So far i've built for AoE damage and enough survivability to keep me alive. My Elec/Fire was in a duo so had taunt to keep my corr alive too, which helped me too but generally I dont think of tanking most of the time with brutes. On a big team I will try and tank AVs for them but its not really my role, if it was I would have tank values not scrapper ones. I play to brute, which is build fury and kill stuff.
That's about my opinion
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They were appropriately appalled
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[ QUOTE ]
So far i've built for AoE damage and enough survivability to keep me alive. My Elec/Fire was in a duo so had taunt to keep my corr alive too, which helped me too but generally I dont think of tanking most of the time with brutes. On a big team I will try and tank AVs for them but its not really my role, if it was I would have tank values not scrapper ones. I play to brute, which is build fury and kill stuff.
That's about my opinion
[/ QUOTE ]
Pretty much sums up my feelings too. Was on a team today and a player commented that he got all the agro when there were 3 brutes on the team, I've also been in teams where other players have expected me to tank and keep agro, (and got the right proverbial when I haven't!) but I've never really seen that as my primary role.
Interested in the opinions of other players 
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i prioritize damage, but i will not neglect defenses either. I don't mind rushing in first to take the initial aggro, but i have no plans on picking up taunt ever.
i try to build for offense first then defense but in a balanced way.
team built. not pvp. more pvp n tfs.
means on my stone melee/invul (which im currently looking into a respecing) aoe disorients/ damage/ resis shields and what def i could get, im more of a tanker then a full on damager dealer tbh which is why some ppl say ive got a nice brute cos i tend to live longer then others
If someone wants to pick their way through the pile of dead bodies I leave behind me, they can feel free.
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My DM/DA is built to be all things to all people. He steamrollers solo, is bloody handy on a team, but is utterly useless in pvp.
Brutes are damage dealers primarily. I focused on damage output for mine. Dark Armour may be a resistance based set but its certainly not suited to tanking. It has more damage mitigating powers than any other melee set and thus keep me alive longer, but it cannot withstand a sustained pounding.
If I had a quid for every time by brute has been unceremoniously one-shotted by an overpowered AV...
Anyway, brutes can be a versatile AT. Depending on powersets they can tank, scrap, and to small degree control.
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I'd say teams shouldn't expect a brute to tank. Now, if the brute is an AoEer with a taunt aura, and with some decent buffs, then any brute can be half expected to at least tank a decent amount as a byproduct of SMASHing. I build my brutes to take quite a bit of aggro, mostly for the sake of fury though, and to be able to take damage, with awesome attack power being the main focus. Of course, to sustain awesome attack power you need survivability, whether through less aggro (Energy Cloak) or heavy armour. I prefer the latter, and it helps me tank to a certain extent.
To give it a wild generalisation, imo
/stone: essentially a tank
/inv, /wp, /DA: middle of the road
/fire, /elec, /EA, /SR: scrapper with fury
Just a quick question really.
When building your brute, what is your prime goal? Damage, or damage mitigation? Do you see yourself as a high damage melee toon, or the closest thing CoV has to a team tank?
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