My first TR

[Kylric]

So, I just hit level 20 on my HE pure FvS and I don’t know what I want to do next. I tried to do a bit of too much with him (melee and spells). I want to TR, but not sure what to do now.

I’m not against going FvS again, but staying more melee (2HW) instead of S&B. Maybe 18/2 FvS/Fighter I’m also thinking of going monk or paladin w/splash. Heck, I’ve found some good wraps (devotion, Stonedust and Ivy), so maybe that is a sign.

On this toon I have +4 tomes, everything other than arti, 32 (34) point build. I’m looking for options for a solo friendly build. I consider myself a casual player who logs on a bunch, if that makes any sense. I don’t have a lot of great gear, but much better than when I first started. So much of what I see is very gear intense; I’m not there yet.

So, any ideas?

[blerkington]

Hi,

I'd say spend some more time thinking about what you'd like to play. If you have either one of the veteran upgrades, you can easily experiment with trying builds you think you might like before you press the button on TRing your main. With the increased xp requirements for a second and third life toon, making a mistake there can be a real pain.

Once you decide what you want, spend some time farming up some nice gear for your next life while you are still at level 20. That could include things you want to use at 20 and above, but also some nice twink gear which will help you level up. Running raids while you do this to get your 20th completion rewards lists is something to do at the same time.

If you have epic destinies, a little work on those before you TR might be good too. Epic xp comes in really quickly compared to heroic, so knocking out one or two EDs (to prepare for your next life) might be worthwhile too.

These suggestions don't answer your questions about which build you should take, but I hope they are incidentally useful. I think you'll be able to work out which build by thinking about your playstyle, and what you've liked seeing others players do.

Thanks.

[Kylric]

Ok, some sounds advice. I will look up completion rewards (don’t know what those are) and learn more about epic destinies prior to making my decision. I do have a VIP account, so I believe I have access epic destinies.

Thank being said, I would like to hear other advice as well.

[Wanesa]

My plan before TR
- Craft at least 1 GS item
- 1750 favor (I want to test build with 32pts )
- Unlock EDs for future class and obtain two or three fate points
- Collect some Tomes :-)
- collect epic tokens

[cru121]

I'd start a second character before TRing. It's useful to keep a character at higher levels to farm stuff for alts.

Epic Destinies are Menace of the Underdark expansion content and as such are not included in your VIP subscription. You must purchase either MotU or just the Epic Destinies separately.

[Phemt81]

Be careful! If you are not sure what class you' ll be next DO NOT pick an epic destiny or else you ll be locked into that one until 20, when you' ll be able to grind out some destiny of use.

If you did pick an ED already, better choose a class that can use it or grind some EDs levels in order to be able to use it.

[Therigar]

For me, some of the best times have been earning epic levels. IMO there is nothing wrong with choosing an epic destiny and in branching out from there into adjoining destinies. Many players find it advantageous to fill out most, or even all, of their epic destiny trees before reincarnating.

There are advantages to doing this -- or to at least doing many of the destinies. Among the biggest are the epic quests and raids. These are lots of fun and they offer a lot of outstanding gear. And, even if the gear pulls are not too valuable to your character, they are a source of plat -- making future lives so much easier when you are financially secure (and able to browse the AH without concern over prices).

As for the next life -- generally we advise new players to try various character classes before settling on one. That is good advice because people get to see what they like and don't like. I, for example, am a melee sort of person. I only play spell casters when I have to (to earn a past life).

Of course, other people are really great as spell casters and could not even begin to think of playing a primarily (or even strictly) melee character. That is what is great about DDO -- something for everyone.

Keep in mind that the XP requirements are slightly higher for TRs than first life characters. As a VIP this will be less noticeable because you get, IIRC, a bonus to XP just for being VIP. But, it means that IF you are thinking of trying something totally new this is probably the best life to do it. On your 3d and later lives the XP cost is the highest. So, if you are not sure you'd like (say, for example) a paladin then this is the best life for you to give it a shot. At least you'll only live with the pain a short while.

And, naturally you should think about the current flavor of the moment. The current "in thing" is the 12/6/2 monk/ranger/whatever arcane archer. Since this is a very powerful build at the present moment it is worth taking a close look at.

But, overall, my advice to you would be to go ahead and run thru several epic destinies and to play some of the epic content. Then, go ahead and reincarnate into whatever you might be even remotely interested in trying. Now is a good time to get an experiment out of the way. And, if you get some of the epic stuff behind you now (before the TR) then you are in good shape should you find you don't like the choice you make.

[Kylric]

Thank you all. I still have so much to learn, especially with more options. I've decided not to TR for now, but I do need to become more melee.

Again, thank you