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Yet another tricky magic staff build (plan)


tapir

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This thread is not meant to be a build guide, just a raw overview of what is in my mind at the moment. However if I will be satisfied with the performance of the character I may make real guide later. :)

 

The conception

 

- He is going to be my top-level forger/shopper character so would be better he could utilize both hands and thus more slots. My Area of Effect TG performs under my expectation and I see no chance of training him to high level in the near future.

 

- I play on closed net / hardcore mode only, he has to be tough. To make a viable combination of fast leveling and decent survability I did some researching with level 200 template characters (found on the Internet somewhere ;)).

 

- He is going to take the advantage of already well-known staff-behaviour brought by Ice and Blood: the Magic Staffs skill combined with certain combat arts – Ruthless Mutilation in this case – turns the staves to long-range multi-target weapons. References are here:

Staff lore in the AddOn

Kudos to Chattius and all who contributed. :D

 

Attribute points & aspect

 

All to Vitality since I won't pick Constitution. Will be single aspect build (Gruesome Inquisition) so I can leave the "Expert touch" option at it's default enabled state.

 

Skills & skill points

 

1. Gruesome Inqusition Fucus (I'll keep at char level until level 75, no more points till later)

2. Magic Staffs (1 point)

3. Tactics Lore (1/4 of char level, mastery @ about level 120)

4. Dual Wield (either I'll leave it at level 1 or give some points, maybe 1/5 of char level) (1 point)

5. Armor Lore (1/3 of char level, mastery @ level 90-95)

6. Bargaining (lots of points, mastery @ 75, maxed @ level 200)

7. Spell Resistance (rest of points, mastery asap, I think somewhere at the level 75-80 height)

8. Blacksmith (1 point for long, last mastery)

9. Toughness (not my fav skill but it's essential to survive those nasty Demon Mage attacks, mastery @ ~110)

X. Nefarious Netherworld Focus (auxilary skill, 22 points right after level 75)

 

Combat Arts

 

Ruthless Mutilation

b. Ire (dmg%),

s. Dolor (life leech), the stun mod would be the smarter choice but the red LL lines look cool
:)

g. Smolder (+fire dmg)

Purifying Chastisement (buff)

b. Purge (fire dmg%)

s. Eradicate (crit chance), maybe I'll regret this choice because Merciless gives better overall damage later

g. Inure (mitigation)

Callous Execution

b. Tenacity (RPH mod is better at earlier levels and the DoT mod would require Damage Lore mastery to be effective anyway)

s. Startle (stun works on bosses)

g. Judgement (crit chance)

Mortifying Pillory

b. Disgrace (armor reduction)

s. Expulsion (+duration)

g. Mortify (defense reduction)

Frenetic Fervor

b.
haven't decided yet
Fanaticism (+attack & cast speed)

s. Contemplation (dodge chance)

g. Relentless (+duration)

Paralyzing Dread

b. Panic (reduces attack value)

s. Decrepit (reduces attack speed)

g. Extension (+range), not sure

Dislodged Spirit

b. Spite (+duration)

s. Deprivation (decreases opponents attribs)

Armor & jewelry

 

On-demand. Flat X-X dmg rings from shops FTW. Lots of physical mitigation and -%DoT at higher levels.

 

Weapons & playstyle

 

Best magic staff available in the right hand, Officer's Saber in the left hand (three gold sockets filled with goodness) maybe something else, I dunno. Ruthless Mutilation will take care of everything in front of the player within the shooting range of staves.

 

Character progression

 

- up to level 60 on Silver: no quests except special mount, grinding @ Grunwald, Ruka; later @ Swamps, Jungle, Dyr-Laigh

- level 1-75 on Gold: continue grinding then I'll finish Gold campaign quickly and maybe Platinum too if I'm strong (brave :D) enough

- level 90+: grinding at Niob

- level 150+: I have no idea

 

Sorry for my english.

Edited by tapir
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Looks good, Tapir!

 

Just watch for the purples! :D

 

Ugh... looks like you're pretty sure that Toughness is better than Constitution for overall survival? (Niob difficulty) I had thought otherwise, but I can still slide toughness into my toon, if it is truly better.

Or is that choice based solely on having some kind of protection from the Demon mage champions?

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Although Toughness requires heavy investment I do believe it's better than Constitution at late game for an Inquisitor. The strength of Toughness lies in the fact that damage mitigation is additive from all sources without diminising values. You can have 27-28% all channel mitigation from Toughness and other 25-26% from Purifying Chastisment. Thats without gear and Inquisitor's have at least three set pieces with 15-20% physical mitigation plus you can buy shoulder armors with additional mitigation scaled by Armor Lore mastery.

 

Demons are only one reason but yes, I don't want loose an otherwise solid build because of an unreasonably powerful (bugged?) enemy spell and it seems Toughness can protect me better than Constitution.

Edited by tapir
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He is progressing well, I just hit level 50. Not as fast as the Dryad was (180 degree attack angle instead of 360), needs some back and forth movement sometimes becuse the enemies tend to go round you but still he's leveling faster than my previous Inqs using Clustering Maelstrom.

 

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Although Toughness requires heavy investment I do believe it's better than Constitution at late game for an Inquisitor. The strength of Toughness lies in the fact that damage mitigation is additive from all sources without diminising values. You can have 27-28% all channel mitigation from Toughness and other 25-26% from Purifying Chastisment. Thats without gear and Inquisitor's have at least three set pieces with 15-20% physical mitigation plus you can buy shoulder armors with additional mitigation scaled by Armor Lore mastery.

 

Demons are only one reason but yes, I don't want loose an otherwise solid build because of an unreasonably powerful (bugged?) enemy spell and it seems Toughness can protect me better than Constitution.

Perfect answer! Many thanks, and enjoy the build!

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Are you running any buffs with this build ?

 

Thanks for the response below and will adjust mt build with Dual wielding which I have just started.

Edited by Groosum
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Are you running any buffs with this build ?

Yep, Purifying Chastisement is a buff and I'm using it (sry if I forgot to mention in the opening post :)).

 

---

 

Update for the skills:

 

4. Dual Wield (1 point enough)

 

I've alredy added 15 pts but it seems unecessary. No more than the one point required here since as a shopper he can reach high enough hit chance from -%evade chance items.

 

Sidenote: the %lifeleech on some rare throwing stars and spears makes the bossfights really simplistic even without the specific weapon lore (Ranged Weapons / Pole Arms).

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Are you running any buffs with this build ?

Yep, Purifying Chastisement is a buff and I'm using it (sry if I forgot to mention in the opening post :)).

 

---

 

Update for the skills:

 

4. Dual Wield (1 point enough)

 

I've alredy added 15 pts but it seems unecessary. No more than the one point required here since as a shopper he can reach high enough hit chance from -%evade chance items.

 

Sidenote: the %lifeleech on some rare throwing stars and spears makes the bossfights really simplistic even without the specific weapon lore (Ranged Weapons / Pole Arms).

 

I highly approve this message 8) I also noticed you went with Fanaticism on Frenetic Fervor... definitely approve of this as well!

 

To tell the truth, as long as you are using your weapon-based Combat Arts at malus or above, there should be not much need for anti-evasion past level 35-ish. I did have some swooshing (missed attacks) in the lower levels, but as soon as I got Execution and Mutilation up to penalty levels, I only ever miss with regular attacks. The CtH calculator DOES NOT show your CA chance-to-hit, so it can look like you have a 35% CtH, but your Mutilations can be over 100%... food for thought! And the reason why you don't need polearms or ranged lores to be able to hit the bosses with your LL% weapons!

Edited by essjayehm
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This is a nice looking setup. With a pile of magic staffs building up I might use this as a blacksmith.

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Get rid of dual wield. 2 sockets < constitution.

I need Dual Wield for shopping/smithing – three extra gold sockets at level 200 means at least 48 extra points of Bargaining or Blacksmith skill. And of course also helps a lot in the meantime: I've been using three-socket swords right from level 1 in my left hand, all sockets filled with Niob damage smith-runes.

 

Constitution is just HP-pool, nothing special IMHO. I don't think I'll ever pick it for any of my toons. :P

 

---

 

Quick report: just beat Gold campaign at level 70, I'm jumping to Platinum earlier than planned. Thanks for a two-handed sword with 2.2% lifeleech the last few bossfight was a breeze. :P

Edited by tapir
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I agree with your reasoning now in light of bargaining (smithing you'd certainly have enough +skills because theres a cap on smithing).

 

Constitution is just HP-pool, nothing special IMHO. I don't think I'll ever pick it for any of my toons.

 

The reason I take it with all toons is because the 4th nameless guardian hits very hard. Perhaps toughness + armors with mastery bonus + Inure can get you so you can survive these hits. Beware of the cursed forest because the LL leach doesn't get mitigated is my understanding. Cheers.

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Day 2

 

I'm level 91, still on Platinum, will stay at this difficulity for the next ten levels or so (till Toughness mastery at least). The character runs well even if there are 4-5 players on the server. ;)

 

drfaktor91_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Stepping one level getting harder and harder even though I'm trying to wear as much experience% gear as possible in balance with offense / defense. I have about +120% atm.

 

drfaktor141_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

 

I'm looking for the following items:

- Buddy's Slice Guard; just found a level 163 one during a test run on LAN... too bad I cannot transfer it to my closed net char :(

- Keeper of Knowledge; must be very rare, I haven't seen a single piece since I've been playing on EU lobby and found only two or three in my entire EE career

 

I would be really grateful if anyone could spare them. :)

 

Btw, hereby I offer my services as Master Blacksmith. :)

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Stepping one level getting harder and harder even though I'm trying to wear as much experience% gear as possible in balance with offense / defense. I have about +120% atm.

 

drfaktor141_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

 

I'm looking for the following items:

- Buddy's Slice Guard; just found a level 163 one during a test run on LAN... too bad I cannot transfer it to my closed net char :P

- Keeper of Knowledge; must be very rare, I haven't seen a single piece since I've been playing on EU lobby and found only two or three in my entire EE career

 

I would be really grateful if anyone could spare them. :)

 

Btw, hereby I offer my services as Master Blacksmith. :)

 

Looks good,Tapir!

 

Ooooh, I would love a Slice Guard too... too bad I'm on console, and won't get one until I migrate to PC 8(

I did have a Keeper at one point in time... I think 8)

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  • 1 month later...

After a long break I continue developing the toon. Need those level 200 whet bs-arts (+52.5% dmg) for my present and future caster chars. :)

- level 150+: I have no idea

Still killing masses is the best experience-gaining method for this character, I'm taking round trips between the swamp/jungle/dryads regions. 100k kills within four days (lots of shopping included) is not bad imho. :)

 

In the meantime I started hunting a few useful things (Kal'dur's Legacy, Keeper of Knowledge etc.) but no luck yet. I hope the Guardians will drop me the stuff sometime. Btw although the char is not optimized for bosskilling he has the potential. :(

 

 

(Sorry for stretching the vid, my display has 1280x1024 resolution but I think widescreen is more common now.)

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Nice, I like the video. I've been working on variation of your build, just got to level 100, made. Here's mine:

 

GI Focus

Staffs

Armor

Tactics

Bargaining

Con

Combat Discipline

Toughness

Spell Res

Undecided (Probably Blacksmith unless I find I have to have something else)

 

I only use 3 CAs, Purifying Chastisement as a Buff, Frenetic Fervor to boost speed to 170% for boss killing with %LL shuriken, and Ruthless Mutilation for everything else. Without dual wield I'm using a 2 handed staff, I like the Pirata's Bone Staff the best so far, gives 45% chance to burn and 25% chance for open wound. It's definitely one of the least clicky builds I've played. I also like it better than the Darting assualt Dryad, even though RM isn't 360 degrees I think it has a quicker execution time than DA which makes up for it, plus everything behind me is usually dead anyway and no need to worry about having Acute Mind, GGT and Dust Devil up all the time and no fire weakness.

 

I do like the way you can melee the guardians though, I can't even dent them without life leech with my build. But they still go down in about 30-40sec each with %LL, and will be even faster when I get some better shurikens, only at 1.7% now.

 

What are you using for equipment? I like the Cowl of Catharsis for the armor and 3 sockets and found some shoulders with 9% mitigation (unfortunately no sockets though), not really sure what to use for other pieces though

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I do like the way you can melee the guardians though, I can't even dent them without life leech with my build.

The Dislodged Spirit severly decreases their HP and other attributes. You may noticed that I cast something three times before I start beating them: that's a Dislodged Spirit + Mortifying Pillory combo.

 

What are you using for equipment? I like the Cowl of Catharsis for the armor and 3 sockets and found some shoulders with 9% mitigation (unfortunately no sockets though), not really sure what to use for other pieces though

I'm wearing the Cowl of Catharsis too, I'll post details of my gear later.

 

Good luck with your variant. :faerie:

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What are you using for equipment?

Ilgard's Sermon

1_head_Ilgard__s_Sermon_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

Ta Nnk's Plate

2_shoulder_Ta_Nnk__s_Plate_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

Cowl of Catharsis

3_torso_Cowl_of_Catharsis_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

Ilgard's Judgement

4_arms_Ilgard__s_Judgement_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

Ilgard's Compliance

5_hands_Ilgard__s_Compliance_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

a yellow belt

6_belt_yellow_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

Insignia of Pain (I'm going to swap it with Pantaloons of Catharsis but the one I have is part of my bargaining suite)

7_skirt_Insignia_of_Pain_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

The Wayfarer

8_legs_The_Wayfarer_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

amulet and rings

9_jewelry_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

Nloavae's Mystery in right hand (will swap with Keeper of Knowledge)

weapon_right_Nlovae__s_Mystery_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

Tom Felde's Thunderous Voice in left hand (will swap with Raging Ire)

weapon_left_Tom_Felde__s_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

 

Different gear for bosskilling (66% all channel, 100% physical damage mitigation):

 

Insignia of Deference

boss_head_Insignia_of_Deference_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

a yellow shoulder plate

boss_shoulder_yellow_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

another Cowl of Catharsis

boss_torso_Cowl_of_Catharsis_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

Saraki's Demise

boss_belt_Sarakis___Demise_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

 

Of course I have a complete suite for shopping, one for prebuffing Purifying Chastisement and I'm building one for visibility range (~370% atm but it's far from finished state). :faerie:

Edited by tapir
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Thanks for taking the time to post your equipment, will definitely be helpful to get mine equipped right. I was wondering where you were getting the life leech from in your video and now I know, I didn't realize there was a one had %LL weapon out there, too bad the % isn't a bit higher though.

 

I also just got bargaining mastered on mine and was doing some shopping and found a yellow breastplate with all channel mitigation that looks tempting. Are there any other Inquisitor pieces that have the mitigation other than the shoulders and chest armor?

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