Noobie Question: Rogue Build.

[KingDrakmar]

Hello fellow DDO and Khyber players alike. I am very new to this game since just starting yesturday, and I was wondering if their are any experienced players that have played the Rogue class, that could possibly give me a good build to go off of as a lvl my character. Since this is my first character and I become quite attached to my characters over hours of playing I am coming to you becuase I do not wish to mess up my first charcater to badly in my first go around on this game.

Any help will be greartly appreciated and valued.

Thankyou for your time.

[gwlech]

I really hate to say this, but trying to be as respectful as I possibly can, I will tell you that a rogue is not a very good first character for most people, as it is very hard to build, equip, and play effectively.

I would recommend that you find another class (preferably pure with good self-healing) to use as your first character, so that you can get to know the game mechanics a little bit and then you will be more prepared to build that rogue you always dreamed of.

If you are deadset on having rogue abilities, then the easiest match from 1-20 would be a high str wiz/rogue build imo.

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=218205

Keep in mind it can do 95% or more of the traps in the game as well as locks. You will also need access to the Warforged race.

[Impaqt]

the only reason most folks dont enjoy their rogue from the start is because they make the mistake of thinking melee doesnt matter. They do fine in Korthos, maybe eventhe harbor, but after that, find that they are seriously gimped because everyone is runnign through traps and they cant hit anything to save thier life.

Its good that you came to the forums first.. However, there are literally dozens of rogue builds in the rogue forums. Do a little research. You'll find plenty of builds with good STR, UMD, and very good trap skills to boot.

[KingDrakmar]

Gwelch what kind of class would you sugest would be a good place to start then?

I can go read the forums on the classes that are good for begginers if anyone is willing to enlighten me on what those classes are.

Though I prefer to play a ranged character most of the time I just thought the sealth of the rogue would be fun =D.

Thanks again for any other advice you guys can give me.

[Disavowed]

As stated above. Kudos for coming on here and asking questions prior to rolling your toon. The advice given above is solid. A person can roll a rogue as a first toon but it's hard to do successfully. Rangers and rogues that can dish out & take damage take some insight to the game. It's different than P&P and harder to perfect because of game mechanics.

I would also add that you avoid a ranged toon right now as well. There is a place on here for ranged toons but right now there is a large surplus causing the game to get unbalanced, thus group leaders are avoiding rangers altogether. You will find it difficult to get into groups and even more difficult to stay in groups when you show up with a bow in hand. The way the game mechanics are set up it is impossible for a ranged toon to keep up with the damage of melee toons. As you get experience in the game you will see how a well built ranged toon playes and how he manages to keep agro away from himself allowing himself to be a better contributer to the party.

I know this isn't what you really wanted to hear as I was the same way when I started playing. The best way to learn this game is to do as mentioned above (gwelch I belive). Go melee with a toon that can self heal.

I would suggest a baseline fighter with a couple levels of rogue, ranger, or both. 2 ranger gets you 2 wep fighting for free regardless of dex and 2 rogue gets you evasion and UMD to use wands as rangers use wands automatically. You could go 2 ranger 2 rogue 16 fighter. What ever you do don't skimp on con as you WILL need your hp and find fortification items as you level until you get a heavy fort item.

Good luck feel free to ask more questions if you need to. I'd also suggest if your're stuck on being a rogue. Speak with Quicktoes. He has a great rogue build, but he's been playing a while and has access to gear that it may take you a year to acquire, but he could steer you in the right direction.

Good luck and enjoy the game. You're already ahead of most newbies just by being on here and asking questions.

[Inkblack]

If you are set on a rogue, a finesse rogue is fairly straightforward to play and you will get most of your damage from sneak attack anyway over strength. Below is a basic TWF/Finesse build:

Race:
Elf/Drow - bonuses to search/spot trap skills, extra damage with Rapiers
Halfling - best damage dealing race with cunning/guile enhancements
those are the two races I have recent experience in, but play what you like

Str - 12+
Dex - 16+
Con - 12+
Int - 12+
Wis - 8-12
Cha - 8-12
(I've left a few build points to make it your own, I think)
Put your level-up points into Dexterity

Skills:
The big 5: Disable Device, Open Lock, Search, Spot, Use Magic Device (UMD)
Others: Tumble, Jump, Balance, Diplomacy, Hide, Move Silently, Haggle

Feats:
Weapon Finesse -- helps put that high dexterity to use
Improved Critical: Piercing
Two Weapon Fighting Chain
Toughness
Power Attack (take at high level)
(I don't recommend Oversized Two-Weapon Fighting, you won't have a problem hitting at high levels anyway)

Enhancements:
Subtlety enhancements when you can get them (very important, and don't forget to turn it on)
Extra Dexterity enhancements
Backstab Damage enhancements
Backstab Accuracy enhancements
No more than the second level in trap skill enhancements (the big 5)
(You can respec these easily, so don't be afraid of making a mistake)

Gameplay:
- you don't need to sneak to backstab, unless you go with assassin (insta-death) enhancements. If you think you will go assassin, put some points into intelligence when you build your character.
- try to only hit things once the biggest baddest fighter has hit it. You are a glass cannon, so let them get aggro first. If something attacks you directly, try to lose aggro.
- when you join a group, tell them if you don't know the quest so they can help you with the trap locations
- try to keep up with spot/search/disable device/open lock equipment, the best you can use at your level. Open lock isn't quite as important.
- you only need to wear spot gear when you don't know where the traps are
- you can switch from spot equipment to search equipment after you get the trap warning icon
- once you find the trap box, you can change your search equipment out for disable device equipment
- bottom line, you don't have to wear your full trap gear all the time
- being a mechanic is ok, but you will want to change that when you get to high level
- soloing with a rogue is tough, until you get a radiance II weapon

Rogue 1st Characters:
- I did this 3 years ago. The game is different now, but hopefully I can provide some insight.
- If you just do traps, you will be labeled a bad rogue. Rogues spend far more time in combat. You better be able to do that too. Fortunately you can be trap capable without sinking all your build options into trap-smithing.
- Players expect you to know where traps are. If you don't know the quest, let the party know in advance. If there is someone in the quest that knows it, then they will likely help you with it. The non-verbal cue for "Trap box here!" is facing a wall and jumping up and down.
- Players will rely on your spot skill. If you see the little trap icon, tell everyone ASAP. Do your best Admiral Ackbar impression.
- Traps are important to (some) rogues. They aren't important to the other classes. A common complaint from rogues is that the group won't wait for them to disable the traps. If you disable them, they get experience. If they just run by them and don't wait, it's ok to forego the experience. If anyone complains, "I don't know the quest, so I had to keep up or get lost!" should shut them up.

Hope that helps,
Ink