New Warrior Help

[Victros]

I'm new to DDO and I need help with a couple of things:

1) Is there a pure fighter build that I can use to solo effectively with a Cleric hireling?

2) In groups, will a fighter be expected to tank often? Is tanking difficult in DDO? Is it even needed?

Thanks!

[unbongwah]

"Tanking" in the conventional MMO sense is largely unnecessary in DDO. Aggro management in DDO is a lot more complicated and chaotic than it is other MMOs, IMHO; and most of the time you're better off focusing on DPS. But if you're still interested in a S&B build, have a look at my Dwarven Defender and Sacred Defender threads.

Several of the builds in my signature are intended to be new-player-friendly. Also check out EllisDee37's builds.

[Victros]

"Tanking" in the conventional MMO sense is largely unnecessary in DDO. Aggro management in DDO is a lot more complicated and chaotic than it is other MMOs, IMHO; and most of the time you're better off focusing on DPS. But if you're still interested in a S&B build, have a look at my Dwarven Defender and Sacred Defender threads.

Several of the builds in my signature are intended to be new-player-friendly. Also check out EllisDee37's builds.

Thanks! Would the Dwarven Defender be OK for soloing with a Cleric hireling?

[unbongwah]

Yes, although pure fighters have some key weaknesses: namely low Reflex & Will saves (traps & spells can do a lot a dmg, esp. on Elite), no Evasion, and no self-healing nor self-buffing.

My Dwarven Defender is currently sitting at lvl 28, doing some gear farming etc. before I ER then HTR. I had a lot of fun, but if I had to do it all over again, I'd probably do ftr 18 / pal 2 (Div Grace); or I'd take the Kensei capstone instead to be more DPS-focused (which req's tweaking my feats too). I've also got some ideas for builds with a heavy FvS splash for Warpriest + Shield of Condemnation (AoV).