The Cannon Fodder Tank, The Kensai/Stalwart Build

[worthful]

doesn't using trip reset the attack chain?

[Quikster]

doesn't using trip reset the attack chain?

no

[MrWizard]

doesn't using trip reset the attack chain?

It will reset the mob's A$$ if it lands though....BAM

[emptysands]

Why? =\

New Update = 7th level, hit 49 AC. Ran elite Gwylans and the only thing that did damage to me were spells, or when I got tripped by minos. Ran the dungeon by me intim + shield blocking, DPS took care of the rest. it was great

An analysis of the breakdown at level 7.

10 base
+12 Mithral Full Plate +4
+8 Mithral Tower Shield +4
+2 Protection +2
+5 CE
+6 MDB (assuming starting 16 DEX, +2 tome and +4 DEX RR item)
+1 Stalwart Defender I
+2 Stalwart Defender I Stance
= 46 base

+1 Haste
+3 Barkskin pot
+2 Recitation

= 52 with basic buffs

+3 Paladin Aura.
+2 Blocking

= 57 tanking a boss.

MDB breakdown:
Armor: 1 (full plate base) + 2 (mithral) + 2 (Armor Mastery II) + 1 (Stalwart Defender I) = 6
Shield: 2 (tower shield base) + (Mithral) +1 (Tower Shield Mastery I) + 1 (Stalwart Defender I) = 6

In comparison, Mithral Full Plate +4 vs WF with Mithral Body and Docent +4 is: +18 vs +9, with no addition MDB due to a lack of a +6 DEX item at lvl 7.

According to [1] +4 items are min lvl 6 (4*2-2) with material having no effect. If you found +5 RR items with min lvl 7, you could add another 3 AC.

I guess the above is why good AC is difficult at higher levels, 70% of the AC at 40% of the level progression.

[1] http://ddowiki.com/page/Base_price_modifier

EDIT: Max is actually +2 Protection not +4 at lvl 7. Need RR for +4 DEX at 7. Added SD1 base.

[MrWizard]

Uploading part 5 of the hard run on sins of attrition.
Had some fun with it, music/mayhem/jabs/jokes/ and even poked one at the devs.

Had a real rough time rendering it due to some issue somewhere...grrr.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk9zMaqyMyM


Enjoy......

[Hayder]

Well, the more I use this build the better it seems to get and I still haven't got to the good bits yet! Can't remember the quest but have found a new way of doing things, run round, kill the casters, open the doors, gather up the melee mobs, back into a corner and beat on them! A minute or so later and I'm surrounded by corpses.

I even completed a quest yesterday and didn't take a single point of damage.

I appreciate I'm only low level but if the videos are anything to go by it stays strong to the end. I'm still with S&B but will be giving TWF a proper go next level, it still misses too much atm.

[MrWizard]

Well, the more I use this build the better it seems to get and I still haven't got to the good bits yet! Can't remember the quest but have found a new way of doing things, run round, kill the casters, open the doors, gather up the melee mobs, back into a corner and beat on them! A minute or so later and I'm surrounded by corpses.

I even completed a quest yesterday and didn't take a single point of damage.

I appreciate I'm only low level but if the videos are anything to go by it stays strong to the end. I'm still with S&B but will be giving TWF a proper go next level, it still misses too much atm.

You just have to keep paying attention to getting the right gear for AC as you go (there is not really much, but you gotta keep on it).
and consolidating gear is important like building a shroud immunity item.
Getting healing amp helps..
and so on...

I think there is some epic gear which will increase your ac a bit more (quik knows better than I ) and I still need the chattering ring for +3 more.
DR is very important too.

If I could get DR 20 I would be a freakin superman...if only..

[Quikster]

You just have to keep paying attention to getting the right gear for AC as you go (there is not really much, but you gotta keep on it).
and consolidating gear is important like building a shroud immunity item.
Getting healing amp helps..
and so on...

I think there is some epic gear which will increase your ac a bit more (quik knows better than I ) and I still need the chattering ring for +3 more.
DR is very important too.

If I could get DR 20 I would be a freakin superman...if only..

Well theres a +6 protection item, but its on a ring slot. Armor gives another 2-3 depending on your dex. An epic shield lets you max dex without ap on ts enhancements, but you lose 3 dr i think, so it comes down to ap or dr. I chose ap, but i can see arguments for either side. +4 dex tomes but those drop in 1 non epic raid. Thats really about it.

The pro rings a bummer, but I am holding out hope for a +6 protection somewhere else, maybe epic shroud min II item? Also hoping for +4 dodge chattering ring which would make dt even better than it is now, but prolly still not enough for me to go back to it. Time will tell i guess.

[emptysands]

The pro rings a bummer, but I am holding out hope for a +6 protection somewhere else, maybe epic shroud min II item? Also hoping for +4 dodge chattering ring which would make dt even better than it is now, but prolly still not enough for me to go back to it. Time will tell i guess.

There are two +6 protection items at the moment:
* Epic Ring of the Silver Concord - Charisma +7, Protection +6, Command, Empty Yellow Augment Slot - Lvl 20.
* Light and Darkness (non-upgraded) - Superior Stability (+6 Resists and Protection) - Lvl 18 - requires Neutral alignment.

[MrWizard]

There are two +6 protection items at the moment:
* Epic Ring of the Silver Concord - Charisma +7, Protection +6, Command, Empty Yellow Augment Slot - Lvl 20.
* Light and Darkness (non-upgraded) - Superior Stability (+6 Resists and Protection) - Lvl 18 - requires Neutral alignment.

which is lame for a stalwart....
both ring slots would be filled already and you get more AC from a tower shield than you do with the l/d...

ALthough, if you are neutral you would have to umd those chaosgardes...

they need some more ac gear for us...something..

[Quikster]

There are two +6 protection items at the moment:
* Epic Ring of the Silver Concord - Charisma +7, Protection +6, Command, Empty Yellow Augment Slot - Lvl 20.
* Light and Darkness (non-upgraded) - Superior Stability (+6 Resists and Protection) - Lvl 18 - requires Neutral alignment.

But only 1 that is epic, as per the question.

The shield isnt very good, youre better off getting a warding shield and upgrading that.

[emptysands]

But only 1 that is epic, as per the question.

The shield isnt very good, youre better off getting a warding shield and upgrading that.

I guess unbuffed the Warding Shield is better, but they are about the same buffed. It'll take a while though - 30+ epic runs. It to get L&D (BtA) until such time as you do have the upgraded epic shield. Plus I wouldn't bother upgrading it, so it would stay BtA and thus reusable.


L&D = 8 + 6 (deflect) = 14 + 5 (bark) = 19
UEKW = 9 + 5 (deflect) + 4 (natural) = 18 + 1 (bark) = 19

[Quikster]

I guess unbuffed the Warding Shield is better, but they are about the same buffed. It'll take a while though - 30+ epic runs. It to get L&D (BtA) until such time as you do have the upgraded epic shield. Plus I wouldn't bother upgrading it, so it would stay BtA and thus reusable.


L&D = 8 + 6 (deflect) = 14 + 5 (bark) = 19
UEKW = 9 + 5 (deflect) + 4 (natural) = 18 + 1 (bark) = 19

Takes 15 raid tokens (which are cheap) to upgrade the warding shield so its the same ac as levikks. It also has mroe dr then the light and darkness. And the L&D is only +6 pro if you are neutral.

[emptysands]

which is lame for a stalwart....
both ring slots would be filled already and you get more AC from a tower shield than you do with the l/d...

ALthough, if you are neutral you would have to umd those chaosgardes...

they need some more ac gear for us...something..

Sure depends on the build.

Wont work for this build, but for a neutral WF 18F/2Rog build with UMD it well work fine: same AC including deflection 8 + 6 vs 9 + 5. Saves a slot for a protection item, plus you get +6 resists.

You are going to want to switch out/in +5 protection/resist gear for when you aren't using it, but it might give you options to have say some guard items when tanking.

At level 20 with 23 UMD + CHA, safe usage even with a couple level debuffs.

Less DR though: 7 vs 15, but for an evasion build the extra +1 resists might make up for the DR8 difference.


I've been doing some AC analysis. From level 1 to 8 you get a +2 boost to AC for armour and +1 from shield every 2nd level. After level 8 the next boost is +2 16 with Dragontouch and no boost for shields until epic.

Light armour users actually see a -2 AC shift for Mithral Breastplate to Dragontouch Leather. Thus an evasion AC build will only see a DT benefit if they are WF - Mithral body/DT Docent is +12AC vs 13 with Docent+5 - a 4AC swing against a non-WF evasion AC build in DT.

Conversely, dps continues to get decent boosts. Greensteel with base damage increase and elemental effects. The fact that crafting Greensteel is 100x easier (controllable grind , plus buyable) vs crafting Dragontouch (only random random grind).

[emptysands]

Takes 15 raid tokens (which are cheap) to upgrade the warding shield so its the same ac as levikks. It also has mroe dr then the light and darkness. And the L&D is only +6 pro if you are neutral.

Yeah, depends on your build. Wouldn't work for this build.

A question. Does the +2 MDB boost from blue epic slot only apply to the item (shield/armour) it's slotted? Or does it apply overall to both armor and shield?

[Quikster]

Sure depends on the build.

Wont work for this build, but for a neutral WF 18F/2Rog build with UMD it well work fine: same AC including deflection 8 + 6 vs 9 + 5. Saves a slot for a protection item, plus you get +6 resists.

You are going to want to switch out/in +5 protection/resist gear for when you aren't using it, but it might give you options to have say some guard items when tanking.

At level 20 with 23 UMD + CHA, safe usage even with a couple level debuffs.

Less DR though: 7 vs 15, but for an evasion build the extra +1 resists might make up for the DR8 difference.


I've been doing some AC analysis. From level 1 to 8 you get a +2 boost to AC for armour and +1 from shield every 2nd level. After level 8 the next boost is +2 16 with Dragontouch and no boost for shields until epic.

Light armour users actually see a -2 AC shift for Mithral Breastplate to Dragontouch Leather. Thus an evasion AC build will only see a DT benefit if they are WF - Mithral body/DT Docent is +12AC vs 13 with Docent+5 - a 4AC swing against a non-WF evasion AC build in DT.

Conversely, dps continues to get decent boosts. Greensteel with base damage increase and elemental effects. The fact that crafting Greensteel is 100x easier (controllable grind , plus buyable) vs crafting Dragontouch (only random random grind).

The dt grind sucks. I got my red dragonplate faster then i made any set of dt, and the ac is higher.

Yeah, depends on your build. Wouldn't work for this build.

A question. Does the +2 MDB boost from blue epic slot only apply to the item (shield/armour) it's slotted? Or does it apply overall to both armor and shield?

Just the slotted piece.

Adding +7 enhancement boosts the ac by 1 and the dr by 1 as well.

[emptysands]

The dt grind sucks. I got my red dragonplate faster then i made any set of dt, and the ac is higher.

Since Red Scales are trade-able you are probably right.

Just the slotted piece.

Adding +7 enhancement boosts the ac by 1 and the dr by 1 as well.

Is the alchemical ritual still possible on epic armour/shields?

EDIT: "Would the +2 MDB on a red scale docent apply to the armour MDB?" - Actually this is a moot point as you probably will only use the Blue slot for the +7.

[Quikster]

Since Red Scales are trade-able you are probably right.



Is the alchemical ritual still possible on epic armour/shields?

EDIT: "Would the +2 MDB on a red scale docent apply to the armour MDB?" - Actually this is a moot point as you probably will only use the Blue slot for the +7.

yes you can and yes it does.

+2 mdb is better than +7 if you can get youre dex high enough. I can on my fighter so thats the route I went. On warding shield +7 is the way to go as there is no dex restriction.

[emptysands]

yes you can and yes it does.

+2 mdb is better than +7 if you can get youre dex high enough. I can on my fighter so thats the route I went. On warding shield +7 is the way to go as there is no dex restriction.

Right. MDB 2 (Red scale) + 2 (Heavy/DS3) + 3 (AM3) + 2 (Blue Epic Slot)= 9, which is 1 better than with +7. So if you can get 28 DEX (16 +2(tome) +7(epic item) +3(exceptional)) it would work well. And with the litany and/or a +3/+4 tome, plus a past life +1 MDB you could get +10 MDB.

[Quikster]

Right. MDB 2 (Red scale) + 2 (Heavy/DS3) + 3 (AM3) + 2 (Blue Epic Slot)= 9, which is 1 better than with +7. So if you can get 28 DEX (16 +2(tome) +7(epic item) +3(exceptional)) it would work well. And with the litany and/or a +3/+4 tome, plus a past life +1 MDB you could get +10 MDB.

Corrrect. I have +10 available.