User talk:64.9.106.202/Starscream

Introduction
Starscream, famed Decepticon for his fighting capabilities with the fearsome Null ray, but also for his underhanded cowardice. This build focuses on those aspects of Starscream, the uncanny abilities of his Null Ray to temporarily stun his opponents, and his ability to run like a coward. And of course lighting things on fire with his afterburners helps, too.

Weapons
I highly recommend (As with all Lilith builds) the Maliwan Hellfire. It all comes down to personal preference, but anything with heavy Incendiary or Corrosive damage will work in the end. Best just to find yourself a Hellfire, though. This will be your primary weapon of choice.
 * Incendiary/Corrosive SMG:

I personally use a shock Repeater with a scope, but really anything surrounding your personal preferences will be fine. This build will have you in close range with Radiance and heavy phasewalking, but a solid shock weapon to remove shields is still recommended.
 * Shock Weapon:

I prefer a nice Incendiary Sniper Rifle, as the fire will proc quite often due to Spark, but Corrosive works fine too. You'll typically be in too close anyways, but this is a nice little start to a battle. Strategy will be explained later.
 * Incendiary/Corrosive Sniper Rifle:

There are a number of things that can fill the final slot, though I'd recommend either a Shot Gun or a Revolver, preferably with Elemental damage (Incendiary/Corrosive). There are times with this build when you'll have to exit Phasewalk in a group, and these tools should be used at point blank range. An Anarchy SMG works fairly well too, though I'd recommend Elemental damage (Show Blazing Lunatics whose boss with an Anarchy though, that's just fun).
 * Close Range Weapon:

Grenade Mod
I enjoy littering the field with fire, and this compliments the fire theme this build has. Incendiary Rain is nice too.
 * Incendiary Bouncing Bettie:

Sometimes shields pose a threat, so having a secondary mod around is always useful to take them out.
 * Shock Contact/MIRV:

Once a Transfusion grenade is thrown, no accuracy is needed, as the healing streams will lance through enemies and find their way to you. You can even enter Phasewalk and still be healed, which compliments Inner Glow quite nicely.
 * Transfusion:

Shield
Diva will make any shield way better, but focusing on high recharge is key. The higher the better, because once you enter Phasewalk you want your shield to start recharging. Coupled with Hard to Get's extension of Phasewalk, your shield should almost be back to full once out of Phasewalk.
 * High Capacity/HIGH Recharge Rate:

Class Mods
Extra SMG damage, Elemental Effect Rate % with SMGs, and any increases to Quicksilver should be prioritized. If your SMG does not have Ammo Regen, that comes highly recommend as well. Not necessary, but once you have it you'll never want to be without it.
 * Mercenary:

+ Ignite Damage %, Spark increase, Diva increase, and Elemental Effect change +%.
 * Firefly:

+Team Elemental Effect Chance %, Spark increase, Radiance increase, +Team Elemental Effect Damage%, +Team Damage%.
 * Tormentor:

Artifact
I personally use the Incendiary artifact to enhance the Hellfire, but Corrosive works well too.
 * Incendiary or Corrosive:

Skill Choices
Starscream is good at quite a few things, such as incapacitating his enemies with his Null Ray, flying at mach speeds (Often times away from a fight), and eventually being a ghost. What do these things have to do with Lilith, you ask? Allow me to explain how the skill trees compliment eachother, and the strategy will follow.

Controller tree
Selected for the obvious extension of the shield.
 * Diva:

This ability is required for healing while Phasewalking, which this build utilizes extremely often.
 * Inner Glow:

Coupled with Black Out, this ability more or less guarantees that Phasewalk will be ready whenever you need it. (Which will be often)
 * Hard to Get:

Spraying SMG bullets will Daze any and all enemies (Mostly) charging at you, and this will not only keep you safe as you hop between crowds of enemies with Phasewalk, but will ensure a safe getaway if you need cover for a little while. Dazed enemies are practically out of the fight as long as they stayed dazed.
 * Mind Games:

Elemental Tree
There are only three points in Quicksilver in order to put a few points in Radiance, and Spark is more important between the two. I recommend if you plan on going through Mad Moxxi's arenas, place the two extra skill points here to top off the speed of your SMG (And other weapons). The Mercenary Class mod can also increase firing rate by complimenting Quicksilver.
 * Quicksilver:

Spark and a Maliwan Hellfire means every single enemy will be on fire. This is important for the strategy, which will be explained soon.
 * Spark:

Shields can give this build a little trouble without the right weapons, and since Phasewalk will be used extensively, a few points in Radiance will ensure shields are down.
 * Radiance:

Assassin Tree
SR was chosen over Slayer simply because head shots are not quite as important as surviving. Due to the constant use of Phasewalk, +70% resistance is quite nice when hopping between groups of enemies.
 * Silent Resolve:

The melee boost is nice and all, but the real treat here is the 4 second increase to Phasewalk. These extra four seconds will allow for a number of things to happen: Shields will have a higher chance of returning to full, your health bar will fill nearly completely, you'll have a longer chance to escape a dangerous situation if necessary, and Radiance will have a longer opportunity to tear down shields. Being able to run longer distances while traveling is a nice perk, as well.
 * Hit and Run:

Black Out will reduce your Phasewalk cooldown by 6 seconds per kill. This includes enemies killed while in Phasewalk, as well. If a few enemies are lit on fire before you enter Phasewalk and they die once you're already in it, your timer will cooldown faster and Phasewalk might even be ready before you exit Phasewalk again.
 * Black Out:

Strategy
The idea of the Starscream build is to use your Null Ray (Mind Games) to stupify your foes, burn them alive with your Hellfire, and use Phasewalk (With the Incendiary Artifact on) liberally.


 * Light up your enemies with your Hellfire (Or use Corrosive damage if the enemy is immune to fire).


 * Once the enemies are on fire and Dazed, enter phasewalk. Try and close in on the enemies by this time, and light up anyone who isn't already on fire with your Incendiary Artifact and Phasewalk.


 * Ideally, some enemies will die from Incendiary damage while you're still in Phasewalk. This will activate Black Out and Phasewalk will start recharging.


 * Stick close to the enemies who still have shields so Radiance can do its thing, so their shields are gone and their flesh is ripe for lighting on fire once you exit Phasewalk.


 * Once Phasewalk ends, make sure you're close enough to enemies to light them up if necessary, and repeat the process.


 * If you get low on health and shields, you can enter Phasewalk to retreat to cover to reassess the situation and the groups of enemies you're facing. When you exit Phasewalk you get a second or two before the enemies realize where you ran off too, helping you to get behind some cover.

That's basically all there is to it! As long as you keep Phasewalk up and enemies burninated, you should be all set.

Pros

 * Constant movement and damage from combined elemental effects from weapons and Phasewalk.


 * Safety and healing while in Phasewalk.


 * Excellent cooldown for Phasewalk with Hard to Get and Black Out.


 * Shield control with Radiance.


 * Ability to survive most situations with flexibility of a quick Phasewalk charge.

Cons

 * SMGs will not deal as much damage as other Sirens without full Quicksilver, High Velocity, or Slayer. Outside of the mass amounts of elemental damage, anyways.


 * Strategy is reliant on heavy usage of Phasewalk, rather than weapons (Is that a con?).


 * Melee attacks leave something to be desired.


 * Enemies immune to Incendiary can pose problems without quick adaptation of weapon usage.

Closing Comments
Make sure you color your Starscream appropriately, with some mixture of Red, Blue and white. Otherwise, in the true spirit of Starscream, "It is better to retreat and to fight another day as a coward than die as a hero!"