[PVE GWF Guide - Module 3] Crestfall's Guide to the Minmaxed Facecrushing Destroyer

Comments

• wixxgs1cht Member Posts: 430 Arc User

  May 2014 edited May 2014

  Thanks for sharing!
  
  I'm a bit confused tho - is your suggested power load-out for PvE? Cause I see (AoS, IBS, WMS aside) only single target powers. Kind of contradicting with the stat roll and gear you chose.

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• frozenprophet Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 6 Arc User

  May 2014 edited May 2014

  GWF AoE powers are useful for doing initial pulls, but they're not as strong as those of CWs or HRs for dealing with packs of mobs, so one should primarily focus on doing single target damage on elite mobs while drawing some aggro off CWs or HRs. The usual setup for CN is 1xGWF, 3xCW, 1xDC. This build is adapted for that role. Takedown is exchangeable for Not so Fast or Mighty Leap as the situation demands. I prefer Mighty Leap for Dracolich and Xivros, and Not so Fast up to that. I will mention this exchangeability in the main post.
  
  Also, when you do need to do AoE, WMS, in part due to having a shorter animation than WS, is surprisingly good as long as you sprint-cancel it properly and rely on the fact that Sure Strike and IBS can hit multiple targets. You can also swap Crescendo out for Spinning Strike; SS is particularly potent during singularities.

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• gtare Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 0 Arc User

  May 2014 edited May 2014

  So SwordMaster > Iron Vanguard after MOD 3 when it comes to trying to Top the Damage Charts?

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• iaccidentally47 Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild Users Posts: 0 Arc User

  May 2014 edited May 2014

  gtare wrote: »

  So SwordMaster > Iron Vanguard after MOD 3 when it comes to trying to Top the Damage Charts?

  
  1) No, IV still does the same or more damage (frontline surge hits really hard now, and procs AoW bonus).
  2) You will never top any damage charts using this build/loadout, especially with the lack of AoE.
  3) If you are worried about topping damage charts, you are doing it wrong anyways. Paingiver is completely irrelevant in every way.
  either you help your party win, or you don't.

  Miss Anthropy - 15.7k CW | Miss Andrist - 19k GWF | DC (14.5k) | TR (14.5k) | HR(14k) | GF(15.5k)
  Lowbies: DC (level 31) | HR (level 16)
  You can almost always find me in the legit channel. Happy Adventuring!
  GWF guide: click me

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• gtare Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 0 Arc User

  May 2014 edited May 2014

  What about Runes for the companion stones? I'm currently running a stone of allure epic-ed with 3 eldritch runestones... better to keep it as it is or empowered is the way to go with a stone of might/radiance?

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• wixxgs1cht Member Posts: 430 Arc User

  May 2014 edited May 2014

  Bondings for your biggest bang for the buck or stats you can't achieve with any other enchant (380 power on perfect).

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• frozenprophet Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 6 Arc User

  May 2014 edited May 2014

  With regards to SM vs IV, it's basically FLS vs Weapon Master's Strike and Crescendo. FLS does about as much damage as it used to pre-nerf with the Unstoppable charges applied, to 5 targets, so it is an excellent AoE skill. WMS and Crescendo are intended for better single target damage. I prefer SM since I tend to have 2 or 3 CWs in the party disposing of easy mobs very quickly, but IV is also valid if you want bigger numbers.
  
  With WMS out of the rotation, you can put points into Executioner's Style, which would further boost general damage.
  
  As for Eldritch runestones, it might be worth it under some circumstances. If you have good ranks on everything else, one ER in a defense slot might give you more than another enchantment. Bondings are definitely great if you can afford them.

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• gtare Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 0 Arc User

  May 2014 edited May 2014

  Interesting. Right now I have lantern, eye of lath, and thayan at epic.... but I've been seeing a lot of GWF's going with the class artifacts for DC & GWF.... do you guys think it's a good idea to switch those out for 2 that i have already?

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• frozenprophet Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 6 Arc User

  May 2014 edited May 2014

  The GWF and DC artifacts give significant bonuses to your personal damage. Lantern has a relatively short uptime, so it's not always possible for the party to capitalize on it. It depends on how much of the party's damage you're doing, but the GWF and DC artifacts only depend on your own performance.

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• zacazu Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 1,934 Arc User

  May 2014 edited May 2014

  frozenprophet wrote: »

  With regards to SM vs IV, it's basically FLS vs Weapon Master's Strike and Crescendo. FLS does about as much damage as it used to pre-nerf with the Unstoppable charges applied, to 5 targets, so it is an excellent AoE skill. WMS and Crescendo are intended for better single target damage. I prefer SM since I tend to have 2 or 3 CWs in the party disposing of easy mobs very quickly, but IV is also valid if you want bigger numbers.
  
  With WMS out of the rotation, you can put points into Executioner's Style, which would further boost general damage.
  
  As for Eldritch runestones, it might be worth it under some circumstances. If you have good ranks on everything else, one ER in a defense slot might give you more than another enchantment. Bondings are definitely great if you can afford them.

  
  There is another advantage for the sm. If you divide damage / time the roar would, theoretically, doing more damage than fs. and bringing more control (feet).
  
  in practice this is a different, but anyway, a sm could use more encounters.
  
  my good bf + ibs reaches beautiful 6 digits in casual battles in the party (without even being on point for the execution.).
  
  for me are high values​​.
  
  the truth is that we have good combos currently.

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• iaccidentally47 Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild Users Posts: 0 Arc User

  May 2014 edited May 2014

  okay, since we seem to have deluded ourselves here, lets get a few things straight.
  1) FLS is hitting much much harder than it did before, and will instantly proc the aow bonus, so it is a great opener.
  2) SM will only ever be about equal to IV in pve. If you want to pvp at all, SM is a huge handicap, as you will be missing the two best pvp skills GWF has.
  3) Overall, there really isn't a comparison. IV will do the same or more damage, be tankier, have better utility, do much better in pvp, and is just overall a better choice for GWF post mod 3. About the only advantage SM has is Weapon Master's Strike, which isn't a very big one.
  4) The way you talk, you seem to think we should be leaving the damage dealing to the CW's. This is very wrong. If you want to help the CW's you want to be using as much AoE as possible and generating as much threat as possible, which, once again, IV does a much better job of. Single target has no place in regular clearing (see: why TR doesn't get taken into dungeons often). So basically your build is a glorified TR, instead of a damage dealing tank like GWF should be.

  Miss Anthropy - 15.7k CW | Miss Andrist - 19k GWF | DC (14.5k) | TR (14.5k) | HR(14k) | GF(15.5k)
  Lowbies: DC (level 31) | HR (level 16)
  You can almost always find me in the legit channel. Happy Adventuring!
  GWF guide: click me

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• scathias Member Posts: 1,174 Arc User

  May 2014 edited May 2014

  If you build a IV destroyer you have the same feats as a SM destroyer except that you don't have WMS. how are you automatically tankier as IV vs. SM?
  
  -edit-
  Also, FLS may give you 3 stacks of AoW when you hit 3 enemies but in a strange bug the set bonus isn't applied until you use your next encounter.

  Guild - The Imaginary Friends
  We are searching for slave labor, will pay with food from our farm!

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• frozenprophet Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 6 Arc User

  May 2014 edited May 2014

  PVP isn't worth considering for the purpose of this build. You're never going to be at your full potential if you didn't start with a high CON roll; penetration and survivability are superior to extra damage for it. You can do it in the way that any GWF can naturally PVP, and a high CON sentinel IV will be far superior for that purpose.
  
  FLS was nerfed by 30-40% and you now gain 40% from Unstoppable. It statistically can't hit much harder than it did before the nerf. During any fight that lasts more than two seconds (elite mobs or bosses), the mitigation WMS gives you will come out on top.
  
  
  This is the effect WMS gives you on your At-Will and Encounter damage. The mitigation results in 30% extra overall damage, because it's applied after everything else is calculated, and can benefit even on a target that has 0 mitigation by default. It is well-worth having (the effect is 2/3 of a Divine Glow), and the 30% it also applies to itself means it is about as good as WS after one hit is applied. It is also faster and locks you in place for less (since even if you cancel the animation, the game keeps you in place until you're done with damage dealing), meaning you have better survivability.
  
  Your right click attack is also your main sustained threat generator, and you can move around mobs quickly with WMS. FLS is indeed good for initiating, and does provide higher initial threat, but again, it shines in shorter fights. That sweet, sweet damage buff is very healthy to have on everything. My view on AoE is that you deal it while focusing important targets. You are a melee damagedealer with some AoE abilities, whereas CWs use exclusively AoE abilities. In a pack of elite mobs, you can alternate WMS and encounters. IBS also hits multiple targets if they are stacked, which is the case during the singularities that should be almost permanently up. You can easily swap takedown for Not so Fast outside of bosses, which will also benefit from the significant damage boost of WMS. Long story short, you shouldn't have threat problems. If you do, it isn't because you don't have FLS. I'm not building a glorified TR, I'm building around the strengths of the class.

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• zankard Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 0 Arc User

  June 2014 edited June 2014

  FLS wasn't nerfed by 30-40%. It was never nerfed at all, I don't get why everyone fails to comprehend that. The supposed "nerf" was -25% damage, but they raised the target cap from 3 to 5. This means it was actually a 25% *increase* in overall dps. You do the math.

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• kolatmaster Member Posts: 3,111 Arc User

  June 2014 edited June 2014

  Good read bud!

  

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