The Solo Challenge

[Tamorand]

Hello all,

I've been curious to know if any of you master players out there have that special character that you solo with?

You know what I mean...you log on and just go destroy a few instances and KNOW nothing can touch you.

Build?
Tactics?
Skill?

What's your secret to success and if you don't mind...back it up.
Let us know what you do that makes you a Solo King.
Let us know, what about your build or char choice that makes soloing so viable for you.

Secondly
The solo game has been dominated by the Backpeddling Ranger for so long I'm really curious if any of you have found another class/build etc outside the ranger class...not that I don't want to know about the ranger but Im curious about other types as well.

[Xyfiel]

I solo with:

Human Cleric13/Rogue2/monk1 good defense and offense with self healing and traps

Elf Ranger 16 archer, high sneak, self healing, kiting

Drow Rogue3/Wizard13 Battlemage, nukes, buffs, heals, decent melee

Warforged 12Sorc/2Paladin/2monk, high saves, healing, immunities, nukes and melee

When soloing, either avoid it, run thru it and heal, gather it all for AoE dps, or slowly beat it down one at a time. While they all cant solo the same quests, between the four they can do anything I need to.

[Impaqt]

I do most of my soloing on my Clerics.. a 15/1Paly Dwarf, 16Pure w/ kopesh pro, or if its a trap laden quest, I'll take my 14Cleric/2 Rogue.

Back it up? that line made me laugh.....

Not sure what your expecting ehre.. SOloing is just as much playstyle as it is build. Kiting rangers is an option of course, but its very low on the end game soloist character build lists.

Solid Battle Cleriucs and arcane warforged domiante the soloist circuit.

[Kerrn_Siff]

I do most of my soloing on my Clerics.. a 15/1Paly Dwarf, 16Pure w/ kopesh pro, or if its a trap laden quest, I'll take my 14Cleric/2 Rogue.

Back it up? that line made me laugh.....

Not sure what your expecting here.. SOloing is just as much playstyle as it is build. Kiting rangers is an option of course, but its very low on the end game soloist character build lists.

Solid Battle Clerics and arcane warforged dominate the soloist circuit.

Same here. Pure clerics speced out for spell penetration and DPS. If it can't be destructed the blade barriers will get them, if it gets tight put on Dol Dorn's (sp?), buff and go to town melee.

I am not uber by any stretch of the idea, I can solo some of the vale quests (banish is cheap and very powerful out there) but I know of people who can solo some of the Reaver's Refuge quests plus pretty much everything else with pure clerics though I assume it would be easier with a capped WF sorc..

[Inspire]

Just about all my characters solo(except Woad and Pearce - too expensive), but there are different tactics for each class.

If I had to put it in layman's terms;

• Cleric - Blade Barrier & Symbol of Persuasion/ Self Healing via Spells
• Wizard - Stealth/ Firewall, Solid Fog, Symbol of Persuasion & Suggestion, Mass/ Self Healing via Spells
• Batman - Ac & Evasion/ Self Healing via Scrolls
• Paladin - Ac/ Self Healing via LoH & Scrolls
• Ranger - Stealth/ Bow Tactics/ Ac & Evasion/ Self Healing via Spells and Wands
• Rogue - Stealth/ Evasion/ Self Healing via Scrolls
• Bard - Mass Suggestion/ Self Heaing via Spells and Scrolls
• Monk - Stealth/ Ac & Evasion/ Self Healing via Harmonious Balance

[Tamorand]

I do most of my soloing on my Clerics.. a 15/1Paly Dwarf, 16Pure w/ kopesh pro, or if its a trap laden quest, I'll take my 14Cleric/2 Rogue.

Back it up? that line made me laugh.....

Not sure what your expecting ehre.. SOloing is just as much playstyle as it is build. Kiting rangers is an option of course, but its very low on the end game soloist character build lists.

Solid Battle Cleriucs and arcane warforged domiante the soloist circuit.

I simply meant no one word answers
Give us a little detail.

Thanks for the great posts so far. Sounds like I was mistaken on the backpeddling ranger. Clerics + Blade Barrier + Destruct....yeah

Might have to try that one out.

[Thanimal]

Well, I can't "back it up" at all because he's only level 6, but I'm having a GREAT time soloing my WF Paladin/Monk 2/Wizard 1, Vrogg. TWF Khopesh PA build, so it's surprisingly close to being a "real" DPS build. But it adds on pretty decent AC (while staying in TWF PA mode), fantastic saves, and a TON of self-sufficiency. In a party, his roles are DPS, auras, Resists, and the occasional Res.

The Wizard level is really a nod to soloing -- it increases versatility and self-sufficiency a lot: Wands of Repair/Shield/Stoneskin/Blur/etc., Extend, and a huge increase in spell points for self-buffing. But if rarely planning to solo then it's probably not worth it.

The thing that has me pumped about this build is that, at least on paper, he seems to continue to stay close to the "real" DPS builds without dropping any further off of tank AC pace. While many melee builds start off as great soloers, I've found most builds drop quite significantly off of one of the other of those at higher levels. I built this guy for the very reason that he appears not to.

In truth, this build probably can't compete with an offensive Cleric or a WF arcane for late-game soloing, but as far as melees go it's by far the best soloer I've found so far.

[Thrudh]

Some quests are easier for different classes...

I solo a bit with my pure wizard... firewall, displacement, haste, Finger of Death, Charm Monster... of course if the quest doesn't have a lot of shrines, I can run out of SP... plus he's not warforged so I have no self-healing power which can get me in trouble.

I have a 14/2 cleric/monk who solos with blade barrier and destruction. He has evasion and can self-heal, so he does very well.

I have a 11/5 ranger/wizard with halfling dragonmarks for self-healing who can solo most anything.. He can self-cast haste and displacement, and is very self-sufficient.

My bard/rogue can solo any quest where the bad guys don't have spell resistance or immunity to charm... Amazing what an army of charmed monsters can do for you.

I don't do a lot of soloing... It's more... I put up a quest, say in-progress, and start it solo.. usually people join before I'm half-done... It's not often that I solo whole quests all the way through...

[ForwardWu]

I solo with my wf soccy, pure lv 16

I lv this toon with 95% time soloing..with 5% for raid and let friends go in dungeon to soak some xp

just carry some charms u can run pass most of the quests...

when needed, just nuker the red name as u wish...

traps? u can either (1) avoid it (2) use reconstruct at the right time to bypass traps

important spells carry for solo : Displacement, DDoor, Suggestion, Wall of Fire, Acid Fog, Cone of Cold, Ball Lightning, FoD, Reconstruct

carry invis scrolls and stoneskin wand for opening doors/levers

Can solo madstone starting at lv 12..which is quite good xp-wise as a soloist...


IMO, toons without haste/charms/self-heal ability has much harder time to solo quest (either take too long to kill enemy 1-by-1 or dont have perm haste to run thro dungones), and may need more resources as well...

[cluedout]

the following is a fun build that can do just about anything as has greater TWF to boot

Sahbam
Level 20 Chaotic Good Warforged Male
(2 Fighter \ 2 Rogue \ 16 Wizard) (could also go 2 fighter 3 rogue 15 wizard for more to balance and an extra 1d6 sneak attack)
Hit Points: with all shroud/best items, looking at 450ish
Spell Points: 1300ish with shroud
BAB: 11 (to hit bonus with DP clicks/full self buffs is around 35 on first swing)

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Modified Stats
(32 Point) (Level 1) (Level 16)
Strength 16 20
Dexterity 15 18
Constitution 14 16
Intelligence 16 20
Wisdom 6 6
Charisma 6 6

Tomes Used
+2 Tome of Intelligence used at level 7 (mod 9 friendly build)
+2 Tome of Dexterity used on or before level 11

Ending
Base Skills
Skills (Level 16)


Disable Device 23 MAX
Search 23 MAX
Use Magic Device 23 MAX
Balance 10 remaining here

Level 1 (Rogue)
Skill: Balance (+4)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Skill: Disable Device (+4)
Skill: Jump (+3)
Skill: Listen (+4)
Skill: Open Lock (+4)
Skill: Repair (+4)
Skill: Search (+4)
Skill: Spot (+4)
Skill: Swim (+4)
Skill: Tumble (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+4)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness


Level 2 (Wizard)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Extend Spell


Level 3 (Fighter)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Khopesh
Feat: (Selected) Two Weapon Fighting


Level 4 (Wizard)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)


Level 5 (Wizard)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)


Level 6 (Wizard)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Oversized Two Weapon Fighting


Level 7 (Wizard)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Quicken Spell
+2 int tome


Level 8 (Wizard)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)


Level 9 (Wizard)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack


Level 10 (Rogue)
Skill: Balance (+6)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+4)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)


Level 11 (Wizard)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
+2 dex tome for ITWF


Level 12 (Wizard)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Two Weapon Fighting


Level 13 (Wizard)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Maximize Spell


Level 14 (Wizard)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)


Level 15 (Wizard)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons


Level 16 (Wizard)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Enhancement: Rogue Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Racial Toughness III
Enhancement: Racial Toughness IV
Enhancement: Wizard Lineage of Elements I
Enhancement: Wizard Lineage of Force I
Enhancement: Wizard Lineage of Force II
Enhancement: Wizard Lineage of Force III
Enhancement: Wizard Lineage of Deadly Elements I
Enhancement: Wizard Lineage of Deadly Force I
Enhancement: Wizard Lineage of Deadly Force II
Enhancement: Wizard Lineage of Deadly Force III
Enhancement: Wizard Elemental Manipulation I
Enhancement: Wizard Elemental Manipulation II
Enhancement: Wizard Force Manipulation I
Enhancement: Wizard Force Manipulation II
Enhancement: Wizard Force Manipulation III
Enhancement: Wizard Force Manipulation IV
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar I
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar II
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar III
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar IV
Enhancement: Rogue Dexterity I
Enhancement: Wizard Intelligence I
Enhancement: Wizard Intelligence II
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I
Enhancement: Warforged Constitution I
Enhancement: Warforged Constitution II
Enhancement: Warforged Inscribed Armor

Level 17 (Wizard)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)

Level 18 (Wizard)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Empower Spell


Level 19 (Wizard)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)

Level 20 (Fighter)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Greater Two Weapon Fighting


max umd, DD, search, if any left over into balance.

just remember, you nuke/buff dont even bother with PK/FOD

keep yourself hasted, displaced, stoneskined, jumped, nightshilded, raged, GH'd, fireshilded, and mass prot from energy at all times, then throw a firewall and smack them with your 2 min2 khopesh's.

make a few guard GS items just for kick's and develop your twitch skills.

pick up some of those nice tower shilds from vod/hound when you need DR, S&B is the way to go, if you have torc/concordant oppositon turtle to get mana/hp back while quicken reconstruct to stay healed

magic missle, force missle, and the upcoming chain missils will be devastating as completely specced out in them, pick up repair lore and force lore (if they have them) on an item if possible and you can be the party boss blaster

do anything possible to increace con, that is the one thing i might change if i can find a spot, 16 base con for more hp but that would gimp something else.

see if you can fit the following eqipment...

from the top,
head: minos legens
neacklace: GS/torc (torc if your playstyle allows)
trinket: bloodstone/hogf/mummified bat
cloak: stormreavers napkin (+6 intel)
belt: titan belt (GFL/+6 str)
ring1: tumbleweed
gloves: spectral/7 finger/switch spot for DP clicky's/open lock/disable device
boots: striders (if you are good with exp retreat more greensteel goes here)
ring2: +6 con
bracers: greensteel
docent: DOD (again for torc/conc opp)/the best dragontouched you can make
goggles: tharns (TS +5 sneak attk +15 search/spot)

so, room for about 3 GS items. make one sp/cha skills item (nacklace), one +45 hp item (bracers) and a concordant opp item (boots) if you dont like torc/conc opp make whatever you please instead of conc opp (i recomend loads of guards) (one possible fun combo i thoght of is a +6 % fire lore , greater fire lore, DBF 3/day, sup fire lore, insineration guard (5% to do 300 odd damage on being hit)

[Draccus]

Cleric 16.

Two spells, Blade Barrier and Heal, will let you solo much of the game. My cleric is healing spec has no raid gear save a set of Tier 2 sp goggles, and has only died due to be knocked down. I'm sure I could eliminate this problem if I geared a bit to have something higher than a 0 balance.

I don't ever melee anything but portals but imagine I'd be pretty good at if I carried any weapons and just hit an extended Divine Power.

Cleric = easy mode.

[maddmatt70]

I have never really enjoyed soloing although I did solo all the vale quests on a few different characters when I was really really bored. Like several of the posters have pointed out you can solo on just about every character build/type you just have to play things differently. Some classes/characters are better at soloing then others adimittedly. For me my high ac tempest rogue, battle bard, wf sorc, and 2 clerics are probably my best. The most painful solo I have ever done was sleeping with dust on my high ac rogue - it was just painful spending all that time trying to not kill those spiders.

[Nevthial]

I solo with my main: Rogue 2 / Wizard 14 ( Drow) when I do solo runs.

Tactics/Gear depends on where and what, but here are some things I use:

1) Mobility and speed are key if not going stealthy. Think Israeli airforce here. Stay Hasted and moving when engaging more creatures than you can melee effectively. You can and will avoid 90% of the damage directed at you. ( Hard to hit a moving target )

2) Charms and Summons make fine minions/distractions. Some quests/ areas it is the uber easy button. So much so that it can bore you.

3) Spell traps. Extended crowd control combos with area of effect mixed. I either grab aggro myself and then run through the trap , or I set up crowd control and area of effect on a target in proximity to a mass of enemies and then Charm that target to draw everything in sight into the trap. ( Preferably using Enlarge Feat so there is no chance I'm seen until it is too late) Common spell trap for me: Dancing Sphere, Stinking Cloud, Acid Fog, Firewall and Web. Hypnotism even buys you a second or two for things to "stick". Composition depends on how many I can get into it and how much I need to conserve spell points.

4) Buffs. Use them if you have them. As many as you think may possibly be needed. Overkill isn't typically an issue, the best thing is to take no damage to begin with. Time spent healing is time your not killing, ect.

5) Melee / Ranged weapons. Have a good set of weapons to use as backups or for solitary trash/bosses and more than one Divine Power clickie. Ones I carry currently:
Ranged: ( Heavy Repeaters) Keen of Puncturing , Cursespewing , Strength Sapping , Smiting, Transmuting, Paralyzing.
Melee: ( Mixed ) Vorpal , Ghost Touch of Disruption, Seeker +8 of Puncturing , Seeker +10 of Everbright , Transmuting of Puncturing , Transmuting of Grtr Construct Bane, Axiomatic of Grtr Construct Bane, Frost of Backstabbing ( +5/+8).

6) Protective gear. Have things you can wear as backups for times when you have no buffs active. Preferably at least Greater Acid and Fire resistance items. Fearsome versions are best for Robes. I am set up to wear combos of three in an emergency. e.g. : Fearsome Grtr Fire res Robe , Grtr Acid res cloak , Grtr Sonic res ring.

7) Scrolls. Greater Heroism, True Seeing , Globe of Invulnerability and a few Summons are very useful. As a UMD character, I also carry Heal, Restoration and sometimes Mass Aid/ Cure Moderate scrolls.
Other consumables/ clickies should be carried as well. Lesser Restoration, Haste , Solid Fog , Prayer, and Deathward are but a few I carry at all times. ( I recommend at a minimum Lesser Res & 2 Deathward clickies)

8) Twitch skills are much more important for a soloer than someone who never solo's. You have NO backup but yourself. Practice, practice, practice.

[Ron]

Although I've only taken her to level 6 so far, this (build is near the bottom) is probably my best solo build to date (note it's a PURE solo build). I've had others that have gone higher level, but I'm pretty sure I could take this one to 1750 with quite a lot of work (which is not true for any of my other build attempts).

She'd actually work a lot better as a 32 point build, with those extra 4 points going to Strength. This is why I haven't played her in a while, I figure once I hit 1750 on any particular server, I'd rebuild her and give it another go (most likely Sarlona, since I'm only a couple hundred points away now).

But then again, with the scaling difficulty based on party size coming down the pipeline, soloing is going to become a bit pointless soon, so I may not bother.