The Behemoth vs The Fist

[Mister Gravity]

So I wanted to try out a freeform pure melee character. In my mind the idea was the go Behemoth style, but as I started to play with the powers I realized The Fist was a lot more fun. My question ultimately is which one is better end game. Obviously the Behemoth is going to be more of a Tank at the end with tons and tons of life points, but is a similar build possible with Fist?

Also when I chose my base stats, I went ahead with The Behemoth (whatever that stat is that gives the three right from the beginning.) I think it's Strength, Constitution and Recovery. Obviously okay for The Behemoth, but still okay if I continue The Fist type?

Anyone played both and can give me some pointers?

[Bacon Overlord®]

Pretty much any build or AT is viable end-game with the right gear and mods.

[N1SB]

Hi, I read your other post, welcome back to the game. You came back at a great time, we're getting waves of new content this month. Reminder that on Friday they're giving out a free costume set and vehicle. Now, onto your question.

Having read you're trying out a freeform pure melee, and so far you just chose the Innate Talent for the Behemoth (Con/Str/Rec of 10, End of 8), that's totally fine. It's actually a great choice for the early levels and probably still one of the optimal choices in the endgame. You can always change all those by going into the Powerhouse and Re-speccing your Talents and Specialisations (the 1st time is free, every time after costs 50G).

The only other thing to say is, in addition to these Talents here, you're going to have to choose your Primary Superstat then your Secondary Superstats. I was going to suggest Strength as your Primary, Constitution as a Secondary, then perhaps Intelligence as your other Secondary for energy management and other side-benefits like notcing Stealth. Since you returned after 4 years, the game went from having 1 Primary and 1 Secondary to 1 Primary and 2 Secondaries.

Just so you know, Dexterity got nerfed pretty hard about a year or so ago. There are builds that focus on Dexterity to be a dodging tank or a stealthy build, but unless that is specifcally what you want, I'd suggest avoiding it.

The Fist powers are basically the Martial Arts set, which was added after you left 4 years ago, I believe. So if you want to use that as your template, that can work. However, I strongly urge you to take self-healing Powers, such as Bountiful Chi Resurge (a heal over time, with an advantage called Resurgent Reiki) and Conviction (instant heal). The self-healing is what The Fist lacks, but it's very important as having to get into melee usually involves taking more damage than a ranged build.

Beyond that, there's other tricks I like. Even though it's not very kung fu in appearance, I really like Force Shield + the Force Sheathe advantage. With Force Sheathe, a blocking effect lingers even after you stop blocking. The effect is every few seconds, you tap block just to get this lingering effect, but you can still attack. Just remember to tap block to re-activate the effect. When you block, not only are you taking less damage, but the act of blocking charges up your Energy meter to sustain your attacks. It's great for everyone, but I especially like it for melee.

Just some thoughts, melee is a longer conversation. I think the above is a good start that gives you a solid base, but still gives you room to explore what moves you like.

[Mister Gravity]

Originally posted by Not 1 Step Backwards:

Hi, I read your other post, welcome back to the game. You came back at a great time, we're getting waves of new content this month. Reminder that on Friday they're giving out a free costume set and vehicle. Now, onto your question.

Having read you're trying out a freeform pure melee, and so far you just chose the Innate Talent for the Behemoth (Con/Str/Rec of 10, End of 8), that's totally fine. It's actually a great choice for the early levels and probably still one of the optimal choices in the endgame. You can always change all those by going into the Powerhouse and Re-speccing your Talents and Specialisations (the 1st time is free, every time after costs 50G).

The only other thing to say is, in addition to these Talents here, you're going to have to choose your Primary Superstat then your Secondary Superstats. I was going to suggest Strength as your Primary, Constitution as a Secondary, then perhaps Intelligence as your other Secondary for energy management and other side-benefits like notcing Stealth. Since you returned after 4 years, the game went from having 1 Primary and 1 Secondary to 1 Primary and 2 Secondaries.

Just so you know, Dexterity got nerfed pretty hard about a year or so ago. There are builds that focus on Dexterity to be a dodging tank or a stealthy build, but unless that is specifcally what you want, I'd suggest avoiding it.

The Fist powers are basically the Martial Arts set, which was added after you left 4 years ago, I believe. So if you want to use that as your template, that can work. However, I strongly urge you to take self-healing Powers, such as Bountiful Chi Resurge (a heal over time, with an advantage called Resurgent Reiki) and Conviction (instant heal). The self-healing is what The Fist lacks, but it's very important as having to get into melee usually involves taking more damage than a ranged build.

Beyond that, there's other tricks I like. Even though it's not very kung fu in appearance, I really like Force Shield + the Force Sheathe advantage. With Force Sheathe, a blocking effect lingers even after you stop blocking. The effect is every few seconds, you tap block just to get this lingering effect, but you can still attack. Just remember to tap block to re-activate the effect. When you block, not only are you taking less damage, but the act of blocking charges up your Energy meter to sustain your attacks. It's great for everyone, but I especially like it for melee.

Just some thoughts, melee is a longer conversation. I think the above is a good start that gives you a solid base, but still gives you room to explore what moves you like.

Wow, thanks for the extremely detailed response there. Let me do a little research into these ideas and I'll respond back more thoroughly.

[Ahbadah]

I think you get much more energy blocking as a tank archetype than as a melee damage archetype...

...which is why the energy from force shield is so nice for melee.