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As pointed out many times: Fractions of damage performance literally don't matter on team content, plus that being able to solo 50 +4x8 doesn't look anything like a PUG group at level 25. Proposing nerfing Scrapper ATOs because in some 50 +4x8 a Scrapper "tests better" sounds like it is coming from the Harrison Bergeron School of Enforced Mediocrity. Comparison of solo performance at +50 +4x8 might mean something after your testing includes the same content for other ATs and see how close average Controller (or VEAT, or whatever) times look like before we get hyper critical about Scrappers (with ATOs) outperforming Brutes. Focusing on Scrappers/Brutes/Tankers strikes me as being skewed by intense tunnel vision.

It should be relatively easy to set up a bind, I think the primary complicating factor (for me) with Soothing Wave is the cone is forward facing. Assuming that you already have something targeted, you could try this: /bind b "+$$powexec_name Soothing_Wave$$follow" Holding the "b" key should start you following (doing the turn-to-face) the pre-selected target, releasing the 'b' key should cast Soothing Wave. If for some reason the command parser does it in reverse, try: /bind b "+$$follow$$powexec_name Soothing_Wave" It may help to set up a quickly click like /bind ctrl+lbutton "target_friend_near" or /bind ctrl+rbutton "target_enemy_near"

Hmmm... looks like word salad. My statement is: That is: A Scrapper or Brute teamed with 7 other players isn't well represented by a solo Scrapper or Brute on an AE simulator set at x8.... most of the games content isn't established as being a solo player at x8 (or +4x8, if you prefer). Some players may spend all their time doing this, but that wouldn't make it a majority of the game's content.

Except this isn't indicative of an individual performing as part of a team, which was what I thought this message referred to:

I really liked this idea, until I realized that there would be a new class of farming to create alts just to collect the seed money. As I noted, I typically seed all my new characters with Inf, so this was the source of the initial appeal.

I am unsure of a way to objectively measure an individual AT's damage-dealing performance on a 8-player team.

There is this chestnut: "The game is not balanced around IOs" We are each repeating things that have been said many times, so I'll repeat this: the type of content where the differences between Scrapper and Brute performances show the above types of differences are not representative of most of the game's content... if anything, those areas are quite narrowly specified. There is so little juice to be squeezed out of this argument that it sounds like simply wanting one more drop of juice than someone else might have.

Why is there a thought that Brutes should meet or exceed Scrapper performance by this one measure?

This is essentially what I did, although I put a macro in my power tray to do it.

TBH, on Tankers I would often try to lean into the Leadership pool (and similar ally-benefiting Destiny, Hybrids) specifically to buff teammates, especially those that have to stand within melee range of the enemies I'd be tanking. Even though @Maelwys and I landed on different sides of the buff/debuff idea... I think we have some evidence that the devs (and certainly some players) are hyper-focused on damage differential at an extreme edge of performance (where several ATs are already narrowly clustered around some impressive times). I wouldn't recommend a change to Brutes based on what @Maelwys or I have proposed, only because the reaction would be "you ruined my favorite character"... and I think this reaction would be less histrionic *1 (if Brutes became buffer/debuffers) than the claims that Brutes are ruined because Scrappers/Tankers outperform them by 1% per "Ston tests". (*1) A radical change like we propose would almost certainly require respecs across the board, and if the Fury was granting a enemy debuff (or ally buff) it is hard to imagine Brutes staying within 1% of other melee AT, per whatever measure.

I think I understand the complaint (it sounds like one I share!) but in practice I've found that the colors I choose for one set are often not a good fit (i.e. they don't match) for a different set.

A couple of rando comments: AFAIK, the Steadfast Protection set piece recipes are only 20 Merits each, so not a big deal for someone who can explore some low-level zones and do a couple of lowbie arcs. For Purple/PVP recipe drops, in my experience it is approximately 50% chance of a drop for clearing the equivalent of 4 'fully loaded' mission (x8) full of non-con-gray critters. This isn't specifically relevant to the OP, except that the OP somewhat glossed over how almost everything (recipes, crafted IOs, salvage) is fungible via the market because of 'bucketing'. the market makes things easier to acquire without having to rely only on Inf. Finally: I want to comment that "target farming" used to somewhat exist for things like PVP recipes, and from a certain PoV... ATO/Winter pieces. The latter don't actually drop, except from pack purchases... so street sweeping for ATOs isn't really a thing and whatever can be done with Candy Canes (I'm blanking on if those can be converted to Winter pieces beyond the Travel set). If there are means to get ATO and Winters besides merits, packs and second-hand AH, I'm ignorant of them. Obviously we have HO/Titan/D-Syncs and the like as drops for specialized content, so the concept is not completely alien to the game. The HC market (and merit vendors) are a pretty elegant solution, and even with targeted content for drops I don't think it would be easier to acquire stuff (for players) than current means of collecting Inf and Merits. It would be an alternative, sure.

...some dogs will yap at anything, all the time, for no reason, just to hear themselves.

I enjoy Controllers. My personal splits are more like 75%/25% (solo/team). If you don't have a concept to lean into, I'll share this personal feel: I'm not a fan of secondaries that lean too hard into buff/heals, unless the primary is one where I plan to take most of the powers ( or take many pool powers early)... because I can delay buffs/heals with very little effect on teams facing normal low-level content. Kinetics sort of fits this bill IMO. My first Controller was a /Kin, I've never really felt like getting back to it, but it was fun to play with (and not need a travel pool).

I kinda love Energy Blast.... and much of the appeal for me is the knockback. I will slot a KB->KD in Nova, because as much as I like seeing enemies go flying into walls, I'm not a fan of tracking down enemies scattered in every cardinal direction. There is nothing else quite like Ki Push followed up with something like Power Burst on the same target. I don't intend to write any more in this thread, as this topic is an old one that I've participated in.. but I agree with @srmalloy comment about learning how to use KB to avoid chaotic scatter is a valuable skill, and with the other comments that KB/KD are pretty good 'soft' controls.

What I'm reading is that players are actively supporting a mechanism being added to the game that could be leveraged to have missions and critters be able to also inactivate Incarnate powers... because if tokens exist from something like Null the Gull, there would presumably be a way for critters or missions to apply the token (temporarily) without player consent.

I never keep rez inspirations in the tray, so "no".

Brutes can have +9% HP if they 3x 2-slot Superior Brutes Fury... is this what you mean?

It's an Idea Police thing.

Someone is ready to kick some [Brass]

Similar to what @Maelwys is talking about, in my own alternate world I'd have the Fury mechanic generate an AoE debuff... that way teammates wouldn't have to be close to the Brutes to benefit. This alternate class would have to have a revisit of balance (for damage... because debuffs don't translate to damage, for aggro, for PToD) but it would be a melee class that does something different.

Of all the things we have on HC, this is probably the most upsetting to game balance (when compared to other ATs)... moreso than any Brute/Tanker debate. It makes Blasters fun, but I think it is pretty crazy that Blasters got both sustains and crashless nukes... not to mention a reworked Inherent that mitigates enemy control powers..