Question about Chanter's Chants

[diazexmachina]

Hello everyone.

I am playing my first complete playthrough of the game with a party composed of a Barbarian Main Character, Aloth, Edér, Kana, Durance, and Pallegina. Right now Barb, Edér and Pallegina form my frontline, respectively occuping the roles of Melee DPS, Main Tank, and Off-tank, While the other party members form the backline, Durance as Support, Aloth as Ranged DPS/Controller, and Kana as general Utility.

My question is: what kind of Phrases should I use with Kana, and in what combination?

At this moment Kana has access to these Phrases:

• "At the Sight of their Comrades, their Hearts Grew Bold";
• "Blessed Was Wengridh, Quickest of His Tribe";
• "Come, Come Soft Winds of Death";
• "Sure-Handed Ila Nocked Her Arrows with Speed";
• "Dull the Edge, Blunt the Point";
• "The Dragon Thrashed, The Dragon Wailed".

How should I combine them?
Also, should I bring Kana to the frontline to take advantage of his Chants?

Thank you in advance for your answers.

[summatsupeer]

My favorite builds are the chillfog or dragon ambassador.  If not going themed the basis is front line tank in heavy plate with big shield, dont really care about weapon damage, just get defensive talents and let him chant and do invocations/scrolls/item spells, if want weapon damage have to invest a lot of talents and I think other classes do that better.

In front line the best basic spell I think is the raw damage, put two in one phrase (they overlap and stack).  If got Combusting Wounds (wizard spell, item bound or scroll) it applies it.  With a Paladin and Priest you likely have enough defenses.

The main problem with higher level chants is how they slow getting to your invocations which are very powerful (wide area aoe paralyze for example).  The dragon thrashed is a good damage chant (esp with fire utility bonus and fireballs etc), but to build invocations quickly i would put as many level 1 chants (raw damage) to get 1 chant short of the invocation you want then 1 higher level chant.

What "utility" you give him depends what the group needs really.  Durance is pretty slow casting due to his dexterity so maybe help him with anti-frighten mixed with a level 1 spell and use when needed.

I'd make eder more off-tank DPS and have paladin as main tank+support.  Armoured grace allows fighter to do good single target DPS if invest some extra abilities and talents in that side rather than defender etc.

Aloth is really the only class with CC, eders is single target prone or per rest aoe prone and durance will likely be busy casting buffs.  I'd probably have the chanter help with paralyze invocation and body blocking in front line.  If enemies are immune then summoning dragon etc to body block.  Unless barb is debuffing the enemies, aloth will have to do that as well as CC since no one else in group really does that.

[diazexmachina]

So you say I should go with four frontline characters, and leave Durance and Aloth in the backline?

Aldo I'd prefer to keep Edér as the main tank, I see Pallegina and Kana much better as off-tanks. Do you think that such composition would still work?

[summatsupeer]

Well it's 4 melee characters rather than 4 tanks. I never have pure tanks, they have to offer something more be it buffing+healing, debuffing or damage. You cant force enemies to attack your main tank, especially with so many melees.

Fighter as a pure tank is a waste, enemies aren't as mindless as they used to be and will disengage or go straight for squishies.  With so many melee characters I think its even more advisable to not have a pure tank, if someone needs extra help have a backup plan like priest deflection boost, moonwell scrolls on chanter, cipher boosting dodge/DR or debuffs to enemy accuracies (or just CC them). 

In your group a heavy plate+shield chanter still does good aoe damage.  Fighter can be tanky and good single target damage plus with charge ability the option to dive squishies. Barb chewing through mobs with Paladin buffing all the melee characters around her. I'd have Paladin + chanter in center, engage the first enemies, once buffs/debuffs are cast have fighter and barb flank or pick up enemies trying to run past the paladin+chanter.

Edited May 24, 2019 by summatsupeer

[diazexmachina]

So, let's say I change my frontliners' builds - at least the tanky ones -, which would you advise to use?

I'd like to play Kana with an estoc, Pallegina with a great sword, and keep Edér with sabre and shield, maybe give him a medium one instead of the large one he's currently using.

The barbarian I think could keep his actual build with the great sword, he does amazing damages with Tidefall/Firebrand.

[Boeroer]

Just use Kana with the Dragon Thrashed (it stacks with itself when it overlaps), give him +INT and +MIG gear as well as Voice of the Mountaintop and a Ring of Overseeing (or Aloth's armor).

MIG adds more damage per tick and INT adds more ticks through linger time. The two items I mentioned will enlarge the AoE. 

To reach most enemies the front line would be ideal. But second row is also ok.

The Dragon Thrashed will get +12 accuracy if you use a single handed weapon without offhand weapon. Chants are the only non-melee abilities who have that.

If you want to use an estoc that's fine, just note that its damage will be very insignificant compared to your chant's damage. 

Armor, DEX and speed in general will not influence your chanting. So you can get away with plate armor and lose no chant-dps.

 

 

[Boeroer]

Oh - and Scion of Flame doesn't work with any Damage-over-Time effect like Dragon Thrashed. So if you don't use any other direct burn damage (like Fireballs or a burning lash on your weapon) I wouldn't take it.

[summatsupeer]

If making chanter do weapon damage, especially using 2 hander then your going to sacrifice a lot of tanking.  All chants + invocations need is might+int, same for scrolls (+lore) and spells bound to items.  Through then he can do really nice damage and able to focus everything else on defense to keep him chanting (not stunned etc) and in range through shield, heavy armour and talents.  Weapon damage needs lighter armour, then no shield means less def, talents for weapon accuracy+damage means further def lowered... Its a lot to sacrifice for not much extra damage.

Then consider your other damage sources. DPS Barb is one I'd focus buffing (if not aoe) for weapon damage, the firebrand Cauterizer is fun. Pallegina I think is best with weapon + shield (+def aura) and could give her 2 hander as backup to switch to when need more damage to help finish "bosses" with high DR.  Fighter I'd be tempted to go 1 handed build, he can get high DMG bonus and acc so extra crits will hurt.  Cauterizer also benefits from crits with it's high damage which makes priests 3rd level crit spell very good for 2 characters.

Having weapon+shield in one kit slot for extra deflection and in the other have a 2 hander or DR reduction weapon gives some flexibility.  Character with DPS focus taking too much damage? Switch to weapon+shield, yes less damage and might be wasting talents but better than unconscious/dead. Struggling to break through high DR, switch weapon+shield for 2 hander or a DR reduction.

This is why I prefer support paladins, there increase defenses in aoe instantly and can help massively at start whilst buffs/debuffs cast and opening volleys fired.  Once damage is reduced due to debuffs/cc/killing them can then switch to weapon (in same focus) that has more damage (base due to 2h or DR).  Your wizard is only one that can really debuff as DPS barb won't, priest is more buff focused except interdiction (plus durance is slow) and you lack druid/cipher so not really reducing enemy accuracy hence why I'm recommending boosting stacking defenses where you can, especially on low health/endurance characters like chanters.  Just adding DPS to everyone isn't as effective IMO, buffing and debugging is important at POTD level.  Due to some things not stacking there's only so much buff/debuffing you can so hence doing both and stacking what you can is important.

Edited May 24, 2019 by summatsupeer