Solo melee priest build for PotD?

Hi,

 

I was wondering if someone could take a look at a build I am using and tell me if I am making lots of mistakes.

 

It is a Priest of Magran build, and I would really like him to hold his own in melee.

I've just reached Gilded Vale and found a little disturbing that I had some difficulty in Valewood (using a melee wizard I could win all encounters in it (minus the bear cave), now with the priest I am having a lot of trouble just to rescue the cook).

Here is the build:

 

Priest [Magran]
Human
[ixamitl Plains/Scholar]

 

Mig 16
Con 6
Dex 16
Per 16
Int 18
Res 6

 

Thank you a lot and please excuse me my crappy english.

 

- The stat spread looks ok. Although it would be better to max that MIG (at the expense of PER or RES), because priest deals a lot of damage via DoT spells, which benefit from both MIG and INT, and you want to increase their damage coefficient as high as you can. Plus the extra benefit to wounding. 

 

- You might want to check this build, which was also used for solo, and ended up with melee setup of Drawn-in-Spring/Steadfast + Little Savior. 

The problems you have a normal with a solo priest. He just doesn't have good enough spells at lvl 1 like the wizard has. The priest needs some levels to bloom, but then he will be awesome. Prepare for a tough Act I.

 

I guess you want to use a sword & shield setup? Or maybe dual swords? Because if you want to focus on melee there's only the sword, summoned weapons and soulbounds which work with Inspiring Flame (Magran's weapon talent, +10 ACC). 

 

I used Firebrand with my priest of Magran (and an arquebus with Runnner's Wounding Shot for the opening shot), because it works with Scion of Flame, WF soldier and also Inspiring Flame. I skilled for total offense and used Consecrated Ground, Triumph of the Crusaders and Veteran's Recovery for constant healing. This works well with Shod-in-Faith boots as well and also with items that give bonus healing- like Fulvano's Amulet. Firebrand works really well with crits (you should pick Doemenel) and also with very high MIG (Champion's Boon, Aggrandizing Radiance, Minor Avatar) because its base damage is huge.

This approach could also work for dual wielding swords but I never tried it with a priest.

 

If you go sword & board you don't need too much healing because your buffs and the shield will raise your defenses good enough. but your melee damage will not be significant. But honestly you won't attack with your weapon a lot at some point because your spells will be plenty and they will be more effective than auto-attacking. At that point you will be happy that you have a shield that also gives you benefits when not attacking with your weapon.

For a solo play you want to be a bit tanky, so I think your stat spread looks ok. I would definitely max might later, especially when you get avatar. With avatar you will be so powerful I might just go with a single weapon, for the accuracy boost in caster mode.

 

Imo you will do best to plan 2-3 respecs for a solo run, as you find more powerful gear and gain better spells and abilities. Priests are later bloomers than most other classes.

Edited April 25, 2017 by BBMorti

Don't know if you meant that, but single weapon use will not improve your spell accuracy. Only your weapon accuracy. The only thing where one handed single weapon usage's acc bonus translates to another ability is a chanter's phrases and White Worms (for whatever reason).

 

However, everything above a small shield will lower your spell accuracy (medium -4, large -.

Aye I meant single weapon as in with no shield. Using Abydon's Hammer might be one of the more popular choices for late game blaster casters, it being two handed means not even a small shield can be held. 

 

It would be safer to go one handed with little savior, but imo you have little to fear once you get avatar, with a little common sense in your positioning and buffing. 

Thank you guys!

Magran will be a better caster because of their incredible level 8 symbol, but Skaen will boost your melee if that's your playstyle. I do party builds, but think the innate dagger accuracy with drawn in spring and damage consistency is worth using even though you don't get the 10 accuracy from the talent. Steadfast procs are very fun and worth swapping to for fire or slash vulnerable fights.

I like Berath + Tidefall. Fighter-like passive accuracy with all that MIG are great with wounding.

 

Skaen would be nice if the weapon restrictions weren't light weapons only.

 

Of course you can always use soulbound or summoned weapons and get all acc bonuses working.

I think only the weapon focus talent works with all the soulbound weapons. The other talents (flick of the wrist, priest's talents) have to match the one of the soulbound weapon used.

For a melee priest:

Magran - can use WF soldier + Steadfast and have +16acc for arquebus/1h

Berath - can use WF noble and get +16acc with Firebrand/Redeemer

Skaen - can use WF rufian and get +20acc with stilettos (+4 from flick of the wrist)

Not true for Firebrand. It uses WF soldier (no surprise) als well as Inspired Flame. Tested with Durance. So I assume (?) it also works for souldbounds because they have the same "universal" property like summoned weapons have. 

 

Flick of the Wrist only works for daggers and stilettos last time I tried, not with soulblunds and also not with summoned weapons (unless they are daggers - like Unlabored Blade and Reaping Knives).

Edited April 26, 2017 by Boeroer

I can confirm what I said earlier. I looked it up ingame just to be 100% sure.

Check this out:

Durance with Firebrand (great sword)

 

Durance with the fully upgraded Grey Sleeper (estoc)

 

As you can see, both WF soldier as well as Inspired Flame work with both.

Edited April 26, 2017 by Boeroer

Whereas Flick of the Wrist (other than Inspired Flame) only works for "real" daggers but not for summoned weapons. The Long Pain work with WF Noble but not Flick of the Wrist:

 

Edited April 26, 2017 by Boeroer

Good to know the priests can benefit from all soulbound/summoned weapons. Then Flick of the Wrist is the exception to the rule, but a priest should be able stack all bonuses if he's using the Unlabored Blade/Reaping Knives... 

Right - or he's a priest of Skaen and uses stilettos of course.

 

I really like Firebrand on a priest of Magran. Not because it's powerful (I mean it is to a certain extend) but because of the whole fire theme.

 

I hope in PoE2 they will allow the priest to pick his ACC bonus from a variety of weapons, not only give them two fixed ones. Priest of Magran in thick armor with a two hander would be nice to play as well - without the need of Firebrand. Or a priest of Skaen with a blunderbuss - or whatever. Don't know why they have such restrictions. You already spend a precious talent point for this.

@op

 

You should switch to amua and max might and leave con at 10 especially if solo.

 

The priest really starts to shine once you get avatar. Until then your going to be doing it tough but once you do get it and the hammer and the maegfolc skull you will absolutely wreck the game sideways.

....., you will absolutely wreck the game sideways.

That made me belly laugh. Excellent analogy.

Whereas Flick of the Wrist (other than Inspired Flame) only works for "real" daggers but not for summoned weapons. The Long Pain work with WF Noble but not Flick of the Wrist:

 

Finally we have seen your photo!!!!

 

Playing one last party playthrough for PoE2 at the moment and thought I should do it with my first PoE char again (Boeroer). It used to be a rogue - but after Act II I restarted and took a monk instead (with a rogueish attitude) because monks are much more fun.

I can confirm what I said earlier. I looked it up ingame just to be 100% sure.

 

Check this out:

 

 

does two handed style worth it ? because i want a big full  melee crusher priest to make my enemy fly away.

If you want to make your enemy fly away you should play a monk.

 

Two Handed style is ok. With Firebrand it's nice because the base damage of that weapon is very high and thus works very well with damage bonuses - even if it's "only" 15%. As Priest you can add Savage Attack (+20%), Apprentice's Sneak Attack (+15%) and if you're a Priest of Skaen also an additional "baby" Sneak Attack (+20%). All in all that's an impressive damage bonus of 70%. With Firebrand that's pretty nice.

thx, i wasn't sure about savage attack but i will give it a try.

By the way i have tested your Monksterlash and i RHAAAloved it ( so powerfull, hard to play and understand at the start but so tanky at the end ).