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[Ravenbrew]

Here's a pretty decent thread on Barbarian trapping builds; it's a little dated, but has some nice ideas as well.

Since you're planning on trapping, I'd go with Light Armor (Evasion allows you to stand in traps or walk through them while disarming, which is important for quite a few of them). PRR difference from Light to Medium is half your BAB, so at 10th level it's 5 PRR. Don't think that's worth giving up Evasion for You'll also have a higher Dodge cap (as it's limited by your armor's Max Dex Bonus) so you probably come out ahead as far as physical attacks.

What's the Fighter level for? I'd recommend starting Rogue first (lots of extra skill points) and then taking Barbarian 2 for Blood Tribute. Past that you should be fine doing kinda whatever Blood Tribute + Evasion should easily allow you to survive most of everything until level 12 where you get the awesome Barbarian T5's (Ravager has best sustain, Frenzied Berserker has best damage generally).

Vistani Knife Fighter is a universal tree built around using daggers. It's particularly good with mid-latega.....bit more to be able to trap effectively.

Thank you - lots to think about! In that thread they also mention you can't trap while raged - that would sure be irritating. I will definitely earn the VKF - seems a no brainer I only added fighter for the extra feat (which may not be needed). Would the Falconry even work with the Barbarian-Rogue concept? I know Aasimar is great for the heals. Thx

[SpartanKiller13]

Thank you - lots to think about! In that thread they also mention you can't trap while raged - that would sure be irritating. I will definitely earn the VKF - seems a no brainer I only added fighter for the extra feat (which may not be needed). Would the Falconry even work with the Barbarian-Rogue concept? I know Aasimar is great for the heals. Thx

Yeah, but you can get like 6 extra rages/rest via T1 enhancement in Frenzied Berserker, so it's generally not too bad. Most quests only have a few traps, and for those few with tons of traps you can just rage for bigger fights and stay unraged the rest of it (bring lesser restoration pots to cure your fatigue). Fighter for feats is fine if you need it (also cheap access to Haste Boost is nice), but will delay your Barbarian stuff. Matters more if you're going past 20 (as you'll lose Core 18's or capstones etc) but for a 1-20 it's less important.

Falconry has some nice things for melees in general (Sprint Boosts, 5% HP, and if you get 23+ AP into it 30% bonus Helpless damage is really good) but the main drive of the tree is Wis-based combat and that's basically the opposite of what you're after. Barbarian has some really good trees, so you likely won't have a ton of AP spare and Falconry's pretty expensive if you're just in for a few specific enhancements. Also one of the main filler enhancements is Sprint Boosts, but Frenzied Berserker gets a better version and you're going to be in FB for Blood Tribute etc anyway so you might as well use the filler in that tree instead... Typically you'll be spending basically everything in FB and Ravager (Ravager T5 is amazing, but FB has better early stuff and now has +Strikethrough which is great) and especially since you're adding a few points in Aasimar and possibly Mechanic (for trap skills bonuses) it's hard to figure out where to get the AP from to spend on Falconry.

PS as of 2018 you can use Healing Hands while raging

[Zorrbeania]

Some alternative ways to heal yourself on a Sorc: Halfling Dragonmark, Warforged racial Arcane Repair, Aasimar racial Healing Hands, Wood Elf racial Vigor SLA, Hirelings, UMD Wand/Scroll healing, potions of various types, and of course dipping a class like Paladin/Favored Soul for their heals.

Not saying that's what you should do, just mentioning a few alternatives

Thank you! I'll make sure and keep those things in mind when creating new characters! (Though I'll probably keep a good old hierling with me just in case)!

[Riei_Arkanus]

Hello, would need a good Iconic Char build for farming named itens (especially ravenloft`s ones)

Can be either melee or caster, needs to be survivable and kill fast. . . . trapping is optional but if he cant disable traps he has to have a way to at least survive them on elite.

Iconic to start at level 15, VIP member with all but shadarkai and morninglord iconics available (also no Favored soul yet)

Thanks!

[SpartanKiller13]

Hello, would need a good Iconic Char build for farming named items (especially ravenloft`s ones)

Can be either melee or caster, needs to be survivable and kill fast. . . . trapping is optional but if he cant disable traps he has to have a way to at least survive them on elite.

Iconic to start at level 15, VIP member with all but shadarkai and morninglord iconics available (also no Favored soul yet)

Thanks!

Hey, just going to float some ideas and can flesh out whatever sounds interesting. Note that something set to farm Ravenloft will be quite a bit different than one built to farm Sharn

ES Warlock? Immortal, can just pick up groups and AoE them down. Tank traps all you want. Cone Shape + Shining Through + ES Blasts = win. Can 14/1 with whatever Iconic - Aasimar for Healing Hands if you're feeling peckish.

Bladeforged Sorc? Either 14/1 for DB:Fireball, or 12/3 for Sacred Defender stance (for 25 PRR/MRR to tank traps with). Grab enough EK to get ASF reduction, and Reconstruct SLA (plus spellcast Repair as needed) will keep you happily at full HP. Sorcs are the king of Elite/low Reaper currently, with amazing AoE and plenty of boss DPS. Could also do Aasimar via Healing Hands. Squishiest but probably has the best clear speed.

THF PDK Paladin? Probably the best melee option. Run Cha-maxed with a Greatsword (using CKT + Divine Might), have no-fail tactics and no-fail AoE save-or-die with Holy Retribution - with an item or two you'll be ~DC50 for it lol. Angelskin + Sacred Defender Stance gets 40 PRR/MRR and 20% HP, with Lay on Hands for burst healing and cures for between fights. You could burn a LHoW +1 to swap out the first Fighter level for Paladin 15 (which gets you Zeal) but frankly just grab Haste Boost from Kensei and call it a day.

THF Bladeforged Paladin gets you Holy Sword + Zeal, and Reconstruct which is great; but it's not as fast at clearing and you're probably over-tanky lol.

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My best anti-trap advice is to take Spring Attack; it requires 13 Dex and 3 feats but it removes most of the timing/effort involved in avoiding traps. Just wait for the spiky/hot/flavored bits of the trap to not be in front of you and push the button. Certainly your toon might be slightly less-optimized in terms of DPS output; but IMO higher mobility, the ability to jump ledges, and ignore most traps is well worth it for fast farming.

[Riei_Arkanus]

Hey, just going to float some ideas and can flesh out whatever sounds interesting. Note that something set to farm Ravenloft will be quite a bit different than one built to farm Sharn

ES Warlock? Immortal, can just pick up groups and AoE them down. Tank traps all you want. Cone Shape + Shining Through + ES Blasts = win. Can 14/1 with whatever Iconic - Aasimar for Healing Hands if you're feeling peckish.

Bladeforged Sorc? Either 14/1 for DB:Fireball, or 12/3 for Sacred Defender stance (for 25 PRR/MRR to tank traps with). Grab enough EK to get ASF reduction, and Reconstruct SLA (plus spellcast Repair as needed) will keep you happily at full HP. Sorcs are the king of Elite/low Reaper currently, with amazing AoE and plenty of boss DPS. Could also do Aasimar via Healing Hands. Squishiest but probably has the best clear speed.

THF PDK Paladin? Probably the best melee option. Run Cha-maxed with a Greatsword (using CKT + Divine Might), have no-fail tactics and no-fail AoE save-or-die with Holy Retribution - with an item or two you'll be ~DC50 for it lol. Angelskin + Sacred Defender Stance gets 40 PRR/MRR and 20% HP, with Lay on Hands for burst healing and cures for between fights. You could burn a LHoW +1 to swap out the first Fighter level for Paladin 15 (which gets you Zeal) but frankly just grab Haste Boost from Kensei and call it a day.

THF Bladeforged Paladin gets you Holy Sword + Zeal, and Reconstruct which is great; but it's not as fast at clearing and you're probably over-tanky lol.

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My best anti-trap advice is to take Spring Attack; it requires 13 Dex and 3 feats but it removes most of the timing/effort involved in avoiding traps. Just wait for the spiky/hot/flavored bits of the trap to not be in front of you and push the button. Certainly your toon might be slightly less-optimized in terms of DPS output; but IMO higher mobility, the ability to jump ledges, and ignore most traps is well worth it for fast farming.

Thanks!!!


Using an ES warlock as my main but the killing is too slow for farming (maybe it`s cause he is carceri pact)

Of those listed tho, the THF Paladin and the bladeforged sorc are both interesting!

Any more info on the builds? Im assuming the sorc would be fire for raven but at other environments can be exchanged for air or something else?

[SpartanKiller13]

Thanks!!!

Using an ES warlock as my main but the killing is too slow for farming (maybe it`s cause he is carceri pact)

Of those listed tho, the THF Paladin and the bladeforged sorc are both interesting!

Any more info on the builds? Im assuming the sorc would be fire for raven but at other environments can be exchanged for air or something else?

Yeah, that's fair XD it's safe but definitely more on the tank side of the scale. Assuming you've tried a few different enhancement setups? My Warlock alt uses Chain Shape, but a ton of people swear by Cone and it's pretty great for grouped mobs. Yeah, Carceri isn't great vs undead...

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Well, for the Sorc your main decision is 14/1 (DBF is really decent) or 12/3 (much tankier). Fire is slightly better DPS in general with a 14/1, but I'd actually recommend Air for a farming toon because of Wind Dance (and it's IMO always better for a 12/3). Chain Lightning is fantastic, you have Ball Lightning + Lighting Bolt for cleanup (as well as stuff like Fireball lol) and Eladar's for boss-killing - so the DPS isn't bad. Can run a Ravenloft belt for spellpower either way, but mobility trumps most other things when farming overlevel

Here's a thread talking about BF Sorcs; it's built for levels past 15 (where 12/3 falls off) but a lot of good tips still.

Abilities: max Cha > Con > else; if going Spring Attack (most relevant for non-Air) grab Dex 13 before maxing Con. All level-ups into Cha.

6 Feats: if Spring Attack: Maximize > Empower/Force of Personality > Quicken > Dodge > Mobility > Spring Attack (Force of Personality matters more for a 14/1 split, a 12/3 gets a huge saves boost from Paladin).
If no Spring Attack: Maximize > Empower > Quicken > Force of Personality > Spell Focus: Evocation > GSF: Evocation

Skills: Spellcraft > Repair > Jump > Swim?

Enhancements (assuming 12/3 w/Falconry, the hardest split):

• 37 AP Air Savant (Core 4, T5 goodies, SLA's, +2 Cha, Efficient Maximize) - can swap this for a different tree as needed
• 9 AP Bladeforged (Mechanist III, Communion of Scribing II, Inscribed Armor I)
• 8 AP Falconry (Spring Boost III)
• 6 AP Sacred Defender (Core 2, Durable Defense III)

If you don't have Falconry or went 14/1, you have even more AP to throw around Eldritch Knight is a pretty decent spot to spend points as well.

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PDK Paladin; Spring Attack line has more mobility, and focuses on using active attacks for AoE (your THF will hit 2 enemies/swing) whereas no SA line hits nearly 3 enemies/swing. I'd run Precision if you weren't farming overlevel, but that's not an issue XD IMO the Spring Attack build is better.

Abilities if Spring Attack: 15 Str, 13 Dex, 14 Con, 8 Int, 8 Wis, 17 Cha - levelups into Cha
Abilities if no Spring Attack: 17 Str, 8 Dex, 14 Con, 8 Int, 8 Wis, 17 Cha - levelups into Cha
You need 14 Wis to cast all your spells, but 8 + 2 Airship + 4 augment (or Owl's Wisdom pot) will get you there even without an item. Can drop Cha to 16 and bump Wis if you're concerned.

7 Feats: Dodge > Mobility > THF > Spring Attack > Improved Crit: Slashing > Power Attack > Stunning Blow
Without SA: Power Attack > THF > Stunning Blow > ITHF > Improved Crit: Slashing > GTHF > Extra Turning

Skills: Jump > whatever (Heal?)

Enhancements:

• 36 AP KotC (Core 4, Tier 5, +2 Cha, Cleaves, Divine Might, Lead the Charge, 20% Strikethrough)
• 13+ AP Sacred Defender (Core 2, Extra Lay On Hands III, Durable Defence III, Tenacious Defense III, +1 Cha)
• 3-8 AP PDK (Cormyrean Knight Training, if no SA get Great Weapon Aptitude in T2)

Leftover AP are a bit more flexible, Sprint Boosts from Falconry or Haste Boost from Kensei are great options; as is sinking more points into Sacred Defender (T4 has 10% MS) or PDK.

Grab a Greatsword (Sharn Crafted is probably ideal), cast Holy Sword + Angelskin + Righteous Command (+ Divine Might as needed), and go ham lol. CMW + Lay on Hands for healing. Lead the Charge or Spring Attack into a group of mobs, use Holy Retribution > KotC Cleaves > Stunning Blow, and move on lol. Melee Power Boost is best for mobbing, Haste Boost is best for boss-killing.

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Still fairly basic descriptions, so please don't hesitate to ask for clarification etc

[Riei_Arkanus]

Yeah, that's fair XD it's safe but definitely more on the tank side of the scale. Assuming you've tried a few different enhancement setups? My Warlock alt uses Chain Shape, but a ton of people swear by Cone and it's pretty great for grouped mobs. Yeah, Carceri isn't great vs undead...

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Well, for the Sorc your main decision is 14/1 (DBF is really decent) or 12/3 (much tankier). Fire is slightly better DPS in general with a 14/1, but I'd actually recommend Air for a farming toon because of Wind Dance (and it's IMO always better for a 12/3). Chain Lightning is fantastic, you have Ball Lightning + Lighting Bolt for cleanup (as well as stuff like Fireball lol) and Eladar's for boss-killing - so the DPS isn't bad. Can run a Ravenloft belt for spellpower either way, but mobility trumps most other things when farming overlevel

Here's a thread talking about BF Sorcs; it's built for levels past 15 (where 12/3 falls off) but a lot of good tips still.

Abilities: max Cha > Con > else; if going Spring Attack (most relevant for non-Air) grab Dex 13 before maxing Con. All level-ups into Cha.

6 Feats: if Spring Attack: Maximize > Empower/Force of Personality > Quicken > Dodge > Mobility > Spring Attack (Force of Personality matters more for a 14/1 split, a 12/3 gets a huge saves boost from Paladin).
If no Spring Attack: Maximize > Empower > Quicken > Force of Personality > Spell Focus: Evocation > GSF: Evocation

Skills: Spellcraft > Repair > Jump > Swim?

Enhancements (assuming 12/3 w/Falconry, the hardest split):

• 37 AP Air Savant (Core 4, T5 goodies, SLA's, +2 Cha, Efficient Maximize) - can swap this for a different tree as needed
• 9 AP Bladeforged (Mechanist III, Communion of Scribing II, Inscribed Armor I)
• 8 AP Falconry (Spring Boost III)
• 6 AP Sacred Defender (Core 2, Durable Defense III)

If you don't have Falconry or went 14/1, you have even more AP to throw around Eldritch Knight is a pretty decent spot to spend points as well.

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PDK Paladin; Spring Attack line has more mobility, and focuses on using active attacks for AoE (your THF will hit 2 enemies/swing) whereas no SA line hits nearly 3 enemies/swing. I'd run Precision if you weren't farming overlevel, but that's not an issue XD IMO the Spring Attack build is better.

Abilities if Spring Attack: 15 Str, 13 Dex, 14 Con, 8 Int, 8 Wis, 17 Cha - levelups into Cha
Abilities if no Spring Attack: 17 Str, 8 Dex, 14 Con, 8 Int, 8 Wis, 17 Cha - levelups into Cha
You need 14 Wis to cast all your spells, but 8 + 2 Airship + 4 augment (or Owl's Wisdom pot) will get you there even without an item. Can drop Cha to 16 and bump Wis if you're concerned.

7 Feats: Dodge > Mobility > THF > Spring Attack > Improved Crit: Slashing > Power Attack > Stunning Blow
Without SA: Power Attack > THF > Stunning Blow > ITHF > Improved Crit: Slashing > GTHF > Extra Turning

Skills: Jump > whatever (Heal?)

Enhancements:

• 36 AP KotC (Core 4, Tier 5, +2 Cha, Cleaves, Divine Might, Lead the Charge, 20% Strikethrough)
• 13+ AP Sacred Defender (Core 2, Extra Lay On Hands III, Durable Defence III, Tenacious Defense III, +1 Cha)
• 3-8 AP PDK (Cormyrean Knight Training, if no SA get Great Weapon Aptitude in T2)

Leftover AP are a bit more flexible, Sprint Boosts from Falconry or Haste Boost from Kensei are great options; as is sinking more points into Sacred Defender (T4 has 10% MS) or PDK.

Grab a Greatsword (Sharn Crafted is probably ideal), cast Holy Sword + Angelskin + Righteous Command (+ Divine Might as needed), and go ham lol. CMW + Lay on Hands for healing. Lead the Charge or Spring Attack into a group of mobs, use Holy Retribution > KotC Cleaves > Stunning Blow, and move on lol. Melee Power Boost is best for mobbing, Haste Boost is best for boss-killing.

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Still fairly basic descriptions, so please don't hesitate to ask for clarification etc

No need, both worked wonders!!!! (used my 2 other slots to make each build, paladin does move slowly tho, need to get some speed eqp on him as the action boost is not that long lasting)



With that aside tho, Im still at level 15 with my main warlock but decided I want to get druid lives next (after reaching 30 at least once)

Initially I was thinking on going monk2 or 3(speed is king) druid rest with falcon wis to damage for a really SAD characteer(wis to AC, hit, and DCs) but I dont see many people considering this on the forums? is AC not good here to warrant a couple of monk levels?

[darthtito]

hi im trying to get my racial completionist, and now is the turn for my half-elf, I want to try warlock for the first time, hope you can help me out,

thanks.

[RatchetBomb]

Hi amazing build team! After two weeks of solid play, I am madly in love with this game and I'm getting ready for my first TR from level 30 back to 1. Shout out to this amazing thread for really helping me get the hang of the basics in this game: https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...o-play-players!

I will be getting a martial epic destiny PL (either doublestrike or skills...not sure what people think is the right thing to do there) and a Paladin past life. I have a +8 tome and am VIP. For my next life I want to try something completely different from melee with a little divine magic. I'm thinking ranged, arcane user! I know I could go with a Fire or Air Sorc or a Warlock and just nuke things but I'm thinking dabbling in both ranged combat and spellcasting so maybe a Wiz/Artificer with Inquis? Or Alchemist Inquisitive? I read that they were nerfed but I still see tons of crossbows in Epic groups. Honestly, I'm open to any fun, good builds that are a completely different playstyle from the THF Pally (with rogue splash) I did in my first life. Thank you in advance, you guys rock!

[SpartanKiller13]

No need, both worked wonders!!!! (used my 2 other slots to make each build, paladin does move slowly tho, need to get some speed eqp on him as the action boost is not that long lasting)

With that aside tho, Im still at level 15 with my main warlock but decided I want to get druid lives next (after reaching 30 at least once)

Initially I was thinking on going monk2 or 3(speed is king) druid rest with falcon wis to damage for a really SAD characteer(wis to AC, hit, and DCs) but I dont see many people considering this on the forums? is AC not good here to warrant a couple of monk levels?

Glad to hear! For MS for your Paladin, Anger's Step from Sacrifices in Korthos has been the first item I farm out on many toons for a long time. Get like two pair and you're set But yeah, I'd definitely expect an Air Sorc to move faster even if it's just from wings lol. What splits did you use? And did you try Spring Attack on either?

AC is pretty important at early Heroics (1-7 or so), falls into mediocrity in mid Heroics (8-13 or so) and becomes pretty weak past that unless you're dedicated. Enemy to-hit scales a lot faster than your base AC does, and while investing in AC has some benefits most players don't worry about it too much. For a 1-30 Druid life I'd definitely put AC pretty low on the priority list; a caster Druid doesn't care much about AC (as you'll mostly only use it against enemy archers which are trash in DDO) and a melee Druid will care a lot more about the low MRR cap of robes.

Dipping Monk 2-3 isn't bad for the sake of it, but the opportunity cost is pretty high and IMO the benefits aren't great; Evasion is pretty awesome, but a caster Druid doesn't care and a melee Druid either gains it (Nature's Warrior) or can't use it (Nature's Protector). Dipping also costs you your capstone (and Core 18's if you dip /3) which is pretty bad for Protector builds but pretty alright with Warrior/Herald builds. If you're just after MS though, dipping /1 or /2 Barbarian is a better choice - Barbarian 1 gives 10% MS bonus, and Barbarian 2 gives access to Sprint Boost + Blood Tribute (Blood Tribute is awesome, and FB's Sprint Boost is slightly better than Falconry's). Still, going /2 Monk won't hurt you, just plan out in advance

hi im trying to get my racial completionist, and now is the turn for my half-elf, I want to try warlock for the first time, hope you can help me out,

thanks.

Uhh, Warlock is probably the friendliest caster class in DDO. Here's an excellent intro guide by Zehnpai with breakdowns by level etc. I'd take Force of Personality at level 6 instead, just to boost Will saves, but it's just fine either way.

Here's Strimtom's guide (with videos) from earlier this year. He's pretty good about breaking stuff down as well, and videos help a lot for showing what's going on.

Please feel free to ask more questions etc, but I'm definitely not as good at breaking them down as either of those players

[SpartanKiller13]

I will be getting a martial epic destiny PL (either doublestrike or skills...not sure what people think is the right thing to do there) and a Paladin past life. I have a +8 tome and am VIP. For my next life I want to try something completely different from melee with a little divine magic. I'm thinking ranged, arcane user! I know I could go with a Fire or Air Sorc or a Warlock and just nuke things but I'm thinking dabbling in both ranged combat and spellcasting so maybe a Wiz/Artificer with Inquis? Or Alchemist Inquisitive? I read that they were nerfed but I still see tons of crossbows in Epic groups. Honestly, I'm open to any fun, good builds that are a completely different playstyle from the THF Pally (with rogue splash) I did in my first life. Thank you in advance, you guys rock!

Welcome to DDO! Glad you're having fun

Unless you plan on avoiding melee forever, I'd highly recommend Doublestrike > Skills for a martial EPL. Ancient Tactics might be a better choice than those, FWIW, but that's definitely a little more niche.

Here's two relevant threads about Wizard Inquisitive; thread one and thread two and here's another about a Gnome Wizard Inquisitive.

Seems like the common theme is ~16-18 Wizard with 2-4 Arti/Fighter etc. Pretty decent arguments for quite a few variants, some of which might be slightly out of date.

Improved Precise Shot (which allows you to hit multiple enemies in a line) was nerfed so you deal 20% less ranged damage with it on. Still great for mowing down groups, but you'll want to turn it off for spread out enemies or tough bosses.

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If you have access to Deep Gnome, that'd be my recommendation; short model = better IPS, Gnome gets Color Spray which is bonkers OP, and you start at level 15 which neatly skips you past all the weak points of an earlygame Wizard (need AP into Harper, Pale Master, EK, and Inq lol).

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Let us know what seems interesting/good to you and I (or others here) will be happy to help flesh a build out for ya

[RatchetBomb]

Welcome to DDO! Glad you're having fun

Unless you plan on avoiding melee forever, I'd highly recommend Doublestrike > Skills for a martial EPL. Ancient Tactics might be a better choice than those, FWIW, but that's definitely a little more niche.

Here's two relevant threads about Wizard Inquisitive; thread one and thread two and here's another about a Gnome Wizard Inquisitive.

Seems like the common theme is ~16-18 Wizard with 2-4 Arti/Fighter etc. Pretty decent arguments for quite a few variants, some of which might be slightly out of date.

Improved Precise Shot (which allows you to hit multiple enemies in a line) was nerfed so you deal 20% less ranged damage with it on. Still great for mowing down groups, but you'll want to turn it off for spread out enemies or tough bosses.

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If you have access to Deep Gnome, that'd be my recommendation; short model = better IPS, Gnome gets Color Spray which is bonkers OP, and you start at level 15 which neatly skips you past all the weak points of an earlygame Wizard (need AP into Harper, Pale Master, EK, and Inq lol).

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Let us know what seems interesting/good to you and I (or others here) will be happy to help flesh a build out for ya

Oh my goodness, thank you so much for all of the help! I do have Deep Gnome so that sounds like a perfect way to go. I'd love to be able to help out a team by CCing so I love the idea of color spray. Let's do this! Oh and if there are any thoughts on items I should go farm before I TR to make the transition smoother, I'd love to hear that too. and, again, thank you!!!

[Riei_Arkanus]

Glad to hear! For MS for your Paladin, Anger's Step from Sacrifices in Korthos has been the first item I farm out on many toons for a long time. Get like two pair and you're set But yeah, I'd definitely expect an Air Sorc to move faster even if it's just from wings lol. What splits did you use? And did you try Spring Attack on either?

AC is pretty important at early Heroics (1-7 or so), falls into mediocrity in mid Heroics (8-13 or so) and becomes pretty weak past that unless you're dedicated. Enemy to-hit scales a lot faster than your base AC does, and while investing in AC has some benefits most players don't worry about it too much. For a 1-30 Druid life I'd definitely put AC pretty low on the priority list; a caster Druid doesn't care much about AC (as you'll mostly only use it against enemy archers which are trash in DDO) and a melee Druid will care a lot more about the low MRR cap of robes.

Dipping Monk 2-3 isn't bad for the sake of it, but the opportunity cost is pretty high and IMO the benefits aren't great; Evasion is pretty awesome, but a caster Druid doesn't care and a melee Druid either gains it (Nature's Warrior) or can't use it (Nature's Protector). Dipping also costs you your capstone (and Core 18's if you dip /3) which is pretty bad for Protector builds but pretty alright with Warrior/Herald builds. If you're just after MS though, dipping /1 or /2 Barbarian is a better choice - Barbarian 1 gives 10% MS bonus, and Barbarian 2 gives access to Sprint Boost + Blood Tribute (Blood Tribute is awesome, and FB's Sprint Boost is slightly better than Falconry's). Still, going /2 Monk won't hurt you, just plan out in advance



Uhh, Warlock is probably the friendliest caster class in DDO. Here's an excellent intro guide by Zehnpai with breakdowns by level etc. I'd take Force of Personality at level 6 instead, just to boost Will saves, but it's just fine either way.

Here's Strimtom's guide (with videos) from earlier this year. He's pretty good about breaking stuff down as well, and videos help a lot for showing what's going on.

Please feel free to ask more questions etc, but I'm definitely not as good at breaking them down as either of those players

went for 12/3 sorc (sacred defense is too good to pass up) and it worked pretty well, long quests are a problem with spell points (cleric hench is mandatory for things like invitation to dinner or have to go melee mode and that is kinda slow atm)

And yah, took spring on paladin, didnt test it yet tho (used him mainly to ransack into the mists for those blurfingered gloves, rannsacked that quest on all 3 characters before it dropped)

[SpartanKiller13]

Oh my goodness, thank you so much for all of the help! I do have Deep Gnome so that sounds like a perfect way to go. I'd love to be able to help out a team by CCing so I love the idea of color spray. Let's do this! Oh and if there are any thoughts on items I should go farm before I TR to make the transition smoother, I'd love to hear that too. and, again, thank you!!!

Perfect! If you have a specific build you're after I can help further, but otherwise I have a few general tips

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Make sure you grab Heighten Spell It's free to add to Color Spray (right click hotbar icon, set to always on) and gives up to +8 DC's so it's pretty awesome.

As far as gear, I'd make sure you grab Wallwatch set from Sharn, some Int gear (Acolyte's Lenses easier, or get two Sharn items) and some Illusion gear (Reflective Bloodstone is pretty decent); add on some generic Ghostly/Resistance/Con/False Life etc stuff and you're good to go

Personally I tend to farm out an entire gearset before I TR into a build, but I'm a little crazy lol; I'd prioritize a Sharn set, the Int, and Illusion Focus - everything else is cake.

If you're running a PM variant, Negative Amp and Negative Spellpower are essential for Reaper past R1 or so (you can easily outheal the R1 penalty, but it takes a little gearing for higher skulls). Remember that you can swap items before casting Death Auras (so get a gearset with some Nullification/Null Lore stick + like Stygian Wrath) and you'll benefit fully from it even after swapping back to your crossbows.

Color Spray is pretty short-ranged, but it costs 2 SP, has a short CD at 8 seconds, and has three separate save-or-get-screwed effects attached. It's pretty easy to get solid Illusion DC's for Heroics into earlier Epics (you're maxing Int, add on a little spell focus and boom) and it's amazingly strong CC that works on most enemies in DDO - even stuff like spiders that are immune to many effects will be blinded, which means they miss 50% of the time and often attack/move in the wrong direction. I've built entire lives around Color Spray lol.

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Otherwise there's a few items I'd look for, but not dedicated farm (drop rates are too low for it) like Jibbers, Mysterious Bauble, and Cannith Boots.

I'd also generally recommend players to grab a FoM swap item (usually Flightfoot Greaves) for toons that can't cast it; super useful for paralysis traps, as it makes them only slow you.

All these things are just generally useful though, and I wouldn't put more than a few runs into farming any of the first three (their drop rates are abysmal, just do a run every now and again).

If you're happy with your current life I'd also consider working your way across the Epic Destinies a bit; access to Rejuvenation Cocoon from Primal Avatar is really helpful on a lot of builds, and more ED progress = more Fate Points = better twists of fate

[SpartanKiller13]

went for 12/3 sorc (sacred defense is too good to pass up) and it worked pretty well, long quests are a problem with spell points (cleric hench is mandatory for things like invitation to dinner or have to go melee mode and that is kinda slow atm)

And yah, took spring on paladin, didnt test it yet tho (used him mainly to ransack into the mists for those blurfingered gloves, rannsacked that quest on all 3 characters before it dropped)

Ah yeah fair; spell point management comes with practice on a given toon, and isn't really something Warlocks run into. You could try running R1 (for quests you're within the range for) - Lost Souls give back a ton of spell points, which often makes up for the DPS debuff. Otherwise, grabbing Magical Efficiency, Wizardry gear, a clicky or three (Archivist's from Korthos, Twisted Talisman from Red Fens, and Ring of Spell Storing from Menechtarun), and using more efficient spells/less metamagic can help (remember your SLA's get free metamagic - right-click hotbar icon and set to always on).

Invitation definitely gets better with quest knowledge, you can often complete it with only a few fights but knowing which can be hard. Dimension Door can save you from the banquet hall fight if you cast before talking to Strahd

Alright, just curious

For farming specific gear, your best bet is always to run on Elite/R1 with as many people as you can get (post LFM like "farming Blurfingered Gloves") - named drop rates are 10/16/33% (+1% per skull) so running Elite more than doubles your chance vs Hard; but a party of 5 players will pull more than you ever can solo.

[Riei_Arkanus]

Ah yeah fair; spell point management comes with practice on a given toon, and isn't really something Warlocks run into. You could try running R1 (for quests you're within the range for) - Lost Souls give back a ton of spell points, which often makes up for the DPS debuff. Otherwise, grabbing Magical Efficiency, Wizardry gear, a clicky or three (Archivist's from Korthos, Twisted Talisman from Red Fens, and Ring of Spell Storing from Menechtarun), and using more efficient spells/less metamagic can help (remember your SLA's get free metamagic - right-click hotbar icon and set to always on).

Invitation definitely gets better with quest knowledge, you can often complete it with only a few fights but knowing which can be hard. Dimension Door can save you from the banquet hall fight if you cast before talking to Strahd

Alright, just curious

For farming specific gear, your best bet is always to run on Elite/R1 with as many people as you can get (post LFM like "farming Blurfingered Gloves") - named drop rates are 10/16/33% (+1% per skull) so running Elite more than doubles your chance vs Hard; but a party of 5 players will pull more than you ever can solo.

Yeah I play mainly on elite (reaper get`s nasty with those spectres).

Thanks for the help tho!

What would be a good Epic destiny to pursue on this warlock ? draconic?

[SpartanKiller13]

Yeah I play mainly on elite (reaper get`s nasty with those spectres).

Thanks for the help tho!

What would be a good Epic destiny to pursue on this warlock ? draconic?

That's definitely a good point Reapers hurt quite a bit. Having Shield/Nightshield up is pretty critical vs champs too...

Most Warlocks I see end up in Exalted Angel (tanklocks in Unyielding Sentinel sometimes). It has Light damage, Cha bonuses, DC bonuses, some nice SLA's, enough healing to keep you up (and a bit of party healing), Wings, Debuffs, and a self-rez which is awesome when soloing or vs party wipes.

I'm sure Draconic is fine (nice SLA's, Spell Crit bonus, and a little Spellpower), but I'd imagine you can twist Energy Burst while in EA and keep most of the benefits Magister is also probably a contender for DC-focused Warlocks (instakill builds) but it's almost certainly the lowest damage option of the three.

[RatchetBomb]

Perfect! If you have a specific build you're after I can help further, but otherwise I have a few general tips

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Make sure you grab Heighten Spell It's free to add to Color Spray (right click hotbar icon, set to always on) and gives up to +8 DC's so it's pretty awesome.

As far as gear, I'd make sure you grab Wallwatch set from Sharn, some Int gear (Acolyte's Lenses easier, or get two Sharn items) and some Illusion gear (Reflective Bloodstone is pretty decent); add on some generic Ghostly/Resistance/Con/False Life etc stuff and you're good to go

Personally I tend to farm out an entire gearset before I TR into a build, but I'm a little crazy lol; I'd prioritize a Sharn set, the Int, and Illusion Focus - everything else is cake.

If you're running a PM variant, Negative Amp and Negative Spellpower are essential for Reaper past R1 or so (you can easily outheal the R1 penalty, but it takes a little gearing for higher skulls). Remember that you can swap items before casting Death Auras (so get a gearset with some Nullification/Null Lore stick + like Stygian Wrath) and you'll benefit fully from it even after swapping back to your crossbows.

Color Spray is pretty short-ranged, but it costs 2 SP, has a short CD at 8 seconds, and has three separate save-or-get-screwed effects attached. It's pretty easy to get solid Illusion DC's for Heroics into earlier Epics (you're maxing Int, add on a little spell focus and boom) and it's amazingly strong CC that works on most enemies in DDO - even stuff like spiders that are immune to many effects will be blinded, which means they miss 50% of the time and often attack/move in the wrong direction. I've built entire lives around Color Spray lol.

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Otherwise there's a few items I'd look for, but not dedicated farm (drop rates are too low for it) like Jibbers, Mysterious Bauble, and Cannith Boots.

I'd also generally recommend players to grab a FoM swap item (usually Flightfoot Greaves) for toons that can't cast it; super useful for paralysis traps, as it makes them only slow you.

All these things are just generally useful though, and I wouldn't put more than a few runs into farming any of the first three (their drop rates are abysmal, just do a run every now and again).

If you're happy with your current life I'd also consider working your way across the Epic Destinies a bit; access to Rejuvenation Cocoon from Primal Avatar is really helpful on a lot of builds, and more ED progress = more Fate Points = better twists of fate

Ok, I have now made like 5 testing Deep Gnomes of a few different kinds following a few different builds guides and after playing them I love the PM focused one the best. I used this as the template: https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...ARCANE-warrior. I took PM to Tier 5 with 12 points in Harper for Strategic Combat II and the rest in EK so I could get Martial Weap proficiency. I didn't have enough to get Color Spray. I put on some basic gear (stygian wrath, barovian longsword, orders garb, skull ring and the rest just DG's starter gear) and jumped into Elite Level 17 Sharn. It felt pretty good! I think it was missing maximize to really hit hard withe Necro SLAs and I think also given that I'll have a +8 tome, I can get Improved THF at 15 with only 11 Str which might be better than the SWF in the thread above. But I've now officially maxed out my limited game knowledge and I want to ask for help before I do it for real. So can I please get help with a Deep Gnome build, 20 Wiz either SWF/THF, Tier 5 PM for that awesome self-healing and general coolness and then I guess either Harper or Color Spray or EK whatever will help me best do Elite EE solo and contribute on low reaper elite in groups. Also the best spells to be using since I had a little trouble with figuring that out too. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the help and for this thread in general!

[SpartanKiller13]

Ok, I have now made like 5 testing Deep Gnomes of a few different kinds following a few different builds guides and after playing them I love the PM focused one the best. I used this as the template: https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...ARCANE-warrior. I took PM to Tier 5 with 12 points in Harper for Strategic Combat II and the rest in EK so I could get Martial Weap proficiency. I didn't have enough to get Color Spray. I put on some basic gear (stygian wrath, barovian longsword, orders garb, skull ring and the rest just DG's starter gear) and jumped into Elite Level 17 Sharn. It felt pretty good! I think it was missing maximize to really hit hard withe Necro SLAs and I think also given that I'll have a +8 tome, I can get Improved THF at 15 with only 11 Str which might be better than the SWF in the thread above. But I've now officially maxed out my limited game knowledge and I want to ask for help before I do it for real. So can I please get help with a Deep Gnome build, 20 Wiz either SWF/THF, Tier 5 PM for that awesome self-healing and general coolness and then I guess either Harper or Color Spray or EK whatever will help me best do Elite EE solo and contribute on low reaper elite in groups. Also the best spells to be using since I had a little trouble with figuring that out too. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the help and for this thread in general!

That build's from Update 43; in Update 45 there was a major THF overhaul, and it strongly dominates DPS melee in endgame. For melee DPS I'd definitely recommend THF over basically everything else, in particular for EK builds. That said, it's slightly worse gearing (one item instead of two) and far worse for casting (you're using a beater stick, not caster items) so maybe not quite what you're after. The build you link is set up to be a DC caster that has a side order of melee DPS for boss-killing.

With that in mind, your main choices are mostly if you want to focus on casting with a side of melee DPS (like the build you linked), or melee DPS with a side of casting (like a THF EK build).

EK Tier 5 gives a ton of melee DPS; especially in epic levels, you can run in Fury of the Wild with THF and use Adrenaline + Eldritch Tempest to hit some truly stupid damage numbers (I was consistently hitting 75k's, with my biggest hit ~150k and Tronko's EK hitting 600k). You won't be able to land spellcast DC's at endgame though (it costs too many tradeoffs, I dropped ~30 DC's going from caster to THF melee focus); but you have a lot of CC via Dire Charge, Otto's Irresistible Dance, Power Word Stun, Eldritch Tempest, and Adrenaline + Overwhelming Force. With endgame gearing etc I was able to comfortably solo R4, and had decent PM-driven self-healing til R6ish. I was running EK Tier 5 + EK Capstone for max melee DPS.

Flip side. Pale Master Capstone is IMO the strongest capstone in DDO. It offers a truly insane amount of survivability; on my earlier PM caster lives I had comfortable self-healing in R8, with out-of-combat self-healing in R10. If I didn't die immediately, I was back to full health. This with 20ish Reaper points, +6 tome, and ~20 PL's. I could comfortably solo R5, but it definitely took longer especially when rednames/bosses were involved.

The drawback is that Pale Master's T5 is only alright, and the tree - while decent - isn't spectacular either; it's mostly about the excellent cores. Necrotic Blast is a decent SLA, but it's like 3k endgame (vs Tempest which is like 12k that can doublestrike). Improved Shrouds is also pretty nice, but largely offers defensive benefits.

Basically all relevant Wizard melee builds will be putting ~12 AP into Harper for Int-to-Damage + Know the Angles, so you can't just grab PM capstone (41 AP) plus EK T5 (which you want like 39 AP into).

Armor sets are also a noteworthy decision; Soul Splitter's Dreadkeeper offers significantly better survivability (especially with Medium Armor) but Sharn's Part of the Family offers significantly higher melee DPS, and Esoteric Initiate offers slightly better spellcasting (DC casting as well as blast-casting). From where you're at I'd aim for a Medium Armor Dreadkeeper build, as it's the most balanced and survivable - and also the easiest gearing.

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At the end of the day, I'd kinda tie the lines together; if you want more DPS (and it's a lot more), go EK T5 with THF - you'll have a lot more melee DPS. If you want more like the build mentioned above, which has effective spellcasting (blasting as well as CC and instakills), significantly better survivability, and still alright melee DPS I'd go with PM T5/capstone with SWF and an orb. EK line will be using Epic Defensive Fighting and have limited casting, PM line will not.

Personally I'd recommend the PM SWF line; you can always ETR into the THF variant (like I did) but it's quite a bit friendlier and leaves more room to figure stuff out. Also instakilling is super fun and everyone should try it That said, each way works fine and having a +8 tome definitely makes THF a lot easier to manage - and hitting stupid high damage numbers is also super fun

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Two things you mentioned are missing Maximize for the SLA, and not having points for Color Spray; my recommendation would be to just swap feat order (grab Maximize earlier, kick back PL:Wizard or Precision) and to drop Harper to grab Color Spray (temporarily); you can get Int-to-Hit from Eldritch Knight, and most of your Heroic melee damage is from your EK imbues. Color Spray will get you helpless damage bonus for all your spellcast offense as well as any melee damage, and probably outweighs 2x your Int to-damage (ISWF + KTA) assuming you're ~40 Int.

Color Spray is spectacularly effective; lategame you'll have the SP to throw Mass Hold at everything, so CS is less important; but before then, it's really excellent and I'd definitely prioritize it especially if you're going more the caster route (losing a little melee damage is worth AOE helpless generally).

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I guess where I'm at is if you're running SWF w/Orb you're probably mostly there with the build you linked I'd probably swap Khopesh proficiency for Knight's Training (like suggested in some comments) and I'd 100% fit in Wellspring of Power as an Epic Feat - use it before your Death Auras for even better heals.

If you want more clarification/changes please feel free to ask lol, but that build's pretty solid so otherwise I'd go with that?

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You asked about best spells. Here's a few I prioritize and some notes (A if DC caster, B if self-buffed melee).

1) Shield/Nightshield (I like EK SLA) - essential for surviving Reaper. Magic Missile Spam OP.
1) Jump - essential for mobility.
1) Merfolk's - essential for looking fly in parties.
2) Web - especially with Heighten, this is one of your best CC sources for stuff that ignores mental effects (like constructs). Also can put it down in advance. Use it, love it.
2) Gust of Wind - clears Cloudkill. Nuff said.
2) Blur - 20% damage mitigation, throw it at everyone and your dog. And your skeleton.
2) Lesser Death Aura - cheap low-quality heals. Great way to spread LGS Dust effect though
2) Knock - open the doors
3) Displacement - like Blur; but better, shorter duration, and only for you. Keep this on.
3) Rage - increases your max HP; put this with the rest of your short-term buffs, cast it when you can afford to; also nice for the party.
3) Haste - makes you run and hit faster, very nice!
4) Death Aura - your bread and butter. Heals you based on your spellpower/crit at time of cast, so use your short-term boosts before firing this off.
4) Dimension Door - GTFO card, also used to speed up recalling and to skip large chunks of walking in some quests (like Redwillow).
4) Negative Energy Burst - spot healing if your auras aren't up to par. I hate it, but lots of PM players swear by it so give it a try.
4) Wall of Fire - for Heroics especially this is decent AoE DPS. Falls off later.
4) Fire Shield - ignore the block proc, look at the 50% energy resistance part. Very nice. Also lights you on fire, which is rad.
4A) Phantasmal Killer - cheap instakill; you get what you pay for though, and you'll need high DC's or low-save enemies to land it consistently. Kills archers pretty well though
5) Teleport - get around faster.
5) Hold Monster - great for throwing at Reapers/champs or whoever you missed/that saved your Mass Hold.
6) Greater Heroism - nice buff, use it on everyone.
6A) Undeath to Death - best way to kill undead; has a slow cast time, so aim in front of them or group them up first; always Quicken, it takes a century anyway. Nearly always works.
6A) Circle of Death - like above, but for living things. Not nearly as effective, but it's still AoE instakill = great. Always Heighten + Quicken.
6A) Flesh to Stone - works on a lot of stuff that's immune to instakills (like champs with Deathblock). Stone them and leave for your party to kill or hack their statue apart later.
6A) Necrotic Ray - biiiig damage numbers; scales with the same spellpower as your heals do, so you have lots. Does big damage.
6A) Disintegrate - take this until level 17, as it's your only good way to hurt stuff like Constructs with spells pre-Meteor Swarm.
6A) Chain Lightning - your first decent AoE spell.
6B) True Seeing - makes enemy Displacement worthless - very nice.
7) Greater Teleport - sometimes useful, and you have spare level 7 slots.
7) Prismatic Spray - this works on a lot of stuff nothing else does; can be used to Stone Sharn Constructs; alright for elite groups, but pretty expensive since you usually throw it a bunch.
7) Invisibility Mass - like Invisibility but also for your buddies. Why fight what you can walk past.
7A) Finger of Death - super effective single-target instakill; expensive, but kills stuff and has a Fort save so kill those squishy high-damage enemies with it.
7A) Otto's Sphere of Dancing - long duration AoE crowd control - what's not to love? Falls off in high Reaper, but it's amazing before then. Long cast time so cast before fights (like ambushes).
8) Otto's Irresistible Dance - Gold - works great on stuff your DC's are too low for (champs, later Reapers, etc) - short range, but super effective.
8) Power Word Stun - longer CD than Otto's, but highly effective on champs/Reapers - and it's ranged! Use this as followup or emergency CC.
8A) Sunburst - AoE instakill for shadows. Not great otherwise, but super great for them
8A) Polar Ray - like Necrotic Ray, it does big damage; no save or SR so it's pretty guaranteed. Very nice, if inefficient.
9) Meteor Swarm - this works through EDF, does a boatload of damage, and half of it is bludgeoning = no save. EK uses this on the way in/to get aggro, PM uses this after CC for nice DPS.
9) Hold Monster, Mass - just kinda use this on everything whenever you can - it's really good. Helpless enemies, super obvious who you caught/who got out, long duration, it has everything.
9A) Rend the Soul - great single-target DPS; it's over time, so most useful on bosses/champs etc.
9A) Wail of the Banshee - AoE instakill; centered on you, so get close. Hilariously effective, kills lots of enemies. Use lots.
9B) Power Word Kill - super-long cooldown, but kills whoever you point it at. Avoid enemies with SR or Deathblock lol.

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Generally as a DC caster you're looking to CC or instakill as much as possible before blasting/slashing the rest to death. That's why AoE CC and AoE instakills are so highly prized, and having a few emergency buttons is pretty nice for fixing priority targets