DarkMaster

Sure. Reduce it by 14 seconds, making Claws users have a 60 second refresh time on BU, this would still be advantageous to the Claws players, as their refresh time on BU would be equal to Placate, making juggling the two powers a Breeze.

Yea, but one thing to remember on DM, and pretty much any Brute primary, is that early on it is ideal for a Brute to slot for only accuracy and endurance reduction. Don't worry about sticking +dmg enhancers in your attacks for a long time. Your damage, as a Brute in the low levels, comes better if it's dealt almost entirely through your fury bar. This is a BIG bonus to being a Brute, in that you can attain a much higher level of damage early on than many toons of your same level and you can actually have the endurance to keep on pounding thanks to your ability to slot for pure endurance reduction in attacks without really losing out on damage.


Here are my slotting suggestions for any Brute (barring maybe claws), with basic enhancements-


With TO's I'd suggest: 2acc/3end/1rech -or- 3acc/3end

With DO's I'd suggest: 2acc/2dmg/1end/1rech -or- 2acc/2end/2rech

With SO's it's the standard: 2acc/3dmg/1rech -or- 2acc/2dmg/1end/1rech.


As far as TO's go, no other AT, imho, can get away with that type of slotting as well as a Brute can, and it's all thanks to the sweetness of Fury, which has been "buffed" since i19 as far as a lowbie Brute is concerned.


Also, if you're interested in EA, then there are really only two primaries that I can suggest which will keep you happy and powerful (since EA is sorta lacking) and those two are Dark Melee and Stone Melee. Both offer a wide range of mitigation and damage which will stack nicely with EA and help make it more survivable. Once again, I lean more toward DM with EA here, but that's because DM makes EA look even moar pretty!

Odd...I find Dark Melee to be one of the most fun melee sets that I've ever played. It was my first toon to 50, and for the life of me I just can't seem to stop coming back for more of it. Meanwhile, I honestly can't stomache Super Strength even though I realize it's a fabulous set and that most people would lash out at even the mere thought of not liking it. I've only ever been able to play two SS characters all the way to 50 with only a few puking sessions along the way. All the rest I've attempted simply cannot survive their 20's....just too dang slow and boring. Good set, but boring as hell.


Basically, to each his own.


As far as "most fun" Brutes? I've EPICLY enjoyed these combos:


DM/ELA - PowerSink keeps you moving and keeps fury pegged now matter what. DM helps ELA's overall survivability.

DM/WP - QR+Stamina+DC(<--if you even need it) keeps you moving and fury pegged. DM stacks very well with WP.

DM/Shield - AAO+SoulDrain+FullFury is a thing of beauty for a Brute. Shield Charge makes up for DM's lack of AoE. DM pairs well with SD's Defenses and grants a heal.

DM/Fire - The most un-resisted damage type combo a Brute can get his callused hands on. Solid damage here. SD+FE = something is going to die fast. DM helps aid in FA's survivability.

Fire/Fire - Burn baby burn! This combo, simply put, melts face....literally. This was a VERY fun run. Albiet a bit "fragile" at times, the amazing damage output made it all the worth. BU+FE+FullFury+FireDamage = z0mgfirebbqinferno.

Claws/SR - Sleek, stylish, fast, and sexy. SR has no +recovery boosts, Claws has an inherent endurance discount. This pairs well and is very fun, for me at least. It has solid speed, damage, defense, and end management.

***Stone Melee/ELA or /WP is pretty amazing too and very "smashy"***



I literally have over 20 Brutes, but those are my top picks for the ones which I've had THE MOST fun with while leveling. In general though, if you can combine a solid amount of survivability (it doesn't even have to be the "best") with a solid amount of endurance recovery (i.e. QR+Stam/Power Sink/DC/etc) and pair that with an attack set that is "fun", fast(enough), and deals solid damage numbers, you will have ALOT of fun, as a Brute.


With all those things combined--endurance, damage, speed, and high survivability--you live and breath what being a Brute is about. Sure, there are sets out there that could possibly survive better than those I've listed and be bumped up a notch to "extreme" in survivability...but you're not a Tank...you're not here to be able to survive a meteor strike...you're here to cause it. To me, being a Brute is about smashing things non-stop with unrelentless and unforgiving wrath until you've dealt such an ungodly amount of destruction that you've created a vortex of empty space where there was once a planet upon which you were smashing.....enjoy

How did my response seem arrogant and dismissive? Heck, if you open your eyes and read I even agreed that Dominators with pets will outdamage a Blaster. Maybe you should check your own responses sometime for "arrogant" and purely "dismissive." Your first two responses are saturated with them.


The context was not Dominator compared to a Blaster, btw, it was simply pointing out that the Blasters I suggested have access to great controls while STILL having solid damage. Not sure why you can't grasp that. So please quote where I said "dominator vs. blaster" or "dominator compared to a blaster". Please. Go. Quote it. You can't, because it's not there. You drew a conclusion on my statement, and your conclusion was actually incorrect on my meaning.


Furthermore, I already admitted that it may have been a failure of communication, and that this foolish ranting is nothing more than a complete derail of this thread. So maybe you should take my advice and leave it as squashed bub.

I realize that the intent of the paragraph may have been confusing and I would have been more than happy to explain it and clear up the confusion. However, the problem was the arrogant and jerkish way that the poster came off on me about it. To get technical, I never said, directly, anywhere in my previous threads that Blasters did more damage than Dominators. No where previously can one quote a line where I said "Blasters deal more damage than Dominators". One can only "assume" that's what I meant, which it was not.


In my context, I was explaining that a Blaster can indeed have a very solid level of control, while still being able to dish out very respectible damage. Blasters do indeed have a "damage edge" over many AT's and builds out there. I was just pointing out that they can have that damage edge and still put out some solid control. In direct response to the poster I had quoted about "then just roll a dominator" I was basically saying that you didn't have to[roll a dominator], because if you want a Blaster, you can get a respectible amount of control and still maintain a solid amount of damage dealing with one, all while being able to play the AT that you actually want to play[which may be a Blaster].


I have no problem explaining what I meant, certain people simply need to come off more civil is the situation here. Anyways, there's no more need to continue to derail this thread about this. This should be considered squashed.

No, I did not.


Reading Comprehension please.


And if it was that unclear to you, then jumping to your own conclusions and guessing at what I was trying to point out was not the answer; and it certainly did not require a post of ignorance on your part.

I never said they had the edge over Dominators in damage. Especially Dominators with Pets.

And with the combos I suggested, you don't lose out on damage at all, while still gaining massive amounts of control which equal a massive boost to your overall survivability. Not everything in this game is "truely" killed in 3 hits. Remember that. Blasters were given mild controls for a reason, and not because "you should just go roll a dominator". The combos I've suggested simply have slightly more than just "mild" controls, and still maintain a massive edge in damage.


To add to my list, I would like to suggest Arch/Eng as well as the */Psi secondary. Arch/Eng, for the obvious reason, RoA will be up pretty much every spawn, and definitely up for any spawn you might find somewhat troublesome. This alone is a huge bonus for a Blaster, in that you can actually lay down most spawns, even large ones, in true "blaster fasion" by killing them before they have a chance to kill you. And this can all be done in safety. Furthermore, Arch has some devastatingly effective ranged damage thanks to the pairing of BlazingArrow+RangedShot, which means you can pick off the most toublesome mobs long before you ever have to actually engage a group. Also, if things do get out of hand, Arch has a VERY handy stun.


As for */Psi, it has some very neat tricks as well. With a proper build and enough IO's, you can do some amazing things with this secondary. Drain Psyche is what pulls most of it together for you.

But will you be able to add "more powers" with the Incarnate System? Or just more "incarnate" slots?


I mean, the extra Incarnate Slots will be amazing, true, but if we aren't able to add extra powers also, then there will still be toons out there of mine that will be missing out on certain abilities that are just impossible to get within 50 levels.


However....with the new inherent fitness of i19, in essence, most everyone just got 3 free power choice "levels" so with hope that may quench certain toon's of mines power choice problems *fingers crossed* so we'll see

To be honest, anything with Ice or Sonic as a primary is a good start.


Personally, I like Ice/EM and Sonic/EM, because both offer amazing forms of control as well as damage. Paired with EM's Boost range and Power Boost, and they are little mini-dominators lol.


Ice

For speed and solid single target holds, Ice/EM takes the crown. Ice/EM can hold a boss long before it has a chance to fire off even one single shot. This means that you can take him out with impunity and there's nothing he can do about it. You'll have him dead long before he ever has a chance to escape your hold. However, Ice is not entirely suited for "large mob spawns" containing a large mix of minions and Lt's. On a typical spawn though, you can easily PowerBoost+BFR an LT then FR the next largest threat or LT, you can then proceed to bash minions heads in with ease and deal with the LT's alone. Ice Storm, and especially Blizzard, can help to take care of that problem to a degree as well. The stacking -slows from Ice provide some decent damage mitigation too through -rech/-spd, and can help you to maneuver around your enemy much more easily. Combine with Ice's fast activation times, they're a solid pairing. Bitter Ice Blast also has alot greater range than most tier3 Blasts, but still packs a major punch. This means that with Boost Range, BiB has the SAME range as your regular attacks! This helps keep you at a good distance from your target, which generally means less damage taken by you. Good stuff.


Sonic

For increasing damage through stacking -res, and solid "crowd control", as well as two forms of mez's from just the primary, then I definitely tip my hat to Sonic/EM. The more you attack, the more damage you deal, sounds like a perfect mate to our inherent, Defiance. Also, a Power Boosted Siren's Song on an entire mob spawn means that you will pretty much have no attackers as you pick-off your foes one-by-one without fear of death. Pesky LT got missed by Sirens Song? No problem, just pop him with Screech, and now he's one "dizzy" Lt ripe for defeat. Got a minor boss problem? Power Boosted Total Focus plus a quick follow up Screech(or stun) means that your boss problem has just turned itself into free xp for the taking. You'll have the boss dead long before he ever breaks that stun. Sonic does feel a bit slower than Ice, but makes up for it with awesome control and deadly damage through -res.


Anyways, those are the two that get my vote. Devices is also a very good "soloers" secondary, and it too works very well when paired with either Ice or Sonic, but also does amazingly well with Fire if you feel like you wanna "trow fire" and solo awesomely.

I'd really like new power animations for Claws and Katana.


Ever since Dual Blades, as well as Dual Pistols, have come out (two very fluent flowing sets), both Katana and Claws look rather "clunky" and "akward" to be honest. Personally, even BEFORE DB, I've always thought that Katana and Claws should be alot "smoother" on it's animations.


If the dev's could somehow figure out a way to smooth out those animations and make them "flow" better with eachother, I'd be a happy camper.


I'd like to see different power animations for Broadsword as well, because man is that set boring as ever....good set...but WAY too boring for me to ever get into...

God I would kill for a level cap increase to 60....omg....that would be so nice for just about every character in the barn....

You must have been gone a VERY long time....but EM has undergone some bad nerfs...


EM isn't what it used to be, and I feel as though it may be pretty much garbage when compared to other sets in ST damage. Maybe massive IO slotting changes that? I dunno, haven't tried it yet.

Hmmm...now my question is....is it "really" better for Brutes because the DoT scales with Fury or is that just the assumption. I mean, afterall, our DoT--and overall damage--does start out alot higher than a Brute, even before Crits are factored. I'm not saying that it isn't better on a Brute, I don't know, I'm just wondering if anyone has actually put forth the data proving this...? Anyone?

This.


As hard as it may be to believe...and it's hard for me even...but EM needs a buff...!!! Crazy huh!?! I noes!!!!! :0

78 months is six and a half years. By all means, that's almost seven years.


I also don't think that an extra 10% xp would be "too much" a benifit to anyone.


Besides, sure, the "journey" to 50 is important, but once you've done it over 100 different times on a 100 different toons...it's quite redundant and honestly foolish. There's no reason why someone who has been playing this game for over six years should be forced the "same old" content again and again and again at the EXACT same speed as someone who grabs the game for their first time ever. If your answer is: "Well if you're bored with the content then find a different game" then you are NOT being very "business savvy" because losing customers is never the answer if you want your game/business to continue to thrive.


In fact, try this: the next time your internet renewal contract is coming up due, and they are trying to "raise" the prices on you in order to renew,threaten to leave and find a different provider, then see what happens. In fact, threaten to leave, and ask to speak to the "Retention Department", if they don't patch you through to them on already. The fact is, you'll probably come out with an even BETTER deal on your "renewed" net service than you did the first time you got it during your "new customer" contract (which is usually the sweetest deal, to entice new contracts). "But why!?" you ask? Because losing a customer costs more than simply giving them a "tiny" bit of a better deal. Even if all they did was keep your contract at the same price, or even shave off a whoppin...5 bucks....a month, you'll feel TEN TIMES more inclined to stay with them. Its psychology 101. Furthermore, in the end the 5 dollars they chopped off your bill to stay is ten times more worth it than losing your total bill payment per month. The advertising alone that they would have to do to make up for the loss of a customer is astronomically higher than giving you a mere 5-10 dollar discount to stay a customer.


Try it. You'll be amazed.


Also, I've been with this game since its initial launch, and other than "new" story content which comes out sometimes--and which I complete in less than a week anyways--I could care less about the content anymore. My "fun" with this game at this point IS building new characters, getting them powerful, and getting them to lvl 50. If the dev's care about keeping customers, they might realize some of that, and give us a small perk, such as the minor xp bonus I'm suggesting. Keeping a slightly faster leveling pace, even if it's barely noticeable, helps to keep veterans, such as myself. XP is "experience" correct? Yes. Well, if you've been playing this game for 78 months you have all the "experience" you need, so why not get a tiny perk to level faster?


For example, lets imagine you take someone who has worked on and tinkered with cars their whole life, but has never taken a formal class on being a mechanic, and you sit him down in a class room next to someone who has barely learned to refuel his car let alone look under the hood...who do YOU really think is going to advance much "faster" in the class? Sure, they will BOTH learn something, but I'll garauntee that the guy who has already been fixing and tinkering with cars his whole life will "catch on" and "learn" faster than the guy who has never taken a look under the hood. Both will graduate the class most likely, but if both were allowed to work at their respective paces, one will DEFINITELY graduate faster.


Hence, veterans of CoX gaining a "small" but appreciateable +10% xp.


Furthermore, I really don't feel that any of the current vet rewards have "crossed the line" except "possibly" the staffs, but honestly, except maybe in the lowbie levels, I could care less if I had them or not, because I pretty much trash them after getting a full attack chain of things to do.


A slight xp bonus...a mere 10%...is no where near gamebreaking or even "unfair." In fact, few "non-vets" would even notice the difference. Even the vets themselves would hardly notice the slight increase. But the fact that it's there, would be nice.


Besides, don't get all hyped up bub. Calm yourself. It's a suggestion. In a suggestion forum.

Yup, we/they would.


In fact, I sometimes do it now if I happen to be running with a good team and I'm dangerously close to losing a contact that I know I need. So that to me, isn't really an issue for most vets. I wouldn't think at least.

Well...if he wants Single Target damage, then he should still go Elec over Energy....


Energy's overall ST output is rather low when compared to many other Stalker sets...

Yea....they really need to fix that problem with EC....