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Seraphim Shopper for Ice & Blood


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Hey guys,

 

Going to keep this really simple, as I'm sure those that follow guides like things simple!

It's going to be fast and furious, without too much explanation, as well, I don't think it needs it.

 

It's going to follow simple logic; all ideas, mods, etc etc have been weighted for gain vs loss. No grey areas. It will take you to level 75, where you can master bargaining, then perhaps leave the character, as trading gets worse from that point on.

 

Here goes!

 

Skills

 

1. Tactics Lore. = no brainer. Weapon damage, exalted mods. One quick statement; this skill increases your weapon damage by %. That means it's never obsolete. (master it)

 

2. Exalted Warrior Focus. = Spell level, exalted mods. Probably take this past mastery.

 

3. Revered Tech FOCUS. = Spell level, Rev. Mods of which we will neeed 9, and we'll get that with exactly 75 points in it.

 

4. Concentration. = For 2 buffs. Leave at 5 points, raise with all skills etc.

 

5. Pole Arms (or Sword Weapons for 2h swords). = Let me be very clear; LL% which is by and far the BEST mod you can get on a weapon, only appears on 2h weapons. There is only ONE 1h weapon, and it's an axe, and very rare. With trading, we can buy ourselves some really incredible spears that have it. Dual wield and 1h weapon fighters for the most are tossed (this is one of those 'no grey area' parts).

- the reason pole arms is taken, is seraphim gets 5 hits unmounted with a spear, more than any other of her weapon styles. 2h swords have a bug also while mounted, where 'soul hammer' animation is borked.

 

Using a weapon with LL% will give you; relative safety in very hard battles. Extreme damage in higher difficulties to bosses, as well as safety in the leeching more health than you even have.

 

In the expansion, really there should be an understanding by the player, if they take a 1h weapon style, or dual wield, that for the most they forgo the most powerful offensive/defensive mod in the game. I most definitely omit it on a character like this, for the extreme results of LL%, as we are losing 2 skills to generals, which can be a massive loss in offense/defense otherwise.

 

6. Armor Lore. = It's a must. You don't need to crank the points into it, but it is still a must. Master it when you feel necessary.

 

7. Constitution (hardcore). = A must. A must to master as well. I play hardcore only. This skill is a must on every character and build in the expansion. Let me explain;

 

If you are okay to resigning a build or character to specific regions, bosses, and things, then by all means skip it. If you are okay with having to smith in exact items, and shopping for eons to get them, then go ahead and skip it. If you want to be able to traverse any region, enemy, boss etc, and have a backup plan, this is it, and DON'T skip it.

 

8. Warding Energy lore. = Shield amount and modifier strength. Master it, but no rush.

 

9. Enhanced Perception. = Magic find. Quite simply, this is what brings the fun in the game out. You find better stuff more often. Often higher quality 'better stuff' too. It just makes the game/grind MUCH more enjoyable. That said, we need it to unlock bargaining. What else could we take? divine devotion? ha ha....

 

10. Bargaining. = the 'feature' of this build. Master it first.

 

Combat Arts n' Mods

 

You'll eventually mod all Combat Arts in Exalted. I would suggest (remember, no grey areas.. );

 

Soul Hammer - Aim, battering, deep wounds.

Pelting Strike - Succesion, lower defense, criticals (no need for -armor as we'll get that with soul hammer)

Assailing Somersault - Spurt(range), Area of Effect, stun.

Dashing Alacrity - Cast speed, duration, less cooldown on dashing NOT all combat arts (easily suplimented with RpH).

Battle Stance - Damage, flexibility, retaliation.

 

Warding Energy - Reflect ranged, reflect magic, block. - I feel I need to state this, a shield that takes less hits via high reflections doesn't need the extra capacities of other mods. Come high spell levels, and your just omitting 2/3'rds of the damage thrown at it.

Divine protection - duration, less cooldown, reflect magic.

Flaring Nova - Expansion(Area of Effect), perplex, laggard. - is a massive Area of Effect debuff, not damage, as we don't have RTL. Works incredibly well for this purpose.

 

Those without notes should be clear as their choices/reasoning.

 

COMBOS

 

1. Soul Hammer -> Pelting Strike. The boss killer.

2. Assailing somersault -> Pelting Strike. The mob killer.

3. Flaring Nova -> Pelting Strike. The mob debuffer/killer.

 

Dashing alacrity and Divine proteciton will fill your last to CA slots.

 

GEAR

 

For the most, standard stuff; +max shield%, all skills, all Combat Arts, shield absorption/regen, damage over time, evade, etc.

 

Go for the 'best' pieces and not a full set. Things like holy protection, shoulders of the seraish, helm of the seraish, blade breaker, sophias legs + arms, etc.

This isn't a fashion contest. You'll want the extra slots, protections, etc. it is the ideal way for this build.

Get the northern lights set for a 'trade suit'

 

NOTES

 

There is no need to master Pole Arms. It is just the 'base' for our attack speeds. I.e. Dashing alacrity can be maintained always once fully modded, and will provide all the speed you need really, so you can even skip it if you like. I chose to take it in this case, as some of the pole arm MASTERY mods are very nice.

 

This build has extreme offense, and defense, as well 2 general skills. There is no gaping weakness due to 2 general skills. It can fight any boss, any region without worry. It can even take 1 shot bugged demon mages.

It takes previous ideas and refines them for an all around character that is fit for the harshest enemies of the expansion, and the many game alterations. Many things changed in the expansion, and if you are still reading this, know that almost all the guides written before its release are quite out dated, in that many things done in them aren't possible anymore, or are insufficient. This is merely to rectify what is percieved by many one of the most fun classes,

 

the shopper seraphim.

 

Cheers,

Edited by r00ster
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5. Pole Arms (or Sword Weapons for 2h swords). = Let me be very clear; LL% which is by and far the BEST mod you can get on a weapon, only appears on 2h weapons. There is only ONE 1h weapon, and it's an axe, and very rare. With trading, we can buy ourselves some really incredible spears that have it. Dual wield and 1h weapon fighters for the most are tossed (this is one of those 'no grey area' parts).

- the reason pole arms is taken, is seraphim gets 5 hits unmounted with a spear, more than any other of her weapon styles. 2h swords have a bug also while mounted, where 'soul hammer' animation is borked.

 

Sounds like a fun build, definitely capable of running through Ice and Blood. Ive been wanting to play a seraphim for a while now, my inquis has just been too much fun, and plus Im in the lead up to exams so I must not get distracted...yet...anyway, as per above, do you mean that the seraphim does 5 hits with pelting strikes and a spear? Cos that sounds fun :P

Link to comment
5. Pole Arms (or Sword Weapons for 2h swords). = Let me be very clear; LL% which is by and far the BEST mod you can get on a weapon, only appears on 2h weapons. There is only ONE 1h weapon, and it's an axe, and very rare. With trading, we can buy ourselves some really incredible spears that have it. Dual wield and 1h weapon fighters for the most are tossed (this is one of those 'no grey area' parts).

- the reason pole arms is taken, is seraphim gets 5 hits unmounted with a spear, more than any other of her weapon styles. 2h swords have a bug also while mounted, where 'soul hammer' animation is borked.

 

Sounds like a fun build, definitely capable of running through Ice and Blood. Ive been wanting to play a seraphim for a while now, my inquis has just been too much fun, and plus Im in the lead up to exams so I must not get distracted...yet...anyway, as per above, do you mean that the seraphim does 5 hits with pelting strikes and a spear? Cos that sounds fun :P

 

Yes.

Apologies, that is exactly what I meant.

 

Am still stuck in Sacred 1, where every classes 'attack' sequence was just called 'attack' lol.

 

Cheers,

Link to comment
5. Pole Arms (or Sword Weapons for 2h swords). = Let me be very clear; LL% which is by and far the BEST mod you can get on a weapon, only appears on 2h weapons. There is only ONE 1h weapon, and it's an axe, and very rare. With trading, we can buy ourselves some really incredible spears that have it. Dual wield and 1h weapon fighters for the most are tossed (this is one of those 'no grey area' parts).

- the reason pole arms is taken, is seraphim gets 5 hits unmounted with a spear, more than any other of her weapon styles. 2h swords have a bug also while mounted, where 'soul hammer' animation is borked.

 

Sounds like a fun build, definitely capable of running through Ice and Blood. Ive been wanting to play a seraphim for a while now, my inquis has just been too much fun, and plus Im in the lead up to exams so I must not get distracted...yet...anyway, as per above, do you mean that the seraphim does 5 hits with pelting strikes and a spear? Cos that sounds fun :P

 

Yes.

Apologies, that is exactly what I meant.

 

Am still stuck in Sacred 1, where every classes 'attack' sequence was just called 'attack' lol.

 

Cheers,

Cool :o Yeah...they definitely didnt have much diversity in CA names in the original, although it never mattered.

 

Are there any unique polearms that you use if you find them or would if you found them? Or are the shopped %LL ones to good to pass up?

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Or are the shopped %LL ones to good to pass up?

 

Quite simply this.

Really, they are too 'good' to pass up even if they boost skills you don't have, and do nothing else asides LL%.

 

It alone, is 'too good' to pass up :P

 

There are many very nice uniques, even a seraphim only unique spear; Endijians javelin.

Toriks Wrath, while common very good, Halberd of the Commander, Cult Veteran etc, all very nice.

 

Probably the best two unique spears are cordells javelin of war, and optimus minimus. Those I at least keep on for 'buff' spears.

If there was no LL%, surely they would be the best. Especially cordells.

 

Alas, They are all tossed.

A pure min/max here lol, so you understand how it is :o

Link to comment
It's going to follow simple logic; all ideas, mods, etc etc have been weighted for gain vs loss. No grey areas. It will take you to level 75, where you can master bargaining, then perhaps leave the character, as trading gets worse from that point on.

 

10. Bargaining. = the 'feature' of this build. Master it first.

 

Heya Rooster,

 

apart from the 2-hander, this build is my favorite too for shoppers. :) Solid, good damage, nigh impossible to kill :twitch:

 

Only one question about the quotes above. IF you pick Bargaining by level 65, as tenth skill choice, you would not be able to master it before level 75 no? Only if you save up 24 skills points for it.

 

Greetz

Edited by Barristan
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Well, I'm a fan of shoppers in General, and I haven't even dug into building a Seraphim yet.

 

I'd probably opt out for a shopper while in the market.

 

Great read rooster, I still love the way you talk about mechanics.

 

Nice work here.

 

:lol:

 

gogo

Link to comment
Hey guys,

 

Going to keep this really simple, as I'm sure those that follow guides like things simple!

It's going to be fast and furious, without too much explanation, as well, I don't think it needs it.

 

It's going to follow simple logic; all ideas, mods, etc etc have been weighted for gain vs loss. No grey areas. It will take you to level 75, where you can master bargaining, then perhaps leave the character, as trading gets worse from that point on.

 

Here goes!

 

Skills

 

1. Tactics Lore. = no brainer. Weapon damage, exalted mods. One quick statement; this skill increases your weapon damage by %. That means it's never obsolete. (master it)

 

2. Exalted Warrior Focus. = Spell level, exalted mods. Probably take this past mastery.

 

3. Revered Tech FOCUS. = Spell level, Rev. Mods of which we will neeed 9, and we'll get that with exactly 75 points in it.

 

4. Concentration. = For 2 buffs. Leave at 5 points, raise with all skills etc.

 

5. Pole Arms (or Sword Weapons for 2h swords). = Let me be very clear; LL% which is by and far the BEST mod you can get on a weapon, only appears on 2h weapons. There is only ONE 1h weapon, and it's an axe, and very rare. With trading, we can buy ourselves some really incredible spears that have it. Dual wield and 1h weapon fighters for the most are tossed (this is one of those 'no grey area' parts).

- the reason pole arms is taken, is seraphim gets 5 hits unmounted with a spear, more than any other of her weapon styles. 2h swords have a bug also while mounted, where 'soul hammer' animation is borked.

 

Using a weapon with LL% will give you; relative safety in very hard battles. Extreme damage in higher difficulties to bosses, as well as safety in the leeching more health than you even have.

 

In the expansion, really there should be an understanding by the player, if they take a 1h weapon style, or dual wield, that for the most they forgo the most powerful offensive/defensive mod in the game. I most definitely omit it on a character like this, for the extreme results of LL%, as we are losing 2 skills to generals, which can be a massive loss in offense/defense otherwise.

 

6. Armor Lore. = It's a must. You don't need to crank the points into it, but it is still a must. Master it when you feel necessary.

 

7. Constitution (hardcore). = A must. A must to master as well. I play hardcore only. This skill is a must on every character and build in the expansion. Let me explain;

 

If you are okay to resigning a build or character to specific regions, bosses, and things, then by all means skip it. If you are okay with having to smith in exact items, and shopping for eons to get them, then go ahead and skip it. If you want to be able to traverse any region, enemy, boss etc, and have a backup plan, this is it, and DON'T skip it.

 

8. Warding Energy lore. = Shield amount and modifier strength. Master it, but no rush.

 

9. Enhanced Perception. = Magic find. Quite simply, this is what brings the fun in the game out. You find better stuff more often. Often higher quality 'better stuff' too. It just makes the game/grind MUCH more enjoyable. That said, we need it to unlock bargaining. What else could we take? divine devotion? ha ha....

 

10. Bargaining. = the 'feature' of this build. Master it first.

 

Combat Arts n' Mods

 

You'll eventually mod all Combat Arts in Exalted. I would suggest (remember, no grey areas.. );

 

Soul Hammer - Aim, battering, deep wounds.

Pelting Strike - Succesion, lower defense, criticals (no need for -armor as we'll get that with soul hammer)

Assailing Somersault - Spurt(range), Area of Effect, stun.

Dashing Alacrity - Cast speed, duration, less cooldown on dashing NOT all combat arts (easily suplimented with RpH).

Battle Stance - Damage, flexibility, retaliation.

 

Warding Energy - Reflect ranged, reflect magic, block. - I feel I need to state this, a shield that takes less hits via high reflections doesn't need the extra capacities of other mods. Come high spell levels, and your just omitting 2/3'rds of the damage thrown at it.

Divine protection - duration, less cooldown, reflect magic.

Flaring Nova - Expansion(Area of Effect), perplex, laggard. - is a massive Area of Effect debuff, not damage, as we don't have RTL. Works incredibly well for this purpose.

 

Those without notes should be clear as their choices/reasoning.

 

COMBOS

 

1. Soul Hammer -> Pelting Strike. The boss killer.

2. Assailing somersault -> Pelting Strike. The mob killer.

3. Flaring Nova -> Pelting Strike. The mob debuffer/killer.

 

Dashing alacrity and Divine proteciton will fill your last to CA slots.

 

GEAR

 

For the most, standard stuff; +max shield%, all skills, all Combat Arts, shield absorption/regen, damage over time, evade, etc.

 

Go for the 'best' pieces and not a full set. Things like holy protection, shoulders of the seraish, helm of the seraish, blade breaker, sophias legs + arms, etc.

This isn't a fashion contest. You'll want the extra slots, protections, etc. it is the ideal way for this build.

Get the northern lights set for a 'trade suit'

 

NOTES

 

There is no need to master Pole Arms. It is just the 'base' for our attack speeds. I.e. Dashing alacrity can be maintained always once fully modded, and will provide all the speed you need really, so you can even skip it if you like. I chose to take it in this case, as some of the pole arm MASTERY mods are very nice.

 

This build has extreme offense, and defense, as well 2 general skills. There is no gaping weakness due to 2 general skills. It can fight any boss, any region without worry. It can even take 1 shot bugged demon mages.

It takes previous ideas and refines them for an all around character that is fit for the harshest enemies of the expansion, and the many game alterations. Many things changed in the expansion, and if you are still reading this, know that almost all the guides written before its release are quite out dated, in that many things done in them aren't possible anymore, or are insufficient. This is merely to rectify what is percieved by many one of the most fun classes,

 

the shopper seraphim.

 

Cheers,

I love this guide im just unsure about the polearms vs dual wield in ice and blood ,noone else has commented on it yet,would love to see more data or arguments for either side please:)

:D

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r00, there is a second 1h weapon that spawns with LL% and that's the shuriken. It appears with roughly the same LL than a polearm and less than a 2-h sword and has an insane atk spd. granted, polearms ahve more damage, but a shuriken can rival the best builds that can take out a boss quite quickly, because the shuriken has a really fast attack speed.

 

Believe me, I have level 158 (or 159, I'm not sure now, lol) shopper bosskiler that drops a boss down in about 10-15 seconds simply because of that shuriken and has over 100% chance to hit along with over 275% +XP per kill.

 

Still, polearms can hit several weapons in a swing. That is not to be underestimated.

Link to comment
r00, there is a second 1h weapon that spawns with LL% and that's the shuriken. It appears with roughly the same LL than a polearm and less than a 2-h sword and has an insane atk spd. granted, polearms ahve more damage, but a shuriken can rival the best builds that can take out a boss quite quickly, because the shuriken has a really fast attack speed.

 

Believe me, I have level 158 (or 159, I'm not sure now, lol) shopper bosskiler that drops a boss down in about 10-15 seconds simply because of that shuriken and has over 100% chance to hit along with over 275% +XP per kill.

 

Still, polearms can hit several weapons in a swing. That is not to be underestimated.

I suppose you could include the unlock...tom Felde's Thunderous voice too, although that is most definitely an annoying option to follow.

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Great read r00!

 

I have plans of making a shopping network, when my level 200 Smith is complete.

 

Planned on taking the fast track path. DA, staff bug, Dryad. Network level. 30, 60, 90, 120 & 150.

 

I'll be sure to toss in this build. Probably with level 90. As the DA Dryad can obtain 120 & 150 benchmarks much faster in my opinion.

 

I do love the Seraphim. Char level 90 it will be then... :lol:

 

Thank you for raising my brow once again!

 

I remain, :D

Link to comment
I love this guide im just unsure about the polearms vs dual wield in ice and blood ,noone else has commented on it yet,would love to see more data or arguments for either side please:)

 

It is not an argument.

It is a statement on a mod; Leech life from opponents by %.

 

It's the most powerful mod in the game for a melee or specific weapon ranged characters bar none.

 

It does NOT appear on one handed weapons, aside 1 unique the 'Kal'durs' which is an axe.

It appears on one other 1h weapon that must be unlocked with a code, and can never drop, and if you spawn it, only once per character therefore is not counted.

 

From these facts, it is not dual wield vs anything.

It is LL% vs anything, and LL% wins hands down in all cases. It is impossible to compete to be honest.

 

LL% can spawn on;

 

2h swords.

Polearms.

2h Axes.

Shurikens.

 

It can also be a complete set bonus on some sets, I.e. Celestial aspect set for the seraphim.

 

So from all this you can do a couple of things;

 

1. Take a 1h weapon lore like dual wield (with 2 1h weapons) and pray to the gods you get the Kal'dur. It's your only real chance to use this mod.

- note if you aren't dual wield, it's an axe, so that omits some characters effectively or properly using it single handed.

 

2. Take one of the weapon styles that gets weapons with this mod. I.e. Sword lore, for 2h swords, or ranged weapons for the shurikens.

 

3. Complete a set that has it as a full bonus, but this can be really awful in a way. Imagine a seraphim that uses no celestial spells wearing that whole set, giving tons of useless to that build bonuses, just for the leech %. Such a waste.

 

Lastly, it also depends on what version of the game you are on. If you are on consoles, I don't believe LL% is needed at all, or not in the expansion on PC. This will dramatically affect the importance of this mod.

 

If you want a direct comparison, though I am loathe to give it, for dual wield to even compete with one of the styles listed, you would need 2 of the Kal'durs. You cannot even compare it without being on the same playing field. It might look cool or give a few more slots etc, but there is no comparison until you at least have 2 of the Kal'durs. Kind of like the 'don't bring a knife to a gun fight' quote.

 

Cheers,

 

@Etherian

 

Note, that only certain characters can 'buy' some things. Like good luck getting shield stat items without having a seraphim or TG trader. There are more things to consider (I think, personally) than just the speed at which you can get there. A dryad might be able to get to 150 in 3 minutes, but what will that do for you if you want to play primarily the temple guardian?

 

@Dobri

 

Thanks, I'd forgotten shurikens. I think it's because I never go ranged. Not my style lol. Must be melee or magic. Anyway, it was noted and added, thanks!

Edited by r00ster
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  • 1 month later...
I love this guide im just unsure about the polearms vs dual wield in ice and blood ,noone else has commented on it yet,would love to see more data or arguments for either side please:)

 

Lastly, it also depends on what version of the game you are on. If you are on consoles, I don't believe LL% is needed at all, or not in the expansion on PC. This will dramatically affect the importance of this mod.

 

If you want a direct comparison, though I am loathe to give it, for dual wield to even compete with one of the styles listed, you would need 2 of the Kal'durs. You cannot even compare it without being on the same playing field. It might look cool or give a few more slots etc, but there is no comparison until you at least have 2 of the Kal'durs. Kind of like the 'don't bring a knife to a gun fight' quote.

For consoles, the LL% mod really doesn't surpass most "hard-hit" combat arts' damage until mid-late Platinum, at which point you are effectively "doubling" your damage. That is the earliest I will even consider it. Before that point, LL 1.5-2.0% (typical % for the char. levels at that point) will not even fully heal you because the boss hitpoints are not high enough... better to go with other mods (ie deathblow).

But definitely for Niob, it is a 'desireable' modifier... at it will be doing 3-5 X the damage of your combat arts (and fully/almost fully healing). Even on console, dual cannot compare with LL% in Niob unless you're taking advantage of some "expoit" like stacking wounds' effects, etc.

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Thank you for this guide.

 

I am a relatively new player compared to the pros here I only know the basics of point en clicking ...... :)

 

Any way ....... just two questions.

 

1.) Attrib points .... do you go 50/50 Strength / Vitality ?

2.) When creating the toon, do you enable the "expert touch" , "new combat timer" ?

 

Thanks again for this great guide.

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