Feat advice

[Master_of_None]

I'm getting to the point where I need to make some decisions about where to go with my fighter. I built him as a tactics fighter with some tanking ability.

Current set-up at level 9 for Aleswiller Morebeer, 32-point dwarf fighter:
Str 25
Dex 16
Con 20
Int 14
Wis 8
Cha 8

Standing AC 33
Hit points 171

Saves 15/11/6

Feats
Bullheaded
Combat Expertise
Stunning Blow
Improved Trip
Power Attack
WS: Slashing
WF: Slashing
IC: Slashing
Toughness

Been maxing jump, balance, and intimidate for skills. I won't list all my enhancements, but I've mainly going for the tactics enhancements, spell defense, and some of the axe bonuses.

I've got 4 more feats coming (10, two at 12, and 14), and need to decide what to do with them. I'm thinking about quick draw to switch weapons faster, and probably GWF: slashing.

Then I've got one of the four following choices

More tanking:
Shield mastery
Improved shield bash
(probably switch one feat to iron will to help poor will save, take dwarven shield enhancements)
Problem: Don't raid enough to get necessary loot to get AC in mid-50 range

More damage:
Greater weapon specialization
Power critical

More damage:
THF
Improved THF
(drop another feat for greater THF)
Problem: Not going to be a barbarian, and makes all the intimidate useless.

Get more aggro:
Cleave
Great cleave
Problem: can't use with special combat moves

This is my first fighter, so I'm not familiar with how a lot of these work in practice and welcome any suggestions. Thanks.

[Borror0]

I vote for "More aggro" since you can't get high enough AC.

If you'd go that way, take Iron Wil instead of ISB, it's really not worth it.

[Tanka]

Power Crit will add to your crit confirmations, not damage. At 30 Str, I confirm any crit I threaten without Power Crit. YMMV, etc.

GWF/GWS are good choices. You could also pick up IC: Bludgeon and pick up Weighted weapons to max out that Stunning Blow DC and still do a decent lick of damage.

Iron Will and Luck of Heroes do wonders for the junky will saves.

If DPS > AC - 2HF, I2HF, G2HF are very, very good choices.

Honestly, though, when the cap goes up, I'm probably gonna respec my tactics fighter out of tactics. Everything saves now unless you have +10 DC items to always use, and even then, with the cooldown, it's not gonna be worth it. (And, to some extent, it's not worth it now. IMO and all.)

My lineup on feats, for reference, is similar-ish to yours. WF, WS, IC, GWF, GWS, Stunning Blow, Iron Will, Luck of Heroes, 2HF, I2HF, G2HF, Toughness, PA. Great DPS and also good tactics feat-saves (full line of Dwarf Tactics, Fighter Trip and Fighter SB) for when I run lower level content (VoNs, Titan, DQ to an extent, sometimes GH stuff).

Tactics rocks at low levels. It rocks at mid levels. It rocks up through GH. You can't stun undead, which makes SB very much useless in LotD, but tripping still works.

Who knows what the future update will bring us? Cap goes up, so I imagine their saves will go up pretty harshly as well. At that point I'll probably respec for more HP/saves.

[sigtrent]

Tactics rocks at low levels. It rocks at mid levels. It rocks up through GH. You can't stun undead, which makes SB very much useless in LotD, but tripping still works.

Trip is amazing, especialy if you play in small groups or solo. I was out in the orchard on the right side and trip let me stroll around out there solo without a care in the world, just sit everything down and beat the snot out of it. Without it I could have killed everything but I would have been hammered on a whole lot more and might have been killed by an unlucky saving throw or the like.

[Tanka]

Trip is amazing, especialy if you play in small groups or solo. I was out in the orchard on the right side and trip let me stroll around out there solo without a care in the world, just sit everything down and beat the snot out of it. Without it I could have killed everything but I would have been hammered on a whole lot more and might have been killed by an unlucky saving throw or the like.

Yup yup. I'm a big fan of Tactics on Normal settings, but once you hit Elite, it's a waste of time (save the random 1 rolled by the enemy).

[Master_of_None]

Anybody able to estimate DPS of using cleave and great cleave vs. THF? It seems like getting full attacks on multiples mobs might outweigh glancing blows, but I have no experience with this in practice.

I'm leaning toward taking cleave at 10 and trying it out. I can always switch it out later. I've been stockpiling some pretty nice dwarven axes and don't have many good two-handed weapons, so I'm a little reluctant to go that direction. I'm not sure how to fit in another special attack with my current key setup, so some hotbar rearrangement might be in order.

I know power crit doesn't increase DPS directly, but confirming crits more often would. However, if I'm always confirming already it would be useless. I'll wait and see on that one.

[Emili]

Trip is amazing, especialy if you play in small groups or solo. I was out in the orchard on the right side and trip let me stroll around out there solo without a care in the world, just sit everything down and beat the snot out of it. Without it I could have killed everything but I would have been hammered on a whole lot more and might have been killed by an unlucky saving throw or the like.

OMHO, Improved trip is really the only tactic remotely useful in higher levels and in elite setting is still one of the few you can land in elite (provided you've vertigo). Is fine for solo but in group a better tatctic is drawing agro via intimidate (if it's high enough) or by shear being the first one seen by the mob and a few cleaves. My fighters are high str, decent dps builds with a balance of AC, saves and HP...

I like weapon focus, greater focus, weapon spec and greater weapon spec along with Power Attack and Combat Expertise which you can turn off or on as the scenario needs. I also have Cleave and am not sure if I want to add another (for inbetween the cooldown) or Improved trip again... do not underestimate the uses of Cleave it is more than just can be more than just an agro control thing ... it can be more than just a dps thing. Cleave will hit near every mob in your area... this means if wielding an epic or effects weapon (cursespewer, vorpal, disruptor, banisher, etc...) they all get hit at once and have to save, etc... I once vorped the demon pricess and both jaraliths in pop on a lucky set of rolls in a single cleave the minute the door shut - I know basically luck. However, a more realistic thing is use of a cursespewer for the caster support. Cleave in these instances becomes a tactical approach. It is not a wonder feat but does shine in some respects

Anyway, In the past I've built straight out defensive inti-tanks, straight out DPS and straight out tacticians, but the most useful and fun character in a fighter to me are my current builds which mix a balance of all three.

[Emili]

Anybody able to estimate DPS of using cleave and great cleave vs. THF? It seems like getting full attacks on multiples mobs might outweigh glancing blows, but I have no experience with this in practice.

I'm leaning toward taking cleave at 10 and trying it out. I can always switch it out later. I've been stockpiling some pretty nice dwarven axes and don't have many good two-handed weapons, so I'm a little reluctant to go that direction. I'm not sure how to fit in another special attack with my current key setup, so some hotbar rearrangement might be in order.

I know power crit doesn't increase DPS directly, but confirming crits more often would. However, if I'm always confirming already it would be useless. I'll wait and see on that one.

On a cleave you get a full out to-hit roll for every mob remotely close withing it's arc this allows full damages including crits... should 5 mob be around you you typically grab a crit on 2-3 of them so yes a cleave is far more damaging then a glance... I am not positive but chance to glance may also exists on a cleave hits also, hard for me to remember as so many numbers fly up on it. I use an SoS or Cloudburst or High level greater bane Khopeshes the most. In my presious post though I point out that cleave allows epics to hit all the targets in the area also... thus disrupting 2-3 mobs sometimes occurs or cursespewing 4-8 of them also is more likely.

[Master_of_None]

Thanks for the info, Emili. I'll take Cleave at 10 and give it a whirl (no pun intended).