If you have not given City of Heroes a try since its return in Homecoming, under the excellent guidance of the SCORE team, you are missing out on the re-emergence of something extraordinary.

Speaking of which, if you HAVE gotten back into it, have you ever seen a combination in action and then wonder how freaking marvelous it might be?

Wonder no more, as I present to you, MY top 5 Best CoH Solo Builds (with some Incarnate and Ancillary/Patron Pool SUGGESTIONS), with a few details, full builds can be found online, with many DELICIOUS variations, I'll provide one each below.

5. Spines/Fire Brute

Say what you want -Yes, it's a farming build. But man, is it also a viable solo build for running regular content, outside the life of the AE Rainbow Comi-Con Caverns (Tell me another scenario where Freddie Mercury is fighting alongside toons from every conceivable fandom). Combine the Lethal and Toxic damage of Spines, with the incredibly balanced Fiery Aura secondary, and you have a rolling machine of doom, so to speak.

Build Highlights:

• Blazing Aura/Quills – 2 "Always On" auras, that put out Fire, Lethal and Toxic damage,continuously at PB range. They also simultaneously build the RAGE bar on the brute, increasing your overall damage.
• Fiery Embrace – Increases the damage of all of your attacks for a brief period of time, increases Fire damage sigificantly, all other damage types by a small amount.
• Healing Flames and Consume – With Fiery Aura, you get a self-heal (with additional temporay toxic protection) and a minor PboE damage dealer that drains nearby targets of their endurance and adds it to their own.

Incarnate/Ancillary Pool/Patron Pool Suggestions:

• Musculature Core Paragon – Increase all damage by 45%, and reduce Immobilization Duration and Defense Debuff duration by 33%. Always on. No END cost.
• Soul Mastery/Soul Tentacles – Cone immobilization/DoT dished out as Negative damage.
• Soul Mastery/Darkest Night – Constantly reduces damage and to-hit ability on the target of your choice and puts out the same effect to all opposition in a 25' radius of the target.

Why this solo build?

• Incredible, consistent, VARIED damage types (better chance that targets can't resist or reduce all at once). Boost damage output with Fiery Embrace and Musculature Core Paragon. More damage equals more RAGE equals more DAMAGE.
• Great utility that includes a heal and the ability to drain END from surrounding enemies and add it to your own pool.
• Decent Damage Resistance and Defense. Especially if you add Combat Jumping, Tough and Weave from the Fighting Pool and/or Manuevers into the build. Using this makes it much easier to get to the DEF soft cap. If they can't hit you, they can't damage you.
• With the addition of Soul Tentacles and Darkest Night, you add the ability to immobilize groups and reduce their abilities to hit or damage you.

Spines/Fire Brute full details

4. (The MFing) Warshade

I am always shocked when I hear that more people don't play Warshades. In terms of versatility, this is the most effective Swiss Army Knife in the game. A Tri-Form Warshade is just sick in terms of ability. This build not only shows off a great variety of powers, but has a deep level of damage dealing and survivability.

Build Highlights:

• Dark Nova and Black Dwarf give you the ability to shapeshift, and use powers unique to the for you are in.
• An AoE attack chain that will quickly eliminate foes.
• Shadow Cloak and Starless Step add extra layers of survivability in diverse powers using stealth AND intangibility.
• Starless Step and Shadow Shift give you the ability to teleport self and your enemies to you.

Incarnate/Ancillary Pool/Patron Pool Suggestions:

• Spiritual Partial Core Revamp – Increases Recharge, the duration of your Stuns, and Healing all by 33%.
• Because of their deep power set options, Warshades (or Peacebringers for that matter) don't get Ancillary or Patron Pool access. And honestly, you don't need it, I don't care what anyone says, they're just whining...

Why this solo build?

• Shapeshifting into different forms that provide specifically a ranged (Dark Nova) or melee combatant (Black Dwarf) to deal well with specific threats.
• Stealth and the abilty to literally draw foes into you. Seek, find, summon, destroy with the form of your choosing.
• Phase shift and become intangible as an "Oh Crap" button, in case of emergency. Then gain the ability to leap extraordinary distances, to assist in your ability to remove yourself from danger.
• Few groups will last long against you wave of AoE attacks.

Warshade full details

3. Robotics/Time Manipulation Mastermind

Really, when a lot of people think of soloing, Masterminds, and Robotics specifically, comes up repeatedly, as the newer Time Manipulation set not only has some great survivability and utility to it, but when treated right, those robotic minions break out and bust things up! It is worth mentioning that bodyguard mode should not be overlooked, ever, that goes double for solo players.

Build Highlights:

• Your robotic minions shred through everything. It's scary at times.
• Heals on wheels for you entire crew, including you.
• You can slow and hold enemies, and buff yourself and your minions as well.
• Decrease defense and damage resistance of your enemies.
• I'll say it again, Bodyguard mode.

Incarnate/Ancillary Pool/Patron Pool Suggestions:

• Warworks Core Superior Ally – Yes, a lore slot. And why? More WELCOME additions to the hive mind, with a Mk-VI "Victoria" and an ACU for more thematic devastation.
• Mu Mastery/Charged Armor – A layer of Smashing/Lethal and Energy damage resistance.
• Mu Master/Electrifying Fences – A group immoblization, again thematic (to me), with a low dmg DoT and drains END from mobs (you do not gain this back).
• Mu Mastery/Thunder Strike – High DMG, aoe melee attack. I will repeat, bodyguard mode.

Why this build?

• A virtualARMY of attackers at your service
• The buff/debuff options make it so nice and that much easier to manage everything
• Heals and buffs aplenty, which prolongs your survivability even further.
• I cannot stress how valuable bodyguard mode really is. You feel that much more invulnerable.

Robotics/Time Manipulation MM full details

2. Illusion/Radiation Controller

Before the Mastermind class, there was the Illusion/Radiation Controller. And don't misuderstand, while not the most stable build, when you finally lot up some IO's, you the world is a different place. Add your ability to not only deal damage but buff, heal and contain threats, and good golly, is this a fun build.

Build Highlights:

• Phantom Army and Phantasm, oh, how your foes will not see them coming until it's too late
• Radiant Aura and Accelerate Metabolism will aid in keeping you alive.
• Your ability to dissuade/occupy groups of enenmies is superior.
• Fallout is a nice AoE attack, even if it is slow on the return.
• Lingering Radiation reduces enemies' attack rate, movement, and actual Regeneration rate
• Incarnate/Ancillary Pool/Patron Pool Suggestions:
• Ion Radiate Final Judgement – Extreme chained, ranged aoe, that also reduces enemy recovery and resistance
• Fire Mastery/Fireball – Because ranged AoE attack
• Fire Mastery/Fire Shield – Added Smashing/Lethal/Fire and Cold resistance
• Fire Masery/Rise of the Phoenix – Because a self-res/knockback option is nice to have JUSSST in case.

Why this build?

• ALL THE PETS – Phantasm and Phantom Army.
• Great buffs and heals for you and yours.
• A confuse option to send enemies back at their own.
• So much invisibilty – Go wherever you want. The only thing worse than arriving with an army, is arriving with an invisible one.

Illusion/Radiation Controller full details

1. Electric Melee/Shield Defense Stalker

You did not expect this to be on here. I aim to change your mind. Electric Melee/Shield Defense is a great combination on a Stalker. The inherent Hide/Assassin's Strike mechanic is complemented very well with a host of AoE's and great positional defense, that can be enhanced further by additional pool powers. Pay attention to whet your appetite, this, to me, is an incredibly fun build to play.

Build Highlights:

• You're a Stalker, so single targets are already doomed.
• Build up to boost the damage of every attack you have, inside a small window.
• AoE damage including 2 "Nukes".
• Increased critical hit chance with all attacks.
• Incarnate/Ancillary Pool/Patron Pool Suggestions:
• Reactive Core Flawless Interface – Damage resistance debuff proc and a fire DoT.
• Blaze Mastery/Char – Single-target hold with a DoT.
• Blaze Mastery/Melt Armor – Drop the resistance and defense of enemies.

Why this build?

• STEALTH, Build Up, Assassin's Strike.
• Two RIDICULOUS, "teleporting" nukes with Shield Charge and Lightning Rod.
• You can EASILY soft cap defense with this build.
• With proper enhancement slotting, this build is for to frustrate many a group of enemies.
• A chance to crit with AoE's.

Electric Melee/Shield Defense Stalker full details

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