When you realize you built a good toon.

[Zyerz]

I remember a few years back when I finally got my ranger to cap (lv 16 at that moment) and still got my butt kicked in vale quests on normal and the vale slayers. I then took a break and started playing a fighter.

Now, my current ranger managed to solo the vale explorers at lv 12, do Rainbow and Running with the devils on elite at lv 16 with just a hireling parked at the door in case something went wrong. Took me a while to complete, but I did it.

Its such a good feeling when you finally make a toon that works. In his last life (also ranger) I got 3/4 past solo Epic lords of dust, until the Jariliths and Rakshasa near the end killed me. Course, I still lack epic gear and such on this toon.

So, dear forum. What were those moments when you realized: "I finally understand how to build a decent toon and excel at it"?

Edit: I never use forum builds, or anything like that. I make all my toons based off my own experiences and by instinct.

[Chauncey1]

I remember a few years back when I finally got my ranger to cap (lv 16 at that moment) and still got my butt kicked in vale quests on normal and the vale slayers. I then took a break and started playing a fighter.

Now, my current ranger managed to solo the vale explorers at lv 12, do Rainbow and Running with the devils on elite at lv 16 with just a hireling parked at the door in case something went wrong. Took me a while to complete, but I did it.

Its such a good feeling when you finally make a toon that works. In his last life (also ranger) I got 3/4 past Epic lords of dust, until the Jariliths and Rakshasa near the end killed me. Course, I still lack epic gear and such on this toon.

So, dear forum. What were those moments when you realized: "I finally understand how to build a decent toon and excel at it"?

I thought I had my fighter pretty well worked out...but after last nights attempt at a ToD run on hard...not so much.

[brian14]

When on my first Rainbow in the Dark, my ranger 15 (maybe 14) carried five soul stones to the nearest shrine.

[Edit] Much more recently, when my Virtuoso bard 17 healed a no-divines party through Coal Chamber.

[Spirrit]

When I am in an Elite ETK run at level 18. I have 5 soul stones around me. I finish killing everything pick up the soul stones and take them to the shrine so they can rez and we can loot.

[rfachini]

A lot of this is due to the scaling that's now in place. Solo and short-manning are an option now for practically any character, especially with hirelings now available.

[TekkenDevil]

Any shmuck can whip out the DDO planner and just build an optimal character based on numbers.

What truly feels good, though, is when you're building your character on the go, according to what you want this toon to play like, and choosing the traits and skills based on roleplay.

For example, I started a Sorcerer who will mainly use Acid and Ice spells for damage. Will he work? Who knows, but these are his abilities because the character's story is that he is an Experimental Warforged made of magical Acidbark and Frostplate armor, which is where his inherent powers come from. Specifically limited spell usage will be a fun way to play a caster.

Will he work out end game? Who knows, but if he does, it will be the best feeling ever.

[WangChi]

When I log into a toon and get 3 or 4 right away tells asking me to switch to my caster or my rogue or my tank because X group needs X toon for X raid/epic quest.

[danotmano1998]

So, dear forum. What were those moments when you realized: "I finally understand how to build a decent toon and excel at it"?

When you STOP playing the best you can so people don't get upset that you're taking all the kills away.

-or-

When you can tank the boss, carry on a text conversation with your guild buddies, and enter into a long discussion with your wife on what happened at work today, all at the same time.

[Imatotalnoob]

When you STOP playing the best you can so people don't get upset that you're taking all the kills away.

-or-

When you can tank the boss, carry on a text conversation with your guild buddies, and enter into a long discussion with your wife on what happened at work today, all at the same time.

Too true!

I made it when my squishy drow rogue mech
turned from a total fail stuck at 14th

To lvl to 18 th while solo in the vale
And out killed the next ppl by 4 to 1
in an elite coal chamber.

Cheers

Btw a non TR

[brian14]

When kobolds stop hating you.

Wait, that never happens...

[FrancisP.Fancypants]

So, dear forum. What were those moments when you realized: "I finally understand how to build a decent toon and excel at it"?

It's a progression, I think. I've made some fine toons with basic competence and some banked gear, but the best have been a few monks, sorcs, and arties that I was comfortable enough with not to run through a planner. Granted, I don't multiclass much and I still can't make a rogue worth a ****, but I think the key is knowing how to play the thing you made.

Anyone can pull a good build off the forums and run it decently, but knowing enough to make something yourself generally means it'll fit your playstyle better. It's like having a suit tailored to fit rather than buying a nice one off the rack.

[Deaths_ward]

It's a progression, I think. I've made some fine toons with basic competence and some banked gear, but the best have been a few monks, sorcs, and arties that I was comfortable enough with not to run through a planner. Granted, I don't multiclass much and I still can't make a rogue worth a ****, but I think the key is knowing how to play the thing you made.

Anyone can pull a good build off the forums and run it decently, but knowing enough to make something yourself generally means it'll fit your playstyle better. It's like having a suit tailored to fit rather than buying a nice one off the rack.
^^^^^^^^^^

This I've been playing my wizard since the cap was 14, and she was still a 28 point, but having played her at those levels without all the weird twink gear, and ever detail of any possible build spelled out, I learned how to play that character well, and now in her second life TR (I'm lazy and don't level fast, I also take extended DDO breaks) she's at a point where she can stand toe to toe with the Devourer of Dreams on hard and dot tank him with minimal support.
Her ability to do those things comes from having built the character from the ground up, experimenting, twiddling, and just playing with some downright bad choice, if only so that I know why they were bad. Now, any other wizard build feels wrong, not that it's not good, just doesn't fit me the way that the one I'm used to does.

[Phidius]

...
So, dear forum. What were those moments when you realized: "I finally understand how to build a decent toon and excel at it"?

I'm still waiting, but I have high hopes that this will be a good year.

Thankfully, gear makes up for most of my deficiencies in both building and playing a toon :D

[goodspeed]

RWD? must of not had gattling light guns then. Or maybe dmg wasn't cut down in spades.

I know I built a great character when the rest of the group is only an annoyance I put up with to unlock elite.

[Drekisen]

Personally I think it's more about how much experience you have in this game.

Someone who has been playing a long time is just going to know how to play no matter what toon they build for the most part.....well if they are a good player.

I think there just comes a time in this game when your strategic and resourceful light bulb finally goes on.

[Zyerz]

Any shmuck can whip out the DDO planner and just build an optimal character based on numbers.

What truly feels good, though, is when you're building your character on the go, according to what you want this toon to play like, and choosing the traits and skills based on roleplay.

For example, I started a Sorcerer who will mainly use Acid and Ice spells for damage. Will he work? Who knows, but these are his abilities because the character's story is that he is an Experimental Warforged made of magical Acidbark and Frostplate armor, which is where his inherent powers come from. Specifically limited spell usage will be a fun way to play a caster.

Will he work out end game? Who knows, but if he does, it will be the best feeling ever.

I've never done a build based off a forums build or anything like that. I make all my builds based on my own experiences and instinct. :)

[Phoenix-daBard]

A lot of this is due to the scaling that's now in place. Solo and short-manning are an option now for practically any character, especially with hirelings now available.

Elite doesn't scale.

[Memnir]

For me, it's when the character hits the higher-mid levels, and is still fun to play.
But then, I approach the game pretty much solely on how much fun I am having. Yeah, I might have a character that is a statistical juggernaut and is all number-crunched to the nines... but if it's no fun to play it goes in the dustbin pretty quick.


If it's a character I look forward to logging in with and I get a lot of amusement with as I level - it's a good character. All other factors are immaterial.

[Mastikator]

My first life of my current toon was my 3rd attempt and 1st successful attempt of making a useful melee warrior. The fighter 12/barb 6/rogue 2, got a little UMD, decent hp, dps and burst dps. In my third life it was even better and with trap skills. Most people were impressed that a fighter could handle traps and still be solid melee.

[...v...]

I soloed VoD with my WF wizard and 200 pots later I got it done.

[Chai]

Back when VOD was a newer raid, and myself and one other were the last people standing in a VOD raid and with self healing and decent tactics were able to pull it back together, get people raised, and finish the raid off.

I had an "experimental" (at the time) heal amp build back in the era when cookie cutter khopesh melee builders were making fun of just about all else. It was hilarious because the beginning of the raid was all people in chat bragging about the merrits of their build and the numbers it could output. They were of course all soulstones the minute we hit the exploding bats stage of the raid, while the two people who built for good DPS + balance rather than best DPS + nothing were hammering it out saving the raid.

My guildmate then started the "heal amp is under-rated" thread where the full ****** DPS khopesh junkies all LOLed at us for 50 pages. VH1 should run a special "where are they now" for these guys because theres only a few of em left, and even then, only one of their toons on their account is set up as such, heh.