Damage Aura build question

[Chalkarts]

I'm looking to maximize passive damage from Auras.

 

I'm going to be stuck using either Spines or Rad Melee as prime because they both have a damage aura.  

 

I was wondering if anyone had a preference between those two and which Damage Aura defense set will get me the most passive damage?

[MonteCarla]

Fire Armor does a little bit more damage with its aura than other sets.

Ice Armor allows you to get a second "Damage Aura" by slotting the Ice Mistral and Impeded Swiftness damage procs in Chilling Embrace.

Dark Armor can take two procs in Cloak of Fear (Glimpse of the Abyss, Perfect Zinger) and one in Oppressive Gloom (Perfect Zinger)

I don't know which is numerically better.

Edited Monday at 01:52 AM by MonteCarla

[Funkenstein]

Hi,

Got a similar project months ago.

Went with Spines/Stone (believing Brimstone will add Dot to the auras... no helas, buuut it helps in ST for boss killing)

Added Enflame for a 3rd aura -available at lvl 14

Barb Swipe on auto + Arcane Bolt helped for boss

Barb Swipes & Quills only from Spines for most of leveling

Added procced Lunge in late game to speed up against bosses

 

I'll retry the thing with Spines/Dark because i'm curious of Cloak of Fear (3 proc) with this large radius (15ft)

Ice is tempting too or even Bio (altough it's a later aura)

Edited Monday at 09:54 PM by Funkenstein

[Maelwys]

If you're sticking a single PBAoE on Autofire (e.g. Atom Smasher or Spine Burst) then Rad Melee wins handily over Spines.
If not, they're roughly equal as Quills takes Slow set procs but Irradiated Ground takes Defense Debuff set procs (however Achilles Heel is important!).

As for the Defensive set... if this is a thematic "I won't make any active attacks no matter what" situation then as MonteCarla mentions /Ice and /Dark will be pretty good... and also /Bio with its damage boost and -res debuff (plus slotting Taunt procs in Evolving Armor) and Psionic Armor with its -res debuff (plus slotting Taunt and Gaussian procs in Impose Presence). However if you're willing to place a single attack on Autofire then Stone Armor (non Granite!) will be the winner due to +Rech from Minerals and Brimstone damage procs.
 

Edited Monday at 11:00 AM by Maelwys

[Yomo Kimyata]

15 hours ago, Chalkarts said:

I'm looking to maximize passive damage from Auras.

 

I've got a series of builds that only deal damage passively.  They are hardly the most effective builds I have.

 

Offensively, I prefer the Radiation Melee over Spines purely for Atom Smasher.  They fixed Irradiated Ground a few patches ago (it was pulsing faster than it "should"), and I don't love that it is some sort of a pet rather than a true aura, but hey, I'm not picking nits here.

 

Defensively, you've got a choice of Bio (very late aura), Dark, Electric, Fiery, Ice, Psionic, Stone.  Some of these you can add psuedo-auras by putting in procs in various powers, and some of them you can probably justify as "aura"-like powers.

 

I initially went Dark Armor, and that would probably still be my go-to for a project like this, but I haven't investigated Psionic Armor yet.