First play-through: suggestions on Min/Max Melee or Melee/Caster massive damage dealer

[romanoww]

Hi people,

 

I’m very excited to acces PoE through steam tomorrow. In good fashion, a highly anticipated game starts with preplay build-crafting. I used to be a die-hard fan of de BG-series, completing BG II several times (on insane). I loved to build a party around my protagonist who was the main damage dealer (fighter/mage multi-classed e.g.). Literally, any party member was built around either taking aggro from my PC or buffing my PC.

Now I’m looking to do the same thing in PoE, but I’m indecisive on what class/race to play. Was thinking of a paladin (for role-playing purposes), but they seem rather useless on the offensive part. Now I’ve heard/seen several queues that would imply class is not all-defining in what your character will be capable of…

 

The deal is I want to play the game on the hardest-difficulty. This probably requires a Min/Max type of approach for my PC.

What class (& race) is offensively (melee or melee/caster) most suitable for dealing tons of damage while the rest of the party buffs, debuffs and crowd-controls enemies?

I’d be open to any suggestion that IS NOT a rogue.

 

Would like to hear your suggestions!

[rheingold]

Well rogues are damage dealers! Not sure about other melee options. I'd guess a barbarian would do lots of damage but haven't really played one. Maybe someone else could advise. Regarding casting, Druids as of the last BB where by far the most potent caster. However apparently they where going to be balanced for the release. So at this point I don't know. Sensuki could probably tell you whether they are still any good as he has had access to the latest version.

[Voss]

Hmmm. Not rogue? And melee?

Might/int maxed barbarian, probably with a quarter staff or pike to hit a more central enemy and spread out the carnage damage. Though estoc has its definite benefits with the dr bypass.

Druid could work too, pending how nerfed they get by the day 1 patch.

 

Fighter might work as well, but might/dex focused for more attacks. They don't have the aoe of the barbarian, and if you're really focused on damage, the duration of knockdown doesn't matter as much, so int is much less important.

 

Monk could be a good damage dealer, but they really need to be taking damage during fists, and from the sound of it, that doesn't reeally fit your playstyle.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Voss

[romanoww]

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

I used to play rogues out of pure necessity for classic RPG-parties. Since a rogue was a must-have for lock-picking and trap detection, I figured it'd be best if I would play the role myself! However, I'm planning on running a comp without a rogue in PoE. Barbarian seems to be the most compelling route to take so far, but any more suggestions are welcome!

 

I guess double-wielding only works for Rogues/Rangers?

 

 

[Karkarov]

Any class can be a DPS to some extent.  This is not DnD so I suggest throwing any DnD concept you had out the window then lighting it on fire.

 

Anyone can use any weapon armor combo you want.  Yes that means you can play a wizard in full plate dual wielding battle axes if that is what floats your boat.  There might even be a way to make it a decent viable build through certain spells too.

 

The best DPS I have found so far in game are Rogues and Ciphers.  Barbarians and Druids (depending on how you make them) are probably the best "aoe" dps.  Any class can do solid damage though with the right weapons, stat choices, talents, and abilities.

 

Remember - No matter what character you make the Might stat = DPS.  Yes it even increases damage on spells and ranged weapons.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Karkarov

[drunetovich]

My barbarian pulls his crossbow trigger so hard that bolt does so much more damage!!!

Edited March 25, 2015 by drunetovich

[Voss]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I guess double-wielding only works for Rogues/Rangers?

 

Oh, no, it works for anyone. (particularly maces and stilettos, since the DR bypass helps with the lower base damage).  The fighting style that doesn't work is single one handed weapon

 

 

I guess double-wielding only works for Rogues/Rangers?

[mrmonocle]

Consider a monk or a druid. A well built monk is an obliderating machine. A well balanced druid can aoe, damage and tank pretty decently.

[metacontent]

I would probably suggest something like 2 Barbarians, 2 Rangers, and a Priest. 

[PIP-Clownboy]

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

I guess double-wielding only works for Rogues/Rangers?

 

Oh, no, it works for anyone. (particularly maces and stilettos, since the DR bypass helps with the lower base damage).  The fighting style that doesn't work is single one handed weapon

 

 

I guess double-wielding only works for Rogues/Rangers?

 

 

I prefer my Rogues with ranged weaps.

 

Two weapon fighting definitely works well with Barbs. Especially with unique weapons with certain procs that can trigger on carnage...

 

I'm thinking I'll probably skip a weapon focus on my Barb so I can use different combos with enchants for whatever enemy type I'm up against. 

 

Monks are really good right now, maybe too good.  

Edited March 26, 2015 by PIP-Clownboy

[romanoww]

Started a barbarian with 19 Might 16 Int and 17 Dex (10 Con) dump stats are resolve and perception (both 8 and . Seems pretty decent so far (playing on hard), 

 

First playthrough won't be around having the most badass party. This will come in latter playthroughs

[at0mic]

wizard is by far the highest overall damage done dealer in the game. just one mage can wipe out a enemy group with fireball in 30 seconds. [3-5 fireballs/spells mind you]

[Schakar]

wizard is by far the highest overall damage done dealer in the game. just one mage can wipe out a enemy group with fireball in 30 seconds. [3-5 fireballs/spells mind you]

OR you wipe your own party with the Fireballs *g*.

 

I nearly use only 3-4 spells as all other do more damage to my own guys then to the enemys . At last my tanks are nearly freez-imun so I can use the freez/coold AoEs.

But one wrong lightning AoE from my Wizzard and I wipe out ALL of my tanks with one cast .

 

My top damage dealer is ... my Paladin tank *g*. Not that he would realy do so much damage, but he is the one who allways survive and fights all the time .

Against singel targets my Hunter (including his pet) seams to be most effective.

For AoE nothing can beat a full loaded Wizard I belive. His biggest - is, that you have to rest after each fight to keep him effective as his "peer fight" ability is terrible.

[Benedictous]

wizard is by far the highest overall damage done dealer in the game. just one mage can wipe out a enemy group with fireball in 30 seconds. [3-5 fireballs/spells mind you]

I disagree.  The highest damage BY FAR from any clustered groups of enemies is the Druid Firefly or whatever spell.  W/ Scion of Flame it would bounce for 100+ damage, UP TO 8 TIMES!!!  It can bounce to the same target multiple times as well.  You can literally just LOL at your screen with 1, maybe 2 if you are fighting Ogres or something, casts.  O it is fast cast as well so chaining them back to back is OP. Nerf Druids

[Lasci]

If you're playing on the highest difficulty, it's worth noting that you can create your own custom party fairly early in the game. You won't get to have conversations with them, but you can choose how they're built and how they level from start to finish -- not too dissimilar to making a multiplayer party in Baldur's Gate. I'm just going to assume that you want to avoid doing this and would rather use the Obsidian NPC's.

 

In terms of outright min/maxing, you want to pool all your points into Might -- it's the only ability that directly affects the amount of damage that you do.

 

Outside of that, there are three primarily offensive attributes and three primarily defensive attributes. The offensive ones are Might (damage), Dexterity (attack speed), and Intelligence (AoE size and duration). Whatever character you play, if you want to be the damage dealer, you'll want some combination of those three statistics.

 

Technically there are no item or armor restrictions on the classes. Armor affects how fast you act -- the heavier your armor, the higher your damage reduction is and the slower your action speed is. So you could theoretically play a wizard.

 

The differences between the classes are significant, to say the least. First off, they all get different values for Endurance (which is health in this game), Accuracy ("THAC0" or your chance to hit), and Deflection (AC, or your defense against auto attacks). You can find those values here. Additionally, they all each get their own unique abilities -- the spellcasting classes have particularly stark differences in their spell selection.

 

Race is important, but there's a lot of choices. Choose something with a bonus in one of the offensive attributes. Don't worry about your PC having any ranks in the Mechanics skill -- one of the NPC's can take care of this. Survival and Athletics are probably the most important combat skills, and Lore lets you use scrolls.

 

In terms of specific class recommendations:

 

Cipher is the closest thing to a fighter/mage in this game and is arguably one of the most versatile and powerful classes in the game. But the NPC Cipher is actually one of the better built NPC's available, assuming you're against making your own generic hirelings at the tavern. Of all the spellcasters, they're the class that's the most consistently useful in every encounter because they don't have "per rest" abilities. They can consistently charm enemies and have a way to attack every defense. They're squishy, but should do just fine in the back with a bow.

 

Barbarians are versatile, do area of affect damage with their auto attacks, and generally steamroll through your enemies as long as they have a tank taking the brunt of the enemy attention. There's no inherent disadvantage to dual-wielding, so you can swap between using a two-hander for fighting enemies with high damage reduction and dual-wield for less sturdy groups. There is no Barbarian NPC.

 

Monks have inherent damage reduction with the way the wound system works and have inherent dual-wielding with their fists. They are similar to the Cipher in that they don't have to worry as much about saving their per rest abilities because they don't really have any. They have a way to attack all defenses and can suffice as a tank in fullplate in a pinch. It's hard to describe how effective they are without seeing how a level ~5 monk works in person, but they do work very well. There is no monk NPC.

 

Druids are, in my opinion, the best offensive spellcasters. They get a 1/encounter shapeshifting ability that absolutely destroys the first 60% of the game because of how good the shapeshifted form's innate attack is compared to generic weapons. Their spells have a diverse mix and they can rejuvenate health. A high intelligence, high might druid does insane amounts of damage if you position her AoE's correctly. I can't speak much for the NPC druid -- I haven't used him at all.

 

I don't have enough experience with a damage dealing fighter or rogue to recommend them wholeheartedly, but I know that rogue can do some neat stuff and works will as a supportive damage dealer, but they're not at all necessary to the cohesion of your team. I feel like the fighter is more of a tank in this game than he is a damage dealer, but it's worth noting that the fighter gets exclusive access to weapon mastery, which gives a net bonus of 127% damage with a certain group of weapons. Frankly, though, the NPC fighter is perfectly fine and serves well as a tank. There's also no rogue NPC, so that's something to consider. Still, I'd stray more towards the classes I listed above.

 

I would not recommend a Chanter or Paladin. Both are better served tanking -- they both have mostly passive benefits and therefore are best suited to heavy armor. Ranger is just altogether a lackluster class and if you want to give it a try, I recommend experimenting with the NPC rather than putting your eggs in one basket with your own PC. I'm not particularly impressed with Wizards, either. It feels like they only have two, maybe three spells that are worthwhile at each level. But the NPC one is pretty bad mechanically, so experiment at your own risk.