[What are you playing right now]

Just downloaded Duelyst and bought Dragon Age: Origins. Finaly I will see if the hype about the later is true and know if Inquisition was truly "dumbed down", and while I doubt it will be as complex an experience as PoE mechanics wise, I am in the mood for something less byzanthine anyway.

[Choosing a class]

What is Brisk Recitation? I can't find it anywhere.

A Talent that came with update 3.0. Now the non-linger duration of Chanters phrases gets shorter every 4 levels, being twice as fast at level 16.

 

That means that Invocation-focused Chanters who chain lots of small phrases with a few big ones are a viable alternative to Dragon Thrashed face-melters, and they can actually keep up multiple buffing invocations up with high INT and non-dumped DEX (as you only resume chanting after an invocation after the relatively long recovery).

[Class popularity]

My favorite class is probably the Fighter. Not the strongest, not the most flexible and surely not the flashiest, but still a class I can rarely part with. Never my main, as I prefer more exotic flavours for my avatar, but a solid and reliable presence that come Hel or Ondra's waters, will always be there holding the line and scavenging victory from defeat.

 

My last favorite is - steel yourselves - the chanter.

 

It was a hard choice, and I am still unsure about it, but there is something about the class that feels lacking. Maybe it is because, despite having the most interesting lore, for most of the midgame they are in a limbo while fighters shine, and the midgame is the part of the game that affects my opinions on a class the most.

 

Yes, the two most "boring" classes are the ones I like and dislike the most.But tgen, I like all classes, so it is no big deal.

[Class popularity]

Put the cipher in the least favorite pool. Taking it out because you assume they are everyone's favorite is disrespectful of people who would rather not have their choices made for them.

[The Conspiracy of Deus Ex]

Some houses, for example, will have so many expressions that to contrast them to word would take forever! It's more productive to caption a screenshot. Further, there are many screenshots possible and this is what I mean by 'many conspiracies'.

 

It baffles me, that someone as learned and eloquent as yourself uses the word "conspiracy" so lightly.

[The Conspiracy of Deus Ex]

Illuminati Confirmed.

[Main Character Question]

Hmm I think if I select my whole party and then click to open a lock the skill of my best lock-picker is used?

In that instance I don't need to train my main character in lock-picking as long as I train one of my party members?

Yes, the mechanics skill is an exception to the above rule.

[best ranger abilities]

Thanks- where should this be posted, then? I figured this was the correct part of the forum...

The "character builds and strategies" subforum, home of the wise and benevolent PoE sages.

[Let's talk: Vancian systems]

I actually do want my Splattery Hammer +10 now, though. Like, a giant two-handed (for non-Ogres) Ogre hammer; hits like a truck, Push and AOE damage on hit, +100% recovery penalty...

That would be too balanced for the "epicness" folk... even if I feel quite sure it would be possible to fully compensate its penalty by giving it to a Barbarian with Bloodlust+Bloodthirst.

[Level 14?]

Could you share your wiz tank build pls.

 

I just finished my normal playthrough with story companions (where my greatest achievement was soloing sky dragon with Aloth at lv 16 lol) and now I want to try PoTD with 4 man party - Cipher MC, Chanter tank, Wiz and Priest offtanks. All Melee and armored.

I think he means the Bilestomper. It can be found on the sticky post.

[Trying to figure out casting speed]

+15% casting speed is barely noticeable, since most of your spells are already fast.

Actually, by multiplying the effects of Spelltongue, DAoM and Gaunlets of Swift Action you get 1.15*1.15*1.5=1.98375, which means basically zero recovery when not wearing armor. Take away Spelltongue and you get 1.725, which means very low recovery, but not zero. Plus, nothing keeps you from using spelltongue on a Citzal build those times when you aren't conjuring weapons.

[Trying to figure out casting speed]

And nothing keeps you from summoning Citzal's lance when you want bigger numbers. If you can have 0-recovery with no Talents, you can take the 2-handed style talent for when you do summon it. Actually, I am already thinking of a jack of all trades dual-wielding/2-hander/fast caster Wizard build now that I know that Spelltongue speeds up casting too.

[Trying to figure out casting speed]

Citzal may be better for damage... but spelltongue has more things going for it than damage.

[[Request Class Build] Assassin melee rogue]

And might in this case? Whats the idea behind high int on a monk?

Might should stay high, specially of you plan on using fists or sabers (which I recommend). For a very "active" dual-wielding Monk I'd invest equally into MIG and CON and then invest what you can in INT. If you look at the Monk active abilities, you will see that almost all have either an area of effect or a duration that benefits from INT:

 

Torment's Reach, the main damage dealing ability of a dual-wielding Monk, has a cone AoE. Force of Anguish, a powerful single-target push+prone, can render the target hopeless for the entire fight with high INT. Swift Strikes is a nice buff that you should keep active. I can't speak much about high level powers, but I think that even your Wounds take longer to expire with high INT.

 

Plus, both Veteran's Recovery and the AoE healing over time from Shod-in-Faith benefit from INT. I don't think I need to explain why Monks like cheap passive self-healing.

[[Request Class Build] Assassin melee rogue]

That sounds very interesting, would have to be a frontliner cause friendly fire. How would you build it?

 

Truth to be told I don't have much experience with that kind of Wizard, but I would probably focus on INT and MIG above all, and some PER if possible. You can take some points from RES if you don't mind buffing yourself more often, or from DEX if you feel you could use more CON or RES. Invest into Survival for more healing received or bonus Accuracy, and take Shod-In-Faith in Defiance Bay for yourself if you don't have another character who would benefit more from it, like a Monk or Barbarian.

 

I would also take Veteran's Recovery and Weapon and Shield Style for more hardyness, and open fights with a Chillfog or other debuff followed by a buff to Deflection or DR, later unloading your damage spells as needed.

 

EDIT: but you are an off-tank, not a full tank so don't try to engage more than two or three foes at once unless you are already buffed and charging your nukes.

 

EDIT2: For armor, I think you don't need "true" heavy armors like full plate, from my experience with frontliner Priests and Druids, but I am unsure because Wizards are more fragile than them.

 

I think you could also like a shieldbearer Druid, since they can afford lighter armors because of their healing spells and higher base deflection and that makes them more dynamic. Take a look at the Batsh!t Crazy build at the sticky list.

 

Monk was usually might, dex perc from 15-18 rest around 10. Probably should have built it hardier.

If you are using fists or dual-wielding any other weapon, DEX can be kept at base. Your high base accuracy means the same for PER. Instead invest into CON and INT (Monks have self-buffs, AoE and CC skills that benefit greatly from it, and so does Veteran's Recovery). For Skills, as always both Lore and Survival are the best.

[[Request Class Build] Assassin melee rogue]

 

 

That you don't like monks gives me serious doubts about your definition of fun.

 

What makes a melee build fun for you?

Rogues are a very tricky melee class. I never found them to be a source of great fun (with some exceptions).

 

Barbs and monks are my source of fun in melee.

I really don't like having my abilities only available after taking damage, Maybe I didnt play a monk long or make him tough enough or to a point where he could take that damage but it wasn't fun for me.

I don't think the class you want exists, as all melee characters have some limitations, be it lack of action economy with melee casters or limited use of cool actives with other classes.

 

As for Monks, how were your attributes? Early game they can be a tough class if you aren't willing or able to wear chainmail or a breastplate, but if your CON is high you should have enough wounds to Force of Anguish people across the screen without dying.

 

EDIT: For a pseudo-melee class with cool actives, have you tried a tanky heavy-armored shield-using Wizard that focuses on cone spells? It generally requires less self-buffing than Citzal melee Wizards (the ones who use conjured weapons to deal damage).

[[Request Class Build] Assassin melee rogue]

Escape is a somewhat nice offensive ability for a backstab rogue because it does not break stealth (not sure about invisibility), allowing you to to open combat by backstabbing the enemy backline without much effort, even against groups too big to be flanked.

 

A Rogue without backstab does not benefit from that, but if you pile up enough mobility on a Heart Orlan with a CC on crit weapon you could have a very flexible way of annoying foes. But since you seem to be using a dual-wielding rogue not focused on crits, I see little reason to not trade some mobility for more full attacks.

[[Request Class Build] Assassin melee rogue]

Ugh, I cant do it, the mobility just doesnt work like it should and I go splat so easily. You know, I loved this game, but I just cant enjoy melee in it. I like mobility and cool actives, not autoing for crits forever. I dont like the monk cause I cant find a balance where I take damage to use wounds and not die, its either I die or I take no damage and never get my abilities off. Rogue goes splat, melee druid is cool but is a one trick that gets boring after a while.

Have you tried my melee Wizard suggestion on page 1? Lots of cool tricks to choose from, specially if you and Aloth (the wizard companion) pick different spells at level up and teach them to one another.

 

As for Rogue, did you dump defensive stats? That could be why you are dying a lot, or maybe you are focusing too much on your main and forgetting to position the team properly.

[[Request Class Build] Assassin melee rogue]

Should I approach the enemies with just my rogue and hit them and run and hope to not die or go in with whole group and hope to get off my alpha before I become detected?

I like split approaches whenever possible. Unstealth your tankier characters first to draw attention and flank with the Rogue and if possible someone else, like a Monk or damage-dealing Fighter. This way you can save your Rogue more easily after your two backstabs.

[[Request Class Build] Assassin melee rogue]

For a backstab-focused rogue for a party, I would like to suggest skipping most "strike" abilities and using a Hearth Orlan with an Hours of St. Rumbalt(sp?) and either Tall Grass or an Arquebus, and the Forgemaster Fingers gloves. With Dirty Fighting, Minor Threat, high Acc, debuffed enemies and eventually Durgan Steel you will crit more often than not and pile up damage multipliers like crazy.

 

Also, with a spiritshift-focused Druid or any melee char with the White Crest (is this the right name?) armor opening with Overwhelming Wave and then helping you flank you get easy deathblows against helpless foes.

[[Request Class Build] Assassin melee rogue]

If you want a "flashy" high damage melee char, may I recommend a monk instead of a rogue? They have many more "active" skills, while rogues are all about positioning. Or, if tough masochists are not your thing, a melee Wizard? Here is an explanation on how to build one:

 

 

 

They require setting up the proper buffs, can't shine all the time due to limited resources, and may be less resource-efficient than implement-users, but they provide high on-demand damage, be it by awesome conjured weapons or direct damage spells, offer flexible CC options, can tank reasonably well while their buffs are up and have a teleport spell if you want to feel more like a magic-using rogue.

 

For this kind of wizard, I recommend investing in Intelligence and Dexterity above other attributes in order to make sure your multiple buffs will last long and overlap, followed by Might to amp the already good damage of your conjured weapons. If you feel like dumping an attribute, lower Resolve and cast Spirit Shield if you are afraid of being interrupted before you finish your cicle of buffs.

 

For a race, I am partial to Pale Elfs because they have cool looks and extra DR is always nice, but unless you plan on hitting yourself with your own AoEs Hearth Orlan may lend to slightly more damage, and Moon Godlike will make the early game easier, even if you will eventualy miss helmets a little.

 

 

[First-timer: PotD Cipher, melee or ranged?]

As i've addressed earlier: Perception only increases your chances to hit and your interrupt rate. You'd still have points left over, and I've been able to hit everything with at least 12 points in perception (plus talents/equipment). Constitution and resolve only really matter if you plan on being in the line of fire. If your playing it similarely to a rogue, you really don't need constitution or resolve. As also mentioned earlier. More damage = more focus. More focus = more powerful powers.

Perception also means more crits, which helps a lot with CC as well as damage. Maybe I value it more than others because I don't play with Priests, but there are few things more annoying than seeing your hard-earned focus "wasted" on a graze or miss against a poweful foe you needed to debuff.

 

And some of us prefer to have all characters capable of holding against one or two foes in melee instead of always relying on two or three tanks, specially in battles against a big number of foes when you don't have enough druids or wizards to keep everyone disabled all the time. Plus, dumping defensive stats on melee chars is bad advice for begginers who still don't know the optimal strategies against every enemy type.

 

Also, you know, logic would show that higher damage kills things faster.

Logic also shows that dead people generaly don't kill things very fast, and that bad aim makes killing harder. It is a matter of deciding based on build and playstyle.

 

Might accounts for a smaller percentage of potential damage increase in two-handers because the two-handed style talent is equivalent of +5 MIG for the purposes of damage, and while more damage is always better, not dumping defensive attributes allows you to position your cipher more freely and not panic the moment you get engaged, things that IMO would be much more useful to a beginner than doing more damage and using powers more often.

[First-timer: PotD Cipher, melee or ranged?]

 

 

Then again, DEX also affects the amount of damage you deal by increasing your attack rate. Which amount of Might vs Dex is optimal rather depends on what kind of build and playstyle you're using.

It's a moot point, and I think we are both on point. But you can easily have high Might/Dexterity/Intellect, and still have a few points to go around. That's not even min-maxing.

What about PER? And on melee you also need Con and Res. And with a two-hander, MIG does not matter much for weapon damage, with +40% from Soul+Biting Whip and +15% from the talent MIG gets less relevant.

[Best hunting bow for ranger?]

Swift Aim wirks with melee. If anyone cares.

[First-timer: PotD Cipher, melee or ranged?]

@DreamWayfarer

 

[...] who shoots one or two guns to build up focus, uses it to deal high damage or CC and then uses two sabers.

I'm assuming you mean firing two shots before going to melee range- you can't dual-wield firearms.

I meant switching between guns to avoid reloading. Why would one need dual wielding to shoot two guns?

 

 

 

This cipher should take stat drains, buffs and control powers instead of nukes, and serves as a constant pain in the enemy's backside, dealing damage even against stronger foes and mind-controling or locking them in place. Start fights with a stat drain, self-buff or CC and engage weakened enemies with a teammate by your side.

That entirely depends on how you build your cipher. There are some very powerful support powers that the cipher gets. Furthermore, "nuking" with a cipher is more than viable, most of their "nuking" powers deal raw damage, which no enemy in the game has immunity or resistance to (it completely bypasses DR).

This part was about the base MIG and high DEX Cipher, who won't nuke as well as a high MIG one. And the support powers were included under "buffs".