Looking for a little advice (class/build)

[Elric of Grans 23]

I played Sacred 2, then later restarted with Sacred 2 Gold, and have now returned after a bit of a break from the game. I have tried several builds/classes before, but not taken many far. I could use a little advice on what I perhaps should try out this time around. In other games, I typically like ranged or hybrid builds (archers and spellswords mostly). I was a Rogue in Diablo; Amazon or Sorceress most of the time in Diablo II. I am also a very defensive player, avoiding high-risk/high-reward or glass canon builds.

 

* Dragon Mage: Never made one. On paper (well, the wiki ) the class does not sound very interesting to me, compared to the other six. The combat arts sound to be either buggy or just plain boring.

* Dryad: I enjoyed this one in the past and have started a new one. Ranged combat, Hunter/Nature. I love bows in this game and found blowpipes to be fun too. Goldenglade Touch is right up my alley and (in the long-run) I expect Tangled Vine to work well for me too. Currently stuck (have another thread on this issue).

* High Elf: Tried both fire and ice. Did not enjoy fire at all (just not my play-style). Ice suits me better (especially Crystal Skin), but it is getting a little dull. I am just past Gar'Colossus. 99% of the time I just spam Glacial Shards; sometimes I also use Expulse Magic (though never sure whether or not it is doing anything). Not a boring class, but the lack of attack variety is a little tiresome. At present, Raging Nimbus is unimpressive (wears off too quickly to benefit much from the slow effect) and Frost Flare seems worse than Glacial Shards in all situations.

* Inquisitor: Never played one of these for long; I made a few attempts, but always found it too hard. Weak AND squishy is not a fun combination. I keep trying to make this class work, because I have never played the Shadow Path past the Elven lands, but cannot seem to find a way to get it to click for me. The combat arts sound fun, but in practice it seems like the class has a steep curve to get over before you can start having fun.

* Seraphim: Standard dual-wield Warrior/Magic build; only build I have taken into Gold before. I kept this one and am slowly continuing where I left off. Excellent class to learn the game with! My main combination is Radiant Pillar/Pelting Strikes while Hallowed Restoration provides the safety net I like to have. I have considered making a BFG seraphim, because people rave about the build, but it sounds kind of one-dimentional, which would bore me.

* Shadow Warrior: Never liked pets/minions, so I have a pure melee build. Also just past Gar'Colossus and exceedingly bored. Click... wait... wait... Frenzied Rampage animation is still going... OK, everything is dead and I took no damage. I cannot believe how little I interact with this class and how low risk it is. Just not my kind of fun.

* Temple Guardian: I love the concept of this class, but it is sooo darn hard. I have never even got one to lvl15! I cannot even imagine how someone persists with this class long enough to bring the parts together. On paper it sounds amazing, and the various builds I have read all sound a lot of fun, but my past attempts have been like pulling teeth.

 

I am happy with my Seraphim and was happy with the Dryad before I got stuck. Is there anything I can do to inject some life into the High Elf and/or Shadow Warrior, or does it sound like they are not classes for me? Is there any way I could make the Inquisitor and/or Temple Guardian work for me, or are they completely out of the question? Am I misjudging the Dragon Mage completely and it would actually suit me to a T?

[SX255 630]

For Temple Guardian

Stop using the ranged cannon - go full melee with Battle Extension or Dedicated Blow and inbattle rechargeable shield. When you start, get the most damage per second weapons. In case of ranged combat, use grenades or pistols – this way you can use the battery for stat boosts. Leveling out Combat Alert art into a buff and Concentration to 75 gives you access to all 3 TG buffs. Lastly, keep putting points into Vitality until you stop dying. Add shield or armor lore for more endurance.

In other words, turn the robot into a tank.

[Flix 5,116]

You can always try follow one of the builds that people have posted. There's no shortage of guides.

 

My top 3 favorite characters I've made are my Dragon Mage, Temple Guardian, and Inquisitor, in that order. So clearly we've got different tastes.

 

One problem is that very effective characters can somtimes be so focused they become dull. You get your buff(s), you have your one or two attack CA's, and even though you kill really well and survive easily, you're just firing that same CA over and over again, maybe switching to a different one for bosses. This was kind of a problem for me with Ice/Fire Elves. I actually ended up liking my weapon-using Delphic Arcania Elf the best.

 

I don't know how you don't find the Dragon Mage interesting. I wrote a big chunk of his Wiki entries mainly because I thought he was so awesome to play. My main Dragon Mage is triple aspect because the DM, probably more than any other character, is well situated to be triple aspect without spreading himself too thin. So the variety of Combat Arts and combos you get to play with is huge. Shapeshifting. Fire and magic spells, DOT spells, area of effect spells, minions. I thought it was a blast.

 

SX255 is right. Devoting yourself to the Devout Guardian aspect (and perhaps dipping into Source Warden for the Untouchable Force buff) will make a very powerful Temple Guardian, an effective killer who is never in too much danger thanks to his energy shield and defensive skills. I made a magic using TG that I actually enjoy more though. I like to use Charged Grid+Icy Evanescence or Fiery Ember for an area of effect damage, and pick off stragglers or tough enemies with either Amplifying Discharge or Furious Emblazer. Bosses get a nice taste of Primal Mutation+Archimedes Beam+Jolting Touch. It more fun for me than pure melee but it takes more time to get off the ground though.

 

I agree with your assessment of the melee Shadow Warrior. It's clear they designed this guy to be the easy access to people who wanted a casual experience. So you can half-ass it and still never fear dying while firing off all your devastating melee CAs.

 

My Inquisitor is also triple aspect, and although he dies often, he is still a lot of fun to play, all the way up to level 120 in Platinum. I don't think I would do a good job describing how I managed to make him successful though. Basically I used all 3 buffs, and both of the temporary buffs as well. The Gruesome Inquisition CA's do a good job against single/tough targets, while Clustering Maelstrom wipes out bigger, weaker mobs. The Doppelganger and the ghosts created by Inexorable Subjugation are there for backup (and sometimes the front lines).