LightMaster

The Incarnate system is one rife with potentials for large-scale trials and Task / Strike Forces where in-universe higher power level is expected. However, after Live was shut down, four Incarnate Slots remain lost in time as a result: Genesis, Mind, Vitae and Omega. While the idea of Omega Incarnate Slot is already explained via Developer Commentary on the Homecoming Wiki and the Genesis Slot in the first page of the Lore AMA after Live CoX closed down, but what of the Mind and Vitae slots? There is little to no sources that explains what these two could do. Given both Omega and Genesis could be Toggle or Click based on the description, I like to imagine either Mind or Vitae being Auto so that we have one less thing to click about for the Omega-tier Incarnate stuff, with the other being Toggle. Mind Rewarded by earning enough Advanced Psychic Incarnate Experience. Auto Power; permanent and no Endurance cost during Level 50+ activities. Grant the mind from another Archetype, gaining one of their unique abilities in the process, to allow for mix-and-match aspect during Level 50+ activities. It can serve to patch up a weakness or amplify one’s strength. It’s a play of “open your mind”, with accepting a new power from an Archetype not of your own. You can equip the Mind power of your matched Archetype, but it will be much less effective doing so. Likewise, Epic Archetype, especially Kheldians, gain greater benefits to compensate their jack-of-all-trade traits and beign complex to play. Do note that equipping any Mind based of another Archetype than yours does not grant access to compatibility of Invention Enhancements based on that Archetype. There is one Mind power for each Archetype, including the Epic Archetypes. The following with the general ideas without Core or Radial are: Blasting (Blaster): Increase mez resistances and can attack (but not move) when mezzed. Brutal (Brute): Inflicf -Resist(All) on damaged foes and the lower the player’s HP, the higher the damage output. Controlling (Controller): Increase duration of mez statuses, and deal increased damage to mezzed enemies. Corrupted (Corruptor): Increased damage on enemies with 50% or less of max HP. Defensive (Defender): Improved buffs + non-mez debuffs, plus an Endurance Discount the lower the teammates’ HP. Dominating (Dominator): All buffs has a +End proc, and all Debuff has a proc that deals short but crippling DoT Energy + Negative + Toxic damage. Masterful (Mastermind): Provide a passive +Res(All) and +Def(All) PBAoE bonus to surrounding teammates and leaguemates; up to five Masterful bonuses are active per player. Stubborn (Scrapper): All attacks has a chance of dealing double damage, including Judgement powers. Only provide increased percentage chance for Scrapper and Stalker, but stacks with Corruptor’s Scourge chance seperately. Sentimental (Sentinel): All damaging attacks and debuffs decreases the foes’ resistance to debuff by 10% each. Sinister (Stalker): +Stealth when not attacking after five seconds, and double damage on first attack. Only provide smaller increased damage on Stalker and Scrapper, but can stacks with Corruptor’s Scourge. Determined (Tanker): +Resist(All DMG and Debuffs) and adds more targets for AoE, PBAoE, Cone and Chain attacks. Peaceful (Peacebringer): Provide a passive Regeneration and Recharge Speed bonus to surrounding teammates and leaguemates; up to five Peaceful bonuses are active per player. Unforgiving (Warshade): Inflict a passive PBAoE DoT Negative damage to all nearby enemies. Up to two Unforgiving aura are active per foe. Restless (Arachnos Soldier): The lower the player’s Endurance, the higher the Resist(All DMG) bonus; higher Endurance cost. Nightly (Arachnos Widow): Significantly high Defense(All DMG) bonus when low health. Vitae Vitae is difficult to determine from the name without stepping over Alpha and Hybrid, but it does seems to be unlocked by gethering enough Advanced Physical Incarnate Experience to contrast with Mind. Maybe an idea of peak performance of the mortal (or even now-immortal!) body may help gives an distinction, as a super-mobility + offense combo that allows to quickly evade a bad situation or take on foes by surprise. Toggle Power (with one exception) with a maximum of twenty seconds, and can require a hefty amount of Endurance that cannot be Discounted in any way. Examples below are: Curre (Running): Dashes through the foes and knock them off or down for four seconds upon activation! Deals Superior Smashing/Fire damage at each hit. Saltus (Jumping): Jump incredibly high and fall down at lightning speed, with no falling damage to boot. First two stomps deals Superior Smashing damage. Lanuae (Teleport): A click Location AoE attack that allows for very long range, and deals Extreme Psionic/Lethal damage, but activate only once before recharging. Volatus (Fly): Fly around with extraordinary light that deals Extreme Smashing/Energy damage and always knockdown flying foes, but is the least mobile among the options. Nere (Spinning): Spin like a mad lad (or laddie) and, during the first three seconds, deals Superior Cold/Fire damage to all foes caught on the frostbite tornado. Less mobile than others, but provide a large +Def(All DMG and Debuffs) when active. Are thise ideas acceptable, or do you have something else in mind? Let me know and hopefully the HC devs will one day consider these ideas to bridge the gap between Genesis and Omega.

That means a team of seven Tankers makes 105% Damage bonus or eight making 120% from Assault, which causes their AoE attacks to be even more insane and make their single target attack closer to critless Scrapper in damage output. Tactics grants a total of 70% (7 Tankers) or 80% (8 Tankers), while Maneuvers grants 14.0% or 16.0% (rounded down according to in-game overview) but both can be Enhanced for even greater effect. Corruptor and Controller grants similar boost in Leadership, while VEATs and Defender have the better Maneuvers, and Defender alone the biggest Assault and Tactics boost. That said, these five Archetypes are much frailer than Tankers due to not having Armor primary/secondary, and the Armored Classes in Sentinel, Scrapper, Stalker and Brute offers the weakest version of the three basic Leadership powers despite their Armor nowhere as sturdy, regenerative or evasive as the Tanker’s.

I’d like to see the rest of the Most Used AT leaderboard. Been thinking why Corruptors managed to be more used than Defenders, who got stronger scale for buff/debuffs, and I saw a lot of Corruptors in endgame content videos as well. Then I realized the one single Inherent that makes Corruptor more appealing than Defender for some… Scourge. Scourge alone allows Corruptor to be an effective finisher with damage comparable to Blaster against damaged enemies, especially if they managed to stack up +DMG on the team or -Res on the enemies. It can result a truly destructive Inherent by exploiting DoTs, doubling the DoTs (or even tripled in Blizzard’s case) which damaged enemies will drop like flies. No other ranged Archetype has a similar “Deal Double Damage” critical hit system except Controller’s Concealment, though Controllers can only take advantage of it by using high damaging primary powers (like Illusion Control) or Arcane Bolt. Even then, Concealment doesn’t seems to be compatible with DoT, wheras Corruptor’s Scourge work the absolute best with DoT powers, and it stacks with Proc IOs (like -Res or extra damage) as well because Proc IOs also works well with most DoT powers.

Maybe instead of a reroll, rolling yellow allows you to use almost* any colorable Power Set, including Kheldian HEATs and Arachnos VEATs? (*Not Water/Marine nor Ice/Cold for obvious reasons) For brighter yellow (like light yellow or beige-yellow), use the Bright option, this is to represent light element in a way, given that light is represented through Illusion Control, and fittingly substitued by Energy, alongside Radiation. Fire, for example, can also use Bright to represent solar stars. Warshade and Dark/Darkness power sets cannot be chosen with brighter yellow. Darker yellow (as in, golden yellow) instead uses the Dark option, representing a more hell-like flavor or sinister to a chosen Power Set. Peacebringers and Illusion Control cannot be chosen for darker yellow.

Pardon the late reply, but I appreciated the feedback, I learned something new about CoH now. Meanwhile, I figured that I bring more Surge Power Set examples. Ice Surge 1- Frozen Armor (reused from Ice Armor) 2- Ice Shield (reused from Cold Domination) 3- Glacial Armor (reused from Ice Armor) 4- Cold Inhale: Self +Res(All DMG) 5- Glacial Shield (reused from Cold Domination) 6- Permafrost (reused from Ice Armor) 7- Refresh: +HP, +Rec 8- Frostwork (reused from Cold Domination) 9- Mammoth’s Blizzard: Ally Rez or Self-Rez; PBAoE Foes Superior Ice DoT, -Speed Thunder Surge 1- Charged Armor (reused from Electric Armor) 2- Shock (reused from Electrical Affinity) 3- Conductive Shield (reused from Electric Armor) 4- Static Charge: Self +Recharge 5- Charging Health: +HP, +Rec 6- Faraday Cage (reused from Electrical Affinity) 7- Lightning Reflexes (reused from Electric Armor) 8- Discharge (reused from the Mastermind version of Electrical Affinity) 9- Oni’s Lightning: Ally Rez or Self-Rez; PBAoE Foes Superior Energy DoT, Stun Energy Surge 1- Kinetic Shield (reused from Energy Aura) 2- Transfusion (reused from Kinetics) 3- Energy Protection (reused from Energy Aura) 4- Siphon Power (reused from Kinetics) 5- Kinetic Relaxation: +HP, +Rec 6- Power Shield (reused from Energy Aura) 7- Kinetic Focus: Self +Res(Negative statuses like Mez and -DEF) 8- Energy Drain (reused from Energy Aura) 9- Kheldian’s Justice: Ally Rez or Self-Rez; PBAoE Foes Superior Energy DoT, Disorient Dark Surge 1- Dark Embrace (reused from Dark Armor) 2- Twilight Grasp (reused from Darkness Affinity) 3- Murky Cloud (reused from Dark Armor) 4- Soul Absorption (reused from Darkness Affinity) 5- Soul Mend: +HP, +Rec 6- Twilight Boost: Self +Damage(All) 7- Obsidian Soul (Auto version of Obsidian Shield) 8- Shadow Fall (reused from Darkness Affinity) 9- Hades’ Avenging: Ally Rez or Self-Rez; PBAoE Foes Superior Energy DoT, Fear Ninja Techniques 1- Ninja Reflexes (reused from Ninjitsu) 2- Mushi no Hogo (Affinity-style version of Ninjitsu’s Kuji-Rin which is click-based and affect nearby allies) 3- Zen no Shūfuku: +HP, +Rec 4- Gurūpuburesu (Affinity-style version of Ninjitsu’s Seishinteki Kyoyo which also affect nearby allies) 5- Quick Stealth: Self +Stealth, Special (Guaranteed Critical Strike if still Stealthed by this power) 6- Danger Sense (reused from Ninjitsu) 7- Bo Ryaku (reused from Ninjitsu) 8- Blidning Powder (reused from Ninjitsu) 9- Bee’s Rebirth: Ally Rez or Self-Rez; PBAoE Foes Superior Toxic DoT, -Res(All DMG)

Deviser The Deviser offers little to no control nor healing support from their power sets, but make up for it with far better effeciency of Power Pools and Temporary Powers, as well as an equally great melee and ranged prowess, as well as a fantastic survivability behind the Brute and the Tanker. The Deviser plays similarly to the Corruptor and Blaster, trading away some damage (and all support when compared to Corruptor and Defender) for much better survivability, beaten by the Brute (2nd) and Tanker (1st) in that department. It’s more akin to a jack-of-all-trade like the Guardian from the Rebirth server, but with less emphasis on defense and more on offense, as well as little to no aggro management. Meant to be beginner-friendly while also powerful if built well. The one thing the Deviser will do that the other ATs can’t do significantly better is the use of Power Pools, Epic Power Pools, Temporary Powers and even Prestige Attacks, thanks to their Inherent called Improvise, which will be detailed soon enough. Another aspect within their Surge secondary power sets is their Explosive Revival that never offer Untouchable but does severely damage surrounding foes and grant them a debuff. Primary: Assault Secondary: Surge (NEW! Combines Defense and Buff/Debuff power sets) Ancilleries: -DEF oriented and another Tier 9 / nuke Survivability: 7 Melee Damage: 7 Ranged Damage: 7 Crowd Control: 2 Support: 5 Pets: 2 (Base Damage: 1.050 Melee and 1.050 Ranged) Inherent: Improvise - Automatic - All of the Deviser’s powers not derived from Primary or Secondary set gets a 30% Endurance discount (60% for Toggle powers) and 15% accuracy bonus. Powers from the Power Pools gain an individual, additional benefit. Temporary Powers and Prestige Attacks have their Damage boosted by 20%. Powers from the Epic Power Pools for the Deviser has shorter cooldown compared to other Archetypes’. Additionally, Improvise grants the Deviser’s Primary and Secondary Power a chance of Improv Bonus (short of Improvisation Bonus) the more different powers they used, up to 100%, before resetting to 20% if Improv Bonus activates or if no other Power is used within two minutes. Improv Bonus afflict the targeted Foe and surrounding Foes a small but stackable -Def(All) debuff. Full details of Power Pool boosts here. Unique Powerset: Surge (Combines Defense and Buff/Debuff powers into one, alongside their unique explosive, damaging rez that can work on self or non-pet ally.) 1 - Defense Toggle 1 2 - Buff/Debuff 1 3 - Defense Toggle 2 4 - Buff/Debuff 2 5 - Surge Boost: Akin to Build Up, but to one stat. 6 - Auto Defense 7 - Life Boost: Self +HP and +Rec. 8 - Buff/Debuff 3 9 - Explosive Revival (Barring Defense Toggle 1, Buff/Debuff 1 and Explosive Revival, the Power Set order can rearranged in any order) Example: Fire Surge 1- Fire Shield (reused from Fiery Aura) 2- Warmth (reused from Thermal Radiation) 3- Plasma Shield (reused from Fiery Aura) 4- Cauterize (reused from Thermal Radiation) 5- Warm Up: +HP, +Rec 6- Temperature Protection (reused from Fiery Aura) 7- Heat Surge: Self +DMG 8- Heat Exhaustion (reused from Thermal Radiation) 9- Phoenix’s Inferno: Ally Rez or Self-Rez; PBAoE Foes Superior Fire DoT, -Def(All)

It’s unfortunate that the Warden would be redundant with the Tanker’s improved AoE capacity thus dealing more overall AoE damage vs other Melee Archetypes, thus would be like a melee oriented Controller with decent DMG and fantastic survivability. The Protector though, this one sounds promising! It’s not a lot of support-oriented ATs that focus on providing resist/defense boost while having impressive survivability on it’s on and mediocre at worst damage output, so the Protector would help providing greater survivability for a lot of frailer Archetypes like Controller, Blaster, Corruptor and Dominator.

Managed to thought of more examples of the Manipulator potential Primary Power Sets. Lightshow Command “Using light to make the foes believe they are fighting at the wrong side, the Lightshow Command also provide Defense for the Controlled Foes to dodge from various attacks, including Psionic damage.” 1- Lightshow: An Energy-flavored Command, deals light Energy DMG on foe if fails. 2- Bright Shield: Provide a moderate Defense to Psionic, Energy and Negative Energy damage to Controlled Foes. 3- Scorching Beam: Moderate Energy damage, On Foe: -Defense to all DMG 4- Seizure Aura: PBAoE Slow, -ToHit to all affected foes. 5- Photosynthesis: Build Up type boost to a single Controlled Foe. 6- Psionic Wave: Targeted AoE that deals Moderate Energy damage on non-controlled foes, while Controlled Foes are given a buff to their +ToHit and Accuracy. 7- Energy Boost: An Auto version of Energy Aura’s Energy Cloak for Controlled Foes. 8- Solar Strike: A Location AoE power that deals Extreme Energy damage to multiple non-controlled foes. Moderate chance of inflicitng -To-Hit on the foes. 9- Rainbow Booster: Grants a Defense(ALL) boost to the Manipulator, nearby allies and all of the Manipulator’s Controlled Foes. It also provide a massive Resist and Defense to all standard damage (Smahsing, Lethal, Psionic, Toxic, Fire, Cold, Negative, Energy) and moderate DMG and Recharge boost to all active Controlled Foes. This cost a massive amount of Endurance for the Manipulator to use. Fungi Command “Using a specialized species of fungus to temporarily take over the foes’ brain, this Command Power Set focus on providing gradual healing and resistances to debuffs.” 1- Fungus Bomb: A Toxic-flavored Command, deals light Toxic DMG on foe if fails. 2- Symbiotic Cover: Provide a moderate Resistance to all type of debuffs to Controlled Foes. 3- Spore Wind: Moderate Cold damage, On Foe: -Speed 4- Pollen Circle: PBAoE -Recharge, -Resist to Cold and Lethal DMG to uncontrolled foes. 5- Pollen Boost: Build Up type boost to a single Controlled Foe. 6- Vine Slicer: Coned AoE that deals Lethal damage with light Toxic DoT on non-controlled foes, while Controlled Foes are given a buff to their Damage output. 7- Ablative Pollen: An Auto version of Bio Armor’s Ablative Carapace for Controlled Foes. 8- Mushroom Hurricane: A PBAoE power that deals Superior Cold damage and Toxic DoT to multiple non-controlled foes. Moderate chance of inflicitng -Recharge on the foes. 9- Feral Switch: Grants a debuff Resist to the Manipulator, nearby allies and all of the Manipulator’s Controlled Foes. It also provide a massive Resist and Defense to all standard damage (Smahsing, Lethal, Psionic, Toxic, Fire, Cold, Negative, Energy) and moderate Damage and ToHit boost to all active Controlled Foes. This cost a massive amount of Endurance for the Manipulator to use. Pressure Command “By putting your titanic strength into good use as you fight the foes into submission, you can also provide them resistances to Cold, Lethal and Smashing damage.” 1- Submission: A melee-ranged Smashing-flavored Command, deals Smashing DMG on foe if fails. 2- Body Reinforcement: Provide a moderate Resistance to Lethal, Cold and Smashing damage to Controlled Foes. 3- Dreadful Uppercut: Moderate Smashing damage, On Foe: Knockback and Stun 4- Domineering Presence: PBAoE Slow, -Resist to Smashing and Lethal DMG to uncontrolled foes. 5- Motivate: Build Up type boost to a single Controlled Foe. 6- Stomping Wave: Coned AoE that deals Moderate Smashing damage on non-controlled foes, while Controlled Foes are given a buff to their Recharge and resistance to Smashing damage. 7- Physical Boost: An Auto version of Invulnerability’s Resist Physical Damage for Controlled Foes. 8- Brutal Hurl: Basically the cooler Hurl; a coned AoE power that deals Extreme Smashing damage to multiple non-controlled foes. Moderate chance of inflicitng Disorient on the foes. 9- Berserker’s War Cry: Grants a moderate DMG boost to the Manipulator, nearby allies and all of the Manipulator’s Controlled Foes. It also provide a massive Resist and Defense to all standard damage (Smahsing, Lethal, Psionic, Toxic, Fire, Cold, Negative, Energy) and ToHit and resistance to Resist-Debuffs boost to all active Controlled Foes. This cost a massive amount of Endurance for the Manipulator to use. If anyone has an idea for Comnand Power Sets, you can be my guest!

Alright, decided to take a shot for more Sentinel’s Ancillery stuff. As you may notice, the Sentinel’s Ancillery Pool tend to be very formulaic compared to other Archetypes’ Ancillary Pools; three Control powers, one Melee and one PBAoE, with one of them replaced by a summon for Patron Pools. This formula also make Sentinel Epic Pools feel unfocused, causing Sentinel players to either pick only one from any chosen Epic Power Pool, or not at all. Doesn’t help that Sentinels doesn’t need Mez Control power all this much. Thusly, the Ancillary Pools I thought for the Sentinel have either of the following; 3 Control + 2 Melee, 3 Melee + 2 PBAoE or 3 PBAoE + 2 Control (with PBAoE either support, control or damage-dealing), allowing better focus on giving the Sentinel more to do. The Control powers will also focus on stat-modifying debuffs rather than mez debuffs as a pseudo-crowd control as well, akin to the Affinity power sets that inflict the former type of debuffs. Idea 1: Nature Mastery (3 Control + 2 Melee) Based on Nature Affinity and Spines. “You have advanced Mastery over nature and are able to control foes. You may also have access go spiny melees that can inflict slowdown, reduced recharge and Toxic Damage over Time on foes.” Tier 1-1: Corrosive Enzymes (Ranged, Foe -Res and -DMG), from Nature Affinity Tier 1-2: Lunge (Melee, Moderate Lethal DMG, Toxic DoT; Foe -Rech and -SPD), from Spines Tier 2: Ripper (Coned Melee, Superior Lethal DMG, Toxic DoT; Foe -Rech, -SPD and Knockdown), from Spines Tier 3: Spore Cloud (Toggle Targeted AoE; Foe -DMG, -Regen and -ToHit), from Nature Affinity Tier 4: Entangling Aura (Toggle PBAoE; Foe Hold), from Nature Affinity Idea 2: Light Mastery (3 Melee + 2 non-DMG PBAoE) Based on Energy Melee and Illusion Control. “You have adanced Mastery over light to help allies around you to hide and blind foes around you. You can also use the power of energetic light to inflict Energy and Smashing damage with each their own potential debuff.” Tier 1-1: Group Invisibility (PBAoE; Team Stealth and +DEF), from Illusion Control Tier 1-2: Power Crash (Coned Melee, Moderate Energy/Smashing DMG; up to three Foes Disorient), from Energy Melee Tier 2: Flash (PBAoE; Foe Hold), from Illusion Control Tier 3: Whirling Hands (PBAoE Melee, Moderate Energy/Smashing DMG; Foe -DEF), from Energy Melee Tier 4: Energetic Nova (Melee, Extreme Energy/Smashing DMG; Self -HP; Foe -ACC and -ToHit), from Energy Melee with Illusion Control Flash’s FX Idea 3: Storm Mastery (3 PBAoE + 2 Control) Based on Storm Blast and Wind Control. “You have advanced Mastery over the power of the storm and can make foes around you more likely to miss. Additionally, you are able to control further away enemies by draining their Endurance.” Tier 1-1: Hailstones (PBAoE, Cold DMG; chance of Knockdown on Foe), from Storm Blast Tier 1-2: Keening Winds (Ranged Targeted AoE; Foe Chance of Confusion, Foe EndDrain, Self +End), from Wind Control Tier 2: Wind Shear (Toggle PBAoE; Foe -SPE, -Fly, -ToHit and -DMG), from Wind Control Tier 3: Cloud Burst (PBAoE, High Cold DoT; Foe -Rech and -ToHit), from Storm Blast Tier 4: Turbulance (Ranged Targeted AoE, Moderate Cold/Lethal DoT; Foe EndDrain, -Rech and -ToHit), based off Vacuum from Wind Control

Alright, so: By default, Tier 1 to 4 uses a small explosion FX. Tier 5 to 8 uses an explosion FX used by Tripmine. And Tier 9 uses an explosion FX right when a Cyberwarrior explode (Summer Blockbuster exclusive bosses, in the Time Gladiator second half) Explosion Swap uses no animation but changes the FX; Gravitas uses dark-themed explosive FXs of Dark power sets or FX of Gravity power sets, EMP using either Energy or Electric power sets, and then Energy or Psionic power sets, or Peacebringer’s Luminous Blast FX, for the Flashbang variant. As for the individual attacks; Bomb Punch uses the animation used by Energy Punch. Bomb Kick uses the same animation as Kick from the Boxing Power Pool. Both Blasting Clap and Dynamite Clap uses the Hand Clap animation of the Super Strength power set. Assassin’s Bomb uses the animation for Energy Melee variant Assassin’s Strike. Preparing Explosives uses gun clip sounds, and uses Battle Fury aura for FX. Uses standard power-up animation. Provoke/Taunt/Placate uses standard animation. Roundhouse Boom uses Shin Breaker animation, and added a spinning effect for the character to give an impression of doing a roundhouse. Armageddon Punch uses Knockout Blow animation of either Super Strength or the Blaster, Mastermind and Sentinel version of Leviathan Mastery. Would those work? Meanwhile, I’m thinking about doing some more Ancillery Masteries for Sentinel, it got pretty few compared to other Archetypes.

Certainly a mixed but understandable reception around. From what I gather: Replacing a power entirely might turn Respec even more of a shore for level 50s, so a rework for power sets specifically to Brutes is out of question. Brutes do at least fulfill their role as “Fright Train” of melee combattants, very well even. There are also some here, and I assume many even, who do like Brute because they are an intermediary of Scrappers and Tankers. The real issue I’ve seen is Fury itself, which isn’t even an unique mechanic given it is just glorified critical hits of sort. Reworking Fury itself, or rather buffing it, might help Brute’s own Inherent to be unique or at least give another good justification of using Brutes over Tanks. My suggestion of Fury increasing To-Hit chance as Fury builds up is pointed by a replier that it’s plausible if the devs agreed. Defensive buff built in Fury (like +Resist) might be too familiar to Tankers. Overall, Brutes feeling inferior to Tankers is just a manner of perspective, which the perspective might not even be accurate depending on who you ask. However, it can be agreed that Fury itself may be outdated, which might be a reason of such perspective, given how effective the other Archetypes’ inherents are, including Sentinel’s current Inherent as of 2024.

The Brute Archetype. The “middle child” of Scrapper and Tanker ever since CoH and CoV becoming one game, and the one who orient around the Fury mechanic. In theory, it is meant to hit harder than Tankers and tankier than Scrappers, but in practice, it can be seen as a master of none. Not helping is that as of 2024, Tankers have an even more admirable AoE DPS compared to Scrappers and Stalkers thanks to their Gauntlet Inherent. It is not like the Brute is underrepresented, as there are still a lot of players who do enjoy and make the most of Brtues, myself included. That being said, for harder contents like Incarnate Trials, I believe the Brute need something that allows it to stand out from the other Melee-oriented archetypes without stepping on their toes. The Conundrum As said before, the Brutes are seen as the middle ground of Scrappers and Tankers. However, other than the Fury Inherent, the Brute does not have anything that the other melee Archetypes cannot do better, including AoE Melee as the Tankers does a way better job nowadays. Of course, the problem isn’t easy to solve. If Brute’s damage output is buffed, then they’ll end up overshadowing Scrappers. Obviously, they should not be tankier than Tankers. Alongside, increasing the power input of the Brute’s available melee AoE in power sets would only make it too similar to Tankers as the latter is still superior at tanking things. The Brute’s Epic Power Pools are a good addition to it, so they don’t need to receive major changes. If anything, the issue have to do with the Archetype itself, not the Epic Power Pools, so buffing these Epic Power Pools would not make it exciting for Brutes who got overshadowed by Tankers in mid-game contents and can be overkill for Brutes who are doing fine in lategame content. Nothing said that Brutes are beyond repair without nerfing Tankers, because there is another villain-original melee Archetype that managed to stand out from it’s hero-original counterpart. Scrapper vs Stalker, the Damage Scale and Fury Inherent At a glance, the Stalker have less damage output compared to the Scrapper. However, not only the Stalker have access to Hide and Placate, which fits it’s lore and playstyle, but also their signature attack of Assassin’s Strike (or a variant depending on the Power Set), giving it a powerful single-target burst damage when in and even out of Hiding. This allows Stalker to play similar to a Scrapper with less damage, but able to sneak around and take down important targets, then escape from one threat or even more. The Brute can be seen as the villain-original counterpart of the Tanker, but it only managed to hit harder than Tankers due fo the Fury Inherent, not by inherently having higher melee damage scale. With that said, the Ranged Damage Scale of Tankers have 0.800 despite having little to no ranged attacks from their Secondary Power Sets. The Brute isn’t far behind with a 0.750 damage scale, but they themselves have little to no ranged attacks on their Primary Power Sets. Another interesting fact is that the Brute’s Fury Inherent doesn’t just boost their melee output, it also increase their ranged damage output. This means the Brute is able to deal a deceptively high ranged melee if allowed to, which is why it is able to deal high damage on ranged Prestige Attacks like Nemesis Staff and Blackwand once it’s Fury is high enough. But if Fury alone doesn’t make Brute enticing enough to be a tanky offensive melee attacker, then maybe allow the Brute to take advantage on the Fury Inherent than just “stay in the fights to deal more damage”. The Solutions Here are the following solutions that intend to take advantage of the Fury Inherent in order to help the Brute stand out without strictly overshadowing the other Melee-oriented archetypes. One or more may be implemented. Allow Fury Inherent to have To-Hit / Accuracy bonus: This one is straightforward but allows Brute players to worry less about putting Accuracy and To-Hit Buff Enhancements as the Fury also boosts the To-Hit chance by up to a whopping 50% (maybe lower) as long as they keep fighting. Replace a generic Taunt by a powerful coned / targeted AoE Ranged Attack with Taunting effect, but costs some Fury: Given that Scrappers have Confront while Stalkers have Placate, the Brutes could have a whole new ranged attack that can be used to both deliver high damage and provoke enemies, but can only be performed if the Brute’s Fury is 80 of higher, and cost some Fury at that. This not only allows Brute give a distinct niche of having an occasional ranged attacks, but also allows them to provide a powerful burst ranged damage that neither the Scrapper, the Stalker and the Tanker could achieve easily. This devastating attack is called an Outrage Attack. Ice Melee Example: Frost Wave which is like Energy Torrent but with Ice FX. Hits all foes that were ahead of the targeted foe for a Superior Cold/Smashing burst damage. Replace PBAoE melee and disruptive powers by Ranged Powers Equivalent (or close proximity): Given that Tankers are far better at melee-ranged crowd control than Brutes nowadays, it’s only natural that the Brute may prefer to hit some fleeing saps to take advantage of the Fury Inherent and to keep it’s Fury from draining when chasing a fleeing foe. This will also allow Brute to be mixed akin to Blasters and Dominators, albeit to a lesser extent, and can even take even more advantage of Power Pools and Epic Power Pools that has ranged damage more than before by having additional ranged tools in their Primary Power. Ice Melee Example: Ice Patch is replaced by Frost Breath for Brutes. Meanwhile, Frozen Aura is replaced by Glacial Fist, which launches a Bitter Ice Blast as the Brute punches the air and deals Extreme Cold/Smashing DMG. Anyone else have a suggestion how to make the Brute able to stand on their own?

I already covered that. “Uses same Melee animations from multiple Melee Power Sets, notably Energy Melee and Martial Arts with their powerful looking punches and kicks.” I did forgot to add that it uses explosive FXs though!

Aah, didn’t remembered that Polearm is basically a spear or so! Fortunately, I thought off an explosive idea. *winkwink* Explosive Melee Want to have your punches and kicks feels explosive? Do you like a risky playstyle? The Explosive Melee have a special AoE small damage that deals additional damage to the foes surrounding the target. However, this power set is heavy on Endurance, and higher tier powers will also cost some of the user’s health (less so on Brute and Tanker). Critical Hits only applies to the targeted foe, but akin to Dual Pistols, the explosion can be changed that grants Explosive Melee versatility for debuffs. Default Explosive deals Smashing + Heat damage, with the Heat damage replaced by Negative, Energy or Psionic depending on the Swapped Explosive. The user doesn’t get defeated by the self-harming explosion, locking at 0.1% health upon use if it would normally drop to 0, but can leave them vulnerable to retaliation. Using Health Insps can help circumvent this somewhat. Uses same Melee animations from multiple Melee Power Sets, notably Energy Melee and Martial Arts with their powerful looking punches and kicks. Bomb Punch: Basic Smashing attack, very fast recharge and a chance of -Defense (All) on foe. Bomb Kick: Deals stronger Smashing attack, but recharge somewhat slower. Chance of -Defense (All) on foe. Blasting Clap: PBAoE Light Smashing attack, costs 15% of user’s max Health. Chance of Defense (All) on foes. Explosive Swap: Salvaged from my Spear concept, albeit different names and Venom replaced by Energy called EMP, and last two are based on different type of grenades; Gravitas is to allow another Power Set that deals Negative damage. Click on the active Swap icon again to return to standard explosion. Gravitas: Adds Negative damage, chance of Slow. Knockback is replaced by Knock Up, and pins down aerial foes. EMP: Adds Energy damage, chance of small Toxic DoT. Knockback is replaced by Stun. Flashbang: Adds Psionic damage, and chance of -ToHit. Knockback is replaced by Disorient. Assassin's Bomb: Stalker exclusive power. The stealth Assassin’s Strike have a bigger AoE, but costs 25% of user’s max Health. Preparing Explosives: Power-up power that buffs the user’s Recharge and DMG. It also make the user immune to self-inflicting blownback of the stronger explosive attacks, except Armageddon Punch which instead have reduced blowback damage to 30% (Scrapper / Stalker) or 15% (Brute / Tanker). Provoke/Taunt/Placate: Standard aggro management power. Roundhouse Boom: Inflict a kick that causes Superior Smashing Damage (High for Tanker) with a delayed explosion of Heat (or swapped element) which can harm the user for 40% (Scrapper / Stalker) or 25% (Tanker / Brute), but also hurt surrounding enemies. Chance of -Defense (All) on ememy and have knockback / knock up. Dynamite Clap: Deals PBAoE Superior Smashing Damage (High for Tanker) that deals Knockback but costs 50% (Scrapper / Stalker) or 35% (Tanker / Brute). For Tanker, it always proc the secondary effects. Armageddon Punch: Deals Extreme Smashing Damage (or Superior as Tanker) as a targeted AoE melee attack, with full damage to surrounding enemies. Costs 60% of max HP for Scrapper / Stalker, or 45% for Tanker / Brute. Inflict Knockback / Knock Up and -Defense (All) to damaged foes. For Tankers, the AoE is drastically larger but only deals Knock Up.

Good point. Maybe instead of having to use Control all the times to get minions, make it like a tamer / Blue Mage-esque, where the Manipulator can summon Controlled Foes - even ones that are defeated - but only up to three types (3 Minions, 2 Lieutenant and 1 Boss, mirroring Mastermind’s three Henchmen-1, two Henchmen-2, one Henchman-3), making it a more offense oriented counterpart of the support-oriented Mastermind. This way, Controlled Foes from Minions to Boss are “permanent”, while EB is a temporary one (up to thirty seconds or less) with a low chance of success but can turn the tide of a difficult fight. This means the Manipulator need to think of a good combination, especially with reduced HP of the Controlled Foes, when soloing in early game or before joining a team. Given that Masterminds can solo well in missions due to backup of their henchmen, the Manipulator can explore and “capture” foes to mix-and-match depending on the Manipulator’s need before joining a team, making it highly customizable offense-oriented AT with minions dealing somewhat more damage than MM’s, but doesn’t provide support on it’s own other than “deal more damage”. Obviously some combinations will make it too powerful, so another quirk is that the Controlled Foes’ stats are slightly less good if they are from different factions, and the more foes from different factions, the more severe stat penalties. As such, one may want to stick to a specific group and one outlier or two to cover a potential hole of the Controlled Foes composition.