Lock Multiclass Options

[Darkstar1996]

Im really loving playing Melee Aura Warlock but i find myself only needing minimum of 10 levels for Black tent. But might as well push to 12 for the 3 sec Blasts. Would I be losing ALOT if I multiclass from 12 Lock instead of going higher or even pure?

The main other class I like is Arti but that is a more pure class than multiclass.

would 6 levels of Ranger for Manyshot/TWF be good? Plus Tempest Tree? Last 2 could be Rogue for trapping?

Barbarian levels for THF?

Bard for Flavor?

Fighter for Kensi Line and Sacret Defender?

Rogue for Theif Acrobat and Traps?

Sorc for Flavor Spell and Melee?

Any info or input is appreciated, is Warlock Pure better than split? What split is the most viable? What class suits warlock well?

[WraithfaceMacabre]

I'm pretty leery about multiclassing the warlock.
Aura and blast damage scales with level, so dropping more than a couple may make your blip blip insignificant.
Losing the Hurl Through Hell is no fun either.

That being said, for my current level 11 Warlock, I splashed 2 levs of Artificer for traps, repeating heavy crossbows, and a craftable rune arm. I'm currently enjoying a vorpal repeater (will swap to a paralyzer at 14) with aura and blast once I pull them in.

Happy hunting~~

[unbongwah]

Would I be losing ALOT if I multiclass from 12 Lock instead of going higher or even pure?
SSG just rebalanced warlocks so Eldritch Blast progression is more backloaded and they nerfed ES light dmg. Also last two ES cores add a lot to your aura DPS and +20% HPs to boot from capstone. So MCing a melee ES `lock build is about trading caster / aura / EB DPS for more melee DPS. Is it worth it? No idea without knowing your build goals.

[C-Dog]

I've seen no convincing arguments for multiclassing except for Trapping, and that is what it is.

However, a flavor build for melee could be an exception, and there is certainly room to play around with it.

Despite the nerfs, 'Lock is still powerful, so much so that many go 10/10 and use it as a TR'ing template. That is not NEARLY as strong as a pure(ish) Lock, but it's still powerful enough to get the job done, apparently (or at least is after a couple lives).

[Dazednconfused]

I like to multi class everything. My main toon is a 12 warlock, 2 rogue, 6 ranger. Its about as close a build as I can find to create a fighter magic user thief from classic dnd. Most my points are in the ES tree, 37 points for those pbaoe spells. 21 points in tainted lore so I can have a death ward. I don't like energy drains, and I don't want to lock myself into the shadow dancer epic destiny. (I do use it a lot, it really fills out my rogue abilities.) 6 pts in tempest so I can use scimatars, and 11 pts in deepwood stalker for exposing strike. The build works wonders, I can stand toe to toe and melee with most bosses. I can sneak around at almost the same speed as my regular run speed. (I have both stealth speed skills maxed for +50 and +75% movement speed) With gear, I can pick most locks, disable most traps. (I don't think it will be enough for reaper levels. I'm in past life now, I haven't tried it with all my high level gear) Normal and hard is no problem. I have a decent amount of past lives, so I keep my fast healing x3 up at all times. Its a very mana efficient bild, I only use my mana to buff run speed, and jump, and then stealth. At epic levels, I've got a very nice heal spell from cocoon weaved in. For feats, I have empower and maximize, the whole dodge line, the two weapon fighting line, and improved crit. I also went with fire lock for the +2 saves.

(I've been away awhile. I did use this build with another life from a shadikar, and it worked fine in the epic levels. So I went all the way back to level one so I could go with a Halfling.)

I just changed my enhancements. I plan on spending my next few lives on martial. Shadowdancer is probably the best for my goals. With sealed soul, death ward is no longer needed, so I put those 20 odd points into tempest and deepwwod stalker. I lose 3d4 from my blast for +3 to my weapon attacks, 30 hp, 3 ac, 3 dodge and 18 physical resistance. Either build works. With shadow dancer, I turn into a good rogue, and between the shroud attacks, the extra 6 dice of sneak attack, and the upper end attacks, it turns into a decent backstab. I can one shot a standard mob from stealth. And the attacks work even when not qualified for a sneak attack. For my playing style, that feels right. My fourth level spell is teleport, and then shadow dancer gives me a dimension door, combined with the stealth speed enhancements, the toon is very maneuverable. I consider myself a rogue first, the rest is just to build combat readiness. Warlock is better than the other casting classes in this regard. Its not as squishy, and it doesn't need the extra levels to be effective at magic.

Looking at toon now, at lvl 18 (with guild buffs) I have 391 hp (before my temp hp's 591 total) 54 ac 65 pr, 42 mr, my resists are all 35+ 12 dodge, 155 fortification, 706 mana, 100+ to all spell power. +9 to hit/dmg +12 with whirling blades. Mostly just crafted gear and augments. For unique gear, I have tharnes goggles, hardened hide helm and then chains for amulet. For important skills, 38 dd, 45 search, 45 spot. That will all improve at 20, most my gear is lvl 12 atm.

(BTW I also carry 3 sets of visors of the flesh render to give me 3 charges of death ward per rest. Soul drain is the only thing that really scares me in the game. I used to have the halfling dragonmark for leeches. That worked ok, but I would lose all my mana and hp in the process. The hp was easy to fix, mana, not so easy. That's one of the best clickies in the game. Of course, nothing beats sealed soul. Anything that can cast a drain soul, ... beholders, can dispel magic. That makes death ward questionable.) I also go all the way with fortification, that's a must have for reaper level.)

That said, I like halflings, if you really want to go all the way, I'd suggest A purple knight dragon, and either a fighter or a monk instead of the ranger. The PDK would let you use charisma to hit and damage, and an extra feat and, an extra 20 skill points, and you could even get a super heroism. Toss in 60% healing amp, that's 20 enhancement points. As a fighter, you get an extra 4 feats, 5 with racial bonus, so that's all your dual wield feats, empower and maximize. That's 60 points for other enhancements, probably 39 in es, you would want perma shield since you lose tempest tree, and I like the merc enh, 100 fort, +10% dmg, 25 concealment, 10% dodge, probably 1 point in soul eater, that's a lot of bang for the buck, and then another 20 pts. I can think of lots of ways to spend them. (the downside is that this sacrifices stealth and maneuverability for dps. You would lose the extra stealth speed as a fighter, a monk could keep that. Also, there is an unwritten advantage of halflings. Small as they are, they can move around in dungeons much better than other races. As far as stealth goes, in this game it is an expensive luxury. You really need to build for it, and its not that useful. You get xp for killing things, so if you stealth by mobs, you lose xp. Its nice for open zones, and I love sneaking through them. It's not like other games where you can sneak to the boss, kill them, and finish the quest in a few minutes.)

Anyways, rolled a purple knight, I didn't like it as much. I didn't play it, just rolled it up, and it doesn't have the dex for dual wield. It can be done, but I think ranger is the way to go. To go the PK route, you have to wait till about 15 to get improved duel wield, because you need the BaB. I don't know maybe.

Moving on, I moved back to 21 pts in tainted soul. An extra 3 dice dmg is nice, since you are multi classing, it makes a big difference. I also like the divine crusader epic. The two work together well. Sacred ground is probably the best dmg/mana ratio spell in the game. And while its good to twist, in the tree, it heals, adds the aura of purification debuff, adds 10% damage, and then another heal when mobs die, and each stack does extra damage, and then you can toss in zeal of righteousness, and the tainted scholar for an extra 75 spell power, and 50 doublestrike and 50 melee power for those boss fights. Add in the eldritch blast aura, and dual wield with 3d4 light dmg and a lantern ring. And then exposing strike, just cause you can, its like a total wrecking machine. Hit 27th level, killed a dragon, and a bunch of giants today.