Looking for Build Help and General Questions

[Corrosive 0]

I wouldn't say I'm a total newbie to this game, I've played pretty much 60 hrs so far, still on bronze campaign with my Shadow Warrior, doing every single quest I find, like I did on most MMOs (which I get the feeling of when I play this game). I have a couple general questions for some of you veterans. Memorizing a rune is the only way I can level a skill? Besides modifiers on rings, armor, etc. correct? I read on a load screen that the more runes you memorize for that particular aspect, the longer the regen time is. Does that mean I've kinda screwed myself my first 30 or so levels where I used every rune I could? I'm using skills to lower regen time, but should I still hold off with the runes as much? My second question is what's the difference between defense value and the armor stat?

 

The last I would like to request is that some of you look at my build so far and tell me if I'm going right? I'm going for damage. My girlfriend plays with me sometimes before she gets bored of it, but she uses a Dryad, she's only level 17 however.

 

level 30 Shadow Warrior

 

165 Strength

124 Stamina

139 Vitality

101 Dexterity

106 Intelligence

124 Willpower

 

Very little of this is affected by bonuses from equipment.

 

Tactics Lore 16

Death Warrior Focus 16

Concentration 15

Duel Wield 20

Armor Lore 18

 

no idea what other skills I should take, tho I figured one of them would be either toughness or constitution.

 

Lemme know please guys.

[lujate 578]

Skills and Combat Arts are two different things. You can increase your CA level thru reading runes or item modifiers. The items have the advantage of raising the regen half of what the rune would raise it. CA level is a trade-off between level and regen. Also check your regen dressed in your battle suit and mounted, since those things will affect your regen.

 

Be careful doing all of the Side Quests, particularly on Bronze. Every area has a min/max enemy level for a given difficulty. Once you exceed that, you will earn pathetic XP (I learned that one the hard way).

Edited July 14, 2011 by lujate

[claudius 104]

Don't eat every rune you find. Pay attention to regenerations. A good playstyle is to spam combat arts over and over. For example shadow warrior hits freznied rampage over and over again and again. That combat art you can eat a lot of runes because it takes a long time to execute. Also if you have ice and blood you can get regeneration per hit. If so then probably you will max the runes eventually but don't eat so many that you can't spam the CA.

 

Defense is the chance they hit you. Armor is how much damage you take when hit.

[lujate 578]

Regen per hit (RpH) also works on the console versions.

[Ryanrocker 200]

Regen per hit (RpH) also works on the console versions.

 

Yes it does, along with Deathblow for spell based Combat Arts! Wheeeeeeeee

[Corrosive 0]

I have another question: I feel I may have to restart my character and I was wondering what you guys thought (I'm only in Bronze, I'd probably restart in Silver).. I feel I've gimped myself by eating runes like Rosanne goes through butter. My current rune memorization is as follows:

 

Death Lord:

 

Skill - Memorized runes

 

DB - 8

SS - 7

Ruinous - 8

Rousing - 7

Grim - 8

 

Mal. Champ:

 

FR - 9

B. Vault - 5

Aug. Guidon - 3

K. spree - 3

Reflecting Emanation - 10

 

Astral Lord:

 

Spectral Hand - 6

Skel Fort - 5

Rallied Souls - 4

Shadow Veil - 7

Nether Allegiance - 8

 

Should I restart my character? I'm only level 31. I find I usually only use Scything sweep, frenzied rampage, nether allegiance, reflecting eman., and sometimes DB.

 

Have I ate too many runes? Also, how does my build look thus far? I'm trying to decide between constitution and toughness. Any tips from veteran Shadow Warriors would be greatly appreciated, I learn through teaching, and value wisdom.

[Corrosive 0]

I'm sorry for double posting, but I wanted to make a correction, and add some information that I learned. I meant to say that I use grim resilience, not nether allegiance.

 

Also, someone in another forum told me that the cooldowns added by eating runes apply only to that individual CA. So does this mean that as long as I don't over-do the arts that I actually use and depend on, I'll be fine? Please lemme know, cause me remaking my character depends on this particular information.

[Dragon Brother 619]

I'm sorry for double posting, but I wanted to make a correction, and add some information that I learned. I meant to say that I use grim resilience, not nether allegiance.

 

Also, someone in another forum told me that the cooldowns added by eating runes apply only to that individual CA. So does this mean that as long as I don't over-do the arts that I actually use and depend on, I'll be fine? Please lemme know, cause me remaking my character depends on this particular information.

 

It kinda depends on how you feel about the regens you have. If you can deal with it then there's no need to restart. Remember that even if they are bad at the moment, the numbers are only going to get lower and lower as you level up making it less of an issue. With the numbers you've posted it shouldn't be too bad now anyway and will only get better.

 

PS. As to your minibuffs (rousing command, augmenting guidon, killing spree, ruinous onslaught) you can read as many buffs in those as you want to raise the duration and effect of these, cast them all at once from a combo (not onslaught...) and then you're ready for the next bossfight or large mob and most of the time, if you run around gathering another large mob it will be ready to reuse again most times you want to, especially if you only use it for boss fights.

[DaveO 88]

Most builds will only need two Focus areas, so Concentration stays at 1 point. In regards to build advice, it never hurts to look at builds with a lot of replies. Furian's Ultimate Warrior build is a very good template for Shadow Warriors.

[Mangren 0]

Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents.

 

1. I try to always start in silver hardcore..., but switch to silver like now... this guy is a rock and hard to take down.

2. Like someone said this is a good solid build and it's pretty standard so stick with it.

3. The runes you've eaten won't hurt in the long run.

4. Every rune for now should go to buffs, until your regen on your 2 weapon CAs is under the animation/attack completion time.

5. Buff suits are cool, but you don't really need them in this build, it's more of an advanced tactic IMHO when testing odd builds (like the Dryad weaponless build or the High Elf melee build.

6. Because you're in bronze defense isn't a big deal, but it will be so I'd pick up 2 of the 3 Constitution/Toughness/Combat Reflexes, if I did it over I'd probably pick Toughness/CR because Grim Resilience gives so much regen/hp buff.

7. Grim Resilience/Reflective Emanation are the two buffs, unless you have regen problems (which you won't if you have only eaten 1 rune for non-buff CAs) you don't put more points here.

8. Frenzied Rampage is your mob/champ killer.

9. Bosses keep Augmenting Guidon and Rousing Command up as often as possible and spam Demonic Blow.

10. Only eat runes for Demonic Blow/Frenzied Rampage after they seem to be available for use before they even finish casting.

 

Mods (d = down, u = up) in the order I take them.

 

(first 9 points in Tactics Lore I mod Grim Resilience and Frenzied Rampage like this)

Grim Resilience (dud) high regen, big defense boost, high physical resistance, or (duu) increases evasion instead of physical resistance. Currently I think I'd recommend duu more because it works against all damage types.

 

Frenzied Rampage (uud) double strike, double attack chance, life leech. love it.

 

At this point I have both Death Warrior Focus and Malevolent Champ Focus and I am trying to triple up Tactics Lore/DW Focus and MC Focus on skill points and I mod the following two)

 

Reflective Emanation (ddu) reflect close combat, magic, and ranged, and boosts the reflected damage (this is mitigation and DPS simultaneously)

 

Demonic Blow - you choose, but don't pick vehemence, because this is being used as a single target massive damage attack. Personally I like uud, I get a DoT from Wounding, massive reduction in armor (subsequent attacks hit harder) and a chance at a severe wound (dont' know what that is, I just know that between regen, reflection, and mitigation I don't seem to need the life leech here.

 

So skills should be :

 

Tactics Lore(straight to 9)

Armor Lore(1)

Dual Wield(1) - Master after you get your mods setup

Death Warrior Focus (5)

Concentration (1)

Malevolent Champion Focus(get 5, then balance with Tactics and DW till they are at C level)

 

The other 4 are from rest are from :

Toughness, Blacksmith, Constitution, Combat Reflexes, Spell Resistance, Damage Lore,

 

I'd pick either Blacksmith or Damage Lore and 3 of the 4 defensive skills (not constitution )

 

My 2 cents in how I look at this ez button cookie cutter Shadow Warrior.