Hybrid Inquisitor 1 hander/caster viability?

[Dazedconfused 1]

Hi all. This is my first build related post/question for Sacred so please, be gentle with your advice, thanks.

 

I've recently created an Inquisitor and have just hit level 15 for the achievement (woot!), and I thought I'd stop there, but am having a great time with him thus far.

 

I see a lot of hybrid builds on here with caster/dual wield, and, perhaps due to my inexperience, I'd already taken hafted weapons as I liked the look of carrying a mace/hammer.

 

So essentially I'm wondering if I can salvage the build at this early stage with casting and a 1 handed mace? (something like 75% cast and 25% melee?)

 

I've been adding attributes to Stamina and intel, as I hope to use mainly magic later on, but still be at least effective swinging a hammer when I need to. Am I on the right track there?

 

I can't recall my specific Skill applications..but it's something like;

1 x Hafted Weapons,

1 x Concentration,

1 x Combat reflexes...I think?

Astute Supremacy Lore and,

Focus (both at level 14 or so...this may have been a stuff up based on what I've read so far?).

 

At any rate, if I can stay one handed hafted and cast effectively, I am considering adding the following skills to round out the character;

Bargaining

Armour Lore

Combat Discipline

Ancient Magic

 

Last Skill? Unknown... Oh and in what order should I continue them from level 15?

 

Ultimately I like using Levin Array, Clustering Maelstrom, and have recently acquired Eruptive Desecration but have yet to slot it into my spell rotation. I also tend to use Ruthless Mutilation to take the edge off the gathering mobs until the others finish cool down.

Before groups I often buff with Paralysing Dread, and have tried the Zealous Doppelganger at times, but not sure of its effectiveness as yet.

 

Ugh, when I re-read all of that it seems very disjointed. I hope it makes sense to someone out there, and advice is not too difficult to provide.

 

Thanks all. Any tips greatly appreciated.

 

D

[Dobri 55]

What's good about Sacred is that every build works So you can be sure your build will work out as well, as long as you don't overexert your character and refrain from make him do things that are out of his reach.

 

As a last skill, I would add Constitution. The extra amount of hit points is very important and is a simple, but significant step towards survival. The combat reflexes skill isn't bad (my personal favorite is toughness for damage mitigation), but since you picked it, you will need to use it in conjunction with similar gear mods for better effect - there are a number of items that may boost the chance to evade further, but you will need to shop (rares) or hunt for them (set/unique items).

 

Since you picked astute lore and focus, I would suggest to keep the melee fights to a minimum. You will notice that your chance to hit will slowly decline and you will be forced to switch to 100% casting soon.

[Dazedconfused 1]

Cheers Dobri.

 

I'm ok with becoming a caster I guess. I suppose I can use weapons with slots and socket them with items to augment my casting needs as time goes on.

 

I did look at toughness, but the term minimal damage mitigation seemed less appealing than avoiding being hit, especially when it also said resists...and I figured my Relics would suffice for that? Semantics I suppose.

 

So am I better off holding a shield as well now then (despite not having points in Shield Lore) predominantly for any socket opportunities and stat bonuses I may get on it? Sort of a case of...better a restricted shield with beneficial stats than no shield or stats at all? Thoughts? Not that I think it will really do much for the look of the character.

 

Thanks for the tip on Constitution.

 

May I ask one last question? With these Skill thoughts in mind, what should be my next choices in Skills, and how should I go about maxing them out? Or more specifically, which ones should I max, and which should I leave at minimum?

 

This is essentially my first real Sacred toon, so I'll live with the mistakes if you think it will still at least be playable. I'll learn what I can from it and hopefully make my next toon better.

 

Regards,

D

[lujate 578]

IMHO, if your left hand is free, definitely put a shield in it. Even without Shield Lore, you will get some armor, but more importantly it gives you more slots. As for how it looks, just zoom out and it will be fine.

[Dobri 55]

For starters, Inquisitors, just like Temple Guardians cannot use shields If they could, it would have been way too uber.

 

Toughness is a skill that can easily mislead a player. Even at mastery, it doesn't give all that much damage mitigation, but when you combine it with some gear, you may enjoy some outstanding successes. You have bargaining, which means you can shop decent gear. Damage mitigation mods show up on torso and shoulder gear for all characters after level 75 like a normal modifier, a modifier unlocked by armor lore mastery, or both. When you combine 22% damage mitigation from toughness with, say, 20% damage mitigation from armor (torso + shoulders - note that 20% is nothing at higher levels) and say, 20% from the Purifying Chastisement buff (modded for Inure, but you don't have means to mod it with this build), that's almost 2/3 of the damage nullified. But that is not all. The inquisitor has additional physical damage mitigation that shows up on 2 set belts and 1 set helmet. This can add up to at least 20% physical damage mitigation at medium level (for me, medium level is 75-100) and voila - you can live happily with 80% physical damage mitigation, 60% fire/ice/magic/poison damage mitigation around level 75-78 (provided you have armor lore + toughness masteries, you have decent level chastisement buff modded for Inure and done plenty of shopping). That's theoretical, of course, because bargaining + toughness + armor lore masteries by level 75 will leave your char with poor offense, but still, it shows how quickly the inquisitor can achieve relative immortality. I can say this for a fact, because I'm running a "scaredy-cat" Inquisitor build and the preliminary testing has produced some truly startling results

 

So, regarding your question about the skill masteries. For me, astute lore + focus + constitution are the best 3 level 75 masteries for the Inquisitor. This gives him plenty of offense and lots of HP to compensate for the lack of defense. Bargaining should be the 4th mastery, by level 78-80 to allow for shopping for decent rare items.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Dobri

[lujate 578]

 

(Note to self: keep your mouth shut when you have no idea what you are talking about.)

[Dazedconfused 1]

 

(Note to self: keep your mouth shut when you have no idea what you are talking about.)

 

Lol nah it's cool Iujate, I appreciate the thought

 

No worries Dobri, I see where you're going and I shall endeavour to keep that in mind with the build. I'm hoping he's salvagable. With this advice and whatever else I can garner from Darkmatters experts and Sacredwiki, I'll see how he goes.

[lujate 578]

IMHO, it is hard to make a character that is not salvageable.

 

With my first character, a Seraphim, I had many well intentioned people tell me to delete her and start over. I persevered and she is now level 146, and can easily thrash the Guardians.

[Dobri 55]

I believe dazedconfused's char is completely salvageable. The game offers so many options, that even a completely broken build can get to 200 by using the correct "strings".

 

As I recall, you decided to play with chance to evade. In this case, I would simply start hunting for set items and gear that improves the Inquisitor's evade % - the more, the better (and of course, shop for similar gear/socketables too). I would also stay away from bosses and hunt in areas with lots of normal/elite mobs for easy mass killing and quick XP gain. Also, keep an eye on the enemy's chance to hit your char in the skills screen and use buff suits (check the guides section if you don't know what this is) to enjoy low regeneration times.

Edited February 18, 2011 by Dobri