[CLASS BUILD] The SKALD , the most cool bard around

[Dr <3]

So... here we are again! Since PoE 2 is on the horizon, like you all, i already started to plan some build aviable with the new engine. One that i found interesting is the Skald, a chanter subclass.

 

As far as we know the Skald  concept is :

"Offensive invocations are cheaper and melee crits grant phrases, but all other invocations are more expensive".

 

The point is that we have a chanter that instead of killing people turtling behind dragon-like defenses and burning everything around with dragon trashed, actually needs to be agile to spam faster invocations and need good perception too to enhance the critical chance (to spam even more invocation).

I love the chanter. Is the only character with i managed to obtain the ultimate achievement.  But i always played him like i said: uber defenses, dump agility, just wait that everything turn to cinder before move to the next fight.  I felt that the skald could have been a completely diverse way to play a fun and powerful class. So i tried to build one in PoE 1 and was pretty amazed by the results, since he can actually compare to the dragon trashed chanter in terms of raw power.

 

 

===================================
The SKALD
===================================
Difficulty: PotD v. 3.06 (solo or party)
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Class: Cahnter
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Race: Pale elf (only for flavour, no real needs)
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Background: Deadfire Archipelago - Drifter (like above)
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Stats: for min-maxers (who loves to drink spirit shield potion or to console belt of chimes or that will wait for the lost periapt of the winding path)

--> this version permits easily svef abuse

 

MIG: 18 (+1 from gift of the machine) --> 19
CON: 10
DEX: 21 (elf + deadfire+ devil in the pool)
PER: 16
INT: 10
RES: 3

 

Stats for more morigerate players (everyone else)

 

MIG: 16 (+1 from gift of the machine) --> 17
CON: 10
DEX: 16 (elf + deadfire+ devil in the pool)
PER: 16
INT: 10
RES: 10

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Skills:

Stealth  n.a

Athl.  all the remainig points

Lore  8

Mech. 9 ( + 2 with mechanical gloves on demand),

Surv. 6 (+ 2 on demand with sanguine plate)

 

11 mechanichs when need (so we can discover all the march steel lingots and disarm nearly all traps)

8 survival befor resting (so we have access to healing mod + 40%)

higher atletism as possible (good free heal every fight, expecially when combined with +40% healing resting bonus)

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Talents (a=auto, r=recommended, !=important)

 

no stricly needed order:

Veteran recovery

Gallant focus

Bear fortitude

Secrets of winter (ice talent)

Sword & shield

Weapon focus Knight

Superior deflection

Baby barbarian rage or even better baby druid mark

 

+ story talents : dungeon delver (!), merciless hand (!), rymgrand boon ®, gift machine (!), blooded hunter, heaven song, dozen luck, flicker of the wrist, eventually trow devil in the pool ®

 

 

Phrases:

 

- Blessed Was Wengridh, Quickest of His Tribe

- At the Sight of their Comrades, their Hearts Grew Bold

- Come, Come Soft Winds of Death

- Lo, Their Endless Host, the Harbingers Doom

- The Dragon Thrashed, The Dragon Wailed  (backup plan in case of immune to freeze enemies)

- whatever

 

 

Invocations:

- But Reny Daret's Ghost, He would not Rest

- At the Sound of His Voice, the Killers Froze Stiff

- Seven Nights She Waited While the White Winds Wept  ---> THIS IS WHAT THIS BUILD IS ABOUT

- Their Champion Braved the Horde Alone

- Boiled to the bone / Ogres / whatever else you want

 

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Items (!=important, r=recommended):

Weapon set 1: Rimecutter + Aila Braccia (alernatives to rimecutter can be edge of reason, we toki, or a random axe of your liking)
Weapon Set 2: whatever

Boots: Shod of faith / Viettro formal shoes

Head: Garodh chorus (+ 50 def when stunned or proned)

Armor: Blaidh Golan ---> Wayfarer's Hide ® or Ryona Brestplate in super late game (the best item in the game for a solo chanter imho)

Neck: lost periapt of the winding path / mantel of excavator

Belt: Girdle of mortal protection / Looped rope ® (vs booses) / Binding rope (if not solo)

Rings:  ring of protection; ring of deflection,

Hands:  Gauntlets of swift action ®

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As you can see the plan is quite simple: stack lvl 1 phrases so we can reach fast the 5 counter, after that unleash the ice storm (7 nights). Repeat as soon as possible (at max lvl with Brisk Recitation every 10-15 secs). And in the meantime crack the head of your opponents (if present) with your axe. You are going around with 100 precision, which is not bad.

The char is built to be sturdy enough to survive the start of the battle and all the relative alpha stikes. Defences are good, not stellar but good. Moreover we have + 25 def agains stuck, paralyzed and blocked, + 50 to all def if proned or stunned, and clarity (+20 def agains every affliction attack) on top. They all stacks wonderfully afaik.

You can use the chants for +10 ref + 1 speed / + 10 fort for even better defenses. If you want to be more aggressive or in early game a mono sweet wind chant is better.

 

Maybe at this point you are asking: but how much dmg i will deal? how will it compare to dragon trashed chanter?

Since i love my readers, i did the comparison for you.

 

Edit: Calculation contains 1 mistake, i will correect it this night

 

Let's say that we have 25 might (some buff active, es : food/ sleep bonus)

 

7Nights have                    45-60 base dmg --> at 25 might (+45%) : 65-87  --> (+ 20% for secrets of ryme) --->  74-99  on hit

Dragon trashed                                           --> at 25 might and 20 int                                                             --->  +/- 60 burn + 60 slash on hit

 

At max lvl with 20 int dragon trashed have 4 sec duration + 6 sec linger --> 10 seconds.

So on  avarage let's say we are doing 120 dmg every 10 seconds --> 12 dmg / sec    (no other modifiers possible, no elemental talent, no merciless hand, and NO DR COUNTED)

 

At max lvl chaining lvl 1 chants we will be able to cast 7 night every 15 sec (a little less, but let's round the numbers)

So on avarege we have (74+104)/2 = 86.5 dmg every 15 sec --> 5,7 dmg /sec

 

BUT

 

there is an high chance to hit someone 2 times (and a low chance to hit someone 3 times).  If you count 2 hits : 5,7 x 2 --> 11,5 dmg/sec (on par with dragon trashed)

 

MOREOVER

 

there is also a chance for CRIT. Merciless hand and duengon delver WORKS with 7 nights.

So 45-60 dmg * (1+ 0.45 [might ] + 0.2 [secrets of ryme] +0.5 [crit] + 0.3 [merciless] + 0.1 [duengon]) --> 45-60 * 2.55 --> 115-153  --> 8.9  dmg/sec if single hit, much more if double hit

 

(If you the char is not MC max the crit dmg is in range of 45-60 * 2.15 --> 86 - 129)

 

 

This is how math should work. Actually in game i found numbers in case of crit between 104 and 165 dmg (wich are both lesser than the calculated minimum dmg possible or higher than the max calculated dmg bossible. I checked this with a char with 400 perception, so only critical were possible. No idea why this is happening)

 

Apparently both mantle of frozen hunt and bracers of spiritual power DON'T WORK with 7 night. Also by equipping one or both items i found minimum dmg of 104, and never seen more dmg than 165 anyway. Thks anyway to Boeroer to point this possibility.

 

 

TL;DR : this chanter should be on par or superior with dragon trashed optimized chanter. Moreover is much more fun to play (no dump dex means you can do actual dmg also with your attacks, drink potion is not a problem, casting scroll neither, ecc)

 

 

Some other things you might like to know:

 

- this guy is addicted to svef. If you build him with 3 res (like you should), svef lower your resolution only by 2 points (1 in min) instead of 4. This is important because we will use svef a LOT. Svef + gauntlets of swift action lower a lot your recovery for spells (for simplicity let's say that the recovery for spells is "50%" , with gauntlets and svef you take out 30%, so 20% still left). You will NOT reach 0 recovery (you actually need the champions invocation), but between reduced recovery and max agi you will be very fast at casting. Also with you axe you won't be at 0 recovery but the recovery will be indeed shot (4.8 frame calculated with Maxquest's Speed Calculator)

 

- champions brave the horde alone invocation DOES NOT EXPIRE at combat end. So before kill last enemy be sure to cast it on yourself, so the next fight will start with you at 0 recovery and +10 DR

Edited October 16, 2017 by Dr <3

[Frog Man]

Nice work!! Chanter is my favorite class as well.

 

Noob question though - are you just using one chant set that includes all five of those phrases back to back to back? Not sure how this works.

[Dr <3]

Nice work!! Chanter is my favorite class as well.

 

Noob question though - are you just using one chant set that includes all five of those phrases back to back to back? Not sure how this works.

 

From the phrases you know you can select the ones that you want to use. After you cycle them in loop. So you can compose a very long and complicated Symphony or, like me, just select 2of them that will alternate

[Boeroer]

Are you sure that MIG and Secrets of Rime work like multiplicative damage modifiers with Seven Nights?

 

When it comes to Deadfire's Skald: wouldn't a one handed approach make more sense in order to generate more crits (I know it's better in PoE1 to use a shield )? I mean it would be a good justification to go this way this time. I also thought about a Skald with one-handed style and Stunning/Coordinating Cladhaliath who flanks a lot (or Rime Cutter as well because it fits so nicely). Too bad chanter's have no means of raising crit conversion on their own...

 

What about Scath Gwannek? Winter Wind could be a good addition and as far as I know the chanting will not stop when using item bound spells, will it?

Edited October 15, 2017 by Boeroer

[Dr <3]

Are you sure that MIG and Secrets of Rime work like multiplicative damage modifiers with Seven Nights?

 

When it comes to Deadfire's Skald: wouldn't a one handed approach make more sense in order to generate more crits (I know it's better in PoE1 to use a shield )? I mean it would be a good justification to go this way this time. I also thought about a Skald with one-handed style and Stunning/Coordinating Cladhaliath who flanks a lot (or Rime Cutter as well because it fits so nicely). Too bad chanter's have no means of raising crit conversion on their own...

 

What about Scath Gwannek? Winter Wind could be a good addition and as far as I know the chanting will not stop when using item bound spells, will it?

 

Yes, obviously 1 handed style will be better for obtaining more crits at the cost of a slower speed overall and more importantly lowered defences. What you suggest is very good if you play in a party, but not easily affordable in  solo. Surely fits more the character, maybe i will edit the guide splitting solo vs party options.

 

Scath Gwannek is another good option but you already used it in your frost chanter build, so i didn't wanted to copy it. But as you point fits nicely with the theme.

 

On the first point: ou are obviusly right. I should not post build at 3 in the night. I will correct the calculations this evening, thks.

Edited October 15, 2017 by Dr <3

[Boeroer]

I don't know how, but I once managed to deal 800+ freeze damage to an ogre with Seven Nights. I guess I hit him with 3 bolts (is it even possible to hit with 4 if you stand really close? Maybe... With dragons this might work more easily). It can be a great AoE spell as well as a great spell to crunch tough single targets.

 

It also works with Bartender's Ring and the hater talents by the way.

 

You could check if it also works with the Cloak of the Frozen Hunt. Because it also works with Penetrating Shot. And the +6 ACC against beasts may be nice as well.

 

 

Do you know if Marksman works with Seven Nights on the targets that are not too close?

 

Does a Chanter chant while invisible (Cape of the Master Mystic)?

[Boeroer]

Just double checked: Scion of Flame/Secrets of Rime and so on still seem to be simple additive bonuses: https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/94124-rogue-theory-crafting/?do=findComment&comment=1944519
 

[Dr <3]

Many tanks to Boeroer to check my mistakes and the new ideas.

 

I redo the calculations, wich should  be more accurate. The ingame values still are different from the calculated one, but i have no idea why.

 

I tested both cloak of frozen hunt  and bracers of spiritual power, but sadly neither of the two items work. Too bad, they were great for style.

[Boeroer]

Do you see more or less damage than expected?

[Dr <3]

I found both: more max dmg and less minimum dmg. This is why i'm puzzled

[Boeroer]

[Archaven]

Currently had a Dragon Thrashed Chanter. Darn kinda poisoned to try another Chanter. Haven't try Seven Nights before. Does the Ice Storm Foe only? Sorry this may sound like a dumb question lol.

[Dr <3]

Yes, foe only

[Boeroer]

I really have to try this out via console: Seven Nights + Driving Flight. Maybe it's a thing for a Stalker/Skald in Deadfire...?

[Dr <3]

Lol, seems dope! Anyway, considering how strong is already this build even without the "kit perk" ( +1 phrase counter on crit), the skald barbarian looks very promising. Both dual wield or 1h style can earn you a lot of sweet crits very fast, you should be able to spam even max lvl invocation without sweat. Expecially if "killer froze stiff" or other mass disable will still be aviable.

[Archaven]

Does 1H  profieciency works with Shield? Or it must  be completely just 1 hand and off-hand must wield nothing?

Edited October 18, 2017 by Archaven

[Boeroer]

It used to work with a shield, but it got patched and nowadays it only works when you have an empty offhand. It also got buffed a bit. Before it gave you (lower?) graze to hit conversion, not it's 15% hit to crit. With a Hearth Orlan rogue and a predatory one handed weapon like Aattuuk or Rêghar Konnek you can get 90% conversion with the help of a priest and some durgan steel...

Edited October 18, 2017 by Boeroer