League of Procyonids: Summoner Build dps pvp rocket raccoon
Guide by sharpless Last update at May 26th 2014, 20:57

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Mechfall 1
1  60
While leveling Rocket, I often found myself straddling the fence between an energy build and a summoner build. This made him very disappointing to me, and I ended up going through three Retcon Devices before settling on this build, which I find myself enjoying. The build leans heavily on his summoner powers, while primarily using Rocket's BFG as his personal source of damage dealing.

I am, by no means, a "pro" at this, or any, video game. This guide just reflects my experience with the hero. I hope it helps someone. :)

Powers


Quick Shot (NO POINTS)
You'll note that I don't have any points allocated to this, or any, basic in this build, aside from the skill's pre-assigned point. This might seem risky, as Rocket can suffer from spirit problems, especially in X-Def and Holo-Sim, so you may want to put some points into this until you can get your spirit situation under control. Keep a Retcon handy, because once that problem has been solved, there's no looking back!

Personal Defscreen (MAX POINTS)
Rocket can be a squishy little guy if you're not careful, so you'll want to keep this active for the defensive buff and the damage negation.

Energy Barrage (MAX POINTS)
It seems that most people will choose either this or the BFG, but not both -- which makes sense. However, I like using them both. Energy Barrage does less damage per hit than the BFG, but it has a much higher rate of fire. I have not run the numbers on this (because I am not a scientist and math is hard) but it does appear to have higher DPS than the BFG. Use this when attacking lone targets for longer periods of time, like bosses.

Big Flarkin' Gun (MAX POINTS)
This is your bread-and-butter ability. Though it has a lower rate of fire than Barrage, it does significantly higher damage per hit. It's also an area ability, so it's ideal for clearing out mobs and grouped-up bosses. It does tend to chew through spirit though, so watch out for that. Prioritize this!

Blaster Turret (MAX POINTS)
Your first summoner power. I keep this tied to my right mouse button, so it's super easy to casually drop a turret during combat. They don't do a ton of damage, but you can have up to three active at a time, and they provide another target for enemies to focus on. Never turn your nose up at a little extra DPS. Rocket's uniques will make this more effective.

Time Dilator (NO POINTS)
The only reason I didn't stick a point into this is that I like to limit myself to a single hotbar whenever possible. If you don't mind switching between hotbars on the fly, or you value the attack/move speed debuff more than I do, go ahead and drop an extra point here.

Gravity Mine (NO POINTS)
Okay, a lot of RR players swear by this ability, but I honestly didn't care for it. I know! I'm the worst! If you're feeling like it, however, you could drop a point into it just for the 10% damage debuff it applies to enemies. It's your call.

Shield Generator (1 POINT)
I put a point into this just for the tiny bit of extra help it provides while protecting students in X-Def. If this doesn't interest you, go ahead and dump this point into something else, like Gravity Mine.

Suppression Turret (1 POINT)
I put a point into this because... well, MORE TURRETS! Also, a little stun is always welcome, as is extra DPS.

Burrowing Escape (NO POINTS)
A starting ability, this is useful for more than just getting around the map more quickly. The attack speed buff is nice, and the stealth aspect is useful for when enemies are paying more attention to you than your summons, or when someone like Bullseye sets his sights on you. Rocket's slot 2 unique will buff this immensely, so no need to put any additional points into it.

Shrewd Dude (EXTRA POINTS ONLY)
This is where I dumped my leftover points, once I was done maxing out the other abilities. If you're an effective summoner, you shouldn't be needing to dodge all that often, but shite happens, mate, and a little extra dodge never hurt anyone. Also, provides a dodge buff to your allies.

My Friend Groot (MAX POINTS)
The king of all summons! Or the cutest, at least. Groot has a long duration, a ton of constantly regenerating health, and does decent damage. Unless he gets severely overwhelmed, you shouldn't need to resummon him until his time runs out. (He can even take charges from Jugs and Rhino!) You should always have him running around with you. Prioritize this!

Procyonid Senses (MAX POINTS)
Early on, I made the mistake of not dumping points into this. Crits are good. Crits are your friend. Your life and, by extension, your summons' lives are made a lot better by having more crit.

Timely Recovery (NO POINTS)
Almost every build I see recommends having an anti-crowd control ability on standby. I almost never use these abilities because, as previously stated, I am the worst. So, while I do not put any points into this, you may want to drop one in for getting out of sticky situations. Your call.

Wily Scavenger (1 POINT)
I know, that Rare Item Find might look tempting, but it's not worth it. You will, however, need (NEED!) this ability to compensate for your spirit problems. And, because the spirit gain never gets any higher than 15, there's no need to take this any higher than 1 point.

Gear


Artifacts / Blessings
The obvious blessing choice is Frigga's, which gives health/damage to summons and more spirit to you.
Medallion: Mr. Sinister
Buffs your summons and gives you three more possible summons.

Relic: Attilan
Since no relic affects your summons specifically, I chose to go with area damage to crank up the BFG a little more. You could also pick Xandar if you wanted to just buff ranged damage in general, but I see way more Attilans dropping than Xandars. And, if spirit is still worrying you, Gibborim is a good choice. Follow your heart.

Uru / Runeword
I went with the Energy uru gear, as well as the Beast Master runeword, which buffs your summons. If you don't have the necessary runes, you can temporarily throw something easier on there, like River of the Soul, which will help your spirit situation. Ranged uru gear will also work here. Whichever you find first.

Legendary: Neptune's Trident
There is no other way to go, for this build. People will always talk up Gungnir for just about any hero, but I'm almost at 40% crit without it, and 40% is right around where diminishing returns start to kick in. With the right gear and build, you shouldn't need Gungnir. Focus on your summons.

Ring
Since ring stats don't specifically cater to summons, I focused on the BFG again. A ring with area and/or ranged damage is good. Spirit is always helpful too. Use slots like this and your relic slot to focus on your non-summon related shortcomings. (No pun intended.)

Primary Gear

Costume Core / Affixes
Rocket uses M'Kraan Shard cores, so keep an eye out for those. The most important core stat you're looking for is the one that gives you hp/spirit on medkit use, especially if you're having spirit problems. If you're not having spirit problems, an invulnerability core is also good. +1 Fighting is a good secondary stat. I like to use +25% Rare Item Find, but you could also go with +1 Energy, if you can find it. As for the affixes, I stuck crit chance on all four. (Use this guide to get the best rolls you can.)

Insignia
You have three solid options here. The first is Groot's insignia, which gives you and your allies a chance to summon a tiny Groot sapling. More summons are never a bad thing! However, Rocket's own insignia is also good, as it gives you and your allies health and spirit when picking up items and credits. If neither of those are your thing, O'Grady is always a solid choice for it's +damage buff on crit.

The End


Am I forgetting anything? Feel free to let me know in the comments. Again, this is just what works for me. If you don't like something in this guide, swap it out for whatever works for you. There are no wrong builds, so long as you enjoy playing your hero. :)