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A Comprehensive Guide To The BFG Seraphim


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If you don't have EP, how do you go about getting all the rare/set equipment you need other than having another character or multiplayer?

 

The answer is simple. Boss runs. Find a boss that isn't ice resistant and put that BFG to good use :)

 

As for the equipment, I have a shopper/smithing network both online and offline - meaning I have a level 10 shopper in gold difficulty to outfit the starter chars, a level 75 niobium shopper and a smith level 146. The sig shows that :)

 

BTW, even though WE mitigates a flat amount of damage, based on the damage you take, it may quite a bit, actually. If you take 3k damage and it mitigates 300 of them, that's 10% DM.

Edited by Dobri
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If you don't have EP, how do you go about getting all the rare/set equipment you need other than having another character or multiplayer? It seems like really bargaing and EP gimps every character but maybe this is one that it gimps less because BFG is pretty powerful by itself.

 

Multiplayer is not an option for me at this point as I don't want to pay for an xbox live subscription.

 

I also play on xbox 360:

 

My Seraphim level 74 following this build except taking out Rev Lore and Warding Lore and replacing with Riding and Bargin.

 

I am wearing:

 

Helmet of Seraish level 45

 

Garment of the Celestial level 60

 

Niokaste's Shoulder level 35

 

Wristguards of Dusk level 60

 

Greaves of Justice level 49

 

Endijian Wings level 60

 

Endijian Sash level 45

 

Endijian Boots level 90

 

All items I am wearing I either traded for or a friend gave me (Endijian items).

 

I did not take EP under the thoughts it is worthless and set items will drop doing White Griffon, Boar, Dark Prince and tons of orc cave runs.

 

With about 10-12% to find valuables from rings/ammy's and running these bosses that I can take down quickly in silver/gold. I did 20 runs in silver 20 in gold and I got the grand total of 3 set items.

 

2 Armors from the Justice set level 60/75 and the Helm for Niokaste's set level 75.

 

With this thought process I am now going to restart a new BFG Seraphim and take EP. as far as damage out put no needs to worry mobs were dead before they could reach me thanks to death blow 60% and thats even with subpar gear which could have been way much better.

 

I was jumping game to game trying to reach level 75 for Warding Energy buff so I could use my save portal to the 4 nameless on Platinum.

 

Just make sure you keep adding points into Rev. Focus it really depends if you use AW or not but would allow you to eat more runes in Warding Energy.

 

The question I have for Dobri is Battle Stance do you go dynamic or lazy style. One has Evade and the other reduces regen times for two of your Combat Arts which kill quickly for you?

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The question I have for Dobri is Battle Stance do you go dynamic or lazy style. One has Evade and the other reduces regen times for two of your Combat Arts which kill quickly for you?

 

It depends on how I feel like. I may go for dynamic, I may go for lazy. Dynamic is much more powerful and provides wicked damage, so generally, dynamic kills faster. On the other hand, the lazy playstyle ensures that you're doing everything with as little micromanagement as possible, and thus turns this build into a no-brainer.

 

If you talk about the mods, evasion is defensive and is always nice. Cost reduction is more offensive (indirectly allows you to improve the CA levels) but deprives of some defense. So it is pretty much up to you - and how you visualize this build.

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The question I have for Dobri is Battle Stance do you go dynamic or lazy style. One has Evade and the other reduces regen times for two of your Combat Arts which kill quickly for you?

 

It depends on how I feel like. I may go for dynamic, I may go for lazy. Dynamic is much more powerful and provides wicked damage, so generally, dynamic kills faster. On the other hand, the lazy playstyle ensures that you're doing everything with as little micromanagement as possible, and thus turns this build into a no-brainer.

 

If you talk about the mods, evasion is defensive and is always nice. Cost reduction is more offensive (indirectly allows you to improve the CA levels) but deprives of some defense. So it is pretty much up to you - and how you visualize this build.

 

I went dynamic last BFG I made as you see followed what you said in taking those two skills out and she was a beast. The only problem I had was finding the upgrades of set items. I see where mitigation comes in very handy. I even fought my friend which is the same level tank SW and dropped him with ease.

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I'm glad it works out for you. Just be careful, a SW has reflective emanation and if he can reflect your shots a few times, it's gonna hurt :)

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Played this up to about level 11 in SP so far and am getting dropped very easy by mobs in silver. Took ranged lore, armor lore, bargaining and EP as first four skills which was probably a bad idea :). I wanted to get bargaining quick but as I'm not killing fast enough, stuff is killing me, ugh. Maybe I should go back to kobolds for a bit...

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Played this up to about level 11 in SP so far and am getting dropped very easy by mobs in silver. Took ranged lore, armor lore, bargaining and EP as first four skills which was probably a bad idea :). I wanted to get bargaining quick but as I'm not killing fast enough, stuff is killing me, ugh. Maybe I should go back to kobolds for a bit...

 

Make sure you take Tactics Lore next then Concentration. You want to get Tactics up to your level asap, good sorce of damage and allows you to mod Battle Stance, Pelting Strices etc. These are the Combat Arts you are going to use. I started remaking my Seraphim last night she is level 12 or 13 on silver and only took the direct path (quest line) and has reach Stone Golem, I am not there to fight him but get the mount quest.

 

Dobri, one more question if I may. Which Tiger should I chose for mount?

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I'd say you have 2 options. For a lazy play, choose the one with + evasion or none. For dynamic play - none. The BFG doesn't really need a tiger, since the mount will only burden the regeneration times, unless you decided to sub a skill for riding in this build.

Edited by Dobri
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If you don't have EP, how do you go about getting all the rare/set equipment you need other than having another character or multiplayer? It seems like really bargaing and EP gimps every character but maybe this is one that it gimps less because BFG is pretty powerful by itself.

 

Multiplayer is not an option for me at this point as I don't want to pay for an xbox live subscription.

 

Update:

 

Ka243, to help you out, any equipment you find other than sets that have open silver / gold sockets. Shop for regeneration per hit (example regeneration .03 sec per hit) place these in those slots this will help reduce regen times of any CA you use.

 

Now I can say EP works although I did not take this skill until level 18 and only have 1 hard point into it, it works. By the time I reached level 19 I found Endijians Armor and Boots along with several 3 star weapons.

 

At that time I only had +3 total to all skills from 3 +1 skill ammy/rings. Once I hit level 25 I had several left over +2 skill rings/ammy's from stash and placed these in the endijians and upgraded the ones I was wearing. I am now level 30 took out the 1 st dragon in seraphim island. I have not found anymore set items for seraphim's but I have found at least 4 to 5 more set items for Dryad, Inquistor and Shadow Warrior plus a 3 star ring (dont remember the name, I think it is Isrils sp?) it has regen time .07sec per hit with a second mod along with several more 3 star weapons. I have not tried to run any mini bosses at this time.

 

So does EP work compared to my old level 74 seraphim with no EP. Yes as I indicated level 74 only found 3 set items in 40 mini boss runs and none from elites ect.

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Hello everyone! Im new to the forums (and the game) and I've been following your guide!

Excelent guide, very well explained! The only thing is... Perhaps it is because im a newb to the game but, all the sets you talk about, rings and stuff... They are randomly generated?

Do I really need the EP and Bargaining skills if it is my first character?

Im currently on Silver, level 30, already killed the squid monster... But I can't find any of these sets, or any "outstanding item" just normal drops... Nothing remarkable... Any tips?

 

Well thats all, thanks alot for the guide Dobri!

 

Laters!

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Set items will drop from specific monsters. The droplists aren't exactly known (nothing like an mmorpg where you know which mob to farm), but the stronger the opponent, the bigger the chance to get a drop of your liking. This means champions, bosses, etc.

 

What I can suggest is to find a boss of your liking and start a LAN game (SP) with free play mode or start one online. This way when you kill the boss and reset the server (start a new free play game) you can kill it again. Do so till you get the set items you need. Nobody confines you to the limits of the campaign game :) This way you can even get good items (since bosses tend to drop better stuff) and you can go well without EP or Bargaining. It will be harder to find such items though - but with persistency and boss farming, everything is achievable!

Edited by Dobri
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Hello everyone!

Thanks for the answer Dobri! Never thought about free playing in Lan mode I could farm sets like that!

Ehm, any recomendation on boss farming? Colosus, Squid, Dragon?... Or should I try the orc cave I've been reading about?

 

Laters

Edited by CainUlquiora
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Well, try the orc cave after your confident about yourself and your equipment. As for the boss farming, just try them all out and start preying on the one you can kill quickly. Such bosses are the Garganthropod in the desert (there is a monolith right next to him), the Griffin (but he has both physical and ice resistance, which sadly is the BFG type of attack), the boar, the collosus, the octagolamus (close monolith again)... your pick :P

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I totally agree, and I favor the explosive mod. However, someone may get mislead in the early levels, when, if you sport BFG and battle stance together, AW will take over 8s to recharge even at CA level 1, and that's a lot for a low-level battle vs the griffin.

 

That's why I proposed the Octos as an early boss to farm. Besides, he also has a monolith close to it.

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very nice build...

although I changed it a bit, it supplied a very stable base. I always change the provided bulilds, not because I think I know better (I don't have much time to play so I can't know better), but because I put my own gaming experience into my skillplan so that it may suit my gaming style....

 

bfg serra @ 45 (right now)

 

02 - Concentration.png Concentration

05 - Toughness.png Toughness

25 - Constitution.png Constitution

50 - Combat Reflexes.png Combat Reflexes (<- I will chose this instead of warding energy since all usable armor upgrade slots are filled with celestrial magic runes anyway so I rather avoid taking hits than tanking them....)

 

65 - now it becomes interesting... few things I have to know first.

a) does spell resistance still not work properly:) (read it somewhere here, that there were some issues with this skill... if it works, I'll take it instead of reverted tech lore)

b) does reverted tech lore really improve bfg? I think I tried it once with a backup and it didn't change bfg's dmg output in any way.....

 

 

ideas for this build:

- since low recharge pelting strikes (only) worked wonders with my DW serra, I'll be focusing on that CA as well. pushing exalted warrior focus as well as reverted tech focus to keep recharge down (~2.7 sec right now) while massively improving buff:"bfg" and buff:"battle stance"

- focusing a bit more on defence than on pure firepower... helps when you're fighting bosses, if you get disracted or if your machine generates a huge lag for whatever reason...

- mastery:

1st: armor lore, tactics lore, constitution

2nd: rev tech focus, exalted warrior focus, toughness, combat reflexes

3rd: rest

... I'm sorry for not being as detailed in the description as dobri.

 

 

problems till now (mostly my own mistakes).

- forgot about the fact that I don't need 3 buffs, so concentration is at 44 already, and I don't really need it to be that high...

- died once because somebody was calling me for dinner while I was fighting against the inquisitor of the storyline chap. 10 silver (that actually happaned few minutes ago, so because of my frustration with myself I now have some time for this posting :) ) so I guess the tank is still a bit weak... although forest guardian and facettelion were some 40sec jobs (with them being level 50)...

- magic only opponents do some damage... I've got almost no resistance, so it will be essential to know if spell resist works properly :)

- small targets are still hard to hit... especially fen fires are a pain (you know where ^^)

 

expected problems in the future:

- first things first: the 10th skill :D ...but this problem solely lies in my information deficit....

- for best stats I expect the necessity to mix endijian's and niokaste's blade dance sets (which hopefully won't look as horrid as I imagine it :bounce: )

perfectly fitting would be armor, belt and boots from niokaste's blade dance set and the rest from endijian's set. I'm kinda 50/50 between stats and esthetics ^^

that would also have to be a considered for the original build I think...^^

 

differences between original build and this one:

- obviously very difficult to say for me, dobri can possibly shed some light on this topic. I don't have any experience with the original build.

I'd guess, as I already implied, that the damage output will be reduced in favor of better defence, but how much of a difference it will make I cannot say.

but it's for sure, that with low regen pelting strikes only high HP champions like trees, boars, and some bears are not a one shot kill... otherwise anythings a goner with one blast. CA deals 1960-2060 base dmg (without armor in consideration) per round... I think that's enough^^ doubled it up since level 35.... should've boosted tactics instead of concentration.... then it would be 2500 :P

 

that's about it for today^^ cya around

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Quick Question:

 

Can anyone explain what exactly is the point of Exalted Warrior Focus skill? It seems to be such a waste to only spend a few points on the skill when we already have Tactic Lore for the EW aspect mod, no?

 

Only good I see from it is the decrease of regeneration time in that area, but that doesn't seem to be absolutely required is it? Anyone I'm thinking about replacing that skill with something else, that is if it actually is not so important. So yeah please explain^^

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The focus, boosted by + all skills will dramatically improve the regeneration times for Soul Hammer and Pelting Strikes. Being able to spam Soul hammer every 0.4-0.5s or so means you will inflict some very considerable amounts of damage per hit. It will also decrease the penalty from the Battle Stance buff, along with the max CA level for this aspect. This is a lot to gain from just 1 skill.

 

If you decide to play with the Revered aspect as your main one and spam AW like crazy, you can omit the EW aspect and opt for tactics lore to do the trick for you and play with low-level pelting, soul hammer and battle stance. In that case, I propose the extra Atk rating mod on the Battle stance to improve the chance to hit of your BFG and AW CAs.

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Beautiful writeup Dobri. I wanted to comment upon the fact that the BFG Seraphim is the closest to an out of the box build that Ascaron gave us. The game is rather complicated, it's learning curve is prodigious, and it's not your average "processed" gaming experience. Lots of learning, lots of testing, and a rather hobbled start for a lot of players.

 

The BFG has great purpose, and it's role in the game is unique, and helps give players that confidence they need to keep playing, and trying out new ideas.

 

You've turned up the notch for this build, and have made accessibility for new players a joy, and have certainly documented finesse here with a Seraphim for new and more experienced players alike.

 

Good job

 

:D

 

gogo

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I wanted to comment upon the fact that the BFG Seraphim is the closest to an out of the box build that Ascaron gave us.

 

Don't forget the HE Gogo, with the exception of Grand Invigoration (which I would hope most HE players would "understand" fairly quickly), you can build a fire or ice themed HE fairly easily.

 

I did have a question for Dobri though. :)

 

Why choose the attack speed Bronze mod for Dashing Alacrity? Given the massive bonus to Ranged Weapons from BFG (IIRC my level ~20 seraphim is getting ~+38 or so Ranged Weapons from BFG), you can max out your attack speed very quickly. My seraphim's getting ~20% AS from BFG, another ~6% from a single item mod & then ~15% from level 1 DA without any mods = 40% AS. Any ideas what level you get +102 to Ranged Weapons from BFG? That would give you +50% AS without needing anything else, and without any +all skills.

 

Additionally, given the nerf to +all skills in the expansion, any thoughts as to how your build might need to be changed?

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The answer is fairly simple... I did it as a precaution. It was fairly aware that people will decide to tweak the build to suit their own, and this mode was the easiest to fix any problems they may have. Besides, if I must decide between attack and run speed, I will always choose attack speed. Since both are capped at 150%, and you are bound to have a few items that add run speed, with the CA level increment of dashing alacrity, you will hit 150% soon. So - 150% atk speed or 150% run speed, Llama? Both can be easily achieved. Your call :) My call is atk spd even if it doubles another ca or mod. and let's not forget that the BFG is a slow firing weapon anyway.

 

Any ideas what level you get +102 to Ranged Weapons from BFG?

 

-> good question. I'll tell you as soon as I reinstall Sacred 2 someday :cry:

 

Additionally, given the nerf to +all skills in the expansion, any thoughts as to how your build might need to be changed?

 

-> in my eyes, this build will not be changed at all. Granted, you'll be forced to play with reduced CA levels (in order to keep the regen times as they should be), but it will still be overpowered as hell. BFG + AW is a wicked combo even with lower level CAs.Well, you may not be able to do 200k+ crits, but you will still be able to squeeze quite some damage from this CA combo. Things should be pretty much the same with BFG+ Soul hammer combo.

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