Camel's Fire/Energy Tank. A guide you don't need.

[Camel]

Remember the glory days? You know..... Pre-aggro cap burn, no diminishing returns, original Energy Transfer (RIP... D:)

What if I told you they never left? What if I told you that you can RE-LIVE those glorious times RIGHT NOW! All you have to do is believe a madman like me. Now, lets dive into why you should stop EVERYTHING you are doing, read this super informative and fact based thread, and then make a Fire/Energy Tank.

Energy Melee & You®

Why? - BECAUSE IT'S F*%$@ng Energy Melee! That's why! What about that cRuNcH you all KNOW you love? What about being able to file your taxes, meditate AND make your coffee in between attacks? Energy Melee offers all that and more! All silliness aside, let's dive into why Fire/Energy might be the most fun you've ever had as a Tank and why this classic deserves to be taken out for a ride. Let's go over the powers quick.

Barrage - Standard T1 here except this T1 deals respectable damage and has a slower recharge for better proc rates if you're into that kinky stuff. Has the one-two punch and  cRuNcH animation that feels great and overall a better pick than Energy Punch.
Energy Punch - Nope. Don't take this power. You don't need it even for low level TFs and that is the only reason you would want it. Save the power pick for something more beneficial.

 

Bone Smasher - What's not to like about smashing bones? More of that  cRuNcH we all NEED and added job security for all the real heroes out there (shout out to all the medical personnel out there saving lives in RL!) You will frequently use this power at all levels and stages of your build, sort of a Swiss Army Knife power, take it and slot it. Proc it out? Just make sure you're smashing bones.

 

Taunt - Even someone as delusional and mad as me laughs at any 'tAnKeR' who doesn't take Taunt! People tend to overlook this, but this power is useful for pulling villains off an ally who find themselves in over their head. The power description says to use this power cautiously but f*%# that. TAUNT THEM, TAUNT THEM ALL.

 

Whirling Hands - Okay, can we all agree that the name of this power is the only thing that really needs to be looked at in Energy Melee? I'm going to say two things and it's going to confuse you. This power sucks and is a must have. Low level this power is incredible. I was running Posi 1 all the way to Numina's during a TF Commander Marathon and had a lot of success with this power. Build Up + Gauss BU Proc + Fiery Embrace make Burn + Whirling Hands (or any PBAoE lets be honest lol) do tremendous damage. Just take it. Stop asking questions. NEXT POWER.

 

Stun - I'm not here to argue semantics, okay? Leave me alone. Don't take this power. NEXT.

 

Build Up - This power is great and I'll explain in great detail why. Do more damage.

 

Energy Transfer -   The Holy Grail of Tanker attacks. Laugh maniacally as bullets and Infernos glance off you and enemies scream in terror as they see you charging up your attack. Demoralize them as they fail to damage you only to realize that YOUR attacks do more damage to YOU than they do. Maximum cRuNcH and insane damage when fully buffed by Build Up and Fiery Embrace.

 

Total Focus - Total. Focus. TOTAL. I actually finished this thread about halfway through it's animation! That's the really great thing about Energy Melee, it gives you time to really do what YOU want to do. This things hits like a truck and you look hella fly while doing it! This rounds out your cRuNcH attack chain. Some of you may have noticed I haven't talked about the stunning aspect of Energy Melee. So let's talk about that. Energy Melee stuns. The end. It's all about the cRuNcH.

 

 

Fiery Aura& You®

 

Why? - Channel your inner pyromaniac, BURN ALL THE BABIES, ANARCHY! You are cloaked in FIRE. The visuals are stunning, the damage is amazing and the knock back infuriating. You want to be a part of this club, you WILL be a part of this club. Let's look at the powers.

 

Blazing Aura - Name a better way to social distance. I'll wait. You literally radiate flames and burn everything around you, constantly. Free damage and a great place to put the +res proc from the Tanker ATO set. Also a great place to put the Winter ATO set too for added melee defense and a chance to knock down your enemies.

 

Fire Shield - They say the best offense is a great defense. That's why you want to be on FIRE. Fire Shield grants you decent resistance to Smash/Lethal/Fire and slight resistance to Cold damage, as well as protection from disorient effects.

 

Healing Flames - You can concentrate for a few moments to heal yourself, and since you are Totally Focused all the time this power will heal even more.

 

Temperature Protection - Some people skip this and I think they are silly. Great place to put Psi resist IOs, +def IOs, KB IOs and grants you slow resistance. I normally take this at level 49.

 

Consume - If you can find the slots to give this power love, do it. Consume really helps with endurance while leveling and even in some instances where you get drained.

 

 

Plasma Shield - Not really much to say here, Plasma Shield gives you some solid resistance to Energy/Negative Energy and protection from Holds and Sleep. Take it and marvel in the beauty that is You.

Burn - The moment we have all been waiting for.... We are nearing the end of this abomination of a guide. This power is amazing and absolutely essential in BURNING ALL THE BABIES. Take it and unleash your inner pyromaniac.

Fiery Embrace - Fiery Embrace... old buddy old pal. I love this power, especially on Energy Melee. Total Focus and Energy Transfer have such huge base damage, and since the bonus fire damage is directly related to your base damage... Oh yeah. Wrap your fists in Energy and embrace them in Fire and watch your foes melt away before you!

 

Rise of the Phoenix - Not a bad power, if dying as a Tank is your thing (and it shouldn't be... this is the ONE kink we should not allow)

 

 

Whew... I'm not sure if that was more painful for you... or for me. Halfway through this I regretted what I had begun. All jokes aside, this is currently some of the most fun I've had in the game. I've heard Energy Melee is getting a look next issue, so I wanted to share my Fire/Energy Tank build. I was under the impression that Fiery Aura wasn't too great outside of farming and this build changed my mind entirely. So... If anyone wants to try it out, or use this as a very simple Energy Melee or Fiery Aura guide I'll be posting some of my other Fiery Aura or Energy Melee Tank builds.

Here's the build!

 

Quick stats at a glance:

2,586 HP

113.6 Endurance

258% Regen (27.8 HP/s)

197% Recovery (3.73 End/s)

0.93/s End Drain (including Super Speed + Sprint)

+337 HP (18%)

+57.5% Recharge 
+39% Accuracy

+12 KB Protection
 

 

No stacks/buffs (+Res ATO, Barrier)

46.8% Melee Defense

33.3% Smash/Lethal Defense

19.9% Defense to everything else

 

90% Smash/Lethal/Fire Resistance

73.8% Energy/Negative Resistance
56.5% Cold Resistance

49% Psionic Resistance

20% Toxic Resistance

 

With stacks/buffs
51.8%+ Melee Defense

38.3% Smash/Lethal Defense

24.9% Defense to everything else

 

90% Smash/Lethal/Fire/Energy/Negative/Toxic Resistance
74.9% Cold Resistance

67.4% Psionic Resistance

 

Toxic can be easily capped by preemptively using Healing Flames for the +Toxic resist. Melee Core has been overkill in terms of survivability for me, so Assault is something to consider here if you had to choose between one. 

 

 

 

Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Fiery Aura
Secondary Power Set: Energy Melee
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: zc_Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Fire Shield -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(3), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(3), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(5), ImpArm-ResPsi(43)
Level 1: Barrage -- SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg(A), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), SprGntFis-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), SprGntFis-Rchg/+Absorb(9)
Level 2: Blazing Aura -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(9), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), SprAvl-Rchg/KDProc(13), SprMghoft-Rchg/Res%(13)
Level 4: Bone Smasher -- TchofDth-Acc/Dmg(A), TchofDth-Dmg/EndRdx(15), TchofDth-Dmg/Rchg(21), TchofDth-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(23), TchofDth-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), TchofDth-Dam%(25)
Level 6: Healing Flames -- NmnCnv-Heal(A), NmnCnv-Heal/Rchg(37), NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 8: Consume -- PrfShf-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(A)
Level 10: Taunt -- PrfZng-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(A)
Level 12: Plasma Shield -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(36), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(37), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(37), ImpArm-ResPsi(43)
Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(15)
Level 16: Whirling Hands -- Obl-Dmg(A), Obl-Acc/Rchg(17), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(17), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), Obl-%Dam(21)
Level 18: Burn -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg(A), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), Arm-Acc/Rchg(29), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Arm-Dam%(31), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(33)
Level 20: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(25), Rct-ResDam%(27), Krm-ResKB(43)
Level 22: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 24: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(34), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(34), UnbGrd-Max HP%(34), ImpArm-ResPsi(46)
Level 26: Fiery Embrace -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 28: Build Up -- GssSynFr--Build%(A), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 30: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(31), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(31)
Level 32: Temperature Protection -- StdPrt-ResKB(A), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(33), GldArm-3defTpProc(33), Ags-Psi/Status(45), ImpArm-ResPsi(45)
Level 35: Energy Transfer -- SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprMghoft-Dmg/Rchg(45), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), SprMghoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(48), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 38: Total Focus -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Dmg/Rchg(39), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Hct-Acc/Rchg(39), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(40), Hct-Dam%(46)
Level 41: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(50), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 44: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 47: Physical Perfection -- PrfShf-End%(A)
Level 49: Super Speed -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A), WntGif-ResSlow(50)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Qck-EndRdx/RunSpd(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(42), Mrc-Rcvry+(42), Prv-Absorb%(46)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-EndMod/Rchg(40), PrfShf-End%(42)
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 50: Cardiac Core Paragon
Level 50: Ion Core Final Judgement
Level 50: Reactive Radial Flawless Interface
Level 50: Barrier Core Epiphany
Level 50: Melee Radial Embodiment
------------

 

 

 

Edited May 26, 2020 by Camel

[Camel]

Here are some other builds that include Energy Melee.

 

Tanker - Bio Armor - Energy Melee.mxdTanker - Bio Armor - Energy Melee.mxd

Tanker - Dark Armor - Energy Melee.mxd

Tanker - Electric Armor - Energy Melee.mxd

Tanker - Ice Armor - Energy Melee.mxd

Tanker - Invulnerability - Energy Melee.mxd

Tanker - Radiation Armor - Energy Melee.mxd

Tanker - Shield Defense - Energy Melee.mxd

Tanker - Stone Armor - Energy Melee.mxd

Tanker - Willpower - Energy Melee.mxd

[Camel]

And a few Fiery Aura builds here.

 

Tanker - Fiery Aura - Broad Sword.mxd

Tanker - Fiery Aura - Dark Melee.mxd

Tanker - Fiery Aura - Spines.mxd

 

Tanker - Fiery Aura - Titan Weapons.mxd

Edited May 23, 2020 by Camel

[Camel]

If you have any questions or feedback, let me know!

Edited May 23, 2020 by Camel

[triduum]

Camel,

I  woke up and read this before going to work. I am now amped up and ready to face the day and I am going to roll this tank tonight. Fun Fun!

[Camel]

On 5/23/2020 at 6:16 AM, triduum said:

Camel,

I  woke up and read this before going to work. I am now amped up and ready to face the day and I am going to roll this tank tonight. Fun Fun!

Glad to hear it! Make sure to prioritize the IOs in Health for recovery, KB protection IOs, the 2 +Def IOs, the Unbreakable Guards, And the ATOs. Not sure how much inf you have, or how you will level this character but those IOs helped a lot while leveling. Touch of Death and Obliteration in the build aren’t bad to focus for either. 

Edited May 26, 2020 by Camel

[Camel]

Updates. Been having a lot of fun herding all the monsters on The Cutlass Isles (I believe those are the islands) on the Excelsior server. Oftentimes reaching aggro cap and marching them all the way to Portal Corp. I just did this yesterday and it was a blast. Pure chaos, and about 20-30 heroes all blasting away. Sometimes I’ll herd the entire island, and let them hit me while I form teams. Even with 10-16 monsters aggroed on me, it is rare the I need to use Healing Flames.

 

Thoughts on making the build better:

 

Swapping the IOs in Barrage and Bonesmasher would yield a better proc rate for the +Absorb ATO proc, but also a slight yield in DPS (I am not the best numbers guy... but I’d imagine it would be 1%, or less, in DPS loss). I have not tested this yet, but putting the chance to heal proc IO from the Power Transfer set in Consume would turn it into another decent heal. It still can proc multiple times per enemy hit, yeah? I know it did when I was testing it in Dark Consumption on the test servers. If surrounded by enemies on my Dark/Shield Scrapper it was healing on average 600 HP. But I swear I’ve seen people mentioning that it no longer procs multiple times per target hit, I cannot confirm nor deny this because I haven’t changed the initial build I posted, because it feels really good as it is.

 

Anyways, @triduum, how has the Tank been treating you? End up rolling it or did your alt-itis get the best of you? 😅

Edited June 1, 2020 by Camel

[Sovera]

I loved the guide. It might be what I needed to feel better about Tanker ST damage actually.

 

There's room for some tweaks (I wouldn't go as far as calling them improvements). The ATO proc in the aura was tested as not being ideal. Even in a target saturated medium it will at most stay at two stacks and between 5% chance of missing and PPM rules they might stay at one stack for periods of time. In the same vein there is too much S/L resistance going and some slots could be distributed, S/L defense cap reached to be softcapped with Barrier.

 

But really, you're herding monsters in Peregrine and barely having to use your heal so are any of these actual improvements 😄 ?

[Camel]

12 hours ago, Sovera said:

I loved the guide. It might be what I needed to feel better about Tanker ST damage actually.

 

There's room for some tweaks (I wouldn't go as far as calling them improvements). The ATO proc in the aura was tested as not being ideal. Even in a target saturated medium it will at most stay at two stacks and between 5% chance of missing and PPM rules they might stay at one stack for periods of time. In the same vein there is too much S/L resistance going and some slots could be distributed, S/L defense cap reached to be softcapped with Barrier.

 

But really, you're herding monsters in Peregrine and barely having to use your heal so are any of these actual improvements 😄 ?

I noticed that too, it’s almost impossible to not go over the cap for S/L as much as I did. I was actively trying to avoid as many S/L resist as I could. With Touch of Death and Obliteration being the only IO sets I used in the build that offered S/L resist bonuses. I wanted the rest of the set bonuses in those sets, so I said to hell with it and didn’t care about those set bonuses being wasted. I could technically do something different here.. but I’d lose out on 7.5% defense to melee just to make sure those two set bonuses weren’t being wasted. 
 

I’ve been noticing that with Blazing Aura as well. But I’ve tested the ATO in every single attack I could on this particular build, and the only time I could get three stacks was if I put that power on auto and did nothing else. Burn, Energy Transfer and Total Focus are my babies.. so I opted to put the ATO in Blazing Aura because it’s almost always at 2 stacks 100% of the time once things get going. The auto-pilot aspect of it means I’m free to spam my heavy hitters and completely forget about my ATO procs. With 2 stacks I’m at 90% Resistance to all damage types outside of Cold, Psionic and Toxic (which can easily be capped with Healing Flames).
 

I’ve fully completed my build, have all accolades I wanted to get (the pretty autos that make your status window look BEAUTIFUL) and I can’t bring myself to stop playing him. Little did I know that herd management is my favorite part of the game. His name is Retro DPS if anyone has played with me on Excelsior. I’ll try to get some screenshots of some of the numbers I’ve been able to reach with Energy Transfer/Total Focus. They range from pretty modest (300-400 damage) to absolutely insane under the right conditions (3k+). I don’t want to jynx it, but if Energy Melee gets some well deserved luvin’... I can only imagine the insanity. 

[Camel]

I don’t believe this is top tier (the build is top tier, but the power set combo is not), but I do believe it is competitive. If you adjust your play style accordingly, you can get a lot of mileage out of it. I Tank very aggressively on this build. If I know my team is in zero danger of mopping up the leftover mobs, I leave and aggro the next, dropping a Burn patch immediately followed by Whirling Hands, then I smack the boss with Energy Transfer and Total Focus. By doing this, most of the minions are gone, LTs are around half health and the boss I have targeted is either knocked out or about to be by the time my team shows up. 
 

edit: I will advocate for this build until it gets the respect it deserves! I really think people are sleeping on Energy Melee... specifically  Fire/Energy, Shield/Energy and Bio/Energy. 

Edited June 2, 2020 by Camel

[Menelruin]

This intrigues me.  If I may go off on a slight tangent, do you have any experience with EM and Brutes?  For theme's sake I have an EM/EnA Brute (since Tankers are sadly denied Energy Aura), but the build I found is....odd.  It seems pretty damn durable, but didn't have room for Taunt.  And since EM lacks AoE, it can't Pokevoke crowds to hold aggro....decent at holding AV's attention though, at least.....

[Camel]

25 minutes ago, Menelruin said:

This intrigues me.  If I may go off on a slight tangent, do you have any experience with EM and Brutes?  For theme's sake I have an EM/EnA Brute (since Tankers are sadly denied Energy Aura), but the build I found is....odd.  It seems pretty damn durable, but didn't have room for Taunt.  And since EM lacks AoE, it can't Pokevoke crowds to hold aggro....decent at holding AV's attention though, at least.....

I have a Energy Melee/Dark Armor Brute. He was pretty fun to play, but not nearly as enjoyable as this Tank. I’ve never enjoyed Energy Melee as much as I do on Tanks, not sure why. Do you mind posting your build? I could see if there were some way fit Taunt in there for you, maybe even swap some other IOs around to see if I can get some better numbers. I don’t have much experience with Energy Aura builds. But I definitely have several thousand hours of making builds under my belt, so it wouldn’t be too hard to figure it out. When the game shut down, making builds on Mids was my way of “playing the game.” So I like to think I’m at least moderately qualified to make good builds! 😎
 

edit: The Brute will seem a bit anemic initially. They have the lowest damage modifier of any AT that has access to Energy Melee. This is no surprise to anyone who knows Brutes have fury. Eventually, you will overtake the Tank in damage, but it’s not a night and day difference. The Tank will always be tougher and be better at aggro/mob management. I would say make a Tank, but we don’t have Energy Aura. So your hands are tied. However, if you do make an Energy Melee Tank, I have a build posted for every primary (sans Super Reflexes, which I may make tonight), and they are all very similar to my Fire/Energy Tank. Some are borderline identical. 

Edited June 3, 2020 by Camel

[Camel]

This is what I came up with on my first attempt. I left the incarnates blank, also didn’t select any accolades. I’m sure it could get a lot better, but the numbers seem decent! 
 

Villain Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

[url=http://www.cohplanner.com/mids/download.php?uc=1439&c=652&a=1304&f=HEX&dc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lick this DataLink to open the build![/url]

Level 50 Magic Brute
Primary Power Set: Energy Melee
Secondary Power Set: Energy Aura
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Barrage -- SprBrtFur-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBrtFur-Dmg/Rchg(11), SprBrtFur-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), SprBrtFur-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), SprBrtFur-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), SprBrtFur-Rech/Fury(15)
Level 1: Kinetic Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(7), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(7), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(36), LucoftheG-EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 2: Bone Smasher -- SprUnrFur-Acc/Dmg(A), SprUnrFur-Dmg/Rchg(17), SprUnrFur-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), SprUnrFur-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), SprUnrFur-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), SprUnrFur-Rchg/+Regen/+End(23)
Level 4: Power Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(9), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(9), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(37), LucoftheG-EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 6: Build Up -- GssSynFr--Build%(A), RechRdx-I(25)
Level 8: Whirling Hands -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(31), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), SprAvl-Rchg/KDProc(34)
Level 10: Entropic Aura -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Taunt -- PrfZng-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(A)
Level 14: Dampening Field -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(15), Ags-Psi/Status(43), ImpArm-ResPsi(45)
Level 16: Energy Protection -- RctArm-ResDam(A), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(46), RctArm-ResDam/Rchg(48), ImpArm-ResPsi(50)
Level 18: Total Focus -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Dmg/Rchg(27), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), Hct-Acc/Rchg(29), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Hct-Dam%(43)
Level 20: Energy Cloak -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(21), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(21), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(39), LucoftheG-EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 22: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(23)
Level 24: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-ResDam%(25)
Level 26: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 28: Energy Drain -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/Rchg(48), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 30: Tough -- RctArm-ResDam(A), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(46), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(46), ImpArm-ResPsi(50)
Level 32: Energy Transfer -- Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg(A), Mk'Bit-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Mk'Bit-Dmg/Rchg(33), Mk'Bit-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Mk'Bit-Dam%(43)
Level 35: Energize -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/Rchg(36), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(36)
Level 38: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(39), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(39), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(40), LucoftheG-EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 41: Maneuvers -- ShlWal-Def(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(42), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(42), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(42)
Level 44: Focused Accuracy -- AdjTrg-ToHit(A), AdjTrg-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(45), AdjTrg-ToHit/EndRdx(45)
Level 47: Physical Perfection -- PrfShf-End%(A)
Level 49: Super Speed -- WntGif-ResSlow(A)
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 -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run 
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Prv-Absorb%(5), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(5), Mrc-Rcvry+(50)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-EndMod/Rchg(3), PrfShf-End%(3)
------------

[Menelruin]

7 hours ago, Camel said:

I have a Energy Melee/Dark Armor Brute. He was pretty fun to play, but not nearly as enjoyable as this Tank. I’ve never enjoyed Energy Melee as much as I do on Tanks, not sure why. Do you mind posting your build? I could see if there were some way fit Taunt in there for you, maybe even swap some other IOs around to see if I can get some better numbers. I don’t have much experience with Energy Aura builds. But I definitely have several thousand hours of making builds under my belt, so it wouldn’t be too hard to figure it out. When the game shut down, making builds on Mids was my way of “playing the game.” So I like to think I’m at least moderately qualified to make good builds! 😎
 

edit: The Brute will seem a bit anemic initially. They have the lowest damage modifier of any AT that has access to Energy Melee. This is no surprise to anyone who knows Brutes have fury. Eventually, you will overtake the Tank in damage, but it’s not a night and day difference. The Tank will always be tougher and be better at aggro/mob management. I would say make a Tank, but we don’t have Energy Aura. So your hands are tied. However, if you do make an Energy Melee Tank, I have a build posted for every primary (sans Super Reflexes, which I may make tonight), and they are all very similar to my Fire/Energy Tank. Some are borderline identical. 

Here's the build I found in the forum mega-post of like 9 billion builds.  It's durable AF against anything other than Toxic or Psychic, but without Taunt or an AoE Punch/Pokevoke, there's no good way to leverage that in teams.

 

EDIT:  Note that Mids defaults to Rune of Protection being toggled on, though.

EnrgM EnA Mu bhls Brute - Axe Lavender Bravo 0418 - [i24].mxd

Edited June 3, 2020 by Menelruin

[futurelicker]

On 6/3/2020 at 7:23 AM, Menelruin said:

Here's the build I found in the forum mega-post of like 9 billion builds.  It's durable AF against anything other than Toxic or Psychic, but without Taunt or an AoE Punch/Pokevoke, there's no good way to leverage that in teams.

 

EDIT:  Note that Mids defaults to Rune of Protection being toggled on, though.

EnrgM EnA Mu bhls Brute - Axe Lavender Bravo 0418 - [i24].mxd 1.64 kB · 0 downloads

I keep getting an error when trying to open these files in mids so I've given up on using it to read mxd files, can you please copy/ paste the build like Camel did? I'd love to compare. Thanks!

[Menelruin]

31 minutes ago, futurelicker said:

I keep getting an error when trying to open these files in mids so I've given up on using it to read mxd files, can you please copy/ paste the build like Camel did? I'd love to compare. Thanks!

I'll do that when I get home, sorry!

[Menelruin]

7 hours ago, futurelicker said:

I keep getting an error when trying to open these files in mids so I've given up on using it to read mxd files, can you please copy/ paste the build like Camel did? I'd love to compare. Thanks!

Let's see if this works:

 

Villain Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

Level 50 Magic Brute
Primary Power Set: Energy Melee
Secondary Power Set: Energy Aura
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Sorcery
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Mu Mastery

Villain Profile:
------------
Level 1:    Energy Punch    
 (A) Superior Blistering Cold - Damage/Endurance
 (3) Superior Blistering Cold - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
 (3) Superior Blistering Cold - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
 (5) Superior Blistering Cold - Damage/Endurance/Accuracy/RechargeTime
 (5) Superior Blistering Cold - Recharge/Chance for Hold

Level 1:    Kinetic Shield    
 (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
 (7) Reactive Defenses - Defense/Endurance
 (9) Reactive Defenses - Defense
 (9) Kismet - Accuracy +6%
 (11) Shield Wall - +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All)
 (11) Reactive Defenses - Scaling Resist Damage

Level 2:    Bone Smasher    
 (A) Superior Brute's Fury - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
 (7) Superior Brute's Fury - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
 (36) Superior Brute's Fury - Recharge/Fury Bonus
 (37) Pounding Slugfest - Accuracy/Damage
 (37) Pounding Slugfest - Damage/Endurance
 (37) Pounding Slugfest - Damage/Recharge

Level 4:    Power Shield    
 (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
 (19) Reactive Defenses - Defense
 (21) Reactive Defenses - Defense/Endurance

Level 6:    Dampening Field    
 (A) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance
 (13) Aegis - Resistance/Recharge
 (13) Aegis - Resistance
 (15) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All)
 (15) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%

Level 8:    Build Up    
 (A) Recharge Reduction IO
 (21) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 10:    Entropic Aura    
 (A) Endurance Reduction IO

Level 12:    Whirling Hands    
 (A) Superior Avalanche - Damage/Endurance
 (23) Superior Avalanche - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
 (23) Superior Avalanche - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
 (25) Superior Avalanche - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
 (25) Superior Avalanche - Recharge/Chance for Knockdown

Level 14:    Kick    
 (A) Force Feedback - Chance for +Recharge

Level 16:    Energy Protection    
 (A) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance
 (29) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
 (31) Aegis - Resistance

Level 18:    Total Focus    
 (A) Superior Unrelenting Fury - Accuracy/Damage
 (27) Superior Unrelenting Fury - Damage/RechargeTime
 (31) Superior Unrelenting Fury - Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime
 (31) Superior Unrelenting Fury - Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
 (33) Superior Unrelenting Fury - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
 (33) Superior Unrelenting Fury - RechargeTime/+Regen/+End

Level 20:    Energy Cloak    
 (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
 (33) Reactive Defenses - Defense
 (34) Reactive Defenses - Defense/Endurance

Level 22:    Tough    
 (A) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance
 (27) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
 (29) Aegis - Resistance

Level 24:    Weave    
 (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
 (34) Reactive Defenses - Defense
 (34) Reactive Defenses - Defense/Endurance

Level 26:    Maneuvers    
 (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
 (36) Reactive Defenses - Defense
 (36) Reactive Defenses - Defense/Endurance

Level 28:    Energy Drain    
 (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
 (39) Reactive Defenses - Defense/RechargeTime
 (39) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Recharge

Level 30:    Arcane Bolt    
 (A) Superior Winter's Bite - Damage/RechargeTime
 (39) Superior Winter's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
 (40) Superior Winter's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
 (40) Superior Winter's Bite - Damage/Endurance/Accuracy/RechargeTime
 (40) Superior Winter's Bite - Recharge/Chance for -Speed & -Recharge

Level 32:    Energy Transfer    
 (A) Pounding Slugfest - Accuracy/Damage
 (42) Pounding Slugfest - Damage/Endurance
 (42) Pounding Slugfest - Damage/Recharge
 (42) Superior Brute's Fury - Accuracy/Damage
 (43) Superior Brute's Fury - Damage/Recharge
 (43) Superior Brute's Fury - Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime

Level 35:    Energize    
 (A) Preventive Medicine - Endurance/RechargeTime
 (43) Preventive Medicine - Heal/RechargeTime/Endurance
 (45) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Recharge

Level 38:    Electrifying Fences    
 (A) Overwhelming Force - Accuracy/Damage
 (45) Overwhelming Force - Endurance/Recharge
 (45) Overwhelming Force - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
 (46) Overwhelming Force - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
 (46) Overwhelming Force - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge

Level 41:    Ball Lightning    
 (A) Ragnarok - Damage/Recharge
 (46) Ragnarok - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
 (48) Ragnarok - Accuracy/Recharge
 (48) Ragnarok - Damage/Endurance
 (48) Ragnarok - Damage

Level 44:    Hasten    
 (A) Recharge Reduction IO
 (50) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 47:    Mystic Flight    
 (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points)

Level 49:    Rune of Protection    
 (A) Aegis - Resistance/Recharge
 (50) Aegis - Endurance/Recharge
 (50) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge

Level 1:    Brawl    
 (A) Kinetic Combat - Accuracy/Damage

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:    Fury    
Level 1:    Sprint    
 (A) Celerity - +Stealth

Level 2:    Rest    
 (A) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 4:    Ninja Run    
Level 2:    Swift    
 (A) Run Speed IO

Level 2:    Health    
 (A) Miracle - +Recovery
 (17) Numina's Convalesence - +Regeneration/+Recovery
 (17) Panacea - +Hit Points/Endurance

Level 2:    Hurdle    
 (A) Jumping IO

Level 2:    Stamina    
 (A) Performance Shifter - EndMod
 (19) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End

Level 50:    Agility Core Paragon    
------------

[Menelruin]

For some reason I can't seem to get it to post the same code that most folks do.....

[Camel]

On 6/4/2020 at 4:00 PM, Menelruin said:

For some reason I can't seem to get it to post the same code that most folks do.....

What do you click under import settings when you are trying to share builds from Mids?

[Menelruin]

10 hours ago, Camel said:

What do you click under import settings when you are trying to share builds from Mids?

Honestly, I've tried a couple different export options, and they never seem to have the same look as the forum posts.....maybe this one?

 

http://www.cohplanner.com/mids/download.php?uc=1472&c=681&a=1362&f=HEX&dc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

[Menelruin]

Not sure what options I'm supposed to select....

 

[Camel]

12 hours ago, Menelruin said:

Not sure what options I'm supposed to select....

 

Here's how I am sharing my builds.

 

1: I click the Import/Export tab

2: I scroll down to "Short forum export"

3: Reference the picture I am attaching.

[Werner]

On 5/22/2020 at 6:32 PM, Camel said:

With stacks/buffs
74.9% Cold Resistance

67.4% Psionic Resistance

It looks like you're only counting 5% from Barrier, but Cardiac Core buffs the resistance of Barrier Core from 90% -> 32.5% -> 7.5% -> 5% to 108% -> 39% -> 9% -> 6%. (Agility Core does the same to defense.) So you're actually 1% higher on a couple rare damage types. Woo?

[Camel]

10 minutes ago, Werner said:

It looks like you're only counting 5% from Barrier, but Cardiac Core buffs the resistance of Barrier Core from 90% -> 32.5% -> 7.5% -> 5% to 108% -> 39% -> 9% -> 6%. (Agility Core does the same to defense.) So you're actually 1% higher on a couple rare damage types. Woo?

WOO! Thanks for that. I have a decent understanding of this game but I learn something new almost every day! I remember watching your 240p (360p?) videos over a decade ago on YouTube. Back then, I was a rookie. Didn't farm, had not honed my build-theory skills, etc. Eventually I was able to make my one and only "God-tier" build before the Live servers went down. I believe you posted something on the forums back then about Dark/Shield being far superior than your Dark/SR Scrapper you had spent so much time on. I eventually built one, spent months acquiring all those IOs we used to have to pull out loans for... I have vivid memories of playing that scrapper on S/L farms back before they nerfed them, and you could make every enemy a boss. Glad to see some familiar faces on some of my forum posts.

[Werner]

Hi! Ah, yes, those old old videos. That was fun. I just checked one, and it was 360p. For probably most of them I couldn't even run screen capture at the same time as playing, and had to resort to playing back the demo files and recording from that. Later, for I think a single video, I was running two good graphics cards in parallel and was able to screen capture in gorgeous high-res 480p! And then one of the graphics cards died, and I was back to 360p.

 

For DM/Shield Scrapper vs. DM/SR Scrapper, I don't remember what I might have said back then, but I'd think that for most people in most situations, DM/Shield would be significantly better. In Homecoming, I rebuilt both my Katana/Dark Scrapper and DM/SR Scrapper as Brutes, and that's what I mostly play right now. But that doesn't make them the best or anything, just the most nostalgic fun for me.

 

The thing with Cardiac Core and Agility Core buffing Barrier Core caught me by surprise. I only noticed it when testing Reactive Defenses and SR scaling resists to make sure I understood them when replying to a post. During that testing, I'm not even sure why I hit Barrier, but at some point I did, then as it was wearing off, just happened to see 6%. What the heck? So I did more testing to the get the numbers. And I only tested the tier 4s, so I don't know if other tiers work like this, or what the numbers might be if so, but I'm always aiming for the tier 4s, so the rest doesn't matter much to me. I wonder what other numeric synergies might be lurking in the incarnate powers.