Good duo for two returning players?

My friend and I were thinking about returning to CoX after a 3 year break. We only got characters to around the 30s the last time we played and wanted to start from scratch again this time to remember the game's basics. We will be playing together at all times, so we were looking for a good duo for us to get back into the game.

As of now, my friend is thinking of playing a Scrapper, but has no clue which powers he wants to go with. I was wondering if anyone could give me a good Archtype to play through with him as. I don't need info on the powers so much as just which general Archtype works best wtih a Scrapper. Also, we're not necessarily looking for the strongest duo or the strongest powers in the game. We just want to be able to play through and have fun, without hitting missions that we can't do because our duo or powers are bad.

Any other info would be great as it has been 3 years since we played.

Another scrapper. There is nothing that cannot be solved by the application of more scrappers

I'm going to go with a ridiculously specific recommendation: Rad/Sonic defender.

A Rad/Sonic defender is ALMOST a monster at soloing- it takes a little too long to set up fights, and a little too much endurance to win them, and in case of a mez you're in serious trouble. On teams it boosts the firepower of the team by a lot (Sonic blasts have damage resistance debuffs, so it's like a damage buff; Rad has even more damage buffs and resistance debuffs.)

A Scrapper provides good damage in a highly survivable package. A Rad/Sonic-backed Scrapper provides GREAT damage in a VERY survivable package, and the Rad/Sonic does pretty well all by itself.

MOST combinations will work well with a Scrapper. For newer players I'd stay away from teaming a Scrappers with a Storm defender/controller or a Blaster .They can work, I've done them, but it's not as simple a playstyle. The reasoning, if you care: Storms build a lot of chaos, including lots of knockback in arbitrary directions and disoriented enemies staggering off randomly. The playing "Fetch!" can get old. Blasters have the problem that they do more damage- sometimes LOTS more damage- than Scrappers, so they can outaggro a scrapper handily. They have very little mitigation of their own, so you often end up with badguys peeling off the Scrapper and going after your delicate bits. Your other choice is to throttle back the damage, in which case... if you're not doing more damage than a Scrapper, why play a Blaster?

Pretty much any scrapper paired with pretty much any defender is gonna make things fast and furious. Redside think brutes and corruptors for similar effect.

Scrapper + Defender, defender buffing the scrapper into a crazy killing machine, even more than usual. I would recommend sets like Empathy or Kinetics for the fast pace that the scrapper would bring. Both provide +damage buffs, +recharge, and end recovery making them great for this kind of thing. They also move quickly with everything focused on team members rather than enemies or locations.

Tanker + Blaster, tank grabs aggro, blaster blows everything up.

Those would be the blueside combos I would really recommend.

Anything really. It's an easy game and Scrappers don't need help. I'd suggest staying away from knockback heavy powers (unless you are good at using it with precision). A Tanker would be redundant (don't need the aggro control) and I'd pick a second scrapper over a blaster if you wanted more damage (for the mez protection/damage mitigation). Most synergy would be with a Defender or Controller depending on the playstyle your friend prefers. Rad/Sonic is a very good option.

Also, if you're going to play together at all times, it's a good idea to form a Level Pact.

The rad/sonic def sounds good, and the only thing I saw and cant get behind is the tank+blaster. It works, but has little synergy.

I'd suggest an ill/rad controller and a katana or broadsword/wp scrapper. I like katana better.

The ill will be able to ghost and even click glowies in the middle of a spawn once she has PA. She needs recFriend to bring the sword to the target, if ghosting. Localman has a great guide on ill/rad. He loves ill/rad and I worry he has a blow up doll of an ill/rad.

Katana is insane when allowed to have the endurance that wp will give. When Ill sends her PA to take the alpha, Katana will be able to do a smack or two from DA and have melee def over the cap.

Rad rather than Kin because a Rad can buff itself. Not sure if PA, Phantasm, can get the buffs.

With that combo, avoid CoT,Tsoo, Arachnos Mu. Dance on the skulls of Council and similar.

[or go themed with a TA/Arch and BS/SD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamMasterJMS Pick whatever character you want to play with your scrapper buddy. Any combination can handle what your looking for to be honest.

Uh...hmm. I don't agree. No Energy^2 blaster if the scrap needs RttC etc to live. I've had a katana die several times because of massive KB from M30, etc. I need those enemies to live. DA and RttC. "Not all combinations make sense." There are some combos w/i ATs which make no sense too. Energy tanks.

I'd suggest a Mind or Plant Controller. /Radiation or /Cold in particular. Plant has wonderful AoEs. Mind has incredible single-target mezzes, good AoEs, and the ability to bypass positional defense.

I'd go for Fire/shield or elec/shield scrapper and plant/cold controller.

I'm guessing you'll be playing fairly casually, where many players use expensive IOs, shield with cold shields should be close to soft capped for defence from soon after you get SOs. Plant is a really fun set with an AoE confuse that comes early and is up every fight. Fire and Elec melee have excellent AoE which will help aggro handling.

My wife and i do this some.

I'd go with a troller or def. My picks would be: (depending on his scrap)

Plant/Storm. If used correctly the storm is an awesome set, paired with the control and seeds of confusion, itll work great with a scrapper. Nothing wrong with KB when used right, even on teams.

Ice/Rad. Ice has all the control needed and /rad has all the debuffage needed. Nothing can beat AA and CC once Ice Patch hits the ground, imo.

A /kin would be good also for the scrapper. Unlimited end and health is nice.


Or like someone else said, another scrap is cool, too, but i prefer a type of debuff for bosses and AV's.

Dual Scrappers is fun. Competition on who gets the most kills is a minigame on its own, but when a greater threat arises you can combine your powers for great justice.

There's so many options here that will work well. The Rad/Sonic defender is a strong candidate; it packs a massive amount of -resist debuffs to greatly increase the scrapper's damage, and if your buddy chooses a scrapper set with a taunt aura (Shield, Invuln, Fire, Dark or to a lesser extent Willpower) then he'll be able to bunch the mobs up so your debuffs have maximum effect.

Most controllers work well here also; you'll need to have patience to allow the mobs to clump around your buddy before dropping your AOE immobilize, then both of you can go to town. For secondary choice pick either something to debuff the mobs or something to buff your buddy... Rad is a good choice; it's a great general purpose secondary.

If you want pure "kill it before it kills you" then you could pair a Fire/Mental blaster with an Elec/Shield scrapper... and once your buddy's build matures he'll be more than durable enough without needing outside buffs. This would be a simple, straightforward duo... scrapper bunches the mobs and both of you bring down the AOE pain. Rinse & repeat until the mission's complete. Your weakness will be against single hard targets like some of the tougher AV's but you'll destroy 95% of the game content with that pairing well played.