I just did the story instance in the Ebon Downs where you have to kill the Voidwatcher and his shard (there's about four more identical objectives after that one), and my god was it hard and frustrating. The GWF is just downright bad, and I can't even have fun with it anymore in it's current state. My gear is all on-level, and I'm still here chugging potions (Yes, I am using unstoppable at what I would consider the "right" moments) like there's no tomorrow. Enemies take forever to kill, even small mobs, and the damned shard took me ages to beat down. >.<
For all your good GWF players out on this forum, please tell me if I'm doing something wrong, if this is normal, or if I'm bad (in which a few pointers would be nice). Right now, I'm running ExtinctioN's GWF build with the skills Mighty Leap, Not so Fast, and Flourish. Also, I'm level 38, which is roughly 2.5 levels higher than the average mob I'm coming across.
I can see where your problem is. Mighty leap is more of a pvp skill to close distance to your enemies (the damage is abyssmal). I would recommend using Restoring strike (i hope you have it at rank 3) instead. Not so fast is also another PvP skill (it's strength is it's AOE snare which .. frankly NPC don't really care). I recommend you use Roar instead or Takedown if you have it.
Also use Destroyer, Weapon Master or Steadfast Determination if you have it. Yeah GWF is a potion intensive class... you'll be drinking healing potion like cool aid.
I like the suggestion of Restoring Strike over Mighty Leap in PvE at your level.
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lordofscornMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian UsersPosts: 18Arc User
edited June 2013
I went through it pretty easily using a single target focus of Flourish, Restoring Strike, and Takedown. I found WMS and Slam was enough while solo'ing for AOE, though sometimes I switch out Takedown for Roar for the quick determination to get into Unstoppable quicker.
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thorsonwongMember, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 20Arc User
edited June 2013
Alright, I'll take this into consideration and give it a try later in the day when I have a bit more time to play. Also, I'll probably switch back to NsF for endgame stuff (should I be able to get into any), being that the instigator tree gives a few nice buffs for it.
I just did the story instance in the Ebon Downs where you have to kill the Voidwatcher and his shard (there's about four more identical objectives after that one), and my god was it hard and frustrating. The GWF is just downright bad, and I can't even have fun with it anymore in it's current state. My gear is all on-level, and I'm still here chugging potions (Yes, I am using unstoppable at what I would consider the "right" moments) like there's no tomorrow. Enemies take forever to kill, even small mobs, and the damned shard took me ages to beat down. >.<
For all your good GWF players out on this forum, please tell me if I'm doing something wrong, if this is normal, or if I'm bad (in which a few pointers would be nice). Right now, I'm running ExtinctioN's GWF build with the skills Mighty Leap, Not so Fast, and Flourish. Also, I'm level 38, which is roughly 2.5 levels higher than the average mob I'm coming across.
Focus on armor pen now. Not a lot of gear for it but it helps with bosses more than anything. You should not struggle at lvl 38, but once you get to your 50s you will need to group. Get the cleric follower or you will be out of gold by lvl 50. A lot of folks write about recovery being useful. Worthless to a GWF.
Honestly there is no point in doing the story quests unless you like that kind of stuff. It is better to do foundry and PVP. PVP will be frustrating but you will learn a lot. No better exp then foundry during the foundry event. Do one of the "arena" type modules.
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thorsonwongMember, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 20Arc User
edited June 2013
Honestly there is no point in doing the story quests unless you like that kind of stuff. It is better to do foundry and PVP. PVP will be frustrating but you will learn a lot. No better exp then foundry during the foundry event. Do one of the "arena" type modules.
Unless I like what? Playing the game and leveling through Developer-made content? o.o Of course I do, leveling content is some of the most fun I have in MMOs, second to Dungeons and Endgame raiding, of course. Grinding Foundries to level 60 isn't exactly an appealing thing for me to do, and PvP has never been my thing, since it's always been so gear based (unless PvP here is like GW2's SPvP where they provide the gear, in which I'm totally down), so I'm going to have to politely disregard your suggestions here.
Just from the title we all guessed that you were playing a GWF.
I think many of us were deceived by old, pre-beta vids of "pro" reviewers who just plyed with the GWFs that the devs had prepared for them, in situations prepared too. Watching those vids we got the illusion that the GWF was a viable choice. Nowadays the shoutcasters and streamers never have a GWF, nowadays streams always show a devoted cleric, mage, rogue or GF.
Beyond repair. Refund the players and erase the class, Cryptic.
What specifically was giving you problems? Too many adds? Elites hit too hard? AoEs don't let you get enough hits in?
It didn't give me too much trouble, although I came in a few levels above the stuff. My build is a Sentinel though so not everything is applicable.
Encounters used were Roar, Restoring strike, and Daring shout. Roar and Daring shout are great for generating Determination and reducing damage. Restoring Strike is a nice big hit. I found that with Daring Shout buff and Unstoppable up, I could take down most groups just with WMS, rather than using encounters for pure damage. Roar gives an interrupt, which can be handy. You could happily swap Takedown or Flourish with restoring strike to give another interrupt: the heal on Restoring strike is generally not that special.
Other advice I can give is always focus on the Deathlock Wights if they are in a group until they are dead, and feel free to move around a lot. (Using WMS in most situations means not worried on missing out on the extra-damage last hit.) Some elites like Hulks will tend to go for your Cleric companion no matter how much you beat on them, but ressing her mid-combat and chugging some potions are certainly do-able.
Just from the title we all guessed that you were playing a GWF.
I think many of us were deceived by old, pre-beta vids of "pro" reviewers who just plyed with the GWFs that the devs had prepared for them, in situations prepared too. Watching those vids we got the illusion that the GWF was a viable choice. Nowadays the shoutcasters and streamers never have a GWF, nowadays streams always show a devoted cleric, mage, rogue or GF.
Beyond repair. Refund the players and erase the class, Cryptic.
Well you see when the morons complained in beta that GWF was OP, for some reason the "Devs" I use the term loosely. always go overboard and nerf way way too much. :cool:
Be a Leet D00D, can't think of something smart? Always blame the economy.
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thorsonwongMember, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 20Arc User
Beyond repair. Refund the players and erase the class, Cryptic.
I personally don't think that the GWF is "Beyond repair". Sure, it has a HAMSTER ton of places it needs to be buffed in (imo), but it isn't exactly a bad class, lacking any role whatsoever. They need to put up invisible walls in dungeons so that CWs and DCs can cheese the adds, and they need to lower the AoE DPS of the CW (and buff the GWF's AoE DPS/Speed up the animations of their at-wills) so that it's more of a CC class, rather than a CC class with AoE that competes if not outright beats the GWF's AoE.
What companion are you using?
What specifically was giving you problems? Too many adds? Elites hit too hard? AoEs don't let you get enough hits in?
I'm using a Cleric companion (level 15). As for my problems, I'm facing elites that hit like a truck (even if they're two levels below me) and AoE circles that don't let me get any hits in because the second it ends, I get about a WMS or WS in before they start another.
I'm using a Cleric companion (level 15). As for my problems, I'm facing elites that hit like a truck (even if they're two levels below me) and AoE circles that don't let me get any hits in because the second it ends, I get about a WMS or WS in before they start another.
The 'AoE circles' are the time to pop a roar and hopefully interrupt and in that brief gap between circles a nice takedown will shut them up for awhile.
I run Extinctions build (or my version of it), but I tore those guys to pieces. Also while you cannot seem to avoid the first hit from the silly circles completely, certainly don't stand in them (I've seen people do this, especially in 5 man dungeons). Only come in after the effect is over and knock them senseless.
clearly I missed something on mine!
I use mighty leap all the time solo pve? And I have restoring strike. The other one I use is some other aoe skill. So that means there is one more encounter out there that everyone else is using that I am not, what is it? Flourish (but that is a single target skill??) maybe?
Single tough targets are our trouble spot, regardless. We make up for it by killing the 20 adds that these bosses spawn every 10 seconds before they even register our presence and think to swing at us. If you have not played a TR or something where the adds are a serious problem, you may not understand how important it is to have a strong aoe when the adds are coming out in big waves..!!
The correct time to use Unstoppable is every time your Determination bar shows that you can use Unstoppable.
There is never a wrong moment to use your 'resist 25%-50% damage while speeding attack rate' button.
Also, you're probably having issues with bosses because of the very fact you're using an Instigator build. It's very team oriented, with tons of AoE, but it lacks in single-target damage. (I.E. PvE solo boss fights.) You're probably not building determination very fast either, although I'm not really sure what to suggest there beyond try using Roar along with Come and Get It to gather the add's up.
The suggestion to use Restoring Strike is a good one I suppose, but as you level it will become obsolete quickly. Others have suggested some good replacements for you. I also agree that Mighty Leap isn't so great. Dash is your closer ability and you always have it, better to have another actual DPS or Utility encounter on your bar.
MoF/Thaum CWSS/Thaum CWIV/Protector GFSW/Combat HRSM/Destroyer GWFWK/Executioner TRDO/Faithful DC
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thorsonwongMember, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 20Arc User
The correct time to use Unstoppable is every time your Determination bar shows that you can use Unstoppable.
There is never a wrong moment to use your 'resist 25%-50% damage while speeding attack rate' button.
Ah, thank you. I've always waited until I've had about 75% of the bad filled, thinking that having that much Determination would mean that I'd get the 50% damage resist. Think I'll start popping it at 50% more often now (I used to do it a lot, but it's always because I popped it by accident, or I anticipated getting more determination than I would actually get).
Time is like new-fallen snow, it is precious.
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destroxoxoMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero UsersPosts: 0Arc User
edited June 2013
I leveled extremely easy with Destroyer, TakeDown/Restoring Strike/Flourish and a cleric healer are a must. Had no real problems at all until the late 50's where mobs do quite a bit of damage (Mount Hotenow and Whispering Caverns suck)
Comments
Also use Destroyer, Weapon Master or Steadfast Determination if you have it. Yeah GWF is a potion intensive class... you'll be drinking healing potion like cool aid.
Focus on armor pen now. Not a lot of gear for it but it helps with bosses more than anything. You should not struggle at lvl 38, but once you get to your 50s you will need to group. Get the cleric follower or you will be out of gold by lvl 50. A lot of folks write about recovery being useful. Worthless to a GWF.
Honestly there is no point in doing the story quests unless you like that kind of stuff. It is better to do foundry and PVP. PVP will be frustrating but you will learn a lot. No better exp then foundry during the foundry event. Do one of the "arena" type modules.
Unless I like what? Playing the game and leveling through Developer-made content? o.o Of course I do, leveling content is some of the most fun I have in MMOs, second to Dungeons and Endgame raiding, of course. Grinding Foundries to level 60 isn't exactly an appealing thing for me to do, and PvP has never been my thing, since it's always been so gear based (unless PvP here is like GW2's SPvP where they provide the gear, in which I'm totally down), so I'm going to have to politely disregard your suggestions here.
I think many of us were deceived by old, pre-beta vids of "pro" reviewers who just plyed with the GWFs that the devs had prepared for them, in situations prepared too. Watching those vids we got the illusion that the GWF was a viable choice. Nowadays the shoutcasters and streamers never have a GWF, nowadays streams always show a devoted cleric, mage, rogue or GF.
Beyond repair. Refund the players and erase the class, Cryptic.
What specifically was giving you problems? Too many adds? Elites hit too hard? AoEs don't let you get enough hits in?
It didn't give me too much trouble, although I came in a few levels above the stuff. My build is a Sentinel though so not everything is applicable.
Encounters used were Roar, Restoring strike, and Daring shout. Roar and Daring shout are great for generating Determination and reducing damage. Restoring Strike is a nice big hit. I found that with Daring Shout buff and Unstoppable up, I could take down most groups just with WMS, rather than using encounters for pure damage. Roar gives an interrupt, which can be handy. You could happily swap Takedown or Flourish with restoring strike to give another interrupt: the heal on Restoring strike is generally not that special.
Other advice I can give is always focus on the Deathlock Wights if they are in a group until they are dead, and feel free to move around a lot. (Using WMS in most situations means not worried on missing out on the extra-damage last hit.) Some elites like Hulks will tend to go for your Cleric companion no matter how much you beat on them, but ressing her mid-combat and chugging some potions are certainly do-able.
Well you see when the morons complained in beta that GWF was OP, for some reason the "Devs" I use the term loosely. always go overboard and nerf way way too much. :cool:
I personally don't think that the GWF is "Beyond repair". Sure, it has a HAMSTER ton of places it needs to be buffed in (imo), but it isn't exactly a bad class, lacking any role whatsoever. They need to put up invisible walls in dungeons so that CWs and DCs can cheese the adds, and they need to lower the AoE DPS of the CW (and buff the GWF's AoE DPS/Speed up the animations of their at-wills) so that it's more of a CC class, rather than a CC class with AoE that competes if not outright beats the GWF's AoE.
I'm using a Cleric companion (level 15). As for my problems, I'm facing elites that hit like a truck (even if they're two levels below me) and AoE circles that don't let me get any hits in because the second it ends, I get about a WMS or WS in before they start another.
The 'AoE circles' are the time to pop a roar and hopefully interrupt and in that brief gap between circles a nice takedown will shut them up for awhile.
I run Extinctions build (or my version of it), but I tore those guys to pieces. Also while you cannot seem to avoid the first hit from the silly circles completely, certainly don't stand in them (I've seen people do this, especially in 5 man dungeons). Only come in after the effect is over and knock them senseless.
I use mighty leap all the time solo pve? And I have restoring strike. The other one I use is some other aoe skill. So that means there is one more encounter out there that everyone else is using that I am not, what is it? Flourish (but that is a single target skill??) maybe?
Single tough targets are our trouble spot, regardless. We make up for it by killing the 20 adds that these bosses spawn every 10 seconds before they even register our presence and think to swing at us. If you have not played a TR or something where the adds are a serious problem, you may not understand how important it is to have a strong aoe when the adds are coming out in big waves..!!
There is never a wrong moment to use your 'resist 25%-50% damage while speeding attack rate' button.
Also, you're probably having issues with bosses because of the very fact you're using an Instigator build. It's very team oriented, with tons of AoE, but it lacks in single-target damage. (I.E. PvE solo boss fights.) You're probably not building determination very fast either, although I'm not really sure what to suggest there beyond try using Roar along with Come and Get It to gather the add's up.
The suggestion to use Restoring Strike is a good one I suppose, but as you level it will become obsolete quickly. Others have suggested some good replacements for you. I also agree that Mighty Leap isn't so great. Dash is your closer ability and you always have it, better to have another actual DPS or Utility encounter on your bar.
Ah, thank you. I've always waited until I've had about 75% of the bad filled, thinking that having that much Determination would mean that I'd get the 50% damage resist. Think I'll start popping it at 50% more often now (I used to do it a lot, but it's always because I popped it by accident, or I anticipated getting more determination than I would actually get).
WMS/RS or WMS/WS are a must for leveling IMO