Kathari
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Posts
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Quote:I take back the stealth thing. "Kathari" - my screen name - was my first toon ever and I abandoned it in frustration at level 39-40 back in 2006. It was a Claws/Dark scrapper. Obviously, the game has changed alot since then.Originally Posted by Riverdusk
In my experience da is much sturdier in "regular" content than electric.
Dark armor to me is more of a resistance/control/regeneration hybrid, whereas electric armor is pretty much just a straight up resistance set. Electric's heal and control are minor compared to dark's. I find having more variety, more layers of mitigation give more potential.
Your farming comment makes me think though, it'd be cool if they gave dark armor -tohit debuff resistance, I'd be all for that buff and it'd be thematic.
You can get it in focused accuracy, but it is end expensive and takes an epic pool.
The whole "dark obscures your costume" that continues to get spewed is becoming a pet peeve of mine. Cloak of darkness does not have to obscure your costume anymore unless you choose it to at the tailor. The "no fade or pulse" option has been there for at least a year now I believe, can't remember exactly when they added it. But it was quite a while ago now and yet I still see that complaint leveled against dark armor constantly. Once that fix went in I found dark armor less obscuring/annoying than fire armor's graphics even. They do need to fix the brute version of dark embrace though as the "no fade/pulse" option doesn't work on that power, but does on the scrapper and tank versions.
I was looking at Planet J's build, and he has it positionally near the soft cap (i.e. about 43% Melee, Ranged, AOE defense after Divine Avalanche lands). I was looking at the sets and couldn't figure out how he got melee so high until I saw that it was his primary buff.
His build is with Katana/Dark, whereas mine was Claws/Dark. The strength of his build is his sets (i.e. he uses an expensive PVP unique, which I shy away from) and he draws upon the primary for defense.
Obviously, you can't really judge a powerset in isolation but rather how it works in conjunction with other sets. That being the case, I would be curious to see a Katana/Fire build and a Katana/Electric build in order to compare properly.
With Katana/, Dark might simply be the best option.
One of the most obvious answers to the /Dark question that the OP raised is DARK MELEE. In there you find another heal, an endurance PBAOE, more control, etc. -
I agree that "end drain resist" and "psionic resist" is nice.
The main problem I had with my /DA during the leveling process was that you have so many toggles its ridiculous. And what do we do to add defense and recharge to our builds? More pool toggles. Fire, on the other hand, has two essential toggles. One offensive toggle. Etc.
Now, obviously fire has the farming advantage. However, I would say that /electric is stronger in regular content than dark. You can have your psi resistance. I'll take my 90 percent resist to energy over psi resist any day of the week. I mean, what are you going to fight in a ticket farm with /da? 20 mobs with -to hit negetive attacks stacking all at once? Good luck with that. -
Hey, before you accuse me of smoking or bumping my head, can you address my points? Your ad hominem attacks are nauseating. My experience with /DA was a painful one. If I am wrong prove it in mids. And while your /dark is using energy mastery to solve end issues, my /fire is softcapped to smashing/lethal and switching back and forth between mu/darkness/pyre epics depending on my mood.
Cloak of Fear starts off with 50 percent accuracy. When fighting purples, how many yellows do you have to eat before it hits?
Oppressive Gloom damages you in order to work.
Soul Transfer requires you to die.
Cloak of Darkness stealths you and hides your costume, and is anti fury.
Dark Regeneration is powerful, but recharge is SLOW and requires you to be in melee range of baddies to work.
I'm not saying you can't get to 50 with one. But there are easier ways. -
Dark Armor sucks. My first toon was a Claws/Dark scrapper. If you want dark armor take fiery aura and paint it black. The first four powers are great, but then its all down hill. Stealth on a brute? Meh. Cloak of Fear, meh. Oppressive Gloom, meh. Soul Transfer, bleh. Compare those to burn, rise of the phoenix, fiery embrace, consume.... or overload et al of electric....
If I was rolling a /Dark I would go Dark Melee because at least then you get some end help. -
As a general rule of thumb, I never plan on using Purple or PVP sets in my build. Too expensive, and I can effectively slot an entire toon for the price of one or two of those high end enhancements. But I suppose if you have the influence or the enhancements lying around....
Here is a softcapped S/L build without any Purples/PVPs. You will also notice that I did not use anything from leaping, concealment or epic pools in order to get my numbers. You have four power slots and eight enhancement slots to tweak this to your liking. And because of the money you'll save on not using purples/pvps, you can have dual builds with softcapped s/l and give each one a different epic to play with (mu... soul...; fire....cold)
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.954
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Magic Brute
Primary Power Set: Claws
Secondary Power Set: Electric Armor
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Swipe -- SBrutesF-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(A), SBrutesF-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), SBrutesF-Rech/Fury(43)
Level 1: Charged Armor -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(3), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(3), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(5)
Level 2: Slash -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(5), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(11), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13)
Level 4: Conductive Shield -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(15), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(17), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(17)
Level 6: Spin -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(7), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(7), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Oblit-%Dam(36)
Level 8: Follow Up -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(11), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(19), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(19), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(23), GSFC-Build%(27)
Level 10: Static Shield -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(27), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(29), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(29)
Level 12: Boxing -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(15), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(45), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46)
Level 14: Tough -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 16: Grounded -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), S'fstPrt-ResKB(34)
Level 18: Focus -- Mocking-Taunt(A), Mocking-Rchg(33), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg(36), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(37), Mocking-Acc/Rchg(37), Mocking-Taunt/Rng(37)
Level 20: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(31)
Level 22: Lightning Field -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(23), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(25), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(25), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Oblit-%Dam(34)
Level 24: Lightning Reflexes -- Run-I(A)
Level 26: Eviscerate -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(36), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(39), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Oblit-%Dam(40)
Level 28: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(40), RechRdx-I(50)
Level 30: Energize -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(42), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Dct'dW-Heal(42), Dct'dW-Rchg(43)
Level 32: Shockwave -- SBrutesF-Acc/Dmg(A), SBrutesF-Dmg/Rchg(33), SBrutesF-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33)
Level 35: Power Sink -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(40), RechRdx-I(45), EndMod-I(45)
Level 38: Power Surge -- GA-3defTpProc(A)
Level 41: [Empty]
Level 44: [Empty]
Level 47: [Empty]
Level 49: [Empty]
Level 0: Born In Battle
Level 0: High Pain Threshold
Level 0: Invader
Level 0: Marshal
Level 50: Agility Core Paragon
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Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(34)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Knock%(13), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(21), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21)
Level 1: Fury
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
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Set Bonus Totals:- 11.5% DamageBuff(Smashing)
- 11.5% DamageBuff(Lethal)
- 11.5% DamageBuff(Fire)
- 11.5% DamageBuff(Cold)
- 11.5% DamageBuff(Energy)
- 11.5% DamageBuff(Negative)
- 11.5% DamageBuff(Toxic)
- 11.5% DamageBuff(Psionic)
- 40.38% Defense(Smashing)
- 40.38% Defense(Lethal)
- 10.38% Defense(Fire)
- 10.38% Defense(Cold)
- 11% Defense(Energy)
- 11% Defense(Negative)
- 6% Defense(Psionic)
- 33.5% Defense(Melee)
- 10.38% Defense(Ranged)
- 10.06% Defense(AoE)
- 1.8% Max End
- 4% Enhancement(Heal)
- 35% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 27% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 5% FlySpeed
- 185.5 HP (12.38%) HitPoints
- 5% JumpHeight
- 5% JumpSpeed
- Knockback (Mag -4)
- Knockup (Mag -4)
- MezResist(Held) 2.75%
- MezResist(Immobilize) 11.55%
- MezResist(Stun) 6.6%
- MezResist(Terrorized) 2.2%
- 4% (0.07 End/sec) Recovery
- 10% (0.62 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 1.26% Resistance(Fire)
- 1.26% Resistance(Cold)
- 5% RunSpeed
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Set Bonuses:
Superior Brute's Fury
(Swipe)- 44.98 HP (3%) HitPoints
- 5% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 2.5% Defense(Melee)
(Charged Armor)- MezResist(Immobilize) 1.1%
- 1.25% Defense(Energy,Negative), 0.63% Defense(Ranged)
- 1.25% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 0.63% Defense(Melee)
(Slash)- MezResist(Immobilize) 2.75%
- 22.49 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
- 3.75% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 1.88% Defense(Melee)
(Conductive Shield)- MezResist(Immobilize) 1.1%
- 1.25% Defense(Energy,Negative), 0.63% Defense(Ranged)
- 1.25% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 0.63% Defense(Melee)
(Spin)- MezResist(Stun) 2.2%
- 3% DamageBuff(All)
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 3.75% Defense(Melee), 1.88% Defense(Lethal), 1.88% Defense(Smashing)
(Follow Up)- 5% JumpSpeed, 5% JumpHeight, 5% FlySpeed, 5% RunSpeed
- 28.11 HP (1.88%) HitPoints
- 2.5% (0.04 End/sec) Recovery
- 2.5% DamageBuff(All)
- 2.5% Defense(Melee), 1.25% Defense(Lethal), 1.25% Defense(Smashing), 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative), 2.5% Defense(AoE), 1.25% Defense(Fire), 1.25% Defense(Cold)
(Static Shield)- MezResist(Immobilize) 1.1%
- 1.25% Defense(Energy,Negative), 0.63% Defense(Ranged)
- 1.25% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 0.63% Defense(Melee)
(Boxing)- MezResist(Immobilize) 2.75%
- 22.49 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
- 3.75% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 1.88% Defense(Melee)
(Grounded)- 1.5% (0.03 End/sec) Recovery
- 3% Defense(Melee), 3% Defense(AoE), 3% Defense(Ranged), 3% Defense(Smashing), 3% Defense(Lethal), 3% Defense(Fire), 3% Defense(Cold), 3% Defense(Energy), 3% Defense(Negative), 3% Defense(Psionic)
- Knockback (Mag -4), Knockup (Mag -4)
(Focus)- 1.8% Max End
- MezResist(Held) 2.75%
- 2.5% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 1.25% Defense(Melee)
- 3.13% Defense(Fire,Cold), 1.56% Defense(AoE)
- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Weave)- 10% (0.62 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Lightning Field)- MezResist(Stun) 2.2%
- 3% DamageBuff(All)
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 3.75% Defense(Melee), 1.88% Defense(Lethal), 1.88% Defense(Smashing)
(Eviscerate)- MezResist(Stun) 2.2%
- 3% DamageBuff(All)
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 3.75% Defense(Melee), 1.88% Defense(Lethal), 1.88% Defense(Smashing)
(Energize)- MezResist(Terrorized) 2.2%
- 1.26% Resistance(Fire,Cold)
- 4% Enhancement(Heal)
- 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Shockwave)- 44.98 HP (3%) HitPoints
- 5% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 2.5% Defense(Melee)
(Power Surge)- 3% Defense(Melee), 3% Defense(AoE), 3% Defense(Ranged), 3% Defense(Smashing), 3% Defense(Lethal), 3% Defense(Fire), 3% Defense(Cold), 3% Defense(Energy), 3% Defense(Negative), 3% Defense(Psionic)
(Brawl)- MezResist(Immobilize) 2.75%
- 22.49 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
- 3.75% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 1.88% Defense(Melee)
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Quote:Agreed. However many chose to go for another farming build because SS/Fire tends to be a very boring build. Without serious IO slotting, its not that strong in regular PVE. Very tedious getting up to level 28, at least compared to a Claws/ character.Originally Posted by DoctorWhat
The reason SS/FA is considered the best farmer is because of Footstomp and Rage.
Footstomp might be SS's only AoE, but it is very good. And Rage is 2 minutes of power boosted goodness over most sets 10 seconds. -
Quote:After playing a Claws/Electric to 50, and having to develop strategies to not die when Overload crashes, the SS/* Rage crash is hardly noticeable to me now.Originally Posted by Runo
Agreed. I actually think Claws would be a pretty boss-like farmer just because you have a lot in the way of high-damage, quick-recharging area/cone attack options.
Also, as someone who's been farming on SS/ for years now, I can say that constantly clicking and having Rage crash nonstop can get a little frustrating after a while.
The only problem I foresee with Claws/Fire is that you don't have the mitigation that Foot Stamp or Overload gives you. But at the same time, a Followup-Burn-Spin-Eviscerate perma-attack-chain sounds pretty enticing. Not to mention that Overload is pointless on a farm run. -
Quote:Shadow Maul has a slow animation but in large mobs where you can aim the cone right it is worth it (i.e. when farming). In the early levels I used it hand in hand with Sands of Mu when doing 0/8 farms. If you are fighting a single target, then obviously do an ST attack chain.Originally Posted by mutagon
thanks for the input, this is not the builds i currently run but one i was playing with. I will take some of your things into consideration and fiddle a bit more. The power placement isn't the way i chose them as i leveld just the way i chose them while on Mids, also, the energy mastery is what i currently have, but if i have my druthers i would like to get over to redside and pick up the patron soul. I kinda like the spring attack, but im not married to it, and don't you find shadow maul to have a kinda slow animation? anyways, i'll try to post another build in a bit for a look over, thanks for your time
Spring attack is a nice power, but requires three power slots to get. So I don't usually take it (or any travel power). Again, I use Ninja Run, Hoverboard and temp powers to fly in combat if needed. The Seed Collectors in First Ward sell 90 minutes of flight for 1,000 influence. So between all of the above, I can pass on the travel pools.
DM/Fire/Soul kicks donkey.
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In short spurts, anything with an AOE that comes up every 10 seconds can farm. It just requires purples.
It is hard to beat CEBR. Spin + Lightning Field + Overload + Hasten + Soft Capped Defense via Purple Pez.
I haven't experimented with farming other toons in a CEBR farm much. -
Quote:The only time my Claws/Electric dies is when I: A) Get distracted and forget to hit Power Sift and run out of blue, or B) Somehow take the alpha strike of a mob just after the Overload crash.Originally Posted by Erratic
It is kinda fun seeing what you can survive and trying to push the envelope. But when you push too far death can be awfully sudden. Basic routine is to run in, Soul Drain, and while going to single target town allow Lightning Field to be grinding away on everything around you. A lot of times I toss in Dark Consumption just for the damage because it will be back before I can run low on endurance. A quite often Power Sink is getting popped too, in part for surviving the alpha strike and in part for the cost reduction it provides.
The real work before me is to purchase IO sets and get my defenses up. I also need to finish my character's transition to villain to acquire the proper epic pool.
DM/Electric is arguably more survivable and has ST control powers, but it is simple hard to beat Spin or Burn on Auto. -
I agree with the two builds concept. As in, keep your S/L build, but then build a ranged build. Then see which one is more survivable, post your results here and then share with the community.
But I think the argument for ranged can be explained by the fact that only so many characters can attack you at once in melee, but an entire room can attack you with ranged. -
I do not have mids at work, so I cannot offer an alternative build. But I have been working on a DM/Fire build for a few weeks on and off. So I have a few suggestions based on what I can see in your build.
1. Fire Shield/Plasma Shield need to be slotted better. I would stick the Steadfast Protection unique and KB protection in Temperature protection. I would 4-slot FS and PS with Reactive Armor. You did it backwards in your build (I'm not sure why).
2. You took a lot of pool powers but not many Epics. Accuracy is pretty easy to get with sets, so I wouldn't take tactics since its another toggle. Fighting powers are pretty good but I would take them earlier for when you exemplar. I would drop some of the pool powers in the build and trade them for one of the epics. With 3-slotted stamina, consume and dark consumption, you really don't need superior condition (read: overkill). So I would consider Earth or Pyre on blue side or Mu or Darkness on red side. Conceptually, darkness or pyre would streamline well with DM/Fire for obvious reasons.
3. Leaping: Three power slots used up for a travel power, a defense mule, and an aoe attack that pales in comparison to burn. Personally, I use Ninja Run, Hoverboard, and temporary powers for my travels. Over in First Ward you can actually buy 90 minutes of flight for 1,000 influence from Seed Collectors, so at the beginning of the day with my 50s I go over there real quick, buy 10hrs worth and I'm good. This is assuming you have the inf (at 10,000/day, its pretty affordable). So I never put travel pools in my build. Hoverboard/Flying Carpet and Ninja Run/Beast Run are definitely worth the investment. You will not regret spending the Paragon Points.
4. Leadership: Unless I have room in my build for Vengeance, which is useful in TFs/iTrials, etc, I only take Manuevers as a last resort (i.e. My build is so lame another 2% defense is worth it). Of course, it can be a mule if you don't want another toggle on.
5. Consume/Dark Consumption: Since you have two stamina draining powers, you have the option to slot one them for PBAOE damage instead of endurance. Eradication is okay, but I would opt for Obliteration if I could afford it since it doesn't cap out until later.
6. Psionic Resistance: All psionic attacks are ranged. Well, most. So building up ranged defense is probably more effective than using the Aegis unique in your build. Especially when another set would offer better defense.
7. Shadow Maul: Obliteration. Nuff said.
8. Fiery Embrace: I'm not sure if it'll take it, but if it will, Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control six-slotted has a nice defense bonus for build up type powers.
Anyway, that's all for now. I created a similar thread called DM/Fire last week, and may have posted a build there you could take a look at. If not, then I guess this is all.
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Okay, well at least you have access. Does the market exist in Praetoria? AE? Couldn't figure out what it would be called. Is it the building of tech?
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Honestly, it comes down to which powersets you want. Spines, for instance, is an awesome power set but unique to scrappers. Super Strength, not for scrappers. I think brutes win out in the long run because survivability makes damage output higher.
The other thing to consider is that Brutes do not have a damage cap at level 1, so its possible to use reds in AE missions to kill large mobs fairly quickly, but examplared down you still get the same level of XP. The devs will probably nerf it eventually, but for now that brings Brutes out in front for me because of the faster leveling. -
Is it true that Praetorian toons can't access Ancillary/Patron pools because they are from another dimension? If that is the case, they should have their own epic pools. WTF, devs? That almost seals the deal for me. I might play the content up to level 20, but then abandon the toon. That really kills what could have been an otherwise awesome expansion to the game.
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Quote:+1Originally Posted by BarbaricPenguin
I can comment on the /electric set having been leveling a brute with it the past couple of weeks. You may not need to put more than 3 slots in stamina. With recharges in power sink, it is up often enough that I can fill my end bar regularly. I just love watching the mobs blue go away while mine fills up. Mobs with no blue do little damage, too.
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I wouldn't worry about burning a respec. I mean, you have 2 builds anyway. Treat one as your leveling build and the other as your end game build. Then blow a respec, but I can't imagine needing three on an SO build.
Picking Epic pools is tough. You might want to consider keeping Energy Mastery on an SO toon though. But the other option I would consider is Earth. Claws/Fire has plenty of AOE damage with Spin-Burn-Eviscerate-Blazing Aura. But what you lack is Control. Salt Crystals is usually pretty effective with just a single accuracy SO/IO for freezing mobs. But the real boon to your arsenal is Quicksand, the AOE defense debuff that reacharges pretty quick. You could always go with Pyre Mastery, but it offers only ST controls.
Honestly though, I would always worry about Endurance with an SO-build so Energy Mastery is an okay choice. But what I often do even with IO builds is have one Epic in one build and another in the other. For instance, you might want to have extra range attacks when fighting monsters like Hamidon as a brute, but want the control of Earth when playing normally. -
Quote:Well, the answer is simple. You will be chomping reds in a farm. So recharge and endurance will matter more over the long haul.Originally Posted by Papaschtroumpf
no damage? why? fury? wouldn't it still multiply with the enhance damage?
Also, since I would like to farm with this build, I figured FA would help miss less when fighting purples, even though it's End heavy.
A single accuracy so in a power offers far more acc than fa and costs no endurance. You will want the end that fa uses more than the tohitbuff since you aren't getting sets. You canfarm just fine at +2 and probably quicker. -
You will have near immunity to energy out of the box. If you want immunity to psionic, it would be most effective to build up ranged defense. Most people slot with either defense or recharge in mind. Not sure if the Hetacomb is worth the investment unless you plan on slotting the set. You can buy 100 TOD: Chance of Negative proc Ios for the price of that hetacomb. Maximizing damage is probably less important than staying alive. Hard to kill mobs when you keep visiting the hospital.
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As a brute, I would hesitate to slot for damage. And instead of Focus Accuracy I would take superior conditioning. I would go with 2 accuracy, 2 recharge and 2 endmod with spin and eviscerate. Maybe three recharge in spin. But SO builds are pretty straight forward. Since you have consume, I would focus on recharge in each power.
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Quote:Very true. Of course, everything is awesome at Level 50, the right slotting and right incarnates. Energize + Siphon Life = Good Heals. Power Sift + Dark Consumption = Unlimited Stamina. DM/Fire is probably even more ridiculous in this area because its heals are both available before level 10.Originally Posted by Erratic
What I am about to say may not hold true at higher levels, but I find that Soul Drain plus Lightning Field does a decent amount of area damage for the duration of Soul Drain. True, it is limited to the recharge rate of Soul Drain. However if you can come close to perma-Hasten Soul Drain would be available basically every time its duration ended--so Lightning Field could be putting out enhanced damage. Add too the power of Epic sets under influence from Soul Drain. Hmmm. . .if I manage to take this build to 50 and if I am able to find the influence to kite it out properly I may have to see what sort of farmer it makes.
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Quote:The whole game is full of cliches.Originally Posted by slythetic
Well are you trying to see these places for lore? For aesthetics?
In terms of leveling speed and ease best to worst its probably, blue, red, yellow. In general it seems the newer the content the more challenging.
For lore, I'm not sure. I generally find redside to have the most interesting writing I found praetoria to be very unininspired and often cliche, but in a game that often deals with moral absolutes those can be more common.
Since this is the brute forum I'll leave with, don't level a regen or wp brute in praetoria.
Edit: You can always ouroboros your way through the arcs later if you want to see. I'm not sure about praetoria on that...., but that way you could see most of the content if that's the goal. But Praetoria just looks alot different than Paragon City. Since I am unfamiliar with Praetoria, why wouldn't I want to level a WP/Regen brute there? I was actually thinking about a traditional SS/Invuln "Superman" build, playing it slow, getting into the RP side of it. I like brutes because most of the time I prefer playing solo. Not that I'm antisocial, but I find the pace to be quicker. Team play is alot of sitting around waiting for the leader to recruit and everyone to show up and I am only a part-time player so when I'm logged on I want to be in the middle of the action. The one exception is playing the market, which I find very entertaining.
Just the experience of going through the portal on Talos Island, into the Underground, and then up into First Ward... seeing this entire new area that I had never seen before and basically discovered by accident. It was very cool. But it is probably a different experience starting out in Praetoria. -
Hey all. I've been playing COH since 2006 on and off. After three years off, I returned to the game on Freedom server just in January 2012. So much has changed, including the incarnate system etc.
I love playing brutes as a part time player. But I have only been playing blue side brutes because of the familiarity. However, after getting to level 50 with my claws/electric in AE and venturing out to explore, I found the Talos Island portal to The Underground and First Ward. I have also played Brutes up to teens on red side, but not much farther.
For people with experience doing all three, how can one get the full brute experience with one character? I know its possible, but what is the most rewarding path in terms of story, and more importantly, build development (i.e. patron powers). There seem to be so many possible paths. If one levels to 50 doing mostly AE missions for expediency, can one go back and see the world? Or are you limited?
I am considering rolling non-farming brute in Praetoria because I love how exotic it looks. But there didn't seem to be anyone over there. So, is Atlas Park still the best option? Or should I branch out? -
Quote:*/ELA gets less flack than DM. The primary reason that DM gets flack is that most people use their brutes to farm. A DM/ELA brute has no AOE attack chain to speak of. The very nature of brute fury is that you attract/attack large crowds. Having a primary set of nothing but ST damage slows you down alot.Originally Posted by Erratic
For various reasons I didn't feel like working on any of my existing characters. The need to make a Staff Fighting character not being fulfilled because the powerset has not been released, I decided to try out a build which on paper seemed to address the two headaches I have when making and playing a melee character--endurance and healing. So I started a Dark Melee/Electrical Armor brute with no great hope for it to have anything else going for it above my other melee characters.
32 levels later, I have to say I think I was woefully underestimating the potential of the build. Heck, I'm in love. I can't wait to get back home and play the character. He may not be silly unstoppable, but darn if he doesn't stand up to a heck of a beating while dishing it right back.
Why when I search do I find virtually no conversation on this particular combination of powersets?
Yeah, I know DM is definitely short on AE powers and there is much dislike of Shadow Maul. I have also seen some criticisms of Electrical Armor in terms of squishiness (though I certainly have not found that to be the case). Still, I learned to reliably put things in SM's cone (target center of group, take a step back, use SM) back on my Dark/Inv scrapper, DM doesn't do much in the way of AE but Soul Drain backing up Lightning Field does put out some nice damage, and if Electrical Armor is kinda squishy, every 3rd attack being Siphon Life keeps me from noticing. And being able to laugh at Super Stunners and Sapper. . .Priceless!
So what gives?
I have been flirting with a DM/Fire build for a while, and have even rolled one several times. The highest I've gotten with a DM/Fire is level 24. DM simple takes too long to level, even though it is pretty darn effective against bosses in regular play.
Personally, I think that DM/ELA would be a fun build. But I would miss AOE too much. There's something about watching ten minions fall after your first attack, leaving just a boss left. With DM/ELA it just isn't possible. Same goes for DM/non-damage aura toons of all varieties. -
Quote:Not to mention that the primary strength of Claws is its nearly permanent attack chain of FollowUp-Spin-Eviscerate. Probably the only weakness of claws is that its all lethal damage. DPS attack chains are one thing, but what matters more is how much damage is actually dealt to mobs. Of course, in AE its irrelevant, which is why Claws is such a good farming set.Originally Posted by ClawsandEffect
It also assumes that Fiery Aura and Soul Mastery are the only things EVER paired with Super Strength
What about hero brutes who never cross to villainside to pick up Patron pools?
Also: I didn't mention it before, but the thread Auroxis linked to showing Claws as the second lowest ST DPS set was written almost 3 years ago.....Claws has been buffed since then. And Brute Claws didn't even exist then to compare to.
This thread gives a much clearer, and more realistic picture, and it does so using attack chains attainable by your average player, without a crazy build: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=132894\
As you can see there, when the sets are compared only using attacks found in the set, Claws comes in 3rd place for ST DPS, behind only Fire Melee and.....Energy. You have to look quite a ways down the list to find SS.