RPrs usually like to go with the pretty powers that have the longest activation times. Make sure you include Shadow Maul, Cloak of darkness and Soul transfer in your build. These powers will definately increase the Roleplaying enjoyment of your toon. I hear that Jump kick and Flurry are big in the RPing circles as well...In all seriousness though, I played a dark/dark brute to 50(it was my very first toon), and RPing or not, I utterly despised it. It underperformed in every conceivable way. The 2 sets do not mesh together well at all, so if your going to pick these 2 sets purely for RPing purpouses then I wouldnt worry too much about game performance. Play it by ear and try different stuff. No amount of advice will make this build palpable in a purely game sense.
Ok, Helhound's comment was completely uncalled for, any powerset combo can do well in game in the right hands, and the right hands can be anyone with some free time and an open mind.
As for the Dark/Dark build, I would suggest you check out some of the guides available, check scrapper guide sections for them, even if they're a little old, they should set you in the right direction. The only tip I have from experience using either set is to be sure to slot for some +Recovery. This combo includes alot of mezzing capability with Cloak of Fear and Oppressive Gloom, however, I think the Stun outweighs the Fear with both of them on. A friend of mine sueggests taking Oppressive Gloom and Touch of Fear to avoid the overabundance of toggles and still give you a fear just in case something resists your stuns long enough. I can't stress the need for +Recovery and Endurance redux enhances however. I had a Dark/Dark I couldn't get past 22 I was so frustrated, but there was certainly potential.
More power to you if you stick with it, I like to see people standing out with power combos. I'll admit that Helhound has a point in that it's not the highest performing combo, but it can certainly be put to good use in it's own unique fashion.
@Mazzo Grave
Webmaster Grave, Virtueverse!
Energy/Energy Blaster Guide
Quote:
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Originally Posted by BackAlleyBrawler
you *******!!!!
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Any brute, as long as it is built competently, is good. That said, Dark/Dark may find it hard to build fury on a team, since most of your attacks are single target, meaning that you draw less aggro, and when you get your mez auras, much of that aggro stops attacking you.
If you are dead set on a dark/dark melee character, I would recommend a dark/dark scrapper or tank, a rogue one if playing redside is important to you. Of course, that's not going to be an option for a few months yet.
Now, if you really want to go brute, here's my suggestions:
The damage aura helps a lot with your lack of AoE. It seems really expensive, but, compared to attacks, most damage auras are as much damage per endurance or more than your early attacks.
Save your merits, and get a Theft of Essence: Chance for +Endurance, and slot it in Dark Regeneration. It has a chance to fire for each enemy hit, so with luck, Dark Regeneration can often be "free", since, in a large group, the proc can repay the cost of the power.
Don't take both mez auras. There's rarely, if ever a need for both. Pick the one that suits you best.
Dark Armor has no Knockback Protection. Get a -KB IO - you can use Steadfast, Karma, or Zephyr. Note that there is nothing (in the PVE game) than deals more than 4, but less than 8 Knockback. One is enough most of the time; if you want to be sure (almost) nothing gets through, you need 10 points of protection. Three -KB IOs (any combination) will stop anything but a Nemesis Staff of AV KB powers.
Slot Siphon Life as an attack. It provides a good amount of damage, and with Dark Regeneration, you shouldn't need it as a heal.
Finally, go to the scrapper forum, and find Desmodos' guide to the dark/dark scrapper. The two are NOT exactly the same, but they are similar enough that you will find the guide helpful.
@Roderick
Quote:
I would highly recommend this as the best option.|
Originally Posted by Roderick
If you are dead set on a dark/dark melee character, I would recommend a dark/dark scrapper or tank, a rogue one if playing redside is important to you. Of course, that's not going to be an option for a few months yet.
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Because of this
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Roderick
That said, Dark/Dark may find it hard to build fury on a team, since most of your attacks are single target, meaning that you draw less aggro, and when you get your mez auras, much of that aggro stops attacking you.
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I don't really RP in MMOs but...
I also think that starting out as a hero, and falling from grace to a Vigilante or even an outright Villain (perhaps due to use/abuse of dark powers) has a lot more potential for RP than starting out as a Villain.
It also means that those two sets will then work for you, and actually be complimentary and effective as opposed to on a brute, where Dark Armor works against Fury.
Thank you for the advice, but I actually decided I wasn't happy with the character and scrapped him. I may end up rerolling him, but I don't really know if Dark/Dark is for me. Thank you for the help.
You pay to play. Having fun is ok. Kill Skuls or kill Crey. Hunt at night or in the day. Black or white or shades of grey. Play it your way. We have no say.
Silas' official theme song: Word Up!
Out of curiosity, what are the most popular powerset choices and what do you personally recommend?
You pay to play. Having fun is ok. Kill Skuls or kill Crey. Hunt at night or in the day. Black or white or shades of grey. Play it your way. We have no say.
Silas' official theme song: Word Up!
Willpower is easy mode for brutes. Super Strength/Willpower is very popular, as are SS/Shield, Elec/Shield, and SS/Fire. Super Strength is VERY popular due to Foot Stomp, though you have to get up to 32 before you get it.
I'm currently levelling a Mace/Shield brute. But really, and brute is good. The question is: "Which sets are most fun for you?" Try a few things out; you'll find the right brute for you.
@Roderick
i don't really want SS again, my Tank is SS already.
You pay to play. Having fun is ok. Kill Skuls or kill Crey. Hunt at night or in the day. Black or white or shades of grey. Play it your way. We have no say.
Silas' official theme song: Word Up!
Quote:
Well if you wanted to try Dark/Dark it works well for both Scrappers and Tanks as I mentioned earlier.|
Originally Posted by Silas_Gray
i don't really want SS again, my Tank is SS already.
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If you're looking for a Brute no matter what, you can keep Dark Melee as your primary.
It has top tier single target damage, as well as a mini self heal, a unique build up and an endurance management tool.
It lacks AoE damage, but as a Brute you can pick up either Mu or Soul for that.
I'd recommend soul, as it will increase your single target damage with Gloom and let you pick up Dark Obliteration as well. And you'll also still have a lot of the Dark theme that you originally wanted.
Dark will pair well with a lot of secondaries, but I might recommend Willpower, Invulnerability or Shield.
Willpower will be the easiest to pick up and play. It also has Endurance management meaning you can skip or take Dark Consumption depending on your needs.
Invuln is also an excellent choice, and if you peruse the scrapper threads you can find a Dark Melee/Invuln build that solo'd 9 AVs at once (under controlled circumstances, but still an impressive feat).
Shield will give you the highest damage out put of all 3, and will add even more AoE damage. But it will probably be the most expensive should you really want to go to town and IO it out.
My vote would be for Dark Melee/Willpower or Dark Melee/Shields. Backed up by Soul Mastery for your PPP.
Sorry Silas, didn't mean to be overly brutal, but i just remember being overly frustrated when I IO'd my dark/dark out and it still was overshadowed by every other brute. My other dark melee brute on the other hand rocks the Kazbah. /Willpower and /Shield seem to be really popular secondaries to pair with DM. They have very good survivability, yet both bring very different things to the table.
My other DM is /SR however and he may be one of the funnest toons I have. Its just so fulfilling watching mob after mob swing and miss over and over. I took the Soul Mastery PP so I could grab Dark Oblit. I took Dark Consumption and Soul Drain and slotted him out for Recharge. He actually does very good AoE damage. It is an extremely tight build, so I opted to not take a travel power. He gets around just fine though with triple slotted QR, Swift and Ninja Sprint. I think he runs a tad slower then SS. If you are a Travel power junky then it is definitely not the build for you though.
All in all, its one of the best brutes Ive ever played, and the sets mesh so well together. It has 49/49/49 defense to M/R/AoE. It blossoms late in the build however, so if your looking for more instant gratification go with /WP.
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Mutation Brute
Primary Power Set: Dark Melee
Secondary Power Set: Super Reflexes
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Medicine
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Smite -- Mako-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx:50(3), Mako-Dmg/Rchg:50(3), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:50(11), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(34), Mako-Dam%:50(42)
Level 1: Focused Fighting -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx:50(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg:50(5), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(7), RedFtn-Def:50(13), RedFtn-EndRdx:50(46)
Level 2: Focused Senses -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx:50(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg:50(5), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(7), RedFtn-Def:50(13), RedFtn-EndRdx:50(43)
Level 4: Agile -- GftotA-Def:40(A), GftotA-Run+:40(15), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(15)
Level 6: Swift -- Run-I:50(A), Run-I:50(36), Run-I:50(36)
Level 8: Siphon Life -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg:50(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx:50(9), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg:50(9), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(11), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(29), Heal-I:50(46)
Level 10: Practiced Brawler -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- Jump-I:50(A), Jump-I:50(37), Jump-I:50(40)
Level 14: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+:40(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:50(37)
Level 16: Dodge -- GftotA-Def:40(A), GftotA-Run+:40(17), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(17)
Level 18: Dark Consumption -- Oblit-Dmg:50(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg:50(19), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg:50(19), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(25), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(36), Oblit-%Dam:50(40)
Level 20: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod:50(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg:50(21), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg:50(21), P'Shift-Acc/Rchg:50(43), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc:50(43), P'Shift-End%:50(46)
Level 22: Evasion -- S'dpty-Def/EndRdx:40(A), S'dpty-Def/Rchg:40(23), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:40(23), S'dpty-Def:40(25), S'dpty-EndRdx:40(42)
Level 24: Kick -- FrcFbk-Rechg%:50(A)
Level 26: Soul Drain -- Oblit-Dmg:50(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg:50(27), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg:50(27), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(29), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(34), Oblit-%Dam:50(37)
Level 28: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(A)
Level 30: Weave -- S'dpty-Def/EndRdx:40(A), S'dpty-Def/Rchg:40(31), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:40(31), S'dpty-Def:40(31), S'dpty-EndRdx:40(39)
Level 32: Midnight Grasp -- Mako-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx:50(33), Mako-Dmg/Rchg:50(33), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:50(33), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(34), Mako-Dam%:50(40)
Level 35: Quickness -- Run-I:50(A), Run-I:50(39), Run-I:50(39)
Level 38: Aid Other -- Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx:40(A)
Level 41: Aid Self -- Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx:40(A), Mrcl-EndRdx/Rchg:40(42), Mrcl-Heal/Rchg:40(45), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:40(45), Mrcl-Heal:40(45)
Level 44: Gloom -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 47: Dark Obliteration -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:50(48), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(48), Posi-Dmg/Rng:50(48), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(50)
Level 49: Lucky -- GftotA-Def:40(A), GftotA-Run+:40(50), LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Fury
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Set Bonus Totals:
* 18.5% DamageBuff(Smashing)
* 18.5% DamageBuff(Lethal)
* 18.5% DamageBuff(Fire)
* 18.5% DamageBuff(Cold)
* 18.5% DamageBuff(Energy)
* 18.5% DamageBuff(Negative)
* 18.5% DamageBuff(Toxic)
* 18.5% DamageBuff(Psionic)
* 6.75% Defense(Smashing)
* 6.75% Defense(Lethal)
* 6.75% Defense(Fire)
* 6.75% Defense(Cold)
* 6.75% Defense(Energy)
* 6.75% Defense(Negative)
* 3% Defense(Psionic)
* 10.5% Defense(Melee)
* 10.5% Defense(Ranged)
* 10.5% Defense(AoE)
* 40% Enhancement(Accuracy)
* 53.8% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
* 5% Enhancement(Heal)
* 5% FlySpeed
* 140.6 HP (9.38%) HitPoints
* 5% JumpHeight
* 5% JumpSpeed
* MezResist(Held) 6.6%
* MezResist(Immobilize) 13.2%
* MezResist(Stun) 4.4%
* 13.5% (0.23 End/sec) Recovery
* 8% (0.5 HP/sec) Regeneration
* 4.1% Resistance(Fire)
* 4.1% Resistance(Cold)
* 27.5% RunSpeed
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I'm new to Brutes (and melee in general) and I was wondering what powers I should go for in Dark/Dark. No, in case you were going to ask, I'm not interested in rerolling as this is for an RP character and it best fit his theme. I just wanted general recommendations on power choices. Thank you.
You pay to play. Having fun is ok. Kill Skuls or kill Crey. Hunt at night or in the day. Black or white or shades of grey. Play it your way. We have no say.
Silas' official theme song: Word Up!