I think worrying about balance at the damage cap is pointless.
Nothing survives at the damage cap. A defender will be easily smoking stuff there.
TBH if C Powerhouse made it 550 or even 500 for tankers it wouldn't matter much during 95% of content.
Is spines the best at farming becuase it farms fastest, or is it the best because it simply farms fast and is much more user friendly since you are running two damage auras.
Brutes damage is more variable than scrappers and tankers. So they might need more runs to average.
Tankers would be the least variable. But if you use the test server their AOE is widely different than the other 2.
Scrappers with ATOs would be more variable than without.
Because double rage has a lot of appeal, and a dedicated group of players didn't want to give it up.
They have always diminished the effect of by far the best build up power in the game ..
While at the same time railing against the pretty minor crash effects.
This thread feels like its gone on for 15 years.
The less fury thing applies every time brutes team with anyone that can steal aggro or slow baddies attack rate.
Hard to design a game around that.
More than one Brute = less fury
Blasters steal aggro = less fury.
Scrappers with taunt auras = less fury.
Contollers locking down mobs = less fury.
Defenders slowing mob recharge = less fury.
Caltrops, rain of fire, reaction time, snow storm, even energy torrent .. all reduce potential fury.
Using the cottage rule to prop up bruising which was a kludgy later game attempt to increase tanker damage..
While ignoring the fact tankers were supposed to be melee damage dealers with "slow devastating attacks" according to the original game manual description ..
Is a whole new level of rationalization.
I mean the original came in a box, with the manual printed on PAPER it was so old.
Back at issue 0 the devs felt this way.
But that was before there were ios and they hadn't thought through 6 slotting hasten.
Take it further, brawl is even better since it really recharges fast.
TBH the Energy Melee nerf at least had the whole PVP balance thing included in that mess.
Or is TW good at PVP? seems like it would not be? PVP is a lot less important now then back then.
This is actually a good point.
In that .. the existence of TW being an outlier changes very little in the game as a whole.
Do MA scrappers have a hard time getting teams?
Do EM brutes have a hard time getting teams?
Do Claws tankers have a hard time getting teams?
Is there some solo content they can't somehow do?
While to me its interesting how TW got to be where it is, and the relative performance is something that I think has merit discussing ..
It actually means very little in terms of the game really.
Also I should throw out there, there should be *some* benefit for dealing what is .. by far .. the clunkiest .. melee set in the game.
Nope, cant give you that one.
Older sets (except electric) The best AOE is removed for a single target attack, when they already have plenty.
Newer sets keep all their AOE
Its because the turning assassin's strikes into ST attacks useful in combat.
Realistically all the older sets should be looked at. A midrange ST attack should be removed and the PBOE added back in.
ISH? The newer sets not so much.
In a lot of the newer sets the Assassin Strike replaces a mid range ST attack.
In the old ones it replaces the PBAOE generally
Which is a real balance issue in itself, tbh
For examples Savage Melee, Street Justice, Kinetic Melee, Staff fighting .. all have exactly the same AOE powers between the two.
Meanwhile Martial Arts, EM get no AOEs at all.
With the buffs certain sets will favor tankers more than Brutes relatively.
SS
Bio, Shield Defense
Electric Melee since its AOE focused
and so on.
Sets that rely on high base numbers and not damage buffs as a %+dmg though will favor Brutes.
This does happen with other ATs (Scrapper vs Stalker) in places.
Reliable damage dealers than don't really need any survival support. Basically like Sentinels. And tbh Stalkers.
The crit thing wouldn't hurt anything though, since stalkers get that.