The Definitive (SS/Fire vs. SS/SD vs. Fire/Fire vs. Fire/SD) Opinion Thread

Because I'm tired of getting opinions from a hundred different threads, I figured I would create one opinion thread for this subject, as there seems to be well formed opinions out there in many places that all go back to one or two aspects of this 'Which should I go with?' cycle argument.

The Lineup

From a vast majority of players, these four power combinations are considered to eb the top dog heavy hitters in a league of their own for many reasons. Here's is a brief summary as to why this line of thinking is popular among the masses:


SS/Fire Brute : Key Strengths include Fiery Embrace + Rage Dmg bonus for some heavy hitting action, a powerful damage aura that utilizes bonuses from fiery embrace, 2 heavy damaging AOE's in KOB and Burn-of which burn also receives dmg bonuses from FE. Other strong points are a self heal, very good utility self rez, and endurance replinishment power. Weaknesses include rage crash, limited defense until you get a highly specialized (and some would say very expensive) build, vulnerability to some damage types, and the lack of a good/synergistic AOE chain without top class recharge.


SS/SD Brute : Key strengths include Rage+ AAO stacking damage bonuses, two major dmging AOE's w/ Foot Stomp and Shield Charge, and one ST heavy hitter in KOB. Weaknesses include rage crash, endurance management, clicky mez protection, and no self heal in the secondary.


Fire/Fire Brute : Key strengths include multiple heavy damage AOE abilities with BA + Fire Breath + FSC + Burn + AOE pool power, the insane damage of Fury + BU + FE + Blazing Aura + AOE or ST Fire DMG Attack Chain, self heal, and an endurance replinishment power. Weaknesses include aggro problems, low survivability for a Brute in a non-optimal IO set build, and vulnerability to certain damage types.


Fire/SD Brute : Key strengths include the three heavy hitting AOE's in Shield Charge + FB + FSC, includes the heavy dmg component of Fury + BU + AAO bonuses, excellent defense, good ST attack chain. Weaknesses include a clicky mez protection, potential endurance management problems, lack of a self heal


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Having the opinions and facts of these combos in one thread might help me- and many others-form a collective opinion about some of these sets. So here's the feedback I'm looking for from experienced players utlizing these power combinations (keep in mind I play and farm with a SS/SD Brute, but I'm also curious about the other combinations)


1) Who is the fastest killer in a 'combined' AOE and ST mentality? And why do you think one might be (or is) superior to another powerset?

2) Which /Secondary do you feel is better at speed killing (both AOE and ST), and which is better for overall survival against the 'challenging' TF, Raid mobs, and 'harder' mission mobs one sees @ lvl 50, and why?

3) Which power combination has the better synergy, in your opinion?

4) How do you feel about the damage potential of Fury + BU + Fiery Embrace (/Fire) -- vs. -- Fury + BU + Against All Odds (SD) ? Is one clearly better than the other speed wise, stat-wise, etc.? If so, why?



Any and all feedback from experienced vets, farmers and TFers alike is, of course, greatly appreciated. I may also chime in with questions/feedback of my own. Please discuss!

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inf per min go

The most efficient one is whichever one is most fun for you to play. That's rule zero of power optimisation in this game.

SS/fire not having a synergistic AOE combo? Footstomp and Burn both recharge fast and work well together (not like SC that is on a much longer timer and is not applicable to each mob every time). So SS/fire is the only combo that has synergistic AOE attacks imo.

Fiery embrace is not as powerful as a saturated AAO mainly since it only has a 20 sec duration.

Shield is of course the toughest set since it can have capped positionals as well as resists and a HP buff. Invul and WP is tougher but has no AOE or +dmg capabilities.

So from a practical perspictive the question for me is:
- Does the offensive secondaries have the potential to be built strong enough with IO's to leverage the offensive advantage in solo play? I guess for farming +1 or lower they do as I can already do +0/8 easily on my lv 30 ss/fire brute. But upping the difficulty will probably be harder with a squishy secondary than say invul or wp. But thinking inf or xp/sec, running lower diff faster may be better anyway?

Adaptionist, my SS/Fire farms +4/8 behemoths (using AE, of course, since no behemoth farm red side) and dies, once maybe twice. Usually because I'll mob dive with FS down to mitigate the alpha. Other than that, Insps are still your friend and they drop like candy in a farm. 2 purps, and you're fine.