View Full Version : Practiced Brawler vs Acrobatics
I'm badly in need of an Hold resistance right now, its practically an instadeath when fighting large groups, and I have two choices. One from my Reflexes set:
Practiced Brawler
Description: Your training has allowed you to become a Practiced Brawler, tuning you into a perfect fighting machine. You gain resistance to Knockback, Disorient, Hold, Sleep, and Immobilization effects for a short duration.
Endurance Cost: 15
Power Effects: Self +Res(Disorient,Hold,Immobilize,Knockback,Sleep)
And one from the Leaping pool:
Acrobatics
Description: While this toggle power is on, you are very nimble and Acrobatic. You can avoid most Knockback effects and you are resistant to Hold effects.
Endurance Cost: 0.3
Power Effects: Self +Res(Hold,Knockback)
Practiced Brawler is obviously the better buff, covering disorient (which is just as bad as hold but not as common) and the smaller, less fatal effects. But its not a toggle power, so its all going to come down to the duration. I would rather go for the less protective Acrobatics than have to pour slots and recharge reductions into Practiced Brawler, and then have to worry about its end cost...
Pratell
05-09-04, 10:40 PM
I've found that most anything that says "short duration" lasts for about 10 seconds.
Bleh, ten seconds isn't long enough.
I have a feeling this is a decision I'm going to regret no matter which way I go.
man I'm having serious guttermind issues today, and those last two responses didn't help.
I would go with practiced brawler, given that even with 1 or 2 extra slots you can use it anytime you need.
with a 2 minute recharge,if it lasts 20-30 seconds thats more then enough imo. Alot of the mobs i still fight dont have the ability to hold. Its mostly reserved for the bosses/leutenants.
Of course that will probably change.
I plan on getting brawler on my scrapper,but that wont be till early mid 20's as my goal right now is to get stamina at level 20.
Pratell
05-10-04, 11:14 PM
I also found that with Hasten, these short duration abilities were great since you could use them 1-2 times a fight. However with the recent nerf it's not so viable anymore, though I've noticed an increase in the duration of Build Up as I've leveled so perhaps by 25-30 they are pretty good abilities.
Since apparently I'm not the only one who skipped PB, I've created a new scrapper who I'll level up to 10 and check the numbers with. Unfortunately I chose MA as the primary set, so I won't be able to check the duration on Build Up. Oh well.
Bit of a moot point now anyway, I realized that Quickness, the Reflexes always-on haste, opens up next level, so the choice will probably wait until 22. And yes, I have started meeting minions with these powers, Tsoo past the enforcer level have a zillion different debuffs.
Build Up is just Focus Chi with another name. Focus Chi allows me to turn 55 point Crane Kicks into 93 point kicks, 30 point Thunder Kicks into 53 point kicks, and 4x12 point Storm kicks into 4x20 point kicks. I can do one crane, one storm, and two thunder kicks while Focus Chi is active, so that's a lot of extra damage in my mind. I took out a red boss yesterday (I was level 15, he was 16) with chi and one damage, accuracy, and defence inspiration. I didn't even need to use a health inspiration.
I didn't take Practiced Brawler and I do okay so far. Combat Jump has an immobilize resistance in it and while it does hurt when I get hit, I avoid attacks quite often. My main debate will come at level 20, when I have to decide whether to take quickness or stamina, and save the other for 22.
depending on your build though ruccus,you get a disorient attack early on,while katana/sword users dont get anything like that till 20+.
so getting the PB power is useful depending on your build.
I was just in the game ,and with the hasten change it makes it alot harder to survive against enemies who can stun/hold you.
it looks like the tripled the recharge time on hasten from 5 minutes to 15 minutes. so unless you plan on putting alot of slots into it,the power is turned into a boss mob type power and not a standard use.
Practiced Brawler rocks.
It's not perfect resistance, I have to be on my toes, but it's much better than my natural, and it lasts a good long time. With one attack speed SO in it I can keep it up at all times.