The problem is that crabs have so many great powers available to them, you can't squeeze 'em all in. Combat training: offensive is commonly skipped. Tactical training: leadership is often skipped since additional accuracy is seldom necessary on an IO build, but that's not to say that it isn't a good/useful power. Omega Maneuver is another power that lots of folks pass over due to its 6 minute recharge. Again, that doesn't mean it's not a good power if you can fit it in.
The hardest part of planning a crab build is deciding how you want to focus it.
Tactical training: leadership is handy just for the confuse and fear protection it grants to you and everyone around you (normal tactics gives confuse protection, but not fear). They're not the most common statuses used in the game, but they're used often enough to be dangerous. Also they're used by mobs in the incarnate trials. My scrapper gets hit by fear often enough that she wishes she had fear protection.
Culex's resistance guide
Well I guess I'm gonna build him as an AoE Crab, I don't have a giant budget, still pretty new and don't have a lvl 50 yet. So as of right now I don't have the funds for IOs and such.
It is possible to make your Crab into a very competent melee character, but soft-capping your melee defense requires IO sets. So, it's mostly something that a Crab matures into.
Likewise, you can build a Master Crab who leads his horde of mechanical spiders into battle... starting in the late 30's.
When you are low level and building on the cheap, ranged AoE attacks are the way to go. You'll want Suppression and Venom Grenade backed up by whatever you like. Combat Training: Defensive is important for avoiding ranged attacks. Other than that, I advise you to experiment.
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Wolf Spider armor or Crab Spider Armor Upgrade protects you (edit to add: but not your team mates) from those effects, at least according to the descriptions in Mids' and Tomax. Leadership pool tactics gives both fear and confuse protection, same sources.|
Originally Posted by Pitho
Tactical training: leadership is handy just for the confuse and fear protection it grants to you and everyone around you (normal tactics gives confuse protection, but not fear). They're not the most common statuses used in the game, but they're used often enough to be dangerous. Also they're used by mobs in the incarnate trials. My scrapper gets hit by fear often enough that she wishes she had fear protection.
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Also, the links in your sig, Pithos... Holy Wah! Kudos and thank you.
Villain side I've had a team reduced to a cowering mess, and then taken apart by an illusionist Longbow boss (and his buddies) before. Spectral terror is nasty. Also spectral terror spams fear and might be able to overcome crab spider armor upgrade's protection, not sure.
Fear doesn't show up as often as holds/stuns, but very nice to have protection to it when it does. I think Tactical training: leadership is the only effortless team protection to fear power. Clear mind type powers are kinda annoying to reapply and can only be given to one person at a time, and the force field/sonic aoe bubbles are only immob/stun/hold protection.
To me, the beauty of a SoA is being able to support the team without having to do much more than be near them.
The only power I consider really mandatory is Tactical training: Maneuvers. Same end cost as a melee set armor toggle, 10% defense to everything before slotting for you and everyone even remotely near you. Venom grenade is *highly* recommended; resistance debuffs are extremely useful for increasing damage done to targets and the damage it does is extremely solid. After that it's all in how you want to build. My crab took only one more aoe power, capped ranged defense, has a full single target chain, both pet powers, and doubled up on all the leadership toggles. (The second tactics is only for if I ever go on an underground incarnate trial with her. Extra confuse protection.) So she gives 21% defense, 30% damage buff, fear protection, confuse protection and some +hit just from being nearby.
Culex's resistance guide
Powers I wouldn't ever skip for a Crab:
Combat Training: Defensive
Tactical Training: Maneuvers (seriously, take this asap)
Mental Training
Crab Spider Armor Upgrade (do not take Wolf Spider Armor unless you have a very specific IO purpose for it - it's seriously redundant otherwise)
Fortification
Venom Grenade
Powers I'd highly recommend, but could understand skipping for a particular build:
Tactical Training: Assault
Tactical Training: Leadership
Serum
The pets are also well worth a look, particularly to boost single target dps on individual hard targets if you want to solo.
And the Fighting pool for Tough and Weave can do a lot to improve your (already fairly high) survivability. Good for soloing on higher difficulties.
Hasten is desirable on most of the builds in the game; for a Crab this is especially true if you've gone with Serum and both pets.
You can also look at doubling up the Tactical Trainings with power pool Leadership (but always go for the Tactical Trainings first - they have half the endurance cost, and in the case of Maneuvers have quadruple the bonus), though be careful about endurance drain there (personally I tend to double Assault and just stick with the native TT: Maneuvers & Leadership).
I've deliberately not commented on attacks as that depends on your focus, whether you want to use the gun or not, PPP choices, etc.
So I made a SoA and I'm about to hit lvl 24 and respec him and make him a Crab. I was wondering what skills are worth taking and such. I'm not that experienced with EATs all that much in general. So I figured I'd post here and see what happens.
Any help is appreciated.