[Class Build] The Iron Hammer (Swashbuckler: Unbroken/Trickster) Updated 3.1.1

[Theosupus]

The Iron Hammer

 

 

This dwarf calls upon his ancestors' spirits to aid him in battle. They surround their progeny while he fights, blurring his outline and confusing, or terrifying, his enemies. He fights defensively and outlasts his enemies by locking them down in engagement and picking his moment for devastating retaliatory attacks.

 

He can engage what seems like a whole screen of enemies (and gets better the more he engages) and provides persistent distraction to the whole group, making them all flanked and open for deathblows (including his own ripostes). If you pair the Iron Hammer with any AoE Rogue, that opening salvo (if you wait for engagement) will be all deathblows.

 

*Update notes: I tweaked quite a few abilities and changed the gear to reflect. I also tested a min/max version of the build (stats and gear changes, abilities stayed the same) and it worked amazing on just about all the fights I put it in. I also did some testing solo and it was just too annoyingly slow for me to continue, but he was able to defeat all of the encounters I tried (with cheese tactics like summons and invisibility resets). NOTE: I have now used this build for Eder and it worked amazingly.

 

Game Version: 3.1.1

Difficulty: PotD (+all Upscale, no mods)

Solo: Untested

 

Race: Dwarf, Mountain

Class: Swashbuckler (Unbroken/Trickster)

Home: White that Wends

Background: Explorer

 

Theme. Starting Stats (w/Berath’s Blessing):

Mig:   10

Con:  8 (10)

Dex:  8 (10)

Per:   19

Int:     10 (11)

Res:   18

 

Min/Max. Starting Stats (includes BB):

Mig:   15

Con:  8

Dex:  2

Per:   19

Int:     16

Res:   18

 

Skills:

Theme: Active: Split Athletics/Alchemy; Passive: Cap History

Min/Max: Cap Athletics; Cap Metaphysics

 

Abilities (In suggested order of selection):

 

Disciplined Barrage

Escape

Fast runner

Knockdown

Fighter stance

Weapon & shield

Confident aim

Determination

Tactical Barrage

Riposte

Hold the line

Bear’s fortitude

Vigorous defense

Persistent Distraction

Unstoppable

Fearless

Superior deflection

Deep wounds

*Guardian stance (if in a party) / Unbending (if solo)

Armored Grace

Weapon specialization

Adept evasion

*Overbearing Guard (if in party) / Bull’s will (if solo)

*Unbending (if in party) / Snake’s reflexes -or- Conqueror Stance (if solo)

Unbending trunk

Deathblows

*Weapon mastery -or- Unbreakable (for a last ditch save)  

 

Weapon slots:

Theme. Last Word (Threatening) & Akola’s Apex Ward (Shark teeth counter & Hide & Tooth)

Min/Max: Kapa Taga (All Comers & Champion’s relic) & Cadhu Scalth (Luminous Harmony)

 

Gear:

Blackened Plate Helm

Token of faith

Blackened Plate Armor (Usher’s beckoning & Death in Life)

Ring of Minor deflection

Ring of greater regen

Rakhan Field Boots

Upright Captain’s belt

Bracers of greater deflection

Theme: The Gift Bearer’s cloth

Min/Max: Cloak of Greater Deflection -or- Champion's Cape

*Your choice of trinket (I normally have detonator shard on this guy as an emergency heal on back line, but Eye of Rymrgand is great defensive one)

Nalvi (dog):+1 resolve and Reduces armor penalty for whole party

*Put DPS pet, on Eder if you have that BB

 

Consumables:

Potion of Spirit Shield

Potion of Moderate Healing

Mohora wraps

Coral snuff if you want to use drugs

Edited December 5, 2018 by Theosupus

[Theosupus]

I may dump con and get more Int (for longer lasting effects) in later testing; this guy just doesn't get hit.

[Boeroer]

I had success with Wahaī Pōraga + Gouging Strike and Toxic Strike first, then switch to Apex Ward setup and watch them die while riposting.

[grasida]

Where do you get bracers of greater deflection? Are they a random drop from abandoned villages or something?

[Theosupus]

Where do you get bracers of greater deflection? Are they a random drop from abandoned villages or something?

I don't recall exactly. I think it was a burial mound, but it may have been a wreck. I haven't tested reloads. Is the seed set at creation or can you "re-roll" randoms w/ reloading?  I got 3 regen belts before I even left the first isle on one game.

[Walstafa]

 

Where do you get bracers of greater deflection? Are they a random drop from abandoned villages or something?

I don't recall exactly. I think it was a burial mound, but it may have been a wreck. I haven't tested reloads. Is the seed set at creation or can you "re-roll" randoms w/ reloading?  I got 3 regen belts before I even left the first isle on one game.

 

 

I seem to recall from one time I went back to an earlier save that I got different items from the first burial mound, so I think it's a roll-on-click type thing apart from certain items.

[Waski]

"Solo: No (need 4 people to get hammer) / Untested (if you change the main weapon)" - you can have this weapon even solo, all you need is 20 perception, there is hidden switch in room with body of adventurer

[Dorftek]

"Solo: No (need 4 people to get hammer) / Untested (if you change the main weapon)" - you can have this weapon even solo, all you need is 20 perception, there is hidden switch in room with body of adventurer

Oh really?

That is great info ty!

[Haplok]

You can re-roll.

[Theosupus]

"Solo: No (need 4 people to get hammer) / Untested (if you change the main weapon)" - you can have this weapon even solo, all you need is 20 perception, there is hidden switch in room with body of adventurer

Thanks, edited OP.

[Frog Man]

Besides an AOE rogue, what classes would work best around this build to take advantage of it?

 

Nice build dude!

[thundercleese]

Besides an AOE rogue, what classes would work best around this build to take advantage of it?

 

Nice build dude!

I would say anything with good aoe damage. You can even use friendly fire spells if you take unbending (seriously broken ability).

 

You could also try to provoke disengagement by having an all ranged suporting party with light armour. Not sure if this would work though...

[Theosupus]

Besides an AOE rogue, what classes would work best around this build to take advantage of it?

 

Nice build dude!

The best by far was a blunderbuss shadowdancer with 0 recovery armor. The few times things left to try and attack the nekkid gunman the overbearing guard disengagement+deathblow killed them good.

 

But any AOE would kill crowds.  The weakness of the class is Single Target dps so you'd want to cover that with another toon for the boss fights and rely on this guy to hold all the adds for you.

 

I was thinking about toning down the potions and going for avenging storm scrolls.... but that isn't very thematic.  Maybe I'll make Thor after my duel spears stalker.

Edited July 25, 2018 by Theosupus

[Purudaya]

How reliant is this build on equipment? I try to avoid anything that requires too much metagaming, so how does it hold up without Apex Ward's Hard Counter? Last Word and the blackened plate could probably be replaced by other weapon/armor variants until you get them, but that extra crushing riposte seems pretty essential. 

Where is Apex Ward acquired, by the way? Is it in a commonly encountered location or somewhere more obscure?

[Verde]

Interesting...heavy armor. Is that mitigated by Armored Grace and Abraham?

 

I like the build but I don't think I could make Trickster in heavy armor work from a RP perspective. But from a combat perspective it's the perfect tank. Good stuff!

Edited July 25, 2018 by Verde

[Theosupus]

Interesting...heavy armor. Is that mitigated by Armored Grace and Abraham?

 

I like the build but I don't think I could make Trickster in heavy armor work from a RP perspective. But from a combat perspective it's the perfect tank. Good stuff!

My RP was the illusions are actually his dwarven ancestors watching out for hm directly.

[Theosupus]

How reliant is this build on equipment? I try to avoid anything that requires too much metagaming, so how does it hold up without Apex Ward's Hard Counter? Last Word and the blackened plate could probably be replaced by other weapon/armor variants until you get them, but that extra crushing riposte seems pretty essential. 

 

Where is Apex Ward acquired, by the way? Is it in a commonly encountered location or somewhere more obscure?

The hammer's main ability is +5% damage per engagement and +1 engagement. Blackened plate is mainly for the +1 engagement (but the constant raw damage aura is fun too.

 

Apex ward extra riposte is a major part of dps but if you were more interested in just tanking for others to dps then it wouldn't be as big a hit since other shields have + engagement too.

[Verde]

 

Interesting...heavy armor. Is that mitigated by Armored Grace and Abraham?

 

I like the build but I don't think I could make Trickster in heavy armor work from a RP perspective. But from a combat perspective it's the perfect tank. Good stuff!

My RP was the illusions are actually his dwarven ancestors watching out for hm directly.

Very cool I dig it.

[Theosupus]

Where do you get bracers of greater deflection? Are they a random drop from abandoned villages or something?

Out of 4 playthroughs I've only found them once.

I'm going to stop planning to use them in builds until I figure out where they are again, or a trick to get them if they are random.

 

Edit: I'm starting to wonder if the one time I remember having them was a console test and I never found them in game

Edited August 2, 2018 by Theosupus

[Lampros]

Two questions:

 

1. Can I dual wield - that is, is the shield set-up necessary here?

 

2. How about getting the armor that adds Deflection with Intimidate for higher Deflection and foregoing the History cloak for a simple Cloak of Greater Deflection?

 

I was initially thinking of a Paladin/Fighter to do this, but I can see this could potentially add far more DPS.

[Silvaren]

What do you think about using Champion's Helm (SSS), freightening buckler (SSS - I forget the name) and One Dozen Stood armor (BoW)? I was searching some stuff to make similar build for disengagement attacks caused by fear.

Edited October 13, 2018 by Silvaren

[Lampros]

What do you think about using Champion's Helm (SSS), freightening buckler (SSS - I forget the name) and One Dozen Stood armor (BoW)? I was searching some stuff to make similar build for disengagement attacks caused by fear.

 

Isn't their a fear helm that a Vithrack merchant drops? I was thinking about using it for this build.

[Theosupus]

What do you think about using Champion's Helm (SSS), freightening buckler (SSS - I forget the name) and One Dozen Stood armor (BoW)? I was searching some stuff to make similar build for disengagement attacks caused by fear.

I haven't gotten SSS yet. I'm taking a burn out break until the next major change/x-pac. Then I'll update everything.

 

The idea for the shield is the second chance at the riposte so you get a lot more dps with it than without; but if dps isn't your main concern then changing the shield is fine.

[Theosupus]

 

 

 

Isn't their a fear helm that a Vithrack merchant drops? I was thinking about using it for this build.

 

The whitewitch mask is normally on my berserker as a "oh sh!t" protection and a visible notification of low HPs. 

I don't think you'll get good use out of the passives on a tank that shouldn't ever hit low hit points in most cases, but you will get good use out of the bonus illusion PLs on a Trickster subclass. Another thing you're giving up is an engagement slot (the Blackened helm has +1 engagement).

[Lampros]

 

What do you think about using Champion's Helm (SSS), freightening buckler (SSS - I forget the name) and One Dozen Stood armor (BoW)? I was searching some stuff to make similar build for disengagement attacks caused by fear.

I haven't gotten SSS yet. I'm taking a burn out break until the next major change/x-pac. Then I'll update everything.

 

The idea for the shield is the second chance at the riposte so you get a lot more dps with it than without; but if dps isn't your main concern then changing the shield is fine.

 

 

Is there another shield that can add huge RIposte chance? The one you mentioned is rather hard to get due to faction drop pre-condition.

 

Also, what about dual wielding with this build? Too much Deflection loss to be sustainable?