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Module 3 - Blitz PvE Swordmaster Destroyer Build
helloz2
Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 205 Bounty Hunter
Hola all, just an update on my previous build which had quite a number of mistakes, let's begin.
General
Recommended Race
Half-Orc
+2 DEX
+2 CON or +2 STR
+5% Critical Severity
+10% Run Speed for 3s when you enter combat which can only occur once every 20s
You will probably like to get +2 DEX/STR for a PvE build, and the extra Critical Severity helps alot, making this race the most optimal for this build.
Human
+2 Any Ability Score
+3% Defense
+3 Heroic Feat Points at Levels 10,15 and 20
Always a great option for any class due to it's versatility of 2 Ability Scores and 3 Heroic Feat Points, and also a 3% Defense bonus which seems minor but a boost nonetheless.
Ability Scores
STR: 18(+2)(+6)
+16% Stamina Regeneration
+16% Damage Bonus
+16% DoT Damage Resist
DEX: 13(+6)
+9% Critical Chance
+9% AoE Damage Resist
+4.5% Deflection Chance
CON: 13(+2)
-5% Resistance Ignored
+10% Maximum Hit Points
You will like to add STR and DEX as you level up since they give some vital stats such as Damage Bonus and Critical Chance, while as for the initial rolls both are good options for the +2 if you chose Human, where in this case I chose STR.
Gear
As always, Avatar of War 4/4 is strongly recommended as the set effect is really good to have to increase DPS output. (+450 Critical Strike at 2/4 and +1350 Recovery/Power upon proc at 4/4).
You will like to get weapon sets (Ancient, Dread Legion, Fomorian, Fallen Dragon) which gives +450 Critical Strike that would be beneficial, but not necessary.
For the rest of the gear, you would like to focus on stats which you lack (Life Steal, Armor Penetration) before shifting to Power, which I chose to boost mainly Armor Penetration and Power for rings, necklace and so on.
For Offense and Defense enchants, Radiant is a good option for the Offense slots which adds Power while Azure will be great for the Defense slots which indirectly gives Power as well due to the Steely Defense feat.
For Weapon and Armor enchants, it's great to use the Vorpal weapon enchantment since you will most likely have lots of crits, while going Soulforged for the armor enchantment as the revive could be useful in some situations.
As for Artifacts, Thayan Book of the Dead and Lantern of Revelation can be great options for adding Critical Strike and Armor Penetration while Sigil of the Great Weapon Fighter and Vanguard's Banner are also useful in giving Power and Hit Points.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Post edited by helloz2 on
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Comments
In order of priority,
At-Wills
Sure Strike 3/3
Great single target DPS, always slotted.
Weapon Master's Strike 3/3
Awesome AoE DPS and debuffs, always slotted.
Wicked Strike 3/3
Another good AoE DPS, but since Weapon Master's Strike is used, this is optional.
Reaping Strike 1/3
The charging aspect makes this inconvenient.
Class Features
Destroyer 3/3
Adds DPS per stack, always slotted.
Weapon Master 3/3
Gives Critical Chance per stack.
Steel Blitz 3/3
Enhances AoE damage.
Bravery 3/3
Useful in PvP.
Steadfast Determination 0/3
Determination gain is fast enough to neglect this.
Steel Defense 0/3
Not of much use compared to other options.
Steel Grace 3/3
Negligible since there's Unstoppable already.
Encounters
Indomitable Battle Strike 3/3
Huge burst ability which gives Action Points upon kill, always slotted.
Punishing Charge 3/3
Useful for mobility and rapid gain of Action Points, always slotted.
Not so Fast 3/3
Great AoE damage.
Restoring Strike 3/3
Moderate single target damage which also restores Stamina and Hit Points.
Mighty Leap 3/3
Useful in covering distances and dodge mechanic.
Takedown 3/3
Useful in PvP.
Roar 3/3
Useful in PvP, can also be used in PvE to gain Determination.
Come and Get It 0/3
Great for pulling adds.
Battle Fury 0/3
Buffs damage as well as refilling Stamina.
Flourish 2/3
Great single target DPS, but animation could be lengthy at times.
Daring Shout 0/3
Good buff in damage resistance but having it takes up an Encounter slot which could be better used by others.
Dailies
Avalanche of Steel 3/3
Immune while cast, great AoE DPS and prone to an unlimited target cap, always slotted.
Crescendo 3/3
Awesome single target DPS which also builds up Destroyer and Weapon Master stacks.
Spinning Strike 3/3
Awesome AoE DPS to a target cap of five.
Savage Advance 3/3
Useful for PvP.
Slam 3/3
Not recommended unless Battle Awareness feat is taken.
Powers Used (AoE)
Destroyer
Steel Blitz
Weapon Master's Strike
Sure Strike
Punishing Charge
Not So Fast
Indomitable Battle Strike
Avalanche of Steel
Spinning Strike
When charging in to add waves (10-20++), initiate with Avalanche of Steel to prone all the adds. This would probably fill up your Determination thanks to the Destroyer's Purpose feat as well as Steel Blitz which adds on to the damage.
Next, cast Unstoppable and you're ready to go wild and do some heavy AoE damage, building Destroyer stacks. You would like to begin with Not So Fast to proc the Avatar of War's 4/4 set bonus, which gives +1350 Recovery and Power, and subsequently use Weapon Master's Strike constantly.
Usually there will be a Control Wizard which casts Arcane Singularity often, so when the adds are grouped up it's awesome to use Spinning Strike if Action Points are filled up. Otherwise, you could use Punishing Charge and hit as many targets as possible to rapidly gain Action Points, or use Indomitable Battle Strike to kill targets which also gives a huge boost to Action Points.
Lastly, use Sure Strike to kill any remaining single targets.
Useful for: VT before Valindra, CN, add-heavy dungeons
Powers Used (Single Target)
Destroyer
Weapon Master
Weapon Master's Strike
Sure Strike
Punishing Charge
Restoring Strike
Indomitable Battle Strike
Avalanche of Steel
Crescendo
It's great to start off with Crescendo (if your Action Points are full) to build up Destroyer and Weapon Master stacks, or to use 3 charges of Punishing Charge straight off to proc Avatar of War's 4/4 set bonus.
Sometimes the target's AoE knock-back will still work even in Unstoppable, this is where Punishing Charge comes in handy to nullify that knock-back.
Use Restoring Strike (or Flourish whichever you prefer) and Indomitable Battle Strike often, which is best used in Unstoppable with max stacks of Destroyer's Purpose and Destroyer, and when not in Unstoppable use Crescendo for Crowd Control immunity when the target is about to cast a knock-back.
While the Encounters are on cooldown and Action Points are filling up, constantly use Sure Strike along with Unstoppable whenever available.
Always debuff the target with Weapon Master's Strike which increases your At-Will and Encounter damage rather significantly before using the other Powers. (exception for Crescendo)
Lastly, although very rarely used in these situations, Avalanche of Steel can be used for it's immunity to buy some time should the character be very low in Hit Points.
Useful for: Boss fights which aren't add heavy (Valindra, Fulminorax, etc.) and elite monsters such as Fomorian Witches and Totemists in MC
Heroic Feats
*Extra 3 feat points since Human race, adjust where necessary.
Disciple of Strength
Endless Assault
Steely Defense
Weapon Mastery
Devastating Critical
Feats to improve overall DPS.
Toughness
Armor Specialization
Feats to improve survivability, even if slightly.
Unstoppable Action
Action Point gain should already be quite fast, so this is negligible.
Fast Runner
Loses out to other options.
Constitution Focus
Not useful since this build adds DEX and STR instead of CON.
Destroyer Feats
Great Weapon Focus
Increases At-Will DPS.
Staying Power
Great debuff to boost Encounter damage.
Executioner's Style
Amplifies the damage of Sure Strike and Indomitable Battle Strike, which will always be slotted.
Focused Destroyer
Awesome boosts to the Destroyer class feature, which will always be slotted.
Destroyer's Focus
Capstone feat, must add.
Deep Gash
Useful in building Rampaging Madness and Destroyer's Purpose stacks, not taken since Rampaging Madness is not used.
Disciple of War
Great boost to Power, which in turn boosts DPS, hard decision to give this up.
Relentless Battle Fury
Nice additional features to certain Powers, not taken since none of them are used.
Battle Awareness
Great Power bonus upon using Slam, but this is really situational and Slam is not used often.
Instigator Feats
Student of the Sword
Boosts DPS slightly.
Vicious Advantage
Bonus Critical Chance and damage are beneficial since Combat Advantage is always present.
Tier 1
Chose Dark Fey Hunter for the +250 Power, but the 250 Defense Dark Fey Warder provides could also be an option if your character is either lacking Defense or Human for the 3% bonus (and also Steely Defense).
Tier 2
Both are good options, but picked the 250 Critical Strike Fey Precision instead of the 250 Deflect of Fey Elusiveness since Vorpal is used. (highly affected by diminishing returns though)
Tier 3
Action Point gain should be quite fast with Punishing Charge and Indomitable Battle Strike, so Feywilds Fortitude's +700 HP would be much more useful as compared to Elven Haste's +2% Action Point Gain.
Tier 4
Personal preference for this one, chose Elven Ferocity for the offense but Elven Tranquillity is great too.
Tier 5
Chose Elvish Fury for the Power bonus, Elven Resolve could be a viable option too but could be situational since the Stamina regeneration will stop whenever Sprint is started.
Boons (Dread Ring)
Tier 1
Chose Reliquary Keeper's Strength for the Power since it has no diminishing returns as compared to the Critical Strike Conjurer's Gambit provides.
Tier 2
Evoker's Thirst would be a better option since Life Steal would be better for PvE against Regeneration which Illusory Regeneration provides.
Tier 3
Forbidden Piercing will be taken here for the Armor Penetration which would be more useful than Illusion Shimmer since Deflection Chance is not really high to begin with.
Tier 4
Similar to Sharandar, both Enraged Regrowth and Shadowtouch are awesome, chose the latter for this one.
Tier 5
It's a hard decision between Rampaging Madness and Endless Consumption, picked the latter in the end since the increased healing can be useful sometimes, but the former will be better in boosting DPS and works well with Deep Gash for the build-up.
Boons (Icewind Dale)
* => not finalized since impossible to add as of now
Tier 1
Took Weathering the Storm since the Combat Advantage Bonus Encroaching Tactics provides seem to have diminishing returns, and the resistance could help.
Tier 2
Picked Appreciation of Warmth for the increased healing as opposed to Refreshing Chill's situational Stamina Regeneration bonus.
Tier 3
Added Sleet Skills for the additional Critical Severity and drop Rapid Thaw since Disciple of War is not taken.
* Tier 4
Most likely Cool Resolve for this one due to the Power boost in comparison to the bonuses Cold Shoulder gives.
* Tier 5
Apparently, the decision lies with either Winter's Bounty or Rousing Warmth, depending on how they work they both might be great options.
Active Companions
* => subject to change
Ioun Stone Of Might: +2%/+3%/+5% Stamina Regen
Cannot be replaced even though there's better options since it's the Summoned Companion. The bonus Stamina Regen helps though.
* Wild Hunt Rider: +2%/+3%/+5% on Encounter use to increase damage by 10% for 5 seconds
Great DPS boost if it procs. The chance seems to be higher upon hitting more targets (needs clarification on this one).
Dancing Blade: +3%/+5% Critical Severity
Amplifies critical damage.
* Galeb Duhr: Deals up to 10% more Damage based on missing Health
Good to have since you will be taking damage during battles.
Fire Archon: Deals 5% more Damage to targets lesser than 30% HP
Adds to overall DPS and helps strike a killing blow with IBS with a higher chance.
Summoned Companion
An Ioun Stone of Allure (1200 ZEN) or Ioun Stone of Might (1000 Tarmalune Trade Bars) is recommended since it will give you a significant boost of stats to your character in PvE.
For this case, I use the Ioun Stone of Might since it has all Offense slots for Runestones and Ring, Waist, Ring for equipment slots.
(third ring slot unlocked at Rare, so an upgrade cost of 500K AD is required)
Purpose for the stone is to stack Power as high as possible, to increase DPS further.
For the Offense Runestone slots, I use Empowered Runestone, Rank 9 which gives 260 Power each,
For Equipment, I use Smiting Nefarious items which adds 243 Power and 133 Critical Strike each slotted with a Radiant Enchantment, Rank 9 which gives a bonus 260 Power for every piece.
Currently, the stone gives 2,442 Power along with some other stats as shown above.
All those SM Builds, we need some IV builds here :-D
A hit for cheap folks like me: Replace Empowered Rank 9's with Lesser Bonding Runestones which yield the same amount of power. Were talking about 680k vs 280k while I'm typing this. Also, if you're a R10 guy looking for means of further boosting your power, go for Perfect Bonding Runestones, 380 Power each. Yum!
I'm a cheap folk as well, bought the Empowered Runestones before the release of the Bonding Runestones sadly, but yea Bonding Runestones are definitely the better option now.
Question, why Spining strke over Slam?
How much damage are you getting per mob with Spining strike?
Imo Slam allows me to DPS while it is still active somewhat making out for the damage its missing over if i decide to use it over Spinning Strike, and the interrupt is very nice. I could be wrong.
Also: Wouldn't it be better to start with Spinning strike and not Cresendo as it reflects all damage and allows us to take a beating at the start of a huge fight in case the DC/CW derps and doesn't do its job.
Again thanks for the guide, i used your old 2.0 guide to build up my GWF and it turned into a monster!.
I'm not sure about the exact numbers since I don't use ACT, but I think Slam does not crit and also cannot proc the Steel Blitz class feature, whereas Spinning Strike could be really useful especially when Unstoppable's over, which can critically strike, proc Steel Blitz and thus filling the Determination bar for yet another Unstoppable cast.
For single target encounters, Crescendo could be a good initiation Daily, although the alternative could be to purposely take damage, cast Unstoppable and build up stacks of Destroyer and Destroyer's Purpose as well as proc Avatar of War's 4/4 set bonus, before using the high damage Powers.
I personally think Spinning Strike is best used either when the Determination bar is empty and there's about 5-10 mobs around the character, or when the mobs are gathered together in an Arcane Singularity (if there's Control Wizards).
I'd prefer Punishing Charge since it has 3 charges and fast Action Point gain, and has mobility.
just wondering, does punishing charge have a target cap?
Michael -- 21.1k PvP Sent GWF
morePewPewlessQQ -- 20k Pvp/PvE HR
I'm not really sure, but for me I've only seen it hit up to five targets.
Also, AP gain:
Awesome, explains the tremendous AP gain sometimes. Thanks!