Blue_Centurion

Nice. And, not that I am advocating abuse, but would 100% resist in fact resist debuffs 100% of the time effectively voiding any attempts to debuff your resistance? Or does it cap at 90% effective so you can only resist (only?) 90% of the debuff?

Okay, so, lets say you have a pegged hard cap resist. And you get debuffed, so that lowers. What if you were over the hardcap to begin with (either because like with Fire Armor its almost impossible not too, too many sets, or a self buff (incarnate) or outside buff.) Does this still debuff you right from the hardcap or does it take from the extra?

Well, 30% to 33% is not that big a deal. 30 to 33% on all resist types is cool, but still nothing to shoot fireworks off over. I haven't looked at the build for it yet, but I was thinking that 3% would make it that much easier to hardcap S/L resist, saving me that 1 enhancer slot or better yet, allowing me to choose a different set of enhancers that helps the build rather than chossing a set for S/L bonus. So, a crap ton of cash for a little efficiency. And that efficiency is the "last spot" I keep looking at. But, as I said, i have yet to start planning the build. Heck, i just had the idea this morning.

Yeah, only I got this thing about numbers. Ever watch the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode where Karl was sanding his car.... That last spot is just starting to vex me....

A kiloton is a kiloton... Speaking of which I think I'll invest in the +3% Res I/O. I already have the +3% Def slotted on the Brute. Since I'm going whole hog Tank I might as well get, well, another kiloton.

PS, anybody got a lvl 10 +3% res they wanna sell :-)

Which would make a meaner tougher Brute (and doing more damage!) Super Strength/Invulnerability or Dark Melee/Invulnerability? On a very high end build.

Okay, I am settling into my new server comfortably. I have picked Virtue, mainly cause I found a very nice group to hang with. There are good groups on every server, and good luck finding a group you like.

I have set up my Main, a SS/Invul Brute that is a tribute to all the SS/Invul Brutes I have run in past years. A monster, and should be based on the cash I threw at him.

I am leveling a Dark/invul Brute (now 39) with the plan to also I/O him to the gills (I can just do this, i ain't that rich) Then i got to thinking. 2 Maxed out Brutes. Hmmm. Even both with same armor. Hmmm. Yep, one has to go. Too much cash invested to have almost the same character twice.

So, which of these should be the Tank? Invulnerability/Dark or Invulnerability/Super Strength?

And what I am really asking is on a very expensive I/O'd out build which of these secondaries brings the most survival opportunities to Invulnerability? That is including the vagaries of which melee I/O out better of course.

Thanks for the help in advance.

Thank you Aett Thorn for consolidating a lot of the best ideas for how to improve a Tank in one place. I was going to rate which I feel are best, or respond to some folks posting. I've decided not to. The fact that some of the ideas I like are part of your original post makes me happy. Some of the things I saw in there were surprising, and interesting. I hope the Devs read these ideas carefully and craft something useful.

It really threw me for a loop to discover Tankers in City of X. I have never seen an archtype in any video game quite like them. I hope that the Developers realize they have something unique here and work to make positive changes for the AT that will move it forward to match the powerful changes that have happened with the overall gaming experience for those who play in the cities.

I am a trying again lol. A rolled up a Fire/Mental Blaster. The idea is to stay at range as much as possible and joust in for the buff. Currently just using SOs (at 22) and about the only non standard slotting decision I made was to put 2 range enhancers in the fire cone so it is exactly (97%?) the same shape as the Mental cone.

I realized that when I come over from my heavy melee characters I really do just want to stand at range and fry things. Fire/Mental seems to give me the maximum possibilities for that.

I am considering I/Oing him out if/when I 50 him. But I am just Blasting for fun, so we'll see. I am a little curious about how to incarnate him if he makes it. I am seriously just considering the damage Alpha and any other high damage abilities I can cram on. Glass cannon indeed. That is Glass Mother of All Bombs to you!

Thank you for all your replies. And Necro, my wife just busted up when she saw your name. speaking of my wife she has 4 characters in the cities now. (New player) Her 4th, a write-up of a character she started in D&D 2nd ed many years ago, is a Tank. And that means I can run a Blaster safely with her! Hers is a Willpower/Dual Blades. Mine is a Dark Blaster/Mental. Very fun. We is at 22 and she is happy.

Having so much fun running with her that I bit the bullet and made a Fire/Mental to run when I'm by myself. I'll let you know how that goes lol.

I am highly amused. Thank you.

Both Street Justice and Titan Weapons are End Hogs. You might consider Willpower. I ran a SS?Willpower Brute NOT built for enhancing any armor (although a expensive build ) and it was very very tough. Seriously, take a look at it.

Its pretty Simple, 3 Recharge SO Enhancers gor over the max and hit ED for Hastern, or any power. But 2 are not enough to maximize it. You gotta make a judgement call when that extra slot used is beneficial or a waste. But as just pointed out there is now a 3rd option with using Enhancement Boosters to buff the 2 into enough to smack ED and save yourself a slot.

I played this game for years, poor and shying away from the market. I played with SO builds. I still run SOs 90% of the time until I hit 50. On my SO builds there are a LOT of times I will put 3 Damage SOs into a brutes attack. Or use 3 recharge on a build with Hasten. Why? Because maximizing using SOs require that. Sure, I could take that extra enhancer slot and buff my unloved tier 2 attack. or...I could put it into Knockout Blow and make sure it really hits for maximum devastation.

I am starting to learn MIDs and high end build concepts now. It really is even more complex than it looks on the surface. Stuff not only has to hit the numbers and "look right" there has to be a deep logic to how everything works together. Attack chains and powers that affect other powers or self buffs are required to function at a certain level to justify throwing a crap ton of cash onto a build. Seriously, otherwise just run with SOs, its almost as much fun.

The only "Heavy" characters I try to really squeeze recharge times down on are the Dark Melee/Invulnerability or Invulnerability/Dark Melee builds I run. This is because (in my perception) the Dark/Invul Synergy is strengthened disproportionately by high recharge. There are many reasons for this, and it is precisely because there are so many reasons that recharge is so valuable.

Dull Pain being up often is of course very good. Dark Melee has Siphon Life for keeping health up, but the Dull pain power works to just make the build that much tougher. Soul Drain is a 30 second build up power with no crash, no bad thing about it. But it has a 2 minute recharge time. To get this thing up near constantly requires a ton of recharge. And yes 2 seconds can mean a lot with this power. Hitting it as the first person in a spawn and getting saturated target coverage...sweet. Hitting it two seconds later after a Nuke hits the spawn and half the survivors are scattered? Sad Panda. We all know Invulnerability can "Run Hot" -(my term for endurance issues), especially with fighting toggles, maybe manuevers, and possibly with a build design emphasizing more defense and +health +recharge. Well, Dark Melee provides again, with Dark Consumption. That sweet power can take you from no blue bar to filled with just a few targets in range. er, once every 3 minutes. Since I do not want to wait for the next ice age to end before I get me End I advocate a little Glob Rech in the mix. And finally, I have just stated 3 powers that help keep you on your feet from Dark Melee. 2 of which really benefit from massive global rech, and one it sure doesnt hurt. But guess what that means? Dark Melee is a little short on attack powers. A strange little cone that works best on crowds and a heavy hitting odd attack late in the build. So....global recharge to the rescue. At least that way you get your buttons up, and if you need to spam the cone, the cone is there for you. If you need that one big attack up always, global recharge will at least try to help you. So that is why Global Recharge is so important on this one particular build. I am unsure it is quite that important on any other "Heavy Melee" character. It is of course highly sought after by dominators. Also, some folks calculate out attack chains and DPS and have a very specific global recharge number they will jump through hoops to get to. So, is 2 seconds global recharge that important? No. Except when it is.

Yeah, wrote that after hanging with a 50+ doing tip missions (currently 35) while I was trying to kill somebody i needed to hit my heal and was in animation hell. very bad. But after I wrote this I ran a Manti. Mobs surrounding me, (I was pretty much the Tank for half of it due to Stone's connection issue) and Shadow Maul was sweet on a packed crowd. Dark Melee is a very odd set. It is either very very nice, or you sit there going "Why do i not have more big attacks? Why don't I have more AoE?" of course, having the combat heal propping up Invul was really helping, and the End tool in the primary is a godsend. Ah, another night of ups and downs lol.

also, anyone who does more than one DFB run needs to have that character randomly assigned a new costume, that they can never ever change out of. Because I said so, thats why.

brute ss/willpower. nice smooth ride. even on SOs

Shadow Maul, I think we are done. I have run many Dark/Invul characters over the last 4 years. On every character I coose Sands of Mu as a vet reward power. I never thought I'd say this, but I am thinking of completely building away from Shadow Maul on a Dark/Invul character. A core power that does high damage, sometimes to 3 or more opponents. I am very good at placing the cone. But in todays overcranked game it has no place in my build it seems. Long animation and meh DPS.

Any thoughts from the experts?

As far as I know ( 4 1/2 year vet, although not the best at game mechanics) I have been seeing similar posts about what is the most common damage type, what is the most resisted in the game since I got here. Lethasl is common, and is commonly resisted/defended. Negative and even moreso Psi, are uncommon shiny and exotic. I run a lot of characters with dark powers, due to the fact that these fit many of my concepts well (I have a whole big death theme in my stuff) and due to the fact it works well in the game. I do not have a lot of fire using characters, even though they tend to be near the top of damage on so many ATs, because these do not fit my concepts well. I wish they did. But I hate almost everything about fire use for my stuff. So sad for me. Can I get a rewrite? No. Okay, back to Dark. Hey, I wish Grav/Nrg Doms werent as horrid as they are, they are the only Dom I enjoy running. But they are ....that....bad. Sigh. So, if I choose to run one I got no recourse. i 50'd my first one before i realized how bad. That does not give me the right to ask for the game to be rebalanced. Well, I can ask... I have no one to blame for the 2nd and 3rd time I 50d a Grav/Nrg Dom. We play what we like. If you choose to take a MA Stalker and expect Smashing Damage to compete with Negative Damage I honestly do not know what to tell you. Somewhere in the back of your mind you had to realize just maybe the exotic damage might have a slight edge? a little?

But back to the topic. My idea has seen a tiny amount of refinement. One that even would help that Lethal or Smashing using Stalker. Against Boss, Elite Boss, AV, and GM have the AS in Hide to a set amount of bonus damage. Different against each class of mob of course. The idea is that a Stalker should be able to kill a Boss, Severely mess with and/or kill an EB, take a significant chunk out of an AV (5%...?) and whip a nice slice out of a GM as well. Rather than let a player (or team) get too much control of that (so many abuse options) just hard code the number, unbuffable. But also decrease the mobs ability to resist it. Yes, I really do want a Stalker to be able to have a guaranteed amount of damage against these types of creatures. In return I want the Devs to have a guarantee that number will not shift too much. Then let the regular damage that Stalkers have been getting be put on top of that. Call it a Meta Crit.

I don't post my builds, or build requests here. Half the time when I am looking for a build I am really dialing in a playstyle and/or concept anyways. the other half the time I am looking for very specific tweaks to a concept that has been debated in the appropriate forum a hundred times. So, it just makes sense for me to post in the appropriate AT section rather than here. The only time I would consider posting here is with a very finished piece of work. Both as a presentation of something I think is great and a challenge t the board to improve it. But in truth most of my builds (based on my style above) are actually someone (or some four or five people's) work that have helped me, that I mesh together, or that I make a small changes to I do not feel it appropriate to post them here as my work. Someday I may post two or three of them here to show what I am running, more or less to help anyone looking for something similar. But in truth I suspect most people are like me and just post in the AT section, and i post my best stuff there whenever it looks like it might help someone.

Short answer. No, i don't use this forum.

Here is my Brute build. It is my main. it is expensive-O It is very very solid. It will be a beautiful build for a Tank, losing some inherent Brute Damage and gaining inherent Tank resistance. I run this guy as Lead Tank on most stuff I am part of. Right now he is 50+3, although just barely. He does okay in Keyes, although not spectacular. keyes is tough, it just is designed that way. With this build on a Tank I would expect improved performance definitely, insofar as survivability. If you have MIDs just print this out, flip it, slot the exact same sets and look at the result. While I am not sure you will go with anything like this design at least look at how the pieces work together. This guy is just a hoot to run.

Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

SS-Invul Brute: Level 50 Magic Brute
Primary Power Set: Super Strength
Secondary Power Set: Invulnerability
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Punch -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg:35(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx:35(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg:35(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(5)
Level 1: Resist Physical Damage -- RctvArm-ResDam:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(5), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(9)
Level 2: Temp Invulnerability -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(9), RctvArm-ResDam:40(11), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(11)
Level 4: Dull Pain -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx:50(A), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg:50(13), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:50(13), Dct'dW-Heal:50(15), Dct'dW-Rchg:50(15)
Level 6: Haymaker -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg:35(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx:35(7), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg:35(7), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(17)
Level 8: Knockout Blow -- Hectmb-Dmg:50(A), Hectmb-Dmg/Rchg:50(17), Hectmb-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(19), Hectmb-Dmg/EndRdx:50(19), Hectmb-Dam%:50(21)
Level 10: Resist Elements -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(A), GA-3defTpProc:50(21)
Level 12: Fly -- Winter-ResSlow:50(A)
Level 14: Kick -- T'Death-Dam%:40(A)
Level 16: Unyielding -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(27), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(27), RctvArm-ResDam:40(29)
Level 18: Rage -- GSFC-ToHit:50(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg:50(23), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx:50(23), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx:50(25), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx:50(25), GSFC-Build%:50(29)
Level 20: Resist Energies -- Aegis-Psi/Status:50(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx:50(31), Aegis-ResDam:50(31)
Level 22: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(31), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(33), RctvArm-ResDam:40(33)
Level 24: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(33), LkGmblr-Def:50(34), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(34)
Level 26: Hurl -- Apoc-Dmg:50(A), Apoc-Dmg/Rchg:50(34), Apoc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(36), Apoc-Dmg/EndRdx:50(36), Apoc-Dam%:50(36)
Level 28: Invincibility -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(37), LkGmblr-Def:50(37), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(37)
Level 30: Maneuvers -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx:50(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg:50(39), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg:50(39), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(39), RedFtn-Def:50(40), RedFtn-EndRdx:50(40)
Level 32: Foot Stomp -- Armgdn-Dmg:50(A), Armgdn-Dmg/Rchg:50(40), Armgdn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(42), Armgdn-Dmg/EndRdx:50(42), Armgdn-Dam%:50(42)
Level 35: Tough Hide -- LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(A), LkGmblr-Def:50(43)
Level 38: Superior Conditioning -- P'Shift-End%:50(A)
Level 41: Physical Perfection -- P'Shift-End%:50(A)
Level 44: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt:50(A), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg:50(45), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng:50(45), Mocking-Acc/Rchg:50(45), Mocking-Taunt/Rng:50(46), Mocking-Rchg:50(46)
Level 47: Laser Beam Eyes -- Dev'n-Hold%:50(A), Dev'n-Dmg/EndRdx:50(50), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg:50(50)
Level 49: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(A), LkGmblr-Def:50(50)
------------
Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I:50(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+:40(A), Mrcl-Heal:40(43), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:50(43), Numna-Heal:50(46)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%:50(A), P'Shift-EndMod:50(48), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg:50(48), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc:50(48)
Level 1: Brawl -- T'Death-Dam%:40(A)
Level 1: Fury
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth:50(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
------------
Set Bonuses:
Kinetic Combat
(Punch)

• MezResist(Immobilize) 2.75%
• 22.49 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
• 3.75% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 1.88% Defense(Melee)

Reactive Armor
(Resist Physical Damage)

• MezResist(Immobilize) 1.1%
• 1.25% Defense(Energy,Negative), 0.63% Defense(Ranged)

Reactive Armor
(Temp Invulnerability)

• MezResist(Immobilize) 1.1%
• 1.25% Defense(Energy,Negative), 0.63% Defense(Ranged)
• 1.25% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 0.63% Defense(Melee)

Doctored Wounds
(Dull Pain)

• MezResist(Terrorized) 2.2%
• 1.26% Resistance(Fire,Cold)
• 4% Enhancement(Heal)
• 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Kinetic Combat
(Haymaker)

• MezResist(Immobilize) 2.75%
• 22.49 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
• 3.75% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 1.88% Defense(Melee)

Hecatomb
(Knockout Blow)

• 4% (0.07 End/sec) Recovery
• 2.52% Resistance(Fire,Cold)
• 15% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 10% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Steadfast Protection
(Resist Elements)

• 3% Defense(Melee), 3% Defense(AoE), 3% Defense(Ranged), 3% Defense(Smashing), 3% Defense(Lethal), 3% Defense(Fire), 3% Defense(Cold), 3% Defense(Energy), 3% Defense(Negative), 3% Defense(Psionic)

Gladiator's Armor
(Resist Elements)

• 3% Defense(Melee), 3% Defense(AoE), 3% Defense(Ranged), 3% Defense(Smashing), 3% Defense(Lethal), 3% Defense(Fire), 3% Defense(Cold), 3% Defense(Energy), 3% Defense(Negative), 3% Defense(Psionic)

Winter's Gift
(Fly)

• 20% ResEffect(RunSpeed), 20% ResEffect(RechargeTime), 20% ResEffect(FlySpeed)

Reactive Armor
(Unyielding)

• MezResist(Immobilize) 1.1%
• 1.25% Defense(Energy,Negative), 0.63% Defense(Ranged)
• 1.25% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 0.63% Defense(Melee)

Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control
(Rage)

• 5% JumpSpeed, 5% JumpHeight, 5% FlySpeed, 5% RunSpeed
• 28.11 HP (1.88%) HitPoints
• 2.5% (0.04 End/sec) Recovery
• 2.5% DamageBuff(All)
• 2.5% Defense(Melee), 1.25% Defense(Lethal), 1.25% Defense(Smashing), 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative), 2.5% Defense(AoE), 1.25% Defense(Fire), 1.25% Defense(Cold)

Aegis
(Resist Energies)

• 5% RunSpeed
• 3.13% Defense(Fire,Cold), 1.56% Defense(AoE)
• 3% Resistance(Psionic)

Reactive Armor
(Tough)

• MezResist(Immobilize) 1.1%
• 1.25% Defense(Energy,Negative), 0.63% Defense(Ranged)
• 1.25% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 0.63% Defense(Melee)

Luck of the Gambler
(Weave)

• 10% (0.62 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 16.87 HP (1.13%) HitPoints
• 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Apocalypse
(Hurl)

• 16% (1 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 44.98 HP (3%) HitPoints
• 4% DamageBuff(All)
• 10% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Luck of the Gambler
(Invincibility)

• 10% (0.62 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 16.87 HP (1.13%) HitPoints
• 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Red Fortune
(Maneuvers)

• MezResist(Immobilize) 2.2%
• 1.26% Resistance(Fire,Cold)
• 2% DamageBuff(All)
• 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative)

Armageddon
(Foot Stomp)

• 4% (0.07 End/sec) Recovery
• 2.52% Resistance(Fire,Cold)
• 15% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 10% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Luck of the Gambler
(Tough Hide)

• 10% (0.62 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Mocking Beratement
(Taunt)

• 1.8% Max End
• MezResist(Held) 2.75%
• 2.5% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 1.25% Defense(Melee)
• 3.13% Defense(Fire,Cold), 1.56% Defense(AoE)
• 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Devastation
(Laser Beam Eyes)

• 12% (0.75 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 33.73 HP (2.25%) HitPoints

Luck of the Gambler
(Combat Jumping)

• 10% (0.62 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Miracle
(Health)

• 2.5% (0.04 End/sec) Recovery

Numina's Convalescence
(Health)

• 12% (0.75 HP/sec) Regeneration

Performance Shifter
(Stamina)

• 5% JumpSpeed, 5% JumpHeight, 5% FlySpeed, 5% RunSpeed
• 28.11 HP (1.88%) HitPoints
• 2.5% (0.04 End/sec) Recovery