A little trick with Mind Link, 6 slot it with Def/Recharge and Def/End/Recharge IOs. You can get 100% recharge in Mind Link that way. I slotted some attack sets with +Recharge and got +55%, that and the +20% from Mental Training, and the +100% Recharge in Mind Link itself, I have Perma-Mind Link. Its not that expensive.
Do the arcs Red side so you get the merits, play the BM with your drops and judicious use of Merit rolls. You'll be rolling in Inf pretty quickly.
Also, remember to do all the different Mayhems as you're leveling. The Invader badge is one of the easiest to get and it gives +5% HP. All you have to do is get all the Exploration badges in the Mayhems.
As for skipping powers, Combat Training: Offensive you will want before the manditory level 24 respec, but you don't need it after the respec. Fully slotted it adds only half an SO's worth of accuracy, you have better power choices at that point.
I feel Vengeance is skipable myself, you won't even need Elude really, you should be soft capped w/o it. I also skipped Confront and Smoke Grenade.
If you want to Crit from hide or after a Placate, Build Up is good. If you want sustained heightened DPS and less burst damage go with Follow Up. (I like the burst so I went with Build Up myself.)
"I used to make diddly squat, but I've been with the company for 16 years and have had plenty of great raises. Now I just make squat" -- Me
Pediatric brain tumors are the #1 cause of cancer related deaths in children.
You can also slot Mind Link with ToHit IOs. In particular, the straight Recharge set piece from Adjusted Targeting works very well in there.
Hmmm... I'll toss out a thought or two as well.
I'm a bit concerned as to how well you'll enjoy a Widow, given that they
play (imho) like a blend of Brute and Stalker, but I guess that's for you to
decide after you give it a shot. 
Something I didn't even think about until it happened, is you get a
mandatory respec at L24... So, you can plan your build with that in mind.
Now, endurance... Widows are difficult there, just like Brutes. The same
solution applies in both cases.
L1-20 (even L24 for Widow - see Respec above)
Slot for Accuracy and Endurance first -- then, as you add slots, add
damage and/or recharge. Hands down, your attacks will use MUCH more
end than your toggles.
Once you've got Stamina (and I'm not in the "All AT's need Stamina" group,
but I think Widows are an AT that does), things get more manageable, but
having at least an SO's worth of EndRdx in attacks will always be helpful.
To that end, Frankenslotting is a good way to achieve these goals.
As others mentioned, Dual IO's that have Rch in them work nicely in ML, and
I too put the Adj Tgt recharge IO in mine. I think mine is 4 slotted, and
it's still perma with the global recharge I have.
Several Attack sets give global recharge bonuses - you don't need LotG's
to perma ML (esp on a Widow - it's easier than a Fort). Mental Training is
helpful here also.
BU / FU - This is a playstyle choice - If you play more like a Stalker, you'll
probably want to go with Build-Up, otherwise, Follow-Up is good for a
Brutish approach.
I'll also add that you really want to softcap Def for a Widow because they're
pretty low on HP for a melee toon... ML, is the big hitter in making that happen.
Infamy: It's very easy to get this. All it takes is a little bit of knowledge,
and a little bit of effort.
There are some very good guides in the Market Forum to solve the first part.
The second part is up to you. If you apply some minimal effort to acquire
the knowledge, sell your drops (the high prices that concern you are
GREAT for sellers), and use the market regularly (even for short amounts
of time per visit), you'll have more than enough infamy to equip your toon.
Good Luck to you - I hope you find the Widow to be an AT you enjoy.
I know I did. 
Regards,
4
I've been rich, and I've been poor. Rich is definitely better.
Light is faster than sound - that's why some people look smart until they speak.
For every seller who leaves the market dirty stinkin' rich,
there's a buyer who leaves the market dirty stinkin' IOed. - Obitus.
Thanks so far for the feedback. One of my fav toons on blue side is my Claws scrap, and I see similarities in the widow obviously hence my idea to make one. I do like the stealth game.
I just ran through all the Widow guides. Gonna check the Fortunata guides. I get your point though, fourspeed, The ranged / Holds game is probably more my style so I need to review that as well...
As for the infamy... I do quite well on blue side. I am sure I can do the same on red, just haven't invested the time yet.
What's crazy is the flexibility of the AT. You can really do alot of different things.
I hate red side with a passion. Really.. But I love villians. Which brings me to a problem of how to enjoy red side. I have been playing for 2 years, most of it on blue side. I run almost all the ATs on Blue but am at my best with a Troller or Scrap. I have run a MM, a Dom, a Brute, and a stalker on red, but none over lvl 20. Judging by my play style I have come to the conclusion that the Widow would be fun to play.
Why I hate red side? First, it seems I run out of end completely with any toon I use. I can't see living without sta at lvl 20. Second, it feels like there is no def. My Dom has holds and dmg, but no heals or def. My MM is dead meat if the minions go down fast. My Brute is ok as is the Stalker, but not enough for me to do. Third, I have not more than 3mill inf to work with. The BM was poor for me, but I expect the merger to fix that.
So how do you Widows do things? I love the double Manuvers/Assault combo, and all the team buffs.. but how do you handle the end? Also this permalink, must take alot of infl since you can't slot with recharge chips and must rely on global rech. I mean, come on, those LotG +rech chips go for 200mill or 200 merits. That takes a while to get one, much less three. Or are these VEATs only for the rich
My claws/regen rolls with Follow up/strike/slash/focus/Evisc/Spin as a combo. I love the focus as it gets the Knockdown right when they turn to run. I see all that on NW except the focus. Are there any standard combos? Or is it better to mix a 3-4 hit combo with a few ranged attacks?
Anything skippable in the build? Vengence I guess? Also I suppose I would go with Follow up over build up since you cant have both. Unless I went all ranged.. See what I mean? I just can't decide. How about a few ideas to help me with. Any opinions would help. I play on Freedom and will team mostly, but wouldn't mind a solo mish here and there.