Big orange AoE numbers but not a farming build...any suggestions?

Perfect example of what I currently play (that I am looking for more of) is a Fire/Kin/Stone troller. Yes, it's generally seen as a farming build but I've had great success with it in regular content thus far (haven't really done iTrials yet). I have no interest in farming, but basically what I'm looking for is a build that can take on a spawn/alpha, and put up nice AoE numbers, but also have survivability for tougher content like iTrials, Apex and/or Tin Mage, etc. The right blend seems to be a combination of buffs/debuffs, damage, and survivability (whether it be control or a defense set). Also, I always team and never solo (except to burn through tips if needed).

I am looking for suggestions for Brute, Corruptor, Dominator (if applicable), Scrapper, and Stalker (if applicable, but I bet it won't). Also if Widow applies (it most likely does). Price is not a concern really (e.g. X build is awesome with Y purple sets)

My first instinct says:
Brute = SS/FA, but I want something tough outside a fire farm (which I will never be doing)...can it be built as such?
Scrapper = Elec/SD. Is this combo chosen simply for alternating LR and SC? Would this combo be better on a Brute? In this case I am more inclined towards damage...whichever combo yields more of it.
Corruptor = Fire/Kin or Fire/Cold, although does /Cold compare to /Kin in this sense? Not looking for a player buffing toon really (in the sense of keeping shields up and what not, you can be sure you would be FS'ed like crazy when around me though)
Dom = ??? .. definitely will want to reach permadom though

Thanks for all your suggestions

Best,
MT

DP/EM, DP/MM, or DP/Traps, my good man. I personally find the blaster versions to be plenty durable for charging into the fray on trials or incarnate TFs but some beg to differ most vociferously. Depending on the camp you fall into, the corruptor version is going to still do pretty darn good aoe damage while also removing the possibility of any error on your part resulting in death. Isn't it more fun to play it less safely, though?

Make a Crab Soldier.

They are AOE monsters. Great damage, great team toggle buffs, survivability, and pets.

My favorite toon for this kind of fun is my DP/Kin corruptor. However, since you already have a kin, you might not want that. Another combo i really enjoy is my archery/fire blaster. Yummy aoe damage that requires you jumping right in the middle of the action resulting in some hair raising close calls that get the adrenaline going. Play it on x8 or not at all.

Sonic/Mental Blaster produces all sorts of big orange numbers... Concentration/Amplify/Howl/Psychic Scream/Siren's Song, then plink away with scream and shout until the AoE's recharge, not that there is much standing at that point

Biggest AoE orange numbers I've ever been able to create were from my MFing Warshade. I'd tell you to start here.

If you're looking as Electric Melee and Shield Defense, I'd suggest taking a Shield/Electric tank rather than the scrapper. I know that the scrapper will be putting out more damage, but the defensive capability of the tank cannot be overlooked. It is by far the most enjoyable and indestructible of all my 50s (granted, not a whole lot, just a Stone/Energy/Fire tank, Fire/Fire/Fire tankFire/Kin/Stone controller, and Broadsword/Shield scrapper).

Ah, then for a Corruptor I suggest an Ice/Kin. Since Blizzard is a pseudo pet, it does the same damage as a blaster's would. Kin makes it ridiculous.

For the dominator, go Fire/Fire/Fire. It's basically a fire blaster with controls and pets. So much fun when permaed. Survivability comes from being able to stun groups of bosses in a single shot with Flashfire under domination.

Big aoe damage while being very survivable?

Go with Soldier/Bane or Crab then. There's a lot of aoe option and with set bonuses, they can definitely survive well enough.


If you want a dom, go with Control / Fiery / Ice. If you are used to farming, you might like Plant/Fire/Ice although I really enjoy my Gravity/Fiery/Ice.

Here would be my choices.

Brute - SS/Fire
Scrapper - Elec/SD or Fire/SD (If you want good ST damage too)
Corruptor - Both Fire/Kin and Fire/Cold are awesome, either would be good
Dom - Fire/Fire or Fire/Psi

Yes, SS/fa can be built to be tough outside of fire farming...I did a solo MoITF (actually got the badge doing that) on mine, duo'd lambda and have played the main tank (sucessfully) in every high level TF and iTrial in game...its not cheap though.

If I may humbly suggest:

Elec/elec scrapper.

So much aoe that I recommend you take air superiority just to get a little more single target in your attacks.

Buildup,lightning rod, thunder strike, combined with a good damage aura, and the switch-hitting power of chain lightning, will saturate your aoe cravings.

The biggest downside of a scrapper is the lack of taunt, but in teams this is null and void.

And trust me: With a good build, every 25-odd seconds you will drop like the hammer of the Gods. Lightning rod is just THAT awesome on a scrapper.

The problem with most of the builds suggested is that they ARE farming builds...Fire/Kin, SS/Fire....Give me a break! I think some people in this thread are in denial. You are naming quintessential farming builds. That you want a tough farming build means apparently you just want to farm more difficult content, but don't kid yourselves.

I think some of the blaster suggestions in this thread might be fun, as they are atypical and there is a little risk even if you are relatively IOd out. Another thing might be a /sonic defender of some sort. Or you could choose a typical farming AT like tank, but choose an atypical one like Ice/Ice/Ice, which does have lots of AOEs.

Best of luck and I hope you find something you enjoy.

Isn't it implicit from the original post that MT is looking for something a little more interesting than "the usual?" It seemed that way to me. Something tells me he has possibly considered SS/FA before! Rather than suggesting the most glaringly obvious combination, why not suggest something fun and different that you have experience with and think might suit him?

Well, from the OP comments, he wasn't opposed to a SS/FA, he was just worried that it might be too frail in normal content. I can say that you can build a very durable /FA Brute, and my SS/FA Brute is my main incarnate and does just fine. I got the impression that the OP didn't have some intrinsic opposition to farm builds, he simple didn't want a build that was only good for farming. The key to a durable SS/FA Brute is S/L Defense, which is gained by slotting Kinetic Combats and Obliteration sets. It's not cheap, but it's not purple expensive either.

For other nice builds with good AE, as was suggested, a Plant/Fire dom is just great, big damage numbers, with perma-dom, moderately durable, If you go Plant/Fire/Ice, you can pick up Frozen Armor, and get good S/L defense numbers as well. Though that gets to be a tight build.

Also nice is a Fire/Traps Corrupter. You can build for softcap defense, you get status protection, and a nice combo of debuffs and damage. Only question is if you can enjoy the way traps works. Fire/Cold is becoming very popular, but IMO is a bit more lacking solo/self buffed but better in groups. I tend to solo a lot, so have had a hard time convincing myself to do a /cold. Once Fire is ported to Defenders, I might be able to convince myself to do a Cold/Fire Defender, not having to wait til 35 to get sleet would be nice.

You can do some nice stuff with a Fire/SD Scrapper. I have an Elec/SD scrapper who is nice, but I decided I like my SS/FA brute better. I basically found that a /SD scrapper is nice, but felt a bit too one dimensional to me. /FA has less purely defensive abilities then /SD, however the area where it's lacking, defense, is the easiest to cover with pool powers and IOs, IMO. So I just found it easier to build up my /FA brute, then my /SD scrapper.

There are some of my opinions, ranking the builds in the order I find the most fun, I would say SS/FA brute, then Plant/Fire Dom, then a tie for a /SD Scrapper and a Corrupter of some sort.