Looking for a good solo build

[AshtonEsson]

Merci, analyse très approfondie et significative des héros et des tactiques d'utilisation des armes et des éléments.

[Just_a_Dude]

Ok, after much trial and error, I think I've settled on a build. How does this look?


18/2 Rogue/Artificer
True Neutral Human


Level Order

1. Rogue. . . . . .6. Rogue. . . . . 11. Artificer . . .16. Rogue
2. Rogue. . . . . .7. Rogue. . . . . 12. Rogue. . . . . 17. Rogue
3. Rogue. . . . . .8. Rogue. . . . . 13. Rogue. . . . . 18. Rogue
4. Rogue. . . . . .9. Rogue. . . . . 14. Rogue. . . . . 19. Rogue
5. Rogue. . . . . 10. Artificer . . .15. Rogue . . . . .20. Rogue


Stats
. . . . . . . .36pt . . Tome . . Level Up
. . . . . . . .---- . . ----. . .--------
Strength. . . . .8. . . .+7. . . .4: INT
Dexterity . . . 15. . . .+7. . . .8: INT
Constitution. . 14. . . .+7. . . 12: INT
Intelligence. . 18. . . .+7. . . 16: INT
Wisdom. . . . . 14. . . .+7. . . 20: INT
Charisma. . . . .8. . . .+7. . .


Skills
. . . . . R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. A .A. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R
. . . . . 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
Disable . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Open Lo . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Search. . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Spot. . . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Bluff . . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. . . . 2. 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Diplo . . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. . . . 1. 3. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Intim . . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. . . . 1. 1. 3. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Hide. . . . .1 .1 .2 .2 .2 .2 .1 .1 . . . .3 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .23
Move Si . . . . . . . . . . . .2 .2 . . . .1 .1 .1 .4 .6 .3 .1 .1 .1 .23
Haggle. . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
UMD . . . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Jump. . . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. . . . 1. 1. 2. 2. 1. 1. . . . . .20
Spellcr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5. 5 . . . . . . . . . .3 .3 .3 .19
Swim. . . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. . . . 1. 1. 1. . . . . . . . . . 15
Balance . 4. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Heal. . . 2. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½ .½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. 11½
Tumble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. . . . 1. .4
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
. . . . .52 14 14 15 15 15 15 16 16 12 12 17 17 17 17 18 18 18 18 19


Feats

.1. . . . : Point Blank Shot
.1 Human. : Precise Shot
.3. . . . : Rapid Shot
.6. . . . : Insightful Reflexes
.9. . . . : Precision
12. . . . : Improved Critical: Ranged
15. . . . : Diehard
18. . . . : Improved Precise Shot

12 Rogue. : Crippling Strike
15 Rogue. : Defensive Roll
18 Rogue. : Slippery Mind


Spells

1. .Conjure Bolts* (10),. .Admixture: Cure Light Wounds* (10), Shield of Faith (11)

Enhancements (11+7 of 80+7 AP)

Human (7 AP)

• Saves Boost
  1. Skill Focus: Awareness III, Improved Recovery, Don't Count Me Out I

Inquisitive (5 AP)

• Inquisitive
  1. Dual Shooter, Law on your Side

Mechanic (3 AP)

• Arbalester
  1. Sharpshooter

Harper Agent (3 AP)

• Agent of Good I
  1. Strategic Combat

Leveling Guide

1. Hum0 Saves Boost; Hum1 Skill Focus: Awareness I, II, III; Hum1 Improved Recovery; Hum1 Don't Count Me Out I; Inq0 Inquisitive; Inq1 Dual Shooter; Hrp0 Agent of Good I
2. Hrp1 Strategic Combat; Inq1 Law on your Side
3. Mec0 Arbalester; Inq2 Crossbow Adept
4. Mec1 Sharpshooter; Mec1 Mechanics I, II
5. Mec2 Sharpshooter; Mec1 Awareness I, II; Mec0 Tanglefoot
6. Mec0 Targeting Sights; Inq2 Improved Law; Inq0 Hit the Streets
7. Inq3 Shoot First; Mec3 Intelligence
8. Mec3 Sharpshooter; Mec1 Awareness III; Mec1 Mechanics III
9. Mec2 Wand and Scroll Mastery I, II, III
10. Mec4 Intelligence; Mec4 Sharpshooter; Mec4 Fletching I
11. Mec4 Fletching II, III; Mec3 Use Magical Device I, II
12. Mec3 Use Magical Device III; Mec5 Sharpshooter
13. Mec5 Mechanical Reloader; Mec5 Sniper; Mec5 Rapid Fire I
14. Mec5 Rapid Fire II, III; TA0 Staff Control
15. TA1 Fast Movement; Hrp1 Traveler's Toughness I, II
16. Hrp0 Intelligence; Hrp2 Know the Angles I, II, III
17. Hrp2 Versatile Adept I, II, III
18. Hrp3 Intelligence; Hrp3 Versatile Adept I, II, III
19. Hrp3 Know Your Foe: Construct; Hrp4 Versatile Adept I, II
20. Hrp4 Versatile Adept III; Hrp4 Intelligence; Hrp4 Vigor of Life

[C-Dog]

Level Order

1. Rogue. . . . . .6. Rogue. . . . . 11. Artificer . . .16. Rogue
2. Rogue. . . . . .7. Rogue. . . . . 12. Rogue. . . . . 17. Rogue
3. Rogue. . . . . .8. Rogue. . . . . 13. Rogue. . . . . 18. Rogue
4. Rogue. . . . . .9. Rogue. . . . . 14. Rogue. . . . . 19. Rogue
5. Rogue. . . . . 10. Artificer . . .15. Rogue . . . . .20. Rogue

There is no inarguable "best" order, but I'd suggest you consider taking Arti at level 2 for so many reasons (and 2 only b/c Rogue has more Skill Points at Lvl 1) and then Level 8.

Repeaters are incredibly strong at low levels, even without any "stat to damage" bonus, and doubly so if you have a good one* in inventory. Even a generic +0 one** can clean house up to and beyond Irestone, so literally anything is going to do fine. Arti 1 gets you proficiency w/ both types of repeaters, and Rapid Reload, which increases your early overall rate of fire and so your DPS. Yes please tysvm.

(* Artificers (only) see a LOT of repeaters drop in end-reward lists (and no few Great Crossbows and regular crossbows, too). So you can farm one up with any build that has "Artificer" as the dominant class and the "End Rewards Based on Class" option clicked (under /options/game play, iirc). I like an Arti 2(+)/Fighter 1/Barb 1 and run Harbor 2 quests until I get something I like, but at Level 4-5 literally any "Arti" build will work fine. A couple laps around The Harbor should do the job with average luck. Note that Vorpal no longer drops lower than ML 10(??) or so.

Or if you craft you can whip up a ML 4 +2d6 {Force or Light} +2d6 bludgeon, which will carry you well into mid heroics np. With a slot and the Mabar ghost-touch augment it becomes all-purpose.)

(** +0, no enchantments, bought for a few dozen plat over-the-counter at the weapons shop in the NW Harbor (near that Bank), where you get your quivers. The free Ember Light Crossbow is slightly better (+1 fire damage), this is just a "no bonus" baseline showing how good they are.)

Arti 1 also gets you the dog, which is really handy if you're soloing. (Arti 2 gets you Rune Arms, which then give imbues to damage. Note that the Rune Arm "blast" scales w/ Arti level, so that's not nearly as effective with just a dip.)

Arti 1 also gets you the Conjure Bolts spells, which is a huge QoL improvement for any Crossbow user. And one other utility spell, plus Repair (for dog etc.)

(Alternately, you could take Skill Focus: UMD early, and just scroll Conjure Bolts (scrolls available in House C) and then swap that Feat out (for Insightful Reflexes) once your UMD can cover it without, or you finally do take Arti 1.)

Arti also gives some no-fail Wand use for their spell list, and a 2-AP thrown CLW equivalent, among other bells and whistles. So many reasons.

Either way, aim for Arti 2 by Level 8, for the Rune Arm addition. Rogue 6 gets you Int-to-Damage, so you're good there, no strong reason to delay past that.

---

Re Feats - I'd take Rapid Shot at Lvl 1 and Precise Shot at 3. There are no Casters hiding behind meatwalls in Korthos, so unless you start with Keep on the Borderlands you can easily get to Lvl 3 before you hit Keep, and the added general DPS of Rapid Shot will get you through the Korthos quests faster overall.

And don't take Die Hard - it's only ~15 extra HP cushion but not until L15 when mobs are handing out (many) 100's of damage. Either way you're still down, and some mobs kick you (hard!) while you're down and so you're dead anyway - wasted feat. Grab Weapon Focus:Ranged for a little more Ranged Spellpower.

(If you're really worried about dying, dump Arti 2 and take Barb 1 (early, proly L3). That gets you Die Hard as 1 AP Enhancement, plus for 3 more AP you get a total +60 HP buffer where you are NOT down. AND you're running 10% faster, so mobs won't catch you as much in the first place. Win/win.)

---

Also, and a minor point - Think about what skills you're actually going to need, which you'll actually use, and which are helpful early vs. later, and which are useful with "some" ranks vs. are important to keep maxed. For example, unless you think you're going to be actively asking for the added attention, drop Intimidate. (Otoh, if you want Intim for the rare quest-dialogue option, sure, dump something and go crazy, but remember you'll need to be carrying Intim + Charisma swap items for those occasions or the raw skill boost just won't matter.)

Note also: Spellcraft = +Spellpower and so does help your Rune Arm blast scale, but RA blasts first scale off Arti Level, and since you're only going to be Arti 2, after low levels those blasts will be weak at best and +23 spellpower won't be much help - some, but not much, so that can be deprioritized. As another example, low levels of UMD don't achieve much, so you can delay that until mid-low levels and then catch up without losing anything. These are subtle and minor tweaks, but every little bit helps.

Here's one suggestion, possible changes are practically infinite and very ymmv:

Rogue/Arti skills only
18/2 Rogue/Artificer
Human


Level Order

1. Rogue. . . . . .6. Rogue. . . . . 11. Rogue. . . . . 16. Rogue
2. Artificer . . . 7. Rogue . . . . .12. Rogue . . . . .17. Rogue
3. Rogue. . . . . .8. Artificer . . .13. Rogue . . . . .18. Rogue
4. Rogue. . . . . .9. Rogue. . . . . 14. Rogue. . . . . 19. Rogue
5. Rogue. . . . . 10. Rogue. . . . . 15. Rogue. . . . . 20. Rogue


Stats
. . . . . . . .36pt . . Tome . . Level Up
. . . . . . . .---- . . ----. . .--------
Strength. . . . .8. . . .+7. . . .4: INT
Dexterity . . . 15. . . .+7. . . .8: INT
Constitution. . 14. . . .+7. . . 12: INT
Intelligence. . 18. . . .+7. . . 16: INT
Wisdom. . . . . 14. . . .+7. . . 20: INT
Charisma. . . . .8. . . .+7. . . 24: INT
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28: INT

Skills
. . . . . R. A .R .R .R .R .R .A. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R
. . . . . 1. 2 .3 .4 .5 .6 .7 .8. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
Disable . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Open Lo . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . . .3 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .23
Search. . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Spot. . . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Bluff . . 4. . .1 .2 .1 .1 .1 . . 1. 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Diplo . . 4. . . . 3. 1. 1. 1. . .1 .1 .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .23
Balance . 4. . .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Jump. . . 4. . .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Hide. . . 4. . .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Move Si . 4. . .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Haggle. . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . 1. 1. 1. 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
UMD . . . . . . . .1 .4 .2 .1 .3. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Spellcr . . .5. . . . . . . . .6. . . . . .1½ 2. 2. 1½ 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .23
Swim. . . 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 .3 .3 .4 .3 .4 .21
Heal. . . 2. . . . . . . 1. 1½ . .½ .½ .1½ ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. . .½ .½ .11
Tumble. . 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
. . . . .52 10 14 15 15 15 15 12 16 16 16 17 17 17 17 18 18 18 18 19

---

This build will have trouble w/ dps at Level 1, unless you have a good ML 1 Great Crossbow. Get the L1 Barbarian hire (or just join/start a good group), tough out Korthos, enjoy repeaters once you hit L2.

Start with the Harper tree and beeline to Int to Damage asap, 12 AP iirc, so you'll have that +6(+) bonus to damage before you take Level 4; this will crush L2 content with any weapon. Then respec back out once you hit Rogue 6.

Most players don't go past that in Harper; there are better choices, and with this build between Mech and Inquis you'll be stretched anyway.

Don't bother with Inquis until L6 at the earliest (and maybe later), that's when that juice kicks in. (Ratcatcher is ML 8.) Repeater is stronger until then, and maybe a bit past, even up to 12 (depending on variables). Once you do go Inquis, go all in - that tree is far stronger to Tier 5, with the +Law dice etc etc.

This build will be respeccing enhancements several times - don't be shy about that.

[Just_a_Dude]

There is no inarguable "best" order, but I'd suggest you consider taking Arti at level 2 for so many reasons (and 2 only b/c Rogue has more Skill Points at Lvl 1) and then Level 8.

Repeaters are incredibly strong at low levels, even without any "stat to damage" bonus, and doubly so if you have a good one* in inventory. Even a generic +0 one** can clean house up to and beyond Irestone, so literally anything is going to do fine. Arti 1 gets you proficiency w/ both types of repeaters, and Rapid Reload, which increases your early overall rate of fire and so your DPS. Yes please tysvm.

(* Artificers (only) see a LOT of repeaters drop in end-reward lists (and no few Great Crossbows and regular crossbows, too). So you can farm one up with any build that has "Artificer" as the dominant class and the "End Rewards Based on Class" option clicked (under /options/game play, iirc). I like an Arti 2(+)/Fighter 1/Barb 1 and run Harbor 2 quests until I get something I like, but at Level 4-5 literally any "Arti" build will work fine. A couple laps around The Harbor should do the job with average luck. Note that Vorpal no longer drops lower than ML 10(??) or so.

Or if you craft you can whip up a ML 4 +2d6 {Force or Light} +2d6 bludgeon, which will carry you well into mid heroics np. With a slot and the Mabar ghost-touch augment it becomes all-purpose.)

(** +0, no enchantments, bought for a few dozen plat over-the-counter at the weapons shop in the NW Harbor (near that Bank), where you get your quivers. The free Ember Light Crossbow is slightly better (+1 fire damage), this is just a "no bonus" baseline showing how good they are.)

Arti 1 also gets you the dog, which is really handy if you're soloing. (Arti 2 gets you Rune Arms, which then give imbues to damage. Note that the Rune Arm "blast" scales w/ Arti level, so that's not nearly as effective with just a dip.)

Arti 1 also gets you the Conjure Bolts spells, which is a huge QoL improvement for any Crossbow user. And one other utility spell, plus Repair (for dog etc.)

(Alternately, you could take Skill Focus: UMD early, and just scroll Conjure Bolts (scrolls available in House C) and then swap that Feat out (for Insightful Reflexes) once your UMD can cover it without, or you finally do take Arti 1.)

Arti also gives some no-fail Wand use for their spell list, and a 2-AP thrown CLW equivalent, among other bells and whistles. So many reasons.

Either way, aim for Arti 2 by Level 8, for the Rune Arm addition. Rogue 6 gets you Int-to-Damage, so you're good there, no strong reason to delay past that.

---

Re Feats - I'd take Rapid Shot at Lvl 1 and Precise Shot at 3. There are no Casters hiding behind meatwalls in Korthos, so unless you start with Keep on the Borderlands you can easily get to Lvl 3 before you hit Keep, and the added general DPS of Rapid Shot will get you through the Korthos quests faster overall.

And don't take Die Hard - it's only ~15 extra HP cushion but not until L15 when mobs are handing out (many) 100's of damage. Either way you're still down, and some mobs kick you (hard!) while you're down and so you're dead anyway - wasted feat. Grab Weapon Focus:Ranged for a little more Ranged Spellpower.

(If you're really worried about dying, dump Arti 2 and take Barb 1 (early, proly L3). That gets you Die Hard as 1 AP Enhancement, plus for 3 more AP you get a total +60 HP buffer where you are NOT down. AND you're running 10% faster, so mobs won't catch you as much in the first place. Win/win.)

---

Also, and a minor point - Think about what skills you're actually going to need, which you'll actually use, and which are helpful early vs. later, and which are useful with "some" ranks vs. are important to keep maxed. For example, unless you think you're going to be actively asking for the added attention, drop Intimidate. (Otoh, if you want Intim for the rare quest-dialogue option, sure, dump something and go crazy, but remember you'll need to be carrying Intim + Charisma swap items for those occasions or the raw skill boost just won't matter.)

Note also: Spellcraft = +Spellpower and so does help your Rune Arm blast scale, but RA blasts first scale off Arti Level, and since you're only going to be Arti 2, after low levels those blasts will be weak at best and +23 spellpower won't be much help - some, but not much, so that can be deprioritized. As another example, low levels of UMD don't achieve much, so you can delay that until mid-low levels and then catch up without losing anything. These are subtle and minor tweaks, but every little bit helps.

Here's one suggestion, possible changes are practically infinite and very ymmv:

Rogue/Arti skills only
18/2 Rogue/Artificer
Human


Level Order

1. Rogue. . . . . .6. Rogue. . . . . 11. Rogue. . . . . 16. Rogue
2. Artificer . . . 7. Rogue . . . . .12. Rogue . . . . .17. Rogue
3. Rogue. . . . . .8. Artificer . . .13. Rogue . . . . .18. Rogue
4. Rogue. . . . . .9. Rogue. . . . . 14. Rogue. . . . . 19. Rogue
5. Rogue. . . . . 10. Rogue. . . . . 15. Rogue. . . . . 20. Rogue


Stats
. . . . . . . .36pt . . Tome . . Level Up
. . . . . . . .---- . . ----. . .--------
Strength. . . . .8. . . .+7. . . .4: INT
Dexterity . . . 15. . . .+7. . . .8: INT
Constitution. . 14. . . .+7. . . 12: INT
Intelligence. . 18. . . .+7. . . 16: INT
Wisdom. . . . . 14. . . .+7. . . 20: INT
Charisma. . . . .8. . . .+7. . . 24: INT
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28: INT

Skills
. . . . . R. A .R .R .R .R .R .A. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R
. . . . . 1. 2 .3 .4 .5 .6 .7 .8. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
Disable . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Open Lo . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . . .3 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .23
Search. . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Spot. . . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Bluff . . 4. . .1 .2 .1 .1 .1 . . 1. 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Diplo . . 4. . . . 3. 1. 1. 1. . .1 .1 .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .23
Balance . 4. . .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Jump. . . 4. . .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Hide. . . 4. . .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Move Si . 4. . .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Haggle. . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . 1. 1. 1. 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
UMD . . . . . . . .1 .4 .2 .1 .3. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Spellcr . . .5. . . . . . . . .6. . . . . .1½ 2. 2. 1½ 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .23
Swim. . . 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 .3 .3 .4 .3 .4 .21
Heal. . . 2. . . . . . . 1. 1½ . .½ .½ .1½ ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. . .½ .½ .11
Tumble. . 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
. . . . .52 10 14 15 15 15 15 12 16 16 16 17 17 17 17 18 18 18 18 19

---

This build will have trouble w/ dps at Level 1, unless you have a good ML 1 Great Crossbow. Get the L1 Barbarian hire (or just join/start a good group), tough out Korthos, enjoy repeaters once you hit L2.

Start with the Harper tree and beeline to Int to Damage asap, 12 AP iirc, so you'll have that +6(+) bonus to damage before you take Level 4; this will crush L2 content with any weapon. Then respec back out once you hit Rogue 6.

Most players don't go past that in Harper; there are better choices, and with this build between Mech and Inquis you'll be stretched anyway.

Don't bother with Inquis until L6 at the earliest (and maybe later), that's when that juice kicks in. (Ratcatcher is ML 8.) Repeater is stronger until then, and maybe a bit past, even up to 12 (depending on variables). Once you do go Inquis, go all in - that tree is far stronger to Tier 5, with the +Law dice etc etc.

This build will be respeccing enhancements several times - don't be shy about that.

Thank you for this excellent feedback!

That makes a lot of sense doing Arti at level 2. I had been rushing to get to Rogue level 6 for the INT damage, but you're right the benefits of Arti outweigh the benefits of INT damage in the early levels.

For the repeaters, I was sticking to Heavy X-bows because the bonuses from the Inquisitive tree don't apply to Great X-bows or repeaters. I'll try out the repeaters to see the difference.

It's funny that you mentioned Intimidate for quest response options. That's exactly what I was doing.

I'll try out the build you posted. There is a greater X-bow at the end of the tavern quest on Korthos, so that might be a good option.

Thanks again!

[C-Dog]

For the repeaters, I was sticking to Heavy X-bows because the bonuses from the Inquisitive tree don't apply to Great X-bows or repeaters. I'll try out the repeaters to see the difference.

Do, and ignore Inquis tree until at least Lvl 7-8 or more, possibly 10-12. (The actual cutpoint varies w your weapon and gearing.) Inquis + standard crossbows is not as good as repeaters at those lower levels.

It's funny that you mentioned Intimidate for quest response options. That's exactly what I was doing.

That's fine, but Intim may be the least-used of the 3 "social" skills in dialogue. Bluff may be the best. Fine-tuning skills is very much a ymmv thing.

There is a greater X-bow at the end of the tavern quest on Korthos, so that might be a good option.

Nothing wrong w/ that one, it has an increased crit range (aka "keen"), so the damage is decent. However, you should be Lvl 2 by the time you get that, so (assuming you take Arti @ 2) the Ember Repeating Crossbow will be the better choice. Use them both and compare.

o https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Oladre...Great_Crossbow

[Stoner81]

Thank you for this excellent feedback!

That makes a lot of sense doing Arti at level 2. I had been rushing to get to Rogue level 6 for the INT damage, but you're right the benefits of Arti outweigh the benefits of INT damage in the early levels.

For the repeaters, I was sticking to Heavy X-bows because the bonuses from the Inquisitive tree don't apply to Great X-bows or repeaters. I'll try out the repeaters to see the difference.

It's funny that you mentioned Intimidate for quest response options. That's exactly what I was doing.

I'll try out the build you posted. There is a greater X-bow at the end of the tavern quest on Korthos, so that might be a good option.

Thanks again!

Ditch the points in to WIS, make your starting STR a 12 for increased carry weight (bolts are heavy until tomes kick in so it matters a lot in the early parts of the game). Left over points in CON if you can, if not then juggle it around a little.

INT to damage from Rogue 6 imho is pointless since you have to spend quite a number of points to reach it and those points don't do much for you. Instead use Harper Agent (if you have it) since you should be spending points there for Know the Angles and it's only a few more on top which are far better spent there imho.

Use repeaters until at least level 5 which is where I normally switch to Diplomancer (named crossbow from the Anniversary Event) and run full Inquis from thereon. I can't say which is better for those levels between repeaters and Inquis since never run it that way except for on my Mechanic lives years ago.

Great Crossbows suck until level 12 when you gain enough Alacrity to make them worth using. So forget about them and stick with repeaters and Heavy Crossbows once you go Inquis.

If you are on Cannith then look me if you would like.

Stoner81.

[C-Dog]

(Listen to Stoner, he knows this **** better than I.)

[Just_a_Dude]

Ditch the points in to WIS, make your starting STR a 12 for increased carry weight (bolts are heavy until tomes kick in so it matters a lot in the early parts of the game). Left over points in CON if you can, if not then juggle it around a little.

INT to damage from Rogue 6 imho is pointless since you have to spend quite a number of points to reach it and those points don't do much for you. Instead use Harper Agent (if you have it) since you should be spending points there for Know the Angles and it's only a few more on top which are far better spent there imho.

Use repeaters until at least level 5 which is where I normally switch to Diplomancer (named crossbow from the Anniversary Event) and run full Inquis from thereon. I can't say which is better for those levels between repeaters and Inquis since never run it that way except for on my Mechanic lives years ago.

Great Crossbows suck until level 12 when you gain enough Alacrity to make them worth using. So forget about them and stick with repeaters and Heavy Crossbows once you go Inquis.

If you are on Cannith then look me if you would like.

Stoner81.

I'm really enjoying the repeaters. I thought I was killing stuff fast before, but this is crazy.

The thing I don't understand is why switch to inquisitive? I know I'm only level 4 right now, but it seems like Mech Rogue and Harper's Agent while continuing to use repeaters would make a really powerful combination.

[C-Dog]

I'm really enjoying the repeaters. I thought I was killing stuff fast before, but this is crazy.

A'yup!

The thing I don't understand is why switch to inquisitive?

Complex question, but basically Inquis adds more "later" while repeaters start to taper off in added power, relatively. A lot has to do w/ the "+Law dice" that are added - rare for enemies to resist/reduce that damage.

You can do fine w/ just repeaters, all the way to endgame, and there are many builds that do, but when everything is added up Inquis just becomes "better" at some point.

[Just_a_Dude]

Complex question, but basically Inquis adds more "later" while repeaters start to taper off in added power, relatively. A lot has to do w/ the "+Law dice" that are added - rare for enemies to resist/reduce that damage.

You can do fine w/ just repeaters, all the way to endgame, and there are many builds that do, but when everything is added up Inquis just becomes "better" at some point.

I figured it was something like that. I've only been soloing so far, so that I can build up the past lives. It's been great for testing out builds, but skews the lessons I learn because I'm playing a very narrow portion of the game.

[C-Dog]

Also, as solo, it's harder to make good use of a Rogue's Sneak Attack dice, beyond the very first attack of a big fight. In a party w/ a real DPS machine next to you, all your attacks may enjoy SA.

[glassesjr]

I recently did an Inquis build 1-20. Definitely use Repeaters till 12. I tried going Inquis early and even with a ML 1 Vorpal Heavy Crossbow it felt slow to level, so I crafted a few Good damage Repeating Crossbows with Bludgeon Damage and Acid slotted in and went to town. Nicked Repeaters from the Sharn Syndicate are quite good too at only ML 2.

Only at level 12 Inquis starts to feel great with No Holds Barred and Jaded. You will start to Attack much faster and your law damage will affect everything.

If you have the Ratcatcher from Threnal you can really go to town then.

[Stoner81]

I recently did an Inquis build 1-20. Definitely use Repeaters till 12. I tried going Inquis early and even with a ML 1 Vorpal Heavy Crossbow it felt slow to level, so I crafted a few Good damage Repeating Crossbows with Bludgeon Damage and Acid slotted in and went to town. Nicked Repeaters from the Sharn Syndicate are quite good too at only ML 2.

Only at level 12 Inquis starts to feel great with No Holds Barred and Jaded. You will start to Attack much faster and your law damage will affect everything.

If you have the Ratcatcher from Threnal you can really go to town then.

ML1 Vorpal Heavy Crossbow is where you went wrong...

Vorpals are good if you can:

1 - attack fast.
2 - strike more than once in a single attack animation.

If it had been a Vorpal Heavy Repeater then you would be correct to some extent. In the early game mobs don't have a lot of HP and since we can't generally attack fast we attack hard instead. With Diplomancer I either 1 shot or 2 shot everything except for bosses and even then they don't usually have a lot of HP left.

All of this is why Ratty is so good. You are basically "crit fishing" all the time which adds up rapidly.

On top of this there seems to be issues with ranged attacks not actually registering so you fire/shoot at an enemy and nothing happens and eventually they die once the game seems to get its brain in order

Stoner81.

[Just_a_Dude]

You guys were right, doing Arti at 2 and using repeaters made a big difference. I found that I was getting diminishing returns around level 6 or 7, which is when I'm now switching over to Inquisitive and dual shooter heavy crossbows. Also, starting with 12 in STR made a huge difference in terms of me being able to do the optional quests that required more STR. The Nicked Light Repeating Crossbow has a minimum level of 2, so that's been awesome after a TR. My updated build is below. It's working well, but I am still open for pointers on what I might be missing, especially in the higher level feats.

18/2 Rogue/Artificer
True Neutral Human


Level Order

1. Rogue. . . . . .6. Rogue. . . . . 11. Rogue. . . . . 16. Rogue
2. Artificer . . . 7. Rogue . . . . .12. Rogue . . . . .17. Rogue
3. Rogue. . . . . .8. Artificer . . .13. Rogue . . . . .18. Rogue
4. Rogue. . . . . .9. Rogue. . . . . 14. Rogue. . . . . 19. Rogue
5. Rogue. . . . . 10. Rogue. . . . . 15. Rogue. . . . . 20. Rogue


Stats
. . . . . . . .36pt . . Tome . . Level Up
. . . . . . . .---- . . ----. . .--------
Strength. . . . 12. . . .+7. . . .4: INT
Dexterity . . . 15. . . .+7. . . .8: INT
Constitution. . 14. . . .+7. . . 12: INT
Intelligence. . 18. . . .+7. . . 16: INT
Wisdom. . . . . 10. . . .+7. . . 20: INT
Charisma. . . . .8. . . .+7. . .


Skills
. . . . . R. A .R .R .R .R .R .A. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R
. . . . . 1. 2 .3 .4 .5 .6 .7 .8. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
Disable . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Open Lo . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Search. . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Spot. . . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Bluff . . 4. . .1 .2 .1 .1 .1 . . 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Diplo . . 4. . . . 1. 3. 1. 1. . . . 3. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Intim . . 4. . . . . .1 .3 .2 . . . .2 .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .23
Balance . 4. . . . 3. 1. 1. 1. . .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .23
Hide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. 6. 6. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Move Si . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 .5 .6 .4 .1 .1 .1 .23
Haggle. . 4. . .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
UMD . . . 4. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 23
Spellcr . . .5. . . . . . . . .6. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. 2½ 2½ 3. 20
Jump. . . 4. . .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . 2. 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Swim. . . 4. . .2 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . 2. 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Heal. . . 2. . .1 .½ .½ .½ .½ . . 1. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. ½. 11½
Tumble. . . . . . . . . . . 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
. . . . .52 10 14 15 15 15 15 12 16 16 16 17 17 17 17 18 18 18 18 19


Feats

.1. . . . : Point Blank Shot
.1 Human. : Rapid Shot
.3. . . . : Precise Shot
.6. . . . : Precision
.9. . . . : Weapon Focus: Ranged
12. . . . : Improved Critical: Ranged
15. . . . : Insightful Reflexes
18. . . . : Power Critical

12 Rogue. : Crippling Strike
15 Rogue. : Defensive Roll
18 Rogue. : Slippery Mind


Spells

1. Conjure Bolts (2), Enchant Armor (2), Grease (8)

Enhancements (84+7 of 80+7 AP) Errors

Inquisitive (42 AP)

• Inquisitive, Hit the Streets, Mind Like Iron, True Seeing, Undaunted, Master Inquisitive
  1. Dual Shooter, Eye for Accuracy III, Law on your Side
  2. Crossbow Adept, Wand and Scroll Mastery III, Improved Law
  3. Crossbow Adept, Shoot First, Intelligence
  4. Crossbow Adept, Martial Inquisition, Greater Law, Intelligence
  5. No Holds Barred, Arresting Assault, Improved Uncanny Dodge, Jaded, Diplomatic Immunity

Harper Agent (36 AP)

• Agent of Good I, Intelligence, Agent of Good II, Intelligence, Agent of Good III
  1. Traveler's Toughness II, Strategic Combat
  2. Versatile Adept III, Know the Angles III
  3. Highly Skilled III, Know Your Foe: Construct, Versatile Adept III, Strategic Combat, Intelligence
  4. Vigor of Life, Versatile Adept III, Intelligence

Human (9 AP)

• Saves Boost
  1. Skill Focus: Awareness III, Improved Recovery
  2. Skill Focus: Nimble Fingers III

Thief-Acrobat (3 AP)

• Staff Control
  1. Fast Movement

Mechanic (1 AP)

• Arbalester

Leveling Guide

1. Hum0 Saves Boost; Hum1 Improved Recovery; Hum1 Skill Focus: Awareness I, II, III; Hum2 Skill Focus: Nimble Fingers I, II; Hrp0 Agent of Good I; Hrp1 Strategic Combat
2. Hrp1 Traveler's Toughness I, II; Hrp2 Know the Angles I, II
3. Hrp2 Know the Angles III; Hrp2 Versatile Adept I, II
4. Hrp3 Strategic Combat; Inq0 Inquisitive; Inq1 Dual Shooter
5. Inq1 Law on your Side; Inq2 Improved Law
6. Inq0 Hit the Streets; Inq2 Crossbow Adept
7. Inq3 Shoot First; Inq3 Crossbow Adept
8. Inq3 Intelligence; Inq0 Mind Like Iron; Inq1 Eye for Accuracy I, II
9. Inq1 Eye for Accuracy III; Inq4 Intelligence
10. Inq4 Crossbow Adept; Inq4 Greater Law
11. Inq4 Martial Inquisition; Inq2 Wand and Scroll Mastery I, II, III
12. Hrp0 Intelligence; Inq5 Jaded
13. Inq0 True Seeing; TA0 Staff Control; TA1 Fast Movement
14. Inq5 No Holds Barred; Inq5 Arresting Assault
15. Hrp3 Intelligence; Hrp2 Versatile Adept III; Hrp3 Versatile Adept I, II
16. Hrp3 Versatile Adept III; Hrp4 Intelligence; Hrp0 Agent of Good II
17. Hrp0 Intelligence; Hrp4 Versatile Adept I, II
18. Hrp4 Versatile Adept III; Hrp4 Vigor of Life; Inq0 Undaunted
19. Inq5 Improved Uncanny Dodge; Inq5 Diplomatic Immunity; Hrp0 Agent of Good III
20. Hrp3 Know Your Foe: Construct; Hrp3 Highly Skilled I; Inq0 Master Inquisitive; Hrp3 Highly Skilled II, III; Mec0 Arbalester

[C-Dog]

You guys were right...

Shocking, in'it?

My updated build is below. It's working well, but I am still open for pointers on what I might be missing, especially in the higher level feats.

A lot of the choices are very "ymmv" - some players like this, some like that, some hate to find themselves here, others work through it; there is no single "correct" choice except for each player (altho' some have stronger arguments than others imo).

I'll point out a few such choices...

Level Order
Arti @ 2

Arti gets you Repeaters (and the dog and other stuff). And it has significantly fewer Skill Points.

So the trade off is: Do you want Repeaters (etc) at Level 1, or can you suffer through for a stronger character shortly afterward?

Most players would go your way, and tough out L1, enjoying the additional skill points for the rest of the character's life.

(In theory, one could also start w/ Rogue but take "Proficiency:Light Repeater", use the Korthos repeater during L1, then get your free Feat Swap and take something else once you have Arti - but the time to do that would probably be more than the time saved with a repeater. Just saying it's possible.)

Level Order
Arti 2 @ 8

Arti 2 gets you the Rune Arm, your 3rd Level 1 spell (Repair is free), and +25 more spell points. The only class skill it owns outside of Rogue is Spellcraft, and that is low priority (read on).

Rune arm has 2 ways contributes to damage - imbues and blasts. Imbues add an elemental bonus to your ranged damage - that's a flat bonus. The blasts scale off Artificer level and also off Spell power - but since you're only going to be Arti 2, that blast damage will have a low (Lvl 2) cap, and so is going to start to become more minor as you level up, regardless of Spellpower (making Spellcraft very low priority here).

So, 2 things are true:

1) The flat Ranged imbues are more noticeable at lower levels.
2) The scaling Rune Arm blasts are more noticeable at lower levels.

So, most players would want the RA asap, to help with early leveling. This might even be worth ignoring any in-class savings for skill points for Spellpower and just take Arti 2 at Character Level 3, tyvm done.

Stats
Strength 12. . . .+7 tome

I'll be the first to argue that a minimum-Strength Rogue is a mistake (and doubly so on Halfings & Gnomes!), as it's too easy to become (partially) Encumbered and lose Evasion.

However, a +7 Tome helps that a lot. Many players would go as low as Str 8 to start, let the Tome do its magic, and put those build points into something else: Wisdom for Spot & Will ST, or even Cha for UMD/social skills. Ymmv.

Jump... 13

Jump 40 is the cap (or 60 if you want to Sneak, which is a -20 penalty), and there are several quests where +40 Jump is really handy. The Jump spell can add as much as +30, if the caster is CL 9. If < 9, you're only going to get +20 (or even +10). Maxing (or near-maxing) Jump is cheap, and a Rogue (esp. w/ a +7 Str Tome) can easily get to the point where a +10 spell (from a UMD'd Wand of Jump, for example) can = 40.

Feats

.1. . . . : Point Blank Shot
.1 Human. : Rapid Shot
.3. . . . : Precise Shot
.6. . . . : Precision
.9. . . . : Weapon Focus: Ranged
12. . . . : Improved Critical: Ranged
15. . . . : Insightful Reflexes
18. . . . : Power Critical

.1 Rapid Shot: RS is strong at low levels, but has been shown to taper off considerably (but not completely) by mid-upper heroics. Many players do take this early, then swap it out for something else.

.3 Precise Shot: This allows you to kill a specific target, regardless of what other targets may jump in the line of fire. This is most useful against Casters who tend to hide behind meatwalls. You don't run into a lot of these in low-heroics, and in small groups simple DPS can blast through to back-row targets, so if you wanted this could be delayed until 6+ without much loss in opportunity

.6 Precision: This feat does not subtract -25 from the % of Fortification. What it does do is reduce the % Fort by 1/4. So, 50% Fort becomes 38%, etc. Since Fort' values are small at lower levels, this can be delayed until Level 9 or (much) higher.

.9 Weapon Focus: Ranged: A small boost in Ranged Power, so a small boost in damage. Other feats are probably more valuable, so this is often a L18 feat.

12 Improved Critical: Gated by BAB, so asap, yep!

15 Insightful Reflexes: so strong with Evasion, to ensure you take ZERO damage rather than just half. Lightning bolts start at Korthos, Character level ~4. Many players try to take this asap, at 6 if not at 3, 9 at the latest.

18 Power Critical: It's not bad at all, but there are better Feats.

? - Improved Precise Shot: Since it is now less damage than single-shot, many players do indeed skip this. Admittedly it's at its best in a quest with straight, narrow hallways, but even in a chaotic open-area melee it can be made to work, especially in opening a combat. With Precise Shot, you can concentrate on a (mini-)boss, and strafe around that target, taking out the trash as you do. Another YMMV.

Rogue Special Abilities
12 Rogue. : Crippling Strike
15 Rogue. : Defensive Roll
18 Rogue. : Slippery Mind

Crippling Strike: It may take days to reach Incapacitation, and "Strength" is not the main damage of many enemies. More, some Bosses/targets are immune. You can do better.

Defensive Roll: In the current game, DPS is king. Kill them and they stop killing you. Don't plan to fail.


Suggested Revised Feat Order:

Feats

.1. . . . : Point Blank Shot
.1 Human. : Rapid Shot
.3. . . . : Precise Shot
.6. . . . : Insightful Reflexes
.9. . . . : Precision
12. . . . : Improved Critical: Ranged
15. . . . : Weapon Focus: Ranged
18. . . . : (tbd - Power Crit?)

12 Rogue. : Improved Evasion
15 Rogue. : Opportunist
18 Rogue. : Slippery Mind

Lots of variations: Precise Shot/Insightful Reflexes could easily get swapped, and you could swap out Rapid Shot for another Feat (IPS?) at mid/high heroics. (Not sure if keeping RS would be more DPS than swapping for Power Crit, or when it would be so.)

And - and for the last time - I could copy/paste "YMMV" throughout (almost) all of this, though some mileage is reliably better than some others. These are mainly just considerations.

[Just_a_Dude]

Thank you this is very helpful. I will play around with Feat order to refine it and focus more on offensive feats.

So don't bother with Spellcraft at all?

Stoner said to take my points in WIS and put them in STR and you told me to listen to him over you.

I avoided Improved Precise Shot because it has a reduction to damage (-20%) and it overwrites Precise Shot.

I should have put a warning on my post that my build has some oddities that are 100% based on my lack of experience with the build tool. For example, I stop putting points into Jump and Swim when they reach 40 in game. In the tool they show as 13. The other thing is that the tool is showing my final build at 20, but doesn't show swapping out Rapid Reload before I get it for free with Arti2. There is probably something very basic that I'm missing.

Shocking, in'it?



A lot of the choices are very "ymmv" - some players like this, some like that, some hate to find themselves here, others work through it; there is no single "correct" choice except for each player (altho' some have stronger arguments than others imo).

I'll point out a few such choices...


Arti gets you Repeaters (and the dog and other stuff). And it has significantly fewer Skill Points.

So the trade off is: Do you want Repeaters (etc) at Level 1, or can you suffer through for a stronger character shortly afterward?

Most players would go your way, and tough out L1, enjoying the additional skill points for the rest of the character's life.

(In theory, one could also start w/ Rogue but take "Proficiency:Light Repeater", use the Korthos repeater during L1, then get your free Feat Swap and take something else once you have Arti - but the time to do that would probably be more than the time saved with a repeater. Just saying it's possible.)


Arti 2 gets you the Rune Arm, your 3rd Level 1 spell (Repair is free), and +25 more spell points. The only class skill it owns outside of Rogue is Spellcraft, and that is low priority (read on).

Rune arm has 2 ways contributes to damage - imbues and blasts. Imbues add an elemental bonus to your ranged damage - that's a flat bonus. The blasts scale off Artificer level and also off Spell power - but since you're only going to be Arti 2, that blast damage will have a low (Lvl 2) cap, and so is going to start to become more minor as you level up, regardless of Spellpower (making Spellcraft very low priority here).

So, 2 things are true:

1) The flat Ranged imbues are more noticeable at lower levels.
2) The scaling Rune Arm blasts are more noticeable at lower levels.

So, most players would want the RA asap, to help with early leveling. This might even be worth ignoring any in-class savings for skill points for Spellpower and just take Arti 2 at Character Level 3, tyvm done.


I'll be the first to argue that a minimum-Strength Rogue is a mistake (and doubly so on Halfings & Gnomes!), as it's too easy to become (partially) Encumbered and lose Evasion.

However, a +7 Tome helps that a lot. Many players would go as low as Str 8 to start, let the Tome do its magic, and put those build points into something else: Wisdom for Spot & Will ST, or even Cha for UMD/social skills. Ymmv.


Jump 40 is the cap (or 60 if you want to Sneak, which is a -20 penalty), and there are several quests where +40 Jump is really handy. The Jump spell can add as much as +30, if the caster is CL 9. If < 9, you're only going to get +20 (or even +10). Maxing (or near-maxing) Jump is cheap, and a Rogue (esp. w/ a +7 Str Tome) can easily get to the point where a +10 spell (from a UMD'd Wand of Jump, for example) can = 40.




.1 Rapid Shot: RS is strong at low levels, but has been shown to taper off considerably (but not completely) by mid-upper heroics. Many players do take this early, then swap it out for something else.

? Rapid Reload! THIS! Better than RS, and it does not taper off. This is your other L1 feat.

.3 Precise Shot: This allows you to kill a specific target, regardless of what other targets may jump in the line of fire. This is most useful against Casters who tend to hide behind meatwalls. You don't run into a lot of these in low-heroics, and in small groups simple DPS can blast through to back-row targets, so if you wanted this could be delayed until 6+ without much loss in opportunity

.6 Precision: This feat does not subtract -25 from the % of Fortification. What it does do is reduce the % Fort by 1/4. So, 50% Fort becomes 38%, etc. Since Fort' values are small at lower levels, this can be delayed until Level 9 or (much) higher.

.9 Weapon Focus: Ranged: A small boost in Ranged Power, so a small boost in damage. Other feats are probably more valuable, so this is often a L18 feat.

12 Improved Critical: Gated by BAB, so asap, yep!

15 Insightful Reflexes: so strong with Evasion, to ensure you take ZERO damage rather than just half. Lightning bolts start at Korthos, Character level ~4. Many players try to take this asap, at 6 if not at 3, 9 at the latest.

18 Power Critical: It's not bad at all, but there are better Feats.

? - Improved Precise Shot: Since it is now less damage than single-shot, many players do indeed skip this. Admittedly it's at its best in a quest with straight, narrow hallways, but even in a chaotic open-area melee it can be made to work, especially in opening a combat. With Precise Shot, you can concentrate on a (mini-)boss, and strafe around that target, taking out the trash as you do. Another YMMV.

Rogue Special Abilities
12 Rogue. : Crippling Strike
15 Rogue. : Defensive Roll
18 Rogue. : Slippery Mind

Crippling Strike: It may take days to reach Incapacitation, and "Strength" is not the main damage of many enemies. More, some Bosses/targets are immune. You can do better.

Defensive Roll: In the current game, DPS is king. Kill them and they stop killing you. Don't plan to fail.


Suggested Revised Feat Order:

Feats

.1. . . . : Point Blank Shot
.1 Human. : Rapid Reload
.3. . . . : Rapid Shot
.6. . . . : Precise Shot
.9. . . . : Insightful Reflexes
12. . . . : Improved Critical: Ranged
15. . . . : Precision
18. . . . : Weapon Focus: Ranged

12 Rogue. : Improved Evasion
15 Rogue. : Opportunist
18 Rogue. : Slippery Mind

Lots of variations: Precise Shot/Insightful Reflexes could easily get swapped, and you could swap out Rapid Shot for another Feat (IPS?) at mid/high heroics. (Not sure if keeping RS would be more DPS than swapping for Power Crit, or when it would be so.)

And - and for the last time - I could copy/paste "YMMV" throughout (almost) all of this, though some mileage is reliably better than some others. These are mainly just considerations.

[C-Dog]

So don't bother with Spellcraft at all?

When fully charged for a Tier 3 blast, a typical Rune Arm blast does {6 to 20 ? + 1 to 6 per Artificer Level}, or an average base of {13 + 7} = average 20 for a Lvl 2 Arti. This is then multiplied by #/100% spellpower (and that can get tricky to predict)...

If you have no appropriate spellpower items, it will do very little damage (but will still break boxes and trigger aggro, etc). If, say at level 10, you have a standard max spellpower item (77), it will do (.77 x 20) = ~15-16 pts of damage - which peanuts at level 10, but something, and it's free damage each blast.

Spellcraft will add directly to Spellpower, so any items/enhancements Spellpower+23. If you have no items, it will be THE multiplier, x .23 = ~14-15. However, at level 10, the diff between doing 5 pts of damage and 15 is +/- 10 - not a whole lot when your targets have many 100's or a few 1,000's of hit points and your ranged attack is (hopefully) starting to hit for triple figures

Does it help? Yes. Does it matter a lot? No. But it might be a couple % increase in dps, and that is not something to just ignore.

Stoner said to take my points in WIS and put them in STR and you told me to listen to him over you.

I remember saying that (but can't find it atm) - did he know you had +7 tomes? <shrug>

So long as you don't get Encumbered, the points are there to be spent. At Level 1 he'll start with 16 Str (12 + 2 Tome +2 Guild Buff), already more than most usually need. At level 15 he'll have 20 Str , and that's overkill for Encumbrance. And that's before any gear.

I avoided Improved Precise Shot because it has a reduction to damage (-20%) and it overwrites Precise Shot.

At -20%, just 2 targets = 160% normal damage. If you can finagle 3 targets in line, that's 240% of normal damage.

IPS does not overwrite Precise Shot, it is a stance that conflicts with the Archer's Focus stance (which is a Stance that comes from PS), which lets your Ranged Power increase (doing more damage) so long as you continue to stand still while firing - so the "normal damage" now increases, possibly considerably. This can be great if you can, indeed, stand still, but one little shift in position and you start over again.

o https://ddowiki.com/page/Precise_Shot

Either way, your chosen target will still be the focus of your DPS .

A lot of players agree with you, just wanted to be clear on the choice you're making.

doesn't show swapping out Rapid Reload before I get it for free with Arti2.

Ach- I was multi-tasking, of course Arti gets you that (another reason to take Arti early). Then shift everything up, and, sure, take Power Crit.

(Or, as a Human, you could instead take DM of Passage and get both Expeditious Retreat early, and for ~7 AP get Dimension Door soon enough - very handy!)

[Just_a_Dude]

The thing about adding to STR for me is that it's the only stat that won't be getting much boost from past lives. I get +1 from Half-orc and that's it.

You're right it was Archer's Focus. That's what I get for trying to go from memory.

Taking Rogue first for the points and then taking Arti for the next two levels makes a lot of sense. That way I don't even have to do any switching up of feats and it adds to the already crazy damage I'm doing by adding the rune arm bonuses. I'm currently using Chimera's Breath from the House Deneith story arc. I can't use it until level 5, but maybe being Arti heavy at level three will result in some new useable gear. If not, it's craftable so I can get a few of them and make them level appropriate.

Anyway, thank you for everything. I think I'm in a pretty good spot now.

[C-Dog]

You're on 'er, your honor!

If not, it's craftable so I can get a few of them and make them level appropriate.

Crafting RA's can result in some unexpected results, what effects remain and don't; the Wiki tries(!) to show an example of what every RA looks like when it's been "stripped" pre-crafting.

Here's the list of all RA's - some are pretty sweet at-level, and beyond. (Khyber's Fury, with 75% Fort @ Lvl 5, is especially handy.)

o https://ddowiki.com/page/Rune_Arm#Named_Rune_Arms