Energy Aura

As you can see from my date over there <---- I have played for a long time. I tend not to play melee characters a lot, but I really like Kinetic Melee. I love the animations and the feel of the set. I have never made a brute, so I decided to go with that option. I have only seen one or two characters with Energy Aura. My question is why. Is there something in the set that just doesn't sit well with most people? Is it because it's a defense set mostly? Talking to people in game, I get told to make a /Stone Armor. But I really don't like the way Stone Armor looks.

Just curious.

Thanks from your friendly neighborhood psychopath.

i normaly see fire/invis/wp/shield seem the most commin hands downs... folowed by SR/stone/dark then elec and nrg are like the unloved armour but nrg seem like a powerhouse.

here is my attempt at a KM/NRG build.
soft caps s/l(well .4 off) fire/cold/nrg .2 off neg 17% psy.
to me thats seem epic..



Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.803
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Brute
Primary Power Set: Kinetic Melee
Secondary Power Set: Energy Aura
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Quick Strike -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(11), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(11), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13)
Level 1: Kinetic Shield -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(3), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(3), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(9)
Level 2: Smashing Blow -- P'ngFist-Acc/Dmg(A), P'ngFist-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), P'ngFist-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(17), Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(17)
Level 4: Dampening Field -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(5), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(5), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(9), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(31)
Level 6: Power Siphon -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(7), RechRdx-I(7)
Level 8: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(19), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(19)
Level 10: Entropy Shield -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Power Shield -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(21), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(21), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(23)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A)
Level 16: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 18: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 20: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(23), P'Shift-EndMod(25), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(43), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(43), P'Shift-Acc/Rchg(43)
Level 22: Burst -- Erad-Dmg(A), Erad-Acc/Rchg(25), Erad-Dmg/Rchg(27), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29), Erad-%Dam(29)
Level 24: Energy Cloak -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(31)
Level 26: Focused Burst -- Entrpc-Acc/Dmg(A), Entrpc-Dmg/EndRdx(31), Entrpc-Dmg/Rchg(33), Entrpc-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Entrpc-Heal%(33)
Level 28: Energy Drain -- Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(34), Dct'dW-Rchg(34), Dct'dW-Heal(34), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(36), P'Shift-End%(36)
Level 30: Energy Protection -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(36), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(37), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 32: Concentrated Strike -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(37), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(39), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Mako-Dam%(40)
Level 35: Boxing -- Acc-I(A)
Level 38: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(40), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(40), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 41: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(42), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(42)
Level 44: Superior Conditioning -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(45), P'Shift-EndMod(45), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(45), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(46), P'Shift-Acc/Rchg(46)
Level 47: Physical Perfection -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(48), EndMod-I(48), Heal-I(48), Heal-I(50), Heal-I(50)
Level 49: Overload -- GftotA-Run+(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/EndRdx(A), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/Rchg(46), P'ngS'Fest-Acc/Dmg(50)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Fury
Level 4: Ninja Run
------------
Set Bonus Totals:

• 8% DamageBuff(Smashing)
• 8% DamageBuff(Lethal)
• 8% DamageBuff(Fire)
• 8% DamageBuff(Cold)
• 8% DamageBuff(Energy)
• 8% DamageBuff(Negative)
• 8% DamageBuff(Toxic)
• 8% DamageBuff(Psionic)
• 10.5% Defense(Smashing)
• 10.5% Defense(Lethal)
• 7.69% Defense(Fire)
• 7.69% Defense(Cold)
• 14.3% Defense(Energy)
• 14.3% Defense(Negative)
• 3% Defense(Psionic)
• 6.75% Defense(Melee)
• 11.4% Defense(Ranged)
• 12.4% Defense(AoE)
• 4.05% Max End
• 48.8% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 18% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 4% Enhancement(Heal)
• 10% FlySpeed
• 202.4 HP (13.5%) HitPoints
• 10% JumpHeight
• 10% JumpSpeed
• MezResist(Confused) 2.75%
• MezResist(Held) 3.3%
• MezResist(Immobilize) 9.35%
• MezResist(Sleep) 2.2%
• MezResist(Terrorized) 2.2%
• 7.5% (0.13 End/sec) Recovery
• 58% (3.63 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 1.26% Resistance(Fire)
• 1.26% Resistance(Cold)
• 17.5% RunSpeed
• 2% XPDebtProtection

Energy Aura has no Toxic or Psi Defence, which hurts in the late Villain-side game.
It has mediocre Smashing and Lethal Defence, especially if you don't want to be invisible.

They're the main reasons I havent played this set.

I think the big issue with Energy Aura is that it is armor plating over tissue paper.

It provides some good defense values... and nothing else. The Resistance Values you can get out of the auto powers is meaningless. The only utility powers the set provides are Stealth (often considered counter-productive to Brute game play, and yet needed to enhance your defense...) and Endurance Management. While the basically unlimited blue bar is nice, Energy Drain and Conserve Power don't add much to keeping your Green Bar intact.

(Yes, a heal was added to Energy Drain. No, it doesn't really make a difference until you actually achieve the soft cap)

This doesn't even go into the wasteful powers... the end result is that to GET the proper amount of protection, this set needs to run 4 toggles, where most other sets use 3.

If you want a defense-based character, Super Reflexes provides far more coverage, and has actually useful utility powers. If you want unlimited Endurance, Electric Armor is a far better choice, providing actual protection from Endurance Drain as well as essentially unlimited endurance.

I have seen the set played and working great... but it requires a lot of time, effort, and significant IO investment. For that last reason alone, the set should really get another look at and overhaul...

Honestly, my EA Brute is one of my more survivable ones. Sure, the set needs more work to feel 'strong', but it's doable. The old buff to typed defense set bonuses really helped the set out a lot, since softcapping Smashing/Lethal isn't really difficult if you're willing to spend some (not too much) inf. Keep in mind that EA also comes with its own, really spammable Endurance drain power, so grabbing Weave shouldn't hurt your overall stamina. My own EA runs all the armor powers (including the stealth), Combat Jumping, Tough and Weave. Tough stacks together with that passive S/L resistance power to help alleviate the 'splat' factor whenever something punches through your defenses.

Another reason EA is less popular than, say, SR, is because it has less Defense Debuff Resistance. Granted, this is a bit of an unfair comparison, as SR is practically immune to it. On the flipside, SR has no utility, whereas EA has stealth and and endurance drain.

On that note, EA is for a Brute that focuses more on damage dealing than tanking. The stealth does not suppress in combat, meaning your agro range will always be tiny as long as it's on, and you lack a true taunt aura, even though Energy Drain has a taunt effect built into it.

Personally, I don't think the powerset is -bad-. It just takes a bit of effort to get the most out of it, compared to sets like, say, Willpower.


Also, it has one of the best Godmode/Tier 9 powers in the game. Overload is fun stuff.

EA is just mediocre. It pays a high price for some "utility" powers including a couple of redundant ones (END management), and another that is kind of counter-intuitive for the Brute AT (stealth). It has two autos that basically suck. It has big holes vs Toxic and Psi which will really hit you hard in the late game.

The stealth is also kind of frustrating because you unstealth if you click a glowie and doesnt seem to be as strong as some other stealths (my Dark characters seem to evade notice more reliably) so you can't really "stealth" a mission entirely. Granted, on a brute it hardly matters as you can just beat down the mob(s) around the glowie first once you get there. But still, the set pays a lot for its utility powers, they should at least be reliable.

Energy Drain is the big consolation power of the set, and its pretty awesome. The T9 ability is also pretty awesome.


However, having said that, I have a heavily IO'd Kinetic Melee / Energy Aura / Energy Pool Brute that I've played up to lvl 42 since GR release, Praetoria then blue side. By investing in IO's and going after key accolades he's pretty solid but there is a glass ceiling beyond which he gets crushed somewhere between level +2 and level +3 depending on mob type.


I adjusted my play style to accommodate the stealth aspect of the character and took Taunt so that I can selectively make mobs pay attention to me and that works pretty well, particularly solo where I can set my own pace. I slotted Energy Drain as a Heal rather than an END tool as it has big base numbers already for END gain, and that helps me out; I currently get 85 hp per head when I use it which is not great but noticeable when I've got 3 or more enemies around me.

Anyway, I love the character and have fun with it, but that doesn't change the inner certainty that the character would have been even more awesome if I had gone with one of the other DEF sets I could have chosen from. But, I usually go with concept over min / max anyway so I'm comfortable with that.

so is it totally masochistic to want to build a kinetic melee/ Energy Aura brute? would a KM electric armor be better?

I cranked up a km/ea brute last night. Yes, EA is weak. KM's -damage should help out some, though.

Sure does look cool.

EDIT: On the plus side, with fitness going inherent in I-19 and EA having the ridiculous overkill on endurance management that it has, should be pretty easy to handle the cost of maneuvers, weave, combat jumping and hover for the defense it needs and tough to buff up the piddly S/L damres it gets.

Energy Aura is weaker to start, but it seems better than any other secondary I have ever tried(wp, sd, inv) for getting through Praetoria. My kinetic/energy aura brute was the only character that never died, even before the syndicate blade master fix.

It is also very capable since level 24 and I never have issues. My only problem is stupid escorts that make me take off energy clock, even though my survival is still good enough without it.
It's also an endurance hog, but I have neglected filling some slots on attacks.


I think it's rather good, just a late bloomer and not the best either.

I prefer shield defense now.

T_Imm,

What does EA have at low level that makes it good in Praetoria? I would think that with some crappy defense toggles, you'd be as bad off (or worse) as /SR?

Lewis

The reasons you don't see many EA Brutes:

• Essentially a pure defense set that has low defense debuff resistance, making it highly susceptible to cascade failure.
• Toxic defense doesn't exist in the game - the only way to get it is positional vector defense; the Psi defense in EA is minimal (3.75% base in Energy Cloak).
• It not only provides no real aggro control (Energy Drain taunts, but it's short term on a long recharge), it actually hurts your ability to maintain it - the stealth in Energy Cloak does not suppress while attacking.
  • This can be good (usually solo) or can be really annoying when things ignore you and run off unless you're constantly hitting them - sets with damage or other taunt auras can keep things nearby.
  • You could take Taunt to keep things on you, but other sets don't have to just to keep things nearby.
  • Valid or not, there's a tendency to expect Brutes to hold aggro like Tankers. Energy Aura simply doesn't without a lot of work.
• The resistances you get for when the defense fails (because it will - see the first point) are too low to matter.
  • For the second half of your hp bar, Super Reflexes gives you more +resistance with the passive scaling resists.
• The heal in Energy Drain is small against single hard targets.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PleaseRecycle it has gone from unconscionable to downright appalling that we have no way of measuring our characters' wetness.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brillig It's hard to beat the entertainment value of Whackjob Wednesdays.

Ignoring the existence of sets, EA feels to me to be the weakest defensive set by far. I have one, a DM/EA, but DM covers all sins. I went EA for the energy drain (and even with dark consumption, energy drain, and stamina slotted I can and do run out of endurance thanks to the fairly costly toggles I run to beef up my no-set bonus defense values. Like Manoevers. Ugh.)

Seriously it plays like a stalker. Good at single hard targets who aren't Bane Spider Executioners or Master Illusionists, crap in large spawns due to the sheer amount of -def being flung towards her. I use small lucks as my tier 9, and some missions I munch them as fast as they drop to counter defense cascade failure, 'softcapped' because of the -to hit in dark melee and soul mastery stacking with my defense or not.

edit: Hmm. I logged in an ran a malta mission, +0/x3 bosses on. After losing 9 to 15% defense per spawn to their alpha strike with a 39% lethal defense I got creative and slotted a -to hit in dark oblivion and used it as my own alpha strike, since I normally don't even use it as it doesn't really change my spawn to spawn time. Poof. problem solved.

It's not as bad as some make it to be...
And as far as spending gazillion bajillion on IOs...
Here's the build I use for my Claws/EA

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Could it use some help??? possible...
I wouldn't be against a buff

Call me crazy, but I would either add a moderate amount of ranged defense to energy cloak, or a small +max hp to entropy shield to round out its mitigation just a little bit. Oh also, it's ENERGY aura. It should be strong against ENERGY.

Anyway, it has its moments. There are just more pitfalls than with other sets, in my opinion.

Here's a couple of other very recent threads about Energy Aura, one of them my own (my target build for my KM/EA brute):


What's wrong with energy armor*? *[sic]
KM/EA Build

And here is my rough, probably naive, idea on possible improvements to the set from the first linked thread:



I want to like EA, but it does seem to be a tad bit anemic compared to other defense sets. It tries to be off-center and a little toolboxy, but it just doesn't offer enough in any area to compensate for its lack of focus. Compared to the somewhat similar Dark Armor for instance, it just fails to compete.

On the otherhand, I think it wouldn't take anything drastic to make this set very viable. The minor tweaks made a few issues ago (I forget which ish, but when ED got a heal added to it, and so forth) helped and were moves in the right direction, but just aren't quite enough.


One change that would immediately improve the set would be to make the DDR (or at least a chunk of it) enhanceable. If the set could get up to 75% DDR base not including t9 god mode, the cascading failure problem would be greatly reduced.


The other obvious target for improvement is the two resistance Autos. The low base numbers combined with the very limited damage types make these powers not worth taking. They simply don't do enough. Lots of things could be done with these two powers without breaking the Cottage Rule. An interesting idea might be to make them both grant 5% RES vs all damage types except psi, and 10% vs energy; enhancehable to ~16% vs all and ~32% vs energy if both were taken and fully slotted.


It doesn't make much difference mechanically, but thematically it would be nice if EA offered elevated levels of DEF vs energy specifically; perhaps even enough to softcap without IO's

As for END efficiency; Conserve Power just seems to be unneeded for this set in its current incarnation. It's redundant. It would be more interesting to see something like an AUTO effect that had a much milder global endurance reduction, similar to Quickness vis a vis recharge times. EDIT: an effect similar to the temp mutation Pain Tolerance, actually.

Just my $.02. I keep chisling away with EA for concept reasons hopping that my perseverance will one day be rewarded with a buff. This has panned out in the past with SR, Dark Armor, Invul, and I'm hoping it will again.

We'd certainly see more /EAs running around... take taunt and the presence pool as well and make the granites look on with admiration...

I remember everything from psi def to + regen per target in energy drain to wild and wacky control powers to... well lots of stuff

I think They could add some + regen per target into drain without much trouble, and while they're at it, put a nice big fat -regen to target on there. At least then there'd be one thing /EA could do absurdly well

I'd also love to see those +HP taken out of Overload and put in to the passives.

But hey, I'd take whatever I could get.

While I think the BEST thing would be take Energy Aura back to the Drawing Board and hash it out with a fresh perspective... I have to admit that such an effort is probably not needed to make the set functional.

There are four powers in the set that can easily be altered without risking the cottage rule: Dampening Field, Entropy Shield, Energy Protection, and Conserve Power.

First, the Auto Powers. Right now, they are the only auto powers left in a defense set that ONLY provide resistance. While boosting the resist values would be nice, I doubt that will happen... but some added perks would make these much more attractive. +HP come readily to mind, but I suspect that may be a pipe dream. Recovery and Endurance Debuff resistance and Recharge Debuff Resistance is more likely. It won't be much, but it will be something...

Second, Entropy Shield - the only toggle shield that ha no enhanceable effects. This provides status protection, and nothing else - which means its a primary spot where we can fill in something for added survivability. Again, +HP or +Regen would be nice... additional Resistance is more likely. So... 11% Resistance to Smashing/Lethal/Toxic damage, 15% Resistance to Energy? Combine those with the Auto resists, and you've got some numbers that actually mean something...

Conserve Power - this needs to go the way its counterpart in Electric Armor did. However, Energy Aura already has a heal kludged into Energy Drain... so instead, how about turning it into this:

Optimize Efficiency: You can optimize the flow of energy inside your body for a short time, increasing your damage and recharge rate, while decreasing the endurance cost you pay; Effects are a 60% Endurance cost reduction, a 25% Damage boost, and a 30% decrease in Recharge Rates.

These would provide two of the critical things the set is missing: another layer of protection for when defenses fail, and a way to increase the user's offense. Agro control will still suck, but I don't think there's anything we can do about that in a set where the included stealth power isn't just a perk, but a necessity.