Noob question about Venomancer (build)

Ok, first of all for the armor, as that will determine your stat distribution:

Arcane Armor: very little physical defense, very high magical defense. It's a bit random how many elements that applies to on drops and things you've manufactured, so pay attention to that. I think you'll need 1 Str every two levels to use the latest arcane armor. There's also a Mag requirement, but you shouldn't have any trouble meeting that.

Light Armor: moderate values for both physical and magical defense. The Str requirement for this is a little higher, with a build average of one Str every level. There's also a Dex requirement, which most Venos won't benefit from. Some foxform builds like this, but pretty much no one else.

Heavy Armor: lots of physical defense, little magical defense. I don't know the exact requirements, but I think it's something like 2 Str & 1 Dex every 1 or 2 levels. Most foxform builds use this, I think.

Now for stats:

Str: primarily determines physical attack power and physical defense, neither of which are big for arcane builds, but both of which are for foxform builds

Dex: determines evasion, accuracy, and critical hit chance. Critical hit chance is the only thing that impacts spells, and you only get 1% every 20 points, so arcane builds generally ignore this. I think most foxform builds do, too, since Venos get crappy evasion and accuracy for every point in Dex.

Vit: determines max HP and HP recovery rate. Arcane Venos generally ignore this stat. You'll be squishy no matter how much you spend on HP, and we get terrible HP per Vit point. Foxforms may invest more in it, but I think they generally still depend on their pet to tank for them.

Mag: determines Magical attack power, influences magical defense power (on all elements), determines max MP, and MP recovery rate. This is THE stat for arcane builds, and since Foxform builds have to use magic weapons, which have a Mag requirement anyway, they generally invest a good bit in it, too.

There are generally two builds for Venos, and they are:

Arcane: The big moneymaker and PvE expert. Solo-er extrordinare. For a Pure Magic Build (squishy if you get hit, but that's what the pet is for), you'll want 1 Str and 9 Mag every two levels. That's just enough Str for your arcane armor, and the rest in Mag. Invest heavily in your first two spells (Venomous Scarab and Ironwood Scarab), your pet skills (Heal Pet, Revive Pet, and Tame Pet), and a few miscelaneous, but critical ones (Metabolic Boost, Nature's Blessing, Bramble Guard, Soul Transfusion). Put one level into the rest of your Scarab spells, with possibly more in Lucky Scarab if you want. By that point you'll know more about what you want. This build is exclusively ranged. From what you've said, this is probably what you want.

Foxform: The PvE expert, melee battler, and primary debuffer. This build requires a bit more juggling of stats. You'll want enough for your latest magic weapon, which I think is 2 Mag a level, but you'll also want good armor for the melee combat (all of it). Whether you choose to go for heavy or light (arcane is a no-no for these guys) will determine what stat distribution you want. I think heavy armor is the easiest, putting 2 points into Str, with one point in Dex every other level. The last is free for you to spend. Light armor will require that you settle for armor worse than your own level, simply because you don't have the free stats to meet all the demands (again, I think). All in all, this is a much more difficult build, as the foxform attacks are all physical in nature, but you have to use a magic weapon (with terrible physical attack stats) to use foxform. It does have some very powerful abilities, though, such as Amplify Damage, Purge, Befuddling Mist, and Leech (I think that's the HP drain ability). All in all, though, this is more of a party-centered, anti-boss and PvP build.

The ferenczy - Sanctuary wrote: »

...simple lame effective and dirty.

O.O dirty b:chuckle

The person's right though,
the caster veno is easier to play, you'll level really fast.
Course, if your pure caster, you'll be squishy like other casters if you get aggro, so be forewarned.

Sylvini - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Foxform: The PvE expert, melee battler, and primary debuffer. This build requires a bit more juggling of stats. You'll want enough for your latest magic weapon, which I think is 2 Mag a level, but you'll also want good armor for the melee combat (all of it). Whether you choose to go for heavy or light (arcane is a no-no for these guys) will determine what stat distribution you want. I think heavy armor is the easiest, putting 2 points into Str, with one point in Dex every other level. The last is free for you to spend. Light armor will require that you settle for armor worse than your own level, simply because you don't have the free stats to meet all the demands (again, I think).

You have those backwards. If you have enough Mag to wield the best magic weapon for your level (+3 mag per level), you will have enough points to wear the best light armor for your level (+1 str, +1 dex per level) with 2 points left over.

It's the heavy armor build where you have to compromise - either a lower level weapon or armor below your level. At the higher levels, using legendary or TT equipment with reduced stat requirements you can wield the best weapon and wear the best armor for your level. But most venos who do this go with an arcane build to level up, then use restat scrolls to change to a heavy build.

All in all, this is a much more difficult build, as the foxform attacks are all physical in nature, but you have to use a magic weapon (with terrible physical attack stats) to use foxform. It does have some very powerful abilities, though, such as Amplify Damage, Purge, Befuddling Mist, and Leech (I think that's the HP drain ability). All in all, though, this is more of a party-centered, anti-boss and PvP build.

Foxform melee attacks don't do as much damage per attack, but there's only a 0.8 second pause between your attacks. With your spells there's a 2.5-4 second pause. If you work out the math, you'll find that the melee damage is not that much lower than your spell damage. And as you point out it's more party-friendly, and certain fights work better in fox form.

The repair bill sucks though.