SS/Fire Farming Alternative - DXP

With double xp just around the corner, I am considering a new farming brute on my second account. I've already got an SS/Fire that I use to farm on my primary account, so yeah... I don't want another (all eggs in one basket, blah blah blah).

Any suggestions as to what I should roll?
I'm considering an Elec/Shields as well as an SS/Shields, but I'd also be willing to go Elec/Fire or any other set(s) as long as a good case can be made for its AOE farming potential.

SS/SD is a great build, but it is typically incredibly expensive. Likely even moreso than your SS/Fire. And then you have to find a reliable way to overcome the endurance management issue, which I personally feel is the largest drawback to the combination. If you have a kin with you, SB can make you unstoppable.

I would also consider a claws/wp or claws/inv. I recently finished leveling my claws brute and she is remarkable on just SOs. Claws is the new kid on the block for us brutes, but the set is just great.

The KB/KD in claws should provide some great mitigation tools for FA's lack of mitigation. That sounds like fun actually. Hmmmm.

If you're open to blueside as well, Elec/SD/Blaze scrapper is just sick.

Redside: Rage + Against All Odds + Fury -> Shield Charge -> Foostomp = tasty.

Claws/Fire sounds good. Spin is great to spam, but it will burn through end quick. At a 14 second base rech, a good recharge build will have you spamming this a LOT.

I'll wait to GR and just bring my fire/kin troller over to redside....yes I'm one of those ppl that hates blueside.

While Claws/Elec is going to be more stable with endurance, I'm thinking that if you can get your end under control, a claws/fire will do the trick. And if you're patient, I'd wait for the elec/sd/blaze scrapper to be able to go redside. That damage output is significantly superior to my purpled SS/elec. It takes my SS/elec brute 16 minutes to clear a map that my elec/sd scrapper can do in 10.

I think in the end, solo farming on a claws/fire will be slightly faster due to fiery embrace and burn, and a slightly better damage aura. Besides, in solo farming, insps drop like candy.

But, I'd definitely have endurance in mind when working on that build so you can at least last long enough between combustions. Slotting spin efficiently should do the trick. I'm thinking at least two of those slots being eradication for the end bonus (or 4 for the nrg and HP). Probably a net gain of 3 eps would be fine.

My money is still on the SS/SD if you want to kill fast and not have to tailor your mission around them. Besides, on that build you can carry around a tray of purples before you IO it out and be nearly tough to kill. To give you a rough price estimate, you can probably softcap a shield on either side for about 400 mil, and then throw another 1.6 bil and errm ..wrek skuls so gud.

1. Make a SS/Shield/Mu Brute
2. Put a forcefeedback proc in footstomp
3. Eat a purple candy

Have fun

Out of curiousity, what are folks farming with /fire? 30-50% resists just don't seem to cut it. I know healing flames is beastly. The numbers just seem short.

I would say claws/ss with shield/elec/dark, put the force feedback proc in shockwave or footstomp it typically adds +30% rech for cheap, just remember with shockwave not to use it before the 5 second timer drops or else it's wasted.

my ss/fire farms nems just fine using only generic IOs. I did 4 slot stamina so I can buy performance shifters for it but i'm just too lazy atm. it works pretty well. endurance is the biggest problem and its one i'm worried about on the ss/shield i just started PLing.

If you get good endurance reduction on your main attacks, (Footstomp and patron AoEs are major culprits for end problems), and don't mind eating inspirations as you go SS/SD should do fine on generics.

I'm pretty sure SD can't hit softcap without IOs. Maybe a Tanker who takes Maneuvers and Weave, heh.

For me personally I also wouldn't play SD without IOs to hit the softcap, but to say they're not functional without softcap defenses is an exaggeration. Functional means they function. SD functions without softcap defenses, just not as well as it would with them.

My shield tanker is softcapped with something like a 10 mill investment in IOs + Generics + a Steadfast prot +3%.

do shielders just farm AE villain side? i farm council and warriors on my shielder hero side but other than Nems, what choices are there redside?

i got two purps on my last nem run so i'm still interested. but my GF's elec/shield got wrecked by nems so I guess i'd just go ss/fire for purps and ss/shield for tickets. oh well.