Mr_Grumpums

I love my WS to pieces, and have ever since I got him up to the point where I saw how some of its powers could come together to make some "Seriously sikk komboz!" that most other sets can't duplicate. Right now, my Warshade summons two Extracted Essences out at once to help deal damage so that my damage is high, even when in dwarf form. In Nova Form, it's like having an AoE firing squad.

I love my PB to little, tiny shreds of confetti, and I have ever since I got Dwarf for and its melee strikes. I finally just respecc'd out of Nova form and made a Bi-form build based on quickly bouncing between Human and Dwarf Form and juggling mobs in the air, punctuated by exploding punches innaface. Seekers? Just another Melee attack. I drop 'em on top of an enemy as soon as they recharge. Pulsar is the third part of my opening attack. Warp in with Dwarf form, Stomp, go human, stomp, and Pulsar. Pulsar's low accuracy is boosted by global accuracy boosts and made more effective by the twin 18% defense debuffs that the stomps laid down, keeping minions occupied while the lieutenants and bosses are destroyed.

Did it take a while to get the powers I wanted? Not really. I just teamed with some friends while they teased me for playing Khelds until I respec'd into a build that I liked, and soon enough they stopped teasing. Because they got bored with it. The jerks.

Cool. Thanks for your opinions. Sorry if I hijacked the thread....

Here's a rough build I slapped together in Suckerpunch. Comments?

Feel free to call me any name in the book if you think I made a stupid mistake. George, Paul, John, or even Ringo! I can take it!

+----------------------------------------------------------------
+ Built with SuckerPunch's Online Planner v5.0
+ http://planner.cohtitan.com/planner
+----------------------------------------------------------------
Archetype: Defender
Primary: Trick Arrow
Secondary: Assault Rifle
+----------------------------------------------------------------

01: Flash Arrow => Empty(1), Empty(15), Empty(43), Empty(45), Empty(46)
01: Burst => Empty(1)
02: Glue Arrow => Empty(2), Empty(3), Empty(3)
04: Buckshot => Empty(4), Empty(5), Empty(5), Empty(11), Empty(11)
06: Ice Arrow => Empty(6), Empty(7), Empty(7), Empty(9), Empty(9)
08: Hurdle => Empty(8)
10: Combat Jumping => Empty(10)
12: Acid Arrow => Empty(12), Empty(13), Empty(13), Empty(15), Empty(46)
14: Super Jump => Empty(14)
16: Health => Empty(16), Empty(17), Empty(17)
18: Disruption Arrow => Empty(18), Empty(19), Empty(19)
20: Stamina => Empty(20), Empty(21), Empty(21), Empty(40)
22: Hasten => Empty(22), Empty(23), Empty(23)
24: Beanbag => Empty(24), Empty(25), Empty(25), Empty(37)
26: Oil Slick Arrow => Empty(26), Empty(27), Empty(27), Empty(31), Empty(34), Empty(37)
28: Flamethrower => Empty(28), Empty(29), Empty(29), Empty(31), Empty(31), Empty(37)
30: Stimulant => Empty(30)
32: EMP Arrow => Empty(32), Empty(33), Empty(33), Empty(33), Empty(34), Empty(34)
35: Ignite => Empty(35), Empty(36), Empty(36), Empty(36)
38: Full Auto => Empty(38), Empty(39), Empty(39), Empty(39), Empty(40), Empty(40)
41: Aid Self => Empty(41), Empty(42), Empty(42), Empty(42), Empty(43), Empty(43)
44: Conserve Power => Empty(44), Empty(45), Empty(45)
47: Temp Invulnerability => Empty(47), Empty(48), Empty(48), Empty(48)
49: M30 Grenade => Empty(49), Empty(50), Empty(50), Empty(50)

+----------------------------------------------------------------
+ Inherent Powers
+----------------------------------------------------------------

01: Brawl => Empty(1)
01: Sprint => Empty(1)
02: Rest => Empty(2)

On Virtue server, at least, the sets that people grab for defense bonuses have skyrocketed in price. My friend is spending BILLIONS in order to softcap his SS/Shield brute, and she still isn't done.

If you have the kind of scratch needed to softcap it, then I say go for a Stone/Shield, and also see about throwing in lots of Recovery and some accuracy. Stone is an endurance-intensive set, but the Bonuses from Against all Odds should puts its ST attacks damage into the Stratosphere while you're waiting for Shield Bash to recharge.

I personally have a Stone/WP Brute that I really like, but it's taken me a lot of influence and both Stamina and QR in order to make Seismic Smash part of my regular attack chain (the ST damage is well worth it, however, and the Hold component of the power rarely takes effect because it tends to one-shot lieutenants and bosses). I had to get a friend to make the build, since I don't have Mids on my mac. We focused on Defense first, then recovery, regeneration, and accuracy. Some small damage bonuses were thrown in while accumulating the ones that were a priority.

I don't claim to be an expert on builds, but I don't think that I'd put those slots into Brawl if I could avoid it at any cost.

I've got a Fire/Kin Corr, which I made in Issue 5 before Archery was a set that Corrupters could use. How does a Fire/Kin compare with an Archery/Kin?

I had an idea for a character who carries a bow for firing specially designed rapid-deployment traps (an alt of a Traps/Sonic Defender called Defengineer) and an Assault Rifle for actually SHOOTING things, especially one he can make himself with various kinds of ammo and modular doodads like, uh, a flamethrower.

Has anyone made a TA/AR Defender, yet? If so, what is your take on it? It looks like it would have decent damage for a Defender, with Oil Slick Arrow, Flamethrower, Ignite, Glue Arrow, the res debuffs, and Full Auto. I don't know how people on teams would like it, however.

I like Scrappers, and I like Brutes.

I like my DB/WP Scrapper as a Scrapper, because those Critical Strikes seem so much better with all of the attacks it throws out, and it nearly has brute-level health and protection, plus mitigation from Sweep Combo's KD. With all its recovery, Sweep Combo can be spammed almost constantly so that enemies barely get a hit off, which would make building Fury more difficult.

My Claws/Elec Brute simply keeps attacking everything in sight with rapid-fire claw attacks until his starts building, and things begin to drop faster, and then faster again, and again, and then again, and then I remember I have Hasten so Spin comes up twice as fast so everything drops even faster AGAIN, and then the mission is done and I'm wondering when the heck I popped Surge of Power and WHY IS THERE AN AV LYING ON THE FLOOR WHAT IS GOING ON?

Don't give up. Once you get Psychic Shockwave at level 38, you'll be a nasty Mother Stunner. As you already know, Singularity will help, too.

Kat/Regen is a solid scrapper, and pretty good for someone new to the AT (not that scrapping is exactly HARD, mind you...). I'm running a Fire/Fire Scrapper right now that I originally made for concept. It surprised me how fun it was, however. I can't wait to get the Fire epic for the Ring of Fire and Burn combo.

Like the song! "I fell into a burning Ring of Fire, and it Burns, Burns, Burns, Burns, Burns."

I read the title of this thread, and the part of me that loves to purposefully misunderstand abbreviations screamed out at the top of its imaginary lungs "Peanut Butter or Worcester? How ODD!"

That being said, I think that all the explaining in the world isn't quite as good as playing both and seeing the difference for yourself. Yes, they have a lot of powers that LOOK the same, minus the colors, but their health, powers, and other things are totally different, like comparing a defender to a controller.

I'd say Fire or Ice paired with Dark or Radiation.

My first Corrupter was a Fire/Kin, and while it's now so strong that it can be almost boring to play, there was a STEEP learning curve, and it devoured endurance so fast that I had to act primarily as support (With the occasional Fireball and Blaze) until level 35 when I got Transference and suddenly became a horrible, terrifying monster. The only problem that it still has is a lack of mitigation. I do not recommend it for a first corrupter.

I got up to level 10, and so far I'm enjoying the challenge. It lacks control in the early levels, no doubt, but I'm doing fairly well with just Lift and Gravity Anchor. Build up is on the way at level 16, and the ToHit buff, though not as good as Aim, will be as welcome as the added damage.

I'm hoping that getting Gravity Distortion Field and Wormhole will help meet my control needs before I get Singularity.

My Plants/TA Controller is a control and debuffing monster. It also gets great control early. By level 12 it had Seeds of Confusion and 2 ST holds. Getting the Fire Epic gave it enough damage, when combined powers in the primary and secondary, to be able to solo pretty darn well, too, though it isn't in the same realm as an Illusion ot Fire controller.

It's a build I don't see often, but I thought it was a whole lot of fun.

I'm running a lv 42 (almost 43) Claws/Elec brute, and it's having a pretty rough time on teams with the difficulty jacked up. The brute is usually expected to run in and take the alpha, but in a +4/8 Player difficulty team mine will get slaughtered every time if he runs straight in. I don't have access to Mids (I'm a Mac user, and I couldn't make my emulator run Mids due to some language packet), and I don't know how all the rules on limits of IO bonuses, etc. The only thing I know I can do without IOs is to go into the fighting pool and pick Tough, but I don't see that fixing even half of my problems when there is so much energy and toxic damage flying around.

Which sets would you recommend I invest in to raise resistance, recharge, accuracy, and damage for a Claws/Electric Brute?

I'd say Fire/MM. This is an absolutely biased opinion. I just don't like the look of Archery/Mental for some reason that I can't explain, and I love my own Fire/MM Blaster.

If I remember correctly, the Dominator with the highest overall Control AND damage is a Mind/Fire.

I don't know very much about either Gravity or Electric Assault, and I had an idea for a Mu Dom that this combination seems made for. I rolled it up to level 2 before logging, and I liked the Star Wars Dark Side-esque look to the toon, what with the waving hands and raising people into the air and then electrocuting them. The fact that you can also punch/electrocute them makes it even better, as does the reality warping as you get higher leveled.

What should I expect this character to be like, progression-wise? Are there powers I should absolutely avoid? Is this a viable Dominator that people will want to team with? WILL IT BLEND?

For Farming, you'll want a Fire/Psy. It can stacks stuns and has more damage in the primary. Mind lacks the constant AoE damage you need to farm, even with /Psy or /Thorns.

That being said, a Mind/Psy will have a long way to 50, but it's a good team and solo character, especially after getting Psychic Shockwave at lv 38. Mind/Thorns has more damage at the beginning, and it also carries debuffs, so you'll have an easier time leveling pre-38. Both will need you to be in or close to melee range in order to use its powers.

Well a Kinetics character has Inertial Reduction and Repel, which sort of fits what you seems to be looking for in the bouncing department. Inertial Reduction isn't suppressed, so you can bounce around in the middle of a fight.

I'll throw out some power combinations that might fit the bill:

Kinetics/Energy Defender

Kinetics/Sonic Defender

Force Field/Energy Defender

MA/WP Scrapper or MA/SR Scrappers can be a concept for just about anything, I guess.

Energy/Energy Blaster

Gravity/Kinetics Controller

Gravity/Force Field Controller

Earth/Kinetics Controller

Earth/Force Field Controller

Hope these might give you an idea or two.

Let me just emphasize the amount of pure unadulterated WIN that the change to Cosmic Balance has made for teaming as a peacebringer. The only reason I keep my peacebringer as a Triform is because Nova Form becomes a MONSTER with Cosmic Awareness and the right team that grnts bonuses to damage and resistance.

Also, the Dwarf Form can have as much resistance as a Tanker, etc. The formation of the team really influences which form my PB uses at any given time.

I agree with the above poster, though I still keep the Fitness pool on My Sonic/MM blaster. Drain Psyche is a wonderful power, but sometimes it misses or only hits one enemy, and I like to be able to fight even if it tanks.

I'd say an /Elec Brute, personally. I like Electric Armor better than Fiery Aura. It has Knockback protection, Lightning Reflexes, and Surge of Power to help keep you going, as well as Energize to heal, boost regeneration, and reduce endurance consumption.

As for the primary, nothing in Brutes matches Spines very well, and a Spines brute would be insane and ridiculous...So expect it once the game starts lose subscribers after the bump it will get after Going Rogue releases. Until then, Fire Melee, Claws, or Electrical Melee are probably your best bets.

Fire Melee has big damage, but no debuffs. The added DoT really helps is kill things off quickly. If you go for Fire Melee, you might want to pick Fiery Aura for the secondary. Fiery Embrace is a very good damage buff.

Claws gains Fury quickly, has a sweet PBAoE, A ranged ST attack, a ranged Cone attack, and a melee cone attack, plus Follow Up, which is a weak attack that has a damage and ToHit buff which you can stack, kind of like a permanent build up. Its powers are actually pretty similiar to spines, only instead of Quils you get Spin, and instead of the added debuffs you get reduced recharge time and endurance cost.

Electrical Melee has plenty of AoEs and Lightning Rod, which is a really fun power to use.

I've seen Claws/Dark scrappers before, and they were pretty solid, especially after dumping a few billion in IOs into the build. You still might want to slot for endurance in some of your powers. Oh, and be sure to slap a few procs into Death Shroud, especially the -Res proc. I just got it for my Claws/Elec Brute, and it really helps to make large groups of enemies drop quickly.