Hybrid/Off-Tank Fighter

[VaultDuke]

Hello Theorycrafters,
 
I'm thinking about running a Hybrid Dual Wield Fighter as a main. The idea is to use Dual Weapons and KDs as crowd control in one slot, while still being able to tank when switching to a handaxe and shield in the second slot. I do intend to run a main tank alongside him though.
 
anyway, currently the plan looks like this:
 

Might            14  
Constitution     06  
Dexterity        18  
Perception       14  
Intelligence     10  
Resolve          16

Level	Ability		            Talent
1	Knock Down		
2			            Bonus KD
3	Defender		
4			            Wary Defender
5	Disciplined Barrage		
6			            Two Weapon Style
7	Weapon Spec		
8			            Vulnerable Attack
9	Vigorous Defense		
10			            Weapon Focus
11	Into the Fray or Clear Out	
12			            Weapon Mastery

I'm leaning towards Wild Orlan and Maces/Noble weapon Specialization.

 

As it stands, the build will come out 18 points short on deflection compared to a dedicated Tank fighter and a few points short on other defenses.

On the offensive side, his damage increasing talents hit late and are few. though from the whole fighter set, what I miss out on is only savage attack and confident aim; and of course 6 points of might. Of course, the fighter is already a bit short on +% damage talents compared to other classes, but then again, most of it is covered by enchantments in late game anyway.
 
I know, PoE isn't the best game if you enjoy hybrid builds, but what are your thought on the build? viable (I know it's playable, which build isn't)? Any comments for improvements (aside from: stop trying to make a hybrid of course)?
 
Thanks and happy discussing!

Edited April 14, 2015 by Gruftlord

[KDubya]

Here are my thoughts:

 

1.) Drop intellect to 3, take the 7 points and put 2 into con to get 8, rest into might and res or perception. The only duration a fighter has is knockdown, 3.3 sec is as good as 5 sec when it gets you 7 stat points.

 

2.) I'd skip the extra knockdown ability, two per encounter are plenty.

 

3.) Wild Orlan??? is that for role play reasons? For me, role playing wise I avoid the vermin (they make me think of Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy), fish mau mau, and the godmode race. Game play wise I like Boreal dwarves for trivializing two types of common foes, and pale elves for the energy DR.

 

4.) I'd take a weapon focus at level 2 for the acc boost and then follow with spec and mastery when available. This passive +25% damage boost is what marks fighters as different from the other classes so make the most of it.

 

5.) If you are dumping intellect no reason to take the accuracy buff talent (disc barrage) or the defense boost (vigorous defense) the duration will be very short with a 3 intellect. In general, avoid duration based abilities with a really low intellect.. More damage is good, more tanky is good.

 

6.) The Noble group has maces, which are great, but has really terrible ranged weapons with rod and scepter. I like the adventurer for the flail, estoc and warbow, or the soldier for the greatsword, warhammer, Pike, arbalest and arquebus. Knight and Ruffian are not bad as well. The fighter spec and mastery applies its +25% to all the weapons in the group so getting a good ranged weapon for the initial closing shot is great. 

 

7.) Take armored Grace - this gets you -16% armor penalty which is similar to getting another 5 points of dexterity. It makes a fighter in full plate as fast as anyone else in scale. It is one of the best fighter abilities in my opinion.

 

With good single target DPS, good DR, good accuracy, and good endurance a fighter spec'd for damage is a great team leader. You'll get good stat based dialogue, other than intellect and be durable enough to stand in the middle of the battle and beat things up without much babysitting.

[VaultDuke]

I see, basically you suggest more raw damage output, less micromanagement/per-encounters.

 

Wild Orlan I though would be a good choice because of the passive defense ability. Also, I like Rocket  But yes, the Race it still open to debate.

 

Mace I thought would be a good option to bypass DR, I like the style, and with dagger and rapier, I have two high acc, fast weapons as an alternative. two-handed and ranged options are missing from noble, sadly, totally agree with your reasoning. Ruffian does look good as well imho, though soldier is definatelly nice as well (mainly because warhammers are nearly as badass as maces imho  )

[cavemandiary]

Here are my thoughts:

 

1.) Drop intellect to 3, take the 7 points and put 2 into con to get 8, rest into might and res or perception. The only duration a fighter has is knockdown, 3.3 sec is as good as 5 sec when it gets you 7 stat points.

 

Not that I disagree, but Vigorous Defence is also affected by INT.

[VaultDuke]

he basically suggested not taking vigorous defense, disc barrage and bonus KD and focus on modal abilities, damage talents and higher stats in might, con, per and res

[cavemandiary]

he basically suggested not taking vigorous defense, disc barrage and bonus KD and focus on modal abilities, damage talents and higher stats in might, con, per and res

 

I see. But to be honest, I would never forego V.D, it´s just too good to pass up. Barrage? Could probably skip that one.

[Eos]

Just out of curiosity: why do you want to run a (sub-par) hybrid?

[VaultDuke]

I always envision my main as being this flexible melee guy, who can take what ever role is most needed at the front. pure tank is boring, and pure dps is too squishy to really feel like a leader guy. In NWN I would usually go with a Fighter/Rogue, that could tank and KD/sneak attack. But admittedly, the PoE system and the low amount of talents each character can chose (currently) make it tough to fit everything in, so it still works at 3/4 efficiency in either role  .

[Eos]

Why not a monk or barbarian then? You didn't specify the difficulty, but from what I've heard they're pretty much what you're looking for. Somewhat tanky, up-in-their-face-ish melee damage gods who don't even need to switch between weapon sets or spread their talents thin to achieve their front line capabilities.

[VaultDuke]

probably for style. I also liked the idea to either get in defensive or offensive mode with a modal and a short term buff each (Defender+vig.def or savage att + dis.barr). but thanks for the suggestion, i'll take a closer look at the two classes, to maybe get a better feel for them. is the barbarian tanky enough to fill the role as a "real" tank, should the situation require this?

[taek]

Why not a monk or barbarian then? You didn't specify the difficulty, but from what I've heard they're pretty much what you're looking for. Somewhat tanky, up-in-their-face-ish melee damage gods who don't even need to switch between weapon sets or spread their talents thin to achieve their front line capabilities.

 

This build would be much tankier than anything a barbarian can build. Barbarians "tank" ablatively, they just absorb damage with a high health. Once that's gone they vaporize pretty quickly. Their starting 15 deflection is awful and their core ability Frenzy drops deflection by another -10. They're actually one of the squishiest classes I've played, which is part of their appeal I suppose.

 

Monk's Wounds system can be a huge turn-off for people. Starting a fight with no resources to do anything can suck and a lot of people just don't like to take tons of damage to play the class correctly.

 

This build looks like a tanky-DPS type. The only class that feels similar is Paladin and those need some work IMO.