Valorin

I'll agree with Claws and Effect. I'm still leveling my Da/Ice tank (27 at the moment), but he's pretty survivable so far. /Ice doesn't seem to do a whole ton of damage at once, but I can definitely survive to grind things down. It's all a matter of whether (first) my red and then blue bars can let me last long enough to do it. I don't have OG yet, but I do have CoF (took it because I'd never used it on my /DA scrappers and figured that the tohit debuff could make for a bit of nice layered mitigation against the bosses/lts). CoF and Ice Patch lower the incoming damage quite a bit. Taunt, Gauntlet, and Death Shroud all pull things in closer, right onto the Ice Patch.

While I may take more damage per hit than a pure resistance set and get hit more often than a defense set, the combination of moderate resists, some debuffing / fear, knockdown on Ice Patch, slows in my attacks, coupled with a MASSIVE heal makes for a sturdy character. He has a few weak spots to be sure- ranged attackers with slows (Council Marksmen, I'm looking at you!) or the ever popular tohit debuffing enemies (Tsoo Sorcs, Storm Shamans). It's a combo that works better than I hoped it would (I chose /Ice mainly because I had never played it before and I figured the slows would add a bit of mitigation to DA).

Disclaimer: I'm a pretty "casual" player. None of my characters are completely purpled out or feature 2+ billion influence builds. I've played 2 /DA scrappers into the late 40s and a DA/ tank to 28ish. My War Mace/Shield brute just hit 20 last night. My comments below are based on my experience. Your mileage may vary depending on playstyle, etc.

Other dark armor pointers-
I would think you're missing out on a potentially nice synergy between the stuns in Mace and Oppresive Gloom. That said, I don't think you're making an unplayable character in not taking OG or CoF.

The theft of essence proc is really nice, so nice that I'll mention it again. On my Da/Ice tank, it turned Dark Regen from a major endurance hog into almost an endurance neutral power (as long as I'm in a large enough group- it checks for the proc for each enemy hit, it's a bit of a crapshoot but sometimes it'll actually fill my blue bar, others it still drains a lot of end). I can't emphasize that enough. I slot Dark Regen for Acc, End Redux (as much as I can squeeze in), and lastly Recharge (lower in priority than End Redux, but still important- the faster you can fire it off the more survivable you are).

Are you planning on taking the fighting pool? I would try to take it at least as far as tough if you can find space for it.

Cloak of Darkness is nice- but you won't find any other defense native to Dark Armor, so I'd say it's moderately skippable, unless you get your mitts on a Steadfast Res/Def IO and pick up some +def pool powers. Of course, if you don't take CoD, you'll be outta luck on immobilizes. Which means you'd need Combat Jumping (or carry a bunch of breakfrees around). Of course, if you can find the space to build in Combat Jumping, Cloak of Darkness, and Weave, you're that much farther along towards having significant defense.

The three toggle +res shields, you'll absolutely positively want (Dark Embrace, Murky Cloud, Obsidian Shield). I would think long and hard about not taking Death Shroud- Even on my Spines/DA scrapper, Death Shroud is usually the #1 or #2 damage producing power when I run Herostats and Spines has boatloads of AoE. Soul Transfer is skippable, but don't disregard how much fun it could be or how handy it is to be able to hit the pause button on a fight and hop back in.

As far as Mace goes: So far on my Mace/Shield, I've taken all of the attacks up to Whirling Mace. Bash and Pulverize are nice, if you can build enough recharge into your build I could see going with one or the other in your final build. For leveling purposes, Bash, Pulverize, and Jawbreaker (with brawl sprinkled in) makes for a decent attack chain. Clobber hits like a dump truck full of cement (at level 14ish this weekend I was one-shotting minions with it pretty easily). Whirling Mace is the only AoE I have access to, so it gets used at the start of the fight to soften things up. It's not super impressive, but I haven't had it long enough to devote significant slots to it.

That was a lot longer-winded than I intended and I included a whole bunch of run-on sentences. I haven't played your combination, but hopefully the insight helps.

I'm just starting my first War Mace character myself- so I'll stick to the Dark Armor part. Get a Theft of Essence +End Proc (you can put a few lowball bids in and pick one up relatively cheaply usually). It's a game changer once you get it slotted into Dark Regen.

One last question, if recharge is useful, is the Force Feedback proc worth it in Crowd Control? It makes a noticeable difference on my SS/Fire on Footstomp.

Thanks for the build, Deus. Who knows, with Alignment Merits, prices may come down quite a bit. Or with the proper Alpha slot, you could make up for the loss of the LOTGs pretty easily. How useful is -recharge, on the whole? I noticed you dropped Bash. If you didn't have all that -recharge, and don't have Bash, do you still have a decent attack chain?

And thanks for your input too Twilight. That certainly looks achievable. I thought that I needed two slots in Active Defense to keep it up all the time, but Mids seemed to say I didn't. Looks like you took some of the slots out of Superior Conditioning and Physical Perfection, But with all those +End procs, I suppose that makes up for it quite a bit. As far as my bidding skills, they aren't super, but my Mace/Shield is only 19 as of tonight, so I've got time as an ally.

Thanks for the ideas!

So, I made up a Mace/Shield brute, mainly because I'd never tried war mace for very long and I wanted to try a /shield brute. She's pretty fun so far. I'm trying to work on a "budget" build for her- mainly so I have some idea of what IO sets I'll need to start collecting. I put together a rough build with the goal of getting as close to the soft cap as I can while still staying within a reasonable budget (I'm guessing 100-150 million influence, I can pool more if I need it- but I'd start there with a rough number- I know the oblits are going to cost a good chunk of that, but I don't think the rest of the IOs in my current build are that pricey). Anyway, I'm looking for tips on how I might be able to squeeze out some more defense on her without taking too big a hit on her power effectiveness.

Another question- would the Force Feedback +Recharge proc be worth it in Crowd Control? I have one laying around that I was thinking of using on another character- but if it'd be as good as it is on Footstomp (or even close) then I'd consider using it there.

Here's what I've worked up so far:

Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.90
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Brute
Primary Power Set: War Mace
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Bash -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(25), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(39)
Level 1: Deflection -- S'dpty-Def/EndRdx(A), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(3), S'dpty-Def(5), S'dpty-Def/Rchg(11), S'dpty-EndRdx(13)
Level 2: Jawbreaker -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(3), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(5), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), T'Death-Dam%(48)
Level 4: Battle Agility -- S'dpty-Def/EndRdx(A), S'dpty-Def/Rchg(7), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(11), S'dpty-Def(13), S'dpty-EndRdx(45)
Level 6: Pulverize -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(7), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(15), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), T'Death-Dam%(50)
Level 8: Clobber -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(9), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(9), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Mako-Dam%(46)
Level 10: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 12: True Grit -- ResDam-I(A), ResDam-I(25), Heal-I(40), Heal-I(42), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(48)
Level 14: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(45)
Level 16: Against All Odds -- EndRdx(A)
Level 18: Whirling Mace -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(21), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(21), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(23), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Oblit-%Dam(46)
Level 20: Phalanx Fighting -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 22: Super Jump -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 24: Kick -- Acc-I(A)
Level 26: Shatter -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(27), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg(27), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(29), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), Sciroc-Dam%(43)
Level 28: Tough -- EndRdx-I(A), ResDam-I(29), ResDam-I(34), ResDam-I(34)
Level 30: Weave -- EndRdx-I(A), DefBuff-I(31), DefBuff-I(31), DefBuff-I(31)
Level 32: Crowd Control -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg(33), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(33), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), Sciroc-Dam%(43)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(36), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(36), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), RechRdx-I(37)
Level 38: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(40), RechRdx-I(48)
Level 41: Superior Conditioning -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(42), EndMod-I(42), P'Shift-End%(43)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- Heal-I(A), EndMod-I(45)
Level 47: Grant Cover -- EndRdx(A)
Level 49: One with the Shield -- ResDam-I(A), ResDam-I(50), Heal-I(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Fury
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(19), EndMod-I(19)

I just wanted to say that I finally got all the pieces I needed to get Starshrike his +recharge build. ~86% global recharge with hasten down (and it's only down for a few seconds... awesome). I teamed with him a bit over the weekend and eclipse was near permanent (mainly because I would be hanging out in Nova or Dwarf when hasten came up, so I lost a few seconds here and there).

On a team with a tank/brute to absorb the alpha and the mezes, I really felt like an unstoppable engine of destruction. I wouldn't have had the motivation to do the marketeering to finish up the build without the contest, so thanks! I think I spent maybe $100 million influence for the "rest of the build"- so it was relatively cheap for those out there who want to get something similar (minus two Hami-Os, 3 LotG +recharge, and 1 purple melee set). If there's interest, I can post it when I get home.

When choosing a secondary, keep in mind you'll want a source of fire or energy damage to set off Oil Slick Arrow. Or, choose an origin that gives you an energy or fire attack (I think Tech and Magic origin attacks are energy damage). Just something to consider.

Trick Arrow is a quirky set. I love it on my Mastermind as it's quite active, I get to debuff the stuffing out of enemies while my robotic minions lay waste. When the set first came out, I played my TA/A defender to the late 40s- and then left her there. The animations were slow and I constantly had to make a choice between damage dealing or debuffing.

That said, I started up a A/TA Corruptor in Praetoria and I'm a having a blast with him. I think the speeding up of animations and reductions in recharge times from when I originally played the set on my defender have made a lot of difference.

As far as your power level compared to other debuffers, I would say we're competitive. Definetly not the best, but certainly not the worst. Glue Arrow, Poison Gas Arrow, Entangling Arrow, and Ice Arrow will make up most of your mitigation. Acid Arrow and Disruption Arrow are your offensive enhancers. Oil Slick makes a nice mini-nuke- particularly paired with Glue Arrow and Disruption Arrow and Acid on the hard targets. And we can't forget about EMP Arrow, which can be incredibly useful to give your team some breathing room.

Keep in mind when you're soloing- Entangling Arrow has a decent duration, even without any enhancement. If you're facing a 3 enemy group, you can entangle one of them, hop around a corner and blast the other two to pieces. All the while, you're only taking return fire from two- instead of all three enemies.

It's a fun set that I play for fun. I think I make a difference on teams when I play it. When I play other ATs, I notice a skilled TA player and I notice their effect on the enemies.

If you're interested in Trick Arrow, check out Luminara's guide (look in the defender forums). She explains most of the mechanics pretty well.

For my Warshade, "Honorary Peacebringer".

Silly question- if we take it as a given that Pool C's will increase in supply and the price will drop (making the market more accessible to non-marketeers)... Anybody think it will be worth it to stock up on rare salvage? I would expect the price of that stuff to rise (less AE farming, more tip/alignment merit farming) - kinda wondering if it might be worth speculating some on.

So, here is my latest attempt. I like this better as I get to keep Unchain Essence and some slots for it while still keeping my recharge relatively high. The ultimate goal is to have near-perma eclipse while keeping the powers mostly functional (with the exception of the LotG set mules) and do it with minimal cost after the goodies I've already received.


Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.803
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Science Warshade
Primary Power Set: Umbral Blast
Secondary Power Set: Umbral Aura
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Shadow Bolt -- HO:Nucle(A)
Level 1: Absorption -- S'fstPrt-ResKB(A)
Level 2: Gravimetric Snare -- Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg(A), Enf'dOp-EndRdx/Immob(3), Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx(3), Enf'dOp-Immob/Rng(5), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg(5)
Level 4: Gravity Shield -- TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(A)
Level 6: Dark Nova -- AdjTgt-ToHit(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(23), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx(50), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(50), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 8: Starless Step -- Acc-I(A)
Level 10: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17), RechRdx-I(17)
Level 12: Sunless Mire -- C'ngBlow-Acc/Rchg(A), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(13), RechRdx-I(13)
Level 14: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 16: Shadow Cloak -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 18: Gravity Well -- Hectmb-Dmg/Rchg(A), Hectmb-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Hectmb-Acc/Rchg(19), Hectmb-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Hectmb-Dam%(37)
Level 20: Black Dwarf -- TtmC'tng-ResDam(A), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(21), TtmC'tng-ResDam/Rchg(21), P'Shift-End%(25)
Level 22: Stygian Circle -- P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(23)
Level 24: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 26: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A)
Level 28: Super Speed -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 30: Gravitic Emanation -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(31), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(31), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(31), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(34)
Level 32: Dark Extraction -- ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(33), RechRdx-I(34), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 35: Quasar -- HO:Nucle(A), C'ngBlow-Dmg/Rchg(36), C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(36)
Level 38: Eclipse -- TtmC'tng-ResDam/Rchg(A), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg(39), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(39), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(39)
Level 41: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 44: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 47: Unchain Essence -- HO:Nucle(A), Det'tn-Dmg/Rchg(48), AirB'st-Dmg/Rchg(48)
Level 49: Stygian Return -- Heal-I(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Dark Sustenance
Level 1: Shadow Step -- Empty(A)
Level 10: Shadow Recall -- Empty(A)
------------
Level 6: Dark Nova Bolt -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(40)
Level 6: Dark Nova Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(37), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(46), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48)
Level 6: Dark Nova Emanation -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(9), Posi-Dmg/Rng(15), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37)
Level 6: Dark Nova Detonation -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(9), Posi-Dmg/Rng(15), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40)
Level 20: Black Dwarf Strike -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(29), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42)
Level 20: Black Dwarf Smite -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(29), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(42), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45)
Level 20: Black Dwarf Mire -- Oblit-Acc/Rchg(A), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(27), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Oblit-Dmg(43)
Level 20: Black Dwarf Drain -- Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Nictus-Heal(25), Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Heal/HP/Regen(45), Heal-I(46), RechRdx-I(46)
Level 20: Black Dwarf Step -- Empty(A)
Level 20: Black Dwarf Antagonize -- Zinger-Taunt(A), Zinger-Taunt/Rchg(40), Zinger-Taunt/Rng(42), Zinger-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(43)

Oopsies. Replace the Ragnarok with a Posi's Blast. Total enhancement to +recharge is 87.5% in this build, assuming hasten is not up anyway.

Ok, so I won second prize in Organica's contest, and I need to figure out a good build to take advantage of all the goodies I ended up with. To summarize, I ended up with the following expensive pieces- The 5 pieces of Hecatomb, 3 LotG +7.5% Recharge, 4 pieces of the expedient reinforcement pet set, 2 Hami-Os (Centriole exposure), and a Performance Shrifter +End. My warshade currently has 3 pieces of the stupefy set and that's about it (the balance being a mix-mash of common IOs and SOs). So, I put together this build to try and take advantage of the expensive pieces while keeping everything else on a budget. I've got barely 10 million influence on my warshade, but I've started marketeering with him, so hopefully that will take off a bit.

I'm mainly interested in a good tri-form build (ultimately aiming for high amounts of +recharge so that I can perma eclipse) with a rough limit of let's say 100 million influence.

Without further blathering, here's what I came up with


Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.803
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Science Warshade
Primary Power Set: Umbral Blast
Secondary Power Set: Umbral Aura
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Leaping

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Ebon Eye -- HO:Nucle(A)
Level 1: Absorption -- S'fstPrt-ResKB(A)
Level 2: Gravimetric Snare -- Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg(A), Enf'dOp-EndRdx/Immob(3), Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx(3), Enf'dOp-Immob/Rng(5), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg(5)
Level 4: Gravity Shield -- S'fstPrt-ResKB(A)
Level 6: Dark Nova -- AdjTgt-ToHit(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(7), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx(40), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(46), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 8: Starless Step -- Acc-I(A)
Level 10: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(37), RechRdx-I(37)
Level 12: Sunless Mire -- C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngBlow-Acc/Rchg(13), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(13), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(17)
Level 14: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 16: Super Speed -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Gravity Well -- Hectmb-Dmg/Rchg(A), Hectmb-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Hectmb-Acc/Rchg(19), Hectmb-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Hectmb-Dam%(48)
Level 20: Black Dwarf -- ResDam-I(A), ResDam-I(21), P'Shift-End%(21), ResDam-I(23)
Level 22: Stygian Circle -- EndMod-I(A), RechRdx-I(27), RechRdx-I(31)
Level 24: Health -- Numna-Heal(A)
Level 26: Gravitic Emanation -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(31), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(31), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(34), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(48)
Level 28: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A)
Level 30: Shadow Cloak -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 32: Dark Extraction -- Dmg-I(A), RechRdx-I(33), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(33), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(34), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(34)
Level 35: Quasar -- Acc-I(A), Dmg-I(36), Dmg-I(40), Dmg-I(40)
Level 38: Eclipse -- TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(A), TtmC'tng-ResDam/Rchg(39), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(39), RechRdx-I(39)
Level 41: Stygian Return -- Heal-I(A)
Level 44: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 47: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 49: Nebulous Form -- EndRdx-I(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Dark Sustenance
Level 1: Shadow Step -- Empty(A)
Level 10: Shadow Recall -- Range-I(A)
------------
Level 6: Dark Nova Bolt -- HO:Nucle(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), Thundr-Acc/Dmg(46)
Level 6: Dark Nova Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(43), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(45), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50)
Level 6: Dark Nova Emanation -- Ragnrk-Dmg(A), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(9), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(17), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(36)
Level 6: Dark Nova Detonation -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(9), Posi-Dmg/Rng(15), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43)
Level 20: Black Dwarf Strike -- HO:Nucle(A), Dmg-I(29)
Level 20: Black Dwarf Smite -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(25), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(45)
Level 20: Black Dwarf Mire -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(23), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(25), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 20: Black Dwarf Drain -- Nictus-Acc/Heal(A), Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Heal/HP/Regen(27), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(37), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Heal-I(50)
Level 20: Black Dwarf Step -- TSM'n-EndRdx(A)
Level 20: Black Dwarf Antagonize -- Zinger-Taunt(A), Zinger-Taunt/Rchg(45), Zinger-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(46), Zinger-Acc/Rchg(48)


Thanks for your input! And thanks again Dechs and Organica!

Certainly a fitting winner! Congrats Dechs! You are now the proud owner of one BadA__ MFing Warshade

Heya Fulmens-

You're probably right, I could probably IO out my rich guys to my satisfaction. BUT, I'm a hoarder. I hate wiping out my influence, I hate spending cash. Silly, perhaps, but there you have it.

Conceptually, I'm probably aiming for somewhere between the 30 million "Frankenslotted" builds and the 300 million builds. Some good sets that give decent bonuses for the character in question, but I don't need to use a whole bunch of the super-expensive sets. Call it a "budget build" .

I have entirely too many alts, which is precisely why I'm learning to play the market. I can log in, put in some long haul bids and not play the alt for a while. When I feel like playing him again, my bids have filled and I can get to work on my marketeering.

Yes, thanks so much for this contest! Good luck to all and somebody is going to end up with one Bad-A__ MFing Warshade *bow with a flourish to the previous poster*

Thanks for the blog and the spreadsheet document. I've been back playing COH for a few months now, but it seems like my "rich" characters when I left (~150 million influence/infamy) are poor again, my poor characters (Spines/DA scrapper - leveled before Wentworth's existed had about 1 million influence to his name at level 38) are destitute. Between your blog and Fury Flechette's guides, I'm convinced I can get enough cash to do what I want with my characters- it's just a matter of time. Very impressive making it up to 500 million influence with the limited time and resources you had.

Wow, this is an awesome contest! Thanks for running it.

I got my warshade up to 48 back before IOs came out and then promptly abandoned him to play a villain. I left the game for a while and have come back, but I don't really have the dedicated time to devote to a character like this. Most of my time comes in half hour chunks at best, so running TFs for merits for all this would be pretty tough to do. I do play with Repeat Offenders frequently, but I hate begging for help. I suppose the fact that this is a contest makes a bit more palatable for me.


Without further ado, here's StarShrike:


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And here's his Bio from his original Supergroup, the Dawn Patrol.
Department of Defense Personnel Dossier
Form DD-214 (11/14/02)

Name: McConnell Joseph D
SSN: ***********
Service History
Service Branch: United States Navy, Aviation.
Rank: Lt, Junior Grade
Duty Status: Inactive Ready Reserve, Honorably Discharged under chapter 12 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (Physical limitations placing him beyond the capacity to execute his duties)
Joined Achilles Program 12/22/06.
Joined Dawn Patrol SuperGroup 12/30/06.

Background:
Entered US Naval Service in 2004 after graduating top 10% of his class at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland. Majored in Aeronautical Engineering. Placed in the top 25% of his initial flight school training, qualifying him for training in Carrier borne attack aircraft. Temporarily assigned to VF-101 Squadron for final familiarization with the F-18E SuperHornet. Was ranked top 10% of his attack aviation class when an accident during takeoff forced him to eject from his aircraft. Nerve damage to his left hand necessitated his removal from the flight program and he was placed on temporary duty pending honorable discharge.

Joined the Achilles program which sought to align suitable hosts for Kheldian aliens. Initial training and bonding with the former nictus "Star's Whisper" was more than satisfactory. The joined being is presently known as "StarShrike".

Personality Background:
The two personalities seem quite compatible. McConnell's aggressive, "Can Do" attitude is reigned in by his Kheldian symbiote. Positive outlook maintained despite physical setbacks. Displays exceptional aptitude for utilizing the various super abilities and the human host appears to enjoy the free flight granted by the Nictus entity form known as "Dark Nova".

Addendum:
StarShrike has joined with the Dawn Patrol Supergroup as of 12/30/06. Appears to be well adapted to life as a hero. Continued monitoring necessary. Continued rehabilitation of left hand appears to show some progress. Possibility of normal levels of functioning within 6 months, although outlook regarding high function of delicate motor skills is not positive.

For normal play, I rotate through all the various alts I have, my Huntsman, my Crab-to-be, my Fire/Dark Corruptor, BS/Shield Scrapper, DB/Elec Scrapper.... and on and on.

If I'm on a high level team that's having problems, or I'm going to try something I haven't done before that I think will be challenging, I grab my Dark/Dark defender. She always seems to be able to turn the tide Villainside, I go for my Fire/Dark corruptor or my huntsman when things ain't going well (depends on the team makeup and my perception of what's not working).

Ethical:

I am by no means an expert on Brute claws (although my claws/wp brute is 29). My Claws/DA scrapper found that shockwave+caltrops (from the hero weapons mastery APP) was key in buying her enough time for her heal to recharge when fighting big packs. With willpower, you don't have to wait for a heal to come back, but anything you do to slow down the incoming damage gives your regeneration time to catch back up. My advice: when it comes time to decide whether or not shockwave goes into your build- copy to test and play around with it. Shockwave is knockback. It takes some practice to use it without spreading mobs all over the place and some time to line up properly even with practice.

The main advantages of Claws/WP over SS/WP is that it blooms MUCH earlier. You can get spin at level 6, IIRC. Footstomp has to wait to 32. Also, no rage crash on Claws . I played a SS/WP and ultimately deleted it at 26ish to make my claws WP. I have a lot more fun on my Claws/WP. Your mileage, of course, may vary. I'm an altoholic. I swap around between alts and try to keep everyone from maxing out on patrol xp. Consequently, having to slog through a build until I hit 32 is annoying to me.

Huntsman/Bane: Operative Gant (stolen from the Book/Movie Firefox... Clint Eastwood's character)

Crab to be: Operative Aubrey (an MI5 agent from the same book/movie)

Widow: Venomspinner