Eldritch Commander - Warlock Summon Build

[Nindimple]

*PS - Clarification, this is not a "recommended" build, but more theory crafting and asking for input. - Thank you C-Dog.*

Preface: First I want to give thanks and credit to Vooduspyce for both his information and videos which both taught me and served as inspiration, so credit where credit is due. Much of this build uses his as a framework, with most of the changes being in feats and destinies. I thought about posting this in his topic about Enlightened Spirit tanking, but felt it is different enough to warrant a different topic all its own. So if you see this Voodu, thank you Sir.

Hello Forums,

I am nearing the end of my first life journey as a Enlightened Spirit Warlock, which I have greatly enjoyed. And while I enjoy the mechanics and style of gameplay, my favorite builds or classes in games has always been Summoners or Pet builds. I know summons and "pet builds" are a topic that has been attempted many times, and the conventional wisdom being to go Druid or Palemaster for the wolf or skeleton pet, plus whatever Summons and/or Hirelings. But summons (themselves) don't scale well, and players often run out of Spell Points keeping them alive. But I did notice that the Enlightened Spirit tree in fact has skills to boost summons, pets, and hirelings, and Enlightened Spirit has all the healing and temp hitpoints one could ask for, for free. And so in theory, might be able to overcome some of the challenges. So after a bit of tinkering, this is the build I came up with. Using much of the guidance and advice from the Voodu as mentioned before, but also putting my own spin on things.

First, the build -

Shifter
20 Warlock – True Neutral, 32 point build
Pact - Celestial
8 STR, 10 DEX, 18 CON, 12 INT, 8 WIS, 16 CHA
Skills – Intimidate, Spellcraft, Concentration, Use Magic Device.
Feats - Levels 1: Shield Proficiency, 3: Maximize spell, 6: Force of Personality, 9: Empower Spell, 12: Augment Summoning, 15: Shield Mastery, 18: Improved Shield Mastery, 21: (Epic) Epic Eldritch Blast, 22: (Destiny): Epic Pact Dice, 24: (Epic) Greater Shield Mastery, 25: (Destiny) Elusive Target, 27: (Epic) Improved Augment Summoning, 28: (Destiny) Perfect Shield Mastery, 30 (Epic) Epic Reflexes, 30 (Legendary) Scion of Elysium, 31 (Destiny) Legendary Toughness

AP Planner – 80 total action points spent

Shifter– 6 AP
C1 – Extra Shifting – 1 AP
C2 – Ability 1 (CON) – 2 AP
C3 – Extra Shifting – 1 AP
C4 – Ability 2 (CON) – 2 AP

Harper - 9 AP
C1 Agent of Good 1 - 1 AP
T1 Traveler’s Toughness rank 3 - 3 AP
T1 Weathered Traveler rank 2 - 2 AP
T2 Harper Leadership rank 3 - 3 AP

Enlightened Spirit - 51 AP
C1 Eldritch Aura - 1 DP
T1 Resilience of Body rank 3 - 3 AP
T1 Spiritual Defense rank 3 - 3 AP
T1 Resilience of Soul rank 3 - 3 AP
C2 Aura of Courage - 1 AP
T2 Spiritual Bastion rank 3 - 3 AP
C3 Shape Vestments - 1 AP
T3 Eldritch Burst rank 3 - 3 AP
T3 Spiritual Ward rank 3 - 3 AP
T3 Power of Enlightenment rank 3 - 3 AP
T3 Fortify Summons rank 3 - 3 AP
T3 CON - 2 AP
C4 Celestial Spirit - 1 AP
T4 Medium Armor - 2 AP
T4 Spiritual Retribution - 2 AP
T4 Brilliance - 1 AP
T4 Imbue Summons rank 3 - 3 AP
T4 CON - 2 AP
C5 Ultimate Enlightenment - 1 AP
T5 Spirit Blast rank 3 - 3 AP
T5 Beacon - 2 AP
T5 Shining Through - 2 AP
T5 Displace Summons - 1 AP
T5 Displacement - 2 AP

Tainted Scholar - 14 AP
C1 Tainted Spellcasting - 1 AP
T1 Feigned Health rank 3 - 3 AP
T1 Strong Pact - 2 AP
C2 Tainted Lore - 1 AP
T2 Strong Pact - 2 AP
T2 Utterdark Blast - 2 AP
C3 Stanch - 1 AP
T3 Strong Pact - 2 AP

Destiny Planner – 48 level ups, 3 tome
Exalted Angel – 32 Destiny Points
C1 Astral Touch – 1 DP
T1 Angelic Angel Form – 2 DP
T1 Healing Pillar – 1 DP
T1 Born by Flame rank 3 – 3 DP
C2 Deepening Faith – 1 DP
T2 Saving Grace rank 3 – 3 DP
T2 Divine Protection – 2 DP
C3 Angelic Charge – 1 DP
T3 Holy Presence – 1 DP
T3 Mass Cure Moderate – 2 DP
T3 Purity of Mind and Soul rank 3 – 3 DP
T3 Angelic Focus rank 3– 3 DP
C4 Heavenly Wrath – 1 DP
T4 Blood and Radiance – 2 DP
T4 Angelic Soul – 1 DP
T4 Enhanced Maximize rank 3 – 3 DP
T5 Ascendance – 2 DP

Magus – 6 Destiny Points
C1 Touched by the Moon – 1 DP
T1 Grand Summoner – 2 DP
T1 Impregnable Mind – 2 DP
T2 Call Upon – 1 DP

Divine Crusader – 13 Destiny Points
C1 Just Cause – 1 DP
T1 Consecration rank 3 – 3 DP
T1 Spear of Light – 1 DP
C2 Confront any Foe – 1 DP
T2 Bulk Up rank 3 – 3 DP
T2 Shield of Light – 1 DP
C3 Weather any Blow – 1 DP
T3 Crusade – 2 DP

Spells – Pact/Selected
1 – Bless/Nightshield, Jump
2 – Soundburst/Dispel Magic, Invisibility
3 – Magic Circle against Evil/Stoneskin, Dimension Door
4 – Prayer/Evard’s Black Tendrils, Lesser Globe of Invulnerability
5 – Holy Aura/Tensers Transformation, Protection from Elements, Mass
6 – Freedom of Movement/Arcane Tempest, Summon Monster 9
Bonus Spells – Feather Fall, Web, Crushing Despair, Displacement

Weapon Filigree’s
(The) Cry of Battle – 3pc bonus - +8 Ability Scores, +20 Melee Power, PRR and MRR,

The Breakdown -

The general idea is to stack as many buffs and boosts to Summons, Pets, and Hirelings, while at the same time providing ample healing, temp hitpoints, and passive damage.
Stacking effects - Augment Summoning, Improved Augment Summoning, Scion of Elysium, Fortify Summons, Imbue Summons, Displace Summons, Grand Summoner, Harper Leadership, and (The) Cry of Battle, for a total effect of -

+28 stats, 20% dodge, 65 PRR, 68 MRR, +100 hitpoints, (?)x3 Increased health, 300% fortification, 70 melee power, 50 ranged and universal power, 25% concealment, 40% movement speed, 5% chance to ignore damage, to Summons, Hirelings, and Pets. And while we won't have the Druid Wolf or Palemaster Skeleton master pet, we will have the Magus of Eclipse pet, as well as Hirelings, and Hirelings can go all the way to level 30.

The playstyle I tend to go with, is standing in place and holding Block, only pausing to cast Eldritch Bursts or heal as necessary, or to use other cooldowns. But the majority of the time? Blocking, and letting all my free passive effects do both the healing and the damage.

Healing/Temp hitpoints

This setup will have the usual Eldritch Aura and Brillance effects, but I also decided to take the Divine Crusader Destiny Path for Consecration and its upgrade, Crusade, which like Eldrich Aura, should have the same chance to proc the passive effect of the Angelic Form Destiny Mantle from the tree, both giving a 15% chance to proc free healing as well as damage, abit with a 5 second cooldown. In effect, getting even more free passive healing and damage.

I did a test run with several Hirelings on my current Enlightened Soul, running several dungeons on Elite. (Isle of Dread, Feywild, Ravenloft) And my Enlightened Soul by themselves was enough to keep them from dying, and I don't believe I have lost a single one yet. (For those wondering, I was using the Gold Seal hirelings - Teal, the Satyr Bard, the Shield Guardian, the Froglock Rogue)

So if I wasn't loosing any of the hirelings on Elite with my normal ES setup, pushing them further with actual support skills and feats could push them even further, quite possibly making a "Summoner" build more viable. (Although to be fair, this is more of a Hireling build than strictly a Summoner, but in my opinion a "pet" build includes Hirelings in this game.)

At initial glance comparing this setup to my current ES build, I imagine my current one is a little tougher by themselves, but this one will have several more bodies in play, as well as much more passive healing and damage, and doesn't only rely on its Eldritch Aura and blasts for damage, but includes another aura effect and several helpers to further boost damage, which I believe might be well worth the tradeoff.

Imput and advice is certainly welcome. As far as I am aware no one has really tried this setup before, or at least nothing has come up when I tried searching for it. And at least on paper and in theory, seems plausible. I doubt this will win any races for Reaper and the like, but for fellow pet lovers out there, it could prove to be a noteworthy option alongside Druids and Palemasters.

Thanks in advance.

[C-Dog]

So after a bit of tinkering, this is the build I came up with...
...
...And at least on paper and in theory, seems plausible.

So you haven't actually (to use the technical term) "run" this build?

If not, you should state, clearly and early, that you are not "recommending" or offering this build to the public, but are asking if it would work. Maybe use the term "theory crafting". Because some might not understand that and think that it's good to go as-is (and it's not).

As far as I am aware no one has really tried this setup before, or at least nothing has come up when I tried searching for it.

There have been similar efforts, if not this exact set up. None have proven very satisfactory.

Summons are just not strong enough to carry much weight in anything above about Hard difficulty, or perhaps as short-term distractions on Elite. They can help, but they are not something you should plan as the center of the build.

[Nindimple]

So you haven't actually (to use the technical term) "run" this build?

If not, you should state, clearly and early, that you are not "recommending" or offering this build to the public, but are asking if it would work. Maybe use the term "theory crafting". Because some might not understand that and think that it's good to go as-is (and it's not).


There have been similar efforts, if not this exact set up. None have proven very satisfactory.

Summons are just not strong enough to carry much weight in anything above about Hard difficulty, or perhaps as short-term distractions on Elite. They can help, but they are not something you should plan as the center of the build.

Hello C-Dog,

Correct, I have not run this build yet, but am planning on trying it when I TR. Apologies for the error in clarification on my part. And yes, I was more asking for input on the concept or loadout. To further clarify, I am not expecting this to be Reaper worthy or OP or even a top build, but at least a functional passable one. And I have done searches, and while there are lots of discussions about Palemasters and Druids, I didn't find anything about Warlocks, despite them having several Enhancements dedicated solely to it.

But this isn't focusing just on summons, as they don't carry much weight themselves due to scaling and their relatively low level caps. But most of (if not all) of these also apply to Hirings as well. (I think the only one that doesn't is Scion of Elysium.) But all of the rest of the feats and the like should apply, at least in theory. Which is why I called it a "Commander" and not a "Summoner" per say.

But I have already done a test run with a normal Enlightened Spirit, and the passive heals/temp hps were more than enough to keep the Hirelings going even at level 30 on elite. I have yet to loose a single one of them in fact, which lead me to this theory-crafting on how to possibly expand upon that concept further. Enlightened Spirit has passive heals and DPS anyway, the presence of the pets/summons/hires can only improve matters, and there seems to be room to include them.

And obviously, there is a great deal of personal taste in what does or does not qualify as "Satisfactory." But for me personally, steamrolling Elite at max level is Satisfactory enough. I know many consider Reaper to be the "Bar" but I have yet to try reaper in any capacity, I am not even sure if you can even use Summons or Hirelings in a Reaper difficulty.

But thank you for the reply, and again I apologize for not being clear on my initial intent.

Cheers.

[PedXing20]

Summons are just not strong enough to carry much weight in anything above about Hard difficulty, or perhaps as short-term distractions on Elite. They can help, but they are not something you should plan as the center of the build.

This guy has run a few r10s using summons to do most of the work - so, ima disagree with your "anything above hard difficulty" comment.
https://forums.ddo.com/forums/showth...Summoner-build

[C-Dog]

This guy has run a few r10s using summons to do most of the work...

That's not how I read that post.

It has summons, but "most of the work" is done by the caster - and that's reflected both in the OP's own description, and in the vids.*

(* e.g. In Into the Mists, the final "scorecard" is Wizard = 19 kills, 3x Hirelings ~1 each, and "misadventure 6" - which I assume are the summons, and then only getting lucky after the spells have done the lion's share. Hardly "most of the work".)

Managing you hirelings and pet:
Send these into a fight before hand preferably. If the mobs see them first there is a good chance they will attack your summonings and not you...

Your pets threat should be set to decreased to 40%...

If pets did the heavy lifting, there would be no reason to set their threat low.

Playing the build:
Cast color spray and burst on mobs. Then tsunami, dragonbreath and finish groups of with ice flowers.
Use 2*creeping cold, salt ray, call lightning, word of balance and the two ruins on single mobs. Ice storm can be used...

Then most mobs should be dead even on high reaper....

I don't see this playstyle as letting summons "do most of the work" - the spells are doing the work.

This is primarily a caster build, killing with spells, and using summons to distract the enemy while the caster does their thing - a tactic which I predicted and commented on in my previous post.

[PedXing20]

There's a thread somewhere on the forums that shows a summoner getting their summons to do most of the work.

Can't recall details, but i think they had them largely solo while only providing some healing and it was lower reaper. Was very slow, but the point was to show it can be done.

Is it ideal? Nope.

Can you do more than hard? Yup.

[Nindimple]

There's a thread somewhere on the forums that shows a summoner getting their summons to do most of the work.

Can't recall details, but i think they had them largely solo while only providing some healing and it was lower reaper. Was very slow, but the point was to show it can be done.

Is it ideal? Nope.

Can you do more than hard? Yup.

Well, the general idea is to sort of mix the two - summons damage and HP pools and Enlightened Spirit passive damage/healing. An Enlightened spirit can stand and do nothing but block, use their bursts, and still do damage and healing. It isn't offensive, more defensive. This build is an attempt to boost hirings to the point where they aren't really "carrying" the warlock, but still contributing, but not fully relying entirely on either Pets/Summons/Hires or the aura/eldritch bursts.

Everyone has a different opinion on what is satisfactory or a good goal. For me if it can do Elite difficulty, I consider that good. More would be better of course, but I consider elite a good goal. Others likely have different opinions and that's entirely fine. Normal in fact. To be expected. So long as the summons can be durable "enough" and still contribute meaningful damage without the warlock having to dump Spellpoints in keeping them alive on Elite, I consider that a Win.