A Noob's Guide to Fighting Styles

[Zites]

People will debate the numbers until the end of time so I'm just going to focus on how the combat styles "feel".

Numbers can not be debated. Yea feels like you want THF nerfed.

THF - is super sexy and seductive. Once you rip off 50K, 70K, 100K hits with Adrenaline in Fury you get hooked. Strikethrough crushes mobs in R6-8 Reaper where most of your groups play.

Blood Lust is seductive. But, as far as THF with Adrenaline Strikethrough crushes mobs in R6-8 Reaper is not what I see in R10-8.

It's all Casters and Ranged crushing mobs only slowing down at Doom Reapers to cast a D-Door to cheese them, and end bosses where they can't just breeze through them. With a few TWF cleaning up the little that's left and dyeing on boss fights, or to circles and the Doom Reapers that don't take the D-Door.

SWF - feels like you're listening to a podcast in x2 speed, except your killing stuff. Overall fun animations and speed.

Not sure what to say to this so NA.

TWF - still has the worse animations in the game. Does allow more flexibility with item sets since you have an extra weapon you can use for an off-hand proc or as part of say an IoD set.

Funny I aways thought the animation fit the folks they play it, and it is KING of DPS.

S&B - mostly restricted to Vanguard Fighters and Paladins or Bard mixes. Feels like SWF if done well with better defenses. Plus you're bashing enemies with a giant slab of steel or wood and that feels good.

Again NA SNB is a non-starter.

Then, at some point, you run R10 Tempest Spine and you just do what CDog said, grab a bow, and start shooting because you don't want to get hit. At all.

Well, it is good xp Chesse.

[Marshal_Lannes]

Numbers can not be debated. Yea feels like you want THF nerfed....
It's all Casters and Ranged crushing mobs only slowing down at Doom Reapers to cast a D-Door to cheese them, and end bosses where they can't just breeze through them. With a few TWF cleaning up the little that's left and dyeing on boss fights, or to circles and the Doom Reapers that don't take the D-Door.

Nowhere did I say I wanted anything nerfed. Numbers are debated all the time. People present stats and numbers to reinforce the point they want to make. Like everything else, they are subjective. Your view of R8 is also subjective. That isn't my experience at all. Anyone who throws DDoors to avoid Doom Reapers has an undergeared party/character. In any event, every combat style is perfectly viable in DDO up to R8. Granted, R10 changes things some, but there is really no reason to run R10 when you get the vast majority of rewards from R8 with a lot fewer headaches.

Regardless, this is a "Noob's Guide to Fighting Styles" so what happens in R8 or R10 isn't particularly relevant. For quite some time those Noobs will be in R1 then R3 or 4 and then R6. I have a Noob character twice a year in Hardcore and have no trouble running Legendary R4 with every fighting style I've described.

[Fauxknight]

I also think Precision may end up out-pacing Power Attack unless the build (Class/Race) has lots of bonus Power Attack enhancements? Such as Warforged or Half-Orc and Barbarian?

Precision can not be used while raged, so Barbarians and Bears are going to have Power Attack anyways.

Precision is generally better and continues to get better the more advanced a character is (build, gear, past lives, tomes), though a lower power character like a first life no attribute tome character may actually find power attack the better option.

[Bacab]

Precision can not be used while raged, so Barbarians and Bears are going to have Power Attack anyways.

Precision is generally better and continues to get better the more advanced a character is (build, gear, past lives, tomes), though a lower power character like a first life no attribute tome character may actually find power attack the better option.

Good info! I am running a Dwarven Bard, Warchanter and have been using the Warchanter Rage (though you can cast during this rage) and have been using Power Attack while leveling Heroics. I may swap to Precision once I ETR and see the difference. I used mainly 5 weapons from level 2 to 28.
I definitely consder myself lower power etc. I leveled in Heroics and Low Epics (only levle 24 atm) on Elite or Reaper 1 when solo for speed. I was fine going up on Reaper difficulty when grouped up, and that's when I noticed the Fortification (I didn't really build in Fort Bypass while leveling).

Nicked Greatsword level 2
Carnifex level 4
SoS Level 10
ESoS Level 20
And a Slime Beater (Muck's Devestation and Shining Devestation)

[Zites]

Anyone who throws DDoors to avoid Doom Reapers has an undergeared party/character. I have a Noob character twice a year in Hardcore and have no trouble running Legendary R4 with every fighting style I've described.

I agree maybe you can't do r5-up because you have no d-door?

In any event, every combat style is perfectly viable in DDO up to R8. Granted, R10 changes things some, but there is really no reason to run R10 when you get the vast majority of rewards from R8 with a lot fewer headaches.
.

With the Healer you run with you should do more r10s m8.
They say a picture speaks a thousand words.

ddc08bbaed550df2180c73e986e4d736.jpg