Electric/Electric Brute guide! (v1.0)
By
Baleful_Deity,
Posted on: 2006-06-13 08:12 in Player Guides
Good stuff.
A Note on the end drain resistance.
_Castle_ informed me that [ QUOTE ]
Grounded's protection scales by level and varies a lot as it increases.
[/ QUOTE ]
People around lvl 16 have reported poor end drain resistance vs. Mu. Which leads me to believe that Static Shield's end drain protection also varies with level. The 80% mitigation was determined in Siren's Call.
All that means that @ lvl 30 the end drain protection on Static Shield is 80%....I'm still at a loss to test the values at a lower level.
The end drain info per power is listed in Prima (for what it's worth), and I'd include a bit about how effective the end return effect is. I see a lot of stamina skipping questions.
I need more tests to see what kind of trend the protection gets but this is what I have so far
End Drained without Static Shield (drained with static shield)
@ level 11 34 (21)=38% reduction
@ level 30 39 (7)=82% reduction
I have a lack of willing elec brutes atm to test different levels.
[ QUOTE ]
I need more tests to see what kind of trend the protection gets but this is what I have so far
End Drained without Static Shield (drained with static shield)
@ level 11 34 (21)=38% reduction
@ level 30 39 (7)=82% reduction
I have a lack of willing elec brutes atm to test different levels.
[/ QUOTE ]
That would show a pretty heavy scaling, and at that rate should hit 100% protection (assuming it's linear...). However, even assuming it tapers off, it looks like the drain protection is very good once you hit about level 30 and by level 50 you shouldn't be worried about being drained. I'm doing what I can to compile effectiveness of the drain and sleeps, but without other testers and my limited time available, it's slow going ^_^;
nice guide, full of info 17thumbs up 
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nice guide, full of info 17thumbs up
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aww, you maka me blush, and it's my first guide....
You mention the awesomeness which is Chain Induction...
Now does this mean they changed it? Because to my knowledge it still leeches XP from every mob it hits beyond the first.
Also according to the power discription there's a small chance it'll hit one of your teammates an damage them...
[ QUOTE ]
You mention the awesomeness which is Chain Induction...
Now does this mean they changed it? Because to my knowledge it still leeches XP from every mob it hits beyond the first.
Also according to the power discription there's a small chance it'll hit one of your teammates an damage them...
[/ QUOTE ]
I never checked for any XP leech, but I know how to test for it..and I've never actually had it hit a teammate, but then, I'd have to run tests with a volunteer. If anything comes of this, I'll make annotations later...thanks for the heads up!
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9) Lightning Rod (level 32)
-Attack: Teleport + PBAoE / -Acc: 0.9
-Dmg: 1 S/L + 0.7 Eng = 1.7 DS (2.7778 + 1.9444 = 4.7222 BI)
-Rch: 90s / End: 13.52 / Act: 2.57s / Radius: 20
-BOOM!, baby! If you refuse to take this power, I call you a lunatic. This mini-nuke has both an effect (80% Knockdown chance) and a boom (all that pretty, Fury enhanced damage, plus the free light show) to make even a Blaster jealous.
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Unless they recently changed this I believe Lightning Rod does not benefit from Fury.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
9) Lightning Rod (level 32)
-Attack: Teleport + PBAoE / -Acc: 0.9
-Dmg: 1 S/L + 0.7 Eng = 1.7 DS (2.7778 + 1.9444 = 4.7222 BI)
-Rch: 90s / End: 13.52 / Act: 2.57s / Radius: 20
-BOOM!, baby! If you refuse to take this power, I call you a lunatic. This mini-nuke has both an effect (80% Knockdown chance) and a boom (all that pretty, Fury enhanced damage, plus the free light show) to make even a Blaster jealous.
[/ QUOTE ]
Unless they recently changed this I believe Lightning Rod does not benefit from Fury.
[/ QUOTE ]
Lightning Rod not benefiting from Fury was something they fixed early. I'll have to look again to make 100% sure in-game, but this was pretty high-priority. However, as per Castle's Post, Chain Induction's arcs apparently DO cost xp as if the damage came from a confused enemy instead of the player. I"ll work this in to the guide with other changes at a later date, but I certainly hope they fix that (and any related bug in LR?).
[ QUOTE ]
People around lvl 16 have reported poor end drain resistance vs. Mu. Which leads me to believe that Static Shield's end drain protection also varies with level. The 80% mitigation was determined in Siren's Call.
[/ QUOTE ]
Mu attacks also have a -recovery [endurance] component as well as an end drain, players running a lot of toggles, such as dark armour or elec armour players will notice it a lot more, as the end drain resist works but does not protect from -recovery.
[ QUOTE ]
Mu attacks also have a -recovery [endurance] component as well as an end drain,
[/ QUOTE ]
So do Electric Melee attacks.
Just wanted to point out that you don't even mention teleport as a travel possibility. I use it and I love it.
Teleport has the potential to be the fastest travel power in the game, it also allows vertical movement, and can be used while immobalized. However, all this is balanced with a huge END usage, and how difficult it can be to use. (you select your destination within a limited radius and are instantly transported there.) The powers before it, TP friend and TP foe are great utilities, TP foe especuially for brutes, as it allows you to grab, pull, retrieve, or drop off a clif, most enemies in the game.
[ QUOTE ]
Just wanted to point out that you don't even mention teleport as a travel possibility. I use it and I love it.
Teleport has the potential to be the fastest travel power in the game, it also allows vertical movement, and can be used while immobalized. However, all this is balanced with a huge END usage, and how difficult it can be to use. (you select your destination within a limited radius and are instantly transported there.) The powers before it, TP friend and TP foe are great utilities, TP foe especuially for brutes, as it allows you to grab, pull, retrieve, or drop off a clif, most enemies in the game.
[/ QUOTE ]
(*goes back and reads through travel section furiously*) d'oh! I meant to have that in the final guide, there's a secondary discussion on Teleport...I'll post it in v1.1, but the idea is:
Teleport fastest. Either team friendly recall or pulling tool is gotten too. Fairly easy to stay Grounded if the protection it offers matters at the given time. Costs boatload of end (and comes into its own with slotting, which is mitigated by your +Rch and Stamina-esque stuff). Is another power-pool you might not have room for. Best to take if you feel you can live without Hasten and/or Air Superiority.
Thanks for the heads up!
Thank-you for that great E/E brute guide...I cant tell you how much its helped...It has answered most of my concerns my path is mucho clear....again great job-Zzzumble (E/E brute and a Grimes&Umble sibling). 
[ QUOTE ]
Thank-you for that great E/E brute guide...I cant tell you how much its helped...It has answered most of my concerns my path is mucho clear....again great job-Zzzumble (E/E brute and a Grimes&Umble sibling).
[/ QUOTE ]
Glad it's working!
So far to be included in v1.1 (which may be coming sooner than I thought):
-Slotting advice in each power, taking ED and # of available slots into consideration
-Sleep numbers
-Endurance drain reduction testing results (other testers welcome, looking for by power @ any given level)
-Any Endurance drain information I can get on the attacks (other testers most welcome)
-Current XP bug information (Chain Induction)
-Info on Teleport in Travel section
-and a few minor typos fixed (mostly sentance structure )
-Along with a whole new section! "Only half electric? Here's your ups and downs!" This new section will NOT be a full guide to every */Elec and Elec/* guide, it will simply touch on strengths/weaknesses, slotting advice, and a few play tips (and PPP advice). The goal is to extend the hard info in the guide itself to others with the electric powersets and help them figure their combo.
Alright, here's two of those promised additional sections, in their own 1.0 formats. They aren't complete, and slotting advice from others would be well taken in the set-mix section. Also, no PPP advice as of yet. Before I just slap these on the guide, read over them, enjoy them, give me some feedback:
(*addition to Lightning Rod*): Also, don't forget: you can Lightning Rod while Immobilized. Devices got you down? Sha-blooey! (with follow ups) Combined with Teleport, you could probably afford to skip Grounded (since, you know, you'd move around while Immobilized without a care in the world). (*/end*)
A note on Teleport
The fourth option you have for travel is Teleport. Unlike Fly, Speed, and Jumping, you cannot attack while moving (only before or after), but you skip over the space between you and the location. Teleport also means that you either get Recall Friend (great for getting allies out of a bind) or one of the best pulling tools around: Teleport Foe (which is also fairly good in PvP, for those who do). Teleport means that you can either stay Grounded while traveling...or not need Grounded at all. Remember, you can Teleport while Immobilized (and KB doesn't mean anything), which means that with some slotting, it can be a good way to zap around. Again, if you're really hung up on which pool to get, read over TopDoc's guide, and remember the power you get BEFORE your travel power (which may decide for you). If you feel you need Hasten (or Flurry), Air Superiority (or Hover), Combat Jumping (or Jump Kick [but really, leading to Acrobatics]), or Teleport Foe (or Recall Friend)...you've probably chosen your mode of travel and are just having cold feet because the others are cool too.
Only half-Electric? Here's how you stack up!
Electric Melee but not Electric Armor
Not having the armor means that you have all the pros and cons of your chosen armor set, whatever it may be. It means you have a fully different set of tools, and while your resists are lower, you compensate with defense (a lot of it, in Energy's case) and some self-healing. Hasten may actually mean more than ever: Electric Melee is good, but it's single target damage will be found a little lacking without Lightning Reflexes (since recharge is a tad slow in comparison to some other sets). Take the notes from the melee set and find what meshes with your armor and playstyle. Your armor is your other survival tool, and you'll need to know what it can do. Each set has it's own jolly run around which take too long to go into, but other guides out there should give you the feel for each armor set, and hopefully, my notes on ElM can set you right for what you want when put together.
Electric Armor but not Electric Melee
These notes are short enough to go into here, but a little harder to really piece together. You have all the pros and cons of your armor...perhaps the most important of which is (still) no self-heal.
1&2)- Stone and Energy Melee: superb for taking out single targets (and are in that sense the opposite of ElM: instead of dropping a group together, you pound them out one by one). This changes a little as Fault and Whirling Hands come into play, but the reality is the same: you survive by taking out each target before he can hit you enough that you feel it, and you do it well. Lightning Reflexes and the ability to recover with Power Sink (and you may consider taking Conserve Power, even with Power Sink AND Stamina) is a boon for these slow recharge, high endurance sets.
3)-Fire Melee gives an interesting mix that like Stone and Energy, benefits from your +Rch and better ability to get endurance back, but unlike them gives great AoE capacity (Great Fire Sword...you'll love it), it doesn't take up quite as much Endurance, however, which can free up another few powers and/or slots for more utility and versatility.
4)-Super Strength is something like Fire in terms of AoE + Single Target capacity, and can take you far. It's still the first odd man out, tho, because Rage is a superb self buff...but has that aggravating crash. Popping a blue could allow you to recover with Power Sink after a drop in Rage, which could be the key to keep smashing instead of just taking an actual breather (as well as keeping foes from attacking long enough for you to either finish pummeling them or get away as needed). And, let's face it: Rage + Power Surge = grown men giggling like school girls in front of their computer. The additional recharge to your one ranged attack (who DOESN'T want to rip up rocks and chuck them at people?) and the ever-devestating KO-Blow means they could actually come in more handy than usual, and this set combo is one I'm tempted to play in the future.
5)-Dark Melee is the second (and more odd) of the two odd men out here. Dark Melee has decent capacities, and the fact that it is NEGATIVE Energy can make a lot of difference in being resisted by most foes (unless you're facing another Darkie or a select few PvE enemies, that is). It's also the fastest recharging, fastest activation, lowest endurance set. This means that Power Sink and Lightning Reflexes are not so critical to your abilities, but may come in handy if you literally want to have only three or four specific attacks that chain endlessly. One power (and one of those attacks you WILL want up often and accurate) that is sometimes skipped by other Dark Meleers is one you will want to slot like a mad-man: Siphon Life. You have no self-heal in your armor, and this accuracy dependant one is no slouch. Slot this baby triple acc, because you want it to hit whenever it's up. You also have the ability to fear enemies at critical times, debuff hit opponents, and get a variety of buffs (like more End recovery from Drain Life, more Accuracy and Damage from Soul Drain, and a great "HOLD...STILL!" with decent damage power at 32). You give up some SMASH!!!(tm) compared to other set combinations, but between DM and ElA, you have survivability options that are relatively unrivaled.
Search it over (even I'm not typo proof), tell me what you think, hope it helps, and input (like, from people with more experience with particular sets/set combos) is welcome.
[ QUOTE ]
Mu attacks also have a -recovery [endurance] component as well as an end drain, players running a lot of toggles, such as dark armour or elec armour players will notice it a lot more, as the end drain resist works but does not protect from -recovery.
[/ QUOTE ]
Static shield provides resistance to endurance drain and endurance recovery debuffs.
Form the patch notes yesterday:
"Electric Armor Grounded will now have its protection from Knockback and Knockup scale per level at the same rate that Knockback powers scale by level. This should result in consistent protection throughout a characters lifetime."
This means that Grounded will have to be retested to see if this is consistent, however I fear that the geometry related errors will still be an issue....
In reference to the XP bug with Chain Induction, there is a post in the "Official Thread for Brutes: Electric Melee" from _Castle_ from about a month ago noting the problem. Haven't been able to find anything since then though. Here's the direct linky to the post.
Main Character: Ice/Storm/Ice Controller (Justice, 1340 badges)
If I'm not wrong, the armor costs are something like 0.1-0.13 each, not 0.2-0.26.
Nice guide, thanks. Trying one out myself. Been trying to find sample builds or make my own but the character builder I have doesn't even list these options for the brute. :/
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If I'm not wrong, the armor costs are something like 0.1-0.13 each, not 0.2-0.26.
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I'll look into it, it would be a fairly quick verificiation (once I can get back on the client, that is).
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Nice guide, thanks. Trying one out myself. Been trying to find sample builds or make my own but the character builder I have doesn't even list these options for the brute. :/
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The only sample build I know of would be from the Prima Guide (assuming they have one for an Elec/Elec, I haven't checked). Although I've been testing (and trying to get on more to test more, but RL is troublesome at times), I don't really have a sample build: when the purpose is to test more powers, that's what you do! However, once I can get the info more complete, I'll be a little more able to post an example build (or even builds) that I find useful, with their own sets of pros and cons and how to change them to suit your own need.
How's this? I focused on the powers and the levels before taking extra time slotting them since I probably made a crap load of mistakes in this one.
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Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
---------------------------------------------
Name:
Level: 50
Archetype: Brute
Primary: Electric Melee
Secondary: Electric Armor
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Havoc Punch==> Empty(1)
01) --> Charged Armor==> Empty(1)
02) --> Charged Brawl==> Empty(2)
04) --> Conductive Shield==> Empty(4)
06) --> Lightning Field==> Empty(6)
08) --> Thunder Strike==> Empty(8)
10) --> Static Shield==> Empty(10)
12) --> Combat Jumping==> Empty(12)
14) --> Super Jump==> Empty(14)
16) --> Build Up==> Empty(16)
18) --> Chain Induction==> Empty(18)
20) --> Lightning Reflexes==> Empty(20)
22) --> Hasten==> Empty(22)
24) --> Hurdle==> Empty(24)
26) --> Lightning Clap==> Empty(26)
28) --> Acrobatics==> Empty(28)
30) --> Health==> Empty(30)
32) --> Lightning Rod==> Empty(32)
35) --> Stamina==> Empty(35)
38) --> Power Surge==> Empty(38)
41) --> Boxing==> Empty(41)
44) --> Tough==> Empty(44)
47) --> Power Sink==> Empty(47)
49) --> Weave==> Empty(49)
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Sprint==> Empty(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Empty(1)
01) --> Fury==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Empty(2)
---------------------------------------------
The Electric SMASH!!!(tm) and You! A Guide to Electric Brutes, v1.0
Please note, this guide is in Damage Scalar format! For those familiar with Brawl Index, a second notation near damage is included. Brawl Index is the amount of damage the power does compared to your Brawl damage, for those not familiar with either. DS info is Found Here.
This is the Professor Todesfall guide on how to build a better Electric/Electric robot. This guide works just as well if you are a meddling magical fairy, filthy mutie, accident of science, or just naturally electical, but that is merely an unintended side effect of the nature of this guide.
If youre looking to be an Electric/Electric Brute, youre going to want to know the facts. How are you different from your flaming, dark, tough, energetic, and rocky brothers? How are you better? How are you worse? These questions can be tricky, and even a detailed first glance wont say it all. In fact, before even looking at that glance, you should read: Foo's Brute Guide. Also, while its of less concern to you defensively, you should still read Arcanaville's Defense guide. Regardless, here is that glance:
Pros
-High Resistances
-Resist Psychic Damage
-Resist Endurance Drain
-Endurance Recovery
-TP Foe Protection
-Resist Slows
-Auto Recharge
-Auto +Speed
-Auto KB/Immob Protection
-Endurance Draining attacks
-A slight AoE bent in attacking
Cons
-No Self Heal
-No Fear or Confuse protection
-No Toxic resists
-KB/Immob protection is only partial
Thats a pretty big first glance but can you handle the repercussions? First, well go over the powers in detail, and then well come back to what it all means. For ease of reference, Rch is recharge time, Act is activation time, Acc is accuracy off a base of 1, End is the endurance cost, EPS is endurance per second, Raidus is the radius of effect, Rng is range, and Base refers to % resistance.
Electric Melee
1) Charged Brawl (level 1)
-Attack: Melee / -Acc: 1.0
-Dmg: 0.5 S/L + 0.34 Eng = 0.84 DS (1.3889 + 0.9444 = 2.3333 BI)
-Acc: 1.0
-Rch: 3s / End: 4.369 / Act: 1.07s
-Charged Brawl is part of your Bread and Butter attacks, and is a basic punch that serves well as a quick attack. Dont skip this unless you have a darn good reason.
2) Havoc Punch (level 1)
-Attack: Melee / -Acc: 1.0
-Dmg: 0.8 S/L + 0.52 Eng = 1.32 DS (2.2222 + 1.4444 = 3.6666 BI)
-Rch: 6s / End: 6.864 / Act: 1.5s
-Havoc Punch is the other part of your Bread and Butter, and you will use it often. Good, builds Fury, use it, dont skip it.
3) Jacobs Ladder (level 4)
-Attack: Melee Cone / -Acc: 1.0 / -Radius-range: 5 in a 50 degree arc from target
-Dmg: 0 S/L + 1.5 Eng = 1.5 DS (0 + 4.1667 = 4.1667 BI)
-Rch: 8s / End: 8.528 / Act: 1.67s
-Jacobs Ladder is where the AoE part of your attack chain starts and lets you start practicing as early as level four. As a melee cone, this may be fairly familiar to you in application if youve played Dark before. Compared to your Bread and Butter, its OK as a single target attack, but shines when you can hit two to its maximum of five targets. Tip: Cluster enemies, and target the one in the back of the cluster. If you target the closest one, youll hit only him, but by targeting the back, you catch (up to four extra) targets in between the target and you in the arc. A good attack with decent activation, youll want it at low levels and will get use out of it for a long while. You may consider dropping it in a respec later on, but do so only when you know youll have a solid attack chain without it.
4) Build Up (level 6)
-Self Buff: +80% Dmg / +20% ToHit
-Rch: 90s / End: 5.2 / Act: 1.17s
-The requisite Build Up. +80% base damage, +20% ToHit. Some will skip it and never look back, others will take it and never regret it. Great for opening a fight or complimenting your Fury and external buffage when youre ready to lay down some heavy smack to higher level and boss level targets.
5) Thunderstrike (level 8)
-Attack: Melee AoE / -Acc: 1.0 / -Radius: 7 from target (Eng portion)
-Dmg: 1 S/L + 0.96 Eng = 1.96 DS (2.7778 + 2.6667 = 5.4444 BI)
-Rch: 18s / End: 10.192 / Act: 3.3s
-Youll want to find room for this one! The activation is a bit slow, but it makes up for it with great single target damage and a high chance of knockdown. Remember those clusters you got good at making for Jacobs Ladder? Well, now you can target anyone of them, because anyone within about 7 (2 ft. past punching range) of your target is gonna get fried by the Energy portion of the damage. Theyll even do the zappy dance for you. This attack is one youll want to take, and wont regret.
6) Taunt (level 12)
-Targeted AoE Mez: Draws Aggro (20s in PvE, 5s in PvP) / -Acc: 1.0 PvP, autohit PvE
-Rng: 70 ft. (15 ft. radius) / up to 5 targets / End: 0 / Act: 2.67 / Rch: 10s
-The requisite Taunt. If you plan on teaming and have the room, you might find this useful for drawing aggro away from your decidedly squishier allies (or other Brutes in severe danger). However, youll likely consider this power quite skippable. Its an aggro management tool but its that much less SMASH!!!(tm) or other powers youll find more useful.
7) Chain Induction (level 18)
-Attack: Melee AoE / -Acc: 1.0
-Dmg: 0.8 S/L + 0.52 Eng = 1.32 DS (2.2222 + 1.4444 = 3.6666 BI)
-Rch: 14s / End: 10.192 / Act: 1s
-Another gem, youll find this attack is faster than Thunderstrike, for the same cost but its also pretty random. Theres a chance that this will arc to other targets, but the chance is random (and seems to be a number of additional targets algorithm). This is a love it or hate it power and youll either love it, or hate it. The real consideration is that its paying for Tunderstrike while getting the benefit of Havoc Punch a Havoc Punch that may just decide to arc and hit extra targets a bit farther away than Thunderstrike would. Diamond in the rough, or waste of space? I cant really tell you, youre gonna have to get advice from other Brutes who know how you play and what you like. Me? I like it.
8) Lightning Clap (level 26)
-Attack: Melee AoE Mez / -Acc: 0.8 / -Dmg: 0
-Rch: 30s / End: 13 / Act: 1.23s / Radius: 19
-Lightning Clap can save your bacon. This power packs Disorient and Knockback into one happy 100% package at a slight accuracy penalty. For those who wonder, its 100% chance of KB with 100% chance of an 8s Str 2.38 w/ 50% for an 8s Str 1.19 Disorient. In PvP, the Disorient goes to 5.34s at Str 2.38. Youll either find you use this power as an extra soft control (see Power Sink in your secondary), or as a too many, oh @#$%! (*CLAP!*) and run away power. Which means you either think this power is completely skippable, because why would you want a power that hurts Fury generation, or a must have because it can make a difference that helps compensate for your lack of a self heal. And, if you cant figure out based on that analysis, youll just have to test it. Me? I like it, but I see theres also some trouble fitting it in your build sometimes.
9) Lightning Rod (level 32)
-Attack: Teleport + PBAoE / -Acc: 0.9
-Dmg: 1 S/L + 0.7 Eng = 1.7 DS (2.7778 + 1.9444 = 4.7222 BI)
-Rch: 90s / End: 13.52 / Act: 2.57s / Radius: 20
-BOOM!, baby! If you refuse to take this power, I call you a lunatic. This mini-nuke has both an effect (80% Knockdown chance) and a boom (all that pretty, Fury enhanced damage, plus the free light show) to make even a Blaster jealous. This power shines as a way to start (or completely pre-empt) a fight after youve ended another. Scenario: youre right near full Fury, and your team has the situation handled with this group or youve just landed the last punch. Theres a pretty group of enemies all nicely clustered for you right nearby! Pop just enough Redage and Build Up to give you the benefit of some serious buffage, and BOOM!...look at all the pretty corpses. One caveat: there IS an acc penalty. You also dont have Aim (something all Blasters with half a brain use with THEIR nukes). So if you want to BOOM! and not flourish a broken rapier (so to speak), make sure youve got Acc in the power, and +Acc/+ToHit as well. Also, get good with that reticule: youll be very embarrassed if you just miss an enemy because youre 21 away when you BOOM! and not 20.
Electric Armor
1) Charged Armor (level 1)
-Toggle: Self + Res(S/L, Eng)
-Base: 26.25% Smash/Lethal, Energy / -Rch: 2s / -Act: 0.67s
-EPS: 0.26 / Enhancements taken: +Res, -End, -Rch
-You have to take it. Really, you actually dont have a choice. And youll love it. The center of your early resistances, youll find S/L is something youll enjoy through the entire game.
2) Lightning Field (level 2)
-Toggle: PBAoE, Minor DoT (Eng), Foe End
-Dmg: 0.216 DS (0.6 BI) Eng / -Radius: 8ft. / -EPS: 0.52
-Rch: 10s / -Act: 2.03s
-The best analysis of this power is courtesy of Speqter:
[ QUOTE ]
all these #'s are @ lvl 40
Lightning Field(.2 DS) does 08.342 damage, every 2 seconds.
It costs 1.04 endurance and can harm up to 10 opponents.
It effectively costs .52 endurance/second.
deals 4.171 damage/second (per opponent in range).
gives 8.021 damage/endurance point (per opponent in range).
average performance (3 mobs)
deals 12.513 damage/second
gives 24.063 damage/endurance point
MAX performance (10 mobs)
deals 41.71 damage/second
gives 80.21 damage/endurance point
Compare that to some Electric Melee attacks.
Charged Brawl (2.33 BI, 4.368 end)
34.99 damage/activation
gives 8 damage/end
Havoc Punch (3.66 BI, 6.864 end)
54.95 dam/act
gives 8 Dam/end
Jacob's Ladder (4.5 BI, 8.5 end)
Jacob's Ladder 67.572 damage, every 8 seconds.
It costs 8.528 endurance and can harm up to 5 opponents.
It effectively costs 1.07 endurance/second
deals 8.447 dam/sec.
gives 7.925 damage/endurance point
average performance (3 mobs)
deals 25.341 damage/second
gives 23.775 damage/endurance point
Max performance (5 mobs)
deals 42.235 damage/second
gives 39.625 damage/endurance point
It is more efficient over time than the first 3 electric melee powers, but mainly it's a play style. It's seems to pay off more when their are lots of critters around you or you are fighting on a team.
[/ QUOTE ] Thatll give you a good idea. Its also a toggle that costs the same as two armors so its decent area damage (and aggro holder), but you may just not think its worth it.
3) Conductive Shield (level 4)
-Toggle: Self +Res(Fire, Cold, Eng, Neg)
-Base: 26.25% Fire, Cold, Eng, 15% Neg / -Rch: 2s / -Act: 0.67
-EPS: 0.26 / Enhancements taken: +Res, -End, -Rch
-Your second toggle shield, and the elemental one. If you feel you can live without it, I think youre crazy, but thats up to you. 26.25% against both Fire and Cold with the added 15% to Negative Energy is nothing to sneeze at. Especially not when the numbers look more like 42% and 24% when slotted with +3 SOs.
4) Static Shiled (level 10)
-Toggle: Self +Res(Hold, Sleep, Disorient, End Drain, Recovery DeBuff, Psi, TP)
-Base: 26.25% Psi / -Rch: 4s / -Act: 1.17s
-EPS: 0.26 / Enhancements taken: +Res, -End, -Rch
-This is another toggle, and its your status protection. Ohhhhh, looky, you get Psychic damage resistane too! Take. It. Protection from all those mezzes and Psychic to boot for the cost of one shield (and something around 42% with SOs, at that!) thats a bargin. Note that the Psychic resistance is fixed, and is affected by Damage Resistance SOs, but that the Status protection is unaffected by enhancements, but scales with level. The Endurance Drain protection is also 80%.
5) Grounded (level 16)
-Auto: Self +Res(Eng, Neg, End Drain, Immob, KB)
-Base: 9.375% Eng, 7.5% Neg / Enhancements taken: +Res
-This is perhaps the good and bad choice, and the one power that truly has a downside. The energy resistance is almost trivial considering how much you get from other powers, but the extra Negative energy resistance by itself makes this a good auto power. Throwing in moderate Immobilize and Knock Back protection is great too. Heres the real catch: you have to stay near the ground. That wouldnt be SO bad, except that the definition of ground by the game seems a bit buggy, especially in caves and on ramps, etc. The other catch is that the Immobilize and KB protection is not as complete as your status protection from Static Shield. When combined with Acrobatics, its stellar but this power, despite its benefits, may be a skippable power for you (especially if you plan of flying high or jumping around a lot and getting Acro anyway).
6) Lightning Reflexes (level 20)
-Auto: Self +Spd, +Rch, Res(Slow)
-Base: Rch = 20% discount, Spd = +5.2+(lvl*.043) ft./s
-Enhancements taken: +Run
-This power, at first glance, seems almost trivial. Take another look. TWENTY PERCENT RECHARGE DISCOUNT on ALL powers. Thats like having a bit better than a +3 Recharge DO in EVERY power. And it counts as an external buff, so you still slot the appropriate powers with 2-3 recharge if you want. If you use Hasten, this also helps make it that much closer to perma, and stacks with Hastens own external buff, which means you can still get the full benefit from any powers slotted for recharge as well! The additional run speed is also nice (and really, the only way to use the one slot). The Slow protection youll find you appreciate, even if it tends to only be good against one application. Youre not going to want to waste enhancement slots on this one, but you will notice a definite benefit to taking it.
7) Conserve Power (level 28)
-Self Endurance Discount / 66% Discount
-Lasts 90s / -Rch: 600s / -End: 7.8 / -Act: 1.17
-Enhancements taken: -End, +Rch
-This power IS a good power. The benefits it gives, however, are overshadowed when you are able to have Power Sink, and Stamina and Endurance reduction slots can also be more effective. Many of you reading this will consider this a skippable power. However, if you intend to run all your toggles constantly with Combat Jumping, Acrobatics, and Tough plus Weave (to make your S/L resists truly impressive and add some noticeable +Def), and perhaps even a Leadership or two, youll find this to be a boon sent from heaven. Slotted for recharge and with the benefit of Hasten and Lightning Reflexes, this power can be up for good amounts of time with manageable downtime. The fact that it doesnt hurt Fury buildup is also something to consider.
8) Power Sink (level 35)
-PBAoE Self +End, Foe -End / -Radius: 10ft. (Base return = 25 end / minion)
-Rch: 60s / -End: 13 / -Act: 2.03s
-Enhancements taken: -End, -Rch, End Mod, Taunt
-A bane and a blessing, all rolled up into one. This power can give you back a full endurance bar from a reasonably sized fight, and some soft control. However, the fact that that comes at the expense of incoming attacks (meaning less Fury) is something to weigh. Many of you will find that the benefit outweighs the cost (quite handily, in many cases), but there will be a few of you neither want nor feel you need this power at all. The choice is yours, but choose wisely. If nothing else but a mob-control panic button for you, this makes a dern good panic button.
9) Power Surge (level 38)
-Self +Res(Disorient, Sleep, Hold, Immob, KB, End Drain, Recovery DeBuff, TP, Dmg [not Psi]) +Recovery
-Base: 52.5% (Smash/Lethal, Fire, Cold, Tox), 60% (Eng), 45% (Neg)
-Lasts 180s / -Rch: 1000s / -End: 2.6 / -Act: 1.96s
-Enhancements taken: +Acc, -End, -Rch, +Hold, +Dmg, End Mod
-Special: When this power ends, you drop to 10% HP and 0 End, a special EMP Pulse activates (holds even lts./minions for 10s). The Acc and Hold affect the EMP Pulse
-Do you wish you could look like a Gremlin? Do you love the cackle of electricity? Do you just love taking only half damage from any non-psychic? Well, this is a power youll want, and is your god mode button. Unslotted, this thing lasts for three minutes out of just under every 20. Slotted (and with Hasten and Lightning Reflexes), the recharge means it can be up far more often, and resistance slotting means that 52.5%/60%/45% can go to ~84%/96%/72%. When running this and your toggles, you can EASILY cap resistances and have ~42 % to Psychic! Thats a darn good deal. The fact that this completes your status protection and has +Recovery means youll love every second of Gremliny goodness. Your slotting will depend on your other powers, however. The EMP Pulse at crash is also a safety feature that other builds dont have. Just dont go touching any water. Remember, however, that even with this up, Confuse and Fear will still leave you discharging at thin air.
But What Does It All Mean?
-Put together, all of this means that the Electric Brute has options and flexibility, but must face choices. This also means that the Electric Brutes may not be right for you, even if other Brutes are! An Electric Brute is capable of high DPS with a solid attack chain, and has both resistances and the potential to hold aggro that rivals Tankers, especially if you take your Taunt and have experience tanking. Heck, you have resistances that can make even a Tank blush! However, your damage mitigation varies from other sets: you have only your resists and damage to save you, along with the minor Sleep component (negated if youre running Electric Field) of your attacks. You have no +Def, and NO HEAL. So, moreso than other Brutes, Electric Brutes have to ask the question: how do I approach a fight? Other Brutes (with some exceptions) charge in and just SMASH!!!(tm), and know that if things get hairy they can heal, then run if they must.
-You, however, are going to need to question whether it is better to defeat the minion or let him live to build Fury and whether you need to run. Youre going to need to decide faster than other Brutes, too, since the margin of error is smaller if you want to stay standing. Managing herding is also more necessary than other Brutes. Although you dont get more Fury from the AoE component of your attacks, you can both hold aggro better and hit anywhere from 1-5 (or even 10) extra targets with practice! Enough practice with Chain Induction, Thunderstrike, and Jacobs Ladder will have even those AoE happy Fire builds envy your kill power, but it DOES take practice. Manipulating targeting (nearest, farthest, next, previous) and your own visibility are key to this, and each of you will develop your own system. Needless to say, Lightning Rod is quite an electrifying experience once youve gotten using it down, and is awesome for both opening or closing (or both at once!) a fight. In the late game, however, you do get a powerful tool available to you: Power Sink. Power Sink can save you, and your team but it can also make a fight take longer (youre not gaining extra Fury if youre not being attacked)! The difference here is that your paradox is larger than most other Brutes, and your survival depends upon your experience and knowing the answers. This also means that enemies who can confuse you or fear you have a very distinct advantage, and you will want to take them down first. Its up to you to determine how to best utilize your slots and powers and the answer will vary by the player!
A note on Power Pools
-The powers you take and how you slot them, as well as your play style, will determine the pools you take, and these are examples of the choices (and player types) that make the Electric Brute fun and variable. To get a self heal, you need Aid Self and another power just to get it. Aid Self is certainly more powerful in pure HP gain but it is slower, costlier, and interruptible, disadvantages all compared to true self heals. Tough (and the extra attack necessary to get it) can also be useful if you can spare the endurance and slots, since with it your S/L resistance is very, very high. If this fits you well, you might also consider weave (especially if you have the Jumping Pool) for the defense bonus. Another consideration is that you may not need Stamina but you may want Health. This paradox is another choice that must be made. Health is the poor mans Regen, and with your high resistances, can be very useful in long fights. Stamina also can free up end redux slots for other attributes (like resistance and SMASH!!!(tm)). Youll also find these help you recover much faster from the crash from Power Surge, and between it and Conserve Power let you run more toggles with less slotting. The cost is three powers, however, and while Swift or Hurdle can be quite nice, its something you very well find you dont need.
A note on travel
-Another hard choice faces you pool-wise: fly, speed, or jump? Fly can give you Air Superiority and it is possible to fly near the ground to stay grounded. Speed can give you Hasten and the best linear speed possible added to Lightning Reflexes, you may even consider dropping a primary attack for another power! Jumping can give Combat Jumping and Acrobatics two key powers to close gaps in your Mez defenses that you may find you feel you need, or may not consider worth the powers at all. Jumping is also nearly as fast as Super Speed but not being near the ground for Grounded can put you at risk! What you choose will be up to you there is no right answer! The powers you might choose to save can even lead to you getting Presence for Fear (or even just Taunt) or even Leadership to give you both that small boost in potential and help get some status resists not just to you, but your team. The fact that Leadership can help provide Confuse and Fear mitigation is nothing to sneeze at, and means that if you can team with folks who have it, youll be very happy indeed. For an in-depth skinny on movement, try TopDoc's Movement Guide.
A note on Patron Powers
-41 may seem a long way away. And it is. But Patronage is something to consider. Sirocco is naturally the most thematically fitting and game stacking Patron to take. More damage and more end drain (and recovery). If for some reason you dont want energy damage, but similar benefits, remember that the other Patrons each offer the same benefits of a two ranged attacks (one an AoE) and an area immobilize and of course, a pet. The true difference is damage types: Energy for Sirocco, Negative Energy for Ghost Widow, Lethal/Toxic for Captain Mako, and Energy/Smash/Lethal for Black Scorpion. The secondary effects are Endurance Drain, Acc, Tox/More damage, and Knockdown, respectively. Sirocco is undoubtedly the best fit powerwise, but if you want to change things up, pick another patron, but be ready to deal with the non-synergistic effects.
-The final consideration means your build can be very flexible if you are flexible, or very tight if you have a core idea in mind, and provides a challenge that can be its own brand of fun. Each Electric Brute is a truly customizable circuit of binary components and your combination of on and off is going to make or break you! Hopefully, Ive given you the construction plan: all possible parts included, not all parts will be used in every installation. Use the parts you like, throw out those you dont, and go bring some ELECTRIC SMASH!!!(tm) to the Isles!
Information in this guide comes from both experience and observation. The hard numbers in this guide are thanks to Stupid_Fanboy, Speqter, and NoFuture. If you find any errors in this guide or have insight of your own, please post for the benefit of others. I realize that the % chance, duration, and effect of the sleep portion and endurance drain portion of these power is not present. If anyone has the apporpriate, tested data on this, I would love to add this to the guide (so I can also give more tangible descriptions, too). Any typos I missed in editing would be appreciated as well. I will edit this guide as necessary as long as the window is open, and will repost any major corrections in the future.