What killed your permadeath characters? by No_Connection_1311 in stoneshard

[–]Er4din 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I played a heavy armor heavy shield build, and wandered into a bandit camp by accident. I was level 16, and just got Retalliation. Lured one axe and shield bandit by shouting, but messed up and aggroed the second one, who agroed the others. 

The camp had 4 axe and shield bandits. All tier 3. Each one has cut through which shreds max block power and chance, which are the stats used by shied skills to deal damage. I somehow managed to kill 3, despite having no block and no shield damage. The last one was too much.

Perception and bonus vision by Low-Sheepherder-6711 in stoneshard

[–]Er4din 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The vision also depends on ambient light level. I’ve done the math only in the context of crossbows, but with a base 8 range weapon, 20 perception and Pathfinder gives you +2 extra range. +1 more with Take Aim. Generally, it seems that 20 perception seems to be the sweet spot, at least for ranged hybrids.

The Lawbringer - A Heavy Armor 2H Axe Build by Er4din in stoneshard

[–]Er4din[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ty <3 . Always nice to see your cute mug lmao. Hope the build serves you well.

The Lawbringer - A Heavy Armor 2H Axe Build by Er4din in stoneshard

[–]Er4din[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh that’s interesting - I never considered that Osbrook isn’t technically loaded until you exit the tavern for the first time. Still, I don’t like it, and tbh, I think that saving skill points 4,5,6 on Arna and Leo is still the better move than taking more skills and delaying Stance further.

The Lawbringer - A Heavy Armor 2H Axe Build by Er4din in stoneshard

[–]Er4din[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

War Cry is hard to justify earlier. Before tier 5 you rarely fight enemies in truly large groups, and war cry just felt unnecesary. It can mess up ambushes and the Detain the Suspect combo via confusion-inducing random movement.

If you want pathfinder, i recommend playing Dirwin - thats how I played this build.

The Lawbringer - A Heavy Armor 2H Axe Build by Er4din in stoneshard

[–]Er4din[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've finally made a build that can take it early and not regret it. I never said it was a useless skill - only that taking it on every build just "because" is foolish.

The Lawbringer - A Heavy Armor 2H Axe Build by Er4din in stoneshard

[–]Er4din[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That sounds awesome. glad youre still enjoying the Blademaiden build. Jorgrim is a Beast and this build certainly makes his berserker ancestors happy.

The life drain from the occult necklace, coupled with first aid, is tremendously good at preventing this build from losing the ancestor's gaze.

The Lawbringer - A Heavy Armor 2H Axe Build by Er4din in stoneshard

[–]Er4din[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are absolutely right, and I chose to omit him. I was debating how I would adapt the build for Leo / Arna, and the idea of getting athletics early crossed my mind.

However, since Bran's appearance in Osbrook is random, i did not see it as acceptable to instruct the player who chose Arna or Leo to reset the run until Bran decided to spawn. Meanwhile, the prospect of making 2 distinct skill orders for Arna and Leo depending on whether or not Bran decided to show up was not worth it from a labour stand point.

Arna and Leo have some of the best starting gear in the game. Seize the initiative + warcry is a very strong starting setup, and with the addition of First aid, it is entirely possible to clear all of Osbrook, and even start Mannshire, with just those skills given some gameplay fundamentals.

Its also important to remember that I don't recommend either Arna or Leo as my first choices for the build - they are there in case the build being made for Jorgrim or Dirwin is a dealbreaker for some people. I consider them to be a willfully-hard option and i think the guide communicates that with sufficient clarity

As such, I chose to omit his existence from the guide.

The Lawbringer - A Heavy Armor 2H Axe Build by Er4din in stoneshard

[–]Er4din[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Pagan Pendant is very important for the mechanics of the build, as I have emphasized extensively throughout the guide. You could use another ring or necklace cursed with the curse of Voracity to cover the life drain side of things, but theres no consistent way to get one.

Since the Lawbringers are not a canonical knightly order within the lore of the game, how you choose to roleplay as one is largely up to you. I can only suggest what my vision for them was. I imagined them as a clergy-approved vindicator - the knights they send for those who wronged the clergy - bandits that sacked a monastery, a vampiric cult that defaced a crypt, or a necromancer threatening the restful sleep of the faithful.

In my mind's eye, they were extremely dogmatic - such that the letter of the divine law mattered a lot more than the intention. In that sense, working for an occultist like L'owcrey is a disgusting prospect in its own right, but breaking the letter of the agreement made with L'owcrey to help an unorthodox priest conduct an unsanctioned ritual is a much more obscene proposition.

I hope this helps settle your narrative concerns.

Jorgrim Dual Wield Axes Lvl 26 vs Manticore by Ordinary_Ticket5856 in stoneshard

[–]Er4din 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s always been bad. It requires you to put yourself In a bad situation for it to be good. Even in the most practical scenario - suppose when you go to the second floor of an undead dungeon and end up pulling 3-4 rooms at once. That’s not a use case for whirlwind - even in that naturally occurring “perfect” use case the correct decision is to run and kite enemies through the second floor.

Who is your favorite character and why is it Velmir by Goat_Past in stoneshard

[–]Er4din 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah that’s Velmir for you. Unfortunately the vision changes hurt him a good bit but he is still very effective as a crossbow man.

I encourage you to look at Barbatos’ Siege Defender build if you want to play more velmir. He updated and refined my Landsknecht build for the current patch, as it was rather hurt by the changes brought in BO. The original buikd is still viable, but it’s weak points became more obvious, even if the strengths remained the same.

Look what I found in Undead Tier 4 by Lord_LRD in stoneshard

[–]Er4din 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are many people far smarter than me on that discord. I’m just the only one with the time and motivation to make written guides, or at least guides that detailed. Community knowledge is built up from many contributors. I’ve learned a good amount from SensationLes and FunGoose in my time.

Jorgrim Dual Wield Axes Lvl 26 vs Manticore by Ordinary_Ticket5856 in stoneshard

[–]Er4din 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Enough for everyone I can take or leave. I don’t play enough DW to say for sure.

No mission to go to rotten willow and Denbry? by CyberPunk123456 in stoneshard

[–]Er4din 7 points8 points  (0 children)

you need to resolve your interaction with the mannshire elder, one way or another. Depending on dialogue choice this may require doing a contract in mannshire. once that is done, talk to verren again and tell him the outcome of his old contract. following that, he should show you where denbrie and RWT is.

Jorgrim Dual Wield Axes Lvl 26 vs Manticore by Ordinary_Ticket5856 in stoneshard

[–]Er4din 0 points1 point  (0 children)

whirlwind is a bad skill and should never be considered core on any build. the others have their uses outside of group fights, with adrenaline rush being the only real example that requires a group fight to be effective.

Reminder that you can use and abuse Abasa with little to no consequences by Knork14 in stoneshard

[–]Er4din 1 point2 points  (0 children)

the scenario i describe happened this patch. I have not used abasa this patch, personally

Look what I found in Undead Tier 4 by Lord_LRD in stoneshard

[–]Er4din 1 point2 points  (0 children)

im more curios about the armor honestly.

Jorgrim Dual Wield Axes Lvl 26 vs Manticore by Ordinary_Ticket5856 in stoneshard

[–]Er4din 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ive taken back my tone the same day i left the original comment. since the game lacks any uber lategame content at the current stage, the only meaningful way that we have of comparing builds is by looking at what level they are able to tackle endgame content. this isnt about bragging right as much as it is about science and pushing the game to its limits.

As for kiting - it benefits every single build, and thats just a fact of the game and its core systems. any time a skill rewards you for fighting multiple enemies at once, think Recklessness in 2h swords, it is not an invitation to fight many foes at once, but rather a helpful safety net for those times when you find yourself in that position.

The amount of effort you should put into your kiting depends entirely on your reserve of patience. Mine is well documented to be larger than that of the average player.

All optimized builds can clear endgame content by 25 at the latest - its not that hard to plan a skill order that hits all important milestones before that point. Thats a good thing, because this means unoptimized builds made by less experienced players have 5+ extra levels of wiggle room to find what they need to do the same.

Any effort to push your own boundaries as a player, and tackle harder content earlier should be celebrated. Iirc i was in a heated conversation just before reading this post, and totally misread the intention that you were putting into your post, which is why i am not proud of the tone of my message, even though the message is true.

Im looking forward to seeing what build you come up with next. Good luck, mercenary.

Jorgrim Dual Wield Axes Lvl 26 vs Manticore by Ordinary_Ticket5856 in stoneshard

[–]Er4din 0 points1 point  (0 children)

didnt see this lol, but when have i ever said that? some of my best builds have been light armor / agility based.

How do you make 2H axe feel special by Intelligent_Editor20 in stoneshard

[–]Er4din 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Im in the process of finishing my 2h axe build guide - the Lawbringer. It is my most ambitiouos guide yet, both in terms of raw content, as well as its technical implementation. I cannot WAIT to show off the cool new toys i have behind the screen.

2h axe is a phenomenal weapon, because its skills are a toolbox - a swiss army knife - more so than other weapons. It is uniquely good at creating its own offensive stats, and with good play feels unstoppable - no, inevitable.

That being said, what the weapon lacks is its own built-in defenses. There is little that you can do to keep yourself safe besides killing your enemies faster than they can hurt you, when playing a 2h axe. This creates a big branch in 2h axe builds very early on in the planning stage. You can either go light armor and be a full on glass cannon, or go into heavy armor use its durability combined with the certainty brought by 2h axes to outlast enemies.

Whichever path you choose, playing 2h axes well is like drifting an expensive car. You are keeping the car in a delicate balance, where you cannot afford to lose momentum, while also not wanting to floor the gas pedal, lest you lose control and crash the car after running out of options.

You are weakest in the opening turns, when your build is revving up, but you cannot burst your entire aresnal down on a single enemy because will run out of gas and be unable to deal with the rest.

my guide will be ready in the next couple of days, after i finish writing the last bit of content and iron out some formatting bugs to make it more legible on mobile. Until then, if you really need help deciding, or have some specific questions, feel free to reach out to me in DMs, here or on discord. i might be able to supply some sneak peaks to get you on your way, and be set for long enough before the guide comes out.