Tremalion

It is. It'll affect all of the items indicated above proportionally, though, so if one option is more effective than another at 100 max endurance, it will still be better at 105 or 120 or any other value. Endurance recovery plays nice that way.

I clearly remember them working fine on Live. This is a relatively new issue and one I would very much like to see fixed.

It's every attack you have to click to use, regardless of type. Passive auras won't generate Fury, but Brawl, Sands of Mu, pool powers, etc all will. It's fairly simple - no need to overthink it.

Fury increases for every attack you make, and for every attack made against you, regardless of damage or whether the attack in question hits or misses. Fury decays at an increased rate at high Fury levels, so maintaining more than 90% Fury for any length of time is generally impossible.

Just finished leveling my Stalker to 50 and I noticed a huge difference in how often this goes off when I started dropping Ball Lightnings on 8-man spawns vs. single target. It seems obvious to me that the % chance to go off is checked against every target hit, which is...bonkers.

This. Also I don't bother putting it in Nova, because I'm not knocking around enemies, I'm just tossing bodies with no HP left. Anybody who complains about that has earned themselves some richly-deserved side-eye.

Fair. I'll admit that I didn't break out the napkin math for Soul Drain and assumed that the AoE penalty would be higher, so I'm willing to readily concede the point. I'll stand by my argument in favor of Amplify since I think it is still the better tool for the job (especially when playing a set as busy as Time, I think the ease-of-use that Amp offers actually makes a big difference), but I appreciate the corrections. I don't want to be guilty of spreading bad information.

A different take on it for your perusal. This is actually the current build for my Time/Sonic/Soul and I'm happy with it. Should also be easy to make certain tweaks (e.g. swapping the Ragnarok 5-piece into Howl), though I don't think they are strictly needed. Benchmarks: - Perma-Hasten and perma-Chrono Shift. - Near-softcap to all personal positional defenses with non-Power Boosted Farsight. Approaches the Incarnate softcap with Power Boosted Farsight (which is the only kind I ever use). Provides around 37% all defenses to the rest of the team via that and Maneuvers. Add Time's Juncture and this build can make most teams untouchable all by itself (at least, until they get overconfident and wander off and miss the Farsight refresh. But that's what Vengeance is for!). - Perma-Fortunata, with softcapped defenses and Temporal Selection. Makes soloing much easier! - Slowed Response -> Amplify (w/ Gaussian's) -> Dreadful Wail every 37 seconds. Usually just cleanup after that. Idiosyncracies: - Minimal slotting in Distortion Field. I don't think procs are worthwhile for pulsing fields anymore (tried it and was very disappointed), and the random hold duration never struck me as needing enhancement. I use it as a slowing field to contain spawns and control choke points and find it does its job exceptionally well that way with only minimal investment. - Time Crawl could probably be cut entirely from the build. I left it in because I like being able to contribute to -regen against AVs and cripple the occasional tough Boss, but it's honestly not amazing. I might replace it with some other more broadly-applicable utility in the future (maybe Super Speed for better Stealthing). And the elephant in the room, which probably requires some explanation: - I skipped Soul Drain. Blasphemy, I know, but hear me out. In practical terms Soul Drain is in competition with Amplify to act as a damage spike, and traditionally that has been an easy choice in favor of Soul Drain. However, I think things have changed. With the PPM calculations we have now the Gaussian proc goes off a lot in Amplify and when it does, it far outclasses what Soul Drain can offer. Sure you could slot Gaussian into SD, but because of the way the PPM system disadvantages AoE attacks it'll fire less reliably and less often. Amplify also requires zero additional slots (SD needs heavy slotting to be usable), is available every time Dreadful Wail is off cooldown (SD will not be), executes far faster (Soul Drain's animation takes an eternity, and on teams a spawn may very well evaporate before it's done), and it costs a fraction of the endurance. The hard fact is that the only advantage Soul Drain offers is a longer buff duration, and that's only valuable if things are still alive ten seconds later. I find that after I use Dreadful Wail (which I can do all the time) there's rarely a need to do more than a little cleanup, which my Fortunata and I can handle just fine. If I used Soul Drain instead, I'd actually finish the spawn slower and/or have leftover buff duration that isn't useful, and the unsynced recharge times would mean I would often have to choose to either fire DW unbuffed or wait for SD to come off cooldown before tackling a spawn. Amplify is always up. TL;DR a 6-slotted Soul Drain would be more resource intensive and do the job worse than a 1-slotted Amplify does. I know that sounds wild, but I'm basing this on enough actual play that I feel very confident saying it. In a PPM world of quick-recharging crashless nukes, Amplify is better than Soul Drain. Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.962 http://www.cohplanner.com/ Click this DataLink to open the build! Chronometer: Level 50 Magic Defender Primary Power Set: Time Manipulation Secondary Power Set: Sonic Attack Power Pool: Flight Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Time Crawl (A) Tempered Readiness - Accuracy/Slow (46) Tempered Readiness - Endurance/Recharge/Slow Level 1: Shriek (A) Decimation - Accuracy/Damage (3) Decimation - Damage/Endurance (3) Decimation - Damage/Recharge (5) Decimation - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge (5) Decimation - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge Level 2: Scream (A) Defender's Bastion - Accuracy/Damage (7) Defender's Bastion - Damage/Recharge (7) Defender's Bastion - Damage/Endurance/Recharge (9) Defender's Bastion - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (9) Defender's Bastion - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (42) Defender's Bastion - Recharge/Chance for Minor PBAoE Heal Level 4: Temporal Mending (A) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Endurance (11) Numina's Convalesence - Endurance/Recharge (11) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Recharge (13) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Endurance/Recharge (13) Numina's Convalesence - Heal (23) Numina's Convalesence - +Regeneration/+Recovery Level 6: Time's Juncture (A) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff (15) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Recharge/Endurance (15) Dark Watcher's Despair - Recharge/Endurance (17) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Endurance (33) Slow IO (36) Slow IO Level 8: Howl (A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage (19) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance (19) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge (21) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (21) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy) (25) Range IO Level 10: Temporal Selection (A) Healing IO Level 12: Distortion Field (A) Tempered Readiness - Endurance/Recharge/Slow (17) Pacing of the Turtle - Endurance/Recharge/Slow Level 14: Fly (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points) Level 16: Shockwave (A) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance (23) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge (25) Positron's Blast - Damage/Range (27) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (27) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy) (48) Empty Level 18: Farsight (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance (29) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Recharge (29) Luck of the Gambler - Endurance/Recharge (31) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance/Recharge (31) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed Level 20: Hover (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed Level 22: Maneuvers (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance (31) Luck of the Gambler - Endurance/Recharge (33) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance/Recharge (33) Luck of the Gambler - Defense (34) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed Level 24: Hasten (A) Recharge Reduction IO (34) Recharge Reduction IO Level 26: Slowed Response (A) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Recharge (34) Analyze Weakness - Defense Debuff/Endurance/Recharge Level 28: Assault (A) Endurance Reduction IO Level 30: Amplify (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up Level 32: Chrono Shift (A) Doctored Wounds - Endurance/Recharge (37) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Recharge (37) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Endurance/Recharge (37) Doctored Wounds - Heal (39) Efficacy Adaptor - EndMod (39) Efficacy Adaptor - EndMod/Recharge Level 35: Dark Embrace (A) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance (42) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge (43) Aegis - Resistance (43) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3% (43) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All) (46) Unbreakable Guard - +Max HP Level 38: Dreadful Wail (A) Obliteration - Damage (39) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge (40) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge (40) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (40) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (42) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage Level 41: Power Boost (A) Recharge Reduction IO Level 44: Soul Storm (A) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Hold (45) Basilisk's Gaze - Recharge/Hold (45) Basilisk's Gaze - Endurance/Recharge/Hold (45) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold (46) Damage Increase IO (48) Damage Increase IO Level 47: Summon Mistress (A) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Damage (48) Expedient Reinforcement - Damage/Endurance (50) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (50) Expedient Reinforcement - Endurance/Damage/Recharge (50) Recharge Reduction IO Level 49: Vengeance (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed Level 1: Brawl (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Dash (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Slide (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Quick (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Rush (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Surge (A) Empty Level 1: Sprint (A) Celerity - +Stealth Level 1: Vigilance Level 2: Rest (A) Empty Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift (A) Run Speed IO Level 2: Health (A) Panacea - +Hit Points/Endurance Level 2: Hurdle (A) Jumping IO Level 2: Stamina (A) Endurance Modification IO (36) Performance Shifter - EndMod (36) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End Level 50: Clarion Partial Core Invocation Level 50: Cognitive Total Radial Conversion Level 50: Support Partial Radial Graft Level 50: Vigor Partial Core Revamp Level 50: Pyronic Total Radial Judgement Level 50: Vanguard Total Core Improved Ally ------------

I'm really not sure if you are being serious.

I don't get the hatred for Positron's Blast. I like it because I can slot those powers adequately with only 5 pieces of it while building enough global recharge to Build Up into Nova every thirty seconds. But oh noes my Explosive Blast recharges in five and a half seconds instead of four and a half! That's one second slower! One! ::) Please keep hating on it, though. I like being able to buy them on the cheap.

It doesn't really need the full recharge load, so exemplaring down as far as 22 should be fine. At exemp 20 or less you lose Shin Breaker and your recharge gets gutted, so if you plan to go that low regularly I'd take a different approach. It's definitely a build that is aimed more at higher level play.

Yeah, my favorite status protection is Build Up w/ Gaussian proc -> crashless Nova on a 30s cooldown.

Hi. I play an energy blaster. You are 100% wrong.

Here's my take on it, in case you'd like to see a different approach for comparison. Perks and neat tricks of this build: - Softcaps to Melee and (just about) to Ranged defenses, and is only 2% off for AoE. Max HP is 1770 before OWtS or Accolades. - 61% S/L resistance and 24-27% in everything else except Psionic. Includes OWtS to juice your durability. - With two 50(+5) Recharge IOs in Hasten, is only about 10-12 seconds off perma. Force Feedback in Spinning Strike covers that gap. - Gaussian's proc in Combat Readiness, Achilles' Heel -res proc in Shin Breaker, and Celerity +Stealth in Sprint. Self-explanatory. - A note on Confront: this chiefly acts as a mule for the (underappreciated) Mocking Beratement set, which has a great collection of set bonuses that help us hit our Defense and Recharge targets. Also good utility thanks to the -75% Range penalty that Taunt inflicts. Definitely a "sometimes" tool, but useful. The sniper set in Zapp serves a similar purpose. We could spend the slots elsewhere (see below), but I think this is the best use of them. - Ball Lightning for a third AoE attack. You could go with a different Epic Pool, but I favor Mu for this build because it lets us slot the right sets for the bonuses we need and doesn't require any unnecessary power choices to get there. With Spinning Strike, Ball Lightning, and Shield Charge on a ~27s cooldown you can lay waste to entire groups quite easily. - No purples! Compromises: - Slots are a bit tight. If I had a couple more I'd squeeze more Max HP out of True Grit and OWtS, but priorities. - Had to sacrifice the 6-slot bonus from the Superior Critical Strikes set to fit the Achilles' Heel proc in. I decided that was more important than shaving a few more seconds off of Hasten. The single-target attack chain is pretty smooth without it, and since Active Defense should be your autofire power you probably won't notice the difference most of the time. - Endurance management is going to be rough until you get your Alpha. Cardiac is non-optional. This is just a fact of life for StJ/SD. Consider carrying Recovery Serums from the P2W vendor to help. You could go Body Mastery instead, but I think giving up the third AoE attack is too high a price to pay when you can just take Cardiac instead. - The Superior ATOs are going to be pricey. I know I said no purples (and technically they're not), but these just give you too much value to be replaceable. It's the price of being awesome. Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.962 http://www.cohplanner.com/ Click this DataLink to open the build! StJ Scrapper: Level 50 Science Scrapper Primary Power Set: Street Justice Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Mu Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Heavy Blow (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage (5) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance (5) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge (7) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge (17) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (48) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal) Level 1: Deflection (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance (7) Luck of the Gambler - Defense (9) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed (9) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance (11) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance (11) Reactive Defenses - Scaling Resist Damage Level 2: Battle Agility (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance (13) Luck of the Gambler - Defense (13) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed Level 4: True Grit (A) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance (15) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance (15) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime (17) Unbreakable Guard - +Max HP (48) Healing IO Level 6: Combat Readiness (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up Level 8: Rib Cracker (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage (19) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance (21) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge (21) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge (43) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (43) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal) Level 10: Active Defense (A) Endurance Reduction IO Level 12: Super Jump (A) Jumping IO Level 14: Confront (A) Mocking Beratement - Taunt (19) Mocking Beratement - Taunt/Recharge (27) Mocking Beratement - Taunt/Recharge/Range (29) Mocking Beratement - Accuracy/Recharge (33) Mocking Beratement - Taunt/Range (39) Mocking Beratement - Recharge Level 16: Against All Odds (A) Endurance Reduction IO Level 18: Spinning Strike (A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage (23) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance (23) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge (25) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (25) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy) (27) Force Feedback - Chance for +Recharge Level 20: Boxing (A) Empty Level 22: Tough (A) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance (29) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge (31) Aegis - Resistance (40) Aegis - Psionic/Status Resistance (40) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3% (40) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All) Level 24: Weave (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance (39) Luck of the Gambler - Defense (50) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed Level 26: Shin Breaker (A) Superior Critical Strikes - Accuracy/Damage (31) Superior Critical Strikes - Damage/RechargeTime (31) Superior Critical Strikes - Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime (33) Superior Critical Strikes - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime (33) Superior Critical Strikes - RechargeTime/+50% Crit Proc (34) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff Level 28: Combat Jumping (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed Level 30: Grant Cover (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed Level 32: Crushing Uppercut (A) Superior Scrapper's Strike - Accuracy/Damage (34) Superior Scrapper's Strike - Damage/Recharge (34) Superior Scrapper's Strike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (36) Superior Scrapper's Strike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge (42) Superior Scrapper's Strike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (43) Superior Scrapper's Strike - Recharge/Critical Hit Bonus Level 35: Shield Charge (A) Obliteration - Damage (36) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge (36) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge (37) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (37) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (37) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage Level 38: Hasten (A) Recharge Reduction IO (39) Recharge Reduction IO Level 41: Zapp (A) Sting of the Manticore - Accuracy/Damage (42) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Endurance (42) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Interrupt/Recharge (46) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Endurance/Recharge (46) Sting of the Manticore - Chance of Damage(Toxic) Level 44: Ball Lightning (A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage (45) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance (45) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge (45) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (46) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy) Level 47: One with the Shield (A) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance (48) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance Level 49: Maneuvers (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance (50) Luck of the Gambler - Defense (50) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed Level 1: Brawl (A) Empty Level 1: Critical Hit Level 1: Prestige Power Dash (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Slide (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Quick (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Rush (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Surge (A) Empty Level 1: Sprint (A) Celerity - +Stealth Level 2: Rest (A) Empty Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift (A) Run Speed IO Level 2: Health (A) Panacea - +Hit Points/Endurance Level 2: Hurdle (A) Jumping IO Level 2: Stamina (A) Endurance Modification IO (3) Performance Shifter - EndMod (3) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End Level 1: Combo Level 1 Level 1: Combo Level 2 Level 1: Combo Level 3 Level 50: Cardiac Partial Core Revamp Level 50: Rebirth Partial Radial Invocation Level 50: Assault Core Embodiment ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1548;700;1400;HEX;| |78DA6594CB4E13511CC667DAA9489996965BB9D55EB808054A2BB8333151D4C4404| |2D207C0497BA00323346D8DBA74E10BB8F11574634CD4E8D6AD8A20F00826EAC24B| |A2468D97FA6FBF8FB6A12790DF9C6FCEFFDE334B3716CC07976E9DD574FF79C72A9| |55632D9A25528A8625B266BABCDACD2649999F2E568FD8508A1C3CDCA9272944A9E| |2B5AD71D7B732D52D717D4AADA2CA964266F2B2777B8D5CCE5AD2D27B9A8AC829CF| |6D53617EDB57C5976DEDA2E53502AD779782AA78AA5BC5D085D28D8D964A66C391B| |D590D75696AC5259156FF64B2A49F9DFEED3B82A1E6D55903634638DCC83C76C30B| |00ECE6E805E9F50A76D40C7D91EF0782FF9CD8DB3DFC9AF6087D8EAB075E9B43569| |6BD2D694336E9C31DCF4E3A71FFF4F30F00B9C1D454E3B528F07F5689EFBAE9AB62| |B5A1B6B6C638D5DACB18735F6B0C6046B4CB0469FE4D08E1CB4F618B49038EB608C| |8E09686F24868F317C79C4EDB2C1C1757078038C3AE0F855D02F869DBAA7E6AF933| |1F6C45F90FE828FA0F53D269F80FD4FC967E0E06DF8D325BF6EE6D75D91A5B945E9| |E5A47A53E8EEF01C78621E3C799A0C09C3C253E8AC21B6214E2AC4498D7352694E6| |A5FB21D60B603570CF8B5C82C18CD910A8C3D976CBBA51AF13FC40E0FD15F403A12| |A616A6762031228C117981DC622FC957E0C83638F91A4CEC8041F117A76DFC37BA3| |4F287FC0B8EFE232BA406DBB8E437865CF4B129747A9C7C2B4726E0D798D88136B9| |4BEE8133FBE401F8C3D4B429DA4C71B2D39CEC34273BCDC9CE70B25D3EDCD66A0E4| |9DE8459DE84A0E497E27C529C4FFAC87C868DFA2D97BFEA2F2262D4EF6E25D1F236| |D5A2A45B94B91665BE45596C44916B84BE2E1B9444D36BA7DA035AB5D7B55C3E7AE| |BDF054D9F41F59F9BB518AAFED4ACF10E7EF1367D53A2D05C7710D575177CD7F8DE| |55DE373D7FE86BF4E3C83A237729CD570FABCF34B9176F3CFF0704F3067A| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|

Time/Sonic. Just got mine to 50 and he is capable of so much stuff it really does feel like the only Defender I'd ever need.

This is probably going to be an unorthodox opinion, but I'm playing Energy/Atomic and love it. I skipped Energy Torrent (don't care for it and my intent was to stand in the middle of spawns anyway, so the cone AoE didn't fit) and slotted KB->KD into Explosive Blast and all the knockdown I can generate does a great job of complementing my other control powers to keep me and my team very safe even in the thick of it. I get to take full advantage of Beta Decay to debuff and leech recharge, which also means that I can hit perma-Hasten with ease and Nova with shocking frequency. Bonfire (w/ KB->KD slotting) from my Epic pool just turns the entire strategy up to 11. I can stand in the middle of a spawn totally safe while alternating Explosive Blast and Atom Smasher as they all bounce up and down like popcorn. In short, I play her like a walking bomb. She just runs at people and explodes all day long and it is fantastic!

I had a StJ/SD Scrapper that I played to death back on Live, and I loved it. One of my favorite characters. That said yes, it's a bit endurance heavy on the way to 50. There are things you can do to manage it, however. Some suggestions: - Sweeping Cross is not a great power. I take it only until I can get Spinning Strike and then I respec out of SC. It plays no role in my ultimate build and is too costly for me to use much of the time when Endurance is still an issue, so I don't care for it (basically, I feel like I need to hit three targets for the End cost to make it worthwhile, but that doesn't happen often because the AoE is so small). Spinning Strike and Crushing Uppercut will be my finishers at 50 and there's no room for SC. I never miss it. - Carry blues. Seriously you'll want them. Just accept it. - Heavily slot your bread-and-butter Combo builder attacks and don't neglect Endurance Reduction. If you know that you want to keep the character all the way to endgame, take advantage of the AH auto-Attunement to start building out IO sets for them early. Even aside from the set bonuses, you can squeeze a lot of extra Recharge and EndRedux out of a set than you can SOs or generic IOs, and they won't need to be replaced at 50. - On the topic of enhancement slotting: in my experience it's better to six-slot three attacks (usually Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Dmgx3) than to, say, 4-slot five attacks. The reason why is efficiency. Once you have enhanced an attack with the basic Acc/Dmg, it's a good idea to slot Rchg in it so that you can use it more frequently. Once you have done that, it's better to make that attack (which you are using often) more cost-effective with EndRdx, because every time you use it you save on Endurance. The more heavily an attack is enhanced, the more beneficial it becomes to enhance it more. You can make a pretty smooth attack chain with just Initial Strike/Heavy Blow/Rib Cracker 6-slotted even on SOs, and it'll be easier on your Endurance bar than if you moved those EndRdx slots over to a fourth attack to try to fill in the gaps. With IO sets providing more overall enhancement, this becomes even more true. - Note: the above is probably Slotting 101 to many people here, but I'm always surprised at how many people don't understand it. So it is reproduced here for the sake of covering the basics. - Consider buying Recovery Serums at the P2W Vendor and using them when you're really sucking wind. It's not all that expensive and can really take the pressure off when you're fighting without a break. - Consider Cardiac Alpha at 50. It's a total game-changer for heavy endurance users like this. StJ/SD is a fantastic combination, but you do have to pay for that performance.

I have a Energy/Atomic that I adore. The secondary is strong: Metabolic Acceleration does the job of two powers for the price of one. Radioactive Cloud's hold is fast to execute and is up often, and you can stack it with Positron Cell to shut down a boss. Always a good tool to have. Beta Decay's taunt is a non-issue while solo and I have found it surprisingly usable even in large groups while coupled with the AoE hold or a KB->KD slotted Bonfire (I went Flame Mastery and highly recommend pairing it with /Atomic for that reason). Atom Smasher's size is a tad smaller than I would like but is still worth using once I have my CC established and can just sit in melee alternating it and Explosive Blast (also KB->KD slotted), while I debuff them and leech recharge with Beta Decay. I don't use the other melee attacks but they seem like quality picks if you want them, and Gamma Burst is a funny but largely unnecessary interaction that you can use or safely ignore at your preference. I agree that /Atomic strongly incentivizes getting in the middle of a crowd. If you like that and can do it reasonably safely, it's a great secondary. I have found Energy/Atomic/Flame very powerful, with high recharge, great damage and a strong sub-emphasis on control effects. If you want to hang out safely at range, /Time is probably a better choice since it is less concerned with your positioning.

I'm going to echo what Sulhy said, because it's really important and a lot of people need to take it to heart: any one person is not VITAL to the group's success, and that is as it should be. I was in a group on my blaster the other day and the team got real nervous when our tank left. They were worried that all is poor Squishies would start dying without a meat sgield.. I said we'd be fine and started taking point by just annihilating the next three spawns with overwhelming alpha strikes. They got into it and within minutes we were racing through missions again. Now, does that mean the tank didn't contribute or wasn't valuable? No, she was great. Does it mean thanks more broadly are useless? No. Does it mean blasters are overpowered? Ha, no. What it does mean is that with very few exceptions, good play outweighs Archetype every time. Play whatever you want to play. If you do it well and work with your teammates, your team will thrive and your contribution will be both valued and valuable. Anybody who says "(insert AT here) is bad/useless/obsolete" is doin' it wrong.

I played an SS/Dark brute to death back on Live. It's amazing. Yes, you do have to dedicate yourself to addressing the endurance costs, but: 1) this is highly doable, and 2) the results are spectacular. If your goal is to be an endgame beast and your concept favors /Dark, then go /Dark.

This. I played the heck out of a SS/DA brute back on live and thid was by far the most important IO he ever slotted. I cannot overstate it. I also think you'll find the high-end performance of /DA very satisfying, so stick with it.

For the most part this is great. However... This is just incorrect. With the exception of specific enhancements labeled as Unique, you can slot the same sets in multiple powers. You can't slot more than one of the same set enhancement in the same power, however.