SomeGuy

It's better it's here. Not sure why it was in the scrapper subforum. Every AT uses it. Been that way since Live.

Oh man. This is hilarious.

Thanks for getting this moved.

Welp. Wasted time testing. SS/ELA Brute w/ Rage: 4:17 (average over 5 runs without Hybrid or Lore) w/ UM: 4:05 (average 2 runs without Hybrid or Lore. Saw this post and stopped.) KO - HM - Gloom- Cross Punch Sigh. Oh well. I really liked UM too. Works with a Brute WAY better then Rage ever did. That -10k DMG crash was....gahh. Not to mention the end and def crash with it. *Don't mess with Rage. Seems to trigger people, Just add the UM option? I'm definitely of the opinion ya'll were on the right path. This was the build with UM (replace Rage in this build with UM).

I'm honestly wondering why Rage is being debated so heavily with it's changes cause UM is RIGHT THERE. I've got some older data (few months ago?) with averages with my SS/FA brute on Brainstorm that was x2 stacking Rage. I'll do averages with that same character using UM. I do know not having a crash has made me like the set a lot more.

Oooooooh, good point. I didn't even think about that. The bonus damage it adds to SS attacks alters their base damage, and that part isn't a +DMG thing (this is how my brain is thinking of it). I think I'm liking UM even more now. Thanks!

I personally don't think it's overpowered. I just think the set relies to much on it to be in the talks with other better tuned sets. The rest of the set needs a rework to not depend on it so much. Rage was a lazy AF band-aid fix to the set that served the dual purpose of also making it stand out. UM isn't that (well, it does help it stand out). UM > Rage My complaint about UM? Which is, ironically, also shared with Rage, is that it boosts DMG. If you are DMG capped, it really doesn't give much. If you are DMG capped, you most likely also have a pretty hefty TOHIT bonus going on. That's some bonus eggs and ideal situation complaining right there. @Wavicle, you hurt my brain. You have said things in this thread I 100% agree with and other things I totally scratch my head at and want to put you on my ignore list. That's...talent?

On Live, Rage only had the -DEF debuff during the crash if it wasn't stacked. That was a change a few years before HC was a thing. The change really hurt DEF based armor sets. So this change spreads that out to RES sets, so I definitely agree with you. Now...do I think a hit to survivability should be included in Rage? Nope. Not at all. But that's not this subject. I HATE the current way Rage works. Ten seconds of not being able to do nothing AND you take a pretty hefty hit to survivability? Not to mention the end zap during the crash, which can kill you also. I'm with @Erratic1. UM, on a Brute, just seems way better to me since a Brute's whole gimmick is to keep attacking. I think adding UM as an option, as opposed to pissing off a large portion of players and drastically changing Rage, is a smart move. Options are good.

The base damage for SS is so crap that I had the melee record on Live with a SS/FIRE brute that only used *ONE* attack in SS. The only issue isn't Rage. The base damage for SS' attacks are....not good. Very not good. (These are Brute base numbers) Punch: 41.71 Haymaker: 68.4 KO Blow: 148.5 Energy Punch: 48.38 Bonesmasher: 68.4 Total Focus: 148.5 Energy Transfer: 190.2 Beheader: 41.71 Swoop: 95.09 Cleave: 115.1 The set NEEDS Rage. That's not good. Unleashed Might is actually a good solution. Crashless Rage that doesn't cost much end/s? While on, gives a +DMG and +TOHIT boost across the board AND has an effect on SS attacks? Also isn't an easy band-aid fix by just throwing in an Build Up option? I like this movement direction. And you keep the current iteration of Rage for people that want the crash. *Yeah, I can definitely see taking UM over Rage on my RAD/SS Tanker. I ABHOR the Rage crash. Everything about it.

A lot of the people that got the code after shut down wanted City of Everquest. One of the folks specifically said the quiet part out loud and wanted to nerf EVERYTHING across the board.

I'm not positive, but I don't think there is any reward difference between +4 and +5? I'd have to double check when I'm not as mentally compromised.

That's actually not a bad idea. I know I've shared my ideas for them both, god knows I can't remember now. I do know it wasn't a global idea for the ATO1. I know for myself personally, I'd still slot it in a PBAoE Aura, but this would go miles for sets that don't have that option. As for ATO2? Add -RES and -Regen or something to it. Make it not complete crap.

I have to wonder how many people were playing when Bio Armor was on the Beta Server, but never pushed Live, due to the shutdown. I was. Anyways, Starsman and Arcanaville framed numbers, like any *insert political party you hate* does very well. I remember it being shouted from the e-rooftops that it was way better at staying alive then Stone Armor on a Tanker. Narrator: It didn't. One person actually went to Beta, leveled a TW/BIO to 50, and incarnated it. They quickly discovered Stars and Arcana are as truthful with their data as a corporation trying to win the public eye (think OCP from RoboCop if that helps). This caught Synapse's attention. They lowered the survivability of the set and increased the offensive firepower of the set. Synapse was informed of this. Synapse knew Bio would be head and shoulders the most damaging melee secondary after these changes. This is the same dev team (the HC guys) that promised not to nerf anything that was pushed Live before the shutdown. *gestures at Rage* Bio Armor, in it's current state, is a glass cannon. If you sit in E or D mode, you may as well have rolled a non-crap version of Regen.

Don't touch Meltdown. You run the risk of making it stupidly OP or absolutely worthless. And from what I'm reading....you heavily run the risk of making it worthless.

The first one is "meh". The second is straight up hot garbage and not even remotely worth including in a build.