SS/INV used to be what you'd see everyone playing, however i personally thing SS is a bit too end for my tastes when mixed with /sd /sr and /invuln. SS does offer a good bit of dmg mitigation, so its a good team set, and if you're worried about handclap, don't take it, i rarely see anyone use it on teams b/c of its KB issues.
I've run AE missions with a friend who was on an elec/invuln, and that is a wicked build. GREAT aoe/cone dmg especially if you add in electric fences and ball lightning from Mu mastery. Great survivability for larger groups and great dmg when going toe to toe with larger groups. Alot of its attacks are wasted on smaller groups, so if you're going to be a soloer most of the time, SS or fire would be great to go for. I'm working on an elec melee brute as we speak, very satisfied with it so far.
Fire Melee... i have a 50 fire/elec brute, i love my fire melee brute. But i will be honest with you, the initial hit of fire is weaker than SS and Elec and you have to wait for all the DOTs to finish to see the full dmg of fire. If you're fighting a tough foe who is killing you, you don't want to wait for the DOT's which means you will be firing off more attacks. IF you're on a team, Fire is great. Good single target attacks, and a very nice AOE. The cones... MEH i skipped it, tried it didn't like it. IF you go fire melee, anytime you are fighting a boss or lt 1 on 1, always start with incinerate, as its a PURE DOT, it does not have an initial hit, so you want that heavy DOT ticking while you attack with other attacks like greater firesword. Fire tends to be rather End heavy b/c of the need to attack more often to make up for the DOT's. Also, keep in mind with fire, there is NO dmg mitigation. Leviathan mastery works well with fire to cover this. Arctic breath -res and KD. Its a good addition to make yourself and your team do more damage, as well as it causes the foes to sometimes fall down for the entire duration of the power, many foes will fall down multiple times, so its great dmg mitigation.
My personal opinion if you want to have a solid performer that you'll have alot of fun with. Elec/invuln. If you want something that hits harder for when you solo, go SS. If you want a heavy dmg set that works great on teams with good DPS, go for fire.
No one really takes hand clap from Superstrength. So you aren't the only one that feels unsure about it. SS's real strength lies in Rage and footstomp. Without those two powers, the set is mediocre at best
Fire does well for damage, and that is its secondary effect as well. My main brute uses fiery melee and I am never let down. You have a few hard hitting single target attacks, one of two attacks good for multiple opponents, and it looks pretty nice. Downside is that it provides zero mitigation outside of the additional damage.
Electric melee has long been maligned for being flashy but inherently weak for ST action. I like the teleport power, and word on the street is that the bugs have finally been removed from chain induction.
Luckily, Invulnerability is strong enough with SOs and and even more so with IOs that you can pair each one of these primaries with it and still come out a winner. I have a Inv/fire on blue and I thoroughly enjoy her. Even with SOs, she still is very strong. With inv, I find it wise to build for recharge to get Dull pain up as quickly as possible.
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Chain induction is ok now, it 'keeps' your fury and doesn't steal your xp anymore.
But elec is pretty meh in the ST department. My elec melee brute is practically retired after hitting 50 because I was so disappointed with the lack of a heavy hitter outside of the tier 9 (remember L.Rod has a 90sec base recharge so it cannot be part of an attack chain like Footstomp).
So, I'm torn between the three to couple with Invulnerability, and I have little experience with any of them.
Super Strength seems the most Brute-ish. As SMASHy as it gets of the three choices. But Hand Clap bothers me. If i16 eliminates the Knockback, I might consider taking it. Also, will the pure Smashing damage be an issue late-game?
Firey Melee looks the most appealing. Relatively unresisted Damage type, decent damage, and okay-ish recharge for all the powers. But, I was wondering how quickly it chews through enemies.
Electric Melee is an oddball for me. I have experience with this up to like...level 10. Activation times are my worry. Thunder Strike doesn't scream "speedy" by any means and Lightning Rod definitely isn't the speed that lightning strikes. Am I over-thinking this, or is it actually an issue? Also, is Chain Induction still saying "lolwutXP?" or did they finally fix it?
Also, I plan on purely PvE, as PvP doesn't interest me. And I wont care about Set IOs until the 40s. When I have the Inf to actually afford them :P
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