Looking for an "interesting" melee build

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

Melee ciphers feel a lot more workable in this game than in the last one, especially multiclassed.

[Owlbear]

In the last few days I tried to decide between various cipher builds again, like the mindstalker, psyblade and the witch and all of them are fun builds.

 

 

I probably liked the Mindstalker the most , even tho sneaking around with my party and only depending on sneak attacks/backstabs, while you have a paper thin defense isn't really for me, so I don't think I'll play an assassin/soulblade anytime soon.  I also prefer to play a character that can hold himself against a few hits, so I tried the trickster, but it was kinda a let down for a melee rogue, it makes more sense for a trickster/evoker spellblade imo where you only use  the rogue resource for escape and defense, so you can focus on nuking with the wizard. 

 

Another idea was a "soul eater" build after the corpse eater/soulblade multi and it was an interesting one. With leap and sprint it's quite mobile and with frenzy, carnage and 2 weapon style it can destroy everything, when he manages to hit the target. :D The part I really liked was that you can eat your downed enemies to heal yourself and restock your rage so you don't have to hold back with the mobility skills. 

 

Psyblade is the safest bet, the middle ground. It's strong, sturdy and the most boring if you like to micromanage your character.  Usually you only use disciplined strike, charge and cleave stance from the fighter side, and pretty much only SA from the soulblade side.

 

That being said, my character right now is still a devoted/soulblade psyblade with a pair of boots that granted him the barbarian leap ability. That and charge is good enough for my mobility needs. :D

Edited May 15, 2018 by Owlbear

[QuiteGoneJin]

.....

 

Rogue/fighter is a good tank build with some interesting options. Very mobile due to rogue invisiblity and disengagement, fighter abilities for control. But some hidden gems are in the passives. Rogue has passive "Riposte" that allow a full attack riposte on miss, and passive "Persistent Distraction" adds +1 engagement & makes engaged enemies "distracted" = -5 perception (better chance to miss) and flanked (sneak attack! also better hit chance). Fighter guardian stance = autoattack+prone on disengagement, -5% damage per engaged and +3 max engagement.  With "overbearing guard", those disengagement attacks will deal plenty of damage (+50%) and easily hit (+15acc).  So engage 5 enemies for a very sticky fighter and tons of high damage sneak autoattacks (and abilities with normal attacks). I like to make the rogue a trickster (bit less sneak attack, but mirror image is perfect for a tank)

Sent a PM asking about this as I'm super curious and have been rerolling since the game came out, my questions; Would you mind elaborating the build for me? Ie stat spread and ability choices in the early to mid levels? And possibly even weapon prof choices? I'm having a hard time piecing it together but this seems like the build for me.  Is it front line right away or?

Edited May 16, 2018 by QuiteGoneJin

[pstone]

 

.....

 

Rogue/fighter is a good tank build with some interesting options. Very mobile due to rogue invisiblity and disengagement, fighter abilities for control. But some hidden gems are in the passives. Rogue has passive "Riposte" that allow a full attack riposte on miss, and passive "Persistent Distraction" adds +1 engagement & makes engaged enemies "distracted" = -5 perception (better chance to miss) and flanked (sneak attack! also better hit chance). Fighter guardian stance = autoattack+prone on disengagement, -5% damage per engaged and +3 max engagement.  With "overbearing guard", those disengagement attacks will deal plenty of damage (+50%) and easily hit (+15acc).  So engage 5 enemies for a very sticky fighter and tons of high damage sneak autoattacks (and abilities with normal attacks). I like to make the rogue a trickster (bit less sneak attack, but mirror image is perfect for a tank)

Sent a PM asking about this as I'm super curious and have been rerolling since the game came out, my questions; Would you mind elaborating the build for me? Ie stat spread and ability choices in the early to mid levels? And possibly even weapon prof choices? I'm having a hard time piecing it together but this seems like the build for me.  Is it front line right away or?

 

 

Sent you a PM, but might also be interesting for others:

 

Nice avatar, always happy to see Dark Sun fans

 

I like to have high perception->accuracy for more hits and crits, and some resolve for deflection (which increases the chance to be missed->trigger riposte) + might for damage/healing. But the deflection from resolve is not that important compared to other sources imo, so 10 would be enough if you prefer more hitpoints (con) or faster action speed(dex). Still would recommend some resolve, since the build relies on enemies missing for riposte to trigger.

 

Key levels are 7 (Rogue: Riposte), 10 (Rogue: Persistent Distraction), 13 (Fighter: Guardian Stance) and 16(Figher: Overbearing Guard). But the level 10+ abilities really just improve the stickyness, damage and riposte likelyhood, build idea works from level 7.

 

Before that, its a fighter with some useful rogue abilities. F4: Into the Fray is helpful to pull stragglers into engagement without breaking engagement with your other targets. F4: confident aim is helpful in the beginning, but the better your accuracy the less it helps (less natural grazes to upgrade), so as soon as you get R10: persistent distraction i would use the respec option to remove it. F4 for the fighter stance asap. F4 or R4 for weapon&shield style really helps with early deflection. There is even a buckler that is also a melee weapon. The focus is on the fighter side (engagement/stickyness) using rogue mostly for improvements to damage and control. Applying the flanked condition solo (without requiring another char positioned appropriately) and to multiple engaged enemies at the same time is really a huge boon to the whole party, not just the the fighter/rogue himself.

 

If your rogue side is a trickster, level 4 for mirror imaged will increase the ripostes you get at lvl 7 a lot, since it adds 30 deflection for 60 seconds.

 

For weapon proficiencies, i would recommend normal swords (if devoted fighter), otherwise swords & maces (later sabers, rapiers, really and 1h weapon you like). Reason for swords: Many amazing weapons (including soulbound) are of this type. Reason for maces: good penetration, missing blunt damage type, interesting uniques. But if you find e.g. a great stiletto, you can still use the respec option in the tavern to gain the appropriate proficiency.

Edited May 16, 2018 by pstone

[QuiteGoneJin]

Thanks, love me some Dark Sun. 1st online rpg experience was neverwinter nights on a DS custom server focused on RPPVP and I played there right after reading my 1st set of Fantasy Novels, the Dark Sun's 1st 5. Wish that universe was still going Rikus and Sorak are some of my fav characters. (Named my pug Ryka after him). 

 

Is this possible without going Trickster? And I guess I won't be jumping into the front line till mid lvl? Thanks again for the reply. 

 

Edit: The only thing that saddens me about this build is absolutely not fault of yours. Eder, I love him, but two of the same class is tough to swallow, I'll do it my 1st playthrough though for sure. 

 

PS giving

M 14

D 15

P 19

C/I/R 10

 

Hearth Orlan a shot and I'll trust the build and try Trickster.

Armor and offhand early game?

Edited May 16, 2018 by QuiteGoneJin

[pstone]

Edit: Multiquote fails for some reason...

 

"Thanks, love me some Dark Sun. 1st online rpg experience was neverwinter nights on a DS custom server focused on RPPVP and I played there right after reading my 1st set of Fantasy Novels, the Dark Sun's 1st 5. Wish that universe was still going Rikus and Sorak are some of my fav characters. (Named my pug Ryka after him)."

-The Dark Sun novels actually got me into reading english (since only the first 3 novels were translated into my language iirc). Also really enjoyed them...

 

"Is this possible without going Trickster?"

-Sure! Mirror Image helps, but it is by no means necessary. You might get a few ripostes less, but the ones you DO get deal more damage.
 
"And I guess I won't be jumping into the front line till mid lvl?"
-Well, i was playing as a fighter with rogue skills, so front line from lvl 1 is certainly viable. Especially since you get to lvl 4 on tutorial island anyway...
 

"Edit: I'm guessing you're going buckler and Sword?"
-I was using sword and buckler for the longest time (Modwyr and "Tutilos Palm" buckler, the one that is also a melee weapon), but now i found a really amazing shield called "Cadhu Scalth". Adds -10%- Metahpysics/2 damage taken from all sources, and 3+Athletics/2 extra deflection. Really ups the toughness (but lowers damage output)

 

"Edit: The only thing that saddens me about this build is absolutely not fault of yours. Eder, I love him, but two of the same class is tough to swallow, I'll do it my 1st playthrough though for sure. "

-Yes, Edér is also a good candidate for the build. His stats are a little off and one cannot use his class specialization, but it works quite well. You can skill him as a pure rogue if you want to avoid overlap, or go for a different PC build of course and use Edér.

 

"PS giving

M 14

D 15

P 19

C/I/R 10"

-Looks good to me, i have similar stats.

 

"Hearth Orlan a shot and I'll trust the build and try Trickster.

Armor and offhand early game?"

-Buckler and Sword. You can get a unique blade called "Gladiator Sword" from the Temple dungeon on the island between Port Maje and Neketaka, adds bonus damage and +5 deflection if used with shield, i got it with level 5. Any armor works, even robes (faster recovery=more damage output, but also more damage taken due to overpenetration. But if you keep deflection high you get mostly grazes and misses).

Edited May 16, 2018 by pstone

[mrmonocle]

If you want a mobile powerhouse then go swashbuckler. You've got crippling strike + penetrating strike synergy, mob stance, charge and escape for mobility, you can even go 2handed due to a certain hat that makes two handed godly there are also aoe 2hanlers.

[Yonto]

 

"Edit: I'm guessing you're going buckler and Sword?"

-I was using sword and buckler for the longest time (Modwyr and "Tutilos Palm" buckler, the one that is also a melee weapon), but now i found a really amazing shield called "Cadhu Scalth". Adds -10%- Metahpysics/2 damage taken from all sources, and 3+Athletics/2 extra deflection. Really ups the toughness (but lowers damage output)

 

I'm thinking to do something similar but with 2 weapon fighting and dagger with modal on offhand. Would the two weapon fighting feat work with that buckler since it's treated like a weapon?

[Urocyon]

I went a similar route but with Darcozzi Paladin/Streetfighter. I was also vexed by having two characters with similar classes right off the bat.

[pstone]

 

 

"Edit: I'm guessing you're going buckler and Sword?"

-I was using sword and buckler for the longest time (Modwyr and "Tutilos Palm" buckler, the one that is also a melee weapon), but now i found a really amazing shield called "Cadhu Scalth". Adds -10%- Metahpysics/2 damage taken from all sources, and 3+Athletics/2 extra deflection. Really ups the toughness (but lowers damage output)

 

I'm thinking to do something similar but with 2 weapon fighting and dagger with modal on offhand. Would the two weapon fighting feat work with that buckler since it's treated like a weapon?

 

 

Yes, two weapon fighting also reduces recovery time with this buckler (and main weapon), so you can benefit from both sword+shield style and two-weapon fighting at the same time.

[marc5477]

I realize the term interesting is subjective, but I'm looking for a melee build with lots of options. I find auto attacking (or always using the same skill) really boring.

 

I'm looking for something that is:

• Mobile (able to get to enemy casters / range units)
• Range of abilities/powers (from knocking enemies prone to debuffs or fireballs)
• Not a glass cannon (can take a few hits before going down)

Although I'm open to other suggestions I'm probably looking to multi-class (more options). Some of the class I'm particularly interested in include: rogue, monk, cipher, chanter, wizard, shifting/shape change. Any recommendations (ideally with some explanation) would be appreciated.

 

 

Related question can rogues still use scrolls and are explosives useful (in most games they quickly become obsolete)?

 

You are basically begging for a warrior/wizard... why not just make a warrior/wizard? Warning, this is an insanely active character and does not do very well in the hands of the AI. It can do everything you ask for and be a top tier tank & disabler.

 

Things to note:

 

Wizard = Top Tier Defense and all are near instant cast, 0 recovery, long duration. I tried them. They are great!

Wizard + Fighter = probably best tank in the game against any situation (melee, ranged or casters).

Wizard = Disables out the wazoo.

Wizard = Nukes out the wazoo.

Wizard + Melee Class = Great synergy with summoned weapons. Note, most are 2H.

Fighter = Some much needed self healing

Fighter = Stances for every occasion.

Fighter = 2 mobility attacks

 

It does not matter which warrior sub you pick but for me, I went with unbroken for extra tankiness without giving up dps or healing. The trick is to remember that wizard will buff your deflection to insane amounts so you don't need to invest into resolve. Do not dump resolve, but dont pump it either and use those points elsewhere. I personally went with Int to extend the duration of spells. Might and Perception should be maxed to insure that your wizard size remains powerful.

 

Human Unbroken/Wizard

Might - 19

Constitution - 7

Dexterity - 8

Perception - 18

Intelligence - 15

Resolve - 10

 

This is actually a tricky character to build because you will be ability starved and cant pick up a lot of spells. You can pick up a few spells (about 1 per level) but on non-power levels you need to work on warrior abilities. I simply keep all the books I find in case I need a spell. On Power levels where you are forced to take Wizard abilities, I strongly recommend you take the instant cast tanking spells to have them available at all times:

 

Recommended Wizard Spells: (via selected abilities)

L1 - Spirit Shield

L2 - Mirrored Image (awesome)

L3 - Llengraths Displaced Image (awesome)

L4 - Ironskin (probably)

L5 - Llengraths Safeguard

L6 - Arcane Reflection

L7 - Catzals Martial Power

 

As you can see, this will make you extremely defensive and with 15 int, almost all the spells last for 1 minute or more with buffs and gear. With max perception/might and good int, you can also cast for good damage if needed.

 

On the melee side you should remember a few things. #1 in terms of defensive abilities, Wizard spells are far superior to warrior abilities like Vigorous defense so dont waste your time on the warrior variants unless you want to be untouchable. Also, remember, as a wizard you can summon some weapons so you may want to pick up proficiencies and abilities if you want them. Based on my game right now, I strongly recommend you keep a shield on one weapon slot and DPS options on the other even if it costs you 2 abilities to maximize them. I went with large shields, spears, and great swords so far. Great Swords because there are a lot of great unique ones in the game. Spears for the extra accuracy and engagement. Later I will pick up Pike for Citzals Spirit Lance or possibly something with crushing damage (perhaps staff since I can summon those too). The summon weapons are nice because you can call them without needing more weapon slots for even more weapon variety.

 

Since Wizard gives you tons of defense, your only big weakness will be melee accuracy so you need to pick up anything that will help your accuracy from the warrior tree. You also cant heal past the 1st minute so unbending sounds like a very nice ability to pick up.

 

Recommended Warrior Abilities

L1 - Disciplined Barrage (awesome with high int)

L2 - Warrior Stances (one of the best abilities in the game), Into the Fray (mobility), Confident Aim

L3 - Pick an upgrade for Disciplined Barrage (both are nice)

L4 - Charge (mobility)

L5 - All are great... very hard to choose. I will probably go with Armored Grace, Conqueror and Unbending

L6 - The active stuff seem to suck (though 'pull of eora' + 'clear out' might be funny). The passive abilities sound ok.

L7 - Upgrade Unbending

 

 

Unbuffed at level 7 (conqueror stance)

TANK - Fine Spear + plain Large Shield - Accuracy 53 - Defense 73

DPS - Fine 2 Handed Sword - Accuracy 57 - Defense 55

 

With full buffs:

 

TANK - With wizard buffs and defender stance, deflection climbs to near or above 100 (other defenses are 43/64+/58), you get damage reduction based on engagements, and with Llengraths 50% hits become grazes.

 

DPS - My accuracy with a 2h fine sword + perception + warrior stance = 62. Obviously I am using a early game weapon so it will get higher. Though this has not been an issue yet, I imagine that against a very high deflection enemy, I will need to switch to wizard mode and cast. Not a problem since we have max perception/might, high int, and wizard has plenty of debuffs. Just keep a debuff spell book on quick switch.

 

Recommended Books: 

Slavers Grimoire (disables)

Blood Soaked Grimoire (summoned weapons + utility)

Weathered Grimoire (nukes)

Edited May 16, 2018 by marc5477

[Stasis_Sword]

marc5477 Thank you for the extremely detailed post. I feel that was more detailed many of the builds on the forum.

 

It looks like a solid build and I think between charge and the boots Owlbear mentioned I'll have the mobility I wanted. I had a couple questions:

1). Why two handed over dual wielding? I know about the summoned weapons but I'm pretty sure a pair of mid/late game swords/sabres would outshine them. Is there some other mechanical advantage?

2). Especially without knockdown do you have a reliable way or interrupting casters?

3). If you're rarely using sword and board is unbroken still worth the tradeoffs? I was thinking either devoted (if I was sure what I would use) or vanilla fighter.

4). Any advice on must have passives for either class? As you mentioned abilities will be tight...

[Owlbear]

Battlemage is a great combination, but not as a melee damage dealing character, it's way too defensive for that. I don't like the summoned weapons. Battlemage and Spellblade are great multis if you wanna play a caster with extra defenses/utility/accuracy. Most of the abilities you picked are defensive ones, that's a tank character with pretty much only autoattacks for damage. Even if you wanna nuke your enemies with another grimoire, you will just weaken your defense.

 

That's why I decided to play cipher hybrids instead. It's still plenty tough as a fighter, but deals way better damage than the battlemage and even if you play a soulblade and just spam sa for the raw damage, with draining whip you will have almost unlimited focus to use various cipher abilities to support yourself, your party or just simply nuke your enemies. 

[Stasis_Sword]

Battlemage is a great combination, but not as a melee damage dealing character, it's way too defensive for that. I don't like the summoned weapons. Battlemage and Spellblade are great multis if you wanna play a caster with extra defenses/utility/accuracy. Most of the abilities you picked are defensive ones, that's a tank character with pretty much only autoattacks for damage. Even if you wanna nuke your enemies with another grimoire, you will just weaken your defense.

 

That's why I decided to play cipher hybrids instead. It's still plenty tough as a fighter, but deals way better damage than the battlemage and even if you play a soulblade and just spam sa for the raw damage, with draining whip you will have almost unlimited focus to use various cipher abilities to support yourself, your party or just simply nuke your enemies. 

 

I'm curious what your preferred cipher hybrid is at this point and what you're using as your main abilities.

[Owlbear]

My character right now is a devoted/soulblade.

 

Fighter (devoted with sword prof.)

disciplined barrage > disciplined strike

fighter stance

vigorous defense > refreshing defense

unbending

charge

 

(passives)

confident aim

determination

one handed style

unbreakable

 

 

Cipher

whisper of treason

mind blades

silent scream

pain block

ring leader

disintegration or amplified wave

 

(passives)

iron will

draining whip

hammering thoughts

 

 

I picked other abilities here and there, but these are the ones I never regretted picking. Disciplined strike is a no brainer and with confident aim/single handed style it's even better. Whisper of treason is a great opening move. Fighter stance with cleave is a great way to deal with groups and when I need to hit more than a single enemy who aren't exactly around you I can use mind blades or silent scream. Sometimes I just use them for fun tho because auto attacks and spamming sa are not the most interesting way to deal with your enemies, but it's still one of the most effective way to do things.

 

Backlash is another interesting passive, I always take the +will passives with my companions as well because there's nothing more annoying than a charmed/dominated character against me.

Edited May 16, 2018 by Owlbear

[marc5477]

marc5477 Thank you for the extremely detailed post. I feel that was more detailed many of the builds on the forum.

 

It looks like a solid build and I think between charge and the boots Owlbear mentioned I'll have the mobility I wanted. I had a couple questions:

1). Why two handed over dual wielding? I know about the summoned weapons but I'm pretty sure a pair of mid/late game swords/sabres would outshine them. Is there some other mechanical advantage?

2). Especially without knockdown do you have a reliable way or interrupting casters?

3). If you're rarely using sword and board is unbroken still worth the tradeoffs? I was thinking either devoted (if I was sure what I would use) or vanilla fighter.

4). Any advice on must have passives for either class? As you mentioned abilities will be tight...

1. Because big sword (or a huge staff) looks more awesome than 2 small weapons... lol. Also the game is waaaaaay too easy even on PotD which is where I play. As mentioned, there are a lot of nice unique great swords. But dual wield is likely going to be more dps and there are tons of unique long swords too. I do believe that you can eek out slightly higher accuracy with 2H and 1H though. Dual wield does confer a accuracy penalty and I wanted as high of accuracy as I can muster.

 

2. You will have extra ability points to play with. I actually have knockdown on my guy and sprint from L1. I just listed the stuff that I feel is important but there is a bit of flexibility once you decide how you want to play him (defense or dps). Just dont expect to memorize every spell you want if you want to excel in physical combat. You will need books which is actually not a hindrance at all imho.

 

3. Probably not. Any subclass should work fine but I specifically wanted him to excel at tanking for those oh-crud moments when Eder cant handle it & face-plants. I also wanted to a definitive boss tank and I like having weapon variety since some enemies have high resistances to certain damage types. But again, any sub should be fine. Pick the one you like.

 

4. Honestly, the biggest ones for me are probably armored grace, confident aim (is really nice) and a weapon style passive. Dual wield should be perfectly fine. The rest is up to you but you will need to decide between defense and damage output. I just dont recommend going down the caster route because if you want to be a caster, you are much better off going pure wizard for those end game spells. I feel that the mutliclass wizard is more suited for utility to supplement melee but thats just me.

 

[SamOftheUels]

Has Sage been mentioned? Wizard/Monk

 

All the swift flurry goodness with Dual wielding along with powerful sexy spells - having swift flurry/chill fog early is pretty nuts. Also Wiz has tons of defense options as we know.

Fun stuff in my opinion.

[Stasis_Sword]

 

4. Honestly, the biggest ones for me are probably armored grace, confident aim (is really nice) and a weapon style passive. Dual wield should be perfectly fine. The rest is up to you but you will need to decide between defense and damage output. I just dont recommend going down the caster route because if you want to be a caster, you are much better off going pure wizard for those end game spells. I feel that the mutliclass wizard is more suited for utility to supplement melee but thats just me.

 

 

 

 

I'm under no delusion of being the ultimate nuker or a high tier DPS build. On the other hand I don't want to just be a self buffing damage sponge. Ideally I'd like to maybe cast a self buff or two use a CC spell to incapacitate some melee units and then charge across the battlefield to take down a caster. I think this build could do all that.

 

Looking through the wizard passives most of them don't seem that useful other than maybe combat focus?

[Stasis_Sword]

Has Sage been mentioned? Wizard/Monk

 

All the swift flurry goodness with Dual wielding along with powerful sexy spells - having swift flurry/chill fog early is pretty nuts. Also Wiz has tons of defense options as we know.

Fun stuff in my opinion.

 

Have you tried running one? I'm curious how survivable it feels. It seems like the higher DPS, lower defense counterpart of the Wizard/Fighter mentioned above. Or can any one else speak to how Monk compares to Fighter for multi-classing?

[marc5477]

Battlemage is a great combination, but not as a melee damage dealing character, it's way too defensive for that. I don't like the summoned weapons. Battlemage and Spellblade are great multis if you wanna play a caster with extra defenses/utility/accuracy. Most of the abilities you picked are defensive ones, that's a tank character with pretty much only autoattacks for damage. Even if you wanna nuke your enemies with another grimoire, you will just weaken your defense.

 

That's why I decided to play cipher hybrids instead. It's still plenty tough as a fighter, but deals way better damage than the battlemage and even if you play a soulblade and just spam sa for the raw damage, with draining whip you will have almost unlimited focus to use various cipher abilities to support yourself, your party or just simply nuke your enemies. 

The Wizzy/Fighter is definitely not a top tier melee dps character but it is 100% viable in PotD and its definitely better melee than a melee cipher/fighter. This is because the cipher variant will be dead long before the wizard variant lol. Or it will be running around wasting time or worse, wasting the teams time. Invariably, if the cipher ends up in melee, it will be a liability unless you build it as a tank. But that is problematic. To make a tanky cipher that can semi-safely engage in melee, you need to invest in resolve and you will likely need a shield on top of that as well as sword and shield style. Or you need to play at lower difficulty than PotD.

 

The Wizard is awesome for that reason. The wizard has several near instant cast spells that literally replace 20 attribute points... this is huge. A single casting of level 2 mirror image (which lasts for 60 seconds with 15 int) is the equivalent of 6 points in resolve, a large shield, and you dont suffer accuracy penalties lol. And wait, it is near instant-cast, has 0 recovery, and the wizard has several spells that do even more at higher level. A wizard can lunge across the battlefield and survive which is one thing the author wanted (mobility). The cipher needs a lot of investment to make that happen and something else will have to give such as lower might (damage), perception (accuracy), or int (even less duration).

 

Also, aside from cipher disintegrate (if like the old game, also destroys loot so cant use on bosses), there is no way that a Cipher will out damage a Wizard in casting unless the wizard runs out of spells. Wizards have too many nukes at every level and they are all good. The wizard also has non-resistible spells (missiles) and spells that can penetrate any armor (15 penetration blast). Of course if a battle goes on for long enough the Cipher has the advantage but if it does not, the wizard will own him, even a fully defensive one.

 

Dont get me wrong, I love the Cipher class, but it is not suited for melee. They are much better off being in the back with a ranged weapon and to that end, they are great for dps and utility but the author of the post wanted something mobile and tough.

Edited May 16, 2018 by marc5477

[marc5477]

 

 

4. Honestly, the biggest ones for me are probably armored grace, confident aim (is really nice) and a weapon style passive. Dual wield should be perfectly fine. The rest is up to you but you will need to decide between defense and damage output. I just dont recommend going down the caster route because if you want to be a caster, you are much better off going pure wizard for those end game spells. I feel that the mutliclass wizard is more suited for utility to supplement melee but thats just me.

 

 

 

 

I'm under no delusion of being the ultimate nuker or a high tier DPS build. On the other hand I don't want to just be a self buffing damage sponge. Ideally I'd like to maybe cast a self buff or two use a CC spell to incapacitate some melee units and then charge across the battlefield to take down a caster. I think this build could do all that.

 

Looking through the wizard passives most of them don't seem that useful other than maybe combat focus?

 

You dont need any wizzy passives. But as a multi, you do need to take at least 7 wizzy abilities so for me, I picked up defensive spells. You could take more if you want or you could spend wizzy points on weapon styles instead of spells. For example, I am not sure if ironskin will be very useful. As a front line tank, you get hit so often that I think it will wear off too fast to be useful. I will need to try it to see how it goes. So you dont need to do everything I said, but it just goes with the theme. You can always respec out of useless spells. I plan to do so.

 

Yes, this will let you do everything you asked for. You are definitely not just a sponge. The fact that he can tank, is actually just a happy coincidence and I figured I might as well use it. You could take all the damage abilities in fighter and you will put out very good damage. You can also swap int for dex if you want even more damage at the cost of buff (tank) duration. Your only issue will be melee accuracy which is a problem for every physical class, not just this one, and wizzy does have ways of lowering deflection.

 

My 1st character was actually a monk/wizard. It works the same way as fighter but I think the fighter variant is a better all rounder. The monk has some key abilities that work on critical hits thus is better off multi with something that improves critical chance and wizard does not offer many ways to do that. A hellwalker wizard is actually interesting if you want to make a ranged bow/gun caster. Just sit in the back and generate wounds with dance and then nuke once at full wounds for a huge might boost. Should work well with any casting class but definitely not what you asked for in terms of mobility or being able to withstand punishment. Hellwalker is meant to be a high risk/reward play style. 

Edited May 16, 2018 by marc5477

[Owlbear]

A battlemage starts the battle with infuse with vital essence, spirit shield, mirrored image, llengrath's displaced image and that's already 4 spells that you didn't use on offense. Even if you pick an evoker you won't nuke nearly as good as a pure wizard, and you'll never reach the damage potential of a soulblade. Also most of your nukes are aoe spells with friendly fire. Sure the cipher trades defense for offense, but with positioning, fighter abilities and party support it's nowhere near a melee fighter that goes down easily. For a battlemage most of his real (burst) damage comes from his nukes, but for a psyblade it's mostly sa, which is way more consistent.

 

I loved the mage multis in games like baldur's gate and the only thing I hated in those games is the self buffing part. Here it's really easy, but when I played with my arcane knight or my battlemage I mostly found myself autoattacking because I either used up my spell count or simply it wasn't the right time to use them. 

 

The difficulties in the game right now aren't exactly right, so my psyblade never had problems on potd. We will see what happens to him after they fix that.

Edited May 16, 2018 by Owlbear

[SamOftheUels]

 

Has Sage been mentioned? Wizard/Monk

 

All the swift flurry goodness with Dual wielding along with powerful sexy spells - having swift flurry/chill fog early is pretty nuts. Also Wiz has tons of defense options as we know.

Fun stuff in my opinion.

 

Have you tried running one? I'm curious how survivable it feels. It seems like the higher DPS, lower defense counterpart of the Wizard/Fighter mentioned above. Or can any one else speak to how Monk compares to Fighter for multi-classing?

 

 

I have -I haven't got too far into the game, but I've gotten to the same point in the game with many chars and variations - This one is my highest DPS at the moment, and I haven't had problems surviving as long as you're on top of things.

 

It's the DPS version of Fighter/Wiz you're right - You still get the amazing instant cast defensive buffs from Wiz, you just melt things quicker. I'm using Shattered Pillar/No Sub Wiz with dual wielding. Not sure if Shattered Pillar is the way to go here, may no class or even drug monk - I imagine Helwalker you're asking for death.

 

But like I said - I'm not too far in, but of all the classes I've tried, this is my biggest damage dealer so far, with varying play styles being able to cast nukes/buffs/debuffs and dealing great melee damage, a lot of fun.

 

Barb/Wiz is probably similar.

[mjn693]

I really like my DW Stalker-Soul Blade multi class. 

 

To be a great tanky melee dps I look for the following:

 

1) dps bonus: 

candidates: rogue, cipher 

 

2) teleport-like abilities to navigate in battlefield, as a melee you really don't want to get stuck with enemy tanks:

candidates: rogue, fighter, ranger

 

3) attack speed bonus:

candidates: barb, monk 

 

4) accuracy bonus:

candidates: fighter, ranger

 

5) not a glass:

basically no rogue-cipher

 

Of all options I think you want to pick either one of Rogue or Cipher, as their damage bonus are significantly better than others. I chose Cipher because I suspect soul blade has even larger single target DPS than rogue but also provides much better flexibility with cipher powers. Then to pair with Cipher especially soul blade I need accuracy more than attack speed, and also a teleport ability since Cipher has none.  

 

This leaves Fighter-Cipher and Ranger-Cipher. With a defensive pet (boar or bear) I think ranger has consistently more Accuracy (mark prey+stalker link+ upgraded wounding shot+ extra body for flanking)than fighter.

[marc5477]

A battlemage starts the battle with infuse with vital essence, spirit shield, mirrored image, llengrath's displaced image and that's already 4 spells that you didn't use on offense. Even if you pick an evoker you won't nuke nearly as good as a pure wizard, and you'll never reach the damage potential of a soulblade. Also most of your nukes are aoe spells with friendly fire. Sure the cipher trades defense for offense, but with positioning, fighter abilities and party support it's nowhere near a melee fighter that goes down easily. For a battlemage most of his real (burst) damage comes from his nukes, but for a psyblade it's mostly sa, which is way more consistent.

 

I loved the mage multis in games like baldur's gate and the only thing I hated in those games is the self buffing part. Here it's really easy, but when I played with my arcane knight or my battlemage I mostly found myself autoattacking because I either used up my spell count or simply it wasn't the right time to use them. 

 

The difficulties in the game right now aren't exactly right, so my psyblade never had problems on potd. We will see what happens to him after they fix that.

I mean... a blade spends a lot of time in auto attack too. That said, I play my guy a bit differently. 1st, I almost never run out of spells if I am tanking. I usually dont even cast anything until the field is under control. I pop a deflection buff (they do not stack), and wait about 10 seconds for pets and summons to get into action. Once the field is no longer chaotic, I go to town. I switch to a DPS weapon, and hunt down and disable casters/bosses. Once they are under control or dead, I disable and cleave groups. Sometimes I pull him back for support if the big bitters are under attack but in general, he is all over the place because he can be.

 

In my game right now, at level 7, he is:

 

Most enemies defeated (41)

12 damage less than top damage behind full wizzy Aloth (4924). This is misleading since the other 2 dps are summoning chanter and ranger with pet.

28 damage less than top damage tanked behind full fighter dual wield saber Eder (2858).

0.6 damage less than top single target damage behind Aloth (65).

Only knocked out 2 times while main tanking the hardest parts of every fight (and both were early in the game).

 

And mind you, he spends time disabling and tanking with a shield. I would say that in terms of roles, he is top tier tank, near top tier support/disable, mid tier melee dps and mid tier caster dps. If he was not tanking and disabling he would easily have 20% more damage. Also, the build is flexible. You can make a more DPS oriented version by removing 5 from int and resolve and maxing out dex for 30% more attack speed.

 

I need to try your blade to see how it is.