Smashing Pumpkin's Dark/Fire Brute Guide!
By
Jack Power,
Posted on: 2006-08-30 07:28 in Player Guides
Why is it that all of the builds I see out there are designed for high-level characters, and don't tend to take the limitations of mid and low level characters into account?
Couple of comments here...Mind, this looks like a reasonably good build.
For maximum time in combat, I strongly recommend slotting every attack with an end reduction, especially at mid to low levels. Before you can get your end recovery powers slotted, most Brutes will find it very beneficial to have end reduction in all attacks to maximize time in combat, especially on the two fastest attacks in the primary. Besides...if you like damage, slotting this way will enable you to slot Dark Consumption for damage rather than end reduction. Which is really, really fun.
I'm not sure why you've skipped recharge reductions in your two smaller attacks - A mid-level DM/Fire doesn't have a full attack chain without recharge reductions in those attacks. Especially since your build doesn't include Hasten, which I tend to disagree with. I feel that DM/Fire really benefits from Hasten because of the slow recharges on the utility AOEs.
I would tend to recommend two accuracies in Siphon Life - it's an attack you REALLY don't want to have missing.
Burn is vastly underrated, especially in mayhem missions, Oranbega, and caves. When paired with Blazing Aura, the enemies will bounce in and out of your burn patch, trying to attack you but also trying not to close to melee. It's more effective on melee-preferred opponents than on range-preferred opponents, certainly. In Mayhem missions, you can easily stand at a side mission or bank door, drop multiple burn patches, and wait for the Longbow to enter and fall down writhing. Burn does work best when coupled with both Taunt and Blazing Aura, but just Blazing Aura works nicely too. Obviously, it shines most when you're teamed with a couple of Dominators or Corruptors who can lay out AOE immobilizes. A Plant Dom paired with a DM/Fire Brute is truly a sick and disgusting combination. Burn does not, however, work from Hover at all - You must be *on* the ground to use it.
Not a bad guide. I'd like to see a bit of insight into your playing style with it though, and possibly some anecdotes from your early and mid levels. 
I find that those are generally very helpful for newer players who are looking for Brute guides.
@SithRose and @Sith Rose
Permanent resident of Virtue
"Mommy, I need Cthulhu. He keeps the bad dreams away."
Overall not a bad guide for your first attempt. Here's a few notes on the DM/FA I think are EXTREMELY important that differ from what you've got here.
On Stamina: Don't worry about it. Take it later sure, but don't force it. you've got 2 endrec powers at your disposal and you really shouldn't rush into Stamina unless you REALLY don't want to slot EndRedux's in your powers.
Take more attacks earlier. Nothing sucks more than waiting for an attack to recharge while you loose fury.
don't bother slotting damage into attacks until 28-30. Fury takes care of all that for you and you won't really notice a difference until you hit SO's anyway. SLOT THOSE UTILITIES AND DEFENSES FIRST!!!
Take blazing aura asap. Trust me, you will kill faster, MUCH faster. BA does more damage over the session than any other power in the game. (run herostats, you'll see). Don't worry about slotting it until LATE in the game, but have it, those 2s and 3s become 10s and 20s with Fury. BA is a brutes best friend since it'll kill guys your not directly attacking, thus acting as an extra defense and helps you gain xp faster.
Check out my guide for what I'm talking about here. I've got a few different builds on it, concept, min/max, and a hover build. And they only go up to 40 so you can play with the rest of your enh slots to 50 (since patron powers weren't here when I wrote it, been meaning to update that, probably in I8)
Check out the guide in my sig, trust me.
Edited for typo (said 38-30, ment 28-30)
My early and mid levels, until about level 25, featured the flight pool with air superiority as one of my attacks, and I also took Blazing Aura earlier. I respeced out of that pool once I realized how much knockback really annoys me, and how being knocked back cuts down on the usefulness of Blazing Aura. I also moved Blazing Aura to a point after my endurance issues could be addressed.
I have never slotted for end reduction in the lower levels since I generally don't find end to be an issue until the very late teens and mid-twenties. With these powersets, end recovery gets addressed quite thoroughly at that point with stamina, if you take it, and the two end recovery powers.
I also find it more effective to slot the toggles as opposed to the attacks with end reducers, and slotting them twice (once you have the ability to do so) before slotting the attacks even once. If you are attacking 100% of the time, it is more effective to slot end reducers into Shadow Maul, Smite, and Shadow Punch. But you have to remember, slotting the toggles saves you endurance whenever you have the toggles on, which includes the time you spend walking from room to room looking for baddies to fight. But I can't really argue against slotting those attacks for end reducers. As long as you use each one 4 times per minute, you slightly exceed the end discout provided by slotting the armors twice - at least while you are fighting.
I noticed you phrased your recommendation in terms of "maximizing your time in combat." I abhor downtime between fights, and I solo a lot. For me, "maximizing time in combat" means something different than for someone who groups a lot, since I tend to have short, discrete fights, then immediately move on without having downtime waiting for my team to regroup/recharge/decide which way to go.
Finally, in general I DO recommend having a 1-25 build, respecing, and having one or two builds for later levels. Absolutely I do. The build listed is a final build. An additional attack or BA in the lower levels would be a nice addition, and you could postpone stamina to do that.
Great answers! I find it interesting that your early-level recommendations are almost exactly opposite to mine. *grins* Just goes to show that there's definitely no one true way to build a Brute. I've mentioned in other threads that my original build for my DM/Fire was no-fitness, and that I wound up respeccing into Fitness at 27 because I wanted those slots I needed in end reduction elsewhere. And because I found that with soloing, the spawns weren't quite large enough to really get as much endurance back as I wanted to have to keep going. What can I say, my first melee character was a /Regen scrapper, I have an allergy to low blue bars in melee.
To address the "maximizing time in combat" debate - I also tend to solo my DM/Fire a lot. My general playstyle with Brutes is often described as psychotic in pace. Or, kill things as fast as possible, move to the next group as fast as possible, and rest/stop as little as possible. "By maximizing time in combat", I really should have said "building for long-term sustained combat" instead. It's probably more accurate, since I prefer to be able to run through an entire mission without stopping at all. However - I also tend to run my Brutes on anything between Relentless and Vicious, so I'm fighting +1s at a minimum, and usually +2s and +3s. That tends to lead to spending more time *in* any given fight rather than two-three shots to kill and move on. I just don't find it a challenge if the enemy isn't much able to hurt me, and whites...really die too fast. That will definitely color both slotting and combat perspective, the more if you run in smaller teams/duos.
@SithRose and @Sith Rose
Permanent resident of Virtue
"Mommy, I need Cthulhu. He keeps the bad dreams away."
There are a lot of ways to build this set and most of it comes down to personal preferences/playstyle. Certainly, much is debateable.
My one big concern with your recommendation however is this: 1 ACC in attack powers is only really sufficient when you are running Soul Drain... ergo, you shoud either make Soul Drain perma by taking Hasten, or add ACCs everywhere. Either one, but don't run with SD half the time and only 1 ACC everywhere. And Soul Drain itself needs another ACC.
That said, my personal preferences are as follows:
Respec'd out Shadow Maul. I tried it and never ever once was I able to ever get it to hit more than 1 mob. Fury aside, the animation time just kills me for the small return. I can't stand it.
I prefer the kill verything as fast as possible approach, so ToF has no place in my world.
Burn is great if you take the AoE immob/cone from Patron pool. But a waste without it.
205723: A Different DESTINY
When Soldiers of Arachnos got their names added to the Destiny List, Longbow managed to get a copy of the list and began rounding villains up. But one name on the list shocked them...
Super guide JV.. I find it very useful as I have a dark/dark brute (lvl 29 atm). Though the DA power set has a different way of protecting a brute compared with FA (Dark Regeneration I love you!) your views on DM mirrors mine. Thanks for the slotting suggestion on Soul Drain as it's new to me (my dark/dark scrapper is just lvl 25).
You say you mostly solo with Smashing but what I have seen you aren't half bad on a team either. 
//Jack
The Kickers base.
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.
-Groucho Marx
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I also find it more effective to slot the toggles as opposed to the attacks with end reducers, and slotting them twice (once you have the ability to do so) before slotting the attacks even once.
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Uh, no.
Your defensive toggles do not take nearly enough endurance per second to be worth slotting two endurance reducers into as the diminishing of returns kicks in right after the first SO. For example, if one SO brings Fire Shield from 0.13 end/sec to .10, a second one only brings it down to 0.08. That is an insignifigant amount of savings.
If you're talking about slotting two endurance DOs, then it makes sense as two DOs equals about one SO. But two SOs is a waste. I've tried it before on test and saw no difference in endurance savings.
Your attacks, on the other hands, use far more endurance in a second than your toggles do. While Fire Shield uses about 0.13 in a second, Smite uses 6.86 (numbers from SherkSilver's Character Builder) in the same second. Spamming attacks will drain end far quicker than running toggles, therefore a better return will be seen from slotting an endurance reducer into your attacks. For best results, slot one in both toggles and attacks.
As for fitness, you can take longer on Stamina as long as you pick up Dark Consumption at 18 when it becomes available. Then you can still get Acrobatics at 20, and have more attacks in the pre-20 levels, then still get Health and Stamina in the early 20's without having to put off Soul Drain. Adding Consume can wait until the early 30's, but I wouldn't delay getting Midnight Grasp. This way you can still have Tough before level 40 as well.
As for Blazing Aura, I found that it's usefullness diminishes a lot by the later game. I found myself using it very infrequently and eventually respecced out of it in the 40's to get Touch of Fear and Siphon Life into the mix.
Touch of Fear is essential in the late game when Elite Bosses are coming out of the woodwork. That massive to-hit debuff goes a long way towards making them soloable.
I recommend double slotting everything for Accuracy by the 40's as well, especially powers like Touch of Fear, Consume, Soul Drain, Siphon Life, and Dark Consumption. The less you miss, the less you need to swing, the less endurance you burn while fighting the same number of foes. Plus CoT with -acc powers piss me off as well.
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I also find it more effective to slot the toggles as opposed to the attacks with end reducers, and slotting them twice (once you have the ability to do so) before slotting the attacks even once.
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Uh, no.
Your defensive toggles do not take nearly enough endurance per second to be worth slotting two endurance reducers into as the diminishing of returns kicks in right after the first SO. For example, if one SO brings Fire Shield from 0.13 end/sec to .10, a second one only brings it down to 0.08. That is an insignifigant amount of savings.
If you're talking about slotting two endurance DOs, then it makes sense as two DOs equals about one SO. But two SOs is a waste. I've tried it before on test and saw no difference in endurance savings.
Your attacks, on the other hands, use far more endurance in a second than your toggles do. While Fire Shield uses about 0.13 in a second, Smite uses 6.86 (numbers from SherkSilver's Character Builder) in the same second. Spamming attacks will drain end far quicker than running toggles, therefore a better return will be seen from slotting an endurance reducer into your attacks. For best results, slot one in both toggles and attacks.
As for fitness, you can take longer on Stamina as long as you pick up Dark Consumption at 18 when it becomes available. Then you can still get Acrobatics at 20, and have more attacks in the pre-20 levels, then still get Health and Stamina in the early 20's without having to put off Soul Drain. Adding Consume can wait until the early 30's, but I wouldn't delay getting Midnight Grasp. This way you can still have Tough before level 40 as well.
As for Blazing Aura, I found that it's usefullness diminishes a lot by the later game. I found myself using it very infrequently and eventually respecced out of it in the 40's to get Touch of Fear and Siphon Life into the mix.
Touch of Fear is essential in the late game when Elite Bosses are coming out of the woodwork. That massive to-hit debuff goes a long way towards making them soloable.
I recommend double slotting everything for Accuracy by the 40's as well, especially powers like Touch of Fear, Consume, Soul Drain, Siphon Life, and Dark Consumption. The less you miss, the less you need to swing, the less endurance you burn while fighting the same number of foes. Plus CoT with -acc powers piss me off as well.
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Uh, not so fast, chumley.
You have read what you wanted to read in this case, and built a Straw Man to argue against. (I also note that you picked the lowest endurance-using toggle in your example.)
I said to slot your toggles - I did not say slot your armor sets. In the sample build I posted, I only double-slot 3 toggles for endurance reduction: BA, which has a whopping 1.04 end/sec cost (8 times higher than the example you picked), acrobatics (0.3/sec), and tough (0.2/sec, though SherkSilver has it at 0.3/sec). All of these are higher than the example you picked.
Of these, BA is clearly the most important to slot. Double- slotting BA for end saves 24.9 end per minute. Doing the same to acrobatics saves 7.19 end/min, and on tough saves 4.8/min (or 7.19/min if SherkSilver is right).
Putting an end slot in the three lower attacks saves the following endurance amounts, assuming you use the given power 8 times as [u]part[u] of your attack chain per minute. Shadow Punch - 8.7 end; Smite - 13.7 end; and Shadow Maul - 17.0 end.
Now if your attack chain is limited, or if you use Smite once per second for 60 seconds (as your example suggests), then clearly you want to slot for end. In fact, if you use Smite and only Smite 24/7, you want to load that sucker up!
But my build has all the available attacks, and the 8 times per minute for these attacks is about right - when fighting. The numbers alone indicate that, except for BA, slotting Shadow Maul and Smite before acrobatics and tough is the way to go. But my position is that if you have any downtime (i.e., non- attacking time), lower toggle costs give you a better return. If you just analyze fighting time, slotting the attacks is the way to go, but that is not realistic. By slotting the attacks, you only realize savings when using the attacks - the toggle savings are constant.
That being said, perhaps the sensible thing to do is drop the end reducers out of fire shield and plasma shield altogether and putting those into your attacks, but keeping BA and acrobatics and maybe tough two-slotted.
Thanks for making me run the numbers again - it was illuminating. But, I have to stick with my original thought - double-slotting BA, acrobatics, and tough is still recommended. The other armor end reducers - I can see shifting those.
Wow, I tried this build out last night and had a blast. I really like this combo and you have to take Blazing Aura cause that is just too much fun burning them as they try, to no avail, to hit you after you debuffer their accuracy. Awesome combo idea! I had never thought of it before. 
Yes! A convert! Welcome to the dark (fire) side!
Not sure if Patrons were around when u made that guide... But dude you need to realise group aoe immobilize is available for brutes, hence BURN RULES... Makes farming so so easy on my fire/fire brute, immob-burn-fsc = job done To get the most outta FA you need to use burn to its fullest and by that, meaning take the group immob
If this has been pointed out in this thread my bad, but i only read ya guide a few replies b4 i had to have my 2cents 
Dark/FA makes a very decent "brawler" pvp build too. Personally i prefer my DM/Invun Brute, not very good vs rads or anything that debuffs acc but in a brawl its very very sweet.
I did mention that, but I personally opted out of all patron polls.
Welcome to Smashing Pumpkins Dark/Fire Brute Guide! This is a guide for Brutes using the Dark Melee primary set and the Fiery Armor secondary set (DM/FA). I hope to give you insight as to why this combination makes for a great Brute and makes being evil seem like fun. I also hope to give some tips on how to maximize your potential as a DM/FA Brute, and avoid some pitfalls.
DM/FA will not be every ones cup of tea. It is heavily AOE-oriented for a melee set. It is less SMASHY than, say, super strength or EM. It has a LOT more utility, however. If you like to be self-reliant, this build is for you. Heals? Two of em. Endurance recovery? Two of em. Damage boosts? Two of em. Damage mitigation besides your resistances? You get to-hit debuffs out the wazoo, immobilization, and fear. Status resists? Check. Accuracy boost? Check.
There are a couple of other DM/FA guides out there, and I will try to highlight where I disagree or have a different take on some of these powers. In doing so, I do not disparage anyone elses efforts. But as with any powerset in this game, there is more than one way to shape your build, and your build needs to fit your playing style. As with any guide, your mileage may vary. Bottom line: play your game, not someone elses, and have fun!
A note on my format and the numbers provided:
For each power, I give the low down, which is simply the in-game text description of the power; the down low, which are the numbers and effects for the power as provided primarily by the Prima Guide; my take, which is my take on the given power and its use; and recommended slotting with comments where appropriate. The low down damage numbers are provided in the format of (X)/(X*1.333)/(X*1.666)/(X*1.949) and reflect the damage you should expect at level 50 against an even-con minion with no resistances with 0/1/2/3 level 50 SOs installed, respectively (white SOs, no plusses). These are very close to the numbers you should expect with no fury, but for some odd reason, the numbers are slightly off (probably due to truncating). Between truncating, the possibility of yellow or green enhancements, and fury, you will likely never achieve these exact numbers they are provided for comparison and planning purposes only. For quick reference, I also provide a total combined 3-slotted damage number by simply adding up all the damage types and DoT for each attack. The resistance numbers for the armor sets are likewise presented in a (X)/(X*1.2)/(X*1.4)/(X*1.56) format to quickly see the effects of 0/1/2/3 even level SOs.
DARK MELEE PRIMARY
What Dark Melee is: a low-endurance, high utility set with a damage component (negative energy) that is not well-resisted in PvE or PvP; good secondary effects (to-hit debuff, healing, endurance recovery, immobilization, fear) that mitigate damage to you or aid you.
What Dark Melee is not: there is no high burst damage (the highest-damaging attacks include segments of DoT), and consequently no great alpha attack; the attacks are not all that fast
General note: 100% base accuracy unless otherwise noted
Level 1 Shadow Punch
[u]The low down:[u] You wrap your fists with Negative Energy channeled from the Netherworld, then perform a quick punch that deals minor damage. A Shadow Punch clouds the target's vision, lowering Accuracy for a short time. Damage: Minor, Recharge: Fast
[u]The down low:[u] 14.17/18.89/23.61/27.62 Smashing damage + 20.85/27.78/34.72/40.62 Negative Energy damage; 68.23 total 3-slotted damage; 5% To Hit decrease for 6 seconds; END cost 4.368; cast time 0.57; recharge time 3
[u]My take:[u] Like Air Superiority? This is similar fast, strong, cheap. A fury builder, but not my recommended auto-toggle (that would be boxing). I recommend taking this one so that you have a few cheap and fast fury builders (boxing, brawl, Shadow Punch, Smite) to quickly build up fury before using the longer-animation powers (Shadow Maul, Midnight Grasp).
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] 1 acc, 3 damage
Level 1 Smite
[u]The low down:[u] You wrap your fists with Negative Energy channeled from the Netherworld, then perform a Smite that deals more damage than Shadow Punch but has a longer recharge time. Smite clouds the target's vision, lowering Accuracy for a short time. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Moderate
[u]The down low:[u] 13.34/17.78/22.22/26.00 Smashing damage; 41.7/55.59/69.47/81.27 Negative Energy damage; 107.27 total 3-slotted damage; 5% To Hit decrease for 10 seconds; END cost 6.864; cast time 0.97; recharge time 6
[u]My take:[u] A great, fast, and nicely powered attack; a stronger Shadow Punch having the same basic advantages quick, low cost, a fury builder. A must-take.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] 1 acc, 3 damage
Level 2 Shadow Maul
[u]The low down:[u] You wrap your arms with Negative Energy channeled from the Netherworld, then perform a series of blows that deal a lot of damage over a short period of time to multiple targets in front of you. These blows cloud your target's vision, lowering Accuracy for a short time. Damage: High (DoT), Recharge: Moderate
[u]The down low:[u] 11.23/14.97/18.71/21.89 Smashing damage every .625 seconds (4 doses); 11.23/14.97/18.71/21.89 Negative Energy damage every .625 seconds (4 doses); 175.10 total 3-slotted damage; 5% To Hit decrease for 10 seconds; END cost 8.528, cast time 3.07, recharge time 8, 5' cone in a 45° arc, 5 targets hit (max)
[u]My take:[u] Ah, Shadow Maul, the signature power of the set. Scrappers love it, but brutes debate its effectiveness due to the long animation and the resulting pause in fury-building. You can mitigate the fury loss by using it last in your chain, and I recommend TAKING this power. Your goal is not building fury your goal is causing damage. This power is almost tied with Midnight Grasp as your highest damage-causing power against a single target, and it is available at level 2! Plus, it just looks cool! Once you are proficient at using the small cone of damage, you can routinely get two, sometimes three mobs at once, at which point SM eclipses Midnight Grasp (which you wont see for another 30 levels) in damage output. Get it, slot it, and most importantly, learn it. Corners and good footwork are your allies in using this power.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] This power has a well-documented perceived lower accuracy. If you run Hero Stats for a while, you will see that SM is just as accurate as any other of your powers. Two things contribute to this myth IMO: (1) you get the power as soon as level 2, and you simply miss more with TOs installed in the early levels, and (2) the long animation time makes each miss really painful you simply notice it more. 1 acc + 3 damage is fine, but you can also slot an extra acc early on and change it to a recharge later.
Level 6 Touch of Fear
[u]The low down:[u] The Netherworld is one scary place, and with but a touch, you can give your enemy a glimpse into this dark world. This will cause your victim to helplessly tremble in Fear. Foes in this state of panic have reduced Accuracy. Recharge: Moderate
[u]The down low:[u] 15-second Fear of 4.47 strength PvE only; 7.5-second Fear of 4.47 strength PvP only; 11% To Hit decrease for 20 seconds; END cost 8.528; cast time 1.17; recharge time 8, 120% base accuracy
[u]My take:[u] I doubted this power until I took it rather late in my build. Now I love it. Its a great PvP power, I hear, but it also really shines in PvE. This is my anti-spec-ops power: lead with ToF, then a Soul Drain+(Shadow Maul or Midnight Grasp, depending on grouping) and violá, no more spec-ops infestation. Find room in your build for this power you will not regret it but you wont ever really need it, either. My recommendation is to take it after 30 but before 40.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] Notice the increased base accuracy (120%) and higher to-hit debuff magnitude and duration than your other dark powers. If you really want to slot your DM attacks for the to-hit debuff, start here it is your strongest and longest to-hit debuff, so the enhancements mean more when slotted here. But do not fail to slot a fear enhancement or two. 1 acc, 2 fear, 1-2 to-hit debuffs.
Level 8 Siphon Life
[u]The low down:[u] You tap the power of the Netherworld and create a life-transferring conduit between a foe and yourself. This will transfer Hit Points from your enemy to yourself. Foes siphoned in this manner have their Accuracy reduced. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Slow
[u]The down low:[u] 41.7/55.59/69.47/81.27 Negative Energy damage; 81.27 total 3-slotted damage; 149.92/199.84/249.77/292.19 Hit Point Heal; 5% To Hit decrease for 10 seconds; END cost 11.96; cast time 1.93; recharge time 15
[u]My take:[u] Take it. Healing flames is only available periodically. This power will keep you alive or simply topped off until then. It also does decent damage (tied for 4th place among your attacks it is also the equivalent of the Negative Energy portion of Smite), builds fury, and applies the to-hit debuff, so it is a good enough attack in a pinch like when you are slowed and are waiting for your other attacks to come up. Admittedly, I dont use it at all in many fights, but when I need it, I really need it! It has saved my bacon and kept me in fights more than enough times to justify taking it. It simply approaches indispensable in lengthy EB or AV fights. (Note that scrapper guides are mixed on this power, but regens dont need it, and invulns have better resists than you and have Dull Pain to rely on.)
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] 1 acc, 3 heal, 1 recharge, 1 end red
Level 12 Taunt
[u]The low down:[u] Taunt foes to attack you; this is useful to pull enemies off allies and keep them attacking you to raise your Fury. Recharge: Fast
[u]The down low:[u] 20-second Taunt PvE only; 5-second Taunt PvP only; END cost 0; cast time 1.67; recharge time 10; range 70'; radius 15'; 5 targets (max)
[u]My take:[u] The topic is Brutes and taunt discuss amongst yourselves. Excuse me, Im getting verklempt. Either you are pro-taunt or anti-taunt as a Brute, and my opinion will not change yours. I say skip this one for regular PvE play. PvP players may find a role for this power.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] You cant slot what you dont take. Seriously, dont look to me for advice on this one Im not an enabler.
Level 18 Dark Consumption
[u]The low down:[u] The dark power of the Netherworld allows you to tap the essence of your foe's soul and transfer it to yourself. This will drain the Hit Points of your enemy and add to your Endurance. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Very Long
[u]The down low:[u] 33.36/44.47/55.58/65.02 Negative Energy damage; 65.02 total 3-slotted damage; restores 25 Endurance for each target hit; END cost 0.52 (almost nil); cast time 1.03; recharge time 180; radius 8'; 10 targets (max)
[u]My take:[u] Along with Consume in the Fiery Aura set, this is one of your two endurance building powers. The difference between the two is that Dark Consumption does more damage, but with a more limited radius (8' compared to 20' for Consume). If the enemy group is in close, use Dark consumption by default. Use Consume for loose groupings or if Dark Consumption is still recharging. Note that Fiery Embrace, if used, will catch up Consume to Dark Consumption in the damage department. Note that while the END cost is almost nil, if a sapper has zeroed out your blue bar, you cannot use this power.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] 1 acc + 2 recharge + 3 endurance recovery. Other people might say fewer endurance recoveries will be okay, and that may be true a lot of the time, but when youre left with just a boss or elite boss and no minions to feed off of, and you are running low on the ol blue bar, it is not just nice but wonderful to see your blue bar fly way up. I also solo a lot, and see fewer mobs. Bottom line: I was very pleased when I upped my end slots from 1 to 3, and did not feel it was a waste.
Level 26 Soul Drain
[u]The low down:[u] Using this power, you can drain the essence of all nearby foes' souls, thus increasing your own strength. Each affected foe will lose some Hit Points and add to your damage and Accuracy. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Very Long
[u]The down low:[u] 41.7/55.59/69.47/81.27 Negative Energy damage; 81.27 total 3-slotted damage; 5% To Hit increase per target hit for 30 seconds; 12.5% damage increase for each target hit for 30 seconds; END cost 15.6; cast time 2.37; recharge time 120; radius 10', 7 targets (max); 120% Base Accuracy
[u]My take:[u] This is a great power that does a little of everything, and does it in a 10' radius AOE. (Note, however, the lack of the to-hit debuff that other DM powers have.) For each foe in range (max 7), this attack does decent damage Im surprise more people dont suggest slotting the damage. The damage is tied for 4th place among your attacks after the heavy hitters Midnight Grasp, Shadow Maul, and Smite but this damage affects multiple targets. You also get a damage and accuracy boost per foe in range. The damage boost combines with the damage boosts from fury and fiery embrace (if you take it) use with all of the above and watch your orange numbers flow, especially with Blazing Aura. Take it and enjoy. Now hand me a cigarette.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] 1 acc (note 120% base accuracy) + 3 damage + 1 recharge + 1 end red. You may prefer more recharge (as the recharge time is lengthy), but me, I like damage. Slotting the to-hit buff gives too little a return for my taste.
Level 32 Midnight Grasp
[u]The low down:[u] Mastery over the forces of the Netherworld allows you to create dark tentacles that can Immobilize and continuously drain the life force of your foe. Damage: Superior (DoT), Recharge: Slow
[u]The down low:[u] 53.37/71.14/88.91/104.02 Negative Energy damage + 4.58/6.11/7.63/8.93 Negative Energy damage for 10 tics; 193.28 total 3-slotted damage (104.02 initially + 89.3 DoT); 15-second Immobilize of 3.57 strength PvE only; 10-second Immobilize of 3.57 strength PvP only; 5% To Hit decrease for 20 seconds; END cost 11.96; cast time 2.07; recharge time 15
[u]My take:[u] This should be a great power, and on paper it is. However, my personal statistics show that I simply dont use it that much. It is an awkward fit in the attack chain, but does good damage. For a while I thought the accuracy was way bugged, but using Hero Stats I eventually realized that the animation (only) fails a decent percentage of the time, usually against bosses and oversized foes. The animation may be linked to whether the immobilization actually takes effect, but Im not certain. In any event, Ive kept it and tried to use it more. A lot of this powers goodness is DoT, so try to use it on your foe early in the fight for full effect. The immobilization does not seem as strong as the numbers show, but that just may be me. Other people say the immobilization component is great and even slot it. Find your own path to immobilization, Grasshopper.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] 1 acc + 3 damage + 1 recharge + 1 end red
FIERY AURA SECONDARY
Great utility and versatility, a less-resisted damage type, a self heal and endurance builder and build-up power no, were not still talking about Dark Melee. Fiery Aura is another great, versatile, and graphically good-looking set. Welcome to the second verse, nearly the same as the first!
What Fiery Aura is: FA is highly utilitarian set where you trade some resistances for damage output and the aforementioned utility; 5 of the 9 powers have an offensive component, either doing or boosting damage or providing status effects. The set obviously has great fire resists, and you see Behemoths and flamethrowing Longbow and Council all the way to level 50. The holes in the set are readily filled by pool powers.
What Fiery Aura is not: Well, this isnt invulnerability! You have lower resistances to smashing and lethal and none to psi (not that many people do). There is no defensive component. The set lacks knockback protection. You have to take pool powers to fill in the holes in the set, and using this strategy leads to some repetitive builds (FOTM).
Level 1 Fire Shield
[u]The low down:[u] While this power is active, Fire Shield gives you good resistance to Lethal, Smashing, and Fire damage. Fire Shield also provides minimal resistance to Cold damage and protection from Disorient effects. Recharge: Very Fast
[u]The down low:[u] 22.5/27.0/31.5/35.1% Smashing resistance; 22.5/27.0/31.5/35.1% Lethal resistance; 22.5/27.0/31.5/35.1% Fire resistance; 7.5/9.0/10.5/11.7% Cold resistance; protection versus Disorient 10.38; END cost 0.13/sec; cast time 1.67; recharge time 2
[u]My take:[u] Well, you literally have to take it. But lets face it - its your bread and butter protection youd take it anyway. Just be glad they didnt stick you with a passive at level 1. Take it, slot it, and dont stand near flammables. Remember that your disorient protection is here, so if you detoggle, you may want to activate this one first, depending on your foe.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] 1 end red + 3 damage resists
Level 2 Burning Aura
[u]The low down:[u] While this is active, you are surrounded by flames that burn all foes that attempt to enter melee range. Damage: Minor (DoT), Recharge: Fast
[u]The down low:[u] 9.17/12.22/15.28/17.87 Fire damage every 2 seconds; END cost 1.04/sec (yes, thats a lot); cast time 2.03; recharge time 4; radius 8'; 10 targets (max)
[u]My take:[u] For Brutes, Blazing Aura is the most debatable power in the fiery aura set. (I dont consider there to be a debate on burn unless the debate is about how much it sucks!) For this build, I say take it, take it, take it. Reason 1: the numbers support it. Run Hero Stats, and you will be amazed at how much damage this aura deals out it usually ranks first or second with me after shadow maul, depending on enemy composition. Reason 2: DM is a low-endurance, sustained-damage primary, without knockback. The synergy here is great you can afford the END cost, you get more sustained damage, and your enemies will not be knocked out of range of this power. Frankly, you can go either way on this power and get by, but you are missing out on a good deal if you skip it. In fact, if you plan to skip it, then you should consider another secondary. To balance this set, a lot of resistances were taken way from the armors because of the damage dealt by BA (and formerly Burn). Why suffer the drawback without gaining the benefit? You need to know, however, that while fury does increase BAs damage, BA itself does not build fury. But then, as Ive said before in this guide, your goal is not building fury, your goal is dealing damage. Take this power and deal away! At lower levels, the END cost makes this a situational power.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] 1 acc + 3 damage+ 2 end red
Level 4 Healing Flames
[u]The low down:[u] You can concentrate for a few moments to heal yourself. The power of the flames can also protect you from Toxic damage for a while. Recharge: Long
[u]The down low:[u] 262.36/349.73/437.09/511.34 Hit Point Heal; 15/18/21/23.4% Toxic resistance for 60 seconds; END cost 10.4; cast time 1.5; recharge time 60
[u]My take:[u] Take it, slot it, heal thyself. It will be your best friend forever. Until it steals your girlfriend.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] 3 recharge + 3 heal
Level 10 Temperature Protection
[u]The low down:[u] Temperature Protection gives you strong resistance to Fire damage and some resistance to Cold damage. This power is always on and costs no Endurance.
[u]The down low:[u] 7.5/9.0/10.5/11.7% Cold resistance; 22.5/27.0/31.5/35.1% Fire resistance; END cost 0 (auto passive power); cast time 0 (auto passive power); recharge time 0 (auto passive power)
[u]My take:[u] You need this like you need that second Maybach its a luxury beyond practicality. Your fire resistance is plenty high already, considering how often you see it in PvE.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] Werent you listening? For goodness sake! If you take it, dont slot it too!
Level 16 Plasma Shield
[u]The low down:[u] While this power is active, you are surrounded by pure plasma. The Plasma Shield gives you resistance to Energy, Negative Energy, and Fire damage. Plasma Shield also gives you protection from Sleep and Hold effects. Recharge: Very Fast
[u]The down low:[u] 22.5/27.0/31.5/35.1% Energy resistance; 22.5/27.0/31.5/35.1% Negative Energy resistance; 22.5/27.0/31.5/35.1% Fire resistance; protection versus Hold 10.38; protection versus Sleep 10.38; END cost 0.13/sec; cast time 3; recharge time 2
[u]My take:[u] A must-take. This is good resistances plus status protection. Note, however, that disorient resists are provided by Fire Shield and that knockback/knockdown protection is not currently provided by this set. Just be aware, so that if you are detoggled you can reactivate the best power first.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] 1 end red + 3 damage resists
Level 20 Consume
[u]The low down:[u] You can drain body heat from all nearby foes to replenish your own Endurance. The more foes that are affected, the more Endurance is gained. Foes suffer minimal Fire damage. Damage: Minor Recharge: Very Long
[u]The down low:[u] 16.68/22.23/27.79/32.51 Fire damage; restore 20 Endurance per target; END cost 0.52 (almost nil); cast time 2.03; recharge time 180; radius 20'; 10 targets (max)
[u]My take:[u] Along with Dark Consumption in the Dark Melee set, this is one of your two endurance building powers. The difference between the two is that Dark Consumption does more damage, but with a more limited radius (8' compared to 20' for Consume). If the enemy group is in close, use Dark consumption by default. Use Consume for loose groupings or if Dark Consumption is still recharging. Note that Fiery Embrace, if used, will catch up Consume to non-Fiery-Embraced Dark Consumption in the damage department. Note that while the END cost is almost nil, if a sapper has zeroed-out your blue bar, you cannot use this power.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] 1 acc + 2 recharge + 3 end recovery. Other people might say fewer endurance recoveries will be okay, and that may be true a lot of the time, especially when teamed and near a lot of mobs. But when youre left with just a boss or elite boss and no minions to feed off of, and you are running low on the ol blue bar, it is not just nice but wonderful to see your blue bar fly way up.
Level 28 Burn
[u]The low down:[u] You can ignite the ground beneath you, freeing yourself from Immobilization effects. Foes that enter the flames you leave behind will take damage. You must be near the ground to activate this power. Damage: Moderate (DoT) Recharge: Slow
[u]The down low:[u] 3.38/4.51/5.63/6.59 Fire damage every .2 second for 10 tics of damage; 65.9 total 3-slotted damage (DoT); protection versus Immobilize 10.38 for 100 seconds; END cost 5.2; cast time 2.03; recharge time 10
[u]My take:[u] O Burn! What happened to you? If you never experienced the old Burn, then frankly the new Burn will seem like an okay but skippable power. If you dont have another source of immobilization protection, take it. Unless you use fly or hover a lot, then dont (you have to be near the ground to use this power). Burn generally causes foes to scatter, thus not delivering its full load of damage. Knowing that, the power is also useful as a loss-of-aggro tool. If you can lock your opponents down with Midnight Grasp or a patron power, you can use Burn to full advantage. Otherwise, you will run them away from your Blazing Aura. Got all that? *sigh* Maybe its easier just to skip it.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] 3 damage, maybe 1 recharge if you REALLY like burning things
Level 35 Fiery Embrace
[u]The low down:[u] Significantly boosts the damage of all your Fire attacks for quite a while. Also increases the damage of all your other non-Fire-based attacks for a short while. Recharge: Very Long
[u]The down low:[u] 100% Fire damage increase for 30 seconds; 80% damage increase to all other damage types for 10 seconds; END cost 7.8; cast time 0.73; recharge time 180
[u]My take:[u] This power is less useful with a non-fire primary, but if you have room for it, it is a fine addition. Especially helpful when starting with zero fury. Note the longer duration of the fire damage boost than on the tanker version of this power.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] 3 recharge
Level 38 Rise of the Phoenix
[u]The low down:[u] If you are defeated, you can rise from the ashes. The fiery resurrection blasts nearby foes with an explosion and knocks them down and Disorients them. You will revive with about half of your Hit Points and Endurance. Rise of the Phoenix leaves you invulnerable for a brief time and protected from XP Debt for 90 seconds. Recharge: Very Long
[u]The down low:[u] Self-resurrect; 749.6/999.22/1248.83/1460.97 Hit Point Heal; restore 50/66.65/83.3/97.45 Endurance; 112.77/150.32/187.87/219.79 Fire damage; 100% chance for 10-second Disorient of 6.16 strength; 90-second Experience Debt protection; END cost 0; cast time 4.33 (the coolest looking 4.33 seconds in the game); recharge time 300; the Prima guide fails to note the radius of effect or max targets affected, incorrectly listing them as 0.
[u]My take:[u] Any self rez is a skippable power, but this one has two things going for it: its a beauty of an animation to behold and it produces a strong AOE disorient, which is useful in both PvE and PvP. It also gives enhanceable fire damage in decent proportions, but your Fury bar is at zero (you are dead) and other boosts do not apply (again, you are DEAD). I took it late, and I love it. It is the only self rez Ive ever taken.
[u]Recommended slotting:[u] 1-2 disorient, maybe a recharge. This power takes you to about ½ health and ½ endurance, so slot those if you want more but with this build, you have other options for heals and end.
POWER POOLS
Fiery Armor has a couple of holes, notably smashing/lethal resistance that does not reach the cap and lack of knockback protection. It is for this reason that I include a look at the common power pools. Right out of the box I will say that I recommend the leaping pool and fitness pool to round out your DM/FA toon. You can easily fit one other pool besides those two, and I recommend the fitness pool. Four pools is pushing it since you have so many good choices from your primary and secondary pools. I provide numbers only for some specific notable powers.
Inherent Powers: Only Brawl deserves special mention here, since it is commonly used as an auto power to build Fury. I provide numbers for comparison purposes with Boxing, listed below. My current build uses boxing 3-slotted for damage, but I realize that this approach will not appeal to everyone.
Brawl (inherent)
[u]The down low:[u] 15/20/24.99/29.24 Smashing damage; END Cost 2.34; cast time 0.67; recharge 2
Concealment Pool: If you have to have it for some reason (PvP?), go ahead. But generally speaking, as a Brute this pool is not for you. Why hide? Fury is your friend, and teammates or temp powers can work in a pinch if you really need to be unseen.
Fighting Pool: Tough is the big draw here, which puts you around 52.7% resistance to smashing/lethal when combined with your resistance from Fiery Aura (35.1%). Boxing is my preferred auto-toggle: quick, low-end, and with better damage than brawl, with a chance to disorient. Boxing is slower than auto-toggle brawl, and could through off your timing a bit (brawl is hardly noticeable and slips in between attacks you notice boxing sometimes). On the other hand, it does twice the damage! Kick is noticeable slower than boxing with slightly more damage and a higher percentage chance of its secondary effect. Boxing simply flows better with DMs animations, though. Weave is end-expensive for its benefit, and you already have a lot of toggles anyway. Bottom line: boxing and tough are for you!
Boxing level 6
[u]The down low:[u] 31.69/42.24/52.8/61.76 Smashing damage; 10% chance of 4.7-second Stun of strength 2 (this will suppress for 15 seconds on affected targets); 10% chance of 7.1-second Stun of strength 2 PvE only; 10% chance of 7.1-second Stun of strength 2 PvP only (this will suppress for 15 seconds on affected targets); END cost 4.4; cast time 1.07; recharge 2.5
Kick level 6
[u]The down low:[u] 35/46.66/58.31/68.22 Smashing damage; 15% chance for Knockdown; END cost 4.9; cast time 1.83; recharge 3
Tough level 14
[u]The down low:[u] 11.25/13.5/15.75/17.55% Smashing resistance; 11.25/13.5/15.75/17.55% Lethal resistance; END cost 0.2/sec
Weave level 20
[u]The down low:[u] 3.75% defense; END cost 0.2/sec
Fitness Pool: Can you do without the Fitness Pool with this build? Sure! If youve been looking for a build that will wean you off of the fitness pool with a minimum of withdrawal symptoms, this is probably it! That being said why would anyone skip this pool? Swift frees you from the high END cost of Sprint, and now boosts Flight as well. Health and stamina 3-slotted are great. It takes a lot of fuel to run this Cadillac take this pool for a smooth non-stop ride with no rest breaks.
Flight Pool: Other than Acrobatics, Hover is the other choice for quality knockback protection. Even _Castle_ is known to use Hover for this purpose! Hover is a bigger hassle to use than Acrobatics, however. The big reason I would recommend against the Hover route with this build is Shadow Maul you need to be able to quickly reposition yourself to use SMs cone to its fullest effect, and Hover is not well-suited for that, IMO. Air Superiority is simply a great power, period. It is fast, hits hard, is low end, and the fly component is often useful. The animation fits in well with DM. I know people who go no further into this pool they just want Air Superiority. Flight is arguably the best travel power, especially if you chat a lot! Although I have nothing bad to say about the Flight Pool, I recommend the Leaping Pool for DM/Fire brutes.
Air Superiority level 6
[u]The down low:[u] 41.7/55.59/69.47/81.27 Smashing damage; disables Flight for 30 seconds; 100% Knockdown; END cost 6.5; cast time 1.5; recharge time 4
Leadership Pool: Team with a Mastermind.
Leaping Pool: Acrobatics provides your knockback protection and additional hold protection. In drafting this guide, I was all prepared to brag that I reached level 50 without receiving even the first held badge. Then, oh, about level 49.5 I ended up getting it! So take Acrobatics and have 49.5 relatively hold-free levels and enjoy! I started in Flight Pool and respected into Leaping and noticed a dramatic improvement in not-being-on-my-back time. And within the game, thats a GOOD thing! Combat jumping is arguably the best power in the game (virtually no cost the Prima Guide actually says 0.0 and 2.5% base defense, plus some early immobilization protection? SOLD!). Super Jump is a fine travel power, and arguably the best for PvP. The red-headed stepchild here is Jump Kick. Like the animation that much? Try /em flip for free!
Jump Kick level 6
[u]The low down:[u] A good jumping kick attack that may knock foes backgood if you are looking for another attack power.
[u]The down low:[u] 41.7/55.59/69.47/81.27 Smashing damage; 15% chance to Knockback 8'; END cost 5.5; cast time 3 (but admittedly 3 fun-to-watch seconds!); recharge 2.8
Combat Jumping level 6
[u]The low down:[u] While active, Combat Jumping increases your Defense to all attacks and adds resistance to Immobilization. It moderately increases your jump height and distance to melee and ranged attacks with good air control.
[u]The down low:[u] 12' jump height; 1' per second increase to jumping speed; 2.5% Defense; 8.3 points Immobilization protection; END cost 0.0 (thats what it says!); increased air control
Super Jump level 14
[u]The low down:[u] While this power is active, you can leap great distances and heights, easily jumping over buildings and from rooftop to rooftop! If you attack a target while this power is on, you will temporarily be reduced to a normal jump height. You must be at least Level 14 and have Jump Kick or Combat Jumping before selecting Super Jump.
[u]The down low:[u] 55.6' jump height; 76' per second jumping speed; END cost 0.2/sec
Acrobatics level 20
[u]The low down:[u] Endurance Discount, Recharge POWER HELP TEXT: While this power is active, you are very nimble and Acrobatic. You can avoid most Knockback effects and are resistant to Hold effects. You must be at least Level 20 and have two other leaping powers before selecting Acrobatics.
[u]The down low:[u] 100-point Knockback protection; 2-point Hold protection; 48% Hold resistance; END cost 0.3/sec
Medicine Pool: This is a nice pool for many builds, especially for the self heal, but you already have two of those. Skip it, unless you really insist on spamming heals for the healing badges.
Presence Pool: Has use for PvP, but limited use for PvE. Want to draw aggro? Run into the group and fire off Soul Drain problem solved! The fear-inducers (Intimidate and Provoke panic) are single target and AOE respectively and will stack nicely with ToF if you really, really like Fear.
Intimidate level 14
[u]The low down:[u] 8.34-second Fear of strength 2 versus critters only; 30% chance of 5.96-second Fear of strength 1 versus critters only; 4.7-second Fear of strength 2 versus players only (will suppress for 15 seconds on affected targets); range 60; END cost 13.0; cast time 1.67; recharge 30
Invoke Panic level 20
[u]The low down:[u] 8.34-second Fear of strength 2 versus critters only; 4.7-second Fear of strength 2 versus players only (this will suppress for 15 seconds on affected targets); 80% accuracy; END cost 22.8; cast time 1.97; recharge 60; 15 radius 360°
Speed Pool: As you can tell by my screen name, I am somewhat familiar with the speed pool, but do not recommend it for DM/FA. Super speed is nice, but I dont see it working great in Grandville. Hasten might be useful if you want to take fewer attacks, but is not even close to necessary for a good attack chain. Flurry is Shadow Maul without the negative energy damage and half the smashing damage, but with all the suckiness of the animation time. Trust me, you dont need this animation in your build twice, unless you have some unique theme going. Whirlwind is a nice power, but costly.
Teleportation Pool: Not much to say here either you like it or you dont.
My personal build (your mileage may vary):
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Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
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Name: Smashing Pumpkin
Level: 50
Archetype: Brute
Primary: Dark Melee
Secondary: Fiery Aura
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01) --> Smite==> Acc(1)Dmg(3)Dmg(7)Dmg(13)
01) --> Fire Shield==> EndRdx(1)DmgRes(5)DmgRes(11)DmgRes(17)
02) --> Shadow Maul==> Acc(2)Dmg(3)Dmg(7)Dmg(13)
04) --> Healing Flames==> Rechg(4)Heal(5)Rechg(19)Heal(19)Rechg(21)Heal(34)
06) --> Combat Jumping==> DefBuf(6)
08) --> Siphon Life==> Acc(8)Rechg(9)Heal(9)Heal(17)Heal(31)
10) --> Shadow Punch==> Acc(10)Dmg(11)Dmg(15)Dmg(15)
12) --> Swift==> Run(12)
14) --> Super Jump==> Jump(14)
16) --> Plasma Shield==> EndRdx(16)DmgRes(34)DmgRes(36)DmgRes(36)
18) --> Health==> Heal(18)Heal(25)Heal(25)
20) --> Acrobatics==> EndRdx(20)EndRdx(21)
22) --> Dark Consumption==> Acc(22)Rechg(23)EndMod(23)EndMod(37)Rechg(39)EndMod(43)
24) --> Stamina==> EndMod(24)EndMod(27)EndMod(27)
26) --> Consume==> Acc(26)Rechg(29)EndMod(29)EndMod(37)Rechg(42)EndMod(43)
28) --> Blazing Aura==> Acc(28)Dmg(33)Dmg(33)Dmg(34)EndRdx(39)EndRdx(39)
30) --> Soul Drain==> Acc(30)Rechg(31)Rechg(31)Dmg(33)Dmg(37)Dmg(43)
32) --> Boxing==> Acc(32)Dmg(48)Dmg(48)Dmg(50)
35) --> Midnight Grasp==> Acc(35)Dmg(36)Dmg(42)Dmg(45)Rechg(46)EndRdx(46)
38) --> Tough==> EndRdx(38)DmgRes(40)DmgRes(40)DmgRes(40)EndRdx(42)
41) --> Touch of Fear==> Acc(41)Fear(45)Fear(48)
44) --> Fiery Embrace==> Rechg(44)Rechg(45)Rechg(46)
47) --> Rise of the Phoenix==> DisDur(47)
49) --> Burn==> Dmg(49)Dmg(50)Dmg(50)
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01) --> Sprint==> EndRdx(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Acc(1)
01) --> Fury==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Rechg(2)
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