Gulbasaur

Thanks. With the ToHit buffs, I guess it's not necessary as I'm probably going to be a martyr and take some leadership powers too. How do you work around the lack of heals or resistance? I'm used to defenders, peacebringers and brutes so relying on defence and having no heal is a bit alarming. Either than or I got fortunata... but they just don't appeal to me as much. Is the medicine pool worth going into? My experience of it was always a solid "nah" but it will probably be better than nothing.

Apologies if these are a bit rudimentary. I can't find any guides to levelling. Combat Training: Offensive - is this roughly equivalent to sticking an ACC enhancement in my powers? Due to the toggles, is 3dam 1red a sensible way of slotting attacks? What are some sets to add resistance to a defence build? Adding defence to resistance is fairly simple with sets. Fortunata looks like a defence blapper with control and Night Widow looks like a scrapper with some ranged attacks... support aspect aside, does this seem about right?

I'd argue that Vigilance is the weakest of the inherent powers. The damage buff is not enough to make a real impact and the endurance reduction isn't enough on its own. Rarely does a team wipe because the defender didn't have an extra seven endurance points to drop their tier 9. I would propose that this be changed to an endurance reduction and a recharge reduction, scaling as they do now. Cooldowns are a primary issue with most builds, so a defender being able to rush out that extra fulcrum shift or freezing rain would be of much more value than an extra 30 damage in a losing battle. If things are going badly, they've probably exhausted all their big hitters so having them come up quicker would be much more impactful than having slightly more pew pew. Alternatively, Beta Decay's recharge reduction effect that scales to the number of enemies could be a good model to follow; the more you're up against, the more effective you become. It would help defenders do what they're best at and help them stand out from the support crowd. Defenders are the most powerful force multipliers, so I think their inherent should reflect this and I think this would be a good solution.

You don't seem to have many attacks... Brawl, Contaminated Strike at 1, Boxing at 10, Radiation Siphon at 24 (which only works as a heal off Contaminated enemies - which you won't have any of without some Rad Melee attacks)... You don't get a fourth attack until level 35... Yes, you'll be hard to kill but you're relying an awful lot on those level 1 powers.

Set it to Bright tintable then pick really dark colours. It turns the flashy glow into a smokey simmer. It's what I do on all the effects I don't like and quite a reliable way of making them more subtle.

When you get there, the Scirocco patron arc for Mu Mastery is absolutely worth doing for the two AoE powers that do damage over time. If you shoot them at point blank range, you hit pretty much everything around you. They both have fairly short recharges, and one does minor damage with immobilise and the other does (quite high) moderate damage. It's a well-crafted set of missions with a fair amount of variety, so power through with a group and enjoy it.

I think IG is spawned every four seconds - if you have superjump, you'll notice you leave little poofs of radiation in mid-air if you have it running. It definitely favours staying in one place, but rad melee does generally as you need mobs clustered together for Contaminated damage. If you're pulling round a corner or something, worst-case scenario is you have to wait 3 seconds for it to catch up with you.

First: That costume is excellent. Can't speak for SJ, but for Rad Armour... it's a very good set with a mixture of regen, recharge and damage resistance and absorb. There are a few click powers that enormously add to your sustain and I would say that all the powers are worth taking, although Meltdown is low priority in my opinion. While levelling, slot all your resistance powers 3DamRes, 1 EndRed and try to keep them on all the time. Put 3 EndMod in Gamma Boost. Beta Decay is worth slotting for -ToHit, for some extra defence. Keep it running at all times for the taunt aura and you'll be fine as main tank but lose out to Tankers and Kheldians in Dwarf form (which I think is true of most brute builds as Khelds can sustain AoE taunts more easily from a lower level - they're probably about even by about 35-40). Particle Shielding is outstanding but buffs things at different lengths... slot it first for recharge and pop it up every time it refreshes. It is a game-changer in terms of survivability. It basically gives you extra hit points through Absorb and ups your endurance recharge. You have two heals - one for you, one for your allies. Both work as okay heals on their own, but the self-heal also recharges endurance and they both do fairly wide AoE damage over time. The ally heal is on a fairly long timer, but it's also a team-saver so train your teammates to hang out in melee range. I've been the main healer with my rad brute in missions (with a good array of support, just not much healing). Meltdown is a bit of a damage and survivability boost, with the downside that it tanks your endurance recharge at the end. It's worth taking eventually, but it's not a must-have-immediately, in my opinion. Like all resistance sets, it benefits from dipping into the power pools for some more defence. I think combat jumping is really good on a brute because it allows you to jump in and out of groups of mobs fairly easily. Weave is worthwhile, too. By level 50, you'll have two more build slots and a lot of respecs saved up, so don't worry too much about min-maxing your levelling build, but this should hopefully help get you there. You can make a new build for enhancement set bonuses at 50 in one of the other slots.

My Dwarf form is only really used if aggro management is a problem. It's also good for teleporting in and lifting aggro off brutes if they're struggling, which at mid levels is often as they take longer to get their defences up to scratch.

I regularly run "Anyone with a travel power" radio and newspaper missions in Peregrine Island and Grandville starting at +1x8 and going up from there depending on how we do and I usually have a few level 10-25 people bashing through a load of levels fairly rapidly. We usually get up to +3x8 and stick it out there as long as we avoid malta and carnies. I've had people arrive at level 4 and still be able to contribute (although this works better for support sets). If you see Mother Blight on the LFG, feel free to send me a message and join in the fun.

Radiation melee has a secondary effect where enemies have a chance to be hit with the Contaminated debuff. If you hit a Contaminated enemy with a single-target rad melee attack, it does splash damage to enemies around it. This is probably why it's hard to model - it does conditional and slightly unpredictable damage in a very small AoE - it usually hits about 2 or 3 enemies for low double-digit damage. It also has one big AoE smash and a crappy cone attack that almost everyone respecs out. Pros: Extra splash damage. Melee attack with a (conditional) heal on short cooldown. Damage aura (technically a summon). Fusion + Atom Smasher = everything is Contaminated so can heal you and do extra damage. Synergises well with Fighting pool for Tough and Weave later on. Cons: Splash damage is unreliable, has a tiny AoE and is more a bonus feature than a core one. Heal is reliant on Contaminated target. Has a couple of 'meh' attacks early on. Strongest single-target attack has world's longest animation - genuinely has got me killed at lower levels. Slightly clunky rotation without Kick from Fighting pool (or whatever). I'd say the splash damage and Irradiated Ground AoE mean that it might suit a tanker or brute more than a scrapper or stalker as it really benefits from having enemies tightly packed around you and works best if you stay in the same spot. I enjoy it on my brute, but I think it does lend itself better to a centre-of-attention playstyle.

I play a rad/rad brute, and Irradiated Ground is nice but not enormously powerful. It's technically spawned as a pet, so I assume it doesn't do any additional taunt effects. What *is* good is that with the contamination effect, all your single-target attacks become splash damage so you end up with a lot of little orange numbers flying about at all times. You also have a fairly solid melee attack that heals you if the target is contaminated when you hit them - it can heal for 500 or so on a short cooldown which is a nice little bonus, but you have to make sure your target is contaminated first or it's wasted. Atom Smasher is an excellent opener. Charge it up with Fusion first and it will contaminate every enemy around you, which means more damage and more healing for you. Most radiation melee attacks lower enemy defence, so you can take on enemies at a slightly higher level earlier as you have a better chance of actually hitting them.

Radiation melee has a lot of splash damage. Attacks have a chance to contaminate enemies, and when you hit contaminated enemies, single-target melee attacks become AoE melee attacks. You have a terrible cone attack (the range is pithy) and a very good melee AoE attack. The only downside is that a few of the attacks are quite slow, but if you are aiming for Tough and Weave then that's not a problem because you can use Kick as filler. I'm not sure how this works with punchvoke or pokevoke, though, as the City of Data archives fall apart when get to the Contaminated effect. I'm not sure if Irradiated Ground has a taunt attached because I think it's technically spawned as a pseudo-pet (and sometimes appears on the mini map), but is worth running all the same for some constant damage and debuffs. If you stand anywhere for more than a few seconds, it basically works as a damage aura.

I have Rad Armour on my brute, and the skills are all pretty good, to be honest. It's a compromise between Regeneration and a more traditional armour set. It makes up for the slightly low resistances with very high endurance and health regen and a very good heal (it's a damage AoE that recharges health and endurance - what's not to love?). Particle Shielding is absolutely excellent as it gives you Absorb and a huge END regen boost. Gamma Boost is worth slotting for EndMod while levelling as it helps you keep all your toggles on. You may want to take Weave and/or Combat Jumping for a defence boost. The only power I don't think is excellent is Meltdown, and that's just because it's a bit generic. There are two heals that do AoE damage - one for you, one for your allies. Be careful with them if you don't want to pick up too much aggro, but it's nice being able to prevent a wipe by healing your allies for 300HP in the middle of battle and then watching your enemies all fall over because of it.

90% of peacebringer glory is Light Form + human melee + Nova until everything is dead, then Dwarf form if everything is not dead but Light Form is off cooldown. It doesn't have the complexity or nuance of MFWarshade, but it's ready out-of-the-box once you get things unlocked. One of the Kheldian's Grace enhancements is called Form Enhancement or something, and is 100% worth getting ASAP as it gives Nova a noticeable damage buff.

I'm used to playing squishies and support (and peacebringer)... Brutes are lots of fun. It takes a while to get your defences to a place where you feel safe, but when you're there you stay there. Defence stacks really well, so if there are any powers that you're a bit indifferent to, dip into the power pools. Combat Jumping is a team-saver as it allows you to leap over one group of mobs and into another, which is great for pulling aggro off your teammates. The defence is also nice. Tough and Weave are decent boosts and worth getting. Aim to get get some resistance and some defence - they ramp up very quickly when you combine the two.

Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.962 http://www.cohplanner.com/ Click this DataLink to open the build! Mother Blight: Level 50 Science Brute Primary Power Set: Radiation Melee Secondary Power Set: Radiation Armor Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Contaminated Strike -- KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(A), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(3), KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(3), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33) Level 1: Alpha Barrier -- RctArm-EndRdx/Rchg(A), RctArm-EndRdx(5), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(7), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(7), RctArm-ResDam/Rchg(37), RctArm-ResDam(46) Level 2: Gamma Boost -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(15) Level 4: Radioactive Smash -- SprUnrFur-Acc/Dmg(A), SprUnrFur-Dmg/Rchg(5), SprUnrFur-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), SprUnrFur-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), SprUnrFur-Rchg/+Regen/+End(13), SprUnrFur-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(25) Level 6: Fusion -- RctRtc-ToHit/Rchg(A), RctRtc-ToHit(9) Level 8: Proton Armor -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), GldArm-ResDam(9), GldArm-End/Res(17), GldArm-RechRes(19), GldArm-Res/Rech/End(46), GldArm-RechEnd(48) Level 10: Kick -- ExpStr-Dmg/KB(A), ExpStr-Dam%(19), ExpStr-Acc/KB(21) Level 12: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A) Level 14: Tough -- RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctArm-ResDam(15), RctArm-ResDam/Rchg(17), RctArm-EndRdx(23), RctArm-EndRdx/Rchg(50) Level 16: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def(A), LucoftheG-Rchg+(21), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(23) Level 18: Radiation Therapy -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Pnc-Heal(25), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(27), PrfShf-End%(27), PrfShf-EndMod/Rchg(29), PrfShf-EndMod/Acc(29) Level 20: Fallout Shelter -- Ags-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Ags-ResDam/Rchg(36), Ags-EndRdx/Rchg(36), Ags-ResDam(37), Ags-Psi/Status(46), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(48) Level 22: Beta Decay -- ShlBrk-%Dam(A), ShlBrk-Acc/DefDeb(31), ShlBrk-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(31), ShlBrk-DefDeb(31), ShlBrk-DefDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(37), ShlBrk-Acc/Rchg(50) Level 24: Irradiated Ground -- ScrDrv-Acc/Rchg(A), ScrDrv-Dmg/Rchg(40), ScrDrv-Dmg/EndRdx(40), ScrDrv-Acc/Dmg(40), ScrDrv-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43) Level 26: Radiation Siphon -- TchoftheN-Heal(A) Level 28: Devastating Blow -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(33), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(34), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42) Level 30: Particle Shielding -- Heal-I(A), RechRdx-I(42), EndMod-I(43), EndMod-I(43) Level 32: Atom Smasher -- SprBrtFur-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBrtFur-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), SprBrtFur-Dmg/Rchg(34), SprBrtFur-Rech/Fury(34), SprBrtFur-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), SprBrtFur-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39) Level 35: Ground Zero -- DctWnd-Heal(A), DctWnd-Heal/Rchg(45), DctWnd-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(45) Level 38: Weave -- LucoftheG-Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(39), LucoftheG-Def(39) Level 41: Focused Accuracy -- RctRtc-ToHit(A), RctRtc-ToHit/Rchg(42) Level 44: Physical Perfection -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(45) Level 47: Meltdown -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A) Level 49: Maneuvers -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(50) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 1: Fury Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Prv-Absorb%(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(11), EndMod-I(48) Level 50: Musculature Radial Boost Level 50: Melee Total Radial Graft ------------ 40% S/L Defence. 35% Melee, 24%Ranged, 30%AoE. 50-75% resistance all but cold and psi. Regen & Recovery both pretty good and have two heals to play with. I want to keep Ground Zero as a useful heal (it's a wipe-saver) and Particle Shielding doesn't really have any great sets as it's locked into Heal sets but I mostly use it for the End regen. Kick is there partly because I like the animation when on uneven ground where my vigilante stamps in people's faces.

I've gone for energy on my Rad/Rad, and I realise it's total overkill on the endurance generation, but Focused Accuracy is useful and being able to run nine toggles is fairly useful without the IO set bonuses to keep me up and running. At 46 with my brute at the moment, so I'll set up a new build for IO sets at 50 and want to try something more exciting. Mu looks very useful if I can get those two AoEs basically on top of me they should supplement Contaminated splash damage nicely. Darkest Night looks worth taking. Tried Pyre, didn't like it. Earth comes with too much visual noise, which makes it hard to play in melee I feel like I've answered my own question a bit, but... What's good?

I played a kin/psi defender back in the day, and that was pretty decent. The AOE heal is ridonkadonks from level 1 and the rest of the buffs are pretty nifty. It could solo quite nicely as the constant damage and recharge buffs made a massive difference. If you want a strong offensive defender, kin is pretty awesome as you make teammates much, much stronger. I started a rad/rad defender yesterday for some duo-ing with my brother's brute and as long as we get in melee or mid-range, we are untouchable. Hiding round corners has never been more productive. If you want a strong defensive defender, rad is hard to beat as you make your enemies much, much weaker. We've been playing +1x4 since about level 14. As soon as we get some more AoE damage, we'll up it again as at the moment it's just quite time-consuming. There's little risk unless we pull two loads of mobs, but it's just mowing them all down that takes a while.

That's interesting about endurance... maybe I'm on endurance overkill a bit. I am running a *lot* of toggles, though. There's no "proper" way to use Ground Zero, but it's nice being able to heal your teammates when things get rough. If your team pulls two groups of mobs, being able to leap from one to another and heal your teammates really helps and it helps masterminds with squishy pets as well. The AoE damage is an added bonus for me. I've always preferred hybrid playstyles, though.

I'd be inclined to put some EndMod in Gamma Boost; it's like having a second Stamina, which helps with a toggle-heavy build. Beta Decay drops some worthwhile debuffs in my opinion, which increase your team sustain. -5.625% ToHit for 1s and -11.25% Base Defense for 1s, every second can be increased to about 10% and 20% if you are so inclined. Maybe not an AV-killer, but for hammering through mobs and protecting your team I think it's worthy if there is room. I've skipped Meltdown; I just don't see the need for it as the bonuses aren't really that exciting. Ground Zero I have three heals in and it's a team-saver, in my opinion. It's not a huge heal, but it's enough to prevent a wipe. If you have two slots free, putting three heals in this is a noble endeavour. Particle Shielding is quietly one of the best powers in the set, in my opinion, but its base is so strong I'm not sure how high I'd slot it.

There are two (slightly expensive) resistance enhancements that give you +3 defence each. With combat jumping or hover and weave, you hit about 12% on your own. While this isn't amazing alone it pairs really well with the -ToHit from your taunt aura (beta decay?) and the extra defence makes a huge difference to survivability. Contamination is... an unreliable bonus feature and you can't rely on it. Fusion then atom smasher is a great way to start off, but if fusion isn't up it's hit and miss. Rad/rad has a lot of self and team sustain. Endurance is not a problem and you have two good but slightly unreliable heals. You have average resistance, but because you have three powers that give you more endurance you can run loads of toggles so it's worth hitting the pool powers good and hard.

I'm at level 42 with my rad/rad. I agree with Erratic1; Proton Sweep is a bit useless and I respec'd it out. If it triggered the AoE Contamination damage, it would be worthwhile, but it doesn't and I've never seen it hit more than two enemies. Get Kick instead and get Tough and Weave earlier, maybe. I don't miss it at all. I took Kick and Boxing to get Weave and that feels fine as filler to keep the attack chain going. I respec'd out Hasten and haven't noticed the difference as Beta Decay gives you some recharge. I didn't take Meltdown and went for Combat Jumping instead for a bit more defence. It's also fun leaping over a bunch of mobs to your teammates who are in trouble. I may pick it up later, but probably not. With three EndMod in Stamina and three in Gamma Boost, running ten million toggles won't be a problem. I've slotted Radiation Therapy for two heals, two EndMod and two recharge and it's the best heal in the entire game. The AoE ally heal is really good for what it is, but you have to train your squishies to fly towards you when they need healing and not back away. I've actually thought about setting it up a macro to tell people to come to melee to heal as nobody looks at a brute and thinks healer. The only downside to Rad/Rad is that it doesn't have any crowning glory so you kind of just do your thing whatever is happening. Meltdown is nice, but otherwise not too special. The two heals are kind of the only really unique thing about radiation armour as the self heal is solid gold (it heals you, replenishes your endurance and drops a noticeable amount of damage) and the AoE heal will keep your team going as it does about 250-300 HP with some enhancements in. The rad melee heal is very potent, doing just shy of 500 HP at level 42, but Contamination is unreliable so I end up using to to keep my health above 75% more than saving it. I ummed and aaahed about the epic pool powers and nearly did what you did for focussed accuracy. I went for pyre mastery in the end, but I'm not sold on that either.

Playing as a vigilante. In Paragon City, I can access the newspaper (which has no missions) and in the Rogue Isles, I can access the Police Scanner (which has no missions). Been like this for a couple of days. I changed with Null the Gull, so maybe some flag is being set the wrong way round. EDIT: Logging out in the Rogue Isles seems to have resolved it.

Does anyone have any thoughts on Meltdown, the final /rad power. It looks very underwhelming.