WF Dread Knight Variant for Medium Players

[Kodwraith]

This is a variant of Koob's Dread Knight: https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...or-New-Players build but more optimized around medium veteran players who want to run WF and have enough tomes to qualify for the THF line later once the tomes kick in. It's a 36 point build that assumes only +3 STR tomes for qualifying for GTHF. The play style is all EK: buff up, run in, hit a AoE spell, axe things to death. Props to Koob for a great guide.

With WF, we can get -15% ASF from the tree which we very much need once we pick up Adamantine Body at 6. EK core make up the rest ASF, so make sure you maintain at least core 2 in EK after level 6. I found that with a STR item, my INT just wasn't that much ahead of my STR at lower levels, so you can likely run ignore Harper tree until your INT really starts taking off at about level 12. Slot an augment if you need more. This build does not use a shield, but you can go S&B if you want. I have a Carnifex and a heroic SoS, so I go 2HF. Things die quickly, I find casting an AoE spell actually is a DPS loss (at least at 12).

Attributes:
STR: 15
DEX: dump
CON: 18 (can go 20)
INT: 18
WIS: dump
CHA: dump

This assumes that you have enough tomes that you can qualify for ITHF at 12. You can distribute points around as you see fit.

Feats:
1: THF (regular), Extend (wiz)
3: Maximize(regular)
5: SF: Necro (or PL:Wiz or Completionist)
6: WF Adamantine Body
9: PL Wiz (or SF:Necro)
10: Quicken
12: ITHF
15: Insightful Reflexes, free (wiz) (recommend Heighten or Mental Toughness)(wiz)
18: IC: Slash (regular)
20: Spell Pen (wiz)

The single most useful (to me) metamagic is Extend as you are running two death Auras, Displacement and Haste all the time. You're not going to necessarily be able to gear well enough to DC/blast everything sorc style, so SF feats are less useful then just taking more metamagics.

The basic AP layout is enough PM to get all the healing and debuffing you can(~22AP for T4), 12 in Harper for KTA and INT hit/dmg, everything else in EK, then racial for reducing your ASF.

[KoobTheProud]

This build saves feats, since Adamantine Body does not require pre-requisite feats. It loses a bit of AC at the end.

The WF tree does give you some really choice things in T3 and T4 so I'm guessing once you have a bunch of racial points farmed this build is better than the elves.

I got the basic idea for the Dreadknight from some WF builds I played back in the day that used 2 handed weapons early and then AE's later while turtling behind a shield.

[Kodwraith]

I'm up to 26 now.

Gearing is a major headache on this build as it's hard to slot enough SP around the melee sets, particularly in the 15-28 range since the Melee sharn set is taking up gloves and necklace since this is where you can slot SP.

[KoobTheProud]

In the mid-20's I stack negative, fire and cold and negative healing amp. Fight in firewalls or icestorms and use necrotic ray for problem mobs.

Alternate casts and swings to take advantage of Force's Point and Force's Edge. Arcane Tempest is the other damage add that really works against most packs. Not sure how the build will fare in general in Epics/Legendaries when it goes away in the ED revamp.

[Kodwraith]

In the mid-20's I stack negative, fire and cold and negative healing amp. Fight in firewalls or icestorms and use necrotic ray for problem mobs.

Alternate casts and swings to take advantage of Force's Point and Force's Edge. Arcane Tempest is the other damage add that really works against most packs. Not sure how the build will fare in general in Epics/Legendaries when it goes away in the ED revamp.

I'm at 29 now and the self healing from the Auras is still just barely keeping up even with ~550 negative SP. I am runnign with 42 in EK, 11 in PaleM (mostly for the undead and 25% incorp) 13 in harper, and then the rest in WF racial tree.

I find that even at ~550SP for the elemental forms, casting a dmg spell during combat is a net DPS loss. I do hit Wail, Sunburst and Undeath-to-Death a lot. Since I have the tenser's toggle and EDF on, Everything needs to be. touch range.

I ran most of 20-30 in Fury and the +crit + tempest combo is ridiculous. I get 20k crits with the two hander all the time. It's one of the higher burst melee builds I've ever played. Which is odd as a 20 Wizard.

The self healing drops off fast in Reaper 2+. It royally sucks that undead form removes your WF repairability but still allows positive healing. It should still allow repair even if reduced. Right now, if I need to self heal, I can drop Wraith, cast Reconstruct, then wraith up again. But this is too complicated to do in a fight, so Neg Energy Burst just isn't a big enough heal to act as a realistic swap for reconstruct. Next life, I may end up at 4 pally/16 sorc on a fleshie and see what happens.

[Tilomere]

I'm at 29 now and the self healing from the Auras is still just barely keeping up even with ~550 negative SP. I am runnign with 42 in EK, 11 in PaleM (mostly for the undead and 25% incorp) 13 in harper, and then the rest in WF racial tree.

I find that even at ~550SP for the elemental forms, casting a dmg spell during combat is a net DPS loss. I do hit Wail, Sunburst and Undeath-to-Death a lot. Since I have the tenser's toggle and EDF on, Everything needs to be. touch range.

I ran most of 20-30 in Fury and the +crit + tempest combo is ridiculous. I get 20k crits with the two hander all the time. It's one of the higher burst melee builds I've ever played. Which is odd as a 20 Wizard.

The self healing drops off fast in Reaper 2+. It royally sucks that undead form removes your WF repairability but still allows positive healing. It should still allow repair even if reduced. Right now, if I need to self heal, I can drop Wraith, cast Reconstruct, then wraith up again. But this is too complicated to do in a fight, so Neg Energy Burst just isn't a big enough heal to act as a realistic swap for reconstruct. Next life, I may end up at 4 pally/16 sorc on a fleshie and see what happens.

Maybe look at this BF 4 pally 15 wiz 1 fvs if you wanted to reconstruct heal. With double reconstructs it heals very well through R6 soloing. I'll need a bit but I'll post how to up self-healing on a PM shroud build.

[M0rfeo]

Maybe look at this BF 4 pally 15 wiz 1 fvs if you wanted to reconstruct heal. With double reconstructs it heals very well through R6 soloing. I'll need a bit but I'll post how to up self-healing on a PM shroud build.

Waiting for your build, Tilo :P

[Kodwraith]

Maybe look at this BF 4 pally 15 wiz 1 fvs if you wanted to reconstruct heal. With double reconstructs it heals very well through R6 soloing. I'll need a bit but I'll post how to up self-healing on a PM shroud build.

Yeah that's a great build. I'm going to run BF 4 pally / 16 sorc next life mainly because I still need a sorc past life. I'm expecting the double reconstruct to be a game changer with sorc as the backing class.

I've been toying with the idea of trying out a 4 pally/4 arti/12 sorc for racial lives. 4 arti gets you construct essence at level 8 which is normally a waste until you get improved CE, but with sorc SP it'd be an interesting twist on self healing melee. 12 sorc is needed for the reconstruct 6th level spell. 5 pally gets you almost all the KotC goodies if you want them. The problem is your (single) reconstruct is backend loaded at level 20.

Alternatively, 4 arti /16 sorc melee EK.