Regarding recompense, if we are level 72 in health at op8, then the damage done to an op8 enemy is only going to be of level 72 equivalence?
How does this work exactly, we are not level 80 in health, so is this skill pointless?
Another thing on a related issue of health at op8, using an evolution shield, blood of the seraphs relic and specing into health skills, would that technically be level 80?
Yeah the skill is pretty pointless past op3 I think, once damage resistance comes into play its pretty bad.
I think adding all those would put you above level 80 health since the shield scales.
Thank you derch 
It won’t work at over OP3? I haven’t tried it, but with a Grog Nozzle and +11 in Recompense at OP3, it’s quite good. Weird way to play, but a fun diversion nonetheless. I usually play close-range/melee when in this mode: Backdraft novas will connect and the inflammation added to melee helps keep health up, Cloud Kill triggered by the Grog Nozzle helps with stiffer enemies, and even Blight Phoenix helps to let you kind of face tank basic enemies.
Poisoned tested it with his unkillable siren build, and the trick stops working after OP3 because of the damage reduction
Well shoot - another reason I’m glad I park my characters at OP3 
Also - guess what I’ll be doing tonight!
edit - can you show me his build? I’m rockin’ Recompense right now (at OP8), and it’s doing okay. You are largely unkillable, and for bigger enemies (like Rabid Skags), I’m leaning on some white Maliwan fire SMG I bought from a vending machine (since all my weapons are OP3) for actual gun damage. The rest of a Bullymong mob went down to Recompense, Blight Phoenix, and fire damage from Backdraft. I’m about to step into Sawtooth Cauldron with it.
2nd edit - Yeah, Recompense is barely able to overcome health regeneration at OP8 on weak enemies. I’m wearing a very quick Tediore shield so the Backdraft nova fires constantly, and Blight Phoenix with Backdraft’s fire melee damage are actually taking most of the health off enemies. I get that the skill shouldn’t be so strong that you can simply max it out and use it to stare down any enemy you come across… frankly I’m surprised at how well it holds up in UVHM at all. Anyway, this is pretty much all I saw when I got into the thick of it in Sawtooth Cauldron:
I don’t remember the specifics, but it was made with Raids in mind, so that you could slowly deal a small amount of damage at a time and not be bothered by health regen.
The idea is:
So the only things required are a COM that boosts recompense, 5 skill points in it and a (Bladed) Grog
Anything else you throw at the enemies is just bonus.
Since it works with health, you just have to stay near the target and your (maylay) shield will always be down
I like Recompense. It’s one of those skills everyone says bad things about (like that Blight Phoenix is unusable because barrels become self-aware and start chasing you round the map screaming insults about your parents). But I like it.
Of course at OP levels health scaling does make it less effective, but as Chuck80 points out, a Grog does itself proud and allows Recompense to heal you. It’s one of the situations I quite like using the Grog as it basically enhances a skill’s potency. As Ad points out, it does do a bit to counter enemy health regen even in the OPs in situations where you can’t deal out damage / damage over time (when I’m running screaming from rabid stalkers, say). I also spec it in raids where Elation is pointless. Every little helps!
It works really well with my shieldless (rough rider / love thumper) builds, where health damage is the norm.
I’m never playing the game again if any of them start screaming “Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries!”
This would only bother you if it was true. 
I imagine it’s a skill that gets used a lot when Maya goes on raids, as there are few raid bosses that have minions that can be PL (Son of Crawmerx and possibly Pyro Pete raids being the exception…).
I think there are only two that don’t: Terra and Master Gee. Everyone else has something Maya can phaselock to get her skills going.
Most normal strategies of farming Hyperius don’t permit Phaselock.
And do you have to clear out the savages before you fight Dex? Not sure as I’ve only endured that yawn-fest a few times.
In general my raiding strategy isn’t based around Phaselock anyway as I prefer to use it to slag.
The key was to slag yourself as well so they did more damage to you
All I know is, derch confirmed my suspicion and I’m happy about that ;). Now I can use those last 5 points in something else, not hesitating. There were times I specked into it at op8.
Even if this type of build doesn’t cut it at the OP levels, it seems like it might be stupidly good for leveling up. You probably can’t really rely on Recompense until near the end of NVHM (unless you get lucky with a Rebounding Warder com drop), but once you have the Harmony tree backbone it’s just a matter of filling out Cataclysm and grabbing Helios, Blight Phoenix, etc.
You could even grab Backdraft, get Ward in Motion, and wear a speedy Tediore shield for an extra buffer. If they’re only hurting you enough to drop your shield, they still eat the Backdraft (while giving you time to heal). If Backdraft worked with a Rough Rider it would be even more ridiculous.
My Maya isn’t high enough to try it yet, but this might actually be the one place that the Chulain would be worth using (it slags you while equipped, which should increase the bounce-back damage?)
It just occurred to me. Connecting to OP’s query about the Evolution (which wasn’t really addressed in answers). Would wearing the Rough Rider at OP8 bring Recompense up to a balanced standard? I’ve heard OP8 RR puts you to about level 80 health (and of course works well with Recompense anyway). Getting health gated or seriously hurt with that kind of health could make Recompense pretty damaging, no? Or are there other mechanics besides health disparity that make the skill less effective?
Still doesn’t work because damage reduction comes into effect on damage you do.
Could you explain that a bit more? (Sorry for being thick). So the Recompense damage is reduced?
It’s been awhile but back when the unkillable siren was figured out a lot was done to test and it RR didn’t make it work on op8. If I recall right the damage recompense does is damage from you so it is effected by damage reduction. To make it work you have to take enough damage, so I think even at op0 it was a rough rider set up to make it work and without health scaling and damage reduction it didn’t work.
