Fiery Embrace or Build Up?


BrandX

 

Posted

Working on finalizing a build for my Fire/Ice Tanker, I've found that my power choices are at something of a premium. On a few candidate builds, it comes down to a decision between these two powers. My instinct is to keep Build Up since I can have it much earlier in the build and not lose it when exemplared. However, would Fiery Embrace be better to have?


@Rorn ---- Blue Baron ---- Guardian

 

Posted

Fiery Embrace is slightly better with 95% damage enhancement in your powers, and WAY better in the presence of damage buffs.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hopeling View Post
Fiery Embrace is slightly better with 95% damage enhancement in your powers, and WAY better in the presence of damage buffs.
I hadn't actually considered the possibility of being at the damage cap. Strange, seeing as I was frustrated by that on my Inv/SS just yesterday.


@Rorn ---- Blue Baron ---- Guardian

 

Posted

Even below the damage cap, FE is better, although circumventing the cap is nice too. Let's take, say, Frozen Aura as an example (although we'd get proportionally identical results for any power, really). It deals 63.17 damage base, so Build Up adds 50.5 damage. Fiery Embrace adds 28.4 damage without any enhancements, but 55.4 with +95% damage enhancement, and 69.6 if you also have +50% damage from buffs.

On the other hand, Build Up provides a tohit buff, which is sometimes valuable.


 

Posted

Fiery embrace is better. It's roughly +40%-45% base damage that is affected by damage buffs. To give you an idea of how much this is, it would be roughly equivalent to giving all your attacks the same base damage as scrappers. As for tohit and accuracy, there are plenty other places to get those.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hopeling View Post
Even below the damage cap, FE is better, although circumventing the cap is nice too. Let's take, say, Frozen Aura as an example (although we'd get proportionally identical results for any power, really). It deals 63.17 damage base, so Build Up adds 50.5 damage. Fiery Embrace adds 28.4 damage without any enhancements, but 55.4 with +95% damage enhancement, and 69.6 if you also have +50% damage from buffs.
FE also lasts twice as long.


 

Posted

Both!

If you care about damage output, the ONLY answer is take both. Something else is not that good.

If you do not care about damage output, FE is better at doing damage, but buildup will let you hit things. FE has no to-hit component. Buildup does, but only lasts ten seconds.

So I use BU as the icepick to hit things I'm having trouble with, and FE as the incinerator to clear out a few pesky mobs.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Deus_Otiosus View Post
FE also lasts twice as long.
Yes, but the recharge is also twice as long, so the uptime is the same. One FE does save you ~1.7 seconds of activation compared to two Build Ups, though.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by mauk2 View Post
If you care about damage output, the ONLY answer is take both. Something else is not that good.
This. I can't imagine skipping either on any toon. Unless your tank is built for doing no damage whatsoever. But I can't imagine that being the case on a fire tank.


 

Posted

Fiery Embrace, Build Up, Consume... spawn is dead.

Damn you Blazing Aura, you kill-stealing sob, damn you to hell.


They ALL float down here. When you're down here with us, you'll float too!

@Starflier

 

Posted

Truthfully, I couldn't imagine making a FA character and not taking both! But if one had to be dropped, I'd drop BU over FE.


BrandX Future Staff Fighter
The BrandX Collection

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by BrandX View Post
Truthfully, I couldn't imagine making a FA character and not taking both! But if one had to be dropped, I'd drop BU over FE.
Seconded on both points.


Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA

 

Posted

I took both and cannot imagine not having both. YMMV.


The development team and this community deserved better than this from NC Soft. Best wishes on your search.

 

Posted

I'd drop something else... but since that's not the question you asked... FE is better for damage output... BU is better if for things like hitting that dark servent that's making the whole team miss and possibly wipe when fighting a +3 carnie master illusionist spawn.... Since you're not really the damage dealer for the team, you might prefer the +tohit boost.


I gotta make pain. I gotta make things right. I gotta stop what's comin'. 'Least I gotta try.

 

Posted

I have tried my fm/fa brute with builds that had both and one or the other, and I am never truly as happy as I am when I have both of them available at once.

True enough, your role as tanker is not exactly a damage dealer, but who would turn down having both in a build if it means you don't lose anything else critical?


Words to the wise aren't necessary- it's the stupid ones that need them.

"You're right...I forgot...being constantly at or the near the damage cap is a big turn off. Definitely not worth it."
- Vitality

 

Posted

It's worth noting that although Fiery Embrace is better (partly because it adds in a way roughly equivalent to base damage), Fiery Embrace PLUS Build Up is better still (and Build Up raises FE's damage in addition to the non-FE damage.)


If we are to die, let us die like men. -- Patrick Cleburne
----------------------------------------------------------

The rule is that they must be loved. --Jayne Fynes-Clinton, Death of an Abandoned Dog

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by BrandX View Post
Truthfully, I couldn't imagine making a FA character and not taking both! But if one had to be dropped, I'd drop BU over FE.
I turned off exp on my Fire/Ice Tanker at 33 for Bronze Rolls so I went with the power that allowed my enrage capped Tanker to go from +300 to +550% Damage. (Insps drop upon entering, but a Tray of 12 reds can cap me and I have 3 purples left over).


Deamus the Fallen - 50 DM/EA Brute - Lib
Dragos Bahtiam - 50 Fire/Ice Blaster - Lib
/facepalm - Apply Directly to the Forehead!
Formally Dragos_Bahtiam - Abbreviate to DSL - Warning, may contain sarcasm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shubbie View Post
Im very good at taking a problem and making it worse.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkSideLeague View Post
(Insps drop upon entering, but a Tray of 12 reds can cap me and I have 3 purples left over).
I saw a rumor this has been changed/removed in the last build. I never paid much attention to pre-stacking insps, but you might want to look into whether they have changed/are intending to change it.


If we are to die, let us die like men. -- Patrick Cleburne
----------------------------------------------------------

The rule is that they must be loved. --Jayne Fynes-Clinton, Death of an Abandoned Dog