R-Tech

Okay, so it's Monday, but I am thankful for...

1) All of the friends I've made within our diverse community
2) Knowing that even after all these years playing CoH, I still have things left to do in-game
3) Base editing. No, seriously! I'd be even more thankful with new items and functionality for them, but I do enjoy it immensely

And last, but the thing I'm most thankful for...

4) That team in Boomtown street-sweeping for XP where I met my husband for the first time. We recently celebrated our 5th anniversary, and it's thanks to CoH that I have that to... Well... Be thankful for.

Back in the day my friends and I used this method to quickly and easily outfit our lowbies. It was so easy, in fact, we opted to do it even when we could have simply traded influence from higher characters. 2+ years and it still works, and works well at that.

I've long since moved on to other market adventures, but the basics I picked up from using this trick serve me well to this day. So, from myself and my friends who have used (and occasionally still use) this strategy: Thanks 4!

Reading some of the replies were also worth a chuckle. Bonus.

For those who are new to this method... Try it. It does work. Don't feel bad about it either: you're helping people like me obtain my Wentworth sales badges!

There are lots of variables, and while I haven't kept track of how the Respec Recipes have been trending over time, my guess on the price spike is one of the following:

1) Natural variance in price over time
2) People snagging them to store and sell during/after 2XP.

I19 created above normal demand, and considering a lot of folks make new characters for 2XP then level them like mad, taking whatever seems like a good power at the time with respecs coming later, it seems only natural that the price would go up. The prices on most things do, come to think of it.

That's just my guess.

There's been a lot of interesting replies spread across the spectrum, and I appreciate all of them.

A point has come up that I hadn't originally considered when I wrote the OP: What different people consider "marketeering". I suppose I had taken for granted that everyone would sell their drops on the market when, upon reflection, I know that can't possibly be the case. Whether a player doesn't like to use the market or just can't be bothered to, there are definitely those out there who, at best, vendor pretty much everything they get.

I suppose my definition of marketeering is closer to SwellGuy's. It involves making money from items that are already in the system, without generating items of your own to sell. These days I dabble in it, though I usually make my money with merits or tickets. I enjoy crafting and playing the market mini-game, so the lure is always there, heh.

This is exactly what it says on the tin. For the Ebil Marketeers out there, how many characters do you marketeer with? One? A few? A server full?

Do you find yourself earning all the inf. you could possibly want with just a single character, or are you reaching truly obscene amounts of income with a (not so) small army of inf. generating, salty-tear-drinking, sob inducing financial behemoths?

I'm usually an evening player, but a recent schedule shift has lead me to being around more in the mornings. It's a quieter time of day for sure, but I bet there's enough of us around to get some TFs going.

You can find me in-game @R-Tech or in any number of global channels, such as Infinity Badges 2.0, Inf Badge Seeker, or Infinity TFs.

Welcome to Infinity Bexx! I hope you've been enjoying your stay thus far. Ms. Mesmer and Ironblade beat me to the punch, but I'll echo their choice of global channels and add a few others. I'm part of Inf Badge Seeker, Infinity Hamidon, Infinity Badges 2.0, Infinity TFs, and AE Anonymous. AE Anon is a general purpose LFT channel that covers pretty much everything except AE missions. I've had good luck with all of them, especially IBS and Badges 2.0.

I'm still new to the server myself (about 2 months now) so I can't make any recommendations there. Hooking up with people in one of the global channels or joining one of the weekly TFs posted on the forums is a great way to meet people and make new friends though. I run my own little solo SG but have formed a network of friends thanks to these awesome resources. You could also try looking at the Top 100 SGs listing at the Registrar in Port Oaks/Atlas Park, too. Lots of SG include ways to contact SG leaders in their registrar info.

If there's anything else you need or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Hope to run into you on the globals sometime!

I agree wholeheartedly. My Ice^3 Dom has become my main and my namesake, and it gives me everything I love in a single character. Mezzes that can take even a boss out of a fight in one shot, plenty of ST and AoE damage, lots of survivability thanks to the new Ice epic and some set bonuses, and even debuff with Sleet.

The only thing that makes me sad is that it took me until the launch of GR to give the archetype an honest go. Now life feels empty if I don't see "DOMINATION" flying above heads.

Global: @R-Tech
Gender: Female
Age: 25
Location: Oklahoma
Height: 5'7"
SG Affiliation: The Razor's Edge
Most Recognizable Server Toon: R-Tech

I'm not sure if someone has created an Infinity-specific Wiki, but there is the "Ouroboros Portal", a website that is part of the Titan Network (the same people now behind City Info Tracker, Mid's Hero Designer, and ParagonWiki). It's a place very similar to VirtueVerse, but isn't tied to any one server.

You can check it out here and see if it fits your needs: http://ouroportal.com/wiki/Main_Page

I'm loving the fact that we can swap out boosts so frequently; it makes the question come down to "which one do I want right now" as opposed to "which one do I want, period".

For most situations I've been using a Cardiac in my alpha slot, and the difference it makes is extremely noticeable. When I'm on a team with someone who has +recovery boosting powers I tend to switch out for a Musculature or Nerve, depending on the upcoming mission.

Between the alpha slot, new TFs, and surge in high level activities, I'm one very happy camper.

Myself and a friend have been playing a pair of Doms through the new content. I am an Ice/Icy/Ice Dom, and they are an Elec/Energy/Ice Dom.

I've not felt the slightest bit disadvantaged versus other "hard control" Doms and Controllers, at least in my personal experience. Obviously, YMMV. I mainly run with a Cardiac Core uncommon boost, for reference. It's my feeling that any Dom has enough tricks up their sleeves to noticeably contribute to +4 encounters, just so long as they've made sure to learn to use said tricks effectively.

Thanks for the quick reply, guys. Really appreciate it.

I'm new to the server, and I've found both "Infinity TFs" and "Inf Badge Seeker" to be well populated.

I see that there is also "Infinity Badges", but it is set to private. Is there a certain person I need to ask to be invited to the channel, or is it actually for private use? Pretty big member count for that, but hey, you never know!

For those of you who may be curious about what 8 million prestige can buy:

1) Teleporters to every zone, plus the accompanying beacons and rooms required to house them
2) A medbay, with rez ring(s)
3) 2nd tier power and control items
4) A heavy mix of storage items, including salvage & enhancement bins, along with crafting table(s)
5) A medium-sized base plot, which will be big enough to fit the rooms to house the above mentioned items, and then some

Sources:
http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Base_Items & personal experience.

Hey Status_Crow, if you're still around and interested in trading/freeing some of those names, shoot me a PM or in-game tell @R-Tech -- thanks!

Looks like it might be patching for me as we speak. *fingers still crossed*

Contestant here, unable to log in. Still trying. *crosses fingers*

EDIT: It looks like Ice Knight said the following.

The combo you pick will come down to a matter of play style, but all the ones you listed will work.

Elec and Fire/SD provide an excellent mix of damage and survivability, but Shield really shines if you can invest in it. On just SOs and basic IOs I found it to be OK but nothing spectacular. 500 million is enough to do some very nice things for one, though. I'd suggest looking at Fury Flechette's guide to Electric/Shield and Fire/Shield for any budget.

Spines/Dark is a classic Scrapper farmer, proven very capable time and time again. For bare minimum investment I think it really shines, and scales up as you pump money into it. Fire Armor is going to do more damage, but wont be as survivable out of the box. If this character is specifically for farming then survivability isn't a concern; you can just pick an enemy group that minimizes risk. If you plan on doing more than just farming with the character then it's something to consider. That said, Fire Armor can be a beast in its own right, especially when heavily IO'd.

Electric Armor is also a viable secondary for farming. It comes with a damage aura, end management tools, a nice heal, and +Recharge.

Overall, Fire/Shield is my personal favorite. Melting faces is fun, but smashing faces and then melting them is even better.

Personally, I love what a layer of defense can do for Dark Armor. It turns an already sturdy set into an absolute beast. If survivability is what you're after then it's a great choice, as is a secondary focus in recharge.

If I may suggest a few things...

- Consider going for Smashing/Lethal defense over Melee defense. S/L will cover the majority of attacks in the PvE game, and provides a wider safety net than melee alone. You may be in melee smashing faces as a Scrapper, but those pesky runners and Marksmen are going to be using their rifles and whatnot to take potshots at you. If you do decide to go for S/L defense then Kinetic Combats are a great source of it. If you slot a power with them as a set mule and don't plan to actually use that attack then you can save some money by swapping out one of the most expensive pieces with the relatively cheap Chance for Knockdown proc from the set.

- Acrobatics is certainly not a bad power, but it can easily be replaced by adding in a KB Protection IO or two. In fact, 2 of them will provide slightly better protection than unslotted Acrobatics. If you can't spare a slot in your current build, consider replacing the jump IO in Super Jump with a Blessing of the Zephyr proc.

- Dark Regeneration is a large source of endurance drain on a build, but adding a Theft of Essence: Chance for +End proc to it can patch that problem. I've had times where, in a large enough group of enemies, Dark Regeneration actually ended up refilling my blue bar thanks to this enhancement. It's a godsend and I highly recommend working one in.

- If you want to kick your survivability up another notch, consider going for the Soul Mastery patron pool. It provides the Shadow Meld power, which is like Build Up for defense. The animation is 3 seconds long, but the defense boost is substantial, to say the least. It's also another spot to slot a Luck of the Gambler: +Recharge.

Here's a build using the above suggestions. I tried to keep it close to the one you originally posted while gunning for Defense and Recharge. Highlights include soft-capped S/L defense, 145% recharge, and 75% global accuracy. Hopefully it can provide some food for thought.

Happy building!

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.81
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Dark-Dark Example: Level 50 Natural Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Dark Melee
Secondary Power Set: Dark Armor
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Shadow Punch -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(5), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7)
Level 1: Dark Embrace -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(21), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(23), RctvArm-ResDam(25)
Level 2: Smite -- Hectmb-Dmg/Rchg(A), Hectmb-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), Hectmb-Acc/Rchg(5), Hectmb-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Hectmb-Dam%(13), Cloud-%Dam(37)
Level 4: Death Shroud -- Armgdn-Dmg(A), Armgdn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), Armgdn-Acc/Rchg(15), Armgdn-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Armgdn-Dam%(42), EndRdx-I(43)
Level 6: Murky Cloud -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(21), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(23), RctvArm-ResDam(25)
Level 8: Siphon Life -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(9), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(9), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), Nictus-Acc/Heal(11), Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Heal/HP/Regen(13)
Level 10: Obsidian Shield -- GA-3defTpProc(A)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
Level 16: Dark Regeneration -- Nictus-Acc/Heal(A), Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Heal/HP/Regen(17), Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(17), HO:Golgi(19), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(19), Theft-+End%(36)
Level 18: Dark Consumption -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(45), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(46), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), Oblit-%Dam(50)
Level 20: Cloak of Darkness -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(43), LkGmblr-Rchg+(45)
Level 22: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(37), RechRdx-I(40)
Level 24: Boxing -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(43), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(50), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 26: Soul Drain -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(27), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(27), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Oblit-%Dam(37)
Level 28: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(29), RctvArm-ResDam(29), RctvArm-EndRdx(31), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(45)
Level 30: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(31), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(31), LkGmblr-Rchg+(33)
Level 32: Midnight Grasp -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(33), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(33), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Cloud-%Dam(34)
Level 35: Oppressive Gloom -- Acc-I(A)
Level 38: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(39), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(39), LkGmblr-Rchg+(39)
Level 41: Dark Blast -- Acc-I(A)
Level 44: Shadow Meld -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 47: Soul Storm -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(48), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(48), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(48)
Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 1: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(42)
Level 1: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(40), P'Shift-End%(40)

Ahhhhh yes. This is what we needed.

Either one will work very well. Both will allow you to solo AVs, and both can lead a charge. My vote between the two goes to Katana/Invuln because...

If you have the money to invest, Invuln can provide you with better survivability in the majority of encounters thanks to layering defense and resistance with a great heal/+HP tool. SR doesn't really offer anything to boost your damage, with the possible exception of Quickness, which is a recharge buff and protection from slows. You can compensate with IO bonuses.

As an added bonus, Invuln is better at holding aggro thanks to Invincibility. SR Scrappers don't have a way to hold aggro outside of their primaries or pool powers. Then again, it's not too hard at all to get something's attention when you're carving its face like a holiday turkey.

Now, if you don't have a lot of money then SR will definitely be easier to enhance to its peak. A few sets and boom, you're soft capped. A few more and you'll have enough recharge to run Katana's top chain.

I played both and love both, but for style and sturdiness Invuln wins in my book. It thrives in the thick of a fight, and only gets stronger when faced with multiple opponents. I really don't think you could go wrong with either one though.