Request a Build - Get a Build

[eldersinger]

Hi all,

First off, congratulations on keeping this thread so strong for so long. Thank you for all your work!

Now for the request - I'm looking to find a build for my next heroic life. I've played bards for my three heroic lives and absolutely loved them all (Swashbuckling, Spellsinger, and Warchanter), but I'd like to start getting some other heroic past lives. I don't necessarily need a full build, but does anyone have a suggestion for what race/class/style would fit these parameters?

1) Class: Have all except Alchemist & Warlock, already have my Bard past lives.
2) Race: Preference for Human
- Have access to: base + Horc, Helf, Warforged, Drow
3) Enhancement trees: All unlockable except Feydark Illusionist
4) Goal is to be able to solo R1 in heroics with minimal reliance on gear. (Since all the gear I have is mostly for bards!)
- Traditionally when attempting to solo R1 in my bard lives the thing that stood in my way the most was traps. Being able to handle traps (not necessarily disable them) is a high priority.

As an aside when I'm thinking about this - would y'all say that heroic past lives are more important or racial past lives?

Thank you so much in advance!

[Ahrimane]

Hello y'all, right now i'm a 18 druid/2 thief, kh elf, and I know i'm not doing the damage I should be, so need a good build for this, I will eventually need some great builds for sorceror, wizard, fighter and bard, for the last 4 races don't matter though i've already done drow 3 times, khorvaine elf 3 times, aasimar 2 times, half orc 1 time, wood elf 1 time, gnome 3 times, halfling 1 time at the moment so any and all help would be appreciated and thank you in advance.

[Discpsycho]

Now for the request - I'm looking to find a build for my next heroic life. I've played bards for my three heroic lives and absolutely loved them all (Swashbuckling, Spellsinger, and Warchanter), but I'd like to start getting some other heroic past lives

Do you want something that plays like a Bard, and/or includes some Bard levels? Swashbuckler has good synergy with a lot of different classes, especially in combination with / 2 Rogue, / 3 or / 6 Fighter, or / 5 Barbarian.

IMO, things that feel closest to Bards but aren't Bards would be a melee Druid (wolf or bear) and an EK Wizard. Both come from primary spellcaster classes and therefore have good healing, buffs, and support options

If you're looking for a new playstyle, what are your preferences for melee / ranged / spellcasting?

As an aside when I'm thinking about this - would y'all say that heroic past lives are more important or racial past lives?

It depends.

Specific heroic PLs are better than racial PLs for melee builds (eg, Monk, Paladin), Ranger is particularly good for ranged builds, and most of the caster PLs are good for casters (specifically Wizard, but others as well depending on the types of spells you're casting). Completionist is helpful on many builds.

The stats from Racial PLs are helpful for builds using those stats. Racial AP are excellent for most builds if you have a lot of them but take a lot of investment to get that point.

Personally, I'd shoot for heroic Completionist. If you decide to do something else along the way, many of those PLs will benefit many builds.

[eldersinger]

Do you want something that plays like a Bard, and/or includes some Bard levels? Swashbuckler has good synergy with a lot of different classes, especially in combination with / 2 Rogue, / 3 or / 6 Fighter, or / 5 Barbarian.

...

If you're looking for a new playstyle, what are your preferences for melee / ranged / spellcasting?

Sorry for the delay in response - I figured I should just jump in and pick something so I could be prepared with a better question (I think the original post was too vague - sometimes restriction breeds creativity, you know?) Anyway, in the meantime I've learned that THF Paladin is good, but I have less fun with that playstyle. To directly answer your question, I was looking for a new playstyle to explore, but having done that with the THF Paladin I'd be plenty happy to return to a bard-like playstyle. I've enjoyed blasting away as a caster, I've enjoyed ranged combat, and I've never really tried Sword & Board or TWF.

I think the below is a good summary of what I'm looking for, where "need" means the build must have it, "want" means it's a major plus but not a requirement, and "wish" is a nice little perk. Overall I think the build would be best if it puts more emphasis on heroics than on epics, since heroics is where I most often struggle.

Need:
High Mobility (running around in heavy armor has been a pain)
High Reflex Save & Evasion (traps are my bane)
Non-THF
Race: Human
Class: non-warlock, non-alchemist, main class is not bard (bard splashes are fine - even great)

Want:
AOE damage (I like being a heroic beater)

Wish:
High mobility doesn't rely on an action boost
Buffs and/or Healing (I like being helpful)
Slack in the feats to take a dragonmark

My initial thoughts include the classic wiz w/ rogue splash, or a straight ranger that simply gives up on the AOE damage and easily picks up everything else. Is there some AOE class with rogue splash that I'm missing? I understand that these design requirements sometimes run against each other, but I wouldn't be asking if the build were straightforward

[magaiti]

Sorry for the delay in response - I figured I should just jump in and pick something so I could be prepared with a better question (I think the original post was too vague - sometimes restriction breeds creativity, you know?) Anyway, in the meantime I've learned that THF Paladin is good, but I have less fun with that playstyle. To directly answer your question, I was looking for a new playstyle to explore, but having done that with the THF Paladin I'd be plenty happy to return to a bard-like playstyle. I've enjoyed blasting away as a caster, I've enjoyed ranged combat, and I've never really tried Sword & Board or TWF.

I think the below is a good summary of what I'm looking for, where "need" means the build must have it, "want" means it's a major plus but not a requirement, and "wish" is a nice little perk. Overall I think the build would be best if it puts more emphasis on heroics than on epics, since heroics is where I most often struggle.

Need:
High Mobility (running around in heavy armor has been a pain)
High Reflex Save & Evasion (traps are my bane)
Non-THF
Race: Human
Class: non-warlock, non-alchemist, main class is not bard (bard splashes are fine - even great)

Want:
AOE damage (I like being a heroic beater)

Wish:
High mobility doesn't rely on an action boost
Buffs and/or Healing (I like being helpful)
Slack in the feats to take a dragonmark

My initial thoughts include the classic wiz w/ rogue splash, or a straight ranger that simply gives up on the AOE damage and easily picks up everything else. Is there some AOE class with rogue splash that I'm missing? I understand that these design requirements sometimes run against each other, but I wouldn't be asking if the build were straightforward

Rogue Thief Acrobat - if you can tolerate THF (staff)
Henshin Monk - again THF (staff)
Ranger Tempest - has a solid AoE option with Dance of Death (Tempest T5)
Shadar-Kai Rogue Assassin / Ninja Spy - chain is the AoE option, not human.

[eldersinger]

Rogue Thief Acrobat - if you can tolerate THF (staff)
Henshin Monk - again THF (staff)
Ranger Tempest - has a solid AoE option with Dance of Death (Tempest T5)
Shadar-Kai Rogue Assassin / Ninja Spy - chain is the AoE option, not human.

Thanks for the help!

[CrackedIce]

i ran a 12 rogue/5 barb/3 bard shadarkai build with handaxes and while the damage was good, i would like to be more durable. 17 barbarian/3 bard? i'm okay with using a +1 heart

Could go 12 cleric / 5 barbarian / 3 bard and just use cleric for spells and animal domain.

[bout]

I want to do Bastard Sword Kensei. As of now I'm a human and level 5 fighter and I start wondering what kind of enchantments I should aim for. I'd like to increase my ability scores by using colourless enchantments (STR for damage, DEX for AC from light armours, so I can use the passive Dodge buff from Kensei tree, CON for HP and probably WIS for fill saves) but I suppose going full colourless is not the way to go, and I have no idea what other enchantments I should use. I was also considering dipping some Action Points in the Vanguard tree for Secondary Shield Bash. Can you, please, help me out with optimizing my character?

[magaiti]

I want to do Bastard Sword Kensei. As of now I'm a human and level 5 fighter and I start wondering what kind of enchantments I should aim for. I'd like to increase my ability scores by using colourless enchantments (STR for damage, DEX for AC from light armours, so I can use the passive Dodge buff from Kensei tree, CON for HP and probably WIS for fill saves) but I suppose going full colourless is not the way to go, and I have no idea what other enchantments I should use. I was also considering dipping some Action Points in the Vanguard tree for Secondary Shield Bash. Can you, please, help me out with optimizing my character?

I assume you are referring to colorless augments. Those only add to your attributes (str, dex and the like).
A successful melee character needs many other item enchantments.
most important ones are:
Offense: Doublestrike, Melee Alacrity/Speed, Deadly, Accuracy, Seeker, Armor Piercing, Deception.
Defense: Fortification (100+), Deathblock, (Physical) Sheltering, Resistance, Dodge.

Regarding Enhancements (assuming you don't have racial past lives or universal tome, so 80 AP at level 20):
A typical fighter 20 vanguard build would have 41 AP either in Kensei Tree or Vanguard Tree, depending on which capstone you like more.
Regardless, for best DPS, you should have Tier 5 in Kensei, as your weapon does way more damage than your shield anyways.
so 2 variants:
41 kensei, 31 vanguard, 8 as you like, maybe Harper Agent for Know the Angles, or Stalwart Defender for stance.
41 vanguard, 36 kensei, 3 human (power boost, improved recovery)

regarding feats:
For Kensei tree, you need Weapon Focus (slashing for Bastard Sword), Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus.
For combat style, you will need both Shield Mastery feats and Two-Handed Fighting Feats (they work with Bastard Swords, increasing your chance to hit multiple enemies)

other good choices are heavy armor feats (if you plan on using heavy armor), and tactical DCs feats.
With enough tactical DC feats you can use effectively Trip and Stunning Blow to control your enemies, though you can choose to ignore tactical feats and just DPS enemies down.

[bout]

I assume you are referring to colorless augments. Those only add to your attributes (str, dex and the like).
A successful melee character needs many other item enchantments.
most important ones are:
Offense: Doublestrike, Melee Alacrity/Speed, Deadly, Accuracy, Seeker, Armor Piercing, Deception.
Defense: Fortification (100+), Deathblock, (Physical) Sheltering, Resistance, Dodge.

Regarding Enhancements (assuming you don't have racial past lives or universal tome, so 80 AP at level 20):
A typical fighter 20 vanguard build would have 41 AP either in Kensei Tree or Vanguard Tree, depending on which capstone you like more.
Regardless, for best DPS, you should have Tier 5 in Kensei, as your weapon does way more damage than your shield anyways.
so 2 variants:
41 kensei, 31 vanguard, 8 as you like, maybe Harper Agent for Know the Angles, or Stalwart Defender for stance.
41 vanguard, 36 kensei, 3 human (power boost, improved recovery)

regarding feats:
For Kensei tree, you need Weapon Focus (slashing for Bastard Sword), Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus.
For combat style, you will need both Shield Mastery feats and Two-Handed Fighting Feats (they work with Bastard Swords, increasing your chance to hit multiple enemies)

other good choices are heavy armor feats (if you plan on using heavy armor), and tactical DCs feats.
With enough tactical DC feats you can use effectively Trip and Stunning Blow to control your enemies, though you can choose to ignore tactical feats and just DPS enemies down.

What are your thoughts on :

• Kensei's Improved Dodge - is it worth investing into over heavier armours?
• Human's Human Adaptability and Human Greater Adaptability for Ability Scores - you mentioned 3 points in Human, so that wouldn't cover it?

[C-Dog]

...I'd like to increase my ability scores by using colourless enchantments (STR for damage, DEX for AC from light armours, so I can use the passive Dodge buff from Kensei tree, CON for HP and probably WIS for fill saves) but I suppose going full colourless is not the way to go, and I have no idea what other enchantments I should use...

Augment gems: https://ddowiki.com/page/Augment_Slot#Augment_Slot

Topazes (yellow) tend to be "quality of life" effects - things you can easily get w/ other gear, but using an augment opens other slots to not have to cover that. So, it's very "Current Gear Dependent".

• Feather Fall
• Fear Immunity
• Blindness Immunity
• Water Breathing
• Swiftness (Run & Attack Speed)
• Disease (& Poison) "Immunity" (misleading name, and Poison is meh)
• Elemental Resist
• +Damage (untyped)

Sapphires (blue) tend to be "Defense" (tho' not exclusively) - if you are leaning toward Armor Class, these can help a lot.

• Fortification
• Natural Armor
• Protection
• Resistance
• PRR and MRR
• False Life
• Dodge
• Stunning, Sunder or Trip (separate)
• Accuracy

Red is Damage and Spellpower, almost always being applied to weapons (or "caster sticks" of some stripe):

Bonus Elemental Damage
Spellpower
Metaline types
Alignment types
Special damage rubies

And there are non-standard ones as well. White is Skills and Stats.

See this list for "full" details: https://ddowiki.com/page/Augment_Slo...ndard_Augments

[magaiti]

What are your thoughts on :

• Kensei's Improved Dodge - is it worth investing into over heavier armours?
• Human's Human Adaptability and Human Greater Adaptability for Ability Scores - you mentioned 3 points in Human, so that wouldn't cover it?

it's hard to tell for certain, both heavy and light armor styles have their pros and cons.
In heavy armor you will get more PRR/MRR, especially if you invest into fighter-only Heavy Armor feats.
In light armor you will have more dodge, and possibly Evasion (with core 3 in Shadowdancer Epic Destiny).

Dodge is great, but remember:
- dodge is capped by max dex bonus of your armor. There are ways to raise it, like armored agility augment, Mobility feat, and certain enhancements.
- dodge is also capped by a max dodge cap (25%), regardless of armor. This cap can only be raised by effects that specifically mention "max dodge". Notable examples are Fencing Master (Guild Airship buff), Monk Water Stance, Scion of Astral Plane.
- you have to have enough dodge in your build (gear/feats/enhancements), otherwise raising armor max dex bonus and/or max dodge cap is pointless.

Human adaptability gives you +1 stat for 2 AP. 20 Healing Amp is more useful IMO, but you are free to disagree.

[DocTom]

Greetings!

I am looking for a ranged build. My objectives are: 1) soloing EE, low reapers at cap; and, 2) serving a support role in duos/trios with players that spend too much time as soul stones. Historically, I have enjoyed playing the Inquisitive tree. If the build needs too many buttons to push in a hurry, I'll likely be dead so this build will need at least some ability to stand in the pocket for a few secs. (I don't mind moving and jumping when I play - that's kinda the nature of it when mobs get close to an Inquisitive. I just need the penalty for blinking and/or drinking when I play to be somewhat forgiving.)

I like (generally) the 18/2 FVS/arti builds that I've seen in the forum but the WIS/CHA discussion left me in the weeds. Historically, my Inquisitive builds have been more INT or even DEX in ranger/rogue/arti combos so it's hard to think about WIS/CHA since I haven't experienced the direct relevance of these stats to DPS. (I know that they CAN be made relevant by dipping into trees and destinies, but I would appreciate some specific guidance.) As long as we're here, what about a bard/arti inquisitive? Bard is fun to play and looks to be more of a well-rounded party support than FVS, but my experience with both classes isn't very deep.

So, a big question for me is: Do I actually need 18 levels in class 1, or would there be more productive ways to split those levels up?

I have good ranged past-lives but no racial past-lives yet (so AP is pretty standard). All classes, races, trees, and destinies are open/openable to me. Got the good tomes.

I wish that I thought that I could target/mark stuff in combat (I can't even...) because the bow build posts lately have been masterworks!

Specific recommendations for non-raid gear and epic destinies would be appreciated. I have a short window in which to get some new players interested in the game (and to get some older/inactive players back into the game) so I'm seeking to draw on your experience with these things.

Thanks in advance!

[Ungermax]

Is there a viable Undead Dark Path Monk build these days? One that plays just like a light path Monk with similar self sufficiency but focused on negative energy auras and Vamp form, as well as the use of Touch of Death and passive negative energy on hit from Pale Master form upgrades?

[SouCarioca]

Is there a viable Undead Dark Path Monk build these days? One that plays just like a light path Monk with similar self sufficiency but focused on negative energy auras and Vamp form, as well as the use of Touch of Death and passive negative energy on hit from Pale Master form upgrades?

I had something very similar but with dual longswords, centered. I was undoubtedly stretched thin with the wants, so it ended up being a fun, but pure flavor build. Today, I'd do it differently, without the longswords. I had this fixation on dual Oathblades with tons of crits.

[Amithae]

Does anyone have advice for racial choice for favored soul casters?

I'm finishing up my second life on a cleric and have kinda got my heart set on a favored soul nuker for solo play for the third life. I have access to tiefling and shifter, and so my natural inclination was to go tiefling for the potential fire boosts, but I don't have a vast repository of past racial lives, so I wonder if this might be too ambitious? Would I be better off with something else race-wise? The way I see it, the only valuable tree is going to be Angel of Vengeance (with a little splash into Beacon of Hope for the PRR/MRR and a bit of healing amp), so I -should- have enough points for the racial tree still?

I'm new to the game still though, so I could be overlooking something important. Please advise.

[Roonfizzle]

Hi!

I failed to live through Chronoscope this evening, so back at square one for Hardcore. I'd like to play an Inquisitive, due to a recent upgrade to Ult Sharn. As it's HC, I'd like to leverage the 32 point start that Deep Gnome or Tiefling Scoundrel offer me, but other than that, I'm less picky.

My quest knowledge is minimal for several HUGE blocks of levels, I have recent Couponage, and also have Drow unlocked for the server.

Other than pumping Dex, and the usefulness of bard, any suggestions on where to start for a build?

I know the basic game mechanics, but am still relatively new to nuances. I suspect Trapper is a poor choice, unless I leverage the Autosearch of deep Inquisitive, though I've heard of Pale Trapper, and know the basic shell, but again, no nuances.

Thank you for any direction you can nudge me.

[Certon]

Now, I'm going to try to make my own build on this idea, and because this topic is seriously TL;DR, I'm gonna hope no one has thought of it yet.

A pure wizard EK/PM Duality Build

This is a high Negative Spellpower PM build with melee skills and melee offense and durability from EK and medium armor, BUT...

WITH also a high Devotion and Exalted Angel as the main destiny, with Angelic Body mantle and Holy Presence.

The idea is to create so much incoming healing that even in low reapers you are nearly impossible to kill. Also the Holy Fireball T5 is pretty crazy.

[Ental]

Hello all,

I have been playing DDO on and off since its inception. I have always loved playing fighters in any iteration of fantasy rpg, and DDO is no different. Specifically, the sword and board fantasy is the most appealing to me. As such, I love the spirit of the fighter's Vanguard tree.

My problem is that I mostly play solo as I am not terribly social in MMOs (defeats the purpose, right?). To make matters worse, I like to experience all the content that any given game has to offer. As such, I find trapping skills - at least search, spot, and open lock - to be essential. Disable device is a plus, but if the build is durable enough to make that unnecessary that's fine too.

Assume I have no stat or skill tomes, but this is going to be a completionist character in the long term, so I plan to acquire every stat and skill tome out there. Again, this build is for racial TRs, so it can't rely on racial enhancement trees. I do not have access to Favored Soul (yet), Artificer, or Alchemist, but if Artificer would be better than Rogue, I will prioritize it as my next points purchase. I would like the build to be able to solo (with a hireling) most if not all of the content in the game on Elite at least, low reaper would be better, but I understand if it's not optimal enough for that.

Thank you in advance!

EDIT: I should have mentioned that I will be going to 30 for ETR -> RTR, so epic advice would be appreciated as well.

[unbongwah]

FYI the Universal Enhancement trees are 20% off until tomorrow. Harper Agent is useful if you're making INT your primary or secondary stat.

For S&B DPS, you basically have two viable options: Vanguard (fighter or paladin) and Swashbuckler (bard).

Vanguard pros: extra stun abilities (Stunning Shield and capstone); Shield Charge / Rush; secondary shield bash bonuses; attack speed bonuses; if you use a bastard sword or dwarven axe, you can benefit from both Two Handed Fighting (Strikethrough and higher base damage) and Shield Mastery (extra PRR and doublestrike).
Vanguard cons: Major DPS bonuses are backloaded (e.g., the attack speed bonus are at levels 6/12/18/20) and you have to share APs with your other trees. Splashing costs you the Vanguard capstone which is pretty nice. Fighter or paladin only get 2 skill points per level so not ideal if you want a trapper. Paladin Vanguards are feat-starved.

Swashbuckler pros: DPS bonuses are front-loaded (Swashbuckling stance at bard 3); SWF and Shield Mastery will stack if you take the Skirmisher enhancement; 6 skill points per level; bard skill buffs.
Swashbuckler cons: restricted to light armor, Finesseable melee weapons, and bucklers; AoE DPS options are lacking; higher-tier Swashbuckler enhancements are unimpressive.

It's possible to combine the trees on a bard / fighter. The attack speed bonuses from Vanguard don't stack with SWF, but you can still take advantage of the special attacks like Stunning Shield and passive bonuses like Shield Specialization. Also Swashbuckling will stack with Strike with No Thought (level 6 Kensei core) if you use handaxes or light picks.

So the tl;dr summary is Swashbuckler has an easier time of being a trapper due to more skill points + bard buffs. Also I think their DPS scales up faster in low-to-mid heroics though it's kinda tricky to compare "faster attack speed and better crits" vs Strikethrough for clearing trash mobs. But paladin / fighter Vanguard is better suited to the "heavily armored S&B tank" archetype since it's not gear-constrained like Swashbuckler.