[WIP Build] "The Crow's Eye" - Brute (Berserker/Devoted) for PotD

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

"I'm truly a godly man. When men see my sail, they pray." - Euron Greyjoy

 

Hey guys! Wanted to present a more complete version of my Brute tank build that I want to try out on upscaled PotD. This is a bit more in-depth than my other thread on the subject and hopefully explains some of my choices a bit more. I'll provide the more detailed RP description later. 

 

Race: Oceanfolk Human (For the Bloodied bonus and for Vallian looks, fitting with a Principi character)

 

Class: Berserker and Devoted (Swords, Sabres, Battleaxes or Pollaxes). 

 

Deciding which weapon to devote myself to is still a bit of a sticking point with this build. While I like the idea of swords for Modwyr and intellect affliction immunity, sabres offer a lot of really strong weapons as well. Pollaxes are picked mainly for Lord Darryn's Voulge - which more or less effectively becomes Legendary (+3 Penetration above it at least) in the hands of a Devoted Barbarian, and fits the nautical theme very well, but is one of only two unique Pollaxes in the game. The same problem faces Battleaxes, which were quite common during the Age of Sail, very good multipurpose weapons for close quarters combat aboard ships, and... represented by two mid-to-late game weapons in Deadfire.  Oathbreaker's End is such a cool weapon, but the amount of hoops I'd have to go through to get it is patently ridiculous. Until then, I'm stuck using generics. 

 

Right now it's a choice between Modwyr, Lord Darryn's Voulge, Tarn's Respite/Any of the other good sabres in the game, or holding out for Oathbreaker's End. 

 

Culture/Background: Deadfire/Raider - or Deadfire/Aristocrat. 

 

Skills: Stealth/Mechanics with a splash of Athletics for Second Wind, Insight and Intimidate with a splash of either Streetwise or Metaphysics.  

 

Skills are a bit of a tricky choice. I want this guy to be good at talking in general - I like the idea of a character who can wear different masks when dealing with different sorts of people. Obviously the party assist function will come into play most of the time, thankfully. 

 

Attributes: 

 

15 Might (7 Base + 1 Human +2 Woedica's Strangling Grasp + 1 Chameleon's Touch + 1 Gift of the Machine +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Permanent Stat Boost)

11 Con (7 Base +1 Chameleon's Touch +1 Effigy's Resentment (Durance) +2 Berath's Blessing) - Effectively 25% extra Health

12 Dexterity (9 Base +1 Deadfire +2 Berath's Blessing)

20 Perception (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing)

20 Intellect (17 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Strand of Favor)

20 Resolve (17 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing)

 

Low Dexterity hurts my heart, but I could go as low as 10 without suffering any major penalties (Well, except penalties to Reflex) and could use the points to bump Might or Constitution. Resolve, Perception, and Intellect are all kept high - Perception is king, Intellect boosts the duration of Fighter buffs and AoE size for weapon abilities and Carnage, and 20 Resolve completely negates the Barbarian's -10 Deflection malus. 

 

I might consider dropping 5 points from Intellect to bump up Might to 12 - so it becomes 20 with all of the other associated boosts. I could also put those points into Dexterity to shave 0.2 seconds off of my Recovery time, but that really doesn't seem worth it. Might is already 20 with Frenzy, and would be 25 if I put 5 extra points into it, so it'd mostly be done for Might checks in dialogue. 

 

Abilities: 

 

Level 1: Disciplined Barrage/Frenzy

Level 2: Arms Master*

Level 3: Blooded

Level 4: Fighter Stances/Barbaric Blow

Level 5: Two Weapon Style**

Level 6: Confident Aim

Level 7: Disciplined Strikes/Bloodlust

Level 8: Thick-Skinned

Level 9: One Stands Alone

Level 10: Body Control/Spirit Frenzy

Level 11: Vigorous Defense

Level 12: Wild Sprint

Level 13: Unbending/Barbaric Smash

Level 14: Guardian Stance

Level 15: Interrupting Blows

Level 16: Armored Grace/Lion's Sprint

Level 17: Overbearing Guard

Level 18: Refreshing Defense

Level 19: Blood Thirst/Unbending Trunk

Level 20: Spirit Tornado

 

* Arms Bearer is taken largely because there's nothing else that's 100% necessary in the first PL. 

**The weapon style feat gets swapped out depending on whether I go Pollaxe/2H Battleaxe or dual wield sabres/swords. 

? I'd like to try to fit Charge, Penetrating Strike and/or Rapid Recovery into the build, but I'm not sure if/where I could do that. Maybe Weapon Specialization for 10% extra damage with my proficient weapons. 

 

Equipment: 

 

Armor: Devil of Curoc Breastplate or The Bloody Links - Depends on whether I pick swords or not. DoC offers resistance to Intellect afflictions, which makes me immune to the Confused status from Frenzy. It also offers more class resources for both Fighter and Barbarian, which is good since I don't plan on using Gauntlets of Discipline. Meanwhile, Bloody Links offers more Action Speed while Bloodied as well as +5 to all Defenses while bloodied. DoC Breastplate if I go anything besides swords for Devoted, Bloody Links if I pick swords for Modwyr. 

 

Weapons: I more or less listed the ones I was thinking of earlier - Modwyr/Duskfall or Griffin's Blade (Swords), Tarn's and any other good Sabre in the game (Sabres), Lord Darryn's Voulge (Pollaxes) and Oathbreaker's End (Battleaxes) - using generic OH axes until then. 

 

Helm:  Horns of the Bleak Mother and then upgrade to Blackened Plate Helm. Since this build offers next to no Affliction attacks, the new helm from the DLC isn't worth it. Any other helm suggestions would be appreciated. 

 

Rings: Voidward - to reduce raw damage taken, and Chameleon's Touch. Ring of Prosperity's Fortune or Entonia's Signet Ring might be good picks as well instead of Chameleon's Touch as well - it depends how I allocate my stats. 

 

Necklace: Strand of Favor

 

Gloves: Woedica's Strangling Grasp for +2 Might and Burn DR. Might also consider Gauntlets of Discipline for an extra two points to spend on buffs. 

 

Belt: Upright Captain's Belt - Concentration and immunity to Pull of Eora is pretty darn good. 

 

Boots: Boots of the Stone, then upgrade to Rakhan Field Boots for the endgame. 

 

Cloak: Cloak of Greater Protection and then upgrade to Nemnok's Cloak for on-Bloodied/Near Death effects. 

 

Trinket: Betrayal, probably. 

 

Pet: Abraham - Recovery penalty reduction and heal on kill. 

 

So, what do you think? Anything I should definitely change in terms of attributes, abilities or gear? 

 

And, most importantly - D'you think this character will be fun? I wanted a tank character that was more reactive and interactive, as opposed to the usual style of set it and forget it and occasionally pop an ability. The lack of active abilities is definitely a bummer, but in exchange I get one of the best Full Attacks in the game, imho. For those who have played Brute to endgame, how did you like it? 

 

 

[mant2si]

Brute Force is very powerful against casters and enemies with low fortitude or for example vs Nemnok. I offer you to switch Unbending Trunk to Brute Force. Everything else look good

> Cloak: Cloak of Greater Protection and then upgrade to Nemnok's Cloak for on-Bloodied/Near Death effects,

This cloak doesn't synergy with Fighter, because most of the time you will stay with > 50% HP

> Pet: Abraham  

I think that this Pet doesn't work with Armor Grace, pick dog that reduce recovery time for all party members, with Unbending you don't need other healing options

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

Brute Force is very powerful against casters and enemies with low fortitude or for example vs Nemnok. I offer you to switch Unbending Trunk to Brute Force. Everything else look good

 

> Cloak: Cloak of Greater Protection and then upgrade to Nemnok's Cloak for on-Bloodied/Near Death effects,

 

This cloak doesn't synergy with Fighter, because most of the time you will stay with > 50% HP

 

> Pet: Abraham  

 

I think that this Pet doesn't work with Armor Grace, pick dog that reduce recovery time for all party members, with Unbending you don't need other healing options

 

Alright. I thought Unbending got nerfed, but okay. Also, I can't switch out Unbending Trunk to Brute Force - I'd have to get rid of either Blood Thirst or Spirit Tornado. I could maybe get rid of Overbearing Guard though, and pick that up when I would have picked up Unbending Trunk. 

 

The Cloak of Greater Protection can, thankfully, be picked up fairly early on and I think it'll serve through most of the game. Nemnok's Cloak is really nice, though. I'll still try to get it and experiment with both. It does make you take more damage, which might offset the regeneration a bit. 

 

Okay, so Nalvi - I can rush that about the same time I get Abraham. Plus it gives a point of Resolve, too, which frees up an extra point to put towards Constitution or Might. 

[thundercleese]

Brute Force is very powerful against casters and enemies with low fortitude or for example vs Nemnok. I offer you to switch Unbending Trunk to Brute Force. Everything else look good

 

> Cloak: Cloak of Greater Protection and then upgrade to Nemnok's Cloak for on-Bloodied/Near Death effects,

 

This cloak doesn't synergy with Fighter, because most of the time you will stay with > 50% HP

 

> Pet: Abraham  

 

I think that this Pet doesn't work with Armor Grace, pick dog that reduce recovery time for all party members, with Unbending you don't need other healing options

Abraham and Cutthroat Cosmo both stack with Armored Grace. Can get less recovery than naked with this combo.

 

I think what he's saying is that the base Unbending should be more than powerful enough to keep you alive, so Trunk is not necessary. Only things that can kill you through Unbending are Arcane Dampener (and other such spells) or very high single hit damage (couple Ninagauth's Killing Bolts if you are already low-ish HP for example).

Edited August 19, 2018 by thundercleese

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

 

Brute Force is very powerful against casters and enemies with low fortitude or for example vs Nemnok. I offer you to switch Unbending Trunk to Brute Force. Everything else look good

 

> Cloak: Cloak of Greater Protection and then upgrade to Nemnok's Cloak for on-Bloodied/Near Death effects,

 

This cloak doesn't synergy with Fighter, because most of the time you will stay with > 50% HP

 

> Pet: Abraham  

 

I think that this Pet doesn't work with Armor Grace, pick dog that reduce recovery time for all party members, with Unbending you don't need other healing options

Abraham and Cutthroat Cosmo both stack with Armored Grace. Can get less recovery than naked with this combo.

 

I think what he's saying is that the base Unbending should be more than powerful enough to keep you alive, so Trunk is not necessary. Only things that can kill you through Unbending are Arcane Dampener (and other such spells) or very high single hit damage (couple Ninagauth's Killing Bolts if you are already low-ish HP for example).

 

 

Alright. So I'll stick with Abraham then, in that case. I think Nalvi gives less recovery reduction since it's a party-wide effect, right? 

 

So it might be worth taking Overbearing Guard in place of Unbending Trunk and Brute Force in place of Overbearing Guard, then. Alright. 

 

Still indecisive weapons-wise. I really like Lord Darryn's Voulge conceptually, but I heard it's been nerfed down quite a bit so it might not be worth it. Then we've already talked about Oathbreaker's End being mid-late game. Swords are seeming like the best bet since a lot of them have cool enchants associated with them. Modwyr has that pommel smash. 

 

As for the attributes, do those look fine? I could drop points from Int to boost either Might or Constitution. 

[Stardusk78]

 

"I'm truly a godly man. When men see my sail, they pray." - Euron Greyjoy

 

Hey guys! Wanted to present a more complete version of my Brute tank build that I want to try out on upscaled PotD. This is a bit more in-depth than my other thread on the subject and hopefully explains some of my choices a bit more. I'll provide the more detailed RP description later. 

 

Race: Oceanfolk Human (For the Bloodied bonus and for Vallian looks, fitting with a Principi character)

 

Class: Berserker and Devoted (Swords, Sabres, Battleaxes or Pollaxes). 

 

Deciding which weapon to devote myself to is still a bit of a sticking point with this build. While I like the idea of swords for Modwyr and intellect affliction immunity, sabres offer a lot of really strong weapons as well. Pollaxes are picked mainly for Lord Darryn's Voulge - which more or less effectively becomes Legendary (+3 Penetration above it at least) in the hands of a Devoted Barbarian, and fits the nautical theme very well, but is one of only two unique Pollaxes in the game. The same problem faces Battleaxes, which were quite common during the Age of Sail, very good multipurpose weapons for close quarters combat aboard ships, and... represented by two mid-to-late game weapons in Deadfire.  Oathbreaker's End is such a cool weapon, but the amount of hoops I'd have to go through to get it is patently ridiculous. Until then, I'm stuck using generics. 

 

Right now it's a choice between Modwyr, Lord Darryn's Voulge, Tarn's Respite/Any of the other good sabres in the game, or holding out for Oathbreaker's End. 

 

Culture/Background: Deadfire/Raider - or Deadfire/Aristocrat. 

 

Skills: Stealth/Mechanics with a splash of Athletics for Second Wind, Insight and Intimidate with a splash of either Streetwise or Metaphysics.  

 

Skills are a bit of a tricky choice. I want this guy to be good at talking in general - I like the idea of a character who can wear different masks when dealing with different sorts of people. Obviously the party assist function will come into play most of the time, thankfully. 

 

Attributes: 

 

15 Might (7 Base + 1 Human +2 Woedica's Strangling Grasp + 1 Chameleon's Touch + 1 Gift of the Machine +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Permanent Stat Boost)

11 Con (7 Base +1 Chameleon's Touch +1 Effigy's Resentment (Durance) +2 Berath's Blessing) - Effectively 25% extra Health

12 Dexterity (9 Base +1 Deadfire +2 Berath's Blessing)

20 Perception (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing)

20 Intellect (17 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Strand of Favor)

20 Resolve (17 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing)

 

Low Dexterity hurts my heart, but I could go as low as 10 without suffering any major penalties (Well, except penalties to Reflex) and could use the points to bump Might or Constitution. Resolve, Perception, and Intellect are all kept high - Perception is king, Intellect boosts the duration of Fighter buffs and AoE size for weapon abilities and Carnage, and 20 Resolve completely negates the Barbarian's -10 Deflection malus. 

 

I might consider dropping 5 points from Intellect to bump up Might to 12 - so it becomes 20 with all of the other associated boosts. I could also put those points into Dexterity to shave 0.2 seconds off of my Recovery time, but that really doesn't seem worth it. Might is already 20 with Frenzy, and would be 25 if I put 5 extra points into it, so it'd mostly be done for Might checks in dialogue. 

 

Abilities: 

 

Level 1: Disciplined Barrage/Frenzy

Level 2: Arms Master*

Level 3: Blooded

Level 4: Fighter Stances/Barbaric Blow

Level 5: Two Weapon Style**

Level 6: Confident Aim

Level 7: Disciplined Strikes/Bloodlust

Level 8: Thick-Skinned

Level 9: One Stands Alone

Level 10: Body Control/Spirit Frenzy

Level 11: Vigorous Defense

Level 12: Wild Sprint

Level 13: Unbending/Barbaric Smash

Level 14: Guardian Stance

Level 15: Interrupting Blows

Level 16: Armored Grace/Lion's Sprint

Level 17: Overbearing Guard

Level 18: Refreshing Defense

Level 19: Blood Thirst/Unbending Trunk

Level 20: Spirit Tornado

 

* Arms Bearer is taken largely because there's nothing else that's 100% necessary in the first PL. 

**The weapon style feat gets swapped out depending on whether I go Pollaxe/2H Battleaxe or dual wield sabres/swords. 

? I'd like to try to fit Charge, Penetrating Strike and/or Rapid Recovery into the build, but I'm not sure if/where I could do that. Maybe Weapon Specialization for 10% extra damage with my proficient weapons. 

 

Equipment: 

 

Armor: Devil of Curoc Breastplate or The Bloody Links - Depends on whether I pick swords or not. DoC offers resistance to Intellect afflictions, which makes me immune to the Confused status from Frenzy. It also offers more class resources for both Fighter and Barbarian, which is good since I don't plan on using Gauntlets of Discipline. Meanwhile, Bloody Links offers more Action Speed while Bloodied as well as +5 to all Defenses while bloodied. DoC Breastplate if I go anything besides swords for Devoted, Bloody Links if I pick swords for Modwyr. 

 

Weapons: I more or less listed the ones I was thinking of earlier - Modwyr/Duskfall or Griffin's Blade (Swords), Tarn's and any other good Sabre in the game (Sabres), Lord Darryn's Voulge (Pollaxes) and Oathbreaker's End (Battleaxes) - using generic OH axes until then. 

 

Helm:  Horns of the Bleak Mother and then upgrade to Blackened Plate Helm. Since this build offers next to no Affliction attacks, the new helm from the DLC isn't worth it. Any other helm suggestions would be appreciated. 

 

Rings: Voidward - to reduce raw damage taken, and Chameleon's Touch. Ring of Prosperity's Fortune or Entonia's Signet Ring might be good picks as well instead of Chameleon's Touch as well - it depends how I allocate my stats. 

 

Necklace: Strand of Favor

 

Gloves: Woedica's Strangling Grasp for +2 Might and Burn DR. Might also consider Gauntlets of Discipline for an extra two points to spend on buffs. 

 

Belt: Upright Captain's Belt - Concentration and immunity to Pull of Eora is pretty darn good. 

 

Boots: Boots of the Stone, then upgrade to Rakhan Field Boots for the endgame. 

 

Cloak: Cloak of Greater Protection and then upgrade to Nemnok's Cloak for on-Bloodied/Near Death effects. 

 

Trinket: Betrayal, probably. 

 

Pet: Abraham - Recovery penalty reduction and heal on kill. 

 

So, what do you think? Anything I should definitely change in terms of attributes, abilities or gear? 

 

And, most importantly - D'you think this character will be fun? I wanted a tank character that was more reactive and interactive, as opposed to the usual style of set it and forget it and occasionally pop an ability. The lack of active abilities is definitely a bummer, but in exchange I get one of the best Full Attacks in the game, imho. For those who have played Brute to endgame, how did you like it? 

 

What is this permanent stat boost I constantly see? where does one get it?

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

What is this permanent stat boost I constantly see? where does one get it?

 

 

 

 

There's a cave - I think it's called Outcast's Respite or something. You find coded instructions that you need high Int/Alchemy to decipher that lets you make a permanent stat boost. You can also drink from a cauldron in there for a temporary bonus (Per rest) to two other stats. 

[thundercleese]

If you free the prisoner he can decipher the notes for you - may require a dialogue check though I can't remember.

[Dorftek]

If you want to rely on unbending to stay alive you will want immunity to constitution afflictions. EVERYONE is using constitution afflictions lol. The only immunity items I know of are the Rekvu gloves, bardattos luxury mace and a food. Otherwise u will go down very quickly in places such as Splintered Reef

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

If you want to rely on unbending to stay alive you will want immunity to constitution afflictions. EVERYONE is using constitution afflictions lol. The only immunity items I know of are the Rekvu gloves, bardattos luxury mace and a food. Otherwise u will go down very quickly in places such as Splintered Reef

 

Guess I'll want to use that food, then. 

[Dorftek]

 

If you want to rely on unbending to stay alive you will want immunity to constitution afflictions. EVERYONE is using constitution afflictions lol. The only immunity items I know of are the Rekvu gloves, bardattos luxury mace and a food. Otherwise u will go down very quickly in places such as Splintered Reef

Guess I'll want to use that food, then.

Yeah I'd highly recommend it, also let's u pick something else instead of body control if u do that. Fampyr gazes can be dealt with by using shimmer scale on ur tank vs them and food on ur other guys, should be a breeze then.