What are your favorite PVE builds?

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Hunter548
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Hunter548 » Wed Jan 10, 2018 7:46 pm

Lorkas wrote:
PenguinNinja wrote:I played them through sporadic periods throughout the module, only a few months ago last time
10 Sep 2017 was the update that killed the strategy of hitting one enemy in a group with a Bigby's without the whole mob swarming you. You can still do it, obviously, but you need to be able to succeed on the roll for every monster in the group before the group reaches you for the strategy to work now.
You absolutely can still pull, it's just no longer a guarantee'd success.

All that update really seems to have done is change it so occasionally you pull the entire area (and die).

Also, occasionally a lowbie party transitions onto fourteen traps and explodes.
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Opustus
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Opustus » Wed Jan 10, 2018 7:57 pm

Hunter548 wrote:All that update really seems to have done is change it so occasionally you pull the entire area (and die).
Was able to play round this by entering stealth, waiting for the spawn to settle down again, and then retrying.
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I_Am_King_Midas
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by I_Am_King_Midas » Sat Jan 13, 2018 5:48 pm

Who is best for solo leveling in epic levels? It seems like Mages fall off quite a bit since they stop getting new spells.
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Astral
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Astral » Sun Jan 14, 2018 12:01 am

Jeloran wrote:Who is best for solo leveling in epic levels? It seems like Mages fall off quite a bit since they stop getting new spells.
They get epic spells, like the dragon who can solo most of the server better than any single character. Or mummy dust.
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Nitro
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Nitro » Sun Jan 14, 2018 12:30 am

Summon creature IX and gate also scale up every second epic level.

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Cortex
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Cortex » Sun Jan 14, 2018 1:46 am

Nitro wrote:Summon creature IX and gate also scale up every second epic level.
Didn't you need Animal Domain as a cleric for Summon Creature IX to scale?
:)

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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Nitro » Sun Jan 14, 2018 1:58 am

I think that was just for it to apply to elemental swarm. I can't remember but the wiki only says epic caster level for scaling.

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Lorkas
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Lorkas » Sun Jan 14, 2018 7:54 am

Cortex wrote:
Nitro wrote:Summon creature IX and gate also scale up every second epic level.
Didn't you need Animal Domain as a cleric for Summon Creature IX to scale?
Animal domain is required for the stat bonuses that scale with conjuration focuses to apply to the summon creature line of spells (apart from the increased summon tier, which everyone gets).

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Urch
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Urch » Sun Jan 14, 2018 12:28 pm

My favourite ever build was a wizard/fighter/palemaster. Easily dispelled, but damn fun to play. Shacked up with still spells, scribed scrolls, fullplate, towershield, and improved expertise. You need patience to play, but he was able to tank almost anything.
One time he was level 7 or 9 or so (couldn't remember but I only had 2 attacks and just hit 100hp), and partied with high level characters to Red Dragon Isle. Ended up facing the big bad evil boss fellow, and he managed to tank and -guard and survive long enough for the beast to go down. AC hit low 70s with improved expertise and party buffs (bard song especially).
At around level 6 or so I was soloing that giant dog boss in the skullcrags, and even the ettins and mountain lions that ambush people on the guldorand bridge was within fightable reach at that level.

I never planned the character, originally he was to be a champion of Torm haha. But I ended up getting 3 fighter levels, 3 wizard levels, then palemaster (because roleplay with Velsharrans became a thing). I think I reached around level 15 or so before I stopped playing due to real life.
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Astral » Sun Jan 14, 2018 12:30 pm

Lorkas wrote:
Cortex wrote:
Nitro wrote:Summon creature IX and gate also scale up every second epic level.
Didn't you need Animal Domain as a cleric for Summon Creature IX to scale?
Animal domain is required for the stat bonuses that scale with conjuration focuses to apply to the summon creature line of spells (apart from the increased summon tier, which everyone gets).
Sounds like a really good domain for someone who's already taking ESF conjuration in their build.
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I_Am_King_Midas
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by I_Am_King_Midas » Tue Jan 16, 2018 12:16 pm

Lorkas wrote:
Cortex wrote:
Nitro wrote:Summon creature IX and gate also scale up every second epic level.
Didn't you need Animal Domain as a cleric for Summon Creature IX to scale?
Animal domain is required for the stat bonuses that scale with conjuration focuses to apply to the summon creature line of spells (apart from the increased summon tier, which everyone gets).
So this just works for mages but, clerics need this to continue to scale?
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Lorkas
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Lorkas » Tue Jan 16, 2018 12:56 pm

There are two separate systems of upgrades to summons from the conjuration spell focus feats:

A) Tier upgrades
B) Stat bonuses

Warlock summons get B but not A.
Planar Ally spells (from any caster) get B but not A.
Summon Creature spells from mages or non-Animal Domain clerics get A but not B.
Summon Creature spells from Animal Domain clerics get A and B.

Note that this is totally separate from the epic caster bonus to summons, which all spellcasters get.

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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Shadowy Reality » Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:20 pm

Strength SDs are in a really good place right now. I would argue they are the easiest class to PvE with.

Your shadow guards you, this means you don't need AC, nor saves, as most spells target your shadow. Your shadow tanks amazingly, it has all undead immunities and a high concealment. You do close to WM damage thanks to improved sneak attack. Your shadow actually has a decent AB even if the damage isn't all that great.

You can solo the Mourn with an SD right now.

Beneidalus
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Beneidalus » Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:45 pm

Going to second that. Strength based Shadowdancer is hella fun.

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Teshil
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Teshil » Wed Jan 17, 2018 12:06 am

Mage.

Astral
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Astral » Wed Jan 17, 2018 4:02 am

Beneidalus wrote:Going to second that. Strength based Shadowdancer is hella fun.
What's the leveling order please?
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Shadowy Reality » Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:53 am

You can find one such build here, courtesy of Baron Saturday.

Don't be afraid to fiddle a bit, you don't need to go 2h and you can squeeze some more rogue if you want.

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Cortex
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Cortex » Wed Jan 17, 2018 2:47 pm

dont listen to baron for good builds hes bad mkay

hes my friend i get to call him bad all i want
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Harasha
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Harasha » Wed Jan 17, 2018 6:21 pm

Lorkas wrote:There are two separate systems of upgrades to summons from the conjuration spell focus feats:

A) Tier upgrades
B) Stat bonuses

Warlock summons get B but not A.
Planar Ally spells (from any caster) get B but not A.
Summon Creature spells from mages or non-Animal Domain clerics get A but not B.
Summon Creature spells from Animal Domain clerics get A and B.

Note that this is totally separate from the epic caster bonus to summons, which all spellcasters get.
The wiki says this..
Greater Conjuration Focus only raises the summon tier by 1 instead of the bonus above. Warlocks do not get the raised tier, but the one shown above. Casters with the Animal domain and Greater Conjuration Focus will receive both the increased tier and the summoning bonus.
Which seems to me the SF and ESF conjuration focuses do give stat bonuses just not GSF unless they have animal domain. Am I mis reading or should the wiki be fixed?

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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Astral » Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:39 pm

Harasha wrote: The wiki says this..
Greater Conjuration Focus only raises the summon tier by 1 instead of the bonus above. Warlocks do not get the raised tier, but the one shown above. Casters with the Animal domain and Greater Conjuration Focus will receive both the increased tier and the summoning bonus.
Which seems to me the SF and ESF conjuration focuses do give stat bonuses just not GSF unless they have animal domain. Am I mis reading or should the wiki be fixed?
I dont know about "fixed" but the true meaning of how it actually works is right there. Animal domain is required for getting the conjuration bonuses, without animal domain SF and ESF do nothing for Summon Creature line.
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Harasha
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Harasha » Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:55 pm

I see what I did. I think the use of the word "Greater" should be changed, as I had assumed it was referring to the specific feat "Greater Spell Focus: Conjuration" and not just increased focuses in general.

Capitalizing it also makes it look like it's referring to the single feat and not all three focuses.

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Tarkus the dog
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Tarkus the dog » Wed Jan 17, 2018 9:44 pm

whatever was overbuffed

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Baron Saturday
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Re: What are your favorite PVE builds?

Post by Baron Saturday » Wed Jan 17, 2018 9:50 pm

Think you were right the first time, Harasha.

GSF Conjuration on its own increases the tier of Summon I-IX by 1. If you've got Animal Domain, which also increases Summon Creature tier, GSF Conjuration instead gives a stat bonus.

The wording on the wiki does need some tweaking.
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