Advice needed for my GF, rolled character before Caturday. Keeping Mod4 in mind.

tantivetyrell

The bane of first character creations

Back as my first character, I thought 'Why not roll a wood elf guardian fighter, that'd be rare!'
Well, of course when rolling ...you do not get to see what effect each stat has on the class(which needs to be added, seriously!)
She's been laying in the mothballs for a while, but I'm about to ding lvl60. I still have a respec that I can use.
I have no idea if the roll/race/appearance token thats introduced in Module 4 will be overpriced. I am going with the assumption that it will be, thus not my option.

Which leads me to present my somewhat disastrous roll of this first character and subsequent additions. (As lvl 59, I'll compare it with a Campfire buff, end statroll would be)

Base Ability Score
STR: 15 +6 (21)
Guard Meter,Damage Bonus, DoT Damage Resist: +11%

CON: 16 +4 (20)
Action Point Gain: +10%
Maximum Hitpoints: +20%

DEX: 15 +4 (19)
Resistance Ignored: -9%
AoE Damage Resist: +9%
Deflection Chance: +4.5%

INT: 11 +2 (13)
Recharge Speed Increase: +3%

WIS: 13 +2 (15)
Control Bonus: +5%
Control Resist: +5%

CHA: 9 +2 (11)
Companion Stat Bonus: +1%
Combat Advantage Damage: +1%

Her elven accuracy gives her 1% extra critical strike:rolleyes:, wildstep 10% resistance to slow.

How do I salvage, or play to the strengths of this character stats?

I had invested in Iron Vanguard, Conqueror tree...as it was the better (and only) choice back in the day.
My equipment also had quite a bit of critical strike added, I'm not sure if that is any way to go forward.
What strikes me currently, is that she's quite a hard hitter with both the dex and str being at as it is.
She has good Ap potential, nice deflect potential. I'm not sure how much control bonus 5% is in the scope of things, but the resist plus Wildstep makes her more resistant to slow attacks in general(if it stacks how I think it stacks).

I'm open to any and all build changes you can recommend, the only requirement I would have that it would still allow me to do well in both PVP and Epic Dungeons, if its only a question of changing my gear and skillset.

That module 4 is so close to the doorstep is making me uneasy to commit to any build of my choosing, or use that respec I have.
Thus I'd be in your debt, Barracks dwellers...if you could help me.

(Sidequestion: GF elf, the better option for racial bonus would be DEX+WIS, or DEX+INT?)

pingconchere

It's good that you're investing into your GF. I wish I had rolled mine before Caturday, but my main was a TR back then. I am by no means an expert on the class, but I will give what input I can.

In Mod 4, CON will give an additional +2% max HP, bringing each point of CON to +4% max HP. This makes CON a lot more valuable to have, so you might consider putting +6 into that instead of splitting with DEX. Since you mentioned that you want to do well in both PvP and PvE, you will have to make a few compromises stat-wise (or take a long time and grind out a lot of armor sets). If you want that -2% damage ignored from DEX, which is primarily useful in PvP, then I think your current attribute layout is fine. Sure, it isn't optimal, but that's not the point.

Your potential to do damage and defend will most definitely change at level 60 and with Mod 4. Gear at 60 for the GF usually comes with a lot of (too much) defense, so you will have to determine if you want to have a more damage-like build or a tanky build. I chose a damage-PvP build and I still have decent defenses. So, I cannot give too many recommendations for gear without a build role in mind.

However, simply judging from your attributes, you have a fairly even spread of stats to go for. If you plan on defenses, go for some HP and regen/deflect. Defense will automatically come. If you want a damage-hybrid, focus on Armor Pen and Power, but don't ignore Recovery and HP/regen. To be honest, you have a lot of options (at least, without a very defined role in mind).

(Sidequestion: GF elf, the better option for racial bonus would be DEX+WIS, or DEX+INT?)

I would stick with DEX+INT. I made a WIS GF to test how much of a difference WIS made for control bonus and control resist, and with 21 WIS, I barely noticed a difference from my 12 WIS PvE GF. On the other hand, INT gives recharge speed, and faster cooldowns equates to more damage/utility.

To be completely honest, I would focus on earning some basic T1 PvP gear while grinding up boons. Wait for Mod 4 before making a large-scale decision.

I hope this helps. If you would like to know more (like gear or my build) let me know. Have fun! :cool:

P.S. I wouldn't change her appearance, if I were you. She looks great and the new options can be iffy.

tantivetyrell

Alright, so module 4 has hit. Race change is not too expensive, so its in the books to get. Thus, topic revisited.

Guardian Fighter

There are better races to choose for the Fighter class, especially if one wants to min max their builds. However I am not changing from the elven races.
There are 3 Elf races, nothing really jumps out as strong beneficial but lets list their bonuses

Wood Elf:
+2 Dexterity and
+2 Intelligence or +2 Wisdom

Elven Accuracy: Increases your chance to Critically Strike by 1%.
Wild Step: You have a 10% resistance to effects that Slow your movement.

These traits for woodelf are so incredibly underwhelming, they need some adjustment. They got screwed royally ..look at Sun Elves.

Sun Elf:
+2 Intelligence and
+2 Dexterity or +2 Charisma

Inner Calm: Your inner peace and serenity cause you to focus more clearly on the task at hand. +2% Action Point gain.
Sun Elf Grace: Your bottomless grace increases your resistance to Crowd Control effects by 10%.


In resistances, Sun Elf and Moon Elf are superior in every way to Wood Elf. CC defence is a straight upgrade. The dexterity is helpful for armor penetration.
Intelligence, recharge speeds are very welcome...while the dexterity helps rather well with armor penetration, deflection and aoe damage mitigation.

Moon Elf
+2 Intelligence and
+2 Dexterity or +2 Charisma

Wanderlust: You cannot stay in one place long and are always roaming and seeking new oddities. +1% Action Point gain and +1% Stamina Regen.
Moon Elf Resilience: Your elven resilience increases your resistance to Crowd Control effects by 10%.


Though Moon Elf is a paid race, it is on par with the Sun Elf in its stats. The one interesting thing which could benefit GF is the +1% stamina regen point, better something then nothing right?

So with that out of the way, a reroll as a Sun Elf ..in new visuals for my character with a more optimal stat roll with the updated Guardian Fighter changes might look something like. Pity that Str would only go to 19, perhaps instead of 24 Con..I should put Dex to 19. Maybe there is an unorthodox build and I should put more into Int.

Base Ability Score + lvl 60 stats
Str: 13 (19)
Con: 18 (24)
Dex: 15 (13+2) (17)
Int: 12 (10+2) (14)
Wis: 10 (12)
Cha: 8 (10)

Prior I've played Conqueror, on Iron Vanguard...because I liked the offensive capabilities. Hit hard and the part of mitigating damage is by having the enemy killed o disabled, both PVE and PVP. With higher critical values, and also using Knights Challenge...I could do some terribly hard blows to someone despite still having blue gear at level 60.
Swordmaster seemed interesting but I don't know if the loss of threatening rush and frontline surge is warranted, plus indomitable just looks cool - smacking people away...twice.

Instead of seeing an impenetrable fortress when you look at her, I just want for her to be lethal. A combination of speed and damage...just looking at her pretty face should make you look forward to a relentless barrage. If she's got your mark, she just keeps on coming after ya even if you ran way (Lunge and threatening rush are just great gapclosers).
I like active powers, control powers..disruptive powers. Active builds which rely on placement and timing.

And would Into the Fray, and Knights Valor in a more lethal build...be still a good enough choice...for dungeons?

pingconchere

It seems like no one else responded to you before, so here I am again. :cool:

tantivetyrell wrote: »

Maybe there is an unorthodox build and I should put more into Int.

Funny that you mention that. My main PvP guardian is an Int-based DPS Drow. It is a suboptimal race for the build, but I wanted a drow. Because of the high Int-recovery I build, I can pump out more dps because of the low cooldowns. Lunging on a 5.6 cd is very nice. The problem with this is that it's PvP focused, and I would not suggest going into Int for a half/half hybrid.

Your choice of Sun Elf was good, considering you wanted an elf. That would've been better for my guardian, now that I think about it. The cc resistance is very useful in both PvE and PvP, and Dex+Int is better than Int+Cha. Now, I would definitely suggest keeping your attribute rolls. The two points extra you would put in Dex from Con would result in 2% arpen and 1% deflection. That sounds nice, but those two points from Con take away 8% max HP, and HP is important. You will notice the absence of the HP more than the arpen and deflection.

Considering your description of your playstyle, Conqueror IV is perfect. Very decent damage now, and the combo of Lunging and Threatening Rush can basically keep you stuck to a chosen target. Oh, and be sure to keep using Knight's Challenge. It's a usable toggle now. However, it's still risky in PvP.

If you're going into a dungeon, bring Into the Fray. Knight's Valor will be situational though useful (and it will hurt you badly without that HP from Con), but Into the Fray increases everyone's damage and more, including your own. Plus, if you don't buff the team in some way as a GF, you'll be far less helpful than another class could be. So, Into the Fray is basically a must-bring for dungeons. Knight's Valor is a strong skill, but without good survivability stats and a decent party, it would be only useful in certain fights. It's a good power, but not as versatile as ItF.

P.S. Are you in a guild?

tantivetyrell

pingconchere wrote: »

It seems like no one else responded to you before, so here I am again. :cool:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P.S. Are you in a guild?

Good to have an answer!:D And yes, I am in a guild.
Tell me a bit about the Int Guardian, what kind of gear would you use? Why wouldn't it it work for a hybrid? Also, swordmaster...what could that bring to the table?

pingconchere

I wondered about the guild because an experienced GF in the guild could probably give some good advice, though I guess it's good to get more than one or two opinions.

tantivetyrell wrote: »

Tell me a bit about the Int Guardian, what kind of gear would you use? Why wouldn't it it work for a hybrid? Also, swordmaster...what could that bring to the table?

Since I'm a PvP focused guardian, I have the Profound Conqueror set. It's still useful in PvE, but sets like Knight Captain, Valiant, Timeless, and Black Ice (of course) would be better. When my guild wants a guardian for a dungeon, I hop on my PvE guardian with a Knight Captain set. For some attacking power as you want, Timeless would be a good option. Corrupted Black Ice would also be good, if not better for a damage hybrid, but as far as damage goes, Timeless (or Valiant).

An Int build works for PvP because the damage and utility of a GF comes from encounters. Unlike a TR or GWF, the atwills do not do any real damage in comparison, and Threatening Rush is mainly used for gap closing. So, for maximal dps and prone-funtime, low cooldowns work very well. I could keep someone proned for about 15 seconds with my full combo. Unfair? Yes. But GFs were weak back in Mod 3, so I didn't care.

PvE is a different beast. Having slightly shorter cooldowns means less, for a well-placed encounter will matter more. In PvP, I'm spamming my encounters (wisely, of course) to get the most cc and damage. In PvE, I would need to be more concerned about proper usage, so the recharge speed from Int would be less helpful. A purely PvE specced GF would definitely stack Con, and depending on playstyle, Str or Dex. A hybrid would still benefit more from less Int and more Con, for Hp is useful in both fields and you can still perform well in PvP without the slightly shorter cooldowns. So, an Int hybrid could technically work, but there are better hybrid options.

Swordmaster. I don't know what others would say, but I find it to be a perfectly viable path for a GF. Sure, Flourish may not be on par with Frontline, but Steel Defense. It's what makes the SM path a decent choice. Use a daily, no damage taken for 5 seconds. About to die while tanking a dungeon? Pop Fighter's Recovery, do some damage, back at full health without many worries. It's (ironically) the tankier path. However, you lose Threatening Rush, which not only gap closes, but marks and generates threat. If you can hold aggro without TR, then SM would be a great option for PvE. Concerning PvP, both paragon paths are viable options. I've met a few SM PVP GFs, like Shieldbash (ripyourlipsoff) who do very well and can be difficult to contend against. Consider the Iron Maiden build for some SM goodness, though you might need to tweak it for a full hybrid.

Overall, you have many options. I personally feel like Iron Vanguard is a better hybrid path, but Swordmaster is also viable- just different.