Best Scrapper for Soloing Padded missions?

While I was leveling up my last (and 18th) level 50, I discovered something – something that doubtlessly many of you have been aware of for some time, but was new information to me. Using this character (an Illusion/Kin Controller) I was actually able to solo +2/x4 missions – albeit slowly. (By the way, I probably spent around 2 billion inf on that Controller all told)

So I started thinking. I had heard that it was possible to softcap Defense or Resistance or both on many different Archetypes, so it occurred to me that it might be possible to create a character that could solo +2/x8 – or maybe higher. After poking around on some of the forums around here, that was confirmed.

So while I will be using my next new character to explore Going Rogue, and probably start in Praetoria, I also want to explore the idea of creating a character that is so highly effective. I am calling this attempt The Paragon Project.

However, I have very specific design goals and play limitations. Here are the ones I can think of, more may be added as they are discovered.

First, it is my policy to play each character from 1 to 50, and then upon hitting 50, retire them, permanently. So the idea would be not to build towards achieving this effectiveness late in the game, but to frontload this effectiveness at earlier, as possible. For example, a build candidate that hits its stride at 32 would be preferred over one that hits its stride at 42 – with the former, I get to enjoy it for 18 levels, with the latter I only get 8. Ideally, the character starts really being able to solo and gain quick massive XP in the 20-30 region.

Also, ‘effectiveness’ boils down two metrics really: The speed at which XP can be generated solo, and the risk of death (which obviously cuts into XP in several ways.) Ideally, I would prefer to make death be a rare occurrence, even if that moderately reduces XP – faceplants enrage me. However, within that safety zone, I would like to focus on characters that are able to achieve max XP/minute rates – whether that means running at +0/x4, or +3/x8, or anywhere in between. Again, not locked into any particular mission setup, simply looking for the build that with the right mission level and padding choices results in superior xp/min solo.

Now, because this project (and character) get shelved at 50, that makes buying purples, which can only be slotted at 50, pointless. Therefore, no suggested build should use them.

However, have been playing this game since pre-launch, and across more than two dozen characters (18 of which are 50s) I have countless billions of influence/infamy. So please, in any build you suggest, feel free to load up on the most expensive IOs that make the build work – from LotG’s to Numina to Hamis to *anything*.

I also have several Vet awards, which may or may not affect suggested builds. I have the ability to select my travel power right at level 6, I have the ability to pick up Sand of Mu, Nemesis Staff, and the Blackwand all at the start, I also start every character with 4 or 5 built-in respecs, not counting the alt build faux-respec. Point is, I can (and frequently do) build a character one way until a point, and then another way after. Case in point, on my last character, I built one way pre 20, NOT taking the Fitness pool, respecced at 20 INTO the Fitness Pool and Stamina, then at 36 respecced back out of Stamina when I got Transference.

Other factors to know are that I do not PvP, do not like the form switching that Khelds do, and do not care for characters which take the baddies out by indirect methods – Masterminds and Traps, I’m looking at you! No, *I* want to be the one kicking the baddies butts, not my pets or summoned devices.

By the way, I am not saying that I will *never* team up with folks in playing this character, but that’s not the point of the Project. The point of the Project is to see how fast a build can solo from 1 to 50 by kicking butt in missions even if no teams or friends can be found.

Also, I don’t care ultimately if this is more of a ST or AoE build – whichever gets he better xp/min + safety metrics – which I am guessing may be AoE more than ST, but whatever.

Now, if I am going to be running a character that does good XP/min, it will obviously have to have excellent damage capability, with I would imagine some AoE. Given that and all of the above, I am considering the followings AT have potential strengths and weaknesses:

• Brutes. I have 2 @ 50 – a Fire/Fire that used to be a farmer from CoV’s release, and a SS/Inv from around the same time. Brutes can take a pounding, but unlike Tanks, they can dish out a fair amount of damage as I recall. And if I am soloing, all the attacks are pointed at me – which builds Fury faster, I imagine – plus the faster I rip through the mish, the more my Fury stays high. Maybe Fire/Fire with Softcapped Defense and lots of hasten?
• Corruptors. Not only damage, but a synergistic secondary. Maybe Fire/Fire with the new buffs to /Fire would be the key, or maybe Fire/Kin with the ability to Fulcrum Shift myself would rock. Downside is, unlike Blasters, there’s no BuildUp.
• Blasters. Upside: BuildUp. Downside: It’s a single trick pony of damage. However, maybe a Fire/NRG, for example, with softcapped defenses/resists, could hit high XP/min solo. Maybe.
• Scrappers. Both /SR and /Shield look promising, and their crits seem like a good trick when soloing large groups. Or maybe /Fire with Burn and Fiery Embrace changes?
• VEATS – Soldiers of Arachnos. Haven’t tried one of these yet, but I hear good things that suggest that these are the jack of all trades. But are they also the master of none?

My next character is likely going to be one of the above 5 ATs. And so I am posting this request in each of the 5 AT subforums, to ask the experts in each AT what specific builds you would suggest.

Again, the design criteria are:
• Designed to be effective as early as possible, knowing that this character will be shelved @ 50
• Therefore, no purples
• However, as far as IOs, the sky’s the limit, price is no object. Usually I slot for sets as soon as I can, say around 22 or 28.
• No PvP use
• Goal: most xp/min in a solo padded mission of +A/xB where A and B can be any numbers that work
• Little or no dying, possible ways to ditch and restart without dying or riding the death line too closely
• Probably taking advantage of softcapped Defense and/or Resistance
• Not a pet or device character, but a kicking-a$$ character.

So, what do you guys in the Scrappers Forum think the best answer to this puzzle is using a Scrapper?

PS. Whatever AT and build I wind up going with, I am almost certainly going to be doing so in Paragon City, *not* the Rogue Isles. After Praetoria, that is.

Fire/sd with ball of lighting or fireball

Can do ST damage and aoe damage with SC and GFS and then add in another aoe if you want.

Then the + damage

I'm going to go with Fire/Shield as well because Shield offers significantly more survivability over Fire Armor.

I've done the shield route many times, and it's end game possibilites make it an epic set, but based on what your looking for a shielder might not be the best. Really, a shielder won't truely shine till mid 30's when you can start working towards the defense softcap and get SC fully slotted. That gives you a run of 10-15 levels of increasing uberness there towards the end.

I can do you better, can have you padding your missions as low as level 6-10, and being truely unstoppable in the later game. Claws / Willpower, and I chose brute but I suppose a scrapper could do the same in a pinch. I chose brute because the fury mechanic works great when solo as you'll stay at max fury easily with noone to compete against for aggro and mob hate, plus a little more HP's and a higher resist cap work great with willpower. You'll get Spin at level 6 (which with max fury is pure win every few seconds), follow-up at 8 for more damage from spin, and focus at 18, that plus the early attacks is primarily all you need from claws. Willpowerwise take FH at 4, IW at 10, RTTC at 16 and QR at 20 and it's off to the races.

There's no reason not to up the difficulty to +2/X4 in the early teens and by the early 20's you could go ahead and start working towards +2/x8 once everything is fully slotted with SO's. Start layering you in some defense as you level and you can reach softcaped to S/L in the late game making you even that much more durable.

*EDIT - I see you cross posted this in the brute forum as well and this was already suggested.

How about Fire/SR? Easy and cheap to softcap with lots of DDR. Then you could grab an epic pool for more aoe dmg.

Has anyone ever actually quantified if your reward drops are better on +1/+2/+3/+4 spawns vs. +0? And what the relative extra time-to-kill does to your drop rate?

I thought it used to be only anecdotal that higher +mob level ranks (+2/+3 etc) gave better drops than +0.

I think some of the forum readers and responders have grown too accustomed to saying fire/shield as the answer to everything.

If I was going to jump into higher difficulty levels early, fire/ would be my last choice. It has absolutely 0 mitigation.

I'd recommend using Katana/ or Broadsword/ and exploit divine avanlance or parry as much as possible to give you the survivability you're looking for. Those will also do well for damage throughout your career. I can speak from expierience that katana/___ can run non-stop missions at +1x3 starting at level 12 with common IOs and ramps up from there. You'll need to stop to rest and regain endurance, but all toons do that early on.

Any secondary can make the case that it'll do what you're wanting with enough investment. I think the front runner at lower levels is Katana/Willpower.

A lot of food for thought.

OK, been overwhelmed by all the possibilities for this project - not only was I looking at 5 ATs (Brute, Blaster, Corruptor, Scrapper, SoA) but I am look at 3-6 different builds in each.

So I have decided to simplify things a little. I am going to break this project into 5 separate parts, and one at a time, do the 0-50 journey with *each* of the 5 ATs. That way I only have to focus on optimizing for kick-assery one AT at a time.

I decided to start with Blasters first, so I am going to pause the discussion into the AT from *this* forum, until I get to it - but thank you ll and I will return to this topic when this AT get's it turn.

By the time I am done I should have played the best each AT has to offer or the goal. Then I will know which is king.

Thanks again.

PS. FOr me, I would love the whatever build I choose to bloom significantly at least by 22-28. Until then I can slog easy.