TBH you'll always be a bit squishy with EA, it's not one of the best sets for a Brute, even worse than SR on Scrappers and it's one of those very frustrating sets that can be on a roll for 3-4 mobs then suddenly all the rolsl go against you and you're face down in about 2 seconds as everya ttack hits you.
it's being looked into apparently but don't expect anything major until i13 more than likely. All i can really say is take everything from EA! You might manage without conserve power or Energy Drain but remember energy Drain is auto hit so you might want to take it in case of those long drawn out AV fights. One thing I will say is that you might think about Tough and Weave to boost your S+L and overall Defence. Means more toggles and makes for a very tight build though!
Defiant 50's
Many and varied!
@Miss Chief
Thanks for that Miss_cheif! It really helps 
Now all i ned to work out is what DB attacks to choose!
On Sapphic Neko i have all attacks except Nimble Slash and taunt. I use two combos solely.
Attack Vitals and Sweep then use Blidning Feint in between for a lil dmg and tohit.
Her secondary is willpower, but i've taken every power in that set save fast healing. And managed to fit in both fitness and fighting pool as well as a travel power. And with that many powers and pool, there's no room for a patron pool, but i took the cone tentacles from ghost widow pool just cause i wanted something fun.
So if ya can live without a patrol pool it's possible to take seven powers from dual blade, all from energy aura, fitness, fighting and a travel power.
Thanks Neko that helps alot. I think i'll be able to plan my character properly now on Mid's cos I've got a better idea of what to take
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...You might manage without conserve power or Energy Drain but remember energy Drain...
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Personally, I could never go without these. I've had my Energy/Energy brute since CoV launch and she's still 32 - the crashing endurance killed it for me. I picked her up again recently and had all the problems Miss-Chief describes. I don't know Dual Blades or what, if anything, it contributes to bailing out Energy's stamina and defence issues, but if you get a good working secondary build for your brute, please post it here so I can see how it's done properly! 
just remember will EA its all defence based and doesnt have mega amounts. u could get rid of conserve power but def keep ED.
also when u get hit it hurts more cos u only have def not resis. thts why i say the fighting powers r best to get.
alot of ppl dis defence powers on brutes but if made right. it actually works really well. ok not as great as other sets but then there isnt a urber secondary for brutes is there.. not even stone is urber. just different
Hey guys,
I've recently started playing my Brute and trying to get her to 50 but I need some advice on what powers to take. I'm currently lvl 31 and she seems rather squishy at the moment so any build advice is welcome! I've never had a Dual Blades before either so im not entirely sure what powers/combos to go for. Are there any that I should be looking to avoid? I don't fancy taking every power from the primary pool for the combos as defence is needed!
I'm using TP as my travel power and the fitness pool is a must
Please please bless me with your wonderful advice!
Cyfie