Why you should never play a Dark Armor Brute.
By
1_800_Spines,
Posted on: 2008-02-12 18:02 in Player Guides
I never really found a problem with DA. I mean sure, I've died plenty of times. But hey, that's what makes the game fun. And did you ever consider that this armor's primary use may be to handle big groups? Brutes don't always have to be built for the purpose of taking down AV's and whatnot. I've jumped into large groups of enemies plenty of times and decimated them.
And who knows? Maybe there's a buff on the way for DA. They may up their resistances, or lower endurance costs. Who knows?
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Slowly now...stop shaking the kitten...release the death grip...relax. Good boy.
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Hey! I'd never do that to a kitten!
I actually felt good enough about that post that this was my intention. I appreciate the reminder, though!
I do feel the need to make a couple of parting comments to the OP. Sorry, as I'm sure you know well, I just can't resist. 
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My experience is based on the performance of a MA/DA Scrapper.
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STHU and GTHO mah Brute thread?
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Consider that your OP attempts to show that the mitigation of DA compared to the brute secondaries is weak. Scrapper DA has identical mitigation to Brute DA, except that Brute CoF is actually higher mag (go figure). The only sound argument I see against using a Scrapper as a metric is that blue-side experience doesn't cover how the set would perform against CoV enemies. Well, I do have a L35 EM/DA, so I've at least got that part of the game covered, and I've got 3 L50 villains, two of which are melee (one Brute). So I've got a basis for comparison on the foes.
So sorry if attempts to dismiss a Scrapper's understanding of DA's survival metrics aren't very compelling.
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Dark Regeneration? Hands down the most powerful self-heal in the game, like I said, six slot it and stick it under your arm, it's your crutch.
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I'll be right next to you hobbling along with the guys rolling in their tier-9 wheelchairs.
Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
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It's natural in these types of games where there are multiple "set choices" that one has to be the lowest performer out of the box. In some cases, these choices pay off in the end game by exceeding their own limitations, but the problem with Dark Armor is that it never actually quite does that without serious effort on the part of the dark armor user, be it proper building and slotting, or handpicking a team to cover your multiple weak spots.
Sorry if you can't accept that Im personally able to say "This set is the weakest choice available" without it being "zomg devs, plz fix my set" but that sounds like a personal trust issue on your end.
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If this is the message that you wanted to convey to the reader then you know that you had to write your guide differently. Instead of conveying the message of this is so weak of a set that you should never take it at all, to what you mentioned above. Instead of talking about the problems with fury generation you now know you should've said what you did here.
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I may have admitted it previously, Im admitting it again now, the fury loss from Oppressive Gloom/Cloak of Fear is overstated in the guide. It can be played around, and I failed to mention it in the guide.
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Maybe you can take the time to rewrite this guide and title it differently. Where instead of preventing readers from playing it just give them all of the facts, telling them the strengths and weaknesses of the set. Then allow the reader to make the choice for themselves. You may even add strageties in your guide.
Finally I do not call DR a crutch, it is a key power of the set, unless you want to call other key powers from other sets a crutch, or you want to call empaths a crutch. Heck you may even call inspirations a crutch.
Ebony Fists: Level 50 DM/Regen Scrapper, Gloom Piston Robotics/Dark mastermind level 34, QueenFireMare: Level 34 Fire blaster (pure fire),