Section one: Dark Melee
Dark melee consists of 4 damage dealing attacks - Shadow punch, Smite, Siphon Life, and Midnight Grasp. There is one cone - Shadow Maul, a fear - Touch of Fear, Taunt, and two AoE's - Dark Consumption and Soul Drain. Most of the attacks that get slotted for damage are single-target attacks. There are only two AoEs in the entire set, Dark Consumption and Soul Drain, but these are usually not slotted for damage since their secondary effect is much more valuable.
Keep in mind that Dark Melee is NOT as fast a killer as some of the other primaries. DM's Build Up equivalent, Soul Drain, requires enemies nearby and you won't always get the same strength buff from activating it. This means that compared to other brutes, you may take longer to take down targets. BUT. Most DM attacks inflict a small -tohit to your target, around 5%. The debuff usually only lasts a few seconds, but it does stack, so DM brutes have much a much better chance of being able to take on multiple enemies at once than they otherwise might. DM is made for controlling opponents, letting to take them down as you will, or making sure that you provide sufficient cover for your team. Your lower tier attacks do a combination of smashing/negative and your higher tier attacks do pure negative energy. Negative energy is not a commonly-resisted damage type, so more of your actual damage will go through to your opponent. Hence the lower numbers you may see in character builder are a bit misleading. Dark Melee is lacking in Burst damage, but remains one of the better DPS sets.
Other notes. Yuo have an endure recovery power. This is AWESOME for building fury since you don't have to stop often to rest, if you do at all. Also, with the large number of toggles in DA, endurance recovery is going to be important.
Side Note: I am using standard, non-set IO's to figure optimal slotting. If you do not want to use IO's you may need a bit more accuracy in some attacks, a bit more endurance reduction in others, etc.
Next Side Note: This is a PvE Guide. I don't PvP. I know nothing of PvP. You will not find PvP tips here. I suspect that DM would be mediocre at PvP outside the arena, and good against most anything other than another melee class inside the arena.
The Powers:
Shadow Punch
The first of what most consider Dark Melee's 4 'true' attacks, it does respectable damage, recharges quickly, and has a -tohit debuff built in. This definately needs to be in your chain for fury building. If you don't plan on going outside of your primary for attacks, you'll need to pick this up to get a full chain.
Importance: 5/5
Suggested Slotting: 1/2 Acc, 1 End Red, 2/3 Dmg, 0/1 Rech.
Smite
This is your second 'true' attack. About 150% of the damage and end cost of Shadow Punch, a similar -tohit debuff. This is probably a power you will not want to skip, ever. If you don't plan on going outside of your primary for attacks, you'll need to pick this up to get a full chain.
Importance: 5/5
Suggested Slotting: 1/2 Acc, 1 End Red, 2/3 Dmg, 0/1 Rech.
Shadow Maul:
This is the third of your 'true' attacks. You will want to take this only if you enjoy being rooted for 3 seconds (not a good idea for a brute) and don't mind spending a few seconds standing there looking foolish if you miss your attack. It is nice when you get mobs lined up behind it since its a cone, but unless you're going to be taking the time to line them up yourself, it very rarely happens. This power is eminently skippable.
Importance: 2/5
Suggested Slotting: 1/2 Acc, 1 End Red, 2/3 Dmg, 0/1 Rech.
Touch of Fear:
Some people don't consider ToF an actual attack since it doesn't do any damage. Don't make this mistake. ToF inflicts a Mag 3 fear effect which can fear minions and leutenants in one application, and bosses in two. It also has the highest and longest-lasting accuracy debuff of all the DM attacks and has an higher-than-average base accuracy. Many newcomers to DM don't see the point of a single-target fear attack. While its true it won't be used in every fight, if you come up against a boss, an elite boss, or an AV, you'll be glad you have it. Its also good for dealing with low-damage debuffer to make sure they leave you alone while you introduce their friends to the shadows. You want this power to stack for full effect on EB's and AV's.
Importance: 4/5
Suggested Slotting: 1 Acc, 1 Rech, 1 Fear, 1 End Red
Siphon Life:
Siphon life does a lot of things, none of them particularly well. It's damage is only slightly more than Shadow Punch,it cost's three times as much, and will heal you for about the amount of damage you'd take in one or two hits. It costs a lot and recharges slow. If you want to sink a lot of slotting into it, it gets decent, but really, with Dark Regeneration, its very nearly a complete waste.
Importance: 1/5
Suggested Slotting: Don't take this, but if you do, you'll probably want one of the following. For healing: 2 Acc, 2 Heal, 1 End Red, 1 Rech, or for damage... well... you really don't want to slot for damage. Even with three damage its only going to come up to the base of Shadow Maul, so if you need the extra damage, and have the free slots, you'd be better off taking that.
Taunt:
You will have aggro if you take your AoE's. You will kill aggro if you take your mez toggles. Either way, unless you want to play at tanking, which the build can do, and be a bodygaurd for squishies, you really don't need this. Optional.
Importance: 1/5
Suggested Slotting: 1 Taunt
Dark Consumption:
This is the power that allows you to function as a brute. Before this power is available, Stamina might help a bit, but after this power, you will no longer need to rest of you can reach your enemies. With optimal slotting you can almost fully refill your endurance off of 2 baddies. Fun to end a fight with as you kill off the sliver of health remaining to the mobs and run to the next group full of endurance.
Importance: 5/5
Suggested Slotting: 2 Acc, 1/2 End Mod, 2 Rech
Soul Drain:
DMs answer to build-up, Soul Drain will give you a 5% +tohit buff and a 12.5% damage buff for each mob you hit. You won't usually get more than 4 or 5 out of this, but a 25% tohit/62.5% damage buff isn't bad. Plus, its the only one you get, so take it be happy.
Importance: 5/5
Suggested Slotting: 2 Acc, 2/3 rech, 1 end
Midnight Grasp:
Not your mother's tier nine power. This is almost like an anti-nova in some ways. Single target damage, damage over time instead of straight up front. Best use for this power? Hit a nasty meleer with it and move out of his range, come back to him later. Of course, the damage is VERY nice, so it fits in your chain too, especially if you don't want to have to go outside the primary for attacks. If it wasn't for the extremely high damage I'd say optional, but you really need the damage as a DM brute.
Importance: 4/5
Suggested Slotting: 1/2 Acc, 1 End Red, 2/3 Dmg, 0/1 Rech.
The world is crazy. I offer this as proof; found on a butane lighter: Warning: Flame may cause fire.
You can sleep when you die.
Section two: Dark Armor
Dark Armor is rather unique in secondaries being that it actually provides control along with the mitigation it offers. It includes endurance drain resist and high Psionic resist which is hard to come by in other sets. It does not have a tier-nine "god-mode" power, instead opting for a rez.
On the plus side, Dark Armour offers resistance to every damage type, so, even if a couple of them are low resists, there are not gaping holes like other sets. Fear and disorient auras can render enemies who come too close helpless, and the stealth offers you +perception which comes in VERY handy against the Widows and Banes.
On the downside, it lacks knockback protection of any kind, which forces players to use pool powers or IO's to cover this weakness. The self-heal is powerful, but relies on hitting nearby enemies, which can make it unreliable. (I say this to cover the possibility, but honestly, with a couple accs, there's very rarely a problem hitting. The tier nine is dissapointing and not terribly useful, aside from saving yourself a hospital trip.
DA has a very large number of toggles-depending on the powers you take, you could have five or more toggles, not counting any toggles from pool powers. It's therefore essential to either practice toggle management, turning on toggles as you need them and turning them off when done to conserve end, or slotting them with at least one endurance reduction.
The Powers
Dark Embrace
This is your basic shield. It offers Smashing/Lethal/Toxic/Negative resists. Essential, take it, slot it, use it.
Rating: 6/5 (Mandatory Choice)
Suggested Slotting: 3 Res, 0/1 End - You could get away with no end slotting, but you'll be able to fight longer (and therefore at higher fury) if you have it there.
Death Shroud
Death Shroud does good negative energy damage to all nearby enemies, keeping them taunted, but can be an end hog. That said, you'll probably save yourself end in the long run because DS keeps your enemies mad at you and swinging, and so your fury goes higher, the DS damage goes up, and your other attacks hot for more, meaning less overall attacks for any given spawn.
Rating: 5/5
Suggested Slotting: 1/2 Acc, 2 End, 1/2 Dmg
Murky Cloud:
Your next basic shield, Murky Cloud offers Fire/Cold/Negative/Energy and end drain resists. Take it, slot it, use it.
Rating: 5/5
Suggested Slotting: 3 Res, 0/1 End - You could get away with no end slotting, but you'll be able to fight longer (and therefore at higher fury) if you have it there.
Obsidian Shield:
Offers Sleep, Disorient, Hold, and Fear protection. It also confers high Psionic resistance.
Rating: 5/5
Suggested Slotting: 3 Res, 0/1 End - You could get away with no end slotting, but you'll be able to fight longer (and therefore at higher fury) if you have it there.
Dark Regeneration:
This is DA's self-heal. AoE power, centred on you, that does a very small amount of negative energy damage to all enemies nearby, and grants you health for each enemy hit. When slotted, with just two or three enemies, it can restore you to full health from almost nothing. Take it.
Rating: 5/5
Suggested Slotting: 2 Acc, 2 End Red, 1 Heal, 1 Rech - It can't heal if it can't hit, it drains a lot of endurance, and you want it up a lot.
Cloak of Darkness:
Okay, so "BRUTE SMASH" doesn't seem to mesh with stealth, right? Maybe so. But when you consider that CoD gives you a defense bonus, +perception, and Immobilize protection, it looks better. It also completely hides your costume, so if you have no imagination for character customisation, this is the power for you. Besides, its fun to walk up and tap that Sapper on the shoulder right before you pound him to a pulp.
Should you take it? That depends. If you don't take the leaping pool, you'll need this for your immob resist. If not, it's completely up to you. I like the stealth for scouting.
Suggested Slotting: 0/1 Def, 0/1 End Red - It doesn't benefit much from eaither, but you have a slot to fill.
Cloak Of Fear:
This is the first of your 'mez auras'. CoF has a chance to fear any minion that comes close to you. The magnitude is not high enough to affect bosses alone, but it can be stacked with touch of fear. The downside is the atrocious base accuracy and monstrous end cost. The debuff it offers is barely noticeable.
Rating: 3/5
Suggested Slotting: 2 Acc - This is a power that you'll want to run for short periods when jumping into spawns that are larger than normal. The power wil slow down your fury building, so drop it as soon as you can survive the incoming damage. After the spawn gets thinned out a bit, you can drop it to conserve endurance.
Oppressive Gloom:
This is the second of your 'mez auras'. OG has a chance to stun any minion that comes close to you. The magnitude is not high enough to affect lieutenants or bosses, and you have nothing to stack it with. It has much better accuracy and costs much less end than CoF. However, it does drain a tiny bit of your health for each mob affected. With a brute's hit points and the health power from the fitness pool, this is not even noticeable. The real drawback of OG is the inherent nature of the stun. Enemies are not stationary, and will wander off out of the radius of the effect.
Rating: 3/5
Suggested Slotting: 2 Acc - This is a power that you'll want to run for short periods when jumping into spawns that are larger than normal. The power wil slow down your fury building, so drop it as soon as you can survive the incoming damage.
Soul Transfer:
Some Sets offer tier-nine powers that can drastically improve your surviveability for short periods. DA is not one of them. Soul Transfer is a combination of self-ressurrect and AoE power.For Soul Drain to work, you must be dead. And there must be enemies near your fallen body-if there aren't, and you activate the power, it will do nothing and be wasted. If there are enemies nearby, ST will return you to life, with health and end based on the number of enemies nearby. You will be invulnerable for a few seconds, and be protected from XP debt for 90 seconds. The enemies will take a modest amount of negative energy damage (41.7) and be hit with a base 10-second, mag 35 stun-powerful enough to stun even bosses. Optional.
Rating 2/5
Slotting: 1/2 Heals, 0/1 Disorient - Don't waste more than 2 slots on this power unless you have some obscure IO set bonus that won't fit anywhere else.
The world is crazy. I offer this as proof; found on a butane lighter: Warning: Flame may cause fire.
You can sleep when you die.
Section three: Pool Powers
Medicine
You have two heals in your sets already. Don't waste a pool.
Rating: 0/5
Flight
This is one of the two power pools that can help brutes deal with the lack of KB resist.
Hover costs minimal endurance, offers a slight defense boost, and most importantly, being hit with KB will usually only flip you over in the air, causing minimal or no disruption to your attack chain. Strong knockback powers will actually push you back a short distance so as KB becomes more common, you'll need to run hover more and more often, so slotting for flight speed enhancement is eventually neccessary. Beware of -fly attacks though; with hover shut off, you will have no defence against KB at all. Rating: 2/5
Air superiority is an excellent attack that can help you deal with bosses and can be made a staple of your attack chain. Rating: 3/5
Flight is a safe, if slow, travel power that requires flight speed enhancements to reach maximum speed. Rating: 3/5
Group flight: Are you a Mastermind or a Brute? Rating: 0/5
Leaping
This is one of the two power pools that can help brutes deal with the lack of KB resist.
Jump Kick: If you have a clown motif, or just like wasting time, take this. Otherwise move on to the next power. Rating: 0/5
Combat Jumping. If you take combat jumping, then you have the option of skipping CoD since your immobilisation resist will already be covered. It is also nice to stack the defense with CoD though. Combat jumping costs minimal end and offers a slight defence bonus. Additional slotting is not recommended. Rating: 3/5
Super Jump: The 2nd fastest travel power. Works great outdoors (but not inside enclosed spaces) and requires no slotting to be workable. Rating: 2/5
Acrobatics: A toggle power that offers resistance to hold and knockdown. Acro requires no more end to run than a shield, but will need two KB enhancements to maximise its KB protection. Rating: 4/5
Super-speed
Flurry: Avoid. It has all the problems of shadow maul and none of the advantages. Rating: 0/5
Hasten: Very useful for getting your endurance refilled faster (via Dark Consumption) and your heal up faster. You will need to be sure to slot for end though if you use this power. Very recommended for any brute. Rating: 5/5
Super-speed: will stack with CoD to give full invisibility. The fastest travel power, but problematic late-game since you have to travel around Grandville (aka Why-the-hell-are-there-no-doors-on-the-ground-any-more-ville) Requires no slotting. Rating: 3/5
Whirlwind: Just don't. Rating: 0/5
Fitness
Swift: Increases your flight/run speed. Rating: 2/5
Hurdle: Increases your jump speed/height. Side note: Sprint + Hurdle = Speed of Fly. Useful as a psuedo-travel power early on. Rating: 4/5
Health: Will help offset the penalty from oppressive gloom. It's useful for minimizing downtime. Also adds sleep protection. Take it and three-slot it as early as possible. Rating: 4/5
Stamina: Essential. Take it and three-slot it as early as possible. Rating: 5/5
Fighting:
Boxing: A low damage attack with a chance to stun. Rating: 3/5
Kick: A low damage attack with KB. Rating: 2/5
Tough: Adds to your Lethal/Smashing resists, and since about two thirds of the damage coming your way is S/L, that's kinda nice. Rating: 4/5
Weave: Stacks defence with CoD (and CJ if you take it). Very nice. Rating: 4/5
Patron Power Pools
The PPPs don't contain anything you really have to have, though some of the powers can be useful. The immobilize powers can help in conjunction with Oppresive Gloom, and having ranged attacks to pull is nice. A lot of people take Ghost Widow for thematic reasons, and because the -acc stacks.
The world is crazy. I offer this as proof; found on a butane lighter: Warning: Flame may cause fire.
You can sleep when you die.
Sample Build:
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.4006
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Level 50 Magic Brute
Primary Power Set: Dark Melee
Secondary Power Set: Dark Armor
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Shadow Punch -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(3), EndRdx-I:50(7), Dmg-I:50(15), Dmg-I:50(36), Dmg-I:50(48)
Level 1: Dark Embrace -- EndRdx-I:50(A), ResDam-I:50(5), ResDam-I:50(9), ResDam-I:50(9)
Level 2: Smite -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(3), EndRdx-I:50(7), Dmg-I:50(15), Dmg-I:50(36), Dmg-I:50(48)
Level 4: Death Shroud -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(5), EndRdx-I:50(34), EndRdx-I:50(34), Dmg-I:50(34), Dmg-I:50(48)
Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(37), RechRdx-I:50(37)
Level 8: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I:50(A)
Level 10: Murky Cloud -- EndRdx-I:50(A), ResDam-I:50(11), ResDam-I:50(11), ResDam-I:50(37)
Level 12: Obsidian Shield -- EndRdx-I:50(A), ResDam-I:50(13), ResDam-I:50(13), ResDam-I:50(39)
Level 14: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 16: Health -- Heal-I:50(A), Heal-I:50(17), Heal-I:50(17)
Level 18: Dark Regeneration -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(19), EndRdx-I:50(19), EndRdx-I:50(25), Heal-I:50(40), RechRdx-I:50(40)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(21), EndMod-I:50(21)
Level 22: Dark Consumption -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(23), EndMod-I:50(23), EndMod-I:50(25), RechRdx-I:50(39), RechRdx-I:50(40)
Level 24: Cloak of Darkness -- DefBuff-I:50(A), DefBuff-I:50(46)
Level 26: Soul Drain -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(27), EndRdx-I:50(27), RechRdx-I:50(29), RechRdx-I:50(39), RechRdx-I:50(42)
Level 28: Cloak of Fear -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(29)
Level 30: Touch of Fear -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(31), Fear-I:50(31), RechRdx-I:50(31)
Level 32: Midnight Grasp -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(33), EndRdx-I:50(33), Dmg-I:50(33), Dmg-I:50(42), Dmg-I:50(46)
Level 35: Oppressive Gloom -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(36)
Level 38: Boxing -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(43), EndRdx-I:50(46), Dmg-I:50(50)
Level 41: Tough -- EndRdx-I:50(A), ResDam-I:50(42), ResDam-I:50(43), ResDam-I:50(43)
Level 44: Weave -- EndRdx-I:50(A), EndRdx-I:50(45), DefBuff-I:50(45), DefBuff-I:50(45)
Level 47: Super Jump -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 49: Acrobatics -- EndRdx-I:50(A), KBDist-I:50(50), KBDist-I:50(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 1: Fury
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The world is crazy. I offer this as proof; found on a butane lighter: Warning: Flame may cause fire.
You can sleep when you die.
So you've decided to create a new brute. Whether you've decided on a Dark/Dark brute for concept or to try something new, there are a few points that should be covered first.
1. Dark Melee is short on 'true' attacks. - This is, on the face of it, true. BUT. Most primary powersets have an over-abundance of attacks. For instance, a Battle Axe brute is probably not going to have a chain made up of Beheader > Chop > Gash > Swoop > Taunt > Whirling Axe > Cleave > Pendulum. Its just not practical. So the fact that Dark Melee has fewer attacks doesn't really hurt you, it just gives you more flexibility.
2. Dark Armour is much to expensive. - Dark Armour is expensive. But what holds true in real life, holds true here as well. You get what you pay for. Dark Armour has the highest survivability (using the spreadsheet produced by Arcana with I think is still posted around here somewhere.) of any of the brute powersets outside of tier nine godmode. Which brings us to point number three.
3. Dark Armour has no godmode. - No. It doesn't. Hence, you have no down time, and you know when you run into a mob exactly what's going to happen every time. There are no ups and downs with Dark Armour. Its steady, and easier to play than a lot of the other secondaries.
4. Dark Armour is hard to level. - Dark Armour is a late bloomer. It takes a while to blossom, but once it does, its very powerful.
There's probably a few other objections that are out there too, but those are the biggest. Now down to the powers themselves.
The world is crazy. I offer this as proof; found on a butane lighter: Warning: Flame may cause fire.
You can sleep when you die.