the latter
your best defense as ss/fire is a very very strong offense
pop purples for those times you feel you really need the defense.
Get the cheapy Recharges, healing flame=5 recharge(doct wounds), Consume=effeciency adaptor 5%, Patron ranged ae=Positrons 6.25, if ya can Manage Obiliteration in Fs that will give ya 5% rech, then hit another 5 percent on Rage Io set bonus. Give ya 26.5 add hasten and you good, Then hit Kinetic Combats in you single target mellee. you can get an 18.75 def there and then get your patron ae root, cant remember the set name but there is one that gives you 4% total Leathal Smathing def, Hitting 22.75 without toggles. You will have hasten up most of the time hitting over 100 recharge and if you build cash with it you can toss LotG rechages later in you weave and CJ for another 15 percent recharge and your looking mean.
almost forgot..
Dont forget to slot that recharge proc in fs 100 recharge for 5 secs. It rocks in that ae. It boosts damage nice
I'm pretty happy with my level 39 SS/FA brute so far, but as I'm planning my IO purchases I'm running into a minor dilemma. It's fairly easy to get some decent Melee Defense through set bonuses and power selections, but at the cost of global recharge.
Am I better off with 20% Melee Defense and 20% +Rech, or ignoring Def and striving for as much Rech as possible to keep Healing Flames and the mitigation I get from Foot Stomp and Burn up as much as possible?
This isn't an expensive build, so I doubt I'd have much more than 40% +Rech even ignoring Defense.
Thanks.