Looking for leveling build & help with rad/fire brute

[RedCorvus]

Still in the n00bie stage with the game but having lots of fun playing but needing helpful advice for sure.

Level 27 on the Indomitable server

 

1- I am currently using America's Angel rad/fire brute build but I must be doing something horribly wrong.

 >>>Build can be found here (AA_ACTIVE_Page4 rad-fire)<<<

 

So with the setting set for 0/+1, each fight is slooow moving and I'm consistently out of Endurance. Must rest after every fight which is making things slow & dull.

 

I have half of the toggles turned off, have everything slotted for endurance reduction, with attacks having 1 acc and 1 damage then rest being endurance reduction. Feeling really weak, sluggish and almost no AoE. I'm making sure to add each power and add each slot at the level that is marked in Mid Reborn, struggling with being able to afford new enhancements at the vendor but I do keep them updated.

 

I am assuming 1 of 3 things....

1- Being new, I am not playing correctly and screwing something up

2- Some hidden setting which is killing off my power and exp

3- The build I'm using is not meant for leveling

 

I now have over a dozen alts, all in the teens or close to level 20, which takes me maybe an hour to hit 20. That... I'm having tons & tons of fun with! But... being an alt-holic I do need at least one toon at 50 so that I can feed all the other alts.

 

Is there a recommended leveling build which would make the game way more enjoyable to finally get myself to level 50?

-I dont have any certain preference on archetype or powers.

-Play solo, never PvP, dont mind farming, dont mind running missions

-Dislike keeping track of combos, or trying to memorize a math formula for button order.

-At my age my fingers are not so quick (I was in the 90 day beta test for EverQuest, so yah... old as dirt LoL) so I like simple, easy, fast and fun. I do like those toggles and autos for sure.

-Wanting fun game play where i can just run from fight to fight without resting, dieing or always out of endurance. Not looking to set a speed record or anything silly, I just really enjoy the game when its a good study pace forward.

 

For my very first time... what archetype, primary and secondary would be the most fun+easy+enjoyable+good fun pace to hit 50 with?

 

I would be most grateful and appreciative for any and all help that could be offered. I welcome any and all recommendations, comments, suggestions or questions.

 

Sorry for the long winded post...  🙂

AA_ACTIVE_Page4.mxd

[Troo]

Welcome old timer.

 

Three topics for ye.

 

[Maelwys]

7 hours ago, RedCorvus said:

Still in the n00bie stage with the game but having lots of fun playing but needing helpful advice for sure.

Level 27 on the Indomitable server

 

1- I am currently using America's Angel rad/fire brute build but I must be doing something horribly wrong.

 >>>Build can be found here (AA_ACTIVE_Page4 rad-fire)<<<

 

So with the setting set for 0/+1, each fight is slooow moving and I'm consistently out of Endurance. 

First off, the build you linked is a Page 4 Fire Farmer Brute.

It was designed to be good at one thing (killing lots of a very specific foe on a very specific map within the mission designer "Architect Entertainment" at level 50).
So it was not intended to be a particularly great build when it comes to levelling up; let alone doing other non-AE content.

And it's also a good few years out of date (more up to date farming builds can be found in the thread you linked) - so ever since "Page 5" (2022) it will actually have started to struggle at farming the maps it was designed to farm; mainly because of changes to how "extra" mobs will now attack you whenever you are already at the aggro cap.

Whilst you can still build a RadM/Fire Brute to Farm AE missions; it now needs to be considerably more survivable and also won't beat the performance of a dedicated farming Tanker.
 

Quote

Is there a recommended leveling build which would make the game way more enjoyable to finally get myself to level 50?

-I dont have any certain preference on archetype or powers.

-Play solo, never PvP, dont mind farming, dont mind running missions

-Dislike keeping track of combos, or trying to memorize a math formula for button order.

-At my age my fingers are not so quick (I was in the 90 day beta test for EverQuest, so yah... old as dirt LoL) so I like simple, easy, fast and fun. I do like those toggles and autos for sure.

-Wanting fun game play where i can just run from fight to fight without resting, dieing or always out of endurance. Not looking to set a speed record or anything silly, I just really enjoy the game when its a good study pace forward.

 

For my very first time... what archetype, primary and secondary would be the most fun+easy+enjoyable+good fun pace to hit 50 with?

The traditional "Dont' need to click anything" build is a Super Reflexes Tanker - combine it with RadM or DarkM and you even have a regular source of self-healing.
The other standout would be Stone Armor (you don't need to take Granite Form).

However if you don't want to solo at +8 (e.g. "I'm equal to eight teammates") then instead I'd recommend a Scrapper or Brute or even a Stalker or Sentinel; as you won't be seeing much benefit from Tanker's larger AoEs.
Out of those, Brutes probably get the easiest ride to 50 (due to the bigger Hitpoint pool and the fact that slotting their attacks for damage is less necessary); and once *AT* Lv50; you can respec them and Farm if you choose to do so.

There are various "how do you slot when levelling up" threads, but some basic guidance is stuff like: (i) Slot your attacks with at the equivalent of least one Single Origin Enhancement's worth of Accuracy and Endurance Reduction (ii) Take the Panacea and Miracle Procs and stick them in Health (iii) Don't leave Sprint or your Travel Power (including the START powers) active whenever you're inside missions - instead use Combat Jumping or Combat Teleport to move more quickly between spawns. You can also pick up some Recovery Serums at the START vendor for emergencies. Once you hit level ~27 you can swap from Single Origin Enhancements to Level 30 Common Crafted IOs - which are pretty cheap on the AH and don't need replaced every 5 levels.

RadMelee/FieryAura isn't actually half bad for general PVE levelling; providing that you follow the above advice, and stick at least two EndReds in Blazing Aura and Irradiated Ground. And take + use Consume. And stick an Attuned Blessing of the Zephyr Proc in your Travel Power for some Knockback Protection. Once you're at level 50 and have all your IO set bonuses and Accolades in place; you can respec and rejig things.
 

[RedCorvus]

Thank you Troo and Maelwys, I really do appreciate your replies!  You guys rock ⭐

 

Having my morning coffee and reading all three links from Troo, seems to be exactly what I need to be reading.

 

Also looking forward to starting a new toon this morning based on Maelwys reply, thank you! Also thanks for the tips on the slots as well.

[JJDrakken]

44 minutes ago, RedCorvus said:

Thank you Troo and Maelwys, I really do appreciate your replies!  You guys rock ⭐

 

Having my morning coffee and reading all three links from Troo, seems to be exactly what I need to be reading.

 

Also looking forward to starting a new toon this morning based on Maelwys reply, thank you! Also thanks for the tips on the slots as well.

 

This a build that is good in & out of farms aka actual missions.

 

It's a final setup, meaning you can see what it looks when fully decked out.

 

Brute (Radiation Melee - Fiery Aura).mbd

[Troo]

@RedCorvus have fun!! The forum is full of good information. Check back when you are ready to take the leap, folks are typically eager to help out.

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Maelwys said:

First off, the build you linked is a Page 4 Fire Farmer Brute.

 

Oh geez..

"Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime"

 

Some basic information and guidance can be more valuable than trying to epeen my superior intellect, mad skillz, and game mechanic exploitation.

..besides the title of the linked older thread is " The Low Budget Introduction to Fire Farming ".

A small increase in rewards does not necessarily outweigh the the knowledge within.

 

"The teacher will appear when the student is ready" (the student has to be ready)

 

 

If @Maelwys would like to recreate the guide with lower level tactics, non-50+ AE arcs and leveling builds at level 25, 40, & 50; I will happily share it with new folks.

Doubly so, if they are able to receive a quote/endorsement regarding the value of the guide such as:

"I followed your guide to the letter and now I have my very own fire farmer. I dual boxed to get a rad/fire to 50, to be able to use her to powerlevel my other toons without depending on the kindness of other farmers. It is also the only toon I ever leveled up to 50 with zero help. For that, thanks."

[Maelwys]

@Troo - retrieve your beer from whoever you handed it to and re-read my previous post.

 

The OP (who I actually quoted!) linked the Page 7 Farming Microguide thread by America's Angel, and also posted an older Page 4 Brute Mids file created by America's Angel as the current build that they were actively using and building towards.

 

My comments were in relation to THAT thread (which is useful and informative, but is focussed on a very narrow niche rather than general PVE gameplay) and THAT build file (which is waaaay out of date even for it's intended purpose). They were not in relation to the three links you posted nor any build contained within! 🙃

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

All that said, despite possessing multiple Brutes that can and still do occasionally AE Farm... these days my #1 recommendation would be to go Tanker, not Brute. Tankers reach the 90% Res cap and Defensive softcap with far less effort compared to Brutes; their Maximum HP is higher (meaning greater base regeneration so AFK farming survivability thresholds are much easier to hit) and their larger AoE radiuses and Target caps mean almost any melee set will deal more damage in a farming situation than on an equivalent Brute.

 

If the OP is set on a Brute Farming toon... the two defensive powersets that currently perform best on Brutes for that content are Firey Aura (because Burn doesn't benefit from Gauntlet but does from Fury) and Stone Armor (because Brimstone Armor procs are affected by Fury). Whilst all the Melee sets will deal better AoE damage on Tankers, Super Strength is higher performing than most since Rage means you can avoid slotting any Accuracy in favour of more damage procs, and Footstomp's 15ft radius covers a lot of ground even hitting just 10 targets rather than 16.

 

The "least clicky" Farming Brute I have is currently a non-Granite RadMelee/StoneArmor. They're also the only Brute I still trust to AFK Fire Farm in a fully stocked Asteroid Map at +4/8. (Enter Map with all Toggles on and Atom Smasher on Auto >>> Make cup of tea >>> Next map)

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

For a general PVE toon, rather than a farmer specifically, I'd still recommend the OP try Super Reflexes for Melee... but if they fancy a Ranged toon there are some recent examples in this thread.

 

The alternative is a Mastermind. MMs are insanely strong whilst levelling up; and many combinations (Mercs + Marine Affinity in particular) are capable of blitzing through almost all endgame content too. But they're very busy, and I suspect the only one you could really get away with going on Autopilot for would be a Bots/FF.

[EDIT] - Since I'm now back at my PC after dealing with kids birthday weekend madness, I can finally post a few example Mids builds...

For a RadM/FA Brute; personally I'd probably veer towards something like this for levelling up: Brute (Radiation Melee - Fiery Aura Lv38).mbd
And one of these for endgame content (taken from my stable - Combat Teleport beats Fly performancewise but the latter was more thematic for the character!): zBrute - Rad Melee - Fiery Aura (No Taunt).mbdzBrute - Rad Melee - Fiery Aura (TProt).mbdzBrute - Rad Melee - Fiery Aura (Rez).mbd

FWIW, this is my current RadM/Stone Brute (a "do everything" build that can also AFK Fire Farm): Brute - Rad Melee - Stone Armor (Fold Space).mbd
And this is my other relevant Brute, a BattleAxe/FA (a "do everything" build that can also Active Farm S/L or Fire) Brute - Battle Axe - Fiery Aura (Taunt).mbd
The latter is more fun (Axe Cyclone "vacuuming" things into Burn range is hilarious) but the former needs far less attention + clicking.

None of these are the fastest at farming by a longshot... for that check some of the up-to-date Tanker builds in the originally-linked Page 7 Farming Microguide (Dedicated Active Farming builds will tend to lean heavily into Procced-out Epic/Patron pool AoE attacks etc. Dedicated AFK Farming builds will take Leadership pool and stack other passive buffs. Both types will forget about most of your damage mitigation in order to concentrate on just one single form of incoming damage!)
 

Edited October 20 by Maelwys

[Without_Pause]

I've self PLed a Spine/fire and Rad/fire to 50 using common IOs. It can be done even if not ideal. You just need to properly slot the IOs and take on the diff setting which works for you even at Level 2. Sure, it will be slower, but if you do it with using a 2x XP booster it will be fine. I thought I was leveling at a comfortable pace on a Scrapper at +0x4 without using a booster. Also note, you can go on Indom, or Reunion and use a 2x XP booster to get 3x XP although no Influence. I use Reunion as a place to duo box, and I just simply skip the booster there. Note: If you log out your farmer in the Bank vault in Pocket D, they can work on the Day Job which grants a 25% boost to Influence. 

 

My current Rad/fire isn't even built for post Page 5 content, yet I do a tunnel farm with EBs, and I don't touch my Heal. The real bumping of your diff setting will come post Level 50 and more so once you even get a budget build like the one in the linked thread. I used that on my Spines/fire and still remains its build although the build is retired.

 

Someone else asked about a low clicking type of build, and I still die on the hill for how smooth an SR build will play since you can put PB on auto. I think a sneaky fun SR build is an Ice/sr Sent. Sents get faster recharging nukes. This means Blizzard with its AoE KD gets recharged all the quicker. SR gives you additional +Recharge. I built one on Beta to try it out and practically played it on auto pilot soloing +0x8. For melee, I will die on all sorts of hills for Claws or Dark/sr Scrapper. Claws blooms earlier. For a Brute, Savage or Ice. Fire or Ice for a Tanker. Ice Melee makes even a non-durable armor *cough*Fire*cough* durable. I should mention Ice might play best on a Stalker so that's an option. Stalkers are fantastic soloers.

 

Note, you can put a build into Mids and then save export it to the Beta server and try out there. I wrote out all of the steps in a post a few weeks ago, but I can repost in need be. I try not to roll a build these days unless I have played it on Beta first.

Edited October 21 by Without_Pause