Amygdala

This.

Ah, you were referring to the general 'you'? I misunderstood.

Regardless, there are situations where even builds that are sound Endurance wise can run into issues in the face of Endurance draining mobs, such as Hamidon, Freakshow, enemies on the iTrials, etc. This is where Recovery Aura really shines. The fact that people may derive benefit from it doesn't automatically indicate that their build needs fixing.

I'm fairly confident that the reason Silas suggested that Recovery Aura should be slotted further wasn't because his own build is dependent on it. As I'm sure you're aware, Recovery Aura is a very strong team buff and as such, deserves to be up as often as possible.

Some people like to invest a substantial amount of money into their PvE builds. Personally, if I were going to build for anything on an Emp, recharge would be my number one priority. However, since Going Rogue and the ability to take the villain patron pools, Scorpion Shield can give you a substantial S/L boost right from the start. It makes it tempting to go for high recharge and S/L, especially if you are a more aggressive player (yes, Emps can be aggressive too). It is definitely not necessary, but I can see why it is becoming more popular. If you can have it all, then why not go for it?

Recall Friend is nice, but not as important as it used to be IMO, mostly due to the Vet TP and other TP temp powers. Most of the time it's feasible to rez someone mid battle, meaning that Recall Friend only really comes into play if someone dies on a far corner of the map that would be timely to access. If you're playing with a lot of really new players, I can see how this situation might happen quite often. Personally, I rarely find myself making use of Recall Friend in that type of situation, even on PuGs. It gets far more use during stealth/TP missions. It also got a lot of use at older versions of the i9 Hami raid when Tanks would rotate in to taunt Hami, where it was part of the strategy to let them die and TP them out. This strategy has since been modified, of course.

As for taking Resurrect sooner, it really depends on whether he plans on using his Emp at lower levels. Some people build for end game only.

Technically, you don't need any of it, since you can play an Emp on SOs if you're so inclined. As for the build being 'team friendly', I don't see how it lacks other than potentially adding Recall Friend and changing the placement of Resurrect. I consider these modifications to be both minor and circumstantial.

You say this like it's a bad thing.

Was just discussing that with someone. It appears to be for system messages, like you say.

Oh well. It sounds like it ought to be a 'team building' version of the Help channel.

This.

I stumbled across it recently and tried to use it, but it did not appear to be working.

I don't have any planned for now. I may start them up again after Stray Kitten finishes up with Master BAF/Lambda.

Here, you describe what has kept me from ranking ATs. For me, it's more about combinations of power sets than ATs wholesale. For example, I love my Mind Dominator but I don't love playing all types of Dominators. For some ATs, certain power set combinations just stand out to me as being much more enjoyable when compared to the rest.

This fact has also encouraged me not to dismiss an AT because of a bad experience with a particular combination. It could be that I didn't land on a fun combination at first. Luckily, there are lots of combinations out there to try.

By acknowledging some of your Tanker's strengths, e.g., mobility, auto hit Taunt, you acknowledge that your Brute could also have these characteristics. The fact that you did not take Taunt on your Brute is a self imposed, artificial limitation. However, your Brute still has better mobility than your MM. This gives it an advantage in certain situations. Even without Taunt, your Brute could also be very effective at controlling aggro and mob positioning should you choose to use him in this manner. Being able to group up mobs tightly can be a huge advantage on a team.

So the reality is your Brute can do some things more effectively than your MM. The potential is there. The only reason the above quote might be true is if you are overlooking some of its potential.

It seems that this would be the best option at this point. Instead of insisting that your Brute is inferior to your Tank or MM in its current state, try making some modifications that may increase your enjoyment of it on teams. At least don't sell your Brute short while there is still room for improvement. We all have characters we default to because we know they are awesome and are comfortable with them, but sometimes it also pays to rediscover or reinvent a character you possibly underestimated at first.

From what you've posted so far, it sounds like your MM can do it all. It can solo AVs, it's ridiculously survivable, it's a force multiplier, etc.

And yet, you still hold your Tank in high esteem while your Brute just doesn't cut it. I'm curious as to why that is. If your MM far surpasses your Brute in terms of damage, that would imply an even larger discrepancy in damage between your MM and Tanker. You also stated that your MM has greater survivability than most Tankers here:

Not to mention, your MM does something a Tanker does not: it provides substantial buffs/debuffs as mentioned here:

So why does your Tanker have your respect while your Brute does not when it seems like your MM in your mind is more effective overall than both of them?

I don't consider the directions you gave on your Katie to be 'barking orders' or 'playing the drill sergeant'. I agree with you that a little direction often helps.

There are often different methods of completing a given trial/TF. Generally, I don't really mind which method is used so long as it is clearly communicated. What I find to be frustrating is that something took longer than it had to because people weren't co-operating. Things are much more enjoyable when people are actually playing as a team, regardless of the method chosen.

I don't doubt that this is a common experience, mostly because many people are ascending the learning curve when it comes to Keyes. If there are a lot of people new to the trial present, there is the temptation to stay with the group, take things one step at a time, drag him from terminal to terminal, etc. Personally, I have found myself waiting around terminals less and less because people are becoming more confident and able to multitask the reactors more effectively.

For example, at the second reactor, if all of the terminals aren't charged by the time Anti Matter arrives, there are usually more Goliaths that can be defeated. So if you're not using a Cell to charge up a terminal, you could be helping with that. If a taunter has Anti Matter positioned at a terminal, this allows people to pop up for a second, use their Power Cells, and head right back down to continue fighting. For the third reactor, usually one team can gather the glowies while the other teams are clearing the mobs around the terminals. The mobs around the terminals respawn, so there is generally more fighting to be done there as well.

If I had to pick a reactor that seems to breed the most amount of 'standing around nose-picking', as popular a pastime as that is, I'd probably pick the third one. But I think people could afford to put some creative thought into how to complete this reactor more efficiently rather than adjust the mechanics of the reactor itself.

You don't have to drag him around for 2 reactors. For the second reactor, you can go ahead and start charging terminals as soon as a Power Cell drops from a Goliath before Anti Matter arrives. I have seen all 10 terminals charged before he gets there. Even if you don't get all 10, getting 6 or so cuts down on the time you need to drag him around. Same goes for the third reactor, the only difference being the terminals must be clear of mobs.

Vent is not required to successfully complete Keyes. It's not even necessary for Master of Keyes runs.