If you're avoiding sets for the cost, you're doing it for the wrong reason. Look into the cheaper sets instead.
Kinetic Combat is 30 to 100 million per slot. Smashing Haymaker recipes sell for 350k. They give less bonus, but they will be better than generics and they will make a huge difference. Yes being softcapped is the goal, but 20% to Smashing/Lethal is a cheap, and very potent first step.
Reactive Armor and Titanium are dirt cheap for resistance sets. Red Fortune and Serendipity instead of Luck of the Gambler in Weave and/or Maneuvers. Crushing Impact and Smashing Haymaker instead of Touch of Death or Kinetic Combat. Use the cheap ones, get solid bonuses.
Regardless of what level you are, anything higher than 24 dual or 20 triple will give you more bonus than a +3 SO or level 25 generic. So if you're willing to use a level 53 SO at level 50 or a level 25 generic IO, you would get a higher bonus from a level 20 triple IO. Not using it at level 30 just because it isn't level 50 is a bizarre behavior I've never understood.
My recommendation is to frankenslot as you level using the cheapest duals and triples you can find on the market at any level higher than 24 for a dual or 20 for a triple. Once you hit 47, start your second build but keep playing with your primary. Create the second one specifically for solo farming. Slot this baby with only level 50 IOs as you are able to afford them. Keep playing using your perfectly functional primary build, but put the best stuff into your secondary build.
Eventually you'll have it mostly full with the good stuff but all the while you'll have a fun experience with the main.
I'll let someone else get you the build. My SS/WP was so gods aweful it is one of the very few characters I have ever deleted. But in terms of how to get there and get it built on your budget, I think my advice is pretty solid.
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"Hmm, I guess I'm not as omniscient as I thought" -Gavin Runeblade.
I can be found, outside of paragon city here.
Thank you everyone at Paragon and on Virtue. When the lights go out in November, you'll find me on Razor Bunny.
Thanks reasoning is sound. Working on a build see how it goes.
I have a 37 SS/WP brute. At this point I have just been IO slotting (regular IOs, lvl 25) because don't have that much inf on redside.
I'm still having a hell of a time soloing anything more than a group of 7-8 white/yellow mobs (even more difficult with a boss). I just get hit way too much and health bar plummets while I try to herd a group of 10 mobs which was easy with my fire/stone tanker.
Can a brute do viable soloing without IO Sets (especially while leveling up)? Anyone suggest a mid/low budget build for SS/WP? Think I can manage to come up with 200 mil or so to get started in farming.