TRing soon, looking for TWF Fighter build

[SockPuppet]

Hey all, I’m getting close to level 30 and am going to TR very soon. I know I want to do a TWF Fighter PDK, kind of a harkening back to my characters first life (except he was a dwarf). I’m duel wielding Dwarven axes (I know khopesh’s are better, but I have a ton of names/tier 3 thunderforged and Legendary GS so that’s kind of a non negotiable choice). I have all classes, and I have my mind set on PDK. Looking to run in Legendary Dreadnought, but have access to every sphere and I am planning on epic TRing to get all my fate points with this build.

Past Lives:
Fighter
Ranger
Paladin
Artificer

Racial:
Deep Gnome
PDK


I was thinking originally a 14 Fighter/6 Ranger, but I was looking in to Monk as well. Is monk well worth it? And is it possible at all to use Stalwart Defense as a monk? I seem to remember it not being possible, which is kind of a turn off for me on the monk as the PRR and 20% HP is super nice. Thanks!

[C-Dog]

Any build that uses Khopeshes can easily be adapted to DA's by simply dropping that Exotic Weapon Feat, and either replacing that feat w/ something else or replacing that additional level of Fighter w/ something tastier (altho' keep in mind which Fighter levels lead to Enhancements).

You won't be centered if using DA's, so you're losing a big part of Monk - so... why take it? No, I'm asking - what were you hoping to gain via Monk? If going for Evasion, Rogue might(?) be a better choice. (If it appealed to you, you could easily just get half-ranks in Open Locks - not a full trapper, but handy for more loot, and cheap at 1 skill point/level. Or UMD, another attractive door that opens via Rogue.)

Something like 12 Ranger/6 Fighter might be better, w/ 1-2 levels for slop, either early or at 19-20. (Barb for better run speed is a great Quality of Life bump, if nothing else appeals.) The Tempest Core 12 gives +1 Crit multiplier - nice.

Identical threads from a year ago:
o https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5732943
& https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5889548

Here are some classic 2WF builds - you could (pro'ly) tweak from any of them to suit your personal preferences -

o Pure Ranger https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5693275
o Ranger/Pali https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5175040
o Dwarf DA Tempest Trapper https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5072835
o 2HF Fighter/Cleric https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5115573

[unbongwah]

And is it possible at all to use Stalwart Defense as a monk?

Yes, however you can't use the Greater Defensive Stance enhancements as a centered toon, as those require med/hvy armor or a shield to be equipped. Which means no +CON/STR/HPs on a monk / ftr.

[SockPuppet]

Any build that uses Khopeshes can easily be adapted to DA's by simply dropping that Exotic Weapon Feat, and either replacing that feat w/ something else or replacing that additional level of Fighter w/ something tastier (altho' keep in mind which Fighter levels lead to Enhancements).

You won't be centered if using DA's, so you're losing a big part of Monk - so... why take it? No, I'm asking - what were you hoping to gain via Monk? If going for Evasion, Rogue might(?) be a better choice. (If it appealed to you, you could easily just get half-ranks in Open Locks - not a full trapper, but handy for more loot, and cheap at 1 skill point/level. Or UMD, another attractive door that opens via Rogue.)

Something like 12 Ranger/6 Fighter might be better, w/ 1-2 levels for slop, either early or at 19-20. (Barb for better run speed is a great Quality of Life bump, if nothing else appeals.) The Tempest Core 12 gives +1 Crit multiplier - nice.

Identical threads from a year ago:
o https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5732943
& https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5889548

Here are some classic 2WF builds - you could (pro'ly) tweak from any of them to suit your personal preferences -

o Pure Ranger https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5693275
o Ranger/Pali https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5175040
o Dwarf DA Tempest Trapper https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5072835
o 2HF Fighter/Cleric https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5115573

I was thinking Kensai tree which allows the use of Dwarven axes as a centered weapon, if I’m not mistaken? Evasion isn’t really what I had in mind, but it was a bonus. I was more thinking extremely high AC and saves, plus getting the Crit multiplier from Kensai and potentially from fire stance if they stack. That or running in earth stance, with the AC bonus and PRR bonus.

Would sacrificing the +2 Con (or +6 Con but gain +4 Strength if I run in fire stance) and 20% HP from Greater stances (I say +6 Con because I usually balance it out by choosing strength over constitution in my enhancement tree stat point choices) and still running basic Stalwarts Stances (The PRR and Save bonuses) be worth it for the AC, saves, evasion, stances, and general Monkyness? Or would it just be smarter go to Fighter Ranger and go full stalwart?

[unbongwah]

I was thinking Kensai tree which allows the use of Dwarven axes as a centered weapon, if I’m not mistaken?

Yes: taking One with the Blade (tier-5 Kensei) makes your melee Focus weapons into ki weapons.

the Crit multiplier from Kensai and potentially from fire stance if they stack.

They do. Although most use Wind stance for the doublestrike bonus instead, AFAICT.

[SockPuppet]

I think I’m just going to go 14 Fighter/6ranger like I was planning. Heavy armor, 20% hp and +6 Con is too nice, and the monk levels don’t really give me enough to make up for it.

[C-Dog]

I think I’m just going to go 14 Fighter/6ranger like I was planning...

Unless you really need that 13th(!) Feat, do consider a splash of Barb for the run speed. Until you try it, it doesn't seem like much, but it's so convenient. Plus, a Rage in your back pocket for end-fights isn't a bad thing.

Make sure you use a Character Builder, plan the whole thing out. No surprises.

[tapster]

Each core of Henshin gives you 10 MP and you don't need to be centered

[Fedora1]

Each core of Henshin gives you 10 MP and you don't need to be centered

Stole my thunder. lol

[unbongwah]

Plus, a Rage in your back pocket for end-fights isn't a bad thing.

It is if he plans to use defensive stance. Also I'm inferring OP plans to invest a lot into defense and ftr 14 is pre-req for Heavy Armor Champion (+12 PRR/MRR).

[SockPuppet]

It is if he plans to use defensive stance. Also I'm inferring OP plans to invest a lot into defense and ftr 14 is pre-req for Heavy Armor Champion (+12 PRR/MRR).

Yep, been my plan all along. As long as I get my additional threat range and crit multiplier from an enhancement somewhere, and have a high strength, Legendary Dreadnought with those things is plenty of DPS. I want to run Legendary Elite’s and potentially reaper with this toon, and I know melees struggles because they melt by the damage, so durability has been a large focus of this build.

[unbongwah]

As long as I get my additional threat range and crit multiplier from an enhancement somewhere

Well, that's sort of the issue with this build. The best thing about Tempest IMO is the tier-5 abilities: i.e., Dual Perfection+Dance of Death+Thousand Cuts. But that prevents you from taking tier-5 Kensei, which is what provides +1 crit range and +20 Melee Power. If you switch to tier-5 Kensei, though, you're getting a lot less outta Tempest, in which case I would probably stick with pure fighter for the last two Kensei cores. Also lets you take Tactical Supremacy for a more DC-focused build if you want. Pure ftr is also less AP-constrained than rgr / ftr if you really want to go heavy into SD (20+ APs): something like 41 Kensei / 26 SD / 10 Harper / 3 PDK maybe.

[the_one_dwarfforged]

in epics pure twf fighter is really strong, you dont need any mc because they wont really add any power to the build. 18/2 ftr/monk may be a slightly better offensive choice since it would net you a feat (before considering required feat spending) and allow you to either effectively replace the lost alacrity from kensei capstone or have an additional 19-20 multiplier as well as being able to twist in an additional +1.5[w] base damage. the reason i would not actually recommend this over a pure fighter is because pure fighter has better defenses, evasion is generally irrelevant and with the appropriate set up can be quite unnecessary for a fighter, pure has quite sufficient dps, the base dmg twist is kind of a lock in which may or may not be convenient depending on your etr progress, and i dont consider +1 crit multi on 19-20s only to be all that important (nice, just not amazing). if you are going to simply do daily en grinds and other braindead stuff from 20 to cap then perhaps the monk splash will be better due to the slight edge in offenses (higher base dmg and the occasional crit nuke (rolling a 19-20 with fire stance and headmans chop on a stunned mob) lend themselves to en epic levelling a lot more readily than better consistent dps (alacrity and action boosts from capstone)) might be preferable, but otherwise pure fighter is just so strong in epic elite content offensively and defensively i really dont see how another build could be considered better. personally i wouldnt mc, but if i did it would be to gain utility (trap xp and runspeed).

here is the build i was planning to use for level cap a while back:

Fighter 20
True Neutral Warforged


Stats
. . . . . . . .36pt . . Tome . . Level Up
. . . . . . . .---- . . ---- . . --------
Strength. . . . 18. . . .+6. . . .4: STR
Dexterity . . . 12. . . .+5. . . .8: STR
Constitution. . 16. . . .+5. . . 12: STR
Intelligence. . 16. . . .+5. . . 16: STR
Wisdom. . . . . .6. . . .+5. . . 20: STR
Charisma. . . . .6. . . .+5. . . 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. . . 2. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. . .11
Search. . 2. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. . .11
Balance . 2. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. . .11
Tumble. . . . . . . . . . . ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 2. 11
UMD . . . 2. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. . .11
Swim. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 . 2
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
. . . . .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: Stunning Blow
.3. . . . : Completionist
.4 Fighter: Great Cleave
.6. . . . : Adamantine Body
.6 Fighter: Weapon Focus: Slashing
.8 Fighter: Improved Critical: Slashing
.9. . . . : Weapon Specialization: Slashing
10 Fighter: Greater Weapon Focus: Slashing
12. . . . : Tactical Mastery
12 Fighter: Greater Weapon Specialization: Slashing
14 Fighter: Heavy Armor Champion
15. . . . : Insightful Reflexes
16 Fighter: Tactical Supremacy
18. . . . : Exotic Weapon: Khopesh
18 Fighter: Two Weapon Fighting
20 Fighter: Improved Two Weapon Fighting
21 Epic . : Overwhelming Critical
24 Epic . : Greater Two Weapon Fighting
26 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting
27 Epic . : Epic Damage Reduction
28 Destiny: Tactician
29 Destiny: Dire Charge
30 Epic . : Heavy Armor Master
30 Legend : Scion of: Arborea


Enhancements (80+10 AP)

Kensei (41 AP)

• Kensei Focus: Heavy Blades, Spiritual Bond, Strike with No Thought, Power Surge, One Cut, Alacrity
  1. Extra Action Boost III, Weapon Group Specialization, Exotic Weapon Mastery, Haste Boost III
  2. Weapon Group Specialization
  3. Critical Mastery III, Weapon Group Specialization, Shattering Strike I, Strength
  4. Opportunity Attack, Weapon Group Specialization, Strike at the Heart, Strength
  5. A Good Death: Melee, Weapon Master, One with the Blade, Keen Edge

Stalwart Defender (24 AP)

• Toughness, Stalwart Defense, Overbalance
  1. Item Defense III, Durable Defense III, Stalwart Defensive Mastery III
  2. Resilient Defense III
  3. Strong Defense III, Strength
  4. Swift Defense, Tenacious Defense III

Harper Agent (14 AP)

• Agent of Good I
  1. Harper Enchantment, Traveler's Toughness II
  2. Versatile Adept III, Know the Angles III
  3. Versatile Adept III

Warforged (11 AP)

• Improved Fortification, Warforged Constitution, Improved Fortification II, Warforged Constitution II, Improved Fortification III
  1. Healer's Friend III
  2. (none)
  3. +15 Melee and Range Power

Destiny

Twists of Fate (35 fate points)

1. Sense Weakness (Tier 4 Fury)
2. Meld into Darkness (Tier 3 Shadowdancer)
3. Hail of Blows (Tier 2 Flowers)
4. Primal Scream (Tier 1 Fury)
5. Rejuvenation Cocoon (Tier 1 Primal)

this assumes certain build aspects that may not be applicable to you but they are easily converted and the basics and principles are well tested and are effective. afaik nothing has changed that affects fighters build-wise so this should be the same template id use today even if old.


also, fighter/ranger splits sound like a good idea but they are super weak. unless something fundamental has changed regarding them.

[TopazScorpion]

16 Fighter: Tactical Supremacy
18. . . . : Exotic Weapon: Khopesh
18 Fighter: Two Weapon Fighting
20 Fighter: Improved Two Weapon Fighting

Just curious, why did you wait until level 18 to pick up Khopesh?
What weapons did you use up until 18?
Were you TWF or SaB?

[the_one_dwarfforged]

Just curious, why did you wait until level 18 to pick up Khopesh?
What weapons did you use up until 18?
Were you TWF or SaB?

This thread is 9 months old, much of the information in it may not be accurate given new items and power creep.

The OP specifically stated a desire to run legendary content which indicates heroic build choices are not a primary concern. Given that using THF until all TWF feats are acquired is perfectly fine in heroics. Weapon would be SoS or a min2 greensteel falchion as a baseline.

If you wanted to do a TWF fighter build with a focus on heroics, I'd recommend human and 2 rogue splash and also recommend just sticking to THF.