Okay, help me build a Chanter.

[scythesong]

Heh, with that particular encounter it doesn't really matter who's tanking. They'll all try to go after your squishiest party members first, a tank character only slows them down a bit and then you'll need to find some other way to manage. Feel free to swap Kana for Eder if you want to confirm it.

 

A large chunk of PotD is like that.

Edited May 1, 2017 by scythesong

[Boeroer]

That's why I don't use squishies. Well, maybe one or two... at max.

[BBMorti]

Let's not make Potd worse than it is >.< Two front-liners are plenty to keep 4 squishies safe in any encounter on Potd, it's all about positioning and a little bit of micro. 

[Livegood118]

I always give my backline casters a Hatchet + Enchanted Small Shield + Sword and Shield Style for the tougher fights and eventually superior deflection. This is typically enough to raise their deflection so that they don't become targets for enemy AI (+32 deflection, or thereabouts). Veterans recovery is also a given on any character with high might and intellect as far as I'm concerned.

 

In the harder fights you're naturally going to be spellcasting all the time so it works quite nicely.

[Livegood118]

Let's not make Potd worse than it is >.< Two front-liners are plenty to keep 4 squishies safe in any encounter on Potd, it's all about positioning and a little bit of micro. 

 

I prefer 3 melee and 3 ranged. With only 2 guys that can take hits I'd find that a lot of enemies tend to bleed through, but that's just me. Four bodies (3 + Hunters Pet) I find that dudes very rarely break through.

[MortyTheGobbo]

Well, that particular fight is probably above my level, anyway. I'll go back there when I'm higher than level 5. Looks like I need to rethink some stuff when it comes to tanking, though.

Edited May 2, 2017 by MortyTheGobbo

[smjjames]

Regarding the 'dragon thrashed' thing, how many times do I put it into a single chant? One time? Lots of times?

[Boeroer]

One time. It will get looped.

[Lampros]

The phrases also get shorter because of Brisk Recitation which chanters get from lvl 4 on and which improves every 4 levels to a mximum of -50% at level 16. That means that tier-1 phrases like Come Sweet Winds only needs 2 secs to complete (instead of 4) and tier-3 phrases like Dragon Thrashed only 4 secs (instead of - which makes them even more powerful. Remember that Come Sweet Winds and Dragon Thrashed stack with themselves. That means that Kana (with some MIG and INT bonuses) will deliver around 80 burn + 80 slash damage in a huge AoE every 4 seconds (and that's without crits).

 

In my opinion there is no other phrase combination which comes close to this when we speak about damage and overall usefulness. If you're looking for CC I would go the max DEX route, skip armor and take only tier-1-phrases and try to paralyze-lock whole groups with Killers Froze Stiff. This is also nice. But since Kana has lousy DEX he is way better with Dragon Thrashed and the tank approach.

 

So the ideal phrase combo is Come Sweet Winds - Dragon Thrased - Come Sweet Winds?

[Boeroer]

No, only Dragon Thrashed. Put that single phrase in your songbook and that's it.

 

Sweet Winds only until lvl 9.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Boeroer

[Lampros]

No, only Dragon Thrashed. Put that single phrase in your songbook and that's it.

 

Sweet Winds only until lvl 9.

 

Ok. I might also run a second Chanter. Are pure DPS melee Chanters viable? I finally fired up a game with Elrond the tanking Chanter as main (he will follow your Chillfog build, except I will sub out some of the freeze DR talents and gear). But I am thinking of getting rid of Gimli the Barbarian DPS and using another Chanter as a pure DPS. Obviously he won't do as much DPS as a Barbarian with weapon attacks, but can the Chants and Invocations close the gap? Since I will sub out the ranged Rogue for a ranged Cipher, I am suddenly worried that this group won't have enough DPS. I will have 0 "pure" DPS, if I sub out Gimli.

[Boeroer]

The Chillfog build can also use Dragon Thrashed until it gets "Mercy and Kindness".

 

Chillfog is a very late bloomer (but then a very powerful auto healer with good damage) - don't be too disappointed.

 

Once you hit lvl 9 a chanter does super dps. Just not with his weapons.

Before that he can be very useful, too, but he will be no offensive powerhouse until lvl 9.

 

You can of course give him all the talents that fit your weapon choice and he will do ok dps with weapons, but it's nothing compared with other dedicated melee damage dealers. But that's ok because his chants can wreck everything.

[Lampros]

The Chillfog build can also use Dragon Thrashed until it gets "Mercy and Kindness".

 

Chillfog is a very late bloomer (but then a very powerful auto healer with good damage) - don't be too disappointed.

 

Once you hit lvl 9 a chanter does super dps. Just not with his weapons.

Before that he can be very useful, too, but he will be no offensive powerhouse until lvl 9.

 

You can of course give him all the talents that fit your weapon choice and he will do ok dps with weapons, but it's nothing compared with other dedicated melee damage dealers. But that's ok because his chants can wreck everything.

 

I just passed the no point of no return. My party is good to go. I am using 2 Chillfog Chanters - one the tank version and the other the DPS version. The tank version will follow your build closely, with the freeze defense stuff left out; and I will try to do more conventional dual wield DPS version with the other one. I suspect I will be happier than with my original "no clue" party - where the Fighter tank felt useless because he couldn't hold aggro and couldn't do any damage, and the DPS Rogue often did no DPS because he was already dead

[Raven Darkholme]

About "holding aggro" I just realized a funny thing with my test party for mindweb/spiritshift.

If you send in a high defense paladin but do not attack (my idea for the party was kinda crazy i only wanted to attack with spiritshift and supp with the rest) most enemies will just aggro the paladin anyway, but if you attack they might try to disengage and run for the backline.

 

A thing I learned while I did my trio party is to send my tank in alone while the rest of the party is stealthed and wait to unstealth till all enemies are either aggroed on the tank or if he is surounded running around him trying to aggro.

You can literally stand a squishy cipher next to a threatening ogre who is running around and has no target he can hit, but his AI is set on attacking the tank and he will ignore the cipher.

 

It is important to recognize what the AI wants to do, their scripts are quite set and not very intelligent, send in a squishy too early and they will target it, send it in a second later and they will ignore it.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Raven Darkholme

[Lampros]

About "holding aggro" I just realized a funny thing with my test party for mindweb/spiritshift.

If you send in a high defense paladin but do not attack (my idea for the party was kinda crazy i only wanted to attack with spiritshift and supp with the rest) most enemies will just aggro the paladin anyway, but if you attack they might try to disengage and run for the backline.

 

A thing I learned while I did my trio party is to send my tank in alone while the rest of the party is stealthed and wait to unstealth till all enemies are either aggroed on the tank or if he is surounded running around him trying to aggro.

You can literally stand a squishy cipher next to a threatening ogre who is running around and has no target he can hit, but his AI is set on attacking the tank and he will ignore the cipher.

 

It is important to recognize what the AI wants to do, their scripts are quite set and not very intelligent, send in a squishy too early and they will target it, send it in a second later and they will ignore it.

 

Hmmm, I was thinking of using a speed-buffed ranged Cipher as a "puller," but this is a bad idea then? I don't want to give my tank Chanter a ranged weapon and constantly switch though.