Storm/Arch-Def *VrS* Arch/Storm-Corr

So I have come to a vital conflict. With corruptors getting Archery I was finally gonna make my Arch/Storm toon. The more I look at it tho I have been comparing the 2 ATs different takes on this combo. I know defenders get much better buffs/debuffs but dam that scourge is great for ending fights.

So I put it to the community for a great debate. Which one comes out better in the long run?
Which power would you want earlier? Thunderstorm or Rain of Arrows?

Personally I prefer Corruptors, believing that their secondaries (as with Controllers) are "good enough" for support work so why not have more damage? But until Going Rogue hits, this is still more of a redside vs. blueside decision I think.

I'd go Corrupter over Defender for:

Scourge instead of Vigilance
Better damage from AR thanks to higher damage modifiers
Nearly the same performance from Storm - slightly lower buffs, slightly higher damage.

corr > def anytime!

Several Points to make, first what is "better" for you and play style? The game and archetypes are mature enough you can enjoy it and be successful with almost every combination (although a soloing FF Defender is going to have a very challenging and tough road).

Clearly the whole archetype system is going by the wayside. So don't get too hung up on that anymore. I am not sure that is a good thing, but that is the ways things are going.

Your character has two lives (prior to 35) and after 35 or so. The ride to 35 used to be very long and power selections and when powers opened had a much more pronounced effect on game play. Now you can level pretty quickly if you want to so this has also been minimized. Sooner or later you will get all your shiny toys. If your not a patient person then by all means figure out what "shinys" you want the most and go that way.

When push comes to shove, this game has always been about killing things. You kill things by doing damage, and in many peoples eyes the faster you damage the better. Is this what you want?

Defenders with one noteable exception (Empathy) are a very mixed bag and with all of the power proliferation have become generally outclassed in both damage and damage/risk avoidance. They are the most balanced of the archetypes, but the game does not value that anymore. It tends to value the extremes, especially weighted on the damage side of the house (see earlier comment). Also, in many ways inspirations can do what a defender can do more reliably (buffs/heals/awaken).

To me there are two types of defenders, Empathy Defenders and everyone else. All the other defenders are variants of damage mitigation/damage boosting. Defenders have one advantage IMHO and in one way only. They are fantastic damage multipliers. But only when there several in a group. Get 2-3 Defenders in a group and they are going accelerate your damage and reduce your risks significantly. Storm is a perfect example of this. It can give good damage (Tornado, Thunderstorm), good damage boosting Freezing Rain, Damage avoidance (Freezing Rain/Snow Storm/Gale/Hurricane). (Don't get me started on Thunderclap....)

As was mentioned, the Defender inherit is terrible. This really has no true effect on game play what-so-ever in any meaningful way. I have yet to see a battle in the late stages of the game where there was a long, drawn out battle where endurance or lack of endurance was a determining or influential aspect of the success or failure of a battle. Thank goodness we had a defender on the team, otherwise we would have been toast! If it wasn't for that defender finishing the fight because he was the only one that had any endurance left, we would have all died.....yea right! Happens that way all the time!

So, if your a constant teamer, and the journey is more important than the race, and your not all hung up on being the biggest, baddest, cape on the block, go with a defender. You will have fun I am sure. Once you get Freezing Rain slotted you will be doing good damage and have reduced your risk significantly.

If you want to watch things die, and quickly, you don't mind dieing a little more frequently or every so often for a glorious cause or for the power, then I would go with a corrupter. Scourge, while not reliable on a case by case basis is a huge damage boost and will only be made better by your secondary augmentation powers. You will be more closely aligned with the real purpose of game success which is killing things quick.

Good Luck!