Advice wanted on WF EK build

[Hitstorm]

Hello,

i'm thinking of doing a Warforged EK build. I'm not sure if i should go pure or multiclass. Some options :

1. Pure with EK capstone in Fatesinger. Either Longsword, vistani dagger or THF falchion/greatsword
2. 2mnk/18wiz SWF vistani dagger or longsword in GMoF
3. 1ro/1mnk/18 wiz THF staff in GMoF (alternatively 1ro/2mnk/17wiz)

I mostly do R1's to cap, then solo R4 or group R6+.
Is the capstone from EK worth it? Ditto with the extra spellsword dice. Do they amount to much in mid-reaper?

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of build since the stat squish and destiny update?

Appreciate any input

[Kodwraith]

Hello,

i'm thinking of doing a Warforged EK build. I'm not sure if i should go pure or multiclass. Some options :

1. Pure with EK capstone in Fatesinger. Either Longsword, vistani dagger or THF falchion/greatsword
2. 2mnk/18wiz SWF vistani dagger or longsword in GMoF
3. 1ro/1mnk/18 wiz THF staff in GMoF (alternatively 1ro/2mnk/17wiz)

I mostly do R1's to cap, then solo R4 or group R6+.
Is the capstone from EK worth it? Ditto with the extra spellsword dice. Do they amount to much in mid-reaper?

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of build since the stat squish and destiny update?

Appreciate any input

This may sound stupid, but it depends if you want to do traps or not. I ran a pure THF WF EK build as my last WF life and it hits like a truck. The capstone picks up a lot of spellsword dmg but you don't strictly need it. The main EK power tier is T5 + core 4. The challenge is you really need to think about gearing. I ran before the ED shakeup in Fury and the damage was quite astounding.

[Hitstorm]

This may sound stupid, but it depends if you want to do traps or not. I ran a pure THF WF EK build as my last WF life and it hits like a truck. The capstone picks up a lot of spellsword dmg but you don't strictly need it. The main EK power tier is T5 + core 4. The challenge is you really need to think about gearing. I ran before the ED shakeup in Fury and the damage was quite astounding.

Hi, thanks for your reply. I'm not interested in trapping, i want survivability + cc + dps. WF EK seems like it would give me all of that, im just not sure how good it is in R4-R6'ish.

[Kodwraith]

Hi, thanks for your reply. I'm not interested in trapping, i want survivability + cc + dps. WF EK seems like it would give me all of that, im just not sure how good it is in R4-R6'ish.

You can find my WF DreadKnight build down below someplace. The pure EK builds have only gotten stronger since the ED update. Unless you have a lot of past lives, the spell DCs will be hard to gear for since most of your feats go into melee. You can likely focus on just one school (illusion or Enchant) and get passable DCs. I went with self-healing as my main focus and geared for blasting as a secondary caster activity. Most of the time you just melee stuff to death with Fury + Eldritch Tempest.

[Certon]

Hello,

i'm thinking of doing a Warforged EK build. I'm not sure if i should go pure or multiclass. Some options :

1. Pure with EK capstone in Fatesinger. Either Longsword, vistani dagger or THF falchion/greatsword
2. 2mnk/18wiz SWF vistani dagger or longsword in GMoF
3. 1ro/1mnk/18 wiz THF staff in GMoF (alternatively 1ro/2mnk/17wiz)

I mostly do R1's to cap, then solo R4 or group R6+.
Is the capstone from EK worth it? Ditto with the extra spellsword dice. Do they amount to much in mid-reaper?

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of build since the stat squish and destiny update?

Appreciate any input

You might also consider Bladeforged EK -- 1 PAL 1 ROG 18 WIZ staff fighter with Swords to Plowshares and imp crit: bludgeoning, though personally I'd use a LR+1 heart and go 2 ROG 18 WIZ.

[Hitstorm]

You can find my WF DreadKnight build down below someplace. The pure EK builds have only gotten stronger since the ED update. Unless you have a lot of past lives, the spell DCs will be hard to gear for since most of your feats go into melee. You can likely focus on just one school (illusion or Enchant) and get passable DCs. I went with self-healing as my main focus and geared for blasting as a secondary caster activity. Most of the time you just melee stuff to death with Fury + Eldritch Tempest.

Yes, even with the changes it seems hybrid casters are still not able to hit the DC's needed in harder content. To do decent weapon damage, the gear and filligrees really need to be focused on melee.
I might just go with illusion for greater color spray and skip trying to get mass hold to work.

[Hitstorm]

After having now almost done a SDK vistani druid life (which is very fun with the goldcursed dagger, and selfheals well in R5)
i will probably TR in a week or so. I have boiled it down to two builds i'd like to try :

My update on the "Mage knight" build (the original forum thread seems to be dead) :
WF 2mnk/18wiz :1wiz(b:qui, combat expertise),2-3wiz(TWF),4mnk(b:dodge),5-6wiz(b:ext,mobility),7-8wiz,9mnk(b:spring attack,whirlwind attack),
10-12wiz(b:SFill, iTWF),13-15wiz(imp crit),16-17wiz(b:sf:ench),18wiz(adept of forms). 21(gTWF),22(pTWF),24(OC),25(doublestrike),27(maste r of forms)
28(crush weakness),30(L:mechanus, GMoF). 12dex, max int+con. Play in GmoF and 11 points in Fatesinger + choice
AP : WF 2+15, EK 41, Harper 8, Shin 10, FW 11, Vistani 8

A staff version :

WF 1ro/2mnk/17wiz : 1ro(THF),2wiz(b:qui),3wiz(insightful), 4-5wiz,6mnk(brecision, adept),7wiz(b:ext)),8-9wiz(plowshares), 10-11wiz,12mnk(b:dodge, master of form)
,13wiz(b:max),14-15wiz(imp crit),16-18wiz(b:SF:Ench), iTHF) ,19-20wiz. 21(gTHF),22(pTHF),24(OC), 25(doublestrike), 27(GMoF),
28(crush weakness),30(Mechanus + choice). 13str, max int+con. Play in GMoF + T2 FoTW (boulders might 8 points)+ Fatesinger(11 points)
AP: EK 40, harper 8, shin 8, Henshin 10, TA 6, vistani 8, WF 2+15.

I'm leaning towards the staff version, because i feel it will be easier to play with strikethrough, but i miss out on the 5th EK core (2 second arrow deflect is amazing).
Both are dodge builds with double reconstructs at cap for good survivability. Not great DPS, but should be fun to play.
I guess i'm wondering if whirlwind attack is still worth it, or if it's overshadowed by THF strikethrough.

[jasonayoung]

Hello,

i'm thinking of doing a Warforged EK build. I'm not sure if i should go pure or multiclass. Some options :

1. Pure with EK capstone in Fatesinger. Either Longsword, vistani dagger or THF falchion/greatsword
2. 2mnk/18wiz SWF vistani dagger or longsword in GMoF
3. 1ro/1mnk/18 wiz THF staff in GMoF (alternatively 1ro/2mnk/17wiz)

I mostly do R1's to cap, then solo R4 or group R6+.
Is the capstone from EK worth it? Ditto with the extra spellsword dice. Do they amount to much in mid-reaper?

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of build since the stat squish and destiny update?

Appreciate any input

My observations and opinions on the melee wizard / EK issue:

1) EK elemental dmg is amazingly strong. It's applied per hit, no limit per time. So the faster you hit, the more of this ridiculously scaling dmg you do! So IMO hit faster
2) TWF is good for this reason
3) The EK capstone is too good to be offset by splashing
4) Draconic T3 has a cheap option to add 3 more dice to your EK embue
5) Add anything else you can that applies per hit (and vampirism if you want)
6) You will have usable DCs in the school of your choice. You're a max int pure wiz. Just be prepared to manage your cast range if you go epic Def Fighting. I went enchant and have no trouble with mass hold and suggestion in low to mid reapers. (i have PLs and extra points).
7) You can easily take a dragon breath and shape it as burst and amp evo and breath DCs. That works well in a rotation with the EK Tempest which is a cleave with force burst

YMMV. Take what you like and leave the rest.

[Hitstorm]

My observations and opinions on the melee wizard / EK issue:

1) EK elemental dmg is amazingly strong. It's applied per hit, no limit per time. So the faster you hit, the more of this ridiculously scaling dmg you do! So IMO hit faster
2) TWF is good for this reason
3) The EK capstone is too good to be offset by splashing
4) Draconic T3 has a cheap option to add 3 more dice to your EK embue
5) Add anything else you can that applies per hit (and vampirism if you want)
6) You will have usable DCs in the school of your choice. You're a max int pure wiz. Just be prepared to manage your cast range if you go epic Def Fighting. I went enchant and have no trouble with mass hold and suggestion in low to mid reapers. (i have PLs and extra points).
7) You can easily take a dragon breath and shape it as burst and amp evo and breath DCs. That works well in a rotation with the EK Tempest which is a cleave with force burst

YMMV. Take what you like and leave the rest.

Thanks for your input. Appreciate any further answers to my comments

1) Could you put some numbers on this at cap, say in R5-ish at what spellpower?
2) Yes, and monks hit very fast
3) The capstone does look very good, especially the +10% weapon damage.
4) Yes, i should probably take this and skip the 11 points in fatesinger.
5) I will mostly be doing mid-reapers and pugging higher skulls. My experience is that bonuses like vampirism doesn't amount for much when you are getting hit for 500+
6) Yes, the most annoying part of casting with EDF is the range and spells going on cooldown when they fail. Its a horrible mechanic, even worse when you group with kiters.
7) Love dragon breath, its amazing

[Alled78]

Hello,

i'm thinking of doing a Warforged EK build. I'm not sure if i should go pure or multiclass. Some options :

1. Pure with EK capstone in Fatesinger. Either Longsword, vistani dagger or THF falchion/greatsword
2. 2mnk/18wiz SWF vistani dagger or longsword in GMoF
3. 1ro/1mnk/18 wiz THF staff in GMoF (alternatively 1ro/2mnk/17wiz)

I mostly do R1's to cap, then solo R4 or group R6+.
Is the capstone from EK worth it? Ditto with the extra spellsword dice. Do they amount to much in mid-reaper?

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of build since the stat squish and destiny update?

Appreciate any input

If u wanna go vistani better go shadar kai race for chain + gmof mantle and t5
If u wanna go warforged i suggest 2hf. In this case i suggest 18 wiz split + one way to get inceeased speed. U can put 1 monk, stay centered maxing dodge and gmof mantle and staff.
Or add 1 lvl of barbarian and go heavy docent with the weapon u prefer in another destiny.

In both cases color spray in Feydark is strongly seggested.


In high reaper an increased speed is really useful against r5+ reapers ifu are melee

[niknight]

My observations and opinions on the melee wizard / EK issue:

4) Draconic T3 has a cheap option to add 3 more dice to your EK embue

Just to point out, the extra spellsword dice from Draconic are currently bugged for wizards (they don't function). The augment from the new raid works fine though.

[Hitstorm]

If u wanna go vistani better go shadar kai race for chain + gmof mantle and t5
If u wanna go warforged i suggest 2hf. In this case i suggest 18 wiz split + one way to get inceeased speed. U can put 1 monk, stay centered maxing dodge and gmof mantle and staff.
Or add 1 lvl of barbarian and go heavy docent with the weapon u prefer in another destiny.

In both cases color spray in Feydark is strongly seggested.


In high reaper an increased speed is really useful against r5+ reapers ifu are melee

Thanks for the advice. I am currently playing SDK vistani in gmof, its lots of fun
The reasons i went 2mnk, is for the 20PRR from shintao + knock on the sky (for bosses) + quickstrike (25% doublestrike).
I could go 2ro/18wiz, but would then lose out on ocean stance(for solo/pugging)/fire stance(for raids).
If i go 1ro/1mnk/18wiz, i lose out on all of that, but gain slightly more elemental damage and 2 seconds deflect arrows, but i have
also enough AP's to take color spray. With all the champion archers everywhere, deflect arrows is a lifesaver for sure.
I also prefer a dodge build to heavy armor, and i love the GMoF destiny. So many tradeoffs and choices is a good thing, its just
driving me a bit nuts trying to fit in all the things i like I still have the free +5 heart lying around, so if all else fails i will just
do a lesser TR and change it up.

[Hitstorm]

Just to point out, the extra spellsword dice from Draconic are currently bugged for wizards (they don't function). The augment from the new raid works fine though.

Good to know! Thanks for the info, that means i will put points in Fatesinger instead for the time being.