The art of the Fire Melee/Dark Armor SMASH

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Exported from Ver: 1.7.5.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
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Archetype: Brute
Primary: Fiery Melee
Secondary: Dark Armor
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01) --> Fire Sword==> Dmg(1)Dmg(5)Dmg(7)Acc(13)EndRdx(29)
01) --> Dark Embrace==> DmgRes(1)DmgRes(3)DmgRes(15)EndRdx(15)EndRdx(19)
02) --> Cremate==> Dmg(2)Dmg(3)Dmg(7)Acc(13)EndRdx(19)
04) --> Murky Cloud==> DmgRes(4)DmgRes(5)DmgRes(17)EndRdx(37)EndRdx(37)
06) --> Build Up==> Rechg(6)
08) --> Incinerate==> Dmg(8)Dmg(9)Dmg(9)Acc(11)EndRdx(29)
10) --> Obsidian Shield==> DmgRes(10)DmgRes(11)DmgRes(21)EndRdx(23)EndRdx(37)
12) --> Combat Jumping==> EndRdx(12)
14) --> Super Jump==> Jump(14)
16) --> Dark Regeneration==> Acc(16)EndRdx(17)EndRdx(21)Acc(23)Rechg(39)Rechg(40)
18) --> Swift==> Run(18)
20) --> Acrobatics==> EndRdx(20)
22) --> Health==> Heal(22)Heal(39)Heal(39)
24) --> Stamina==> EndMod(24)EndMod(25)EndMod(25)
26) --> Fire Sword Circle==> Dmg(26)Dmg(27)Dmg(27)Acc(34)EndRdx(36)
28) --> Boxing==> Dmg(28)
30) --> Tough==> DmgRes(30)DmgRes(31)DmgRes(31)EndRdx(31)EndRdx(34)
32) --> Greater Fire Sword==> Dmg(32)Dmg(33)Dmg(33)Acc(33)EndRdx(34)
35) --> Cloak Of Fear==> TH_DeBuf(35)Acc(36)EndRdx(36)Acc(40)EndRdx(40)
38) --> Soul Transfer==> Rechg(38)
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01) --> Sprint==> Run(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Dmg(1)
01) --> Fury==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Rechg(2)
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Most brutes tend to think quantity of attacks is more important than quality for building fury; where as I have found taking attacks is far more important than giving them for fury building which is why Dark Armor is awesome.

Resists over Defense: Im gonna get hit, alot. The point is damage mitigation. My Resist table (with +2 SOs) is:
Smash Lethal: 53%
Cold 35.5%
Energy 23.5%
Fire: 35.3%
Neg: 47.1%
Toxic: 23.5%
Psi: 58.8%
A little of everything, which is good because you have no real vulnerabilities but no real strengths. Almost 60% Psi res. And dont forget End Drain resist. Psi mongers, Longbow EMP grenades, and Sappers which rip other ATs aren't nearly as bad. Decent Status protection as well although you will need to toggle CJ on for immobilization protection.

Dark Regen, will you marry me?
This is your set defining power. Walk in, let them blitz you, and poof back to 100% hps with a full fury bar. If you are running Cloak of Fear, now they are also ACC debuffed and possibly cowering. I like my job.

Fire Melee.... Bwuh?
I will be the first to admit there are better attacking powersets, especially for PvP, but this isn't specifically designed for PvP. It will work for PvP, but not as well as PvE. With the full fury bar, you will average 2 hits to take an even level minion down, and usually no more than 2 for +2 minions, so any secondary effects would be lost from the high damage output and Fire Melee bloom effects are cool.

Now the icky bits.... ie the mid game slogging:
This build is END heavy, you will be taxing your end alot. Without Clock of Fear, Stamina will offset all the shield toggles, but with Cloak your end will drop fast. Be wary of it. You can swap Acro and Health/Stamina around since knockback isnt a big deal until the late 20s. Note that you only have 4 attacks from level 8 to 26, and one of those is Brawl. This isn't as bad as it looks once you get Dark Regen at 16, and level 8-16 go pretty fast. But there is still the slogging of levels 28-33. Im not sure if its jsut the game, but those levels for all heroes just drag on and on. Once you get Greater Fire Sword, your single target attack is huge (will OHKO even con minions) and with FSC, each of your other 3 fire attacks will take one down as well... Thats 4 even con kills with some misc wounded with 5 attacks. Not too shabby.

All in all; this is a solid build with good solo and team characteristics but is lacking in PvP although pulling a Soul Transfer after you fall in Warburg is great fun as everyone Disorients for a few seconds and the re-toggle panic sets in.

NetMinder

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Tanker Tuesday #72 Oct 5 @Champion

"I am not sure if my portrayal of being insane is accurate, but damn its fun all the same."

Nice build. I'm working on a fire/dark brute, also and am about to hit 20. You gave me some great ideas on how to tweak my build a bit that I think I'll really enjoy. It's not quite the same as yours, but I did adopt the boxing/tough idea and dropped Cloak of Darkness. I was never thrilled with how it completely erases your character model when you use it, anyway.

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Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
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Name:
Level: 50
Archetype: Brute
Primary: Fiery Melee
Secondary: Dark Armor
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01) --> Scorch==> Acc(1)Dmg(3)Dmg(5)Dmg(7)EndRdx(15)
01) --> Dark Embrace==> DmgRes(1)DmgRes(11)DmgRes(13)
02) --> Fire Sword==> Acc(2)Dmg(3)Dmg(5)Dmg(7)EndRdx(15)
04) --> Murky Cloud==> DmgRes(4)DmgRes(13)DmgRes(23)
06) --> Combat Jumping==> Jump(6)
08) --> Incinerate==> Acc(8)Dmg(9)Dmg(9)Dmg(11)EndRdx(19)Rechg(40)
10) --> Swift==> Run(10)
12) --> Obsidian Shield==> DmgRes(12)DmgRes(19)DmgRes(40)
14) --> Health==> Heal(14)Heal(25)Heal(39)
16) --> Dark Regeneration==> Acc(16)EndRdx(17)EndRdx(17)Rechg(23)Rechg(25)
18) --> Super Jump==> Jump(18)Jump(39)
20) --> Stamina==> EndMod(20)EndMod(21)EndMod(21)
22) --> Acrobatics==> EndRdx(22)EndRdx(36)
24) --> Build Up==> Rechg(24)Rechg(37)Rechg(40)
26) --> Fire Sword Circle==> Acc(26)EndRdx(27)Dmg(27)Dmg(29)Dmg(31)Rechg(39)
28) --> Boxing==> Acc(28)EndRdx(29)Dmg(31)Dmg(34)Dmg(37)
30) --> Tough==> EndRdx(30)DmgRes(31)DmgRes(34)DmgRes(36)EndRdx(37)
32) --> Greater Fire Sword==> Acc(32)Dmg(33)Dmg(33)Dmg(33)EndRdx(34)Rechg(36)
35) --> Oppressive Gloom==> Acc(35)
38) --> Cloak Of Darkness==> EndRdx(38)
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01) --> Sprint==> Empty(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Empty(2)
01) --> Fury==> Empty(1)
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This is another idea for a build that I'm currently working on. I'm currently level 25 and it's going great so far. The best thing about this build is that there really is never a point where endurance is a huge issue. By skipping Cremate and Breath of Fire, which are arguably the worst attacks (numerically and in how they actually function, since I'm not a huge fan of small cones, but I can also see how it could be effective once you got used to lining up the mobs properly), you are able to easily slot up all five fire attacks AND boxing to give you a smooth set of fury-building attacks that won't need hasten or recharges to function effectively. Also, by omitting Hasten, you dramatically lessen your reliance on blues, leaving you free to stock up on purples for those tough fights. I am fully convinced that Dark Regen is the best self heal in the game. It's absolutely magnificent. Twilight Grasp is pretty amazing, too, though, but that's a whole different archetype. Honestly, I'm completely unsure of what I want as my level 35 and 38 powers. I may end up going CoD at 35 and Soul Transfer at 38, but I'm not sure. Cloak of Fear is nice, but I don't like how much of a drain it would be on my endurance. Anyway, this is just an alternative build based on the ideas in this guide and some personal concept choices. I hope it helps!

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Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
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Name:
Level: 50
Archetype: Brute
Primary: Fiery Melee
Secondary: Dark Armor
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Scorch==> Acc(1)Dmg(3)Dmg(5)Dmg(7)EndRdx(15)EndRdx(31)
01) --> Dark Embrace==> DmgRes(1)DmgRes(11)DmgRes(13)
02) --> Fire Sword==> Acc(2)Dmg(3)Dmg(5)Dmg(7)EndRdx(15)EndRdx(31)
04) --> Murky Cloud==> DmgRes(4)DmgRes(13)DmgRes(23)
06) --> Combat Jumping==> Jump(6)
08) --> Incinerate==> Acc(8)Dmg(9)Dmg(9)Dmg(11)EndRdx(19)EndRdx(36)
10) --> Swift==> Run(10)
12) --> Obsidian Shield==> DmgRes(12)DmgRes(19)DmgRes(43)
14) --> Health==> Heal(14)Heal(25)Heal(40)
16) --> Dark Regeneration==> Acc(16)EndRdx(17)EndRdx(17)Rechg(23)Acc(25)Rechg(40)
18) --> Super Jump==> Jump(18)Jump(50)
20) --> Stamina==> EndMod(20)EndMod(21)EndMod(21)
22) --> Acrobatics==> EndRdx(22)
24) --> Build Up==> Rechg(24)Rechg(43)Rechg(43)
26) --> Fire Sword Circle==> Acc(26)EndRdx(27)Dmg(27)Dmg(34)Dmg(37)Rechg(37)
28) --> Boxing==> Acc(28)Rechg(29)Dmg(29)EndRdx(31)Dmg(34)Dmg(37)
30) --> Cloak Of Darkness==> EndRdx(30)
32) --> Greater Fire Sword==> Acc(32)EndRdx(33)Dmg(33)Dmg(33)Dmg(34)EndRdx(36)
35) --> Tough==> EndRdx(35)EndRdx(36)DmgRes(40)DmgRes(42)
38) --> Cloak Of Fear==> Acc(38)Acc(39)EndRdx(39)EndRdx(39)
41) --> Web Envelope==> Acc(41)EndRdx(42)Rechg(42)Immob(46)
44) --> Mace Blast==> Acc(44)EndRdx(45)Rechg(45)Dmg(45)Dmg(46)Dmg(46)
47) --> Summon Blaster==> Acc(47)Dmg(48)Dmg(48)Dmg(48)Immob(50)KB_Dist(50)
49) --> Hurdle==> Jump(49)
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01) --> Sprint==> Empty(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Empty(2)
01) --> Fury==> Empty(1)
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Ok, I just hit 31 and my build has undergone a bit of modification since I last posted. I've been working on a build that relies on no inspirations except for emergencies, meaning you can stock up on lots of purples, and a few greens and maybe one or two blues for endurance drain situations. This is my latest idea. The key is slotting as many endredux in your attacks as you can reasonably manage. Two per attack would be plenty, and the returns on such slotting is well worth it. My two exceptions to this rule are Fire Sword Circle and Boxing. They both get a recharge and an endredux instead of 2 endredux, because Boxing fills out the attack chain much better this way and FSC is an amazing attack that will be more than worth it whenever you're surrounded. CoD is also back at 30, but it could just as easily have been Tough. I find CoD with CJ does mitigate a lot of damage over time, because it's much easier to manage aggro when using it (you don't tend to pull two groups at once unless you mean to). The extra immobilize and +Perception don't hurt, either, in addition to making it a bit easier to travel safely. While I regret taking CoF so late (38), I am doing this because I'm not certain if I can run it with my other toggles and still maintain my Stamina or not. So, I'm taking it at the end so that everything before it gets those slots that much sooner. If anyone has thoughts on this build, or things they might do differently, let me know. I'm open to suggestions.

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