Absolute Best with KM

So I need opinions on the very best secondary for KM. I'm talking level 50+, standard and incarnate content, alpha slotted, money-no-object build. The only secondary I'm not open to is SD.

I am leaning toward electric armor (would attempt to softcap s/l for any non-defense secondary) just because I really like the set's perks and consistent performance. DA looks interesting but also seems like it would have end issues... FA is appealing for the extra damage, but I feel Scrapper burn will let me down after I have experienced double-raged/high fury Brute burn. I have never tried Invuln or WP. SR kind of turns me off because its protection seems too one-dimensional, even with scaling resists.

More info: I like to be unkillable whilst dealing immense damage (duh). I would rather not have to use insps to fix a build hole, but that is a possibility. I will likely go with Leviathan pool no matter what secondary (no Shadow Meld for me).
Thx in advance

On a Brute with 75 Fury, 2x Rage, and 3 damage IOs in Burn, it does 526 damage in Mids'. On a Scrapper with Power Siphon x5, it does 474 damage (calculated because Mids' doesn't add Power Siphon damage). With other damage buffs, like Fulcrum Shift, the Scrapper will pull ahead.

Why not Shield Defense? It adds a nice damage buff from AAO and would likely be the best single-target damage secondary to pair with KM.

I hope you don't mind using inspirations if you plan on 32.5% defenses. It isn't a build hole if you plan it out beforehand. Going for 32.5% makes it a lot easier to add other bonuses like recharge while still being able to be nearly unkillable.

Probably Shield for max damage + some unkillability.

Probably a tricked-out Invuln (like Bass's DM/Invuln or even my FM/Inv) for max unkillability (assuming you take Aid Self), since it layers Def (with debuff res) and Heal/Regen and RES.

I don't know quite enough about DA but I think it can suffer from -DEF on ITFs and other heavy def-debuff missions.

Thx for the input all

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Originally Posted by Syntax42 On a Brute with 75 Fury, 2x Rage, and 3 damage IOs in Burn, it does 526 damage in Mids'. On a Scrapper with Power Siphon x5, it does 474 damage (calculated because Mids' doesn't add Power Siphon damage). With other damage buffs, like Fulcrum Shift, the Scrapper will pull ahead.

I've heard from several people that scrappers just don't leverage it as well because enemies tend to run away instead of standing in it (no taunt aura). If that is only a fringe case, then FA goes up on my list.

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Why not Shield Defense? It adds a nice damage buff from AAO and would likely be the best single-target damage secondary to pair with KM.

I've done Shields twice, and it's gotten a little boring for me; plus the concept for this character can work with anything...except a shield.

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I hope you don't mind using inspirations if you plan on 32.5% defenses. It isn't a build hole if you plan it out beforehand. Going for 32.5% makes it a lot easier to add other bonuses like recharge while still being able to be nearly unkillable.

I actually would be shooting for closer to 45% with just sets, because, while 32.5% is a small purple away in normal content, it might be hurting in newer content with enemies having 64% chance tohit. This is part of the reason electric is high in my list: I can hit 45% s/l while still having solid resists, run the best or second best chain, and have perma energize/hasten if I take Spiritual Core Paragon. It also seems that many attacks in newer content that aren't protected by s/l defense are pure energy, which is what electric armor is best against.

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if it's damage you're after, go Fiery Aura, but I suppose that fails on your "unkillable" criteria. Might as well try Invuln or Willpower, then. They're both excellent secondaries.

I've actually found that my FA brute is pretty dang sturdy with 45% s/l defense (and the fact that he kills everything in seconds), and I have found that the end drain protection in FA and Elec can be really, really helpful. I like what burn can add to the seemingly lowish AoE of KM, and of course FE is great. My real concern with it is that Scrapper burn might not compare.

I really like fiery embrace with KM. I don't know that FA is the best in terms of damage, but it is very effective at damage and staying alive with a good build.

It seems likely that FA is your best bet on raw DPS output. There's really no equivalent to adding extra base damage to your attacks.

With a lot of IO build and expense, FA is also very durable. It will, however, suffer from things any set without DDR does - foes with strong defense debuffs (or extra toHit) will strip its defense away and stomp on it. KM doesn't really provide tools that help dramatically in this area - not many powersets do.

If you're looking for the best mix of DPS and survivability, KM/SD is probably the right choice. +Dam added to +Dam is less effective on net than +Dam multiplied with higher base damage, but you get the ability to softcap and pretty respectable DDR. Maxing out both will still be very expensive, but you'll end up at a much higher overall survivability unless faced with lots of +toHit.

If you want to melt things as fast as possible, I say KM/FA. If you want to melt things a bit slower but melt less slowly yourself, I say KM/SD. I doubt either will make you unhappy, if you invest in them heavily.

The only place I see Invuln edging out SD for unkillability is if they continue to nerf defense through +ToHit or massive def-debuffng enemies like Romans. How much you want to "future proof" is up to you.

Elec Armor will do great. The +dam works well with its damage aura, you won't run out of endurance, and you get extra recharge so Power Siphon goes up sooner. Plus it's pretty survivable, and you can cover your weaknesses through IO's(S/L def).