New to the game and Could really use some advice

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so if i dont enjoy that I wont enjoy Dual blades? I like dual blade stalkers but they seem a little to squishy for my liking which is why I dont really wanna play one.

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I play a Dark Melee/Super Reflexes brute. It is a combination far more commonly seen in scrappers, but it is the most enjoyable brute I have ever played. Everyone has given you he best information they can muster in regards to the questions asked, but ultimately no one can tell you what you will enjoy.

Really, with a brute, just pick whichever 2 powersets sound cool and run with it, and you'll probably be fine.

Stalkers are squishy on purpose. If they were invisible, hit like a truck, AND hard to kill they would be overpowered. That said, try one of the defense based secondaries and you might have better luck, Ninjitsu is my personal favorite.

Stalkers require a MUCH different playstyle in the early levels than a brute does. With a brute, you just wade in and keep swinging until they're dead or you are (usually they end up dead first) With a stalker you have to think about your targets and tactics a little more, some stalkers CAN throw down like a brute or scrapper later in the game, but generally are better suited to hit and fade style fighting.

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so if i dont enjoy that I wont enjoy Dual blades? I like dual blade stalkers but they seem a little to squishy for my liking which is why I dont really wanna play one.

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ClawsandEffect is correct. Stalkers can go toe-to-toe, but you're absolutely right in thinking they are more fragile. That's the point. A properly built Stalker can be reasonably tough, but never solid like a Brute.

Dual Blades has one notable advantage for Brutes. DB attacks animate quick and recharge fast. You can throw out a lot of attacks in a short span of time. This makes gaining and keeping Fury somewhat easier.

What's the downside? Dual Blades lacks a big heavy attack. Pretty much all the DB attacks are fast, but they only do moderate damage. DB doesn't have a single attack that really uses Fury to do awesome damage (like Knockout Blow).

Is that a huge problem? No. It really isn't. Honestly any brute will be fine solo. My own 50 brute is an Elec/Will built for groups. It's a team-centric build, and Elec Melee is notoriously lousy for single-target damage (it's better for AoEs). But my brute still goes through solo missions much faster than most characters.

You're kinda looking at this the wrong way. You're asking which brute is the 'most dominating' in solo play. That's like asking what kind of grenade is the most explosive. All brutes solo well. You'll be a rampaging murder machine no matter what you choose.

The only limiting factor you'll encounter is your endurance consumption. At the early levels you'll probably run out of endurance way before you run out of health. Which is actually another reason why Dual Blades isn't a bad choice. The attacks are relatively endurance-light compared to end hogs like Stone Melee or Battle Axe.

So if you like Dual Blades, by all means, go with Dual Blades.

For your secondary, I suggest Willpower or Super Reflexes, because they're the easiest to get used to - most of the powers are toggles or passives, so there's not much you need to activate or watch out for. But honestly, just go with whatever sounds cool to you.

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@Acyl

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Thank you everyone. Now then let me rephrase my question. Which class completely dominates and is incredibly enjoyable in PvE? Mastermind or Brute? I don't want to play one of them and then start getting bored even though I am blowing through. I want to play a class that is incredibly fun to play and deals a lot of damage.

Also if I go MM which would be a good combination?

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Honesty, no one can give you a rock solid answer to this question. "Fun" is subjective. "Fun" is different to different people. Some people love brutes, some people hate them. Same for every AT.

We can tell you that ?/? Brute is best... but really that's best for those us who find it fun. You might not agree once you played one so many levels.

That being said, as others have pointed out, Brutes are a good start for a new player, they can deal the damage and get through missions about the fastest, solo. (Assuming SOs and no IO Sets). Masterminds are a very close second, and some players with tons of experience might outdo a brute.

I enjoy soloing both Brutes and Masterminds. I wont assume you will too. Give em a try.

Also, it is entirely possible that this game may not be for you at all. I love this game. My sister played it for about a year and moved on to another MMO which she enjoys more. I tried that other game for about a month and could not get into it.

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"The one thing that can stop a full team of MasterMinds dead in its tracks... a doorway!" --Frogfather