Best Primary for a Super Reflexes Brute?

[Exqzr984]

Hello,

 

After nearly 2 decades I have come back to CoH and loving it.  I have messed around with 20 or so combinations and decided I like Brutes and Super Reflexes and I want to build a main character after all the trials I have done but I am seriously torn as to the primary.  I tried Dark Melee and was having some issues with END and using dark maul properly on more than one mob.  Also tried Phycic Melee and found the animations and sounds not very Bruitish.  That said, I can go back to these two if advice given leads in that direction.  Thanks in advance for any help.

[biostem]

Katana and broadsword have some nice +def powers that pair nicely with SR to up those defenses even higher.  Savage melee is one of my faves and has a really nice +recharge +end discount mechanic.  Radiation melee offers a self heal and a damage aura, which can really fill in some gaps that SR may lack... 

Edited December 16, 2023 by biostem

[Exqzr984]

11 minutes ago, biostem said:

Katana and broadsword have some nice +def powers that pair nicely with SR to up those defenses even higher.  Savage melee is one of my faves and has a really nice +recharge +end discount mechanic.  Radiation melee offers a self heal and a damage aura, which can really fill in some gaps that SR may lack... 

Wondering which of these would be the least Mechanics heavy, I.e. fairly easy to play and not have to worry about keeping track of too many things?

 

[biostem]

9 minutes ago, Exqzr984 said:

Wondering which of these would be the least Mechanics heavy, I.e. fairly easy to play and not have to worry about keeping track of too many things?

Well, katana & broadsword simply have a special attack power that grants a temporary defense buff, so all you need do is use that power sometime in your attack chain to gain the benefit.  Similarly, radiation melee has a toggle that you activate to provide the effect, and you use the heal power as needed.  Savage melee is the only one I mentioned that has an actual mechanic to it;  Some attacks build up stacks of blood frenzy, which is what gives you the recharge and end cost reduction buffs, while others consume those stacks to gain some additional benefit.  Frankly, though, I tend to *not* consume the stacks, as I prefer the aforementioned buffs, (the powers that consume blood frenzy gain a highlighted circle around them when you can gain their effects, so it's pretty easy to notice).

Edited December 16, 2023 by biostem

[Thrax]

WELCOME BACK!!!!!

 

Can't really go wrong with anything and /SR.  Getting SR to the sweet spot of 45% defense and 95% DDR is fairly easy.  You won't need any defense bonuses from katana or broadsword.  And those attacks' DPS isn't great anyway.  They are better on resist armors IMO.  Martial Arts has a better defense bonus attack if you wanna go super easy route.  Also, MA doesn't have any special mechanics either.  

 

I have a ton of /SR scraps and one SR/ tank.  I want a /SR brute, and have tried several, but nothing has done it for me.  I only have 1 brute I actually still have that hasn't been deleted.  

 

My main is savage/inv scrap.  Savage is a ton of fun.  It's mechanics aren't really too complicated really and can ignore them if you want.  I don't, but I like Hemorrhage and a lot don't.  

 

I would suggest spines/sr.  I may try it myself soon.  Spines has no combo/mechanic stuff.  It is a little end heavy when you take the damage aura, but SR isn't.  Can always skip the aura until end is fine.    Spines can't be ignored visually though.  

 

End issues are mostly solved nowadays with the procs in health and stamina.  And want to make sure attacks have end reduction slotted.  Brute body mastery is awesome as can have 3 performance shifter procs and 3 power transfer procs.  

 

 

[Thrax]

Ice/SR would be cool on brute as well.  I just leveled a scrap one.  Ice slick is super cool, probably more so on an aggro magnet.  

 

Just take taunt.

[Exqzr984]

15 minutes ago, Thrax said:

WELCOME BACK!!!!!

 

Can't really go wrong with anything and /SR.  Getting SR to the sweet spot of 45% defense and 95% DDR is fairly easy.  

 

 

Thank you.  I have been doing a lot of reading and Savage seems to be recently gaining in popularity.  And with both you and biostem mentioning it, I think this is the current front runner :).   Also I decided no weapons for this build.

[evetsleep]

The thing to take away from this thread, if I were new, is everything will go with super reflexes.  Star with concept and/or an attack set that is appealing to you.  They'll all work.

 

Personally I wouldn't fret too much about melee sets that offer up a heal since as a brute you can get some really good regen numbers and +def sets since SR offers that up pretty easily in it's own with high DDR.

 

So go with what is sexy to you.   You'll have a far better time I think.

 

For me, I have quite a few SR brutes.  I REALLY enjoy energy melee and stone melee, but I'm weird and like oddball combos.

[Thraxen]

I take rebirth on a few sr toons but use it mostly to heal up team or others. Sometimes myself.  

[Exqzr984]

I agree that playing what is most fun is the way to go.  Sometimes one can get lucky and find a poweful (meta?) build that for them is also fun.

 

I think I was looking to get into that sweet spot of a build that feels imactful and also feels sexy (to quote evetsleep).

 

The powerset I gel with the most is, oddly, staff fighting (doing a 180 on my no weapons comment earlier).  But Savage Strike (by all accounts) seems significantly stronger.

 

Still in the running is ice melee.

 

I appreciate all the comments, given me lots to think about!

[Thraxen]

Only brute I have is staff/wp. It’s a dragoon Kain homage. Staff is a lot of fun. Lotta aoes. Won’t need the defense one. I just hate one of the better powers so I personally skip it. Forget name but it looks like you’re angrily sweeping with a push broom. Rest I love. It’s not great though but it is fun. Fun weapon options too. Titan weapons is fun to and basically only has an on off mechanic. 

[Thraxen]

Also, best part of this game, is do one, then just make another toon. Then another. Then another. 

[Exqzr984]

True true.  I am going to try the Staff.  Could not find much information on Brutes with a Staff and SR (only something from 5 years ago... Any tips?

[Thraxen]

Try all the attacks out. See what ya like. Combat jumping, tough, weave are good. Put plus defense procs in tough. Should be good to go.  

[Doomguide2005]

3 hours ago, Thraxen said:

I take rebirth on a few sr toons but use it mostly to heal up team or others. Sometimes myself.  

     Same i use Rebirth and probably use it as often while teamed to heal allies as I do on myself.  Frequently it's right after a Shadow Cyst Crystal explodes during an ITF missing me but seriously hammering several teammates.

     I ran both a Fire/SR and DM/SR brutes to 50 on Live.  I favored the DM/SR mostly because of Siphon Life.  It hits hard and provides a strong heal as well which is particularly useful while leveling or exemplar work.  Much the same for using SR paired with either Katana or Broadsword.  More useful while leveling or exemplar work where defenses might not be capped yet.

 

[Exqzr984]

So in the end I tried an SF/SR Brute and I think its alot of fun.  That said, I became a big fan of Eye of The Storm ... which led me to thinking about pairing this with EA and buiding around a cyclone concept type character.   WoW - This was MOST fun.  I still think SR is my favvourite overall defense, but SF just seems to gel with an Aura.  It was a bit of a road to get to a SF/EA  combo, but I think this will be the main.  (There is so very little about this on the forums I feel Im going to have to figure it all out by trial and error).

 

If anyone has an tips for my final interation Brute with SF/EA I am very grateful.  See you in Paragon City!

[Without_Pause]

I'm surprised it took so long for someone to mention Dark/sr. That's really a PB&J pairing. 

[Exqzr984]

My first try at it was Dark/SR and it synergises really well, but I suffered from END problems and could not really figure out how to fix it.  But I agree its a great combo

 

[Doomguide2005]

8 hours ago, Exqzr984 said:

My first try at it was Dark/SR and it synergises really well, but I suffered from END problems and could not really figure out how to fix it.  But I agree its a great combo

 

I'm currently leveling one if I can stay focused on a single character but like a lot of us less time for gaming between work and family these days plus the new shiny (aka altitis) well this adulting stuff sucks at times.

[Exqzr984]

1 hour ago, Doomguide2005 said:

I'm currently leveling one if I can stay focused on a single character but like a lot of us less time for gaming between work and family these days plus the new shiny (aka altitis) well this adulting stuff sucks at times.

Would love to know how it goes for you.  And, Retire... More time for gaming 🙂

 

[Without_Pause]

10 hours ago, Exqzr984 said:

My first try at it was Dark/SR and it synergises really well, but I suffered from END problems and could not really figure out how to fix it.  But I agree its a great combo

 

You get Dark Consumption at 18. You don't need to worry about adding another toggle outside of the initial 3 until your 30s. Even on my Claws/sr Scrapper, just simply using the Body pool patched up any end issues if not being overkill, and I technically run 6 toggles. Swap in the Energy pool on a Brute. Maybe with SOs and some poor slotting, but a Dark/sr should not be having end issues. 

[Exqzr984]

1 hour ago, Without_Pause said:

You get Dark Consumption at 18. 

Thank you.  I will look at it closer.  Still learning about proper slotting.  

[PLVRIZR]

21 hours ago, Without_Pause said:

You get Dark Consumption at 18. 

...and you can get Siphon Life at 8, and add the Theft of Essence +End proc at 10.

 

But I also agree, you shouldn't have too terribly difficult a time keeping your blue bar up.

[Doomguide2005]

On 12/18/2023 at 2:43 PM, Exqzr984 said:

Would love to know how it goes for you.  And, Retire... More time for gaming 🙂

 

Hope every one had a great Christmas.  I've got about a year till retirement might be a reasonable thing.  I'm also a late life Dad of a almost 6yr old.  So willingly goes some of my free time.  In part because he loves to sit in the costume creator and create new characters.  He's easily doubled my inventory in a few months.  All with wonderful names straight out of a gold spammers baby names book.  So if you see an interestingly costumed super whose only a few levels with a gold spammers name who isn't spamming might be the two of us toddling around various zones. 

[kelika2]

If you can tolerate Martial Arts try that.  Storm kick has +positional defense for brutes and tanks.  with the two defense global IOs you will be pretty dodgey from an early level