Choices at level 20

[Elindel22]

Hello.

What exactly happens at level 20 ?

You can no longer advance your main class, or,
if you re multiclassing , any others.

No more heroic feats, no more heroic enhancements,
from what I understand.

But do you still get skill points up to level
30 ?

And I believe you get access to epic feats ? Or to other types
of feats, up to level 30 ?

And can anyone simplify epic destinies for me ? I read the wiki, but it’s
quite confusing.

I am ranger, level 18 (AA / DW) and plan on going pure ranger.

I see that I have access to three different trees at level
20 as ranger.

Everyone talks about cocoon, but I would rather go for
a DPS build.

Or is the only build worthwhile for a ranger the healing type (can’t remember name, sorry) ?

Can’t find any good guides to epic destinies for ranger. Anyone
know any ?

Thanks for the responses

[vryxnr]

When you get enough XP to take level 20 you will stop gaining xp until you take level 20.

Once you take 20 you start gaining xp again. When you get enough to take level 21, it is not in any class, it is instead an 'epic level' which has it's own stat increases that are applied automatically. The only thing you choose are feats (21,24,27, and 30). Your feat selection is any heroic feat plus you gain access to 'epic feats', which are generally stronger.

At level 30 you also gain a legendary feat, which must be from a list of legendary feats.

Epic Destinies are their own thing. You must talk to a fatespinner to unlock them. One unlocked, any XP you gain will also add to ED experience. ED's level up at their own rate, and provide a lot of additional power.

While 3 are available for you to choose from right away, once you choose one, you need to level it up in order to unlock other EDs close to it on the epic destiny map view. Level 3 to unlock the other EDs in the same sphere, and level 4 on the ED that connects to a different sphere to access the ED it connects to in that other sphere.

Cocoon is popular with DPS builds as well as it's a easy to acquire, low cost heal, both for yourself and for others. People who take cocoon do not have to be healing focused, it is simply utility that is greatly beneficial.

[xCataluna]

At level 20, you stop gaining heroic class levels and start gaining epic levels.
Epic levels are more generic, and you are correct that you will no longer be able to advance in any particular class and will not receive additional class related features.

This means you do not get any more: hit points, base attack bonus, saving throw bonus, skill points, spell points, spells, caster levels, feats or features which are based on your class.
Instead all epic characters receive flat bonuses to these things at certain levels: Table Here (http://ddowiki.com/page/Epic_levels)

All epic levels will grant additional hitpoints.
Even numbered levels will boost saves.
Odd numbered levels will boost base attack bonus.

Levels 21,24,27,30 grant a regular feat slot, which you may use on heroic or epic feats.
Levels 26,28,29 grant an epic destiny feat slot, which you may use on epic destiny feats only. If you haven't unlocked any, you get stuck with Toughness.
Level 30 grants a legendary feat slot, which you may use to select a legendary feat.

There are a few additional bonuses per epic level to things like melee and ranged power, the sp cost of spells, universal spell power, and hireling/pet/summon buffs.

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You will gain no more enhancement points for your class trees. If you have epic destinies, you will instead gain destiny points that can be spent in your active destiny in a way similar to enhancement trees. As a pure Ranger, and assuming no previous experience at epic with this character, you will have a choice of starting in Shiradi Champion, Primal Avatar, or Fury of the Wild. This is a choice you only get to make once, after that, changing destinies will be a matter of leveling them in order to move around the spheres. Epic Destinies (http://ddowiki.com/page/Epic_Destinies)

Cocoon is a Tier 1 ability in Primal Avatar which offers excellent healing and is easy to twist, which is why you see so many people mention it. You do not have to play a "healer ranger" if you don't want to. Many people use a combination of abilities from Shiradi and Fury for an archer type.