Thoughts on Spines/Dark

So, I've been regularly playing Ater Custos on Triumph (my Spines/Dark Armor Scrapper) and I figured I'd relate some observations that I have collected. See below for more info.

Firstly, the combination of Spines/Dark Armor is often reputed to be one of the "Kings of AoE". Most people (myself included) look at the set and say "A-Ha. That's because it's the only combo with an AoE damage toggle in both the Primary and the Secondary powersets..." Well, that's true, but only half the story.

Starting at a relatively low level, it's a hard choice between single-target attacks and AoE attacks. I went with a decidedly heavy AoE slotting, leaving the single-target attacks unslotted and picking up Impale later than most do. The trade off was the extra slotting in Spine Burst and Death Shroud, the two early AoEs that you have access to. In teams, this was fine, since I was using the AoEs to good effect and the single target attacks (Lunge, Sands of Mu, Brawl) as fillers. Soloing anything higher than even-level spawns with any numbers to them was VERY tough. Other Scrapper sets with a stronger single-target focus (Broadsword, Katana, Claws, etc.) are easier this way, particularly Kat/BS since Parry is a monster buff to your melee defense that can self-stack. You also pick up your nice Mez/Status effect protection (which doubles as your Psi resist) with Obsidian Shield.

In the late teens and early 20's, life improves quite a bit. You pick up your big self-heal (Dark Regeneration), which is huge in terms of surviving big spawns. You also get access to Quills, which slows and puts out almost twice the damage that Death Shroud does. It's awesome. And lastly, you get Stamina, which means you finally can stop puffing after every fight like a chain-smoking asthmatic super-hero. Stamina makes a huge difference. Also at this point you're dabbling in IO sets, mostly for the enhancement bonuses, and partially for the set bonuses. Sets like Tempered Readiness are great since they give +Recovery bonuses for 2-slotting them.

In the mid-20's to early 30's, life gets better. You pick up Ripper and Throw Spines, both awesome AoE cones… One melee (Ripper) and one ranged (Throw Spines). Throw Spines also slows the crap out of whatever it hits, everything moves in slow motion and their attack rate is GREATLY reduced. This is where you begin to turn into an AoE Monster in groups. Spawn diving and lighting off AoEs becomes a non-stop love affair on the right teams. You also NEED knockback protection by now, either in terms of -KB IOs or by picking up Acrobatics.

Mid-30s to late 30s are a joy. While squishy, the sheer amount of pain you deal out in teams is staggering. While other scrappers are taking out one or two opponents, you've leveled the entire spawn and the Tank is moving on. Oppressive Gloom is the other game-changer here. Once you pick that up you have a rediculously inexpensive PbAoE Stun toggle that makes minions around you stagger aimlessly while they get mowed down by your attacks. It's gorgeous. You start to fall into a role where you are wiping the minions out and other ATs are free to take down the Lieutenants and Bosses. Even in Arch-Villain fights, your slow effects make all the difference, as their attack rate drops wayyyy down, giving the team more time to hammer them.

All-in-all, an enjoyable but very different experience from the other Scrappers I have played.