First character: Martial Arts/Energy Aura

[arclight.phantasm]

Hi everyone. A friend of mine introduced me to this game in 2021 but I had a bit of a rough time of it back then. We did a lot of powerleveling in the sewer dungeon and then in radio groups, and I tried every archetype that way but I was picking powers and assigning slots basically at random because I had no idea what I was doing. This Brute is the only survivor, probably because I decided to take my time with him and looked up guides (so many guides) to read and watch — and also because I was playing this character by myself at that point.

 

Before I took an 18-month break from the game, I'd been slowly following Gulbasaur's guide to hero side story arcs so he's currently locked at level 24. I want to push on to level 50 but I'd like to have a plan to follow; unfortunately, this combination seems a little rare or else my search-fu is failing me. I looked up Martial Arts/* and */Energy Aura builds separately and roughly kitbashed together what I found because that's how a complete novice makes a good build, right?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated 🙏

 

 

Questions
All of this assumes I have Mids configured correctly.

Exemplaring: I want this to be my main so I'd like to be able to do content at every level as smoothly as possible. I'm also still following the story arc guide, so I'll be spending some time locked at every 4th and 9th level for a while yet. Should I rearrange any of my power picks to make this easier?

 

Damage: I've seen that slotting lots of procs is a popular choice but I feel like I need the set bonuses more. For the ones I am using, is there a rule of thumb for how low the proc chance should go before it's not worth it? I tried to stay at 40-50% for all of them. Are the ATOs in the right place?

 

Defences: S/L/E/N/F/C are obviously taken care of. My positional defences are all at 32.5% or higher with the boost from Storm Kick so one small purple inspiration brings me the rest of the way to softcap. I found this to be easier than trying to fix Psionic and Toxic directly. I had to dedicate a good number of slots to do this; is it worth the effort? I've seen talk about how annoying high-level Psionic enemy groups are.

 

Recharge: Do I need Hasten? It looks like just about everyone takes it as a matter of course but I've seen the occasional post where people talk about not using it in one build or another. I wouldn't know how to make it (near-)permanent from where I stand now and I only have 60% recharge debuff resistance in any case. Would I have a gapless rotation without it? Should I take it just for better Energize uptime?

 

 

Build
I realize that this is very aspirational to begin with, but I avoided using the expensive purple and Winter IO sets.

 

Spoiler

Hero Brute
Build plan made with Mids' Reborn v3.7.5 rev. 21
──────────────────────────────

• Primary powerset: Martial Arts
• Secondary powerset: Energy Aura
• Pool powerset (#1): Leaping
• Pool powerset (#2): Fighting
• Epic powerset: Energy Mastery
  

──────────────────────────────

Powers taken:

Level 1: Storm Kick

• A: Superior Brute's Fury: Accuracy/Damage
• 3: Superior Brute's Fury: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• 3: Superior Brute's Fury: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• 5: Superior Brute's Fury: Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• 5: Superior Brute's Fury: Damage/Recharge
• 7: Superior Brute's Fury: Recharge/Fury Bonus
  

Level 1: Kinetic Shield

• A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense
• 7: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance
• 9: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance/Recharge
• 9: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• 29: Luck of the Gambler: Endurance/Recharge
  

Level 2: Dampening Field

• A: Unbreakable Guard: +Max HP
• 11: Unbreakable Guard: RechargeTime/Resistance
• 13: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance
• 13: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance
  

Level 4: Power Shield

• A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense
• 15: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance
• 15: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance/Recharge
• 17: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• 17: Luck of the Gambler: Endurance/Recharge
  

Level 6: Cobra Strike

• A: Superior Unrelenting Fury: Accuracy/Damage
• 19: Superior Unrelenting Fury: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• 19: Superior Unrelenting Fury: Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime
• 21: Superior Unrelenting Fury: Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• 21: Superior Unrelenting Fury: Damage/RechargeTime
• 23: Superior Unrelenting Fury: RechargeTime/+Regen/+End
  

Level 8: Crane Kick

• A: Mako's Bite: Accuracy/Damage
• 23: Mako's Bite: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• 25: Mako's Bite: Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
• 25: Mako's Bite: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
• 27: Mako's Bite: Damage/Endurance
• 27: Mako's Bite: Damage/Recharge
  

Level 10: Entropic Aura

• A: Invention: Endurance Reduction
  

Level 12: Focus Chi

• A: Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control: Chance for Build Up
  

Level 14: Super Jump

• A: Winter's Gift: Slow Resistance (20%)
  

Level 16: Energy Protection

• A: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All)
• 29: Reactive Armor: Resistance
• 31: Reactive Armor: Resistance/Endurance
• 31: Reactive Armor: Resistance/Recharge
  

Level 18: Crippling Axe Kick

• A: Achilles' Heel: Chance for Res Debuff
• 31: Ice Mistral's Torment: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• 33: Ice Mistral's Torment: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• 33: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage
• 33: Ice Mistral's Torment: Damage/Recharge
• 34: Ice Mistral's Torment: Damage/Slow
  

Level 20: Energy Cloak

• A: Reactive Defenses: Defense
• 34: Reactive Defenses: Defense/Endurance
• 34: Reactive Defenses: Defense/Endurance/RechargeTime
• 36: Reactive Defenses: Defense/RechargeTime
• 36: Reactive Defenses: Endurance/RechargeTime
• 36: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage
  

Level 22: Dragon's Tail

• A: Multi-Strike: Accuracy/Damage
• 37: Multi-Strike: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• 37: Multi-Strike: Accuracy/Endurance
• 37: Multi-Strike: Damage/Endurance
• 39: Multi-Strike: Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• 39: Multi-Strike: Damage/Recharge
  

Level 24: Energy Drain

• A: Synapse's Shock: EndMod
• 39: Synapse's Shock: EndMod/Increased Run Speed
• 40: Synapse's Shock: EndMod/Recharge
  

Level 26: Combat Jumping

• A: Kismet: Accuracy +6%
• 40: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• 40: Shield Wall: +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All)
  

Level 28: Energize

• A: Preventive Medicine: Chance for +Absorb
• 42: Preventive Medicine: Endurance/RechargeTime
• 42: Preventive Medicine: Heal
• 42: Preventive Medicine: Heal/Endurance
• 43: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime
• 43: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime/Endurance
  

Level 30: Kick

• A: Invention: Accuracy
  

Level 32: Tough

• A: Reactive Armor: Resistance
• 43: Reactive Armor: Resistance/Endurance
• 45: Reactive Armor: Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
• 45: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3%
  

Level 35: Focused Accuracy

• A: Adjusted Targeting: To Hit Buff
• 45: Adjusted Targeting: To Hit Buff/Endurance
• 46: Adjusted Targeting: To Hit Buff/Endurance/Recharge
  

Level 38: Cross Punch

• A: Force Feedback: Chance for +Recharge
• 46: Scirocco's Dervish: Accuracy/Damage
• 46: Scirocco's Dervish: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• 48: Scirocco's Dervish: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
• 48: Scirocco's Dervish: Damage/Endurance
• 48: Scirocco's Dervish: Damage/Recharge
  

Level 41: Physical Perfection

• A: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End
  

Level 44: Weave

• A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• 50: Red Fortune: Defense
• 50: Red Fortune: Defense/Endurance
• 50: Red Fortune: Defense/Endurance/Recharge
  

Level 47: Superior Conditioning

• A: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End
  

Level 49: Overload

• A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
  

──────────────────────────────

Inherents:

Level 1: Fury

Level 1: Brawl

• (Empty)
  

Level 1: Sprint

• A: Celerity: +Stealth
  

Level 2: Rest

• (Empty)
  

Level 1: Swift

• A: Invention: Run Speed
  

Level 1: Hurdle

• A: Invention: Jumping
  

Level 1: Health

• A: Numina's Convalesence: +Regeneration/+Recovery
• 11: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance
  

Level 1: Stamina

• A: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End
  

Datachunk

Spoiler

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Tech Brute - MA + Energy.mbd

[Without_Pause]

Exemplaring:  You'll be fine with exempting down. You get multiple builds and numerous respecs. So if you feel the need to customize, do so.  

 

Damage: I don't honestly use that many procs in my attacks. I might have all of one damage proc in an attack. I'll toss in a proc for something like -Res. Since Brutes get so much of their damage from Fury I get why people would load up on procs. I just don't do it, and I solo just fine. 

 

Defences: If you are going around and trying to complete content for the sake of content versus pushing the envelop in terms of what you are trying to solo, EA's defenses will be fine. More than fine really. You really need to take on larger and decently higher level Psy based mobs before I would consider it an issue.  

 

Recharge: Do I need Hasten? MA is ST heavy so if you are going for Hasten it is more for a specific attack chain. I've never done MA to high enough level to know what that target recharge is. The two clicks for EA tend to recharge quick enough although I default to using Hasten even with Claws.

[Without_Pause]

By no means a 1:1 port, but it is mostly changing of some sets for the attacks, but here's my Claws/ea. Note, I more than double your regen.

 

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[arclight.phantasm]

I appreciate you taking the time to answer!

 

On 8/11/2024 at 7:42 PM, Without_Pause said:

Defences: If you are going around and trying to complete content for the sake of content versus pushing the envelop in terms of what you are trying to solo, EA's defenses will be fine. More than fine really. You really need to take on larger and decently higher level Psy based mobs before I would consider it an issue.

 

I'll keep that in mind and reassess at 50 then. In some of the other builds I've looked at, people invested in Psionic resistance so frequently that I thought it was something every build should address. Since I don't think I could do that, nor build for typed Psionic defence by itself, it seemed the natural solution was to go for positionals since Storm Kick has that wonderful +7.5% built in. But if it's not going to be a problem, I'll just shore up other things.

 

 

On 8/11/2024 at 7:42 PM, Without_Pause said:

Recharge: Do I need Hasten? MA is ST heavy so if you are going for Hasten it is more for a specific attack chain. I've never done MA to high enough level to know what that target recharge is. The two clicks for EA tend to recharge quick enough although I default to using Hasten even with Claws.

 

That's good to know. I think I'll have a fluid single target attack chain without it, or least Mids seems to think I can do Storm Kick > Crippling Axe Kick > Crane Kick > Cobra Strike without any pauses in the complete build (but obviously not at level 24). Energy Drain already recharges quickly enough with just one EndMod/Recharge IO that I don't have Endurance problems anymore; it's Energize that I was more worried about.

 

 

On 8/11/2024 at 7:44 PM, Without_Pause said:

By no means a 1:1 port, but it is mostly changing of some sets for the attacks, but here's my Claws/ea. Note, I more than double your regen.

 

Thank you for sharing. It's been helpful to look at the two side-by-side, though I notice Martial Arts can't use the sets you have in Focus and Shockwave. That extra Build Up looks nice. I hadn't considered regen, mostly because the value looked so small even knowing that it's a per-second amount of HP restored. Do you find that it all adds up enough to be useful?

 

Also, I might have Mids configured improperly or something else is going on. I don't see how your build has more than double the regen value of mine. Could something be displaying wrong?

	Energize off	Energize on
Mine	226.0%	423.5%
Yours	306.5%	504.0%

 

[Without_Pause]

Looks like I had Energize selected as on for mine, but not yours. In terms of Psy, I feel like the missions filled with Psy are obviously the most problematic, but those are really rare. 

[Mini-Mega]

This is my current build, i've used it for just about everything, from being exemp down to +4 to 4*. 

Brute (Martial Arts - Energy Aura).mbd

[Mini-Mega]

On 8/23/2024 at 9:17 PM, Mini-Mega said:

This is my current build, i've used it for just about everything, from being exemp down to +4 to 4*. 

Brute (Martial Arts - Energy Aura).mbd 40.49 kB · 4 downloads