Help me play my Rogue and... lvl 5. Specs inside.

[andysonofbob]

... what would be a nice set of companions to complement him?

 

I chose a Rogue but it doesn't feel right.  I am well aware I am not playing it properly.  I don't seem to be able to hide, sneak attack, hide (lose agro), sneak attack, hide (lose agro) etc.  What's the best way to make my dude feel epic?

 

17, 10, 17, 11, 14, 11

 

2 x weapon style

Reckless assault

Blinding strike

Crippling stryle

Sneak attack

 

Or start again?

 

Thanks!

[Enoch]

Rogues aren't really built around combat stealth in this game.  The Shadowing Beyond talent gives you some limited opportunities to do that, but it's not the core of the class function.  (Really, combat stealth is a pretty silly trope when you think about it.  As is "aggro," but that's a separate discussion.) 

 

What you should be doing is waiting for opponents to get locked-in to engagement with your high-deflection/high-DR folks, using companion abilities to apply de-buffs (blinded, hobbled, prone, dazed, etc.) before you strike.  You get Sneak Attack bonuses when attacking folks suffering from any of a wide range of de-buffs.  Use your companions to make sure you're benefiting from it as much as possible. 

[Rosveen]

I assume by sneak attack you mean backstab. Sneak attack is actually something different (any attack on vulnerable enemies: hobbled, blinded etc.)

 

No, you can't really utilize it effectively. You can get Shadowing Beyond later, which turns you invisible and allows you to repeat Backstab, but it isn't a strategy you can use consistently. Focusing on debuffing enemies with your rogue and wizard to create sneak attack opportunities works wonders, though.

[Idleray]

You can have less in Con (I have 8 on my rogue), Intellect and Resolve.

 

My Rogue stats are:

 

18 Might

8 Con

18 Dex

18 Per

6 Int

10 Res

 

I got the same abilities as you except for Crippling Strike. I have Escape instead of that to get away when I draw aggro to my Rogue.

 

I am playing on PoTD, and I'm having a blast because the damage my Rogue does is epic. In fact he can single-handedly shoulder the task of dishing out damage while my other party members handle tanking, support and CC.

 

 

Here's what you might be doing wrong:

 

First of all, you don't need to actively TRY to sneak attack. You're AUTOMATICALLY sneak attacking ANY TIME the enemy your rogue is attacking is affected by any of these debuffs:

 

Blinded - from Blinding Strike, Chill Fog(wiz), Curse of Blackened Sight(wiz), Eye Strike(cipher)

 

Hobbled - from Crippling strike(since you took it already), Ranger's wounding shot(i think?), Druid first level spell, Fractured Volition from Ciphers

 

Prone - Knockdown from your Fighter tank, Priest Repulsing Seal

 

Weakened, Stunned, Paralyzed, Petrified which I'm sure you'll be able to find from your partys diverse array of debuffs.

 

and also Flanked, which you can get simply by standing behind the mob (this also applies a -10 Def to the mob. It goes without saying that you should ALWAYS be trying to get a flank with your rogue).

 

You can lose aggro with Escape and Shadowing Beyond (when you get to lvl 6), but the latter is per rest.

 

What you SHOULD be doing instead is focusing down mobs very quickly so that even if they turn around on your Rogue they will still die before doing significant damage to him while your tank keeps other mobs busy.

 

If you can block an entrance way with your tank, you should just hang back with your rogue and shoot things, while your casters do most of the damage with aoe spells.

[andysonofbob]

So lurk around the mob.  Wait until there is a debuff and then strike until mob is down. Move onto next debuffed target.

 

next question...

How would you start to debuff the mobs.  What companions make good debuffers?

 

Thanks again.

 

Soz for being such a noob!

 

edit(after reading post above)

 

So it is cool to range attack with say a bow then?  You still get the sneak bonus if the mob is debuffed?

Edited April 8, 2015 by andysonofbobahoo

[G2Revelation]

You needn't apologize, asking questions is how you learn. 

 

Good debuffers are Wizards, Priests and Ciphers. Druids are alright for it as well. Fighters can do knockdown. 

[Idleray]

Aloth the wizard. Level 1 gets you chill fog which blinds (but not very good for setting up sneak attacks because your rogue would have to walk into it. BUT BUT BUT you can get sneak attacks from ranged strikes too)

 

Level 2 you can get Curse of Blackened Sight. I also take Bewildering Spectacle to handle dangerous situations when I'm getting overrun.... Actually Bewildering Spectacle might be a better spell.

 

Eder has knockdown.

 

Grieving Mother has a variety of debuffs that allow sneak attacks, but most of them don't last long enough.

 

Hiravias the druid guy has plenty, but I don't use him so I can't recall from top of my head.

 

 

In general however most of your sneak attacking should come from Flanking enemies. You only need to debuff them when your Rogue is forced to engage enemies face to face, which if you're playing PROPERLY shouldn't be happening too often, especially against strong melee enemies.

[Idleray]

Also you need to accept sometimes that your Rogue is not invincible. In dungeon areas where you can block narrow pathways, blocking it with a tank and having the rest of your team shoot/bombard is much safer and straightforward.

[andysonofbob]

Awesome thanks! 

 

I am suprised @Idleray

 

debuffed INT so much, isn't it a silver skill for Rogue?

[Idleray]

Just because the game tells you it's recommended doesn't actually mean it's good.

 

Int affects AOE, debuff duration and Will. None of which I find particularly useful on my Rogue. You only got one real debuff and that's blinding strike. I don't really care if it lasts abit alonger.

 

Apart from Might and Dex being no-brainers, I have high Per because it gives you interrupt, and interrupt is good coz it works against all actions including an enemy just trying to auto-attack. In this case a good offense ends up being good defense as well.

[andysonofbob]

Sure

 

Do you bother with the stealth wassname then?

[Idleray]

if you're talking about stealth the skill, no.

 

I max mechanics on my rogue coz that's way better.

 

Stealth is basically pointless.

[andysonofbob]

Awesome.

 

Do you ever use Lore?

[Zenicetus]

I'm having fun with my melee Rogue main character. Stats are similar to yours, except you don't need that much INT:

 

MGT 18

CON 10

DEX 19

PER 10

INT 6

RES 15

 

As the others mentioned above, I had to ditch my Rogue concept from other games like Baldur's Gate, where he acts more independently of the rest of the party. Stealth doesn't work the same way here. It's party-based instead of individual, and you can't get close enough to anyone for a classic back-stab opener unless you use Invisibility, which isn't always ideal. The Rogue in this game is more of a team player, working in synergy with the other party members while they set up your targets for sneak attacks with blinding, knck-down, stuns, etc. Make those spells and abilities a priority for the other party members when you level them up, and your Rogue can clean house. 

 

From what I've heard, it's even more effective to play your Rogue with ranged weapons, but I like moving my melee Rogue into position and avoiding engagement, even if it does require more micro-management. Just feels more like playing a Rogue that way. If it's a trash mob battle, I'll switch to a ranged weapon so it's a little less work.

 

 

 

[Idleray]

Out of all the skills, Mechanics is the only one that's essential.

 

Sure you can get Lore on your main for dialogue options, but not having it is no biggie. Using scrolls can be relegated to your wizard or priest.

 

Generally, just dump it into Mechanics. A bit of athletics so you don't have to rest too early. A bit in stealth so you can at least sneak up to shooting range.

 

Leave the other stuff to NPCs

[andysonofbob]

Last bunch of questions

 

Are people still using two 1h spears?  Or is there a better Rogue weapon?

 

What about ranged?

 

Finaly what is good armour for the Rogue?

[Zenicetus]

I wouldn't say stealth is pointless, because it's still useful for scouting. My companions all have at least 2 in stealth so we avoid too many close surprises in dungeons, but my Rogue has much higher stealth. That lets me move him forward after initial contact with an enemy, and do a little scouting to see if it's just one, or a larger group. I like knowing what we're about to deal with, and just seeing a single enemy (with auto-pause on) can lead to nasty surprises. 

 

Fairly high stealth also gives me a little more freedom in positioning my Rogue ahead of the main party for an opening shot with a ranged weapon. Then I run back like a madman behind the tank, and wait for a flanking opportunity.

 

Regarding Lore, that seems to be mainly for using scrolls in this game. I only put points into Lore for the casters, as a backup when they run out of spells. They're also at the rear of the party, where they're better protected against interrupts. It sucks to be a melee class trying to read a scroll in close proximity to the enemy, where you can be constantly interrupted. A melee Rogue is better off constantly stabbing or re-positioning.