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AZRAEL's AZ Build(Anti-Zerg)full reflect PVP/Open PVP Guardian Fighter Mod 4 build
azrael778
Member Posts: 86 Arc User
UPDATED: 10/13/2014 due to the recent changes on the GUARDIAN FIGHTER MECHANICS
Hi Guys!
I am Azrael, the guildmaster of the Greycloaks (which is the main guild) we also have the Blackcloaks , Whitecloaks, Browncloaks and the Pantycloaks
We are around 800 strong and I have been playing NW since open beta.
My main alt is a GF and most of the ADs I earned in farming CN from my other toons (DC and CW) since mod 1 was put into testing and experimenting a good build. I have tested a lot believe me, from getting perfect enchants to greater tenebs to upgrading companions (which will cost you millions of ads) just to stay at par with other classes in the game.You name it, ive slotted it in my GF.
Ive been asked numerous times about my build so might as well just share it with you guys. So, if you guys wanna create a GF this mod 4, you can check out this guide
So here it is:
The build I made was originally intended for open world pvp Icewind Dale guild wars which I organize everyday together with some good friends and very worthy opponents from premade pvp guilds Synergy, EOA, Exodus etc. (Hats off to you guys for such good sport) but I was quite surprised that it handled really well in Domination and in GG PVP whice is really good on holding a node singlehandedly
The principle of this build is that "The more they hit you... The stronger you get" It is a high reflect,high AP gain build that did not sacrifice power and arpen (so you still hit like a truck) even though this is a protector build.
I. Race Choice
I chose Human simply because of the 3 heroic points bonus which you will need and I will explain later also, it has +2 on any ability scores. if you opt to be a hafling for deflcetion, thats fine too, you just need to switch some enchants.
You can choose either Human, Hafling or dragonborn those are the best choices
II. ABILITY SCORES
[IMG][/img]
Unlike most GF builds, I chose DEX over STR for survivability as a secondary attribute.What you should max out obviously is CON. This build will give you 33% deflect chance even if you are not a halfling.
Hi Guys!
I am Azrael, the guildmaster of the Greycloaks (which is the main guild) we also have the Blackcloaks , Whitecloaks, Browncloaks and the Pantycloaks
We are around 800 strong and I have been playing NW since open beta.My main alt is a GF and most of the ADs I earned in farming CN from my other toons (DC and CW) since mod 1 was put into testing and experimenting a good build. I have tested a lot believe me, from getting perfect enchants to greater tenebs to upgrading companions (which will cost you millions of ads) just to stay at par with other classes in the game.You name it, ive slotted it in my GF.
Ive been asked numerous times about my build so might as well just share it with you guys. So, if you guys wanna create a GF this mod 4, you can check out this guide
So here it is:
The build I made was originally intended for open world pvp Icewind Dale guild wars which I organize everyday together with some good friends and very worthy opponents from premade pvp guilds Synergy, EOA, Exodus etc. (Hats off to you guys for such good sport) but I was quite surprised that it handled really well in Domination and in GG PVP whice is really good on holding a node singlehandedly
The principle of this build is that "The more they hit you... The stronger you get" It is a high reflect,high AP gain build that did not sacrifice power and arpen (so you still hit like a truck) even though this is a protector build.
I. Race Choice
I chose Human simply because of the 3 heroic points bonus which you will need and I will explain later also, it has +2 on any ability scores. if you opt to be a hafling for deflcetion, thats fine too, you just need to switch some enchants.
You can choose either Human, Hafling or dragonborn those are the best choices
II. ABILITY SCORES
[IMG][/img]
Unlike most GF builds, I chose DEX over STR for survivability as a secondary attribute.What you should max out obviously is CON. This build will give you 33% deflect chance even if you are not a halfling.
Post edited by azrael778 on
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Please see NW calculator link :
http://nwcalc.com/gf?b=cn4:13ydj4:13ydj4,1xjl500:1u0000:15u50v:1u0000&h=1&p=smr
Heroic feats
1.Action Surge: 5/5 Gives you 10% more Action Points in guarding attacks. The faster you get your dailiy up, the better.
2.Strength Focus: 3/3 Since my ability score points went to DEX and not STR ,and I still need to hit hard. this is where I get it.
3. Toughness 3/3 You need a lot of HITPOINTS for regeneration to be effective. Right now I'm sitting at 68k HP which is hard to kill. when im at 30% health my regen is around 3700-4500 per tick. plus the high defense, incoming healing bonus and deflect factors= pretty tanky!
4.Shielded Resurgence : 1/3 Procs a lot. Saved my butt numerous times. 30 second cooldown thats why only 1 point. Very good in mod 4 since most classes deal control damage.
5. Distracting Shield: 3/5 Since I am always guarding, 3% less damage goes a long way. With the rust monster companion, its a pretty good debuff.
6. Armour Specialization: 3/3 Increases Armor & defense by 15%. A must have for GFs.
7. Powerful Attack: 5/5 You need to max this out for you not be be laughed at by a PVP DC
PROTECTOR FEAT
1. Improved Vigor: 5/5 When less than 50% health, gain 10% more action points, Most of the time, players need to zerg you.the faster you get your daily SOS up the faster they will stop attacking you.
2. Plate Agility: 5/5 I cannot stress enough the effectiveness of this feat for human class. It somewhat compensates the deflect stat of a halfling. must have.
3. Shield Defense: 5/5 you gain plus 5 Armour Class Points for more damage resistance in which you will need when you use your encounter Into the fray that gives you 25% of your damage resistance as increased damage.The higher your damage resistance, the higher your increased damage. Anti-Zerg must have
4. Shield Master: 5/5 Your stamina /Guard drains 10% slower and when used with Shield talent class feat, its awesome
5. Overwhelming Impact: 5/5 When you pop your Supremacy of Steel daily, it decreases the damage resistance of your targets.
6. Iron Guard: 1/1 your at-wills and encounter powers(melee) debuff 5% of your enemy's damage and with a maximum of 20% damage reduction
7. Fight On: 5/5 Encounter cooldowns reduced by 10%
SHARANDAR
Tier 1 - Iliyanbruen Warden Training: Get Dark Fey Warden that gives you 250 Defense
Tier 2 - Iliyanbruen Scout Training: Get Fey Elusivenes which you gain 250 Deflect.
Tier 3 - Iliyanbruen Warrior Training: Get Feywilds Fortitude Your Max HP increased by 700.
Tier 4 - Iliyanbruen Sentinel Training: Get Elven Tranquility When being struck by a foe you have a chance to heal yourself for 400 HP. (60s Internal Cooldown)
Tier 5 - Iliyanbruen Champion Training: Get Fey Thistle When you Deflect an attack you deal 400 damage to your attacker. (Proc on every deflected attack. Debuff on attacker and his Damage Resistance affect damage)
DREAD RING CAMPAIGN
Tier 1 - Thayan Apprentice Technique: Get Reliquary Keeper's Strength: You gain 125 Power and 125 Movement.
Tier 2 - Thayan Initiate Technique: Get Illusory Regeneration: You gain 250 Regeneration.
Tier 3 - Thayan Adept Technique: Get Forbidden Piercing: You gain 250 Armor Penetration.
Tier 4 - Thayan Master Technique: Get Enraged Regrowth:When taking damage you have a chance to heal 1000 Hit Points over a few (4) seconds. After this effect ends you have 250 more Defense for 10 seconds.
Tier 5 - Thayan Grandmaster Technique: Get Augmented Thayan Bastion : When taking damage you have a chance to generate a shield that absorbs 500 incoming damage and redirects that damage to a nearby foe. This shield lasts 6 seconds. And has a 60s Internal Cooldown. Debuff on attacker and his Damage Resistance affect damage
ICE WIND DALE
Tier 1 - Icewind Wanderer Skill : GET Weathering the Storm You gain 250 AoE Resist.
Tier 2 - Icewind Scavenger Skill : Get Appreciation of Warmth You gain 250 Incoming Healing Bonus. for your regen
Tier 3 - Icewind Survivor Skill : Get Rapid Thaw: You gain 250 Recovery
Tier 4 - Icewind Hunter Skill : Get Cool Resolve You gain up to 500 Power based on how much Stamina or Guard you are missing. If you go head to head with 5 of more hitting you, they die first before you do.
Tier 5 - Icewind Hero Skill : Get Rousing Warmth : Chance when Healed to gain 500 damage bonus on next attack.
Tier 1 Get Living Wall You gain 125 Defense and 125 Deflect while flagged for PvP.
Tier 2 Get Vanguard's Resolve Players who strike you grant you 100 Power for 8 seconds. Each foe can only add 100 at a time (Max 500) Will do great with Cool Resolve
Tier 3 Get Unbroken Line You gain 85 Defense for each teammate within 20 feet of you while flagged for PvP. (Max of 5 players)
EXTRA : Just get all of em
TYRANNY OF DRAGONS CAMPAIGN
Tier 1 - Form of the Dragon: Get Dragonheart :Grants 800 Hit Points ( to reach that 67kish HP)
Tier 2 - Power of the Dragon: Get Dragon's Shadow : Grants 200 Deflect. (This is a burst damage build no need for crits)
Tier 3 - Will of the Dragon: Get Draconic Armorbreaker: Grants 200 Armor Penetration
Tier 4 - Spirit of the Dragon: Get Dragon's Blood:Grants 200 Regen.( Since Im using an artifact main hand My regen dropped significantly so get this to compensate)
Tier 5 - Soul of the Dragon : Get Dragon's Revival: Grants 10% Increased Incoming Healing.
[IMG][/img]
Now this is how my build is different from others and this is where I will explain why Swordmaster is the only way to go GFs' in MOD 4
The key here is the Devoted Cleric Artifact which should be your primary artifact. The Devoted Sigil gives you 100% AP gain (on epic) over 15 seconds and heals you 869 hitpoints every time you use your encounter.
WHY IS THIS ARTIFACT OP for GF's?
Answer: Simply because of the Steel defense+ Devoted Sigil combo
Remember that Steel defense gives you 5 seconds immunity from damage when you pop your daily. After using your daily use your DC Artifact. while you are immune to damage for 5 seconds, by using the DC artifact your AP increases dramatically so before the 5 seconds of immunity is over your daily is again filled up then you can use your daily again that gives you ANOTHER 5 seconds of immunity! That's a total of 10 seconds of no damage whatsoever if you time it right. AND 10 seconds is a long time if your doing OPVP especially on 1v1
One time I was able to do a 15 seconds immune to damage since there were a lot of players attacking me
This is the heart and soul of this build
Other artifacts
Great Weapon Fighter Sigil gives you added hitpoints arpen power
Blood Raven Crystal gives you regen, recovery and stamina/guard gain.
note that the water artifact is good too
1. Ioun Stone of Radiance :best augment stone IMHO I slotted 3 Perfect bonding stone for power which gives you additional +240 power compared to Empowered runestone Rank 10.Also, I'm using 2 Ancient Priest of burning light rings slotted with rank 10 radiants and a vital belt of smiting which also has a defense slot to give me 6000+ HP for that companion alone.
2, Rust monster : It gives you 25% change to inflict 5% damage debuff that stack 3 times on damage taken
3. Galeb Dhur: 10% more damage based on the percentage of damage you have taken.
4. Pig: The most underestimated companion IMHO. when you are controlled you get back 2% of you max HP healed. That's why I can survive the CW entangling force
5. Cockratice: rooted , rooted rooted very frustrating for an enemy... amust have in OPVP
Armor Set : Black Ice Purified set the best tanking armor set IMHO
Mainhand: I chose the Audacity of the Dragon artifact weapon simply because of its stats
Neck: Purified Black ice cloak for Arpen and regen
RINGS: I chose PVP campaign ring set for addional tenacity +650
BELT: Obvious choice is the CON belt since you are a tank
Weapon Enchantment: Greater Plaguefire : since this build is a burst damage build a P. vorpal is not an option.GF's is one of the class that has very low crit.GPF gives +7.5% Fire damage. Burn for 2.5% damage per second for 3s and reduce def by 15%, can be stacked 3 times. So poke 3 times with your pointy sword then hit him with bullcharge
IMPORTANT:
Armour Enchants: Since this is a full reflect build, I chose a Perfect Briartwine (Its ugly on your armour I know but it works)
Reason why I chose Briartwine over Soulforge & Barkshield
Soulforge: If the enemy sees that your Soulforge pop, Chances are they will attack you even more since you have very low health and as a GF you cant really run away from a fight like the TRs ,HRs and CWs and chances are your guard meter is still down.better to reflect and kill em first to avoid that situation all in all.
Barkshield: Good option too but DOT damage/ at wills nowadays will burn down your bark easy.
BRIARTWINE, it procs everytime they hit you since Briar reflects 4% of damage back at attacker.. With the right set of encounters,class feat and dailies,your Supremacy of Steel + KV+ Into the fray which converts 25% of your damage resistance into damage,you will be unleashing a very powerful BULLCHARGE plus the fact that you are reflecting 5% of incoming damage from your attacker while guarding with guarded assault and Steel Defense which gives you immunity from damage for 5 seconds. Rinse then repeat then you are an ANTI ZERG TANK so you you wouldnt be worried on going into a 5v1 pit fight.
Overslot
Greater Red Dragon Glyphs : Gives you 800 arpen (does not stack) when it procs and deals and additional 600 points as fire damage
If you are in a budget Blue or Green dragon glyphs or Purified Black Ice is good too
For Domination and Gauntlgrym PVP
As Ive said, This is a protector build that can still do decent damage. You just need the right synergy of Artifacts,Weapon and Armor enchants, dailies,class feats, encounters and at wills doing the same thing... Which is to reflect, debuff and at the same time get AP for your next rotation.
At the start, use Knights Valor and activate DC artifact to fill up your Daily then before you reach the enemy pop Into the fray to build AP and convert your damage resistance to increased damage ,when you get near the enemy debuff with Tide of Iron (which also fills a portion of your guard meter) then launch your most potent Bull Charge then follow up with crushing surge. Most likely before the end of this first rotation, your daily is up again then repeat.
PVP 1v1
Lunging Strike: To get close to the enemy. Usually my first attack
Bull Charge: My knockback encounter
Anvil of doom: to finish off my enemies
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, Life is but a dream.
-Cross
Tired of Dailies/Tyranny of Dailies/Timers of Doom/Tricked Or Duped/Tremendously Obnoxious Dailies/Try Otherwise, Devs
At high lvl pvp things are changing all the time ... you are spending millions just to abuse broken mechanics and quit the class as soon as it gets a slight nerf. How many players can keep up with that?!:(
Maybe you will keep this guide updated (hope so), but i;ve seen alot of similar so called guides while i;ve been here...
As for FotM and quitting once something gets fixed, Az has been around a long time and each time the GF gets changed, he figures out what needs to be changed and shares that knowledge. I'm not a min/max kinda person but I do like to learn from others that are.
Thanks for posting Az!
just saying.. he;ll need to rewrite this pretty soon. As i said: Thanks for the effort but build is useless
I dont like the gameplay of a passive GF, but if I do that I would follow your guide
a little note:
EDIT: o yea i forgot to write about "red glyphs and cocka".. no words about them
| Cìrdan - GF | Cìrdan The Lightbringer - OP |
< Guild: Pugno Fiammante >
Should feel ashamed you posted this. Little else to say.
Thank you for pointing out the error mate truly appreciate it.
Im sorry if you feel that way mate.But you are either clearly mistaken and blinded that you hate Glyphs so much or you just didnt read it right. (probably both)
Never did I mention that Glyphs are main focus of this build and I know for a fact that glyphs will be corrected in the following week.
I'll reiterate again for your own folly.
"Now this is how my build is different from others and this is where I will explain why Swordmaster is the only way to go GFs' in MOD 4
The key here is the Devoted Cleric Artifact which should be your primary artifact. The Devoted Sigil gives you 100% AP gain (on epic) over 15 seconds and heals you 869 hitpoints every time you use your encounter.
WHY IS THIS ARTIFACT OP for GF's?
Answer: Simply because of the Steel defense+ Devoted Sigil combo
Remember that Steel defense gives you 5 seconds immunity from damage when you pop your daily. After using your daily use your DC Artifact. while you are immune to damage for 5 seconds, by using the DC artifact your AP increases dramatically so before the 5 seconds of immunity is over your daily is again filled up then you can use your daily again that gives you ANOTHER 5 seconds of immunity! That's a total of 10 seconds of no damage whatsoever if you time it right. AND 10 seconds is a long time if your doing OPVP especially on 1v1
One time I was able to do a 15 seconds immune to damage since there were a lot of players attacking me
This is the heart and soul of this build"
That's what I've said... Was there any mention of Glyphs being the main point of the build? Your barking at the wrong tree mate.
" IMPORTANT:
Armour Enchants: Since this is a full reflect build, I chose a Perfect Briartwine (Its ugly on your armour I know but it works)It works very well with Knights Valor. Its like this, KV intercepts half of the party's damage to you and then builds threat based on a portion of how much you intercepted. Meaning with BRIARTWINE, it procs everytime they hit you or your team since Briar reflects 4% of damage back at attacker.This also builds up your AP GAIN. With the right set of encounters,class feat and dailies,your Supremacy of Steel + KV+ Into the fray which converts 25% of your damage resistance into damage,you will be unleashing a very powerful BULLCHARGE plus the fact that you are reflecting 5% of incoming damage from your attacker while guarding with guarded assault and Steel Defense which gives you immunity from damage for 5 seconds. Rinse then repeat then you are an ANTI ZERG TANK so you you wouldnt be worried on going into a 5v1 pit fight."
I just explained that briartwine is a good choice now for GF's since it it adds additonal reflect damage and has good synergy with Supremacy of Steel +KV + Into The Fray+ Guarded Assault and Steel Defense. Before mod 4 came up no one uses it. The viable armor enchants back then were only Soulforge and Barkshield.
Again, was there any mention of Glyphs as one of the integral part of this build?
NONE....
you're barking at the wrong tree again mate.
I only mentioned Glyphs on the Overslot subject since I wanted this to be as complete as possible.
I also mentioned that other alternatives for the overslot such as Purified black ice.
I dont blame you... most new players of neverwinter who doesnt really understand and took time to study well the mechanics of a GF in Mod 4 will be quick to say " GF is so OP because of a broken mechanic and bugged glyphs this is so unfair for other classes!"
The main point(and probably the best) that the developers fixed on Guardian Fighters in Mod 4 are not those. They simply fixed the shield or guard mechanics so GF can actually TANK harder and better that paved way for other GF's passive
and active powers to really do its job. I think you failed to get that point. Give it a thought
Just saying....
Not to be sarcastic mate but whinning about cockratice?! really?!funny!
To be honest its not as good for a GF to use cockratice since if you use SOS you will be perma root if the enemy uses one too. But its a case of "better to have one than nothing at all and have back at ya!" Why put yourself in a disadvantage if you can afford it and worked hard for it and plus the fact that the other side is using it too.
In case of IWD pvp 1v1, I dont know if you really do that but there is courtesy among players that you have to take it out. as a show of respect to the other player so both of you are will not be put in a disadvantage. Its an unspoken rule but always being followed.
Below is a nice example of an open PVP 30 vs 30 epic battle video that I recorded. I usually organize and lead my guild to wars everyday back in mod 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqmaW7Db7MU
Im using the same feats to counter the effect of the <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font>. Notice on the video that everytime I pop my SOS I am always perma root but I still manage to maintain my HP and survive.
So FOTM? I dont think so... I stand up to my build and the heart and soul is the DC artifact + Steel Defense combo that saved me numerous times in combat.
My build survived mod 3 at the time when the onslaught of the mighty GWF prone reigned supreme and GFs were a few what more on Mod 4 and I did not need no glyphs to do that.Just a clear understanding of the mechanics of the game and how it is supposed to be played. Good players dont whine on things... They work hard to adapt and survive.
But I appreciate your comments though. Because of your comment I was able to explain better how the build works. Thanks
I just love barking...woof!
Now where did i see this build ?!! Ohh i remember now: was a GWF build one year old when you've just started playing this game! I know i am just bad at this game and full of hatred but i think the devs made it clear that a build like that is not something desired! Know what happen after that?! One or two months GWF was barely playable, that;s what happen!
Now pls dont get me started on Devoted Sigil! That thing is so broken that is a wonder it wasn't changed by now... For glyph part, i love them as they add depth to gameplay, but imo they do need 1 sec icd!
Now here is my thing: i dont know you, i just dont like your avatar, but you can prove me wrong by keeping this guide updated cause i have this odd feeling that you are playing fotm classes all the time...
Yes, "your build" is FOTM, and worse, game-breaking both in the balance way (you go in with KV and shield up protecting 10 people in GG and whomever attacks them kills themselves on your lame Red glyph procs) and graphical way (you make the game lag so hard it's not even funny, dropping to 5 fps from 60).
Cockatrice? I farmed CN too, I'm not poor. I do refuse to buy or use one, because it is, again, game breaking, and one of the worst items to be introduced by Cryptic. Not interested if it was 100 AD.
Just as your glyphs. I can use them, I have both Purified and Corrupted set on CW and Purified on HR, yet I never slotted a red in PvP, because they are insanely overpowered, and gamebreaking.
If at least the build would take skill, but it doesn't... it's lagbotting people to death with procs and making their game run as a slideshow.
I could say much more about how a GF like yours destroys the game for anyone else, but you seem to be so proud of your "achievement", so I'll let you have your fun, until they nerf the hell out of this. Gotta ask yourself why not a single good GF even dropped by to say "props for your work, bro".
Dear Mr.Woof,
Sorry to burst your bubble but I dont know anything about the GWF build your referring to. Again, go to the next tree mister maybe youll get lucky this time.
I dont know what you do with your toon mate but Ive seen GWFs who's still a force to be reckoned with in PVP and PVE content and they dont whine on forums for other classes to be nerfed just like you do. Again, They simply adapt and find ways to counter. Oh, and by the way, Ive noticed also when I clicked your profile, your playing time is 18 minutes and you were a member since February of 2013.... no wonder you know lots of broken stuff in the game. lol
and then the whining never ends... now youre telling me the DC artifact is also broken?.... it really never ends for you...
Mate if you find the game full of broken mechanics why stress yourself on playing it? Try chess maybe that will help and try to question why the Knight/horse jumps on an L shape. Maybe you will think that that game has a broken mechanic too
Now, with regards to my avatar if it bothers you just say so... I change it for you if it stresses you out.
Ok, I used Cockatrice and I'm trying to get my Ice Black gear to use Glyphs, but we must admit those are broken mechanics, I still play here basically because I've spent a lot of time (and some money) on this game and I like the combat mechanic...
Also, you play here since beta... then you must know by first hand how frustrating is when Devs change some classes so much that we can't even speak about consistency of their own rules, ending in a lot of guides and tutorials about builds that become obsolete in 3~4 months (your own build is likely to follow the same destiny), so I think you shouldn't speak like if everything is OK on this game and we shouldn't complain.
Sry m8 i;m not the type to brag like you do, that doesnt mean i play at page 1000! If people will start investing in your build they;ll be sorry really soon... that is all!
18 min?! If only i would play a bit more ....
What is your opionion, without KV can GF be viable? In your case, it is SoS/KV-centric.
1. What is your opionion of Fire Archon and Badger companions instead of these two ?
2. Does Rust monster provide team-wide debuf?
— (The unwritten rule)
So it came to your mouth that you havent really tested the cockratice meaning to say you only experienced the effects of it on the receiving end and not the other way around since you are telling everyone that you never bothered on getting one.So your view on the cockratice is just half baked Im sorry to tell you. Ive seen numerous times how it saves a player for being ganked and zerged by 5 or more players in IWD OPVP wanting to have an easy kill. Again its open PVP ... its anything goes... Im not here to debate the morality of actions of players on how they choose to play. If you want, you can start a thread regarding that.It is not my concern.But as for this thread goes,as the title suggest... It's an anti zerg build obviously I have to list down the best advantages the game has to offer nothing more. If a player has second thoughts on cockratice, then its their choice not to use it. Its just a guide... Its not the bible....
Glyphs again? I already explained the build to you on the previous reply. Again the build is not glyph dependent.watch the video again if you please