Flafty

I like what I'm reading in this thread. The idea of prior and ongoing events stretching Arachnos to the point it starts to collapse under its own disfunctionality is an appealing one. The ideas here could work well for the card-carrying Villains who think they can do one better than Recluse, or even the lovable Rogues who think maybe the @$$hattery should be dialed back a bit.
What I really like is the idea that Lord Recluse would have a plan in place for just such a scenario, to allow himself and his organization breathing space even when (to the rest of the world) it seems Arachnos is imploding. I find it ludicrous to think that Lord Recluse can have his grandest schemes foiled by the very villain he needs to achieve his ultimate end, observe his own organization mired in backstabbing and opportunistic betrayals and never once think, "maybe I should have a plan B".
A shake-up like this is just the thing to breathe new life into reside. While this would be pushing it in terms of feasibility, it would also be a good excuse to give older redside groups a facelift (like the Family). The boys club could use a few "Machine Gun Mollys" in their ranks.

I prefer Option #1 to Option #2.

The whole premise of the show made my brain hurt. You have an ongoing ecological disaster and your Plan A is TIME TRAVEL? What the heck was Plan B that made Plan A the more plausible solution?

Scientist: So the time travel plan is on the table. Any other suggestions?

Flunky: Plan B! Set FIRE TO THE SUN!

Scientist: ...plan A it is then.

I can see it now in Ouroboros.

Mender Lazarus: Good news and bad news boss. The good news is that we prevented the Shivan attack on Atlas Park!

Mender Silos: Splendid. And the bad news?

Mender Lazarus: It hit Galaxy City instead.

Mender Silos: ...bollox.

Thanks for the quick turnaround on this one, SpaceNut!

"He IS his own faction."

"His utopia has no price."

"He once two-timed Praetor Tillman and Vanessa deVore. Neither of them found out."

An updated version of my old Electric Melee/Energy Brute guide has been posted here:

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=224878

An updated version of my old Electric Melee/Energy Brute guide has been posted here:

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=224878

This is by no means the end-all-be-all Elec/Eng/Mu Brute build, but it has served me well from levels 1 to 50, and through experimentation has taught me a great deal about the Invention System and how to make it work for you. Swapping out the given IO Sets here with any of the possible alternatives will change your results. This is not a bad thing, as you can use that flexibility to match what your Brute ends up being good at with your own play style. Using the Invention System to its fullest takes time and some study, but for those willing to do it, their efforts will be rewarded.

For those who wish to know more, feel free to peruse the CoX boards, or visit ParagonWiki and City of Data at:

http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Invention_Sets

And

http://www.redtomax.com/data/powers/

Now get out there and SMASH!

As much as I like the combination of Electric Melee and Energy Aura, it’s far from invincible. In terms of writing a Guide for the combination, I'd be remiss if I failed to mention where it falls flat. This section is going to discuss those Groups and Enemies one finds that will make this combination suffer. As always, when you're facing a difficult bunch of baddies, purple and green pez are your best friends.

ARACHNOIDS: These guys will chew you up and spit you out, fast. As if their defense debuffs and slows weren't bad enough, their toxic damage will eat you alive in short order. Combined with a 20% resistance against every kind of damage type you use against them, you're looking at a lot of Fail.

ARCH-VILLAINS: In general, Arch-Villains are bad news for Elec/Eng Brutes. Their Accuracy and Damage are ridiculously high even with your defenses, and you have no hope of draining their Endurance. If you can't beat them within three minutes (the time limit on Overload), you're not ready for the fight. It really doesn't matter what faction they come from, they will hurt you and stamp FAIL on your dead body. Go in loaded for bear against these guys.

CARNIVAL OF SHADOWS: Under most circumstances, these clowns are a not an issue. But when the Bosses start showing up, beware. On top of their psychic damage they have that annoying Mask of Vitiation which pretty much gimps you on the spot if it hits. If you can pound down their endurance to nothing and keep it there you'll still win.

CIMERORAN TRAITORS: So much Fail. Most are no problem, but over the course of all the ITFs I've run, I learned very quickly to avoid Praefectus Castrorum and the Elite Bosses if at all possible. Their attacks are just too accurate and their damage output is too high against an Energy Aura Brute. You've never seen your health bar empty so fast as you will against those guys. You'll be OK if you can cut their Endurance to zero and keep it there.

DOPPELGANGERS: In small numbers these guys are a breeze, even the Bosses. You'd think that Electric Melee would do poorly against mobs using Energy Aura. But the AI for using those defensive power is still lacking, so they won't use its capabilities all that effectively. But if you're going for that "Army of Me" Badge, you might want to take extra time to plan out a strategy. These guys use Build Up, which punches huge holes in your defenses and they use Energy Drain which you can't block. If they all use it at once you can use yours to get it back (hopefully before your toggles drop). But if they decide to stagger it you're in trouble. Bring pez and lots of it, or get help if you want that Badge.

KNIVES OF ARTEMIS: While not overly deadly, it’s important to note that your combat stealth is NOT going to work on them. So be sure to adjust your tactics accordingly here. Also remember that if they decide to stack a bumper crop of caltrop patches on you, you can use Lightning Rod to move out of the patch and pick a better spot to fight.

LONGBOW: Under most circumstances, these guys are not a big deal. Yeah they use a lot of lethal damage with some defense debuffs but it’s normally not a problem. Where it does become a problem is in the form of Longbow Flamethrowers and their Burn patches. Nothing you have protects you from this, so you've got to remember to move away when those Burn patches start chewing on you.

MALTA OPERATIVES: While most fear the dreaded Sappers, you can laugh them off as nuisances. Ironically, their biggest threat to you comes from...everything else they've got. Malta uses a lot of defense debuffs and their attacks are accurate. Get mobbed by too many and you'll be in trouble.

MALAISE: I still have nightmares about this guy. Nothing that Energy Aura has is any good against what he hits you with. It took me five tries to finally whittle him down to zero, and I gulped down a lot of pez in the process. To be fair, that was before the Devs added the self-heal to Energy Drain, and that would have made a big difference. But the truth is that Energy Aura comes up short against Malaise once he gets going. So don't let him get going.

RED CAPS: While not really a source of big Fail, it's important to note that they hit hard, and since they use weapons in hand they hit you more often than you'd expect them too. Just don't tackle too many at once and you're OK. Snaptooth as an Elite Boss should be mentioned as he can and will 2-shot you if you allow it.

SOLDIERS OF RULARUU: Most of these guys are no great problem. Wisps are irritating in that they use Psionic damage. The real issue here is the Watchers. Assume that no matter what you do, they will see you before you can get into melee range, they will hit you with every attack they make, and it will hurt. You'll have to change your tactics to deal with the damage as it comes, rather than hope to avoid it.

VANGUARD SWORD: You know that defense you have? You can forget it with these guys. Vanguard Sword's attacks are brutally accurate, from the Elite Bosses all the way down to the Minions. Your defense does work against their very annoying Curse of Weariness, but only in terms of keeping it from landing. If it does you're in better shape than most because of your Endurance-management powers, but it’s still not a fun time.

Despite their high price tags, IO set bonuses can offer a lot to any build, from boosting existing strengths to blunting glaring weaknesses. The last section listed set bonuses individually, but don't mean much that way. To give a better idea of what all the numbers really mean, I'm going to collect them here for you reference in alphabetical order (Globals will be listed separately):

SET BONUSES
+8.13% Accuracy
+7.52% AoE Defense
+3.76% Cold Defense
+9.15% Cold Resistance
+1.65% Confuse Resistance
+10.5% Damage
+3.75% Energy Defense
+1.26% Energy Resistance
+4.4% Fear Resistance
+3.76% Fire Defense
+9.15% Fire Resistance
+3.375 Maximum Hit Points
+1.5% Immobilize Duration
+11% Improved Healing
+5.94% Lethal Defense
+8.14% Melee Defense
+3.75% Negative Defense
+3.14% Negative Resistance
+1.26% Psionic Resistance
+7.5% Range Defense
-28.75% Recharge Reduction
+3% Recovery
+10% Regeneration
+4.95% Sleep Resistance
+5.94% Smashing Defense
+4.95% Stun Resistance
+1.26% Toxic Resistance

GLOBAL BONUSES
+3% Defense vs. All
+10% Recovery
+20% Regeneration

This version is designed to try and maximize the potential bonuses from IO Sets that work well with Electric Melee and Energy Aura. The choices of Power Pools and Patron Powers are the same, as are the overall power choices. This section will go into more detail for powers with identical IO Set Pieces in their slotting. Unless stated otherwise, the enhancement values given are shown rated at level 30, adjusted for ED.

01. Charged Brawl - 6 slots
02. Havoc Punch - 6 slots
IO Set Pieces: Crushing Impact 1 & 3-6, Call of the Sandman 6
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +56.6% Accuracy, -34.8% Endurance, -56.6% Recharge, +92.06% Damage
IO Set Bonuses: +4.4% Imob Res, +2.5% Max HP, +5% Accuracy, -10% Recharge, 10% chance for 5% Max HP Heal with each activation.

Some will immediately question the inclusion of the Self Heal Proc over completing the Crushing Impact set. Energy Aura grants almost no protection against Psionic damage, and Crushing Impact gives 2.5% Resistance to Psionic damage with each full set of 6. This is a valid argument for Melee sets with a lot of single-target attacks. But Electric Melee isn't one of these. It only has 3 single-target attacks, and this build uses only 2 of them. That means at most, Crushing Impact can only offer at most 5% resistance to Psionic damage to this build. Now I grant you that the odds of a 10% Proc going off are not good, and isn't something to rely on. But when used on powers with relatively low base recharge rates and good recharge reduction, the opportunity for those Procs to go off goes up significantly. In my gaming experience, those heal Procs have saved me from several face-plants when my defense fails. Feel free to swap them out to complete the Crushing Impact set if you like.

01. Kinetic Shield - 6 slots
06. Power Shield - 6 slots
22. Energy Cloak - 6 slots
IO Set Pieces: Red Fortune 1-6
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +54.32% Defense, -92.06% Endurance, -61% Recharge
IO Set Bonuses: +6.6% Imob Res, +3.78% Fire/Cold Res, +6% Damage, +15% Recharge, +7.5% Range Def, +3.75% Energy/Negative Def

These three are pretty straightforward in their slotting. Red Fortune as an IO Set gives a lot of goodies that almost any build can appreciate. Combined with the Recharge bonuses from the previous two powers we've gotten to a -25% recharge rate reduction, which is fairly noticeable. The added damage is nice, if small. But the real boost here is in the Ranged defense boost. Some mobs love to stay at arm's length and shoot you, and this bonus helps you deal with it. This is especially useful in helping to offset Energy Aura's weakness to Psionic damage, as most of it comes as Ranged attacks.

04. Jacob's Ladder - 6 slots
IO Set Pieces: Multi-Strike 1-3 & 5-6, Call of the Sandman 6
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +39.2% Accuracy, -56.6% Endurance, -39.2% Recharge, +95.03% Damage
IO Set Bonuses: +1.65% Sleep Res, +0.94% Fire/Cold Res, +1.65% Stun Res, +1.88% AoE Def, +0.94% Fire/Cold Def, 10% chance for 5% Max HP Heal with each activation.

I freely admit that Multi-Strike is not the ideal PBAoE IO Set, and its enhancement values aren't what most people would want. But as a matter of practicality, it’s a heck of a lot easier and cheaper to get and craft than Scirocco's Dervish is. And to simply try and match what a full set of 6 lvl 30 Generic IOs would give you, it does the job in 5 slots. This also allows me to slip in a third instance of the self-heal Proc. And having 3 instances of it instead of 2 is a noticeable difference.

08. Thunderstrike - 6 slots
32. Lightning Rod - 6 slots
IO Set Pieces: Multi-Strike 1-6
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +61% Accuracy, -77.56% Endurance, -39.2% Recharge, +95.03% Damage
IO Set Bonuses: +3.3% Sleep Res, +1.88% Fire/Cold Res, +3.3% Stun Res, +3.76% AoE Def, +1.88% Fire/Cold Def, +3.76% Melee Def, +1.88% Smash/Lethal Def

Neither of these powers will take Sleep enhancements, so Call of the Sandman 6 is out. But that's OK, largely because the base recharge rates on these powers are long, so the opportunity for any Procs to go off is limited. Once again, Multi-Strike isn't the best IO Set here, but it does address 2 issues with both of these powers. First, the resulting enhancement for Accuracy is higher. This is a good thing because missing with high-powered, high-recharge attacks makes Brutes cry. Second, the Endurance reduction is quite high. This is also good as both these powers use a sizeable chunk of endurance each time they're activated. As far as the set bonuses, the AoE Defense given is added protection against attacks that come in AoE form (including Psionic), and since Brutes live in Melee combat the added Melee defense is gravy.

10. Entropy Shield - 1 slot
IO Set Pieces: None

This is one of those powers where no IO Set exists that will work in it. Best to keep this one slotted with a single Generic Endurance Reduction IO and move on.

12. Hover - 1 slot
14. Fly - 1 slot
16. Swift - 1 slot
IO Set Pieces: None
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +34.8% Fly Speed

While Fly does take IO Sets, each of these powers has just 1 slot in them, so they're not worth investing in. Stick with a single Generic Fly Speed IO in them and you're fine.

18. Health - 2 slots
IO Set Pieces: Numina's Convalescence 6
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +34.8% Regeneration
IO Set Bonuses: +20% Regeneration, +10% Recovery
Normally this power gets just one Generic IO Heal enhancement and no extra slots, and you're free to do just that. But in my case a moment of serendipity occurred during the Ice Mistral Strike Force before the whole Merit reward business happened. I was lucky enough to get this recipe drop at the end of the SF, and had the inf and salvage on hand to make it. So Health got a second slot placed in it with this lovely IO. Had that not happened, I would have stuck with the one slot with a Generic IO.

20. Stamina - 5 slots
IO Set Pieces: Efficacy Adaptor 1-3 & 5-6
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +97.64% Endurance Modification
IO Set Bonuses: +1.125% Max HP, +1.5% Recovery, +10% Regeneration, +2.5% Damage

Obviously Efficacy Adaptor enhances more than just Endurance Modification, but when slotted into Stamina the other enhancements are irrelevant. What isn't irrelevant are the Set Bonuses given by it. Every one of them is a nice addition to any Brute.

24. Aid Other - 1 slot
IO Set Pieces: None
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +34.8% Healing

The best use of a Brute is not as a Healer. However there are instances when being able to toss one out doesn't hurt, especially with some of those suicidal pets you're supposed to keep alive during some missions. And if you're a badge hound, this is the only way for Brutes to get those healing badges. A single Generic IO for Healing is all you need here.

26. Aid Self - 6 slots
IO Set Pieces: Harmonized Healing 1-5, Interrupt Reduction
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +92.06% Healing, -61% Endurance, -61% Recharge, -41.8% Interrupt
IO Set Bonuses: +1.5% Recovery, +1.65% Confuse Res, +3% Improved Heal, +1.88% AoE Def, +0.94% Fire/Cold Def

Observant readers will quickly notice I'm not using the Doctored Wounds IO Set as I have previously. The IO Set bonuses of Harmonized Healing are not quite as enticing as what Harmonized Healing gives. The reason for the switch is based on how IO Set bonuses are tallied. Identical Set bonuses can only be stacked up to 5 times, and any such bonuses past 5 are ignored. The total bonuses of this build (which I will detail in the next section), would take several bonus categories over 5 instances if Doctored Wounds was used here. To avoid that, I've switched in Harmonized Healing (which in terms of IO Sets is pretty cheap to get and make).

28. Energy Drain - 6 slots
IO Set Pieces: Doctored Wounds 1-6
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +92.06% Healing, -61% Endurance, -92.06% Recharge
IO Set Bonuses: +2.2% Fear Res, +1.26% Fire/Cold Res, +4% Improved Healing, -5% Recharge, +1.26% Toxic/Psionic Res

This is a power I want up and ready as often as possible, and as far as IO Healing Sets go, Doctored Wounds is the best option for it. Fortunately, this power doesn't require a ToHit roll to function, so we don't have to bother with the Accurate Healing sets (which tend to be pricey). Observant readers will also notice that this inclusion of Doctored Wounds actually represents the sixth instance of -5% Recharge reduction, meaning it’s going to be ignored. I'm actually OK with this, as the other Set Bonuses are still nice, and the overall Enhancement rating of Doctored Wounds is what I really want.

30. Build Up - 4 slots
IO Set Pieces: Adjusted Targeting 2-4 & 6
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +23.6% ToHit, -39.2% Endurance, -92.06% Recharge
IO Set Bonuses: +2% Damage, +1.26% Energy/Negative Res, +3.13% Accuracy

Though I suppose one could slot Build Up for ToHit as opposed to Recharge, for a power that only lasts for 10 seconds at a time I don't buy the argument. That being said, with 4 slots you get close to the Recharge reduction of a 3-slot with level 30 Generic IOs, and some nice Set Bonuses to boot.

35. Dampening Field - 1 slot
IO Set Pieces: Steadfast Protection 2
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +20.9% Resistance
IO Set Bonuses: +3% Defense vs. All

Normally, I recommend putting in 1 lvl 30 Generic Resistance IO here and be done with it. But this was the second time I got lucky with this toon, and got this recipe drop during the lvl 30 Costume slot mission. For a build that relies primarily on Defense, a permanent +3% Defense boost versus everything is significant. And truth be told, any toon I make I try to find a space to shoehorn Steadfast Protection 2 in somewhere. There are of course other IOs that give a +3% Defense boost, but those don't drop off mobs (so good luck finding them).

38. Overload - 5 slots
IO Set Pieces: Doctored Wounds 1 & 3-4 & 6, Harmonized Healing 3
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +82.8% Hit Points, -39.2% Endurance, -92.06% Recharge
IO Set Bonuses: +2.2% Fear Res, +1.26% Fire/Cold Res, +4 Improved Heal

As I said in Part 3, I believe in slotting for Hit Points and Recharge over Defense with this power. Normally I'd just take the recharge-related healing recipes from Doctored Wounds and be done with it. However, as noted earlier, 5 slots of Doctored Wounds here would mean a 7th instance of -5% Recharge reduction, which would be ignored. So rather than spend my inf on a fifth piece of Doctored Wounds, I took a single piece from Harmonized Healing, which is usually cheaper. Having 1 piece of an IO Set grants you nothing in Set bonuses, but since the one I'm replacing is being ignored as is, there's no loss there.

41. Electrified Fences - 6 slots
IO Set Pieces: Enfeebled Operation 1-6
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +82.8% Accuracy. -43.6% Endurance, -39.2% Recharge, +82.8% Immobilize Duration, +13.1% Range Boost
IO Set Bonuses: +1.5% Imob Duration, +1.88% Negative Res, +2.5 Smash/Lethal Def, +1.25% Melee Def, -3.75% Recharge, +3.13% Melee Def, +1.56% Smash/Lethal Def

Admittedly, the enhancement division for the IO Sets for Immobilize are clearly better suited to the single-target powers. Even with the high-end IO Sets, their recharge rate reduction numbers are low, and for the Patron Power AoE Immobilization powers, a base 20 seconds recharge time is a long time to wait. Better to aim for long durations with those powers, and for that, Enfeebled Operation does the job fairly cheaply. More than that, the set bonuses it grants are right up the Brute's alley. What Brute would say no to better Defense against Melee attacks and Smash and Lethal damage?

44. Energy Protection - 1 slot
IO Set Pieces: None
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: +20.9% Resistance
IO Set Bonuses: None

If I had gotten lucky with another Resistance set Global IO Drop, I'd have put it here. But since I didn't, I stuck with the single Generic Resistance IO.

47. Hasten
49. Conserve Power
IO Set Pieces: None
Level 30 Rated Enhancement Values: -34.8% Recharge Reduction
IO Set Bonuses: None

These powers were taken largely for emergencies, and don't see regular use. As such, they're only worth a single Generic IO in each.

This Build is purely based on Generic IOs: no fancy tricks, no bells and whistles. Slotting is set up in accordance with the limits of ED.

01. Charged Brawl (ACCx1, ENDx1, RCGx1, DMGx3)
01. Kinetic Shield (ENDx2, DEFx3)
02. Havoc Punch (ACCx1, ENDx1, RCGx1, DMGx3)
04. Jacob's Ladder (ACCx1, ENDx1, RCGx1, DMGx3)
06. Power Shield (ENDx2, DEFx3)
08. Thunderstrike (ACCx1, ENDx1, RCGx1, DMGx3)
10. Entropy Shield (ENDx1)
12. Hover (FLYx1)
14. Fly (FLYx1)
16. Swift (FLYx1)
18. Health (HEALx1)
20. Stamina (RCVRx3)
22. Energy Cloak (ENDx2, DEFx3)
24. Build Up (RCGx3)
26. Aid Other (HEALx1)
28. Energy Drain (RCGx3, HEALx3)
30. Aid Self (INTRx1, RCGx2, HEALx3)
32. Lightning Rod (ACCx1, RCGx2, DMGx3)
35. Dampening Field (RESx3)
38. Overload (RCGx3, HEALx3)
41. Electric Fences (ACCx1, ENDx1, RCGx1, IMBx3)
44. Energy Protection (RESx3)
47. Hasten (RCGx1)
49. Conserve Power (RCGx1)

This is a basic build with some redundancies for 'OS' moments, designed to reliably deal with +0 to +1 mob spawns for a team size of 1 or 2. It relies on the stealth capabilities of Energy Aura to first pick off a lone annoying/dangerous mob and then deal with the others as they are agroed. Once Fury gets built, the tactics can be changed as needed to take advantage of Electric Melee's AoE capabilities (Lightning Rod, Thunderstrike, Jacob's Ladder). Energy Drain and Aid Self are used when Hit Points get too low, and Energy Drain and Conserve Power are used when Endurance gets too low. Mu Mastery was chosen as the Patron power since it works thematically with Electric Melee. Electric Fences is used to pin down annoying mobs that like to run away, and ensure good grouping for AoEs. Hasten is kept on hand for emergencies or in situations when Slows become stacked. The slotting of heals in Health improve Hit Point regeneration, and works well in tandem with Overload when it is activated. Hover is used in situation where mobs like to keep out of arm's reach, and Fly is used as the main travel power (because I like to chat and Fly is a good set-it-and-forget-it travel power).

This part of the Guide will examine the usual Power Pools and Patron Powers for villains.

1. Fitness Pool
I suppose I really don't need to say anything here as this Power Pool has been done to death. All I'll say is that you should get it, and make sure you get and 3-slot Stamina as soon as you can. If you have the slots to spare, 3-slotting Health can help keep you in the fight when your defense fails you.

2. Travel Powers
Since Energy Aura gives you protection against the most common status types, the choice of Travel Power is yours to make as you see fit for your play style. But do remember that if you are under some kind of +Fly effect (Hover, Fly, Group Fly, Temp Powers, etc.) you cannot activate Lightning Rod.

3. Concealment
This one is a little redundant since Energy Aura has its own combat Stealth power.

4. Fighting
If you have the slots to spare, consider dipping into this Pool. Since you have added Endurance management powers, you can afford the drain of another toggle power. Tough gives a decent amount of resistance to Smashing and Lethal damage, if you can slot for it. Weave can help a little in the defense department since it’s positional and damage-typed, but its base amount is so small it’s almost not worth it. Still, if you have the slots and have room for this power, go for it.

5. Leadership
For Brutes, most Leadership powers don't give a lot of bang for the buck. If you team a lot, stacked Leadership boosts can certainly be deadly. But for soloists, there are better choices out there.

6. Medicine
Aid Self obviously comes to mind when this pool is mentioned, but its long interrupt window can be tough to handle. This is actually less of a problem for Energy Aura Brutes. Their defenses make them less likely to be hit, meaning less chance to be interrupted. And Aid Self makes a good back-up for when Energy Drain isn't ready. Naturally, if you want Aid Self you have to take Aid Other or Stimulant, but for Badge-Hounds Aid Other is another entry wedge to the Healing badges. For aid self, use 1 Interrupt, 2 Recharge and 3 Heal and you should be fine.

7. Presence
These powers are a little redundant for Brutes and in some ways counter-productive for Energy Brutes. Pass on them.

8. Patron Powers
The capabilities have been well-documented in other guides. As far as Elec/Eng Brutes go, you can't go wrong with any of these. I like Mu Mastery, simply because its a good thematic match for Electric Melee.

This part of the Guide will examine the Energy Aura powers as they become available.

Energy Aura is the platypus of Brute Secondaries. Its functionality almost demands that you adjust your play style to be more like a Stalker than a Brute. Energy Aura is not the best set for teaming. First, its very nature is to AVOID agro rather than attract it. It is a unique Armor set in that it lacks both a Taunt Aura and a Damage Aura to grab and hold the attention of enemy mobs. Second, as a defense-based set its too easy for it to fail quickly if the random number generator gets it hate on. Its fine if you're group has a back-up agro magnet, but if not everyone's butt is hanging in the breeze while you try to cobble together a rez. Energy Aura Brutes make very bad Tanks because of how their armor set works. To attract agro at the start of a fight, you'd better not be running your stealth toggle or some of the mobs won't see you. But if you're not running your stealth toggle a sizable chunk of you defense isn't there, and you're more likely to get pulped.
If you insist on being a Tank make sure you keep your stealth up to keep the added defense and use Taunt liberally. I wish you luck, 'cause you're gonna need it.

As a set that relies almost entirely on damage-typed Defense, long fights are bad for you. Mobs with auto-hit powers are bad for you, as Defense is useless against those. It does provide some token Resistances and a weak Heal, but most of its potency is in Defense. Where it shines is against foes that drain Endurance (and you probably know who these are and curse them regularly). Most such attacks will bounce off you harmlessly, and even if they land you have an Endurance Drain of your own to fight back with, along with Conserve Power to stay in the fight. The Endurance Drain of Electric Melee and Energy Aura means that you can keep Bosses and Elite Bosses nicely neutered for most of the fight.

1. Kinetic Shield
Available at Level: 1
Type: Toggle
Target: Self
Cast Time: 0.5 seconds
Recharge Time: 4 seconds
Endurance Cost: 0.13
+12.75% Def vs. Smash/Lethal
+1.875% Def vs. Energy
+17.3% Res vs. Defense Debuff

Kinetic Shield is the cornerstone of your defenses, providing defense against Smashing and Lethal damage and a drop of defense to Energy damage. Early on in your career you're going to wonder if this power is actually doing anything other eating endurance. But if you charge into battle without it you will see that it is having an effect. Since most mobs have some kind of attack in their repertoire that involves Smashing or Lethal damage, this power should always be used. Once you get it slotted up, you see a big improvement in its protection. Drop in one Endurance Reduction and three Defense and you're golden.

2. Dampening Field
Available at Level: 2
Type: Passive
Target: Self
+7.5% Res vs. Smash/Lethal

The first of two passive powers, this one gives a little Resistance against Smashing and Lethal damage. It’s not a lot, but it beats nothing. That said, the amount it offers is so small that slotting to enhance it isn't all that worth it. A single slot of Resistance will do nicely.

3. Power Shield
Available at Level: 4
Type: Toggle
Target: Self
Cast Time: 1.67 seconds
Recharge Time: 4 seconds
Endurance Cost: 0.13
+15% Def vs. Fire/Cold/Energy
+10% Def vs. Negative
+17.3% Res vs. Defense Debuff

Like Kinetic Shield, this power grants Defense only by damage type. In this case, its Fire, Cold, Energy damage, and Negative damage to a lesser degree. This one should be used conditionally based on what you're facing, especially before you get Stamina. While almost every mob has access to Smashing and Lethal damage, the same can't be said for other damage types. But if you face off against foes that use non-kinetic damage types without this power, you will notice a difference in your survivability. It also adds an equal amount of Defense Debuff resistance as Kinetic Shield. Slot in 1 Endurance and 3 Defense and call it a day.

4. Entropy Shield
Available at Level: 10
Type: Toggle
Target: Self
Cast Time: 0.5 seconds
Recharge Time: 10 seconds
Endurance Cost: 0.13
-10 vs. Knockback/Up/Repel
+100% Res vs. Knockback/Up/Repel
-10.38 vs. Stun/Hold/Sleep/Imob
+17.3% Res vs. Defense Debuff

Entropy Shield adds nothing to your Defenses or Resistance against damage. All it does is protect you from Knockback, Knockdown, Knockup, Repel, Teleport, Stuns, Holds, Sleeps, Immobilization, and added Resistance to Defense debuffs. Even so, if you don't take this at level 10 then adjust your tactics accordingly or perhaps seek professional help. If there is any toggle you don't want to turn off, it’s this one. Throw in 1 Endurance Reduction and you're good to go.

5. Energy Resistance
Available at Level: 16
Type: Passive
Target: Self
+9.375% Res vs. Energy/Toxic
+7.5% Res vs. Negative

In its initial version, this passive power was pretty skippable. While the resistance it gives to Negative damage helps offset the weak Negative defense from Power Shield, the Energy Resistance this power gives is pretty useless. Energy Aura has a high defense against Energy damage, making resistance to the same kind of superfluous. The updated version of this power added in resistance to Toxic damage. This is significant in that as far as any protection from Toxic damage, this is all you get. Even so, a single Resistance is all you should go for.

6. Energy Cloak
Available at Level: 20
Type: Toggle
Target: Self
Cast Time: 0.73 seconds
Recharge Time: 20 seconds
Endurance Cost: 0.13
+389 Foot Stealth Radius
+3.75% Def vs. Melee, Range, AoE

Primarily, this is the power that starts turning your tactics towards that of a Stalker. The combat visibility it provides means you can be more careful in your positioning and angle of attack. It allows you to easily pick of wandering mobs without alerting its fellows. It does provide a small amount of Defense, only this time it’s positional as opposed to damage type. This is important because it means that against damage types like Toxic and Psionic, Energy Cloak gives you the only defense you're going to get. That makes this power worth slotting for Defense, even if its initial Defense amount is small. Throw in 1 Endurance and 3 Defense and resume SMASHing.

7. Energy Drain
Available at Level: 28
Type: Click
Target: PBAoE
Accuracy: 1.0
Radius: 12 Feet
Max Targets: 10
Cast Time: 2.37 seconds
Recharge Time: 60 seconds
Endurance Cost: 13
+5% Max HP Heal/foe
+25 Endurance Recovery/foe
30% Chance of -1 Recovery for 4s
-25 Endurance Drain/foe
Mag 4 Taunt (PvE only)

In the old days, this power was strictly for siphoning and absorbing endurance from nearby mobs. That alone made it useful, especially against hard-hitting Bosses and Elite Bosses. It also meant you could laugh at Malta Sappers and the Carnival of Shadows as they fruitlessly try to drain your Endurance (as you could just take it back). It also meant that you could suck a group dry, defeat them all, and then race off to the next batch for more SMASHing. The revision added in something Energy Aura desperately needed: a self-heal. While the amount it gives back per mob is small, once slotted for Healing it can easily save your neck when surrounded by large groups. If your Primary cannot drain Endurance, then by all means slot it for Endurance Modification if you wish to. But when combined with Electric Melee might be better to slot for Healing. It’s important to note that to use this power, you need enough to activate it, and so it’s useless if you're already on empty. 3 Recharge and 3 Heal make a good mix for an Elec/Eng Brute.

8. Conserve Power
Available at Level: 35
Type: Click
Target: Self
Accuracy: 1.0
Cast Time: 1.17 seconds
Recharge Time: 600 seconds
Endurance Cost: 7.8
+107.2% Endurance Discount for 90s

With all the other Endurance-management capabilities of Energy Aura, this one's pretty skippable. Its recharge time is pretty long, a lot longer than Energy Drain. But when other options to protect your endurance fail, this beats nothing. I like to keep it around for emergencies, but I rarely use it. If your build is running low on slots and you need a filler power, this one works. Drop in 1 Recharge and move on.

9. Overload
Available at Level: 38
Type: Click
Target: Self
Accuracy: 1.0
Max Targets: 10
Cast Time: 0.5 seconds
Recharge Time: 1000 seconds
Endurance Cost: 2.6
+45% Def vs. All -Psionic for 180s
+34.6% Res vs. Defense Debuff for 180s
+1 Recovery for 180s
+25% (approximate) Max HP for 180s
Endurance Crash after 180s for 10s

This is your Panic Button. You don't become unstoppable by any stretch of the imagination, but this power can even the odds against truly nasty enemies. This power gives a major boost to your defense against all Damage types except Psionic damage, and a massive boost to your maximum Hit Points. This makes it more likely that you'll survive hits even if they get past your defenses, and even if they do you will probably shrug them off. While you can slot either for Defense or Healing with this one, I lean more towards the Hit Points side. Truth be told, if you're up against a foe that can beat your normal defenses plus another 45% on top of that, you're in over your head something awful. Naturally with all this added survivability there's a price to pay. Once it expires all your Endurance vanishes and you can't get any back for a little while. Always keep this in mind and get ready when it’s about to quit on you. You'll either want to bug out or start choking down inspirations. Slot this up with 3 Recharge and 3 Heals.

This part of the Guide will examine the Electric Melee powers as they become available.

Overall, Electric Melee is a good, solid combat set for a Brute. It is not one for those looking for rapid recharge and a constant barrage of flying fists. What it does have are two solid bread-and-butter attacks, three AoEs, and some soft control. The Endurance-drain-and-recovery aspect of the Set is only noticeable against Bosses and some Elite Bosses, and don't expect the Endurance you get back from your attacks to be all that impressive (even if slotted for). The sleep effects of your attacks are nice when they occur, but are so infrequent that they're also not worth enhancing.

1. Charged Brawl
Available at Level: 1
Type: Click
Target: Single
Accuracy: 1.0
Damage Type: Smash/Energy
Range: 7 Feet
Cast Time: 0.83 seconds
Recharge Time: 3 seconds
Endurance Cost: 4.368
PvE Damage Scale: 0.84
10% Chance of Mag 2 Sleep for max 4.8s
10% Chance of +2.184 Endurance
10% Chance of -1 Recovery for 2s
Mag 4 Taunt (PvE Only)

Get used to seeing this guy, as its going to be the mainstay of your career. That's OK because it’s a solid performer, giving your good damage for the endurance and recharge time. For a typical combat build, 1 Accuracy, 1 Endurance Reduction, 1 Recharge and 3 Damage are all you'll need for hours of happy SMASHing.

2. Havoc Punch
Available at Level: 1
Type: Click
Target: Single
Accuracy: 1.0
Damage Type: Smash/Energy
Range: 7 Feet
Cast Time: 1.5 seconds
Recharge Time: 6 seconds
Endurance Cost: 6.864
PvE Damage Scale: 1.32
30% Chance of Mag 2 Sleep for max 6.4s
10% chance of +3.432 Endurance
10% Chance of -1 Recovery for 4s
Mag 4 Taunt (PvE Only)

Your second bread-and-butter attack and you'll be seeing a lot of this one too. It’s another solid performer, but with these two powers with Brawl you will notice a pause in your attack chain at lower levels. This will improve noticeably as you slot enhancements. Once again, most builds will be happy with 1 Accuracy, 1 Endurance, 1 Recharge and 3 Damage.

3. Jacob's Ladder
Available at Level: 2
Type: Click
Target: Cone (7' radius, 50° arc)
Accuracy: 1.0
Damage Type: Energy
Range: 7 Feet
Cast Time: 1.67 seconds
Recharge Time: 8 seconds
Endurance Cost: 8.528
PvE Damage Scale: 1.5
10% Chance of Mag 2 Sleep for max 4.8s
10% chance of +3.432 Endurance
10% Chance of -1 Recovery for 2s
Mag 4 Taunt (PvE Only)

Your first group attack. The cone can be a little hard to line up at first, but with practice you can use it reliably. While it’s unslotted, use this somewhat sparingly. While the damage it does it nice, the chunks it takes out of your Endurance aren't. Once you get this guy slotted up, he'll become a mainstay of your attack chain.

4. Build Up
Available at Level: 6
Type: Click
Target: Self
Accuracy: 1.0
Cast Time: 1.17 seconds
Recharge Time: 90 seconds
Endurance Cost: 5.2
+20% ToHit for 10s
+80% Damage (all types) for 10s

Even Brutes can use an 'oomph' now and again. With the style of play I use this power may not be used as often as it should, but I found I didn't need it under normal circumstances. But against hard targets it’s a must. So take this and slot it generously. Three Recharges will do nicely.

5. Thunderstrike
Available at Level: 8
Type: Click
Target: Single+PBAoE
Accuracy: 1.0
Damage Type: Smash/Energy
Range: 7 Feet
Cast Time: 3.3 seconds
Recharge Time: 18 seconds
Endurance Cost: 10.192
PvE Damage Scale: 1.96
50% Chance of Mag 3 Stun for 4s
40% Chance of -1 Recovery for 4s
80% Chance of +0.64 Knockback
Mag 4 Taunt (PvE Only)

'You've been...Thunderstruck!' *guitar riff*
Ahem. Now that I've dated myself let's move on. This is your second group attack, considerably larger than Jacob's Ladder and a lot easier to aim. The damage is excellent, and thus the recharge is noteworthy. But with this and Jacob's Ladder you will find its now faster to take out several foes at once. Combine those two with Build Up and you will wipe out entire groups of minions with relatively little fuss. The initial target will take more damage than the surrounding targets, and not all the surrounding targets will get hit. Once again, 1 Accuracy, 1 Endurance, 1 Recharge and 3 Damage will do the trick here.

6. Taunt
Available at Level: 12
Type: Click
Target: AoE
Accuracy: 1.0
Range: 70 Feet
Radius: 15 Feet
Max Targets: 5
Cast Time: 1.67 seconds
Recharge Time: 10 seconds
+20s Mag Taunt (PvE Only)
-75% Range for 12s

Some Brute builds allow you to ignore Taunt if you're on a team. Whether or not you intend to take this depends on your build and play style. If you can dish out a lot of damage in a wide area or have several ranged attacks, you might be able to pass on this one. But if your Secondary lacks both a Taunt Aura and a Damage Aura (I'm lookin' at you, Energy Aura) and you want to team a lot, do not skip this. A single Taunt enhancement will be all you need.

7. Chain Induction
Available at Level: 18
Type: Click
Target: Single+Special
Accuracy: 1.0
Damage Type: Smash/Energy
Range: 7 Feet
Cast Time: 1.0 seconds
Recharge Time: 14 seconds
Endurance Cost: 10.192
PvE Damage Scale: 1.32
30% Chance of -1 Recovery for 4s
Mag 4 Taunt (PvE Only)

This is a signature power of the set. It does as much damage as Havoc Punch, and the electrical charge can bounce from one foe to another, hitting several with one click. The endurance cost is higher and the recharge is longer, but it can fill holes in your attack chain. One thing to remember here is that any damage enhancements you place in it only affect the initial strike. If it bounces to other foes, its damage is unenhanced. 1 Accuracy, 1 Endurance, 1 Recharge and 3 Damage will be all you need.

With almost every single Secondary set, I highly recommend this power as it’s a ton of fun. But with Energy Aura, I'd take care in both taking and using it. The reason for this is that its tendency to jump from Mob to Mob doesn't mix well with an armor set that's designed to avoid agro. Energy Aura is great in that it allows you to pick off a single foe without agroing the rest of the group. This means you can take down some annoying Mob at your leisure, and by the time the others notice you that first Mob is out of the fight. But Chain Induction interferes with this battle plan. If you're fighting Mob A and use Chain Induction, it can jump off to Mob B and agro that one, and soon the rest of the alphabet dogpiles you before you're ready. For Energy Aura, this kind of setback is what enables you to know your local Hospital Staff on a first name basis.

8. Lightning Clap
Available at Level: 26
Type: Click
Target: PBAoE
Accuracy: 0.8
Radius: 15 Feet
Max Targets: 10
Cast Time: 1.23 seconds
Recharge Time: 30 seconds
Endurance Cost: 1.3
Mag 2 Stun for 6.4s
50% Chance for +1 Stun Mag
2.1 Knockback
Mag 4 Taunt (PvE only)

For when things get out of hand, this is a great trick to pull out. The Stun is strong enough to hit Minions, and there's a 50% chance it'll Stun Lieutenants as well. That being said, the combination of Stun and Knockback makes this one Group unfriendly, as it will scatter foes all over the place and set them wandering even further away. Its important to note the -20% Accuracy penalty on this power, so don't skip on the Accuracy enhancements. 2 Accuracy, 1 Endurance, 1 Recharge and 2 Stun will make this an excellent emergency power.

9. Lightning Rod
Available at Level: 32
Type: Click
Target: PBAoE
Accuracy: 1.0
Damage Type: Energy
Range: 60 Feet
Radius: 20 Feet
Cast Time: 2.57 seconds
Recharge Time: 90 seconds
Endurance Cost: 13.52
PvE Damage Scale: 2.4
80% Chance of +0.64 Knockback
Mag 4 Taunt (PvE Only)

KA-BOOM! This is an awesome Area of Effect power. When combined with Build Up and a full Rage Bar, this is a deadly opening volley. Follow this with Thunderstrike and Jacob's Ladder and entire groups will vanish from the battlefield. The teleportation range of this power isn't huge, but with Energy Aura's combat stealth it’s all too easy to line yourself up for maximum devastation. The teleportation also means that if you really need to get away from a carpet of caltrops (I'm lookin' at you Knives of Artemis), you can do so, but using it exclusively for this purpose is kind of a waste. But it does allow you a means to reposition yourself and attack at the same time, which can be useful. However, always bear in mind that this power CANNOT be used if Hover, Fly, Group Fly or any of the Jet Pack temporary powers are active (a limitation that no other travel power inflicts). For typical combat use, 1 Accuracy, 2 Recharge and 3 Damage will keep you happily SMASHing.

First, I'll say that I'm a big fan of Generic IOs. The IOs that have been used with this toon developed in three stages. The beginning stages (level 1 to 11) involved using no enhancements of any sort. Common Invention salvage drops were hoarded as they came, uncommon and rare drops were sold. Common recipe drops that were under level 15 were sold, as were any IO Set recipes that dropped regardless of their level (except for some rare instances).

At level 12, the Invention System mission was run (taking the lvl 15 Accuracy IO during the tutorial). From that point, common IOs of level 15 were created and slotted as salvage and inf allowed. Level 15 IOs are a good value for their cost, as their enhancement rating is just slightly better than that of a +3 Dual Origin enhancement. This value will carry you well into the next stage of development.

At level 27, begin making the transition to lvl 30 Generic IOs as drops and inf allow. Level 30 IOs are slightly better than a +0 Single Origin enhancement, and are another good value for their relative cost. This will take time, but the drops you receive should allow you to do this incrementally. This is also a good time to sell off the salvage drops you received for the last stage of IO crafting. If you have lots of respecs lying around, you can opt to use one to shuffle out 10 of the lvl 15 IOs, replace them with the lvl 30s, and sell of the level 15s. But if respecs are tight for you, don't do this. You are completely free to buy/craft IOs higher than level 30s, but I've found that 30s give you the best bang for your buck.

The last stage doesn't really start until level 50. Level 30 Generic IOs will do perfectly well for casual gaming. If you want to move into the IO Sets, I find its best to wait until level 50 (or technically level 47 as you can then slot 50s). The reason for this is because lower level IO Set drops are gained piecemeal as everyone progresses through the game. It’s not until the post-50 game where IO Set drops start to accumulate that aren't necessarily needed, and end up on the Black Market. Despite the higher costs involved in buying/making them, they do tend to be more plentiful and can be easier to get (YMMV). By this time, you should have a decent amount of inf to use, even with the buying and crafting of Generic IOs for your powers. Even so, this will not be an overnight process, and filling out IO Sets will require patience. Craft the pieces as you get them and slot them as you wish.

This represents a general purpose Brute build. It can be used quite successfully in most PvE and in moderate PvP. However this build will be at a disadvantage in hard-core PvP combat as it is not built for it, and there are too many ways in PvP to beat toons with defense-based armor sets. Most of the IO Set recipes used are uncommon drops, but there are a few rarer pieces that will require effort to obtain. Under most circumstances, I run missions with this toon at a difficulty level 1 higher than normal, usually without any trouble. All IO sets posted attempt to match the given SO potency given for each power. I could run at a full +1 difficulty, but I prefer the additional drops I get from the lower difficulty. As always, YMMV.

This is a follow-up to a previous I9 guide that I posted many months earlier. Since then, I've sunk about 100,000,000 inf into playing around with the Invention system, and this is the current set-up I'm currently enjoying. This guide includes two active builds on this toon: a Generic IO-based build and an IO-Set based build. The Guide is broken into individual posts based on their content:

PART 1: The Build Philosophy

PART 2: Electric Melee

PART 3: Energy Aura

PART 4: Power Pools and Patron Powers

PART 5: The Generic IO Build

PART 6: The IO Set Build

PART 7: The IO Set Bonus Tally

PART 8: The Failbook

PART 9: Summation and References

Name: Destiny Denied: Circle of Thorns
Arc ID: 225813
Creator Global Name: @Flafty
Synopsis - The villains of the Rogue Isles are always being tested to see if any are worthy of being the Destined One. Some make the cut, but what of those who do not? This is a prototype story arc for those looking for a patron outside of Arachnos. Works in parallel with/opposition to Ghost Widow's patron arc.
Difficulty Level: Solo Friendly
Number of EB/AVS – 2
Level Range – 40-54
Story Type – Drama
Villain Groups – Circle of Thorns, Malta Operatives, Arachnos, Paragon Police
Mission Count: 5
Estimated Time to Play: About an hour

I admit I'm dissapointed in not seeing Elec/Elec Tankers. But I want to say in the Dev's defense, they most likely placed more of their efforts into the new content and the VEATs, and instead went with the power proliferation choice options along the path of least resistance (aka less work).

I'm still looking forward to I12. The new conent and VEATs will be keeping me busy.

New I9 Elec/Eng/Mu Brute guide

High Voltage!

SAMPLE I9 BUILD
Elec/Eng/Mu Brute, lvl 50

This is a follow-up to a previous I9 guide that I posted some months earlier. Since then, I've sunk about 100,000,000 inf into playing around with the Invention system, and this is the current set-up I'm currently enjoying.

This represents a general purpose Brute build. It can be used quite successfully in most PvE and in moderate PvP. However this build will be at a disadvantage in hard-core PvP combat. Most of the IO recipes used are common drops, but there are a few rare pieces that will require effort to obtain. Under most circumstances, I run missions with this toon at a difficulty level 1 higher than normal, usually without any trouble. This build was designed so that if you wish to forgo IOs and IO Sets for regular SOs, a respec is not necessary. In addition, all IO sets posted attempt to match the given SO potency given for each power. I could run at a full +1 difficulty, but I prefer the additional drops I get from the lower difficulty. As always, YMMV.

==PART 1: The Build==

1. Charged Brawl
SOs: Acc, End, Rcg, Dmgx3
IOs: lvl 50 Crushing Impact 1-5, lvl 20+ Call of the Sandman 6
Some will look dubiously at the inclusion of the Self-Heal Proc from Call of the Sandman, preferring one of the damage procs from another IO line. However, my experience has shown me that damage output with this toon isn't the biggest issue. Anyone who's run a Defense-based toon knows that bad luck kills you more than anything else. The occasional heals from the proc have saved me from more than one face-plant. While its no subsitute for normal healing powers, every bit helps.

1. Kinetic Shield
SOs: 1 End, 3 Def
IOs: lvl 50 Red Fortune 1, 2, 4, 5
Of the high-end IO sets, Red Fortune is the easier to come by, and the given pieces will give you all that you need to nearly match SO level potency. The fact that Red Fortune can grant you a 2% bonus to damage output is gravy.

2. Havok Punch
SOs: Acc, End, Rcg, Dmgx3
IOs: lvl 50 Crushing Impact 1-5, lvl 20+ Call of the Sandman 6
Your second bread-and-butter attack. The inclusion of the second heal proc increases your chances of survival against tough odds.

4. Jacob's Ladder
SOs: Acc, End, Rcg, Dmgx3
IOS: lvl 50 Scirroco's Dervish 1-5, lvl 20+ Call of the Sandman 6
Your first group attack. While Scirroco's Dervish is much harder to come by than Multi-Strike, I found that the IO Set bonuses are simply much better suited to this particular build. I was tempted to complete the set for the Lethal Damage proc, but again preferred the heal proc.

6. Power Shield
SOs: 1 End, 3 Def
IOs: lvl 50 Red Fortune 1, 2, 4, 5
See Kinetic Shield.

8. Thunderstrike
SOs: Acc, End, Rcg, Dmgx3
IOs: lvl 50 Scirroco's Dervish 1-6
Your second group attack. If I could have slotted a fourth instance of Call of the Sandman 6, I would have. However, Thunderstrike won't accept sleep enhancements. In this case, my preference was to complete Scirroco's Dervish, not only for the Lethal damage proc, but also for the Psionic defense set bonus.

10. Entropy Shield
SOs: End
IOs: End
If you want to slot IO sets here, you're out of luck. Entropy Shield won't take any. Your best bet is to slot one SO or IO for Endurance Reduction and move on.

12. Hover
SOs: Flyx3
IOs: lvl 50 Soaring 1-3
I suspect that some of you will stop reading as soon as you see "Hover" in this build, especially when you find out that Fly is next in line. I know its the slowest travel power. I know that both Hover and Fly require some heavy slotting to be useful. I know that there are far better choices for PvP combat.
I also don't care. I have tried other travel power choices and in general they drive me nuts. CoX is still a social game for me, and trying to hold a conversation with Super Jump or Teleport is ridiculous without some macro to help manage them. Hover/Fly is a 'set-it-and-forget-it' travel combination, and it works just fine for me.
That being said, the Soaring IO set ends up reducing the overall travel speed from its SO slotting, but the small boost to Endurance Recovery and Maximum Hit Points makes up for that, IMHO.

14. Fly
SOs: Flyx3
IOs: lvl 50 Soaring 1-3
See Hover.

16. Swift
SOs: Fly
IOs: Fly
To be honest, the difference in slotting this power for run speed versus fly speed is barely noticeable. But I figure since I have Sprint to run faster, I might as well slot this to fly faster.

18. Health
SOs: Heal
IOs: Heal
Personally, I would love to slot this power with Numina's Convalescence 6, for the boost to Hit Point Regeneration AND Endurance Recovery. However, those who have tried to purchase that IO piece from the Black Market quickly find that:
A) Its not for sale, and
B) The bidding prices are hideously high
Besides, if you managed to score it from a Task Force, would YOU sell it? Probably not. So until I manage to find one of my own, I'll stick with a simple Heal SO or IO.

20. Stamina
SOs: Rcvrx3
IOs: Rcvrx3
Do I really need to explain this one?

22. Energy Cloak
SOs: 1 End, 3 Def
IOs: lvl 50 Red Fortune 1, 2, 4, 5
For some damage types, Energy Cloak provides ALL the defense you're ever going to get. So its worth slotting well.

24. Aid Other
SOs: Heal
IOs: Heal
As the bridge to Aid Self, this power also provides your Brute with the capacity to earn the Healing badges (albiet very slowly). I've found this to be handy in teams, especially if I have a lackey or pet in tow. Need I also mention that this power can help with those "protect so-and-so" missions where the person you have to protect throws the "stupid" switch?

26. Aid Self
SOs: Intrx3, Healx3
IOs: Intrx3, lvl 40 Miracle 1, 3, 5
Even if the Devs further modify Aid Self so that it simply CANNOT be used in the heat of combat, I'm still keeping it. Its simply too useful for keeping downtime low to respec out of. Besides, defense-based sets can give Aid Self the breathing room it needs to work, and a self-heal is something Energy Aura Brutes desperately need. However, the Devs did ensure that none of the healing IO lines include Interrupt reductions. As such, I'm only using 3 pieces from the Miracle IO set, largely for the set bonuses they give.

28. Energy Drain
SOs: Rcgx3, Rcvrx2, End
IOs: Rcgx3, Rcvrx2, End
Let the non-stop SMASHing begin! While there's no useful IO sets that Energy Drain can use, slotting this wondeful power up to the max is always a good idea. Since I run my missions at one setting higher than normal, I'm typically fighting 2-6 mobs at a time, and this slotting helps me make the most of it.

30. Build Up
SOs: Rcgx3
IOs: Rcgx3
Some may question Build Up coming so late in this build, but in truth, I found that I simply didn't need it a great deal until the lvl 30+ game got going. Besides, Lightning Rod is coming soon, and combined with a high Fury bar makes for a lethal opening combination.

32. Lightning Rod
SOs: Acc, End, Rcg, Dmgx3
IOs: lvl 50 Scirroco's Dervish 1-6
KA-BOOM! This is an awesome power, and I love to use it against the caltrop-happy Knives of Artemis to 'port out of their layered slows and keep pounding on them. However, bear in mind that this power CANNOT be used if Hover or Fly is active (a limitation that no other travel power inflicts).

35. Hasten
SOs: Rcg
IOs: Rcg
On the subject of slows, the attack powers of this build do not recharge all that quickly on their own. While slotted as given in this guide, they recharge quite well, but slows can quickly cripple this build. Hasten was taken not to be used all the time, but in emergency situations. Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

38. Overload
SOs: Rcgx3, Healx3
IOs: lvl 50 Doctored Wounds 1-6
Welcome to God-Mode light. You're not Unstoppable by any means, but this power can get out of a fix if you get in over your head. The Doctored Wounds IO set works wonderfully here, as its resulting recharge rate almost matches what SOs can grant.

41. Electrified Fences
SOs: Acc, End, Rcg, Imobx3
IOs: lvl 50 Enfeebled Operation 1-6
I don't use this power for inflicting damage, even though it can. I prefer its crowd control capability. Being able to split off the minions and lieutenants for a bit while the boss chases me around the corner helps a lot in tough fights. While the IO sets for Immobilize won't hold mobs for quite as long as standard IO slotting, the Accuracy becomes hideously high, which becomes very handy in the late game.

44. Ball Lightning
SOs: Acc, End, Rcg, Dmgx3
IOs: lvl 50 Positron's Blast 1-6
More boom! My biggest gripe with the Targeted AoE IO sets is that the recharge rate usually suffers as opposed to standard SO slotting. However, the IO choices used in this build handles this nicely (more on this later).

47. Dampening Field
SOs: Res
IOs: Res
I tried working the build using this combined with Tough from the fighting pool to maximize what resists I could get. The results weren't to my liking. However, gaining smash and lethal resistance from IO sets is somewhat difficult. This power is an easy way to recieve at least token resistance against two common damage types.

49. Energy Protection
SOs: Res
IOs: lvl 10+ Steadfast Protection 2
Before I9, this power was somewhat passable. This build has significant protection against energy damage already. However, with I9 came Steadfast Protection. The second piece of this IO set grants a flat 3% defense bonus against EVERYTHING. For a defense-based build, why not get it? While the IO slotting means I lose out on some resistance to Energy and Negative damage, the 3% defense boost is worth it.

== PART 2: IO Set Bonuses==
Despite thier high price tags, IO set bonuses can offer a lot to any build, from boosting existing strengths to blunting glaring weaknesses. For this section, I will concentrate on the IO set bonuses with significant values. The IOs chosen for this build resulted in the following set bonuses, which I will go into one by one:

1. +17.5% Accuracy
This is a tremendous help with tough opponents, especially in PvP.

2. +9.375% Targeted AoE Defense
In PvE, you'll find a lot of nastiness simply bouncing off you, even damage types you normally don't do well against.

3. +6% Damage
While 6% may not seem like a lot, in the late game battles can get quite long, and that 6% starts to mount.

4. +5.625% Maximum Hit Points
The higher your maximum hit points, the more Hit Points you recover with each tick. More HPs = good for Brutes.

5. +2.5% Lethal Defense
For defense-based builds, every little bit helps.

6. +3.125% Melee Defense
As Brutes spend a lot of time in melee combat, this is a very welcome addition.

7. +6.25% Psionic Defense
As an energy Brute, you have close to 0 defense against Psionic damage. Even this little bit will help take the edge off.

8. +25% Recharge Reduction
This is a big one. For the fast-recharging powers, you'll barely notice a difference. But for powers will long recharge times, you WILL notice.

9. +7% Endurance Recovery
While Energy Aura Brutes are normally swimming in Endurance, you will find yourself gasping for breath now and then. This small boost will help offset those moments.

10. +30% Hit Point Regeneration
Downtime is the enemy of Fury, and Aid Self isn't always ready to stave it off. A little help with regeneration will keep your Brute SMASHing.

==PART 3: Summation==
This is by no means the end-all-be-all Elec/Eng/Mu Brute build, but it has served me well from levels 1 to 50, and through experimentation has taught me a great deal about the Invention System and how to make it work for you. Swapping out the given IO Sets here with any of the possible alternatives will radically change your results. This is not a bad thing, as you can use that flexibility to match what your Brute ends up being good at with your own play style. Using the Invention System to its fullest takes time and some study, but for those willing to do it, their efforts will be rewarded.
For those who wish to know more, feel free to puruse the CoX boards, or visit ParagonWiki for information about individual Invention Origin Sets at:

http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/index.ph...hancement_Sets

Bear in mind that this guide is based partly on the information posted on ParagonWiki, and therefore may not be 100% correct.

Don't forget that even if you can't get the drops on your own, the consignment stores are another way to get what you want.

Elec/Eng Brute Guide for I7

SMASH!

To start out, this is NOT a PvP Build! Personally I dislike PvP, and avoid it when I can.

Still with me? Then let's move on.

An Electric/Energy Brute is not for someone who wants to be uber from the start. This kind of Brute needs time to develop into a powerhouse. Once you get to the point where you can slot SOs, you will be able to handle villainous level missions with ease, and higher difficulty with some forethought. This build is relatively light on crowd control and damage mitigation, so its better suited to short fights rather than long, drawn-out ones.
The following is all my personal experience and opinion, and what works for me may not work for you. I tend to play for only a few hours a week, so I cannot speak to whether or not this build is suited for rapid growth. My ideal target difficulty at this point is +1 to my level.

PHASE 1: STARTING OUT
Early on, you may not be over-impressed with what you can achieve with this combination. The need for Endurance management will make keeping your fury bar up rather difficult, and there will be times where you might feel that your Endurance management would be better without your toggle defenses and you'd still get the same amount of survivability. Resist these nagging demonic voices! Your patience will be rewarded. For those who like to live on the edge, crank your difficulty to +1, otherwise your leveling speed at this point will be typical. In general, keep your inspiration tray full of greens and blues, you'll be using more of them than anything else.

LEVEL 1 - Charged Brawl and Kinetic Shield
Two bread-and-butter powers that you will be using your entire career. At this level, you want to concentrate more on attacking quickly to build your fury bar as much as possible. While the slower, high-damage powers are nice, early on they prove less useful than one might at first imagine. When using TOs, I like to limit my attack slotting to Accuracy (3 at least) and Endurance Reduction (1 or more). The benefits from Recharge or Damage Enhancers aren't enough to offset the need for good Accuracy and Endurance management at this stage. For Kinetic Shield, I never place more than 1 slot into it until I get to the point where I can use DOs.

LEVEL 2 - Havok Punch
With this, your most basic attack chain is set up. You will notice right off that your two main attacks do not recharge all that fast. Use Brawl as often as you can to keep building fury.

LEVEL 3 - Slot Charged Brawl and Havok Punch
Keeping a handle on your endurance means not wasting it. Start slotting your attacks for accuracy over anything else, but don't worry about keeping your enhancements green unless you're swimming in infamy. Those extra few percentage points won't have much of a noticeable affect.

LEVEL 4 - Jacob's Ladder
This is your first AoE attack, and its damage is quite good. Learning to know how to use it can be an excellent boost to your damage output, so I suggest practicing with it early on. If you can line up and hit three targets with this power, its much more endurance-efficient than using it on just one. While this power certainly isn't quick, against tightly packed groups of mobs is great.

LEVEL 5 - Slot Jacob's Ladder
You will by now have noticed that the chunk of endurance that Jacob's Ladder uses is considerable. Keeping it slotted with Accuracy will keep you from wasting endurance on missed attacks.

LEVEL 6 - Power Shield
By now you're going to start facing more and more mobs that aren't using smashing and lethal exclusively. Taking this power now will let you take the edge off that threat. But try to avoid using this toggle unless you must. Each toggle you tack on reduces your natural endurance recovery rate, and while small, you will notice it when it drops.

LEVEL 7 - Slot Charged Brawl and Havok Punch
Top off your two main attacks with a third accuracy enhancer, and your overall hit rate will be much better.

LEVEL 8 - Thunderstrike
This big gun is your first damage mitigation power. While its AoE knockdown and AoE damage can't always be counted on, it can really save your butt. This attack makes a great opener against a group of foes. Empowered with fury, Thunderstrike can take big chunks off your enemies' life bar. But try to keep this in reserve if you can, as its recharge is slow, and its endurance use considerable.

LEVEL 9 - Slot Thunderstrike
Missing with Thunderstrike will make your Brute cry sad, bitter tears. Three-slot it for Accuracy to keep your Brute smiling.

LEVEL 10 - Entropy Shield
A must-have, though be judicial in its use. Running three toggles at once during this part of your career results in a big cut into your endurance recovery. Learning to judge which among your three toggles you will need for each battle you face is a good skill to develop early, as its still a long haul before Stamina comes along. As long as you pay attention to the kinds of foes you face, its not difficult to learn how to do this.

LEVEL 11 - Slot Kinetic Shield
I know you may want to slot your attacks more, but DOs aren't far away, and your shields will benefit from their added power. I chose to slot Kinetic Shield with all endurance reduction, although in truth, the combined effect was not that noticeable.

PHASE 2: The Long Road
Despite gaining access to DOs at level 12, you will still find that endurance management will still be an issue for you. Moreover, unless you strictly control what enemy groups you are facing, you will need to run more than one toggle much more often. While picking out travel powers isn't all that crucial during this period (especially with the many temp travel powers you can get), I like to have them in my tray as early as possible. This particular section is written assuming that purchasing DOs at 12 is possible for you. For attacks, I like to keep them stocked first with 2 Accuracies, 2 Endurance Reductions, and then slot for Recharge. Slotting for Recharge over Damage at this point will help you build fury faster, and with a higher fury bar, the lack of Damage Enhancement won't be noticeable. For the shields, I slot a single Endurance Reduction, and then load for Defense.

LEVEL 12 - Hover
I admit it: I like to Fly. Most prefer to take Air Superiority to fill in their attack chain, but I found that the extra few pips of defense that Hover gives you are nicer to have in tough situations. It also lets me avoid annoyances like caltrops, and stay in the fight. Trying to use it as a travel power is a joke, so I turn this power on and off a lot.

LEVEL 13 - Slot Power Shield
Dropping two more DOs into Power Shield will benefit you greatly, and you will definitely start to see the difference in the protection it gives you.

LEVEL 14 - Fly
Being a social game, I like being able to yatter at people without having to stop and change direction or save myself from dying because of badly-timed lag. I freely admit that Fly is THE slowest travel power, but I don't care. Fly lets me travel anywhere in reasonable safety at reasonable speed even with just one slot.

LEVEL 15 - Slot Charged Brawl and Havok Punch
Adding in a second Endurance Reduction to each attack power will help keep your endurance under control. Also at this point, I encourage you to head to Bloody Bay and run the Patrol Mission in order to get the Stealth Temporary Power. You can also run the "Bomb the Longbow Base" once every half an hour if you like. I do so for the added XP and Infamy bonus for running a mission in a PvP Zone, but the added infamy boost from each bomb you plant is nice to have.

LEVEL 16 - Swift
With the new addition of Flight Speed to Swift, I never skip this if I have Fly. Moreover, its time to start the march towards Stamina. Slot this with a Flight Speed, as you won't miss the run speed boost.

LEVEL 17 - Slot Jacob's Ladder and Thunderstrike
Slot again with another Endurance Reduction in each, you won't regret it.

LEVEL 18 - Health
A boost to your Regen rate is always welcome, as is the extra sleep resistance. Health may have its detractors, but I am not one of them.

LEVEL 19 - Slot Kinetic Shield and Power Shield
One more slot for defense will have everything ready for SOs at 22.

LEVEL 20 - Stamina
What you've been waiting for. You will notice an immediate improvement with your SMASHing capability even with a single slot in this power. While your endurance problems won't 100% disappear, the difference this one power makes is very noticeable.

LEVEL 21 - Slot Stamina
Drop in two more slots and never look back.

PHASE 3: The Buildup
Now that SOs are available, your Brute's power will start to appear. For me, I have found that slotting my attacks with 1 Accuracy, 1 Endurance Reduction, 2 Recharge and 2 Damage gives me excellent damage, and the faster recharge time keeps my fury bar nice and high once things get rolling. The defenses get 1 Endurance Reduction and 3 Defense. With SOs in place, both even cons and +1s are both manageable challenges.

LEVEL 22 - Energy Cloak
Not only providing Stealth capabilities, this power gives you the only defense you're going to get against some damage types. Personally, I never turn this off unless I must to complete a mission. Slot for Endurance Reduction first, then Defense. Also, this is a good time to move onto the next PvP Zone and start running the "Bomb the Longbow Base" Missions there. The infamy bonuses for the 4 bombs you drop are nice to have.

LEVEL 23 - Slot Energy Cloak
More Defense never hurts with Energy Aura.

LEVEL 24 - Aid Other
Now we begin the road to Aid Self. While it has its naysayers, Aid Self is very useful for an Energy Aura Brute. Defensive sets combined with Interrupt Reduction slotting means Aid Self can work reliably even in tough situations. But know this: using Aid Self in combat was never what the Devs intended, and they might someday take steps to enforce that. But until then, I will continue to use it. Aid Other is also a slow way for those badge hounds to get the Healing Badges for their toon or supergroup.

LEVEL 25 - Slot Energy Cloak and Hover
Dropping one last Defense into Energy Cloak will squeeze just about all the utility you'll get out of it. The slot in Hover is simply because nothing else was really crying out for a slot at this point, and the addition of a second Flight Speed in Hover is very noticeable in combat.

LEVEL 26 - Aid Self
Slot this first for Interrupt Reduction, then Healing. I know that the 'tricorder' animation isn't for everyone, and there are macros out there that will let you use another animation, but they've never worked for me.

LEVEL 27 - Slot Aid Self
Dropping two more Interrupt Reductions into Aid Self will let you use it much more reliably in combat, but you'll still want to judge when the best chance to use it will be.

LEVEL 28 - Energy Drain
This power changes everything for you. With it, you can proceed to move onto the non-stop SMASHing you've wanted since the beginning. Slot it for Recharge so its ready as often as possible.

LEVEL 29 - Slot Energy Drain
Two more Recharge Reductions will let you use this power once per minute or so. Your endurance problems should be vastly reduced and nearly negligible for some time after this point.

LEVEL 30 - Build Up
Believe it or not, I simply had no real need for this power before this point. However, Lightning Rod is coming up fast, and it would definitely benefit from this addition down the road.

LEVEL 31 - Slot Aid Self, Energy Drain and Build Up
Start slotting Aid Self for Healing, and drop an Endurance Reduction into Energy Drain to reduce its initial bite before it activates. A Recharge Reduction in Build is always welcome.

LEVEL 32 - Lightning Rod
BOOM! Your biggest gun: mass damage over a wide area with a reliable knockdown to boot. Combining this power with a full fury bar and Build Up is a beautiful opener. Something to keep in mind though: It has a teleport component to it, so if you're running some other travel toggle (like Hover or Combat Jump), Lightning Rod CANNOT activate. I'm hoping a fix for this is in the works, but until then - keep that limitation in mind.

PHASE 4: Scream my name!
Beginning at 33, power slots start to roll in fast, and your strength increases by leaps and bounds. If you haven't yet increased your difficulty slider, do so now. At this point in your development, you should have a clear idea of what you can and can't handle safely.

LEVEL 33 - Slot Lightning Rod
Using this more often will make your Brute happy, so indulge him or her as often as you can.

LEVEL 34 - Slot Charged Brawl, Havok Punch and Jacob's Ladder
Now we start to move your attacks to their six-slot potency, starting with those used most often. With 5 slots in each, you should have 1 Accuracy, 1 Endurance Reduction, 2 Recharge and 1 Damage. You won't be sorry with this combination.

LEVEL 35 - Hasten
Despite its reputation, I take this power not because I intend to place it on automatic, but because I like to have in case I'm slapped with multiple slows. This build does not have a large number of attacks, and layered slows can rapidly cripple it. Keeping this on standby against the CoT or KoA is always a good idea.

LEVEL 36 - Slot Thunderstrike, Aid Self and Energy Drain
Thunderstrike will enjoy a Damage Enhancer, and Aid Self can always use another Heal Enhancer. Energy Drain will benefit from an Endurance Modification or another Endurance Reduction, depending on if you like to fight large numbers, or a few big baddies.

LEVEL 37 - Slot Build Up, Lightning Rod and Hover
Topping out Build Up with a third recharge won't hurt, and Lightning Rod will benefit from a Damage Enhancer. Dropping a third Fly Speed Enhancer into Hover will give you just about all the combat flight speed you can hope to have.

PHASE 5: The future
From this point forward, I can only speak to my intentions for future development, as my Brute hasn't gotten to this point yet. Everything from now on is strictly theoretical, so take it all with a big grain of salt.

LEVEL 38 - Overload
The Big Panic Button. In truth, there are a few times I've wished to have this in the past, so I'm definitely not passing it up when it becomes available.

LEVEL 41 - Electrified Fences from Mu Mastery
I want this for two reasons: it fits thematically, and I hate runners. Even if the damage is minor, the immobilize is what I'm really after.

LEVEL 44 - Ball Lightning from Mu Mastery
Another AoE, even a slow one, is nice to have.

LEVEL 47 - Conserve Power
Not that I expect to use it regularly, its still nice to have if you need it.

LEVEL 49 - Dampening Field
Simply because I can.

There you have it. Thus far, the only respecs I have used are for the purpose of recouping my enhancement investments when I changed from TOs to DOs, and again from DOs to SOs.
One final note, this build works for me because it fits the play style that I enjoy. Its up to you to decide if it is the right build for you.