I need help finding a good melee damage dealer and a proper group.

[Enterich]

Hi!

I played PoE1 back when it was released (didnt finished the story :-/). But i forgot most of the mechanics/story. In general i am a min/maxer who likes higher difficulties later on, when im familar with all the stuff.

Im looking for an good melee-damage dealer as an 5th group member for this group:

- Aloth as wizard (should i go evoker or "just" wizard?)
- Maia Rua as ranger/rogue = ranged dps
- Tekēhu as chanter or chanter/druid = support.
- Pallegina as crusader (fighter+paladin) = tank and secondary support (maybe ill use Eder as fighter+rogue instead , if my main class has a secondary support role like barbarian/paladin)

 

I read alot about Monk+rogue , barb+fighter , just pure barbarians ( berserker seems to be hard to handle ).

What do you think would be a good melee-dps for my group? Would be nice if its not a squishy damage dealer which dies instantly on the first hit. 
If possible please suggest starting stats&skills , the rest will be respecable im im right?

Thanks in advance

Edited August 13, 2021 by Enterich
changed a discription.

[Torm51]

Single Class Monk no Subclass straight up annihilates.  Swift Strikes+Swift Flurry (like 15% to proc an extra attack on crit) + heart beat drumming + whispers of the wind is crazy good and straight forward. Use fists for crush damage SC monk gets insane scaling for fists, the damage is of regular one handed weapons with the speed of light weapons with extremely high base PEN. 
 

You can use sabers for an alternate damage type as very few things if high crush and slash DR or sword for all three damage types (crush fist and sword pierce and slash)  Max DEX and PER what’s left over can go to INT or Might if you are going Turning wheel for the INT buffs and fire lash. 
 

At the start of the game you have to babysit him a bit if playing POTD (it’s the only difficult I play) but as the game goes on if you have a Paladin/Herald/Liberter/good support healer the monk will be more than fine and kick butt. 
 

Lastly efficient Anguish is a boss killer as it can Knock down (thanks to your high PER) almost every single boss (I’m pretty sure all) my party SC Monk kept every dragon and tough boss face planted lol. 
 

item wise:

Once I get home from the mother in laws I’ll edit!

[Not So Clever Hound]

4 hours ago, Torm51 said:

Single Class Monk no Subclass straight up annihilates

Fair warning: So good that with WotW and Ajamuut’s Stalking Cloak and the occasional Efficient Anguish and Resonant Touch, it will do everything on its own while the rest of the party has a barbecue on the side of the encounter.

 Edèr: « who wants a merguez? »

Aloth: « no thanks, one more merguez and I’ll sh*t fire like poor old Durance back in the days. »

Main Character: « [punch punch punch] hey guys seriously keep some for me this time! [punch punch punch]. »

[Enterich]

11 hours ago, Torm51 said:

Single Class Monk no Subclass straight up annihilates.  Swift Strikes+Swift Flurry (like 15% to proc an extra attack on crit) + heart beat drumming + whispers of the wind is crazy good and straight forward. Use fists for crush damage SC monk gets insane scaling for fists, the damage is of regular one handed weapons with the speed of light weapons with extremely high base PEN. 
 

You can use sabers for an alternate damage type as very few things if high crush and slash DR or sword for all three damage types (crush fist and sword pierce and slash)  Max DEX and PER what’s left over can go to INT or Might if you are going Turning wheel for the INT buffs and fire lash. 
 

At the start of the game you have to babysit him a bit if playing POTD (it’s the only difficult I play) but as the game goes on if you have a Paladin/Herald/Liberter/good support healer the monk will be more than fine and kick butt. 
 

Lastly efficient Anguish is a boss killer as it can Knock down (thanks to your high PER) almost every single boss (I’m pretty sure all) my party SC Monk kept every dragon and tough boss face planted lol. 
 

item wise:

Once I get home from the mother in laws I’ll edit!

Thanks!

Do you have an advice on which stats&skills i should get on creation?

 

Max dex&perception. whats the difference between maxing might or int afterwards? might sounds better for me ^^

Race and skills?

Currently only the starting stuff matters , ill try all skills on my own. But i want to be able to respec into a very good build so the starting choices matters.

*edit* according to a written guide i created a nature godlike monk , fast strikes and 19might , 12 const , 18 dex , 18+1 perception , 8int and 3 resolve. I hope this will work.

Edited August 14, 2021 by Enterich

[Torm51]

That works since you are dumping resolve which I don’t like to do you can have Might, PER and DEX.  Since your dumping Res you will be squishier though.    PER and DEX are more dps than might due to might (especially on POTD) being additive so it’s less impactful for melee (I know weird) as a melee guy gets a lot of increases damage bonuses from weapons having large damage bonuses (fine, superb, legendary etc.)

 

that said yes if you can have might by dumping stats you definitely do it.  But on high difficulties like POTD Might is the worst of the 3 Damage Attributes for melee.  For spells it’s the only attribute that increases spell damage so go high might for magic damage dealers or pure healers like Heralds etc  (I know weird)

Edited August 14, 2021 by Torm51

[Torm51]

14 hours ago, Not So Clever Hound said:

Fair warning: So good that with WotW and Ajamuut’s Stalking Cloak and the occasional Efficient Anguish and Resonant Touch, it will do everything on its own while the rest of the party has a barbecue on the side of the encounter.

 Edèr: « who wants a merguez? »

Aloth: « no thanks, one more merguez and I’ll sh*t fire like poor old Durance back in the days. »

Main Character: « [punch punch punch] hey guys seriously keep some for me this time! [punch punch punch]. »

My SC merc monk was killed in the forgot sanctum because of WotW I’m pretty’s sure.  She had a dot on her and got low and then died while teleporting, I am playing with Beraths challenge and I could not target her for a Rez and I could not see her corpse to retrieve the gear lmao!  I moved on and ran across the same area and sure enough the gear was there, seems Wael deposited it after all.

Edited August 14, 2021 by Torm51

[Boeroer]

There are many good melee setups.

One that I like is a Barbarian/Streetfighter (no need to pick Berserker) with dual daggers (dual stilettos or clubs or flails as backup) can be an extremely fast and good melee damage dealer. Use Pukestabber + Marux Amanth and Devil of Caroc Breastplate and use Frenzy (upgrade to Blood Storm, then Escape or Leap into a cluster of enemies to get flanked and do some very fast attacks with passive Damage over Time effects (Deep Wounds, Blood Frenzy), jump elsewhere and do the same, then return later to finish up with Barbaric Smash (for free if it kills). Tough foes like Steelclads can be brought down with a combo of Blood Storm DoT, Gouging Strike and Ring the Bell DoTs. This will eat up your Guile quickly but it makes short work of high AR enemies in no time. 

[Enterich]

4 hours ago, Torm51 said:

That works since you are dumping resolve which I don’t like to do you can have Might, PER and DEX.  Since your dumping Res you will be squishier though.    PER and DEX are more dps than might due to might (especially on POTD) being additive so it’s less impactful for melee (I know weird) as a melee guy gets a lot of increases damage bonuses from weapons having large damage bonuses (fine, superb, legendary etc.)

 

that said yes if you can have might by dumping stats you definitely do it.  But on high difficulties like POTD Might is the worst of the 3 Damage Attributes for melee.  For spells it’s the only attribute that increases spell damage so go high might for magic damage dealers or pure healers like Heralds etc  (I know weird)

So what stats allocation and race would you recommend? I always like melees which are no glass cannons so im okay with More per.

i didnt played much so far so creating a new character isnt a problem.

[Torm51]

@Boeroer Knows more than me but for melee DPS I like and race that has a natural affliction resistance, Mountain Dwarf, Coastal Amaua, Wood Elf or some type of elemental damage resistance like Pale elf.  Also Island Amaua I like because I hate slog zones and they are not affected by it.  If playing POTD with none to minimal Dump stats I would max PER and DEX and put whatever is left over into Might.  Take Turning Wheel to buff your INT so your self buffs can last longer.

Also Brute (Barbaian/Fighter) is very durable and can do good damage, its tankier than the Monk.

[Boeroer]

A quite sturdy melee char with good dmg output can also be a Paladin/Rogue, especially Paladin/Streetfighter. I would prefer Steel Garrote/Streetfighter but it's not everybody's cup of tea with the kind of evil dispositions. Kind Wayfarer or Goldpact Knight also work nicely. As Streetfighter you profit a lot from being flanked and bloodied and the Paladin side makes sure you can stay at lower health long enough and heal up once you don't feel safe anymore (Lay on Hands). 

Devoted/Streetfighter with a dual weapon setup and Monastic Unarmed Training is also nice. 

If you play PotD then classes with refreshing resources (like the Monk) have an advantage in the late game though because fights can become quite long with all the additional and tougher enemies thrown at you. 

I personally like Monks a lot so I think you can't go wrong with them.

Attribute distribution for monks depends on the subclass. Helwalkers don't need high MIG (bit are squishy). In general I prefer high DEX over high MIG, good PER and good INT. CON and RES can be lower. I wouldn't dump CON but RES can be brought down unless you play a Forbidden Fist Monk. 

I like Nalpasca because the wound generation is great. But you have to consume drugs in most fights. There are enough of them - I never had to buy or craft them because you can find and steal so many - but even if: they are cheap to buy and make.

 

[Kaylon]

Monk/soul blade can have very high defenses while dealing also incredible damage. Sun and Moon + Tuotilo's Palm + Left Hand of the Obscured coupled with high accuracy (Borrowed Instinct) and Swift Flurry/Heartbeat Drumming are devastating with Soul Annihilation. The double hits of Sun and Moon will trigger Swift Flurry/Heartbeat Drumming even multiple times in a row recharging your focus after each Soul Annihilation. You will also terrify your target causing often disengagement attacks for even more free hits.

[Enterich]

3 hours ago, Boeroer said:

A quite sturdy melee char with good dmg output can also be a Paladin/Rogue, especially Paladin/Streetfighter. I would prefer Steel Garrote/Streetfighter but it's not everybody's cup of tea with the kind of evil dispositions. Kind Wayfarer or Goldpact Knight also work nicely. As Streetfighter you profit a lot from being flanked and bloodied and the Paladin side makes sure you can stay at lower health long enough and heal up once you don't feel safe anymore (Lay on Hands). 

Devoted/Streetfighter with a dual weapon setup and Monastic Unarmed Training is also nice. 

If you play PotD then classes with refreshing resources (like the Monk) have an advantage in the late game though because fights can become quite long with all the additional and tougher enemies thrown at you. 

I personally like Monks a lot so I think you can't go wrong with them.

Attribute distribution for monks depends on the subclass. Helwalkers don't need high MIG (bit are squishy). In general I prefer high DEX over high MIG, good PER and good INT. CON and RES can be lower. I wouldn't dump CON but RES can be brought down unless you play a Forbidden Fist Monk. 

I like Nalpasca because the wound generation is great. But you have to consume drugs in most fights. There are enough of them - I never had to buy or craft them because you can find and steal so many - but even if: they are cheap to buy and make.

 

Thanks alot!

I think ill go for an pure monk without subclass.

I tryed godlikes but they cant wear a helmet , seems like a big downside. What race would you prefer?

So 18dex and 18per are set it stone , how would you divide the rest of stats? So going 18might and dumping res 3 seems not a good idea because the monk will not be as durable i think? Could this work: 13might , 12 const , 18 dex , 18+1 perception , 8int and 8 resolve?

Edited August 15, 2021 by Enterich
stats editing

[Haplok]

Not quite as OP late game as a pure Whispers monk, but extremely good throughout and also more durable, would be a Shadowdancer - for example Forbidden Fist / Trickster with rapiers (with modal for +20 Accuracy -> crits galore -> free attack chains from Swift Flurry/Heartbeat Drumming). A very solid offtank and sick damage dealer. Great defensive buffs, including Repulsive Visage to scare nearby enemies, prevents ALL enemy healing trough Forbidden Fist Enfeeble (yes, even the annoying Unbending some enemy fighters have), can spam Stunning Surge all day to keep enemies stunlocked, has Persistant Distraction + Confounding Blind to easily crack even tough nuts and Toxic Strike is devastating on enemy bosses Enfeebled trough FF, can also Riposte enemies who try to attack him. 

 

Edited August 16, 2021 by Haplok

[Faraleth]

On 8/15/2021 at 1:50 AM, Enterich said:

So what  race would you recommend?

DWARF

[Boeroer]

Race doesn't matter much.

For Monks who will mainly use their fists Nature Godlike is a good pick (because the Fists scale with Power Level and a Nature Godlike will gain +1 PL from Swift Strikes - which should be active all the time anyways).

Nature Godlike (as godlikes in general) are a matter of taste though. The loss of the helm slot is not that big of a deal.

Besides that every race had its uses. I particularly like Humans and both Orlan subraces. Resistance vs. Resolve is good because terrify is such a strong affliction and there are not as many options to get a resistance as for other affliction types. 

Edited August 16, 2021 by Boeroer

[Not So Clever Hound]

39 minutes ago, Boeroer said:

Resistance vs. Resolve is good because terrify is such a strong affliction and there are not that many options to get a resistance as for other affliction types. 

This is why Eviee is such a godsend. The true emotional support pet in all its splendor.  

A typical go-to race is Wood Elf because on top of their racial bonus, they have nice stat allocations for common min-maxing templates. But DEX resistance is actually not as great as other resistances IMHO because DEX has 4 tiers of Afflictions, plus the first 2 tiers are actually not that hindering (depending on the build) and several classes can easily spam DEX Inspirations to clear them. However, a lot of things can Petrify (Tier4) which will get demoted to Paralyze (Tier3) with the resistance, in which case you're still screwed . So in many cases, DEX Affliction resistance is only a true lifesaver if you're hit with a Tier3 Paralyze (e.g. a Cipher's Mental Binding). Other Resistances can have a much broader spectrum of usefulness, but it also depends on the class, build, gear, consumables...

[Faraleth]

1 hour ago, Boeroer said:

Race doesn't matter much.

[NotDumbEnough]

If you want the highest possible damage in melee, single class monks are good (though they are buggy, I had a nasty bug where Xoti would punch herself and get KO'd with Whispers of the Wind), and Streetfighter multiclasses are good. At level 15 or so, my Soulblade-Streetfighter multiclass could start one-shotting miniboss enemies (e.g. Fyrgist, a high level captain) with a high focus Soul Annihilation+Necrotic Lance on PotD upscaled. Great fun. It was a glass cannon build, but you dealt so much damage that you could kill almost everything within the duration of 2 back to back Barring Death's Doors.

Yes, that is 480 damage right there, with some damage over time tacked on, though he obviously died before it could take effect.

Edited August 16, 2021 by NotDumbEnough

[Boeroer]

1 hour ago, NotDumbEnough said:

single class monks are good (though they are buggy, I had a nasty bug where Xoti would punch herself and get KO'd with Whispers of the Wind)

Never had bugs on a Monk with Whispers of the Wind. It sounds as if you used Keeper of the Flame...?

 

[NotDumbEnough]

35 minutes ago, Boeroer said:

Never had bugs on a Monk with Whispers of the Wind. It sounds as if you used Keeper of the Flame...?

 

Nope, just fists and Tuotilo's Palm. Looks like this: 

[NotDumbEnough]

Looking over my old AI scripts, I finally figured out what the problem was. Apparently, you're allowed to use Whispers of the Wind on yourself for some reason, and if you set AI to use Whispers of the Wind it will default to "Self" as target. You need to change it yourself, but if you never notice it you'll always start WotW by punching yourself. Posting this in case someone else gets confused why their monks are self-harming.

Edited November 1, 2021 by NotDumbEnough

[dgray62]

I have noticed this bug myself. I seem to recall that offensive abilities in the AI sometime default to "self" or "allies," and you have to manually switch it to enemies. But somehow knocking yourself out this way is ridiculously funny. Another strange quirk in this game!

[mjo2138]

In terms of a 5th melee-damage dealer, rogue mutliclasses are great, because Escape is such a useful ability. You can pester the enemies' backlines (archers, mages), which are the ones who really wreck you. The benefits of sneak attack mean mobs die faster. Swashbucklers are good at this, and the classes mentioned above in the thread are all good.

I personally enjoy having the helmet slot free, for different playstyles and equipment, so I don't usually choose Godlike.  Again, this is just a minor benefit, so I say choose what fits with you thematically.

On 8/16/2021 at 8:20 AM, Not So Clever Hound said:

This is why Eviee is such a godsend. The true emotional support pet in all its splendor.  

A typical go-to race is Wood Elf because on top of their racial bonus, they have nice stat allocations for common min-maxing templates. But DEX resistance is actually not as great as other resistances IMHO because DEX has 4 tiers of Afflictions, plus the first 2 tiers are actually not that hindering (depending on the build) and several classes can easily spam DEX Inspirations to clear them. However, a lot of things can Petrify (Tier4) which will get demoted to Paralyze (Tier3) with the resistance, in which case you're still screwed . So in many cases, DEX Affliction resistance is only a true lifesaver if you're hit with a Tier3 Paralyze (e.g. a Cipher's Mental Binding). Other Resistances can have a much broader spectrum of usefulness, but it also depends on the class, build, gear, consumables...

I didn't know about Petrify being Tier 4, and Paralyze being Tier 3, so that is goo to know. I still find that DEX affiliations are fairly common, and very annoying throughout the game, so I think Wood Elf is a solid choice. On the other hand, there is a lot of equipment that gives you DEX resistance ,so you can negate such afflictions easily. It depends if you want the utility wood elf offers, and the nice +DEX and +PER. Perception is an incredibly useful stat all game, especially early on. More hits land, you take less dmg, and spells land more easily. +DEX is great for melee. You can feel a difference between mid range vs. high DEX melee fighters.