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Guide To The PVE "BBB" (Buff Bot Build) For GFs, Mod 4/5
loboguild
Member Posts: 2,371 Arc User
GF was my first main back in BETA so I was really pleased that thanks to the changes in M4 the class has re-emerged as an adequate member of any DD party. Therefore my GF took over most of my ingame time again and I'd like to share the build I'm currently using and find to be the most endgame viable.
Although our tanks bring sizeable single target burst to the table in PVP, their role in PVE was never meant to be a damage dealer and so we better take a back seat against those DPS classes in the Paingiver. In my eyes there are two ways to approach the class currently:
1. Buffs/Debuffs
Let's start with the bread and butter right away. GF has access to the following buffs and debuffs:
That's quite some Arsenal I'd say. I originally got confused with the Mark feature, because for yourself Focused Mark (TAB ability) and Threatening Rush are probably bugged and combine for a whopping 32% debuff, but allies only receive the correct 8% debuff that Enforced Threat is also spreading.
I purposefully took the Drow race to get that racial although it's not one of the classic ones for GFs. Together with Crushing Pin (can even stack, but uptime...), which will be used from the Tactician tree, and the Artifact Class Feature you ideally end up with additive bonuses of 148%. Here's a picture from ACT showing all the debuffs in full effect. This is from my GF though with the full bugged 32% debuff from the Mark feature. That's why it shows 172% instead of the 148%.
Add the last, and multiplicative, debuff from Plague Fire and you get to as much as 161% (148%*1.09) damage increase on a target.
Into The Fray at 50% DR is a 37.5% bonus, CA 15% (but DPS builds probably have even more from Companions and stats) and Armor Sets will add another 5% on average.
Overall that makes (not using Brawling Warrior and the Draconic sets, see 3. and 4.) 268%
This is a peak value for sure. Buffs/debuffs are not sustainable in an actual run and can be redundant depending on group setup, but this illustrates the capabilities of a GF as (de)buffer.
- KV & ITF Synergy
I could not successfully reproduce the synergy others have been reporting. At least not with my own damage. Tests vs. dummies showed no increase in overall Cleave damage when switching Knight's Valor on and off.
2. Race and Ability Scores
As I've said, Drow is the only option for me personally because it has the additional debuff racial. A more traditional choice would be the Halfling or Half-Orc or even Dragonborn, cause all can pick DEX/CON.
I rolled 13/18/13(+2)/8(+2)/10/10 and ended up with 16/25/22/13/13/13 including the campfire buff. Generally I recomment leveling CON/DEX only, because the Stamina Regeneration from STR is not needed. With Shield Talent I am pretty much covered and Golden Dragon's Courage adds the famous perma-block. Meaning if necessary I just stand there, Block, Shield Slam and lose no Guard at all.
3. Powers and Feats
http://nwcalc.com/gf?b=npa:26ya4s:1gemkg,1fl30l0:100000:15u000:1z05u1&h=0&p=ivn
It's pretty basic stuff all around. I took HP/AP/DR% boosting feats and avoided group utility focusing on protection, because I feel that with the difficulty of the content this isn't needed. You can also switch out Grit with 5/5 Action Surge for even more AP gain. I like Pin Down as I'm using both Frontline and Terrifying Impact in my standard rotation, but you can take something else here as well. You want Frontline Surge and Threatening Rush, so Swordmaster is no option.
Although Powerful Strike adds a control component to Lunging Strike, it does only proc Crushing Pin unless the interrupt is actually applied. Meaning it does not work on control immune targets, making the feat not necessary for the build. Because no other feats fit the theme I just kept it and profit from it in solo play, but you can switch it with anything else if you like.
- AoE Powers:
Cleave, Threatening Rush
Frontline Surge, Knight's Valor, Into the Fray
Shield Talent, Guarded Assault
Terrifying Impact, Fighter's Recovery
The beauty of the BBB is: No matter which key you press, you are applying at least (or a chance of) two buffs/debuffs with every single one of them:
Tide of Iron, Threatening Rush
Bull Charge, Knight's Valor, Into the Fray
Shield Talent, Guarded Assault
Indomitable Strength, Fighter's Recovery
We're going with the max At-Will debuff combination. No Cleave is actually a bit odd, but considering the build theme and playstyle it makes sense (consult 6. for more information).
For single target we switch out Bull Rush because of a better colldown and Indomitable Strength because it's easier to hit on one target. Other encounters that proc Crushing Pin are Griffon's Wrath and Knee Breaker, but the combination of cooldown and mobility makes Bull Rush the clear cut winner here. Sadly the DoT from Knee Breaker also does not proc Weapon Enchants or Darkfire.
- Why KV if it doesn't add DR for the ITF buff calculation?
KV is a feel good skill for the group and frequently requested in PUG play. Normally you should be able to tank what's needed even with KV, so it's not really a big deal to use it within this build. Furthermore, KV has the nice ability to spread GPF and Darkfire through a nice synergy between taking damage and reflective Boons and Companions.
It's probably possible to deslot KV for single target fights though. I need to do more research on that ITF/KV synergy front, but if that has since been fixed or was a pipe dream right from the get-go, you might be able to add more DPS through another Crushing Pin source. KV (Blacksmith) helps in maintaining as much GPF/Terror and Darkfire as possible when clearing trash, but in a single target fight you achieve that by At-Will spam alone and more Crushing Pin is better than additional Darkfire chance in that case.
- No Supremacy of Steel?
It doesn't proc Weapon Enchants and generates no APs since the nerf. It's still a theme fit for a Reflect build, but outside Darkfire it does nothing to spread around (de)buffs here. Albeit interesting I didn't test whether group members are able to generate APs through the Martial Mastery while Supremacy of Steel is active.
- Brawling Warrior vs. Tactician capstone
This was not an easy choice. Brawling Warrior adds 3.75% worth of buffs you don't have to work for while the Tactician tree comes with AP for the whole group.
In the end it comes down to playstyle I guess. I like having the AP for the group, especially since dailies help with the abysmal Crushing Pin uptime. Also every bit of intercepted damage from KV generates an, admittedly slim, amount of AP for everyone, guarded and unguarded.
I guess you can generate more DPS by feating into Brawling Warrior and 1/5 Overwhelming Impact, it's nearly impossible to measure how much DPS the additional AP Gain generates though. But you should take into account the build's playstyle (see 6.). The GF main source of APs comes from blocking and this build encourages to be more mobile, because you are constantly marking targets. Blocking does little in terms of applying buffs and debuffs and so you might have trouble getting enough APs at times.
4. Gear
http://lobo.nwo-uncensored.com/minmax.php?go=9747191
First of all: My goal on every char is to get to R9s, so the build contains just that. I get some might want to get to BiS while others don't even know how to get to R7, but if you get the general idea of this build, it'll be easy adjusting to your enchantment level.
I absolutely wanted to use the KC so everything is more or less build around that. The set mainly lacks Deflect, which I added through a healthy mix of Jewelcrafting-Rings and Companions. Final DR/Deflect should hover around 50%/25%.
CON-Artifact Belt is an absolute must. Not only because of the HP, but also AP Gain. The Hit Points are more than sufficient if you're operating within an exp group and you can even absorb some shaky pulls. Alongside 2.5k+ Regen the char is in a very good place defensively.
Golden Dragon's Courage because the stats fit the build and perma-block is possible. Even without a build centered around guarding you are able to block as long as its needed. Your standard encounter ITF refills Block Meter next to the Artifact Weapon. I was hoping for a decent bonus on the new Vanguard of the Golden Dragon, but they gave an utility At-Will an uninspired damage boost. Higher target cap or greater area of effect was the way to go here, they missed it.
Because we want more encounters and dailies for more buffs and debuffs, we can safely skip the Power creep and get Recovery as close to 4k as possible.
For the rest of the boons that are not showing I went all defensive +Fey Thistle +Endless Consumption + Avalanche +Revival as capstones.
Alternatives to the expensive Artifact gear would be the Purified Weapon set, Corrupted Black Ice Belt and the Necklace of Shielding from Lostmauth: http://lobo.nwo-uncensored.com/minmax.php?go=9773123.
The char loses a bnuch of HP and some offensive stats, but remains competitive overall.
- Knight Captain vs. Draconic (Templar)
Thanks chemboy for bringing this up.
The Draconic set from Mod 4 is a very viable substitute to KC. It adds another 3.75% of ITF buffing and comes with superior stats and Overload slots. I can't really advise you against using it, it fits the theme and you certainly feel like arriving in the 21st century. But as long as the content allows me to sport T1, I'll do it, because KC has a 100% uptime and adds more DPS if the group is not underpowered statswise.
I would (and actually do in my tanking substitute set) use Greater Purified Black Ice Enchantments, they proc a lot and the Draconic set is low on Defense, which hurts the ITF buff potential.
The Draconic Templar set from Mod 5 is another very viable alternative. It has the most HP and overload slots, but doesn't come with as much Recovery. In the end it's probably a draw between the three. KC has the most buff potential while the newer sets add a bit more survivability.
5. Companions
As Augment I like the cat because it adds the stat I need the most (Deflect) and is M5 ready (no Icon gear slot for the new Personalized BiS jewelry). Also like this GF was originally my first char the cat was my first Augment companion, so I'll just stick to it.
Other than that I'd recommend the Ioun Stone of Radiance (+165 Deflect/LS) or Might. But basically everything without an Icon works.
After the whole balancing/min-maxing I have one slot left and took the Blacksmith because it's a great complement to the build. Its active bonus procs off KV regularly, spreading my GPF and Darkfire all over the place.
If you ever wondered why the Cockatrice isn't working in PVE: That's why. With KV mobs could hardly ever move.
Other options include the Renegade Evoker and Rust Monster. Rust Monster procs reliably off KV, but is a defensive debuff (not really needed) and the Evoker needs direct hits (because KV doesn't transfer a crit marker, just the damage).
6. Playstyle
I might get some videos up, but not sure my computer can handle it. Never tried recording before.
It might be need getting used to not having Cleave in certain situations, but Threatening Rush as your major At-Will makes perfect sense. It's an AoE At-Will just like Cleave in terms of GPF distribution, because it adds a stack on every target marked and two on the main target, one for the hit and one for the mark. The only think I noticed while playing is that blocking became less responsive without Cleave. Threatening has that problem that if you cancel it with blocking, the animation of Threatening continues but you are actually blocking. This is at least irritating.
And I had some issues with Tide of Iron as well as the char was still shield-smashing the target when I long had activated block.
For straight up single target boss fight it makes sense to replace Threatening Rush with Cleave, because thanks to Focused Mark maintaining the two At-Will debuffs on the boss is no problem at all. Fire away the Crushing Pin encounter (most likely Bull Rush), Daily and Into the Fray whenever ready.
Keep an eye on your health bar and get into perma-block if necessary.
You have two emergency switches in your Artifact (Blood Crystal Raven Skull / Waters) and Fighter's Recovery. Firing the daily followed by a Bull Rush should already be enough to get out of trouble.
For AoE trash clearing all you need to know is that this is not a build that stands around a lot. I personally like skating between mobs using Threatening, but you can also run around them and rush from outside. Mix in Tide of Iron (if slotted) on the bigger ones and TAB Mark those that are separated from the main group. If monsters are gathered and marked, you can use Aggravating Strike to maintain the Mark as long as possible.
It's not a common sight these days, but a CW deciding to throw a good old Singularity is jackpot, because you can Rush and Mark everything.
With your prones try not to split the mobs too much. As said, CWs don't use many gather spells nowadays, the famous Intimidation build for GWFs has dug up Come And Get It, but that's it. So whenever you prone with Frontline or Dailies try to push the mobs kind of into your group from the opposite side. Crushing Pin lasts only three seconds, so if you are proning the enemies out of range, nobody will profit.
7. Closing Words
Thanks for reading this and be sure to share your thoughts, experiences and feedback.
:cool:
Although our tanks bring sizeable single target burst to the table in PVP, their role in PVE was never meant to be a damage dealer and so we better take a back seat against those DPS classes in the Paingiver. In my eyes there are two ways to approach the class currently:
- You go full tank mode as Protector
- You mix in group buffs/debuffs with Tactitian
1. Buffs/Debuffs
Let's start with the bread and butter right away. GF has access to the following buffs and debuffs:
- Mark: 8.00% debuff (additive)
- Tide of Iron: 20.00% debuff (additive)
- Darkfire (Drow Racial): 5.00% debuff (additive)
- Crushing Pin: 10.00% debuff (additive)
- Enhanced Mark Artifact Class Feature: 5.00% debuff (additive - currently does NOT work with Enforced Threat)
- Greater Plague Fire Enchantment: 9.00% debuff (multiplicative)
- Perfect Terror Enchantment: 4.00% debuff (multiplicative)
- Inspiring Leader: 5.00% buff (multiplicative)
- Combat Advantage: At least 15.00% buff (multiplicative)
- Into The Fray: 37.50% buff (multiplicative)
- Brawling Warrior: 3.75% buff (additive to ITF; have not tested it myself!)
- Draconic Armor Set: 3.75% buff (additive to ITF; have not tested it myself!)
- Knight Captain's Armor Set: approx 5-10% buff, depending on Power level of party (multiplicative)
- Draconic Templar Armor Set: 5.00% debuff (untested!)
That's quite some Arsenal I'd say. I originally got confused with the Mark feature, because for yourself Focused Mark (TAB ability) and Threatening Rush are probably bugged and combine for a whopping 32% debuff, but allies only receive the correct 8% debuff that Enforced Threat is also spreading.
I purposefully took the Drow race to get that racial although it's not one of the classic ones for GFs. Together with Crushing Pin (can even stack, but uptime...), which will be used from the Tactician tree, and the Artifact Class Feature you ideally end up with additive bonuses of 148%. Here's a picture from ACT showing all the debuffs in full effect. This is from my GF though with the full bugged 32% debuff from the Mark feature. That's why it shows 172% instead of the 148%.
Add the last, and multiplicative, debuff from Plague Fire and you get to as much as 161% (148%*1.09) damage increase on a target.
Into The Fray at 50% DR is a 37.5% bonus, CA 15% (but DPS builds probably have even more from Companions and stats) and Armor Sets will add another 5% on average.
Overall that makes (not using Brawling Warrior and the Draconic sets, see 3. and 4.) 268%
This is a peak value for sure. Buffs/debuffs are not sustainable in an actual run and can be redundant depending on group setup, but this illustrates the capabilities of a GF as (de)buffer.
- KV & ITF Synergy
I could not successfully reproduce the synergy others have been reporting. At least not with my own damage. Tests vs. dummies showed no increase in overall Cleave damage when switching Knight's Valor on and off.
2. Race and Ability Scores
As I've said, Drow is the only option for me personally because it has the additional debuff racial. A more traditional choice would be the Halfling or Half-Orc or even Dragonborn, cause all can pick DEX/CON.
I rolled 13/18/13(+2)/8(+2)/10/10 and ended up with 16/25/22/13/13/13 including the campfire buff. Generally I recomment leveling CON/DEX only, because the Stamina Regeneration from STR is not needed. With Shield Talent I am pretty much covered and Golden Dragon's Courage adds the famous perma-block. Meaning if necessary I just stand there, Block, Shield Slam and lose no Guard at all.
3. Powers and Feats
http://nwcalc.com/gf?b=npa:26ya4s:1gemkg,1fl30l0:100000:15u000:1z05u1&h=0&p=ivn
It's pretty basic stuff all around. I took HP/AP/DR% boosting feats and avoided group utility focusing on protection, because I feel that with the difficulty of the content this isn't needed. You can also switch out Grit with 5/5 Action Surge for even more AP gain. I like Pin Down as I'm using both Frontline and Terrifying Impact in my standard rotation, but you can take something else here as well. You want Frontline Surge and Threatening Rush, so Swordmaster is no option.
Although Powerful Strike adds a control component to Lunging Strike, it does only proc Crushing Pin unless the interrupt is actually applied. Meaning it does not work on control immune targets, making the feat not necessary for the build. Because no other feats fit the theme I just kept it and profit from it in solo play, but you can switch it with anything else if you like.
- AoE Powers:
Cleave, Threatening Rush
Frontline Surge, Knight's Valor, Into the Fray
Shield Talent, Guarded Assault
Terrifying Impact, Fighter's Recovery
The beauty of the BBB is: No matter which key you press, you are applying at least (or a chance of) two buffs/debuffs with every single one of them:
- TAB: Focused Mark, CA
- Cleave: Darkfire, Weapon Enchant
- Tide of Iron: Darkfire, Weapon Enchant, Tide of Iron Debuff
- Threatening Rush: Darkfire, Weapon Enchant, CA, Mark
- Frontline: Darkfire, Weapon Enchant, Crushing Pin
- Knight's Valor: AP Gain - Darkfire, Weapon Enchant through the Blacksmith companion (see 5.)
- Into the Fray: Into the Fray, Inspiring Leader, AP Gain
- Terrifying Impact: Darkfire, Weapon Enchant, Crushing Pin
Tide of Iron, Threatening Rush
Bull Charge, Knight's Valor, Into the Fray
Shield Talent, Guarded Assault
Indomitable Strength, Fighter's Recovery
We're going with the max At-Will debuff combination. No Cleave is actually a bit odd, but considering the build theme and playstyle it makes sense (consult 6. for more information).
For single target we switch out Bull Rush because of a better colldown and Indomitable Strength because it's easier to hit on one target. Other encounters that proc Crushing Pin are Griffon's Wrath and Knee Breaker, but the combination of cooldown and mobility makes Bull Rush the clear cut winner here. Sadly the DoT from Knee Breaker also does not proc Weapon Enchants or Darkfire.
- Why KV if it doesn't add DR for the ITF buff calculation?
KV is a feel good skill for the group and frequently requested in PUG play. Normally you should be able to tank what's needed even with KV, so it's not really a big deal to use it within this build. Furthermore, KV has the nice ability to spread GPF and Darkfire through a nice synergy between taking damage and reflective Boons and Companions.
It's probably possible to deslot KV for single target fights though. I need to do more research on that ITF/KV synergy front, but if that has since been fixed or was a pipe dream right from the get-go, you might be able to add more DPS through another Crushing Pin source. KV (Blacksmith) helps in maintaining as much GPF/Terror and Darkfire as possible when clearing trash, but in a single target fight you achieve that by At-Will spam alone and more Crushing Pin is better than additional Darkfire chance in that case.
- No Supremacy of Steel?
It doesn't proc Weapon Enchants and generates no APs since the nerf. It's still a theme fit for a Reflect build, but outside Darkfire it does nothing to spread around (de)buffs here. Albeit interesting I didn't test whether group members are able to generate APs through the Martial Mastery while Supremacy of Steel is active.
- Brawling Warrior vs. Tactician capstone
This was not an easy choice. Brawling Warrior adds 3.75% worth of buffs you don't have to work for while the Tactician tree comes with AP for the whole group.
In the end it comes down to playstyle I guess. I like having the AP for the group, especially since dailies help with the abysmal Crushing Pin uptime. Also every bit of intercepted damage from KV generates an, admittedly slim, amount of AP for everyone, guarded and unguarded.
I guess you can generate more DPS by feating into Brawling Warrior and 1/5 Overwhelming Impact, it's nearly impossible to measure how much DPS the additional AP Gain generates though. But you should take into account the build's playstyle (see 6.). The GF main source of APs comes from blocking and this build encourages to be more mobile, because you are constantly marking targets. Blocking does little in terms of applying buffs and debuffs and so you might have trouble getting enough APs at times.
4. Gear
http://lobo.nwo-uncensored.com/minmax.php?go=9747191
First of all: My goal on every char is to get to R9s, so the build contains just that. I get some might want to get to BiS while others don't even know how to get to R7, but if you get the general idea of this build, it'll be easy adjusting to your enchantment level.
I absolutely wanted to use the KC so everything is more or less build around that. The set mainly lacks Deflect, which I added through a healthy mix of Jewelcrafting-Rings and Companions. Final DR/Deflect should hover around 50%/25%.
CON-Artifact Belt is an absolute must. Not only because of the HP, but also AP Gain. The Hit Points are more than sufficient if you're operating within an exp group and you can even absorb some shaky pulls. Alongside 2.5k+ Regen the char is in a very good place defensively.
Golden Dragon's Courage because the stats fit the build and perma-block is possible. Even without a build centered around guarding you are able to block as long as its needed. Your standard encounter ITF refills Block Meter next to the Artifact Weapon. I was hoping for a decent bonus on the new Vanguard of the Golden Dragon, but they gave an utility At-Will an uninspired damage boost. Higher target cap or greater area of effect was the way to go here, they missed it.
Because we want more encounters and dailies for more buffs and debuffs, we can safely skip the Power creep and get Recovery as close to 4k as possible.
For the rest of the boons that are not showing I went all defensive +Fey Thistle +Endless Consumption + Avalanche +Revival as capstones.
Alternatives to the expensive Artifact gear would be the Purified Weapon set, Corrupted Black Ice Belt and the Necklace of Shielding from Lostmauth: http://lobo.nwo-uncensored.com/minmax.php?go=9773123.
The char loses a bnuch of HP and some offensive stats, but remains competitive overall.
- Knight Captain vs. Draconic (Templar)
Thanks chemboy for bringing this up.
The Draconic set from Mod 4 is a very viable substitute to KC. It adds another 3.75% of ITF buffing and comes with superior stats and Overload slots. I can't really advise you against using it, it fits the theme and you certainly feel like arriving in the 21st century. But as long as the content allows me to sport T1, I'll do it, because KC has a 100% uptime and adds more DPS if the group is not underpowered statswise.
I would (and actually do in my tanking substitute set) use Greater Purified Black Ice Enchantments, they proc a lot and the Draconic set is low on Defense, which hurts the ITF buff potential.
The Draconic Templar set from Mod 5 is another very viable alternative. It has the most HP and overload slots, but doesn't come with as much Recovery. In the end it's probably a draw between the three. KC has the most buff potential while the newer sets add a bit more survivability.
5. Companions
As Augment I like the cat because it adds the stat I need the most (Deflect) and is M5 ready (no Icon gear slot for the new Personalized BiS jewelry). Also like this GF was originally my first char the cat was my first Augment companion, so I'll just stick to it.
Other than that I'd recommend the Ioun Stone of Radiance (+165 Deflect/LS) or Might. But basically everything without an Icon works.
After the whole balancing/min-maxing I have one slot left and took the Blacksmith because it's a great complement to the build. Its active bonus procs off KV regularly, spreading my GPF and Darkfire all over the place.
If you ever wondered why the Cockatrice isn't working in PVE: That's why. With KV mobs could hardly ever move.
Other options include the Renegade Evoker and Rust Monster. Rust Monster procs reliably off KV, but is a defensive debuff (not really needed) and the Evoker needs direct hits (because KV doesn't transfer a crit marker, just the damage).
6. Playstyle
I might get some videos up, but not sure my computer can handle it. Never tried recording before.
It might be need getting used to not having Cleave in certain situations, but Threatening Rush as your major At-Will makes perfect sense. It's an AoE At-Will just like Cleave in terms of GPF distribution, because it adds a stack on every target marked and two on the main target, one for the hit and one for the mark. The only think I noticed while playing is that blocking became less responsive without Cleave. Threatening has that problem that if you cancel it with blocking, the animation of Threatening continues but you are actually blocking. This is at least irritating.
And I had some issues with Tide of Iron as well as the char was still shield-smashing the target when I long had activated block.
For straight up single target boss fight it makes sense to replace Threatening Rush with Cleave, because thanks to Focused Mark maintaining the two At-Will debuffs on the boss is no problem at all. Fire away the Crushing Pin encounter (most likely Bull Rush), Daily and Into the Fray whenever ready.
Keep an eye on your health bar and get into perma-block if necessary.
You have two emergency switches in your Artifact (Blood Crystal Raven Skull / Waters) and Fighter's Recovery. Firing the daily followed by a Bull Rush should already be enough to get out of trouble.
For AoE trash clearing all you need to know is that this is not a build that stands around a lot. I personally like skating between mobs using Threatening, but you can also run around them and rush from outside. Mix in Tide of Iron (if slotted) on the bigger ones and TAB Mark those that are separated from the main group. If monsters are gathered and marked, you can use Aggravating Strike to maintain the Mark as long as possible.
It's not a common sight these days, but a CW deciding to throw a good old Singularity is jackpot, because you can Rush and Mark everything.
With your prones try not to split the mobs too much. As said, CWs don't use many gather spells nowadays, the famous Intimidation build for GWFs has dug up Come And Get It, but that's it. So whenever you prone with Frontline or Dailies try to push the mobs kind of into your group from the opposite side. Crushing Pin lasts only three seconds, so if you are proning the enemies out of range, nobody will profit.
7. Closing Words
Thanks for reading this and be sure to share your thoughts, experiences and feedback.
:cool:
Post edited by loboguild on
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Comments
Short post, but all you need to know. I love running with BBB GFs. I'm still IV/Conq because I like to smash things, but i know this is the way to go.
Question - what are your thoughts about KC vs. Draconic. The draconic set has a nice party buff and overload slots, also making it a good option, and significantly more stats than KC.
I've been asking around and I have seen GF make choices one way or the other. What do you think? Did you test the two?
Let me know and thanks for the build post,
Chem.
Everything you need to know about CW:
http://nw-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?780981-Chem-s-CW-Compendium-Everything-you-need-to-know
Anyway if the set bonus transfers to ITF, it's a very viable alternative to not use the old T1 set any longer.
Next best encounter for single target fights against control immune targets is Bull Rush: Gap closer and the lowest cooldown of all possible choices. Sadly the Knee Breaker DoT does not proc anything, otherwise it would be appealing as well.
I'm a bit confused about Crushing Pin though. I thought that power only applied to the GF's damage. Has that been changed so that it benefits a group's DPS output?
Regardless, thanks for posting. Might come back to my true love
Hey, Crushing Pin is applied to everyone attacking the target while the feat is active. But testing this I found out that allies actually only get the correct 8% debuff from any source of Mark, only the GF gets the (probably bugged) 32% debuff from the combination of Focused Mark and Threatening Rush. The GWF by the way also gets a 32% boost for himself from combining Daring Shout and Threatening.
So we end up with a final buff value of 250%+ instead of 300%. I can live with that :cool:
Not from KV directly, but from reflective damage sources that proc from KV intercepted damage. The Blacksmith does not spread PF stacks when mobs are attacking me but it does when it reflects KV damage. Same for Fey Thistle and Augmented Thayan Bastion.
The whole behavior is inconsistent to say the least and I bet there is some sort of bug involved, but we're obviously gonna use it as long as it's working. Maybe it's even the other way round and the Blacksmith is supposed to proc Weapon Enchants in any situation, but currently only does in combination with KV. Who knows really.
It gets even weirder when looking at the logs. Plague Fire has two damage components: The first is 7.5% Weapon Damage that you deal with your powers, the second is the DoT with 2.5% Weapon Damage per second and the debuff we want. Normally both are applied from At-Wills, Encounters or Dailies together, yet reflected damage from KV does not proc the first component of Plague Fire (7.5% Weapon Damage), but the second (DoT + Debuff).
That would also explain why Lightning is not working. The tooltip is slightly different, but it would seem that Lightning only has one component that is procing from your powers ("every strike"). I guess "Powers" means At-Wills, Encounters or Dailies that directly damage a target.
Considering this, the only other Weapon Enchant that should work with KV is Flaming.
While trying different combinations of Cleave, Threatening Rush and Tide of Iron, I ran into some weird interactions with Blocking. When you cancel Threatening, the char will still show the Rush animation at times, although it is already blocking. Plus blocking became strangely unresponsive when using it with or after Tide of Iron. This felt uncomfortable so I switched to use Cleave as my main encounter as much as I can.
In AoE situation I discarded Tide of Iron and only run Threatening. Maybe it's a trade-off anyway because you get additional stacks of PF from Cleave.
For single target boss fights I use Cleave and Tide of Iron, because you can Mark the boss with TAB. In heavy add fights or VT, where I like a bit more mobility, I still use Tide of Iron and Threatening, but you really have to get used to the blocking behavior with the two At-Wills.
Btw.: Sorry for the delay on all the PMs I'm getting. I'll get to them this weekend hopefully!
Reading your guide was was wondering two more things.
- Why don't you mention Enforced Threat? A great AoE power that also marks a group of mobs (combat advantage). Also, using it in combination with Fighter's Recovery can gives you an instant heal.
- Another buff: Lantern of Revelation (increase the damage enemies take with 14% for 6 seconds). It's not GF specific, but still a nice buff. Can anyone confirm it works for other people too? Or if it works at all? I can't find it on the forums.
Neverwinter Census 2017
All posts pending disapproval by Cecilia
I don't feel like I need ET to mark all mobs. I'm using Threatening Rush and the TAB ability and doing fine. Not using ET frees up an encounter slot for Frontline Surge to proc Crushing Pin and its 10% debuff. If you're doing heavy pulls though and are not able to Mark everything, ET generates more party damage than FS and Crushing Pin.
ET also does not apply the 5% debuff from the Enhanced Mark Artifact Class Feature, which is kind of a bummer.
You're right that a (de)buffing GF should also slot an Artifact that helps in that area. I might update the guide at some point.
Lantern is easy to access, but adds stats we don't really need. Vanguard's Banner has HP and a 30% uptime with a 7% debuff, which should beat Lantern in longer fights (6 seconds for 16%).
I'm using Cave Bear, Cat Augment, Priestess of Sehanine Moonbow, Priestess of Sune and the Blacksmith Companion to spread GPF stacks as described in the guide. For augment equip use the gear links in the guide.
Blacksmith is the only non-rating companion that helps to debuff mobs because it has that synergy with KV. The only other reflecting companion would be the Renegade Evoker, but since this build favors a mobile playstyle and not getting hit as much (although it can absolutely tank any content) I don't like it as much.
Rust Monster is amazing as well for GFs, but doesn't fit the theme.
Actually not, although I'm wearing it currently. But I'd be surprised if it didn't work because somebody would have noticed you would think.
My current layout: http://lobo.nwo-uncensored.com/minmax.php?go=9797320
I've switched to the Rust Monster instead of one of the Priestess though, it gives me more defense.
ClariS lvl 60 DC
Question though... I'm going through the campaigns now with my baby GF and was curious what you do for a solo loadout? Do you tend to use a much different set of skills, rotations, or gear? Thanks