Versatile Seraphim
This is almost the only build I like and it goes better each time I replay it. Having seen videos of seraphims beating dragons in few BeeEffGee shots, burning hordes in pillars, or ultra-specialized in a single weapon, I think that no multirole build would be useful in multiplayer when the game is only a background of real people. But in single player the game is all, and I don’t want to play this rich game using the same type of weapon, armor, and attack, looking for a narrow selection of items. Anyway please tell me if you have observations because I am always improving it.
The idea is to have a versatile heroine to challenge most situations, not a killing machine, just a lone wanderer capable to deal all threats, being not the best in any in particular but good enough in everything. She will fight with weapons, magic and technology, being free to fill the combos, using any gear, melee, ranged or shield at the same efficiency. This means that she would use almost all kind of objects she found over the vast world of Ancaria.
Attributes The first priority of a multirole Seraphim is to survive, so ~50% Vitality increases hit points and regeneration rate, and ~25% Willpower increases spell resistance and efficiency. Also she need to be prepared to whatever, so ~25% Stamina aids to decreases all cooldowns.
~50% Vitality | hit points & health regeneration ~25% Willpower | non weapon resistance & effects ~25% Stamina | decrease all cooldowns
Skills The multitask Seraphim could be mainly in melee close combat, for long range defense she can use her best weapon, and when she is surrounded, or while fighting bosses, she has spells and technology, so she will be trained in all three Aspect Focus and all three Aspect Lore. Then, Armor is essential to use of any gear and Toughness to survival. Combat Discipline reduces all cooldowns improving damage; never forget that a multi role seraphim could die in a blink so she must be prepared. And Ancient Magic guarantees max effectiveness of non-weapon skills.
75+ Exalted Warrior Focus | fast regeneration, + runes & + modifications 75 Tactics Lore | all weapons effectiveness 75+ Armor Lore | all armor effectiveness & higher armor with no penalty 75 Toughness | resistance and damage mitigation complements the defense 75 Combat Discipline | fast regeneration, more damage & better harnessing of combos 75+ Revered Technology Focus | fast regeneration, + runes & + modifications 75 Revered Technology Lore | effectiveness & speed casting 75+ Celestial Magic Focus | fast regeneration, + runes & + modifications 75 Celestial Magic Lore | effectiveness & speed casting 75 Ancient Magic | best performance of all non-weapon attacks
Combat Arts Reading ~200 runes in each one at level 150 with the Niokaste set I managed to maintain less than 6 seconds the tech-magic combo, and less than 4 seconds the conventional attacks combo, the other most used arts has fixed cooldown. I do not use the Expert Touch option who shares the cooldowns of different aspects, so I maximize combos of different aspects to interject their cooldowns enough to use one after another continuously. Capacity Boost Reflection or Mirror (which you prefer)
Divine Protection is a lifesaver when she is surrounded, once shielded she can interject area and melee combos until every enemy die around. Elite creatures dies at first attack but she isn’t a killing machine, so named bosses takes more to die and she must fight them using her force field constantly, so I improve duration (Capacity) and cooldown (Boost) instead effectiveness. This is the MAIN skill that should be monitored during toughest fights. Bloodlust Delay Impatience
Dashing Alacrity is the most enjoyable skill in most situations, improving duration (Delay) and cooldown (Impatience) she could be running at maximum game speed (150) by casting overtime without the necessity of mounts. Seraphims are so fast and she also could spend a modification to attack speed (Bloodlust) because with Armor Lore she don’t need more run speed (even for items), and still being the fastest creature of Ancaria... + + Spurt Aim Thrust Brawn Battering Enfeeble Concussion Incision Indentation
This may be the best combo attack, the seraphim will suddenly jumps over elites and finishing them, then, weapons will fly around her to kill every minion around!
Assailing Somersault with increased range (Spurt), damage (Brawn) and chance to stun (Concussion) will catapult her to the best enemy, then Soul Hammer could inflicts critical hits (Aim), damaging his armor (Battering) with chances to deep wounds (Incision). Finally Pelting Strikes will start multiple attacks with more damage (Thrust) and reduction of armor value (Enfeeble) and class (Indentation), for most packs it will be impossible to survive after that... + Expand Delude Stun Brightness Laggard Magnify
This combo is my favorite to crowds control and also is useful because their combined effects, stunning and paralyzing most attackers around.
Attackers will only see a flash of light of the Flaring Nova with extended range (Expand), chance to paralyze (Stun) and slow effects (Laggard), then a light from skies of the Radiant Pillar will reduce their will to fight (Delude) with increased range (Brightness) and damage (Magnify). The last that a possible unfortunate survivor probably sees will be a rain of swords around. <- or -> <- or -> Recuperation Strong Voice Laggard Prevention Sinner Confuse Antidote Fanatic Electrocute
I usually lead the last slot to utilitarian skills. I want to modify the potion drop rate to turn this game more challenging, so Restoration will be much useful using that kind of “hardcore tweaks”; in normal games restoration still be useful on NPCs (which are annoyingly likely to die) in escort missions, or for its effects increasing regeneration (Recuperation), protecting for damage over time (Prevention), or dispelling of negative effects (Antidote).
Instill Belief is a funny spell when I turn an enemy to a temporary ally, I use with increased range (Strong Voice), making other to attack (Sinner) the poor accelerated target (Fanatic), by this way I manage to divide dangerous groups.
Having 5 slots for gear and being able to use all kind of weapons, this versatile seraphim will be probably more comfortable using ranged weapons at the same efficiency than melee, but she can use spells as the Baneful Smite for its side effects, slowing (Laggard) and reducing the attack (Confuse), with damage over time (Electrocute); but if she obtains an incredibly good weapon Archangel's Wrath will be a better choice for medium ranges.
Buffs
Most time I don’t use buffs because they consume regeneration (also I hate persistent FXs). But Battle Stance is useful when I have the certainty that I will finish the elite in the first strike and don’t care about regeneration. I use it with increased attack value (premonition), chances to evade (Flexibility) and in single player you will only feel benefits from the chance of reflect damage (Retaliation). Although I use Cleansing Brilliance to illuminate dark dungeons slowing enemies.
Premonition Flexibility Retaliation
Mods Besides aesthetic changes, I made this build considering the defaults game difficulty (actual gameplay is enough good to a multirole character), so even at higher levels she could manage all kind of threats reasonably well.
But she depends on gear, and if she is your only character to shared cool stuff by the stash (like I play), she will suffer the lack of Perception and/or Bargaining. So if you will play in single player and with no other “searcher” character, it will be good to adjust the drop ratio to fully enjoyment.
(Personally I always dislike those “magic find” kind of skills or items that make me play in a way that I don’t want).
Locate the file balance.txt in “\scripts\server”, and open it with a text editor (Notepad++ is the best). To fix the lack of Bargaining find this line and change 6 to 12 for reasonably good stuff and 15 for the best stuff available in shops.
TraderOfferUpperRareBase = 15
And to fix the lack of Perception, find these three lines which increase the drop rate of rare, unique and set pieces. I maintain the value of the last item type which is 16 (that means 1.6% chances, being 1000 the 100%).
ZRareExpectation15 = 16, ZRareExpectation14 = 16, ZRareExpectation13 = 16,
Well, that is how I play this great game and I wanted to share to other Sacred fans.