If you’re new to City of Heroes, then you should know that the Scrapper is one of the most exciting archetypes that you could ever use. Why? Because a Scrapper’s main function is to deliver the pain in large quantities up close. The Scrapper’s purpose is similar to a Blaster’s: inflicting damage. How they do it is what makes these two different. Blasters are called squishies because of their low durability, while Scrappers are much more resilient.

Scrappers are not as tough as the heavy-duty Tanker, but they can hold their own in a fight. In theory, Scrappers can dish out more damage than the Blaster. This isn’t the case in actual combat because Scrappers have to move around for position more often than Blasters do. Plus, Blasters have these area-of-effect attacks that can mete out larger amounts of pain. A lot of a Scrapper’s primary powers, the ones you will see below, are dedicated to taking down a single target.

One thing you must know about the damage that Scrappers inflict—most of them inflict the lethal sort. The main problem with this type of damage is that it can be resisted by armored enemies and machines. The good news is there are foes that are vulnerable to it, like zombies for instance.

Broad Sword
If you play tabletop RPG or have a morbid fascination for medieval weapons, you should be familiar with Broad Swords. They’re not the graceful kind of blades, mind you. Broad Swords are huge and somewhat slow to wield, and you’ll feel this heft when you wait for your attacks to recharge because they take longer than you’d want to. When you do form your attack chain, you’ll observe that your endurance is easily drained. So why would you want to get Broad Sword? Because of the spectacular damage that it deals, and its useful knockdown that can keep opponents at bay, that’s why. Broad Sword attacks also come with a small accuracy bonus.

• Hack: Hack lets you take a swipe at your opponent, and you won’t be disappointed with the amount of damage it inflicts. The recharge time for this melee attack is a modest eight seconds, but being one of the early powers, Hack is quite heavy on the endurance, Despite this tradeoff, Hack is a very useful power whose price can be made more tolerable through enhancements. Did we mention that it can reduce a target’s defense? Available starting level one, this power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Defense Debuff.

• Slash: This would be the “lesser” power between the first two, but it’s pretty useful. Like Hack, Slash can reduce a target’s defense, has a small bonus to accuracy, and is available starting level one. Slash inflicts a smaller yet moderate amount of damage, has a quicker recharge time, and isn’t as draining on the endurance. This power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Defense Debuff.

• Slice: Here’s your first area-of-effect power. Slice hits all enemies in a wide cone in front of your Scrapper, but beware of its delay. Endurance cost for Slice would be roughly equal to that of Hack, but does less damage than Slash. Still, hitting more enemies at one swipe is always a good thing, especially when you’re a Scrapper. Like the previous powers before it, Slice reduces your enemies’ defense. Available starting level two, this power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Defense Debuff.

• Build Up: You can get Build Up starting level six, and it’s a big help if you’re facing a difficult fight. This power greatly increases the amount of damage you deal for a few seconds; it comes with a small accuracy bonus, and is rather easy on the endurance. Here comes the hitch: Recharge time for Build Up is pretty long (90 seconds!), so make it count when you do activate it. Build Up can be slotted with the following enhancements: Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and To Hit Buff.

• Parry: You can use this power to deflect incoming melee attacks. When your opponents start using guns and energy powers, you’re going to have to change tactics. The Parry itself does minor damage, but every successful hit will increase your defense against melee attacks for a short while. Parry is available starting level eight, but if you’re intent on building an offensive powerhouse, you might want to skip it because of the minor damage it inflicts. Recharge time is pretty quick though, so you can use it often. Parry can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Reduce Endurance Cost, Defense Buff, and Recharge Reduction.

• Confront: This power is a variant of Taunt, a Tanker power that’s used to draw enemy aggro. Like Taunt, Confront is useful when pulling an enemy off your ally who’s in over his head. An accuracy check is required to Confront enemy players, but it’s not needed against critter targets. Recharge time is fast and endurance cost is low (three seconds), so you can use this power often during battle. You can start getting Confront at level 12, and this power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Increase Range, Taunt Duration, and Recharge Reduction.

• Whirling Sword: You’ll get another area-of-attack power in Whirling Sword, which you can acquire starting level 18. The attack hits all foes in melee range, wounding your opponents, causing them to take minor damage over time, and reduce their defense. Recharge time for this power is slow, but you can opt to use it at the beginning of a chain, especially when taking on a sizeable number of foes. The damage may not be initially significant, but the defense reduction is a godsend. Be careful in using Whirling Sword, because it’s quite punishing on the endurance. This power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Defense Debuff.

• Disembowel: Disemboweling your opponent is cool. Its damage is heavy, so you can cut down enemies in a short span of time. Surprisingly, the endurance cost is pretty low for all the good things you can do with Disembowel, and the recharge time is a manageable 10 seconds or so. You’ll have to wait till level 26 though, but the delay is worth it. Aside from knocking enemies into the air, the attack can also reduce a target’s defense, making them easier to hit. Putting Disembowel in your attack chain will shorten your battle, that’s for sure. You can slot this power with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, Defense Debuff, and Knockback Distance.

• Head Splitter: They sure saved the best for last. Head Splitter will inflict the most devastating damage in all attacks for the Broad Sword set. Aside from the insane damage, you also knock your foe down and reduce his defense. This attack has an exceptionally good critical hit capability, and it can sometimes deal double damage. The power of this attack can actually extend a short distance through multiple foes. Recharge is slow, but you can use this at least three times in a minute. The endurance cost for Head Splitter is equal to that of Hack, so you’d be crazy not to get this. Mark level 32 because that’s when you can start getting it. Head Splitter can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, Defense Debuff, and Knockback Distance.

Claws
If you line up all the powers in this set, the first thing you’ll notice is the generally short recharge time. The longest would take around 14 seconds, and the shortest is a mere two seconds. This means that you’ll be able to attack more often than the other types of Scrappers. While this may sound like a good thing to you, the problem you’ll often run into is using up all your endurance faster than everyone else. To compensate, bringing several Catch a Breath inspirations would be an excellent idea. If you expect to always fight up close, you’ll be surprised to discover that Claws gives you some ranged attacks with decent knockback.

• Swipe: While the damage you inflict with Swipe is minor, you get to use this power often because of the very short recharge rate of two seconds. It’s easy on the endurance too, but you should always keep an eye on how quick you use the bar up. Swipe is ideally used as the first attack of an attack chain because of its short recharge. This power is available starting level one, and can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Recharge Reduction.

• Strike: You get a second basic attack when you get Strike at level one, and it inflicts better damage than Swipe. Strike takes about a second longer to recharge, and uses up a little more endurance. Try putting Strike in the second attack of your combo chain. This power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, and Reduce Endurance Cost.

• Slash: This power is similar to the previous two, but it comes with an extra: aside from inflicting a good amount of lethal damage, Slash can also reduce a target’s defense, making it easier to hit. You can opt to put Slash in the beginning of your attack chain, but it takes a little longer to recharge than Swipe or Strike. However, I would still prefer to arrange an attack chain by order of recharge time. Slash uses up a little bit more endurance, but is still modest. This power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Defense Debuff.

• Spin: As the name implies, your Scrapper would start spinning once you activate this power. Spin isn’t your ordinary attack because it’s an area-of-effect power that hurts everyone within melee range. The damage is pretty good with Spin, and it works great against mobs. Beware of the endurance cost though—Spin is the most expensive power in the set, so it would be wise to slot it with Reduce Endurance Cost and Accuracy enhancements. Forget slotting this power with Damage enhancements. You shouldn’t waste all your endurance on a power that won’t hit your enemies. Spin can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, and Reduce Endurance Cost.

• Follow Up: More pain is coming when you use Follow Up. You perform a feint attack that deals moderate damage. After this attack hits, it gives you a large bonus to accuracy and damage for a brief time. This would be a great time to immediately perform the next power in your attack chain. Follow Up takes around 12 seconds to recharge, and can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and To Hit Buff.

• Confront: This power is a variant of Taunt, a Tanker power that’s used to draw enemy aggro. Like Taunt, Confront is useful when pulling an enemy off your ally who’s in over his head. An accuracy check is required to Confront enemy players, but it’s not needed against critter targets. Recharge time is fast and endurance cost is low (three seconds), so you can use this power often during battle. You can start getting Confront at level 12, and this power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Increase Range, Taunt Duration, and Recharge Reduction.

• Focus: Ever heard of a ranged attack in a Scrapper’s set? That’s exactly what Focus is. Activating it projects a burst of Focused power over a short distance. If you want your Scrapper to gain an edge and attack from a distance, get Focus once you hit level 18. It dishes out a great deal of lethal damage and can possibly knock down your foe. Focus can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, Knockback Distance, and Increase Range.

• Eviscerate: The last two powers in this set are the most powerful that Claws has to offer, as if the previous ones aren’t devastating enough. You’ll spin and slash violently when Eviscerate is activated, as all foes in a wide arc in front of you get loads of damage. Eviscerate has a good critical hit capability, better than other Claw attacks, that can even deal double damage at times. You may have to wait till level 26 to get Eviscerate, but it’s worth all the anticipation. Can you imagine a late power that recharges in 10 seconds and consume a modest amount of endurance? This power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, and Reduce Endurance Cost.

• Shockwave: Don’t let the seemingly moderate damage fool you. Shockwave is a keeper because it lets you attack enemies with a cone-shaped force that can travel a short distance. There’s a chance of knocking down your foes when Shockwave hits, and it recharges a bit faster than Spin. Be careful on using this power often though—Shockwave is quite heavy on the endurance. This power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, Knockback Distance, and Increase Range.

Dark Melee
Despite being short on basic attacks, this punching set is a good selection of powers that you’ll eventually realize as you progress through the game. You may not like it that Dark Melee doesn’t have enough basic attacks to go around and the other powers are weird for a Scrapper. This shortage will be felt when trying to put together your power attack chain, so you’ll have to resort to pool powers, Hasten, and Recharge Reduction enhancements to fill any gaps. The crucial benefit given by Dark Melee is its use of negative energy—not lethal—damage. As you know, later enemies have resistance to lethal damage and it’s going to give you problems if your power set is focused on this type.

• Shadow Punch: Your fists deal minor negative energy damage when an attack lands at an enemy. Because the recharge time for Shadow Punch is fast, and it lowers an enemy’s accuracy for a short period, it’s a good choice for your first power in the attack chain. Available starting the first level, Shadow Punch can be slotted with the following Enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, To Hit Debuff, and Taunt Duration.

• Smite: A Smite deals more damage than a Shadow Punch, but it takes a bit longer to recharge. This power is another basic attack that’s available at level one. Like Shadow Punch, Smite also lowers an enemy’s accuracy for a short period. This power can be slotted with the following Enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, To Hit Debuff, and Taunt Duration.

• Shadow Maul: This power performs a series of attacks against multiple targets in front of you and inflicts a lot of damage over time. Available starting level two, Shadow Maul power also lowers a target’s accuracy for a short time. This power is usually a favorite among Dark Melee Scrappers because combining it with Smite can take down just about any enemy you run into. Shadow Maul can be slotted with the following Enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, To Hit Debuff, and Taunt Duration.

• Touch of Fear: Like the name implies, this power causes fear upon hapless enemies when “touched” during melee. Affected foes would suffer from a reduction in their accuracy. I can’t really recommend this power because of its main premise. When you cause fear, enemies run from you. This is something that melee characters seek to avoid because they have to be close to their enemies to inflict damage! Touch of Fear can be slotted with the following Enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, To Hit Debuff, and Fear Duration.

• Siphon Life: When activated, Siphon Life transfers hit points from your enemy to yourself. Enemies affected by this power will also suffer from a penalty to their accuracy. Siphon Life is available starting level eight, and it inflicts moderate damage on enemies. The power’s recharge time is a bit slow and its endurance cost is rather hefty, but it’s a way to ease the burden from your team’s healers. Still, you’d wish it heals more hit points, so do slot it Reduce Endurance Cost and Heal enhancements. Siphon Life works great when combined with the Catch a Breath inspiration, which effectively shoulders the cost of the power. Siphon Life can be slotted with the following Enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, To Hit Debuff, Heal, and Taunt Duration.

• Confront: Like I previously mentioned, this power is a variant of Taunt, a Tanker power that’s used to draw enemy aggro. Like Taunt, Confront is useful when pulling an enemy off your ally who’s in over his head. An accuracy check is required to Confront enemy players, but it’s not needed against critter targets. Recharge time is fast and endurance cost is low (three seconds), so you can use this power often during battle. You can start getting Confront at level 12, and this power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Increase Range, Taunt Duration, and Recharge Reduction.

• Dark Consumption: Here’s another self-buff power. Dark Consumption lets you regain endurance by draining nearby enemies’ hit points. Damage inflicted by this power is moderate, but recharging can take quite a while (around three minutes). Dark Consumption is available starting level 18, and can be slotted with the following Enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Endurance Modification, and Taunt Duration.

• Soul Drain: Available starting level 26, Soul Drain transfers the strength of enemies in the vicinity to you. Not only do enemies receive a good deal of damage, but you get a damage and accuracy bonus per enemy! Soul Drain is perhaps the best reason to get Dark Melee because it will make your fights a lot easier. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait for this power at level 26, and its recharge time is pretty long too. Despite the endurance cost, this power is worth it. For best results, slot Soul Drain with Accuracy and Recharge Reduction enhancements. This power can be slotted with the following Enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, To Hit Buff, and Taunt Duration.

• Midnight Grasp: This is the last power available in this set, and it lets you create dark tentacles that can immobilize a single enemy and inflict a great deal of damage over time. The great part about this power is that despite its ability to deliver great damage, it only takes 15 seconds to recharge, and its endurance cost isn’t as hefty as other last powers in a set. Use this power whenever you can, especially against bosses. Midnight Grasp is available starting level 32, and can be slotted with the following Enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, To Hit Debuff, Immobilize Duration, and Taunt Duration.

Katana
Katana is the little brother of the Broad Sword power set. The attacks in Katana inflict less damage, costs less endurance, and have shorter animation times. Overall, Katana is more efficient because while it’s not as damaging, you’ll be activating more powers at a shorter span of time, potentially increasing your overall damage. In addition, you still get some knockdown attacks, and its damage over time is better than Broad Sword. However, you will be using up endurance at a quicker pace, so keep an eye on that bar.

• Sting of the Wasp: You perform a standard attack with your Katana. This attack is slower than Gambler's Cut, but deals more damage. Sting of the Wasp can reduce a target's defense, making him easier to hit. It’s ironic that Sting of the Wasp is a bit easier on the endurance than Gambler’s Cut. This power is available starting level one, and can be slotted with the following Enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Defense Debuff.

• Gambler’s Cut: You perform a quick slash with your Katana. This attack itself is very fast, and so is its recharge time, but Gambler’s Cut deals only minor damage and costs a little more endurance than Sting of the Wasp. Like the first power, this attack is that it can reduce a target's defense, making enemies easier to hit. Be careful in using Gambler’s Cut often. While this attack doesn’t use large sums of endurance like high-level powers, it’s quick enough to whittle your strength down. Gambler’s Cut is available starting level one, and can be slotted with the following Enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Defense Debuff.

• Flashing Steel: This area-of-attack power lets you attack multiple foes in front of you. It can reduce a target’s defense, making him easier to hit. Damage and recharge time is decent, so you may want to pick up Flashing Steel when it becomes available starting level two. This power can be slotted with the following Enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Defense Debuff.

• Build Up: You can get Build Up starting level six, and it’s a big help if you’re facing a difficult fight. This power greatly increases the amount of damage you deal for a few seconds, it comes with a small accuracy bonus, and is rather easy on the endurance. Here comes the hitch: Recharge time for Build Up is pretty long (90 seconds!), so make it count when you do activate it. Build Up can be slotted with the following enhancements: Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and To Hit Buff.

• Divine Avalanche: You can use your Katana to parry incoming melee attacks and then quickly return the favor. Divine Avalanche only does minor damage, but every successful hit will increase your defense against melee and lethal attacks for a short while. Divine Avalanche is available starting level eight, and can be slotted with the following Enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Reduce Endurance Cost, Defense Buff, and Recharge Reduction.

• Calling the Wolf: There’s Taunt, Confront, and then Calling the Wolf. This power is a variant of Taunt, a Tanker power that’s used to draw enemy aggro. Like Taunt, Calling the Wolf is useful when pulling an enemy off your ally who’s in over his head. An accuracy check is required if you want to use this power on enemy players, but it’s not needed against critter targets. Strangely, the recharge time is slow, so you won’t be able to use this power often during battle. You can get Calling the Wolf at level 12, and this power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Increase Range, Taunt Duration, and Recharge Reduction.

• The Lotus Drops: You get another area-of-attack power when you get The Lotus Drops starting level 18. This maneuver attacks all foes in melee range, causing them to take moderate damage over time and reducing their defense. The Lotus Drops has a small bonus to accuracy but is rather costly in endurance, so make sure you slot it with the necessary enhancements if you decide to get it. This power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Defense Debuff.

• Soaring Dragon: Yes, you have to wait for level 26 to get Soaring Dragon, but it’s worth the trip. Soaring Dragon is cheap for a high-level power, the damage is terrific, there’s an accuracy bonus, recharge time is a mere nine seconds or so, and you can reduce your target’s defense, making him easier to hit. The only downside is the knockback, which can also be a good thing at times. Remember, when you get the chance, add Soaring Dragon to your attack chain, where it will probably be somewhere in the middle. Soaring Dragon can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, Defense Debuff, and Knockback Distance.

• Golden Dragonfly: Katana’s über power is Golden Dragonfly, an attack that deals an insane amount of damage and can even knock a foe down to the ground and reduce its defense. This attack has an exceptionally good critical hit capability—better than other Katana attacks. My favorite part is that this attack can sometimes deal double damage. The power of Golden Butterfly can actually extend a short distance through multiple foes. When can you get this power? It’s available starting level 32. Golden Butterfly’s main disadvantage is its endurance cost, but its recharge time is tolerable. This power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, Defense Debuff, and Knockback Distance.

Martial Arts
This power set is all about kicking rear-end, and there’s no hyperbole there. Majority of the attacks available in Martial Arts involve the feet, and they’re very accurate (+10%). The damage inflicted is of the smashing sort, so beware of certain enemies that are highly resistant to it later in the game. There’s a decent amount of knockback and disorient here, which can be both helpful and disruptive, depending on the situation. The attacks are mostly targeted at a single enemy, and their activation time can be really long at times. It’s not the best set for a Scrapper, but if you’re following a concept, it’s not a bad choice overall.

• Thunder Kick: Performing Thunder Kick will disorient your target and inflict smashing damage. Recharge time for this power is around four seconds, and it doesn’t cost much endurance. It’s a good first attack for Martial Arts Scrappers putting together their power attack chain. Available starting level one, Thunder Kick can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Disorient Duration.

• Storm Kick: Here’s the second basic attack that’s also available at level one. You’ll be unleashing a roundhouse when you activate Storm Kick, but the activation delay takes forever. Like Thunder Kick, the recharge time and endurance usage is decent. Thunder Kick can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, and Reduce Endurance Cost.

• Cobra Strike: At first inspection, Cobra Strike may seem like a stinker: It’s one of the most expensive attacks of the set, recharge time is very long, and the damage is minor. Then again, this power has a great chance of disorienting your target, which makes up for its shortcomings. Cobra Strike can be a valuable addition to your attack chain, but you may want to add it when your Scrapper already has a higher level. This power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Disorient Duration.

• Focus Chi: Activating this power greatly increases the amount of damage you deal for a few seconds, as well as slightly increasing your accuracy. The best time to activate Focus Chi is before fighting a boss. Why? Recharge time is very long, so it’s the only good chance you’ll get. This power will give you roughly 2 to 3 hits before wearing off. Focus Chi is best combined with Cobra Strike. Activate Cobra Strike first to disorient, click Focus Chi, then finish him off with several devastating hits. Focus Chi is available starting level six, and can be slotted with the following enhancements: Reduce Endurance Cost, Recharge Reduction, and To Hit Buff.

• Crane Kick: With this power, you can perform a slow, high damage kick that will likely knock your target back. Recharge time is around seven seconds, which is a bit long compared to other Scrapper attacks. This is where you put in enhancement slots and use Hasten to make your downtimes shorter. For best performance, get enhancements for Recharge Reduction and Accuracy. Aside from those, Crane Kick also can be slotted with the following enhancements: Damage, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Knockback Distance.

• Warriors Challenge: This power is a variant of Taunt, a Tanker power that’s used to draw enemy aggro. Like Taunt, Warriors Challenge is useful when pulling an enemy off your ally who’s in over his head. An accuracy check is required if you want to use this power on enemy players, but it’s not needed against critter targets. The recharge time is pretty fast and it doesn’t use up endurance, so feel free to use this power often during battle. Just beware of the aggro you get because you’re not a Tanker. You can get Warriors Challenge at level 12, and this power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Increase Range, Taunt Duration, and Recharge Reduction.

• Crippling Axe Kick: For a level 18 power, Crippling Axe Kick is pretty easy on the endurance and quick on recharging. What’s more, this kick has a chance to immobilize your target, as well as slowing their run speed. Crippling Axe Kick may also knock some flying entities out of the sky. Overall, this power is quite useful so get it when you can. This power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Reduce Endurance Cost, Immobilize Duration, and Recharge Reduction.

• Dragons Tail: This attack has the makings of a high-level power: it has an area of effect, it costs a lot of endurance to activate, and the recharge time is pretty slow. You can get Dragons Tail starting level 26, and it’s pretty useful when trying to clear some room in front of you. This low spinning kick deals the same damage as Thunder Kick, and successful hits will trip and knock down your opponents. Dragons Tail can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Knockback Distance.

• Eagles Claw: It’s time for the last power, and Eagles Claw is worth your while because of the damage alone. You can perform a vicious kick that can severely disorient most opponents. It also has an exceptionally good critical hit capability that can sometimes deal double damage. The animation looks sweet, but the activation is probably the longest in the game. Eagles Claw is a suitable follow up to Cobra Strike in your attack chain because you’ll need a disoriented target if you don’t want to get hit during the animation. Like all final powers in a set, Eagles Claw is available starting level 32. You can slot this power with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Reduce Endurance Cost, Disorient Duration, and Recharge Reduction.

Spines
They saved the weirdest for last. Spines are just that—spikes that protrude out of your Scrapper’s body that can poison foes for additional damage. Many Heroes and Villains focus on damage like lethal, cold, or fire, but little did they know that poison is the least-resisted type in City of Heroes. Since you’re a Scrapper, you deal in melee damage but Spines gives an extra incentive if you ever decide to award your character with this power: area-of-effect attacks! Spines is an interesting concept with practical benefits.

• Barb Swipe: You can shred your opponent with several quick Swipes from your Spines. Barb Swipe deals minor damage over time. Spine poison deals additional toxic damage and slows affected foes. You can start your attack chain with Barb Swipe, and expect it to be ready for use after activating at least another power in between. This power is available starting level one and can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Reduce Endurance Cost, Recharge Reduction, and Slow Duration.

• Lunge: Lunge forward, stabbing and poisoning a foe with the large Spine on your arm. Lunge deals improved damage over Barb Swipe. Your Spine poison deals additional toxic damage and slows affected foes. For best performance, combine the first two Spine powers with (perma) Hasten, and your attack chain will almost never have any downtime. Lunge is also available at level one, and can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Reduce Endurance Cost, Recharge Reduction, and Slow Duration.

• Spine Burst: Can you imagine a porcupine shooting out quills in all directions? This is how Spine Burst looks like. As you’ve expected, this power is an area-of-effect attack, but its range is pretty small. You can fling dozens of Spines in all directions, and they can deal moderate damage while poisoning any target close to you. Spine poison deals additional toxic damage and slows affected foes. Spine Burst is available starting level two, and can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, Increase Range, and Slow Duration.

• Build Up: You can get Build Up starting level six, and it’s a big help if you’re facing a difficult fight. This power greatly increases the amount of damage you deal for a few seconds; it comes with a small accuracy bonus, and is rather easy on the endurance. Here comes the hitch: Recharge time for Build Up is pretty long (90 seconds!), so make it count when you do activate it. Build Up can be slotted with the following enhancements: Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and To Hit Buff.

• Impale: You throw a Spine at a targeted foe. This Spine does only moderate damage, but carries a large amount of the Spine toxin. A successful attack can immobilize most foes, as well as slowing them and dealing toxic poison damage. Impale can also bring down flying entities, so it’s pretty valuable in a Spine Scrapper’s arsenal. The recharging time is a bit long though, so use the necessary tools to deal with it. You can get this useful attack starting level eight, and can slot the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage.

• Confront: This power is a variant of Taunt, a Tanker power that’s used to draw enemy aggro. Like Taunt, Confront is useful when pulling an enemy off your ally who’s in over his head. An accuracy check is required to Confront enemy players, but it’s not needed against critter targets. Recharge time is fast and endurance cost is low (three seconds), so you can use this power often during battle. You can start getting Confront at level 12, and this power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Increase Range, Taunt Duration, and Recharge Reduction.

• Quills: While this power is active (Quills is a toggle), you will constantly fire dozens of Spines in all directions. These Spines do minor damage, but can poison all foes in close range. Spine poison slows affected foes. It burns little endurance, but recharge time after use is a bit slow. You’ll have to wait a bit to get Quills because it’s only available starting level 18. This power can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, and Reduce Endurance Cost.

• Ripper: You unleash a slashing maneuver that attacks all villains in a wide arc in front of you. Ripper deals a great deal of damage and poisons multiple targets. It can even knock foes down. Spine poison slows affected targets and deals additional toxic damage. Recharge time is a bit slow, so fix it with the necessary enhancements and Hasten. Ripper works very well when dealing with many foes, which would be often when you’re a Scrapper. You can get Ripper starting level 26 and slot it with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, and Knockback Distance.

• Throw Spines: This power is similar to Impale, but Throw Spines launches the quills in a wide cone in front of you. Foes caught within the range get moderate damage and poisoned. Aside from the toxic damage, Throw Spines slows affected foes. The decision to get this power is easy because doing so will give your Scrapper an edge in combat. Besides, the recharge time can be dealt with, so what’s stopping you? Being the last power in the set, Throw Spines can be acquired at level 32. It can be slotted with the following enhancements: Accuracy, Damage, Recharge Reduction, Reduce Endurance Cost, Increase Range, and Slow Duration.

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