Vanguard Paladin for new players

[EllisDee37]

This pure paladin vanguard is not a unique or unusual build. It's the cookie-cutter standard approach for a S&B dps paladin. The only reason I'm posting this build at all is to lay out all the details for a brand new player (compared to BigErkyKid's Erkid the Basher) and also to set it up so you can go with S&B immediately from level 1. (Compared to unbongwah's Sacred Vanguards.) Both of those linked builds are strong, and similar, so feel free to go with those instead of this.

No tomes or past lives are required. If you have an int tome, put the extra skill points into Heal.

There are no feat exchanges. For the legendary feat at level 30, regardless which race you choose, go with Arborea for dps or Plane of Earth for more PRR.


Vanguard Paladin
Paladin 20
Lawful Good Human or Dwarf


Stats
. . . . . . . . .28pt . . . . 32pt. . . . .34pt . . . . 36pt. . . .Level Up
. . . . . . . .---------. . --------- . .---------. . --------- . .--------
. . . . . . . .Hum / Dwf. . Hum / Dwf . .Hum / Dwf. . Hum / Dwf . . 4: STR
Strength. . . . 16 / 16 . . .16 / 16. . . 18 / 18 . . .18 / 18. . . 8: STR
Dexterity . . . .8 /. 8 . . . 8 /. 8. . . .8 /. 8 . . . 8 /. 8. . .12: STR
Constitution. . 14 / 14 . . .16 / 16. . . 14 / 14 . . .14 / 16. . .16: STR
Intelligence. . 10 / 12 . . .10 / 12. . . 10 / 12 . . .10 / 12. . .20: STR
Wisdom. . . . . .8 /. 8 . . . 8 / 10. . . .8 /. 8 . . .10 /. 8. . .24: STR
Charisma. . . . 16 / 14 . . .16 / 14. . . 16 / 14 . . .16 / 14. . .28: STR


Skills
. . . . . 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
Concent . 3. 2. . .2 . . 2. . .2 . . 2. . .2 . . 2. . .2 . . 2. . .2 .23
Intim . . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
UMD . . . 2. . .1 . . 1. . .1 . . 1. . .1 . . 1. . .1 . . 1. . .1 . . 11
Heal. . . 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
. . . . .12. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3


Feats

.1. . . . : Stunning Blow
.1 Human. : Exotic Weapon: Bastard Sword (Dwarf skips this, uses Dwarven Axe instead)
.1 Deity. : Follower of: Sovereign Host
.3. . . . : Shield Mastery
.6. . . . : Two Handed Fighting
.6 Deity. : Unyielding Sovereignty
.9. . . . : Improved Critical: Slashing
12. . . . : Improved Shield Mastery
15. . . . : Improved Two Handed Fighting
18. . . . : Greater Two Handed Fighting
21 Epic . : Empower Healing Spell
24 Epic . : Overwhelming Critical
26 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting
27 Epic . : Epic Damage Reduction
28 Destiny: Perfect Two Handed Fighting
29 Destiny: Dire Charge
30 Epic . : Power Attack
30 Legend : Scion of: Arborea OR Scion of: Plane of Earth


Spells

1. Cure Light Wounds, Protection from Evil, Divine Favor, Bless
2. Eagle's Splendor, Resist Energy, Angelskin, Remove Paralysis
3. Cure Moderate Wounds, Magic Circle Against Evil, Prayer, Remove Blindness
4. Holy Sword, Zeal, Cure Serious Wounds, Death Ward

Enhancements (80 AP)

Vanguard (41 AP)

• To the Fore!, Shield Combat I, Vicious Shield I, Shield Combat II, Vicious Shield II, Shield Champion
  
  1. Shield Specialization, Armor Training II
  2. Shield Specialization, Brutality III, Stunning Shield III
  3. Shield Specialization, Follow Up III, Fatal Bulwark, Strength
  4. Shield Specialization, Shield Charge III, Strength
  5. Shield to the Face, Shield Charge III, Armored Strength

Knight of the Chalice (25 AP)

• Slayer of Evil, Courage of Heaven, Slayer of Evil II, Improved Courage of Heaven
  
  1. Extra Turning II, Extra Smite II
  2. Divine Might III, Exalted Cleave III
  3. Exalted Smite III
  4. Empowered Smite

Sacred Defender (13 AP)

• Holy Bastion, Sacred Defense
  
  1. Extra Lay On Hands III, Durable Defense III
  2. Resilient Defense II
  3. Strong Defense III

Human or Dwarf (1 AP)

• Human Damage Boost or Dwarven Toughness

Leveling Guide

1. SD0 Holy Bastion; SD1 Extra Lay On Hands I, II, III
2. SD1 Durable Defense I, II, III; SD2 Resilient Defense I
3. SD0 Sacred Defense; KoC0 Slayer of Evil; KoC1 Extra Smite I, II
4. KoC1 Extra Turning I, II; KoC0 Courage of Heaven; KoC2 Exalted Cleave I
5. KoC2 Exalted Cleave II, III; KoC2 Divine Might I
6. KoC0 Slayer of Evil II; Van0 To the Fore!; Van1 Shield Specialization
7. Van1 Armor Training I, II; Van0 Shield Combat I; Van2 Brutality I
8. Van2 Stunning Shield I, II, III; Van0 Vicious Shield I
9. Van3 Follow Up I, II, III; Van2 Brutality II
10. Van2 Shield Specialization; Van3 Shield Specialization
11. Van2 Brutality III; SD2 Resilient Defense II; SD3 Strong Defense I, II
12. Van0 Shield Combat II; SD3 Strong Defense III; Van3 Strength
13. KoC2 Divine Might II, III
14. KoC3 Exalted Smite I, II
15. KoC0 Improved Courage of Heaven; KoC4 Empowered Smite; Van4 Shield Charge I
16. Van4 Strength; Van4 Shield Charge II, III
17. Van4 Shield Specialization; Van5 Armored Strength
18. Van0 Vicious Shield II; KoC3 Exalted Smite III; Hum0 Damage Boost or Dwf0 Toughness
19. Van5 Shield to the Face; Van3 Fatal Bulwark
20. Van5 Shield Charge I, II, III; Van0 Shield Champion

Destiny (24 AP)

Unyielding Sentinel

1. Energy Resistance III, Brace for Impact II, Shield Prowess III
2. Legendary Shield Mastery III
3. Renewal III, Endless Lay On Hands III
4. Purify Weapon
5. Strength of Vitality III

Twists of Fate (11 fate points)

1. Haste Boost (Tier 3 Dreadnought)
2. Legendary Tactics (Tier 1 Dreadnought)
3. Extra Action Boost (Tier 1 Dreadnought)

Play around with destiny and twists. You might prefer Divine Crusader, and you'll probably want to twist in Sense Weakness from Fury of the Wild. The Haste Boost and Extra Action Boost twists are mainly for Humans; I don't really like using action boosts unless I can double up on them, using two at the same time. (LD Haste + Human Damage.)

You can read about my experience leveling this build through heroics here.

[BrokenFists]

Any ideas for end game gear?

[EllisDee37]

Any end game gear ideas?

Probably start off with necro4 accessories, thunderforge weapon and either Madstone Aegis or Purple Dragon Shield for the shield. (Scroll master's touch for tower shield proficiency.)

That may not be the ultimate in endgame power, but it's the ultimate endgame power people were running with before Legendary was introduced, and it seems fairly easy to acquire.

Once you get this "starter endgame" gear squared away you can focus on legendary gear.

[BrokenFists]

Gear
• Head – Sightless
• Neck – Epic Lion’s Mane + Globe of true imperial blood
• Trinket – Epic Litany of the Dead
• Cloak – Charisma +14 Dodge +12 (new random loot)
• Waist - Strength +14 (new random loot)
• Ring 1 - Ward token + Sapphire of Resistance +8
• Ring 2 – Con +14 (new random loot)
• Boots - Halcyon Boots + Diamond of Wisdom +8
• Gloves – Epic Gloves of the Claw
• Wrists – Dumathoin’s Bracers + Diamond of Insightful Charisma +2
• Armor - Platemail of the Celestial Avenger + Saphire of false life +40 + Golems Heart
• Eyes – LGS googles +22 Competence Intimi +11 Insight Intimi
• Weapon 1 LGS bastard sword Shocking, Shocking Burst
• Weapon 2 THF bastard sword Tier 2
• Shield – Terminus + Diamond of Insightful strength

Thats my current one I use any ideas what i should change first ?

[Vincentthegerman001]

This pure paladin vanguard is not a unique or unusual build. It's the cookie-cutter standard approach for a S&B dps paladin. The only reason I'm posting this build at all is to lay out all the details for a brand new player (compared to BigErkyKid's Erkid the Basher) and also to set it up so you can go with S&B immediately from level 1. (Compared to unbongwah's Sacred Vanguards.) Both of those linked builds are strong, and similar, so feel free to go with those instead of this.

No tomes or past lives are required. If you have an int tome, put the extra skill points into Heal.

There are no feat exchanges. For the legendary feat at level 30, regardless which race you choose, go with Arborea for dps or Plane of Earth for more PRR.


Vanguard Paladin
Paladin 20
Lawful Good Human or Dwarf


Stats
. . . . . . . . .28pt . . . . 32pt. . . . .34pt . . . . 36pt. . . .Level Up
. . . . . . . .---------. . --------- . .---------. . --------- . .--------
. . . . . . . .Hum / Dwf. . Hum / Dwf . .Hum / Dwf. . Hum / Dwf . . 4: STR
Strength. . . . 16 / 16 . . .16 / 16. . . 18 / 18 . . .18 / 18. . . 8: STR
Dexterity . . . .8 /. 8 . . . 8 /. 8. . . .8 /. 8 . . . 8 /. 8. . .12: STR
Constitution. . 14 / 14 . . .16 / 16. . . 14 / 14 . . .14 / 16. . .16: STR
Intelligence. . 10 / 12 . . .10 / 12. . . 10 / 12 . . .10 / 12. . .20: STR
Wisdom. . . . . .8 /. 8 . . . 8 / 10. . . .8 /. 8 . . .10 /. 8. . .24: STR
Charisma. . . . 16 / 14 . . .16 / 14. . . 16 / 14 . . .16 / 14. . .28: STR


Skills
. . . . . 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
Concent . 3. 2. . .2 . . 2. . .2 . . 2. . .2 . . 2. . .2 . . 2. . .2 .23
Intim . . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
UMD . . . 2. . .1 . . 1. . .1 . . 1. . .1 . . 1. . .1 . . 1. . .1 . . 11
Heal. . . 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
. . . . .12. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3. 3


Feats

.1. . . . : Stunning Blow
.1 Human. : Exotic Weapon: Bastard Sword (Dwarf skips this, uses Dwarven Axe instead)
.1 Deity. : Follower of: Sovereign Host
.3. . . . : Shield Mastery
.6. . . . : Two Handed Fighting
.6 Deity. : Unyielding Sovereignty
.9. . . . : Improved Critical: Slashing
12. . . . : Improved Shield Mastery
15. . . . : Improved Two Handed Fighting
18. . . . : Greater Two Handed Fighting
21 Epic . : Empower Healing Spell
24 Epic . : Overwhelming Critical
26 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting
27 Epic . : Epic Damage Reduction
28 Destiny: Perfect Two Handed Fighting
29 Destiny: Deific Warding
30 Epic . : Power Attack
30 Legend : Scion of: Arborea OR Scion of: Plane of Earth


Spells

1. Cure Light Wounds, Protection from Evil, Divine Favor, Bless
2. Eagle's Splendor, Resist Energy, Angelskin, Remove Paralysis
3. Cure Moderate Wounds, Magic Circle Against Evil, Prayer, Remove Blindness
4. Holy Sword, Zeal, Cure Serious Wounds, Death Ward

Enhancements (80 AP)

Vanguard (41 AP)

• To the Fore!, Shield Combat I, Vicious Shield I, Shield Combat II, Vicious Shield II, Shield Champion
  
  1. Shield Specialization, Armor Training II
  2. Shield Specialization, Brutality III, Stunning Shield III
  3. Shield Specialization, Follow Up III, Fatal Bulwark, Strength
  4. Shield Specialization, Shield Charge III, Strength
  5. Shield to the Face, Shield Charge III, Armored Strength

Knight of the Chalice (25 AP)

• Slayer of Evil, Courage of Heaven, Slayer of Evil II, Improved Courage of Heaven
  
  1. Extra Turning II, Extra Smite II
  2. Divine Might III, Exalted Cleave III
  3. Exalted Smite III
  4. Empowered Smite

Sacred Defender (13 AP)

• Holy Bastion, Sacred Defense
  
  1. Extra Lay On Hands III, Durable Defense III
  2. Resilient Defense II
  3. Strong Defense III

Human or Dwarf (1 AP)

• Human Damage Boost or Dwarven Toughness

Leveling Guide

1. SD0 Holy Bastion; SD1 Extra Lay On Hands I, II, III
2. SD1 Durable Defense I, II, III; SD2 Resilient Defense I
3. SD0 Sacred Defense; KoC0 Slayer of Evil; KoC1 Extra Smite I, II
4. KoC1 Extra Turning I, II; KoC0 Courage of Heaven; KoC2 Exalted Cleave I
5. KoC2 Exalted Cleave II, III; KoC2 Divine Might I
6. KoC0 Slayer of Evil II; Van0 To the Fore!; Van1 Shield Specialization
7. Van1 Armor Training I, II; Van0 Shield Combat I; Van2 Brutality I
8. Van2 Stunning Shield I, II, III; Van0 Vicious Shield I
9. Van3 Follow Up I, II, III; Van2 Brutality II
10. Van2 Shield Specialization; Van3 Shield Specialization
11. Van2 Brutality III; SD2 Resilient Defense II; SD3 Strong Defense I, II
12. Van0 Shield Combat II; SD3 Strong Defense III; Van3 Strength
13. KoC2 Divine Might II, III
14. KoC3 Exalted Smite I, II
15. KoC0 Improved Courage of Heaven; KoC4 Empowered Smite; Van4 Shield Charge I
16. Van4 Strength; Van4 Shield Charge II, III
17. Van4 Shield Specialization; Van5 Armored Strength
18. Van0 Vicious Shield II; KoC3 Exalted Smite III; Hum0 Damage Boost or Dwf0 Toughness
19. Van5 Shield to the Face; Van3 Fatal Bulwark
20. Van5 Shield Charge I, II, III; Van0 Shield Champion

Destiny (24 AP)

Unyielding Sentinel

1. Energy Resistance III, Brace for Impact II, Shield Prowess III
2. Legendary Shield Mastery III
3. Renewal III, Endless Lay On Hands III
4. Purify Weapon
5. Strength of Vitality III

Twists of Fate (11 fate points)

1. Haste Boost (Tier 3 Dreadnought)
2. Legendary Tactics (Tier 1 Dreadnought)
3. Extra Action Boost (Tier 1 Dreadnought)

Play around with destiny and twists. You might prefer Divine Crusader, and you'll probably want to twist in Sense Weakness from Fury of the Wild. The Haste Boost and Extra Action Boost twists are mainly for Humans; I don't really like using action boosts unless I can double up on them, using two at the same time. (LD Haste + Human Damage.)

You can read about my experience leveling this build through heroics here.

It actually takes 42 points in the planner to get all those vanguard enhancements.

[Vincentthegerman001]

Also...Why do you list spells at all? The build as only 8 Wisdom, it can't even cast level 1 spells.

[Torkzed]

Also...Why do you list spells at all? The build as only 8 Wisdom, it can't even cast level 1 spells.

You should be able to acquire items to raise your wisdom enough as you level that this will not be a problem. For example, you won't get a lvl 4 spell until level 14, and by then, you can wear a +6 wisdom enhancement item, giving you a 14 wisdom.

(It can be annoying if you have to swap in a wisdom item to cast, but it should not be that hard to fit one into your standard gear set.)

[Vincentthegerman001]

Well, alright...How about tanking? Is this build good at it?

[Torkzed]

Well, alright...How about tanking? Is this build good at it?

Disclaimer: I am not a top-end end game raider, so you may want to seek further advice.

With that said, this build should be highly survivable and fairly "tanky" even for a new player. It might not be obvious at the start to new players, but very little of this game actually requires a "tank" to the extent that other MMOs do.

I play a similar build in a static group that is leveling on elite bravery bonus content, and is there seldom any reason for me to try to "tank". One case I can think of where I did play this role is the mother dragon in the "Mired in Kobolds" quest. Also in some of the newest content, the packs of abishai are easier if i can grab aggro before some of the squishier party members. But it isn't a matter of success or failure, it just might avoid a death or two.

Some of the epic raids can benefit from a tank. This build can probably function okay on normal difficulty with some appropriate gear. Hitting the marks for Epic Elite or Legendary Elite is likely going to require some tweaking of the build (and past lives, best gear, etc) and I will definitely not try to explain in detail, since I have never tried to build an LE capable tank.

At the moment, it seems to be a moot point, since few people are doing EE or LE raiding due to the lag issues the game is experiencing.

[RTN]

With that said, this build should be highly survivable and fairly "tanky" even for a new player. It might not be obvious at the start to new players, but very little of this game actually requires a "tank" to the extent that other MMOs do.

Some of the epic raids can benefit from a tank. This build can probably function okay on normal difficulty with some appropriate gear. Hitting the marks for Epic Elite or Legendary Elite is likely going to require some tweaking of the build (and past lives, best gear, etc) and I will definitely not try to explain in detail, since I have never tried to build an LE capable tank.

Just to back up Torkzed, I run something similar with some past lives, farmed gear, etc. This build can certainly tank most 6 man quests. It isn't necessary, but it can help control the chaos and cut down on party deaths. Tanking EE or LE raid bosses is a different game entirely and you'll need a dedicated healer (pretty rare if you're pugging) or be willing to use resources with a build like this. However, I also doubt a first lifer, which is what this build is for, will be running EE or LE raids, especially in a critical role. Plus, as Torkzed wrote, tanking isn't nearly as important to DDO these days.

[EllisDee37]

It actually takes 42 points in the planner to get all those vanguard enhancements.

I put the build together with my planner (link in signature), which shows 41 AP. The only way for it to actually cost 42 AP instead of 41 AP would be if I took a single-rank enhancement that my planner says costs 1 AP but really costs 2 AP. I do not take any single-rank enhancements that cost 1 AP, so I'm skeptical.

[Vincentthegerman001]

I put the build together with my planner (link in signature), which shows 41 AP. The only way for it to actually cost 42 AP instead of 41 AP would be if I took a single-rank enhancement that my planner says costs 1 AP but really costs 2 AP. I do not take any single-rank enhancements that cost 1 AP, so I'm skeptical.

Riiight, I see it now, I used the old character planner originally.

Alright, final question. Why Power Attack at level 30? I see so many better alternatives.

[EllisDee37]

Alright, final question. Why Power Attack at level 30? I see so many better alternatives.

I'm open to suggestions. There are precious few epic melee feats, and +5 base damage seemed like the best of the remaining heroic choices. I'm not married to power attack there.

[Vincentthegerman001]

Well, alright. I just see a lot of people taking it early on or not at all. Would the build be hurt too much if I dumped the racial boost and added a third rank to resilient defence?

[EllisDee37]

Well, alright. I just see a lot of people taking it early on or not at all. Would the build be hurt too much if I dumped the racial boost and added a third rank to resilient defence?

Assuming human, your burst dps would take a big hit, yes.

[biglou]

Ok this build lost me why 4 feats spent on THF if it is S&B build?

[EllisDee37]

Ok this build lost me why 4 feats spent on THF if it is S&B build?

Bastard Swords and Dwarven Axes get glancing blows when not TWF, and they're helped by the THF chain the same as THF weapons.

[Goldcrown51]

Thanks For posting i prefer Wizards and Sorcerers but had to try to run one this made it easy

[Shaft131]

I saw on another build that he recommend that you go khopesh vs bastard sword. Is that still a good option or no?

[EllisDee37]

I saw on another build that he recommend that you go khopesh vs bastard sword. Is that still a good option or no?

I prefer bastard swords for the glancing blows. Khopeshes don't get those, meaning you'd get no benefit from the THF feats. So it would then start to become a different build with different feats.

During my vanguard life I got great mileage out of glancing blows with my bastard sword, and wouldn't want to go vanguard without it. (Or dwarven axe if I were dwarf, as they also get glancing blows.)