Elec/SD Brute...
go with super strength or dark melee. in the long run you will be happer.
footstomp > lightning rod + thunderstrike
I respectfully disagree.
Perhaps footstomp is a more efficient attack than Lightning rod.
However.
Build up + AAO + Lightning Rod + Shield Charge
will
kill
a lot
...
SMASH
...
If you're looking for pure min-max potential... Elec/Shields is probably not as solid as it could be. If you're looking for something that's both effective and fun, well... That's a different story entirely.
The main thing you need to remember about the combination (other then that it's fairly Endurance heavy on the Shield side - You should give serious consideration to Stamina, but just plain slotting well will alleviate a lot of the woes here), is that Lightning Rod only delivers maximum damage in a very tight area, whereas Shield Charge does not. Open with Shield Charge for loose mobs, Lightning Rod for dense ones. Other then that, it's a very fun combination.
TF viability is there, but be very aware that a lot of your mitigation is going to be assuming you have Phalanx Fighting and Grant Cover (for the def-debuff resistance) up, and early on your Mez protection isn't 100% complete (2 SO's fix that problem fast). End game? Most brutes can do well. It's a very damage-focused combination, though, and you're better off thinking of it as a Scrapper - good damage, mid-line survival rate.
If you want to maximize your Shield potential, though, you cannot go wrong with Super Strength or Stone Melee. Super Strength will maximize your damage line (Rage+AAO), whereas Stone Melee will boost up your mitigation (Fault/Tremor).
I have both ss/sd and elec/sd. There are pro's and con's to each in my opinion.
First let me say, both are incredibily good single player and in groups. Now with that being said, if you are going to solo more and / or take on AV's you should go Super Strength. If you typically group with a kinetic and don't fight AV's I'd go elec / sd.
Super Strength owns single target damage. Running double rage is great when solo but the rage crash is still annoying. When grouped with a kinetic it's better to avoid even using Rage. Footstomp is the best AoE attack in the game, but SS has more downtime while waiting for it to recharge.
Electric Melee owns AoE combat against bosses. Thunderstrike is practically always available, but has a short range AoE. Slotting this with FF+Recharge is a great advantage because you can fully slot lightning rod with damaging attacks. Electric Melee does more overall damage in parties than Super Strength when running with a Kinetic. Elec Melee has aweful single target damage and is very annoying against AV's. Special Note: many times in combat you will lose your cursor and this makes using two teleport attacks (Shield charge and lightning Rod) very annoying. You get this more often when fighting huge numbers of liet's.
Overall I'd have to suggest Super Strength for the versatility. Electric Melee has it's advantages against packs of 52 bosses and has less downtime than Super Strength but I still believe it's strength's make it a better choice.
I'm new to villain side. My friend is making a DM/Nin stalker, so I wanted something to make that could do some nice group damage while taking a decent beating. I was thinking Elec/SD brute for AAO+Lightning Rod+Shield Charge.
Is it a good combo? How does Elec/SD hold up in TFs and such?
Any insight as well as recommendations for this or other combo sets would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Edit: I am also up for making a stalker that can do some nice AOE as well. That is a viable alternative.