Disclaimer: I'm not stating this build is the best in any way, shape, or form. It is what "I" am using, and perfectly fits my play style, just wanting to share my build for others that may find this fitting to their play style as well.
Background: Hi, I'm Zhuge Liang from Dragon shard, guild leader of
The Black Lotus. Today I'm sharing my build with all like minded CW's and players curious about other varieties instead of the typical Thaum/Rene DPS Builds. I previously tried all builds available, even gemmed my gear accordingly to compliment the builds. They worked, they were nice, but they weren't fit to my play style. So I planned further, and having experience from all end game content, specifically Castle Never, I optimized a build that works perfect for me. Aiming for High HP, Regeneration, Recovery, and AP Gain. Do note, that I am hardcore PvE, casually PvP (don't find pvp as amusing in this game).
My current stats: 12,532 GS. 30,250 HP. 5,195 Recovery (49.3% Recharge, 39.8% AP Gain). 1,645 Defense (28.5% Damage Resistance, 10.7% Deflection). 1,601 Regeneration (11%).
Encounters and Passives for CN: Orb of Imposition and Chilling Presence. Repel on Tab - Chill Strike (will explain down further), Steal Time, Shield. I am generally the CW that Repels, due to doing more work than Shielding and I enjoy the weight.
Ability Scores: CON + WIS
Build Link: Zhuge Liang's OppressorArmor & Weapon: Currently, I'm using the best gear available for this build. Full High Vizier Set (high recovery + regeneration) All defense slots are R8 Radiant, All offense slots are R7 Silvery. Ancient Orb + Talisman (Regeneration)
Neck/Rings/Belt: Ancient Slavemaster's Necklace of Control with R7 Silvery - x2 Ancient Priest's Ring of Burning Light with R8 Radiant - Ancient Excorcist's Belt of Blessings with R8 Radiant.
Companion: Currently using Cat, x2 R8 Arcane in offense slots for +220 recovery each - x1 R8 Profane in defense slot for +220 Defense - Ancient Slavemaster's Necklace of Control with R7 Silvery - Searing Belt (295 Regeneration) with R7 Azure (+185 Defense) - Seal of The Executioner (478 Regeneration) with R7 Silvery (+185 Recovery)
Chill Strike in CN (Draco): If you're following this build, and using the High Vizier set. I highly recommend you use Chill Strike on your Encounters (not Tab) whether you are the CW that is Shielding or Repelling. While knocking ads off and gathering the red wizard's together, you can still spam Chill Strike as soon as it comes off cooldown to keep a minimum of 3 stacks (vizier set bonus) on Draco, if both CW's use Chill Strike, you can keep 6 stacks up constantly, allowing your team to down Draco in 5-10 minutes. I can "try" to make a video of how I do Draco with my guild, showing my play style and tactics (though I'm not so good and clueless on how to make videos)
Additional Info: This build is primarily built for Castle Never's Dracolich. It still works wonders in T1's and T2's but I specifically focused on CN because I only farm CN. The key behind this build is staying alive, being able to tank a stack of 2 hands and surviving (haven't tried 3 yet), moving around with high mobility, because you have to get red wizard's gathered up to repel/shield them off, and never wiping, unless forced to. I 100% successfully farm CN with ease, no problems at all. The only "con" to this build, would be if I were the last one alive, I'd have to wipe myself due to lack of DPS.
Please, have respect and feel free to ask questions.
Comments
It is however a very focused build for a specific task.
Maybe its i dont know how to read and assimilate more than one concept at a time maybe.
Check out my CW Oppressor Tank Guide Here
So, you have over 1900 Deflection to get 10.7%?
Also, what is your race and actual CON and WIS (minus campfire), please?
Since I have a DC and CW and both with 36% Damage Resistance and neither can survive a double Hands hit (they can easily survive one + fall damage though), I will offer that it is your HP that is saving you. But to get that level of HP combined with that high level of Regen, you must have made severe compromises in not only your Companion (to get the 11% Regen) but also yourself to get the HP.
In short, you would need to wear a full PvP/Gladiator set (plus 6-Defense slots worth of Radiants), otherwise you would be at 28k instead of 30k. Is this right?
As for the link to Oppressor, do you use Severe Reaction (tier 1) and Brisk Transport (tier 2)?
I do use and LOVE Brisk Transport (very worth it in CN) movement speed is very underrated, it saves you tons of times from dodging hands. IE there are those times on your screen, you moved out of the hands circle, but you still die/get hit << get more movement speed and problem solved. I currently do not use Severe Reaction, but if I were to respect, I'd swap out Cold Infusion and get Severe Reaction.
More Info: I strongly believe at this moment in the game, it's probably most wise to build your character specifically for the Dracolich fight (CN) with the fail release of Gauntlgrym, the only high rewarding thing to do is farm Dracolich. Highly doubt we will have any "new" rewarding content for a long time (2 months?) In that 2 months, you can farm Dracolich and make so much AD.
Check out my CW Oppressor Tank Guide Here
Check out my CW Oppressor Tank Guide Here
It was interesting to see 2 CWs with COMPLETELY different build/gear/powers/playstyle run together well. Which proves one thing; there is no guide or build that will transform your CW into something amazing. You need to understand the class and make it play the way you want, not the other way around. I am sure in the context of theocrafting there are ideal setups. But no matter how good it is, if it doesn't match your playstyle, you will fail.
That's why I dont advise anyone to follow a "build" while leveling up. Everyone should experiment with everything this class offers. Definitely take ideas for people on this forum, but make them fit your playstyle rather than having the guide/build force you to play in a certain way.
agree on this.
Thank you, wise men are actually being heard now. CW is the most flexible class, you can build it any way you like it. Anyone telling you your build is s***, if you've been successful the entire time, they are the inexperienced player who only follow guides on forums.
Check out my CW Oppressor Tank Guide Here
also, first post updated with more information on Chill Striking in CN, and encounters used.
Check out my CW Oppressor Tank Guide Here
Check out my CW Oppressor Tank Guide Here
Edit: Mind sharing your stats without the Cat? I'm curious to see how much of that survivability would transfer over to PvP.
@pfft2, sure but my cat has the regeneration on it
30.2k hp
3,969 recovery - 46.5% recharge, 36.8% AP Gain
1,071 defense - 23.2% dmg resist
1,289 deflect - 10.8% deflection
812 regeneration
Check out my CW Oppressor Tank Guide Here
Gotcha. So without the Cat, you lose:
50 HP
1226 Recovery (dropping you from 49.3% Recharge to 46.5%)
574 Defense (dropping you from 28.5% Resistance to 23.2%)
789 Regeneration (dropping you from 11% to an unspecified number -- prolly about 5%?)
The big one's the regen, of course, and since you can't enchant for Regen bonuses it'd probably be difficult for a more PvP-focused player to reshuffle the stats around to keep the bulk of your survivability without the Cat. Definitely interesting, though. I'll bet you could do pretty well in PvP by dropping some of the Recovery in favor of, say, Lifesteal. 'Course, the really big problem for CWs in PvP is getting blind-sided by stun-locking melee classes with huge burst damage (Tenebrous Enchants), and Regen/Lifesteal aren't gonna help you much there -- but it'd almost be worth it to respec into your build just to see the reaction when your huge HP allows you to stay alive under an attack that would kill 99% of CWs.
EDIT: Heh, nevermind. Just remembered that Recovery enchants and Lifesteal enchants occupy different slots. On the other hand, a more general-purpose player might be able to swap ~1700 points of Recovery on your build for ArPen or Crit with excellent results with the Cat. Lots of interesting possibilities here.
Anyway interesting build. A wiz using con is just awesome, imo. Nice to see someone having success with a "nontraditional" build.
Planning on making another cw as a leadership alt. I may give this build a try.
Check out my CW Oppressor Tank Guide Here
When i follow the link it just goes to a blank feat tree...
still works fine for me, as soon as i open the link, just click the "Feats" tab next to Powers. Let me know if it works, i'll remake one and fix link
Check out my CW Oppressor Tank Guide Here
sounds good, unfortunately i don't care about dps at all :X some may think different, but i never fail my group and am always complimented on how well i perform with my cw (not dps wise) theres also a very nice "trick" to this build that i didn't and cannot / will not explain. just mess around with it and you'll see :cool:
Check out my CW Oppressor Tank Guide Here
The capstone feat in the Thaumaturge tree (Assailing Force) also boosts the rest of the team's damage. So does Elemental Empowerment, to an extent (the Arcane version of the proc). Those two feats are irrefutably excellent for DPS, but they don't necessarily give the Thaumaturge an advantage, relative to his teammates, on the damage chart.
Other than that, you have Malevolent Surge and Tempest Magic, both of which are available to Oppressors/Renegades. You also have Snap Freeze, which a lot of Thaumaturge builds frankly skip because un-Chilled targets are too rare to care about. Just about the only other individual-player-DPS-boosting feat available exclusively to Thaumaturges is Frozen Power Transfer, which gives a great boost if you make heavy use of Chilling Cloud in AoE situations, but that boost is arguably matched by the Oppressor combination of Controlled Momentum and Alacrity.
So all of that said, the poster's claim doesn't sound implausible. I don't think anyone can question that Thaumaturge is a better damage tree than Oppressor, but that doesn't mean that a Oppressor can't put out comparable damage numbers given the presence of equivalent debuffage.