PotD Dwarven Axe and Shield Fighter Build

[Blades of Vanatar]

Never solo'd a fighter. Not sure on how to build this guy and still be viable.

 

I started with this build

 

Boreal Dwarf

Fighter

Living Lands

Laborer

 

M 17

C 17

D 10

P 10

I 14

R 10

 

Knockdown

Weapon and Shield Style

 

Plan on Disciplined Barrage as next pick to help compensate for my average Perception score.

 

But I am struggling on the future talents/abilities picks. I definitely want to try a W&S style fighter and definitely want to use either Axe, Wathammer, Flail or Mace as I find them fitting RP-wise for my Dwarf.

 

So.... with those parameters firmly set I am looking for various Build ideas that be viable for this type of solo Dwarven Fighter in PotD. Obviously no Ab's Hammer as it it two handed.

 

I was thinking Shod-in-Faith boots and Wound Binding to go along with my fighter recovery talent to cover my healing needs. Sanguine Plate to help speed me up. Rings of Protection and Deflection to keep my defense stats boosted. I think I will need some item that can do damage as I swing away to help compensate for a lack air damage. Thinking Muncara Arret to help add temp allies so I don't get overwhelmed.

 

Suggestions?

Edited September 15, 2017 by Blades of Vanatar

[Lampros]

I am interested in how this run goes. Please keep us posted!

[bigwillystyle]

Your defenses are clearly strong.  I worry that the offense is going to be a little on the boring side.  

 

So.  What to do to beef up the offense / make things go faster?

 

Some thoughts:

 

- Boeroer's Engineer build is a W/S dwarf fighter.  He uses scrolls, blunderbusses, animancer's boots and prestigidator's missiles for damage.

 

- I'll re-emphasize - scrolls rock.  I solo'd a fighter for Act 1 and Act 2 and scrolls owned.  Quaff a Spirit Shield potion to prevent interrupts, trigger Disciplined Barrage and unleash hell.  Or at least a fan of flames.

 

- I would pump up your might to max if possible to help with damage.

[Boeroer]

Consider the Godansthunyr or We Toki + Badgradr's Barricade road (Godansthunyr looks better with that shield). With Disciplined Barrage you will do more crits, and Knockdown + Bonus Knockdown will give you three Full Attacks with +1 ACC per level which will most likely trigger stun or prone and Thrust of Tattered Veils. It's the best "offensive" weapon & shield setup I know of that is not late late game. Then Godansthunyr + Dragon's Maw also looks great and has some nice features. Both are also cool with Charge, because at your target destination you will do a weird kind of instant Full Attack without animation and recovery.

 

In general I really struggle with a fighter in solo playthrougs - even more than with a rogue - until I get Charge. Just lacks AoE stuff - and maybe I'm not patient enough.

[Blades of Vanatar]

Consider the Godansthunyr or We Toki + Badgradr's Barricade road (Godansthunyr looks better with that shield). With Disciplined Barrage you will do more crits, and Knockdown + Bonus Knockdown will give you three Full Attacks with +1 ACC per level which will most likely trigger stun or prone and Thrust of Tattered Veils. It's the best "offensive" weapon & shield setup I know of that is not late late game. Then Godansthunyr + Dragon's Maw also looks great and has some nice features. Both are also cool with Charge, because at your target destination you will do a weird kind of instant Full Attack without animation and recovery.

 

In general I really struggle with a fighter in solo playthrougs - even more than with a rogue - until I get Charge. Just lacks AoE stuff - and maybe I'm not patient enough.

I choose Fighter as I have tried various solos with Monk, Pally, Barb, Druid and Cipher. All were challenging but ultimately doable. I have always stopped half way thru on the Rogue. Chanter and Wiz seem to easy once you hit mid level. Fighter seems to be the challenge due to his lack of AoE power. I want to limit his scroll usage/ item cheese to boss fights of possible. Being a true dwarf and not some pansy-ass elfling.

[Blades of Vanatar]

I am interested in how this run goes. Please keep us posted!

Snuck my way into Caed Nua and mostly past the shadows with the help of the Animat summoning horn.I'll need to respec, too many wasted points on stealth! Killed the spiders by fighting only two at a time. Took me three attempts to kill Maerwald. Now in Defiance Bay. Lvl 5. Have a hefty 147 Endurance after purchasing Bracers of All Consuming Rage. Mostly paid for by Osric!

[Boeroer]

Do you have high INT? Because Clear Out is quite nice with a lot of INT. With 10 INT it's meh...

[Blades of Vanatar]

Currently have 16 Int (14 base plus Hermit's Hat). Will boost it to 19 with Caed Nua rest bonus.

 

Clear out and Charge will definitely be taken when I hit the required levels.

[Lampros]

Do you have high INT? Because Clear Out is quite nice with a lot of INT. With 10 INT it's meh...

 

This is such an atypical RPG in so many ways. Casters with max "Might" and melees with max "Intelligence." Jesus...

Edited September 16, 2017 by Lampros

[grausch]

Complete lack of AoE/CC options.

Ring of Searing Flames, Rotfinger Gloves and the Beetle Figurine are you're best friends for Act 2. Used correctly, you don't even need to engage in melee to win several of the Act 2 fights.

[Blades of Vanatar]

 

Complete lack of AoE/CC options.

Ring of Searing Flames, Rotfinger Gloves and the Beetle Figurine are you're best friends for Act 2. Used correctly, you don't even need to engage in melee to win several of the Act 2 fights.

Yes.... but I'm trying to win most battles keeping to my race/class abilities/talents. I know I will need to deviate a bit from that path though.

 

I have the beetles and the animat figurines so far. Huge help rescuing the girl with papers for Dunstan. Now have shod-in-faith boots and closing in on lvl 6...

[Dr <3]

 

Complete lack of AoE/CC options.

Ring of Searing Flames, Rotfinger Gloves and the Beetle Figurine are you're best friends for Act 2. Used correctly, you don't even need to engage in melee to win several of the Act 2 fights.

I also grab asap the shadow figurine in vailian embassy. Need mech 8, usually between resting bonus and gloves of mechanichs is reacheble

[Boeroer]

Are you planning to use Into the Fray as well? Because I sometimes use it as a ranged attack. With Disciplined Barrage, Merciless Hand and stuff it does actually pretty nice damage. And you can avoid disengagement if you desperately want to take out an annoying caster who's out of reach. It also works with ranged weapons equipped - as Clear Out. So, Into the Fray and then a Knockdown into the face (preferably with Badgradr's Barricade equipped) can be a pretty nice combo.

[Blades of Vanatar]

Are you planning to use Into the Fray as well? Because I sometimes use it as a ranged attack. With Disciplined Barrage, Merciless Hand and stuff it does actually pretty nice damage. And you can avoid disengagement if you desperately want to take out an annoying caster who's out of reach. It also works with ranged weapons equipped - as Clear Out. So, Into the Fray and then a Knockdown into the face (preferably with Badgradr's Barricade equipped) can be a pretty nice combo.

Didn't know Into the Fray worked with with ranged weapons. Of course I have never used that ability so how would I?I'll have to give it a go. Thanks!

[Boeroer]

Yeah, it's totally weapon independent like Clear Out. It does its own base damage and has its own damage type. Both are basically spells. Charge's "crush AoE" is also like this, but Charge's use is limited to melee because it adds a pseudo Full Attack at the target (additional to the crush damage) and that's melee only.

 

Speaking of spell-like abilities: I never used it before, but now I want to try out if ranger's Binding Roots + Thorny Roots is good as caster-killer. Because it targets reflex it's its own debuff: first cast causes stuck and does damage, second cast already has very high crit chance because of stuck... and so on. With Merciless Hand and other crit-talents and items and decent MIG those 5 casts might be enough to kill a priest or druid or wizard or whatever annoying but squishy enemy comes around. It does 2*15 base damage - so basically it's 150 base damage against 10*DR. I have no idea if it works with any DR bypass, ACC buffs like Marksman or Distant Advantage or dmg bonuses... yet. But the range is huge and it's an instant cast. One should be able to spam those 5 uses pretty quickly.

[Phenomenum]

Speaking of spell-like abilities:

What you thinkin' about Fighter ability "Into the Fray"? Last playthrough i've got this talent for Eder end noticed one strange thing: when you use Prone and Into the Fray, one after another, then Recovery Time is minimal and next attack hits immediatly - on practice, i use it when i want spike damage on enemy. This thing works great in midgame (lvl 5 - 9), giving 50-70 dmg on crit.

 

Edited September 17, 2017 by Phenomenum

[Boeroer]

Actually I spoke about "Into the Fray" in my two previous posts.  I think it can be good, especially with crits as you also mentioned.

Edited September 17, 2017 by Boeroer

[Phenomenum]

Actually I spoke about "Into the Fray" in my two previous posts.  I think it can be good, especially with crits as you also mentioned.

Yeah... sorry, i just forgot my eyes somewhere after last night

[Lampros]

Your defenses are clearly strong.  I worry that the offense is going to be a little on the boring side.  

 

So.  What to do to beef up the offense / make things go faster?

 

Some thoughts:

 

- Boeroer's Engineer build is a W/S dwarf fighter.  He uses scrolls, blunderbusses, animancer's boots and prestigidator's missiles for damage.

 

- I'll re-emphasize - scrolls rock.  I solo'd a fighter for Act 1 and Act 2 and scrolls owned.  Quaff a Spirit Shield potion to prevent interrupts, trigger Disciplined Barrage and unleash hell.  Or at least a fan of flames.

 

- I would pump up your might to max if possible to help with damage.

 

Are Fighters good scrollers?

 

I noticed the last PotD playthrough I might need to start using scrolls as well, since my figurine summons and some of the potions I relied on (especially Infuse Essence) lost their impact. So I was wondering who should be the main scroller. Fighter, Paladin, and Chanters are the main candidates, since they don't have a lot of active skills, but then I worry that Fighters will be interrupted a lot, too, if they start scrolling. Also, Chanters will stop chanting when they cast anything active, right?

 

Hmm...

[Boeroer]

Fighters with high INT are good scroll users because they can have insane accuracy via Disciplined Barrage (on top of their already good accuracy).

 

Best scroll users in my opinion are rogues, but that's another topic...

[Lampros]

Fighters with high INT are good scroll users because they can have insane accuracy via Disciplined Barrage (on top of their already good accuracy).

 

Best scroll users in my opinion are rogues, but that's another topic...

 

Okay, I will give Gimli scrolls too then. He's got two Figurines, too, but I can give them to others. And I like my Fighters with high Intelligence, since I rely on weapon-based CC more than most folks (Tall Grass on a mid-liner and some sort of Prone or Stun weapon on the front-liner).