
• MezResist(Held) 8%
• MezResist(Immobilize) 8%
• MezResist(Sleep) 5.8%
• MezResist(Stun) 5.8%
• MezResist(Terrorized) 2.5%
• 18% (1.01 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 1.89% Resistance(Fire)
• 1.89% Resistance(Cold)
• 5% RunSpeed

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Actually I rolled 10-14 as suggested by two people in this thread.

I don't blame them... it was my decision, and hey.. .it's only influence right? Hindsight being 20/20 I would not take that great a risk with that many tickets again. But the blame is mine entirely, I just wanted to site my experience to anyone considering trying it.

I have read some of the guides... the one on buying recipes, the one on farming tickets, or farming Merits.

I agree with you entirely, don't get me wrong, I know it is plausible to raise the incredible amount of influence it takes to get the best of sets. It's just more a question of 'what do you want to do with your time in game?'

For me it will always be first about putting criminals behind bars. That's what I have most fun doing. That's why I made this 'budget build' in the first thing and while it has been far more expensive than I originally planned, it's pretty darn solid. It's a great power set combo.

Influence is just secondary to me... it just took me by surprise how much certain 'mediocre' recipes had gone up in price. Surprisingly, really good salvage did not seem to get any higher priced.

So, as far as working towards influence... I find that plenty of salvage and recipes drop during normal missions. As others have said, inf pretty much appears out of thin air. If that's not your style. There's a million and one AE missions to run. There's a lot of them that are fun, challenging, and some that are outright impossible. Find your flavor. When I get bored, I head there and try something different, then I take the tickets and use if for rare salvage. Youll get 1-2 mil a pop for them (or you can use them for the recipes you need to craft...or heck craft some recipes to sell with the salvage).

On an unrelated note,

Question for folks: I've managed to use some MidFu to come up with a build using no purples that nets me over 270% Regen, gives me over 1800 HP, 30% resist to sm/lthl and ~14% to most other types, and is right at the softcap for positional def (ok, ok I'm only at 42+ on AOE). My question is - I've got one power pick to shoe horn in and I can either take Hasten for the Recharge goodness (I'm at 45 % without it) or I can take OwtS for the DDR. Your thougths scrappers? Thanks in advance.

-Forge-

I like to roll my tickets in the 25-29 range for cash and to get the Karma's/Steadfast's/Miracle's. I'm assuming your chance for Steadfast is better in the 10-14 range, but you might get more moneys from selling the 25-29 rolls.

Here's a build I was messing around with before I16 (I canned the idea during I16 beta when the options to customize DM and APPs didn't work out as I'd hoped). I planned it to cost about what a typical toon makes in going from 1 to 50, but it probably will cost a bit more than that.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Dark Melee
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Smite -- Mako-Acc/Dmg:48(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx:48(43), Mako-Dmg/Rchg:48(43), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:48(45), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:48(45), Mako-Dam%:48(45)
Level 1: Deflection -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:48(A), LkGmblr-Def:48(31), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg:48(42), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:48(42), ResDam-I:50(43), ResDam-I:50(46)
Level 2: Shadow Maul -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg:48(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx:48(3), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg:48(3), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx:48(40), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:48(40), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:48(42)
Level 4: True Grit -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(A), Numna-Heal:48(5), Numna-Heal/Rchg:48(5), Numna-Heal/EndRdx:48(37)
Level 6: Boxing -- Mako-Acc/Dmg:48(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx:48(7), Mako-Dmg/Rchg:48(7), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:48(19), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:48(23), Mako-Dam%:48(23)
Level 8: Siphon Life -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg:40(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx:40(9), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg:40(9), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:40(11), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:40(17), T'Death-Dam%:40(19)
Level 10: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(11)
Level 12: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(13), RechRdx-I:50(13)
Level 14: Battle Agility -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:48(A), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg:48(15), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:48(15), LkGmblr-Def:48(17)
Level 16: Swift -- Run-I:50(A)
Level 18: Health -- Heal-I:50(A)
Level 20: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%:48(A), P'Shift-EndMod:48(21), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg:48(21)
Level 22: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 24: Tough -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx:48(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg:48(25), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:48(25), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg:48(31), Aegis-ResDam:48(34)
Level 26: Soul Drain -- Sciroc-Acc/Rchg:48(A), C'ngBlow-Acc/Rchg:48(27), RechRdx-I:50(27)
Level 28: Weave -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx:48(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg:48(29), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg:48(29), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:48(31), RedFtn-Def:48(46), RedFtn-EndRdx:48(46)
Level 30: Phalanx Fighting -- Ksmt-ToHit+:30(A)
Level 32: Midnight Grasp -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg:40(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx:40(33), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg:40(33), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:40(33), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:40(34), T'Death-Dam%:40(34)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- Oblit-Dmg:48(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg:48(36), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg:48(36), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:48(36), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:48(37), Oblit-%Dam:48(37)
Level 38: Grant Cover -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:48(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:48(39), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg:48(39), RedFtn-Def/Rchg:48(39), RechRdx-I:50(40)
Level 41: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- P'Shift-End%:48(A)
Level 47: Energy Torrent -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:48(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:48(48), Posi-Dmg/Rng:48(48), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:48(48), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:48(50), FrcFbk-Rechg%:48(50)
Level 49: Combat Jumping -- Zephyr-Travel:48(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx:48(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
------------
Set Bonus Totals:

• 16% DamageBuff(Smashing)
• 16% DamageBuff(Lethal)
• 16% DamageBuff(Fire)
• 16% DamageBuff(Cold)
• 16% DamageBuff(Energy)
• 16% DamageBuff(Negative)
• 16% DamageBuff(Toxic)
• 16% DamageBuff(Psionic)
• 9.56% Defense(Smashing)
• 9.56% Defense(Lethal)
• 8.63% Defense(Fire)
• 8.63% Defense(Cold)
• 9.56% Defense(Energy)
• 9.56% Defense(Negative)
• 3% Defense(Psionic)
• 16.1% Defense(Melee)
• 16.1% Defense(Ranged)
• 9.56% Defense(AoE)
• 16.3% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 36% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 5% FlySpeed
• 175.7 HP (13.1%) HitPoints
• 5% JumpHeight
• 5% JumpSpeed
• MezResist(Held) 12.1%
• MezResist(Immobilize) 14.3%
• MezResist(Sleep) 1.65%
• MezResist(Stun) 3.85%
• 2.5% (0.04 End/sec) Recovery
• 42% (2.35 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 3.78% Resistance(Fire)
• 3.78% Resistance(Cold)
• 10% RunSpeed
• 2.5% XPDebtProtection

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I fiddled with that build I posted above a bit to make it more effective at level 40. This version soft-caps Melee and Range at 40 but has some END issues, less than ideal slotting in True Grit and skips Grant Cover (which I like for the Slow Res).

| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
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Well I think with some of the tweaks suggested in this thread, I've pretty much found my groove.

I solo really respectably now, and at 39 I find teaming a blast, and can -nearly- fulfill the role of a 'light' tanker. I don't want to get greedy but if the opportunity presents itself, even with my -discount- build I can take quite a beating. lol

He's at a point now where I will, for fun, switch to one of my many other scrappers, and not many can compare:

MA/REG: Fun, and looks sweet too, including the newer animations, but slow, and ST oriented.

DM/REG: I made this guy about 5 years ago and left him at lvl 42. (this was way back) And he still has that 'OMG I think I'm going to die' thing going with the lack of def/res. DM has great synergy with Regen though.

Claws/Reg: Wow...not even close.

Katana/Reg: Ever since dual blades, this guy just doesn't cut it anymore (pun intended).

Dual Blades/Willpower: Possibly I feel this is still THE guy to beat for my DM Shield toon. I say this because: 1- He is just as survivable 2- Has a better end game secondary power IMHO 3 - Leveled like a fiend and 4- This was another character that allowed a 'discount' build that still maintained VERY good numbers. I had not trouble getting this guy to 50 with his slick combos, soft controls, and he still retained respectable farming abilities.

I may write up a 'basic' guide on the DM Shield guy IF I stick him out to 50 because I feel I got a lot of good advice early here. And I didn't waste influence barking up the wrong tree. I know probably the majority of player 'type' that peruses the forums is probably looking for min/maxing numbers at ANY expense, but I personally believe the majority of ingame player is not like that and my discount build would help a fair amount.

On that note I've played with SOME */Shield guys in teams that die too often, or just don't seem to contribute. The set is good though... my fave since DB/WP.

Hi,

Could someone please help me tweak my build for a DM/SD to soft cap him? I like how all his other numbers are, but his Melee/Ranged/AoE defenses are at 42%. I would at least like to get Melee defense to softcap. Thanks in advance.

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