Grimm2

I'll second this, just posted my Brute build for this in the recent Scrapper forum post about Spines/ Stone. I can do +4/x8 s/l AE farms on mine, but often do missions in DA or PI or exemp. Stone Armor can be built very sturdy without Granite, no HP bonus goes to waste, innate +perception, a dash of +recharge, the Brimstone proc is good, softcap s/l/e/n/psi def... if I did another, I'd be tempted to do Savage.

Here's what I've been running, as a Brute. It's not updated with the new power level availability, I took mostly primary/secondary powers until 32, then started adding in Fighting, took Focused Acc at 35. I've been running Agility Radial alpha, I imagine you'd want Musculature Radial. This is not a budget build, but it can give you a framework to shoot for. I was shooting for 3k hp, 100% slow resist, and some buffer defense above 45%. The buffer is helpful, but a distinct choice that I'm sure takes away from other areas of the build. Fat defense debuffs still hurt, like from Arachnos, and those revamped BP radiation bosses, and the lower F/C defense means that Malta Gunslinger bosses need attention...but not much else phases him. You'd also cap HP with fewer bonuses and Earth's Embrace, I imagine. For budget picks...the pbaoe 6-slot combo of 3 Eradication/3 Cleaving Blow is good for adding E/N def. Reactive Armors are helpful, Ice Mistral's Torment is understandably not a top set but because of that you can pick them up cheap. Throw Spines actually has a slow worth enhancing, 40%, as opposed to 16% for other Spines attacks. A Force Feedback +recharge proc in Ripper can shore up recharge early on too. Brute - Spines - Stone Armor Dwarven Battlerager.mxd

You're thinking Bio Armor, but it's good advice! Theft of Essence proc works great in Rad Therapy.

I have the Brute version, spine/stone/energy. Nearing 150 very levels? Gloom would certainly help ST damage, but it didn't fit the concept. Extra endurance and focused acc is good, though. 1. It's good enough. I skipped Impale for Barb Swipe, and tossing in Swipes is very fast and stacks a lot of dot damage. Maybe you want to train Impale instead to get bigger crits, though? 2. Do get Throw Spines. It's a set that prompts you to flail at a boss, and everything else dies by association. Throw Spines is a pretty fast cast, and the DPA is comparable to Impale. A 10-target Impale with brimstone procs sounds pretty good. 3. Do get both auras. Bleeding out by DoT is part of the jam here, lean into it.

Well I got a wild hair and respecced into the build above instead of going to bed on time 😛 So, I'll answer some of my own questions... There are other toons I have that are better at AoE, but this guy isn't terrible. As long as I'm not hammering out Psy Shockwaves (which gives its procs some rest time so slower interval casts are more meaningful), endurance is still ok. Upkeep on Link Minds is ok with a handy keybind. 4-procced powers are very very nice!!! Really cool build, do recommend, very fun to play and glad it's in my stable. 👍

@oldskool, it's so dope to hear from you, thanks for taking the time to respond! It's been a busy end of the year and I haven't played much myself, but I wanted to give a general update about this character. I have been playing a slightly modified version of my last posted build, and it is a ton of fun. The procced single-target chain is very effective, and Sentinel SR is just fantastic. There are a few downsides/weak points I've identified. I am endurance stable in the ST chain, but if I go too hard with AoE, then I hemorrhage endurance. Psychic Shockwave is the major culprit here. Mids has the incorrect damage value for this power, it hits for 37 base damage, at level 50. It is poo-poo, yucky poo-poo, as far as defeating foes goes. I manage to fit 3 dmg procs in it with 5 slots invested, and it is better, but I have to pace my useage of both Psychic Shockwave and Bullet Rain to be nice to the blue bar. AoE damage is not the build's strong suit. I enjoy my elec/ea/elec Sentinel better on that front. On teams I launch my AoE chain to open, then look for bosses. It has AoE, it just doesn't...feel great, I guess. Finally, I love your suggestions for slotting the 3 primary attacks, @oldskool. Attached is a build with the suggested changes, my 2 concerns are needing Link Minds to hit Ranged def softcap, and the aforementioned endurance instability. I wonder if endurance will be stable in the ST chain without endredux slotting in those 3 powers. All feedback welcome! Sentinel (Dual Pistols - Super Reflexes) - psi mastery.mbd

I recommended this combo, and have been on a bit of a sentinel kick lately. I haven't done regen on anything before, but I bet aiming for slow resistance and bursting what you can down in the MoG window so that your absorb and regen handles the rest of the incoming damage is the way to go. Your accolades and set bonuses can give to a lot of HP, so you might be able to save some slots on your max-HP powers. I've been enjoying the heck out of a dp/sr/psy sentinel, and highly recommend pistols/supressive/executioners slotted with 3 thunderstrikes (acc/dmg, dmg/end, acc/dmg/end) and 3 procs each. With good global recharge, every shot is a good chunk of damage. I spend most of my time using cryo ammo for the range buff and mag 4 boss-stopping hold in suppressive. I love that hold. Detoggling chill of the night, preventing a phase shift, or just stopping a boss from becoming a track star. So good.

You could also go DP/regen/ninja training Sentinel, though you wouldn't be able to sword until 35. It's a better version of regen, I hear.

Sentinels Elec Blast is very good at sapping. Target caps end up preventing you from zeroing the entire spawn at once, but you have: Thunderous blast around every 25 seconds. Charge up, the build up clone, enhances end drain for its duration. Short Circuit, for extra aoe -recovery Sparky, while dumb, will hit the AV or boss once they're alone. Musculature Radial enhances both end mod and damage, making you better at both your jobs. Mine is /EA, but I don't need Power Sink to sap. It's a really fun ride, and Elec/ is no slouch in damage.

Awesome feedback @Lhanis and @StrikerFox, thank you! I incorporated suggestions from you both and ended up with improved recharge (perma-Hasten), HP, and e/n resist. I waffled on the Superior Opportunity Strikes set, as the proc is just OK, but extra range enhancement is always nice. As DP has cryo ammo which gives a constant 33% range buff, I'm leaning towards Armageddon in Hail of Bullets for the extra proc damage. Here's where it sits currently. Sentinel (Dual Pistols - Super Reflexes) - psi mastery.mbd

The defense in this build looked way too high, and I only just now figured out what was wrong. Hail of Bullets was toggled on, oops. Without that error, the build is sitting at the def softcap, and Link Minds offers a comfortable buffer. Going to scour for other misleading toggles now...

Looks like my lastest project is a dropout from Night Widow school. Amazingly, I've never given DP, SR, or Sentinel Psy mastery a fair shake, and was itching to make a new Sentinel. I've dug into the forums and made a build to aim for, using @oldskool's basic frame of Pistols/Suppressive/Executioner each with 3 Thunderstrikes and 3 procs. I ended up with something at Incarnate-defense levels, a hair off of perma-hasten, and...I dunno, tell me how it can be improved! At level 40 so far and it's really, really fun to play. I think the endurance is OK, and I figure that 60% slow resist is probably fine what with defense dodging most attacks. More slow resist is a great quality-of-life, but I'm not sure I could improve it without giving up recharge or proc damage. Sentinel (Dual Pistols - Super Reflexes) - psi mastery.mbd

I'll bite. Please explain how this isn't a non sequitur.

I've had a savage/bio brute at 50 sitting unbuilt for the longest time, a re-vision of a toon I had on live. Your post reminded me of this, so I got cracking, based a build for him off of my Bio tankers, and built him out, sans purple sets. I took him out on some radios at +3/x8, and it was very smooth. 69% s/l res, 38 e/n def, 27 s/l def. Basic principles: High slow resist, decent recharge supplemented by a FF +rech, Focused Acc/Tactics for debuff protection (why'd I take both? Probably should have taken Focused Acc and Taunt, or Superior Conditioning). Accolades will greatly improve regen, and Ageless Radial will protect from high defense debuffs or regen debuffs. It doesn't have shred, but you can switch it easily enough. Brute (Savage Melee - Bio Armor).mbd

Got it! I was trying to use the legacy import instead of the datachunk import. Thanks for modernizing the build and reposting it. You squeezed in more resistance than I expected in this...do you use Conserve Power after Retsu drops?

Claw/inv scrapper was one of my mains on Live for a long time. Shiny, tough enough to tank, great taunt aura. I've been giving time to stuff i haven't played on Live, but maybe I'll retread this combo. There's nothing to do but claw with this build!

Here's what I've been using, we have a lot of the same ideas, but somehow I got some more defense in there. Bio on a Tanker is very beefy with all that slow resist, but does enjoy large crowds more than smaller. The power levels are off in this old build...I got Hasten in early, Focused Accuracy at 35, and put off fighting until the 40s. Tanker - Bio Armor - Spines - Kali Ma.mxd

My curiosity has been piqued, and I'm a fan of your builds, @nihilii, but I can't get this datachunk to open with Mids 3.6.6. Anyone else have this problem or have a solution?

I don't have an electric blaster, but do have an elec/EA sentinel. I think it's worth playing. In a variety of pug situations, the ability to stand, blast, and end drain has been fun and useful. ST damage is pretty decent. I keep on returning to it in the rotation of favorites.

Here's what I am currently using. It is a generalist build, pretty tough with a few procs in the attack powers. You can definitely build it tougher if you want. I s/l farm with it in Offensive Mode, so you could always switch to Defensive if you need more bulk (I use a bind for that, like /bind lshift+r "powexec_name Offensive Adaptation$$powexec_name Defensive Adaptation"). I usually don't use Taunt, Throw Spines is pretty dope for managing stray aggro. The FF+recharge in Ripper, and Ageless Radial Destiny when you're of level, is very helpful for boosting what I consider to be a middling recharge in this build. There's only 4 spendy Winter IOs for slow resistance, and the remaining slow resist is supplied by dirt-cheap Ice Mistral's. If you want more to-hit, consider swapping a slot from Inexhaustable into a early defense power for a Kismet proc. In play, I actually use Ablative for tougher fights, and open with Parasitic Aura, DNA Siphon-ing the bodies, and moving on, using Parasitic on the next big group. Those 2 powers mainly keep up the endurance to run all these damn toggles. Anyone watching, feel free to suggest improvements, I'm no build genius. And style...they don't work for everything, but there's just something about Spines and Bio that can just...well. This is Kali Ma. Tanker - Bio Armor - Spines - Kali Ma.mbd

I've done a few bio/ tanks, with bio/spines one of them i can scare up a build later. My takes are as follows: Bio: awesome set, tank values and ATOs make it beastly. Loves recharge and slow resist. I enjoy 3 slotting Ablative and Parasitic with 3 +5 heal/rech IOs, DNA Siphon for heals, get e/n def to softcap or above, 27-30 s/l def is just fine. Ageless radial for debuff resistance when def or regen debuffed. Spines: it is what it is! I like Spines, and its single- target damage is lacking. Bio helps with that (I also like Stone Armor for that too). Find a boss and flail, the minions and Lts. will go down by association. I take Barb Swipe, and avoid Impale, to keep the attacks flowing. Ripper slots a FF +recharge. Ice Mistral's Torment can be pieced in to reach for 100% slow resist, or just for it's proc. I put the full ATO sets in Quills and Genetic Contamination, the procs go off enough for me in there.

There I was innocently enjoying my first MM since live (necro/dark) when I go and read this. Yep, alt time! I have a ice/savage/ice that was fun, but I mocked up a build for ice/psi/psi and it looks really, really fun. What's the suggested slotting for Drain Psyche? I never ran /psi in the old days. Edit: found this recent post answering my question, some great ideas there.

I do s/l farms with my spine/stone brute, rad/savage tank, and my bio/ tanks. Is it optimal, will it be as fast as a tuned fire farmer? No way, not by a lot. Usually clear an asteroid in 8-10 minutes. But I still enjoy it sometimes. Your invuln/ tank will survive a s/l farm just fine, I reckon. You might get good use out of dark obliteration, or the Mu AoEs.

Still one of my surprise favorites, 122 vet levels on mine.

I have a bio/fire, and he's really quite good. In a s/l farm, I find i end up dropping bosses before the herd thins, it's wierd having good ST damage on a tank. I also run a rad/savage, and the AOE burst covers an enormous area. Like, even with Tanker AOE radius, you usually have to wait a couple seconds to let them mob you, and ranged attackers will often be missed. Rad/sav opening salvo is literally a carpet bomb, very little is not touched in an average spaced spawn. I do wish for better ST, though. I can see rad/ fire being really, really good. Fire armor might bring better sustained damage, and Rad armor better and wider opening burst, along with being sturdier.