Energy/ sucks, plain and simple. And elec/ I dont know what it would be best with
Right now i think you might like a Stone/WP brute/
Now, i really wanna recomend /fire haha. Dark/fire is pretty epic, especially if it gets IOed. SS/fire is great too but talk about FotM, and i think they need more investment to cancel out the squishyness of /fire as well. Dark/ is the single best melee set for buffing surivability, hands down, which /fire lacks a bit. However, it gives up some dmg but then /fire make up for that. Really just great synergy imo.
Ah, I've always thought SS wasnt plain but really freakin unique. No other powerset gets anything close to RAGE(!!!!!!!!!!) which is just a plain old awesome. Only dark/ and kin/ come close.
"I have ridden the mighty moon worm!"
-Al Gore
Fiery Aura is only good for farming, I'm cereal
@Caucasiafro
/SR is pretty cheap to softcap these days. Also pretty easy to max out your endurance return on a /SR.
It's hell to level up for a while, however. The RNG is evil and will do its best to make pre-35% defense annoying. I know you want to stay away from /SR on a Brute, but consider it. Your wallet will have an easier time with /SR than with Shield or EA.
You're in luck, sir!
Checking over your preferences, I see that fire melee and willpower are among the things you have interest in.
That combo is among the best combo's a brute can have. It capitalizes upon every strength, and might just be the ideal 'marriage of opposites' build among broot-dom. It is not the toughest brute, nor is it the most damaging brute, but with a good build it is near the top of both categories.
At the top end adding in the Soul epic makes it nearly ideal.
You Will Like It. 
So Dark/Fire and Stone/WP.
I looked a little at Stone/WP and it looks nice, sounds pretty straightforward, anything I should be careful (any traps)?
As for Dark/Fire I'll have to look more into it, since I never tried Dark/something with ANY archetype before.
That being said, I'd still like to hear some more about Elec/*. It sounds really fun.
Also, I've read a little about Energy/* being bad, but I'm not sure I get the whole thing. Is it simply because it lacks damage? Or because there's no AoE? Or both? Or, something else?
As for SS/*, the powerset does feel unique compared to the others, but mainly what I meant was the lack of anything other than punching things. I'm pretty much into fantasy/magic stuff, so I might see it that way because of that.
Edit: lots of posts while I wrote this!
Stone/WP hits like a truck and chugs on like a friggin 18-wheeler. WP isn't as sturdy as I'd like until soft-capped, but Stone/WP will never do you wrong.
Dark/ is pretty much good with anything. Dark Melee is delicious on both a Scrapper and Brute. A LOT of DPS coming from Dark/, and it's especially powerful with an endurance restoration device built into the set.
Energy is frowned upon because it does lack decent AoE, but more because you'll be spending about 6 seconds animating both of its heavy hitter powers, which people do not like at all. Example: on a team you'll activate Energy Transfer on a lieutenant or boss, only to have it floored by your teammates a little too quickly.
Elec/ is your AoE king. AoE everywhere. Is that a spawn? Nope, it's a target for your lightning rod. Clustered enemies? All the better for you to kill. Elec/ combines a good amount of single target damage and heavy AoE, and with fury you'll almost negate your single target weakness. You will also be an avid drainer of the blue bar, which will then at times refill your own.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Narkor
So Dark/Fire and Stone/WP.
I looked a little at Stone/WP and it looks nice, sounds pretty straightforward, anything I should be careful (any traps)? As for Dark/Fire I'll have to look more into it, since I never tried Dark/something with ANY archetype before. That being said, I'd still like to hear some more about Elec/*. It sounds really fun. Also, I've read a little about Energy/* being bad, but I'm not sure I get the whole thing. Is it simply because it lacks damage? Or because there's no AoE? Or both? Or, something else? As for SS/*, the powerset does feel unique compared to the others, but mainly what I meant was the lack of anything other than punching things. I'm pretty much into fantasy/magic stuff, so I might see it that way because of that. Edit: lots of posts while I wrote this! |
On electric:
I have an elec/elec scrapper that is one of the two toons I have fully incarnated.
Yes, the combo is just that awesome.
Lightning Rod IS all that and a bag of chips. For the record, I strongly advise skipping Jacob's ladder and replacing it with Air Superiority. You get a bit of fast Single Target, and a reliable early knockdown, it works VERY well with elec/elec.
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I totally forgot about */elec.|
Originally Posted by mauk2
On electric:
I have an elec/elec scrapper that is one of the two toons I have fully incarnated. Yes, the combo is just that awesome. Lightning Rod IS all that and a bag of chips. For the record, I strongly advise skipping Jacob's ladder and replacing it with Air Superiority. You get a bit of fast Single Target, and a reliable early knockdown, it works VERY well with elec/elec. |
About Air superiority, is it worth slotting it? Up to what point and with what exactly? I only remember going crazy about hover during my newbie days and completely forgetting about "that other power in the flight pool".
With all that, I'm really interested in looking at Dark/*, Stone/WP sounds really nice, while Fire/WP just feels overshadowed by the other two.
Some more questions: Is */elec worth it? What other secondaries would be worth it with elec/* ?
Also, is there any traps in Dark/*, Stone/* or Fire/* ? Like, any powers that clearly shouldn't be taken? I know that the very first power is "usually" a waste and that many brutes simply skip taunt, but anything else?
/drinks in brute knowledge
Dark/ works with practically anything. Dark/Shield can solo AVs. Dark is also especially powerful in /SR. It's really useful in sets that lack any sort of self heal. Dark/WP also works really well. Dark/SR and Dark/Shield will not have endurance problems towards the 30s I think. Even sooner, although I've never personally tried Dark/Shield. I know Dark/Shield is a really powerful combo for Scrappers. many Dark/Shield Scrappers have soloed almost every AV. Really, really good Single Target and decent AoE. The Build Up (Soul Drain) shines in large groups, as it is slightly more powerful than regular build ups when you hit all 10 targets.
Quote:
Air Superiority is probably the best attack power in any of the standard pools. It's DPS/DPA is nothing to write home about, but it is a reliable knockdown you can get at level 6. In sets that are shy on single target attacks and don't have redraw issues, it is an ideal addition. (This describes electric melee perfectly.) |
Originally Posted by Narkor
I totally forgot about */elec.
About Air superiority, is it worth slotting it? Up to what point and with what exactly? I only remember going crazy about hover during my newbie days and completely forgetting about "that other power in the flight pool". |
That said, the flight pool is difficult on an electric armor toon, because your status resistance is keyed on your staying on the ground. I find it totally worth it, YMMV.
I have AS on my elec/elec incarnate, fully slotted, and use it as part of my standard attack chain constantly. The only thing I miss is the end drain, but ehn.Quote:
| With all that, I'm really interested in looking at Dark/*, Stone/WP sounds really nice, while Fire/WP just feels overshadowed by the other two. |
If you like flashy, though, elec/elec is...fun. Build-up, lightning rod, thunderstrike is perhaps the most fun combo in the GAME.
Hmmm... No fotm but bad. I have a couple thoughts
1. Dm/Sd- aoe & single target with damage buffs from both soul drain a nd AAO. First pick
2. Stone/wp- mitigation of damage from foes allows wp to regen. Stone has several knock downs and very solid single target damage. Stone is endurance heavy but willpower can handle it. Close second
3. Fire/shield scrapper- more fun than elec/shield IMHO and very solid DMG output. Can be the best of both worlds once iod
Regarding elec melee- aside from 2 attacks I absolutely hate the rest of the attacks. If anyone is really being honest they will likely agree. I have about 5 of these iod in scrapper, tank, brute and would rather play fire/shield any day of the week for the same type of aoe goodness. Plus the single target fire attacks are solid. The only thing to be careful of with fire melee is that it lacks mitigation of damage so I would pick a tough secondary or plan to invest in IOS. YMMV.
Alright, so I think I'll try Dark/something, possibly WP or Fire, don't know yet, but I'm really interested in Dark/*.
Other than that, Stone/WP may see a try too, since it's been mentioned a bunch.
As for Elec/*, I feel like I'll never get to use Lightning Rod, although I might try an Elec/* scrapper, it still feels oh so far away.
Well, I'll like to thank you all for the responses and if someone has something to add, please feel free to do so, I'd be glad to hear it.
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With stone only really bad power is hurl boulder, even though it looks awesome, and then stone fists.|
Originally Posted by Narkor
Alright, so I think I'll try Dark/something, possibly WP or Fire, don't know yet, but I'm really interested in Dark/*.
Other than that, Stone/WP may see a try too, since it's been mentioned a bunch. As for Elec/*, I feel like I'll never get to use Lightning Rod, although I might try an Elec/* scrapper, it still feels oh so far away. Well, I'll like to thank you all for the responses and if someone has something to add, please feel free to do so, I'd be glad to hear it. |
Ah, i wasn't quite right before to say dark/ lacks dmg. It only lacks AoE dmg, as its AoEs are more utility than attack, because it actually has some of if not the best STdps out there.
And Dark really does do VERY well with /SD and /SR (i prefer /SD used with dark because of dmg) i used to play a dark/SR quite a bit and he was by far my toughest toon.
"I have ridden the mighty moon worm!"
-Al Gore
Fiery Aura is only good for farming, I'm cereal
@Caucasiafro
In many cases, Scrappers are better than Brutes. This is especially true for powersets that include a permanent or near-permanent (with recharge bonuses) damage buff. Brutes have the same armor set values for the sets they share with Scrappers, but they have lower base damage than Tankers. Fury makes up for this, but reduces the effectiveness of damage buffs. Whichever combo you do choose, evaluate if it would be better on a Scrapper or Brute.
Hello there.
So I came back from an extended vacation and decided to make a character that will SMASH. At this point, I'm torn between a brute or a scrapper, but since I intend to at least try both, I decided to start with the brute.
As such, I've read a lot of the outdated stuff in the Guides sticky, but I am still at a loss at what exactly my brute will end up being.
I do know that Electricity/* is tempting, extremely so and perhaps the most out of all the primaries, mainly because Lightning Rod has been one of the most amazing power I have seen (I've sadly never obtained it and have always wanted to), but I oh so dislike Jacobs Ladder and simply cannot image myself going through the lower levels with one less damaging ability (although I could always pick another one, it still has a weird feeling to it).
Another tempting powerset is Energy/*, which I really like in terms of animations (strangely enough, I managed to slowly, but steadily solo level a energy/regen stalker to the mid 30s just because the pom-pom animations were pretty cool). But really, as far as Energy/* is concerned, I don't really know anything, especially since my only Energy/* character is my Energy/Regen stalker that was created, uh, 6 years ago or something.
I actually have a Stone/Stone brute, that I remember leaving in the dust for my corrupter, years ago, because she was just too boring. The stone-y feeling was fun though, so I don't know if there's another set that might work, like Stone/* or */Stone.
I'm not a fan of War Mace, Dual Blades or Claws. I already have a widow, plan on getting my soon-to-be bane to 50 and dual blades is just meh to me.
On the secondaries' side, I was always tempted by */Dark or */Willpower, and stood away from */invulnerability, */Electricity, */SReflex and */Shield. I personally have a thing against */Shield, so if your truly generous suggestions could try and not suggest it as a whole, it would be much appreciated.
Super Strength/* always seemed to be what everyone was doing, so I never felt like trying it. It also just feels plain normal to me, nothing really special about it, but then again, it's just a leftover first-look feeling.
Dark/* and Fire/* never really caught my attention until recently, where I looked at Fire/* and felt pretty intrigued by it.
I believe I have mentioned most, if not all, of the primaries and secondaries. If you have anything to mention, even if it is not a suggestion, it would be truly welcome.
Thank you for your time.