Two handed Paladin/Barb- Soulbound weapon build advice

[Milobaron88]

Hi everyone- 

 

I've recently come back to PoE to do the expansions having played through the game when it came out multiple times (fighter, monk, cipher, priest).

 

Im now struggling with deciding what class to run through the new content with (as usual).  I want to maximize the use of the new soulbound weapons- either Abydons hammer or the Redeemer and RP as a Minsc type character (Go for the Eyes Boo!). 

 

My class choice would either be a DPS barbarian or DPS paladin (leaning more towards this) but Im not sure how to build this effectively.My other thought was around a Lady of Pain variant (Hulk smash)  (https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/80748-buildpreview-lady-of-pain/page-5?do=findComment&comment=1777435)   which was almost exactly what I want but in a fighter, which ive already played as. 

 

Current thoughts on stat spread for paladin

 

MIG  16

CON 10

DEX 15

PER 13

INT 12

RES 12

 

Any advice would be very much appreciated 

 

[KDubya]

If you want more of a Minsc character make a melee Ranger. Look at Boereor's Riptide build.

 

Might 18 - more damage

Con 11 - little bit of con

Dex 18 - more speed

Per 10 - base

Int 3 - avoid any duration based abilities

Res 18 - more tanky

 

Use a war pig (boar), a wounding weapon (TideFall greatsword), take the damage adds for the pet, stunning shots, swift strikes (works with melee). The pig will hit like a truck, work as a team and obliterate foes.

[Crucis]

If you want more of a Minsc character make a melee Ranger. Look at Boereor's Riptide build.

 

Might 18 - more damage

Con 11 - little bit of con

Dex 18 - more speed

Per 10 - base

Int 3 - avoid any duration based abilities

Res 18 - more tanky

 

Use a war pig (boar), a wounding weapon (TideFall greatsword), take the damage adds for the pet, stunning shots, swift strikes (works with melee). The pig will hit like a truck, work as a team and obliterate foes.

 

He may hit like a truck ... if and when he hits.  That low of a PER isn't so good. All the Might and Dex in the world means little if you can't actually HIT what you're aiming at.  At a minumum, I'd drop DEX to 14 and raise PER to 14.

[KDubya]

 

If you want more of a Minsc character make a melee Ranger. Look at Boereor's Riptide build.

 

Might 18 - more damage

Con 11 - little bit of con

Dex 18 - more speed

Per 10 - base

Int 3 - avoid any duration based abilities

Res 18 - more tanky

 

Use a war pig (boar), a wounding weapon (TideFall greatsword), take the damage adds for the pet, stunning shots, swift strikes (works with melee). The pig will hit like a truck, work as a team and obliterate foes.

 

He may hit like a truck ... if and when he hits.  That low of a PER isn't so good. All the Might and Dex in the world means little if you can't actually HIT what you're aiming at.  At a minumum, I'd drop DEX to 14 and raise PER to 14.

 

 

You do have Stalker's Link going giving you +10 accuracy and stunning shots will stun for 1.3 seconds per hit or crit even with your 3 intellect. It's a true stun so that gets you another +30 to hit. An additional +4 from 14 Perception is not as useful as +12% attack speed as Rangers have high base accuracy to start with

 

Might be beneficial to lower Resolve and raise Intellect to try and get to where you can chain stun with stunning blows. Instead of TideFall you could dual wield Drawn in Spring (for the wounding) and March Steel dagger or Unlabored Blade.

[kvaak]

If you want to get the most out of Abydon's Hammer pump int as high as you can on a barbarian, wear light armor (the mirror image robe sold in Stalwart is fantastic) and back it up with some extra might and perception. On-hit effects apply fully on carnage so if you hit a total of 10 enemies with the Grey Sleeper you have a chance to proc 10 twin stones and you'll get at least one ~40% of the time.

 

Tall Grass probably does a better job overall at knocking stuff prone since it has reaching and you can glue durgan steel on it but Abydon's Hammer has a bunch of other fancy stuff.

 

Dex would be nice but int, might and perception are all more important. You have frenzy, bloodlust, blood thirst and deleterious alacrity for attack speed.

Edited March 19, 2016 by kvaak

[limaxophobiacq]

If you just wanted to get the most out of the Abydons Hammer I'd go for fighter with maxed Int (though that is the very opposite of Minsc). The stun AoE and duration you can get on the Ring of the Ancient Forge (which is probably the best thing about the hammer) is great and your accuracy with Disciplined Barrage (which itself benefits from high Int) is incredible.

 

I don't really think the hammer is all that good for a barb, barbarian class abilities do nothing for Ring of the Ancient Forge. the on-hit effect only works vs. vessels, and for pure damage a barbarian would be better of dual-wielding the soulbound dagger + a speed durgan weapon.

 

The biggest benefit a paladin gets from the hammer is +4 might, which would make Immolation do a bit more damage, but building for Immolation would again require maxed Int (not very Minsc-like) and is probably still not worth sacrificing Outworn Buckler and shield deflection.

[Milobaron88]

Thanks all, much to think about, didnt really consider a ranger (despite the lore) as when I last played Rangers were average at best , but I might give it a go now.  Either that or keep with  a DnD theme and rp Keldorn as an Immolation paladin.

[Mocker22]

 

If you want more of a Minsc character make a melee Ranger. Look at Boereor's Riptide build.

 

Might 18 - more damage

Con 11 - little bit of con

Dex 18 - more speed

Per 10 - base

Int 3 - avoid any duration based abilities

Res 18 - more tanky

 

Use a war pig (boar), a wounding weapon (TideFall greatsword), take the damage adds for the pet, stunning shots, swift strikes (works with melee). The pig will hit like a truck, work as a team and obliterate foes.

 

He may hit like a truck ... if and when he hits.  That low of a PER isn't so good. All the Might and Dex in the world means little if you can't actually HIT what you're aiming at.  At a minumum, I'd drop DEX to 14 and raise PER to 14.

 

As Kdubya pointed out it might not be such a problem with the rangers accuracy bonuses.

 

You could also do a similar build concept with Drawn in Spring which would get you +5 ACC from dagger and +4 from Flick of the Wrist. Use Little Savior for a massive defensive boost.

[Crucis]

 

 

If you want more of a Minsc character make a melee Ranger. Look at Boereor's Riptide build.

 

Might 18 - more damage

Con 11 - little bit of con

Dex 18 - more speed

Per 10 - base

Int 3 - avoid any duration based abilities

Res 18 - more tanky

 

Use a war pig (boar), a wounding weapon (TideFall greatsword), take the damage adds for the pet, stunning shots, swift strikes (works with melee). The pig will hit like a truck, work as a team and obliterate foes.

 

He may hit like a truck ... if and when he hits.  That low of a PER isn't so good. All the Might and Dex in the world means little if you can't actually HIT what you're aiming at.  At a minumum, I'd drop DEX to 14 and raise PER to 14.

 

As Kdubya pointed out it might not be such a problem with the rangers accuracy bonuses.

 

You could also do a similar build concept with Drawn in Spring which would get you +5 ACC from dagger and +4 from Flick of the Wrist. Use Little Savior for a massive defensive boost.

 

 

Mocker, I don't like the idea of depending on Stalker's Link for one's accuracy.  Oh, it's nice to have once in a while, but there WILL be times when the Ranger and his pet will need to engage separate targets for the good of the team.  And in those times, it'd would be really nice if the Ranger could actually hit stuff without needing the pet's assistance.

 

 

 

BTW, what is this Flick of the Wrist thing that people occasionally talk about?  I take it that it's a WM1/2 thing, but beyond that I have no idea.

 

 

 

[KDubya]

 

 

 

 

 

Mocker, I don't like the idea of depending on Stalker's Link for one's accuracy.  Oh, it's nice to have once in a while, but there WILL be times when the Ranger and his pet will need to engage separate targets for the good of the team.  And in those times, it'd would be really nice if the Ranger could actually hit stuff without needing the pet's assistance.

 

 

 

BTW, what is this Flick of the Wrist thing that people occasionally talk about?  I take it that it's a WM1/2 thing, but beyond that I have no idea.

 

 

 

 

Flick of the Wrist is +4 accuracy to daggers and stilettos, you get it by winning games of Orlan's Face knife tossing at the inn in Stalwart. 

 

If a Ranger with base 10 Perception (not counting any bonus from resting or equipment) with their highest base Accuracy can't reliably hit then every class will be missing and anything besides a Monk or Fighter (the only other high base accuracy classes) will be whiffing like crazy. Another +4 accuracy from a 14 Perception won't make that big of a difference.

 

Plus we're talking about a melee Ranger, double teaming an enemy is the whole point of the build. You need to double team to get Stunning Shots which stuns on every hit, and once stunned you get another huge accuracy boost;  Stalker's link for additional accuracy;, applying a DoT to activate your pet's +50% damage; to activate flanking for more accuracy and to activate sneak attacks for more damage. Unless the pet is dead you really want to attack the same target.

 

If an enemies deflection is that high then the team would be better served by debuffing the enemy or buffing the team. Having a high Perception is great but you just run out of stat points and something has to be left at base 10. I'd never dump Perception below 10 but sometimes you can't afford to raise it.

[rheingold]

I quite like dual wielding for the ranger. A boreal dwarf dual wielding axes with a warpig is just about the coolest character you can build in the game. (Or should i say warhamster). Yes, you miss out tidefalls healing and dot. But wounded shot works in melee. And the extra damage the ranger does makes up for the times when predators sense is not active. Carry a blundebuss for ranged and take powderburn. Not necessarily the most effective build but oh so much fun. (Talking about taking powderburn here, its really more for flavour and looks than effectiveness)

Edited March 21, 2016 by rheingold

[Mocker22]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mocker, I don't like the idea of depending on Stalker's Link for one's accuracy.  Oh, it's nice to have once in a while, but there WILL be times when the Ranger and his pet will need to engage separate targets for the good of the team.  And in those times, it'd would be really nice if the Ranger could actually hit stuff without needing the pet's assistance.

 

 

 

BTW, what is this Flick of the Wrist thing that people occasionally talk about?  I take it that it's a WM1/2 thing, but beyond that I have no idea.

 

 

 

 

Flick of the Wrist is +4 accuracy to daggers and stilettos, you get it by winning games of Orlan's Face knife tossing at the inn in Stalwart. 

 

If a Ranger with base 10 Perception (not counting any bonus from resting or equipment) with their highest base Accuracy can't reliably hit then every class will be missing and anything besides a Monk or Fighter (the only other high base accuracy classes) will be whiffing like crazy. Another +4 accuracy from a 14 Perception won't make that big of a difference.

 

Plus we're talking about a melee Ranger, double teaming an enemy is the whole point of the build. You need to double team to get Stunning Shots which stuns on every hit, and once stunned you get another huge accuracy boost;  Stalker's link for additional accuracy;, applying a DoT to activate your pet's +50% damage; to activate flanking for more accuracy and to activate sneak attacks for more damage. Unless the pet is dead you really want to attack the same target.

 

If an enemies deflection is that high then the team would be better served by debuffing the enemy or buffing the team. Having a high Perception is great but you just run out of stat points and something has to be left at base 10. I'd never dump Perception below 10 but sometimes you can't afford to raise it.

 

Excellent points Sir!

 

By using dagger and getting Flick of the Wrist that's essentially 9 points of Per. Not to mention the ungodly ACC buffs priests have. The idea behind the melee ranger in any variant is double teaming. + Flanking helps your ACC right? Really the ranger is only doing marginal damage but combined with the pets dps you'll probably still lead the group and be fairly tanky as well. I would probably use this char as a third "off tank" and have two big beefies up front. The ranger would have enough dps for me to not feel like I'm giving up much by running three tanks. Also with Swift Aim I think you could hit zero recovery( at least with vulnerable attack off), maybe even without pumping dex.  and with Drawn in Spring that will result in quite a lot of dmg. And by using one of the Wounding weapons you actually would want Wounding Shot's duration to be short so you can totally dump int to become more tanky. Low Int wouldn't even be so bad for Stunning Shots if your attacking fast really just need to lock down the one mob.

 

God I think I talked myself into rolling a ranger. Think I might go ranged until I can get Tidefall and respect to melee though. I really got no problem with respeccing a couple times and changing around stats, etc.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Mocker22

[Boeroer]

He may hit like a truck ... if and when he hits.  That low of a PER isn't so good. All the Might and Dex in the world means little if you can't actually HIT what you're aiming at.  At a minumum, I'd drop DEX to 14 and raise PER to 14.

You really think 4 ACC make any difference when you do flank all the time and also have Stalker's Link? That's a permanent +20 ACC buff on top of your very high30 base ACC. You could even dump PER to 3 and this build would still work. I wouldn't do it, but it would work.