honoroitisfantastic POLL: Brute - best of AT 2023

[honoroit]

POLL: Brute - best of AT

 

- best primary

 

- best secondary

 

- best epic power pool

 

¡you can choose however you like!

• Most Effective Tactic Available
• My favorite
• My desert island power picks
• If there could be only 1

Edited September 16, 2023 by honoroit

[honoroit]

stand outs for me this year:

 - savage/rad/earth

 - elec/ea/mace

[Neiska]

My best brute is Savage/Bio.

[arcane]

The only reasons to play a Brute include:

 

- /Fire farming

- Tankiest versions of /Regen and /Energy

- Scrappiest version of Super Strength

 

So it’s gotta involve some of that. I voted Rad/Fire/Mu for most meta even though I run Spines/Fire/(Energy or Pyre).

[Snarky]

Dark/Dark.  Mic drop.

[Thraxen]

Spines/stone I just got to 50 and IO’d is a lot of fun. 

[Without_Pause]

Claws/ea or Ice/stone. I do think the best combo is something I haven't played like Savage or BA with Stone. I created a BA/ea today just to try out the BA hype. I had a tech look so Stone just wasn't working for me. 

[Grimm2]

On 9/17/2023 at 10:04 AM, Thraxen said:

Spines/stone I just got to 50 and IO’d is a lot of fun. 

Still one of my surprise favorites, 122 vet levels on mine. 

[Tux]

What's the hype with Savage - did it get buffed?

[Without_Pause]

10 minutes ago, Tux said:

What's the hype with Savage - did it get buffed?

Fury loves DoT. If I had to make one Brute, Savage is in the running. It's biggest con is that it offers so little of mitigation outside killing speed so it pairs better with sturdier armors. It is end friendly so if the armor is end heavy, it helps. ST damage could be better since Hemorrhage isn't worth taking. 

[Without_Pause]

On 9/18/2023 at 1:18 AM, Without_Pause said:

Claws/ea or Ice/stone. I do think the best combo is something I haven't played like Savage or BA with Stone. I created a BA/ea today just to try out the BA hype. I had a tech look so Stone just wasn't working for me. 

Update, I rerolled to BA/stone for no fault of EA. I just wanted another go with Stone on a Brute. By no means a 1:1 comparison, but the BA/stone Brute has had a decidedly easier time on certain missions compared to my Claws/ea. Part of that is due to burst damage. Another factor is while BA is end heavy, Stone allows you to stand there and take a breath while Mud Pots slowly works on them. Using Mud Pots and Brawl, yes Brawl, to finish off various targets has helped a lot in keeping End sane, but the build is only 23. Slotting is currently a mish mash of IOs with only some logic for the slotting. I went and did a build, so I will convert over at 27. Energy Def like others is a work in progress so First Ward missions are interesting at +0/x3.

 

BA/stone is at 33. I left off at x5, but I need to bump that.

Edited October 6, 2023 by Without_Pause

[Without_Pause]

These polls would be better if they did each set by tier. I got my fourth EA to 50. Just waiting on Tankers to get it.  I think EA is somewhere in between S and A tier. The Psy hole in genuine Psy maps is absolutely noticeable. It's fine if Psy is sprinkled in a mission. It's just the heavy ones which can cripple the build and force someone to lower the diff setting if soloing. That said, I normally solo on +3/x8 for level 50+1 builds, and only the MJ mission with all of the Psy damage made me change from +2/x8 while leveling to 50, so EA is still pretty fantastic. I powered through the last two using tactics and knowing which things were causing the biggest issues. Hitting 50 and getting Incarnates will further push me towards just using brute force to get through missions. 

 

I would put Claws as A tier as well. The only issue here is when it is resisted, it becomes a case of watching paint dry. Scrappers have less issue with it due to crits and their ATOs helping with more crits so the damage being resisted is less of a factor. 

[Lazarillo]

On 9/17/2023 at 11:52 AM, Snarky said:

Dark/Dark.  Mic drop.

Just out of curiosity (for you or anyone else), is there something that makes Dark Melee particularly good from a Brute-y perspective. 

I'm trying to come up with a concept to go with the new Psi APP in the next update, and Dark feels like the closest, to me, for some reason, that isn't actually Psi Melee (which I hate), but I'm not sure how it'd feel on a Brute, specifically.

[Snarky]

1 hour ago, Lazarillo said:

Just out of curiosity (for you or anyone else), is there something that makes Dark Melee particularly good from a Brute-y perspective. 

I'm trying to come up with a concept to go with the new Psi APP in the next update, and Dark feels like the closest, to me, for some reason, that isn't actually Psi Melee (which I hate), but I'm not sure how it'd feel on a Brute, specifically.

Dark is very good ST, it has a self heal that is a hard hitting part of your attack chain. It has a pbaoe end recovery power.  It is just a strong well balanced combat set. Others have more aoe, but nobody else has what dark has.  I pair it with invul for tge toughest combo in the game imo.  Thematically and Synergistically it is great with Dark as well

[Sovera]

16 hours ago, Snarky said:

Dark is very good ST, it has a self heal that is a hard hitting part of your attack chain. It has a pbaoe end recovery power.  It is just a strong well balanced combat set. Others have more aoe, but nobody else has what dark has.  I pair it with invul for tge toughest combo in the game imo.  Thematically and Synergistically it is great with Dark as well

 

Bruh, Dark is mediocre ST with mediocre to bad AoE. It's the tax it pays for being a set with a heal and an endurance recovery tool which unique from all melee sets (well, radiation melee has a heal, but it has conditions to it).

 

The real sinner is the Soul Drain build-up power that is awkward as heck.

 

 

Not for Snarky (who knows all I'm about to say since he's a Dark Melee aficionado):

 

Dark Melee is great to prop up armor sets that need a little nudge. Stone Armor, for example, is a deity level armor set sinning only for the lack of a heal (it has regen which lacks a bit of oomph) and has endurance problems (the recovery it has baked in is not enough since it's a toggle heavy set). Stone Armor even has a bit of a damage boost with Brimstone to help Dark Melee.

 

Or Shield that lacks any and all heal or recovery.

 

Or to go balls to the walls monstrous immortal with DM/Rad Armor with three heals and endurance coming out of its ears.

[Snarky]

34 minutes ago, Sovera said:

 

Bruh, Dark is mediocre ST with mediocre to bad AoE. It's the tax it pays for being a set with a heal and an endurance recovery tool which unique from all melee sets (well, radiation melee has a heal, but it has conditions to it).

 

The real sinner is the Soul Drain build-up power that is awkward as heck.

Your opinion is noted.  Not fully agreed with, but your parking pass is validated.  Now leave.

[Lazarillo]

1 hour ago, Sovera said:

Or Shield that lacks any and all heal or recovery.

This is one of the combos that I've been looking at.  Kind of a "back of my mind" character concept almost since Shield Defense was first introduced.

 

Overall, appreciate the viewpoints, folks (anyone else, feel free too keep 'em coming).  But to, I dunno, clarify, I'm curious what you feel makes the set particularly good for Brutes, specifically.  Like maybe it's the fast-punching on Shadow Maul, or the...efficiency of movement, or just the fact that my very first 50 back in 2006 was a Dark Melee Scrapper, but DM just...seems to feel more Scrapper-y to me.  Putting aside that if I wanna do the Psi Epic I have to do a Brute or Tanker, what about DM fits the Brutes and not other ATs, essentially, in your opinions?

[PLVRIZR]

19 hours ago, Sovera said:

Stone Armor, for example, is a deity level armor set sinning only for the lack of a heal (it has regen which lacks a bit of oomph) and has endurance problems (the recovery it has baked in is not enough since it's a toggle heavy set).

Does the Brute version not get Earth's Embrace?  (my titular toon is Stone, albeit a tank, and I haven't run stone armor on a broot)

[Sovera]

59 minutes ago, PLVRIZR said:

Does the Brute version not get Earth's Embrace?  (my titular toon is Stone, albeit a tank, and I haven't run stone armor on a broot)

 

Earth's Embrace is, strictly speaking, an HP buff rather than a heal. It does heal but just a bit and too long a timer to be depended on.

 

Or I'm just spoiled by Healing Flames 😄

[BurtHutt]

I've returned to a bit of play. I think I'm a bit out of touch with changes to ATs and I've always liked brutes. I think I'll create a new one. Which attack power is good (that does decent ST and AoE) and which armour is the sturdiest (you can softcap RES and get high DEF)?

[Snarky]

On 1/26/2024 at 10:24 AM, BurtHutt said:

I've returned to a bit of play. I think I'm a bit out of touch with changes to ATs and I've always liked brutes. I think I'll create a new one. Which attack power is good (that does decent ST and AoE) and which armour is the sturdiest (you can softcap RES and get high DEF)?

Invulnerability is still king of tough guy mountain.  Look for a Hyperstrike build.  The sets are largely the same on Homecoming as they were on live.  Energy Melee got a much needed un nerf but I understand it is still middle of the road AoE.  An improvement from almost zero. Great ST as always.  SS is great if you can stand the Rage crash. I play Dark Dark and use all the Dark magic to fill the no defense hole (stealth, stun, fear, to hit debuffs).  There are some new sets like Rad and a couple others that are nice.  Stone just got a much needed rework.  
 

Concept is KING.  If you like the IDEA of your hero/villain and it turns out it is an A or B ranked set instead of a S ranked set… you will love playing it. If the concept bores you fast then it could be the emperor of badass mountain and you will not play it.  

Edited February 5 by Snarky

[BeornOTNS]

On 1/23/2024 at 8:49 PM, Snarky said:

Dark is very good ST, it has a self heal that is a hard hitting part of your attack chain. It has a pbaoe end recovery power.  It is just a strong well balanced combat set. Others have more aoe, but nobody else has what dark has.  I pair it with invul for tge toughest combo in the game imo.  Thematically and Synergistically it is great with Dark as well

Dark Melee/Invul Brute is my favorite open world character. 

[Zizzy]

With a KIN my Titan/Rad has done 805 with rend armor which is the highest single tick Damage without incarnates I have seen on a 4x8 at 50. It is slow though... I just like the big hard hits it does. Everything can be soloed after getting a full build no problems.

Edited February 6 by Zizzy