I've soloed my entire way so far. I switched to Malicious at 2, Vicious at 14 and Ruthless at 20. I've died twice, both to a purple Scrapyarder boss before I had knockback protection. I often found myself popping blues and sucking wind from 15-ish to 20, then the sweet rapture of Stamina arrived to carry me to dreamland.
It's all about the Fury.
ditto
I am not sure what your set-up is ( maybe i didnt read your post well enough) however i am a lvl 28 fire/fire brute. I find that the chances of me dying on a team of more than two increase 75% incomparison to me soloing. I also find that the basic play style of a brute hints towards soloing, while individual builds may significantly change your play style (Ex: Dark Dark brutes are very effective on teams)
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Ok guys, I've looked over everything and have narrowed down my rebuilt Brute to the following combinations: SS/Fire, SS/Invuln, SS/Stone
I have builds ready for all three, that I think will work based off the suggestions given by everyone in this thread. So which do you think would work the best minimizing downtime and maximizing damage in a solo situation?
Thanks once again!
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Minimizing downtime prior to level 20 or 22 is kind of futile if you ask me. I assume you're really picky since your OP was about how slow it was at 8.
I have ss/inv and like but for minimal downtime you might want ss/fire. Fire has a heal and end recovery tool, but the end recovery power has a long timer IIRC. Only problem with /fire is you really need Acrobatics.
I have not really used my SS Brute much but I can say that for my Stone/Energy Brute I have found:
1. Slotting my Atacks before my defenses has helped a lot. 2 acc / 3 end red
2. Air Superority is great
3. Go into mish with 3 blue and three green (I hate stopping so starting off with these makes life a bit faster)
4. I don't waste my time with slotting reds... Furry and buildup are all you need. Granted at 8 you don't have Build Up but there is something to look forward to.
5. Stay away from groups with MM. I like to form brute Squads. 5 brutes going in different direction can clear a level in just under 5 min if done right. Hell, the only time I see my team members is in passing or at elevators.
6. Don't Hunt top side. There are enough mish to keep you going non stop till 25 and mish maps are a more stable enviroment.
The only time I have died useing these rules, level 1-13, is when I was ghost busting so I could unlock the contact before moving on to Devil's Cape. Thats where I found the joys of debt cap.
Just my two bits worth
I'm finding my SS/Fire Brute very effective for soloing. Check out the SS/Fire build in the Guides section. It's kind of a slog up until you get Stamina, but at lvl 35, set to Relentless, it's absolutely...
Wait, the devs are probably reading this, aren't they? Brutes suck for soloing! Fix Brutes, devs!
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My advice, don't use your armors. Your attacks are your damage mitigation. Toggle defenses just drain your endurance, which means you have to rest more, which means you have lower fury, which means you do less damage, which means you get hit more by enemies.
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Better qualify this - don't use your armors all the time. You need those armors against large numbers of enemies, or bosses, or stuff that stuns. Doesn't matter how much Fury you have if you're held, or dead because that boss just clocked you one.
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Thank you everyone for the great information, we even got a developer post! I'm going to remake my Brute and take everyones advice and see if I like it any better. I'll also be evaluating the power sets to figure out what would best suit my style. But, maybe you guys can help here too!:
I want a self heal.
I want good damage mitigation. (+res)
I want to avoid an abundance of toggles.
I want a great single target attack.
Summary: Great solo.
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Hmmm...let me see...how about Super Strength / Fiery Aura?
Self heal -- check (Healing Flames)
Good damage mitigation -- 53% against all except toxic and psychic (more if you add Tough). It's not the best but it works.
Avoid abundance of toggles -- 2 toggles gets you all of your defense. Tough would be a 3rd toggles (should you choose it). A 4th very optional toggle is Blazing Aura (great to gather aggro when grouped).
Great single target attack: check (Knockout Blow, and Haymaker ain't too shabby, either)
Great solo: check! I've had a few problems with some of the elite bosses who tend to have Invulnerability powers, but other than that not much can stand in my way.
Other advantages:
--A really solid AOE attack at level 32
--Rage! It's an outstanding buff that seriously boosts accuracy and damage. It has some downsides but you can learn to live with it.
--Lots of fast attacks to get that Fury bar up quickly.
--A ranged attack that can knock down fliers.
Disadvantages (hey, there has to be SOME):
--Only one damage type, and it's the most resisted (smashing)
--No AOE attack until you hit 32 (Hand clap, while an AOE, does no damage)
I'm at 32 with this build so far and it's very very fun in PvP and in PvE.
Another good possibility -- energy / fiery aura
Arc# 92382 -- "The S.P.I.D.E.R. and the Tyrant" -- Ninjas! Robots! Praetorians! It's totally epic! Play it now!
Arc # 316340 -- "Husk" -- Azuria loses something, a young woman harbors a dark secret, and the fate of the world is in your hands.
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Thanks for the replies all, here is my build up to 8 as requested:
Archetype: Brute
Primary Powers - Ranged : Super Strength
Secondary Powers - Support : Fiery Aura
01 : Fire Shield damres(01) damres(5)
01 : Punch dam(01) dam(3) acc(7)
02 : Haymaker dam(02) dam(3) acc(5)
04 : Blazing Aura dam(04) dam(7)
06 : Healing Flames recred(06)
08 : Knockout Blow recred(08)
Slotting might be SLIGHTLY off, I didn't go in game to check, have to get ready for work.
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ouch! same type brute here but i took jab and it works wonders for fury...i think that is your problem. in fact rest of powers i have the same powers and i solo on viscious, had to tone that down when i was facing a psi elite boss but other then that been soling since 1-10 on viscious...i do use insprs for bosses but that is normal imho.
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I didn't see this build before my initial reply, but i need to echo the above...Jab is a GREAT power when you're starting out and looking to build Fury. Blazing Aura is pretty good when you have the END for it, but it's going to be a few levels yet for you and as the bad guys get tougher, the damage on it really doesn't scale all that well. (Blazing Aura also doesn't help build Fury.)
I did this:
1) Jab
1) Fire Shield
2) Punch
4) Haymaker
6) Healing Flames
8) Knockout Blow
I didn't take Blazing Aura until I was 30 and I never missed it unless I was in a group and wanted an easy way to gather aggro. At level 30 though, I seem to attract more attention than my defenses can handle with it, though. 
Arc# 92382 -- "The S.P.I.D.E.R. and the Tyrant" -- Ninjas! Robots! Praetorians! It's totally epic! Play it now!
Arc # 316340 -- "Husk" -- Azuria loses something, a young woman harbors a dark secret, and the fate of the world is in your hands.
I was able to mostly solo my enegy melee/stone armor brute from lvl 1-20 in 23 hours of hardcore-non-stop-2-days-off-in-a-row play. I did team a little, but then it was just as a duo and once I was around lvl 16 (when i got rooted and its -spd) I lackied to a higher lvl kin corruptor in my SG (fo speed boost foo! )
[It was SMASHGASTIC! ]
But this was the only brute type I had no problems soloing. I've also played nrg/nrg in beta and got pwned alot (to lvl 15ish) and have played a fire/fire to lvl 13ish. it think its just because a well slotted stone armor pool is veryt uber.
My secret? three slotted Stone Skin (FTW!)
Er, while it's not precisely "smoth-ville" I don't have a problem soloing with my SS/EA brute at all. Now granted I'm only doing 1 up on the reputation scale (I can't recall what that is). But I can solo anymission as a SS/EA at that level with out any problem at all, actually I don't think I've ever died.
Where *I* have problems is grouping. Holy hell I get my butt handed to me day and night when I add more than 1 extra person.
But for soloability, SS/EA works like a champ, no problemo's at all.
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Er, while it's not precisely "smoth-ville" I don't have a problem soloing with my SS/EA brute at all. Now granted I'm only doing 1 up on the reputation scale (I can't recall what that is). But I can solo anymission as a SS/EA at that level with out any problem at all, actually I don't think I've ever died.
Where *I* have problems is grouping. Holy hell I get my butt handed to me day and night when I add more than 1 extra person.
But for soloability, SS/EA works like a champ, no problemo's at all.
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I agree with you...My SS/EA is great at solo..the only prob im really having is money.
I need my SO's lol dont make enough to feed my Brute 
So in a team..i dont do as well unless im buffed up the yang 
Level 30 SS/FA brute. I mostly solo on ruthless and have absolutley no problems. Ok, no problems unless it is a Hero like borealis...
SS/Invul here. I am 25th and have had no problem soloing at all. Only time I really die is when im in groups more than 3. 3 is the lucky number it seems for me that I don;t have any problems.
As for powers. I have jab,punch,KO,rage,temp invul,dull pain, resist elements, flurry sprint, health,stamina
Most fun I have had with any toon in this game(coh as well)
I run a DM/DA Brute on Liberty, and have soloed on Relentless for my entire career. For the most part, I've had no problems whatsoever - only a slight hiccup in the high teens (pre-stamina) when the purple bosses would last longer than my end and insps could hold out. Stamina and SO's have changed that; the only problems I have now are with CoT debuffing me to the point Dark Regen stops hitting (I probably need to slot it more).
I never have a problem building Fury (and this is on a build lacking Shadow Punch). I generally cycle Brawl, Smite and Shadow Maul continuously (with Hasten), and rely on incoming hits to generate the Fury I need. I also tend to herd multiple mobs when I think I can handle it - the only difference I've found between 3 +2 minions and 10 +2 minions is a Luck and about 15 seconds. Several minions banging on you also makes taking down bosses much easier.
That said, I mostly play in groups, and act as much like a tank as I think I can get away with. Nothing builds Fury faster (or is harder on the nerves) than multiple purple bosses pounding you into the dirt.
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Thank you everyone for the great information, we even got a developer post! I'm going to remake my Brute and take everyones advice and see if I like it any better. I'll also be evaluating the power sets to figure out what would best suit my style. But, maybe you guys can help here too!:
I want a self heal. Fiery Aura has Healing Flames
I want good damage mitigation. (+res) Fiery Aura has +RES to everything but Psionic, with high Fire RES but lower Cold RES
I want to avoid an abundance of toggles. Fiery Aura really only has two inherent toggles: Fire Shield and Plasma Shield. Most "gurus" will probably suggest you take the Leaping pool for Acrobatics, because Fiery Aura is VERY vulnerable to knockback, however you can "ghetto" the knockback protection with Hover or Fly if you really have to
I want a great single target attack. Fire Sword, Cremate, Incinerate, Greater Fire Sword (long activation but hits like a freight train for great burst damage), I even use Scorch instead of Brawl as my "every attack cycle" Fury builder (along with Air Superiority, SMASH!!! ) , because the END is the same but the damage is much much better
Summary: Great solo.
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I've gotten my Fire/Fire Brute up to 23 now, and he's a BLAST (literally! Fire attacks are awesome!).
Early on, life is good, once you figure out an attack chain that keeps you constantly swinging to keep your Fury up; fast attacks are key here, so do not skip the "wimpy" first level attacks. Use Brawl and the first power in your primary to build Fury quickly, and use your harder hitting attacks once you get some Fury damage behind them. Once you start getting higher level attacks to use as your "howitzer" attacks, you can start using more of the early attacks as part of your Fury chain. For example, early on I used Brawl and Scorch to build Fury, and saved Fire Sword and Cremate for when I had some Fury built up to increase their damage, which allowed me to 1 and 2 shot even level minions. Now, I alternate using Fire Sword and Cremate as part of my Fury chain (+ Air Superiority + Scorch) so I can dish out some good damage while I'm still building Fury.
After level 10 or so, mobs start getting a bit tougher and you're still stuck using TOs so things will slow down a bit, but if you end up doing story arcs full of those damn Mu Strikers, things will slow down A LOT because their electrical attacks will drain your endurance faster than you actually use it yourself, so be warned.
You'll get plenty of damage from Fury, so you don't really need to slot up your attacks for damage unless you choose to do so much later on. This lets you allocate slots to other powers, so you should really focus on mitigating your damage absorption and your downtime. Try to get your defensive toggles slotted up early, and squeeze slots into downtime reducers when you can (self heal, end recovery, etc.). Once you get to level 12, the first DOs you should probably get are +ACC for your attacks and End Reduction for attacks and toggles.
Given the "GO GO GO GO GO! MUST NOT LOSE FURY!!! MUST SMASH!!!" nature of the Brute AT, you will almost always want to include Health and Stamina in every build, and get 3 SOs in each one (Swift helps you GO GO GO GO GO, as an added bonus!). After you get Stamina slotted up, you can see about putting damage SOs in your attacks instead of endurance reduction to increase your output, but depending on your particular playstyle you may want to conserve as much endurance as possible at all times. After all, you will never need to stop fighting as long as you still have health and endurance, so if you conserve your endurance you just have to worry about health, and health can benefit greatly from properly slotted defenses and any healing abilities you may have.
If you find yourself running solo missions where your health never drops, and your endurance never drops, and your Fury stays above 90%, and you never stop moving, well, you should probably consider doing more challenging missions! Unless, of course, you like simply steam-rolling +0 and +1 minions like a hot knife through butter...
At any rate, you really have to get any characters you play up to at least level 12 before you start seeing how they're really going to work. Before that it's basically all the same for everyone; inspirations + Brawl could carry ANY AT to level 10!
You can also go with Boxing from the fighting pool if you don't want Jab. You're gonna want it for Tough anyway later on. I currently use Brawl+Punch+Boxing as my Fury builder with KO Blow for fun when the Fury bar is high. Oh, what fun it is too