Dark Melee over Kinetic Melee for difficult content because of the heal. DM/SD is a forum favorite for AV soloing. With an end game build you can have near perma Soul Drain, and with Against All Odds added to that, you're getting a lot of damage from damage buffs. Combinations with a high average damage buff are going to do better on Scrappers than on Brutes because Brutes are already getting a lot of damage from their buffs. I haven't run any numbers to compare performance, but that's how I look at it.
So my recommendation would be the tried-and-true Dark Melee/Shield Defense Scrapper.
But then, we ARE on the Scrapper forum, so of course I'd say something like that. 
"That's because Werner can't do maths." - BunnyAnomaly
"Four hours in, and I was no longer making mistakes, no longer detoggling. I was a machine." - Werner
Videos of Other Stupid Scrapper Tricks
the problem I see with scrapper is at least until 20 (i only played both iterations until 20) the brute seems stronger more damaging and less likely to die....does all this change later on due to the scrappers higher base dmg? or the brutes fury really just kick that much ***? ...
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Oh, the damage thing very much changes. At a low level, I frankly slot no damage enhancement in my powers on either a Scrapper or a Brute. Just accuracy and endurance. Scrapper damage scale is 1.125. Brute damage scale is 0.75. Brutes only need a 50% damage buff (I believe 25% Fury?) to equal a Scrapper at that point, and they're going to have a lot more than that. So Brutes have it all over Scrappers on both survivability and damage output at a low level.|
Originally Posted by Darkers
the problem I see with scrapper is at least until 20 (i only played both iterations until 20) the brute seems stronger more damaging and less likely to die....does all this change later on due to the scrappers higher base dmg? or the brutes fury really just kick that much ***? ...
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At the other end of the spectrum, let's talk about a Dark Melee/Shield defense with near perma Soul Drain surrounded by enemies, entirely in its end game element. Let's say +110% damage enhancement in the powers and from set bonuses, +68.75% from Against All Odds, another +70% from Soul Drain, and that 1.125 becomes 3.923, while the Brute's 0.75 becomes 2.615. Now Fury only enhances the BASE damage, so the Brute would need an extra 174% damage from Fury to keep up. I believe that takes 87% Fury, which you might occasionally see, but probably not sustain for long.
I really thought the difference was even more stark, though, so chances are I'm getting the Fury mechanic wrong, or made some other error, since I don't study Brutes.
Or maybe it's right. Until recently, it was commonly argued (though certainly not universally agreed on) that Brutes equaled Scrappers on damage. Then they changed Fury generation, I believe to make it easier to get and keep moderate levels of it, but harder to get and keep high levels of it.
"That's because Werner can't do maths." - BunnyAnomaly
"Four hours in, and I was no longer making mistakes, no longer detoggling. I was a machine." - Werner
Videos of Other Stupid Scrapper Tricks
You've got it right, Werner. Before the change, a high level brute could easily sustain the 85% fury needed to stay on par with a scrapper. The problem with that model was that other brutes, tanks and scrappers (and other ATs, but to a lesser extent) seriously cut back the Fury generation a brute got from incoming attacks, making it so that none of the brutes on the team operated at full potential.
Under the new system, it's a lot easier to get up to a moderate level, even on an all-brute team, and a solo brute, or one that's not competing too much for aggro can often get near the same level of Fury as before.
@Roderick
You will be doing more damage with a /SD scrapper than a /SD brute because of how damage bonuses work in this game (assuming you're able to get to the fury level where brutes otherwise do scrapper-level damage).
A brute will be a bit tougher, but /SD scrappers can easily get tough enough with IOs so that difference doesn't matter much. They also have a taunt aura just like brutes, which may be important to you.
The only real advantage a /SD brute will have over a /SD scrapper is better damage until SOs, but after that the picture flips. With all other secondaries I'd recommend a brute, but with /SD, scrappers are definitively better.
SD was made for Scrappers.
[U][URL="http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=251594"][/URL][/U]
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You make it sound like Brutes have higher defense and resistance than Scrappers. This is not true at all. They are both on the same scale for their secondary sets. Brutes have a few more HPs than Scrappers, but in the long run in PvE, it won't make a huge difference.
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Originally Posted by Exxar
A brute will be a bit tougher, but /SD scrappers can easily get tough enough with IOs so that difference doesn't matter much.
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Brutes have higher resistance caps than Scrappers, but that only makes a difference when you get lots of buffs (usually on teams), and usually only matters when you're playing a resistance based secondary (IE, not Shield Defense).
I would categorize having more HP being a bit tougher, but that's just me.
[U][URL="http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=251594"][/URL][/U]
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Undoubtedly so. Given the same numbers on defense which Brutes & Scrappers have the advantage in durability goes to the higher hit points.|
Originally Posted by Fiery-Enforcer
I would categorize having more HP being a bit tougher, but that's just me.
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I will say that my BS/SD scrapper who's soft capped to all positions is way more than tough enough for all but the stupidest of the stupid scrapper tricks.
The small edge in durability that a Brute's greater HP has probably wouldn't make a difference anyway since if you're in far enough over your head that the scrapper's faceplanting you're probably far enough that the Brute wouldn't survive much if any longer itself.
COH has just been murdered by NCSoft. http://www.change.org/petitions/ncso...city-of-heroes
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The Fury mechanic causes you to assume a certain playstyle -- you're always rushing forward to keep the Fury bar high. Lots of scrappers play that way anyhow, but with a brute you need to either constantly attack or be attacked (this generates Fury faster) to even approach scrapper levels of damage.|
Originally Posted by Darkers
Ok so i have played all four of these builds on scrappers and brutes to 20 now. I simply cannot make up my mind at all, KM/SD vs. DM/SD....
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The other thing is how much you play on teams. If you like to play with other brutes, tanks and scrappers you'll be competing with them for aggro and therefore Fury to increase your damage output. If you primarily solo or play as the only aggro magnet on the team, then it's really a toss-up between a scrapper and a brute.
The upshot: if you don't like the Fury mechanic and like to pick your battles, scrappers are for you.
Ok so i have played all four of these builds on scrappers and brutes to 20 now. I simply cannot make up my mind at all, KM/SD vs. DM/SD....from my experience in playing these guys it seems like brutes are a lot better in terms of dmg and survivability does this change drastically once I get to 50 and complete IO a character? (I have many other 50 AT and I have lots and lots of saved up purple IOs, so thats not an issue)
Also it seems like DM is the better choice for a primary as well, but with more accuracy and recharge in my powers complimenting PS does this change?
I guess, what I am really asking for is help in making the decision between brute and scrapper, as well as KM/SD or DM/SD for end game content. I plan on soloing AV's and doing lots of TF's and badge collection....I just don't know on which toon yet.....any insight you forum gurus could give me would be greatly appreciated.