Focus on defense first. It will help with whatever you want to accomplish.
After that look at how much recharge you really need. Rage is perma on 3 SOs. Stacking it is nice, but doesn't really do a whole lot for brute damage because of the way damage bonuses work in the game (even for fire aura). Stacking rage is much more noticable on a Tanker in my experience. Most likely you'll be slotting for recharge to get the best chain you can run. I'm not sure how much is required for SS.
+health is nice, really nice, but ultimately a few hundred extra health total pales in comparison to lowering the chance of taking a few hundred damage period. Plus you can get a decent amount of bonus health after your other goals are met and with accolades.
Fighting is HUGELY useful. Take kick, take boxing - won't matter because you won't be keeping either on your hotbar. Toughness and weave are where it's at.
Weight training: Because you'll never hear someone lament "If only I were weaker, I could have saved them."
Can someone post a sample build? That would help as well giving me a good idea on how to aim for what I should be slotting.
Tales of Judgment. Also here, instead of that other place.
good luck D.B.B.
As the resident weirdo for SS/WP Brutes, since I don't subscribe to the softcapped
def approach for them (which makes me a heretic round these parts), I'll toss
out some other ideas to mull over for your build. 
SS/WP Brutes are somewhat unique in that they can put together an extremely
effective layered defense much easier than they can softcap (imho).
The approach I took on mine was HP, Resist, Regen, Def and it works well
enough that he has outright immunity (ie, I can walk away from the keyboard
and he'll still be alive when I get back) against a lot of stuff (Ghost of Scrapyard,
Rikti Pylons, most mobs that do S/L damage, and a lot of other non S/L riff-raff).
So, some build targets I'd aim for depending on your budget and preferences are:
* 2500HP - you'll need accolades for that (mine is 2557)
* 50% S/L Resist , ~10% to the others (Edit: Now that I can see my build in Mids')
* 65 HP/sec Regen or better with just 1 RttC target (mine is 80 HP/sec)
* As much defense as you can fit in after that (mine is around 20-25% iirc).
* Enough recharge to stack Rage (which prevents the -def portion of the crash)
and to have a decent attack chain.
The nice thing about SS/WP Brutes is that it is quite easy, compared to
most other ATs to get the extra layers --> High HP, High Resist, High Regen.
At that point, High Def (which is the main option for most other ATs) is less vital.
That's not to say that +Def isn't useful - it definitely is, but SS/WP has a LOT of
mitigation options that other ATs don't have, and in battles where things are *really*
going south, you can still use Darkest Night and/or purple inspies to cap Def too.
So, the def softcap needn't be a Grail-like mandatory build requirement for SS/WP. YMMV.
In any case, have fun with your Brute.
Regards,
4
I've been rich, and I've been poor. Rich is definitely better.
Light is faster than sound - that's why some people look smart until they speak.
For every seller who leaves the market dirty stinkin' rich,
there's a buyer who leaves the market dirty stinkin' IOed. - Obitus.
After getting burned out on iTrials last night, I loaded my current Brute build (8-10
Billion worth) into Mids and used some of those ideas to put together a much more
economical, Frankenslotted build that you could use to see some of the concepts
and targets I posted earlier.
So, introducing: Dirk Chintzy - The Homeless 
This build is CHEAP. There's not an IO over L40 in it, and where it uses set IOs,
I've intentionally grabbed the bargain basement stuff. That said, you have a lot of
options with it - Power 49 is empty, and the L50 slots are unused. I also put
the Medicine pool in for convenience, but it could be easily swapped out for Speed
(and Hasten), or something else if you like.
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.94
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Dirk Chintzy: Level 48 Natural Brute
Code:
Now, looking at it, it doesn't even get close to the targets I listed above, coming in| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1371;615;1230;HEX;| |78DA6D93DB6EDA401086D73684704808A401424238240402C4E9E9BE524323550A5| |522D4D23B84C816AC5AC635466D7AD567A8FA20BDE8CBF49827E8E10DDCF1FE9BD4| |8822B19FFDCFCEFCB3EBDDCE9B7682B1770F98123F3607D369FFA1337379E4C9C09| |D390333D1369C97A5E3B161B96F2F238CB1BC08F73BDCE45CEFCE6CEEF4BBAEC3AD| |913BCE22D4E62FB835E57ACF304D7BF29A3BA9C7D698D31457BF7E489C4D26A67EC| |A07B6618D92D72F17DC998E0D7B45BC9F18A3B14B51BC75F88531342C9E7D641B43| |1D3EDDC9CCEC770653973B9739EAAC4EFF8AC2E4CF0BB33CA1C6D4A702A16702AB0| |58134906B0A7CF61344A6A7B13D212D0109E0D0A31FDB55E42C2AAEFCAF780C55D7| |800C8A7FA1514371552BA3780B5581AF3486A57B78CE76153812EE559A1291EE11B| |82FC37D59BAF782EEB760F58DC6288AB328A40C55894B29BE23A42C492BA84D547D| |E93BBD2415457495441F79603BB82729CA4CC9E653A89F06F651BA01FCA0715DEEC| |27A091D02355147A13A1B72751B58DD0E5657C6EA760B73C0DE6A94959555B3B0CD| |0135EC6D88266CCA099B88E4813DF47545E3969CB0351791A851B0203EBBA716E0B| |A3387038A1565E745745EB28157005A2E4B20AB408D55E48E57201549AA4252AB90| |F625B0E3430D87DC77AAC3E9E03DF00180454302C95774BB9BC8D29A58614BE293F| |8D2AD8F0269B2D7B1138A8E094780FF81BCEDD0CDCD6242618D05E5F682726741B9| |B7A0DC5F504E7C45B9EB2BDE6930BA243A3D0BDDDC43A66091D135BA6490BC9F310| |ACBF3AD1C8AF0EF7F92AACC9D62DCAD5FC194BA08FC09A6E0A4668207F63C263A12| |8EBDC0F3F3C0F35F00F0E2A0| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
at 1944 HP, 44% S/L Resist, ~46 HP/s Regen vs 1 mob, and ~25% Def.
Still, I've seen worse builds out there, and this one will outperform an SO build,
for not much more inf.
But it's only *part* of the story. First, you'll see some empty slots in there. These
are for *nice* IO's (that you'll probably want to get with A-merits). If you flip
the powers over to their alternates, and flip on the Accolades button, you'll
see it slotted out the way I'd recommend. At that point, Dirk goes from being
Homeless, to taking any home he d*mn well wants from it's cowering owner
For those of you too disinterested to flip to the alternate slottings, here's the new
data chunk with it done for you (you still have to flip the Accolades on though).
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.94
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Dirk Chintzy: Level 48 Natural Brute
Code:
| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1377;674;1348;HEX;| |78DA6593DB4E1A511486F71E501451040F20E20111512C634F697A55936A4D9A88B| |531ADBD23047761D209906188DAAB3E402F7AD74B93DABE40D38BA66FD2A34FD0C3| |0354E99AF56F2D8649986FF6BFD65E27F62E1CAC878478B12AE4C09A5D6A368B779| |D96AB025B25B7E594ECD0BAE53C9B5DAB5A35F7F9614008916073B1A06CA5CC9D56| |4339C51DD751B58A5B8DC1B4AE9EAA5A5399BB966D37EAFBCA89DCAF5515B9B8E6F| |94768BB5EB7CD4D556A58B54AF87CB1A79C66D56A0CF27AC3AA545DB26255507B56| |D9AAA9D8BD8655369167A7DEB28B8552D355CE619C2A5BA4DF9C14FA69F78804212| |B8C4D4F17FE0263688B117DC088EFB2CB676F03EF6CFBC43C4BBD4008C8C7C83A25| |D252BB5174A9A323901F498248328C24E388FE85DE3E44377C39C9D1F38CBCC9F84| |AA61E9DBEE752DE2160E50EA7CFD03BA0D30790BE0F99FA2EA7474DA348FF8DDEFD| |882EFA532C8D5394012D0D9C0A2F768CA441C4261A9ED7775A84A5E4B2C2AB5C696| |28D91BCC5F5E46F3322B435A2CB8F04D9213AC8581862E4C28C1FE431A2E73032CB| |858C02D9D79C5052A031DDDF18FA9B462B29F497467F69349D467F3EDA15D361631| |86F1CE3CD62BC7E7298D00E1367BC2721D9326F304E489BD40E937098BFE490E53E| |7912C6D411D73A7D0C2CB3FB12D96674E5337FD9327B069C026D466A9FDD53078CA| |980D706663E8740332465201919480B1A380A651F0EBA976911335A3A06DE02EF18| |B937C011E3846EF83276F9963F702957DE039F808F8C28A537310969E2ACAC006DE| |F49FA2F6E976045E4BA94AB5DCAB52EE5469772B34BD9F01479DD53DA9B9DD65EAE| |74DB7F711585C484FA87E99E416AFF0C92599F709967F3EFFF922131CCE423FE7B5| |71E337E75EE5964873F9D7B5E72E2F15746C7917D18F446859CBB1DDF4F3ABEFF01| |AAF7D9C1| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
around 50M or so, I'd estimate), the numbers look radically different.
Now he's weighing in at 2452 HP, 48% S/L Resist, 67 HP/s Regen, and nearly
30% Def. That's a lot closer to the targets I posted, and this guy will perform
quite well in any typical PvE content you'd throw him at. Btw, the 3 Accolades
he has (Born in Battle, High Pain Threshold, and Invader) are quite easy to get, but
they're a pretty big deal to an SS/WP build and I highly recommend them.
With a few more a-merits and some LotG recharge IOs in there, he's pretty beastly.
For an Alpha, either Spiritual or Cardiac are good choices...
Anyway, I hope that gives you some ideas to mull over...
Regards,
4
I've been rich, and I've been poor. Rich is definitely better.
Light is faster than sound - that's why some people look smart until they speak.
For every seller who leaves the market dirty stinkin' rich,
there's a buyer who leaves the market dirty stinkin' IOed. - Obitus.
I'm not going to be able hit the cap any time soon, and I don't really feel the need to play my Brute at max difficulty. So what's a reasonable amount of S/L (and what, E/N?) Def to settle at to run around +2/+4? 25%? 35?
Tales of Judgment. Also here, instead of that other place.
good luck D.B.B.
Look at the forum post on page 2...called: make my brute 100 mil inf contest, my ss/wp won that..there are also some other good ss/wp builds.
On a side note, why SS?..imo i hate rage crash and other primarys can be just as good. But to each there own...i guess if its already 50 then go for it.
Getting s/l to 40 and taking barrier is golden, and getting 140+regen with spiritual alpha is also pimp. i posted a build thats getting 156 hp/sec gets about 2745 hp too! But very expensive. HF
Quote:
Already 50, yes. Had the character for 3 years.|
Originally Posted by PBaRmy
...On a side note, why SS?..imo i hate rage crash and other primarys can be just as good. But to each there own...i guess if its already 50 then go for it...
|
So am I on the right track here? Trying for a mix-ish sort of build with a focus on S/L Def. Ignore the IO level numbers while I get the hang of Mids. And spots have been left open for the more expensive stuff.
Code:
| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1389;695;1390;HEX;| |78DA6593D97212411486BB67C08401026423FB461212924C207A6F9526A9B22A984| |4CA8AE5128A4A5A18A50007529A3B9F412F5C922750AFF559DCF5015CEE5DF0CC7F| |DA88C514F4D7F39FD3DDA7FFEEC9DE5B0D0971FFAC90C1F3E542BD9E3FE71E34943| |F5B283A7BE625B5DF2184188296CFAAB25276EEA0A6DC7CAEE1AA4AB1518A736855| |DD5495BAB2779C72B956BDABDCD8854A49514AC3FEDB096E55AB657BBDEC144B8D3| |0F7BDAE532946F0B6A10AFBCAAD979C9A85F75C4DA9FDC1B59AB367AF55945B3CCC| |670BF586720FB9C201AA6B8EFE5352E8A7E917154388A430AA8429E1AB015D77806| |E1718A823E5B53740EA51D3C2934E31428CC53445336231032CAD10464542EA4134| |4A5E459E714D60ADEB80750388EE02FD79A4BCA1D6E4B54C734C62AD71A07702484| |C021659EDE7D94DFF0666086581AE8B40661398A1EC0E5D450757D1C95574FE5745| |6617B10C57F196DA00576104B6B1ABF91CEFB1498F784791A07624682190083242C| |06C18487501CB1120488584B916114E084F7A4F6D447A33357D9167E4768F883E07| |865E00232F0DCCF70A4852660CAE3665EC0809DDC7C007D27A74C53D0F90DCFB101| |840C506ADDDA7FDEA63BF92ECD73CFBB5C47E999417D7FEC7D9FF31F67F928D4FF2| |31CC513BC8F3F9068F61DAD01130FD14987F02A41E031FA91DD6E50D4731C3748C8| |1F27CB4ECA88E8F46E1D6588CD1C7F6533BAECF71FC87E15DB0899F8C5F8CDFC064| |93214C0FB3D2DB13EF66AAC44E3A40EA16B07C1BF84C1933FA6466E2B8BE8198C02| |63D69EE11B22C9216384B2EB0FB4BEC7E8822B64EB6B1A14FD44FEB19D350467C27| |DF1EFD3C25D5A6A4DB944C9B72BA4D39D3A6AC7B8A5CF194E6465B74CB77F2650A0| |92510159E61C8FF625154EF45F22DFDF64F32E4368E6DE432B08CE15F5B8740F9DE| |3A82AF633F5FC724E2DB16CAC1823B2DFD2B2DFD3F00F9FB00| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Tales of Judgment. Also here, instead of that other place.
good luck D.B.B.
Quote:
First, and by far, most important, build your character how you like - when all is| So am I on the right track here? Trying for a mix-ish sort of build with a focus on S/L Def. Ignore the IO level numbers while I get the hang of Mids. And spots have been left open for the more expensive stuff. |
said and done, YOU are the person that has to play it.
That said, I find some of the choices interesting.
Comparing it to the Dirk Chintzy build, yours looks more like a Tank than a Brute
to me... First, you've built a lot of Taunt into the build. Second, it under-performs
the Dirk build (which is a LOT cheaper than the one you list) in DPS. It will distinctly
under-perform in DPS compared to most (if not all) high-end builds.
I find the 48 HP/s regen a tad too low, but that's largely because I recall the good
ole days when Regen Builds were, in fact, unkillable (and nerfed back to the stone
age because of it). These days, I find Regen greatly underestimated by most folks.
That's not too surprising, because it's very hard to get on most toons any more,
so Def is pretty much all they have - SS/WP is a notable exception.
You took Strength of Will. Personally, imho, it's a meh power - not in what it does,
but in how it does it. First, you don't need the recovery - your End is already
good, and you have room for three +End Perf Shifters if you want. End is a non-issue.
Typically, if you need the Res though, things have already gone south, and if it
isn't solved by the time SoW crashes, you're dead. Further, imho, Darkest Night
is far more effective and useful for mitigation, and Barrier, along with High Regen,
is an outright - "can't kill me combo" for all but iTrial AVs and some GMs'.
Finally, I wonder at going out of your way for high S/L def on a SS/WP Brute.
First, 1/2 of the S/L damage won't even count due to resist, and 2nd, high regen
takes care of the other 1/2... Far better, imho, to boost def to the other types
so your Brute can deal with more enemy factions than Council...
On top of that, you only gained 11% vs the Dirk build, at a cost of the other
damage types, and having only 2 of your attacks reach Ed cap for damage.
Definitely a different direction than I take - that's the blaster in me - Dead targets
aren't a problem... Def only helps against the live ones...
That said, a lot of this is quibbling over a few percent here, a few DPS there,
etc. so it's largely a minor issue overall, and the toon will probably work just
fine for you in most content.
I just found some of the choices interesting comparatively.
In any case, I'll re-iterate the most important point - it's your toon and you
should build it and play it in whichever way you like.
Enjoy!
Regards,
4
I've been rich, and I've been poor. Rich is definitely better.
Light is faster than sound - that's why some people look smart until they speak.
For every seller who leaves the market dirty stinkin' rich,
there's a buyer who leaves the market dirty stinkin' IOed. - Obitus.
ill just reiterate my previous statement, look at the forum post on page 2...i have a build that was posted that won that challenge. Awesome regen/recovery and 40 s/l def. Not much is going to kill u at that point esp if u take barrier or even rebirth for a heal and more regen.
your build is slotting things that are unnecessary and your not slotting for hardly any regen, which is what makes a WP so great, then just add defence and your golden... CHECK THAT FORUM POST
If u cant find it, heres the build.
Code:
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My lvl 50 SS/WP Brute could use a pretty much complete overhaul for PVE, but I'm at a loss as to how to go about the build. I gather that soft capped Def, recharge and +health are important, but do you try for all three? Can you focus on health bonuses for regen instead of soft capping Def? What's a good amount of recharge to keep Rage up as much as possible? (Perma or stacked or whatever?)
For concept reasons I want Flight and Energy Mastery. If Fighting is necessary for survival I'd go with Kick (I really, really don't like Boxing.)
No purples either, as this would be the build to try to -get- those.
So... help?
Tales of Judgment. Also here, instead of that other place.
good luck D.B.B.