Inspector6

Lots of info here. No one should ever have any doubts about what they're getting into once they read your guide.

[Also, while I appreciate the plug, apparently I overstated the usefulness of damage resistance in my guide. I think that both Aid Self and Tough (with Dampening Field) are among the better options for an EA, but the truth is, I have niether on my own build at the moment.]

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Inspector 6
Victory Server

Even easier. Thanks.

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This has been a known issue on these boards for awhile. Is it possible no one ever bothered to tell him?

Nonetheless, good news.

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No, I was told before, but when looking at the spreadsheets it SHOULD be working as I described. Apparently, however, something is broken in how the attributes are being applied, which makes little sense, but in my testing it was apparent that this was the case.

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I doubt you want it, but there's a lot of brutes who want to kiss you right now.

This has been a known issue on these boards for awhile. Is it possible no one ever bothered to tell him?

Nonetheless, good news.

I used your suggestion for a single key with multiple binds to do something I've wanted for a very long time - a single key to toggle between Combat Jumping and Super Jump. Not exactly rocket science, but I'm a bind n00b, so thank you.

<ul type="square">j1.txt file
[whatever key] "powexec_name Combat Jumping$$bind_load_file C:\whatever folder\j2.txt"

j2.txt file
[whatever key] "powexec_name Super Jump$$bind_load_file C:\whatever folder\j1.txt"[/list]
After entering "/bind_load_file C:\whatever folder\j1.txt" I was good as gold. One question though: is there ever any lag associated with loading bind files?

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An interesting guide; I disagree with it on several particulars (most notably Taunt; in a teaming situation, it can be invaluable in clawing aggro away from those pesky Masterminds in the absense of a taunt-aura or any AoE attacks aside from Whirling Hands)...

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When there are so many great choices for EM/EA’s from the power pools (Air Superiority, Tough, Aid Self, Hasten…), a team utility like taunt falls pretty low on my list of priorities. If I need to bail out a teammate, usually all it takes is a quick jump and an attack.

I tend to play on the side of scrapper/stalker more than tank, and I think that EA, as a defense set (with a built-in stealth), doesn’t handle mass agro as well as other brute secondaries can (though this will likely change somewhat when I7’s defense-scaling hits). I’ll play bodyguard to the squishies in really nasty situations, but typically I play to eliminate the toughest foes in a spawn – offense is our best defense, in my opinion.

Finally, Taunt seems to have little application in PvP, and I certainly haven’t ever missed it when I solo in PvE (something every brute should enjoy doing occasionally). Taunt has uses, but I don’t feel it plays to an EM/EA’s strengths.

Thanks again to everyone for the positive feedback.

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Can you post a full build?

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Aside from wanting everyone to find their own perfect build (and discourage cookie-cutter PL builds), any full build I'd post would be what I consider to be the best, and frankly, even if I could make up my mind, it would be classified...

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I do have a question, though. Almost all the guides I read only provide tactical advice once you have all the powers, and only seem to talk about the methods of play once you have achieved your final goal. I think it would be very helpful to put a short Tactics section up when gaining each new power that expresses how you change the style of play as you progress. I find myself approaching fights in a different manner at level 10 than I did at 8th, for example. It would be a huge help to a newer player like me (my highest toon is 26th level) to see how things progress tactically.

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That's a good point, and partly why I didn't give too many slotting recommendations. Also, the guide was already getting too long. As you work your way up, it's usually a question of finding the weakest link in your build and trying to patch it up. As a brute, this means balancing your three bars – green, blue, and whatever color that fury one is.

As far as attacks are concerned, I think you need three "low-end" attacks on any brute by level 8ish, not counting brawl - in this case, attacks like Barrage, Energy Punch, Bone Smasher, Boxing, or Air Superiority. There are plenty of builds with just two low-end attacks, but that sounds like an awful lot of waiting for recharges to me. TF and ET are pure icing on the fury cake as long as you can otherwise keep dishing it out. TF in particular needs to be used selectively when you first get it because of its huge endurance cost.

Generally, take the defenses as you can get them, and slot them when you can tell you're getting hit too much - which is pretty much always.

The grind of leveling up really takes a dramatic turn once you have Heath and Stamina. Three-slot them instantly. For me, it was like playing a whole new character. Endurance doesn't really work out well until you get Energy Drain, but it's a pure disaster before Stamina.

If you do all that, there's really only a few spots left for perks like Aid Self, Tough, Hasten...etc.

I'm glad to see a strike force guide, if only to see how long it will take. Thank you.

(You should post the whole guide in it's own thread here though, as geocities tends to annoy everyone - especially when the page disappears)

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Not sure if [whirlwind] does drop toggles, but it is useful for the -root on it. Being able to move freely is its biggest advantage. Nice guide.

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Yeah, I was thinking my description may have been a little off on that one. I'll test it out soon and see what the deal is. Plus, I think WW is going through some changes - whether or not those changes have already happened is beyond me.

Thanks.

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The second problem is that if you are lucky enough to become a game reviewer, you most likely won't get to play what you want. So instead of playing CoH, you could be stuck with playing a real lame game like say for example Deer Hunter 8.

Last but not least, you would have to actually do a review. That would mean that you would have to be paying attention to all aspects of the game, and probably taking notes on it and later would actually have to write a big article about it. So where's the fun in that?

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Plus you'll probably have a day or two to write the review. How do explain why you're still playing it 5 months later? Seriously, any suggestions?

You can get by without slotting Endurance Reductions in your shields, you'll just have to monitor your endurance more closely. I use Hasten as well, so I tend to explode into an endurance nightmare for brief periods of time. Of course, Energy Drain recharges more quickly then too. You have to find a balance between slotting EndRdx in your powers and using Energy Drain (and maybe CP) that works best with your style.

I didn't put Power Shield at level 4 because it's not really an ASAP kind of power at those levels. A lot of brutes say they rarely even use it until their teens, thanks to endurance issues. You should use it whenever you can, but it's not going to break your build if you pick it up a few levels later.

Deus_Furore, BillZBubba, Mr_E_Mann - Thanks for checking it out, and I'm glad you guys like it.

BillZBubba, I can definitely see the advantage of taking Barrage, Energy Punch, and a Pool-power-punch for fury-building in PvE, but until level 18, your stuck without a big hit. I guess I've always found Bone Smasher a nice compromise between fast-ish and high damage in an attack-chain. DPS can be problematic on it, but it's invaluable to me in PvP. I also use Hasten, so those longer recharges aren't as big a problem for me. Excellent point though.

Mr_E_Mann, admittedly I'm not to solid of a numbers guy. On those rare occasions I fully comprehend defense/accuracy/To_Hit equations, I quickly forget the details. My understanding is that it takes a single defense enhancement to come pretty close the max defense (with the other shields up) against an even-con mob. As far as I know, I7 will only give us the same benefit to higher level mobs. Is there something I'm missing?

Thanks again, guys.

Any feedback is welcome. Thanks.

LIVE LONG AND KILL FAST – an EM/EA Brute’s Guide to Level 40
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by Inspector 6

This guide reflects my opinions and suggestions on the EM/EA brute, and should not be taken as the only way to go. If you are completely unfamiliar with City of Villains, I suggest you first look through the following guides:
<ul type="square">Guide to Jargon &amp; Abbreviations
Brute = SMASH! - An intro guide to the Brute AT
The Art of SMASH! - Basic Training for Brutes[/list]Even though this guide is pretty long, there’s a lot more to be said about all of these powers. Stop by the Brute Forums for more information about slotting and tactics. For help planning your build, check out the immensely helpful CoH_CoV Character Builder.


INTRODUCTION TO A BRUTE WITH CLASS
Question: can you picture your brute looking good in a tuxedo? If you can, than you’re halfway to making a killer with style and poise – the Energy Melee and Energy Aura brute.

The earth might not shake when you drop an opponent, but with your bare fists, you can be more cold-hearted and vicious than those other hairy oafs that mistake themselves for the tough guy on the team. Even as your opponents attempt to tease you for the pom-poms that envelope your hands, they will fear them. You will destroy your enemies, but you’ll do it with the icy grin of malice, not the gaping maw of a madman.


ENERGY MELEE
EM has two of the most devastating attacks this game has to offer, and all the attacks have some chance to disorient your enemies, so you’ll often have time to surgically dissect a tricky foe as they stumble around drunkenly. Disorient magnitudes and percentages are provided at the end of this section.

<ul type="square">Barrage (3/5) – available at level 1
With a quick recharge time, and a 100% Mag1 disorient, some people may favor this attack. It is a fast attack – which is great for building fury – but unfortunately, the damage output is not terribly substantial. If you do not pick up this power, consider Air Superiority (from Flight) or Boxing (from Fighting).

Energy Punch (5/5) – available at level 1
A fast and highly effective punch that is notable for its high damage-per-second. This will be constantly cycling in your attack chain.

Bone Smasher (5/5) – available at level 2
A devastating attack that will be the centerpiece of your attack chain. Take it. Love it.

Build Up (5/5) – available at level 6
An excellent power that should not be overlooked. You may find it difficult to fit it into your build until later levels, but be sure to have it by level 25 if you plan on doing any PvP. (3 Rechg, 1-3 TH_Buf)

Whirling Hands (3/5) – available at level 8
A fairly good PBAoE (Point Blank Area of Effect) attack that can draw aggro to you and/or disorient some of the enemies around you. Because it has little use in PvP, I’m not a huge fan of this power, but even for PvE I’d recommend picking it up in later levels in favor of a solid single-target attack to fill out your attack chain.

Taunt (1/5) – available at level 12
Punch them, and they’ll fight back. You don’t need to waste a power on that.

Total Focus (5/5) – available at level 18
You’ve just taken the first step away from a punching guy to an assassin. This is a big attack, and with the added bonus of a 100% Mag4 disorient, most PvE enemies left standing will be staggering around helplessly. You’ll usually need to stack some other attacks in PvP to get a disorient, but the damage output alone makes this a must-have.

Stun (3/5) – available at level 26
In PvP, this is arguably a 5 out of 5 for stacking disorients and seriously incapacitating enemies, but in PvE, you can generally get all the disorient you need with Total Focus. With three disorient duration enhancements, the “stun” will last for nearly 20 seconds. (2-3 Acc, 3 DisDur)

Energy Transfer (100/5) – available at level 32
Be prepared to answer this question from your uninitiated teammates: “What just happened?” They’ll see you throw a fast and seemingly minor punch, and the target will be dead. No, the earth did not shake, there were no flashes of blinding light, and no glaring sound effects rose above the din of battle. You are now an assassin, and with a good level of fury, bosses that were once threatening are laughable. While the endurance cost is relatively minor, it will consume some of your own hit points. (2-3 Acc, 3 Dmg)

EM DISORIENT INFORMATION
Barrage - 100% Mag1 5sec
Energy Punch - 30% Mag2 5sec
Bone Smasher - 60% Mag2 5sec
Whirling Hands - 30% Mag2 5sec
Total Focus - 100% Mag4 10sec
Stun - 100% Mag3 10sec
Energy Transfer - 30% Mag3 5sec[/list]
ENERGY AURA
EA can be a tricky beast that requires finesse and a little luck. As a defense set (as opposed to a resistance set), you’ll avoid much of what’s thrown at you, but what does hit can sting pretty badly. Expect good streaks and bad streaks of luck, and know that fighting similar enemies can give you different results. Additionally, you will be vulnerable to psionic and toxic attacks most of the time, but a few choice punches can usually eliminate that threat. On the plus side, all brutes have troubles with endurance, and EA offers some useful tools for coping with a dwindling blue bar.

<ul type="square">Kinetic Shield (5/5) – available at level 1
Take it. It’s your job to inflict the SMASH damage, not the enemies’. (3 DefBuf, 1 EndRdx)

Dampening Field (2/5) – available at level 2
The good news is that EA has some S/L damage resistance and that it’s an auto-power that doesn’t cost endurance. The bad news is that it’s so weak that few people recommend it. If your looking for more resistance, try out Tough in the Fighting pool. I should add however, that if you can spare the room in your build, getting both Dampening Field and Tough will give you a substantial amount of damage resistance. (3 DmgRes)

Power Shield (5/5) – available at level 4
This will fill out most of what Kinetic Shield doesn’t defend against, as well as give you defense against ranged attacks. As you run into endurance problems before Stamina and Energy Drain, feel free to selectively turn these toggles off. (3 DefBuf, 1 EndRdx)

Entropy Shield (5/5) – available at level 10
This may be the best status protection the game has to offer. Enjoy standing upright as your team flops around on the floor. In PvP, you can have a good laugh every time someone tries to teleport you. If this toggle is down, all your other toggles are more vulnerable to drops. (1 EndRdx)

Energy Protection (1/5) – available at level 16
Even less useful than Dampening Field, since it resists less common damage types – one of which is Energy, which you will already have a defense bonus to since you have both shields. Skip it.

Energy Cloak (5/5) – available at level 20
Some people say it’s too stalker-ish and not very brute-ish. I happen to think that those same people play too tank-ish. Energy Cloak mitigates unwanted aggro from mobs (because they can’t see you), and it allows you to get up close for your melee before they try any ranged attacks. It also offers a fairly good amount of defense when slotted up, and to me this is a no-brainer. As far as PvP goes, the rule seems to be any stealth = good. (3 DefBuf, 1 EndRdx)

Energy Drain (5/5) – available at level 28
It’s tiresome work punching stuff, so it’s time to start taking back all that endurance the mobs’ faces have been stealing from you up till now. This is an excellent utility that allows you to pretty much recover all your endurance off as little as two nearby enemies, and it auto-hits, so it’s completely reliable. It’s also interesting as a weapon. In PvE, you can drain a resurrecting Tank Smasher of his half bar of blue to render him completely useless, or in PvP (where it’s less effective), clear off the last scraps of endurance on a hero to drop their toggles. (3 Rechg, 3 EndMod)

Conserve Power (3/5) – available at level 35
While useful, CP isn’t really a necessary power for /EA. It cuts endurance use in half for 90 seconds, and with three recharge enhancements it’s ready in just over 5 minutes to fire again. It's a tool to use in the Stamina-less build, and can be a big help when fighting AV’s or PvPing against certain AT’s, but it doesn't seem very popular for us since we already have Energy Drain to help manage our endurance. If you do pick it up, you can replace the Endurance Reduction enhancements in your attacks with Accuracies or Damages. (3 Rechg)

Overload (1,000,000/5) – available at level 38
For three minutes, you can be the most frightening person in the game. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stood over the bodies of my fallen teammates and defeated a couple of accidentally-pulled spawns single-handedly. This may be the best panic button out there, but why wait till you’re in trouble to use it? With it stacked on your other defenses, you can tank a bright purple AV while the rest of team clears minions, or clear a few spawns while your teammates rest up. Just remember… 3 minutes till all your toggles drop. Even that’s not too bad - pop a blue, get your toggles up, charge back in, hit them with Energy Drain, and your no worse for the wear. (3 Rechg, 1-2 DefBuf, 1-2 Heal)[/list]
POWER POOLS - TRAVEL
Unmentioned powers are not worth considering for the vast majority of EM/EA’s.

<ul type="square">Leaping
Having to pick up both Combat Jumping and Super Jump can be pretty taxing on many builds, but jumping is a great travel power that fairs well both in PvE and PvP. It’s fast, it can get you vertical, and neither CJ nor SJ need extra enhancement slots to be useful.

Flight
If you pick up Air Superiority – which is awesome for keeping mobs on their backs and dropping fliers out of the sky - you might as well consider Fly. It requires extra slotting to be a fast means of transportation, and since you’re all melee attacks, you’ll have to stop flying to deal damage.

Speed
Hasten is another one of those powers that will tempt you. For PvE, it’s a great way to kickstart your fury-building when you begin a mission, and even if you solo on the easiest difficulty, it’ll be back up by the time you reach the end fight. In PvP – where burst damage rules - you can keep a rock-solid wall of fists flying at your opponents, and get your utility/attack Energy Drain back up quicker. Perhaps most importantly, you can use Hasten to recharge Overload quicker. As for Super Speed, it’s probably not the most effective power for getting around since you’ll have no means of getting over obstacles, but in a ground-level fight, it can be used for nasty charge attacks and quick getaways. Though very few builds have room for Whirlwind, it’s also a PvP favorite for knocking the toggles off opponents, but with so much built-in disorient potential, you’re better off punching them in the face than zipping around them.

Teleportation
I’ve never used Teleport with a brute, but I could see it being used for surprise attacks (after you’ve built up fury on NPC’s, naturally) and quick getaways. It is an endurance hog however, so you’ll have to pay extra attention to timing any maneuvers. Teleport Foe is a much loved and loathed PvP trick. Check the PvP forums for the latest rants for and against it.[/list]
POWER POOLS – OTHER
Again, unmentioned powers are probably not worth considering.

<ul type="square">Fitness
Very few AT’s can afford to avoid this pool. Between Swift and Hurdle, I would recommend eventually picking the power that’s most different than your travel power (Swift for Super Jump, Hurdle for Super Speed). I say “eventually,” because at lower levels, Hurdle and Combat Jumping together make a great mini-travel power to use in PvE missions. As you level up, however, the two powers scale up and can get a little unruly – you might overshoot your mark – so it may be best to respec into Swift. Health isn’t as great as it is necessary, so add it to your build. Stamina… well, you’ll definitely want it ASAP, but in later levels, you may choose to respec out of it if you have both Energy Drain and Conserve Power. There’s also a nifty trick where you can cycle between Overload and Conserve Power (both of which reduce endurance usage) with very little downtime in between.

Medicine
Though I’ve faired well without it, many, many, many EM/EA’s swear by Aid Self. We have no self heal, and healing is the best defense to anything. For it to be really effective in a fight, you’ll need to put a lot of slots into it – something like 1 Recharge Reduction, 2 Interrupt Reductions, 3 Heals. If you were to go this route, I’d recommend Stimulant over Aid Other, so you won’t feel guilty about not slotting it. Besides, I find the thought of a drug-dealing brute a better fit with the concept than a healer.

Concealment
Energy Cloak will pretty much take care of your stealth needs, and it won’t stack with these concealment powers. Invisibility is great in PvP, but you probably won’t find room for it in your build.

Fighting
Tough will add a lot more S/L resistance than the fledgling Dampening Field, so if you’re considering Boxing instead of Barrage, think about leaving room for it (or get both Tough and Dampening Field for excellent resistance). Tough will cost endurance, and it is another toggle that can be dropped.

Leadership
Tactics is another power that would be great to have in PvP if you can make it fit. Unfortunately, you probably won’t. I would only go into the Leadership Pool if I knew regular teammates that were getting these powers too. The combined effect of an eight-man team all with Assault would be amazing.

Presence
While Intimidate might be useful in PvP, you’d have to pick one of two lame taunt powers. Not worth it for an EM/EA.[/list]
BUILD TEMPLATE
This is a pretty standard template of the must-have-ASAP powers. Your travel power and the Health &amp; Stamina combo require one lower-level power in their pools to be chosen before you can take them.

<ul type="square">---------------------------------------------
01) --&gt;
01) --&gt; Kinetic Shield
02) --&gt;
04) --&gt;
06) --&gt;
08) --&gt;
10) --&gt; Entropy Shield
12) --&gt;
14) --&gt; [travel power]
16) --&gt; Health
18) --&gt; Total Focus
20) --&gt; Stamina [See the description in the Fitness pool]
22) --&gt; Energy Cloak
24) --&gt;
26) --&gt;
28) --&gt; Energy Drain
30) --&gt;
32) --&gt; Energy Transfer
35) --&gt;
38) --&gt; Overload
---------------------------------------------[/list]
ENHANCEMENT SLOTTING
The reason I have not made slotting recommendations on every power is because 1) your slotting will depend on your current level, and 2) even fully slotted, “optimal” slotting will depend on your playstyle and whether or not it is a PvP build or a PvE build.

I make sure there are at least two Accuracy Enhancements in every attack before I even think about a Damage Enhancement. Missing a target is a huge waste of endurance, and a big waste of any damage slots. If you’ve leveled sufficiently to enter into PvP zones, and you’re into that sort of thing, three Acc’s are probably best (unless you have Tactics).

Especially in lower levels for PvE play, Endurance Reductions are a very smart move for your attacks.

The freebie power Brawl is particularly useful to a brute. As a fast attack, it can be a great fury-builder, and for PvP it has the chance to drop a single toggle of your target. Many brutes set it to auto-fire (control+click on it in your power tray). I haven’t added any extra slots to it, but for PvP, extra Acc’s couldn’t hurt. Be warned – for the amount of damage it does, and how often it triggers, it is a BIG endurance hog. An Endurance Reduction may be the way to go for PvE.


CLOSING
Let them mistake you for a stalker who missed his Assassin’s attack. Let them joke about your pom-poms. Let them run their endurance down. Let them think that a fight that starts out evenly will stay that way. There’s no need to argue with them…

…they’ll learn.