This thread replaces my last Dwarven Defender thread. The build goal is the same: a classic S&B pure fighter using dwarven racial bonuses as much as possible.
EDIT (06/16/16): the recent buffs to Kensei have given pure fighters a badly-needed buff to melee DPS; that's the good news. The bad news is this strains APs further, making it debatable whether one should invest heavily into dwarf racial tree at all. But without those racial bonuses, you're better off with human for all the usual reasons. So let's look at two different builds and their differing philosophies.
Kundarak Fortress (28-pt F2P build)
This build focuses on DPS as much as possible for a S&B ftr, with a decent side of tactics. To that end, I max out Dwarf Fortress for +7% S&B DPS; take T5 Kensei + capstone which my back-of-envelope math suggests is actually better DPS than T5 Vanguard + capstone (despite the lower atk speed); while still spending 21 APs in VG for +10% atk speed. The downside to this approach is I don't have enough APs left over for Stalwart Defender; I take Toughness+eToughness in part to compensate for not having Tenacious Defense (+20% HPs), although I could just as easily drop those for more DPS or tactics feats instead. In fact, I was half-tempted to go FotW instead of LD, just for the LULZ of Adrenaline + Good Death on a S&B "tank."
Kundarak SentinelCode:Kundarak Fortress Fighter 20 True Neutral Dwarf Stats 28pt Tome Level Up ---- ---- -------- Strength 16 +2 4: STR Dexterity 12 +1 8: STR Constitution 18 +3 12: STR Intelligence 12 +1 16: STR Wisdom 8 20: STR Charisma 6 24: STR 28: STR Skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ------------------------------------------------------------ Intim 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23 Balance 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 UMD 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Tumble 1 1 ------------------------------------------------------------ 12 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Feats 1 : Power Attack 1 Fighter: Cleave 2 Fighter: Shield Mastery 3 : Two Handed Fighting 4 Fighter: Great Cleave 6 : Improved Two Handed Fighting 6 Fighter: Weapon Focus: Slashing 8 Fighter: Improved Shield Mastery 9 : Improved Critical: Slashing 10 Fighter: Weapon Specialization: Slashing 12 : Greater Two Handed Fighting 12 Fighter: Greater Weapon Focus: Slashing 14 Fighter: Heavy Armor Champion OR Improved Shield Bash 15 : Toughness 16 Fighter: Tactical Supremacy 18 : Stunning Blow OR Improved Trip 18 Fighter: Combat Expertise 20 Fighter: Precision 21 Epic : Overwhelming Critical 24 Epic : Bulwark of Defense 26 Destiny: Perfect Two Handed Fighting 27 Epic : Blinding Speed 28 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting OR Elusive Target 29 Destiny: Dire Charge 30 Epic : Tactical Mastery OR Heavy Armor Master 30 Swap : Epic Toughness replaces Bulwark of Defense 30 Legend : Scion of: Arborea OR Plane of Earth Enhancements (80 AP) Kensei (41 AP)Vanguard (21 AP)
- Kensei Focus: Axes, Spiritual Bond, Strike with No Thought, Power Surge, One Cut, Alacrity
- Extra Action Boost III, Weapon Group Specialization, Haste Boost III
- Weapon Group Specialization
- Weapon Group Specialization, Shattering Strike III, Strength
- Weapon Group Specialization, Strike at the Heart, Opportunity Attack, Liquid Courage, Strength
- A Good Death: Melee, Weapon Master, One with the Blade, Deadly Strike, Keen Edge
Dwarf (18 AP)
- To the Fore!, Shield Combat I, Vicious Shield I, Shield Combat II
- Shield Specialization, Shield Smash III
- Shield Specialization, Stunning Shield I
- Shield Specialization, Follow Up III, Fatal Bulwark, Strength
Leveling Guide
- Dwarven Toughness
- Iron Stomach III, Axe Training
- Child of the Mountain III
- Stand Like Stone III
- Dwarf Fortress III
Destiny (24 AP) Legendary Dreadnought
- Ken0 Kensei Focus: Axes; Ken1 Haste Boost I, II, III
- Ken1 Weapon Group Specialization; Ken1 Extra Action Boost I
- Ken0 Spiritual Bond; Van0 To the Fore!; Van1 Shield Specialization
- Van1 Shield Smash I, II; Van0 Shield Combat I; Van1 Shield Smash III
- Van2 Stunning Shield I; Ken1 Extra Action Boost II; Ken3 Shattering Strike I
- Ken0 Strike with No Thought; Van2 Shield Specialization; Van0 Vicious Shield I
- Ken2 Weapon Group Specialization; Van3 Fatal Bulwark
- Ken3 Strength; Ken1 Extra Action Boost III
- Ken3 Shattering Strike II; Ken4 Opportunity Attack
- Ken4 Liquid Courage; Ken3 Weapon Group Specialization
- Ken4 Strike at the Heart; Ken3 Shattering Strike III; (Bank 2 AP)
- Ken0 Power Surge; Ken5 One with the Blade; Ken5 Keen Edge; Ken4 Weapon Group Specialization; Ken5 Weapon Master
- Ken5 A Good Death: Melee; Ken5 Deadly Strike; Van3 Shield Specialization
- Van3 Follow Up I, II, III
- Van3 Strength; Van0 Shield Combat II; Ken4 Strength
- Dwf0 Dwarven Toughness; Dwf1 Iron Stomach I, II, III
- Dwf1 Axe Training; Dwf2 Child of the Mountain I
- Ken0 One Cut; Dwf2 Child of the Mountain II; Dwf3 Stand Like Stone I
- Dwf3 Stand Like Stone II; Dwf2 Child of the Mountain III; Dwf3 Stand Like Stone III
- Ken0 Alacrity; Dwf4 Dwarf Fortress I, II, III
Twists of Fate (30 fate points)
- Legendary Tactics III, Extra Action Boost III
- Momentum Swing III, Imp. Combat Expertise, Imp. Power Attack
- Lay Waste
- Anvil of Thunder
- Advancing Blows, Devastating Critical
- Master's Blitz, Headman's Chop
- Sense Weakness (Tier 4 Fury)
- Grim Precision (Tier 3 Shadowdancer)
- Legendary Shield Mastery (Tier 2 Sentinel)
- Primal Scream (Tier 1 Fury)
On the flip side we have this build, which emphasizes survivability over DPS: focused on CON + TYWA, while still spending 21 APs on VG. Taking TYWA eats up 18 APs, though, so I don't have enough for Kensei, in particular Strike w/No Thought (+1 crit multiplier). Not bothering with a heroic leveling guide, as this is more of an epic / endgame-focused build.
Code:Kundarak Sentinel Fighter 20 Chaotic Good Dwarf Stats 36pt Tome Level Up ---- ---- -------- Strength 13 +4 4: CON Dexterity 9 +4 8: CON Constitution 20 +4 12: CON Intelligence 16 +4 16: CON Wisdom 8 20: CON Charisma 10 +3 24: CON 28: CON Skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ------------------------------------------------------------ Intim 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23 Heal 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Spellcr 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Search 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Balance 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 UMD 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Tumble 1 1 ------------------------------------------------------------ 20 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 Feats 1 : Power Attack 1 Fighter: Cleave 2 Fighter: Shield Mastery 3 : Insightful Reflexes 4 Fighter: Great Cleave 6 : Toughness 6 Fighter: Combat Expertise 8 Fighter: Improved Shield Mastery 9 : Improved Critical: Slashing 10 Fighter: Two Handed Fighting 12 : Force of Personality 12 Fighter: Heavy Armor Master 14 Fighter: Heavy Armor Champion 15 : Shield Deflection OR Improved Shield Bash 16 Fighter: Improved Two Handed Fighting 18 : Magical Training 18 Fighter: Greater Two Handed Fighting 20 Fighter: Precision 21 Epic : Overwhelming Critical 24 Epic : Epic Toughness 26 Destiny: Perfect Two Handed Fighting OR Perfect Two Weapon Fighting 27 Epic : Epic Damage Reduction 28 Destiny: Elusive Target 29 Destiny: Deific Warding 30 Epic : Blinding Speed OR Heavy Armor Combatant 30 Legend : Scion of: Plane of Earth OR Celestia Enhancements (80 AP) Stalwart Defender (41 AP)Vanguard (21 AP)
- Toughness, Stalwart Defense, Overbalance, Stand Fast, Defensive Sweep, Last Stand
- Durable Defense III, Stalwart Defensive Mastery III
- Resilient Defense III, Stalwart Shield Mastery III, Armor Expertise III
- Inciting Defense I, Tenacious Defense III, Shield Expertise III
- Swift Defense, Hardy Defense III, Reinforced Armor III
- Block and Cut III, Reinforced Shield III
Dwarf (18 AP)
- To the Fore!, Shield Combat I, Vicious Shield I, Shield Combat II
- Shield Specialization, Shield Smash III
- Stunning Shield I, Missile Shield III, Melee Power Boost III
- Follow Up III, Fatal Bulwark
Destiny (24 AP) Unyielding Sentinel
- Dwarven Toughness, Dwarven Constitution, Dwarven Toughness II, Dwarven Constitution II
- Axe Training, Dwarven Armor Mastery III
- Axe Training
- Axe Training
- Axe Training, Throw Your Weight Around
Twists of Fate (27 fate points)
- Commanding Presence I, Brace for Impact II, Shield Prowess III
- Block Energy III, Legendary Shield Mastery III
- Renewal III
- Purify Weapon
- Strength of Vitality III
- Undying Vanguard
- Sacred Ground (Tier 3 Crusader)
- Consecration (Tier 2 Crusader)
- Imp. Combat Expertise (Tier 2 Dreadnought)
- Rejuvenation Cocoon (Tier 1 Primal)
- Endless Faith (Tier 1 Exalted)
Results 1 to 20 of 37
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02-20-2016, 04:13 PM #1Build Constructionist
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Re-Revisiting the Dwarven Defender for New Players (U29)
Last edited by unbongwah; 06-17-2016 at 12:32 PM.
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02-20-2016, 04:13 PM #2Build Constructionist
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Gear Recommendations
So here are the things you need to bear in mind when gearing up your tank:
- Stat bonuses: STR & CON are you primary stats, of course, for DPS & HPs, respectively. For the Harper Defender, INT is also important, as it boosts Reflex saves and Know the Angles; while for the F2P, DEX is secondary for Reflex saves. CHA boosts your Intimidate and UMD, so it's a tertiary stat. WIS boosts your Will saves, but since WIS is a dump stat, you'll be relying more on gear & buffs for protection.
- DPS: Deadly, Speed / Alacrity, doublestrike, and Seeker are all important. When you start using tactics (Stunning Blow et al), you'll also need to invest in DC bonuses, like Combat Mastery and Stunning.
- Survivability: False Life + Vitality boost your HPs; Resistance + Parrying / Riposte items boost your saving throws (you can also use Stability gear since this build is TN); Fortification protects against critical hits & sneak atks; DR & PRR protects against physical dmg; while energy resists & MRR protect against elemental / magical dmg.
Last edited by unbongwah; 06-17-2016 at 11:24 AM.
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02-20-2016, 04:14 PM #3Build Constructionist
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EDIT: U29 builds - obsolete, archived for posterity.
Fresh Off the Korthos Boat (28-pt F2P build)
This build embraces the S&B lifestyle from the very beginning; you need to use dwarven axes to get glancing blows. I'm still getting the hang of the leveling guide, but basically the priorities are: get defensive stance & Durable Defense (+25 PRR) ASAP at lvl 3; then focus most of your APs on Vanguard until lvl 12; after filling in the rest of the Stalwart D. enhancements (really want Swift Defense for +10% run speed), then you turn your attention to dwarf racial bonuses, with the final goal of Dwarf Fortress for +7% S&B DPS.Code:Dwarven Defender (U29) Fighter 20 True Neutral Dwarf Stats 28pt Tome Level Up ---- ---- -------- Strength 16 4: STR Dexterity 12 +1 8: STR Constitution 18 +3 12: STR Intelligence 12 +1 16: STR Wisdom 8 20: STR Charisma 6 24: STR 28: STR Skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ------------------------------------------------------------ Intim 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23 Heal 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 UMD 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Tumble 1 1 ------------------------------------------------------------ 12 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Feats 1 : Power Attack 1 Fighter: Shield Mastery 2 Fighter: Cleave 3 : Two Handed Fighting 4 Fighter: Great Cleave 6 : Improved Two Handed Fighting 6 Fighter: Stunning Blow 8 Fighter: Improved Shield Mastery 9 : Improved Critical: Slashing 10 Fighter: Improved Shield Bash 12 : Greater Two Handed Fighting 12 Fighter: Tactical Mastery 14 Fighter: Heavy Armor Champion 15 : Heavy Armor Master 16 Fighter: Tactical Supremacy 18 : Toughness 18 Fighter: Combat Expertise 20 Fighter: Precision 21 Epic : Overwhelming Critical 24 Epic : Magical Training 26 Destiny: Perfect Two Handed Fighting OR Perfect Two Weapon Fighting 27 Epic : Epic Damage Reduction 28 Destiny: Elusive Target 29 Destiny: Dire Charge 30 Epic : Epic Toughness 30 Legend : Scion of: Arborea Enhancements (80 AP) Vanguard (41 AP)- To the Fore!, Shield Combat I, Vicious Shield I, Shield Combat II, Vicious Shield II, Shield Champion
- Shield Specialization, Shield Smash III
- Shield Specialization, Brutality III, Stunning Shield III, Missile Shield III, Melee Power Boost III
- Shield Specialization, Follow Up III, Fatal Bulwark
- (none)
- Shield to the Face, Disorienting Smash II, Shield Charge III, Armored Strength
- Toughness, Stalwart Defense, Overbalance
- Durable Defense III, Threatening Countenance III
- Resilient Defense III
- Inciting Defense III, Tenacious Defense III, Strength
- Swift Defense
- Dwarven Toughness, Dwarven Constitution
- Axe Training
- Dwarven Tactics I, Child of the Mountain III
- Stand Like Stone III
- Dwarf Fortress III
- Van0 To the Fore!; Van1 Shield Smash I, II
- Van1 Shield Specialization; SD0 Toughness; SD1 Threatening Countenance I; (Bank 1 AP)
- Van0 Shield Combat I; SD1 Durable Defense I, II, III; SD0 Stalwart Defense
- Van1 Shield Smash III; Van2 Stunning Shield I, II, III
- Van2 Missile Shield I; Van2 Melee Power Boost I, II, III
- Van0 Vicious Shield I; Van3 Follow Up I, II, III
- SD2 Resilient Defense I, II, III; SD1 Threatening Countenance II
- SD3 Tenacious Defense I, II, III
- Van2 Shield Specialization; Van3 Shield Specialization; Van2 Missile Shield II
- Van2 Missile Shield III; Van3 Fatal Bulwark; Van2 Brutality I
- Van2 Brutality II, III; SD0 Overbalance; (Bank 1 AP)
- Van0 Shield Combat II; Van5 Armored Strength; Van5 Shield to the Face
- Van5 Shield Charge I, II, III; Van5 Disorienting Smash I
- Van5 Disorienting Smash II; SD3 Strength; SD3 Inciting Defense I
- SD3 Inciting Defense II, III; SD1 Threatening Countenance III; SD4 Swift Defense
- Dwf0 Dwarven Toughness; Dwf0 Dwarven Constitution
- Dwf1 Axe Training; Dwf2 Child of the Mountain I; Dwf2 Dwarven Tactics I
- Van0 Vicious Shield II; Dwf2 Child of the Mountain II; Dwf3 Stand Like Stone I
- Dwf3 Stand Like Stone II; Dwf2 Child of the Mountain III; Dwf3 Stand Like Stone III
- Van0 Shield Champion; Dwf4 Dwarf Fortress I, II, III
- Legendary Tactics III, Extra Action Boost III
- Momentum Swing III, Imp. Combat Expertise, Imp. Power Attack
- Critical Damage I
- Anvil of Thunder
- Advancing Blows, Devastating Critical
- Master's Blitz, Headman's Chop
- Sacred Ground (Tier 3 Crusader)
- Consecration (Tier 2 Crusader)
- Legendary Shield Mastery (Tier 2 Sentinel)
- Endless Faith (Tier 1 Exalted)
Skills: Intimidate is obvious and I always like having Use Magic Device (UMD) on all my toons if I have the skill pts to spare. I maxed out Heal for +11 Positive Spellpower to ED healing abilities; Balance is a good alternative and would be more useful for leveling. Another option would be Spellcraft to boost Spellpower if you plan to take one of the Scion of Plane of <element> feats instead of Arborea.
I took the two best tactics feats for +14 DCs and the two best armor feats for +21 PRR & MRR. The lower-level versions of these feats provide less oomph, so I omitted them. [I could squeeze out another +8 DCs by taking Tactician ED feat + the other two fighter tactics feats, I'm just not convinced it's worth the 3-feat cost.] This build will eventually have four separate stunning abilities: Stunning Blow, Stunning Shield, Shield Champion (5% chance to stun on any shield bash), and Dire Charge.
As presented, this build requires a +1 INT tome for Combat Expertise and +1 DEX tome for Precision; this provides maximum flexibility in combat stances. I backloaded the feats to give you as much time as possible to acquire those tomes, either thru loot drops or from the Auction House; likewise the +3 CON tome you need to take epic Toughness at lvl 30. Use Power Attack for 0% Fortification mobs and/or to use Momentum Swing+Lay Waste; use Precision for high-Fort targets like undead or bosses; use CE when you want to max out your AC & PRR via Imp Combat Expertise in LD.
This build will use Legendary Dreadnought (LD) most of the time; essentially you're relying on LD / Blitz DPS bonuses to do the heavy lifting to make up for weak ftr DPS.
The only must-have Twist is Legendary Shield Mastery for the extra doublestrike & PRR, so you'll want to grab that early on. For self-healing you'll also be relying on ED abilities. In this configuration, I took Consecration + Sacred Ground; having Magical Training feat + Endless Faith twist means Echoes of Power will regen 30 SPs, which is exactly what you need for Consecration. 
Listed Twists are a best-case scenario, though: 22 Fate pts at lvl 30 requires 51 ED levels to unlock that many pts.
Harper Defender
This build is more advanced, as it requires Harper for Know the Angles to boost dmg & tactics DCs. I also presumed a +4 Supreme tome, in part so I could put the bare minimum into DEX & CON while still qualifying for Precision & epic Toughness, respectively; this in turn lets me put more pts into STR & INT for higher DPS, DCs, and Reflex saves. I dropped Heavy Armor Master (+9 PRR/MRR) for Insightful Reflexes; I also swapped Arborea for Plane of Water for +20 MRR and the 2d20 cold dmg. The downside is figuring out where to slot Glaciation in your endgame gear.
Not bothering to list EDs or leveling guide, as they'll basically be the same as the F2P build.
Code:Dwarven Defender (Harper) Fighter 20 True Neutral Dwarf Stats 36pt Tome Level Up ---- ---- -------- Strength 18 +4 4: STR Dexterity 9 +4 8: STR Constitution 17 +4 12: STR Intelligence 16 +4 16: STR Wisdom 8 +4 20: STR Charisma 7 +4 24: STR 28: STR Skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ------------------------------------------------------------ Intim 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23 Heal 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Spellcr 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Search 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Balance 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 UMD 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Tumble 1 1 ------------------------------------------------------------ 20 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 Feats 1 : Power Attack 1 Fighter: Shield Mastery 2 Fighter: Cleave 3 : Stunning Blow 4 Fighter: Great Cleave 6 : Insightful Reflexes 6 Fighter: Two Handed Fighting 8 Fighter: Improved Shield Mastery 9 : Improved Critical: Slashing 10 Fighter: Improved Two Handed Fighting 12 : Improved Shield Bash 12 Fighter: Greater Two Handed Fighting 14 Fighter: Tactical Mastery 15 : Heavy Armor Champion 16 Fighter: Tactical Supremacy 18 : Toughness 18 Fighter: Combat Expertise 20 Fighter: Precision 21 Epic : Overwhelming Critical 24 Epic : Magical Training 26 Destiny: Perfect Two Handed Fighting 27 Epic : Epic Damage Reduction 28 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting 29 Destiny: Dire Charge 30 Epic : Epic Toughness 30 Legend : Scion of: Plane of Water Enhancements (80 AP) Vanguard (41 AP)- To the Fore!, Shield Combat I, Vicious Shield I, Shield Combat II, Vicious Shield II, Shield Champion
- Shield Specialization, Shield Smash III
- Shield Specialization, Brutality III, Stunning Shield III, Missile Shield III, Melee Power Boost III
- Follow Up III, Fatal Bulwark, Strength
- (none)
- Shield to the Face, Disorienting Smash II, Shield Charge III, Armored Strength
- Dwarven Toughness, Dwarven Constitution
- Axe Training
- Dwarven Tactics I, Child of the Mountain III
- Stand Like Stone III
- Dwarf Fortress III
- Toughness, Stalwart Defense, Overbalance
- Durable Defense III, Threatening Countenance II
- Resilient Defense III
- Tenacious Defense III
- Agent of Good I
- Harper Enchantment, Traveler's Toughness II
- Versatile Adept II
EDIT: These calculations are obsolete, but they still give you some idea of what to aim for.
Melee Power (level 30)
30 epic levels
18 LD cores
10 Armored Strength (T5 Vanguard)
6 gear (Sightless)
6 THF feat chain
72 Melee Power baseline
70 max Blitz
142 Melee Power stacked
30 Melee Power action boost
+9 Follow Up (Vanguard)
181 Melee Power burst DPS (12 secs)
PRR (level 30)
50 heavy armor with BAB 25
25 Stalwart defensive stance
21 Heavy Armor Master + Champion feats
15 tower shield
15 Improved Shield Mastery
15 Legendary Shield Mastery
10 Epic DR feat
151 PRR base (~60% reduction)
+38 Sheltering (Platemail of Celestial Avenger)
+10 BAB 30 (UMD Tensers or Divine Power)
+1 Mythic Shield bonus (Demonic Slab)
+5 Insightful Sheltering (Circle of Malevolence)
205 PRR buffed & geared (~67% reduction)
+20 Improved Combat Expertise
+30 Unyielding Sentinel (Heed No Pain + Unbreakable Stance)
255 PRR MAXIMUM TANKAGE!!1! (~72% reduction)
MRR (level 30)
25 Stalwart defensive stance
21 Heavy Armor Master + Champion feats
15 tower shield
61 MRR base (~38% dmg reduction)
+38 Sheltering (Platemail of Celestial Avenger)
+1 Mythic Shield bonus (Demonic Slab)
+5 Insightful Sheltering (Circle of Malevolence)
105 MRR geared (~51% dmg reduction)
+20 Scion of Plane of Water
125 MRR (~55.5% dmg reduction)
So an extra 4.5% magical dmg reduction is a good incentive to consider Plane of Water instead of Arborea. The 2d20 cold dmg and +200 SPs don't hurt either, the only downside being having to figure out where to slot Glaciation Spellpower to boost that cold dmg.Last edited by unbongwah; 06-17-2016 at 11:24 AM.
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02-20-2016, 07:18 PM #4Community Member
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Paladin is a F2P Class so why not put up Paladin/Ftr mix builds for newbies?
14 Paladin / 6 Fighter {extra feats on a Pally base}
16 Fighter / 4 Paladin {Access to KotC T4}
12 Fighter / 5 Paladin / 3 Rogue {Access to KotC T5, Trap Skills, Evasion and 2d6 Sneak Attck bonus}.
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02-20-2016, 07:57 PM #5Build Constructionist
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Multiclassing means giving up the Vanguard capstone; and the VG cap is very very nice.
Originally Posted by FranOhmsford
Plus I've already got a pure pally build; now I wanted to update the pure ftr build.
And frankly, once you start down the paladin path, you might as well stick with it.Semi-retired Build Engineer. Everything was better back in our day. Get off my lawn.
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02-21-2016, 01:51 AM #6Community Member
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I actually prefer KotC even on a S+B build than Vanguard but that's me. Originally Posted by unbongwah
Multiclassing means giving up the Vanguard capstone; and the VG cap is very very nice.
Oh that's fine but the thread doesn't state Pure Ftr - It states Dwarven Defender {which can be a Paladin or even a Battle Cleric.}. Originally Posted by unbongwah
3 Feats is a strong reason to go 18/2 {4 Feats for 16/4, 17/3 may still be a decent option too.}. Originally Posted by unbongwah
Especially now that we have so many must take Epic Feats that we can't fit in a missing Heroic Feat later on.
I'm just saying that it might be nice to use this thread to show newbies all the options for a S+B Defender Build not just Pure Ftr.
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02-21-2016, 01:59 AM #7Community Member
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Just noticed the Epic stuff - Are you sure this build is for "new" players?
4 twists? 2 T2s, 1 T3?
That's at least 3 ERs required or staying at 30 farming destinies to get!
Wouldn't US be the better option for a 1st Lifer too - I know it's considered a destiny for bads but the idea is to stay alive!
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02-21-2016, 02:05 AM #8Community Member
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It will be interesting to see how this jives after the fighter pass. Will fighter be so good that you'll be taking 0 race points unless Human in which case the double boost? History has shown that and I play a human in real life, which is sadly the drawback to not wanting to play the best race in the game (human).
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02-22-2016, 11:49 AM #9Founder
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some gear ideas?
might be good, especially for new players, to make some suggestions on gear. what to look for on the AH or fairly easy to farm items.
one big thing to point out is that this build needs to use dwarven axes. obvious to most on the forums but, again, maybe not for those fresh off the Korthos boat
given there are few named D. Axes, some suggestions on what properties to look for on random loot would be helpful.
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02-22-2016, 12:01 PM #10Founder
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good point and might be worth suggesting to a new player that they select Grandmaster as their opening destiny. that would allow them to move over to either LD or US as a second destiny. would obviously take a little longer to open US but better starting point than Shadowdancer. Originally Posted by FranOhmsford
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02-22-2016, 12:27 PM #11Build Constructionist
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Feel free to post your own gear suggestions etc. These build threads don't write themselves!
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03-16-2016, 06:45 AM #12Community Member
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I´m a big fan of classic pure fighter in S&B, but i wanna questioning stunning shield. The benefit to MP from Follow-Up is for sure. What scares me away every time from taking SS at all is the 30 sec CD and doesn´t justifies the 3 AP to me, perhaps even if it was just 1 AP it is no contribution to combat with that CD. I really tried it a few times, and it was crab, so after testings I reset. It is nice on paper, but ... what do you say for the real gameplay?
Last edited by Robbenklopper; 03-16-2016 at 07:14 AM.
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03-16-2016, 05:33 PM #13Build Constructionist
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The CD sucks, but note that you can hit a much higher DC than Stunning Blow, b/c it adds your char lvl as well as ability mod and other Stunning bonuses. Between that and the MP increase from Follow Up, it's certainly worth at least 1 AP. A stunned mob takes +50% dmg for 6 secs, so stunning shield is worth +50% dmg 20% of the time or +10% to your (single target) trash-beating DPS. Every little bit helps, esp. on pure ftr while we wait for a proper fighter pass. Originally Posted by Robbenklopper
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03-16-2016, 07:23 PM #14Community Member
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i have one of these and went down a little different path then yours. Yours is more dps mine a little more tanky. I went con build and took all my regular level feats as toughness's which still leaves you with 11 ftr feats to boost dps and defense. At level 30 i have 3800 hp and still havent equipped any greensteel yet which will will boost me another 12%+ to get me into 4000+ range. the stalwart capstone bumps me to 8000hp and undying vanguard gets me to temp 15000hp(fun for pvp) Climbing the dwarven tree to get to throw your weight around(con to dmg) is expensive but heck in pure fighter you got the ap to burn. If there is one area a ftr gets over pally its the access to hp hp hp. I took deific warding also for the 30 prr and mrr.
Now you may not win kill any kill counts but in todays age of huge lag spikes this build is left standing every time. Even in LE content.Khyber IN BAD COMPANY Longand Drunkmage Sexyheals Fullforce
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03-17-2016, 07:33 AM #15Community Member
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Seems like I´ll Need to think again and give it a whole-saga try. Originally Posted by unbongwah
"It´s too late. Always has been - always will be. Too late"
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04-04-2016, 01:08 PM #16Community Member
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- May 2010
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- 720
Post build plz Originally Posted by count_spicoli
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05-13-2016, 11:29 AM #17Community Member
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- Apr 2010
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Why not?
Why not use TYWA and have a higher HP and get the damages from Con?
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05-13-2016, 11:46 AM #18Build Constructionist
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- Aug 2009
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I can spend 18 APs in dwarf tree for Dwarf Fortress for +7% DPS; or I can spend 18 APs for TYWA and wind up with more HPs & higher fort saves. I chose the former. If I wanted both, it would cost 24 APs if I'm adding right; presuming 41 APs VG, that leaves only 15 APs for SD + Kensei + Harper (if you have it). So it's possible, but with recent buffs to Kensei, I think I would like to have more APs invested in Kensei: at least 11 APs for +1 crit multiplier. I admit I'm still mulling it over, though. Originally Posted by ccd1977
Semi-retired Build Engineer. Everything was better back in our day. Get off my lawn.
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05-23-2016, 11:26 PM #19Community Member
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- Nov 2013
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- 238
At the heroic levels: farm, purchase/trade, or use shared bank with your other toons for tome and shield fragments from Orchard for Sever (d axe) and Talon (shield). Excellent combo that is well worth the time spent. Same goes for black dragon scales to forge armor. Originally Posted by kendo
might be good, especially for new players, to make some suggestions on gear. what to look for on the AH or fairly easy to farm items.
one big thing to point out is that this build needs to use dwarven axes. obvious to most on the forums but, again, maybe not for those fresh off the Korthos boat
given there are few named D. Axes, some suggestions on what properties to look for on random loot would be helpful.
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06-01-2016, 07:29 PM #20Community Member
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- Mar 2009
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- 53
is this build current with the updates?
Originally Posted by CPDK9
Is this fighter build current with the updates to the game? Originally Posted by unbongwah
CAVEAT: right now fighters are in a bad spot compared to paladins - lower DPS and worse survivability. So the builds in this thread try to focus on the few things which ftrs have going for them - namely lots of feats including +PRR/MRR armor feats and +Tactics bonus feats - while hedging its bets against the day when ftrs finally get a DPS boost, hopefully later this year (knock on wood). If you're looking for a S&B build with great DPS right now, though, you should make a paladin; see my Sacred Vanguards thread for examples.
This thread replaces my last Dwarven Defender thread. The build goal is the same: a classic S&B pure fighter using dwarven racial bonuses as much as possible. Ironically, I also have the same problems I did 2 1/2 years ago, namely S&B fighters are gimp compared to t3h uber builds; only this time it's pure paladins who have stolen our thunder, not the monk / kensei builds of U19. Plus c'est la change...
So let's get started, shall we?
Fresh Off the Korthos Boat (28-pt F2P build)
This build embraces the S&B lifestyle from the very beginning; you need to use dwarven axes to get glancing blows. I'm still getting the hang of the leveling guide, but basically the priorities are: get defensive stance & Durable Defense (+25 PRR) ASAP at lvl 3; then focus most of your APs on Vanguard until lvl 12; after filling in the rest of the Stalwart D. enhancements (really want Swift Defense for +10% run speed), then you turn your attention to dwarf racial bonuses, with the final goal of Dwarf Fortress for +7% S&B DPS.Code:Dwarven Defender (U29) Fighter 20 True Neutral Dwarf Stats 28pt Tome Level Up ---- ---- -------- Strength 16 4: STR Dexterity 12 +1 8: STR Constitution 18 +3 12: STR Intelligence 12 +1 16: STR Wisdom 8 20: STR Charisma 6 24: STR 28: STR Skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ------------------------------------------------------------ Intim 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23 Heal 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 UMD 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Tumble 1 1 ------------------------------------------------------------ 12 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Feats 1 : Power Attack 1 Fighter: Shield Mastery 2 Fighter: Cleave 3 : Two Handed Fighting 4 Fighter: Great Cleave 6 : Improved Two Handed Fighting 6 Fighter: Stunning Blow 8 Fighter: Improved Shield Mastery 9 : Improved Critical: Slashing 10 Fighter: Improved Shield Bash 12 : Greater Two Handed Fighting 12 Fighter: Tactical Mastery 14 Fighter: Heavy Armor Champion 15 : Heavy Armor Master 16 Fighter: Tactical Supremacy 18 : Toughness 18 Fighter: Combat Expertise 20 Fighter: Precision 21 Epic : Overwhelming Critical 24 Epic : Magical Training 26 Destiny: Perfect Two Handed Fighting OR Perfect Two Weapon Fighting 27 Epic : Epic Damage Reduction 28 Destiny: Elusive Target 29 Destiny: Dire Charge 30 Epic : Epic Toughness 30 Legend : Scion of: Arborea Enhancements (80 AP) Vanguard (41 AP)- To the Fore!, Shield Combat I, Vicious Shield I, Shield Combat II, Vicious Shield II, Shield Champion
- Shield Specialization, Shield Smash III
- Shield Specialization, Brutality III, Stunning Shield III, Missile Shield III, Melee Power Boost III
- Shield Specialization, Follow Up III, Fatal Bulwark
- (none)
- Shield to the Face, Disorienting Smash II, Shield Charge III, Armored Strength
- Toughness, Stalwart Defense, Overbalance
- Durable Defense III, Threatening Countenance III
- Resilient Defense III
- Inciting Defense III, Tenacious Defense III, Strength
- Swift Defense
- Dwarven Toughness, Dwarven Constitution
- Axe Training
- Dwarven Tactics I, Child of the Mountain III
- Stand Like Stone III
- Dwarf Fortress III
- Van0 To the Fore!; Van1 Shield Smash I, II
- Van1 Shield Specialization; SD0 Toughness; SD1 Threatening Countenance I; (Bank 1 AP)
- Van0 Shield Combat I; SD1 Durable Defense I, II, III; SD0 Stalwart Defense
- Van1 Shield Smash III; Van2 Stunning Shield I, II, III
- Van2 Missile Shield I; Van2 Melee Power Boost I, II, III
- Van0 Vicious Shield I; Van3 Follow Up I, II, III
- SD2 Resilient Defense I, II, III; SD1 Threatening Countenance II
- SD3 Tenacious Defense I, II, III
- Van2 Shield Specialization; Van3 Shield Specialization; Van2 Missile Shield II
- Van2 Missile Shield III; Van3 Fatal Bulwark; Van2 Brutality I
- Van2 Brutality II, III; SD0 Overbalance; (Bank 1 AP)
- Van0 Shield Combat II; Van5 Armored Strength; Van5 Shield to the Face
- Van5 Shield Charge I, II, III; Van5 Disorienting Smash I
- Van5 Disorienting Smash II; SD3 Strength; SD3 Inciting Defense I
- SD3 Inciting Defense II, III; SD1 Threatening Countenance III; SD4 Swift Defense
- Dwf0 Dwarven Toughness; Dwf0 Dwarven Constitution
- Dwf1 Axe Training; Dwf2 Child of the Mountain I; Dwf2 Dwarven Tactics I
- Van0 Vicious Shield II; Dwf2 Child of the Mountain II; Dwf3 Stand Like Stone I
- Dwf3 Stand Like Stone II; Dwf2 Child of the Mountain III; Dwf3 Stand Like Stone III
- Van0 Shield Champion; Dwf4 Dwarf Fortress I, II, III
- Legendary Tactics III, Extra Action Boost III
- Momentum Swing III, Imp. Combat Expertise, Imp. Power Attack
- Critical Damage I
- Anvil of Thunder
- Advancing Blows, Devastating Critical
- Master's Blitz, Headman's Chop
- Sacred Ground (Tier 3 Crusader)
- Consecration (Tier 2 Crusader)
- Legendary Shield Mastery (Tier 2 Sentinel)
- Endless Faith (Tier 1 Exalted)
Skills: Intimidate is obvious and I always like having Use Magic Device (UMD) on all my toons if I have the skill pts to spare. I maxed out Heal for +11 Positive Spellpower to ED healing abilities; Balance is a good alternative and would be more useful for leveling. Another option would be Spellcraft to boost Spellpower if you plan to take one of the Scion of Plane of <element> feats instead of Arborea.
I took the two best tactics feats for +14 DCs and the two best armor feats for +21 PRR & MRR. The lower-level versions of these feats provide less oomph, so I omitted them. [I could squeeze out another +8 DCs by taking Tactician ED feat + the other two fighter tactics feats, I'm just not convinced it's worth the 3-feat cost.] This build will eventually have four separate stunning abilities: Stunning Blow, Stunning Shield, Shield Champion (5% chance to stun on any shield bash), and Dire Charge.
As presented, this build requires a +1 INT tome for Combat Expertise and +1 DEX tome for Precision; this provides maximum flexibility in combat stances. I backloaded the feats to give you as much time as possible to acquire those tomes, either thru loot drops or from the Auction House; likewise the +3 CON tome you need to take epic Toughness at lvl 30. Use Power Attack for 0% Fortification mobs and/or to use Momentum Swing+Lay Waste; use Precision for high-Fort targets like undead or bosses; use CE when you want to max out your AC & PRR via Imp Combat Expertise in LD.
This build will use Legendary Dreadnought (LD) most of the time; essentially you're relying on LD / Blitz DPS bonuses to do the heavy lifting to make up for weak ftr DPS.
The only must-have Twist is Legendary Shield Mastery for the extra doublestrike & PRR, so you'll want to grab that early on. For self-healing you'll also be relying on ED abilities. In this configuration, I took Consecration + Sacred Ground; having Magical Training feat + Endless Faith twist means Echoes of Power will regen 30 SPs, which is exactly what you need for Consecration. Listed Twists are a best-case scenario, though: 22 Fate pts at lvl 30 requires 51 ED levels to unlock that many pts.
Harper Defender
This build is more advanced, as it requires Harper for Know the Angles to boost dmg & tactics DCs. I also presumed a +4 Supreme tome, in part so I could put the bare minimum into DEX & CON while still qualifying for Precision & epic Toughness, respectively; this in turn lets me put more pts into STR & INT for higher DPS, DCs, and Reflex saves. I dropped Heavy Armor Master (+9 PRR/MRR) for Insightful Reflexes; I also swapped Arborea for Plane of Water for +20 MRR and the 2d20 cold dmg. The downside is figuring out where to slot Glaciation in your endgame gear.
Not bothering to list EDs or leveling guide, as they'll basically be the same as the F2P build.
Code:Dwarven Defender (Harper) Fighter 20 True Neutral Dwarf Stats 36pt Tome Level Up ---- ---- -------- Strength 18 +4 4: STR Dexterity 9 +4 8: STR Constitution 17 +4 12: STR Intelligence 16 +4 16: STR Wisdom 8 +4 20: STR Charisma 7 +4 24: STR 28: STR Skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ------------------------------------------------------------ Intim 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23 Heal 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Spellcr 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Search 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Balance 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 UMD 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Tumble 1 1 ------------------------------------------------------------ 20 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 Feats 1 : Power Attack 1 Fighter: Shield Mastery 2 Fighter: Cleave 3 : Stunning Blow 4 Fighter: Great Cleave 6 : Insightful Reflexes 6 Fighter: Two Handed Fighting 8 Fighter: Improved Shield Mastery 9 : Improved Critical: Slashing 10 Fighter: Improved Two Handed Fighting 12 : Improved Shield Bash 12 Fighter: Greater Two Handed Fighting 14 Fighter: Tactical Mastery 15 : Heavy Armor Champion 16 Fighter: Tactical Supremacy 18 : Toughness 18 Fighter: Combat Expertise 20 Fighter: Precision 21 Epic : Overwhelming Critical 24 Epic : Magical Training 26 Destiny: Perfect Two Handed Fighting 27 Epic : Epic Damage Reduction 28 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting 29 Destiny: Dire Charge 30 Epic : Epic Toughness 30 Legend : Scion of: Plane of Water Enhancements (80 AP) Vanguard (41 AP)- To the Fore!, Shield Combat I, Vicious Shield I, Shield Combat II, Vicious Shield II, Shield Champion
- Shield Specialization, Shield Smash III
- Shield Specialization, Brutality III, Stunning Shield III, Missile Shield III, Melee Power Boost III
- Follow Up III, Fatal Bulwark, Strength
- (none)
- Shield to the Face, Disorienting Smash II, Shield Charge III, Armored Strength
- Dwarven Toughness, Dwarven Constitution
- Axe Training
- Dwarven Tactics I, Child of the Mountain III
- Stand Like Stone III
- Dwarf Fortress III
- Toughness, Stalwart Defense, Overbalance
- Durable Defense III, Threatening Countenance II
- Resilient Defense III
- Tenacious Defense III
- Agent of Good I
- Harper Enchantment, Traveler's Toughness II
- Versatile Adept II
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