Is 1200 temp hp better than 20% more ac?

[Ultinoob]

I play a druid 17 monk 2 wizard 1 split and I can’t figure out what to do. So now I am asking the all knowing guys on the forum for feedback.

Aasimar version:
Gets 20% more ac and 15 prr. Gain +4 wisdom. My ac on this build is around 260 and prr 207 outside reaper. My hp are 1672 again outside reaper. Cr 100 mobs to hit chance is 50%. I will have to spend 3 feats on monk stances so the feat layout looks like this:

Feats:
Heroic 7: 3*monk stance, maximise spell, empower spell, quicken spell, past life wizard
Monk 2: deflect arrows, discipline
Wizard 1: Heighten spell
Epic 4: Wellspring of power, burst of glacial wrath, ruin, greater ruin
Epic destiny feats 4: Epic spell power cold/force + Crush Weakness + Legendary toughness
Legendary feat 1: Scion of the plane of water

Shifter version:
Gets +3 wisdom and another +4 when shifting. Gets 1200 temp hp but I will have to click dismiss rage and new shift to refresh them. Might even have to change weapons if I dont wanna use 5 filigrees always on blood feast. Will have 223 ac and 192 prr. Cr 100 mobs to hit chance is 58%. my hp will be 1672 outside reaper.

Feats:
Heroic 7: Maximise, empower, quicken, Two Weapon Defense, past life wizard, toughness, toughness
monk 2: Discipline, deflect arrows
wizard 1: heighten spell
Epic 4: wellspring of power, burst of glacial wrath, ruin, greater ruin
Epic destiny feats 4: Epic spell power cold/force + Crush Weakness + legendary toughness
Legendary feat 1: Scion of the plane of water


So what do you think. Shifter or Aasimar.

[Michele]

I prefer more temporary hit points.

I hope that you have more than 120 evocation DC, otherwise mobs in high reaper will often save your burst of glacial wrath (those orange named triceratops in r10 isle of dread save often against burst of glacial wrath DC 126, but they fail often against greater color spray).

Did you see the new druid archetype tree?

Death Eater - You gain 1 temporary hit point equal to your wisdom score whenever you kill an enemy (Creatures 2 levels below you do not count). These hit points remain until damage removes them or the quest ends. This can stack 5 times and is refreshed on each kill.

[Ultinoob]

I prefer more temporary hit points.

I hope that you have more than 120 evocation DC, otherwise mobs in high reaper will often save your burst of glacial wrath (those orange named triceratops in r10 isle of dread save often against burst of glacial wrath DC 126, but they fail often against greater color spray).

Did you see the new druid archetype tree?

Death Eater - You gain 1 temporary hit point equal to your wisdom score whenever you kill an enemy (Creatures 2 levels below you do not count). These hit points remain until damage removes them or the quest ends. This can stack 5 times and is refreshed on each kill.

I play my druid a bit different than yours i think. My dc is around 100 and with bard buffs in reaper around 110. I get by though. I believe i am more dps focused. I tend to cast burst and color spray and usually i can hold some mobs. but my dc could be higher. I often play with a really good tank and he can take a hit and intimidates so it is less importent that i make mobs helpless all the time.

When soloing i am relying on my summonings to help me. But if you have seen my videos i can solo some quests on r8 and into the mist on r10.


Yes i did see the new archetype and death eater looks good. I like the hive thing and i am gonna test it out when it goes live. Did you test it on lammania? I don't have access to lammania. But loosing heal and cure wounds is a big drawback. This means i will be a badder healer and when doing r10 in groups people often expect me to heal. So i am not sure if i will stick to it but i will test it out.

Also the archetype gets a lot of aoe spells early on which is kind of the problem when levelling a druid. So there are pros and cons.

[Ultinoob]

Come to think of it Michele and i don't think i have more dps than you. I have evasion though and maybe some more defense.

[Michele]

I play my druid a bit different than yours i think. My dc is around 100 and with bard buffs in reaper around 110. I get by though. I believe i am more dps focused. I tend to cast burst and color spray and usually i can hold some mobs. but my dc could be higher. I often play with a really good tank and he can take a hit and intimidates so it is less importent that i make mobs helpless all the time.

When soloing i am relying on my summonings to help me. But if you have seen my videos i can solo some quests on r8 and into the mist on r10.


Yes i did see the new archetype and death eater looks good. I like the hive thing and i am gonna test it out when it goes live. Did you test it on lammania? I don't have access to lammania. But loosing heal and cure wounds is a big drawback. This means i will be a badder healer and when doing r10 in groups people often expect me to heal. So i am not sure if i will stick to it but i will test it out.

Also the archetype gets a lot of aoe spells early on which is kind of the problem when levelling a druid. So there are pros and cons.

Heh, I also can't see me without heal and regenerate mass spells, even if some players would say that they heal with healing pillar and reborn in fire: vigor spell sucks in high reaper.

I loved watching your summoner build in high reaper.

I don't have access to lamannia but I will play at least 1 life of the new archetype druid for fun (I usually burn past lives by multiclassing 10 warlock levels).

[Michele]

I play my druid a bit different than yours i think. My dc is around 100 and with bard buffs in reaper around 110. I get by though. I believe i am more dps focused. I tend to cast burst and color spray and usually i can hold some mobs. but my dc could be higher. I often play with a really good tank and he can take a hit and intimidates so it is less importent that i make mobs helpless all the time.

When soloing i am relying on my summonings to help me. But if you have seen my videos i can solo some quests on r8 and into the mist on r10.


Yes i did see the new archetype and death eater looks good. I like the hive thing and i am gonna test it out when it goes live. Did you test it on lammania? I don't have access to lammania. But loosing heal and cure wounds is a big drawback. This means i will be a badder healer and when doing r10 in groups people often expect me to heal. So i am not sure if i will stick to it but i will test it out.

Also the archetype gets a lot of aoe spells early on which is kind of the problem when levelling a druid. So there are pros and cons.

In quests like into the mysts and grim and barret mobs have low saves.

You say that you are more dps focused, but if in content like feywild/sharn/iod mobs most of the time save your spells and you do only 50% damage then you are not doing much dps.

Here is a video that I just made in Bullywugs and booby traps R6, where bullywugs save often my ice flowers with 111 transmutation DC (if your evocation DC is only 110 with bard buffs, transmutation would be even lower).

[Ultinoob]

In quests like into the mysts and grim and barret mobs have low saves.

You say that you are more dps focused, but if in content like feywild/sharn/iod mobs most of the time save your spells and you do only 50% damage then you are not doing much dps.

Here is a video that I just made in Bullywugs and booby traps R6, where bullywugs save often my ice flowers with 111 transmutation DC (if your evocation DC is only 110 with bard buffs, transmutation would be even lower).

You are right. and i kind of took the whole dps thing back. I think you are right. I must look at my dc and try and get it higher. You did not state you ac or dodge if any in you build... What is that.

[Tyrande]

[...]

Also the archetype gets a lot of aoe spells early on which is kind of the problem when levelling a druid. So there are pros and cons.

A lot of bugs still, and the hit rate on the spells is buggy.

This means i will be a badder healer and when doing r10 in groups people often expect me to heal. So i am not sure if i will stick to it but i will test it out.

Also, what's a bladder heal?

[PedXing20]

Here is a video that I just made in Bullywugs and booby traps R6, where bullywugs save often my ice flowers with 111 transmutation DC (if your evocation DC is only 110 with bard buffs, transmutation would be even lower).

I won't lie Michele, i think you push your DCs higher than they need to be. I just ran that same quest on R6 with an evoc DC of 106. Completed it in a little over 8 minutes. I likely played it a little more aggressively than you did - on R6 i trust my first 3 spells to kill every thing and I have g/ruin to delete anything left over - but i didn't struggle with spells not landing in there. I'm not 100%, but its certainly good enough.

Have you tried running some of these solo quests with a gimped DC (take off an item or something) to see how big a difference it makes for you? It looks like your druid build has evolved since you first posted it to more and more DPS - I think you might be able to push that even more tbh!

As for the OP ... i'd go with shifter. 1,200 HP is what, 60% more HP than you currently have? I have a blood feast set in a swap item and almost always have them up. In higher reaper where you will struggle to self heal, having that cushion that isn't affected by reaper is H U G E + +

[Ultinoob]

A lot of bugs still, and the hit rate on the spells is buggy.

Bummer. But the intention to give low level archetype druids aoe spells is there. Hope they fix the bugs.

Also, what's a bladder heal?

Hehe. sorry english is not my native tongue. I meant i would be a worse healer on the archetype druid than on a normal cold caster druid.

[Ultinoob]

[...]
As for the OP ... i'd go with shifter. 1,200 HP is what, 60% more HP than you currently have? I have a blood feast set in a swap item and almost always have them up. In higher reaper where you will struggle to self heal, having that cushion that isn't affected by reaper is H U G E + +

I have 1608 hp outside reaper and 2238 in reaper. so it's pretty close to 60% yes.

When i do high reapers i usually have hirelings or a group with me. But yes self healing in high reaper is hard.

[Michele]

I won't lie Michele, i think you push your DCs higher than they need to be. I just ran that same quest on R6 with an evoc DC of 106. Completed it in a little over 8 minutes. I likely played it a little more aggressively than you did - on R6 i trust my first 3 spells to kill every thing and I have g/ruin to delete anything left over - but i didn't struggle with spells not landing in there. I'm not 100%, but its certainly good enough.

Have you tried running some of these solo quests with a gimped DC (take off an item or something) to see how big a difference it makes for you? It looks like your druid build has evolved since you first posted it to more and more DPS - I think you might be able to push that even more tbh!

As for the OP ... i'd go with shifter. 1,200 HP is what, 60% more HP than you currently have? I have a blood feast set in a swap item and almost always have them up. In higher reaper where you will struggle to self heal, having that cushion that isn't affected by reaper is H U G E + +

I have another 3rd life druid with about 106 evocation DC and burst of glacial wrath fails often in isle of dread R4.

Also on my main druid I'm using salt ray without heighten feat with only 119 DC and when I try to stop an orange named archer from afar with salt ray in r10 isle of dread, they can save and hit me very hard. Also despair reapers ignoring my greater color spray at r6 difficulty and I invested heavyly in illusion DC.

In r6 bullywug quest, a bullywug champion save twice in a row my ice flowers spell with only 111 transmutation dc: that means that I did half damage both times and that 1 ice flowers cast could have been enough with higher DC... of course I killed it anyway, but those reflex save texts popping over mobs head is not efficient.

always in r6 bullywug quest, my call lightning storm are cast after swapping to scepters that proc legendary affirmation and legendary ooze, so call lightning storm does not benefit from my quarterstaff
with DC filigrees and bullywugs are saving 100% of times against those call lightning storm.

so I respond yes when you ask me if I tested a lower DC build, and 106 evocation DC against r10 scarecrows in into the mists or age of rage r10 quests is not a valid test to show the potential of a caster build.

I believe that you can do the quest faster even if mobs save against all your spells; I saw this nice video of Zingy soloing r10 wake me up inside where mobs were saving a lot of his spell but by casting many spells the job is done eventually:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIWjAdfyizo&t=205s

I tried soloing it at r10 and I had to hide behind a corner in the first encouters to avoid being hit by ranged mobs.

[Michele]

You are right. and i kind of took the whole dps thing back. I think you are right. I must look at my dc and try and get it higher. You did not state you ac or dodge if any in you build... What is that.

in my build I'm using wruit set with full plate with dodge capped by just the reaper tree ( 6% ?), so evation and dodge are not an option for me and armor class is probably a thing for paladin epic destiny using a shield and people investing their feats heavily in it.

are you using reflection of wave to compensate the 3 caster levels loss? evasion can be took from primal avatar and shadow dancer and the capstone gives more constitution and +1 caster level and max caster level for more dps.

[Michele]

I have 1608 hp outside reaper and 2238 in reaper. so it's pretty close to 60% yes.

When i do high reapers i usually have hirelings or a group with me. But yes self healing in high reaper is hard.

I built a triple positive green steel scepter with healing amplification and a malleable scepter of devotion with 9 healing amplification filigrees: in r10 I swap to those 2 scepters and maybe go in fire elemental form to fully heal with 2 or 3 cycles of heal spell with mass regeneration ticks.

in r8 usually 1 heal spell should be enough to fully heal with that tecnique.

[Ultinoob]

in my build I'm using wruit set with full plate with dodge capped by just the reaper tree ( 6% ?), so evation and dodge are not an option for me and armor class is probably a thing for paladin epic destiny using a shield and people investing their feats heavily in it.

are you using reflection of wave to compensate the 3 caster levels loss? evasion can be took from primal avatar and shadow dancer and the capstone gives more constitution and +1 caster level and max caster level for more dps.

I got 36 dodge and 231 ac outside reaper. This is in ocean stance and an Aasimar build. If doing 1200 temp hp and the shifter build, my ac would be about the same and my dodge would be 28. The wisdom to ac from monk helps a lot. This means CR 100 mobs should hit me 57% of the time. Add dodge to that and i dont get hit that often. also i have flight from Natures warrior which can boost my dodge to 56 for a limited time.

I find i can't really play a build without evasion. I always die in traps if i don't have it.


With regards to caster levels i have been playing some time with a IOD staff and not gaining any caster levels. But my new plan is to use two kamas. One alchemical with cold lore and spellpower and +2 alchemical wisdom and improved cold augmentation giving me all lost caster levels for cold back.

I think i found a way to get 107 dc on evocation outside reaper on my build. I should try and do the bullywugs quest and see how it goes.

[Michele]

I got 36 dodge and 231 ac outside reaper. This is in ocean stance and an Aasimar build. If doing 1200 temp hp and the shifter build, my ac would be about the same and my dodge would be 28. The wisdom to ac from monk helps a lot. This means CR 100 mobs should hit me 57% of the time. Add dodge to that and i dont get hit that often. also i have flight from Natures warrior which can boost my dodge to 56 for a limited time.

I find i can't really play a build without evasion. I always die in traps if i don't have it.


With regards to caster levels i have been playing some time with a IOD staff and not gaining any caster levels. But my new plan is to use two kamas. One alchemical with cold lore and spellpower and +2 alchemical wisdom and improved cold augmentation giving me all lost caster levels for cold back.

I think i found a way to get 107 dc on evocation outside reaper on my build. I should try and do the bullywugs quest and see how it goes.

I have a doubt about alchemical weapons giving caster levels only to spells up to level 9 (as stated in the description): probably dragon breath is a level 10 spell, but if I remember correctly in the log the alchemical weapon gives caster levels to dragon breath and tsunami too (you should check the log and make some dps tests with reflection of wave and alchemical weapon to check the real numbers).

very nice dodge, but there is a lot of nasty stuff in high reaper that can kill you and only hit points can save you: tactical detonation, "invisible" vengeance reaper blue circle :-P, horrid wilting, kopru's mind seeker chaos damage reduced by MRR (if I'm not wrong it can't be evaded because it's a will save?).

if you make an R6 (or more) video of bullywugs quest I would love to watch it.

[Ultinoob]

The dragon breath sla from draconic is based of character level and not caster level, so should not be a problem either way.

[Michele]

The dragon breath sla from draconic is based of character level and not caster level, so should not be a problem either way.

ah you are right, very interesting

[kpak01]

I won't lie Michele, i think you push your DCs higher than they need to be.

Everyone can judge their own trade-offs, but if it's not 95% in R10, I don't think any DC boosting is higher than it needs to be.

[Enoach]

I think this comes down to

1. does +20% AC actually prevent you from being hit, and does that translate to taking less damage
2. temp HP is generally better if you are getting hit and need a buffer.