DW int nature dryad vs. BFG Seraphim

[DTS 0]

I'm wondering what some of the more experienced players would say is a more effective niob character?

[Dobri 55]

THe DW natire dryad is just BIG and is good throughout the game, provided you can play it properly. She does require a lot of switching through her Combat Arts, which can be overburdening.

 

On the toher hand, the BFG seraphim in my eyes, is the easiest char to play. All you need is 3 buffs - Battle stance, BFG and Warding energy, 1 point in ranged, tactics lore and you rock. You barely have to use any Combat Arts at all, because maximizing the BFG gives you huge amounts of damage, usually dropping each mob in one shot - that's still true on level 77, the level of my BFG shopper, and she doesn't even have revered lore to further boost the BFG damage!

 

So pick the toon you will like to play. The Dryad requires more patience, more micromanagement and more effort, but she's worth it. The BFG requires no micromanagement, starts off really powerful (as long as you can transfer a few BFG runes and pick ranged lore at level 2) and retains her power till the end. She does get a bit boring though - only left-click attacks aren't the most entertaining thing in this game. However, she can become a real cannon fodder. Read 1 rune in Soul hammer and use only +Combat Arts to improve the skill, so that the regen time doesn't go up and you can slap a soul hamer once every second for a huge damage boost. AND THAT I can assure you, takes the cake

[DTS 0]

thanks for the info

 

Which one would you say is a better boss killer? (gear and player skill aside)

[Dobri 55]

In my eyes, the BFG is the better boss killer for one simple reason - with a DW int dryad, with all that damage bonus you get, if the boss manages to reflect your spell... Suffice to say you will die instantly. In HC, that's pretty bad. However, if you avoid bosses that have reflect (like the scorpion), you should be fine. As a BFG you don't have much to worry about, and the only bosses that will give you harder time are the ones with ice resistance.

 

The DW dryad is great for one thing - she's a great killer. Acute mind boosts the damage to a point where it becomes just ridiculous. The BFG compensates with more defense, better protection (toughness + warding energy with some absorption is a great combo) - thus more survivability - and a big gun

 

It's up to you. If you're looking for fun, the dryad is the better choice. If you're looking for stability, I'd go for the BFG. Honestly, I can't decide between the two, but I have always been biased in favor of the BFG. Still, I'd have to say that killing a boss in 1 hit is just sick and is very rewarding. However, getting killed by a random reflect is something that will weigh as a dark cloud around your dryad throughout the whole game

[DTS 0]

yeah I'm definitely having a hard time choosing which between the two.

 

I know the BFG is capable of some serious damage, but does is DW capable of doing significantly more in the end? is the time it takes each of them to kill a boss much different?

 

And in the end is there much of a difference in their overall effectiveness or is it more just a preference of play style? or could you say that one is better than the other?

[Dobri 55]

Well, suffice to say the DW dryad can kill a mini boss in 1, maybe 2 hits at most with Acute Mind, provided the boss isn't resistant to the damage of the finishing spell you use. The BFG will a lot longer to do it.

 

Acute mind will take your intelligence way past 6000 (yeah, 6000), and will make your Combat Arts inflict wicked amounts of damage. This clearly makes the DW int dryad the much better one. She is a lot better in overall effectiveness too. Acute mind takes awhile to recharge, but you can rough it. You should watch the video in the DW Int Dryad guide by Viper. Bosses die in 2-5 seconds... And check the damage. Sadly if I recall correctly, his dryad died from a reflect by the scorpion boss, which was sad, but nonetheless, he proved his point well.

 

So generally, the DW Int Dryad outclasses every single class in terms of damage in the end because of that wicked Acute Mind skill. Still, the problem with the random reflect remains But if you play softcore, that will not be much of a problem.

[DTS 0]

Those videos are crazy haha. I knew the DW int was capabe of some crazy damage but over 6k int >_> damn.

 

Thanks for all the info!