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Zer0fluX's TR Build (PvE)

thezer0fluxthezer0flux Member Posts: 412 Arc User
edited June 2015 in The Thieves' Den
A couple people in this forum asked for my complete build. I said I'd do it, but I kept putting it off. Well, no more! I give you...

Varis Darksbane

varis-small.jpg

Concept:
Varis is built for PvE. I'm not a fan of PvP, but he's done alright in there the few times I've played. I built him to be a boss and heavy add nuker for group play. He does well in solo PvE play, but he really shines when he synergizes with a good group. In fact, some of the choices I made with him are based on how the features/powers/gear compliment the guildies I run with most often.

Paragon Path:
Varis is a Master Infiltrator Executioner. Again, the design goal was to do lots of damage in short bursts, and the Executioner path makes that goal easier to achieve. The choice of MI was mainly about Impossible to Catch for some additional survivability, but Skillful Infiltrator and Invisible Infiltrator are important as well. Skillful Infiltrator gives a nice speed boost along with some critical and deflect buffs, which is always good. Invisible Infiltrator gives me more damage when I trigger Lurker's Assault. Combined, these MI-specific powers work well for my play style.

Race, Ability Scores, and Stats:
Varis is a Wood Elf. I chose this class primarily for the +2 DEX and +2 INT ability score bonus. The boost to Critical Chance is nice, as is the resistance to Slow effects, but the extra INT for increased recovery speeds was the main reason.

See below for his Ability Scores and Stats.

AbilityScores.jpg

Stats1.jpg

Stats2.jpg

Powers and Feats:
Nothing surprising here. Take a look at the build over at the Neverwinter Calculator. Note: I actually have more power points than I can slot in the app. Tactics, Shadow Strike, and First Strike are also maxed out.

Gear and Enchantments:
Varis is wearing/using the following:
  • Head -- Swashbuckling Captain's Helmet (Transmuted to: Hood of Fate)
  • Armor -- Swashbuckling Captain's Armor (Transmuted to: Infernal Leather Armor)
  • Arms -- Swashbuckling Captain's Bracers
  • Feet -- Swashbuckling Captain's Boots
  • Main Hand -- Golden Dragon's Claw
  • Off Hand -- Draconic Stiletto
  • Neck -- Icy Amulet of Hrimnir (Transmuted to: Celestial Mantle)
  • Right Ring -- Frozen Ring of Hrimnir
  • Left Ring -- Glacial Ring of Hrimnir
  • Waist -- Twined Rope of Dexterity
  • Shirt -- Gemmed Embroidered Tunic
  • Trousers -- Gemmed Embroidered Trousers
  • Artifacts -- Waters of Elah'zad, Rod of Imperial Restraint, Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue
I have a Lesser Soulforged Enchantment and a Silvery Enchantment, Rank 7 in my armor. There's a Plague Fire Enchantment and a Savage Enchantment, Rank 7 in my main hand weapon, and a Savage Enchantment, Rank 7 in my off hand weapon. I have a Lesser Dragon's Hoard Enchantment in all my utility slots, and a Savage Enchantment, Rank 7 in the offensive slots in my neck, right ring, left ring, and shirt. Finally, I have a Dark Enchantment, Rank 7 in the defensive slot of my trousers.

Setup and Play Style:
I will actually change up powers on Varis quite often. It really depends on who I'm running with and what content we're playing. The lists below summarize my primary setups.

At-Wills:
Sly Flourish
Gloaming Cut or Cloud of Steel

Encounters (normal):
Wicked Reminder
Lashing Blade
Path of the Blade or Smoke Bomb

Encounters (boss):
Wicked Reminder
Lashing Blade
Path of the Blade or Impossible to Catch -- immune to control, take no damage

Dailies (normal):
Lurker's Assault or Whirlwind of Blades
Shocking Execution

Dailies (boss):
Lurker's Assault or Courage Breaker -- 90% damage reduction, 25% power boost
Shocking Execution

Class:
Skillful Infiltrator
Invisible Infiltrator or Tactics

Notes:
  • Sometimes (rarely) I swap out Lurker's Assault for Whirlwind of Blades in dungeons and skirmishes so I can clear weak adds faster; other times (less rarely) I will swap in Courage Breaker for bosses if it fits the group composition better
  • Impossible to Catch is fantastic for accumulating huge amounts of damage for SoD -- You can't be hurt, can't be knocked around, and can't be stunned, dazed or frozen, so you can just lay into the boss for the full six seconds
  • The importance of the stealth gain from Gloaming Cut (not to mention the damage it does) cannot be understated. It might be slower than Sly Flourish, but when it does so much more damage and you can, in most cases, stay in stealth (100% crit) for an entire fight (meaning you can't be targeted and are unlikely to get hit) AND you get the bonuses from your Arterial Cut, Twisted Grin, Last Moments, and Exposed Weaknesses feats, well... let's just say the extra damage is noticeable
  • People overlook Gloaming Cut, but it's a fantastic At-Will power if you're looking to maximize damage... It just has to be used correctly, and by correctly I mean while stealthed and with the right feats -- Bonus: you can dash to targeted enemies up to ~20' away
Tactics:
For tougher mobs I usually start by going into stealth and hitting with Sly Flourish. If the mob is tough enough, I'll finish with Wicked Reminder to reduce its defense in the first rotation, otherwise I'll end with Lashing Blade to (usually) finish them off. If it's a boss type mob that won't go down so fast, I'll repeat the pattern alternating Wicked Reminder and Lashing Blade as my encounters cool down. Then once I have enough AP to use a daily, I'll go into stealth and work through a rotation ending win Wicked Reminder, and then immediately activate Lurker's Assault, activate stealth again, and do another (longer) rotation with Sly Flourish and cap it with Lashing Blade. I'll use Path of the Blade whenever possible while all of this is going on.

For weaker mobs I usually start by walking up and dropping a Smoke Bomb. That will practically kill a lot of mobs. I'll finish up the leftovers with Sly Flourish. I also use Smoke Bomb for those in-between mobs that aren't really hard or really easy, but it's more for the dazing than the damage. I throw it down so I can start beating on the group with the above rotation(s) without being interrupted.

If I'm running solo or if there are lots of tough mobs, I'll use Gloaming Cut more often so I can stay in stealth longer. I use it quite often, but it's situational. Cloud of Steel is for those times when I have to pull away to recover or when an enemy has huge AoEs on the ground and I have to move away. It's very mob specific.

Final Thoughts:
That's about it. At this point I'm just trying to get better gear and upgrade my artifacts. I'm not keen on spending much cash to hurry, so it's taking a while. I'll get there though...

To those who asked me here and in PMs to post this, I'm sorry it took so long. To everyone, I'm interested in comments, critiques and questions, so feel free to let me know what you think.
Post edited by thezer0flux on

Comments

  • theroniest87theroniest87 Member Posts: 49 Arc User
    edited May 2015
    I don't know that much for tr builds but I can say that first I redistributed my feats and I was a whisperknife! Didn't like it and I got a training token chose master infiltrator with executioner and its awesome both in pvp and pve! Its not as powerful as some builds that are especially created for pvp or for pve but its a meet me halfway and I love it!
  • devilslettucedevilslettuce Member Posts: 19 Arc User
    edited May 2015
    Why Sly Flourish over Duelist Flurry? And what is your average damage after epic dungeons?
  • thezer0fluxthezer0flux Member Posts: 412 Arc User
    edited May 2015
    I dunno, I just like it better. I used Duelist's Flurry for a while, and I still will slot it in my secondary slot from time to time, but I just like the fact that Sly Flourish gives me more control. I can do two hits, three, or even one hit with it. With Duelist's Flurry you're stuck in the animation until the flurry is finished. The bleed effect is nice, and I do miss it a bit, but with the way I play Sly Flourish just works better for me. I get a nice DoT with my Plague Fire as well, which helps.

    I am almost always at the top of the Paingiver leaderboard at the end of a dungeon/skirmish run. If not first, then a close second behind a CW or another TR (typically). The amount of damage varies, of course, but I'd say I average about 20 million. I've had as high as 50 million (Castle Never) and I get about 2 million each run of the current CTA: Storm the Keep event (which is just about double the second place guy). The amount of damage I do depends a lot on group composition, but I can say without any doubt that I am quite comfortable with the amount of damage my TR does each run.
  • sax1993sax1993 Member Posts: 126 Arc User
    edited May 2015
    A Trickster Rogue should never lose Paingiver in our current mod running an executioner build with a Plaguefire as your cap feat is broken and instead of hitting 50% of the damage given it's 100% when you have a DoT weapon enchantment on, which is why Rogues should always be top damage. Once this little feat gets patched your damage will be cut in half enjoy it while you can, in the mean time I'd be looking into building another build that doesn't abuse broken mechanics (not saying you did intentionally).
    Main: Sax Cleric (Arbiter) [Xbox and PC]
    Alts:
    Saxy Healz Paladin (Oathkeeper) [Xbox and PC]
    Saxon Ranger (Warden)
    Yuri Wizard (Thaumaturge)



    Member of the guild: Legacy (Xbox) and Strawberry Yakuza (PC)
  • thezer0fluxthezer0flux Member Posts: 412 Arc User
    edited May 2015
    I didn't know about the bug when I built it (tested both Vorpal and Plague Fire), but I am not going to change anything now that I know about it. (I only play PvE, so I don't feel guilty about it.) I don't know how much it will change things when they fix it though. I mean, I know things will change, but I was already at the top of the Paingiver leaderboard before I got my Plague Fire. I think my build/play style is fine. If I notice a difference, I'll switch to Vorpal like everyone else.
  • lemonknuckleslemonknuckles Member Posts: 62
    edited May 2015
    Well written guide, flux. Thanks for sharing with the community.
  • devilslettucedevilslettuce Member Posts: 19 Arc User
    edited May 2015
    Any different tactics for Dragon Farming, or do you use the same tactics you've put down for 'Tougher Mobs' and same abilities under 'Encounters (boss)' ? cheers
  • thezer0fluxthezer0flux Member Posts: 412 Arc User
    edited May 2015
    Yeah, I use the boss tactics. Path of the Blade as often as it cools down and alternating Wicked Reminder and Lashing Blade. When my Daily is available I'll hit him with Lurker's Assault, unless he's at 30% or less of his HP, then I'll hit with Shocking Execution and immediately follow with Lurker's Assault.
  • shazza53shazza53 Member Posts: 147 Arc User
    edited May 2015
    Thank you for this - just what I was looking for.

    Note - I can't see the photos, but perhaps it's an iPad issue. I can see the build details in the NW calculator link, so all is good. I would like to see a pic of Varis.
  • thezer0fluxthezer0flux Member Posts: 412 Arc User
    edited May 2015
    Can anyone see the photos? They show for me, but I might not have the security on them set correctly.
  • thezer0fluxthezer0flux Member Posts: 412 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    I uploaded a gameplay video of Varis to give a better idea of the rotation. Hopefully the link works...

    http://1drv.ms/1FOntsw
  • shazza53shazza53 Member Posts: 147 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    I uploaded a gameplay video of Varis to give a better idea of the rotation. Hopefully the link works...

    http://1drv.ms/1FOntsw


    Sorry - I can see it, but it doesn't help at all. You kill him way too fast :). Just kidding - can see it fine and thanks!
  • devilslettucedevilslettuce Member Posts: 19 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    Hi,

    Would it be possible for you to type out your stats? Power, critical strike, armor pen etc. for some reason your images aren't showing on any of my devices. They are all apple devices so it may be an issue with that.

    Thank you
  • twitchx85twitchx85 Member Posts: 29 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    @thezer0flux For trash clearing use Blitz from stealth as the opener, followed by smoke bomb, and you will see your number go even higher. Boss fights i only use single target so lashing blade, wicked reminder, and dazing or deft strike, depends if i need the extra dodge.
  • ltylorlltylorl Member Posts: 1
    mind leaving your ability roll? I'm interesting in making this build but I have no idea how to roll my stats! :pensive:
  • trystanwolftrystanwolf Member Posts: 31 Arc User
    sax1993 wrote: »
    A Trickster Rogue should never lose Paingiver in our current mod running an executioner build with a Plaguefire as your cap feat is broken and instead of hitting 50% of the damage given it's 100% when you have a DoT weapon enchantment on, which is why Rogues should always be top damage. Once this little feat gets patched your damage will be cut in half enjoy it while you can, in the mean time I'd be looking into building another build that doesn't abuse broken mechanics (not saying you did intentionally).

    You don't understand how Shadows of Demise works. When it is fixed, it will cut the damage by 25% at most. SoD is suppose to give 50% of the damage done in the 6 seconds after it is applied. The bug causes an extra 50% in those 6 seconds. So instead of doing 150% damage, you end up doing 200% damage. So if you did 50 damage in those 6 seconds, SoD should apply half that for a total of 75, instead it gives an extra 25 on top of what it should for 100.

    That also assumes that you constantly apply SoD every 6 seconds which doesn't happen as most trash dies too fast for that to happen. The mid-level mobs may or may not be affected by it. I've done enough damage that SoD would kill them without it being bugged.

    The only ones that would be getting a large damage reduction are the ones that manage to stack SoD multiple times but that isn't because of the plaguefire enchant.
  • patomerinopatomerino Member Posts: 1 New User
    I cant see the pictures /:
  • syd456890syd456890 Member Posts: 5 Arc User
    can't see the stats.
  • hanoth2hanoth2 Member Posts: 66 Arc User
    If your not running Duelist Flurry then you running a bad DPS buid and not getting the post from your armour set. After I read your At-wills I stopped reading as you cant call yourself a DPS build but not realize that over 60% of TR DPS comes from At Wills and DF has a significantly higher DPS than any of the other at wills.....
  • scarface666qcscarface666qc Member Posts: 10 Arc User
    Also any rogue that isn't in the scoundrel path should'nt use path of blades, it's a shame. Look carefully when you use it how low the dmg are 4 each it, 300-500, it's an encounter waste slot. For duellist flurry, you may lose control(I hated that at first) but you became untouchable for the flurry duration, even a dragon breath or pushing attack cant touch you.

    Think about it bro, btw I have no doubt you are doing fine, you could just do better :D
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