I have a 20 WF FVS that I plan on rebuilding to be basically a toon that shield blocks, and uses his light damage (searing light, DoT's ect). Anyone have a good build for this already written out?
Everyone has something that fits their own play style. No one can tell YOU how YOU will function best with a particular build. That being said, here's my 2 cents that you can take with a grain of salt:
Warforged is the wrong race for what you're trying to accomplish. You want human. Plain and simple.
By focusing on your light damage you're also significantly enhancing your alignment-based attacks, which are evocations. This leads into blade barrier/cometfall/holy smite, etc etc etc that are also evocations. Those are VERY large parts of your offensive profile, and it would be unwise to neglect them by nerfing your DC's (And you really do want every bit of those DC's that you can muster up).
That being said: I've seen people with a caster-oriented warforged favored soul that were still perfectly effective and viable builds for end-game content. They had to work a little harder to get there though, and occsionally you'd see a few flaws float through their design (they have benefits in situations fleshy-type FvS's do not, however).
In general your build with be basically the same
Toughness, Empower, Maximize, Quicken, Evocation Focus, Greater Evocation Focus, and 1 add'l feat (or two if you're human) in whatever order you feel appropriate for your style of play. (If someone tells you to take empower healing on a FvS, then just keep walking. They likely still listen to AM Radio -- Especially considering the build you're aiming for).
A human favored soul without greensteel can easily hit about 2500sp and 420ish hit points with moderate gear. Those that have invested the time and earned better items could likely find themselves hanging out in the 2800-3000sp range and 500+hps.
I personally run a 20 Human Favored Soul of the Silver Flame. Simple 32pt Build -- not TR'd powergaming involved on her whatsoever. I've hit well into the 2,000's for both damage and healing using divine punishment (great benefit, but huge sp cost), holy smites, firestorms, heals, etc. I've seen negative energy and blade barrier crits in the 1100's and have yet to have the good fortune of locating an Eardweller.
She features Toughness, Spell Focus (Evocation), Greater Spell Focus (Evocation), Empower, Maximize, Spell Focus (Necromancy), Greater Spell Focus (Necromancy), and Quicken in that order. She's capable of cranking on significant dps and can carry a group all day with her heals. I also personally enjoy the double necromancy focus and get a serious kick out of dropping instant death spells and harms all over the place (Note: Implosion = Evocation Focus).
Something a lot of people do not realize is how inefficient a FvS's offensive power is. They only see that we can hit these big divine punishment crits in raids. They think that a divine dealing 2k damage is overpowered -- tell that to the Savant dealing 5.3k crits (confirmed numbers). They also don't consider the time and resources involved in getting your damage up to that level.
In short: You're a healer with nukes -- not a nuker with heals. Those grouping with you will thank you for understanding the difference.
If you stay WF, then keep empower healing. The healing penalty hurts when taking big chunks of damage.
However, also for a human it is a valuable feat if you stay with the sovereign host - since it works on your healing capstone.
(and empower healing is always good for raid healing, only meta that boosts heal/empower heal)
Last edited by Anneliese; 07-05-2011 at 04:15 PM.
Devourer: Anneliese, 20 Drow Sorc
I'm going to second Splatter's post.
I play pretty much what you're looking for as my main - and he's human.
Maximize, Empower, Quicken, Heighten, SF:Evo, GSF:Evo, Toughness, Shield Mastery.
16 CON, 18 WIS - rest dumped.
I don't have uber gear. I do have my 2x greensteel items. HP are 577 and SP 2800. I do have a torc (i can shield block Lailat on Hard without needing to move or heal so getting a torc wasn't that hard).
He's an excellent raid healer. Can solo incredibly well (BB trash, DP bosses). Is survivable like you wouldn't believe.
It sounds like this is exactly what you want to play - it's worth it - go human.
As I originally stated: If someone tells a FvS to take Empower Healing in place of Empower, then just keep on walking. There's nothing to see here.
DO NOT Taken Empower Healing.
Empower affects both damage AND healing
Normally Empower costs 5sp more as a result
However, Favored Souls can specialize in Empower just like a Wizard or Sorcerer to lower the cost to 9sp
Pick up an Improved Empower II item (such as the scepters from the Harbinger of Madness Chain or Ring of Thelis for the Raid enthusiasts) to lower the cost to 7sp.
It's not power gaming -- It's intelligent gaming. If you want to be a light-based favored soul, then empower healing is NOT the road you need to be traveling. The only thing Empower Healing Spell will do for you that Empower Spell won't is affect your "Heal" and "Mass Heal" Spells, which frankly DO NOT need any assistance if you have a simple Superior Devotion VI Item (Which grow on trees basically. Heck -- I'll GIVE you one if you need it that badly). If you want to get REALLY fancy, then get a Superior Ardor VI Clickable Item, or the Radiant Servant/Silver Flame Cleric Belts from Amrath. They each have Superior Ardor VIII Clickables on them to make you a mass cure casting / raid healing machine (no pun intended as a Warforged).
I never once said Superior Ardor VIII would increase the output of your mass heals. I said it would "make you a mass cure casting / raid healing machine (no pun intended as a Warforged)." Who needs to buff mass heals? It's nothing but severe overhealing that casts far too slowly for use in most raids (though it is fantastic for general questing). Since the spell pass from Update 9 Mass Cure Light has shined through as the clear winner in raid healing. When it's on cooldown, though, it's nice to have the option of firing another quick party heal to keep you up and running.
Alright, I'm not thrilled with the idea of a TR on him, so figure a 32 point warforged, I like the extra DR, granted my wisdom will be end-game max 4 points lower being WF, however the added bonus of the extra DR is nice for what I have planned for him. My question then would be which slots should I fit his conc op GS item into, and his HP item into? I'm not familiar with caster gear much since 99% of my toons are melee monk type focused.
I was thinking of doing an item that is part sp part hp for both, making a conc op and probably a min II item? the thoughts there, and I ahve the components to do so, just don't want to waste another gs as i did on my cleric, he has 6 res clickies that got killed down to just raise dead instead of true res. gah
He already has a bauble, (non epic) ss ring, and an epic twisted talisman, just for ya info, I do have the seal/shard/scroll for the esos, however I don't have the base item on the fvs yet, so i will have that someday (soon i hope), but not going to be focusing on melee as my main dps,,, mostly bb when soloing, or if it comes down to it, the searing light align damage spells plus the pre dot damage as a tank