What are the best gimmick builds these days?

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

I haven't followed the recent patches but I remember some of my favorite gimmicks (vile loner's lance, etc.) got nerfed a bit. What are the best current gimmick builds for each class? I'd kinda like to do a power-stomp run just building each of the NPC companions for absolute whackiness -- I'm thinking maybe a spelltongue barb but not sure past that?

 

Thanks for any suggestions!

[Boeroer]

Spelltongue barb is still nice. Since the HoF patch dual wielding barbs with max damage per hit are great. Use a Ring of Searing Flames and then do HoF with Frenzy and Vulnerable Attack - encounter's over.

 

For monk I'd say the Long Pain is still the best. It's basically arquebus shots with nearly 0 recovery and all special attacks like Torment's Reach and Force of Anguish work like ranged attacks with it. Look at the Witch Doctor build.

 

For paladins I recently did a build named Counselor Ploi which evolved around Sworn Enemy + Whisper oft Treason. It also used marking + Coordinated Attacks to boost a companion's ACC. MaxQuest recently discovered that you can dual wield marking weapons and stack marking. So a Darcozzi Paladini could stack Zealous Focus, Inspiring Exhortation, 2*marking and Coordinated Attacks for a ACC boost of +46 on a single ally. You can for example use a fighter with Disciplined Barrage as a partner and use Tall Grass and constantly prone dragons while the marker paladin also attacks the dragon. Tested it, works like a charm. Dragons are just a joke with this paladin in the party. He can also charm dragons.

 

For rogues use a spellcasting aproach. Gather all the spellbind items. Damaging Spells work with Deathblows. And all spells that do pierce/crush/slash damage also cause Deep Wounds. For example with Overbearing Wave you can stun, do double damage via Deathblows and cause Deep Wounds in an AoE. I did a build named Sorcerer's Apprentice that uses those mechanics.

 

There are surely more gimmicky builds.

Edited January 21, 2017 by Boeroer

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

Thanks! That's a big help. Any suggestions for fighters, wizards, and/or ciphers? Is turning Hiravias into a little tank-ball still effective?

 

Pity that Maneha doesn't really have the right stats for spelltongue barb. Maybe I can find a mod that will let me move her stats around. I never got around to playing much White March, so would like to do a run with the WM companions.

Edited January 21, 2017 by Dr. Hieronymous Alloy

[Boeroer]

You don't need special stats for Spelltongue. Ok, 3 DEX might be a little slow, bit Maneha's stats are good wnough. With prolonged Frenzy and the speed buff yoi get from Spelltong you're fast enough. You can also dual wield with Spelltongue and for example March Steel Dagger and take Two Weapon Style. You will be very fast and it absolutely works with her.

 

Turning the druid into a caster-tank still works.

It's also possible to take the boar form and skill around self heals (max MIG and INT, Veteran's Recovery, boar's regeneration, Nature's Vigor & Balm, Moonwell, 14 survival for +60% healing) and wounding damage (boar tusks with max MIG). You will be very sturdy and can to a lot of Shapeshift damage, but you will have to rest from time to time because of low health.

 

Fighters are great with charge nowadays, operating behind enemy lines and taking out high priority targets.

 

For a wizard I used 4 blunderbusses + Pen Shot + Ryona's Vambraces + Quick Switch + Expose Vulnerabilities + Combusting Wounds just to do something different from the usual Blast thing and it was surprisingly good.

 

You can also aim for Sprit Lance and pair it with Knockdown from Girdle of the Driving Wave and Glittering Gauntlets and so on. The Lance turns those things into AoE effects. It also used to work with Envenomed Strike, but I read somewhere that OBS secretly nerfed this, so maybe all the lance AoE thingies I mentioned got nerfed.