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The Fury bar has to be a little over half-filled before the typical Brute's damage output equals the typical Scrapper, right? Not terribly difficult even at the lowest levels and certainly not at the highest. There will be moments below the Scrapper level and there will be moments above. Neither will last terribly long.

I think you might be getting too hung up looking for vulnerabilities. It's a set weakness, not a vulnerability. Instead of looking for "what is the set vulnerable to" look for "what doesn't the set do well". For many sets, at least one of their weaknesses is a vulnerability. In WP's case, it isn't and it only has one weakness really.

WP isn't that bad at eating alphas. My DB/WP Brute was weak to alphas (SOs, usually +2 diff, teams of 3+), then I added Tough & Weave and it wasn't. He's no Stone Tanker, but he's still plenty well protected and I haven't thrown sets on him yet. WP Tankers are even better.

Looking at the numbers, I'm likely happier taking an alpha on a WP Tanker than an Elec at equivalent levels, pools, and slotting (more HP & regen). Fire and Dark are questionable, but they do have self-heals that can literally pull them back from the brink. Even Ice is debateable until you get IO sets to softcap, due to the gambling nature of defense-based sets.

Shield Scrappers & Brutes are the game's aggro kings, whether they're stripping from WP Tankers or any other Tanker out there. Barring liberal use of Taunt by the Tanker, they have to cause 33% more damage in most cases, which isn't difficult at all for those ATs. Even with liberal use of Taunt, it's still possible if the Tanker isn't throwing enough DPS.

Tankers get Combustion (PBAOE) instead of Cremate (ST) in Fiery Melee. So if I'm thinking about Fiery Melee, then I tend to lean toward */Fire Tankers instead of Scrappers or Brutes. You won't do more damage than either Scrappers or Brutes, but your survivability will be much higher and you'll get to enjoy an extra AOE. If you go with WP as a Tanker primary, then the extra AOE is a godsend for managing aggro. If you go with Elec/Fire or Shield/Fire, then you get another AOE.

SS is weak for AOE for a long time and only ever gets one PBAOE damage attack at 32nd level. Footstomp is crazy good, but it's one power, you wait forever to get it, and you have to be on the ground to use it (in case anyone was looking at flight). It's great for single-target damage, though. If you're going to dump a ton of inf into the build, you can get Footstomp recharging pretty regularly.

IMO, Elec/* and Claws/* are probably the best Brute primaries for AOEs. DB/* can be good for AOE if you avoid clicky secondaries to keep your combos flowing.

I would recommend an Elec/Shield Brute for farming. Tankers have better survivability, but softcapped is softcapped. AAO is an amazing damage buff (as well as a helpful damage debuff to opponents) and you'll have big-hitting teleporting PBAOEs. When you aren't leading with those, you can lead with Chain Induction, pop Thunder Strike, and then Jacob's Ladder for whatever is left.

Shield/Elec. Great AOE possibilities and great damage. Great survivability and tanking ability. Next choice would be Shield/Mace.

The extra accuracy will also be well worth it if any enemies have to-hit debuffs or any sort of defense. Two is generally my minimum, but I apparently play it a bit safer than Bionic might.

I'd recommend a Fire/* Blaster. Fire/Ice sounds really fun at the moment, because the controls of the */Ice set appeal to me. Blasters never seem to have the levelling issues of other ATs, either. Good fun from 1-50.

I'd also recommend a */Shield Brute or Scrapper. You'll send Tankers into fits stripping away aggro, you'll be able to handle that aggro, and your progression through your primary will keep you rolling in useful attacks from day one. For a good AOE-heavy primary, try Electrical Melee. You'd have the potential for three damaging PBAOEs and one cone for plenty of crowd-crushing action.

I agree with the VEAT suggestions, but would also add Kheldians. You want to be tough? Switch to dwarf form. You want to be blasty? Nova. You want a little of both? Human. All sorts of set possibilities and fun to be had.

Double down with Dark/Dark and go have some clicky fun.

The big question is why single-target DPS? Do you plan to solo AVs and pylons? Are you looking at Zone PVP? Is there fiteclub in your future? The "why" would help determine the best option.

Oh absolutely! Even with all toggles going, low level Tankers are in trouble in this game. They can grab aggro through Gauntlet (like it or not), but they can't survive it that well until SOs come into play. I have a new tank running through Praetoria now, which is even less kind with its ambushes and chain aggro rooms of doom.

Here is a simple Inv/SS build based on SOs. It's cheap, very effective, and easy to do. It'll perform well anywhere and has enough endurance reduction to keep it going for quite a while.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.803
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Technology Tanker
Primary Power Set: Invulnerability
Secondary Power Set: Super Strength
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Temp Invulnerability -- ResDam(A), ResDam(3), ResDam(3), EndRdx(36), EndRdx(43), EndRdx(46)
Level 1: Jab -- Acc(A), Acc(7), Dmg(7), Dmg(9), EndRdx(9), EndRdx(11)
Level 2: Dull Pain -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(5), RechRdx(5), Heal(17), Heal(17), Heal(43)
Level 4: Haymaker -- Acc(A), Acc(11), Dmg(13), Dmg(13), EndRdx(15), EndRdx(15)
Level 6: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff(A)
Level 8: Unyielding -- ResDam(A), ResDam(27), ResDam(31), EndRdx(36), EndRdx(40), EndRdx(46)
Level 10: Taunt -- Taunt(A), Taunt(34), Taunt(34)
Level 12: Swift -- Run(A)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Jump(A)
Level 16: Health -- Heal(A), Heal(37), Heal(37)
Level 18: Invincibility -- DefBuff(A), DefBuff(19), DefBuff(19), EndRdx(36), EndRdx(37)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod(A), EndMod(21), EndMod(21)
Level 22: Knockout Blow -- Acc(A), Acc(23), Dmg(23), Dmg(25), RechRdx(25), EndRdx(27)
Level 24: Resist Energies -- ResDam(A), ResDam(31), ResDam(31)
Level 26: Tough Hide -- DefBuff(A), DefBuff(33), DefBuff(33)
Level 28: Rage -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(29), RechRdx(29)
Level 30: Resist Elements -- ResDam(A), ResDam(33), ResDam(34)
Level 32: Resist Physical Damage -- ResDam(A)
Level 35: Boxing -- Acc(A)
Level 38: Foot Stomp -- Acc(A), Acc(39), Dmg(39), Dmg(39), RechRdx(40), EndRdx(40)
Level 41: Tough -- ResDam(A), ResDam(42), ResDam(42), EndRdx(42), EndRdx(43), EndRdx(48)
Level 44: Weave -- DefBuff(A), DefBuff(45), DefBuff(45), EndRdx(45), EndRdx(46), EndRdx(50)
Level 47: Hasten -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(48), RechRdx(48)
Level 49: Unstoppable -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(50), RechRdx(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Run(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 4: Ninja Run

From a numbers standpoint, anyone can get pretty amazing defense through IO sets now. If you use a resistance-based set and slot for defense, then you get significantly tougher. With Ice, you'll never be able to get your S/L/E/N resists even to half the level of your resistance-based peers and 1/3 is likely out of reach for all of them. You'll be able to softcap defenses, but so will those resistance-based sets (they just have to spend more). The debuffs are nice, but don't match the combo of high resists and high defense for survivability.

And, of course, the set just looks terrible. The armors desperately need a more form-fitting look.

My only rough spot with blueside MMs so far has been cave missions. It can be a bit of a chore to try to wade through all those pets to get anything done and it's all too easy to find yourself staring at the backside of a giant demon for most of the mission.

Strategically, the math always favors a tightly packed group of opponents subjected to a deluge of AOEs. Whatever it takes to make that happen will be more efficient than a mad scramble. Players can play however they want to, redside or blueside, but that won't change the math. Teams without AOE damage just don't have the option of efficiency, so they can go with the scramble without much loss, if any.

What's probably most important is that the team has a clear idea of how things are going to happen. If Blasters are going to be left to their own aggro because "Brutes aren't Tankers!", then they need to know that. If Dominators are supposed to wait for a herd or corner pull before firing off their AOE hold, then they need to know that. Most will figure it out after the first couple fights, but you might need to send a tell if things are getting out of hand.

Brophog02, your timing argument is moot after the first 0-2 seconds of combat (depending on how long it takes to get the attention of the next group, which hopefully occurs before the previous one is down) and even the most twitchy of Blasters can wait that long. After that, only KB can screw things up by introducing scatter.

If a Fire Blaster throws out an AOE too early and he dies, so be it. If he can hold off that 0-2 seconds, he'll hit even more targets with that AOE goodness and won't harm efficiency in any way (Rain of Fire being a possible exception, but it at least has a slow component). If an Energy Blaster doesn't wait, same result. He will die, too. The targets may be knocked back for a second, but they get up and say: oh look, the guy who hit me! They'll also be more scattered, so they won't be mitigated as easily by others. If an Energy Blaster does wait and then throws in an AOE KB effect, then the team loses a huge amount of efficiency due to the scatter.

Accidentally targeting anchors, ruining other characters' AOEs, wrecking taunt... KB can do that, and will on occasion, even with the best players involved. With the worst, it'll be endemic. Maybe it's only a little scatter, but that's one or two more targets to chase down when it could've been wrapped up. And how many times does that happen in any given mission? In an arc?

Every other build, every single one, works with the pack-n-melt strategy by default. They don't have to work at it or make special accomodations. It works in open space, it works in tight confines, and it works everywhere in between. KB doesn't, because it adds scatter, which is the antithesis of what the vast majority of teams are trying to do. Every other Blaster primary (and KB is not just a Blaster issue) is a better fit than Energy under the most common and most efficient teams in the game.

When KB "aids" a team, it does so most often by not screwing up. This can be through not using powers, by perfect positioning of the KB, and/or by the team choosing to make accomodations for KB. On rare occasion, some minion or maybe even a lieut will sneak out of the melee characters' aggro and run after some squishy... who is almost certainly capable of handling a single threat unless they're AFK. Okay, so Captain KB steps in and pokes the threat away, hopefully back into the melee, but maybe just away. Nobody takes damage while the threat gets back up and the threat likely resorts to less-damaging ranged attacks.

Is it better than the target not being KB'd? A hold would be better, but KB is nice for that one situation, I guess. The squishy can likely handle the single instance of aggro, regardless of their AT and powerset, but better is better. Is it nice enough to put up with the rest of the issues? Not in my opinion, no. I do put up with it, because I have my Warshade and I like to team and assume that people like their KB toons and also like to team. However, I understand those people that don't put up with it or who groan when they see an Energy or a Storm join a team.